October 29, 2016

ORACLE Friday, October 28, 2016 // Vol 43 // Issue 3

Stratford High School 14555 Fern, Houston, Texas // shsoracle.com

Who will you vote for?

Election Year 2016

@SpartanOracle PHOTO BY: ARTURO BENITEZ

@StratfordOracle

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Opinions The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Calendar Changes

Your Vote Counts:

WRITTEN BY: VALERIA ROBAYO

WRITTEN BY: SEBASTIAN DROZ

Late starts shortened because of state calendar changes While late starts stayed in the calendar the starting time of the late starts changed, moving up 30 minutes.

Changing the calendar requires a great deal of input from the various members of the district.

For instance, bus schedules have to be worked throughout the district for instance.

Many students and transfers especially are feeling the impact. People who live far away now have to wake up nearly a half an hour to an hour earlier than they did last year.

Sophomore Rachel Hur also does not like the change.

“I don’t like the late start change because I have to wake up earlier, and as a student I need more sleep,” Hur said.

This was brought about because of a change in state policy concerning the yearly minimum amount of instruction time each school must have.

Last year, the state gave its minimum time in the unit of days, and things like late starts and pep rallies did not subtract from the value of a day of school. That is to say days with those events were still considered full days of school time.

This year, however, the state gave its minimum time in minutes.

Every school in the state must have a minimum instruction time of at least 75,600 minutes, and only minutes of instruction, counting lunches and breaks between periods, count as part of the school day.

This also means that things like pep rallies and late starts actually subtract from the official The Oracle newspaper is the official, schoolsponsored student media of Stratford High School, 14555 Fern, Houston, Texas 77079, 713-251-3454. The Oracle is published monthly by the Journalism Department, and is also available online at shsoracle.com.

The newspaper is a member of Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, and Interscholastic League Press Conference.

the readers. Readers may submit material via e-mail to info@shsoracle.com.

The Oracle serves as a public forum of student expression, and is open to contributions submitted by

The staff is responsible for the content of the publication, and strives maintain professional standards

All letters to the editor must be typed and contain the author’s full name, grade and signature. Submitted material is subject to editing based on space and/or content. The opinions expressed are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, the staff, the administration or the school district.

amount of time students spend at school.

This newfound shortage of time is what led to the shortening of late starts.

All the late start duration times combined from last year equal to 600 minutes, or 10 hours.

What the district did this year was shorten each time (one per six weeks) by half an hour, which lowered the combined time to 420 minutes, or 7 hours.

This change, and others helped bring the number of instruction minutes to where it had to be.

However, I think late start time might be better spent. The school could, instead of late starts, have a pep rally every other Friday.

These pep rallies would be optional, but instead of going home being the only choice, students would have the alternative to go to tutorials during the half hour period.

This would encourage students to seek help, and result in higher tutorial attendance rates. The extra time would also be beneficial to those with busy schedules.

Change is hard, no matter what kind, and the struggle to accommodate is the hardest part.

Once students get accustomed to the change in schedule, they might perhaps see more pros than cons in their situation.

Hur shares her views on thinking positive of the change.

“It may not be comfortable to wake up earlier, but it is more practical. At least I get to walk to school at a cooler temperature, because the weather is colder earlier in the morning,” Hur said. of accuracy, objectivity and fairness. The editors reserve the right to determine whether submissions will be published.

The Oracle staff strives to produce a newspaper that covers the entire Stratford community, and welcomes freelance submissions.

Publication costs are covered through advertisements. For more information, contact thestratfordoracle@ gmail.com OR call at 713-251-3454

ORACLE Editors-in-Chief Cameron Henkel Olivia Siciliano

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Associate Editor

*Nazlee Khadjeheian *Emma Holland *Ellie Herrmann *Maddie McKenzie

Photo Editors Riley Timmreck Presley Graves Perry Shepard

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Opinions Editors Lauren Byram Sebastian Droz News Editors Taylor Morris

The reason why voting is so important

It is necessary for everyone that is able to vote, to do so. The elections are a lot closer than they seem.

Early voting started Oct. 24, and regular voting is Tuesday, Nov. 8. It is crucial for people to vote this upcoming election, because this president will run the country for the next four years, and if that doesn’t seem like a lot of time, that is the amount of time it takes to graduate high school.

In four years, this country could improve drastically or get a lot worse, but it’s all up to the voter.

The voter has to know who will essentially benefit this country, and there seems to be less enthusiasm for the major candidates this year.

High school level voters have always been known to vote for the candidate running for the Republican party, but this year only 40% of voters will be voting for Republican candidate, Donald Trump, according to polls ran by the Morning Consultant.

This could very well be due to the politically incorrect remarks that Trump has been caught saying. However it also seems to be because high school level voters are not voting as much as they have before.

The Democratic candidate,

Elizabeth Cole Culture Editors Charlotte Benes Rachel Dietert Sports Editors Jacqui Comparin Haley Grace Francis Nicole Whiteford Assistant Sports Editor Louis Nucette Reporters Andrew Park Alex Parizot Photographers Arturo Benitez Jordyn Richards Kate McCord

Hillary Clinton is winning in early voting polls right now, but if Trump supporters are scared, this can change rapidly, as seen before by the president of the United States, Barack Obama’s surge against the Republican candidate of 2008’s election, John McCain.

Candidates switch from first place to second place all the time, even by outside factors that they are not able to control, like the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008, which made Obama’s numbers go up tremendously against McCain. Clinton does seem to be stable however.

The only time that Trump has been leading is in the month of July, but that quickly changed.

All that is being asked of voters is to vote. They have a voice, and they should use it. It cannot be stressed enough how much it can change the outcome of this election and future ones to come.

If students are not sure if they are qualified to vote, they need to be 18, be a legal U.S. citizen, and have a valid form of ID. Registration for this election has already closed but if you are old enough to vote, register now anyways so you will be ready to vote in the next election. Make your voice heard, get involved and may the best man, or woman win the Presidency.

Grayson Hart Cassie Wilson Mariana Rincon Tea Sharp Donovan Rixie Carol Gebhart Sam Wagner Claire Sanchez Zaina Ateyea Madison Harbison Allison Delgado Kaitlyn White Savanna Underwood Jamauri Bagby Ads Editors Katie Boatwright Lindell Lewis Alice Morse Ads Staff

Maddie Rustam Jackson Fass Erin Walsh Natalie Gaiser Lauren Perry Gigi Meredith Design Editor William Thiele Staff Artist Caroline Bucek Copy Editors Benjamin Burnham Maddie Suerth Building Principal Danny Gex Advisor Janice Cummons *Editorial Board

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Opinions The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Under appreciated Spirit Groups Is our hard work even noticed?

