Countryside High School Paw Print Newspaper Volume 31 Issue 1 by Center for New Media

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Friday, October 9, 2009 - VOLUME 31, Issue 1 www.cnmcountryside.com

3000 S.R. 580

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Paw Print

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THE COUNTRYSIDE HIGH SCHOOL

www.cnmcountryside.com

Clearwater, FL 33761

Welcome to The Gauntlet ! What’s up with seven Classes? ryanDUCHANE

editor This year, Countryside received a massive shock when the previously established block-scheduling was thrown out in favor of a seven-pe-editor riod day. Students’ reactions have ranged from uncaring to emotional breakdowns. But why this range of response? Are some people making too much out of the change, or are others not making enough of a fuss? What exactly has changed this year? Well here are the facts: each school day is comprised of seven classes. There is a 5 minute passing time between each class and a 13 minute break after 4th period. Classes now run for 48 minutes, except for certain AP classes which still take up a block of 90 minutes. School still begins at 7:05 and ends at 1:24, except on Wednesdays, when the day ends early at 12:06. This is so that teacher’s can have a planning period to make up for the new schedule’s restrictions. Also on a shortened day classes are cut down to 40 minutes and there is no break. So now that the information is out there, what should be made of it? Should students be freaking out? Should they even care? Our writers weigh in and give you the opposing arguments. SEE PAGE 8 FOR THE FULL STORY.

Bell Schedule

Period

Time

States of Awareness

1st

7:05-7:52

Crusty-Eyed

2nd

7:57-8:44

3rd

8:49-9-36

Coming To Reluctantly Awake

4th

9:41-10:38

Wide Awake

5th

10:53-11:40

Chillin’

6th

11:45-12:32

Almost Comatose

7th

12:38-1:25

Turkey’s Done

Lunch

1:25-1:50

Get Your Grub On

ith the start of the 2009-2010 school year, approximately 2400 students must adjust to the new bell schedule. photo credit: Scott Beck.

IN THIS ISSUE...

An Unforgettable Experience

Football Frenzy

Meet the reporters who will bring full coverage of the year.

Two days full of happiness, tears, and reality, Challenge Day was an experience of a lifetime.

The season has begun, and the Cougars are oﬀ to a great start with a 4-1 victory.

Page 2

Page 4

Page 5

Meet the Staff

Sandra Nguyen

Megan Mason

Parker Andersen

Rachel Lubitz

Ryan Duchane

Krystal Casey

Returning Staff

Kaley Nemeth

Nicole Bolton

Nicole Harris

Sara Mineo

A.J. Quenell

Kayla Yamonico

Justine Lessard

Kyle Koehler

New Staff

Josee Lind-Hawk

Katherine Williams

FEATURES 2

Eric Curkan

Scott Beck

Heather Ebert

Margaret Trautwein

“It’s better for people to hate you for who you are, than to love you for who you’re not.” -Kurt Cobain

Favorite Animal: Pig and Seahorse Favorite Movie: “The Chumscrubber,” “Fight Club,” “Harry Potter and the Half -Blood Prince,” “Driving Lessons” Favorite Song: “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over” by Devil Wears Prada, “HTML Rulez D00d” by Devil Wears Prada and “Deja Vu” by Eminem

News Editor-Sara Mineo

“I am going to do as much as I can do because I hate to do anything and not give my all” -Angie Martinez

Favorite Animal: Black Panther Favorite Movie: “A Bronx Tale” Favorite Song: “The One” by Mary J. Blige

Feature Editor-Heather Ebert

“I know you don't know me yet, but you and I will be together some day.” -Everclear

Entertainment Editor-A.J. Quenell Favorite Animal: Koala Favorite Movie: “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” “Charlie Bartlett,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” Favorite Song: “Walk Hard” by Dewey Cox

Category Editors

“Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.” -Rick Cook, The Wizardry Compiled

Favorite Animal: A.J. just kidding how about a wolf Favorite Movie: “National Treasure” Favorite Song: don’t really have a favorite

“Do what you like, like what you do.” -Anonymous

Favorite Animal: Octopus Favorite Movie: “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings Series” Favorite Song: Alternative and Hip-Hop songs

Eric Curkan

“Be nice to nerds chances are you’ll end up working for one.” -Bill Gates a.k.a. Willy G.

Favorite Animal: Dog Favorite Movie: “Step Brothers” Favorite Song: “The River” by Good Charlotte

Parker Andersen

-The Newspaper Staff

“The Power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.” -Jane Austin

Favorite Animal: Polar Bear Favorite Movie: “The Princess Bride” Favorite Song: “Last Request” by Paolo Nuhni

Kat Williams

“Cats are magical. The more you pet them the longer you both live.” -Anonymous

Favorite Animal: Jellyﬁsh/the whole Cnidaria phylum Favorite Movie: “Hard Candy” Favorite Song: “Skinny Bones “by Bon Iver or “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit

Justine Lessard

“Love is not Blind-it sees more, not less, but because it sees more, it is willing to see less.” -Anonymous

“The true peace of good begins at any spot a thousand miles from the nearest land.”- Anonymous

Staff Writers

Favorite Animal: Tiger Favorite Movie: “Transformers 2” Favorite Song: “Awake and Alive” or anything by Skillet

Kyle Koehler

“IT'S OK! I'm a limo driver!”-Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber

Favorite Animal: Nessie my gerbil Favorite Movie: “Happy Gilmore” Favorite Song: “Secret Oath” by The Spill Canvas

Josee Lind-Hawk

Favorite Animal: Giraﬀe Favorite Movie: “Lords of Dogtown” Favorite Song: “Ashes” by Pepper

Sports Editor-Kaley Nemeth

“All you need is love.” -The Beatles

Favorite Animal: Monkey Favorite Movie: “Remember the Titans,” “Lords of Dogtown” Favorite Song: “Walk Through Hell” by Say Anything, “Butterﬂy Kisses” by Bob Carlisle

Opinion/Grub Editor - Nicole Bolton

“We’re Not Messing Around!”

“Creating something from nothing.” -Anonymous

Favorite Animal: Pheonix Favorite Movie: “The Myth and Hoan Chau Cat Cat” Favorite Song: “Endless Love” by Jackie Chan & Kim See Soon

Technical Director-Sandra Nguyen

“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.” -Hunter S. Thompson

Favorite Animal: Owl Favorite Movie: “Harold and Maude” Favorite Song: “Acid Tongue” by Jenny Lewis

Editor-Rachel Lubitz

“When I get sad, I stop being sad, and be AWESOME instead. True story.” -Barney Stinson

Favorite Animal: Koala Favorite Movie: “Shaun of the Dead” Favorite Song: “Wish” by Nine Inch Nails

Editor-Ryan Duchane

“Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can't change. Take chances, give everything, and have no regrets! Life is too short to be anything but happy!” -Anonymous

Favorite Animal: Dolphin Favorite Movie: “Transformers 2” Favorite Song: Anything from The Veronicas.

Editor in Chief-Krystal Casey

Photography Editor-Scott Beck

“Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game.”-Anonymous

"I love the movies, I don't even call them the movies, I call them cinematic adventures.”-Dane Cook

“Carpe Diem!” -Anonymous

Editorial Staff

Favorite Animal: My dogs, Nannook, Sammie, and Jake Favorite Movie: “The Little Rascals.” ALL the Harry Potter movies Favorite Song: “Daylight” by Matt and Kim

Favorite Animal: Pet-Horse, Wild- Giraﬀe Favorite Movie: “The Italian job” Favorite Song: “Unstoppable” by Rascal Flatts

Favorite Animal: Tiger Favorite Movie: “Transformers 2” Favorite Song: Anything from 3OH!3

Favorite Animal: Koala Favorite Movie: “Grease” and “Grease 2” Favorite Song: “Friends in Low places” by Garth Brooks “Bite oﬀ more than you can chew, then chew it.” -Ella Williams

Nicole Harris

News Editor-Megan Mason

Business Director-Kayla Yamonico

Adviser-Margret Trautwein

Meet the staff FEATURES 3

NEWS

Countryside accepts the challenge

But who can disagree with Oprah, or an Emmy for that meganMASON news editor matter? Besides their presence in the hit series, ‘Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul’ in 1997, Challenge Day has Part One If you’ve ever felt alone or ever been picked on, then also been featured on multiple news channels, won several it seems about right that you fit in with the millions of awards for their inspiring videos, and made an appearance teenagers in High School. Challenge Day, an organization on the Oprah Winfrey Show. In 2000, the organization designed with students in mind, promotes a world where decided to film a ‘Challenge Day’ appropriately named the Teen Files: Surviving High School and, in turn, won the every child “feels safe, loved, and celebrated.” Across the U.S., Challenge Day has taken schools and prestigious Emmy award. In 2006, C.D. inspired Winfrey to begin the ‘Oprah communities by surprise. High School ChalThey’ve brought together up to lenge’. The program 100 students and adults for a 6traveled to Monroe, hour program that helps elimiMichigan where they nate bullying, belittling, and all would began a lifetogether the pain people face changing event – once as the result of others. again, surrounded by The Organization itself was television cameras. Affounded by husband and wife, ter more than half of Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. the school participatJohn. The first recorded date of ed, students quipped a Challenge Day was sometime statements such as, during 1987. The company “It honestly changed began as a 14-hour Saturday me as a person,” and program strictly for teenagers. “I wouldn’t trade that mong a crowd of people hugging, laughing, and socializing, Eventually, the organization day for the world.” Shatia Wallace tells a volunteer about herself. photo credit Scott transitioned to its current state, Beck Powerful statements a 6-hour workshop held during like that have only a student’s weekday. In 2001, it been repeated millions of times from when Challenge Day was incorporated as a California non-profit organization, fi rst began. and has since been owned by Challenge Associates. Now, what works for one person may not also work for The program’s effects are somewhat of a controversy, howanother. And with that statement, what works for hunever. Sometime before 2007 and after 2005, Challenge Day dreds of other High Schools may not work for our school. pitched a few ideas to the principals of High Schools in “I was never skeptical of what [Challenge Day] could do, Naples, Florida. One hopeful promoter’s idea was to have “says Countryside’s own library media specialist, the womChallenge Day in every Collier County Florida school by an who made Challenge Day possible, Ms. Rothfeld. “But 2007. Due to safety issues, the school board decided to put I was ske ptical [of some aspects].” a temporary hold on the program, and after 3 months of After the those two awe-inspiring days, Mrs. Rothfeld extensive research, they ruled a big, fat no. commented that, “[What happened in that room] was in-

