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KPT KINGWOOD PARK TIMES

Kingwood Park High School Kingwood, Texas 77339 Volume 13, Issue 1 September 2026

TABLE of

CONTENTS TENNIS TIGHTENS MACAPAZES’ BOND

18 SCATEBOARDS JOIN LINEUP OF NEW PROECTS: Students learn to master painting skills in new ways. Read more on page 5.

ON THE COVER: Sleep is an issue for the majority of teens. Distractions and work loads cause most teens to go without the suggested eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. Read more coverage on pages 10-14 about sleepless nights. The cover photo was taken by Sydney Ortiz. GARCIA PREPARES FOR CAREER IN MUSIC EDUCATION: Read about Isabella Garcia’s journey helping beginners in orchestra on page 9.

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Editorial Policy: KP Media is the official student-produced media of news and information published/ produced by KP Media students. KP Media has been established as designated public forums for student editors to inform and educate their readers as well as for the discussion of issues of concern to their audience. It will not be reviewed or restrained by school officials prior to publication or distribution.

NEWS | Kingwood Park Times

LOPEZ ANDRADE CLOCKS IN: Senior Sylvana Lopez-Andrade hopes her final cross country season is her best. Read about Lopez Andrade on Page 15.

@KPARKMEDIA KPTIMES.COM EDITORS Editor-in-chief Sydney Ortiz Online Editor Marie Wakefield Sports Editor Caleb Kazeem Social Media Manager Danielle Nalley Opinion Editor & Business Manager Amita Ramcharan News Editor Shawn Chaney

STAFF REPORTERS Josiah Bondy Chase Canlas Peyton Chesney Ella Cole Rayden DeSouza Austin Farmer Viviana Diaz-Jones Emily Hawrylo Logan Mckithern Max Nguyen Nicole Padilla Nicholas Pickman Alex Pozzi

Pilar Retamales Bishop Scott Ja’kayla Scott Dayna Trevizo CONTRIBUTORS Emma Bolen Ella Hickman Leonardo Peña ADVISER Megan Ortiz

Regulations added for e-bike users MARIE WAKEFIELD

Online editor

Cafeteria worker Cruz Gomez checks on food in the oven prior to lunch on Sept. 15. The cooks added new food and recipes to the options for students this year. Photo by Emily Hawrylo.

ORGANIC LUNCH OPTIONS DRAW PRAISE EMILY HAWRYLO

Staff Writer

he lunchroom used to be filled with students eating nachos, salads, sandwiches and pizzas. Unbalanced lines would leave half the cafeteria deserted and the other half with hordes of students. This year, the ratio of students at each line balanced out because new options drew everyone in. Butter chicken, tikka masala, chicken wings, birria quesadillas as well as chicken and waffles are some of the many new options for school lunch. Each summer, food decisions are made at the administrative level to determine new food options. The director Nancy Montalbo, dietician Ashley Phelps and chef Shelley Covert from Kingwood Park developed and tested the new recipes. The food is no longer pre-made, and all of it is organic. The group also focused on making sure they used healthy dyes, while eliminating unhealthy fats and unnecessary sodium. “I can tell the quality has improved,” junior Megan Geurts said. “For example, the chicken wings have a bit of sauce and the rice has some

(cilantro) in it, which makes it feel healthier.” The chefs enjoy the new food so much they have even made the food at home for their families. Students have balanced out the lines now. “We don’t have one line that has 220 kids going to it and one line that only has 50,” Covert said. The international line has the most increase in students with the new butter chicken and jumbalaya pulling them in. Other popular new food options include the chicken wings as well as chicken and waffles. “The chicken is good because it comes with either barbecue sauce or buffalo sauce,” senior Victoria Molina said. “The buffalo sauce is really good.” Overall, both students and chefs encourage others to try the new foods. There is nothing the kitchen staff likes more than watching people enjoy their cooking. “Come give us a try, ask for a sample,” Covert said. “I’m always happy to sample out anything. I love telling y’all about what we do. I find it exciting.”

his year, students who want to ride their electric bike or electric scooter to school will have to go through a district-mandated process and receive a permit sticker issued by their school. The change comes after Humble ISD released a new set of guidelines this summer regarding the usage of e-bikes and scooters. To park on school property, parents must first view a safety presentation and submit a form online confirming they understand the guidelines. Then, the students will be pulled out of class during school to watch a safety video. Additional rules have been implemented, notably a 15 mph speed limit and required helmet protection. Electric bikes and scooters must have front and rear lights, a bell or horn and two independent braking systems. Any modifications that aren’t cosmetic or part of the original are strictly prohibited. These changes will be enforced by campus police officers. “We have a security guard on campus and it’d be very similar to parking, automobile parking,” Solomon said. “He goes around the campus and he’ll be able to check, do they have that permit on it or not? And if they don’t, then we need to go through the process to get them that permit.” Junior Chazz Ratliff has not gone through the training for his e-scooter, but he’s on the list. He already takes precautions when he rides by only going 15 mph and giving pedestrians the right of way. “I haven’t got hurt, but I think it’s important to be safe because some people don’t pay attention,” Ratliff said. “Getting the sticker, like getting the permit, it can be a hassle, but it’s necessary.”

September 2026 | NEWS

NEW AP SCIENCE CLASS

ATTRACTS JUNIORS, SENIORS

AP ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE BECOMES THE FIFTH ADVANCED SCIENCE CLASS OFFERED ON CAMPUS CHASE CANLAS & JA’KAYLA SCOTT

Staff writers

eri Clay has 58 kids in her new Advanced Placement Environmental Science class. Most people, when they think of an AP class, are reminded of the stressful timed tests or packets twice the size of their grandma’s old bible. Environmental Science is different. It takes a more hands-on approach and teaches students about real-world issues. “(I) saw on TikTok that it was the easiest AP class, had the highest pass rate and the credit is accepted in most colleges,” said senior Ella Hickman, who is taking the class this year. Over the summer, Clay received an email from the department asking if anyone was interested in taking an AP class back to the science department and she volunteered. To prepare for teaching this course, Clay had to go through 30 hours of AP training in for Environmental Science through Rice University. “Five days before all the teachers came back, I sat in Zoom meetings…and I got to network with other teachers who have previously taught this course,” Clay said. Instead of just sitting in a chair and taking notes all day, students get to participate in group activities and labs that connect to what they are learning. These kinds of activi-

Senior Elin Dailey participates with classmates in a lab while AP Environmental Science teacher Jeri Clay watches her third period on the first day of school. The class is being offered at Kingwood Park for the first time and Clay is teaching both sections of it. Photo by Ella Hickman.

ties that the students will be participating in all year help to personalize the lessons to each student. On the first day of class, students participated in a group activity called a trade of the commons. This involved the students fishing for beads, which represented fish of various species in a pond. “We need to learn to be conservative with our resources or else we might, you know, go into environmental collapse,” junior Bennie Sweet said. “You just kind of learn it’s a lot easier to collapse than you realize.”

NEWS | Kingwood Park Times

MORE NEW CLASSES

rinciples of Applied Engineering teach students about multiple different fields including, civil, electrical, chemical, mechanical and computer engineering. They develop skills required for real-world applications. “What I enjoy most about this course is helping students understand the many opportunities within engineering and discover fields that align with their interests” engineering teacher Calderon Guzman said. Engineering Design and Presentation is the next step in the engineering pathway by creating a deeper focus on how engineers develop and communicate their ideas. “Students work through the engineering design process, create technical drawings and computer-aided designs, and present their final concepts,” Guzman said. - Amita Ramcharan

Auto collision teacher Valentin Medina goes over brakes and safety inspections by using a Silverado in the classroom with his students in Principles of Transportation. Photo by Dayna Trevizo.

