LION’S TALED e c e m b e r 11 , 2 0 0 9 V o l u m e 5 0 I s s u e 3 6 0 1 K i n g S t r e e t O v i e d o , F l o r i d a

Emily Cottrellco-diversions editor

Sarah Greco* sits still. The shuffle of students jumping out of their seats creates a cacophony of squeaks and

clatter in her Seminole County High School. Hand over her heart, the teacher eyes Greco for not standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. Greco hands her a note, shocked when the teacher just tosses it aside.

The note, written by Greco’s parents, stated their support of Greco’s decision to not stand for the pledge. What the Grecos didn’t know was that a note is only needed for refusing to recite the pledge. A student can not be forced to stand under any circumstances.

“Upon written request by his or her parent, the student must be excused from reciting the pledge,” states the guidelines for patriotic programs.

On the contrary, no student may be required to stand during the pledge according to Seminole County attorney, Ned Julian, Jr.

But Greco’s teacher refused to acknowledge this, under the impression the policy requirees a student to stand.

“I have never stood for the pledge in high school. None of my teachers said anything

about it until this year. She asked me to stand out of respect for her, and I did not. After a few

weeks she said that we had to stand or she’ d write up whoever didn’t,” said Greco.

Her teacher maintained that each student is required to stand.

“A friend who is a lawyer did some research on the subject, and wrote a letter for me saying it wasn’t constitutional to make me stand,” said Greco.

But a day before the letter was written, the Supreme Court refused to see a case against a student who would not stand for the pledge. The refusal brought the judicial interpretation to attention in Florida’s school county systems.

“It means the original decision was held. So, yes, it is unconstitutional to make you stand,” said Greco.

It also means that this judicial interpretation is for now the law of Florida.

“The statue is unconstitutional and unenforceable to the extent that it requires students to stand at attention during the Pledge of Allegiance; and the statue is valid and enforceable to extent that the statue requires students to obtain parental permission to be excused from reciting Pledge of Allegiance,” states the patriotic program rules.

Greco, by no means, intends to disrespect the flag by not standing.

“I don’t believe in publicly displaying my belief. I can keep it privately in my heart. I should be able to support my country in my own manner,” said Greco.

Though she may not stand, she is still required to recite the pledge without a parental note.

“I don’t understand why you need a note not to recite the Pledge though. But being able to sit is enough for now. You have to pick your battles,” said Greco.

*name withheld

Court changesrules for saying U.S. PledgeTiffany Ray

features editor

STRAIGHT SHOOTING. On Saturday, Dec. 5, the OHS NJROTC hosted the Area 7 NJROTC State Championship Marksmanship competition. OHS was the first team to shoot. After two rounds of shooting the team finished and waited for the results as the other teams shot. The OHS (Team A) took first place overall in the state for the fifth year in a row; Team B also took 4th place 1. Seniors Michael Fine and Rachael Stueber take aim and get ready to fire in the offhand position round of the competition. 2. Sophomore Julia Fine shoots around in the kneeling position. 3. Junior Katie Elliott rests after firing in the kneeling position. 4. Freshman Natalie White sights her target after shooting a round. 5. Freshman Ryan Carr removes the sling from his gun after shooting. 6. Junior Traci Hill loads her next round gun while standing in the offhand position.

Senior Alex Lopez shuffles from one class to the next, her day consumed by AP courses – calculus, literature,

statistics, environmental science, and comparative politics. Her grades have always been high, her GPA always above a 4.0. When the nine weeks end, however, a B stood out from her otherwise straight As.

“I felt that there was such a push to take more AP courses when we signed up for the seven periods. Now I’m taking five APs, and it seems like I was shoved into something that wasn’t very realistic,” said Lopez.

Lopez also believes the seven period day has factored in to the fact that she and other students have received grades lower than they are used to.

“Now that we have less time in each class, I feel stressed all day even if we aren’t doing anything too strenuous during school. It feels like we are only getting in 30 minutes of learning. It seems like good students are being gypped out of straight As,” said Lopez.

At the end of the nine weeks, the

administration decided to take a look at how many students received straight As, and

held a lunch in their honor. Fifty-eight of the 2086 students enrolled maintained these superb grades.

“We thought it would be interesting to see how many of our

students earned all As,” said principal Robert Lundquist. “I know many students probably filled their seventh period with an extra AP, which has left them with fewer As.”

Lundquist hosts luncheon for the 58 straight A students

photos/CARSON BAILEYNJROTC earns first in state competition

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Assistant Principal Coach Register has a hidden talents up his sleeve. Find out about his knack for making balloon animals inside.

page 9

A new YouTube sensation, learning new dance moves has made its way to OHS students. Learn about the new dance, jerking, that has currently hit campus.

page 15

see NJROTC, page 22

“We thought it would be interesting to see how many of our students earned all As.”

PrincipalRobert Lundquist

see GRADES, page 2

The Supreme Court has ruled that you don’t have to stand for the Pledge.

The Lion’s Tale2 December 11, 2009

News

The students at Oviedo High are accustomed to being the best. They’ve earned the highest district

scores on the FCAT, the varsity football team pounded out a crushing 9-1 season, and the band’s percussion section placed number one in the state.

Now the students have another accomplishment to be proud of – one that arguably means more than any they’ve attained before.

Last year, OHS students saved a total of 1,473 lives by donating blood – the highest of any school in Central Florida history.

“Our last year’s blood drive was commendable; during our four blood drives, we collected 491 units,” said Col. Joseph Nardo. “No one had ever collected that much before.”

The Florida Blood Bank, aware of and grateful for the sacrifices of OHS students, has worked with NJROTC to make this year’s blood drives even bigger.

“In light of the fact that we have so many donors, we’ve generated additional buses for each drive, so that the wait time is shorter and we can accommodate more donors,” said Nardo.

In addition, the Florida Blood Centers have extended an offer to help pay a select few OHS donors back for their selflessness.

“Central Florida Blood Bank has been so impressed with our success that they’ve activated a Blood Bank scholarship in honor of what we’ve done here,” said Nardo.

While the particulars of the scholarship are as of yet unspecified, Nardo plans on making an announcement to all donors when the information becomes available.

And the donors are as varied as they are many; students of all colors, sizes, classes and blood types board the Blood Buses four times a year to help save lives. However, there seems to be an unusual trend in the gender of OHS’ donors.

“Something I find really interesting is that around 70% of donors are girls; consistently, at all six drives, they’ve had a better showing than the boys,” said Nardo. “They really take joy in it. They aren’t concerned with the needles or passing out, they just come out to donate.”

This bias is contrary to the national standard, where more men turn out to donate than women. “Men have a lesser iron challenge than women do, because women are more often deferred because of low body weight or iron levels. So we really need the men [at OHS] to step up,” said Doug Goldbarth, Donor Development

Coordinator at Florida’s Blood Centers.While the Blood Drive is on track to beat

last year’s record, with 270 units already collected at two drives, Nardo would like to see OHS boys come out and help save lives.

“I’d like to issue an official challenge to the male community to be as active and dedicated as the girls have been in the past,” said Nardo. “In addition, if any other clubs would like to help out with the blood drive, they can contact me at any time. Beta Club was a huge help during the last blood drive; I’d like to thank Mrs. Tina Near and Mrs. MaryannMontione for their help.”

Each unit of whole blood can save three adult lives. The blood is available for use in hospitals two days after students donate, and for the most part it stays local.

“Everything collected at Oviedo High School goes first and foremost to Orlando Regional Medical Center, Florida

‘How to save a life’Student heroes turn out by the hundreds to donate bloodVictoria Persampiere

news editor

Hospital, and other regional hospitals,” said Goldbarth. “We are the sole provider of blood to the Central Florida area.”

Central Florida’s hospitals are always in need of blood. The donations collected at OHS are used to replenish blood lost during trauma, heart surgery, and organ transplants. They are used to help patients with cancer, sickle cell disease and thalassemia. They are used every day to save lives, and the blood supply always needs to be replenished. There is currently an urgent need for type O-, AB-, and A- blood, although all blood types are always in demand.

“We tend to have a shortage during the holidays. People go on vacation, or they’re just not thinking about it – but we really do need the donations,” said Goldbarth. “We also have a higher need in the summer, once again because people often go away, and because school isn’t in. The schools are a huge help.”

THREE LIVES SAVED. Junior Sarah Parks waits patiently on the Blood Bus as her blood races through the complex network of tubes and into a carefully marked blood bag. Within 48 hours, that bag will be used to save up to three lives.

photo/CARLY MCCARTHY

International Cuisine Club works in kitchen to stir up charity funds

International Cuisine Club plans on hosting a charity event to raise money to be donated to Savannah Court Assisted Living Home.

Ten students, including seniors Alan Zegarra, Christina Moyer, James Telson, juniors Lindsay Knox, Anthony Buday, Christine Schuler, Chenell Henderson, Jehnifer Frank, sophomore Rebecca Peters, and one other as of yet undecided student make up the club.

The club will prepare and serve food at Maggiano’s Little Italy on Jan. 22. The banquet will begin at 6p.m., but the students will be on-site at noon to get started.

If the club manages to sell out every seat (at $20 each seat) , the club will raise a total of $600, all of which will be donated the night of the banquet to a represetnative from Savannah Court.

Tickets to the event will be on sale for $20; please see Karen Stapleton for more details.

SECME recruiting new membersSECME, sponsored by physics teacher

Jim Bolin, is currently recruiting new members interested in science, engineering, or technology. Club dues are $10. SECME members are currently working on their projects for regional competition, which will be held in Feb. at the University of Central Florida, Orlando.

Lundquist explains that a luncheon for students with a grade point average of 4.0 or higher will still be held at the beginning of second semester.

“We were not trying to offend students who do not have straight As. There are great students here who will be recognized. And I am optimistic that there will be even more straight As at the semester,” said Lundquist.

Freshman Mitchell Callaway battled his first AP class to receive straight As, while senior Jon Thomas battled the disease commonly known as senioritis. They both agree, however, that the seven period day hasn’t really affected them in their efforts to receive straight As.

Sophomore Megan Heil, one of the 8 sophomores to earn straight As, believes that many sophomores are having trouble adjusting to their course load.

“The workload is a lot but it doesn’t become stressful if you don’t let it The only big difference between sophomore year and freshman year is that AP World History is really fast paced compared to AP

Human Geography,” said Heil. AP World History teacher Gary Barnett explains that sophomores have very high standards to live up to.

“The tenth grade is a very transitional year. The standards really rise – especially in courses like AP Chemistry and my own. Sophomore year has to prepare students for junior and senior year – they have to be used to the rigorous workload they will receive. At times it seems overwhelming, but it works out in the long run. The students that don’t get straight As sophomore year will probably adjust and succeed in junior and senior year,” said Barnett.

Though it seems the seventh period day has left less students with straight As, several teachers, including Barnett, say that they haven’t seen much of a change in their grades.

“My grades are pretty much the same as they’ve always been,” said AP Art History teacher Didi Gibbs, “I think that students do have more work and more stresses forced on them with the seventh period day, but it seems like students are adjusting and handling it quite well.”

from GRADES, page 1

58 Students

16 freshmen8 sophomores

16 juniors18 seniors+

National Honor Society welcomes 56 new members at ceremony

56 juniors and seniors were induceted into the National Honor Society this past fall. The club welcomed the newest members at a formal induction ceremony in the Cassanova Performing Arts Center during periods 6 and 7.

NHS will host another induction ceremony in the spring. This induction will be open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors who meet the requirements for admission to the club.

Straight A Stack Up

FIRST MEETING. New NHS members gather for their first meeting in sponsor Janice Latimer’s room. NHS typically meets once a month, with seasonal dinner meetings.

photo/MIRANDA GHALI

SCCNewsThe Lion’s Tale 3December 11, 2009

Q&A withJay R. Davis

communications manager at Seminole State

Miranda Harmonstaff reporter

Suddenly surrounded by throngs of inters, auds, benes, and oculs, teachers and students find themselves with extra

tasks and additional skills to teach and learn.The Literary Council at Oviedo High

School set into place the new morpheme program in order to help students with standardized testing and general literacy.

Principal Robert Lundquist serves on the Literary Council.

“We have a group of teachers who are involved in developing better ways and means of educating our kids. We have a Literacy Council to help our students become proficient at reading and literacy,î said Lundquist. ìIt helps establish ways and means for our teachers to implement better strategies in the classrooms.”

Reading teacher Sandy Traeger, who also serves on the Literary Council, explains the origins of the morpheme program.

“It’s been going on for a long time,” said Traeger.

The idea for learning morphemes began eight years ago, beginning with a discussion about vocabulary.

“The Literary Council discussed vocabulary and we came up with a list of morphemes,” said Traeger.

Although the idea has been up in the air for a while, Traeger said, “We finally decided to make it a short term project to really emphasize it.”

The morpheme lists are designed to help

students understand words from the root up, helping them not only in school, but in life.

College Board recommends certain morphemes out of thousands

“They will be thankful that they’ve learned this in their life,” said Lundquist.

While morphemes show up on standardized tests such as FCAT and the SAT, roots of words show up most everywhere.

“This is just to kick it off,” said Traeger. “This is an ongoing process that goes beyond the list.”

Reactions about the new morpheme program vary among faculty and students.

“It’s been a mixed reaction. The teachers are a little frustrated that there’s one more thing for them to do,” said Lundquist. “That’s not at all the intent.”

Intent aside, some teachers find the new plan to hold negative aspects as well as positive.

“I believe for the rest of my career, getting students to pass standardized tests and earning high grades for the school will be the primary focus of public education, so I can understand the need to focus on morphemes in an effort to improve vocabulary and reading-comprehension scores,” said English teacher Roy Starling. “It’s just that so much of what teachers do now is being forced on us by a cockamamie system made desperate by a lack of reliable, legitimate funding.”

Starling feels the program to be detrimental in some ways.

“Consequently, instead of giving English

Q: Q:Q:

A:

Will admissions requirements change?

No. With the universities limiting their enrollment, we are seeing more local high school graduates enrolling in Seminole State, and we are committed to maintaining an open-door admissions policy for our associate-level degrees and certificates, and programs that respond to community needs.

Q:

A:

What prompted SCC to change its name to Seminole State College of Florida?

The new name more accurately reflects the broadening mission of the College as we begin to offer four-year degrees. In 1975, Seminole Junior College became Seminole Community College as the state transitioned to the Florida Community College System. In 2009, the College’s name is changing as it and other colleges begin to offer baccalaureate degrees through the new Florida College System.

Thirteen of the 28 colleges in the new Florida College System offer four year degrees, and all of them have changed their names.

Q:

A:

How will Seminole State College of Florida be abbreviated?

