The Bengal Beat | Volume 7 Issue 2

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Pages 6&7 - The Bengal Beat staff gets an inside look at the preparation of the Fine Arts

Musical: Into the Woods

Pages 8&9 - Seth Pettit competes professionally in the world of Jet Skis

Page 10 - The Step Team makes a name for itself

Introducing Braswell seniors planning on playing sports post-high school. We sit down with Mrs. Greene and Mrs. Vance to talk about the spring musical.

Introducing the Braswell Step Team & a review of Crumbl cookies

THE BENGAL BEAT

Ray Braswell High School 26750 E. University Dr Aubrey, TX 76227 972-347-7746 braswellmedia@gmail.com

STAFF

A collage of photos from the year, so far! Photos courtesy of The Ambush Yearbook

A look at the Bwell Band Fuzion conconcert and overview of the Bengals Basketball season.

Co-Editors-in-Chief: Myrical Roberts & Diego Gonzalez Staff Writers: Seven Henry, Markayla Howard, Kennedi Inman, and Asia Jackson. Adviser: Mr. Daniel Ryan Carr Associate Principal: Mrs. Dawn McCullough Principal: Mr. DeCorian Hailey

The Bengal Beat is the student news of Ray Braswell High School. The ideas expressed in this publication and on the Opinion page are soley those of the individuals providing them, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the entire staff, adviser, faculty, administration, or the Denton Independent School District Board of Trustees.

Introducing Seth Pettit, a senior who races jet skis professionally and competes in paintball competitions.

The Bengal Beat News is distributed to over 2,800+ students every quarter, advertise with us to reach your local high school community. Learn more at braswellmedia.org/advertise

Braswell Media publications, staff, and adviser are members of the Journalism Education Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Texas Association of Journalism Educators, and competes in the UIL Journalism academic contests and at the ILPC and JEA/NSPA journalism conferences. Find us online at braswellmedia.org, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok @braswellmedia. A version of this issue formatted for the web can be accessed online at issuu.com/braswellmedia.

Photo Credit: Reagan Netherland, The Ambush

Braswell SPED staff work to create an inclusive environment for all

Myrical Roberts, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Braswell High School has been described as a melting pot. Our students and staff are made up of so many cultures and ethnicities, but what most don’t think about is Braswell’s Special Education Department. We as students are classified into two populations - General Education and Special Education.

“I feel like, this is my personal belief, that people have this stigma or this one mind of what a SPED student looks like,” Esperanza Trevino said. “Special education comes in all different shapes and sizes. It’s not one size fits all.”

The idea of masking is to try to hide something that one does not want the public to see.

“I think everyone has a disability, some are pretty good at masking it,” Ali Weaver said. “But at some level we all have struggled with disabilities that have impacted

our learning and our functioning. It would be really nice if what we would consider the normal population could accept that and kind of acknowledge that everyone struggles.”

For a SPED student, everyday is a celebration. Throughout the school year, their class celebrates every accomplishment that each student has.

“We always set up activities for the kids to do,” Trevino said. “We had several students do special olympics bowlingthey got first place! Also, one student got student of the month.”

At Braswell, our special education department spends time teaching students to advocate for themselves.

“We don’t lie and tell them they aren’t SPED,” Trevino said. “They know they’re in the [special education department] and they know what their struggles are. We tell them to advocate for themselves. They have

to speak up because sometimes, since this is such a big school, you can’t tell that some of our kids are SPED. Like when they get picked up in the

school opened. The class operates as a PE credit.

SPED Prom, Partner PE and Partner Dance are just a few of the ways Braswell helps

cate for themselves.

tardy tank so we teach them to advocate.”

Luckily, our school does a wonderful job helping our SPED students integrate with our general education students. General education students have multiple opportunities to meet our SPED students and learn with them.

“We have Partner Physical Education and Partner Dance,” Trevino said. “That’s where other students will come in and integrate with our kids and play with them.”

Partner PE has been offered since our

the students in our special education department feel at home and feel welcomed. Through the many opporunties that Braswell provides to both special and general ed students, we are able to create an inclusive culture throughout the school and our district.

