Issuu

The Sandra Day O’Connor High School

Talon 25250 N. 35th Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85083

Volume 14. Issue 2. December 2015

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Depression hits home for students Vaping Page 4

By RYAN TEMPLE Editorial Chief

If a student is suffering from depression, it is more than likely that someone else near them is struggling as well. At this point, it is almost a guarantee. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 10.7 percent of people between 12 and 17 years of age suffered at least one major depressive episode in 2013. This breaks down to about 2.6 million teenagers in the United States. At OHS, unfortunately, depression is a problem that hits far more students than many at the school realize. Saroj Jagernauth, head of the counseling department, knows this all too well. “In terms of O’Connor, I think depression or a feeling of helplessness does exist for some students,” Jagernauth said. “When you look at the large population of close to

2500 students, our school being a microcosm of society, I think the percentage of school here is pretty reﬂective of a general population beyond school.” In several cases, depression spreads beyond simply feeling sad, often to physical results. “Every week there is a situation pertaining to depression or self harm or maybe having suicidal ideation,” Jagernauth said. Debbie Rodrigues, nurse at OHS, agrees with this estimation. “I see quite a lot of students, I would say a daily basis, that are feeling depressed or not feeling good about themselves,” Rodrigues said. Even more serious problems from depression are also being brought to the surface every week. The cause behind these cases of depression tend to vary a great deal. “I see a wide range of things that cause it,” Ro-

drigues said. “From things at home, to personal issues and stresses the student puts on themselves for academic reasons, or maybe athletics as well.” Allison Lattanzi, junior, has not dealt with depression herself, but has felt the impact from someone she knows very well. “A close person I know deals with it and has attempted suicide four times and actually faked her death,” Lattanzi said. “It really takes a toll on everybody, not just the person going through it.” Several serious cases of depression lead to these dangerous outcomes. This is one of the reasons Nicole Santillo, senior, helped to form Encourage OC and remains the current president of it. “As Encourage OC, we want to have a group of students that do care about other people so we can help each other,” Santillo said. “I feel like a big reason why we want our club to be a club and have

When the results were first announced, it seemed that DVUSD was fated to lose its funding, however after counting the provisional votes, DVUSD was relieved to know the override did pass by a total of 383 votes. According to the

DVUSD website, the maintenance and operations override is voter authorization to exceed to amount of money delegated to an individual school district by the state, the extra money is funded through local taxpayers. The override posed

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VALERIE BOND our hand in the school is to say, here’s an outlet for you if you are struggling.” The subject is a very personal one for Santillo, and deals with a challenge that she knows ﬁrst hand is beatable. “I used to self harm, and I’ve overcome that, so it’s totally doable,” Santillo said. The trick to beating a monster like that is that it takes more than just one person according to Santillo. “It’s not something that you can completely do on your own which is why community is so important,” Santillo said. For a student looking for help to end their battle with depression, OHS has several resources and steps ready at all times. “Usually I just sit them down and talk. Try to get a baseline of how severe the depression is,” Rodrigues said. “Then I make a judgement call.” Jump to Page 12

Editorial Page 7

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OHS is overjoyed with the override outcome By VALERIE BOND

Design Chief

Almost all of the OHS staff and faculty members are familiar with the maintenance and operations override that was voted upon in early November.

PHOTO BY VALERIE BOND Cindy Garraway assists Destiny Siegrest,sophomore, with her end of the year speech in the dual enrollment communications class. If the override had not been passed this class and others like it would most likely have lost its funding.

a question to voters, asking if they wished to continue to fund the district at the current rate plus a slight increase. The vote occurred on Nov. 3, stirring up conversation amongst teachers and students who feared the effects of the possible funding losses. The day after the election it appeared the override was defeated, however after provisional ballots were counted, the measure passed. “If it wouldn’t have passed, it would’ve been a 5.4 million dollar deficit this year and the next year it would’ve been another 5.4. It goes down a third each time. So it [the override] was definitely needed,” said Lynn Miller, OHS principal. The 5.4 million dollars will be maintained with an increase of five percent thanks to the passing of the DVUSD override.

The threat of losing the much needed funding stirred up the emotions of OHS teachers. “I was shocked,” said Cindy Garraway, OHS language arts teacher and member of the district for 14 years. “I knew we would be close but I did not think the initial result would come back with us being down because it’s very hard to come back when you are down.” Despite the disbelief among teachers, Miller said he “talked to more people that believed we still had a chance than those that didn’t.” The override was a much needed piece of legislation to reassure teachers that the community appreciates what they do for their children. The increase in money will be used to fund speciality programs and create an increase in wages for DVUSD teachers.

The Talon

December 2015

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Mentors motivate freshmen with movie night By TRAVIS ROBERTSON

PHOTO BY TRAVIS ROBERTSON Frehsmen mentors Maddie Katena, senior and Kelly Slattery junior prepare popcorn for students on freshmen movie night. Hally Rost, senior freshmen mentor, hopes this movie night is a bigger success than last year’s. “We’ve done (Freshmen movie night) in the past, so we wanted to redo it and hopefully get more freshmen this time. Very few people came (last time) and we’ve been trying to figure out ways to advertise more. Hopefully this year we’ve figured out better ways to get the word out to people (through the) newspaper and the news,” said Rost.

Hard News Editor

Freshmen movie night was Dec. 7, where freshmen sat down to a movie and snacks courtesy of Freshmen Mentors. Freshmen polls decided the movie shown was Elf, and freshmen snacked on popcorn and hot chocolate. Mentors say this is an opportunity for freshmen and mentors to bond outside of school. “It’s just kind of letting us get to know them on a more personal level and kind of inviting them,” said Emily Hart, senior. “Build more of a friendship, so you know mentors will let their small groups know, ‘Hey there’s a movie night coming out, it’d be really cool if you could make it out’ it just builds that relationship that we want be-

tween the mentors and the freshmen to know that we’re on their side. We want to help them, we’re their friends.” Hally Rost, senior and freshmen mentor, adds that freshmen movie night exists to give freshmen an opportu-

nity to socialize with mentors and each other. “After the MTSSAs that we have, we get to know our small groups of freshmen and to better carry over the relationship that we have with them during MTSSA,” Rost said. “We want to hang out with them more outside of school and create events so they’ll have fun throughout high school and so that they know they’re important too and that we make events for them” Freshmen movie night went very well according to Ashley Kelroy, senior. “(It was) amazing, everything was great, the hot chocolate was great, the movie was great, evPHOTO BY TRAVIS ROBERTSON erybody loved it,” Kelroy Freshmen mentors Jae Won Song, senior, and George Ekdahl, junior, share snacks said. on freshmen movie night.

Kelroy adds by saying the turnout exceeded previous events. “I was surprised that a lot of people showed up,” Kelroy said. “Sometimes at previous events they didn’t really show up, I guess tonight since it was a movie they showed up.” Freshmen also agree freshmen movie night was a success.

“It was pretty fun, I enjoyed it it was a night to hang out with my friends and watch a movie,” said Jaryn Blair, freshman. Freshmen movie night was a successful outing that many loved, and was much needed with the stress of high school constantly lurking. “Friends help each other out,” Hart said. “That’s what we’re here for, to help the freshmen.”

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We want to hang out with (Freshmen) more outside of school” -Hally Rost

Many oppose seat belts in all school buses By CASSIDY MOORE

Staff Writer

The tall padded seats of a school bus are used to protect students in case of a crash. However many believe they are not enough. Many states across the country are pushing stricter safety laws for school buses. From requiring lap seat belts on every new school bus made, to requiring three point seatbelts in every new bus bought. These states include New York, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and New Jersey. In these states, they have set strict regulations regarding seat belts on buses, according

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You shouldn’t have seatbelts. If there was an emergency it’s harder to get out of the bus”

-Cassandra Liu

PHOTOS BY CASSIDY MOORE This special education bus has the seat belts that may be the norm in all buses of the future.

to the CGA. While several people believe that the seatbelts are the best way to protect children on school buses, many others disagree. “If you had to get off the school bus, you would not be able to get off as quickly than if you didn’t have (the seatbelt) on,” said Greg Rice, PE/Health teacher. Rice’s concern is a common one and many people

think that it would be too hard for smaller children to get off a bus quickly in the state of an emergency. In the Deer Valley School District, the special education buses are already equipped with seatbelts and other equipment necessary to keep the students safe. According to some bus drivers, special education busses need the belts, but all

busses with seat belts might be overkill. Another problem with putting seatbelts on the buses is that the amount of students per seat would have to be limited to the number of seatbelts. Instead of shoving multiple students into a seat when space is limited, schools would have to plan out the amount of students per bus exactly.