We’re now officially Seminole State College of Florida. If you want to shorten the name, use Seminole State. We are no longer known by initials.

A:

How will the change affect admissions?

It doesn’t. The change, however, does open up additional options for students that weren’t available before. For example, our first four-year degree in interior design is the only four-year state program of its kind in the region.

More students are choosing to come to Seminole State; our enrollment is up 50 percent over the last three years. A big part of that increase is Seminole County Public Schools graduates. Last year, 34.8 percent of SCPS grads (more than 1 in 3) attended our College. This number is up over the past two years (In 2006 the number was 28.4 percent). As a note, this closely matches the numbers we’re seeing from Oviedo High School (33.6 percent for 2008-09).

A:

What’s it like to be at Seminole State College right now?

It’s an exciting time to be at Seminole State! With our small classes, affordable tuition, excellent faculty and 165 degrees, certificates and University Pre-Majors, there’s a good reason more students are choosing Seminole State. Also, we’re considering adding more four-year degrees, particularly construction management.

Q:

A:

How has SCC been changed by becoming a state college?

The response from our community has been overwhelmingly positive. Our students are excited to be a part of Seminole State. There’s also a lot of excitement about our new four-year degrees. The name change shows that the institution is evolving.

Over the past few weeks (our Board of Trustees made the decision to change names Sept. 21), we’ve begun to transition into our new name. We’ll have a new Web site in December and a new logo early next year. You’ll also begin to see “Seminole State” on our signs, starting early next year. You may have already seen billboards with our new name.

Q:

A:

What are future plans for Seminole State College?

We’re wrapping up a major three-year construction campaign. Since 2007, we’ve opened two new campuses and nearly completed an $85 million makeover of our Sanford/Lake Mary Campus Looking ahead, we’re moving forward on a new $20 million Student Center. It’s in the design phase now.

We’re excited about January. Classes start Jan. 11, and we’re expecting another term of double-digit enrollment growth (our eighth straight term). We’ll also welcome our first baccalaureate class.

Students, faculty delve into word origins, meanings

graduates to Seminole State College of Florida

Morphemes strengthen reading comprehensionIII students a sense of their nation’s literary heritage, we make sure they improve their SAT scores,” said Starling. “We’ve decided it’s more important to get bragging rights and funding based on test scores than on teaching young Americans to value, ponder, and challenge the work of Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Dickinson, and Hurston.”

Due to the program, Starling has had to make changes to his curriculum.

“I’ve dropped some of these authors from my curriculum and am trying, at this late stage of my career, to grow into the role of test-prepper and morpheme-meister,” said Starling. “I’m really sorry it has come to this.”

Still, despite drawbacks, some welcome the program.

“Many students appreciate the help,” said Lundquist. “The mature students who want the help are the most appreciative.”

Lundquist remains optimistic about the new program.

“I always have concerns about negativity and a potential morale issue among faculty and students,” said Lundquist. “I want everyone to know that we want to make it a positive instead of a negative.”

BAND ROOM BIBLIOPHILES. A sign with the definitions and examples of morphemes hangs nearby the book-cluttered bandroom lost-and-found, as a reminder to students who pass by,

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

News The Lion’s Tale4 December 11, 2009

Wesley Wynnestaff reporter

Heavy bags threaten quality of lifeAfter she leaves for her sixth period

class, freshman Laura Grant goes to her locker to get her supplies. As the

bell rings, she finishes yet another commute with her big backpack.

“Yeah, [the backpack] it’s heavy,” said Grant. “But my classes ae so far away from my locker.

Her backpack weighs 12.6 pounds.Many students have large backpacks.

These backpacks can be heavy and cause back problems.

“[Disproportionate weight on shoulders can cause] premature disc generation, unhealthy pressure to other joints (ankles, knees, hips,), spondylolysis, [and] shoulder/neck problems from carrying backpack on one shoulder and no using both shoulder straps,” said chiropractor Dr. David A. Demetree, D.C., F.I.A.M.A.

A few students chose not to use lockers.

“I actually don’t have a locker this year,” said sophomore Emily Hague. “Because every class I go to is in a different building.”

But not every student’s backpack is big or heavy, depending on what it contains.

“Not very much,” said Brunk. “[The locker is] right next to my third and fourth period classes, but I have to grab my stuff for my next three periods or I’ll be late.”

Students may not know it, but heavy backpacks can cause problems when they stoop forward to support the weight, according to an article on About.com by reporter Robert Longley.

According to the article, backpacks shouldn’t weigh more than ten percent of your body weight. This means that if you weigh 120 pounds, then your backpack should only weigh 12 pounds.

The Lion’s Tale Newspaper weighed backpacks of 11 random students and the

average weight totaled 13 pounds.But students often carry

very large amounts of weight in their backpacks and just

over one shoulder, too. Wearing a

backpack on one s h o u l d e r

c a n cause a

disproportionate shift on one side, leading to lower-back pain and neck and muscle spasms.

It’s recommended that students should wear both shoulder straps that are wide, adjustable, and padded.

If weight on your back stays constant or increases, many back conditions could get worse.

“Not necessary life threatening, but [they] could definitely decrease one’s quality of life. Especially as we age,” said Demetree.

But there’s no need to fear, as these conditions can be treated and even prevented.

“Treatments could be as benign/simple as a few visits to your chiropractor as well as some simple stretches/exercises, to as extreme as orthopedic care/surgery,” said Demetree.

Heavy backpacks can be bad for you, but some students aren’t complaining because they’re simply used to their backpacks.

When asked if his backpack is heavy, junior Patrick Elliot said, “It’s not really heavy. Basically I’ve had it this way for years.”

A BAD BACK. This former OHS student had surgery to correct her scoliosis, which is when the spine is curved from side to side or rotated. While scoliosis is most often caused by a combination of genetics and stress caused by growth spurts, backpacks can aggrevate the problem and cause a host of other injuries.

photo courtesy/AMBER PETSCHEL

Demetree Chiropractic Group Inc.1750 W Broadway St. Ste 108

Oviedo,FL 32765-9618(407) 977-7233

NewsThe Lion’s Tale 5December 11, 2009

New officer on campus keeps kids safe

Miranda Betterleystaff reporter

Officer Lawrence Walton, Oviedo High School’s newest police officer, knows what it is like to

face danger first hand. “The hardest part of being a police officer is knowing that today might be my last day on earth. Somebody might start shooting in the cafeteria or go out to their car and get a gun and I might be the first person they shoot. That’s the hardest part,” said Walton.

“They chose me [to work at Oviedo] because there was a vacant spot and they thought I’d be the best for the job,” Walton said. “I like working here for the most part,” said Walton. “I don’t like having to arrest people though.” Walton started his police career at Valencia Community College in Orlando. “I was there for nine months. They teach the very basics of being a cop. You actually learn how to be a cop when you get hired,” said Walton. “They say college teaches you

how to think, but honestly, I think just because you

have a college degree doesn’t make you any

smarter than anyone else. You still have to treat people the same,” said Walton. Walton was a police officer at Lawton Chiles Middle School for three years, a law enforcement officer for six years, and an E4 in the military for eight years. After switching to a high school from a middle school, Walton says the biggest difference between high schoolers and

middle schoolers is that some kids are

a lot more mature. They are

not under their parents’ thumb all the time, so they are going to get in more trouble. After becoming a police officer, the memory that always stays with Walton is when “I almost had to take two people’s lives because of the situations. It wasn’t scary at the time, but now that I look back on it, it’s like wow; I could’ve been killed. It gives you a new perspective on life,” said Walton. Despite everything, at the end of the day, Walton still enjoys being a police officer. “[My favorite part] is working and trying to influence the lives of young people,” said Walton. “Just because you’re an adult and you’re talking to a teenager, doesn’t mean you can talk to them any way you want. It’s more of a respect thing. If you confront a teenager with a bad attitude, they’re going to give you a bad attitude. I explain to them this is what I’m doing and this is why I’m doing it,” said Walton. “He’s a great person to work with, it takes all of us to keep the school safe,” said Bonnie Presley, a security officer at Oviedo. Students at OHS also like Officer Walton being here.

Next Generation Tests to be the new FCAT? Curtis O’Brien

staff reporter

As End of Course Exams creep over the horizon, teachers and administrators wonder how

important these tests will become.“I think it’s possible these tests may take

the place of FCAT exams and probably will be used to evaluate teachers in the future. Florida has applied for federal grant monies and the government is requiring stricter standards for teacher evaluation in order to get the money,” said debate teacher Deborah Jepson.

End of course exams are standardized tests given at the end of a class and are similar to the ones already being implemented to Georgia. The official name for these upcoming tests is the Next Generation Tests.

These new tests over the years could also determine who graduates and who does not.

The results of these tests could be used to more accurately gauge students improvement and problem areas. Once tests are phased in, portions of FCAT could be removed and replaced by End of Course Exams.

“It’s a very complex system of the phase in and phase out for the tests and the FCAT,” said Robert Lundquist.

These tests could be given to allow a student to receive credit for a class if he or she already knows the material. It could also be used to allow a student to skip a prerequisite in order to take a more advanced class.

This year Oviedo High School may host

the field-testing for the End of Course Exams in Algebra I.

“Schools will be selected for an Algebra I field test in May. The Legislature is still determining which schools will be selected,” said Robert Lundquist.

If OHS is selected, students enrolled in Algebra I will take an online test covering the Algebra I requirements according to the Florida Sunshine State Standards.

This field test will count. Teachers will be required to incorporate the test into the student’s grade, but how was not be specified yet.

“I don’t think that they have established finality for the new standards,” said Dr. Nicola Johnson, guidance department chairman.

“Current statute calls for an Algebra I standardized test in Florida to count in 2010 – 2011 depending on legislation,” said Robert Lundquist. “Students will be required to pass these tests to graduate. Then, in 2011 – 2012, biology will come on board, again all this is depending on legislation”

Again, schools will be selected and again the field test will be incorporated into the student’s grade.

The year after that, students will have two new standardized End of Course tests in Biology I and Algebra I and a field-test in American History.

All of the Next Generation Tests will be administered using a computer. According to Lundquist, computers will be added to the Media Center bringing the total amount of computers there to 40. Plans are in the works to add another computer lab to campus to accommodate all the state-mandated testing in the future.

UPHOLDING THE LAW. Officer Lawrence Walton’s job is twofold; keep the students at OHS safe, and make sure that they stay out of trouble. His extensive experience in on-campus law enforcement has made him tough enough to work with thousands of teenagers every day.

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

“That guy is awesome. Yes, I do feel safe with him here. I definitely feel he would taze someone if it came down to it,” said senior Kyle Kassik. “He’s the coolest officer ever and he has inside jokes with everyone, and I definitely feel safer with him here,” said sophomore Jennifer Fredreickson.

Former military man turned police officer works to protect students and establish a friendly, respectful relationship with the teens under his care

Do you believe that it is fair to tie teacher pay to students passing

standardized exams?

Kate Kameraad

Tom Jesse

Courtney Pateracki

“I do not think that it is fair at all. There are so many other factors to a student’s grade, like their personal motivation, their support at home, and what they learned from their previous teachers.”

“It would really depend on how it is used and how the scores are tied together. It depends on how they treat teachers that teach lower level classes. I per-sonally wouldn’t have a problem because I teach all AP and Honors classes.”

“No, I don’t think that it is fair to judge a teacher based on the students that he or she happens to get that year. It could lead to teachers competing for higher-level classes because those students may be more likely to score well, and it might cause teachers to not share amongst one another.”

The Lion’s Tale asked English teachers...

Pulled Over!It’s happened to every driver at some point in their lives - you see those urgent lights behind you and you can’t decide whether you’d rather curse or cry. Don’t panic, just remember these tips:

When you see the lights - behave! Pull to the right responsibly, being sure to use your turn signals and to brake gently.

Officers generally make up their mind as to whether or not they’ll be ticketing you before they ever leave their car. So tears, lies, and flattery aren’t likely to get you anywhere. The best approach is an honest, respectuful one. If the officer asks you an open-ended question (“Do you know why I pulled you over?”) reply truthfully. If you don’t know, say so. But don’t get defensive - nothing is more likely to aggrevate the police officer than an arguement.

d

d

dMake sure the officer feels safe. Police officers are trained to be very wary when they pull someone over. Keep the cop feeling comfortable, and you’ll have less of an ordeal. Roll down your window all the way and turn on your dome light. When you pull over, make sure you pull far enough away from traffic that the officer can safely approach your window. Keep your hands on the wheel unless told to do otherwise.

Lindsay KnoxHallie Lavery

Kaitlyn Loughlin Stephanie O’Sullivan

Kimberly Segrest Abby Wakas

Jennifer Wakas

Opinion “Try not to become a man of success but rather to become a man of value.”

- Albert Einstein

Lack of nutrition in schools leads to obesity

The Lion’s Tale6 December 11, 2009

It’s addicting, unhealthy, and possibly one in ten teenage girls do it, suggests www.wcpn.org. Self mutilation, in a broad sense,

is the act of attempting to alter a mood by inflicting physical harm. This includes, cutting, punching, burning, scratching, hair pulling, and more.

I am no stranger to mutilation. I can’t say that I remember the first time I cut myself with scissors- a preferred blade of mine. But I can recall the first times I toyed with the idea of mutilation. The summer between my freshman and sophomore year became two months of horror inside of me, with changing pressures and problems at home.

“The person who self harms often has difficulty experiencing feelings of anxiety, anger, or sadness. Consequently, cutting or disfiguring the skin serves as a coping mechanism,” says www.athealth.org, and www.athealth.org suggests that individuals who self-injure often have suffered abuse from someone with whom a significant connection has been established, such as a parent or sibling.

To cope with a heightening abuse, I began punching at my hip for days, at times hitting myself so hard I was moved to tears. I did so until the bruise was inches large and completely black.

Hitting eventually turned into cutting. I again self mutilated on my hips, a place that felt secure for me to hide. Self-mutilation was a personal act, and I was ashamed of what my family would think of if they knew. How

Thepursuitof happiness

Tiffany Ray features editor

Fourth period class ends, and students rush to the lunch room eager to fill their stomachs with delicious, nutritious, and wholesome food.

There’s just one problem. Pizza plus fries equal high fat content and many calories. Students just aren’t purchasing the few healthy food options available. Furthermore, nearly all the food in the cafeteria is not fresh but frozen.

Studies show that obesity rates among teens have tripled over the past few decades. The American Obesity Association show that 30.4 percent of teens are overweight.

Yet students arriving at the cafeteria fill their plates with fats, additives, and preservatives.

In this fast food filled age, school lunches should serve as an example of a delicious and nutritious meal.

We on The Lion’s Tale staff feel that the U.S.D.A. should increase the nutritional requirements for schools and remove funding from schools that do not meet the new standards.