WRITTEN BY: LAUREN BYRAM PHOTOS BY:BAYLE GOLDMAN Friday night football is the highlight of the fall season. they wouldn’t be in to it,” Christiansen said.

Whole communities come together to support their high Christiansen would rather people go to the band conschool football team, even if they don’t have a child in high certs so that they can school. enjoy their performance, Spartanaires practice to perfect their routines to perform not because they have at pep rallies and half time shows, cheerleaders practice to. “Band people get all new ways to get the stands excited and band practices for the excitement from both. the football games, but Hours and hours of practice go behind making sure the there is not much excitefootball team has a solid support system behind it because, ment at a band concert if there is one thing that’s a fact, it’s that schools take pride unless they’re into band in their football teams. music,” Christiansen Schools compare each other based on how well their said. football teams do. You’ll often hear someone saying “oh This is how the playCheering Them On Sophomore KK our schools better because we beat them in football”. You’ll ers can show appreciaHartwig cheers on the players at a rarely hear someone say “oh, our schools better because we tion, “They could come varsity football game. have better test scores.” to a Spring Show or While whole communities join together to support make us a card or sign or football, the favor is not being returned to spirit groups who something nice before support the team. we go to contest just to Junior Spartanaire, Claire Medina, does not feel apwish us luck,” Medina preciated by the football team. “I haven’t been dancing said. lately so I’ve been watching and they don’t even watch our “It doesn’t affect our performances at the pep rallies, they don’t pay attention performance or anyand they’re just not very thoughtful towards what we do for thing, but it would make them,” Medina said. us feel better and appre “I just feel like they take us for granted, they’re like ‘ok ciated for all that we do cool I get cookies from my rally girl, and we have all these for them,” Medina said.

Half Time Show Senior Michaela Barroga girls that come to our games and dance during halftime and The football team dances with her team at half time. cheer for us’, but they do nothing in return”, Medina said. should take steps to The football players have plenty of opportunities to show their appreciation support the spirit groups. For example, they could go to a for the community that Spartanaire Spring Show. “ I have honestly never heard a never fails to support football player say ‘Hey you did good at Spring Show’. I don’t them. Drastic measures even think they go,” Medina said. don’t have to be taken.

Other spirit groups don’t really seem to mind however.

A simple “Hey you did Junior AJ Christiansen, who is in band, doesn’t mind the really good during that lack of support. “I think it’s kind of just a fact of life, not performance,” or “Great many people are in to other kinds of music,” Christiansen job at the pep rally said. today, thanks for doing “It’s about the kind of music people like, because we don’t that for us,” could really play hip hop or anything if they were required to go it would go a long way.

Marching Junior Koby Chiou performjust be them saying ‘when is this over, why do I have to be ing at half time. here’ ,if it was required they would obviously show up but

Fun Date Ideas

Going out made easy

WRITTEN BY: LAUREN BYRAM Houston is a big place, but there never seems like there is much to do. Here are some ideas of dates you can go on with your friends or your significant other.

Take a walk on Buffalo Bayou and have a picnic at Eleanor Tinsley Park.

This park downtown has awesome views and nice spots to sit around, hang out and enjoy the cool weather.

Movie Marathon: You can stay in and still have fun! Set a night aside to get some snacks and marathon your favorite movies. If you’re looking to get into the spooky spirit, “Babadook”, “Devil”, “Creep”, “The Nightmare”, and “Hush” are good horror movies on Netflix.

Bake Something: Outdoors Fun Hanging out at Cake, cookies, cupcakes, pies, whatever you’re craving. Eleanor Tinsley Park.

Go to a Museum: The Houston museum district has 19 museums, so it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll find something that suits your interest. You can look at art at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, or learn something new at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Visit www.houmuse.com for a complete list.

Carve Pumpkins: Head to the Memorial Drive United Methodist Church pumpkin patch or a grocery store and pick out some pumpkins.

Go to a Football Game: The University of Houston has three more home games left. They play the University of Central Florida tomorrow, Tulane on Nov. 12 and Louisville on Nov. 17. Tickets are $32 for reserved seats Drive In Movies Juniors Zaina Ateyea, Maggie Vineyard, Julia Gelber and and $24 general Morgen Reyna at the Showboat admission.

Drive- in.

Pleasure Pier: Drive down to Galveston, ride some rides and play games. See website for hours and prices www.pleasurepier.com Showboat Drive-in movie theatre: This place is about 30 miles north of here and is open on the weekends. Gates open at 6:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and 6:30 on Sundays and films usually start around 7:30. One ticket is $7 and lets you see two movies. Go to theshowboatdrivein.com for shows and more information.

Go to the Zoo: The weather is cooling down which is great for a day planned at the zoo. Tickets are $17 and the zoo’s hours are 9 a.m.- 7 p.m. Plan your trip for Nov. 1, because it’s free admission from noon until closing.

Bowling, Top Golf, Roller Rink…

Classic date ideas, but still fun!

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Opinions The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

HALLOWEEN The Art of Dressing Up

OPINION OF KAITLYN WHITE

Students should dress up for Halloween because it’s a tradition that dates back to the medieval times, and dressing up is crucial to the holiday.

People get the chance to dress up as whatever they want. It gives people the chance to be creative with their costumes, or even explore new fashion styles. On Halloween, people won’t judge if someone wears a crazy hat, weird shoes, or barely anything.

Yes, a lot of little kids dress up for Halloween, but that doesn’t mean it’s childish. There are a lot of costumes out there that are made for teens, go try one on! People should also dress up for Halloween parties, they can show their friends what they’ve come up with.

People can create costumes, match with their friends, and take pictures with them. If students are having trouble choosing costumes with their friends, cool

costume ideas could be dressing up as: the Things from Cat in a Hat, the aliens from the Toy Story trilogy, and even food.

Dressing up for Halloween is also really fun for couples. They could dress up as famous couples: like artists Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, or movie couples such as Troy Bolton and Gabriella.

Dressing up gives people a chance to express themselves as a different person or figure. Halloween is a fun night on its own, dressing up just makes it even better.

