TheShield_Vol70_SeniorEdition

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.

Editors in Chief

Abby Milkes, Cate Dudley

Copy Editor

Mikaela Georgi

Design and Layout Editors

Haley Samaan, Ava Liuzzo

Business Manager

Parker Harms

Public Relations Manager

Stella Shaw

Staff Relations Manager

Grace Hayag

Web - Editor in Chief

Noah Ferrizzi

Web - Copy Editor

Audrey Moody

Staff Reporters

Anna Bass, Giovanna Bettega Feitoza, Jared Carrillo, Gloria Gjuraj, Olivia

Lacy, Claudia Laos, Gabby Nuñez, William Schmidt, Rheece Singletary, Emily Wheldon Adviser

Jessica Durbin

Front and back cover photos

Abby Milkes

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

As graduation approaches, the end of our high school journey becomes a reality.

For the past four years, we have worked hard to get to this point, and now we must say goodbye to the place that has been our second home.

As editors of the school newspaper staff, we have had the privilege of documenting memories and milestones during our time at Bishop Kenny. From football season to Miss BK, highlighting the achievements of our classmates has been an honor.

The end of our senior year is a time for us to reflect on our experiences

and accomplishments. We have spent countless hours studying for tests, participating in extracurriculars and building relationships with our peers and teachers. We have worked hard to achieve our goals and are now ready to take the next steps in our lives.

For some of us, the next step is going off to college or a trade school; for others, it’s kickstarting a career or pursuing other passions. Whatever path we choose, the memories and lessons we learned at BK will mold our decisions going into the next chapter.

Goodbyes are bittersweet, but we know that our futures will be bright. We are a generation of young people who are passionate, driven and determined to make a difference in the world. We will take the lessons we learned here and apply them to our lives in meaningful ways.

As we look back on our experiences as members of the Shield newspaper staff, we are grateful to have played a small role in documenting the history of our school. More than that, we’re grateful for the friendships we have made and the memories we will carry for the rest of our lives.

To those who have helped us become who we are today — whether it’s a teacher, parent or friend — we thank you for pushing us to become the best versions of ourselves and being supportive and loving role models throughout our high school journey.

Let us remember all that we have accomplished and look forward to opportunities that lie ahead. We may be leaving, but we are not saying goodbye to the people and experiences that have shaped us into the individuals we are today.

Mr. Pichardo is the greatest teacher I have ever had in my whole life. Everyday, he inspires me to be the best version of myself.Whether it’s through teaching me classical dichotomy, or inspiring me to make money, every moment in his class is truly inspiring.

Mrs. Ferrari

Mr. Wray

Thank you for the support through my years of playing for your team! I couldn’t have been district champion without you and the other coaches support and for that I am oh so thankful!

Mr. Jenkins

Thank you so much for the support in choir! Giving me a little more confidence in my ability to sing and making my senior year of music fantastic.

Thank you mentor and I love talking and just classroom.hanging the years and don’t want to graduate would be leaving express howyougrateful in

grown closer

I’ve never really liked English at all. I’ve always been pretty good at it but never enjoyed it. I never wanted to read or write, I never wanted to act out in front of the class. However, this and

year you made all of that fun for me. I really value how you make so much time for your students and give all the information needed to succeed, as well as tips on how to succeed in the future. Thank you!

Mrs. Ladson

Thank you for making class fun and being like a best friend to me. I truly appreciate how much you care for all your students and let them know that they can go to you for anything. You’re the best!

Ava Liuzzo | Page design

Students show appreciation for teachers

Mr. Daniel You inspired me to pursure a career in mathmatics. You are a great teacher, thank you for preparing us for the AP Exam.

great teacher and all the friends I made in this class.

Thank you for being so nice, listening to our stories and trying to make class fun :)

closer throughout

for being a great and also my best friend. talking to you everyday hanging out in your classroom. I’m so glad we’ve and the only reason I graduate is because I leaving you. Words cannot grateful I am to have in my life.

