Countryside High School Paw Print Newspaper Volume 38 Issue 2

www.cnmcountryside.com

Countryside High School November 16, 2016 Issue 2 Volume 38

Features

November 16 , 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

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Best Desserts to Bake for the Holidays chloeYATES

staff writer

With the holidays coming up, many people are in a rush to find that perfect dessert to bring to grandma’s house. Of course the classics are the simple pumpkin pie or apple pie but some more yummy recipes guaranteed to be a hit are Apple Cobbler, Chocolate Pie, and Chocolate Fudge. The great thing about these recipes is that they can be customized. Below are the instructions on making the delicious desserts.

Apple Cobbler:

What you will need: 1 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 flour 1 1/2 warm milk 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) 2 tablespoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 granny smith apples- peeled and cored 1 cup dark brown sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon cloves 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place butter in the baking dish and put the dish in the oven to melt the butter.

2. Peel and chop apples to desired size chunks.

Place apples in a large bowl and add brown sugar and spices. Mix well.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk and vanilla until combined.

4. Remove the hot baking dish from the oven and immediately pour the batter into it. Spoon the apples evenly over the batter. Return the hot dish to the oven and bake 40 to 45 minutes. Remove to cool. Can be served hot or room temperature.

Chocolate Pie:

Fudge:

1.. Bake pie shell as directed.

2. Combine all ingredients except for butter and vanilla in a saucepan.

3. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until bubbly.

4. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla mixing well.

5. Pour batter in baked pie shell and immediately cover with saran wrap.

6. Cool to room temperature.

1. Line 9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan; set aside.

2. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to full boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 4 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees Fahrenheit stirring constantly to prevent scorching, remove from heat.

3. Add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme; stir until completely melted 4. Pour immediately into prepared pan; spread to form even layer in pan. Let stand at room temperature for 4 hours or until completely cooled; cut into 1-inch squares.

5. Store in tightly covered container at room

What you will need: 1 pie shell 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch + 3 teaspoons 1/4 teaspoon salt 3 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 egg yolks 1/4 cup cocoa

3 cups sugar 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter or margarine 1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk 1 1/2 package semisweet chocolate chips 1 jar (7 oz.) Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

reproduced by the permission of pioneerwoman.com

Holiday Gifts on a Budget phoebeSTARK

staff writer

Many students will say that they are broke as all get out, so maybe this will help some of them out. If anyone needs to buy a gift on a budget, check this out.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend: Many people tend to give their partner joking answers when they ask them what they want for Christmas. Memory jars are very sweet and sentimental. Any student can get a mason jar, very cheap for $5 at Walmart and fold up paper with you favorite memories, or even fill them with things you like about him, or why you like them.

There is also the option to get popsicle sticks and write date night ideas on them, then stick them in a mason jar as well.

Mom: Any mom would enjoy a nice cup of joe or tea and a snack to munch down on. She would love

to have stock of her favorite drink and snack for a rainy day or even just to relax, because they probably do not get a chance to do it often. You can also get her a cheap picture and a frame as well without going over 20.

Dad: Getting gifts for parents can be hard because they pull the whole “I don’t need a present, I’ve got you,” thing. Students can just get their dads a tee shirt that they’ll wear so they have a part of you through something similar, but also throw a little humor in there.

Grandparents: All grandparent have some sort of photo of their children around with their grandchildren (or some sentimental picture), but why not send them more recent ones for them to keep and put to good use. Picture coasters are really nifty and easy on the wallet. You can get them one or two

each for under $20. Next time they get a drink, they will be able to see the picture.

Sibling: Tervis cups are very handy in any situation of going out with a drink, but what is even better is having a cup full of candy in it, or whatever you like. It is a very creative, adorable gift, and your sibling will love you for it.

Friend: Most friends would love to have matching bracelets or necklaces. Forever 21 has a whole collection at a cheap price range. You could potentially get three necklaces for $10 at most. There are also rings and other things; you could even get matching socks. Now, for guy friends, you can easily get them a humorous gift and have it be sentimental. You can get them a designed pair of socks easily for $10. They’re fun and they hold significance towards the giver.

How to get in the Holiday Spirit Early gabbyHERNANDEZ

staff writer

Tampa Bay Holiday Market: Find the perfect Christmas gift for everyone on your list!

Thursday, November 10, 2016 – Sunday, November 13, 2016 Florida state fairgrounds

Get in the Holiday spirit a little early and plan events to attend for everyone’s favorite time of the year...the holidays! Here are some event ideas for the holidays: Safety Harbor Holiday Parade: Floats, old fashioned cars and Santa!

Saturday, Dec. 19 at 1 p.m.

Main Street, Safety Harbor Christmas Lights in Botanical Gardens: Holiday entertainment, and Christmas lights!

Nov. 27 through Dec. 31, 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Florida Botanical Gardens, 12520 Ulmerton Rd, Largo

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens: See this great theme park lit up with Christmas cheer!

