oracle print edition: february 2012

George M. Steinbrenner High School — www.oraclenewspaper.com

ORACLEtheFebruary 2012 - Volume 3, Issue III

HEART TRANSPLANT WAITING LIST

by Savanna Peterson p3

Sports

Twice as Nice:Hooker’s second titlep18

News

Drama’s Davis earns prestigious admissionp4

Opinion

AdvancedDisplacement: Prom, APs collidep7

Plus:Freitas leaves for Lennard p5

Is 16 too young to drive? p8

Battle of the Box Office p13

Winter Sports Rewind p19

Atchison, M.Atencio, A.Barrichello, R.Blea, H.Block, S.Bobby, S.Bohr, N.Bolinger, A.Brandel, G.Broad, E.Buice, T.Burner, G.Cantrell, C.Clarkson, J.Davidson, H.

Dendy, D.Denicola, J.

Dick, P. K.Ebeling, J.

Falconer, M.Feynman, R.Flaugher, A.

Glazier, E.Hagenbuch, B.Hammond, R.

Hawk, G.Kellen, L.

Kollman, H.Laporte, L.

May, J.

DREAMING WITH ABROKENHEART

Open 2February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

Kyle DunnEditor in Chief

Brandon MaurielloNews Editor

Natalie BarmanOpinion Editor

Erica EverettCenterspread Editor

Jeff OdomSports Editor

Jake BittleA&E Editor

Ethan HuberChief Copy Editor

Blake ScherschelWebsite Editor

Kiran ShilaAssistant Website Editor

Rachael LandesPhoto Editor

Megan FordeAssistant Photo Editor

Savanna PetersonBusiness Manager

Editorial Staff

Graphics Department

Frances Miyares

Megan Varde

James FlaskampAdviser

2011-2012 SIPA All-Southern Newspaper>> Review writing, Best of Convention>> Computer graphics, Best of Convention

Writing Staff

Ben SchneiderStaff Writer

Evyn MoonStaff Writer

Gaby MorilloStaff Writer

Kyle Dunn / Editor in Chief

L e t t e r f r o m t h e E d i t o rDespite my six feet and four inches of height, I have zero natural talent for basketball as, oddly enough,

many people assume I do (I’m the one that awkwardly runs around the tennis court). But if there’s one lesson I was ever taught about the sport it’s that you must always pay attention to the rebound.

Perhaps no one understands that importance more than Bailey Hooker who’s made her own personal rebound with a stunning second district victory with the girls basketball team. (Page 18)

But there are those kinds of rebounds that are much different than a streak of victories or a superb record of being the top dog—some not so much stunning as they are miraculous. There’s the nail-biting rebound (sometimes called a recovery) from disaster. The moment of rejuvenation following the quiet hours of anxiety in drab waiting rooms where after hours of watching the clock a doctor may finally come to tell you, “Everything’s going to be all right.” Cameron Cantrell, though, was not the one in the waiting room, but the subject under the knife on the operating table. (Page 3)

Then there are the truly unfortunate rebounds that don’t signal a return to greatness but someone settling into the unexpected or the bizarre like the former Beatles drummer, Ringo Starr who tried to force his own rebound in 2012 with a new album. (Page 12)

But former Beatles aren’t the only revived rock stars on our list, for the power band Van Halen have genuinely melted faces on their return to arenas around the globe in their new album. However, most of them still think they’re 25, and no one can rebound from seeing a wrinkly mess present themselves in skin-tight leather chaps in front of a crowd of thousands. (Page 15)

ONLINECheck out more

stories online from staff blogs, photo galleries and daily news updates.O

www.oraclenewspaper.com

News 3February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

Picture sterile white walls, boring hospital rooms, excessive antibiotics and surgeries. Just a brief glimpse of this seems tragic. Now imagine this

being your lifestyle for almost two months. Sophomore Cameron Cantrell lived it. For his whole life he has suf-fered from a life-threatening illness called Congenital Heart Disease, a disease which he was born with. In order for Cantrell to be healthy, it involved a dauntingly long list for a new heart. Cantrell was in dire need of a new heart, for his own would fail by the age of 15.

“I’ve had five surgeries,” said Cantrell. “I was only three days old when I had my first surgery.”

Cantrell found out from his mother at a young age that he would probably need a new heart at the age of 10.

“I freaked out the moment I heard that. It was so awful, and I was crying,” said Cantrell.

His disease caused side effects such as Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, meaning—in Cantrell’s particular case—that the left and right ventricles (which pump blood to the rest of the body) of the heart did not exist.

The only blood being pumped out of his heart at birth was sent to his lungs and back to his heart. Cantrell also suffered from Pulmonary Stenosis which caused blood to flow into his lungs.

“The blood flowed to my lungs slowly, so it was harder to breathe, and my fingernails were always blue. Not a lot of oxygen was in my blood,” said Cantrell.

When he was born, his aorta and pulmonary arteries were reversed and therefore negatively affected the way his blood flowed.

Throughout his life Cantrell faced many physical and emotional obstacles.

“I couldn’t do things like go to parties try out for the soccer team. I could work out, but it was limited.”

On Nov. 5, after 15 years of living with the disease, Cantrell became too sick to stay at home or to go to school and was hospitalized in the All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. It was there, on Nov. 10, where he found out from one of his cardiologists that he would have to get a heart transplant.

“I knew I was going to get one eventually, but I was just shocked that ev-erything was happening so fast,” said Cantrell.

Cantrell was anxious for the transplant; he came to a realization that his new heart would make his life drastically better.

Having his old heart was like “living with a parasite in-side of me,” said Cantrell. It was always stealing energy from his body to power itself.

“Before the transplant I couldn’t do squat. I was always lightheaded, and there were some days when I just didn’t want to get out of bed.”

Cantrell received the news that doctors had found him a new heart when he was awoken on Dec. 10 at 1 a.m.

“A nurse came in and handed me the phone; it was someone from the transplant team,” said Cantrell. “She said, ‘I think we found the perfect heart for you,’ so they had already called my parents who were on their way.”

Shortly thereafter, Cantrell called his sister and her fi-ancé. They were also shocked that everything was happen-

ing so fast.Cantrell went into sur-

gery the same day at 5 a.m. Two days later he started to wake up.

According to Cantrell, the first few weeks were really hard. Simple things like sleeping were a strug-gle.

“It’s a very painful process. It hurts to walk, it hurts to cough and it hurts to laugh,” said Cantrell.

“I was so doped up on medications, I could barely talk.

My only form of communication was a white board and a marker to write stuff down with.”

Though recovery from the surgery was tough, Cantrell realized how fortunate he was to get a heart as soon as he did.

“I waited 26 days,” said Cantrell. “A lot of people have to wait months or longer, but I was pretty lucky. I was in the hospital for seven weeks, five days and seven hours.”

He left All Children’s on Jan. 3 and was transported to the Ronald McDonald house before finally returning to his home in Lutz on Jan. 13.

Due to the anti-rejection medicine he takes for his new heart, his immune system has been weakened greatly and he can’t risk picking up germs.

“When you get a heart transplant, the first 3 months are critical. If you get sick, you have to go back to the hospi-tal,” said Cantrell.

Before returning to school in fall, he will finish his sophomore year taking Florida Virtual School classes at home.

Once Cantrell is back to full health he has big aspira-tions for his future.

‘My big plans are just getting a good education and maybe try out for soccer. I just want to get healthier and stronger and just have a good life.”

Dreaming with a broken heartSophomore Cameron Cantrell recounts the road to a new heart, life

Sophomore Cameron Cantrell recovers from his heart transplant at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. He was in the hospital for 26 days waiting for a heart before finally receiving a trans-plant on Dec. 10. Cantrell plans on returning to school next year.

Courtesy of the Cantrell Family

“Before the transplant I couldn’t do squat. I was always lightheaded, and there were some days when I just didn’t want to get out of bed.” —Cameron Cantrell

Senior Staff WriterSavanna Peterson


Come August, when graduated seniors venture off to state colleges and universi-ties, senior Daniel Davis will be moving over 1,000 miles to Montclair, NJ.

