South Oak Cliff High School

The Bear’s Grip“SouthOakCliffPREP,fromGoodtoGreat.PuttingthePiecesTogether”

3601 South Marsalis Ave. Dallas, TX 75216 Oct. 25, 2013

NewsUCanUse....2 GameTime..............6 OpinionPage.........3 AnotherDayatSOC.....7 What’sHappening...4-5 FunTime.........................8

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Principal sets eyes on SOC becoming premier school in Dallasby Taylore HowardNews Editor

EIF to ASPby Shaqwavia SockwellNews Editor

Dr.RonaldMorris,thenewprincipalatSouthOakCliffHighSchool,comestotheschoolwithhiseyessetonbecomingthe“pre-mierschool”inDallasISD.Dr.Morrishasimplementedsomechang-es,butsayshedoesnotseethemaschanges,“justthingsnormalhighschoolsshouldbedoing.”“SOCistheprmierschoolinDallas.Everythingwedoshouldbetobecomepremierandthat’swhatthechangesareabout,”headded.Thechangeswillnotonlyaffectthestudents,butfacultyandstaffaswell.Onefacultymembersays,“it’sonethingtotalkaboutmakingchanges,it’sanotherthingtoactual-lyputthemintoplay.Ireallydowanttoseetransformation.”Somechanges,whichincludetheDISDCoreBeliefs,wentinaffectlastyear.TheCoreBeliefsinclude,butarenotlimitedto,makingsureat-riskstudentsachieveatthesamerateasnonat-riskstudentsandmakingsurestaffmembershaveacommitmenttochildrenANDacommitmenttothepursuitofexcellence.Morrisplanstocontinueworkingonperfectingthesebeliefs.Teacherswillalsoberequiredtoattendmorestaffdevelopmentmeetingsandgradesandlessonplanssubmittalswillalsobecloselymonitored.Whenasked,somestudentssaytheydonotagreewiththechangesthataredirectlygearedtowardsthem.SOCstudent,XavierGrandberrysays“ev-erythingisgoodsofar,”buthehasnotbeenabletoadjusttoallofthechanges.Hefeelsthereisnotenoughtimebetweenclasses.Oneofthechangesincludes3-minutepassingperiods.“It’stooshort,”Granberrysaid.Ms.Hersch,GermanteacheratSOC,saysshehasseenmorekidstryingtohurrytogettoclass.“Ithinkkidswillbegintorealizetheybettergettoclassontime,becauseconsistencyisthekeytoensuringkidsfollowrules,”sheexplained.“Somechangeisgood.”Otherchangesincludetheuseoflockers.Studentsarenolongerassignedlockers.Morrissaysthisisduetonotenoughlock-ersbeingavailable.Somefacultyfeelthisalsohelpsgetthekidstoclassquickeranddiscouragethemfromhangingoutinthehalls.Herschsaysshefeelsthisisoneofthebiggestchangesamongstu-dents.Dr.MorrissaysthechangesareheretoprovidestructureandheisdoingwhateverittakestobecomethepremierschoolinDallas.

SouthOakCliffHighSchoolisimple-mentinganewprogramthisyear.TheAca-demicSuccessProgramor“ASP”,acol-legeaccessprogramforstudents,willserveasanextensionofthecounselingcenter.Itisthisyear’sreplacementoftheEIFpro-graminpreviousyears.PrincipalRonMorrissayshebelievesASPwillbemoreeffectiveandwillreceivetentimesmoreinscholarshipmoneythenlastyear.Mr.JoseValerio,ASPadviser,comesfromSamuelandsaystheprogramhasbeeninDallasforabout7or8years.Hehasbeenapartoftheprogramfor5years.Mr.Morrissaysthegoaloftheadviseristonotonlyhelpget scholarships and find colleges to match interest,buttoalsobuildrelationshipswiththestudents.“Mr.Valerioisexperiencedandhardworking,”sayscounselorMs.Simon.“I’mexcited,”sheadded.Valeriosayshisgoalistoincreasescholarshipto-tals,so“moreseniorscanhavetheoppor-tunitytogotocollege.”HesaysheisalsogoingtohelpimproveSATandACTscores.OtherschoolstakingadvantageofASPin-cludeBryanAdams,Hillcrest,ConradandTheBarackObamaMaleLeadershipAcad-emy.

