South Oak Cliff High School
The Bear’s Grip
“South Oak Cliff PREP, from Good to Great. Putting the Pieces Together”
3601 South Marsalis Ave. Dallas, TX 75216
News U Can Use....2 Opinion Page.........3 What’s Happening...4-5
Oct. 25, 2013
Game Time..............6
Another Day at SOC.....7
Fun Time.........................8
News U Can use
> page 2 EIF to ASP
Principal sets
eyes on SOC
becoming premier
school in Dallas
by Shaqwavia Sockwell
News Editor
by Taylore Howard
News Editor
Dr. Ron Morris
Principal
Dr. Ronald Morris, the new principal at South Oak Cliff High
School, comes to the school with his eyes set on becoming the “premier school” in Dallas ISD. Dr. Morris has implemented some changes, but says he does not see them as changes, “just things normal
high schools should be doing.” “SOC is the prmier school in Dallas.
Everything we do should be to become premier and that’s what the
changes are about,” he added. The changes will not only affect the
students, but faculty and staff as well. One faculty member says, “it’s
one thing to talk about making changes, it’s another thing to actually put them into play. I really do want to see transformation.” Some
changes, which include the DISD Core Beliefs, went in affect last
year. The Core Beliefs include, but are not limited to, making sure
at-risk students achieve at the same rate as non at-risk students and
making sure staff members have a commitment to children AND a
commitment to the pursuit of excellence. Morris plans to continue
working on perfecting these beliefs. Teachers will also be required
to attend more staff development meetings and grades and lesson
plans submittals will also be closely monitored. When asked, some
students say they do not agree with the changes that are directly
geared towards them. SOC student, Xavier Grandberry says “everything is good so far,” but he has not been able to adjust to all of
the changes. He feels there is not enough time between classes. One
of the changes includes 3-minute passing periods. “It’s too short,”
Granberry said. Ms. Hersch, German teacher at SOC, says she has
seen more kids trying to hurry to get to class. “I think kids will begin
to realize they better get to class on time, because consistency is the
key to ensuring kids follow rules,” she explained. “Some change is
good.” Other changes include the use of lockers. Students are no
longer assigned lockers. Morris says this is due to not enough lockers being available. Some faculty feel this also helps get the kids to
class quicker and discourage them from hanging out in the halls.
Hersch says she feels this is one of the biggest changes among students. Dr. Morris says the changes are here to provide structure and
he is doing whatever it takes to become the premier school in Dallas.
South Oak Cliff High School is implementing a new program this year. The Academic Success Program or “ASP” , a college access program for students, will serve
as an extension of the counseling center.
It is this year’s replacement of the EIF program in previous years. Principal Ron
Morris says he believes ASP will be more
effective and will receive ten times more in
scholarship money then last year. Mr. Jose
Valerio, ASP adviser, comes from Samuel
and says the program has been in Dallas
for about 7 or 8 years. He has been a part
of the program for 5 years. Mr. Morris says
the goal of the adviser is to not only help
get scholarships and find colleges to match
interest, but to also build relationships with
the students. “Mr. Valerio is experienced
and hardworking,” says counselor Ms.
Simon. “I’m excited,” she added. Valerio
says his goal is to increase scholarship totals, so “more seniors can have the opportunity to go to college.” He says he is also
going to help improve SAT and ACT scores.
Other schools taking advantage of ASP include Bryan Adams, Hillcrest, Conrad and
The Barack Obama Male Leadership Academy.
opinion
Pros & Cons of Social Media
Deja Moss
Opinion Page Editor
Social media is used all over the world.
It’s another means of communication. It can
be used for research, business, or just entertainment. The question is...Is this a positive or negative thing? “I think it makes people detached
from their feelings,” said Mrs. Lindsay of South
Oak Cliff math department. Another teacher
says she feels social media makes people detached from the real world all together. Facebook is used by millions of people and is worht
about $100 billion. In 2013, there is a massive
1.43 billion social network users. This is a potential hazard. “Personally, I believe that social
networking sites should be more private and
should secure our personal information,” says
Lamarcus Harris, a student at SOC. Some parents feel social media has had a huge impact on
their children. “Every since my daughter has
gotten an instagram account her behavior has
become unacceptable and her grades have gone
down dramatically,” says a parent of a SOC
student. Sure, technology is the wave of the future. Our world is ever changing and we have to
change too. Do we have to change? The fact that
everything we need is at the tip of our fingertips
does tend to make one a bit lazy. Social media...
have you decided whether it is negative or positive? Whatever likes or dislikes you have one
thing is for sure, it is not going away any time
soon. In fact, there are changes, upgrades or recalls taking place as we speak.
page 3 <
Did You Know?
* Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries?
*Most lipsticks contain fish scales?
*Goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light?
*The fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco?
*French fries are originally from Belgium?
*A group of frogs is called an army?
*A group of kangaroos is called a mob?
*The human body of a 70kg person contains 0.2mg of gold
*iPhones can survive falls of over 13,000 feet?
Words of Wisdom
by Luis Gomez
Opinion Page Editor
Feeling like you don’t belong in school anymore? Don’t
think youc an make it to the next year or even to graduation?
Stop and think again. You are star material. You have made
it this far. Stop and think, “I’m better than this.” “I have the
power to be what I want to be.” What will it take to get to
the next level? What will it take to stay focused? These questions are worth pondering. Yes, sometimes getting to where
you need to be means you can’t hang out with your friends.
