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Vol. 15, No. 4 www.cbhscircuit.com
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ROC CO & RIC JACKIN ARD T O CH ELLE AVEZ
EZ AMIR S E IN R DEV U RITK A & BE
BY OLIVIA OHAYON NEWS EDITOR
Paparazzi, a red carpet and “Mani-cam”. No, this was not an “E!” News pre-show special before one of the season’s coveted awards shows; it was the seventh annual SGA-sponsored Lightning Oscars on Jan. 29. With awards ranging from “Bay Bae” to “Busy Bee”, the event not only sold out pre-sale, VIP section and general admistickets, totaling $3,205 for SGA to fund future projects with. “I was really happy with how everything turned out,” said Paige Gordetzky, Lightning Oscars Chair. “Seeing all of mine and SGA’s hard work pay off was the best feeling in the world.” Senior Anthony Courcelle, who hosted the event with senior Drew Marsh, said the show was not only a magical experience, but it was also something that can unify the student body. “The Lightning Oscars brings everyone together and matures us,” he said. “It makes us think that we are bigger than just our small social groups, and I think [that is] something [students] need to remember.” With 20 different categories, SGA adviser Danielle Nascimento said the vast selection of nominees and presenters, coupled with this year’s new addition of the “Mani-cam” to the pre- show and performers, attracted all different types of students. “Every year we try to step up our game,” she said. “I think that little changes keep people coming year after year, and those little changes also make it fun. We were extremely successful.” Senior Jenhai Harper won in the category of “SNL Superstar”, an award given to a student known for his or her wit and sarcasm. He said winning the award was an exciting but expected, experience. “I was honored to have won,” he said. “But, to be honest, I knew I was going to win since I am funnier than the other nominees.” Max Morales, who won the
award for “New York Times Best Seller”, an award given to a student with their nose in a book or pen in hand, said he was surprised at the authenticity of the event. “I told myself I was going to pretend that I was attending the actual Oscars, but SGA did such a spectacular job at organizing and coordinating the show that I didn’t have to pretend at all,” he said. “The performances were stellar, and the hosts had such great chemistry.” Gorodetzky said she thought Courcelle and Marsh were a great match. “They knew all their lines, and I couldn’t have asked for better hosts,” she said Courcelle said he and Marsh were not close out that they would cohost; however, following the announcement, they bonded while creating the script and preparing for the award show. “Working with Drew was a great o p p o r t u n i t y, [and] he killed it,” he said. “When I got a reaction from the crowd, I knew I was doing a good job, and that meant the world to me.” In addition to the skits from the hosts and 40 p r es enters, musical perfor mers had their chance to shine in the... Continues on Page 9
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Robotics team boosts competition morale time that we had to completely rebuild everything, but I worked as hard as ARTS AND ENT. ONLINE EDITOR possible along with the rest of the team The robotics team, Greased Lightning, who really devoted a lot of time to it,” competed in the FIRST Tech Challenge Rozen said. Senior Nicole Arrieta, spirit and (FTC) Robotics Championship, winning the Inspire Award, an award based off spirit and preparation, with their robot Danny. Danny, named after the main believes the team has progressed greatly character from the movie Grease, was since the beginning of the year. built from common kit parts to be able to participate in robotics-based competi- was barely moving and we basically had nothing,” she said. “But now we are tions. “Going into the competition we were moving around, our lift works, and it’s planning on winning as many matches as really cool to see how far we’ve come.” Although the team does not know if we could because we were pretty low in the state rankings,” sophomore Diego Tejada said. “But once we started, it became Danny will be improved and used to pretty apparent that we weren’t going to entertain people at community service be able to place really high since we still events in the future. “We had hoped that with a lot of work had some problems with the design. We were just about ready to give up until we we would get to the point that we needed unexpectedly won the Inspire Award, the to be at, but unfortunately it didn’t,” highest award that can be given to any Rozen said. “If we had another week, we team in FIRST.” Club president Jessica Rozen, a junior, making it to another round.” Robotics teacher Angela Ashley said the team had worked on building their robot since the beginning of the school assisted the team by making sure the team year, but due to software malfunctions was being safe with their tools, answering they had to create a whole new robot over any questions the team had, and guiding them with her own opinion on the best winter break. “Our design did not work as well possible way to do different things. She as possible due to the small amount of said she likes to allow the students to BY JENNA RABINOVITCH
PHOTO BY JENNA RABINOVITCH
GO GREASED LIGHTNING: The robotics team, Greased Lightning, wins the Inspire Award because of their spirit and preparation in the competition.
take charge and come up with their own having all of the necessary pieces for the competition,” Ashley said. “As far as they can about engineering from creating their ability to go into the community, being active and doing all the other their own robot themselves. “They did phenomenal with their things that the competition requires community involvement and marketing other than just building a robot goes, material, winning an amazing award for they’re really the best.”
Workshop helps students to defend themselves BY CARLI UDINE
to be a lawyer when he grows up, participated in the self-defense lesson to have fun with his friends while learning proper self-defense mechanisms.
The Law and Justice club members participated in a self-defense workshop on Jan. 21. The club brought in Juan Rodriguez, a self-defense protocol teacher, to instruct members on everything they need to be aware of if they are ever in a situation in which they need to protect themselves. “I like to come to the school to conduct this activity for the students to take a break from their studies,” Rodriguez said. “When I watch them learn, I feel they are are also having a lot of fun.” Senior Melanie Chapilliquen, president of the Law and Justice club, said she cial to the student body. “The main focus of the self-defense course was to demonstrate the importance of being able to protect yourself and to expose the students to different methods of defense in any harmful situation,” Chapilliquen said. She said the Law and Justice club has been working with Rodriguez for many years due to prior connections with the club sponsor, Wendy Wuenker. “We wanted to bring in Juan to help us with this workshop because he has been so integral to this event in the past,” she said. Chapilliquen said because she is an
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When I watch them learn, I feel they are not only lot of fun.
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-self-defense protocol teacher Juan Rodriguez “I thought this workshop was a great activity that we all participated in. Not only was it a fun way to interact with other club members, but it was also very informative,” Soon said. “I think I can speak on behalf of everyone that was there, we all had a great time.” Soon said he left the workshop with PHOTO BY CARLI UDINE many lessons that he plans on applying to FIGHTING FOR RIGHTS: Junior Ryan Doolan spars with self-defense protocol a situation if it’s deemed necessary in the instructor, Juan Rodriguez. Attendees learn techniques on how to protect themfuture. selves if dangerous situations arise. “Not everyone is fortunate enough to come up with new ways to give back to know how to shelter him or herself from club does with a positive mindset. our community, while at the same time the danger in the world,” he said. “The exposing our members to everything the instructor taught us that self-defense is not community has to offer us in return.” and I have really bonded to try and Sophomore Mingi Soon, who aspires people around us.”
News Calendar General
ESOL Testing, Feb. 9-13 Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14 President’s Day, Feb. 15 Voter Registration, Feb. 19
Club Meetings
HOSA Meeting, Feb. 9 PRIDE General Meeting, Feb. 17 SHAPE Meeting, Feb. 18 EHS Meeting, Feb. 22
Events
Best Buddies Valentine’s Day Dance, Feb. 12 Beach Cleanup, Feb. 13 Chorus Districts, Feb. 19-20 Programming competition, March 5
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COFFEE BREAK
Literary Club hosted its annual Coffee House to raise funds for its magazine, Electric Ink. BY STEPHANIE STONE ONLINE NEWS EDITOR
The words of poetry, smell of coffee and lyrics of songs resonated throughout the building as the Literary Club hosted its annual Coffee House event in the cafeteria on Jan. 22. There, students and teachers had the opportunity to perform songs and read poems or other literary pieces. Over 300 people attended, and the event raised $2500 to publish the club’s literary magazine, Electric Ink. “I was extremely happy that the team worked so hard at putting up murals, the food was amazing and the kids were always well behaved even when it was noisy at times,” Literary Club sponsor Joyce Seigel said. “But overall I think it was great.” Mrs. Seigel started the night off with her Coffee House tradition of reciting an original poem about the night ahead. “It triggers the rest of the night so that everyone knows why we are here,” Mrs. Seigel said. “I feel I am a spoken word poet, and that is my best way of expression.” This year, the Literary Club changed the location of the event from the media center to the cafeteria because food is not allowed in The Wave, the renovated media center. “In a way, it was better because we had more space and the event was much more organized than it was in years past,” said Vicky Luzuriaga, Editor-in-Chief of Electric Ink. “Our art directors made beautiful murals to cover the walls, and I organized an art exhibit to brighten up the space.”
PHOTO BY JORDAN MCGREW
PHOTO BY IGNACIA ARAYA
ESPRESSO YOURSELF: (Counterclockwise from right) Seniors Alejandro Lopez and Isaiah Ampuero perform an original song with their band, Vincent Mango. Junior Naz Hussein reads a poem about losing touch with her heritage. History teacher Jim Wurster performs an arrangement of songs from his albums, complemented by his guitar.
Along with viewing the art exhibit, attendees had the chance to have their faces painted or buy necklaces that Literary Club members created. The necklaces were sold for $2 and the money also went to funding the publication of the literary magazine. “[ Br a c elet s] were a super fun addition to Coffee House that everyone seemed to enjoy,” vice president Olivia Baruch said. As Editor-in-Chief, Luzuriaga was in charge of planning the event from start
nervous I was to share my poetry
having to organize such a huge event shows the dedication and growth that I’ve put into it,” Luzuriaga said. During the performances, Literary Club supplied a variety of food from 12 different vendors including Pei Wei and La Torretta. “We try to stick with local businesses because they always like to help, and they all do different donation sizes,” Baruch said. Junior Marcelle Zaccour performed “All I Want” by Kodaline with freshman Meghan Guastella. Zaccour said performers and gathering they chose to perform this song community sponsors to donate because of the sweet melody and the true meaning behind it. food. stressed this entire week and especially during the event, but at the end of the day, it was worth it due to the amazing feedback I received,” Luzuriaga said. “I was so proud of everyone that performed. I remember when I was in their shoes and how
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Our art directors made beautiful murals to cover the walls, and I organized an art exhibit to brighten up the space.
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-Literary Club Editor-in-Chief Vicky Luzuriaga “The anxiety of doing something, such as singing, that I had never done outside of PHOTO BY JORDAN MCGREW my small group of friends was COZY UP: Murals, carpets and bean bag chairs were put in the overtaking me for a bit, but I cafeteria to make the location a more comfortable atmosphere. knew I had Meghan next to me and all of my friends cheering me
PHOTO BY IGNACIA ARAYA
on,” Zaccour said. “Performing, though, was surprisingly soothing and exhilarating all at once.” Like Zaccour, debate performed. He sang “Miss Jackson” by Pan!c at the Disco with junior Jaynelie Cortijo. “I was nervous of course like anyone else is before performing, and I was nervous for [Jaynelie]. But, I felt very fortunate that we got to do it and that she asked me to perform with her,” Mr. Montecalvo said. “I was also happy to be there because [Coffee House] is such a cool event and is a really unique place for students to go and share art of all stripes.” Zaccour said she was looking forward to performing ever since last year’s Coffee House because she realized she wanted to perform. “Personally, I love this event, and I thought since it’s my last two years of high school, it would be great to just try to let go of some of my fears and sing,” Zaccour said. “With Coffee House being such a joined group of amazing, calm and nonjudgmental people,
I saw it as the chance to do so.” In addition to listening to poetry and enjoying the food, students had the opportunity to receive extra credit for their English class. The English Honor Society (EHS) offered one point for their members who attended that would go toward their yearly point requirement. “Although getting a point for EHS was great, it was also fun to hear the stories of the people I see everyday in such animation,” junior Jessica Rozen said. Even though it was Rozen’s still exceeded her expectations because of the good food and quality time with friends. “The Coffee House scene was so much fun,” Rozen said. “All my friends were going and even one of my friends was performing so I went to see her. year.”
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DECA competitors qualify for states BY RACHEL FRIEDMAN
500
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Gustavo Rubio said. “The test
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY ANYA BERRY
GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS: Senior Julian Wright and junior Anya Berry triumph at DECA districs by qualifying for the state competition in March that will be held in Orlando.
teachers attended the district monitor the test.
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Families learn about requirements for graduation BY SOPHIE SCHIFTER
Promoting Relationships In Diversity through Education (PRIDE) hosted Informative Night on Jan. 21 for students and parents alike. The club encouraged multicultural and non-English speaking families to attend. PRIDE, along with Literacy Coach Adrienne Maisel helped families to understand graduation requirements and certain opportunities the Bay provides. “We do Informative Night in the beginning of the school year, but because we have such having it in the beginning of the year, was just not enough,” Mrs. Maisel said. “It is meant to help parents and students who are new to the country learn about PHOTO BY SOPHIE SCHIFTER the U.S. education system.” DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS: (From left) Assistant principal Marianela Estripeaut talks to sophomore Emmy Semprum, and juniors Mason Eiss, treasurer of Mason Eiss and Anabelle Lin about Informative Night. Hosted by PRIDE, Informative Night helped families understand the PRIDE, said when PRIDE start- necessary requirements for graduation and courses offered at the Bay. ed up the club in 2002, Informaschool like joining clubs and the new families aren’t comfortafter the presentation and posievents PRIDE hosted. Due to the taking electives, so we give them able with our school system and said he appreciated PRIDE for tive feedback from the families don’t know what’s going on.” making this night possible be- who attended. night’s popularity, Eiss said the a lot of useful knowledge.” Eiss said PRIDE provided Mrs. Maisel said the main cause it was nice to learn more “I can tell you this night was club makes it a priority to have the information in Spanish and purpose of the night is to give an information about the Bay and successful because parents came it each year. by afterwards and said ‘thank “I think Informative Night English to ensure everyone had outreach to the community and the help it has to offer. “I learned more about what you for coming,’ and ‘thank you - a proper understanding of the make sure parents are keeping up with school news and events. classes I need for the AICE di- for answering all my questions,’” actly what is going on and what presentation. “We wanted to inform trans“A child’s achievement will ploma and how the Cambridge she said. “For the parents to take they need to do in high school,” the time to say that and not just Eiss said. “We give them presen- fer students or eighth grade stu- be better the more the parents system works,” Sutton said. Mrs. Maisel said she believed walk out leaves you to believe tations about graduation require- dents that are coming into ninth are informed about the school ments and about different things grade about the high school re- and can help their children,” the event was successful because they were happy with how the she received follow-up questions night turned out.” that they could do while in high quirements,” he said. “A lot of Mrs. Maisel said.
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Technology grants new opportunities BY FRANKI ROSENTHAL MULT. NEWS EDITOR
Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus teacher Arleen Lewis applied for the Donors Choose technology grant at the end of the 2014-2015 school year. In mid-December, once hearing the news that she received money from the grant, she put the money to use by purchasing remote control responders for her students to practice AP multiplechoice tests. “The remote controllers will turn a mundane Scantron test into something very interactive for the students to participate in,” Lewis said. “The students get to pair up and collaborate answers with their friends before sending in their response via clicker; I to students because it turns more into a game than into a forced test.” Junior Michelle Wu has used these remote controllers in a few of her other AP classes and beher learning. “These remote controllers are
PHOTO BY JENNA RABINOVITCH
CLICK CLICK: Senior Camilo Valles uses the remote control responder that his AP Calculus teacher, Ms. Lewis, provides for the students in class. These clickers were purchased from a grant given to Ms. Lewis.
very interactive and allow students to try a different approach to answering multiple-choice questions,” Wu said. “When answering the questions, each student remains anonymous so no one has to worry about his or her name coming up on the screen saying he or she chose the wrong answer. Ms. Lewis will get to see tion, and she’ll know what she
needs to review with us.” Like Wu, junior Sara Burgoa said she believes the remote controls Ms. Lewis purchased will be very helpful because of the instant feedback she will receive. “This new technology will make the exam process more engaging,” Burgoa said. “The controllers will highlight the concepts that I’ll need to review more heavily, and hopefully it’ll
New program offers college and career information BY BROOKE MILLER
Naviance, an online premier college and advisory program, will be implemented this spring to help students with their college search. Along with a comprehensive college and career readiness solution, Naviance will offer outlets for about the different colleges and universities nationwide that are not available through current services such as Pinnacle and Virtual Counselor. “It will help align student strengths and interests to postsecondary goals and improve student outcomes,” said Ralph Aiello, Coordinator for Guidance, BRACE & Academic Advisement for the Broward County Schools. Mr. Aiello said he is excited to see how the program will help the schools in Broward County. Prior to this year, the Broward County school board did not have the funding to initiate the program; however, with the recent funding, Mr. Aiello said he believes it will
the college application process,” acquire information about post- Mrs. Bush said. “This program secondary education. is going to help our students “The program has been through the high schools successful already, and we are excited to initiate the program that suits them.” in the Broward County Public Mrs. Bush said the program schools,” Mr. Aiello said. “I wish will not take the place of Virtual the program could have been Counselor or Pinnacle, but will involved in the Broward County be implanted as a supplementary Schools quicker because it levels search tool for all public schools in the county. options.” “We are very excited to With an account set up, roll out the program and see students will be able to do things how students use it to their from building personalized advantage,” Ms. Bush said. learning goals and success There was a mandatory plans, to tracking and analyzing training session for all the teachers at the Bay to learn how “I think the program will Naviance will work. provide educators with an easy “The turnout for the meeting way of communication in order was very good, and all the to contact students and parents,” teachers seemed extremely Mr. Aiello said. supportive of the new program,” College adviser Shari Bush Ms. Bush said. “It will provide a said the program will take some better understanding of college of the strain off of her because to the student body.” students can rely on Naviance Sophomore Ana Skidmore to answer some of their college said she is really excited to see related questions. the program because it will clear “Naviance has many up some of the confusion she has emendates that will allow for about college. an easier experience through “After hearing about the new
help me streamline my studying technique and allow me to perform better on assessments.” Burgoa said she was pleased that Ms. Lewis purchased the remote controllers for her students, because it showed her dedication to helping her students learn. “The fact that Ms. Lewis went out of her way to apply for this grant shows that she really cares about her students and is
make the learning process more exciting,” Burgoa said. Oluwaseun Awonusonu, like Burgoa, said she thinks preparing for her AP exam in a more interactive way can be instrumental in her success. “This venture that Ms. Lewis took is an essential part to our learning experience,” junior Awonusonu said. “By making the lesson more interactive and involved, she creates an atmosphere of ease, and it makes practicing for our exam more enjoyable.” Ms. Lewis feels the more serious she makes a lesson, the more her students will back away from trying. “Taking a lesson that seems so intimidating and boring and turning it around into something enjoyable for the students was my goal from the start,” Ms. Lewis said. “When students have an interest in what they’re learning, they’re more receptive to the topic and they come out more successful.”
