BuccaneerBulletin Volume 11 Number 1 October 2007
Bulletins OHS Marching Band Students Ranked With The Best in the Nation Eight Central New York marching band members are among the best marching band musicians in the country and will find themselves on national television this winter. Three students from Oswego High School and five from West Genesee High School were selected for the inaugural U.S. Army All-American Marching Band, a collection of the nation’s 91 best high school marching musicians. They will participate in a week of festivities in celebration of the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl high school football game, to be played in January at the Alamodome in San Antonio. The Oswego students are Heather Buske and Amanda Donovan, both clarinet; and Adam Dristle, tuba.
--The Post-Standard
What’s in a Name?
John F. Kennedy is out, Owl Creek is in when it comes to naming new school buildings across America according a study by education expert Jay Greene. Naming schools after elements of nature is on the rise in the U.S. while naming schools after presidents or historical local or national figures is declining. Greene sated, “In Florida, schools named after manatees outnumber schools named for George Washington by 11 to 5. In Arizona, new schools are fifty times more likely to be named for mesas or cacti than for a U.S. president.” Many boards of education don’t want to name facilities after people out of fear of controversy. Greene asks, “If we’re afraid to name schools after presidents, what does that say about the state of our nation?” --Parade Magazine
Rachel’s Challenge Impacts OHS Page 4
Oswego High School’s Student Voice
Turf war
More Top Students Choose State Universities By Waruguru Gichane Contributing Writer
Photo by Kevin Kearns
The natural grass turf on Joe Wilber Field requires costly maintenance.
Is it Time for Artificial Turf at Joe Wilber Field? By Kevin Kearns Reporter
High school athletic programs are typically based on two things, the success of the program in general, and the quality of its facilities. Being located in Central New York, many schools find it very difficult to maintain a natural grass stadium, which houses a variety of different events such as football, soccer, and lacrosse games. As the price of synthetic turf fields drops, many schools are beginning to replace their natural grass fields with turf in hopes of a better quality field which is cheaper than maintaining natural grass. Despite this, Oswego seems to favor staying with natural grass over synthetic turf. In the past, a turf field was looked
upon as a rarity or a luxury which may have given a home team a competitive advantage. However, with 17 out of 104 Section III schools (including Nottingham, Camden, Central Square, Cicero-North Syracuse, Chittenango, Corcoran, Henninger, Homer, Liverpool, Marcellus, Rome Free Academy, Sauquoit Valley, Solvay, Utica Proctor, Watertown, Waterville, and West Genesee) having turf is now the rule, not the exception. “I used to view our turf as somewhat of a home field advantage,” said Liverpool Athletic Director Mark Potter. “However, as more and more schools have been installing turf fields, that advantage is quickly disappearing because schools want to be as competitive as possible, so the playing see
Senior Officers Walk the Plank Page 8
“artificial” page 2
Noun is our Teacher of the Month Page 11
About a decade ago, state universities used to cater primarily to the average student. Their standards were lower than those of most private colleges, and admission was almost always guaranteed. However, with tuition costs at private colleges soaring to previously-unimaginable heights, many top students are opting to go to state universities instead of private universities. The rise in admission standards at state universities has come about due to several growing trends, the most prominent of which is the cost of education. Mr. Jonathan Glater of the New York Times wrote, “Tuition and room and board at private four-year colleges now add up to more than $30,000 a year on average, and rose by 81 percent, more than double the inflation rate, between 1993 and 2004.” Although private schools do offer financial aid packages, most lowincome and middle class families are unable to foot the bill. Many students graduate from private colleges with thousands to pay off in student loans. Ms. Jenny Russel, a 2004 graduate of the University of Redlands, stated in a New York Times article, “Even with money from scholarships and other financial aid, I graduated with about $50,000 of debt to accompany my major in creative writing.” Although she enjoyed the small, private, liberal arts school, she just didn’t believe her debt was worth it. Cost is not the only factor that is driving students to public colleges. The caliber of education at public universities is steadily on the rise. Colin Lea, a 2007 graduate of Oswego High see
“state” page 2
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