Feb 26, 2012

2012-2013 Cheerleaders p. 3 Staff Photo Volume 39, Issue 7

ORACLE Friday, February 24, 2012

Wave Your Flag see page 9

CONFETTI ENDING • (Above) Out of the 53 clubs participating in the lip dub, some of them made it to the auditorium just in time for the camera to capture the cannons shooting sparkling green and white streamers. Photo by Aryian Almassi.

NEWS TO ME • (Left)

The newspaper club threw old shredded newspapers up in the air as senior Maddie Stone walked by singing her part of the song. Photo

by Aldo Martinez.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE •

(Right) Christian Holmes directs senior Isai Martinez how to begin the lip dub with band.

Photo by Annie Rice.

Bathroom Expose p. 4

Photo by Katie Gregory

14555 Fern Drive, Houston TX 77079

State Or Bust

Business Professionals of America sweep regionals Samantha Hicks

With almost every member of the BPA team placing in the top of their events at the Region 35 competition, the team has high hopes for big wins at the State level. BPA is an academic competition that puts students business skills to the test.

The State Competition will be held in Dallas, TX from Feb. 29- March 3.

The individuals and teams advancing to State in their specialty events are: Fundamental Accounting: Sophie Collins Advanced Accounting: Paige Tormey Payroll Accounting: Rebecca Swan and Katherine Kennedy Advanced Spreadsheet: Leo Montero Economic Research Project: Aditya Dargan Financial Math & Analysis: Fernando Trujano and Katherine Kennedy Insurance Concepts: Katherine Kennedy and Aditya Dargan Integrated Office Applications: Rosie Wu Legal Office Procedures: Megan Botha Admin. Support Concepts: Katherine Kennedy C++Progr amming: Fernando Trujano and Tim Flichy Web Site Design Team: Samantha Hicks, Katie Gregory,

Caroline Demeris, and Mary Margaret Weaver Information Technology Concepts: Tian Yao, Fernando Trujano, Tim Flichy Global Marketing Team: Chandler Callahan, Kenneth Nouri, Matthew Greene, and Megan Botha Entrepreneurship: Kristina Duskin and Divya Ahuja Interview Skills: Katie Gregory Advanced Interview Skills: Samantha Hicks Human Resource Management: Michelle Evans and Claire Aven Presentation Management Team: Allison Demiano, Parker Lund, Sarah Zschappel, and Graham Jones Mgmt/Mktg/Human Res. Concepts: Katherine Kennedy Parliamentary Proc. Concepts: Katherine Kennedy Business Meeting Management: Katherine Kennedy and Aditya Dargan

Graphic by Sarah Davis

Graphic by Kelsey Hunter

See page 14 for story

NEWS iPad Invasion 2

Friday, February 24, 2012

Educational apps can help out in class Caroline Suchman

The new iPads may seem extraneous, but the many available educational apps may give teachers and students a use for them beyond translating words and looking up grades. iPads are already being used at elementary schools to practice math and spelling. They use apps such as Math Bingo to reinforce skills learned with the teacher.

Not only do iPads encourage students to actually take advantage of the technology at school, they are often easier and much more portable than clunky computers and netbooks. Being able to pass an iPad over to other students will make it easier to share the wealth of knowledge available.

High school teachers can download apps that enable iPads to be used as tools like periodic tables, calculators

and dictionaries. There are countless apps that students can use during and after school to aid their studies.

The Chemical Touch is a periodic table that can give additional information to the standard atomic number, mass and symbol. The app, created by Christopher Fennell, gives the Latin name of the element, the half-life, radioactive decay and mass to the seventh decimal.

It also has a feature to make molecule diagrams in order to see them. Seeing molecule diagrams can help students understand how these molecules interact with each other.

Students no longer have to worry about forgetting to bring their graphing calculator to school. Graphing Calculator created by William Jockusch is a fully functional graphing calculator that can be downloaded to your iPad, iTouch, or iPhone free of charge. It includes a scientific

calculator, graphing and table capabilities, a unit converter and a reference for scientific calculations and formulas.

Mindsnacks Languages is a series of apps that teaches vocabulary from Spanish, French, Italian, Mandarin, German, and Portuguese.

These apps can also teach English to Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, French, and Italian speakers.

Mindsnacks starts with a review section to get exposure to the words covered in that level. Then it has several games to help memorize words.

Speed Anatomy created by Benoit Essaimbre is a timed quiz over anatomy. The quiz begins with intestines, then progresses to bones and muscles. The student is scored based on accuracy and speed.

Using iPads can be a benefit to students, teachers just need to figure out how to use them in the classroom.

Senior Survey

The Oracle

Isabel Deakins, Sara Boyle

Has your career choice changed since you were little?

Johnny Fickert You kind of open your eyes more and stop thinking, “Hey, I’m going to do what my dad does.” I never had a dream job as a little kid but now I’m probably going to go to the University of Oklahoma to study petroleum engineering.

Brooke Wallace When I was little I wanted to be a teacher. I had an overhead board and I used to pretend to teach my stuffed animals. Now I want to be a nurse and go to either Baylor or TCU to study nursing.

Max Bredthauer When I was little I wanted to be in the NFL. Now I want to go to either A&M or University of Texas and study to become either a businessman or a lawyer, I haven’t decided yet.

Staff Photos

The Oracle

Friday, February 24, 2012

And The Oscar Goes To...

NEWS 3

Breaking down the Best Picture nominees for this year’s Academy Awards Maddie Stone

The Super Bowl isn’t the only big televised event in February-the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will honor the best films of 2011 at the 84th Academy Awards on Feb. 26. They will be hosted by Billy Crystal for the ninth time in his career.

The Best Picture race has been changed up in the past couple of years with the number of nominated films being raised from five to ten for the 82nd Academy Awards.

However, the standards have again been changed when the Academy announced that only films that received a minimum of 5% of the total number one votes would be eligible for a Best Picture nomination.

This new rule gave way to nine Best Picture nominees, from the critically acclaimed The Artist to controversial Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

• The Artist The premise sounds positively turn-of-the-century-a black-and-white film with barely any audible dialogue.

But this gray scaled gem is so much more than its technicalities; it’s a love letter to the cinema of the past. After sweeping the Golden Globes, the Critic’s Choice Awards, and the Director’s Guild Awards, movie buffs have

declared The Artist to be the front-runner of this year’s Best Picture race.

• Hugo Having dreamy cinematography, outstanding leads, and director Martin Scorcese made Hugo a lock for an Oscar nomination. It leads the pack with 11 nominations. However, the film has seriously under performed at the box office, perhaps turning moviegoers away by the seemingly childish 3D premise. But Hugo rivals The Artist in terms of old-movie nostalgia-famed French filmmaker George’s Melies is a main character. After winning the Golden Globe for Best Director, Scorcese seems more likely to take home the gold for Best Director than Best Picture.

• The Help The bestselling book became a blockbuster this past summer with Tate Taylor’s successful adaptation. While it was a shoo-in for a Best Picture nomination, the film’s true worth lies in its awesome performances by Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, who play downtrodden maids Aibileen and Minny, respectively.

• War Horse There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater during Steven Spiel-

berg’s World War I epic based on the Tony Award-winning play. One part period drama and two parts coming-of-age, War Horse was practically ready-made for Spielberg to execute. In a weaker year, War Horse may have swept the awards circuit. With such a stiff competition this year, though, it may fare better in more of the technical categories.

• The Descendants A little dark, a little sad, yet very funny, The Descendants seems like typical Oscar fare.

However, the acting, cinematography, and screenplay give it that extra kick-the same sparkle that last year’s Best Picture winner, The King’s Speech, had. As it took home the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama, it stands as The Artist’s biggest contender.