Naviance Enhance school counselor productivity Optimize student success, college and career planning Track results for school and district administrators Engage students and families
GRAPHIC BY ALEXIS SOBEL
program, I immediately thought that it will help me and all the other students clear up questions we have about colleges,” Skidmore said. “I am trying to needs and interest.” Skidmore said from what she’s heard, the program seems easy to access and can track and analyze a student’s results across
an entire population. “I have a very busy schedule, and with this program, I feel like it will save time because I will be able to go online at any time,” Skidmore said. “I feel like one the program is you can compare yourself to other students your age with the same intentions and interests.”
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HAPPI farm bonds with Best Buddies BY STEPHANIE STONE ONLINE NEWS EDITOR
The Best Buddies club hosted its annual petting zoo event on Jan. 20. This event was for members and buddies to interact with a variety of animals from the Horse and Petting Pal Interaction, Inc. (HAPPI) farm. There was a record turnout for the petting zoo with more than 70 members. “I personally love this event because I know how much it means to the buddies to be able to hold the bunnies, feed pigs and pet goats,” vice president Gaby Eseverri said. “The buddies enjoy this event since they are with their friends and are able to
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I felt happy because it was actually nice outside and there were so many animals. It’s not everyday a farm comes to school so it was really fun.
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-Esteban Lozano play with animals, which is always fun.” Eseverri, along with HAPPI Farm employee Marie Lim, decided what therapeutic for the members. Eseverri said since it was her second year coordinating the event, she was more accustomed to
PHOTO BY IGANCIA ARAYA
(From left) Senior Zachary Corliss, sophomore Melissa Castro, Gianella Marengo, sophomore Cristina Viana, sophomore Julia Levy and freshman Matthew Castro play with the bunnies from HAPPI Farm. HAPPI farm also brought pigs, goats and turtles for members of Best Buddies to enjoy at the petting zoo.
the process of planning this event. “It feels nice to know that the buddies appreciate the work that goes into coordinating this,” Eseverri said. One of the farm’s trucks broke down on the way to the Bay, so Best Buddies did not have any of the big animals they requested. However, the event still continued with the rabbits, pigs and goats. “Seeing all the smiles and laughs on everyone’s faces as they were holding or
most memorable part,” Eseverri said. Since the petting zoo was so popular, the club plans on continuing the tradition of having this event for years to come. “Being able to host an event that not only the buddies enjoy, but also members love is amazing,” treasurer Amy our favorite events that we look forward to all year.”
Junior Emma Bartelman said she has been looking forward to this event, because it is not like an ordinary meeting. She said it was interactive while still forming friendships. “The petting zoo was a lot of fun because I got to hold and pet many different animals I never held before,” Bartelman said. “It was incredible seeing my buddy, Dayna’s, face light up when she saw all of the animals; you can tell this was her favorite event.” Bartelman said she was surprised that the buddies were so open to playing with the animals. She said that for each animal the buddies pet, they had a different reaction. “It was great to see all of the buddies interacting with animals,” she said. “Some of the buddies got scared, but others were really into it.” Buddy Esteban Lozano said his favorite part of the event was being outside with the pigs. “I felt happy because it was actually nice outside and there were so many animals,” Lozano said. “It’s not everyday a farm comes to school so it was really fun.”
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National Honor Society, Rho Kappa show military support BY JESSICA RUSSO
The National Honor Society (NHS) and History Honor Society (Rho Kappa) teamed up from Jan. 13 to Jan. 22 for the Herobox drive. Donations from members of both societies were collected to be packaged and shipped to deployed service members. On Feb. 4, volunteers from both clubs packaged the supplies totaling more than 15 boxes. “These deployed men and women are an active part of the events that will someday be written in history,” said Marisa Aleguas, Rho Kappa Outreach Director, “In addition to providing resources, we hope this project can educate students on what is currently happening overseas.” Each club collected different items. NHS collected hygienerelated items such as baby wipes and toothpaste, while Rho Kappa collected sealed snacks such as Twizzlers and beef jerky.
“Honor societies have a particularly strong impact on the community,” Aleguas said. “By doing the Herobox drive with NHS, it is not only convenient for students to get service hours, but it also increases the amount of good we are able to do beyond the walls of our school.” Students who are members of both NHS and Rho Kappa had the chance to participate in the drive and receive service hours through both clubs. “It’s a very worthwhile cause to participate in” junior Max Morales said. “Spending the money on supplies is not a big deal because it’s for a cause that is bigger than I am.” Morales said he enjoys being a member of both honor societies because it gives him the opportunity to give back to the community. “NHS has the most volunteering opportunities that help me get involved in the community,” he said. “I think it’s awesome how Rho Kappa is
PHOTO BY FRANKI ROSENTHAL
MY HERO: Juniors Charlotte Yeung and Gianfranco De Castro box up supplies that members of the National Honor Society (NHS) and Rho Kappa brought in to be shipped to deployed service members. Items collected include baby wipes, toothpaste and sealed snacks.
now getting involved especially for the soldiers who give us so much to be thankful [for].” Rho Kappa member Rachel Gutner said the club is not only fun, but also helpful to the community. “It’s all about balance. Clubs need to have fun to have active members, but there also have to be projects to give a club
meaning,” she said. “I really enjoy that the club is doing this drive, and participating just makes everything worthwhile.” Aleguas said she believes it is very important for honor societies to participate in service projects because they have a strong potential for community outreach. “Service is very important,
especially in an honor society,” Aleguas said. “They allow club members the opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life, which is an experience that adds another dimension of the meaning to school and clubs in general.”
Jewish Student Union interacts with Lightning Oscars South Florida members in Orlando awards superlatives BY JESSIE CHAIET
The Jewish Student Union (JSU) offered members a trip to Universal’s Islands of Adventure on Jan. 17 so members could interact with Jewish students from all over South Florida. The southern chapter of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth (NCSY), a Jewish youth group that runs Jewish culture clubs in schools throughout South Florida, hosted and organized the trip. “The trip was fabulous,” Florencia Schwarz, JSU coordinator of Southern NCSY said. “It enabled Jewish teens to connect during the time at the theme park.” The JSU (formally known as Jewish Student Connection, or JSC) club recently restarted with a new name to better show how the club represents Judaism. A meeting was held in December with teen leaders from the various clubs in order to help them transition from JSC to JSU. At the meeting, students were asked what they would like to see done in terms of programming and trips. One idea that was brought up was a possible trip to Islands of Adventure. “We really wanted to make
the trip to Islands of Adventure happen because we thought it would be a great way for JSU members to interact,” Schwarz said. About 20 students attended the trip. Two of them, sophomore Bryan Lew and junior Rachel Fishgold, are from the Bay’s JSU chapter. “I really love to go to amusement parks,” Lew said. “I haven’t been in a while, and I wanted to go with my friend [Fishgold], so I thought going would be a nice opportunity.” Other Jewish teens who attended came from eight different cities within South Florida. “I really wanted to meet new people who were Jewish as well, and by going on the trip, I met new friends,” Fishgold said. “It was nice to get to interact with other Jewish people who are around my age.” After Islands of Adventure, the students drove to the University of Central Florida (UCF) and had dinner at a Kosher restaurant. Following dinner, they went on a tour of the Hillel building, a center for Jewish campus life, and dorms by current students and their Executive Director, Sam
Friedman. “The visit was wonderful, and everyone seemed to have a good time” Friedman said. “I think the students learned that UCF is a great place to be Jewish and that there are plenty of opportunities available to maintain your Jewish identity while in school.” Fishgold said she was surprised with the amount of people who attended the trip, expecting there would only be about 30 or 40. “In some ways, I prefer a smaller group of people because it’s easier to get to know them,” she said. “On the other hand, a bigger group of people would be good because there’s more people you can talk to.” For an upcoming trip, Schwarz said she would like to incorporate a service aspect and celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, in addition to the theme park experience. NCSY also leads college tours for students to explore Jewish options throughout the state. “Because of the success of more trips like this in the future,” Schwarz said.
And the Oscar goes to... from page 1 Lightning Oscars spotlight. Performances included duets by seniors Mathew Rossello and Cole Pake, sophomore Julia Levy and junior Raphael Pontes, a solo piano performance by junior Liliana Amaya and original songs by a student led band, Vincent Mango. Rossello, who sang “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood with Pake, said the best part about performing was being able to share his love for music with the student body. “It was exciting running around backstage and making sure we could execute everything perfectly,” he said. “It was a great night, and there wasn’t a moment when I didn’t have fun.” Julia Levy, winner of the category “Showstopper”, was also able to showcase her talent of singing during the show. “It was both nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time,” she said. “I was so nervous, but once I got on stage, I got loose and gave it my all.” Alexa Young, cochair of the event, said she is grateful to have been a part of her favorite SGA project.
stressful ride,” she said. “However, it’s all worth it in the end, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.” Young said as cochair of Lightning Oscars this year, she automatically becomes chair of the event next year. “We were able to have this outlandish dream of the show becoming a reality,” she said. “I hope that next year, just like this year, we are able to have our own SGA members be creative and think outside the box to have another unforgettable show like this past one.”
Visit cbhscircuit.com for more information on Lightning Oscars.
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Program showcases artistic talent -
BY RACHEL GREENBERG
The National Parent Teacher Student
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all students to showcase their creative lead us to.
state level on Friday, Jan. 22. the state level,” senior Suzie Fyodorov -
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Lynn said he tried to incorporate the -
ponents.’” Fyodorov said she was inspired to sub-
MIRROR, MIRROR: (From left) Sophomore Rachel Schonberger, junior Nate Benetatos, junior Christopher Beytia, senior Suzie Fyodorov, senior Royi Lynn Students had three weeks to create and senior Shelbie Rassler receive awards for their submissions to the
Senior Royi Lynn decided to enter the
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day to edit his video, which showcased states. -
dents to incorporate his or her own creative idea into their piece. -
and we went on an adventure. That adven-
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Helping Overcome Problems Efficiently BY ALEXIS SOBEL MULT. FEATURES EDITOR
Filled with hula-hoop contests, live music and food, the Helping
hopeful that it is going to be a
goal is to teach students about Sheinberg said members plan illnesses, as well as to recognize to take this into consideration the importance of preventing
co-president Jonathan Galante
adviser David Geller
co-president Derek Sheinberg GRAPHIC BY ALEXIS SOBEL
“HOPE was created for people to express their problems hurting themselves, committing and he thought this was the best in a place where there is no “We think it is important to suicide or experiencing an eating inform people about issues in our Although this is HOPE club’s said he looks forward to friend, we decided that starting high expectations that it will Mr. Geller said HOPE club’s informing others and the new continue to be an effective club members are going to introduce people joining the club as a result in the future. techniques to assist students to “HOPE has helped a lot of Geller and now we are a growing have encountered. “We have had quite a few the last, and we are excited to students who have come to us
“We hope to bring awareness to spread awareness of suicide help, and there are other avenues He wanted to help a friend who and parents know there is an has manifested itself in suicide said David Geller, HOPE club adviser. “We need to make people aware that there is something President Derek Sheinberg said the recent club meetings
Members have been painting Brandes said he joined HOPE school with our games, music posters and brainstorming club because he wanted to see game ideas that students could continues and the students will Sheinberg started the club at participate in. impact on someone else’s life. pass on the word that there is
BY JESSIE CHAIET
With the goal of showing foster children that their lives deserve to be celebrated, juniors Caroline Johnson and Selena Cline introduced the Kakes 4
the club because she feels it is a cimento said. The club is partnered with worthwhile cause. SGA, which will host all general meetings and sponsor all events. “Kakes 4 Kids is a cause that SGA believes in, and we want to Mrs. Nascimento said.
of more than 300 foster and underprivileged children in South Florida. “Kakes 4 Kids believes that if children understand that their Johnson, the club president, said. “The co-founder, Selena Cline, portant for the children to have
parties for foster children. Club members plan and attend the vice hours for doing so. The club also helps fundraise for supplies “Spending a few hours a month to celebrate these kids’
on Jan 13. Johnson said that - vice is one of her passions and tended the meeting, she is opti- she is able to pursue this passion mistic that more students will through the Kakes 4 Kids club. become aware of the club and GRAPHIC COURTESY OF SELENA CLINE want to join. board of the Kakes 4 Kids orga“We had a great turnout con- nization about starting the club. son said. “When we were volunteerFreshman Lexi Gladstone Johnson said she is looking said she is looking forward to the kids living there didn’t get to seemed to be eager to start vol- forward to what the club can do talk to other people their age exin the future. She feels that the the kids. She thinks it will be a great experience to interact with son said. “This encouraged us to Johnson explained the club’s organization. the foster children. speak to the Kakes 4 Kids board goals and what the club members are expected to do. Addi- we can make a large impact in and meet all the kids because Student Government Assoa lot of them are just like us. ciation (SGA) adviser Danielle themselves to the new members. raising funds for the parties and Nascimento is the sponsor of necessities for the children, and this club. She said it means a lot getting the service hours, it’s to her to be the sponsor, because - she thinks it’s a great cause. job introducing the club and get- also hope to expand this club to - ting the members to be excited other schools, helping the orgaJohnson and Cline started nization grow even more and be volunteering with the organizaCline said she thinks mem- able to make an impact in more - bers will love participating in
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“Make up” your mind BY EMILY CHAIET ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Senior Brooke Soloway begins her morning routine of putting on makeup for school by applying primer, foundation, bronzer, blush, eyeliner and mascara. “I feel more comfortable wearing makeup to school than going with no makeup,” Soloway said. “I think that it’s not so much as putting on a face as it is making you feel good about yourself and boasting your selfesteem. It makes you feel a little better about yourself.” Other students such as sophomore Sophie Blanco do not wear any makeup to school. Instead Blanco opts for a natural look. “I do believe that makeup can be a mask that hides a person’s true face, but again, if it’s their choice, that’s okay. I don’t encourage it but it’s a personal decision,” she said. Teenage girls choose everyday whether or not to wear makeup and how much to wear. While some may prefer to go barefaced, others, like Soloway, choose to look at makeup as a form of self-expression or a way Clinical psychologist Audrey Baumeister said she thinks that it is healthy for teens to want to experiment with their look, but it is not healthy if they obsess
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I think the motive behind why you’re wearing makeup is important. It’s one thing to want to enhance your features, but it’s another thing to be hiding behind makeup or to be reliant upon it.
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-makeup artist Vivian Johnson over their appearance or rely on “Desiring to look nice and present oneself well is very appropriate, as long as it is not incurring large amounts of stress on the individual, as is the case with some individuals who are maladaptively perfectionistic,” she said. Makeup artist Vivian John-
son said she thinks using makeup can allow teens to focus more because they will not have to worry about their imperfections. “Wearing makeup takes away some of the time and energy spent worrying about your physical appearance,” Ms. Johnson said. “For example, if someone is worried about blemishes showing, and they put on makeup and it covers it up, then they don’t need to worry about it anymore. This can leave more energy and brainpower to work on the important things in life, and those things can build conFreshman Drue Shapiro chooses to wear makeup to school; however, she said she prefers not to wear that much because she is comfortable with her natural look. “I only wear mascara because I don’t feel that it’s necessary to wear more, and it’s too time consuming to put on that much makeup in the morning,” Shapiro said. “I don’t think it’s necessary to wear too much makeup, but if they want to they can. It’s a personal choice.” Ms. Johnson said she believes makeup can be used to bring out someone’s beauty. “I think the motive behind why you’re wearing makeup is important,” she said. “It’s one thing to want to enhance your features, but it’s another thing to be hiding behind makeup or to be reliant upon it.” Soloway said she chooses to wear makeup to embrace the features she likes best about herself. “Makeup, as a whole, just brings out beauty that people already have,” Soloway said. “For example, if you have pretty eyes ters that and if you have a nice bone structure and wear somemake those features look even more stunning. It’s not painting on a brand new face, it’s embracing what’s already there.” Blanco said the main reason why she chooses not to wear makeup is to protect her skin. Instead of wearing makeup, she washes her face and then moisturizes with coconut oil. “Makeup isn’t good for you if overused because it clogs your pores and doesn’t allow your skin to breathe, this is what leads to blackheads and acne,” Blanco said. “So people who wear concealer to cover acne and blemishes are only encouraging the appearance of even more acne and skin infections. But oils such as coconut oil clean your pores
ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY MORGAN
and has properties that let your skin breathe and renew itself.” Dermatologist Chava Lustig said that while wearing makeup can cause harm to some people’s skin, what is most important is practicing good skin care. “I think a little bit of makeup is okay, but what’s more important is to practice good skin protection, which can be achieved with moisturizers and sunscreen,” Dr. Lustig said. “Some people though have senmakeup can irritate their skin and cause acne. It really depends on the type of makeup and the skin type.” Dr. Baumeister said that while some teens may use make-
up to give themselves more con- body image, makeup can enhance certain features and highbe about balance. light beauty. “If someone fully identi“Spending time acknowledging and embracing one’s just one narrow aspect of their strengths, including beauty, can lives such as looks, it can place actually boost self-esteem,” she an inordinate amount of stress said. on them,” she said. “They may Shapiro said she thinks that go to all lengths to maintain the whether or not to wear makeup is an individual choice. they believe that it is what de“I think if you don’t want to it can be healthy to enjoy wear- do want to wear makeup it’s also ing makeup and experimenting with different styles and trends, hiding anything, it’s just making as long as individuals are able to engage in other interests as how you look.” well.” However, Dr. Baumeister said for those with a healthy
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THE THINGS THEY CARRIED FEATURING MAX BERGER AND HIS BACKPACK
“The Things They Carried” is a recurring segment that examines the personalities of individual students through the contents of their backpacks. This month, staff writer Juliana Stepien interviews junior Max Berger to discover the meaning behind
drawing pens Berger always carries his Sakura brand pens in his backpack, available to use whenever inspiration strikes. His interest in art and drawing has always been present, with his work ranging from depictions of space to random sketches he comes up with in his head. Creating his own work is one of his passions. “Drawing puts me at ease. I always carry my pens around in case I want to calm down from the stresses of school and doodle a little bit. I could draw for hours. My hands are always covered in random little doodles that I draw throughout the day. One day I hope to maybe get a tattoo of a few of my own drawings.”
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CANON REBEL XSI DSLR CAMERA Photography is one of his favorite hobbies and he hopes to one day make a job out of it. He brings his camera to school because he likes to take pictures of everything in his life. Berger can always be found snapping a picture of the world around him, whether it’s a photo of his surroundings or his best friends. “Taking picture is one of my favorite hobbies. Photography is a big part of my life and you never know when you want to capture a memory. It makes me happy that pictures last forever and I
WORLD MAP Berger carries a map around school because world travel is one of his largest aspirations. The map was given to him by his father when he was 11 years old and he has been using it ever since. Berger plans to travel the world once he graduates high school, hoping to experience different cultures and ways of life around the world. “Looking at a map makes me realize how big the world is and how many places there are to travel. I like to look at my map, point at a random place, and research the place. There are so many small countries around the world that I hope to one day visit.”
