TheShield_Vol68_Issue3

THE

SHIELD

Bishop Kenny High School | Jacksonville, Fla. | Volume 68 | Issue 3

FEATURES 8

This Is What We Live For

NEWS 4

OPINION 16

A&E 19

SPORTS 25

New initiative highlights minority groups on campus

Keeping motivation through the new year

MCU’s first TV show: “WandaVision”

Varsity striker goes for college soccer

THE

SHIELD

The Shield is student news magazine, published quarterly by journalism students at Bishop Kenny High School 1055 Kingman Ave., Jacksonville, Fla. 32207 phone: (904) 265-9390 fax: (904) 398-5728 The policy of The Shield is to provide a forum for student expression. If you are interested in advertising in The Shield, email newspaper@bishopkenny.org for more information. Letters to the editor are encouraged; submit to room 224. Names can be withheld upon request.

The Shield is a member of FSPA.

Design and Layout Editor Meghan Williamson Copy Editor Abigail Parker Managing Editor Business Manager Sarah Roberts Web Manager Ilaria Georgi Staff Reporters Charli Esposito Jessica Golden Grace Jennings Addison Mark Elena Vincenty Adviser Jessica Durbin

CONTENTS NEWS

4 5

MULTICULTURAL WEEK MISS BK

FEATURES 8 10

BLACK HISTORY LANDMARKS WHAT DO YOU LIVE FOR?

OPINION 16 17

SARAH SAYS STAFF EDITORIAL

A&E 18 19

KENNY KRAVINGS WANDAVISION REVIEW

SPORTS 20 23 25

WOMEN IN SPORTS JAGUARS SEASON ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE

Follow The Shield on Twitter, Instagram, and online: @bk_theshield www.bktoday.org

Image credits/courtesy (clockwise, from right) Izabelle Young, Charli Esposito, Grace Jennings, Charli Esposito, Creative Commons

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20 10 5 25

CULTURAL DIVERSITY CELEBRATED Initiative highlights minority groups on campus Grace Jennings | Staff Reporter

T

he Bishop Kenny community observed its first annual Diversity Celebration Week.

Diversity Student Union President Winston Peele orchestrated the weeklong event from Feb. 22 to Feb. 26. According to Peele, its purpose is to shed light on the variety of cultures among members of the student body.

“We have four major minority [groups] that attend here,” Peele explained. “The Black community, the Hispanic/ Latino community, the Asian/ Island Pacific community and the Middle Eastern/Arabic community.”

Peele and the Student Union group designed the week to highlight each culture, in both academic and recreational ways.

“From the academic perspective, teachers were sent the outline to give a fiveto-eight minute talk about a person that impacted the subject they are teaching,” Peele said.

4 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

Seniors Olivia Farah and Teressa Elhajj read about Arabic history during morning announcements on Thursday.

This gave students an informative lesson to go along with the festivities of the week.

“Once students entered the lunchroom, they got the celebration feeling.” Peele said. “[The school lunches] featured dishes from each culture and put on projectors of presentations talking about different people that impacted the community.”

Each unique culture was

assigned a weekday, ending with BK United on Friday.

The Diversity Student Union also played music from genres influenced by each culture during lunch mods.

“The whole inspiration behind Diversity Week was to celebrate all of the minorities that go to our school,” Peele said.

The Diversity Student Union sent out a survey on

Friday March 5 for students to give input on what they enjoyed about the event and offer any suggestions for improvement.

“I am really hoping that this [week] will become an annual thing because we want all minorities to know that we are here to celebrate you,” Peele said.

PARRY TALES COME TRUE

Junior Sophia Parry crowned Miss Bishop Kenny 2021-2022 Grace Jennings | Staff Reporter

S

even junior ladies competed in the pageant on March 3 for the title of Miss Bishop Kenny 2021-2022, and judges awarded the honor to Sophia Parry.

“As a second generation BK student, I have been hearing about Miss BK my whole life,” Parry said. “Being given this opportunity to be Miss BK fulfills a lifelong dream of mine.”

Each contestant performed a talent and participated in casual and formal wear segments. Parry performed an acrobatic

routine, incorporating both dance and tumbling.

Contestants Stephanie Frakes, Ari Nakamichi and Izabelle Young sang and Jessica Golden, Rose Montana and Kalia Smith danced.

“Sharing this opportunity with six other eligible contestants is a memory that I will forever cherish,” Parry said.

“They are such a beautiful, talented group.”

