The BluePrint - Volume 10, Issue 1

HAGERTY HIGH SCHOOL

3225 LOCKWOOD BLVD. OVIEDO, FL 32765

INDEX

the

blueprint

News............................... 2-5 Lifestyles......................... 6-9 10 year anniversary..... 10-11 Student Connections.... 12-13 Reviews....................... 14-15 Opinions...................... 16-17 Sports.......................... 18-20

volume 10, issue 1

Sept. 30, 2014

? e l b a r o on

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of c areas y a r g 14 r up o clea ce on page t s m i n code a aff sta Honor page 9; st on story

Five­ things to see on hagertyjourn.com wBACK TO THE START

wFROZEN INSPIRES ALL

A companion piece to the centerspread, go online to read how the school has evolved as well as reflections from the first senior class.

wCOOKIE SIZE SHRINKS

Does the anti-frozen editorial on page 15 make you angry?

Go online to read the other side of the bitter Disney debate.

Michelle Obama’s new nutrition plan causes the size of cafeteria cookies to be reduced. Many students are left unsatisfied.

wJACK WHITE REVIEW

Former White Striples frontman Jack White gives a legendary performance at Jacksonville’s Times-Union Center.

wNEW SPOTLIGHT VIDEO

Check out the pep rally spotlight video which shows the performances from the spirit squad, as well as dancers and cheerleaders.

Find the dog: Whenever you see the above HJO logo, scan the page with the Aurasma app to see extra content. You must follow hagertyjourn to make it work.

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news

Locked door policy sparks debate Sarah Gibson

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photo by Jake Arthur

SOMEONE GET THE DOOR. A student is stranded outside due to a locked door. The new rule has caused complaints from students.

Staff Reporter

ith recent incidents threatening schools across the nation, schools are making necessary precautions to keep danger out. Although no major threats have been made to local schools, the Seminole County School Board decided to be proactive by implementing new countywide safety policies.

The most drastic change states that all doors must be locked, with the exception of offices. All exterior doors must be locked as well, which includes bus ramp entrances and roll-up doors by the cafeteria. The district is also considering fencing in the back of campus around the athletic fields. Besides having all doors locked, any adult on campus must also wear a visible nametag, whether they are staff or a visitor.

At first only teachers could let students

Remind expands boundaries Jeannie Williams

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Floater Editor

n an increasingly technological age, students’ days revolve around seeing the banner pop up on their phone alerting them of a text. The appropriately named Remind, which sends texts alerting students of assignments that are due and where class is meeting, has swelled in popularity as it is used more and more.

Through word of mouth, Remind, formerly known as Remind 101, is often used as means of class communication.

When junior Ashley Durski accidentally opened a test on Blackboard, a text was sent to the class from social studies teacher Craig Johnson: “I noticed someone from midblock opened up the test on Blackboard. #nothappy.

Big problem. I know who you are.” The text set off a class-wide search and ended harmlessly, with an inside joke for the class to share.

“Students seem to be attached to their phones, so having that little message pop up on the screen really puts a panic in them when they have assignments that are due,” English teacher Samantha Richardson said.

In the first days of school, students expect to fill out the usual get-to-know-you questionnaire, but now they also expect the time of class when their teacher tells them to get to get out their phones and sign up for Remind. The process is minimal. Teachers input class information

online; then a phone number and code to text to it are generated for students to use.

“Not every child can get onto Blackboard if it’s not working or their internet’s down.

It’s a good backup if Blackboard is down or if a student is absent,” Humanites and AP Art History teacher Maria Garcia said.

Remind has been undergoing changes to keep up with its increasing popularity. The most basic are the creation of an app and its name change from Remind 101 to Remind. “[The app]’s really easy to use. You just plug in your phone number and then they [the reminders] just come right through the app,” sophomore Stephen Chapman said.

The company announced in August that a new version of the app will enable voting, sending quizzes over the phone, taking attendance, and “starring” of important messages. Remind uses a Teacher Advisory Board to understand what could be useful and what might just be an extraneous feature.

Remind is even being used beyond the classroom. Several clubs including Junior Optimist Club and Key Club have used it to communicate with members. Remind is also used in student government and the voting app will be taken advantage of. “[Student government] only meet[s] once a week, so something might come up in the middle of the week. I can just have them easily vote over the phone and then get it approved faster,” sophomore Sierra Hittel said.

back in the classroom, however the policy is becoming more lenient.

“If teachers are allowing students to open the doors, which I’m sure they are, I mean, they know that kid just left to go to the bathroom and they’re coming back so obviously you could let him back in,” administrator Christy Bryce said. “Someone they don’t know, then they probably need to ask the teacher if it’s okay to let this person in.”

With classroom temperatures leaving students either dripping in sweat or frozen solid, teachers are tempted to prop doors open and air out their rooms. Some teachers may be getting away with keeping doors open or unlocked, but if seen by security or administration, they are instructed to relock them.

For classes such as leadership, journalism and early childhood, the locked door policy also poses a challenge for students going to and from the classroom all period long. Teachers are now getting creative to find new innovative

ways to make the policy more practical.

“With up to 56 voices in my room, I would never hear someone knocking on my door. I purchased a doorbell that is wireless and has a light that flashes at the base unit along with the bell,” early childhood teacher Jenny Burrell said.

Although teachers are learning to deal with changes to campus security, students overall are in disagreement with the decision.

“It’s a good concept to keep kids safe, but it wasn’t implemented well,” senior Trevor Hosterman said. “It doesn’t allow students to leave without disrupting the entire class.”

Common complaints include that locked doors cause more interruption, which can be distracting to students trying to learn, as well as the policy causes teachers to crack down on bathroom and water fountain passes.

Overall, however, the policy keeps students more protected, which is exactly what the county intended.

Voting is super cool!

18 or older? You can register to vote today 16 or 17? You can pre-register to vote today

www.VoteSeminole.org

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news

TV Production connects games to web Lauren Lee

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Graphics Editor

etting a text from a friend that says they have no ride to the next football game should no longer be an issue. Students can now watch home games from their mobile phone or at home on a couch.

TV Production has started online streaming of football and basketball games for this season. The streams are found on the TV Production website, which is linked through the school’s website.

The main reason for the streaming was so that family members and friends who could not attend the game because of distance, money or time could still watch. Games have viewers from around the state, and even from places like Tennessee.

“This helps the players not only allow their relatives to see them

play, but recruits would also have an easy way to look at players without travel,” senior Kelly Broderick said.

The TV Production team covered these games before, but now they have a venue for the video. The footage covers the games with an aerial view and films key plays.

The team is composed of Broderick, who is in charge of reporting scores, junior Austin Saltzgaver, who is in charge of camera work, and TV Production teacher Donna Parker, who oversees the whole operation.

Being in charge of the whole operation with only a team of three means that with all the video going live online, any mistake is amplified.

“As the main camera guy, I had to make sure I didn’t step on any wires, because during preseason I accidentally stepped on one and the feed went down for a few minutes. We

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had to rush to put some emergency ad on the feed,” Saltzgaver said.

The streaming has had its ups and downs, such as static video feed which would freeze, but overall it has been a success. Some of the problems are caused by the wireless signal, since the fiber optic cable has not been run to the football stadium, and will be put in within the next few weeks. However, basketball games will have a clearer signal since the streaming is through ground wires, rather than being wireless.

“We are still working out bugs.

When our feed becomes wired, the streaming will be more stable,” Parker said.

The streams have recieved positive feedback. @Hagerty_Sports, which was working in tandem with TV Production last year, received over 100 new Twitter followers due to its relation to the games.

photo by Jake Arthur

INTERNET INTERCEPTIONS Junior Austin Saltzgaver films a game for viewers across the country. The stream can be accessed through the school’s website.

Coverage of the games will continue throughout the year. TV Production sees the stream becoming a pay-per-view, which will give players highlight reels for future

reference for viewers.

“This has been a big jump; I think it further increases student spirit and we are providing for people out of the area,” Parker said.

what’s news?

NATIONAL MERIT RECOGNIZES SIX For their outstanding scores on the PSAT/NMSQT, seniors Grant Elliot, Alexander Finster, Samuel Henken, Nina Kumar, Yasamin Sharifi and Prerna Sharma have been chosen as semifinalists for the National Merit Scholarship Program. In February, these students will be informed if they have reached the Finalist standing, from which they can be chosen for a Merit Scholarship award.

LEADERSHIP PREPARES FOR HOMECOMING WEEK Homecoming week, themed “Coast to Coast,” will begin Monday, Oct. 27 and will conclude with the dance on Saturday, Nov. 1. Events for the week include a dodgeball tournament on Monday and the annual PowderPuff game on Thursday.

SATURDAY MAKE-UP DAYS BEGIN The first day for students to make up absences will be on Saturday, Sept.

27 from 8:30–10:30 a.m. in the cafeteria. Only students who already have nine unexcused absences, or more than four block absences in one class, are allowed to attend. An hour is required to make up an absence in a midblock or Wednesday class, while two hours are required to make up an absence in a block period.

SAT REGISTRATION DEADLINE APPROACHES Students who wish to take the SAT on Saturday, Nov. 8 must register online by Thursday, Oct. 9. Testers should bring their admission ticket, multiple number two pencils, an approved calculator and a photo ID on the date of the test.

news

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Uncertainty surrounds election

Big sister is watching Oviedo heritage going down the drain Jessica Jeffers

H

Haley Gaeser

Opinions Editor

idden among celery farms and orange trees, Oviedo, a small agricultural town, filled with roaming chickens grew quietly for over a hundred years. Today, developers seek the last remnats of forestry in the area to create a family oriented urban town.

Oviedo began as an agricultural town in the 1800s. Over the years, the town developed, becoming what is now a thriving community of more than 30,000 residents. But the development has gone too far. When will enough be enough?

The limits were first pushed when Oviedo on the Park was announced in 2008.

