BURNED OUTBURNED OUT17410 Commerce Park Blvd. Tampa FL 33647Vol. 7, Issue 3December 15, 2008

revolutionnewspaper.com

� eedom high school

INSIDE12

Hockey players have high standards after championship title

editor-in-chiefJessica Wasserman

Norma Velasquez shovels mulch to create a base for the courtyard. The Lowe’s Heros grant helped fund the project.

J. Wasserman/revolution

Grant fosters courtyard beautifi cationLast year, vandals cut down the eight

oak trees surrounding the center courtyard. Regardless of the vandalists’ identity, PTSA and agriculture students have taken it upon themselves to initiate the repairs.

Lowe’s Hero program donated $1200 in merchandise to assist the planting of numerous shrubs and trees surrounding the courtyard.

“The criteria was volunteers - it had to be a group, community eff ort, which we’ve certainly done,” PTSA business sponsor Tracy Ryan said. “And Lowe’s and Tim [Holichork] have been very instrumental.”

With this funding, PTSA and agriculture hope to go further than simply restoring the courtyard to its earlier state.

“We talked about how we wanted a beautiful area where we could have performances, meetings- just a nice area we could all be proud of,” Ryan said.

Agriculture teacher and Future Farmers of America (FFA) sponsor Kim Turner agrees that it is important for students and teachers to have this area.

“Last year, all those trees got cut down,” Turner said. “There’s no reason school shouldn’t be as pleasant as possible. How nice would it be to walk under shade instead of a beating sun?”

A lot of planning went into choosing which plants would be used for the design.

“I myself did the landscape,” Lowe’s nursery specialist Tim Holichork said. “All the plants are drought resistant. We had to think about things like that.”

The centerpiece of the design will be the golden rain tree, which is expected to grow to be 30 feet tall and 30 feet wide. The main color scheme is red and yellow, and Holichork hopes this will brighten up the area.

“The daylilies expand. They propagate and multiply- eventually it’ll be yellow all around,” Holichork said.

Though the daylilies and trees will grow to full size, it will take time for students and teachers to experience the full eff ect.

“So many times, younger generations don’t realize things take time, and they won’t see the eff ects immediately,” Ryan

said. “But they’re building something for the future, which is really what we should all do.”

The Agriculture students worked to ensure that the courtyard would be something students could be proud of.

“It took a lot of aft er-school hours,” junior Sarah Daly said. “It was worth it though.”

Daly, along with other students working on the courtyard project will no longer att end high school when the trees are full grown.

“It’s something kids from Liberty will come and know their brothers and sisters created something beautiful for their school,” Ryan said. “Hopefully kids [who worked on the project] will come back and know, ‘we were part of this, we did something special.”

Agriculture and PTSA claim this is only one step in beautifying the campus.

“We did the parking lot last year and they let us do this [courtyard project],” Daly said. “I don’t even know what’s next for us.”

On Dec. 5, the fi rst story boys’ bathroom in the 400 building caught fi re. All students were safely evacuated to the football stadium where they remained until it was safe for the school to reopen. The Tampa Fire Investigators will work alongside the police department to identify the culprit.

Maintenance manager Daniel Stermer says it is certain the damage was intentional.

“They had to have used an accelerant, [such as] lighter fl uid,” Stermer said. “The investigator will do a thorough investigation, but it was obvious it was set.”

The person or persons responsible for the fi re will face serious consequences.

“From a legal standpoint, it’s the idea of arson- they were endangering other students’ lives,” principal Christopher Farkas said. “From the school’s standpoint, we’ll push for a change of placement for anybody involved.”

Plummer Daniel Gonzalez estimated that the damages could cost up to $45,000 after assessing the situation. It is still not defi nite how much the repairs will cost.

“Everything is totally damaged,” Gonzalez said. “The heat was so extensive it shattered the china on the toilets, sinks, and just melted everything. The copper pipes were actually soldered on with heat, and the fi re melted the solder and the pipes blew right off. ”

No students or teachers were injured

as a result of the fi re. Area director George Gaffney commended the school’s handling of the situation.

“I think everything went well. I heard the students were very responsive, which is the main thing, that so many students could follow directions during a serious event,” Gaffney said. “Anytime you do something, you always feel like you could do it better a second time, but of course, in an emergency, you just have to do your best the fi rst time.”

Farkas agreed that the evacuation went smoothly.

“All the feedback I got from the students, teachers and administrators was fantastic,” Farkas said. “We always learn from experiences like this, but the administrators, [Elijah] Thomas and [Rosemary] Owens, did a great job.”

Senior Doug Yablun was in room 410 when the fi re broke out.

“We were doing our class work when two kids opened the door and told us there’s a fi re and we need to leave,” Yablun said. “[The substitute teacher] had the same reaction as the students- we thought they were kidding so we ignored it for a bit. Then they did the same thing again and said they were serious.”

After realizing the seriousness of the issue, Yablun’s class evacuated along with the rest of the school.

“We actually started to smell smoke inside the room. Then Mr. Thomas took the fi re extinguisher from the room, so we were pretty sure it was serious,” Yablun said. “The second we stepped out of the room [the smoke] was right there.”

There is a reward offered for any information

regarding the fi re. Although authorities have not released the exact size of the offer, Farkas stated that it is “a substantial amount of money.”

The administration is confi dent that students will do their part in assisting the investigation.

“We’ll fi nd whoever did it, it may not be until May, but we’ll fi nd whoever did it. There’s no doubt in my mind,” Farkas said.

It is predicted that the student body will

come forth with information regarding the fi re. Manager of facility support Clay Ward stressed the need for cooperation of the student body.

“If any of the [school] population observed something like this it’s important to bring it to the attention of the administration quickly,” Ward said. “It’s everybody’s responsibility to step forward under these conditions.”

editor-in-chiefJessica Wasserman

C. Keenan/revolution

Note: This photo is not in black in white. Photos record the damage in the interior of the downstairs 400 boys’ bathroom after the fi re on Friday Dec. 5. Approximately 30 people worked to restore the bathroom the weekend after the incident.

17410 Commerce Park Blvd. Tampa FL 3364717410 Commerce Park Blvd. Tampa FL 3364717410 Commerce Park Blvd. Tampa FL 33647

Hockey players have high standards after championship title

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The top fi ve classic holiday movies

Arson displaces classes, leads to expensive repairs

news 2 December 15, 2008

Drama competes at district level

On Dec. 6, members of the drama department competed in the district theater competition at Wharton High School. Seniors Julia Taylor, RJ Mills, Briana Cervantes and Jessica O’Hearn and Juniors Josh Davis and Taylor Jacobs earned superiors for their performances.

Theater is also gearing up for the one act plays competition on Jan. 15 and 16. Students from high schools around the county. For this, the group will perform a 45-minute long one-act play. They will be judged on how well they perform as a whole.

This year’s one-act play is called “Us and Them.” This play has a layered plot with embedded themes that refl ect on human nature.

Junior Susannah Cervantes is a part of this year’s cast.

“The play is about symboli-cally knocking down the separation between diff erent groups of people,” Cervantes said. “Because [the charac-ters] realize that deep down inside, we’re all the same.”

>>Gabrielle Vaz

Latin Dance team places second at Hispanic Festival

For many students, math is an area they struggle in. To Mu Alpha Theta members, math is not just a subject, but also a hobby. Instead of thinking of math as a challenge, they think of math as a way to compete and earn trophies

On Nov. 20, the Mu Alpha Theta team took part in a countywide competition called Math Bowl. They placed fourth overall while senior Josh Giles placed fi rst in the Calculus division, junior Nghia Tran placed second in the Pre-Calculus division, freshman Werther Merciales placed fi ft h in the Geometry division.

“It feels really good to have [the fi ft h place trophy],” Merciales said, “It is a nice feeling to be the fi ft h smartest nerd in Geometry in Hillsborough county.”

The Geometry, Pre-Calculus, and Calculus bowl teams all placed

“I think Josh and Tran did great considering that they were up against the best in the county.” Mu Alpha Theta sponsor Dorothy Schroeder said, “Also, I think it was great that Freedom placed fourth, right behind a magnet school specializing in math.”

Mu Alpha Theta practices every Wednesday to help improve their performances in the competitions. They all work together to try and improve their scores and grow forward together as a whole.

“We take old individual tests to see what the real tests will be like, then we have our answers checked and have our questions about the tests answered,” sophomore Melody Baughman said. “We also do a team round where we answer as a group.”

Practices are also benefi cial for Tran too. “We take tests and help each other aft er we take the tests,” he said.

The divisions practiced every day aft er school from 3:10 to 4:10.

“Every day for two weeks before [Math Bowl] we studied aft er school,” Marciales said, “we studied by doing practice team

Mu Alpha Students excel at Math BowlGeometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus teams place at county competition

rounds and having the teachers help us with stuff we did not know yet.”

Mu Alpha Theta can be benefi cial for future success in life. Schroeder says it can help students work ahead on the math courses they are enrolled in and teach the students some math tricks that will help them obtain a bett er understanding of the subject.

“It teaches you people skills, how to think analytically, and you also learn litt le tricks. It’s very fun,” Baughman said.

“Mu Alpha Theta will help me both get into colleges and help me with classes in college,” said Tran. “It helps me make friends, go places, and helps me do bett er on tests.”

For the younger competitors in Mu Alpha Theta, the more experienced students can be intimidating because they have more experiences.

“The older students helped us whenever we asked for help,” Marciales said, “It was cool to talk to someone who has already been through [the competition] and knows what is going on.”

Tran says Mu Alpha Theta can help with college applications.

“Mu Alpha Theta is an honors club and it looks good on college applications,” said Tran.

Baughman also sees it as an asset when it comes to gett ing into college.

“You have to meet a certain requirement just to get in Mu Alpha Theta so it will help you get into college,” Baughman said.

Mu Alpha Theta hopes for a good showing at the state convention this year. Last year was the first time they went to nationals; Giles, Tran, alumni Justin Doromal, and junior Sam Armstrong were the members who att ended.

“The only thing that makes me nervous is that I have to keep up with my [5th place trophy] throughout the rest of the season,” Merciales said.

Teamwork can play a major role in success for the team.

“In Mu Alpha Theta,” Baughman said, “We learn to work as one whole unit.”

>> Additional reporting by Scott Pollenz

staff writerMatt Simpson

Sophomores Rachael Ferrall and Melody Baughman work with alumnus Justin Doromal on Pre-Calcu-lus topics at an after school practice. The Pre-Calculus team placed fi fth at the competition.

S.Pollenz/revolution

Cheating ranges from asking someone for test content, to copying someone’s homework and class work, to using notes on a quiz or test, to blatantly copying someone else’s answers on a test, to plagiarizing and misrepresenting one’s own work.

