LION’STALE
OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL 32765 • NOVEMBER 18, 2013 • VOLUME 55 • ISSUE 2
// // // features
news
A look into the reality of binge drinking for three teens.
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sports
Will schools begin to monitor online activity?
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Girls volleyball makes history at state championships.
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02
( news sports )
THE LION’S TALE
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NOVEMBER 18, 2013
THE SCOOP
Lundquist announces retirement Principal R o b e r t Lundquist retires June30, 2014 after 40 years in public school education. Lundquist says that he possesses. a great fondness for what he does, but he has made the decision to enjoy time with his wife as well as travel and do things he has always wanted to do like gardening and carpentry work. According to Lundquist he is trying to make the most of the time he has left. “I want to give it my all, finish the race and make sure that I leave Oviedo High School in a better place,” Lundquist said.
Debaters win third place At Wekiva High School, the public forum debate team landed third in the biggest tournament the North Florida Catholic Forensic Leagues has ever held. Seniors Daniel Hernandez and Brandon Crittenden won third place out of 26 teams in public forum debate about NSA Surveillance.
Teens explore robotics The Robotics club started work on their robots for competition. Their 12 current members are entered in some of the six groups for competition: Mechanical, Coding, Electrical, Video, Website, and Outreach. The Robotics Club meets in physics teacher Sean Gallagher’s room Wednesdays 1:30-4, Fridays 2:30-5, and Saturdays1-5.
Kudos to Seniors Seniors Maria Bacci, Brittany Pagano, and Sara Koenecy qualify as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship for 2013-2014 year. The National Merit Scholar Corporation looks at PSAT scores to choose from the highest in the state. From 16,000 semifinalists, 15,000 finalists are chosen. National Merit Scholarship winners are awarded $2,500 corporatesponsored scholarships, according to nationalmerit.org.
Government shutdown angers teens S illustration/KATHY GRIFFIN
by Alex Browning
ome students paid no attention as the country almost lunged off the fiscal cliff. Others held on for dear life. “I don’t think it was right to shutdown the government because they didn’t really find a solution. Instead they found a temporary solution,” said sophomore Valentina Gamero. On Monday Sept. 30, 2013, a group of Republicans in congress lead by Ted Cruz made a decision to shutdown the U.S. They hoped to stop the Affordable Care Act or better known as Obamacare from proceeding. The shutdown lasted until Oct. 16, 2013. This is not the first time the government has shutdown and withheld funding. The last shutdown started in 1995 through 1996, lasting 21 days. The bill passed to keep the government running is predicted to expire on Jan. 15 and the debt ceiling will be raised until Feb. 7. “I’d rather they reached a decision on the budget but since they haven’t it seems to be the only logical option,” junior Emily McCreary said. A pro for Obamacare according to obamacarefacts.com is that the average American will most likely see a reduction in their insurance premiums and 30 of the 44 million without insurance will gain access to coverage via the “Obamacare” exchanges, Medicare or Medicaid. A downside to this would be workers could see a decrease in quality of health insurance plans offered by employers.
According to senior Jonathan Coleman the Dow [market] dropped 100 points then came back 200 points, he sees it as improving the economy. Some believe there could be other downsides to the Affordable Care Act. “I mean there are exceptions but I think that people who work hard for their money shouldn’t have to give a lot of their money to people who don’t,” Coleman said. The shutdown hurt families all over the U.S. including Oviedo high school parents and students. Senior Michael Burns was affected by the shutdown as well as his mother. “My mom is a manager of the non-essential employees and basically when the government shutdown all the resources she needed to get work done were gone,” said Burns, “so she was there having to stay in the office and expected to get things done and couldn’t. At the same time all her employees got sent home and she had to volunteer.” Burns is a pilot in training at Merritt Island Pilot School. “The government funded that before they shutdown and when they did that funding stopped. So I had to quit my training.” Burn’s training resumed, but he fears that because of the predicted second shutdown in January, his training will cease again. “I love the freedom of flying. There’s no stop lights. And as long as you pretty much don’t hit anybody your free to do as you please.” Burns has only flown a Cessna 172 but would like to try other planes later on.
Burns hopes to go into to the Air Force. “I plan on applying to the Air Force Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy after high school.” said Burns. “But if I don’t make it into those I do plan on going to a four year college and then going into the military.” Burns feels that the shutdown should not have happened. Said Burns,“I don’t believe that the Republicans involved should have shutdown the government. I feel like they could have worked towards a better compromise instead of letting it go so far as to shutdown the government.”
alexb@thelionstale.com
The top five things students would miss if they shutdown: 1) WI-FI 2) Chick-fil-a 3) Twitter 4) Instagram 5) Taco Bell
NOVEMBER 18, 2013 | news | THE LION’S TALE 03
Committee considers issue of cell phone cheating The Facts of info/COUTRESY OF CASTLE-GRASS.COM
by Sabrina Omar
T Cheating -
he question hangs in the air. Is cell phone cheating on campus a major problem? Over the summer, the Building Committee, a group of teachers who meet to discuss issues, considered the question of cell phone cheating. - the act The discussion centered on whether a committee needed to be formed in order to of representing another’s keep cell phone cheating to a minimum. The work as your own or acting decision was postponed in order to explore the dishonestly in order to gain problem first. “I believe it’s suspected that we really an unfair advantage don’t have concrete evidence that it exists in our school,” said Principal Robert Lundquist of “high- Lundquist stated that the committee plans to continue to explore if there is a need for a achieving” cell phone cheating committee. A poll taken Nov. 5, during second lunch, high out of 100 students, found that 74 percent school students admit to admitted to seeing their fellow peers cheat. “I’ve seen people sit together and actually cheating take the time to plan out how they’ll cheat on a test through their cell phones,” sophomore of cheating Megan Hopkins said. “There are people I’ve seen who have high school friends that take a test before them in the same students said class, and would ask their friends to send them a picture of the actual test before [it was] their that they have not time to take it,” said junior Julie Choi. been detected Junior Catherine Treskovich believes the popularity of cell phones, especially smart phones, caused the cheating rate to rise. “With cell phones being used to cheat, I’m sure the rate of cheating has gone up because answers are now easily accessible. Instead of the old-fashioned holding answers under your desk [you can look answers up]. The possibilities to cheat expands with improvement, which makes it easier for students to cheat and harder for teachers to
CHEAT-ING
80%
95%
high school cheating is at an all time high
cheating occurs most in
Math and Science
catch,” Treskovich said. With this, it’s just as important to know that there are students who also admit to believing the cheating isn’t as prominent as others would like to think. “It could just be the classes I’m in but I just don’t see it very much,” said junior Rachel Wang. The remaining 26 percent of students polled believe that cell phone cheating in particular isn’t a problem. The act of cheating is nothing new, but with the rise of handheld devices like the everimproving smart phones, new doors opened with possibilities of ways to cheat. These new ways to cheat must now be countered by teachers in order to keep their classrooms “cheat-free.” Spanish teacher Adelaida Ehinger says she makes sure students don’t have their phones out by doing things like walking around, or watching over them while an assessment is being taken. Ehinger isn’t the only teacher who tries to keep her classes free of cheating. AP Language and Composition teacher Shayna Hron takes certain precautions as well. “I always separate my desks during quizzes and tests. Generally speaking I trust my students,” Hron said. “ It’s hard because if you’re caught cheating in college you get kicked out of the school. Students don’t understand that if it’s a habit that they have in high school they’re going to continue that habit into college and the only one they’re really cheating is themselves, out of that education. It doesn’t affect me in any way. It’s only affecting them,” Hron said. According to the Seminole County Code of Conduct, cheating violates the Honor Code. Students found in violation of this code may
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Z. Miller
Mostly, cheating occurred by students struggling to pass.
Now:
The average, college-bound student is more likely to cheat.
sabrinao@thelionstale.com
Should the school make a committee to investigate cell phone cheating?
classes
Then:
lose academic and extracurricular privileges. Every offense is met with a zero on the assignment and parent contact. The first offense comes with a Saturday School, the second offense an In-School Suspension, and the third offense an Out-Of-School Suspension. Hron also sees different types of cheating within her classes. Hron said, “I find that there’s more deliberate copying in standard classes. I think with my honors and AP classes there will be more ‘intelligent cheating’. “For example in AP classes I’ve had students go and research the different AP exams there are, pull them up, pull up the answers and then they will skip the day I give an AP test, find out what exam I was giving, then some come in the next day knowing all the answers,” Hron said. According the US News website, students say that the lack of person-to-person contact in new 21st-century methods of cheating make it harder for them to feel as if they’re doing something wrong. Others see texting during tests simply as helping one another, as opposed to looking at someone else’s paper during an exam, which they consider cheating.” Hron believes students aren’t as scared about cheating with cell phones. She believes they feel confident about it because it’s easier to deny it when you just have your phone in your lap you could simply say something like, “Oh, I was just texting my mom,” While the amount of cell phone cheating still remains under investigation, each and every student should be prepared for the repercussions if caught. Treskovich said, “If you want to go ahead and cheat, it’s your grade. You should be prepared for the consequences.”
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‘15
I don’t think something as small a problem as cell phone cheating really requires a full-on committee. I mean, I don’t really see the harm in it because I don’t really see it as that big of an issue.
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Cell phone cheating doesn’t really happen that often. Teachers are pretty vigilante, and if they’re not vigilante enough to see a cell phone under a desk then they should rethink M. Miner ‘14 their teaching strategy.
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Yes, because cell phone cheating is deteramental to the school environment.
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J. Piety
‘16
H. Dickson ‘17
Yes, because cell phone cheating is very bad, and you don’t really learn when you do it.
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THE LION’S TALE
| news | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
Write On OHS “
My number one complaint as a teacher is that students don’t take the time to thoroughly revise and edit (two separate tasks by the way); they seem to feel that once a paper is written the first time, that’s it. Done. Unfortunately, this is not the case. and the clarity and quality of their writing suffers.
Kimberly Finnegan
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photo/TIERNEY SALZMANN
WRITER’S CRAMP. Senior Jocelyn Beckert helps Dominque Bing with an English assignment.
Peer tutors volunteer time to help fellow classmates improve writing by Kassandra Saliba
“Lots of people come back a second time to make inth grade English Honors teacher Amanda Dickson sure the corrections they made are correct,” senior NaKeia Robinson said. sparked the idea that’s now the writing center. According to Dickson, the English Honor Society “I always knew I wanted to be a part of the school but none of the clubs were for me. I wanted to run a more consultants are dedicated and they run the center like a university runs theirs but on a much smaller scale. formal center like the universities,” Dickson said. “When you walk in, they give you a sheet of paper The writing center is the first for Seminole County Schools and plans call for the center to become more ac- to fill out with questions about what you need help with. You get assigned to one of the consultants there and they cessible. The writing center is open on Tuesday and Thursdays look over your paper with you step by step. When you’re from 2:30-3:30 p.m. in the Media Center. There are 26 finished, they give you a paper signed that you have been trained consultants and when the center is open up to six there,” said freshman Makaila Cowart. The volunteer students do not write the papers. Inconsultants are available at any time to help students. stead, the volunteers ask “I would like to be able Writing is an invaluable skill. I wish I had it the students what questo open the writing center tions they have about up during lunch also. in my high school. It’s a remarkable tool. writing the paper and So, stay tuned as we Amanda Dickson send them home with a develop that plan in the plan. future,” said assistant principal Trent Daniel. “Response has been surprising. A lot of students have Dickson hopes that the writing center will eventually become a class, not just something that happens twice a been excited and have had success in their classrooms week after school. She still wants student consultants to after visiting the center,” said Dickson. According to Daniels, students will begin to use the be the one to help and teach the students. The Writing Centers purpose is to see the writing im- center on a regular basis and will see growth in their own writing. She says this is really the only way students can prove and to see it happening outside the classrooms. “The consultants are the backbone of this center, hav- receive concentrated, one-on-one writing counseling priing people who are kind and relatable and most times, or to college entrance. Dickson said, “Writing is an invaluable skill. I wish just there to listen is the most important aspect,” Dickson I had it in my high school. It’s a remarkable tool. I have said. The students who volunteer are part of the English had a great experience using a center and thought that Honor Society Epsilon Nu Gamma. Dickson held hour high school students should have it too.” training sessions for the consultants showing them what mistakes to look for and how to address them with the students. One visit is sometimes not enough for serious writers. kasandras@thelionstale.com
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photo/MILES MINER
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. Senior Austin Reinhart attends after school tutoring in the media center to get help with math.
