The Warrior Weekly

Volume 9, Issue 17

January 26, 2017

Government in Action

Seniors Attend Inauguration

This past weekend, twenty-four Lakehill seniors, all of whom are studying government, had the opportunity to visit our nation's capital.

"This trip was a great way to begin the last semester of high school," said senior Claire Crow. "We got to experience history together in so many different ways."

Seniors were able to see democracy in action, attending the inauguration on Friday and experiencing the Women's March on Saturday . Regardless of who they supported in the election, all were there to see the peaceful transition of power upon which our country is built. They also visited amazing museums such as the National African-American Museum of History and Culture, The Holocaust Museum, and the Smithsonian.

While in D.C, the seniors experienced several impressive sights and memorials, including the Washington Monument, the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Air Force Memorial. They also visited Arlington Cemetery and viewed the JFK gravesite and its eternal flame.

"The trip showed the students democracy at work in both the process of peaceful transition of power and the opportunity , if desired, to express their freedom of speech in marching," said chaperone Latricia Davis. "I hope the students learned that, no matter what side you support, it is vital to understand the importance of being an active participant in the democratic process."

By Salma El-Feky, '17
Marketing Intern

No Holds Bard

Students Perform Shakespeare's Monologues

Members of Lakehill's Shakespeare and Friends Club competed in the school's second foray in the English-Speaking Union (ESU) National Shakespeare Competition on January 25. Seniors Chambliss Pierson and Noah Bernstein, sophomores Liam Reece and Vanya Suchan, and freshman Alanna Stern, each performed a 20-line monologue from a Shakespeare play to a judges Julie Riggs, Mark Guerra, and Amanda Rasbury.

Stern took first place, impressing the judges with her performance of Portia from Julius Caesar. Second place went to Pierson who performed Paulina from The Winter's Tale, and will serve as the alternate. Reece finished third, performing King Henry from Henry V.

The ESU National Shakespeare Competition is a performance-based education program in which high school students nationwide read, analyze, perform, and recite Shakespearean monologues and sonnets. Approximately 2,500 teachers and 20,000 students in nearly 60 ESU Branch communities participate each year.

Lakehill's competitors worked throughout the first semester during Shakespeare and Friends, an Upper School club sponsored by Elizabeth Schmitt. "I appreciate their commitment bringing Shakespeare's words to life and was impressed with the diversity and complexity of the pieces the students chose for themselves."

"My love for the world of theater motivated me to take part in this competition," Stern said. "The deeper I began to dive into Shakespeare, the more I began to enjoy it."

Stern will represent Lakehill at the local ESU Dallas Branch Competition on February 25 at Highland Park High School. In addition to her monologue, she will also memorize and recite one of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets.

The local winner will be awarded an all-expense-paid trip to New York City for the National Competition, regularly held at Lincoln Center. National Competition prizes include a scholarship to study acting in England, Shakespeare's homeland.

Worldly and Wise

Global Knowledge is a Family Affair

Lakehill's Geo Bee on January 24 was truly a family affair, as two Barefoot brothers were left in the finals to compete for the championship. In the end, eighth grader Christian Barefoot answered correctly that the world's largest marine protected area, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, is located off the state of Hawaii.

Christian was declared Lakehill's champion after answering the most questions correctly in the championship round. His younger brother, sixth grader Leyton Barefoot , claimed second place.

Sixth grader Angus Gilbreath and fifth grader Lobna El-Feky gave strong performances and tied for third.

The competition was open to all students in grades four through eight. There were 27 competitors, a school record for the Bee. The event consisted of seven rounds of questions, a final round for the top 10 students, and a championship round for the final two competitors. Preparation took place in Geography Club meetings, where participants met every other week to practice.

This is the 29th year the National Geographic Society has organized the Bee, and each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in this entertaining and challenging test of geographic knowledge.

As a school winner, Christian will advance to the next level of competition, a 70-question online examination. The top 100 test takers in the state will then compete for the state title. Each state winner will advance to Washington, D.C. for the national finals in May.

"Our Geography Club has grown in enthusiasm and dedication over the years with our meetings centered on fun competitions testing map and geography knowledge. This year, the students' hard work really paid off," said Patty Pippen, Geography Club sponsor.

"Winning the Geo Bee was really exciting," said Christian, "but competing against my brother in the final round made it even more memorable and special."

Construction Corner

Update from Headmaster Roger Perry

The new building is beginning to take its shape. The interior walls are now in place with one side of each being covered. The interior stairway is being built and should be completed this week. The framers, steelworkers, and plumbers are also moving at a good pace.

Walking through the new halls and classrooms is exciting and I am eager to share it with all of you. Look for our video tour coming soon!

Be sure to take a look at our construction photos and time-lapse videos .

Senior Spotlight

National Junior Honor Society Highlights Lakehill's Soon-to-be Graduates

NJHS Spotlight on Seniors

This week's senior: Sophia Liu

Sophia Liu has attended Lakehill since she was a freshman. She is an accomplished artist, concentrating on drawing and painting. Sophia has created beautiful, intricate paintings that have been seen worldwide. She also designs and sells cell phone covers and t-shirts and has worked on an advertising campaign for Lamy, a German company that manufactures pens.

