South Lakes Sentinel February 2011 Issue

The South Lakes

Sentinel

slsentinel@yahoo.com South Lakes High School (703) 915-4676 11400 South Lakes Dr. Reston, VA 20191

Special Edition

T

Friday, February 25, 2011 Volume 26, Issue 5

by Bethany Lowe managing editor

een love is a large aspect of the high school social life.

Whether students have a significant other or they have really close friends, love plays a major role.

With Romeo and Juliet in the curriculum for most schools, love is even introduced or accentuated academically.

“The influence a book has depends upon the author, the novel and the reader,” said English teacher Ruth Mohr. “A romantic novel can inspire, but the degree is completely up to the person and the tradition of the novel.”

With teenagers Romeo and Juliet as examples, the inspiration for finding such love in high school is very prevalent. “‘Romeo and Juliet’ is the Shakespeare story that students can easily relate to because it covers issues that are relevant in today’s society such as emotional love, suicide, and consequences following the loss of emotional control,” said English teacher Phil Dignan. “When we talk about these issues, the freshman students tend to have many stories to share.”

Because there are so many forms of love, high school students can generally relate to the concept of love in a variety of ways.

Despite its existence in the halls of schools, love is not just a high school related issue.

The timing of when people search for love ranges through middle school, high school, college, and in the years following.

“I think all people want connections,” said principal Bruce Butler, “and at times, those connections take on an extra depth in richness and sometimes, with time, it can develop into love.”

The reasons why people date vary, but according to main office receptionist Liz Knapp, it is an enriching process.

“Any experience in having a personal relationship with someone else is one of the best tools for learning about yourSee Teen love, Page 9

It’s all about love Okay, so it’s not Valentine’s Day. However, love is shown in many ways throughout the year and even throughout one’s life. With this issue we take a look at how love affects students at South Lakes. From the act of dating to potential consequences love brings, we know that every day, love is in the air.

See Inside

Centerspread

Focus

See how students navigate through the high school dating world.

Page 10-11

Sports

Alumna Heather Wren and senior Jon McCoy share what it is like to be a teen parent.

Page 6

Meet the new lacrosse coaches as the girls prepare for the 2011 season.

Pages 19

News 2-3 • OpEd 4-5 • Focus 6 • Student Life 7-9• Centerspread 10-11 • Style 12-131 • Seahawk Stories 16

• Sports 17-20

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Friday, February 25, 2011

News

“I like eCart testing better than paper testing because it shows you your grade right away and you don’t have to worry about it.”

- Becky Oswalt, sophomore

The South Lakes Sentinel

NEWS IN BRIEF .

SAT and ACT practice offered

All sophomores and juniors who want extra preparation for the SAT and ACT can take full practice tests on Saturday, February 26. This event is sponsered by the academic boosters club and will be complete with a full score report and interpretation of scores. There will be a test feedback session on March 9 in the media center from 7-8 p.m. To take advantage of this opportunity register with Ms. Burke in the career center.

The cost to attend is $10.

Community leaders take part in LFI fair

by Sarah Davidson and Annie Foster contributing writers South Lakes hosted the Leadership Fairfax School Tour and Recreational and Cultural Fair on February 17.

Leadership Fairfax Inc. is a group of community leaders who strive to identify, prepare, and inspire future business leaders in our community.

Area businesses provided exhib-

its promoting cultural services, and school groups such as SLICE and culinary arts showcased international arts and foods.

Parent liaisons Martha Martinez and Feda Abbasi helped organize the event.

“This was a great learning experience not only for the students but for the adults attending,” said Martinez.

The purpose of this event is to raise awareness about the challenges that these students face every day. The

fair allowed participants to see how well the county is meeting the needs of students with disabilities and new Americans.

“This program is about leaders coming and learning about new Americans and kids with certain disabilities,” said principal Bruce Butler. “They haven’t done any research prior to the event.

They are coming to experience it.”

The event was a chance for LFI leaders to feel like the “new kid” again. They were given only a map of

Students invited to learn about Fairfax Academy classes

Tuesday, March 1 is Fairfax Academy info night. All students are invited to come and learn about academy classes and the different courses and programs that are offered at Fairfax High School.

Hispanic Outreach Program volunteers needed

Volunteers are needed for the Hispanic Outreach Program college preparation event on March 5 at Herndon High School. Students must register online at www.herndonminisymposium.eventbrite. com to print out a free registration ticket. The minisymposium educates students on the college-going process.

Motivational speakers and college admissions professionals will be attending along with nationally known comedian and inspirational speaker Ernie G.

Marketing field trip to go to New York City Students who are interested in going on the marketing field trip to New York City on March 11 must see Ms. Ricks or Ms. Schott in Room 427 for details. This opportunity will open up to another school so be sure to reserve a spot as soon as possible.

College Partnership Program field trip scheduled Any students who are participating in the College Partnership Program and are interested in visiting William and Mary’s Law School on March 12 or Radford University on March 19 need to see Ms. Albert or Ms. Burke as soon as possible. Space is limited and is expected to fill up fast.

Honor Roll breakfast held

All students who recieved a 3.5 or higher GPA were invited to attend the honor roll breakfast during seventh period learning seminar on Friday. Approximately 670 students recieved invitations for this event.

PHOTO BY BETHANY LOWE Sophomores Maddy White and Claire Beck chat with assistant superintendent Dr. Fabio Zuluaga during the Leadership Fairfax Inc. visit on February 17. Over 40 members of Leadership Fairfax Inc., an organization working to address the needs of students with disabilities and “New Americans,” came to experience student life.

Faculty members express pros and cons of eCART

by Humna Ajaz contributing writer The Electronic Curriculum Assessment Resource Tool, commonly referred to as eCART, is used to provide teachers with FCPS-approved curriculum, assessments, tools, and resources for grades K-12.

Like every other technology in the world, eCART has its pros and cons.

Along with providing assessments, eCART also provides teachers with information about where the students stand individually and as part of a class.

“It’s a very valuable tool for teachers to gather information about how students are doing,” said assistant principal Chad Lehmen.

Principal Bruce Butler shared somewhat similar thoughts. “eCART is for small and medium chunks of information,” said Butler.

“It’s a great tool to quickly measure if students have mastered ideas. It is more important that students explain the ideas, write them and demonstrate the understanding of the ideas.

However it’s a good tool for some information.”

While Lehmen and Butler value the use of eCART, some teachers see difficulty using eCART in their classes. “eCART is not as helpful for English as for other subjects,” said English teacher Emily Tuttle. “It also does not emphasize multiple choice questions. eCART is not user friendly and takes about 15 minutes to put in one question. There are not enough computers in school to use it as frequently as they want us to.”

“It is difficult for AP teachers to use eCART,” said government teacher Lauren Walters. “We have to

the school and were paired with both a student with a disability and a new American student. To feel totally new and confused, the leaders were not given much instruction prior to their arrival. The students guided the leaders around the school building where they gave them a tour of the library, the hallways, and various classrooms around the school.

“We want our leaders to understand the troubles these kids face,” said LFI classmate Dallas Harrison. “I would like to learn if the students here have opportunities, if the students who have English as their second language have the opportunity to ask for help when it is needed.”

South Lakes was chosen because its student population is so economically, culturally, and ethnically diverse. South Lakes teaches students from many different countries and strives to meet the individual needs of every student. The families at South Lakes speak 53 different languages combined.

Junior Frank Simo, originally from Cameroon, enjoyed hosting LFI members.

“This was a great experience for students to share their experiences here in the USA,” said Simo. “It was a good feeling to know that people want to know about us. I feel like people want to learn about me.”

Harrison is excited about the outcome of the LFI event held. He has high expectations for these students, as well as those to come.

“We want our leaders to understand the troubles these kids face,” said Harrison. “We hope these students we meet today will become mentors later on and help kids in their same situations.”

Redskins great may speak to FCA

by Rachel Rogers staff writer

PHOTO BY MARCI THRAILKILL

Freshmen Kaitlyn Hudenburg and Carly Sands work on a practice SOL test via eCART. eCART as a testing tool has become widely used. generate the questions and connect it to standards that are vague and can at times not encompass what we have to actually teach.”

Some teachers, such as IB Biology teacher William Ferzoco, see a clear connection between eCART and their subject.

“In Bio, students use eCART for unit exams and homework quizzes,” said Ferzoco.“There is instant feedback for both students and myself.

We know what they know and where they need more practice. Beside the quick score feedback, eCART questions are tied to specific course objectives. If students have success in specific objectives, they can better spend their time on the objectives where they didn’t show sufficient mastery.”

One problem encountered by teachers is the availability of computers. eCART can only be accessed on laptops or computers, and the school does not have enough computers for teachers to use as frequently as they would like.

“The problem with eCART is the

lack of accessibility to computers during the school day to effectively use them for classroom activities on a regular basis,” said history teacher Andy Hill. “That is why right now the eCART activities are supplemental.”

Students can access eCART at home easily through Blackboard. com.

For some teachers, eCART is utterly confusing. “eCART is also not laid out well as an easy to use step by step tool for teachers,” said Walters. “It is block like, vague, and often makes no sense why you have click or do what you have to in order to generate an exam. I think we want to use technology as teachers, but this technology is not very friendly and not effective to use.”

For teacher like Ferzoco, however, eCART is embraced.

“I like eCART,” said Ferzoco.

“There is a lot more to eCART than just testing. It houses best practice lessons, labs, teaching strategies and pacing guides.”

Fellowship of Christian Athletes is an after school organization that is currently organizing to set up a meeting with Hall of Fame football player, James Arthur “Art” Monk.

“We’re currently in the process of solidifying a date,” said sponsor Lisa Trigiano.

Monk, a former Redskins wide receiver who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008, helped found the Good Samaritan Foundation with fellow Redskins Charles Mann, Tim Johnson and Earnest Byner.

This foundation provides youth with the facilities needed to compete through the Student Training Opportunity Program.

“He’s a Hall of Famer from the Redskins and he loves Christ,” said Trigiano.

FCA came into contact with Monk earlier in the year when club leader, senior Peter Hutchins, met him at an event and asked him to talk with his club.

“Monk is really humble,” said Hutchins. “While he was playing football, he really followed God. I think he’ll be a good person to speak to the club.”

With Monk’s experience helping youth in sports, FCA thinks that he will have powerful words.

“I think the club is excited to hear from a successful athlete and how his faith affected his career,” said Trigiano.

FCA has 15-20 members at any given time and is open to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation or their participation in sports.

Friday, February 25, 2011 “I think that the MYP is a good thing to have done because it looks good for when you apply for colleges. ” - Haley Vaughn, sophomore

News

The South Lakes Sentinel

MYP project deadline set for March 18

Musical compositions, book writings, fundraising for brain cancer victim among projects

by Kaitlin Welker news editor

Over 150 students plan to submit their MYP personal projects by the March 18 due date.

According to MYP personal project coordinator Katie McDonald, students are working on an interesting array of projects covering the four areas of interaction.

“The students have come up with a lot of creative projects and quite a few community service projects,” said MYP coordinator Katie McDonald. “The goal for the personal project is for students to find something they are interested in and something they enjoy learning about. It is amazing to see how many students have chosen to use their interests to support members of the Reston community.

The following are some of the sophomore projects expected to appear during the April 13 MYP fair.

“I tutored girls in Japanese and I made a scrapbook of it because one girl had a disease and I wanted to catch her up in school,” said Kit Allgair.

“I’m doing a scrapbook of my trip to Europe because it was something that was a big part of my summer

and I always want to remember it,” said Leilah Bennajma.

“I’m doing a photo collage of when I moved to America because I wanted to share the contrast of my two different lifestyles,” Samy Bensidhoum.

“I’m doing a documentation about four people who are doing what they want to do before they die, because it’s something people always want to do but don’t have a chance to,” said Arwa Ahmed.

“I picked three things in my life so far and wrote creative writing stories for them, because I feel like writing is an important part of my life,” said Hiba Farah.

“I’m making a domino game like a card game, with dominoes because I like games and I want to share my genius of creativity and innovation with the world,” said McNeill Bauer.

“I’m doing something with photography because I love taking pictures and sharing them with people,” said Claire Beck.

“I am making a scrapbook filled with rat photos to show the world that they are not as bad as they seem because many people are under the impression that they are sewagedwellers. I’m trying to prove them wrong,” said Chloe Traylor.

Scherzinger wins Fairfax County peace award

by Sara Bolanos contributing writer Senior Andrew Scherzinger was selected as the winner of the Fairfax County Peace Award, for his work with the school’s Best Buddies Program. School counselor Tracy Albert provided the supporting letter for Scherzinger’s nomination.

“Of all the students I have ever encountered, Andrew’s compassion for others is unprecendented,” said Albert. “The work he has done with Best Buddies has significantly impacted the South Lakes community and will continue to foster positive relations among students for years to come.”

Scherzinger established the Best Buddies club, thus allowing South Lakes to join the more than 1,000 groups found throughout the country. The Best Buddies organization began

in the Washington, DC area to help promote wider acceptance of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Scherzinger’s efforts have brought 40 students into the club.

He will attend a Best Buddies leadership conference at Indiana University.

Along with his work with Best Buddies, Scherzinger is a member of the concert, marching, and jazz bands. He plans to make a career in chemical engineering.

Inspired by a successful model developed by the Sandy Springs Meeting in Maryland, the Peace Award is in its sixth year, and the third under its current format.

Scherzinger was among 15 students throughout Fairfax County recognized for their commitment in demonstrating peace in the community. Each received $100 and all will be honored on March 6 at the Fairfax County Government Center.