Although it was deemed necessary by city council to build a better town center, the landmarks we had stood as the foundation of our town. Football games were the place to be on Friday nights, the Townhouse was the best place to eat and First Baptist of Oviedo was the main church. The sense of the community was built off these places, not a mini-community within a larger community.

Then over the summer, Seminole County approved a zoning change for a development off Old Lockwood Boulevard.

The plans for the residential community had been around for a while, but in a shady town meeting the zoning change was approved, destroying the sparsely populated area. For one, there are plenty of houses already available on Lockwood Boulevard. Plus the change involved former county commissioner taking a recess in the middle of the meeting and talking to current commissioners in private and even had ties all the way back to former state representative Chris Dorworth.

Since we no longer appreciate our town, it is time to remember the old days.

From the play center in the Oviedo mall to the chickens wandering the streets in front of Popeye’s, these are the things that have made Oviedo. Next time you’re on a trip around town, appreciate the old things about Oviedo, because it is hard to remember something that does not exist anymore. The way the town’s development is going, it will not be there for long.

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Managing Editor

ith governor elections right around the corner, everyone is trying to figure out who to vote for. While voting is considered an obligation for US citizens, some people are having trouble deciding which candidate would best benefit the people of Florida.

The two candidates running for Florida governor are Republican Rick Scott and Democrat Charlie Crist with the election taking place on Nov. 4.

Scott and Crist have both been governors in the past: Scott the incumbent for the last two years and Crist the two years before him. One difference, however, is that this will be Crist’s third party affiliation in the last eight years.

He went from being a Republican in 2006 to an Independent in 2010 and now a Democrat in 2014.

Crist’s reasoning behind changing parties was that “[He] didn’t leave the Republican party, it left [him].” This has led to much political controversy throughout Florida.

While Crist did once share the same views as Scott at one point in his career, his policy plans have changed this time around. He chose to take his new party swap to heart and really put in the effort to be what the Democratic party wanted.

Whereas Scott’s platform consists of tax cuts for families, eliminating regulations and streamlining bureaucracy, creating new jobs and recruiting job creators, Crist has his mind set on increasing the access for health insurance, legalizing medical marijuana, keeping utility rates low and growing Florida’s solar energy sector. However, education is also a major component in both of their platforms.

More information on both of their platforms can be found at rickscottforflorida.com and charliecrist.com.

While their platforms may be different, they both spend a large amount of their campaign funds smearing their opponent. Both of them combined have already spent over $50 million in television ads alone. They are second only to Pennsylvania on the amount of money spent on ads in a gubernatorial race. However, Scott plans to spend at least $100 million to cover

his whole campaign by the end of the election.

“Charlie Crist. For governor. For sale” and “Rick Scott is just too shady for the sunshine state” are prime examples from each side. However, the two of them are on the verge of becoming the least-liked pair of candidates for any governor’s race in the past 10 years according to political websites like fivethirtyeight.com.

Some people such as world history teacher Erin Foley do not always follow their declared party affiliation. She votes for the candidate rather than for the Republican or Democrat title.

“My husband and I are actually registered to different parties,” Foley said. “We do not necessarily vote along party lines either.”

There is no telling how the election will play out in November as the current polling data is close with Scott barely in the lead. It is classified right now as being a toss-up as Scott is only 1.5 percent ahead of Crist in preliminary polls.

“I think this election is the classic example of having to pick between the lesser of two evils,” economics teacher Robert Potter said.

news

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Robotics club builds for successful year Daniella Parcell

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photo by Jake Arthur

WINDING GEARS Club members Stephen McCreight and Jarod Thue begin building their robot. Bots are constructed based on the FTC game, “Cascade Effect,” which requires machines to place whiffle balls in moving targets.

News Editor

screaming crowd, a fan dressed as a horse and an arena of chanting spectators stared downward, where, instead of two men wrestling each other to the ground, two alliances of robots stood, juggling whiffle balls and battling their way through the final seconds of their game. This characterizes the typical Saturday for members of the school’s robotics teams.

“The competitions are really energetic,” sophomore Matthew Mason said. “There’s a lot of screaming.”

After a kick-off event on Saturday, Sept. 6, the robotics club officially began brainstorming and building for the upcoming season. The teams, along with thousands of other clubs across the globe, operate under For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), a worldwide organization that hosts robotics competitions for children and teenagers in order to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians. The

goal of FIRST, according to senior Sarah Parker, is to inspire the world to appreciate Science, Technology, Engineering and Math subjects, and to inspire respect for people in them.

In early September, FIRST Tech Challenge, the league which the teams compete in, defined a “game” for the year, to be played by every FTC team at every competition.

Construction plans are generated according to this game, and robots can be updated, altered and improved throughout the year.

“It’s like an evolving animal.

You don’t just build it and it’s done,” senior Ibraheem Alinur said. “It just keeps getting built.”

This year’s game is titled “Cascade Effect,” and involves an arena full of not only moving robots, but roaming tubes as well. Bots score by placing whiffle balls into the tubes, and more points are awarded for balls placed into higher tubes.

The physical competition, however, only accounts for 50 percent of a team’s score. An engineering notebook and team video encompasses the other half, and both account for 25 percent each.

Focus brought to academic integrity Madeline Kemper

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Staff Reporter

ooking to make a change, administration and teachers have started strictly enforcing the code of conduct, particularly with regard to academic integrity.

“They didn’t view cheating as cheating. [Students would say] ‘I didn’t know that was cheating, I didn’t know I couldn’t work with someone, I just didn’t know,’” principal Mary Williams said.

As students have found more ways to bend the rules, the definition of cheating has become blurred.

Academic integrity is the honesty in schoolwork and not assisting peers in being dishonest. It also means taking responsibility for learning the material of a class. Teachers feel that students do not take this topic seriously.

The Seminole County handbook states that on the first, second and third offense, students will receive a zero and then Saturday school, inschool suspension, and out-of-school suspension respectively.

If students feel that their punishment is unjust and that they did not cheat, they have 48 hours to appeal. The appeal board is made up of teachers who listen to the students and their parents, so that their side of the story can be heard.

“Having an appeal board composed of three teachers gives a formal opportunity for the kid to be heard and for unbiased teachers to make a decision about their punishment,” Williams said.

Members of the faculty, such as English teacher Krista Darling, are grateful for the appeal board, because they feel it takes the pressure off of them. Darling has made use of the

appeal board based on a judgement she made on an assignment.

Teachers feel that this is an issue that should be corrected now.

Students who learn the importance of academic integrity now are less likely to get caught and expelled from college and lose the opportunity to get a degree.

“Why don’t we work on something that will serve a student throughout their life,” Williams said.

Each teacher was asked to address what academic integrity means in their own class. What is considered cheating in math may not be considered cheating in English.

Some students are still very confused on what cheating is, especially with all the easy access to technology.

“Our current superintendent absolutely encourages the use of your electronic devices, but the tricky part

for the teachers is figuring out when you are really doing what you are supposed to be doing,” Williams said.

Others view it as something that will never stop, and that students will just become more and more secretive about it.

“I get cheating is wrong, but they give us so much homework. Some people don’t cheat but they do help each other out and I don’t know if that counts as academic integrity,” sophomore Karina Erickson said.

Williams views this as almost a good problem to have, and that since there are not a lot of discipline issues, this is something that can be focused on.

“We don’t have to worry about kids getting in fights and [cursing] out teachers, they just don’t behave like that,” Williams said. “This is like reaching for a greater standard.”

The mission of the outreach program is to help the community and teach average people about STEM and FIRST. Though this factors into the team’s score, it also yields unique opportunities for members, especially Alinur, who delivered a speech at the Kennedy Space Center last year.

“To be able to stand where other astronauts have stood and give a big presentation in front of 50-60 people was really awesome,”Alinur said.

“Only through robotics was I able to have that opportunity.”

As the year moves on, the teams hope to revisit the state competition, while also succeeding in smaller competitions along the way, including the Tesla League Championship, which they will host in 11 January 2015. However, while members dream of high scores and winning placements, robotics serves as more than just a series of competitions.

“You get the opportunity to have the engineering experience, you can’t have that anywhere else,” Alinur said.

“You meet a community of people that are also involved in engineering, that’s something you can’t get on a football team.”

Honor code consequences u

First offense: zero on assignment, parent contact and Saturday school

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Second offense: zero on assignment, parent contact and in-school suspension

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Third offense: zero on assignment, parent contact and out-ofschool suspension If students feel that a punishment is unjust, they can appeal to the board within 48 hours.

lifestyles

6

Playing it cool Sophie Hill

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Online Editor-in-Chief

hile most students rev up for football, soccer or basketball, senior Vincent Ossana shakes off the heat by donning heavy jerseys and thick pads, and gliding into the ice hockey season.

“I lived in Maryland where hockey is really popular and my dad played hockey and he got me into it,” Ossana said. “I grew up with hockey, not football, and I love it.”

Ice hockey, played on ice rinks about twothirds the size of a football field, is played with two teams of five players and a goaltender to prevent a hard rubber puck from being hit into the net for points. Known for its violence, hockey is a fast-paced sport played over the course of three periods, each lasting 20 minutes.

“In the pros you see injuries every game,” Ossana said. “I’ve gotten a concussion, had neck problems and a lot of people have broken their arms, [gotten] concussions and sometimes sliced [their] ankles from skates.”

However such greivous injuries were mostly

Senior Vincent Ossana takes to the ice for his twelfth year of ice hockey

seen in Ossana’s older league from before the before the summer of 2012, when Ossana lived in Maryland and traveled across the eastern seaboard for hockey and national titles. During these games, players were consistenly injured, some suffering life-changing injuires forever preventing them from paying the sport again.

Now however, Ossana plays for a less competitive leaugue, choosing instead to invest the monumentus time and effort needed to be a top hockey player into his other interests.

Opting to keep all his teeth and toes, Ossana also has no actual plans to play in college or professionally.

