• Coppell ISD is on Winter Break through Monday, Jan. 6. Classes resume Tuesday, Jan. 7.
The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media
The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media
The official student news site of Coppell High School

Coppell Student Media
Ava Gillis

Ava Gillis, Staff Designer

Ava Gillis is a sophomore and a staff designer on The Sidekick. She enjoys reading in her free-time and you can often find her in the kitchen making cookies at all hours of the night. You can contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @gillis_ava.

All content by Ava Gillis
Students are told that telling anything to an adult makes one a “tattletale” or a “snitch,” including when someone committed a wrongdoing. The Sidekick executive editor-in-chief Sally Parampottil writes about the negative side of team loyalty and the resulting hesitancy to tell on friends and teammates when they have committed a crime.

[Photo] One bad apple

Sally Parampottil, Executive Editor-in-Chief
May 14, 2021
Eurovision is a European song contest in which multiple countries submit one entry each to compete against each other. The Sidekick editor-in-chief Sally Parampottil reviews this year’s entries and gives some pointers for interested Americans who recently learned of the contest’s existence.

[Photo] Variety of genres offer strong contenders for Eurovision 2021

Sally Parampottil, Executive Editor-in-Chief
May 12, 2021
High school can be intimidating due to its newness. The Sidekick staff writer Sapna Amin has a high school survival guide on what she wishes someone would have told her during her high school experience.

[Photo] Amin’s survival guide of embracing the finite, fleeting moments of high school

Sapna Amin, Staff Writer
May 11, 2021
In the last four years, late night TV shows have focused more on politics.The Sidekick daily news/assignment editor Avani Kashyap thinks late night television should not be consumers’ main source of daily news as its biased nature influences consumer’s opinions.

[Photo] Con: Late night TV should not be your first news source

Avani Kashyap, Daily News/Assignment Editor
April 1, 2021
On March 2, Olympians Alex Morgan, Simone Manuel, Chloe Kim and Sue Bird announced the launch of their new brand: TOGETHXR. The Sidekick executive editor-in-chief Sally Parampottil writes about their goal to promote more female athletic representation and how this brand and similar organizations are huge steps of progress for women in sports.

[Photo] One small step for women, one giant leap for women in sports

Sally Parampottil, Executive Editor-in-Chief
March 30, 2021
March celebrates Women’s History Month, which has special significance for many. Women involved in the Coppell High School community share what this month means to them as leaders of major clubs and organizations.

[Photo] Women’s History Month inspiring change by honoring accomplishments

Manasa Mohan, Staff Writer
March 26, 2021
Kamala Harris is the United States’ 49th Vice President, as well as the first woman, African American, and South Asian American vice president. The Sidekick staff writer Yasemin Ragland expresses how it feels as a Black girl, having Kamala Harris be inaugurated into the White House.

[Photo] Harris making path for young Black women

Yasemin Ragland, Staff Writer
March 11, 2021
Applying for and choosing a college can be challenging for seniors, especially during the time of a global pandemic. The class of 2021 explores different options and considers new perspectives when it comes to college decisions.

[Photo] Seniors juggling additional factors with pandemic college decisions

Sapna Amin, Staff Writer
March 9, 2021
Life as a Pencil

Life as a Pencil

Ava Gillis, Staff designer
January 31, 2021
On Jan. 10, Coppell received a bit of snow for the first time this winter. The Sidekick executive editor-in-chief Sally Parampottil recalls the feeling of what it is like to experience a Texas snowfall.

[Photo] Coppell Observer: Someone actually let it snow!

Sally Parampottil, Executive Editor-in-Chief
January 20, 2021
According to The Sidekick communications manager Sreeja Mudumby, cursive has become outdated, but it is still being introduced in elementary school classrooms. Mudumby thinks replacing the cursive requirement with American Sign Language will help young children. Graphic by Ava Gillis.

[Photo] “Sign here, please”

Sreeja Mudumby, Communications Manager
January 19, 2021
Coppell High School junior Natasha Banga, sophomore Zachary Li and Coppell Middle School West seventh grader Pranav Krishnan spoke at the TEDx Youth @ ArchesPoint on Nov. 7. All three students are involved in speech and debate which gave them the opportunity to talk at the TEDx about their major concerns of 2020.

[Photo] Coppell debate students speak on the big picture at TEDx Youth

Anjali Vishwanath
December 10, 2020
The Associated Press declared that Joseph R. Biden is the 46th president of the United States. The Sidekick executive editorial page editor Camila Villarreal urges Americans to remain critical of political leaders despite political affiliations.

[Photo] Remember: we have work to do

Camila Villarreal, Executive Editorial Page Editor
December 4, 2020
Coppell ISD held a mock election at all its campuses from Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, to help students experience what it’s like to vote. The winners for the presidential/vice presidential race were Democratic nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris with 2,163 out of the total 3,319 votes, and the winner for the Texas U.S. Senate race was Democrat Mary “MJ” Hegar with 1,652 out of the total 3,319 votes.

[Photo] CISD Mock Election gives students a voice

Torie Peck, Staff Writer
November 12, 2020
It's just hair

It’s just hair

Ava Gillis, Staff designer
October 23, 2020
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