March 30, 2012 by The Oracle

Baseball heats up p. 10 Photo by Stephen Martinez Volume 39, Issue 8

ORACLE Friday, March 30, 2012

ADD/ADHD p. 14

Photo by Mary Elizabeth Schnake

14555 Fern Drive, Houston TX 77079

Alex Eberly Wins Mr. SHS Pageant

STRUT YOUR STUFF • At the Mr. SHS competition on March 22, sixteen senior boys competed for the title of Mr. SHS. The categories the boys competed in were Swimsuit, Formal Wear, Interview, and Talent. Senior Aditya Dargan won second place and senior Anthony Payton came in third place. Senior Alex Eberly received a trophy and flowers for his achievement. All photos by Stephen Martinez.

Religion in Media

Kony 2012 Causes Controversy

Aldo Martinez Katherine Kennedy

Back in the day, students learned about global affairs in their history class, in current events, and from the nightly news. Now, thanks to social media, including Twitter and Facebook, news about people like Joseph Kony goes viral in a matter of minutes. On March 5 a video titled “Kony 2012” was released, revealing the actions of Kony, the head of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) in Uganda. He has been accused of kid-

napping children and making them into soldiers and sex slaves. This video is part of a campaign trying to inspire the American people to take action in raising awareness about this man. Many students found out about this campaign through social media. “I first heard about Joseph Kony on Twitter,” junior Abby McMurtry said. For several days, “Stop Kony” was trending worldwide. The online video received millions of hits, and the issue became a discussion

topic among students for several days. “I think it’s good that [Invisible Children] is trying to spread awareness, but it is not a new issue,” sophomore Karla Gonzalez said. “I’m sure that Uganda is not the only country experiencing similar problems.” Invisible Children, the nonprofit organization that sponsored the Kony 2012 campaign, gives people many ways to be involved. On their web site, they have links to contact celebrities and politicians about the

BREAKDOWN OF KONY 2012 March 6 - Kony 2012 officially goes viral, penetrating Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube.

see page 15

March 5 - Jason Russell posts his Kony 2012 video to Invisible Childrens’ Vimeo account.

March 16 - Jason Russell is detained for behaving erratically in public.

March 7 - #stopkony and #kony2012 become top trending topics on Twitter.

matter. “Action Kits” that include a T-shirt, a bracelet, stickers, buttons, and posters have begun to sell out due to high demand. Web sites like InvisibleChildren.com and Kony2012.com include digital kits that can be downloaded to your PC or Mac for free. The posters that come with the kit will be used on April 20 across America in an event titled “Cover the Night”. During this event, while people sleep, supporters will cover the buildings with these posters to publicize this event.

March 21 - Exhaustion is the source of Russell’s breakdown and he is to stay in the hospital for a “thorough recovery”.

March 19 - Kony 2012 has a combined 100 million views on Vimeo and Youtube.

April 20 - Cover the Night scheduled to take place in cities across America.

NEWS He Said Friday, March 30, 2012

Layla Shahhosseini

Freshman Matthew Quintana

Girls shouldn’t ask guys creatively to Sweet 16 because they have trouble asking in general, that would be too complicated. Photo by Faith Figueroa

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She Said

Sophomore Becky Dubner

The guys go through so much work to ask creatively and I know the girls in my grade just text guys. I don’t think it’s fair on the boy’s part. Photo by Faith Figueroa.

The Oracle

Friday, March 30, 2012

Patisserie Mabis New bakery comes to town Hannah Price

much more by Mrs. Mabis herself, who has been in the baking business for over 10 years and has never taken a formal culinary course. By the taste of the pastries, one would have no idea. The main line up of pastries rotates daily, so there is al-

Do The Robot

getting bored in their small town home. Moving to find The recently opened Pathe big-city excitement in tisserie Mabis breaks away Houston, the couple immedifrom the recent cupcake fad. ately started searching for the Located next to Blue Wilperfect location for their new low Bookshop on Memorial, small business. After decidMabis is definitely not the ing on the location, it took typical bakery. six months to completely As soon as one walks intransside the f o r m doors, the vathey imc a n t medispace ately can into a see what cute, makes relaxed t h i s enviplace r o n so speme nt cial. The that evwindows e r yon e are comcould pletely e n j o y. filled O n with a e a c h v a r i of the ety of walls French are Eupastries rop e an that are influa reenced freshing paintc h a n g e J’AIME À MANGER • (Above) New bakery, Mabis Patisserie, opened up on i ng s , from the Memorial and Dairy Ashford in the HEB shopping center. The bakery is filled with paintn o r m . homemade French style pastries such as eclairs, cupcakes, and chocolate croissants. ed by The pas- Photo provided by staff. Mabis’ t r i e s ways bound to be something own father, one of which is a made there not only have different every time one goes Mona Lisa replica holding a French-influences, but Italin. In addition, every day cake in her arms. ian, American, and Mexican one can find the classics that In addition to pastries, Patisinfluences as well. everyone knows and loves: serie Mabis also offers variAll of the pastries are made cookies and cupcakes for the ous coffees such as cappuccicompletely from scratch and less adventurous customers. nos, lattes, and americanos as include eclairs, cheese cakes, The idea of this bakery was well as various sodas and iced tiramisu, various tarts, and conceived by the couple after tea drinks.

Virtual High School Information • •

•

• •

Enrollment for Spring Branch ISD Virtual High School is now open. A number of courses are offered that students can take for either credit recovery or to get a course over with during the summer that they don’t want to take during the school year. There are two sessions one can enroll in. Enrollment for Session 1 of Virtual High School is open from now until June 1 and enrollment for Session 2 is open from now until July 12. Applications are available to fill out online and must be approved by your grade level counselor. Visit vhs.springbranchisd.com for more information.