“We don’t lie and tell them they aren’t SPED. They know they’re in the [special education department] and they know what their struggles are. We tell them to advo-

4 / College Commits

Josey Marshall

Why did you choose this university

I choose this university because my parent and grandparent went there and it has a good nursing program. Going into Premed seemed like a good option.

What were some aspects you really liked about the college? I really like the area surrounding it , it was a really pretty area and I have a lot of family.

Major Biology

University of Delaware

Kennedi Inman

Why did you choose this univer-

sity

I chose the location because I’ve always wanted to live on the east coast and love how welcomed I felt when I visited.

What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I loved the beaches, and I will be halfway between Washington D.C. and New York City

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

It mean so much to me because I’ve always wanted to play sports in college since I was little.

Sport/position Volleyball - setter

Sterling Bigley

Why did you choose this university

They have a good baseball program

What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I like their baseball team and their campus

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

It means a lot because the hard work i put it in to get there Sport/position Baseball - pitch Major Undecided

Jai Williams

Why did you choose this university

Because when I first got there it immediately felt like home to me. What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I really liked that they have soul food.

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

It means everything to me. I had so many people doubt my ability and this just proves that I made it.

Sport/position Basketball - PG/SG

Brady Beck

Why did you choose this university

I choose Murry state because I feel like they appreciated me the most as a player and I really like the environment that they have. What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I like the energy that the coaching staff had - it was very free, I feel like I can do my own thing there.

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

lt meant a lot because it’s kind of what I wanted to do.

Sport/position Baseball - Infield Major Undecided

Kamille Gibson

Why did you choose this university

I choose Tennessee because of the people and the mindset of the people on the campus What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I like how pretty the campus was and how it was totally different than Texas.

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

It meant a lot that I wasn’t into volleyball at the time so it was just cool that I have this opportunity.

Sport/position Volleyball/ Pin Hitter

Torie Sevier

Why did you choose this university

It was the most beautiful campus that competes at a high level

What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I love the beach

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

I am so thankful that I am able to play for such an amazing program and continue to do what I love!

Sport/position Basketball - power forward Major Physical therapist

Maya Omar

Why did you choose this university?

I chose Florida Southern because of the welcoming team atmosphere, high quality educational programs, and the location that is both close to the city and the beach.

What were some aspects you really liked about it?

I love the tropical climate of the area and the unique architecture that the buildings on campus have.

How much does it mean to you to play at a college level?

It was very important for me to play volleyball at the college level because I love the game and the emphasis it places on being apart of a team.

Central Arkansas

Texas Tech University

Southern Western

Texas A&M Corpus Christi

Murray State

Tennessee

Florida Southern

Are you a senior who has committed to a college? Let us know online at braswellmedia.org/collegecommits

Important Events

Fall Final Exams - December 12-16, 2022

Varsity Boys Basketball vs Coppell - December 13, 2022 at home

Varsity Girls Basketball vs Allen - December 16, 2022 at home

The Nutcracker - Festival Ballet - December 16, 2022 at Braswell Auditorium

Varsity Boys Basketball vs Guyer - January 3, 2023 at home

Varsity Girls Basketball vs Guyer - January 3, 2023 at home

Varsity Boys Basketball vs Little Elm - January 10, 2023 at home

Varsity Girls Basketball vs Little Elm - January 10, 2023 at home

Varsity Boys Basketball vs McKinney Boyd - January 17, 2023 at home

Into the Woods to the Braswell Auditorium we go!

Diego Gonzalez Co-Editor-in-Chief

This year’s musical put on by the Fine Arts Department has been announced as “Into the Woods”. The musical is set to be performed during the final weekend of January 2023 in the Auditorium. Though the musical is still over a month away, The Bengal Beat staff sat down with the Theatre and Choir departments to disucss the preparation that goes into the fine arts department musical.

The decision of which musical would be performed this year was a discussion between the fine arts directors. According to Mrs. Michelle Greene, theatre teacher and director of the musical, it was the aim of the directors to create a performance that was more subtle and would require more focus on the intricacies of the play. “Usually our musicals have 65 students in them and we wanted to do something smaller where we could re-

and the moments that you see in the show instead of trying to do these big fun production numbers,” Greene said. “This is a much quieter show.”

