pg. 16-17
LION’STALE
Top ten Scholars
Senior sports profiles
pg. 26-27
OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL | 601 KING STREET | OVIEDO, FLORIDA 32765 | MAY 7, 2014 | VOLUME 59 | ISSUE 6
NEWS. 2
The month
The
Photo’s Of
Scholarship winner loses all in house fire
in photos
The Month
WRITTEN BY ALEX WHITE The senior project, a necessity for some graduating seniors, does not always turn out as planned. Senior Brandon Heath manufactured a barbeque smoker for his project and got a lot more than he expected. “I attended the school barbecue for my senior project,” Heath said. “I had a pop up tent for shade and when I was finished with them I returned them back to ROTC. When I got back people were already cleaning up and someone grabbed the hot coals from my smoker and put it in a cardboard box with a bag of trash over it.” “They said to just throw the trash away and don’t leave it for the janitors. So I drove home, backed my car up to the side of the house and left my truck there, then walked inside and let the dogs out and I heard my horn going off. “I ran outside and the whole truck was in flames. I ran back inside to get my girlfriend and dogs out and I ran back inside to find my cat but it ran back into the back bedroom. Then I ran back outside and called the fire department and they said that they were going to take 5-10dvx minutes because they were busy with another call,” said Heath. “When they got there, my front gas tank exploded and the hood was on fire. The front engine blew up and caught
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=$10,000
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Autism costs a family $60,000 dollars on average a year.
1 in 42 boys are affected by autism. INFO COURTESY AUTISMSPEAKS.ORG
my house on fire. There was an electrical wire on the left side of the house. By the time they got there 45-50 percent of my house was gone.” Watching the flames from 30 yards away, Heath felt devastated. His aunt and uncle who owned the house were at both at work. “I was kind of in shock for a while. I felt as if I was in a dream or a nightmare,” Heath said. “I was watching it but I felt like the story was being told in third person, me not even realizing what was going on. Once I got everyone out and once everything died down, it kind of hit me that my house was on fire and all of our stuff was gone.” Heath is the receipient of the Rotary Rising Achiever’s scholarship.
IF YOU WANT TO DONATE, SEE ANGELA WILLIFORD IN THE GUIDANCE OFFICE. CHECKS CAN BE MADE OUT TO BRANDON HEATH.
DAY OF SILENCE. Faculty advisor for the Gay-Straight Alliance Erin Waddell, estimates a hundred students, including junior Alli Moss above, came to get supplies for the national event the Day of Silence on April 11.
Wilkie launches nonprofit to aid ESE population WRITTEN BY CLARA SHINE
Algebra II teacher Paul Wilkie started Turning 22, an organization focused on providing adequate housing and education for students physically or intellectually handicaped, twenty-two years or older. “They’re the bottom of the totem pole, and so few people know how to deal with them. Then, they get filtered out of the education system when they turn twenty-two,” said Wilkie. He’s hoping to make several college-like campuses for the students including a full gym to be used for the Special Olympics as well as classrooms, cooking labs with gardens, computer labs, and a one bedroom apartment where students can learn about decorating and maintaining one. “They’re not going to take classes like we have here. They’ll have a Monday-Wednesday-Friday class or a Tuesday-Thursday class like at college. When they’re not in class, they can be hanging out at the Student Rec center or working out in the gym.” “Our initial goal right now is to be able to service 20 to 30 young adults,” said Wilkie. “It’s a pilot program to try things out while we’re waiting for more funding.” “We’re trying to see if we can raise $1,500 to $2,000 so we can kickstart.” Wilkie said. “It’s a start. It’s not going to get us everything we want.”
IN MEMORIAM. Senior Alaina Leonard will be remembered through a tribute in the 201314 Oviedian Yearbook that will be released later this month. Leonard was involved in a car accident on State Road 426 on April 1 and died April 17. To leave condolences to her parents go to tributes.com and search Alaina Elizabeth Leonard.
LUNDQUIST FAREWELL. Family and friends turned out May 2 to celebrate Principal Robert Lundquist’s 18 year’s on the OHS campus. Assistant principal Trent Daniel organized the event that started in the Commons with a barbecue and ended in the auditorium.
NEWS. 4
SENIOR AWARDS 2014 senior students take stage and receive awards on May 1 at Lundquist’s last ceremony
Community/Scholarship Awards National Merit Scholar Finalists Maria Bacci, Sara Konecny, Brittany Pagano
VALEDICTORIAN WINS AWARDS. Lucy Wu wins multiple awards including ‘Women in Science’ and ‘Outstanding Senior Student of the Year’ at the annual Senior Awards night.
Seminole County South Rotary Scholarship Brandon Heath, Sergio Massey
Lake Mary Heathrow Festival of the Arts Scholarship Shannon Kennedy
Take Stock in Children Scholarship Serene Sheik
The Florida Council of the Blind Scholarship
Q&A with 2014 Valedictorian How many awards/titles have you won or were assigned at the senior awards? Besides the Valedictorian and Honor Graduate awards, I also received the Women in Science Scholarship, Oviedo High School Science Award, and the Outstanding Senior Student of the Year Award. What advice would you give to the underclassmen at Oviedo High School? In life, be sure to make wise decisions that, when looking back in retrospect, you won’t regret. If awards weren’t given to students, do you think their work ethic would be different? Would yours? I would still decide to take the same amount of AP classes because I truly have a desire to learn the material, but just not get stressed about my grade for GPA or class rank. What are the top three things you think are important in order to become successful?-ambition, dedication, society What can students do to organize their plans for the future? What did you do? (That is, if you did anything like that.) I didn’t have an exact idea of what my career will be, but I just made sure to follow the path that I knew I would be happy in and would be able to make a positive contribution to the world. What is a class you recommend underclassmen to take? AP Human Geography; it serves as the foundation. My 17 other AP courses all incorporated AP Human Geography one way or the other—from AP Calculus to AP Psychology, AP Human Geography was there. Why do you choose to work so hard? What are you trying to accomplish for yourself? I work hard in order to reach my full potential. I am trying to accomplish my short-term goal of getting good grades, as well as long-term goal of impacting the world. What is your main goal in life? My main goal in life is to change lives around me through my passions for children and medicine. What did you do to become the person you are today? I just accepted what life had to offer and I tried to make every experience positive. Do you have anything to add?—Thank you, Mr. Lundquist. I am so honored to be your last Valedictorian. You have truly been an asset to my life and the Oviedo community.
INTERVIEW BY CAMILLA OMAR
Seminole State Bright Futures Companion Marin Faulkner, Elaine Kilmer, Toby Collins, Cassiday Hopkins
Seminole State Academic 3.0 Scholarship Marisabel Cirilo, Manuela Cruz, Michael Lyttle, Jessica Whitacre
Seminole State District Board of Trustees Brandon Heath
GFWC Oviedo Women’s Club Elaine Kilmer, Felicia Line, Courtney Rothermich, Sara Gipson
Garrett Haywood
NJROTC Boosters Club/Merit Award
The Raymond Gaines Memorial
Makenzie Campbell, Mason Creager,Julia King, Courtney Boaz, Elaine Kilmer
Felica Line
NCF Robert E. and Jane S. Lee Scholarship Fund
Oviedo High School PTSA Scholarship Hailey Malles
Brandon Heath, Shawn Paul
Gerald Cassanova Performing Arts Scholarship
Central Florida Blood Center Scholarship
Madison Slage
David Ridgeway, Mason Creager, Nathaniel Shepherd, Elaine Kilmer
The Civilian Marksmanship Program
Oviedo High School PTSA Advocacy Scholarship
Hailey Malles, Julia King
Harold Ryan Helliesen-Gray, Sara Gipson, Hannah Walters, Sarah Ross
Athlete of the Year (male/ female)
Women in Science Lucy Wu
Tristan Rehrig, Lindsay Preston
Anita Carlson Award Madeline Roberts
Seminole County Council of PTAs/PTSAs Scholarship Sara Gipson, Elaine Kilmer
Brighthouse Sports NetworkDavid Logan Scholarship Garrett Haywood
Jack Blanton Award Brody Travis
Paul Mikler/Micky Norton Future Coach Award John McDaniel
Robert Locke Scholarship Cassidy Hopkins, Sydney Garick
University of Central Florida David Ridgeway, German Salazar, Serene Sheikh, Kelsey Cameron, Kristin Sherretz, Trenton Schacht
Colonel J.F. Nardo Endowment Brandon Heath
The Oviedo Preservation Society Hailey Malles
Bill Vogel AAA Austin Kleeb
National Beta Club Scholarship Carson Smith
The Christopher Pieper Memorial Scholarship Megan Walker
Krewe of Leaders Sydney Garick
Deputy Michael Callin Scholarship Makenzie Campbell
Cass “Toots” Nardo Endowment Julia King
National Merit Special Scholarship Elana Goldstein
NEWS. 5
A NEW WAY TO
Debary Sanford Lake Mary Long Wood Altamonte springs Maitland Winter Park
SunRail locations
TRAVEL
F l o r i d a Hospital Health Village Lynx Central Church Street O r l a n d o Health/Amtrak
LT Reporter takes first look at SunRail
T
WRITTEN BY BRIDGETTE HOLLAND
“Both LYNX (in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties) and Votran (in Volusia County) will provide traditional bus service to and from SunRail stations, offering passengers seamless transfers and discounted fares.”
Price range: • Round Trip- $3.75-$7.50 • One way- $2.00-$4.00 (dependent on location) Ticket vending machines: • Frequent passengers can use reloadable sun cards • Free wifi • Free service May 1- May 16th Times: • 6a.m.-10a.m. and 4p.m.-7p.m. train comes every 30 minutes • 10a.m.-3p.m. train comes every two hours
PHOTO FROM BETTERCITIES.NET
he SunRail opened for business May 1st with free service, and I arrived along with many others at the Lake Mary station to take advantage of the free ride and see how Florida’s first train came out. Impressed by the parking lot and clean area, I took my place on the platform to wait for the next train to come. Actually, the fourth train. As I listened to the bilingual announcements of apologies and assurances that another train would be here as soon as possible, I watched three trains carry passengers from South to North before deciding to switch directions. I had no doubts about when my train arrived; it made itself known with a whistle that left my eardrums ringing. There will be no issues of accidently stepping in front of a train here. Aside from some minor delays and a powerful whistle, the platform contained helpful maps of Lynx bus connections, train schedules (which I assume will be more useful after the first few days), maps of the train route/stops, and ticket validators for when free service ends. When I boarded the train, I passed by a man carrying his bicycle as he disembarked. Then I noticed the bike storage area inside, next to the handicap friendly restrooms. It’s well equipped for sure, and the seating is comfortable, with standing room on the lower levels while the upper two floors contain additional seating. The SunRail rode smoothly on the tracks, quietly and quickly with very few bumps along the way. The train slid to a stop at the station, with a Lynx bus patiently waiting for arriving passengers. All in all I recommend riding the SunRail to anyone looking for a simple morning commute, or for an enjoyable ride around Central Florida’s new tracks to wherever the destination may be. Once the minor first day issues of overcrowding work themselves out, and even now, it’s still a pleasant ride and a great addition to Florida’s transportation systems.