NEWS 3

School robotics team is first in district Layla Shahhosseini The Stratford Robotics Team is the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in the district, and they are trying to encourage other schools to join in this organization. “We went from a group of students to a team,” junior Amy Penick said. As this is their busy building season, the robotics club has spent the last few weeks preparing to show off their robot. “We meet once a week, but during build season its seven days a week,” Penick said. “We usually work for four or more hours during a week, but during build season we meet for eight, nine, ten hours a day,” senior Katherine Perez said. They are in building season for a six-week period and participants in the project are encouraged to help most of the time the robot is being built. The designs for the robot are part of the whole team’s contribution. During build season, the students work at each others’ houses. However, they hope that they will have a proper facility to build in next year. For now, the students are working vigorously toward learning every part of the robot and why it does what it does.

“The rules for the competition are really picky,” senior Daniel Leeper said. “A lot of things have to be in compliance with safety and standard rules,” Perez said. The judges that will be present at the competition are going to ask each team specific questions about their robot that they have to answer. Therefore, all team members are going to have to know

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“We went from a group students to a team.” - Amy Penick, 11 their robot inside and out. “It is likely that a judge would come up to someone and ask what makes your robot different,” Leeper said. The robot built by SHARC (Stratford High School Advanced Robotics Club) has the capability to shoot balls and move around. “The first sight of our robot, ‘ball help’ was when it rolled down the driveway made from a box of mere parts, and it is now a fully functionally robot,” Perez said. To build the robot, the competition supplies the team with a basic kit of parts. “If you fundraise your

PRE-PROFESSIONAL • Junior Katie Gregory and sophomore

Katherine Kennedy advanced to BPA Nationals in Interview Skills and Fundamental Accounting, respectively. Nationals will take place in Chicago from April 25-29. Photo provided by Katie Gregory.

own money, you can buy your own parts from anywhere,” Perez said. The total cost of the robot, including registration, is $6,500 funded by sponsors. “We got a rookie grant to cover the cost,” Perez said. After the season is over, SHARC is planning to tour schools and show them their robot before they take it apart for parts next year. They are considering going to middle schools in the district to get them to participate in robotics. “We are planning to of promote it for schools next year and cannibalize the robot for parts for next year’s competition,” Leeper said. The robotics team wants more students involved next year and is looking forward to a new season. “We want people to join, and you don’t have to like math or science to join,” Perez said. “Robotics is a lot more than robots,” SHARC sponsor Tracey Jensen said. SHARC has its own web site that anyone can check out for more information on the making of the robot, FIRST, or the completion at Team4155.tk. This year’s competition will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston from April 5-7.

Junior Class Garage Sale • • • • •

The Junior Class Garage Sale was a huge success with a profit of $15,000. Parents, students, and members of the community came out to volunteer both Friday and Saturday at the garage sale and to support it. If students had a last period class on Friday that was an athletic or study hall class, they had the option to miss it to volunteer. Every year the junior class has a garage sale to raise money for Prom and Project Prom. With the cancellation of the bake sale last year, there have been more fundraisers to try to raise money for each class’s prom. Each class does something different.

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Hey Morgan Conder,

-Connor Flanagan

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Friday, March 30, 2012

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puzzle page

Friday, March 30, 2012

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Crazy Phrasey

Sukoku for this issue is on our blog! To find it, visit spartanoracle.blogspot.com

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. Another word for rabbit/humorous (4) _____ _____

6. A soft wind/”head, shoulders, ____, and toes” (2) ______ _____

2. Baby chicken/”She’s a ____ house” (2) _____ _____

7. To defrost/to bite or chew (2) ____ ____

3. Plant with petals/standing up bath (4) ______ ______

8. Season after winter/male monarch (2) ______ ____

4. Precipitation/unpleasant sensation from injury (2) ____ ____

9. Pile of water/to mix or stir (4) ______ ______

5. To break out of an egg/fire starter (2) _____ _____

10. Moderately high temperature/a body of bees ____ _____

ANSWERS: bunny funny, chick brick, flower shower, rain pain, hatch match, breeze knees, thaw gnaw, spring king, puddle muddle, warm swarm

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muse 7

Friday, March 30, 2012

Countdown to...

MUSE Birdy Takes Flight Caitlin Hilton

They seem to creep out of nowhere, filling music charts and dominating in album and digital sales. Their voices ramble in our heads, haunting our every thought. Our generation’s blossoming of talented youth from YouTube did not end at Justin Bieber. At 12 years of age, a British girl known by the name of Birdy uploaded a home video of herself playing an original song to YouTube. An executive from Warner Brothers Music UK caught wind of the marvelous talent, and at first

listen knew the young one was destined to be huge. Three years later, at the prime age of 15, Birdy has released a self-titled album featuring 13 cover tracks of songs by artists ranging from The xx to James Taylor. Birdy’s most popular cover track, “Skinny Love” by Bon Iver, was released on YouTube along with her own music video. The youngster’s version of the song is one that is ahead of her time. Filled with haunting harmonics from the piano backing her momentous vocals, it is no wonder that the track

was released on the United Kingdom’s Singles chart and featured in the popular television series, The Vampire Diaries. The album takes an alternative spin to each cover, all similar to that of “Skinny Love”. A melodic piano with vocals to match subdue the listener into a tranquil state of mind. Birdy’s individuality shines through each cover, giving them all an original feel. The one track featured on the album that is not a cover, “Without A Word”, comes from the 15 year old’s heart.

Lydia Sweet

7 Days... until

Daniel Tosh The ballad yearns over a former lover, but gives herself the initiative of ‘I will survive’ attitude with the compelling line, “I’ll leave you without a word”. Despite her age, Birdy has made a phenomenal impact in the music industry. Birdy was also a contributing artist to the soundtrack of the successful movie off of the trilogy, The Hunger Games. The track, “Just A Game”, is one of the most successful on the album. Though she’s already global, the Birdy obsession has just begun to take flight.