I’m not going to lie I think this was the most interesting class I’ve ever taken. I really appreciate how you made yourself available for any tutoring or help, how each homework assignment and study guide set us up for the highest success. I can honestly say the best part of the class was to see that you truly enjoyed it.

Mr. J is the goat. One time he saved a dog from a fire and another time he saved a kid from drowning.

Thank you for all the fun math classes, and being able to explain whats going on, even though this is your first year in Math, I definitely believe this is something you are going to continue, and be great at as well. Thank you so much for everything you’ve done this year!

Thank you Mr. Thomas for teaching me, I will always wear a seatbelt.

Thank you for your unforgettable energetic attitude towards teaching and creating a pleasantenvironment.learning

Mrs. Zumwalt

Mr. Thomas

Mrs. Hurtt

Ms. Durbin

Alabama

Auburn University

Samford University

University of Alabama

Arizona

Arizona State University

University of Arizona

Colorado

Colorado State University

Georgia

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

Coastal College of Georgia

Georgia Military College

Georgia Southern University

Kennesaw State University

Valdosta State University

Savannah College of Art and Design

Shorter University

University of Georgia

Senior post-secondary plans

Illinois

Southern Illinois University

Indiana

The University of Notre Dame

Holy Cross College at Notre Dame

Indiana University Bloomington

Mississippi

University of Mississippi

New York

Le Moyne College

Siena College

United States Merchant Marine Academy

United States Military Academy West

Point

North Carolina

Appalachian State University

Davidson College

Wake Forest University

Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock University

South Carolina

Lander University

The Citadel Military College of South

Carolina

University of South Carolina

Columbia College

Tennessee

University of Memphis

University of Tennessee

Vanderbilt University

Vermont

St. Michael’s College

Virginia

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Washington DC

Catholic University of America

Cate Dudley | Page design

Ave Maria University

Bethune-Cookman University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Flagler College

Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Florida Atlantic University

Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida International University

Florida Memorial University

Florida Polytechnic University

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Florida State University

Jacksonville University

Rollins College

Santa Fe College

Southeastern University

Tallahassee Community College

University of Central Florida

University of Florida

University of Miami

University of North Florida

University of South Florida

University of Tampa

Valencia College

From

Sarah Seabrooke, Rollins College

Sarah Rollins College

Emmy Estrada, Le Monye University

Emmy Estrada, Le Monye University

Ally Cavanaugh, University of Georgia

Ally Cavanaugh, University of Georgia

Volleyball

Tennis

Gabby Johnson, Wake Forest University

Erin Buckley, Catholic University

Erin Buckley, Catholic University

Mary Biagini, Appalachian State University

Biagini, State

Ka’Myya Haywood, University of Tennessee

Cross Country & Track

Ethan Eddins, Southern Illnois Michael Leonard, Davidson University

Ethan Eddins, Illnois Leonard, University

Jackson Burnett, United States Military

Jackson Burnett, States Academy

Football

Zachary Jones, Davidson College

Zachary Jones, Davidson College

Maria Candelora, Siena College

Maria Candelora, Siena College

Barrie Snyder, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Barrie Snyder, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy

Evan Larson, Rollins College

Evan Larson, Rollins College

Swim & Diving

Emma Gredenhag, St. Michael’s College

From left to right:

From left to right: Jayden Harris, Shorter University

From left to right:

left to right: Jayden Harris, Shorter

From left to right: Wake Forest

left to right:

Morgan Axiotis, Lander University

Twenty-one athletes commit to universities

Background photo courtesy of Dawn Huskey

From left to right: Jack Newman, University of North Florida Garrett Corbett, Jacksonville University

Sophia Rueppell, Kennesaw State University

Noah Ferrizzi | Web Editor-in-Chief

Morgan Axiotis, Lander University

Acro & Tumbling

Basketball

Cody Morgan, Southeastern University Southeastern University

SENIOR EDITION | FEATURES 9

Senior with high academic profile discusses his journey

Abby Milkes | Editor-in-Chief

As an elementary school student, senior Leo Rodriguez distinctly remembers an assignment about calculating averages.