Kalia Smith was awarded second runner-up and Rose Montana placed as third runner-up. Montana also won the Miss Congeniality award,

Scholastic Award and the Service Award.

In her second year as the pageant director, Jennifer Richardson explained how the pageant was different this year from years prior.

“In years past, [contestants] always had an on-stage question to answer in front of the judges,” Richardson said.“This year we pre-recorded those responses [and played them] during the show to give a little more transition time for the girls to get ready.”

Another change this

year was the interview process, which previously was conducted a week before the show. This year, interviews with the judges took place just hours before the pageant began. Each contestant had seven minutes with the judges to introduce herself and give insight into her personal life.

“I loved seeing all the girls on stage looking confident and proud of what they’ve done,” Richardson said. “The best part [is] seeing all their hard work pay off in the end.”

CLOCKWISE, LEFT TO RIGHT: Miss BK 2020-2021 Ansley Gibson presents junior Sophia Parry with the title of Miss BK; Junior Rose Montana performs a jazz solo for her talent; Junior Stephanie Frakes presents her casual wear; Second runner-up Rose Montana, Miss BK Sophia Parry and first runner-up Kalia Smith pose with their awards.

ISSUE 3 • NEWS 5

6 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

Need books? Gifts?

Shop online or in San Marco!

1971 San Marco Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32207 www.sanmarcobooksandmore.com 904-396-7597

BK family owned - Go Crusaders!

ISSUE 3 • ADS

7

LANDMARK LEGACIES

Black history surrounding parks, monuments in Jacksonville Elena Vincenty | Staff Reporter

B

lack history and the fight for racial equality surrounds Jacksonville.

It flows through the schools, government buildings, public parks and even our homes. To acknowledge and appreciate this history is to recognize the value of the changes made to society.

Douglas Anderson School of the Arts In 1922, South Jacksonville Grammar School was the only school on the southside that offered a free, public education to Black students.

Douglas Anderson operated the only free bus service for Black students in Duval County, and in 1945, the school was renamed in honor of Anderson, who also led efforts to convince the Duval County School Board to build a school and provide free busing for Black children. Today, the school commemorates Anderson by keeping a historical plaque on campus detailing his life and the ways in which he contributed to the education of Black students in Jacksonville.

Clara White Mission Museum This museum stands as a memorial to Clara White and her daughter, Dr. Eartha White, who “planted the dream [of] educational training,” according to the clarawhitemission.org. From 1876 to 1974, Dr. Eartha White founded several facilities to provide care to those in need, including The Old Folks Home and helped establish Mercy Hospital, the Boys’ Improvement Club, a home for unwed mothers, an orphanage and adoption agency. While the city of JAX offers food and shelter to homeless persons, the

8 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

Clara White mission provides training and volunteer services for those people to get back on their feet. It is designed for “enrolled students who were previously homeless and/ or low-income, ex-offenders and veterans,” according to the website, allowing those individuals the chance to give back to the community while training, serving and preparing meals for more than 400 homeless people daily. CEO Ju’Coby Pittman, mother of junior Winston Peele, has helped the BK Diversity Student Union work with the Clara White Mission by cleaning up some of their land and helping serve food.

Ax Handle Saturday Mural Forty demonstrators from the Jacksonville Youth Council of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) sat down at the whites-only lunch counter of Woolworth Department Store at the corner of West Adams and North Main Streets on Aug. 27, 1960, according to axhandlesaturday.com.

The group was met by 200 white males wielding axe handles and baseball bats.

Peaceful protestors were then chased through the streets of downtown Jacksonville and beaten. To commemorate this event and to honor the Civil Rights Movement, a mural was created on A. Philip Randolph Blvd near the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. There is also a historical marker at James Weldon Park which describes what happened at the site of the protest.

J.P Small Memorial Stadium Originally constructed in 1912 as the first Black baseball field in Jacksonville, the J.P.

Small Stadium housed the first integrated teams in the South Atlantic League of Florida which included the Jacksonville Braves who were the start of the Milwaukee Braves. In addition to being the first stadium for integrated teams, several Major League Baseball teams, including the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants, have played at this field. As well as “baseball greats like Babe Ruth, Satchel Paige, Lou Gehrig and Ty Cobb,” according to News4Jax. In 1926, the field was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt to provide a separate section for Black patrons during the time of segregation and became the home of the Jacksonville Red Caps of the Black League, which has since dissolved.

