Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Oviedo High School's student run newspaper.
Citation preview
TALELION’SOVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL • NOVEMBER 4, 2011 • VOLUME 52 • ISSUE 2
R.I.P. Senior year
pg 4
Teens discuss chants, cheers, and rivalries.Pg. 23
Seniors pursue alternate paths
to graduation.
D. Stevens, ‘12
( sports )news 02 THE LION’S TALE | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
TH
E SCO
OP
Homecoming takes place on Saturday, Nov.12. The dance will be held at Oviedo High School in the Commons.
The dance starts at 7 p.m. and ends at 11 p.m. The pre-sale tickets are being sold in the commons for $20. The tickets will be $25 at the door. The theme is Old Hollywood.
Newspaper launches website
Homecoming held Saturday
Debate initiates new club
Oviedo High School will be hosting a blood drive on Nov. 8. Sign-ups last until Nov. 7.
OHS’s goal for this drive is to register 200 donors and collect 150 units. The yearly goal is 600 units.
The next blood drive will be on Jan. 24. There will be a contest between boys and girls to see who can donate the most blood. Usually girls out-donate boys four to one.
March 29 will be the last blood drive with a contest to see which class can donate the most blood..
Debate Club will now meet on the first Friday of each month in debate teacher Deborah Jepson’s room (room 5-020). The club is open to any student interested in public speaking.
Next year, members of the debate team will compete in competitions with debate teams in the area.
The Lion’s Tale newspaper is introducing their official website starting with the second edition.
At www.thelionstale.com, readers will be able to read everything in the print edition of the newspaper, plus the picture of the week, pictures from the dodge ball game, sports updates, additional music and movie reviews, and much more.
Blood drive registers students
TALK IT OUT. Debate teacher Deborah Jepson lectures her seventh period class.
photo/AMANDA FERGUSON
A rezoning approval on Oct. 3 by the Oviedo City Council could possibly lead to a new Oviedo emergency room
and medical offices.Although Central Florida Regional Hospital
officials have not confirmed that an emergency room will be built, new zoning permits a hospital to be constructed on this site.
The rezoning includes land owned by Central Florida Regional Hospital, Inc, between 417 and 426 on Red Bug Lake Road. This piece of land lies directly behind the new bike trail that is under construction.
“If a center is built, it could increase jobs and economic growth in the region and help the surrounding area receive more access to medical care,” bioscience teacher Amy Demins said.
Students wanting to gain jobs in the bioscience or medical fields could have even greater opportunities for future employment.
“I want to be an oncologist and study cancer,” junior Ciara Nowak said. “Bioscience taught me how the cancer cell affects the human body and how DNA is affected by cancer.”
According to the bioscience website, students who take bioscience are preparing for
potential careers and have a greater chance of obtaining employment in the medical field.
“We learn more about the biology and genetics, along with lab techniques such as micropipetting and making slides,” Demins said. “It helps students prepare for future science careers.”
Opportunities exploded when the Lake Nona deal was cemented in 2005.
A deal between Florida Hospital and Sanford Burnham Institute made history when they agreed for form a medical/research hub at Lake Nona.
Today, it is a center for b i o m e d i c i n e with the Sanford Burnham Institute
for Medical Research among the 500 new companies in the region.
“It shows that Florida has more than just Disney,” Nowak said.
The new UCF College of Medicine, which is in its second year, is also at Lake Nona and features a $65 million building.The bulding contains high tech labs and state-of-the-art classroom technology.
“Lake Nona is going to help economically, and create a new job market. It’s going to encourage more science fields and more
people to come down here. UCF’s College of Medicine is one of the only medical colleges with undergrad opportunities,” Demins said.
Together, this region expects to create $7.6 billion in economic activity and 30,000 new jobs for Florida.
But the possibility of a new hospital at Oviedo could make those numbers even bigger if the idea comes to fruition.
Bioscience students are enthusiastic about the possibility of a hospital within a mile of campus since many students are looking to the medical field to make a living.
Senior Hayley Carter-Fredrickson wants to have a career as a pharmacist and working in the bioscience classroom is giving her a head start.
“The classroom tools and equipment are very similar and we learn how to use them. It’s extremely helpful,” Carter-Fredrickson said.
New emergency room may be built in Oviedoby Chris Moskal
“ I want to be an oncologist and study cancer,. Bioscience taught me how the cancer cell affects the human body and how DNA is affected by cancer. ”Ciara Nowak, ‘13
Fast Facts
t
Chemistry teacher Kathy Savage was awarded a grant by Texas Instruments which will be used to research disease in citrus plants.
t
AP Statistic teacher Marie Causey will run a statistical analysis on the data gathered by Savage.
all photos/LINSEY DUCAEXPERIMENTAL FUN. (above) Junior Sean Worth conducts an experiment in his fifth period Bioscience class. (top) Senior Sabrina Grimes works on the PAGE (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) experiment. In it, the class compared protein samples of different types of fish. (bottom) Senior Hayley Carter-Fredrickson, juniors Christian Svetics, and Jennifer Fortunato observe as Grimes works.
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | news | THE LION’S TALE 03
by Harry Traber
student loans. Grants, scholarships and work-study programs are available for students to use, according to Williams.
“Grants are free money that is awarded to students based on different criteria. The institution giving the award determines the criteria, and it could be (awarded for) anything, first time in college, need-based or merit-based. And you don’t have to pay it back. It’s like a scholarship in that way,” Williams said.
Williams states there are differences between grants and scholarships.
“With a scholarship, you apply for it. It is handled by different sources. It doesn’t have to be government funded. You find they can be specific or broad in criteria. You can take them to different institutions. It doesn’t have to be bound to a school. But grants are government-funded and there are not specific applications for grants. The school looks at the FAFSA information to determine if you are eligible for the grant,” Williams said.
UCF teacher intern Sarah Hankes works with Algebra II teacher Angela-Mia Kilmer. She knows first hand experience in what it’s like to work with getting grants.
“For me when I first went to college I applied for grants. My mom was a single mom so I got a lot of help from the government which helped with living expenses, which paid for rent, food, and the like. There are also a lot of little things you’re going to have to buy, like parking passes.”
“Books aren’t included in tuition. Gas is a big thing. Gas prices are going up in this recession,” said Hankes.
Mateola agrees with Williams about being an active participant but is trying to avoid loans and keep away from getting into debt.
“Absolutely, what ever it takes to avoid loans. I will get scholarships and mooch off of my parents and I will get a job. If all else fails then yes, but we are hoping we don’t have to go that way,” Mateola said.
Senior Joelle Mateola rubs her hands and glances around the media center as she thinks about how she will be paying for
college. Brow furrowed, she expresses her fears.“Yes, I’m worried because the schools
that I am trying to apply to don’t accept all scholarships. There are a lot of smart people at the school [college], so it’s pretty competitive to get in. My parents just want me to focus on school work because it’s more important right now,” Mateola said.
Government statistics show that the average student debt was $25,000 for graduates of 2010, up five percent from the year before.
This worries seniors like Kaley Homan who have applied to college but haven’t looked into how they will pay for school.
“Just the money and applying for everything and the deadlines, realy I should but I haven’t, I’m really bad about that stuff,” Homan said.
Head of the Guidance Department, Dr. Nicola Williams, urges students to learn about the different types of loans.
“It’s important for students to be active participants because as adults they are responsible for the payments,” said counselor Katisha Byrd.
According to Lauren Asher, president of the Institute for College Access and Success, makes the point that HOW you borrow, not just how much you borrow, is important for managing debt after college.
“Government loans have different types of forgiveness, loans that normally you don’t have to pay back. They are awarded for community service or underrepresented areas. I find interest tends to be lower on those types of loans,” Williams said.
Byrd adds that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) determines what kind of loans a student qualifies for.
“This year, FAFSA is now required for Bright Futures. It will not be provided without a FAFSA on file,” Byrd said.
Other opportunities exist outside of taking
Unsubsidized loans:These are loans that begin to gather interest when the student receives it and continues to accrue interest even out of college.
Subsidized loans: A type of loan that is issued by the government and does not gather interest until the student leaves for college.
“ Just the money and applying for everything and the deadlines, I should but I haven’t. I’m really bad about that stuff.”Kaley Homan ‘12
Rising college costs worries seniors
Types of financial aidParent loans: Loans issued to the student for college use but is paid off by the parent of the student. The payments for this type of loan are usually made even while the student is still in college.
photo/AMANDA FERGUSONLOST IN THOUGHT. Senior Ashwin Babuji reads through his college information magazine.
DATE:
Media Center
6:30 pm
Financial Aid Workshop
Thursday January 26, 2012
TIME:
PLACE:
The workshop will be led by the Director of Student Financial Resources from Seminole State College, Robert Lynn.
a
a
a
Private loans: Private loans are loans issued by a private bank to a student. They are offered at different rates. According to Dr. Nicola Williams, it is often better to take a lower amount than initially offered.
a
I still go to pep rallies and hang out with my friends. I’ve actually become closer this years to my core group of friends because I have a lot more free time to hang out with them,” Patel said.
04 THE LION’S TALE | news | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Dual enrollment redefines senior year experienceby Rachel Lo
all photos/HARRY TRABER
Senior Neel Patel enters AP Calculus teacher Barbara Kelly’s class, stopping in for a few minutes to say hello to his former teacher.
Patel talks to Kelly about the material he is currently learning in his Calculus 3 class, which he takes at UCF. In fact, Patel currently takes all of his classes at UCF, even though he is still a senior at Oviedo.
“After running out of math and computer science options, I chose dual enrollment because of the advanced-level options. Dual enrollment lets me focus on my interests, [and] I prefer the depth and range of dual enrollment classes,” Patel said.
According to assistant principal Marcia Haskel, more and more students are signing up for dual enrollment as they become aware of the opportunities it offers.
“The number of students academically dual enrolled has increased over the years. Just two years ago one person was fully dual enrolled, this year it’s four. College has become more competitive, and [dual enrollment] saves economically and seniors get a college class experience,” Haskel said.
Dual enrollment gives students a chance to take college classes while in high school, giving seniors a taste of college the year before they go. Patel has redefined his senior year by being one of the 18 seniors dual enrolled, and one of the four seniors fully dual enrolled. Patel says that college classes are a lot different from high school.
“The lectures are a lot more compressed because the teachers are only teaching. It’s different from an AP class. Take Calculus: Ms. Kelly teaches for 20 or 30 minutes, then you have time after to work on things and ask questions. More one-on-one time in AP classes can help when you don’t understand material,” Patel said.
Mullally, who is currently taking Stat 2 at UCF, agrees that dual enrollment differs from Oviedo.
“There’s a lot more freedom. I think it’s harder because you have to keep up with work yourself and you have to push yourself, but it’s my most interesting class right now. The information is new to me and has real world applications,” Mullally said.
In addition to academic dual enrollment, Seminole County offers a career track, which, according to Haskel, has decreased in the number of students over the years.
Senior Christian Owen is currently taking EMT courses at SSC.
“I’m just taking it for credit, as a backup tool in case I don’t know what I want to do [for college]. The class is all dual enrolled students. We do lectures, there’s a lot more reading, tests
are harder,” Owen said.“I’m just taking EMT
because there is not a whole lot of time in my school day to take more. You really only have time to take one, because I take it for sixth and seventh periods. I take a bus, which is kind of annoying because I have
to wait 30 to 40 minutes sometimes. People like Neel have more time to do the work because he is not coming here [to Oviedo, in addition to the college campus].”
Patel, who was partially dual enrolled his sophomore and junior years, says that attending only UCF makes things easier for him.
“If you’re only taking, say, two dual enrollment classes, you waste a lot of time going back and forth to and from UCF. A lot of people don’t take into account the logistics of dual enrollment, like transportation. And if you schedule a dual enrollment class for your seventh period, it might affect extracurriculars, and that limits the number of classes you can take,” Patel said.
Despite having to travel between Oviedo and SSC, Owen likes dual enrollment.
“There are perks to taking classes there. I don’t have to pay for a college class. It’s also nice to get out of the high school environment. At the college it’s a lot more relaxed; there is no one in the halls making sure you go to class, teachers are more your friend than task master. It’s like a different atmosphere,” Owen said.
Mullally also enjoys dual enrollment.“I like the atmosphere more than high school
because everyone must take more responsibility for their grades and success,” Mullally said.
Although dual enrollment offers a chance to learn about college and get experience beforehand, junior Dani Hugh Sam believes that students can take all the classes they need at Oviedo.
“I feel as if dual enrollment takes away from your high school experience. Your time in high school should be spent in high school,” Hugh Sam said. “In an AP class, you’re trying just as hard as other people in AP, as opposed to some students who don’t try hard in college. I feel as if dual enrollment is just a way to increase your GPA without working so hard because college classes are easier than high school classes.”
Patel concedes that dual enrollment shouldn’t be taken just to increase GPA.
“People take advantage of dual enrollment, use it just for GPA, and I think it probably won’t help them. Some people will take an easy class at UCF, and it’ll have nothing to do with their major. Depth in a certain area is usually more important than breadth over wide areas,” Patel said.
There are, however, certain downsides to being fully dual enrolled. Being a freshman at UCF while still in high school affects Patel’s senior year experience.
“On the negative side, I don’t see everyone in high school. I miss lunch—not the food, I love the food at UCF—but just having that 30 minutes to talk to your core group of friends. But at the same time, when people talk about their high school experience, they talk about things like prom, going to football games, homecoming. I’m still on the varsity water polo and swim team;
“ I feel as if dual enrollment takes away from your high school experience. Your time in high school should be spent in high school. ”Dani Hugh Sam, ‘13
Alternate options for
your senior year
Full Dual Enrollment•Takes every class at a college but still registered as a high school student.
Partial Dual Enrollment•Student takes some classes at a college and some classes at high school.
Total Online Classes•Seniors who take this route never have to come on campus. Enrolled as Seminole County Vir-tual School, student can still play sports and participate on campus activities.
Partial Online Classes•Students attend school for part of the day and take online classes at home or in the library.