Community and Service involves projects that promote awareness of roles and resposnibilities as community members.

Environment projects provide exploration of relationships with the environment and how it affects society.

Projects related to health and social education allow investigation of personal, global, and societal issues and healthy decision-making.

Human ingenuity projects provide a chance to invent or explore the effects of human invention in the world.

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Over 50 students win BUG drawings

To honor the 553 students that showed at least a letter grade improvement from first to second quarter, the Bringing Up Grades drawing was held on February 23.

Prizes included a $10 iTunes card, a $15 gift card to Chipotle, and a $5 Starbucks card. The following students were winners.

Flora Huber, Ama Kyei Raphael Seekpee, Ricardo Montoya, Cassie Grabski, Raana Moltaji, Yodh Singh, Christine Mae, April Terry, Vadriane Brown, Muiz Khan, Leslie Hernandez, Rayan Mohamad, Justin Niebels, Audri Emerson, Harrison Drier, Navid Mohammed, Fioana Hugengimana, Beya Kumbi, Michele Cabrena, Anaver Mercedes, Kendall Williams, Arvind Singh, Mehiret Gossaye, Andrew Solis, Maurees Wolo, David Mathews, Herson Reyes, Josh Kim, Mustakil Ali, Kirrolos Guirguis, Fernanda Florentino, Lucas Heilner, Suraya Mobasherullah, Olivia Nguyen, Ahmed Tariq, Abby Guerara, Darian Jackson, Isabee Ho, Khanh Nguyen, Kaitlyn Hudenburg, Pedro Rio Hernandez, Anthony Cox, Chiara Sauvage, Allie Micka, Margaret Flemings, Diana Mazid, Emma Cahoon, Donia Gobashi, Kristin Zipprich, Amanda Barken, Rahab Raza, Kevin Ulloa-Menjivar, Michael Pena

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Friday, February 25, 2011

Op/Ed

The South Lakes Sentinel

“This year started off pretty good but now I think it is going to get better because

of the spring.”

- Caitlyn Herron, sophomore

Tips offered on how to handle the pressures of school

The South Lakes

Sentinel 11400 South Lakes Dr. Reston, VA 20191 (703) 915-4676 fax: (703) 715-4597 slsentinel@yahoo.com

Guest editorial

by Justin Williams editor of the literary magazine

Managing Editors Alyssa Siqueiros Bethany Lowe Will Sweet Business Manager Julia Cockrill News Editor Kaitlin Welker Features Editor Julie Thomas Sports Editor Emily Lipscomb Seahawk Stories Editor Rebecca Rosenman Photo Editor Kaley Duncan Staff Artist Cristian Bocanegra Circulation Manager Edgeri Hudlin Staff Writers Clint Bouttavong Kim Gyapong Leslie Hernandez Melanie Jalim Bryan Linsangan Rachel Rogers Adviser Phil Dignan

The South Lakes Sentinel is an open forum publication serving the South Lakes High School community.

The Sentinel solicits letters to the editor. Letters must be signed.

The editorial board reserves the right to edit such letters for grammar, usage, clarity, punctuation, and length. The Sentinel will publish no material, including advertising, that is libelous, obscene, or has a clear potential for disruption of the school routine, as has generally been determined by law. The Sentinel staff will make every effort to avoid conflicts of interest, to be fair and balanced in reporting, and to reflect the diverse population of South Lakes High School.

The content of The Sentinel is determined by the editorial board. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the faculty advisor, administration of South Lakes High School, or Fairfax County Public Schools.

The Sentinel is a member of the following scholastic organizations:

The Sentinel is printed by Silver Communications.

This Day in History

In 1964, Muhammad Ali became the world heavyweight boxing champion for the first time by knocking out Sonny Liston in Miami Beach.

From the board

Zero-tolerance policy not tolerated Students don’t really tend to think about our school’s zerotolerance policy until it begins to affect them. This was the case almost two years ago when one of our very own Seahawks committed suicide after being expelled for marijuana possession.

Not to say that the act of possessing drugs, alcohol, or weapons is acceptable, but the punishment should not be the same for every situation. The school’s zero-tolerance policy doesn’t allow second chances or solutions to a previous mistake. It’s this exact policy that forces students to act in rash manners after being punished.

A similar devastating act took place on January 20 at W.T. Woodson High School.

Sophomore Nick Stuban committed suicide after being suspended and recommended for expulsion. Stuban was punished for purchasing JWH-018, an artificial compound with marijuana effects.

Stuban was under the impression that it was legal, and didn’t think that it was a big deal. His father is now trying to take control of future situations and eliminate the zero-tolerance policy all together.

If incidents like this are taking place, then why do we continue to impose a zero-tolerance policy?

Are the lives of teenagers really worth it? Our staff doesn’t believe so, and we can’t really understand why it’s still in effect after we’ve personally seen what ramifications it has had at our school.

As kids we’re all taught to give second chances. The zero-tolerance policy is a direct contradiction of what we’ve been raised to do. Teenagers make mistakes and we should be given the opportunity to correct ourselves.

When one student is harshly punished for making one of these mistakes, all the students end up rallying against the school. The point of the public school system is to help us all grow and succeed, so if they don’t give us second chances, they’re taking away any chance for a good future.

Especially at this age, kids are very easily influenced. This system teaches us that making one mistake will ruin our futures forever. So when students get punished, they’re likely to assume that their lives will be over, and in severe cases they take that final action.

My school year officially begins each year in July. I begin training for football leading up to the actual start of school in September, where I am an IB student. Immediately following the end of football season I begin wrestling. Not only am I a cocaptain of the wrestling team, I am the senior co-editor of the literary magazine and involved in a number of clubs throughout South Lakes.

Balancing a demanding schedule is difficult without the necessary tools. If you are in or considering being in a situation similar to mine, here are a few tips to a successful high school career.

Tip One: Create a Goal A goal is the foundation of success. It is the preconceived achievable aspiration of every great accomplishment you will make.

By the end of my unsuccessful freshman wrestling season I was so motivated to achieve that I set a new goal for the next season and began immediately. By the beginning of the next season I had lost 35 pounds and was in great shape both physically and mentally to succeed that season. This was all due to the achievable goal that motivated me.

Tip Two: Timing is Everything After a long day of juggling academics and afterschool activities, the last thing you want when you get home is a checklist of work still needed to be done. To minimize on this, set aside time during class, lunch, or during down time to complete simple tasks and assignments. You could even knock down harder or longer assignments bit by bit during this time. It will lighten your load and give you some much needed time to catch some “Z’s”.

Tip Three: Champs Need Rest There never seems to be enough time in the day, right? This is a problem that any active student or student athlete confronts on a daily basis. It doesn’t matter if you are employed, play an instrument, play a sport, or act in a play: afterschool activities are both time and energy consuming. Regardless of the commitment and demands, your health is a number one priority.

Stay rested. Sleep will improve your mood, appetite, and focus (not to mention keeps you sane).

Tip four: Know Your Teachers Contrary to popular belief, teachers are not your enemies. I have had my fair share of “disagreeable” teachers, but behind every toughie is a person who wants nothing more than to see you achieve greatness.

So get to know your teachers and their expectations. This will not only help you fully understand what is required of you but it may lead you to an unexpected friend.

Tip Five: Never Say Never No, this is not a Justin Bieber plug. It is a fact that you will face difficulty with so much on your plate, but the word “never” will only hinder your progress. Negativity will not help you, not only in high school, but in life. Words such as “can’t” or “never” are only tools for disaster. When times get hard, stay optimistic and surround yourself with positivity. You can do it.

Now, such a busy schedule may not be right for you. You are the only one who chooses how much you can handle. Every time I choose to get involved in a new activity or class, I am making a new commitment and promise. This promise is not just to the activity or class that I decide to join. This promise is more personal. It is a promise I make to myself to stay devoted and to complete all of my tasks utilizing my utmost potential, effort, skill, and creativity.

Have I ever quit? No. I used to run track and field in the spring for three years until I decided not to during my junior year. Instead I focused my energy into my academic performance. This allowed me to strengthen my grades and stay afterschool any day I so chose in order to capitalize on my full potential.

Was this quitting? No. It was an investment in something new.

No matter what your decision may be, stay persistent and goal oriented.

Take time to stop and smell the success, but make the effort to truly do your best.

The rest is up to you.

Seahawk

Talk

What did you do on Valentine’s Day with your significant other?

“My girlfriend and I hung out and watched a great movie together. She looked really pretty. Also, I made her an origami flower. That took me almost three hours.”

- Benjamin Munoz senior

“My boyfriend made a dinner for me as a surprise at my house. I came home and didn’t know about it.

He made me noodles and pasta and Italian food. I got him chocolates. I didn’t realize we were doing big things this year because we’ve been dating for a year and a month now.”

- Kendall Williams junior

“I got Mrs. Smith 12 golden roses with baby’s breath. I also wrote her a sentimental card. Our 35th anniversary is also during February, so we’re going to dinner this weekend.”

- Ronald Smith English teacher

Friday, February 25, 2011

Op/Ed

“The beginning of 2011 was pretty terrible, but it looks like it’s all uphill

from here.”

- Brian Bixby, senior

The South Lakes Sentinel

Contemplating the future Alyssa’s Angle

by Alyssa Siqueiros managing editor

Many of us can’t wait to get out of high school and begin the rest of our lives at the next level, whether that be college or a different path.

But have any of us really thought about what that will mean for us?

Recently, I’ve had to start thinking about it and it’s actually really scary.

There are so many different uncertainties that I’ve never thought of until now. If you’re like me, then you don’t really have a plan for college. You just know that you’re going. But in reality, there are so many factors that I think most of us overlook.

First of all, everyone knows that college is super expensive but it doesn’t really hit you until you realize how many years you’ll be in debt after you graduate from all the loans you’ll have to take out. This leads me to my next point - student loans.

Honestly, I don’t even know what they are. My mom tries to explain the concept of them to me every day and I guess now I have somewhat of an understanding of what they are and how they work. But the process of getting them, making sure you have enough to cover all of your costs, and then paying them back after you graduate is just annoying to think about.

Even if you’re not a senior, you should really start thinking about all of this because it hits you really fast

when you finally have to make all of these choices.

Some people, like me, want to go to school out of state which is almost three times the cost of in state tuition, depending on where you decide to go. I personally want to go to Arizona State or San Diego State. Both of those schools will cost me close to $35,000 per year.

College lasts four years, that’s about $140,000 that I’ll be in debt by the time I graduate. And that’s assuming I don’t go to grad school.

What happens if we don’t get good jobs after we graduate from college?

Do we just spend our entire lives paying back loans that didn’t do us any good in the first place? Because that would really suck.

As if the financial part wasn’t reason enough for concern, many of us have gone to school together since elementary and middle school, so what’s it going to be like when we all leave each other? I know that we’ll all obviously make new friends and everyone in college is in the same boat, but still, that’s intimidating.

Part of me wants to just not worry about this stuff until I have to, but the other part of me worries that I’ll never figure it out. But oh well I guess we’ll all just have to wait and see what happens when we finally do leave.

Long forgotten issues begin to boil over What’s What with Will?

by Will Sweet managing editor

In the past couple of days, a few people have approached me and asked, “Ayo Will.U.R, when you gonna write ‘bout dem lacrosse players again, son?” (We all know that’s how everybody talks here at South Lakes).

I thought this was old news. My feelings about lacrosse players haven’t changed. If you’re unclear, feel free to dig through the Sentinel archives. But why would I devote more precious space in this column to a group of people I place just beneath Keanu Reeves on the Will Sweet Pyramid of Acceptable People.

(I plan on unveiling that Pyramid in its entirety sometime soon, by the way).

Anyway, I’d like to move on to more important issues. Soccer players. What’s their deal, right?

No, that’s a joke. I have no problem with soccer players. What I do have a problem with, though, is people who complain about my speaking on the morning announcements.

People say I should show more emotion and excitement. I know SLICE meetings and Latina Danza auditions are mind-blowing, spinetingling events, but please excuse me for not getting pumped up about them.

Just wait until next year, when you’re being rudely awakened first thing in the morning by some irritating, overly enthusiastic voice. You’ll

be longing for the day when my lifeless monotone softly slipped you into a peaceful slumber.

That’s all I have to say on the matter.

Another matter of great concern to me is an ever-growing battle that has been gaining steam under the radar here at South Lakes. This is a conflict that crosses the mind of every student at some point or another.

When you’re reading something on a piece of paper and you want to bring attention to something, what do you do?

Some say that highlighting is the best way to make something stand out. Others say that underlining in pen is just as effective. A few people said other random things like drawing boxes around words and making arrows that point to the words. Let’s just stick with highlighting and underlining.

Some people say that highlighting is best because you can use different colors to break the information down into different categories.

You can do the same thing with underlining. You can use a wavy line for one category and a zigzag line for another. What’s so hard about that?

I guess this predicament, when you put it into perspective, is not that important. But know this. When you decide between highlighting and underlining, you’re learning something about who you truly are.

Letters to the editor Hey Seahawks! Write a letter to the editor. It can be about the newspaper or any topic you feel needs to be addressed, preferably in 200 words or less.

Saluting a brave sacrifice

I am a new student here at South Lakes. I have been homeschooled since fourth grade. My father is in the United States Air Force, so moving around has made it difficult to transfer to schools. Being back in public school has been wonderful. I have met many people. Each person is different and I feel accepted by everyone here at South Lakes.