Photography is a big part of my life and you never know when you want to capture a memory. It makes me happy that pictures last forever and I have so many to look back at. -junior Max Berger
LEATHER JOURNAL A journal is one of Berger’s backpack staples; he carries it with him at all times. The journal is from a store in his hometown of Pittsburgh, and since he got it in 2014, he has never stopped using it. It is black leather and covered with doodles that he has drawn. “Writing in my journal is one of my favorite things to do. I get so much joy out of being able to take the ideas in my head and write them down. I try to write at least one new thought or idea in my journal everyday. Writing brings me so much peace, being able to keep all my thoughts and ideas in one place makes me very happy. I am excited to look back at my journal when I am an adult and relive all my high school memories.
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TATTOO CREAM Berger got inked a few weeks ago as a present for the holiday season; two tattoos making new additions to his arms. One of the tattoos is on the front of his left forearm and says “Yes I’m Changing,” which is derived from a song that means a lot to him by the band Tame Impala. The other tattoo is a moon placed on the back of his right forearm. He has wanted these tattoos for more than a year now. “I’m very happy with how my tattoos came out. They honestly did not hurt as much as I expected it to. The tattoos I got are something that I will love forever and I’m very happy my parents let me get them. This is just the beginning; I can’t wait to get more tattoos in the future. I carry the tattoo cream around because the tattoos need to be kept moisturized.”
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In this issue’s recurring segment that gives students an opportunity to learn more about the teachers they see every day, staff writer Sanjana Pai interviews science teacher, Brandon Boswell.
Why did you become a teacher? I became a teacher primarily because I had a friend who taught at the Bay and I met a few people from the school. I met with a lot of people, including administrators. They seemed like a really great bunch. When we were sitting in Guidance, students came by and were saying “hello” to the principal. along so well with the students, it must be a pretty cool place to be. I didn’t just want to be a teacher; I wanted to become a teacher at Cypress Bay.
What is something you can’t live without? It’s sad, but I’m going to say my cellphone. I know it’s trite, but I probably couldn’t live without that. I had to go without it when I went to China. I went there with a bunch of students from Broward County through The Confucius Institute. A branch of the Chinese government is associated with Broward County Public Schools and they take students to China for about two to three weeks. It was very frustrating for all of us to not be tied into the world. When we found Wi-Fi, we really did appreciate it. What is your spirit animal and why? A llama. Because they are unusual, but when you get to understand what a llama is capable of doing – how vicious it can be or how kind and gentle it can be – I see that there’s far more to a llama than what meets the eye.
Who is your role model? My dad because he is certainly the person that I listen to and take advice from. I really value his opinion. What is at the top of your bucket list? To visit the Galapagos Islands. Primarily because we are studying it in class right now. I would really like to see the interesting biodiversity. It is also a great place, geologically. It’s tropical, so it has got to be nice. Do you have any advice for the seniors that are leaving this year? First and foremost, try to enjoy your college experience. Most of us look back on college as some of our fondest times, and I see some of these college kids who are so wrapped up in making sure they are prepared for their career that they don’t get to experience college enjoyably. I just want them to stop and smell the roses once in a while.
What is your pet peeve? Probably people who don’t care. To me, I see all this as training for life. Why would you give up on life? Why would you not push yourself and apply yourself? At the end of the day, biology, math and even newspaper are simply training you for the future. What do you consider to be your greatest strength? My desire to learn. I consider all aspects of life; I don’t only want to learn how to be a better teacher, but with anything I do, I have the desire to learn it and be better informed about it. What is your favorite thing about teaching? My students, without a doubt. Any wise words you live your life by? Cogito ergo sum. It’s Latin for “I think, therefore I am.”
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Daily motivation found in horoscopes BY JENNA RABINOVITCH ONLINE ARTS & ENT. EDITOR
Senior Holly Dennis knows what kind of week to expect when she checks twitter on Sunday nights to see her horoscope prediction. Similar to Dennis, other students at the Bay rely on horoscope forecasts for daily advice. Two thousand years ago, astrologers picked 12 constellations evenly spaced throughout the Earth that represent the position of the sun. Today, personality traits that have been designated for each sign are available online for individual forecasts and predictions. Senior Kayleigh Wilson not only takes an interest in her own horoscope, but is fascinated about others as well. ple, I ask them when their birthday is,” she said. “It’s actually kind of a bad habit, but it’s interesting to have an inside look into how a person thinks or feels before even getting to know them. Sometimes I notice that certain things I do I’m like ‘wow, what a Gemini thing to do.’ I’m kind of ridiculous about it.” Wilson said her interest began when she was younger when her parents would read the Sunday newspaper. She would read her horoscope just for fun, but discovered other methods of seeing her horoscope in 10th grade. “I’ve noticed that I have a lot of Gemini traits like indecisiveness, being talkative, loud and more,” she said. “I try not to pay attention to my daily horoscope going to have a bad day, it’s like a self-fulon the day. But at the same time, I sometimes try to work against this prediction and make it a good day.” Like Wilson, junior Alex DeLuca has been fascinated with horoscope predictions for years. “I have always found it interesting ple’s lives,” junior Alex DeLuca said. “I use astrology with a birth chart, which predicts the future and describes the personality of a person at birth.” Although DeLuca believes the description of her personality based off of her horoscope is accurate, she does not check the daily predictions. “A majority of the horoscope-related apps that everyone uses frequently are
ARIES
TAURUS
GEMINI
Mar 21 - Apr 19
Apr 20 - May 20
May 21 - Jun 20
Dependent Persistent Loyal Patient Generous
Energetic Clever Imaginative Witty Adaptable
LIBRA
SCORPIO
SAGITTARIUS
Sep 23 - Oct 22
Oct 23 - Nov 21
Nov 22 - Dec 21
Loyal Passionate Resourceful
Independent Unemotional
Independent Generous Optimistic Enthusiastic Courageous Impatient
Diplomatic Graceful Peaceful CANCER
LEO
VIRGO
Jun 21 - Jul 22
Jul 23 - Aug 22
Aug 23 - Sep 22
Loyal Dependable Caring Adaptable Responsive
Confident Ambitious Generous Loyal Encouraging
Analytical Observant Helpful Reliable Precise
CAPRICORN
AQUARIUS
PISCES
Dec 22 - Jan 19
Jan 20 - Feb 18
Feb 19 - Mar 20
Responsible Patient Ambitious Resourceful Loyal
Witty Clever Humanitarian Inventive Stubborn
Compassionate Adaptable Accepting Devoted Imaginative
INFORMATION COURTESY OF ZODIAC-SIGNS-ASTROLOGY.COM GRAPHIC BY JENNA RABINOVITCH
terribly inaccurate and extremely generalized,” DeLuca said. Like DeLuca, freshman Ana Olivera enough to be true. “I’m interested in horoscopes but to a certain point. I don’t necessarily think they can predict what your day is going to be like or where you’ll be one year from now,” she said. “Most of it is generalizing everyone with the same sign, so sometimes they don’t.” Sophomore Liraz Stillman believes that if a horoscope forecast turns out to be true, it is just a coincidence and there is no truth behind the predictions. “In reality, the people or apps that create horoscopes put general ideas that are applicable to everyone, creating a false perception that they are true,” Stillman said. “Then, when something typical happens that falls under our horoscope, we immediately believe that it’s fate. Although it helps some people have hope in life, it’s deceiving overall.” Dennis said whenever she reads weekly posts from horoscope accounts true. “I like reading facts about my personality,” Dennis said. “It’s like getting results from a personality quiz without taking a test, and all these facts are based on some people born within the same time span have similar personalities.” Astronomy teacher Jeffrey Rose said he believes the science behind horoscope predictions is not accurate anymore because the Earth has turned, completely changing the dates for each sign. “Astrology is fun and harmless until people start taking things way to seriously,” he said. “Because it’s not legitimate anymore, it’s entirely for entertainment.” Olivera said she won’t let a horoscope prediction tell her how to spend her day, but sometimes if it gives her good advice to follow it. “I think what really intrigues me is how astrologers can take just your birth date and come up with detailed and intricate predictions for your sign,” she said. “The most interesting thing about it, I think, is being able to have an outline of your particular personality, which results in a feeling of being more unique.”
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College decisions induce anxiety BY FRANKI ROSENTHAL MULT. NEWS EDITOR
Senior Megan Lewis has feelings of apprehension waiting for her college decisions to come out. As she anxiously waits, she worries to see if all work has paid off in the form of a “Congratulations.” As second semester seniors begin their of college decisions has many students feeling nervous. “The period after I sent my applications in was a very nerve-wracking time for me,” Lewis said. “Although it is stressful, hearing back from colleges has to be one of the best feelings ever. Receiving good news from some of the schools I have applied to reassures me that all of my hard work has meant something.” Although Lewis loves the feeling of receiving acceptance letters, she said it wasn’t the easiest process to get to where she is now. “Every time a decision comes out it is very stressful to see if you get a ‘congrats’ or an ‘I’m sorry to say,’” Lewis said. “I was writing my essays and completing my applications because it’s really hard to have to accept constructive criticism on your work when people don’t love it like you do.” Senior Zachary Corliss is anxiously University of Florida (UF), which comes out on Feb. 12. “So far, I have been accepted to Florida State University (FSU) and the University of Central Florida (UCF), which I am very
excited about,” Corliss said. “Between all of the schools I’ve applied to, I’d love to attend UF because of the atmosphere and the great academics, so I’m hoping for the best.” Corliss tried not to let the stress of college decisions get to his head so he could still focus on the rest of his senior year. colleges, I was very stressed about how it would all turn out for me,” he said. “Once there was no point in worrying because everything would fall into place. It was more important to stay focused on the rest of the year than to worry about something I couldn’t control.” After being accepted into Cornell University, senior Gabby Gross’s dream school, she felt a weight lifted off of her COLLEGE CRAZE: Senior Megan Lewis does the “Gator Chomp” at the Ben shoulders. “Applying early decision made me extremely nervous almost to the point where I didn’t apply at all. I didn’t think said. “I put in a lot of work and dedication students tend to feel like they weren’t I would be able to handle the rejection to get me to the point where I could good enough to get into their dream from my dream school if it had denied achieve my goals. To date, getting the school.” In the end, Ms. Thorpe believes me,” Gross said. “Looking back after students should stay calm during the one of the happiest days of my life.” my mentality was. No one should try Guidance counselor Dianne Thorpe college decision process and when to prevent themselves from possibly believes the expectations that students receiving news back from the schools they’ve applied to. attaining their dreams, just because there “Every student ends up where they’re is a chance they might not come true.” on edge. Gross said she feels, like Lewis, that “In addition to all the classes that these meant to be,” Ms. Thorpe said. “While the process of sending in her applications students are taking, just the fact that some I understand senior year is stressful and and the waiting period were very people may be getting into the colleges of hearing back from colleges is hard, if worrying times. their choice while others are not is a big students have the mindset of ‘it doesn’t “Since Cornell has been a dream of stress addition for other students to deal matter where I go, as long as I’m happy,’ that’s all that really matters.” mine ever since I was seven, waiting to social and emotional component where
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Where are they now?
Alumni Strike
Class of 2012
‘I basically took it as motivation to keep working hard’ Alumnus Felipe Gomez del Campo had the honor of winning Forbes’ special “30 under 30.” BY ALYSSA LEVIN FEATURES COPY EDITOR
What started as a science fair project in his junior year of high school soon turned into a future career for alumnus Felipe Gomez del Campo, 22, who graduated in 2012. Gomez del Campo was recognized in Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30” special in 2015 in the “energy” category for his work on a fuel injector for jet engines. “30 under 30” is an annual special that recognizes young entrepreneurs, leaders and stars, classifying them into 15 different categories. “It validates a lot of the hard work I have put into this, but at the same time, people only see the media coverage and not how much technical risk there is and how much work still needs to go into this research,” Gomez del Campo said. “It’s basically motivation and a reminder to keep working at this, and probably to do more science and less publicity this year.”
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To this end, most of what we do is research and testing to keep developing this technology.
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-alumnus Felipe Gomez del Campo Going back to his junior year of high school, Gomez del Campo wanted to replicate the inter-
bustion, leading him to dig even further in his research. “The project developed into more stable, who cares, what can we use this for?’ Which led me to look at this to improve combustion in jet engines, my science fair for my senior year, from
there, once I got to Case Western University, it turned into a question of ‘Ok this works but what’s the best way to apply plasma to jet engines,’” Gomez del Campo said. “That turned into modifying the fuel injector which is what the past three and a half years have been devoted to.” inclination toward engineering in general, especially because he in his family. “I guess I was always fascinated by planes and things that go fast,” he said. “The mechanical engineering part came about because my school, Case Western University, made it really easy to do the double major.” Gomez del Campo’s project led him to create his own company, FGC Plasma Solutions. Its goal is to make jet engines a little bit cleaner and help them save more fuel by using plasma. “We are working on a better fuel injector to incorporate this technology, called plasma-assisted combustion, in a way that you can install it easily into jet engines and help solve a couple of problems which they face,” he said. “To this end, most of what we do is research and testing to keep developing this technology.” Leaving high school, he said he never imagined that his project would lead to the creation of a business. “I could almost say I was tricked into it really,” he said. “But at college I was spurred by some professors and mentors to look at this as more of a commercialization venture than just a research project. I basically realized that turning this into a company would be the best way to fund the research and get it out of the lab and into the real world.” After receiving recognition from Forbes Magazine, Gomez del Campo had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. There, he met both President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
BLAST OFF: (Above) Alumnus Felipe Gomez del Campo is recognized by President Obama for his work with plasma assisted fuel injectors. (Left) Gomez del Campo traveled to Washington, D.C. and presented his company to the “sharks” of the TV show “Shark Tank.”
PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY FELIPE GOMEZ DEL CAMPO
“It was probably one of the most incredible moments of my life, I almost felt bad about it because as an entrepreneur, I met a lot of people who are working on incredible technologies and are a lot farther than I am,” Gomez del Campo said. “But I basically took it as motivation to keep working hard.” Along with being recognized by the president, Gomez del Campo had the ability to be on a panel with the “sharks” from the TV show “Shark Tank” at was able to pitch his company and its goals to them. “It was a surreal experience, I still can barely believe that it happened,” he said. “I made some great connections and got
Mrs. Bush said she had always expected Gomez del Campo to do big things in his future. “I was not surprised at all,” Mrs. Bush said. “I knew from the get-go that this guy was destined for great things. I also felt pure joy because when somebody is a good person, who has done everything authentically and for the right reasons and stays true to who they are gets recognized for something, it is a true testament to their character.” Gomez del Campo said he plans on graduating in May
some great advice about what it takes to successfully launch a business.” BRACE adviser Shari Bush said Gomez del Campo was always interested in science, whether he was entering competitions or taking part in the robotics club. She said he put a lot of his time and effort into school, impressing everyone around wants to work on his Ph.D in him. aerospace engineering, incorporating all of the research he has Just this sweet, diligent, hard- gathered working on his project. working, likeable student, liked “The plan is to keep developby his peers, teachers and coun- ing this technology and partner selors; there was nothing not to with a jet engine manufacturer, like about him,” Mrs. Bush said. someone like GE or Rolls Royce and a research institution, like walk into a room and it was like NASA to help my project take you were instantly drawn to him.”
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Record jackpot fuels excitement BY ALEXIS SOBEL MULT. FEATURES EDITOR
08, 27, 34, 04, 19, 10. Six numbers, three winners, yet millions of players. One chance in 292 million. Those were the odds of winning the Jan. 20 Powerball of $1.6 billion, the biggest lottery jackpot ever in the United States. However, these odds did not prevent teachers and students at the Bay from compulsively buying many lottery tickets. Carlos De Cordoba, Assistant Manager of Publix in Weston Lakes than they have ever been in the past. “The lines were at least maybe over 10 times what they normally are. People who never purchased tickets before were playing, and people who had no clue what it was, were playing,” he said. “It opened a lot of curiosity for people to actually want to play it who have never played it before.” Although the lottery has been around for 28 years, De Cordoba said the tremendous jackpot contributed to the increase of Powerball ticket sales. “This was the largest jackpot we have ever seen,” he said. “The lottery has been around since 1987, but the large prize more tickets, which caused the extremely long lines.” Like De Cordoba, Weston Town Center Publix employee Brandon Monroe said the turnout was noticeably different due to the enormous pot size.
“People saw the pot size and thought maybe ‘the winner could be me,’” he said. “The lottery was never that big before, so we got a lot of business just for that reason alone.” Senior Drew Marsh bought 10 Powerball tickets for his family; however, he said the money in the jackpot should be utilized philanthropically. “After taking care of my family and friends, a large portion of the prize should be used for charitable purposes,” he said. a better result of the Powerball.” Since it was a gamble that he did not expect to win, Marsh said he had not given any thought as to what he would do if he actually won. “The odds of me winning were obviously very slim, but you never know. If I did not try, I could never win,” he said. camera, but aside from that, I am unsure of what I would purchase.” While sophomore Alysha Steinman was standing in line with her dad at Publix as he bought Powerball tickets, she said they were talking about how they could spend their money if they won. “My dad kept saying how he would buy a new car, house and even buy me anything I wanted,” she said. “He told me that ‘the sky was the limit’ if we won, but he obviously knew that we were not going to pick the winning numbers.” Steinman said the Powerball was a
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WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE POWERBALL? 08
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Charlotte Yeung junior
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Roberto Corrie senior
“I would buy a lot “I would take all of clothes and put the money at once some money in the bank for college. I to invest in. I would also give some will donate some money to my parents to charity, while to thank them for having enough for everything they have myself to enjoy life.” done for me.”
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“If I won the Powerball, I would adopt as many dogs as I could and donate shelters.” GRAPHIC BY ALEXIS SOBEL
trendy thing to participate in and she cannot wait until she is 18, so she can buy her own tickets. “Everyone I knew was talking about the Powerball, especially my friends who were able to legally purchase tickets and my parents’ friends,” she said. “A majority of the people who spoke about it had unrealistic ideas of what they would buy, but I am just as guilty. Hopefully, when I am legal, there will be jackpots
even bigger than the recent one, so I can be apart of it.” Steinman said she did not think the craziness with the large jackpot deterred people from playing. “Waiting in line at Publix felt like I was in the middle of a circus,” she said. “People were jittery and excited to be them from buying multiple tickets.”
