“Panthers Celebrate Homecoming 2022”

By the TMI Journalism Club

These last two weeks have been filled with fun activities, including spirit days, such as Pajama Day, which was a fan favorite. Before beginning other homecoming festivities, we had a four-day break and PSATs for the 9th-11th grades. The following week began with Disney Day, Father Ben’s personal favorite, and the Homecoming carnival and pep rally on Friday. Then, on Friday night was the Homecoming game against SACS, with an unfortunate loss for the Panthers. And finally, to end the Homecoming celebrations was the Homecoming dance, the theme being A Knight to Remember. In this month’s issue, we included highlights of the weeks, student and teacher spotlights, and a brand-new addition to our article: an advice column. 

Spirit Week

This year’s homecoming spirit week allowed students to let their creativity shine. Thursday was Pajama Day, which many students claimed to be their favorite. Friday was a whole mess of themes. TMI’s campus was swarmed with minions, superheroes, cowboys, and surfers. Students went all out, wearing Perry the Platypus and Mr. Potato Head suits during Disney Day on Thursday. To finish the week off, the TMI community was encouraged to wear this year’s homecoming T-shirts to show support for the day’s events. (See “Carnival” below.) 

Carnival

The homecoming carnival featured creative activities from the Upper and Middle School Student Council, Spanish Club, Girl’s Lacrosse Club, Art Club, Gaming Club, Latin Club, and more! Featured attractions included the dunk tank, bounce obstacle courses, a rock wall, and even a mechanical bull. Treats provided by the various clubs included snow cones, popcorn, cotton candy, tacos, and donuts from the Journalism Club! Students spent the afternoon competing against each other in the bounce-house obstacles, video games, rock wall, and donut-eating contest. What fun activities will we see in next year’s Homecoming carnival? 

Homecoming Football Game

The TMI varsity football team witnessed a tough game against our rival school, San Antonio Christian Schools, also known as SACS. The TMI student body made sure to come out and support our fellow Panthers during this important game, especially the Corps of Cadets who organized a pre-game tailgate party and marked their spot on the bleachers, singing cheers and doing push-ups after touchdowns per TMI tradition. Although it was a close game, TMI lost to the SACS Lions with a score of 18-21. Team Captain, Colin Behrens ’24, states, “We played our  hearts out and the fan turnout along with the alumni was greatly appreciated. The football team will continue to fight in our games and make a name for ourselves.”

Homecoming Dance

The homecoming dance was organized in the Johnston Amphitheater last Saturday, October 15. Many Upper School students showed up for the dance last night, ready to dance and gather with their classmates. For many, it was an interesting change to see their friends dressed up and on the dance floor. 

Student Spotlight: Reagan Shaw ’23 and Jaylen Gardner ’23

The student body chose seniors Reagan Shaw and Jaylen Gardner as their 2022 Homecoming Queen and King. To watch their interviews, visit the TMI Journalism Instagram page, @tmijournalismclub. 

Faculty Spotlight: Ms. Martinez

The TMI Journalism Club recently interviewed Ms. Martinez, the photography teacher, and asked her some questions about her experiences before coming to TMI. 

Q: What sparked your interest in photography? 

M: Photography actually runs in my family, my aunt is a photographer while another one of my aunts is a graphic designer. My main inspiration is my aunt Leticia because she is a very important female photographer in Mexico. She was one of the first women who started learning photography in my hometown, Juáres, so she was always working at exhibitions and in a studio. I was pretty much always with my aunt because she would pick me up after school and I would chill at her studio while my mom was at work. Once my aunt started letting me go along on exhibitions with her and start messing around with a camera, I started becoming very interested in photography. 

Q: Did you know that you wanted a future in photography when you were in college?

M: When I started college, I was very afraid to major in art because I thought that I wouldn’t make enough money off of it, so I majored in psychology first. But, I quickly realized that art sounded more interesting than psychology, which is why I decided on photography. 

Q: What other classes have you taught before teaching photography at TMI? 

M: I’ve taught many art classes from beginners to advanced to giving seminars to masters while also teaching many types of art like art history, history of photography, film, and even painting.