Hearing the Pledge of Allegiance every morning is something that means a lot to me. My father is fighting in the war and will be gone for a year. It’s a reminder of why he is over there and it’s touching to see how many people love and appreciate his work. I only wish more people understood the sacrifice he is making. Thank you for welcoming me into this wonderful school and I look forward to the years ahead.

- Amanda Williams, sophomore

“Sentinel” coverage stands out I really like the Sentinel. The contrast of providing schoolwide news to worldwide news is really interesting. I liked the way you covered how the school cookies changed to low-fat because even though most people don’t really think that’s a controversial topic, the change to low-fat cookies basically shattered my world. So thank you for covering that topic.

In general, I do believe that all students attending South Lakes enjoy the newspaper a lot. All of the staff of the Sentinel seem to work really hard and they all do a wonderful job of putting together an enjoyable newspaper.

- Alli Carone, sophomore

Articles need to be sensical It’s come to my attention that some of the articles in the Sentinel are absolutely illogical. For the preceding year and semester, some articles have been absolutely absurd. For example, the article about how Brad Cohen injured himself when almost everyone knew that a fellow Seahawk named Jose Villatoro was struck and killed. In those times, who cares if he broke his leg? People on the Sentinel staff should be writing or accepting eulogies from fellow students who cared deeply for Jose.

Next is the article on the new non-fat cookies. I remembered that the author of that article wanted to say, “We don’t care if we get fat, just give us our fatty cookies back.” Where is the sense in that? That was probably the most illogical article I have seen ever read. I’ll give it to you this way. Fat cookies equal fat students, which equal depression and angst, which equal a loss in self motivation, which equals issues in the future.

My point is, please think about the sense in articles sometimes. Please.

Things are getting out of control.

- Andrew Xue, sophomore

A wide range of coverage I think that the newspaper is awesome because it really touches on topics that I am interested in. I know that other people are interested in the topics as well. The newspaper also has a wide range of emotions contained in its subjects. However, I like the newspaper more when it is funny. I also like how the newspaper is organized and how many opinions there are that reflect kids in the school.

- Maddie Youngren, sophomore

Response to January stories I think that the newspaper should have more Seahawk stories. They are more interesting, and I know more people would want to read the newspaper.

Also, regarding the story on the cookies, I think they are fine. It’s just the idea of change that most people don’t like. The cookies are just as good, but as always, not everyone can be happy so either way, there will be complaints about the cookies.

- Sara Bolanos, freshman

More humor please I enjoyed the UrbanDictionary.com article from the January newspaper because it was very funny. Personally, I use UrbanDictionary.com often, and it helps me to understand a lot of slang. It was a good topic, and I think you should include more humorous articles like this one. I especially enjoyed the definition for McLean High School.

- Charlotte Smith, freshman

5

The South Lakes Sentinel Patron List The staff of the South Lakes Sentinel would like to thank the following patrons for their support of our publication.

Earl and Patricia Hudlin Elizabeth Knapp Chris and Patrice Welker Mike and Kathy Thomas Karla Chustz Alison Hansan Mark A. Penn Marge Carrico Sara Short Susan Heironimus Terrie Galanti Sherri Evans Mill Matey Sally Moran Anne McCloskey Andy and Teresa Mott Dr. and Mrs. William J. Smith Damian and Alessandra Del Toro Amy Saylor Yvonne Surrette Kathy Williamson Sarah Ladwig Karen Amster John and Lilly Tomasi Margie Welker Alex Barret Barbara and Dave Mullaney Chelsea Mullaney Lowe

6

Friday, February 25, 2011

Focus

“Jon having Quincy is awesome. We always hang out together and it’s just like having another little brah around.”

-Harrison Hughes, senior

The South Lakes Sentinel

Premature parenthood

Parenting shown through eyes of a teen father and a teen mother

by Julia Cockrill business manager

When Heather Wren, a graduate of South Lakes, became pregnant at the end of her freshman year, she was faced with many decisions to make. Her boyfriend of two years, Erik Gist, was by her side during the entire process.

For Gist and Wren the decision to keep the baby was easy, although they knew raising a child would be extremely difficult.

Wren reacted quickly after finding out she was pregnant and started planning right away.

“I was just in kind of shock mode right after but I was really excited and so was Erik,” said Wren.

She and her mother met with her counselor to change her schedule in order to graduate high school a year earlier with Gist.

“Getting done with high school was my first goal. I knew once I had Leah my life would change dramatically so I would need to take classes at NOVA and get a job right after graduating,” said Wren.

Wren, now 18, is doing exactly what she had planned. She graduated from South Lakes in the class of 2010, started classes at NOVA in the fall and is working at Sport and Health gym. Wren has main custody of Leah, but Gist takes her Friday nights while Wren is at work.

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, Gist’s mom watches Leah while Gist is at work and Wren is at class. They have a tough schedule but Wren explains how much easier it is now that they have a routine down.

Shortly after Leah was born, Gist and Wren split up.

“Our relationship was really

strong during my pregnancy but now we are no longer together,” said Wren. “Leah brought a lot of stress and Erik and I started to fight constantly… I knew it would be best for everyone if we broke up.

I do want Leah to have her dad in her life so I am trying to make sure Erik gets as much time as possible with her.”

Wren and Gist have managed to get along for the sake of Leah despite their differences and the issues in the past. Although they have a planned out schedule, if Leah wants to call or see “daddy”, Gist will be there or Wren will get him on the phone. They do not want to raise her as if she has two families.

Leah, now 2, is able to run, walk, talk and eat by herself. She has grown up quickly during the past two years. Leah attends day care Monday through Friday, and Wren is now looking for what pre-school and kindergarten she would like Leah to go to.

“It’s so stressful, I am trying to make Leah’s life perfect and handle my own at the same time,” Wren said.

Although Gist and Wren are not dating anymore, they will still be in each other’s life forever and therefore they both try hard to get along.

“Leah is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me,” said Wren. “She is one person that will always love me and knowing she needs me is a great feeling.”

Wren is already thinking ahead and has decided she is going to stay at NOVA for the next two years and then take it from there.

“I have always thought about culinary school so that might be where I go next. Leah comes first though, so I am going to do everything I can for her.”

by Kaley Duncan photo editor

For any new parent, having a child can be scary. For a high school student that process is even more intimidating.

“My life has changed,” said senior Jon McCoy as he welcomed his son Quincy into the world on October 18, 2010.

McCoy was right. He is now a teen dad and has many more challenges and responsibilities than his peers.

“I had to get a job to pay for all of his expenses,” said McCoy. “I now work at the Safeway in South Lakes Shopping Center.”

In order to support a baby, parents need to be financially stable. Supplies such as diapers, formula and clothes can become very costly.

In high school the average wage for students with a job is not near enough to support themselves and a child.

“Thankfully my mom helps me out with a lot of the things Quincy needs,” said McCoy. Telling a parent that your girlfriend is pregnant is no easy task.

McCoy recalls telling his mom.

“I dated Sherokee Werts junior year,” said McCoy. “We were only dating a few months when she told me she was pregnant with our child.

I told my mom soon after and at the

time she was disappointed, but she said she would support me as much as she could.”

McCoy’s mother is now a big part of Quincy’s life. Not only does she help with his finances, but she supports him in every way possible, going above and beyond her motherly and grandmotherly duties.

“She’s always there for me and Quincy 110 percent,” said McCoy. There are many questions that come to an expecting teen parents mind. Can they support their child?

Should they bring that child into the world? How will their lives change?

What are the options?

There are many options for pregnant teens. Abortion and adoption are two of those options, but both are hard decisions to make. Neither was even considered for McCoy and Werts.

“Abortion never even came to mind,” said McCoy. “I don’t believe in abortion, and I’m glad we didn’t make that choice. I love Quincy. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

Before Quincy was born, McCoy was anxious. He had no idea how life would be with a son.

“I was really nervous, but I knew I had to grow up,” said McCoy. Like other teen parents, adjusting to a life of parenthood provides challenges, but so far McCoy has taken parenthood with grace. He

watches Quincy whenever he has time off from work and he enjoys spending time with his son.

“I love my son. He’s just like another J-Boogie. Quincy will definitely be a heartbreaker when he’s older.”

Many teen relationships are stressful from the beginning. The addition of a child can cause even more stress. In most cases young parents break up and statistics show that the majority of teen dads do not support their child.

McCoy is the opposite. He says that he wants to be involved in every aspect of Quincy’s life.

“The only difference between mine and Sherokee’s responsibility with our baby is that he lives at her house. Other than that I have stepped up to make sure that is the only difference.”

Even with the stress of being a new dad, McCoy is trying to keep up with his education. He and Werts will graduate with the 2011 senior class, and they both plan on getting an education past high school.

“She’s going to go to a college for mothers. I still have to see where I’ve been accepted, but I’m going to a four-year college nearby. I want to be able to support Quincy for the rest of his life and I need a good education in order to get a high paying job.”

Friday, February 25, 2011

Student Life

“When my parents got divorced, it started to affect the way I view relationships.”

- Erica Loftin, junior

The South Lakes Sentinel

Upperclassmen warn others about slacking off

Club News .

Sing Strong Sing Strong will be returning again on March 4-6.

All students are invited to participate in this international a capella music festival hosted by the South Lakes choral department. Street Corner Symphony from NBCs second season of ‘The Sing Off’ will be performing on Saturday, March 5. Tickets are on sale now and are expected to sell out quickly.

Club photos scheduled Yearbook club photos are scheduled for after school on March 7 in the gymnasium.

Club members and advisers should check their scheduled time to attend. See Mrs. Abdelrazaq for details.

Literary magazine calling for submissions The “Portfolio” staff is beginning to put together this year’s literary magazine.

Anyone wishing to submit short stories, college essays, art, poetry, essays, or any other form of creative writing should send it to sl.litmag@ gmail.com.

Mentor-Mentee March connection dates set Mentors will meet with their freshmen students on March 24-25. Mentor training wil be held on March 23.

Essence Dance to present Black History Month performance “Open Up the Door”, a performance that celebrates Black History Month, will be presented today during 8th period and at 7 p.m. Dancers will perform to their own choreography with songs related to the show’s theme.

On March 20, Essence will present the “Think Love” benefit. This show will raise funds for Cindy Martin, who is battling brain cancer. The show will begin at 3 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students and senior citizens.

Class of 2011 t-shirts on sale Senior class t-shirts are on sale until March 1. Cost is $10. See Mrs. McDonald for order forms.

Debate hosts district tournament The VHSL Liberty and Patriot Districts will hold their district competition at South Lakes tomorrow.

Anyone wishing to assist the debate team in hosting should contact Mrs. Finley at Cheryl.

Finley@fcps.edu.

MSA holds weekly meetings The Muslim Student Association meets every Wednesday in Room 280. Everyone is invited to come and join in on discussions related to various Islamic subjects. Free snacks and refreshments are offered.

7

by Will Sweet managing editor

PHOTO BY JULIE THOMAS

According to an article on Buzzle.com, 81 percent of the U.S. population admits to texting while driving and that those who resort to texting while driving are 23 times more likely to meet with an accident.

Texting while driving proves to be a deadly experience among students

by Alyssa Siqueiros managing editor With the clever invention of text messaging also comes one of the biggest hazards our generation has ever seen. Texting while driving has quickly escalated into one of the top killers of teenagers. But the problem does not stop there. Teens are not the only ones that text and drive. Adults are guilty as well.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m the parent when my mom’s driving me somewhere,” said sophomore Katie Kroll, “I always have to tell her to stop playing with her iPhone while she’s driving.”

Normally one would assume that most people guilty of this crime are younger kids, but they’re just the majority of the ones getting into accidents. Adults do it too.

“Kids our age don’t think about it, but texting and driving isn’t just impacting us. It impacts others on the road too,” said senior Michaela Graves. This is the reality of the situation. Parents tell their kids that they’re not invincible all the time,

but do teenagers really listen?

According to the statistics, kids don’t understand the severity of this leading cause of teenage death. It is vital to acknowledge that texting while driving is not only a risk to your own life, but when someone takes their eyes off the road for seconds at a time they are risking the lives of everyone around them.

Most students believe that the line is blurry when it comes to what is considered texting while driving.

“The only time I text and drive is at red lights. I know it’s still bad, but it’s better than texting while I’m actually driving,” said senior Cristina Oancea.

Is texting while stopped at a red light considered texting and driving?

The law under the state of Virginia “prohibits operation of a motor vehicle on the roads in the Commonwealth while using any handheld personal communications device to manually enter multiple letters or text or to read a text message.” If that was not clear enough, red light texting is just as illegal as driving and texting.

“I normally never text and drive, but if it’s really important I’ll do it at a stop light, or pull over to the side of the road,” said junior Maura Burke. Students like this seem to understand the risks involved in sending a single text while operating a car, but for the most part, teenagers will end up taking the risk and text while they drive.

“Kids our age don’t think about it, but texting and driving isn’t just impacting us. It impacts others on the road too.”

-Michaela Graves, senior Schools have taken great strides to reduce and maybe even eliminate texting and driving within their school. Fairfax High School worked to promote awareness about the deadly habit by creating a pledge for student to make during lunches. A banner reading “I will not text while driving” was hung up and students were encouraged to sign, thereby making a pledge to never text and drive.

Seniors have rounded out their college applications and some have even received admission to their colleges of choice. Juniors have become acquainted with the stress that an IB course load entails.

Now, a flood of upperclassmen are expressing regret that they did not take advantage of less-advanced classes during their freshman and sophomore years.

These upperclassmen have some firm advice for their younger cohorts.

“The classes get more difficult,” said senior Timothy Teh, “so I would recommend taking the easy classes freshman year more seriously.”