“This assignment is impossible.”

The process of adding up the numbers and dividing them without a calculator was challenging for him. But through his parents’ guidance, he was able to pick his head up and persevere.

“I still think about that specific assignment whenever I am struggling in school,” Rodriguez said. “It reminds me that things that seem hard one day will eventually become second nature.”

Since freshman year, Rodriguez has taken the

highest level of each course offered, placing him among the top of the senior class.

Rodriguez’s drive in school comes from the modeling of his parents and family, he says, but also stems from his classmates, who push him to be the best he can be.

“All my classmates [motivate me] because I’m in a lot of classes with really smart people,” Rodriguez said. “[They] motivate me to do well with the material

14 AP exams taken

4.590 Cumulative GPA

days. And when there are no bad days, pressure is intense.

If you have the passion and drive for academics, then it’s important to put in that extra effort for honors and AP classes, according to Rodriguez.

“I would say it’s better to push yourself just to see what can happen,” Rodriguez said. “If it doesn’t work out, you can always rein back, but it’s better to push and try to do hard things than to be comfortable in school.”

Over time, those assignments that once seemed impossible can become possible.

“Before putting a lot on your plate, you should definitely make sure that you find most of the things you are involved in somewhat exciting or engaging, or else you’ll spend most of your time grinding for classes and projects that you don’t enjoy,” Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez will attend University of Florida Honors College in the fall and plans to major in economics with the possibility of a minor or double major in data science or computer science.

“I really want to set myself up for success in the future,” Rodriguez said. “I am very lucky to have a lot of people very close to me who are excellent blueprints for success.”

518 Total AP exams taken

177 seniors taking at least one AP course

73 seniors have a parent or grandparent who graduated from BK

275 of 305 have joined a club, organization or team this school year

Grace Hayag | Page design

Reflecting on past selves

Four years ago, I had braces, an aggressive side part and split ends. I was in, to say the least, my “awkward” phase.

Whenever I see my Snapchat memories — the “Four years ago, today” — I can’t stop myself from cringing. I repost the story with a new caption along the lines of, “who let me out of the house like this lol.” Sometimes I can’t even repost them. I delete the memory and try to purge the knowledge of that post from my brain.

One time, I asked my mom, “Why would you let me have Snapchat and Instagram so young? I was so embarrassing!”

“You weren’t embarrassing,” she said. “You were you.”

At that point, I had rolled my eyes, but looking back, she kind of had a point.

As awkward as she may

have been, freshman year me was still, essentially, me. And the person I am today – who I can genuinely say I’m happy with – wouldn’t exist without the baseline of my freshman year.

“I joined softball freshman year,” senior Keira D’Errico said. “I was on varsity all four years, and it’s the biggest part of my life now. I may play college softball because I loved playing at BK.” A seemingly

simple decision she made in her freshman year had monumental effects on her life today. But D’Errico is not the only one.

“I did basketball because I grew up with basketball and I wanted to chase my dreams of playing in college,” senior Diego Dionisio said.

“The work ethic followed into school – like how I trained every day – I had to do homework and stay on task.”

Even beyond the sports and work ethic, freshmen year decisions can affect our personal lives,

“I found my whole friend group from cheer,” senior Amelia Peters said.

That’s a life changing experience that

Mikaela Georgi | Copy Editor

wouldn’t have been possible if not for her freshman year decision to join cheer.

This is a hard conclusion to come to because we tend to just move on and forget the past. Forgetting the past is fine, for the most part, but there comes a time where we can relish in it. We don’t have to live in the past, but we can acknowledge how it helped us grow.

The people we were in the past were embarrassing, yes. But it was their legs that walked us here, their eyes that helped us find beauty in the world and their strength that ensured that we would still be here today.

If our past selves would look to the future and be proud of the people that we are now, why can’t we look to our past selves and be happy with who we used to be?