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photo/MILES MINER
HONE YOUR SKILLS. Sophomore Rodney King and senior Austin Reinhart discuss how to solve an alegebra problem.
November 18, 2013 |
news
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THE LION’S TALE
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More to know about social media: • Based on research done by Reppler, a social network monitoring website, in 2010, 70 percent of people recruiting for jobs said they rejected applicants due to disapproved information they found about them online. • Colleges are starting to look at students’ Facebook pages when their applications are sent in to help evaluate whether they should be accepted. • A survey of 500 top colleges found that 10 percent of admissions officers looked at students social-networking sites.
Will schools begin to monitor online activity? by C. Omar and S. Corrigan
firm to report on 14,000 students’ online activity. lorida’s new cyberbullying law gives The program saw success early on. This fall, schools permission to examine bullying school officials discovered a student talking incidents that happen off campus if the about taking his own life and intervened to problem interferes with a student’s ability prevent that from happening. “I think if they [monitored] the school to attend school. The Florida School Boards Association anticipates more schools to consider computers it’d be fine, but outside of that, no. I monitoring students’ personal social media don’t want to be hauled to the principals’ office accounts, according to an article from the My because I posted “43 days and the wait will be over” only to find out they thought it was a Fox Tampa Bay website. “Anything that happens on campus is our terrorist attack reference [when] I was really business and so if it’s school related I think talking about Doctor Who,” said sophomore Andie Tibbetts. the principal, teachers, Facebook announced school resource officers that they would allow We have this whole new [all] have the right to look teenagers to share more into it. If it happens off breed of coward that’s and restrict less on their campus, we now have a bullying from the back of profiles. That permits new law that was passed schools to view profiles the computer screen on a last legislative session easily. Facebook’s relaxed [that covers that],” keyboard. rules will allow teens Ginnie Love said Wayne Blanton, ages 13 to 17 the option executive director of the of sharing all photos, Florida School Boards statuses, and updates with the general public. Association. According to The New York Times article In an article that appeared on Oct. 16 on the My Fox Tampa Bay website, Blanton said, “I titled “Warily, Schools Watch Students on the think we’re going to try to set up systems around Internet” from Oct. 28, some students claim the state where you can intermittently look at cases admitting that their school violates their some students’ emails and things of that nature.” freedom of speech, and sometimes they win. In Oviedo High School counselor Marcia 2011, a court in Indiana ruled that the school Lightsey believes screening students’ profiles officials violated some students’ privacy when may help, but says it would also run the risk of they punished them for posting inappropriate sacrificing some degree of privacy of students pictures on Facebook. Again in 2009, another and their communication and she doesn’t think court in Indiana ruled to protect the speech of the that it’s the schools responsibility to monitor girls involved who posted raunchy photos. However, if a student threatens another [students’ online behavior]. California already allowed several school student or makes criminal-like comments, then districts to monitor student’s online posts, the school can take lawful action and enforce including Facebook, Twitter, and other social consequences. As long as the school simply media. Florida’s law, House bill 609, went skims public activity, it does not violate the First into effect on July 1, with an additional Amendment. Junior Sierra Falconer expressed her opinion “cyberbullying” section. The district in Glendale, California, hired a on the matter.
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“I think schools looking at students’ [online activity] should be like police searches, they shouldn’t be able to do it without probable cause,” said Falconer. As technology becomes more accessible, face-to-face confrontation becomes less common. “What we ordinarily knew as bullying was people pushing each other in the halls… and now, with Facebook and Twitter, computers and email. I think you’re seeing a lot of cyberbullying. And one of the things the school system is concentrating on right now is the training of teachers, students, school resource officers, and principals about cyberbullying and how to prevent it,” said Blanton. Social media expansion takes privacy limits to a new level, distressing students all over the country. “To a certain extent, what is said online should be held against students. The way I see it, is if they did or said something in person that would get them in trouble, the same punishment should exist online,” said sophomore Elizabeth Tammi. However, some students, like sophomore Kaitlyn Montcrieff, disagree. “It’s the child’s guardian’s responsibility to punish their charge accordingly so the school shouldn’t get involved unless absolutely necessary,” said Montcrieff. This difference of opinion shows the controversial nature of this issue. Schools have the right to hand over any case to the police if the severity entails it explains Blanton. “The principal of the school would have to make a decision as to whether they [are] going to investigate it or turn it over to law enforcement,” said Blanton. Mental health counselor Ginnie Love believes technology fosters this increase in bullying. “We have this whole new breed of coward that’s bullying from the back of a computer screen on a keyboard,” said Love.
Do you think Florida should allow schools to monitor students’ social media?
44% Yes
56% No
Do you think it’s important for colleges to look up your Facebook to help evaluate your college application when you send it in?
24% For 76% Against
These polls were taken during lunch between Oct. 23 and Oct. 29. One hundred students were surveyed for each poll. In any case, schools need probable cause to look into students’ online lives, Blanton said. “If a parent or student reports it to us, we now have the legal authority to look into [the problem],” said Blanton. Blanton reassures those who worry about the school always watching. Blanton said, “I just don’t know how you would physically even think about monitoring a student’s personal email or Facebook or something of that nature. None of the districts that I know of in Florida are even thinking about doing that.”
camillao@thelionstale.com stephaniec@thelionstale.com
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(opinion sports )
THE LION’S TALE
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LION’STALE
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL • NOV. 18, 2013 • VOLUME 54 • ISSUE 2
Co-Editors Stephanie Corrigan Keenan Smith Alexis Diblanda Alex White Bridgette Holland Layout Editor Jaimie Landers Allison Owen Brendan McCoy News Editor Camilla Omar Clara Shine Sabrina Omar Opinion Editor Nicholas Rodriguez Amyliz Rodriguez Sienna Marshall Features Editors Carlos Suarez Kassandra Saliba Colton Weisent Chris Moskal Brandon White Sports Editor Faculty Adviser Lyndsey Taylor Deborah Jepson Advertising Editor Admin Adviser Daniel Hernandez Drew Morgan Photographers Principal Miles Miner Robert Lundquist Tierney Salzmann Oviedo High School Staff Artists 601 King Street Harry Allen Oviedo, FL 32765 Catherine Griffith Phone: 407-320-4199 Lauren Hight Fax: 407-320-4213 Staff Reporters Population: Alex Browning 2096 Students Sterling Corum 28 Staff members Mission Statement
The 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.
Reader Contributions
Letters 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 Policy
Put down the OUR WORD
I
Phone
Students need to hang up on damaging cell phone addiction
t’s a fact. Cell phones are the primary communication tool of both teenagers and adults. And our classrooms are full of them. We at the Lion’s Tale believe students have become too dependent on cell phones and the educational process of learning is being compromised by this addiction. Unlike other addictions such as drug, gambling or alcohol addictions, cell phone addiction is difficult to define. Although it is not yet defined in the DSM, or Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, experts state that it is characterized by feelings of withdrawal if one does not have it in their possession, compulsive checking of the device and using it to feel good about one’s self. In a study recently conducted by Baylor University and Seton Hall University, it was
found that young adults are the heaviest users of information and communication by sending a shocking average of 109.5 text messages a day, receiving just as many in return. Researchers found that materialism and impulsiveness lie behind these compulsive tendencies. Feeling a need to be socially connected may hardly seem like an addiction, especially since perpetual contact has become the norm. Yet there’s an irony that comes from it when there’s a constant connection either to-or interfacing with the cell phone and the quality of information recieved is inadequate. There’s a greater chance of social isolation when most of a person’s social life is passed through this device. We at the Lion’s Tale believe that cell-phone addiction is affecting the everyday schedule of students, taking away from the rigor provided in a classroom setting, stopping teachers from
keeping the attention of their students. As a result, vital information that needs to be learned is often ignored. One does not need to constantly check their phone when sitting in a classroom. Rather than worrying about where friends are at all times or what the latest Facebook status is, a student should be focused on their teacher and learning what is to be learned so that when the time for a test approaches, he or she does not feel the need to pull out their smartphone and search Google for the answers. Take time and try to separate from your electronic device. Turn off your cell phone, stick it in your backpack, and leave it there for an hour. Whatever separation anxieties one may feel, stay focused. If this is too difficult, we at the Lion’s Tale suggest talking to a counselor about cell phone addiction.
EDITORIAL CARTOON-County Employee examines students social media pages.
The 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.
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Submit letters to Deborah Jepson’s room 05-020 or via email to the writers of the stories
illustration/HARRY ALLEN
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
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opinion
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THE LION’S TALE
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Teen discovers passion for writing through favorite authors
by Clara Shine
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illustration/HARRY ALLEN
Hidden demons strike family leaving children devastated
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e all have those moments when we’re watching our favorite TV show and suddenly we find ourselves connecting with the current situation in that episode. I found myself watching Parenthood, a show telling the stories of four siblings experiencing the struggles of modern-day parenting. One of the sisters, Sarah (played A. Rodriguez ‘14 by Lauren Graham), struggles to give her two children the best possible life after separating from her rock star husband who was an alcoholic and a drug addict. Her son, Drew, feels abandoned and in need of his father, wondering why he would’ve ever left them in the first place. While watching the show at night like I normally do, I, too, found myself relating to Drew’s character in a multitude of ways. I felt a pang of excitement as I saw his father coming through the door, hugging him tight and saying “Hey, kiddo. I’ve missed you,” and I also felt that feeling of complete terror, the terror that his father would do nothing but build up his hopes of a united family only to break them back down with his lack of commitment. Suddenly I was overwhelmed with sadness.
I remembered my own life, my dad leaving when I was three and coming back when I was six only to leave again. I remembered the bad relationship that we had, how it was basically impossible to fix, and then I remembered the struggles my mom had trying to find a man to be that father figure in my little sister’s and my life. When I was 12 my mom met a guy named Bob. Guarded, I was reluctant to let him into our lives, into our family. Trusting people was one of my biggest conflicts. But as the year passed, Bob became a part of our lives. My mom loved him. My little sister and I loved him. I finally had someone to look up to as a dad. He moved in and we were all inseparable. He was good to us, protected us, fed us, played with us and cared for us. Sometimes it’s just hard to remember that everyone has their own demons hidden in that dark closet of our minds. Two years after being a family unit, things started going wrong. Bob struggled with those demons, those monsters from his past were latching onto his heart once more. And as he slipped from us, he began drinking. He was an alcoholic. I couldn’t understand why these things happened to my family. I gave it time and tried letting it pass, trying to convince myself that he would change, that the alcohol and the other things would go away-but they never did. They only got worse. On his birthday, my mom, little sister and I went out to buy him the new
Halo game because it was one of his favorites. He came home late, and you could smell the alcohol on his breath from the front door. Suddenly, it was a war zone. My mother yelled at him and he yelled back and I quickly found myself picking up my six year old sister and running to my room, barricading the door and hiding inside of a dark closet behind boxes. The next morning I woke up and walked out into destruction. There was glass on the floor and broken things everywhere. I walked into the other room and saw Bob packing his bags. The silence in that moment resounded so strongly. I held back tears and helped him pack preparing to say goodbye to a man who taught me to play video games on an Xbox and gave me courage to ride roller coasters- it felt like I was losing my dad all over again. The last thing I remember giving him was a picture of us on the Kraken at SeaWorld to remind him of the happiness he was leaving behind. Nothing but pain filled my house in the months that followed. My mom would hide in her car and cry until exhausted and I myself would hit things angrily and cry, wondering why I had to grow up with a father. Izzy and I aren’t allowed to see him. I wish I could tell him that after years of anger and resentment, I forgive him. Forgive his mistakes and his actions because, in my heart, he will always have a special place.
