![Holding up T-wolves, the tour group poses for a picture in the Chinese classroom. Sophomore Lydia Ou, junior Phu Trung and senior Yushan Pan gave a tour to Taiwanese diplomat Andrea Yang on Nov. 8. “I was so excited when I heard I would get to give the tour because it’s a big deal,” Ou said. “She’s from the US embassy for Taiwan, so she’s really important. I’m so privileged [to get this opportunity] and I’m so excited.” Photo by Skyler King](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Main-Taiwan.jpg)
![Students drew chalk art in honor of Veterans day. This is just one of many things the school does to show appreciation to veterans, and the art will remain in the courtyard as a reminder of all of the veterans who served their country. “On veteran’s day, I think it’s a great thing we do at school to honor people that served [who are] at our school or family members,” English teacher and cheer coach Nadira King said. “It makes me feel proud, and it makes me remember the [veterans].”](https://cphswolfpack.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Capture.png)
![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)
![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)
When it comes to gift giving it’s been said that “it’s the thought that counts,” however I sometimes find myself wondering what exactly a well-meaning friend or family member was thinking when an awful neon orange and green polka-dot turtleneck, a pair of atrocious shoes better suited and my great-grandmother or tickets for that one band I liked when I was twelve are unwrapped. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I accept the presents, knowing they will never be used or worn. Now that the holiday season has passed, it’s time to decide what to actually do with them. The obvious solution is to shove them in the closet for the rest of your life; however there are alternatives.
1. Sell it online
Auction sites like eBay are perfect solutions for ridding yourself of undesired gifts and making a bit of cash in the process. Chances are someone out there will actually want what you don’t and put it to good use. Make that sweater sound like the best gift out there: it’s not old, it’s vintage! Plus, with the money you’ve made you can take advantage of the post-holiday sales and buy something you really want.
2. Re-gift
Maybe that awful gift is perfect for another friend. Re-wrap it and happily give it away as if it was always meant for them. But there are several risks that accompany re-gifting. Make sure your recipient is not in the same circle of friends as the person who gave you the gift, as this makes it all too easy to be discovered. Don’t even try to re-gift novelty or one-of-a-kind gifts. Also, be sure to remove any gift tags addressed to you, and don’t attempt to give away personalized presents.
3. Ask for the receipt
But be courteous about it. If it’s an unbearable piece of clothing, simply say that it doesn’t quite fit. Then you can exchange it for something you’ll actually enjoy wearing. If a few weeks later your friend asks why you aren’t wearing that terrible sweater, tell them they were sold out, but that you still appreciate the gift.
4. Donate it
Contribute to a good cause by donating your presents to local charities, such as Goodwill. They will appreciate the gesture and you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’ve helped someone in need.
No matter how you decide to rid yourself of well-meant but awful gifts, keep in mind that your friend has put time and effort into your gift, so be polite and appreciative. Nothing’s worse than a rude and ungrateful gift recipient. The holiday season is about the spirit of giving, so don’t ruin it for someone else when the New Year sheds light on their horrible decisions. If none of the above methods work out, wear or use the present just once to show the giver that you appreciate the gesture. After this you are free to never let that fuzzy disaster see the light of day again.