SKATEBOARDS

JOIN LINEUP OF NEW PROJECTS

STUDENTS WORK TO MASTER PAINTING SKILLS IN NEW WAYS

SHAWN CHANEY

Features editor

n room 1722, automotive teacher Valentin Medina focuses on a hands-on approach when teaching his classes. He tries to have his students spend more than half of their time in the workshop, and tries to get as much one-on-one time with them as possible. “You’re not just going to look at the car, and the teacher’s not going to do the whole thing,” junior Aidan Garcia said. “You’re going to make mistakes, and he’s going to let you figure it out. Even if I do something wrong, it’s not the end of the world because I’m going to learn from the next experience.” In paint and collision classes, Medina teaches skills that aren’t limited to just cars. The general mechanic and painting skills can be applied to anything else, like bicycles, airplanes and skateboards. Junior Carlo Benavides’ love for hands-on activities and desire to get into aircraft maintenance led him to

take Collision Repair his sophomore year. Benavides likes the hands-on experience in the classroom, especially when working on skateboards. Benavides has taken his time to make his board look as good as possible. He is also working on Medina’s personal skateboard, which he gets to keep if he does a good job. “I’m looking forward to finishing up the skateboards for a competition against a rivaling school that also does collision repair,” Benavides said. “I’m the last one (to finish) because I just wanted to be perfect.” Garcia had the idea to incorporate skateboards into the Collision Repair class. He saw the old skateboards that he doesn’t use anymore collecting dust and thought he might as well let the class use around 10 of them. After seeing all of the skateboards that Garcia donated, Medina came up with the idea to compete with another school, then give away the skateboards to kids in need.

“I want the kids to be able to do something that’s bigger than just themselves,” Medina said. “They get to … give back to kids that maybe don’t have something, like Christmas gifts.” This year, Medina also has a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe sitting in the shop for his students to repair, modify and paint. The goal is to give away the Tahoe, which was donated by a former student, to a family through a church organization called Family Promise “We have a lot of really cool cars this year that we’re going to be able to paint and some car shows hopefully lined up,” Medina said. Taking Medina’s classes has helped Benavides develop an eye for when something’s wrong when it comes to paint. He can tell if it needs to be sanded down or if it’s just right. “I think everybody should at least know the principles or basics of how to maintain and how to work on your vehicle,” Medina said.

September 2026 | NEWS

GOSS finds path to

PRIESTHOOD BAPTIZED AND CONFIRMED IN THE CHURCH A YEAR AGO AND HAS SET HIS SIGHTS ON BECOMING A PRIEST

SYDNEY ORTIZ Editor-in-chief

enior Luke Goss was only 13 years old when he was startled awake by a dream at 4 a.m. In the dream, the world spun around him while he walked with no purpose. What happened next remains so vivid in Goss’s mind four years later. Goss watched himself die and then saw Jesus reach out his hands to him. The memory of it still makes Goss emotional. “I was one of those Reddit atheists who were like, ‘Sky Daddy’s not real,’” Goss said. “It’s not possible.” The dream triggered an unlikely four-year journey. Goss was raised in what he calls a non-practicing Christian family. His maternal grandmother Sandra Tyson grew up Southern Baptist, but she raised her children non-denominational. “Luke’s mom and dad didn’t take them to church, so he really wasn’t taught anything,” Tyson said. “He was kind of a blank slate.” RESEARCH BEGINS That changed after the dream. Goss sought as much information as he could about religion. Goss studied Shintoism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and branches of Christianity. Goss then sought a meeting with Father Zachary Muldrow, a former priest at St. Martha Catholic Church in nearby Porter. Muldrow “was the first person to set my questions in stone and have them actually

where

GOSS GOES

FEATURE | Kingwood Park Times

serve & attend mass Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday

“

I THINK HE’S GOING DOWN THE RIGHT PATH. I WOULDN’T HAVE EVER THOUGHT OF IT MYSELF. BUT AS I HAVE BEEN SITTING HERE WATCHING GOD DO ALL THESE THINGS IN HIS LIFE, IT’S JUST PERFECT. IT’S AMAZING.

answered by a real official instead of going online and getting lied to,” Goss said. “From then on, I kept talking to Zachary. He was a huge inspiration.” After months of countless conversations and research, Goss decided Roman Catholicism checked off the necessary boxes. He started attending masses. CHOOSING CATHOLICISM “When I found out that he was going to a Catholic church, I decided I wanted to go with him,” Tyson said. “I didn’t want him going alone. I wanted him to have somebody with him.” Quickly into his faith journey, just attending mass was not enough. Goss wanted to be a baptized and confirmed member of the Catholic faith. He joined the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, the starting point for adults considering joining the church. But finding clarity in religion didn’t end with just the classes. He started asking his longtime friend Ivan Rodriguez, a 2026 Kingwood Park graduate, questions. The two met in middle school, and Rodriguez became a trusted friend for Goss. EXPLORING PRIESTHOOD After four months in OCIA, Goss felt God calling him to do more. He knew church was his calling, and he wanted to be a priest. Goss partially credited Rodriguez and their long conversations on faith with helping guide his decision. “It was very humbling,” Rodriguez said. “I never thought someone like me, ‘cause I’m mostly socially anxious, could really make a huge difference in someone’s life. It’s …

youth ministry & OCIA sponsor Wednesday, Thursday

“

Senior Luke Goss celebrates Easter with his grandmother Sandra Tyson at St. Martha Catholic Church in Porter. The two were confirmed in the Catholic Church in 2025. Photo courtesy of Luke Goss.

really incredible.” As Goss shared his decision to become a priest with those close to him, the idea was not embraced by everyone initially. “My mom was actually against it,” Goss said. “I remember her personally telling me, ‘I hope you don’t become one of those priest men.’ … I was pretty much her only hope for a grandchild.” His grandmother’s support and presence never wavered, however. She became more active in the Catholic church. “Catholicism started making more sense to me too,” Tyson said. “One day, he asked me after I’d been attending with him for about four months, ‘Nana, what would you think about going through OCIA?’” Tyson had already considered joining the program, but she wanted Goss’s opinion. When she asked if he would like her to join, Goss said yes without hesitation.

confession

Tuesday, Saturday

GOSS OFFICIALLY JOINS CHURCH In April 2025, it was time for Goss to get baptized and confirmed in the Catholic church. Tyson worried she might miss the big day. She was in a lot of pain and confined to a wheelchair after breaking one ankle and spraining the other just days before his baptism. Despite the pain, she told herself, “I am not missing this. I am going to be there.” At the ceremony, it wasn’t just Goss and Tyson like usual. Rodriguez joined them along with Goss’ entire family, who came around to his journey in Catholicism after seeing his commitment. Happy tears streamed down Tyson’s face as she watched. “Seeing the growth between those two years and just being able to watch him kind of achieve something he had worked really hard towards, it was really incredible,” Tyson said. “It’s just a feeling that kind of takes over your whole body and just this incredible warmth and lightness at the same time.” Confirmation symbolized his full commitment to the Catholic church and was just the start of his journey. Goss started a post-church brunch tradition with his family. His father returned to attending his own church regularly, and other family members started to join Goss and Tyson at St. Martha occasionally. GRANDMA BECOMES CATHOLIC Last December, Goss was in the pews when Tyson completed her OCIA journey and was confirmed in the Catholic Church. GOSS, continued on page 8

FSHS Monday

FAITH-BASED CLUBS

Multiple clubs on campus focus on faith and are open to new members. FSHS is a Catholic club sponsored by science teacher Laurie Rosato. Senior Luke Goss leads the group and has big plans for this year. They meet on the second and fourth Monday of every month after school in Rosato’s classroom. Girls in Grace is a Christian club that meets monthly for socials and every Monday for a Bible study. History teacher Sydney Caldwell sponsors the club, and junior Libby Fiscus is leading it. “It’s very important to me because it is the one thing that allows me to like meet Christian girls that (are) likeminded,” Fiscus said. “It’s allowed me to make like good Christian friends.” CRU is a Christian club that meets from 3-4 p.m. every Thursday in Room 2214. Science teacher Glenn Taylor sponsors it, and the student leader is junior Eli Seiler. “It’s really just a great place to be full of good people,” Seiler said. “There’s really no other place on campus like it.”

