On Nov. 15, 2011, International Bacca-laureate junior Noah Kushner was found dead at 42nd St. and Fletcher Ave. His parents had fi led a missing persons report on Monday, Nov. 14, 2011. “Noah was, without a shadow of doubt, one of the most caring, thought-ful, and insightful students I have had the pleasure to know,” said IB English teach-er Jeffrey Halle. In addition to the impression that Kush-ner left on teachers, he is also known for his school pride. As a spirited individual, Kushner was never afraid to be himself, which helped push boundaries. “If I had to describe Noah Kushner in one word, it would be original,” said Cre-ative Writing teacher Terra Flatley. Kushner will be remembered for his kind attitude: “Noah always held the door open for me, along with the rest of every-one else, every day before lunch. I wish we could go back and hold the door open for him,” said senior Taylor Martin. Any students who feel the need to talk to someone about this tragedy can visit Etta Rahming, the school psychologist, in the Student Affairs Offi ce or their guid-ance counselor. The Scepter staff offers its condolences to the family and friends of Noah Kush-ner and invites the community to share any loving memories they have of Noah.

She walked down a hallway of Chamberlain High School head-ing back to class from her locker. Pacing by the gym, she noticed Joshua Bynum, a fellow 16-year-old student, following her. Un-aware of the event that would transpire, the young woman passed by the boys’ bathroom, only to be allegedly shoved in by Bynum and raped. The incident was immediately reported to Chamberlain High School’s police resource offi cer on Oct. 3, 2011. In a school year fi lled with several other shocking incidents, stu-dents and administration are becoming more aware of school safety, reassessing the safety level on campus. Even before the school year began, Freedom High School was targeted for a rampage by expelled student Jared Michael Cano. On campus grounds, a couple of incidents have occurred within the parking lot. The back windshield of a student car was shattered on Oct. 26, and a dead rat was found on the front hood of another automobile a day later. “Cases like that can happen anywhere, even at the best schools,” said senior Monica Men-kis. “Even though I have never felt completely safe here, I think King is a relatively safe school.” Contrary to popular belief, this school is considered safe at the county level because it holds one of the lowest numbers in Hill-sborough County in terms of crimes, fi ght arrests, drug dealings and weapon possessions. “Despite the [high] poverty area surrounding the school, we are very fortunate to have the sheriff’s offi ce close to us,” said Deputy Nathaniel Johnson, police resource offi cer. In the 11 years that he has worked here, Johnson has yet to encounter an extremely disruptive bomb threat on school grounds. The close proximity of the sheriff’s offi ce allows deputies to mon-itor and respond quickly to any emergencies. Due to a closer and more intimate worker relationship, Johnson and his colleagues are able to guard the perimeter of the school more effectively.

In addition to measures taken by the deputy department, teach-ers and administrators on campus contribute to supervise student safety. “King is safe not only because the AP’s and deputies make it safe,” said senior Peyton Martinez. “But also teachers like Mr. Lawrence keep it safe by breaking up fi ghts, for example.” “The administration here is very good at picking up when students are upset and they give these students some help because students are often more stressed than people think they are,” John-

son said. “We have an open-door policy and encourage students to come to the offi ce for peer mediation if they have problems.” On average, there is usually one case of peer mediation every one or two weeks. Addi-tionally, Johnson notes that school safety has improved for the better throughout the years. “When I fi rst came, I remember I had a very long counter just for reports on the school, and I would have to write about fi fteen or sixteen reports each day,” Johnson said. In order to ensure that students are in a safe environment during school hours, the admin-

istration has tightened policies on distributing hall passes during learning hours. “The main goal is to keep the traffi c down at all times and to know where students are if they are not in the classrooms,” John-son said. “We monitor the front gate at all times so that we know who is on campus, and we also roam around campus to make sure no one is trespassing.” However, student concerns have increased for events taking place during nonschool hours. “I think a distinction should be made between being in school and being at school-sponsored events such as football games, dances and concerts,” said senior Alison Choi. Choi feels that many crime-related incidents take place when the school is open to public and when there is a larger fl ow of people on and off campus..........................CONTINUED PG.3

“We have an open-door policy and encourage students to come to the offi ce for peer

mediation if they haveproblems.”

- Deputy Nathaniel Johnson.

Look Inside ...

Volume Issue51 2 November 2011C. Leon King High School

6815 N. 56th Street Tampa, FL 33610 813-744-8333

Remembering Noah KushnerSept. 1995 - Nov. 2011

Content Editor/Staff WriterBY AMY CHENG & ANGEL KENNEDY

1-5|News 6-7|Opinions 8|Blurbs 1b-5b|Features 6b-7b|Sports 8b|Advertisement

ScepterThe C. Leon

King High

TheBulletin

District crime creates safety concerns

TAKING A CHANCE - Numerous students cross the 56th Street intersection after school without regard to crosswalks or cross-ing signs, creating problems for both pedestrians and motorists. Such jaywalking during rush hour traffi c is only one concern among the many that led administrators to reexamine school safety and to adopt new policies.PHOTO BY SY-WOEI HAO

PHOTO BY STEPHANIE DOOKIESINGH

TEN-HUT! - Sophomore Rachel Favors and other NJROTC students are lined up getting a uniform inspection. A uniform inspection was one of the events King competed in at the 2011 Mustang Chal-lenge.......................STORY ON PG.3

Dozens of uniformed marching bands lined up across the Strawberry Crest foot-ball fi eld Nov. 5, prepared to impress the judges and entertain spectators at the 75th annual Florida Bandmaster’s Association (FBA) District 7 competition. With the af-ternoon sun fi lling the sky, the Marching Lions assembled before banners painted with keyboards. Songs from Billy Joel’s repertoire fl oated above the musicians clad in red, white and blue as they marched across the football fi eld. The emcee announces each

school as they walk on, but not much else. Unlike years past, each band’s ranking was not revealed publically, but by their band director. Regardless of how rankings were an-nounced, the Marching Lions earned a Su-perior (the highest level of achievement) for the fi rst time in three years. “Finally” was the fi rst thought in many students’ minds when Band Director Dre Graham revealed their rank this season. “I cried,” said junior Jalissa Brooks, uniform manager. “Finally, [the judges] re-alized we’ve been working hard and they know what we really earned.”

For many of the third-year band mem-bers, a superior ranking has been nothing but a distant goal; however, forth year members still remember their fi rst year achievement. “It was such an emotional experience because we worked so hard and then had it pay off as Mr. Graham’s fi rst Superior and our last year,” said senior Julien Figueroa. “We got to end like we started,” said senior Sara Chizmar, Band Captain. In 2008, the Marching Lions earned their thirty-fi fth straight Superior in school his-tory. The next two years broke that streak and the band............CONTINUED PG.3

Marching Lions succeed in re-establishing superior rating

SUPERIOR EFFORT- Marching band members crowd Director Dre Graham in victory. This year’s Florida Bandmaster’s Association rating was a return to a 35-year tradition of Superiors.

Production ManagerBY KIMBERLY CARLIN

NJROTC members compete locally

Scepter2 November 2011

For the past decade, schools around the country have practiced the tradition of the All-Pro Dad Breakfast. It is a simple but far-reaching event because it strengthens the bonds that many students share with their fathers. Just re-cently, this tradition has also come to the school. On Oct. 28, 2011, the school hosted an All-Pro Dad Breakfast from 6:45 to 7:30 a.m. in the library. Tony Dungy, the spokesperson for the breakfast, claims that the breakfast gives students the resources to create a stronger bond with their fathers by interacting with other student-father pairs. Besides being served breakfast by the staff, all the guests are also invited to participate in a 45-minute “pro-gram of fatherhood and family topics.” David Lawrence, social studies department head and the school’s coordina-tor for the breakfast, had high hopes for the success of the

breakfast. “During the breakfast, the fathers will express some-thing about their child that they are proud of and then there will be a short video that demonstrates the topic for that meeting,” Lawrence said. The breakfast is aimed to help students connect on a deeper level with their fathers by allowing them to spend time together in person and stimulating insightful conver-sation among the families on topics such as confl ict resolu-tion and goal setting. “The fi rst step to any relationship is being present,” Lawrence said. “This venue will give the families an op-portunity to engage in a purposeful positive discussion which will hopefully open the door to further discussions.” The All Pro Dad Breakfast was started in 1997 by Fami-ly First, a nonprofi t organization dedicated to the strength-ening of family relationships, with the help of NFL coach Tony Dungy. Once a month, fathers would have breakfast

with their kids before school at a local restaurant or in the school cafeteria. The main signifi cance of the breakfast was that it helped bring up discussion topics between fa-ther and child that would not come up in a regular day’s discussion. “During the summer, I came across the All Pro Dad website and thought it would be a great program to bring to King,” Lawrence said. “I asked Mr. [Michael] Rowan and he gave his approval to start the program this fall.” Another important aspect of the breakfast is that al-though it is centered on father-child relationships, students can bring any male role model to the breakfast. If there is no male role model, any female role models are invited to come as well. Following the previous success of the breakfast in other parts of the county, the fi rst All-Pro Dad Breakfast on cam-pus turned out to be successful.

