Limitlesspg. 8

OTHE RACLEVolume 40, Issue 9 Friday, April 19, 2013

Stratford High School 14555 Fern Drive, Houston TX 77079 Photo by Jordan Comparin

Spring Show Fever pg. 4

Photo by Kali Venable

Track Wraps Uppg. 11

Photo by Will Klussman

It is a given that the events which unfold around you af-fect your perception of real-ity. Yet, when the effect they have comes into question, the area seems to darken into a fuzzy gray. Recently, Republican Sena-tor Rob Portman, a former opposer of same-sex mar-riage came out with a state-ment about his son being gay. After years of believing that marriage should only exist between a man and a woman, Portman said his son’s sexual orientation has changed his perception of same-sex mar-riage. While some see Portman’s change of heart as a warming

demonstration of affection for his family, others critique it as a hypocritical stance that says more about his loyalty to the people around him than his loyalty to his country. Regardless of the image one sees when magnifying the situation, Portman’s change in beliefs is without a doubt a result of empathy for his son who came out to him and his wife a few years ago. When we are faced with situations that seem like they only exists in false worlds, created by authors and script writers, we often question the world we live in. Loved ones get life threatening diseases, neighbors get foreclosed on, spouses cheat, felons win

the lottery and suddenly life doesn’t seem as clear as it once was. It is safe to say that tragic events have more of an im-pact than joyous events be-cause often there are stron-ger emotions associated with events that have affected us negatively. But what makes us feel for other people, what makes us be able to step in their shoes and see the world from their angle of the glass? Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found that a part of the brain called the anterior insular cortex is the activ-ity center of human empathy. This means that the process

of empathizing is not as hard to understand as we may have thought. Yet in our world today, em-pathizing has become a for-gotten trade. While crimes like the Newtown shooting bring about mass hysteria, other events with only a frac-tion of media coverage are brushed off as just a number on the list of nightly news. The problem with empathy in modern society is that we tend to not pay attention to actions that happen out-side of our inner circles.

EMPATHY continues on page 3

Kali Venable

Girls Soccer Makes HistoryTeam goes to regional finals for the first time

1.

2.

3.

4.

VICTORY • Building Principal Christopher Juntti raises his arms in celebration on Friday, April 12, at the Girls Varsity Soccer game against Tomball. Photo by Jordan Comparin

SPARTAN PRIDE • Junior David Bartell waves his Stratford Spartans flag in support of the girls Varsity soc-cer team. Photo by Gil Sanchez

Does Experience Affect Empathy?Many people’s views are influenced directly by events in their own life

1• Forwards Kelly Hewitt and Taylor Troutman try to win the ball from opponents. Photo by Ste-phen Martinez 2• Defender Jennifer Morris settles a bouncing ball to pass to a teammate. Photo by Gil Sanchez

3•Forward Kelly Ann Craig dribbles the ball while scan-ning the field for an open teammate. Photo by Stephen Martinez 4•Midfielder Chandler Callahan wins the ball and saves it from going out of bounds. Photo by Stephen Martinez

Graphic by

Jackie Mask

The OracleNEWS2 Friday, April 19, 2013Stratford Acedemic UIL District Winners

Orchestra music probably brings to mind the likes of Mozart and Beethoven, who lived during times when a glimpse of feminine ankles was considered sacrilege. Propriety domi-nated the time periods, and de-spite the passion that permeated the pieces of mu-sic the classical composers wrote, the music of the classical period was marked by pleasant tones and harmonious chords. But a new revolution of or-chestral music is working its way into the world, and the be-ginnings of it are happening right here at Stratford. On April 30 at 7 p.m. within the grand walls of the Cole-man Coliseum, world famous electric violinist Bridget Bibbens will be joining the

Stratford Orchestra and the younger orchestras from Me-morial Middle, Spring For-est Middle, Meadow Wood Elementary, Rummel Creek Elementary, and Wilchester Elementary in presenting or-

chestral versions of familiar rock tunes like Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” and Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze.” However, these renditions will be from an entirely dif-ferent realm of orchestral music, where students are

given the exciting opportuni-ty to be able to deviate from the orchestral norm with the style of rock the music will be performed in. “I am very excited for the opportunity to play with a

world-class musi-cian and try a new genre of music on my instrument!” Junior Jonathan Martinez said. Tickets are sell-ing fast, so don’t miss out on this op-portunity! Both the tickets and more concrete informa-tion about the pre-show concert and silent auction for an electric violin this will take place

are on stratfordhsorch.com. Adult tickets are $15 and stu-dent tickets are $5. Every par-ent, student, and friend is in-vited to join the orchestra in a celebration of rock music and the passing down of music to younger generations.

Orchestra Rock ConcertWorld famous electric violinist and orchestra uniteEsther Jeon

REHEARSAL • Every Thursday during April, the orchestra convenes to rehearse and prepare for the rock concert with Bridget Bibbens. Photo by Christy Zhang

Spartans are not only taking advantage of some of the op-portunities available to get fit at school, but are also creat-ing a few additional ones. Participating in 5K run/walk events is a fun, and sometimes colorful, way to get active. Over the past year, Houston has seen a tremen-dous increase in the number of 5K races. On March 24, several Spar-tans ran together in The Col-or Run downtown. Starting in white clothing, the runners finished the 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) race stained from the pink, orange, yellow, and blue colored cornstarch tossed at them during the run. The Color Run is one of many 5K events that turn runners from white to bright. “It’s a lot of fun to run through giant clouds of color and come out totally covered,” senior Oscar Truong said.

The 21st annual Running for the Arts is coming up on May 4. Running for the Arts is a timed 5K race in the Memo-rial City area, which benefits the Spring Branch Education Foundation. Principal Juntti will be one of the Spartans taking part in the race. This year, Stratford has been working on kicking off Fuel Up To Play 60. Sponsored by the National Football League (NFL) and National Dairy

Council, Fuel Up To Play 60 is a movement for a more ac-

tive generation. Stratford, as a Fuel Up To Play 60 school, has received grant money to be used to make the school a healthier place. For next year, two main plans are in the works. The first is a salad bar, which will

replace the current pre-pack-aged salads. The salad bar

will feature fresh fruits and vegetables, and offer students a lunch that they can customize. The second plan is the first annual Green Out 5K. The Green Out 5K, planned for the weekend before the Green Out game against Memo-rial High School, will increase Spartan spirit by truly “greening out” all participants. “I think it’s a great idea to have a Stratford color run. It’s a ways for us all to get active and show school spirit,” Truong

said. Registration will include a white Green Out 5K T-shirt, a race info packet with give-aways from sponsors, and entry to the Re-Fuel post run celebration. Additional event details to come in the near future.