Currently only six to seven percent of subsidized meals meet all nutritional requirements.

Schools will be forced to make more healthy options available to modify existing meals to meet the new standards.

Whole grain flour could be used to make pizza. Schools could offer students healthier meals like a grilled chicken sandwich instead of the usual fries.

We would like to see main dishes made from scratch instead of from frozen ingredients.

Vending machines should offer healthy selections such as water or fruit juice, instead of the artificially-laden pseudo- diet drinks like Coke Zero.

Our staff is in no way suggesting that the sole cause of teen obesity is unhealthy school lunches.

We also recognize that implementing healthier options will certainly cost more.

But schools have a responsibility to promote good health and nutrition among students.Yeah for flip-flops!

The School Board Committee finally passed the new dress code for the following school year. While a stricter code for clothing passed, wearing flip-flops surprisingly is still allowed.

Instead, the new code bans wearing slippers, cleats and shoes that double as roller skates. While the committee has passed this new proposal, it has yet to be approved by the Seminole County School Board. Either way, flip-flop wearers can rejoice.

LION’S TALEStaff

Editors-in-chiefCarson BaileyMiranda GhaliNews Editor

Victoria Persampiere

Features Editor Tiffany Ray

Diversions EditorsCarly BrowerEmily Cottrell

Sports EditorsConnor Bailey

Caitlyn Braswell

Opinion EditorsJordan Hugh SamJulia Thorncroft

PhotographersKevin Veloso

Advertising EditorsJohn CampbellCurtis O’Brien

Staff ArtistsMiranda HarmonWesley Wynne

Staff ReportersMiranda Betterley

Jordan BranchAngiee CareyNirvani Khan

Faculty AdvisorDeborah Jepson

Administrative AdvisorAnna McCarthy

Oviedo High School601 King Street, Oviedo FL 32765 • Phone: 407-320-4199 • Fax: 407-320-4213

The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse ads. The views of the staff do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, staff, or faculty of Oviedo High School.

Our Word

Self mutilation proves addicting, hard to let gowould they look at me if all they could see were the cuts on my skin? So I walked among my peers with bandages on my hips to stop the bleeding. I sat next to you in class. I ate at your lunch table. I sang next to you in choir. I pulled down my shirt when I thought you wee looking.

I kept terrible burden from you all. Cutting felt so shameful, but I had to do it. I was addicted. Self-mutilation is said to “assist the individual in dissociating from immediate tension,” according to www.ahealth.org. So I cut because I temporarily felt better every time. But it was never enough. Like any addiction, I wanted more and more, until my sides were crisscrossed in red cuts.

And cutting made me feel. I felt something other than the monotonous haze I lived in. Tears are said to realse toxins and tension. I was an easy crier before these hard times set in. But during those times it was a rare, and welcome thing to cry. Cutting relieved some of the tension teas couldn’t. I didn’t feel real except when I cut. As if I could pinch myself and realize that it didn’t hurt, and realize I wasn’t really awake. In the words of the Goo Goo Dolls, “you bleed just to know you’re alive.”

And a part of me wanted to hurt myself. Failing to live up to expectations, and an unrealistic role at home, I began to hate myself. It wasn’t long before I began staring myself in the eyes when I cut. As if to say you deserve this. I felt worthless, and my spiraling unhappiness only increased the ill feelings. In this day and age, it is a shameful thing to not be happy.

The bravest thing I think I’ve ever done was when I told my parents. I sat my dad down, and told him I thought I had depression, that I was constantly sad, and wanted to hurt myself. He said, “You want to hurt yourself?” I admitted that I already had.

But I’ll always be haunted by my mother’s reaction. She screamed at me. I “betrayed” her because I confided in my dad first. I couldn’t believe that she could punish me for being in so much pain. And I don’t know that I can completely forgive her for that. It’s years later and sometimes she’ll turn to me with a chilling look in her eyes, and remind me of my betrayal.

I wish she never had to know about it. I feel so ashamed every time she eyes me when I reach for scissors. I’m only cutting paper. But she doesn’t believe me.

“The behavior of self-mutilation has been described as an attempt to escape from intolerable or painful feelings relating to the trauma of abuse,” says www.athealth.org I still want to escape from the painful feelings in my life, and it can be hard not to fall back on a comfortable way to cope. It is hard to understand why self-mutilation is so bad, when

it feels so good.Www.focusas.com helps explain

why it feels good. When someone who self injures feels overwhelmed, self-harm brings psychological and physiological tension back down to a bearable level.

The site goes on to say that many self mutilators report that they were discouraged from expressing emotions, especially anger and sadness. But even though cutting is a way to express my suppressed emotions, I know it is

harmful. Long run metal health should come before the immediate desire to feel good.

So I’ve been harm free, and steadily happier for almost two years now.

Self injury is not something to be ashamed of, even if others make it seem that way. Self mutilation is not a cry for help, is not a suicidal attempt, and is often misunderstood. I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this because it makes everyone uncomfortable.

If you self mutilate, know that you are not alone, and can seek help in a guidance counsler or professional therapy.

OnlineThe Lion’s Tale is accessible through the OHS website.

Charles Darwin’s evolution of exploding backpacks

Should students be forced to stand for the Pledge?

Street Talk

NOYES

I DON’T CAREUNSURE

30%34%

22%14%

Poll out of 100 students taken on 12/10

Check out page 8 for our head to head columns on the Pledge.

Self mutilation is not associated with suicide. If you are having suicidal thoughts, please call:

1-800-SUICIDE

Miranda Harmon staff artist

MirandaWrites

Nothing strange in the neighborhood7The Lion’s Tale December 11, 2009 Opinion

Nirvani Khan staff reporter

NIRVANI’SNOTIONs

?It was a dark and stormy night. The night air

tasted like death and the ghosts of children from ages past buzzed on overhead like

electricity in the air.The graveyard was smeared with a ghostly

essence like white on rice.The door of the creaky old shack swung

open and closed like a ticking clock. A ghostly figure slowly appeared in front of my eyes, as harrowing as if the devil himself was to rear his ugly head.

Psyche!Many believe in ghosts. I don’t blame

them. For all I know, ghosts do indeed exist, and live very active afterlives.

But based on my most recent ghost hunting adventure, I’m growing into somewhat of a skeptic, at least when dealing with local hauntings.

Last week I traveled to two supposedly haunted locations in Oviedo, and I have to say I’m disappointed. Venturing out into the ghost zones with two loyal comrades, we carefully selected those areas which would be accessible as well as spooky.

Our first destination rang of eeriness. We arrived at St. Luke’s Cemetery well into the night and set off into the field of graves. Legend has it that spirits haunt the cemetery, especially in the small building towards the center of the graveyard.

Now, keep in mind that graveyards are creepy to begin with. I’ve heard stories about ghosts and spirits haunting this particular area, and so I was a tad hesitant to join my friends while entering the shack.

The shack was creepy, no doubt about it. With the chill in the air, I had no problem believing that the small house could indeed be haunted.

Upon entering the shack, my comrades and I were slightly disappointed.

The room was empty, save a few planks of wood and a box. And not creepy-empty, not at all like The Blair Witch Project, which I was half-hoping for.

No, just empty. We lingered and took some pictures, all the while keeping the door open at my request.

And so, slightly daunted by our lack of ghost sightings, we left the shack and wandered through the supposedly haunted graveyard, snapping photos and worried more about other humans rather than ghosts.

We set off once more to yet another ghost spot in Oviedo: Andrew Street on Chapman Road.

The celery fields here are supposedly haunted with the ghosts of children.

Lacking parking, we walked down Chapman Road and turned into Andrew Street, a foreboding dirt road surrounded by dense foliage.

We kept our flashlights low, more frightened of people than ghosts. Not to say that it wasn’t creepy. The

silence was

broken only by the distant late-night traffic and our own footsteps.

We traveled further and further down the dirt road, all the while the lighted street behind us becoming smaller and smaller. Eventually our flashlights and the stars above were our only sources of light.

Deeper we went, until we were treading in unfamiliar waters, seemingly miles from any hope of either rescue or dawn.

Waiting expectantly for any signs or paranormal activity, we anxiously stepped deeper into the natural maze.

And what did we find?Nothing.We found fields and fields of foliage, but no

laughing ghost children underneath the power lines, like we were promised. No spooky ghostly figures wandering in the background, no orbs, no demons.

Regardless of our fruitless ghost hunt, my friends and I had a great time defying odds and exploring Oviedo. Even though we didn’t find anything paranormal, I wouldn’t call myself a skeptic just yet.

The two areas we explored were only a couple out of numerous supposedly haunted areas in Oviedo. The Oviedo Lights in Chuluota live up to their fame, and our own school auditorium even boasts of a ghost in the girls’ dressing room.

No, my experience was one of many, and others may see things that I don’t

And for all I know, I could have just been looking in all the wrong

places.

illustration/MIRA

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After hearing about the possibility of Next Generation Tests being implemented in Florida school

systems, I have become furious beyond measure. As background knowledge, Next Generation Tests are standardized tests that are given at the end of a course to evaluate not only students on the subject material of that particular course, but also teachers. It’s a possibility that passing these tests will be a graduation requirement, as well. In the future, these tests could be taken in place of FCAT, though nothing is yet certain.

First of all, I strongly believe that these Next Generation Tests will bring along economic burdens for schools in Florida. Since these Next Generation Tests will be completed on computers, without a doubt, there will be a significant increase in the amount of computers needed. I am not trying to imply that having more computers at school is a negative thing, but schools are on confined budgets. We could be using that money for school supplies, or to give teachers raises.

Secondly, I think the teaching standards will be dramatically lowered with these Next Generation Tests. Obviously, teachers will spend a lot of their time preparing their students for the Next Generation Test of their course, whether it be Algebra II, or Biology. In my opinion, teachers will focus their teaching mainly on subject matter that will be incorporated into these tests. This will lead to students missing out on important material in a course, things that the Next Generation Test will not test them on. Needless to say, if these tests become graduation requirements, the standards of these tests will not be too high. Thus, teaching standards will be lowered.

Thirdly, these tests will negatively impact teachers. There is a strong chance that these Next Generation Tests will be used to evaluate teachers, and the amount they get paid could also be affected by how well students score. Quite frankly, I don’t think any standardized test should be used to evaluate teachers on their teaching abilities. Test grades in general depend on a student’s intelligence level, not only on how well a teacher has taught them. So, why should teachers be evaluated on how students score on Next Generation Tests? Additionally, what if a student simply isn’t a good test taker, or is ill on exam day? Why is that the teacher’s fault? When a teacher’s salary becomes involved, this becomes even more of a touchy subject. I don’t think teachers make as much money as they deserve to begin with, and to penalize them on their students’ performance on one, single test simply doesn’t seem fair for them.

Students in general will be affected, too. FCAT only incorporates math, english, and science. But if Next Generation Tests take the place of FCAT, students will eventually have to take standardized tests in other subjects, too, such as American History. So, students will become more stressed out and will have more to worry about. In the time they will spend preparing for their Next Generation Test, they could be preparing for the final exam given by their teachers.

As mentioned before, the standards of these exams are not yet confirmed. Until then, I fear for students, I fear for teachers, and I fear for curriculum standards.

‘No’ to Generation Tests

What doYOU

think ?Want to submit a letter to the editor? You can send letters to the editors at room 05-020 or email us at editors@thelionstale.com

On the heated subject of Morphemes

Dear Editor,Admittedly, reading is important. It

exists today as one of the more valuable skills you can possess, and there is little disputing that.

In a society largely based on literacy, a person probably wouldn’t get very far if they lacked the most basic knowledge of language. At worst, a worker assembling a piece of electronics incorrectly because they failed to decipher the tiny-scripted pamphlet of directions might put them in line for a Darwin Award, but on a broader scale: job application forms, letters, documents, txt msging, reading the True Blood series after getting hooked on the show, video game cheat guides, applying for bank loans, buying a house, getting married, getting divorced, restraining orders, fine print, People Magazine’s list of—we’ll say “most attractive” men, fan-fiction, reading the news, and generally not looking dumb.

We often take for granted the ability to read, but it’s an incredibly essential skill and as such there probably should be a stress on in it in schools.

Dedicating a large part of myself to writing, reading and I are friends. We’re tight. We’re bros. He’s my boy. I like reading a lot, and I advocate an emphasis on it. However, I am very much against the current morpheme policy. Ultimately,

I feel that while the root concept has its merits, the method in which it’s carried out is flawed.

The quote that’s floating around the student body is equally mistaken: “That makes no sense.” Well that’s not true. It makes a good deal of sense. Morphemes are the smallest unit of the English language (of most languages). They are the root and base of most words. Along with context clues, they are your best bet in cracking those esoteric terms that standardized test writers toss in and then wait with bated breath, occasionally giggling and squirming excitedly in their seats, hoping to trip you up (as a matter of fact, in my reality they do conduct themselves like little girls).

They are very helpful tools in academics, but the catchall methods that follow the current policy are a little less than accommodating. I could rationalize a push on morphemes specifically for grades nine and ten and more concentrated in subjects such as, naturally, English. I could easily support that.

But to thrust the practice on all classes, regardless of subject, grade, or level (as in standard, honors, AP), seems rather shortsighted to me. I get that we don’t want to leave anyone behind, or create something that may be considered unfair, but as a result of this we are bringing many students down.

Upperclassmen complain the most about the morphemes policy, probably because many of us have already gone through these

terms in sophomore year. It’s insulting to make us drone through the same things all over again because going over things that have been previously learned is—and will likely remain—a poor excuse for instruction.

Additionally, classes are not always taught by instructors qualified in the fields of language, and other teachers may very well be running an AP class and wasting precious time by reviewing what many already know. The entire system seems generally flawed, and especially insulting to us as young adults (because that is what we are). On the whole, it feels more like a façade than a program made with the intention of learning. Is the entire ordeal then primarily for appearance? The policy that exists cannot be called actual teaching with regard to many students. In schools, we need to make effort and spend time actually challenging students, as opposed to simply looking like we’re challenging students

Reading is, indeed, important and naturally so are morphemes—they are, after all, the carbon atom of language. But other aspects must be considered before you blindly cast a huge blanket of contras, gams, polys, and antis on everyone. The importance of teaching morphemes only lasts as long as your students don’t know it, and as long as other factors don’t outweigh it.-Amanda Juliano

read more letters on page 8

illustrations/MIRA

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As an individual, I have many preferences and opinions on the world around me. As an individual,

I don’t agree with everything that happens in the American government. In fact, I am not a big fan of anything the American government is doing at the moment.

As a citizen of the United States of America, I support our government and their decisions, whether I agree personally or not. So why is it that I choose to support a cause that I don’t fully appreciate? I choose to out of pure respect.