Copy EditorBY KEERTHI VENGATESAN

All Pro-Dad Breakfast aims to strengthen relationships in county

The PSAT/NMSQT is the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The students that score above the benchmark for each state, which is determined on a representational basis, make up the Semifi nalist pool. These students are the highest scoring in each state, and this year, our school has the most Semifi nalists in Hills-borough County. The National Merit Scholarship Compe-tition (NMSC) Semifi nalists from our school are: Daniel Ayala, Natasha Bhuyan, Rishi Bollu, Laura Conover, Jes-sica Fielding, Lawrence Guan, Alexander Holst, Lisa Ma, Nisha Patel, Prit Patel, Robert Peng, C.J.Rivera, Keerthi Vengatesan, Daniel Zhang. These students will fi nd out in February whether they advanced to the Finalist group. This group competes for the limited number of single-payment $2,500 scholar-

ships, and this decision is based on the NMSC’s selector evaluations of the Finalist’s academic record, information about the school’s curriculum and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school offi cial’s written recom-mendation, information about the student’s activities and leadership, and the Finalists’ essays. Winners are selected without consideration of college choice, family fi nancial status, or major career plans. Other programs also grant recognition through PSAT scores, such as the National Hispanic Recognition Pro-gram (NHRP) and the National Achievement Scholarship Program. In order to be eligible for the National Hispanic Recognition Program, students must be at least one-quar-ter Hispanic/Latino, as defi ned by the NHRP, meet the minimum PSAT/NMSQT cutoff score for their state, and achieve a minimum grade point average (GPA) require-ment. The students recognized by the NHRP from our

school this year are: Daniel Ayala and C.J. Rivera. The National Achievement Scholarship Program was established to provide recognition for outstanding African American High School Students. These scholars can be recognized for both the NMSC and the National Achieve-ment Scholarship programs, but can receive a monetary award from only one. African American students can request entry to the National Achievement Program by marking Section 14 on the PSAT/NMSQT answer sheet, thereby identifying himself or herself as an African Ameri-can who wishes to be considered in this competition. The National Achievement scholars from our school this year are: Tahir Kurji, Krystal Lawrence, Christopher Whitten. The school staff expects similar results in the upcom-ing year and looks forward for more outstanding student achievements.

Business ManagerBY RACHITA DASNational Merit award achievements continue to out-rank district

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Just recently, King was visited by a theater troupe from the Florida State University Master’s Program, who came to perform Hamlet Redux, their own ver-sion of Elizabethan playwright William Shakespeare’s famous play. The event was organized by English teacher Michele Prado and English Department Head Melanie Willette for the senior Advanced Placement Literature and Composition students. According to Willette, she received an e-mail from the students over the past summer asking to come perform at King because they were required to do live performances as part of their curriculum. Also, the AP Literature students would be reading and analyzing Hamlet in class at the time. Thus, she and Prado thought it would be an enriching experience for the students to actually see a live performance of the play. “Shakespeare is enduring because of his ambiguity,” Willette said, “It benefi ts the students because they can see different interpretations, particularly one director’s interpretation and how he views Hamlet.” Approximately fi fty-fi ve students came to see the performance by the FSU students on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. The performance was conducted by fi ve FSU students in the auditorium. Each one took on roles of various characters in the play. The performance lasted for

about an hour. General feedback from the students was very posi-tive. Many thought it was a very rewarding experience to be able to see what they were reading fi rsthand. Many were also glad because seeing the play live helped them understand some parts of the play that they were not able to understand by just reading. “The play was very well-received,” Willette said, “the general feedback was that the students enjoyed it very much.” Aside from the students, Willette and Prado were also very impressed. “I was thoroughly entertained,” Willette said, “based on the quality of performance, I would love to have the students do something like this next year.” The only thing that was of some disappointment to the students was that the troupe only performed their version of Hamlet, even though the students will be analyzing more literary works. “It would have been nice if had been able to include other plays in the performance,” Willette said. Regardless, the students are still grateful for being able to have such an exciting opportunity. Now that they have seen a live enactment of one of the works they are studying, they are able to better understand and recognize the key features of the play.

Hamlet Redux performance inspires students, facultyCopy Editor

BY KEERTHI VENGATESAN

TO ENTHUSE OR NOT TO ENTHUSE – Members of the Florida State University Master’s Program perform Hamlet Redux to senior AP Literature Students. Many students thought the performance was very exciting and was a great opportunity to see a different version of the play.

People dread opening the door to two unexpected army offi cers dressed in blue. Gina Lechowich was no different, but she still had to listen to how her son, First Lieu-tenant Ivan Lechowich, died during active duty in Afghanistan. By high school, Ivan had seen more of the world than the average student. Born in Oklahoma into a military family, he moved every three or so years, and he had already walked on four continents. As his mother puts it, they had been to places ranging from the Eiffel Tower to the Pyramids in Egypt. Still, one trip was momentous. When Ivan was 11, he shook hands with Muam-mar Gaddafi when Egyptian terrorists hi-jacked a tourist plane to Cairo and rerouted it to Libya. “They threatened the passengers with Molotovs [gasoline bombs],” Lechowich said. “It would have been very easy to shoot us, but they didn’t.” That summer of 1996 the Lechowiches had ironically wanted to avoid peril. Just the year before, terrorists affi liated with Osama bin Laden had bombed the offi ce where Ivan’s father worked. The classmate who merely sat next to

Ivan would not have known all this. What most people probably did notice in Ivan was his fun-loving yet hardwork-ing nature. Teachers remember him as a respectful student with a good sense of humor. Ivan and his homeroom teacher, Helio-doro Cimorra, only spent 10 to 15 minutes per day together. Yet Cimorra recalls his student was “a happy camper.” “...In the end he was the most generous,” Cimorra said, “not only in the classroom, but for his family and everyone.” Ivan’s affi nity for social interaction is apparent in his involvement in the school band as a baritone player. Many in his close-knit group of friends throughout high school and college were band members and Lionettes. Reading teacher Annette Lasley coached Erika Lechowich for the school volleyball team. She remembers Ivan’s cheering on his younger sister. To keep himself physically active, Ivan enjoyed lifting weights. He went scuba diving with his family and played ultimate frisbee at the University of Florida. He was also a big fan of college football, rooting for the Gators. Ivan was a prolifi c reader, especially of science fi ction. His mother used to threaten

to confi scate his books in order to control his behavior. She noted that because he was “really bright,” he had a hard time being patient. In high school, it was fi nally “cool to be smart, cool to know the answers, cool to have read the next chapter.” Ivan was fond of jokes, but his teachers would not classify him as the class clown. Ivan tended to fi nish his work early. He would then either bother his classmates or help them with their work. History teacher David Mills remembers an instance when Ivan explained a concept to another student in a way that the teacher could not. Mills said Ivan never had trouble with history. In fact, after high school gradua-tion in 2002, Ivan majored in history at UF. However, it is no wonder that his fam-ily’s military affi liation infl uenced his decision to enlist. His father, retired as a lieutenant colonel, served for 22 years and still works in central command; his mother has been a United Services Auto Associa-tion (USAA) employee for 14 years. Ivan’s uncles, aunts and family friends were also in the military. He joined the U.S. Army Corps of En-gineers, which he served until that fateful Sept. 28.

“It’s unbearably sad,” said Lechowich. “It’s our understanding that he died quick-ly, that he didn’t suffer much.” Ivan’s task as platoon leader was dis-mantling mines with his unit before others arrived. That Wednesday, while students scribbled notes within walls made safe by soldiers like Ivan, his unit missed several hidden explosives. The profi le picture on Ivan’s Facebook page is that of his infant daughter. She was born just fi ve days before her father died. Although the two briefl y met through Sky-pe, Natalie Marie never felt the embrace of her father. The people he met will not look at the world in exactly the same way. His story has been and will continue to be told as one of a soldier’s sacrifi ce. The school plans to commemorate Ivan’s life with two bricks that will lie in front of the fl agpole. A ceremony will like-ly be held next January. Ivan’s family fl ew to Missouri on Nov. 10 for a memorial service for him and two other soldiers. From now on, Ivan’s mother said the Lechowiches will probably spend Memorial Day visiting Ivan’s grave; how-ever, the family will maintain their habit of treating every day like a patriotic holiday.

3November 2011 Scepter

Overseas death of alumnus shakes local community

Marching con’t......earned two Excellents (the second high-est rank). The break in such a long-stand-ing tradition helped to create a more mem-orable experience for some band members. “It felt even better to get [a Superior] after knowing what it felt like without it,” said senior Paul Buchman, head equipment manager. Graham began directing the band in 2009, the fi rst year the Marching Lions earned an Excellent. He earned one Supe-rior with Jazz Band at MPA last year. “I’m especially grateful for Mr. Graham because he didn’t give up, even though the fi rst two years were Excellent,” Brooks said. After extensive practice and a “Superior mindset” throughout the band, this year’s FBA had inherently higher stakes than in the past. “All of those things coming together and culminated into something words couldn’t contain,” Graham said. “I cried for the fi rst time in ten years, and I’m not really emo-tional so it was crazy.” The largest change to FBA this year was the announcement of ranking. In its place, the seniors from each band were called to the fi eld and recognized along with drum majors and captains with medals. This al-lowed each band director to tell the band its ranking individually. “The reason for not announcing the rankings is legitimate because there was so much emphasis on Superior, which dis-appoints other bands,” Graham said. “The fact that they didn’t announce [the ranks] gave me the opportunity to make it a more intimate moment so I could tell my band and see their reaction fi rst.” Earning a Superior again helps to re-establish the long standing tradition of Marching Superiors. But some seniors hope to leave a different legacy as well. “It was really important for the freshmen to see what it takes to get a Superior,” said senior Laura Conover, Librarian. The band will continue to march proudly and entertain audiences with crowd pleas-ing shows, especially with the reestablish-ment of such a superior tradition. This sea-son may be “Movin’ Out,” but its impact

will stay at the school much longer both as a tradition and a pioneering accomplishment.

Safety con’t... One of the greatest concerns, however, is the problem of theft. Students tend to overly trust their peers, often leaving be-longings and possessions unattended. “The better way to put it would be the abandoning of personal properties,” John-son said. “This is all about personal integ-rity, and it is up to the students to keep the campus as safe as they want it to be.”

NJROTC con’t... On Oct. 22, 2011, the Navy Junior Re-serve Offi cers Training Corps (NJROTC) participated in a competition known as the Mustang challenge at Mitchell High School. Fourteen schools competed in nu-merous events such as color guard, armed and unarmed exhibition, and armed and unarmed basic academics, a category in which the school placed 4th overall. “Since it is the fi rst competition of the year, it’s good to see the progress made,” said senior Adam Campbell. Many newer members value such com-petitions as opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of teamwork.

“It’s really about teamwork, not only working for yourself but working as a unit, working for King,” said freshmen Sean Nguyen. Members are generally satisfi ed with their results and feel proud of receiving awards for the school.