amylizr@thelionstale.com
don’t know if it was C.S Lewis or Edgar Allan Poe, Neal Shusterman or Rick Riordan, Darren Shan or Garth Nix who broke me. I don’t know if it was the tales of Harry Potter, the Pevensie children and other friends of Narnia, Percy Jackson or Darren Shan that finally made me go, “I C. Shine ‘15 want to do that.” They made me accept my unquestionable destiny that no matter what else I’m going to do with my life, I will be writing. Becoming a writer was never a choice, the only choice in this was trying to publish. A choice I’ve decided I want to do. Books have been my life and always will be. They’re satisfying and predictable. When one doesn’t follow a rule, it becomes exciting because you realize that the author could break a whole number of other rules as well. Something I learned from Garth Nix is people complain about how in other books everyone dies. It’s impossible to understand the true concept of “everyone dies” until you’ve read The Keys to the Kingdom. Rick Riordan breaks rules as well, but there are other things I admire him for. He writes beautiful female characters that, while they follow the type of tough-girl who can take care of herself (which, let’s face it, not all girls are), they have a depth of reality to them using weaknesses, soft spots, and added characteristics that give them more dimensions. Riordan also writes meaningful, nonromantic relationships that are hard to find in young adult books. He displays many different types of family examples, sibling support, best friends, as well as villain-hero emotional connections that most adventure novels lack. The grotesque beauty found in a short story by Edgar Allan Poe continues to amaze me. You know something gross and completely out there is about to happen, and yet, it’s nearly impossible to stop reading, to tear your eyes away from that upward rush to the story’s climax. When reading the Narnia books, you can visualize what’s happening in the world around the characters-the scenery, the clashing of swords, and feel the mighty duty pressed upon these kids. Finally, Neal Shusterman. His Unwind Destology series is the first futuristic book series that I’ve truly enjoyed mostly because it makes sense. There’s a timeline, an explanation of how society has changed to accept the harvesting of teenagers to become the norm as well as the changes afterwards caused by this. It’s a believable future. This is why I read. I want to learn from the young adult writers of now to collect and practice what I love about their books so I can apply them in mine. Every book I read is a learning experience. I learn what I like in them, and then by listening to what others are saying about them I learn what other teenagers and adults like. They are my inspiration.
claras@thelionstale.com
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
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opinion
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THE LION’S TALE
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Being tolerant means listening to beliefs not your own by Keenan Smith
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olerance is a golden virtue and a buzzword in society today. You can almost see etched on the rusted green frame of the Statue of Liberty, “Thou shalt be tolerant of others’ opinions.” This idea that is extremely important to the American people, developed because of our vast diversity and strong emphasis on equality. To all those who are late entering the discussion, tolerance is the willingness to ‘14 K. Smith accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own. In America’s melting pot, this is an important idea because many cultures, religions and ethnicities must live together peaceably. As a people, we claim to be open-minded and understanding, but are we truly tolerant of the opposing views of others, or do we only tolerate them as long as they agree with ours? I have experienced everything short of ridicule for my beliefs. My worldview is founded on many traditional standards and principles. However, after even just mentioning one of my views, I am often accused of being narrow-minded and even intolerant. Wait a second. I am intolerant for stating my beliefs? Aren’t those accusing me of intolerance actually the ones who are intolerant, red in the face, yelling at me because my views don’t fall in line with theirs? We generally like the idea of accepting others’ views, but the moment someone says something different from what we believe about politics, religion, or another sensitive topic, we move to name calling, and quickly stuff a gag in their mouth, silencing their beliefs. Tolerance today has morphed from being the right to free speech and discussion to the actual suppression of ideas or beliefs that do not line up with what the majority of people hold to be true. We need to be able to live with many types of cultures and perspectives, even if they are not the same as our own, trying our best to understand and listen to what others have to say and what they believe. I don’t think “tolerance” is the best word we could use for this attitude, however. I think “civility” is a better word for how we should behave towards others in conversation and action. We can respect what others believe, but still, in a civil manner, disagree. People of all beliefs have found their refuge and liberty in America. Treating each other with civility as a people moves us closer to the words actually inscribed on the statue: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” -and maybe even speak free.
keenans@thelionstale.com
illustration/ HARRY ALLEN
Club scene creeps columnist out by Alex White
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hat better way to spend your night than to go dancing to fun music, having a blast with your friends, meeting new people, forgetting all the bad things and living in the moment? FX Orlando is a mobile teen club that allows kids under 21 to run around and dance like monkeys on the dance floor. I recently went to one of these parties for the first time on A. White ‘16 Sept. 1 at the Fire and IceBar on International drive. I went with a bunch of my Hagerty friends and we had a girl’s night out. What a blast! Definitely worth $20! My parents fretted about letting me go because of the area and the kind of people and things that would be at the party. I get where they were coming from. We’re high schoolers, we’re not all angels. I was completely surprised at the security check before I was allowed into the party. The boys got patted down and slightly searched. The girl’s bags were checked and if we had gum we had to spit it out. We needed a student I.D. or some sort of identification. Although it was a fantastic night, the creepers were swarming like bees and ready to sting. Some were big; some were small, some
creepier than others. There were three different types of creepers there. 1.The shy creepers – these ones creep from afar and watch you like hawks. I’ll tell you, they were swoopin’ in. It often made me uncomfortable when they stared for long periods of time. They would lounge on the couches and peer at my friends and I. Eventually we had to escape the scene and move to a different spot on the dance floor away from their sight. One of them had a Kidz Bop shirt on. 2. The outgoing creepers- these kids invaded my personal space. They had bad breath and would try and talk to me so I would just walk away, maybe run if I had to. My friends and I only got chased once. But we would see them again throughout the night and flee. 3. The wingman creeper- these needed their friend or “wingman” to get them some action. I was standing by a large stool with my friend J-Bop. One smallish foreign creature pointed to his friend sitting right next to him. He’s beckoning to me to perform promiscuous dance moves. I said, “I’m so very sorry, mister. Thank you for your chivalry, but I will have to pass on this beloved offer”. Then they peered over to J-Bop and got out of there faster than a kangaroo on a pogo stick. All in all, there needs to be some decency in the boys’ behavior. If you are a boy and are guilty of preying on innocent girls in the FX crowd, think about your actions before you do it. alexw@thelionstale.com
Things you shouldn’t do in a club: Don’t take pictures- Most clubs are dark, so none of your pictures will come out, especially with your lousy Instagram filter. Don’t wait in line-the golden rule of life is that if you have to wait on line, you most likely do not belong there. Don’t fight security-plain and simple: you will never, ever win. Don’t take clothes or shoesThere is nothing sexy about taking any piece of clothing off in a club, and especially taking your shoes off. Don’t dance on anything above couch level-Under no circumstances should you risk your life by dancing on anything that is above the level of the couch.You will fall. info/COURTESY OF ELITEDAILY.COM
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THE LION’S TALE
| opinion | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
Does our government work? America in final phase of decline
Democracy is alive and well
by Nick Rodriguez
by Brendan McCoy
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opular opinion consigns Washington to the realm of political failure and institutional incompetence. Popular sentiment declares Washington unfit for the task of governing. They say Washington doesn’t work, they say Washington gets nothing done, and they, with fingers clenched and faces flustered, have often screamed and chanted for Washington’s demise. And yet, whatever the opinion of the public, that great bastion of political ineptitude, Congress, remains intact, its infrastructure virtually unchanged. The public is outraged, infuriated by Washington’s political inactivity, and has condemned Congress with its lowest approval rating, just 9%. Yet Congress, somehow, remains untouched. If Democracy is a means of representing the people’s preferences in government, and if Congress remains, for all intents and purposes, immune to election cycles, is American democracy still democratic? Reelection rates are at an unprecedented 95%; term after term, politicians are placed back into their plush Congressional chairs, virtually guaranteed of their next election, yet six-in-10 voters say they would vote to “defeat and replace every single member of Congress if they had the option to do so” (Wall Street Journal poll). If the standard by which Democratic government is judged is the degree to which the people’s preferences are represented in Congress, why is it that term after term Congressional elections continue to turn out the same politicians? Democracy is ultimately conditional. So
long as a Democratic state can retain an educated electorate, reasonably informed on public policy, its Democracy will remain vital and robust. When, however, that electorate lapses, when the people vote too much according to their feeling rather than to the dictates of reason, Democracy in turn lapses and becomes susceptible to corruption. And America has certainly fallen privy to the latter. The electorate does not vote according to a reasonable assessment of a candidate’s political merits, but rather the voters do what their “gut” tells them to do. And as you might very well know, the colloquial “gut” isn’t always a very good measure of the political niceties of U.S. domestic policy. Thus, it is truly that electoral “gut” that has ushered in the end of US Democracy. An impressionable electorate is an electorate that can be led and an electorate that can be manipulated. It is that seeming impressionability that makes the American people susceptible to the psychological games politicians and their supporters regularly employ to get their candidate reelected. Indeed, democracy is dead, American democracy has reached its final phase. The advent of communication technology has brought in a new era of political manipulation. Through media advertisements, televised commercials, etc. politicians can now, more than ever, manipulate their “impressionable” electorates, securing their offices against the inconveniences of democracy. Now more than ever, we may witness, in this new millennium, the invention of a new pseudodemocratic oligarchy, a rule by the minority that will, in the end, succeed American democracy. nickr@thelionstale.com
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ur government works. It may not appear to be working smoothly, but since when has democracy ever been a simple process? A system that allows input from every side of an issue will have its fair share of obstacles; the federal shutdown being one of them. The shutdown happened because a group of representatives in the House of Representatives decided that stopping a budget bill would be what their constituents wanted or in their best interest. From that viewpoint, the government works beautifully. The voice of the opposition is being heard, and that’s the point of a democracy and a fundamental principle of American politics. Our government also works because the will of the people can still affect how it functions. During the shutdown, the anger of voters forced the House of Representatives to finally come to an agreement on the federal budget. Once the Republicans realized how angry the people who would vote on their seats in 2014 were about them shutting down the government, they were a little more willing to negotiate, and now the government works even more smoothly than before. Keeping the power of the three branches balanced also falls under the responsibilities
of the government. James Madison once said “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands… may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” Clearly, power is evenly distributed throughout the government. For example, the way the White House, the lower house of Congress, and the Supreme Court simultaneously flex their political muscles with regards to the Affordable Care Act. The executive branch is all set to begin enforcing the bill after the Supreme Court affirmed the law’s constitutionality, and The House of Representatives has continually tried to block the law by bringing the federal government to a standstill. If our government didn’t work, we would surely notice. The word democracy comes from the Greek work for “people’s power”, and power in the United States is definitely in the hands of the people. Whenever the political process comes to a crossroads or a halt, what ends the stalemate is always the will of the voting public. But to make our democracy function even better, complacency is not an option and people need to be educated about the political process so they can choose representatives who will represent them, and not the ideals of a party whose only job is to keep their people in power.
brendanm@thelionstale.com
Issues separating Democrats and Republicans Democrats Support healthcare reform
Environment awarness and protection
Push for lower military spending
Want larger economic government
Republicans Favor prolife policies
Supporting large corporations through tax breaks
Support customary definiton of marriage
Encourage right to bear and keep arms
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(features sports )
THE LION’S TALE
|
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
Foreign teachers blown away by campus Partner with OHS to learn new instruction methods by Bridgette Holland
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photo/TIERNEY SALZMANN
ATTENTION PLEASE. Koffi Kouadio explains the process of the naming ceremony in his country.
shocked Koffi Kouadio surveyed the Oviedo High School campus for the first time five weeks ago. “It’s quite beautiful for a high school. It’s big, and the first time I came here, I got lost. In my country, it is a university, and it’s just a high school here,” said Ivory Coast high school Teacher Koffi Kouadio about the first day of his teacher exchange. UCF facilitates an exchange program that allows foreign teachers to travel internationally and partner with another teacher for a while, learning different instructing methods along the way. “It has changed my teaching because it has opened my mind to some new concepts and new ideas,” said English III Honors teacher Paul Brown. Kouadio with Brown discovered many similarities between them, and enjoyed working together immensely. While here, exchange teachers as well as the hosts learn the other’s style of teaching, collaborate on lesson plans, and discover the differences between one country and another. “We take time daily to talk about what would go well [with each planned lesson] from a perspective standpoint,” said Brown. Brown and Kouadio worked over the past few weeks to bring varying viewpoints to the classroom. “We set out to really connect American experience and perspective with African experience and perspective,” said Brown. Oviedo High School enjoys a wide range of freedoms and luxuries according to the exchange teachers. Kouadio marvels at the
accessibility and convenience the facilities. “Here you can print papers in your room without going to administration. In my country you need to go administration, provided they accept, and if they don’t accept, you have to do it on your own,” said Kouadio. The primary differences each teacher listed included the level and amount of technology. “When I enter this room for the first time, I said this is not a classroom. This is an office. You have your own smart computer and anything technological. This is something we don’t have in Africa,” said Kouadio, a feeling also shared by Ruslan Abdullaev, an English teacher from Uzbekistan. While the technology differs, the teachers worked together to create a unique experience for students. “It has actually been a beautiful collaboration; we’ve been talking about how to teach the students and we have put several lessons together,” said AP language teacher Erin Waddell. In one of the lessons, Abdullaev brought letters from his students in hopes that Waddell’s students would respond. “My students lit up. They were so excited. They have been really enthusiastic reading them. They’ve been responding beautifully,” said Waddell. While successfully connecting students from different countries, Waddell explains that the exchange challenges and helps her students focus. “It’s making them feel like they need to do a beautiful job in their response. The vast majority of my students have been really enthusiastic,” said Waddell.
