The Lion's Tale - Volume 62 - Edition 1 - Oviedo High School

NEWS

SPORTS

PAGE 9

PAGE 10

Welcoming to OHS campus new admin

ENTERTAINMENT

Darty scores 200 wins; what’s next

The sounds of summer - albums in review

PAGE 14

LION S TALE

OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL • 32765 EDITION 1 • OCTOBER 7, 2021 • VOLUME 62 • OVIEDOJOURNALISM.COM

CARPE NOVA DIEM

2 | NEWS | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7, 2021

Rising COVID-19 variant causes change in school year As students across America enter their second full school year during the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines have been changing.

Here in Seminole County, during June and the beginning of July 2021, COVID cases were relatively low, averaging just 54 cases a week.

On May 13, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) even announced that those who are vaccinated do not need to wear a mask, but reversed this policy on July 27 when cases began to rise across the country again; Florida being the epicenter.

Due to the rise in cases, just a week before the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Seminole County Public Schools (SCPS) announced that a 30-day mask mandate would be required for students, but gave parents and students the choice to opt-out of the mandate.

Prior to SCPS’s mandate, Florida governor Ron Desantis implemented an

executive order banning schools from creating mask mandates. By restricting schools from imposing mask mandates, Desantis made it clear that students’ health is not his, or the state’s, top priority.

However, SCPS overruled this order, as it violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits schools from discriminating against students with disabilities, and requires that students with disabilities are accommodated. For students with health conditions that may predispose them to COVID, requiring masks allows for a safe school environment.

As of September 2, the SCPS school board held a meeting to reevaluate the mask mandate, and decided to keep the current rules unchanged. The meeting lasted over eight hours, as it allowed open comments from parents, students, and educators. The school board seemed to

have played politics in order to appease the opinions of angry parents, rather than cast their votes in the interest of students’ health and safety.

Unfortunately, COVID continues to impact everyone at OHS. With many teachers and students being quarantined or testing positive for the virus, this school year has been anything but ordinary. Indoor events such as pep rallies have been cancelled, but football games and other outdoor events continue to be held.

However, things at OHS are returning to our new normal, with a few adjustments. Classes are back to full capacity, as well as football games and other athletic events. Seminole Connect, the county’s hybrid learning system, has been retired; giving students the choice to attend school in-person or take online FLVS classes. Although contact tracing

OUR WORD

and quarantines have been reinstated, students who are fully vaccinated may opt out of the seven day quarantine.

In this first edition of the Lion’s Tale, we are dedicated to reporting stories that are important and relevant to the student body. We’ll cover the impact of the Delta variant, and how our school is adjusting to the rise in cases. We will also be reporting on how students are adjusting to Florida’s government mandated moment of silence; as well as the impact our new football coach and quarterback will have on this season.

Finally, at the Lion’s Tale, our staff advises you to wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay safe. As the year goes on, we hope to cover the return of more beloved in-person events such as homecoming and pep rallies. We would like to wish all students and faculty a wonderful, happy, and healthy 2021-2022 school year.

Meet The Lion’s Tale staff Ben Langevin Advisor Mr. Langevin is in his second year as the staff adviser of the award-winning Lion’s Tale newspaper. He also advises the Oviedian yearbook staff. He believes that every student has a story worth telling and celebrating. He supports and co-owns AFC Wimbledon and roots for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He holds obnoxiously strong and loud opinions on cats, Mars, and Tom Brady.

Audrey Strembecki Jr. Art Director and Photographer Audrey is a sophomore and this is her second year on staff as Jr. Art Director and a photographer. She is passionate about photography and hopes to pursue a career in sports photography after graduation.

Audrey is also a huge Billie Eilish fan and enjoys watching horror movies.

Opinion Editor Veronika Maynard Features Editor Ashlee Ross Sports Editors Mackenzie Holmes Editor-in-Chief Emma Yost Managing Editor Hannah Warrner News Editor Hannah Warrner

Hannah Warrner Art Director Veronika Maynard Jr. Art Director Audrey Strembecki

Reporters Entertainment Editor Paris Brown Elliott Woodmansee- Kaden Bryant Nelly Campos Culture Editors Audrey Choate Kait Peterson Jaden Cordonero Penelope Banks Joemi Cordonero Vincent Crook Online Editor Laura Cruz

Emma Yost Editor-in-chief Emma is a senior and this is her fourth year on staff as the editor-in-chief of the Lion’s Tale. She is also the president of the Quill and Scroll club. She believes that there is always a story to be told somewhere. Emma enjoys journaling, baking, and spending time with friends and family. After graduation, she hopes to pursue a degree in marketing somewhere out of state.

Elliott is a senior and this is his third year on staff as the entertainment editor for the Lion’s Tale. Elliott plans on pursuing writing after graduation and wants to become an author. He grew up surrounded by art, reading, and video games when he was young and now is a massive movie and music nerd. Elliott also loves anything and everything Twenty One Pilots and Marvel.

Merrick DiCarolis Reporter Merrick is a freshman and this is his first year on staff as a sports reporter. He has a passion for sports and plays three sportsbasketball, football, and volleyball. His favorite quote is “When I eat, it’s the food that’s scared,” said by Ron Swanson from the TV show Parks and Recreation.

Merrick Dicarolis Eric Esquivel Esther Guevara Isabella Perez Mikayla Philpot Madisyn Rummel Riley Sanderson Alesix Shaughnessy Nathaniel Zoucha Photographers Diego Lara Audrey Strembecki Danielle Stein Faculty Adviser Ben Langevin

Admin Adviser Nancy Diaz Principal Dr. Trent Daniel Oviedo High School 601 King Street Oviedo, FL 32765 P: 407-320-4199 F: 407-320-4213 Population: 2800 students across in person and online settings 27 newspaper staff members

OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL • OCTOBER 7, 2021 • VOLUME 62 • EDITION 1

FRONT PAGE DESIGN BY VERONIKA MAYNARD

Elliott WoodmanseeSiress Entertainment editor

Isabella Perez Reporter Isabella is a junior and this is her first year on staff as a reporter. She likes to bake and enjoys expressing herself through her hair color and clothes. She enjoys making origami swans and roses that she gives out to friends. Isabella is also helping create a club that works as a support group for students in need.

Mission Statement The Lion’s Tale is the student newspaper of Oviedo High School, located in Oviedo, Florida.

Our mission is to provide news, feature stories, editorials and opinions relevant to our readers while upholding the highest professional and ethical standards.

The Lion’s Tale follows copy standards outlined in the Associated Press Stylebook, 42nd Edition, published in 2007 by the

Associated Press, and is a member of the NSPA and FSPA. Distribution 1000 copies of The Lion’s Tale are distributed free to all students and staff at Oviedo High School. Subscriber information is available on OviedoJournalism.com.

Reader Contributions Letters to the Editor are accepted and may be

sent by post, e-mail or dropped off in Room 5-020. The Lion’s Tale does not accept guest columns and reserves the right to edit Letters to the Editor.

Full policy is available on OviedoJournalism.com.

Advertising Policy The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisements. The full advertising policy of The Lion’s Tale is available on OviedoJournalism.com.

OVIEDOJOURNALISM.COM

DESIGN BY EMMA YOST

OCTOBER 7, 2021 | THE LION’S TALE | NEWS | 3

In memoriam: Jaitoryon McNair Junior, Jaitoryon “Jai” McNair passed away on August 11, 2021 in Sanford, FL. He was loved by his family, teachers and friends. Known for his sense of humor, gentle spirit, and positive attitude. He wore #74 on the football team his freshman year and was excited about the possibilities of rejoining this year. He will be remembered for smiling consistently, making clever jokes in class, and lightening the mood of any room he walked into. He was determined to live life to its fullest and enjoy every minute of it.

His favorite quote was “everything hap-pens for a reason.” He lived by it, he talked about it, he even went as far tattooing the phrase on his arm along with another stu-dent at school. While it may be a struggle to ind a reason in his death now, his lega-cy and spirit will be carried into the future by those who loved him. His impact will be felt for years to come. The football and cheer team dedicated the preseason match against Lake Brantley and their upcoming season to his memory.

IN MEMORY: OHS cheerleaders hold up a sign in honory of Jai at the preseason game against Lake Brantley.

Month in Photos HANDMADE. Students in Ms. Sansone’s ceramics class create bowls out of clay for an assignment.

LIVE IT UP. The OHS student section throws baby powder in the air to celebrate a win against Lake Howell.

PHOTO BY AUDREY STREMBICKI

PHOTO BY AUDREY STREMBICKI

PLAY HARD. Football Coach Odierno watches over players at a home game against Lake Nona.

WORK TOGETHER. The Oviedian Yearbook staff works hard on spreads for the 2021-2022 yearbook.

PHOTO BY AUDREY STREMBICKI

DESIGN BY EMMA YOST

PHOTO BY DANIELLE STEIN

4 | OPINION | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7, 2021

The state’s education system must have reform ing pay as someone who’s working as STORY BY VERONIKA MAYNARD The public school system has failed our teachers. The same people who are in charge of our education - largely influencing our future - don’t get proper compensation for it. The government never tries to fix that. And when they do, it’s never to actually help the teachers, it’s to try and encourage teacher employment.

