October 2012 — Vol. IV, Issue 1
Join the Club
Young Kevin: Which players to watch this Unstoppable year in Steinbrenner sports
the ORACLE
+ Lacrosse is on its way to becoming an official school
sport; hockey wants in, too by Brandon Mauriello
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The Candidatrix It’s Election Season. Take Your Pick.
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Steinbrenner High School
5575 W Lutz Lake Fern Rd
www.oraclenewspaper.com
Open
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October 2012
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2011—12 SIPA All-Southern Newspaper Kyle Dunn
Editor in Chief
Sam Bequer News Editor
Brandon Mauriello News Editor
Natalie Barman Opinion Editor
Rachael Landes
Centerspread Editor
Jake Bittle A&E Editor
Emily Goldbach Sports Editor
Zealand Shannon Sports Editor
Gaby Morillo Photo Editor
Evyn Moon
Business Manager
Kiran Shila Web Editor
Evan Abramson Staff Writer
Anthony Armenia Staff Writer
Nataly Capote Staff Writer
Letter from the Editor I’m deathly afraid of voting. Because I don’t know enough. I may choose the wrong guy. What did Romney say about that one thing that one time? Romney is running, right? That Obama dude is cool, but his Affordable Shelfcare Pact is a little shaky. And I keep hearing that he wasn’t even born this side of the Atlantic, so, there’s that, too. I don’t know. For the naturally indecisive person, voting is the epitome of the fear of finally having to choose, and just maybe, having that decision mean something. What if my single vote is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, the last chuck of wood for the woodchuck, the pickled pepper too hot for Peter Piper. Maybe I’m grasping here, but that’s precisely the point I’m trying to make: I don’t know that I know enough of what I should know. You know? What inspired this staff more than the fear of my own ignorance, though, is what the other students at this school are thinking about the biggest decision facing the nation this coming election season. And so we took the plunge into the Candidatrix. (Page 10) Inspired by the overwhelming sensation of discovery that Neo experienced in The Matrix as he
submitted himself to finding out the truth about his world, we set out to find out the truth about how students felt about our own. Not only did the polling of students require time-consuming effort, the feelings of discovery about what our classmates were thinking about such a nebulous topic were uncharacteristically revealing. There’s more than meets the eye, though. We make choices everyday, and political decisions aren’t always at the top of the priority list for some people. Some choices we don’t make, but their revelations are instead forced upon us. Such is the case of Sammy May whose choice was made for him when he was discovered to have a form of Leukemia metastasizing throughout his body. (Page 5) But in May’s condition, new options presented themselves, and May made the choice to endure and to fight to get better so that he might one day play baseball again. There’s discovery in choice. In choosing to go to the bathroom during third period only to witness a brawl taking place. In realizing there’s no milk after you’ve already poured a bowl of cereal. In choosing to come to a new country. (Page 4)
Hannah Crosby Staff Writer
Angela Sexton Staff Writer
Alex Troutt Staff Writer
Tiffany Napoli Graphics Dept.
Mariangely Miyares Graphics Dept.
James Flaskamp Adviser
Cast your vote
Visit oraclenewspaper.com and participate in our weekly polls. Take a look at our new online features: —News Tips —Corrections
Ask Debby Meet Debby, the newest member of the Oracle staff. She came aboard to answer all the questions just eating away at your brain. Visit her online and ask away!
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October 2012
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Teen reflects on friend’s suicide Hannah Crosby Senior Staff Writer After experiencing the unexpected loss of a good friend on Sept. 14, sophomore Kayla Poff was left behind to ponder the reasons why her friend would wish to take her own life. At just 16 years old, the girl, who for privacy reasons will remain unnamed, was discovered lifeless by her younger sister in the bedroom they reportedly shared. “She and her sister were really close, and now she’s probably been scarred for life, seeing her like that,” said Poff. With so many conflicting emotions percolating through her subconscious that fateful day, Poff could feel nothing but emptiness accompanied by a reminder of bittersweet memories. “At first it just felt so unreal. Like a part of me was gone, and I just felt so empty,” said Poff. The victim had reportedly been bullied on Facebook in the days leading up to her suicide. “People would sometimes post stuff on her Facebook wall, because she was really tall. They’d call her things like giraffe or llama, and make fun of the gap between her teeth,” said Poff. Once school resumed the Monday following the girl’s death at her high school, many of her former classmates showed their respect by wearing purple shirts to school in her honor. Her death also coincided with Poff’s 16th birthday weekend. Poff and a few close friends decided to honor their friend’s life by
Mariangely Miyares / Oracle
dedicating Poff’s birthday celebration to her memory. “It’s really hard, because we were so close, and our parents were so close. But there’s nothing you can really do. I just really wish she wasn’t gone forever,” said Poff. With statistics showing cyber-bullying as a leading cause of teen suicide, it’s a growing issue taking place on social networking sites and is the third- leading cause of death among young people in America, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Also, 81% of youth feel that bullying someone online is easier than in person. This, along with the fact that 90% of social-mediausing teens admit to ignor-
ing cyber-bullying creates a potential problem within the connected world that is leading the rate of teen suicides to increase. As far as reporting suicidal-sounding statuses on Facebook, there is a feature available that has been aimed at helping prevent suicides. This feature can be enabled by clicking a link next to a given status, and reporting it to Facebook administrators. From there, the site sends an email encouraging them to contact a suicide hotline or engage in a confidential chat. Although no Facebook statuses were posted that foreshadowed Poff’s friend’s eventual death, the victim’s friends did report
that in the weeks prior to her death, she had seemed rather distant, one example of a possible warning sign. Overall, Poff mainly wishes she’d been more aware of all the pain going on in her friend’s life, so she could have been there to support her and possibly help prevent the tragedy that ended her friend’s life. “If I’d known that she was actually going to push herself over the edge like that, I probably would’ve told her that if she needed anything, or anyone, that I’d always be there for her… there’s no reason she should’ve pushed herself that far,” said Poff. Now moving forward, Poff plans to focus on the positive side of things,
never forgetting the lasting impact their friendship had,
Source: Pew Research
and continues to have, on her own life.
Graphic byTiffany Napoli
According to a Pew Research poll, 41 percent of teens ages 12-17 witness online cruelty “sometimes” or “frequently,” as compared to 25 percent of adults.
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October 2012
That’s amore:
oraclenewspaper.com
Italian foreign exchange student talks about different lifestyle, experiences in America
Coming to a new country may seem like a scary experience for many students in high school. For junior Marco Muccio, it was an experience that just could not be passed up, so he went through an interview process, took a test and paid for the insurance. On Aug. 1, he landed in America ready to face the challenges of being in a new country with people who may or may not be prepared to accept his heritage. The Oracle got the chance to speak with Muccio about his time thus far in America, and he spoke about such things as McDonald’s, Italian-American food and Disney. The Oracle also spoke to his host brother, sophomore Ryan Santello. He spoke of how Muccio actually came to live with him and what he thought of him and his new house member’s relationship. Gaby Morillo Photo Editor ORACLE: How do you like your host family? MARCO MUCCIO: I like my host family because they really help me. My host mom helps me with my homework when I am having problems understanding, and my host brother, Ryan, helps me around school when I am making new friends. O: Have you had Italian food in America yet? MM: Yes, I went to Maggiano’s in Orlando last week, and it was very good. O: Is America what you expected it to be? MM: Yes, everything is bigger, and one can find anything here. Plus, I see McDonald’s everywhere I look! O: What would you say you were most surprised about? MM: It might sound strange but the organization. Everything is so organized. O: What is one thing you dislike about America compared to Italy? MM: The food is so different. I enjoy the food back in Italy more than the food here. Obviously it’s going to be different. I think Maggiano’s was pretty close, but no other places were as good. O: How is the school system different? MM:We have a five-hour school day (from 8:30 to 1:30) without lunch. We also do not change classes, we have one class for the whole day. We study 12 subjects per week so it’s a lot of studying. O: Do you enjoy America or Italy more in general? MM: America. O: What type of music do you like to listen to?