• Moneyball Co-written by The Social Network writer Aaron Sorkin, Moneyball floats somewhere between being an intellectual drama like Social and a sports drama like The Blind Side.

While certainly worthy of the nomination, it feels more like a filler than a true contender.

• The Tree of Life Beautifully shot. Wonderfully acted. However, the story line is so jumpy that an

• CHEER

average audience-goer can’t discern what the movie is even about. From whispered monologues over shadowy constellations to those curious dinosaurs at the beginning, The Tree of Life seems too over people’s heads to actually win.

• Midnight in Paris Woody Allen never fails to please and has delighted audiences again with whimsical and slightly nostalgic Midnight in Paris. Watching Gil Pender (Owen Wilson) turn back time in the City of Love was enchanting, but the true magic of the film lies in its screenplay, which already picked up the Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay.

• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close The most controversial nominee by far, there was an audible gasp in the theatre when it was announced that the film was up for Best Picture. It is the worst-reviewed movie nominated this year, receiving flack for the exploitative nature of its 9/11 story line. However, the book that the film is based on received many positive accolades upon its release, so Extremely Loud may receive a little more love in the Best Adapted Screenplay category.

Graphic by Kelsey Hunter

RESULTS •

Congratulations to the new Junior Varsity and Varsity cheerleaders for the 2012-2013 school year!

MISS CLASS, SAVE A LIFE• Students and faculty lined up in the library to give a pint of blood for the blood drive on Wed, Feb. 15. Students that gave blood got to miss the B day class of their choice. The requirements to give blood were that students had to be at least 17 years old and 110 lbs. Pictured is math teacher Buffie Matthews. Photo by Faith Figueroa.

VARSITY •

JUNIOR VARSITY •

Claire Aven Tay Candelario Michelle Evans Samantha May Hicks Keara Ledet Kennedy Meek Abby Moore Mirielle Pinedo Paige Tormey Mary Margaret Weaver Will Choice Dawson Morby

Cameron Barnett, Kylen ChenTroester Hannah Davis, Cara Dudley Nikki Economides , Kennedy Hatcher Abigail Jackson, Lindsey Jenkins Meredith Maclvor, Hudson Meredith, Shannon Mullins Allison Rice, Kylie Schaper Becca Swan, Carson Van Wart Lexi Villarreal, Alex White Cassie Marchand

MASCOT • Camila Castaneda

AWESOME ARTISTS• Several art students competed at the regional level with schools in the greater Houston area at the Visual Art Scholastic Event on Sat., Feb. 11. Everyone who competed in Sculptures placed. Junior Andrew Lee competed in Sculptures and went to State. Photo by Ashley Niemi.

4

NEWS

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Oracle

Bathroom Exposé

School bathrooms leave students running for refuge Katie Gregory

welcome to maddieland

Maddie Stone Over the past four years, I’ve gradually come to accept that not everyone feels the same way about marriage equality and other touchy issues as I do. And that’s fine! Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

However, within the last ten years, the offensive phrase ‘that’s retarded’ has been replaced by ‘that’s gay’.

Let me clarify: the word ‘gay’ is not a synonym for stupid.

For example, “That math test was so gay.” Really? Your inanimate math test is attracted to other math tests of the same gender? Or, if we look at the actual textbook definition, your math test is happy and merry? I would love to take a happy math test. Objects and intangible things do not have homosexual desires.

Furthermore, ‘gay’ is not an insult, because it’s not something bad.

For instance, if I were in a fight with someone, and I called them a female dog, and they responded by calling me a lesbian, I would not be offended. I would be surprised, because I’m not a lesbian, but I would not feel insulted in the slightest. Using one’s sexual preference as an offense“You’re a lesbian! You’re gay!”-has no power because no one’s sexual preference is better than the other. It’s not bad to be gay. It’s not bad to be straight. It’s not bad to have no preference at all.

Sexual preference is a genetic fact of life that we can’t control any more than the color of our hair. It’s not an insult.

I can’t go around washing out everyone’s mouth with soap. But please, please, just watch what you say around others. When you say ‘that’s gay’ to your friends, they start thinking it’s okay. When you use ‘gay’ as an insult in front of your younger siblings, it only enables them. Don’t be the one that passes prejudice on to the next generation.

“So you want to call me a gay nerd virgin? That’s fine. Believe me when I say, you are not embarrassing me. You are embarrassing yourself.”

-John Green

There is no other word to describe the bathrooms within the school better than repulsive. Students don’t take into account how hard custodians work to keep them clean and continue to leave a mess. The so-called “rest rooms” are unsanitary, filthy, and unacceptable. Personal hygiene is something that every single person should take into consideration when they decide to use the facilities.

DISTURBING DISCOVERIES • “I try TRASHING TOILETS • Not only is there a

EXPLICIT ENCOUNTERS • Not only

to make it through the day without using the rest rooms because they are so gross,” said freshman Lauren Carr. “And if I do use the rest room, I have to hold my breath”. Odd items such as latex gloves, tennis balls, bugs, lipstick, lunch trays, and make up are always laying around in the girls rest room. We should treat rest rooms like we treat other classrooms. We have no ownership of the facilities, therefore we have no right to treat them in such a manner. The reality is: in at least four years every single person in this school will be out in the real world, and the habits that we are fostering now will not be acceptable in any public facility whatsoever.

are the bathrooms gross, people use them for the wrong reasons. Some seem to think that the stall walls make good diaries to release their inner thoughts and turmoil. The stall walls are filled with explicit words and pictures. Rather than reading something encouraging to help people make it through the day, students are greeted with slanderous comments regarding fellow classmates.

“You don’t treat your bathroom at home that way, so why would you treat a public facility that way?” said junior Harris Foster. “Don’t treat the bathrooms like a toilet!”.

Strong Foundations

School wide construction begins this year

Layla Shahhosseini

The school is in for extensive renovation this summer.

However, it will directly affect the learning environment now. Teachers are expected to take out their personal belongings in their classrooms in order to help

empty the building.

“I have to take down all my posters by Spring Break and give them to whoever wants them,” biology teacher T o m

UNCLEAN CUSTOMS

• Toilet paper, paper towels, soap and other items are continuously strewn across the floor.

There is a certain standard of respect when using a public facility, and students most definitely don’t exhibit the necessary courtesy. The rest room shouldn’t be a place that we have to try to avoid, but many students avert exposure to the filthy stalls at all costs. “They are so gross. I often have to go to another floor to find one! Why can’t people flush?” said senior Lexie Jenkins.

“It always looks like a bomb went off in the bathroom,” said freshman Matthew Quintana.

Clancy said.

The administrative offices will be relocated to the athletic complex at Tully in the summer until they are able to move back in.

The building will receive a new bell system, a new PA system, synchronized clocks, a new fire protection system, complete overhaul of electrical systems, extensive improvements to the cafeteria and serving lines, door replacement, widening of the front drive of the school, and a covered bus ramp. These will be worked on during the summer.

“The first part of summer after we move everything out, we will be replacing wires,” 10th grade principal Danny Gex said.

The cafeteria will be extensively renovated.

“This is what the cafeteria looked like when I was in high school, except the pizza lines,” Gex said.

Construction will create

wealth of sanitation problems in the rest rooms, but there is an abundance of mechanical problems as well. In each rest room there is at least one stall door that doesn’t work properly. Some stalls require that you exert your entire upper body strength to close it, and others erratically swing open when certain stall doors are shut.

Certain toilets will only flush if you kick the metal handle up, and consequently water from the pipes below starts violently spraying in all directions. “Its like a circus in the girls bathroom during the passing period...” said freshman Christi Gregory. It truly takes skill to make it out of the rest rooms clean and breathing.

Clean up after yourselves Stratford!

more open space.