Dressing up can also draw attention to controversial issues that need to be talked about: like global warming, or this year’s presidential candidates.

Overall there’s nothing negative about dressing up for Halloween, so there’s no excuse for students not to do so.

Why Watch Halloween Movies?

OPINION OF MADDIE SUERTH

Once people start seeing Michael Myers and Casper the friendly ghost on TV again, they know that it is finally that spooky time of year. From “Hocus Pocus” to “Halloween Town”, everything you could want to watch during this festive season is currently on TV. Get ready to see lots of thrilling and eerie movies because Halloween is upon us.

There is a certain atmosphere throughout the month of October that amps the anticipation for Halloween. Watching scary Halloween movies gets everybody in the spirit.

Watching these movies provides people with a much needed break from reality as we spend a couple of hours immersed in a different world. They set the tone for the holiday and create an atmosphere of chilling anticipation. Whether it’s “The Shining” or the“The Great

Pumpkin”, there is something for everyone.

There is a wide selection of Halloween movies. Even if you don’t celebrate and go trick or treating, there are still lots of options. Between chilling thrillers that make you jump or goofy comedies that make you grin, there is a diverse selection of captivating films.

From the very beginning of October, people put out their pumpkins and plan costumes in anticipation for the spookiest night of the year.

Watching Halloween movies can alleviate the long wait for that one night to approach. Halloween movies are a fun and simple way to celebrate the scariest day of the year. But what’s really scary, is how easy is it to get caught binge watching all five “Halloween” movies on Netflix in one night!

in a nutshell GRAPHICS BY: CAROLINE BUCEK

What’s On Your Mind?

How Old is Too Old? OPINION OF VALERIA ROBAYO Halloween is often seen as a night for youngsters, for little girls and boys in princess and superhero costumes gleefully scuttling about, with their parents or older siblings following behind.

However, every year as October rolls around, the question of whether or not to take part in this ancient annual tradition is a dilemma many people face.

In order to make the decision, additionally to age, people consider factors including, school work, and safety.

Trick or treating can be the perfect time to hang out with friends, and to be creative in designing costumes.

People should not stop attending unless they think

they are too old to truly not enjoy these things anymore.

The most important thing students must consider however, is school work.

They should not go trick or treating if they know they will do bad in school the next day because of it. One night of fun is not worth the stress of ruined grades, and certainly is not worth the many more hours that will likely have to be spent studying to bring up those grades.

Safety is also not a really concrete reason to stop trick or treating. If traffic is concerning, just be sure to follow Safe Kids Worldwide’s™ Halloween safety tips.

I do not think trick-or-treating is childish, I do it every year.

-Sergey Semenov (11)

I love celebrating Halloween because I enjoy hanging out with my friends.

-Elise Poteet (10)

A Thrill-Seeker’s Dream OPINION OF SEBASTIAN DROZ Haunted houses are a key element of Halloween.

One cannot claim they love Halloween, if they don’t go to haunted houses. Trick-ortreating is fun and all, but the thrill of being scared is a lot more fitting for this spooky month.

If students miss out on the thrill of going to a haunted house, then they will never experience the real feeling of Halloween.

The thrill of getting scared is something unexplainable. It might seem masochistic, but its just a really fun way to spend Halloween. A pounding heartbeat, faster breathing, nervous respiration, and butterflies in the stomach are what all thrill-seekers look for.

Whether it be through bungee jumping, sky diving, riding a roller coaster, or going to a haunted house, nothing can replace that feeling.

Experts believe that the reason why people enjoy being scared is because they feel a sense of satisfaction when they’re able to endure the anxiety.

Some good haunted houses to go to around Houston are Nightmare on the Bayou, The Haunted Trails, and Hellusions Haunted House, students should check those out.

So if trick-or-treating seems a little too childish for students, then they should go to a haunted house, because the feeling is something that should definitely be experienced at least once.

I enjoy the excitement and thrill of scary movies.

-Emma Stephenson

(10)

This year I’m dressing up as a sexy pumpkin for Halloween.

-Austin Kallus (11)

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News

The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Spring Branch Arrives at a Financial Crossroad

Robin Hood payments and the state funding formula puts an undue burden on the district WRITTEN BY: OLIVIA SICILIANO CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: ELIZABETH COLE AND RACHEL COLE

For years, Spring Branch’s excellent reputation and commitment to its students and teachers has established it as an employer of choice. However, as more and more funding is taken from the district and sent to the state for “Robin Hood” payments, this established position may struggle to maintain. Not only that, but local taxpayers and students may also be affected by the large amounts of funding being sent to the state in more ways than one.

SBISD is classified as a “Robin Hood” school district based on property wealth per student. “Robin Hood” is also known as Chapter 41 Wealth Equalization from the Texas Education Code. The school finance system “recaptures” funds from the property-wealthy districts to distribute to property-poor districts.

“Recapture is all based on property values. They look at the value of all of your property in the district, and they divide it by the number of students. If you add all of the property values up in Spring Branch, and you divide it by the number of students, you get a value per student. If that number is higher than a certain value, then you pay into Robin Hood. If your district is lower than a certain value, then you take money from Robin Hood. Districts that have a higher property value give money, like Spring Branch, and the districts with lower property values get that money that the other districts give away,” Trustee Chris Vierra clarified. This requires school districts that are property wealthy to share their wealth with school districts that are property poor.

So… what is all the fuss about?

Why is Spring Branch hindered because of Robin Hood payments?

SBISD is disadvantaged because taxpayers are not fully aware of where their money is sent when they write checks to the district. “Just from [2014 projecting out to 2018], if you add all of our estimated recapture dollars together that we have sent back to the state, that’s about $200 million dollars of locally paid taxes. Our taxpayers write their checks to SBISD, and then believe that all those dollars stay here,” Community Relations Officer Linda Buchman said. This means that “In essence, we’re kind of like Macy’s. When you go to Macy’s you know you’re going to pay a sales tax, but you at least know at that the bottom of your receipt 8.25% is taxes that goes to the state. In our case, it’s really not transparent because our taxpayers think they are writing their check to us, but the state grabs that money from us. Then, based on the formulas, reduces the money they send us,” Buchman said.

The lack of a transparent system for taxpayers who write checks to the district is unfair, and can sometimes create frustration. “What happens every year is that home values go up, and then taxes go up. We’re already over that number (the number used to determine property wealth verses property poor districts), so we just give more and more money away.