“We did well and we came home with a trophy,” said Kentrell Hamlin, a second-time competitor. NJROTC members will strive to re-ceive more medals and trophies as sym-bols to honor their hard work and per-severance the next time they compete.

Copy EditorBY XIAOYI REN

...CONTINUATIONS FROM PAGE 1

KICKING THINGS OFF - Senior Lionette captains Victoria Boylan and Lauren MIller dance with drum major Jacob Gassen to the open-ing of Billy Joel’s, “Movin’ Out.” This year’s music choice allowed the dancers to exhibit a wide variety of styles.

King’s Very Own Literary Magazine

theORB

DRIVING SAFETY

It is often easy to pay less attention to daily activites as they become more routine. Life changing events can occur when least expected and motor vehicle accidents are commonly one of these events. The school’s history has been marred by several driving fatalities in the past. In October 1989, Tina Debosky and Christina Perez were killed from a head-on collision with a car whose driver had been drag rac-ing. Later that year, Raymond Farfante and Brent Schlueter died in a crash on Fowler Avenue, on Dec. 21, 1989. “It was devastating, “ said Ronald Carrell, mathematics teacher. “[Farfante] was a nice, young man. He was energetic and nice to be around. Everyone liked him.” A third accident claimed the life of Stephen B. Buckles on Feb.

4, 1990. The car in which he had been travelling spun out of con-trol on Harney Road, crashing through a fence into a vacant area. Jason Almerico, another student, was gravely injured in the ac-cident as well. Luckily, Almerico managed to recover, although it took him six months. There were two other students in the car,

along with Darren Collado the driver, but fortunately, neither student was badly injured. This trio of back-to-back accidents shocked students and teachers alike. Five students were killed in five months. One can only imagine the emotional shock and trauma felt by those who were familiar with the students. “It ruined lives, and the emotional impact is still with us today. We remember the phone calls waking us up in the middle of the night with the horrible news,” Carrell said.

He personally knew both Farfante and Buckles. Recently, an alumnus passed away due to an automobile collision. Derek Anthony Landes died on Sept. 15, 2011, not even a week after his twenty-first birthday. He was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic. When he tried to stop abruptly, he lost control of the car and accidentally entered the opposite lane. He had a head-on collision with a Dodge Caravan. There were no airbags in the car due to a previous accident. After staying at a hospital for a day, he passed away. Those who were familiar with Landes say that their view on driving was substantially altered. “The accident made me realize that just because you’re young, it doesn’t mean that you’re invincible, “said senior Hannah Alexander. Student driving deaths bring life back into perspective for many who are fa-miliar with the victim. They show how short life can be, and they reinforce the importance of safety. Student drivers become involved in more accidents than any other age groups. According to the Department of Motor Vehicles, 61.4 out of every 1000 sixteen year-old drivers were involved in a crash that was fatal or caused an injury. Overall, 16.8 out of every 1000 drivers were involved in a crash that was injurious or fatal. Does it really take such occurrences to bring safety to forefront of public attention? Whatever the case, one would do well not to forget the lessons learned through previous tragedies. While driving may seem very safe in the modern world, in reality, a few thousand pounds of steel hurling down the interstates at 70 miles per hour is very dangerous. In addition, students generally do not have reaction times and judgment that are as developed as those of adults.

Web Specialist/Staff WriterBY HAOQING WANG & NATHAN LOGAN

Scepter4 November 2011

DRIVING SAFETY License? Check. Car? Check. Keys? Check. Safe driving habits? Not so sure on that one… Turning sixteen represents a coming of age in a sense – for the first time in your life, you have the freedom to drive alone. But privileges always come with responsibilities, and to have the privilege of driving alone, one must take on the responsibilities of learning to drive safely – using good judgment and following all the rules. According to the standard Safe Practices for Motor Vehicle Opera-tions manual, defensive driving is defined as “driving to save lives, time, and money.” This entails all the normal driving rules and regu-lations that drivers are often told to practice, such as the “Two-second rule,” which says that the minimum following distance for a defensive driver should be far enough so that it takes two seconds for you to

pass an arbitrary object on the

r o a d

after the car in front of you has passed that same object. Student drivers nowadays are only moderately responsible. As a whole, they understand that driving is matter of life and death and that having good driving habits are imperative. However, at times they tend to get sidetracked and momen-tarily forget their power behind the wheel. Because of this tendency, some parents tend to not allow students to take other students in their car for the first few years. This has been both a source of reassurance and resentment for the students. “I think most students are smart enough to know not to drink and drive, or

text and drive, but there is still enough of it going on for it to be an issue,” said junior Nandita Kotwani. Kotwani has been driving to school for a little less than a year now, and feels that she does her best to avoid any of the common mistakes in teenage driv-ing such as speeding, and texting while driving. She feels that the risks are not worth the possible consequences. Most of the student body feels the same way as Kotwani in terms of the overall student driving – that although accidents are a possibility, destructive driving is overall not prevalent among students. However, caution is advised. The main reason caution is advised is because of the possibility of an ac-cident. The story of Derek Anthony Lades, a school alumnus that recently died as a result of a car accident, is a

source of fear for many students. Although many students may think that Landes’s case was just a freak accident, the reality is that many teenagers practice dangerous driving techniques. Each

year, more than 5,000 teenagers die due to serious traffic accidents, and more than 400,000 are seriously injured. Teenagers are four times more likely to

crash than other drivers for each mile they drive. Physical Education Department Head and driver’s education coach

Cindy Saladino emphasizes cautionary advice to student drivers. “Despite knowing that texting, emailing, and speaking on the

cell while driving are dangerous, many drivers admit to doing these distracting behaviors anyway. Drivers feel less safe on

the roads because of distracted driving than they did sev-eral years ago,” said Saladino.

Saladino feels that in order to achieve a safe road system for everyone, drivers’ attitudes must change

and they must realize the possible con-sequences of their privilege of being

behind the wheel. She feels that this change can be effected by a general change in attitude among drivers,

both students and parents. “Everyone should get in-volved and put it down to en-sure a positive safety culture,” said Saladino. “We all have per-sonal responsibilities.”

Copy Editor/Marketing ManagerBY KEERTHI VENGATESAN & VISRUTI SANKAR

Push towards safety awareness strengthens

5November 2011 Scepter

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JENA YOUNG

Stealing is bad. Your parents tell you, your government tells you, and your conscience may tell you. But the advice does not get much deeper than that. A year has not yet passed since my elder brother drove me home from the deceivingly typical day at school. Maybe we were naïve and too trusting, but I believe that most of us would be if we were coming home to a house with an alarm in a gated community after carelessly sharing our secrets with some close, reliable friends. As we were detec-tive show addicts, we saw forensics vans every night on our television screen, but never did we expect one on our own driveway accompanied by a police car. My house was never the tidiest of the block, but it was never as messy as the rooms of emptied drawers, rum-maged closets and scattered papers I saw before me that day. On the surface, a theft is merely a loss of material goods. Reassurances are given that objects can be replaced, but often, the emotional impact of the event is not consid-ered. Taking something that is not yours is a violation of privacy at its most extreme. I saw my old yearbooks scattered on my fl oor. My dad’s fi ftieth birthday balloon still fl oated over the countertop from the previous day. Family photos were scattered around in the mess of fi ngerprint powder left by the foren-sics investigator who came in to investigate the situation. Not every object is replaceable; each thing tells a story because it was part of a life.

The school has witnessed more than its fair share of thefts recently. A school, like a home, is a place where we have established a routine and trust in that routine. It is a place where we make memories and build trusting relation-ships. This is made impossible by a select few who do not acknowledge the implications of their actions beyond their material value. I believe that the experience I had with a home robbery makes me more understanding of others experiencing the side effects of theft, but I know each person deals with a loss differently. To the thief or thief-to-be, remember that every student has a story. Breaking that student’s trust of a familiar routine is diffi cult to mend. To those who have lost, realize the value of what can still be found. To those who may not have had a fi rst-hand experience, appreciate all that you have in your possession because it may end up in the grubby hands of someone who realizes it only for its material value. Some say human beings are inherently selfi sh. It only takes a few individuals to create this reputation, but re-quires an entire population to eliminate it through honest, careful behavior.

We all, regardless of our color, religion or gender, bleed red. However, if someone were to look closely at my blood, he/she would notice I bleed red, white and blue. I am a proud Air Force brat twice over. My biological father Ssgt. Norman Lasley served his country for 21 years and my “adopted” father Major Dale Adams served for twenty years. It is safe to assume that I am a proud American. Now, I don’t have an American fl ag tattooed on my bicep, but I am proud and smart enough to automatically respect and be thankful for anyone who is willing to wear the uniform and defend my freedom. I feel that the average soldier and veteran do not get the thanks and respect he/she deserves. To be honest, veterans and soldiers see and do things that I never want to see or know about. I am just thankful they do it, so that when my government makes me angry, I can complain without fear of having someone break down my door in the middle of the night and arrest me or put me in front of a fi ring squad. My fathers made sure that I have the right to complain safely, and I do! First Lieutenant Ivan Lechowich, King High class of 2002, gave that right to the next generation of students at King High. They can walk around campus with their hair

spiked and gelled or wear their “gold grills” in their mouth without the fear of an illegal search. According to the law, the school must have probable cause. King students don’t understand the connection between their rights and freedoms and Ivan. They have no clue what ultimate price Ivan paid so that they can walk without fear. Maybe they should ask his sister Erika, who will be married in a couple of months without her big brother. Or better yet, ask his widow, who now has the sad task of telling stories about him to Ivan’s daughter, who was born while he was in Afghanistan. Fortunately, he was able to see his baby daughter, thanks to the modern technology of Skype. Ivan’s family knows the connection. Families of all Americanveterans and military personnel know the connection, the price, and they are grateful. How do we get the average American, the teenager roaming the halls of King, and the angry dissident tounderstand his/her freedom to live in America is due to the sacrifi ce of American soldiers? Let’s start small, King Li-ons. Walk over to the 300 hall and tell Senior Chief Blake and Captain Russell thank you. Tonight, I will go home and thank my fathers.

- Ms. Annette Lasley, teacher.