PHOTO BY BRIDGETTE HOLLAND
SAT
NEWS. 7
Your guide to the test’s big re-do
Test format in 2016 will require evidence-based analysis WRITTEN BY NICK RODRIGUEZ disciplines, and those words will be taken The College Board will implement the from many areas and tested in context. new SAT in 2016, realigned to focus on According to an article in the New York evidence-based analysis. Times on April 16, an example would be a In part, a response to criticisms that the question based on an artist who ‘vacated’ SAT favors the wealthy who can afford from a tradition of landscape painting. test preparation, changes to the SAT will The question is “Which word would better try to bridge the gap to substitute between rich and for the word Writing is a creative skill. poor by reorienting ‘vacated?’ You can’t just write when the SAT to reflect ‘Departed’ you like it on any random actual high school or ‘retired’ work. or leave the subject. The test will last Sophomore Valentina Gamero s e n t e n c e three hours. Sixtyunchanged? five minutes of the (The right answer is “departed”). new test will be a critical reading section A decided focus will be placed on with fifty-two questions. evidence-based analysis-analyzing passages A written language test with forty-four in critical reading sections and analyzing questions will take thirty-five minutes and graphs and charts in math, science, and eighty minutes will be dedicated to the social studies sections. math section with fifty-seven questions. The scores will range from 200 to 800 Gone are the ways esoteric vocabulary and the top score will be 1,600. and arcane math problems. The College Senior Brendon Lay sees the SAT as a Board will focus on what they are calling “redeemer”; a way to make up for poor high “high utility” words that appear in many school performance.
“The SAT. It’s something else. Because of its value to colleges, it is an excellent redeemer for any bad grades you got,” Lay said. Students who go from being a poor student their freshman year to a great student their junior year could benefit from high SAT scores since some colleges discount grades in favor of SAT scores. Changes to the SAT include making the essay optional. Students will be given 50 minutes to explain how an author builds an argument based on analyzing the text. The essay today is just twenty-five minutes and asks students to take a position on an issue and then the essay is graded without considering factual accuracy. Critics have lampooned the SAT essay as not representative of the future work place. Sophomore Valentina Gamero agrees. “Writing is a creative skill. You can’t just write when you like it on any random subject. Good writing takes time. Details, elaboration; that takes time,” Gamero said. Changes to the SAT are also being done to reign in the tremendous test preparation
culture that has developed around the SAT. According to the College Board, students from high income families make, at most, 200 points more than students from low income families. Lay, a veteran of high cost SAT test preparation, had this to say: “I’d imagine that absolutely, yes, there would be a difference in scores between high income and low income families,” Lay said. “Because you have the SAT, you have services like the Princeton Review. They provide actual classroom type services, tailored deliberately for the SAT. And that cost me $400 or $500. But the cost for a private tutor is $1800.” But College Board believes that centering the SAT on evidence-based analysis will compensate for this income divide. Orienting the SAT towards the kind of evidence-based analysis done in school, in classes like World History and Biology will make test preparation less important.
Blended classes on tap for next year WRITTEN BY ALEXIS DIBLANDA
Starting next year, OHS will offer Government and Economics as blended classes to fulfill the state graduation requirement for the class of 2015- completing an online course. The classes will still be a semester long, but will be taught in a classroom with computers and a teacher who will partially direct the lesson. Seminole County Schools is still developing the class. “The curriculum hasn’t been written yet,” said Drew Morgan, the assistant principal in charge of the social studies department. “Our teachers who I am sending to be trained on the new blended model will be going on April 24 and 25 to really sit down and map out how this is going to look, and what the curriculum is going to look like,” Morgan said. AP Economics and AP Government will stay the same. Morgan said, “There are a significant number [of juniors who have not taken a virtual class].” Morgan chooses which teachers to send to the training and selects those who will eventually be asked to teach the new class. Junior Julie Choi prefers traditional classes over their virtual counterparts.
“I’m not going to take it online, but I think it’s good for some people to have that choice,” Choi said. Junior Shelby Kasik thinks online content will make the classes more engaging and interesting to students. “When you have something in front of you that you can interact with, it is much more on the brain and you remember it more,” Kasic said. Junior Tommy Harden’s experience in his virtual classes leads him to believe that information will be straightforward and easily explained. “I think it will help a lot. I took U.S. History online last year and it was actually really helpful. Personally, I’m not good at history classes, but I found it easier.” Government teacher John Howell also looks forward to the change and thinks it will give students the benefits of online and traditional classes. “I’m not a big fan of online classes, because I think sometimes when you do classes online, you lose some of the things that go on in a class, some of the discussions, some of the activities, some of the group things that we can do in a classroom,” Howell said. “So I think this is possibly more the future of education to let students do some of the independent work online, but at the same time, still give them some the benefits of being in a traditional classroom.”
Where to take virtual classes Seminole County Virtual School: Seminole County Virtual School is district’s online learning site. Local teachers instruct the courses. Classes can be taken during the summer beginning this year. All classes offered by Florida Virtual school can be accessed from Seminole County Virtual School. Students must get permission from their guidance councelors. Courses can be taken from home. Khan Academy: Khan Academy is a website that offers free classes on everything from computer science to entrepreneurship. These classes don’t count for credit. PLATO: Classes in the PLATO lab are for credit recovery only. Some classes are worth 1.5 credits and others are worth one credit.
OPINION. 8
Dear
What’s your advice to the new principal?
Principal
CELESTE MCWHITE “Don’t upset the students. Make sure it’s a positive relationship between one another.”
Lion’s Tale says ‘Welcome’ Dear Principal Trybus,
We at the Lion’s Tale extend a warm welcome to the new leader of our beautiful school, Mr. Joe Trybus. This is an exciting time, and we can’t wait to see what you may have in store for Oviedo High School… and you may find that OHS has a lot of great things in store for you! It has been a long time since this school has had a change of command, and therefore this is a brand new experience for the majority of the students and staff. Admittedly, we are nervous and want to see what you can do for us and with us, but we look forward to it, as well. The goal of the school to help ease your transition, and to welcome you into our traditions, with all their little quirks. We hope you will follow Mr. Lundquist’s example of talking with us daily and understanding that we need the occasional pep rally or senior lunch to keep our spirits up. Supporting the diverse extracurricular activities that our school takes part in is important to all involved students and all the teachers that sponsor them. The exceptional turnout of spirited fans at every football game is a tradition that the staff widely promotes, and we look forward to seeing your face in the crowds on Friday nights. Football isn’t the only sport we play, however, and we’d love to emphasize the importance of every single sport at this school, both junior varsity and varsity. Although football and baseball are beloved games at Oviedo, golf and water polo and News Editor Clara Shine Opinion Editor Amyliz Rodriguez
Co-Editors Keenan Smith Alex White Layout Editor Allison Owen
Features Editors Kassandra Saliba Chris Moskal Sports Editor Lyndsey Taylor Advertising Editor Daniel Hernandez
other sports are also successful branches of the athletic department, and it would mean a lot to have our new principal take an interest in all teams. We at the Lion’s Tale would also like to accentuate the significance of the fine arts at OHS. From band to choir, drama to debate, they are the passion and soul of the school. The marching band is present at every football game, the drama department puts on a number of plays and musicals every year, and the biannual showcases display the talents and efforts of all these departments. We’re confident that you will find these extracurricular activities to be as important as we do. Our school has proudly held the title of an A school for a long time. Hard work and diligence are important qualities that the students at OHS aim for, and support from the principal is the foundation for maintaining these characteristics. Academics are a top priority at Oviedo, and we strive to maintain that mind-set in the coming years. It is encouraging to see the principal’s face in the busy halls of the school from day to day. To recognize the role the principal plays in improving our lives and educations on a daily basis is inspiring. A new face will appear in the halls this year, and we absolutely cannot wait to see it. Changes are never easy, but can be fun and enriching. We are so excited to bring you into our home within these sacred halls of the Oviedo Lions. Welcome to the family. Sincerely, The staff at the Lion’s Tale
CURTIS HENRY “Try to be like Mr. Lundquist as much as you can. Be good with your students.” IANNA HARAN “Keep on top of what you need to do. Don’t slip behind on your work.” MEGHAN BARTLEY “Respect the students. Try to establish a respectful relationship with them.” PHOTOS BY MILES MINER
ILLUSTRATION BY HARRY ALLEN Photographers Miles Miner Alex Browning Staff Artists Harry Allen Catherine Griffith Lauren Hight Staff Reporters Sterling Corum Stephanie Corrigan Alexis DiBlanda Bridgette Holland Jaimie Landers Brendan McCoy Cloe-Marie Mora Camilla Omar
Sabrina Omar Nicholas Rodriguez Colton Weisent Brandon White Faculty Adviser Deborah Jepson Admin Adviser Drew Morgan Principal Robert Lundquist Oviedo High
OVIEDO HIGH SCHOOL • 601 KING STREET • OVIEDO, FL • MAY 8, 2014 • VOLUME 58 • ISSUE 6
School 601 King Street Oviedo, FL 32765 Phone: 407-3204199 Fax: 407-320-4213 Population: 2096 Students 26 Staff members
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 CSPA, NSPA, FSPA. Distribution 2500 copies of The Lion’s Tale are distributed free to all students and staff at Oviedo High School. Subscriber information is available upon request. 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 request. Advertising Policy The Lion’s Tale reserves the right to refuse advertisements. The full advertising policy of The Lion’s Tale is on file in Room 5-020 and is available upon request.