Avery Falick

“He’s so cute! I have the biggest crush on him”

- Clementine Berranger, 10

15 Days... “Pikachu! I choose you!” The Pokemon Card - Kyle CasaGame Championship nover, 11

until

18 Days... until

The Maine

Harrison Vaporciyan

“I’ve never been to that country...” - Catherine Frost, 11

Paige Tormey

Joker & the Thief Wolfmother

It’s like metal music without the horrible vocals. Possibly the best thing to come out of Australia.

The lyrics and catchiness of this song make it an easy listen for a harsher song.

The guitarist obviously knows what he’s doing, and the lyrics actually sort of make sense.

Metal can sometimes be too harsh, but this is a nice blend.

Stitch Me Up fun.

Generic. Nothing about this song makes it stand out. Everything about it is vanilla.

This sounds like a song that would be played during a montage in a movie set in the summer.

This sounds like the cheap, store-brand version of an alt-punk song that’s actually good.

It sounds like a song they would play in Hollister. Some may enjoy that, but most of us don’t.

Hurt Nine Inch Nails

The lyrics are pretty cliche and over done. Admittedly it has a lot of raw emotion.

This song is loaded with deep emotions, which is a nice change from other songs by this band.

Little-known fact: Trent Reznor can actually convey emotions other than rage when he wants to.

This is the last thing I would expect from Nine Inch Nails. It’s a step in the opposite direction.

People Say Portugal The Man

The music video really speaks to me. I also sometimes run around with rubber cement on my face.

While this song is catchy, it’s a pretty generic “alternative” song and nothing really special.

“Alternative” describes this song perfectly - it’s an excellent alternative to good music.

This song probably sounds best when performed live due to its energy and openness.

muse

Friday, March 30, 2012

The Oracle

Friday, March 30, 2012

ANNIE

and the adventures

Never Met A Play They Didn’t Like

The Playhouse scores several Tommy Tune nominations, competes in UIL Michelle Evans

Try a thing you haven’t done three times. Once, to get over the fear of doing it. Twice, to learn how to do it. And a third time to figure out whether you like it or not. Virgil Thomson

Of the two years of being on staff, I have only written two stories. One being the memorable, “Toddlers and Tumbling”, and the tear-jerker, “The Influential Parent”. I only wrote these stories because I was scared of the former editor-in-chief and I thought that it would make my teacher like me. I hope that you, dear reader, understood that the first paragraph was complete sarcasm, except that I really was scared of the former editorin-chief and I wanted Mrs. Cummons to like me. But all kidding aside, I did not write more because I felt that my photography was stronger, which has proven true the majority of my sophomore, junior, and even senior year. Also, it was very intimidating having my friends be section editors and find that I misspelled words such as “your” and “you’re”. I still to this day blame my usage of social networking and AIM for those careless mistakes. Then years later I am given the position of editor-in-chief and I was once again nervous that I would have to write content for the newspaper. I also dodged that bullet by making my bi-issue column a “photo-column”. However, a couple weeks ago my mom asked why I never wrote for the paper. She explained that I survived junior AP English class, so why did I have to worry about the school newspaper? Well first, AP class writing is completely different than a newspaper story writing, and second, she had a point. If I could write a rogerian argument essay, then I could surely write a column about my inner thoughts and emotions about life and what not. So let the emotions and indepth feelings about random situations in life begin.

muse 9

The Stratford Playhouse has had a fantastic season thus far, and it looks like the success will continue. The Will Rodgers Follies, the winter musical, sold out for the first time since the Playhouse’s production of Barnum in 2009. On March 21, Principal Juntti announced that Will Rodgers had received 10 Tommy Tune Award nominations. The Tommy Tunes, started in 2002 and sponsored by Theatre Under The Stars, recognize achievements in musical theatre in Houston area high schools. This year’s 10 nominations

are only a few nominations tion, Best Costume Design, com. It is safe to say this was short of last year, when the Best Musical Direction, and an exciting announcement Playhouse was nominated for Best Technical Execution. for the Playhouse. everything aside from Best Seniors Will Lynde and Katy On April 17, the cast and Choreography. Wilson were also nominated crew of Will Rodgers will travHowever, this cannot be con- for Best Leading Actor and el to the Hobby center for the sidered a disappointment Tommy Tune awards show. as the Playhouse cannot be Hopefully, the success of last nominated for the Best Choyear’s Tommy Tunes will exreography category due to It is safe to say this was an tend to this year and they the fact they have a profes- exciting announcement for the will sweep the house. sional choreographer, Paula However, the Playhouse’s Playhouse. Sloan. The Playhouse also season doesn’t stop there. For hires professional members the next show of the season, for their orchestra, which the cast and crew of the Playprevents them from being Actress, respectively. house competed in the UIL nominated for Best Orchestra The members of the Play- competition with The Love as well. house find out about the of the Nightingale by TimberThe nominations consist of nominations at the same time lake Wertenbaker. Best Musical, Best Lighting as the rest of the school does, On March 22, the cast and Design, Best Scenic Design, which is when Principal Junt- crew of Nightingale went to Best Ensemble, Best Direc- ti announces it over the inter- Waller High School and rep-

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resented Stratford at their first level of this esteemed competition. The cast and crew performed their best, but unfortunately did not advance to the next round. Following Nightingale, the Playhouse will put on A Night With David Ives the first two weeks of May. This production will consist of a series of short comedic plays by playwright David Ives. Despite not advancing in UIL, it is clear that the Playhouse’s success is not limited to one show. On April 17, think of Stratford’s amazing Playhouse and wish them luck as they travel to the Tommy Tune awards.