Part Two

Student’s love creative learning Zizzo, says, “I won’t mention any names, but I dislike when teachers are boring and don’t do anything fun in class.” She ATTENTION TEACHERS: At Countryside High goes on to explain that another one of her former teachers School there are approximately 200 teachers. Want to know would play review games before the tests to help remember which ones make an impression? Do you know that your the key points, in a fun way. students tend to take notice and respond according to your A more local case, a psychology teacher here at Counattitude? Are you getting through to your students, or are tryside, Mr. Stauderman, uses his wit and sense of humor you just getting by? The students and teachers respond. to achieve the same eﬀect. Being in his class you’d never Junior, Jason Berlin was asked, “What is your favor- expect that his sole reason for becoming a teacher was ite quality in teachers?” and he answered by saying, “Good his desire to coach school sport’s teams. Today, he says, “I attitudes, I guess. My favorite teacher is Mrs. Trautwein, got over it,” when asked why he still teaches although he she has a good attitude doesn’t coach any teams and teaches well.” Other currently. This isn’t to students, such as Junior, imply he’s not a die-hard Lindsay Hayes, ﬁnd joy Philadelphia Phillies fan; in teachers who hand out according to Mr. Staubathroom passes, of all derman, if he could take things. “I have a very small his students any where in bladder-it’s okay if you the world it’d be Philawrite that-so I like when delphia. He gave no exmy teachers allow me to planation as to why, aluse the bathroom when though I don’t think an I need it.” We can’t forget explanation is necessary Junior, Andrea Masino, after you’ve walked into who says, “My favorite his classroom. His room teacher is Mr. Blumer, beis focused on sports; he cause he is so awesome! I is focused on teaching like when teachers teach. students psychology in a That’s their job.” fun way. Of course, as with all Through interviewing things, with good comes and observation, I’ve come the bad. “I don’t like to a rather cliche concluwhen teachers give you sion: students have the homework the night beability to learn anything, fore a test, it’s too much they just need to be baited to do and there’s no time r. Stauderman teaches his psychology class using creative by interesting teachers and to study,” says Lindsay teaching skills, such as humor and interesting lectures. interesting teaching skills. Hayes. When polling the photo credit Justine Lessard Even though many teachstudents about what they ers believe slackers will be dislike most in their teachers, the most common answers slackers no matter what, student’s responses have indicated heard were: ‘when they’re really strict’, ‘when they give too slackers will take interest in class given an interesting enmuch homework’, ‘when they bore you to death’, ‘when vironment. Final thought: an interesting learning environthey talk too much’, and ‘when they assign an overwhelm- ment provides students with a reason to learn. ing amount of work for one class period’. Junior, Amanda justineLESSARD

staff writer

meganMASON

staﬀ writer

Sure, I had my doubts. I think we all did. You know - when we got that gold slip, that invitation, that ‘What in the world is Challenge Day?’ prodder. I remember slipping it in my backpack, and forgetting about it. I’m sure it smelt like gym clothes and health food bars when I turned it in. I didn’t think it was a big deal -- ‘Psh... Challenge Day. I attend it, write a little polite blurb about it, and move on with my life.’ Looking back, I feel like a jerk. I feel like a downwright bad person, who as with many other teenagers, prejudged something I didn’t even really know. Sure, I did a little research, but nothing could have truly shown me what Challenge Day was about -- nothing but actually experiencing it. My first thoughts when we walked in the door were, ‘What in the world?!’ Cheerleaders, as I’d like to remember them as, lined on either sides of the doors and well, cheered us on. They gave us high-fives, fist bumps, smiles that could’ve stretched across the whole gym if their faces had been wide enough. From that moment, I’d already confirmed what I’d thought: ‘This is going to be stupid, with a capitol S. They’ll probably tell us not to do drugs, smoke cigarettes, or have sex, then wave a banner with their company’s name on it, only to look closer and see that a cigarette company had endorsed it. What I found out a few short, fun-filled hours later was that I was totally, completely, absurdly wrong. About it all. I’m sure we’ve all been down that road; that one where do something silly like hate someone just because our friends do, and then get to know them, and love them. In my case, I had it all worked out in my head that Challenge Day was a stupid activity, one that consisted of hugging everyone as if they were your best friends, and realizing why being sober made you a better person. That prejudge that most of us use a lot was wrong -- except for the whole hugging thing, there was a lot of that. The whole experience was truly life-changing, and yes, that includes the hugging contest I’m sure you’ve all heard about. The games to start us off were sort of a warm-up, something to assure us that we hadn’t gotten ourselves into something horrifically stupid. But after those first few -hours?-- the games diminished, and reality seeped in. Two amazing people stepped in front of us all to tell us a little bit about themselves -- a little bit of why they worked for Challenge Day. It didn’t take me long to tear-up, and from there, the wobbly sphere that is our emotions, took a dive. It remained like that, an emotional kiddy-coaster, until the very end, when some participants were eager to show the world their new selves, and others shuffled out, hesitant to leave behind what had been an incredible experience. Unfortunately for you all, the participants-- myself included-- happily held up our hands at the end and promised, “What happens at Challenge Day, stays at Challenge Day!” Which means, I can’t disclose all of the amazing things that happened in our gym --September 23. I can tell you however, though, that if I ever had a chance to do it again, I would -- in a heartbeat. And I would hope if you all ever get the chance to go, do it. Honestly, that day was probably one of the most amazing days of my life. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world, let alone those minutes spent in class, listening to a boring lecture on the history of our ‘United, Proud Country’. Along with anyone else I’ve ever judged, I want to extend an [inked] apology to Challenge Day, for thinking I knew them when I didn’t. Challenge Day gave me a lot to think about in my life, and from that amazing, emotional day, I decided not to walk empti-handed out of that room. Aside from the t-shirt and some incredible new friends, I left with a knowing that I don’t walk alone. Whether I be having a bad day, or severe family issues, I realize now that I’m never alone. I’ve got people around me who are there to help; I just hope everyone else is that lucky, too. Thank you Challenge Day for giving me the courage to stand up for what’s right, the bravery to speak out against what isn’t, and the knowledge that I matter.

NEWS Careers coming soon j.d.HOPKINS

guest writer

The Cougar Career Center at Countryside High School is sponsoring a College & Career Fair for students and families on the evening of November 5th, a Thursday, from 6:30-8:30 P.M. Representatives will be present from colleges and universities; vocational/technical schools; businesses, companies, and clinics; the military including recruiters and specialists in the Army and Navy ROTC Scholarship Programs. We also are inviting employers who will attend to oﬀer job openings with their ﬁrms. The Fair is open to students at Countryside HS and their families. For more details, contact the Career Center at 725-7956, X2079, or on e-mail at; chscareercenter@hotmail.com.

Koppel brings out aspiring journalists rachelLUBITZ

editor

On Monday, September 14th, Ted Koppel was in his territory. There was an event hosted for him at the Poynter Institute trying to draw new journalists to learn from the best. He came decked in a charcoal suit, red and navy striped tie and a powder blue shirt. Although his attire might have said independent, his opinions were clear as to where the news business is really going. He spoke of cable news and their fear mongering stories and he spoke of tabloids of today and what they really mean to this society. “We want to hear our own opinions echoed back to us,” Koppel said. Ted Koppel was born in England, went into radio, and then to his premiere spot on ABC with Nightline. His new gig is BBC radio and NPR which he enjoys with its bipartisan stance. Within the hour and forty-ﬁve minutes it took him to get through to everyone what is really coming to be in the news business, he dwelled mostly on the idea of “infotainment.” “Infotainment has the veneer of news but really is not,” Koppel said. He also made it clear that print journalism cannot survive at the rate at which we are publishing. Soon enough, everything will be on the internet for everyone to see but that idea gives Koppel an uneasy feeling. He sees internet news as a free for all where things are not checked and double checked like it is in print. “You caned Koppel came to The Poynter Innot exist in stitute on September 14th to talk to a democracy young journalists about the future of jourif you don’t nalism. Koppel doesn’t see print journalknow the ism going much farther. photo credit Rachel facts,” Koppel Lubitz said, “we are coming dangerously close to a democracy.” That fear for print journalism overwhelmed the conversation but it became humorous when he had to draw the line between real Republicans and Democrats. “A liberal is a conservative who just got arrested and a conservative is a liberal who just got mugged.”