“The walls in the senior are coming down, the doors will be 5 feet wide instead of just 3 feet,” said Gex. “Any place that’s congested with people will be open. No one will have to fuddle in 3 feet doors anymore and the serving lines will be bigger.”

Redesigned tiles will display the school mascot.

Everything must be moved out of the school by summertime.

“So when you go to a teacher’s classroom, everything’s gone,” said Gex. “No desks, chairs, or tables. In order for them [construction workers] to do pipes for water, the ceiling will have to be exposed.

The ceiling has to come down to get to the pipes and wiring.”

Little additions will also make a big difference next year-things like the lighting fixtures and office air conditioning systems will change.

“We will be putting security

cameras up also,” Gex said.

“There will be hot water for all the classrooms and it will be nice for teachers in workrooms/bathrooms.”

Some departments (i.e. fine arts, athletics) will have their own A/C systems so that they can control them on weekends for games or plays.

The library will also be experiencing a “face lift” with shortened bookshelves and fresh paint.

“We’ll be sprucing it [library] up a bit,” said Gex. “We’re deciding what colors to paint it right now. From now on, if you’re at the front desk of the library, you can see over the book shelves.”

There will also be canopies outside and more benches where the bus circle is.

“The canopy will extend probably all the way down to the practice gym,” Gex said.

The many changes being made this summer will bring forth a new and improved Stratford.

Graphic by Sarah Davis

The Oracle

Friday, February 24, 2012

ADS

5

puzzle page

Sudoku

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Oracle

Crazy Phrasey

Every answer is a rhyming pair of words.

Each underscore represents a letter.

The number after the definition clue tells you how many syllables are in each word.

1. Tiny Crustacean/walking impediment (2) ______ ____

6. red fruit that gets mistaken for a vegetable/starchy vegetable (6) ______ ______

2. Food from an animal/to strike repeatedly (2) ____ ____

7. Stride, Trident, Juicy Fruit/percussion instrument (2) ___ ____

3. Sandwich/what baths are taken in (2) ___ ___

8. Furry fruit with a pit/where water and sand meet (2) _____ _____

4. Sandwich ingredients in a tortilla/ Daytime rest (2) ____ ___

9. Dairy product/two ___ in a pod (2) ______ ____

5. Brown Soda/Story with funny punch line (2) ____ ____

10. Grain from Asia/frozen water (2) ____ ___

ANSWERS: shrimp limp, meat beat, sub tub, wrap nap, coke joke, tomato potato, gum drum, peach beach, cheese peas, rice ice

6

The Oracle

Friday, February 24, 2012

Countdown to...

MUSE

16 Days... until

Growing up, kids are always told not to pretend to be something they’re not. But in the world of the media, hiding behind an alias has become common as a cold in the winter. Do these artists that hide behind their alter egos prove to be more successful than those best known as their real name?

One of the most world renowned is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta. Haven’t heard of her? Wrong. Germanotta is in fact the woman who took on the stage name of Lady Gaga. In 2007, Germanotta began her career as a songwriter for Streamline Re-

cords. It wasn’t until she took on the alias of Lady Gaga that she later put out her debut album, The Fame, in 2008.

Since then Germanotta’s fame has sky rocketed, but instead of Lady Gaga solemnly being a stage name, she has become the character she once created. Germanotta’s success post-alias has confirmed that an alias can be beneficial to ones career.

Rappers are also common culprits to this trend. Jay-Z, family known as Shawn Corey Carter, dropped his birth given name when it came time to make it in the music industry. His alias rooting

from his childhood nickname “Jazzy”, Carter has proven that an alias can be the key to success in the public eye, with his 50 million albums sold globally and 13 Grammy awards.

An artist that has recently made her way into the media is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, or more commonly know as Lana Del Rey. Grant began her music career back in 2008 with her EP entitled Kill Kill.

Proving unsuccessful, Grant resorted to a stage name with her first full length album of Lana Del Rey A.K.A. Lizzy Grant in 2010. Still unable to catch the attention of the

“I’m allergic to the sun.”

-Catherine Frost, 11

Spring Break

Behind the Facades Caitlin Hilton

muse 7

public, Grant proceeded to drop her real name all together and resorted to fully taking on the alter ego of Lana Del Rey. In 2011, she signed to Stranger Records and began her endeavors as Lana Del Rey. The success of the alias has been justified by her blossoming popularity in such a short amount of time.

A self given name has become the trend among new artists, and although some may take it to an extreme, it is a way to revive a once lost career. Though an alias isn’t the way for all artists, it has proven successful for many who have taken on the facade.

38 Days...

“I’m planning on going to the midnight premier. Needless to say, I’m ecstatic.”

-Matthew Foster, 11

until

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax 39 Days... until

Radiohead Concert

“My radio doesn’t have a head...”

-Emily Brown, 9

you would learn to evaluate it.

“This would be so fun, and challenge students literary skills when they wrote reviews,” Lara said.

This class might act as an alternative to taking Lifetime Food and Nutrition, and give students the ability to cook for themselves, a necessity for life.

“I think that a classic shop class, where you would work on cars, and learn about the basics of repairing and servicing vehicles would be really interesting as well,” said junior Joey Wilson.

The knowledge of how to fix everyday appliances and machines could help many students in the long run.

It’s no secret that sleep deprivation and exhaustion are prevalent among students.

Naturally, the comeback of the stereotypical kindergarten naptime is most desired.

“I think that a sleeping class would be awesome, like, nap time,” said Wilson. “And it would be beneficial because sleep helps nurture the brain and helps you grow and would put you in a better mood.”

From technology classes to artistic ones and beyond, more creative classes could allow students to think outside of the box and give them a feel for things they are good at. Some classes would stimulate students while others would allow students a mental break from the daily rigors of math and history courses.

A wider range of athletic courses would get kids outside and exercising.

Imaginative Instruction

Students talk about potential creative courses Chandler Callahan

While all classes offered are useful and prepare students for college and beyond, some students are dreaming of classes that allow them to have a little more fun during school hours.

Creative classes seem to be the most in-demand, ranging from art-based courses to film ones.

Senior Katie Canales is one student wishing for a more artistic class.

“A live drawing class would be really entertaining,” said Canales. “It would help the art students skills develop a lot by drawing a present subject.”

Most major art programs at universities offer this kind of course. It is vital for artists to have the ability to not only

draw still life but also things in motion.

Senior Sarah Katherine Trimble suggested a “YouTube” class.

“The students could look up funny YouTube videos, even the lip-dub, and show them in presentations,” Trimble said.

“Some of the videos could even be educational.”

This class would not only be fun but prepare students for the ever-increasingly technological world.

On the same note, sophomore Meredith Burch believes a film-watching class would be beneficial.

There is already an Intro to Film class offered taught

by Ben Cuellar. The class is a semester long course and the students watch, review, and analyze movies from many

different periods of history.

“Not only do movies teach life lessons, but they’re also really enjoyable,” Burch said.

Some students are straying away from the creative classes

girls.

“I think it is sort of unfair that there is girls volleyball but there isn’t a team for boys, same for football,” Finkelstein said.

“

“I think that a sleeping class would be awesome.”

- Joey Wilson, 11

and wishing for a wider range of sports to choose from.

Sophomore Sarah Finkelstein thinks that hockey, cricket, and rugby teams should be formed as school sports, for both boys and

Classes that focus on more real-life occupations are also the wish of some students.