Uzebekistan
photo/TIERNEY SALZMANN
MAKE THE CASE. Ruslan Abdullaev takes notes during a competetive debate regarding foreign policies. photo/LAURENHIGHT
vCompletely landlocked v80% desert vPreviously occupied by the Soviet Union vLeading exporter in cotton vLocated in Central Asia
Instead of organizing a pen-pal program, Kouadio brought an African tradition to share with his class. “Mr. Koffi is going to have a miniature version of a naming ceremony. He is going to give names to all of the students in his native language,” said Brown. Junior Lauren May describes the process of the ceremony. “There are special names for the day you were born, [if you were born] Monday through Friday or if you were last born or middle child, then he identified that, and we picked whatever last name we wanted” May said that Kouadio taught the class about Africa, including the differences in teaching and culture. Debate Club president Daniel Hernandez discussed a policy with Abdullaev after he observed a debate class period. “He [Abdullaev] enjoyed watching the debate and said that they didn’t have any type of debating back in Uzbekistan,” said Hernandez. Abdullaev also noted the amount of information that students in debate have to deal with, plus the quality of presentation skills. “He wanted to share what he had learned and seen here back in Uzbekistan”, Hernandez said. After residing at Oviedo for 10 days, the teachers moved on to UCF to continue to teach before returning home. Brown said, “It has definitely provided a different layer of opportunity for students to experience.”
bridgetteh@thelionstale.com
Cote D’ivoire vLocated in western Africa vAKA the Ivory Coast vPreviously a French territory v124,502 square miles total photo/LAURENHIGHT
NOVEMBER 18, 2013 | features | THE LION’S TALE 11
viedo New bakery rises in Reviewer discovers 7 types of pie plus bacon cinnamon roll by Alex Browning As I walk into De Azúcar Bakery, the wholesome smell of fresh bread and an aroma of sugar glides its way to my nose, causing my mouth to water. The smell transports me to a Paris bakery I picture in my head, with its irresistible pillows of bread and sweet pastries. Creator and owner of De Azúcar, Angie Lopez, opened the doors of her dream bakeshop in January located at 150 Alafaya Woods Blvd. Now that her children are all grown up, Lopez can follow her passion for baking. The employees including Lopez start baking at 3 a.m., four hours before the 7 a.m. opening time. The bakery is open from 7 a.m.7 p.m. on Tuesdays through Saturdays. The bakery produces gourmet cupcakes including their most popular red velvet with homemade cream cheese frosting. These impeccable cupcakes are only sold Saturday but can be ordered. Other popular goodies include almond pastries such as chocolate almond pie, almond croissants and almond muffins. The bakery is also known for bread pudding and pound cakes
with the options of maple pumpkin, apple caramel, and sweet potatoes. Seasonal items include pumpkin and cranberry flavors. After looking past the cupcakes, I found seven different types of pie such as pumpkin, apple, chocolate pecan and including the chocolate crème pie, whose delicate and flakey crust supports its chilled, soft, satisfying chocolate inside. With so many options it’s almost impossible to choose, but I have to say my favorite item on the menu is the cinnamon roll. The roll’s perfect appearance makes it impossible to look away. The store contains three types of cinnamon rolls, bacon, regular, and pumpkin. The shell of the roll conceals the fluffy, doughy inside. With business booming, Lopez plans to open another location in the Oviedo Town Center in the near future according to their website, www.deazucar.com. This café will focus more on pastries and sweets whereas the present bakery will be used more for bread production. As I walk out with the memory of minutes or hours well spent, I hear the enchanting words: “Have a sweet day.”
photo/DEAZUCAR.COM
WHO KNOWS THE MUFFIN MAN? Here lies a basket full of pistachio muffins. Even the man down Drury Lane will be jealous.
photo/TIERNEY SALZMANN
BE OUR GUEST. De Azúcar’s bakery goods bring fresh bread and pastries to customers’ lives Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Owner and baker Angie Lopez starts baking at 3 a.m. in order to meet the needs of customers.
photo/TIERNEY SALZMANN
PASTRIES, MUFFINS, CAKES, OH MY! There are numerous choices available to you. Treat yourself to a slice of pumpkin pie or a carrot cake to share.
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THE LION’S TALE
| features | NOVEMBER 18, 2010
Campus Hero
Coulon-Woods
‘She represents her profession as a media specialist in the highest regard,’-Lundquist by Alexis Diblanda
photo/ALEX WHITE
BOOK WORM. Media specialist Carol Coulon-Woods finds the book for junior Motomori Lewis. Coulon-Woods locates books that students want to read. She often delivers books to students’ classrooms when the books become available for check-out.
photo/ALEX WHITE
ENJOYING THE JOB. Coulon-Woods shares a laugh with a student while helping them find a book in the media center. Oviedo High School holds the record for most books checked out per student.
photo/MILES MINER
LUNCH TIME HELP. Coulon-Woods lets students use the computers in the Media Center during lunch to work on projects or take AR tests. She arrives on campus every day around 6:30 to open the Media Center for students. Here she locates a computer for freshman Myana Strickland to use.
She’s a winner. Media specialist Carol Coulon-Woods won the unofficial contest of checking out the most books per student in Seminole County High Schools-3.9 books for each OHS student. However, she refuses take all the credit for this accomplishment. According to CoulonWoods, the checkout rate is so high because she collaborates with reading coach Sandy Traiger and the English department. Coulon-Woods is admired by the students and staff for three reasons. “One because when you need her she is there, two she is very wise so she can give you some of her wisdom, and three is her personality,” sophomore Kathleen Tracey said. “She is kind and everything. You can’t help but love her.” “If I had to draw a picture or have a description of the ultimate media specialist it would be Ms. Carol Coulon Woods. She represents her profession as a media specialist in the highest regard,” Principal Robert Lundquist said. Not surprisingly, Coulon-Woods loves books. So when the position at Oviedo High School opened up in 1993 she eagerly accepted. She said the great people she works with make this job a perfect fit for her. “The staff is wonderful. The students are wonderful. I just think it’s a great school,” Coulon-Woods said. However Coulon-Wood’s early years at Oviedo had their challenges. During her first year the media center relocated to the commons because of a large renovation project. “We had temporary walls built that were about ten feet high---no ceiling, so lunch was hilarious—we could hear everything,” Woods said. After a year in the commons, the library moved to its current building. Coulon-Woods earned two masters’ degrees in library science and special education and worked as a speech therapist for 14 years before beginning a career in library science. “Being a speech therapist was fun but I think I was always meant to do this and it’s a long reason why I went to speech therapy school. I enjoyed it, the profession was good to me but it really wasn’t a perfect fit and this is a perfect fit,” Coulon-Woods said. In an age of increased digitalization where e-books replace hard copies, Coulon-Woods still plays an important role at OHS and even embraces the new technology. “I always tell the kids, it doesn’t matter whether you read this book on a digital device or you read it in bound print it’s still the same thing. To me, reading is still reading,” Woods said. Since Coulon-Woods began working here, the size of the library building and the number
of books has doubled. “She spends practically her entire day in her Media Center without ever taking a break, without ever going to lunch. She takes it upon herself to make sure she’s running the Media Center,” Lundquist said. Coulon-Wood’s job involves more than just checking out books. It also requires working with students. “She is what I call student friendly. She engages students, she wants to help students, she wants to point them in the right direction when they go in her media center,” Lundquist said Tracey has a similar point of view. Her friend introduced her to Woods during Tracey’s freshman year. “She gave me good tips and good books to read and it brought up my vocabulary,” Tracey said. Encouraging high school students to read takes many forms. Coulon-Woods accomplishes this goal by pairing students with books they will actually enjoy reading. “At least 25% of my book orders consist of student recommendations. I understand that many students don’t like to read, so I look for books that have the ability to interest a reluctant reader,” Woods said. She also helps students with their writing. “Every nine weeks I edit dozens of papers that students want me to look at. I love reading student writing, especially creative writing. I just recently edited a wonderful ghost story and I am reading chapters of a very creative sci-fi novel that Hunter Tulp is writing,” CoulonWoods said. Woods helps teachers by providing access to all kinds of materials and training in many areas. “Last week, I worked with Mrs. White’s students. I showed them how to use the Literary Reference Center,” Woods said. “We are the only high school in the county who has this wonderful resource and her students were very successful in finding information that helped them with their assignment. They had to write a paper on a great American author.” A little know fact is that Coulon-Woods and newspaper adviser Deborah Jepson wrote a successful retrofit grant for $240,000 that brought the internet to OHS. “Carol was the main driver behind the grant, working tirelessly throughout the summer to get the thing written. Today, we have internet access thanks to her dedication,” Jepson said. Even though Coulon-Woods will retire in two years, she still plans for the library’s future. “I’m hoping that in the future the state of Florida will increase their book funds. So I am hoping to replace a lot of books that are worn out. I would like to make students more aware of the fact that they can use digital devices,” Coulon-Woods said.
alexisd@thelionstale.com
NOVEMBER 18, 2013 | features | THE LION’S TALE 13
MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Optimists junior Julie Choi, senior Madi Slage, sophomore Aurelia Scrafton, junior Kindra Lloyd, mother Teri Novoa, sophomore Nora Sherwood, senior Rebecca Frandsen, senior Alison Fasone, and Moriah Person throw candy to the crowd during the Homecoming parade held Nov. 7 in downtown Oviedo. Theme of the parade was Circus.