Luckily, the sport has evolved considerably from its debut more than 240 years ago, mandating safety regulations for players of all levels. Players are now required to wear shoulder, elbow and arm pads as well as thick hockey pants, shin guards, special hockey skates and a helmet.

But what has not evolved since Ossana started playing hockey is his good luck gameday traditions. And between lucky elbow pads, green grapes before every game, and a

quarter he keeps in his glove, it seems his good luck traditions have been successful. Although Ossana, who plays center, is only 5’9’’and 135 pounds compared to the high school average of 6’1”and 190 pounds, he was ranked second in his league last fall and third last spring.

“I definitely have to be more aggressive because I’m smaller,” Ossana said. “A lot of the time, because I’m a smaller guy, they don’t expect me to go after the bigger guys and they get caught off guard.”

Ossana, after playing two games this season, has two goals and one assist, having him tied for fifth in the league.

But to maintain his title, Ossana has to drive out to Maitland twice a week for a Wednesday practice and weekend games.

“I’ve been up there so many times I know exactly how fast I have to go before the lights change,” Ossana said.

However, Ossana says the long drive and the lack of a giant cheering crowd is worth it.

“If you have a passion you’ll follow it to the ends of the earth,” Ossana said. “Even if it’s a 45 minute drive.”

photo by Sophie Hill

BREAKING THE ICE Senior Vincent Ossana glided across the ice to retrieve the puck during a practice scrimage at the Maitland Ice Den. Ossana, who practices from 6:30-9:30 on Wednesdays, is preparing for the fall hockey season.

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lifestyles

Cultural epiphany Senior Jacob Shank left in January of his junior year on a monthlong tour of Europe

LONDON EYE VIEW. The red telephone booth in London makes for a cultural integration.

STANDING TALL. In Paris, the Louvre is one of the world’s largest museums.

Adeline Davis Student Connection Editor

O

ne month. That is all it took for senior Jacob Shank to gain a new perspective on life. One month changed him from a typical high school student to someone who now views the world from an entirely different angle.

What sparked this change in attitude?

The touring of eight countries in the middle of his junior year.

In April, Shank and his family headed out to tour the Azores, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Amsterdam, Belgium, England and France. In order to prepare for this month-long excursion, Shank had to start virtual school in January to knock out as much work as possible.

“One of my teachers wouldn’t work with me around the schedule, so I had to save and submit work he gave me in different countries just so he wouldn’t drop me,” Shank said.

Shank spent a few days in each country, enabling him to get a “breakfast, lunch and dinner” feel for the country’s culture. Shank described London as the “New York of England” and admired its clean and friendly atmosphere, but found the small town of South Hampton England to be intimidating due to the citizens rude attitudes and general dislike of tourists. Shank was relieved when he was able to leave the town.

FRESH OFF THE MARKET. Jacob stands on a dock in Denmark where the local catch was sold.

“I really got to see the difference between well cultured areas and smaller areas that had a darker atmosphere,” Shank said.

Of all the countries Shank went to, Denmark was his favorite due to the tall architecture and clean environment. But most of all, Shank enjoyed the refreshingly friendly perspectives of the citizens. At one point during their travels, Shank and his family needed directions and had

people get out of lines to help them.

“I would never expect anyone at line in a Burger King to just jump up and say: ‘oh yeah, we don’t need our lunch, let us come help you real quick’,” Shank said.

To add to the positive experience of the trip, Shank had shop owners give him wood carvings for free, and got the chance to meet people from all different cultures and economic backgrounds when he spent the night

THIS ROCKS. During a sunny day in Europe, Jacob takes a break in the city.

in a hostel.

“It was really cool to kind of immerse myself within such a wide variety of people,” Shank said. “If we focus less on the human dream and more on the American dream, we kind of lose the fact that we’re all people, everyone’s just a person.”

When Shank arrived back at school this fall, he realized just how much his perspective on life has changed. Now, instead of being

excited to go to football games, Shank gets excited about helping out in the community through volunteering at the library. Spending a month in Europe helped Shank see that money is not everything. After seeing the different aspects of individual cultures, following his passion of becoming a teacher is his main goal.

“You just need to dive into culture headfirst,” Shank said. “If you don’t then you kind of just lack in life.”

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lifestyles

Senior interns on horror movie

Surviving Suburbia

Courtney Dziewior

Captain Underpants’ reincarnation resides in my house Winnie Meyer

I

Reviews Editor

live with a superhero. Or at least some demented form of a wannabe. He’s ten years old and from the way he dresses, I have come to the conclusion that my brother has made it his goal in life to become the next Captain Underpants. But, I have yet to find an answer as to why he runs around in the half-nude.

Is it because he’s lazy?

Possibly. I can call on three other witnesses to vouch on the fact that Captain Underpants has claimed that putting on clothes is “too much work, and takes too much time away from [his] video games.”

Could it be that he enjoys a thrill?

Another great possibility. Whenever the doorbell rings, Captain Underpants sprints to his room at a speed that could compare with Usain Bolt’s Olympic run to conceal his identity from visitors.

Though a major factor, I don’t think embarrassment is the reason for Captain Underpants’ constant appearances.

Despite launching himself like a human bullet from a cannon at the call of intruders, he is not always aware of newcomers entering the house. Unfortunately, sometimes, my friends get a special unpredicted appearance of Captain Underpants with a cry of “Oh God” and a swift departure.

There is also a possibility that Captain Underpants walks around in his costume to antagonize his mortal nemesis: me.

Despite the small number of times I advise him to clothe himself, Captain Underpants responds in one of three ways: a. He tells me that I am not his mother and should leave him alone. b. He strikes back with flatulence, a weapon that successfully diverts me from the room (or house if the attack is lethal). c. He blows an overly spitty raspberry into my face.

Whatever the petty reason for his call to superherodom, it needs to end. I believe public indecency should be applied within the house. Or at least to where I can see him.

And if Captain Underpants reigns on, in 20 years I will gladly thank him on his wedding day by retelling his tale to his guests, family, friends and Mrs. Captain Underpants.

A

Staff Reporter

woman was gruesomely murdered as senior Mark Mattera stood and watched.

This was not a crime; it was just an ordinary day of work for Mattera on the set of “The Laughing Mask.” In January, Mattera interned with the horror movie, which is set to come out in theaters Oct. 31.

“The Laughing Mask” revolves around character Jake Johnson searching for The Laughing Mask, a serial killer who murdered his wife and kidnapped his daughter. As more deaths occur, Johnson attempts to work with the police department to find his daughter and the killer.

Mattera began working on the set location in Orlando after being accepted as an intern by a friend of Mattera’s sister, assistant director Kyle Fritz.

“She told him that I’m interested in film production, and he just invited me to enter,” Mattera said.

Mattera’s duties included slating scenes, which involves calling out the scene number, memory card number, and operating the clapper board, as well as specifically adjusting multiple lights for each scene.

“The lights had to be set up for every single shot. Every single shot you had to move the lights. It had to be perfect so you could see the sunlight or what time of day it was,” Mattera said.

Mattera got his love for film in TV Production, which he took from freshman to junior year. After Mattera’s introduction to filming, Mattera started to learn more as he considered going more in depth with film outside of school.

“It’s interesting; all the work that goes into making the film and all the behind-the-scenes magic,” Mattera said.

Mattera’s favorite job was working with cameras, and he has hopes to become an

photo by Kyle Fritz

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION. Mark Mattera slates a scene on the set of “The Laughing Mask.”

Mattera interned on set under assistant director Kyle Fritz in January.

executive producer of a movie studio, to work closely with all aspects of filmmaking.

“The coolest part was using a red epic camera. It cost like $50,000, just the camera, and had an extra $200,000 of equipment on it,” Mattera said.

In addition to working behind the scenes, Mattera got an acting role in one of the scenes on a day when a number of extras did not show up. He was put in as an extra and sat in the back of the restaurant while pretending to read a magazine.

Mattera also received a chance to have a bigger role in a scene when the director needed

an iPhone to accept or reject the call on the lock screen.

“I gave them the idea of just putting a black picture on the phone to make it look like its locked and so when they called they could reject it or answer it,” Mattera said.

Mattera learned a great deal about what would be involved with film production as a future career, and to gain more experience, he is set to intern for another movie this upcoming summer.

“Overall, it was an amazing experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Mattera said.

9

lifestyles

BRACE YOURSELF

Braces may bring physical, emotional pain, but worth it in the end Maddie Garr

I

Business Manager

magine going on a date to Moe’s with the girl of your dreams. She finally accepted your invitation and you have been thinking about it all day, until it turns out completely wrong. What one thing could ruin the date of a lifetime? One word, braces.

Senior Shelby Sutch’s dinner date was a nightmare. While eating his burrito, her date did not catch the beans, lettuce and sour cream building up in his braces, showing every time he smiled or talked. Never realizing that his braces destroyed the date, he went home with the impression that it went well.

Getting food stuck in your teeth is not the only horror of eating with

braces. Once, while junior Brianna Baez was eating yogurt at home, she suddenly got her lip stuck in the bracket of her braces, forcing her to to pull it out, bloody and throbbing.

While a bloody lip is pretty horrific, for sophomore Nathan Wright the worst part of having braces is the rubber bands. In fact, Wright was supposed to get his braces off in the beginning of September, but because he failed to follow the directions of wearing his rubber bands daily, he now has extended time.

Orthodontists often give patients new instructions each visit and are not afraid to extend time if they are not followed correctly.

“I’m mad because I want to get them off, but I haven’t been following

the orthodontist’s instructions,” Wright said.

Rubber bands have always been a pain to Wright, starting when he was traumatized by an accident. Wright was taking out his rubber bands while fooling around with his friends.

With one end of his rubber band still connected to Wright’s braces, the other end got stuck on his friend’s finger. When his friend went to pull away he pulled Wright along with him, leaving Wright with an aching mouth.

Pain is also a big nightmare that everyone who has braces remembers.

“The first week was the worst; my mouth hurt so I had to eat popsicles, smoothies and Cheerios,” freshman Skyler Zeegers said.

