“A New Bloom: Starting Fresh For the Final Quarter”
By the TMI Journalism Club
As TMI’s panthers finish school with our last quarter of the 2023-2024 school year, we are excited to share some tips on how to succeed academically! With an interview with Mr. Baxter, a Drake concert review, an update on Spring Sports, and many more, our club is proud to show you our work. Enjoy!
How to Successfully Finish the Last Quarter
By Bernice Gitiche
Time is almost up, and the finish line is near. However, how do you push through to the end of the race even when you’re tired? This can be especially difficult for seniors, who, after a long season of college applications and awaiting decisions, are finally at the end of their high school career, and many are facing severe cases of senioritis. Below, I have crafted some tips to finish the year strong despite tempting desires to slack off and drift through the remainder of the school year.
- Set Academic Goals. Although it’s mainly common to set academic goals at the beginning of the year, sometimes we need extra motivation to end the year how we want. For example, start by writing out precisely what grades you wish to receive (achievable based on your past performances) or how you envision yourself performing. Then, alter your study habits accordingly. An example of this could be:
- Create a Study Schedule. In the first issue of the year, our September Issue, we encouraged students to create a personalized study schedule for the beginning of the school year. This technique can also be applied for the end, as a similar motivation may be needed for many. Observe your study habits, and create a routine.
Get distracted easily? Use the Pomodoro technique when you study. Study for 25 minutes and take a 5-minute break. Study for another 25 minutes and then take a ten-minute break. Repeat this for two hours, and then focus on something else that is not school-related.
Unorganized? Download an app like Notion, which allows you to create a visual display of your tasks and assignments.
Easily drained? Make a habit of studying early in the morning when your brain is awake and active.
- Get enough sleep. Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep every night to ensure you are attentive during class and awake enough to study after or before school.
- Work out every day. Multiple studies have shown that working out improves academic performance and productivity. It is best to hit the gym before studying to ensure you are effective with your study time.
- Rest! Take breaks. Have self-care days. Take power naps. Make sure your body and mind are healthy instead of burning yourself. However, balance your work and rest times so that your rest does not mold into laziness.
Ending the school year can be difficult and tiring, but remember to finish the year strong! We have already worked hard for the first three quarters, so there is no point in giving up now. Stay focused, stay disciplined, be patient, and allow yourself to take it easy.
Heroines Who Changed History: Celebrating Women’s History Month
By Mara Flores
March, along with flowers in bloom and spring on the horizon, brings us the commemoration of women’s history month, a month-long celebration of all the notable contributions women have made to our society. As a way of recognizing these female leaders who have paved the way for us in fields such as activism, STEM, the arts, and more, here are just some of history’s great heroines; hopefully you’ll learn about someone new and continue to learn more all year long!
Dr. Rev. Pauli Murray
Dr. Rev. Pauli Murray (Nov 20, 1910–July 1, 1985) is best known as one of the catalysts of the Civil Rights movement. Born in Baltimore and raised in Durham, North Carolina, Murray was brought up by an aunt as she was left an orphan at a young age. She encountered many barriers and isolation throughout her life, facing racial segregation as well being the only woman in her class when she attended law school at Howard University. Nonetheless, she stood up for what she believed in, expressing her case against “separate but equal” policies in her book titled “States’ Laws on Race and Color,” which would become the basis for the famous supreme court case that ruled against segregation in schools—Brown v. the Board of Education (1954). Further notable contributions include working with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on protecting gender equality under the law as well as becoming the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopal priest.
Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper (Dec 9, 1906–Jan 1, 1992) was an American computer programmer and mathematician. She earned her Ph.D. at Yale University and was a professor at Vassar College until joining the Navy Reserves, which ignited her career in computer science by her service in the Harvard Mark I computer programming staff. Despite several denied requests to enlist in the regular Navy, Hopper worked tenaciously wherever she could, co-authoring three papers on the Mark I computer and serving as the director of Automatic Programming Development for the UNIVAC, the first known large-scale electronic computer to be on the market. She is most renowned for her theory revolving around the fact that computers could communicate in a language based on English, an idea that she developed over the course of several years despite it not being widely accepted. Eventually, though, her ideas were used to innovate COBOL, the major computing language used in data processing systems today. Additionally, until she was about 80 years old, Hopper served as one of just a handful of female Navy Admirals.