Teens explore helping others photo/MADISONWAGNER
by Alex White
these books. Any improvement in literacy is a step member of the Junior Optimist club and towards improving the world.” Just last year, graduate Tyler Brooks had the creator of the Reading Reindeer Book Drive, freshmen Niyati Shah wants to give idea to create a junior optimist club at OHS for his senior project. underprivileged children access to books. With addition of the Reading Reindeer Drive, Neity provides an outlet for elementary children to Optimists invade Oviedo The Optimist Club creates a friendly learn through reading. They will have access to a environment for special needs students and, as a whole new world of books. The administration approved her idea and she team, participates in community service activities began advertising the book drive. She said that so throughout the year. This year the Junior Optimist Club took part in far, donations have been a success. Her goal is 500 books and will donate them to Pine Crest, Wicker, raising money to help community organizations like Boys Town; a non-profit organization for children and Hamilton elementary schools. who may be coming from “FCAT scores have a background of neglect plummeted in recent Any step towards inproving or abuse. They advertise years and I think it is our literacy is a step towards booths at community duty to promote their gatherings such as the scores. It’s mostly seen improving the world. food truck wars at the in Sanford and other Niyati Shah, ‘17 Oviedo Mall. They sell districts that are not hot dogs to raise money close to here but are in Seminole County and they need help with obtaining for the children living in Boys Town. “They’ve raised money for different books and it’s our duty to help them,” said Shah. Shah’s personal reason behind starting the book organizations by doing things like a car wash, a dunk tank event over by Chili’s in Oviedo, Great drive derives from her mother’s occupation. “My mom works at Scholastic book fairs and Day in the Country, a car show, and set up boots at last year I volunteered to pass out books to low Snow Mountain,” said Junior Optimist club adviser income kids and we offered a coupon code and Johnna Denny. President of the club, senior Moriah Person, is they got two free books,” said Shah. “So I met a lot of low income kids and ever since then I knew a member of the club who helps the special needs we needed to get more books for them. It felt children. “We make a big difference because a lot of inspirational. It’s an enlightening experience.” Shah cannot imagine a child’s life without people don’t take the time to hangout with the books thus she continues to help fight for elementary special needs kids,” said Person. “I think it’s cool that we do because sometimes they are looked over children’s access to books. “You can make a difference no matter how old because some people might feel like you’ll have to or mature you are. You can still make a difference,” watch them like you’re watching two or three year said Shah. “I’m enriching their education and old little kids. But they’re just like us.” Senior Madi Slage joined the Junior Optimist possibly I can inspire them. I can inspire them to become an author or a better writer through Club through Person’s invitation and does not
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regret accepting. She enjoys the satisfaction of helping others and feels like she is being active in the community and not just sitting at home being unproductive. “You help brighten up their day and you’re doing something for a purpose. It’s for yourself and other people too. You make other people have a good time at events and you feel inspired and encouraged to do other things,” said Slage.
Celebrities inspire teens
A YouTube sensation, John and Hank Green, otherwise known as The Vlogbrothers, began vlogging to address different aspects of what they refer to as “Worldsuck.” They call themselves The Nerdfighters, and raise money and awareness for the betterment of others. They do plenty of community service and devote their time by helping people in society. “Sometimes the world feels pretty bleak, and we feel helpless to change it,” said the Green brothers. “There seems to be no end to natural disasters, poverty, religious persecution, hate crimes, environmental destruction, and bullying. It is pretty clear that worldsuck is increasing every day.” Nerdfighters are scattered throughout the world and participate in various philanthropic projects. Nerdfighters are found locally in clubs like the Adult and Junior Optimist clubs. Person’s goal for the Junior Optimist club is to make a difference in the special needs population here at Oviedo High, and to make them feel wanted and needed. “I feel really good because I’m helping out someone else. I feel like if people can help me in my time of need then I can help people out in their time of need,” said Person. “When you help other people it makes you feel good about yourself because you’re making a difference in the world.”
alexw@thelionstale.com
Food pantry organizers aim to help those in need by Alex White
Patti Blake
Helping the community means a lot to secretary Patti Blake and claiming that it does her heart good to do good deeds. That’s why she took on the OHS food pantry-to help feed families in the Oviedo area. “We keep it stocked. People donate food and gift certificates and when it gets low on supplies I go shopping, “ said Blake. “It’s been a successful venture for us.” Blake recognizes that the economy has been depressed for a few years, and there is a need for a food drive in the community. “It’s our own students families and they are able to take advantage of it,” said Blake. “We can supplement what they need for their weekly food allotment but we certainly cant feed a family of 4 for a whole week.” Security officer Bonnie Presley helps Blake with the food drive. “She tells me where the needs are and I make my grocery list and then go shopping for what we need in the pantry,” said Blake. “It is absolutely essential in a community that we all help each-other. You see these different school clubs pulling together and helping others no matter what the cost,” said Blake. “Our clubs on campus do come to me and do food drives and collect a lot of food that helps to stock our pantry and it’s just a wonderful thing.”
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THE LION’S TALE
| features | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
DAY 2
DAY 1
Jordan Schacht
Sarah Bahr
Zack Miller
s and Duck Call
Elizabeth Tammi
iend?
My Fr e B u o Y Would
Piper Garick
Izzy Wildgen
Phillip Harms
Zach Miller
? T S E B
Jade Matthies
Who wore it
HEADLIN DAY 3
ssing
Salad Dre
Overalls
Bigger. Better. Louder.
School spirit roars to life during Lions’ Homecoming week celebration by Alex White
all bonfire photos/CLARA SHINE
knew how. As the fire blazed and the crowd grew, a Lundquist enjoyed seeing the week’s events. tradition returned to life: The Homecoming He said, “I think it’s a lot of fun. I stand out Bonfire. at the parent drop off and as they’re dropping off On Tuesday, Nov. 5 the school brought the [their children] I see the looks on the faces and bonfire back for the first time in five years. they’re just as happy as their sons and daughters “The students wanted to do something that are with the dress-up.” hasn’t been done for some time and so they came Junior Alex Davis agreed with Lundquist’s up with the idea of a bonfire with a dunk tank. and said, “I feel like people participated more this It couldn’t have been scripted any better,” said year, especially for my class. I loved the salad Robert Lundquist, Principal. dressing day because I saw so many people joining “We have a great place to hold a bonfire in in on the fun. Taking group photos was awesome the back. It has a potential to grow into a major because everyone looked so good.” function for the students.” The concluded with the dance held in the The event included games like “corn hole”, Commons on Saturday night. a food truck, and the now famous dunk tank, Sophomore Julie Elias immediately noticed which teachers and the changes they made to administrators volunteered the event. They really amped it up this to sit inside. “They did an extremely Lundquist recalled good job,” said Ellis. year and went all out. his experience in the tank “They even had someone Julie Ellis, ‘16 saying , “I was dunked and doing rope tricks from the the water was quite cold. ceiling and everyone was It’s like you wonder, ‘what’s going to happen,’ in awe. It was magnificent.” then all of a sudden, someone hits a bulls-eye and “I don’t think it changed that much from last you go into the water… It’s sort of a shock. Then, year though. The largest difference I saw was the after you continuously do it over and over again, change in the decoration. They really amped it up water begins to rush up your nose and into your this year and went all-out.” head.” Ellis enjoyed the carefree vibe of Homccoming In addition to the bonfire, students dressed up week in various themes set up for Homecoming Week. She noticed that the student’s stress levels Day 1- “Would you be my friend?” day, where were lowered and everyone was having a good students wore the most horrendous attire they put time. together. Day 2- “Duck calls and overalls” which “I was literally laughing all week seeing paid homage to the television show, Duck Dynasty. everyone in their funny costumes. Gender swap The administration at Oviedo showed their school was my favorite because sometimes I couldn’t spirit by portraying a different member of the cast. even recognize some of my friends [and] I am so Mid-week ensembles included “Salad happy that I got to go to the dance this year. I wish Dressing” themed clothing, while day 4 was all next year’s would come faster.” about swapping genders. Homecoming Day was the day OHS showed school spirit every way they alexw@thelionstale.com
“
Principal Robert Lundquist
Lindsee Howard
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NEXXXXXXX TAKE OVER TOWN DAY 5
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features
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THE LION’S TALE
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Dayna Matherly
Gavin Luna
Hunter Greer
Kassie Jones
Jessi Whitacre
ender
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
THE
DAY 4
Spirit Day
Gender B ns
ille
r To
G an
re
all peprally photos/ALLISON OWEN
BALLOON MANIA. Cross country team climbed aboard this colorful float for a ride down Broadway Street.
photo/MILES MINER
CIRQUE
DE
SENIORS.
Members of the senior class ride on a float that foreshadowed Oviedo winning Friday’s game.
photo/MILES MINER
WEARING THE COLORS. Football players throw candy during the Thursday afternoon parade. By Friday night, they had won the Homecoming game against Seminole High School.
photo/MILES MINER
CIRCUS MOVES ON. Design club members walk along side their float as the Gay-Straight Alliance float moves up behind them.
photo/ALEX WHITE
16 THE LION’S TALE
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NOVEMBER 18, 2013 | features | THE LION’S TALE 17
Hammered A look into the reality of binge drinking for three teenagers Every person starts drinking in a different way. e woke up in a Port-O-Potty capping Simmons claims it was peer pressure, off his weekend night under the Berg claims it was curiosity, and Thomas influence. Ben Simmons* admits he Moore* believes it was “a little bit of both.” drinks most weekends. And experts agree, “I started drinking while hanging out binge drinking is a problem among teens. with my brother and some other college “We got really drunk before Halloween kids,” said Moore. Horror Nights and went into only one house Although binge drinking can alter the that whole time. We went into the 3D house mind, according to Simmons, it does not and I was tripping,” said Simmons. always result in poor grades. School counselor Catherine Tugg “I’m still doing well in school,” said explains binge drinking. Simmons. “I have a 4.2 GPA and I have all “Binge drinking, which is when someone a’s and b’s taking all AP classes.” has more than five drinks in a row, is the There is still a danger associated with most harmful form of drinking,” said Tugg. short-term memory and the effects of For young adults, binge drinking or blacking out. drinking at all could have a negative effect “The impact it has on memory is more on the future. on short term memory. “The brain is still You don’t remember developing up until much of what happens I star ted dr inking you’re like 25, so after binge drinking,” while hanging out with if you’re drinking said Stroyan. “Your alcohol and shutting my brother and some brain has been shut down your brain down for an extended other college kids. while it’s developing period of time and it Thomas Moore it’s not good at all,” takes a while for it to said Bioscience restore to a safe level.” student Carson Tugg explains the Stroyan. “To binge long-term effects of drink will alter your development at this age drinking. so you’ll make poor decisions and possibly “In the long term alcohol causes strokes, not be as smart a person as you could be in liver disease, nerve damage, unintentional life.” injuries, ulcers, and physical dependence Despite all the negative effects of just to name a few,” said Tugg. “If one consumption, many students still do it. becomes physically dependent, addiction “It just takes the edge off,” said Lorenzo can not only destroy someone to the point of Berg*. “I do it on the weekends to hang out death, homelessness, or incarceration, but it with friends and chill.” also impacts ones entire family.” While drunk, Simmons takes part in Fully aware of the consequences, Moore illicit activities. still feels like he is doing himself a favor by “When I’m drunk, I have sex, play binge drinking. drinking games, just talk a ton, and I lose my “If I binge drink now, I won’t later in clothes,” said Simmons . “It’s all fun.” college when I can settle down and prepare
by Brandon White
H
“
”
:
Not so fun facts
info/COURTESY OF CDC..GOV
Most binge drinking starts around
age 13
90% of
all alcohol consumed by people under 21 is through binge drinking
for the future,” said Moore. Moore’s parents once caught him binge drinking. “I got grounded,” said Moore. “It was stupid, but they want me to make my own decisions. They told me the consequences of it and I understand.” Tugg gives advice to parents and students who either drink or have children who drink. “Think about if drinking is worth the potential consequences,” said Tugg. “Parents should set clear boundaries and expectations while educating their children on the risks of drinking alcohol.” Drinking and driving is a topic with differing opinions. “Yes, I drink and drive,” said Berg. “I get better at it after every time.” Moore and Simmons feel differently than Berg. “I would never drink and drive,” said Moore and Simmons. Both claim that they sleep over at the house where they were drinking and have “designated areas” to sleep in. Moore tells a story. “I was at a small little get together,” said Moore. “I got plastered pretty much and someone started talking about a dog I guess, and I woke up the next morning in a dog cage.” In our current curriculum, there are no classes or clubs dedicated to prevent or alter the use of alcohol by students.
brandonw@thelionstale.com Editor’s Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this article, the actual names of these students have been withheld.
Alcohol kills more teenagers than
all other
drugs combined
Most people who binge drink are not alcohol dependent.