Davis will attend Montclair State Uni-versity as a part of their prestigious musi-cal theatre program which has produced famous alumni such as actors Jason Biggs from the American Pie comedy series and Bruce Willis who has starred, among many others, in the Die Hard franchise.

According to Davis, the Montclair State Musical Theatre program he was accepted into is one of the top twelve musical theatre schools in the nation. Over 1,500 people audition each year and approximately 18-24 are accepted.

“It was very nerve-wracking because I had to go all the way up to New Jersey for it,” said Davis.

Davis has dreamed of being a Mont-clair Red hawk since he was seven years old and traveled to visit the school with his parents—both of whom are alumni.

“I saw it the first time and I knew I loved it,” said Davis.

Davis, who was drawn to Montclair due to its proximity to New York City (it’s only 12 miles away), auditioned on Nov. 19.

The audition included an hour of ballet dancing, an hour of jazz dancing, sing-ing two songs and performing two mono-logues.

“I sang ‘My Friends’ from Sweeny Todd and ‘What Do I Need With Love’ from Thoroughly Modern Millie,” said Davis.

Though difficult, all his hard work paid off when he was informed Dec. 5 of his ac-ceptance.

“It was funny because it was my dad who got the mail, and I was doing chores all day long. He got the mail at 1 p.m. and didn’t tell me until 4 p.m., so I was really mad at him for holding it for that long without giv-ing it to me,” said Davis “I freaked out and went and called all my family, my friends and all my parents’ friends in Jersey.”

According to Davis, he will be attending the school for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre and will most likely mi-nor in education at Montclair.

His major, which is 192 credits (98 for

musical theatre and 94 for general educa-tion) has an acceptance rate of less than 3 percent.

“They have really great training. I went and saw a couple of shows there ,and ev-eryone is really professional,” said Davis.

Davis has very high expectations for his time at Montclair and his future afterwards.

“I know I’m going to be with fun people. I expect to work in a really professional en-vironment, though, which is really big to me.”

After graduation, Davis plans to move to New York City where he’ll try to “make it” as an actor.

Knowing that the average actor makes around $34,000 a year and “very few people make it to Broadway,” Davis has a backup plan.

“I’m going to, of course, hold another job between auditions. If it’s bartending, then it’s bartending. Everyone who per-

forms, unless they’re really big, holds a second job,” said Davis. “It’s a hard life.”

With Davis’ relentless passion and pro-fessionalism for Musical Theatre on stage and in life, some might assume he’s had years of training and coaching.

Davis, however, has a secret.“To this day I have never had formal

training.”With a laugh, Davis says college is for

getting the actual music training.“I couldn’t tell you a thing about music

theory, but I can sing a song and make you feel things.”

This self-taught performer started Musi-cal Theatre as a freshman at Alonso High School where he landed the role of Zeke in High School Musical. The show, while not being one of Davis’ favorites, proved to be a catalyst. From that point on, he landed a role in every play he ever auditioned for. After two years at Alonso, he departed for

Steinbrenner.“I left a really good program but came

to an even better one,” said Davis. “The people here are better, and I’m not even talking just more talented. They’re better people and are so dedicated.”

Davis has been here for two years and has played many leads such as the Emcee in Cabaret, Mr. de Bonnefoi in The Imagi-nary Invalid and the Pirate King in the re-cently produced The Pirates of Penzance. He has also done sound for the Talent Shows and the play The Crane Wife.

Though his high school musical theatre career is winding down, Davis has been incredibly influenced by the Theatre Direc-tor Lindsay M. Painter and his fellow cast mates.

With his hardworking attitude and dedi-cated lifestyle, Davis has high hopes for transitioning from his high school legacy to Broadway.

Savanna PetersonSenior Staff Writer

Drama star earns reputable admissionSenior Daniel Davis will take his acting talent to Montclair State University in New Jersey, a school known for jumpstarting the careers of multiple Hollywood actors

Senior Daniel Davis (right center) acts as the Pirate King in the Drama production The Pirates of Penzance. Davis has been a part of other plays such as High School Musical and Cabaret. He is at-tending Montclair State University in August to be a part of their musical theatre program.

Courtesy of Lissa Hatcher


NEWS BRIEFSHistory teacher Kelly Miliziano was shocked to

hear that she was under attack by numerous anti-Mus-lim parties after Council on American Islam Relations (CAIR) member Hassan Shibly spoke to her AP World History class about Islam in November.

“It’s one of the religions that students have a lot of misconceptions about, so when that happens, as a world history teacher, my goal is to make it more un-derstandable,” said Miliziano.

Led by politician David Caton, a wave of anger was directed at Miliziano. Additionally, one of her student’s parent called the school to complain, and letters were sent to the county (both for and against Miliziano).

According to Miliziano, Shibly was brought into the class to reinforce the curriculum.

“I could say the same information Shibly said, and they could read it in their textbook, but having a per-son in front of them explaining it often helps them re-

late to the material, learn it better and understand it better,” said Miliziano.

The information Shibly presented could also be integral to the students’ success on the exam, according to Miliziano.

“There’s a DBQ (Document Based Question) on Islam that students have done in past years, and I think they have a better understanding of what Muslims believe. If they were asked to compare and contrast Islam to Judaism and Christi-anity they’d be able to do that,” said Miliziano.

Caton’s Florida Family Association didn’t have the same perspective as Miliziano. The organization felt that Shibly was a radical Muslim, and Miliziano needed to either discon-tinue his visits or bring in other speakers that could “oppose” Shibly’s view.

However, according to Miliziano, she had planned other speakers prior to the beginning of the school year by sched-uling a Catholic priest and attempting to contact somebody from the Budhist temple. However, World History teacher Shelli Barton did not receive a response from the temple.

Along with her word, the school board has also backed Miliziano up publicly, according to a Tampa Bay Times re-port.

Whatever the case, Miliziano doesn’t regret her decision.“I want a guest speaker during these few weeks we study

Islam. (Next year) I would invite whoever was able to come.”Brandon Mauriello / News Editor

Muslim appearence results in anger, confusion

Late in January, Assistant Principal of Student Af-fairs Mary Freitas, formerly of Sickles, announced that she would be leaving the school for a new job.

“I got a promotion to become Assistant Principal of Curriculum at Lennard High School,” said Freitas.

Freitas said she sees the opportunity as a new challenge for her.

Freitas says her time at the school was interesting because she already knew many of the students and staff from Sickles.

“There are great teachers and a great administra-tive staff here,” said Freitas. She then added, “The kids here are great. They’re hardworking, academi-cally motivated and just generally positive, so I’m going to miss that.”

Freitas’ last day on campus was Feb. 3.Jake Bittle / A&E Editor

Assistant principal Freitas leaves for Lennard High

For in-depth versions of these sto-ries and other web exclusive content, visit us on the web at oraclenews-paper.com/category/news

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Opinion 7February 2012 oraclenewspaper.comStaff Editorial

SENIORSSPEAK

“If we fail the exam because we’re having a good time prom weekend, it will be a waste of an academic year.”

Chase Funk

“I wasn’t going to study on Sat-urday anyway. There’s no point cramming for AP Physics two days before the exam.”

Michael Mann

Prom, AP exams compete for students’ attention

As the (somewhat) cold weather slowly disappears and spring flowers bloom in Lutz once

again, the long-awaited prom season takes hold over high school students. Talk of extravagant dresses, unforeseen dates and ideal picture locations flood the school hallways as the dreamy night draws closer. This year, however, the usual prom haze will be accompanied by stress and anxiety over AP exams, which are being held the week both before and after prom.