Summer jobs are here to stay nicoleHARRIS

staff writer

What were the odds of a teenager getting a job this summer? Unlikely? YES. In July 2009 the number of young people who were employed was 51.4%, the lowest July record since 1948, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Which means teens in Pinellas County were going to have to apply at a million places in hope for a job this past summer. Sixteen year old Joesph Strickland started his summer oﬀ with the luck of scoring an interview and a job at Wendy’s on Main Street in Dunedin. Making sandwiches and remaking sandwiches, cleaning up dirty bathrooms and taking out garbage wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for in a summer job. But it was deﬁnitely better than being jobless during the break like many of his fellow juniors at Countryside High School. Strickland is very lucky according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In July 2009, 4.4 million youth were unemployed that’s up from 1 million since July 2008. “Right now we’re full. We are always accepting applications but there isn’t a very good chance you’d get an interview unless you really stand out,” the manager at Wendy’s, Louis Golpe, said. Golpe has been working at Wendy’s since he was sixteen years old and has never seen so many young people looking for work with no success. The bottom line for the future of journalism is that it cannot survive, there aren’t any excuses or ways around it. Sooner or later it will all come to an end in our generation. Now it is up to us to see that the future of internet news still holds the same integrity and truth as it is in print. We have to become perfectionists about the truth or what is news today will just become infotainment. Ted Koppel made his mark in news with his Nightline gig and is trying to get into the minds of the new generation of journalists. Although his hair may be graying and his age may growing and showing, he still holds knowledge that we cannot attain by just reading a book or article. To become good journalists and citizens of the United States, we must look back at our history and history makers to really understand the power of knowledge, truth and a discerning eye.

When asked what teens should do when applying for a job, Golpe said, “If you want to get a job over the summer or even during school, you have to be unique, outgoing and keep calling us back until you get an answer.” Most high school students this summer were applying frantically at any place hiring, hoping to find that one spot left, anywhere. Summer break leaves teens with many opportunities. Finding a job and earning a little side cash is one of them. Finding the job you’re looking for requires several hours and lots of energy. “I looked everywhere! Not one place was even willing to look at my application,” Junior, Kimberly Cluff said, “I honestly went so low as to apply at Chuck E. Cheese in July!” Young people today feel they need to be independent from their parents. “I just love the feeling of not having to ask my parents for 10 bucks to go to the movies or for gas, it’s awesome.”Junior, John Grable said. According to youthjob.com, to land a job you have to have an ambition or drive to get it. You can’t be late, and you have to dress for success. Work hard, don’t slack off, and show them you are willing to try harder than anyone else. Especially if this is your first job, you have to work ten times harder than the average adult that has had a few jobs in their time. You have to prove yourself. New jobs are opening up everywhere so meet these requirements and you’re sure to find a job in no time.

Grub

Get the best bang for your buck ericCURKAN

staﬀ writer

“Five dollar foot-long”, “half-price shakes and drinks”, “pick a pair”, and “sweet deals”; sound tempting? Are these value meal offerings enough to get you to “fork” over your dollars? In this current economy, restaurants are trying to come up with the best way to get you eating at their place. Restaurants are coming up with clever tactics to get you to become a loyal customer. ”I eat at Subway because I can get a sub for $5 and free subs thanks to my reward card,” Junior, Josh Sanders, said. Some eateries have jingles, interesting deal names, cheap prices and reward programs. The rewards programs and online clubs keep customers coming back increase the number of sales made. In this economy, is what you’re paying for really worth it? “I eat at Plablano’s because it simply tastes better and is cheaper than Moe’s,” Junior, Lindsay Hayes said. Right now get the Best Bang for Your Buck because restaurants are giving you food at the prices you want. With a little observation you can find many great deals at an affordable cost. Well, whether you want food on the go, a lunch with friends, or a dinner with someone special, here are some great restaurants at affordable prices.

FAST-FOOD Arby’s - Get a roast beef sandwich, curly fries, and a drink for only $5.01 Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) - Get 2 pieces of grilled chicken and 2 sides for only $3.99! Plus, they have the KFC Value Menu with several items under $1, in addition to value meal boxes for under $5. Taco Bell - “Yo quiero Taco Bell” thanks to the 79 cent, 89 cent and 99 cent menu. You can buy a chicken soft taco for only 89 cents and a cheesy double beef burrito for only 99 cents. Dairy Queen - Featuring “Sweet Deals” with low pricing on multiple menu items - 2 for $3, 3 for $4, and 4 for $5. That’s only $5 for a burger, onion rings, drink and a sundae. Wendy’s - The Wendy’s unique “3conomics” TV commercials just scratch the surface of all the value meal items available. You can get a crispy chicken sandwich, double stack burger, jr. bacon cheeseburger, chili, small french fries, baked potato, and a chocolate frosty for 99 cents each.

anera Bread oﬀers a wide variety of foods, many of which are healthy alternatives to selections from McDonald’s or Taco Bell. photo credit Scott Beck

rillsmith has all of its food made “on the ﬁre” giving it a unique and mouth-watering taste. photo credit Scott Beck

LUNCH

DINNER

Crispers - Has a healthy menu with assorted soups, salads, and sandwichs. Now they feature PICK-A-PAIR which is half a sandwich and soup or salad for only $5.99. Panera Bread - Each menu item is made with natural, organic ingredients. You-Pick-Two which is 1/2 soup, salad, or sandwich for $6.39 Grillsmith - A nicer dining experience that has warm delicious food on the ﬁre for under $10. There menu consists of seafood, steaks, chicken, and salads. Moe’s - Welcome to Moe’s, with their $5 specials all week long. On Monday get any burrito, chips, and drink. Tuesday kids eat free. Wednesday get any salad. Thursday get any quesadilla. Friday get a Joey Jr. bundle, chips, and drink. Subway - Many, but not all of their foot long subs are only $5. Footlong sub = lunch for two = healthy lunch = happy customers. Also the Subway card is a great way to earn free subs.

Applebee’s - Now featuring 2 for 20, it’s a perfect, aﬀordable way to have a great dining experience. Choose 1 appetizer: boneless buﬀalo wings, mozzarella sticks, or onion rings. Choose 2 entrees: bacon cheddar cheesburger, chicken tender basket, Double-Crunch shrimp, house sirloin, 3 cheese chicken penne, or double glazed baby back ribs. Olive Garden - Has chef inspired entrees including lasagna, alfredo, tour of Italy, etc, for under 11 dollars. Macaroni Grill - Now serving Italian Mediterranean recipes such as the grilled chicken spiedini for only $9.99, plus for a limited time save $5.00 with the purchase on any 2 entrees. So come in and check out their new menu. Bonefish - They now have delectable food at the prices you want. Come in and get a featured special for under $12, or get an appetizer and two entrees for $22-$24. Selections include Chilean sea bass, sea scallops and shrimp, ahi tuna, Atlantic salmon, steaks, and grilled/marinated chicken.

Mongolian grill conquers our stomachs krystalCASEY & kaylaYAMONICO

editor-in-chief & business director

ase lC a t s Kry

“Create your own mongo feast.” At Bd’s Mongolian Grill, that’s exactly what you do. Bd’s founder, Billy “BD” Downs, opened the first Mongolian grill in Royal Oak, Michigan in 1992. Since then, Bd’s has franchised throughout the nation. Most of its current locations are in the Northeast, and only three are currently open in the South. One of these is located less than 5 minutes from the school. When we first walked in, we were greeted with friendly and welcoming service. We were led to a table where our server explained the four steps to a great bowl: 1. Select your favorite meat and/or seafood. 2. Add fresh vegetables to your bowl. 3. Grab a small black side cup and fill it with your favorite sauces and spices. 4. Hand it to the grillers for cooking. The meal began with some plain pasta noodles. Next we added a little bit of raw chicken and steak, and moved over to the vegetable station where we loaded up with snow peas and diced, red skin potatoes. To finish off the creation, we filled a small cup full of teriyaki sauce with a hint of ginger. Finally we were able to hand our preparation over to the grillers. As we stood at the frying counter, the grillers were very sociable, asking if

t credi photo

we were first time customers and what we thought about the experience so far. After all was said and done, and what had started out as many different ingredients was now a delicious blend of nourishment. Another great dish we enjoyed at Bd’s was a blend of noodles, chicken, small shrimp, steak, red skin potatoes topped off with spicy chipotle sauce. Our mouths were watering as we watched the griller cook our tasty meal right in front of our eyes. We were able to enjoy the food without much interruption from the fellow customers. When we finished the bowl, the waitress offered us some mini-bite ice cream cups which came in flavors such as Oreos, strawberry shortcake, cherry cheese cake, and more. We got the Oreo cups, which were so filling and absolutely delicious, we could only take a few bits before having to put the fork down. We were impressed with the dining and the cleanliness of the environment. BD’s was a great experience and we definitely recommend eating there.

Interior

Food

Bathroom

Service

OPINION In Support of Seven Classes ryanDUCHANE

editor

Now that we have 7 class periods here at Countryside, many of the students have found themselves unable to cope. The shock of suddenly having more than 4 classes has dulled their senses and made them oblivious to the beneﬁts of this new schedule. One of the obvious advantages of this new schedule is the fact that we get out at 12:06 on Wednesday. So for those of us who dread waking up before noon (and there are many), we can be back home and in bed in no time. As for the shortened classes, while this means more homework, it also means we don’t have to deal with unsatisfactory teachers for long. I can’t count the number of times I’ve gazed at the clock longingly while stuck listening to a mind-numbing lecture for the hundredth time. In addition, when the last class rolls around and everyone is itching to head home, only 45 minutes stand between us and freedom as opposed to the previous 90. I know for a fact that in last block, the 90 minutes we sat through went slower than molasses, and at times I could swear the clock was moving backwards. One issue that must be addressed is the shortened time to move between classes. Most students have complained that 5 minutes is not enough time, which is true. If you waste time talking to your friends. The number of students that simply stand around and block traﬃc is astounding, and even worse is the fact that these same students then turn around and say they don’t have enough time to get to their classes. Worst of all is the choke hold created by K-wing. Because it is smaller than other hallways, students are funneled through the doors at the speed of a steamroller low on gas as crowds gather outside to use the bathroom or make their way to a K-Wing class. And, conveniently, many of the students who enjoy standing around tend to gather outside K-Wing! All these factors make for a shoul-

katherineWILLIAMS

der-to-shoulder mass that could only be broken through with a riot shotgun. The students need to head directly to their next classes and save chat for after school or during the 13-minute break (only 2 minutes shorter than last year, by the way). All the “problems” that Countryside-goers have found are actually created by themselves. It’s not easy making such a jarring transition, but students have known about this change for awhile now, yet did nothing to prepare for it. Even from the beginning of last year, students were complaining that there would be 7-classes when we got back from summer. Despite all these complaints, no one thought to adjust their routine or make any attempt to get ready for the adjustment. While this irresponsibility isn’t that big of a deal, getting ready for a year of 7-classes would have certainly resulted in less complaining. Perhaps by the end of the year this new schedule won’t be such a shock for everyone, but for now it appears that students will have to remain discontented.