Soft foods are usually all kids

eat the first week of having braces as their teeth adjust to the braces.

Mashed potatoes and applesauce turn into meals.

Braces are not entirely a nightmare, however. Orthodontists now have clear braces, with rubber band ties the color of teeth to make them appear less noticeable.

For junior Lauren Neldner, braces were a dream come true.

Having braces two different times, starting in the third grade, Neldner is now happy with how her teeth look. While her experience of having braces with a two year span was longer than the average person , she would recommend braces to other teens.

“If you need braces, don’t be afraid to get them. They’re not as

awful as people make them out to be,” Neldner said.

Often when kids get their braces off it is a pleasant surprise to see their new smile in the mirror, but even the feeling of natural teeth can take some getting used to.

“It felt weird when I got them off because I was so used to having them on for so long,” senior James Flannery said.

The cost of braces is different for everyone depending on the treatment time and steps involved. However, braces are usually broken down into two phases and the first phase is estimated to cost from $2000 to $4000 for basic braces.

Why get such a costly nightmare?

The answer is simple: so you can enjoy the smile of your dreams.

Ten years later

“I was amazed by the overwhelming support that the community gave us right out of the box.”

Hagerty High School’s decade of traditions and highlights

Katie Curley Online Managing Editor

T

en years ago, Hagerty was a ghost town. A school of about 450 freshmen, not even half of the present population of Carillon, controlled by 55 teachers and staff.

There were only five buildings, all lower house. The current media center, auditorium and gym were nowhere to be found. The media center was at the

bottom of building two. The “gymnatorium” (old gym) housed all gym classes, indoor sports and theater productions. The cafeteria was half its size with no outdoor seating. The first draft of the stadium had limited seating, and both sides had to sit in the same bleachers.

“A lot of the first kids went here probably didn’t want to,” original basketball, tennis and bowling coach Josh Kohn said. “Any parents or grandparents, there was a history of if you lived in Oviedo you went to

Oviedo. Kids weren’t happy to come here. It was new, and what was it?”

Now the school thrives with nine buildings and a population of 2,400.

Most of the remnants of the old school have evolved to fit current needs. The media center is a hub of testing and acts as a convenient meeting place for clubs, students and teachers. The new gym holds all indoor sporting events while the old gym is strictly for practice and personal fitness classes. The roomy auditorium puts on seasonal theater productions, orientations

“[...] we have become as relevant, acedemically and athletically, as schools that have been around for 30, 50, or 80 years.”

- Sam Momary, principal 2003-2013

and club meetings. The cafeteria has evolved into a large social area with covered outdoor seating and multiple sources of food. And last but not least, the Sam Momary Stadium has grown into a suitable house for the big crowds on football Fridays and other sports events. However, not everything has changed.

“We still have the same traditions, we still have the husky, we still have the great student body,” English teacher Helen Reed said. “That part, the skeleton, is still here.”

5. The first graduating class

7. Construction completed • The second half of Hagerty was opened in 2006.

The second half was made up of all of the lower house buildings, the new gym, and library.

• The parking lot officially opened in 2007.

• Inauguration of Sam Momary stadium happened in 2007.

• Pictured is the construction of the cafeteria.

• The first “Senior Week” was held in 2009.

• The tradition of senior crowns also began in the 2008-2009 school year.

• The inaugural class graduated in May 2009.

- Coach Josh Kohn

9. The Husky rises

• The husky statue was donated by the class of 2010 and unveiled in front of the school in 2011.

• The cost of the statue was more than $18,000, but the class of 2010 spent an additional $6,000 on laminate, a coating to protect from graffiti.

• The money came from extensive fundraising, and was helped by a discount on the prom.

“It was a unique experience. We were the first seniors. They built behind us.”

design by Ben Sorkin · information by Katie Curley and Taylor Ferraro

“[Hagerty] was new, and what was it? How do you spell it?

Are there two G’s? The Huskies? Who are the Huskies?”

-Erin Wagstaff (original student)

- Coach Josh Kohn

7

5

9

2 1

2. Hagerty vs. Oviedo

1. Opening Hagerty

• Even though the game featured two freshman teams, the first Hagerty-Oviedo football on Sept.

20, 2005, game drew over 1,400 fans.

• Jeff Driskel (pictured) helped football win its first Mayor’s Cup over Oviedo in 2010.

• Hagerty High School opened in August 2004.

• Hagerty was built on top of old Lawton Chiles Middle School, so 70 percent of the first class stayed at the same location for seven years.

• The first freshman class had 500 students.

• Sam Momary (above) was named principal in the spring of 2003, and he retired in 2013.

• The runner-up mascot was a hurricane.

10

Ten year anniversary

“My favorite part has been the number of programs and how they’ve evolved into top performing organizations.”

“I teach here because I was given a great opportunity ten years ago to do so.

Even my wife now teaches here. ”

- Matt Malkovich

4

- media director Po Dickison

4. Pep rally • Separate colors have been a custom since the first year, when freshmen from building 2 wore blue and building 3 freshmen wore black.

• Awarding of the Spirit Stick has also been a tradition since the first pep rally.

• In the first pep rally, the teachers jumped around and acted crazy to get students to understand what was supposed to happen.

6. Hagerty makes a name for itself

6

“[I] don’t know anything different than teaching and coaching in the town I love.”

- athletic director Jay Getty

• First varsity football game (2007) • First Volley for the Cure game (2009) • Band state championship (2011) • Girls soccer wins regionals (2013) • Basketball played West Orange; over 2000 spectators (2013) • Boys lacrosse wins districts (2013) • Basketball state championship (2012-2013) • Cheerleading wins State, National and Worlds (2014)

Go to hagertyjourn.com to read the companion story by Katie Curley

8

8. Dancing & big events • The first talent show was held during the 20062007 school year.

• Powderpuff and Homecoming Week were introduced during the 2008-2009 school year.

• The first prom was also held in 2009 for the inaugural senior class.

11

Ten year anniversary

Ten years later

“I was amazed by the overwhelming support that the community gave us right out of the box.”

Hagerty High School’s decade of traditions and highlights

Katie Curley Online Managing Editor

T

en years ago, Hagerty was a ghost town. A school of about 450 freshmen, not even half of the present population of Carillon, controlled by 55 teachers and staff.

There were only five buildings, all lower house. The current media center, auditorium and gym were nowhere to be found. The media center was at the

bottom of building two. The “gymnatorium” (old gym) housed all gym classes, indoor sports and theater productions. The cafeteria was half its size with no outdoor seating. The first draft of the stadium had limited seating, and both sides had to sit in the same bleachers.

“A lot of the first kids went here probably didn’t want to,” original basketball, tennis and bowling coach Josh Kohn said. “Any parents or grandparents, there was a history of if you lived in Oviedo you went to

Oviedo. Kids weren’t happy to come here. It was new, and what was it?”

Now the school thrives with nine buildings and a population of 2,400.

Most of the remnants of the old school have evolved to fit current needs. The media center is a hub of testing and acts as a convenient meeting place for clubs, students and teachers. The new gym holds all indoor sporting events while the old gym is strictly for practice and personal fitness classes. The roomy auditorium puts on seasonal theater productions, orientations

“[...] we have become as relevant, acedemically and athletically, as schools that have been around for 30, 50, or 80 years.”

- Sam Momary, principal 2003-2013

and club meetings. The cafeteria has evolved into a large social area with covered outdoor seating and multiple sources of food. And last but not least, the Sam Momary Stadium has grown into a suitable house for the big crowds on football Fridays and other sports events. However, not everything has changed.

“We still have the same traditions, we still have the husky, we still have the great student body,” English teacher Helen Reed said. “That part, the skeleton, is still here.”

5. The first graduating class

7. Construction completed • The second half of Hagerty was opened in 2006.

The second half was made up of all of the lower house buildings, the new gym, and library.

• The parking lot officially opened in 2007.

• Inauguration of Sam Momary stadium happened in 2007.

• Pictured is the construction of the cafeteria.

• The first “Senior Week” was held in 2009.

• The tradition of senior crowns also began in the 2008-2009 school year.

• The inaugural class graduated in May 2009.

- Coach Josh Kohn

9. The Husky rises

• The husky statue was donated by the class of 2010 and unveiled in front of the school in 2011.

• The cost of the statue was more than $18,000, but the class of 2010 spent an additional $6,000 on laminate, a coating to protect from graffiti.

• The money came from extensive fundraising, and was helped by a discount on the prom.

“It was a unique experience. We were the first seniors. They built behind us.”

design by Ben Sorkin · information by Katie Curley and Taylor Ferraro

“[Hagerty] was new, and what was it? How do you spell it?

Are there two G’s? The Huskies? Who are the Huskies?”

-Erin Wagstaff (original student)

- Coach Josh Kohn

7

5

9

2 1

2. Hagerty vs. Oviedo

1. Opening Hagerty

• Even though the game featured two freshman teams, the first Hagerty-Oviedo football on Sept.

20, 2005, game drew over 1,400 fans.

• Jeff Driskel (pictured) helped football win its first Mayor’s Cup over Oviedo in 2010.

• Hagerty High School opened in August 2004.

• Hagerty was built on top of old Lawton Chiles Middle School, so 70 percent of the first class stayed at the same location for seven years.

• The first freshman class had 500 students.

• Sam Momary (above) was named principal in the spring of 2003, and he retired in 2013.

• The runner-up mascot was a hurricane.

10

Ten year anniversary

“My favorite part has been the number of programs and how they’ve evolved into top performing organizations.”

“I teach here because I was given a great opportunity ten years ago to do so.

Even my wife now teaches here. ”

- Matt Malkovich

4

- media director Po Dickison

4. Pep rally • Separate colors have been a custom since the first year, when freshmen from building 2 wore blue and building 3 freshmen wore black.

• Awarding of the Spirit Stick has also been a tradition since the first pep rally.