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | advertisements | THE LION’S TALE 05
fraud money bank accountembezzleme identification
safety t finances identity uns security
extortion withdraw
thievery RFID careful stolenATM crime credit card
06 THE LION’S TALE | news | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
A short, musical ping pierces in the early morning air. Senior Trevor Johnston lurches to his feet, fresh from sleep. A
bubble of panic grows inside him as his mind begins to process the fact glaring at him from the bright screen of his cell found.
“I found out my identity was stolen through a text message alert. It said that I was negative $823 in my bank account. Immediately I started asking questions. How? What? Where? I freaked out. I had to wake up to that at six in the morning,” Johnston said.
According to www.ftc.gov identity theft occurs when “someone uses your personally identifying information, like your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes.” Nine million Americans every year have their identity stolen.
“My identity was stolen a couple of weeks ago. I called the bank and I confirmed that it wasn’t me spending the money. I had to prove who I was. It took about 30 minutes. I had to go from person to person [to fix the issue],” Johnston said.
Johnston’s credit card information was stolen while he was at a gas station.
“I went to a gas station and used my credit card at the pump. There are these little black covers that can go over the place where you slide your card in. It scans the credit card twice: once to pay for the gas and once to get your information. That’s how my information was stolen,” Johnston said.
The thief deducted hundreds of dollars from Johnston’s account.
“They decided to buy gas for everyone. It was a little town somewhere in the United States. They bought everything at some convenience store,” Johnston said.
by Arianna RayJohnston’s parents aided him as he tried to
fix the situation.“My parents told me what to do to resolve
this. They’ve had their identity stolen before so they’ve gone through it. My friend had his stolen too. His happened on an Internet store,” Johnston said.
Freshman David Jablon’s family has experienced identity theft several times.
“I know a bit about it. It’s happened to my parents a couple of times. They had their credit cards stolen. They had to cancel their cards. Someone even broke into our car at a soccer game once and stole everything,” Jablon said.
Jablon believes that identity theft should be taken seriously by all potential victims.
“It’s a serious problem. We definitely need to find a way to crack down on these people who are doing these things. They’re either messed up or they don’t have enough
money. If it ever happened to me I would do the same as my parents. I would just call the company and cancel my card immediately,” Jablon said.
Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America, according to www.money.howstuffworks.com. Sophomore David Parrish considers identity theft to be a problem that could happen to anybody.
“I know that [identity theft] can make you bankrupt. They [thieves] can use your identity to make a new credit card and buy things off of it. It can happen to anybody and you might not even know for a while. They could have your identity and not use it yet,” Parrish said.
Johnston realizes the potential consequences of identity fraud gone unnoticed.
“Make sure you catch [your identity being stolen] as soon as possible. I would’ve had to
close down my bank account and I would’ve been down by a lot of money if I hadn’t caught it. This situation should be taken very seriously. It can really screw up someone’s future. If someone spent $10,000, you would be in debt forever,” Johnston said.
Johnston advises constant vigilance to ensure that your information is safe.
“Be careful when you use things. Write down your bank total. Check it the next day after you use your credit card. Check it the next week. You never know when it could happen,” Johnston said.
Johnston will no longer use his credit card at gas stations as a result of his experience.
“In the future I’m going to not use gas station pumps. I’ll go in to the store and pay with cash. If I do use them then I’ll tug on the scanner and see if anything falls off. It’s just a clip-on,” Johnston said.
Parrish acknowledges the danger involved in paying with credit cards.
“Don’t give out your information to anybody. It could happen to anybody, even me. You could pay cash for stuff instead of credit cards. Go to the ATM instead of using the credit card. Someone could be looking over your shoulder, trying to rip you off,” Parrish said.
“ It’s a serious problem. We definitely need to find a way to crack down on these people who are doing these things. ”
David Jablon, ‘15
It could happen to
illustration/WESLEY WYNNE
anyone, including youIDENTITY THEFT:
( sports )opinion “It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows. ”- Epictetus
Graphic EditorLeigha Bennett
Staff ArtistsJonathan Bohinsky
Wesley WynneStaff Reporters
Hafsa HussainTrevor Khan
Rachel LoEllen McCormack
Chris MoskalCourtney Rothermich
Alexis SherwoodSarah Tripp
Jessi WhitacreFaculty Adviser
Deborah JepsonAdmin Adviser
Marcia HaskelPrincipal
Robert LundquistOviedo High School
601 King StreetOviedo, FL 32765
Phone: 407-320-4199Fax: 407-320-4213
Population:2223 Students
165 Staff
TALELION’S
Mission StatementThe Lion’s Tale is the student newspaper of Oviedo High School, located in Oviedo, Florida. Our mission is to provide news, feature stories, editorials and opinions relevant to our readers while upholding the highest professional and ethical standards. The Lion’s Tale follows copy standards outlined in the Associated Press Stylebook, 42nd Edition, published in 2007 by the Associated Press, and is a member of the CSPA, NSPA, FSPA, and SIPA.
Distribution2500 copies of The Lion’s Tale are distributed free to all students and staff at Oviedo High School. Subscriber information is available upon request.
Reader ContributionsLetters to the Editor are accepted and may be sent by post, e-mail, or dropped off in Room 5-020. The Lion’s Tale does not accept guest columns, and reserves the right to edit letters to the Editor. Full policy is available on request.
Advertising PolicyThe Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisements. The full advertising policy of The Lion’s Tale is on file in Room 5-020 and is available upon request.
OnlineThe Lion’s Tale is accessible at thelionstale.com.
The views of the staff do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, staff, or faculty of Oviedo High School.
OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL 32765 • NOVEMBER 4, 2011 •VOLUME
52• ISSUE 2
Editors-In-ChiefArianna Ray
Stephanie O’SullivanNews Editor
Harry TraberOpinion Editor
Brandon KollerFeatures EditorZoe Lyon-Goldman
Diversions EditorsOlivia Davila-Finch
Carly FordSports Editor
Andrea DoboAdvertising Editors
Drake DickersonAndrew Bosley
Web EditorsAmanda Ferguson
Justin MangPhotographer
Linsey Duca
Sticks and stones break bones,
bullying killsClass drones on as students fiddle with their pens and
pencils and try to sneak text messages under the teacher’s watch. The lecture, lulling teens to sleep,
goes uninterrupted for most of class. Hopes rise as the clock nears the end.
All for naught.One girl causes a disruption – she falls backwards, losing
conciousness, drawing the eyes of the entire class. She wakes to silence and the stares of her classmates- another once-peaceful day goes to hell.
For one person, this scene is a reality. Fear preoccupies her, and worry about her seizures always lies in the back of her mind. She can’t control the seizures, but every time she deals with them – a harrowing experience on their own – she hears offensive remarks from her peers.
The staff of the Lion’s Tale find this and all other forms of bullying completely unacceptable. No justification exists for this sort of destructive, hateful behavior, no matter to whom one directs it.
Laughter at people over a disease, appearance, sexual preference or anything that is out of their control might happen in elementary school and be understandable – kids don’t know any better – but in high school, acceptance must be a given. Nearing adulthood, one should know better than to insult others.
Bullyingstatistics.org defines bullying as “behaviors that focus on making someone else feel inadequate, or focus on belittling someone else. Bullying includes harassment, physical harm, repeatedly demeaning speech and efforts to ostracize another person.” ABC reported that 30 percent of students become involved with bullying as victims or victimizers.
Every day, 160,000 students skip school to avoid bullying.Pushing a fellow student to misery for one’s own
satisfaction is sadistic and soulless. Some may find a derogatory comment amusing, but the far-reaching consequences of that comment outweigh any temporary pleasure.
Victims often develop depression, joining 20 percent of teens afflicted (according to teendepression.org), which leads to other issues, including substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors and ultimately, suicide. The CDC reports 4,400 youth suicides every year, many of which can be attributed to bullying.
Often, a person who caused a death is told, “It wasn’t your fault.” Often, that statement holds true. However, if students kill themselves due to bullying, fault does lie with the bullies. Any person pushing the victim to self-inflicted death can be charged.
The case of William Melchert-Dinke in Minnesota
demonstated the law used in just that way. Melchert-Dinke found depressed patients and urged them to kill themselves. The jury ruled against Melchert-Dinke, and Judge Thomas Neuville found him guilty of aiding suicide.
Florida’s own assisted suicide law (Fla. Stat. Ann., § 782.08) reads “Every person deliberately assisting another in the commission of self-murder shall be guilty of manslaughter, a felony of the second degree”. Is a second-degree felony worth a minute of amusement? According to Florida’s Civil Punishment Code, that means between nine and 15 years in prison, with up to 15 years probation following that period and a $10,000 fine.
Imagine spending half of your life’s current length in prison, or the entirety of that time. Living your life again in prison isn’t worth your time, even if you want to crack the greatest joke imaginable about a person.
Tolerance is easy; just ignore a person. Tolerance works in today’s society, and surpasses pure ignorance. In a classroom, everyone should work together, regardless of their true feelings.
But tolerance only means ignoring one’s prejudices, nothing more. Acceptance – elimination of prejudice – should be our goal. Everyone should try to accept the essential qualities of others, understand them, and help them along. Acceptance allows us to work as a unified group, and work efficiently and honestly towards solutions beneficial to everyone. Accept the oddballs in life, and you’ll find kind, loyal friends at your side.
There will never be an acceptable time to bully other students, and for both victims’ sake and your own, we at the Lion’s Tale urge cessation of all bullying and actions resembling bullying.
OURWORD
illustration/ WESLEY WYNNE
When it comes to insults, just say ‘NO’
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | THE LION’S TALE 07
STEPHANIE O’SULLIVAN CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I’m sick of ignorant people.Barack Obama has been the
president for three years now. I think it’s time for people to get over John McCain’s loss (Let’s be honest. He lost the race when he chose Palin as his vice president).
Start treating our president with respect! I would love to go a week without hearing students plan his death.
I’d also like it if news stations would practice good ethics and call him by his title, Mr. President. His name is not Mr. Obama. It’s Mr. President, just like it has been since good ol’ George Washington was in the oval office.
Of course, I don’t know why I’m surprised that many people don’t treat President Obama with the respect he deserves. They’re the same people who insist that our awful economy is all his fault. They’re blissfully ignorant to the fact that President Obama inherited a 10.6 trillion dollar debt from President George W. Bush, according to the New York Times.
Let me be clear. I’m not happy with our current economy. I think we were all expecting a bit more change than what has actually happened. I do wish President Obama or Congress could come up with more plans that would act as more than band-aids for our current crisis, but at least I have the sense to admit that the economy is not all President Obama’s fault.
If presidents deserve respect, what about the presidential candidates? I hate how politics these days are all about digging up dirty facts from the past (right, President Nixon?).
I. Don’t. Care.I really don’t care where they went to
college, what sports teams they played on, or who they’ve dated in the past. I remember when President George W. Bush was running for re-election, all I heard about were his glory days at Yale University. How is that relevant when a person is running to be the leader of our nation? Don’t waste my time with unimportant facts like that.
And don’t waste my time with lies such as “Mitt Romney is a cult leader”. This is disrespectful to both Gov. Romney and the Mormons.
Stay strong Gov. Romney. President John F. Kennedy suffered the same ridicule when he was running.
Ignorance is not bliss, readers. [email protected]
Politicians’ title deserves respect of citizens
08 THE LION’S TALE | opinion | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Americans, as a group, love to prattle on about their rights. Campaigns start this year, and
politicians fire off constitutional volleys about rights of free speech, of religion, of gunslingers and convicts while debating the nation’s issues. Despite this, politicians often fail to fight for perhaps our most valuable right – privacy – and too many Americans readily surrender happiness for a temporary security.
It’s not a new issue, but that’s no reason to let trends continue. Warnings like the Big Brother government of 1984 followed by blows like the PATRIOT Act, allowing the U.S. government to monitor nearly everything in fear of “terrorists”, evince the problem’s actuality.
Teachers, provoked by new policy, might lead the charge for privacy. Union issues with merit pay laws – heavily leaning towards total monitoring of every action – led to a rift between many teachers and the system they work for, but even then, the laws only affected their workday.
The SCPS Board considered a policy, currently idle and tabled, that could cut into their personal lives – a policy potentially prohibiting nearly all out-of-job contact with students and possibly making teachers liable for anything accessible on the Internet. Teachers shouldn’t accept that sort of restriction on principle alone.
Lake County implemented a similar policy early this year. Ridiculous at best, the policy holds teachers completely accountable for everything they do on the web – not only that, but the actions of others relating to them.
A choice passage from the Lake County Schools’ Guidelines for Employee Use of Social Media Networks, listed under
“Social Networking Sites & Blogs for Personal Use”, states “Be vigilant about what others post about you or on your page, and, if necessary, take steps to remove comments that pose a risk to you or the District . . . monitor [others’] postings constantly and remove anything that is inappropriate or even gives the appearance of inappropriate conduct.”
By the policy, teachers need to be perfect angels at all moments in time so long as they work for the system, or risk immediate termination. Not only this, they must live in constant fear that a random human they know will post a single comment on their page.
Even if they do delete the comment, the draconian guidelines insistently remind teachers of the all-seeing eye the system possesses and the eternal possibility of job loss. “Internet search engines can find information years after if was originally posted” accompanies “always remember no e-mail is ever fully deleted.”
The constant reminder of an omniscient Big Brother system only drives potential educators away from a field sorely lacking in applicants. This sort of persecution allows for administration to terminate teachers for any reason – personal or professional. Teachers already fear being fired with every word, and giving administrators the ability to fire just because they aren’t fond of an employee is insane.
I’m well aware that the policy is designed to reduce illicit student-teacher relationships and prevent lawsuits, but given pre-existing punishments including
job loss and jail time, does covering the issue in more red tape help? If a teacher proceeds with such activity with prohibitive laws already in place, firing them a second time
isn’t going to change things. The policy, like DRM and other
recent restrictive measures, only really affects the people who use the system innocently – they become confined within an unbreakable web of red tape and legality issues. Those with criminal intentions will only bypass or ignore the restrictions – unless the Board enforces house arrest on every teacher, this won’t change anything
for the better.Teachers raise the new generation of
workers and scholars, and pushing them to become jaded, miserable workers sets a horrendous example for their students – if teachers don’t outright quit or decide to teach somewhere else. Teaching is a difficult job, and incoming teachers know it; pushing away the upcoming generation of educators with terror-inspiring laws dooms our future.