Goss stays focused on goals GOSS, continued from page 7

Just as she had supported him on his confirmation, Goss sat as close as possible to his grandma. “That person who’s your sponsor sits next to you,” Tyson said. “Luke was right next to (my sponsor). He wasn’t going to get any further from me than sitting right on the other side of her. He was with me every step of the way.” The pair’s bond has always been strong, but both agree that faith made them closer. Last year, Goss convinced Tyson to sign up with him for a pilgrimage to Houston’s CoCathedral of the Sacred Heart, which he’d read about in the weekly church bulletin. When the two showed up, they realized it was a pilgrimage for senior citizens, and Goss did not qualify. However, with Tyson still in a boot from her ankle injury, they convinced the group to let Goss attend as her “caregiver.” He became everyone’s helper. “Everybody at the bus just loved him,”

Tyson said. “They just were loving on him like crazy, and he was helping everybody. It was really special.”

SPECIAL CONNECTION Tyson said she is grateful for each day she’s shared this journey with her grandson. “I want you to live forever,” Goss told his grandmother recently, “but you’ve got to live at least eight years after I go to seminary.” Tyson knows exactly why he has that timetable. That is how long it will take Goss to become a priest, and he wants to be the one to give his grandmother her last rites when she dies. Tyson knows he is going to be okay. His future and goals bring her joy every time she thinks about them. “I think he’s going to find a life worth living, a happy life, a satisfying life,” Tyson said. “I think he’s going down the right path. I wouldn’t have ever thought of it myself. But as I have been sitting here watching God do all these things in his life, it’s just perfect. It’s amazing.”

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FEATURE | Kingwood Park Times

GARCIA prepares for career

IN MUSIC EDUCATION VIVIANA DIAZ-JONES

Staff writer

enior Isabella Garcia spends every day of sixth period beginner orchestra tuning instruments, leading warm ups, setting the rhythms for students to follow, fixing holding positions and teaching new songs. Garcia is not new to being a leader for her fellow students. As Vice President of Student Affairs, she is a support for anyone and everyone in the orchestra department. Though, this year she takes on a different leadership role than students in previous years. Orchestra students, both new and experienced, are given the opportunity to take beginner orchestra as an additional elective in order to learn a new instrument. Seniors interested in music education are encouraged to practice teaching and conducting during their final semester in the beginner orchestra class. “We had seniors who were taking the class learning a second instrument because they were going to do music education in college,” orchestra director Evan Farmer said. “(Conducting) was just kind of a way for them at the end of the year to have something special.” These seniors, including junior Garcia, learned the process of picking out a piece of music and teaching the piece to other students in the class. Garcia, the first student to take both varsity and beginner

Senior Bella Garcia works with senior Elaine Beltran Lemus during sixth period beginner orchestra on Sept. 17. Garcia signed up for the class for a second year so she could spend more time getting experience teaching classmates. She wants to go into music education after high school. Photo by Viviana Diaz-Jones.

orchestra classes for both junior and senior year, was given an opportunity by Farmer to have a more direct role in the teaching experience. “I wanted to give her more of a teaching experience, especially since she’s been through the beginning orchestra class before,” Farmer said. “She’s had the second semester of teaching where you’re not having to teach the beginning part.” Teaching beginners during the first semester provides challenges Garcia did not face in the previous year when she took on the role second semester. “Explaining how to count, how to tune, how to hold your instrument, and how to play the notes… it’s hard explaining that to (beginners),” Garcia said.

Teaching has had a bigger impact on students than Garcia expected. Beginner students rely on and look up to ‘Miss Garcia’. Garcia plans to attend University of Houston or UTSA to major in music education. She hopes to fulfill her dream of becoming an orchestra director. Farmer hopes Garcia paves a path for future student conductors in the orchestra department. “There are times when college gets really hard and sometimes you lose sight of what you’re working towards,” Farmer said. “My hope is that (conducting in high school) is going to help our students be able to fight through that because they know what’s on the other side.”

ORCHESTRA WINS INVITE TO DC The orchestra will be traveling to D.C. this winter to perform at the White House as winners of a national competition with more than 1,000 applicants. They will be performing for White House visitors and staff, and will be bringing around 50 orchestra members. “I don’t think that many of us had much hope of getting in, just because this was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Chamber violinist Melanie Fixmer said. Chamber performed the songs that were in the video submission. While it typically takes them five weeks to prepare for professional level playing, they only had two weeks to practice.

September 2026 | FEATURE

SLEEP CRISIS MARIE WAKEFIELD

Online editor

enior Breanna Muller’s day starts at 4:30 a.m., when she wakes up to get ready, check on her 13 rabbits she’s raising for FFA, and complete her hour commute from her house to Kingwood Park. Once she gets home, she’ll spend her evenings taking care of her rabbits, doing homework and working on her FFA project, which is a multipurpose self sustainability center. She’s essentially building a free standing, self-powered structure, and it requires a lot of time intensive efforts like welding that keep her working late at night. “I don’t really get inside until 12 because right after that I still have to clean the shop, make sure my stuff is put up, make sure the welders are all good. And then I also have to go feed my rabbits and every two days I have to clean their pens out, so that’s even more.” Muller said. HEALTH OUTLOOK Teenagers are one of the most sleep deprived demographics in America, and Kingwood Park students follow the trend. Eighty-six percent of students said they do not get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep, in a KP Media survey with 235 respondents. The survey was distributed in math and English classes across all four grades. “Eight to 10 hours is what the pediatricians will say is your goal,” school nurse Mary Fischer said. “Just to help reset, not only our mind, but also our bodies. So it helps neurologically, for development.” One of the most common causes Fischer sees for people who come into the clinic tired is late night screen usage, something she warns against because of the blue light present. Sixty-five percent of students reported that they scrolled on their phones before they went to bed. “There’s hormones that release in the body, such as melatonin, serotonin, and all of that has to take effect,” Fischer said. “And even a lot of people don’t understand the lighting in the room: 30 minutes before you go to bed, your lights should start to go down. And then get off your screens because the blue screens, any type of iPad, TVs, those inhibit those natural hormones from being released.” Energy drinks and caffeine have also been part of the disruption. The caffeine present blocks adenosine,

FEATURE | Kingwood Park Times

WHY IS SLEEP IMPORTANT? The National Library of Medicine reports that people who get adequate sleep have improved mental health, physical health, and overall quality of life. Conversely, those who don’t are at a greater risk for depression, obesity, behavior problems, and injuries. Sleep also moves memories from short term to long term storage, and boosts cognitive ability and learning. Additionally, sleep plays a role in your thinking processes. Insufficient sleep affects the amygdala, which controls emotional reactions, and your prefrontal cortex, which controls your reasoning and decision making.

