The Norseman

Scholarship nights brings community together

Jesse Baxter • May 22, 2015

BISD held its 43rd annual Scholarship Night in early May where 131 students received 184 scholarships totaling over $219,000. This year's ceremony was especially notable since it was the first in which...

Water polo club resurfaces

Jesse Baxter • May 7, 2015

Water polo has seen a resurgence this year after a six year absence with the formation of a club dedicated to playing and competing. Coaches Jessica Bailey and Travis Kiser oversaw the formation of the club and helped students pursue their interests in the sport.

Bloodborne RPG earns positive review through gameplay, world design

Jesse Baxter • April 9, 2015

Mysterious streets, towering cathedrals and churches, foggy forests, and ancient abandoned castles all inhabited by strange yet vicious creatures: the world of Bloodborne. A spiritual successor to the game Demon Souls, Bloodborne takes place in Yharnam, a victorian city overrun by a plague that turned people into beasts. In this game players play as a hunter who tracks down and slaughters beasts, seeking a way to end the corruption.

Soccer senior helps team improve, looks towards playoffs

Jesse Baxter • March 3, 2015

While some people enjoy solitary sports such as swimming, skiing, or golf, others prefer team sports that bring people together, such as football, hockey, or soccer. Senior Gayle Konderla has been on the soccer team since her freshman year and has formed a tight niche with the players while having fun playing soccer.

For the love of the game: Nationally ranked freshman demonstrates leadership on team

Jesse Baxter • February 6, 2015

Everyone has hobbies; something they like to do every once in a while or daily. Every once in a while, someone finds a hobby or activity which fits them perfectly and they fall in love with it from the start. Freshman Jacy Smith found tennis years ago and has been playing ever since. “Since [Jacy] was about two years old she would drag a racket around the room and play with a balloon,” Jacy’s mother, Jaime Smith, said. “She played in her first competitive tournament was when she was about six.”

Film falls flat with Tolkien fans: Final installment fails to fascinate

Jesse Baxter • January 16, 2015

My hopes were low for the final movie in the Hobbit series, The Hobbit: the Battle of Five Armies, as the other two movies had let me down in story, characters, and believable action. I am sad to say that the third did not break this trend, but it wasn’t horrible.

Book fair promotes literacy, reading through community involvement

Jesse Baxter • December 8, 2014

Bryan High hosted a book fair at Barnes and Noble on October 8th in order to raise funds for the English department and to promote literacy in the community.

Disney shows off new powers Big Hero 6 conveys powerful message, displays stellar animation

Jesse Baxter • November 17, 2014

Disney recently released Big Hero 6 in theatres after its inception as a Marvel comic in 1998, giving it a second life. Disney’s recent acquisition of Marvel enabled this as they now have the rights to the story. Overall, it was a good, solid film and contained good messages about problems that most people face at one point or another.

Esports challenge traditional arenas of competition

Jesse Baxter • October 29, 2014

Cheers erupt from the stadium as the two teams face off, each knowing the only way to claim the championship is by going through the other. Fifteen seconds later one team is dead while the other team pushes on.

Vikings raise awareness about dangers of tobacco through organization

Jesse Baxter • October 10, 2014

The student group Vikings Kicking Out Tobacco (VKOT) formed during the spring semester of the 2013-2014 school year through the leadership efforts of junior Cecil Banks.The club has continued to grow this year as six more students were chosen for the state tobacco awareness campaign.

STAAR scores shine bright for school, district

Jesse Baxter • September 23, 2014

Scores on the STAAR exam for the 2013-2014 school year are some of the highest scores Bryan High and the district have ever achieved, with five out of six distinctions awarded for academic performance. ...

Living a stapler’s life

Jesse Baxter • May 29, 2014

I haven't always been angry at the world. Well, maybe not the whole world; just Mandy specifically. This all started a year ago when that stuck-up device arrived. I used to be the first-rate staple, the Caesar to the classroom’s Rome. But alas, we can’t all be automatic staplers with the newest technology and all the bells and whistles.