Editorial Policy The Scepter is published seven times per academic year by students in the journalism program at C. Leon King High School. Content is determined by the staff and does not necessarily refl ect the opinions or policies of King High School’s faculty, administration, adviser, or student body. Students are permitted freedom of the press as granted by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. This right is ac-knowledged in the Hillsborough County Student Handbook. Signed editorials and columns refl ect the views of the writer. Un-signed editorials represent the opinion of the Scepter editorial board. Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged and should be signed. The editorial board reviews letters to the editor, advertising and guest commentaries and reserves the right to edit and refuse material. Rea-sons can include length, clarity, libel, obscenities, violation of copy-right laws,or the potential to disrupt the educational process at King High School.

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The fi nal clouds of hairspray, piercing of safety pins and hugs of good luck could not hide the trepidation lurking backstage as we left our friends and joined together as team. After three months of intense training, tiring practices, and meticulous synchronization, our fi rst perfor-mance of the season was fi nally here. It was show time. Although it is expectant that the healthiest emotion to have backstage would be compo-sure, with thousands of people in the audience, excitement shook our core. Our item number was called and as we stepped onto the stage, the cheering from the crowd echoed off of the cur-tains. In a last plea for perfection, we took our right hands, touched the stage, then touched our hearts. As I looked up from the cultural tradition known to us as a common ritual, the light began to emerge across the stage. In the charades of life, I have realized that in some aspects, having a platform to be myself has taught me more than what I have learned in 12 years of schooling. In order to appreci-ate those around you, you must fi rst be able to observe the crowd. From the blinding stage lights, I have learned that you should always view the world from your own two feet and not worry about judg-ment from others. From the weathered dark varnish on the fl oor of the stage, I have learned that you can approach situations in the way that you wish to, for the stage could either represent a black well towards abyss or a safe-haven from the evils below. Lastly, from my team members I have learned that when the curtains open, a false face is not needed to do well; instead, true life is given on stage when one is actually able to convey it. That night, my relationship with my team stayed as strong as ever, but what strengthened was my understanding of the incredible amount of opportunities we have in life to take advan-tage of. The confi dence, perfection, and exhibition of teamwork that is needed to do well while performing is what we often yearn for in daily life. As we left the stage, the trophy awaiting us did not matter any longer - it was meaning-less. It is the experience and confi dence that dance has added to my character that makes me believe that all of those hours of preparation for a trophy was truly for something else. I love my team in unexplainable terms; they are my family and I could not imagine my life without them. The bond we have, stitched together with hope for something more, is what I gained that night - not only with my team, but with my stage.

Dear Scepter,

OpinionsScepter6 November 2011

The C. Leon

King High

Sahil Shah

Editor-in-Chief Sahil ShahProduction Manager Kimberly CarlinBusiness Manager Rachita DasCopy Editor Keerthi VengatesanContent Editor Amy ChengNews Editor Xiaoyi RenAssistant News EditorLolade Bakade

Features Editor Nisha PatelFeatures Assistant Eric Chao Editorials Editor Sheena Jain Photography Editor Sy-woei HaoGraphics EditorJena YoungSports Editor Marigny NevittSports Assistant Kunaal Murthy

Marketing Manager Visruti Sankar Columnist Braden SmithAdministrative AssistantSucheta Roy Web Specialist Haoqing Wang Staff WritersShivam Bharadwaj Neha PatilSerena KotwalRishi BolluNathan LoganAngel Kennedy

Letter to the Editor

Marketing ManagerBY NISHA PATEL

Theft hurts more than your wallet

Viewpoint 7

Brainwashed since birth to get into a good college, graduate, and reach unbridled success after high school, most students feel as though their dreams are not attain-able without a degree. The only hope for a happy life resides with that fancy piece of cardstock heralding the accomplishments of a higher education. Yet one of the most infl uential men of our time de-fi ed this standard. Steve Jobs was able to transform our world and the very means by which we live by innovating a better technology system. No matter one’s particular brand preferences, Jobs created an indisputably modern para-digm. As Matt Galligan said, “[Jobs] touched an ugly world of technology and made it beautiful.” Such an immense impact should be impossible without the great advantages of a college education, right? Jobs was a foster child and college drop-out who started his own company with Steve Wozniak in a ga-rage. Certainly, he began his monumentous career from humble origins. Many optimistic souls have travelled the same path and failed, yet we look to the success of Jobs with hope, appreciation, and admiration. He defi es the college stereotype and proves that hard work and creativity are all that is really needed for a meaningful life. Although gone now, Jobs will live on in spirit through our Macs, iPhones, and iPods. His fi ngerprint

on technology is unquestionable. He innovated a whole new way to connect with our world. But even more paramount is his example as a pioneer and symbol of possibilities we have been raised against. For people without college degrees, the world has again become a welcoming place to thrive. Jobs has followed other great innovators in shifting paradigms of possible and impossible. From Walt Dis-ney and NASA, a fresh perspective and genuine enthu-siasm help to transform everything, and Jobs is another step toward the future. Being high schoolers, we have known only a post-Jobs society. Without him, our world will undoubtly change but never revert. His legacy will continue long after mourning statuses and tweets cease. His words that inspired Stanford graduates in 2005 will echo for decades, ironically calling attention to college based success. We will remember it is okay to challenge the system, to innovate, and to change because of Steve Jobs. We will remember the importance of hard work over sup-posed accomplishments. We will remember to look progress in the face with tenacity and ambition. He calls us to “stay hungry, stay foolish,” two accomplishments not dictated by a collegiate success. Without him, we would be stuck in an ugly technological world headed indefi nitely to that big school on the hill just as sheep to the next pasture. Now we know there are other paths.

Scepter

ColumnistBY BRADEN SMITH

The Times

Production ManagerBY KIMBERLY CARLIN

Last year I would pick my dad up from work after school and take him home. We would usually stop at Publix on the way home for some miscellaneous grocer-ies and snacks to prepare for the evening’s dinner. Since Publix was almost always empty when we got there, we pretty much had a free reign of the place. The freedom that afforded me was refreshing. Especially the empty aisles of the freezer section. Most of the newer stores have motion sensors on the front of each freezer case so that the lights are on when there is a customer and they can go off when there is not in order to save electricity. I noticed them about a year ago. Now every time I’m pushing a cart down the aisles and see a darkened row of cases, I turn and speed off, launching the metal crate on wheels forward in sharp bursts. I stand up on the bottom basket, gliding down the corridor, lights igniting as I pass. I race them. I always lose. It seems rather silly, excitedly jumping onto a cart and racing down an aisle of frozen dinners and fi sh sticks, and I’m sure the security staff monitoring the video feeds scratches their heads in confusion if they were ever to watch it. Even my dad rolls his eyes when he sees me crouch in preparation just before I pounce. But I don’t care; it makes me feel like a child. It makes me feel happy. It makes me feel free. I believe more people want to experience the carefree nature of youth or reignite their once jubilant spirits, yet bogged down by work and school, we are trapped by expectations of maturity and poise. Such attributes need not extend into every aspect of our lives. Publix is my playground, the one place I can run mania-cally down the aisles without regard. My childhood arises every time I am given an empty aisle and a shopping cart. I am not bound to the respon-sibilities of a high school senior, but freed into a world of rushing air and fl ickering lights. High school and life itself seem much less daunting when perched atop a speeding shopping cart.

Rose Coloured Lenses

Jobs leaves memorable legacy for graduatesProduction ManagerBY KIMBERLY CARLIN

November 2011

Making sense of reality: Astrology At some point in our lives, we have all come across an individual that has a vested interest in astrology. That person feeds you, in my personal opinion, useless views on how the position of the moon and the stars determine your fate and, better yet, your personality. They believe that predictions of the future are possible and can be prevented if necessary. Horoscopes are said to match personality traits and show true compat-ibility with others. Wearing various types of stones is perceived to bring about good health or ward off evil. Do all these perceptions of astrology truly exist or are they ideas that are just in people’s minds? What draws the line between those who have a general acceptance of astrological views and those who swear their life by astrology? The ideology of astrology came into existence when theories of the universe were questionable, thus making the ideas fl awed. Astrology is based on the position of the stars and planets, relating and from this idea comes horoscopes and astrological charts. Every idea or action in life has a chance of change, as nothing is set in stone, and there is always room for improvement or downfall. No one nor force has any control over anything in life. The same idea applies to the position of stars and planets: their relative position in space is always shifting, causing astrological charts

to be erroneous. Although the ideas presented by astrology may have bits of truth to them, the overall concept has made individuals across the world fanatics of these beliefs. Signifi cance of astrology deviates from culture to culture. Some have incorporated astrological ideas as a side note of daily life, as they refer to the concepts but hold insignifi cant importance. Other cultures depend on astrological beliefs as they seek advice from astrolo-gers on ideal periods of time to follow through with important tasks such as marriage or conception. On a personal note, those who share the common astrological beliefs tend to follow the pack. Astrology has become a growing phenomenon that people seem to follow and to make them sound scientifi c. Once the astrological mindset reaches one individual, he or she imposes their views on others, leading to a chain of views that people don’t have substantial knowledge. Rather then truly believing these beliefs, people believe more as a means of joining the crowd. Ask someone who claims to have a fi xed belief in astrology and why they uphold those beliefs. The most common response is that this ideology has existed since ancient times and even scientists have similar views. No force or individual who thinks they can predict your future can change your life. The power to change your life for the better or worse lies in your hands and no one else’s.

