North Texas Raising the Roof

Writer: Kyle Pearson

When passing through Denton Texas, it’s hard to miss the University of North Texas campus. An increasingly growing student population has forced the campus to start growing to accommodate the new wave of students. With the campus growing the surrounding city is having to adjust to these changes as well. Over this past 2017 homecoming weekend many events transpired but one specifically caught the attention of seemingly everyone.

It is no shock that in a college town such as Denton there will be numerous students throwing numerous parties. Typically, Denton PD shuts down the large parties before they can become dangerous to anyone attending. However, over this homecoming weekend a particular party literally went too hard. The Ridge at North Texas was the apartment complex where the party took place, at about 1:45am on Sunday morning a group of students were partying, jumping up and down only to find themselves crashing through the floor, falling into the apartment below. For the complete floor to fall through there must have been hundreds of people attending the party, videos on social media show the entire function jumping up and down only to come to a complete stop when the floor collapsed. Although there was extensive damage to all surrounding apartments there were no reported casualties from the incident and injuries were limited and not extreme.

It is obvious that the apartment with the collapsed floor is not in livable conditions and neither is the apartment with the newly added sun roof. However, this incident is not only affecting the surrounding apartments but the entire apartment complex as well. When the floor collapsed many pipes needed for water supply or sewage disposal were broke leaving many apartments without water or with too much, causing flooding. The incident, although put many students out of their homes, caught the attention of national news.

Social Media has assisted in spreading the news of the incident providing much comic relief to what could have been a tragic incident. In a world where ‘Raising the roof’ isn’t good enough, young adults are crashing parties in a new literal sense. Having the floor go out from under you can change your perspective on life, it is a relief that no one was killed in what could have been a terrible turn of events. Only time will tell how the damages will be repaired but one can only wonder what kind of consequences the owner of the apartment will face for putting so many students out of their homes.

At the end of the day this incident costed no one their lives but many their homes. Hopefully a valuable lesson was learned and a new appreciation for ‘Maximum Capacity’ was obtained.

Texas Homecoming Traditions

 Writer: Bryanna Houser

Image: UMassAlumni

Homecoming is definitely a big time of year for many high schools all around the nation, but no one does it quite like Texas does it. As the saying goes, “Everything’s bigger in Texas.” That includes our traditions and celebrations, and today I’m gonna list some of the biggest and baddest traditions Texans hold close to their hearts when it comes to homecoming.

Number 5: The Proposal

Image: Pinterest

With homecoming being such a huge event for all Texans, the only possible way to emphasize it is to have an even bigger way of asking someone to be your date. The homecoming proposal is an integral part of the whole day. People will plan this proposal for weeks, even months to make sure it is as grand and perfect as possible. The amount of time, energy, and money can be pretty confusing to outsiders looking in, but to a Texan it is more than understandable.

Number 4: The Dance

Image:YouTube

At first glance the homecoming dance may look close to, if not exactly like one you attend for prom, but there is a big difference, at least that’s what I’ve been told. For prom, the purpose is to have your final adventure with all of your friends before your graduation comes along and many of you move on to bigger and better things. Homecoming, however, is simply another excuse to go out and have some fun! This night was intended to be a time for alumni to come back and bond with each other again, but we all know that’s no longer the case.

Number 3: The Game

Image:KFYO

This football game is like no other. On this very special Friday night, two teams face off, but only one has all of the honor to lose. The homecoming football game combines Texas’ two favorite things; football and showing off. At this game, it is imperative that the home team (the one hosting the homecoming) wins. Most of the time, you are matched up with a team that you are expected to win against, just to ensure your chances of victory. Because if you lose your hoco game…let’s just say your town has lost all respect for a whole year.

Number 2: The King and Queen

Image:Austin Daily Herald

As everything else that surrounds homecoming, the King and Queen of homecoming are very important parts of the experience. The idea of being labeled as one of the most popular kids in your grade is always something high school students look forward to. The campaigning and gimmicks of it all is what really surprises people sometimes. If you didn’t know any better, you could swear that those posters hauling the boldly written words “VOTE FOR ME” were for the Presidential election and not a high school celebration.

Number 1: The Mum

Image:KERA News

 The ultimate staple of homecoming in Texas is the iconic Mum. No it’s not the British way to say Mom- it’s those shiny, loud, noise-making bundles of fake flowers and ribbons that every high school girl totes around their necks. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors (although traditionally underclassmen have smaller ones that are in the school color, while senior make theirs as big as they want and put them in all white). With such a wide array of options, it seems to be a contest to see who can not only make the biggest, but also who can sport the loudest, mum of all. Most of the time, if the girl has a male escort that is taking her to homecoming, he makes her mum and she makes his garter, which can be just as big and bashful as the mum.

With all of these great traditions, it’s no mystery as to why people from other states can feel sort of lost and overwhelmed at the sight of it all, but for all Texans, it’s a great time to bond with friends and show off some creativity and healthy competition. This annual festivity is a cornerstone of Texas traditions that will not be dying off anytime soon.

A Study of Spider-Man: Homecoming

 

Writer: Lauryn Jackson

                                                                                        Picture via Wallpaper Abyss

 

Sweeping the nation as one of the top movies of the summer, Spider-Man: Homecoming offers a new age twist to a Marvel classic. Tom Holland’s portrayal of the crime fighting teenager is uniquely separate from that of Tobey Maguire or Andrew Garfield. Holland breathes new life into a familiar character loved by millions of fans of the Marvel franchise. Although Spider-Man is a fan favorite regardless of who plays the swinging superhero, the 2017 blockbuster stands out in an especially charming way.

In this rendition of Spider-Man directed by Jon Watts, Peter Parker is a 15 year old high school student learning how to juggle class, crime, and crushes. Unlike Maguire’s or Garfield’s roles that characterized Peter as an 18 year old photographer with plans for college, Holland’s character is naive and playfully immature like most sophomore boys are. This time the photography gimmick is ditched for other extracurricular activities including band and academic decathlon. Not only is Homecoming’s Peter Parker a studious band geek, he also loves accompanying his best friend in building Star Wars themed Lego creations. Peter Parker’s character was never intended to be “cool”, he’s purposefully written to a be a dorky teenager which is why many moviegoers can relate to this depiction.

Another inviting element of the film is the diversity in the cast. It’s no secret that Hollywood can often fall short on casting people of color into major roles. Having representation on the big-screen can be a big deal to younger viewers. Homecoming does an exceptional job of depicting an American high school in a culturally diverse community. It’s an important depiction because it’s real. More casting directors should be encouraged to follow in these footsteps.

Lastly, the most appealing component of the film is that it’s got a little bit of everything. From scenes jam-packed with action, comedy, and drama to the nostalgic vibes every coming-of-age film has, the movie attracts viewers of different multitudes. There’s even a few life lessons woven throughout the plot that cater to the family-friendly influence of the movie.

If you haven’t seen it by now, you’re truly missing out on a top-notch superhero flick unlike any other. It’s safe to say that Tom Holland is a homecoming king and that Spider-Man: Homecoming is a smash hit.