• In the first pep rally, the teachers jumped around and acted crazy to get students to understand what was supposed to happen.

6. Hagerty makes a name for itself

6

“[I] don’t know anything different than teaching and coaching in the town I love.”

- athletic director Jay Getty

• First varsity football game (2007) • First Volley for the Cure game (2009) • Band state championship (2011) • Girls soccer wins regionals (2013) • Basketball played West Orange; over 2000 spectators (2013) • Boys lacrosse wins districts (2013) • Basketball state championship (2012-2013) • Cheerleading wins State, National and Worlds (2014)

Go to hagertyjourn.com to read the companion story by Katie Curley

8

8. Dancing & big events • The first talent show was held during the 20062007 school year.

• Powderpuff and Homecoming Week were introduced during the 2008-2009 school year.

• The first prom was also held in 2009 for the inaugural senior class.

11

Ten year anniversary

12

POLL Social Media Stats •

•

•

•

•

Facebook is the biggest social media site with one billion active members, as stated by mediabistro.com.

Elearninginforgraphics.com states that nine out of ten teens have social media and 91 percent of the content they post is selfies.

According to elearninginforgraphics.com, Tumblr is the social media with the highest percentage of teen use, 61 percent of its users.

Elearninginfographic.com states that 13 percent of social media sites have videos that teens share with each other.

Twitter has 44 percent growth from 2012-2013, according to www.jeffbullas. com.

100 people surveyed

student connection Which social media site would you NOT want your parents to see?

Snapchat

Twitter Feed Oviedo vs. Hagerty

38%

“Everyone woke up two hours ago and are hyped already for this pep ralley and game later it’s crazy” sophomore Lamar Miller (@ LamarMiller1) “Who wants to do calc on gameday? #HometownShowdown#Beatoviedo” senior Christian Rosa (@chrisrosa44)

Instagram

Twitter

28%

10%

Facebook

4%

22% Nothing to hide

Instagram Highlights

Halloween Horror Nights

“Need bae for HHN” senior Natalie Doyle (@ NatalieLDoyle) “I JUST CANT HOLD BACK EXCITEMENT FOR GOING TO HHN ON SATURDAY” senior Kaylyn Richmond (@KaylynRichmond)

Student Section

“One word describes us. FAMILY. #ayeayecaptain” senior Bradley Ballew (@ BradleyBallew33) “Great job all around tonight and as always shout out to Ziglar’s Zoo for getting rowdy” junior Owen Hanbury (@owenhanbury)

@Jacob_jrich Senior section shows school spirit at second pep rally.

@adriana_caam Marching band seniors gather for a group photo.

@katie_curley Volleyball seniors smile at their undefeated tournament.

iOS 8

“Deleted all my music and apps for iOS 8, this better be worth it” junior Alyssa Mccoy (@alyssamccoy_) “iOS 8 audio messaging is a blessing handed down from Notorious G.O.D. himself” senior Gabrielle D’Esposito (@gabbydesposito)

@annalyciafranklin Annalycia Franklin changes Mona Lisa up with a smile.

@cooky_monstar Friends back Kiandra Rackley for dancer of the month.

@morganhope714 Artist displays cartoon of Mojo jojo.

“iOS 8 needs to hurry” senior Samantha Worrell (@sammmy44)

13

student connection

EXPRESSIONS Art

Poetry 483 Bailey Bouton, 11

And I got nervous because I hadn’t kissed you in 483 days and I got nervous because what if your lips weren’t the ones I remembered what if the words coming out of them

Emma Delis, 11 “I did it for AP Lang and since I’m not a great writer I figured I would distract her with some good art.”

were the same as the lies from 484 days ago what if you smiled with those lips like you did 485 days ago what if I made you laugh and you snorted the way you did

486 days ago oh why did those lips and that kiss and that laugh have to leave me 483 days ago with nothing but numbers

and dates to haunt me as I check off day after day on my calendar and you didn’t think of me once

YouTube music Marlee Piercy, 10: “Radioactive” Piercy’s cover of the song “Radioactive” by Imagine Dragons can be found on her YouTube channel @mycovers144.

Evangeline Rockburn, 12: “Stay” Rockburn’s song is dedicated to the Class of 2015. Her song can be found on her channel @evanrockburn.

Lilly Van Sickle, 12: “Hush” Van Sickle’s music video for her original recorded song, “Hush”, can be found on her channel @lilly1551.

Lauren Auerbach, 11

“It was a birthday gift to my boyfriend Kyle. It’s a GSXR750, which is our favorite bike.”

Double Take The switch stumps all

Kallie Delis

I

Staff Reporter

t was April Fool’s day in first grade, and my teacher Mrs. Spears had hatched a plan with my twin sister, Emma. Being the painfully shy seven-year-old that I was, I wanted no part in it. Their scheme was to trick my twin’s teacher by swapping us after recess. Had it not been for the promise of stickers, I never would have gone through with it. We made the switch, and I stealthily fell in line with Emma’s class. Not two minutes after we entered the hallway, her teacher turned to me and said: “You’re not Emma.” Thus, the prank died. I might’ve fooled some of Emma’s classmates, but it ended in failure. If someone has taken enough time to pick up on the subtle differences between a set of twins, there’s no point in trying to trick them. However, people still think that a swapping hoax is possible. And maybe it is.

While we have grown up and gained differing facial features or hair colors, people still mix us up every day. Once, my mother and older sister were convinced that Emma was me when she had her hair up after a shower. The same thing happened with friends after we had gone swimming.

Heck, even when Emma chopped her hair off into a pixie cut, people were still baffled as to which twin was which.

What I’m trying to say is this: don’t sweat it. People always act horrified when they call me by the wrong name or mistakenly assume that the Delis they were talking to earlier was Emma. To be completely honest, it’s not that big of a deal.

Teachers, friends and family members all mix twins up. Yes, it frays my nerves when I have to remind my own grandmother that, “No, I’m not Emma,” but I get it.

It’s safe to say that people will be confusing one of us with the other for years to come, and I can understand that. I mean, when looking back at pictures of my sister and I as toddlers, I can barely tell us apart.

Even though I don’t see myself when I’m staring at Emma’s face now, I know that we look alike in the eyes of our peers.

A twin’s a twin, right?

See this column’s twin by Adeline Davis online.

14

Hagerty High School

the

blueprint

The Blue Print is a student-produced newspaper in which the student editors make all content decisions. The newspaper belongs to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Florida Scholastic Press Association.

Opinions expressed within the newspaper do not represent the staff’s views as a whole (except for the Our Take), the views of Seminole County Public Schools, or Hagerty High School’s administration and staff.

For more information about advertising in the paper, please contact the staff via one of the above methods. We reserve the right to reject any advertisement.

Managing Editor Haley Gaeser Online Editor-in-Chief Sophie Hill

Our take:

Online Managing Ed Katie Curley

Opinions Editor Jessica Jeffers

Staff Reporters Justin Baronoff Kallie Delis Student Connection Courtney Dziewior Adeline Davis Sarah Gibson Graphics Editor Alex Grace Lauren Lee Nathaniel Kauffman Photographer Madeline Kemper News Editor Jake Arthur Jessica Ritchie Daniella Parcel l Business Manager Peyton Whittington Maddie Garr Design Editor Adviser Ben Sorkin Sports Editor Brit Taylor Ben Clyatt Floater Editor Principal Jeannie Williams Reviews Editor Winnie Meyer Dr. Mary Williams Twitter Editor Taylor Ferraro

3225 Lockwood Blvd.

Oviedo, FL 32765 Telephone: (407) 871-0750 Fax: (407) 871-0817

Editor-in-Chief Spencer Thompson

opinions

Back of the pack A comic by Alexis Dolnack

Honor code will take time, but will work

& bitesD

Jessica Jeffers Opinions Editor

BARK to the new guidance C Acounselors for overcoming

the schedule fiasco at the beginning of the year. Some students did not even get classes on their schedule during schedule pickup and numerous students had holes, but guidance solved the problem within the first week of school with minimum drama.

BITE to Pearson for its DAcontinuous crashing. Classes

like AP Government depended on Pearson for a textbook and for assignments but it has gotten so bad that Coach Malkovich requested for a book for every student and put the assignments on Blackboard.

D

riving down Lockwood Boulevard, it is impossible to ignore the “Speed Limit: 35” signs. Yet, people do. Many of us speed. It may take a ticket to even think about going the speed limit. Despite the threat of a ticket, people still choose to speed. The honor code works the same way.

When the honor code was introduced on the first day of school, students laughed at the idea. The honor code involves punishment for cheating. On first offense of the honor code, students receive a zero on that particular assignment, quiz, or test, plus a parent contact and Saturday school. The second offense includes in-school suspension, and the third offense involves out-of-school suspension.

As soon as the honor code was introduced, the complaints began pouring out.

“You can’t stop me from cheating.”

“You can’t keep me from telling a friend about a test.”

“You can’t stop me from sending and receiving homework pictures.”

It is possible that everyone missed the point. The honor code will not eliminate all cheating. Let’s face it, that is impossible. There is no way to stop you from having your friend send you a picture of the physics homework at midnight.

The point of the honor code is to contain cheating. The point is to threaten cheaters. The point of the honor code is the point of a speed limit: always put the thought of getting caught in the back of your mind.

Just as people speed right past speed limit signs, people are going to cheat with the looming threat of the honor code. When police officers find speeders, they write a ticket. When teachers catch cheaters, they are going to write a referral; and that is a part of the honor code.

Everyone threw a fit last year with the new attendance policy. Most people agreed that the new policy did not even have a shot. Despite all the doubts and negativity about the policy, it ended up working.

We may not like it, but we now know it and everyone plays by the rules. It may have taken a Saturday school to make us realize that you need to come to school, but eventually we learned. The honor code is going to have the same effect. It just needs time. After a while and after some get caught, people are going to understand that the honor code is real.

It may take the act of getting caught to open our eyes, but it will happen.

