The long-awaited final installment of the Harry Potter series hit theaters on Nov. 19. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I continues to tell the story of the three young wizards our generation has come to know and love.

As more and more movies come out each week, I’ve noticed that they don’t compare to movies from the past. There are some movies that are really good, but most of them are a waste of time and money.

Paranormal Activity, for example, was a movie that got a lot of hype, but it just put me to sleep. If you want to go see a good movie, just rent one, because there doesn’t seem to be a lot of good ones in the theaters.

As one of the fastest-rising causes of death in teenagers, texting while driving, is the focus of a new school-wide campaign to raise awareness of the dangers and effects of distracted driving.

The Student Council kicked off their campaign the week of Dec 6, as they showed videos on the daily announcements, passed out informational materials and held a pledge drive related to texting while driving.

With a heightened desire to grow up quickly, today’s youth are eager to master driving.

While they may claim ‘I’m a good driver!’, this is not always true. Things like music, the company of friends and the time of day can influence how well a teen drives.

Imagine that your muscles are aching, you’re surrounded by competition and you’re fighting with everything you have, yet, instead of being on land, you’re in water.

The swim team is a busy and focused group of students, who have already swam in many meets this season, but still face district, region and state meets.

The wrestling team has proven themselves each season by sending well qualified team members to the state tournament. The team hopes to continue its past success with four returning members who made it to state last year.

Throughout the rest of the school year, Key Club will be creating care packages to send to the American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting in the War on Terrorism. In order to sponsor and create these packages, Key Club is joining with an organization known as Honor Our Troops (H.O.T.).

On Tuesday, November 22 the girls Volleyball team, challenged the faculty to a volleyball game.

While the students may have taken an early lead, the faculty fought back and held their own, pulling out victory with a score of 32-26.

On Saturday, Nov. 20, BHS hosted nine schools for a fall UIL Academic Invitational.

Students from local high schools attended United Way Youth Leadership Day, which focused on teaching students how to help out the community. Attendees also learned about several organizations in the community that promote the United Way focuses of education, financial stability and health.

With a goal of helping those within the community hospitalized and in need of a blood transfusion, the National Honor Society (NHS) hosted a blood drive November 17 and 18, collecting a total of 252 units from students, staff and community members.

Christmas is almost here, and that means presents, putting up the lovely Christmas tree, eating, and of course spending time with your family and friends. As Christmas comes closer and closer, the time for those classic Christmas movies to come on television is just around the corner.

Teen pregnancy is on the rise, but a show first played in 2009 showed America the lives of girls who were 16 and Pregnant.

By watching the show, viewers are exposed to the difficulties and obstacles that teen mothers face. The show ended its 2nd season in April, and season three began on October 21.

Hockey may be an unusual sport for Texans to play, but for freshmen Cameron McCann and Mason Smith, hockey is just as major a sport as football or baseball.

The two are members of the Brazos Valley Bucks, a high school hockey team at Arctic Wolf Ice Center in College Station.

Gear-Up (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs), a grant from Texas A&M University, is a new academic program for this year’s freshmen class hoping to ensure that they graduate from high school in four years.

Hispanic Youth Promoting Education (HYPE) is an organization that brings students together to take part in different types of community service and encourage them to further their education beyond high school.

While the club is geared towards Hispanics, any students looking to fulfill their academic goals are welcome to join.

Andere Länder, andere Sitten. When in Rome, do as the Romans, or literally, Other countries, other customs.

As the head of the Languages Other Than English (LOTE) department and a fluent speaker of Italian, German, French and English, German teacher Jan Krammer embodies this classic proverb as she teaches students about the values of studying other languages and cultures.

If you’ve ever woken up with a bad hair day, you know the frustration that comes with not being able to fix that jungle you roll out of bed with.

At Bryan High, the cosmetology program helps prepare students to deal with these ‘jungles’ as a professional career.

After being introduced in the 1950s, it took almost ten years for color televisions to become a popular mainstay in the American home and render black and white television obsolete.

Now, an argument is being made that three-dimensional television is about to have the same, revolutionary effect on the television and movie industry that color television had in the 50s.

How would you portray a normal Christmas? Would you picture it with cookies and milk, waiting for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve and decorating your tree with your favorite ornaments or, would you picture it with amazing feasts at the dinner table, gifts around the Christmas tree and kisses under the mistletoe? Whether you picture it like any of the above or not, it is important to remember one of the main values of Christmas: family.