“To not care about literally everything in life. In five years, it’s not going to matter anyways so just do it.”

“Don’t care about anyone else and do whatever you want.”

“Try harder! I didn’t really try in the beginning and it was harder to [go up from there].”

If I could go back to freshman year, I would say:

Delaney Riggsbee Adam Shalley Reese Mohler

What is senioritis?

Jared Carillo | Staff Reporter

Senioritis is the grim reaper to high school seniors. It causes a lack of motivation and drive, most prevalent in high school seniors.

Some will say that senioritis is all in your head. But in this past year, I myself have fallen victim to senioritis. I’m here to vouch for myself and the victims that it is as real as it gets.

Senioritis strikes seniors at different times, whether it be in the beginning of

the year or toward the end. I first discovered that I had senioritis at the beginning of the year. As time went on, my case of the disease worsened. My in-class attention span plummeted and my desire for summer freedom became so immense that it felt unbearable to complete what was once just a pleasant drive to school. Senioritis is supported by energy drinks and AirPods.

What gave me comfort was learning that I was not

alone in this disease. So if you ever find yourself zoning out, forgetting to turn in homework (but not actually forgetting), losing your care and having your grades slip; know that you are not alone. If you don’t have senioritis, consider yourself lucky. It’s a lot of weight to carry around on a daily basis. Your schedule will change drastically. I myself go to bed almost always past midnight, whether it’s because I’m watching the NBA playoffs or

just finding things to keep me up until then. I still wake up at the crack of dawn in order to get to school on time, which makes it almost impossible to proceed throughout the day like everyone else.

Senioritis sufferers need at least 200 milligrams of caffeine to get through the day. I need my AirPods to keep me entertained throughout the school day. A year ago, I wouldn’t have needed either.

So if you don’t have

Senioritis: A terrible excuse to just be lazy

Parker Harms | Buisness Manager

Today’s seniors are falsely labeling their laziness as something called senioritis.

Now that most of them know where they are going to college, they have started to “check out” of school. They claim to have something called senioritis, and they use this “disease” as an excuse to avoid doing school work.

Senioritis is not an

“infection,” or a “disease” or an “epidemic.” Seniors cannot continue to say that they did not do the homework because “they just had the worst senioritis yesterday.”

Just do the homework and classwork your teachers ask of you. It is really not that hard. Plenty of us still do our work. Senioritis is NOT real, but seniors claim to suffer in order to trick parents and teachers

so they have to do less work. Some even claim that they have had senioritis since junior year when they literally were not even seniors!

If you claim to have senioritis, you probably are just tired and do not want to do work. Maybe you are just burnt out, and or you’re trying to take the easy way around. Try going to bed earlier or eating more nutritious foods.

Maybe you can try to get work done during the school day instead of messing around during class so you can have free time after school to be lazy.

Seniors do NOT actually have senioritis. They just want to be lazy while other seniors are still working hard.

R Us

Six feet apart, Without a face to a name, A community filled with identical masks, A case of forgotten identity. Bound to the confines of our home, We wake up at the crack of dawn, Still donning our uniforms. Our learning was reduced to a bright computer screen, Within an apocalypse that could only be played out In a movie scene. Even when we entered into our Sophomore year, We saw each other’s faces confined to governmentmandated cloth They called masks. “I

Which cafeteria line is best?

Design and Layout Editor

IKE! I lied. You get review from me. I

couldn’t let the year end without reviewing the food we eat every…single…

Line 1- Cheese Pizza

Line one — or, the “pizza line” — usually has the shortest line but moves the slowest. This line has various kinds of pizza, fries, chicken tenders, pre-made salads, pastas, desserts and a soda machine.

My favorite item from this line is the cheese pizza, but personally this is my least

favorite line. The crust is usually not flavorful, but on the occasion that they put garlic sauce on it, it tastes much better. The crust is fluffy and soft, with the perfect sauce to cheese ratio.

