Hunt naturally builds strong connections with students because of his passion for communication and his energetic personality. He encourages students to visit his office to talk about academics, athletics, or any concerns. “I want to create a safe space for students to communicate,” he says.

Dedicated to helping others, Hunt focuses on growth and improvement in every part of his career while always putting students’ needs first. Despite the challenges of his role, he values spending time with his family.

“Whether it’s taking my children to the Dallas Museum of Art or going to the park, I absolutely adore spending time with my family,” he shares.

As a young administrator, Hunt aims to be both a mentor to students and a present father. “I will go the extra mile and do my best to provide students with a supportive and encouraging environment to succeed.”

Just the other day on Tuesday February 10th student’s from Sam Houston High School walked to Arlington City Hall and protested with signs, chants, music and dancing. It’s a beautiful thing seeing young people gather together to fight for what they believe in, however, it comes at the cost of missing their studies.

At Lamar, there have been posts spread around social media about a walk-out for all students as well as a protest during the last period of school for seniors who have an off period at the end of the day, both protests were on February 12th. Many students have expressed that they were excited to finally use their voices and fight for what they believe but they also expressed how they wish it didn’t get to the point where teenagers and young people need to fight for what is right, students went prepared to give it their all. They made protest signs not only for themselves but for others who couldn’t bring one as well as speakers to play Hispanic music and a megaphone to make sure everyone can hear the message they are trying to convey.

“Honestly, It makes me very happy that a lot of people are standing up and actually doing something and seeing a lot of kids my age instead of just waiting for things to happen. We’re trying to make things better because it affects us. It’s affecting our families and it’s tearing us apart,” senior Marianna Nuñez said when asked about her opinion of the protest.

People who couldn’t participate in the protest and walk-out even tried to help out in any way they could, they helped make posters and gave flags for protesters to use.

“While it’s very important to exercise your first amendment right to protest, having a clear goal in mind is always important. Many people, not all, but many people walking out today don’t understand why they’re walking out and the importance of holding ICE accountable.” said Giovanna Byram, a senior at Lamar when asked about her opinion about the walk outs and protests. She was also asked how she planned on showing her support in which she replied “I decided to instead give away some poster boards and other items to a friend who is participating in order to demonstrate my support for the cause without being physically present.”

It is a worldwide topic with not only adults but young people as well. Students all are excited to unify and fight for what they believe in and try to make a difference.

Ranked in the top five of her class, Hiner balances Academic excellence with athletic commitment in a way that looks almost effortless. When she steps onto the field it is clear her focus shifts entirely to the game. Playing left center back, she anchors the defensive line with composure and confidence. This is a position that demands awareness, communication, and incredible talent, all of which Hiner exceptionally excels with.

Left center back isn’t about flashy goals or crazy highlight reel celebrations, it’s about stopping plays before they develop. It is about protecting the net at all costs. One of Hiner’s favorite memories perfectly captures this mindset: Stopping a goal with a header. In a moment where everything could’ve gone wrong, she stepped up, met the ball midair, and kept it out of the net. This defensive stop showed how determined and dedicated Hiner’s passion for her sport can be.

If you ask Hiner what she loves most about paying at Lamar, her answer isn’t about personal achievements, it’s about connection. “The community you create with the girls around you” she says. For her, the late practices, the bus rides, and the matching uniforms is what makes the experience unforgettable. The bonds formed on the field carry off into classrooms and hallways, even outside of school! The support system built goes much farther than the scoreboard.

Looking to the future, Hiner is intent on being the best player that she can be, Her goal this season is to get more accurate passes when clearing the ball and to communicate better as a team. It is a reflection of who she is, always aiming for success, always improving, always thinking about ways to make her team stronger. With leaders like Hiner, Lamar JV Girls soccer are building something truly special.

Hunt comes to Lamar from Houston, Texas, where he was an assistant principal at a junior high school.

According to Hunt, the student population on his previous campus was just 700 total students, which is of course much smaller than the Lamar student body which boasts more than 2,400 students.

His eagerness to accept the unique challenge and immerse himself into the larger and diverse Lamar student population is obvious. He really wants to be here and see the campus grow.

While Hunt will have many new duties as an AP at Lamar, he insists that getting to know the students and cultivating bonds are top priorities.

During his first few days on campus – Hunt spent a great deal of time learning the campus layout and getting to know the students and staff.

He emphasizes the importance of building relationships wherever you go, further highlighting his plan to establish beneficial relationships with the school community.

“I’m really big on positive collaboration,” Hunt explains. “Working together is the key for success in every area.”

He aspires to work with his colleagues to ensure Lamar continues to serve as a space for students to thrive and find fulfillment.

Outside of his workplace goals, Hunt is currently working towards his doctorate in curriculum and instruction, further developing his ability to instruct and motivate students.