Throughout the years, the ballpark was used for other teams such as the Old Stanton High School, where J.P. Small served as the athletic director and head coach. Today it is known as a “diamond in the rough” according to News4Jax and located on Myrtle Avenue North just several blocks from Stanton College Prep. Lloyd Washington, who is a part of Jacksonville’s Historical Society, spoke with News4Jax about how this stadium reflects not just Black culture but the culture of Northeast Florida as a whole and how much history was made in just that one stadium.

Kingsley Plantation

Kingsley Plantation, a part of the Timucuan Preserve and National Parks, is one of the oldest plantation houses in the state of Florida and one of the few remaining examples of a plantation system in Florida.

The site shows the history of “freedom and enslavement from a different perspective,”

according to VisitJacksonville. com.

Kingsley Plantation inhabits multiple wellpreserved, original, buildings including the plantation house, built in 1798, as well as the foundation and walls of 25 slave cabins. Park ranger Josh Salestrom described the park, in a News4Jax interview, as a “beautiful place, but also a horrible place…[and] its importance to never forget that this site was constructed on the backs of misery.” The original owner, Zephaniah Kingsley, married Anna Jai, whom Kingsley originally purchased in Cuba in 1806. By the time she was 18, Kingsley and Jai already had three children and she and her children all worked as slaves on the plantation until 1811.

James Weldon Park Formerly named for Civil War veteran Charles C. Hemming, who donated a Confederate monument to the park that stood for nearly 122 years before its removal on Aug. 11, 2020, this is the first public park founded in Jacksonville and it has witnessed history throughout time. Mayor Lenny Curry called the removal of the Confederate monument “the start of a commitment to everyone in our city that we will find a way to respect each other and thrive,” according to HemmingPark.org. The park was renamed in honor of James Weldon Johnson, who was Florida’s first Black lawyer after Reconstruction, an author and served as the principal of Stanton School, the first public Black high school in Jacksonville. Today the park holds monthly art walks, food festivals and the annual Christmas tree lighting.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP: The Clara White Center gives food, shelter and job opportunities for thousands of homeless people per year. (Photo courtesy of Creative Commons); The James Weldon Johnson Park has sat in the center of downtown since 1987.

(Photo courtesy of Creative Commons); The Kingsley Plantation sits facing the St. Johns River on the northside. (Photo courtesy of the National Park Service); A statue of J.P. Small stands at the front of the J.P. Small Memorial stadium with the quote “Heading for home.”

(Photo courtesy of Creative Commons).

ISSUE 3 • FEATURES 9

10 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

WHAT DO YOU LIVE FOR? What BK students do outside of school that makes them, them Charli Esposito | Staff Reporter Jessica Golden | Staff Reporter

ISSUE 3 • FEATURES 11

IZABELLE YOUNG T

he ocean is a vast environment with many “beautiful aspects to explore,” Izabelle Young said.

Scuba diving is not something many get to experience on a regular basis, but for Junior Izabelle Young, scuba diving is something she experiences often. For Young, her interest in scuba diving allows her to experience the world from a different perspective.

Young explains that she started scuba diving because of her sister, Mary Alice, who “started scuba diving when

she was 12,” Young explained.

Following in the steps of her sister, Young started diving when she was 12, at the age at which she was allowed to start classes for diving permit, “my sister’s experience (helped me) to build and create my own love for diving,” said Young. Being involved in diving developed “my personality… and makes me feel adventurous.”

Young realized this was a passion of hers when she and her family took a trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina where they went scuba diving on a

Photo courtesy of Izabelle Young

ship wreck, a common form of recreational diving.

After high school, she aims to attend the Naval Academy to specialize in deep sea rescue. She plans on taking marine science her senior year to further her knowledge in the field.

“I want to be a navy diver,” Young said.

Young takes advanced water diving classes with the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) to train and become more adept with the water. PADI offers courses for those interested

in becoming scuba certified at all levels.

“It’s a really fun experience and you feel free in the water,” Young said.

Young hopes to continue diving by taking more classes and practicing on her own and with her sister. After highschool, Young will base her career off of studies that involve the ocean and scuba diving. “ I want to learn to be able to explore it safely and learn as much as possible,” Young said.

Graphics by Charli Esposito

12 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

A

s he balances playing on the golf team and sailing team, as well as serving in the Interact Club and St. Vincent de Paul Society and participating as a member of the History Club, sophomore Alex Patangan keeps his cool by spending a day on the lake fishing.