As Ben Franklin said, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” True in the eighteenth century and true now, we should heed this advice before it’s too late. Allowing a persecutive, draconian policy that assumes guilt of all people completely goes against both the founders of the United States of America and common sense.
I know students might not think privacy an issue – the main issue argued in the halls is freedom to smoke marijuana – but allowing the government to censor on one front allows for more. The Supreme Court relies largely on precedent in determination of legality, and standing idly by while your neighbor loses his rights leaves no one to argue for you – whatever freedoms you desire. Stand up for your fellow man, especially if he or she teaches.
Tabled policy censors teachers’ Facebook lifeNew plan locks down Lake County teachers’ social lives
“ [Teachers] must live in constant fear that a random human they know will post a single comment on their page. ”
BRANDON KOLLER OPINION EDITOR
Do you think teachers have a right to speak freely on social networks?
Yes
84%No
16%Poll of 100 students taken on Nov. 7
Way back in the ancient year of 2003, a major blackout hit the north-east. I was only nine years old at the time, and that
day felt like a lifetime. Our family spent the daylight hours in the pool
where we could be supervised without candlelight. The nighttime was spent with a battery-powered radio and the tall tales of our childhoods.
We all went around telling stories, some funny, some sad and some just plain out stupid. I remembered my dad’s the most. The story was about the crazy camp counselor named Peter, who was killing people attending the camp. The moment my dad got to the climax of the story, the darkness had cornered me and forced the tears to break out.
stranger to the people I loved the most. Even in all my relationships, it was never
‘‘I’ll call you later’’ but more “Get on facebook tonight.” The digital door had locked me out of the social house.
I think it’s up to us to break down that door. So instead of saying, “text me later” we’ll say, “Hey, you should call me tonight”.
It’s up to us to bring spoken language back from the dead and put it to use. Some of us are so anti-social we can’t even meet new people in our classes, or even read aloud from a book.
There’s a fine line between shy and just plain not used to speaking.
Most of the time our thoughts are in cyberspace, constantly checking our phones and relying on emails and data to keep us informed.
Text messages were non-existent in the old days, you’re best bet was mailing pigeons. . We may not be cavemen, but we’re reverting back to that state. “Chivalry is dead” but I won’t stand by and let real communication die, even if I need to spark up conversations with strangers.
It’s better than being stuck in this cyber-hell people call a social life.
I remember how close our family had been. My parents smiling, my brother and I not totally hating each other, and our loveable German Shepherd, Travis (may he now rest in peace), just as adorably perky as I’d ever seen.
Just about three months ago, the power went out at my house for about six hours. All I can remember of that day is that everyone really hated one another. We all relied on our dying cell phones and battery powered electronics to live for the day.
The worst part was the silence. The air that on other days filled with the sounds of television dialogues and loud diverse music flowing through our ears, now loaded with the awkward ‘‘What’s new’’ of everyday monotony.
That’s when I realized that we were losing touch. Not just my family, but people as a whole. I suddenly couldn’tremember the last time I’d called my best friends Leah and Kaitlyn just to talk.
Every time I told a joke I’d expected a response of the ever-so simple “LOL”. I felt disconnected from the world that surrounded me and drowned out by the electronic universe which surrounded that.
Texting, tweeting, IM’s galore all made me feel like I was becoming more and more of a
HARRY TRABER NEWS EDITOR
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | opinion | THE LION’S TALE 09
The progress of technology continues to move forward every year and, like everywhere else in the world, America
struggles to keep its technological edge in business and in education.
That edge relies on having the latest technology to improve teaching and make over- all performance of the school quicker and pack more information into each day.
So does the school administration getting Ipads for use in performance reviews, and other tasks equate into that edge that we need?
In short, I realy hope so. The county is 22 million dollars short for next year and iPads generally sell for around $450.
This is not a cheap thing for the administrators to receive and, for the county to flip the bill, I am betting that they serve an educational need.
What can the iPad do for us? The application market available for the Apple products is rather huge and, if you know what and where to look for applications, you can
find nearly anything, including programs that do tasks specifically geared towards administrative duties.
It is not a big stretch of the mind to believe that the iPads could help improve efficiency of our administration.
Another obvious advantage to the iPad is its portability. Administrators with iPads will carry far less papers and binders, making trips around campus very easy.
This means any administrator could pop into a classroom and perform a performance review along at their leisure with all their documents stored in one place.
Take a second to imagine if teachers could have all their PowerPoints, videos, lectures and other forms of visual and audio aid all in one device that hooks directly into the projector. Then take it a step furtherer and have that device work exactly like a teacher’s Interwrite.
The Interwrite does connect directly to the teachers’ PC. However, Interwrites are difficult to use without practice and tend to work slowly.
An iPad, on the other hand, is easier to use because you can look at the screen while you perform writing, drawing, and can open files of all types.
If administrators could receive a marinade of benefits from iPads, teachers could benefit more.
However, my mind boggles at the cost of equipping every teacher with an iPad.Then I cringe at the thought of the fact that some teachers wouldn’t even use them because they are more comfortable with what they currently have.
I know that Art History could certainly move faster if instructor Didi Gibbs could use an iPad to run her PowerPoints.
But over all I see it a positive thing for
administrators to receive iPads. As a writer who uses computers every day, I can say that the newer the device and programming behind it, the smother things tend to run.
It is a fair statement to say that administrators will use their iPads for educational purposes.
It is commendable that the Board of Education recognizes the need for educators to embrace technology and provides the resources to purchase the iPads.
It is good that students see the most current technology in use in our classrooms. As soon-to-be citizens, let’s hope they will step up and support technology in the schools by voting ‘yes’ on bond issues.
But if it were my choice, and the economic state of our county was better, I would give the iPads to teachers, too.
Letters to the Editor
Blackout unites family of fourbut technology tears it apart
Columnist advocatesiPads to enhanceclassroom teaching
photo/COURTESY OF APPLE, INC.
Dear Editor,Various groups of students treat others and me
with disrespect. I handle quite a lot in my daily life, so most of this talk does not bother me; some of it is directed toward my friends, who are either too insecure to handle it or are completely unaware that people talk behind their backs.
Students that treat others badly use disrespect as a way of making themselves look better in front of friends or to make up for deep insecurities. It is not morally right to treat others this way.
What morals? My morals are honesty, purpose and reason, and anyone who values these morals in any way can understand why cruel behavior is morally wrong.
Students make fun of other students because they think they can get away with it. I proved that idea wrong with a group of students the other day by explaining why they acted unacceptable.
Most people will never understand what I go through in my daily life, and worse, what some of my friends go through. Three times a day, I take a pill because of my eye disease, and I take three different kinds of drops in one day.
That wouldn’t be so bad, but the side effects really make me feel miserable, even when I should be happy. These side effects make it harder to breathe through my nose, cause me to drink 9-12 glasses of water a day, and painfully swell up my throat.
Try swallowing an Oreo whole. It hurts.But despite my problems, all I need to do is look
around me to know that I am lucky. One of my best friends is blind; another is 66 percent deaf; another has a disability; another suffers from frequent anxiety attacks.
We all have problems, but sometimes to understand how other people feel, you must get to know the person or gain their condition to truly understand. My letter represents how many others and I feel towards disrespect, and I really hope that things change here at Oviedo High School.
Written by Kelsey Cameron, sophomore.
Dear Editor,The class size amendment, since the time of
publication, has been amended. “25 students per class” is now enforced in a more discriminatory selection of “mandatory” classes.
Some previously regulated classes, including AP Literature, are now free range, and thus carry the overflow from other classes. While AP Literature counts as one of the four English credits required for graduation and theoretically requires more individual teaching, some classes contain far more than 25 students.
One proposed option is to regulate based on teaching style of subject. Procedural classes, such as math, cooking or experimental science courses are more easily taught to large classes than conceptual ones like English, foreign language and the less lab-based sciences.
In specific, the rise in recent online schooling could allow a great number of students in a “room”, supervised by a single teacher while working on, potentially, a half-dozen different subjects. However, this proposed technique would cut down on teaching positions, a caste already underpaid and overworked with little job security for compensation.
The ethically superior idea involves expanding schools and hiring more teachers to match the growth rate of the student age bracket. Without a tax raise, though, this is simply out of the question.
Written by Edmund Quigley, senior
TREVOR KHAN STAFF REPORTER
THE GREAT DEBATE:
Currently, 18 seniors of 488 dual-enroll for at least one class. Only three percent of the senior class visits SSC or UCF for a single lesson. To ponder the disappearance of the senior year seems an
overreaction of the greatest kind.Secondary school education in the U.S. developed in the early
twentieth century, and in 1955 after the World Wars, enrollment reached 80 percent. This 12-grade system stays in place today, and works to meet the pre-collegiate needs of students throughout America. To turn tail on this long-running system at the first sight of a brand-new trend would be folly.
Of course, if the system didn’t work, I could understand jumping to the conclusion that changes might occur. However, 12, even 13, years of schooling before entering colleges exists as a worldwide norm.
Among the highest-ranked education systems worldwide, including South Korea, China, Australia, Finland, Japan, New Zealand and Canada, all provide education of at least 12 years before college.
Clearly, this system works, and the sweet spot of 12 to 13 years of education prior to college entrance is a golden number. Dissolving the senior year of high school in hopes of success is unreasonable based on this data and risks the future of entire generations of Americans.
The death of the senior year already appears unlikely and unnecessary, but many students at age 17 lack the maturity necessary for succeeding in a college setting.
For many students, senior year, hectic due to the senior project, college applications, last-minute SATs and other whizzing deadlines serves as preparation for college that could never be pushed into junior year without disrupting the coursework then. This preparatory senior year remains a necessity, as sudden exposure to real college classes could drain students of motivation, preemptively devastating the workers tasked with rejuvenating American economic production.
Sometimes students opt for dual enrollment to improve their record to enter college. Understandable as this may be, colleges want to accept students – accepting a student nets tuition and profit for the institution – and insisting upon work in a collegiate setting prior to entrance to college only forces a greater level of one-upping to get in.
A large percentage of students will be unable to complete coursework at the rapid, constantly accelerating pace brought on by a dual enrollment class senior year. Due to the raised bar the change causes, though, only meager, greedy colleges lacking students will accept their grades. Unobtainable qualifications at the majority of universities means, again, that America’s future lies in shambles.
I don’t hate the concept of dual enrollment. I attempted to enter the program, though administrative issues complicated the process. However, dual enrollment, like AP classes, will never work for everyone. Unless colleges lower their standards for classes to permit average high school students (making degrees worthless), the system simply cannot function.
The senior year will stay for the foreseeable future. Seniors enjoy the top of the chain, and missing out on a whole year of events just isn’t worth risking straight F’s in college classes.
Winning the spirit stick every pep rally and pulling senior pranks definitely rank above a 10-page report on protozoans in my mind, and no stretch of the mind is necessary to think that other teens feel the same.
Seniors may one day find themselves entering college in place of a twelfth year of public school. However, based on worldwide trends of education rather than a three-percent group at a single school, if the senior year ever disappears, it won’t be anytime soon.
College is getting harder and harder to get in to. My grandmother remembers a time when all you had to do to get into college was apply and as long as you finished high
school you were accepted. Things are different now. The average GPA of students accepted
into the University of Florida is 4.5. Let that sink in- not 4.0. You can’t get into a college with just the bare minimum, SSC and similar schools with open enrollment, unlike major state colleges and universities with any reputation, want more out of students.
What does this mean for the perspective college students?It means that Honors, and AP classes are not enough. Dual
enrollment is a legitimate option for rounding out your high school experience and showing that you are interested in college. This fact is not lost on seniors, a growing number every year take dual enrollment. This year four are fully dual enrolled, meaning they are Oviedo students but take all classes at a college. I think that number is only going to grow.
When taking a dual enrolment class you don’t miss one period. you miss two. If you can’t drive, you have to take a bus to and from the college campus, a time consuming process as the buses go to multiple schools. This means less students on campus and many of those students who are dual enrolled are seniors.
However, college is not the only driving force for some seniors to dual enroll. Seniors who don’t plan on attending college take dual enrollment classes for their careers. Many vocational classes are offered through SSC that train for jobs in construction and automotive repair. Although the number of people dual enrolling for this reason has dropped from previous years.
As a senior, I can say that I am eager to start my college life. Dual enrollment offers just this. As more seniors find that dual enrollment is a good option, we have fewer seniors on campus. That means fewer seniors in the traditionally senior-only classes and fewer seniors who attend the pep rally.
Another impact is dual enrollment brings fewer seniors in student government, an important thing because student government plans important events for the senior class like prom. It also leaves open the tradition of painting the senior pole.
The trend of seniors leaving campus to peruse college and other careers in dual enrollment is leading to a “death” of the senior year. Seniors do miss experiences on campus that many in dual enrollments regret not having.
Good or bad is in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I encourage going into dual enrollment.
However, that doesn’t mean seniors won’t be missed. Some teachers who teach seniors also taught those same students as freshmen and would regret not seeing those students their senior year. I know at the very least PJ Kreahling would lament not having me in her class if I had chosen to dual enroll for science research.
Should seniors stop dual enrolling? No, though the senior year may die off, it’s all part of the evolution of our ever-changing society.
With 7 billion people on earth competing for limited resources, reason states that college will become harder to get into because of the number of students trying to apply to colleges.
To get in to college and secure your future, you need to go above and beyond the standard, dual enrollment is a very real option for prospective college students.
Will the senior year
Fade Away?Future of last year appears bleak
[email protected]@thelionstale.com
10 THE LION’S TALE | opinion | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
HARRY TRABER NEWS EDITOR BRANDON KOLLER OPINION EDITOR
PRO CON
Dual-enrollment:
Of seniors
Promoting a change
“As a senior I can say that I am eager to start my college life, dual enrollment offers
just this. As more seniors find that dual enrollment is a good option, we have fewer on campus. That means fewer seniors in the traditionally senior only classes and fewer
seniors who attend the pep-rally.”