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Senior Skip Day causes mixed feelings BY ABBY MORGAN ONLINE FEATURES EDITOR
Senior Vanesa Alvarez plans on missing school on Friday, Feb. 12 so she can take in the warm sun, fresh air and ocean breeze. Although school will still be in session at the Bay, many seniors will “play hooky” on this day to participate in the annual Senior Skip Day. Most seniors on this day opt out of school in order to hit the road with friends and go to the beach, or simply relax at home. “I am so excited for Senior Skip Day and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since I was a freshman at the Bay and saw the seniors that year participate in it,” Alvarez said. “Although I’ve been waiting for our Senior Skip Day for four years now, I have not made plans yet because plans change at the last minute anyways, so I don’t want to get my hopes up.” Alvarez said she wanted to go to the beach on this day because it is a tradition, but she said traditions change due to unpredictable events. “I’m hoping that my friends and I go to the beach, but I can’t commit myself to that plan un-
done in the past. “Since Senior Skip Day is on a Friday and it’s a long weekend, my dad and I are going to visit a school in New York,” Etkin said. “We might even stop by New York City to see my brother and sister.” Etkin said even though teachers may look down on the day for skipping valuable learning time, it should be seen as an acknowledgment of the hard work and dedication the seniors have put in. “Senior Skip Day is when the students recognize how hard they have worked the past four years of high school and take the day off in celebration,” Etkin said. “It is the day that se-
high school, with all the ups and downs, hardships and dedication, and see the light at the end of the tunnel.” Even though on the second Friday in February most seniors will not be in school, school will go on and teachers will continue with their schedules. “It would bother me if my teachers made me make up work that I missed because it is the one day that seniors are supposed to take off to enjoy, and get psyched for their future,” Etkin said. “It would make me the most upsaid. set though if a teacher of an all Senior Sam Etkin chose to senior class made us complete do something a little different make up work since they already than what seniors generally have know that most seniors are going
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to miss that day.” Physics teacher John McFor Senior Katie Slattery, this Cann said this day is no different Friday in February is very sig- than any other day on the school calendar. He teaches seniors as “The Senior Skip Day may well as sophomores and juniors seem like it should be relax- and said he has no time to waste ing and full of tanning and before the Advanced Placement friends, but the University of exam. Florida (UF) decisions come “My students usually show out on this day, making it any- up on this day, even the seniors,” thing but relaxing and fun,” she Mr. McCann said. “Most of my said. “Many seniors have been kids will come to my class on stressing about UF decisions this this day and then leave after it whole year, so many will be anx- because they know that I never iously awaiting to log in and see waste a day in class. So if they their fate.” -
ure out what we did and then make it up.” Mr. McCann said he does not think that Senior Skip Day is a es kids to skip school. He said it makes it so that seniors who want to go to school so they don’t miss anything don’t in fear of being the only senior there. “I’m against the tradition,” he said. “Kids are going to do what they want to do anyways, so life goes on.”
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Seen On Campus
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Lokai Bracelets
(Clockwise from right:) sophomore Valentina Sigala, junior Jonathan Sherman, junior Chantelle Santana, junior Miguel Perez, senior Luis Galvis, sophomore Brittany Burmeister, freshman Felipe Quiroz, sophomore Danielle Kraut, and freshman Jason Rosenberg.
BY MORGAN COMITE ARTS & ENT. PHOTO EDITOR
Junior Tara Tamone struts down the school hallway, wearing her Lokai bracelet around her wrist. Other students, like Tamone, are making a statement with their display of Lokai bracelets around campus in a variety “I love the original one because my boyfriend, who lives 2,000 miles away, wears the same one as me every day,” Tamone said. “It reminds me of him whenever I look at it. It’s like our thing to have on our Lokai bracelets, even when we aren’t together.” Tamone said she likes how the bracelet is infused with elements from the highest and lowest points on Earth. “The white bead is supposed to be from the water of the most elevated region in the world and the other one is the mud from the Dead Sea,” Tamone said. “Even when you are on top and successful, it reminds me to stay humble and remember where I came from.” The bracelets support different charities and organizations. The pink is for breast cancer, the red is for Save the Chil-
life Foundation. “I like all of the colors, and I think they’re all really cute,” sophomore Daniela Schwartz said. “The fact that they all stand for charities makes me feel like I’m helping just by buying something I love and think is pretty.” Schwartz owns all of the colors of bracelets. She said she tries to wear one of the bracelets a day to show her support for the organizations. it on Twitter,” Schwartz said. “Then I saw that they had a blue and red one, so I knew I had to get all of them, especially because I like to promote the charities around school.” Fischgrund bought both the white and pink bracelet from Turnstyle because she thought the bracelets were stylish and comfortable to wear. nal bracelet. Then, they started selling the pink one, and since pink is my favorite color, I had to buy them both,” Fischgrund said. Sophomore Danielle Kraut has been seen around campus wearing the camouthe pattern and color assortment.
“I haven’t seen many people with the man said. The story behind the beads from the unique and original. It always matches regions of the highest and lowest points in the world helps junior Asher MichelLokai bracelets have also been given son stay focused with his everyday hectic as presents. Kraut said her head counselor work by remembering to stay modest. from her day camp bought her the bracelet as a ‘thank you gift’ at my life, my bracelet reminds me that there the end of the summer. is always a high point coming,” “This bracelet is difMichelson said. “I love wearing ferent than everyone it to stay balanced, especially beelse’s bracelet. It is not cause junior year is so stressful.” like a regular beaded bracelet; it stands out with the design and message behind it,” Kraut said. AP Psychology teacher Sheryl Sugerman wears her Lokai bracelet to school to think about the Yogi principle, the balance from the lowest point on Earth and the highest. “To me, this bracelet is so special because it was given to me as a gift from my husband’s daughter. Everything about it, like the theory behind it of centering yourself, is just so beautiful,” Dr. Suger- AP Psychology teacher Dr. Sugerman
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Q&A with a current student
University of Notre Dame is a private institution located in Notre Dame, Indiana. Roldolfo Feliciani, Cypress Bay Class of 2013, is a junior and is majoring in IT Management. He has a concentranor in Portuguese. He spoke to The Circuit’s Gabby Sonkin via email about his experience there. What do you like most about the University of Notre Dame? Besides the beautiful campus, I would have to say it’s the people. There is nothing like walking around campus on a football weekend and talking to a random stranger who lived in the same dorm room you did 50 years ago. There is this mutual love and understanding for the university that only those that have woken up to the Golden Dome for four years understand. I can truly say I love Notre Dame, and will be part of the school somehow for my whole life.
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riorating city that, if it weren’t for Notre Dame, wouldn’t exist. The good thing is I don’t ever need to leave campus and I am completely content with that. This is a very simple question because the campus is truly breathtaking and I feel lucky to live here. How has the University of Notre Dame changed you? College in general is the transitory period when one is supposed to learn how to become an “adult.” It is not easy, but Notre Dame has made me an individual. It has made me a person who has goals and ambitions. The ultimate goal is to where I can use my IT skills as an asset to any consulting teams. Short term, I hope to gain experience in the workforce through various jobs in the IT department of corporations. How do you feel this college has
are studying? What is the campus like? Already, as a junior, I feel that I have The school itself is considered a midsize school with about 8,000 students. I will be in the near future. My major has Honestly, the city in which it’s located is allowed me to adapt to the growing denot the best. South Bend is a small dete- mand of technology. I am able to code
and program as well as understand sys- as my dorm’s multicultural commistems presented to me. sioner. I host events and lectures for the school and my dorm to get a better sense Why did you decide you wanted to of the cultures and people who make up attend Notre Dame? the Notre Dame community. Also, I am Once again, it goes back to the people. a member of the Notre Dame men’s club The Notre Dame family and network is soccer team, which is highly competitive truly one of a kind. I have been given the as well as very fun. I have done multiple opportunity to volunteer and give back to projects with the school’s business club the community at a homeless shelter for known as Student International Business teenagers. The alumni club of Fort Lau- Council (SIBC), and have presented to derdale was generous enough to provide companies such as Diageo and Deloitte. me with money and support for every- There is always something I could be doday expenses, and the university provided ing in the future. me with a scholarship. As a junior, I was able to gain experience interviewing with What advice would you give to an some of the most successful companies incoming freshman? As a freshman, most people begin to nies such as Abercrombie, Textron, Pepsi- feel very stressed, but the Notre Dame Co and Credit Suisse. My interview pro- community makes everyone feel comcess was easy because I was able to con- fortable and accepted. Ask questions. Do tact prior Notre Dame graduates and gain not be afraid to ask questions to anyone. valuable information. Notre Dame truly Ask professors to help you with a certain provides all of the resources one needs to problem, ask counselors what are the best succeed. Notre Dame challenges students options to follow your career goals or to go beyond the classroom and truly love even ask other students which classes to their major. take. It all comes down to asking questions and not being afraid to make misHow are you involved on the takes. Trust me it will be fun, but it is truly campus? a life changing experience. I am quite involved on campus. I serve
Yoga after school acts as stress reliever BY CASSIDY SHELDON
Sophomore Camryn Handler’s motto for relieving all of the stress in her daily routine is “breathe in the good and exhale the bad.” Students sometimes have four tests a day or multiple projects and quizzes due; to relieve this stress, most students, like Handler, look toward yoga. “I always feel pressured knowing that I am competing with people to get into colleges,” Handler said. “Recently, I have taken up yoga at the YMCA which has helped to relieve a lot of stress.” Handler said she has found the key to relaxation by practicing yoga and looks forward to attending classes to have the chance to let go of everything while she trains. “In some yoga positions, you need to be able to breathe really well,” Handler said. “By using these breathing techniques, it helps me not only relax in the room but also outside.” Similarly, freshman Brian Kessler has found that yoga can help relieve anxiety in his daily life. He said he can get very pressured with all of his classwork and due dates, so it helps him focus and excel
in his schoolwork. “Hot yoga has so much going on that I have no time to think about all of my assignments that are due,” Kessler said. Senior Marisa Aleguas has been practicing yoga for almost 10 years and said the relaxing effect has helped her with managing school and work. “Yoga is awesome because I get to leave all of my stress outside the studio,” Aleguas said. “I don’t let any of the negativity and pressures from school come into the room.” the heat enables her have a more intense workout. She said it also helps to soothe her worries regarding tests and quizzes. “Yoga, for me, is a precautionary and also reactionary measure,” she said. “I enjoy practicing before a huge test to help me relax, which enables me to retain more knowledge when I study.” Mathematics teacher Angela Galvez recently began yoga starting in the September. Mrs. Galvez said she began practicing because she wanted to make her health a priority this year. “Yoga was not so much as about re-
ILLUSTRATION BY BROOKE MILLER
lieving stress, but more about making time for myself,” Ms. Galvez said. “I have become more relaxed, but I am more focused on taking care of my own health through the practice.” Domenica Lopez, Bikram Yoga Instructor, said she has found yoga to be her go-to stress reliever. She said anxiety was not the only thing it got rid of for her, but it has also helped her with other daily activities as well. “I began yoga due to severe back pain, and after one month of rigorously attending classes, the pain subsided,” Lopez said. “I have also noticed that it has helped me to start sleeping on a more regular schedule and I am having a better night’s rest.” Similarly to Ms. Lopez, Handler has
yoga. Handler said pursuing yoga has a chain reaction; by being more relaxed people generally become happier. “I have noticed that I am a much happier person after practicing,” Handler said. “I am much less grumpy throughout the day after having worked out in my yoga class.” Ms. Lopez said she has found that yoga has improved her physical stature and has incorporated her relaxation techniques into her daily life. “Knowing how to handle situations in the yoga room helps me deal with problems outside of the studio as well,” Ms. Lopez said. “Focusing on what I am doing and staying in the moment are key lessons for not only yoga but life.”
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BY CAROLINA BOU ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR
Along with a new year comes change. Whether it be a transition to a new school, joining a new organization or leaving a lifelong job, change throughout the year is almost inevitable. Senior Sibel Can committed to Lehigh University in October for tennis and will be attend-ing this August. Can has played tennis since she was eight years old, and she said she knows that now is the time to be a student-athlete in college and balance both her education and ath-letic career. “Since I was little I always thought the reason why I wanted to go to college is through tennis because I get scholarship money,” Can said. “That’s the only way I would be able to af-ford it. It worked out because I got a full scholarship to Lehigh.” Can said she never expected to attend Lehigh and found out about the school through a friend. “Originally I was talking to Boston University and I was going to commit there but then there were problems with the coach,” she said. “So my friend said, ‘here, try this school’ so I did and the coach invited me to visit. I went to visit and the coach was really nice, the girls were re-ally cool, the campus was really pretty, and it’s a good academic school so it made sense to go.” Can said since now is the time for colleges to recruit, it’s important to always keep an open mind. She said originally she was very closed minded, but after her plan to go to Boston University fell through, she embraced change and decided to go to a school she never knew about before. “You have to be open minded because
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there are so many schools and so many oppor-tunities that you have to be open to all of them,” she said. “Don’t close it just because you ha-ven’t heard of the school, you should always look into it. I didn’t know about Lehigh at all, and it turned out to be the school that makes sense.” American History teacher Jim Wurster has been teaching for the last 33 years, and he decided that now is the time to open a new chapter in his life and retire. “I just thought now was the time,” Mr. Wurster said. “Next year we’ll be changing to a new schedule so I would have to revamp my course again and I just didn’t want to bother with that.” Mr. Wurster said he is now ready to focus more on charity work and his music with the extra time he will have. “I really have been wanting to get into doing charitable work for the Dolphin Project and the Abandoned Dogs of Everglades, anything that will continue to bring purpose to my life,” he said. “Also, I really want to have more fun and play more music.” Mr. Wurster said he had this feeling that motivated him to retire a year earlier than he expected to. “You just feel it [ready to retire],” he said. “I love teaching so much I thought I would teach until the day I died. But it gets to a point where you think: ‘maybe there’s more to life than just teaching where you can give.’”
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Despite following a new path in his life, Mr. Wurster said he does not regret one day on the job. “I’m grateful that I was a teacher, more than anything else,” he said. “I do not regret one day, I would say for 99 percent of my teaching career, I was looking forward to coming to work every day.” Junior Evan Segaul has recently been motivated to start his college process. By taking standardized tests
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because of how many college classes I’m taking,” Segaul said. “But I know that now I have to think about what’s going to change in the future and coming up with a solid schedule is one form of change. Hopefully, my hard work now will help pay off in the future.”
HOPE club, a new club formed this year that centers on mental disorders and suicide prevention and is advised by time to start prepar-ing for the future. Mr. Geller. She was motivated to join the club after real“Recently I took the ACT and the PSAT,” Segaul izing she wanted to pursue a career in psychology. said. “I think the PSAT helped me pre-pare for the new “I want to be a psychologist when I’m older SAT and both tests really gave me an idea of what I have and I feel like this will give me a good idea of how to get to study.” more used to being around people and openly talk about Segaul said he plans on taking more standardthings that are going on in other people’s lives,” she ized tests and he wants to do it now rather than wait until said. “I really wanted people to feel as if they can talk the beginning of senior year. to someone and not always be afraid of who they really “I know that college applications usually take a are.” toll on you the beginning of senior year, and I don’t want Liberto said now is the time to help raise awareto work on applications and study for standardized tests ness for mental disorders and especially suicide prevenat the same time,” Segaul said. “I feel like that would be tion. way too much to handle, especially with my schedule “I feel like the theme of ‘making things happen next year.” now’ helps raise awareness about what we need to be Along with his college process, Segaul has also aware of, which is suicide prevention,” she said. planned his schedule for senior year. As colleges look at “A lot of people brush that off and think a student’s senior schedule, Segaul said he now plans that it isn’t a main priority. People don’t to take rigorous courses to prepare for college. Going into the club and the new year, Liberto said she thought she would be able to get to know people better, but her expectations have only changed since then.
If we don’t start educating peers and students about what’s happening with others and how people have inner struggles now, then maybe we never will and we won’t be able to save them in time.
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-sophomore Payton Liberto “I expected to create unity with my peers and to get to know more people,” she said. “I do feel more close with people around me and I feel like I know people way more.” Liberto said she now helps change the perspective of others and educates them about suicide prevention now rather than later. “If we don’t start educating peers and students about what’s happening with others and how people have inner struggles now, then maybe we never will and we won’t be able to save them in time.”
I'd like to change my attitude and try to be nicer -Gabriela Tirade Grade 10
I Want to watch less Netflix and go out more with friends and family -Juandi Riley Grade 12
I'd like to change how long theschool year is -Peyton Ulrich Grade 11
I want to change the way I think and be more positive -Madison Koslow Grade 11
LAYOUT BY ERIN YOO
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DECA impacts students and alumni BY STEPHANIE STONE ONLINE NEWS EDITOR
Alumna Lauren Babitz, 18, said she has known exactly what she has wanted to do ever since she was little girl. Being a Distributive Education Club of America (DECA) Executive Council Director passion. “I really fell in love with it when I was working on competitions with my friends junior year. It would not have mattered if I won or lost because I had so much fun doing it,” she said. The DECA curriculum has several classes with four tracks: marketing, enSophomore Carly Wolk said this allows students to focus on different business areas and learn for the future. “I am able to use this [DECA] curriculum to take what I learned in school and apply it to my life,” Wolk said. The Bay’s DECA Chapter brings in guest speakers who share their experiences and offer insight to students eager to begin their entrepreneurial futures. “I think this helps many students determine exactly what they want to do with their careers,” said Babitz, a freshman at the University of Florida. “I gained knowledge from this, which has made me a stronger leader and has given me an advantage over all of my peers.” The organization provides students with the opportunity to compete in differ-
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY LAUREN BABITZ
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS: (From left) Alumni Daniel Perez, Alexandra Gonzales, Lauren Babitz, seniors Julian Wright, Leah Percal and alumnus Ryan
ent subject areas. Some of these areas include Sports and Entertainment Marketing Plans, Fashion Merchandising Plans and Promotion Plans. Students can compete at the district, state and international levels through written tests, role-play and research papers. “Since DECA is a co-curriculum organization, the competitions can range
from business plans to sales presentations. They also get opportunities to compete with others and judges,” DECA adviser Danielle Nascimiento said. “This prepares them for the real world and surrounds them in what career they want to pursue, along with other skills such as presentation and being professional.” In addition to helping students learn
about business, DECA teaches students about leadership. “DECA has affected me positively. I have become a better leader and have gotten out of my comfort zone from making many presentations,” Wolk said. Mrs. Nascimeinto said she is proud of the impact DECA has on the students now and for the future. “I think it’s pretty remarkable that once the students start DECA as freshmen, they go through the program and are completely different kids as seniors,” Mrs. Nascimeinto said. “I have seen students grow exponentially these past 10 years and are now prepared for the future.” Like Wolk, junior Kiara Gonzalez said she has been impacted by DECA’s curriculum. “I feel proud and happy to be in DECA,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a very big and special opportunity to compete and learn about business.” Along with learning new business strategies, Gonzalez said DECA has also allowed her to gain new friendships and realize her passion for business. “I have made some amazing friendships while being in DECA; however, the peting,” Gonzalez said. “While competing in Orlando last year, I realized it was such a great experience and that I wanted to be a bigger part of it all.”