Editorials EditorBY SHEENA JAIN

On television screens and at dinner tables across America, there is much to lament about the increas-ingly partisan nature of our national representatives. Everyone and his mother now seem to realize that all our problems stem from stubborn political rivalry in Washington. But how truly damaging is this situation? Elder statesmen and pundits alike mourn for the olden days of co-operation across party lines, but ask yourself what those olden days really brought us. Years upon years of laws, statutes, and regulations may at fi rst seem like achievements in the legislative process, but in reality, they have infl ated federal expenditure, benefi ted special interests, and strangled any business that isn’t big, all at the taxpayers’ expense. I don’t think congress-men are inherently evil, but a land reform law from 1897, that was only vaguely constitutional and benefi -cial only to a particular constituency, can do no good if it’s still on the books. One of the biggest buzz-words of this debate is “compromise.” I believe that, contrary to popular opinion, compromise for the sake of compromise is not inherently benefi cial. Many bills like the fi ctional land act of 1897 became laws only through compromises that ignored partisan and ideological lines. It’s true that many landmark acts were the result of compromises, but so were many bad laws. Additionally, most of the great things our government has done were single-party initiatives, including, but not limited to, the Lousiana Purchase, the creation of the Federal Reserve, and the frigging Constitution! It can’t be argued that compromise always yields positive results, and it can’t be argued unilateral action always yields negative results. Given the mess that excessive legislation has gotten us in, a little stalemate might be just what the doctor ordered. All that being said, I can’t, in good conscience, condone some of the more vicious and unintelligent at-tacks this partisanship has caused. They are an unfortu-nate consequence of a positive trend, but as Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “If a political party does not have its foundation in the determination to advance a cause that is right and that is moral, then it is not a political party; it is merely a conspiracy to seize power.”

Family. Turkey. Giving thanks. Native Americans. Popcorn? Everyone has their own ways in which to celebrate at holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some people’s ideas are based on traditions while others’ on their own will. Those who wish to create their own ways to cel-ebrate holidays believe traditions become an obliga-tion and eventually lose meaning. Mere repetition of the same thing every year at the same time of year for everyone can become not only boring but will eventually hold no value. In some cases, the actual cause and reasoning behind the event is forgotten in the midst of the traditions. For example, the tradition for Halloween, as we remember it, has always been dressing up as scary creatures. However, the meaning behind this holiday has been lost throughout the years, and now a scarce number of people know why we even dress up any-more. Since Halloween occurs around the end of the harvesting season: fi elds dry up, vegetables rot, and animals are butchered. The large presence of death during the time period led the Celts to believe that the

souls of the dead visit Earth every October 31st. Some believe that we all need to create our own ex-periences. Traditions always alter in time anyways, and as we are all different individuals with our own mindset and belief system, we should create traditions that match based on what we desire rather than blindly following those prior to ours. Even the traditions today had to have started at some point with someone creating their own way of celebrat-ing. For example, the American tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1902 with the fi rst all-pro league, whereas Thanksgiving was fi rst celebrated in 1621. Another example is the idea of hiding chocolate eggs during Easter for kids to fi nd. Easter began about 2000 years ago, with the idea of hiding decorated eggs not too long after. However, using plastic or chocolate eggs, or jelly beans has only recently come about, and is not embedded in our celebrations of Easter. Likewise, many other events become attached to holidays and eventually become a tradition for a culture or society. In general, each group of people has their own tradi-tion, which shouldn’t be conventional.

Staff Viewpoint Challenging conventional traditions

Please submit club information blurbs to khsscepter@live.com by December 10, 2011 to ensure its placement in the next issue.

CLUBS CONFIDENTIALFuture Business Leaders of America

We are delighted to have begun this year with such a bang! The materials for fundraising have been distributed and the money will be due for the club in a little less than two weeks so, bearing that in mind, remember to sell vigorously! Competitive events have been selected and fi nalized, for those of you who haven’t signed up yet please contact Mrs. Lampe as soon as possible! Please begin studying for your particular event as it is imperative for you to do very well at the district competition later this year. On November 15th, the Battle of the Chapters team will be attempting to fi nd success at the District Rally by showing their prowess in the matters of our chapter. We wish them best of luck in this endeavor. If you have any questions, please feel free contact the sponsor Mrs. Lampe, or your presi-dent Neil Kamath at kamathns@msn.com President: Neil Kamath

Hakuna Matata Hello land of the lions! We hope all of you are having a fan-tastic school year! If you are feeling the stress of school, take a deep breath and remind yourself that you can do anything you put your mind to! Hakuna Matata will be ordering and tie-dying t-shirts for the club this month. If you are interested in getting one of these shirts, please see Victoria Boylan, Lauren Miller, Margie Terp or Emily Kolilias and they will give you an order form. Don’t forget about our quote of the month! “In order to get respect, you must fi rst give respect!” - Anonymous Happy living!Love, The Hakuna Matata Offi cersPresident: Lauren Miller

Beta Club Beta Club members, remember that fi fteen service hours, fi ve of which come from Beta ac-tivities, and fi fty Beta points are due by the end of the fi rst semester. Visit the website (tinyurl.com/khsbeta) to verify that your recorded number of hours and points is correct. Also, please check the website periodically for news on club activi-ties. If you have not received a club card, please email robin.russo25@gmail.com with your name and your homeroom teacher’s name. Finally, congratulations to all of our new members! Beta inductions will be held December 1 in the audito-rium, the fi rst Thursday after Thanksgiving break. Light refreshments will be served afterwards in the cafeteria. Thank you to all members who vol-unteered at the Cure on Wheels event! More up-coming service events include the river clean-up (sign-ups are on the bulletin board) and “adopt-a-family” for Christmas.Presidents: Robin Russo and Amy Cheng

ACE (American Car Enthusiasts) ACE is a club about cars. Everything is about the love of cars. Our main goal is to spread car culture at King High School and to make ACE members safer and more effi cient drivers. Our club has discussions every meeting based on automotive related topics such as our power point presentation at the last meeting about the principles of racing. Every day the president writes a “Car Fact of the Day” on the side board in our spon-sor’s room. Club activities include local car related events such as cars shows. On November 19 we are planning to go to the Tampa International Auto Show and next club meeting we are going to talk about way to improve fuel economy. This is the ideal club to join for anyone who fancies themselves a car en-thusiast. There is a signup list in Mr. Carrell’s room on the side board.President: Brice Parr

Thespians Troupe 2212 Th espian Troupe 2217 did very well at the district competiton and has three preformers advancing to the state competiton in the spring. Congratulations to Sabrina Brunner, Jamey Wright and Abigail Friedman on their superirors! Also, Th espians will be competeing their one act play called, “Sorry, wrong number” this december at the University of South Florida. Th e fall play, “Th e Diary of Anne Franke”, is amazing and eve-rybody should come out and see it. Synconicity, the annual talent showcase, is coming up soon, so start getting your friends togethere and thinking of numbers to preform!President: Abigail Friedman

AVID The latest buzz that is going on within AVID is the winter sprit. We’re having our AVID shirts made—and hopefully—will be given out by this month or early December. For the AVID students craving for some community service hours, stop by Mrs. Fanelli’s classroom to get some info on the Met-ropolitan Ministry event going on this December. Also going on early December is AVID Family Bowling Night on the 7th, come out and enjoy yourself with the AVID crew and friends for a night of music, bowling, and fun. Be sure to R.S.V.P to your AVID coordinators by Friday, November 18th to ensure we have an adequate amount. That’s everything going on in the AVID Club; stay tuned in for more updates and opportunities.President: Demetrius Dillard

King’s Oriental Asian Society of Tampa KOAST stands for King’s Oriental Asian Society of Tampa. This club is a newly formed club, started in the 2011-2012 year. The KOAST club isn’t only Oriental Asians, but also for a va-riety of other races; it’s for everyone! Most clubs are usually separated between IB students and Traditional students, but our club is to become one amongst the King High School students. Every club day, we provide different types of Asian food for everyone to try and experience. For the past two club meets, we had pocky and Korean sushi called “Kimbap” and the members enjoyed it very much. KOAST is about learning about Asian culture. Nowadays, there are many non- Asian people that are showing interest in many different aspects of Asian culture such as music, dramas, actors, singers, movies, etc. We have fun and the offi cers are always trying their best to make it as fun and interesting as possible! President: Rebecca Kwak

Science Bowl Club The KHS Science Bowl Club is for those students who are passionate about science and want to participate in competi-tions to have fun using their scientifi c knowledge! Does this sound like you? If so, please visit our sponsor Ms. Cline to sign up. Club dues are $8.00 and include the cost of a t-shirt. We meet on club days and periodically after school to practice for competitions. Currently, we are practicing for science bowl in the spring. Events include a mousetrap car race, a poster display contest, a balancing equations competition, and Brain Bowl, which tests students on topics in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Computer Science, to name a few. If you enjoy science, you should defi nitely sign up for Science Bowl!President: Robin Russo

Inner Club CouncilInner Club Council or ICC is a club exclusively for Club Presidents and Vice Presidents to get to-gether and meet before a Club Day. We discuss prominent issues surrounding our school such as the current changes in the club day schedule. During ICC meetings, members are able to talk directly to administration with any problems or concerns. We are in the process of creating a pe-tition to extend the time limit that clubs gets to meet. In addition, ICC is a way for clubs to help improve our school through school beatifi cation projects. We are hosting a School Beautifi cation Day in spring of 2012. This is a day where mem-bers from every club stay after school for a few hours and help beautify the school, through pro-jects such as planting fl owers or fi xing and im-proving items around the school. Service hours are available and for more information talk to you club presidents. President: Yiming Lin

Green Club Hello Green Clubbers! Green Club has three awesome op-portunities for students to partake in next semester. First, we’re planning on implementing recycling bins in the cafeteria and we need a few students who would like to participate in paint-ing the bins. Second, Green Club is planning a short video of “Ways to Go Green” that we would like to air on the morning show, so if you would like to participate in designing, editing, or being featured in this video, contact the club president or the club sponsor (Mrs. Shaw). Lastly, Green Club would love to help in the school’s beautifi cation program in April by planting trees and fl owers. The fi rst two projects can gain creative hours for IB students, and the last project can count for action hours. Thanks for helping make our school more eco-friendly! President: Jelena Runjaic

Photography & Design Club Do you like taking pictures? How about editing them with cool programs like Picnik or Photoshop? Well, you can do all this and more with King’s very own photography and design clubs! We are working on a whole bunch of cool things, like a fi eld trip to photography museums, photo scavenger hunts, learning the workings of different cameras, and more! We also get to hear from cool guest speakers – professional photogra-phers who work on the scene and have years of experience. We ourselves will also get to look at different pictures and learn how to take elements and apply them to our own pictures, to im-prove even daily photography. Anyone can join, whether you’re just an amateur with a hobby looking to improve, or aspiring to make photography your career, and you don’t need a camera to join either. There’s a place for everyone! Stop by Mrs. Munoz’s room (327) for more information. Club dues are $15.President: Justine Cardenas