While most of us will often complain about rules and authority, the truth is that we actually need and respect the boundaries imposed on us by our parents.

As our parents make rules, it’s a sign that they actually love and care for us, because they are focused on our best interests.

From Furbies, to Webkinz, the way toys are made today is just not the same as it was when we were little. You used to be able to be active and hands on with toys rather than just typing on a computer, today’s toys are designed for kids to be in front of a computer the entire time and ignore the world around them.

“Get crazy, get wild. Let’s party, get loud. If you wanna have fun then do something crazy!”

Most teens today listen to the theme song of a popular television series, Jersey Shore, and think to themselves, “I want to be just like the Jersey Shore cast when I get older!” But is this really the way you want to live your life?

As high school students, we have plenty of required reading we have to do in school that forces us to purchase books. Along with school reading requirements, we also have leisurely reading, music and magazines that we enjoy, but these books and other forms of media are often at prices that can add up quickly.

Submit your photography, art pieces, poetry, essays and other creative works to be published on the Norseman website.

rdominy@bryanisd.org

Ever since May 2009, people across America have gotten to know the members of the show-choir “New Directions”. With star bound Rachel Berry, mean-spirited cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, handicapped Artie Abrams, and many others, the award-winning television show Glee, is full of surprises.

Pretty Little Liars, a best selling book by Sara Shepards, jumped to the small screen this year when it turned into a popular television series on ABC Family.

After a Georgian assembly passed a law that regards the wearing of baggy pants as indecent exposure, the debate as been set afire as to whether or not the use of saggy britches is appropriate.

Most teenagers both need and want clothes. People like to look nice, stylish, and up to date with the current ins and outs of fashion.

Maintaining your wardrobe can be expensive, especially if you enjoy particular (and pricey) brands. Back to school shopping can cost the typical high school students anywhere from $100 to $500.

The sound of the crowd is deafening as the Friday night lights shine down on the field. Along the sideline, the players wait their turn to enter the game and prove themselves among their peers.

High school football is not just a past time or a sport; it’s a way of life. It is through this way of life that a young man will sometimes rise to the occasion and really excel as a leader.

For many Viking athletes, golf is a fun and engaging activity that also serves as a stress reliever.

Senior Matthew Wilkinson has been involved with the golf program since his freshman year.

“I have fun doing it,” Wilkinson said. “It’s something I enjoy.”

Whether it is for exercise or for other self-motivated reasons, many students are active members of the cross-country team, even if that means having to deal with the difficulty of being at school to run at 7:30 each morning.

Cross-country is a one-event sport in which the girls run 2 miles and the boys run 3.1 miles. Practices frequently push further, going up to 4.5 miles.

Even though Bryan High has been a closed campus for over fifteen years, many students don’t know why they are not allowed to leave campus for lunch.

For the administration, safety is one of the main priorities in maintaining a closed campus.

When asked what their favorite class of the day is, plenty of students would undoubtedly answer, “Lunch!”. Yet, how many students know what goes into making a daily meal in the school cafeteria?

Starting at 6:30 in the morning, cafeteria workers begin arriving to start preparing for the day’s meals.

After December 2007, when a national recession was declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research, state and federal budgets have been under intense scrutiny.

A central aspect of the state’s budget that is being considered for budgetary cuts is the education system.

Ready Set Teach is a program that allows students with a goal of one day becoming a teacher to jump start that dream and help it become a reality. Members of Ready Set Teach go on field trips to schools around the district to get a general overview of the teaching career.

“Ready Set Teach is a capstone course, meaning that it’s at the end of the education and training pathway,” teacher Nina Wright said.

As the weekend nears, the theater department is preparing for its first show of the year. Dearly Departed will debut this Friday, Oct. 15 in the Black Box Theater.

David Bottrell and Jesse Jones’ Dearly Departed is set somewhere south of the Mason Dixon Line. It tells the story of Bud Turpin’s funeral and its aftermath.

Thirty years ago, people affected by breast cancer had a less than twenty-five percent chance of surviving. Those chances have now increased to over seventy-five percent, but researchers are still striving to push the survival rate even higher.

Student council is trying to aid in that process by selling pink t-shirts in support of breast cancer research. The “Pink Out” game will be held on October 22 when the Vikings play Harker Heights.

From finding your classes and meeting new people, to fitting in and getting used to more homework, the transition from middle school to high school is a big change.

This year, student council worked to make that transition a little easier for incoming freshmen by hosting the first Viking Fish Camp.