3Friday, April 19, 2013The Oracle NEWS

STAAR

WHEN YOU CALL BEFORE05/31/2013

Memorial9451 Katy Freeway, 77024

713-933-2655, or ...

SAVE $75

Getting ActiveSpartans exercise and have fun at the same timeJustin Todes

BRIGHTLY COLORED • Seniors Hannah Bevers and Mela-nie Klassen ran in the March 24 Color Run, joined by friends.

We have made it habit to liv-ing by the motto, “if it doesn’t affect us, then it doesn’t mat-ter,” without even realizing it. In March, two football play-ers at a high school in Ohio were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl at an alcohol infested party. The press has been empa-thizing with the rapists rath-er than the victim who was raped and video taped in the backseat of a car and later on a basement floor. The question here is do people like this, people who commit brutal crimes against innocent people, deserve em-pathy? It is hard to come up with an answer because empathy lies in the brain of the person empathizing. Each person has experienced unique situ-ations therefore has different opinions on situations such as this. Chances are, rape victims will find no way of empa-

thizing with two high school boys who chose to commit an act that will probably lead to years of therapy and adjust-ments for the victim. Then again, people who have made choices they regret while under the influence of alcohol (as the boys were), might be able to look at their sentences with some sort of sympathy. Unfortunately today, many advertisements and business manipulate peoples views by bombarding them with over-whelming emotional situa-tions. Ever see a commercial with depressing music featuring a malnourished puppy? That scene was specifically staged to affect your empathy for the abused animals at a specific shelter in hopes you might donate. To develop a more educated look at situations, one that is not bias, it might be useful to try and view events with-out considering how they re-late to personal experiences. Perhaps then you won’t blow money or make bad judg-ments on things that were altered to affect your view rather than portraying a real-istic image. This means that instead of putting yourself in the shoes of those you feel that you can empathize with, try putting yourself in the shoes of those you aren’t immediately drawn too. For Senator Portman this could mean considering what his stance on gay marriage would be if his son was not gay. For those who empathize with the Ohio rapists, this could be looking at the situa-tion without finding connec-tion to the football players and instead stepping into the victim’s shoes and consider-ing what it’d be like to be bru-tally disrespected as she was. The conclusion here is that the effect empathy has on one’s perception of reality doesn’t really matter—what matters is that it has an effect at all. Empathy is a strong emo-tion that is almost impossible to control. However, by being more aware of the effects it has on our morals, ethics and beliefs, we can make more thought out and educated judgments or decisions in our daily lives.

EMPATHY

Upcoming 5K Opportunities

-Digital Run - April 20 at 8:30 p.m., Reliant Park

-Color in Action - April 27 at 8 a.m., Seven Lakes High School

-Running for the Arts - May 4 at 8 a.m., Memorial City Mall

-Stratford Green Out 5K - August/September 2013, date / time TBA

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Photo by Hannah Bevers

The OracleNEWS4 Friday, April 19, 2013

INFO AND SHORTS

Prom 2013 Hosts VerseCityNumerous changes have been made to prom this yearSamantha Vanston This year’s senior class is making a change to prom. For the past four years prom has been held at Ho-tel ZaZa. The class of 2013 is a group of young people who want to make a change and leave a positive im-pact for the underclassmen. Last year, Dr. Ragsdale and Mr. Fore decided that they wanted to put the students in charge of their prom instead of their parents so the students could do what they want with the dance, so they selected 15 juniors and formed the prom committee. The committee’s first job was to come up with some ideas of where the venue was going to be. When the top 5 loca-tions were decided, the committee went to visit them. They fell in love with The House of Blues and it was a unani-mous decision that the House of Blues would be the venue for the 2012-2013 prom. The senior class has been working hard to fund raise to reach their goal of hav-ing that venue. The stu-dents sold tumblers, wind-breakers, and towels as a fund raiser towards prom.

Once the down payment was paid, other decisions like color scheme, center pieces, possibly a psychic, photo booth, DJ, and a live band that will perform for a while had to be made. Mrs. Taller went to a con-cert where a band named VerseCity was the opening act. She raved to Dr. Ragsdale

about how good they were and showed a video of them off of Youtube. Dr. Ragsdale was also so impressed by their talent that she talked to the committee about the band possibly performing at prom. She showed a clip of the band performing their new single, Tik Tok Rok,

and the members were also amazed. It was settled: the committee was going to make an offer to the band so they can perform during prom. Four University of Hous-ton students, Micaiah Walker; Iam Soulo; Daniel Rascoe; and Nelson Bara-dat, joined forces in Janu-ary 2007 to form a band.

Since then they have played along with several national acts including Life-house, Gym Class Heroes, Boys Like Girls, Cobra Star-ship, and many more. They mainly perform cover albums that are hybrid-rock genre. VerseCity released their first album, “Epic Sunrise,” in March 2009, but it was not until July of that year when Ver-seCity entered Hard Rock Cafe’s Am-bassadors of Rock

Battle of the Bands Com-petition that they realized they had something special to share with the people. The boys released a second album, “Hybrid,” in 2012. The committee is hoping that the band will take the offer and the class of 2013 will see them perform live.

Student Council Convention Lights, Camera, ActionSpartanaires have been practicing for the past month before and after school to perfect their dances in time for Spring Show. After all the sweat, blood, and blisters the dancers went through, their hard work paid off on April 11-13. They performed numbers to several different styles of music. The new Spartanaire members and Dance I classes also made an appearance in the show, including two solos by the Colonel Hannah Vinyard and Lt. Colonel Taylor Johnson. Photo by Jordan Comparin

On Wednesday, April 3 the new members of National Honor Society were an-nounced. Based on academic achievement, leadership, and giving back to the communi-ty, 140 juniors were congrat-ulated by being pinned by a previous officer. There will be an introduction ceremony to make it the new members of-ficial on April 23 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. To read more information about the pin-ning and the list of the newly inducted members, go to spartanoracle.blogspot.com. Photo by Gil Sanchez

New NHS members

pinned

16 sophomore, junior, and senior Student Council mem-bers attended the Texas Association of Student Councils 77th Annual Convention in Arlington, TX on April 7-9. Over 5,000 people attended the convention. Activities in-cluded speakers, table talk discussions, and a private party at Six Flags over Texas. Stratford hosted two table talks, one promoting our Mr. SHS Pageant and the other sharing communication methods, including the Stall Street Jour-nal and the display cases. Photo courtesy of Mary Jackson.

VERSECITY • Four college students from Houston started to play music together. It was not until two years of being together that they realized that they had talent. The senior class is planning on having them perform during prom. Photo courtesy of Samantha Vanston

5Friday, April 19, 2013The Oracle ADS

The OraclePUZZLE PAGE6 Friday, April 19, 2013

Graphic by Bronte Ye and Caroline Suchman

The Oracle MUSE 7Friday, April 19, 2013

USEPhoto by Jackie Mask

Graphic by Isabel Deakins and Harrison Vaporciyan Tweets compiled by Jackie Velarde and Sarah Sturgis

May3

2013

When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, Stark starts an

May 10

2013

A Midwestern war veteran finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his millionaire neighbor.