Illustration/HARRY ALLEN
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THE LION’S TALE
| features | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
sports ) ///////////(DIDYOUKNOW?
Talya Lynette Determined
In the average lifetime a person will walk the equivalent of five times around the equator.
Fearless Horseback Rider
The word “Lethologica” describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
One in 5,000 North Alantic lobsters are born bright blue. Every year about 98 percent of the atoms in the human body are replaced. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672.
World Tourist Day is obeserved on Sept. 27.
When snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food.
photo/MILES MINER
Fear of horses transforms into deep bond
Goats have rectangular eye pupils, giving them vision of 320-340 degrees.
by Keenan Smith
Michelangelo only signed one of his pieces, The Pieta statue in St. Peter’s Basillica.
T
hey say the best thing to do when you fall off a horse is to get right back in the saddle. For Talya Lynette this wasn’t so
easy. It happened on a visit to her grandmother’s farm in 2004 when she got on a horse with no saddle, and no bridle to control the horse. It all happened too quickly to be stopped. “The horse took off with me, and ended up throwing me off. I broke almost my whole arm and I’m pretty sure I had a concussion. I became traumatized and terrified of horses.” This is why the horse corral was the last place she would ever expect to find herself. Two years ago Lynette’s close friend invited her to go riding. She agreed to go, despite the fear she had from her experience as a little girl.
“The horse I rode was named Heaven and she was known for kicking other horses. It was really scary riding her but for some reason I stuck with it and gave it another shot. The more and more I rode the more I loved it.” Lynette now rides a horse named Sierra and has developed an unexpected relationship. “She was really stubborn and had a lot of attitude, but after two months we really got to know each other. Now I know what she is going to do even before she does it. I’ve never really had a bond like that before. I care about her so much that I actually hope to buy her one day from the stable.” This link she shares is something Lynette did not expect, and would not have happened if she had not overcome her fears. “Everyone sees the connection we have and I feel it too,” said Lynette.
Drowning in the Mainstream: by Lauren Hight
“When I am having a bad day or a bad week, I can go out, sit in the saddle put my feet in the stirrups, and forget everything else. It’s just me and Sierra and that’s very special to me.”
keenans@thelionstale.com
Editor’s Note
One by One features a selected student chosen at random whose story is told in only 300 words.
Eight presidents of the United States died in office. Four were assassinated.
President William Henry Harrison served the shortest presidential term in history. He caught pnemonia and died after 30 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes. Jake Gyllenhaal got his first driving lesson from legendary actor and family friend Paul Newman. info/COURTESY OF cmu.edu
NOVEMBER 18,2013 |
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THE LION’S TALE
| features | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
The One Page Low-down Bitstrips
by Alex White
GIRLS GUIDE
Compare & Contrast
Crayola vs. Roseart
What grinds my gear
Bitstrips allows users to turn themselves into a cartoon alter-ego and amuse (or perhaps annoy) their friends in the form of a digital comic strip. A new, updated version of the app was released earlier this week with more than 1,000 different artoon templates to choose from. The company first released the Facebook app back in Dec. An iPhone version was created at the end of Sept. along with the release of an Android version. Since its initial launch the app has been downloaded 11 million times and many people see it as the new way to post a Facebook status. Users create an avatar that resembles themselves and their friends, choosing different hairstyles and by Chris Moskal fashions to match their own. Once you’ve perfected your avatar, you can I drive by Rainbow Elementary adjust the amusing one liner below or coming from a speech bubble close on the way home from school every to your character and post on it your Facebook wall. day. Last week when I was driving home, the yellow school zone light Album Review had been turned on, indicating that Bastille you need to drive 20 mph instead of “Bad Blood” the usual 35. Since I don’t want a speeding ticket or a dead small child on my by Amyliz Rodriguez conscience, I drove at the speed required by law. But some idiot Bad Blood is a unique album. It’s not like the music that we hear today on mainstream. It’s got an eclectic behind me apparently didn’t get this diversity that keeps you wanting more and more. Lead singer Dan Smith message and honked at me twice to does an excellent job of creating something that can’t be categorized into speed up. I would like to imagine that the genres like pop or rock, but instead stands apart. Smith’s earlier obsession with film led him to write songs that not only man thought he was too cool for captivate the ear but also leads the imagination to illustrate the story entwined the school’s rules, but really it was in the lyrics of each of his songs. One such as “Pompeii” is a reflective just a middle-aged guy who wasn’t conversation between two charred bodies frozen in time in the Roman city playing attention to the light at the beginning of the school zone. of sin. Resisting the urge to gesticulate There are also songs such as “Laura Palmer”, that take the listener through my frustration with this individual, the despair of the her final moments as the Twin Peak’s murder victim. Each I continued to drive at the required song weaves into a story forming something truly remarkable. speed until I exited the school zone. It’s easy to see why the album climbed to the top in the UK so quickly. Its wonderful choruses and heartwarming melodies in songs such “Oblivion” I pulled into my neighborhood and and “Flaws” have the resonating echo style of Tears For Fears and the the incident was over. This happened before the imaginative storytelling of a-ha! They are an exemplary band with a unique elementary school day had ended so style. Bastille really delivers on its debut album. I’m anxiously awaiting what’s in no children were around. But that doesn’t mean that the unthinkable store for the fans in future. Bastille is sure to amaze. couldn’t have happened. You can say that you don’t drive fast in school zones and talk about how good of a driver you are and blah blah blah. But seriously. Don’t be that person. It’s just a 15 mph difference over a short distance.
HHHH
TO Getting Ready for School
by Chris Moskal CATEGORY
Year Founded Crayon Colors
1885 133 crayon colors
612 arts and crafts products
1923
by Lyndsey Taylor
64 crayon colors
Total Products
116 arts and craft products
WINNER: Crayola
Haiku Reviews
Thor: The Dark World by Chris Moskal
HHH Thor is our hero, but he doesn’t rule the film. Loki is the star.
SUDOKU
Waking up for school so early in the morning is comparable to torture, and getting ready can be a definite pain. Here are some tips to looking great while getting as much sleep as possible: Plan what you will wear the night before. You’ll be prepared to just wake up and throw it on. • Master the five minute face! When it comes to school, a little bit of makeup goes a long way! • Take a shower the night before. • Wear what you will be comfortable in. If you have to pull your skirt down or up every five seconds you should find a new outfit. • Don’t fret about your peer’s opinions! Ask yourself if you think you look good. If the answer is yes other people’s opinions don’t matter.
all photos/COURTESY OF PUBLICITY SITES
beloved Disney Channel Remember The show, Lizzie McGuire, first on Jan. 12, 2001. After This?aired 65 episodes and two seasons, it by Alex Browning
ended on Feb. 14, 2004. Hilary Duff stared as the main character along with supporting actors Lalaine, Adam Lamberg, Jake Thomas, Hallie Todd, and Robert Carradine. The show was about Lizzie McGuire’s adventures though middle school. Two years into the show they created a movie based of it, The Lizzie McGuire Movie. The show inspired people and other shows with its positive messages and great cast. Lizzie McGuire was a show to remember.
Video of the Month by Brandon White
An Astronaut’s Guide to November
This comical video plays on the video’s astronauts in space chronicling their daily lives off Earth, performing quotidian tasks and intriguing millions. In the video astronaut Chris Hadfield does simple tasks on Earth and expects audiences to have the same awed reacion.
So Not Hot
by Amy Rodriguez 1) Leggings as pants 2) Half-shaved heads 3) Wedge sneakers 4) Neon 5) Jumpsuits 6) Fedoras 7) Turtlenecks 8) Furry Boots 9) Midriff shirts 10) Shoulder pads
NOVEMBER 18, 2013 | features | THE LION’S TALE 21
Harsh but essential film shows best and worst of humanity Review by Chris Moskal
W
hen it comes to movies that win the Academy Award for Best Picture, hype is often their greatest enemy. The previous two winners (Argo and The Artist) suffered from too much early hype and did not deserve the acclaim they received. They were very good films, but not exceptional ones. 12 Years a Slave will win the Best Picture award this year, and it is astonishing. Believe the hype. The film deserves every accolade it will obtain in the next few months. Taking place in 1841, the biographical film follows the life of free black Solomon Northup, who was a successful violinist from New York with his wife and two children. One day he is offered a position to play for a touring performance group, only to be drugged and sold into slavery in Louisiana. photo/COURTESY OF IMDB Solomon (Chiwetel Ejiofor, a British FIELD OF NIGHTMARES. Actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (second from right) plays wrongfully enslaved actor you never heard of but certainly musician Solomon Northup in the film based on his best-selling autobiography of the same title. will now) first arrives at the plantation of William Ford (Benedict Cumberbatch), a kind and generous owner who rewards nudity (though never sexual), and the Solomon’s exceptional musical ability. He’s foulest of language are all present. That not generous enough, however, to release being said, none of it feels forced or Solomon. artificial. The film never emotionally After an incident with Ford’s carpenter, manipulates the audience and the violence Length: 134 minutes Solomon is forced to be sold to a new feels completely genuine. Rating: R plantation run by Edwin Epps (Michael I could write about all the awards 12 Score: Fassbender), a deranged lunatic. The film Years a Slave will win and describe every follows the twelve years of Solomon’s scene in detail. But that would not suffice. : 96% positive imprisonment as a slave (which you You will not see a film this powerful in a probably deduced by the title) until his long time. It is to American slavery what eventual salvation. the aforementioned Schindler’s List was to Those who have seen Schindler’s List the Holocaust. will be reminded of the Nazi commander I had never heard of Solomon Amon Goeth when they watch Epps. Goeth Northup or his story until this year. His lusted for his Jewish maid despite his belief imprisonment was 172 years ago. No those generations can stop existing slavery that she was of an inferior race. Epps lusts amount of justice could right the crime of and prevent it from happening in the future. after his favorite slave Patsey, who can pick his imprisonment or heal the suffering he Then maybe Solomon’s imprisonment 172 double the amount of cotton as the strongest endured. But because of this film, his name years ago won’t have been for nothing. men in the field. She is even more desired is becoming famous and people know his 12 Years a Slave brought Solomon by him than he desires his own wife. story. Northup alive, and in telling his story, Be warned. There never has been That’s what truly makes 12 Years a another film that depicts slavery as Slave exceptional. It reminds us why cinema brought him the immortality he deserves. accurately as this one in its level of exists as an art form. If Solomon’s story can It’s the best film of the year, and one of the most powerful films I’ve ever seen. violence. You will wince and squirm in be used to teach future generations about horror many times throughout. Blood, chrism@thelionstale.com the inhumanity of slavery, then perhaps
Movie Information
HHHH
Two More Must-See Films About Slavery Django Unchained Directed By: Quentin Tarantino Year Released: 2012 German bounty hunter Dr. King Schultz frees the slave Django, who can help him identify wanted slavers the Brittle Brothers. In exchange, Shultz will partner with Django to help him rescue his enslaved wife from evil plantation own Calvin Candie. One of Tarantino’s best films with an excellent performance by Samuel L. Jackson as Candie’s overseer.
Amistad Directed By: Steven Spielberg Year Released: 1997 Length: 154 minutes In the aftermath of a mutiny aboard the slave ship La Amistad in 1839, 53 slaves are stuck in a legal battle over their freedom after landing on American shores. Matthew McConaughey will surprise those who’ve only seen him in romantic comedies with a very good dramatic performance. An overlooked Spielberg film that features one of Anthony Hopkin’s best performances as former president John Quincy Adams.