Since I am a citizen of America, and want be here, I choose to participate in the American lifestyle. I stand for and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, stand for and cross my heart when the National Anthem plays and listen when the President of our great country speaks.

Standing for the Pledge does not mean that you agree with the idea or the words it contains as an individual, but rather, shows that you acknowledge and respect it as a citizen.

Likewise, you should stand and cross your heart when the National Anthem plays. Not because you agree with what our country is doing at the moment, or even at all, but out of respect for those who have worked so hard to give you a place to live.

Throughout the history of America, more than 1 million people have died in war, on top of the 1.5 million wounded. These brave men and women serve in our forces, prepared to die for you. To not stand for the Pledge, or for the National Anthem, would be equivalent to selling out your own country. People have died for us to live in our nice, developed society, and to blatantly disregard their sacrifices is low.

If someone does not feel the need to participate in tributes to their country, then I don’t feel the need to keep them in our country.

In 2008, nearly 1 million people applied for citizenship in the United States of America. These are people who come to America from all over the world. They want to live in America, and there is enough of them to replace those who truly do not want to be here.

In all, America has been developed into a place of sanity in a world chaos. Third world countries suffer from genocide, civil wars, disease, corruption and other unimaginable evils. Many governments are overthrown by drug-lords and terrorists who thrive off of the disarray of a country.

While several countries have real problems to worry about, problems such as death, destruction and the safety of each other, many of us in America complain about ultimately trivial commodities.

I am confident that we can find more significant problems in our world to grumble about.

Pledge versus freedom of speech

Third period class begins. The television turns on and the class rises to their feet. A chorus of mumbling

echoes thorough the room before resolving to “ Liberty and Justice for all.” It’s all part of the daily grind.

Now I’m going to ask you to do something. The next time you say the Pledge I want you to consider each word. What are you really saying? Why are you standing?

Public schools across the country illegally require students to stand for the Pledge. But I feel the very act of requiring

students to stand goes against the values our country stands for.

People argue that standing for the pledge should be a requirement. That the act pays respect to this country

and all its’ ideals, to do any less would be blasphemous and downright un-

American.I disagree. Our country

was not built upon mindless recitation and pledges. It was not built on forced opinions. Our county was built on the freedom of its citizens.

Take for example, 10 year old William

Phillips. On Monday October 5th, he made an important decision. As the class rose to say the Pledge, Phillips

remained seated. The

substitute teacher attempted to make

him stand to no avail. Day after day Phillips

remained seated. The situation culminated to

a trip to the principal’s office, after he spoke angrily to the teacher. The principal

assigned him to research the flag and Pledge.

Opinion The Lion’s Tale8 December 11, 2009

Jordan Hugh Sam co-opinion editor

American Rights

American Pride

John Campbell advertising editor

Phillips understood. When he refused to stand, he did not act out of laziness or disrespect. He remained sitting because he looked at this country and disagreed with what he saw.

William refused to stand because he didn’t feel there was liberty and justice for all in America.

“I’ve grown up with a lot of people and I’m good friends with a lot of people who are gay and I think they should have the rights all people should, and I’m not going to swear that they do,” the ten-year-old Phillips said.

The Bill of Rights lays the foundation for this country. It establishes America as a land of freedom. Where people of all races, religions, and philosophies can express their own opinions and views. Refusing to stand for the Pledge is merely a different view.

You can disagree with that idea, hate people for it, and think less of them, but you have to respect their right to an opinion. The freedom of expression defines this country.

So think. The next time the Pledge comes around think about what it stands for.

Gather your thoughts and make a decision. Stand or

don’t stand. It’s your right.

Dear Editors,I don’t agree with the decision to change

our casual dress to a formal uniform.People would act out over uniforms,

because they disagree. I have spoken to many people that would try to rebel against it. I wouldn’t be one of them, but I thought I’ll just add that.

Students would find a way to either change up the uniform or not wear it at all. Therefore, it would be a waste of time and effort.

Don’t get me wrong, I think uniforms will teach us discipline and teach us how to dress in the business world, but we are in school. We have a long way ahead of us. For me, I have two more years to go, so I need to enjoy my high school year by being the man that I am. Not some guy in khaki pants, looking all intelligint and stuff. It’s just not me. It’s good to keep it real, remember that.- Daniel Panton

from LETTERS, page 7

Got an

or email us ateditors@thelionstale.com

Dear Editors, Our school is not ordinary, and what

we wear is not ordinary. If you want to change what our students wear, then what you’re saying is that you want to change our school.

I will never agree with the new dress code. My sense of fashion will not be terminated, just like that.

All of the 87 years Oviedo has been here there has never been uniforms or any outfit changes.

What about all of the other clothes that we will not wear any more? What a waste of money. Not to mention, all of the students paying for clothes that they are just going to throw away.

I don’t want to be a complainer,

but do these people want us to stay in a recession?

You know the term “No one finger print is the same?” Well, no one’s style is the same. The dress code is going to do nothing but make the school’s students mad. No one will get to wear what they want. What the district needs to do is compromise.

To recapitulate, Seminole County is so good. Please don’t become another Orange County. Not only because of the money, or the fact that the dress code will make big argument. But the fact that they are just now wanting to change something that has been right for so long. Just remember to make it right, keep it tight.- Asia Landenwitch

opinion?submit letters to

the editors in room 05-020

The Lion’s Tale 9December 11, 2009

FeaturesRegister reveals talentJordan Branch

staff reporter

photos/KEVIN VELOSO

2. Twists joints A and B from step 1 together, twisting three or four times. Now it is safe to let go.

3. Twist a bubble four fingers wide, holding on to both sides of the balloon. This will be the neck. Twist another bubble to make a leg. Do not let go of the neck or leg. Twist another leg. Then twist the two legs together to look like the drawing.

4. Make the hind legs the same way you made the front two. Grab a sharpie, add a face, and you’ve got your very own balloon animal!

AN APPLE FOR EDUCATION. (Above) Principal Robert Lundquist shows off the balloon apple that Assistant Principal Greg Register made for him to junior Caroline England, and seniors Anamaria Gomez and Julie Leanord. (Right) Freshman Camille Santilian thanks Register for the balloon flower he made for her in the middle of the Commons during second lunch.

Greg Regi

ster

1. Blow up the balloon halfway. Twist a bubble four fingers wide, holding on to both ends of the balloon, and twisting three or four times. While holding on to the twisted bubble, make another the same size. Do not let go.

A B

Asst. principal ‘full of positive energy’

Not just your average Assistant Principal or head of discipline, Greg Register has a trick up his

sleeve to liven any crowd.“He made me a fish on a fishing pole.

The fair was fun. I thought it was interesting seeing him make them, because you really wouldn’t think of him making balloon animals. He was making jokes and stuff. I gave my brother the balloon and he really liked it,” said freshman Hafsa Hussain.

Register decided his craft, of balloon art, would be a fun addition to the fair.

“A year and a half ago, I bought a little kit from the store with a book. I have three kids of my own and they really enjoy it. I went online and I collected more information about it and bought better balloons. My six year old, Cayleb, can make some, too. I just thought I would bring some out for the carnival, to see if it would work and the students would like them and it did,” said Register.

At orientation, he also pulled out balloons to entertain some unexpected younger visitors.

“Over the summer I baby sat five kids during the week and had to bring them to orientation. This caught Mr. Register’s attention and he called us into his office. He pulled out a kit and started blowing up balloon formations. All I could think of was, oh, great; this will make them even

more hyper. The kids were ecstatic, and whatever they asked for, he made. He formed a fishing pole with a fish, a bear holding a heart, a sword, a hat, and a dog on a leash,” said junior Kaitlyn Loughlin.

R e g i s t e r can make many different things. Some of the crowd pleasers of the bunch include a T-Rex, a rainbow, and a fishing pole.

Cayleb enjoys making some of the simpler balloons, like dogs and snakes.

Assistant Principal Anna McCarthy had Register as a student her first year of teaching.

“He was a fabulous student. It was a really good class, a fun class. I made up this board game with Roman events. He would almost win and then get sent back to the beginning, because Hannibal’s elephants would crush him. It has scarred him for life. The best part of being a teacher is watching your student go into education,” said McCarthy.

Register first came to OHS in 1992. He taught Algebra 1 and coached football and softball.

“I really enjoy teaching. To me it’s fun. I was very blessed to be Teacher of the Year for Seminole County in 1995. Assistant Principal Merck was my supervising

teacher. Math has always been fun for me,” said Register.

Register tried to promote a positive atmosphere in his classroom, as he tries to in his new administrative position. In his classroom during his years teaching at OHS, he created the Rock of Readiness.

Students touched the Rock of Readiness as they entered the classroom to encourage positive learning and start the class on time. The shelf the Rock of Readiness is still in the classroom today.

“He was an excellent, very effective teacher, inspiring learning. I liked to visit his classroom, because I would answer a question and get candy. He loves kids,” said assistant principal Leon Merck.

Merck enjoys Register’s energy.“His energy lever is fantastic. He is full

of positive energy. It’s a pleasure working with him,” said Merck.

After 16 years at OHS, Register found an opportunity for an administration position at Seminole High School, where he attended high school. He took the offer. However, when the same opportunity presented itself at OHS, he quickly returned.

“This school is great. First of all, because of parent support, and community support, and secondly, our faculty and staff go the extra mile to make sure education is taken care of,”said Register.

He advocates school spirit and positive activity on campus. As a member in the Positive Behavioral Support, a county initiative with a committee made up of seven members, Register takes a positive approach to discipline issues to help our school.

Said Register proudly, “Hey, always remember: GO LIONS.”

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How to make a balloon dog

Features The Lion’s Tale10 December 11, 2009

Teens help fund chemotherapy billsTwo best friends. Over 100 bracelets.

One common goal. Freshmen Kara Lahman and Jordan Ingalsbe aim to

raise five hundred dollars for Haley Hines, Lahmen’s two-year-old cousin with cancer.

Lahman and Ingalsbe work together weekly to make bracelets in hopes of raising money to pay for Haley’s chemotherapy.

“[I just] want to help my cousin and St. Judes,” said Lahman.

On Sept 28, about a week after her family found out about the cancer, Haley had brain surgery to remove the entire tumor from the cerebellum area in Haley’s brain.

“I’m just trying to help out in any way that I can,” said Lahman.

When the Hines family first heard of the bracelets, they were grateful.

“Haley’s grandparents have ordered a lot. They all think it’s really sweet,” said Lahman.

Lahman and Ingalsbe first started making bracelets a month ago. Inglasbe and her friend, Alyssa Orozco, were the people behind the idea.

“I just wanted to come up with money to help Haley and St. Judes, so I was just asking friends for ideas. At first I thought of candles, but then my friend Alyssa suggested making bracelets with inspirational

words on them,” said Ingalsbe.

I n g a l s b e admits at the

beginning she was skeptical. “I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure in the start. My

initial thought was, ‘what about the cost?’. Then I went to Michaels and WalMart to check out the prices and found out they weren’t too bad. My mom agreed to donate a lot. She still donates a lot of the yarn and beads,” said Ingalsbe.

Lahmen’s first reaction was different. “I thought it was a really good idea.

I liked how she wanted to help,” said Lahman.

Ingalsbe vaguely remembered a few patterns from kindergarten, but had to look up more to make the bracelets.

“I try to devote about three hours a day to making the bracelets. It’s definitely been a life-changing experience. I look forward to it every day,” said Ingalsbe.

Ingalsbe admits that balancing the time spent doing schoolwork and making the bracelets can sometimes be hard.

“I just have to pace myself. I do procrastinate, to be honest. I just had to learn to do homework first, or in school. The rest of the time, I spend making bracelets. Most nights I stay up until like 11 p.m. making them,” said Ingalsbe.

Lahman agrees.“Sometimes I can’t make the bracelets

because I have so much homework,” said Lahman.

Ingalsbe and Lahmen have always been close. Their mothers have been friends since middle school, and Ingalsbe considers Lahman as a sister.

“I was really upset when I heard about Haley because Kara and I are so close. I think

that this experience of making the bracelets has us a bit closer,” said Ingalsbe.

Ingalsbe and Lahman try to get together at least once a week to make the bracelets. The design of each bracelet varies from bracelet to bracelet because the buyer can personalize it.

“We’ve gotten a lot of help from family, friends, and our church. Some of our bracelets have even gone to other states, like New York and Kentucky,” said Ingalsbe.

In the beginning, Lahman and Ingalsbe used to pass out papers that had Haley’s story written on it and a website where people could go for additional information (http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/haleyhines).

Freshman Emily Mann, a friend of Lahman and Ingalsbee, had met Haley four times in the past, and when Inglesbe started handing out fliers, Mann immediately bought a bracelet.

“I thought [the bracelets] were really cool, and a great idea because I can’t make

Stephanie O’Sullivanstaff reporter

them. I have three bracelets, and I usually wear them every day,” said Mann.

Freshman Arianna Ray bought bracelets immediately after Lahman first mentioned the cause.

“I can’t stress how important this is. It’s someone’s life,” said Ray.

Lahman said that most of their success is due to people donating more money than the one dollar needed to buy a bracelet. All of the money gained from sales will put towards paying for Haley’s chemotherapy.

“ I just really want to make Haley more comfortable in the hospital. I love helping my friend and her family,” said Ingalsbe.

HOPE FOR HALEY. Freshmen Emily Mann and Kara Lahman share a smile at the pros-pect of hope for Lahman’s two year old cousin, Haley, who has cancer. Lahmen ties a bracelet that says “LOVE” on Mann’s wrist, which was made and sold by Lahmen for one dollar to help pay for chemotherapy. Bracelets come with two messages on them: “LOVE” and “HOPE.”

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

PLAYIN’ PIANO. Seniors James Telson and Colton Jones practice their piano duel that they performed at the talent show, ranking 2nd in the show.

FeaturesThe Lion’s Tale 11December 11, 2009

The happy, go lucky tune of “I gotta feeling...that tonight’s gonna be a good night” echoed throughout the

gym. Over 2,000 lions joined in to sing along as seniors James Telson and Colton Jones’s fingers flew across the keyboards sitting in front of them in the middle of the pep rally.

Telson and Jones reenacted the dueling piano act that won these students second place in the talent show.

“I was freaking out right beforehand, but once you hit that first note and then people start singing, clapping, and snapping, you feel so comfortable. My favorite part was playing for everyone and seeing their reactions. It was really rewarding,” said Telson.

As Telson and Jones fingers few across the keyboard, different melodies resonate throughout the gym leaving behind the echo of students applause as the music fades.

“I loved how everyone was singing along. They definitely commanded everyone’s attention at the pep rally, which is hard to do,” said senior Callie Porcher.