“Right now we are running three kids to a seat on a majority of our school buses and if the seat belt plans goes to effect then we can only have two (per seat).” said Cindy Finn, department of transportation supervisor. “And per bus, we would go from 75 down to 56 (students). So we will need a third more buses and a third more drivers, and then we would need to add more routes.” Getting more buses, routes, and drivers will cost the district more money on top of the price they will have to pay for installing the seat belts. Another concern that Finn has with the belts on the buses is that they may not be entirely needed. “The majority of (school bus) injuries do not come from within the bus. It’s more hitting students as they are crossing, getting off the bus, and as people are running a red light,” Finn said. Although many believe that seat belts on school buses should be a necessity, the cost and inconvenience of installing them is off-putting to many. The depleted budget seems to pose a larger issue than not having seat belts in the first place.

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December 2015

E-registration streamlines class selection By HAYLEY WHITE

Staff Writer

Along with the recent addition of iPads, OHS has been making technological advancements in the way students picks their courses for the next year. Last year, this electronic method was tested on incoming freshmen and sophomores and it is a transition being made districtwide. Kimberly Heinz, assistant principal, thinks that this change will help prepare students for the outside world. “This helps college and career ready students a lot, all college registration is all online,” Heinz said. “It equips students for the process of it all, and gives the benefit of picking classes with parents.”

Stephan Cattermole, sophomore, was in the first freshman class that piloted this method. “It was quick and easy, I could find all the possible classes and if I changed my mind I could change it a lot easier than before,” Cattermole said. The results from the pilot last year, encouraged the district to make the transition to electronic for everyone. “Incoming freshmen and sophomores are easier because the variation of classes is less. They have to take a lot of the same classes, so that’s why we selected that grade, it would be smoother for them to adjust compared to the upperclassmen,” Heinz said. This change will conceivably benefit the relationship between counselors and students.

EagleChallenge:

PHOTO BY HAYLEY WHITE Jared White, sophomore, browses course selcetions before making his decision. “They have the opportunity to sit down with students and go through their options, if a specific course is not listed online that can heighten the conversation between the counselor and the student,” Heinz said. Cattermole thinks this

could halt students from going to their counselors in the future. “I think it made people more hesitant to go to their counselors with questions, since they had all the information in front of them, that bond may not be formed,”

Cattermole said. Parents are encouraged to actively participate in choosing their students’ courses and making sure that is the best choice for them. “In the past kids could write whatever and there was minimal input from parents, now communication is more likely between the parents and the counselors,” Heinz said. “ There is a lot more accountability for choosing classes.” Not all of the kinks have been worked out of the system leaving incoming seniors to stay with the traditional system. “The biggest downfall is we are not doing it with incoming seniors. There are such vast differences in class options and credit checks, it is a lot more cumbersome in the system,” Heinz said.

The spring fundraiser helps challenge students By TRAVIS ROBERTSON

Hard News Editor

The Eagle Challenge is a physical challenge to raise money for OHS clubs with a portion of the proceeds going to charity. Eagle Challenge was originally going to happen Dec. 5, but due to a lack of sponsors, it was pushed to next spring, according to Melissa Portela, sports medicine teacher. “We hadn’t gotten enough sponsor feedback,” Portela said. “We had to approach the local businesses to kind of help, if they wanted to sponsor, become a vendor, or even showcase their business around, so we hadn’t garnered enough interest yet, and then registration was a little slow so we didn’t have enough manpower behind organizing it and running it, so we decided let’s postpone it until spring semester.” In the Eagle Challenge, students will do a 1-mile run, 200 push-ups, 300 squats and another mile run. There’s also the Eaglet Challenge for kids 10 and under which has a 1/4-mile run, 25 push-ups, 50 squats and another 1/4-mile run. Prices vary with costs of $25 for individuals, $20 for students, $40 for a two-person relay, $15 for little Eagles and $100 for a team of ten max. The proceeds will go to the HOSA club and sports medicine, with a portion being donated to the National Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Portela says the Eagle Challenge will be physically

and mentally demanding for students and athletes alike. “It’s a physical challenge so if you have some type of athletic ability or have done a few things athletically it would be physically challenging but still doable,” Portela said. “Hopefully with the amount of people there cheering you on, pushing you on, you would be able to do it, so I think it’s more of a mental challenge than physical.” Due to the delay, infor-

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The Eagle Challenge will be physically and mentally demanding for students and athletes alike.” -Melissa Portela

mation may be subject to change but the Eagle Challenge is set for a spring arrival for Eagles to challenge themselves physically and mentally. “There’s no winners,” Portela said. “It’s more testing your body physically and mentally.”

PHOTO BY EMILY BURNS Elziabeth Reklaitis, a sophomore, sits, in the process of donating blood to United Blood Services at OHSon November 18.

Student’s actions are helping to save lives Blood drive is first step in a long journey before reaching the people in need By ABIGAIL GHEJU

Staff Writer

OHS recently hosted a blood drive with the United Blood Services. Many students signed up to donate hoping to make a difference in their community. But have you ever wondered what happens to blood after that long process of donating? According to the American Red Cross, each person can donate about one pint of blood which is then transported to a center for storing. First, blood is separated

into different components: red cells, platelets and plasma. Next, approximately a dozen tests are performed on each unit of blood to check for any oddities or diseases. The Memorial Blood Center states that after being stored, a donated transfusion will reach a patient within 10 days. Rylee Heitkam, junior, thinks donating blood is an enriching experience. “I’ve always liked helping people and I’ve always wanted to do it because someone

always needs it,” Heitkam said. A single blood donation can help up to three people. Stevie Casillas, senior at OHS, donated this year and was thrilled to be able to help people. “When I was three my mother had leukemia and a bone marrow transplant saved her life along with some blood transfusions so my entire family believes in stepping up, being a hero and donating blood to potentially save a life,” said Casillas. Often, we overlook the impact of donating blood and walk away from the process, not realizing that those few hours donating mean everything for someone desperately in need of this life saving procedure.

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December 2015

“We get it, you

The fame of e-cigs is on the rise, but the health effects are still unknown PHOTO BY VALERIE BOND

PHOTO BY VALERIE BOND By TAYLOR STOKES

Staﬀ Developer

Vaping: the act of inhaling and exhaling the vapor produced by an electronic cigarette or similar device. Vaping is something that, up until a few years ago, was not at all popular, despite the fact that e-cigs have been on the market since 2004. Their popularity has greatly increased due to marketing to smokers as a “safer” alternative. Part of the problem is that vape pens are too new to know the health effects and

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Features

dangers, and that there are essentially no real regulations on them, and it is because of this that the students of OHS are being affected by this growing trend. Some people see vape as a healthier alternative to actual cigarettes due to the known health problems that go along with them. A Harvard study that came out Dec. 8 said that in more than 75% of e-cigarettes and reﬁll liquids, a chemical linked to severe respiratory diseases was found. This was tested by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan

School of Public Health. “Nicotine is a very addictive material and vape is more easily accessible and a lot more people prefer it,” said Christian Smith, junior. “My family has a history with an addiction to drugs. My dad is the head of a vaping company and so I know about it because he works with it.” Young people are particularly drawn to it because of the claims that it is better for you and that it still looks “cool”. “I think it’s popular because it helps people stop

smoking cigarettes and everyone is kind of doing it,” said Madi Murchland, junior. This popularity has caused a dramatic spike in the past few years of vape related discipline on our campus. As reported by CNN, it is nearly impossible to identify what is in someone’s vape pen because “It could be nicotine, marijuana concentrate, or fruit-ﬂavored, nicotine-free “e-liquid.” According to students, kids rip off the stickers on the side of the tube so then the school can’t suspend them for

having nicotine. “We have to take a ﬁrm stance on this. There is a minimum of a three-day suspension but every case is unique,” said Brad Brazell, vice principal. “So many smell herbal or fruity so we don’t know what they are but they are at least considered tobacco paraphernalia.” The problem with this is popularity and that it is essentially unregulated. Vape pens are being marketed more to teens and kids.

can be taken here at OHS. When a person takes the test, recruiters look at their scores to determine what position they will be given. “Originally, I was supposed to be an aircraft technician, which is hilarious,” Huntington said. When she received a high score, she asked to take the DLAB (Defense Language Aptitude Battery), a test that is given to aspiring linguists. Huntington said she has

learned a lot about herself because of her role in the military. “Being in the Navy really helped me develop my focus and gave me time to determine my strengths and weaknesses,” Huntington said. Her contribution to the Navy meant a great deal to her and she believed that her job was something bigger than her. “It’s huge, intimidating and scary, but I’m good at it and I know that I can do anything that I set my mind to,” Huntington said. Huntington decided to end her journey in the Navy when she was ready to move on in her education and take care of her two kids. “I didn’t necessarily cherish the idea of going on a six-month deployment somewhere and leaving them [her kids] behind,” Huntington said.