People in Spring Branch don’t understand that when they’re writing a bigger check, the money actually doesn’t stay in our district. It goes to another school, and sometimes it even just goes to other state projects. So, there is a frustration that parents are paying more taxes this year because their home value went up, but the schools don’t get any of that additional money that they are spending. It goes to the state, to either give to different school districts, to keep it for roads, or for health,” Vierra said.

Besides the disadvantage to taxpayers, SBISD is so negatively affected by Robin Hood payments because of the

GRAPHIC CREDIT TO SPRING BRANCH INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT state’s funding formula, which is responsible for calculating the number that determines whether or not a district is property wealthy or poor. “They haven’t changed the formula of how they decide that number in a really long time. If they don’t change the formula, it’s just going to get worse and worse and worse. Our number [we give to Robin Hood] keeps jumping in big numbers, and they have to change that equation to account for property value increases. We get less and less of the money [of the checks taxpayers write to SBISD]. That’s why it’s very broken, and why we’re trying to talk to the legislatures about making some adjustments. If they’re not going to redo the whole system, the change the formula, allow for inflation, and do small changes that could help us not as much as we want it to, but in little ways,” Vierra said.

The funding formula calculates how much money the district gives away, and overestimates how wealthy SBISD actually is. While Spring Branch is classified as a Robin Hood district based on property wealth per student, federal guidelines indicate that more than half of students in SBISD, 57%, qualify for free or reduced price lunch benefits.

If we look at the projected path of payments to be made to the state because of the formula, they grow to staggering numbers (see graphic in top right corner). “Two years ago we gave $8 million away, last year we gave $33 million, and this year we’re giving $66 million, could be a little more, and next year is projected to be $92 million. This year, that $66 million is 17% of how much revenue we take in. As we collect higher taxes, the state gives us less and less. We’re sending more away in Robin Hood, and getting less from the state, so it is all compressing. We’re actually going to have less money to spend per student this year than last year, even though we’ve collected more money (from taxpayers). We’re going to collect $26 million ore in local tax revenue this year than last year (which is property growth, or how much our land values went up). Our Robin Hood payment went up $33 million this year, so the Recapture payment went up more than our collections from property growth. We actually get to keep $6 million less than last year,” Vierra said.

The budget of Spring Branch has decreased because of this issue. “At this point, we’ve not eliminated programs that are being used and enjoyed by students, but our fear is that if something doesn’t get fixed, then we’re going to have to have a hard conversation. At a certain point, if we keep sending more money to the state, and receive less and less, at some stage we’re not going to be able to afford something. We’re getting close to that, so that is why we are working really hard this year to push on the legislators,” Vierra commented.

How does a reduced budget from continually increasing Robin Hood payments directly affect Stratford?

• Teacher’s paychecks are smaller this year • There is not as big of an instructional budget, which means less money to buy supplies for classrooms. This also means that more teachers are buying their own supplies out of their own pocket.

• Field trips are more closely analyzed for approval.

What can we do to alleviate such a burden that Robin Hood and the funding formula place on the district? “Everybody and our students, since this is the future for their schools, their community, and their school district; they should engage in the legislative process. Exercise your rights as a citizen in a democracy to engage with your legislators to figure out what you want to tell them as a student,” Buchman encourages.

To do this, stay engaged in the upcoming legislative session occurring in January. Call or write to your state legislators, and the education committees in both chambers.

Look for local advocacy groups, and be sure to visit SBISD’s website for further updates and calls to action.

6 Building Relationships Through Cardboard

Students collaborate through Global Cardboard Challenge

WRITTEN BY: ANTHONY SALVA PHOTO PROVIDED BY: CAROL SALVA tional students stayed after school to begin Around the world, over 32 countries, working on their cardboard masterpieces.

185,000 students and their siblings joined “It was a lot of fun, we got the chance to together in an attempt to build something build anything we wanted,” freshman Madgreat out of cardboard. elaine Fumey said.

It all started four years ago in 2012, when They meet one more time before meeting a nine year old boy named Caine Monroy on Oct. 1, (the Global Cardboard Challenge decided to use old cardboard boxes to create Day), at the West Houston Outreach Center. his own arcade. He set up a few of his arcade They will work with Memorial High students games outside his dad’s auto parts shop in to finish building their project.

Los Angeles. After Nirvana Mullick, creator of the Caine’s arcade video, leveraged social media, Caine’s creative idea started to attract celebrities and people from television media. As a result, the cardboard build project was born.

Caine’s inspiring cardboard arcade started the Imagination Foundation, a non-profit organization that helps foster the creativity of kids from around the world.

In Spring Branch ISD, Memorial High School language arts teacher Kristin Shaver, Building a Soccer Field and Stratford’s new teacher Carol Salva had Students from all different ages test the idea to participate in the Global Cardtheir soccer field outside before it is board Challenge. displayed with a dozen other cardboard “I talked to Mrs. Salva about maybe getcreations. Pictured are sophomores Ali ting our classes together so we could unite Al Zoubi and Muhannad Alzaza, freshhigh schools throughout the district,” Shaver men Madelaine Fumey and Anthony said.

Salva, and Spring Forest Middle sev It all started to come together on Sept. 21 enth grader Nicholas Salva. when over a dozen of Mrs. Salva’s interna-

News

The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

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News

The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Debate Team Breaks School Record

Members successfully win recent tournaments WRITTEN BY: YASMIN TALBI Debate team captain junior Ariana Chalajour collected back-to-back speaker awards and earned the title of ‘Best Speaker’ out of 112 other students at the Memorial debate tournament on Sept. 16.

Debate coach Daniel Mitchell said he had never heard of a debate student on either the high school or collegiate level winning back-to-back tournaments. In addition to Chalajour’s awards, sophomore Brittany Anne Beonnete also assisted in propelling the team to victory by winning all of her preliminary and elimination rounds at the LincolnDouglas tournament.

(Pictured below) Juniors Ariana Chalajour, Joyce Park and sophomore Brittany Bonnete smile for a picture after winning the Memorial tournament .

Senior Ads

Seniors! The Senior yearbook ads for class of 2017 are available for purchase until Wednesday, Nov. 16. See the yearbook section on the Stratford Website for more information.