Underclassmen may believe their classes are demanding, but according to senior David Roache, they are in no position to complain about schoolwork.

“To quote Bachman-Turner Overdrive, they ain’t seen nothing yet,” said Roache.

Seniors and juniors feel like they were too busy during their freshman and sophomore years getting familiar with the ways of high school to worry about grades.

“I wish I had taken my classes as a freshman and sophomore more seriously,” said senior Nabill Abdousalam. “I probably could have focused more on school than other things that weren’t as important.”

In Abdousalam’s view, freshmen need to halt their harping about notso-challenging classes.

“Those classes were easy,” said Abdousalam, speaking about the classes he took freshman year.

Junior Ahmed Ali thinks that taking advantage of the less intense classes early in high school is crucial in padding your GPA. “My GPA is terrible now because I didn’t get good grades those years,” said Ali. “I wish I had done better.”

While some freshmen and sophomores may not be thinking about college yet, they should be.

“When I was focusing so much on whether my GPA and test scores were good enough for certain schools, I felt like I could’ve helped myself by working harder my freshman and sophomore years,” said Roache.

Divorce affects large percentage of students

by Kaitlin Welker news editor

Divorce is the action or instance of legally terminating a marriage.

Approximately half of all marriages in the United States end in divorce.

It affects finances, careers, agendas and a lot more, but of all things it has influence on, it’s the children in the relationship who are usually affected the most.

“I moved all the way across the world because of it,” said junior William Stockdale.

“It was kind of weird at first but it turned out it in my favor,” said sophomore Arwa Ahmed. “I was really little when they told me that my dad was going to live somewhere else. I didn’t really understand what that meant until I was older.”

According to the Discovery Channel, parents with children have a 40% chance of getting a divorce.

That means that 2 out of 5 students at South Lakes have parents that are

divorced.

“I hear about people’s parents getting divorced all the time,” said junior Jeff Church. “It’s really sad to see all the effects that it has on the kids.”

Like every major life change, divorce is hectic, but sometimes it can be for the best.

“I think my life is better off without him because he was addicted to drugs, he smoked at least two packs of cigarettes a day, and he drank 6-packs a lot,” said sophomore Sean Kelloff. “I got asthma because of how much he smoked.”

Others, like senior Sean Price, have very different feelings about their parent’s separation.

“I’m not affected by it,” said Price.

“You learn to live with one parent and to not have to rely on the other.”

Divorce has different effects on different people, but kids can also come out of the situation with a better ability to cope with stress and tolerance.

“I used to get really ticked off and everything but now I can just go through it easier without yelling at people because of it,” said senior Carey Mitchell.

No matter how it changes a person’s lifestyle, because of divorce, their lives will never be the same.

“Divorce just sucks,” said sophomore George Johnson.

8

Friday, February 25, 2011

Student Life

“I think PDA is gross and people should save it until they are at home.”

-Diana Kessler, freshman

The South Lakes Sentinel

Interracial relationships gain acceptance

by Emily Lipscomb sports editor Even though Virginia’s state logo claims, “Virginia is for lovers”, that hasn’t always been the case for some.

In 1958, Richard Loving and Mildred Jeter were married in Washington D.C. He was white. She was half black, half Native American, making their marriage illegal in 16 of the 50 states, including Virginia.

Police stormed into their house in the middle of the night just months later and arrested the both of them for violating Virginia’s Racial Integrity Act of 1924. To avoid jail time, the Lovings agreed to leave their home in Virginia and moved to Washington D.C where interracial marriage was legal.

The Lovings didn’t receive justice until 1967, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the validity of their marriage. Still, as unbelievable as it seems, American citizens have only had the right to marry whomever they wanted outside of their race for 43 years.

As reported by the Pew Research Center, in 1987, a long 20 years after the Loving ruling, only 48% of Americans said it was acceptable for blacks and whites to date. In 2011, that percentage has jumped significantly up to 83%.

“I think it’s because the times have changed so much,” said junior Alex Humphries, who’s been dating junior D.J Christian for almost two months.

“I mean sometimes I’ll catch older people glancing at us when we’re out in public, but it doesn’t happen often.”

The seeming decrease of stereotypical judging looks people give

Non-commital relationships favored by some

by Julia Cockrill business manager

Friends with benefits typically involves two friends who casually hook up without commitment.

To some people, especially teenagers, friends with benefits seems like the ideal relationship. It does not involve commitment and the boyfriend-girlfriend act is not necessary. The feelings and emotions are left out and the hooking up is what they focus on. Friends with benefits can hang out without worrying about the pressures of dating, how they look and the needs of the other.

“Friends with benefits are very beneficial,” said senior Darius Smith.

The movie “No Strings Attached”

interracial couples may be accredited to society’s changing rules or according to sophomore Camille Gilbert, the area of residence.

“I think South Lakes is a really accepting place,” said Gilbert. “For me, and I’m sure a lot of others here, it’s not a race issue. It’s only about who’s inside because skin color doesn’t matter to me.”

When thinking of an interracial relationship, a stereotypical pairing seems to be black men dating white women, but statistics are showing more black women are dating and marrying outside of their race.

“As a black girl, I do see more of black guys dating white girls, but that doesn’t mean I don’t date outside of my race,” said Gilbert. “My last boyfriend was white, but he was from Africa, so I think they may balance each other out.”

Sophomore Ben Shtuhl’s fast paced relationship in the summer after his eighth grade year was another instance of a black woman dating outside of her race, something only 9% of black women do even though that number is on the rise, as stated in a study done by the Pew Research Center.

“Tiara and I met in Ocean City when we ordered the same thing at a restaurant and our orders got mixed up,” said Shtuhl. “My parents were fine with it, but her parents weren’t so we had to sneak around. Maybe that’s what made it more exciting.”

Their one week romance was abruptly cut off after the girl’s mother found out and took the family home.

“It hurt that her parents didn’t approve of me,” said Shtuhl, “but it turned out alright because she hit me up on MySpace.”

For teenagers dating, parents can

play a big part in the relationship, and for kids whose parents don’t approve of a boyfriend or girlfriend, that can determine whether or not the relationship can go on.

“My mom has already told me that she’s not cool with it,” said senior Elena Bedoya. “But it’s just the way she was raised. She grew up with her parents telling her the same thing.”

Fortunately for some, not all parents hold the same views.

“I’m lucky my parents love Alex,” said sophomore Jenna Anderson of her white boyfriend, junior Alex Tucker. “And vice-versa. I mean, it’s not that big of a culture clash, but still, you never really know until you bring him home.”

Coming from an Asian mother and a white father, Anderson thinks her preference to date outside of her dominant race comes from how she was raised.

“I mean I grew up seeing it every day,” said Anderson. “To me, there’s nothing wrong with it at all. In fact, all my relationships, except for one, have been with someone not the same race as me.”

Senior Ja’Juan Jones agrees that preferences in romantic interests hail from who you’ve grown up with or the type of people you spend your days around.

“It’s the people you hang out with,” said Jones. “And a lot of my friends just happen to be white.”

Once seen as a taboo subject in most parts of the country, the values and experiences of interracial couples who have braved the changing times are helping pave the way for acceptance among society.

History teacher Alex Turner and assessment coach and wife Marie Turner will celebrate their 24th wed-

shows a different view to the idea of friends with benefits. The movie is about two friends that decide to use each other in the sense of just hooking up. It goes wrong when Natalie Portman’s character falls for Ashton Kutcher’s when her intentions were to not fall in love and instead keep the friendship “beneficial.”

The main problem with friends with benefits is if one is going to fall for the other. For most girls it is hard to be with a guy and hook up without eventually getting feelings with all the flirting happening. The same may go for some guys. They do not want to get feelings for the girl without it being reciprocated.

“It is not a good idea because it never works out. Someone will get feelings and end up getting hurt,” said junior Maura Burke.

Senior Morgan Alston agrees.

“It seems good at first but a lot of times one person gets attached.”

The majority of boys asked seem

to have a different view on the subject.

“It’s nice to not be committed to just one girl,” said senior Harrison Hughes.

Some guys think it is nice to keep their options open and not be tied down. Even the underclassmen boys have the same opinion that friends with benefits are the way to go.

“Friends with benefits rocks. I think relationships are too stressful and it causes too many issues,” said sophomore Peter Moran.

“I think there is no such thing as friends with benefits. It is just a label people try to put on something but in the end they will still get hurt. At this age students really should not be doing things of that content because it is not safe and it is meant for adults,” said yearbook adviser Mrs. Abdelrazaq.

The real question is this. Do friends with benefits really work out?

Public display of affection seen throughout the halls close and personal around the halls of South Lakes.

“There is nothing wrong with public displays of affection at school,” When deeply entranced by a sigsaid Montoya. nificant other, one could be forgiven Other students do not even notice for forgetting their surroundings PDA much around the halls. and slipping into a moment of pure “I don’t think many emotional ecstasy. According to students at South Lakes, “This is high school. Get your educa- people pay attention to however, public displays of tion and get out. We don’t want to see those kinds of people,” said senior Joseph Lopez. “I affection at school are unacall of your business.” really don’t care.” ceptable. may not care, “It’s outright disgusting,” -Nabil Bahkshi, senior Lopez but the fact remains that said senior Mazar Sayad. of your business.” the majority of students do. Cases Sayad is not alone. Many students, Some students, including senior of PDA around the halls are likely especially upperclassmen, have exto increase along with the student pressed their discontent with the situ- Ricardo Montoya, do not have a problem with students getting up population. ation vis-à-vis PDA at South Lakes.

by Will Sweet managing editor

Senior Nabil Bahkshi believes that immature freshmen and sophomores are the primary culprits.

“Freshmen and sophomores make so much drama,” said Bahkshi. “This is high school. Get your education and get out. We don’t want to see all

Assessment coach Marie Turner and social studies teacher Alex Turner pose for a photo at the beginning of their marriage. They will celebrate their 24th wedding anniversary next month. ding anniversary next month, making me to treat people as if they had the it 28 years that they’ve been together. best intentions, but to be aware that “The time flies by,” said Turner. they could have the worst.”

“We take it day by day, but I can Taking the experiences of the Turnsay it certainly doesn’t feel like 28 ers, and learning from them, could years.” help future generations pave the way With a father in the military, Turner for acceptance. says the military bases he grew up on “We may be a model for some were a somewhat sheltered commupeople,” said Alex Turner. “I’m not nity where it wasn’t outside the norm saying ‘Hey! Look at us’. We have to see mixed couples. had our fair share of ups and downs, “My father raised me on the idea like in any marriage, but have also that you take people at face value,” dealt with the crossing of racial lines Turner said. “You judge them by and the difficulties of acceptance their behavior and values, not race.” within society.”

According to Turner, that same For students and teachers alike, datmentality guided him, and probably ing outside of the norm of what may hurt him a few times as well. be considered socially acceptable can “When I was living in Maryland, I prove to be a challenge for some or remember asking someone to go out smooth sailing for others. in a group, outside of my own race, “I don’t care about the challenges and I could see the hesitation, but I I may face,” Gilbert said. “Love is didn’t understand it,” said Turner. love. All I want to do is make cute “The more exposure I had, the more babies, and interracial babies are I understood. My dad always wanted clinically proven cuter.”

Breaking up is hard to do Students struggle with post relationships

by Leslie Hernandez staff writer To many people, breaking up with someone has the negative effect of exes feeling hate towards each other.

In today’s society, it is not unusual for exes to hate each other. When a relationship turns sour and one person decides to break up with another person, the breaker-upper is usually prepared, while the “breakee” is caught off guard. The emotional response for both parties involved or just the “breakee” can be hate.

“The person who gets broken up with ends up hating their ex,” said junior Virginia Cruz. “It’s hard for a person to deal with something that they don’t want.”

It can be very difficult for a person to accept that a breakup has occurred. Although there are “crazy exes” that become overly attached after a break up, also known as stalkers, there are exes that are able to maintain composure. Exes can either show the emotion in many ways, or not show it at all.

“I think exes do hate each other, but they try to hide it,” said senior Zimmal Kayani. “They hide it because they try to be the opposite of what other people are.”

Reasons that exes prefer not showing any emotion after a breakup can differ. Sometimes it might have to do with a person’s pride, while for boys it may have to do with “being a man.” Whatever the case may be, exes prefer to keep their true emotions a secret from one another, and even try to deny their feelings to

themselves.

“I think that an ex won’t show they are hurt because they don’t want to seem miserable in front of their ex,” said senior Nahla Messaoudi.

“Sometimes they even try to tell themselves that they are over it because they want to heal and it makes things easier.”

Although most of the time exes hate each other because they are hurt, the reason for the hate varies.

Ill feelings can be held by a person who, for example, has been cheated on, and that may cause hate.

“It all depends on the relationship and how they broke up,” said sophomore Chinacherem Chinaka. “If the couple had a bad breakup, then they might end up hating each other. In one relationship we both ended up bad, but after a while we became friends. It took us finding closure to make things better.”

While most of the time there is some sort of a reason for a breakup, there are cases where there is no reason at all.

“I hate my ex and I would never be friends with her,” said senior Wilfredo Corps Ortiz. “She broke up with me, and she never gave me a reason.”

Becoming friends with an ex is difficult, especially for the person who still has feelings, but there are many ways to sow bad relationships into good friendships. One person may offer to play peacemaker.

“Exes should try to talk to each other and apologize about things,” said freshman Sameera Umar. “Offer to be their friend.”

Friday, February 25, 2011

Student Life

“I really don’t think dating in high school is super important or a necessity for high school, because there are other relationships that are more important.”