a chemical compound that makes 12:30 a.m. people feel sleepier throughout the “Focus definitely isn’t the same as day. if you’re well rested,” Smith said. “It “A lot of teenagers, when we talk feels like you’re just going through to them, they’ll have an energy it today, and you’re not listening or drink before they go to practice in retaining any information. So that the afternoon,” Fischer said. “Not could cause you to obviously do only does that speed up the heart worse in school, because, especially rate; it also causes dehydration. if you’re not thinking about taking That caffeine late in the day can af- notes, you’re like, ‘Oh, I’ll rememfect your sleep when you go home.” ber it later.’ And then you’re like, ‘What happened?’ Because you’re ATHLETIC IMPACT just exhausted.” Athletes also face difficulties when dealing with sleep. Late return LIFETIME LESSONS times for games and competitions, But it isn’t only students that coupled with the required attengrapple with sleep deprivation, and dance the next day at 7:25 a.m. there is not always an easy solution. are among the culprits for sleep Approximately 1 in 3 adults struggle deprivation. with sufficient sleep. Jeri Clay, BiolChristian Smith, a varsity lineogy and AP Environmental Science backer and percussionist in the teacher, has struggled with getting marching band, sometimes arrives enough for years. home from football games as late “My mother said that when I was as 11 p.m. When he goes out to eat, little, I used to come into the bedthat time can get pushed back to room when I was like 3 or 4 years

“

EIGHT TO 10 HOURS IS WHAT THE PEDIATRICIANS WILL SAY IS YOUR GOAL,” SCHOOL NURSE MARY FISCHER SAID. “JUST TO HELP RESET, NOT ONLY OUR MIND, BUT ALSO OUR BODIES. SO IT HELPS NEUROLOGICALLY, FOR DEVELOPMENT.

old, and ask her to turn my brain off,” Clay said. “Because even at age 3, I wasn’t sleeping. This has been a fight my entire life.” Clay has tried everything. She only drinks caffeine in the morning, she stays away from screens an hour before bed, she has seen numerous doctors and attempted meditation. But when she lies down to go to bed, her mind just won’t turn off. “I’m either replaying conversations that I had with one of my children or my spouse, or maybe the last TikTok I watched may have had some catchy song playing in it,” Clay said. “And that song will play on a loop in my brain all night long, and I can’t make it stop.” At one point, Clay thought she had found a solution in sleep aids like UNISOM or Benadryl. She was finally able to sleep for her recommended eight hours, and she felt the difference in her well being and energy. But then, one day in class she felt her mind go blank. “I used to be in the middle of teaching, and all of a sudden my brain would literally turn off,” Clay said. “And I’m staring at the notes that are on the board, and I cannot form the words in my head. It got really scary.” Clay went to a doctor to figure out what was wrong with her. The diagnosis? Many sleep aids contain diphenhydramine (Benadryl), which, over long periods of time, can cause cognitive symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s or dementia. “I literally Googled ‘Okay, I’m only 37 years old. Why am I having dementia signs?’” Clay said. Once she got off of the sleep aids, it was difficult to transition back to hours of laying awake and staring at the ceiling.

“

31% OF STUDENTS TAKE DAILY NAPS

“It probably took me another good year to get any kind of decent sleep,” Clay said. Clay still struggles with getting adequate sleep, though she’s found a few strategies that help. She’s discovered brown noise can work. Brown noise is a low-pitched noise that contains all audible frequencies “I’ve tried every color noise in the sun,” Clay said. “And, not all brown noises are the same. … If somebody wants to try to figure out what helps them sleep, and they want to do it in a natural way, they can do it with a sound on their phone.” So much of solving sleep deprivation is trial and error. Fischer emphasizes setting a consistent nightly routine, which includes staying away from screens at least 30 minutes before bed and allowing time to relax. “Just developing that routine and then allowing your body to relax,” Fischer said. “Because that’s what it’s like when you get into that (sleep) state, instead of you being in a constant hurry.”

SHORT NAPS MOST EFFECTIVE

hile they cannot replace a full night of sleep, naps can be helpful in restoring energy and alertness when dealing with deprivation, according to the Sleep Foundation. “When I get six hours of sleep, my brain has trouble concentrating, I start to get sleepy in class, and I feel mentally exhausted at the end of the day,” senior Mia Garcia said. “And that’s usually when I take a nap at home.” However, research says to be effective, naps should be around 15 to 30 minutes in duration. Sleeping longer than that risks sleep inertia, or grogginess that makes one less alert than before. Timing of naps also matters, and students should avoid napping too close to bedtime. “If you sleep too long, then it disrupts your sleep pattern for the night,” school nurse Mary Fischer said. “A lot of kids, when they tell me, ‘Oh, well, I went home yesterday and I went to sleep at 3:30 and I didn’t get up till 6:30 when I ate dinner. And then I couldn’t sleep last night.’ Well, of course you couldn’t. (They) slept three hours. The rhythm of their sleep is messed up.”.

September 2026 | FEATURE

SLEEPLESS nights

SLEEP IS A PROBLEM FOR MANY TEENS. BUT THERE ARE ALSO WAYS STUDENTS CAN MITIGATE THESE EFFECTS. THE STATS AND POLLS DISPLAYED WERE TAKEN FROM 235 STUDENTS AT KINGWOOD PARK FROM A VARIETY OF ENGLISH CLASSES.

BREAKFAST KEYS

According to Harvard Health, some of the best foods for breakfast will give you energy and help you stay awake. 1. A cup of plain (or plain Greek) yogurt topped with berries or sunflower seeds. 2. A slice of whole-grain toast with nut butter. Add sliced bananas or apples on top. 3. A bowl of ready-to-eat fiberrich cereal with minimal sugar. Top it with nuts and chopped fruit. 4. Whole-grain crispbread topped with cottage cheese or ricotta and sliced tomatoes.

START THE DAY OFF RIGHT

1. Lay out clothes the day before. 2. Set a consistent bedtime to be not as tired in the morning Drink a ton of water for hydration. 3. Eat breakfast for energy. 4. Grab an energy drink/coffee for extra alertness. 5. Don’t snooze your alarm Bonus: Wake up earlier than you usually would so you can take your time getting ready

12 FEATURE | Kingwood Park Times

STUDENTS WHO SCROLL

According to our survey, 65% of students scroll on their phone before

e they go to sleep.

GETTING THAT REST

Stick to a schedule Go to bed and wake up at the same time everyday. Pay attention to what you are eating and drinking Sometimes if you eat to much or to little it can affect how you sleep. Include physical activity Being active throughout the day can help promote better and more restful sleep. Cut off caffeine earlier This will help you sleep better. Turn off your phone before you go to bed This will help your mind settle down and promote better sleep.

FULLY RESTED STUDENTS

14%

GET 8 HOURS OF SLEEP

86%

SLEEP NOISE ARTWORK BY CLAIRE SLAYDON

DO NOT GET 8 HOURS OF SLEEP

Sleep noise can be an effective way to fall asleep. White, brown, pink and green noise are common types that use different frequencies and levels of sound to help relax and tune out outside noise. Scan the QR code to see what type of sleep noise might help you.