Seven Classes: The Ultimate Buzzkill nicoleBOLTON

opinion & grub editor

Yes, there are a few students that are alright with this new 7 period schedule, but many are not. Although the freshman this year were not around to experience the previous 4x4 block scheduling, there is a small group of freshmen that got to spend a day last year shadowing an upperclassman and could contest to its beneﬁts. Coming from middle school, the freshman are used to having more than

four class periods. The upperclassmen, seniors like myself especially, find that the change has completely thrown off their school habits. Before, students could go into class, wait the required 15 minutes, then still have an hour to go out on hall passes before the last 15 minutes of class. This year you are still required to wait 15 minutes at the beginning and end of each class, which only leaves a very small margin of time for students to use the restroom or be out on a pass in a single class period. Students choose to use passes during class because in between classes the lines for restrooms, vending machines and even your locker, depending on where they are located, are a jungle of people and nearly impossible to move through. Which brings me to another point that I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about: 5 minute passing times in between classes. Our school isn’t that big and there aren’t multiple floors, so it shouldn’t be that difficult to get from class to class. The main artery of our school is the concourse, when classes are released the hallways heading into the concourse are like a can of packed sardines. My schedule has me going from the far end of K-wing to the far end of D-wing, which isn’t that far of a walking distance, but by the time the hallway lines move and you can actually get into the concourse, the warning bell is ringing, which leaves no time for any of the previously stated timing issues. I believe that this seven period day has messed up a lot of students this year. The guidance department was flooded with students requesting schedule changes for numerous reasons such as missing or too many classes, level changes up or down, classes needed for graduation, or because students were placed into classes they have already taken and received credits for. A survey showed that over 60% of students at our school had to have some form of schedule correction, and many students are still having problems with their schedules. All in all I believe that they started us on the 4x4 schedule to increase classroom time and teacher instruction time, with seven periods teacher are having to deal with more students and shorter class periods to teach in.

eaking awe r F r o t u o s om g n i e? ak

staﬀ writer

Countryside High School has deﬁnitely changed, but is it for the better? There is an abundance of “new” at the school. The tardy and absence policies have changed and students are not holding back on their opinions. The teachers have some leeway on how they handle punishment for tardies, but still follow a basic outline. Teachers must follow the new absence rule though. If you are more than 10 minutes late to class, you will be sent to in-school suspension (IC) and will lose an absence. The absence policy has taken on a major change. The amount of absences we have to exempt exams has been shortened from four days to two and then changed to none. Whether it’s students having trouble getting from class to class on time, or just students not caring, tardies will always exist in high school. This year, there is a new set of rules regarding punishment for tardies. On the ﬁrst tardy, students will receive a verbal warning and will be marked tardy. The second time, a parent or guardian will be contacted. The next course of action would be the teacher assigning detention and contacting the parents. The steps

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without a pass from a teacher or a note from a parent. The punishment is fair and necessary, unless there is a valid excuse. Before the policy change, the responses I recieved when I asked students their thoughts were of mixed emotions. “Once students miss their two days, they won’t try to come to school anymore,” said Hendricks when she was asked about the two day policy. There are valid reasons for the shortening of our exemption days but there is still a downside. Last year, with four days to be absent, students came to school sniffling and coughing because they were afraid of missing school and taking exams. That was just when we were dealing with the regular winter flu. Swine flu is still plaguing our country and there have been confirmed cases in Pinellas County. Due to the fact that our school and county has had many confirmed cases of swine flu (H1N1), the policy has changed to not include a number of days towards exemption “I think it’s wack,” sophomore, Kristin Mitchell said. before the policy change “I’ve already had the swine flu

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that follow include a disciplinary referral and in-school suspension for one day, a referral and Saturday school, and, lastly, the tardy being counted as one day absent. The biggest change is the policy regarding the amount of time you can be late to class. In the eyes of the students, does this policy hurt or help? Sophomore Emily Hendricks thinks that the policy is more than fair. “If you really want to, you can get to class in ten minutes. If you had a doctor’s appointment, then you can get a pass. You have to try really hard to be ten minutes late,” said Hendricks. Emily is correct that the policy makes sense. The fact of the matter is no one should be more than ten minutes late

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FOCUS

Throwing down T h e G a u n t l e t ! We l c o m e Cl a s s

of 2013

kaylaYAMONICO

business manager/ staff writer

The sound of the bell reminds the seniors, juniors and sophomores to rush to all their classes, but for the Class of 2013 it’s a whole new ball game. “I like how we get a thirteen minute break, we didn’t have that in middle school,” freshman Jordan Reid said. Walking through the concourse of Countryside High School for the first time can bring a weary feeling to those new to the school. “The school is so crowded, It’s hard not bumping into people” freshman Jordan Reid said. Even with the congestion of the hallways, the upperclassmen, administration and teachers try their hardest to welcome the new faces. On August 19th, the freshman got the chance to explore the school with an orientation that was held in the auditorium. Some students found it comforting to find out where the hallways lead to so they wouldn’t get lost on the first day. While wondering the school, parents and students were able to look at the booths that were set up. “[The clubs] give people a chance to express what they feel,” freshman Jamie Nemeth said. There are a plethora of clubs and after school sports to choose from, such as the multicultural club, garden club, the bowling team, track and field and much more. Countryside High School has many exciting events that occur throughout the school year. Homecoming week is one in which the students dress up for each of the eventful days that take place before the big game. Some of the days include Decades day, Nerd day, Unofficial color day, and Garnet and Gold day. During Spirit week, the freshman get free things such as free shirts, food, etc. Throughout the last few years there has only been four classes that lasted ninety minutes long, but this year there are seven classes that are forty-eight minutes long. “In middle school we had seven classes, so I’m pretty much used to

it,” freshman Kat O’Riley said. Overall the Class of 2013 has many adventures and fun-filled projects to look forward too during their next four years of high school. As stated by freshman Shane Oxendine, “I’m ready for it.”

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Futures not so bright rachelLUBITZ

editor

Yes youth, the time has come. No longer can we fantasize about our lives at Harvard or touring the world with a rock ‘n roll band. No, this is the time for hard decisions, and the reigning Florida scholarship in all of its glory may be sliding off its throne. Some major but acceptable changes have been made to the scholarship’s base theories but not all is forgotten. Rising tuition costs and every other cost have something to do with it, not to mention the mighty recession squishing some of our most thought-out butterfly-filled fantasies. The big hit for Bright Futures is the new rule that the scholarship will not pay for dropped/withdrawn classes. Therefore, students would have to pay back the scholarship in full for those particular classes. “Out of all the things to cut, why cut education? Isn’t that the most important?” Senior Cameron Lindahl said.

In addition, its awarding process will no longer be a huge check with someone’s name on it in the beginning of the year, but will instead be based on three things: award level, institution type (4-year, 2-year, vocational) and credit type (semester, quarter, etc). The payment will be based on credit hour, which will be great for those overachievers out there, but not so great for those who don’t see that coming. These are not huge tremors, but for those who plan to get out the easy way and tend to drop classes because they get bored easily, there may be a few rough patches. Bright Futures award winners are also now expected to meet at least 24 hours of school a week to receive their full amount. This means that the student must be full time, no excuses. If something goes awry, students are able to renew for the next year, given that they stay within those borders and are full-time students. Not all is lost;however, there are setbacks and if the economic climate continues to escalate there could be more to come. After the storm has passed, although there may be some damage, there is still hope for the king of all Florida scholarships to retain its decrepit crown. For more information on Bright Futures changes visit floridastudentfinancialaid.org

ence teacher. She taught Biology for two years, Earth Space for one year and Physics for three years. Mrs. Erickson decided to pursue a career in counseling after many kids would come to her classroom and ask for advice or just to talk. She has been a guidance counselor for the past 16 years, and has spent the last 11 at John F. Kennedy. “I decided to leave JFK because it was becoming a fundamental school, and that wasn’t for me,” Mrs. Erickson said. “I do miss the time schedule, these early mornings are killing me.” While she has had some good times at John F. Kennedy, Mrs. Erickson says she has a lot to look forward to this year. “I am excited to see my previous students, who are now seniors, graduate and begin a whole new life.”