The act of cheating is more socially acceptable than once was. Many students seem to have no qualms about cheating.

“It can be prett y useful, so I’m not really against it,” junior Sam Knox said.

This opinion is not in the minority of high school students.

“I think other people feel that way too. It’s not that bad,” he said.

Senior Jose Sanchez also believes that the majority of students are open to cheating. “I think the goodie-good kids are lame about it, but all my friends don’t have a problem with it.”

Teachers are aware of this new outlook on academic cheating.

“I have caught student cheating many times though the years,” French teacher Anne Westin said.

However, this awareness should not be mistaken for acceptance of the circumstances.

“I fi nd it disturbing because students seem to have absolutely no qualms about it. They don’t think it’s wrong,” Westin said.

Students who cheat seem to do so for similar reasons.

“[Students] know they get a bett er grade than they would alone. They want to make sure that they make the grade,” Knox said.

Knox admitt edly cheats “At least three

Catching cheaters taxes teachersStudents claim it’s ‘no big deal’

times a week, minimum,” mainly on tests. He says that his motivations for cheating are time-related.

“Studying takes time out of my day if I’m doing things such as resting or gett ing ready for a big meet,” he said.

Sanchez also admits to cheating, “Prett y oft en. As oft en as I can.”

Both students claim that they have never been caught. They agree that nothing could be done to deter them from cheating in the future, including punishment.

“If I was caught,” Knox said, “I’d fi nd out what my mistake was, why I got caught, and change it. I’d make even bett er plans for next time.”

Westin is appalled by these viewpoints.Westin knows that it is not easy to catch

and punish students. “Honestly, it’s very hard in high school to fi gure out how to punish people appropriately,” she said. “They think it’s perfectly okay. That’s truly frightening.”

Westin believes that cheating has greater implications than just an undeserved grade.

“Eventually [cheating] catches up with you... in college, in the work place,” Westin said, “That impacts society in the long run.”

“There’s no diff erence between cheating on a test and cheating on a significant other,” she said. “In both scenarios, you’re misrepresenting who you are and what you are about.”

She poses an alarming question. “Would you want a doctor who cheated his way through medical school?”

As an educator, Westin wants the best

for her students. “It makes me very sad when students

cheat because I think they don’t realize—and I know that this is a cliché—they’re cheating themselves,” she said, “If you cheat your way through school, you’ve cheated your way through an education.”

“When you cheat you’re insulting your intelligence. You’re saying ‘I’m too dumb’ or ‘I’m too lazy’.”

Westin also thinks the excuse that students cheat to save time is weak.

“If [students] spent as much time studying as they do formulating their cheating method, they wouldn’t have to cheat in the fi rst place... They assume that everyone does it, which is really scary to me.”

Westin thinks that a blasé attitude towards cheating should not be acceptable. “It reminds me of racism. Say you’re not a racist, but you tolerate it. I think if you tolerate it, you’re saying it’s okay.”

advertising managerKatie Yerkes

Salsa is more than a tasty treat to dip a chip into. For members of the Latin Dance team, it is a dance that requires agile movements and quick feet.

At the annual Hispanic Festival at Leto, the Latin Dance team stood in front of the judges and prepared to show off their salsa-dancing skills.

“We practiced an entire week be-cause we were too busy with the pep rally,” senior team captain Heidy Pa-gan said.

With limited practice time, the team managed to win second place.

“The routine was alright but we made it look bett er than it actually was because of our dancing skills,” sophomore Angel Nazario said.

Pagan believes the team would have benefi ted from more practice time.

“I believe Sickles was prett y good,” Pagan said. “But if we had more time to practice we would have out-danced them.

>> Paola Rivera

In Memoriam

Daniel Humphries

Senior Daniel Humphriespassed away Nov. 9, 2008.

He loved playing sportsand spending time with his

many friends.

CHEATING: BY THE NUMBERS

80%

51%

95%

85%

of high-achieving high school students admit to cheating

of high school stu-dents did not believe cheating was wrong

of cheating studentsdo not believe their teachers know they cheat

of high-achieving high school students admit to cheating

source: US News and World Report

3revolution news

staff writerErin Cook

Many students with diff erent religions, backgrounds, and interests att end Freedom.Unlike previous years, this school year has had relatively few clashes and incidents of hostility. However, some wonder whether there is true unity within the school, or simply enduring each other for the sake of avoiding trouble.

In Oct., the Gay Straight Alliance club (GSA) administered a survey about toler-ance at Freedom. The majority response from students was that Freedom is intoler-ant towards other types of people.

“[GSA] did the survey because tolerance and equality are never really spoken about but they are issues. We wanted to put it in the picture and raise awareness,” co-presi-dent of the GSA club senior Stefy De Vita said. “I do think Freedom’s intolerant.”

Some disagree on whether or not stu-dents are welcoming to their peers. Senior Carly Earnest diff ers with the majority re-sponse of the survey.

“I don’t think we’re intolerant. Just because we’re not welcoming to everyone out there doesn’t mean we’re intolerant. Tolerance isn’t supporting people all the time.”

Tolerance means diff erent things to diff er-ent people. De Vita feels tolerance is more of a matt er of how informed an individual is.

“I defi ne tolerance as knowing an issue and accepting it and not thinking of a person any diff erently because of it,” she said.

Earnest feels tolerance is more about keep-ing the peace.

“Being tolerant is co-existing, not bringing up the problem or fi ghting about it.”

Sophomore Gina McCoy agrees with Ear-nest about the peaceful nature of tolerance.

“I defi ne tolerance as the ability to accept and get along with others, no matt er the cir-cumstances,” she said.

McCoy thinks Freedom is tolerant because it’s so diverse. But she admits there are a few instances where people don’t quite get along with each other.

“There are a lot of cliques because people go where they feel most comfortable,” she said.

According to the survey, the cafeteria is the main place where students form groups among friends. The issue, though, is not the cliques themselves, but whether or not these groups are accepting and peaceful towards others.

De Vita believes there are ways of revers-ing the trend of intolerance.

“I think the fi rst thing we need to do is remove the negative connotations associ-ated with diff erent types of people and other communities. From there, we move forward towards reaching equality.”

The survey brought a new voice to stu-dents whose opinions aren’t normally heard. But some disagree over whether or not bring-ing up the issue is benefi cial to the cause of eliminating intolerance.

“When people don’t speak about it, they don’t think about it, and it’s not a problem,” Earnest said.

Still, De Vita feels her fellow students should be enlightened to the diversity and is-sues of equality around them.

“Personally, I think that when issues aren’t spoken about, they’re not thought about and people become ignorant.”

College prices increase

College students and their parents should brace for sharp tuition increases and declining fi nancial aid as the economic downturn begins to hit campuses across the country.

“I am focusing mainly on in-state col-leges, and I got into University of South Florida. They off ered me a ten thousand dollar scholarship which is the university’s presidential award,” senior Nicole Horn-strom said.

In-state colleges provide many ben-efi ts to prospective students by off ering a number of scholarship opportunities for in-state students. Another incentive to at-tend a Florida school is the Bright Futures program which allows high school seniors with academic merit to earn a scholarship to any public college in the state.

“With Bright Futures, I am looking more at in-state colleges,” senior Sophie

Holland said. Many use Bright Futures to help with

the high tuition costs.“Most of the scholarships will be for

room and board and book purposes. The Bright Futures will pay for the tuition,” Hornstrom said who has received the full scholarship from Bright Futures.

The souring economy and the crisis on Wall Street is shrinking families’ col-lege savings, and some students wonder whether they will be able to aff ord tuition and other necessities at the schools they are interested in.

“If I go out-of-state, I’m going to go to a community college and get residency and then transfer to a state university so that I don’t have to pay for out-of-state tuition,” Holland said.

English teacher Wendy Beaver is famil-iar with both the pros and cons of att ending an in-state and out-of-state school. “I went to Florida State University for my bachelors

and PhD, and then I went to the University of Texas for my masters,” Beaver said.

Beaver was able to apply for various scholarships, that helped pay for tuition as well as room and board, which helped her to pursue out-of-state opportunities.

“I had the Southern Scholars founda-tion, as well as the Fellowship for UT. At UT, I lived in a scholarship house which is cheaper and also a bett er environment,” Beaver said.

When it comes to need-based aid, many middle-income families may underesti-mate their chances and focus too much on the price. A large number of schools have substantially expanded aid in the past few years. At many competitive colleges, fami-lies earning $80,000 a year typically pay no more than half price. Beaver encourages students to pursue their education, espe-cially going to an out- of-state school for diff erent experiences.

“If you think you are going on for graduate school, go where you can aff ord to go.”

staff writerHanah Hye

Gay straight alliance promotes tolerance

Economic crisis begins to hit college campuses

66%Yes

No34%

Do you think Freedom has a judging problem?

What best describes students in our school?

Quick to categorize

others

49%Moderatelyaccepting of others

36%

8% 7%

Not tolerantof others

Welcoming to others

At our school, how easy is it to make friends within different cliques?

ModeratelyEasy

56%

VeryEasy

26%

ModeratelyHard

14%

4%VeryHard

S.Pollenz/ revolution

K. Yerkes/ revolution

* Based on a survey of 164 students

ACCEPTING OTHERS

source: collegeboard.com

PRO>>

pers

pect

ives

Revolution is published by the newspaper staff at Freedom High School, 17410 Commerce Park Blvd., Tampa, FL 33647.

Advertising rates are available upon request by calling 813-558-1185 ext. 255. Advertising for illegal products, that opposed-sany religion or is of a sensitive nature will not be accepted.

Revolution has been established as an open forum for student expression as outlined in the Student Press Law Center’s model guidelines for student publications. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the faculty and ad-ministration of Freedom High School, but rather of the author or the newspaper staff and its editors.

Revolution welcomes letters to the editor on topics of inter-est to Freedom High School and its community. We also welcome contributions from authors not associated with the newspaper staff. All freelance material must be submitted to room 723 and bear the author’s name.

Revolution is a member of the Columbia Scholastic Press As-sociation, Florida Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, Southern Interscholastic Press Association and Quill and Scroll.

december 15, 2008opinion 4

A major rule students in middle schools, high schools, and colleges have been breaking is underage drinking. Young people ages 12-20 consume 25 percent of the nation’s alcohol. This being said, the average age of a young person at their fi rst drink is 14.

The nation’s top professors from Duke, Ohio State, Dartmouth, and dozens of other colleges are tired of trying to convince underage students to stay away from alcohol, so they are fi ghting to implement a law lowering the drinking age to 18.

The movement is called the Amethyst Initiative, so called because the Greeks believed the stones could ward off drunkenness. The movement was started in July 2008 and is made up of chancellors and presidents of universities across the United States. These higher education leaders have signed this public statement in hopes of warding off binge drinking on college campuses.