Clubs plan out schoolwide events in advance BY SHANTY FIERRO
Countless hours, committees and social media blasts is what it takes to plan an event as large as Lightning Oscars, Student Government Association’s (SGA) annual awards show, which took place on Jan. 29. Whether its SGA, Literary Club or Promoting Relationships in Diversity through Education (PRIDE), clubs with major events start planning months in advance, each with a different plan of action. committees were formed for the preparation process to make sure that no detail was missed on the day of the show. “We have committees for almost everything. It’s really a divide and conquer approach,” Coll said. The eight committees included entertainment, publicity, invitations and presenters. Once everyone in SGA was split up into his or her respective committee, preparation for the Lightning Oscars began. Coll said a huge component to making this event successful was promoting it on social media. SGA has its 90 members post social media blasts promoting the Lightning Oscars, and this year’s host release video got more than100 retweets and favorites on Twitter. “Social media is the best way to spread the word about our event since almost everyone in school checks social media constantly,” Coll said. Junior Paige Gorodetzky was in charge of planning Lightning Oscars this year. She said planning the show was a very long and tedious process, seeing as planning started over a year ago.
pressure on me and made me realize what a big deal this event is and how it impacts the school,” Gorodetzky said. Junior Yazmin Jimenez, a member of SGA, said with all the hard work and dedication that went into preparing for this event, all of the members of SGA were excited to see their hard work pay off. “After all SGA has done to make Lightning Oscars a success, it will be amazing to see everything fall into place,” Jimenez said. PRIDE was also been occupied with preparations for its big event. The club hosted its annual Informational Night on Jan. 20. write down everything we need to get, then create a budget for food and security personnel,” PRIDE President Mariella if you weren’t new to the school, you still learned a lot from the presentation,” CeCefalo said. Cefalo said in addition to having her falo said. Semprun said she enjoyed getting inclub members hang announcements and volved in the planning for this event becreate banners, post on social media and cause she was able to bond with club even make phone calls home to spread members while creating a project that would be extremely useful for the school. the word. “For events like these, we also like to focus on having members promote it event has made me more invested in the by spreading the word by mouth to their club and brought me closer to the memfamilies and friends,” member Emmy bers,” Semprun said. Literary Club organized its annual Semprun said. Coffee House on Jan. 22 adding many Although PRIDE already hosted an new elements that required months of Informational Night in September, President Mariella Cefalo felt the need to host planning. Coffee House is an event that it again because of the amount of new stu- allows students at the Bay to share their dents who have enrolled at the Bay. She poetry, music or artwork with their peers. said the event helps incoming students There were poetry readings and perforbecome informed of the different classes mances throughout the night, along with an art gallery placed along the walls of and clubs offered at the school. “I was so excited for people to come the cafeteria. Literary Club President Vicky Luagain to learn more information about the Broward County education system. Even zuriaga said since the event took place in
GRAPHIC BY JORDAN MCGREW
the cafeteria instead of the Media Center, there had to be changes made in order to keep the warm feeling of a coffee house. “We decided to make murals to cover the bland dull walls of the cafeteria and give it a warmer and cozier feel. We also added a small art exhibit to include the visual arts in Coffee House,” Luzuriaga said. To promote Coffee House, members of the Literary Club hung banners and posters in the hallway and also sold tickets to the event weeks in advance. Literary Club Vice President Olivia Baruch said she enjoyed planning for Coffee House and learned a lot in the process. made me more outgoing,” she said. “You have to put yourself out there to and call a lot of people in order to get food and sponsors.”
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base has room for improvement
PHOTOS COURTESY OF YAZMIN JIMENEZ
SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE: (Clockwise from top) Lenoir-Rhyne University womens lacrosse commit Kylie Loporto after signing alongside mens lacrosse commits Anthony Courcelle (Marquette Univeristy) and Cameron Valle (Florida
BY JAKE FUHRMAN SPORTS EDITOR
For most high school seniors Feb. 3 might just seem like an average, stressful Wednesday with a couple of quizzes and maybe some classwork assignments. For a certain bunch of Cypress Bay seniors, this day alters the next four years of their lives. On National Signing Day, 25 studentathletes (a new Cypress Bay record) to announce their commitment to the schools that they will be competing for at the collegiate level. The athletes ranging from 10 different sports (football, boys tennis, girls tennis, boys lacrosse, girls lacrosse, swimming, girls volleyball, softball, baseball and girls soccer) signed to a variety of programs ranging from Division 1 to Division 3. “It’s the most signings we’ve ever had so that’s really cool and something we are very proud of,” Assistant principal Jeff Nelson said. “Any time you have a mechanism for the students to pursue a passion that they have and also pay for their education is a great thing.” The athletes see the day as a reward for all of the determination and effort they have devoted to their respective sports over the years. Marquette University
lacrosse commit Anthony Courcelle said he has always wanted to play lacrosse in college and was grateful to have received the opportunity to do so. “There is no better feeling than seeing all of your hard work pay off,” Courcelle said. “It just shows that if you put your mind to something, and stick to it, nothing can stop you.” Baker University football commit Gavin Green said the feeling of signing the commitment letter in front of his family, friends and coaches was unlike any other. “I really appreciate everybody coming out to celebrate such an important day with me,” Green said. “Without all my teammates and coaches, I wouldn’t be anywhere, so it was special to me.” Senior Tyler Clont signed with Wittenberg College to play football. Clont said the recruiting process can get to be long and stressful; however, receiving the letter makes the waiting process worth while. “For a while, I wasn’t receiving any offers, but I was lucky to get in contact with a certain coach who saw something special in me,” Clont said. “It is honestly such a blessing to just be able to play the sport I love at the next level.” Courcelle said because he received multiple offers, it was important to
thoroughly evaluate each college and make a smart decision. “I was previously committed to Bellarmine University, but after reevaluating my options carefully and visiting the campuses, I decided that Courcelle said. Green said he felt the atmosphere and coaching staff at Baker University set it above other schools on his radar. “I had a couple of other offers, but I was just getting a really good vibe from everything relating to Baker,” Green said. Clont said he is not only proud of his but he knows that every signee from the Bay will succeed at the next level. “This class of athletes is amazing, and I know everybody will dominate on the said. Senior Kylie Loporto will continue her lacrosse career at the collegiate level at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Loporto said she has always wanted to play in college and immediately felt a sense of belonging when she visited the school. “It felt amazing to represent my family and school,” Loporto said. “I loved the school when I visited, and being part of a family and playing a college sport has always been a dream of mine.”
South Florida: where the sun shines bright, the party life is crazy, and the sports fans are… the worst. Miami Heat games get pretty crowded, but where was that before LeBron “took his talents to South Beach”? Before the 2011 season, the Heat had an average attendance of roughly 17,000. After the LeBron decision, the attendance rose to more than 19,000, and that has remained the only South Florida sports team to have its attendance rating in the top 10 of its respective sport. I’m not saying that all fans in South Florida are bandwagon fans, but obviously people get caught up in the hype, and support more when teams are having success. At the beginning of the season, the fan attendance at the BB&T Center for Florida Panthers games was noticeably sparse. After they went on a 12 game win streak, the fan base rose by 3,000 during the next home game, and ticket prices almost doubled. In most cities the intensity of the fan base increases if the team is playing well, but the crowd is always supporting. Even in times of failure, in “real” sports towns like Boston, Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, the stadiums are still packed and the fans are still rowdy. The biggest waste of money was spending more than $1 billion dollars to build Marlins Park, which is gorgeous, but nobody goes to the Marlins games. The Miami Marlins’ fan attendance ranks 28 among the MLB, which consists of 30 teams. Every person that I’ve heard go to a Marlins game over the past two years has gone to “see the stadium”. Even in college sports, the fan bases lack intensity in South Florida. Ever since the Miami Hurricanes moved from the Orange Bowl to Sunlife Stadium, the stadium hasn’t even been close to being sold out unless the Canes are playing Florida State University or the University of Florida. ESPN even created a 30 for 30 documentary about how the program is on the decline, and it mentioned how the In a school that has always been known for its swagger on and off the team has been getting more attention and hype simply because they have had more success. The main reason for this lack of support for all of the teams in South Florida has to be that barely any people who live here are actually natives. It is no surprise that a game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets looks like the fans are split 50/50 because so many residents came straight from New York. There’s no shock that the only section at every Miami Hurricanes football game is the student section because most of their fans didn’t even go to Miami. It’s depressing to think that we live in an area surrounded by so many teams, and they receive some of the worst support around the country.
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Brazilian athlete chases his dream With a teammate by his side and one goal in mind, Caio Teixeira moved from Brazil to Weston, in August of 2015, so he months, Teixeira has been assisting the team as a shooting guard alongside his friend and teammate, Luiz Guimarães. ball while I still lived in Brazil it has been my dream to move here so I could develThe four main soccer clubs in Rio de Janeiro (Botafogo, Flamengo, Vasco and “In Brazil I used to have to go to Rio which was a 40 minute drive there and PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY CAIO TEIXEIRA
(Clockwise from top left) Shooting guard Caio Teixeira makes a uncontested layup while playing for his team in Brazil. Teixeira dribbles down the court for the Lightning and past a Flanagan defender in a game on Dec. 2. The Lightning went on to win against the Flanagan Falcons 70-69. Teixeira
told him he was moving to Florida and invited Teixeira to move with him.
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in a league game in Brazil. Teixeira ended up making the decision to move from Brazil to the United States so he could play in a more competitive league.
games and becoming fascinated with the
“Caio is a leader. If he was around for Teixeira said. “The only thing that eases really had the chance to move here. When all the right things, and whenever you ing to be hard to convince my dad, but Botafogo, in Rio de Janeiro. On Aug. 10, Guimarães and Teixeira - Caio to Weston. He has been living with ney that would change their lives forever.
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by another family and moving to a different country with them has been an intense Teixeira and Guimarães are currently
Sports Calendar
Varsity Baseball
Both athletes started their careers young, Teixeira at 13 and Guimarães at ly years of his childhood and decided to
Varsity Softball
Varsity Boys Lacrosse
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Wrestling team builds up for states BY DREW SISKIND
The varsity wrestling team has continued to build off of the success of its nament. Twenty-nine matches into the season, the team has met its own expectations with a 25-4 record. Senior captain Glen Eisman credited record thus far. “We all do what we need to do, even when it gets tough,” Eisman said. “Sometimes we choke a little bit at the end of a match, but we always come back.” Eisman said he is very appreciative of how Coach Alan Held has pushed the team to succeed with his motivational strategies. “Coach always tells us that even though training sucks, the success is worth it in the end,” Eisman said. Not only does Coach Held motivate the team, but the players said he also challenges them to push past their limits. “Practices can be really hard sometimes,” senior Justin Cohen said. “The -
PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JUSTIN COHEN
Varsity wrestling team members hold up their district medals after winning for the fourth time in school history. The team will advance to the regional tournament, in which they placed third last year, for a chance to return to and has to beat everyone else in the group states.
to be able to leave the barrel.” Although wrestling matches are individual, Cohen emphasized the impor-
“Our varsity wrestlers are great. I look “It really comes down to your perfor- up to them and I am very excited to be on - the varsity team next year,” Berger said. With the season nearing an end, the “The team working together is pretty team is focusing its attention on the state much essential to getting each other bet- you,” Cohen said. Sophomore JV wrestler Jonny Berg- tournament, scheduled for March 4. ter,” Cohen said. “As the season goes on and it gets closAlthough Cohen believes that practic- er said he has had a great vantage point watching the varsity wrestlers. er to the state tournament, I think every
one of us is getting a lot more serious with our goals in mind and working harder to achieve them,” Cohen said. With individual and team accolades on the line, all the wrestlers will be sure to put in maximum effort when the tournament comes around.
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Teachers utilize time to stay healthy comes to the school from 3:15-4:00 pm. Principal Scott Neely covers the cost of the trainer so the class is free to staff members. Mrs. Love said she believes all teachers should make time to workout, even if their schedule might be busy.
BY DANIELLE BUSH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
For teachers at the Bay, grading papers, administering tests and teaching lessons are just part of the daily routine. However, despite their busy schedules, many teachers allocate a part of their day for working out and exercising to keep a healthy lifestyle. For the past 14 years, math teacher Kelley Murrah has run during her lunch
and come work out for the health of it; they need to stop making excuses and tive, either on their own or together with their peers,” she said. “It’s never too late to start and the only person they need to compete with is themselves.” Like Mrs. Love, Mrs. Murrah believes students should take the time to at least do one physical activity a day to
the distance of around two and a half miles, Mrs. Murrah runs down South Post Road and turns around to return to the locker room to freshen up, just in time “I start in the beginning of the period and run for a half hour,” Mrs. Murrah said. “It’s a strict routine that I do every day, Monday through Friday, since I’ve started working at the school.” Mrs. Murrah was a swimmer in college and began running after her coach enforced a mandatory schedule that included running to remain in shape and build endurance. She said although runaspect is what interests her. “I feel like exercise, especially running, really helps me deal with stress, stay healthy and maintain in good shape,” she said. “It has always been something I’ve done and mentally I feel like it’s helped me inside and outside of the classroom.” Physical Education teacher Kimber-
ley Love teaches an aerobics class during fourth period in which she actively participates with her students in cardio, circuit training and weights. Mrs. Love also attends a Fitness Lifestyle class off-campus three days a week where she works with personal trainers from Ultimate
students to do one form of exercise a day, whatever they would enjoy the most so they can keep up with it,” Mrs. Murrah said. World History teacher Paul Gorlick stays active by playing golf and tennis with friends on the weekend. Mr. Gorlick said playing a sport with friends as opGRAPHIC BY ABBY MORGAN posed to doing solitary physical activity allows him to socialize and have fun, but “For me, I grew up playing sports also work up a sweat. and I always feel happier on days that I - for exercise during the busy weeks, I feel ily history of heart conditions, and want it is important to set aside time on the to make sure I do everything I can to stay weekend even if it’s only for an hour,” he as healthy as possible. Exercise and diet said. “Playing golf and tennis with my are especially key.” buddies is enjoyable and also good for Three times a week, a personal trainer my body to be active.”
Girls soccer team falls short of expectations despite successful year Thomas is not in our district, so we had the chance to bring the district title back The girls varsity soccer team defeat- home and are ready to make it to states,” Matamoros said. Senior right back, Marivi Daza, said the team was anticipating to winning districts because they put everything they’ve got into the game. “Winning the district title was the had in three years. most amazing feeling in the world because it shows how much we have put into this season by practicing everyday double overtime and losing 4-1 in pen- and making ourselves better and better,” Daza said. alty kicks. Senior forward, Mary Matamoros, said the team mainly focused on practic- this year has been the best year by far being defense before competing for the dis- cause the team really has improved from when she started freshman year to now trict title. “We incorporated what we worked on senior year. “Making it this far in this season has in practice that day before, such as creating opportunities for the forwards by hit- really showed the team and our fans that ting weak side balls and working on our we have come so far from four years ago and intend to keep pushing ourselves and defense,” Matamoros said. Matamoros also said the team has aspiring to do great,” Munoz said. Coach Kate said the team competed well against Lourdes and wants them to trict title and make it to states. “We have been looking forward to strive for more in their careers. “It was great for these girls to make it time in about four years because St. BY TORI REISER
PHOTO BY TORI REISER
SLICE AND DICE: Junior Samantha Bornstein saves the ball from going out of bounds while cutting past a defender in a 2-0 district win against the West Broward Bobcats.
they have worked extremely hard in this past session and it is an experience they will never forget,” Coach said. Coach Kate also said she will miss this team because they are special to her and mean so much more then a high school soccer team.
“These girls have worked so hard year round for their club teams that high school soccer becomes sort of relaxing time and more like a family than a job. in this team and that’s why they have had so much success,” Coach said.
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Sugary tradition leads to team wins BY ELI FUHRMAN
Many professional athletes use certain products to enhance their performance and play to their full potential in game situations. The boys’ soccer team uses gummy bears to accomplish this goal. The team has eaten gummy bears at halftime of every game since the regional of the players have attributed the team’s
moving on in the playoffs. Head Coach Colin Ilgner said the actually have a positive effect on the players in the game. “The gummy bears give the team
Athletic trainer Brian Reyes said the unorthodox supplement is more than just
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ELI FURHMAN
“Halftime is the most important part sluggish entering the second half in all of of the game because you have already played a full half and you need to regain “I’m not sure if they help me play “After they started eating the gummy gummy bears get us pumped up and
has been built into the game plan.
The candy has become a tradition for the team. The players said a soccer game
everybody start reaching for the bags as
Sophomore Mateo Pieschacon prefers feel right.
Coach Ilgner said.
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JV team ends season on positive note BY DREW SISKIND
After starting the season 5-5, the JV boys’ basketball team went on a 7-3 The team was without its home court for the last six games of the season, as the school was in the process of remodeling “It’s nice to play here at Cypress, but I don’t think playing on a different court affected our performance,” sophomore as a team is ‘no excuses’, so we’re The team performed best when
Sophomore center, John Truske, said a strategic change defensively played a key role in the team winning four of its last “We were pretty inconsistent throughout the season, but we really found our groove once we switched our to play more as a team rather than only
PHOTO BY DREW SISKIND
BOX OUT:
Sophomore James Klopman, the hopes to repeat that success next year on team’s leading scorer, was a bit more Truske, the team’s leading rebounder, “It’d be awesome if I can make that will be attempting to make the varsity “We should’ve done better, no doubt kind of impact at the varsity level next team next year, but he feels good about how the JV team will perform without As for the upcoming sophomores who learn from what we didn’t do right this will have to step up, guard Matt Zhang Klopman scored a team-high 30 points is looking to seize the opportunity ahead JV players in a good position to succeed,” in a win against Flanagan, including four “I didn’t get much playing time this
year, but with hard work, I think I can get “The program really puts me in a great be on the JV team next year, with three sophomore starters moving up, so there
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What was your most embarrassing moment playing for the basketball team?
When did you start playing basketball? How did you get into it?
The most embarrassing moment I’ve ever had on the team was when I went into a very important game against our biggest rival, and my teammate tried to pass the ball to me, but I ducked out of the way because I wasn’t paying attention.
I started playing when I was 4 years old. I’ve always been in love with the game, ever since I started playing. Basketball is really special to me.
Why did you start playing basketball?
I improve by training with the JV coach, Gabe, and the assistant varsity
I started playing because it interested me when I was about six years old. I’ve played ever since, and I’ve loved every minute of it.
work on my shooting, dribbling and footwork techniques.
How do you improve your skills during the season and offseason?
How does it feel to be starting on the Varsity team as a freshman?
Do you want to play in college? Why or why not?
let it get to my head though. I want to keep working hard and make sure my game is at the highest level it can be.