Quick Draw
Conserving the now
“I don’t hate the concept of dual enrollment. However, dual enrollment, like AP classes,
will never work for everyone. Unless colleges lower their standards for classes to permit
average high school students (making degrees worthless), the system simply cannot
function.”
Senior enrollmentat Oviedo High School
3.7%
Seniors unlikely to leave school sooner
( sports )features
Senior Rodolfo Roque rests his head on his pillow, but his mind is not at ease. After the torture of constant taunting and
bullying, he feels trapped, with no way out.“It was a place of darkness. I would go to
sleep at night thinking if I didn’t wake up in the morning, I would be doing the world a favor,” Roque said.
For Roque, creating an event on Facebook titled Thousand Miles shined some light on his dark world. Countless times, his friends at school confided in him about their personal insecurities.
“I called it ‘Thousand Miles’. It’s a metaphor referring to how many times we have to get up after we get put down. I think that it is a long journey,” Roque said.
One Friday of every month, Roque posts a color representing a different issue. On that day he encourages those following his event on Facebook, to wear a shirt of that color to show their support. These issues range from cutting, suicide, bullying, and more.
“I had people write me from Los Angeles, Tennessee, and New York. They were telling me this was going to be something of substance. They showed feedback by uploading pictures of them and their friends with their colors,” Roque said.
After inviting all of his friends, Roque quickly realized that what he had created what would soon become more than just another Facebook event, but a place for people all around the country to give their support.
A moving message stood out and touched
Roque. He received a message from a girl who was born with no arm. As a dancer, Roque’s creation motivated her to keep moving forward.
“Two days after I created Thousand Miles, I came back from dance. I checked my Facebook and I had a message. I didn’t know who she was or the reason behind it. I started reading it and she started thanking me for everything I had done and everything I had created. She told me I was an inspiration, that I was a role model to her. I felt honored,” Roque said.
Thousand Miles not only helped Roque create change in others, it helped him find change within himself.
“I found myself. I was open, I was ready, I was being f l a m b o y a n t l y outstanding and I didn’t care what people said. I would tell myself everyday that I was beautiful and I knew who I was
and who I wanted to become,” Roque said.Although Roque’s passion for dancing keeps
him busy, he still wants to maintain his positive outlook and spread it to others as well.
“When I’m not studying or dancing, I can tell people to stay beautiful and wake up every morning literally motivated,” Roque said.
Roque considers himself a “guardian angel” and is dedicated to inspiring others by alerting people on real life issues teens struggle with daily.
“I make it my priority to help others. I complement people that need that one smile that nobody gives them,” Roque said.
by Zoe Lyon-Goldman
Senior promotessocial change through Facebook
ofThe OnePower
“ I would tell myself every day that I was beautiful and I knew who I was and who I wanted to become. ”RJ Roque, ‘12
photo/LINSEY DUCA
How has RJ made an
“Well, he is my best friend. And he’s always there for me. I just went through a family death and he was there for me. He made me feel that I wasn’t alone through that. ”Rachel Beltran, ‘14
“ He started hanging out with new people and started to see the things he didn’t before. He wanted to see that he can help others. He could relate to people and he wanted to show someone that they weren’t alone. ”
Denice Encarnation, ‘12
“ He does whatever he does to help others. He puts others before himself. He tries to make everyone feel special however he can. ”Lisa Bogen, ‘13
impact?
(Left to right): Junior Lisa Bogen, Sophomore Rachel Beltran, Senior RJ Roque, and Sophomore Maddie Wagner
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | THE LION’S TALE 11
SHOW AND TELL. Senior Sarah Davis sits with other fellow members of the Children’s Congress, who have type one diabetes. She shows Representative Bill Nelson’s assistant a scrap book describing their lives before and after diabetes.
Young diabetic travels to capital to make difference
12 THE LION’S TALE | features | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
HANGIN’ OUT. Junior Nick Seltenreich leans casually on his locker as he talks with junior Will Tsukalas.
Junior Nick Seltenreich has been wearing hearing aids since birth.
As a result of a fever when he was born, Seltenreich lost hearing completely in his left ear, and 66 percent of it in his right, causing him to have to wear hearing aids since he was a baby.
Seltenreich feels that people sometimes treat him differently because of his hearing impairment.
“Sometimes I feel like people treat me differently because of my disability because I know that it can get annoying when I ask people to repeat what they say because I didn’t hear them. I mainly read lips so I have to look at them when they talk. It does bother me because I would like to go one day without saying ‘What?’” Seltenreich said.
As an alternative to using hearing aids, Seltenreich had the cochlear implant surgery when he was around age 15.
According to nidcd.nih.gov, a cochlear implant is a small, electronic device that can help to provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing.
Seltenreich stopped wearing the cochlear implant this summer.
“I stopped wearing it because it didn’t work out the way that I wanted it to and it wasn’t much of an improvement,” Seltenreich said.
Because of the discomfort with the cochlear implant, Seltenreich decided to wear hearing aids instead. Hearing aids can cost roughly $2000, and the batteries need to get replaced every couple of weeks.
“When I wear the hearing aid, I can’t hear small sounds such
as the clicking of a pen and whispers. I know for a fact the implant works better from what I’ve heard, but I feel more comfortable with the hearing aid,” Seltenreich said.
His hearing impairment also affects the sports that he participates in.
“I can’t play football because I can’t wear the helmet. My dad was really good at football- he played on a college team- and I can’t follow in his footsteps,” Seltenreich said. “I feel like I am
missing out. I always thought I could learn from him, and it sucks to not be able to follow him.”
Seltenreich plays baseball. “It doesn’t really affect me much
in baseball. Coach gives us signs, so it’s kind of like sign language, even though I don’t know it,” Seltenreich said.
His future is also shaped by the fact that he wears hearing aids.
“Most of my family has served and been involved with the Army, Marines, and the United States Coast Guard. My brother is in the Marines right now. I’d love to experience something not many people can and I’m not allowed to join the Marines because you need all senses, such as hearing, seeing, etc,” Seltenreich said.
According to Seltenreich, the hearing aid does not affect his performance in school, as he can still keep up with the teachers.
“I ask questions all the time if I don’t hear them. But I read lips, so it usually isn’t a problem,” Seltenreich said.
Seltenreich does not feel like his hearing impairment defines who he is.
“I don’t think my disability defines me. I think it makes me a better person,” Seltenreich said.
Senior Sarah Davis stands after much preparation. Surrounding her are 20 members of Congress waiting with
anticipation to hear her story. All her time and dedication came down to this moment. She begins to convince her audience to fund finding a cure for type one diabetes.
“We were trying to get Congress to understand why itís important that they raise money to find a cure. They had it separated by state and everyone that was from Florida went and saw Sandy Adams from the House of Representatives and our two senators,” Davis said.
Children’s Congress, a program created by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation [JDRF], allows over 100 children of all different ages, to make a trip to Washington D.C. They spend time talking to Members of Congress all about type one diabetes and why they should help fund finding a cure. This includes funding an artificial pancreas, which would allow people with diabetes to maintain blood sugar levels within a target range, according artificialpancreasproject.com.
Davis was diagnosed with type one diabetes at nine years old. She speaks out about it to help raise money to find a cure.
“I’ve been talking to the Kiwanis club, an adult organization where they do community
by Zoe Lyon-Goldman service everywhere. I talked to them about why it was important,” Davis said.
Along with being a member of the Childrenís Congress, Davis has participated in other events that support finding a cure, including a walk to cure diabetes hosted by UCF. She also helped raise over $1,000 for JDRF with the help of friends.
“Whenever something is going on, Iíll put it on my Facebook status so people know about it.
People respond to it and they get to know what it’s about,” Davis said.
G e t t i n g people involved is important to Davis. The conditions that
come along with type one diabetes make her feel different from everyone else.
“It affects me everyday. I have to check my blood sugar and count how many carbohydrates I eat whenever I eat food. I also have to carry a juice and a snack with me in case my blood sugar goes low,” Davis said.
Moving forward in her life as a person living with diabetes, Davis has brought along different lessons through all of the fundraisers and other work she has done.
“Now I know how to speak to people. If I really want to find a cure, Iím dedicated to it and I understand how to not quit,”Davis said.
“ If I really want to find a cure, I’m dedicated to it and I understand how to not quit.”Sarah Davis, ‘12
“ Sometimes I feel like people treat me differently because of my disability because I know that it can get annoying when I ask people to repeat what they say because I didn’t hear them. ”Nick Seltenreich, ‘13
Junior refuses to let disability define himby Courtney Rothermich
November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and Nov. 14 is World Diabetes Day. Wear blue on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011, to increase global awareness of type one and type two diabetes.
photo/AMANDA FERGUSON
photo/COURTESY OF SARAH DAVIS
Sophomore Maria Quiles blinks her eyes rapidly as she tries to see her surroundings and figure out what happened. Tears
spring to her eyes when she sees the wheelchair and everything falls in to place. She has had another seizure.
As she is wheeled away, Maria feels haunted by what her classmates must be thinking.
“It’s embarrassing to have seizures during class. It’s not something that I can control, and the scary part is I don’t even know it’s happening until I come back from my seizure. I always need to be taken away in a wheelchair and I start crying because it’s embarrassing,” Maria said.
Maria was diagnosed with epilepsy two years ago. According to http://www.thefreedictionary.com, epilepsy is “any of various neurological disorders characterized by sudden recurring attacks of motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures.”
“We were in Puerto Rico over spring break two years ago. One night, I hit my mom in the face while I was sleeping. I was having a seizure. They took me to the hospital to have tests done. It was really scary, because I hadn’t even heard of epilepsy before that,” Maria said.
According to Maria’s mother, Maria lost friends after she was diagnosed.
“We don’t know if they were scared of it or didn’t know what to do. She suffered a lot when those friends started to refer to her as ‘Epilepsy Girl’ or ‘Seizure Girl’,” Iris Quiles said.
Iris feels frustrated by peoples ignorance. “What people don’t understand is that it
can happen to anyone. Doctors have told me that almost everyone has at least one seizure
during their life, but most don’t know it because it happens during the night. One thing is that she has these mood swings, but they’re all side effects of the medication. People have described her as ‘distant’ or ‘moody’, but it’s a side effect of the medication,” Iris said.
Epilepsy has also limited the activities Maria can participate in.
“Sometimes I can’t go to parties if I think there will be flashing lights there. I can’t go to Halloween Horror Nights because I’ve also heard that being scared can trigger seizures, so that’s another thing I need to miss,” Maria said.
Maria also used to dance but had to stop when she was diagnosed.
“It was hard for her, because she felt a lot of freedom when she danced. But she was too scared to dance because she was afraid of having a seizure,” Iris said.
Maria remains in chorus.“It does restrict me sometimes because I
can’t always go to Candlelight. I often have to miss out on practices, which isn’t good because we compete. The other day, Mr. Shultz wrote on the board that we have to go to eight more practices, or we couldn’t go to Disney. I got worried and asked him if I could still go, but he said it was okay because I have an excuse. I don’t want to miss out on it, because it’ll make me really upset. If I get really upset, then I’ll get stressed and have a seizure, and then I’ll get behind in school,” Maria said.
There are treatments available to possibly cure Marias’ epilepsy, but she remains hesitant.
“I’ve had a couple of EEG’s before. They want to perform surgery on my head and brain, but I’m scared. I’m afraid of them messing up during the surgery. Plus, to do the surgery, they would need to shave off all of my hair, and I
really don’t want that because people already call me ‘Seizure Girl’. I don’t want to give them another reason to call me that,” Maria said.
Maria wishes that students were educated more about epilepsy.
“I would like people to know that having epilepsy is harder than it seems. Kids need to know that their words hurt. I’m not ‘Seizure Girl’. My name is Maria. Don’t call me ‘Seizure Girl’. Don’t be so ignorant. It’s emotional. I’ve heard that you can swallow your tongue and die during a seizure, so I’m always afraid. When I first started having seizures, I was afraid to sleep alone because I was afraid that I would have a seizure during the night alone,” Maria said.
Iris was contacted by the hostess of the radio station WPRD 1440 A.M., who wanted to create a new show for youths dealing with various issues, such as bullying or abuse.
“The name of the program in English is ‘Knocking Doors’. The purpose is to help and support people who have different experiences. We invite them to the show so we can help them. We want to help them. So it’s sort of like we’re telling them where they can knock on the door if they need support or help,” Iris said.
Maria was unsure of what she would do when her mother first approached her with the idea.
“My mom started talking to me the other day about maybe interviewing other students who had been bullied. I wondered, what would I do? What would I say? And she told me just to talk to them and ask them questions. I think it’s easier for them to talk to me than a grown-up, especially because I’ve been bullied too. I told them that if I got past it, then they would too,” Maria said.
by Stephanie O’Sulivan
with
IN THE STUDIO. Sophomore Maria Quiles records her introduction for the program, “Knocking Doors,” at the radio station. WPRD 1440 A.M. on, Oct. 26.
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | features | THE LION’S TALE 13
True or False
400 BC: Seizures were a curse from the gods and people with epilepsy held the power of prophecy.
Myths about epilepsy
1494: You could identify a witch by the presence of seizures (during the salem witch trials).
Early 1800s: Epilepsy was contagious and people with epilepsy along with people with psychiatric disorders were put in asylums because they were crazy.
Modern times: People with epilepsy are not violent, crazy, or mentally ill.
Modern times: Epilepsy should not be a barrier to success.
photo/COURTESY OF IRIS QUILES
Teen discusses personal struggle
EpilepsyLiving
True
False
False
False
Trueinfo courtesy/EPILEPSY.COM
14 THE LION’S TALE | diversions | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
The
POPULARITYphoto/LINSEY DUCA
The Dark Side of Popularity
Popular teenagers are meaner than their less popular peers.
info courtesy/SCIENCE DAILY, AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
Exclusion and spreading rumors links with a higher level of popularity.According to University of Missouri-Columbia researcher Amanda Rose, being liked and being popular are not necesarily the same.