Dr. Ron Morris Principal

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WordsofWisdom by Luis Gomez Opinion Page Editor

Did You Know?Pros & Cons of Social MediaDeja MossOpinion Page Editor

* Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries?

*Most lipsticks contain fish scales?

*Goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light?

*The fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco?

*French fries are originally from Belgium?

*A group of frogs is called an army?

*A group of kangaroos is called a mob?

*The human body of a 70kg person contains 0.2mg of gold

*iPhones can survive falls of over 13,000 feet?

Feeling like you don’t belong in school anymore? Don’t think youc an make it to the next year or even to graduation? Stop and think again. You are star material. You have made it this far. Stop and think, “I’m better than this.” “I have the power to be what I want to be.” What will it take to get to the next level? What will it take to stay focused? These ques-tions are worth pondering. Yes, sometimes getting to where you need to be means you can’t hang out with your friends. But, it’s worth it. If they are true friends, they will underst-nad. Stop selling yourself short. Do your assignments, meet your deadlines and go to tutoring if you need to. If you want it bad enough you will do what it takes to get there. It’s a lot of work, but success does not come easy. Taking the easy way out sometimes has it’s drawbacks. Remember, don’t let any-one, including yourself, stand in your way.

Social media is used all over the world. It’s another means of communication. It can be used for research, business, or just entertain-ment. The question is...Is this a positive or nega-tive thing? “I think it makes people detached from their feelings,” said Mrs. Lindsay of South Oak Cliff math department. Another teacher says she feels social media makes people de-tached from the real world all together. Face-book is used by millions of people and is worht about $100 billion. In 2013, there is a massive 1.43 billion social network users. This is a po-tential hazard. “Personally, I believe that social networking sites should be more private and should secure our personal information,” says Lamarcus Harris, a student at SOC. Some par-ents feel social media has had a huge impact on their children. “Every since my daughter has gotten an instagram account her behavior has become unacceptable and her grades have gone down dramatically,” says a parent of a SOC student. Sure, technology is the wave of the fu-ture. Our world is ever changing and we have to change too. Do we have to change? The fact that everything we need is at the tip of our fingertips does tend to make one a bit lazy. Social media...have you decided whether it is negative or posi-tive? Whatever likes or dislikes you have one thing is for sure, it is not going away any time soon. In fact, there are changes, upgrades or re-calls taking place as we speak.

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South Oak Cliff welcomes new Golden Bearsby Juana HernandezFeature Page Editor

Ayonna Hood-wayEnglish I

Coach BurgosChemistry and Forensic Science

Brandon FosterEnglish II

Cameron MarquesWorld Geography

D’Inzeo WilliamsPhysics

Brittany TuckerChoir

Juandll ParkerBiology and Anatomy/Physiology

Justin MeidenbauerAlgebra I

Zinete PaturriPhysics

Ashley DuncanScience Instructional Coach

Selena McCoartAlgebra I

Shareefah Nadir-MasonEnglish Instructional Coach

Montgomery selected new sponsor of senior class for 2014by Cristian BrionesFeature Page Editor

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The Bear’s Grip Staff

Editor Mrs. Briscoe

Sports Charme Brewster Orial Anthony

Opinion Page Deja Moss Luis Gomez Adrian Hogan

Feature Page Cristian Briones Juana Hernandez News U Can Use Taylore Howard Shaqwavia Sockwell Back Page Kee’Anna Dennis Kendra Smith

