By Anjulie Van Sickle “Hairspray,” the college’s first production that included a complete collaboration between the drama, music and dance departments, opened on April 19 to cheers of appreciation. The musical is set in 1962 in Baltimore, where Tracy Turnblad, played superbly by Lindsey...

By Anjulie Van Sickle The Life House is a 1928 Rockwall house remodeled to provide a clean, organic coffee shop where people can eat, drink and visit with friends. Too often, owner Chris Kelley said, people just grab a quick bite to eat without considering what other options are available. To...

By Kametra Nickerson-Loud Janette Cobb never had a childhood. It was stolen from her by the people she trusted most. Her uncle began molesting her at the tender age of 3 years old. Then she was raped by another family member at age 12. Cobb never told anyone about either incident until she was 13. She...

By Anjulie Van Sickle The college’s theater, music and dance departments are coming together for the first time in the upcoming performance of the musical “Hairspray.” The cast advises the audience to expect to see fabulous singers, excellent dancers, a variety of comedy and spontaneously...

By Sidney Murillo It’s no coincidence that the song “Thrift Shop” by Macklemore and DJ Lewis is topping the charts in the alternative rock, hip-hop, R&B and top 40 categories. Not only is the beat catchy, but the tongue-in-cheek flows by Macklemore are somewhat relatable. The line where...

By Ginny Morris Death was written all over the skinny horse. Every bone stood out on her emaciated body. Her ragged yellow coat was covered with grime and dust. Her hair was thin — a scanty defense against the harsh chill of the December wind. Her matted white mane hung dully over her neck. Her tail...

By Chanel Jimenez The art department kicked off the semester with “Food,” the second exhibit in its “Fast Food Nation” series that is tied to the common book. “I like the idea of taking the title of the book and breaking it up into those three areas, not necessarily addressing the idea...

By Kevin Cushingberry Jr. A little after 3 p.m. on weekdays, the parking lot outside The Boiling Crab begins to fill. If the overflowing crowd doesn’t testify to the quality of the food inside, the aroma will. Two neon signs in the front window flick on. One announces “OPEN.” The other reads...

By Justin David Tate In a scene near the halfway point of “Django Unchained,” three dogs bark at a black slave hiding in a tree. A group of white men hold the leashes tightly to keep the dogs from running toward their prey. His slavemaster, Calvin Candie, played with devilish intensity by Leonard...

By Claudia Guerra Violet Beauregarde sits in the audience with her mother, clutching her golden ticket and waiting for her chance to see Willy Wonka and his famous candy factory. She’s normally a gum-chewer, but when she heard about the contest, she switched to chocolate. Now she’s back on gum. The...

By Sidney Murillo Running is about the art of do. That is the philosophy of marathon runner and geology teacher Shizuko “Zu” Watanabe. Running, to her, is all about finding your own pace, setting goals each day and racing past those goals. The reward is coming face-to-face with limits and placing...

By Braulio Tellez Finding your “center” can calm the crazy stress of the college classroom. Although juggling a hectic school and work schedule can be difficult, finding time to clear the mind can help alleviate some of the stress. That’s one reason yoga instructor Beth Cunningham recently...

By Ginny Morris Timylle Adams has loved acting for as long as she can remember. She made her stage debut at the age of 2 when she recited Psalm 23 in front of her local church congregation. Since then, there has been no stopping her. Her passion for performing has allowed her to enjoy many experiences,...

Compiled by Caitlin Piper Weddings, dating, child pageants and makeovers — when it comes to reality TV, no stone goes unturned. But even the craziest of these shows seem ordinary when compared to what we’ve found. Hillbilly Handfishin’ Network: Animal Planet Sunday, 7 p.m. Skipper Bivins...

By Anjulie Van Sickle People take their seats as the performers shuffle their papers and tune their instruments. The director taps his baton on his music stand to call the group to attention. The musicians make sure everything is in place to start. They look expectantly at their leader for direction. As...

By Sidney Murillo Avocado green, bright tomato red and soft, earthy brown peanuts. Adding color to dishes is important to any chef and foodie. As Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi says, “you eat with your eyes first.” Adding color to dishes is a sure way to add aesthetics and nutrition to a meal. In...

By Justin David Tate Half of African-American and Latino males never finish high school. That’s  one of the first statistics quoted at the beginning of the film “Bring Your A+ Game,” which kicked off an Oct. 22 event to promote the new African-American Latino Male Initiative (AALMI) club...

By Sergio Leon Fairies, love potions, royalty and young lovers can all be found in the Theater Department’s unique adaptation of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” But they are not as you remember them from your ninth-grade English class. As promised, director Lori Honeycutt...

By Anjulie Van Sickle Marty Ruiz, the college’s featured artist for Hispanic Heritage Month, asked the students who came to hear him speak on Oct. 8 what “showing up” meant to them. He said he believes “showing up” is 80 percent of life. This means simply being present during life’s...

By Danyelle Roquemore Many students would willingly admit that they cringe at the mere mention of William Shakespeare’s name. But that may be about to change. The Drama Club is hosting a free festival in honor of the fall show “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” that will make Shakespeare and his works...

By Caitlin Piper Originally dreamed up by somethingawful.com user Victor Surge for a paranormal Photoshop contest on June 8, 2009, the Slender Man quickly caught on among the userbase, spreading across the Internet like wildfire. We loved the idea of a 10-foot-tall, noodle-limbed, faceless monstrosity...

By Braulio A. Tellez It’s 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and the Texas State Fair is offering $2 admission when you donate three cans of food at the front gate. My friend Brendyn and I are leaving Kroger with two plastic bags filled with canned beans and corn. It’s going to be a good day. 4:45 p.m....

By Angel Abarca Beating timbales, beautiful voices and saxophone notes rang through the performance hall as last week’s Wednesday Recital Series took on the spice of Latin music. The Booker T. Latin American Ensemble, directed by Kent Ellingson, performed various Afro-Cuban works as well as Brazilian...

By Sergio Léon To be or not to be? That is not the question the Drama Department is asking itself this semester. It’s asking how to be even bigger. With enrollment steadily increasing each semester, the Drama Department is constantly recruiting students and turning them into actors. “My...