June 14

2013

A young journalist, molded by the morals of his earth parents, dis-covers that he is gifted with powers beyond his imagination,

and he uses those powers to defend his adopted home from an insidious evil.

journey en-compassing rebuilding and retri-bution.

Graphic by Bronte Ye

Upcoming Movies

48 days until... summer

Kylie Schaper @SCHAPaholicWhy in the world is it 46 degrees in April?!

Nicholas First @ScrewedUp_NickCoach wigg- “Kelly and Last(me)” Me- “What’s up?”Coach- “Not your grade point average!”#hegotus @Kellythe_G

Katie Temple @katietemplAs the amount of days to graduation decreases the amount of homework I don’t do increases

Camila Castaneda @CAMillionaire33Me and Spartacus bout to get turnt up for one last time #spartaforever #mybestfran #passingthetorch

Parker Lund @ParkourLund“Someone pooped in the sink and on the stairs yesterday”-Mr Clayton

Tweets of the Week

28 days until... prom

43 days until... Graduation

Pizzitola’s: Houston Landmark

Graphic by Victoria Shin

Texas barbecue is famous for its tangy flavor and sur-prising spice. There are countless barbecue joints in Houston, let alone Texas, but one stands out among the rest. Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue, lo-cated in the Heights on Shep-herd Drive, has been a land-mark for over 70 years. The joint boasts their clas-sic “pit style” barbecue, serv-ing not only traditional bar-becue favorites such as slabs of ribs doused in a signature sauce and served with a side of coleslaw, but also options such as brisket and chicken. Whoever is dim witted enough to order a salad at a restaurant specializing in bar-becue is unfathomably unad-venturous. Having tried the salad before, its usual crunch wasn’t disappointing, but wasn’t satisfying either. The barbecue, on the other hand, did not disappoint. The restaurant is famous for their spare ribs and secret sauce.

The thing that really makes Pizzitola’s such a “diamond in the rough” is the meat. The pork is cooked to absolute perfection. The cooking staff

didn’t blacken it, or serve it still bleeding. It was just the right amount warm pink meat that fell right off the bone. And the brisket was cooked just as well. The sandwich wasn’t difficult to chow down, in fact the meat melts in your

mouth. It wasn’t tough to chew. Unfortunately, the cole-slaw was subpar. Tradition-ally, coleslaw includes car-

rots and a bit of spice mixed in with the mayonnaise. This particular variation of slaw was a tad bland. But, the real crowning jew-el of Pizzitola’s Bar-B-Cue is the sauce. With just the right amount of spice and zest the sauce is what really makes

Pizzitola’s one of the best bar-becue joints in Houston. Still, the decor throughout the restaurant is confusing. A mix of innumerable college flags and family mementos, the decorations provide a comforting atmosphere. But the customer must have to ask who the owners are root-ing for. There is some sort of novelty item from almost ev-ery division one school in the south. Surrounding each booth is a collection of photos, framed quilts and post cards. Still, the interior has a classic southern feeling. The vinyl booths and wooden chairs are adequate, but the wooden building must be quite stuffy during the warmer months. Besides the unexceptional coleslaw, everything else was great, from the ambience of the restaurant down to the smiling wait staff. All in all, you can’t go wrong with try-ing out Pizzitola’s for any-thing barbecue.

Chandler Callahan Heights barbecue joint provides classic Southern meals

Photo by Chandler Callahan

BBQ • Pizzitola’s famous brisket sandwich consists of either chopped or sliced meat, a hearty bun, and a dish of signature sauce on the side.

Considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, Pablo Picasso’s work has been featured all over the world. The Museum of Fine Arts (MFAH) has acquired some of his pieces of work in the exhibit, Picasso Black and White. These works consist of a different color tone that is usually overlooked com-pared to his other colorful pieces. Picasso uses a unique perspective with black, gray, and white col-ors to create a melodra-matic feel. Even though the exhibit fea-

tures paintings, there are also s c u l p -

tures and works on paper. Many of these works in the exhibit have not yet been seen by the public com-ing from museums, private collections across Europe and the

United States, in-cluding works from the Pi-casso family.

Recently dis-covered under one of the paint-ings, “Women Ironing” (oil on

canvas) is a hid-den image Picasso

originally painted. A few of the fa-

mous works in-clude: “Study for Guernica” , “The Kiss” , and “Women with Out-stretched Arms” (painted iron and metal sheeting). Most of the

materials used depict Picasso’s intrigue for having the audience see the meaning be-hind the work of art. Many have claimed his art as “myste-

rious” yet “appealing”. Some people believe that

there was some-thing wrong with him while

creating his work. The exhibit has been

open since Feb. 24 and will close on May

27 and tickets are un-der $20 that can be pur-chased in advance online.

Very few artists have had as such a wide

range of feedback as Picasso, who is wide-ly considered to be the most important

artist of the 20th century.

Roughly 2000 people of all dif-ferent ages gathered to take part in the first ever TEDxYouth convention in Austin, Texas on March 30. As a life long fan of TED talks, I was extremely honored and ex-cited to receive an invitation to the event. TED, owned by the non-profit Sapling Foundation, has been holding conferences in more than a hundred countries since 1984, when they first vowed to spread ideas worth sharing. While the conventions remain invite only, more than 1400 TED talks and performances have been uploaded to the inter-net for the general public. The TEDxYouth convention held in Austin was themed around, “Limitless” meaning many of the speaker’s talks and performances revolved around what it means to live a limitless life despite all of the limits that exist in society. Some highlights included recit-

ings by well-known American poet, Joaquin Zihuatanejo that were so powerful he had the whole room eating out of the palm of his hands in complete silence. Another speaker, Lizzie Velas-quez brought myself and the people around me to tears with her heart warming story about a Youtube video she found titled, “The ugliest girl in the world,” that featured pictures of herself. Velasquez has a rare disease, so rare that it doesn’t even have a name and only three people in the world have been diagnosed with it. There were a total of 15 speak-ers at the event. Some other favorites included a 6th grade piano prodigy, a strategic brand planner from New York City, a famous fiddler who has played with Willie Nelson and a Har-vard freshman who won the Global Google Science Fair and was named one of Glam-our Magazine’s Amazing Young Women of 2011.During the forty five minute

break between the two main sessions, attendees had the opportunity to mingle with a number of the speakers and performers, along with other guests in the Westlake cafeteria. I spoke with a number of stu-dents and adults who applied to attend the event on their own. “I have been obsessed with TED talks since I was twelve. This is my first convention and it has exceeded my expecta-tions in all areas. The energy in the room is amazing,” said John Bradburn a North Austin resident. While the speakers are won-derful and provide innova-tive ideas that get the audience thinking, the real magic of TED conventions lies in the guest who attend. Meant to bring together Tech-nology, Entertainment and De-sign, guest often come from in-teresting backgrounds. To learn more about TED con-ventions and watch TED talks online, visit www.TED.com.