The reasons behind holding prom on such a controversial date are legitimate ones. According to senior class sponsor Kathy Jones (who is also an AP teacher), “May is the culmination of senior social season”, so it is the ideal month for prom. With Grad Bash on April 21, having prom on May 5 would be too soon to hold an-other extremely expensive event. May 19 would also be problematic since seniors’ last day is May 21, so there would not be

AGREE 12 DISAGREE 4

time to hand back items that were left at the event. In addition, AP testing was pushed back roughly a week this year (May begins on a Tuesday and AP exams are always the first and second full week of the month) which complicates matters even further. These factors led to Jones’ final decision to have prom in between two of the worst weeks of the year.

“(Students) can study for AP exams on Sunday,” said Jones. She said that few seniors complained last year when Grad Bash was held on the Friday before AP ex-ams began.

While all these reasons explain why the date was selected, they fail to address the implications prom will have on dedicated AP students. Prom activities stretch far be-yond the four hour event. Girls, who have been taught since elementary school days that prom is the night of all nights, often spend hours getting their nails done, do-ing their hair, putting on makeup and so

on. Many male attendees also need to have several hours available for pictures and a prom dinner. All these festivities take away from valuable time otherwise spent study-ing.

The week preceding prom might feel the negative effects of this highly anticipated event as well. Students may find them-selves daydreaming about the night they have waited for their entire high school ca-reer during an AP test- or during several-, which would be a major distraction from the all too important exam in front of them.

Despite these arguments, it is too late for change now. Concerned seniors who feel stressed out by the looming prom date should make the best of the situa-tion. Getting an early start on AP studying would alleviate the pressure shrouding that weekend. It is still prom, and although it is not on the most carefree weekend, Jones assures seniors it will be “the best Stein-brenner prom yet”.

“I don’t want to worry about my AP Biology exam during prom. It’s just not right. All we want to do is have fun.”

Claudia Campos

Voice your opinion at www.oraclenewspaper.com/category/opinion

“I always imagined it would be more lively.”Graphic by Megan Varde

Opinion 8February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

the extra years of experience just to be sure they know what they are doing. I person-ally would be nervous if I was driving a car full of people as soon as I got my license.

Experience is key to driving. People always say they know what they are do-ing just because they passed a license test. However, most teens would not know how to react to surprises on the road.

To put driving statistics into perspec-tive, people are allowed to buy a gun at the age of 18, which, according to NPR, only kills 10,000 people each year. Auto acci-dents cause over 20 times the amount of deaths as a gun. Extending the driving pe-riod could potentially lower this number of deaths in auto accidents.

Former Florida State Sen. Burt Saunders agrees with the idea of changing the driving age. “(16-year-olds) are nine times more likely to have an accident than 17-year-olds,” said Saunders. Saunders told Naples News in 2006 that he wants teens that have after school activities to get to where they need to be safely.

Driving takes a lot of responsibility. Drivers have their lives and other people’s lives in their hands. Kids should keep this in mind before rushing to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get their license.

I cringe at the thought of hav-ing to wait another year to be able to drive. I’ve been ready and patiently waiting since I was 13. Another two years may not seem like a lot, especially to someone who makes all the laws but hasn’t been in a high school in 40 years,

but it is. Still, calls to raise the minimum driving age to 18 have been going on for years now.

Experience, or lack there of, seems to be a common concern with teenage drivers. The fact that new drivers

Every year, 260,000 people between the age of 16 and 18 die in an auto accident in the United States. Over 50 percent of those people were driving with a first time driver, according to National Public Radio (NPR). These horrifying statistics show the result of driv-ing at such a young age.

There have been too many stories about first-time drivers at the age of 16 dying in auto accidents. Whether it has to do with texting, talking or even turning the radio volume higher, 16-year-olds need to have more experience behind the wheel.

Teens want their license as soon as pos-sible. But think of a friend or relative get-ting into a car accident because of a driver that was not 100 percent ready or prepared for the open road. Young drivers should get

may not be able to identify or handle potentially danger-ous situations is just something that’s inherent to a new driver, no matter how old they are. The problem is that experience is commonly confused with maturity, which is understandable because they often go hand in hand. It’s hard to conduct studies on this sort of thing, so there aren’t a whole lot of statistics out there that would indicate either is more or less influential in regard to driving ability.

The greatest problem with a higher driving age is it’s im-plications not only on students, but parents as well. It im-mediately eliminates most sophomore and junior drivers, along with a number of seniors. All those students would now have to find another way of getting to school, whether it be a bus (which some neighborhoods don’t have), car-pooling, biking or walking. In addition, the availability of parents in the morning is limited for many. That’s just get-ting to school. Even if an adult could take them, if the adult

Pro/Con

Is 16 too young?In light of the parking lot issues (pg 10 & 11) Oracle staffers took a look at the pros and cons of li-censing teens at age 16.

Gaby MorilloStaff Writer


works, there’s no guarantee he or she would be able to pick the student up. Oh, and all those extracurricular activities, like practice for sports or band, club meetings and things like ELP would certainly complicate things. Not to men-tion trying to maintain a job, which would be completely out of the question if you couldn’t get to and from it with-out depending on someone else for a ride.

Nor is Tampa as a city very cooperative due to its spread out nature. It’s utterly miserable to live in this city and not be able to drive, especially in Lutz, where biking or walk-ing are rarely ever viable options. And of course, Tampa’s mass transit system is pretty much a joke. Not as if we had access to it from up here anyway.

The calls by lawmakers, lobbyists, those who conduct studies, and concerned parents alike to lower the driving age are reasonable and perfectly understandable. Howev-er, it’s simply far too late for this kind of change.

Yes: Increase the driving age to 18

No: Too late for change

One doesn’t have to go far to see the perks and problems of teenage driving- just take a stroll in the stu-dent parking lot. From drivers who weasle through the traffic to teens who wait for the lot to empty out, The Oracle captured the beauty- and perils- of teenage driving in this collection of photographs.

Natalie Barman / Oracle

Opinion 9February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

Oracle Inbox

The Oracle Editorial PolicyThe Oracle is published by the newspaper staff at Steinbrenner High School: 5575 Lutz Lake Fern Road, Lutz, Florida, 33558The Oracle works under the SPJ Code of Ethics, Which has been set down as our journalistic standard. The staff believes in free-

dom of the press, honesty, accuracy, impartiality, decency and equality: We will be observing these at all times. Alll the editorials will be backed up with facts and research. Staff editorials will never be by-lined, because they represent the opinion of the staff as a whole.

Money for the publication of The Oracle will come from advertising sales. Any advertising rates are available upon request by calling the Steinbrenner newspaper staff at (813) 792-5131, ext. 258. Advertising which promotes illegal products under Florida law, opposes any religion or is of any sensitive nature will not be accepted.

The Oracle is established as an open forum for student expression as outlined in the Student Press Law Center’s model guidelines for student publications. Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the faculty and administration of Stein-brenner High School, but rather of the author or of the newspaper staff and its editors. As student journalists, the staff occasionally commits errors,; however, we will always correct the errors in an honest and timely manner.

The Oracle welcomes letters to the editor on topics of interest to Steinbrenner High School and its surrounding community. We also welcome contributions from writers not associated with the newspaper staff. All letters submitted to the editor will require the signature of those who submitted them. All contributions need to be turned into Mr. Flaskamp in room 215.

The Oracle is affiliated with the following organizations:

Seriously, tell us what you’re thinking.

Share your opinion.

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Comment on our site: www.oraclenewspaper.com

“Proposed abortion amendment hits home”I would have been happier if both arguments on abortion were expressed rather than just arguments against it. I think that if a woman is not prepared mentally or financial-ly for a baby, the child would be worse off in an orphanage than not existing. To anyone who belives in reincarnation, the child could be reborn into a much better. Also, most high school students, whether sexually active or not, do not have the experience to decide whether or not a child should be kept or aborted. Until you have lived on your own and had to support yourself financially, a person does not have the wisdom to form an accurate opinion on the subject.

Freshman Carli Blanchard

“Rick Scott Affects Students’ Proposed Majors” (College majors) shouldn’t be an either/or choice. The people who can help make the biggest difference in so-ciety need to be balanced. You may be able to create a rocket, but lack the artful skills to inspire any one to ever build it. You may create a beautiful painting, but that is not going to save the life of a child needing a cure for cancer.