OPINION. 9
Underdog changes life to earn place at Boston University
ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN HIGHT
Senior advises classmates to leave past behind to focus on new adventures As my senior year draws to a close, I find myself wondering what I’ve accomplished. Advertisement Editor Will my Daniel Hernandez presence be remembered? Have I left my mark? Will I look back on Oviedo High school and know I’ve done my part to make it better? The answer. No. My senior year allowed me to glimpse into my future, one filled with the excitement that is graduation, college, and aging. However, looking back through halls and classroom memories at Oviedo, nothing seems to follow me into the future. Making friends. Enjoying classes. Joining clubs. The moment that my diploma touches my hand, these thing will fade. Even the friends I’ve made, however great they may be, will most likely disconnect as the years continue. Everyone eventually grows up. Keep in mind, I am in no way being pessimistic, only realistic. Even the most amazing moment of high school passes. I’ve become a state debate winner and president for Oviedo’s debate club, enjoyed my senior prom, and even got accepted to all of the colleges
I’ve applied for. Still, the glory and happiness that followed these exciting events in my life faded and I too am forced to face the future knowing that these things have passed and won’t happen again. In order for me to truly succeed in the future, I find it’s necessary to allow the past to pass. Relieving myself of any anchors, whether they are good or bad memories, can only lighten my load as I travel onward. I’ve truly enjoyed my time in high school and in no way regret it. Socializing, learning, and even studying were all fun, just in no way permanent. Entering the future is truly, as cheesy as it may sound, a new adventure. Moving out of home, going to college, or simply finishing school are new experiencing waiting to be explored. There are plenty of people who didn’t have the strength to push through till the end, to continue onward until they reached that diploma. For those who’ve chosen to drop out, they allowed things to pull them down and prevent them from moving forward. Don’t let the past tie you down. If you can make it to the end of high school, be happy that you’ve had the willpower to complete another step in your life. When high school ends, move on. Don’t let old friends, classroom mess ups, or academic failures hold you back. Leave it all in the past and move on. Being able to take your diploma, turn your back, and continue forward is what it truly means to graduate from high school.
What’s your biggest fear about leaving OHS? “Not having a place to put aside your differences and come together and just celebrate and be a family. I’m going to miss Lundy.” Senior Madie Wagner “Having so many hefty student loans and not being financially able to pay them off.” Senior Brittany Cabrales “That all my education will go to waste in this useless world.” Senior Ryan Gray “That I’ll come home and won’t know what to do with my time anymore.” Newspaper Advisor D. Jepson
Spoiler alert. This story has a happy ending. For all of the underclassmen who Staff Reporter have given Brandon White up on getting into an elite college, work harder, take more AP classes. It’ll pay off in the end. I came into high school as an underdog. I was five feet nothing and looked like I was in seventh grade. Evidently I didn’t work hard enough, and my grades weren’t the best, but after my third semester I realized this and changed my life. I looked at my report card and I thought of everything I wanted to be, successful, wealthy, and well educated. I saw that the only way of achieving this was to change. And change I did. From that point on my life I was improved, my time was allocated towards reading and studying, and through this my GPA started rising, as did my confidence. In the last few semesters, my ego took over. I became so sure I was going to do well that success became an obsession. I started playing golf almost every day. Then I returned home and studied until I had to drive to school the next morning, only sleeping on weekends. Through this, I completed goals. I studied for hours for the SAT, scoring over 2,000. Next I got into one of the colleges of my dreams-Boston University where I will go in the fall. So to any underclassmen who thinks they won’t be able to get into the school of your dreams, don’t give up. Work hard in the remaining time you have in high school. It can determine the rest of your life. To all, weigh the costs of playing video games to doing well in high school with extracurricular activities. If you wish to be successful in life, getting good grades could be the first milestone in the road to wealth. Getting awesome grades in high school opens up so many opportunities for us as young adults. One is to go to a top 20 school, to study with the smartest people in the world, and while you’re there, why not spend a summer abroad in Prague? Finish college and you’ll have a much better job waiting for you than if you went into a job right out of high school. So the moral of the story-work hard.
OPINION. 10
Senior reassesses reality
Sometimes, we put too much stock in choice. We overestimate the weight of deciStaff Reporter sion, the Nicholas Rodriguez gravity of choice. We invest ourselves so totally in a goal, that when we don’t get it, we suffer so completely we lose the present. I’m a senior. I applied to colleges and I was accepted to colleges. And I was accepted to my first choice, Amherst College. Amherst College is a small, liberal arts school nestled in rural, idyllic New England. The streets are paved gold, the rivers are laced with honey. Getting accepted into the Ivy League was the guiding goal of my high school career. I was obsessed by it. And I did it. The people I met at Amherst, I can’t lie, are people I won’t forget. There, I could speak about the things I wanted to speak about, think about the things I wanted to think about; about the Will and Nietzsche and metaphysical anti-realism. I did it. After all my efforts, I had salvation. I had it, I saw it, I could feel its touch. There, salvation was nestled in rural idyllic New England. And it was mine. I was at the airport and I was leaving Amherst open house. I was still smiling. And my parents came to pick me up and we were sitting in the car and they told me “You aren’t going to Amherst”. Sometimes we put too much stock in choice. Sometimes, one path is just like the other. Success and failure aren’t real. We don’t really succeed, we make a choice and that choice has a consequence. That’s all. You don’t fail. Each choice carries a consequence. That’s it. Nothing more. We couldn’t afford the tuition to Amherst College. We couldn’t afford the tuition to any of the colleges I applied to. We’re always making choices. All of these choices lead us somewhere. Where do we go? There really isn’t any difference. Each choice has a consequence we can only imagine, but what we imagine isn’t real, we only posit it. Consequences aren’t real. We only posit them. What’s real is Oviedo High School now: your friends, your peers, your teachers. I’m going to the University of Florida. I accepted enrollment on deadline, May 1.
ILLUSTRATION BY CATHY GRIFFITH
9th grade outcast transforms herself into social butterfly
Opinion Editor Amyliz Rodriguez
If there’s one thing that John Hughes forgot to put into his teenangst filled movies, it’s that high school is
rough. Sure, he brought us films like Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and Ferris Buller’s Day Off, but none of these movies truly capture what it’s like to be in high school. There’s no Jake with his red Ferrari, there’s no end to heartbreak after 15 minutes, or an inspiring happy ending for everyone involved while the smash hit Don’t you forget about me by Simple Minds blasted in the background. To be more accurate, high school is like the jungle, which I guess is pretty ironic considering that we’re OHS and this is home of the Lion’s. In truth, high school is a place where people come to learn not only education, but to learn more about themselves for four years. As a freshman, I didn’t really know what
I was walking into when I came onto campus. Everything seemed so large and intimidating compared to what I had been exposed to throughout my multiple middle schools. The seniors appeared too wild to approach. The juniors seemed rude and the rest of the underclassmen were way too confused to even fully comprehend what was going on in their current lives. I quietly made my way through my days, avoiding everyone, sitting alone at lunch and occasionally those wild seniors tossed me into the trash can by Mr. McDonald’s room. Sometimes I just wanted to disappear and never be found. My family used to wonder why I was always so alone, why I had no friends, what they didn’t understand was that for me fitting into high school was impossible. All things eventually come to a close, however, and I was happy that freshman year was over and done with. That summer I dedicated my time on focusing on bettering myself. I came to the conclusion that in order to receive the reaction from people that you want in the world, you have to put those actions into the world yourself. This led to me exercising so that I could feel better about myself and that people could view me the way I wanted them to. I also changed my wardrobe, my attitude, my personality to a more optimistic as well as a more outgoing person.
Pretty soon, sophomore year came around and like a little caterpillar transforms into a butterfly, I’d broken out my cocoon- I became a social butterfly. It was kind of like that scene in Mean Girls when Cady goes from a total outcast to having fun friends, except I never turned into a “Plastic.” Instead, I met my current best friends and at times, instead of being utterly upset at the world, I laughed so impossibly hard that my face hurt and that my teachers literally told me to be quiet about every six minutes. I kept this up for the next few years of my high school career and not only did my confidence get a boost, but my grades soared as well. Don’t get me wrong, my adventures in high school are nothing like a John Hughes film, but it is what I’ve made of it. Although I’ve undergone my fair share of trials and tribulations, I’ve had the honor of attending a school that really is a place I can call home. Lundquist, along with all of my teachers made sure I didn’t give up and they encouraged me to get to where I am today, a graduating senior, and for that I am eternally grateful. If you’re having a hard time getting by now, don’t get discouraged. People will always be there to help you if you ask for it. Before you know it, you will be graduating too!
FEATURES. 11 EXPLOSIVE action fills this thrilling novel banned in Japan where it was written
Embark on a FUN adventure with Bilbo and the dwarves in this classic
Send CHILLS down your spine with Stephen King’s latest addition
James Bond keeps his COOL in the latest book to be authorized by the estate of the original Bond author
SUMMER
BOOK
Guide
SUN screen
50 SPF
Grab one of those great reads chosen by the Lion’s Tale staff, and head to the beach or wherever your plans take you this summer!
ILLUSTRATION BY KEENAN SMITH
Original book concept executed exceptionally the story is fictional, a good portion of the book has written itself in history, just waitTroy Soos’ latest addition to his series ing to be captured in a fictional setting by a of murder mysteries set in the context of creative force like Soos. baseball, The Tomb That Ruth Built, kept Mickey Rawlings (the main character) is me interested the whole way through. a utility player in his thirties, doing his best I honestly expected the novel to be dry to prevent the impending end of a mediocre and technical sounding especially being baseball career. Suddenly he is thrust into a written by a physics teacher/former MIT now familiar situation- he has been assigned researcher. The only thing dry about the to solve the murder of a former teammate writing, however, was Soos’ distinct sense whom he barely knew. of humor that would be instantly recognized Soos does an impressive job throughout by anyone who has had him as a teacher or the novel with keeping the story interesting spoken to him. without adding ridiculous and unnecessary The Tomb That Ruth Built is filled to plot twists. the brim with historical details that indicate In short, anyone interested in baseball, the author’s extensive knowledge of the history or period pieces, or mysteries Prohibition-era in which the novel is set. will enjoy the latest book by Troy Soos. While reading the book I couldn’t resist Everyone else should still give the book a looking up certain characters and conflicts thorough read-through. to see if they were factually based, and while the main conflict and character of
REVIEW BY BRENDAN McCOY
Coulon-Woods’ top summer reads
Two friends uncover a sinister plot and encounter a popular girl with a SOUR attitude
Enjoy a SWEET romance between a zombie boy and the tasty-looking human girl he falls in love with
OHS’ own media specialist’s handpicked list of books students should read in their time off this summer
• Montana 1948 • Divergent (Series) • The Hunger Games (Series) • Stephen King (any of his books) • Chinese Cinderella • Unwind (Series) • Perfect Chemistry (Series)
FEATURES. 12
THE TEN
How do you plan on spending your first 10 years of your journey after OHS?