Food Truck Friday

The second Food Truck Friday of this year will be held during both lunches on Friday, Oct. 28. Food trucks that are attending are: James Coney Island, El Tiempo, The Refuge, SMOOSH, Frosted Betty Cupcake, Anna’s Greek, and Pocket-To-Me. PHOTO BY: CAROLYN ZHANG

All-Star Strings

Avenue Q

Come see the Stratford Playhouse production of Avenue Q! The final shows are on Oct. 28 and Oct. 29. Tickets are available during lunch or on shsplayhouse.org.

Congratulations to the following orchestra students who earned spots in the 2016-17 Region 27 “All-Star” Orchestra! Violins: Isabella Bengochea (12), Max Heitmann (11), Catherine Wu (9), Emily Gladstone (9), Grace Elphingstone (11), Andrew Askounis (9), Justin Lee (11). Violas: Kaitlyn Kwon (11), Brian Lee (11).

Cellos: Jay Cho (11), Pauline Yun (11).

These eleven orchestra students earned their spots through a competitive audition process. They will perform with other top high school students in our region on Saturday, Nov.19 at 5:45 p.m. at Langham Creek High School.

8 In Depth The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

The Presidential Election Students defend this year’s running candidates WRITTEN BY: EMMA HOLLAND AND MADDIE MCKENZIE GRAPHICS BY: CAROLINE BUCEK AND CARSON ALLRED PHOTO BY: ZAINA ATEYEA

Are You Eligible to Vote this Year?

Here are a few helpful tips for a smooth voting experience 1. Early voting began on Oct. 24 and ends on Nov. 4 -Any Texas resident is eligible for early voting -Times may vary by location 2. The official election day is Nov. 8 -The polls are open from 7 a.m. - 7 p.m.

-You must be in the line by 7 p.m. in order to cast a vote 3. Bring a valid ID 4. Know the Ballot -Democratic Party: Hillary Clinton -Republican Party: Donald Trump -Libertarian Party: Garry Johnson -Green Party: Jill Stein 4. Visit: www.votetexas.gov for more helpful information

T

here are many mixed em the upcoming election hard Donald Trump an supporters are anxious whether or not their favorite wi and people with strong feelings didates are dreading the day wh has a new political leader.

However, whether students lik is just around the corner. It’s im dents to stay engaged with the e keep up with the candidates, an debates. For some students 18 o need to gather all of the informa election that they can in order f a wise and informed vote.

Senior Mia Trinh is eligible to v is voting for Clinton. “One of th that I’m voting for Hillary is bec better of the two evils, and know is ‘up-there’ and could be electe very scary. He doesn’t seem fit t and he doesn’t seem like he kno doing at all,” Trinh said. “You ca debates that Trump couldn’t eve tions that were pointed to him.”

There are other reasons behind port for Clinton. “Hillary has ex in the political field, and it woul more sense for her to be elected president over someone who is very immature and doesn’t know correctly how to do anything,” Trinh said.

Other students disagree completely. Sophomore Marcel McClinton claims that Clinton treats Trump poorly during the debates and that Trump is the more mature candidate. “We need to keep the country safe if we are ever going to have a good economy, and Trump is willing to accomplish that,” McClinton said. “America isn’t in a good place right now, and Clinton doesn’t care where the country goes.”

McClinton isn’t just an ordinary Trump supporter. He attends rallies, supports Trump on social media, and he’s even appeared on television a few tim including KHOU. “When Trump was at the Omn in Houston, I went with some fr to hopefully see or meet him be couldn’t get tickets into the even said. “All the reporters came to with a bunch of questions becau and wearing a Trump shirt.”

McClinton believes that if Trum people who are against him will a lot. “I’m worried that Hillary w just because she’s a woman and her political values,” he said.

Similar to McClinton, senior B

motions revolving on Nov. 8. Diend Hillary Clinton sly anticipating ill take the lead, s against both canhen the country

ke it or not, Nov. 8 mportant for stuelection process, nd tune into the or older, they ation about the for them to make

vote this year and he main reasons cause she’s the wing that Trump ed president is to be president, ows what he’s an see from the en answer ques” d Trinh’s supxperience ld make d

is in favor of Donald Trump. “Trump has better policies than Clinton, such as his tax plans, and he’s going to defend the nation way better than Clinton will.”

MaHaffey thinks that Trump’s experience in the business field will help America’s economy tremendously and bring down the national debt. “If Trump wins the election, people against him won’t have as much anger towards him when they find the economy to be more stable,” MaHaffey said.

Trump was

Trump claims that he has the deepest respect towards women and meant no harm by what was said. However, some people believe that it is ridic-

ulous for women to defend and support Trump after hearing his hurtful words on national television.

“You can’t say things like that about women and expect people not to react,” senior Je-

In Depth 9 The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Trump did,” said Eastwood.

There are also students who are mostly impartial towards the election, such as junior Ellie Gex. “I don’t support Trump, but I do agree that he’s the lesser of two evils,” Gex said.

When asking students which candidate is their favorite, Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, most students have an opinion. However, for many students, they are heavily influenced by their parents’ or friends’ opinions. However a student chooses their side, it’s incredibly important for them to gather all of the necessary information themselves from each candidate.

The election is quickly approaching, and all anyone can do now is to engage in politics, cast their ballots, and patiently wait for the results.

Voters can chose Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, but if not, “Be Libertarian, and let’s make America sane again.” -Carson Allred, Garry Johnson supporter.

w

p

mes,

ni hotel riends ecause we nt,” McClinton interview me use I was black

mp gets elected, l grow to like him will get elected d not because of

Bolin MaHaffey

slammed by Clinton in the Oct. 9 Presidential Debate with allegations of disrespect towards women released in a 2005 tape, that Trump claimed to only be “locker room talk.” Despite the leaked tape,

rome Eastwood said. “Yes, it does make a difference that it was said eleven years ago, but Trump was still an adult with a family when he said those things. “I’ve never heard anyone in my locker room talk about women the way

Pie Chart

Percentages are based off of a recent student poll conducted through shsoracle.com.

10

Features The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

More local Haunts you can visit this Halloween season

The Season for Screams

Reviewing one of the top voted Haunted Houses in Houston WRITTEN AND PHOTO BY: NAZLEE KHADJEHEIAN GRAPHICS BY: CAROLINE BUCEK

Here in Houston, we don’t have the liberty of enjoying a full fall season. But as soon as the temperature dips below 70 degrees, if only for a couple of hours a day, we bring out the cool weather clothing and head to the pumpkin patches. One of the most pivotal components of our “Faux- Fall” is a visit to a haunted house.