Freshman Sean Boylan

“Controversy over Muslim speaker in world his-tory classes”The purpose of classes like AP World History is to educate and inform students on the world and cultures around us. This includes religions. In America, we take pride in al-lowing freedom of press, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Yet, we freak out when our children get near a person of Middle Eastern descent? I thought we lived in a country where adults are mature enough to tolerate differ-ent religions. By protesting this speaker, we are teaching America’s youth to be afraid of those who are different from us. Instead of overreacting, we should teach chil-dren about other religions and explain the views of people around us to help them understand others.

Sophomore Sam Bequer

Less is more with block schedulingColumn

Despite our belief that what we have is naturally the best, we need look no further than our own state to find a better alternative to our schedule. Block scheduling, in which students have four classes per semester (classes lasting 75-90 minutes each) does not produce significantly different academic results, according to reasearch studies done on the subject, but for shear enjoyment, I find it much better than traditional scheduling.

I was in a block schedule format my freshman year in Toronto, Canada. Although there are minor differences depending on the state or country, block scheduling is essentially the same everywhere. I only had four periods of 75 minutes each, which adds up to 300 total academic minutes per day, compared to 350 at Steinbrenner (seven periods of 50 minutes each). Because of this, my school started at 8:45 am but still ended at 3:00 pm. With the de-layed start time, I found myself waking up later than I do now, without feeling the need to take a nap at school. I was actually energized and engaged instead of just going through the motions.

Since there are only four classes being taken at a time (and chances are one or two of them give little work like

Ben SchneiderStaff Writer

art or gym), there is much less homework and prepara-tion for class. This especially comes in handy during exam studying time, in which a student can concentrate more on a smaller quantity of classes. Less homework also allows students to structure their commitments around school more effectively. With less classes per day, students switch their focus less, which leads to a deeper involvement in the classes they do have.

Since the amount of class time was shorter, I ended up having a longer lunch period than I do now (it was 65 min-utes). This was yet another pro to block scheduling. The argument for the longer period is enforced by the recog-nition of the administration that, after having such long classes, students deserve a long break. Then again, this is only in my experience.

Compiled by Natalie Barman and Frances MiyaresSource: www.winthrop.edu

Like our schedule as it is? Check us out www.oraclenewspaper.com/category/opinion to see the ups and downs of eight period scheduling.

10February 2012

Centerfold

There are too many students finding their way to the parking lot than-the amount that can fit in the available number of spots. As such, many students have complained about the traffic in the school parking lot.

Senior Miranda Powell is especially upset with the system. “I’m a senior who bought a parking pass, but when I get to school, I

can barely find a spot in the very back of the lot,” said Powell.The parent line that makes a perimeter around the student lot can also

create problems in the flow of traffic.Sometimes the overcrowded lot can become a danger zone. The high

concentration of cars leaving at the same time can create stress, which correlates with agressive driving.

Junior Madison Seuzeneau was leaving school in the afternoon the first week of January when she got in an accident in the student park-ing lot.

“I thought I saw the car in front of me start to move, but they put their brakes on, and I hit the back of them,” Suezeneau said. “It is kind of embarrassing, but in our parking lot, I know tons of people who have

hit or gotten hit by another car.”

There was damage done to both cars and Seuze-neau had to pay for it. She said she had never gotten in an accident before or even gotten a ticket out-side of the parking lot.

Junior Stephen Nutt was also involved in an accident in the school parking lot. Pulling out of his lane, he was hit from the side by a car trying to pull out of its lane.

“It wasn’t bad, but the dent had to be paid for,” said Nutt. “I think all the accidents in the lot are because it takes forever to drive out, and at the end of the day, everybody is sick of waiting. They get anxious and crashes happen.”

“[Traffic is] better from last year but still not good,” Nutt said.Along with the school’s effort to decrease the traffic in the lot, there

are also efforts to make parking spaces more available to the students who have actually paid for a pass. On Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, a tow truck towed cars that were parked without a pass. These students received a $200 fine and a $25 ticket.

Many students have found alternatives to driving, or taking a bus this year. They ride their bike or walk home daily. It has its fair share of dangers, and juniors Ellie Wertheimer and Hailey Adams have expe-rienced them.

Wertheimer and Adams walk or bike to school every day due to the fact that they

CAUTIONStudents cram

for parking

Graphics by Frances Miyares, Megan Varde and Erica Everett Centerspread created by Erica Everett

live in Villa Rosa, and no longer have a bus to pick them up because

they live within a two mile radius. Wertheimer’s parents work, and she has no car. Adams has no

license.“I don’t feel that it is safe at all for bik-

ers; no one slows down, and using the cross walks can take forever. Even then cars are still passing by you if you have the green light,” said Werthimer.

Adams is not very happy with her trek to and from school. She says most drivers don’t even stop at crosswalks and has al-most been hit multiple times.

“Bikers can’t leave school until 3:45 because nobody stops at the crosswalks,” said Adams.

Adams was once hit by a car when walk-ing by Discovery Point, close to Villa Rosa on Lutz Lake Fern. An adult male was driving in his car and right as the girls went to walk by he pulled forward and hit them, thinking that the girls weren’t going to walk.

“I remember I couldn’t scream, I was too shocked,”said Wertheimer.

Adams was thrown onto the hood of his

That 21 to 30-year-old American drivers have cut back on the total number of miles they drive by about 8 percent?

Did you know?

Staff WriterEvyn Moon

Senior Staff WriterSavanna Peterson

FACT

“STUDENTSCROSSING

DANGER:

Centerfold 11oraclenewspaper.com

Society and individuals are seemingly convinced that teenage drivers should hold back on obtaining their li-censes. The automobile just isn’t as necessary today as it was for earlier generations like the Baby Boomers.

Teenagers are being encouraged to wait for a license and it starts at a state level.

The Mature Drivers Act, a bill that states that one must reach the age of 16-years-old in order to get a learner’s permit, was implemented in some states because of the crash rates teen-agers have in the United States.

This genera-tion has grown up with an in-creased environ-mental aware-ness of global warming—the billions of cars driven daily release gases which damage the ozone layer. Tampa, Florida is ranked number 20 in populations that travel most via public transportation according to the American Public Transportation Assiociation.

It seems that the economic downfall in recent years has contributed to the financial weight put on teenagers who own their own cars. Some teenage drivers pay gas, insurance or both. With gas prices almost reaching four dollars teenagers are reducing the amount they drive.

According to the Department of Transportation, driv-ers ages 21-30 have cut back on the total number of miles they drive by about eight percent.

The responsibilities and expenses of car ownership seem to factor into the downfall of teenage licenses ob-tained in this generation.

Pedestrian crash statistics (ages 16 to 20)

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TRAFFIC

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The traffic around the school causes a multitude of problems.

Between students ignoring the use of passes, congestion from the parent line and the safety issue of pedestrians crossing busy roads, The Traf-fic Trap emphasizes that students are con-tinuously affected by the traffic circulating around the school. 16-year-olds holding

drivers licenses

199843.8%

200629.8%

Source: Federal Highway Administration“Bikers can’t leave school until 3:45 because nobody stops at the crosswalks,” said Adams.

Adams was once hit by a car when walk-ing by Discovery Point, close to Villa Rosa on Lutz Lake Fern. An adult male was driving in his car and right as the girls went to walk by he pulled forward and hit them, thinking that the girls weren’t going to walk.

“I remember I couldn’t scream, I was too shocked,”said Wertheimer.

Adams was thrown onto the hood of his

car. “I was lying on the hood of his car

beating it,” said Adams. The driver then slammed on his brakes, waved and drove away.

The girls are forced to walk for the rest of the year and though they’ve sug-gested things such as a cross-ing guard to administration,

nothing has changed. “I feel like if someone doesn’t do

anything someone (else) will get hit,” said Wertheimer.