Cayla Moseley
Joshua Jensen
“West Virginia for Interior Design and a degree in engineering. I want to be married, hopefully to a rich baseball player pro. My career will be my hobby. I don’t want to have three kids yet, but I’m going to work on it.”
“California working and acting. I want to get my college Masters for voice acting. I hope to go to UNF.”
Moriah Person Allison Tankersley “I’m going to Stetson. I know what I want to be. I want to be a fashion designer merchandiser in New York in a big luxury apartment designing fabulous clothes on the runway. My name will be on everything.”
YEAR PLAN WRITTEN BY STEPHANIE CORRIGAN
“I really want to go to Flagler College in St. Augustine for business and marketing, but my minor will be entrepreneurship. In 10 years I see myself as an author. I hope to be married with five kids named Matt, Mary, Lucy, Simon, and Ruthie because I love Seventh Heaven so much.”
Cayla Shawfield “Florida Southern College, possibly for physical therapy, in a big house with a rich husband, very successful with one child.”
FEATURES. 13
Shannon Tokumaru
Emily Withers
Sarah Ross
Carson Smith
“Mississippi State-MRS degree. Napa Valley, California with a husband who owns a vineyard. Working on four kids, even number. Rich. Cute. Hot husband.”
“In another state as a social worker, married with kids. I want to travel and finish school. I’m going to UNF. I really want to help people with mental illnesses and be able to counsel them.”
“Hopefully going to the University of Oklahoma. I want to be a pediatric oncologist working with children. It’s working with children that have cancer in longtime hospital care. I want to better the lives of sick children.”
“I want to own my own dental practice and be really rich. I’m going to UF. I want to be a children’s dentist. [The difference I want to make in the world is] to make people happier, to make people smile.”
Bekah Radebach
Carson Stroyan
Kassie Jones
Elizabeth Embree
“UCF and I might transfer to UF afterwards. I want to be a biomedical engineer and move out of Florida. I also want to keep running. I want to finish school with good grades and have a well-paid job. I want to help people and leave a positive impact on those I meet. I want to use the money I make to help people.”
“Hopefully married and working. I want to have at least a four year degree and I want to become the best golfer in my conference for college golf. I want to go to BYU after one to two years at BYU Hawaii. [I’m going into] biomedical sciences. I want to help others improve their lives by encouraging them to make good decisions.”
“I hope to be married and I want to finish school at the top of my class and work my way toward being involved with local government. I want to get my Bachelors degree from UCF and go to the University of Chicago to become a government paralegal. I want people to realize they can do anything they put their mind to. Look at me. I’m doing it.”
“Finishing school and working as a nurse in hospitals. I want to work with disabled kids. UF, but SSC for core classes to be an RA nurse. I want to put a smile on anyone’s face that comes into my life.”
PHOTOS BY ALEX BROWNING
FEATURES. 14
Graduates hope for the best Senior pursues theatrical aspirations to become an actress Before senior project, Hopkins didn’t have the drive to audition Senior Cassidy Hopkins for the bigger schools because she auditioned for her dream school, thought she wouldn’t get in because the American Musical and Dramatic of her grades. Academy (AMDA), and got accepted. “At the beginning of this year “The theatre has been my second home and the people who are I have extreme passion for the involved in theatre. theater with Senior Cassidy Hopkins me are like my family. I couldn’t get when I was deciding the topic for through without some of them. All this project, I would tell people I the people involved in OHS theatre wanted a career in performing and have given me some piece of advice they would answer with ‘What’s your or a critique that has bettered me as back up plan?’ so it made me start to an actress and person,” said Hopkins. second guess myself but I snapped For Hopkins’s senior project, back because I know that I wouldn’t she created an audition packet for be anywhere close to happy doing colleges. It included two contrasting anything else with my life,” said monologues, a resume, and head Hopkins. shots. WRITTEN BY KASSANDRA SALIBA
With the help of her mentor, Lauren Scott, Cassidy started practicing her monologues and before she knew it her calendar started filling up with college auditions. After the American Musical and Dramatic Academy accepted her, they offered her a $5,000 per term scholarship. Participating in local shows taught her responsibility and increased her interest in theatre. “I have an extreme passion for theatre. When I was little and all the girls wanted to be ballerinas and all the boys wanted to be firemen I wanted to be an actress and I can’t be more grateful for all the opportunities I have had to perform,” said Hopkins. “I couldn’t have gotten where I am without a lot of support and I’m definitely grateful for that.”
PHOTOS BY ALEX BROWNING
ROUND OF APPLAUSE. Hopkins curtsies her way into theatre school.
Despite heart ailment teen remains optimistic WRITTEN BY KASSANDRA SALIBA Doctors diagnosed Katie Spain prevent that, she forfeited drinking with Marfan Syndrome at nine months caffeine and playing sports. “I have more important things to old and Scoliosis two months later. It’s something shes had to live with her worry about than most 18 year olds. Throughout this I have been matured at entire life. “Marfan Syndrome is a connective a young age and more understanding,” tissue disorder that makes my aorta said Spain. enlarged and Scoliosis is a spine curvature When my time comes it will be that requires God’s decision, not mine. surgery,” said Senior Katie Spain senior Katie Spain. A f t e r Before the age of 25, Spain must losing her father at the age of two from the same diseases, her mother made have open-heart surgery to replace her sure everything in her life stayed as aorta. According to Spain, the hardest normal as possible and she became her part is dealing with upcoming surgery biggest supporter. Spain is on blood pressure and knowing that her life may be medication and has been in and out shorter than others. “In middle school I was super of the hospital her entire life. To help
depressed about it because they told me I would have to have heart surgery and I pretty much had it set in my mind I wasn’t going to make it. I was sad because I felt like it could be the end of my life,” said Spain. Spain came to believe that she shouldn’t waste her life worrying or being unhappy and to live everyday to the fullest. “ I think God has a plan for everyone and now I have realized I just need to live my life and have fun and be happy and when my time comes it will be God’s decision, not mine,” said Spain.
Syndromes defined • •
Scoliosis- abnormal lateral curvature of the spine. Marfan-a hereditary disorder of connective tissue.
KATIE’S BIG HEART. Senior Kaite Spain awaits heart surgery to reduce size of enlarged aorta.
FEATURES. 15
Simon Temple used to be a bull rider in the Jacksonville rodeo. He also participates in “healing” or cafe riding.
( sports ) DIDYOUKNOW? ///
Madie Wagner’s uncle is a U.S. congressman from Gainsville. Jamie Brenner holds the school record for pole vault, breaking the record three times. Kara Evers will take a year off college to teach English in the Domican Republic.
Wyatt Anderson was adopted from Serbia.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ANTHONY SERGI
Sergi races to awards WRITTEN BY AMYLIZ RODRIGUEZ
Ever since he was a child, passion for speed “It was pretty awesome to win Rookie of the coursed through senior Anthony Sergi’s veins. Year for Florida. I had a blast and it felt good to “I would drive golf carts and four-wheelers get something with the name NASCAR on it. all around my house. Then at the age of nine, At first, I couldn’t believe that I won because so my parents brought me to Little New Smyrna many people were working towards it,” Sergi Speedway which races Quarter Midgets and I fell said. in love. I can’t really However, explain what it was that winning doesn’t I can’t really explain what it was that made me love racing come easy and made me love racing but I’ve just but I’ve just always had Sergi is willing that need for speed,” always had that need for speed. to put the time Senior Anthony Sergi Sergi said. and effort into his A Quarter Midget passion in order to is a small go-kart that succeed. has a Honda lawn mower engine in it. “When everyone goes to a race, all they see In competitive racing, Sergi excelled. Earning are racers racing in circles around each other but eight victories in his first season alone, Sergi there’s so much more to it. After school I go to continued to persevere in his career winning work on my car and some nights it ranges from numerous competitions, including the NASCAR three to nine o’clock at night. We [my team and I] Florida Rookie of the year award on Dec. 7, 2013. have to clean the car, keep it running in order and
Finished
to also set it up for different tracks we race on,” Sergi plans on continuing his career into the future. “I plan on driving in my future. My goals are to ride in NASCAR and race there. If not, I would like to become a crew chief for a racecar driver, but I want to be in racing for the rest of my life.”
Editor’s Note
One by One features a selected student chosen at random whose story is told in only 300 words.
Sarah Buckly met the United States women soccer team during the 2012 Olympics.
Victoria Robertson takes part in indoor skydiving. Zoe Thomas is putting together a collection of poems to be published.
Madi Slage collects a wide assortments of knives and swords. Moriah Person is learning Korean this summer.
FEATURES.
OHS’ top scholars prepare to
1 4 7 3 6 2 5 8 16
MariaMaria BacciBacci
Lucy Wu
If you could be anyone past present or future who would it be? I would be my four-year-old brother, Paul, because he’s so little, cute, and funny and he makes everyone’s day. What is your funniest senior year story? Mr. Soos, our AP Physics C teacher, requested us to bring in pop top tabs for his daughter’s collection. Our lunch table got a little carried away, and we started rummaging through the recycling bins during lunch to see who would collect the most tabs. Where are you going to college? I will be attending UPenn because it’s an Ivy League offering uniquely integrated programs in medicine, engineering, and business (Wharton). Also, both of my parents attended UPenn, so this was always in my heart.
Elana Goldstein
What is/are your favorite movie(s)? Brink!, The Thirteenth Year, Cadet Kelly, Get a Clue, Pixel Perfect, Color of Friendship, Phantom of the Megaplex, Halloweentown, and Halloweentown 2: Kalabar’s Revenge. If you had to watch one show for the rest of your life, what would it be? I would watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the rest of my life. It’s that good. No, seriously. If you’d gotten a tattoo five years ago, what would it have been? I would have gotten Hot Topic tattooed onto my butt. Because I was 12.