I, personally, love anything scary. I have no preference either- jump scares or long built anticipation, I appreciate it all. I’ve enjoyed movie classics like The Exorcist and Friday the 13th since I was young- probably younger than I should have. I live for the exhilaration that comes from hearing ghost stories about paranormal occurrences- made up or real.

You name it; if it’s considered “horror”, there is a almost a guarantee I will love it. I don’t scare easily, but when there you truly encounter a terrifying moment- your heart pounds, your blood freezes, and your mind goes blank. The best part about haunted houses, however, is the fact that you enjoy the brief thrill without being stuck in a nightmare. You will make it out unscathed and feeling brave.

Everyone deserves at least one good scare this Halloween. If you’re up for the thrill, there are plenty of places in the area for you to enjoy a blood chilling evening. One of these noteworthy Haunted Houses is ScreamWorld, voted number one in Houston by the Houston Chronicle and Houston Press. ScreamWorld had never caught my attention before, but being the Halloween enthusiast that I am, I had to give it a try.

Let me start off the review by blatantly stating that my standards for Haunted Houses might be slightly higher than average, considering my enthusiasm towards the experience.

I’ll be judging ScreamWorld based on the scare factor, ambience of the attraction, wait time, length of attraction, and walk through experience.

Scare Factor The amount of fear felt to each walker is subjective to how easily they scare, but on average, I’d wager that the average fear factor that this haunt instills in its visitors is around 6/10. The hallways are narrow, so there’s not a lot of room for the actors to come out of the shadows to scare you. They lose the element of surprise. You see them as soon as you’re round a corner and can easily expect them. I will admit that the actors still manage to do a good job of getting into your space and mak-

ing you feel very uneasy. Going through the attraction, I was never really fearful or anticipating anything, which made ScreamWorld lose some of the excitement that is innate to a good haunted house. One of the good aspects that really contributed to the creepiness of the haunt was the actors amazing acting. Each actor was extremely focused and did an admirable job of staying in character.

Their seriousness made the whole act that much scarier. Another thing that made visitors more anxious was the frequent change of them. Even though it was a continuous walk through, every so often it transitioned into a

Phobia Haunted House

Ambience The ambience of ScreamWorld is one of its greatest appeals. In the attraction, you definitely feel creeped out. They capitalize on all of the basic things that make a haunted house considered scary. Lighting that flickers and only makes you feel like you can see less, crippling darkness, and a path way with many twists and turns so that you lose your sense of direction and have no idea where to go, creating a sense of vulnerability that makes visitors feel terror. The frequent change of the lighting within the attraction helped in making visitors feel uneasy and made them anticipate what was to come in the next part. The pathways were narrow and were surrounded by very close walls, making visitors feel as though they were in a never ending maze. It also make people feel as though they were constantly being chased, creating a very anxious atmosphere.

Wait Time/Length of Attraction

Anxious Anticipation

Waiting outside in the line allows attendees to enjoy the spooky ambience before venturing inside the attraction. new theme. Some areas were scarier than others. The props were all very realistic; although the bad thing about getting the props so close to the visitors is that they are able to observe that all they are, are props, which takes away from the effect. Passing a “scary butcher’s shop” with creepy dead pigs hanging down was scary until you ran into one of the pigs and felt the plastic, halting your fear. Overall, ScreamWorld did an okay job at creating fear for their visitors, but I wasn’t blown away by their efforts.

The wait time for ScreamWorld can be a bit daunting, especially on their busier nights, and in my opinion, that can either help or hurt your experience in the house.

With a long wait, some people might build up their expectations, and get more and more nervous to walk in, setting the mood for a terror filled experience. However, as some of the people in my group experienced, it can also take away from the event.

During the wait, they lost their anticipation and excitement, causing them to have a less entertaining time. The length of the attraction itself made up for this in part. The whole thing lasts around 15- 20 minutes, depending on how long you take to go through. All it takes is a few people to spook you for you to feel the exhilaration of this attraction. There is an ample amount of time for you to be freaked out by the actors.

Probably one of the best known attractions in the Houston area, Phobia has something to scare everyone. This haunted house is comprised of five different attractions; three linked houses, and two free standing ones. The three linked attractions are Darke World, Contagion, and Savage Ground. In order to go through these three, you buy one ticket, priced at $30. Unfortunately, Phobia doesn’t offer any kind of refund if you are unable to make it to the attraction after buying the ticket. Only cash is accepted. The other two houses, Dawn of the Machine and Genetic Nightmare, are priced at $15 each. Each attraction provides a different kind of horror that will terrify anyone. http://www.darke.com

Nightmare on the Bayou This haunted house claims to be the only attraction in Houston that is genuinely haunted. Nightmare on the Bayou is located directly next to Houston’s oldest graveyard. Employees of the attraction can testify to the fact that they have encountered ghosts. This accepts both credit cards and cash. This nightmare has two separate attractions, the Ghost House and Bayou Cemetery, that are priced at $22 each, or $38 for a combo. Nightmare on the Bayou does not offer refunds either. If you can take a real haunted house, this is the place for you. http://www.nightmareonthebayou.com

Kemah Boardwalk Dungeon of Doom Located at the Kemah Boardwalk, the Dungeon of Doom proves to be a terrifying haunt by all who visit it. The best part is, after a long day of enjoying the rides, you can end your night with a venture into the dungeon. The attraction is comprised of one walk through, and costs $15. If you get too scared while walking through, there are early exits throughout the haunt for you to leave.

http://www.dungeonofdoomkemah.com

Houston Scream Fest

Houston Scream Fest is more than several haunted houses. Instead, it is a Haunted Festival. This festival has 10 different attractions! Besides houses, there are concerts Walk Through going on, carnival games, a food vendors, ScreamWorld is comprised of one walk and “zombie hunt” paintball. Scream Fest through with five different “themes”. These offers one of the best deals in Houston, include “the Swamp”, “Jake’s Slaughtercharging only $35 for all of their attractions. house”, “Edge of Darkness”, “Zombie Characters also wonder around the festival Graveyard” and “House of Heads”. Overall, ScreamWorld provided an average entertain- outside of the houses just waiting to scare ing experience. While I had higher hopes for you. With seven haunted houses and three zombie attractions, there is something for this haunt, considering it’s ranked number everyone to enjoy at this festival. You will one, I do recommend this Haunted House to anyone who wants to have a fun weekend definitely get your money’s worth here. http://www.houstonhauntedhouses.com excursion with friends. After all, the experience is only as fun as you make it.