Centerspread EditorErica Everett

getting licenses at 16

“ “I don’t feel that it is safe at all for bikers —Ellie Wertheimer

A&E 12February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

Ringo: The lesser of two Beatles

To say Ringo 2012 is a full-leng-th studio album is kind of like saying a Smart car is a full-sized sedan. What can one make of the laughable 29-minute run time; was Ringo even trying? And let's not forget the title, which is about as creative as the album cover, and only slightly more creative than the music itself.

Of the nine songs on the album, two are covers and two are re-recordings of ‘70s era material. Even Buddy Holly’s

“Think It Over” (I gu-ess Ringo was pretty ticked he wasn’t in-vited in on the fun of last summer’s Buddy Holly tribute album Rave On unlike fel-low Beatle Paul McCartney) is Starkey-ified for the worse in possibly the most vulgar misappropriation of steel drums in music history. Starkey claims he’s been listening to a lot of reggae the last two ye-ars, and that’s apparent, but it just doesn’t work too well here. Ringo also covers

“Rock Island Line”, no doubt to ensure he would be the last Beatle to do so (Harrison and Lennon both did versions of the anci-ent blues song in the ‘70s). The five songs Starkey did write all sound identical. The entire album, regardless of if the songs are new or old blends into one forgetta-

As someone who genuinely appreciates jazz, Paul's Kisses on the Bottom is actual-ly rather impressive when you think about what’s going on. At first glance, it may appear to be some silly gesture of Paul, naïvely believing he’s capable of such things as “jazz music”. But in reality, it’s quite good.

The hour long, 14-song album is com-prised, save for two original (and quite good) compositions by McCartney, of co-vers of classic jazz love songs. I’d never heard any of them, but they still sound familiar, emanating a casual and re-laxed tone, as if this is a place you’ve been many many ti-mes and where you’re completely comfortable, a place where you can lay back and unwind. “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter” will literally sit you down (whe-ther or not you write a letter is entirely up to you). By “The Glory of Love”, you’ll have your shoes off, sleeves rolled up, and at McCartney’s “My Valentine”, full re-laxation will have set in and taken hold, a warmth slowly working its way over you as the album progresses. McCartney keeps the songs full of flavor and cozy emotions. Only at the end of “Our Lonely Hearts”,

McCartney’s other original, will you able to get up and actually get anything done.

Part of what makes this album work so well is how easily and Paul’s voice lends itself to this style of music; he’s surprisin-gly adept at the whole jazz thing. He pulls it off marvelously, and the arrangements are truly top-notch. This album also pulls in a few guests, namely Eric Clapton, no doubt feeling right at home on “My Va-lentine”, and Stevie Wonder has a pretty

sweet harmonica solo on “Only Our Hearts”.

It’s not going to change lives or even be remembe-red in five years, but as far as these cover-compilati-on things done by older ar-tists go, this is pretty classy stuff. I’d like to think the entire thing was dedicated to Paul’s new wife, which would make it one of best Valentine’s Day presents

anyone has ever gotten. In stark(ey) contrast to Ringo’s chore

of an album, Kisses on the Bottom goes down like a smooth glass of 75-year-old Scotch whiskey. In fact, if such a thing were permissible to this publication’s tar-geted audience, I'd recommend just that, in combination with a glowing wood fire, this album going in the background and that special someone you love the most right there with you.

The thing I couldn’t figure out: the bottom of what?

ble mish-mash of Starr’s walrusy voice (yes, I’m fully aware he isn’t the walrus) and endless mentions of peace and love, a message no member of the Beatles has ever championed before. In a misguided attempt at being profound and meaningful, the opening track, “Anthem”, declaring it-self an anthem for the people, mind you, ends up being as deep as the kiddie pool. And although at first it's catchy, don’t let

“Wings”, the album’s only single, trick you; you’ll be asleep before the chorus, if the solid block of cheddar lyrics hasn’t already done so. “In Liverpool” has some cute lyrics, but it’s perhaps one of the only high points of this monochromatic collection of songs.

But in the end, he’s Ringo Starr. You can’t get mad at him. He’s the “special” Beatle. Go through the Beatles catalog and count how many son-gs are primarily attributed to him. I coun-ted one, “Don’t Pass Me By”. Like the vast majority of Starr’s other solo work (now at an impressive, almost idiot-savant-like, 17 “full length” studio albums) for anyone other than a die-hard Beatlemaniac this al-bum is easily forgettable. Giving it one li-sten won’t be a complete waste of time. Anything more than that, though, is ill advised.

The two remaining Beatles release new albums; we break down what has “come together” and what has gone “helter skelter”

7.04.0

PAUL

RINGOVS.


Paul: Good album, awful name

Kisses on the BottomGood Tracks: “The Glory of Love”,

“My Valentine”, “Only Our Hearts”

Bad Tracks: “The Inch Worm”, “Bye Bye Blackbird”

Final Verdict: WINNER.

Ringo 2012Good Tracks: “In Liverpool”,

“Think It Over”

Bad Tracks: “Anthem”, “Wings”, every other song on the album.

Final Verdict: LOSER.


Battle of the Box fficeWe duke it out with English teacher and cinephile Christopher Kearney over the top films of 2011

Kearney’s Top 10 of 2011

1. The Tree of Life

2. Mysteries of Lisbon (Portugal)

3. Certified Copy (France)

4. The Artist

5. Moneyball

6. Tomboy (France)

7. The Double Hour (Italy)

8. Midnight in Paris

9. Drive

10. War Horse

Film aficionado and English teacher Christopher Kearney compiles a yearly “Top 10” list of the movies he feels are exceptional in form and execu-tion. Here are Kearney’s top 10 films of 2011.

Courtesy of Christopher Kearney

Kyle Dunn & Jake BittleEditor in Chief & A&E Editor

Our Top 10 Films of 20111. Midnight in Paris

Woody Allen-directed romp through rom-com-fantasy Par-is including encounters with Picasso and Hemingway

2. A Separation (Iran)In Iran’s tortuous system of censorship laws, a heartfelt tale of biting differences driving a couple to divorce shines through

3. The ArtistBlack-and-white silent (mostly) Oscar shoe-in about ac-tor Valentin’s struggle against the rise of the “talkies”

4. HugoLittle boy/mechanical genius Hugo works to repair a bro-ken automaton in this adaptation of a graphic novel

5. MoneyballBrad Pitt fiddles with baseball statistics to turn his failing team around in an unfair game

6. The Descendants

7. DriveAn unnamed stuntman (Ryan Gosling) spends his nights as a getaway in an explosive film with more action than actual driving

8. BridesmaidsAnnie (Kristen Wiig) vies for maid of honor position in her friend’s marriage as her own life peters out into mis-ery and disappointment

9. The Tree of LifeTerrence Malick’s experimental family drama, peppered with scenes of cosmic formation and development

10. The HelpNovel-based film about an ensemble of black maids and racism they faced in the civil rights era

George Clooney’s most vulnerable performance yet in this story of redemption and forgiveness in Hawaii

Brandon Mauriello / Oracle Kyle Dunn and Christopher Kearney


Today’s horror movies are so often cliched shaky-ca-mera romps through modern living rooms with invisible antagonists; anything that doesn’t profess to be “based on true events” and isn’t recorded on a home video ca-mera most often fails to scare the audience. The Woman in Black leaves these cliches behind and profits by it; di-rector James Watkins has produced an atmospheric and legitimately horrifying movie that, wonder of wonders, also manages to have a compelling plot.

The film’s setup has father and lawyer Arthur Kipps (the much-hyped Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame, who despite just finishing wizarding school this year, al-ready has a child) traveling to an obscure British village to sort out the effects of a deceased widow who lived in an isolated mansion. Once there, Kipps finds himself amidst villagers horrified of the ghost of a vengeful mother who lives in the mansion. Kipps pushes forward with the in-vestigation and soon reawakens the mother’s malevolent spirit while trying to do his job; children start dying and chaos reigns thereafter.