Someone who is 18 is considered a legal adult in the United States, yet that person must then wait until the age of 21 to legally consume an alcoholic beverage.

The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 required all states to change the legal drinking age from 18 to 21 years of age. The change has caused many teenagers to seek other

Should the drinking age be lowered to 18? Why?

“No, because young people can be irresponsible and things may get out of control.”

“Yes, because in Europe they have lower ages and less restrictions and people get drunk less.”

“Absolutely not because then it’d be even easier for younger kids to get drinks”

bridget mckenna

fast facts

editors-in-chiefJosh Giles Jessica Wasserman

centerspread editorScott Pollenznews editor

David Tsacnarisopinion editorWill Warner

entertainment editorChandler Keenan

features editorCassie Coolersports editor

Bridget McKenna advertising manager

Katie Yerkesadviser

Christie Goldstaff writers

Derek Anderson, Greg Behrman,Jessica Brown, Sam Brown, Erin Cook , Rachel Drummond, Will Greenberg, Annie

Horneland, Hanah Hye, Yu Peng, Karianne Rivera, Paola Rivera, Matt Simpson,Tyler Tucker, Gabrielle Vaz, Brooke Zick

WilliamColeman

GregLewandowski

KatayounZamani

DanielleAudette

Twilight “bites” butfans love it. Will the marks remain?

College Applications-Enough! Just go to community college.

DEADALIVE

what’s alive and kicking or pushing up daisiesPULSE Club pictures--Effi cient schedule; too manyt-shirt changes.

“People would probably drink less if it wasn’t forbidden.”

Seat Belt Sting- ineffi cient allocation of resources.

A drinking age of 18 is associated with adverse outcomes among births to young mothers – including higher incidences of low birth weight and premature birth.

Only the Ukraine, South Korea, Malaysia and the United States have a drinking age of 21, the highest in the world.

Nearly three-quarters of 8th graders (71%) say that it is “fairly easy” or “very easy” to get alcohol.

In 2007, an estimated 12,998 people died in alcohol-impaired traffi c crashes involving a driver with an illegal BAC (.08 or greater).

On average, someone is killed by a drunk driver every 40 minutes.

Lowering drinking age will not end abuse

CONjosh giles

ways to fi nd and consume alcohol.The many college professors who

have supported the new petition feel it will cut down binge drinking on college campuses. Almost half of all college students binge drink, most of whom are members of fraternities or sororities. The hope of college professors is that this percentage will be cut, and this theory is the major driving force behind the Amethyst Initiative.

Changing the drinking age to 18 would not only allow more freedom to students, it would place it in allotment of other rights and obligations, as well as being more logical in terms of contemporary life. Many American teenagers leave their parents’ homes and go off to college upon turning 18. It is at this time that teenagers become independent, not 21. Legislatures should take these milestones in an 18 year old’s life, and add another one to legalize drinking.

A major concern of many is that lowering the legal drinking age will cause more adolescents to drive while under the infl uence. However, almost two million adults 21 and older have driven while intoxicated this past year. This number gives reason for the needed change in the legal drinking age. The professors who are involved believe that lowering the drinking age will thus lower the number of alcohol induced crashes and violations. By lowering the legal limit to 21, the members of the Amethyst Initiative believe that the desire of those underage to drink will be signifi cantly lowered.

The main concern of those behind the Amethyst Initiative is safety. They want teens to be safe and smart when it comes to drinking, and in their opinion this is by lowering the drinking age to 18.

The change back to 18 may come as a shock to most, but will provide a great relief in the long run.

Lessen binge drinking by changing law

revolution

Freedom Fest spreads holiday cheer.

The Amethyst Initiative has concluded that the current legal constraints on alcohol consumption are not entirely eff ective. Although this is true, simply lowering the drinking age to 18 is not the answer.

From a medical standpoint, underage alcohol is detrimental to mental and bodily health.

Studies show people under the age of 21 are vulnerable to alcohol-induced brain damage, including impairment of learning and memory functions. This damage compromises future success in school and in business.

Studies also relate underage drinking to higher rates of suicide, the third leading cause of death among people from age 14 to 25. Younger drinkers are more likely to develop alcohol dependency later in life.

Younger drinkers also tend to be less responsible when consuming alcohol than more mature drinkers. Because of their immaturity, relative inexperience at the wheel, and increased susceptibility to impairment by alcohol, the rate of fatal crashes among alcohol-involved drivers between 16 and 20 years old is more than twice the rate for alcohol-involved drivers 21 and older.

The primary reasoning used by proponents of a lower drinking age is that the many clandestine drinkers under current law could drink in a safer environment.

While this logic might carry some weight on college campuses (the signatories of the Amethyst initiative are college offi cials), a lower drinking age would hold serious negative consequences for the rest of the world, especially high school.

Alcohol is ubiquitous on college campus because a signif icant portion of the college population has unrestricted access to alcohol. Lowering the drinking age to 18 might make the college students who

are already drinking underage safer, but it would make college campuses in general more dangerous by increasing the number of drinkers.

Furthermore, a drinking age of 18 would be disastrous in high school. The current problem in college would be brought to high school – seniors could walk into a liquor store and buy bottles of Jack Daniel’s for underclassman friends. Att empts to control this kind of alcohol distribution to minors would be futile; there would be no incriminating evidence like fake drivers’ licenses.

Underage drinking is made more perilous by its ties to other dangers, like an increased rate of suicide.

Underage drinkers are also more likely to engage in more serious misbehavior – see last year’s alleged incident at the Howard Johnson.

Alcohol is obviously abused by most young drinkers.

Do we really need more freshmen coming to school with vodka in water bott les? The risks posed by increased availability of alcohol to minors far outweigh the slim possibility of benefi ts for current binge drinkers.

As we were so tragically reminded recently, high school is fraught with enough risks and temptations.

Marisa Carmody is teacher of the year!

source: youthfacts.org

Born To Run

Jessica Wasserman

5revolution opinionWell, You See...

Josh Giles

Yashoba Ranaweerabeta honor society pres.

Kelly Kingassistant principal

SEMESTER EXAMS

HOLIDAY MOVIE

SAT

WINTER BREAK

RESOLUTION

QA&

Just for kicks Limits and Potential

Michelle Ngollevarsity basketball guard

Hugh Herndonsenior class sponsor

Deion Jonessenior soccer forward

Arduous

Canada

No car tickets

“Elf”

1400

Stressed

Christmas

I don’t know

Do well in college

Done with them

Pain

Snow cones

Popcorn

Make you go broke

Come up with one

Gracious

Pointless

“It’s a Wonderful Life”

Equally pointless

Not long enough

Boring

Stop eating chocolate

Needs to be longer

FCAT fails to refl ect students’ abilities

“Christmas Vacation”

Probably couldn’t get into UF any-anymore

the way we see it

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, lovingly known by students and teachers as the FCAT, is a sham. More importantly, it is a sham that, for 11 years, has been used to unfairly categorize and judge the worth of millions of Floridian students. Every year, teachers are forced to abandon weeks’ worth of valuable curriculum in order to permanently ingrain ultimately useless information about FCAT test taking into their students’ minds. The results of this brute-force method of standardized t e s t i n g p r o v i d e a disturbingly inaccurate picture of a student’s ability. And yet, since the passage of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind act in 2001, the FCAT and its results have been the sole deciding factors in the determination of school funding.

According to the philosophy of No Child Left Behind, schools that teach their students well should be rewarded, and schools that do so poorly should be held accountable for their students’ inabilities. This has promoted ineffective teaching strategies and widespread gaming of the system. Standardized tests are used to gauge achievement, and standardized tests

have been proven to be largely useless in gauging the quality of learning. A test that is unable to assess student learning is used as evidence of a school’s ability to teach, and when the school fails, they are financially penalized. Conversely, those schools which excel in these tests, the ones

that generally manipulate scores and force teachers to “teach to the test”, are rewarded. In short, the already impoverished schools that need help educating their students are denied funding, and the financially well-off schools with the highest test scores are rewarded.

A redefi ning of student achievement is in order.

Instead of judging a student’s worth in a single standardized test, perhaps a year-long evaluation of the student’s progress and aptitude would serve bett er as an indicator of achievement. Instead of penalizing schools and replacing administrations that see over poor scores and rewarding already well-off ones, maybe the funds should instead be directed toward constructively improving the system of education. Academic failure is not something to be punished, but something to be understood and changed.

I am not quite sure when the notion that sports are “just for fun” became a cliché. But somewhere between neighborhood games of touch football and the lure of a district championship, the concept of “winning isn’t everything” became a laughable prospect.

I have played three varsity sports for my high school. Within each, I have grown accustomed to hearing regular complaints of excessive running. I have watched teammates listen att entively to the aft ernoon announcements, under the impression that if they concentrated hard enough they would hear “practice is cancelled for the day” over the intercom.

I have listened to parents of middle school girls ramble about how their daughters are going to be professional athletes. I have heard club soccer coaches telling 4th grade boys that if they want to be serious players, they will have to specialize and drop their other activities. Frankly, it’s all gett ing a litt le ridiculous.

Sophomore year I began organizing kickarounds among my group of friends. The concept was simple- I brought a ball to a park and played with whoever else showed up. Though it initially began as a means of avoiding the movies on Friday nights, these weekly get-togethers became the highlight of my week.

That we did not wear uniforms or proper equipment in no way lowered the intensity of our games. We prided ourselves on clever trash talk and team chemistry. We wee not the most talented group of athletes, but we played because we wanted to, not because it looked good on college applications.

I realize I am far from a superstar. My claim to fame is the fact that I can be picked out across a fi eld by my gangly running style and tendency to trip over my own two feet- not exactly characteristics of a phenomenal athlete. I am well aware of the fact that I am far more likely to att end college on an academic scholarship than an athletic one, and I fi nd that perfectly acceptable.

It wasn’t until recently that I realized organizing these kickarounds was unique. To me, it was simply more sensible to text 10 kids to go kick a ball around than it was to pay $7.50 to see a predictable romantic comedy. But the kids who found soccer to be more of a chore than a hobby did not share this sentiment.

This is not to say that serious athletes don’t have fun playing their sports. But the ones who have had soccer forced down their throats since they could walk typically are not the ones who came to our kickarounds.

I still enjoy being a part of each of my high school sports teams. But I do think it is necessary to have a balance between leisure time and competitive athletics. If you aspire to become a professional athlete, more power to you. As for me, I’ll be sprinting down the sideline with the intensity of the pros, barefoot.

Hillsborough County has shown itself an expert at lowering standards. Wide-spread grade infl ation was followed by ludicrous exam curves, and now the stan-dards for class placement are following suit.

Course prerequisite requirements are easily avoidable. Although no one has yet enrolled AP Calculus BC without fi rst com-pleting algebra, it does not take a brilliant mathematician to tell that this is not a bright idea, so it is doubtful that anyone has tried.