The Movie On Fire

‘The Hunger Games’ adaptation sweeps the box office, leaves fans slightly disappointed Paige Tormey The Hunger Games, the best selling novel by Suzanne Collins, was adapted into a movie and released on March 23. The main plot line remained loyal to the story dreamt of by Collins, and the actors fit their parts well. However, because the trilogy already had a large fan-base before it was converted to film, many die-hard fans complained of what was left out from the movie that was important in the book. The series begins in a country called Panem that has risen out of the ruins of postapocalyptic North America. Panem is divided into 12 Districts with the glamorous Capitol at the middle. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, is pushed into a competition-The Hunger Games-in which 24 children, two from each district, must fight to the death on live television. The Games were instated to punish the Districts for rebellious actions earlier in the century. One fault in the cinematic recreation is the missing details of the competition. The movie fails to fully explain all aspects of the Hunger Games, including how kids are entered into the drawing for the contestants and the

numerous prizes the winner receives. The development of the characters lack depth and development. Important qualities were left out of characters such as Rue, Peeta, and

quickly glanced over even though it is important because it shapes her personality and work ethic. Katniss’s rural life in District 12, her broken family, and the responsibility that was dumped

ations. Details such as these were overlooked, regardless of their importance. All of the action in the movie was rushed through and watered down. Granted, the movie is only 2 hours and 22 minutes which made it harder to be able to fit in all of the thrills that were detailed in the book. This fault is understandable, however, as movies cannot always include a spotlight on the actions of lesser importance. Therefore, the book better depicts the story and allows the reader to be completely indulged in the story and transported into the middle of the Hunger Games. The movie also failed to include sufficient base for the following stories. In the setup of the plot of the book, the Mayor of District 12’s daughter gives Katniss a MockingHUNGRY FOR HUNGER GAMES • Hundreds of students from all over Spring Branch poured into local theatres to watch the midnight premiere jay pin to bring with her of The Hunger Games. Many dressed up while others showed off souvenir Hun- to the Capitol. However, ger Games cups that several theatres gave out. Photo by Esther Jeon. in the movie her younger sister Primrose gives it Gale. Because of their ig- on her at a young age forced to her as a reminder of what nored qualities, the plot line her to grow up fast. Because she’s fighting for. This someloses importance and criti- she had to hunt for food for what ruins what is to come in cal relationships were simply her family, she became inde- the future of the trilogy. The skimmed over. pendent and reacts quickly to pin from the Mayor’s daughKatniss’s background is physically threatening situ- ter foreshadows her District’s

involvement with the government. It represents how District 12 will stand behind Katniss and follow her instead of the Capitol. This is an important detail that should not have been overlooked for the sake of the following movies. After the failure of other bigscreen adaptations such as Eragon and Percy Jackson and the Olympians, it is possible that the crew skimmed over the finer details of The Hunger Games just in case the movie did not do well financially, for this reason, no sequels were green-light. However, the crew doesn’t have to worry about box office receipts: The Hunger Games has grossed over $214 million worldwide just on its opening weekend. Despite outcry from the Hunger Games fandom, the movie has been well-received by critics. Jennifer Lawrence, who portrayed Katniss, has garnered much praise and critics are even talking about the possibility of a second Oscar nomination for the young actress. Despite this, the fans will watch this movie with guarded feelings-after all, they’ve been waiting for this book to hit the big screen since it was first released in 2008.

SPORTS

Friday, March 30, 2012

Happenings of The Back Yard Girls Soccer Undefeated

The Oracle

Samantha Hicks

bunted and allowed Johnson On March 13 during Spring The Spartan varsity base- to score in the bottom of the Break, the Spartans faced the ball team starts district play 5th. The Montgomery Bull- Northbrook Raiders in The strong with fourteen seniors dogs were able to come back Back Yard. The team had an returning to the program. and take the lead though, overwhelming victory with These senior mema final score of 10-1 bers are Alex Eberly, making them 1-1 in Cameron Johnson, district play. Colton Candelario, Then on Fri. March David Anderson, 16 the Spartans Evan Hayes, Hayden played Magnolia. Barnett, Jeremiah The team lost 8-0, Briscoe, Matt Hays, making them 1-2 in Matt Milan, Max district play. Bredthauer, Miles The team then faced Hennington, Ryan the Spring Woods Hickman, Tyler Tigers and won a Denney, and Will close game with a Duffy. score of 4-3. This Also making the made them 2-2 in varsity roster was redistrict play. turning junior Clyde UP, UP, & AWAY• (above) Up to bat for the Spartans is In their next disHarvey along with senior Max Bredthauer. Picture provided by Booster Club. trict game the Sparjunior Landon Neutans played Magnomann. Sophomore Freddy leaving the Spartans 0-1 in lia West and lost a close game Price also plays for the Spar- district play. 3-2, putting them 2-3 in distans and is a new addition to After their first district game trict play. the varsity team. the Spartans played Pasedena On Sat. March 24, the SparOpening up their season Sam Rayburn in the Goose tans played a non-district against Montgomery at home Creek Memorial Tourna- game against the Memorial the Spartans lost a close game ment. The Spartans came out Mustangs. Putting up a good 3-2. with a huge victory of 8-2 fight and taking the lead at Candelario was able to make with many great plays made one point, the Spartans lost the first run off a single made by Duffy, Barnett, Briscoe, another close game, 5-4. by Bredthauer. Then Duffy Hayes, and Hickman.

Batter Up

HITTING HARD•

(above) The Lady Spartan Softball team is starting up district play with many wins in tournament play under their belts. The team’s first district game was played against Montgomery and the Lady Spartans were on the wrong side of victory. They then had a great come back and shut out Northbrook with a final score of 21-0. Next the team faced Spring Woods and won 10-0. The team then went on to lose a close game to Magnolia West, 4-3. The Spartans played Magnolia next and lost 8-4. Photo by Maggie Vickers.

EVERLASTING VICTORY• (above) The Lady Spartan varsity soccer team went undefeated this season in

district play and only allowed one goal scored on them. The members of this team are: seniors Ellen Barth (#3, Co-Captain), Alyssa Johnson (#8, Co-Captain), Rihana Devany (#12), Raven Jaimes (#13), Kellie Barranco (#15, Co-Captain), and Romina Jara (#23), juniors Cathleen Evans (#2), Kelly Ann Craig (#9), Erica Lefaive (#11), Jennifer Morris (#17), Emma Koydemir (#20), Ashley Romero (#22), and Medea Sarbach (GK), sophomores Kelly Cuevas (#7), Becky Dubner (#10), Taylor Aycock (#16), Sophie Moll (#19), and Caroline Hilton (#21). Photo by Megan West.