Telson started playing at a young age when he first noticed a colorful piano.

“In the first grade my teacher Ms. Griffin had a tiny piano, and I used to play

Piano performance excites audienceTalent show duo uses popular songs to impress schoolCarly Brower

co-diversions editor it. I really liked it so by second grade my mom put me in class,” said Telson. “Every Monday for half an hour I’d have a lesson with my teacher , Ms. Jimenez.“

Jones continued taking lessons up until the 9th grade.

“I didn’t like it at first, but I was good at it so I stuck with it. I could pursue a career in this,” said Jones. “I’m looking into

auditioning for UCF’s music program.”

The two came up with the idea of creating a dueling piano theme.

“I wanted to try out for

the talent show last year, but I was running out of time. I’ve been friends with Colton for a while so we decided on a piano duel about a year ago,” said Telson. “We only ended up practicing for around two and a half hours total. A week beforehand and the day before was when we really perfected it because we just had ideas.”

Playing the piano has been a constant escape for Telson.

“Playing piano is relaxing and once I finish a song, I can play it whenever and wherever. Once you see the smile on someone’s face after you play a song, and once people are singing to something

you play, its worth all the practice,” said Telson.

Telson and Jones performed 11 songs at the talent show, combining different songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “God Bless the Broken Road”, and “I Gotta Feeling.”

“We thought about what people would sing to so we used new songs and classic rock songs from the 80s,” said Telson.

Talent show host senior Mark V. Harriot thought that the act was unique and original.

“ I thought it was amazing. When they auditioned everyone in the room was speechless,” said Harriot. “It showed off their great piano playing. All of the songs that they played were very challenging and entertaining.”

Telson and Jones’ talent shined through when they were awarded second place in the talent show.

“We got second place so I was happy that we placed. My parents were really proud and people didn’t know that we were good. It’s even on Youtube,” said Telson.

Along with second place they each received $25 but the next day were called into Principal Robert Lundquist’s office, where he awarded them $40 dollars each for their hard work.

“We raised the award for everyone because they all put lots of time and hard work into it and they were one of the best talent shows we have had,” said Lundquist.

Telson and Jones both find time outside

“I didn’t like [playing piano] at first, but I was good at it so I stuck with it. I could pursue a career in this.”

Colton Jones, ‘10

Member American Association of Orthodontists

J. DOUGLAS WARE, DMD Orthodonticts for Children & Adults

Complimentary 405 Alexandria Blvd., Suite 110 Initial Examination Oviedo, FL 32765 (407) 366 3300

of school to continue practicing the piano for their own enjoyment.

“I go on musicnotes.com to find the sheet music so when I hear a song on the radio or get a request then I’ll learn it and I also have keyboarding seventh period,” said Telson.

Jones also finds the sheet music online, and enjoys learning modern songs to play to.

“If anyone needs help with the talent, I think you make it interesting, and have a hook. Ours was dueling pianos. Just go out there and go do your best,” said Telson.

Talent showwinners

1st

2nd

3rd

Michael Mena Pogo stick act

Colton JonesJames TelsonDueling pianos

Katie MortonAllison Terry Dance

photos/KEVIN VELOSO

Diversions The Lion’s Tale12 December 11, 2009

OBESELAND OF THE FREE

Sophomore Alexandra Hartwig is almost late to her first period class because the overweight girl walking in front of

her slowly struggles to reach the top of the staircase.

Hartwig said, “Teen obesity is a problem. I feel bad for those [obese] teens. They get made fun of every day and they can’t do things that physically fit teens get to do.”

Sophomore Laura Parsons has similar feelings about the subject of teen obesity.

“I think that teen obesity is something that a lot of kids struggle with but not enough are pro-active enough to work towards helping,” said Parsons.

In today’s generation, the dietary choices that American teens make lead to serious consequences.

The statistics of the American Obesity Association show that currently about 30.4 percent of teenagers are overweight and 15.5 percent of teens are obese. These statistics sharply contrast with the teen obesity statistics from 1980, when only about five percent of teenagers were obese.

Teen obesity may lead to medical conditions including heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, asthma, cancer, orthopedic issues, and Type 2 diabetes.

Additionally, obese teenagers’ physical abilities are significantly hindered, as Hartwig witnessed firsthand. Obesity also negatively affects one’s joints, mood, the amount of sleep they get, and breathing, as well as their energy levels.

Furthermore, obese teenagers generally have lower levels of self-confidence and self-images than non-obese teenagers.

One of the main causes of teenage obesity are, of course, eating at fast food restaurants instead of eating fresh, healthy foods.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health have discovered that over 20% of teenagers consume fast food more than three times per week. As found by a study of 6,212 teenagers, which was reported on CBSNews.com, fast food consumption increases the risk of obesity.

For many teenagers, lack of time in their busy schedules cause them to eat at fast food restaurants.

“The reason of my fast food consumption is because of my busy schedule. Sometimes,

I’m not able to prepare a bite to eat at home. Between rehearsals for showcase, the play, and musical, I’m not able to eat a full “home” meal as often as I’d like. Fast food restaurants give me easy access, although they may not be the healthiest, and keep me running on a full stomach,” said junior Dana Rozier.

Senior Chris Staral feels the same way.“Having a driver’s license had a huge

impact because now I can go out and get [fast food] myself. I don’t have to wait for my parents to bring me something home or waste time with my friends to go to a fast food restaurant with my parents,” said Staral.

Other teenagers simply love the foods served at fast food restaurants, as opposed to eating home-cooked meals. Teenagers claim that they are able to buy things at these restaurants that their parents refuse to make at home.

Sophomore Jonathan Poweski claims that fast food restaurants have a much wider variety of foods than he can make in his own kitchen.

Poweski said, “I love fast food. I can get things from fast food restaurants that I can’t get at home. [fast food] is a nice way to fulfill a craving.”

Another significant reason that teenagers eat at fast food restaurants is for the affordability.

Senior Daniel Price said, “I love Taco Bell because it’s cheap and I can get a lot more food for the same price.”

Many teenagers, however, feel guilty after eating fast food.

Hartwig said, “Honestly, my favorite fast food restaurant is McDonald’s. I feel guilty whenever I eat there because I know it’s so fattening. McDonald’s is good, I’m probably never going to stop eating it.”

Many students at Oviedo High School are worried about teen obesity in America and are saying that they have noticed it become

more and more evident in their classmates.Senior Alan Zegarra said, “Teen obesity is

a cultural phenonenom and is getting harder to control as time goes by.”

Although many teenagers enjoy eating fast foods, many also realize how important exercising and staying physically fit really is.

“Being physically fit is not just about performing exercise; it’s a lifestyle,” said sophomore Jake Berry. “By being in shape, you can achieve and do so much more than you could while not.”

Nirvani Khanstaff reporter

VS

17% teens are overweigh

15% of teens are at risk

HEALTHLY FOODS FLOAT AWAY AS FAST FOOD NATION TAKES OVER

..

WHOLE GRAIN SANDWICH: Greasey burgers are high in calories and lack protein. Switch to homemade sandwiches for rich protien and lower calorie in take. {350 calories vs 20 calories}

.

VEGETABLES: Chips and dip can come at a high calorie cost, to cut down try veggies with ranch. {290 calories vs 120 calories}

.

MUFFINS: Instead of eatting fries chop up some vegtiables and eat them with your choice condiment. {310 calories vs 140 calories}

Unhealthy food choices lead to poor health

Finding healthy alternatives to fast foods can be an easy and effective way to decrease your obesity risks. The Lion’s Tale has compiled some alternative food choices to help better your health.

compiled from/WWW.OVERWEIGHTTEEN.COM

DiversionsThe Lion’s Tale 13December 11, 2009

AMERICA

The O’Hanlon family incorporates a healthy diet and plenty of exercise into every day of their lives.

“My dad is the one who rides his bike the most. The post office, Publix, Banks, The Oviedo City Hall, the Methodist Church of Oviedo, Tijuana Flats, the Winter Springs Towne Center, and any meetings at the school, are all well within his biking range around town,” said junior Katie O’Hanlon.

“We ride our bikes all over town,” said sophomore Zach O’Hanlon. “My sister and I ride our bikes to school. I’ve been riding my bike to school since the second grade.”

While some students drive to school, the O’Hanlon’s trek on their bikes every day, unless there’s rain or some other factor. The distance is a little over a mile.

“I ride my bike mostly to school and friend’s houses that are nearby. I wouldn’t say that I enjoy riding my bike to school. However, I do like the exercise on most days,” said K. O’Hanlon.

Not only does the O’Hanlon family exercise together, they also follow a healthy diet. Green vegetables play a huge role in preparing

meals in the O’Hanlon family. Red meat, on the other hand, does not.

“Eating healthy is one of the most important factors for maintaining a healthy body weight,” said junior Katie O’Hanlon. “We have either salad or broccoli with our dinners every night. We tend to stay away from red meat, such as beef, because of the high fat content.”

According to K. O’Hanlon, the family diet began shortly after her father received a Christmas present, a book on healthy foods.

“My dad was the one who instilled the healthy diet and exercise routine. My dad, by far, is most concerned with our health,” said K. O’Hanlon. “My mom’s aunt gave my dad a book called SuperFoods Rx for Christmas one year. My dad took immediate interest and started to change the way we ate.”

SuperFoods Rx goes beyond the norm of diet books. Written by Dr. Steven Pratt and Kathy Matthews, the book covers over fourteen “superfoods” that help people to reach a healthier weight, increase energy, get better sleep, and suggests that followers can prevent

diabetes and cancer. Superfoods include (but are not limited to) blueberries, salmon, spinach, and soy, because those types of foods are rich in nutrients.

On the other hand, the term “superfood” has also been thought of as purely a marketing tool. According to BBC news, some nutritionists claim that there are no proven benefits of “superfoods.” As of July 1, 2007, the European Union (EU) banned the term ‘superfoods’ unless it’s accompanied by a specific authorized health claim that explains to consumers why the product is good for their health.

For example, if a food has a label saying low in salt or low sodium, it must also say that it’s high in sugar or fat.

According to Z. O’Hanlon, he’s only eaten fast food about five times in the past two years, and his family has been following their diet for

approximately four to five years.

“My family avoids fast foods because of their tendency to be high in fat and calories and low in nutrition,” said K. O’Hanlon.

Instead of eating beef or steak, the O’Hanlon family enjoys grilled salmon or chicken, either grilled, baked, or sautéed.

“We eat not just a low calorie diet but we also eat whole grains,” said sophomore Zach O’Hanlon. “We occasionally will eat at

a restaurant like Olive Garden and we’ll sometimes get a sub from either Publix or Subway.”

Despite following what some would call a ‘strict’ diet, the O’Hanlons eat regular foods such as spaghetti, fajitas, and quesadillas. Only, they make spaghetti with whole wheat noodles, and the fajitas and quesadillas are made of whole wheat soft taco shells as well.

“It’s not that we ate really bad to begin with, he just saw how small changes in our diets could improve our lives not only in the long run, but little things like eating less junk food would clear up our skin,” said K. O’Hanlon.

While some students may complain about eating healthy, Zach seems content with what he eats.

“I’ve grown used to eating it, I’m used to eating whole grains,” said Z. O’Hanlon. “It’s food, I’m growing I’ll eat anything.”

Julia Thorncroftco-opinion editor

O’Hanlon family embraces health

14-1516-1718-20

63 - 66 inches67 - 70 inches68 - 70 inches

105 - 125 lbs130 - 150 lbs150 - 160 lbs

50%50%50%

Age Range Height Weight Percentile

14-1516-1718-20

63 - 64 inches64 inches64 inches

105 - 115 lbs115 - 120 lbs125 - 130 lbs

50%50%50%

Boys

Girls

HEALTHLY FOODS FLOAT AWAY AS FAST FOOD NATION TAKES OVER

HOME OF THE OBESE

Average teen BMI

.

CHOCOLATE MILK: Instead of drinking carbonated sodas, drink a glass of chocolate milk to boost calcium levels in the body. {110 calories vs 160 calories}

.

MUFFINS: Instead of eatting fries chop up some vegtiables and eat them with your choice condiment. {310 calories vs 140 calories}

.FRUITS: Instead of eatting fries, chop up some vegetables and eat them with your choice condiment. {390 calories vs 75 calories} 40%

of American meals are eaten outside the home

*A teen is considered obese when his or her body mass index number is higher than the BMI numbers of 95% of other teens the same age and gender. Someone whose BMI number is between 85% and 95% of the BMIs of other teens the same age and gender is overweight.

Finding healthy alternatives to fast foods can be an easy and effective way to decrease your obesity risks. The Lion’s Tale has compiled some alternative food choices to help better your health.

Katie O’Hanlon ‘11

compiled from/WWW.OVERWEIGHTTEEN.COM

Senior Niladi Dupa stands confidently at the front of the room, speaking to the board members not only on behalf of

herself but on behalf on everyone at Oviedo High School.

As president of OHS’s student government association she has been elected to be the voice of the school. Dupa first joined SGA her sophomore year when her friend LaQuinta Alexander, who is now VP, suggested she join.

“I really wanted to get involved with the school” said Dupa. “Also I’m very social and I wanted to get to know everybody.”

SGA has given her the chance to do that. While taking care of all her responsibilities as president, she has meet many new peole.

“My favorite thing [about SGA] is you get to meet alot of people you wouldn’t think to know,” said Dupa.

Dupa enjoys this. “Its a good experience

to meet so many different people and see so many different personalities,” says Dupa.

However, SGA members have to do a lot more than talk to people.

“Student government members are the leaders of the student body who help with all the extracurricular activities that we do like homecoming, prom, and powder puff.” said Dupa.

In addition to these SGA members are also expected to clean up the school, recycle, and set on overall good example for the underclassmen. Dupa also attends monthly County wide meetings along with three other representatives from OHS.

At the county-wide meetings four representatives from every school get the chance to talk to board members and county officers about things affecting students at their school.

“We talk about bad things kids go through and how to deal with them,” said Dupa. “For

example last week we discussed the four biggest concerns high school students were dealing with, which were body image, drugs, depression, and conflict resolution.”

Another thing Dupa likes about working in

SGA is defiantly planning things. “I’m always

giving my input and putting things together” said Dupa.

However there can be a lot of pressure to get things

done, especially around times like

homecoming or prom. “Alot of stress and

patience goes into planning homecoming becuase in SGA you have alot of people with different personalities who have different ideas,” said Dupa.

“When it gets really stressful is when the event comes up and your hearing

everybody’s opinions. They don’t necessarily blame you

[if something goes wrong] but its your fault because you

planned it,” says Dupa. Despite all the stress she

is still glad she joined. “Being in SGA has helped me a lot. It makes you a well rounded person and with meetings I’m in charge of a lot so it makes me go face being shy.” said Dupa.