Advanced electives are more at risk. Classes like AP Psychology will fi nd themselves fl ooded with unprepared stu-dents looking for an easy A with AP credit.

Realistically, however, a system of ab-solute rules and requirements is not nec-essary for class placement – it can even be detrimental, restricting the most mo-tivated and capable students from chal-lenging themselves. Human judgment is the critical component in determining who should take which classes. Students must decide how much they want to take on, teachers must decide how capable and re-sponsible students are and guidance coun-

selors must decide how best to meet the wishes of students, teachers and parents.

It is thus disastrous that teachers are los-ing their say. Although the lack of a teacher recommendation should not be impossible to overcome, it is, in most cases, the best in-dicator of whether a student is prepared to enter a challenging course. Students should not be allowed to enroll in an AP class un-less they demonstrate serious determina-tion to succeed to their guidance counselor.

Once students enter an AP course, espe-cially if they are unprepared, they should be ready to see their grades suff er. The rigor of classes should not be adjusted so that the woefully ignorant or apathetic do not suff er. The mere presence of uninter-ested or incapable dilutes the academic intensity AP classes are meant to foster.

AP classes should be able to engage in lively debate, with informed partici-pation by all, for students genuinely in-terested in mastering the topic material. They should not be open to all so that everyone can further infl ate their GPAs and earn MaryEllen Elia a nice bonus.

I watched the blur of fi ngers in awe.The cloud of fl ying digits belonged

to Fredinando Romano, the fi rst chair clarinetist of the Wind Ensemble, the top band at USF’s Festival of Winds (a con-vention of high school wind players and percussionists from around the state).

For the past few years, I had been ac-customed to being able to hold my own against any clarinet player I encountered. The players that I met that were bett er than me were not bett er by any insurmountable margin – I always convinced myself I could match their abilities with a bit of practice.

I was not a complete fool. I recognized that there were plenty of players my age far bett er than I was, but I never ran into them.

However, as I sat enraptured by a full section of 12 incredible clarinetists, all of whom, in addition to a handful of others, had outscored me in auditions, I had no choice but to concede complete and total defeat.

I could not possibly achieve their level of performance without a ma-jor lifestyle change – and even then, it would take more than a year to catch up.

As I came to grips with how far out of my league they were, the rea-son for their great skill dawned on me.

Even in my lower band, the majority of the people I talked to were planning to study music in college. I did not talk to a single member of Wind Ensemble who did not plan to major in music in col-lege and continue into a musical career.

These musicians had chosen their craft , and they were completely committ ed to it. Music was their focus; they did not simply practice at every opportunity but supple-mented their practice with academic study of music theory and even composition.

I was a mere dilett ante among pre-pro-fessionals. My lack of devotion was thrown into sharp relief during the brief hours between rehearsals, concerts, meals and sleep, when I frantically tried to keep up with an emergency redesign of the paper (there was an ill-timed fi re at the school) and pondered the design of the Mu Alpha Theta tee shirt rather than practicing or dis-cussing the relative merits of composers.

My experiences reinforced the fact that one cannot be the best at everything. If I take my life in a direction other than mu-sic, I cannot stay competitive on clarinet. I can continue to play for pleasure, but if I want to hear high-quality clarinet music I will have to att end Mr. Romano’s concert.

Although I am saddened by the pros-pect of forfeiting expertise on the clari-net in pursuit of some other ambition, the sight of the impressive success on stage that day also fi lled me with hope.

The incredible skill level att ained by those performers reveals the immense pow-er of focused human determination. It may not be possible to be the best at all things, but by fi nding a single thing to specialize in, it might be possible to be the best at one.

Placement should be based on merit

The results of this brute-force method of standardized testing provide a disturbingly inaccurate picture of a student’s ability.

life 6 december 15, 2008

For many students, a nice, clean com-plexion is not enough. In the photo-shopped world of today many teenagers, in particular females, have taken beauty to new heights by altering their skin color into various shades.

Sophomore Katie Saunders says being pale is not an option. She has been tanning since the seventh grade and believes tanning is a personal choice.

“Tanning is more of a want than a neces-sity,” she said.

Even though her mother has been diagnosed with skin cancer and with her personal share of skin dilemmas, she says that tanning is only risky if performed on a regular basis.

The number of people tanning has also increased (statistics taken from Highbeam.com). Highbeam.com considers tanning the “new drug.” The website conducted research on how many teenage girls from east coast to west coast use tanning beds. The results were that approximately 47% of teenage girls from ages 16-19 have tanned

staff writerPaola Rivera

J. Wasserman/revolution

A suspect eluding capture, and the police in the chase, a thrilling scene that can come to life in social studies teacher Carolyn Gritsch’s classes. Intuitiveness is challenged in the mock crime scene, where students are challenged to solve the puzzle of death. Another event is the famous annual Law Fair, which is for all social studies classes. These student-oriented ventures demonstrate the work she puts into making law more of a CSI venture and not a lousy fake trial show.

The Law Fair had some origins that didn’t start with Gritsch, but started at another school.

“The law fair was a thing I stole from King High School. Robin Jackson started the law fair, and when I left King, every year I continue it,” Gritsch said.

The law fair, which is available to all social studies classes, showcases the police departments and how they work.

“It’s so all the students can see what’s out there besides police offi cers, and so that they can get an idea of what law enforcement does,” Gritsch said.

In an eff ort to make the world of crime and

court more electrifying, Gritsch spends three to four months organizing the events.

“I start in the summer, trying to call people and making sure they can come,” Gritsch said.

The crime scene, a popular aff air school-wide, involves creating a fake murder scene that looks like it is straight out of CSI.

“My favorite part is making up the kids, but the hardest part is coming up with all the diff erent crime scenes,” Gritsch said.

Students enjoy the experience, seeing it as more of a scene from TV than a learning experience.

“The dead people, that was cool, and also collecting evidence,” sophomore Julie Orellana said.

The main purpose of the crime scene and the law fair are to be a teaching experience for students that are interested in pursuing a career in law.

“Things like securing the crime scene, fi nding out who the people are, what was the motive, and whether it was murder or not,” Gritsch said.

Gritsch also invites speakers to her Law Studies classes.

“Ms. Gritsch is friends with them, so they’re a lot more open and relaxed,” freshman Jonathan Harris said.

at least once. And more than half of the adolescents interviewed visited the tanning booth more than 10 times.

“I don’t see the point of baking your skin” sophomore Emma Hawley said, “It’s a waste of money.”

Hawley understands the dangers the sun has and protects her self from, the damaging rays by using sun block when she is outside. She believes that although the sun is harm-ful gett ing a healthy tan is bett er than being blinding white.

Many female students believe that tan-ning is another way of relaxing and taking a break from their every day confl icts.

“Tanning for me is a way to feel bet-ter and makes my skin look cleaner and healthier,” senior Abby Alger said. “My job as a model requires me to be somewhat tan but not orange.”

Numerous students feel strongly about choosing tanning beds over the spray even though the risk is much less.

“Who would want to be orange? You’d look like you’ve eaten too many carrots” Hawley said.

Junior Nicole Bryan agrees. “Spray is messy, especially when you sweat,” she

said.Celena Bedosky disagrees, “I do both

bed and spray, but with spray you have the choice of how dark or light you want your tan to be.”

While spray tans are bett er for your skin and do not add to the negative eff ects of UV rays they also pose some risk.

The spray used to enhance the color of your skin has a chemical called dihydroxyac-etone (DHA) which is a natural sugar found in sugar cane plants. But if the chemical is inhaled or fi nds a way into your nose, eyes, or lips the results can be deadly.

Healthtalk.com suggests asking for lip balm, nose plugs, and disposable eye protec-tors to decrease the risk of poisoning your body prior to gett ing your tan.

Tanning beds exceed their popularity in the winter months when there isn’t as much sunlight. Sometimes the fad is so fashionable that students fi nd it hard to stop tanning.

“I would have to be naturally tan, have a sunburn, or have a laser treatment to stop tanning,” Bedosky said.

Although teenagers are just barely reach-ing the pinnacle of their physical health, risks while tanning still exist. Catherine A.

Demko, a research associate at the Compre-hensive Cancer Center at Case and Univer-sity Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) said that repeated exposure to UV rays, such as the ones absorbed during indoor tanning, could cause skin cancer and premature aging of the skin. She said it all has to do with the rays emitt ed by the lamps in the booths.

“The lamps used in booths are up to three times more dangerous than the rays emitt ed by natural sunlight. Posing a bigger risk for the users of tanning beds,” Demko said.

According to Bryan the risk that tan-ning poses would change her mind about tanning beds.

“ I would probably stop tanning if I was diagnosed with skin cancer” Bryan said. Despite the fact that her mother has cancer, Bryan believes that if you tan in a healthy way and take care of your skin it’s easy to achieve a good tan.

D e m k o s t r e s s e s t h e n e e d f o r safety.“Teenagers don’t take into account the scars aft er removing melanoma, one of the deadlier skin cancers, or the wrinkled skin and blotches obtained aft er continuous exposure to UV rays.”

The speakers talk about a range of subjects in law enforcement.

“The main one would be John Joyce, head of Secret Service. He’s been coming in since Freedom opened. I’ve also had Kenneth Stanton from Temple Terrace and

The dark side of the sunTanning salons not necessarily a safe alternative

Crime & Punishment

Ed Richardson of the FBI,” Gritsch said.Through her eff orts, Gritsch strives to

give students a bett er learning experience. Harris agrees.

“Even though law is a serious subject, she makes it more open and less strict.”

staff writerSam Brown

A canine unit came and spoke to Carolyn Gritsch’s class about their duties. Gritsch organized activities, such as this, throughout the year.

K.Yerkes/revolution

Teacher brings love of law to classroom

7revolution life

She looks like any typical teenage girl from afar, but up close she has something diff erent than most have seen. Her strangely blue-gray eyes capture immediate att ention, but quite unknown to the outside world is what lies behind them, the result of fi ve

staff writerstaff writerJessica Brown

First SightSurgery partially restores student’s vision

surgeries and a miracle 18 years in the making.

Senior Samantha Barlow was born almost completely blind. Her vision was limited to colors and splotchy shapes.

“The doctors said when I was born, seeing ever in my life wasn’t even a possibility,” Barlow said.

The first few years of her life were indistinct.

“I learned to walk just like any normal kid, I just had to use my hands and arms more so than a kid with normal vision,” she said.

Growing up was not difficult for Barlow.

“Sometimes things were harder than others, but for me it was my normal,” she said. As she grew up, she started noticing more and more how diff erent she really was from other children.

“I had my fi rst cornea transplant when I was nine, and another when I was ten,” she said.

The cornea is the outermost part of the

eye, and Barlow’s had been deformed since birth.