SPORTS

Friday, March 30, 2012

Newton’s Law

March - April

Monday

Sunday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Alex Newton

Friday

Saturday 30

Girls JV, Varsity Softball v.s. Magnolia Magnolia @ 5, 7

Boys Var- 5 sity Baseball v.s. Northbrook SHS @ 7 Boys JV Baseball v.s. Kinkaid SHS @ 3:45

Boys Varsity Track District Championship SHS @ 4

Girls JV, Varsity Softball v.s. Brenham SHS @ 5, 7

Boys Varsity Track District Championship SHS @ 4

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

Boys Varsity Baseball v.s. Brenham Brenham @ 4

Girl JV, Varsity Softball v.s. Spring Woods SWHS @ 5, 7

Girls JV, Varsity Softball v.s. Waller Waller @ 5, 7

Boys Varsity Baseball v.s. Katy Taylor Katy Taylor @ 12

Boys Varsity Baseball v.s. Waller Waller @ 7

Boys Varsity Baseball v.s. Brenham SHS @ 7

Even with the frightening condition of the current Astros “team”, the baseball season is approaching and with it comes many reasons to get excited. The biggest story line this off-season has been the move of the greatest player in the game today, Albert Pujols. The signing of Pujols along their pick up of former Rangers pitcher C.J. Wilson make the Angles a favorite to win the AL West, the Astros future division, and possibly a popular pick to win it all. And yes, the Astros will still be in the same division as Pujols next year as they make their move into the American League. New Astros owner Jim Crane is embracing the change as an opportunity to provide a much needed face lift to a dying franchise. Success has not been present for Houston baseball since the prosperous 2005 World Series run. The Astros had their worst season in franchise history last year and that was with Hunter Pence and Michael

The Oracle

Bourn. They are without both this year and have a lineup seemingly composed of minor league players and the new face of the franchise, Carlos Lee. Carlos Lee, or El Caballo as he is often called, is possibly the best player on the team which is truly frightening. Lee entered spring training at a whopping 275 while his coaches were hoping he’d be around 250. Throughout his time in Houston, he has always come off as lazy and it seems he has no intention of changing. In fact it is not an uncommon sight to see Lee walk from the dugout all the way to left field. The Astros have some young talent with players like Brett Wallace who shined at times last season. Jim Crane has made his focus on improving the farm system and the addition of Jeff Luhnow as GM should help. During Luhnow’s tenure with the Cardinals they had one of the best farm systems in baseball. Hopefully he brought this success with him to Houston.

The Rundown A play-by-play of Stratford athletes

Phoebe LaMay

Matthew Hays

Favorite Food: Fajitas Favorite Teacher: Mr. Clancy Favorite Food: Macaroni & Cheese Favorite Movie: School of Rock Favorite TV Show: Pretty Little Liars Favorite Quote: “When life hands you Years Diving: 3 1/2 years curve balls, you gotta hit them out of Favorite Song: Super Bass by Nicki Minaj the park.” -Justin Bieber Favorite Teacher: Coach Matthews Favorite Game: FIFA ‘12 Favorite Movie: Project X Top Priorities as an Athlete: Swagger, Favorite Memory: Qualifying for the Olym- Intimidation, Teamwork, Persistence, pic Trials Winning Position: Second Base Photo by: Caroline Demeris

Photo by: Aldo Martinez

SPORTS

Friday, March 30, 2012

Kicking Into Playoffs

To Quit or Not to Quit

Students leaving sports before end of year increasing

Elyse Stieber Elaine Parizot

VICTORY AT LAST •

(above) The boys Varsity soccer team will be attending playoffs for the first time in seven years. The team had an outstanding season with over thirty five goals scored; the leading scorer was junior Antonio Fernandez. The first game will be here on Friday at 7 against Galena Park. Photo by Jackie Mask.

Everyone is invited to come out and cheer on our senior and junior ladies! Enjoy fabulous halftime entertainment featuring Stratford’s drum line, Spartanaires, a Mr. SHS contestant parade and performance by our senior men! Come enjoy concessions, a bake sell and bid on graduation tickets and the coveted team ball!

The Oracle

Senior year is often associated with symptoms related to “senioritis”: low grades, laziness, and procrastination. However, for an athlete, determining a senior year schedule requires looking at not only the challenge of their core subjects but also participating in a challenging sport. There are many reasons why athletes may be quitting their sports. Some students are tired of working so hard and having constant after-school demands. Others have been playing for so long that they are getting burnt out. A few students are forced to quit because medical conditions prevent them from exercising. Some students do quit because they are more passionate about another sport and want to focus all of their athletic abilities on it. A major reason for non-participation is because of athletic injuries that can require

over a year of rehabilitation, Softball and Basketball Coach especially for injuries such as Hope Grochmall. “Those a torn ACL. who do end up following It is common for many ju- through to quit find themniors to debate quitting their selves hanging out with their sport before senior year. Many ex-teammates and friends, coaches find it disappoint- and admit that they regret ing that after years of train- their decision.” ing, an athlete would give it The volleyball team will only all up for a little down time. have three returning seniors, Athletes may look at quitting which includes only one retheir sport at the end of junior year for personal preference, Those who do end up following through but then af- to quit find themselves hanging out ter taking a with their ex-teamates and friends, and admit that they regret their descion. second look at the years of commit- -Coach Hope Grochmall, Girls Softball and Basketball ment put in, such as participation in select teams and their turning varsity player. This is friendships with fellow team- partially caused by the nummates, students often decide ber of athletes per grade level otherwise. who have tried out for a par“We often see players who ticular sport each year. A perwere formerly planning to fect example of these breaks quit actually return the fol- in grade levels is shown by lowing season,” said Girls’ the softball team. This year,

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Celebrating the Gold

there are three seniors compared to ten juniors and five sophomores to nine freshmen. These numbers show the natural flow of athletes coming and going in each athletic program. “When there are such large gaps in between the amounts of players per grade level, you have to start preparing the younger athletes for future varsity play time years in advance,” said Girls’ Basketball Coach Buffie Matthews. The quitting epidemic and lack of the amount of seniors participating is creating new open slots for the freshman and sophomores on the varsity level. The under-classmen filled varsity teams usually start out weak because of lack of varsity experience. However, after a few seasons of varsity experience, the teams will have progressed immensely. This can create an amazing team for the up-coming seasons after a year of rebuilding the inexperienced varsity teams.