The Oracle8 Friday, April 19, 2013

Caitlin Hilton

Cycle of a Track Runner

During practice: work as hard as possible

because you want to meet the goals you’ve set for

yourself.

A few practices later: get frustrated by how tired you are after practice, so

you don’t try as hard.

The night before the meet: you run through the race a thousand times in your

mind.

Day of the meet: all you can think about is

how you’d give anything to never run again in your life

At the meet: nerves take over your body as you’re waiting for your

race to start.

Warming up for the race: start too early in anticipa-

tion. Tell all your team-mates you quit.

Lining up for race: fidgeting and inability to concentrate on anything

except the fact you sudden-ly have to use the restroom.

Mouth to coach that you quit.

In the blocks waiting for the gun to shoot:

I quit.

During race: absolutely nothing.

After race: kneel on ground until you

can feel your legs again and look for coach.

Find coach after race: get time and become proud because you met your goal

Cooling down after race: think about how much

you love running and set another goal for yourself to

reach.

Ride home after meet: ready to work hard at prac-

tice on monday

MUSEPicasso Black and WhiteThe famous artist has his works on display in a new exhibit

LIMITLESSJoaquin Zihuatanejo

Poet

Ruby JaneFiddlest

Peter StoneComputer Science

Professor

Various dancers from multiple Austin based

high schools

Volunteer Artist

Hydroflap System created by Dillon

Samra, Everest Maher, and Evan Trumeter

Kali Venable

Graphics by Bronte Ye

Check It Out: Tommy Tunes Pictures are

now online at: http://spartanoracle.

blogspot.com/

Layla Shahhosseini

The Oracle MUSEFriday, April 19, 2013 9Houstonians Catch the Spring Fever

The Spring Fever Tour made it’s way through Houston on Sunday, April 14. Bands of the punk-pop genres includ-ed British sensation You Me at Six, Mayday Parade, All Time Low, and Pierce the Veil. All Time Low’s stole the show with their set. The band was intoduced in Ameri-can boxing uniforms be-fore the normal back drop

stating their catch phrase ‘get low’ dropped to reveal a whole new stage design. The set included an orion light design by set designer Jeff Maker. This whimsical circular design took the set to a whole other level, cap-tivating the audience in a sea of color and movement. Fans dressed as Spider-man and a Banana spotted while crowd surfing were

even invited on stage, as well as a four year old boy. To appeal to a diverse crowd, All Time Low played songs mainly from their sopho-more album, Nothing Per-sonal, and their lastest album, Don’t Panic, both featuring their most popular songs. After the conclusion of the show, band members came outside to meet fans, take pictures, and autograph.

1722 S. Dairy AshfordHouston, TX 77077

(281)-558-1717

All Time Low steals the show on Spring Fever TourCaitlin Hilton

Photos by Michelle Evans

The Oracle10 Friday, April 19, 2013SPORTS

Q: Which sport do you pre-fer, basketball or softball? A: Definitely softball. The girls are real jokesters this year and really go with the flow with laid back attitudes. Not only are they are a great group, but softball is out-doors so we get our tan on. Q: How long have you been coaching both of these sports?A: Three years for both soft-ball and basketball here at Stratford.Q: What is your past experi-ence in these sports? A: I played both basketball and softball in high school and continued on with soft-ball for my freshman year of college at Blinn College in Brenham.Q: What is your goal for the softball season?A: For Junior Varsity, my goal is for them to continue on to have a undefeated season, and for varsity, I would really like to see them go far in the playoffs this year with their talent.Q: Who will be your tough-est competition?A: Ridgepoint. Hands down. The players are all quick and play select softball. They also have good pitching and out-field skills.Q: What has been your fa-vorite memory from coach-ing softball?A: We have this event called “Water-week” that happens the week before finals where we give the girls a chance to cut the stress out and just have fun. It’s a blast. There is a slip-n-slide and water bal-loons. I enjoy getting to see the girls come out of their comfort zone. This is when us coaches really get to see the girls’ personalities.Photo by Gil Sanchez

Coach Grochmall

Tennis4/29-30 State Championships @ University of Texas 7:30 a.m.

Boys and Girls Track & Field4/19-20 Area Championships 9:00 p.m.

4/26-27 Regional Championships @ SHSU 9:00 a..m.5/10-11 State Championships @ Univ. of Texas 9:00 a.m.

5/4 Bi-District Playoffs5/11 Area Playoffs

5/18 Regional Quarterfinal Playoffs5/25 Regional Semifinal Playoffs

6/1 Regional Playoffs6/5-8 State Tournament Playoffs

Newton’s Law Alex Newton It has been a three year drought since the Rockets have gone to the playoffs. Yet with the help of James Hard-en and company, the home-town squad has finally made it in once again. For the past three years, the Rockets have been the defini-tion of mediocrity sitting at the ninth seed each of those years. Just one seed short of a playoff berth. As the Rockets were unable to secure the sixth seed in the playoffs they will face the second seeded San Antonio Spurs. The Rockets are 1-3 this season against the Spurs this season. It is easy to mistakenly like this match up because of how old the Spurs are and how young the Rockets are, yet even as the Spurs continue to age, they have continued their success. The Spurs were the top seed for most of the season and are looking primed for a playoff run. Winning two games in this series would be a win for the Rockets. This team needs one more big time player to comple-ment James Harden before they can compete with the big dogs of Miami, and OKC. As for now we can only hope these Rockets can soar through the playoffs more so

that Kim Jung Un’s rockets soar through the sky. For those of us without com-cast, the playoffs mark the start of the ability to watch the Rockets regularly on TV as all playoff games are na-tionally broadcast. The Astros however will likely never be seen again on national television after their home opener. The ‘Stros have exceeded expectations so far yet still struggle to find any consis-tency. However the farm sys-tem is doing very well giving Astros fans something to look forward to other than the mid season ticket price cuts. The NFL draft is also ap-proaching and what seems to be a foregone conclusion is that the Texans will draft a receiver. While letting Kevin Walter go may not seem like much, it does make our need for a receiver even more of a ne-cessity. The fact is if the Texans do not drastically increase their receiving core, they cannot compete for a super bowl. They have no consistent weapons outside of “Dre and Owen Daniels. This lack of down field threats will certainly result in more Matt Schuab infamous throws out of bounds.