11

Features The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

@IsasEats

Halloween Crossword

Not your average foodstagram

WRITTEN BY CHARLOTTE BENES The inspiration for and especially amongst sophomore Isabella Terrazas’ Terrazas’ friends and classfoodie instagram happened mates. right here in the cafeteria.

“My friends at lunch last year would always tease me about the somewhat lessthan-extravagant and often exotic foods I had for lunch.

They told me I should make a foodsta account to post the different foods that I eat,” Terrazas said. “I’m not actually sure they believed I would.”

The account is more of a parody than a serious, aesAt School and On the Go thetically pleasing foodsta, Terazzas posts everything however. Terrazas makes a she eats, including the point of posting everything cafeteria’s school lunch. she eats without fail, even

the not-so-pretty stuff.

“The purpose is to make “It’s a foodsta where I post fun of the normal foodsta every single thing that I eat accounts where people only every single day. Nothing is post the ‘pretty’ food they ever left out,” Terrazas said. eat,” said Terrazas. “Whereas The account has become on my account I post all popular amongst students, of the food I eat: school

COMPILED BY: BAYLE GOLDMAN lunches, cafeteria food, and all.”

“I follow @IsasEats because it’s a foodsta but it’s kind of a funny twist on a foodsta because she doesn’t eat very glamorous foods,” sophomore Cooper Murphy said. “She just posts whatever she’s eating even if it’s kind of plain, which can be pretty funny sometimes.”

Sophomore Annie Goss recalls a time when Terrazas’ devotion to the account didn’t work out her way.

“One time I was at lunch with her and she got cafeteria food. She was taking pictures of her meal while we were still in the line to post on @IsasEats when some kid came by and knocked her tray out of her hands,” said Goss. “She got an accidental action shot of the tray falling from her hands.”

Across 1. Do the ___Mash 3. The fear of Halloween 4. Sweet, waxy candy 7. Carving a pumpkin into a 9. Give me candy!

10. A boney sort of fellow 11. ___ House

Down 2. A straw-stuffed fellow 4. Don’t walk through a ___ late at night!

5. The Friendly Ghost 6. What witches fly on 8. Disguise

Tweets of the Week COMPILED BY CASSIE WILSON

Memorial & Dairy Ashford

Do you want to go to Costa Rica next summer?

See Mrs. Cummons in room 120 for more information or go online to eftours.com/ and search tour number 1847104xz

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13

Sports The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Highlights: SHS vs. Spring Woods Varsity Football:

Score: 35-20 National Ranking: 8123 State Ranking: 753

Favorite Song to run to: “Pumped Up Kicks” -Foster the people Best Time: 800m-2:00 Favorite PreGame Meal: Lasagna Most embarrassing moment on the team: Falling into the bayou and getting scratched by thorns.

SHS vs. Memorial

SHS VS. Klein Collins

Score: 31-13 National Ranking: 2752 State Ranking: 301

Score: 3-35 National Ranking: 2665 State Ranking: 297

Girls Give Their Best Finishing in 14th and 10th place, sophomore Ella Gibb and junior Maddie Harms run in the district meet at Nottingham Park.

Brittany Baerg Pump up song: “Girl on Fire”-Alicia Keys Best Time: 1:06 in the 100 yard breast stroke What they are looking forward to this year: I look forward to finishing strong and enjoying the season with the whole team.

Favorite Restaurant: McAlisters

Girl Power

The girls’ cross country team sets off at the start of the race focused and ready.

Raul Mejia

First Place Finish

Giving his all, senior Devin Fahey gets first place in the district meet.

Running into a New Season Cross Country sets their sight on another great year

WRITTEN BY: LIBBY GRIZZELL AND ALEXIS GARZA PICTURES BY: RILEY TIMMRECK While most students are just waking year. I learn more and more. People are up, the cross country kids are out running. faster, which means I have to be faster,” Every day at 7 a.m., and again at 3 p.m., they Lewis said. are constantly training for competitions.

Lewis recently broke a 5 minute mile, “We like to run every single day of our his mile is 4:44. Gibb’s is 5:40. To Gibb, cross lives,” senior varsity runner Michael Lewis country is harder than any academic subsaid. “My favorite thing about cross country ject. is seeing how I’ve improved over the years,” “Cross country is 90% mental and 10% Lewis said. physical. You have to want to run,” freshman Since the transition to 6A, the team has Fay Gibb said. seen bigger and tougher competition, but In September, cross country coach Tony and are keeping up with the challenges.

Brillon was awarded coach of the year by the They are currently ranked 7th in Texas, and National Federation of High School Coaches are aiming to be on the podium at state for Association. the third time.

“It felt really good, I was surprised by it, “I feel like the competition is different there are a lot of great coaches who work but the way I run my meets changes every their tail off and I was lucky enough to win.

Of course, great coaches have great athletes and I’m lucky in that aspect,” Brillon said.

Brillon credits his success to his athletes.

“When you get an award like this, it’s really because of them, and the team you have. A coach is only as good as his athletes, so I’m fortunate to have some really great kids to work with,” Brillon said.

Brillon wants his runners to come off the course every time knowing that they did their best, satisfied with the way they ran.

“As a whole team, they’re tough to beat,” he said.

“You want to give these young guys and girls the best opportunity to succeed. I like to work with athletes, people who work hard and are committed, and don’t make excus-

es,” said Brillon, “My favorite part of cross country is the championships. The payoff of all our training is going to state. It’s like mowing a yard, you get paid for it.”

At the district meet last Thursday, Stratford finished in first place. Senior Devin Fahey and sophomore Grace Custer, runners on the varsity team, both finished first in their races. Gibb finished in 14th place and Lewis finished in fifth place.

Our cross country team would love to see more supporters at their meets. “I love being cheered on,” Lewis said.

14

Sports

The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Sam Miller Graduating Early Starting college ahead of the rush WRITTEN BY: NICOLE WHITEFORD AND JACQUI COMPARIN PHOTO BY: CLAIRE SANCHEZ Senior Sam Miller is no stranger to us. He is on student council, National Honor Society, football, and was also on Homecoming court. Miller plays defensive end on the football team and his skills on the field have captured the eyes of the Northwestern University where he will be attending this spring. Miller, is graduating early this year to “take full advantage of their strength and conditioning program,” Miller said.