This line is my least favorite out of the three.

Line 2- Crispy Chicken Sandwich

Line two, commonly called “the middle line,” has the longest line out of the three lunch lines. If you want to purchase lunch from this line, I recommend getting to lunch fast or waiting a few minutes for the line to diedown.

My favorite item in this line is the crispy chicken

sandwich. I would say this item is the staple of Kenny lunch; very few things live up to the crispy chicken sandwich, in my opinion. The taste reminds me of Wendy’s crispy chicken sandwich.

The middle line also features various daily specials, hamburgers and cheeseburgers, fries, chicken

Line 3- Buffalo Chicken Wrap

Line three — or, the “wrap line” as it is known by students— usually has a decently long line, but I think it moves the fastest out of the three lines. This line is particularly my favorite for that reason. I also love Ms. Penny, who runs the cashier.

My favorite item in this line is the buffalo chicken wrap. Although I am not

usually a fan of spicy foods, the spice in this wrap was the perfect amount for me to handle. It only burns a little, but with ranch it is perfect. The wrap is a decent size and does not leave me hungry after lunch.

This line also includes other sandwiches and wraps, fries, chicken tenders, desserts, a salad bar and a

tenders, pre-made salads, desserts, a salad bar and a soda machine. The crispy chicken sandwich is definitely my favorite item from the three lunch lines.

day: cafeteria food!

soda machine. If I do not feel like waiting for the middle line, this line is the next best option.

You are hereby accused of the following offenses:

- Giving poor advice with the intention of tearing relationships apart

- Ruining the lives of the following individuals: Concerned Girlfriend, Icked-Out Girlfriend, Stuck in the Future, Sun the Wiser and Shrimply Obsessed

- Not having a consistent writing style

- A multitude of other shortcomings, from the smallest to the largest scales

How do you plead, Kenny Kupid?

Just kidding. It doesn’t matter. You’re guilty either way.

We have debated the best way to handle this situation for a while. Since, like, Issue 4. But we decided that the only way to truly feel better is to get revenge.

Your column used to be supportive. You used to help people. You built relationships up instead of ripping them apart. You gained our trust and then you made us regret it. Well, you messed with the wrong hopeless romantics.

Let’s review some of the idiocy that you’ve shown in the past few issues:

- “Hide under his car and pretend to be an imaginary hand”? Y’know, I really thought that one would work, but before Concerned Girlfriend could reach her hand out, he started driving. She was in the hospital for two weeks!

- “Hit him with a pizza dough”? Well, guess what? IckedOut Girlfriend tried that, and now she’s Icked-Out Single.

- You can’t just tell people to start burning wigs. Hair is flammable, Kenny Kupid! Stuck in the Future’s house burned down with the wigs.

- “Go to space with him”? Not a soul has heard from Sun the Wiser since that column came out.

- Shrimply Obsessed is not “happy as a clam.” He tried what you said, and she instantly swam away… Rightfully so, but still!

Your advice sucks, Kenny Kupid, if we can even call you that anymore.

Your days are numbered. I’d watch your back.

With all the hatred in the world, The Vigilantes

First off, wow. I’m sorry that I took you for a ride with the advice I gave. I promise, I never meant to make your heads spin.

Your letter was enlightening. So, please, keep all hands and feet inside the vehicle and buckle up; this is going to be a long one.

I’d like to start off by saying that I am merely a columnist. It’s my job to make people laugh, and I truly thought that I was doing the right thing.

Life is a wild ride. One of the jolts is the fact that we don’t always know if what we’re doing is right. I now know that I was utterly wrong.

I’m pressing the brakes on this column. My original intention was to make people smile, and I never

noticed how much impact my “advice” would have. I’m realizing now that I have done more harm than good. I understand that in order to feel validated, you have to do what you feel is right. Honestly, I respect that.

If it’s any consolation, I’ve decided to give you something in exchange for the pain I’ve caused. My name.

Yes, you heard me right. I’m going to tell you (and