Culinary student Makayla Lara recommended a food critic class, where gourmet cooking would be served and

8

muse

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Oracle

Hidden Houston Hangouts Hannah Price

BACCHUS • Located off of Westheimer in

DOMY BOOKSTORE • Located in

the Montrose area, this European-style cafe is best known in Houston for its illy coffee, a popular brand in Europe. Bacchus also offers light snacks and desserts to enjoy while relaxing in the delicious atmosphere. Photo by Caitlin Hilton

Montrose, the Domy Bookstore highlights editioned books, periodicals, videos, and product lines focused on national and international contemporary art and culture. Photo by Caitlin Hilton

BEER CAN HOUSE • An 18-year project

MINUTI COFFEE • If you’re downtown

by John Milkovisch, the Beer Can House is completely covered in over 50,000 aluminum beer cans. Only open on Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., admission cost is $2 with guided tours costing $5. Photo by Caitlin Hilton

and in need of a pick-me-up, this quaint cafe will do the trick. This coffee shop has an Italian flair that is too irresistible to pass up.

Located downtown off of Texas Avenue and Main Street. Photo by Caitlin Hilton

LONE WOLF

JODI PICOULT (RELEASE DATE: FEB. 28, 2012) Edward Warren walked out on his family six ONE DIRECTION years ago when he could no longer handle LIONSGATE (RELEASE DATE: MAR. 13, 2012) his home life. But when Edward’s es(RELEASE DATE: MAR. 23, 2012) tranged father gets seriously inIn this adaptation of Suzanne In a truly rags-to-riches story, jured in a car crash, he and his Collins’s bestselling book, Acadthe five boys of One Direction younger sister Cara must emy Award-nominee Jennifer Lawauditioned for the British X-Factor, explore the fine line berence stars as Katniss Everdeen, a girl in a got put together as a group, and got 3rd tween medical scidystopian future who volunteers to compete place in the 7th season competition. After ence and moral in a televised fight to the death in place of her quickly skyrocketing to fame across the pond and choices. younger sister. Starring Josh Hutcherson as Katniss’s inciting Justin Bieber-levels of hysteria in their teenteammate Peeta Mellark and Liam Hutcherson as Gale age fans, One Direction makes their American debut with Hawthorne. Directed by Gary Ross. pop-rock and extremely catchy Up All Night.

UP ALL NIGHT

THE HUNGER GAMES

The Oracle

Avery’s Wave Your Flag Anecdotes School wide lip dub a success Meeting a celebrity in person is an exciting event and seeing somebody in person who was once hanging on your bedroom wall can be overwhelming.

Meeting a celebrity can also result in going home regretting how much you just embarrassed yourself in front of somebody you highly respect.

I know from experience. Following Pete Wentz to his hotel? Not my finest moment.

Staring at Hunter Parrish and only meekly saying “Hi”? Still makes me blush in horror to this day.

While celebrities, in reality, are just normal people who happen to be well-known, there is a certain code of etiquette that should be followed when meeting them.

Rules of Meeting Celebrities 1. If they look busy, don’t bother them. If they’re with their family, don’t bother them. Along the same lines, don’t follow them to their hotels.

2. While you want to be memorable, there is a way to do it that is respectable instead of psychotic. Tell them how they have impacted your life, make a joke, ask questions, talk about the weather. Anything is better than standing in silence, crying, or screaming.

3. More about being memorable. You don’t want to be remembered because the celebrity is slowly starting to recognize you as you are always around. That is creepy.

The goal is to be instantly remembered, not slowly ingraining yourself in their mind.

4. Gifts are appropriate to an extent. Food is generally a bad idea. If the celebrity has mentioned liking something in an interview, that would be an appropriate gift. Gift giving is definitely not a necessity though.

5. Always ask before taking pictures. Also, don’t touch in the picture.

In general, celebrities are really friendly and nice to fans, as they know that fans give them the status that they have as celebrities. Don’t be afraid to talk to a celebrity if you see one, just remember to be normal and respectful.

Annie Rice Ariyan Almassi

Friday, February 24, 2012

Dancing “de Triomphe” Former student featured on popular show Paige Tormey

IN PREPARATION FOR THE BIG EVENT• (Above) The-

atre teacher Mr. Clayton and junior Chris Jones are setting up one of the cannons that shot confetti at the Lip Dub finale.

They loaded the cannon twice for the Lip Dub. Photo by Ariyan Almassi

WAVING HANDS•

(Right) The Athletic Trainers held up their signs during the Lip Dub. There are 53 clubs at school including football, basketball, Ping Pong Club, Tri-Theta, French Club, and many others. Photo by Annie Rice.

muse 9

Elysees and the metro Angeles to be featured “We both always knew were also settings for on the show.

Although the girls we were destined for their video.

“The hardest part was didn’t win first place, fame, so dancing around filming it because people they were very enthusiParis seemed like the perfect opportunity to were staring at us so it astic with their success.

“I figured I could die get there”, said former was hard to find people to dance behind, ” said happy after Ellen saw student Martha Mai. Mai. “I’ve never been me dancing like crazy,” Mai was featured on The Ellen Degeneres afraid to embarrass my- said Lawrence.

They had got support Show on Jan. 22 as a self in public so it kind of came naturally. ” from thousands of peoparticipant in Ellen’s Many were surprised ple all over the country.

Dance Dare. Ellen asked “The best experience all of her viewers to take and thrilled to see the was all the support I got a video of themselves two girls on TV. from my friends. dancing behind ranPeople were postdom strangers withing it on Facebook, out them noticing.

Tweeting it, and Mai and her friend “I’ve never been afraid to Meredith Lawrence embarrass myself in public so it emailing it just to help me get views,” accepted this chalkind of came naturally..” said Mai. lenge with a creative - Martha Mai Nearly everyone idea. who watched the Both Mai and Law“When we saw Martha video would admit that rence moved to Paris, France last summer. on TV, the whole fam- it was hilarious. They They attended the ily immediately started made the video just for American School of getting texts and calls,” fun, but they never exParis and soon became said Mai’s brother Saw- pected it would make it all the way to national close friends. When yer Mai. The video isn’t only television. they heard about Ellen’s “I didn’t think the girls dare, they could not re- popular with family and friends.

The video curhad a chance until I saw sist.

“We just got a camera, rently has 35,000 views the video and then I put together some crazy and gains more by the knew their dance moves couldn’t be ignored,” outfits, and hopped on day.

Ellen Degeneres picked said Mai’s mother Kate the metro,” said Mai. In only one night, a few of her favorite vid- Mai. Mai and Lawrence’s these girls roamed the eos to air on her show after announcing the Dance Dare video is tourist-packed streets challenge.

Every video available to watch on of Paris and filmed their creation. They danced received a $100 Target their YouTube chanin front of famous land- gift card for being a run- nel at youtube.com/ The marks such as the Eiffel ner-up. The grand prize susanlawrence7. for one contestant is the video currently has over Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. The Champs opportunity to fly to Los 41,000 views.

“

SPORTS Draw, Cradle, Score 10

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Oracle

RIPPIN’ TWINE •

The Lady Spartan Lacrosse Club will have their first ever varsity team this year. This team consists of: Sydney Cooksey (Goalie #1), Emily Frazelle (Midfield #2), Lindsey Lee (Defense/Attack #3), Katie Gregory (Attack #7), Mary Margaret Weaver (Defense #9), Nicole Quintana (#13), Jessica Medrano (Attack #15), Wendy Holloway (Attack #16), Christi Gregory (Attack #21), Paige Yim (Defense #24), Kristina Veterova (Defense #26), Samantha Hicks (Defense/ Attack #28), Bonnie Slattery (Defense #33), Marie Davidson (Midfield #34), Angela Dodd (Midfield #37), Charlotte Kaiser (Midfield #77). The Spartans first game was on Wednesday Feb.15 against the Katy Valkyries. After a tough first half the Lady Spartans came back in the second half almost catching up with a score of 15-12. The team practices three days a week and conditions with a athletic trainer; Stephen Solt. The team is coach by Tim Gregory, Grady Byram, and Ted Lee.