Patangan and his dad have been fishing together since he was five years old.

“My first fishing rod was my dad’s old spinning rod and reel combo that he let me have when I was little,” Patangan said.

He’s come a long way in the past 11 years, and now uses an AbuGarcia Revo X bait casting reel with a Lew’s rod.

Patangan and his dad have always bonded over fishing.

“My dad kind of encouraged me because he always would go out on offshore trips and come back and he had a lot of fun with it,” Patangan said.

Fishing has been an outlet for Patangan which allows him

to let go and relax.

“It’s very peaceful and it gives me time to think and time to be by myself,” Patangan said “It just helps me get centered.”

He doesn’t necessarily prefer saltwater or freshwater; he does it all, and has gone on many offshore trips but one in particular helped him to realize fishing was his passion. “[I went] offshore fishing when I was 7 and I caught an amberjack and that was pretty cool and I had a lot of fun and that kind of got me into it,” Patangan said.

An amberjack is a game fish that can grow to be over 6 feet in length. Patangan says the “hardest” fish he ever caught was a black tip shark, and his favorite to catch is a redfish, but it’s all about the experience.

“My favorite memory from fishing would be going i out over the summer on my friends’ boat and messing around in creeks.”

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ALEX PATANGAN

ISSUE 3 • FEATURES 13

OWEN EVANS S

enior Owen Evans got into skateboarding in the sixth grade. After seeing all his friends “enjoy messing around and flipping off the walls,” he felt like he was missing out on something fun, Evans says.

His first skateboard was a Penny Board, 27mm., which is a flexible board to learn to skate on and get used to controlling the board, and his next board was from the brand Real Skateboard, which he still uses today. This board is sturdier, allowing for ability to ride rims and walls.

Evans wanted to learn to share his skills on the internet, like famous skateboarder Nyjah Hudson.

He began filming himself and his friends skating first on a phone, trying to capture any cool tricks, “My friends and I did… and used iMovie to put background music on it,” Evans said.

He would share these videos to his social media accounts including his

14 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

Instagram feed and Snapchat story.

Skateboarding began to take off for Evans, and he “wanted to get something better to film on than [his] phone,” so he got his first VX camera. He transferred his video editing from iMovie to DaVinci Resolve, a high level video editing software.

Evans stopped skateboarding for a few years due to an injury, but got back into it because all of his friends were still doing it. He has been skating for five years now.

“I usually skate at Veterans,” Evans said. “But Sunshine Park is fun, too.”

Skating has impacted the people he hangs out with, the way he dresses and his personality.

“I definitely dress kind of funny compared to everyone else, and I would say that’s definitely from skating,” Evans said.

Evans considers skating to be “his passion,” and he says the feeling he gets when

Photo courtesy of Owen Evans

landing a trick after trying for extended periods of time motivates him.

“You’ll be sitting outside [on a] hot summer day; it’ll be like 100

degrees outside and you’re just battling a trick, and then you land it and everyone’s super hyped for you,” Evans said. “I don’t know, there’s just something about it.”

S

enior Layne Baldwin was not always inclined to hit the gym every day, but when quarantine lockdowns were implemented, Baldwin decided to take time to better herself by becoming more self-aware of her health.

Baldwin has been working out since March 2020, and her drive for training helped to keep her busy.

“It’s time for myself where I can physically and mentally feel better and train...to be someone who I want to be,” Baldwin said.

When working out and focusing on her fitness level, Baldwin believes that her “work ethic and integrity are better now than they were [before I started working out].”

She posts her progress on social media, making this lifestyle change known to followers.

“A lot of people come to me for advice [on working out],” Baldwin said.

While many followed the workout trends of quarantine such as Chloe Ting’s YouTube “2 Week Shred,” Baldwin

took the YouTube challenge and amplified it into her own lifestyle. Instead of participating for two weeks, Baldwin continued the trend and now works out almost every morning before school.

“The way it makes me feel and seeing results just makes me want to do it more,” Baldwin said.

Her “passion and drive” for fitness plays a ”major role” in her life, she said. “It brings me peace and a way to release stress.”

Working out is not the only part of her fitness journey, though. For Baldwin, healthy eating is key, so she meal preps on Sunday night for her lunches and dinners throughout the week with grilled chicken and cauliflower rice, steak and mixed vegetables and chicken with asparagus.

Each meal has “aspects of protein to build muscle and vitamins for nutrients,” Baldwin said.