Baseball and Softball

11Friday, April 19, 2013 SPORTSThe Oracle

Soccer Season Commemoration Baseball and Softball

SIGN HERE PLEASE • Senior Franco Timonieri elbows his way to the ball. Photo by Jordan Comparin.

WE DID IT • Seniors Jennifer Morris and Kelly Ann Craig hug after their 1-0 win over Texas City on Friday March 29. Photo by Jordan Comparin

FREE KICK • Texas City Sting players line up to get ready for Junior Sydney Sprague’s free kick early in the first half. Photo by Elaine

Parizot DIVING IN • (Top) Junior Brittany Reoh dives safely into sec-ond base as drops the ball on Sat-urday March 9. The Spartans held the Mustangs for 9 long innings but were unable to get the win. Photo courtesy of Mrs. Lori Brown

CURVEBALL• (Above) Junior Freddy Price watches his pitch head home during the game against Memorial on April 6 at Constella-tion Field. Photo by Gil Sanchez

BEHIND THE PLATE • (Left) Junior Ross Collins had a wall-like presence stopping bounc-ing pitches behind the plate throughout the game against the Mustangs. Photo by Gil Sanchez

Baseball and softball seasons are in full swing and both teams are expected to do well in district play. Baseball finished their first half of district with a record of 6-1, with their only loss against powerhouse Tomball, who is ranked first in all of 4A. The Spartans will most like-ly finish up their district in second after Tomball, giving them a sure shot at having a strong post-season presence. Softball wrapped up their first half with a 5-2 record, losing only to Tomball Me-

morial and Ridge Point. However when they faced Tomball Memorial for a sec-ond time on Tuesday April 4, they defeated the Wildcats 2-1. The team will need to watch out for a dominant Ridge Point as they compete with the Panthers for a high seed as they head into playoffs, starting next week. The Lady Spartans will need to be ready for a vengeful Tomball after the Spartans defeated the Cougars 1-0 with a walk-off home run by Senior Macey Smith in the 9th inning.

IN THE END •Senior Tyler Garcia consoles a player from Baytown Goose Creek Memorial after the Spartans won their first round playoff game 4-1. Photo by Jackie Mask.

Elaine Parizot

GET IT IN •Senior Emma Koydemir leaps up against a Texas City player in attempt to regain possession while junior Maddie Reguera waits on the ground. Photo by

Jordan Comparin

TRACK

RESULTS

5th Place- 59 points total800 M Run: 4th-Paul Brastrom 2:01.821600 M Run: 1st-Brian Quinlan 4:31.56 3rd-Austin Richard 4:36.683200 M Run: 1st-Austin Richard 9:48.53 5th-Ricardo Coria 10:34.324x100 Relay: 4th-Will Hachtman, Zach Miller, Andrew Brillon, Terrence Peters 43.164x200 Relay: 5th-Zach Miller, Terrence Peters, Jack Brice, Ross Fenton 1:31.304x400 Relay: 5th-Andrew Brillon, Justin Woods Christian Lee, Paul Brastrom 3:38.81High Jump: 6th-Zach Miller and Jack Brice 5’-6”

BOY

S

GIR

LS

3rd Place- 100 points total100 M Dash: 3rd-Alexis Franks 12.78; 4th-Niasia Ruffin 12.98200 M Dash: 5th-Alexis Franks 26.67400 M Dash: 1st-Caitlin Hilton 1:01.461600 M Dash: 5th-Mackenzie Mayo 5:42.2; 6th-Christina Tirado 5:45.243200 M Dash: 4th-Shelby Kallus 12:34.67; 6th-Mackenzie Mayo 13:20.834x100 Relay: 3rd-Alexis Franks, Niasia Ruffin, Natasha Reid, Shamaujae Crockett 49.834x200 Relay: 4th-Macala Carroll, Niasia Ruffin, Natasha Reid, Jasmyn Brooks 1:49.124x400 Relay: 3rd-Caitlin Hilton, Justine Akue, Jessiah Brous-sard, Shamauja Crockett 4:12.48Long Jump: 1st-Shamauja Crockett 18’-0”Triple Jump: 3rd-Justine Akue 32’-11 3/4”

The Oracle12 Friday, April 19, 2013SPORTS

THE RUNDOWN

Position: AttackFavorite Vacation: HawaiiNumber: 7Best Game: against Fort Bend HS my freshman year when I made my record of 6 goalsFavorite TV Show: Phineas and FerbBest Lax Memory: Pranking people at tournaments with the teamFavorite Quote: “Hey”-Anonymous

Best Time: 12:46Favorite Shoe Brand: AsicsNormal Mile Pace: 6 minuteFavorite Event: 2 mileBest Running Song: “Eye of the Tiger”-SurvivorFavoriteTournament: the Rice meetFavorite Quote: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”-Phillipians 4:13

Photo by Will Klussmann Photo by Jacob Cribbs

M A C K E N Z I E

M A Y O

K E L L Y

G R I F F I N

TWO PEAT • (left) The boys gathered around their 2013 4-A state trophy celebrating their success. They fought until the end, taking a big win over Frisco Wake-land, who was pre-determined to take the title.

TEARS FOR CHEERS • (right) Coach Hoskovec gets emotional at the podium when announcing his re-peat state win. Hoskovec was awarded last year with the “Coach of the Year” award, and announced that he hopes for another big win for next year.

WINNING LINE-UP • (below) Swimmers Michael Miller, Alec Willrodt, Kyle Rathgeb, Cai Rohleder, Sam Cordova, and Taylor Cash were each awarded with state medals. With only one point separating the two top teams, the state title came down to the 400 freestyle re-lay with starter Willrodt, then Rohleder, then Rathgeb, and the leg being Miller. Stratford won the relay and state with the final tally being 212 points, only 9 points over Wakeland. Captions by Elyse’ StieberPhotos by Gil Sanchez and Stephen Martinez

Back-to-Back ChampionsThe boys’ swim team wins 4A state for the second year in a row

MILLE

R

ROHLE

DER

CORD

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RATH

GEB

WILLR

ODT

CASH

In recent news, the small town of Steubenville, Ohio has been at odds over the case of a young woman and her accusation of rape at a party. People disgustingly argued over things as to whether or not this girl was doing it as an act for attention, or if the rape even happened at all. The storytelling aside, there was one fact that couldn’t be disputed: numerous inap-propriate pictures of this girl had been posted online prior to the case’s evolution. As soon as social media became involved, the night’s events took a turn for the horrible. The country began taking opinions on this case. A good portion of people sided with the girl, agreeing with the common view that rape is never okay. However, quite a few people took a different view to the situation: due to the fact that alcohol was in-volved, people thought that this girl was entirely at fault for what had happened to her. This is just one of many cases in which alcohol allowed for impaired judgement, and for a boy to think that he is en-titled to whatever he wants