Samantha Hicks Mary Margaret Weaver

Game Schedule Varsity Girls

LACROSSE EXCHANGE • (left) Coming all the way from the

Czech Republic is Veterova. This is her first year playing lacrosse. She is also on the basketball team.

Feb. 27 v.s. Westside @ Grobe Stadium Feb. 29 v.s. Village @ Spring Forest MS Mar. 3 v.s. St. Agnes @ Spring Forest MS Mar. 8 v.s. Clear Lake @ Chester Davis Mar. 21 v.s. Houston Christian @ HCHS Mar. 24 v.s. Kingwood @ KHS Mar. 30 v.s. Memorial @ Grob Stadium Apr. 2 v.s. Lamar @ LHS Apr. 12 v.s. Klein @ Ulrich Intermediate

WIN THE DRAW • (far left)

The Draw is what happens at the very beginning of a game and after every goal. This is where two girl line up in the middle of the field with the ball in between the net of their sticks. The referee blows their whistle, then the girls try to flick it to their teammates.

All photos by Sissy Gregory

Redistricting Causes Many Changes Leslie Bustamante Valeria Chelala Samantha Hicks Recently, a meeting was held by the UIL Committee, regarding the redistricting of Texas high schools.

Every two years the UIL collects the over all student enrollment of every high school across Texas, where they are then re-classified into a district (5A-1A).

The school did not experience drastic changes, we still remain in 4A, but the schools we will be competing with for the next two school years have changed.

The school remains in 4A and no longer competes in the intense District 17. This upcoming year the school will be competing in District 22. Northbrook High and

Spring Woods High are the two other SBISD schools still competing in this district.

The school will be encountering five new schools: Fort Bend Ridgepoint, Fort Bend Willowridge, Fort Bend Marshall, Tomball High, and Tomball Memorial High.

“I was a little disappointed to be leaving those other schools, because I really liked the athletic directors and their facilities,” said building principle, Christopher Juntti.

“But I’m looking forward to competing with these new schools.”

The principals from each school will hold a meeting in the future to determine who

will become the new District Chair.

The districts for Swimming

and Diving, and Soccer may or may not be the same. The UIL will have another meet-

ing and will release the alignment of these sports on April 1, 2012.

When comparing the other schools athletic facilities that are now in our district to our own facilities, the Spartans home field advantage

looks like it will come in to play a major role in the success of next season.

Tully, newly renovated with $1.25 million dollars worth of revamping is one of the largest high school stadiums in the state of Texas.

With the renovations, Tully got new Field Turf. Tully is one of 2,500 fields worldwide to have this.

It combines a silica sand with cryogenic rubber in fill.

With it being grass-like, it is designed to allow cleats to penetrate the fiber surface, then twist and release like regular turf.

“We are extremely pleased with the quality of the construction and the finished product,” said Athletics Executive Director L.P. Jones. “I believe now that we have the premier field in the greater Houston area, maybe the premier field in Texas and or

even the United States.”

Compared to last year, the schools to compete with next year are many miles closer.

In respect to Tully:

Fort Bend ISD FBISD has three different stadiums that the Spartans could possibly be competing at this year. These are Hall Stadium, Kempner Stadium, and Mercer Stadium. On average, all three of these are around 18 miles away from the school.

Tomball ISD As TISD has only two high schools, they both share one stadium. This is the Tomball Stadium and it is 32 miles away from Tully.

11

SPORTS

Friday, February 24, 2012

The Oracle

Newton’s Law

February - March Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Alex Newton

Friday

Thursday

Saturday 24

Girls JV, Varsity soccer v.s. Spring Woods SWHS @ 5, 7

26

4

11

18

27

28

5

6

12

13

Girls JV, Varsity SoftBoys JV, Varsity ball v.s. Montgomery Soccer v.s. Summer SHS @ 5, 7 Creek SHS @ 5, 7

Girls JV, Varsity Softball v.s. Northbrook NHS @ 5, 7

Girls JV, Varsity Softball v.s. Spring Woods SHS @ 3, 4:30

19

20

Girls JV, Varsity Soccer v.s. Spring Woods SHS @ 5, 7

29

7

Boys JV, Freshmen Track Stratford Meet SHS @ 4

14

21

1

Boys JV, Freshmen Track Spring Woods Meet MHS @ 4

8

Boys Varsity Track Cy-Creek Inv. Cy-Creek HS @ 4

15

3

2

Girls JV, Varsity Soccer v.s. Kingwood Park SHS @ 5, 7

10

9

Boys JV, Varsity Soccer v.s. Humble SHS @ 5, 7

16

Boys JV, Varsity Soccer v.s. Northbrook SHS @ 5, 7

22

Boys JV, Freshmen Track Northbrook Meet MHS @ 4

25

Boys Varsity Track Will Taylor Memorial MHS @ 9 a.m.

23

17

Boys Varsity Track True Team Meet Klein HS @ 9 a.m.

24

Boys Varsity Track Stratford Relays SHS @ 9 a.m.

With nearly 70 days left until the NFL draft, football will be gone for quite some time. It was a good season for us Texan fans and a solid conclusion to it in Super Bowl XLVI in a game which took all four quarters to decide a victor.

At least there is some basketball to entertain us until the return of football, in which the entire American calendar revolves around.

It seems the season will be another uphill battle for the Rockets who are fighting for a playoff birth, the Rockets have not been to the playoffs since the ’08-’09 season.

They are off to a solid start but because of the highly competitive western conference, every game carries a heavy weight.

They have looked very impressive at times and players like Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin have been playing some great basketball.

At other times they have struggled revealing a key problem for this team, consistency.

The bench play has been the

biggest key to the teams success thus far.

The Rockets bench is seemingly better than the majority of the leagues second teams since many of our bench players could be starters on some other weaker teams.

Consistency from the center position is one thing that needs to improve as well. Because of the teams lack of size the center play is crucial to the teams success.

Samuel Dalembert has looked very impressive at times and at other times Jordan Hill has had to replace him, Hill also has had his bright moments.

With the end of February comes the beginning of March and with it, March Madness.

With the Texas teams struggling and on the bubble, with the exception of Baylor, these final conference games will decide the fate of many teams.

Basketball is one of the most dramatic and entertaining sports America has to offer and we better enjoy it while it last because pretty soon it will just be Astros baseball.

The Rundown A play-by-play of Stratford athletes

KICKING IT OFF• (above) The Spartan boys soccer team has high hopes for their season. With many new players on varsity they are having to learn to mesh as a team and work together on the field. Photo by Jackie Mask

Kyle McAndrews

Favorite Food: Pizza Favorite TV Show: Modern Family Favorite MLS Team: Houston Dynamo Favorite Video Game: FIFA 12 Favorite Teacher: Mrs. Guidry Soccer #: 21 Year on Varsity: First year Position: Right Midfield Photo by Caitlin Hilton

Shamaujae’ Crockett

Favorite Food: French Fries Favorite Teacher: Coach Favor Favorite Song: Someone Like You Favorite Quote: “Hold on to your big girls panties“ -Coach Reed Favorite Game: 2011 NBA Top Priorities as an Athlete: Grades Events: 4x400, 4x100, 100m, high jump, and long jump Photo by Caitlin Hilton

SPORTS Regional Sweep Leads to State 12

Samantha Hicks

The Spartan swimmers and divers competed in the Region IV 4A meet on Saturday, Feb. 10-11. Both the men’s and women’s team received first place overall, with almost every swimmer, swimming their all time or season best.

The Women’s 200 Medley Relay came in first place and set the new region record.