Her saying when it comes to a healthy lifestyle? Have a “healthy relationship with

food and your body” and it’s okay to enjoy food and “treat yourself.”

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LAYNE BALDWIN

ISSUE 3 • FEATURES 15

SARAH SAYS

Keeping motivation through the new year Sarah Roberts | Managing and Business Editor

BE REALISTIC

Start out small and work your way up. Don’t make a plan to hike the entire stretch of the Appalachian Mountains in a year. The trek is not only long and physically trying on a person, but only one out of four hikers that attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail actually finish it. Instead, start out with a small hike at Fort Clinch in

16 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

Amelia Island. You can have big goals, but do not believe you can run straight towards these goals without a plan.

WRITE DOWN SMALL GOALS FOR THE DAY Take a pack of sticky notes and, every day and before you go to bed, write down some goals for the next day. Write something like “pack your lunch today” or “write down one good thing that happens today,” and put the notes where you know you will see them. The constant daily reminders help you build small habits to help you make progress toward larger goals.

REFLECT ON EACH DAY

At the end of each day, think about what you accomplished. Did you have an easy day at school? What happened that made your day better? I write down notes in a bullet journal about funny events or something I need

Graphic courtesy of Aleksandra Hila

W

hether you are trying to keep a New Years resolution, Lenten promise or making any new goal for yourself, having the motivation to stick with it is hard.

You stay on task and constantly do things towards your goals, but after a week, you fizzle out because you have yet to make it a habit.

Getting up early to make your lunch gets harder and all you want are a bag of chips and cookies at lunch.

It is hard to stay motivated to accomplish your goals, or even get to the next year; I get it, but there are ways to stay motivated.

to remember, for instance the physics test on Friday. This, along with reminder sticky notes, are helpful during the 21 days of building a habit. On a day where I get a step closer to achieving one of my goals I write, “You did it. You kicked butt today. Now onto the next thing.” Think of what you can do tomorrow to help you work towards your goals.

Whatever your goal is for

the new year, you need to stick with it or you may not grow as a person. Start with something small and build it to be something bigger.

You may be able to hike that mountain by the end of the year, if you work towards it.

Give yourself little affirmations that you can achieve your goals. Remember: “You are going after what you want and no one is going to stop you.”

STAFF EDITORIAL:

Graphic courtesy of Lily McCauley

IS SELF-WORTH DETERMINED BY BEAUTY?

YES:0 NO:9

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t its surface, the “All Bodies Are Beautiful” movement is a great way to instill confidence in women of all ages. The goal is that, through the repetition of this phrase, women will realize that their bodies are beautiful no matter their shape or size.

However, after a deeper reflection, there is a fundamental issue with this movement: why must a body be considered attractive to be worth something?

Though we are told otherwise, beauty cannot be the most important aspect in life. So many details should be considered more important, such as building meaningful relationships with one

another or strengthening your confidence from a place other than your physical traits.

Unfortunately, decades of models in magazines and Instagram influencers have led society to believe that one is only worth something if one is beautiful.

This, however, is untrue, and the idea must be immediately forgotten.

Not only is beauty subjective, but society’s idea of beauty changes constantly.

This proves that “beauty” is not something that should be chased, as it will be a neverending pursuit.

Also, continuous exposure to the “thin-ideal” that is widespread on social media

contributes negatively to women’s mental health. In 2010, researchers from Utah discovered that exposure to these images increased negative mood states and eating disorders, while also decreasing self-esteem.

These issues stretch beyond the body positivity movement; they come from problems ingrained in our society such as “pretty privilege,” which is the social advantages that conventionally attractive people benefit from, according to Allure.com.

It’s also important to note that men are also impacted by social media and advertising, and struggle with body confidence as much as

women. In fact, according to research from YouGov in the UK, younger men have nearly equal the amount of body image issues as women.

In reality, the matter of body image in our society will not be fixed anytime soon; however, it can start to change when we refuse to partake in the concept of beauty that is fed to us.

Your body does not have to be beautiful for you to be worth something. Your body is the very thing that carries you through life. Your body should be celebrated, not for its beauty, but for its function.

ISSUE 3 • OPINIONS 17

KENNY KRAVINGS

Review of vegan and vegetarian restaurants in Jacksonville Jessica Golden | Staff Reporter

True Food Kitchen

4663 River City Dr Jacksonville, FL 32246 904-996-7333 @livetruefood True Food Kitchen is a health food chain restaurant located at St. Johns Town Center next to Cantina Laredo with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options. They also cater to those on keto or paleo diets, according to their website.