Huntington recommends that any students who are interested the military should go for it because of how much they will learn. “You will develop every-

thing you appreciate and admire in yourself,” Huntington said. “Those qualities will grow and you make friends that become family.”

Jump to Page 5

Huntington grows from military experience By EMILY DITOMASSO

Soft News Editor

Katherine Huntington is a dominant ﬁgure at OHS with her language arts classes, Encourage OC club, and her Twitter presence. “She is a great person, she is humble, outgoing, and says what she wants,” said Taimoor Faizi, junior. Many of her students may not know that she once had a classiﬁed job as a French interpreter for the United States Navy. After a spending a year in college, not knowing what she wanted to do with her life, she decided that she wanted to become a part of the military. To begin the process, she took the ASVAB (The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery), a multiple choice test that gives a very broad range of a person’s skills and

“

Being in the Navy really helped me develop my focus. ”

-Katherine Huntington

PHOTO BY EMILY DITOMASSO Katherine Huntington excitedly teaches her second hour language arts class.

The Talon

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December 2015

Eagles give back during the holiday season OHS clubs and teams donate time and toys to families in need

By BAILEY BRAMMER

Editor-in-Chief

As the clocks struck 12:01 a.m. on Black Friday, the holiday season was thrust upon today’s average American shoppers. Amidst the hustle and bustle of buying the “perfect gift,” many also believe that it is important to give back to those in need during this time of year. Various clubs and teams at OHS are participating in activities such as “Adopt-A-Family” and the Angel Tree program to make a difference in the lives of community members. Finding the Cure Club has been partnering with Health Occupations Students

of America (HOSA) and Stugo to run their second annual toy drive. The toys have been collected since Nov. 30, and all donations will go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital. Emily Hildebrand, senior and president of Finding the Cure club, says that she felt the need to give to children that are dealing with major illnesses. “[Last year] we donated eight huge boxes full of toys so I’m hoping to get ten this year,” Hildebrand said. “We can just all get in the holiday spirit of giving to those in need and caring about those around us.” Similarly, the varsity baseball team is participating in their sixth year of the

PHOTO BY BAILEY BRAMMER

“Adopt-A-Family” program. This year, the family that they have chosen has ﬁve kids, and each player on the team brings in gifts to help make that family’s Christmas a little brighter. According to Jeff Baumgartner, head coach, some of the players in the past have donated everything from X-Boxes to bicycles. “We live in our own little country club bubble here and we forget that even on this campus and other campuses, and other parts of the community, that there are people that are really struggling this time of year,” Baumgartner said. “This couldn’t be done without the generosity of the players and the hearts the have for kids and giving outside themselves, and their parents are really good at that too.” Another OHS organization that has been busy collecting toys and clothing for families in need is the Career and Technical Education (CTE) department. The students in these classes have been participating in the “Angel Tree” project, and have selected three families to contribute to. “Several kids spent a lot of time thinking about what

Dealing with rejection:

How do you handle denied college apps? By SHYANNE COOPER

Staﬀ Writer

It’s that time of year again; high school seniors have applied to colleges and are anxiously awaiting the letters which will either make them jump for joy or curl up into the fetal position and cry themselves to sleep. Unfortunately, rejection is an inevitable part of this process. Odds are you will be denied at least once if you are applying to multiple colleges. And it’s going to suck. A lot. But you know what? Don’t even worry about it. Rejection is a painful thing, true, but it comes with a learning curve. We will all encounter it at some point in our lives, no matter who we are or what path we choose. Whether that is rejection of a club or an organization, rejection by someone we like or rejection of a college application, it is inescapable. However everyone has different ways to cope: some linger on the what-ifs, while others choose to let it go immediately.

The best advice anyone can give you when you are rejected is to keep trying. Don’t give up, and don’t let it break you down. How can you possibly expect other people to believe in you if you give up on yourself? Remember that you can always reapply further down the road, so in the meantime be proactive, get involved in everything you can and you’ll have proven yourself worthy to whatever foolish college dared to reject you.

this mantra, but if you can trust that everything happens for a reason, it will be infinitely easier to shoulder your rejection. Whether you like it or not, there is a valid reason why you did not get accepted. Maybe you just were not a good fit, or your resume was missing a specific quality they wanted, or you met all the criteria but someone else got a higher score on their SAT. But for all you know a better opportunity is right around the corner. You could find more people you connect with at a different school. Perhaps you’ll be offered an internship or study abroad program you wouldn’t have been

Next, and this point is crucial: if your application is rejected, do not instantly assume that you are inadequate. Many highly qualiﬁed people apply, and many of them are denied. The massive amount of applicants makes it impossible for colleges to accept everyone, even if they truly deserve it. That is why it is always advantageous to broaden your horizons and apply to an array of colleges. Not everyone agrees with

introduced to if you had gone another direction. Whatever the case may be, the future is unpredictable, so don’t beat yourself up about rejection of any kind because it may be the greatest blunder of your life. You are not deﬁned by your failures. If you are driven, determined, and your goals are strong enough you are guaranteed succes no matter where your college years are spent.

they could bring and talking to their parents and m a k i n g these decisions,” said Tiffany Kurtz, CTE t e a c h e r. “It’s deﬁnitely good PHOTO COURTESY OF COLBY WYATT for the kids The baseball program has been adopting families for six years, to help and and is shown above with the family they donated to last year, be involved in that.” meets with these students While all of these activ- on a regular basis to help ities contribute to making a them succeed in school. She difference in the community, believes that having this poaccording to Saroj Jagnern- sition has given her a unique outlook on donating to those in need during the holidays. Monetary “We are a society that puts too much emphasis on help is material things as “happicrucial but ness” in life. Working with the group home students kindness is helps me see how precious our family relationships are or priceless.” should be,” Warren said. “I -Kate Warren think we all need to make an auth, head of the counsel- effort to be giving and kind ing department, those that and realize that these are real are most in need this holiday people that we are caring for season are the students in the and that we ourselves could Deer Valley school district be a step away from being that are in group homes. that person in need. MoneKate Warren, academ- tary help is crucial but kindic liaison clerk for DVUSD, ness is priceless.”

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Continued from Vaping, page 4

“The e-cigarette companies are doing a great job of marketing and promoting that it’s safer and I think that that is dangerous and it makes me nervous,” Brazell said. “It’s false thinking to say it’s safe but probably still safer but choosing the better of two terrible choices probably isn’t good.” As of now, there isn’t enough research on vape pens to actually see the long term effects and because of that, it is seen as the better choice. Debbie Rodrigues, school nurse, sees the growing problem of vape on campus with the number of suspensions that have come up recently. “I don’t really see it as

a good alternative. If you’re inhaling anything into your lungs, it’s going to cause damage. It’s not been out long enough to evaluate it long term and also it’s still addicting,” Rodrigues said. On the other hand, some students do not see the point in vaping, for example, Becca Smith, senior, who wonders what the reasoning behind vaping is. “I think it’s a better alternative to smoking but I still think it’s still stupid. I just don’t see the point,” Smith said. Only time will tell if vaping is actually a sustainable and healthier option for people. Once students turn 18, it is up to them to make the decision.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY VALERIE BOND According to notsosafe.org, tobacco is not found in vape, but you can ﬁnd arsenic, which is found in bug spray, formaldehyde, which is found in dead people, and cadmium, which is found in batteries.