She’s known for building sets and setting the stage for plays, but Mrs. Montgomery is not only the head of the drama department, she likes arts education because it makes kids think, she likes to read, likes live event production and she just so happens to be the newest senior sponsor, who is implementing new ideas for the senior class. But how can being the drama coach help her lead the senior class? Montgomery says she is unafraid of talking to large audiences, has a lot of creative ideas and can easily deal with students. She says she feels very flattered to be elected. South Oak Cliff senior, Aliyah Williams, says she believes Mrs. Mongomery has generated many ideas that are excellent and that she wants to have a lot of unity in her senior activities. “I think she is open to many of the seniors’ ideas and she’s a sweet person,” Williams added. Secretary of the senior class, Tiffany Dory, says “this year will be fun and we are gonna turn up.” Montgomery stated that being the senior sponsor will not only make her more compassionate for others, but should also make her patient for parenthood in the future.

Stephanie AmayaTesting Coordinator

Roel CortesJROTC I

Tanquest JeffersonSpecial Education/ Football and Basketball Coach

Rebecca StarrReading I/ ESL Reading I

Burgundie SmithSpecial Education Science

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Teraze MickleMath Instructional Coach

Anna ChabotMedia Assistant

Ms. Kirby

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Golden Bear football highlightsby Orial AnthonySports Editor

Students balance athletics, academicsby Charme BrewsterSports Editor

Question......how does a student balance athletics and academics? It’s a challenge most athletes encounter. You have to give all of your time and attention to a particular sport, in order to perform at your best. But, how is that possible if you have to be a student first? Ms. Upshaw, Economic instructor at South Oak Cliff high school and a parent of former athletes says, “academics should come first.” “It doesn’t help to prac-tice if you are ineligible to play,” she added. Some sources say that only about 42% of football players in America’s high schools become eligible to play by the end of the first six weeks period. Senior football player Willie Parker says, “it’s stressful being an athlete period.” He does express the fact that you not only have to maintain an A on the field, but in the classroom as well. So, it’s a balancing act. Some students can handle it and some need more practice. According to Vanessa Gonzalez, senior class Vice President, it’s about managing your time wisely. Gonzalez is not only an athlete and student, but she works also. “You have to manage time so everything you are involved in gets the right amount of attention needed,” she explains. In the end though, she says it is a little stressful, but, “I can handle it.”

Upcoming Events for Football and Volleyball

South Oak Cliff Football

Oct. 24 SOC vs. Adamson at Jones at 7pm

Nov. 1 SOC vs. Molina at Kincaide at 7:30pm (Homecoming)

Nov. 8 SOC vs. Kimball at Jones at 7:30pm

South Oak Cliff Volleyball

Oct. 25 SOC vs. Molina at Molina at 7pm

Oct. 29 SOC vs. Kimball at SOC at 6pm

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SOC Announcements Tongue Twisters....

Riddles Kendra’s Movie Review

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The Conjuring..... Well, I thought that the movie was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the background settings and the fact that it was based on a true story. The fact that it could be true made it even scarier. In the movie, the part when the lady (hope I am not ruining the moment for those of you who have not seen it).....came in the room while the girl was sleeping....ok, I’ll wait till you see it.

But, this part was scary.

Attention,Attention Freshman,Sophomores,JuniorsandSeniors Yearbooksareonsale PleaseorderacopybyDecember13for$45.00

SeeMrs.MontgomeryorMrs.Briscoefordetails__________________________________________________________

**Register to take the SAT by November 8, 2013 for December 7 testing

**Register to take the ACT by November 8, 2013 for the December 14 testing

Stop by the ASP office and speak to Mr. Valario for details

If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven’t got me.What am I?

What is the shortest complete sentence in the English language?

If Pickford’s packers packed a packet of crisps would the packet of crisps that Pickford’s pack-ers packed survive for two and a half year?

How many cookies could a good cook cook, if a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.

2Y’s U R, 2Y’s U B.I C U R2Y’s 4 me!