There is a rustic kitchen vibe at this restaurant, and it felt very clean and full of amazing natural light. A QR code on the table pulled open the menu on my

phone. I dined with a friend and we ordered two appetizers: the vegan edamame guacamole and the vegetarian herb hummus.

We happened to be there during Happy Hour, so each dish was priced at only $5 instead of $11.

For my entree, I ordered a vegetarian seasonal roasted squash and ricotta panini for $13. The dish was savory and the warm ricotta reminded me of my mom’s lasagna. It came with a

side of sweet potato hash, which balanced out the salty panini.

To wash it all down, I ordered their tart and sweet cranberry limeade which was served in a cocktail glass.

The food was a bit pricey compared to the price of an entree somewhere like California Pizza Kitchen, but well worth it due to the comforting atmosphere and delicious healthy meal.

Vale Food Co

90 Riverside Ave Unit 603 Jacksonville, FL 32202 904-329-2371 @valefoodco Vale Food Co is a healthy, Florida-based fast casual restaurant located in the Brooklyn Shopping Center in Riverside.

Here, you’ll build your own bowl and choose a base, vegetable, protein, boost and a sauce, and the employees make your bowl right in front of you.

I selected the cilantro lime brown rice, roasted broccoli, buffalo vegan tenders, balsamic tomatoes and citrus vinaigrette, all of which are vegan and glutenfree. The bowl costs $9. To me, it tasted like something you might get from Chipotle.

The dragon fruit lemonade

I ordered came in a jug that allowed me to fill my cup myself. If dragon fruit is too exotic for you, Vale also offers regular lemonade.

I would definitely go back to Vale if I had the chance. I love that they use biodegradable food containers and they support local farmers.

Sweet Theory Baking Co.

1243 King St Jacksonville, FL 32204 904-387-1001 @sweettheorybakingco Sweet Theory Baking Co. is a local vegan bakery located in Riverside.

Everything is made by hand daily at their location to ensure freshness.

They create a selection of cupcakes, cakes, biscuits, doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, but once they are sold out for the day, they close.

I ordered two of the speciality cupcakes for $3.50 each. I loved

18 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

the creative names for each of the cupcakes because the personality of this small bakery really shined through. The “Yoga Pants” consists of vanilla cake and frosting with caramel drizzle and brownie crumbles. It was the perfect balance of light and sweet cake to a rich caramel flavor such as the caramel on a caramel

Frappuccino at Starbucks. I also got the “So Fudging Good,” made of chocolate cake, brownie, chocolate drizzle, sunbutter frosting (which is dairy free and made with sunflower seeds), chocolate chips, caramel and chocolate sauce. This cupcake was yummy, but it was really rich; I couldn’t finish it all at once.

LIVING THE STREAM

MCU’s first TV show leaves viewers with multiverse overwhelm Abigail Parker | Copy Editor

Photo courtesy of Disney

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f you had the power to do so, would you bring a loved one back to life? For Wanda Maximoff, the clear answer is yes, she would, and she did.

Based on the Marvel Comics, “WandaVision’’ stars Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Avengers’ Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch) and the Vision. This show makes history as Marvel’s first TV series on Disney+ to be a part of the MCU. Disney’s budget for “WandaVision’’ was $25 million per episode, totaling up to $255 million.

The nine-episode series portrays Maximoff and the Vision as sitcom characters by the decade, starting from the 1950s all the way to the 2000s. Each episode’s sitcom draws inspiration from classic sitcoms, such as “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” complete with its own comedic and poignant theme song and credits.

The series illustrates where Wanda left off after “the Blip” and how she dealt with the grief of Vision’s death, or rather, how she denied it. Wanda places her and

Vision as a new family to Westview, with her next door neighbor Agnes appearing in each episode to seemingly aid Wanda during her times of trouble in concealing her powers to the rest of the town.

“WandaVision” also introduces more organizations and characters for the MCU’S Phase 4 such as S.W.O.R.D. and its director Tyler

Hayward, who has replaced Director Maria Rambeau. With the help of returning characters Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis, Rambeau’s daughter Monica pushes to gain access to “the Hex,” as Darcy calls it.

As the series progresses, viewers realize that Wanda is running the show, literally; from the clothes each “character” wears, to what they say and

do, showing just how powerful she is.