-- even if it could be consid-ered animalistic behavior. In 2010, an organization by the name of Rape Crisis Scotland released the first TV campaign in history at-tempting to tackle the typical attitude towards rape. In the thirty second ad, a woman acts as if she is going out with the intention of being raped, and the ad ends with the blunt statement “as if ” and that “no one asks to be raped. Ever.” This ad portrays the most ideal views that society should have. Women should be treated with respect be-cause they are people, not pieces of meat. Men are not animals, but instead are edu-cated people who have ethics and should know better than to force themselves upon any woman who “leads them on.” Women can no longer do normal things such as go to concerts or to the movies without the fear of someone attacking them. The news consistently presents stories that give women reasons to fear for their lives, and it gives people the idea that rape is just a “day-to-day activity.” Pepper spray and rape

whistles should not re-place friends as compan-ions and protectors. There was once a time where the idea of rape was a horror story rather than a weekly activity. Women should not have to walk the streets in fear that every lurking shadow is a potential rapist. We believe that society has a warped view of how a w o m -a n ’ s b o d y should b e

treat-e d . R a t h e r than teach-ing women “how not to be raped,” we should be teaching men that this despicable act is never justifiable

by any means. We stand up for women and stand by the view that no means no. Women are entitled to their privacy, their safety, and their own bodies and it is never okay for someone to take that away from them. Society needs to change their views to correspond with the 21st century. It is time for change.

13Friday, April 19, 2013The Oracle OPINIONSOTHE RACLE

The Oracle is a newspaper published every three weeks by the Journalism Department of Stratford High School, 14555 Fern, Houston, Texas 77079, 713-251-3454. The newspaper is a member of Columbia Scholastic Journalism Association, Na-tional Scholastic Journalism Association, Texas Association of Journalism Educators, and Interscholastic League Press Con-ference. The Oracle is open to any and all contributions submitted by the readers. Any material can be submitted by e-mail to thes-tratfordoracle@gmail.com, brought in person to Room 120, or placed in Janice Cummons’ mailbox. The editorial board reserves the right to determine whether the submitted material will be published depending on the available space. The submitted material may also be edited to remove libelous or defamatory statements. Any material that is submitted must be typewritten and ac-companied with the writer’s full name and grade. The opinions expressed are those of the individual writer and do not neces-sarily reflect the views of the editors, the staff, the administra-tion, or the school district. The Oracle staff strives to produce a newspaper that covers the entire Stratford community. They welcome freelance submissions and are eager to hear from their readers regarding story and photo opportunities. The Oracle is also online at spartanoracle.blogspot.com.

Ads Editor Mary Margaret Weaver Ads Staff Emily Brown Jacob Cribbs Kendall Marbach Jacob Pennington Katherine Mavergeorge Allison Rice Design Staff Claire Galbraith Caroline Suchman Harrison Vaporciyan Ben Fairchild Staff Artists Molly Richter Claire Pena Natalie Yoo Victoria Shin Bronte YeOnline Staff Online Editors Janelle Blackwood Isabel Deakins Samantha Stazo Online Photography Editors Jackie Mask Ariyan Almassi Online Photographers Mark Coffman Michael Martin Claire Pena Rebecca Williamson Online Reporters Jackie Velarde Faith Figueroa Building Principal Christopher Juntti Advisor Janice Cummons

Newspaper Staff Editors-in-Chief Sara Boyle Samantha Hicks Caitlin Hilton News Editors Hannah Bevers Samantha Vargas Samantha Vanston Muse Editors Chandler Callahan Layla Shahosseini Kali Venable Sports Editors Alex Newton Elaine Parizot Elyse Stieber Opinions Editors Michelle Evans Lydia Sweet Esther Jeon Reporters Andres Acosta Dua Mazhar Aldo Martinez Photo Editors Katie Gregory Stephen Martinez Katherine Kennedy Photographers Gil Sanchez Emily Copeland Sarah Sturgis Will Klussmann Maggie Vickers Harper Jones Bonnie Slattery Jordan Comparin

No Means NoSociety needs to reevaluate their views towards womenStaff Editorial

The Right to Relief Students have the right to use the restroom when they please

When you have to use the rest room, you have to use the rest room —end of story. Tons of students have been complaining about the lack of rest room usage at school, and quite frankly they have a right to be angry with the limitations teachers and staff place on bathrooms. Multiple teachers allow each student to use the rest room during only one class period per six weeks, while others prohibit all rest room usage. This means that for an hour and a half each day, students are forced to “hold it,” which can cause numerous medical problems. According to Dr. Chaman-deep Bali, a naturopathic doctor at the Toronto Natu-ropathic Health Center, “The longer you hold your urine, the bladder can become a breeding ground for bacteria

to grow.” This bacteria can lead to painful and dangerous infec-tions, such as urinary track infections, yeast infections and even damage to kidneys, causing a number of prob-lems in they way one’s body functions. Some teach-ers say that s t u d e n t s should use the rest room during pass-ing periods, but such a notion is im-plausible giv-en we only have six minutes between classes. Six minutes is not nearly enough time to use the rest room when lines extend four or five people deep in every student rest room and returning to class on time is a minute or two in

itself. The fact is that being pro-hibited to use the rest room is far more distracting than having a student miss five or ten minutes of a class lecture. Everyone knows that when you need to pee, it is all you

can think a b o u t . Students are sitting in class not focus-ing on the l e s s o n s b e i n g t a u g h t , but in-

stead are focusing on how badly they have to use the rest room. Many teachers are worried that kids only ask to use the rest room to wander halls and avoid lessons, but that doesn’t make it okay to ban entire

classes from going when the majority of kids are asking to actually use the rest room, rather than waste time. While students with medi-cal conditions can get a note from the nurse that requires teachers to grant them extra rest room usage, many stu-dents prefer to suffer in si-lence. This may make it seem like the student’s own fault for failing to notify the nurse about their condition, but it is embarrassing for students to admit that they need to use the rest room more than the average person, or that they have a medical condition that affects their excretory system. Regardless of how impor-tant classroom lectures may be on a given day, students deserve to have the freedom to use the rest room when-ever they please.