Opinions

Page By 6 SHYANNE COOPER

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December 2015

“Happy Holidays” or “Merry Christmas”? Staff Writer

Santa Claus is not real and It is possible for someone to not be neither is the war on Christmas offended by absolutely everything have remained minimalistic with abto the news and tell them that they

By ABIGAIL GHEJU

Staff Writer

With the holidays right around the corner, many people are eager to celebrate either Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanza. In order to address people with different religions, people use expressions like “Happy Holidays” and avoid explicitly favoring one holiday celebration over another. Lately, there has been controversy over these terms that are religiously ambiguous like “Happy Holidays” or other similar expressions. Many feel that as a country we are straying away from the traditionally Christian saying of “Merry Christmas.” They feel that this is political correctness at play. For example, issues arose with the unveiling of Starbucks’ new holiday cup: a simple red cup with their famous logo. People took to twitter with the hashtag #WarOnChristmas. Ironically, Starbucks has never featured anything related to Christmas(in the Christian traditional sense) on their cups but rather the cups were decorated with snowflakes and snowmen. For the past two years, the cups

stract designs and winter themes but not directly focused on Christmas. This whole issue is ridiculous. It’s literally a cup and people were so quick to claim it was an attack on their personal beliefs. My whole problem with this is that the holidays don’t mean only Christmas. Corporations and companies are simply trying to respect other people’s religious beliefs. There are huge amounts of people jumping on a bandwagon with Donald Trump leading it called “I Criticize Political Correctness To Downplay My Bigotry.” I’ve heard so often how people in this country are so sensitive and political correctness is the downfall of America. Honestly, there shouldn’t even be a term for literally respecting people’s own religion, race, gender etc. It’s quite a simple thing to do. Critics hide behind their attacks of PC so that they can freely express their bigoted beliefs and so if you call them out on their prejudices they can say “Oh, come on with this politically correct.” It all boils down to the simple fact that we should respect people. The holidays are supposed to be a time of family and togetherness where we are grateful for what we have and cherish the ones we love most. There isn’t any point in being bitter and petty over an issue that in all honesty is nonexistent. Let’s enjoy this upcoming month and respect that people will be celebrating whatever they want to.

By MARC BRETZ Staff Writer

It’s that time of year again! The holidays are coming up and many people are ready to celebrate Christmas, Kwanza and Hanukah. But, it’s also 2015, and that means this was the year that Americans (sorry if I angered anybody by saying the word American) were offended by absolutely anything ranging from gender to race to ethnicity and most importantly their religious beliefs. People nowadays are so focused on being politically correct that they forget what really matters and that there are beliefs besides theirs. For example, if I say “Merry Christmas” (sorry again if I offended you) to somebody, I guarantee that they will say either “thank you” or “Merry Christmas” right back to me. They may have had other religious views and may not celebrate Christmas, but do you know what the best part was? The fact that they walked away after whatever they said to me and continued on their way. They were not quick to criticize me and run

were angered. If you’re just being a nice, cheerful person and saying “Merry Christmas” to random people walking down the street, then you have your right and are well within the First Amendment. Obviously, everybody has their own religious beliefs because this is the United States of America and that means people’s religious views are protected by the First Amendment. The First Amendment states “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Our Constitution says nothing about being politically correct or upset that somebody said something “offensive”, but it does say three important words, freedom of speech. Regardless of whatever somebody says to you regarding the holidays, you should give them the proper respect back. If a comment does become offensive and you become angry, you say thank you or don’t even respond. It’s as simple as that and you continue on whatever you were doing. Hopefully, Americans in the year 2016 will stop becoming a nation where people are offended by everything.

Artists singing the blues because of Spotify By HAYLEY WHITE

Staff Writer

The Talon

Since Adele released 25 on Nov. 20, there has been speculation that she will not put the album on free streaming services. She would be joining artists like Taylor Swift, Coldplay, The Black Keys and Beyoncé, who have previously pulled their music from Spotify’s website.

The Talon is published as a forum for student opinion at Sandra Day O’Connor High School: part of the Deer Valley Unified School District. Letters to the editor must be signed and dropped off in Room 400-SE, e-mailed or mailed. Letters may be edited for content and/or space consideration. Obscene or libelous statements will not be printed. Opinions reflected here are of those of The Talon staff and do not reflect the Deer Valley Unified School District.

I do not understand why artists would take their music off free-streaming services like Spotify or Pandora. It is a way for new fans to listen without having to pay for the entire album. I think that this is key for making fans who would later buy their music or merchandise. With over 10 million us-

editor-in-chief:

Bailey Brammer

soft news editor:

announcements director:

Emily DiTomasso*

Jasmine Black

sports editors:

media producers:

Alexa Fuenmayor Colby Wyatt

Josh Dreiling Grahm Kenobbie Tanner Webdale

copy chief:

Kayci Riggs design chief:

Valerie Bond

ers, Spotify is a service that allows the user to listen to songs or albums without having to buy them, and is popularly used among teens and adults alike. It is an opportunity for artists to gain new fans through this site. On Spotify, people can use the free option, or can pay $9.99 a month for advertisement-free music. This is where Spotify makes the majority of its gross income to pay artists royalties. According to The Business Insider, “Spotify pays to rights holders between $0.006 and $0.0084 in per-song fees.”

This seems like a meager amount but out of Spotify’s $720 million of annual gross revenue, they pay a supposed 70% of it in royalties, according to The Business Insider. Though artists do not make much money from the Spotify royalties, they make millions off of album sales, advertisements, merchandising, and concert sales. In a world where people already steal music, what is the problem in using Spotify to advertise their music and reach an audience of over 10 million people while getting paid? It seems like a much better option.

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PHOTO COURTSEY OF SPOTIFY The logo for Spotify may just be a small, green circle, but this little image has eclipsed all other forms of consuming music since the start of the decade.

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OC Sounds Off:

December 2015

By SHYANNE COOPER

By ALEXA FUENMAYOR

By TREY ESPINOZA

By KAYCI RIGGS

What subject has the most stressful final and why?

Hands down, science has the most stressful final because not only do you have to memorize processes and chemical equations for multiple choice questions, but you also have to write about it all on the written portion.

Math, because of the amount of memorization and work that goes into solving problems. I will often work on a problem for twenty minutes and I always seem to forget what formula goes to what.

This year, I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to struggle with any one final in particular, I kind of end up just stressing for all of them at the same time.

I personally struggle in AP Government. It would be loads easier if the topics were narrowed down, but the sheer amount of information makes me feel like I’m drowning in court cases and political terms.

What is your opinion on Black Friday?

I went Black Friday shopping for the first time this year and I’m not impressed. I’d rather ditch the lines and wait till Cyber Monday where I can get the same sales from the comfort of my bed.

You seem to be able to find better prices on Cyber monday, and going to a store on Black Friday can be stressful… I save the most money on Black Friday by not buying anything.

I went last year and the amount of people that were out stressed me out so much that I’ll probably never do it again. I don’t even like shopping that much on a normal day.

I’ve never gone, and I never will. Who wants to waste tons of time in line and almost get trampled by stampedes of people just to save a little money? No, thank you.

My favorite seasonal song is the classic All I Want for Christmas is You by Mariah Carey.

Let It Snow! by Frank Sinatra is probably my favorite song and it’s always a classic. There is so many good seasonal songs it’s hard to really say for certain which song is my favorite.

Definitely Christmas Eve/Sarajevo by Trans-Siberian Orchestra. That song just gets me pumped. That song can get me into the Christmas spirit no matter what I’m doing.

I can’t choose a favorite! I love everything from classic Silent Night to energetic Jingle Bell Rock, and even the goofy ones like I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas. You can’t go wrong with Christmas music.

What is your favorite seasonal song?