September 2026 | FEATURE

Victory over KHS adds

EXCITEMENT FOR NEW SEASON CALEB KAZEEM

Sports editor

tudents and fans from Kingwood Park and Kingwood filled the stands, as one of the most anticipated sports games between the two schools began. Even while wearing different school colors, most students and players on both teams know one another, adding tension to the hometown rivalry. From different chants and cheers throughout the game, the players heard it all. “There are always going to be people from that (Kingwood) school who will talk noise,” senior Hadley Heineman said. “We feed off of that energy, and it’s about just playing our game and not letting it bother us.” The volleyball team beat Kingwood in 2018, winning that matchup, 3-2. That was also the year the Panthers went on to win its first and only 5A state championship. After that season, the Panthers went on a seven-year drought against their 6A neighborhood rivals until last year’s 3-1 victory snapped the Mustangs’ win streak. This year’s team was confident going in, but knew playing at Kingwood High School would be a challenge. The Panthers needed five sets to capture the victory. In the final set, the team won 15-10, extending its win streak against Kingwood to two. “It felt good that we won because we put in the effort,” Heineman said. “We hustled more than we did last year and put in the work to win. After having six key seniors

The girls volleyball team celebrates a point against Kingwood High School on Aug. 25. The Panthers won for the second year in a row. Photo by Bishop Scott.

graduate, volleyball coach Nakia Taylor said that collaboration amongst the new team will be a key component for the success of this season. “They’re a very young team,” Taylor said. “Last year, we relied on the seniors. Not having them has been a learning experience. It was about consistency and them learning how to play with one another.” For junior Elizabeth Milbrandt, early season matchups have strengthened their relationships off the court, but they can still improve on the court. “I feel like our team still has to work on our communication,” Milbrandt said. “We’re so comfortable with each other off the court, we forget it is an actual game which can lead us to mess up.” This season, the team will compete in 5A District 18 again with some new faces as

SPORTS | Kingwood Park Times

Houston Northbrook, Houston Spring Woods and New Caney replace Crosby, Dayton and Pasadena. Even with the new district, the mindset of being prepared and ready for every game will be an essential part of succeeding in the district. “When district comes around, we can’t let the big stage create nerves,” Taylor said. This year, the team only has four seniors and seven total returning players. Despite the lack of experience on the team, the goal is to have better results than last year. “I think we are going to do a lot better than last season,” Heineman said. “We just have to believe in ourselves and work hard to do it.” Nicole Padilla contributed to this story.

Junior Kaitlyn Marie Chrisman serves the ball in a 3-0 loss to Lake Creek on Aug. 11. Photo by Bishop Scott. DISTRICT RESULTS* Sept. 8 West Fork 3-0, L Sept. 11 Spring Woods 3-0, W Sept. 18 Splendora 3-1, W Sept. 22 New Caney 3-0, W Sept. 25 Northbrook *as of Sept. 22 UPCOMING GAMES Oct. 2 West Fork Oct. 6 Spring Woods Oct. 13 Splendora Oct. 16 New Caney Oct. 20 Northbrook

Lopez Andrade

CLOCKS IN

SENIOR CHASES STATE GOALS AS BIG MEETS NEAR CALEB KAZEEM

Sports editor

uring course selection in eighth grade, senior Sylvana Lopez Andrade was looking for an athletics course that wasn’t P.E. so she could find a hobby outside of academics. As a kid, she didn’t play any sports besides one year of ballet. She was looking to try something new. That is when counselor Laura Grayson recommended cross country. Now as a senior, Lopez Andrade is among the top runners on the varsity girls cross country team and is looking to run in the state meet. “I wasn’t good at any sports when I was growing up,” Lopez Andrade said. “I only planned on doing cross country fresh-

man year, but it grew on me.” During her freshman year, Lopez Andrade competed on the JV squad. As a new runner, her hopes at first were to just keep up. But as time went on, she watched people place higher and she strived to become one of the best runners on the track. “It was like a fresh start for me,” Lopez Andrade said. “I grew friends who were much faster than me and it made me want to compete with them.” For the past three years, Lopez Andrade has competed for the varsity team and has established herself as one of the squad’s top runners, even winning first place at Districts last year. She also led the squad at last year’s regional meet with a time of 20:16.9, her personal best. For Lopez Andrade, the key to her success is staying focused during the big moments. “I try to get out of my head,” Lopez Andrade said. “I just focus on the girl in front of me

Senior Sylvana Lopez-Andrade and junior Eva Grunz sprint to the finish line at the Andy Wells Invitational at Kingwood High School on Sept. 12. Photo by Emma Bolen.

to see how she runs and I tell myself to just have fun with cross country.” As a sophomore, Lopez Andrade met junior Eva Grunz, who was the only other underclassman on the varsity squad. Being the youngest two members on the team, they built a friendship on and off the track. Now after nearly two months into the season, the two girls are the top two runners on the team. While Grunz enjoys the friendship she has built with Lopez Andrade, she also admires the dedication LopezAndrade brings to the sport. “On the track, she becomes professional,” Grunz said. “She is definitely more focused and determined, and she plays no games. But at the end of the day, she’s always willing to have fun.” With the district championship meet looming, the team has its eyes set on winning a district title for the fourth-con-

secutive year. They also want to qualify to run at State as team. With these goals, new cross country coach Kristi Miller said Lopez Andrade brings key leadership to the team. “She’s a really talented athlete,” Miller said. “She is very dedicated to the sport, motivated, and very respectful. And all of those qualities are reflected in her leadership toward the other girls.” The team will compete at two last invitationals at Liberty and College Park High Schools before running at the District 18-5A Championships on Oct. 10 at Atascocita High School. In her final season running, Lopez Andrade has hopes to end her cross country career making it to state. “I really want to make it to state,” Lopez-Andrade said. “This team and sport has impacted me so much, and I want to end with a great memory.”

September 2026 | SPORTS

PARK PLAYS for FATHER

OWEN PARK’S FIRST FOOTBALL COACH WAS HIS FATHER. THE SPORT REMAINS THEIR CONNECTION AFTER JASON PARK’S DEATH.

CALEB KAZEEM Sports editor

enior Owen Park sat in his second period class in eighth grade when he was rushed to Memorial Hermann. As his sister pulled him out of school, he hoped to see his father one last time. By the time he reached the parking lot, it was too late. Four years after his father’s death, Owen Park enters his last football season with the hopes of playing his best for his dad. “I’ve always played because of him,” Park said. “I still play to this day because it’s my best memory of him.” DAD AND COACH Park started playing football in second grade with his dad as his coach. Together, they competed in the Kingwood Football League as well as the Alliance League all the way until middle school. As the youngest of three, Park watched his older brother play football with his dad. Park always had the expectation to play football too. “I didn’t know if Owen wanted to play football honestly,” his mother Nicole Park said. “He really tried to be different, but I think he played for his dad and his brother.” In fourth grade, Park and his dad won championships in both leagues. “Jason would call him his road dog,” Nicole Park said. “It was just him and my husband and they did their dad and son thing and a lot of it did revolve around football.” As he grew up, Owen Park attended King-

OPINION | Kingwood Park Times

Senior Owen Park is a two-year starter at inside linebacker for the Panthers as well as a team captain. Photo by Caleb Kazeem.

Owen Park smiles after playing a seventh grade football game for KMS. Photo courtesy of Nicole Park.

Owen and his mother Nicole Park celebrate after a fifth grade football game. Photo courtesy of Nicole Park.

Since middle school football, Park has always been a vocal leader. For senior Abel Villarreal, meeting Park in seventh grade gave him a friend who has helped him grow as a person and player. “I was always a quiet kid so he got me out of my shell,” said Villarreal, who plays on varsity with Owen Park. “It’s been a brotherhood because me and him are always going at it with tackles and we’re competitive with each other, getting better each day.” In his freshmen season, Park helped the Freshmen A team reach an 8-1 record and a co-district championship award. In that season, he led the team in overall tackles. In his first varsity intrasquad scrimmage a year ago, Park was storming to tackle the running back where he collided with teammate LJ Serafini. Owen Park hurt his wrist on the play, but never sat. He played the whole season, leading the district in tackles and receiving a second-team all-district nod. “He played like he didn’t have the injury,” defensive coordinator Dennis Whitmer said. “I forgot he had it because it didn’t affect him at all.”