Whether we are laughing or we are scared to death, the honor code is not going anywhere any time soon.

Cbarks

7 a.m.? Rise and fail Nathaniel Kauffman

Y

Staff Reporter

ou know what I say to myself every morning? The answer is, not a whole lot. My brain literally does not have the neural activity to develop adequate thoughts or ideas. Thoughts are more along the lines of “me eat, me learn,” not “Let me test Paul Steinhardt’s theory of an Ekpyrotic universe.”

My point is, we wake up way too early for school. Not one morning have I woke up feeling ready for the day or even remotely “energized.” Most of us get up at least an hour before school.

Getting up everyday at 6 a.m. is not healthy.

A brain is like a body; it needs time to warm up. Just like you would not wake up and run a marathon, you also would not wake up and take an exam.

Lack of sleep, according to the Journal of Educational Psychology, correlates with school performance and also with lower memory capacity/capability.

The study found that with a minimum one hour delay in start times, test

scores improve, tardiness decreases and alertness increases.

It would be so much better if school started even one hour later in order for us to get a decent amount of sleep. Although it would call for some slight juggling in terms of elementary and middle school start times, it could be done better than our current system.

We would actually have time to do things like eat breakfast or go for a walk. We could stroll in with some swagger to our first period, instead of crawling in on our hands and knees begging for our teachers to show us some mercy.

In a research study done in the state of Kentucky, it was shown that every minute school was moved back, the retention rate went up 0.2 percent.

So starting an hour later would result in 12 percent more students making it from ninth grade to graduation. Earlier start times are also associated with lower school rank.

We need sleep to be proficient. We cannot be expected to operate at our full potential while running at zero percent.

BARK to the parking lot this CAyear.

Last year it took at least

20 minutes to get out of the lot on a normal day due to students constantly cutting each other off, road rage and no one directing traffic. This year the time has been reduced to 10 minutes or less to get out.

BITE to having Student DAAssistant instead of Study

Hall. Study Hall was used, in the past, for students who had holes in their schedules. Since it was cut last year, students are now put into Student Assistant, even when it is not the best option for them.

BARK to the new and CAimproved pep rallies. In past

years the pep rallies had been all similar routines, but this year they are full of improved activities. Students get really into them, especially the seniors and juniors, who are constantly battling it out to see who can win the spirit stick.

opinions

Frozen fanatics: it’s finally time to Let it Go Courtney Dzeiwior Staff Reporter

C

ringing can be seen as soon as the words “Let it go,” slip out.

The surrounding people burst out singing “Let it go, let it go, can’t hold it back anymore,” from Frozen, Disney’s 2013 movie sensation.

Frozen premiered Nov. 27, and though during the summer, students were still obsessed with Frozen, its characters and its songs, isn’t it time to move on? Frozen was a good movie, but it can only stretch so far before it becomes overdone.

Frozen songs were catchy at first, but after hearing the songs too many times, the voice from child Ana began to grate on nerves and Olaf’s song

began to make less and less sense.

He was a snowman, so he would obviously melt in the sun. Within the first 20 minutes of Pandora’s Disney Channel, four Frozen songs played, including “Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?” and “In Summer.”

Sure, these are good songs with nice melodies and voices, but there are countless other classic Disney songs that are just as nice.

Beyond the repetition of professional songs from the Frozen track, there has been a constant rise and fall of covers by YouTube stars. Four-year-olds Maddie and Zoe Mendez had a video posted of themselves singing “Let It Go” by Idina Menzel, with no concern for words or pitch, and yawning in the

BARKING

MAD

middle of words. They and many other artists, received nearly 30 million views even though there was little talent in their videos.

Another video hit the headlines, receiving 3 million within two weeks, featuring a 2-year-old trying to sing “Let It Go” before doing a personality flip from Elsa to child as her mother laughed at her. She proceeded to scold her mother and tell her she was going to be sent to her room, as well as choke, if she continued to laugh.

There are tons of videos out of talented artists singing as well as adorable kids singing their own songs, but these are overshadowed by the horrible ones.

Scott Kramer wrote and performed a parody of “Let It Go,”

with lyrics explaining how he was sick of hearing the song and having it stuck in his head. His reasoning did not make sense because by singing a parody he had to have had the melody stuck further in his head, so obviously he wasn’t tired of it.

In addition to media, Frozen has attacked theme parks. Disney has made the decision to rename and decorate Cinderella’s castle in Magic Kingdom as Queen Elsa’s for the winter season, taking away the iconic blue and white castle.

Hollywood Studios had been infected with the Frozen Summer Fun Festival, which was extended for four weeks due to popularity.

Frozen Summer Fun was an event that involved 30 minute sing-alongs,

an ice rink and a fireworks display.

At Epcot, Disney plans to completely toss the Maelstrom ride for a new Frozen ride in Norway at the World Pavilion. Instead of focusing on spreading culture, they are creating a ride centered on Frozen that takes the rider into the story, disregarding the original park goal of sharing different cultures.

Those who never caught the Frozen bug, or did and have gotten over it, should not be punished everyday with unending Frozen reminders. It is time to let it go.

Want to read the pro-Frozen counterpoint editorial? Go to Hagertyjourn.com and read the story by Jeannie Williams.

“The most annoying thing is when people walk really “It started to get really annoying that the cafeteria is runslow down the hallways or stairs.” ning out of pepperoni pizza. Buffalo pizza is wack.”

- Victoria Tomeo, 10 - Matt Robinson, 11 “People should respect other people more often.”

- Vandon Menning, 10 “It bugs me how dual enrollment students can’t stay during fifth and sixth period to do homework or carpool to class.”

- Claudia Ragosta, 12 “The thing that annoys me the most are the inconsiderate people in the parking lot who cut you off, blare terrible music, don’t follow traffic laws and almost crash into you.”

- Evan Diatzikis, 12

Barking Mad is a collection of short submissions about things that tick students off around school. If something at school ticks you off, go to hagertyjourn.com and submit your entry to Ask the Editor, and it may be featured here.

15

“I get annoyed by how much they put out academic integrity; they are making it worse than it needs to be.”

- Marisa Scott, 11

“The doors being locked at school. I realize they want to deter people from being tardy or for the students’ safety, but it is really annoying to have to disturb the whole class just because you have to be let out to go to the bathroom. Also, with a class like video or theater, when people are in and out of the class, it takes away from our class productivity when we have to always be let in.”

- Brianna Barrett, 12 “I don’t like the school cookies or chicken sandwiches.”

- Cameron Alba, 10 “I can’t stand when people decide to have a full-on conversation in front of my locker because I have places to be.”

- Jessica Vasquez, 10 “I’m always upstairs when the bell rings, and it’s so annoying when I’m going downstairs and everyone is going up on the down side in building six and seven.”

- Kelsey Zibell, 10

“It bugs me when, in the first period of the day, teachers turn off the lights for a PowerPoint.”

- Tess Marvin, 10 “I hate the dress code that is implemented on the ladies because guys get away with wearing anything they want “I don’t like the amount of stress and pressure but girls have to adhere to a strict dress code and are school puts on us.” limited to possible apparel choices.”

- Thalia Velazquez, 12 - Lyndsey Lewis, 12

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reviews

. s Walking in a RaceTrac Wawa wonderland v has got your back Kallie Delis & Justin Baranoff

W

Staff Reporters

alking in the Wawa on Alafaya, you feast your eyes on their chocolate pastries and their famous, mouthwatering hoagies. Treating yourself to a meal from this hybrid of a convenience store and gas station is a great way to spend the day.

It offers affordable gas, delicious food and efficient service.

While considered a gas station, Wawa is more of a convenience store where you can find anything from hot buffalo chicken pizza to frappuccinos. They also provide seasonal options, like the fall Pumpkin Spice beverages.

Make sure to save room and indulge yourself in their “Flurricane,” which consists of your choice between candy or cookies mixed into fresh ice cream. It beats a McDonald’s “McFlurry” any day.

A portion of the store is devoted to assorted baked goods, including doughnuts, muffins and cookies. While these food options are on display, average gas station snacks are also readily available. Trail mix, gum and chips line the organized aisles that run to the back of the

store. The soft drink machine is easily accessible and can be found in the same area as the snacks, providing customers with sodas and other refreshments.

The staff at Wawa specializes in quick service. Their technology contributes to the speedy food distribution. The virtual advertisements on display above the counter give you plenty of selection, plus, touchscreen menus make ordering a breeze. All you have to do is select your desired item and a receipt pops out with your number. You can be sure that you will not have to wait long. Once your food is ready the workers call out the corresponding number and you can retrieve your meal.

Before, when you thought ‘gas station,’ you imagined a building with a low ceiling and flickering fluorescent lights and high gas prices.

On the contrary, Wawa has a very spacious interior along with large windows that let in the light. Not to mention their exceedingly low cost of gas, currently priced at around $3.16. The interior of Wawa is well-kept and clean, giving the building the feeling that it’s not a gas station. It is safe to say that Wawa is revolutionizing the idea of gas stations and raising the bar.

Want another opinion? Go to hagertyjourn.com to see

Sophie Hill

E

Online Editor-in-Chief

ven on streets filled with tacky pawn shops, dilapidated Chinese buffets and dusty fast food restaurants, RaceTrac glows like a well-oiled spotless machine, boasting a wide variety of fountain and specialty drinks, a colorful array of indulgent snacks and healthy foods and a consistently clean and aesthetically pleasing locale.

Ever find yourself running on fumes and in need to fill up on some quality beverages fit for any craving? Be it iced coffees, slushies, fountain drinks with optional flavor shots, smoothies, or coolers upon coolers of bottles and cans packed on refrigerator shelves, RaceTrac has you covered. In the mornings most students with heavy eyelids and heavier backpacks trudge into their local Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts for their daily pick me up. However, with more than a dozen hot coffee choices and a half dozen iced coffee dispensers, RaceTrac far surpasses the selection of your average caffeine cafes. It is the perfect place for teas to tantalize your taste buds and specialty

drinks to cool you off after an afternoon of lounging about in the southern sunshine.