Sports Editor

Copy Chief

Staff Writer

Editorial: Semester finals rip off bitter band-aid Teachers and students shift blame for a shared problem

The end of the first semester is always a unique mix of holiday cheer and finals fear. Students are desperate for their Winter Break by mid-December and often begin to stress themselves out far too much. With the stress of final grades and massive exams comes a whole load of blame, most of which is shifted, unfairly, onto teachers. However, no solution can eliminate inevitable frustration over any given final. This is where understanding is needed from students that teachers are not out to ruin their holiday season. Teachers also need to remember that students are balancing between four and six finals at one time, so just a little leniency can go a long way. Students must realize that teachers are not designed to walk them through finals, and sometimes they need to take matters into their own hands. The purpose of finals is to assess what students have collectively learned throughout the semester, not how well the teacher can spoon feed them information. Yes, teachers need to prepare students to a point and not completely abandon them, but there should be no tears shed just because your teacher did not tell you every question that’s on the final and guarantee you an A.

The main source of student frustration over being so “unprepared” for finals centers around the fact that they procrastinate in studying for these large tests. Procrastination is a difficult habit to break, but students who suffer from it need to take responsibility for their actions. If a student is given an assignment, it is not the teacher’s job to completely guide them and make sure it is turned in on time. It is the student’s choice whether

ARTWORK BY VALERIE BOND they do the assignment early or wait until the night before to start. Many student’s blame the teachers for their failures, but they need to realize that it is their fault for not doing the assignment to their full potential. Part of the problem with the teacher-student relationship is the lack of understanding on the students’ end that teachers are people

too. The expectation of having everything graded immediately or getting something done specifically for one student is unrealistic. Of course, we would all like to see our tests put into the gradebook when teachers say they will, but it’s not fair to them to treat them like it’s their fault all of the time, especially seeing as we have no clue what is going on in their personal life to cause a difficulty with getting work done. However, this is not to say that teachers don’t have a sizable end of the bargain to hold up as well. A common complaint of students is that their teachers deprive them of the necessary information for success. On the contrary, some teachers hand over all of the answers, leaving no room for students to learn the material for themselves and inevitably hurting them when it comes time for finals. Teachers need to find some sort of middle ground, where they provide enough information for students to master the subject but don’t hand out answers like candy on Halloween. Though the line is fine, many teachers are so far off of it that they fail to properly prepare their students. This failure leads to frustration from both teachers and students, and each will blame

the other for their deficit. The inherent problem of this endless “blame game” is a lack of balance and understanding. When there is such a variety between classes over

“

The purpose of finals is to assess what students have collectively learned throughout the semester, not how well the teacher can spoon feed information to them.”

how much or how little information about the final that students get, it is impossible to predict how to prepare for each class. Far more unity is crucial in the entire system of final exams. There should be clear guidelines as to what every student can expect from these all important tests. With a little compromise from both sides, everyone can be on their way to their winter dreams much quicker.

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Everyone at OHS has a story. Here you will see a glimpse into the life of students, teachers or faculty members. All interviews and pictures are done by Jasmine Black, Announcements Director and creator of OC Captured.

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Autumn Webb, freshman

Jessy Richards, senior

Allie Brammer, junior

Collin Bushnell and Courtney Schrade, seniors “In today’s society when people think of the word ‘sport’ they think difficulty. And that’s not how it should be seen. Band and sports are both difficult, it’s just different. (Bushnell) “It pushes you in completely different ways and is essentially comparing a carrot to an apple.” (Schrade)

Kia Fernandez, senior

“I’m not afraid to be myself. I feel like in high school everyone tries to be someone else, but I’m like, “This is me.” I’m very loud when I want to be, and blunt, I’m just real.”

Taimoor Faizi and Dennis Strieter, juniors

“I’ve been doing MMA, Jiu-jitsu and kickboxing for a while. I think I’m the only girl that competes in this district at tournaments. Getting your hand raised is the best feeling in the world, it really is.”

“Some people think that we as a generation are too offended, but I think people are too disrespectful. I used to be very timid and introverted and wouldn’t talk a lot, but when I came to O’Connor I wasn’t afraid to do or say things that set me apart from everyone else.”

Riley Chavez, junior

Jayce Easley, sophomore

Courtney Rosenow, freshman

“I don’t really look at the negative side of things, I just focus on the positive. This kind of mindset started freshman year, I just stopped caring about small things so much and knew that everything happens for a reason.”

“Be kind to everyone. You don’t know what people are going through, like everyone has problems and issues, and I think that’s the best quality you can have. With everything going on in the world today, it makes you stop and think, and want to be nice to everyone.”

“I’m very outgoing, I like to speak to anyone and try to build them up, and I’m not afraid to talk to people. Some people do build up walls to others, but I tend to be loud and outgoing and that definitely makes me different than most people.”

“I’m an only child and I’m really close to my mom. It’s always been just her and I. My mom’s always been there for me and I’ll always be there for her. Being the man of the house it definitely made me more mature and that I needed to grow up faster.”

Grace Lyons, sophomore

Cole Clark, freshman

Mackayla Lewandowski, senior “We’ve been friends since freshman year, it started in Cunningham’s room. We wanted to have a clothing line sophomore year and it was more of this funny idea. Then, about two months ago we came up with the name “Coastal Rejects” and we just designed a couple shirts and instantly thought “woah people would buy these.-”

“There’s a lot of other musicians and writers out there that have the same interests as me, but a lot of my interests move to worship music and writing about Christ. I’ve been a Christian my whole life, but having this passion didn’t really start until recently, since I didn’t have the freedom or the time to do it. In high school you get a lot more opportunities.”

“My views are a bit different, most kids like going out to parties and doing all this social stuff but I don’t. I like having a smaller group of friends and just do nothing, just stay in. I don’t care what people think of me, I won’t associate with them if they put me down. After college I would like to be a lead artist for a game company, like the game art branch. Maybe open up a small business with a friend, make little knick-knacks.”

“Sports is my lifestyle, its been that way ever since I was little, so I’m used to always competing. The state championship game last year was such an exciting experience, especially being able to play on the field. The entire time I just wanted to have fun, and when we actually won, it didn’t feel real.”

Arts & Entertainment

Page 10

thetalonohs.com

December 2015

PHOTOS BY ETHAN GILCHRIST The OHS dace took the stage on Dec. 2 for their concert “OC Dance Paint the Stage” “Honestly my favorite part is being backstage with the girls before they go on and seeing how excited they are to get ready to go and perform and I love just talking with them and bonding with them.” said Kristen Lucero, dance director. Below:Azia Deckwa and Madison Lynch, juniors, performing at the concert.

Student dancers paint the stage with sucess By ETHAN GILCHRIST

Hard News Editor

The lights have been turned down and the dancers are trying to settle down, Kristen Lucero, dance director, has just finished her introduction to the audience. The nervousness is keeping everyone on their toes. The curtain lifts, lights turn on, and the girls and boys of OHS Dance give everything they have and then some for every minute of the concert. Wednesday Dec. 2 was opening night for the OHS

Dance class, that performed in their Paint the Stage concert. This concert came after rigorous training for all of the first semester. “Ms. Lucero has five or six classes and she has to choreograph all those dances. She has a little help from the performance girls, because they can choreograph their own (dances),” said Emily Hutton, junior advanced/intermediate dancer. “There’s definitely a lot of work put into the show by several different people.” Despite the large risks going in, the concert exceeded

expectations. “I was really nervous that I was going to forget stuff,” Hutton said. “(I expected) we were going to do well and we exceeded my expectations even though I was nervous, I was going to mess up or someone in the group was going to mess up.” The Paint the Stage concert was a thrilling event for the dance students and the audience at OHS. This concert sends a message and Lucero hopes that message is a positive one.

“I hope that (people) see these kids are given (an) experience that they might not ever have again,” Lucero said. “(For some) this (will be) their only experience on stage dancing and I want the audience to know they are really up there gaining an appreciation for performing arts and learning professionalism.” While dance is just coming off their concert, Choir and Band have upcoming concerts with the former on

Dec. 9 and the latter on Dec. 10. Both programs are also heading full force into their second semester with big upcoming events. “(Second semester) I’m looking forward to preparation to sing at Carnegie Hall. Choir is traveling to New York and we have a scheduled performance on April 3rd,” said Cindy Durazo, choir director. “It’s a very big trip, a once in a lifetime opportunity, and it really is special.”