As Barlow reached high school, her eyes became extremely sensitive to light even though they had never been sensitive to anything. Then in January of her sophomore year, she received laser surgery in an att empt to bett er her overall vision and help reduce the sensitivity of her eyes.

“When I woke up and was able to see again, I freaked out,” Barlow said. “Even though my vision was double, it was incredible to be able to see.”

Going back to school held even more surprises for Barlow.

“When I first found I could read the board, I started crying,” she said.

Barlow still needed contacts, but even so, she could fi nally see and defy the prediction of her life delivered sixteen years prior.

Science teacher Laura Bennett has known Barlow since her freshmen year, and has seen her through much of her transformation.

“When I fi rst met her, I thought because she was a freshman that I needed to shelter

her,” Bennett said. “But a couple of weeks later I knew she’d be fi ne.”

It has been four years since then, but Bennett thinks Barlow hasn’t changed more than a few aspects of herself.

“She can see a whole lot bett er,” Bennett said. “And she’s grown very in touch with who she [Barlow] is, but her sense of humor certainly has remained intact.”

Bennett has seen Barlow through several surgeries and admires many of the impressive qualities she has despite her situation.

“Where do I start,” Bennett said. “She’s very mature and very accepting. She’s true to herself, not your average high school student.”

Barlow is also an inspiration for many people around her, from students to teachers; her story is almost always bound to bring about a feeling of sudden hope for anyone who is willing to listen.

“She handles her situation well,” Bennett said. “Without a doubt, she is an inspiration.”

J. Brown/revolution

J. Brown/revolution

Born almost completely blind, senior Samantha Barlow can now read the board in class. Surgery restored much of her vision.

life 8 december 15, 2008

For some people, their religion or faith is the foundation of who they are. Religious practices oft en aff ect the upbringing, the personal convictions, the worldview, and the heritage of a person. When personal values start to change or doubts begin to form, the former believer may fi nd comfort in either another faith, or no faith at all.

Senior Ayman Mageed was brought up in a Mus-lim household, but he at-tends St. Marks, a Catholic church, in Cross Creek. Mageed converted to Chris-tianity last year because he had problems with the doctrine of Islam.

“I found too many fl aws and things that didn’t make sense in my prior religion. Things just didn’t add up. It’s almost impossible to follow everything about Islam. It clashes,” Mageed said.

One main problem Mageed found with Islam was the issue of equality between men and women.

Sophomore Yamilka Valdez also changed her religious practices. She went from being a Jehovah’s Witness to practicing

no religion at all. “I was a Jehovah’s Witness until I was

about ten,” Valdez said.Jehovah’s Witnesses, who practice a

slightly less-conventional form of Chris-tianity, are possibly best known for their tendency to go door-to-door trying to share their faith with strangers. But there were other issues that deterred Valdez.

“I don’t necessarily agree with everything they teach. One problem was not being able to celebrate my birthday. To them, it is just like another day.”

Valdez says she adopted the faith from her mom.

“My mom was okay with it, when I told her I didn’t like it anymore. She used to follow it and go to church all the time, but only to a certain extent. She didn’t follow it point by

point,” Valdez said.English teacher Jeanine Amin made

the opposite switch than Mageed, for very similar reasons. She says that things just didn’t fi t. She was raised Presbyterian, but has been practicing Islam for the past 17 years.

“It [converting] made sense. There were

certain things, I just thought ‘I don’t know if I can swallow this. The change for me was more internal,” Amin said.

Amin says that her opinion of Christians has not changed at all because of her conver-sion. She says that Islam and Christianity have a lot more beliefs in common than most people think.

“Christians are Christians. They’re not bad, and they’re not wrong,” Amin said. “We both believe Jesus is returning. We even share some of the same Bible characters. We

are taught the same thing, that there is one God and that he is the only God.”

According to Amin, one big diff erence between Islam and Christianity is the in-terpretation.

“The message from God was simple, but people made it complicated,” she said.

Mageed believes that members of any faith must follow every aspect of that faith.

“If you follow a religion, you have to follow all of it,” Mageed said. “You can’t pick and choose.”

entertainment editorChandler Keenan

K.Yerkes/revolution

Almost every high school has had experience with substitute teachers, and there are some substitutes who leave a lasting impact on their temporary students. Whether good or bad oft en depends on the qualifi cation of the sub, but what qualifi es someone to be a substitute?

APC Secretary Sue Bosland is responsible for making sure substitutes are organized and prepared for their day.

“The subs get a call saying there’s a job available if they want it. Once they accept, they come into school. I have to have all the schedules ready and any information they might need for the day,” she said.

Substitute teacher Renee Graham has had experience as a fi ll-in teacher for several years. She was trained in Michigan and has worked in schools all around Hillsborough County.

“We had very official sub training in Michigan, but not here. In Michigan, we receive educational games, fi llers, and lesson

entertainment editorChandler Keenan

plans,” Graham said.Graham feels the requirements for

substitute teachers in Hillsborough County are not high enough.

“The awful truth is that anyone can be one [a substitute],” she said. “For Hillsborough County, if you have a high school diploma you can basically be a substitute. I fi lled out a whole bunch of paperwork, I mean like a ton of paper, but no one ever interviewed me.”

The low requirements for a substitute position may not seem like a big concern, but it can decrease the quality of the people who have authority over students. Bosland is contacted when there are problems with the substitutes.

“In my personal opinion, the pay for subs is prett y low, and sometimes it’s hard to ensure how qualifi ed they are,” Bosland said. “There’s a form for if we receive any complaints. I get some feedback, but most of what I hear is the negative. I only hear sub stories if there is a problem.”

Freshman Hannah Anderson had a particularly memorable substitute last year in eighth grade at Liberty Middle School whose behavior she found inappropriate.

“She would time people when they went to the bathroom. When they got back to the class, she would smell their hands to see if they washed them. She would check people’s belts and if it took them too long to get back to the room she’d give them extra work,” said Anderson. “She ripped up a guy’s paper and he almost cried.”

Freshman Alyssa Daniello had the same woman twice last year in eighth grade, but she attended Bartels Middle School. According to Daniello, this substitute was also incredibly off ensive.

“She segregated our history class when we were learning about the formation of the constitution. It had absolutely nothing to do with slavery or civil rights. And then, a kid came in to collect the recycling. Aft er he left , she said ‘for al I know, he could be a terrorist. He looks like one, too.’”

According to Anderson, this substitute did not last very long. To the best of her knowledge, disciplinary action was taken at Liberty when the school’s offi ce found out about her actions.

“She left in the middle of a class one day and I’m prett y sure she was fi red,” she said.

Even other substitutes have had trouble with unqualifi ed stand-in teachers. Graham was put into an uncomfortable situation when she was asked to assist a fellow sub at a diff erent school.

“One time, I was helping a sub. I felt he behaved very inappropriately. They were eighth graders, so they had a lot of energy. He was yelling and telling the kids to shut up,” Graham said. “I took it upon myself to meditate.”

According to Bosland, at this point in the school year, the offi ce has not had to deal with too many troublesome substitute teachers. Bosland does not want to discredit all subs. She believes some very skilled substitutes work at this school.

“We haven’t had any complaints so far this year, though. We may have ones who that don’t do what they’re supposed to do, but it’s not enough to get them in trouble. If there are continual problems, we’ll put them on ‘do not call’ list,” Bosland said. “We do have some high quality subs.”

Graham believes that anyone unqualifi ed to be a teacher or uninterested in teaching really have no place in the classroom.

“I think you’d probably get a diff erent answer from every sub as to why they want to be one. The only reason I could think of for people to be a substitute is if they are looking for teaching positions,” Graham said. “A sub’s biggest job is to baby-sit. You need to make sure the students are safe, and preferably that some work gets done. I sub because I’m looking for a teaching position. Unless they just want to yell at people, there’s really no other reason. The pay is low, the paperwork is horrendous, and you never know from day to day where you’ll be.”

Graham also thinks that substitutes are required to abide by a certain code of conduct in order to perform their job correctly.

“I think subs should always be on their best social graces,” she said. “The students don’t know you and you don’t know them. Unfortunately, that’s not always the way things work.”

J. Brown/ revolution

Substitute Michael Lapinsky gives directions to Jocelyne Estel’s math class. He was an engineer for 37 years before becoming a substitute.

Tough shoes to fillSubstitute teachers have diffi culty dealing with students

Living with new faith changes lifestylesReligion takes eff ect on students, faculty

“

”>Jeanine Amin

[Converting] made sense. There were certain things, I just thought ‘I don’t know if I can swal-

low this’. The change for me was more

internal.

9revolution life

At the start of the twentieth century, and with the invention of the phonograph and the radio tuner, there came a revolution in American culture. Music, for the fi rst time, could be spread from the east coast to the west, and the phenomenon of popular music was created.

From this point onward, the music of a generation came to defi ne the philosophies of the people and atmosphere of the time in a direct and intimate way never before experienced.

This is no more evident than in the 1960’s, where the birth of modern rock and roll paralleled the birth of a new, rebellious counter culture. Superbands like The Beatles, The Doors, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd emerged amidst the turmoil of the ‘60s and changed the world with a new sort of music, while the events and people of that generation shaped the music.

“I think the era in which [the music of the ‘60s] was created was a very memorable one, and the music itself infl uenced the society of the time,”said English teacher Claire Kelly. “Because of this, the music will span all generations. These bands don’t just reach one particular audience, so they have outlasted time.”

Indeed, from each successive generation comes a new style of music, one refl ective of that generation’s att itude and perspective.

Even today, some 45 years aft er the founding of many of these bands, there are a number of radio stations entirely devoted to this aptly titled genre of “classic rock”.

So, what bands from the last ten years or so will be immortalized in the same way? Which of today’s bands will be playing on tomorrow’s classic rock station?

When asked, students provided a wide range of contemporary rock artists (specifi cally rock, not because genres like rap, R&B, electronic, etc. aren’t going to be remembered, but for the sake of analogy to the infl uential

Future oldiesWhich bands of today will be the greats of tomorrow

staff writerWill Greenberg rock bands of generations past) who they believe will

last. It is important to note that these bands were not

suggested because of their popularity alone, but because of the impact they have had on the current Millennial Generation.

Included are mainstream artists like Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and Nirvana, who characterized the grunge movement of the 1990’s, progressive artists like The Mars Volta, Muse, Tool and Dream Theater who defi ned an original, complex and deep genre of unconventional songwriting, and less well known groups like Opeth, White Zombie a n d R a g e A g a i n s t t h e M a c h i n e w h o pioneered new forms of rock amongst an otherwise stagnant music scene.

Of course, it’s impossible to tell what of today’s music will be regarded as classic in the future, as it will ultimately be decided by the fans of that time. But, logically, any band that has made a s i g n i f i c a n t impact on any number o f s t u d e n t ’s lives will be heralded as an important artist of this time.