Over time, popular adolescents show greater increases in levels of delinquency and drug use.
National Institute of Mental Health researcher Joseph P. Allen has found that popular adolescents are popular in part because they conform themselves to the norms of their peer group.
z
z
z
z
z
To learn more about popularity and its effects, check out www. bespin.stwing.upenn.edu, www. ea.sagepub.com, www.plosone.org, and http://barbara-pytel.suite101.com
Two studies were conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Psychological Association concerning negative attributes of popularity.
Senior Drake Mulligan* blearily opens his eyes, his head pounding at the light streaming through the living room window.
Red cups fall to the ground as he sits up and looks around the room, realizing how much of a mess the place is; the remnants of his first night of ‘popularity’. He turns slowly, the room shaking in rhythm with his pounding headache, to face his teammate, not once stopping to think of the price that night may have.
“Teens will do things they oughtn’t and take risks they shouldn’t in order to raise their popularity,” AP Psychology teacher Karlin Gasthoff said.
Mulligan is living proof for Gasthoff’s idea. Mulligan let a teammate stay at his house for two months. Together, they engaged in activity that Mulligan believed at the time would increase his social status at school.
“I took in a friend who had gotten kicked out of his house because his parents couldn’t handle him anymore. He was my friend and I wanted the chance to just be free, I guess. We would play video games during the week, but when the weekend came we were always out partying. I hung out with him, who I thought was popular, doing drugs and alcohol because I felt my life was boring. Being popular would be more exciting,” Mulligan said.
Some teenagers think being more popular will lead them to happiness, excitement, and a better lifestyle is because it is The Unknown, explained freshman guidance counselor Ellen Roberts.
While Mulligan’s friend was living with him, he acted more extroverted, he said.
“Being outgoing makes people more popular because people like louder people. They don’t like the kid sitting in the corner by themselves,” Mulligan said.
Mulligan recalls that he also found himself consuming drugs and alcohol and attending more parties.
“[I feel that in order] to be popular at OHS [you need to] go to parties. Partying puts you right in the middle of the social aspect of school. They
[people who party] get used to the socialness. It’s like a social ego,” Mulligan said.
School resource and Oviedo Police Department D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer Diane Duffy, explained that many teenagers feel this way about drugs and alcohol because they think everyone is doing it. Duffy suggests that engaging in these behaviors is about not being an outsider.
“I think it’s just trying to be a part of something. People are lonely. If you’re the odd man out it’s very lonely to be that, and they just want to be a part of something,” Duffy said.
Once Mulligan’s friend left, he came to realize that his efforts did not change his overall popularity.
“It didn’t [make me more popular] in the end. It was just a false sense of happiness,” Mulligan said.
What is popularity?Duffy also feels that popularity is artificial,
suggesting that there is a difference between social status, and ‘fitting in’.
“They [teenager] have a false sense of popularity. They aren’t doing things that make them ‘popular’, they’re doing things that make them fit in. It’s not the same. Popularity is more of how well known you are. I think they have a misconception. They think ‘I have to do something to be popular. I have to do what the in crowd is doing’, but if they have to do what the in crowd is doing to be popular, then they’re really not popular, because as soon as they stop the in crowd want nothing to do with them,” Duffy said.
Roberts seconds that opinion, explaining that everyone fits in within their own social niche, and that everyone fits in somewhere.
After his experience with his friend, Mulligan expressed that he realizes that popularity matters less to him, and said that he no longer tries to be popular.
by Olivia Davila-Finchby Jessi Whitacre
Teens struggle with how to fit in
Is being popular and being well-liked the same thing?
Poll taken out of 200 students on 11/7
Yes 21%
No 67%
Undecided 12%
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | diversions | THE LION’S TALE 15
ofpriceThe What wouldyou do for
popularity?
Randi Vey ‘13
Jeremy Lopez ‘13
Elizabeth Embree
‘14
Amelia Hines ‘13
POPULARITY “ I would probably join soccer or volleyball. If you have friends then being popular doesn’t matter. ”
“ I wouldn’t do anything for popularity, because it doesn’t matter if you’re popular. ”
“ I would join drum line for popularity. ”
[people who party] get used to the socialness. It’s like a social ego,” Mulligan said.
School resource and Oviedo Police Department D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) officer Diane Duffy, explained that many teenagers feel this way about drugs and alcohol because they think everyone is doing it. Duffy suggests that engaging in these behaviors is about not being an outsider.
“I think it’s just trying to be a part of something. People are lonely. If you’re the odd man out it’s very lonely to be that, and they just want to be a part of something,” Duffy said.
Once Mulligan’s friend left, he came to realize that his efforts did not change his overall popularity.
“It didn’t [make me more popular] in the end. It was just a false sense of happiness,” Mulligan said.
What is popularity?Duffy also feels that popularity is artificial,
suggesting that there is a difference between social status, and ‘fitting in’.
“They [teenager] have a false sense of popularity. They aren’t doing things that make them ‘popular’, they’re doing things that make them fit in. It’s not the same. Popularity is more of how well known you are. I think they have a misconception. They think ‘I have to do something to be popular. I have to do what the in crowd is doing’, but if they have to do what the in crowd is doing to be popular, then they’re really not popular, because as soon as they stop the in crowd want nothing to do with them,” Duffy said.
Roberts seconds that opinion, explaining that everyone fits in within their own social niche, and that everyone fits in somewhere.
After his experience with his friend, Mulligan expressed that he realizes that popularity matters less to him, and said that he no longer tries to be popular.
“I just don’t care for it. It doesn’t matter. It’s just a race to see who can get to the end of high school with the most points, and then it’s over. If you don’t understand the fact that it’s going to be over in a few years, you want it so badly. You want what everyone else has,” Mulligan said.
Freshman Sara Jones* has altered her appearance.
“I would cut my hair…I changed the way I looked more than anything else because you notice a person before you talk to them, so I try to be more ‘normal’,” Jones said.
Junior Kohl Thompson fails to see the importance of popularity.
“In the long run, it doesn’t matter,”
Thompson said. “No one will remember how popular you were in high school after you graduate, and it won’t help you out in the real world. Compared to the rest of your life, it’s just not a big deal.”
Although people have placed emphasis on popularity, a clear definition of what popularity is has not been made explicitly clear. There are many interpretations, each shifting the social hierarchy with different standards.
To Mulligan popularity is about personality traits.
“[Popularity] is basically who can be the most outrageous, but at the same time cool about it. Noticeable, but not over the top,” Mulligan said.
According to Duffy popularity is more centralized on appearance.
“The media gives us this image of what beauty is and we’re all trying to change to fit it. But it isn’t a real image of beauty. Beauty isn’t what is on the cover on the magazine. They’re giving a false definition of beauty to teenage girls who need a sense of belonging,” Duffy said.
This opinion is shared by Roberts who feels that in addition to physical appearance money is also a factor in a person’s popularity, so they can keep up with the latest fashions, said Roberts.
Gasthoff feels that popularity is based on the company people keep.
“My view of popularity is being in the group that is the most important in a social setting of any kind – school and work for example,” Gasthoff said.
Downside of being unpopularRegardless of an individual’s interpretation,
however, being “unpopular” has the potential to place enormous emotional stress on a teenager. Not fitting in with their peers can leave individuals with a sense of basic distrust and an urge to get revenge on others.
“If a person doesn’t have a huge amount of ego-strength, it can really damage them,” Gasthoff said. “It can leave them with the urge to strike out against people, in a, ‘I’m going to get you before you get me type of way’.”
Sophomore Lauren Hayduk has a more positive view on popularity, suggesting that it has the potential to be a positive influence on students as long as one knows how to behave in an appropriate manner.
“Because it [being popular] doesn’t make you feel alone, you just need to know how to act when you’re popular,” Hayduk said.
Junior, Kaitlyn Hoover also thinks popularity is good because popular students can provide role models for younger people in the community.
“If you’re a likeable person it’s good because you get along with everyone and younger people can look up to you,” Hoover said.
Regardless of social standing, appearance, or interpretation of popularity, Duffy advises students to stay true to themselves.
“It [popularity] isn’t important. It means nothing in life. If you have a handful of friends, you can consider yourself blessed. Many friends pass through your life and very few stay. Popularity is an illusion. You have to be careful not to lose your identity in the chase for popularity. Losing who you are will never bring happiness. Stay true to yourself and your morals and don’t lose your personality in the crowd,” Duffy said.
*Names Withheld
“No one will remember how popular you were in high school after you graduate, and it won’t help you out in the real world ”
Kohl Thompson, ‘13
[email protected]@thelionstale.com
Teens struggle with how to fit in
“ I would join a bunch of clubs. ”
Junior Morgan Faust sits in her grandparent’s home listening to her grandfather talk enthusiastically about his war days. She
listens attentively and pays close attention even though she’s listened to this story at least a dozen times before.
Faust’s grandfather was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s a few years ago.
“He first started showing symptoms three or four years ago. He started to forget where things were and where he put things. He started to isolate himself from other people because he felt embarrassed,” Faust said.
Alzheimer’s has more to do with the progressive loss of memory and thinking skills.
“He mixes names up sometimes like any person would do, but he’s not doing it by accident and it’s actually mental. It’s what he thinks and can’t acknowledge that he’s doing it. He doesn’t really correct himself until my grandma tells him that that’s so and so,” Faust said.
People with Alzheimer’s tend to repeat themselves when having conversations without knowing what they’re doing.
“He’ll talk about airplanes a lot. He served in the military. He worked on airplanes and he was a pilot for a while. So he remembers that part of his life so clearly so that’s what he focuses on a lot when you talk to him. He’ll pull out the photo albums and tell you so many stories about that because that’s the main part of his life that
he remembers, instead of the present he focuses more on the past,” Faust said.
It’s not unusual for someone with Alzheimer’s to keep coping mechanisms around their house.
“He keeps a lot of pictures as a coping mechanism. If he thinks, ‘oh I wont remember this,’ or something he takes a picture of it. He’ll take pictures of pretty much anything like my cousins and me whenever we go over there. If we’re kicking a soccer ball or just messing around,” Faust said. “He’ll take pictures of sunsets and whenever we’re out on the boat, pretty much anything. They hang a lot of pictures up around their house so he can keep himself familiarized with his family and with the things that he does, people that he knows. So it doesn’t fade away.
Not only does Alzheimer’s change the lives of those diagnosed but their family members’ as well.
“It was hard to get used to at first. We didn’t see him that often. When we do, he kind of blanks for a moment. It’s weird knowing that someone you’ve known and recognized your whole life doesn’t really recognize you all the time,” Faust said.
Faust tries her best to help her grandfather
through this whole situation. “I talk to him a lot. I let him tell me stories
because I know that he’s so passionate about that and he loves it so much. He shows me pictures and I just listen. It’s really repetitive but I play along with it because it makes him happy,” Faust said.
Junior Joe Potchen’s grandmother suffers from frontal lobe dementia. Dementia is a loss of brain functions that occurs with certain diseases such as Pick’s disease and Parkinson’s
disease. It affects memory, thinking, language and behavior according to pubmedhealth.gov.
“You can’t have a conversation with her. She doesn’t talk. I don’t know if she knows how to talk anymore,” Potchen
said. As the disease progresses, it’s more difficult
to do every day activities by yourself. “She walks around, picks stuff up and puts
them down in different places. She sometimes falls but not very often. When her caretakers aren’t there is when it usually happens and she’s been to the hospital a couple of times because of it,” Potchen said.
Some are required to move into a nursing home while others have caretakers that come to
by Hafsa Hussain
their homes during the day. “My grandma has a few caretakers. They
watch her and have to take care of her. They come once a day and stay for a couple of hours. Sometimes he has them stay over night to keep an eye on her,” Potchen said.
Potchen remembers what he used to do with his grandmother before she was diagnosed with dementia.
“I’m not as close to her as I was before since we can never talk. But what I do remember was that she was awesome. She always took care of me. My grandparents would take me on trips sometimes and we would stay over at their house. She used to give me back massages,” Potchen said.
Diseases such as dementia affect not only those with it but their families as well.
“The thing I hate the most is the fact that she can’t talk, and what it’s done to my grandpa. He’s really sad now because of it, you can tell,” Potchen said.
Early symptoms of dementia are usually shown when forgetting important things.
“When she first started getting it she would forget where she was at times or she wouldn’t know who someone was. I was pretty little when she started showing symptoms but I do remember her forgetting my name a lot whenever I’d come over to visit. Then all of a sudden she just stopped talking. It all seemed so fast,” Potchen said.
16 THE LION’S TALE | features | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
ForgettingStudents share experiences aboutgrandparents who have developed Alzheimer’s and dementia
Ten Signs of Alzheimer’s
Memory loss that disrupts daily life
Challenges in planning or solving problems
Difficulty completing familiar tasks
Confusion with time or place
Trouble understanding visual images
“ It’s weird knowing that someone you’ve known and recognized your whole life doesn’t really recognize you all the time. ”Morgan Faust, ‘13
vv
vv New problems with words in speaking or writing
v
vv
Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
Decreased or poor judgements
Withdrawal from work and social activitiesv Changes in mood and personality
vinfo courtesy/WWW.ALZ.ORG
Here are some ways to identify this disease.
v
REALITYillustration/WESLEY WYNNE
Newcomers share love of American cultureby Sarah Tripp
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | features | THE LION’S TALE 17
The instant junior Yan Skabara found out he would be moving to America, wanting to take full advantage of American opportunities, he vowed to become a better person.
“I have to stop partying, take advantage of this great opportunity, and build a successful career,” Skabara said.
Skabara moved to America from Novorossiysk, Russia, three years ago. But Skabara maintains that American culture hasn’t influenced his personality or attitude.
“I didn’t really pay attention to it. I didn’t really change my clothes style. I don’t think there is much change. I have my Russian friends and culture still in me,” Skabara said.
But when it comes to American music and movies, Skabara pays attention.