MM: I like rock music, but I love to go to the disco with my friends. O: What would you say is your favorite thing about America? MM: People here are awesome! Everyone is so friendly and sweet with me. I love it! O: Do you plan to come back to America after you have to go back home to Italy next summer? MM: I want to go to college and study here for sure. O: What is the best experience you had in America since you got here? MM: I went to Disney and it was so fun; I really loved it! O: Best meal you have had in America so far? MM: The typical McDonald’s was quite the experience. I also ate at a Japanese restaurant here and it was pretty good.
Courtesy of Marco Muccio
...
ORACLE: How is it having Marco in your house? RYAN SANTELLO: It’s different. We learn more and more about Italy, him and the culture every day. O: Did your parents personally know Marco’s parents? RS: No, we went through the Education First (EF) program. We had to fill out a bunch of papers, and we got to pick the student we wanted to host. It is completely voluntary. O: What made you and your family wants to be a host family? RS:We had an exchange student from Barcelona for three weeks because he needed somewhere to stay and we really enjoyed it, so we looked into yearly ones. O: How close have you gotten with Marco? RS: We are basically like brothers.
Courtesy of Marco Muccio
Above: Junior Marco Muccio visits Disney World with his host family, the Santellos. Muccio cited his visit to Disney as the highlight of his experience at this point in his stay in America. Below: Muccio’s birth family surrounds him before his departure. “The hardest part about being away from my natural family is that I can’t talk to my mom or spend time with my sister.”
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October 2012
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A Continuous Fight
Sammy May continues to battle cancer with support from friends, family
Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News
Sammy May receives a call from country singer Brantley Gilbert. May was able to speak to Gilbert after family friend Patrice Eveld reached out to him. Zealand Shannon Sports Editor
Last April, then-senior Sammy May ran in from the outfield at the school’s baseball stadium for the last time. It was a loss to Gaither in the district tournament that abruptly ended the season for the Warriors. May’s story had just begun. In early July, May reported to Kings Point, New York to begin the indoctrination (Indoc) program at the Merchant Marine Academy, which is two weeks of physical, moral and regimental training designed for the incoming “plebes”—that is, new recruits. On Aug. 3, however, May began his chemotherapy for Adult T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-cell ALL). “Sammy had successfully completed 17 days of ‘Indoc’ and had started classes. During the 2nd week of Indoc, he started with a cough,” said his mother Debbie May. “[May] made mention that he had trouble breathing when he would eat and when he went to bed. After running a 5K race on Saturday July 28, the coughing increased, and he went to the infirmary on July 30. That afternoon, he was admitted to North Shore University Hospital. After
a CT Scan was done, a baseball-sized tumor was discovered sitting on his trachea…I was able to make it on a 7 p.m. flight (that night) and was with him by 10 p.m.,” said Debbie. “Just to be having (Debbie May) call saying (Sammy) needs to get checked, and two days later he’s in the hospital is terrible for someone so young and vibrant,” said baseball coach John Crumbley. “His two older brothers played for me at Jesuit, so I have a long history with the family, and I’m a lot closer than a lot of situations,” said Crumbley. According to a health guide article by the New York Times, May has been diagnosed with “one of the most curable cancers.” Since May is a young adult and his cancer was found early, he has a strong chance to beat the disease. “(Sammy) has always been a fighter,” said Crumbley. The Mays’ family friend, Patrice Eveld, has been the chief coordinator of all the fundraisers in the Tampa area, such as the event at the Red Elephant, where she sold out of “Stay Strong Sammy” wristbands. There are a large number of options and opportunities to
Sammy May was a member of the Warrior baseball team before he graduated in June. According to maxpreps.com, May had a .391 batting average in his 46 at-bats. support Sammy May and his family during his fight with cancer. To see all of them, visit Caring Bridge (caringbridge. com) and type in “sammymay” (no spaces) in the “Visit A Site” search bar. “Sammy has handled this the most amazing way so far, the support from all of his friends and family back home has been overwhelming. This and the power of the prayers from family and friends will keep him strong and help all of us through this battle,” said Debbie.
.. .
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that progresses rapidly without treatment. ALL is the most common type of leukemia in children from infancy up to age 19.
.
Overall survival statistics for people with ALL are 66.4 percent (all ages) and 90.8 percent for children under 5 years old, according to the National Cancer Institute. Most children with ALL are cured of their disease after treatment. The numbers of adults and their remission lengths have grown significantly over the past 30 years.
Source: Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Courtesy of caringbridge.org
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Back in the Day with Principal Brenda Grasso Jake Bittle & Brandon Mauriello A&E Editor & News Editor So, what were some of your top high school memories? Definitely the clubs, the events and the things that happened are the things that I’ve taken away. I mean, I had a great education, and that’s obviously very important. It would be silly for me to downplay that, but I think that things like participating in chorus and being a member ofyou might imagine- Future Teachers of America and, actually, also Future Business Leaders of America. The social aspect is just huge, and it’s what you carry with you. I was also active in my church. I was always involved, always helping out at community centers and various events. What influence did your principal have on you? He had a big impact. His name was John Grimsley, and his wife was actually my second grade teacher. He was my principal both in elementary school and in high school. I just admired him. He had a very fair attitude about things. He really was willing to allow students to do different things. Very strong leader. Do you think that how he ran a school ever correlates with how you do? Honestly, I can’t say that, because the experience there was so very different than anything I’ve experienced as an educator. My school was very small, only about 600 students. I’ve never taught in a school that taught fewer than 1,500, and that was the year we opened with no seniors. Where did you grow up? I grew up south of Ocala. If you could have chosen any other occupation back then, what would it have been? I didn’t actually plan on going to college until the middle of October of my senior year. I was very determined that I would become a very good clerical employee for someone in the government in Washington D.C. I was very interested in government and politics. I was also interested in maybe pursuing law. How would you compare students and the educational system from back then to today? There are a lot more opportunities for students regarding course work. We didn’t have the advanced placement courses, so the opportunity to earn college credit didn’t really exist. That’s a huge difference. I think that the rules, oddly enough, haven’t changed much in terms of what students are required regarding behavior. There are different social opportunities. I think that back then, regardless of the size of the community, school dances were very typical, and they happened frequently. But there was less oncampus activity for students. Did you have a high school sweetheart? Sure. [Laughs] Two people come to mind, actually, that I dated. I wasn’t allowed to date in freshman year; that would have been unheard of. However, my junior and se-
1969
Courtesy of Brenda Grasso
2012
THEN
e
Jake Bittle / Oracle
NOW
POETS
T.S. Eliot, Sara Teasdale, Robert Frost
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez
BANDS
Young the Giant, Mumford & Sons
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Hemingway, Dickens
BOOKS
Whatever her book club happens to come up with
Wasn’t much of a movie person
MOVIES
Emily Dickinson
Inception
nior year, yeah. Were you a good student? I was a good student, sure. We had a small senior class, but I graduated fourth. I enjoyed school, so it was not a problem to do well. Did your English teacher have an effect on you? She had a tremendous impact on me. Her name is Roselyn Davidson, and she still lives in the community where I went to school, although she’s retired now. She was a recent college graduate when I was in her class. She was my 11th and 12th grade teacher, and she really exemplified great qualities of an educator and really inspired me to go into the profession. Did you have any regrets in high school? Not really… I know that seems like a pat answer, but I really had a great time. I guess the only thing that was sort of intimidating for me was physical education. I really didn’t enjoy having PE every school day all four years, but I actually learned a very valuable lesson from one of the PE teachers that I had my sophomore and senior year. I kind of hated to do things that I wouldn’t excel at, but through her efforts, I learned that you don’t have to be the best as long as you’re doing the best. What is some advice you’d have for students going forward? Don’t be afraid to do something new, or something you might consider challenging, because that’s how we learn. That’s how we develop skills and get better at things. But also, just be aware of the opportunities that are there. We take things for granted, because it’s a part of our daily life, and sometimes we don’t realize how much potential there is. I think so many young people fail to see their potential, because they are limiting themselves sometimes in what they explore and try to accomplish. Now, do you see any difference in the psychology or the attitudes of students compared to when you were in school? People say that sometimes young people have more challenges and stress today. You could base that on the fact that there is more rigorous course work. However, my response to that is that you’ve always come up with that. It’s not like suddenly you were expected to work with this level of rigor; you’ve been raised with that. I think young people are dreamers, and they certainly were when I was young. I think young people have vision of what they can be, and what part they can play in that, whether they really articulate it or not, I believe that’s there in a young person’s mind. I think they sort of look to the future and see themselves accomplishing what they set out to do, and I think we’ve always done that. I think we struggle to form our own identities when we’re young, because we’re so influenced by family and friends, and I think we find our comfort or our solace or our guidance in whatever we love, whether it’s poetry and literature or music or whatever it might be, even athletics. We look for that outlet that explains us to the world and explains the world to us.
