Spotlights |
Student Spotlights
Josh Copeland: Developing Leader for Tigers’ Basketball Harris County High School’s varsity boys’ basketball team is a group full of hardworking boys. Among these players sit freshmen- something that is hard to achieve for most rookies in high school basketball, but not for Josh Copeland. Coach Derrick Arrington- also known as “Coach A”- only dresses the boys who deserve to be on varsity, and freshman Josh Copeland has been dressing and playing all season long. Obviously, there is a reason that he is on the court against older and more experienced players; Copeland admitted that the reason he feels he has had such a successful season is because he “worked hard and didn’t listen to negative criticism.” Copeland doesn’t disappoint those who have faith in him, so when Coach A told him that he needed to learn his role on the team, Copeland did. All season long, Copeland has been successful in his role: scoring. This role allows Copeland to averages six points a game. Copeland is wise beyond his years, confident, determined, smart, and is a team player. The best part about him being so successful in his freshman season is that he still has three more years to play and develop. Copeland is already starting to grow into a leader for the Tigers, and there is no doubt he will remain a key player for the rest of his high school career.
Teacher Spotlights
Interview with Mrs. Moss By: Jade Willis
An interview most wonderful teacher in the world
1. Who inspires you the most? “My mom because she was in the school system for thirty-two years and she was respected, she went through a lot to get where she got, and it was inspirational.” 2. Have you always wanted to be a teacher? “No, I always said I wouldn’t be a teacher, I hated school I was always skipping school and was always in ISS.” 3. What do you like the most about Science? “It is always changing, it’s never boring. I am a kinesthetic learner so I have to do fun things to keep me preoccupied.” 4. How did you meet your husband? “I taught his brother the first year I started teaching and I messaged him on Facebook to tell his brother to stay on task and we started dating.” 5. Do you want any more kids/How many? “Yes as many as it takes for me to get a girl.” 6. If you weren’t a teacher what would you be? “A marine biologist I would own my own shop and name it “Divin’ with the Doctor.” 7. What advice would you give graduating seniors? “High school is not the best time of your life, college is. Go to college, and don’t rush life.” 8. What college did you attend after high school? “CSU I went there 2002-2012.” 9. Did you like CSU? “Yes, I loved college.” 10. When you retire what are you going to do? “I am going to become a greeter at Wal-Mart.”
Insight into the life of Mr. Allen By: Lauren Billet Mr. Benjamin Allen- also known as Coach Allen- is a social studies teacher and a baseball coach at Harris County High School. He is also a husband of ten years and a father of two young girls. To get to know more about Mr. Allen, we got him to answer a few questions. Q: Where did you grow up? A: Pine Mountain, Georgia.
Q: Where did you go to college and what degrees did you earn? A: I went to CSU. I have a Bachelor’s in Finance and a Bachelor’s in Secondary Social Science Education.
Q: How long have you taught at Harris County, what subjects do you teach, and which one is your favorite? A: I have taught here for seven years. I teach Government/Civics, AP Government, World History, Honors World History, Honors Government/Economics, and Economics. My favorite would be World History.
Q: What are your hobbies? A: I enjoy cooking, athletics, and I love the weather.
Q: What made you want to coach baseball? A: I enjoyed playing the game when I was younger and I love competing. It was the perfect way to combine teaching and competing.
Q: What’s your greatest fear? A: Snakes. I don’t like to admit to that because some kid will probably try to pull something funny.
Q: If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it? A: I would pay my house off and probably go back to school to become a meteorologist. I love the weather.
Q: What advice do you give your kids? A: Take advantage of all your opportunities.
Q: What’s number one on your bucket list? A: To travel to Europe. I would love to eat Italian food; well, anything in Italy would be great to see. I’d also love to go to London.
Q: Where do you see yourself in twenty years? A: Well I couldn’t be retired because I wouldn’t have enough years to do that, so I will probably be doing some form of education.
Mr. Allen is a very intriguing and intelligent man; he is very practical yet captivating, and his love for education, competition, cooking and success are prominent in all aspects of his life and will remain a large part of his legacy at HCHS.
“It’s Actually Mr.T” By: Mikhail Heard
Mr. Thomas, also known as Mr. T, is a Graphic Design teacher at Harris County High School that shows great dedication in his teaching even though he still manages to put smiles on the faces of his students with his hilarious personality. Throughout his Graphic Design course, Mr. T looks to see his students mature and improve over the years with the knowledge he supplies to bring the best out of his students. Many students anticipate going to his class because he has a fun and laid back environment that has the ability to improve one’s day by the time they leave his class.
Q: What made you want to become a Graphic Design teacher? A: I always wanted to teach, so I put together two things I loved and when the opportunity came I took it.
Q: What has been the greatest moment for you throughout your teaching career? A: Just seeing the growth and maturity of students from their freshman to senior year and spending time with them on our Skills USA trips.
Q: What was your major in college and why? A: Fine Arts with a concentration in graphic design and I have always been interested in art and making art.
Q: Did you ever have a different dream job other than teaching? A: Yes, I wanted to be a comic book artist.
Q: Who has been your greatest inspiration and why? A: My mother, because she has always showed great strength, poise, and patience.
Q: What’s one song or book that you feel has helped you through your life and why? A: “Everybody’s Free to Feel Good,” off Baz Luhrman’s sound track. It’s full of great advice that I believe is undisputable.
Q: What has been the most difficult class you have taken? A: Definitely Intro to Modern Logic at Columbus State.
Q: What is one word to describe you? A: I would have to say eclectic to describe myself.
Q: Do you see yourself still teaching 10 years from now? A: Yes, I do see myself teaching 10 years from now.
