“I think it was awesome, just unbelievable,” wrestling coach Brad Bresnehen said. “Not only is it huge for the kids, but it’s huge for the program and huge for Rouse. Not only people know them on state level, but now on the national level.”

Greco and Freestyle are two different types of styles than what occurs after the regular high school season and is used to compete in the Olympics. Schonfeld beat the 5A state champion to win the Greco tournament, and Coleman beat three state qualifiers in Freestyle.

“I’m excited to gain experience,” Coleman said. “It’s different being able to wrestle with other competitors.”

Both wrestlers now qualify to compete with Team Texas at the National Dual Tournament, June 25-27 in Oklahoma City.

“I’m most looking forward to getting lots of mat time,” Schonfeld said. “And seeing how far I get with national competitors, because I’ve never competed with anyone outside of Texas.”

“I think that it makes Jackson more comfortable and secure to have a companion,” Jackson’s mom Amy Bruce said. “It makes Jackson more approachable by normal students. He has helped Jackson be less anxious at school.”

Jackson got the black poodle on March 1 when he was a little more than 10 months old. People didn’t think their relationship would work as quickly as he did, but the bond between the two continues to grow.

“I feel I am getting other friends who like [him],” Jackson said. “They are a lot friendlier.”

The family says the dog has helped in and out of school, helping keep Jackson calm and at ease.

“He definitely helps me keep up with Jackson now that he’s bigger than me,” Amy Bruce said. “It’s been an adjustment to include [the dog] in all our activities though.”

Despite the trial period, Jackson is hoping the school district will allow him to keep the dog in the school system.

“I am like all other teenagers and want friends,” Jackson said. “[He] helps me get to know other people better.”

Service Dog Guidelines

• Blue cape means the dog is  working. At school, the dog is always working.
• No petting, feeding or distracting the dog.
• Go around, not between the dog and Jackson.
• Just ignore the dog.
• The dog is here to work, not play.

Blake Young and Kaylee Colon

Sharing the common love for the sci-fi show Doctor Who, senior Blake Young decided to ask senior Kaylee Colon to the dance by writing ‘Prom’ in all of her classes in Gallifreyan, a language from the show. He then showed up at her house with the same symbols on his car and blasting the song “Love of the Light” by Mumford and Sons. When Kaylee came out of the house Blake was standing next to the word ‘Prom?’ to which she said yes.

“I was excited, because she looked excited,” Young said. “It was pretty easy to come up with cause I knew she liked Doctor Who. I was asking someone to prom, why wouldn’t be excited?”

Kelly Ford and Brent Miller

When junior Kelly Ford ordered Chinese food, she didn’t know it was coming with a special fortune.  She had ordered some food from Great Wall Chinese restaurant that senior Brent Miller delivered for. So when he saw her box, he spontaneously wrote prom in the inside lid. After he gave her the food, Ford opened the box and saw the message, she immediately called him with an excited yes.

“I was really surprised, because I wasn’t expecting it,” Ford said. “I knew we were going to prom together, but I didn’t know how he would ask me. It didn’t even cross my mind that that was a way to ask. It was super cute.”

Justin Pelt and Annie Wingard

Senior Justin Pelt wanted to go big this year when asking senior Annie Wingard to prom. He first had Annie go on a scavenger’s hunt around Leander where there was a letter and a note to the next place. The last letter led her to the football field, where there was the word ‘Prom’ in big letters made out of Christmas lights. Justin was standing in front of the lights with the last letter and a sign that said prom. She said yes just as the sun was setting.

“I knew he was going to meet me somewhere, but I didn’t know it was going to be with lights,” Wingard said. “It was a really cool adventure. I felt like I was on the Amazing Race. It was really fun.”

Chandler Gonzalez and Hope Rasmussen

After scrolling through prom proposal options on the Internet, senior Chandler Gonzalez found the perfect option – tea lights. To ask his girlfriend, sophomore Hope Rasmussen, to prom he laid out tea lights on her driveway spelling out “Prom?” while she was inside.  He then called her family who sent her outside with the excuse of going to get a Red Box movie, where she found Gonzalez in a suit with a giant red plastic daisy. She, of course, agreed.

“I could feel her excitement when she came running towards me screaming “Oh my god!! I love you,” Gonzalez said. “I’ve never felt the happiness in someone like that before.”

Jesse O’Rourke and Kathleen Callender

A hunt through memory lane. For junior Jesse O’Rourke asking his girlfriend, Vista Ridge junior Kathleen Callender, to prom through a scavenger hunt led her through important locations in their relationship.

The couple was supposed to have a dinner date that night but O’Rourke canceled, upsetting Callender.

“I was kind of upset because it had been a pretty rough day,” Callender said.

Her mom picked her up late from school due to a PALs meeting and told her collect a notecard off the dashboard the read “Surprise Scavenger Hunt.” The hunt led her to sites that were significant to the couple, including the location of their six month anniversary date, Bellini’s Texas Grill. At each stop she received a letter from the cashier and a letter that helped to spell out “Prom.” The last location was Which Wich where O’Rourke was waiting with a question mark.

“The fact that he went through so much trouble planning, putting it all together made me feel so special,” Callender said. “I’m not sure how he managed to keep it a surprise, seeing as we spend almost every day together. He’s seriously the sweetest, most thoughtful guy ever.”