French Honor Society French Honor Society will honor French week from December 5 to December 9. Members, the offi cers are currently confi rming which themes will be used for each day, so look for these themes on the FHS board soon in Mr. Burnette’s room. Also, FHS will be holding its monthly event for December at La Creperia Cafe on December 10 in Ybor. We will meet in the early afternoon. An exact time will be announced as the date moves closer. Moreover, FHS will hold some lunch meetings for all members. Important: we are looking for new members! The club is open to anyone who has taken one semester of French and enjoys the French language. If you are interested in joining FHS, please see the club’s sponsor Mr. Burnette. Dues for new members are $25.00 and include the cost of a t-shirt.Presidents: Robin Russo and Jordyn Berglund

Red Cross Club Attention all Red Cross members! Microvolunteering is now available every week, for those of you who still need hours. Sign-up sheets will be available in Ms. Whittaker’s room (106) and please stay tuned through email and Facebook for details. If you haven’t been able to attend microvolunteering, be on the lookout for upcoming teaching opportunities at local schools! Members can earn about 1-3 hours from each teaching, which makes up a signifi cant portion of your required 5 hours at the end of the quarter. Remember, you will not be able to volunteer until you have turned in your Red Cross Volunteer Application. This year’s club t-shirts have been designed by Creative Direc-tor Lisa Ma and should be arriving soon!Presidents: Shreeya Deshmukh and Roy Peng

Speech & Debate For information on upcoming tournaments, please visit the bulletin board located in the bottom hallway of the 100 build-ing. Please be sure to pay attention to tournament deadlines and to attend weekly meetings depending on your current event. Any questions may be directed to your captains or the offi c-ers, or sent through our Facebook group titled: ‘King High School Speech & Debate.’ Also, if you are a current member and still have not received a club card, please let us know.President: Sahil Shah

Please submit club briefs by Dec. 10 for the next issue of the Scepter

Scepter8 November 2011

JesterNovember 2011

Why not? The Occupy move-ment, a series of protests against economic inequality, is present in over seventy major cities and six hundred communities of the Unit-ed States. High school, full of the young and restless, is bound to be engulfed in the new trend. A few grievances around cam-pus are expressed by marker on cardboard. Senior Jeremy Peterson and sophomore Vanisha Limehouse occupy the vending machine for eating up their money. The bathroom stall, fresh-man Jade Porter suggests, is always occupied. Many fe-male students often wait in long lines to use the bath-room stalls.

Occupy King

��DISCLAIMERThis Jester highlight is intended to be more satirical of the current movement than critical of school policy.

I never wait for a stall. I am the 1%

STOP THE GREED

It ����s Crunch Time

,

Senior Jordyn Berglund frowns at the low temperatures she expe-riences during class. Without exercising a right to free speech, possibility of change is limited. Formulating opinions, participating actively in the po-litical sphere and realizing the potential of their rights is es-sential to common man politics. The little people have risen, and their intent is clear: Occupy everything.

6b

Finding our way

4b-5bSupernatural

Features

3bReviews

6bVolleyball

DESIGN BY NISHA PATEL & SAHIL SHAH

Features EditorBY NISHA PATEL

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Features 3bjester

In July 2011, nearly a decade after the fi rst Harry Pot-ter novel was released, the fi nal Harry Potter installment was released in theaters, marking what seemed to be the end of a global phenomenon, one which many teenagers would call “the end of their childhood.” Yes, there will be no new books or fi lms. However, J. K. Rowling’s legacy will live on in ways never before imagined – one of which is her new online interactive game: Pottermore. Released in August to a few eager fans, who registered early by answering trivia questions about the book series and open to all in October, Pottermore is an interactive website where users can relive Harry Potter’s experience at Hogwarts. Users can move through the chapters and “follow” Harry as well as cast spells, brew potions, and earn points for the house they are sorted into. With a user-friendly interface and intricately detailed scenery, the Pottermore experience truly helps bring the Harry Potter series to life. The site has been created with such attention to detail to the point that users might as well be traveling through Hogwarts with Harry Potter and reliving his adventures alongside him. In addition, since users are able to perform the same actions as Harry does in the series such as brewing certain potions and us-

ing certain spells in order to advance in the plot, they are living in the experience even more. One thing the Pottermore experience has accom-plished is that it has taken the legacy to a new level in many aspects. For one thing, it enables fans to go through the experience from a completely different viewpoint, and it encourages people who were never huge fans to give it a shot. The interaction between the user and the story is intriguing to the point that it encour-ages people to read the series. Just going through the fi rst book on Pottermore is like reading the novel again because of the great detail on the site and the wording for each scene taken exactly from the book. Another feature of Pottermore is behind-the-scenes information about the books that Rowling reveals on the site, deepening the experience and making it seem even more real. The backstory information helps lead to an even greater understanding of the characters and of certain aspects of the novels, increasing one’s knowledge and awareness of the series even more. Overall, the Pottermore experience can be equated to the life of the Harry Potter series itself. The website brings the series to life, while simultaneously helping the legacy of the series live on to a stronger degree.

Marketing SpecialistBY VISRUTI SANKAR

Pottermore website helps fans relive childhood

ColumnistBY BRADEN SMITH

Unlike most of the people that will read this article, I have never been a Coldplay fan (this excludes “Fix You” because if someone doesn’t enjoy that song, they may or may not be a cyborg sent from the future to save/kill an annoying teenager). I fi nd their “haunting” electronic melodies to be hollow attempts at songwriting and Chris Martin’s vocals are uncannily reminiscent of my small cousins’ whining. Unfortunately, the band’s new release, Mylo Xyloto, does little to change my opinion. This album and I got off on the wrong foot with the eponymous intro that I can only describe as an auto-tuned organ performing a duet with someone bashing a man-dolin repeatedly against the fl oor. The record proceeds to spit out “Hurts Like Heaven”, “Paradise”, and “Charlie

Brown”. All three of which are essentially the worst parts of Dan Brown’s “Symphonies” (only “Hurts Like Heaven” possesses any of its catchiness). One of the al-bums few bright spots then appears with “Us Against The World”, a song that, while defi nitely belonging to Cold-play, feels like a mash-up of a Dylanesque acoustic jam and one of Jack Johnson’s more melancholy pieces. How-ever, all good things must come to an end and the tide of Coldplayness comes crashing back in with the 48-second electro-vomit interlude that is “M.M.I.X.” The listener then encounters several more songs that engender the strange combination of toe-tapping and suicidal thoughts that Coldplay always brings out in me. This axis of evil is, thankfully, split in two by another, albeit slightly less

moving, guitar and vocals-driven ballad entitled “U.F.O.” Things then slow down and brighten up a bit with “Up in Flames.” This track isn’t nearly as good as the previous two successes, but in taking away the repetitive, irritating background noise of most of the album, Coldplay comes up with a good, solid alt-pop song. We then receive Mylo Xyloto’s third and fi nal less-than-a-minute-long glimpse into the dark minds of a 21st century super group, “A Hopeful Transmission”, and from there it’s a few more indistinguishable pieces of crap until salvation. All in all, Mylo Xyloto is, with few exceptions, a heaping helping of the style that has made Coldplay so popular and me so sick of them. If you’re a die-hard, buy it. If not, stay away.

November 2011

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Features4b jester November 2011

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JENA YOUNG & NISHA PATEL

We are all familiar with the paranoia and controversy surrounding the “end of the world” phenomenon. A psycho scientist claimed the world to end at the turn of a new millennium, January 2000; a random guy declared Sept. 26, 2011 as the end; of course, there is also the infamous Mayan prediction of 2012. But will the world really end on Dec. 21 of next year? Imagine the end of Facebook, texting, Xbox, TV, and IPods! People have been predicting the “end” for a long time, but what if 2012 is the actual end? How would you spend your last days on Earth? You could cry in a corner and be depressed...or you could “Keep on dancing till the world ends.” We recommend you do the following:

• Drive a Lamborghini or Ferrari • Watch a world cup live• Live on an island for at least a month• Stand on top of the Eiffel Tower• Learn how to do the moonwalk• Make your own movie• Write your own book• Shave all your hair off and go bald• Eat something that’s alive

• Send a message in a bottle• Go on a road trip across Spain• Run a marathon • Teach a Toucan how to say “hello”• Have an all-night movie marathon• Take a ride on a hot air balloon• Ride a whale in the deep ocean blue• Climb the Himalayas

Now say “buh-bye” to that dim, little corner you were crying in because there are many things you could be doing instead. From riding camels in deserts to standing on top of the Eiffel tower, the list is endless! So just follow Jay Sean’s lyrical advice and “party like it’s the end of the world--we gonna party like its 2012!”