But, it’s worth it. If they are true friends, they will understnad. Stop selling yourself short. Do your assignments, meet
your deadlines and go to tutoring if you need to. If you want
it bad enough you will do what it takes to get there. It’s a lot
of work, but success does not come easy. Taking the easy way
out sometimes has it’s drawbacks. Remember, don’t let anyone, including yourself, stand in your way.
> page 4
What’s Happening
South Oak Cliff welcomes new Golden Bears
by Juana Hernandez
Feature Page Editor
Ayonna Hood-way
English I
D’Inzeo Williams
Physics
Zinete Paturri
Physics
Coach Burgos
Chemistry and Forensic Science
Brittany Tucker
Choir
Ashley Duncan
Science Instructional Coach
Brandon Foster
English II
Juandll Parker
Biology and Anatomy/Physiology
Selena McCoart
Algebra I
Cameron Marques
World Geography
Justin Meidenbauer
Algebra I
Shareefah Nadir-Mason
English Instructional Coach
what’s happening
Tanquest Jefferson
Special Education/ Football and
Basketball Coach
Burgundie Smith
Special Education Science
Teraze Mickle
Math Instructional Coach
Rebecca Starr
Reading I/ ESL Reading I
Roel Cortes
JROTC I
Stephanie Amaya
Testing Coordinator
page 5 <
Ms. Kirby
Anna Chabot
Media Assistant
_________________________________________________________________________________________
The Bear’s Grip
Staff
Editor
Mrs. Briscoe
Sports
Charme Brewster
Orial Anthony
Opinion Page
Deja Moss
Luis Gomez
Adrian Hogan
Feature Page
Cristian Briones
Juana Hernandez
News U Can Use
Taylore Howard
Shaqwavia Sockwell
Back Page
Kee’Anna Dennis
Kendra Smith
Montgomery selected new
sponsor of senior class for 2014
by Cristian Briones
Feature Page Editor
She’s known for building sets and setting the stage for plays, but Mrs. Montgomery is
not only the head of the drama department, she likes arts education because it makes kids think,
she likes to read, likes live event production and she just so happens to be the newest senior
sponsor, who is implementing new ideas for the senior class.
But how can being the drama coach help her lead the senior class?
Montgomery says she is unafraid of talking to large audiences, has a lot of creative ideas
and can easily deal with students. She says she feels very flattered to be elected. South Oak
Cliff senior, Aliyah Williams, says she believes Mrs. Mongomery has generated many ideas
that are excellent and that she wants to have a lot of unity in her senior activities. “I think she is
open to many of the seniors’ ideas and she’s a sweet person,” Williams added. Secretary of the
senior class, Tiffany Dory, says “this year will be fun and we are gonna turn up.” Montgomery
stated that being the senior sponsor will not only make her more compassionate for others, but
should also make her patient for parenthood in the future.
> page 6
game time
Golden Bear football highlights
by Orial Anthony
Sports Editor
Upcoming Events for Football and Volleyball
South Oak Cliff Football
Oct. 24 SOC vs. Adamson at Jones at 7pm
Nov. 1 SOC vs. Molina at Kincaide at 7:30pm
(Homecoming)
Nov. 8 SOC vs. Kimball at Jones at 7:30pm
South Oak Cliff Volleyball
Oct. 25 SOC vs. Molina at Molina at 7pm
Oct. 29 SOC vs. Kimball at SOC at 6pm
Students balance athletics, academics
by Charme Brewster
Sports Editor
Question......how does a student balance athletics and
academics? It’s a challenge most athletes encounter. You have
to give all of your time and attention to a particular sport, in
order to perform at your best. But, how is that possible if you
have to be a student first? Ms. Upshaw, Economic instructor
at South Oak Cliff high school and a parent of former athletes
says, “academics should come first.” “It doesn’t help to practice if you are ineligible to play,” she added. Some sources
say that only about 42% of football players in America’s high
schools become eligible to play by the end of the first six
weeks period. Senior football player Willie Parker says, “it’s
stressful being an athlete period.” He does express the fact
that you not only have to maintain an A on the field, but in the
classroom as well. So, it’s a balancing act. Some students can
handle it and some need more practice. According to Vanessa
Gonzalez, senior class Vice President, it’s about managing
your time wisely. Gonzalez is not only an athlete and student,
but she works also. “You have to manage time so everything
you are involved in gets the right amount of attention needed,”
she explains. In the end though, she says it is a little stressful,
but, “I can handle it.”
another day at soc
page 7<
> page 8
fun time
Riddles
If you have me, you
want to share me. If
you share me, you
haven’t got me.
What am I?
What is the shortest
complete sentence in
the English language?
Kendra’s Movie Review
The
Conjuring.....
Well, I thought that the movie was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. I
would give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the background settings
and the fact that it was based on a true story. The fact that it could be true
made it even scarier. In the movie, the part when the lady (hope I am not
ruining the moment for those of you who have not seen it).....came in the
room while the girl was sleeping....ok, I’ll wait till you see it.
But, this part was scary.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SOC Announcements
Attention, Attention
Freshman, Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors
Yearbooks are on sale
Please order a copy by December 13 for $45.00
See Mrs. Montgomery or Mrs. Briscoe for details
__________________________________________________________
**Register to take the SAT by
November 8, 2013 for December 7 testing
**Register to take the ACT by
November 8, 2013 for the December 14 testing
Stop by the ASP office and speak to
Mr. Valario for details
Tongue Twisters....
If Pickford’s packers packed a packet of crisps
would the packet of crisps that Pickford’s packers packed survive for two and a half year?
How many cookies could a good cook cook, if
a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook
could cook as much cookies as a good cook who
could cook cookies.
2Y’s U R,
2Y’s U B.
ICUR
2Y’s 4 me!