Zoe Otey and Jayton Davis

With threats of promposing with tacos, senior Zoe Otey was beginning to worry about how her boyfriend of four years, senior Jayton Davis, would ask her. Otey told Davis that he had to prompose or she would find another guy to take her. In the end Otey walked to her car afterschool April 25 to find a dozen roses and a stuffed puppy holding a sign that read ‘prom’ as well as the song her and Davis first danced to at his freshman band banquet “You Had Me From Hello” by Kenny Chesney playing out of Davis’s car.

“I felt like it wasn’t enough,” Davis said. “Our song replayed four times, it was taking forever for her to come outside.”

This will be Davis and Otey’s second prom together.

“I’m so excited about my dress and honestly, just being with Jayton,” Otey said. “We don’t get to go out very much and I am really excited to dress up and spend the night with him in a setting that I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Every morning during second or sixth period a line similar starts Raider Nation News. Unfortunately, not every student gets to experience RNN on a daily basis; some don’t get to see it at all.

Some teachers are choosing to not show RNN every day. This is concerning because the daily broadcast is how students receive important information: when clubs are meeting, what they should wear for spirit days, event ticket information and game scores for various sports – all info students miss when they don’t see RNN.

According to the Texas Education code, every day, students are required to be given the opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to both the state and national flag as well as participate in a moment of silence. When the announcements switched from the office to a daily RNN, the pledges came with it. If teachers do not play RNN they are not only doing a disservice to their students, but they are also breaking the law.

Classes can get busy, especially when the class is preparing for an exam. But this is no excuse not to play RNN. The schedule is designed so that on non-Advocate days, second and sixth periods are 95 minutes long, instead of the usual 90. This allows time for RNN without actually costing any instruction time.

Administration should crack down on teachers who do not show RNN. In the past they have sent out reminders e-mails, but there needs to be a stronger motivation for those failing to support the school’s system for providing essential information to students.

The broadcast staff puts a lot of work and time into RNN every day. They work to ensure that each student is receiving the news and updates they need. When teachers choose to ignore their responsibilities it hurts the students; they miss the pledges, the moment of silence and important information they need.

Leah Randall, Algebra II and Math Models 

“We had a two story building, and I was sitting in one of my math classes and the room above me was a computer class, with a very lenient teacher. I looked out the window and there was a kid being lowered to the ground with a computer mouse tied around his ankle. The kid being lowered was our valedictorian.” – Robert Mossman, Algebra I

“For my friend’s 16th birthday, we blindfolded her. We took her to the parking lot and got her excited about getting a car. We took off her blindfold and in the middle of the parking space was a little Matchbox station wagon. We were nerds, so that was as vicious as we could get.” – Maureen McShane, US History and AP US Government

“We were on the way home from a volleyball game on the bus. It was late. It was dark, and ice was readily available. This know-it-all, stuck up girl was taking a nap against the window, so we started throwing ice at the window, and hitting her and she snitched.” – Jenna Malone, Geometry and Pre-AP Geometry

“The high school that I attended had a lot of gangs, so my friends and I made our own gang called the Alphadogs. We had bandanas that we would wear in our pockets. Every time one of us got an A on a test or a paper, we would all stand up and shout ‘ALPHADOGS!’ ” – Jamie Maples, AP World History and AP European History

“Picture this, January 1985. Big hair, good music – it’s rockin’. I get transferred; I have to transfer high schools because we moved. Every day this guy keeps staring at me. So one day I wasn’t in the best of moods, which is so unlike me, and I looked at him and I said to him ‘Ay – what’re you lookin’ at?! Huh?’ And he said ‘I’m looking at the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on.’ I said ‘Of course you are. Now take those big, geeky, nerdy eyes of yours and turn them around the other way before I poke them out with a fork.’ This is the man that I have been with 27 years and married to for 23 and a half years and he is the love of my life.” – Jan Carpenter, Nurse

“Making it to state was the biggest accomplishment ever,” Beechum said. “I could’ve done better but it’s still amazing to be given the opportunity.”

Boreman set a new state record in the 1600 meter run, earning a time of 4:48 and setting an 11-second personal record.  This is her second state win, after winning the state cross country meet in November.

“Running at the state meet was a lot different than running the cross country one,” Boreman said. “We waited for a while and the weather was so different.”

Due to the bad weather, the meet started behind schedule. Although the weather cleared up mid-morning, heavy rains and lightning caused a long delay in the evening. Boreman was supposed to compete in her second out of three events at 8:45 p.m., and didn’t end up running in the 1600 until 11:30 p.m. and the relay until 11:45 p.m.

“It was a little stressful having to go from competing [in the 1600] to the medal stand to go compete,” Boreman said. “But I knew they were running behind time so I was okay.”

Despite the bad weather and delays, the girls were happy with making it to the state level.

“[To make it to state] you have to give it your all and really buy into the program,” Franklin said. “There are some really good people on the team that can get you there.”

Of those four, senior Danton Waggoner  took first in Ready Writing, becoming the regional champion.

“It felt good to know my hard work paid off and to blaze the trail for Rouse in UIL academics,” Waggoner said. “I look forward to seeing how much harder the competition is.”

Seniors Brianna Rood placed third in Poetry Interpretation, Zack Short took third in Headline Writing, and Rachel Sloan placed second in News Writing and third in Prose Interpretation, being the first person in school history to go to state for two events.

“It’s really awesome to be able to leave a legacy like that,” Sloan said. “Hopefully this will encourage more people to join these activities because they’re definitely worth having around, there’s definitely room for success.”