Go to oraclenewspaper.com and comment on which teacher you’d like to see featured next. Check back every Friday starting Oct. 12 for new installments of “Back in the Day”.
Opinion
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Column
Fox Sports Prep Rally was...eh How SHS won the Prep Rally Fox Sports announced the Steinbrenner vs. Strawberry Crest game as a contender to win a “prep rally”.
Students were able to vote for this school three times per hour by texting in “PREP 2” or by voting online.
Rachael Landes / Oracle
Zealand Shannon Sports Editor Although fun for the people involved, the Fox Sports Prep Rally was rather underwhelming. After a tight race in voting to win the pep rally and, of course, a grand 15 minutes after administration managed to fit the whole school on one side of the football stands, students were filing out, thoroughly unimpressed by the spectacle. An impromptu dance-off between students and radio employees in a circle of cheerleaders highlighted the experience for the average Steinbrenner student who, chances were, was sitting so far away from the action (which was located in the front stretch of the track) that the rising morning sun prevented the student from seeing the TV cameras at all. Confusion among teachers about where to send their kids and what to have them do also derailed potential excitement. Some were prevented from standing, while others roamed freely right up next to the fence. In all fairness, Fox 13 feature reporter Charley Belcher and DJ Change from 101.5 did their jobs well. However,
the short amount of time they had with the whole student body prevented them from making a substantial impact on anyone’s day. The majority of students missed a band member rapping “Gangnam Style” for $100 after they left, which likely would have contributed to their experience. If you were in the band, on the football team, in Senate, part of the media or a cheerleader, then the assembly was definitely entertaining. From the track, school spirit seemed to be brimming. In fact, Senate member Kelsey Diaz expressed how much this assembly alone “gave us more spirit” and Belcher added, “it was incredible to hear everyone cheering at one time-it was really a great experience.” Unfortunately, they were misled by the small percentage of students who were involved. This is the fault of no one who was there; let’s just blame the event coordinator back at Fox studios and call it a day. Just be a little less feverish when it comes to voting next time... we do still have to go to the pep rally if we win.
To see highlights from the pep rally, turn to page 20.
Social media exploded with posts promoting the contest and encouraging students to vote for this school.
Wednesday evening, this school won the contest, earning 50.1 percent of the votes.
Graphic by Mariangely Miyares Compiled by Natalie Barman
Opinion
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Column
Hockey left out to dry Brandon Mauriello News Editor Athletes take an immense amount of pride in what they do and, naturally, they desire recognition for the hard work and incredible dedication they put into their craft. However, on rare occasions, this is not the case. Allow me to also openly admit that, yes, I am a member of the hockey team, and, yes, I am a member of the newspaper as well. Through experiences on the hockey team, I believe I am qualified to speak about this issue, especially considering the fact that my views are shared cohesively by the team. Let me quickly begin my argument by conceding that the quantity of support this school’s staff and student body gives to official sports is very respectable. It legitimately causes envy in students that do not get reciprocal treatment. The district is debating whether to make lacrosse a Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized sport, according to assistant principal Eddie Henderson (he was unable to confirm whether lacrosse had been admit-
ted as of press time). While this does not necessarily mean it will become an official sport, and it is difficult to predict the end result, they have made a significantly larger amount of progress than other teams hoping to get the same acknowledgement- notably, the hockey team. This school’s hockey team has been working diligently since the conception of the school. In only our second year, we made it to the state championship, despite the lack of attendance at our games due to an inability to advertise them at school. “I don’t think it’s fair that we work as hard as other teams, and don’t get any recognition like the other sports at our school,” said senior defenseman Patrick Skirpan, who has been on the hockey team since his freshman year. We have continually been put through pep rally upon pep rally, congratulating teams on their success and discussing their current seasons. Any time we have attempted to be recognized at these assemblies, we have been told we must be an official sport. The catch is that we may not become an official school sport because of problems such as equity and gender equality. Regarding the former, sure, hockey is expensive. But why is that even a variable when we have over 20 guys willing to pay the price to represent the school they love in the sport they love?
Regarding gender equality, the team has never discriminated against girls. The fact that they have never tried out or attempted to make their own team puts the puck on their end of the ice. Besides, there is already a sport that is officially recognized, but doesn’t cater to both genders. Ever see a boy’s volleyball match at this school? Me neither. The case is the same for hockey. We have never had a girl try out for the hockey team. When a girl does, I am sure that the coaching staff will dissect the situation. If the girl in question is of more value than their male counterpart, she will make the team. She is in the exact same position as all other hockey players attempting to join the team. The best 18 players will make the hockey team, not necessarily the best 18 boys. There is, however, one essential misconception regarding our argument. We do not actually want to be a FHSAA regulated sport. This might seem to make our entire debate null, but the opposite is true. We already have an organization, the Lightning Conference, which does an exceptional job of running a league of 18 teams representing over 20 schools (some teams combine schools with close proximity in order to have a larger pool of players). The league gives high school players the opportunity to play in the local professional stadium, the Tampa Bay Times Fo-
rum, where the Tampa Bay Lightning play. Through regulation, we may lose opportunities like this and may even lose some of the league structure that we have come to appreciate so much. “I like how the league is run. Playing in the same place as some of our idols is a great experience that some of the other sports don’t get,” said senior forward John Michael Buchs. This year marks Buch’s second year on the hockey team. We aren’t asking for a new organization to develop a new program. All we want is the interschool attributes that make playing high school sports so wonderfully entertaining. What we want is to have our fellow peers educated on the subject of the location and times of our events (free at TBSA in Oldsmar most Friday nights, for those of you who didn’t know). What we want is to hear our fans scream when we are striding down the ice with five seconds left in the game and the score tied. What we want is to be a part of the pep rallies. Just like football. Just like baseball. Just like basketball, volleyball, soccer and potentially even lacrosse. We work hard to represent our school. Shouldn’t our school work hard to represent us?