SGA is also a great thing to have on a college

Kimberly SegrestOne by One

Niladi Dupa leads SGA Your body is creating and killing 15 million red blood cells per second.

Tigers have striped skin, not just stripped fur.

Originally, Nintendo was a playing card manufacturer.

Estimated cost for hav-ing your whole body tattooed: $30,000 - $50,000.

In Holland, you can be fined for not using a shopping basket at a grocery store.

Food is so scarce in the Arctic, that wolves eat every part of an arctic hare, including the skin, fur, and bones.

Large kangaroos can cover more than 30 feet with each jump

All species of beetles are edible.

Didyou

? ?

? ??know?

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4

5

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Wolves eat bones,body kills cells

Social butterfly dreams of being neurologist

Editor’s Note: One by One appears in every edition of The Lion’s Tale, and features a randomly selected student. This edition, a staff reporter interviewed the first person seen walking into the media center.

Jelly

by M

irand

a Har

mon

THUMBS UP FOR SGA. Senior Niladi Dupa supports the student government with a firm hand gesture.

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

compiled from/AWESOME FACTS iPHONE APPLICATION

Features The Lion’s Tale14 December 11, 2009

résumé. “Scholarships like it because it shows you’re a well rounded, social butterfly,” said Dupa. It will also be beneficial to Dupa in her dreams to be a neurologist.

“It definitly helps with people skills. I mean you don’t want a doctor who’s too shy to talk to you because you wouldn’t want them working on your brain would you?” said Dupa.

Fortunately there is no chance of Dupa being too shy to talk.

“She is outspoken, in a good way.” said Childress, Senior sponser of SGA. “Niladi is an individual from everybody else and is not afraid of what other people think of her.”

The SGA members, Dupa included, play a central role here at Oviedo high school: planning events, cleaning up, trash, and doing all they can to make their school a better place.

“Each school has a group of students who would like to help make the school better and be the speakers of the school and that’s what SGA does,” said Dupa.

Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.

StudentGovernment

AssociationThe Student Government • Association (SGA) is in charge of organizing both Homecoming and Prom.

The SGA sponsor is Brenda • Holmes.

The SGA officers are • nominated within SGA, and then voted on by the student body.

The SGA president attends • monthly county meetings.

DiversionsFind Jelly!

A small image of Jelly has been hidden somewhere in the paper. Last edition Jelly was hidden on page 4.

The Lion’s Tale 15December 11, 2009

Angiee Careystaff reporter

Oh just admit it. For most of us, facebook, twitter or myspace just dominates

our lives. Teenagers + Internet = SURVIVAL. Unlike the rest of us, YouTube is what captivates junior Ryan Ireland’s time.

“Whenever I’m ready to learn a new move I go and hit up YouTube. I look up new dance moves and how to do flips, about three to four times a week,” says Ireland. “ To find a good video that will help me learn new dances, I have to go through about five different videos that I find are actually worth watching”.

Did you know that almost 30,000 hours of video footage is uploaded to YouTube each day? In case you didn’t know, YouTube is a website where users can upload and share their videos with one another.

This year in particular, many users have been uploading videos of people teaching others how to do certain dance moves. Dances like The Tootsie Roll from The 69 Boys or The Twist by Chubby Checker just aren’t “up and poppin” anymore. Dances like The Jerk, Crank That, the Wu Tang, the Spongebob and the Stanky Leg is whats got teens up and movin`.

“I will definitely never forget about my all time favorite old

YOU’RE A JERK. Senior Renaldo Watt (above), junior Ryan Ireland (left), freshman Triston Shim (top right), and senior Michael Wilkie (above) dance off during 2nd lunch in the amphitheater. They demonstrate the jerk, a new dance craze, to fellow students.

photos/KEVIN VELOSO

school dance moves, The Running Man and The Cabbage Patch,” says Ireland. “But I’m currently working on the more fun and energetic moves like flares and 6-step.”

Ireland explains 6-step as basic footwork that you do on the ground.

“It looks confusing, but it’s actually just basic steps. You’re kinda just making a polygon with your feet while walking around and doing kicks in between each step”.

If you’re a hip-hop dancer, and use YouTube as a guide to help learn dances, you must know that you have to watch videos over and over again in order to really get the steps down pat.

Ireland knows exactly how time consuming YouTube can be.“ I just keep practicing dances whenever I feel like I’m not doing it right. Re-watching videos also helps me master new dances,” said Ireland. “It usually takes me two to three weeks to successfully learn a new dance.”

For a lot of people, they find out how they want to spend their teenage years in either their junior or senior year. The decision to be a hip-hop dancer came pretty early for junior Frankie Quiles.

“I have been dancing since I was 13 years old. Ever since then, dancing has just been an everyday release of stress for me,” says

Quiles. “I started off at studio 5D and now I’m at IDC (Integrity Dance Center), which is located in Longwood, Florida. Hip-hop is my strongest point.”

YouTube is also useful for Quiles when he wants to become skilled at certain dances.

“I watched a lot of YouTube growing up and I tried to simulate what they did because I thought it was cool,” says Quiles. “Now I check out YouTube about every three days. It usually doesn’t take too long to come across a decent YouTube video. I usually have to go through five videos.”

Quiles explains which move he likes to do the best.

“I would have to say that the Freeze is my favorite dance,” said Quiles. “This is when you hold your body weight on your hands in a certain body position. I also really like Run DMC moves.”

When dancing to rap music, a great move to learn is called the “Jerk” or in other words the “Reject”. Quiles and Ireland get a kick out of doing this new popular dance when they’re dancing too. Believe it or not, Jerkin’ is a well-known dance from the 60’s. Skipping backwards in one place is basically how the dance is done. All you need is Jerkin’ attire and some hot new songs from the New Boyz, Go Go Power Ranger$ or Pink Dollaz.

Jerk dance craze overtakes campus

The JerkThese youtube videos will instruct anyone who wants to learn how to do the jerk, each with its own style.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga3iMoOXZKI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nC4ta93Mg8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhOSzF_v15o

ff

Diversions The Lion’s Tale16 December 11, 2009

CALL Jennifer Wakas

staff reporter

OFDUTY‘THE MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF THE YEAR’

Game Review

f

Activision released Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the sequel to a best-selling first-person shooting game: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, worldwide

on Nov.10.According to Activision, MW2 sold 4.7 million copies

and made $310 million in the U.S. and U.K. alone, on the first day. It set records across the entire entertainment industry.

This may leave non-video gamers to wonder if the game really deserves all the hype. Here are some basics: MW2 has three game-play modes: Single Player Campaign, cooperative Special Ops, and Multiplayer. Each mode gives players three completely different experiences.

The Single Player Campaign follows the story line of Call of Duty 4, continuing five years later. A multinational military squad, Task Force 141, faces a new conflict and must fight Russian Ultranationalists and take down their leader, Vladimir Makarov.

In the never before cooperative Special Ops mode, players can play split-screen, two-player online, or solo. This new experience is a series of 23 objective-based missions, some of which require the help of a partner. For each mission accomplished, up to three stars could be earned. The stars unlock more Special Ops missions.

Multiplayer mode consists of six online game-play

modes; Free-For-All, Search and Destroy, Demolition, Domination, Team Death match, and Capture the Flag.

After reaching level 70, players have the option to Prestige. Prestige mode trades all accomplishments for reputation. Everything a player has unlocked including weapons, experience, and challenges will be reset and replaced with a new prestige rank icon that would appear next to the player’s name. It also grants access to new titles, emblems, and challenges.

After Prestige mode has been selected, players do not have the option to go back. To reacquire losses, a player must rank up again.

Multiplayer combats give players special abilities called Perks. Perks can be upgraded into Professional Perks by the completion of their challenge.

If a certain amount of consecutive kills are obtained before dying, players earn a Kill Streak reward. Twenty-five kills unlock the biggest Kill Streak: the Tractical Nuke. It kills everyone on the map, causing the game to end and the player who achieved it to win.

Aside from all the hype caused by MW2, does the game live up to its expectations? CoD4 had an exclusively used Party Chat, allowing players to chat during a game. To prevent cheaters from leveling up, Infinity Ward disallowed Party Chat in most of MW2’s Multiplayer game-play modes, disappointing Party Chat fans. All though it has a short and confusing campaign, MW2 does

surpass its predecessor’s picture and game quality. The Multiplayer mode is improved, complex, highly enhanced and expanded, giving players a long-lasting action filled experience.

The Riot Shield Boosting Method (used in Multiplayer game, Search and Destroy) First, 12 players enter a lobby, explain the process and kick six players out.

Find a Search and Destroy game. While doing this, the host should have a bad connection. It keeps him from losing his hosting position and being paired with anyone else. Once in the lobby, the six players kicked out could be invited into the session. The connection could be made good again.

When the game begins, each player finds their partner. One player switches to the riot shield class and blocks bullets coming from the other player, who keeps shooting at him.

After a few seconds, 500 XP will be granted to the riot shield player. After the fifth plus 500, only 100 XP will be granted.

When this happens, riot shields players switch their class and shooting players switch to the riot shield class. The players switch roles and the process is repeated. This could be done over and over again.

The One Man Army Pro Perk is suggested, as it swaps classes faster. For a longer game, one team should plant the bomb as the other team defuses it.

For the Rocker:Band T-shirt $13CD $14Buy at F.Y.E or Walmart

For the Fashionable:Accessories $15Fragrances $20Buy at Kohls or Victoria Secret

For the Athletic:Athlete Trinket $14Equipment $15Buy at Sports Authority

For the Artistic:Written Poem $0Sketchbook/ utensils $17Buy at Michaels

For the Trendy:Sunglasses $20Shoes $20Buy at Sunglasses Hut and Journeys

For the Builder:Tool Box $20Straight Line Laser $17Buy at Home Depot or Lowes

For the Stay-at-home:Coffe Maker $18Scrapbook $15Buy at Bed Bath and Beyond or Kohls

For the Work-a-holic:Picture Frame $8Pen Holder $15Buy at Target and Staples

ff

f f

illustration/WESLEY WYNNE

Ever have trouble deciding on what to buy a friend for the holidays? Or your parents? Using this chart you can find a creative yet affordable gift that fits their personality type. Have fun shopping!

Holiday gifts for friends, family

For the Bookworm:Personalized book mark $4Favorite genre novel $12Buy at Borders or Barnes&Noble

FriendsFor the Chef:Spice Rack $20Recipe Book $13Buy at Sears or Walmart

Parents

DiversionsThe Lion’s Tale 17December 11, 2009

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Julia Thorncroft co-opinion editor

Pop Culture Column

You’re a mean

Winter time has finally arrived, and with that comes all the classic holiday specials on television. While there are numerous specials

that people anticipate, there’s only one story that reigns supreme: the Grinch.

Like most Dr. Seuss stories, How the Grinch Stole Christmas surfaced in 1957 as a book and then was soon adapted into the classic animated television special in 1966. And of course, we have the filmed version directed by Ron Howard from 2000.

But which Grinch is better? Old or new? Animation or film?

Most fans prefer the original. There are even several movie reviews out there bashing the remake with Jim Carey, saying that adults who grew up with the original can’t appreciate this remake and that only five year olds could.

Personally, I find that the remake overcomes the original, and that’s a rare thing to find.

How could adults not love this movie? Jim Carey’s performance shines with comedic brilliance, and all adults love Jim Carey, right?

This is the first movie that I remember seeing in theaters that I didn’t loathe entirely as a child. Most kids worship this movie for its hilarity, so why can’t the adults enjoy it?

Not that the original isn’t a classic, because it is.

But the new version offers so much more that the original just

doesn’t achieve.The remake humanizes Whoville and even the Grinch

himself and transcends the audience into a world separate from ours.

Not only that, the remake answers our questions. It takes the original, about a pessimistic green cave-dwelling creature that eventually learns to love Christmas, and gives him a back story. Why did the Grinch hate Christmas? Why did he hate the Whos? Why does he live in a cave?

We learn that the Grinch was brought up loving Christmas. He only started to stray from this affection for the beloved holiday when he was often teased at this young age for being eight years old and having a beard.When he shaved his beard for Martha May, his class tormented him for cutting himself while shaving. The humiliation and constant teasing drove the Grinch to become the spiteful creature that we all know and love.

This results in the Grinch escaping and ultimately residing in Mount Crumpit, becoming somewhat of an

urban legend amongst Whoville. Those kinds of informative details just aren’t clarified in the original.

The remake also gives the town Whoville more personality. The Grinch now

has a love interest, Martha May Whovier (Christine

Baranski) and a rival/childhood bully, spiteful

and somewhat sexist Mayor Augustus Maywho (Jeffrey Tambor).

The character Cindy Lou Who has more personality as well. In the

original story, Cindy Lou was the focal character in Whoville, and she was a two

year old. In the remake, Cindy Lou is played by

a young Taylor Momsen (Gossip Girl fans should recognize her as Jenny), who feels

Christmas is lost because of all the commercial and materialistic commotion. Ultimately, her faith

is rejuvenated and she finds Christmas through help

from the Grinch. In short, the film emphasizes every small detail from the original by giving the viewers more to appreciate.

Mt. Crumpit, the home of the Grinch, also turns out to be the local dump for garbage and hazardous waste, supplying the Grinch with all the Christmas gifts people throw away and some spoiled food to eat.

The attitude of Whoville changes in the film adaptation. In the film, the Whos believe that life is about material wealth, but Cindy Lou teaches both the Grinch and the town to appreciate Christmas for what it truly is - a holiday cherished with the ones you love.

In the cartoon, the Whos felt that way all along. Cindy Lou didn’t have to teach them the lesson, and the Grinch learned the lesson on his own.

Whether you prefer the old or new version, both of them send the same message that’s relatable to all.

Material possessions are meaningless and inferior to the love and happiness

people share with their loved ones during the holiday season.

That’s a moral that most people often forget.

photo/WWW.SEUSSVILE.COM

photo/WWW.GRINCHED.

COM

one, Mr. Grinch

Diversions The Lion’s Tale18 December 11, 2009

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Wolfgang Amadeus PhoenixPhoenixAlternative

Upcoming ConcertsBetween The Trees Friday, Dec. 187:00 p.mBackbooth

Lady GagaSunday, Jan. 37:30 p.mHard Rock Orlando

City And ColourMonday, Jan. 117:00 p.mThe Plaza Theatre

Owl CityFriday, Feb. 56:30 p.mHouse Of Blues

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Music Reviews Manners Passion PitAlternative

Caitlyn Braswellco-sports editor

The term ‘supergroup’ often gets tossed around in the music industry. But there’s no exaggeration saying

that the new band Them Crooked Vultures defines supergroup.