“ E v e n b a n d s l i k e

Godsmack and System of a Down will always be around,” Kelly said.

As was the case in determining today’s defi nition of “classic rock”, it won’t only be those bands who are most popular that will ‘make it’ through the test of time, but

also today’s artists who truly change and aff ect this Millennial Generation who

will be remembered in the future the same way bands like Journey, The Who and The Eagles are today.

A. Horneland and K. Yerkes/revolution

entertainment10 december 15, 2008

MP3 ShowdownStudents decide between iPods and Zunes

Portable music players are becoming increasingly popular and used by more and more people as the age of technology grows. There are numerous players that consumers can choose from, the most popular being iPods and Zunes.

Most know the face of the MP3 player as Apple’s iPod, the ever-increasingly popular music device, but not so many know of Apple’s opponent, the Zune.

Due to a desire for the newest technology, when Apple released their first iPod, potential consumers went crazy. Having the ability to have music on the go allowed people to take their favorite music with them everywhere in a sleek fashionable device. As more and more versions became available and prices of these players went down, working class people were able to own it and ultimately advertise this growing company.

Junior Kaylin Roth knows the diff erences between the Zune and the iPod and is pleased with her decision to purchase an iPod.

“I didn’t know what a Zune even was when I bought my iPod,” Roth said.

Also, compared to the Zune, there are places that help with soft ware problems for the iPod.

“If you have an iPod problem, you can go to the Apple store,” Roth said.

Sometimes bigger may not always be bett er. Despite the superior stages, fl ashier lightshows, broader

seating and varieties of food, some say that smaller concert venues such as Jannus Landing or the State Theatre are much more enjoyable than the more commercial, widely known concert megapalaces like Ford Amphitheatre or the St. Pete Forum.

“I like to go to smaller venues like Jannus Landing. The whole experience is a lot diff erent, and a lot more fun then going to big concerts like the ones at the State Fairgrounds,” sophomore Melanie Marques said.

While generally a smaller venue means a limited amount of seating, or possibly seating according to a fi rst-come fi rst-serve arrangement, for some this is not considered a detriment and more of a benefi t.

“When I go to concerts I don’t see a point if all you’re looking at is the back of someone’s head. I like the smaller crowds that they [small venues] bring,” junior Danielle Fernandez said.

However, even bigger venues are looking for ways to make the concert experience more intimate.

The Ford Amphitheatre has seats available in the grass along with sectional seating that puts the audience closer to the stage.

Marques would rather have room to move around than a closer proximity to the performer.

“Even when I go to concerts at the Ford Amphitheatre I choose to have lawn seats. I don’t like being right behind someone. I’d rather have more space,” Marques said.

Along with the smaller crowds, the smaller venues might even cost half of what the large concert halls are charging. Although the performer at the smaller venue is probably

news editorDavid Tsacnaris Apple also continues to keep providing

its consumers with the best, which means they have to keep up to date with their product.

“I think it’s fabulous, and it proves that iPods are bett er than Zune because they put out more stuff ,” Roth said.

The Zune may not be as well known as the iPod, but due to a few commercials and magazine advertisements, it has started making a name for itself. Zunes can prett y much do everything that iPods can do. Junior Jennifer Benjamin compared to the vast majority of people, is pro-Zune.

“ I b o u g h t a Z u n e , because I had an iPod before and it sucked,” Benjamin said. “I’m not going to get another iPod.”

They can play music; videos, show pictures, and can now wirelessly update themselves from a home computer or laptop.

“Apple has some really good ideas. It seems like they keep coming up with new ones so they can keep people interested in their products,” Benjamin said.

Compared to the iPod where, to synchronize and put music on it, the device has to be plugged into a computer, the Zune now

Entertainment on a smaller scaleSmaller venues off er intimate sett ing, bett er bargains

staff writerBrooke Zick less known and a less acknowledged artist, the quality of

the performance may not even be sacrifi ced.“I hate paying $40 to watch a singer that might be giving

just as good of a performance as another singer that I only had to pay twenty for,” Marques said.

Big concert venues and even big names do not always guarantee a bett er experience, according to Fernandez.

“I’ve gone to concerts at the Ford Amphitheatre where the singer might be really famous, but they’ve been one of the worst performances that I’ve ever seen. It really just depends on the performer.” Fernandez said.

Obviously large concert halls like the St. Pete forum and the USF Sun Dome hold performances by singers and bands that are widely known, but most of these performers started their careers at small venues.

“I saw Lil Wayne in concert at Jannus Landing in 2007 before he blew up and then just a year later he was all over MTV,” Fernandez said.

Similarly, Marques was able to see a popular band before they hit the big time.

“ When I saw Cartel perform at Jannus Landing about two years ago there were these no-name bands opening up for them called Boys Like Girls and Plain White T’s. No one really cared to watch them but only like a year later I heard them on the radio,” Marques said.

Overall, small venues tend to off er a totally diff erent experience than going to a large-scale concert hall.

From avoiding the abundant crowds, to being able to see a performer at cheap prices many people think going to small venues is just as satisfying as seeing a performance at the larger theaters.

“In my opinion, going to concerts at places like the State Theater is a lot more fun then going to Ford Amphitheatre,” Marques said, “even if it means not being able to see the most famous artist.”

allows wireless syncing.People who have either an iPod or

a Zune know the pros and cons of their players, and for the most part, are prett y happy with their purchase.

“Compared to the classic iPod,” Benjamin said, “the Zune is more interactive.”

BIGGER NOT ALWAYS BETTERJannus Landing

Brass Mug

Skipper’s Smokehouse

State Theatre

Upcoming shows:1/2 Galactic1/16 Wu Tang Clan2/21 Citizen Cope

Upcoming shows:1/3 Murdock1/14 Funeral for a Friend1/18 Brett Dennen

Upcoming shows:1/31 Chris McCarty2/10 Reckless Kelly2/28 Subdudes

Upcoming shows:12/19 Forty Winters3/7 Lecherous Nocturne2/28 Embryonic Devourment

zune.com

apple.com

11revolution entertainment

For your ears...Jon McLaughlin You may also like...

John Mayer

Matt Wertz

Five for Fighting

latest album: Where the Light Is

latest album: Twenty Three Places

latest album: Battle for Everything

Jon McLaughlin’s latest album, Ok Now, shows his individuality but still stands in the shadow of his original album, which featured hits “Beautiful Disaster” and “So Close.” The new album, Ok Now experimented with dif-

ferent beats and a variety of instruments that cre-ated Jon’s unique sound. Although his album had a few good songs including his hit “Beating My Heart” it also had a few songs that seemed out of place and almost repetitive.

McLaughlin began his career in 2007, not expect-ing to get noticed as he did.

His fi rst album Indiana hit the shelves and became number one on its Movers & Shakers chart. His single “So Close” was featured in the Disney musical, Enchanted, and he also made an appearance in the end performing it. His hit “Beautiful Disaster” was a success speaking to its audience and becoming a huge hit on Download of The Week.

Ok Now features 11 songs each refl ecting a part of life. A few of the songs spurt out simple advice that anyone could use, but others seem random in the theme. He expresses his love in a few of them including “You are The One I Love” and “Throw My Love Around”. His voice is sweet and he is a great singer but relies on his voice rather than his words. The music put along with his lyrics are catchy and not what you would normally hear. They are a combina-tion of older songs that McLaughlin worked off of, some sense of the Beach Boys and some Billy Joel creating his own sound.

The album as a whole failed to reach its possible potential, however. A few of his songs touched home and became hits. In no way do his new songs compare to those in his fi rst album, but they have pushed him further into his career. As a singer and a musician Jon McLaughlin has made an impact in the musi-cal world. Each artist hits a rough patch every now and then, but with a successful fi rst album a sketchy second won’t do him any harm in his career.

Many fans describe Underoath as “hardcore.” This Christian band has just recently released its sixth album and has grown in popularity, with new band members and their dedication.

“A lot of bands are scream-o and a lot of bands are just vocals, [Underoath] has a nice even mix of both,” junior Devin Rodriguez said.

Tim McTague, Underoath’s guitarist, joined the band in 2001. He was one of the fi rst new members and says every situation in gett ing a new member has been diff erent.

“Sometimes we fi ght, and we’re just like any family,” McTague said. “We fi ght a lot, we’re just like brothers; fi ght like brothers.”

McTague played in a band around the Tampa area before joining Underoath, and at the time knew the band and hung out with them occasionally.

Underoath was in the need of a new guitarist, but had not announced it to the public.

McTague was playing a part of one of their songs without knowing anyone else was listening and was approached by the band and asked to come try out the follow-ing week.

The next Tuesday, he tried out and made the band.

McTague says gett ing used to the fans has been diffi cult. He says some of the fans are just crazy.

“A lot of [fans] from overseas will go online, and fi nd out where you’re playing the night before and meet you at the airport at like 6:30 in the morning with gift s,” he said, “We got stickers with our names on them in Japanese and stuff like that.”

Though growing in popularity, Undero-ath still hasn’t hit their peak. They have countless numbers of fans, but still have the security of going into public without being immediately ambushed.

“It’s not like we’re N-SYNC or anything, but there are defi nitely some really crazy people,” McTague said.

Having your face on a t-shirt is not common to the ma-jority of people and seeing a myspace layout that has every member of a band on it doesn’t seem that strange, unless you’re a member of that band.

“It’s kind of weird, at this point not as weird as it was when it fi rst started, we’re not used to [people wearing band merchandise] but we’ve kind of adjusted to it,” McTague said, “ It’s never like ‘oh this is how it is now’. Now it’s like crazy because there are a lot of people with tatt oos, which is weird because that’s permanent. From here people just escalate as fans. Its cool, I’m glad people are wearing our shirts than not.”

Becoming a rock star, a dream of thousands of kids any-where and everywhere, singing into a hairbrush or dressing like the big stars. McTague says he kind of wanted to be in a band as a kid, but not really a rock star.

“We don’t really fi t that [rock star] stereotype. To some degree we do, but we’re not really that way. We don’t do the whole ‘drugs, sex, and rock&roll’ thing,” McTague said, “We’re just kind of a band that wrote CDs in garages in Tampa and somehow a lot of people started listening to it”

Like any fan that is in love with a certain song, McTague also favors a few of the songs he and the other members put out. His favorites include “Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear” and “Emergency Broadcast- The End Is Near.”

The lyrics to the songs are mostly writt en by Aaron Gillespie, the drummer, and Spencer Chamberlain, the lead singer. The rest of the band works together to produce the actual music.

Traveling all the time for a guy in a band could seem glamorous, but in reality it can be stressful. McTague is recently married and says being on the road is the hardest part about being in a band. He says his wife has friends and family here in Tampa, so it takes off some of the stress of traveling without her.