On Feb. 24-25 the Men’s and Women’s swimming and diving teams participated in the 4A State Swim Meet held in Austin, TX at the Joe Jamail Swim Center. Congratulations to the Men’s team for becoming the 4A State Champions and to Phoebe LaMay for grasping the gold in the three meter diving making her a State Champion as well. Photos by Annie Rice

The Oracle

Catastrophic Carting

Friday, March 30, 2012

Seemingly harmless transportation method deemed unsafe Avery Falick

As a popular mode of transportation among country clubbers and beach goers, golf carts often represent sunny, relaxing memories. Children are often allowed to drive golf carts with their parents in the passenger seat, giving off the allusion that golf carts are safer than cars. While golf carts are less powerful than cars, they should still be operated with safety in mind. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission, there are approximately 15,000 golf car related injuries requiring emergency room treatment in the United States each year. Reckless driving is the leading cause in golf carting incidents, as drivers often feel like they can be crazier while driving a golf cart than a car because they are smaller and less powerful. I know from first hand experience that this is not the case. While riding as a passen-

ger in a golf cart in Atlanta, safety measures, passenger Ga. during the summer in ejections caused by reckless between middle school and driving and sharp turns are high school, the driver of the common for passengers who cart made a sharp turn to the do not anticipate upcoming left. As a result, I was ejected turns, which is exactly what from the golf cart, landing on happened in my case. Golf concrete on my right side. My carts also often have back head hit the ground first, and seats that face towards the I sustained a concussion, a fracture According to the Consumer in my Safety Commiss k u l l , Products sion, there are approximately and a hole in 15,000 golf car related injuries my me- requiring emergency room n i n g e s treatment in the United States (the sac each year. around t h e brain). I was very lucky that back of the car with no railthis is all that happened, as I ing. These seats offer no prowas very close to being deaf tection for passengers from in my right ear and the right ejection because of a sharp side of my face being para- turn or hitting a bump. lyzed. Golf cart operators are not Golf carts are not normally restricted by the same laws made with seat belts or sides. and regulations as car operaBecause golf carts lack these tors, such as being required to

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wear a seat belt. In many cases, there isn’t even a legal age to drive a golf cart, resulting in children and elderly driving who would not normally be allowed to drive. Even though carts are not as powerful as cars, if a child were to be ejected from a cart, it could end up fatal because of the lack of safety regulations. Golf carts can often travel up to 20 miles per hour. While this is not as fast as a car, it is still fast enough to cause serious and fatal injuries if someone were to be ejected from the cart or if the cart were to tip over. While many people think of golf carts while also thinking of relaxing on the beach or a golf course, they should be operated with the same consciousness as a car. As long as operators are not reckless while operating a cart and drive golf carts with the same care they would use while driving a car, golf carts can maintain their serene reputation.

Freshmen Shoot for the STAARs

Time to Recognize

Swim team wraps up a great year Chandler Callahan

The swim team’s 4A Swim State title marks the first time since 1978 that a Stratford team has taken home the gold. Upon winning, a group of people starting with the athletic department and going to the school board, started planning a school wide celebration. This validation of the teams’ hard work and dedication was important to all members of the school. “It is important that it be a team, not just an individual event,” said Building Principal Christopher Juntti. “We wanted something that would honor what a big deal this was. Including the entire student body as well as the community; is a very important thing”. Juntti and district athletic coordinator Paige Hershey planned this school and community wide event. “We already had a schedule put in place from the Lip Dub, so it was very simple just to reserve the Don Cole-

New testing standards has Class of 2015 worried about new tests Layla Shahhosseini

The freshmen class will have to take standardized testing to a whole new level. The STAAR test has been issued this year and the freshmen will be the first class to take this test. The sophomores and juniors still get to take the TAKS test until they graduate. The STAAR has different qualities than the TAKS. For instance, the STAAR tests will be based on the curriculum of the class that is designated and each student will have to pass twelve end-of-course (EOC) assessments: Algebra I, geometry, Algebra II, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English I, English II, English III, World Geography, World History, and U.S. History. There is a plus side to taking the EOC’s, however. For example, if I was taking TAKS, I would be taking a Geom-

etry test instead of Algebra II, which is the class I’m in now. This is difficult since I don’t retain last year’s math curriculum as well as this year’s. By taking the EOC exams after finishing each course it will enable students to use knowledge that they have recently learned and is fresh in their minds. “STAAR is apparently a whole lot harder than the TAKS has ever been,” Algebra II teacher Mrs. Mary Stephens said. The average score for her class was around 75. The students don’t even know what the passing standards are. “I have students in Algebra II that are taking the TAKS and the STAAR. The students that are taking the TAKS were getting 96’s and higher while the highest grade for STAAR for my students was 88,” Stephens said. Since this is the

first year STAAR has been issued, there isn’t a practice for the students to take to prepare. “We’re trying to prepare and don’t really know what we’re preparing for,” Stephens said. The test itself is proving itself to be a lot more rigorous than TAKS. “We know our math program is really strong, so they’re going to have to fix something,” Stephens said. The Geometry STAAR test was also a shock to math teacher and head of the math department, Mrs. Sue Heine. “It’s proven to be hard and they haven’t set the passing standards,” Heine said. There was a debate as to whether the test should count as 15% of their semester average, but it has been voided since it’s the first year STAAR is being distributed. “It may or may not involve

class rank,” Heine said. The other major difference between STAAR and TAKS is that the EOC’s will have to be completed in four hours, whereas TAKS allowed unlimited time. While we (being sophomores) still have to take TAKS, I think that STAAR would take more patience to endure. Judging by the grades coming out from the STAAR test, the state should reconsider the level of difficulty it has been imposing on students. Graphic by Sarah Davis