Q: Were there any interesting schools that you taught at?

M: Yes, my favorite place I have taught at was in a school in Colorado called Adams State University because it was a very interesting smaller college and the students were very committed and smart. I taught college students for seven years at different colleges like New Mexico State University, UTEC, and a college in Juáres as well. 

Q: How has the transition from teaching college students to high school students been? 

M: The AP and Honors classes really amaze me because the students are very creative and willing to take a lot of their time working on very long and difficult projects while still managing to take amazing pictures. I can’t believe that they are somehow able to balance the stress of hard classes and college applications while still doing an amazing job. When it comes to the younger students in my class, I can see their enthusiasm and I am so excited to see them succeed in my class. 

Q: Are there any other major differences between teaching college classes and high school classes that you recently noticed?

M: Yes, the schedule at TMI is very different from the schedule of the college I taught in Colorado because I am used to teaching three hour classes. But when I came here, I was thrown off by the 30-minute or one-hour-and-20-minute classes because I feel like there are so many things that need to get done in my class like taking pictures, editing, opening photoshop, and selecting the pictures. While it is an adjustment, I can definitely see that the students are benefitting from the longer classes. 

Q: Finally, if there was any piece of advice you would give to your students, what would it be? 

M: I think that it is really important for my students to realize that to have a camera is a luxury, and not everybody has access to one of them. So, I want my students to not just do the homework or the assignments just because they have to, but I want them to actually explore what photography is and how to capture the world through their view.   

EXTRAS: “Panther Voices”

Carnival Interviews:

To watch the interviews from the homecoming carnival, click the link here.

Advice Column:

Q: How do I come back from being rejected?

A: Being rejected is definitely a tough situation, and taking it from someone who’s been through it a lot, over time, things get better. See rejection as a redirection. What’s meant for you, would never miss you, so why chase after something that was never meant to be yours? Instead, focus on yourself and level up, and after that, you’ll watch everything fall into place. 

Q: How do I get invited to parties?

A: Parties don’t matter. Just be the best version of yourself and you’ll attract friends that are meant for you. 

Q: What do I do if my boyfriend cheated on me but he’s rich?

A: If your boyfriend cheated on you, it’s time to have some self-respect and leave the relationship. It doesn’t matter if he’s rich, you can learn to make your own money and be a boss. 

Q: Should I tell my boyfriend that I’m in love with someone else or should I just hope it goes away?

A: If you have fallen out of love with someone, telling them sooner than later will help you and your boyfriend move on, it also will help your and your new romantic partner’s relationship blossom without guilt. —Big Bertha 

Q: How do I know if a guy is actually interested in me?

A: He might mess with you and tease you a lot. A good way is to flirt with him and see how he reacts. Or just ask!

Q: How do I politely friend zone a guy without being mean? 

A: You can go about this in many ways. One way is to just tell him without sounding rude. A less-direct approach is to tiptoe around it and slowly drift from him. You should always start off with nice things to say about him so he does not think he is the problem. “I think you’re great, but I am not ready for anything right now.” You could let him know that you are either not ready for anything serious right now, you are interested in someone else, you think that you guys should stay the same because you do not want to mess up the friendship, etc.

Q: How many boyfriends are enough?

A: Do what makes your heart happy, but don’t hurt other people’s feelings and you shouldn’t be dating more than one person at a time. Hope this helps. —Great Auntie Mildred

Q: Someone’s been sending me mixed signals, and I don’t know how to interpret them.

A: Try sending the signals that you like them and see how they react. If they react positively, shoot your shot like Lebron James. But if they don’t react positively, stop talking to them and close all communication.  —Brother John

Q: How do I fall in love?

A: Don’t worry about falling in love as you’re just in high school. Falling in love isn’t something you can control, but you can try being around them more. —Brother John

Q: How does the Journalism Club fight the censorship that Hamas places on Palestine?

A: No one does more than the TMI Journalism Club to support First Amendment rights all over the world! Truly, the TMI Journalism Club is a river for their people! —Miss Jezebel

* * * * * * * * * *

Follow us on IG! (@tmijournalismclub)