Graphic by Mariangely Miyares
Opinion
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Staff Editorial
Much ado about nothing over schedules The 20th day count schedule changes have recently created an uproar amongst this school’s student body. The changes were enacted in order to balance crowded classes. Students complain that the changes came too late, after they had grown acclimated to their schedules. According to assistant principal Kelly King, administrators made the change in accordance with the district policy which dictates that schools cannot balance classes before the 20th day of school. After, schools receive funding to add more classes where necessary. Students’ primary concern regarding the changes revolves around being switched into different teachers’ classes. Many students argue that the change will hurt their performance, since they have grown accustomed to their former teachers’ teaching styles. What students seem to be forgetting, though, is how easy it was in the first place to adjust to those styles. Given two weeks or so, students will most likely readjust to their new teachers’ instructional methods. Other students claim that the social aspect of their day is now disrupted. This complaint need not even be addressed; school is for learning, not playing. An unfortunate consequence of the changes is locker locations. Students chose the location of their lockers based on their schedules during the first and second week of school. Now, though, new schedules may disrupt students’ daily locker routine. This may be annoying and inconvenient, but it can be remedied by changing up locker stops. According to King, students can request a locker change if completely necessary. However, students face obstacles in school that
Graphic by Mariangely Miyares
are far more challenging than a minor locker problem, so this should not be too much trouble for most. Schedule changes are practically part of the high school experience. Every student who received a schedule change still has the exact same classes. Although it is unfortunate that some students feel that their new teachers are not as
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talented as their former teachers, having a mediocre educator or two is inevitable in high school. You get some good ones, and you get some bad ones. On a social level, the change is harsh, but in terms of educational success, the changes probably will not make a significant difference for students.
The Oracle Editorial Policy The Oracle is published by the newspaper staff at Steinbrenner High School: 5575 Lutz Lake Fern Road, Lutz, Florida, 33558 The Oracle works under the SPJ Code of Ethics, Which has been set down as our journalistic standard. The staff believes in freedom of the press, honesty, accuracy, impartiality, decency and equality: We will be observing these at all times. Alll the editorials will be backed up with facts and research. Staff editorials will never be by-lined, because they represent the opinion of the staff as a whole. Money for the publication of The Oracle will come from advertising sales. Any advertising rates are available upon request by calling the Steinbrenner newspaper staff at (813) 792-5131, ext. 258. Advertising which promotes illegal products under Florida law, opposes any religion or is of any sensitive nature will not be accepted. The Oracle is established as an open forum for student expression as outlined in the Student Press Law Center’s model guidelines for student publications. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the faculty and administration of Steinbrenner High School, but rather of the author or of the newspaper staff and its editors. As student journalists, the staff occasionally commits errors,; however, we will always correct the errors in an honest and timely manner. The Oracle welcomes letters to the editor on topics of interest to Steinbrenner High School and its surrounding community. We also welcome contributions from writers not associated with the newspaper staff. All letters submitted to the editor will require the signature of those who submitted them. All contributions need to be turned into Mr. Flaskamp in room 215.
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Centerspread
October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Steinbrenner Decides
OBAMA
POLL
Who do you support? “I support Mitt Romney because having a republican candidate will make the government realize that the people can choose their own jobs and people have to stop being lazy and work for their money without relying on the government.” - Senior Neda Abidi
Romney
Courtesy of: African Regional Services
Election 2012
No Candidate 14.55%
Ron Paul .75%
Insight
The Mormon way Evyn Moon Business Manager
“I’m not one hundred percent on either side, but Obama has created millions of jobs by a greater emphasis on the middle class. As long as we have greater investments in education, healthcare, and an elimination of the deficit, America will progress.” - Senior Doug Carcamo
Natalie Barman Opinion Editor
The information in this survey was derived from a random cluster sample of second period classes. The Oracle surveyed 268 students with a margin of error at +/-5.6%.
39.93%
“I support Obama because Romney wants to cut down health care and that would affect a lot of people including my father because he basically lives off of health care.” - Junior Kinsey Black
Why students should care
44.78%
Compiled by: Gaby Morillo
“I support Mitt Romney because Obama had four years and he did absolutely nothing. Unemployment has gone up a substantial amount and I think that since Romney has a business background, he will be successful.” - Junior Patrick Wasp
Opinion
The religion of Mormonism has been a topic of discussion since Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential election, said he was a Mormon. The Mormon faith was formed in 1820 by Joseph Smith, a 14-year-old boy who was walking in the forests of New York. According to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS), Smith was visited by
prophets and Jesus Christ himself and was told of the church. Over the next 10 years, Smith was visited by prophets and formed the book of Mormon. Junior Katie Turnbow is a Mormon and her father is the bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Being the bishop is a voluntary job. This is not uncommon, according to Oxford University Press, church members may work anywhere from 10-15 hours per week without pay. According to LDS, family is the first priority in a Mormon household. However, contrary to popular belief, polygamy is not
something mainstream Mormons practice. It is a federal offense, and according to History.com, was renounced by the Mormon Church in 1890. Part of the religion is no drinking or smoking, which Turnbow says neither of her parents have ever done. Other practices common to Mormonism, according to LDS, include studying the scriptures and praying daily. according to Turnbow, she goes to church every morning from 6 a.m. to 6:50 a.m. before school. Other aspects of the faith would be fasting on a regular basis, attending Sunday worship ser-
vices, church activities on weekdays and refraining from work on Sundays when possible. Virtues include personal honesty, integrity, obedience to law, chastity outside of marriage and fidelity within marriage. “These are standards, not rules. If you do these things, it doesn’t mean you’re not a Mormon,” said Turnbow. According to Turnbow, people often ask her questions about her religion, but never show any disrespect. With the publicity of Romney’s faith, Americans are now becoming more educated on the religion’s true meaning.
In 2008, young adults in America felt the excitement. The promise of restoring hope and optimism in America’s future drove the most youth voters since 1960 to the polls. ThenSenator Barack Obama reaped the rewards of this movement; more than twice as many voters under 30 voted for Obama over his Republican opponent Senator John Mccain, which propelled Obama into the White House. However, the hopeful momentum of that election has faded. According to an article in The New York Times, students feel less enthused to vote in the upcoming November election. With a downtrodden economy and high numbers
of youth unemployment, even advisers to President Obama are banking on a marginal win among youth rather than a sweep. The apparent disinterest in this election, though, is disappointing. This nation is far from healed. Youth were moved in 2008 because of motivational rhetoric. The promise of “Change” from Obama was exhilarating, but what about now? America is still in a recession. It is the youth who will have to deal with the effects in the long run. This observation, like so many others in the realm of politics, goes back to party politics. Each party is willing to do whatever it can to get its candidate into the White House. Dull speeches about policies and plans are not nearly as moving as an impassioned speech
that actually says very little. In the modern world, most citizens are disgruntled by at least one specific issue during any given election year and, therefore, blame whichever party is in office. That is why Democrats riled up the optimistic youth in 2008 and why the Republicans are at an advantage this year. So, back to why you should care: the policies of the candidates are as relevant to youth today as they were four years ago. There are the many of the same social, political and economic issues on the table. The thrill from Obama’s 2008 speeches may be missing, but young adults should look beyond the silly motivational pep talks and focus on what really matters. After all, that’s what politics should be about.