Americans look at West, see God’s destiny by Chris Moskal Every morning I wake up proud to know that I get to live in an age with such role models as Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. The news of their engagement will be a cultural touchstone of the 21st century, like our country’s Royal Wedding. For those who didn’t hear the joyous news, Kanye proposed holy matrimony to his beloved with a diamond ring that C. Moskal ‘14 only cost him a paltry sum of eight million dollars. He also rented AT&T field for $220,000 as well as hiring a 50-piece orchestra to play for the woman whose previous marriage lasted 72 days. Inscribed on the stadium’s Jumbotron, the words “PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!!” appeared. Male readers, remember that. When preparing to propose marriage to a woman who got famous from a sex tape, adding four extra e’s is necessary if you want her to agree to be your bride for an extended period of time. I strongly agree with Kanye’s recent statements about how his wife’s body deserves to be displayed for the world to see on the cover of Vogue Magazine. The rapper felt that he and his wife were unjustly denied a right they deserved since they are the most influential couple in fashion. The woman Vogue chose to instead to have on its cover? Talentless Harvard graduate Michelle Obama. Kanye critiqued the fashion magazine for foolishly choosing to portray First Lady of the United States over a reality TV star by saying that: “Michelle Obama cannot Instagram a pic like what my girl Instagrammed the other day.” I agree. If you can’t instagram a picture of your postpartum body in a revealing outfit that displays your posterior, you don’t deserve to be on the cover of such a prestigious magazine. I feel elated for the newborn offspring of the two esteemed human beings, North West (Not to be confused with the airline or the Alfred Hitchcock movie). Her parents will give her their finest qualities such as modesty and compassion for those less fortunate, as well as millions of dollars. North West will no doubt use her wealth for the betterment of mankind and become a role model for young women across the globe. In addition to procreating, Kanye West released his latest solo album Yeezus this year. On it contains a song aptly titled “I Am a God.” Describing why he wrote such a lyrical masterwork, the god offered this brilliantly insightful reason: “I made that song because I am a god, I don’t think there’s much more explanation.” I think that no other explanation was needed. In America today, celebrities are our gods and they demand our worship. The news media is the temple that spreads their teachings and actions. Then, when these religious icons self-destruct or die, a new god or goddess will arrive for the media to make famous. It’s the circle of celebrity life, and it disgusts us all. Kanye bless us, everyone.
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THE LION’S TALE
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NOVEMBER 18, 2013
Wrestling team looks to reinvent themselves with dedicaton this season by Jaimie Landers
T
he wrestling team looks to reinvent themselves by breaking from the last few years. “The idea is improvement from the past, being better than before, as both individuals and as team. We did a lot off season,” said Coach Zachary Waters, “ c a m p s matches, practices, lifting, and so we are trying to return to being a force in the wrestling world but the right way.” They’re improving from the past by pushing each other competitively to be the best they can be. “We’re very competitive with each other but wrestling isn’t always individual,” said senior Nick Marcantonio. “You have to have more wins than the other team, so it’s not just about you,” Marcantonio said. In order to create a team atmosphere, the players support each other in everything they do, including during practices and at tournaments. “We never leave [anybody] behind,” senior Jeremiah Murphy said. “If the last person’s not done running we’ll all cheer him on until he finishes,” said Murphy. Along with being a part of a team, the players’ mind set contributes to their goal of winning. “Mentality is a big part of
wrestling,” said Waters. “[It] plays a big factor as wellhaving self confidence and belief
that you can accomplish anything,” Waters said. According to the players, their hardest competition is Winter Springs and Osceola High School. The wrestlers believe determination and not doubting themselves will help them push past physical and mental limits, and ultimately win against other teams. “You feel like you’re going to break down and just don’t want to move any more,” Murphy said. “But you literally have to push yourself beyond your mental barrier,” said Murphy. Junior Blake Tressler and Marcantonio agree that concentration is key in wrestling. “You can’t get distracted,” said Tressler. “You have to be able to drown everyone else out besides your coach and your teammates because all you’re hearing is a bunch of screaming the whole time,” Marcantonio said.
photo/LYNDSEY TAYLOR
“You have to decipher which one is your coach telling you what to do,” said Tressler. According to Coach Waters, the goals for this year’s team are to win over 15 duals, place in top three for districts and top four for states. The wrestlers believe these goals are achievable through training hard and working as a team. The players must be incredibly dedicated and fully involved in bettering themselves not just at practice but on their own time as well. “Even how hard we work at school it’s still not enough,” said Marcantonio. “Our coaches stress all the time that we need to run every single day. We should be going to the gym after practice,” Marcantonio said. “The more you work, the better off you’re going to be,” said Marcantonio. The school practice combined with the extra personal commitment helps create a team of winners. Murphy thinks that the win is what the players strive for all along. “Winning is what you work hard for. At the end of the match you want to get your hand raised,” Murphy said. “It’s the greatest feeling - just to know that you won and no one else helped you win,” said Murphy. “You want be as successful as bad as you want to breathe,” Murphy said, “You want it that bad.”
jaimiel@thelionstale.com
“The only thing that matters is whether you get your hand raised when the match is B. Tressler ‘15 over.” “The feeling of winning is everything and more.” M. Holden ‘14
“Wrestling is a lifestyle. Winning is everything and there is no J. Murphy ‘14 other option.”
“If wrestling was easy they’d call it football.” N..Marcantonio ‘14
SLAMMIN’ DOWN. Nick Sala demonstrates a “slam” on Devon Craig.
photo/LYNDSEY TAYLOR
GOTCHA. Jeremiah Murphy runs a half nelson on Matthew Holden.
photo/MILES MINER
photo/MILES MINER
SHEER DETERMINATION. Alec Shriner uses his complete
LEARNING NEW MOVES. Blake Tressler is taught to perform
motivation and dedication to “slam” Rocco Deleonardes.
an ankle pick on Kevin King.
NOVEMBER 18, 2013 | sports | THE LION’S TALE 23
Softball transitions to fastpitch by Amyliz Rodriguez
F
reshman Amanda Harper loves working with fastpitch softball coach Janet Williams. “Coach is really nice. She wants you to play your best. She doesn’t tear you down but instead tells you what you’re doing wrong and works with you, helping you improve and get better,” Harper said. Williams coaches fastpitch softball this season, which is considered a travel league sport. “A travel league is an organization where girls play on the weekends in tournaments and stuff. It’s not just sanctioned to high school teams. That’s the biggest difference. We are basically a high school league sport with the same premise,” Williams said. Harper played softball for seven years. “This was my first season playing slow-pitch and then transferring to fastpitch. At first it was really confusing because the transition was so fast,” Harper said. Williams weighs in on the differences involved during the transition. “The difference between the two sports is basically the pitching, but we are also doing more conditioning. We’re encouraging the girls to do weightlifting for conditioning because it makes them stronger. It builds your core, which
allows you to hit better and throw harder which is very important,” Williams said. “In fastpitch there’s a difference in your arches and your swings and it doesn’t require patience like slowpitch does. Slowpitch is a fielding game, which means there’s the outfield and the defense is the fielding while the offense is hitting the ball. So in the game you’re basically fielding the ball out,” Harper said. Harper plays the positions of outfield and third base. That requires her to know where all plays are at all times as well as adjust to the diversity of batters playing in a game. “I’m able to wait on a ball now and I can tell where it’s coming from, so when something like a changeup happens, which is when the ball goes slow instead of 60mph, I have the patience for it because of slowpitch,” Harper said. Both Harper and Williams weigh in on the team this year. “There are a lot of new girls. We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores; they are the core of the team. Of the 30 girls that are on the team, 19 of them are freshmen and sophomores. This is nice because it’s building the program back up,” Williams said. “When I first got on the team, I was really nervous because being with a new group of
people is always intimidating, but a lot of people would just come up to me and talk and it made it a lot easier. I’m a lot more comfortable now. But we have a good team because even if we lose, we all keep a positive attitude and keep playing no matter what,” Harper said. Williams admits that she volunteered for the position.
“Most of the softball coaches in our area were asked if they would be interested in doing a fall fastpitch league where we would play an extra game or continue playing games like you would in a club,” Williams said. “So a lot of girls were willing to participate and that’s when I decided to do it.”
amylizr@thelionstale.com
Three common fast-pitches Screw ball
This pitch comes fast and low. The corners of the plate that the ball lands on depends on the pitcher and the pitching coach’s style. If the ball is pitched inside, it can be used against taller batters so they have to step out and lose power in their swing. More experienced pitchers rely on these for strikes.
Change-up
A change-up is a slow-moving pitch used to trick a batter. It usually follows several fast-balls to take a hitter out of their rhythm and either swing early, or not at all. A change-up is usually a beginners go-to pitch when strikes aren’t steadily and accurately being thrown. This is pitch is successful in winning strikes and fooling batters. It can also be used in practice to teach batters patience and accuracy.
Outside
A low and outside pitch can easily ruin a batters game. The pitch usually comes in fast and far from the plate but is still considered a strike to most umpires. It forces the batter to step towards the pitch and most hits aren’t clean and on the center of the ball.
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THE LION’S TALE
| sports | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
Brothers in arms
photo/ROB THRIFT
Three friends make binding pact by Keenan Smith
E
ighth grade. Three friends. One pact- to never to take illegal supplements or steroids to gain an edge in sports. After spending hundreds of hours in the gym, four years later seniors John McDaniel, Tyler Thrift, and Harley Lee stand among some of the strongest athletes in Florida and they have never broken their promise. For football players and other competitors, the desire to gain an edge through superior strength can lead some to take unhealthy or illegal supplements. Together linemen McDaniel, Thrift and Lee refuse to cross that line. “We’ve all agreed that determination, skill and hard work go a million times farther than just physical strength,” said McDaniel. They also agree that supplements can have negative physical consequences as well. “If you do supplements you’ll be bigger and stronger now, but in the long run it will go to waste and it can ruin your body,” said Lee. Pushing hard in the weight room is a necessity in order to be the strongest players. For this reason, a lot of their friendship has taken place in the weight room. Thrift explains how this experience off the field, and in the gym has helped form closer relationships with McDaniel and Lee. “We’ve all been good friends, but going through this experience of working out, sweating, and giving all we’ve got every day together, has made a special bond. It brings us closer together,” said Thrift. The linemen’s relationship remains a strong force pushing them toward greater achievements, like bench pressing collectively the weight of an average polar bear. “My highest bench max was 300 pounds. It was extremely rewarding.” said Thrift, “If it wasn’t for my friends pushing me I would have never gotten to the point where I’m at now. They’re always there to motivate me, to tell me to work harder and to keep me focused and that’s definitely helped me.” McDaniel believes their shared interests help keep them close as friends. “We all have similar humor, like funny movies, playing fantasy football together, ping pong and just hanging out having a good time,” said McDaniel. “Sometimes when practice is really hard we start complaining by quoting lines from Step Brothers or other funny
photo/COURTESY OF HARLEY LEE
TRIPLE THREAT. From left to right teammates and friends John McDaniel, Tyler Thrift, and Harley Lee find some rest time between plays. movies. Everyone starts laughing and it helps us to keep going.” Their trust for one another on and off the field also plays an important role in their relationship. When things heat up on the field, the linemen agree that it is encouraging to have someone standing beside them. “As individuals we all hold high, high respect for one another. We joke around with each other, but in serious situations we’re always looking to pick up whoever is down and help them out,” said McDaniel. “Earlier this season when we were playing Lake Howell, one of their players was taking cheap shots on our quarterback Nick Carbone so Tyler, Harley and I came over and pushed the kid back. Nick knows that if something were to happen we’ll be there for him.” With the final game of the season past, and with graduation just on the horizon, the three seniors hope to keep another promise: to continue to be close friends despite the changes that are ahead. “We’ll probably do whatever we can to hang out. Maybe go to the park and play football, or something like that. Whatever we can do to make new memories while remembering old ones.”
keenans@thelionstale.com
NOVERMBER 18, 2013 | sports | THE LION’S TALE 25
photo/ CARSON BAILEY
OOH KILL ‘EM. Courtney Furlong VOLLEYBALL WINS STATES. The three captains of varsity support the first place trophy as team and coaches are photographed.
approaches the ball for a back row attack.
Varsity volleyball wins state championship
PRIDE IN OHS. Lundquist gives a standing ovation to the Lady Lions, unable to hold back his grin.
photos/ DR.TRENT DANIEL
photo/ DR.TRENT DANIEL
by Alex Browning
J SUPPORTING THEIR GIRLS. OHS students join the Lady Lions in Kissimmee to cheer them on.