Senior Owen Park leads the team out of the locker room behind coach Clayton Maple before the scrimmage against Tomball. Park clubs his left hand during practices and games. Photo by Rayden DeSouza.

wood Middle School where he was placed on the “A” team for both years of football. In the two-year span, he played linebacker and received reps at h-back. Even if the team wasn’t the best, playing for the Cougars was a core memory for Owen. “I think we won a total of three games,” Park said. “We finished our last season beating Atascocita, and it was one of the best memories I’ve ever had.” HEALTH ISSUES ARISE While football remained fun in middle school, problems mounted at home for the Park family. Over the years, Jason Park struggled with an alcohol addiction that led to sepsis, which caused lung and kidney failure. By the second semester of Owen’s eighth-grade year, his father was in a coma. When he awoke from the coma, Jason Park had forgotten about the alcohol addiction and the reasoning behind his hospitalization. “It was a miracle from God,” Nicole Park said. “We got to talk with him much longer than expected, and it was like he was back to his normal self.” For those few days, the family enjoyed their time together. Jason Park was expected to be released from the hospital April 7, 2023 to live his final days at home. That was why his son was shocked on March 31 when he was pulled from class and rushed to the Spread Design by Sydney Ortiz

Eight-year-old Owen Park celebrates with father Jason Park after a win during the KFL season. Jason coached Owen until seventh grade. Photo courtesy of Nicole Park.

hospital. Owen Park thought he had more time left with his father. “It was very hard,” Nicole Park said. “There are days we look up and think ‘look at all the stuff you’re missing.’ But in the end, we tell each other that he’s got the best seat in the house. We just can’t see him.” FOOTBALL CONNECTION REMAINS Even though his father died, Owen Park still showcases the football skills and knowledge his dad taught him. “It’s like they see the field three-dimensional,” Nicole Park said. “My older son would just run and hit, but Owen and his dad can see the field from all angles. He knows what’s happening before it happens and I think that’s from my husband.”

FINAL SEASON FOR DAD Despite his offseason efforts to heal the wrist naturally, Owen Park heard it pop last March. In May, he had surgery on his wrist and went through a 10-week recovery process. The pain and recovery never fazed him, however, because he was confident he would play his final season with his friends and for his dad. “When I woke up from anesthesia, I was singing Michael Jackson,” Park said. “I went in really excited for surgery, and I’m happy I can play my final season with my boys.” Owen Park wears a club cast on his left arm to be able to play full contact. He has had to adjust his playing style to make it work. While the team is off to a 1-2 start, Park leads the team in total tackles. Most importantly, the confidence and leadership skills his dad instilled in him during his elementary playing days is evident daily on the field. “He made me a great linebacker,” Owen Park said. “Everything I’ve learned is from him. “The addiction wasn’t who he was. He was my coach but also my best friend, and I still play because of him.”

September 2026 | OPINION

TENNIS tightens

MACAPAZES’ BOND SYDNEY ORTIZ

Editor-in-chief

Kingwood Park tennis coach John Macapaz is in his third season coaching his son Jaylen. The junior is the varsity team captain. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.

SPORTS | Kingwood Park Times

aylen Macapaz was ready to retire. “Daddy, I hate it,” Jaylen told his father. “I don’t wanna play anymore.” Jaylen had just completed his first summer tennis camp, where he tested out his skills in the sport his father John Macapaz coached. Jaylen was just 5 years old. John Macapaz was careful to not let his disappointment show. Instead, he let Jaylen play whatever sport he wanted – which included everything but tennis over the next eight years. The closest Jaylen got to tennis was riding his scooter around the tennis courts at MacArthur High School while his father’s tennis players used him for target practice. “He did everything he could to stay away from tennis,” said John Macapaz, who became the tennis coach at Kingwood Park in 2018. “And this kid grew up on the courts around me because every day I would bring him to practice. I’d bring him every match, but he wanted nothing to do with tennis.” Jaylen wanted to be different from his father, but it was a challenge. Jaylen didn’t just inherit his dad’s looks. The two have the same sense of humor, the same work ethic, the same fiery passion when they compete. “He’s every ounce of me and then some,” John Macapaz said. Choosing not to play tennis never distanced the father-son duo. John raised Jaylen as a single dad for the past 13 years. He tried to figure parenting out on his own. He read every parenting book he could find, picked the brains of coaches he was friends with and tried to follow the role model of parenting figures in his own life. John realized though that there was no amount of books that he could read or study that would prepare him for every parenting situation. He knows he’s made mistakes, and he has apologized to Jaylen more than once. “I’m sorry if I failed you as a dad,” John Macapaz has told his son. “I’m sorry if I’ve

THROUGH THE YEARS AFTER A SHORT STINT IN TENNIS AT AGE 5, JOHN AND JAYLEN MACAPAZ FOUND OTHER WAYS TO BOND BEFORE JAYLEN FOUND HIS WAY BACK TO THE TENNIS COURTS. John Macapaz tries to comfort Jaylen at the 2014 Houston Rodeo when Jaylen wanted to ride a kid’s roller coaster but was too scared. Photo courtesy of John Macapaz.

ever not done things the right way, but at the end of the day, I love you and I want you to be the best version of yourself. I want to give you the best life I can give you.” John’s sacrifices haven’t gone unnoticed. He’s the person Jaylen looks to for advice. “He is the most selfless person I’ve ever met,” Jaylen said. “He’s always there for anyone if he’s ever needed. He’s always there to give a hand, and he just likes to give back and help everyone succeed.” This bond is what sparked a slight interest for Jaylen to try tennis one more time in eighth grade. Playing a sport for his father wasn’t an opportunity many kids had. And he didn’t want to take that for granted. By the start of his freshman year it was set, he was going to play tennis under the guidance of his father. Jaylen became the top-ranked JV boy a few weeks later. The return was not always smooth though. While he started to love playing the game, he put a lot of pressure on himself to be perfect. The expectations he put on himself as the son of the coach made playing mentally exhausting. Jaylen’s mentality shifted by the spring of his sophomore year though. “He finally realized he’s doing this for fun,” girls tennis captain and senior Scarlett Perez said. “He’s not doing it to win. I mean, that too, but like it’s more for fun. You can tell that he’s in the game because he is actually having fun and that was different from his freshman year.” As Jaylen’s love for tennis grew, it started to spread to every part of the Macapazes’

John and Jaylen Macapaz show off their matching Captain America Halloween costumes in 2014 when Jaylen was 5. Photo courtesy of John Macapaz.

Junior Jaylen Macapaz collects the ball during a doubles match with junior Dominic Salazar on Sept. 22 against Spring Woods. Photo by Leonardo Peña.

days. “Now, literally, almost every day we’re talking about tennis, whether it’s stuff that’s going on in practice, stuff that’s going on at matches, or just us being fans of tennis in general watching at the pro level,” John Macapaz said. “He has learned to love it, and it’s such an awesome feeling as a dad and as a coach to see.” On the court, their strong bond occasionally results in the pair butting heads, but they both know in the end it is all love. “He is our most fiery kid on the team when he’s frustrated and not doing well, everybody hears it,” John Macapaz said. “But when he’s playing great and hitting great shots, everybody knows it equally as much.

Kingwood Park tennis coach lifts his son Jaylen over his shoulder after Jaylen’s fourth season of soccer ends at age 8. Photo courtesy of John Macapaz.