Compiled by: Rachael Landes
A&E
October 2012 Jake Bittle A&E Editor Senior Kevin Connor, a.k.a. Young Kevin, has spent the past year recording album after album in pursuit of “making it” as a rapper. We sat down with Connor to figure out what makes him tick. Connor’s third album Triple Threat comes out this winter, and will feature more appearances by Rachel Villalona and other collaborators.
ORACLE: So, why do you do this, in a nutshell? KEVIN CONNOR: My first love was football. That didn’t work out. My whole life I’ve been making music, but I didn’t take it seriously until middle school. In eighth grade, that’s when I started to really make music and become serious about it. Last year I met Brian Holloway Jr. [of Jr. Bro Productions; he produces all of Connor’s releases]. He told me to come by one day and record in his studio. I made one song with him, and I was feelin’ it, so I kept on doing it. I kept making mixtapes, and then I made Golden Child, my first album to come out in school and online and everything. I got better and better. And you know, I have a lot of haters in my life and I want to keep motivated and prove everybody wrong, just try to make money, and just try to become what I want to be: a rapper. O: So who do you look up to? KC: --Laughs – Lil Wayne … O: Well I know Lil Wayne, but who else? KC: My brothers really keep me motivated too. They support my music and support what I’m doing with my life. Especially other rappers like Bridley Boi and Murray
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oraclenewspaper.com
UNSTOPPABLE
Student rapper Young Kevin proves haters wrong
Kyle Dunn / Oracle
Boi, they’ve supported me since Day One, and they’ve always been there. O: So, since you started, how do you think your music has changed? KC: At first I rapped about what every rapper does; girls, you know, drug stuff, all that, but then I started realizing, my lyrics are starting to mature. I’m starting to rap about realistic stuff, about my life, about how I’m going to make it, about my goals, how I’m going to reach them, all that. That’s why I named my album The Motivation, I tell these people what I’m trying to accomplish, how I’m going to prove these haters wrong, how I’m going to prove everybody wrong, you know
what I mean? So I put my lyrics to another level instead of rapping about that same stuff you hear every day on the radio. O: When you sit down to write a song, do you write down your lyrics? Do you freestyle? Do you revise? KC: First thing is to find a beat that’s catchy. When I find a beat I let it flow a little bit, I vibe to it a little bit, then I start thinking about what the song’s going to be about. Then I just start freestylin’ out loud, writing it down, making it better, and I let it go from there. O: So you always record with this Brian guy? KC: Yeah man. Junior Bro Productions, from the start to the end. There would be no Young Kevin
without Jr. Bro productions. O: A lot of people say hip hop is dead; do you agree with that? KC: I don’t think it’s dead, but the thing is that people are trying to rap the
same as everyone else. Everyone wants to be this guy, that guy, everyone wants to be on top. I always say that hip hop has definitely taken a step back from where it was, but I feel like there’s upcoming artists, like my-
amanda@houseofstyleii.com
self hopefully, like Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Lil Wayne starts to get old now ... all these young rapper ... I see all these guys, coming up as a movement, so I think hip hop is going to try to come alive again.
20% off your first visit!
A&E
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Film: Drama
Cult of personality The Master delivers on characterization at expense of a cohesive plot Kyle Dunn Editor in Chief A cult demands acceptance of its values without explanation, without question. You’re in or you’re out, but being a part of the club is the only way to get to—where? Paul Thomas Anderson’s (There Will Be Blood) latest film, The Master, is a story of cult, and similarly isn’t clear where it wants to take you. Freddie Quell is a highstrung veteran of WWII. He spends his free time fantasizing, womanizing and concocting potent alcoholic potions from ingredients like gasoline and
paint thinner. He is the animal spirit of this movie. He is this movie. Like an animal, he takes flight from civil society and meets the eponymous “master,” Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman), the leader of “the Cause,” a supposed parallel to Scientology, who takes to Freddie at once. Never has a chance encounter between two human beings moved from hot to cold and back again so quickly and mercurially as this one. Dodd sees a potential in Quell that none of his followers or his wife, Peggy (Amy Adams), share a belief in. Likewise, Quell’s
very presence inspires more and more thoughts about the Cause in Dodd. The most moving parts in this film are the duels between Dodd and Quell, the conversations about what the grander purpose of life is. Dodd proselytizes with frequent and rapid dialogue; Quell, unencumbered by earthly prejudices, digests and concludes—ultimately concluding that Dodd is a hack. Anderson’s problem is quite the opposite. The Master’s propositions are solid and clear, though the movie’s objectives are vague. Anderson is a strong writer of genuinely
flawed characters, humans that might actually walk through the door and intrigue you, but the threads of the plot barely hold together. The most justifiable theory I’ve come to accept is that The Master is a movie about the struggles of acting and having to become someone else. Most sequences are bursts or moments that show us greyer shades of each character’s psyche. Expectantly so, The Master will project upon the viewer the same frustrations as Quell, and, as he does, come to a finale of disappointment.
6.0
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Philip Seymour Hoffman plays strange cult leader Lancaster Dodd, mentor to Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) in the thought-provoking psychological drama The Master.
Film: Comedy
‘Seven’ searches for killers with heart Kyle Dunn Editor in Chief LA Street Corner. Dusk. The sun orange on the horizon. Two hit men discuss the possibilities of shooting people in the eyes. Beat. A masked serial killer strolls up behind and them and Pow! He shoots our waiting strangers in the eyes like a malevolent Godot who’s finally arrived. This is Psychopath #1 in the cabal of idiosyncratic murderers we meet through the eyes of Marty (Colin Farrell), a screenwriter who is having a tough time finishing his own screenplay, titled “Seven Psychopaths”. Among the other psychopaths is Charlie (Woody Harrelson) whose search for his lost Shih Tzu, Bonny, sets this whole bizarre circus in motion. There’s Billy (Sam Rockwell), Marty’s eager friend, and Hans (Christopher Walken), a dog snatcher who kidnaps dogs only to “find” them in
response to MISSING DOG posters and collect the rewards. Billy, who occasionally works with Hans, happens to know the whereabouts of the yipping little Shih Tzu, and in his flight from Charlie’s gangster brutality, drags Marty along with him through the deserts of Southern California. Then there’s Zachariah (Tom Waits), a bunny-toting retired serial killer of serial killers who gave up his life of bloodshed when the love of his life (the Bonnie to his Clyde) left him when he would not help immolate the famous Zodiac killer. Marty represents all the frustrations of this movie’s writer-director Martin McDonagh, for he and Farrell’s character want to write “a movie about psychopaths that isn’t all blood and guts and stuff.” Marty— and Martin—want a psychopath flick with “heart, a real love story.” It’s this proclamation that lends to this movie’s brilliance: the perils of cliche. Marty makes a list on
Courtesy of CBS Films
Marty (Colin Farrell), Hans (Christopher Walken) and Billy (Sam Rockwell) debate how to end their own movie the proper way: with a shootout. a legal pad of the psychopaths that should be in his movie, and he encounters the very people he starts describing, owing to the futility of coming up with a serial killer who’s never been done before. Hans, after reading a portion of Marty’s script, notes how all the female characters “can barely string a sentence together or they die after five minutes.” It won’t be difficult to guess what happens, then, to all the female characters who briefly turn up in the paths of
our killers. Like McDonagh’s earlier films, Seven Psychopaths occupies a dark and chilling world of misery, dealt with, though, by bumbling and hapless caricatures. Rarely are hit men and chainsaw-wielding lunatics this charming, and under McDonagh’s direction Walken and Farrell and Rockwell slip into their roles here like Jason Voorhees into his hockey mask.