In addition to his obvious commitment to education – Hunt expresses his love for travel in his stories traversing across 20 different countries.

From backpacking across Argentina to breaking bread in Italy – Hunt has an affinity for culture and people. He certainly brings a wealth of knowledge to the Lamar campus.

After two decades of building trust, giving support, and changing lives one conversation at a time – Flores felt something stirring inside her: it was time for a new challenge. It was time for both a new place and a new purpose.

Flores is now proud to walk the halls of Lamar, with the same boldness, passion and warmth that her former students still talk about. To some, she’s a familiar face in a new setting. To others, she’s the staff member they didn’t know they needed. But for everyone, Flores is becoming something rare: a safe person in a world where safety can seem hard to find.

In recent weeks, Flores excitedly accepted the role of Lamar’s Restorative Practice Specialist.

Students at Lamar are quickly learning what generations of Turning Point students already knew: Flores takes pride in listening to students. She doesn’t judge their stories, but she truly listens. She doesn’t pretend to understand. She truly listens.

In a building full of busy schedules, ringing bells, and the pressure to keep up – Flores offers something that feels almost revolutionary: time. She offers time to talk, time to sit, time to breathe. Her door remains open not because it’s her job, but because it’s her calling.

Ask any student who has met her, and you’ll hear the same thing: “She’s real.”

Flores doesn’t sugarcoat anything. She doesn’t pretend everything is perfect, and she doesn’t give out scripted answers. Instead, she shares wisdom earned from decades of guiding teens through fear, heartbreak, confusion, joy and growth. She treats students like human beings, not like problems to be solved. She’s the person who will tell you the truth even when it’s uncomfortable—but she’ll also be the first person to cheer for you when you start believing in yourself again. She has a way of making students feel seen, understood, and valued, even on the days they feel invisible.

In many ways, Flores’ arrival at Lamar is her own kind of fresh start. After twenty years of impact at Turning Point, she didn’t just want to continue helping students—she wanted to bring everything she learned to a new generation in a school that is ready for her voice, her presence, and her heart.

Lamar High School isn’t just getting a new staff member. Lamar is gaining a mentor, a listener, and a truth-teller – a difference-maker.

For every student who needs someone to talk to, someone who won’t judge, someone who won’t walk away, someone who understands real life – Flores is that person.

We, as everyday citizens, are held captive by our paychecks, working for a meager amount of money just to feed ourselves and keep a roof over our head. All the while the billionaires we work to death for live luxuriously, partying in expensive yachts, taking trips on private jets, doing all these frivolous things, while depending on the working class to keep their companies afloat.

If the world is dependent on ordinary citizens to keep things moving, why is it that the people at the top treat us with so little respect?

In 2024, Amazon made $638 billion. The average Amazon warehouse worker makes a minimum of $15 an hour. According to a study by the University of Illinois Chicago, 53% of Amazon warehouse employees report food insecurity, 41% of workers report being injured while working at an Amazon warehouse, and 69% have had to take unpaid time off due to pain or exhaustion from working at the company just during the month of April 2024.

Amazon isn’t the only company at fault. Many large companies rely on the exploitation of the working class to make money.

In countries such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and South Africa, baby formula has two to six grams of added sugar in every portion. In countries like Europe, however, there is no added sugar. Why is this? Because Nestlé knows that if they get babies hooked on sugar, they’ve created a loyal customer who will continue to buy their high-sugar products for life. The only reason they don’t do this in Europe and other richer countries is because their legislation forbids it. These companies do not care about our health, they see us as sources of income, a resource to milk until dry.

The housing market is also affected by this for-profit economy. Nationwide, there are over 771,000 homeless people on any given night. In contrast, there are 16 million vacant homes, meaning there are about 28 vacant lots for every unhoused person. What’s preventing these people in need from obtaining shelter?

Corporate entities; buying up units, but holding them vacant to profit from real estate appreciation. These corporate landlords don’t make their money from rents, but from the fact that they treat real estate as a luxurious asset, making housing unattainable for people who need it. What’s worse is these entities have bought up a substantial amount of single-family homes, mobile homes, and apartment buildings to get more money from people who are already economically challenged. All the while they continue to increase rent, while neglecting their tenants and refusing to perform maintenance.

In so many ways we can see the harm that is being afflicted against the grassroot citizens in the name of profit for the people at the top. Why should our country’s wealth be concentrated to the richest one percent, instead of spread out against the general population? The answer is: it shouldn’t. This continuous disrespect of the working class is horrible and unethical, and the people must not sit idly and allow this to happen; we have to fight back. Give less to billionaire corporations by supporting small businesses. Consume consciously, and if you can; make, grow, sew, and build things yourself. Boycott and unionize against exploitative companies. Trade with others. Help out your community in any way you can, so that less will go to the ultra wealthy.