The directors show Wanda’s struggle between real life and fantasy. Her motivation and power to create this world was illustrated through an amazing screenplay and deliberate directing that leaves viewers like me wanting more.

I couldn’t decide whether I should hate Wanda or not as the show makes you question her actions and her motives in every episode. Ultimately, it was hard to not sympathize with Wanda as she has dealt with so much grief in her life. In “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” the viewers find out that Wanda was manipulated by Hydra and lost her twin brother Pietro.

This fantasy world she has created is a getaway from her grief.

According to Marvel, the show prepares viewers for the upcoming MCU film, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” set to premiere on March 22, 2022, nearly six years after the first “Doctor Strange” movie was released.

ISSUE 3 • A&E 19

GIRL POWER BREAKS THE MOLD

Gender-based stereotypes shift as women join male-dominated sports Addison Mark | Staff Reporter

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omen throughout history have had to fight to prove to the world that they can do anything a man can do. Every day, women make progress in fighting gender barriers in sports to achieve this goal.

As a female, it is exciting and empowering to live in an age in which a woman can be the vice president of our country, and to see classmates proudly and courageously join male-dominated sports with the support of their team, coaches and families.

MISS POWERMOVE Almost two years ago, an injury prohibited junior Charli “Chespo” Esposito from continuing dance, an activity she enjoyed for 13 years.

This led to her discovery of biomechanics training and weightlifting, which she found boosted her confidence and created an outlet to release her stress.

Esposito’s interest in weightlifting grew, and so did her interest in the BK weightlifting team. However,

20 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

as she inquired about the team, she hit a roadblock.

“I realized there were no girls on the team, so I didn’t know if I actually wanted to do it,” Esposito said.

She earned a spot on the team, and explained that the experience was intimidating at first, but her coaches and friends helped her feel accepted and comfortable.

“She is always locked in on her technique and continues to improve dramatically from where she started,” head coach Tim Krause said. “All of our athletes are incredibly supportive of her and excited for her when she performs well.”

Esposito feels she proved herself when she lifted her personal record for benching at 160 pounds, and her personal record for power clean, an Olympic weightlifting move, at 145 pounds.

“It’s cool to influence the guys and help them change their perspective,” Esposito said.

Esposito faced the

challenge of breaking the team’s preconceived notions of what a girl could do. She showed them that her gender was not a barrier and anyone can do anything they set their mind to.

“That’s my favorite part: the boys don’t expect it,” Esposito said. “And then they figure out I can lift as much as them and realize there’s not really a difference between us.”

WRESTLING STEREOYPES Sophomore Mallory Frattle and freshman Rachel Howard have joined the ranks of the BK wrestling team.

Frattle’s older brother was on the wrestling team during his time at BK, and his support, Frattle says, helped encourage her to try out for the wrestling team during her freshman year. She also believes that her past experience of dance classes helped prepare her for wrestling by improving her flexibility.

She would one day like to wrestle on the collegiate level.

“You should definitely

try it,” Frattle said. “At first it might seem a little weird because you might be the only girl, like [for me] last year.

You might start something where more people want to enjoy [the sport].”

Frattle’s presence on the wrestling team inspired Rachel Howard to join the team.

“At first it was really nerveracking because I didn’t really know anybody, but then I started to get to know Mallory, and then it got more fun from there,” Howard said.

She encourages girls wanting to join the wrestling team.

“Ignore the fact that it’s a boys sport, because there’s really nothing that says it’s only a boys sport,” Howard said.

At a time when many high school girls are afraid to do anything different for fear of being an outcast, it is inspiring to see female athletes put themselves out there and take a risk.

TOP: Charli Esposito prepares for the clean n’ jerk lift in the setting squat position.

BOTTOM: Sophomore Mallory Frattle and freshman Rachel Howard are members of the wrestling team.

ISSUE 3 • SPORTS 21

22 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

ON THE PROWL

Jaguars search for a new start to 2021 season Meghan Williamson | Design and Layout Editor

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s the clock hit zero at the last game of the season, the Jacksonville Jaguars’ record shifted from 1-14 to 1-15, and fans slowly turned off the television or walked out of the stadium hanging their heads.

After coaching two losing seasons in a row, Doug Marrone lost his position as head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The move was widely expected, and the franchise has expressed hopes for a new start in the coming seasons.

Who is the replacement for Marrone? Urban Meyer.

According to ESPN, he’s one of the most successful college football coaches, and on Jan. 4, he was officially named the Jaguars’ head coach.