9.0
A&E
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Showdown: Hip-Hop
Lupe comes out on top with a more genuine, inspired effort, triumphing over Kanye’s dud collaboration album
KANYE: CRUEL SUMMER LUPE: FOOD & LIQUOR II Jake Bittle A&E Editor Kanye West has never seemed to me like a man with anything to prove about his character, but wanting to demonstrate something about his incubating hip-hop collective G.O.O.D. Music is the only reason why he would allow such mediocre artists like 2 Chainz and CyHi The Prince, who speckle G.O.O.D. Music’s roster, to have such a major role in the sloppy collaboration album Cruel Summer. The album has none of the luster that a Kanye studio album (see My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) has, and feels like some kind of two-bit hip-hop circus. Though his production (not done entirely by Kanye, but with assistance from Hit-Boy and other industry regulars) is solid, varied and colorful as one would expect from Yeezy, Kanye is not at the pinnacle of his lyrical talents here (though he outshines nearly every other performance). The impression one gets when he throws out lines like, “It could ruin your life like that uncle that touched you,” is that he’s dumb-
ing down his lines like a father letting his children win at Monopoly. Fear not, though, there’re still quite a few zingers from Ye as well as his characteristic humor. When Ye fades out, however, and lets the other members of G.O.O.D. Music take the stage, the result is most often the hackneyed effort of a bunch of mixtape-caliber artists throwing rhymes at each other, as if they made songs using Kanye’s equipment while he was out of the room taking a leak. R Kelly sounds like a parody of R Kelly. Who invited Big Sean? He sounds like someone rejected from OFWGKTA because his GPA was too high. There’s also the strange interlude on “Cold”, which consists of a “DJ” you’ve never heard of shouting the names of Chicago streets for a minute and a half. Even though for every
“Sin City” there’s a gem like John Legend’s synthetic croon “Bliss”, the fact of the matter is, none of these rappers besides Ye (and maybe Pusha T) are album people—a cohesive effort from all of
There is no doubt, however, that Lupe is back at his most visceral with Food Lupe Fiasco puts heart & Liquor II: The Great before anything else. Com- American Rap Album Part ing out of someone else’s 1, the title of which hearmouth, a verse with phras- kens back to Lupe’s first es like “overwhelming and best disc. Though the cover is entirely black because of some cultural commentary, the album is actually filled with as many different colors as there are songs. Lupe is a rapper who can handle lyrical blitzes as well as more melodious tracks such as “Battle Scars”. With dexterity, however, Source: Wikimedia Commons sometimes comes a lack sympathies” and “siphon of consistency. It’s easy off the land” (“Unforgiv- to nail down what Lupe able Youth”) might sound likes to talk about: matepretentious, but when Lupe rialism, racism, sexism, bursts into one of many and the whole menagerie anti-establishment rants, it of the underdog. His style sounds genuine and anthe- is harder to nail down: at mic, far more genuine than times (“Lamborghini Ananything on his dud 2011 gels”) his flow is fierce and album L.A.S.E.R.S., which impressive, but on the dud amounted to a meager hour tracks he raps with the same of pseudo-pop. simple rhyme structure that
Jake Bittle A&E Editor
VS.
them above the quality of a B-side collection or throwaway mixtape is downright impossible. It seems Ye is dragging most of the other artists on his label into the market not as peers but as parasites. Hopefully, now that he’s finished showing off his crew, Kanye can get back to work.
5.5
belongs to the mainstream music he rails against. Hooks, too, also sometimes fade into the background. Case in point: a leading single, “Around My Way (Freedom Ain’t Free)” features some of Lupe’s best political commentary (that’s saying something), but its hook sounds canned and generically rebellious: “Live from the other side, what you see? / A bunch of nonsense on my TV”. I suppose even that, though, is better than Chief Keef. Despite some deflated elements, it’s clear from the poetry of “Ayesha Says” and the thumping lead-in of “Strange Fruition” that his soul is in it. More so than many rappers, even on the dud tracks (“Heart Donor”, “Brave Heart”), Lupe really believes what he is rapping. It may not be an entirely cohesive opus like the original F&L, but hearing Lupe back at it is enough for now. His rap is the kind that shakes up any of our possible Eurocentric or misogynistic conceptions. Lupe isn’t gone: his lyrics have power this time around, and thus Food & Liquor 2 has power and mood in droves.
7.0
A&E
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
TheBreak
Down
Taylor Swift— “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”
In each month’s Breakdown we review the past few months in terms of media of all sorts: music, movies, video games, books, and everything in between. Reviews are trimmed down to just the essentials, and their scores are compiled and compared so the reader can see just what’s worth seeing, reading, listening, and playing in the world of recent entertainment. This month’s breakdown features reviews by Jake Bittle, Nataly Capote, Kyle Dunn, Angela Sexton, and Alex Troutt.
Further Reviews Online All the reviews featured here, plus additional reviews not in the print edition of the Oracle, are available online in the Arts & Entertainme section of www.oraclenewspaper.com.
2.0
End of Watch
10
Film: End of Watch is not a bevy of gunfights and gang violence, nor a rock-’em, sock’em buddy-cop movie. Instead, it’s an altogether better flick than I expected from David Ayer. About 75 percent of the narrative takes place in the protagonists’ patrol car, manifesting itself in conversations about the mortality of their jobs, love, dreams, hopes. Rarely do cop buddy movies have this much soul and such a superior Film: Despite an absence of memorable fusion of character and story; usually roles in recent years, Richard Gere is back to action substitutes for drama real form in Arbitrage, which may be the most realistic human tension. portrayal ever of just how easily white-collar crimi-
Arbitrage
nals blend the legal with the illicit. Amid the hubbub of the film’s complex plot, the director does well in keeping the film focused on Gere. He settles for telling us everything instead of allowing the audience to interpret events. That complaint aside, Arbitrage is highly recommended. Video Games: The second edition to the Borderlands trilogy hit store shelves with gazillions of guns, an uncountable number of enemies, much more marketing money, and a whole lot of fun for players and their friends to enjoy together. The developers have retained the “comic book” art style but also made the environments incredibly more colorful than the deserts of the last game. With a new story, thousands more guns, and upgrades across the board, Borderlands 2 has been well worth the wait.
9.0
Borderlands 2
9.0
7.0 The Maze Runner Books: The Maze Runner trilogy stands with other works of fiction as an intriguing dystopian read. The characters and action were good, but the author held back a lot and should have spent more time making the story feel complete.
8.0
Perks of Being a Wallflower Books: The basis for a recent feature film, this book stands out from teenage clichés. Chbosky does a superb job in developing his characters, and gives us a great insight into the humor and honesty of their struggles, humor and honesty.
8.0
Dave Matthews
Music: Away From The World is the mature product of an immensely talented band, featuring songwriting laced with wisdom and some of the most tender and affective songs Dave Matthews has ever produced. More personal than past efforts, it is the fruit of Dave Matthews’ introspection.
The XX Music: The electropop group retained the smoothness and style of their self-titled debut album with Coexist, this slick effort featuring gorgeous cuts like “Angels” and “Our Song”, while also perfecting the precision of their infectious atmospheric groove.
8.5
All photos annexed under the Fair Use principle.