Enthusiasm hits Countryside krystalCASEY

editor-in-chief

The start of a new school year brings about a batch of new faces. Among theses shining faces is, Mrs. Maria Erickson, the new enthusiastic guidance counselor from John F. Kennedy middle school. Mrs. Erickson is here to replace Ms. Megan Pelletier who was here for the last semester of the ‘08-’09 school year. Mrs. Erickson was born and raised in Detroit, MI. She comes from a family of Greeks and her native language is Greek. Growing up, Mrs. Erickson’s aspirations were to be a physical therapist. Unfortunately, things did not plan out the way she wanted them to, and she spent the next 12 years working in the Quality Control industry. Prior to becoming a guidance counselor, Mrs. Erickson was a sci-

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All photos by Scott Beck

Robotics Club Adviser: Amanda Patterson, B-4A The Robotics Club allows kids to explore the wonderful field of engineering and gives them a chance to meet new friends. Meeting: Monday/Tuesday

Marine Biology Club Advisers: Sue Curnutte, F-5 Elizabeth McGovern, E-3 This club is dedicated to the environment. They perform clean-ups of various locations and get rid of trash. There will be several field trips throughout the year, including a trip to Crystal River and Sea World. Meeting: every Monday

Clubs at a glance GFWC Clearwater Juniorettes Adviser: Jane Hussar, J-1A This club is for students interested in community improvement through volunteer service. More info Meeting:6:30- 7:30pm on the second Tuesday of each month at the Safety Harbor Recreation Center.

Surf Club Adviser: David Sica, M-4 This club is for people who are interested in the active lifestyle of surfing, wakeboarding, skateboarding, and skimming. Meeting: Wednesdays.

Students Against Destructive Decisions Adviser: Officer John Cavaliere, D-4A Anyone interested is able to join and the club does positive things for the school and the community. Meeting: every Wednesday in the SRO’s office.

Senior Boys: Carlos Acevado James Chmelik Loren Foushee Robert Gale Malcolm Garcia Nathan Hall A.J. Quenell Todd Shorter Shane Steele

Congratulations!

2009 Homecoming Court Nominations Sophomore Boys: Salvador Almaraz Jon-tai Holmes Preston Jones Jordan Rodnizki Kristof Williams

Junior Boys: Ricy Brown Freshman Boys: Deandre Gray Anthony Florenciani James Holsten Joseph Ganci Enrico Jones Matthew Logsdon Jordan St. john John Paul

Sophomore Girls: Erica Campbell Sara Gomez Ada Kafexhiu Shavelle Peterson Rebecca Roman Freshman Girls: Kaylah Bethea Jordan Grass Emily Isham Jessica Prescott

Senior Girls: Nicole Bolton Kristen Cuevas Jacoya Davis Megan Hays Chelsea Jusino Denise Malave Catie Munns Sandra Nguyen Kayla Yamonico Alea Zobrist

Junior Girls: Ayanna Andrews Claire Gould Madison Miller Emily Pearse Sarah Katie Seiple

FOCUS

Throwing down T h e G a u n t l e t ! We l c o m e Cl a s s

of 2013

kaylaYAMONICO

business manager/ staff writer

edit photo cr

amonico Kayla Y

Futures not so bright rachelLUBITZ

editor

Enthusiasm hits Countryside krystalCASEY

editor-in-chief

photo cred

it Krysta

l Casey

All photos by Scott Beck

Robotics Club Adviser: Amanda Patterson, B-4A The Robotics Club allows kids to explore the wonderful field of engineering and gives them a chance to meet new friends. Meeting: Monday/Tuesday

Surf Club Adviser: David Sica, M-4 This club is for people who are interested in the active lifestyle of surfing, wakeboarding, skateboarding, and skimming. Meeting: Wednesdays.

Senior Boys: Carlos Acevado James Chmelik Loren Foushee Robert Gale Malcolm Garcia Nathan Hall A.J. Quenell Todd Shorter Shane Steele

Congratulations!

2009 Homecoming Court Nominations Sophomore Boys: Salvador Almaraz Jon-tai Holmes Preston Jones Jordan Rodnizki Kristof Williams

Junior Boys: Ricy Brown Freshman Boys: Deandre Gray Anthony Florenciani James Holsten Joseph Ganci Enrico Jones Matthew Logsdon Jordan St. john John Paul

Sophomore Girls: Erica Campbell Sara Gomez Ada Kafexhiu Shavelle Peterson Rebecca Roman Freshman Girls: Kaylah Bethea Jordan Grass Emily Isham Jessica Prescott

Senior Girls: Nicole Bolton Kristen Cuevas Jacoya Davis Megan Hays Chelsea Jusino Denise Malave Catie Munns Sandra Nguyen Kayla Yamonico Alea Zobrist

Junior Girls: Ayanna Andrews Claire Gould Madison Miller Emily Pearse Sarah Katie Seiple

SPORTS

Set,spike,score,win! kaleyNEMETH

sports editor

Volleyball season is in and both junior varsity and varsity are taking complete action. The season began on August 27, 2009, which was two days after the ﬁrst day of school. Both jv and varsity consist of 15 players each with positions ranging from middle hitter to left or right side. Volleyball is a sport that not too many people will go out and play. “It helps with stress and it’s fun, enjoyable, and you make new friends,” junior Savannah Stona said. Both teams practice everyday for two hours and games are 2-3 times a week. Balancing out school, homework, and other sports can get a little tough to handle. Some team players have been playing since they were itty bitty and in elementary school for multiple teams. They all don’t only play for just the high school but recreational teams such as storm and H.E.A.T. “I play for H.E.A.T and this is my second year,” freshman Jillian Cline said. Participating in high school sports is a great way to earn scholarships to major colleges, receive a chance to play for them, and then maybe end up playing for the big leagues on a professional team. For others, they may not be looking

in that direction and just want to focus on their academics. Height is also a factor when playing volleyball and one that colleges take a look into. Varsity The varsity head coach Kaylyn Bayly, has lead the year oﬀ well again with the team winning their ﬁrst six games. She is respectful to each individual and helps them make corrections when something might go wrong. She also encourages the team to do better. Making it all the way to states is a very memorable moment for many sports teams throughout Countryside. For varsity, going against East Lake High School was a highlight game this season. This game was Countryside’s black out game, where they will be in an all black uniforms and for East Lake it’s their white out game. This is representing that it’s the biggest game of the season so far, which our Cougars won with a score of 3-0. The team wants to do as well as last year, unfortunately they are short and have to work harder and come together as a team. It’s good because they all get along on occasions. Sometimes the girls can get frustrated with each other during a game but in the end they come together and take home a victory. Junior Varsity

The Junior varsity team is 2-2 since the season has begun winning against Tarpon and St. Pete. Their head coach as well as assistant coach is Sharon Berry. She is tough when she needs to be, but only to make sure they are doing to their best ability so they can show off their mad moves and take home some wins. Coach Berry makes sure you know the fundamentals to make it on the team and to play the game. Scoring points, seeing the team happy, and cheering other teammates on is important while practicing as well as playing the game. Receiving encouragement is another feature that’s very important while playing volleyball because it up lifts you to do better and work harder. During their first game, the team had some doubt but overcame it by winning in the end and feeling that they can do more then they thought. One of the first couple games in the season, they played against East Lake playing their best, didn’t get the win but played better then any other game. They want to work on playing better as a team, coming together more, and really showing that they can meet varsity standards. “[I hope] to make it to varsity by the end of the season” sophomore Kristin Hubbard said..

Swim season starts with a splash nicoleHARRIS

staﬀ writer

The Countryside High School swim team has been in full force since their ﬁrst meet 2 weeks ago against Clearwater, where they won by 40 points. Most of the swim team have been swimming their whole lives, and don’t know what they’d do without it. “I’ve been swimming about 6 years, my dad bribed me to start, and my sister swims so i ﬁgured why not give it a try,” Junior Jon Witkowski said. When asked why she started swimming, freshman Lauren Hall said, “I don’t really remember when or why I started, I just know my cousin and I started swimming when we were young and have loved it ever since.” Since their practices started 2 weeks before school began, the swim team has been setting the pace by practicing and practicing Monday through Friday from 2:15pm to 5:00pm and every Saturday from 7am to 9am. “It sucks having practice everyday, its hard balancing school work, friends and family when we practice 4 hrs a day. It gets exhausting, but that’s why I love it!” said senior

Sara Witkowski, the girls swimming captain. These intense, exhausting practices are set into place so that they are able to beat out their biggest competition, Palm Harbor University High, at their meet against them October 14th. When asked which team is their biggest rival, Sophomore Gary Lush responded with, “Oh, yeah PHU is our rival, NO doubt about it, they have some really amazing swimmers, and a lot of them!” Some swimmers have been joining the team and trying out the sport just to recieve a possible scholarship to an ivy league school. “If I had known about this sport earlier I would have joined or started swimming a long time ago. I saw that you could professionally swim and go to college just on a swim scholarship so I decided to give it a try just based on that,” Lush(‘11) said. There are lots of different positions, or races. There’s 50 yd freestyle, 50 yd butterfly, 100 yd butterfly, 500 yd freestyle, 50 and 100 yd backstroke, not including the 12

other styles of races. “I personally swim the long distance freestyle, my best times is 5 min and 25 sec,” answered senior Witkowski. “I’ve been swimming here at Countryside all 4 years, and my most memorable moment has to deﬁnatly be when we got 2nd at states and made it into the Hall of Fame.” Every person on the team this year has been working hard in hope of making a Pinellas County Athletic Conference other wise known as, (PCAC) Regional or State title again this year. “I hope we get at least one, we have been working hard enough to earn that title.”Witkowski(‘10) said. There are 4 team captains striving to push their team into a big win this 2009-2010 season, Jon Witkowski, Hunter Krug, Sara Witkowski, and Amanda Mckeever are all captains. “This is going to be a great year!” Sophomore Gary Lush said. So go cheer on your Countryside High School swim team and help them have a good season.