The way this play keeps its audience’s attention is different from most other plays. The storyline of “Into the Woods” doesn’t follow one or two main characters in a singular plot line, but rather a variety

own journeys.

“You also have Little Red Riding Hood who is on her own adventure and she is trying to get to granny’s house and she ends up meeting all these other people as well; it’s a very ensemble show.” Greene said.

Of the many characters in the show, there is Repunzel’s Prince Charming who will be played by Grayson Dietrich, 12.

is, like, very what you’d expect a ‘frat guy’ to be like, as a prince.” Dietrich said. “He’s very goofy, he’s very confident in himself and his looks and his ability to obtain women. That definitely has influenced the way that I play him: as a toxic, masculine man.”

Hannah Blake, 11, who will play Little Red Riding Hood, describes what sets

interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood apart from the others.

“Little Red Riding Hood is not your typical little red,” Blake said. “She is very spunky and feisty. I am excited to play her because our personalities are similar and I get to bring joy to the Braswell Zone!”

Into the Woods has become special to many thespians, Blake included.

“I’ve always loved Into the Woods, I’ve always thought that it was such a challenging show,” Blake said. “I’ve always wanted to do it as an aspiring musical theatre major. I think it’s so special to me and I am so honored to be able to do another Sondheim piece.”

The show will contain a much more narrow cast of performers, which means the the cast and crew will have more focus

on perfecting the challenging aspects of it. “Into the Woods” especially is a show that most actors find very difficult.

“I would say the biggest challenge this year is definitely the difficulty level of the music,” Vance said. “[Steven] Sondheim’s works are challenging, and we’ve all been working hard to be our best.”

Braswell performers will face difficulties in

a few areas while preparing for the musical.

“The music is very vocally challenging,” Greene said. “Sondheim is a very brilliant composer and he didn’t make it easy for singers to sing his stuff, so you really have to know what you’re doing to do the show. But thankfully we have just an incredibly talented cast, and we have Mrs. Vance who is music directing, and she’s doing such a great job.”

Vance has directed several different plays in the past. In order to effectively play her role in the production, Vance must instruct the performers on the notes and rhythms of the pieces, as well as keeping the actors in good physical condition for the performance.

“The show is different,” Vance said. “The cast is different. I’ve learned to adapt and help the cast members reach their full potential as performers. “Into the Woods” will be no exception.”

Tickets for “Into the Woods” will be available for purchase at braswelltheatre.com.

Feature

Dirty Dan,

Diego Gonzalez Co-Editor-in-Chief

the

Jet Ski Man

Photo courtesy of Seth Pettit.

While most students are trying to stay afloat in the fastpaced world of high school, Seth Pettit, 12, has been making waves. Pettit, who races in a competitive professional jet skiing circuit, has managed to juggle academics and international competition almost as effortlessly as he maneuvers his way to the finish line. His most recent competition saw him place sixth in the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) world finals.

“I started last year around August, and then did the world finals last year in October,” Pettit said. Pettit, though a lifelong jet skier, was introduced to the sport relatively recently. While being brought along to run jet skiing-related errands with friend Robert Dunlap, Petit was shocked to discover that his friend raced jet skis competitively.

“I was like, ‘Wait, you race? Professionally?’” Pettit said. “‘Like, you can race these things?’”

Pettit signed up for his first event not too long after. His first race proved to be an eye-opener. Not only

did he find himself captivated by the adrenaline rush racing brought him, he also saw the glory that came with winning, according to Pettit.

“I saw all the sponsors, like people from Red Bull, RockStar energy, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and I was like, ‘Dang, so this is big,” Pettit said, “and Robert’s like ‘Yeah, you should try it out.’ So we spent a lot of money on jet skis, or actually we already had jet skis, I’d raced them before.”

Pettit began training with Dunlap, a two time jet skiing world champion. After only a few months of training and racing, Petit’s status as a jet skiing prodigy was becoming more apparent by the day.

“I’ve already made a really great jump from my first year and I’m already on track to be a really great racer,” Pettit said. “I just gotta keep going at it and [keep] racing.”

In addition to jet skiing, Petit competes in international paintball competitions. According to Pettit, his competitions make for a rough schedule academically, but ultimately prove to be worth the late nights

and early mornings.