“It is so painful and distract-ing to sit through a whole class period when you have to go to the rest room; it’s a kids worst nightmare. -Justine White, 11

Graphic by Victoria Shin

Kali Venable

The Oracle14 Friday, April 19, 2013OPINIONS

There are those who are... well, people-people. They en-joy being around people and thrive in large social gather-ings and don’t mind putting themselves out there. Then there’s me and oth-ers who, like me, are people-people but only to a certain extent (does that even make any sense?). It doesn’t neces-sarily mean that I don’t enjoy being around people or that I avoid large social gatherings like the plague- it just means that I need a little more alone time. Too much of people will overwhelm me, and I’ll find myself shutting down when I’m around too many people for long periods of time. If I wanted to get technical, I’d say that the former group I spoke of would be called extroverts and the group I was in would be called intro-verts. Both have their pros and cons, but there have been days when I want noth-ing more to be extroverted, when I want nothing more to

be able to handle bunches of people for significant periods of time. After all, in the West-ern culture we live in, being extroverted is celebrated and being introverted is frowned upon. If you’re an introvert, America will try to make you otherwise. Think back to your child-hood. I certainly can- teach-ers were always trying to get students to participate more and join the class discussions. I don’t mean to say that it’s bad to encourage your students to join your class discussions- participation is important. In the kind of world we live in today, we need each other to share our ideas and improve upon what we have. But not everyone thrives on joining class discussions; many intro-verts prefer to just listen (and note that I didn’t say ALL in-troverts). Introverts will often process information a little differently, and they need the time to listen and take time to reflect upon what the information they have gath-

ered before they speak. But can you imagine telling your

teacher that? That you need some time to think alone and quietly about this so you pre-fer not to participate in the

discussion at the moment? You’d be, in elementary def-

inition, a “bad team-player” and unwilling to work with others. Imagine telling your boss

in a job interview that you’re “quiet” and you “prefer to work alone.” Could you imag-ine the reception you’d get? You’d look antisocial and disagreeable when it’s simply how your mind works. That’s how you take in information and that’s how you do your work best- alone. It doesn’t mean that you’re uncoopera-tive and it doesn’t mean that you dislike being with people and it doesn’t mean you won’t work with people at all; it is what it is. It means you do your best work alone. Parents are always telling children to be a little more social, more outgoing, and make more friends. Teach-ers are always trying to put students in groups and get students to work together instead of alone. Jobs neces-sitate being social and extro-verted to work with others. Do you still not believe it? America thrives on its ex-troverted culture, and those who are introverted are left to stand in the dust, being

prodded by the rest of society to follow suit with the extro-verts. Since my freshman year, I’ve fought tooth and nail to be a little more like some of my extroverted peers. I try really hard to be more social and I try to put myself out there as much as I can. I am no lon-ger as shy as I used to be and I can manage to speak without stumbling over the simplest of words. But the truth is that I am who I am- I prefer to lis-ten rather than speak. If I’m around people for too long, I’ll feel overwhelmed. I like having a small-knit group of friends. Extroversion is something to be celebrated, and I will forever admire those who are extroverted. But with in-troversion comes rewards, and until America realizes the shared merits of both extroverts AND introverts, introverts will forever be left to fill the shoes of the socially awkward and difficult to be around kind of person.

The Fight for IntroversionEsther JeonIntroverts struggle in the makings of America’s extrovert-driven society

The Lone Ranger, Carrie, Dirty Dancing, and The Evil Dead are all famous movies that have become known as instant classics in the hearts of thousands of people across the United States. However, recently their names have been coming up again on TV a n d the In-te r ne t . Why is this? It is b e c aus e the Hollywood movie industry has decided to remake these classics; in other words, they mean to destroy them. It seems like every movie that has come out lately has either been a remake or a re-boot. Sure, it’s nice to see one’s favorite movie in a new light, but what if the remake ruins the classic? For instance, To-tal Recall, the original 1990 version, was a great movie that had a large following of fans who were excited to see the 2012 remake. In the end

though, expectations didn’t live up to reality and movie fans and critics only had neg-ative feedback in response to the box office flop. It’s tiring for the fans of clas-sic movies to be let down and frustrated at under whelm-ing remakes. Although it’s a slim chance, it is possible for a remake to trump the origi-nal. How- e v e r ,

because of the loyalty that fans feel towards the original movies, it’s harder for the re-makes to compete. Also, just because one re-makes an old film in 3-D doesn’t make it new. This comes across to viewers as a cheap way for producers to make a quick $400 million. It isn’t right to scam the fans out of their money by giving out a retired film with a new fancy label. The creativity and imagina-tion of movie production is

dying and has been replaced with poorly written second-hand ideas. Has anyone ever heard of the expression “don’t mess with perfection,” or are movie producers bored with thinking of new ideas for movies that they have to make over the good ones? The special thing about those films that made them great was that they were interest-ing and new to the movie

industry and to the people watching them.

For movie writers, it must feel as if

all the good ideas have

a l - r e a d y b e e n t a k e n or the ending of movies are now predictable, but there’s no way that the endless well of pos-sible ideas has run dry. Film writers just need to think out-side the box and stop roman-ticizing the glory days. It’s time for change. Holly-wood needs to go back to the drawing board and start with fresh ideas instead of reusing and recycling the classics.

Ideas? Anyone? Bueller?Hollywood focusing on remakes and out of ideasClaire Galbraith

Friends can be bullies. It is hard to fathom that your best friend, the one that you have known since kin-dergarten, becomes the first person to criticize you and put you down. You might become a vic-tim of peer pressure, teasing, back biting, or even physical vio-lence. “Friend hazing” is most common among females, es-pecially girls around the ages of 12-17. Sometimes, even in a normal con-versation, a person can become subject to teasing, and the bully is none other than your friend. As a victim of “friend haz-ing,” I know that sometimes a person doesn’t know what to do, or how to respond when they become targets. They feel like they can only laugh along. However, if you or the person who has been targeted tries to talk to the bully, they

make it seem like it isn’t a big deal, and then it feels as if you were being the over sensitive one. Although it takes courage to speak out against injus-tice, it must be done. When you become a target of friend

hazing, it is essential that you talk to the person who is hurting you. On the other hand, if you are the bully in your group of friends, stop what you’re doing right now and think about the hurt and pain you might be causing your friends. Do you have any sense of what you are do-ing? The friend you might be

taunting may not have the courage to say anything, and may eventually end up leav-ing you. Yet another aspect of “friend hazing” is backbiting. Instead of confronting the actual per-son, people often evade the

problem and make it worse by telling a complete stranger who is unrelated to the whole situation. The rumor be-comes like the tele-phone game; in the end it has been totally changed and made into something em-barrassing and hurt-ful. What is worse is that the only person who does not know

about it is the one who has become the target. If you are teasing someone, or if you feel that you are being bullied by your own friends, talk to that person. DON’T back stab them. Con-front them. Fix your error or give your friend the chance to fix theirs. DON’T let your friend become your foe.