Nick Labrec Nick Labr
What was your favorite AP Physics C because I how the world works. T become an engineer. If you were to create a c be? Ping pong class. Or ches if I really want to be ner What is your biggest reg Tearing my ACL during It happened during the s and it took me out for th What is one thing you w the world? To go back and play my
If you could be anyone in the past, present, or future? I would be Warren Buffet, so I could take my massive fortune and eliminate world problems. In AP Environmental Science, I learned that $48 billion is all that is needed to eliminate world hunger and malnutrition. Who is your favorite teacher? My favorite teacher is Mrs. Kelly because she works so hard to make sure that we know everything we need to know and she really wants us to get fives on the AP exam; she really cares about us. Have you ever been out of the country? I’ve never been out of the country, but I’m going to Israel this summer for a 10-day trip and it’s through this program and I basically get to go for free.
SaraKonecny Konecny Sara
What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is definitely Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It’s one of those rare movies that gives you something new to think about every time you watch it, and I really like how they tell the story through both memories in reverse and in real time. Best high school memory? I can’t possibly think of a best high school memory, but one of my favorites was the time my entire AP Language class threw Mrs. Simmons a surprise food party to make her forget about our vocab quiz that day. We did have to take it eventually, but we managed to score ourselves an extra two days to study. If you were a crime lord and were wanted by the Federal Government, where would you escape? Probably Japan. Relatively isolated, pretty far away, and hey, if I have to be an escaped crime lord, I might as well escape somewhere cool.
Lara LaraHansmann Hansmann
Where do you see yourself living in the future? I see myself living in the city. There would just always be something to do or see, and as an architect, living among skyscrapers and high-rises would be so inspirational. Have you ever been out of the country? Yes, I love to travel! I feel so lucky because I’ve been able to visit places like Brazil and Italy. Plus, I visit my relatives in China and Germany about every two years. What are you majoring in? I’m excited to be majoring in architecture. I would love to work as a commercial or public architect one day. What was your dream gift as a child and what do you think of it now? I honestly can’t remember so I guess that tells you what I think of it now.
TOP TEN
FEATURES.
o take on world
7
Victor Langhauser Victor Langhauser
cque recque
e class? like math and I like learning The class helped inspire me to
class at OHS, what would it
ss class. Or a robotics class, rdy about it. gret? g my senior lacrosse season. second half of the first game, he whole season. want more than anything in
What is/are your favorite movie(s)? Halloweentown High, Return to Halloweentown, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Don’t Look Under the Bed, the Even Stevens Movie, Kim Possible: A Stitch in Time, Twitches, Life Size, High School Musical, and Cheetah Girls 2. Have you ever been out of the country? Yes, I been to the Middle East. My family and I lived there in Kuwait for two years. What do you want to major in? I plan to major in petroleum engineering, so I can work and travel the world at the same time. Who is your favorite teacher? My favorite teacher is Mrs. Klemann, because she is the best at making sure you learn what you’re reading. If you were to get a tattoo five years ago, what would it have been? Well, when I was a thirteen year old, I would have probably gotten airbender tats. Luckily, thirteen year olds can’t get tattoos.
9
Stephen Stephen Slogar Slogar What was your dream gift as a child, what do you think of that now? My dream gift as a child was infinite legos. That still sounds like a good gift option now and forever. Where do you see yourself living in the future? As a young professional I want to live in an apartment in downtown Orlando before I settle down. What is your favorite movie? My favorite movie is Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It’s a classic. If you were a crime lord and were wanted by the Federal Government, where would you escape? If I were wanted by the government I would go to Siberia because my skin would blend in with all the snow.
WRITTEN BY CLOE-MARIE MORA
The end of junior year means making a big decision- whether or not to dual enroll full-time their senior year. Half of the Top Ten in the graduating class of 2014 chose to dual enroll fulltime their senior year, and one student even went for part-time dual enrollment. This decision is not one that is made lightly, and the pros and cons to dual enrolling full time are subjective. For senior Victor Langhauser, the decision to dual enroll was largely based on academics, and what he wanted to focus and expand on in his class subjects. “I wanted to further my studies in certain classes that we don’t have [at OHS], such as neurobiology, clinical human anatomy, things like that. The difficulty of the classes just depends on the ones you take,” Langhauser said. Senior Maria Bacci agrees, and thinks that the pros to dual enrolling fulltime widely outnumber the cons. “I thought it would look really good for college. Also, it seemed like fun, you have a lot of free time, and the classes are later. The schedules are much more lenient and we’re able to plan them more without it being micromanaged. You can take whatever classes you want, and you have more classes to choose from,” Bacci said. Some students find that dual enrollment is an option that tends to be a misused. “I think if it’s one or two classes they are interested in or need (such as Calc 3 if they did AP Calc BC junior year) dual enrollment is a good thing, but really the whole dual enrollment thing has been kind of abused since it came around. A lot of people take college algebra or something that you could take at OHS,” senior Stephen Slogar said. Some students are discouraged of full-time dual enrollment because they could possibly miss school events that could only be announced directly on OHS campus. However, some dual enrolled students did not find this to be the case. “Even though we dual enrolled, we were still able to hear about and involve ourselves in school activities. It really wasn’t a problem,” Langhauser said. Slogar believes that the option of dual enrollment defeats the purpose of enjoying your senior year. “I did not dual enroll full time because I wanted to enjoy my last year of high school while actually being in high school, and I didn’t want to bother with night classes and stuff,” Slogar said. “[Dual enrolling] is really just as difficult as you want it to be. A lot of kids just want to be classes with their friends and stuff, so it just depends on who you are and what you want from senior year,” Bacci said.
8 10
y senior year of lacrosse.
SydneyGarick Garick Sydney
What are you majoring in? Ideally I’d like to dual major in chemical engineering and theater. They are incredibly different majors but that is where my passions are and I’m willing to work hard to accomplish my goals. Now what I’m going to do with these two degrees, I have no idea. Do you have any regrets? I think my biggest high school regret was not doing color guard. I was encouraged to audition going into junior year but instead I joined the pit (a wonderful experience as well). But looking back I wish I’d been a part of color guard. What is one thing you want more than anything in the world? I want to be remembered for doing something to change the world for the better. I’m not sure what that will be but I want to be remembered.
17
Pranshu Pranshu Bhardwaj Bhardwaj Beach or mountains? Beach. I’m moving away from the beach at this point, which makes me sad; I’m really going to miss the beach. I grew up in Los Angeles, so I’m definitely a ‘water baby.’ If you had to watch one show for the rest of your life, what would it be? It would probably be Scrubs. I love any show that has to do with medicine, and with Scrub’s lovable characters and diverse humor, it makes for a perfect show. If you were stuck on an island what book would you bring and why? If I was stranded on an island I’d definitely want to have a SAS Survival Handbook. I’m all for great literature and a little beach time, but I love civilization too much to not want to get off said island and get back to humanity.
FEATURES. 18
Senior misses mark by narrow margin WRITTEN BY BRANDON WHITE PHOTOS BY ALEX BROWNING
Just .008 points separated senior Flavia Mucciolo from Top Ten. Even though she is number 11, she sees her rank as a success. “Being number 11 is a pretty good thing,” Mucciolo said. She spent her first three years of high school as a volleyball player. She quit her senior year to focus on her studies. “I decided I was going to be way too overwhelmed if I played volleyball, which is very demanding, every day for hours,” Mucciolo said. “It’s also in the fall season when I was doing all my applications and taking SAT prep courses while adjusting to dual enrollment with hard classes.” “I could not handle this fall semester with volleyball but water polo is in the spring when I finished applications and finished the SAT.” She worked to the best of her ability, only getting one B in high school. Out of over 500 students she feels her rank reflects how far she’s come and how hard she’s worked. She doesn’t condemn the ranking system. But, she suggests that GPAs be rounded up and that there could be more than 10 students in the Top Ten.
Advice to students
1. Make sure to take AP classes your senior year, but only those that you really are interested in-not because you heard they were an easy A (because they most likely are not). 2. Get involved with your school. Go to sports games and pep rallies, volunteer at the NHS/Beta Club events, support your friends in their music/ drama/art shows etc., go to prom, and make sure to really make the most of these final activities of your last year.
BOSTON BOUND. Senior Flavio Mucciolo laughs as she balances the number 11 on her right hand. She missed placing in the Top Ten by .008.
“I think, overall, it’s out of 500 students. Being number 11 is a pretty good thing that I’ve made it this far,” Mucciolo said. The Top Ten gave Mucciolo shout-outs during their speeches at the principal’s honor roll luncheon, and she felt like attention was taken away from them and put on her. Pranshu Bhardwaj first mentioned her in his speech because he was previously number 11, and
knew the feeling. Junior Stephanie Corrigan shares an AP Environmental class with Mucciolo. “She’s always happy and an active participant in the class.” Corrigan said. Now Mucciolo looks forward to the next four years. She will attend Boston University and major in psychology and minor in business.
Teachers dish out advice on how to succeed in classroom WRITTEN BY AMYLIZ RODRIGUEZ PHOTOS BY ALEX BROWNING
English honors teacher Kate Kammeraad believes it is essential to treat students correctly. “Treat your students like humans and not subservient. Often the bad advice given to new teachers is to be stern and mean to your students in order to control them,” Kammeraad said. “This is terrible advice. It’s important that students know your classroom is a learning environment and acting up in class isn’t tolerated, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and be friendly with each other.” Senior Michael Assata wants teachers to have a personal touch. “When I come to school, I expect to learn. In order for me to learn I need a teacher who not only understands me and the way I learn, but who I can also trust and who can be my friend because I think that connection between students and teachers is essential in excelling any educational progress,” Azzata said. AP Psychology teacher Zack Densberger believes in placing himself in his student’s shoes to better instruct his class as well as incorporating humor. “I try to mold myself after what I always wanted. I wanted someone who didn’t waste my time, didn’t give me a bunch of busy work for the sake of busy work, who was educating me in how to think and also someone who was putting responsibility on me to take care of my own education,” Densberger said. Junior Rachel Wang believes that personality is key to creating a good teacher. “Mostly [it’s the teacher’s] personality and the way they teach. Some teachers are less formal in their style of teaching. They encourage free discussion during class and they joke around with us. I tend to feel more comfortable talking to those teachers and
3. Spend quality time with your siblings and parents. It might be your last year living at home so getting to see them every day before you leave for college is important. Really appreciate their presence. 4. When doing college applications, don’t procrastinate. Consider the wide range of options for universities. Research all kinds of schools and don’t be afraid to apply to out of state schools. 5. Leave your own mark at OHS and remember that you will always be a Lion. LIFELONG READER. Dr. Roy Starling checks out a novel by Stephen King, one of many on his classroom book shelves.