He wears his heart on his sleeve, and he puts his everything into anything he does.” Jaylen describes his relationship with his father as brotherly to an extent. They joke together, and they match each other’s energy. Their competitiveness is not limited to the tennis court. Since Jaylen’s freshman year there has been an ongoing competition between the pair for who would end high school with a higher rank. John Macapaz graduated MacArthur High School as fourth in his class in 2006. Jaylen is determined to do even better. Although they are both competitors, John Macapaz doesn’t want his son chasing goals just to please him. “I keep reminding him, don’t do it for me, do it because you know you want to achieve it,” John Macapaz said. “That you know what you’re capable of doing and to not waste the opportunities that are in front of you, because he has a great support system.” As a junior, Jaylen is now the third-ranked boy on the tennis team and just recently was named boys tennis team captain. And while he still plays soccer, he can’t imagine high school without tennis – or his father. “A lot of people were quick to define me, just because they know how he is,” Jaylen said. “My whole life I had an issue with it. I just couldn’t find my own identity. I didn’t play tennis because I wanted to be my own person. I played soccer, I did my thing. But I found playing tennis, I’ll be able to be my own person without having it define me. And I think I’m okay with it now.”

September 2026 | SPORTS

STAFF EDITORIAL

SLEEP VS. SCHOOL SCHOOL START TIMES NEED TO BE PUSHED BACK FOR HIGH SCHOOLERS

t’s the new school year, which means getting back in old habits and routines. That means the one routine almost all students hate, waking up early. Students wake up around 5:30-6:30 a.m. just to get ready for school. Studies have shown that 77% of high school students do not get the recommended eight to 10 hours of sleep. That can mostly be attributed to the homework load, extracurricular activities and students staying up on their phones. But it’s no new thing that students aren’t getting enough sleep. At Kingwood Park, the first bell rings at 7:15 a.m. and first period starts at 7:25 a.m., but most students are waking up even earlier just to get to school on time. This calls for the need of later start times, these would let students get more sleep and do better in

school. Experts have argued that schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. This would give students the chance to sleep more. When students get more sleep on average they are more attentive in class, getting higher grades, and they have a lessened risk of depression. With all this evidence though, that leaves the question: Why aren’t we already starting later? There is a lot that goes into these schedules as it is. High school starts so early so students can get out in the earlier hours of the afternoon and have more time for athletic or fine arts practices as well as jobs. Changing the schedule would cause later end times and pushback practices. Districts would rather not risk these changes. There is also some evidence that suggests

earlier star times help highschool aged students pick up their younger siblings. Even though a change like this would be hard at first, it would be beneficial in the long run. Schools would start seeing changes for the better in their students. Anyway, wouldn’t we all like to get more sleep? Students are waking up way too early to function. Experts have advised it for years, and schools should start listening. This change would be beneficial for everyone.

TALKING SLEEP: HOW MUCH DOES THE AMOUNT YOU SLEEP IMPACT HOW YOUR SCHOOL DAY GOES?

ELLAMARIE PARKER, 9

JONATHAN KANAK, 10

HAYES HARLAN, 11

ANNA EARLY, 12

THOMAS BEAN, 12

“(It) really impacts it. If I get more sleep I can focus more and finish tasks quicker, but if I barely get sleep, I’m not going (to) be energized (until) like the middle of the day ( usually after lunch ) and I’ll probably be completely out of it most of the day.”

“Even if I get a good amount of sleep, but I didn’t wake up on those sweet sleep cycle times or get enough sleep the previous days, I just can’t find my full energy and focus power. I love restful sleep that makes you wake up energized. Those are the days I am locked in and extra successful.”

“It impacts me a lot through my processing speed and ability to understand subjects. When I don’t get enough sleep I’m struggling to keep my eyes open and I typically don’t put in my full effort on my assignments. Furthermore, I’ve noticed it impacts my grades heavily.”

“When I get 7-8 hours of sleep, I’m way more productive. I can focus easier in class, and I tend to be in a better mood and make better choices as far as how I manage my time. After school, (if I slept well). I can get my work done faster because I’m not zoning out or struggling to stay awake.”

“It depends on how consistent it is. Three hours is fine for a day or at most two. After three days straight of getting 3-4 hours, I feel like death. Eight hours of sleep feels good after (bad hours of sleep) but still leaves me tired. I usually need 10+ hours of sleep to be fully charged.”

OPINION | Kingwood Park Times

WITH WAVES TO CHASE, WORK CAN WAIT CHASE CANLAS

Staff writer

close my eyes and look toward the sun, its light radiating onto my skin. Still with my eyes closed, I feel the water splash onto me and brush off my skin. I can hear the waves crashing violently at the shore, eyes open. I look around at my surroundings, sitting on my father’s old surfboard. I spot a wave beginning to build behind me, and I paddle forward like my life depends on it. Finally, I pop up and feel the wave’s energy pushing me ever faster towards the shore. For a brief 15 seconds, all my problems and worries disappear, and it’s only me and this wave who are left. Over the summer, I was “blessed” with the opportunity to work at Chick-fil-A. At first, I was exhilarated; this meant I could make my own money, afford gas and purchase all the useless gadgets on my Amazon wishlist that promised to make my life better (spoiler

alert, they didn’t). I spent months looking and applying for jobs, then the holy grail of first jobs was suddenly tossed into my hands like a basketball in gym class. I had tons of hours, mediocre pay and awesome co-workers. After the first day, I felt like I had been shoved off a cliff and was falling faster than the speed of light. Six hour shifts, three to four days a week, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., wasting my golden years for $10 an hour. Do dishes. Mop floors. Take orders from angry people. Act like I want to be here. Suddenly, I had almost no time to do what I loved – surfing. And when I did, I was too burnt out. I would usually end up watching a random movie on Netflix and call it a night. I felt like my life was slipping away from my fingers one second at a time. I would have vivid daydreams while working about surfing. Dreams about how my best friend and I would put on sunblock till we both looked like ghastly figures, have deep conversations about family, our future and girls we liked while waiting for the next set of waves. Then I’d snap back to work,

where some angry old guy is yelling at me because my service sucked. So I responded with: “Sorry, sir, it’s been my pleasure working with you,” only it really wasn’t. My pleasure was far away from here. It was at the beach, where I belonged. Until one day, I received the fateful phone call from Chick-fil-A that I had been terminated. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Suddenly, I was sitting in the water waiting for the next set of waves. It was never my intention to get fired. In fact, I learned amazing life skills like being patient with people I didn’t necessarily like. I was very grateful to work with them despite my intense discomfort with work. But a job right now isn’t what I need. What I need is a little more time to appreciate the next set of waves before they’re gone. Soon I will graduate from high school and go my separate ways from my family and friends. I’ll start a new life somewhere far away, and probably end up working at some office doing paperwork for the majority of my life. But before then, I’ll ride every wave and savor every moment like it’s the last.

‘Lizzie Borden’ brings feminine rage to Netflix JOSIAH BONDY Staff Writer

fter three installments, Netflix is finally focusing on a female serial killer for the fourth season of “Monster.” “The Lizzie Borden Story” is as tense, disturbing and riveting as you could imagine. The season shows the true events of the disturbing murders of Lizzie Borden’s father and mother, while giving us the lead up to why she killed them. The story changes the perspective of Lizzie Borden, and makes it to where we empathize with her instead of being scared of her. It shows her as she is neglected by her father and abused by her stepmother, making it easy to want her to have a

better life. Once she meets the family’s new maid, Bridgett, her whole life starts to change and she starts to realize who she is. After bonding with each other and spending a lot of time together, they begin to plan to murder Andrew and Abby Borden, Lizzie’s parents. The acting in this show is outstanding. Ella Beatty’s portrayal of Lizzie Borden is incredible. I couldn’t see anyone else capturing the roller coaster of emotions and the overall theme of feminine rage like she did. While the season is based on true events, it does have some highly fictionalized and inaccurate subplots and storylines to make it more intriguing and even more bizarre than it already is. Later in the series, Aileen Wuornos is introduced – another female serial killer who killed seven men in the late 1980s. She is a fan of Lizzie

Borden, even staying at the Borden house on her anniversary with her significant other. These stories slowly weave together to map two very different women whose crimes and punishments were universally embraced. While it may sound strange, each time these stories cross over “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” works perfectly. Another amazing thing about this show is how beautiful the cinematography and visuals are. The aesthetic is soft and pretty, while also managing to be unsettling and having grotesque scenes. The show will keep you invested as it swings wildly between dark comedy, gore, and social commentary without committing to a single tone. Overall, “Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story” is an amazing, dark and riveting show and captures the beauty and darkness of feminine rage.