By VALERIE BOND

Hutcherson for his astounding performance during Peeta’s episodes of psychotic rage against Katniss. Sutherland did an amazing job as well, portraying Snow as the evil, masochistic piece of trash he is. The graphics and emotional scenes were also done impeccably. One of the most impressive computer generated scenes was the attack of mutts while Katniss and fellow troops were infiltrating the Capital through the sewers. This is the scene in which the beloved Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin) was lost in a swarm of mutts which Katniss had to solemnly explode. One of the best parts of the movie was how closely it followed the book which included the closing scene of Peeta and Katniss after the war, which was my favorite scene out all the books and movies. Now for the bad. As much as I love Finnick and

Annie’s story line, I was not a fan of the location and randomness of the wedding scene. I understand that the scene was supposed to supply a break from the war around them but it honestly was not a cohesive transition. Also I am so not a big fan of exploding children. I never liked that scene in the book and I definitely was not pleased with viewing it either. After the explosion, we see Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) for the last time after he admits that the bomb that killed Katniss’s sister, Primrose (Willow Shields), may have been his idea. Overall, the conclusion to the beloved series was a success despite some unfortunate scenes. Francis Lawrence did Suzanne Collins justice in turning her books into a movie series worth viewing.

Hunger Games: No mockery for Mockingjay Design Chief

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIONSGATE

Director Francis Lawrence brought the epic dystopian thriller of The Hunger Games on Nov. 16 to a close with a bang, metaphorically and literally. Warning: the following review may include spoilers, so proceed with caution. Immediately, I knew I was going to enjoy the movie because they did not waste any time jumping back into the story by showing Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) readjusting after her strangulation enacted by Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). I am big fan of the fierceness that Lawrence is able to portray. No doubt, she comes back fierce as ever with a drive to kill the man who has put Peeta and her in danger time and time again, President Snow (Donald Sutherland). I would like to also praise

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December 2015

The force awakens in eager Star Wars fans By KAYCI RIGGS

Copy Chief

The wait for the new Star Wars movie ends on Dec. 18 and fans couldn’t be more delighted. With the first movie being released in 1977 and the last one being released in 2005, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been a long time coming. Many of the most dedicated fans have grown up watching Star Wars. Not many groups of fans can say that they fell in love with it as fast as their parents did, but these fans can. And it’s that continuous love for the franchise that has made this new movie so exciting. The best part is that it isn’t going to stop with one movie either. According to Starwars.com, the franchise intends to continue with a new series of movies, starting with Rogue One which is

slated for a December 2016 release. A continuation of the original movies is also rumored to be in the works, as well as animated series’ like Star Wars: Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels that currently air on Disney XD, all thanks to the semi-recent purchase by Disney. So it’s safe to say that fans have a lot to look forward to, whether they are four or 40. That’s one of my favorite parts about the Star Wars franchise, and definitely one of the most admirable. There is something for everyone. Whether you are in it for the sci-fi, or the action, or simply the fact that you are a complete nerd, there is always going to be some aspect that you can get excited about. Growing up, Star Wars was always one of those things where I had so much

PHOTO COURTESTY OF FLICKR Stills from the first Star Wars film saga released in 1977 shows Han Solo, Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. second-hand knowledge about the movies that I felt like I understood the characters and the plot even though I had only seen a couple minutes of the movies, and I think that’s entirely due to the culture that surrounds

these movies. Everyone knows R2-D2, how could you not? He’s everywhere. He has been everywhere our entire lives. That is why this movie is so important. It marks a new era in the Star Wars story that was

already known and loved. An era where technology has advanced allowing the movies to be even better.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FRANCE BLEU

Alternative shopping brings more to the table By TREY ESPINOZA Staff Writer

We have all heard of WalMart, Fry’s, Safeway and other big name brand stores and retailers. While these are all great options, with the holiday season coming around, these stores will be crowded and out of stock on a lot of items because of how well-known they are. Here are four places you can do your holiday and everyday shopping at. Cost Plus World Market Located at Happy Valley, this store has a website as well and is a great place to look for a huge range of furniture and supplies. From rugs to jewelry, there is never a shortage of options. World Market’s motto is “unique, authentic and always affordable”. This is very apparent when looking at the quality of their furniture and unique designs on most of their items. Need any sort of home goods? World Market is the place to look. The amount

of options they have is impressive, and there is always something for you. Trader Joe’s Need some turkey for an upcoming thanksgiving feast? Trader Joe’s, located next to Arrowhead Mall is a place to go for any food or drink options you may need. While not entirely unheard of, Trader Joe’s offers tons of amazing deals on a wide selection of fresh meats

and organic fruits and vegetables. Compared to big name stores, Trader Joe’s is a perfect example of substance over style. They have deals that will make you wonder why you were not always shopping there and a fresh organic food taste that will leave you wanting more. 11 Main This company has an online site that has it all-- cloth-

ing, tech, sporting goods and much more, making it the perfect place to buy great gifts for even better prices. 11 Main offers a huge selection of items but the main things are the clothes. They also offer a huge selection of sporting goods and even jewelry. They have everything you need whether you are dressing formally for a big event or getting ready for a

PHOTO BY TREY ESPINOZA. Shoppers can fiulfill their holiday needs at these local stores, which offer a collection of everyday necessities

big fishing trip, 11 Main never has a shortage of options. There is even an impressive amount of tech, ranging from tablet accessories to TV speakers and projectors. Overstock This is a website you can go to for just about anything. It is very similar to Amazon except with even better deals. Compared to Amazon, Overstock has a more consumer friendly interface making it easy to find anything you may need. Need something almost unheard of? Overstock probably has it. With great customer support, you will be able to resolve just about any issues you may have with shipping or the site. Overstock has everything. So when you’re thinking about places to shop, remember these four places for the upcoming holiday season, or even the next time you need anything because these places have a wide range of just about everything coupledwith affordable prices.

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12 December 2015

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Deck the halls with your favorite holiday movies

By EMILY DITOMASSO

Soft News Editor

Watching Christmas movies is a given once the holidays finally arrive. Christmas comes and goes very fast and there is no better way to stop and enjoy the holidays than cuddling up and watching your favorite movies. Here are a couple of movies that I recommend this holiday season: It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) This classic film centers around a man named George Bailey, who is suicidal after his Uncle Billy misplaced a large amount of money, landing him a spot in jail. It’s the night before Christmas and Bailey and his uncle have frantically looked everywhere for the missing money. Feeling defeated, Bailey heads home to only scare his wife (Donna Reed) and his kids by becoming angry about where he is in life After losing hope in finding the money and saving his future, Bailey finds himself walking towards a bridge, ready to end all of his problems. However, before he can do anything, a mysterious man jumps off the bridge into the water, making Bailey go after him. That man just so happens to be, Clarence, his guardian (Henry Travers), who shows him what life would be like without

him. Miracle On 34th Street (1947) After the man who is supposed to play Santa Claus in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving parade is found intoxicated, Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) takes it upon himself to go to Doris Walker, the director of the parade. Kringle finds himself persuaded by Walker into being Santa in the parade and for Macy’s New York store but little does she know that Kringle believes that he is the real Santa Clause. When Walker’s daughter, Susan( Natalie Wood), who has been raised being taught that fairytales aren’t real, sees Kringle, she begins to doubt her lack of faith. This movie is great for getting into the Christmas spirit and helps teach that not everything is what. it seems. Holiday Inn (1942) When Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby) decides to leave hollywood and move to a farm in Connecticut, he finds himself alone without his girlfriend Lila Dixon, who just wasn’t ready to leave her performing life and his partner Ted Hanover (Fred Astaire), the man who took his almost fiance. After discovering that farm work is much more difficult than he thought, Hardy decides to turn the farm into the Holiday Inn. A place of entertainment that is only

PHOTO BY EMILY DITOMASSO open during the holidays. His manager, Danny Reed (Walter Abel), who originally did not agree with the farm, refers Linda Mason (Marjorie Reynolds) to Jim after she begs for a chance in show business.