“That’s the worst part, traveling all the time. I get two days off and then go again,” he said, “It’s a pain, but that’s the biggest sacrifi ce and it’s worth it at this point in my life. If I had kids right now I don’t know if I would be as apt to put myself and everyone else at home through that. It’s as easy and good as it can be for what it is.”

McTague has been in and out this past month with back-to-back tours, one of which was out of the country.

Underoath is unique in the fact that their drummer, Gillespie is in two bands. He is a member of The Almost along with Underoath.

“He moves a lot of stuff with The Almost around for our band. If it ever came down to one or the other we take precedent. It stresses him out more than any of us,” McTague said.

Music can have a major impact in someone’s life. Almost everyone has a certain song that personally relates to them and has managed to get them through a lot of hard times.

“By this point we know that it does [impact people]. It’s kind of a cool thing that we’ve been able to see things happen through our songs,” McTague said. “It’s kind of routine to ask God for grace and your will be done, but with us its cool because we’ve seen it manifested, by what our fans have told us.”

Underoath on tourA group of people can come together instantaneously,

work together to create something original, and then be-come something bigger… become known.

The band member living next door, the subtle rhythm of the drums beating gently behind closed doors, a new album being released, it’s unreal to think just minutes away Underoath contemplates the chords to a new song.

“[Underoath] is unique,” sophomore Tara McNeal, said, “The fact that they have a drummer performing in two separate bands is a huge accomplishment. Making them unique.”

Consistency and dedication have to come into play. Patience, love for the music a group has to maintain their stance on what they’re doing to become successful.

staff writerRachel Drummond

Tampa natives hit it big, fi nd unexpectedly larger fanbase

We’re just kind of a band that wrote CDs in garages

in Tampa and somehow a

lot of people started listening

to it

“

”> Tim McTague

Underoath lead guitarist, Tim McTague practises a few songs at home. He was on tour with the band for about two months before returning home for Thanksgiving.

courtesy of B. Drummond

>>Rachel Drummond

december 15, 2008entertainment 12

“A Charlie Brown Christmas” has been a classic since the year it premiered, 1965, and it will probably always be one. Based off the comic strip Peanuts, Charles M. Schultz did it again by presenting another memorable Charlie Brown. Throughout this movie Charlie Brown can’t fi gure out the true meaning of Christmas. It seems as if everyone is wrapped up in the

commercial aspect of Christmas rather than the true meaning. He sees Lucy and Snoopy indulged in presents, Schroeder busy with his pageant, and everyone else indulged with writing Christmas cards to Santa and relatives. Well, when Charlie Brown is given the task of picking the Christmas tree that will be in Schroeder’s pageant he shows everyone what Christmas is all about.

Holiday Movie Review

Frosty the Snowman was based off the song Frosty the Snowman writt en by Walter Rollins. Premiering on television in 1969, Frosty the Snowman was quick to become a classic. It appealed to all ages and had a unique story no one had heard before. When a magician loses his top hat a gang of schoolchildren fi nd it and put it on top of their snowman to add the fi nishing touch. The hat

was magic, though, and brought the snowman to life, creating the popular Frosty the Snowman. As everyone knows, Frosty befriends all of the schoolchildren and throughout the whole movie the magician tries to steal the hat back from Frosty, but never does. Frosty, unfortunately, has to leave to the North Pole aft er a short time so he doesn’t melt when spring comes and in his famous words “I’ll be back again some day.”

“Miracle on 34th Street” was fi rst premiered in 1947 and then re-made in 1994. Both versions don’t vary much, however, and the same morale is spoken. A single mother and daughter, who live together in a New York apartment, don’t believe in mythical stories or characters. So, naturally, neither of them believes in Santa Clause. Ms. Walker, the single mother, is an employee of Macy’s and

needs someone to play the part of Santa Clause in the store. She sees an old man on the road and out of disparity begs him to be their Santa Clause. He agrees and makes a wonderful Santa Clause, too good in fact. Come to find out he actually believes he Santa Clause. Eventually, he winds up in court to determine his sanity. This movie really brings out the true Christmas spirit and has always been a classic. But the question still remains-- Is he Santa or not?

Miracle on 34th StreetThe most familiar of How the Grinch

Stole Christmas is the one made in 2000. Well, actually this movie fi rst started of as a television show in 1966. Both are exactly the same, however, the Grinch steals Christmas, well not so much. Actually, the Grinch, who lives in a mountain in Whoville, can’t stand the Whoville Christmas cheer. So with the help of his dog Max, the Grinch sets off to steal all the Christmas things like presents and toys

to upset the people of Whoville. When the people still sing, even though all their Christmas things are gone, the Grinch doesn’t understand why. Eventually, a small girl who understands the pain from his childhood helps him see the true meaning of Christmas and the reason why all the Christmas stuff he stole didn’t matt er. Thanks to this litt le girl the Grinch’s heart grew three sizes bigger that day.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

“Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer” was originally aired on NBC in 1964. Rudolph became so famous he even got his own song. What started out as a shunned reindeer, made fun of because of his nose, became a hero to the world and looked at as a Christmas miracle. Rudolph wasn’t like the rest of the

reindeer, his nose was shiny, and so they laughed at him. He then wondered off and found an island of misfit toys, which reminded him of himself. So he ran back to Santa to see if he could help these toys be normal again. Come to find out, Santa’s sleigh had been fogged in and it’s Christmas Eve. So Rudolph, “with his nose so bright,” guides Santa’s sleigh through the fog so he can deliver the presents around the world.

Frosty the Snowman

A Charlie Brown Christmas Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Vampire Love‘Twilight’ movie att racts teenage audiences

featur� editorCassie Cooler

Cassie Cooler takes a look at some of the best known Christmas movies

The emotional Bella Swan caught eyes. The mysterious Edward Cullen had people hooked and the passionate love between Edward and Bella had thousands obsessed.

The new movie Twilight, released on Nov. 21, is based off the novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer and is considered the next big hit since the legendary Harry Pott er took the big screen in 2001.

The new author has captured the traditional epic love story, but threw in her own twist.

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is a shy girl who moved to Forks, Washington. Her skin is translucent and has long brown hair. Throughout the book Bella portrays an emotional high school student.

On the first day of school Bella meets Edward Cullen (Robert Patt inson, who also played Cedric Diggory in Harry Pott er and the Goblet of Fire), a mystifying seventeen-year-old boy that doesn’t fi t in with the rest of the crowd. He is referred to as “dazzling” and downright gorgeous. With tussled bronze hair, pale skin, and topaz eyes he tends to stick out.

He views himself as a monster, but Bella convinces him otherwise. Over time they fall in love. It’s hard for Edward to keep Bella as his girlfriend, though, because he’s afraid he will hurt her, and possibly even kill her.

Not all vampires are like the Cullen’s, though, most feed on humans and that leads

into the second half of the story. Edward and Bella go through dangers,

gossip, and heartache. It’s a peculiar romance, but one that is eaten up by many teenage girls and their moms. Reader’s edge at their seats while fl ipping the pages to this book, wondering what’s going to happen next and how long will Bella’s and Edward’s love last.

Twilight, the movie, is a nice representation of Meyer’s book. Robert Patt inson contains the perfect balance of paranormal and sexiness. He’s a great actor and a good choice for Edward. Kristen Stewart is stunning as Bella and holds all of her physical characteristics. However, Stewart is too sure of herself then what Bella really is. She needs to be more emotional, but has mastered the courageous side of Bella beautifully.

Unfortunately, Summit Entertainment received a budget of only $37 million. This resulted in decent special effects, but not astonishing, and Edward could have used a litt le more sparkle in the sunlight.

The movie also lacked important points that made Twilight such an adored book. In the movie Edward and Bella meet, talk, and fall in love in a matt er of days giving the impression that their love is based on lust rather than passion.

Also, even if it wasn’t intentional, Edward depicted a stalker. It was never explained that watching her sleep was his way of reading her mind, not being a stalker.

Poor Jasper Cullen (Jackson Rathbone)

never had his special “talent” recognized either. It would have taken all but thirty seconds to explain he has the power to manipulate emotions.

Not knowing what to expect, girls lined up anxiously for the midnight release at Muvico Starlight 20 and all around the U.S. Twilight fans, also known as Twilighter’s, wore homemade shirts and carried the book around ready to compare. A majority of the fans were either supporting Team Edward or Team Jacob, whom are both very fond o f B e l l a . W h e n the doors opened screams ignited and the Twilighter’s ran in searching for the best seat.

A l l i n a l l , Twil ight has a heart-warming, but eerie ending and s ideways perfectly into the sequel New Moon, which has been scheduled to come out in 2010.

13revolution sports

Girls:Girls’ basketball began their season early.

They started under the instruction of Coach Herring and have made their way from long hours and weeks of conditioning to long hours and weeks of hard practices and games. A daily practice consists of extreme drills; ranging from the basic suicide to more complex drills known as “sixteens”.

Suicides however are not a breeze… under 32 seconds every member of the basketball team must run four intervals of suicides. A suicide consists of running to a designated spot back to the side line, to another mark further than the fi rst, back to the side line, until they made a stop at almost every location on the court. The girls then are challenged to do 80 lay ups under two minutes, down and back sprints in 10

Boys:Boys’ basketball has just recently

wrapped up tryouts and put their offi cial team together, stepping out onto the court and doing what they came out to do: play hard. Coach Randy Grenon says the team was chosen based on talent as much as their att itudes.

The boys’ practices focus mainly on shooting drills along with practicing plays rather than running. Each day the practice starts out with “intense stretching” says shooting guard Jake Kehlenbeck and is fol-lowed by specifi c drills.

The boys also run suicides and exercise sixteens, but participate in their own drills and run sprints, suicides, a drill known as pitinos, and lay ups. A certain percentage of free throws have to be made out of the

seconds, sixteens, lift ing weights, and the occasional mile and bleacher runs.

For two to three hours a day, the girls work up a sweat and make themselves a bet-ter team. Along with continuous drills the girls lift weights. They do the bench press, leg press, push ups, the butt erfl y all with a minimum of thirty pounds. Along with weekdays, the girls practice on Saturdays.

“Our practices don’t even compare [with the boys]. Our practices are harder, longer, tougher, and do you see them coming out on Saturdays?” guard Amena Thomas said.

Team member Tiashia Barkley agrees with Thomas on this stand.

“The boys can’t compare, we’re just bet-ter. They don’t run as hard as us. We condi-tioned three hours a day for over a month, we’re tough,” center Tiashia Barkley said.

Continuous Competition Genders diff er in practice routines

Team aspires to further past success

opinion editorWill Warner

total att empted, and if they don’t meet that percentage, the boys must run.