College football transforms your Saturdays saraMINEO

news editor

As summer ends, Saturdays are transformed into a dominion of college football. Come September , the day then belongs to the NCAAF (National Collegiate Athletic Association Football) nation. The first games of the season started on September 3rd and continue through December until the bowl match ups are selected. The Bowl Champion Series (BCS) is a battle between the top two teams, but there are a multiple of other bowl games for other teams to be featured in. Experts top five picks include, the Florida Gator’s, Texas Longhorns, Oklahoma Sooners, South California Trojans, and the Louisiana State Tigers. Others believe that the Alabama Crimson Tide should be apart of the top 5, instead of LSU. These rankings are based on the departing and returning players for each team, which will heavily effect the new season. Last year, the Florida Gators gained their second BCS championship in 3 years, beating the Oklahoma Sooners 24-14. Leading them was none other than Superman himself, Tim Tebow. Tebow who is the youngest athlete to be crowned with the Heisman trophy, raked in his team’s last points with 3:07 left on the clock. His signature jumppass to David Nelson, got the Gators what they needed to win the championship. This year, the Gator’s are the obvious favorite to win the title. This is also Tebow’s last year to bring glory to the high expectant fans. Florida enthusiasts shouldn’t get too comfortable with their success, teams like Texas and Oklahoma have been training hard awaiting for their chance to steal the title.

Mack Brown the head coach of the Longhorns, will be the championship 12-2 and losing only by 10 points, not one of the key advantages that Texas has over the other to mention the Heisman win for Bradford. Oklahoma will teams. Brown, one of the 5th highest paid head coaches in definitely be another team to watch out for during the new college football, reached a record breaking 200th win last season. Unfortunately Bradford was injured on the Sooners first game against season. Motivated BYU, resulting to to get his team back their 14-13 loss. into their winning Sam Bradford is streak, Brown is expected to be out working harder than for 2-4 weeks from ever, recruiting top a shoulder injury. players to coordinate The Florida a tougher, faster, State Seminoles more intimidatalso had a disaping team. Not only pointing season will Brown help the opener losing to Longhorn’s this seathe Miami Hurrison, but returning canes by 4 points. quarterback Colt The game was a McCoy, will also gruelling battle, make an impact. lasting until the McCoy was along uring the FSU home opening game, the Seminoles loast against the very second. The side Tim Tebow Miami Hurricanes. With seconds flying on the clock, Florida state scores went back as runner ups for didn’t follow through leaving the final score at 38-34. photo credit kelsey jones. and forth until the the 2008 Heisman Hurricanes scored trophy. This will be McCoy’s senior year, his last year to make something hap- in the last 3 minutes of the game. The Seminoles, desperate to come back, succeeded in getting the ball all the way pen for Texas. Oklahoma didn’t take losing the championship title to the 2 yard line with 24 seconds to spare. Unluckily, too lightly. This year, they’re back, led by quarterback Sam Florida State just couldn’t get it into the end-zone, making Bradford. Even though they didn’t win the BCS, the Soon- the final score 38-34. ers still had their fair share of glory last season. Going into

SPORTS

Rays season strikes out kaleyNEMETH

sports editor

The Rays swung into the season, holding their spring training games in Port Charlotte, Florida at the Charlotte Sports Park. The Rays made some changes to the team this year, adding Pat Burrell in right field, trading Scott Kazmir, a Rays pitcher, with Alex Torrez, and Jason Hammel decided to switch to The Rockies. They sold out every single seat for the 2009 Spring Training games. The time came around again, for the Rays and Phillies to play some ball. In Clearwater, Florida a crowd of 10,270 attended Bright House Fields to watch the World Series champs take on the Rays for a Spring Training game. Right hander Mitch Talbot, who is in line for the fifth spot in the rotation, allowed six hits and five runs in three innings. Pat Burrell, a former team player for the Phillies, was just recently put with the Rays. He signed a two-year $16 million dollar contract, after Raul Ibanez took his place in left field for the Phillies. Pat went one for two with a double, and the game ended with Tampa scoring five and Philadelphia twelve. Seattle and Tampa met on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 at Safeco Field with a crowd of 19,582. This marked the third consecutive game for the second time for them to lose in the 2009 season. The Rays have dropped six of their last seven games in moving to 5-9 on the season and last place in the American League East. They are now 9-5 in

first place in the American League West. The outcome for the game was due to one bad inning by Rays starter Andy Sonnanstine and the powerlessness of Rays hitters to hit in key situations. Longoria hit them off to a good start with an RBI double in the first before scoring, on Burrell’s single to put the Rays up 2-0. The Mariners won Tuesday’s game with a score of 4-2. The regular season began the first week in April, and their first game was against the Boston Red Sox, on April 6th. Three team players gladly awaited, to experience their first opening game in the major leagues. It was Evan Longoria, Matt Joyce, and Jeff Neimann. Jeff is the teams fifth starter, and he made his debut on Saturday when they played Baltimore. For Longoria, he was not on the Rays opening day roster. Boston had a 1-0 lead in the first, but Tampa got the run back in the third, as they loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single, followed by a center, deep fly ball from Carl Crawford that scored Gabe Gross. During the bottom of the first, Boston had runners on first and third with one out. J.D Drew hit a ground ball down the first base line, where Carlos Pena made a diving play but Pedroia made it across the plate, just in the nick of time.Josh Beckett Boston pitcher had ten strikeouts in the seventhinning. Tampa got two runs back in the eighth, with a two-run single from Evan Longoria, which got Jason Bartlett and

Aki to make it 5-3. Once the ninth inning came around, Jonathan Papelbon retired the Rays, striking out the final two batters to pick up the save. Tampa was 6-6 in the season openers, Shields fell to 0-4 in his career at Fenway, and the Rays won 10 of 18 games against the Sox’s last season. For their season opener, Rays played the number one team, the New York Yankees, on Monday April 13th. In the first inning the Yankees starting pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, gave Rays batter Carl Crawford a hit, putting runners on first and second which gave B.J. Upton and Crawford a double steal. Carlos Pena then doubled to send home the speed demons giving Tampa a 2-0 lead. Pena also had a grand slam and six RBIs, Jason Bartlett homered again for the second game in a row, and Scott Kazmir put together another strong outing in his second start of the season. Xavier Nady of New York, drove a ball deep to center field right to B.J. He stuck out his glove got that ball and blasted it right back to home plate. Wang pitched just one inning which opened the door to use up the Yankees bullpen. once the end of the game came around New York used four pitchers before finishing with Swisher, who started at first on the mound. The outcome was a 15-5 win for the Rays over the Yankees all before a 36,973 crowd. The Rays went from first to worst, back to the worst and now their season has been completed.

Cougars maul the competition

nicoleBOLTON

opinion/grub editor

Attention all Cougar football fans, the boys are back this season and stronger than ever. On Friday August 28th, we kicked off the new school year (as well as our football season) with the annual Cougar Jamboree against Jesuit High School. The night proved to be suspenseful and overall a victorious night for our Cougars. Friday September 4th, 2009: Cougars 34 - Boca Ciega Pirates 26. This was the first official season game for the Cougars and the Pirates definitely put up a good fight in their home stadium. The Cougars, who took a 20-6 lead into halftime, stopped the Pirates on four straight plays from inside their 9 after Jocquel Skinner’s 89-yard kickoff return. Then Countryside ran the ball 11 straight times, relying on the legs of Alton Taylor (29 carries, 212 yards) and its massive offensive line to march 96 yards, including Taylor’s 4-yard score. “We did some fundamental things wrong that we’ve got to correct. But [Boca Ciega] didn’t quit, and we didn’t quit,” coach John Davis said. “Bottom line is we got what we wanted out of the whole thing. We’re 1-0. It could have ended up a whole lot worse.” And so with no scoring at all, the Pirates walked the plank. Friday September 11th, 2009: Cougars 38 - Gibbs Gladiator 6. This was our second home game and the Cougars opened with a nine-play, 57-yard drive, ending with the first of three first-quarter rushing touchdowns by senior Alton Taylor. Finally in the fourth quarter senior William Griswold kicked a 28-yard field goal. The Cougars decided to start senior defensive back Todd Shorter picked

off Gibbs quarterback Josh Rembert’s first two passing at- but the defense was anything but welcoming. The Cougars tempts of the second half, giving him three for the night. had 10 tackles for loss and sacked former Cougar Ryan Taylor scored his fourth touchdown from 4 yards out and Singer six times. They also forced four fumbles, recovering senior Brenton Conley added a 10-yard touchdown run three, and senior Tyler Walker took one back 5 yards for a in the third. With almost a shut-out game in the end the touchdown. Gladiators were fed to the Cougar lineCougars backer junior Terry Thursday September 17th, Johnson recovered 2009: Cougars 52 - Osceola a blocked punt Warriors 17. Senior Alton and returned it 12 Taylor had 150 yards rushyards for a touching and four rushing touchdown. Offensively, downs for the third straight senior Brenton game. Senior Brenton Conley Conley broke a had 117 yards rushing and 65-yard touchone touchdown. Also, senior down run and seJimbo Chmelik threw to felnior Alton Taylor low senior Jake Pendergist scored three rushracking up another touching touchdowns in down for the Cougars. Senior the first half, givWilliam Griswold kicked a ing him 15 for the eniors AJ Craddock, #21, and Todd Shorter, #3, lead the pack 22-yard field goal in the secseason. Once again out the tunnel and threw the fog before the game against ond quarter. “Osceola doesn’t victorious, the unOsceola High. This game took place on Thursday September 17, quit. They know what they’re defeated Cougars doing and they moved the ball 2009. photo credit Kayla Yamonico. took the Falcons on us,” coach John Davis said. However, in the end they right out of the sky. couldn’t move the ball far enough and the warriors fell in Sadly, on friday October 2nd, 2009 the Cougars lost to battle against the cougars. Lakewood 31-20. It was a game that was fast and furious, Friday September 25th, 2009: Cougars 56 - Dunedin featuring the county’s leading scorers, Lakewood’s, senior, Falcons 3. The Cougars hosted the Falcons for a district, Bernard Reedy and Countryside’s, senior, Alton Taylor.