Consisting of legendary bassist John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), drummer Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters, Nirvana) and lead vocals/guitarist Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age), TCV will spark inspiration for not just fans of the three icons, but for new fans as well.

Listening to TCV’s is like a religious experience, with a transcendent sound that leaves you feeling sublime. “Interlude with Ladies,” is practically an LSD trip on its own.

One of the most notable songs on the album would be “Warsaw Or The First Breath You Take After You Give Up,” a song-tribute to The Doors that even Jim Morrison would bow down to.

The combination of Homme’s hypnotic voice, the instantly recognizable sound of Grohl thrashing drums on “No One Loves Me & Neither Do I,” and the mesmerizing

sound that Jonesy creates when plays bass will

make fans feel wanton. And with songs like “Gunman” and “Bandoliers,” the innocent will have

an appetite for destruction.

DOWNLOAD THIS - Dead End Friends

Julia Thorncroftco-opinion editor

Them Crooked VulturesAlternative

photo/WWW.PASSIONPITMUSIC.COM

Massachusetts bred band Passion Pit exploded onto the scene this year with their most recent

release Manners. With a little help from primetime television, this band has shown that electronica and other alternative subgenres can make it in music business.

What could easily be called MGMT’s little cousin, this band has created a collection of riveting, feel good synth music that many groups strive years to attain.

With front man Michael Angelakos boyish voice mixed with 80’s style stutter beats, it’s hard not to hum along to tracks like “Eyes as Candles” and orchestra filled “Moth’s Wings.”

What makes Passion Pit stick out from fellow synth bands is that they don’t just get lost in the fine details of the tunes. They invite mistakes into their songs and cheerfully accept them as part of the melodic message they are sending to their listeners.DOWNLOAD THIS -The Reeling

Leave This TownDaughtryRock

Miranda Ghalico-editor-in-chief

Daughtry’s sophomore album, Leave This Town, lived up to fans expectations, and then some. The

range of songs, from ballad to harder rock to even slightly country at times, shows how Chris Daughtry has grown as a singer from his musical introduction on American Idol.

Daughtry writes almost all of their own songs. Most lyrics are traditional, speaking of love and learning, but one song that stands out beautifully on the album, “Open Up Your Eyes” speaks of death of a loved one.

The new twist on typical rock songs leave fans happy, but many will already be eagerly anticipating the next album.

DOWNLOAD THIS - Everytime You Turn Around

Phoenix is proof that even after four albums, bands can still go strong and create music as creative and catchy

as their first single. This alternative-synth band stands

in line with fellow French alt bands like Air and Daft Punk on their latest album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix when it comes to talent. With a light melodic voice, singer Thomas Mars wins over hearts while the airy guitar riffs and intriguing syth tunes sooth almost every listener.

Songs like “Liztomania” are smile-inducing and though the actual lyrics may have been lost in translation, Mars still sends the exact emotion he intended to set in with a simple croon of his voice. If there’s one thing to learn, it’s this- the French know how to do it and do it well.DOWNLOAD THIS - 1901

Caitlyn Braswellco-sports editor

DiversionsThe Lion’s Tale 19December 11, 2009

Movie Reviews

A twist on the children’s classic by Roald Dahl, Wes Anderson doesn’t just make a good movie,

but a clearly Andersonesque movie. The characters aren’t just cute, but trendy to the point where you’d expect them to be sold in Urban Outfitters.

Not that this is a bad thing, mind you. No, rather than annoying, I found the

unabashed coolness fit in splendidly with Anderson’s direction.

Although quirky, Fantastic Mr. Fox is far from alien. The movie presents a story that anyone, even those who have never seen a Wes Anderson film, can relate to. The dry humor and witty banter bring out the human in the animal characters.

The movie tells the story of a clever, but aging fox, voiced by George Clooney, and his adventures in robbing from the three meanest farmers around- Boggis, Bunce, and Bean.

The movie addresses common human themes, such as love, family, and what it means to be different. But don’t be fooled by these seemingly sickening morals. Fantastic Mr. Fox isn’t just about feeling

good. It’s about feeling bad, too, and how to fix it.

The artistic quality is stunning. The stop-

motion animation gives the film a sense of schoolyard innocence, which works well considering it’s based on a children’s book.

The cast features well-known voices such as George Clooney, Meryl Streep, and Jason Schwartzman.

Fantastic Mr. Fox crosses the generation gap between entertainment for children and adults, which takes talent.

Is it weird? Yes. Is it beautiful? Yes. But above all this, it’s most definitely Wes Anderson, and that’s just fantastic.

War hero returns home to suspicision, deceit

Beautiful, weird film stars clever fox Miranda Harmon

staff reporter

photo/WWW.BROTHERSFILM.COM

Kaitlyn Loughlinstaff reporter

Rating: PG Time: 101 min Grade: A Rating: R

Time: 105 min Grade: A

The highly anticipated film, Sherlock Holmes, based off of the popular book

series by Arthur Conan Doyle comes to screen on Christmas Day. Robert Downey Jr.

plays the brilliant Sherlock Holmes who uses his wit to solve crimes alongside his loyal partner Watson (Jude Law). The duo work together to stop a nemesis whose plot threatens all of England.

Daniel Day-Lewis, Nicole Kidman, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, and Fergie star in this

Broadway adaptation, which will put a twist to movie musicals with it’s diverse actors

and raunchy plot. The story follows world famous director Guido Contini through his mid-life crisis as he struggles to find a balance between his professional life and the many women in his life. These include his wife, his mistress, his film star muse, his agent, his costume designer, an American fashion journalist, a lover from his youth, and his mother.

Heath Ledger’s final film, which includes renowned actors Johnny Depp and Jude Law. It is the story of Dr. Parnassus and his traveling show, Imaginarium, where the audience gets the chance to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. Dr. Parnassus is cursed with immortality but is able to guide the imagination of others after making a deal with the devil.

Jake Sully, portrayed by Sam Worthington, a former Marine confined to a wheelchair, is recruited light years away to the human outpost on Pandora. The atmosphere of Pandora is toxic, so humans created avatars, genetically engineered hybrids of human DNA mixed with the DNA from the natives of Pandora, the Na’vi. In this thrilling action movie, Jake finds himself caught between the military-industrial forces of Earth, and the Na’vi, forcing him to choose sides in an epic battle that will decide the fate of the world.

AvatarDec. 18

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus Sherlock Holmes

Nine

Dec. 25

Dec. 25

Dec. 25

To many soldiers, the safe return home is a relieving celebration and praise to life. This is not the case for

Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) the dramatic film Brothers, directed by Jim Sheridan.

In the movie, Captain Sam Cahill is drafted to Afghanistan with the disappointment of his family. While at war, this Marine Corps and a fellow Private, Joe Willis (Patrick Flueger), are kidnapped by natives after a tragic disaster, and are forced to survive in impossible living conditions.

Under life-threatening circumstances, Cahill is forcefully driven to carry out gruesome and sinful deeds.

Back at home, Sam is announced dead and the whole town reacts in an uproar. At this time, Cahill’s recently released convict brother, Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal), attempts to comfort his brother’s wife,

Grace (Natalie Portman), and her two daughters, Maggie (Bailee Madison) and Isabelle (Taylor Geare).

In this process, he begins to unnoticeably clean up his act of being a troublemaker and an alcoholic, and the Cahill family accepts him more openly into their lives.

One night, Tommy unintentionally hooks up with Grace because of his loneliness and a mutual and devastating loss, but they are

able to cope with their mistake, for they were unaware that Sam was still alive.

There is much tension in the Cahill family because of Tommy’s feelings of inferiority towards

Sam, and lack of affection from his former alcoholic and military father.

This conflict presents interesting background information to fill in the slow moving plot of the movie.

Although some scenes may be predictable, others leave you at the edge of your seat in complete awe.

This is a must-see big-screen picture

experience that relates to many members of the audience who also have relatives in the armed forces. The condition of Captain Cahill once he returns home will take you by surprise, and leave tears in your eyes. It is called Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and exists in reality to many people all around the world.

Don’t be fooled, because this action drama is equally heartbreaking, and also a twisted romance. The looks into Afghanistan and what troops are dealing with will truly put a hole in your chest and leave you speechless.

The movie ends on a positive note, although it will leave you questioning what happened to everyone else and if further confessions are made.

Overall, this was a phenomenal film, and will arouse your insights on the tragedies of war, be it even if the result is not death

Brothers is a sensational and dynamic motion picture that appeals to a vast variety of people and is, without a doubt, worth the money to go see.

photo illustration/EMILY COTTRELL compiled by/CARLY BROWER

Fun Holiday Flicks

The Lion’s Tale20 December 11, 2009

Sports

The girls on Lady Lion’s Varsity team are best friends. They talk about everything from the latest gossip,

to the upcoming school week, to the next basketball game that they will be competing in together.

“We are pretty much a family. We’re like each others sisters, and we have a really tight bond,” said senior Niladi Dupa. “We are the best of friends.”

All members agree.Senior and Co-Captain Annemarie Hauser

said, “I’ve never been a part of something like this. It’s an unbreakable bond we share. It’s the strongest friendship between a group of girls that I’ve ever known. We know that no matter how mad we get at each other, in ten minutes we’ll be laughing with each other.”

Their friendship may give them an extra leg-up in their game.

Junior Kellan Register said, “Because we are all friends, we aren’t always fighting, which helps in the game. We just know what everyone’s strengths are.”

Starting out the season the girls won both the Winter Springs High School and Hagerty High School games. They lost a close match against reigning district champions Lake Howell High School, but came back with a win against Seminole High School. Recently the girls lost a disappointing match to Lake Brantley High School but rebounded with a strong win against Lyman High School.

Even with the disappointing losses, the team remains positive for the rest of the season.

“The season looks really good. We definitely have the potential to win districts this year,” said senior and Co-Captain Meghan Holton. “We are definitely better than last year because we are faster and better offensively. We have been shooting a lot more and learning to attack the open lanes.”

The team has developed better practices, that according to Holton, are never wasteful.

“We had to pickup intensity a great deal at practices. The other teams are really intense, and if we don’t hit them with more intensity then there is no way that we are going to win,” said senior Nicole Monkarsh.

Along with the intense practices, comes a certain mindset that the team must have to be successful.

“We have a lot of people this year that want to win badly. We have a passion this year that we didn’t have last year,” said Hauser. “Coach [AP Psychology teacher, Zack Densberger] gets extremely anxious and pumped during a game. He has learned

Miranda Ghalico-editor-in-chief

Friendship unifies team

Coach Densberger has • been coaching for eight yearsHe began coaching • because a friend asked him to help out and he knew a lot about basketball just by playing for fun.He was a swimmer in • high school.He uses techniques to • build up the girls’ self-esteem.

After seven games, the Kershner Krazies are starving for a win.

“We’ve had a rough start this season, but I think we are going to have a good team,” said boys basketball center Greg Dorleus. “We’ve had little time to practice.”

This was especially true for five of the team members whose first day of the season was also the opening game of the season, due

ON THE MOVE. (Above) Senior Meghan Holton (22) drives to the basket against a defender during the Lake Howell game. (Left) Senior Niladi Dupa shoots from the 3-point line defended by Kasie Parker during the Lake Howell game. (Right) Sophomore Sable Lee dribbles out of pressure from Kasie Park during the Lake Howell game.

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

how to coach certain personalities on the team and how people react, which helps in our games a lot.”

Densberger has coached the girls basketball team for the past eight years, and utilizes different psychology techniques.

“I try motivational techniques, such as I make them repeat to me ‘two points’ when I congratulate them so that there is a catalog in their mind that I said good job,” said Densberger. “They are so self-critical

and they don’t hear the positives, so I make them hear it by repeating ‘two points.’ Girls have an extremely short memory on the good things they do.”

With all the hard work the girls and the coach have put in, they hope to win big.

“If we execute and play our game and not to the other team’s level, we should win more than we won last year,” said Hauser. “We have worked so hard up to this point that it would be disappointing not to.”

Football training collides with first basketball gameJohn Campbell

advertising editorto football training.

“I think our team plays really well together. It takes a while to get total chemistry and unity, but we have it,” says Coach Kershner. “There’s a lot of togetherness, and we plan on building from there.”

“We are friends on and off the court, which makes it easier for us to play together,” said point guard Kijuan Mays.

The rough start for the season has lead to a few changes in normal routine.

“Our practices have been a little different this year because we are still waiting for everybody to get on the same page. Five of our players were in football training until the day of our first game,” said Kershner.

Of the seven total games, only one has been a home game.

“Our home court is more familiar, just like you are more comfortable at your own home, we are more comfortable at our home court,” said Kershner.

With State Playoffs in mind, the Kershner Krazies still have a tough schedule ahead of them.

“Our main rivals this year are Winter Springs and Winter Park. They are both highly ranked, and Winter Park took us out of the competition last year. We have our work ahead of us, but that makes it fun,” says Kershner. “I have the utmost confidence in their ability. This team will be as good as any other Oviedo team.”

OVIEDOBASKETBALL

OLady Lions Record: 4-2

Classification: 6A

Coach DensbergerQuick facts with

RosterAnnemarie HauserMeghan Holton Nicole Monkarsh

G i r l s baske tba l l t eam jac ks up prac t i cesDe fea t s Win te r Spr ings and Hager ty H igh

Niladi DupaAlicia HarryKellan RegisterShelsea DensonSable LeeMorgan MoschZoe StapletonJackie Boyles

SportsThe Lion’s Tale 21December 11, 2009

Wrestlers set sights on state championshipHallie Lavery

staff reporter

OHS wrestling officially kicked off its 2009-2010 season as of October 26 with their first practice. Even though the team has been staying in shape

and practicing year around they are now taking it to a new level for their November to February season.

“The whole team does club wrestling when its not school season. We don’t really stop,” sophomore Cooper Powell said.

But now that club season is over and the high school season is picking up speed, so is the team.

“Practice is every school day after school for an hour and a half to two hours. We do drills like takedowns, and top and bottom work, and wrestle live; pretty much what we do in a match,” said sophomore Doug Vollaro.

Wrestlers also have to do extra work outside of school to perform optimally.

“After practice I go to the gym, almost every day,” Powell said.

Not only practice and hard work are enough to prepare for the season, eating healthy is also an important factor.

“I eat a lot of good carbohydrates and protein for wrestling,” Vollaro said.

Powell had a similar eating habit.“You have to eat healthy; no junk food and a lot of

salads and meat,” said Powell. It seems like all their hard work so far is paying off. The

team competed in their first pre-season match on October 12 and returned winning the first dual, but they lost the

second dual by two points do to injury and disqualification.On Nov. 28, the lions won the entire O-Town

Showdown tour located at Lake Highland Preparatory School. Senior Captain Chase Gordon received OW, meaning outstanding wrestler.