“I haven’t been to a lot of races due to the fact that I’m at school, but for paintball I have to wake up most mornings around four or five to go practice before school with my team… after school I would go do my jet ski stuff or stay in my my workshop and build my jet ski there,” Pettit said. “It’s very time consuming and very rough, but at the end of the day it’s worth it. As long as I continue to keep my grades up I’ll be fine.”

Despite the wide variety of sports Braswell High School

offers, some students like Pettit find their interests lay outside of UIL-sanctioned activities. According to Pettit, not being able to pursue an interest through the school should not prevent students from pursuing it on their own.

“If you want to do it and you haven’t seen what it’s about, try and see if you can go to an event and get yourself involved with it,” Pettit said. “Do whatever you have to do, and then push yourself into the scene and try to make a name for yourself.”

Seth Pettit, 12, waiting at the starting line to start his race. Photo courtesy of Seth Pettit.

Seth Pettit, 12, in action at one of his jet ski races. Photo courtesy of Seth Pettit.

Braswell Step Team

Making a name for themselves one step at a time

Markayla Howard Staff Writer

Each pep rally, the Braswell Steppers brings school spirit to everyone. The black-out pep rally, our beloved pink pep rally and even our homecoming celebration; they constantly brought their A-game.

Diamond Forman, 12, step team captain, explained why she auditioned for the step team.

“I chose to audition for the step team because it’s related to dance and I love working with the girls, having fun with them and team bonding is also one of the things I like,” Forman said. “Also showing what we got for representing the school and making the students happy and having fun.”

Members of the step team find enjoyment in the positive environment, uplifting spirits, and the boost in confidence the team provides for each other. They all thrive off each other’s productive energy and big

bond.

“I enjoy the social part of it, yes; I enjoy stepping and dancing, all of that, but I mostly enjoy how the step team is a big family and we can talk to each other and relate to each other a lot and also like to build this bond with each other. ” Floyd said.

In dance, when it comes to performing and having the moves down, practice is important. In order for the Braswell Steppers to give their best performance, they bring dedication, commitment, and enthusiasm to the table.

“Usually, the practices start two weeks early because it’s a big step team and some people take different paces to learn different things so we like practice two weeks in advance because we never know how long it’s going to take our members to learn it.” Floyd said.

Following the dances and performances takes communication. The team expresses

how everyone encourages growth, confidence, and optimism.

“We help each other out when we’re stuck on our grades cause you know we need to get those up.” Kayla Cooper, 11, said. “We help each other out with things like our dance moves.”

Through dance and dedication , the step team members help each other set short-

term and long term goals.

“Our team goal is to be taken more seriously, perform more, you know, show what we got,” Forman said. “Because we usually only perform for pep rallies and, you know, we want to be counted as a UIL also, you know, taken seriously.”

“Our team goal is to be taken more seriously, perform more, you know, show what we got,” Forman said.

The Braswell Steppers performs at the first pep rally of the year. Photo Credit: Julie Lastovica

Crumbl Cookie arrives in Frisco, Denton

Kennedi Inman Staff Writer

‘Tis the season for Crumbl Cookies, A family-owned cookie company that has become widely known across the globe, social media apps like Tik Tok, Instagram, and Twitter have heavily advertised this new obsession. The company have quickly been popular amongst teens. What people love so much is that Crumbl comes out

with 6 to 5 different cookies each week.

“I’m always looking forward to Sunday so I can see the new Crumbl lineup for the week,” Kaycee Plett, 12 said.

The business Crumbl Started in Logan, Utah in 2017 when two cousins, Sawyer Hemsley and Jason McGowan , dreamed of making the perfect cookie. After many failed attempts, they finally created the

perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe as well as a delicious sugar cookie with pink strawberry icing that has been a staple of the weekly lineup. Since then, new flavors have been added frequently.

Crumbl has expand-

ed to over 36 states nationwide, making it the fastest-growing cookie company. Crumbl has grown to the 380 area and has a location in Mckinney and Denton and soon to be a location in Frisco.

A new nation-wide chain that has viral popularity

Are you excited about the new Frisco location?