“I really don’t like fast food, but I like American history. American music and movies are famous all around the world. I am really thankful that music and movies are so good. Americans put a lot of effort in something, and they achieve it,” Skabara said.
According to Skabara, Oviedo is a lot different from his previous Russian school, Devyatnadtzataya Shkola.
“Oviedo has a lot of privileges like cell phones on campus, and extra hour off on Wednesdays. I didn’t have that in previous schools. A lot of teacher here make sure they have a lot of participation in our classes. They bring in people from colleges, and the school board helps out a lot with that,” Skabara said
Junior Myriam Gutstein moved to America two months ago from Quebec, Canada.
“I like how you can just go anywhere and know someone. There are more classes here. My old school was just mainly science and math,” Gutstein said.
Her old school, Royal West Acadamy, was one of the top
schools in Quebec.“We had uniforms, more time because we had block schedule,
and six subjects a day. It’s much easier here. It’s easier to get better grades, but there’s more work,” Gutstein said.
It wasn’t difficult for Skabara or Gutstein to make friends when they first moved here.
“Everyone was so curious. Everyone just wanted to meet me,” Skabara said.
American culture has its differences from everyday Canadian life.
“It’s different. Music-wise it’s the same. Canadian families prefer sitting at home more, and spending more family time,” Gutstein said.
Junior Jessie Morton moved to Erlangen, Bavaria, in Germany in the second grade. She lived there for three years.
“I’ve been there twice since we moved back. I miss being able to ride
my bike everywhere,” Morton said.Her school in Germany, Franconian International School, held
200 students.“I like how it was so small. It was very family oriented, because
everybody knew each other. All the teachers knew you, even if you weren’t in their class. You had the same class every year because there was not enough kids,” Morton said.
Gutstien plans to move back to Canada to go to a University, but Skabara wants to stay in America for the rest of his life, but probably not Florida.
“Not Oviedo, it’s too hot for me,” Skabara said.
“ I have to stop partying, and take advantage of this great opportunity. ”
Yan Skabara, ‘11
Myriam Gutstein
‘13
From: Quebec, CanadaWhen: A couple months agoReason: Easier to get good grades
Moving to America
Yan Skabara ‘13
From: Novorossiysk, RussiaWhen: Three years agoReason: Wanted to build a career
( s
port
s
)D
IDY
OU
KNO
W?
//////////
/
A Squircle is a square with rounded edges.
Nutmeg can be extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
President Jimmy Carter was able to speed read 2,000 words per minute.
From 1725-1765, a Russian woman gave birth to16 sets of twins, seven sets of triplets, and four sets of quadruplets.
Charlie Chaplin entered a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest and lost.
Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant
It started like any other Tuesday for lifeguard senior Shane Ladd. He went to the gym to workout and go to water polo
practice. But this time was different. He decided to
stay to cool down after the extensive workout and his life was changed forever.
Ladd decided to practice a Coast Guard exercise that involved swimming the length of the pool while holding his breath. When he got to the other side of the fifty-meter pool, Shane reached up to grab the ledge but he passed out in the water.
After he passed out, Ladd’s body began to instinctively breathe, bringing water into his lungs. At this point, Ladd had six minutes to be rescued before brain damage occurred.
Luckily, lifeguards Kristen Woodman and Ashley Raby noticed him facedown in the pool. They pulled him out and performed CPR.
“I woke up in the hospital the next day and I didn’t know what was going on” Ladd said.
The doctors had to intubate Ladd, but because he was fighting back they had to use drugs to knock him out.
Ladd checked out of the hospital that day, but he had to deal with pneumonia that resulted from the water he took in to his lungs.
A month later, two men were practicing the same exercise as Ladd in a crowded pool in Staten Island, New York. One man, Bohdan Vitenko, died in the pool while his friend, Jonathan Proce died five days later after being in coma.
by Jonathan Bohinsky
At the current rate, 360 billion photos are uploaded to Facebook per year.
Editor’s Note
One by One features a selected student, whose story is told in only 300 words.
Near drowning helps senior define prioritiesphoto/STEPHANIE O’SULIVAN
Ladd became a Water Safety Instructor. This means he can go to local pools and teach anyone, from babies to senior citizens, how to be safe in or around the pool.
“Thanks to this incident, I now look at life differently,” Ladd said. “I was so focused on exercise and working out that I lost sight of the things that mattered to me the most, like my family, friends, girlfriend, and my relationship with God. I think God used this as a wakeup call to me so that I wouldn’t let a day go by without living it to the fullest.”
Shane LaddLifeguardSurvivor
Senior Stacy: by Jonathan Bohinsky
The average person eats about 60,000 pounds of food in their life-time, or as much as six elephants.
The first monster truck was built in 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri by Bob Chandler.
Voldemort, the villain from Harry Potter, means “Flight of Death” in French.
Canola oil is actually rapeseed oil. It’s name was changed for marketing reasons.
info courtesyALLRANDOMFACTS.COM
18 THE LION’S TALE | features | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
The tallest man ever recorded was Robert Wadlow at 8’11”.
( sport s )diversions WeirdPhobias
by Trevor Khan
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | THE LION’S TALE 19
Arachibutyrophobia:The fear of getting peanut butter stuck to the top of your mouth
Spectrophobia, xerophobia, cardiophobia. Stop. Take a breath, if you’re not too scared.
Fears surround people on a daily basis, but some people just can’t help but close their eyes and curl into the fetal position.
“I’m scared of spiders,” sophomore Alanis Rodriguez said. “I think they’re weird and I just hate bugs in general or any kind of insect. I’ve encountered one coming down in front of me. I froze and I started to move back and I freaked out and screamed.”
Rodriguez suffers from arachnophobia, the fear of spiders is a common phobia. In western societies, statistics show that 55 percent of females and 18 percent of males are sufferers of arachnophobia.
“The amygdala causes fear,” AP Psychology teacher Zachary Densberger said. “It decides whether you’re gonna stand up and fight or run away,” Densberger said.
A fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil or pain.
A phobia is defined as a persistent, irrational fear of a specific object, activity or situation that leads to a compelling desire to avoid it.
There are many ways for fear to reach the mind. Specialists think that fear can be derived by traumatic events in life, and can also be a result of post traumatic stress disorder, also
known as PTS. Post traumatic stress disorder can be
caused by anything that has affected the person in a major way, such as a car accident or a bad experience on an amusement park ride.
But no matter how the fear begins, there is a full spectrum of phobias ranging from understandable to just strange.
The different types of fears range from common phobias such as arachnophobia or coulrophobia (the fear of clowns) to phobias that aren’t as common in people. For example, dextrophobia is the fear of having objects placed to the right of a person. This is one phobia that can be treated with medication although these medications often cause problems through side effects.
Many phobias relate to or are caused by the paranoia of the individual.
Phobophobia is the fear of phobias. People with phobophobia suffer day by day by being afraid of being afraid. Most people who have phobophobia aren’t even aware that they have this phobia.
“I know people who are afraid of spiders, blood, heights and clowns,” sophomore Jeremy
Araujo said. For most people, fears don’t reach the
extremities of a phobia, but fear is still a present response in them.
“I have a fear of heights,” Densberger said. “I can deal with it but I still get a sense of anxiety.”
“I used to be afraid of spiders,” Araujo said. “But, I just grew out of it.”
Other fears, however, are not so easy for people to get
over.“I’m afraid of werewolves,” sophomore
Cynthia Kilmer said. “I watched a movie when I was too young.”
While fear is a natural reaction, sometimes irrational fears can become an issue. Everyone overcomes fear in a different way, however the best advice is to face it. Studies have shown the more one avoids a phobia, the more fearful it becomes.
“When I’m scared I remove myself from whatever it is that’s causing the anxiety,” Densberger said. “It just depends on the situation.”
FacingFears
your
“When I’m scared I remove myself from whatever it is that’s causing the anxiety. It just depends on the situation. ”Zachary Densberger
Syngenesophobia:
Ancraophobia:
Genuphobia:
Spectrophobia:
Anthophobia:
The fear of all relatives
The fear of wind
The fear of flowers
The fear of looking at your own reflection in the mirror.
The fear of knees
Assymetriphobia:The fear of mismatched socks or assymetrical objects
Rhabdophobia:The fear of magic and a magic wand
Ephebiphobia:
Amaxophobia:
Chorophobia:
Albuminurophobia:
The fear of dancing
The fear of riding in cars
The fear of teenagers
Porphyrophobia:
The fear of kidney disease
The fear of the color purple
People suffer from different fears every day, from spiders to cockroaches to blood and clowns
photo/COURTESY OF WIKIPEDIA.COM
photo/COURTESY OF NEWS.SOFTPEDIA.COM
info courtesy/NURSINGDEGREEGUIDE.COM
by Wesley Wynne
Junior Sydney Dotson prepares to leave work after the first day of her job, eager to make more money to spend. She recalls the feel
of the heat of the deep fryer as she made French fries for hungry customers. After four hours of labor, Dotson feels the fatigue of hard work.
“And I had grease all over my arms,” Dotson said.
For teens, such as junior Rachel Winnie, transitioning into their new jobs can be difficult. Winnie, like many students, got a job to earn money.
“I was incredibly bored and I don’t have an allowance. It was good to have my own money and do something for a change,” Winnie said, who works at the Regal Cinemas concession stand.
Attempting to find and get a job can be a challenging experience, as Dotson learned.
“For me, it wasn’t because I knew someone,” Dotson said. “But for other people it’s hard. I tried getting a job at the McDonald’s on Mitchell Hammock and it was impossible.”
Once students get their job, they have certain expectations of what it will be like. Junior Maggie Forbes, who has a job at the Oviedo Montessori School looking after preschool children, had her own expectations.
“I was expecting to learn more about kids and how kids interact with other kids and to be prepared for when I have kids of my own one day,” Forbes said.
When their first day actually arrives, students such as Forbes had a different experience than what they imagined.
“It was kind of crazy,” Forbes said. “I was still learning, so it was hectic.”
On the job, many factors can make the transition into the work force more difficult.
Dotson had pressure coming from her home.“It was my parents’ pressure and my own,
because I wanted a job and money. My parents wanted me to work and experience how to earn money myself,” Dotson said.
Forbes dealt with difficulties when helping children.
“The kids sometimes push your buttons,”
Forbes said. “It’s hard to deal with kids who don’t listen when you’re stressed.”
Likewise, Senior Colton Jaqueth, who works at McDonalds on the grill and making burgers, had to deal with certain hardships on the job.
“It can be taxing because you have multiple things to do at once. Like, when you’re on the grill you may have to cook three things at once when you only have room for one. Sometimes I get burns, scratches, and deep cuts from grill equipment,” Jaqueth said.
Winnie had to do physical labor while working.
“[There’s] a lot of heavy lifting,” Winnie said. “Boxes can weigh 50 pounds and you have to lift them over your head. It’s a lot of hard work, but it helps me because I’ve become stronger because of it.”
For Dotson, the co-workers treated her very well during work hours.
“Everyone was very nice,” Dotson said. “They tried to help me and they acted like themselves.”
Despite difficulties, some students, like
20 THE LION’S TALE | diversions | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
SchoolRING IT UP. Junior Rachel Winnie works the cash register at the Oviedo Marketplace Regal Theaters during her part-time job.
Forbes, do like their jobs and feel that it has met their expectations.
Forbes feels that her job has helped her social interaction.
“I had to deal with kids running around. It lets me talk to other parents and it helps me talk to other strangers,” Forbes said. “It helps me get ready for what I want to pursue after high school.”
Other students, such as Dotson, do feel that their jobs could be better.
“It kind of sucks because we work so hard and make so little,” Dotson said. “And there are some people who sit around in the office all day and they get paid more.”
Even with all the hardships Winnie is glad to have her job.
“I really enjoy working at Regal,” Winnie said. “I heard other good things about sub-categories at Regal, but I enjoy working in concession more. It was something I had to grow into.”
toWork
First-time jobs surprise teens as they experience the struggles that come with adjusting to joining the work force
photo/AMANDA FERGUSON
Upcoming Concerts
Trace AdkinsSaturday, Nov. 128:00 p.m.King Center for the Performing arts
all photos /COURTESY OF PUBLICITY WEB SITES
OUTSTANDING VERY GOODReviewed//// Music, movies, books & more
[email protected] THIS >> Paradise
Hollywood UndeadThursday, Nov. 177:30 p.m.Hard Rock Live
Mayday ParadeThursday, Nov. 176:00 p.m.House of Blues
by Olivia Davila-Finch
[email protected] THIS >> Work Out
The Devil Wears PradaSunday, Dec. 45:00 p.m.Hard Rock Live
by Jonathan Bohinsky
MYLO XYLOTOColdplayAlternative
[email protected] THIS >> Mr. Know It All
SkrillexFriday, Nov. 188:30 p.m.House of Blues
by Alexis Sherwood
[email protected] THIS >> The Sound of Me and You
Debuting her newest album, Stronger, Kelly Clarkson presents another predictable look into the struggles of
her life and how she overcomes them with her lyrics. Similar to her past album, Breakaway, Clarkson belts out ballads of bitter words against men that have done her wrong in the past.
She sticks to her roots and doesn’t venture out of her comfort zone. Fans can expect the same types of songs with strong words and messages that they’ve heard from Clarkson in the past.
The most popular track from the album, ‘Mr. Know it All’, is a fairly predictable up-beat track about a guy who doesn’t seem to understand Clarkson. Through her lyrics she vents about struggling to be understood by the people around her. It has the traditional pop feel that fans are used to and is filled with the same empowering lyrics.
Many of the songs on the album share the same general idea as ‘Mr. Know it All’ and have the same edgy vibe that fans of Clarkson are familiar with. She’s always been known as the strong feminine artist that doesn’t listen to what other people think. This album helps foster and empower this image.
Fans that enjoy the older pieces by Clarkson will be pleased with this new album, but those looking for something new and unique will most likely be disappointed after listening to Stronger.
by Carly Ford
StrongerKelly ClarksonPop
Coldplay’s fifth album is by far their most radio-friendly. It’s more electronic than their last album, Viva
la Vida, and feels almost like dance music in some places. Coldplay’s standard circular guitar and piano hooks are back and catchier than ever, especially on tracks like ‘Charlie Brown’ and ‘Every Teardrop is a Waterfall’.