-Robert Mosley, junior

The South Lakes Sentinel

Best Buddies program develops friendships

by Edgeri Hudlin circulation manager Sergeant Shriver passed away on January 18, 2011, but he left behind a legacy of giving all people and children an opportunity for peace and friendship.

In his lifetime Shriver was a catalyst for many philanthropies, among which is a model in the founding of Best Buddies International Organization a club now conducted here at South Lakes.

“It’s a club for friendship that matches students with learning disabilities with general education students,” said club adviser Rachel Crawford.

Members of the club participate in fun activities and interact with the students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We’ve had chapter meetings and we caroled around the school after school one day before winter break,” said Crawford. “We also went to a couple SLHS theatre productions, and last Friday we went to the basketball game of the week.”

Club members from both sides of the educational spectrum enjoy hanging out with each other and making new friends.

“I like that I get to hang out with

disabled kids because not a lot of people hang out with them,” said sophomore club member Erin Kim. “When we’re in the club, I don’t feel different from them, it just feels like a family.”

“This is my first day and it’s a lot of interaction,” said freshman Hani Baloch. “ There is a game that we are going to play that I introduced called bocci ball.”

Monthly meetings include fun activities where students individually hang out with their buddies and occasionally attend sporting events such as the Harlem Globetrotters game that they went to two weeks ago.

“We try to plan stuff related to the season like next meeting we are decorating cookies,” said club president Andrew Scherzinger.

Scherzinger feels it’s important that all students, special needs or not, be given friendly interactions with others.

“Special needs students don’t usually have a lot of social activity so I just want to give them an opportunity for friendship because they deserve friends too,” said Scherzinger.

Those interested in joining the South Lakes Best Buddies chapter can contact club advisor Rachel Crawford at rscrawford@fcps.edu.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FREEBIRD

Brian Lok and McKenzie Williams work together on an assignment during a Best Buddies meeting last week. The Best Buddies program is in its first year at South Lakes.

Technology influences modern break ups

Teen Love,

by Kim Gyapong staff writer

self and how you deal with others,” said Knapp. “If things are going well in a relationship, then you have the skills needed.

If things don’t go well, you use it as a lesson to see what went wrong.”

In high school, some lessons that are learned change the lives and lifestyles of students.

In such a diverse school, the opportunity to gather an understanding of new traditions through dating is unique.

“I have experienced different cultures and learned a lot by having relationships,” said senior Mohamed Ali. “Muslims aren’t even allowed to date, so they miss out if they don’t do it anyways.”

Senior Jon McCoy changed his lifestyle as a result of a girlfriend.

“It takes a lot of time and effort to date,” said McCoy, “but it’s beneficial because being in a relationship changed me from my old ways of being a pimp.”

Most students and faculty agreed that one benefit of dating at this age is that it is good grooming for what is yet to come.

“Dating in high school is important because it prepares you for the real world,” said senior Cameron Arshadi.

By dating and even experiencing the end of relationships, people are able to figure out what they like and what they do not like about a partner.

“Through breaking up, I have learned what kind of girl is wrong for me,” said senior Sam Boone. “I have learned not to date girls that do not care about

In our generation, youngsters have found new ways to break up a relationship.

Before the 21st century, there were no technical ways to communicate with each other than telephone. In the time when our parents were teenagers or young adults, breaking up was simple. This is because communication in technology was not advanced.

“We used house phones,” said world history teacher Judy Skirbunt. “We had landlines, no cell phones. When we wanted to break up with someone we used the phrase, ‘I really like you but I just need some space.’ In other words that meant thanks but no thanks.”

Currently most people find comfort in breaking up through social networks or electronic devices.

Technology has become a dependable source and people are taking it to the extreme. There are reasons for people to break up in such ways.

“They don’t have the guts to do it face to face,” said senior Ivannia Diaz. “They show it on Facebook by changing their status. Usually the break up starts with text, Facebook, a phone call, or face to face. The person may also use a friend to be their messenger to do the break up for them.”

Break ups do not only vary due to technology, couples can break up without it. When couples break up they choose to do what feels right.

“It depends on the relationship whether you break up over phone or talk in person,” said sophomore Bobby Rae Allen. “This girl broke up with me over

the phone. It was pretty shallow. I haven’t seen her since.”

“I think when a boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up, it’s done in person,” said sophomore Jonathan Valenzuela. “Either way it still hurts.”

In a break up, the one who initiates the break up can end the relationship in a hurtful or disrespectful way. It may affect a person depending on how it was done.

“It’s rude to text and doing it over text is not personal,” said junior Aliya Ford.

“The most disrespectful thing I did in a break up was hook up with another girl,” said senior Bryan Alvarez.

In the approach of a break up, there are usually episodes when the couple starts to ignore or argue with each other. When a couple separates, it is done in whatever way is easiest for them. After a break up, emotions may resurface between couples.

“You start to feel very distant from your significant other,” said senior Euricka LeGrand. “On weekends my boyfriend would come over to my house. He left his inbox open on his email one day.

I saw the name, but I thought it was his aunt until I read the messages. It was a girl who he used to be with. After finding out, I broke up with him over the phone.”

“My friends have a bunch of emotions,” said junior Jimmy Navas. “They are babies. They cry forever after a break up.”

Our way of breaking up has not changed much compared to the times of our parents. Technology just opened a new way for couples to handle their break up of a relationship.

How have you broken up with someone?

Phone Call Text

96 students polled

9

Facebook Face to Face

= 3 people

from page 1

my feelings.”

Though love is generally seen as a positive, many students expressed concerns of how it negatively influences their lives.

Getting distracted from achieving goals, fighting with parents and friends, and becoming defined as someone’s significant other were all things mentioned as issues with dating in high school.

One of the biggest negative impacts mentioned of dating in general, not just in high school, is the possibility of a rough breakup.

“At any stage of a relationship, when someone who you care about a lot doesn’t care about you, it can really hurt,” said Butler. “The first real broken heart is a riveting thing to deal with, but you do learn from that.”

Love, relationships, and dating are all ways that teenagers learn lessons and evolve as people in a way beyond the classroom.

“In any kind of relationship, romantic or not, even the densest in the world can learn from just being in one,” said Knapp.

“If it’s an unhappy relationship, then there is a lesson to learn from it. If it’s a happy relationship, there is a special memory.”

Because there are so many types of relationships in the high school setting, most people can relate to the concept of love. The Romeo and Juliet story is not a common occurrence in school, but in some way, people find a way to relate to this idea of love.

“Through forming relationships and dating, teenagers attempt to learn the true meaning of love, along with the rest of the world,” said Knapp. “It is a major part of high school, as well as the rest of your life.”

10

Friday, February 25, 2011

The South Lakes Sentinel

11

Students experience various stages of a relationship

Navigating through the dating world

Technological advances, such as cell phones and computers with cameras, have changed the aspects and the rules of the dating world from that of previous generations. With all of these advances comes a confusing whirlwind of questions of where two people stand in a relationship.

From texting, to talking, to dating, there are many stages of interactions on the course of a relationship. The duration of each stage can vary, depending on the couple.

“We ‘talked’ for about a month before we actually started dating,” said junior Billy McLaughlin about his girlfriend, junior Abby Reed.

The ‘talking’ stage of a relationship can last anywhere from a few days to a few months.

Couples and individuals can have different interpretations of what talking can mean.

“I think talking is when a man and a woman like each other but they aren’t sure if they are ready to be in a committed relationship yet,” said McLaughlin.

The talking stage is normally one of the longest stages in a relationship, other than dating. This stage is usually one of the lengthiest time periods because it is the test run for how the couple would do in a relationship.

Senior Wilfredo Corps-Ortiz defines talking as “the period of really getting to know someone.”

Corps-Ortiz and sophomore girlfriend Becky Oswalt’s relationship stemmed from CorpsOrtiz asking Oswalt for a ride home. This sparked their friendship which led to something more. The two went through the talking stage for about a month and a half, but have now been officially dating for nine months.

One possible reason for the various and often confusing relationship stages is the popular networking site Facebook. The site offers many options for an individual’s relationship status including single, in a relationship, it’s complicated, in an open relationship, in a domestic partnership and married. The “it’s complicated” and “in an open relationship” options leave the most room for interpretation by

the user. These relationship statuses can encompass the texting and talking stages, as well as the on and off unsure phases that can occur in a high school relationship.

There are many ways for the meeting stage to occur. Some possibilties for interactions are having a class together, meeting through mutual friends, or the more rare case o f meeting online. High school teens do not use the typical Match.com or eHarmony.com dating sites to meet other high schoolers, but in some cases Facebook can serve the same purpose.

Senior Morgan Alston starting interacting with her boyfriend, Herndon High School senior Raleigh Mckenzie, via Facebook during the first week of January.

“We met online, which sounds creepy, but it was on Facebook and not eHarmony or something like that,” said Alston.

The story of their romance began when Alston mistakenly “liked” a status Mckenzie posted on his Facebook page at the beginning of the new year. This mistake, however, led to Mckenzie writing on Alston’s wall, which started up a friendship between the two.

“I had met him once in person my sophomore year, which is why we were Facebook friends, but I hadn’t really known him,” said Alston. “After he wrote on my wall he messaged me his number and we started texting.”

The texting phase of Alston and Mckenzie’s relationship led to the two going on numerous dates before Mckenzie asked Alston to be

his girlfriend on February 14.

The texting stage, which is the next common step in a high school relationship, is the period of frequently communicating with your significant other by means of a cell phone, comp u t e r , camera or other electronic device.

Popular W e b sites and programs, such as Oovoo and Skype, make this technology based stage even easier.

This period of the relationship can be fun and flirtatious without being committed or serious.

If the texting and constant communicating continues, it can lead to the more serious stage of talking.

Talking is usually the stage when the two people i n volved in the forming relationship typically become known as a couple. In many cases the two become exclusive with each other and fellow peers become aware of the relationship.

“Talking is normally the pre stage to dating,” said senior Will Sickenberger. “Unless something goes wrong before then.”

The phase where a couple is talking is usually the time to see if a relationship could work between the two people. It can sometimes be as far as the relationship goes, or it can lead into the serious stage of officially being boyfriend and girlfriend.

Once the relationship has moved into the status of dating, the couple is more serious and usually

exclusive with one another. Dating is typically the longest stage in the duration of the relationship. Some high school relationships last only a few weeks, while others can last for a few years through and beyond high school.

There are the occasional couples that have an on and off relationship. This type of couple typically dates for a period of time, then will break up, then get back together, then just be talking and not date. No matter what stage in the relationship the couple is in, it is typically known that they are always involved with one another.

These types of relationships, when t h e status o f the

couple is not known, can be confusing and are best described by the “it’s complicated” status.

Although there are the rare cases of high school sweethearts ending up together, most teenage relationships do not last.

There are many ways to terminate a relationship, includ-

ing break up texts, phone calls, voicemails, Facebook messages or notes. When a relationship does not work out, there can be hard feelings or anger soon after, but it is for the better to work it out in the long run considering this person most likely goes to this school and will be seen regularly throughout the halls.

Since teenagers are not fully matured yet, the break up process can be difficult for some couples.

Once an individual leaves high school and goes to college or enters the real world, ugly break ups, although still a possibility in a relationship, are not as frequent.

Not every relationship past high school will last, but the relationship is less likely to end over small arguments or other immature reasons.

“Except for the occasional couple here and there, relationships

in high school don’t last,” said senior Nolan Davis. “I think college, or future jobs, is where people will most likely m e e t their significant other.”

“My parents first met when they were 15 years old and they dated for seven years. Then they got married.”

-Freshman Stephanie Huard

“My first girlfriend broke up with me over AIM.” -Junior Donald Thomas

Whether a relationship lasts through high school or is created in college or the workplace, love can happen anywhere. Most times the best relationships are formed in the most unlikely places.

Relationship Timeline Meeting

Texting

Talking

Dating

“It can be awkward to first meet someone because there is a lot of pressure to make a good first impression.”

-Kari Cantwell

“Texting can be fun for awhile, but if the relationship is going somewhere you’ll want to see the person more than you want to text them.”

-Will Sickenberger

“Talking can start off with Facebook chatting, progress to texting, then meeting in person starts. Talking with a person of the opposite sex shouldn’t all be flirty. Being able to be yourself is a big part of talking to someone.”

-Brian Bixby

“It becomes more about spending time together no matter what you’re doing. You spend more time in together then actually going ‘out.’”

-Robert Bouwmeester

Breaking Up “Breakups are hard because you can still see them in school and you might still have feelings for them.”

-Natalie Gauger

12

Friday, February 25, 2011

Style

The South Lakes Sentinel

“My favorite love song is definitely ‘Sparks fly’ because it’s really cute and I love Taylor Swift.”

-Natalie Gauger, sophomore

Current Fashion Trends

Weather confuses student trends

Hall Pass (R) This is a comedy about two married friends that somehow convince their wives to give them the ultimate get out of jail free card, a week long hall pass out of their marriage.

Beastly (PG-13) A conceited teenager relies solely on his looks to get ahead in life, that is until a girl casts a spell on him in an effort to change his callous attitude and to teach him what love really is.

Red Riding Hood (PG-13) Valerie is set to be married to Henry, but she loves someone else and plans to run away with him. But before she can, her sister is killed by a werewolf who takes human form.

“Owen Wilson is my favorite, and comedies are the best so I can’t wait to see it.”

-Alexis Newsome, junior

“This movie looks really weird, so I don’t think I’d want to see it.”

-Christy Hoffman, junior

“I love horror movies so I’m really excited to see it as soon as it comes out.”