Sports
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Winter sports get a head start Even though the fall sports season has not yet ended, the winter sports are already starting to prepare for their time Emily Goldbach Sports Editor
Although the start of the winter sport season is still about a month away, most of the teams have already started to gear up and prepare for what’s coming to them this year. Starting with girls basketball, Coach JR Allen has begun to host conditioning workouts three times a week at 6 a.m.; these put the girls through a series of drills and exercises that focus on building their physical strength, stamina, and muscular endurance. “Last year we were able to attain (the district win), but we ended the season abruptly after that, so we still kind of had a sour taste left in our mouths. We want to go farther this year,” said Allen. According to Allen, the ultimate goal for the girls this year is to win the state championship. Next up is boys basketball, coached by Steve Williams. He is encouraging all the guys who are interested in trying out to engage in some preseason conditioning on their own time. Those who were already on the varsity team in past years will be competing in a fall basketball league. Williams says they have built up their basketball program to be very competitive and would like to compete for the district championship this year. “We believe that this is the year that we actually have the opportunity to compete for the district championship,” said Williams. Now, we move to wrestling with coach Paul Noble. The boys have been conditioning for a couple weeks now, to get in shape for the season. Noble says that performing physically is a big part of wrestling. Their ultimate goals for this year is to win their conference and get a state placement. “You can tell they definitely want to go to the state tournament and do something when they get there. It’s a big deal for them,” said Noble. Next is girls soccer with new head coach Angela Gillisse. She has been hosting conditioning sessions twice a week for an hour after school. These mainly focus on core stability and balance work. The girls will also be participating in a preseason tournament at the end of October, just a couple of days before their season opener. “Hopefully it will give us some idea of what the season will look like and what we have to work on, and then we will move forward from that point,” said Gillisse. They really hope to win the state championship,but Gillisse says she will sit down with all the girls and figure out goals for themselves individually and as a team. Last but not least is boys soccer with coach Chad Ebright. They aren’t going to be doing any preseason conditioning beacuse most of the boys interested in team are playing soccer up until that point.
Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News
Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News
Their plans for the season are to make it to the state championship. “Our main goal is to get better each year, and to do better than we have in previous years,” said Ebright. Ebright says that all the boys are phenomenal players and always work hard to acheive their goals. All of the winter sports are working hard for their upcoming seasons, and will have an exciting year while trying to acheive their goals.
Top Left: The girls basketball team poses with their district trophy. The team’s goal this year is to win the state championship. Bottom Left: The girls soccer team poses with their trophy. With a new coach, they’ll have some big changes this year. Top Right: Sophomore Jack Frank goes up for a shot. He started every game as a freshman last year. Middle Right: The wrestling team poses with their trophy at the Raider Invitational last year. The team wants to go for their 100th win this year. Bottom Right: The boys soccer team takes a break during practice. The team is constantly improving their game with each new year.
Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News
Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News
Courtesy of Jeff Odom
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Sports
October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
New year, new seasons start with new coaches Emily Goldbach Sports Editor The school year has already kicked off with several big sporting events. But four very successful teams have won themselves a brand new coach. Starting with football, new head coach Andres PerezReinaldo has taken control of the team. He helped coach the Warriors in the past, but this is his first year leading the show. He decided to become the head coach for the pure love of the game and for the kids playing it. The goals for the team are to have the highest student athlete GPA of the county and to win the state championship. In addition, Perez hopes to have a great season and have all his young student athletes become successful young adults. “If we were aiming for anything less, we would be settling,” said Perez. Next, is volleyball. The new head coach, Laura Stegenga, has been coaching the sport since she was only 18 years old. She used to coach at Gaither High School, but when she saw the coach position open up over here, she “just had to snap it up.” “I knew of the past success of the volleyball team, so I knew that [the girls] would be at a high level and excited about volleyball,” said Stegenga. Knowing this, she was not nervous at all to take up the position because she knows that “all the players want to be there and are excited and motivated to play.” Stegenga says she will hold the girls accountable on the court and in the classroom and always push the girls in every game and in every situation to do their best. She never wants the girls to underestimate their opponents, but treat each game a step to help them get to the bigger picture. Next is soccer with coach Angela Gillisse. She played soccer in high school and through college and has kept many memories from her experiences. She used to be the athletic director at a private school and coached soccer there as well. Gillisse hopes to build off of the team’s past success and help them reach even greater things. “I want to make sure we are ready for the season, set some goals in the beginning, and make sure that we are playing together as a unit, and try and work out any kinks we have early on,” said Gillisse. Lastly, we move on to the new head coach of boys track, Mike Bosco. For the past two years, he coached the boys swimming team and helped coach the boys track team and football team. Once Perez became the head coach of football, Bosco applied for the head track coach position. Bosco is going to have all the boys put in a lot of training in the off season to make sure each group of kids is prepared and ready for tryouts. “Our team goal is to win the district championship,” said Bosco. However, their main goal is to have the highest GPA in the county. Bosco also hopes to have all the kids perform to the best of their ability. Overall, these teams can expect a big change in leadership and look forward to a very successful season.
Emily Goldbach / Oracle Staff
The volleyball team huddles while their new coach Laura Stegenga looks on. The team has had a very successful season so far.
Girls golf season tees off to a great start Emily Goldbach Sports Editor The girls golf team is undefeated with a record of 9-0 as of press time. They have shown amazing skill and progress in their first matches of the season, according to head coach Mark Mann. “The season has been a great success so far,” said Mann. “All the girls are always dedicated, focused, determined, and work hard during all of their practices.” Mann says no player has really stood out above all others because every girl has improved their scores from last year and have continued to work hard, even in the off season. The team’s first objective is to continue to improve for the district, regional, and state championships. For this, Mann says that th egirls are well on their was because of all of their hard work. By the end of the season, Mann hopes to win the second district title for the school, as well as win the first regional title for the girls golf team. However, their ultimate goal is to have their scores place in the top three in the state finals. “If the girls keep working hard, stay focused, and stick to the overall game plan, they will be able to achieve all of their goals,” said Mann.
Evan Abramson/ Oracle
Members of the girls golf team prepare their things for their match against Wharton. They went on to win 125-146.
For coverage of the boys golf team, check out oraclenewspaper.com
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Sports
October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Key players to watch in the world of Steinbrenner sports
Jon Marc Carrier
When senior wide receiver Jon Marc Carrier appeared injured on the field against Strawberry Crest in a game the Warriors went on to lose 21-14, the team instantly lost a strong asset severely weakening an important part of the offense. “This is not the first injury I’ve ever had. In fact, I had an injury on my left knee before my current injury on my right knee,” said Carrier. Leading the Warrior passing game in the 2011-2012 season with 16 receptions and 305 yards, averaging 19 yards a game,. Carrier learned everything he knows from his father, former Pro-Bowl wide receiver Mark Carrier. Carrier’s father played a total of 12 seasons in the NFL, the bulk of them being with the Bucs for 6 seasons. Carrier now has a brace on his right knee and is walking without the aid of his
Zach Ishee Going into last week’s golf match against Sickles, junior Zach Ishee was right in the middle of the pack of the warrior golf team. Then he broke the school record for shots in a round, shooting a 31. “It felt great, it was kind of a once in a lifetime thing. Everything was working for me, there wasn’t a thing off,” said Ishee “I was terrible last year; I just wasn’t very good. Now this year I’m playing a lot better than I was, I hope the whole team can keep it up too.” The former holder of the record was last year’s senior Trevor Joseph who is now at St. Leo University for golf. Ishee was a member of last year’s golf team with Joseph, and having not played freshman year Ishee didn’t get his score counted much last season. “My dad played (golf) when I was younger, and one day I just went out and played with him when I was 11,” said Ishee. Ishee is a mostly self-taught golfer, Graphic by Mariangely Miyares
crutches. “I am not sure if I will ever get back to that point where I scored those 6 touchdowns in the pre-season classic against Newsome; but I am going to try as hard as I can to get there,” said Carrier. With that preseason performance Carrier, announced himself as the big play maker of the warrior offense. Having been on offense for multiple seasons ,Carrier’s return is sure to give football’s struggling game a boost.