Staff WritersBY NEHA PATIL & SERENA KOTWAL

The holidays are quickly approaching and you find yourself frantically checking your horoscope to find whether or not that “Mr. Right” (or Ms. Right) is coming along. Suddenly, the words “meet a special person” appear on your daily horoscope in the newspaper and your life changes. For the next several days during class, after class, in the hallways, at lunch, afterschool, you cannot help but recognize that you are critically analyzing every passerby, in hope to find that “special person.” All your friends jeer at you, but you believe that your horoscope will come true. “It’s like a placebo effect,” said Stephanie Perez, junior. “They tell you you’re going to have a good day so you end up having a good day.” According to Webster-Merriam Dictionary, horoscope is defined as an “advice and future predictions based on the date of a person’s birth and the positions of the stars and planets.” However, modern society seems to deem horoscope as another definition. In Urban Dictionary, the number one definition of horoscope is “a vague and non-

specific prediction of the future.” In an experiment carried out by psychologist Bertram Forer, participants were ask to fill out a personality test. At the end of the test, they received a written assessment of their results that described their personality. According to Forer, when people rated the accuracy of their profile, an average of approximately 85% was valid. However, the reality of this experiment is that every participant was given the exact same personality profile. Consequently, Forer concluded that people have a tendency to believe vague and general statements even when they lack proper empirical evidence if the statements sound positive. The subjective perception that arises in many people is known as the Forer effect. Although some people like Perez approach horoscopes with a positive mindset, some just flat out disagree with the statements provided for them. “They tell you you’re having a great day and I’m hav-ing a horrible day and I feel like crying,” said Kayshley Urbina, senior. “It doesn’t work.” Nonetheless, horoscopes not only “predict” your day,

they can also identify which people you are the most com-patible with based on the two signs. The Scorpio, born any day from October 21 to November 20, is considered to be compatible with Pisces, those born in between the days February 21 to March 20. The reason for this match is that the Scorpio’s emotions are cared for by the Pisces’s senti-ment and sympathy. However, these explanations can be sweet when you just happen to have that special someone in mind, but more often than not they are not applicable. “When you like someone you end up listening and when you don’t it’s just like whatever,” said Priya Shukla, sophomore. Regardless of whether you firmly believe in horoscopes or you only casually glance at them here and there, the truth of horoscopes ultimately is your own decision. What is really the chance of your horoscopes coming true? “[It’s] coincidental,” said Urbina.

Photography EditorBY SY-WOEI HAO

Cancer (June 21 – July 22)Indulge in your passions because this

part of your being is not expressed enough. Tastes and smells are espe-cially potent for you now. Spray on some perfume and dress up nicely just for the fun of it. Enjoy a date

with a loved one. Remember to enjoy the sensuous side of life rather than

focusing only on the rational.

Leo (July 23 – August 22)To do or not to do; that is the question. It is likely that you

will be forced into a dilemma of taking action or staying stagnant. Remember that life is a balance and either mode of operation is

honorable.

Virgo (August 23 – September 22)This month, you may experience some

conflicting emotions. Your heart may feel abused, so do what you can to prevent raw

emotion from creating a grudge. Know how to protect yourself and how to act around

something so fragile and pure.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)The frustration you experience today is simply a reminder that it is important to

remember your goals. Learn from people who are not afraid to say no. Do not be so concerned with others because it is impor-

tant to do things for yourself.

5bFeaturesNovember 2011 jester

Most people stopped believing in Santa Claus either when their friends joked about their naivete or when they saw their parents putting presents underneath the Christ-mas tree. At an early age, human beings lose their trust in things they cannot account for and wonder how much of what they previously believed is real or true. It was the same for sophomores Shaniya White-burnes and Charlene Octavien. That did not keep them from enjoying the winter holi-days or benefitting from the money left under their pillows by the “Tooth Fairy.” White-burnes said that ghosts are more believable be-cause they “relate to life more.” Octavien agree that “ghosts make more sense.” She remembers an incident when she was sure she turned the lights off in her room, but they were back on when she returned. She thinks that the spirit of a little girl would love to be in her pink room. Now think about the proportion of religious associations to werewolf societies. It is conceivable that an omniscient

supernatural being that cannot be seen is more believable. Many nonreligious folks ask why God? “When my day doesn’t go right, something makes it better,” said White-burnes. “I’m forced to believe in him.” Although officially god-worshiping groups number in the millions, religious fervor varies. White-burnes is a Seventh Day Adventist and attends church every Saturday. Freshman Vicente Marshall goes to church too—three times, that is, when his aunt dragged him there. For Mar-shall, the existence of multiple gods, or polytheism, is the most probable, so Greek mythology appeals to him. Although he claims that no association exists between his fondness for scary things and supernatural beliefs, it appears to be more than coincidence that his favorite Hal-loween costume was Scream, that one of his favorite mov-ies is Freddie vs. Jason, that he read horror books, and that his favorite Greek god is Hades (otherwise known as god of death and the underworld). He also insists that his peers do not influence his be-liefs in the supernatural. He minimizes the impact of his friend’s agnosticism and his mother’s regular viewing of Ghost Hunters.

The fact remains that he does not believe in God but said he might “if there was more proof.” He also rules out the existence of werewolves, mermaids, dragons, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, ghosts and such. “I think it’s just a really good use of imagination,” Marshall said. Undeniably people lose imaginative powers as they grow older or they cease to express that child-like wonder. In other words, they start to become acquainted with the real world. But once a year, on Hallow’s Eve, people put on cos-tumes and put up pretenses. They go to haunted houses, scream and laugh afterward. Perhaps they want to emotionally transport to a more carefree age, or maybe Halloween is merely a social occa-sion. Maybe, like Octavien and White-burnes, some prefer to sit on a warm couch and watch scary movies.

Aries (March 21 – April 19)You should take a risk this month. There is a mischievous tone to the month asking you to be bold, espe-

cially when it comes to your feelings. However, be careful about letting your

mouth run faster than your brain.

We had so much fun uncovering the mysteries of horoscopes that we decided to try it for ourselves. The following horoscopes for the month are completely arbitrary in hopes that the advice may help someone in need. We would like to inform you, however, that these predictions were written by novice astrologists.

Features Editor/Content EditorBY NISHA PATEL & AMY CHENG

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)Finding a way to express yourself is especially difficult for you now. It

requires a more cerebral approach than you might like to admit. Perhaps you

should focus on your interests and take some time to allow the spiritual nature

of things to guide your actions.

Gemini (May 21 – June 20)If you experience happiness or attrac-tion towards a certain area, you should keep pursuing that road. This is one of those months when your past will con-flict with your future, and you should remember that change is inevitable.

Libra (September 23 – October 22)The frustration you experience today is simply a reminder that it is important to

remember your goals. Learn from people who are not afraid to say no. Do not be so concerned with others because it is impor-

tant to do things for yourself.

Scorpio (October 23 – November 21) This month, you will realize true friendships. People may

be relying on you in many ways, and it is important to remember what they have done in return for your loyalty. You may feel like others are judging you for your behav-ior. What is most important is understanding yourself and

those who care for you, not necessarily that others do.

Sagittarius (November 22 – December 21)

Try not to let your emotions get the best of you. Your desire to be independent and free may prevent you from get-

ting close to friends and family. Allow yourself to open up and reap the benefits

of friendship.

Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)

A chance may present itself for you this month, but you might feel a bit insecure. However, you are also feeling emotional-ly stable. Use this to your advantage and

treat the people that test your patience with tolerance.

Aquarius (January 20 – February 18)Go out for a dinner that you have been craving

for. Hang out with your loved ones at a romance or comedy. Living a fantasy can help release your accumulated stress, and the upcoming

holidays should help the matter. Keep in mind to avoid being bogged down by emotional issues

that may not even relate to you.

Pisces (February 19 – March 20)You might be caught between friends and family, but you will be able to understand

both realities. Make sure you act as a bridge instead of a valley. Be the outspo-

ken one at Thanksgiving dinner.

News EditorBY XIAOYI REN

Sports6b jester November 2011

With an undefeated season for Junior Varsity and near-undefeated season for Varsity, the Lady Lions have had one of the best records in the school’s history. Many of the team members attribute this record to Cookie Mitchell, the volleyball coach, who is also a teach-er at the school. Mitchell came to the school last year and decided to teach art and take over the responsibility as coach for the volleyball team. With the campus in close proximity to

her neighborhood and her daughter attending the school, Mitchell truly considers it a “home school.” “It’s wonderful and makes things easier,” Mitchell said, referring to her feeling about completely becoming a Lion. She also notes that the other coaches and the students in her various classes, as well as the volleyball team itself, have helped her become accustomed to the school. Her joining has also brought the volleyball team closer together by giving the team a place to meet after school. Previously all the team members would go home and then rendezvous at the school in which they would compete. Now the entire team spends the afternoon in Mitchell’s classroom until a bus comes and takes them to the com-petition site. The team has had a problem in recent years with retaining coaches. Now that the coach has a tie to the school, she is more likely to stay with the team for a longer time. With the bulk of the team being composed of under-classmen, this change also creates a strong foundation for the future. “It’s nice to know that she’s going to be around for a while,” said senior and co-captain Danielle Hange. As the foundation begins to take place, both Mitch-ell and the team are pleased with the amount of work and practice they have put in so far. Under the guidance of Coach Mitchell and the other coaches, the team practices in the gym every day after school for two hours. They do a variety of drills both at practice and before matches, in-cluding serving and spiking. Although junior varsity and varsity teams warm up and drill at different times before a match, the friendship and the relationship among the indi-vidual team members are still very strong. According to Bennett, school has made the members of the team friends. Volleyball has made them sisters. The team was seeded fi rst place in their district and second place in their region. When the district tournament actually came around, the team placed second, qualify-ing them for the regional tournament. There they barely missed qualifying for the state tournament. Regardless, the team has many reasons to be proud. Various members of the team lead the region in many different categories. Sophomore Madison Sroufe is fi rst in the region in both

hitting and kills, second in digs, third in blocks, and fourth in aces. Freshman Damali Mills is fi rst in the region in blocks and second in hitting. Freshman Mercedyz Mitch-ell is second in the region in assists and fi rst in aces. These only represent a few of the achievements of the volleyball team. Overall, the team came 18th in the region with a combined record of 16-8. After such a great season, Coach Mitchell and the team look to the future for even more success.

Copy Editor/Staff WriterBY KEERTHI VENGATESAN & NATHAN LOGAN

Coach leads volleyball team through spectacular season

LADY LIONS IN ACTION - Freshman Morgann Spon-sler hits the ball across the net at the junior varsity volleyball team’s match against Strawberry Crest. The Lady Lions went a perfect 10-0 this season, un-defeated for the fi rst time in a decade.

Senior Keon Barnum has received a scholarship offer from the University of Miami for his skills on the baseball fi eld. His success last year caught the atten-tion of many college recruiters, as mul-tiple colleges were looking to invite him to join their baseball team. He received the call four months ago from the Uni-versity of Miami and was excited to hear the news. Even though Barnum’s skills had caught the eyes of many institutions, the University of Miami stood out amongst the crowd for him due to its unique at-mosphere. “I liked the coaches of the program, the players, and the campus. It just feels like home,” Barnum said.