I would love to play in college because basketball is not only a sport, but it’s a part of who I am. I have worked too hard throughout my life to give it up after high school. -Jessica Russo
FALL SEASON STATISTICS Boys Varsity Soccer
Varsity Basketball
Boys Varsity Hockey
@Plantation
W
@South Plantation
W
Miami Dade
L
Coral Springs
W
@Western
W
Eastside
W
West Broward
W
@Pines Charter
L
North Broward Prep
L
@Coral Glades
W
Taravella
W
Coral Springs
T 2-2
@Stoneman Douglas
T 0-0
American Heritage
W
Boca Raton
L
Western
W
Nova
L
Eastside
W
American
W
Piper
2/5
North Broward Prep
L
Cooper City
W
Boca Raton
L
Varela
2/5
North Broward Prep
L
Girls Varsity Soccer
Girls Varsity Basketball
Boys Varsity Lacrosse
Taravella
W
@Western
W
South Plantation
2/10
West Broward
W
@Pines Charter
W
@Flanagan
2/11
Dr. Krop
W
Western
W
@South Plantation
2/16
West Broward
W
Piper
L
Belen Jesuit
2/17
Lourdes Academy
L
L
Cardinal Gibbons
2/19
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Life of an understudy Just like the leads, understudies play a pivotal role in the production. #OscarsSoWhite raises concerns over represenation The year was 2002. Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” was Billboard’s no. 1 song. “Lizzie McGuire” was one of Disney’s more popular shows and Hilary Duff was thousands of girls’ fashion inspiration (even with her cringey newsboy caps). The Oscars were as pivotal as ever and Halle Berry made history by becoming tress award. Who knew that 14 years later she would be the only one? Out of the past 2,900 total winners in this 87-year-old tradition, only 31 have been black; that’s only 1 percent. This is have gone two consecutive years without nominating a single black actor; we seem to be moving backwards rather than forward. It’s weird and no one can say it’s not. The Oscars are broadcasted in more than 200 countries worldwide. Men, women, and children all over the world will experience this momentous night this sending to people all over the world? What will little boys and girls who dream (Clockwise from top): Junior Diego Ramirez was an understudy for the role of Piragua Guy in “In the Heights,” a play put on by AMT 3 in March 2015. Senior Edward Moreno (center) and junior Michael Valladeres (left) were understudies for the role of Horton and performed in April 2014. Sophomores Maya Hedrick (left) and Julia this Island,” peformed in April 2015. BY OLIVIA OHAYON NEWS EDITOR
With lead roles often taking center stage, understudies can be found behind the curtains, anxiously awaiting their chance under the spotlight. However, understudies can play a crucial role to the entire production by maintaining the responsibilities of a typical lead role, as well as being members of the ensemble, dancers and backstage help. American Musical Theater (AMT) teacher, Cynthia Lutwin, said that on most rehearsal days, it’s very common for at least one lead role to be absent, man“Understudies are priceless,” she said. “I just can’t stop the entire rehearsal, because I don’t have one character.” The responsibility of student understudies parallel to that of ones in the prokey factor. Unlike in the professional their own designated night to showcase their talent and dedication. “Our understudies always get a show because they work hard,” Mrs. Lutwin said. “So it’s not like they work to learn all their lines, blockings and cues for nothing.” Understudy for the role of Skimbleshanks in the AMT three production of “Cats,” Julia Levy said being an understudy requires a lot of attention and commitment in class, as well as at home. “As an understudy you don’t always get face-to-face rehearsal time,” she said. “Its super important that you not only
pay attention to what the lead roles are learning during rehearsal, but learn and practice lines, blocking, cues and dance moves on your own time.” Levy said being an understudy and being in the ensemble allows for her to experience the best of both worlds, as both are integral to the whole show. “The hardest part about being an understudy is that you have to know both your understudy role and your ensemble role,” Mrs. Lutwin said. “Although this also applies to our main roles on under-
Charles in the AMT two production of “Pippin”. Stoughton said this role is a great learning experience for him. He said with passing time and lots of practice, he could foster growth of his talent. “I’m most excited to see what I can do on stage and what my friends and fellow classmates can do as well,” he said. “I’m hoping I can showcase what I have and receive feedback from the audience. Whether it’s applause or criticism, it’ll help me along my way to becoming a better performer.” That’s part of the challenge of theater.” Mrs. Lutwin said she takes a holistic While balancing two roles proposes approach when choosing the casts. a challenge, Emily Chen, understudy for the role of Jellylorum in the AMT three with each other,” she said. “It also comes production of “Cats,” said the alternative down to talent.” ensemble role fosters her creativity. Both lead roles and understudies have “You get the freedom to be anything to know the same blocking, cues, songs you can imagine when you are in the en- and dances, regardless of his or her title. semble,” she said. “Students sometimes see an underShe said this freedom of creativity is study role as lesser,” Lutwin said. “But a nice contrast from her understudy role, once they realize that they get their night where she plays a mature, motherly cat. to be a lead character, they see the posi“I’m seen as the kind caretaker,” Wen title.” long dance numbers and wordy songs, so The understudy shows are on March it’s been a fun challenge to juggle all that 11 for the AMT three production of while being a cat.” “Cats,” April 14 for the AMT two proMrs. Lutwin said a lead role can be a duction of “Pippin” and April 7 for the big responsibility and that sometimes stu- AMT one production of “Shrek.” dents get disappointed when they get an “I am excited for that jittery feeling understudy part. right before the show and the camaraderie “Even though I didn’t do well enough that [the cast] forms,” Wen said. “We’re to get the full role, being an understudy bound to cry when the curtains fall on our lets me see that if I try a little harder next last show day, regardless of role.” time, I can land a main role for sure,” said Nate Stoughton, understudy for role of
when they do not see themselves represented on stage? If people of color don’t see themselves represented at one of the most prestigious awards in the entertainment industry, their dream becomes impossible, thus detaining minority success. The Academy has said that it is time for them to reevaluate who its members are and that perhaps it is time to increase diversity in its membership. The Academy is 98 percent white and 74 percent male, which is not representative of the general population. Fifty-one percent of moviegoers are black, and movies with a diverse cast, such as “Straight Outta Compton,” which brought in $200.4 milof the top grossing movies of the year. Even movies about black lives, such as “Straight Outta Compton” and “Creed,” only receive praise based on their white writers and white actors. Let’s pretend for a moment that this is not an explicit act of racism, but that there are implicit biases in place affecting the Academy (which isn’t necessarily the case). This is what makes this conversation important. We need to be aware of our implicit and subconscious prejudices and we need to work towards dismantling this racism that is so pervasive that we don’t even know it’s happening. Pop culture, whether you like it or not, the issues that we are facing today and presents them in an easily digestible form so that we can understand them, which explains why late night shows, such as “Last Week Tonight” are so popular. The Oscars are only a microcosm of what today’s society is truly like; it only proves that our society is based on institutionalized racism. This is an issue of monumental importance, and while it is great that the #OscarsSoWhite trend has drawn attention to this problem, it is one that should be addressed 365 days a year.
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Thrift shopping inspires individuality Senior Lacey Larson began thrift er brother at the age of 14 looking for records and old books. Now, at 18 years old, she continues the tradition. -
one-of-a-kind stuff and it’s a great feelly,” senior Kayleigh Wilson said. Wilson believes that the surge in -
nice sense of individuality.” Junior Camila Lim Hing said she has -
it the best. “Shirts start sometimes from $0.99 and knit sweaters from $2.99. It’s an incredible deal for a student budget,” Lim working a minimum wage job.” Senior Lacey Larson also said thrift with a lot of deals by the day or week. “Salvation Army has ‘Wacky Wednesdays’ where everything is usucause the traditional mall usually has the same kind of generic clothing. esting because looking at different styles is more of a challenge to see what you can robe” Larson said. said is another advantage. cause someone might like them and buy them,” Wilson said.
out. ‘vintage’ clothing because it has an old feel and can only be found in thrift stores, not malls,” Lim Hing said. -
ciate anything. But some thrift stores buy in a good condition. “From clothes to silverware, and even Lim Hing said.
GRAPHIC BY LARA FINAN
AMC Weston 8 renovations modernize old theater movies. Freshman Sydney Saul no longer has many shows sell out regularly,” he said. to factor in the time it takes to buy her sellouts in the old theaters: ‘Minions’ and when going to the movies. ‘The Avengers.’” The AMC Weston 8 movie theater has The large transformation was made been undergoing renovations since the due to the change in owners; now the thesummer of 2015 and created a new sys- ater is American-Multi Cinema (AMC) owned, before, it was family-owned by “[The renovations] changed nearly evmaker, reclining seats, a bar and CocaCola freestyle machines. “The renovated movie theater makes the new seat reservation system,” Alegria it so much fun to see movies, because I’m so much more comfortable whenever I ed the funds necessary to make the badly see a movie,” Saul said. “It is now a relax- needed renovations.” Before the renovations, Saul said she went to the movies a decent amount, but ater, but he has to work harder due to the higher standards of the facility. “I am very glad they renovated and they changed every square inch of the I watch movies, so usually I resort to theater,” he said. “It really looks great, but now that means that we will have more movies come out, but now since the seats guests and I actually have to work.” and theaters are more comfortable I want Alegria, a junior, who worked before to see movies when they actually come the makeover said, theaters were gener- out.” -
A&E calendar Concerts
Movies
PHOTO BY ALEXIS SOBEL
MOVIE MADNESS: Moviegoers line up to purchase snacks at the newly renovated theatre. AMC Weston 8 opened in the summer of 2015. As part of the new system, attendees have to choose their seats beforehand.
movie. “I never have to rush to the theatre or worry about not getting a good seat anymore,” she said. “But all [the renovations are] great. It was so smart to do them, because they get so much more business than they did before.” Junior Adam Stermer said he enjoys going to the movies in his free time. “When I heard Weston 8 was being uct would look as good as it does now,” he said. “The renovations are awesome, and
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I have not seen that movie theater look that good in years.” Stermer took advantage of all the new technologies when he saw “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” over winter break.
ing the movie, I adjusted my seat, so I was comfortable, rested my feet on the foot
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Comic Con brings characters to life BY CAMILA ZIADI ARTS & ENT. EDITOR
Cosplaying,
celebrity
Q&A’s,
don’t begin to describe the experience that is Magic City Comic Con. The second annual convention took place from Jan. 15-17 at the Miami Airport Convention Center. Comic Con was an intense threeday event, running from 10:30 a.m. until 2 a.m. on the weekend and earlier on Friday. The exhibition room, where comic con goers could shop, was continuously packed at all hours of the day and provided an unbelievable selection of products, including Marvel and DC original comic books, TV-show themed t-shirts (including “Adventure Time,” “The Vampire Diaries,” “Game of Thrones,” etc.), anime and specialty jewelry. Especially interesting were the signed pair of underwear Barry Bostwick, who plays Brad in the original 1975 version of “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” was selling. Although the selection provided something for everyone and the products sold were unique, the exhibition room was disorganized and very maze-like, making it
PHOTOS BY CAMILA ZIADI
COMICAL FUN: (Left) Barry Bostwick, who played Brad in the original “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” participated in an hour long Q&A, along with two other cast members, Patricia Quinn (Magenta) and “Little” Nell Campell (Columbia). (Right) A cosplayer at this annual event dressed up as his favorite character, Deadpool.
From Bill Nye “The Science Guy” to Finn Jones and Kristian Naris (Hodor and Ser Loras Tyrell in “Game of Thrones”) to Brent Spiner (the original Lieutenant Commander Data in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”), the convention offered an impressive guest list, many of which participated in 45 minute long Q&A’s on different days. Barry products were on the Bostwick, Patricia Quinn expensive side, where a (Magenta), and Little Nell simple t-shirt could cost upwards of $20. The exhibition room, (Columbia) participated in the “Rocky however, did allow fans to meet their Horror Picture Show” reunion, where favorite comic book authors and voice they spent an hour talking about their actors, including Irene Bedard, the voice movie, bickering with one another, and of Pocahontas.
criticizing other cast members. All Q&A’s were comedic, particularly Brent Spiner, who couldn’t go more than two minutes without cracking a joke. After the chaotic exhibition room, the Q&A’s in the Main Events Stage were the complete antithesis. Fans were able to sit back and laugh as their favorite stars answered some of their most pressing questions. However, some Q&A’s were cancelled, which led to too much downtime and refrained fans from fully enjoying themselves. One of the best parts about this event, perhaps, is the cosplayers. Comic Con would not be Comic Con without cosplayers. Cosplay, or costume play, is when participants, called cosplayers,
There was an abundance of Deadpools, Spider-mans, and Jokers, but just as with the diverse guest list, there was an equally diverse amount of costumes. Many comic and anime characters put their own spin on the costumes, making them even more interesting to see. Comic Con is a tiring event, and the food provided was expensive and of poor quality, but snacks are allowed in. From the moment one enters the convention center, there is a positive and welcoming aura, and all comic con goers were there to help each other have a great experience. Even for those who aren’t comic book and anime fans, the Magic City Comic Con is a great experience and offers something for everyone.
The circuiT recommends “Cool Blue” The Japanese House INDIE
A soft song with quiet, yet moving melodies as well as soothing harmonies mixed in.
“All I Really Need (Regulated Edition)” Vindata ft. Kenzie May PROGRESSIVE HOUSE
A personalized spin on the sad, slow song by Vindata, “All I Really Need” has been customized into a beautiful anthem for house music, with a fantastic beat drop and ultra satisfying transitions.
“Bite”
Troye Sivan INDIE POP
A smooth, light beat and sweet, yet melancholy lyrics give “Bite” a unique sound, especially with its echo-y, reverberating vocals.
“Girlfriend”
An ongoing feature that includes lesser known songs by popular artists and songs from up and coming artists. This month’s playlist was compiled by Jordan McGrew.
Rytmeklubben EDM
An infectious and addicting song by Norwegian band Rytmeklubben is perfect for getting up and dancing. Filled with happy, pop beats, “Girlfriend” has become an icebreaker for the techno-pop movement, building on boy band lyrics and bubbly percussions.
“Truly” Mark Redito (FKA Spazzkid) ft. Sarah Bonito J-POP
Fun, cute,and energetic are all words that perfectly describe “Truly.” As the song tells a story about falling in love, the hit by Redito, this track encompasses everything a good, uplifting song should have.
“Amenamy” Purity Ring SYNTH POP Ominous synth-pop song, “Amenamy,” is one of the crown jewels on Purity Ring’s 2012 album, “Shrines.” This track is marked lyricism that is both enchanting and haunting all at once.
“Blue Lights”
Jorja Smith R&B
Introspective and quick-witted, “Blue Lights” is a refreshingly intelligent song about the trials of growing up in a town full of police, crime, and boredom. A perceptive insight into the life of the artist, with a cool beat and beautiful vocals, Smith captivates and pulls in her audience with this track.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
FEBRUARY 2016
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Romantic Reviews
The Circuit’s staff reviews romantic movies in time for Valentine’s Day. “A Walk to Remember”
“The Notebook”
BY MONTSE MOLINA
BY EMILY CHAIET ONLINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Filled with drama, laughter, tears and romance, “The Notebook” is the perfect Valentine’s Day movie for those who enjoy a classic love story. The unforgettable romance between Noah and Allie has led this movie to become a cult favorite, especially because of its unforgettable characters and amazing cast. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, the story revolves around Noah (Ryan Gosling) and Allie (Rachel McAdams), two teens that come from different worlds, yet tells how Noah Calhoun, a poor mill worker in South Carolina and the wealthy Allie Hamilton develop a romance. The couple begins their summer love affair only to have it torn apart by Allie’s parents, who disapprove of Noah. Gosling and McAdam’s acting and chemistry make the love between Noah Adams and Gosling perform with emotion and passion. The acting performed by the elder Noah (James Garner) and the elder Allie (Gena Rowlands) is equally as fantastic. “The Notebook” is the perfect romance movie, providing its audience with an engag-
“Love Actually”
“A Walk to Remember” is a poignant and moving tale of the love between two high school idealized romance between teenagers that is unlikely to occur today, its inspirational story is heart-warming and powerful. Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore) is a religious and smart girl focused on doing well in school while Landon Carter (Shane West) is the school’s bad boy, always taking it upon himself to mock Jamie. As punishment for an initiation ritual that involved underage drinking and a teenage boy jumping into a river from a scaffold, Landon is sentenced to join the school play as part of his punishment. Landon recruits Jamie’s help, whose only condition is to not fall in love with her. The connection Moore and West share on-screen makes the love between their characters seem real. “A Walk to Remember” takes on a modern spin of the classic 1970s “Love Story,” which follows the same premise and has a similar ending; however, contrary to “Love Story,” “A Walk to Remember” is more engaging and genuine, and the use of teenage characters (rather than adults) makes the movie more relatable. This romantic story has a predictable ending, but what makes the movie so enjoyable is the hopeful love that Jamie and Landon share. “A Walk to tine’s Day, its touching story is a must-see.
“10 Things I Hate About You” BY ERICA LACHMAN
BY ALYSSA LEVIN FEATURES COPY EDITOR
“Love Actually” is a funny and quirky comedy-drama that follows nine different couples while exploring the complexities of love. Although “Love Actually” was released timeless movie that is ideal for Valentine’s Day due to the romantic stories it follows. The ingly disconnected, but end up being intertwined. The constant transitioning between the nine stories was disorganized and made The loose ends are all tied up a bit hastily, but it does allow the movie to come together nicely. The cast, especially Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson, effortlessly portrayed each of their roles, thus making the movie all the more enjoyable and realistic. At a little over two hours, the movie tends to drag ing Colin Firth and his maid (Lúcia Moniz). Each story is supposed to provide a different lesson about love, but many become sappy and redundant. This rom-com is dramatic, funny, and light-hearted, making it a beloved holiday classic, and not just on Christmas. “Love Actually” is slightly unrealistic in its portrayal of love, but the happy endings make it a cute movie for a laid-back Valentine’s Day.
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”
“10 Things I Hate About You,” released in 1999, is a timeless romantic comedy. Altold in such a charming way that it is impossible not to want to watch it again and again. The movie follows the lives of two sisters in high school, Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) and her older sister Kat Stratford (Julie Stiles). Sophomore Bianca is ready to date the cocky Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan), but her overprotective father won’t allow it until senior Kat dates. Knowing this, Joey enlists the help of the school’s most notable bad boy, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger) to date Kat, who is helped by Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the nerdy boy also interested in dating Bianca. Although this movie comes across as the typical romance movie, with a plot very similar to “She’s All That,” the actors put a new and unique perspective on their roles. Ledger and Stiles share an on screen chemistry that gives the movie a unique quality not found in stereotypical high school dramas. Kids will enjoy the simple plot of the movie while older viewers will be able to laugh at the crude, more mature references. Through the toils of teenage love, Kat and Patrick’s relationship teaches important lessons about life and love. “10 Things I Hate About You” is the perfect movie for an entertaining and comedic Valentine’s Day.
“Pretty Woman”
BY CASSIDY SHELDON
BY WANDA MORA
“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” is the ideal, able ending, but is still enjoyable to watch because of the clever comebacks and undeniable love connection between the characters. Andie Anderson (Kate Hudson) is a typical journalist who is sick of her beat article “How to” for Composure magazine. As her last article, she creates the masterpiece on how to lose a guy in 10 days. Hudson’s energetic acting and humor help to disguise the foreseeable conclusion. Matthew McConaughey’s portrayal of Benjamin Barry is “alright, alright, alright,” through his superb acting as a charming
an unconventional romance, “Pretty Woman” provides an outstanding original plot that focuses on how two individuals can fall in love and overcome their differences in social classes. When wealthy businessman Edward (Richard Gere) gets lost on his way to a business trip in L.A., he comes across a Hollywood prostitute named Vivian (Julia Roberts) while looking for directions. Taking an interest to her, he hires her for the whole week. As the two get closer, they try to bridge the gap between their very different worlds. This movie captures the aspects of the differences between Vivian and Edward’s worlds by highlighting the contrast in their manners. The chemistry between Gere and Roberts is incredible, and the smart dialog that comes along with
that he can make any woman love him in 10 days. When Benjamin and Andie collide, sparks between the two are quite obvious, but exaggerated and longer than it needs to be. Although the dialogue was entertaining and comical, it could have been a much shorter movie. With amusing wit and a tangible love connection, the movie is an entertaining rom-com for any hopeless romantic.
holds the basic plotline every rom-com has, causing it to be very predictable at the Valentine’s Day.