OPINIONS 13 man Colosseum and the costs were very minimal,” said Juntii. “We also didn’t have a venue big enough on our campus, but the convenient location of the Colosseum made it possible for us to have such a large celebration.” Juntti also expressed the need to pick and choose what to dedicate a whole pep-rally to. Many people are upset because of the lack of recognition for the arts. The Choir and Band earned straight ones at UIL this year and were not recognized with a grand celebration. The Playhouse won Best Musical at Tommy Tune Awards last year for Damn Yankees and did not have this type of recognition either. “It is a balancing act. If we begin recognizing too many things, it will become less meaningful,” Juntti says. This celebration represented the sense of pride, and accomplishment the whole school felt when the swim team brought home the gold.

OPINIONS Rachael’s ADDitional Help

Ramblings

The Oracle

Friday, March 30, 2012

Student usage of ADD/ADHD medication increases Kali Venable

Rachael Brennan

I want to touch on a subject that has been boggling my mind lately. Last year I ended up getting in about 4 car accidents that should have left me with multiple injuries, or worse. Instead I walked away with nothing more than a major cause of whiplash that landed me in the hospital for a brief amount of time. My first accident was by far the worst of all of them, a driver of a Ford F350 decided he wanted to evade hitting the car in front of him by doing a U-Turn and directly running into the drivers side of my car with this tailgate. At the time I was driving a dingy Nissan Sentra that was always reliable just a little worse for the wear, the impact of him backing into my drivers side no only completely destroyed my door, but managed to knock me around my car in a dangerous way. I was in utter shock at what had just happened, and to only make it worse both cars decided to flee the scene and leave me to fend for myself. It was like I was in a horrible dream, nothing like this had ever happened to me, and to say the least I was scared out of my mind. I could barely get words out of my mouth to scream for help because I was to busy being in agonizing pain. All of a sudden I felt an inner peace wash over me, besides the pain I was in, I was still breathing and wasn’t bleeding. I realized that someone up in heaven was watching over me, making sure that I made it out of this accident alive and well. Immediately a picture of my Grandmother, Grandfather, and cousin popped into my head smiling at me. At that moment I realized that I had three precious guardian angels looking out for me, and I knew that I would never be alone when I needed help.

In the past few decades the use of prescription ADD and ADHD medication such as Adderall, Vyvance and Ritalin has drastically changed. These powerful pills that were once hard to get have become some of the most easily prescribed drugs in the country. Throughout colleges and high schools across the nation the abuse of ADD and ADHD drugs has become shockingly common. As students feel the pressure to make the best grades possible, stay up late to go out or even to lose weight, they are turning to these frightening pills. When a big test or finals week rolls around, some students ask their friends with ADD or ADHD for pills to help them stay up late and focus on studying. Others who do have prescriptions decide to double or even triple up on

their dosage to maximize the effects. While many are abusing these drugs to make better grades, some are taking them for a different matter. Depressing your appetite, ADD and ADHD pills can shed off pounds in no time. This form of abuse has been known to lead to various forms of anorexia and bulimia. The usage of drugs has become socially acceptable given that people are unaware of how dangerous taking nonprescribed medication or overdosing can be. Medications used to treat ADD and ADHD are classified as amphetamines, in the same category with speed and cocaine. They spike your heart

rate and blood pressure as well as increase your release of multiple chemicals. Abusing these drugs can result in high blood pressure, anorexia, sudden death and symptoms of psychosis. Not only does abusing these drugs become a health hazard, it can also lead to drug addiction. ADD and ADHD pills are very addictive and can be mind-altering. Described by many as “coke in a pill”, Adderall can lead to abusing more potent drugs like cocaine that have similar effects. The really disturbing matter is how easy it is for kids to get their hands on these drugs. While some students sell their own medication for a few bucks a pill, other stu-

dents simply ask their parents to get tested. In America, seemingly virtually anyone can get diagnosed with ADD and ADHD. Unfortunately pharmaceutical companies are focusing more on making money off these medications rather than the care of patients. This goes for ADD and ADHD medications and also hundreds of other drugs such as Xanax more commonly known as “barres”. Selling and taking unprescribed medications is illegal and if caught you can face serious punishments. Besides the criminal risks, the health hazards behind these medications makes them not worth those few points on a test or few pounds you lost. Earning good grades and maintaining a fit figure

without medication is something that is possible. With hard work, reaching your full potential on your own will be much more rewarding in the long run.

Graphic by Kelsey Hunter

Not So Natural

Societal views of beauty changing from previous views Hannah Bevers Natural beauty is all the rage. So if it’s so important to post a picture of yourself on Facebook with the caption “No makeup! <3,” why is it so acceptable to run to the tanning beds after school? Your Facebook wall posts that will be online forever are “natural.” But the photographs from that one dance sophomore year that you’ll probably forget about after you leave for college absolutely must be perfect. Right? Tanned skin, heat-treated hair, fake nails. Don’t forget the teeth bleaching and makeup that went into the million-dollar smile in that picture. Everyone does it, and some frown upon such an activity. However, there’s not necessarily anything wrong with it. There’s nothing wrong with doing something artificial in order to feel better aestheti-

cally. Our society values tan skin and white teeth. We’ve learned to look for these traits in attractive people. On a daily basis we see how unnatural attributes are hoisted into the limelight, making people famous. Nicole “S n o o k i” Polizzi, aside from her careless attitude and rampant partying, is known for her “tan”. All of the familiar cast members of Jersey