The presentation of the woman in black is far and away the best thing about The Woman in Black: Watkins does not cow around about showing us the woman face-to-fa-ce. Radcliffe looks out into the yard and there she is she’s right there she’s still there oh god she’s right there. She

appears often and blatantly, and this makes the movie sca-rier, not less scary. The house’s ramshackle gothic aura also contributes to the terror of the woman in black’s ven-geance, though the emphasis on creepy antique dolls and toya did nothing but break the audience’s immersion.

About the performance of Daniel Radcliffe I have mixed feelings. In the village environment, and with his son, Radcliffe shows how much his acting has improved. But when he is trapped in the house at the mercy of the woman in black, Radcliffe falters. He’s just not as enga-ging in the umpteen close-ups of him panting, gaping and gasping. That’s not to say he’s failed at this role, because it’s the actual acting and not the breathless sprints through graveyards that matters; however, it’s definitely the scarer, and not the scaree, that drives the movie.

I must say, though, that the scenes when Radcliffe is at the village in between stints at the woman in black’s house are just as well-directed; the harrowing story of the terrified villagers (who grow more and more hostile towards Kipps) is told especially well through a suppor-ting cast of relatively unknown actors. The film simply works, from its damp and moody beginning to its chilling conclusion. Paranormal Activity and its ilk are fine and dandy, but sometimes larger-scale production and solid storytelling can make a horror film not just more satisfying and memorable, but scarier as well.

'Black' is the new black

Courtesy of CBS Films

The Woman in Black makes no bones about big scares, but also delivers solid plot

Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) explores The Woman in Black's haunted mansion. The film is Radcliffe's much-anticipated first starring role after the end of the Harry Potter series.

' H e e e r e ' s Johnny!'

Prospects for 2012's horror movie crop

8.0

Silent House (left): By far the scariest of the bunch, this film looks to be a horrifying found-footage romp through a house which seems anything but silent. Though the genre, as I said in the review, grows fatigued, that’s not to say it can’t still deliver. The trailer for this one knocked me (and nearly everyone else in the theater) off my seat. Mar. 9

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (middle): Despite the film’s bizarre name, director Timur Bekmambatov (Wanted) has produced quality filmic material before; the subject matter certainly won’t disappoint. The film chronicles the 16th president’s secret life as a vampire hunter; I’m confident in Bekmambatov’s ability to take a subject matter that belongs in a high school AV class project and bring us some explosive action. June 8

Prometheus (right): Updated technology should serve to assist Ridley Scott’s prelude to the clas-sic science-fiction-horror film Alien in delivering the clausotrophic deep-space chills for which the series gained much renown. Noomi Rapace (from the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) stars as the leading investigative scientist on the spaceship Prometheus. which makes unfortunate contact with a malevolent race of aliens. June 22

Compiled by Jake Bittle - A&E Editor

Jake BittleA&E Editor


Abbreviated Reviews 'CHRONICLE'Chronicle

reveals the plight of a daydreamer with a video camera turned disciple of darkness with a superhuman appetite for destruct ion. It is at a rave where cousins Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), Matt Garretty (Alex Russell) and school hotshot Nick Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) discover a tunnel dug into the forest floor. Once inside, the unseen energy of a glowing crystal grants the trio superpowers. Much of the action in Chronicle, though, lies in the heated exchanges of anguish between Detmer and those around him who insist that they know what’s good for him. Chronicle is one of very few movies to do the “found footage” thril-ler right.


Below are clippings of reviews from the past month's A&E section. The full reviews as well as other reviews not in print can be found at oraclenewspaper.com.

'MAN ON A LEDGE'Man on

a Ledge d o e s n ’ t appear to be the typi-cal heist mo-vie, though it doesn’t take the b r e a t h away in the usually d a z z l i n g display of caper-ly haste and luster like one either.

Man on a Ledge is not the implicit sto-ry of a man contemplating suicide, rather Nick Cassidy (Sam Worthington) is the confidence man playing his deceptively simple game of mock self-destruction whilst brother Joey Cassidy (Jamie Bell) vation: proving one man’s innocence.

The effort was appreciated—much like a finger-painting young child, but a film that doesn't get one genre right is scarcely able to serve up a buffet of many.


5.0

The controversy about whether or not old dogs can learn new tricks is not likely to be over any time soon. Plenty of ancient classic rock bands have stuck around well past their prime and been ridiculed for it; a success-ful comeback is hard to stage.

What band out there is older and doggier than dear old Van Halen, who’ve somehow managed to release another album, almost fifteen years after 1998’s godawful Van Halen III. This album, titled A Different Kind of Truth, is only saved from being another addition to the classic-rock-comeback junkyard by the return of flamboyant for-mer frontman David Lee Roth, who considers himself less of an old dog than a “Sexy dragon legend,” as he roars on the album’s first track and first single, “Tattoo.”

Thereafter, the album is a burning automobile wreck, and I mean that in the best possible way. When I say that Roth saves the album, I don’t mean that he overshad-ows everyone else, because band namesake Eddie Van Halen’s shredding is just as razor-sharp and thrilling as it was decades ago. Eddie’s son Wolfgang has also joined the gang on bass, but in all honesty, this is hardly notice-able. What’s really noticeable is the drumming, which is as invasive and ostentatious as Roth’s trademark spandex pants. Roth is the only member of the band who seems

to have retained any charisma. With any vocalist but him (or maybe Geddy Lee, just for kicks and giggles) the al-bum would sound like one of the garage-recorded jingles in furniture store commercials (see “Blood and Fire” and

“Bullethead” for prime examples). And even then, I’ve got to concede, Roth’s lyrics and

singing are, for all their entertainment value, unconvinc-ing. For the first few songs, his boastful verses and cathar-tic choruses are refreshing, but by “China Town” I real-ized that this man is just as old as my father and that he doesn’t still court a different woman every night and hang out in dangerous parts of town. Once this realization sinks in the rest of the lyrics seem unfortunately canned.

Still though, one has to give Eddie, Dave and the gang some credit. If you’re into this sort of thing the driving riffs on “Big River” and the solos on “Beats Workin’”, the album’s final track, certainly won’t disappoint. As far as Van Halen albums go, it’s got the band’s signature charm and it’s certainly not a totally failed attempt at a come-back. But as far as albums go, it just doesn’t have enough mustard to warrant a second listen.

By the end of the album, one can’t really tell the differ-ence between, say, “You And Your Blues” or another dud,

“The Trouble With Never”.Once the screaming guitars and flamboy-

ant drums were over, the one thing this album left me with was a creepy image of geriatric

Van Who? Fiery comeback album a stable returnJake Bittle

A&E Editor

Courtesy of Interscope Records

With the aid of former vocalist David Lee Roth, the classic rock band manages to rock into old age, but not without a few wrinkles

The cover of Van Halen’s new album, A Differ-ent Kind of Truth. This is frontman Roth’s first outing with the band in 28 years.

men with canes rocking out in front of several thousand people. Mercifully, I didn’t imagine them in spandex … whoops, now I did.

6.5

'TEN$ION'D i e

Antwoord's new album is actually the worst music I think I’ve ever heard.The lyrics are too vul-gar to print even with censorship and too stupid to print no matter what the cir-cumstances are; the presentation is rauco-us and shallow, the beats and the rappers’ voices are 100% guaranteed to give the listener headaches.

But it’s impossible to criticize this al-bum because it is completely foreign to me, produced by something totally alien, so I feel that I have no choice but to give it a perfect score.

(1)0

Jake Bittle / A&E EditorNatalie Barman / Opinion Editor

A f t e r embarras-sment on Saturday N i g h t L i v e , L a n a Del Rey released her debut album, a dreamy collection of songs that combines a faltering message with unique vocals but, nonetheless, satisfies few. Del Rey experiments with mercurial chants and straightforward verses, but neither do the album justice. The highlight of Born to Die are its exquisite sounds. Her words dwindle and provoke, stirring up emotio-nal excitement. It’s not her looks or lyrics that show promise: it is her voice.