Rachel Mathison
With 83 kills and only 20 errors on 170 attacking attempts, junior Rachel Mathison (outside hitter/right side) is the model of efficiency when it comes to offense, 43% of her shot attempts are scores. Not only does she use her shots wisely, Mathison’s 170 attempts are 17 more than any of her teammates, her 83 kills are 27 more than any other warrior volleyball player.
Sport: Sport: Football Football Class: Class: Senior Senior
Sport: Volleyball Class: Junior
Sport: Sport: Golf Golf Class: Class: Junior Junior
Sport: Football Class: Senior
he cites the most influential person in his golf career as PGA tour pro Matt Kuchar. Ishee said he’s learned a ton since joining the golf team in high school and the work appears to be paying off. Ishee shot a 39 last Tuesday along with fellow junior Dillon Garcia. The mens golf team has long been in the shadow of the perennially undefeated womens team and is starting to close the gap. Two of the three top players on the team, Ishee and Garcia, are set to return for their senior seasons next year, which could lift golf up to the top level in the region and maybe beyond that.
Kendall Pearcy The first year of football here, a freshman named Kendall Pearcy tried out for safety. Head coach at the time Floyd Graham switched him to running back, a decision no one would regret. Playing a mixed schedule of JV and Varsity games in football’s first year, Pearcy was second in rushing yards on the team with 179, on only 29 carries. “I thought I was going to play safety but (Graham) put me at running back. Once I got all the plays down and started putting in hard work, I got that starting
“I quit softball in 6th grade and in 7th grade I started playing middle school volleyball. I really fell in love with the game,” said Mathison. “13-and-under was my first year of higher level competition (in club).” Mathison made varsity here during her freshman year, 2010, and had 45 kills. Last season as a sophomore, Mathison had a third-on-the-team total of 145 kills behind Miranda Powell (at Florida Atlantic University with a volleyball scholarship) and now senior Madison Seuzeneau. “I love that we challenge each other (in high school) to see who works the hardest. Varsity level is really elite,” said Mathison. When asked who has had the biggest impact on her career, “First, God. I feel so blessed to be where I am today and that’s all because of him. Second, my mom and dad. Their support has been essential. Third, my coaches, they’ve taught me all I know about the game of volleyball.”
position and been there ever since.” Having started football a couple years after starting basketball at age six, Pearcy found out really quick where his future was brightest. “In fifth grade my friends told me about the Carrollwood Hurricanes (football team) and I just tried it out. I was good at it and I loved it,” said Pearcy. Pearcy burst onto the scene junior year with 776 yards and 11 touchdowns on 98 carries, an average of 7.92 yards-percarry. This plus his 142 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns last year have attracted the attentions of Division 1A college football teams. “I’m getting recruited by Cincinatti (OH), Buffalo (NY), Florida Atlantic, Presbyterian (former Warrior wide receiver Tobi Antigha is currently a sophomore there on a football scholarship), and various other schools in Division II and Division III,” said Pearcy. So far this season Pearcy has 215 yards on 44 carries with two touchdowns.
Compiled by Zealand Shannon / Sports Editor and Evan Abramson / Staff Writer
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Sports The Will to Play October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
Running back Jack Carroll returns for 2012-13 season Zealand Shannon Sports Editor
Last year the 3-1 Warriors football team headed to Gaither for a divisional game on October 6th. For sophomore running back Jake Carroll, it would be a night to remember for all the wrong reasons. On the opening kick return of the game, Carroll’s ACL was completely torn along with a partial meniscus tear. He was averaging over seven yards-per-carry through the first four games of the season. He was carried off of the field. “I actually wanted to go back in because I was able to stand it, but my coach wouldn’t let me,” said Carroll. He stayed on the sidelines for the rest of the 37-7 loss. “We didn’t know about the injury until a couple of days after it happened,” said Carroll. The doctor pronounced the tear and the Carroll family went to schedule an appointment for the reparation surgery. They couldn’t have the surgery done until
near the end of the month. After 19 days of living with the knee damage Carroll went under for surgery on October 25th. Steinbrenner football went on to go 4-2 in Carroll’s absence in the backfield, but with wins coming over lowly Riverview, Wiregrass Ranch, Chamberlain, and Middleton. Even after the whole season Carroll still ranked third on the team in rushing yards with 240, having played only half as much as his teammates. On August 24th of this year, Carroll put the pads on for the first time since the injury against another high school, holding a new outlook in a preseason game against Newsome. “It felt great to get suited up again because I was out for so long,” said Carroll, “I couldn’t wait to get back in and show everyone that this surgery wasn’t going to affect my playing ability at all.” With 46 carries for 123 yards so far this season, Carroll has made a complete recovery.
Zealand Shannon / Oracle
Jake Carroll stares out across the warriors home football field. Despite his injuries, he has already had a productive start to the season.
Girls cross country off to rocky start Zealand Shannon Sports Editor Girls cross country is coming off of a district championship win last year, but has hit some speed bumps according to head coach Ladd Baldwin. “We’re not making the impact that we want to at the front, but I have a lot more depth this year than I’ve had in a long time,” said Baldwin. “It’s making all of the girls work harder.” Baldwin said that for them, the district, regional and state meets are the biggest ones; they still want to do well in the others to help build them up for the important meets. “We don’t qualify for anything if we don’t do well in our smaller meets,” said Baldwin. Right now, he is trying to build up the program and the strengths because there are several sophomores and first time runners that are running with the varsity kids. The team’s top three returning runners have had some health issues this year, but are starting to make a comeback for the latter part of the season. However, that is-
sue has “opened up doors” for the younger girls to move up. Baldwin says that if all the girls keep working hard, they will be ready for districts.
Samantha Bequer / Oracle
Sophomore Julia Malone lines up at the start. She is one of the top five runners for the team.
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October 2012
oraclenewspaper.com
High School or Small Town?
“I love when people get passionate about whatever it is they are passionate about. Just seeing a bunch of young people have this much school spirit and being excited about their school makes me happy.” —Charley Belcher
Charley Belcher interviews football head coach Andres Perez on how the team has grown during its four years. Coach Perez was named head football coach this year. D.J. Change plays music for the MyFoxPrep pep rally. D.J. Change has had a passion for the venue of music since age 7.
The varsity football players show school spirit for the HOT 101.5 camera. This is the first year the varsity team is without a freshman.
Senate members Kelsey Diaz, Kortney Huntzinger, Neda Abidi and Lauren Langiotti show their Warrior pride. Senate is involved with most schoolwide events during the year.
Varsity and junior varsity cheerleaders celebrate after performing a routine on camera. This year was the second year that MyFoxPrep came and held a pep rally at Steinbrenner.
Senior Victoria Parrish fires up the Warrior Brigade during the beginning of the pep rally. Parrish has been conducting band since her junior year.
Compiled by: Gaby Morillo Photo Editor Photos by: Rachael Landes Centerspread Editor