Most teenagers both need and want clothes. People like to look nice, stylish, and up to date with the current ins and outs of fashion. Maintaining your wardrobe can be expensive, especially if you enjoy particular (and pricey) brands, for back to school shopping can cost the typical high school students anywhere from $100 to $500. This is a pretty ridiculous amount of money to spend on clothes. With stores prices seeming to only increase, what can you do though to save money, yet still get your shopping fix?

Ready Set Teach is a program at Bryan High that allows students with a goal of one day becoming a teacher to jump start that dream and help it become a reality. Members of Ready Set Teach go on field trips to schools around the district to get a general overview of the teaching career.

If you’re a big gamer, or just a nerd like me, chances are you’ve heard about “that one zombie movie” that came out in September. Yes, Resident Evil, the infamous video game turned movie hit the big screen with Resident Evil: Afterlife.

Teenagers face pressures to fit in, and whether they like it or not, they are labeled by the way they dress, the way they act and who they hang out with.

MTVs hit new show, If you Really Knew Me, focuses on bringing different people from diverse cliques together through a program known as “Challenge Day”.

For many students, high school is the time to seek out their passions, and for the musically-inclined, this means performing in student bands.

While Bryan High sponsors several musically-oriented organizations, many students continue their education by recording, performing, and writing music on their own with their peers.

After the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released their annual school ratings, an inaccurate picture was garnered regarding the success of students due to the “unacceptable” rating awarded to BHS.

However, administrators are extremely pleased with the performance of students on the most recent TAKS test.

Hearing “Football Tickeeets!” brings one thing to mind for faculty members, students and former students of Bryan High: Lester Banks.

He is as much a part of Viking life as senior overalls, pep-rallies and Thor.

While most students try to knock out homework after school, senior Nayeli Lugo is in the ring trying to knock out her opponent.

Lugo, who has been boxing for three years, said it started off as just a fun work out routine.

We’ve all sat through the lectures and heard the warnings about maintaining proper online privacy, like not giving out our address or phone number, but how many of us truly take steps to keep our information private?

From Mr. Feeny, Cory and Topanga, to “The Situation”, TV shows just aren’t the same as they used to be.

The Friday night line up was full of family-friendly programming. How can you not love little Michelle on Full House, or the crazy but hilarious Cody on Step By Step and especially the ever awkward Steve Urkel?

Ever since May 2009, people across America have gotten to know the members of the show-choir “New Directions”. With star bound Rachel Berry, mean-spirited cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, handicapped Artie Abrams, and many others, the award-winning television show Glee, is full of surprises.

At William McKinley High School, fitting in is hard for anyone who isn’t a football player or cheerleader. Mr. Will Schuester, a musically talented Spanish teacher, makes it easier for some kids to find their place by starting a Glee Club. As more members join, the group becomes stronger as a whole, and drama ensues.

Pretty Little Liars, a best selling book by Sara Shepards, jumped to the small screen this year when it turned into a popular television series on ABC Family.

Pretty Little Liars tells the story of four girls who deal with life after their best friend Ali dies. Emily, a swimmer, Hanna, a bad girl, Spencer, a scholar, and Aria, an artist, all start to become harassed by an anonymous source haunting them about their past secrets that only Ali knew. This source becomes known as “A”.

Health Occupation Students of America (HOSA) is the only club that’s available exclusively at Hammond Oliver (HO). Students enrolled in Health Science Technology classes at HO can join the organization which emphasizes service and career opportunities in health care.

As the holiday season approaches, HOSA students prepare for their many service projects and activities, including Halloween festivities.

In an unanimous school board decision, Bryan High School was renamed to Travis B. Bryan Jr High School on November 9th.

The name change was instigated in order to honor Travis B. Bryan Jr, who founded the Bryan ISD Education foundation, and recently passed away last September.

“Life isn’t about the number of breaths you take but by the number of moments that take your breath away.” For junior Garrett Maliska, this quote represents his new outlook on life.

Some soccer players are getting their kicks in a different way this year – on the football team. One of these players, a senior, plays for the varsity football team, while the other is a girl – playing for the sophomore football team.

Published on October 16, 2009 by the Bryan High School Norseman in Bryan, Texas. To zoom in or magnify, please use the toolbar at the bottom of the viewing window.

Published on December 13, 2009 by the Bryan High School Norseman in Bryan, Texas. To zoom in or magnify, please use the toolbar at the bottom of the viewing window.