'BORN TO DIE'6.0

7.5

Sports 16February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

this season and their final chapter, the three agree their time to shine is now.

“When we fell 90 feet short last year, I feel like we all grew together as a team and we know that we shouldn’t have to be within 90 feet of going to the district final,” said Diaz. “We’re the best boys team in the school for the past three years hands down, we just haven’t lived up to our potential.”

Ramsey added, “I think it’s frustrating because we know how much talent we have and knowing who’s on the field and whose playing, we start to realize we can’t win as one player. … Hopefully this is the road to taking the steps as a team instead of by person.”

While time is quickly closing the curtain on their high school careers and the fu-ture may be uncertain, the three know that they will take away much more than wins and losses from their experience together. Ramsey wants to leave a legacy.

“I think we all have our time to speak as seniors, because you’re able to teach your players and it’s our time now.”

‘It’s our time now’Baseball

When they first stepped onto the field to-gether, no one knew what to expect.

While donning pinstripes from top to bottom and forest green hats, three play-ers trudged from the dugout and made their way to the left side of the infield, where they waited.

The first crack of the bat rang out. The shortstop moved a few steps over to his left, whipped the ball to first base for the out, looked to his right and flashed a big grin.

They might not have known it then, but it was the first page of a four-year long story.

Seniors Stone Ramsey, Gerald Bau-tista and Christian Diaz have each other’s backs, literally. Bautista at third, Diaz on second and Ramsey squeezed in between at short. It wasn’t until their sophomore seasons in 2009-10 that the notion became a reality.

The three left the confines of Sickles af-ter freshman year and moved to a program where there were no titles, there were no wins and there was no history.“It was a long time coming,” recalls Diaz.

“We (three) came as sophomores and it was going to be a goal to get past dis-tricts and we made strides.” It soon be-came known to them that they would have to build it from the ground up themselves. And what better way to do so than with a state hall of fame coach in John Crumbley guiding the way.

Crumbley, who had spent nearly 25 years at Jesuit while compiling over 500 wins, made it known from the first tryout that this team wasn’t going to lay down its first year. And it started with leadership.

“(We wanted) to just have fun and be team leaders,” said Bautista, a University of Florida commit. “We were the only three in the class that had played at the varsity level. We had Chad (Witkowski) there and Jason Wilton and Ryan Atkinson and they were a year above us and we just wanted to

follow in their footsteps.”Throughout the team’s inaugural season

came a string of successes very rare from a first-year school. In fact, it was the best season from a newborn school in Hillsbor-ough County history. Diaz says that the bar was set high from the beginning, which paved the way for the future and gave them a look at what a family they could be to-gether.

“There’s no one above the team,” said Diaz. “(It was told to us from the beginning that) we win as a family, we run as a family and we lose as a family. We were going to ride this train together.”

And they did just that.In the first two seasons, the team won 37 games to cement itself as one of the perennial contenders for a district title.

But adversity struck.After being shut out 8-0 by Jefferson

at the district semifinal in 2010, the team looked to add to its initial success. They weren’t the new kids on the block anymore and it showed as the start to the regular

season was a roller coaster. But the team rallied placed third in Class 4A-District 9. After a victory over Robinson in the sec-ond round, the script had been rewritten in its favor.That is, until the bottom of the seventh inning.

With runners on the corners and one out, then-junior pitcher Chris Williams had pitched the team to a 1-0 lead with no earned runs allowed. Jefferson’s Andy Vazquez hit a sharp ground ball to Ramsey, who flipped it to Diaz for out number two.

That’s when it happened.On the attempt to find Witkowski’s

glove at first base to complete the double play, the throw sailed wide of the bag and over into right field.

The Dragons scored two runs, walked off with a win and earned regional playoff berth.

In the midst of celebration from the op-posite dugout, there lie Diaz on the clay, his jersey burnt orange, distraught from the nightmare that had just played out.With that loss as the central motivating factor for


Since walking on to the field as Gryphons in 2009, three core seniors look to leave a legacy painted in blue and gold

Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News

LEFT: Senior shortstop Stone Ramsey fields ground balls during a recent practice. RIGHT: Coach John Crumbley celebrates his 600th career win against his high school alma mater Leto, last season. He previously earned 575 wins over 22 years at Jesuit.


Track and field

Baldwin setting pace for another big year

Compiled by Jeff Odom / Sports Editor

Puskas named third coach in team history

For the third time in as many years, the girls flag football team will have a new coach leading the charge.Gregory Puskas has been named the successor to Jennifer Graham, who left her post to focus soley on vol-leyball. Puskas served as an assistant on Graham’s staff last season and has been an assistant on the varsity foot-ball team for the last two seasons.

Flag football

School avoids major FHSAA sanctions

THE SIDELINE

Even after senior Alexis Wright’s state title last year, the coach says there’s still plenty to do

Tennis

New challenge, same determination

Courtesy of The Laker/Lutz News

Senior Luke Blankenship goes for the ball during a recent match. Along with sophomore Grace Korta of the girls squad, he is continuing to lead the team going into year three.

Tennis season officially starts with the first match against Gaither on Feb. 21, and both the boys and girls teams are coming off of a big finish from last year, which had both ranked as one of the top programs in the area.

The girls have two district titles under their belt and the boys have been district runner-up both seasons.

The boys team will be starting the sea-son with a new coach after Darren Atkin-son resigned for personal reasons. It is now coached by Tu Mai.

Senior Luke Blankenship says he has a big season planned for himself with the idea of playing on a collegiate level, and having the team perform at the best of their ability.

“I’m looking forward to working my butt off and having a good time doing it,” said Blankenship.

Both teams move into Class 3A-District 8 and will face school rival Gaither, as well as county ranked Wharton and Plant.

“To be realistic we’re in the hardest dis-trict in the state,” said Blankenship. “I just want to have fun and go as far as possible.”

On the girls’ side, sophomore Grace Korta is looking forward to continuing the squad’s recent success to make a run for the district title. But she says, there’s a bigger goal to achieve.

“I want the whole team to make it to the state championship,” said Korta.

Blankenship added, “We’re going to have much better chemistry. … I’m willing to help anyone who asks for it and I’m there to set an example.”

Savanna PetersonSenior Staff Writer

Get more coverage onlineSee boys and girls tennis results after every match online at oraclenews-paper.com/category/sports.

The boys soccer team was forced to forfeit nine wins and two ties after a Florida High School Athletic Associa-tion investigation found the team used an ineligible player. The team avoided other penalties, but was forced to give up its number one district seed in the Class 4A-District 8 tournament.


Coach Ladd Baldwin Jeff Odom / Oracle

His classroom bares the credentials of a top girls track and field program. Cham-pionship trophies align the wall and the signs of achievement are all around. How-ever, as for solidifying the team as best in the county? Coach Ladd Baldwin says it’s a work in progress.

Baldwin’s program set the bar last sea-son, when senior Alexis Wright brought home the first gold medal and individual state title, but he says there’s always room for improvement across the board,and more needs to be done to make the team a consistent factor.

“You kind of have to know the competi-tion and what your goals are,” said Bald-win, the only coach in program history. “If your goal is ‘Hey let’s be district champs’, (you have to know) whose in my district and where are they strong.”

Even with Wright’s title last season, there are roles yet to be filled. However through the tryout and preseason practice process, he’s adjusting his runners to new positions that can not only better them as

individuals, but the team itself.“What we’re doing now is kind of just

finding athletes and making them strong. We have 15 girls that have gone over hur-dles and we’re trying to build hurdlers out of them,” said Baldwin. “It’s a whole new ball game.”

For most athletes entering the sport this

year, Baldwin says some have mixed feel-ings about if they can compete or not. He adds that it’s about building them up to un-derstand their natural talents can become a big help to the program.

“You ask if (someone) wants to do track and they kind of look at you and say, ‘But coach, I’m not fast,’ but there’s other events too. There’s shot and discus and high jump,” said Baldwin. “It’s building for 17 different events and seeing where they can be successful and where they’re at.”