Hardy realizes how talented she is and falls in love with her along the way. However, when Lila leaves Ted for another rich guy, he arrives to Hardy’s Holiday Inn and drunkenly dances with Linda.

Reed and Hanover are impressed by Linda’s dancing and tries to convince her to become Hanover’s new partner, which leaves Hardy jealous and worried about losing Linda.

Countinued from Depression, page 1 Rodrigues also said that depending on how she feels the situation should be handled, parents and counselors are alerted to the situation. Once the counselors know what is going on, they have very speciﬁc knowledge on how to help the student moving forward. “First, we inform parents. Then we give community resources to parents. Parents in turn, take their child to a facility or a hospital or a treatment area to be evaluated, and then treatment is administered,” Jagernauth said. “During the period of treatment, guidance counsel-

ors are informed, and then we inform teachers to make any kind of accommodation that we may make to make it so a child who has that hardship is able to get back into the stream of school, make up their work and not feel added pressure.” However, Rodrigues said that she must call the crisis team for any student who is thinking of hurting themselves in order to get them immediate assistance. Rodrigues said she calls the crisis team every few weeks about a student. Jagernauth believes that the most prominent step to

take in starting the process is letting an adult around you know. “The most important thing is establishing awareness,” Jagernauth said. “So long as an adult at school is aware, that adult will start the right process.” Santillo feels deeply for the students who may feel scared to make this ﬁrst step. “It totally just breaks my heart that so many people struggle with that and feel like they can’t tell people about it because they’ll be judged,” Santillo said.

PHOTO BY RYAN TEMPLE Self-help pamphlets are always available in the nurse’s ofﬁce whenever students are struggling with an issue. While the pamphlets cover issues including depression and self harm, they do not stop there. Other topics include students dealing with excessive stress, help with dietary habits and several more.

POLITICAL CARTOON BY MARC BRETZ

December 2015

Sports thetalonohs.com

Page 13

New coaching staff motivates Lady Eagles

PHOTO BY ALEXA FUENMAYOR Ready on her feet, Bridgette Buttrum, junior, prepares to get the ball, on Dec. 4. PHOTO BY ALEXA FUENMAYOR During a game against Chandler, Grace Lyons, sophomore, passes the ball to her teammate Kelly Morris, senior, on Dec. 4 By ALEXA FUENMAYOR

Sports Editor

With balls dribbling up and down the gym, the girls’ basketball season has started.

Varsity

For six years, the coaching staff has repeatedly changed, but this year’s coaching staff seems to stick. Maddie Loos, junior, has been on varsity since freshman year and she said this coaching staff is her favorite. “The coaches are really invested in the program this year,” Loos said. Under new head coach Danny Soliman, the team has grown together. “In previous years, the team hasn’t worked together

well but [Coach Soliman] has definitely reigned us in and created us as a team rather than individual aspects,” Loos said. In the Lady Padres Tip Off Basketball Classic Tournament over Thanksgiving Recess, the team won against Desert Mountain, McClintock and South Mountain but fell to Cactus Shadows and Desert Vista. The team opened the season with a loss to Chaparral, 75-38 on Dec. 2, but quickly bounced back with a win over Chandler, 55-43, on Dec. 4.* Despite their difficult schedule this year, Loos believes the team will do better than previous years and has a definite chance in making it to playoffs.

The JV team was also affected by the new coaching staff. “New staffing means new plays and what we learned last year is not important anymore, but we’re adjusting well,” said Victoria Padaguan, sophomore. With some girls moving straight up from freshman to varsity and players not returning this year, the JV team is comprised of a whole new group of athletes. “I hope we learn to play together as a team since some of us have never played together before,” Padaguan said. JV kicked off their season with a win over Chaparral, 50-35, on Dec. 2, but lost

PHOTO BY ALEXA FUENMAYOR Danny Soliman, head coach, instructs his players from the sidelines on Dec. 4. their game on Dec. 4 to Chandler, 49-29.

Freshmen

Being the new kids of the girls’ basketball program is a challenge, but the freshmen team have executed this with no problem. The team won against Chaparral, 41-9, on Dec. 2

and Chandler, 42-35, on Dec. 4. *Since the Talon went to the printer, the girls’ basketball team has had games against Red Mountain, Mesquite, Alhambra and Xavier Prep. You can check out the scores on azpreps365.com.

Boys’ soccer team aims to capture state ring By COLBY WYATT

Sports Editor

Sacrifice. That is the mindset that the Eagles boys soccer program has going into its’ season. After losing in the state championship last year, they hope sacrifice is the key to winning that final game of the season, and every player is invested in that theme. “Our expectation is sacrifice, doing something for our team that we usually don’t do, or like having our team’s back,” said Philip Denaro, junior. “We’re working our hardest in practice, which will translate to game time and help us.” The Eagles Varsity team is 0-1 on the season, but played their first home game against Chaparral while The Talon was at the printer. They play Ironwood at home tonight and Pinnacle on the

road Friday. “Our main thing we’re working on this year is sacrifice,” said Dylan Ruenzel, junior, “we’re trying to sacrifice for each other on and off the field so hopefully that can bring us together as a team.” This theme was introduced by the coach, Harry Demos, and translates to the players off the field as well. “It’s really relevant to our team because we do sacrifice a lot so we can play,” said Chris Coppola, junior. “We have to sacrifice foods (diets) and sometimes even hanging out with our friends to be at practice.” That goal of a state championship is on all the players’ minds, and it plays a role in how the players approach the season. “I’m looking forward to having a successful year,” Ruenzel said.“We have a lot of young players this year,

and two years ago we made it to the state semifinals, last year we made it to the finals, so I’m looking to try to get a ring this year. We’ve got a great group of hard-working players who all play as a team and we’re really working on character this year.” One hindrance that the team will have to face is the loss of the defending Gatorade Player of the Year Musa Morris once he leaves to enroll at the University of Portland. “Once Musa leaves, we’re going to have to step up and the way we practice is the way we’re going to play,” Denaro said. No matter the circumstances, expect the team to have their sights on a state championship all year long.

Remaining Games: Tue 12/15 - Ironwood (Home) Fri 12/18 - Pinnacle (Away) Wed 1/6 - Horizon (Home) Fri 1/8 - Liberty (Away) Tue 1/12 - Mountain Pointe (Away) Fri 1/15 - Boulder Creek (Home) Wed 1/20 - Millenium (Away) Fri 1/22 - Brophy (Home) Mon 1/25 - Highland (Home) Wed 1/27 - Tolleson (Away) JV games start at 4 p.m. & Varsity at 6 p.m.

The Talon

14 December 2015

thetalonohs.com

Girls’ soccer team kicks off their new season By ALEXA FUENMAYOR

Sports Editor

Cold weather, people huddled together under blankets in the stands and a lot of goals means the girls’ soccer season has begun. Varsity After two years, the varsity team underwent a staffing change and new head coach Josh Gibbs has made a world of a difference. “[Coach Gibbs] is here to help us rather than himself and he wants us to be successful,” said Kennedy Rogers, senior. Even with new players from JV that moved up this year, the close-knit vibe of the team has not been affected. The team has already gained momentum, winning their ﬁrst two games 2-0 against Deer Valley on Dec. 1 and Mountain View on Dec. 3. * “There’s no cliques, we all laugh together and we’re like a family,” Rogers said. The team’s goal is to make it to playoffs, but with new injuries already at the beginning of the season hap-

pening to some of the best players, that hope is a little more fragile. “At the beginning of the season, we felt we could make it to playoffs but now with those setbacks were a little more nervous about it,” Rogers said. JV The JV team started the season off with a huge win over Deer Valley, 15-0, on Dec. 1. “[The win] boosted the energy of the team and brought us closer together,” said Olivia Pribble, sophomore. The team carried on with their schedule, winning against Mountain View 3-1 on Dec. 3. Like varsity, the JV girls also got a new coach. “Our coach is a really motivating coach and brings out the good in anyone,” Pribble said. Last year, the JV team won every game except losing to Pinnacle 4-2. Pribble hopes the team can redeem themselves against Pinnacle and have an undefeated season.

PHOTO BY ALEXA FUENMAYOR The girl’s varsity team stands on the sidelines for the National Anthem before their ﬁrst home game against Deer Valley.