For example, most recently in Florida, our governor increased the minimum starting pay for teachers to $47,500 a year. SCPS increased the starting pay to $46,310. For new teachers this was a great improvement, and a well deserved one.

For more experienced teachers this was the short end of the stick. Their salary barely increased if it did at all, and overall their pay wasn’t adding up to their experience levels.

Sombody who’s been working as a teacher for 17 years would get the same start-

a teacher for the first time. That should be criminal, but it is not.

To add to it, teachers only get raises whenever the school board decides or is pressured to by the teacher union - to increase wages. This only occurs once every three or fi e years, much less often than the standard once a year mild increase. This is problematic, because while infl tion increases prices and cost of living skyrockets, teachers’ salaries remain stagnant. Teachers don’t even get scheduled contract performance raises or cost of living raises.

It’s no wonder many experienced teachers are leaving the scene, they could make so much more money using their degrees and knowledge elsewhere, and there is only so much that love for teaching can do, when you need to feed and house your family and the government won’t pay you

E T A ST

O O H C S F O

Lack of action continues to lead LGBTQ+ students to harm

STORY BY KADEN BRYANT Suicide rates among LGBTQ+ students are rising. A variety of unfortunate circumstances that are related to our societal structure are at fault, school being a definite reason. The measures that school staff are willing to take determine whether or not a student may consider taking their own life, especially on top of all the mental health struggles queer people already experience on a regular basis.

One particular incident involved student Amelia Rodriguez - who identifies as non-binary and pansexual. They remained seated during the daily pledge of allegiance, which prompted a student to take a photo of them and post it on Snapchat with various transphobic remarks captioning it.

“The dean seemed pretty understanding when I first told him and said he would talk to the kid immediately" they said. “Multiple people saw me and recognized me from the post. I got laughed at all day.”

“I wish school could just be a safe environment for people like me,” Rodriguez said. “It isn’t fair that LGBT students have to worry about safety to the extent that we do, and cishet people don’t at all. Not in the same ways.”

If more schools simply took action in situations like these, as they would with any other incident, it would take an unimaginable amount of stress off the shoulders of queer youth. With coming out, transitioning, dealing with unsupportive environments and an abundance of other concerns, students do not need - nor do they deserve - the extra stress of staff not taking them and their demands as seriously as they do with other student matters.

LGBTQ+ youth seriously contemplate suicide at almost three times the rate of heterosexual youth.

LGBTQ+ youth are almost five times as likely to have attempted suicide compared to heterosexual youth.

- CDC Report (2015)

DESIGN BY VERONIKA MAYNARD

properly. The government completely disregards older teachers to get newer ones. Very much so a quantity over quality sort of situation.

Another way the government continues to fail to support our teachers is by removing their benefits. Teachers in theory are supposed to have health benefits. But these health benefits are little, and to include their family or children in their health insurance plan from the school costs nearly half their check, after counting taxes.

It’s about half a month's salary for the school’s family insurance plan, essentially any health costs come out of pocket for the teacher. And if the teacher’s paycheck is only really somewhere between 2-4k a month, healthcare genuinely takes almost half of their check. It is essen-tially impossible for a teacher to have a reasonable standard of living for themselves and their family and to have health insurance.

That’s a stain on our school board, on our government, on our society. We are throw-ing away money into the wind when we could be spending those funds to give teachers an acceptable wage.

If we don’t want to continue to lose teachers, we must encourage change and a better standard for teachers. Be-cause if this is how much we value our teachers, what does that say about us, about how much our education mat-ters? This can’t be the standard that we set up. We can do better. We will do better.

S R I A F F LA

Businesses continue to exploit minors, even today

STORY BY JADEN CORDONERO Oviedo’s population has been slowly and steadily increasing over the past few years. When a town like Oviedo starts to grow, businesses move in to grab some cash, and provide services to the locals. A business can’t just pop up like a fair, instead they need to purchase properties, allocate funds and most importantly, hire workers.

For fast food chains and other local or similar businesses, hiring minors is effective for less skilled jobs. It makes sense because teens usually don’t have a two year degree, and are always looking for a way to make income. One downside to hiring minors is there are laws and regulations on their work: the amount of hours, break times, positions, etc. In example, a minor cannot work over 4 hours without getting a break, and you must be 16 to work in the kitchen. With these restrictions, employers need to be careful or they would be at risk of losing their job and even jeopardizing the business; however, that doesn’t stop it from happening.

In an interview with a student who wishes to remain anonymous, several questions were asked about the conduct of their businesses, and more specifical y, the employers. When asked about time management, they shared, “...every four hours as a minor you have to get breaks and stuff. I’d go my entire day, ten hour shifts, no break whatsoever,” and also stated “...one pay period, I worked 100 hours, which isn’t like, okay, or legal.”

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

for Florida says that “minors may work no more than 4 consecutive hours without a 30 minute uninterrupted break” as well as a max of 40 hours a week. If you work out the math for a bi-weekly pay period, eighty does not equal one hundred.

Then when asked if they believe they were treated fairly, they added, “No, because I got paid the same amount as the kid that just, like, sat there… and like throwing stuff in the back while I was sitting there, she basically had me trained to be her mini manager.”

They also added that they would operate machinery and work on prepping foods, which is illegal if they are 14-15 years old (FLSA). And at this time, they were. “...I wasn’t allowed to operate some of the machinery and stuff ‘cause I was under age or like, not tall enough and stuff. And I would get burnt like a lot.”

It is not only required, but should be a priority of the business to protect their workers. It’s important to be fair as a business no matter the circumstances. There are people who quit well paying jobs because they can’t handle the stresses or environment that they work in. It comes as no surprise that someone would be willing to quit an entry level job due to the environment created around it. It’s awful to hear these sort of occurrences, especially in Oviedo.

Minors need their rights protected more than anything, and overworking or inappropriate placement is serious trouble. There’s a reason why minor protection laws are instituted- because they’re considered important.

OCTOBER 7, 2021 | THE LION’S TALE | OPINION | 5

The mask and vaccine controversy STORY BY MADI RUMMEL On September 2nd, 2021 a highly controversial Seminole County school board meeting took place to discuss whether or not to keep the 30 day trial mask mandate, after having over 1000 SCPS students test positive so far in this school year. After eight hours of seriously debating the ultimate decision was to require masks for students unless they had a note from a parent/ guardian opting them out.

Of course, those with health conditions that make it difficul to wear a mask shouldn’t have to, and those restricted from getting the vaccine due to religion or health shouldn’t feel pressured to get the vaccine.

However, anyone who can get the vaccine should get the vaccine to protect the people who can’t.

Being able to get the vaccine and wear a mask is a privilege, which some people don’t get to have due to medical complications.

Sophomore Kaiden Lopez feels thre isn’t a difference in his safety regarding the masks “This school year is defini ely different without masks but I feel just as safe without them as I did with them,” said Lopez.

However, the main difference this year compared to last year is that we are facing a much more severe variant of Covid. The new

Delta variant is more dangerous and more contagious than we’ve ever seen before with Covid and it’s our responsibility to stop spreading it before the virus gets worse.

The fact that the school board didn’t bring back mandatory masks was more shocking than anything considering the time we are in.

As for the students who have yet to be vaccinated, they are waiting until they are more educated on the available vaccines before they get them. Students are encouraged to check reliable sources such as the FDA website, doctors, and the CDC website for more information and updates on vaccine progress.

Please join the now 179 million Americans who are fully vaccinated to keep everyone safe, especially the people who are unable to receive the vaccination.

We are so privileged to have access to resources such as free masks at our school and other public places. Everyone should be taking advantage of this especially if they are not getting the vaccine. Let’s all work together to make our community a safer place.

How your quality of life is being traded for profit STORY BY MIKAYLA PHILPOT As our planet continues to heat up and the climate crisis continually worsens, it’s important we acknowledge that it cannot be put down to a matter of individual misfailings, but rather corporations’ failure to respect our planet. And now, we, as individuals, are the ones paying the price, rather than large corporations.

71% of global industrial GHG emissions come from 100 producers, and among them are 50 fossil fuel companies that account for 50% of GHG emissions.

-CDP Report (2017) And as a result of our planet heating up, due in part to this continual release of emissions by corporations, natural disasters have increased tenfold since 1960. This only stands to hurt people, as there is a great potential for people to get injured, be displaced, or die, if they or their homes are caught in the disaster. This cannot be justified by the profit margins that keep us from shifting

our focus to the more environmentally-friendly alternatives.

The emissions released by fossil fuels may lead to the worsening of natural disasters, but the process to acquire them can be equally damaging, if not more so. Oil spills can contaminate water sources and sea animals’ habitats, potentially killing them.

One well known occurrence of this is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. It occurred in 2010. An oil drilling rig exploded and sank, killing 11 workers in the process. Over 134 million gallons of oil spilled over the course of 87 days. This spill not only hurt humans, but animals as well. It contaminated the habitats of - and killed - thousands of marine mammals and sea turtles. The ecosystem and water has still not fully recovered today, despite it occuring over a decade ago.