ENTERTAINMENT

Newest Halo game drops in What we’re watching parkerANDERSEN

staff writer campaign alone, but I recommend you bring a friend along Description- This game is the upcoming prequel to if you play on a harder difficulty. The recoil on the SMG Halo 3. In this installment of the Halo series, you play as is very hard to manage. On the other hand the new and an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, or ODST. You start out improved pistol makes it very easy to get one shot kills on the game as the quiet type known as “Rookie”. You are some of the weaker enemies. caught up by a Covenant ship’s jump and you fly off course. Fire Fight is a new addition to the Halo world. In this You are knocked unconscious by the impact and wake up game mode you fight wave after wave of the covenant with about 6 hours later in a city taken over by The Covenant. increasing difficulty. You can play with up to four players, Luckily for you, most of the Covenant forces were either on all difficulties, and on several different maps. Also, if killed or deserted their positions due to the damage done you happen to have Xbox Live, the mythic maps all come by the Covenant jump. Unlike in all of the other Halo included with a separate disk for the entire multiplayer exgames, you are not Master Chief, which also means that perience. you do not regain your health Graphics-5/5. It is hard to automatically even if you are believe that Bungie could’ve not being hit. You must go to a made more improvements on certain station to regain health. the graphics of their games in This new aspect to the game such a short amount of time but will force players to be more they actually did it. They didn’t strategic instead of rushing in make too significant of a difand basically running through ference, but they fixed all minor the game. If you don’t like the details such as glitches, lag, and/ new health system, I think or making your character look you will like a new HUD item different during online gamecalled the “VISR”. This shows play. The only thing I didn’t like the player a clearer outline of about the game graphic wise was enemies that they may not see the minimal character customhe newest installment of the halo series let’s you play as a because it’s too dark, or they ization. There isn’t much to say recon soldier as you fight the covenant photo credit gamerinare far away or somewhat hid- vestments.com about the graphics, although you den. It also shows teammates should probably see for yourself. in a green outline (in contrast to the Covenant’s red outBuy/Rent/Pass- Personal (Buy). If you are a Halo fan or line). The VISR is the spiritual successor to the Mini-Map, just like First Person Shooters and need a different game which has been removed from ODST. to play, then buy this game. If you are a fan, but do not Gameplay- 4.5/5. This game has redefined the way that have Xbox Live then rent this game. If you hate the Halo you play Halo. Mainly because it is so much harder than series and/ or shooters, then you should definitely pass on the previous Halos. Playing on Heroic (solo) is the near this game. equivalent to playing Legendary (solo) in Halo 3. You have You may like it if you liked any previous Halo games, to search for health packs if you take to much damage and Call of Duty 4, or maybe even Call of Duty 5. they are not easy to find. You might enjoy playing through

Remembering Patrick Swayze 1952-2009 kyleKOEHLER staff writer After a lengthy and difficult 20 month battle with pancreatic cancer, long time actor and dancer Patrick Swayze passed away on September 14 at the age of 57. Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 in Houston, Texas. From the time he could walk, Swayze, whose mother happened to be a dance instructor and choreographer, was taking dance lessons in his hometown. He attended wayze is seen here posing to proschool in Houston, and was mote Dirty Dancing photo credit interested in classical ballet igossip.com and acting in school plays. He also studied gymnastics for two years at San Jacinto College. To conclude his education, he moved to New York at the age of 20 and completed his formal dance training. Swayze's first major acting role came in 1978 as Danny Zuko in the Broadway production of "Grease." Soon after, he was starring as Ace in his first film, "Skatetown U.S.A." in 1979. Even with his career already on the rise, his greatest hit came in 1987 with a little movie called "Dirty Dancing." The film was well-received and adored by audiences all throughout America, and earned Swayze a Golden Globe nomination and an enormous following of fans. Adding to his achievements, Swayze hit another gold mine with his 1990 blockbuster, "Ghost", in which he starred alongside actresses Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg. He received another nomination for this film as well, and in 1991, was named the "Sexiest Man Alive". Along with his two biggest hits, Patrick Swayze has a long filmography list that spreads throughout a period of 30 years. Although it was cut tragically short, Swayze’s life has reached out and inspired millions of Americans since the late 1970’s. His character Sam Wheat in the 1990 film “Ghost” once said,”It’s amazing Molly. The love inside, you take it with you.” Many agree that this line was the best representation Of Swayze’s love, and his outlook on life. He will be greatly missed.

Film and Television Credits Skatetown U.S.A. - “Ace” 1979 The Outsiders - “Darrel Curtis” 1983 Red Dawn - “Jed Eckert” 1984 Dirty Dancing - “Johnny Castle” 1987 Tiger Warsaw - “Chuck (Tiger) Warsaw” 1988 Next of Kin - “Truman Gates” 1989 Roadhouse- “James Dalton” 1989 Ghost - “Sam Wheat” 1990 Point Break - “Bodhi” 1991 Father Hood - “Jack Charles” 1993 The Green Dragon - “Sgt. Jim Lance” 2002 One Last Dance - “Travis MacPhearson” 2003 11:14 - “Frank” 2003 George and the Dragon - “Garth” 2004 The Fox and the Hound 2 - Voice of “Cash”-2006 Christmas in Wonderland - 2007 - “Wayne Saunders” Powder Blue - 2008

Return of the Rebels - “K.C. Barnes” 1981 The Comeback Kid-1982 M*A*S*H - “Gary Sturges” 1982 Renegades - “Bandit” 1982 Oﬀsides - “Doug Zimmer” 1984 Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories - Life on Death Row - “Eric Peterson” 1985 North and South - Book I - “Orry Main” 1985 North and South - Book II - “Orry Main” 1986 King Solomon’s Mines - “Allan Quatermain” 2003 Icon - “Jason Monk” 2005 The Beast - “Charles Barker “ 2009

ryanDUCHANE

How

editor

Met

Your

Mother

The Emmy award-winning show returns this fall for its 5th season, following the exploits of architect Ted Mosby ( Josh Radnor) and friends as he recounts to his children the story of how he met their mother. After revealing at the end of season 4 that Ted’s future wife would appear in a class he began teaching, there is a likely chance that her character will ﬁnally be introduced. The show also stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel, and Alyson Hannigan.

Community A new show, Community, tells the tale of suspended lawyer Jeﬀ ( Joel McHale) as he attends community college in an attempt to reinstate his license. The show also stars Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase, and John Oliver.

FlashForward ABC’s newest show chronicles the adventures of Detective Mark Benford ( Joseph Fiennes) as he investigates a mysterious series of occurrences of people blacking out for 2 minutes and can see six months into the future. The ﬁrst episode is written and will be directed by David S. Goyer, one of the writers of The Dark Knight. The show also stars John Cho, Jack Davenport, and Dominic Monaghan.

Accidentally

Purpose

Dharma & Greg star Jenna Elfman returns to TV as a movie critic who ends up pregnant and decides to keep the baby. To make matters worse, her boss is trying to get back together with her as she tries to deal with the much younger father. The show also stars Jon Foster, Ashley Jensen, and Nicholas Wright.

Bones The hit crime-drama returns to its 5th season this fall, as Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) investigate more mysterious murders and crimes in Washington D.C. The show also stars Jonathan Adams, Tamara Taylor, and John Francis Daley.

Glee The highly anticipated new drama has already premiered, and plays out as a less “Disney-ﬁed” High School Musical. Jane Lynch is brilliantly funny in her supporting role as cheerleading coach Ms. Sylvester, and the main cast does a great job singing a wide variety of music. The show features Matthew Morrison as Glee club coach Will Schuester, and also stars Jayma Mays, Jessalyn Gilsig, and Lea Michele.

The A.J. Awards

a.j.QUENELL

entertainment editor

Everyday you hear in the news about how all kinds of people do the dumbest things. This year all year long I will choose contestants for you, the students, to vote on for who will win the A.J. Awards.

The Contestants

Joe Wilson VS. Kanye West Nominated for... South Carolina Representative Joe Wilson Shouted “You Lie!” when President Obama announced that his new health care system would not apply to those who are here illeg... “Yo, Joe, I’ma let you ﬁnish and all but I gave the best interruption of all time.” Kanye West said.

