Saying goodbye: An ode to The Sidekick’s seniors

With her unexpected life lessons, stories of Romeo and her golden doodle that she makes adorable cartoons for, Maya is a reliable presence that never fails to leave me without a smile when she is around. Maya consistently maintains a nurturing presence in her ability to always say the right thing. With her penchant for opinion writing and storytelling, I can’t help but be captivated by her words....

Nandini has a continuous colorful and loveable personality, a constant I have seen around her and the people she influences. Ever since our daily greetings last year filled with compliments and smiles, I have been part of the sunny environment she brings into the room and know that her skills in media and leadership will continue to bring a positive impact on her future career, as she got to The Sidek...

Whether in a cute sweat set, jeans or a formal top, Nashad Mohamed is always dressed to impress. Peering at the screen of her rose gold MacBook in her Sidekick class, one can find her diligently working on an album review, movie review or browsing through photos she took at the last sports game. Always willing to lend a helping hand or ear, the talented journalist exemplifies what it means to be h...

I met and became friends with Josh my freshman year. We shared an English class, and ironically were the only kids who enjoyed it. Luckily my senior year I got to be in a Sidekick period with Josh as well, another class that we willingly joined to pursue writing. Josh is one of the most kind people I have ever met and goes out of his way to make people happy. Just listing things he's done; gave me a free ticke...

I first met Olvia in my freshman year English class, which I could probably characterize as a class with a lot of kids who had no actual intention of paying attention to how to write a poem or a short story. Olivia, on the other hand, always had an admiration for writing. Although that was before our extended pandemic spring break, I find that her dedication to telling stories never left, having only...

With a Zach Bryan and Taylor Swift playlist on shuffle and a Canes meal in hand, Torie and I drive around Coppell, ranting about what we thought at the time was the end of the world. If not that, we are colorguard rehearsals or covering a sporting event. But no matter what we're doing, we always found a way to make it fun.  I got to watch Torie flourish into a wonderful friend as well as a great...

After making an impromptu schedule change, I found myself in first period Honors Astronomy where I caught a glimpse of Aliya sitting at one of the tables. In what I consider to be the crack of dawn, struggling with a perplexing Hubble’s Law lab and the math, I struck up a conversation with her as we debated whose graphs were correct (I still could not tell you who was right).  As we sat toge...

Since August of 2020, there has been a quiet yet powerful force within the Sidekick: one that I have had the pleasure of knowing as a colleague, but more importantly as a family friend. I can attest to her unparalleled capacity to meticulously yet joyously craft chocolate truffles topped in oreo crumbs with ease, and I too can admit that I have eaten one too many of them. It’s easy for me to joke wit...

Need a joke? No, really. You know those moments when you need a joke, when you look frantically around the room to find something, anything to reduce the awkwardness? If you have ever paid a visit to D115, you know what the perfect solution is.  Along with his brilliant design skills, executive design/interactive editor Srihari Yechangunja is an absolute comedian. If it can’t be noticed by his hilariou...

Last October, Shreya and I were tasked with covering a football game at Plano West. We were both nervous as it was both of our first football coverage assignments, for me as writer and for her as photographer. It didn’t help that, at first, we went to the wrong location. Immediately, we ran to my car, punched in the correct address and went on a frantic drive with just minutes to spare before ki...

Araceli and I met on our first day on The Sidekick, nervous about being two of the three first-year members in the entire class. However, our worries faded quickly as our friendship grew.  Throughout the year, I was able to experience the things that make up Araceli. She is strong, steadfast, down-to-earth and most importantly a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan. Her grounding presence and everlasting af...

I’ve heard that the most important part of our journey begins with the first step. So, let me share my first impression of The Sidekick senior staff writer Sahith Mocharla. In classic sophomore fashion, there I was, eyes widened and mouth agape in our debate class. It would be an understatement to claim I was terrified.  I distinctly remember Sahith striding up to the sophomores in his classic, confident ...

It’s another one of those days, and I’m about to fall asleep. Then, the door bursts open and The Sidekick photo editor Nandini Muresh struts in.  “Guys. Have you seen Taylor Swift’s new video?” It’s another one of those days, but luckily Nandini is in it. Nandini’s energy is as exuberant as her love for Taylor Swift. Every conversation she involves herself in is filled with passion and ex...

Yaamini can’t drive. She rides her blue bike every day for her basically five-minute commute to school. She rides her bike to Starbucks. She rides it to the Cozby Library. But her little machine can’t take her much further than 20 minutes from the school campus.  That means that I drive her around. It was during these drives that we became the duo we are today.  On every excursion I’ve ta...

I knew of Meghna before this year. She was a friend of a friend and a grade above me. It was only this year, through The Sidekick, that I finally got to know her for who she truly is. To me, Meghna isn’t just Meghna; she’s Meeg, she’s Meggy and she’s simply an incredible person. Meghna is one of a kind. She may seem shy but she has so many captivating stories to tell you. She’ll always have something to ...

Saniya’s a little bit of everything. She’s incredibly smart, she’s a musician, she claims she’s not a coder  (but she is) and she’s a true journalist. I met Saniya last year when we roomed together at DECA. I knew her beforehand, but hadn’t had the chance to converse with her in a non-Sidekick related manner. It was there, in the hotel room, that I learned three things about Saniya: she’...

My first interaction with Manasa was memorable for all the wrong reasons as I submitted a podcast for editing to her that included the school’s bell system overlapping an interview. That’s really all that I knew about her until this year when we were both appointed as executive leadership.  I joined my first FaceTime call with her back in August, and in the back of my mind, all I could think...

I met Shrayes as a fourth grader at Mockingbird Elementary. He was a grade older than me, though the same age, and the student council historian. Just by his disposition and demeanor as a natural leader, I knew he was going places. Fast forward eight years and here we are today. Shrayes is not only a student council officer here at Coppell High School, but also a Red Jacket,  senior class officer ...

Chief, I really am going to miss you. The Sidekick cannot run without Angelina. It’s obvious as to how much time Angelina pours into the program with 265 posts on Coppell Student Media and, of course, all of which being of the highest quality. Angelina does everything. She’s written a story for all sections, she’s made award-winning podcasts, she’s a national and state winner for her writing. ...

Sanni is a TXT addict and horrible at calculus. As a prime member of the ‘Aliya corner’, as Mr. Wofford calls it, and as an eternal procrastinator, I have a reason to look at her, eyes wide, and be shocked at her unpredictability every day. Whether it be spending hours channeling our inner businesswomen to sell ads or bawling in our cry sessions while we attempt to learn how letters could have...

Iniya was one of the first people I met in The Sidekick outside of my class period. I remember showing up to our first social of the year so nervous, but then I met her and was very quickly put at ease. I instantly saw how dedicated to the program she was, and I still remember her sharing a story about a dream she had. A story she quickly followed with “If you haven’t had at least one dream about Th...

Sruthi Lingam and I are two peas in a pod. Two of a kind. A matching set. Double trouble. Since we met, we have always done everything in our lives together.  I mean it – two years of being debate partners, spending vacations at the camps our mothers hand-picked for us, after-school Starbucks Sidekicking sessions (that end with one of us consuming an entirely too sugary concoction). If you ...