Meyer has previously coached at Bowling Green,

Utah, Florida and Ohio State.

His game wins are 187-32 as a college coach, according to ESPN, and the Jaguars are “hopeful that he can bring that same success to the team,” Meyer said in an interview with the Florida Times-Union.

For the first time ever, the team enters the offseason holding the number one

overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, which will begin on Apr. 29 this year. The fact that the Jaguars have the number one overall pick in the NFL draft played “huge” in his decision to come to Jacksonville, Meyer said.

The team also dismissed its general manager David Caldwell on Nov. 29, 2020.

His replacement was first named as an interim manager, but as of Jan. 21, Trent Baalke is now the team’s general manager. Baalke has worked with the NFL since 2005, and has been a professional football scout since 2004.

“The Jags need to make significant changes after this year,” NFL journalist Carlos Sanchez wrote on blackandteal.com.

“It wasn’t like they were a few plays away from being in the playoffs. The team is going through a major makeover, and it’s going to be difficult to get out of the cellar and start winning games if things stay

the same.”

The team continues to fill coaching staff positions, but due to a lengthy interview process, the announcement of new positions can be slow.

Jaguars owner Shad Khan has brought forward plans for the development of Lot J, one of the parking lots near the stadium since 2018.

The plans are to bring an entertainment district to the area that would include streetlevel restaurants and retail, two luxury mid-rise residential buildings, a luxury Four Seasons hotel and a surface parking lot with 700 spaces, according to Jaguars.com However, on Jan. 12, City Council failed to reach the 13-vote majority to approve the incentives deal for Khan’s $450 million Lot J development. Now that Khan is “pulling the plug” on Lot J, team President Mark Lamping says Khan wants to advance his $535 million plan to redevelop Metropolitan Park and the Shipyards, according to Jaguars.com “Will we be able to get to the finish line on that? We’ll see,” Lamping said. “But we’re going to give it every sincere and legitimate effort that we can.”

ISSUE 3 • SPORTS 23

24 THE SHIELD • MARCH 2021

ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE Varsity striker goes for college soccer Charli Esposito | Staff Reporter

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unior Martin Andres Pineiros has been playing soccer since he was four years old. Pineiros’ interest in soccer was “inherited from his parents… who were big fans of the sport in Ecuador.”

Pineiros is the first generation in his family to be

born in America. His parents immigrated to the U.S. from Ecuador and “brought their love for soccer with them,” Pineiros said.

Pineiros said he wants to make his parents proud by “continuing to play soccer in college and earning scholarships to play… since they have always

supported me.”

Growing up on the soccer field, Pineiros trained in his technique as a striker and center attacking midfielder positions. He currently plays starting striker for BK and striker and center attacking midfielder for Florida Elite Soccer Academy’s ‘02/‘03 Elite Clubs National League (ECNL), a high-ranking level of competitive soccer players on the national scale.

Pineiros credits his accomplishments in soccer to his “complete dedication and love for the game.”

He was named 2017-2018 player of the year for the ECNL southeast conference.

In ninth grade, Pineiros played as a varsity starter for Paxon School for Advanced Studies.

He transferred from Paxon to BK at the beginning of his sophomore year.

Head coach Matthew Case says the junior is “technically proficient and a reliable player with leadership abilities on and off the field.”

In the 2020-2021 season, Pineiros played 20 of the 21 games this season and scored 18 of the team’s 57 goals, making his scoring average .9 goals per game. Pineiros shot the ball 105 times in games played, and 45 of those were on goal, so the percentage of

his shots that were on target is 45.71%, according to stats recorded by coach Connor Richardson.

In his senior year, Pineiros says he plans to advance his career and abilities by “working on my finishing abilities, increasing my speed and agility and my overall strength and aggression on the game.”

Pineiros may receive offers and finalize plans for continuing his athletic career after his senior season is completed.

“In the future,” Pineiros said, “I’d like to receive offers from schools in Florida preferably because of the financial opportunities Bright Futures provides.”

Playing soccer in college is Pineiros’ main goal.

According to Pineiros, playing high school and club soccer has taught him how to compete against different levels of athletes. He has adapted his performance based on their skills which has helped him advance his technique and game play. “[Soccer has taught me] to keep pushing and look for ways to achieve [my] goals,” Pineiros said. “{It’s taught me] to work on myself and become the best player I can be on and off the field.”

ISSUE 3 • SPORTS 25