This relay team consisted of senior Hannah Ashcroft, sophomore Rachel McCleary, and freshmen Hannah Stuart and Kristen Peck. The Men’s 200 Medley Relay came in second place and consisted of seniors Rob Gahn and Ford Story, and juniors Michael Miller and Juan Hirsch.

In the 200

Friday, February 24, 2011

Free junior Julia O’Loughlin came in first place, Stuart came in fourth, and freshman Courtney Jackson came in fifth. For the men, junior Kyle Rathgeb came in first place, sophomore Sam Cordova came in fifth, and junior Cai Rohleder came in sixth.

Securing great finished in the 200 IM were sophomores Libby Gahn coming in second and Kaysey Weber finishing fourth. Miller secured first place in the race for the men with Gahn following right behind him in third place. Finishing in fifth was sophomore Brandon Hay, and seventh was junior Matt Lastrapes.

Placing first in the 50 Free

was Ashcroft, followed by McCleary who finished fifth and Peck who came in eighth.

In the Men’s 50 Free Willrodt came in third with Story right behind him finishing in fifth.

In the Women’s 100 Fly, Jackson came in fifth and Gahn finished seventh. For the men, Miller had a great swim a n d finished first a n d junior A n -

drew McCleary came in eighth.

Securing first place in the women 100 Free was Ashcroft, followed by Stuart coming in fifth and Peck finishing seventh. Rathgeb placed second for the men’s team with Willrodt coming in fourth.

Placing first in the 500 Free and breaking the regional record was O’Loughlin. Cordova finished fifth for the men with Rohleder coming in at seventh.

The Women’s 200 Free R el ay took

The Oracle

first place and consisted of Peck, McCleary, O’Loughlin, and freshman Erin Avary.

The Men’s 200 Free Relay took second place, on this relay was Willrodt, Rathgeb, McCleary, and Hirsch.

In the 100 Back senior Hannah Healy came in fifth and sophomore Sabrina Yun finished sixth. For the men, Gahn finished first and Lastrapes placed seventh.

Swimming in the Women’s 100 Breast was Weber who came in at sixth place and freshman Gabriela Cruz who finished seventh.

Breaki n g the Regional,

school, and state record was Story. Though this did break the state record it doesn’t count because it wasn’t swam at the State finals.

Both the men and women’s 400 Free Relay came in first placed. The women’s relay consisted of O’Loughlin, Stuart, Ashcroft, and McCleary.

The men’s relay consisted of Willrodt, McCleary, Rathgeb, and Miller.

The diving team was also very successful with freshman Phoebe LaMay coming in first place and Hudson Meredith coming in third.

“We are seeded to win state by 13 points but we still need to swim extremely well in order to make that reality“, said Rathgeb.

Story said that his goal is to beat the State record at the meet on Feb. 24-25 in Austin.

“Hopefully we win, that would be aweGraphic

The Oracle

Hiding Behind Twitter

Friday, February 24, 2011

OPINIONS 13

Teens use social networking sites as their personal playgrounds Hannah Bevers Social networking has become an epidemic in our generation. We hear that from adults all the time; they tell us that we’re always on Facebook and Twitter and we don’t care about anything else. We deny it, which is fully expected - no one actually wants to be that kid who lives off of popularity from people online. But after considerable thought and observation, the adults are kind of correct.

During the day, when you hear a funny quote or a cute phrase, you might think of the possibility of tweeting it.

Inspirational words of encouragement? Such a perfect Facebook status! Oh, you took a picture of something really cool? Post it on Tumblr.

These web sites, though we may argue that it’s not true, have become our lives.

Breakups, makeups, arguments, disagreements, and, most importantly, gossip and rude comments, are posted

for the world to see. And while that’s bad, the lack of confrontation is worse.

It’s hurtful enough what you’re saying, but on Twitter the other person doesn’t have a chance to defend themselves before everyone else sees what you’ve said.

For example: I know two girls who have been best friends for as long as anyone can remember (we’ll call them Girl “A” and Girl “B”).

With that level of friendship comes a certain amount of confidentiality about personal characteristics of each person. Well, putting caution to wind, Girl “A” decided that everyone would find it funny that Girl “B” had a fling with a certain boy over the summer. Girl “A”’s tweet got 32 favorites and 67 retweets.

Girl “A” thought the whole situation was hilarious, Girl “B” thought differently.

Unfortunately for Girl “B”, she couldn’t do anything about the tweet when it hap-

pened because she simply wasn’t checking her Twitter time

line when the accusing tweet was published.

It’s been made pretty ob-

vious that Twitter can ruin friendships. Like the anecdote of these two girls, it can happen within

hours, even minutes.

One can’t help but question why people think it’s worth it to ruin something so emotional as a friendship over a simple tweet.

There’s just something mor-

ally wrong in not letting people back themselves up for whatever someone says about them. The confrontational phrase, “Keep my name out of your mouth,” really needs to be changed to: “Keep my user name out of your tweets.”

When you dedicate a tweet to downgrading someone, you don’t have to see their face when they read it. You don’t have to feel regret for how they react. You don’t have to face up to what your words are really doing.

Another problem is how much people post on sites like Twitter. I know every single feeling, thought, event, worry, friend, and relationship status of some people I haven’t talked to in years because I follow (and may soon be unfollowing) them.

I’m not suggesting that everyone gets rid of their Twitter, because 1) aside from all the hurtful things that are said, Twitter can be fun and amusing and 2) no one would do it. Rather, I’m suggesting

that we pull back our egos and our quick conclusions.

I know that we hear about considering the feelings of others more often and how it’ll miraculously fix all the problems in the world, but it’s true.

We’re teenagers, we aren’t little kids anymore. We know about the bad things that go on in the world, we know that no one is perfect and that trying to be so is a waste of time.

We know that everyone goes through tough times.

We know that “sticks and stones may break our bones” but words can hurt much more. Here’s my solution: let’s focus on the good. Stop tweeting about the weird, gross, annoying things people do, start posting the good in people and the world. You may not get as many retweets or followers. But it seems as if, in the long run, more friends and less burnt bridges is a better option than hurting feelings and causing tears.

Graphic by Isabel Denkins.

“Give Me Yoga Pants Or Give Me Death”

Recent radical action taken against dress code violations causes people to reconsider what is important Lydia Sweet

Yoga pants were banned at Memorial. That’s a real problem. How can someone function when their option of yoga pants is snatched away from them? So what if world hunger still persists and we have yet to have achieve world peace, yoga pants are obviously a top priority.

Some people at Memorial even went so far as to protest this horrible injustice. Please keep in mind that we are talking about yoga pants becoming against the dress code.

Some students received ISS for the infraction.

People need to respond that way to issues that actually matter. There is a war going on and a lot of the federal budget is possibly being cut.

Please, for the sake of the integrity of the American people, protest something that matters.

What serious issues are being overlooked in favor of yoga

pants? Yoga pants may seem very important to some people, but one can most assuredly live without them. There are plenty of other pants that one can wear. This problem can be solved by buying other pants.

They aren’t taking civil rights away or forcing people to fight in a war. This is all about yoga pants. One of many harrowing first world problems that people in America encounter.

This puts the rest of the world’s suffering into perspective.

Other countries must think the things we protest are a joke. People in Egypt must think, “You’re protesting the dress code? It must be nice to have no real problems.”

Martin Luther King Jr. protested for civil rights, Ghandi protested for independence, and Memorial girls protested for their basic unalienable right to wear yoga pants. Will the suffering ever end?

One must cast aside the cold oppression of denim and embrace the flexibility of the spandex and nylon mix that yoga pants bring. Only then can we as a nation advance into the next era of lower body wear.

Not letting people wear yoga pants is the first step toward a Big Brother-type world. Soon the very thought of yoga pants will be a thought crime.

In this country of great wealth and prosperity, it is inconceivable that one could be denied their right to wear the pants that please them.