Regardless of how it negatively affects people’s quality of life, oil pipelines are still being built and profi ed off of. Though some pipelines have been protested, such as pipeline 3, they haven’t led to change yet. If we want to avoid further damaging the health of our environment and the quality of our lives, we must continue to demand change from the fossil fuel industry.

STDs must have more coverage in school curriculum STORY BY ESTHER GUEVARA Introducing certain aspects of health can be very difficul for parents to do, let alone schools having a whole segment on talking about reproductive health. This is completely understandable, however it is unacceptable to have so many teens in danger of diseases due to the lack of communication when it comes to this subject.

This is a fl w that needs to be worked on in education, this ignorance can be excused during elementary and middle school but once high school begins, this can no longer be condoned.

No matter how much anyone may want to pretend or look the other way when it comes to hearing about any student or teen being sexually active, it can no longer be ignored. Even with some parents educating their children in this matter they may still lack a complete explanation of reproductive health due to the guardian’s fear of exposing their child to the full extent. The education system has the responsibility to further enlighten students about the

dangers and how ‘safe’ anyone could really be.

In order to solve this lack of education, schools need to take more responsibility in doing their job and teach the subject, even through the difficul conversations that have to be had in order to learn and prevent mistakes from happening.

Every student has the right to know how their body works, and schools don’t include this information for a large group of students. LGBTQ+ students don’t receive the education they need to protect themselves if and when they are sexually active. All aspects of sexual health should be taught, no matter with who it is with.

This is exactly why students should be tested on reproductive health on various levels, not only learning the mechanics of contraceptives and their reliability, but also the many diseases that can be prevented with proper education. Overall, this subject needs to be expanded on whether it’s at school or at home. Sexual health is not something to be discarded and it is indispensable.

Number of Adolescent Teenagers with STDs American Academy of Pediatrics, 2009

24.1% of teenagers have had an STI

That’s almost 1 out every 4 teenagers DESIGN BY VERONIKA MAYNARD

6 | NEWS | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7, 2021

Peer counseling and mentoring: Moment of silence allocates time for students to reflect uniting the student body STORY BY RILEY SANDERSON As Oviedo High School goes on to grow in population, so does the student bodys’ need for extra help and improvement.

Even though the school is widely known for having numerous ‘straight A’ students, some still have a hard time keeping up, and the Student Government Association (SGA) is here to show that that’s okay.

To answer the calls for support this 2021-2022 school year, the Oviedo High School SGA has made the new addition of the peer counseling and mentoring program. This program utilizes the school’s various qualified students to help aid the ones that may need some academic guidance, no matter how little or much they might need. Within this opportunity, students can sign up to receive or provide assistance in subjects or classes where their peers might struggle.

A leading advantage of this program is the chance to connect with experienced students from other grade levels and gain an understanding for being on the right track.

“It’s just a nice, helpful hand so you don’t have to feel afraid or intimidated to ask for advice and I just really like how it’s a nice comforting tool for underclassmen,” said senior and SGA member Caroline

Pryzstup. “You have that person to confide in for those awkward questions or awkward moments or just figuring stuff out which can be hard, especially as an underclassman.”

Although the main purpose of the peer counseling and mentoring program is to help out and guide other students, one of the main appealing benefits of being in the tutor position is the pay of twenty dollars an hour. This can be considered a large amount compared to many other hourly wage jobs. For instance, minimum wage in Florida as of 2021 is ten dollars an hour, or half of the pay for the tutoring job, making this a very intriguing offer for students.

In addition to the several ways students can benefit from peer counseling and mentoring, the program also indirectly works towards uniting the typically divided student body.

“I think it brings unity to the campus because it gives opportunities for students who wouldn’t normally talk or interact with each other to work together,” Pryzstup said.

Overall, the peer counseling and mentoring program is expected to make a constructive and progressive impact on the OHS student body this school year.

STORY BY NELLY CAMPOS For the 2021-2022 school year the Florida Statutes introduced a new component to Chapter 1003.43 instituting the mandatory “Moment of Silence”. In simpler terms, students in Seminole County Public Schools are now expected to undergo a moment of silence each morning of the school year in their first period classes.

This portion of the chapter allows students the time to take one to two minutes before class begins to engage in a time of complete silence before “plunging headlong into the activities of daily life,”(Florida Statutes 1003.45). This option was available for schools and teachers to follow in previous years, but it had only been made mandatory this school year.

Although there is certain information regarding this topic in the chapter itself, there still had been some uncertainty among students who felt that it may not have been properly introduced or explained to the student body by the school itself.

“I do not think I, or anyone else was fully informed about the moment of silence.

I’m sure it was emailed out somewhere, but I feel like it should have been more explained to the students.” said junior Kaylin Herbet.

An email had been sent out to the students pertaining to the minute of silence along with a brief explanation handed out to students in first period classes, but neither truly specified the intended purpose behind this school year’s mandatory moment of silence.

When directed at the specific chapter in the Florida Statutes, this is where students would be able to find that this portion of the class period was set apart with the betterment of the youth in the school along with allowing students to take time for “an objective study of the Bible and of religion,” as was mentioned in the chapter (1003.45).

This provides OHS students with the opportunity to use this time towards religious reasons, or any other personal reasonings they feel would benefit them.

“Any time students can reflect upon themselves and their personal feelings, desires, and current/future situation, it is a good thing. It depends on each individual student to use the time wisely or not,” said Dr. Daniel.

With this mandatory implementation of a moment for silence each morning, students are given the opportunity to spend a minute of reflection or analysis on anything of their choosing.

Students feel that contact tracing system could be improved STORY BY AUDREY CHOATE As thousands of students across the U.S. return to school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oviedo High School (OHS) has instituted contact tracing. Contact tracing is a system instituted by OHS administration which allows students to be notified and quarantined if they have come into contact with an individual who has tested positive for the virus.

Many students enjoy the assurance that contact tracing gives them.

“I like that contact tracing helps me know that I have a safe school environment,” said freshman Colin Gibbons. “It is important to me that, should someone be exposed to a highly contagious and potentially dangerous virus, that they are informed and then quarantined to help prevent people around them from getting sick.”

However, as contact tracing is relatively new and unfamiliar, the way that it is currently being done may have unintended consequences among students and teachers.

“Unfortunately, the school hasn’t handled it very well when it comes to actually quarantining people; I myself have been quarantined this year, and Canvas isn’t very well equipped to be used in place of in person school,” said freshman Peyton Cain.

Most teachers have uploaded assignments to Canvas in case a student is quarantined, but not all teachers update Canvas, so it is easy to get behind.

“The major issue that I currently see with contact tracing is that it does not

automatically notify those that were exposed during lunches,” said Gibbons.

As there is no seating chart during lunch, it may be hard for administration to contact trace during lunch periods.

Freshman English teacher Deanna Ferrante has a similar perspective to Cain and Gibbons.

“Some students, I know, might not have access to the Internet, or they might actually be sick, and not be conditioned to be doing work,” said Ferrante. “So, it’s challenging when students leave for extended periods of time; they miss important parts of the class and it’s hard to go back and reteach.”

As not all students have access to technology or Wi-Fi at home, it may be difficult for them to complete work for their classes; they might have a disadvantage upon their return to the classroom.

Ferrante believes certain measures can be put into place to help quarantined students.

“For one, there needs to be resources available for students who don’t have Internet access or technology at home.

I think that we need to have designated staff whose only job is to contact trace,” said Ferrante.

Despite the aforementioned potential negative impacts of contact tracing, students believe there may be ways to fix these issues.

Many students believe Seminole County should re-implement the system of Connect used last school year, instead of a strict binary between full-time face to face learning and virtual school.

“SCPS needs to reimplement Semi-

nole Connect like last year for quarantined students to let them continue working,” said Gibbons.

As students do not have access to real-time conversations with teachers, being quarantined could negatively affect student performance.

Sophomore Brian Scalf has a different approach to dealing with COVID-19 cases.

“Requiring database tracking and logging of illnesses with consent forms from every person in a public school as a requirement to join; whether it be staff, students, guests, or visitors. Alongside, having a mask and vaccination mandate nationwide for anyone eligible as soon as possible.”

People with similar viewpoints argue that, since contact tracing is not foolproof, a mask or vaccine mandate could get rid

of COVID-19 cases altogether, eliminating the need for contact tracing.

Ferrante believes certain measures can be put into place to help quarantined students.

“For one, there needs to be resources available for students who don’t have Internet access or technology at home. I think that we need to have designated staff whose only job is to contact trace,” said Ferrante.

If students without access to technology are allowed access to computers and Wi-Fi, then that means they can complete work in their classes from home, which makes it so that they are less behind when they come back.

Overall, while contact tracing can be useful to help reduce cases of COVID-19, many students feel it can be improved in multiple ways.