-Katie Bell, junior

“It looks really funny, and he goes to Applebees to pick up chicks which is hilarious.”

-Taylor Gebauer, junior PHOTOS BY ALYSSA SIQUEIROS

With the ups and downs of the weather lately, students are wearing all sorts of things but there are some constants. Girls are pairing a nice blouse with skinny jeans and cute flats.

Boys keep it simple with a t-shirt, straight leg jeans, and sneakers.

“It’s like the only comedy that’s coming out soon so if I had to see any movie it would be Hall Pass.”

-Josh Grant, senior

“Honestly, this looks like a terrible movie. I don’t think I’ll ever see it, and definitely not in theaters.”

-Dan Duncan, sophomore “I actually really want to see this movie! I feel like it will end up being really good.”

-Jossy Santos, freshman

“I want to see it because it’s a new twist on an old tale.”

-Phillip Vollman, senior “I saw it live, and it was just really interesting, so I’m hoping that the movie will be just as good.”

-Jenny Rubin, junior

IMAGES COURTESY OF THEMOVIEINSIDER.COM

Music Review

Love songs still exist even after Valentine’s Day is over

by Clint Bouttavong staff writer Valentine’s Day has gone and past, but love is still on everyone’s mind.

Love songs are one of the greatest ways to show how you feel about someone without actually coming out and saying it. They can be played all year long.

In my opinion, there are so many things that go into making a good love song, including beat, lyrics, tone, and flow.

With love songs, I usually like the ones that are straight forward about what they are trying to say. Take Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” for example. The song doesn’t try to confuse the listener with some clever innuendo.

Instead it’s pretty straight forward with what it’s trying to say.

Love songs don’t necessarily have to be upbeat and cheerful. Some of the best love songs are about break- ups

and heart ache. Jay Park and Cha Cha Malone do a phenomenal job in capturing the emotions that come with a break up with their song “Speechless.” Park and Malone took a big chance with the slower pace of the song, though I think the lyrics wouldn’t fit with any other song, upbeat or otherwise.

Taeyang’s “Wedding Dress” from his first album “Solar” tells the story of a young man losing the love of his life to another. The ultimate message of the song is that you should never let go of someone you care about because before you know it, someone else can come down and sweep that person off his or her feet. Before you realize that something’s amiss it would already be too late to do anything about it. Anyone who has ever been in a similar situation can relate to the song.

On a less depressing topic, Aarif Lee’s cover of “Way Back into Love” is a positive and laid back track. The song itself always manages to make me

Rima’s Life by Takira Riley

feel so warm and hopeful inside, even in the most depressing moments in my love life.

I think “Rocketeer” by rap group Far East Movement is one of the very few rap tracks that actually talks about love and not just cars, booze, and money.

This is perfect for someone who typically does not listen to rap music. It’s refreshing for me to hear a rap song that praises girls rather than degrade them with hurtful words and stereotypes.

Of course there are always going to be kids with different opinions than mine, Junior Richie Hortelano thinks Extreme’s “More Than Words” can help guys attract girls.

“The lyrics are unique, and if you sing the song to a girl it would make her come running to you,” said Hortelano.

For other people a love song could represent what they are currently feeling about love. There seems to be a

love song for any situation.

“My favorite love song changes based on my current situation,” said senior Ama Kyei. “I’ll say my favorite love song right now is “Maybe” by Sunye. I can somehow relate the words to

how I’m currently feeling love-wise.”

Yes Valentine’s Day is over, but you can experience love all year long. Love songs are universal, no matter what language they are in, the genre, or the people who listen to it.

Rihanna and Maroon 5’s Adam Levine perform at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2011. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

“ I don’t like Justin Bieber. I think he’s kind of too girly for me.”

- Brandy Harrison, junior

SEAHAWK

Talk Justin Bieber performs at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on February 13, 2011. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

Students, teachers obsessed with pop culture icons

by Rachel Rogers staff writer In this age of mass media, almost everyone is a fan of something or someone, whether it is a singer, actor, movie, or favorite YouTube video.

When the Twilight movies opened, there became the Twi-fans, and Justin Bieber hit the world with Bieber fever.

“People need to find the line between role model and unhealthy obsession,” said sophomore Eleanor Johnson.

Some students have friends that they believe could walk that line. With its wide variety of students, the school holds more than one extreme fan.

“If I was going to rate myself,” said sophomore Kenna Salvatore, “I would be right under obsessed.”

Salvatore is a Bieber fan who has attended his concert and has all three of his albums.

“I’m not obsessed,” said Salvatore.

“I just really like his music.”

Salvatore said that she would not like Bieber if he did not have good music, but not everyone rates their idols on talent. Many fan like an idol because of how they look and act outside of their careers.

“Horror movie fans are the best because they actually like the horror in the movies,” said sophomore Miyoko Spratley.

Twilight fans have been known to fawn over main actors Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson, forming Team Jacob and Team Edward.

“I do think he’s hot,” said sophomore Trudy Perkins.

Perkins is a fan of Robert Pattinson and currently has a cut-out of him which she found at Nordstrom’s. She admits that she is a little obsessed but also notes that she does not like the Twilight movies that Pattinson is known for.

“My favorite movie by him is ‘Remember Me’. It’s more true to who he is.”

Many students will admit that they are more than fans, but none seem to be so obsessed as to stalk them or follow them electronically on Twitter or

Facebook.

While this is most likely because stalking is illegal in all fifty states, there are also limits as to how much time high school students can spend on a celebrity.

For one fan at South Lakes, this isn’t an issue.

“If you ask any of my students, they know I have at least six husbands, and Johnny Depp is one of them,” said French teacher Laura Bachman.

Laura Bachman is a big fan of Depp, the actor who is known for his versatile roles in movies. Bachman’s favorite role by Depp is his work as Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean”.

She does admit that she has to tone down her admiration of Depp because she is a teacher, but this doesn’t mean that she can’t fit him into her work.

“He’s culturally relevant, since he lives in France,” said Bachman. “His kids are growing up French and he has a partner in France.”

Bachman does not own any posters of Depp but admits that he is on her computer monitor.

All of these fans have idols who are publicly known as talented and good looking, but not everyone is a fan of celebrities.

“When your alarm clock and bedside table are covered with Transformers, you start to see the signs,” said sophomore Kelsey Erickson.

Erickson is a fan of the “Transformers” television shows, and knows all the episodes as far back as the first generation.

“People tell me I’m obsessed all the time, but it annoys my parents,” said Erickson.

Erickson is known to bring in many of her Transformer toys, which range from the generation called “Beast Wars” to “Transformers Animated”.

She will even admit that she is obsessed with the franchise.

“I love the robots,” said Erickson.

“I love the families, and I love the plot line, and I love that you can’t find the end of the Transformers universe because it goes on forever.”

“The Social Network will probably win. I personally haven’t seen it but everyone says it’s really good. I think since it caused so much controversy, everyone wanted to see it.”

-Nick Beaulac, junior

Friday, February 25, 2011

Style

The South Lakes Sentinel

13

What movie do you think should win Best Picture for the Academy Awards?

Why?

“I really hope Toy Story 3 wins! That was the best movie that came out this year. It seemed like everyone was really impressed with how it ened up being so much like the first two.”

-Ashia Parker, senior

“Inception has to win.

It’s one of my favorite movies ever. Everything about it was really trippy.

All of the special effects kinda just blew my mind. It had such a good storyline.”

-Cristian Bocanegra, senior

14

Friday, February 25, 2011

Love Messages

“You’re the best big brother ever Brody. I love you so much.”

-Sara Bolanos

The South Lakes Sentinel

Kaitlin, Don’t touch the milk. You’re my best friend. I love you.

Bye. Your not so secret lover

Kaitlin Welker, You’re so cute and such an amazing friend. I love you so much!

Erin Flattery

Jacquline Angel, You are my best friend and I love you! You are so cute and are a really good dancer!

Erin

Brody Bolanos, I love you and this past year has been the best of my life. Thank you for everything, and I hope we stay together for a long, long time. You’re the cutest!

Liza Karras

Sammy Bensidhoum, I know you’ve had a thing for me for a while, and I want you to know I feel the same. Can you guess who I am?

Your future girl Becky Oswalt, You are my babe, my queen.

I pray every day that you stay with me. You’re so perfect, something no one’s ever seen. I love you. Happy 10 month anniversary.

Wilfredo Jasmine Roberts, I love you! You’re just a beautiful person inside and out. Thanks for being so amazing!

Your secret admirer Erin Flattery, Hey, beautiful! Thanks for being the best friend ever.

You always know how to make me smile. I love you, girl!

Someone who loves you

Emily Cochran, Haha, I can’t believe I’m sending you one of these... haha. I love you!

Alexandra Irene Pham, Hey!!! :) Rachel Heathway Shannon Bossie, Happy Valentine’s Day! I love you! You are such an awesome friend!

Lindsey Gibson

Shannon Bossie, Hi, I think you’re cute. I really like you.

Eleazar

Lindsey Gibson, You are my love. You are my heart. And we will never ever ever be apart.

Shannon Bossie

Viviana, I think you’re super cute and are one of the coolest girls ever. Love yah!

Marcos

Annie Foster, I love you! You’re my best friend!

Emily Hanbury

Joanna, Hey Baby :) - I love you even though you left me for the dentist...Haha, can’t wait until Friday.

Anthony Mayo Viviana Del Toro, Your height makes me smile. LOL. Caesar Villacorta Viviana Del Toro, I love you, best friend!

Alexandra Tadeusz, Hearts Carly

Sara, Mwahahaha! HOTT like buffalo wings!

Marci Liza, Happy almost 13th month.

I love you!

Brody Kelly Karn, You’re amazing. Go eat a cupcake. Love you. :) Logan Nasr Marcos Perez, You’re a great friend!

Thanks for being there, bud.

Viviana Del Toro

Tillman Singh, Fort Fantabulous!!!

Alessandro G. Christie Parvin, You’re just so beautiful. If I could be anyone in the world, I would be you. I love you!

Christie Parvin Liza Karras, If you’re ever in need of a good time, just give me a call, you know my digits.

Love you!

Lola S. Wilfredo, I love you baby! Ever since we met last year my life has been so much better. I love you with all my heart.

Anonymous Yannick, You’re the best boyfriend I’ve ever had. Love you hicks. Haha happy new year, Timmy?! :) Elora

Alana Ventura, I love ya! Thanks for making high school such a great time and for being a good mother god.

Gjayland Brown Melanie, I’m sorry for everything.

Skylar Aeron Thai, My place, 3 o’clock to play Halo.

Richie Goodwin Ellie, I love you. Thanks for all my neck markings. :) Yanny Pants Molly Clough, You’re my best friend! I love you. Me you are Lauren are going to Greece.

- Charlotte Smith Kelly, I love you!!! You are the big red apple.

Kaley

Sam, Me+Twink. Love you!! xoxo.

Bubz

Spencer Smith, I love you!

Gjayland Brown, Hi! I love you. Thanks for being my friend and a great mother god!

Alana

Lauren Horlacher, I’m so glad we’re best fwends! You’re a soccer PRO. -Charlotte Smith

Joseph, I love you.

Astrid Andersson, You’re the best sister ever!

Love you!

-Charlotte Smith

Lucero

-Anonymous

The Naked Truth!

Uncover the truth at Longwood University and discover what suits you best: · Patrick just finished his internship with Sony Entertainment in NYC. · Luke took his degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies to the White House. · Maddie’s in med school thanks to her undergraduate DNA research. . Corey’s majoring in business and managing the Longwood Student Investment Fund.

You’re nuts not to check us out. Visit whylongwood.com or our Facebook page. Go ahead, try us on.

16

Friday, February 25, 2011

Seahawk Stories

“One time in fourth grade I was sleeping at my friend Layla’s house and a man broke in.”

-Lily Shtuhl, sophomore

The South Lakes Sentinel

Allen overcomes ventrical heart defect

by Kaitlin Welker news editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF MODER FAMILY

Freshman Jordyn Moder poses with his father, U.S. Marine Corps Col. Scott Moder.

Son, Father maintain strong bond despite overseas military service

by Kevin Gluck contributing editor Freshman Jordyn Moder enjoys a very close relationship with his father. Geographically however, both spend close to eight months of the year apart.

Jordyn’s father, Scott Moder, is a U.S. Marine Corps Colonel that has served with the State Department in Egypt, Thailand, and Nigeria.

Jordyn’s father also served in Desert Storm, a war in the Persian Gulf.

Jordyn values his relationship with his father. Normally, he would talk to him every day if he were home.

Right now, his dad is in Baghdad,

Iraq. He has limited communication with Jordyn, communicating via Skype occasionally.

Although Jordyn and his family are used to the situation, it is different not having a father around.

“She definitely has a lot on her plate,” said Jordyn about the extra work his mom performs. “With a helping hand we can get the job done.”

Even with Jordyn’s father being away so much, the family continues to follow their daily routines at home, but tend to go out less than when he is home.

Usually, Jordyn’s father returns home for visits lasting several weeks. During these visits, Jordyn’s

family will plan travel events such as Disneyworld.

Unlike his father’s current position, Jordyn and his family lived abroad wherever his father was stationed. He has lived for three years in Egypt, Thailand, Germany, and Nigeria.

Jordyn has done it all, and now wants to stay in Reston. However, the Moder family will once again move to Germany this summer to accompany his father’s new placement.

“I want to settle because I’ve already seen the world.”

Even though Jordyn and his family know that Col. Moder is serving the United States, they still find it hard to be separated.