Q: What is one talent that you have that no one knows about? A: I can sing all the words to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
“Coach Clown”
By: Aly Martin On Thursday, January 31st, I sat down with our HC football defensive coordinator and coach of the fantastic team sports class, Coach Howard. He then tells me that he had already conducted two interviews that day because of his outgoing personality and one-of-a-kind sense of humor. I can clearly see why after interviewing him because nearly all of the answers listed below are indicative of his funny personality.
Q: What College did you attend? A: “I went to the University of Alabama.”
Q: What was your major/degree? A: “My degree is in Kinesiology, which is the study of movement in the body.”
Q: Do you have any secret talents or abilities? A: “As you know, I’m a very shy person. Hmmm, my talents…I can play the guitar.”
Q: What about your hobbies? A: “Playing with Barbie dolls and coloring with my little girl.”
Q: What do you think makes you a great teacher/coach? A: “I’m as immature as the students are.”
Q: How many different sports have you coached? A: “Let me think… 4.”
Q: How long have you been a coach? A: “12 years.”
Q: Which is your favorite to coach? A: “Football, only because there’s not a grocery-bagging team here.”
Q: What do you plan on doing during retirement? A: “Move to Mexico, open up a taco stand, and buy a Chihuahua.”
Q: What is the biggest thing you want to do before you die? A:“Before I die I want to grow my beard out like the guys on Duck Dynasty.”
Q: What is your favorite artist/band/genre? A: “I’m a big rock guy. Metallica, AC/DC, Guns n’ Roses, Pantera, and Slayer.”
Q: Has anything crazy ever happened during team sports? A: “During volleyball a man on a horse rode through the gym, throwing jellybeans at everyone.”
Q: What are your biggest pet peeves? Answer: “I’m very OCD, everything has to be perfect. Let’s see, I hate repeating myself… and bad drivers.”
Coach Howard was a joy to interview. He may be a clown, but there is more to him than just that. Coach Howard is an intelligent and motivating Coach not only for team sports but for our football team, and along with the other coaches and the players, he is a legend behind our great football season this year.
The Love for Her Students By Abigail Robinson Some of you may know her, and some of you may not. After graduating from Columbus State University and University of Georgia, she started her career and has been teaching for twenty years now. She is the Literary and Composition teacher for 9th and 10th grade students at Harris County High School. Her name is Mrs. Claudia Bray. Q: When and how did you know that you wanted to be a teacher? A: I have always since I was a little girl that I wanted to be a teacher. I used to write on the kitchen door with chalk and use table chairs as desks. I used to use the fly swatter as punishment.
Q: How long have you been working? A: Twenty years
Q: What do you do when you are not at work? A: I ride horses with my daughter, I play with my many dogs, root and plant trees in my yard, and I fly to as many countries as I can afford. Sometimes, I go during Christmas break, like last year.
Q: What has been your best experience? A: Teaching my two year old daughter to read.
Q: What has been your worst experience? A: Being assigned the dangerous task of riding a bus daily filled with 75 weapon offenders without a pistol was my worst experience. Later on, I met with the MCSD Superintendent and he assigned me an armed police officer who rode behind our bus, so when fights broke out he could take them off the bus and arrest them.
Q: How do you feel about this job? A: I am a natural. I didn’t choose it, it chose me.
Q: What do you plan on doing after retirement? A: I’m going to find a really nice pilot with flight privileges and see the whole world five times.
Q: If you had to choose another career, what would it be? A: I would either be a veterinarian, flight attendant, or an anchor woman on the news. I really want to do is go to a third world country and adopt a child and bring them back to America to raise them.
Q: Do you have any hidden talents, and if so, what are they? A: I can speak French.
Q: What advice would you give someone if they would choose this career? A: People do not know what you know until you care. If you are not eaten up with patience like I am, then this is not the career for you.
Mrs. Bray does not only love her family, but she also loves her students. There is nothing better than meeting a teacher that loves her job more than anything. It’s refreshing to know that there are teachers who not only enjoy their jobs but show dedication and hard work while doing so. Whether you know her or not, this is the real side of Mrs. Bray. All About Pope By: Grace Connally HCHS’s one and only choir director, Mrs. Pope, has set high standards for the music program. With her love and appreciation for music she teaches students to sing and how to read music. Her utter dedication in sharing her knowledge eventually reaches the minds of her students, giving them an appreciation for the art as well. Q: What inspired you to become a music teacher? A: My own music teachers are the ones who have truly inspired me to pursue this career.
Q: What college did you attend? A: I attended Ohio State and Auburn University.
Q: What struggles did you face while pursuing a career in music? A: I struggled with managing my time between all of my choir practices, concerts, other school work, and making time for myself to enjoy college.
Q: What are the pros and cons of this job? A: The pros would simply be that conducting a choir is fun, and it’s something I’ve always enjoyed and always will enjoy. The cons of this job are dealing with changes in the curriculum.
Q: What are your hobbies and interests outside of music? A: Traveling, because I get to experience new cultures and make friends all around the world!
Q: What are a few things from your bucket list that you haven’t accomplished yet? A: Touring Austria and Vienna and attending the Wimbledon Tennis Tournament are definitely on my bucket list.
Q: If you could give the eighteen year old you advice, what would it be? A: My piece of advice would be to guard your heart when it comes to relationships.
Q: What is one talent that no one knows about? A: I love to cook, and I’m pretty good at it.
Q: What is one thing that people may not know about you? A: One thing people may not know is that I still get nervous when conducting the choir during a concert. But it’s that nervous excitement that makes my job interesting and fun.
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By: Lauren Billet
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