DESIGN BY HANNAH WARRNER

OCTOBER 7, 2021 | THE LION’S TALE | FEATURES | 7

Parking lot

P ROB L E M S

Increase in security measures causes student parking pass shortage With an influx of upperclassmen taking off-camPHOTO BY DIEGO LARA pus virtual or dual enrollment classes this school *Name withheld upon request year, students are entering and leaving Oviedo High School (OHS) all day. However, having students coming in and out of campus throughout the day poses a new security issue.

The solution: assigned parking lot spots designated by schedule. Students who are on campus from first through seventh period park in the former senior lot, and students with one or more off-campus virtual periods park in the former junior lot, now known as the ‘Flex lot’.

“The road that runs through [the front lot], King Street, is actually a public road. If you go left out of campus, there are houses all down that road, as well as churches,” said SGA advisor Heather Delong. Because of that, we cannot lock the front, what was the junior lot, but we can lock the back, what was the senior lot.”

Separating students by schedule allows for one way entry during the school day, helping reduce the risk of intruders from entering the school. Security on campus has always been a concern, and in the past few years, OHS has added several extra measures to ensure the safety of students and staff.

“For many years now, quite honestly since the Parkland shooting, there has been a huge push for security.

One of those big things is locking the parking lots,” said Delong.

However, this solution has caused an upset among students and parents. Many students, mainly juniors, were unable to purchase a parking spot, as parking lots sold out before juniors and some seniors even had the chance to purchase one. With the amount of students needing parking, the American Legions lot and the church lot sold out as well, leaving some students without a parking spot.

Senior Alivia Parsons was unable to purchase a parking spot in any of the four lots, so she parks at Publix down the road from OHS. “I have to walk to get to school, I obviously can’t take the bus because I have four classes,” said Parsons. “I have work at 12:30, so it’s a hassle to get there on time each day now. I get there like fi e minutes late usually.”

Parsons, along with many juniors and seniors, were frustrated that this change meant accommodating their daily routines in order to get to school on time.

“I shouldn’t have to worry about how I’m going to get STORY BY EMMA YOST

240

front lot spots were avaliable

S•E•N•I•O•R

251

back lot spots were avaliable

DESIGN BY EMMA YOST

to school, especially when I have to legally be here,” said Parsons.

Similarly, the spots at OHS had sold out before junior Grace Matthews* had the chance to buy one, so she parks at the American Legions lot.

“I have to get to school earlier than I would normally due to the longer walk, which I don’t mind, but for example the other day it was pouring when I got to school so having to walk with no overhang was not much fun,“ said Matthews.

Despite these daily inconveniences, Matthews feels that this outcome was inevitable with the change in parking lots.

“It was impossible to prevent the selling out of parking passes as it happens every year,” Matthews said.

“However, I think that they should have offered spots in the front lot to both juniors and seniors at the same time knowing that many seniors don’t have full schedules,

FULL CAPACITY. The former senior lot, now known as the back lot, is locked after first period and is filled with students’ parked cars during the school day.

240

front lot spots were sold to seniors

169

they would obviously sell out before juniors even got the option.”

Unfortunately, campus parking continues to be an issue at OHS, and at other schools in the county as well.

“Parking is so hard, there are so many students with cars and they have great reasons for needing to drive... but as far as SCPS high schools are concerned, we have the most parking spots out of most of, if not out of all the high schools,” said Delong.

Regardless of the issues the parking lot switch has caused, locking one parking lot will ultimately improve security as a whole at OHS. “I feel that just like with any big change, there’s a lot of obstacles and transition that needs to happen,” Delong said. “But as soon as this is our new normal, the drawbacks will just be accepted, and we will have the benefit of a more secure campus where we’re able to see who’s coming in and out of campus.”

back lot spots were sold to classes ‘22-24

It costs students

$70

to park at school

$30

extra for seniors

to paint their parking spot

Back lot stats:

57 students

in class of ‘22

102

students wake up 15-20 minutes earlier to arrive to school on time

students in class of ‘23

10 students

in class of ‘24

2022

8 | ADS | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7, 2021

DESIGN BY EMMA YOST

OCTOBER 7, 2021 | THE LION’S TALE | FEATURES | 9

MEET THE NEWBIES New SAM, Mr. Townsend, brings excitement to campus STORY BY HANNAH WARRNER From the elementary dynamic of administrative duties to the high school position, Mr. Townsend is extremely excited to join the Oviedo High School staff. Many students have prior relationships with our new SAM, due to his status at Lawton Elementary where some OHS students previously attended.

Mr. Townsend’s bubbly and extravagant personality brings excitement and joy to our school. Everyone who has worked with him has commented on his positive attitude and outgoing tendencies.

“Jeff Townsend is very funny, so his personality is great to be around. He will keep you laughing.” said Dr. Daniel.

While there are many differences between his previous job and his job here such as students being in up to seven different classes a day rather than just one or two, he is fully prepared and able to take on this role.

“If something’s not broken, there’s no need to fix it.”

Townsend said in regards to some of the things he is going to do differently than our previous SAM. The main difference between Townsend and Mr. G, our previous SAM, is that Townsend is much more involved in students’ lives, merely because he has gotten to know most of OHS students their whole educational life. He commented on how he is also going to be asking a lot of questions, similar to much of our administrative staff, to ensure that he is doing the best he can to keep our school running smoothly.

His experience with most students on campus is extremely important to his effect on campus. The prior relationships he has built with students has instilled a trust

that is valuable to both the student and Mr. Townsend.

Having a person to come and talk to on campus that students are comfortable being open and honest with is significant to their growth as people and for their academic success.

“I can’t wait for students to come back here and say ‘Hey here’s what I’m doing and I’m doing this because of Oviedo High School and because of somebody from elementary school or high school.” said Townsend.

The encouragement from administration and teachers helps students pursue their future in the easiest way possible. The staff at OHS helps students reach their fullest potential everyday through their support and involvement with every student’s education.

Townsend’s door is always open for students to come in and just talk to him or solve an issue that might be too daunting to handle alone. Even if it’s a small issue that seems irrelevant, mentioning it to someone a student trusts on campus is beneficial for everyone. It tells admin that if there were to be a bigger issue, then students would feel comfortable enough to seek help from them.

It is their job to help students figure out what they want to achieve and how they are going to get there.

Having administrators such as Mr. Townsend, Dr. Daniel, and many others help students thrive and reach their goals. The support and involvement pushes students to always try their hardest to make the people who helped them the most proud.

Welcome to OHS, Coach Brooks STORY BY ASHLEE ROSS Oviedo High School welcomed a lot of new teachers and administrators to campus this 2021-2022 school year. One being, Coach Brooks, who is the assistant football coach and ISS facilitator, here at OHS. Although he is new to campus this year, Brooks has been working with in school suspension and all around troubled students for 17 years.

Regardless of being brand new to OHS, he is widely admired by many students for his outgoing and humorous personality. He creates amazing bonds with every student he gets the chance to work with. Brooks sees his position as more than just a job, but an opportunity to help a student that may be in a rough situation or just needs help.

“Some of the kids I handle need a little bit of guidance and they need someone who will actually listen to them and give them good advice, and I’m here to do that.” said Coach Brooks.

The connection between student and teacher is the most important part of learning. When students feel like they can trust their teachers, they are more likely to be open to change and improvement, having the reassurance that it is what is best for them. This is specifically important for Coach Brooks because the students he is working with are typically in need of guidance, which comes with trust and reliability.

Coach Brooks is the type of person to put others before himself, and fix an issue that needs fixing. Most people admire him for his fun side, but appreciate the stricter side of him, when he steps in to correct foul behavior or situations.

“If I see something that’s not right, I’m going to say something, put my foot down, and get it done the right way.” said Brooks.

Although Brooks has a stern side to him, he only acts harshly in situations where it is needed. He always has the best intentions for everyone involved, and his only goal is to help students out of situations that they

shouldn’t be in.

Brooks has worked with countless students and situations at a variety of different schools, but the connections and experiences he has had at OHS so far have created an environment where he feels welcomed and influential.

“I feel like I was welcomed with open arms here, it’s a great school, a great community, the students are awesome, they really are.” said Coach Brooks.

Upon working in this field for 17 years, Brooks feels like his experience and overall welcome into Oviedo High School has been such an amazing experience that is really like no other.

PHOTOS BY AUDREY STREMBIKI

PHOTOS BY DIEGO LARA

DESIGN BY HANNAH WARRNER

10 | SPORTS | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7 , 2021

wins:s: wh what’s next? next?

Darty sco scorres 200 win STORY BY MACKENZIE HOLMES

On a warm August night, the student section and parents start going wild when the announcer informs the crowd that Athletic Director and Head Coach of the Oviedo Volleyball team, Jen Darty, won her 200th game with Oviedo High School.

Darty, going into her 11th season, has won multiple awards in her life as Head coach and as an alumni including 2019 National High School Coaches Association National Girls Volleyball Coach of the Year; 2016, 2017, 2018 Florida Athletic Coaches Association Class 9A District 9 Girls Volleyball Coach of the year; 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019 Seminole County Girls Volleyball Player of the Year, and 2014 & 2018 Orlando Sentinel player of the year.