For example, if Allen was to show signs of flu-like symptoms, doctors would take it more seriously When Bobby Rae Allen was than if symptoms affected others. born on August 31, 1994 he was Despite the potential seriousness diagnosed with a ventricular septal of his condition, Allen lives to the defect. point where his condition goes A ventricular septal defect, or unnoticed. a VSD, is an imperfection in the “Bobby Rae is very brave,” said wall dividing the left and right sophomore Rachel Berman. ventricles of the heart. In Allen’s “I think that even though he has case, he has a small hole in his a hole in his heart ventricular he is still a very septal. loving person,” “A VSD said sophomore does not Anna Pleskow. affect your Allen’s condieveryday tion may not be life but it life threatening, makes your but it is somebody more thing that he will prone to have to live with infections,” Sophomore for the rest of his said Allen.

VentricuAnna Pleskow life.

“There are no lar septal side effects but defects are the most common of I definitely won’t be able to go to congenital heart defects. Although any hot tub parties,” said Allen. this deficiency lacks side effects, it

“I think that even though he has a hole in his heart he is still a very loving person.”

can still be very dangerous.

“I cannot go into hot tubs ever because they are full of infections,” said Allen. “If one were to get in my body it would spread rapidly because of the mixture of my blood. Before every doctor and dentist appointment I have to take like four big pills to prevent getting infections.

Even though Allen lives a normal everyday life, there are certain things he cannot take for granted.

Sophomore Bobby Rae Allen

Sentinel editor victimized twice in one week

PHOTO BY BETHANY LOWE

This is the sight that greeted senior Bethany Lowe on the morning of February 18. This was the second misfortune that Lowe dealt with that week.

by Bethany Lowe managing editor In one week, my wallet was stolen and my car was broken into.

After noticing that my car’s safety inspection had expired, I scheduled to have it checked on Valentine’s Day. My mom gave me her debit card and her credit card, and I dropped my car off after school.

I went home and waited for my car inspection. Before going back to the shop, I pulled my mom’s cards out of my wallet to clarify which one she wanted me to use.

When I got back to the shop and was about to get out of the car, I realized I did not have my wallet anymore.

I dropped it on the way to the car.

Someone picked it up in the five minutes it took me to realize it was

missing.

Coincidentally, both of my licenses were in my wallet at the time when normally I keep one in my wallet and one in the car. What is the point of having two licenses if they both get stolen?

Hopefully, whoever picked it up would see the address on one of them and bring it back. When no one brought it back, I began to stress out when realizing how many important

things were in my wallet.

Lost are my licenses, my medical insurance card, my ATM card and so many gift cards. I had also just gone to the ATM. What I felt the worst about was the fact that I had my mom’s only debit card and credit card.

The next day, I noticed that the Internet and cable were not working.

My mom was unable to pay our bill because she had cancelled her cards due to my misfortune.

I could not believe the timing of this. It emphasized the fact that I no longer had my wallet.

On the Thursday of that week, I decided to begin replacing everything that was stolen. This was the worst part.

I went to my bank with my only form of identification, an expired passport, and hoped they would accept it. They asked for my student I.D. and my license, which were both in my wallet.

The banker said that I had to get my license before I could finalize my bank card and account.

After spending two hours at the DMV getting another license, I went back to the bank to finish the process.

Then once again, crime struck me.

Friday morning, when I got in my car, all of my CDs and papers from the glove box were strewn about.

Someone had broken into my car.

Unlike the situation with my wallet, everything worked out in the best way possible.

There was nothing of importance in my car at the time. I had taken my iPod and TomTom inside, and I had just cleaned out the back seat.

The only thing that was stolen from my car was my toll money, which added up to about $2.

In the situation of my wallet, I wished someone would just give me back all of the important cards from my wallet to save me the trouble of replacing them. That is something I never thought about before. It is hard to go without identification.

WEIRD AND WACKY STORIES (CRIME EDITION) Three stories are true, one is false.

Can you guess which one it is?

“The backing of my mom’s credit card was stolen and used.”

- Kaley Duncan, senior “My brother’s college financial aid money and his identity were stolen.”

- Alyssa Siqueiros, senior “My Beanie Babies were stolen by the cleaning people.”

- Will Sweet, senior “My sister’s purse was stolen, but her credit cards weren’t used that much.”

- Julie Thomas, senior Last issue’s answer- John Schlosser did not date Oprah Winfrey.

17

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sports

“I think that the winter sports were all pretty successful, and they all did pretty well. I mainly just watched ice hockey and basketball, but I know the other ones did really good too.”

-Jonathan Rosado, freshman

The South Lakes Sentinel

Indoor track clenches region title

by Edgeri Hudlin circulation manager The boys indoor track team advanced to the AAA State tournament having won the regional title at George Mason University on February 19. They finished with 71 points, only nine points ahead of runner-up Annandale High School. The girls team placed 13th in the region.

The boys dominated district competition with 214 points, a staggering 160 points more than second place Langley, and 10 boys went home with champion titles in eight different races and events. Girls placed in second, the highest rank they’ve had since 2004.

Individual performances, mainly from the boys, fell below expectations, but the performances in the relay events sealed their solid finish.

Sophomore Kyannah Calhoun achieved a personal best, finishing fourth in the 4x400 meter relay and fifth in the 500 meter dash.

Senior Sean Price, who won the triple jump for his team, felt that they performed well.

“The meet started out really bad,” said Price, “but then everything came together and as a team, as a whole, we did very well.”

Senior Will Sickenberger finished with a personal best and placed sixth

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAELA GRAVES

The boys indoor track team poses with their Northern Region Title trophy at George Mason University. The team scored 71 points to top the 30 school meet. It is the third consecutive indoor title for the boys program under head coach Scott Razcko. in the 1600 meter.

“We were looking good,” said Sickenberger. “We won it last year, so I thought we had a good chance and we expected to win it again this year for the seventh time in a row. We killed it.”

Senior Nick Gaurnaccia, like Sick-

enberger, gained a personal best and finished sixth in the 3200 meter.

“For regionals, we really wanted to win,” said Guarnaccia. “States is a bigger competition and we just want to get good times. Our 4x4 relay team is ranked number one going in to this competition, so we are generally

Winter Sports Wrap Up Boys Varsity Regular season ended with J.D Wallace making 1st team all district, Joe Daye making 2nd team all district, and an honorable mention to Darius Smith, also defensive player of the year. District play started with wins against Madison and McLean, but a loss to Langley in the district title game, 37-64. Region play started off with a win at home against Falls Church, 61-53, and ended with loss to Herndon, 76-87 on February 23.

Girls Varsity Girls had a 9-14 record going into the first round of district play against McLean.

Starting off strong, the team led, only to tie at half, then fall to the Highlanders in the last quarter by two points, 48-50. Lead scorers for the game included senior guard Ashlei Sutton, 14 points, and sophomore guards Mary Severin, 13 points, and Gabrielle Schultz, 10 points.

Indoor Track The boys won their third consecutive district and regional championship titles, and girls placed in second at district and 13th at regionals. Standout performances from Armando Drain, Sean Price, Will Sickenburger, Nick Guarnaccia, Corey Gilmore, Ian Angara, Jacob Grundahl, Alex Clough, Austin Leggett, Michael McHugh, Stephon Stanford, and Conor Metcalf all led the boys to victory. Good performances from Kyannah Calhoun, Aya Abdelhalim, Naimah Coleman, Haley Vaughn, Kristin Tran, Sreya Kamineni, Danielle Hale, and Valentina Golac closed the season successfully for the girls.

Wrestling The Seahawk wrestlers finished the season seventh in the district tournament with 90 points. Their dual meet record was 19-6 and they were 5-2 in the Liberty District in the regular season.

Terry Petersen, Ian Spencer, Andrew Goldberg, Tommy Rugari, George Ramirez, Owen Wolfe, and Ian Schweppe had successful seasons, but lost in the second day of the district tournament.

Top contributors included freshman Josh Forrest, sophomores Kevin Argueta and Michael Shoebottom, junior Ryan Forrest and seniors Jacob Slover and Eduardo Molina.

The former district champion, Slover, finished the tournament in second place. Josh Forrest lost a semi-final match and ended up finishing third. Argueta, Shoebottom and Molina all placed fourth.

The wrestling team has many returning for the 2011-2012 season.

Swim and Dive Seahawk swim and dive had a presence in the 2011 Northern Region meet.

The boys 200 medley relay team finished tenth with a time of 1:42.26. This relay team of Sean Shada, Anthony Barbee, Harrison Hughes and Dane Pilcher also finished eleventh in the 400 medley with a time of 3:22.08 Pilcher finished eighth in 500 free with a time of 4:58.20. Junior Sierra Scoggin finished fourteenth in the girls 100 back with a time of 1:01.51.

Junior Emily Sennett finished third in 100 yard butterfly with a time of 57.89 and ninth in the 200 IM with a time of 2:11.26, qualifying for the VHSL state meet.

confident.”

According to the athletes, indoor track expects to perform exceptionally at the AAA State finals.

“I expect good performances by everyone and our 4x4 team is outstanding,” said sophomore Michael McHugh. “It is a high level of com-

petition and I look forward to running really hard.”

The state finals are scheduled in Newport News on February 25 and26.

“I think that as a team, and everyone on an individual basis, will perform really well in the tournament.” said McHugh.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sports

“It’s fun to do a sport because you get to know a lot of people and play something that’s fun to do at the same time.”

-Jossy Santos, freshman

The South Lakes Sentinel

LOWE DOWN

THE

Boys stung by Hornets in region tournament

by Bethany Lowe managing editor

by Bethany Lowe managing editor As Valentine’s Day passes and March Madness approaches, I have started thinking about what makes people love sports.

There are various relationships developed in sports, and playing on a team is even a form of social activity. Making friends and hanging out with friends is a big part of the fun of sports.

Of course, one of my favorite things about playing volleyball, is the feeling of denying someone’s hit. Whenever I get a block, I relieve so much stress.Sports are great for letting out emotions.

There is something special about sports because they pull so many different kinds of people in for a variety of reasons, even if they are awful athletes.

I recently read an article about a young boy named Eric, a severely uncoordinated sports lover who nevertheless continues to try.

At one point in the article, Eric’s mother said they were trying to dissuade him from sports but it was unsuccessful.

“We tried fishing. Turns out fishing is definitely a sport because Eric sucked at it. He kept hitting himself in the back of the head with the fly,” said Cathy Raglan.

The reason I bring this story up, other than the fact that I find it hilarious, is because Eric is the poster child of the phrase “For the love of the game.”

“I love sports more than anything,” Eric said. “And when I keep growing and get bigger and stronger, I’m going to be really good. You’ll see.”

Despite the lack of encouragement from his parents, Eric continued to aspire for greatness.

Unlike Eric, there are many talented athletes that make watching a sport just as much fun as playing it. On second thought, maybe Eric is fun to watch.

But anyways, a perfect example of how fun it is to watch an awesome athletic event is coming up in a couple of weeks. March Madness starts on March 15.

These college players and fans are so passionate about basketball that it is inspiring.

In basketball, I definitely think there is a barrier between proffesionals and college athletes.

As a former L.A. Lakers coach, my grandfather’s brother can attest that many professional basketball players are in it for the money. He remembers Wilt Chamberlin refusing to play until he was paid more money.

College basketball players are clearly in it for the love of the game, which is what makes March Madness so enticing.

There are numerous reasons why people love watching, playing and coaching sports, which is what makes them appealing to so many people.

18

PHOTO COURTESY OF LUCIAN FOX SR

Mitch Dempster makes a layup in the final game of districts against Langley. The Seahawks lost 64-37, but finished the season second in the district.

The boys varsity basketball team’s run in the playoffs ended with a loss to Herndon, 87-76, in the quarterfinals of the Northern Region Tournament on February 23.

Unlike the two previous games against Herndon, dominated by the Hornets, South Lakes held the hot hand early, leading 25-23 at the end of the first quarter.

Junior J.D. Christian scored 12 points in the beginning quarter.

Herndon scored first in the second quarter, taking a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Still, the Seahawks trailed only by eight points at halftime, and closed the gap to 52-50 with less than four minutes remaining in the third quarter.

“They made champion-like effort,” said head coach Andrew Duggan. “The coaches really had nothing to with that game. It was up to the Herndon and South Lakes players to put forth the effort.”

Mistakes plagued South Lakes in the fourth quarter.

“We made some mistakes that really changed the way the game went,” said Duggan. “That really hurt us.”

A key to Herndon’s win was the free throw shooting, with Herndon making 27 of 34 shots. The Seahawks shot only 12 free throws, scoring only 3 points.

Christian led the team in scoring with 26 points, followed by senior Darius Smith with 17, junior J.D. Wallace with 13 and senior Joe Daye with 12.

In the first round of the district tournament, the Seahawks played sixth seed Madison at home on February 15, winning 63-44.

Facing the number two seed, McLean, in the second round on February 16, South Lakes won 60-58. Smith scored the winning layup with 1.4 seconds left in the game.

The low point of the tournament was the district final loss to Langley, 64-37. The Seahawks went 0-3 against Langley this season, outscored 201-130. However, South Lakes advanced to the region tournament as the Liberty District runner-up.

Facing National District champion Falls Church, South Lakes won 61-53. Christian led the team with 30 points.

In Duggan’s first season as head coach, the Seahawks finished with a 14-12 record, winning 3 of their 5 playoff games.

“I was really hoping to cut down the nets this February and that’s disappointing,” said Duggan. “It’s something to build on. It’s important to make South Lakes basketball exciting again for the school and the community. I am very proud.”

