The Lion's Tale - Volume 49, Issue 1

Page 1

Oviedo graduate Jenny Barringer competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Look inside to see how she credits OHS with helping her.

See how students cut corners and try to get jobs in the rough economy.

pages 12 and 13

page 19

LION’S TALE

September 26, 2008

Volume 49

Desk space at premium in crowded rooms Victoria Persampiere

T

Issue 1

601 K ing Street

Oviedo, Florida

POUND THOSE PUPS

Pep rally held to muster school spirit

news editor

see CLASS SIZES, page 4

SHOW THAT SPIRIT. Senior

Shayna Thompson shows her senior spirit with a senior ensemble complete with a decorated Burger King crown, a cape, and a last year’s Powder Puff t-shirt.

all photos/BROOKE FIDRICK

here are always things to stress over on day one: locker real estate, lunch table space, figuring out your new schedule. And, as many students noticed upon walking into their first period classes, this school year’s first day boasted an entirely new battle to stress over – desk space. “My world history class is huge,” said junior Lauren Small. “There’s got to be like, 35 people. It’s crazy big – there weren’t enough desks for everybody.” Ordinarily, students give their desk choice a great deal of thought. Sitting at the front of the class could mean you’re overzealous…but sitting at the back could make the teacher think you’re a troublemaker. This year, however, there was little contemplation. Once word got out that the desk count was low in many classes, students were quick to sit down wherever they could find room. Tom Jesse’s 6th period AP Language and Composition class had four students without desks; instead, they parked themselves on the tables and ledges in the back of the classroom, and have remained there since day one. Many students attribute these colossal class sizes to the low county budget and the fact that Oviedo High lost 18 teachers last year. In actuality, Guidance Director Dr. Nicola Johnson said it’s a combination of many factors. “We’ve had some issues with the master schedule,” said Johnson. “Reduction in teachers means that there are only so many sections of classes that we can offer – we’re working to spread students out as evenly as possible. And last year, we could offer two to three sections of each AP class – but now that we have fewer students, we can only offer one section of, say, AP Biology. This creates a lot of conflict in scheduling a bunch of high-demand AP classes.” Not only do larger class-sizes create headaches for the guidance department, they also raises questions about the level of education students will receive this year. “I’m a pretty good student,” said Small, a new student from Master’s Academy. “I do most of my work on my own anyway, so I don’t think big class sizes will make a difference for me.”

GIVE A CHEER.

Senior Amanda Reed hoists thunder sticks in the air to show school spirit during the pep rally for the football game against Hagerty High School on September 12. For a wrapup of the football game and a preview of the football season, see the story about this football game on page 18.

KILLING THE COMPETITION. Seniors Brock Smith, Nevin Place, and Robert Jennings rip up a stuffed Husky dog to enthuse students at the pep rally.

T.S. Fay leaves soggy mess behind Marsha Gibbs

J

photo/MARSHA GIBBS

THEY ALL FALL DOWN. Tropical Storm Fay caused damage to local residences and left workers to clean up the debris.

features editor

unior Nancy Nasser still felt the sting coming from her raw fingers which had been wringing out soaking towels the night before. Tropical Storm Fay lingered over the state for days, Aug. 18-24, leaving inches of rain to fall upon Central Florida residents and their homes. That rain found its way into Nasser’s home. “I would wring out a huge towel in a bucket and then turn around and see more water that needed to be soaked up and wrung out,” said Nasser. Nasser devoted multiple days along with her two parents and two brothers, Sammy and Tony (former graduates of Oviedo High School), cleaning up the debris and leaky damages Fay left behind. A few people were left without power, like the Nasser family, but that was not the peak of their problems. “Water came under the back door, and through the

windows flooding the living room,” said Nasser. “If you stepped on the carpet in my parents’ room, a couple of inches of water would rise up.” By twelve o’clock on Thursday night, after the downpour of rain dwindled down, Nasser, now exhausted from trying to keep her house from flooding further, slept. She arose to see the sun revealing the total amount of damages the next day. The damages amounted to leaky stains on the walls from unsealed windows, destroyed carpets, and drowning backyard plants. Before the next hurricane or tropical storm, Nasser and her family will take more precautions to prevent floods. They will use resources in hopes of preventing the same events from spiraling out of control again. When first hearing about a possible storm, they will prepare sandbags or go to a place that already has sandbags available just in case the potential hurricane crosses over Seminole County. see FAY, page 9


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.