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Thespians prepare for state festival them until they are even better than before so that they will be ready to be performed and judged at the state level,” Duque said. Around 9000-10000 students from 15 districts throughout Florida will meet in Tampa for the state competition. “What I’m most looking forward to at States is just being immersed in theatre for a week. States is very cool in the sense that you spend a week in a city full of teenagers, and even professionals, that have the same passion and appreciation for theatre and performing that you do,” Duque said. Trench feels bittersweet about states
BY GILLIAN D’ONOFRIO OPINION COPY EDITOR
The Drama Club put on a “Night of One Acts” on Jan. 5 as a fundraising event that will go toward their trip to the Florida State Thespian competition in Tampa from March 16-19. Thirty-seven Drama Club members received the highest ranking of superior on their pieces at districts and qualify to go to states. “I am so incredibly pleased with the students this year. We always have around 20 superiors but we have never had 37 students going to states,” Drama Club sponsor Cynthia Lutwin said. Ms. Lutwin said the Drama Club decided to use the “Night of One Acts” funds toward states because of how expensive the competition is. “States is going to cost these students about $450 a person, which is a lot,” Ms. Lutwin said. “We probably only raised around $100 from the ‘Night of One Acts’ but every little bit makes a difference.” Drama Club members performed a show with only one act from the District competition, called “Emotional Creature.” The performance was 35 minutes straight through, with only six roles. “We usually have a ‘Night of One Acts’ in order to prepare the students for the competition and give them some sort of practice beforehand,” Ms. Lutwin said. Junior Alejandra Duque, who played the part of Girl No. 6, felt that the “Night of One Acts” was a learning experience
“I have been to states every year since sophomore year, being that freshmen PHOTO SUBMITTED BY MAGALI TRENCH
ACT SURPRISED: Drama Club members won Critics Choice for their large group musical piece at the Florida Thespians District competition. Thirty-seven
for herself and the other actors involved. “The American Musical Theatre [AMT] shows always have a very big cast so that means working and cooperation with a lot of different people, but our one act was a cast of only six girls so I think we all developed closer relationships and a stricter work ethic in the process of putting together our show,” Duque said. Drama Club co-president, senior Magali Trench who played Girl No. 4, felt it was an opportunity to prove the hard work and dedication that acting takes.
“We took that night as a chance to show friends and family what we had been working on for the past few months competition the following day,” she said. Duque went to states last year as an observer, but is extremely excited to get the chance to compete this year. “We perform the same pieces at states as we received superior on at districts. Since it has been a couple of months since we have rehearsed our pieces, all of us are going to have to get together and practice
of the best weeks of the year for sure,” Trench said. “I am just looking forward to taking workshops, dressing up like our troupe always does and really just being with my closest friends and performing one last time.” Ms. Lutwin thinks of states not as a competition, but as an opportunity for her students to learn more about acting. “It is amazing to be surrounded by such talented teenagers from throughout the country. My students get the chance to see different styles of acting and are able to expand their knowledge of drama to the next level. It truly is a priceless experience,” Ms. Lutwin said.
compare to past music lates between clean and electric vocals, but remains soft in his singing. His new music differs from the stronger tones in his earlier albums, such as in the 1972 album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars.” In his song, neled his inner Rod Stewart with his raspier vocals. In his hit from the aforemenBY COLE KAUFFMAN tioned 1972 album, “Starman,” on the - other hand, he tones in a more clear voice. tricity. Evocative, to say the least, this vibes of his 70s and 80s hits like “Young album’s unorthodox jazz-rock and ee- Americans,” in turn for darker music in rie vibes leave listeners, both new and his latest album. It is surprising that the versed, feeling intrigued and maybe even same artist who recorded a song like gory, which makes it more appealing for a little unsettled. “Let’s Dance,” a timely 1980s beat, re- a wider audience. “I Can’t Give Everything Away” is on his 69th birthday, and found musical The best song in the album is “Laza- a slower song, with more acoustics and support in a jazz band led by Grammy- rus,” which is highlighted by its deep emotion. Tracks like “Girl Loves Me” winner Donny McCaslin. The collabora- rock-based saxophone and drums, loud tion creates a completely unique tone that bass and underlying electric guitar. It meant to be on a Halloween party playlist lasts throughout the entire album. - in the creepy tone they resonate.
“Blackstar”
The album, overall, is moderately satisfactory. It is a very strange album with a completely unfamiliar taste of music, from a modern perspective. Perhaps seacollection more, but for those outside of that category, this album sends off uncomfortable vibes.
FEBRUARY 2016
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Online marketplaces diversify shopping to see what they are buying and try on their item to make sure that is what they are looking for, compared to shopping on the Internet. Online marketplaces, however, offer reasonable deals with a variety of items to buy and the opportunity to sell items.” Fintz said since eBay involves auc-
BY JOLIE SONKIN
Freshman Robin Fintz enjoys to shop online. However, Fintz does not limit herself to typical stores found in malls, but expands her shopping experience to include online marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay. Fintz said she shops on online marketplaces because of the diverse selection and the convenience of what shopping online entails. “Technology has brought us to the point that nearly anything we need is available,” Fintz said. “This has bought
to both the buyer and seller. “The availability of an auction allows me to have the opportunity to get the best deals and also makes my shopping more interesting,” Fintz said. Freshman Stephanie Assakawa said online marketplaces have a variety of
our economy.”
“
because the products are easily accessible for the shoppers, the shopping process is
Online marketplaces tend to operate successfully, at times better than retail stores because of the better pricing and a larger variety. Customers who
“Online marketplaces tend to operate successfully, at times better than retail stores because of the better pricing and a larger variety,” she said. “Customers who -
every way to research for the best deal they can
GRAPHIC BY LARA FINAN
the Internet.” Assakawa said that the ability to purchase an item anywhere at any time also appeals to her because this way she does not have to go out every time she wants a certain product. “I love the fact that I can stay in my home and shop for anything while watching a movie,” she said. “The comfort of being in any place you wish is what most shoppers want.” Assakawa said.
vide a disadvantage because trying on the item and analyzing the quality of the item is unavailable when shopping on the Internet. “I do not have to go out and shop -freshman Stefanie around for an item I am looking for. Assakawa Online marketplaces allow one to shop whenever and wherever a shopper wants AP Biology teacher Brandon Boswell at their comfort. However, shoppers are said that online marketplaces are very unable to try on the product and feel the convenient and inexpensive, but they pro- quality of the product, which makes ac-
tual stores have that special advantage ,” Mr. Boswell said. Vincent Peña, a sales associate for Amazon, said that Amazon, like many other marketplaces, contains both advantages and disadvantages for the shoppers when compared to actual stores. “Online marketplaces contain the ability to buy virtually anything at any time at the shoppers convenience,” Mr. Peña said. “Actual stores allow shoppers
Allan Kingdom shares life story through refreshing new sounds
“The Revenant” shows Oscar-winning potential with powerful performances
”
“Northern Lights” BY AUSTIN DUNNE
Allan Kingdom, a Minnesotan rapper who spent his youth writing Christian rap, released his fourth mixtape titled “Northern Lights” on Jan. 6 on Soundcloud, a free music streaming service, and “Spinrilla,” another free mp3 service. Kingdom got his start with a group known as “thestand4rd,” which prepared him for his career as a solo artist. Then, the popular hip-hop artist Kanye West took interest in Kingdom, and had him record the bridge of his hot single “All Day.” One of the best songs on “Northern Lights” is “Interruption,” which talks about Kingdom’s life growing up in Minneapolis as “the son of some immigrants.” This song’s consistent rhyming as well as its interesting beat switch earns it a spot as one of the best songs on this piece. Other interesting underground artists
such as D.R.A.M., Jared Evan, Chronixx and Gloss Gang are featured on this project. Kingdom handled a lot of the production himself but he also received help from other producers. Plain Pat and Swizzy Mack produced a couple beats as well as Jared Evan who produced the song that he is featured on. These extra producers put fresh ears on the beats, which give them more quality by bringing a new technique to the table. The mixtape starts with “The Ride,” a real banger that talks about how Kingdom has changed, what “the ride” was like and what will come of his career as a rapper with lines like, “I said I done changed but I’m still insane, I said I’m deranged but I’m still the same.” After a short but enjoyable sound bite, the song titled “Fables” starts featuring reggae sensation Chronixx. The project has some hard hitters such as “Monkey See” and “Northern Lights” along with some slow jams like “Hypocrite” featuring Jared Evan and “I Feel Ya.” This tape is a refreshing way for Kingdom to share his life story. With relatable lyrics and excellent production, many notable people, including Kanye West, have taken an interest in Allan Kingdom, and it is evident that he is on his way up.
“The Revenant” BY RYAN SOLOMON
“The Revenant,” released on Jan. 6, follows Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), an 1820s frontiersman who is left for dead by his band of hunters after a vicious bear attack. In a journey to survive, Glass endures unimaginable distress as well as the betrayal of his combatant John Fitzgerald (Tom Harextravagant, living up to all of the hype and presenting an awarddeserving experience. Guided by sheer will and the love for his family, Glass must navigate a harsh winter in a relentless pursuit to lentless assault of a lone soul, seeking not only survival, but also revenge on those of whom have done him wrong. ing two hours and 26 minutes, the action and events keep the viewer thoroughly entertained. The emotional feeling given off is intense, dropping jaws and creating a sentiment of outrageous pity for those
in harm’s way. The overall force brought forward by the movie is extremely powerful, opening eyes to the harsh reality of early American civilization. Leonardo Dicaprio’s performance as Hugh Glass is one of little dialogue, but large impact, and may just win him the elusive Oscar this year. DiCaprio has been nominated for the best actor of 2016. milestone in his acting career. Tom Hardy’s performance was also exemplary and deserves just as much recognition as DiCaprio’s performance has been given. A leja nd ro González Iñárritu is a director to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director. “Working with Leonardo DiCaprio was the best experience of my life,” he said in his 2016 Golden Globe acceptance speech. “The Revenant” brings forward a perfect representation of life for early American colonists in the 1800’s, battling the Indians and disease as well as struggling through harsh winters with minimal food and shelter. Any movie fanatic will most diences and lives up to the standards it has been given.
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Zona Blu provides authentic Italian food Zona Blu BY LUCY CELENTANO
Upon entering Zona Blu, the aroma of warm Italian cuisine wafting from the kitchen greets customers. With fresh meals constantly being crafted, it is guaranteed that the customer licious meal waiting for them upon arrival. As stated on the restaurants’ website, Sisters and founders of Zona Blu, Sheila David and Debbie Bautista, had the intention of bringing authentic Sardinian food to Weston. Priding themselves on their locally sourced authentic food, top chefs Andrea Fadda and Marco De Simone helped them execute their vision. Customers may be surprised when reading the menu for the the typical chicken parmesean or pasta and meatballs, items such as fregola sarda ai frutti di mare (Sardinian couscous with mixed seafood), and porchetta alla sarda (pork prepared Sardinian style with swiss chard sautéed in garlic), hold their place on the menu. Customers may be more en-
PHOTOS BY LUCY CELENTANO
ticed to broaden their palette by trying something new. For the price of $21, the pollo alla gallurese dish is served as a phenomenal introduction to Sardinian style food. Presented with a fresh vegetable sauté and topped with prosciutto, this plate is satisfying and unique for anyone interested in a reliable introduction to the Sardinian style of cooking. For the visitor who is not as open to trying new cuisines, the menu’s broad selection of pizza is a safe bet. From basic cheese to the classic Sardinian French fry pizza, the wide variety of
choices presented on the menu provides an appetizing meal for anyone. It is clear to see that one of Zona Blu’s top priorities is to maintain their authentic Sardinian style while simultaneously pleasing all of its customers with a wide variety of menu items. At Zona Blu, dinner is not the only thing served. A lunch menu is available as well as a lunch special that runs throughout the day. With this special, one has the choice of a starter, an entrée and the side of the day which changes based off of which ingredients the chef has fresh for
that particular day. The lunch special is priced fairly at a total of $13.99 per person. Following along the lines of the true Italian feel, the atmosphere matches the theme of the food perfectly. Vintage looking tables and chairs compliment the overall vibe. Almost all waiters are native Italians and the restaurants menu is entirely in Italian. culty reading the menu considering its language, but with the
help of the knowledgeable waiters, choosing what to order is made simple. Overall, Zona Blu is a unique spin on the typical Italian food found elsewhere in Weston. Zona Blu is found just off of those interested in expanding their palette while feeling welcomed by staff and an appetizing menu, Zona Blu is the place to go.
OPINION
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FEBRUARY 2016
Millennials prove to lack patience A
situation
alarmingly
“House of Cards.” The pleasure of the process is one worth basking in. If today’s youth demands everything
a Wi-Fi connection lost, the the New Black” buffering, an angry teenager smashing a laptop keyboard searching for a purpose (and wireless Internet).
No accomplishment to wear proudly after a series of losses. A reward is more satiating if earned after a cycle of successful and unsuccessful attempts, no matter if that reward is a quickly
is the newest fad; impatience is all the rage. Children and young adults yearn for immediacy at the touch of a button. Dating is no longer a laborious with a swift slide into someone’s messages, a stark contrast against past generations’ suitors performing calculated moves for long periods of time. Rising musical artists and DJs crank out mediocre, sonically saturated tunes faster than they can say “new single,” designed to please the masses. Everything is just a click away, and according to America’s youth, that’s the way it should be. of a generational joke. But they should not be underestimated. Contrary to popular belief, they have not tainted society with their presence. In fact, the 21st century has been fruitful with accomplishments that would Today’s youth is intelligent and
relationship blossoming on the promise of patience.
ILLUSTRATION BY ABBY MORGAN
both culturally and politically Brandon Stanton went to Syria to document and ultimately help with a log onto Twitter to live- fund multiple refugees with a tweet a presidential debate. They crowd-funding link to donate. It are on the front lines for change, is inspiring to see a new group utilizing the technology that of young adults grab life by has been placed in their hands its horns with a zest for social progress, all while clutching an communities of minorities. Race iPhone in hand. and police brutality became a With that said, this emerging worldwide issue with the help of behavior is breeding society into restless human beings, but and the Syrian refugee crisis was brought to 4.6 million followers better. They are born and bred into on the Instagram account @ a generation of rapid receipt of HumansofNY, where creator information and entertainment;
it’s hard not to blame them. This thought process is created with a more connected environment. Children hold and navigate iPhones before they can read the alphabet, immediately weaving new relationships between
Bottom Line: Technology has created impatience among Millennials, but patience can offer virtue. Convenience is not futile; and appreciated. But in a world where restlessness is advancing, it is important to remember that patience is a virtue. It teaches empathy, generates a positive
industrialized, technological all the more satisfying. So, the world. These connections are the only form of communication that today’s adolescents have take the shortcuts. In the end, it’ll be just as rewarding as hard, especially when they’re clad in shiny colors and are preloaded with new episodes of
FLASH OF BRILLIANCE
YES New Years Resolution’s do stand as an effective way to encourage individuals to pursue their best self. With the start of 2016, many people around the world develop goals to accomplish at the turn of the date. New Year’s resolutions stand as a successful method used to aid individuals in accomplishing their goals. When people randomly set a goal for themselves, it can be difDuring early months like January and February, motivational inspiration is present and usually loses its effect during later months. This inspiration is less common in later months due to the fact that the “hype” over New Year’s Resotivation in the beginning of the year can be found in places from magazines to radio stations, and television broadcasts. When people set these goals, they realize that others around them are working toward a goal as well. With that being said, people are more likely to stick to their goals rather than abanmonths of action. Overall, reasonable goals set as New Year’s resolutions do serve as an effective strategy for helping people truly become their “best self”. -Lucy Celentano
Are New Year’s Resolutions helpful with goals?
NO New Year’s resolutions should not be a common household idea. New Year’s resolutions have long since been a tradition in the United States and around the world. Yet, a common joke about resolutions is how often they are broken in when resolutions are made they are not kept because people forget about them, are too lazy, or just decide it’s not worth it to continue trying to accomplish their tions consist of eating healthy, working out, or staying organized; these should be yearlong resolutions that aren’t only brought about because of the “New Year, new me” idea. Instead of only
struggling with only during a new year, they should be working solving those problems all year long. The idea behind New Year’s resolutions is not a bad philosophy, although they should be continued throughout the whole year. New resolutions should be created, no matter what time of year, and should be stuck with until the goal is met. Whether it is ILLUSTRATION BY LUCY CELENTANO to lose 20 pounds, get abs, organize our rooms, or get good grades, motivation Visit cbhscircuit. should not come solely from the start com to vote on of a new year. this topic. -Lexi Flechner
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OPINION
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Water crisis is governmental blunder Water is life. It is imperative and should be guaranteed in a country that has been an established superpower since the early 1920’s. Sadly our country has shown that even humanities most reliable and necessary resource could not be trusted on U.S. soil. From April 25, 2014 to Oct. 16, 2015 the residents of Flint, Michigan were poisoned from lead by the one resource that they should be able to count on, their own drinking water.