Forrest claims third place in AAA State tournament

by Bethany Lowe managing editor

After earning his third consecutive Liberty District title and a region title, junior Ryan Forrest continued to the AAA State Tournament this past weekend and placed third.

At the end of this tournament, Forrest brought his record to 33-0 with a total of 28 pins.

Going into regionals, Forrest was ranked second in the Baltimore-Washington All-Met area for high school wrestlers.

He won the tournament for his weight class, defeating Robinson’s Zak Depasqule.

“I’ve known the kid I wrestled in regionals for pretty much my whole life,” said Forrest. “Since he wouldn’t have made varsity unless he moved up a weight class, he was a lot smaller than me and I ended up winning 10-1.”

Forrest hoped to continue his winning streak when he went to the state tournament this past weekend.

“It was fun going into the state tournament undefeated,” said

Forrest. “I was looking to keep that going and have a completely perfect season.”

Forrest felt confident that he could pull off a season without a loss.

“I thought I could win the tournament going into it,” said Forrest, “then I realized I had to wrestle a four time state champion.”

Forrest started the AAA state tournament with a pin of Mosiah Mitchell from Battefield, defeating Great Bridge’s Brandon Smith and then fell short to Forest Park’s Kevin Johnson, who ended up placing second. Forrest then won both matches needed to earn AllState honors.

“I didn’t have to wrestle the guy I was worrying about,” said Forrest, “but I still ended up losing one match in the tournament, giving me one loss for the season.”

Following a junior year season with many honors, Forrest hopes to have an even better senior year.

“I’m not going to go undefeated next year because we are going to wrestle in much harder tournaments,” said Forrest, “but I want to win it all.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX STANLEY

Junior Ryan Forrest receives honors for winning the Region tournament in the 145 pound weight class. Forrest continued to the state tournament.

19

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sports

“I would say that Duke will win the NCAA tournament. It may not be the best pick in the world, but they are a favorite of mine.”

-Andrew Duggan, boys varsity basketball coach

The South Lakes Sentinel

Girls lacrosse program faces rebuilding with new coaches

by Emily Lipscomb sports editor

The South Lakes girls lacrosse team welcomed five new coaches, including new head coach Martin Chamberlain, to the staff this season to fill vacant spots held last season by Jennifer Diana and Kathryn Schires.

An announcement was made to the players by Linda Jones, director of student activities, on the beginning day of tryouts that while the department was still trying to finalize the varsity head coach position, an assistant coach’s spot had been filled.

“I know you’ve been without a coach, and we’re trying to finalize our candidate for the varsity position. We’ve found an assistant coach to get things going today,” said Jones, addressing the group of girls trying out for lacrosse on February 21, the first day of tryouts.

In an attempt to amp up the program and make things fair between the boys and girls lacrosse programs, Jones made the decision to hire three new assistant coaches.

Rebecca Caldwell, the school psychologist and a NCAA Division I lacrosse player for Rutgers University, was the first addition to the coaching staff.

“I’m so excited to be here,” said Caldwell. “I think that if there

is a more collaborative approach among the coaches it will allow us to get more individual work with the girls on skills and such.”

Not new to coaching, Caldwell coached at Rutgers’s Preparatory School, and an all-state New Jersey team.

“I know this is a hard transition for the players,” said Caldwell. “They should be focused on rebuilding their team and the season, but instead they have

South Lakes. “But what’s done is done. It’s the past now and the best thing for our team is to move on and stay focused on the future of our team.”

Reed and other three-year varisty players have played under a new head varsity coach every season they’ve played for South Lakes.

And this year isn’t any exception.

The varsity head coach’s posi-

to transition into new coaches.”

According to junior Abby Reed, the team recognizes the difficulty but has moved on and grown from this experience.

“I don’t think the situation was handled in the most professional way considering we were notified about needing new coaches back in January,” said Reed, a varsity veteran who’s played under three different head coaches during her three years at

tion was filled a day after tryouts began, by experienced HerndonReston Youth League coach, Martin Chamberlain.

“Coach Chamberlain knows the rules of game and is very passionate about the sport,” Reed said.

In addition to Chamberlain and Caldwell, Garth Jensen, former junior varsity head coach for Chantilly, was hired as the junior

varsity coach for South Lakes.

“I think the range of coaches is going to be useful for our team,” said Reed. “I know one has Division I experience which will give us an endless amount of insight, and another played basketball in addition to lacrosse which will help with our defense.”

Along with adjusting to the new coaching styles, girls in the program face uncertainty in expectations with new coaches.

“There is so much good chemistry, and talent coming from the girls on the field. I want that to be contagious. There is nowhere to go but up from this point on.”

-Rebecca Caldwell, assistant varsity coach

Who do you think will win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?

100 people polled

Georgetown 13% Ohio 12% Duke 11% Texas 10% Virginia Tech 10% Maryland 8% Florida 8% Michigan 6% John S. Hopkins 5% George Mason 5% Villanova 5% Boston College 3% North Carolina 2% Wisconsin 1% Pittsburgh 1%

“It’s kind of tricky with new coaches,” said sophomore Sadie Belt, who played varsity as a freshmen last season. “You kind of feel like your spot may be up in the air because you never really know for sure what a new coach is looking for until you meet them.

All you can really do is play your hardest, and really believe in your own abilities and talents.”

Even though the girls lacrosse

program faced many new challenges before the season even began, the players are looking forward to an exciting new season.

“I’m really excited to work with all the new coaches,” said Belt. “I really believe we’re going to improve our skills as a team and individually.”

For both players and coaches alike, spirits seem to be high and hopeful.

“There’s so much good chemistry, and talent coming from the girls on the field,” said Caldwell.

“I want that to be contagious.

There is nowhere to go but up from this point on.”

The team’s losing record of 1-12 last season is something that everyone wants to change.

“With a record like ours, you can’t get much worse,” said Belt.

“But that’s something we want to change. We’re looking to improve and I’m getting the vibe that we will.”

This “vibe” Belt mentions is a new hope that Reed and Caldwell mentioned as well.

“This season at tryouts, it’s been a new feeling, a new air around us,” said Reed. “Getting along with your teammates and knowing them personally is so essential to learning how they play on the field.. I think this change means that something good is going to come out of this season.”

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sports

“I’m totally excited to have three outstanding student athletes represent South Lakes at the collegiate level. We are even more excited to see how well they do as Appalachian State athletes.”

- Mike Astudillo, assistant student athletic director

The South Lakes Sentinel

20

O’Neill completes rare feat, earns varsity spot as freshman

by David Freeman contributing writer

Including Grant Hill’s freshman year in 1986-87 and prior to this basketball season, only five freshmen have ever played varsity boys basketball at South Lakes.

This season, Clayton O’Neill became the sixth.

As of February 8, O’ Neill, playing the forward position, was averaging 3.8 points and 2 rebounds per game. O’Neill began the season, playing 16-18 minutes per game. Coming off a recent hip injury, O’Neill is now averaging 12-14 minutes per game.

This is O’ Neill’s sixth year playing competitive basketball.

O’Neill became interested in basketball because of his sister. She attended Westfield High School, played varsity basketball all four years, and later went on to play NCAA Division I at Campbell University. Along with Hill, Kevin Durant, and teammates J.D. Wallace, Joe Daye, and Darius Smith, O’ Neill considers his sister to be a role model.

“My sister influenced me to play basketball at a young age,” said O’Neill. “During high school, she played varsity basketball all four years.”

O’Neill was first noticed by South Lakes head basketball coach Andrew Duggan during summer camp.

“Coach said that I had talent and I should try out for the team. He did not guarantee though that I would play varsity basketball.”

Upperclassmen primarily compete at the varsity level. Of the 11 teams in the 3A Liberty District O’Neill is the only freshman playing varsity boys basketball. Of the past five freshmen boys who have played varsity basketball, three eventually became McDonalds All-American. These include Hill and Joey Beard, who is the all time point leader at South Lakes.

He later went on to play college basketball at Duke and Boston University, and continued professionally overseas. He retired this past season after playing for Italy’s Olimpia Milano.

Hill is currently playing his sixteenth year in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns. He has also played for the Detroit Pistons and Orlando Magic. His career includes six all-star selections.

First-year varsity boys basketball coach Andrew Duggan decided to include O’Neill on the squad because of his attitude, hard work, and determination.

“Having a freshman playing varsity basketball is a special thing,” said Duggan. “Clayton is a special player, and as did Grant Hill and Joey Beard, Clayton has potential to do well.”

Freshman basketball player Joseph Kidane agrees with Duggan.

“Clayton deserves it,” said Kidane. “Clayton is playing incredibly and there is no reason he should be required to play a lower level of basketball because of his age.”

While some players agree with Duggan’s assessment of O’Neill, others don’t.

“I find it unfair to the junior varsity starters,” said sophomore JV basketball player Evan Keys “We work hard, we train hard, we play hard, and we have more experience in the South Lakes basketball system. If that doesn’t qualify us for a varsity position over Clayton, what does?”

“Clayton should have played junior varsity basketball” said junior Wallace. “I’m not against Clayton playing varsity basketball, but if he had played junior varsity basketball, he would’ve gotten more playing time, and he would have scored more.”

“I’m not surprised that freshmen basketball team supports me in my decision,” said O’Neill. “I am surprised though with Evan. All I can do is to try and change his opinion by putting in good work, good attitude, and good minutes on the court.”

Based on his own experiences, Hill believes that freshmen should be allowed to play varsity basketball.

“Definitely I think so, assuming the player is good enough and mature enough then to deal with the pressures,” said Hill during an interview from the Phoenix Suns practice facility, “I think it’s a good thing.”

Hill recalls how his freshman year was important.

“I think it was important,” said Hill. “It gave me confidence. When playing with guys three years older, you can’t help but get better. It certainly helped prepare me and gave me a lot of confidence, and I think I improved a lot.”

While O’Neill would love to play in the NBA, he believes that education comes first.

“It’s my dream,” said O’Neill. “Hopefully if I work really hard I can hopefully get into college to get and education. But if the NBA opens up for me that would be amazing.”

What is Hill’s advice to O’Neill?

“Just enjoy it have fun,” said Hill. “He’s in good company. Obviously they feel like he has a lot of talent there, but don’t be satisfied.

Don’t feel like ‘okay you made it you’ve arrived.’” Now the hard work just begins. You can’t get complacent. You have to continue to try to get better.”

&

G N I M O C ! s r e e n i a t n u Go Mo

N

by Alexa Amster contributing writer Earlier this month, senior athletes Kirstie Fleger, Darius Smith, and Sean Price signed letters of intent to attend Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Price and Smith joined the NCAA Division I football team coached by Jerry Moore. Fleger will play NCAA Division I soccer for the Mountaineers under head coach Sarah Strickland.

Midfielder Fleger has played soccer since she was five, and has been on the South Lakes varsity girls’ soccer team since her freshman year.

She visited Appalachian State and absolutely loved the college.

PHOTO BY KALEY DUNCAN

G N I O G

chian la a p p A o t g in s head

hawk a e S e e r h t in lts

resu y a d g in n ig s ational

“I fell in love with the beautiful campus two years ago,” said Fleger.

“They have a great academics program too and I know what I want to study. Everything clicked for me. I met with the Coach Strickland and was offered a spot. I look forward to becoming family to my teammates and meeting new people.”

Fleger joins eleven other girls who are also new additions to the Mountaineer soccer program. Coach Sarah Strickland recruited Fleger for her development on the soccer field and in other areas of her life.

“Kirstie is an outstanding young woman that immediately stood out due to her maturity both on and off the field,” said coach Strickland. “She’s a very composed midfielder and is always comfortable on the ball. We expect Kirstie to be a model student athlete for the Mountaineers.”

South Lakes girls soccer coach Joann Murphy is proud of

PHOTO BY DAVID FREEMAN

“Now, the hard work just begins. You can’t get complacent. You have to continue to try to get better.”

-Grant Hill, South Lakes alumnus and member of NBA Phoenix Suns

State

Fleger.

“I think this is such a great opportunity for her,” said Murphy. “She is one of the most conscientious players I have ever coached and I wish her all the best and can’t wait to see her play a collegiate game.”

Running back Darius Smith has played football for thirteen years and has been on the varsity team his entire high school career.

Like Fleger, he also enjoyed the Appalachian State campus.

“I really liked the college atmosphere when I visited,” said Smith. “I’m excited for college life and being with my teammate Sean and Kirstie.”

Wide receiver Sean Price has played football since the second grade. He picked Appalachian State for its qualities similar to Reston.

“Boone, North Carolina reminds me of Reston because it is a small town with everything close together,” said Price. “I’ll probably room with Darius all four years and we’ll get together with Kirstie during the off-season. It’s a big bonus having them there.”

Smith and Price join seventeen other recruits who signed to play football for the championship winning Mountaineers.

Varsity football coach Andy Hill is excited for his players’ continuing their football careers at the collegiate level.

“I think it is great that they get to continue their college careers as teammates,” said Coach Hill. “I believe that both players have the right mindset as they move on to the next level, and if they continue to remain humble and work hard once they arrive in Boone, North Carolina, they will see their opportunities to perform on the field unfold sooner than they may expect right now.”

PHOTO BY KALEY DUNCAN

(Left) Senior wide receiver Sean Price tries to advance after a completed pass against Stone Bridge during the final regular season game.

(Center) Senior Kirstie Fleger signed her letter of intent to play soccer at Appalachian Sate.

(Right) Senior running back Darius Smith avoids the Stone Bridge defense.