Mylo Xyloto is a concept album. It tells the story of Mylo and Xyloto who live under an oppressive establishment and meet through a gang called ‘The Lost Boys’ and fall in love. Producer Brian Eno, the creator of ambient music and the producer of Viva la Vida, co-wrote and played synthesizer on the album. His production can best be seen on the epic vocal swells during the chorus of ‘Paradise’.
The album flows really well and even has short instrumental transitions between songs. Amongst the barrage of electronic anthems there are a few acoustic tracks. Songs like ‘U.F.O.’, ‘Major Minus’, and ‘Us Against the World’ could easily have fit on one of Coldplay’s earlier albums. The song ‘Princess of China’ features Rihanna and feels more like one of her songs than a Coldplay song.
All in all, the album is very predictable and is exactly what you’d expect from Coldplay. Chris Martin’s lyrics are simplistic and as sappy as ever, but the melodies are some of the catchiest Coldplay’s ever produced. It’s a good pop album, but there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done before.
Cole World: The Sideline StoryJ. ColeRap
When You’re Through Thinking, Say YesYellowcardPop-Rock
GOOD RUBBISH AWFUL
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | diversions | THE LION’S TALE 21
This acoustic version of the album When You’re Through Thinking, Say Yes (Released on March 22, 2011) was
released on Oct 24, 2011 and has a totally different sound to it than the original version, even though it has all of the same songs. With this new acoustic version, the vocals of Ryan Key are more dominant than the instruments, and create a more intimate feel to the songs since you can focus on the lyrics’ real meaning.
The acoustic versions of the fast, upbeat songs from the original album have a very unique sound to it, such as ‘With You Around’, since the chords, beat, and tempo have changed to make it sound calmer to fit with the acoustic genre.
Some of the songs such as ‘Sing For Me’ sound about the same since it is difficult to change a song that was originally mostly acoustic, so it doesn’t bring anything new to the song as far as sound goes, and this might be disappointing to some fans. Another disappointing factor for some listeners could be that most of the songs sound the same and all of the guitars sound consistent with each other, and don’t give the melody any depth.
Key’s voice is normally very powerful and dominant, but in this acoustic version of the album, it is more low key. The band wanted to put a focus on the music and tone of the guitars instead of the voice, so people could get more of an emotional feel for the song.
On Sept 27, upcoming rapper J. Cole released his debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story. With his
previous experience with Jay-Z and his first several mixtapes, I had high hopes for this album, and wasn’t disappointed.
Featuring several other big names like Jay-Z, Drake, and Missy Elliot, J. Cole makes it clear with this album that he’s here to stay.
One of the first songs on the album and one of my favorties, ‘Can’t Get Enough’ featuring Trey Songz got me hooked on the album from the start. The busy beats and Trey’s sing-song voice make for a catchy song that’ll be stuck in your head for days. It’s a definite radio-hit.
The song ‘Sideline Story’ shows a more emotional side to J. Cole as he raps about his struggle to put himself on the map and rise to the top with his musical career. The haunting piano music and soft chorus allow real insight into the rapper’s turmoil and isn’t easily forgotten.
The album proves to its listeners that J. Cole is a highly versatile artist. He puts out songs with catchy beats that will grab your attention, but he also reveals a more serious side that gives us an insight into his life through his lyrics.
Overall, this was an amazing official start to J. Cole’s musical career. Filled with emotional stories from his mother’s drug addiction to an unplanned pregnancy, he successfully mixes delicate topics with his own style of witty lyrics, the end result being an amazing album that you’ll listen to over and over again.
background to her imaginary friend Toby. Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith), boyfriend of the girls’ mother takes notice and alerts his girlfriend, Julie (Lauren Bittner), who thinks it’s just part of her daughter’s imagination.
Just like in the previous films, Dennis sets up video cameras in the house to try and witness some of these odd happenings, and they all start pretty soon.
It begins simply with an eerie imaginary best friend tale. But when Kristi herself begins to fear Toby, she tells him she doesn’t want to speak with him any longer, and the real trouble begins.
I enjoyed this movie much more than the last two because in this one, the spirit isn’t as secretive in his actions.
Not only does the audience witness odd occurrences right off the bat, but the characters do, too, in the most horrific ways.
The spirit throws chairs and flips tables, he wears a sheet and makes it disappear as if nothing were beneath it, and even bites one of the characters in a dark room.
Just like in the last two films, anticipation creates dread by how fast the filming seems to be moving.
As far as casting, this is a group of nobody’s, but they shouldn’t be. Performances are impeccable from every cast member,especially the two young girls who put a real good scare in me at times. Realistic details key off audience
reactions in this movie. So real, in fact, that other audience members left asking “Was that real footage?”
Sadly, this film didn’t deliver the story line I had hoped. There was a major twist that I didn’t expect, but so many questions were left. If it weren’t for the people I was with to explain it to me, it would make no sense whatsoever.
The plot left out all of the details from the first two films that were expected to be brought up again, such as the fire or Kristi’s great grandmother who may have “bartered with the devil for wealth”.
Another new aspect of the series is that in this film, people purposely pop out in front of the camera to scare Dennis when he is filming or for later when he goes over the tapes. I thoroughly enjoyed this because it really startled the audience and myself while watching, and it
Don’tturntheoff
hung with us all the way up until the next good scare.
Overall, Paranormal Activity 3 is an edge of your seat horror flick that will leave you terrified and entertained all at once with the quick action and incredible acting.
Though it didn’t hit on all the points fans of the first two expected and was slightly confusing at times, it is a good conclusion and a very scary movie.
Scenes of this movie will be well remembered and to me, they are far more memorable than those of the first two installments.
I give this movie a four out of five stars, because while it was as terrifying as expected, it didn’t deliver all the necessary details for the third installment.
Turning on the lights won’t make it go away, and that goes double for the feeling you get after watching this
bone-chilling third installment to the popular “Paranormal Activity” franchise.
Paranormal Activity 3 is approximately an hour and 25 minutes long.
The first two films revolved around two grown sisters, Katie and Kristi and the plaguing entities that are infesting their homes, with the terrifying twist of a hand-held camera point of view.
The third film focuses around Katie and Kristi, the sisters from the first two films, and the haunting events that occurred during their childhood.
The film begins with returning actors Katie Featherston, Sprague Grayden and Brian Bolard in a brief camio set before the previous film in late 2005.
This scene shows sister Katie asking Kristi and Daniel if she could leave some old boxes of hers in the basement.
Then the film cuts into a clip of the second movie, where Kristi’s home was “robbed” and Daniel claims the only thing missing is the box that Katie left there.
From this point on, the film is set in 1988, beginning with young Katie’s (Chloe Csengery)birthday party and immediately audiences are unnerved at the site of young Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown)speaking in the [email protected]
by Trevor Khan
Paranormal Activity 3 puts scare in reviewer
WE’RE NOT ALONE. Young Kristi (Jessica Tyler Brown) looks back at her sister, Katie (Chloe Csengery), while her reflection in the mirror stares the video camera down.
22 THE LION’S TALE | diversions | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
THE WARD2010Director: John CarpenterStarrring: Amber Heard, Mamie Gummer, Danielle Panabaker.
DRAG ME TO HELL2009Director: Sam RaimiStarring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Raos, David Paymer
INSIDIOUS2010Director: James WanStarring: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson, Ty Simpkins, Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannel
LIGHTS!
H O L L Y W O O DH A U N T S
Movies that will scare the spirits out of you
all photos/COURTESY OF PUBLICITY WEBSITES
photo/COURTESY OF PUBLICITY WEBSITE
( sports )sports
by Andrea Dobo
ONE MORE POINT. Sophomore Jay Kerbelis, junior Evan Sumner, and seniors Ryan Maxon and Kyle Wnek stand up to root on the varsity girls volleyball team as they sealed their victory over Lake Howell High School on Wed., Oct. 26.
Consequences that may occur are bring asked to leave a game, suspension, or even expulsion.
The administration team monitors the crowds to make sure all associated with OHS conduct themselves in a manner that is respectful and consistent with the vision and mission of OHS.
“It’s going too far when you have to stop the game because the fan is screaming at the ref, and they need to get control. Let them play the game. You take away the whole meaning of the game,” sophomore Patrick O’Neill said.
A l t h o u g h consequences are difficult to levy, verbal offenses, chants about other schools are taken into account when administration tries to control a crowd.
“Any cheer or chant that the content is against the other team is going too far,” dean Drew Morgan said. “ Cheers need to be positive to our team and encouraging our athletes, not against the other athletes.”
Terms such as ‘Fagerty’ or ‘Hoviedo’ are used by fans and students of both schools.
“I don’t find the rivalries offensive. I find ‘Fagerty’ offensive because it sounds too much like faggot. It’s us calling the Hagerty students faggots,” senior Devin Smith said. “Calling someone a ho is a weak insult. Faggot is more offensive.”
Senior Brandon Mordecai, who transferred to OHS after his sophomore year, doesn’t find the term ‘Fagerty’ a term worth physically fighting over.
“The rival gives us a standard to aim for something. It gives us motivation to be a better
school.” Mordecai said. According to senior Dallas Marcone, the
names are a type of tradition for the rivalry. “Every year that we beat them, we remind
them we’re better and they can’t get on our level without a rocketship,” Marcone said.
For sophomore Reid Mikalsen, chanting against the other team should not result in
punishments. During Mikalsen’s experience while playing
against Winter Springs, the two teams trash talk over Facebook, and while playing.
“Chants make it fun. It causes competivness and rivalries. Whenever we play Winter Springs, we chant ‘STD’,” Mikalsen said. “There shouldn’t be a punishment. It’s part of the game. Are we going to be nice to a rival?”
Junior Kyndle Cobb found himself defending his team in fight during a varsity soccer game last year.
“Against Seminole, [sophomore] Tristen Rehrig got tackled by a Seminole player, then his brother Blaine ran up and punched that kid. It emerged into a team brawl,” Cobb said.
Although the benches cleared and every player was involved in the fight, the referees did not call any red cards, because districts were to be played the next week, according to Cobb.
“I don’t think there should be a punishment because it’s all part of the game.” Cobb said. “If you look at hockey, it is a regular appearance. It’s all in the nature of the game and I don’t think punishments are necessary.”
STAND UP AND CHEER. Seniors Will Cutler, Kyle Barnett, and Winter Springs High School senior Kody Meli cheer on the girls volleyball team at the game against Lake Howell.
all photos/AMANDA FERGUSON
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | THE LION’S TALE 23
“ Every year that we beat them, we remind them we’re better and they can’t get on our level without a rocketship. ”Dallas Marcone, ‘12
Junior Josey Arroyo shows her school spirit by going to all the pep rallies and painting her body with school colors, and cheers
on the Lion’s whenever she can make it to any sporting event like football or baseball.
For Arroyo, staying out of a confrontation with another team means turning the other shoulder.
“If a group of fans are directing their comments at me, I make it more playful. But if it’s serious, I’ll walk away,” Arroyo said. “A lot of the fights are pride and wanting to be better. One team loses, they’re sore losers. They can’t take it.”
Before each game, the administration team, including the principal, assistant principals, dean and athletic director make sure a school-wide supervision process is created alongside with the support of the local law enforcement.
“It’s all in the details. Prior planning and preparation is critical to ensure pep rallies and games run smoothly,” assistant principal Shanon Eaton said. “Each sport has the potential to be an issue. Anything that is hurtful, harmful or disruptive to our orderly conduct or sportsmanship-like participation is going too far.”
Fans push limitsof acceptablechants and cheers
Sable Lee promotes golf watch fundraiserby Arianna Ray
Sophomore Stephanie Rios watches anxiously as the bowling ball rolled towards the pins for the last time. When all the pins are knocked over, Rios and the rest of the girls bowling
team rush over to where sophomore Lauren Hayduk stands, and the team starts chanting “Oviedo, Oviedo, Oviedo!”.
“It felt amazing to win districts, because last year we didn’t make it to districts. I started crying when we won, I was so happy,” Rios said.
Sophomore Amy Quick is happy the current seniors on the bowling team had a chance to be district champions.
“It feels really good to be first in the district, especially because last year we didn’t even make it to districts. This year, we’ll lose three of our seniors, so I’m glad we were champs while they were here,” Quick said.
The girls bowling team finished their season undefeated. According to senior Courtney Wright, this is due to a few factors.
“A lot of the competition from the other schools graduated. Also, we’ve gotten better as a team. Many of us are on separate leagues outside of the bowling team, so we get extra practice through that. Our coaches are awesome, and are always there to help us,” Wright said.
Rios, however, believes their undefeated season is due to their team work.
“We all cheer each other on at each match. Sometimes we coach each other too, like Amy Quick coaches me a lot. Everyone helps everyone. There’s so much support on the team, it’s like we’re a family,” Rios said.
This year, the girls bowling team acquired a new coach,
Brittany Burr.“Last year, the boys and the girls team practiced together
and we got distracted a lot. Coach Burr split us up. We’re more motivated and more concentrated. So far, it’s worked,” Rios said.
Wright likes Burrs’ new tactics. “She [Burr] tries to pull us together as a family. She’s got
a different approach. She’s our friend, but she’s also strict first. We’re slowly getting out of cliques, which is a very good thing,” Wright said.
Rios likes the ‘family feeling’ of the team. “The team moral is really good. We
have no problems. Of course, there’s drama sometimes with girls, but we talk it out now and let it all out in the open. We say what we feel. And then we get over it. We’re like sisters. Sisters fight, but they love each other at the end of the day,” Rios said.
According to Quick, the team has mixed feelings about the state championships.
“We’re really excited right now. We didn’t even make districts last year, so to be first in our conference and in our district is really exciting. But we’re also really anxious for the [state] competition,” Quick said.
Quick remains optimistic about the state championship match on Tues., Nov. 8.
“I think we’ll do pretty good. If we stay together as a team and work together, I think we’ll do great,” Quick said.