Not only has Darty won these as a head coach at Oviedo High School (OHS) but she has also won multiple awards as a player of OHS. She served her time as a student-athlete from 05’08’.

“Being an alumni brings an extreme amount of pride to be able to give back and serve the program in the capacity of a head coach right now,” said Darty.

“But the kids I have make it very, very easy to want to be back and take the same amount of pride in the program, as I did when I was a student here.”

Going off of what was stated above, student-athletes at Oviedo High School are given high expectations from the coaches including a certain GPA, maintaining good grades, and staying up to date on homework

PHOTOS BY OHS PUBLICATIONS

assignments. Darty understands this being a student athlete once before.

“The bar is high for an Oviedo volleyball player and I set the standard and the expectation level, incredibly high, because we’ve got a bunch of great great kids,” Darty said. “We have great student athletes to where, we’re lucky that they have high goals for themselves, but the standard is always gonna be high for an Oviedo volleyball player.”

Darty is always looking to improve herself through coaches and her players. “ Constantly seeking growth.. [by going to] coaching clinics, talking with other coaches. I learn from my players every single day. I defini ely credit my college coach at the College of Charleston, Jason Kepner, with a lot of the things that I do today, and just kind of who I am today.” Darty said.

“The goal is always high,” Darty said. What does that mean? What’s next for the program after this accomplishment?

“To continue to produce student athletes that set an example on campus that, you know, accomplish every goal that they want to accomplish, whether that is being a college volleyball player, but you know, just being a productive member of society. One day, you know, if they want to go into coaching,” Darty said. “I think that they’re going to make incredible coaches because they’ve been a part of something that is, you know, competing at a high level and sets a challenging standard for everybody around them.”

CHEER ON: Darty clapping on her Varsity girls being annonced.

Darty’s schedule throughout her coaching

17

22

9

22

2010 wins

2011 wins

2012 wins

2013 wins

20

17

26

25

2014 wins

2015 wins

2016 wins

2017 wins

28

17

11

14

2018 wins

2019 wins

2020 wins

GAME PLAN: Darty breaks down the game plan to win.

2021 wins

(so far)

ROAR ON: Darty leads Varsity into a break down before the game to “hype” them up.

DESIGN BY MACKENZIE HOLMES

OCTOBER 7, 2021 | THE LION’S TALE | SPORTS | 11

Paralympic blind athlete still has his vision STORY BY VINCENT CROOK Despite the end of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, on August 5th, the games just began for athletes competing in the 2021 Paralympic Games. This is especially true for USA Paralympic athlete Kyle Coon.

The 29 year old from Jacksonville, Florida suffers from visual-impairment.

This is because he suffered from bilateral sporadic retinoblastoma, the most common form of eye cancer for children.

When he lost his eyesight, he was only 7 years old, but believes that even though he cannot see, he has not lost his vision. Even without his sight, he has achieved major accomplishments, before he turned 18.

At the age of 15, he was able to summit Tanzania’s Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world. Even with this, Coon describes his current training regime as “pretty crazy”.

“Typically, my weekly training schedule is fi e swims a week, nine through eleven. I usually swim an average of 3000 to 4000 meters, on average, per day. And then, I’m usually on the bike, four times a week, so probably averaging about 120-ish

miles,” said Coon.

The commitment and effort that Kyle Coon puts into his training schedule shows how difficult and xtreme this competition is. This competition, however, does not get much light from the average person.

Coon competed in the paratriathlon.

This competition requires athletes to swim 750 meters, bike 20,000 meters, and run 5000 kilometers. Due to its short lengths, this competition is regarded as a sprint race.

While he was not able to win this year, in his debut in the paratriathlon, he finished 5th. Despi e not achieving his goal, he quotes losing as a great way of improving, and that he’ll come back strong next time.

“In my competitive career, I’ve lost a lot more than I would like to, so it’s a matter of finding j y in a pursuit of excellence. At the end of the day, I gave absolutely everything I had in that race.

I mean there was nothing left in the tank. But at the end of the day, that’s all I can ask of myself.”

Even after competing in the paralympics, Kyle Coon’s biggest fig t was against the cancer that took away his eyesight. When Coon was asked

what he would say to a child dealing with cancer, he gave a very emotional response.

“Never give up. Cancer is a fig t and it’s hard, but just because you are told you have this disease’ you have the power to overcome it. You have the power to surround yourself with the people who can help you fig t it.

It’s about never giving up and never giving in.”

Coon also described what he would like to do beyond the Paralympics. “I’ve got a list of things a few miles long. I promised my coach I would take a crack at the Paralympics in Paris in 2024. That will consume quite a bit of my time over the next three years.”

“I would love to climb a few more mountains here in Colorado. I’d love to cross off a longtime dream of mine of running a hundred-mile mountain race. There’s so much I want to do. But at the end of the day, I’m going to find some type of adventure, something that continues to light my fi e.”

His inspiration and dedication shows that you can overcome anything. It also proves that even though Kyle Coon lost his eyesight, he still has not lost his visions.

Florida football teams struggle to perform STORY BY RILEY SANDERSON Since the new season has started, both college and professional Florida football teams have been experiencing bad luck and falling short of expectations. These teams under recent judgment include the Jaguars, Buccaneers, Dolphins, UCF Knights, and FSU Seminoles.

Whether it was because of an injured player or a rookie quarterback not living up to his hype, fans all over the state were let down.

Even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been playing a decent season with a win/loss record of 2-1, their game against the LA Rams didn’t end well for the team.

The defending Super Bowl champions were beat 34-24 by the LA Rams and their newly acquired quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Although players like Tom Brady and Giovani Bernard put up a good fight, it didn’t end up paying off for them by the end of the fourth quarter. The rest of the Buccaneers’ season may still have hope, but the same could not be said for the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.

After a promising preseason and opening week victory by the Dolphins, the following two games against the Bills and Raiders both resulted in losses.

Up in Jacksonville, Jaguar fans were somewhat optimistic heading into the season. With the new quarterback Trevor Lawrence being the number one draft pick and head coach Urban Meyer

www.ovavolleyball.com

being an influential figure in the college football world, they were expected to make a positive impact on the team. Opening the regular season with three straight losses, the Jaguar’s performance did not live up to fan predictions. Evidently, head coach Urban Meyer’s past successful college coaching strategies did not seem to do as well in the NFL. (story continued online)

407-542-5875

admin@ovavolleyball.com Asset Credit: College Football, Team USA

reporter

VINCENT CROOK

Covid regulations affect college sporting events

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect millions of people around the world, regulations at public venues continue to update and enforce special regulations to hope and contain the virus.

A good example of this is the Tiger Stadium, which belongs to Louisiana State University. Stadium Officials e requiring proof of vaccination, and a negative COVID test to enter the stadium.

This comes after LSU made the announcement of students requiring multiple items to enter the school grounds.

Regarding the specifics, LSU st tes that students must present a negative COVID-19 test result within 5 days of arriving on the campus.

They are also requiring proof of vaccination. If you don’t have either of those two, LSU is allowing students to present a positive COVID-19 test result no more than 90 days before your arrival in place of this.

Those three things are required to enter the stadium as well. Many fans of LSU are expressing their disapproval of the new regulations. And more wonder how many schools will also adopt these rules.

Due to the tradition and history of college history, many fans would love to attend the games of their favorite team. But there is an expected drop of attendance this year, due to COVID-19.

Children under the age of 12 will not be required to present any of the items above.

Though, children ages 5 through 11 will be encouraged to wear masks while inside of the stadium.

“As the flagship institution f the state of Louisiana, our foremost responsibility is to ensure the safety of our students, our supporters, and our community,” said LSU President Willaim F. Tate IV. Colleges and Universities around the country also have plans to adopt regulations similar. Along with this, multiple NFL Stadiums have adopted policies to help prevent the spread of COVID. “While we are aware of the diverse perspectives across the nation regarding masks and vaccinations, we must take all reasonable measures to protect our campus and community, not only on game days, but long after guests have left Tiger Stadium,” said Tate.

The state of Seattle is a hot spot for new policies. The University of Washington, Washington State University, and the Seattle Seahawks have all decided to enforce policies similar to ones in place at LSU. “The current threat to our lives, our health, and to our medical systems due to COVID-19 is overburdening our hospitals, and we must do our part to stop the spread,” said Tate.

DESIGN BY MACKENZIE HOLMES

12 | CULTURE | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7

Festival season is rolling in as Covid regulations ease up STORY BY KATHRYN PETERSON

With the re-emergence of many highly anticipated annual music festivals like Rolling Loud, Lollapalooza, and Lyrical Lemonade making their first reappearance since 2019 due to COVID-19, many people have shared concerns while others are overrun with excitement and a sense of normalcy.

But what has changed and what remained the same about these iconic events? Pertaining to Rolling Loud Miami, not much had changed aside from the date being pushed back to July rather than the normal annual dates in May. I attended the event located in Miami this year with very little expectations, it was my first ever music festival and I really just wanted to focus on having a good time with my friends and see some of my favorite rappers.