Seventeen-year-old senior Jacob O’Nan is one of them. Far from fitting the stereotype, O’Nan dedicates himself to staying healthy, active, and disciplined—habits that have transformed his daily life. 

“In quarantine, I got really unhealthy, and I knew I had to change,” O’Nan says. “I’m not the kind of person who sits around and lets things get bad, so I knew I had to do something.” 

For O’Nan, that “something” turned into a complete lifestyle shift. Today, he works out every single day, starting his mornings with 90 pushups before heading to school. 

He’s a member of both the football and golf teams, though his athletic background stretches further. In the past, he’s competed in cross-country and soccer, always looking for new challenges to push his limits. 

“Sports are always fun, and golf is nice as a way to exercise without completely exerting myself and being super sore the next day,” he explains. 

Working out every day can be a difficult task to keep up with, but with the right motivation and support, it can become a fun and fulfilling hobby. He goes on to say that his whole family, as well as his friends, continue to be his motivation, and he even got his girlfriend into working out with him. 

Starting his day with 90 pushups, O’Nan keeps a consistent workout routine going, and he and his brother bond over football, golf, and working out together to keep each other in check and the best versions of themselves in their day-to-day life. 

“Most of my friends are into swimming as well, and their workouts are fun to do, so they often drag me along with them so I’m not always working out by myself,” O’Nan says. 

With his company, he feels most productive and has the most fun while still staying productive. “My family helps me a lot with remaining the best version of myself, and I’m really grateful for that because without them, I would probably be in the same place I was five years ago.” 

He appreciates his support team because of how far they have helped him come as a person. In his senior year, O’Nan is trying to keep things low-key with all the activities he has going on in his life, while still staying consistent. 

When asked what advice he would give people who want to get into the gym or stay healthy and consistent, even his younger self, he says that you should always know when to push yourself. “You aren’t going to get anywhere if you stay within the bounds of the same three or four workouts. You have to get uncomfortable sometimes, and that’s okay.” Everyone starts somewhere, and there’s always room to improve and grow, whether it’s your biceps or your mindset; you can make it happen.”

Ranking in the top 10 percent of her class, Siddiqi is a living example of what it means to be both disciplined and passionate. Her journey is one of dedication, strategic time management and a deep love for both learning and the arts. Siddiqi’s academic achievements are no small feat. At a school as competitive as Lamar, landing in the top of her class requires more than just intelligence; it demands consistency, hard work, and the ability to juggle responsibilities without burning out. She has managed this all while being actively involved in several art performance clubs, a passion she refuses to put on the back burner.

The humble senior credits her supportive family with giving her the boost she has needed time and time again throughout her academic years.  

 “Art and performance give me an outlet, especially when academics get stressful,” Siddiqi says. “Art keeps me grounded.”

From long nights studying for AP exams to rehearsing choreography or practicing lines after school, her days are full. Her ultimate secret? A carefully planned schedule and a strong sense of self-discipline.

“I try to not burn myself out and have fun with the things I’m doing,” she explains. Siddiqi’s story is also about resilience. She admits that it hasn’t always been easy. There have been times when the workload felt overwhelming or when performances clashed with exams. But instead of backing down, she learned to adapt. Her advice to others trying to balance academics and extracurricular passions is to simply – “be honest with yourself about your limits, but don’t be afraid to push them.”

“People think you have to choose between being academic or artistic,” she shares. “You don’t. You just have to find your rhythm, if you really want it, you will put time and effort into what you love.”

As Siddiqi looks ahead to college, she hopes to continue walking that same line one foot in the world of logic and the other foot in creativity. In a society that often pushes students to choose one path, Nadia Sidiqqi reminds us that success can absolutely be multidimensional. 

Before seniors prepare to walk across the stage, they are expected to complete one semester of Macroeconomics. Waqar rightfully places emphasis on the importance of learning the basics of economics, describing it as a building block for the next stages of students’ lives. He aspires to lay a solid foundation for what his students can expect to encounter after they graduate. 

As an important pit-stop for the graduating class, Waqar ensures his classroom is a warm and welcoming space for students of all backgrounds. Growing up in Arlington, after immigrating from Pakistan as a child, he understands the importance of diversity. Playing on his school’s basketball team taught him that a common goal eliminates any conflicts of background. Not unlike a sports team, he hopes for his students to forge a collaborative team environment despite any differences they may encounter.

 “UIL has a strong pull on me at the moment,” Waqar suggests, alluding to an open possibility in the future. While he is not currently sponsoring any after-school clubs or overseeing any organizations, students should expect opportunities to work with him in extracurricular efforts as the year progresses.

While the school year is still young, Waqar hopes to become an indispensable part of students’ academic careers here at Lamar.