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo (Jul 6, 1907–Jul 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter best known for her portraits, telling stories of her own life and mixing realistic elements with fantasy. Originally, she was set on studying medicine—yet at the age of 18, her life was forever changed when she found herself with a number of severe injuries due to a bus accident. Because of the intense pain these injuries caused her and the long road of recovery that lay ahead, Kahlo picked up her paintbrush and rediscovered her passion for art as an outlet, finding a career path along the way. As she developed as an artist, Kahlo increasingly drew from Mexican folk art and natural elements, and she began to gain recognition for her innovative work through exhibitions across Mexico and the U.S, as well as being the first Mexican artist to be featured in the Louvre’s world-renowned collection. However, it wasn’t until the 1970s that her influence really began to expand internationally, seeing as her works were revered for their artistic technique and seen as symbols of socio-political causes. To this day, Kahlo’s work and the difficult journey she faced along the way have made her an icon in creative spheres everywhere.
Sources:
MSNBC
Grace Hopper – Wikipedia
Unsung Heroes: Discovering the Untold Stories of Influential Women in History – THS Current
Frida Kahlo – Wikipedia
School Events
Picture credits: TMI Instagram
Founder’s Day
By Katie Hendrick
This year, TMI’s Founder’s Day was on March 20th. While temperatures were cold and the campus was windy, TMI’s spirit was stronger than ever. Every team fought hard in numerous events, including the newest addition-Yahtzee, and spent a great day full of teamwork and laughter. After all of the teams joined at the field to compete in tug-of-war and dragon’s tail, the 2024 Founder’s Day Champions were announced- The Magenta Milkshakes! They not only took the win, but also are now in possession of TMI’s new Founder’s Day Cup in honor of Bishop James Steptoe Johnson! Their faculty sponsor, Sr. Archer, will keep the cup until next year. Congrats Magenta!
Sports:
Track Season
By Carolina Meneses
The track team has been continuing to work hard this season and so far has attended three meets this season. The first meet was at St. Mary’s Hall where the boys and girls DMR competed, the boys setting the meet DMR record! The second meet was at SACS, where the team competed in a very cold competition. The girls got 5th overall, and the guys got 4th. This past week, the team went down to Holy Cross, and the girls and the boys got 3rd place overall! This Wednesday, they will be competing at Antonian. Make sure to wish the team luck as they finish up their season! Check out the track Instagram for more! @tmi_trackandfield
Picture Credits: Coach Davis and Trainers Hollen Robinson’24 & Sofia Gonzalez ‘24
Baseball Season Interview
Picture credits: @tmibaseball on instagram
By Jacob Webb Interviewing William Van Wisse
Q: How has the 2024 baseball season gone so far?
A: Yeah We’re doing very well for the first half of the season. We are 5 in 1 in the district.
Q: We know you just had a game against Brownsville- how did that go?
A: We won 3-2 and it was a very tough game, but we are glad we came out on top.
Q: As a pitcher, do you have any favorite pitches to throw?
A: This year, my favorite is the high fast ball. I can throw in the low 80s, maybe even 85.
Please come out and support TMI’s Varsity Baseball team as they have only half of their season left! Stay tuned to see when baseball has home tournaments you can come down to watch!
Boys Lacrosse
Picture credits: @tmilax on instagram
Click HERE to watch Patrick Miggins interview Lacrosse seniors Wyatt Fincke and JP Tucker about their 2024 lacrosse season!
What’s Poppin’
A Dive into Pop Culture
Highlighting current news and upcoming events.
Drake Comes to San Antonio:
By Bernice Gitiche
Never-ending lines. Anticipating audiences. On March 14th and 15th, over 4,000 people from all over Texas attended the ‘Big As The What?’ Drake and J. Cole concert at the Frost Bank Center in downtown San Antonio. The concert was energetic and exciting, and Drake included over 20 songs from various albums.
Additionally, the crowd was introduced to a surprise when he invited artists such as Peso Pluma, Central Cee, and Lil Durk. The concert dynamic significantly shifted during the middle of the performance when J. Cole arrived from the crowd and shook up the audience with his high-vibe energy. Overall, it’s safe to say that this concert was the best San Antonio has seen in a long time.
Look out for these artists coming to Texas in 2024!
Check out Ticketmaster for more information.
Bad Bunny (Austin)
Luis Miguel (San Antonio)
Noah Kahan (Austin)
Morgan Wallen (San Antonio)
Zach Bryan (San Antonio)
Usher (San Antonio)
Pink (Arlington)Nicki Minaj (Austin)
Peso Pluma (Austin)
Celebrating Easter!
By Kiara Dwivedi
Easter time has come again, and it’s time for various celebrations! Attending church services, painting eggs, exchanging gifts, participating in egg hunts, and spending time with family and friends are all part of Easter celebrations. While participating in egg hunts or decorating eggs, a common question arises: Why do most Easter activities involve eggs, and what do they represent? There are many speculations about the answer to this question, but to gain a better understanding, we must recall the purpose of Easter. Easter is a Christian holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Since ancient times, the egg has been a symbol of life and renewal. From these definitions, we can infer that the Easter eggs represent Jesus’ emergence from the tomb and resurrection. For younger children participating in an Easter egg hunt, however, the egg is a fun prize with delicious chocolate, toys, or money. Happy Easter!