In his high school career, Barnum played fi rst base consistently and was always a reliable player. His strong-points are his arm strength and brute power, making him a popular candidate for many baseball programs. Barnum also received offers from the University of Florida, Florida International University, University of Tennessee, and the local University of South Florida. Barnum started playing baseball when he was just four years old. He has grown into an elite high school player and has proved that he is able to perform just as well at the next level. His ultimate goal is to play professionally in the Major League Baseball (MLB). Despite the challenge of such an ambitious goal, Barnum is opptimistic and has hopes of having a successful ten-year experience at the University of Miami. He feels that becoming part of the university baseball team will provide opportunities for him to practice and improve his skills on the fi eld, thereby propelling him closer to his goal. “It will be a great opportunity to get better and be more mature,” Barnum said.

Assistant Sports EditorBY KUNAAL MURTHY

SIGNED - Senior Keon Barnum signs the letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Miami as his parents and coach look on. Barnum recieved scholarship offers from numerous other institutions, but the University of Miami stood out most for him.

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Sports 7bjester

Cross country teams hope for Regionals

November 2011

Sports Editor/Staff WriterBY MARIGNY NEVITT & SHIVAM BHARADWAJ

MURTHY’S MINUTE

It has been one of the most popular questions in sports: Is playing at home really an advantage to the home team? Are the odds stacked against the away team? With increasing emphasis on “home-fi eld advan-tage” in the playoffs, it is hard not to root against the home team. There are certain comforts at home, which make the home team perform better in a game. When one considers the basic raw statistics of home-team winning percentages in a wide variety of sports, it is clear that there is a signifi cant advantage. According to the book Scorecasting by Tobias Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim, the home team wins 54 percent of the time in Major League Baseball, almost 63 percent of the time in the NBA, and almost 58 percent in the NFL. As for college sports, the numbers are even more mind-blowing. In college basketball, the home team wins an outrageous 69 percent of the time and in NCAA foot-ball, 64 percent of the time, the home team has an ad-vantage. A few weeks ago the highly favored Wisconsin Bad-gers visited the Michigan State Spartans in a vital game under the lights. MSU won the game on a last second Hail Mary to the end zone. Based on these legitimate statistics we can assume that there is, undoubtedly, an advantage for the home team in sports. Not so fast buddy. It ultimately just takes one mis-cue for the home team, an off night for a quarterback or pitcher, or a bad call to ruin a home team’s chances of winning on their own turf. Earlier in the college foot-ball season, the third-ranked unbeaten Oklahoma Soon-ers played a game at home against the unranked Texas Tech Raiders. For three quarters, the Texas Tech offense completely ran over the supposedly solid Sooner de-fense. The Raiders eventually held on just enough, win-ning the game 41-38. The college football world was in shock as the Sooners chances at a national champion-ship severely took a hit after the loss. This reveals that the home team does not always have an advantage. One reason the numbers for home fi eld advantage mentioned above is so high is because of a “conven-tional wisdom” that teams win at home because of crowd support. It makes sense, right? The home team gets pumped up when the crowd is in to the game. The player introductions at basketball and football games make the crowd go on its feet, giving the home team the momentum they need to win a game. The loud chants of, “DE-FENSE!” repeatedly helps the home team play better defense. The pain of traveling causes the visitors to perform not as well, another reason why teams win at home. Al-most nobody in sports really likes to travel and play-ers are taken outside of their comfort zone when they reach the city of the game. They do not stay at their own home; rather they have to stay in a hotel. They have to go through airport security, and have to change in a dif-ferent locker room. All of these elements put together have a tremendous impact on the away team’s perfor-mance. Moreover, the quirks of the home team’s arena or fi eld also aid to their performance. In baseball, the home team’s players will be able to see the ball better and on the other hand, the visiting pitchers have less control. In football, a team that practices and plays in a warm en-vironment, such as the Miami Dolphins, will inevitably struggle against a team that plays in a colder environ-ment, like the New England Patriots or the Green Bay Packers. Essentially, although the away team might sometimes get away with a blunder on the home team’s part or get lucky with a call by a referee or any other unusual quirk, the general conclusion is that the home team fares better in competition.

Standing in the parking lot waiting for your ride, your vision is suddenly engulfed by a pack of boys running past. Then they are gone. You wonder who they are and why they are running. This is the boy’s cross country team. Practicing six days out of the seven, the cross country boys run an average of 25 to 30 miles a week. The team has shifted their focus lately to speed workouts, which call for shorter time intervals and shorter distances. Not only do the team members practice running, they also complete exercises including lunges, pushups, pull-ups, abdominal strengthening and various stretches. In addi-tion to team practices, runners are expected to practice at home or during holidays. Self-discipline and time management are vital traits if they want to continually improve. All of the practice and hard work comes to fruition when the team competes in meets, which can take place on both weekday evenings and weekend mornings. Each competition is a 3.1 mile-long race, beginning with all competitors starting at the same place and at the same time. The terrain of the race courses varies from pave-ment to grass to sand and even to mud, but all courses are a series of narrow trails. The time commitment for these cross country runners, in terms of team practices, individual practices and meets demonstrates a great deal of dedication on each of their parts. At the district meet at Ed Radice Park, the boys fi n-

ished in fi fth place to move on to the upcoming regional meet. Captains Alex Navas, junior, and Josh Kartheiser, sophomore, are charged with the task of motivating their teammates and keeping them moving forward. “The best way to encourage everyone to work hard is to set the example each and every practice,” Navas said. “When the rest of the team is giving it their all, it inspires you to do the same.” The 2011-2012 season is his second season as captain and he plans to keep propelling his teammates towards victory at regionals. The girls cross country team has also been toiling away on the path to success. On October 1 the team fi nished 4th out of 17 teams and won the large school division at Pre-State on October 15th overcoming more than 25 teams. Finishing second in the District meet, the team moved on to Regionals as well. Throughout the race at Districts they were close behind Steinbrenner the entire way and Steinbrenner will remain one of the teams to beat at Regionals. Sophomore Sarah Otteson has been leading the team to victory throughout the season as she fi nished sixth at the District meet and 20th overall at the County Champi-onships on October 25. Both teams have high hopes for Regionals and will be running to catch success. “It’s very promising; lots of talent. I would like to go far by running a lot,” said Kartheiser with regard to the next meet in the season.

Kartheiser may not believe that practice makes perfect, but he does believe that practice effects improvement. Regardless of the results during the post-season, the team has high hopes for the next season. “We only have one person on the team that’s leaving so the people on our team should be even better,” Kart-heiser said. For now though, Kartheiser and his teammates will stay focused on becoming faster in order to fi nish strong.

After a season full of hard work and practice, the boys’ and girls’ golf teams both participated in the District 10 competition in October. Coached by Media Specialist Barrett Zebos for 10 years, the teams have been under his careful guidance and seen success. The boys’ golf team had a record of 9-3 this season and fi nished in second place at Districts. Senior Tyler Weed, Captain, made the First Team Western Conference and freshman Ajani Liggins made the Second Team Western Conference, both achieving such honors based on their ac-complishments during the season. “The boys team is an experienced team,” said Zebos. Zebos noted that over the course of the season, the boys’ golf team had improved as the season progressed. The girls’ team also excelled this season and ended their season with a record of 3-5 and placed third at Districts.

The team was under the leadership of sophomore Steffi Yo, who made the First Team Western Conference based on her work over the season. Much of the girls’ team is composed of freshmen and sophomore players, and Zebos pointed out that although the girls’ team is a young group, he still has confi dence the team will get better. “It was a good learning experience,” said sophomore Melanie Parrott, a second year member of the golf team. Over the course of Zebos’s coaching, the boys’ golf team has won several District Championships, including two within the last three years. “I really enjoy working with these young men and young ladies, and I see myself coaching these teams for another 10 years,” said Zebos. After their accomplishments this year, the golf teams will continue to practice and train in order to maintain their level of competition.

The sound of cleats hitting the lush turf, players aggres-sively doing drills, and the goalies repeatedly thudding soccer balls away from them is a familiar sight on the soc-cer fi eld after school every day. Coming off another solid season, the soccer team has started conditioning with great intensity. The team has always set high standards for each year and this year is no different. This season is bound to be unpredictable as new fac-es are being acquainted with the team and with a tough schedule ahead. The team practices everyday after school and their training is very involved as typically, the team does four laps around the track, sit-ups, pushups, and pull-ups. With hard training like this, it is easy to say that the team is more than ready to tackle their opponents. The girls’ team plays Tampa Bay Tech in their fi rst game of the season. The season offi cially started for them on November 3. For the guys, their fi rst game is against rival Bloomingdale on November 7. Hoping to pick up wins in the season opener, both the girls and guys team are motivated and hoping to exceed expectations this season. The girls and guys teams both have goals in mind for the season. For the girls, they simply want to win games to give them a legitimate shot at reaching the post season and advancing to the next level. It will be a huge stepping-stone for the coach and player if they are able to achieve such a feat. As for the goals for the guys’ team, junior Jon-Kyle Smith said, “We want to place fi rst at Districts and then ultimately move on to Regionals.” With a specifi c goal in mind, the players can work towards this one step at a time, as they strongly believe that they can achieve it. Prepara-tion and setting a goal are very valuable to a team’s suc-

cess, or lack of, sometimes. The guys’ soccer team has also introduced a new for-mation for this season. “Our new formation of a ‘3-2 3-2’ makes us more offensive and should lead to a higher num-ber of goals throughout this season,” Smith said. Oppo-nents will see a completely different formation from be-fore and the team will use this to its advantage. The team hopes that not only will it help with scoring more goals, but also help to win critical games, especially against dis-trict opponents.

Assistant Sports EditorBY KUNAAL MURTHYSoccer teams eye success for season

Staff WriterBY ANGEL KENNEDY

Districts allow golf teams to show-case talents, teamwork

KICK-OFF - Freshman Alexis Quezada attempts a free kick as teammate Victor Guerra observes. Due to their perseverance and hard work, the boys were able to pull off a 2-0 win against Robinson.

Advertisement8b jester November 2011