TEAMWORK EQUALS VICTORY. The team huddles before the game to boost morale.
unior Courtney Furlong helped OHS capture the first state volleyball title with 25 kills and 1 digs. The Lions defeated Naples Gulf Coast 3-1 in the Class 7A final on Friday, Nov. 15. According to senior Kelly Shinske , overhearing their opponent’s boasting about how easy the Lions would be to defeat motivated the Lions to win. She added that last year’s losses 9-17 were also a factor. “We wanted to totally turn things around,” Shinske said. Shinske admits that the win didn’t hit them until they went into the locker room and listened to coach Darty tell them she was proud of all of them for making history. Darty was quoted in the Orlando Sentinel as saying, “This has just been an incredible journey. I played at Oviedo. We always worked for it but we never could quite make it here. Now, being here with this team and bringing back that hardware, it’s a special feeling.” Even though the season is over, Furlong looks to play at South Carolina when she graduates. “The head coach offered me a full-ride scholarship. I verbally committed to the University on July 28, 2013, but I still have to apply to the school my senior year,” Furlong said.varsity team. In six grade, Furlong began her lifetime passion falling in her family’s footsteps. Furlong said, “It kind of runs in the family, cause my cousin, she played, and I just started playing.” During her freshman year, Furlong made the varsity team.
Volleyball coach Jennifer Darty said, “Courtney has progressed a huge amount. I had her on varsity her freshman year. She’s made improvements year after year, and every year she steps up and wants to try something new. “ “Her normal position would be right side and for us in high school she plays out-side and plays all the way around, six rotations. So that something a little different for her, but she always steps up to the plate and performs.” Furlong signed with South Carolina right after her sophomore year. Furlong chose USC because academically it offers any major that she would want to study, and she loves the campus. Furlong said, “The coaches impress me because I feel that anytime I need anything or need a question answered they would be there for me. I think that they can make me be the best volleyball player I can be and they will be able to help me achieve my goals beyond college.” Darty considers herself lucky to have been able to coach Furlong. “She is an incredible player, probably one of the best players I’ve have had the privilege of coaching, and she still challenges herself and wants to make improvements,” Darty said. “She’s been doing some private training as well as private skill lessons for volleyball. She’s improving her game which is great.”
alexb@thelionstale.com
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THE LION’S TALE
| sports | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
photo/TIERNEY SALZMANN
PRACTICING CASTING Senior Mike Schilke practices the perfect cast.
photo/LYNDSEY TAYLOR
THE REEL Schilke shows his first fishing reel that he ever used.
Senior hooked on fly fishin by Colton Weisent
photo/LYNDSEY TAYLOR
END PRODUCT Schilke creates two different types of flies, essentially wet and dry ones.
photo/LYNDSEY TAYLOR
MAKING FLIES Using the vise, Schilke creates a fly that can be used to catch fish.
T
hrough the woods and around the bend, where land meets water is a river, in the river is a fish that senior Mike Schilke desires to catch. To Schilke fishing is a passion that defines his life. Growing up and being taught the ways of spin casting by his father opened up a world of fishing to him that he had never known before. “Fishing before was a bonding experience with my dad,” said Schilke. Once introduced to the sport of fishing, Schilke soon became bored with it and desired to find a way to make it more interesting to him. One day after fishing on Howell Creek and catching multitudes of fish, Schilke decided to take up something more engaging and challenging than spin casting. “Just casting down Howell Creek and catching fish got too easy, so I thought it would be interesting to make my own stuff and switch to fly fishing,” said Schilke. Schilke ultimately decided to take up fly fishing which he has continued doing now for over six and a half years. As difficult as it might be to comprehend, when explaining how he learned to fly fish Schilke said “I taught myself.” Apart from the traditional spin casting method, fly fishing specifically uses a particular type of rod called a fly rod as well as specific kind of lures called flies. Fly fishing, unlike spin casting, spools line out of the reel in a vertical position instead of horizontal. “Fly fishing makes it way harder to use drag and also cast with unweighted line,” Schilke said. Unique to his way of fishing, Schilke learned over the years how to make his own flies using materials that he gathers from
Senior Mike Schilke learns to fly fish successfully while also creating his own flies that help him to catch the biggest fish.
different shops across town. In order to make these flies Schilke says, “I have a vise with a small head that you put the hook in and put materials on the shank of the hook and wrap it with thread.” He then clips extraneous materials on the end of his hook and finally tries them out when he goes fishing. His creations have been so successful that he averages 14 to 15 fish on a normal day. He catches varieties of fish but in Florida the usual catch is often a Bluegill or even a pan fish. Catching these fish is already hard enough but with the unusual tendencies of Howell Creek it becomes even harder. “I usually do wading because shore fishing gets tricky when the shore disappears because Howell Creek often has very high banks so I wade along the river,” Schilke said. Using this technique, Schilke is able to catch fish more timely and productively. Schilke does not limit himself to Howell Creek but he also thoroughly enjoys visiting other places to fish including North Carolina. “North Carolina is great because the water is so clear and the type of fish trout, react so well to flies,” Schilke said. No matter the place or time, overall Schilke’s fly-fishing technique proves effective for him. Schilke learned in his lifetime that fishing has become not only a fun activity but more importantly a part of his life. Schilke said, “Not just fly fishing but fishing in general is a passion that has shaped my life and helped me become the person I am today.”
coltonw@thelionstale.com
Roar Board
NOVEMBER 18, 2013
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sports
On Feb. 2, the boys varsity basketball team took on East River High School and won 74-63. The team is currently holding a record with 12 wins and eight losses. The boys moved on into districts on Feb. 8 with a game against Lake Howell High School. The boys walked out with a 73-72 victory. The boys made a comeback after being down by 12 points, two minutes before the end of the game. The boys moved on to play Winter Springs High School on Feb. 10.
Girls Golf
READY TO DIVE The swimming team practices to prepare for districts, regionals, and states.
photo/JACOB BUSHEY
Swimming ends season strong
Girls bowling wins states
In order to prepare for states, the swimming team trained with four morning practices a week, two swimming and two weight practices, as well as six afternoon practices. The team uses other activities, like running, to keep them in shape. As the big competitions got closer, the team began tapering down their practices. “It really helps to get that rest before your meets. It gets our muscles ready to go, but we still have to swim every day to keep our muscle memory,” freshmen Shannon Kennedy said. In order to make the team better, Kennedy says that their coach will give them sets they are bound to fail so they will work really hard and continue to improve. The teaching methods of the coach and practicing methods of the team paid off. They did well at states. Noah Hensley left as a state champion of the 100 fly. When asked about his win Hensley said: “It’s nice [to win] because swimming doesn’t really get recognition. This shows people that it really does matter.”
After two days in competition, Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 6 and 7, the girls bowling team are state champions. Playing a total of nine schools, and 30 games overall, the girls won 25. They placed first above Martin county, last year’s champions. The two-day tournament resulted in a championship win. Freshman Katelyn Jones said, “Anybody can [roll] a ball and anyone can get a strike, but not everyone can go back and pick up what they left.” Head coach Brittney Burr made sure the girls focused on spares and the basics of what they need to know. The team noticed that for most of the other schools they played against, they struggled with spares. “We have to work as a team, not as individuals,” said Jones. The team is grateful for their practice with spares. They believe it helped them lead to winning states.
On the sidelines... 1. What is your pregame ritual?
With
Katelyn Jones
Try to listen to some of my favorite songs. I take a deep breath and I just get this fire going that makes me want to do better.
2. Who is better? Miley Cyrus or Justin Beiber? Miley Cyrus, at least she is being her own person.
3. What is your favorite movie?
Waterboy because it makes me laugh every time I watch it. Adam Sandler is my favorite actor and comedian because he is so funny it’s amazing.
4. What is your favorite candy? Lemonheads. I love sour things.
5. What is your signature bowling move?
It’s not really a move but when I come back I have this really big excitement. I’m always cheering people on whether I’m on the sidelines or by myself. Just having a big smile or being loud. Being the smallest person on the team, I’m the loudest, even the coach says that to me.
photo/ SCOTT WAISANEN
ON THE BALL. Freshman Katelyn Jones uses what she’s learned in practice to knock down the pins.
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THE LION’S TALE
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Columnist thinks sports participation creates better students by Lyndsey Taylor
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articipating in school sports is 100 percent a good idea. Promoting pride, self-discipline, and teamwork school sports make you a better person; and they’re fun. CIRCLE (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement) has found that 18-25 year olds who participated L. Taylor ‘15 in school sports are more likely to be engaged in volunteering, voting, public speaking, and watching the news- becoming all around better citizens. Participation in school sports lessens the chance of substance abuse (that’s drugs and alcohol) and teen pregnancy. According to The United States Department of Education, students who have no participation in extracurricular activities are 49 percent more likely to use drugs and 37 percent more likely to become teen parents. Sports actually have a phenomenal effect on grades. On average, sports participation causes an increase in GPA. According to Trevor Born in “High Standard for GPA”, the average GPA of a student athlete was 2.84 while the GPA of a non-participating student was 2.68. In a study published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise (2007) it was found that students taking part in vigorous sports did 10 percent better in math, social studies, science and English classes. At Oviedo High School, for the 20122013 school year, about 804 students out of the 2227 enrolled participated in school sports. That is about 36 percent. With such outstanding effects on overall student life, I have to ask myselfWhy aren’t more students playing sports? I’m not sure of the answer, but the bottom line is: you should really consider trying out. It’ll be fun, I promise. When sports provide an awesome way to deter from drugs, dropping out, teenage pregnancy, and poor grades, why wouldn’t you participate?
lyndseyt@thelionstale.com
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THE LION’S TALE
| features | NOVEMBER 18, 2013
Teen artists win big in area fairs
BEST IN SHOW. Titled “Lustful Rhapsody”, this painting embodies promiscuity while including actors from movies, TV shows, and other individual. Senior Madi Slage won Best in Show at the Lake Mary Art Festival in Heathrow.
THIRD PLACE. As an aspiring artist, junior Harry Allen created this piece because he wanted to know what it would take to design a real house. He won the third place prize in the Great Day in the Country.
‘Great Day in the Country’ for teens by Alex White
S A BEACON OF LIGHT. Sophomore POINTY PETALS. Nikki Perez won honorable mention at Great Day in the Country for her artsy creation featuring a lighthouse.
The first place winner for the Great Day in the Country on Nov. 9 was a sculpture by sophomore Kadi Gashlin.
PLAYING WITH FIRE. Freshmen Shannon Kennedy uses her brother, Mickey Kennedy to model for a shot holding a candle while concentrating on the flames. Her reward was a 1st place prize of $200.
ophomore Kadi Gashlin created the piece that stole the first place prize, winning $200 and a ribbon at Great Day in the Country hosted annually by the GFWC Oviedo Woman’s Club. Students from local schools participate and enter their artwork to be put on display and hopefully, to become a prize winner. “Having recognition for winning makes me feel like a superstar. It’s really cool how people congratulate me and make me feel like I’m noticed,” said Gashlin. Gashlin’s piece titled “Every Rose Has it’s Thorn”, consists of a glazed sculpture of a forearm and hand with bright green vines crawling upward. Thorns are included all throughout the sculpture to compliment the
PRIZE WINNING COWS. Bulls graze in a field and win senior Juliana Zuccarini first place for the digital photography competition at the Lake Mary Heathrow Art Festival.
title. Green leaves were added as well as a red rose in the middle of the palm. Gashlin added that it took approximately two and a half weeks to fully complete. Gashlin plans on pursuing a career in art in her future so winning the first place prize opened a window of opportunity. “It made me feel really great that I might have a chance in making it. If people like me now I’ll get better in college and hopefully they’ll like me later,” said Gashlin. Planning on competing for next years Great Day in the Country, Gashlin is already preparing pieces to display.
alexw@thelionstale.com
MYSTICAL MAGICAL CREATURE. Sophomore Valentina Gamero won honerable mention at Great Day in the Country with her painting of a patterned unicorn colored with metallics.