As for the team as a whole, they have strong senior leadership and good team chemistry according to Valaro. The team captains are Chase Gordan, and Erin O’Dell.As well as leadership, team members have skill; Gordan is a returning state champ, O’Dell is a returning state placer, and senior Jay Taylor is a returning state qualifier.

Although their team is still strong, they will have to face the change of dropping from a 3A to a 2A class because of the change in the school’s size.

“As a team, if we continue doing what we’re doing we can accomplish it,” said O’Dell.

Thanks to wrestlerettes- girls that attend all the games to keep accurate statistics for the wrestlers to send to colleges for scholarship opportunities.

“ I have spend four years with this team and I want to see something great come out of this season because they’ve all been working really hard. I know they can do it. This will be a lot of their last times, and mine,” said senior captain wrestlerette Callie Porcher.

“Our goal is to train hard and be State Champs,” said senior captain Erin O’Dell.

Teammates share O’Dell’s optimism. “Hopefully we can go undefeated and win states, “

Valaro said. Powell concurs.“This year we’re gonna be state champs,” Powell said.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT. Junior Lee Wildes and senior Erin O’Dell wrestle in preparation for their next match.

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

Connor Baileyco-sports editor

The Lady Lions are used to winning. Since the 2006-2007 season began the varsity girls have only lost 5 games and this season times have not changed.

With a record of 9-1 and currently ranked third in the state, they take every game one at a time.

“We take each game individually. We want to give all our oppents equal amount of respect and not underestimate anyone,” said sophomore Sammy Elliott.

Recording a loss 1-0 to rival Lake Mary High School gave mixed feelings to the players.

The lions had 17 shots on goal while Lake Mary had two, scoring on the first opprotunity.

“I was disappointed that we lost because we haven’t lost on our home field since my freshman year. It was a good game though. I think it was the best we’ve played this year, just our shots couldn’t find the back of the net,” said junior Meagan Borger.

However the lions beat one of the best teams in Central Florida, Eustis High School, 6-2.

“Going into the game we knew that Eustis was a good team. Playing against tough teams is really going to help us going into the post season. It gives us a lot more confidence,” said junior Colleen O’Kennedy.

The lions are currently ranked number one in the Orlando Sentinel Super Six and third in the state(6A).

“Our team is used to being the team to beat. We know we have a target on our backs, but I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Borger.

Losing key players from last year’s season has not been a disadvantage.

“I think that the team is equivalent if not stronger than last years team. Injured players from last year are healthy and new players have really stepped up,” said Borger.

Elliott is new to Oviedo High School but isn’t overwhelmed by the reputation of Oviedo soccer.

“I’ve played club since I was five so I’m used to playing in big games. I don’t get nervous when I step onto the field,”said Elliott.

With the season almost half way done the team has thoughts of reaching states once again.

“If we were able to win states the feelings would be undescribable. We have worked so hard for the last three years, both years coming up short. It would be so satisfying for it to finally happen,” said Borger.

Girls down Eustis 6-2

Sophomore Sammy Elliott photo/KEVIN VELOSO

Sports The Lion’s Tale22 December 11, 2009

Carson Baileyco-editor-in-chief

Skaters escape Florida heatCaitlyn Braswell

co-sports editor

Freshman Kevin Collins wipes the sweat off his forehead and steps out of the hot Florida car. Soon he will be gliding across the ice with his fellow “colt’s.”

“My dad used to play ice hockey when he was younger, he got me to join in on some lessons,” said Collins.

Collins began practicing ice hockey back three years ago and is now a part of a Kissimmee team, the Colts.

“We play other teams in Florida mostly and we’re pretty good. I really like the friends that I’ve made through the sport,” said Collins.

He explained that of all the things involved in hockey, his favourite, by far, is checking,

“I really love checking. It’s where you get to hit the opponents out of the way in order to get the puck and make a goal,” said Collins.

Professionally, ice hockey and injuries tend to go hand-in-hand. For beginner’s teams, this seems to be just as true.

“One year I got into a fight on the rink in Alabama. There was a girl on our team and an opposing member hit her, so I tackled him. I ended up suspended for two games but it was definitely worth it,” said

Collins. While some find sharing

the ice with a team and winning games together well suited for them, others enjoy competing in the solo art of figure skating,

“When I was nine, my friend had an ice skating birthday party at the RDV Sportsplex. My mom saw I was

really into it, so she signed me up for lessons,” said sophomore

Marksmanship team takes 1st place five years in a row

Kassi Byler. Since then, Byler has competed in dozens of

competitions. “I’ve gotten second place for my level in a

competition I was in about two years ago. I ended up hurting my ankle a while back and I haven’t been able to ice skate since then but I really want to start up competing again like I used to,” said Byler.

There are many hours that go into practicing and mastering different stunts in figure skating.

“One of the toughest things I had to learn was my axel. It’s basically just a spin in the air and it’s actually really simple, it just looks complicated,” said Byler. “The only way you can get a trick down

is by just going for it. My axel took me four months to get down, but once I finally had it, I broke my pinkie. Because I lost my confidence, it took me a year to finally really get it.”

In competitive figuring skating, there are a few fields to go into.

“I skated on the entertainment side of competition. It’s more for just fun and show,” said Byler.

To win and be a successful figure skater, though, much dedication is required.

Byler would dedicate two hours every day, except for Sunday, for ice practice. But when it got close to competition days, however, her practice time could double, if not more.

“The people who really skate and are truly talented have to be really dedicated. When you skate like that, there isn’t much life outside the rink,” said Byler.

Figuring skating not only requires dedication, but deep pockets as well.

“We spent thousands of dollars all together on my figure skating at least. It depends on the coach but with the on and off ice training alone, it was about 500 dollars a week. The practices were every day, except Sundays,” said Byler.

Along with training, other investments need to be made in order to be successful in competition and training.

“Blades need to be replaced in your boots and those are

ICE, ICE, BABY. Kevin Collins, number 13 on the Colts ice hockey team, aggressively defends his owndership of the puck as he pushes his opponent out of the way.

photo/COURTESY OF COLLINS

“The people who really skate and are truly talented have to be really dedicated.”

Kassii Byler, ‘12

around $300 each. Then there’s the actual boots that can be 900 bucks or more. Competition dresses are about 200 to $300, and ice time to rent is as much as $600 a month. Not to mention the actual competition music on disk that is about $20 for just a minute of music,” said Byler.

Byler also went on to explain there are many detailed ways to train for a skating competition, including the use of the program Dartfish.

“Dartfish is a program that records each of your moves on the ice and then trainers overlay professionals doing the same move. This kind of training is so detailed that trainers can see your mistake and make you correct yourself if you’re even just a few centimeters off what the professional has done on your film,” said Byler.

Although Byler hasn’t been in the rink for a few months, she plans on getting back into figure skating again.

“I miss figure skating so much. There’s nothing else in the world like it,” said Byler.

ROUND OF APPLAUSE. Principal Robert Lundquist awards Master Chief Petty Officer Dale Marteney a plaque at the range dedication ceremony.

NJROTC dedicates range to Officer MarteneyKevin Collins

photos/CARSON BAILEY

Currently ranked number two in the nation and number one in the state, it was no surprise to the NJROTC marksmanship team when they took

first place for the fifth year in a row at the Area 7 State Championship Marksmanship competition.

“Going into our state shooting match I knew we would take first place,” said junior Bethany Baroody. “We’ve taken first place for the past four years so it was no surprise when we got first for the fifth year in a row. Even though I wasn’t surprised it was still exciting to receive that first place trophy”

While the marksmanship team may make it look easy to steal the number one title for five years in a row, a lot of hard work and dedication went into their winning.

“Our team practices two to four times a week, mandatory practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays and optional practices are on Mondays and Fridays,” said junior Katie Elliot.

Shooters must mentally prepare as well as physically.

“You have to be mentally prepared when you shoot, otherwise you are not going to get your best shot,” said senior Rachael Stueber. “Not being nervous and keeping your heart rate down is not as easy as it sounds for some people.”

Senior Michael Fine knows first hand what this mental preparation can do for shooters during competition.

“The mental aspect of what happens when you don’t shoot the bull can be really hard. Most people just keep that in their hand when they shoot a bad shoot,” said Fine. “But the trick to being a good shooter is to be able to shake it off, forget about it, and make it up.”

Within the NJROTC marksmanship team, shooters are

divided into teams of four based on shown ability.“We record the scores every time we practice then

average them out over time,” said Elliot. “The top four shooters are placed on A team, the next four are on B team and so on so forth.”

Not only did the A team receive first in the state but the B team also received fourth in the state.

“I was pretty proud about how we did on B team, tough we have done better. Most of the B team is new to shooting and we did great for that fact,” said John Campbell.

After winning states four years in a row, shooters felt it was their duty to continue the winning steak.

“It was without a doubt our duty to be state champions five years in a row. We strive to be the best in the state of Florida every year but we do not just strive to be state champions, we strive to be national champions,” said Fine.

Elliot agrees.“We have been pressured

since the beginning of the year to win the state title for the fifth consecutive year. And the team felt as though it was our job to keep the legacy going,” said Elliot.

For the past five years Master Chief Petty Officer Dale Marteney has driven the shooting team.

“Master Chief taught us everything we know about shooting, he put us on the map. Without Master Chief we wouldn’t even be a team. He is like a father, not a coach,” said Elliot. “He’s there for us no matter what and is one of the most amazing men any of us will probably ever meet.”

NJROTC honored Marteney with by dedicating the range to him.

Said Marteney, “It was an unexpected surprise and I was very honored to have the range dedicated to me.”

Casey Sargent

SportsThe Lion’s Tale 23December 11, 2009

Lindsay Knox staff reporter

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CLEAN AND JERK. Junior Lindsey Hummell works on her lifting technique during weightlifting practice. The girls traveled to Lyman for their first meet on December 9.

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Girl’s weightlifting focuses on proper technique

photo/KEVIN VELOSO

On Wednesday, Dec. 9 at Lyman High School, the girl’s weightlifting team competed in their first meet at 4p.m. resulting in their first win of the season so far. This season the team is complete with a total of twenty girls, only three of them returning from last year. The team practices on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 2:30-3:30 with Coach Long and Coach Sal. Practices so far consist of learning how to lift properly and lifting tactics.

Girl’s wrestling works out with JV boys

This season’s girl’s wrestling team consists of four members. The girls have workouts everyday after school from 2:30-5:00 with the boy’s JV wrestling team. The team faces other school with a girl’s wrestling team including Seminole, Hagerty, West Orange, Lake Mary, and Cypress Creek. On Saturday, Dec. 12 the girls traveled to Deland for a match with the JV boys.

Co-ed lacrosse game to be boy-girl match-up

The lacrosse teams are holding a fundraiser in order to raise money for the lacrosse programs. The fundraiser is a boys vs. girls co-ed lacrosse game taking place on the Oviedo High School John Courier football field on January 15 at . Tickets to enter the event are $5 and everybody is welcome to attend.

This is the first year that the lacrosse program has held this particular event. As opposed to the normal rules of lacrosse, the boys will be the ones sporting the girls’ uniform skirts. In exchange, the girls will be allowed to play with the boys’ lacrosse sticks and wear their helmets instead of their own.

All proceeds of the game will go toward benefitting the lacrosse program here at OHS. All players from both JV and varsity will have the opportunity to sign up to participate in this first annual sporting event.

Players predict that this will not be the only year that holds the co-ed game, especially if a lot of money is raised .

“Girls are going to dominate,” said senior Callie Porcher. “It will definitely be an event you want to come see.”

with Patrick ChristieDo you plan to pursue soccer after high school?Yeah, I would like to play Division 1 in college. I’m interested in playing at UNF or Flagler.

What do you do to prepare for a game?I always take a nap so I’m completely rested.

What is your favorite thing about soccer?I love that when I play, everything else on my mind goes away besides soccer.

What do you want to achieve throughout your soccer career?I would like to eventually play in front of thousands of rooting fans.

What advice would you give to other soccer players?I would tell them that just because you’re fast and strong, that doesn’t mean you can play soccer. Soccer is for true athletes.

MAKE THE PASS. Senior Patrick Christie launches a pass to another teammate during a varsity game.

photo/COURTESY PATRICK CHRISTIE

Ah. Let’s take a quick sigh of relief, ladies and gentlemen.

We have reached the end of football season. The end of pep rallies, the completion of spending six bucks on a Friday night game, and the termination of the renowned Hagerty vs. Oviedo rivalry. Am I right, or am I right?

Maybe only if we lived in a perfect, peaceful high school world.

The OHS and HHS sports duels have been intense battles for the past five years. It may have all started between our football teams, but I suppose after that got old from us realizing we’re the best (as we know we are!), the hostility between the two schools has dispersed throughout various other sports. Among these includes boys varsity soccer.

Last week during the Oviedo vs. Hagerty soccer match, an argument broke out between members from each team.

As a result from an Oviedo player spitting in the face of a Hagerty player, a yellow card was received, that player’s first of the season.

The animosity between schools has only just begun. I predict that soon enough the only connection between us will be pure hatred.

But really, how much farther can we take it?

There have been arguments, physical violence, and it has even gone so far to arrests at last year’s football game.

We all know that we were here first. We run this town. But how much respect are we going to receive if sports figures from our school are advocating fights, all because another school decided to plop down on our turf?

Is it worth the sideways looks and grimaces from other schools while we soak in the glory of defeating our enemy?

Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I cannot fathom the idea of making our own school look bad. That would be personally belittling ourselves to a level that none of us should want to be at.

Come on now people, if anything Hagerty should be the school looking bad. Not our precious Oviedo High School.

In order to better our school, we could easily just put an end to the bad blood between our town companions.

It’s time to face the facts, they’re not going anywhere any time soon. Throughout the past five years we have surely put them in their place in multiple sporting event defeats, or as I like to call them, mutilations.

So, maybe now would be the time to accept that they’re here to stay. To inhabit Oviedo with us, to compete with us, and to continue pressing our buttons by claiming they can beat us in any- and everything.

I believe in school pride, and I believe in gloating after a big win. But nothing irks my stomach more than school rivalry violence, whether it be in football, soccer, basketball, or even band.

It’s our time to show Hagerty that they can’t get under our skin any longer, because we are way above their level.

Old rivalries die hard

Boy’s Varsity Soccer1.08 St. Johns Country Day 6 P.M.• 1.12 @ Bishop Moore 7 P.M.•

Girl’s Varsity Basketball

Boy’s Varsity Basketball12.18 @ Lake Brantley 7:30 P.M• 1.06 @ Seminole 7:30 P.M•

12.17 Winter Springs 7 P.M.• 1.05 @ Hagerty 7 P.M.•

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