The Cop Shop
By Lily Warr
March Book Recommendations:
By Bernice Gitiche
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Are you working to get your life back on track? Do you want to know the secret that makes some people successful and not others? In this bestseller, James Clear unlocks the secrets to building strong, consistent habits that lead to success. If you are interested in self-improvement, this is definitely the book for you!
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
“Turtles all the way down”: a witty term for infinite regress- a theme in this wonderfully written novel. Green captures the narrative of a 16-year-old high school student who struggles with severe OCD and anxiety. He illustrates the effect mental illness can have on one’s daily life.
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
This classic book by Dale Carnegie is popular for a reason and is extremely beneficial for students entering new environments. Carnegie explains the fundamentals of networking and building relationships in both the professional and personal worlds. If you are graduating high school or even just entering high school, this is a perfect read for success.
Walker’s Worldview
Storms on the Horizon
By Chance Walker
It has been a little over two years since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, as just another step of Russian aggression in its ongoing war against Ukraine starting in 2014. Support for Ukraine seemed almost unanimous, the kind of rare partisan issue that our country is lucky to get once a year, as – supporting a democratic, independent nation trying to defend itself against not only an almost century-long enemy of the US but also a tyrannical dictator intent on taking what it wants from others – it should be.
However, many Republicans, even a majority at times, have attempted to stifle such aid to Ukraine, whether it be food, weapons, or even money. This is a continually confusing action for the ordinary individual, as many Republicans state that we need to be harder on countries like Russia and China. And yet, the very same Republicans end up shooting down Ukraine aid bills. This seems confusing and paradoxical if you don’t look at the situation’s broader context. One only needs to look at Former President Donald Trump’s vocal views of support for Ukraine to understand. Trump’s presidency was plagued with accusations of collusion with Russia and its leader, Putin. Many speculated there was Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as later foreign interference accusations in the 2020 election that led to him receiving his first impeachment. The main crime behind the impeachment was Trump’s refusal of military aid to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coerce an investigation into Joe Biden to discredit him.
Understanding this piece of the puzzle allows one to see how Trump’s views on Russia and Ukraine have both shifted over the years, and where Trump goes, many Republicans follow. Their abandonment of traditional conservative values that many Republicans held until recently in favor of MAGA populism has the effect of Ukraine aid being restricted in Congress. If these people would think for themselves instead of mindlessly following their leader, they would see that assisting Ukraine has immense benefits for the US as they get to weaken one of their long-time enemies while not losing a single American life in the process. In this scenario, the US would also claim a moral and cultural victory in supporting the democratically elected underdog against the dictatorial Goliath.
Unfortunately, many of these politicians refuse to follow anyone but Trump, and so Ukraine and its people suffer from our idiotic politics. With the election drawing near, it will only get increasingly divisive on the House and Senate floor.
Advice Column:
You Ask, We Answer!
Q: How can I start studying for AP exams? I’m really nervous and I don’t know where to start.
A: The beginning of April is the perfect time to start preparing for your AP tests at the beginning of May! It is always a good idea to start mapping out a study plan that fits your schedule. For instance, maybe start reviewing the earliest units first for about 30 minutes a night and write down all of the information you can’t remember. Now, you have an easy study method you can take your time with for the beginning of the month that shouldn’t stress you out too much. By the end of April, you’ll likely receive a study guide or study material from your AP teacher and should review that after this beginning prep work. Now you’re ready for the AP test! Good luck!
Q: How do you ask someone to prom without embarrassing yourself?
A: If your main concern is embarrassment, you might want to try asking the person in private and not in front of everyone. Additionally, create a good baseline relationship with the person you are wanting to ask as well so you can ask them in a way you know they will actually like. By getting to know them first, you have a better shot at not embarrassing yourself when asking them. In the end, if they say no, just remember it is a highschool prom! At the end of the day, getting rejected by the person you are trying to ask to prom isn’t the end of the world.
Q: Is it too late for me to save a grade in my class?
A: Absolutely not! Try reaching out to your teacher ASAP to see if you can get partial credit or full credit back for the assignments you are missing. It doesn’t hurt to explain to them why you are behind in the class and giving them an explanation will better your chances of getting more credit back. Furthermore, asking for extra credit after completing all of your missed work shows that you care about getting your grade up and will likely convince your teacher to help you out. Remember, asking for help and extra points isn’t embarrassing, we all need help sometimes.