I purchased a General Admission + Pass which was about 500-600 dollars, for three days and over 100 artists

performing over the span of the weekend. There were three major headliners, massive and iconic names in the rap game, one on each day on the main stage.

These three headliners were: A$AP Rocky on Friday, Travis Scott on Saturday, and Post Malone on Sunday, all performing on the Ciroc Stage.

There were a total of four stages located throughout the event grounds which were held outside the Hard Rock Stadium in their grassy parking lots by a main road in Miami.

Which wasn’t super convenient considering it did in fact rain all three days of the festival, though it was repeatedly stated by the festival owners that this event was rain or shine.

Aside from the heat and rain, the festival was probably one of the most serotonin-inducing experiences I have had the pleasure of attending. I met hundreds of

Met Gala: reviewed

Victoria Krupica, 9, rocks platform boots over fishnets.

STORY BY DIEGO LARA

Every year, the most elite celebrities in the fashion industry have an opportunity to showcase their personal style, and collaborate with astounding, world-renowned designers at the Met Gala. The Met is an annual event where A-listers from multiple entertainment industries attend, some big names including Rihanna, Blake Lively, Anna Wintour, The Kardashian and Jenner sisters, and more.

The theme of the Met Gala has been presented in two parts this year, the first being “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” being the second.

Of those who were invited to the highly anticipated event, we saw many big fashion contenders like Kendall Jenner, while we also saw an array of new faces making their first appearance in the fashion industry like Addison Rae. Every attendee goes for a unique look when attending the Met, including actor Timothee Chalmet. He wore a design from Haider Ackermann who dressed Timothee in a white jacket with matching white joggers and a pair of white All Star Converse. This look isn’t surprising for the young actor; everything up to his collar is so clean, and perfect it’s hard to look away. Timothee’s outfit is very relatable and casual but it is still a look.

Taking a much more extravagant approach, Billie Ellish wore a stunning Oscar de la Renta dress, the dress was deemed on theme for the Met and fans of the famous pop star found themselves in love. The look she served was inspired by the vintage-collectable Holiday Barbie with her hair-do and flowy dress she looked like she was floating on the carpet. She also convinced Oscar de la Renta to stop making their clothes out of furr if she wore their dress which fans were impressed by.

The fan-favorite couple, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes stunned the runway with Camilas beautiful purple top and skirt which blinded the eyes of the photographers, and Shawn wore a black leather jacket that reminded me of punk 60s fashion. Shawn showed some skin on the carpet which fans adored and could not stop talking about it.

Troy Sivan wore a slim-fitted black dress which got the buzz many were expecting. As many of the guests Troy wasn’t the only of the Met which made many people upset that they could not follow the theme.

My favorite outfit of the night had to be Emma Chamberlain’s look. Her outfit reminded me of a futuristic princess times 10 her makeup was fantastic and her hair due was amazing.

My honest thoughts about this year’s Met Gala is that it was not the best and the outfits could have been stronger and more on theme. The guest list wasn’t my favorite either with many celebrities not being at the event.

This year was a Met for the books, but I hope next year the theme is more easy for guests to incorporate in an outfit. I have no other words for the Met Gala but I’m excited to see what is to come.

DESIGN BY KATHRYN PETERSON

new people, celebrities, and even one of my favorite artists- Rico Nasty.

The performances that I did manage to see were some of the most energetic and crazy sets from the lineup throughout the weekend.

Over the span of three days I had seen Rico Nasty, Megan Thee Stallion, Kodak Black, SoFaygo, Don Toliver and Kali Uches, Chief Keef, Sheck Wes, Polo G, Playboi Carti, Bobby Shmurda, The Kid Laroi, Flo Milli, City Girls, NLE Choppa, A$AP Rocky, and Travis Scott.

Overall, the event was well worth the money in personal opinion due the amount of amazing musicians we got to see and the overall experience that came with it.

A big props to the creators of the event Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler for overcoming the affects of Covid-19 and setting the standard for other music festivals this season. It truly was a rager.

Remastered retro STORY BY KATHRYN PETERSON

Camille Rush, 12

Lauren Holmes, 12

Obsidian White, 10, opts for a black set with an oversized blazer on top.

PHOTOS BY KAIT PETERSON

Fashion trends have been constantly evolving throughout the decades, and with the rise of the fashion empire’s apparent influence in the media as well as the influence over Gen Z and Genzennials.

Some of these fashion trends are even gracing the halls of Oviedo High School with their unique and stylistic presence. Some style staples that we are seeing in this new decade are some that our parents and those before them saw in previous decades that have made modernized reappearances.

Some of the new fashion tropes that have been re-emerging during the past two years include blasts from the past like 70’s hippie-core, 80’s monochrome and 90’s streetwear style staples.

Other styles that are resurfacing are aesthetics like Y2K, grunge, dark academia, and streetwear which was popular in the late 90’s and early 2000’s.

The throwback fashion statements we are seeing throughout our school today are low rise jeans, flannels, authentic vintage racing jackets, air jordans and other retro sneakers, babydoll tops, mini skirts, different decade patterns like 70’s floral prints and animal print, platform shoes, etc.

With streetwear from the 90’s hip hop era making new appearances, comes the comeback of the circa 1985 icon in the shoe game: Nike Air Jordans.

Jordans were extremely popular during their early years of being released, though this hype seemed to die-down at some point around the early 2000’s-2010’s.

With the rise of new social media platforms being overrun with fashionable-users, the popularity of the shoes began to skyrocket exponentially- becoming a staple in today’s streetwear style.

A few of the new trends the city is encountering in modern day are patterned pants, monochromatic outfits, high-intensity streetwear, business casual outfits (oversized blazers and sophisticated shirts) and exaggerated platform or chunky shoes.

Bright colors and funky patterns are becoming more popular, causing a resurface of many old retro patterns from decades past, especially the 70’s. These patterns can be found on frankly any piece of clothing, most popular being dresses and tops- but can be seen on pants and skirts, something a bit more unique and unseen.

A new aesthetic that has become quite popular due to its popularity throughout social media is dark academia/ goth core, which pulls inspo from a once “emo” era of clothing and puts a modern twist on the style.

Some staples found in this specific trope are patterned fishnets, dark corsets, an array of darker colors, chunky black platforms and more.

Walking through the courtyard, it is apparent that many of Oviedo High School’s students have taken their style to new levels following some of these trends and have truly tapped into a unique-stylistic approach when showcasing their personality to the public eye.

OCTOBER 7 | THE LION’S TALE | CULTURE | 13

Travel restrictions lifted: Floridians search for new plans STORY BY LAURA CRUZ With the COVID-19 pandemic locking the people of Florida indoors for over a year, after COVID restrictions were lifted many of Florida’s tourist attractions were reopened. Some of these attractions include: theme parks, natural attractions, and historic cities. Florida is also home to many natural hidden gems, such as Ginnie springs, Wekiva springs, Deleon springs.

Florida is known for its theme parks; Universal Studios, Disney, Sea World, and Aquatica. These theme parks have multiple package deals that drive tourists down to our sunshine state. Universal and Disney comes with a sweet deal where the more days you buy the less you spend.

Florida might not be as island-esk, but we do have an array of popular natural tourist attractions like the Flori-

da keys- especially key west- and many more beautiful beaches throughout the state that are less than 3 hours away from Oviedo High School.

For those interested in art, Wynwood is the center of Miami’s art district. The streets of Wynwood are filled with street art. There are so many appealing shops and clothing stores waiting to be explored for those who love to shop and explore art.

There’s also a museum called the Museum of Graffiti that is full of graffiti and sculptures made by modern artists. The art constantly changes over the months, bringing in many opportunities for new artists to showcase their talent to the public. This museum is one that many will revisit due to the constant captivation of the art.

Saint Augustine - another prevalent tourist attractionis rich with history dating back to… This historic city is one of the oldest cities in the U.S. It’s location on the coast

leads tourists to search for the Old Spanish Watchtower.

This lighthouse was built in 1871 and 1874, it had to be rebuilt due to it’s fall into the ocean in 1880. The oldest schoolhouse brings a lot of field trips and good times.

A fountain called The fountain of youth is also a huge attraction.

As an alternative to historic landmarks, many tourists choose to visit cities based on a desire to shop. Las Olas Boulevard In Fort Lauderdale has many options to choose from when it comes to shopping.

There are also many great restaurants and events to attend. Some events include concerts, galleries, farmers market, and amazing boat trips. Talk about a beachy mall. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, many tourist attractions have reopened providing smiles on everyone’s faces. So go out and see the state., and remember to stay safe!

to work during this time. They also put up many safety guidelines to help minimize the spread.

“In order to make sure that businesses can remain open, I think all customers should wear a mask, use hand sanitizer, and maintain 6 feet of distance. We also need to be patient and understand that a lot of the businesses are short staffed and dealing with their own experiences with Covid,” Mrs. Kameraad explained.