The following books are Doc’s top ten list of must reads: 1. Where I’m Calling From 2. The Things They Carried 3. Slaughterhouse Five 4. Huckleberry Finn 5. Great Expectations 6. Light in August 7. Catch-22 8. Infinite Jest 9. A Room with a View 10. Brothers Karamazov
those are the ones I think of as friends,” Wang said. “My favorite teacher is probably Densberger because his class makes me feel relaxed and the material is actually interesting. He adds a lot of personal examples in his lectures that are really funny but also informative.” A teacher who fully understand his lessons and integrates comedy into his classes maintains the interest of the students. Dr. Roy Starling qualifies as just such a teacher. He weighs in on the question of what makes an effective teacher. “Authority and authenticity. By that I mean, they should know their material well and should be human. Teachers lose credibility if they don’t know the material from their field and they have difficulty connecting to students if they don’t seem ‘real’ or genuine,” AP English Literature teacher Roy Starling said. When describing all the hard work that goes into teaching, Starling says that it’s his students that keep him going. “For reasons too numerous to go into here, this is a terrible time to be a teacher, but the profession still offers many gratifying moments. I’m very happy to have spent so much of my life in the company of my students,” Starling said.
“An important trait I think a teacher should have is probably using a lot of humor. I just joke around; I’m always looking for a good laugh,” Starling said. “When the kids play jokes on me I don’t get upset and I just go along with it. When you show that you have a sense of humor and you don’t take yourself too seriously, it relaxes the environment and to me that’s the best way for a group of kids to learn.” “[As a student], I’d personally like someone who likes me and treats me with respect, who demands my best work but is flexible in unusual circumstances, who doesn’t surprise me with changes in requirements and scheduling, and who speaks to me in a regular human voice, not a scripted teacher voice.” Of those interviewed, the personal touch appears to be essential. “I find myself appreciating my teachers more when they talk to me like I’m a friend of theirs or if they ask how I’m doing and they’re actually being sincere. To me, when they do that, it feels like they don’t look down on me, but that they think of me as a person just like them. It makes it easier to learn from and relate to them,” Azzata said.
FEATURES. 20
Four tips for living on your own 1. Don’t be scared. No one will probably murder you, don’t be paranoid. 2. Like yourself Develop healthy coping mechanisms when you’re sad. You’ll have to go out and find friends, there won’t always loved ones for you at home to help you 3. Learn how to do stuff around the house. Learn how to cook simple meals, do your own laundry, and clean. 4. Have fun! Without your parents around you can do whatever you please. Blast music, eat iced cream for breakfast, just to lessen the load or autonomy from your parents. INFO COURTESY OF THOUGHCATALOG.COM
ILLUSTRATION BY LAUREN HIGHT
A look into the psychology of moving out
WRITTEN BY CLARA SHINE
Sweat, blood, tears and pain. All the hard work that goes into graduating gears up to one specific moment in every young adult’s life: moving out. According to studies, sadness, and worry prevail among the parents of newly departed high school seniors. Student’s have excitement and some anxiety for the new phase of life. “Honestly...I feel like I’m really naive when it comes to the whole being on your own thing,” said senior Hannah Roberson. “I think it’s going to be harder than it looks, but I feel like my parents and teachers have taught me all that they can and now it’s up to me to use what I know to be sufficient on my own” Financial concerns lead the pack of worries. “I’m kind of worried about money, but mostly it’s really stressful because I have to create a bank account and get loans then there’s the concern of the sketchy scam ones,” said senior Madi Slage. “My parents can’t really help financially especially because there’s two of us going off to college so it would just be a lot so I’m doing my best scholarship-wise so they at least don’t have to worry about that.” Housing at the University of Illinois costs
on average $9,000 to $10,400 and depends on actually become closer,” said Roberson. whether it’s a double or a single room which is “When we miss each other we will only typical for a large four-year university according think of positive memories and be able to realize to campusexplorer.com. how significant we are in each others lives.” The time right before the move often Senior Patrick O’Neill admits that distance features tension between parents and teens. really does make the heart grow fonder. “There can sometimes be tension when my “I think my relationship with my family parents tell me what I should major in or list will be better. I have two older brothers and I of things I should or feel like after they should not do in college moved out and we Honestly, I feel like I’m really naive because when I’m stopped seeing each when it comes to the whole being on my own I want to other every day our make my own choices on your own thing. relationship got and mistakes,” said better. Each time Senior Hannah Roberson Roberson. we see each other Slage agrees. is more of a treat “My parents have been really supportive rather than an expectation,” said O’Neill. even though they’d rather I stay home so I could Slage maintains hope that her absence in the help them. I know they want what’s best for house will help her younger siblings to pick up me,” said Slage. “There’s some tension. My dad the slack and help more with chores. mostly is pushing me about studying for exams “I have younger siblings and I do a lot of and SAT so I can get a high enough score for work around the house so trying to balance Bright Futures.” that with a job and college just didn’t sound Despite the unsettled thoughts, teens say the appealing. It sounded too stressful. So I decided distance will create a better relationship with to leave. I hope it’ll help my siblings mature and their families. become more responsible with everything,” said “I think that although [my family and I] Slage. will be farther apart in terms of miles, we will
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FEATURES.
Music, movies, books & more
QUICK REVIEW
SUPERLATIVE
ADMIRABLE
ADEQUATE
21
ATROCIOUS
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Game Of Thrones
Action Movie
Adventure/Drama/Fantasy
Season Four
REVIEW BY CHRIS MOSKAL
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is the most political Marvel film since the first Iron Man and one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date. It has great action and characters, but also contains a powerful message about recent U.S. policies like spying and drone warfare. Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson have great chemistry together, and newcomer Anthony Mackie is a great addition to the team as the superhero Falcon. Fans of Robert Redford will also be surprised by his performance as it’s quite a departure from his usual roles.
QUICK REVIEW Lana Del Rey Live
Indie pop Concert REVIEW BY ALEX WHITE
Hailing from Lake Placid, singer Lana Del Rey recently visited the Universal Hard Rock in Orlando to showcase her Paradise album one more time before her new album “Ultraviolence” hits the iTunes market. The concert reflected sweeping orchestral and retro-sounding tunes including “Blue Jeans,” “Summertime Sadness” and “National Anthem.” This concert would be one of the first times her new single “West Coast” was performed live. Del Rey took a more jazzy approach with her song “Million Dollar Man” as she sang outstanding vocals and her pianist played along to her cinematic tone.
Good movie, riveting book series
Quality television fit for a king REVIEW BY BRANDON WHITE
Beware to anyone who is interested in watching Game of Thrones. You will get addicted. You will spend long hours into the night recapping the first three amazing seasons that all lead up to the incredible fourth season. Every few years a series comes along that captures my creativity and imagination. In the early millennium it was the Lord of the Rings, and the past few years it’s been Harry Potter, and now it’s Game of Thrones. These series take us beyond what we previously thought possible and they force us to rethink our lives. So far the show has been immensely successful, reaching a large and diverse audience. One aspect of this show that disturbs so many viewers is the violence and sex. Critics rave about the plot-line and character development etc. but are critical of the countless medieval-like battles and sexual encounters,
(Tris), easy to relate to. Even though the book’s society is very different from our own, Tris goes through inner struggles much like an ordinary girl. The series begins with the first book REVIEW BY ALEX BROWNING The recent hit series, Divergent, is quickly Divergent, which is the start of all the chaos becoming the current novel of our generation. yet to come in the future books. The book In my opinion, the book is extraordinary. My takes place in an alternate society in which problem with most books is they are stiff and there are five factions, or groups, controlling don’t spark my interest. But like the meaning each part of a functioning civilization. of the word ‘Divergent’, these books are Another key factor why these books are different. I found the main character, Beatrice such a jaw dropper is the way they are written.
so beware to young viewers. For the last few years no show has been more entertaining to me than Game of Thrones. This HBO series takes place in the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. The show features different plot lines as several families battle for power. Westeros is at the end of a decade long summer and “winter is coming,” along with the fictional ice monsters that live north of a giant wall erected to protect the South from them. While this evil force from the North gains strength, Daenerys Targaryen, the rightful heir to the iron throne, [shown above] adds to her vast army of slaves and three dragons through the seizure of multiple cities in Essos. In Westeros the brother to the late King Robert Baratheon and his Zoroastrian-like cult still plan to retake the throne. The family in power is still the cunning Lannisters, full
The books are easy to follow and manage to hold my attention throughout the entire novel. All three books show the true struggle of an underdog. Each book leads up to the next, unraveling a truth behind the shut curtain that is Beatrice’s corrupt and crumbling city. I would recommend this stimulating and daunting series to all ages 13 and above and for girls and boys. These books deserve 3 and a half stars out of 4. With all said, these books are intelligent, honest, and daring.
of liars and power-hungry sociopaths. The family indicated as the heros of the show are the Starks. The remaining Starks are in opposite ends of Westeros, and are hiding from the force that killed most of their virtuous family. The series is based off the books by George R.R. Martin, of also is an executive producer and writer for the show. Martin carefully blended different cultures and events throughout history to make the story alive and exciting. One of the creators of the show George Benioff jokingly called Game of Thrones “The Sopranos in Middle Earth,” due to the sadistic actions and realpolitik of the vicious rulers.
FEATURES. 22
The One Page Low-down Office Jerk
Compare & Contrast
WRITTEN BY JAY PATEL AND MAX HOLBROOK
Is your boss getting on your nerves? Are you aggravated? Office Jerk is the frustration-relieving app that allows you to humiliate the boss everyone has in their lives. You have items such as pies, paper balls, staplers, cupcakes, soap and more, and the game has you launch them at an annoying boss’ head. There are challenges you can attempt throughout the game and by completing them you can earn coins. You can spend the coins you’ve earned to unlock new projectiles to hit the boss. Relieving stress doesn’t get much more fun.