Shore are known for their tans. Obviously, this is something we find attractive (or at least enter-

seriously detrimental to our health. Girls in high school and older have been known to lay out in the sun for hours, soaking up the UV rays in order to be a few shades darker. We’ll continue to enjoy the warmth of our bright, Texas sun and the result of our dark skin for years to come (whether it holds the possibility of skin cancer or not). Tanning salons bring in thousands of dollars to keep us pampered. It can be extremely dangerous, yet we seem to pay no attention to the consequences. Graphic by Isabel Deakins taining). This isn’t a new fad by any These artificial character- means. Centuries ago, when istics of our bodies can be running water and electric-

ity weren’t even in the minds of inventors, women did unnatural things to themselves in order to feel prettier. It’s not as if we can blame the popularity of artificial beauty on the world we live in today. For some reason, though, that’s what we always hear. Everyone has their own opinion about whether or not these physical alterations are appropriate. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look a certain way. If you think that real beauty is when you’re wearing sweatpants and a natural face-say so. If you think that the prettiest girls are the ones getting dolled up everyday-so be it. In a society that continues its endeavor to change how we see ourselves, our friends, and those around us, we follow trends and fads with almost blind ambition. Enjoy the beauty around you-it may be fleeting.

The Oracle

Friday, March 30, 2012

OPINIONS15

One Station, Under God?

Should religious issues be covered by media outlets...

Caroline Suchman

In the real world, we face issues like war, love, sexuality, and religion. All of these topics are also seen in the media, but the most controversial seems to be religion. This is a problem because it means we are not able to accept the reality of our society-a society where people of all religions and non-religious people are forced to coexist. Religious news should definitely not take over all of our news and entertainment, as that would also shut out part of the population, but it should not be banned from mention. Religion has influence over our lives whether we take part in it or not, and should therefore be in our media. After all, do we not get angry when a new TV show sprouts up that doesn’t depict life accurately enough for our taste? Religion has been an important part of society since the beginning of time. It is the culmination of everything humans cannot make real sense of. It gives answers when we do not know them, gives comfort in times of need, and gives a code of morals to follow and a reason to follow them. Although there are many different belief systems, we should be able to acknowledge all of them. Seeing things in the media that do not relate directly to us and our interests broadens our world view and makes us more savvy to other issues. This is similar to news of other countries. Although we live in the United States, we often want to know what is

Oracle Staff

going on in other countries. If we allow news about other countries to be published, we should also allow news about religion to be published. To ignore these events would be to ignore a portion of the population. People who are minority religions need to stay in touch with the news of the center of their religion. Just because a piece is not relevant to some of us does not mean that we should ban it from being published when we can just as easily skip over that piece. Banning religious media would make religious people feel less welcome because it would be saying that we do not feel that type of news is important to the public, and to prove we are progressing we need to be accepting of issues that do not relate directly to us. To a well-rounded, aware person, all types of news from all sorts of places should matter. This includes religious news as well as political, cultural, technological, and the like. Some people who do not wish to see religion in the media feel that it is offensive to nonreligious folk. But not having religion in

the media is ignorant and is a violation of the freedom of press. A better way to grow towards the future is to accept that multiple beliefs are present in our society, and be free to acknowledge all of them. The actual process of reporting religious events is a dangerous one. While many people act like idiots when it comes to these deeply ingrained beliefs, it is not polite to call people idiots in the news and only widens the chasms that religion creates in our society. A report about a religious topic should be just that-- a report. There is no need for bias in a news report, and since that is the cause of controversy in this case it is a simple solution to a problem that will never go away.

...Or is it not worth the trouble? Harrison Vaporciyan

tory picketing tactics; and atheists recently took out ads on buses openly denouncing religion. These groups all have one thing in common: they want attention. And thanks to the sensationalist news coverage, they get it. Clearly, something needs to change. Since history has shown time and time again that trying to change human nature is an exercise in futility, the only thing left to change is the media itself, namely by discouraging them from covering religious issues. Just to clarify, I’m not proposing that the media should never cover religious news items. Far from it. The problem is that covering religious issues in major news outlets only encourages extremist groups to use them as outlets for them to gain publicity while masking their intentions under the guise of “religious freedom.” In the end, the simplest and most effective way to deal with them is the same way you deal with an annoying toddler: just ignore them. Now, this problem is in no way unique Graphic by Sarah Davis to religion; it

Going through the front page of any reputable news web site these days is like navigating an intellectual minefield of potentially offensive opinions. Whatever the topic, whatever the author’s opinion of it, there will always be someone offended by it. No other topics lure out bitter arguments quite like religion does. Time after time, religion has shown itself to be an extremely touchy topic both in the media and in daily life. Examples abound: in 2010, an extremist Muslim group successfully pressured Comedy Central into censoring a South Park episode featuring Mohammed; the Westboro Baptist Church has become infamous for its inflamma-

happens all the time in fields like science and literature. The problem with religion is that its goals and preachings are so varied and malleable that anyone can twist them to suit their own ends. Not covering these issues would also solve the problem of people getting offended when they think their religion is being slighted. Avoiding the issue entirely is easier than trying to cater to the tastes of every religious group out there - the latter leads to watered-down, “politically correct” articles rife with qualifying phrases to the point where it comes across as less of a report on an incident and more of a case study in how to not offend people. Some would argue that this route is akin to self-censorship, and it certainly appears so on the surface. However, self-censorship is not necessarily a bad thing all of the time. Self-censorship is what keeps you from blurting out remarks that might lead to arguments or controversy in certain company. For example, you probably wouldn’t want to remark that gun control laws should be made stricter in the middle of an NRA meeting. Similarly, any article about religion will necessarily incite arguments when published in today’s religiously diverse environment. This could all be solved if people could respect each other’s beliefs, but since that’s never really happened before, the measures described here are much more realistic.

Advisor Janice Cummons Editors-in-Chief Annie Rice, Maddie Stone, Avery Falick Associate Editor Rachel 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, Aldo 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

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