“

We all laugh together and we’re like a family.”

-Kennedy Rodgers

*Since The Talon went to print, more soccer games have already been played against Desert Mountain, Chaparral and Notre Dame Prep. You can check out the scores on azpreps365.com

PHOTO BY ALEXA FUENMAYOR Kylee Irwin, senior, waits for a pass from her teammate in pre-game warm ups.

The future is bright for boys’ basketball teams By COLBY WYATT

Sports Editor

Having an almost entirely new team, with as many freshmen as seniors, the varsity basketball team looks to start building for future success. “Our ﬁrst expectation is that we would just get better,” said Matt King, head coach. “We have a lot of young guys but we've got a lot of great kids, so we expect them to play hard every night” With such a young and inexperienced team, it can sometimes be difﬁcult for the players to mesh together from the start. The varsity team is 1-2 in division play this year, and have a game tonight at home against Cactus Shadows and at Hamilton on Thursday. They played Alhambra while the newspaper was at the print. “We have a lot of new guys who are still trying to get used to each other, but we have really high character guys so I think that’ll develop over time,” said King, about the chemistry. Most players in the program also play for Give-NGo Hoops, a club basketball team that consists of Eagles and future Eagles preparing to play for King in high school. “The more that they can play together, the better,” King said. “A lot of our young kids have famil-

iarity with our guys because they’ve been around them since before they got to high school.” As for the players, they hold themselves to a high standard on and off the court, and expect having a younger team to be beneﬁcial this year. “Our expectation for the year is to play hard, strive to do great things, and essentially we want to make it to the state tournament,” said Carlton Igwe, senior. “We’re more energetic this year and we’re ready to learn.” That idea of playing hard and being willing to learn spreads throughout the entire program. “We want to have a winning record, work hard in

practice, get better every day and work together as a team,” said Jacob Carlisle, junior. “It’s good to ﬁnally put our experience towards school ball.” Freshmen The freshmen team (3-0, at the time of print) embodies that idea of the basketball program being a force to be reckoned with in short time. They are off to a hot start and have transitioned from Give-N-Go into the program seamlessly. “We want to go undefeated” said Matthew Larkin and Justin Bailey, freshmen. “We’ve been playing together since sixth grade but there’s some things we’ve got to work on.”

PHOTO BY JASMINE BLACK Cody Donahue, freshmen, watches on as his teammate’s shot goes in vs. Dobson.

PHOTO BY JASMINE BLACK The freshmen team cheers on their starting ﬁve in the team’s ﬁrst home game

Remaining Schedule Tue 12/15 vs Cactus Shadows Thu 12/17 @ Hamilton 12/26-30 San Diego Under Armour Holiday Classic Wed 1/6 vs Notre Dame Fri 1/8 @ Liberty Wed 1/13 vs Millennium Fri 1/15 @ Boulder Creek Tue 1/19 vs Pinnacle Fri 1/22 vs St. Mary’s Tue 1/26 @ Mountain Ridge Fri 1/29 vs Sunnyslope Wed 2/3 @ Horizon Fri 2/5 @ Brophy Prep Tue 2/9 vs Desert Mountain Fri 2/12

@ Mountain Pointe

The Talon

thetalonohs.com

December 2015

Eagles enter new year with a young team New season of wrestling aims for state despite obstcales in roster By ETHAN GILCHRIST

Hard News Editor

No excuses...Never quit… Who’s next? These team mottos are said all the time in the OHS wrestling room, where wrestlers are pushed until they have nothing left and are completely drained, then they are pushed more. This season the wrestling team faces a new opponent-Inexperience. The team now has mostly freshmen and sophomores with few juniors, seniors, and varsity wrestlers returning. This year will be an uphill battle, but this challenge is not letting the team forget what wrestling means to them and how they can stay on top this season through hard work. Aaron Mayer, junior and returning junior varsity wrestler, does not see this season going the same as the PHOTO BY ETHAN GILCHRIST last considering the team’s Assistant coach Le Roy Rowser and other members watch Raimundo Braddick, sophomore, practice. Braddick was practicing by doing back-bridge stretches big weakness, inexperienced wrestlers. a little bit at the beginning of night, and has to always eat “Last year we took every- the season but as soon as peo- healthy. This same brutal one to state except for two or ple start seeing what varsity practice is what Crawford exthree kids. (This year) at least wrestling is about we should pects of his fellow wrestlers. six or seven of the thirteen be good.” However, he doesn’t see this on varsity can go to state,” State is the goal wrestling practice as stressful. Mayer said. “It’s because last will always strive for. “I feel (practice is) more year we had six seniors and “I want this wrestling of a stress reliever. It takes this year since we’re young- season to go all the way to my mind off all the daily er there’s not going to be as state. We have a stresses, school, family, pretmuch experience. very young team, ty much everything,” said Younger kids are Our biggest but we have a Crawford. “(During practice) often times wressolid team,” that’s when I really have time strength this very tling kids that are said Le Roy to myself to train hard to bejuniors or seniors year is Rowser, assistant come a champion.” on varsity.” coach. “That’s Head coach Adam WeedQuade Merrill, moldability” our goal every en is entering his fourth year sophomore varsity year when we as head coach and has been PHOTO BY ETHAN GILCHRIST wrestler, says the step on that mat, coaching at OHS since the Coach John Devito instructs sophomores Alex Moore and Jaedon Bowman. -Quade Merril to go to state as school opened 14 years ago. team being youngthan anything. It’s not just es, that random student that er is a good and individuals and He says that wrestling is mis- two big strong guys trying to comes to a couple basketball bad thing. as a team.” understood. muscle each other over,” said games a year or soccer what“Our biggest strength Rowser is new to the OHS “Wrestlers are very Merrill. “There’s so much ever the case may be, come to this year is mold-ability be- wrestling family. He brings to smart and it’s not just a barcause we’re a really young the team passion and an in- baric sport that so many peo- technique, so much reaction, a couple wrestling matches,” team so we have a lot of tense hunger to push these ple view it as,” Weeden said. and so much stuff like that, said Rowser. Weeden and Rowser will room for improvement and students to be their best. “It’s actually very much of a that goes into wrestling. So always expect one thing out that’s why being smart and being able to keep up with He also will be as open and chess match, there’s a lot of of each wrestler regardless of education play into that.” the different styles that are coachable as he expects his mental (aspects) that go into experience. Leave it all on the Rowser would like to see thrown at us,” Merrill said. wrestlers to be. it and to go from being a good a rally of support for the mat. “(Our biggest weakness is) Returning junior varsity wrestler to a great wrestler “When a wrestler leaves the same thing, being young wrestler Cruz Crawford goes you’ve got to have the mental wrestling team this year. it all on the mat he is physi“The support (now) is and inexperienced we don’t to practice for two and a half toughness and understanding cally, mentally, and emotiongreat,” Rowser said. “I just have a lot of returning varsi- hours every day, then goes on of all the intellect that goes ally drained, he’s done, he want more students to come ty guys. I think we’ll struggle a one to two mile run every into wrestling and competout and catch a wrestling has nothing left in the tank, ing.” he is exhausted as an athlete, match.” Merrill understands very Rowser wants to see a be it a win or a loss,” Rowser well how much education and bigger crowd at matches this said. “That’s what it’s gowrestling are two pieces of year ing to take, it’s going to take one puzzle. “I want that random heart, desire, a little bit of “The thing with wrestling student that goes to a couple fire, (and) sometimes luck.” is it’s not about your athletic football games a year to come ability,” Merrill said. “I’m to a couple wrestling matchnot super-fast, I can’t jump super high, and a lot of good Wrestlers are wrestlers can’t but wrestling is all about your confidence very smart and and how smart you wrestle.” Merrill adds that there’s it’s not just a more to wrestling than just barbaric sport brute strength. “If you do good in school that so many and you’re a smart kid, you’re people view able to problem solve and difPHOTO BY ETHAN GILCHRIST ferent things like that, you it as.” Reese Ortega, sophomore, wrestles Aaron Mayer, junior, during practice . use that in wrestling more so

“

-Adam Weeden

Oâ€™Connor Yearbook

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