Sophia's favorite memories are of working on her art, which she does every day after school. She was awarded the individual State Championship in the TAPPS State Art Competition in 2016, and has won numerous individual awards in numerous categories. Her performance contributed strongly to Lakehill's recognition as TAPPS State Champion in Visual Arts in 2015 and as Runner-up in 2016.

Sophia also participates in a variety of clubs and activities, including Model UN, Choir, National Honor Society, the American Mathematics Competition, and the International Club. She also love helping people and is a frequent volunteer.

Sophia plans to continue her artistic success in college and will attend an Art School where she will study art and business. She credits her parents for her success because they have always pushed her to be her best.

Sophia advises young Warriors to keep working. "If you keep working for whatever you want, you will succeed."

By Justin Vlier, eighth grade

Sports Snippets

Warrior Pride

Varsity Girls Basketball

The Varsity Girls Basketball team is 6-0 and in first place in TAPPS 3A. They continued their winning ways on January 24 by defeating the Dallas Lutheran Lions 42-37 at home.

The Lady Warriors were led in scoring by Charity Abengowe with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and eight steals. Ashley Peacock made three three-pointers in the game and McKinney Waggoner, Guilia Ferguson and Alanna Stern led a solid Lady Warrior defense. "This was the best team effort victory we have had all season," said Head Coach Rob Vaughan. The Lady Warriors will play at home game on Saturday, January 28, against Irving the Highlands at 5:00 p.m.

Varsity Boys Basketball

The Varsity Boys Basketball team followed their game plan well and kept it close for most of the game against Dallas Lutheran on January 24, ultimately losing 48-29. The leading scorer was Noah Bernstein with 15 points. The Warriors are back on the court against Irving The Highlands on Saturday, January 28 at home. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.

Middle School Boys Basketball - Seventh Grade

The Seventh Grade Boys Basketball team notched its fifth win in row on January 24 at home with an impressive 44-24 win over Rockwall Heritage. The Warriors were led by Brett Peacock who scored a season high 24 points. The game was close at the half with the Warriors leading only 18-13, but they were able to pull away in the second half with some stellar play on the defensive end, outscoring Heritage 20-6 in the third quarter. The second leading scorer was Mitchell Crow who had 11, as well as numerous steals and assists. Luke Stout had a solid game on defense.

On January 19, the Warriors took on Shelton, coming away with a narrow 31-26 victory. The team was led in scoring by Crow who had 10, followed by Alex Dondis with eight, Stout and Peacock with four, Cullen McCaleb with three, and two for Will Gorman. The game was still in doubt with less than a minute remaining, when Gorman sank two clutch free throws to seal the victory for Lakehill. The Warriors next play on January 31 in a rematch with Shelton. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. at Lakehill. The Warriors will be going for their sixth win a row. Their season record now sits at 5-3.

Middle School Boys Basketball - IAA

The Eighth Grade Boys Basketball team hosted Canyon Creek last Friday. Lakehill's challenge against the Cougars was finding a way to negate their significant height advantage. The Warriors debuted a full-court trapping press, and it worked effectively. The numerous turnovers created defensively led to easy points and helped offset Canyon Creek's rebounding advantage. The game was close at half, with Lakehill holding a 20-15 lead. The Warriors broke the game open in the third quarter, outscoring the Cougars 14-7 en route to a 47-27 victory. Christian Barefoot led the team with 17 points and Matthew McCall chipped in six. Nine different players contributed points in a well-rounded effort. Lakehill is now 8-0 and remains atop the IAA North Division heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

Middle School Girls Basketball

The Middle School Girls Basketball team took on a physical Heritage Christian Academy in non-league play on Tuesday, January 24. It was a tight game throughout, but the girls ultimately fell, 14-22. Seventh graders Kourtni Jones, Mika Davis, and Brooke Granado did an outstanding job of stepping up into different positions due to injuries. The team has already captured a playoff spot and looks to finish strong with only three more IAA games left. The girls host Providence on Thursday at 4:00 p.m.

See more basketball photos.

Middle School Soccer

The Middle School Co-ed Soccer team lost 9-2 to Greenhill on January 19. Henry Hopkins had both goals in the second half, while Ava Cunningham and Chris Dickey did well on defense.

The Warriors were outmatched at Corem Deo on January 23, losing 8-1. Spencer Neill had a solid performance in the second half assisting Jason Davis for Lakehill's only goal. Luke Williams and Laurel Way were also standouts during the game. Their next game is January 26 at home against Covenant at 4:00 p.m.

Varsity Soccer

The Varsity Co-ed Soccer team lost 4-2 at Dallas Lutheran on January 24. The Warriors struggled but were down 0-4 after 40 minutes. The Lakehill offense came together, spending the majority of the second half in possession of the ball on the Lutheran half of the field. Kyeser Hall had two goals, one assisted by Ben Gillman. Hamed El-Feky did a great job holding the ball up in the midfield, and Zac Aron had several diving fingertip saves to keep Lutheran scoreless in the second half. The Warriors play Covenant at home on January 26 at 5:30 p.m.

See more soccer photos.

Varsity and Middle School Crew

Join White Rock Rowing on Saturday, January 28, at 10:00 a.m. at the White Rock Boathouse for an Open House. Tour the facilities, meet the coaches, meet the rowers, and find out what it is like to be on a rowing team! Find out more.

Dallas United Crew is offering Learn to Row Clinics for students in Middle School or Upper School who are looking to try rowing before committing to a competitive rowing team. Find out more.