The boys practice daily for two to three hours every weekday except game days. Unlike the girls, they do not practice on Sat-urdays but claim they accomplish everything within a fi ve-day span

“We didn’t need conditioning like [the girls], we condition by ourselves,” Kehlen-beck said.

Brandon Bertorello points out the diff er-ences he sees in the two practices.

“The girls don’t play pick-up basketball everyday aft er school. We go to the YMCA or a park to play fi ve on fi ve with some guys even aft er practice,” point guard/captain Brendon Bertorello said. “They go home and do whatever aft er school. We play all day, every day.”

The boys’ soccer team looks to rebound aft er a season that ended in a loss in region-als to the state champion Wharton Wildcats. Despite losing to their district rival in re-gionals in double overtime, the team had a bett er record than the Wildcats and defeated Wharton once during the regular season.

The team looks to put their past sea-s o n b e h i n d them and put all eff orts into winning states this year. But while the team is loaded with seniors, they have to replace a talented group of players that left last year.

Last year the team fi nished the year with a 21 and 6 record and outscored opponents with a goals scored ratio of plus 60.

“We really feel that we could have won the state championship last year if a couple more things went our way because we always played Wharton so close,” senior forward Deion Jones said.

To match the success of last year the team will have to fi nd a solution for a glar-ing hole that came with the loss of forward Bobby Huertas, who now plays for St. Leo University and scored a district-leading total of 36 goals last season.

“Bobby’s going to be tough to replace since he lead the county in almost all of-fensive categories last year, but I think we

have enough talent returning this season where we can replace him as a team,” senior forward Michael Grubbs said.

The team’s strategy for replacement seems to be working so far, as the team already has eight players with at least one goal in only the fi rst four games.

In the team’s backfi eld they return all four starters including captains Patrick Crowe and Mike Panter. senior goalie

Kyle Peel also returns af-ter a season in which oppos-ing teams aver-aged only one goal per game and he had 142 saves.

“ O u r d e -fense can prob-ably be consid-

ered our best area this year since we return all of our starters and still have Kyle in goal,” Jones said.

Another factor in favor of the team having a successful season is the fact that eight of the seniors on the team have also been playing club soccer for Temple Terrace during the off season and even made it to the state fi nal four.

“Playing together so much during the past couple of years is really going to help us out this year because we all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and how to play to take advantage of that,” Grubbs said. “Also, we were playing against some of the top club teams in the state which has prepared us for some of the bett er teams we’ll play.”

J. Wasserman/Revolution

Junior Ellis Curry

Quill and Scroll

wishes all students good luck on their exams, and happy

holidays!

J. Wasserman/revolution

Our defense can probably be con-sidered out best area this year

since we return all of our starters and still have Kyle in goal.

“

”> Deion Jones

Boys’ soccer strives for championship

staff writerRachel Drummond

14sports December 15, 2008

Positive Pressure Boys’ hockey team feels pressure to succeed

staff writerGreg Behrman

A class full of elementary school students listens as sophomore Becky Velasquez speaks on her experience as a high school athlete. Aft er covering the importance of good grades and nutrition, the kids are asked what they would like to be when they grow up. A girl who had remained silent throughout the presentation points to Velasquez and replies, “I want to be just like her.”

Basketball coach Randy Grenon brought Velasquez and 11 other varsity athletes to Mort Elementary for the Great American Teach-In.

“The coaches of each respective sport suggested [the athletes] to me,” Grenon said. “I think this is my 5th or 6th year [bringing athletes to Mort.] It started with just basketball boys, then basketball boys and [2008 Female Athlete of the Year] Sarah Cordozo, then basketball boys, Sarah Cordozo and basketball girls…this year we’re representative of a lot more sports.”

Senior Abby Alger, one of the selected athletes, was shocked by the impact her presence had among the students.

“They all wanted to be us,” Alger said. “They acted like the Celtics had just walked

in to their school.” Senior Marcus Shields was also surprised

by the students’ reactions. “They asked me for my autograph. I felt

famous,” Shields said. Realizing that they were so admired

caused the athletes to realize just how much of an infl uence they yielded.

“We’re only high school athletes but they valued everything we said,” Alger said.

Though the high-school students were there as athletes, the focus of the day was not sports.

“The uniform is the hook that gets the kids’ att ention, but we didn’t talk once about basketball strategy or even how to become a great basketball player,” Grenon said.

The athletes focused on the importance of good grades, respect and good nutrition.

“Our main message was that you can be anything you want to be,” senior Shannon Hopewell said. “Seeing all those faces looking up to me made me realize how much of an impression I could make on someone.”

All of the athletes who attended the Great American Teach-In plan to attend college, but most have not recieved athletic scholarships. Grenon drew att ention to the fact that the teenagers he brought with him

Athletes serve as role models

Helmet:Range from $ 45- $ 60

Shoulder Pads:Range from $ 65- $ 105

Elbow Pads:Range from $15- $30

Hockey Gloves: Range from $100- $160

Shin Guards:Range from $19- $27

Hockey Pants: Range from $ 100- $ 130

Hockey Skates: Range from $ 300- $ 350

Hockey Stick: Range from$ 100- $160

The biggest question concerning the hockey team this year was whether or not they could overcome numerous obstacles and repeat their championship season. Following up a 14-2 championship season will not be easy for them this year. This year’s team will have to deal with many challenges and diffi culties including high expectations from the coaches as well as the loss of several key players from last year’s team.

“It will be hard to be as good as we were last year because we lost eight seniors,” junior Chris Burt said, “Replacing them will be really tough.”

The loss of eight seniors, has taken a major toll on the team in terms of leadership and experience. The team will try to counter these negative eff ects with hard work and dedication.

“We have one one-hour practice a week at the Brandon Ice Sports Forum, but it’s a really tough practice,” junior Taylor Bidlemen said, “We focus a lot on drills with the puck.”

Despite all of the pressures and high expectations associated with the hockey team this year, the team has still maintained a positive att itude. The players are using the many pressures and expectations as a form of motivation.

“Our season last year just creates a bigger challenge for this season,” Bidlemen said, “I think we have just a good of a chance to win this year as we did last year.”

The team has already taken a huge step towards having a successful season

and possibly winning back-to-back championships. The team got off to an above average start and holds 4-1-1 record so far this season. The team has proven it can be successful with wins over Jesuit High School as well as Freedom’s biggest rival, Wharton High School. The team’s only loss was to Newsome High who is currently the top ranked team in the county.

“We’re doing well because players like Shaun Dickinson, Chris Burt, Spencer McNabb, and Kyle Chaplan are all having really good seasons,” Bidlemen said, “They’ve really been leading the team.”

The team is also benefi tt ing from the help of two new freshmen, Westin Moon and Glenn McRae, that are on the team.

“The freshmen this year have a lot of potential,” Bidlemen said, “Especially Westin Moon, he’s going to help the team out a lot.”

So far, the team seems to be unaff ected by the high expectations to win placed upon them. They have maintained a positive attitude and are extremely motivated despite the loss of eight seniors last year.

“We lost a lot of players from last year but we’ve also gained some good freshmen,” junior Shaun Dickinson said, “I think we can defi nitely w i n a n o t h e r championship.”

Top student athletes visit Mort Elementary School, speak to younger students editor-in-chief

Jessica Wasserman

J.Wasserman/revolutionStudent athletes visit Mort Elementary to speak to students. The athletes and students connected over sports.

Grenon feels that the public speaking experience the students att ained was just one of the benefi ts of the trip.

“[Public speaking] was the bi-product of the initial intent,” Grenon said. “High school seniors are being given the chance to practice public speaking, give back to he community and spend the day in a manner that hopefully just makes them feel really good. It’s hopefully a point of pride for the kids who go- they make a major positive impact for the litt le eff ort it requires.”

were fi rst and foremost students. “Only one or two tops [of the Mort

students] might eventually become professional athletes,” Alger said. “But I think we gave them a good idea of what high school is like, and how if you want to play it’s not just about being good at your sport.”

The trip had a positive eff ect on the high school athletes.

“It was helpful to get experience speaking in front of people,” senior Deion Jones said.

S.Pollenz/revolution

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15revolution � tness

The round in which Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston, and defeated him in the fi rst round of a boxing match in 1965.

GamePlan

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DBO

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Hamstring Saver Kneel on the fl oor with your torso upright and your body aligned from head to knees. Have a partner brace your lower legs and ankles so they can’t rise from the fl oor.

$ 45.00Champion Sports Bra

$ 27.49Nike Sports Bra

$ 40.00Victoria Secret Sports Bra

The champion sports bra provides much comfort for a small price. It gives the support needed for an active woman, for a price that is far from being unrea-sonable.

The Nike sports bra gives one the feel of wearing a smaller version of a suit of armor. The tightness and solidity of the dry fi t material is well worth the the steep price.

Sports are now sexy. The makers of some of the sexiest clothing and undergarments have now made sports bras. The Victoria Secret sports bras have built-in padding along with top notch support. The quality is well worth the price.

The BurnWriting a paper

3

What’s the best way to burn off that burrito?

135 calories per 30 minutes

Running315 calories per 30

minutes

Ironing77 calories per 30 minutes

It is normal for athletes to be-come anxious or nervous before a game. Most athletes try to take these feelings and use them to their advantage by converting it to energy for the game.

“I do whatever I can to get my adrenaline pumping before a game,” Fries said

Every athlete has his or her own personal method of prepar-ing their bodies to deal with the physical strain that is put on their bodies for an upcoming game or match. Senior Ryan Fries uses food to prepare his body for hockey games.

“To get ready for a game I try to eat a lot of pasta the day before.” Fries said.

Along with physical strain on the body, it is also very common for athletes to experience mental stress while competing. Athletes try to develop their own personal ways to deal with this mental stress. Ryan fries, like many other athletes, uses music to prepare his mind for a game.

“I listen to music in the locker room before games,” Fries said, “I usually listen rap music.”

Ryan Fries, Hockey

Bending only at your knees, slowly lower your body until your torso touches the fl oor.

Use your hands to push off the fl oor as you pull your body back to the starting position.

Support System

Cut hamstring strains by 65 percent with these easy steps

1st

Fit meets fashion with this woman’s athletic essential

Elements soccer

balls

Soccer balls have four parts: cover, stitching, lining and bladder.

Covers are made of synthetic materi-als; leather gets too heavy when wet.

High-end balls are hand-stitched

To win approval for game use, a ball is tested for trajectory, balance, bounce and velocity.

H.Hye/revolution

16revolution etc.

>> Josh Giles & Jessica Wasserman

GRADUATION

Restore hearing lost in economics

Remove earful of irrelevant college advice

Relase innerparty animal

Mend broken heart from college rejection

Satisfy itch for diploma

Amputate leg and barterfor tuition

Cast off shackles

Cure senioritis:Remove lazy bum

Make room for Freshman 15

Treat carpaltunnel