![The cross country team poses for the camera after finishing the district meet. The varsity boys, JV boys and JV girls all placed third and the varsity girls placed fourth. “Coach put in the right training for us for this season, so I think we will be peaking this week and the next couple of weeks,” varsity runner and junior Nathan Kukla said. “The chances of making it to state are very high, but we don’t settle for the lowest and there is always going to be that chance, so [we] race for the best.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Heidi-831-1200x900.jpg)
![Sucking in a breath of air, freshman Lily Pope competes in the 200 yard individual medley. On Oct. 25, the swim team competed in the AISD Swim Invitational. Overall, the girls team took second place and the boys team came in eleventh. “My favorite stroke is butterfly because I do the best in that stroke,” Pope said. “I feel like [butterfly] can test how [your ability] to convince yourself to keep going. The hardest part of swimming is convincing yourself to stay strong and keep pushing during a hard race [when] everything is tired.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/POPE-1200x804.jpg)
![Smiling at the camera, Author Ehigbor Okosun, members of Page Turners, and other students reflect on the author's visit. “I thought the visit was great,” Senior Amia De Leon said. “It was interesting talking to her and [getting to know] her process and her thoughts and books in general. But I think the reason it went well [was that] people got to ask questions. I'm glad that she said so much in response to the questions and it wasn't just one and done. [The author’s responses] felt very articulate.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Sebastian-5-1200x800.jpg)
![Standing in front of the field at a freshman football game, cheerleader freshman Jacob Gaudreau along with teammate freshman Bella Gibson pose for a photo during halftime of game. “[Cheer has] definitely given me a much more outgoing personality,” Gaudreau said. “I used to be very introverted, so it's definitely made me more extroverted towards people.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Ingrid-204-1200x800.jpg)
![Holding a wooden pizza toy, senior Taylor Peterson plays with small children in Bucaramanga, Colombia. During the summer, Peterson traveled to Colombia to help build an elementary school that only had two classrooms but five or six grades with one teacher. “We add[ed] two more classrooms,” Peterson said. “It’s kind of hard when you have two or three grades in one classroom and you only have one teacher. It’s very hard to actually get some beneficial learning. [The extra classrooms will give the students] a better quality of education because they’ll actually have a place specific for their learning.” Photo by Taylor Peterson](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Taylor-P.png)
![Swinging with his arm extended, senior Nolan Park hits the ball smoothly over the net and to the opponent’s side. Park is one of four varsity tennis captains and helped the team win district championships. “Winning district champs was a pretty awesome feeling,” Park said. “We had lost to Liberty Hill a couple of weeks before, but when we played them [again], we came out and really took care of business. We took them out and it was just a really awesome night.”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Kassidy-419.jpg)
![Standing proud, varsity senior athletes Rafael Escobar, Griffin Jacobs, Jakob Martin, and juniors Jackson Springer and Jack Morris pose with their newly earned medals. The varsity team finished third out of 14 teams on Sept. 25. “The team's primary goal is to win the district championship,” head coach Cody Price said. "We're confident that with our action plan in place, we can accomplish this mission. [For the next tournament], our preparation involves assessing our strengths and weaknesses, celebrating milestones and creating individual development plans." Photo courtesy of Cody Price](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/golf.jpg)
5 Things to do this Thanksgiving Break
November 16, 2016
We all look forward to that perfect week near the end of November- Thanksgiving Break. Gone are the early mornings of waking up before the crack of dawn, gone are the loads of homework that result in all-nighters. It’s just a whole week of relaxation, family bonding and sneaking peeks at the turkey in the oven. Here are five things to do this coming Thanksgiving Break.
- Slip into the inevitable food coma.
You’ve managed to waddle to the couch in time before your waistline snaps, but suddenly your eyes feel droopy and you just can’t stay awake much longer. What’s happening? Did you accidentally overdose on mashed potatoes? Probably. This my friend, is the food coma. After about three servings of food, it is impossible to fully comprehend the embarrassing stories that are being retold by the extended family. An hour nap on the sofa will restore your energy for the rest of the night, just in time for a slice of Grandma’s famous pumpkin pie.
- Family Bonding Time
If all of your friends are spending the week skiing in the Swiss Alps or snorkeling in Barbados, you can take this time to catch up with your family. If discussing politics with your great uncle Rufus is terribly unbearable, help your aunt make green bean casserole in the kitchen. It may feel boring and mundane, but someday, you will look back on those memories and be grateful for your relatives- no matter how wild they are.
- Black Friday Shop
You don’t have to hit the mall at 2:00 a.m. in order to find great deals. Get ahead on all of your holiday shopping a month early to avoid outraged customers and frantic trips to the store. This relaxed week is perfect for grabbing a quick brunch and browsing between the the clearance racks of Kohl’s with family members.
- Football Thursday
After hours of cooking and feasting, it’s okay to veg on the sofa and catch up on the NFL games. There will be plenty of leftovers to munch on as the Cowboys score touchdowns, so there is no need to make more snacks. In New York City, Macy’s Parade will be live broadcasted from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The parade is a three hour event celebrating the large department store’s 158th anniversary with spectacular floats and pageants. If you just so happen to despise football or find parades unexciting, there are a plethora of shows and movies on Netflix you can enjoy with your relatives.
- Kickball
While waiting for the piping hot rolls to cool, challenge your cousins to a friendly game of backyard kickball. Your stomach will be growling by the time you finish pelting your siblings with the rubber ball; just in time to eat. If you end up winning, you’ll earn bragging rights for the rest of the week.