Rios agrees.“I think we’ll do awesome at state champs. Our team is great,
our team support is great. As long as we cheer for each other and keep everyone’s spirits high, I think we’ll be awesome,” Rios said.
24 THE LION’S TALE | sports | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
by Stephanie O’Sullivan
TEN PINS DOWN. Sophomore Amy Quick bowls at the Oviedo Bowling Center during practice. “My favorite part about the bowling team is how we’re like a family and how much we get along. It’s really great to be on a team with these girls,. We’re really close,” Quick said.
photo/COURTESY OF SCOTT WAISANEN
Girls bowling team heads to state competition
“ It felt amazing to win districts, because last year we didn’t make it to districts. I started crying when we won, I was so happy. ”Stephanie Rios, ‘14
The bright image of senior Sable Lee pops onto screens across campus. The video rolls depicting Lee who was previously
accustomed to her anonymity. Suddenly students begin recognizing her everywhere, knowing her as the girl with the watch.
All of this is a part of the golf team’s marketing for the watches they are selling.
“The best way to get through to the student population is WROR TV. Basically everyone watches it in their classes and seeing is believing. I definitely think it’s helped us sell the watches. If not for TV productions, no one would even know about it. They did a great job. I thought it was funny and got the point across,” Lee said.
Golf coach Matt Ackley along with the boy’s and girl’s golf teams began selling the watches as a way to earn money for their team.
“We began selling the watches as a fundraiser to help raise money specifically for our equipment and tournament fees. They’ve been profitable. We’ve sold around 75 and they’re 15 dollars each. Our season’s ending but we’ll keep selling them. We’re planning on selling them in the Commons every Wednesday or every other Wednesday,” Ackley said.
Lee attests to the high price of funding the golf program.
“We’re selling the watches to raise money for the golf program. It helps us with things such as bags and balls. We lost a lot of golf balls and it can be expensive to replace them. It also costs a
lot just to play. We practice four days a week and play around two,” Lee said.
When first approached with the idea to sell watches, Ackley was doubtful.
“The kids who had seen things like [the watches] before came up with the idea. It had to grow on me. I originally thought that it would take way more than the 12 people we have to push this idea. It’s so expensive. Most fundraisers have around 100 people. But the kids made it
work,” Ackley said.The golf team currently sells two types of
watches.“There are two styles: a women’s style and a
men’s style. The women’s style is pink and has little rhinestones on it. It’s really cute,” Lee said.
In addition to marketing the watches through TV productions, Ackley also brings the watches to school events.
“There’s the promotion we’re using through
TV productions. I thought they did an amazing job. We’ve also been taking them to things like parent week to sell. [The watch] isn’t a Rolex but it’s good for what it is,” Ackley said.
Lee believes that wearing a watch is a good way to demonstrate pride in the school.
“Everyone should buy a watch. It’s a great way to show school spirit. Show off your Oviedo pride. School spirit is the most important thing,” Lee said.
Name DefinitionAlbatross three strokes under parEagle two strokes under parBirdie one stroke under parPar equal to parBogey one stroke over parDouble bogey two strokes over parTriple bogey three strokes over parPutter club used for short range around the cupWedge type of putter used for higher loftWood club used for long-distance drivesIron most versatile club Hybird cross club between an iron and woodChipper club used for low speed swing and lift
phot
o/A
MA
ND
A F
ERG
USO
N
Golf Glossary
info courtesy/WWW.PGA.COM
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | advertisements | THE LION’S TALE 25
26 THE LION’S TALE | sports | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
Stein dreams of going pro by Leigha Bennett
READY, AIM, FIRE. Senior Will Cutler aims at his own target in his backyard where he practices paintballing.
The sun beats down on senior Brandon Stein’s back as his surrounding go silent. He steps carefully behind the
inflatable bunkers, looking for his next target. As the unsuspecting target enters Stein’s view, his finger begins to itch for the trigger.
Pop, pop, pop.The silence is broken as small splatters
of paint appear on Stein’s target. His team rejoices as another victory has been added to their list.
Stein is currently involved in a seven man team named Ratatouille. He met his teammates at Addiction Paintball, during tryouts for a team. And they’ve been
playing together ever since.“We practice every
other Sunday at Hypersports,” Stein
said.By the end of this month, Hypersports
park will be closing, forcing Stein and his team to look for new places to practice.
But with all the practice that they have completed, Ratatouille holds three mini-tournament victories under their belt. Sixteen teams compete in triple elimination, winning up to $5000 in cold hard cash, and new guns for the team. The season for paintball starts in August and continues to mid-October then
restarts in January through May. Teams join leagues by building points,
separating Division 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, semi pro, and pro. Stein just happens to be
close to a member of the professional league, his uncle.
His uncle, Dennis Olson, sparked Stein’s love for paintball nearly five years ago.
Olson leads the Chicago Legend professional paintball team. Chicago
Legend currently holds the rank of #2 in the professional division of the NPPL and just recently won the DC paintball Championship.
Soon, Stein plans to join the big leagues by branching off his team to join his uncle’s to travel and play across the country with him.
“[I plan on] practicing with my uncle and touring with him all over the country,” Stein said
For 15 years, men and women of all ages have been running across paintball fields in all different scenarios. WarPig.com states that paintball can be considered similar to a game of chess. Players have the ability to think and act quickly and diversely. Paintball requires intelligence, determination, not just physical fitness.
It also builds character, letting teammates interact in a certain ways with friends or complete strangers. Each person learns about teamwork, self-confidence, and the ability to develop leadership skills.
Some military programs even use paintball as a training technique to develop accuracy, speed, and gun handling skills. Having an uncle who is a part of the NPPL can come in handy, especially with all of his professional sponsorships. Stein explains that paintball can rack up some serious bucks, and that his uncle actually sends him some equipment.
Even though it can be expensive, and can leave welts, Stein still encourages people go paintballing.
“Just go out and do it. Don’t play scared and wear your gear,” Stein said. “Everything should go good. It stings, but the pain goes away in about ten seconds.”
Along with Stein, fellow senior Will Cutler also has a need for some adrenaline.
Roughly six years ago, Cutler shot his first paintball and immediately got hooked.
“The game itself attracted me,” Cutler said. “It’s the rush you get from it.”
Just for fun, Cutler goes to either Orlando Paintball or Addictions Paintball about six times a year with his friends. It was his friends who took him for his first time.
For people interested in playing paintball, either professionally or just for fun, Cutler and Stein both encourage them to go out and try.
“It’s definitely something worth putting some time into,” Stein said.
photo/AMANDA FERGUSON
Orlando Paintball Admission: $10.95500 Paintballs: $26.95Distance: 18.4 miles
Hypersports Park Admission: $16.95
500 Paintballs: 15.95 Distance: 45.8 miles
Paintball World Admission: $15.95500 Paintballs: $19.95 Distance: 22.7 miles
Central Florida Paintball Admission: $16.95500 Paintballs: $15.95Distance: 75.2 miles
Admission: $10.00 500 Paintballs: $15.00 Distance: 45.8 miles
Local Paintballing Pricing
Xtreme Paintball Xperience
Check out these local places to practice your paintballing skills.
Make sports a high school requirement
On the sidelines...
Roar Board //////
1. What are you looking forward to most about college? Not having to eat my mom’s food.
2. What quality do you possess that sets you apart from everyone?I try to stay positive and light about everything, I take serious situations and make them funny.
3. If you could have any exotic pet, what would it be?A tame fire breathing dragon that could burn up houses of people, and I could use the excuse that it ate my homework.
4. How did you get asked to homecoming? We were at the Conference meet for cross country, which is the big meet that would get us bragging rights in Seminole County. I felt like I ran horribly and I felt like I was going to pass out and Alex [Perez] was waiting with a sign that said “Homecoming?” and my favorite flowers.
5. What are you most proud of?Maintaining my sanity junior year when I was only getting like five hours of sleep each night. ph
oto/
AM
AN
DA
FER
GU
SON
With Natalie Shepherd
AMANDA FERGUSON WEBSITE EDITOR
Football team wins districts againThe football team has won districts three years running. The
team has been practicing for these games all season long. “We spent a lot of time going over game plans and working on
specific things for each game,” junior Kent Meredeth said. The team played Winter Springs High School on Fri, Nov. 4 at
home and won 42-20. This left the team undefeated in the district championships.
Now the district champions move on to play Lake Mary High School on Fri, Nov. 11at home for homecoming.
“We’ve come off of three great wins in a row, and we want to keep the momentum going as we head into the playoffs. Lake Mary has a good team, but we’re going to practice hard and prepare all week, then we’ll play some Oviedo Football on Friday night,” senior Jacob Garrett said.
Volleyball team defeats Lake HowellThe girls volleyball team started districts on Wed., Oct 26 and
they played Lake Howell. The team dominated, winning 25-9, 25-16, and 25-17. The team moved on to play Winter Springs, but lost 25-20, 25-15, and 25-10.
“We had a lot more fun this year even though we are working just as hard, it is just a better environment,” senior Jill Loiars said.
The team plays Winter Springs for Regionals Tues., Nov. 8. Cross country heads to stateThe cross-country team went to conference on Wed., Oct. 26.
Both varsity and junior varsity girls came in second place. Varsity boys placed fourth and junior varsity boys came in first.
The team competed in district on Sat., Nov. 5. Boys placed third and girls brought home a fourth place victory. Now the teams move on to regionals in Gainesville.
Cheerleaders prepare for season Varsity cheerleading team practices two days a week to prepare
for their upcoming competition season that begins in December with regional championships. The girls are having trouble because the team brought on a lot of new people.
“We are trying to get new people to do stunts, because we brought on new people we had to form new stunt groups,” junior Darby Maniccia said.
Girls swimming goes undefeated The girls swimming team went undefeated in the conference
meet on Thurs, Oct. 27. The boys team placed 4th. In district championships, the boys placed 5th and the girls
brought home a first place victory. Regional championships took place Thurs., Nov. 3. Three boys
will advance to states. Five girls will be going to states as well.
SPRINT TO
THE END. Senior Natalie Shephard runs during practice to prepare for the next cross country meet.
photo/COURTESY OF PAT STANFORTH
Sports are a vital part of many students lives here at Oviedo. I think sports are needed to help students plan and balance
their schedule. Sports keep students active, and they can allow them to meet friends. I think at least one season of sports should be required for graduation.
Time management is an essential skill that you will need for the rest of your life. In high school, you have to think about the time that you have available before you do things like join a team, take an AP class, join a club, or get a job.
Sports teams practice almost every day and have games all week. That is a lot of time to devote to one thing; it takes time away from the student’s studying and socializing time.
However, I think it is healthy for students to be a part of a team because it teaches them to utilize every second of their day to accomplish things that they need to get done.
Of course, sports have their obvious benefit. They keep students active and physically fit. Just having personal fitness and one semester of any other gym class is not enough. It doesn’t instill the importance of fitness.
Students who don’t play sports generally get home from school and do some homework, then sit in front of their computer and television the rest of the day. There is no exercise incorporated into their daily schedule.
Students that are involved with sports participate in conditioning, and muscle building exercises. Students also have to eat healthier so that they have the energy to participate and keep up.
Socializing with classmates about a class is a good way to gain acquaintances, but being in-volved in a sports team and spending hours after school together builds strong friendships.
Sports allow students to meet people with the same interests. For example, girls on the tennis team both love tennis and they can play together on the weekends.
Sometimes it can work the other way around though. Two friends may decide to do a sport to-gether to become more active in the campus life.
The friendships that derive from sports teams are often the most meaningful and the long last-ing friendships. Friends can continue their sport into college together and go to the same school.
The values one acquires through sports are too important to bypass. The one season of lacrosse I played has made me a successful per-son. One season of a sport should be require for graduations because it would teach students how to manage their time, it would make student a little more athletic, and it would open up the door for new relationships.
GOING ALL OUT. The band and color guard travelled to Atlanta, Georgia on Fri., Oct. 28 to compete in Bands of America, which is a regional competetion. The team performed on Saturday morning at 8:15. The band placed 21 out of the 32 bands that competed. The band travelled home on Sun., Oct. 30. Now they have focused their attention on being ready for Music Performance Assessment on Sat., Nov. 5. “We had our final after school rehearsal on Wednesday. which was also our Halloween rehearsal. Everyone dressed up. At the rehearsal we did ‘kill drill’, which is basically when we start from the beginning of the show and run it until someone makes a mistake and then we have to start over again,” senior Shelby Massey said.
NOVEMBER 4, 2011 | sports | THE LION’S TALE 27
Roar for a
Cure
FIRE WHEN
READY 1. Senior Anthony Gonzalez prepares to throw the ball. 2. Senior Steven Manos takes a step back before throwing the ball. 3. Seniors Alec Sanzone and Eddie Squire eye their opponents on ‘Deb’s Newsies’. 4. Senior Alex Perez shares a laugh with teammates, senior Andrew Cranston and sophomore Davis Goodman after getting out an opponent.
GIRL POWER. Seniors Allie Boyd and Krystie Quackenbush prepare to throw the ball while playing against the Weiners.
all photos/DUCA, JAQUETH
Seventeen teams participated in the Roar for a Cure dodgeball game on Wed., Oct. 19. According to geometry teacher Anna Hollis-Childress, the tournament raised
over $1,000. All of the procedes were donated to the Susan B. Komen foundation for breast cancer.
Many participants, including senior Richie Mastroberte, hope the tournament will be repeated in the spring.
“The dodgeball tournament was fun and well organized. I seriously hope there is another one so the Lax Bros can come back and redeem themselves”, Mastroberte said.
Sophomore Tyler Hayden agrees.“I thought the games were a lot of fun to participate in and
watch. I’m glad it was a two game elimation,” Hayden said.
1 2 3
4
A grand raised for cancer
SENIORITAS WITH MUSTACHES . Seniors Jill Loiars, Kayla Joyce, Julie Brown, Jessica Amador and algebra two teacher Jen Dardy formed the team the “Weiners”. The Weiners were the winners of the girl division of the tournament.
28 THE LION’S TALE | features | NOVEMBER 4, 2011