Bottom Line: The mishandling of Flint’s water supply shows an ultimate failure of government. decided to change their water supply in 2014 from Lake Huron in Detroit, to a river that runs through the heart of Flint, Mich. The water supply that ran through Flint was a cheaper alternative than the trustworthy water supply that came from Detroit. This decision and the eventual cover up by the city ofment and country has evolved
cial gain. A price should never be put upon a person’s life, and no amount of money should change supposed to accomplish. Civilians have a mindset that the ofthem should protect them. What happened in Flint shows that the government had lost interest in what should have been their main focus: the protection of their citizens. Once Flint switched its water supply in April of 2014, there were concerns from residents as early as October of that same year. A General Motors plant in Flint decided to stop using the city’s water because it deteriorated its car parts and a month bebacteria were present in the tap water. Yet none of these concerns were able to cause Flint’s appointed emergency manager Jerry Ambrose to change the water back to the earlier Detroit water supply, which he had the opportunity to do in January of 2015. The disastrous decisions made by the local and state governments of Michigan have been countless, which has resulted in multiple denials about the harm that the water was causing. In
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ILLUSTRATION BY LARA FINAN
Michigan declared in a memo to the governor that the drinking water in Flint was not a threat to the health of the public. This contradicted with many reports and studies from concerned residents and a report from Virginia Tech in which Dr. Marc Edwards declared that Flint water was causing contamination in homes and that high levels of lead were found in the water. The reckless decision-mak-
ing made by the government in Michigan has resulted in a lack of trust from the civilians affected by the crisis. The whole system of government and rule making in our country is based off of the idea of trust in ones elected representatives. If we cannot trust the people who were placed in
stituents it shows that even citizens in the United States have a price and that people have become expendable. To put a price upon a life in the United States is ultimately unacceptable and it displays that Americans cannot fully trust a government that has fallen to a level of unreliability.
as citizens of a supposed safe and secure country can we trust? Additionally if governments are willing to make choices that
Letters to the Editor School starting later could be
New schedule will provide
Every day students have trouble concentrating, especially in the morning, because we are forced to be at school at such an early time. Any student will tell you that it’s very hard trying to stay awake at 7:30 a.m. when they were up doing homework most of the night. This can cause many of us to slack off and have trouble paying attention in class, which could affect our grades in a negative way. Because of this, I believe that the hours should be changed, so that school starts later. If school started later, for example 9:00 a.m., then the students would be able to catch up on much-needed sleep. It would also enable us to be more focused and centralize our attention to whatever we are learning or doing in class. It could also help raise our grades, because if we are more alert, we may be more likely to catch a mistake when taking a test. Changing the school hours could ben-
The new schedule that will be implemented next school year consists of four, 90-minute classes each day with one study hall period. I believe that this block schedule will be better for both students and teachers at the Bay. With 90-minute classes, students will have the opportunity to comprehend what they are learning and have more in-depth discussions about it. It will also allow for teachers to cover more material all in the same day. It will allow the students to have more engaging and interactive class activities that will help them better understand what they are learning. Some may say that having block scheduling will overwhelm the students with homework, but I think that it’s the opposite. Because we will only have the same four classes every other day that leaves us with an extra day to do all our homework. If time is managed wisely, then the students should have plenty of free time after completing all of their school assignments. Block scheduling will also eliminate some of the stress that having eight periods a day brings. By having only four classes to worry about each day, the students can really focus on them without worrying about the other four. Although the lunch period is shortened to be only thirty minutes, I think it’s a small sac-
Website should provide important school changes
ers isn’t always the best thing, because after repeating the same thing to all of their classes they might forget a big detail and You would imagine the school web- just end up confusing everyone. -Krysta Downie, junior site to have all the information on changes that are occurring in the school; either it being new schedules, new policies, etc. Curriculum Fair should be earlier Recently the school changed its regular to accommodate students eight period schedule to AB block schedA couple weeks ago we got our course ule. I wasn’t aware of this until my friend selection cards, and immediately I starttold me a month after the county made ed choosing classes for next year. I was the decision. I honestly thought “since it’s overwhelmed by some of the choices, but such a huge change the school is proba- within a few days I had made my decibly going to announce it on the website sions and was gathering teacher signaor something,” but the website didn’t have tures. Then on Friday we had the course any information on it. The school is alter- selection fair. Why would they make it ing most of its old policies and schedules the last day you could get your course for next year like adding junior privilege, card signed? I saw so many interesting AB block schedule, and the rumor of add- courses there, but I had already made my ing another building on campus. I heard selections. After talking to my friends I most of these things from my friends who learned that they too felt this way. In my heard it from their teachers. There was no opinion, there was no point in having the fair if it was that late since decisions had already been made. For the fair to be useIf the school website started to an- ful, it needs to be earlier in the course senounce all the important changes I feel lection process. like it would help the students not feel -Arbel Ben-David, freshman as confused. They would get solid information on how everything will work, re- Letters to the editor are encouraged as quirements of new policies, and just giv- part of The Circuit’s mission as a public ing reliable details. The website is just forum. Submissions should not exceed kind of there to provide links for virtual 300 words; they should be dropped off in counselor, BEEP, and pinnacle; it doesn’t Room 360 or mailed to the school to the serve any other purpose as far as inform- attention of adviser Andre Shannon. The ing and updating the students and parof the letter, but letters are subject to ents. It has useful information like testing editing for length, clarity, punctuation schedules and school event dates, but it and grammar. Anonymous letters will
an extra hour and a half, teachers could catch up on doing things such as grading papers and coming up with new lesson plans. This could in turn help out the students, allowing them to have more engaging class activities. Even though having school start later means that it would end later, I don’t think that this would be a major problem among the students or staff. I think that everyone would be grateful that they get to sleep in a little more every day, which that will come out of switching to a block of the events. Your teachers will most would make them more refreshed and schedule. -Madison Koslow, junior likely have to tell you and have to repeat ready to tackle school. it throughout the day to the rest of their -Jessica Hert, junior classes. Getting information from teach-
not be printed and the writer’s identity
Any material deemed libelous, obscene, disruptive or unlawful to minors will not be published.
FEBRUARY 2016
OPINION
THE CIRCUIT
41
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Rushing through senior year will leave Challenging courses prevent students a feeling of regret and repentance from enjoying life in high school We are rushing through high school. I have decided it is not just students at Cypress Bay, but a universal problem. Furthermore, I believe that it is not just high school, but perhaps most stages in our looking around the corner for what comes next. As this year starts to wind down, it is hard not to think about all of the exciting things that are coming up for seniors over the next four months. Prom dress pictures have been posted, senior pictures have been taken, caps and gowns have been ordered, many college admission decisions have been made and the countdown to graduation has begun. For the underclassmen, the sense of they are in that dreaded third quarter, they see a light at the end of the tunnel as well. Spring Break plans are being discussedfamily vacations, college tour, visit relatives and friends or just possibly relax and enjoy the downtime. There is so much to think about, but all we seem to be able focus on is speeding through everything and moving on to the next thing. But what is the hurry? We seem to be rushing through life and always looking ahead instead of enjoying the moment. For seniors, and I am including myself, does it really get any better than this moment? We are surrounded by friends who know us almost as well as our families. For some of us, we have been together since Kindergarten. Thirteen years is a lot of togetherness! We go to a football game, school events, Chipotle or Panera and we see only familiar faces. We have literally grown up together and have celebrated birthdays, Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, Quinces and other important milestones. The fear of leaving this comfort zone is real and teenagers are afraid to take this next step. We have had many great mo-
ments all while living in our homes with families who support, protect and love us. It is a cocoon we have been living in for 18 years and now everything is about to change. I see it every year with some of my older friends who can’t wait to graduate and leave. They have this vision of nirvana in their minds and for many it is. However, inevitably they can’t wait to come home and visit Cypress Bay.
Bottom Line: Students need to slow years of high school. This school represents a sense of security to many and being back here helps them to feel that sense of comfort they knew for so many years. I always inwardly smile when I see those students coming back to Cypress wearing a backpack so they can get past security to visit former teachers…they were the ones that complained the loudest about leaving and moving on. They come back looking for that connection and it is a bit sad when they realize things have changed from when they left and that sense of belonging has faded. Perhaps they should not have been in such a rush to leave. While it is normal to want to look ahead and focus on this next stage of our lives, take a second to stop and live in the moment. This time is precious and we will never get it back. Soak up these next four months, whether you are a senior or freshman, and stay engaged. Don’t rush away this time and remember that although you can come back for a visit, it is certainly not the same. Our future is a direct connection to our past and Cypress Bay is a school that certainly will be a big part of our past once we move on.
Career Day: an elementary school ture of competition. spectacle showcasing a broad spectrum of While I am motivated by this competition I experience, it has hindered my exyears old to start thinking about. From ploration of non-academic interests that childhood we are conditioned to fast for- could help me establish my sense of self. ward to adulthood. This spectacle follows I wouldn’t dare explore my interests in a us into adolescence. It evolves from a day class such as Contemporary History/Social Media, simply because it does not or learn from a local pediatrician, to an immense and timely pressure of deciding an Honors or AP class would. This conwhere we want to go to college and what viction is an increasingly common cycle we will major in. that my peers and I have encountered. As this pressure looms over us, we feel Yet, against the guidance of former forced to take as many Advanced Place- students and with the knowledge that this ment (AP) classes as possible and join ev- cycle takes a physical, mental and emoery possible club or organization to make tional toll on my life, I (and my peers) ourselves shiny, new and well-rounded choose this lifestyle. Student’s priorities prospects to college admissions boards. have become skewed. Many states reI’ve spent the last two and a half years not quire high school students to take physionly feeling this pressure, but also watch- cal education for the duration of his/her ing my peers let their high school years high school career. Health Opportunities pass them by. Consumed with grades and through Physical Education (HOPE) is an online alternative that students take to rehave lost sight of what is important: our ceive a physical education credit. Instead youth and individuality. of actually learning about our health and exercising daily, we succumb to skimBottom Line: ming through information and falsifying workout data that never happened. I, like many of my classmates, am guilty of this schedules compromise mindset. At what point did we experience this period of individuality. this disconnect, where students would give an arm just to have a leg up on their By loading high caliber classes, which classmates? mandate hours of homework each night and piling on after school commitments, to a conventional system. Time is prewe no longer have the time for ourselves. cious, and you are only young once. Not I can’t remember the last time I was able being able to forge an identity in develto read a book for myself instead of for an oping years has a negative effect on our A on a test. The rigidity of today’s cur- character. Although preparation for the riculum does not allow room for self-dis- future plays a key role in a typical stucovery. When students diverge from the dent’s life, I believe the obsession with standards that universities set, they are no our subsequent years does not let us live longer in compliance with the demands of in our current stature. today’s higher educational system. This notion has been internalized by much of the student body and has fostered a cul-
Bottom Line: Allowing the day after the Super Bowl to be considered a holiday would be dangerous to society.
Super Bowl Monday should be treated as any other working weekday With Super Bowl 50 in the books, everyone returned back to their normal Monday routines the next day. As football has grown more popular throughout the United States (and even other parts of the world), plenty of people have considered Super Bowl Sunday to be some kind of national holiday and want a day off from work the following day to celebrate the game and rest. There is some reason for the consideration of the day of the big game to be so important. The event is massive. So massive that even its commercials have become almost as talked about as the game
itself. The Super Bowl is famous for having some of the best commercials of the year, and with good reason—in last year’s game, one 30-second commercial cost a cool $4.5 million. With more than 100 million viewers annually, this is the mostwatched event on television. Just because the event is big, however, doesn’t necessarily mean it should be a holiday. Holidays are supposed to celebrate holy days in certain religions or holy days to certain countries. As a footSuper Bowl as being holy. At the end of the day, it is merely a game hosted by the
National Football League. lead to a total of $170 million in losses This leads to the most important jus- due to lack of productivity after the game. So if the effects of a holiday after the Suholiday, which is the fact that it treads per Bowl are already in place, someone very dangerous territory. Hypothetically, would argue, then there would be no real if there were a holiday to celebrate the change. However, the whole issue of recSuper Bowl, then the holiday wouldn’t ognizing a holiday centered around a pribe celebrating the game; it would be cel- vate business is concerning because of ebrating a business. The NFL, no matter how passionate people are about the business could hold, and the fact that this game or certain teams, is still an enor- could set a precedent. mous business. To say something the Despite the fact that a good amount business does is holy would lead down a of the American population stays up very dangerous road, with unpredictable late Sunday night to watch the game and consequences. For example, if a private would like a holiday to allow for some business were to have its own holiday, the rest after the game, the change simply business could grow to hold an unprec- would not make sense. Yes, it would be ence on millions of people. does impact millions of people, but it is Another ground that people who want simply too much of a change and opens a holiday stand on is the claim that the the door to an unknown path. If the NFL day is almost an informal holiday al- is able to get a holiday, what is next? Will ready. In 2008, an estimated 1.5 million Apple get a holiday, or will Samsung? Bepeople planned on calling in sick, 4.4 mil- cause of these uncertainties, it is simply lion more planned on coming into work too dangerous. late, and employers predicted this would
42
THE CIRCUIT
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OPINION
FEBRUARY 2016
Volunteering provides valuable lesson
I am a procrastinator. It’s frustrating and stressful, but it’s a fact and I have to face it. I am that one kid who waits until the due date to do the month long project. To me, the struggles and effort of getting service hours became an easily avoidable two yearlong project. My whole high school career I have been postponing doing any volunteering simply because I was too lazy to look for an opportunity that interested me to the slightest. I simply refused to waste my time in return for a signature and a piece of paper conmy time. It wasn’t until the beginning of this year that I decided I had would earn me service hours in an enjoyable and worthwhile matter; I thought I should take a change and actually be productive.
It was shocking to me to hear the stories behind each rescue, and see that some of the horses are still in recovery and severely underweight. After a few Google searches I came across a website that compiles all organizations in need of on proximity, type of activity, and opening hours. As soon as I typed in my ZIP-code the page nizations focused on humanitarian causes that were legitimately in need of help. As I browsed through the names that meant nothing to me, I came across the Peaceful Ridge Rescue, a horse rescue center in Southwest Ranches that runs solely on private donations and a monthly sponsorship. The place caught my attention right away due to my long lasting horse obsession and the fact that I would have the opportunity to work with them on a steady basis. the farm, I had no idea what to expect and suffered through a brief moment of social anxiety. place was so intimidating that I strongly considered turning around and driving away. It was completely outside of my comfort zone and being the newbie made me extremely nervous, scared that no matter in. Before I had the chance to go home and never see that place
HORSE PLAY: (Clockwise from above) Junior Leticia Antonini is helping clean the paddocks at the Peaceful Ridge Rescue. Antonini is brushing her favorite horse, Two-Eye. TwoEye was rescued after being neglected and is still waiting to be adopted. Some of the jobs Antonini has to do at the ranch include replacing dirt and picking up feces. PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY LETICIA ANTONINI
again, a lady approached me asking if I was there to volunteer. What became very clear as I was introduced to the place is that volunteering at a farm does not mean free horse rides at all. Much to the opposite, it means picking up poop, bathing, brushing, feeding and cleaning. The fact that I wouldn’t be able to ride the horses I took care of didn’t make me any less motivated to help. I had never been around rescued animals before, but it is simple to understand the limitations it implies. Undeniably, cleaning the paddocks was the part I was least looking forward to, but it was a job and it had to be done. Strangely, the arduous poop picking-up isn’t as bad
rewarding when it’s done. The longer I stayed at the farm, the more familiar I got with each horse. It was shocking to me to hear the stories behind each rescue, and see that some of the horses are still in recovery and severely underweight. The rescued horses come from all sorts of backgrounds. My favorite one, or at least the one I feel most connected with, is a beautiful competition Stallion called Two-Eye, that used to be neglected by it’s previous owner. By the time I met him he was already in perfect health, but he’s still waiting to be adopted. ing how someone could neglect and mistreat such kind and beautiful animals. It’s heartbreaking
to look at horses that still carry the scars of years of abuse in their eyes, faces and bodies. Peaceful Ridge’s website is equipped with a list of all horses they have for adoption and the story behind each of them. It is
raise roughly $300, which was helpful, but not nearly enough to cover the monthly costs of one out of the 80 horses at the farm. The only resource not in shortage at the farm is people. Everyone involved in the development of Peaceful Ridge of horses that have already been is extremely kind and devoted rescued and now live in happy to the cause; every weekend the homes. Volunteering at an institu- workers ready to get to work. tion with such limited resources Within the few opportunities strongly impacted my perspec- I had to volunteer I have learned tive on the world. I felt so con- a lot. Working at the rescue is nected to the cause that I vol- not only a valuable personal untarily attempted to fundraise experience that enriches your donations for the farm. It’s frus- skills, but it’s also an opportunity trating to see how people are to meet new people and see that unwilling to donate their mon- there’s an entire different world ey but unhesitant to spend hun- past Weston Road. dreds of dollars on futile goods. Within three weeks I was able to
OPINION
FEBRUARY 2016
THE CIRCUIT
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WWW.CBHSCIRCUIT.COM
Girl triumphs in male-dominated sport
biting, and I was determined to carry out my family name. For generations my
and that is the way it has always been. takes muscle and endurance. Thinking could endure drove me crazy. I wanted to break the mold, so I set out to become
them all wrong, show them that a girl can be an angler too.
Fishing is a tough sport to conquer. The majority of anglers in this sport are male, and that is the way it has always been. The tournament started around six in the morning and for about 10 hours you
tournament. Everyone wants a boat that her chances of winning the tournament. Teamwork can determine the outcome of the entire tournament.
I like to think that I broke the mold of women anglers.
(Clockwise from far left): Freshman Casey Menten
The day began as the sun broke older brothers had won it before me. I was through the clouds. The bundle of nerves Although a small number it won me my caught in. There are countless rules that in my stomach was reaching my throat. division. title in the history of this tournament. me about teamwork, it has reminded me to think that I broke the mold of women the day, the goal of boats is to reel in the action began. I ran to the rod and held on The tournament becomes a race that muscles began to shake as I brought the
so many lessons that I cherish greatly. I
huge tournament with 60 boats and more through the water everyone cheered. It than 240 anglers. Winning that award mates. When the boat works together it is
EDITORS
The Circuit is the student newspaper of Cypress Bay High School. The opinions expressed in the paper are not necessarily those of the adviser, administration, or advertisers. The publication of advertisements in The Circuit does not imply endorsement.
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The Circuit is a free publication available to 4,600 students and 292 staff members of Cypress Bay High School. The publication prints Ad Manager/Designer : Coleman Nelson 4,500 copies six times per year. Business Manager: Amanda Grapin The Circuit has been recognized as a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown Winner, National Scholastic Press Association-All American publication and Florida Scholastic Press Association All-Florida publication. TO CONTACT US: CALL (754) 323- 0350, ext. 3277 cbhsthecircuit@gmail.com OR VISIT cbhscircuit.com
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STAFF WRITERS
Isabelle-Mar Aguilar, Leticia Antonini, Juliana Atencia, Marissa Babitz, Gabriela Berger, Berni Berkower, Jessica Bernstein, Julia Brilliant, Omri Bronfman, Caitlyn Burdash, Gabriela Canel, Lucy Celentano, Jessie Chaiet, Jeffrey Cohen, Dahlia Cohn, Morgan Comite, Elizabeth Dorta, Austin Dunne, Benjamin Eiglarsh, Alexandra Fernandez, Shantal Fierro, Julia Fischgrund, Alexandria Flechner, Saige Fisher, Rachel Friedman, Eli Fuhrman, Alexander Gaard Heredia, Katherine Gibson, Daniel Gonzalez, Rachel Greenberg, Hannah Gutner, Samantha Haydu, Elizabeth Hendricks, Alejandro Irizarry, Evan Joseph, Ryder Kaplan, Cole Kauffman, Erica Lachman, Angela Lalovic, Olivia Landsman, Rodrigo Lesende, Erica Levenson, Jake Levy, Audrey Lore, Leonardo Manrique, Sebastian Manrique, Alejandra Martinez, Casey Menten, Brooke Miller, Motserrat Molina, Negron, Reagan Olenick, Amanda Ortiz, Lauren Pabian, Fernando Padron, Sanjana Pai, Madeline Paskow, Andrea Perez, David Perez, Kaitlyn Pfeil, Dylan Pulitano, Ambar Ramirez, Jack Rauch, Tori Reiser, Noah Rosenblum, Jessica Russo, Valeria Salgado, Sophie Schifter, Rachel Schonberger, Cassidy Sheldon, Drew Siskind, Alex Solomon, Ryan Solomon, Gabrielle Sonkin, Jolie Sonkin, Ryan Stern, Juliana Stepien, Estela Suarez, Carli Udine, Geoanie Vargas, Martina Villamayor, Alexandra Zeidel
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FEBRUARY 2016