Fashion Trend of the Season
Fun in the Sun for Everyone WRITTEN BY CATHY GRIFFITH
Summer is heating up, and so is teen fashion. To save yourself from heat exhaustion, try using these fashion tips. Makeup: For your lips, with a lighter skin tone stick to light pinks. Olive skin calls for light browns and brownish reds. With dark skin, stick to deep reds or reddish browns. For eye shadow, dark eyes look good with grays, blues, purples, gold/ yellows, and greens. Lighter eyes look good in brown, taupe and bronze shades. Hair: Try having your hair wavy or braided, even try putting hair into a bun or ponytail. Clothes: Summer dresses go well with this season. For this scorching weather wear light clothing such as tank tops or T-shirts with shorts (not too short). Don’t wear thick clothing or too many layers. Shoes: To save your feet from aching, try wearing sandals or flip-flops, any type of shoes that won’t cause your feet to sweat.
ILLUSTRATION BY CATHY GRIFFITH
SUDOKU
Disney vs. Universal
WHAT GRINDS MY GEARS
TO Responding to Pick Up Lines
WRITTEN BY CHRIS MOSKAL CATEGORY
WRITTEN BY ALLI MOSS
October 1st, 1971
Founded
52.5 million people annually
Number of Annual Visitors
June 17th, 1990 34.5 million people annually
An eye roll. A sarcastic comment on the lesson. An interrupting outburst. I sit in my 7th period class doing Four theme Number of Two parks, my best to comprehend the lesson on parks, two four hotels, harmonic motion, when for the fourth City walk time that period, the class troublemaker water parks, Attractions jumps up shouting about how he wants 24 hotels complex to “party” and get “turnt up” this weekend. WINNER: Disney Under the desk, he crunches his plastic water bottle, deliberately making as much noise as possible while he stares down the teacher with a smirk. The Wind Rises The young teacher’s face falls into WRITTEN BY NICHOLAS RODRIGUEZ a shade of despair; with his knowledge of physics he could build a hundred bridges. But he cannot possibly educate Clouds passing, going these students on even the basics of the A plane dives, a ball of fire course with this kid’s constant disrespect Hayao Miyazaki. and disruption. It’s as if these kids don’t realize how lucky they are to attend a school in a country where education is free and guaranteed to all students. They’re also receiving that free education at one of the best high schools in the state. Students who disrespect teachers prohibit not just themselves from learning but their classmates as well, as the teacher must pause the lesson to deal with the unruly student. If any of this behavior sounds like you, then I ask just one thing. Next time you’re about to snark during a lesson, consider the impact of your disrespect. Consider the teacher who studied 4+ years to become and educator who devotes and average 60 hours a week teaching. Consider the twentysomething students around you who are trying to learn and desperately trying not to strangle you.
Haiku Reviews
it, Pull it, and Bop Remember “Twist it!” The original Bop It was in 1996 and was This? created further developed by the toy
WRITTEN BY ALEX BROWNING
GIRLS GUIDE
WRITTEN BY: TAE BLOOM, MAKAILA COWART AND MARY VOGEL For all the girls who hate pick-up lines try to use some comebacks that are sure to make them run. By the way guys, we didn’t smile, actually we laughed until we puked. Here are some responses to the failed attempts of catching our attention. 1. I don’t know if you know this, but you look a lot like my next girlfriend. Comeback: I’m actually a female impersonator. 2. You’re like a dictionary... You add meaning to my life. Comeback: I’m illiterate. 3. I’m sine squared theta; you’re cosine squared theta. Together we are one. Comeback: I speak English, not geek. 4. If I were a spotlight, I’d turn red every time you passed by, just so I could stare at you a bit longer. Comeback: Life moves too fast to stop at red lights. 5. I thought happiness started with an H. Why does mine start with U? Comeback: Maybe you should go back to grammar school. 6. Of all the beautiful curves on your body, your smile is my favorite. Comeback: Are you saying that the only part on my body that isn’t fat is my smile?
Video of the Month WRITTEN BY CAMILLA OMAR
What Languages Sound Like to Foreigners company Hasbro. With a total of twelve versions, only six have not been discontinued. Each version included it own unique design but still represent the original Bop It. As you play the game the announcer speeds up his commands, telling players to “Bop it”, “Twist it”, “Pull it”, “Shout it”, “Flick it”, “Spin it”, “Shake it”. PHOTOS COURTESY OF PUBLICITY SITES
So Not Hot WRITTEN BY: MEGAN HYPPOLITE, HANNAH GIBILISCO, CIARA GAY, KRISLYNN KEETON, TAYLOR OAKES, DELANEY ROBB
1. Fake tans 2. Wrong colored foundation (too dark/ light) A girl attempts to speak different 3. Not pointed wing accents from around the world. eyeliner Her words sound real but it’s just 4. Clumpy mascara gibberish. When she spoke she clearly portrayed the accent but if you listen 5. Non blended makeup carefully the words have no meaning. 6. Maxi skirts that go In the video she speaks in languages above the ankle like Arabic, Spanish, French, and Italian which she refers to as “Pizza.” 7. Drawn-on eyebrows
FEATURES. 24
Garden Party Prom kicks off with appetizers on Palms’ lawn platter consisting of an array of different cheeses. Rays of sunlight streamed through the tops Senior Kelsey Cameron says that the of green palm trees as the 2014 Garden Party function was well organized. took place on Gaylord Palms’ Coquina Lawn “I think that the garden party was a great at 6 p.m. followed by prom. idea and it was definitely extremely fancy. I “We really just wanted to give people a found it to be put together in a wonderful way place to chill before prom so they’re not just and it was just simple,” Cameron said. standing around in their heels. I wanted it to “It’s a really be grown up and good way to kick to keep everyone off prom night “Seeing the beautiful architecture of occupied,” said especially because Gaylord Palms was my favorite part prom sponsor there’s appetizers. of the prom evening” Kimberly Generally before Senior Kelsey Cameron Finnegan. dinner people get “The students a little bit hungry are all dressed up and providing food definitely makes things and look fantastic. Plus you’re right in the easier.” middle of the hotel so everyone gets to see Finnegan plans on advertising the party you and it looks like a fancy party. There even more next year so more students can were probably 100-150 kids down there. So experience it. our mission was accomplished,“ Finnegan Prom committee: Michelle Ney, Tara Salvagione, Molly added. Ford, Madison Wiley, Stephanie Smith, Rachel BerOrange punch, fruit and crackers were nardo, Lina Hauser, Andrea D’Alflonso, Kara Finnegan, served at separate booths as well as a cheese Sydney Seltenreich, Courtney Welhoelter.
WRITTEN BY ALEX WHITE
ALL PHOTOS BY ALEX WHITE
JOHN McCORMICK
JACKIE FORD AND LANCE CARLSON
KATIE CAMBLIN AND BOYFRIEND
RUZGA R ZERE
AND ZA CH
TERRY HOWARD AND GIRLFRIEND
MILLER JASON COMPT ON AND
MICHA EL PEN DERGA ST
SHARO N VAIN SHTEIN AND
ASHLYN CLIFFO RD
SPORTS. 26
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SPORTS. SEAN REILLY
ANNA COSTELLO Team: Girls Volleyball
Q:When did you
first know you wanted to play volleyball in college? A: It was definitely in our last States game. It was such a high level of playing that I knew that I didn’t want to give it up. I knew I wanted to keep playing at that intensity and keep going to more challenging games.
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Tyree Owens
West Virginia recruits senior
WRITTEN BY LYNDSEY TAYLOR A brand new freshman, senior Tyree Owens lacked the skill and confidence he now has when he first started playing football. “I was horrible. I had no idea what I was doing. The first thing they had me do was tackle and I had never played defense in my life. It was really hard,” Owens said. Football coach Wes Allen says now Allen’s attitude is very motivating and he keeps the team together. AJ Coney, who graduated from Oviedo
LINDSAY PRESTON Team: Girls
Team: Boys Soccer Q:Who do you have to
thank the most for your success in your sport? A: My parents and my coaches. My parents have really helped support me through all I have done in soccer. They put a lot of time in effort into letting me play soccer. My coaches have really helped me a lot by pushing me and letting me develop as a player.
08
Soccer
Q:What has been the
best day for you in high scool? A: I’d still say freshman year when we won State Championships because we won with penalty kicks and I was the goal keeper and I took them and I was able to save three so that was pretty awesome and I still remember it today.
01
Asheville contact you? A: I started probably before junior year by looking at different colleges. Around July 1st is the time when colleges are allowed to start calling you and what made this school stand out to me is that Coach called me the first day you could possibly call. So that’s a big deal.
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last year and now plays at Weber State decided he would be going to West Virginia University, played an important role in Owens’ University and playing on their defense. first football stages. He based his choice off of the “AJ Coney helped me a lot because I was opportunities he would receive and the trash and he would basically just throw me family dynamic that West Virginia provided. around even though he was half my size so he “West Virginia was my first offer and on pushed me to want to get better,” Owens said. top of that they treated me like family from Soon, Owens improved exponentially and the beginning.” Owens said. “Some colleges was on his way to great things. will call you once and never get in touch “After the spring season I just about knew again but West Virginia was constantly on what I was doing, so the upcoming season for my case and checking how my grades were, the fall of my sophomore year I was able to seeing what I was doing football-wise, things get a starting spot by the second game,” Owens like that.” said. Proving Owens continued I did my studying but singling it West Virginia’s to grow and increase commitment, his skill level on the down to one college was really head coach Dana varsity football team hard. Holgorsen visited but he didn’t receive Senior Tyree Owen debate teacher any offers from Deborah Jepson, colleges. who Owens had After accepting said was his favorite teacher. the fact that he was not going to get an offer, “When he came to visit me I was very Owens was ecstatic when he obtained his first surprised. I went to the door and his coach one - West Virginia University. Shortly after, said ‘I always come and meet my players’ the offers continued to roll in. favorite teachers’. He asked me how Tyree “Junior year went by and I didn’t have any was doing. I told him that Tyree was doing offers but then spring popped up and I had like well and is a really nice guy and the coach 22 offers,” Owens said. told me that he didn’t want him to play nice,” With his excitement over so many offers Jepson said. came confusion. Choosing the college he Despite his hesitation in choosing a would attend proved to be a difficult task for school, Owens is now content with his Owens. choice. “It was a hard choice because I wasn’t able “I am one hundred percent happy with to get to many colleges. Just a few in Florida my choice of West Virginia. Their defense and then West Virginia. There were a good 18 hasn’t been the best. That gives me the other colleges that I wasn’t able to visit. I did chance to get more playing time. Also, they do my studying but singling it down to one are still a building program so maybe I can college was really hard,” Owens said. help them out with that,” Owens said. After quite a bit of thought, Owens
CAYLA SHAWFIELD Team: Girls Lacrosse
Q:Out of your four
years of playing sports here at OHS, what is your favorite lacrosse memory and why? A: Probably winning the Lake Brantley game this year because we played really well and we haven’t beaten Lake Brantley in a really long time.