You can also start your afternoon with snacks ranging from fresh veggies, hummus and pretzels, double chocolate chip cookies, entire aisles of chips and gum and even freshly made empanadas. Also equipped with a full self-serve frozen yogurt bar boasting a half dozen flavors and constantly stocked food warmers for freshly grilled hot dogs or hamburgers, RaceTrac is the perfect place to pull over for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, or anything in between.

RaceTrac also offers consistently spotless facilities at any time of the day. Whether driving home at two in the morning from the beach or stopping by the Alafaya RaceTrac after school, its bathrooms, gas pump pavilion, beverage counter, check-out area, and general store space are all kept trash-free, non-sticky, and void of traces left by the many people who shop in its deliciously convenient aisles.

So, if you are out and about and need a place to refill, RaceTrac has its customers pampered with drinks to quench any thirst you may have, snacks to satisfy any case of the munchies, and clean, well-lit facilities that will not send you scampering for some other second rate station.

another side to the great gas-station debate!

reviews

Ice & Bites satisfies sweet tooth Winnie Meyer

A

photo by Brit Taylor

BLENDED OR ICED? Ice&Bites offers boba tea either iced, like an iced coffee, or blended, like a slushie. Certain teas like black tea can only be ordered iced.

Reviews Editor

t some point, it is easy to get tired of ice cream as a cool down treat or sweet splurge.

In times like these, we search for a dessert superman to save the day and our taste-buds. Bring out a spotlight because Ice&Bites is the star people have been looking for.

Located in the University Plaza next to Pei Wei and formerly known as SnoTea Desserts, Ice&Bites offers sinful snacks that are uncommon to the area. Its two major weapons of health destruction are shaved sno and bubble or boba tea.

Ice&Bites is one of two franchises that serve boba tea in the Oviedo area. The drink, which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and has slowly conquered the rest of the world, consists of a leaf tea base mixed with different fruits, milks and/or syrups.

A popular add-on to the tea is tapioca pearls, or as they are more commonly

known, boba.

The cup the boba tea is served in is almost as fun and exotic as the drink itself. A machine in the shops seals a plastic covering onto cups that the customer breaks with a straw as wide as my ring finger for boba to be sucked through the miniature pipe.

Ice&Bites offers fruit tea, milk tea, hot tea and even a couple of coffee options. With nearly 40 types of tea to choose from, finding a flavor that suits the buyer is easy. One standout option is Ice&Bites Taro milk tea: a beautifully blended purple potion that tastes like you’re drinking Mother Theresa’s leftover jellybeans.

Shaved sno is Ice&Bites’ other specialty. Unique to Oviedo, sno is ice shaved into an ice-cream meets shaved ice concoction, that can be topped with whatever the consumer desires, similar to how frozen yogurt has an abundant amount of different toppings. Ice&Bites also has a SnoTea Creations menu with different mixtures and flavors ranging from

Trader Joe’s: trendy and tasty treats NATEflix Alex Grace

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Mango Volcano to Moose Tracks.

Any option found here is satisfying.

Along with its two dynamo products, Ice&Bites also offers macaroons and frozen yogurt as a median for those not prepared to experience the mind-blowing numbness that comes with enjoying bubble tea or sno.

Prices range between $3 and $7, a bearable amount. And with large portion sizes, the cost is well worth the product.

Ice&Bites is also open until 11 p.m., so late-night snacking is no problem for the sugarholic.

Decent prices, close location and free wi-fi all make Ice&Bites a perfect homework spot. With a calmyet-cool atmosphere, staying focused or having a good time can both happen here.

Move over, Coldstone; there is a new cool dessert guru in town and its name is Ice&Bites.

Ice&Bites

Nathaniel Kauffman Staff Reporter

MOVIE TO WATCH - Jack Reacher

Staff Reporter

ich chocolate brownies with a layer of peanut butter excite my taste buds, but this does not compare to the frozen chocolate covered bananas that could get rid of any heat stroke. You can find these products at the newest addition to Winter Park: Trader Joe’s. When arriving, the parking lot was a battle ground, bringing out the inner warrior in every driver. This made winning a parking space that much sweeter.

Not only does Trader Joe’s have an impressive exterior, but it also has a family-owned atmosphere. On the inside, incredible Florida-inspired murals are displayed on the walls, setting an artsy vibe for customers on the rural side of the state.

Although a couple times I got into a shopping cart war in the cramped aisles, I was able to find what I needed. To my surprise, Trader Joe’s staff stayed calm and helpful even while shoppers engulfed the store.

As you might expect, it is Trader Joe’s products that make it worth all

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Action packed Jack Reacher promises to make the most out of your Netflix craving. I am not promising this will be your favorite movie but with some easy-to-love and easy-tohate characters (including a guy with three fingers), the story will definitely suck you in.

Although the movie is predictable, it is well done with a few twists. Featuring Tom Cruise, who took on the Liam-Neeson type role, Reacher serves up justice and does not say a whole lot while doing so.

MOVIE TO AVOID - The Starving Games

photo by Alex Grace

PICKING PRODUCE. Trader Joe’s offers a plethora of fruits and vegetables.

Also, to appease all shoppers, it offers vegan and vegetarian items.

the trouble. Imagine Cookie Butter; sweet creamy almond butter infused with crumbled Belgian cookies.

One bite and the 2,500 calorie jar disappears. This delicacy now comes in ice cream for $4.49 a quart.

Another beloved product from Trader Joe’s is the Cinnamon Apple Snack Sticks. Similar to a better version of McDonald’s apple pies, Cinnamon Apple Snack Sticks are sugar-doused crisps but look more

like veggie straws. Samples are a perk of shopping at Trader Joe’s; here they serve everything from glutenfree chicken nuggets to watermelon cucumber refreshers.

With vegetarian and other healthy options, Trader Joe’s is by far the coolest grocery store to hit town.

Good luck in the parking lot and remember to bring your inner warrior.

Trader Joe’s

This movie is, to put it lightly, terrible. Attempting to be some kind of spoof of “The Hunger Games,” it never once had me laughing. The frequent use of well-known characters and celebrities was random and overdone. When the Avengers appeared at the end and asked “Kantmiss” to join their team, the white flag was raised.

Throughout the film there were a few things that could have been funny, but the ideas were so exaggerated that they missed the joke. The one hour it takes to watch this movie would be better spent watching paint dry.

SERIES TO GET HOOKED ON - Sherlock

In a series that basically consists of multiple movies that link, Sherlock captivates its viewers with a witty yet intellectual display. Combining the original Sherlock Holmes with 21st century technology sets up for a pretty mind blowing series.

Sherlock’s super-human thinking capabilities always find a way to track down the bad guy. With his partner John Watson, Sherlock not only keeps you entertained, but also mentally involved.

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sports

Carpenter builds new student section Taylor Ferraro

I

Twitter Editor

magine 500 pairs of eyes from the student section focused on you. Then you lower the safety bar over your head and begin the best fake rollercoaster ride of your life.

Though senior Chris Carpenter lives this every pep rally and game day, he always pictured himself standing in the bleachers with the rest of the student section, not leading it.

Since Carpenter has become the ring leader of the student section, he chose to bring in a few recruits of his own: seniors Bradley Ballew and Al Griffith. These three lead the student section in all of the chants during the games as well as the rollercoaster that has been a student section tradition for many years.

“It is actually pretty fun being in charge,” Carpenter said. “Bradley, Al and I just go nuts all the time and you

can be an idiot whenever you want basically.”

The crowd appears at all of the football and volleyball games, cheering the athletes on as they battle their competitors. During this time, the students are constantly yelling, screaming, blowing vuvuzelas, and doing anything it takes to crush the focus and concentration of the other team. Their main purpose is to distract the opposing team and help the home team to a victory.

“My favorite part of the student section is seeing everyone come together to get rowdy and support our sporting teams,” senior Katie Krawczyk said.

All of the athletes claim to love the student section and what they bring to the various sporting events.

Their presence clearly affects the teams, whether they are aware of it or not.

“All of them really get the

adrenaline going and they feed the team constant energy when we are playing; we owe a lot of credit to our student section for being the best one out there,” outside hitter Nicole Mattson said.

However, at the beginning of the school year, senior Johan Guasp was actually the one chosen to conduct the student section, but that all changed one day in the middle of second lunch. Toward the end of the lunch session, Guasp decided to start the “I believe that we will win” chant and very few decided to join in.

Suddenly, half of the lunch room began to chant Carpenter’s name which resulted in Carpenter standing up and starting the “I believe that we will win” cheer. However, this time it was not just some of the crowd, it was the entire cafeteria participating in the chant. The momentum was changed just as quickly as the ring leader was.

“It was nothing personal against Johan at all. I’m still good friends with him and I even talked to him right after it happened,” Carpenter said.

Even though Carpenter and Guasp knew nothing about the sudden change of leadership, they still choose to be good friends and even appear regularly at pep rallies together. They joined forces in order to “support the school and pump up the crowd,” and did this by coming up with chorography to various songs combined together.

“I still support the student section.

In the end we are all still one family and we are all still rooting for the same team,” Guasp said.

From dancing to the “Do it” chant to screaming at the refs for blind calls, Carpenter and the student section have joined forces in order to become the rowdiest and loudest crowd in school history.

photo by Jake Arthur

FIRED UP. Senior Chris Carpenter leads the student section in cheering on the varsity volleyball team.

sports shorts #ScoreHigher

GIRLS VARSITY VOLLEYBALL BEATS LAKE MARY On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the girls varsity volleyball team came out on top against Lake Mary at home in four sets. The team only plays Lake Mary once during the regular season and with the win, the team is now leading the district. Senior Nicole Mattson had 23 kills and senior Shelby Sutch added 18 digs.