Vote Now at ww.wcnmcountryside.com/Entertainment

A.J. Rocks

ENTERTAINMENT

DeGeneres in, Abdul out! Jason Statham cranks

kyleKOEHLER

staff writer

It seems that American Idol will be making a few changes this season on the judging panel. Paula Abdul will not be returning to the show for the upcoming ninth season. Even though Abdul's manager, David Sonenberg, had said that there were, "...no discussions about Idol." When the rumors first emerged about her leaving, the former judge made it clear when she posted five tweets on her official Twitter account on Tuesday, August 4, writing, "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to 'Idol. I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day one become an international phenomenon… What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me… It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month… I do without any doubt have the BEST fans in the entire world and I love you all”. Paula's shoes won't go unfilled however, because on Wednesday, Sept. 9, it was announced that Ellen DeGeneres will At the event “Divas Live”, Abdul not only dressed be stepping up up like Ellen but also imitated her by doing the Ellen to judge's table dance and made her way to a set that appeared like The to have a go at Ellen DeGeneres Show. photo credit by Timesnewnetwork.com the new contestants. DeGeneres spoke about her new job saying,"I'm thrilled to be the new judge on American Idol. I've watched since the beginning, and I've always been a huge fan. So getting this job is a dream come true, and think of all the money I'll save from not having to text my vote." In fact, it seems everyone over at "Fox" is joyous about Ellen's arrival. Simon Fuller, American Idol's creator and executive producer said,"I could not be more excited to have Ellen join the American Idol family. Ellen has been

a fan of the show for many years, and her love of music and understanding of the American public will bring a unique human touch to our judging panel. I can't wait for this next season to begin." Other members of "Fox" and American Idol also expressed their delight with the new judge saying things such as "We're all delighted..." and "We are thrilled to have Ellen...". The things that still aren't too clear are the reasons behind Abdul’s departure. However, there have been numerous speculations that it had to do with her salary. It was reported that “Idol” had just renewed host, Ryan Seacrest’s contract for three years for $15 million. Which is triple his previous salary. Other rumors report that Abdul was unhappy with the way the she was being treated on the show. This seems "highly" unlikely since the other reason that she may be leaving is because of rumors that she was under the influence of drugs while she was doing the show. From her slurred speech and making bizarre statements, to her drugged out appearance, and that wasn't even when she was on the show. At first, Paula openly admitted that she had a twelve year addiction to pain killers, and was taking medication while she was on the show, claiming that she needed it for Reflex Sympathetic Distrophy (RSD) that was caused by a cheer-leading accident when she was 17. However, even after revealing her drug addicted past, she then denied all claims to having a drug problem. It is unknown if this controversy was part of the reason why Abdul left the show. The overall reactions of this new change have been well received by the public. Junior, Samantha Phillips said, "I don't care that Paula's leaving. I didn't really know who she was before the show anyway. I think that Ellen is a lot funnier and will make the show better than before." The shoe certainly does fit. DeGeneres has won many awards for her comedy and talk show, and is well received by the public media. Also, it's easy to say that she will always have a clear head, and a somber appearance. Regardless of the reasons, Abdul is out, and Ellen is in. Whether you're happy about it or not, the show will go on. The only thing left to do is wait and see.

out another hit

ryanDUCHANE

editor

On September 8th, Crank 2: High Voltage was released on DVD. The movie stars Jason Statham, Amy Smart, and Efren Ramirez. The original Crank was an action-packed, no-holds barred, crazy thrill ride. Anyone who watches the first movie is left with the impression that a movie couldn’t get any crazier. Well, this impression is shattered about five minutes into watching Crank 2. Any Statham’s character is on a mssion reality left after the first working as a hitman looking for his movie is completely dehead photo credit by Filmschoolrejects.com stroyed with the sequel. When I watch a movie, I can usually suspend believeability. In the case of Crank 2, there were many moments that brought me back to reality and had me shaking my head in disbelief. Crank 2 picks up right where the first movie left off, as hitman Chev Chelios (Statham) finds himself without a heart. Unlike the first movie, where the gimmick was that Chelios had to keep his adrenaline pumping, this time he needs to keep his body (and artificial heart) electrically charged. Crank 2 starts off with a massive bang and only slows down when Chev does. My only complaint about the DVD is that unless you want to pay extra money for the 2-disc dvd, there are no special features. And even the 2-disc version only includes a commentary and short making-of featurette. If you were a fan of the original Crank, or just an action movie buff, you’ll love Crank 2. 5/5 Hearts RATING:

Films to fear parkerAndersen

Released: October 2nd Rated: R Starring:Woody Harrelson, Jess Eisenburg, Emma Stone, and Abigail Breslin Plot: A cowardly man named Columbus (Eisenberg), joins up with a zombie slayer known as Tallahassee (Harrelson) to try and survive the present zombie apocalypse. On their journey of survival, the two meet up with Wichita (Stone) and Little Rock (Breslin). The two duos form a team and attempt to outlast the apocalpyse.

staff writer

Released: October 16 Rated:PG-13 Starring: Dylan Walsh and Penn Badgeley Plot: This is a remake to the 1987 thriller, in which a teenage boy (Badgley) begins to suspect that his new stepfather (Walsh) is a serial killer who kills families by marrying into them. This is your classic 'nobody believes him because he is just a kid' movie. As the boy races to ﬁnd proof of his radical claim it may already be too late.

Released: October 13 Rated:R Starring: Nick Cannon and Clea Duvall Plot: As four volunteers sign up for what they think is an average research study, they ﬁnd that they are actually a part of a classiﬁed government progam that supposedly was terminated years before. They are asked a series of questions, but what they think is the right answer, may not be what the scientists were looking for...

Released: October 23 Rated: R Starring: Tobin Bell and Costas Mandylor Plot: Special Agent Strahm has died and Detective Hoﬀman(Mandylor) is the only suitable succesor to Jigsaw's(Bell) legacy. Even so, when the FBI draws nearer to the detective, he is forced to start up a new game of survival and Jigsaw's plans are ﬁnally revealed.

CONTINUED... Westside comes to Countryside meganMASON & saraMINEO news editors When the new school year rolls round, you’re bound to find not only new faces, and new classes, but new drama. Literally. As with every year, Countryside’s performers, the Troupe 900, has lined up a challenging, and intriguing story. This time, it brings together not only love, hate, and talent at it’s purest, but too the heartache that is seldom revealed. ‘The West Side Story’ is a Broadway musical that gets its roots from Shakespeare’s famous love story Romeo and Juliet. The story was first presented in 1957 at the Winter Gardens in New York City. The play tells of a rivalry between two teenage street gangs, based in New York in the mid 1950’s. One gang, The Sharks, are Puerto Ricans but are the first in their families to be born in America. The Jets, are full American and believe themselves to be superior to the Sharks. Tony, a Jet, and also the main character of the story, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The show is held Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, November 19-21 at 7 p.m. with a 3 p.m. matinee on Friday. Below is just a glimpse of this years oustnading cast. Jeffery Marsar as Tony

Hannah Zazzaro as Maria

Adam Rubin as Bernardo

Kelly Montoya as Anita

Tyler Vaal as Riﬀ

Nile Madley as Chino

Ian Ricci as Doc

Shane Steele as LT. Shrank

AJ Quenell as Oﬃcer Krupke

Justin Defoe as Glad Hand

BETTER DEAD THAN TARDY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6

and a whole bunch of students are going to get it if this doesn’t change.” Kristin’s thoughts are shared with many of the students. Though there are many concerns, our Principal explained that students should not be coming to school sick. “Anytime you have an attendance policy with students who are serious about their education, they are going to try to come to school, even if they are sick. We do not encourage that,” said Principal Schlereth. Overall, the tardy policy is a plus and makes sense. The two-day exemption policy isn’t helping students, but because we are living with the situation, we have to adapt. Students should not come to school sick and need to wash hands and use hand sanitizer. Students that are sick with H1N1 (swine ﬂu) are actually required to stay home for a minimum of ﬁve days. The school board is currently reviewing the exemption policy. It may either be changed or demolished entirely. This gives you a chance to contact our school board members and get involved. Who knows how much change a few phone calls or emails could establish? Though we may not agree with everything going on in the school, we can agree that making the best of our situation can help. If we stay positive, we can have an amazing 20092010 year.

“I’ve already had the swine flu and a whole bunch of students are going to get it if this doesn’t change.” said sophomore, Kristin Mitchell.

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There is a school like no other. This school does more than teach. It inspires. For more information, contact your local Army recruiter at 727-791-9900 or visit goarmy.com.

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S O Y OU T HINK Y OU ’ve ...

got SWAGGER heatherEBERT

What is swagger? Is it to walk with your nose in the air or does it mean to browbeat and bully others, like the dictionary definition states? No. Today’s society, mainly the youth, have made some alterations to the dictionary definition of swagger and have taken it to a higher level. Swagger means many things to many different people. Some take it to mean your’e known to rock the fliest clothes and always look hot. Fashion is an undeniable element in a person’s swagger, but it’s not the only one. Having shoes that are just too nice, showing off the perfect cut jeans, and wearing the shirts that make people ask, “where did they buy that”, give kudos that up your swag level. Consequently, having a good sense of fashion is just not enough. A person that walks into a room and has the ability to lighten the mood and just kick back and cool it with no drama, holds another key element in swagger. This element does not pop into our head the second the word swagger is said, but when you think about swagger in depth it does shine through. Ladies, when you’re at a party and you see a good looking guy walk through the door, he has a fresh fit on, a clean haircut, and he seems to know everyone there, but he probably doesn’t, you know you want to talk to him and get to know him. Being able to converse maturely when talking to people you do and don’t know is a huge factor in swagger, just as much as fashion. Walking and talking bring even more points for a person’s swagger level. A guy that drags his feet or a girl that doesn’t walk with her back straight gives off the sloppiest impressions. When you have swagger, you’re not sloppy. People that have true swagger and are aware of it do not go around boasting and showing it off, they act in a more humble way. Therefore, they know how to show off what they have when necessary. Swagger is your dress, your personality traits, your walk, and your talk. In other words it is your presentation, the way you carry yourself. You can’t have one element without the other and have a mean swag because that just won’t work.

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features editor

Santreece Chance, Senior, stands with great posture, with her back straight and head up.

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Kenneth Marshall, Senior, rocks a style that’s all his own, yet keeps it presentable.

Jp DeJesus, Senior, and girlfriend Sarina Phrathep, Sophomore, coordinate their outﬁts to exhibit their swagger.