Our forefathers worked to throw off the yoke of oppression. The people of Memorial are continuing this magical American tradition. The U.S. wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if they weren’t afraid to challenge authority just because they could.

Protesting is a powerful tool and shouldn’t be used lightly. It should be used for

social reform and informing the government of the ills of democracy. Protesting should not be cast down to the level of yoga pants. There has to be at least 1000 things going wrong in the U.S. that will have more serious repercussions than yoga pants being against the dress code.

Our country has obviously reached the point where all our issues are resolved. If there were still issues then yoga pants wouldn’t be near the top of the list or even on the list of things to protest.

When one partakes in the action of frivolous protests, others tend to hear about it because people like mocking others. Before long, the

whole state knows about the injustice of yoga pants. More to the point, the only reason they know about the protest is they find it funny.

Hopefully this nation can put together some protests that get something done and are actually meaningful. We should not let ourselves

become the laughing stock of the entire world due to our strong desire to wear yoga pants.

There is no issue greater than yoga pants being against the dress code. No one can be expected to live in this cruel and heartless world.

Graphic

by Kelsey Hunter.

14

OPINIONS

Friday, February 24, 2011

PLAN Ahead

Sentimental Sisterhood

Andres Acosta

Amy Brajenovich Samantha Vargas

Test scores reflect future possibilities

on the ACT, and speaking as about what is on the test beTesting season is here and someone who took the PLAN fore they take it. So can the students have started to sign test, students don’t seem to scores of blindly tested stuup for AP tests. The TAKS take the test seriously. dents really be counted? and STAAR are right on the This very important factor All in all, the scores from horizon. But for sophomores, is a major blow to the cred- the PLAN test reflect poorly testing began back in Octo- ibility of the PLAN test. If the on the real ACT because they ber with the PLAN test. test has no impact on your tend to be lower then what The PLAN test is a prelimistudents end up getting on nary ACT test based on the the ACT. With the actual actual ACT test designed to ACT, students have had time predict or estimate the score to practice and learn what to you would most likely get on Speaking as someone who took expect when they do take it. the real ACT and help give the PLAN test, students don’t Although students might seem to take it seriously. the test takers a feel as to view the PLAN test as a blow what it is like. They are tested off, the ACT should not and on their English, Reading, will not be looked at in the Mathematics, and Science grades, why bother to try same light. The ACT is very skills under certain time lim- your best? This is the exact important to a student’s fuits. logic that goes through every ture, both in what college When scores, ranging from sophomore’s head. they can potentially attend a 1 to a 32, are returned to Your score ranking among and success in life after colthe students, the score report the rest of the test takers can lege. also shows you the percent of not be taken seriously if not Students should not let the students scoring at or below everyone who took the test results of the PLAN test diyour score. In other words, tried their best. minish or lessen their conit shows you how your grade Besides the fact that no stu- fidence, but they should, compares to the rest of your dent takes it seriously, it also however, keep in mind that classmates. But how accurate has to be mentioned that the ACT is a very big deal is the PLAN test? sophomores have most likely and should prepare properly Although the test is based never seen or know much for it.

“

The Oracle

Alumnus takes a look at college sororities Being a part of a sorority has many advantages, including social events, meeting new people and creating that warm effect of a family that many girls will miss while being in college.

Today, there are more than 9 million Greek members nationally with over 800 campuses participating in Greek life.

Being involved in a sorority has become more and more popular over the years. What about them makes them so desirable?

“The reason why I wanted to become a part of a sorority was because I didn’t really know anyone going to LSU and it’s a good way to have things to do, and tailgating,” said Kelsey Loux, a sophomore at LSU who graduated from Stratford in 2010.

“No matter if you go to a smaller school or play with the real king of tailgating, at

LSU, every Greek tailgates.”

Loux said.

More than just a social opportunity, sorority members build up a new family. Sorority sisters bond together to provide vital support and encouragement for each other.

“In Zeta there are families.

A new freshman member will get a family and we all become really close. Those are your best friends and who’s going to be at your wedding next to you. We get a mutual decision on who will become our big or little sister, and the process we have at Zeta is really good,” Loux said.

Many girls in high school have already thought about joining a sorority.

“I want to be in a sorority because I feel like going into college will be hard enough, and just the thought of knowing a group of girls that can potentially be life-long friends makes the transition a better experience,” sophomore Casey Sparks said.

Greeks are famous for their fun get-togethers and group activities. Many of these members are heavily involved with volunteering and donating their time to local charities, like St. Jude’s or Ronald McDonald House.

Some argue that sorority girls buy their friendship and don’t genuinely find it, but the same could be said for people who join country clubs, or pay fees to participate in special interest groups for the purpose of sharing common interests. Membership in a sorority is a lifetime commitment, and many do not realize just how much of a positive impact it can make on their life if they allow it.

Having the experience of a close sisterhood during your college years is a great way to transition from a mere student to a sophisticated young woman. Sororities give you a home away from home which is much needed in your first years out of the house.

Eyes and Thumbs Drawn to “Apps”

Teens are more attached than ever to their mobile phones and ever changing applications Kelsey Hunter

It’s a sad day when you can’t hold a conversation with your friends because their eyes and hands are glued to their phones. In the car? Texting other people. Free time in class? Playing Temple Run. Waiting for the bell to ring?

Updating Twitter. Checking Facebook. Getting a new High Score. Taking a Selfy.

Most of the time, being on your phone instead of enjoying the company of others is just rude, but it is getting to the point of absurdity! You can not walk into a room anymore without finding half of the people on a phone playing a mindless game or “stalking” friends online.

Senior Sophie Lakner is known for using her phone all the time, by being on Pinterest and checking Twitter and Facebook even, she admits, while driving.

Now with the new craze of Temple Run, it seems you can not even try to start a conversation with out someone saying, “Wait! Don’t ruin my concentration! I am so close to winning!”

Companies are thriving off this sudden need for new mindless time wasters. Senior Isai Martinez reports that he uses his phone all the time, and “has reoccurring dreams where [his] iPhone breaks”. He is a big fan of Temple Run and StumbleUpon.

StumbleUpon is a web site dedicated to bringing new things of interest every time you click the stumble button over and over and over again. There is no

stopping point where you can put your phone down and rejoin the real world.

Martinez keeps his phone in his right pocket so he can make sure it is close, because not having his phone makes him anxious.

Freshmen Katelyn D’armond feels the same way, stating that her phone “is her baby”.

While senior Evan White, who uses his phone for organizational and business reasons, such as checking e-mails and keeping his calendar up to date, he still says he “has problems concentrating when my iPhone is in my hand”.

Twitter and Facebook notifies the user for every mention, like, comment, picture, and inbox message, sucking you right back into the black hole of ever-refreshing updates.

What can be so important that you have to thumb through while you are driving? Or that can be so engaging that you pull out your phone while you are out to eat with your friends?

While you are obsessing over what your online friends are

doing, you are losing the ones that took the time to hang out with you, just to be ignored.

Few people realize this is happening, unlike freshman Jenny Hall who says she limits the time she uses her phone and will usually only pull it out to play Cube Runner when she is waiting in long lines, or to listen to music.

In this day and age, with Face-time, and online dating, it’s evident that people are losing their touch when it comes to in-person communication. So stray from the beaten digital path and talk to someone!

Put down the phone, give those thumbs a break, and just look around you! You might realize that someone is trying to talk to you. With your eyes constantly on that little screen, you might even run into a pole. Graphic by Kelsey Hunter.

The Oracle

Friday, February 24, 2012

Thoughts on Therapy

OPINIONS15

A negative image for a positive method Kali Venable With the many struggles of life as a teenager, it is rather easy to get caught up in things. We all make mistakes, have regrets, go through difficult times and sometimes just end up downright confused.