Sam’s brother Alex Miller is also playing for Northwestern University.

Miller said, “I am very excited to be playing with my brother again.”

Miller isn’t only going to Northwestern for football. He also wants to make sure he gets a college degree.

By graduating early Miller is not only getting ahead in football ,but also in his academics. “Northwestern offers a unique experience of world class academics, along with a big 10 football, a All Smiles place where I can challenge myself on and off the field,” Miller said.

(Pictured center) Sam Miller smiles along side Miller will be leaving after Christmas his senior teammates Jake Robinson and Carter break.

Day following another great game.

JV Football in Action

Underclassmen players work through setbacks in hopes of becoming district champs

WRITTEN BY: DAVIS JONES AND REAGAN MANISFIELD

PHOTOS BY: PERRY SHEPARD AND MARIANA RINCON

After a shaky start in the pre-season, the JV Football team currently sits tied for second in district with Klein Oaks both sporting one loss at 3-1 in district.

The Spartans pre-season troubles were plagued by 3 injuries to the O-line in the opening two weeks, making it harder for the offense to put up points. “With our hurt line we couldn’t run the ball at all, making passing a whole lot harder,” Quarterback Wes Waitkus said. At the end of the pre-season, the Spartans sat with a 1-2 record going into the bye week with a lot of work to do.

To start district play, the Spartans pulled out a close 1412 victory over a tough Klein Forest team to gain their first win in 3 weeks. They went on to string together three seemingly easy wins against Northbrook, Spring Woods, and our arch rival Memorial. “We dawgin’ every time we step on this field,” Starting Center Ben Bertram said.

JV looks to finish the season strong as District champs.

The Spartans finish their season on Nov. 2 at home against Klein HS.

One Team, One Goal A. Junior Jairo Jaime dodges a Northbrook player shortly before scoring a touchdown on Sep. 29 at Stratford.

B. The JV football team gets ready to dominate the field at the SHS vs. Northbrook game on Sep. 29. Stratford’s offensive line is ready and positioned to snap the ball.

C. Sophomore Reagan Mansfield dives into the end zone after a turnover by Northbrook’s JV.

A.

B.

C.

15

Sports The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Players Become the Coaches Boys’ and girls’ soccer teams

“O Say Can You See, By The Dawn’s Early Light...”

work hard with young players

WRITTEN BY: OLIVIA SICILIANO

A Team United

WRITTEN BY: CAMERON HENKEL PHOTOS BY: CLAIRE SANCHEZ GRAPHIC BY: TEA SHARP The Star Spangled Banner is a fixture at every football game, but in recent months it has been used in protests across the nation, even breaking into high school level events. Come to Tully though and you’ll find every player standing at attention during the song.

Under the direction of Athletic Director Eliot Allen, the football team decided that “there were appropriate ways to protest” but that ‘taking a knee’ during the national anthem was not one of them.

Many players feel, like a lot of national commentators, that the opening ceremony of a game is important because it shows respect to “people who go to war and die for our freedom,” as sophomore Joseph Cochran put it. For the moment, the team is focused on what they do best, winning games.

This wave of controversy started up when Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, began sitting during the National Anthem

instead of standing with his team. Kaepernick made a statement during the NFL preseason that outlined his action as a protest against police brutality and black oppression.

Over the past eight weeks since then, Kaepernick has continued to sit for, and now kneel during, the anthem with players across the NFL joining in on the protest.

Like Cochran and other student players, a string of NFL stars including J.J. Watt have decided not to take part.

Many more have condemned Kaepernick for disrespecting veterans who are honored during the anthem, and for profiting from the protest.

Kaepernick’s #7 jersey rose to the top seller spot in the NFL’s store quickly after his protest began. In an effort to gain goodwill with his critics, Kaepernick has pledged to give one million dollars to charity over the coming year.

PHOTOS BY: RILEY TIMMRECK

For the second year in a row, the soccer program is mentoring young soccer players from Thornwood and Sherwood Elementary through the Advanced Movers and Future Coaches program. “The Advanced Movers [program] is all about getting kids excited about sports they can participate in during middle school and high school, and teaching those elementary students the basics of that sport. The Future Coaches aspect are the high school athletes getting a taste of what it’s like to be a coach,” said Gena McGee, head coach of the girls’ soccer teams.

After the program’s success last year, the coaching staff and younger players from Thornwood and Sherwood have grown. For the last six weeks, players from both the boys’ and girls’ teams have worked together to hold practices after school for the students at Thornwood’s fields. “I love this program because I get to share the sport I love with these amazing kids. It has taught me that it’s more than just coaching some kids for an hour. It’s about being there for people who look up to you. It’s made me realize how much work my coaches put into our practices, and made me appreciate Coach McGee’s patience and dedication to our team,” senior Jessica Sheldon said.

Senior Hannah Broom mentioned that her favorite memory participating in this program so far “was from a boy named Josh. At the end of the program, he gave me the biggest acorn he could find as a thank you for teaching him how to play soccer. It was really cute.”

“The best part is just getting everyone involved, whether it’s the high school kids or the elementary schools. [It also] shows the high school kids what it’s like to coach and corral students,”said Mark Wallace, head coach of the boys’ soccer teams. Several of the student coaches expressed how much fun they had participating in this program, and are excited to see it grow in the future. “The program has taught me that I am capable of making a difference for kids as a coach, and being an older player it made me think about just how far I’ve come and all the things I’ve learned, said senior Bolin MaHaffey. “I enjoyed getting to interact with kids because it reminded me of when I was little and just getting into soccer. This program has taught me patience as a coach and has made me appreciate as a player how much coaches put into what they do,” senior Mark Duna said.

The soccer program hopes to continue working with Future Coaches and Advanced Movers to continue the positive impact the program has had on both the student coaches and kids participating.

“Say Cheese”

Senior Jessica Sheldon and a few of her players sport a silly face during practice.

The students attending from Thornwood and Sherwood Elementary were split up in groups and assigned a coach for the entire duration of the program.

Final Tournament Fun

Seniors Mark Duna and Kate Moses gather their teams to move to the next field after their game. The student coaches held a mini tournament for the young players as the final practice together.

16

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The Oracle / Oct. 28, 2016

Costumes out the wazoo.

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