Friend vs. FoeEven friends can become bulliesDua Mazhar

Graphic by Molly Richter

Graphic by Bronte Ye

Graphic by Natalie Yoo

The Oracle Friday, April 19, 2013 15OPINIONS

I applied to thirteen colleges. The list included the Univer-sity of Texas (UT), Southern Methodist University (SMU), Boston University (BU), six Ivy League schools, and four more. When I started the applica-tion process, my parents sat me down at the kitchen table and told me that because I’d applied to such high-level schools I couldn’t be afraid of rejection. I knew that I would need tough skin to get through rejections and, although I hoped there wouldn’t be any, I knew there would. Boy, was I right. My first acceptance was from UT because I qualified for automatic admission. It was a relief to know that there was a spot for me somewhere at a college, but I hadn’t heard back from the UT engineer-ing school yet, so I still wasn’t completely satisfied. The next letter I received was from SMU. I applied for early admission to SMU, so I got my acceptance early. The letter came in a huge red envelope with stickers and pamphlets included. This time, I had gotten into the Lyle School of Engineering. Finally, an actual acceptance. At this point, I was feeling pretty great about myself. I’d been accepted to two schools

already - I was invincible. What school in their right mind would reject me? Then I got my first rejection. Princeton was my top choice; I applied early decision and I just knew that I was meant to go there. When I visited the campus, I fell in love with it. I wanted Princeton more than anything else. The letter was crisp and thin: a sign of bad news. Princeton’s Dean of Admis-sions “signed” the bottom of the letter describing how so many eligible students hadn’t made the cut. The rejection was a mix of emotions. I felt inferior and wrongly judged, but I also felt relieved. The stress of waiting to hear back from Princeton had been weighing on me for months and I could officially drop that pressure and focus on all the other schools. Not long after the rejec-tion, I heard back from UT Engineering, where I was ac-cepted. It was the first step to recovery after being wounded - I knew everything would be okay. The rest of my letters wouldn’t come until the end of March. I waited in hope that there would be more ac-ceptances in my future. On March 28 I sat at my home computer with a mug of tea, crisscrossed my legs, and opened all of the admis-

sion websites for the rest of my schools. It didn’t even take thirty minutes. One ac-ceptance, one waiting list, and eight more rejections. I knew I’d have to be able to handle this, and I was pre-pared. I didn’t cry or outwardly react. I knew that I’d applied to schools that only take five percent of their applicants, and I was okay with being in the ninety-five percent that was sent rejection letters. If I said that I wasn’t upset at all, I would be lying. I was okay with not being accepted, I knew that most of my appli-cations were long shots. I still don’t know why I felt just the least bit upset, but I did. Maybe I was just upset that I’d spent so much time on es-says for schools that might not have even given me a glance. A lot of people think I’m certifiably insane for apply-ing to so many schools. In the long run, though, I don’t regret it. I know that I’ll never have ask myself what could have happened if I’d applied to more schools. Sometimes dreams don’t come true and we don’t get what we’ve always wanted. Rejections happen - to a lot of people. Life goes on, though. It doesn’t matter where you go, it matters what you do where you are.

Reflections on RejectionWhat it’s like to get turned down from collegesHannah Bevers

Reports have surfaced that there has been an individual, or a group of people defecat-ing at various locations on campus. The fact of the mat-ter is, this is not very funny. Like at all. Maybe just a little. The first instance was at the Homecoming dance last October where a fellow Or-acle staff member actually stepped on someone else’s excrement in the middle of the dance floor. Later it was found within a sink and ap-parently also on one of the staircases. Maybe the freshmen just aren’t potty trained yet, but I think the problem goes deep-er than that. This is just one specific in-stance of a general attitude that some students seem to have. People seem to have forgotten that students are subordinate to the teachers and faculty at this school. Ev-eryone has to follow the rules that have been set. A high school diploma can be received anywhere, but Stratford America must not forgot how lucky we are to attend such a special school. We have amazing teachers that legitimately care about their students, great facilities, and a friendly, accepting stu-dent body. Large, clean classrooms are provided as a learning envi-ronment for our studies. In the classrooms are countless pieces of equipment we use to learn about specific sub-jects. Beakers for the science department, complete sets of calculators in the math department, and even great fields and gyms for the athlet-ics department are examples of ways that the school sup-ports its students. Students tend to take even privileges such as the exemp-tion policy for granted. Inter-esting fact: the only students allowed to exempt finals at Memorial High School are second semester seniors. Ev-ery grade level at Stratford has the opportunity to ex-empt at least one final in their second semester. Just another reason why all of us are bet-ter, cooler, and luckier for attending Stratford and not Memorial. Another example is the trash that is left in the courtyards, the snack bar, and the cafete-

ria. Even after repeated warn-ings to stop leaving trash by administrators, the practice has lessened but has not dis-appeared. Trash can still be found after both A and B lunch. Perhaps the most shock-ing aspect is the response that students have when con-fronted as to why. The major-ity simply replies that “that is why we have custodians.” The fact of the matter is that custodians are not here to clean up after our messes, they are here to keep the school clean for us. And yes, there is

a dif- fer-ence. As teenagers, most of us feel rebellious; most of us feel like the rules are made to be broken. But these rules give order to our campus, just like laws give order to society. Perhaps the most common complaint heard around the school is about homework. “Do we have to do it?”, “Can we turn it in late?”, or even “can we push the test/quiz back until next class?” ring out nearly every class period. Some students even go as far as to say that some of our teachers are “barely teachers”

and that they “barely even teach” with no evidence or reasons to say it. Learning is a two way street. It is not fair to expect to walk into a classroom expecting to just magically learn every-thing. Grasping the concepts also takes personal effort and responsible. It takes a student doing his homework and studying for them to excel in a course. It could be that a lack of personal responsibility is what is at the source of it all. Last year, I was walking down the business hallway on the second floor heading towards the locker rooms.

Suddenly I heard a lot of yelling behind

me and two indi-viduals running behind me in my

direction. As they came closer, I moved

out of their way and they ran past me. As I continued to walk, I saw those same

kids had run into and knocked down Mrs.

Jackson. She perhaps hadn’t noticed that these

kids were coming right at her or maybe she figured that they would just go around her. But they didn’t and they knocked her down. Even worse, the kids kept running and didn’t even glance back to see if Mrs. Jackson was okay. It is fair to say that those kids had no in-tention of knocking Mrs. Jackson down. It is not, however, fair to say that they were or had the right to be run-ning down that hallway

like they were. To be successful in life we must all be in possession of personal responsibility. That responsibility also extends to knowing that if our actions harm or have the possibility of harming those around us, we don’t do them. To be a little more thought-ful and responsible is hardly too much to ask. One other thing, the per-petrators in both of these instances were identified and held accountable.

Andres Acosta

Unwarranted DisrespectDo you want an article in the

newspaper without being on staff?

Contact any staff member, stop by Room 120, or email

thestratfordoracle@gmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Disrespect toward peers, teachers is unacceptable

Graphic by Claire Pena and Molly Richter

The OracleADS16 Friday, April 19, 2013