These are the moments in which future paths seem blurred or darkened, when we find ourselves uncertain of the choices in front of us, when we just need help.

However, due to society’s outlook on therapeutic help, teens and people of all ages are turning away from therapy. Instead, they are trying to handle their problems on their own.

Our society has sent a message to the public that broadcasts therapists as “shrinks” for people who are insane, whacked out, psychotic or

just plain crazy.

People found to be receiving therapy are often turned away from or avoided because no one wants to be seen with “those kind of people”.

However, what is the difference between “those kind of people” and you? Just because a person goes to therapy does not make them any worse of a person or weaker than anyone else. In fact, having the courage to go against the stereotype and ask for help shows how strong they really are.

What our society needs to understand is that therapy can be for anyone. You don’t have to be messed up, broken or a complete wreck to go into therapy.

We all have issues, big or small, and through therapy, we are given the chance to

Movie Manners Harrison Vaporciyan

Since its conception, film has been a form of refuge.

From Charlie Chaplin’s earliest silent films to the most recent blockbuster, movies have offered an escape from the numbing routine of daily life, giving the viewer an opportunity to immerse himself/herself in an elaborate fantasy.

Then somebody pulls out a phone. And the crazy part is, if you assault him/her, you’re the one who goes to jail.

These awful people come in a wide variety of breeds, each more annoying than the last.

These people’s aggravating behaviors aren’t limited to the theater, either. On the contrary, their assault on your self-discipline begins as soon as you get in line to buy overpriced, bite-sized balls of oilcovered Styrofoam referred

Oracle Staff

to as “popcorn” by people with sick senses of humor.

Most sane people want to get in and out of this line as quickly as humanly possible.

Some people, however, seem to relish the act of ordering food to the point where they will entrench themselves at the front of the line in a manner reminiscent of a beached whale.

From there, they order enough food to comfortably feed a small African village and wait while the workers behind the counter frantically call in truckloads of popcorn to satiate the leviathan in their theater. The upshot of all this is that you’ll be in line for a while.

But, the torment doesn’t end there. After you walk into the theater, find your seat, and sit down, one of the more irritat-

work out these issues. ing for help in fear of being Although I do believe every- frowned upon find themone can benefit in some way selves unable to bear life. This from therapy, I don’t think results in teens ending their that it is a necessity for every lives while scarring the lives person. If you feel happy and of those around them. Others good about all aspects of your turn to unhealthy methods of life, then by coping such all means as substance continue abuse, eatdoing what ing disorders you’re do- Everyone deserves to be happy or in some and if it takes them therapy to get cases, selfing! there, then so be it.

The negainjury. tive image We can that therprevent teen apy has received is resulting suicide and negative copin untreated causes of mental ing methods while producdisorders such as major de- ing happier, healthier young pression or bipolar disorder. adults if we, as a society, have In a country where suicide a paradigm shift in attitude is one of the leading causes of towards therapy. teen deaths, untreated mental Instead of looking at theradisorders are only adding to py as a last resort, it should be the numbers. seen as a normal thing, like Kids who refrain from ask- taking a trip to the gym or

“

ing subspecies of theatergoers begins to manifest itself.

At first, it’s subtle. You’ll see a few people hunched over staring at something in their lap with the sort of interest usually reserved for sporting events or car wrecks.

As the lights dim, however, the truth becomes clear: these people are using cell phones.

Yes, cell phones. In a movie theater.

Why, you may ask? There are two responses here. Firstly, why are you asking a newspaper? And secondly, nobody knows why. These people defy all logic. In a movie theater, where you have paid to see a movie, these people are texting. On the plus side, however, the glow of their screens makes them easy targets for a thrown cup of soda.

the park for a run. We need emotional exercising just as much as we need physical exercising. By confronting our problems rather than hiding behind them, we are able to lead more honest lives.

In addition to helping us lead more honest lives, therapy gives us the opportunity to change and the peace to accept changes that are out of our control.

Through therapy, many learn to talk about difficult, awkward or uncomfortable subjects becoming more open.

With more happy and emotionally healthy teens, suicide rates will drop along with rates of drug abuse, eating disorders and self-injury-all of which are cries for help.

Students who once were over-burdened and caught up

in the chaos of life will be able to make better grades and focus on the futures ahead of them. Because they won’t have to solve their problems alone, they will have more energy for better things.

For those of you who are doing fine, supporting the people around you that are struggling and need help will allow you to grow into a better, more understanding person.

If anyone you know is having a difficult time, lend an ear to listen. More often than not, people who are struggling feel alone and not cared for. You would be surprised at how much just listening to someone can mean to them.

Everyone deserves to be happy and if it takes them therapy to get there, then so be it.

The Value of A’s and 2400’s Esther Jeon

Hours are spent on homework and projects and sleep is lost on studying for tests.

Parents pay hundreds of dollars on tutors for their students and pay hundreds more for SAT/ACT prep books and classes.

These precious hours of time and effort are all put into becoming the ideal student colleges look for, and yet, many students forget that numbers are not the only factor in college admission processes.

A perfect SAT score or a fantastic ACT score certainly would not hurt you, but having only a perfect SAT or ACT score most certainly will.

Colleges are not looking for the student with only perfect scores to his or her name; colleges are looking for the well-

rounded student. This is why students are under the microscope in every way, from the extracurricular activities they participate in to their community service to even their location of residence.

Colleges want more than just grades-they want to see that their applicants know how to talk to people and know how to make a difference in their own community.

This isn’t to say that numbers are not important at all. Both Stanford University and Columbia University list academic GPA and class rank under their list of “Very Important Admission Factors.” After all, test scores and grades are one of the few ways colleges can examine how capable you are of juggling multiple AP classes and other responsibilities and

how responsible of a person you are.

However, students should take care to notice that extracurricular activities and character/personal qualities are also high up on the list of “Very Important Admission Factors.” Grades are something thousands of students across the US can achieve; juggling those grades with other responsibilities is something only hundreds can.

Numbers will not guarantee your entry into a college, so it is high time students realize that the ridiculous amount of hours and money spent on SAT prep classes could be put to better use in hours spent at volunteer centers and money spent on creating your own club for extracurricular activities.

Advisor Janice Cummons Editors-in-Chief Annie Rice, Maddie Stone, Avery Falick Associate Editor Rachael Brennan News Editors Samantha Vargas, Layla Shahhosseini, Sara Boyle News Reporters Chandler Callahan, Esther Jeon, Samantha Stazo, Ara Luz Muse Editors Caitlin Hilton, Hannah Price, Paige Tormey Muse Reporters Kaela Beasley, Janelle Blackwood Sports Editors Samantha Hicks, Valeria Chelala, Leslie Bustamante Sports Reporters Alex Newton, Elaine Parizot, Elyse Stieber Opinions Editors Michelle Evans, Lydia Sweet Opinions Reporters Andres Acosta, Caroline Suchman, Jackie Velarde Photo Editors Katie Gregory, Amy Jordan, Mary Elizabeth Schnake Photographers Jackie Mask, Ariyan Almassi, Maddie Byers, Caroline Demeris, Faith Figueroa, Jacob Pennington, Logan Tinkler, Samantha Vanston, Amy Brajenovich, Stephen Martinez Copy Editors Ammarah Tariq, Marina Khalid Staff Artist Kelsey Hunter Design Editors Isabel Deakins, Harrison Vaporciyan Design Staff Gil Sanchez, Kali Venable Ads Editors Leslie Baker, Caroline Schreiber, Katy Wilson Ads Staff Stephanie Slaughter, Mary Margaret Weaver, Blake Schreiber

16

ADS

Friday, February 24 2012

The Oracle