Many people were afraid to go out because their chances for catching the virus would increase. This caused many people to quit their occupations, leaving many businesses short staffed. The mandations stated above, as well as others, were enforced in an effort to make the workplace a safer place for everyone and to attempt to put a halt to employees quitting.

Although many businesses have remained open, many have permanently shut down. This had an impact on everyone in some way, as their favorite places to go were gone forever. When a student was asked about her

thoughts on her beloved shops being shut down, this is what she said.

“Sweet Tomatoes closed because of COVID-19. It made me really upset because I loved their buffet style food. It had a very friendly environment and I will miss it a lot,” said Molly Connell, a junior at OHS. Every business was affected and is continuously being affected by this tragedy in their own, unique ways.

Sweet Tomatoes is just one of thousands of shops that didn’t survive this virus outbreak. This is because of the government mandates of being prohibited to leave homes and several other factors. Because of this a majority of businesses did curbside pickup, home delivery, or online orders. ecause Sweet Tomatoes was a smaller, more local business, they were unable to financially support themselves.

If we all do our part in obeying the rules, then we can become a safer, healthier nation. Also, by doing this, businesses will be able to get back on track and thrive.

and even had to rename houses like “TerrorLand,” and tweak the whole event to make it less scary because of the historic event.

Some smaller but still notable fan-favorite icons include: The Usher, The Caretaker and his daughter Cindy, The Storyteller, The Terra Queen, The Director, Fear, Lady Luck, Bloody Mary, The Iniquitous and The Crypt Keeper.

Dating all the way back to the 5th Halloween Horror Night event in 1996, we were presented an awfully horrifying invitation to come explore the ghoulish event by none other than HHN’s first unofficial icon and host for the night, the Crypt Keeper.

The Crypt keeper is most famously known for his hosting duties on the 90’s HBO horror anthology show: Tales from the crypt. Tales from the Crypt was backed with some insanely high profile talent and had some killer guest stars like Brad Pitt and Tom Hanks.

Moving on to the kings of the silver screens we have The Usher and The Director. Both scarily fascinated with horror movies and how the concept of death and horror were captured, these two twisted men’s evil origin stories both have much to do with film and cinema.

The Usher, otherwise known as Julian Browning, worked as an usher at the Universal Palace Theatre in the 1920’s who dealt with the extremely rude, and extremely rich patrons who would attend the showings.

His untimely, slow, and painful death by strangulation at these theatres caused the natives to suspect Julian was seeking vengeance against those who disrespected his beloved cinema. The place has been haunted ever since.

The Director’s origin story is short, simple, and scaryPaulo Ravinski had a fascination with capturing death on moving film, this fascination began when Ravinski was only 8 years old. He would take his fathers camera and film dying birds- birds that were dying because he shot them out of the sky with a BB gun…

The Storyteller, The Terra Queen and Fear are our slightly less notable icons with no set-in-stone story to be told about their origins.

And last but not least the Lady of Luck, Lady Luck is a shape shifting demon whose origin dates back till the time men began taking chances. Lady Luck had a direct connection with each house at HHN 21. Each scenario involved some kind of decision made, which Lady Luck was responsible for. In every case, the choices made were the wrong ones.

Lady Luck also has two forms that she takes. One is a beautiful temptress, and the other is a savage demon.

It is believed that the ancient people associated her with Tyche, the Greek goddess of luck, or her Roman counterpart, Fortuna. Lady Luck actually causes bad things to happen to whomever gambles with her and loses. Bad things also happen to people if she gives them a choice, and they make the wrong choice.

Local small businesses face closures due to Covid STORY BY ALEXIS SHAUGHNESSY Central Florida has faced a total of 1,325 business closures since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these local businesses include Victorio’s, Blue Jasmine, 1,000 Degrees Pizza, and more. Although there have been tons of businesses that have permanently or temporarily closed, there have also been tons that survived.

“Businesses that remained open during the pandemic were able to still make an income, unlike others who were forced to shut down. Although staying open could help businesses stay financially stable, they risked the health of their employees and customers coming in,” Lauren Eldert, a sophomore at Oviedo High School.

When the pandemic began, only necessary stores remained open such as grocery and convenience stores.

This was enforced in an effort to protect the health and safety of both workers and customers. Due to this, the government paid many employees who were unable

Thirty years of fears: ‘Horror Nights’ celebrates anniversary STORY BY KATHRYN PETERSON Among the list of the 2021 haunted houses, we see returning staples from the event’s iconic past years including the ‘Halloween Horror Nights: Icons’ house which is a heart wrenching house in which we meet all of the iconic names behind HHN. This house is also based off of this year’s theme which is ultimately about them as well.

Starting off with a little bit of history on the hometown clown--Jack otherwise known as Chaos or the Ringmaster-- born Jack Schmidt, the sinister clown was a runaway who escaped to the circus from an abusive family, turned serial kid killer.

After seeking vengeance on an old friend-turned-foe Doctor, who outed Jack and his crimes to the police decades prior, Jack wished to be the ringmaster of his own carnival. He dressed himself in flashy new clothes and granted himself the power to age extremely slowly with the Dr.’s cane of souls, and opened his Carnival of Carnage in Orlando, Florida.

Which sparks a new era for Halloween Horror Nights introducing one of the events most known and beloved names to ever host the carnival.

Alongside Jack, is the Harley to his Joker, Chance.

The Hostess of Horror is Jack’s right hand woman when it comes to running the show, making her first debut way back in 2007 during the Carnival of Carnage. She and Jack made more appearances in the 25th anniversary in 2015, and in the year later she was named the icon of the event for 2016.

Jack’s origin story is more than just connected to Chance but also to his brother and fellow HHN icon, Eddie. Eddie was meant to be the event’s icon for 2001 but due to other very-real and very horrific incidents occurring in the United States just a few weeks prior to HHN’s opening dates- 9/11- they decided to scrap his character as the icon. This was due to the concerns that his appearance would remind others of rescue officers

DESIGN BY KATHRYN PETERSON

14 | ENTERTAINMENT | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7, 2021 0:00

The Sounds of Summer 2 21 Solar Power

6:21

Scaled And Icy

Lorde

Twenty One Pilots

REVIEW BY ELLIOTT WOODMANSEE

REVIEW BY EMMA YOST

Solar Power takes a different approach sonically from Lorde’s previous records, focusing more on a psychedelic pop and indie folk sound then older albums. Each track reflects Lorde’s wellbeing and how she’s adapted to life as a pop star, giving advice to younger fans while pushing that the idea of maturing is an exciting experience.

With the next chapter in the Twenty One Pilots anthology, Scaled And Icy sees the duo shift lanes towards saturated ‘80s pop-punk and alternative rock while exploring the dark, intrusive and anxious half of the mind. Furthering the story from their past two records, SAI acts as a bizarre but strong interlude between a powerful saga.

Certified Lover Boy

Planet Her

Drake

Doja Cat

REVIEW BY PENELOPE BANKS

REVIEW BY KAIT PETERSON

Certified Lover Boy is a pleasing album Certified that brings together some of modern music’s most popular artists for a record that can catch the ear of any kind of listener, with tracks for any mood you may find yourself in. Although it could have brought more to the table, CLB overall stands as another strong rap/hip-hop project from the year.

Planet Her is Doja Cat’s next R&B and hip-hop record heavily armed with feel-good lyrics and powerful instrumentals, most tracks paying homage to her roots with african-style beats.

Overall, the album is an enormous rap-culture-shock, perfectly calibrated for a burnout generation looking for a sense of confidence.

SOUR

Call Me If You Get Lost

Olivia Rodrigo

Tyler, the Creator

REVIEW BY DIEGO LARA

REVIEW BY MADDI RUMMEL

Coming from former Disney star Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR revives the early-2000s alternative pop-punk sounds for the modern day and creates an aggressive break-up album which has exploded in popularity since its release. Diving into Rodrigo’s experience with heartbreak, this record proves the young pop star is one to take seriously going forward.

Tyler, the Creator’s long-awaited Call Me If You Get Lost is an uniquely crafted record excelling with the lyrics and melodies, highlighted by the perfect flow between upbeat jams and slow-dancing ballads. Each song on the album incorporates the title into their lyrics, tying the whole thing together in an ebullient hip-pop bow.

--------------------- FULL REVIEWS OF ALL ALBUMS ON OVIEDOJOURNALISM.COM ---------------------

Kanye West’s “Donda” sets Internet in flames Donda was unique. The loss of a loved one is tragic, and Kanye West tried his hardest to reflect this in his latest album.

He didn’t know how much his life would change in November 2007 when his mother, Donda West, passed away due to heart failure. Kanye would be challenged to write an album that could live up not only to his name but his mother’s. Fourteen years after her passing, Kanye would finally release his 10th studio album, Donda, arguably one of his most challenging and experimental pieces. However, the delivery of this album wasn’t smooth sailing, and it’s no secret the trouble it went through to be produced.