September 2026 | OPINION

RECESS UNDER DURESS RECESS NEEDS TO RETURN TO AT LEAST 45 MINUTES FOR KIDS

MARIE WAKEFIELD

Online Editor

cradled my pink butterfly Pottery Barn water bottle in my arms. To me, it was not a container, but my own child. Indeed, mine alone, because the husband was conveniently disposed of as “off fighting a war” or “dead,” to explain our absence of male friends. “My baby is dying,” I informed my best friend Catherine gravely, as we sat underneath our playground’s jungle gym. We liked to sit in the mulch and pretend the upper floor was our roof. “So is mine.” Catherine replied somberly, patting her purple water bottle on its lid. I watched as she popped off the lid of her “baby” and drank some water from it. We had decided early on that drinking water from our water bottles was not like drinking their blood, but like giving them a kiss. “Let’s put them to bed and then we can sell some food to get money for a doctor!” At this enthusiastic proposal, we both abandoned our metal offspring and went to a plastic, ambiguous “market stall” playground structure. We carefully put several neat piles of mulch on top of it. “Food for sale! Food for sale!” We didn’t have very many customers, but that was okay. Somehow, the doctor was paid. Our babies always seemed to survive whatever harrowing circumstances they went through. And we certainly went through a lot. Some days we had a fire and had to escape, or one of us ran away, and very often

OPINION | Kingwood Park Times

Kids play on the Deerwood Elementary playground over the summer. Photo by Danielle Nalley.

somebody died and was resurrected by our crude imitation of CPR. RECESS BLISS Ah, recess. A time of bliss, of freedom, of experiment, of exercise, of love, of hatred, of war, of peace, of heat, of cold, of choice, of fate. It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. With nothing but a jungle gym, some mulch and two water bottles, we were able to build a world around the two of us. It was where we learned how to play well with others, to compromise. I still remember the lessons I

learned from my recess time. But even the recess I got was comparatively short to how long recess used to be. Gone are the days of 50 years ago where kids would have more than an hour of unstructured play, as recess continues on the decline it’s been on for decades as schools prioritize instructional time over playtime. The idea being, of course, that small students with the energy of a hummingbird learn best when chained to a desk with a break just long enough to tantalize them with freedom.

WHAT’S HOT

“

SCHOOLS SHOULD SHOOT FOR AT THE VERY LEAST 45 MINUTES A DAY... IT’S JUST 15 EXTRA MINUTES. YOU LOSE 15 MINUTES OF INSTRUCTION, SURE, BUT YOU ENSURE THAT YOU GAIN MORE FOCUSED, LESS STRESSED, ATTENTIVE STUDENTS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY LEARN BETTER.

“

RECESS LIMITATIONS That’s just life when the average recess is estimated to be 25 minutes long. Or as low as 15 to 20 minutes, according to an EdWeek survey that had half of teacher respondents report their recess fell in that range. You essentially have time to walk all the way out to the playground, rush-play for a couple of minutes, and walk back. Virtually all schools have a rule on daily physical activity for students, usually in the form of P.E. But only 22% of school districts actually have a policy that requires daily recess in their school days. What is happening to the children of today is a crime. Society shoves them in a seat for seven hours, wags its finger and orders them to sit still and listen. If they don’t, it ships them off to the principal’s office and labels them a problem child. But is the child really the problem? Or society? RECESS MUST RETURN Everything that is good and true and innocent about childhood: do we really want to beat it and break it and shackle it to the millstone of monotony? To turn a child’s inner freedom into responsibility? To force a child, again and again, to repress their perfectly natural needs in favor of a certain number on a test? Spending for education has gone up. But despite that, children in

America are doing worse than ever. According to the 2025 Nation Report Card, reading proficiency has remained unchanged and it was the lowest math scores have been in two decades. Psychologically, recess is key to a kid’s development. After a recess break, children pay more attention, perform higher cognitively and behave better. The biggest problem is not the fact that we don’t have recess, but that we don’t have enough. Schools should shoot for at the very least 45 minutes a day. There was a study done a while back about students who came back after a 45 minute recess versus a 30 minute one. The ones with the 45 minute recess had 68% less cortisol levels than the 30 minute group. It’s just 15 extra minutes. You lose 15 minutes of instruction, sure, but you ensure that you gain more focused, less stressed, attentive students that will ultimately learn better. The reform of recess may not require huge, sweeping threehour mandatory playtimes, because truly any amount of time helps. Time and infrastructure can be added little by little until we have a framework that works. And to be clear, we shouldn’t blame educators. We shouldn’t blame administrators. In fact, we shouldn’t play the blame game at all; we should work instead to fix the problem.

Halloween costumes. How am I supposted pick when there are so many options?? Candy corn. Edible orange vampire fangs are an obvious yes. Burger King chicken fries. My mouth is watering. OMG. I love them so much. Slick backs. How can one hairstyle make you look so put together? Toes out! Sandals are back in style. Mystery lanyard colors. What color is your lanyard? We enjoy any entertainment we can get at school. Going to the library. Fight the literacy crisis! Autumn. The ‘ber months are finally here.

WHAT’S NOT Dress-up days. Can we get some new ideas? We did so many of these last year.

Hallway Traffic. Walking three people across in a row is not a personality trait. Move over. 10 p.m. deadlines. We have jobs, chores and practices after school. Hating on country music. Clearly you haven’t heard Megan Moroney. AI brain rot. Should I get you a binky, child? Music in passing periods. Why use the same five songs? And why only use Hispanic music on Sept. 15? Teachers using AI. How hypocritical. New York Times games. Will they ever get easier?

September 2026 | OPINION

LAST LOOK

As the teachers battled the seniors for tug-of-war champions during the Go Gold pep rally, cheer coach Brittani Sharp hit a state of panic. She just kept thinking, “God, please don’t let this man fall back and break my legs.” The teachers dominated the seniors and Sharp walked away uninjured. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.

wo pep rallies fired up students with the annual table surfing competition and the tugof-war. The Class of 2027 took the table surfing title for the second year in a row. The seniors also battled against the teachers in the tug-of-war with the teachers retaining Junior Chazz Ratliff cheers during the Hawaiian pep rally on Aug. 28, celebrating senior sunrise as well as their undefeated title. the first football game. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.

Junior Savanna Hadley rides a table as her fellow juniors roll her to the finish line. The juniors ultimately lost to the seniors. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.

Junior Bennett Jones competes in the tug-of-war challenge hosted at the Go Gold pep rally to raise awareness for childhood cancer. Photo by Leonardo Peña

Junior Raisa Hulett dances with the Silver Stars during their Go Gold performance. Photo by Leonardo Peña.

Senior Caleb Kazeem is shocked after athletic trainer Josue Rodriguez chose the sophomores to win the class spirit competition. Photo by Sydney Ortiz.