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SHANNON KENNEDY Team: Swimming Q:When did UNC
CHRIS DAVIS
Team: Football Q:When did you first
start playing football and how did you get to be so successful? A: I started playing when I was really little. I was about six or seven actually. I thank my parents for my success because they really pushed me and kept me going and Coach Allen definitely helped with the process.
03
LEAH Team: Swimming Q:What is the best
moment you have had in your sports career so far? A: This past swimming season I participated in the 200 meter swimming freestyle relay. That I placed second at states; I was really honored and happy to be able to get the chance to participate in it.
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AMANDA ORTIZ Team:Softball Q:How do you
think your softball experience will change while in college? A: I’m really very excited to play in college. I know that everyone on the team wants to be there just as bad as I do. I’m excited because we will all have a lot of skill.
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JOHN TATUM
Team:Baseball Q:How do you
think you’ve improved from your first tryouts to now? A:I understand what is expected of me now. I get the mental aspect of everything. I physically got stronger I’ve gotten a little taller. I’ve just really gotten stronger all around.
01
BRADLEY LANDERS Team: Baseball Q: What’s your
favorite sports memory from this year? A: My favorite memory from this year is the day I pitched a one-hitter against Lake Howell, which was really big for me. Another day I remember really well would be the day I got offered my college scholarship.
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SPORTS. 29
Four championships cap year COMPILED BY JAIMIE LANDERS ILLUSTRATIONS BY HARRY ALLEN
w
Girls Bowling
Boys Basketball
Girls Volleyball
Cheerleading
The girls bowling team won the state championship game after battling 6 games for the first place title, on Nov. 6. In the past three years, the girls team only lost one match in the district conference. Coach Brittney Burr believes that the first place win proves the dedication the girls have for the sport.
Senior Thatcher Brown said after losing to Wekiva twice, the team started coming together and working harder and that’s when they knew they had a good shot at making it to states. The team won the district, regional, and state championship games. They also became conference champions.
The girls varsity volleyball team came home as state champions on Friday, Nov. 15. The team won the regular season district championship and the regional championship. Their coach, Jennifer Darty, also won 7A Coach of the Year.
The varsity cheerleading squad won the state championship competition on Jan. 31. Their season accomplishments also included placing 2nd in their regionals and placing 13th at nationals on Feb. 8.
Coach Brittney Burr
Coach Ed Kershner
Coach Jennifer Darty
Coach Shannon Woodard
Baseball
Waterpolo
Boys Soccer On Valentine’s Day, the boys varsity soccer team battled for the final four win. Though they lost, the boys made tremendous accomplishments throughout their season. They went undefeated in their regular season for the 2nd year running. They finished as SAC champions, district champions, and regional champions. Coach Ben Luker
Girls Lacrosse The girls varsity lacrosse team made it all the way to regional finals, but lost a close game to Olympia High school, 11-10. They finished their season with a record of 16-7 and won their second straight district title, beating Hagerty 20-12. The team also finished first place in the Seminole Athletic Conference for the first time ever. Coach John Darley
The varsity baseball team won the regional quarter-final game against Fleming Island on April 30. The team finished their regular season with a record of 17-8, and was ranked number 1 in their district. The team continues their drive to a state championship title, winning the regional semi-final game against Winter Springs on May 6. Coach Harold Hitt
Both the boys and the girls waterpolo teams won their district game on April 16. Junior Audra Duffy believes the reason they made it so far was because they set a goal to win, to beat Hagerty High, and to work as hard as they could. Both teams advanced all the way to the regional final game. Coach Ryan Donnell
SPORTS.
READY TO HIT. Junior Ryan Anderson is up to bat for the Oviedo Lions in their game against Lake Howell in the district quarter finals. With more playoff games to come, the lions are expected to go far into the state playoffs with their current overall rank at four.
TAKING THE FIELD. Senior John McDaniel is ready to make a play on the field for the Oviedo Lions baseball team at first base. The Lions ended up winning their game against Lake Howell 5 to 0. McDaniel also went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs for Oviedo in the Winter Springs game.
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Hit and Run Varsity baseball heads towards states after defeating Winter Springs with a score of 5-4
IN THE ZONE. Senior Bradley Landers takes the mound to pitch against the Lake Howell Silver Hawks in the district quarter finals game. Landers started and finished the game for the Oviedo Lions varsity baseball team.
THE PLAY AT SECOND. Junior Ty Powell chases down the ball at second base in order to make the play for the Oviedo Lions in their district playoff game. The Oviedo Lions enter the playoffs with a regular season record of 17-8, making them one of the top ranked teams in the state.
Brainiac Athletes WRITTEN BY KEENAN SMITH
PHOTOS BY ALEX BROWNING
Two seniors take different approaches to their sports and school lives but both land a spot in Top 10 academic scholars
Steven Slogar
Pranshu Bhardwaj
Parents key to success in school and on the field
Athlete says sports allowed him to remain ‘sane’
While he may now rest comfortably as number nine in his class, senior Steven Slogar found maintaining his academics a daily struggle. “A lot of times it just felt like crashing through each day as far as homework went. I would say I’ll just finish this during breakfast or whatever,” he said. Slogar believes a busy schedule on the track took away time from studying but in the end forced him to be more intentional with his time and energy. His busy lifestyle, however, prevented him from getting into a consistent pattern, he says. “I never really felt like I found a balance cause I just do what I need for athletics first because I can get kicked off the team but you can’t really throw me out of school for
underperforming,” said Slogar. Slogar found help and encouragement from his parents. “They put boundaries on me. They wouldn’t let me go crazy if I wanted to so they would be like ‘Oh, you better have this homework finished before you go out this weekend.’ They were never intense about it. They just made sure that I didn’t go wild,” said Slogar. Slogar says his hard work on the track translates into his academics. “The sport really involves perseverance, trying your best, keeping going even if it gets rough so I’d say that sort of attitude helps because even if you’re struggling in class you have to keep going and keep your grade up,” said Slogar. “Even if running in 95 degree weather sucks, you have to keep going.”
“The rule in my family, in this house, is academics come first,” said senior
Pranshu Bhardwaj. As a committed water polo player and swimmer, Bhardwaj’s life is a race against the clock in order to fulfill his commitments. “Tuesdays and Thursday’s this semester I would miss about an hour of practice for polo to go to calculus. It would be tough for me because I would want to stay and scrimmage but I’d have to run to class. I’d dry off, take off my suit, put on my clothes and just run. Get there in roughly 30 minutes and run into class to sit down and just start taking notes,” he said. Bhardwaj’s crammed schedule forces him to use every hour wisely. He says his two options are either sink or swim. “You come home, shower off and basically, I work upstairs so I have my food, being an athlete
and all, a bunch of food on the side and then my textbooks laid out so I get to work and finish it off and usually around 11:00 or 12:00 is when I go to sleep,” Barthawadj said. For Barthawadj, involement in athletics takes root in his family tradition and Indian heritage. “My dad was an athlete as well, he was extremely good at badminton, cricket and field hockey in India and he would do the same thing,” he said “He would grow out his beard and wouldn’t touch it or anything. But when he could get away from studying he told me that he would go out and play cricket with his friends.” Pranshu believes sports takes away his time, but allows him to find a physical outlet, and a form of catharsis. “For me, athletics has kept me sane through the years. If I had a really bad day at school, even if some problem was bugging me that day in school, I’ll sit and swim or play some water polo. doing that allows me to get away from the stress of it all for a while but at the same time take a small break,” said Pranshu.
ROAR BOARD
SPORTS. 31
The voice of OHS sports
TWEET OF THE MONTH: @thatcher_brown Great win. Great outing by @BradleyLanders1 7 scoreless #lovethisteam #oviedobaseball 4 RETWEETS
15 FAVORITES
INSTAGRAM OF THE MONTH:
@themickeykennedy
READY TO FIGHT.
Junior Kylie Dunmire prepares to take possession of the ball.
PHOTO BY ALEX BROWNING
Girls varsity lacrosse wraps up season WRITTEN BY JAIMIE LANDERS The girls varsity lacrosse team made it all the way to the regional final game. The final score was 11-10, with an Olympia win by a close margin. Even with this loss, their season broke records. Junior Kylie Dunmire set a new school record with 138 total points, assists and goals. Sophomore Harper Bolt set a new school record with 130 saves. The girls set a record for the most wins in a season and ended up 7th in the state in LaxPower. The 2013-2014 season was the 15th year in a row that the team finished the season in the top ten.
Other individual accomplishments include Dunmire making US Lacrosse High School All American and US Lacrosse Academic All American. Dunmire and senior Jamie Luntz made first team all Seminole county. Kat Schneeberger and Hannah Walters made second team all Seminole County. The team finished their year 16-7 and won their second straight district title against Hagerty. The girls also placed first in the Seminole Conference for the first time.
119 likes
STAR ATHLETE: REID MIKALSEN Q: What do you do before a game? A: I always like team meal because everyone is there. Q: What gets you excited before a game? A: Our warm ups and hitting lines. Q: Who is the biggest influence for you in your sport? A: All of my teammates. Q: What moment are you most proud of from this season? A: Beating Lake Mary twice. Q:What are your hobbies outside of volleyball? A: Surfing or any other boarding sport.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA POPE
BOYS LACROSSE season ended 4/17
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA POPE
BOYS VOLLEYBALL season ended 5/1
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALICIA POPE
GIRLS LACROSSE season ended 4/18
PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMIE LUNTZ
WATER POLO season ended 4/25
PHOTO BY MILES MINER
FEATURES. 32
SENIOR WEEK H
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Apr. 20-25
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MATHLETES VS ATHLETES
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Bradley L
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TEN YEARS BACK
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PAJAMA DAY
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SENIOR CITIZEN
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