First news of Donda came from Dr. Dre in November 2019, just a month after Kanye’s previous album, Jesus is King, dropped. Dr. Dre stated that he had begun work on a project that was known at the time as “Jesus is King pt. II.” This started a trend of featured artists on the project dropping hints on what Kanye was

doing, and made the hype around this art piece grow exponentially; however, a lot of controversy surrounding the album started emerging. Kanye is notorious for always putting on big shows, and his showing parties were no exception. The biggest one was, of course, his third and final showing for Donda. The set for the showing was at Soldier Field, Chicago, the city Kanye grew up in. The set consisted of a replica of his old house in Chicago, with DaBaby and Marilyn Manson invited. This caused an out-roar due to the controversy surrounding these artists, with DaBaby making homophobic remarks at a recent concert and Manson having several charges of sexual misconduct.

In this showing Kanye was, quite

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literally, on fire for his performance, for what seemed to be no reason.

Kanye also bounced around from three separate studios, ending at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta. Later on, a release date was finally announced, August 6, along with pre-orders Many conflicts occurred during the release, postponing it to August 29. After being released, Kanye put out an official statement on his Instagram, explaining that his parent label company - Universal Music Group had released the album against his own will, and even cut certain songs from the album. The most known of these songs was “Jail, Pt. 2,” a continuation to an earlier song in the album. What’s the big deal about this

STORY BY JADEN CORDONERO PICTURED: KANYE WEST

album, and why was it so shifty in the making?

With Donda being such a landmark, he needed to make sure that this album would be like nothing else, which wouldn’t be easy. As stated as before, the album Donda is meant to captivate the feeling of loss, but more especially what loved ones will do in response to someone passing.

Kanye took the unique sense of grief and put it through a kaleidoscope to reveal several perspectives of loss, each special but equally important. There will never be a true definitive way to tell someone just how important Kanye’s mom was to him, there will never be a chance for Kanye to see his family after passing.

The trouble this album went through to be released ironically reflects Kanye’s troubles in expressing his emotions about his mother. What rings louder than Donda’s burning controversy is the message this album attempts to display: the complexity of loss.

OCTOBER 7, 2021 | THE LION’S TALE | ENTERTAINMENT | 15

“Shang-Chi” and its steps to better representation

A look inside Bo Burnham’s panicking special “INSIDE” STORY BY VERONIKA MAYNARD

STORY BY JOEMI CORDONERO

PHOTO CREDIT: MARVEL STUDIOS carries on the role of “The Mandarin”, Iron Man’s most notorious villain which was first “introduced” to the MCU back in Iron Man 3, not to many fans’ delight. Here, Wenwu clears up Marvel’s past mistakes and develops both The Mandarin and Fu Manchu as fleshed out characters free of racial stereotypes.

The movie is also renowned for its Asian representation as soon as it was announced to be made and proved it’s worth being praised for. From a Marvel standpoint, Black Panther was the only movie before centered around people of color, but with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings release, this brings a new future for more Marvel movies based around far diverse communities.

Both movies were able to showcase their cultures quite beautifully without any negative undertones. Each also brought audiences entertaining and multilayered stories which explored how each corner of the world had been treated throughout history: Killmonger and T’Challa’s back and forth between how Wakanda should stand in a world where black people are still underrepresented, and Shang-Chi’s juxtaposing position between Chinese and American life, and the ways he’s been treated well and abused by each half of the world.

In the end, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is a visually stunning and strongly written film that both corrects Marvel’s past mistakes when handling the Asian world in their comics while setting up a bright future for the MCU in regards to a more diverse and culturally rich universe of characters and worlds. Already having been knighted as an Avenger, Shang-Chi is set to return and make himself a staple in the MCU with a long future ahead of him and his corner of the world. Now, we are left to wonder what other cultures and peoples are going to find their rightful spot in this universe of heroes, and just how they’ll inspire young children of all backgrounds for years and years to come.

A film completely taped, produced, written, and edited by a single person.

How good can it be? Well if Bo Burnham makes it, apparently it’s a cinematic masterpiece. Inside is a musical/comedy special completely made by one person. A satirical comedian and internet sensation, this was the first time Burnham had done a comedy show in this format, where he completely filmed the entire show during the course of over a year of self-isolation.

This 3 time Emmy award winner special revealed a new style of pop/synth music, a renewed emphasis on satire, and a deep focus on mental health.

It blurred the lines between satire and real emotion, as Burnham searched for ways to cope with having anxiety when performing in front of people.

Throughout the documentary, we are reminded again and again of the fragility of the human mind through the exploration of Burnham’s.

And the fact that this film was released during a time when everyone was quarantining - self-isolated - this special hit harder than it ever could have. It had a depth in the sense that everyone was trapped in a room, so everyone could connect on that level.

Imagine being stuck in one room, all by yourself, and in that time trying to make an entire film all on your own. You’re stuck in this room, not able to do much at all, but still make some of the most recognizable songs on the internet, from commentary on racism, songs about classism and Jeff ey Bezos, to songs reflecting thei own mental health.

Bo Burnham has multiple numbers regarding mental health, but in particular,

the song “All Eyes on Me” is a direct reference to Burnham’s experience on stage and his anxiety that he feels when he’s on stage.

He divulged before the song that one of the reasons why he left the comedy scene for fi e years was due to him having panic attacks while performing. In the song, he gives himself false words of reassurance, much like how anyone with anxiety sometimes gets told that everything is fine, nothing will happen to them, they are just overthinking - when in fact, they are not fine and th y need help.

Another song regarding mental health, “Look Who’s Inside Again,” emphasizes the way we revert to the things that make us most comfortable, and sometimes revert to a childlike state of mind to shield ourselves from the outside world.

While the song was specific to his experiences, it was written in a way that many people can relate to the song.

That might be part of the reason why this sound blew up on TikTok in the trend where you talked about your insecurities.

We all have had a point of time in our lives where we just wanted to dig a hole and hide it in, bury our head in the sand, just do anything to escape the outside.

Inside is for anyone who wants to have a good laugh while contemplating the complexities of human emotion, mental health, and our place in the world as it crumbles.

.

PICTURED: BO BURNHAM

With Avengers: Endgame making the future of Marvel grim for many avid watchers, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings brings a new promising light to the franchise.

The story follows Shang-Chi, a boy who ran from his traumatic childhood and had to face his past to save his loved ones and future. The strong cast including Simu Liu, - who plays our titular character - along with Awkwafina as “Katy” and Michelle Yeoh as “Jiang Nan” performed beautifully with dialogue that immerses the story more in the life of Shang-Chi. The relationships were thoroughly built with no forced romance between Katy and Shang-Chi, unlike most Disney or Marvel films. The smoothness of the jokes fl wed along with the scenes and never seemed forced. The choreography was flue t with how the fig t scenes were able to fit in without feeling unnecessary or hard to follow. The graphics used in the movie were quite eye-catching with the many different set designs in the movie, from the bustling San Francisco to the mystical sight of the village of Ta-Lo. The movie’s starring cast weren’t the only features of Asian representation of course, the choreography and cinematography were both inspired by multiple sources such as the Ip Man series, Kung Fu Hustle, and Tai Chi Master. The director, Destin Cretton, used these films and other sources like anime to evoke many different emotions during fig t scenes that are unlike many other action films. Cretton mentioned how he decided to work on the film to encourage Asian children and be able to see themselves in a superhero. Another notable accomplishment, the Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu soundtrack, was composed by all Asian artists, including Saweetie, NIKI, Keshi, and JJ Lin. For many, this film was never pictured to be made with the history of the comics.

The original comic, named “Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu”, ran for 125 volumes. A known fact about the new film was how Disney changed the original story to get rid of its previous racist tones to a more acceptable and more enjoyable experience for audiences. The original story made the villain, “Fu Manchu”, a stereotypical evil Asian warlord with the only goal to conquer the west. The story was strongly based around Kung Fu due to the spiked interest in martial arts when the comics were popular.

With the new revamped story, the characters were able to be a lot more three dimensional and were able to feel more human than their precursor. The story’s new concept surrounding family, instead of having Kung Fu being the major selling point, lessens the racial views of the original comics in the ’70s. The main villain, Wenwu, - played by Tony Leung - creates more of a conflict with ShangChi, considering their rocky relationship.

Wenwu has more of a role in the story than being a good kung fu fig ter which was what Fu Manchu was only known for.

And as explained in the film, Wenwu also

PHOTO CREDIT: NETFLIX INC.

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--------- THE SOUNDS OF SUMMER 2021: CREDIT FOR ALBUM COVERS --------PHOTO CREDIT: UNIVERSAL MUSIC NEW ZEALAND ----------------------------------- SOLAR POWER PHOTO CREDIT: OVO SOUND / REPUBLIC RECORDS --------------------------- CERTIFIED LOVER BOY PHOTO CREDIT: GEFFEN RECORDS ---------------------------------------------------------------- SOUR PHOTO CREDIT: FUELED BY RAMEN LLC --------------------------------------------- SCALED AND ICY PHOTO CREDIT: KEMOSABE RECORDS / RCA RECORDS --------------------------------- PLANET HER PHOTO CREDIT: COLUMBIA RECORDS -------------------------------------- CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST

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16 | ADS | THE LION’S TALE | OCTOBER 7, 2021

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