GIRLS VARSITY SOFTBALL TAKES TWO On Wednesday, Sept. 17, the girls slowpitch softball team recorded two wins in games against Lake Mary and Lake Howell at Seminole High School. The team beat Lake Mary 4-0 and Lake Howell 4-3.

Against Lake Howell, senior Victoria Zarbo went 2-3, contributing to the team’s victories.

JV FOOTBALL BEATS OVIEDO The JV football team wrapped up a win at Oviedo on Wednesday, Sept. 17. The final score was 35-7, with sophomore Kevin King scoring three touchdowns, two rushing and a kickoff return. Quarterback Chase Caldwell also had a rushing touchdown to go with a 30 yard touchdown pass.

BOWLING STRIKES DOWN THE GREYHOUNDS On Monday, Sept. 22, the boys bowling team beat Lyman at the Airport Lanes. Anthony Maselli rolled a 223 game to lead the Huskies past Lyman in a 2,389-2,122 victory. The team is now 8-0 overall on the season.

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19

sports

Zuments fights Erb’s, inspires JV team Ben vs.

photo by Jake Arthur

SHOWING STRENGTH. Alongside his teammates and on the field Zuments proves his dedication.

Peyton Whittington

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Staff Reporter

ractice has ended for the day and all the players have cleared the field. All except one. Junior Logan Zuments has asked to stay after 10 minutes to perfect a block. It is not easy. Zuments’s right arm struggles to follow orders. He pushes himself harder and finally completes the drill to his satisfaction.

Zuments, an offensive lineman with Erb’s palsy, inspires his teammates to work harder

through his dedication to the team and the sport.

“There are 130 plus players on the team this year, and if there was one more committed, it’s Logan,” assistant coach Luis Chacon said.

Erb’s palsy is the result of a nerve injury during birth to the brachial plexus, a network of nerves near the neck that provide movement and feeling to the arm, hand and fingers.

Zuments’s right arm is affected by this injury and his left leg is scarred from an attempted nerve transplant in his infanthood.

The transplant failed to restore regular function to Zuments’s arm, but he never lost his passion for sports. In his youth Zuments played baseball, soccer and Pop Warner football to train for the high school team he was determined to play for.

“I used to come to all the Hagerty Husky games,” Zuments said, “Since I was the biggest kid in my neighborhood my parents thought I would be a good offensive lineman, so I gave it a shot.”

He got his shot. Zuments started playing offensive line as a freshman and still does as a JV player.

It is inevitable that there are team workouts Zuments is physically unable to participate in.

According to assistant coaches, Zuments will ask what he can do alternatively to clock in the same workout time as the rest of the team.

“Other kids would look at that as an excuse, but not him,” said Chacon.

On the field, Zuments is never shy to praise his teammates for a play well done or offer encouragement when the end of practice seems years away.

“He just wants himself and everybody else to succeed,” teammate CJ Shears said.

Zuments did not skip out on a single summer workout this offseason, aside from vacationing with his family. This record of absence is a testament to Zuments’s dedication towards the team.

The team’s hard work has pushed them into a successful season so far, maintaining a 3-1 record. Although Zuments is not a starting player and receives limited playing time, he still gives as much, if not more, effort as his teammates. Zuments’ actions encourage his teammates to abandon all excuses and focus on being a team player.

“We endure some of the harshest conditions; bad weather, working late at night, plus keeping our grades up at school,” Zuments said, “but every single one of us wants to get better.”

Zuments’s teammates recognize and respect his devotion, which drives them to work harder.

“If I could put Logan’s heart into every one of our players, we would all play 10 times better,” quarterback Zach Smith said.

New volleyball coach a Hitt with team Jessica Ritchie

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Staff Reporter arsity volleyball shook up the roster this year by adding a new coach. The new coach, Juanita Hitt, developed a family atmosphere on and off the court.

Hitt replaced last year’s coach, Adam Levi, who was with the team for one year. Hitt coached at UCF and played at Jacksonville University, and she believes that she can bring college level volleyball to the high school.

The varsity team was thrilled to have a new coach that can bring a sense of unity to a once disorganized team.

“Everything is laid out for us and in the past it had been all over the place,” senior outside hitter Nicole Mattson said.

Hitt added set practice schedules so the players only have to focus on playing and not worrying about the next practice date. Hitt preplans what drills the players will do at practices, compared to last year’s coach, who had not set practice plan and kept practices disorganized.

Hitt understands the type of emotional

support and positive reinforcement that the team needs in order to do their best on the court. This change allows the team to concentrate more on the game, and not on issues off the court.

Hitt chose to work for Hagerty after she worked for UCF due to the support system that the community shows for the program.

Hitt likes how supportive the parents are of the players.

Hitt tried to grow the team together and not just improve individual players. She put this belief into action by having all the teams do the same drills, like first ball kill or serve and receive drills.

“I think the most important thing is that you can have a great team of athletes, but [the task is] getting them all to play with each other,” Hitt said.

Before one tournament, the team stayed at Hitt’s grandmother’s apartments in Longboat Key for a weekend. The team played the tournament on Saturday, and then went to the beach on Sunday. Every player got a different color shirt to remember the trip.

Hitt is not the only reason for the unification of the team. A lot of the girls have played with each other in past seasons so the communication has improved.

The team is 10-3, but the toughest loss came against Deland. Hitt and Deland coach Steven Foxworth had a bit of competition due to past exchanges. On top of this competition, the team lost after a close five games, only adding to the tension.

Against Lake Mary on Sept. 17, the team beat last year’s state runner-ups in four sets.

The girls lost at Oviedo on Sept. 16 in three sets. The team was up in the first set, but due to a wrong call, the game gained negative momentum. This change in momentum caused the team to lose confidence and the game.

Senior Nicole Mattson finished the game with 12 kills and five digs.

The team is hopeful and happy with the change. They believe that Hitt will take the team to the next level and make for a succesful season. The team is now unified under a coach who brings a community feel to the program.

On a roll vs.

Matt Licari

Ben Clyatt Sports Editor ’m the best in just about every sport.

To prove this, I’m on a quest to take on the top athletes at Hagerty, and, well, beat them. This is my journey to sports immortality. This is Ben Versus. Join me as I embarrass this school’s “top competition.”

I started with a sport that would be simple enough to master on the first try: golf. Honestly, how hard can golf be? I searched for one of the school’s top golfers to take my challenge: junior Matt Licari.

I decided we should just play putt-putt, which I feel requires more skill, since it’s so precision based and the margin for error is smaller. Tell me with a straight face Tiger Woods wouldn’t struggle to get past the windmill hole. Go on, I’m waiting.

Since Licari has more experience, I had to give him a handicap: he had to putt everything with his left hand. There was no way I could lose.

The first three holes only confirmed my belief of this, as I strutted into the fourth hole with a one-stroke lead. Things went downhill from there. At one point, I missed a one foot putt to go down eight strokes. I finished the front nine losing by seven; Licari had 30, I had 37. By the eleventh hole, Licari had a 10 stroke lead.

Remember, lowest score in golf wins.

I was discouraged. How was Licari, who was putting with his left hand, winning?

Surely it had nothing to do with his skill.

This was luck. I began to suspect my ball might be heavier, since it didn’t roll as far. I had to step up my game.

By the fourteenth hole, he had his largest lead with 13 strokes. I only needed to beat him by 14 strokes on the last four holes to win. I managed a comeback, but the final score was Licari, 60; me, 68.

I must have just been having an off day. He sure had a lot of lucky rolls.

Plus, it started to drizzle near the end. I’m sure that had some effect on my overall performance. This whole thing was a fluke.

I call shenanigans.

This wasn’t exactly the start I was expecting towards sports immortality. But whatever. This shouldn’t even count. Golf is barely even a sport anyways.

Record: 0-1

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sports

BELIEVE

photo by Jake Arthur

Despite two losses, football team still strives for playoffs Spencer Thompson Editor-in-Chief

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s junior wide receiver Alex Swenson ran back a 95yard kickoff return to open the regular season, the tone of the varsity football team was quickly set. After an opening 20-7 victory against Lyman and a 3-0 start, the team showed that they had something to prove.

“The team is finally coming together,” Swenson said. “Everybody wants to win and that’s what we’re doing.”

Despite losing its last two games,

55-20 to Oviedo and 23-21 to University (Orange City), the team has won big this year. The win over Lyman, 15-0 win over Lake Howell, and a come-from-behind 15-8 victory over Winter Springs put the team in a better position than they have been in years.

The team has been helped considerably by the availability of two quarterbacks, junior Zach King and senior Michael Beaudry, who transferred from Winter Park.

Beaudry has helped the team considerably by completing 14 of 33 for 205 yards, while King has gone 12 of 25 for 122 yards and has

taken over in key situations, such as overcoming an eight point deficit in the fourth quarter against Winter Springs. The team has not named a starting quarterback and does not look to. Head coach Phil Ziglar plans to determine who will start by who plays best in that particular week of practice.

“I’ve got two quarterbacks who are great leaders,” Ziglar said. “It’s not a big choice to me. Whichever one plays in the game, the team is behind them.”

The team has also called on senior kicker James Flannery, who has added five field goals to the season.

Although the boys went 3-7 last year, they plan to use the disappointment of last season and their current streak as motivation for the rest of the season.

“Other teams are underrating us and that’s exactly where we want to be,” Beaudry said. “We’re the underdogs and we’re just going to go out there and show them what we’ve got.”

While many people want to or expect to win a certain amount of games each season, Ziglar is keeping it simple.

“I just want to get in the playoffs,” Ziglar said. “Just because we drop a

game it doesn’t mean that our season is over. We’re right in the mix of things and we can get a lot of things done and have a great season and make the playoffs.”

Making the playoffs is the goal, but in order to do so, the team has to be in the top two in the district, meaning the biggest games come in a three week stretch against district foes Winter Park, Timber Creek and University (Orlando). University is one of two remaining home games this season.

“I have great expectations for the season,” Beaudry said. “We’ve got to make it to the playoffs this year.”