The team moves from the 2A classifica-tion into 3A, which presents new challeng-es to the team. To help prepare the team, Baldwin has reached out for volunteers.

“Any volunteers that you get and any-body that you feel comfortable with to help out, I have a parent that’s a high jump guy and I can put the kids with him and I can be coaching some other group and know that they’re being taken care of. I think that’s one of our strengths.” said Baldwin. “

The team opens up the season Feb. 21 against Gaither and Blake at Gaither.

Feb. 21 - vs. Gaither, Blake at GaitherFeb. 23 - vs. Robinson, Leto at LetoFeb. 25 - C. Johnson Relays at KingMarch 3 - N. Higgins Relays at LetoMarch 8 - vs. Plant at SteinbrennerMarch 17 - USF Invitational at USFMarch 28 - W.C. Divisional at JeffersonMarch 31 - Griffin Relays at Hills.Apr. 3 - V. Korhn Meet at JeffersonApr. 12 - vs. Sickles, Gaither at Gaither

Senior Alexis Wright (left) is looking for her second straight indi-vidual state title this sea-son.

For Hooker, district title twice as nice


Four seniors moving on to next level


School record holder Cici Gonzalez highlights college commitments on National Signing Day

Senior Cici Gonzalez wanted to make the moment last forever.

After taking the direction from school athletic direc-tor Eddie Henderson to sign her letter of intent, Gonzalez opened the door into her fu-ture at University of Tampa

where she will continue her soccer career.“This is amazing, it feels like all my

hard work paid off and everything I’ve ever wanted has finally come true,” said Gonzalez, who tallied 91 goals over the course of her high school career.

She joined teammate Taylor Valley, who signed with Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA, Zack Jones and Zack Boryla who both signed football scholarships to Stetson University in De-land, FL.

Jones, who was a member of the school’s inaugural football team in 2009, will get the opportunity to do it again with Stetson when it restarts its football program after a 56 year hiatus.

“It just feels good to think about the work I put in and it’s all paying off,” said Jones. He then added, “I like (starting a new program), because every catch you get is a new record, every yard you make is a new record, so it’s cool knowing you build a program from the feet up.”

Valley, who played a major role during the school’s bid to repeat as state champi-ons, felt like she made the right choice and wants to keep Armstrong atop the Divi-sion-II soccer poll.

“It seems like it’s been so long, finding the college and going on visits. … Now it’s kind of like relief, I’m so happy and I know I made the right decision,” said Valley.Their coach, Robert Woodard, says it’ll be tough filling the talent that both Gonzalez and Valley possess.

“I’m really happy for them, because they’re both great player and they really made the transition for me a lot easier this year,” said Woodard. He then added, “On the other hand, I have to replace them, that’s going to be a challenge to have somebody step up and fill those shoes.”

Cici Gonzalez

Coach J.R. Allen and his team celebrates after clinching the Class 7A-District 9 championship over Freedom 51-39. It was junior Bailey Hooker’s second title this year, as she won the other in Oct. with the volleyball team.

Courtesy of Steinbrenner Basketball

Bailey Hooker watched teammate Taylor Thigpen dribble the final seconds off of the clock, allowing the junior guard’s dream three years in the making to come true. ¶ In a mob of

white jerseys huddled around coach J.R. Allen, Hooker along with her teammates turned to the line of banners hung on the gymnasium wall, pointed up, and shouted “forever.”

Hooker, the leading scorer this year with 19.8 points per game, scored 16 to help the team put away Freedom for the program’s first district championship on Feb. 3.

“We worked so hard,” said Hooker. “To finally put something up on that ban-ner that we’ve been waiting for, for three years, is like fire. I’m so happy.”

For Hooker, it was her second time hoisting a district trophy this year. She did the same in Oct. as a middle hitter on the volleyball team against, whom else but the Patriots.

Like with basketball, Hooker has been on the volleyball team since her freshman year, helping it to a 26-0 district record and three championships.

Basketball had less of a winning tradi-

tion, posting a 24-17 record, 12-8 in dis-trict, during the last two years and zero playoff appearances.

That changed this season.“It’s the best experience, because we

didn’t have to really work that hard for the volleyball one, but to be in the middle of it and in the midst of it in the basketball championship, it’s ridiculous how much fire goes through your veins when you’re on the court,” said Hooker .

Hooker once again put the team on her back after a rough district semifinals con-test against fourth seeded Chamberlain, which the team squeaked through 56-48.

In practice the following day, Hooker made sure that her teammates were on the right page in a players-only meeting to discuss what had occurred.

“We had a lot of emotional stuff going on, so we basically brought it all together,”

said Hooker. “We let everything out be-cause we’re a family. We’re a team and we knew we had one goal coming out into this season, and we weren’t going to let one bad game ruin our chances of winning the district title. We came together and pushed through, and we mentally got tough and ready.”

In practice all week, Hooker had worked specifically on shooting, which wasn’t where it needed to be in her eyes.

“This was going to be my game,” Hook-er said of the district finals. “I spent time in practice just working on my shots and all of us contributed. Every single person stepped it up and did something they don’t normally do.”

“I have so many words that I could say, I’m so pumped about this, and so happy. We’re a part of forever, and our team is up on that wall forever.”

Sports EditorJeff Odom


WINTER SPORTS REWINDAs we bid farewell to the 2011-12 winter sports cycle, Oracle Sports Editor Jeff Odom takes a look back on the top moments the season had to offer.

Courtesy of Steinbrenner Cheerleading

After not having the chance to compete last season because of a scoring error by the judges, the competitive cheerleading squad made history on Feb. 3 by join-ing the 2010 boys cross country team as the second state runner-up in the his-tory of the school. The team finished less than four points behind the champion, Winter Park with an overall score of 86.8 in the Class 2A medium division.

Gaining groundAfter two seasons which saw the boys basketball team manage only seven wins, all seemed to change in 2011-12. The team knocked off top Class 7A-District 9 opponents Wire-grass Ranch and Freedom before cooling off down the stretch. Nevertheless,

the surge of talent the team possessed put them in the conversation as one of the best in the area.

Freshman Jack Frank

Under the radarThe boys soccer team quietly opened the door as one of the top three squads in Hillsborough County. Even though it was forced to forfeit nine wins and two ties due to FHSAA sanc-tions, the team managed eight wins before its first loss to Wharton. It was the quickest in three years that the team had reached that many wins.

Chad Ebright

Noble is the top dog

Wrestling coach Paul Noble is my choice for best coach in the winter cy-cle. Not just for the success of the pro-gram he has built in three years, a dis-trict championship, but his commitment to the team with a 45-minute long com-mute to and from Plant City, along with the assistant coaching staff is something I’ve never seen at the high school level. To top the season with a cherry, Camer-on Alsup took home an individual dis-trict title and eclipsed the 100 win mark at the district tournament.

‘Gimme three

We saw it in Oct. when the volleyball team clinched the school’s first district three-peat, but you can now add girls soc-cer to that list as well. In double OT, freshman Remi Brantley sealed the 2-1 win over Free-dom with her first career goal in the 100th minute.

Senior Cici Gonzalez

Talk about WOWIn one of the biggest upsets in

school history, the boys basketball team opened its home dis-trict schedule with an electrifying 108-

101 victory over district foe Wiregrass Ranch. Not only did it beat a team that had won 22 games in 2010, but also set a school scoring record.

Seeing silver Cheerleading: 2A state runner-up

Close 20February 2012 oraclenewspaper.com

Flowers from my valentineThis time of year flowers tend to be used to show affection. We asked students what flowers they like to give and which they hope to get on the day that celebrates love.

“An orchid for Valentine’s is perfect be-cause it’s such a delicate flower.” — Junior Gaby William

“Tulips are always pretty and they give off a happy, fun vibe.” — Senior Allen Dolphin

“When I think of Valentine’s Day I think of roses. They’re classic.” — Senior Kara Saunders

Compiled By:Rachael Landes / Photo EditorGaby Morillo / Staff Writer

oracle print edition: february 2012

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