12 / A look back at the year

A look back at the year

Bwell Band prepares for annual concert

Diego Gonzalez Co-Editor-in-Chief

The Bwell Band performed their annual Fuzion concert Dec. 9 and Dec. 10.

Mr. Aaron Snipes, Braswell’s Head Band Director, who’s been organizing Fuzion since 2007, talked about his many responsibilities pertaining to the event.

“My job is coordinating all the many elements of Fuzion,” Snipes said. “From lights to sound, to blocking, to where the kids should be, how they’re getting on the stage, how they’re getting off the stage, how they’re performing, what they’re performing, how long they’re performing; I mean, it’s a lot of elements.”

Fuzion is a culmination of different types of performance arts, all done in one place on one night. The product is an unpredictable sequence of spectacle and entertainment. “It’s a lot of fun. You get to see a bunch of different things,”

Madeline Koontz, 10, who played the flute at the event, said.

“It’s more than just a concert,” Koontz said. “You get to see singing, you get to see dancing , you get to see playing. It’s just a bit of everything. It’s worth it to go.”

Where other concerts ask you to maintain your eye contact with the main stage, Fuzion demands your full attention in all different directions.

Nathan Contreras, 11, who played the trumpet for the event, tells an audience who’s never attended a Fuzion event what they should keep in mind going into it for the first time.

“Just be ready to turn around a lot,” Contreras said. “There’s acts everywhere: Main stage, left, right, and then just have fun, enjoy it, you know? You’re paying for it, I promise you you’re getting your money’s worth.”

Since there is a wide array of acts, most

of the performers’ challenges stem from simply going from one act to the next. While some performers may be somewhat overwhelmed by this, others, including Contreras, derive a sense of excitement from it.

“One of the most exciting things about Fuzion is that everything’s back to back,” Contreras said. “You’re really running from place to place, act to act, and it just makes it all super exhilarating.”

Since the schedule can be so demanding, students are forced to be creative when it comes to keeping pace with changes between acts. Harrison Biggers, who played trombone at Fuzion, speaks on something he does to help the evening go by more smoothly.

“The biggest thing is that you have to stay calm, but you also have to be three acts ahead,” Biggers said. “I have a whole rack of costumes for my first

act and then a whole rack for my second act, and what I do is I’ll have one costume underneath the other because I’m in it to change before I have to go on again.”

Biggers, who’s performed in Fuzion since his sophomore year, gives a word of advice to anyone who is interested in performing in a Fuzion event in the future.

“The biggest thing about Fuzion is getting involved.” Omar said. “It’s unlike any other concert you do. So it brings together more than just Band. There’s acting involved, comedy involved, and it gives you the opportunity to show what else you can do other than play your instrument.” “There’s something for everyone.” Snipes said. “If you like rock bands, we have rock bands. If you like comedy, we have comedy. If you like marching band, if you like color guard, if you like dancing, if you like singing, literally there is something for young, old, no matter who you are, it’s a fun show for everybody.”

Boys Varsity Basketball team looks to the future

Braswell Bengal basketball is right around the corner with their new year and season. The varsity and junior varsity teams this year are very excited and feel very confident this year. Jamier Battle, 11, explains how he feels about the upcoming season.

“I feel like Varsity turned up a lot. JV and everyone - we played a lot together and have a lot of experience together, so I feel very confident this season,” Battle said.

The Varsity Coach Nickolas Sekeres has great expectations for his new team this Season.

“Well primarily it is that we continue to improve, you know,” Sekeres said. “It’s very generic but it’s what we are all about. It is that we are constantly trending into the right direction both the way we act and the way we perform in our games. Our goals are always

to make the playoffs.” Sekeres said. .

Braswell Bengals starting Guard, Joshua Jackson, 12, is ready to start off the season. Like most players, he is strongly focused on making the playoffs.

“As of right now I feel like we will be alright.” Jackson said.

Dilan Lewis, 11, brings a big light as well as helps on and off the court.

“I think we should go 7-3 district and make it to state at least,” Lewis said. “I think that’s where we should go.”

Dilan believes in his team for a long road into their season. All-around the Braswell Bengals are

ready and hold great expectations and are all focused on making state and playoffs and having a good season overall.

Seven Henry Staff Writer