Friday, November 25, 2016 – Saturday, November 26, 2016 10165 N McKinley Dr, Tampa, FL 33612 reproduced by permission of insidethemagic.net

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usch Gardens is holding their annual Christmas Town starting November 25th. Be sure to go and see the theme park lit up with Christmas cheer!

Features

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

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How to get a first job liam WALSH

staff writer

I am sure that as a teenager, you need money.

If you have ever considered getting a job as a minor, it is already very complicated. Your schedule, your interests, and being a teen with no work ethic or true responsibility may affect whether or not getting an after school job is worth it. However, with these helpful steps and tips, you could be working in no time.

First, apply to a variety of places. Odds are you will not get the job you want right away, so do not be upset if your first job is not the one you wanted the most. Go to a few places that interest you and ask for a manager. Introduce yourself to

the manager and tell them your state of business (which should be applying for their store). Some managers will tell you upfront that they have too many people working or they are not looking to hire right now, which is fine. However, most managers will give you an application or tell you to go to their website to print and fill one out.

After you have filled out an application, go back and turn it back into a manager. Do not give it to a random worker because they might not know how important it is to you and lose it.

The manager will thank you for taking time out of your day for filling it out. Do not forget to be very polite and say how much you love eating at this restaurant, shopping at this store, etc. and

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compliment the actual establishment.

Finally, patience is key. Do not get freaked out that they do not call you right away; sometime it takes days, weeks, and even months for a position to be available at that store or establishment. If you do not hear from them in about a week, call back and remind the manager that you filed an application out recently. Sometimes, managers get so busy that they forget that people have applied to their store. Try to call during non rush hours for that store, if you know what they are.

These helpful tips and steps should help you out in the long run for a job. The main thing to remember about getting a job is to have patience.

Attempt to speak with the manager Do not give up! Keep applying! directly Dress proffessional when going to interviews Have a positive attidude!

Try writing a thank you note to the interviewer Bring a short resume with you

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Cougars give back this holiday season patrciaMighion

student life editor

As the holiday season comes around the corner, the holiday shopping begins. From food, to gifts and everything in between, there is almost always something for everyone. Sometimes, families might need support to help make this a memorable holiday season and there are many different ways for people to help.

In some cases, kids are not as lucky, due to certain circumstances some families cannot afford to go out and buy gifts or even food. There are ways to help out these families by donating toys and food for those in need.

At Countryside high school, the SADD club will be having a Toys For Tots drive. Each member of SADD club gets a child in need and shops for them to give them a Christmas.Then about a week before Christmas arrives, the SADD club personally gives the gifts to the kids.

Katie Fontana, a junior, was asked what is her favorite part about being in SADD club. Her re-

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atie Fontana (Junior) played with two of the children the SADD club collected toys for last year in 2015.

sponse was “ The toy drive is my favorite part of SADD club. I love being a part of it.”

Through the Salvation Army, Countryside Mall will be hosting the Angel tree program, where you “adopt” an angel, then shop for what is on their wishlist.

Not only are presents the main concern for some families, so is trying to put food on the dinner table.

According to feedingamerica.org around 12 million adults and children in the United States go without food each year. The Salvation Army in Clearwater will be collecting non-perishable food items such as canned and packaged foods throughout the winter festivities.

Banshari Patel, a senior, was asked how she felt about helping those in need, “ I think it’s a great way to give back to the community and a way to turn around someone’s day”.

This time of the year, is a time to start helping others and put a smile not only on other people’s faces but on your face too.

Opinion

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

Marzano scales drive staff and students up the wall elise Amstutz

copy editor

For the past few years, many students, if not all, have been asked to rate their progress on a scale from 1 to 4. This scale, commonly known as the Marzano Scale, has become a great annoyance to many of the student body as well as the teaching staff. Some teachers have pointed out that having the students rate themselves on the Marzano Scale actually takes time away from instruction.

It seems to be that the Pinellas County School Board, in all their infinite wisdom, has decided to run the schools as they would a business, from politics to micromanagement.

Many teachers strongly believe that merely having “wall art” will not help the students learn better. In fact, who in the student body actually pays attention to the walls and the pretty scales? Practically no one, unless you are trying to find the bell schedule or a nice poster of a cat catches your eye.

In some cases, teachers rarely, if ever mention Marzano. They only have the scale on the wall hanging there without attracting the notice of any of the students, proving absolutely useless in its purpose.

The scales originated from Doctor Robert J. Marzano, who has a PhD and is also the CEO of the Marzano Research Center. Notice how Dr. Marzano has never been a teacher. This being said, who but a teacher would understand what is needed within the classrooms. Certainly not some man with a fancy doctorate in curriculum and instruction who just sat creepily in the corner of a classroom and took notes. In Orange County, the Marzano Scales have been in place for six years and have shown no results; the only impact from Marzano is a decreasing amount of teachers.

Many teachers countywide have taken to early retirement because of the frustrations they have faced because of the Florida State Department of Education and Pinellas County School Board’s decision to use the system. Among other

messes they have created in their “divine intervention,” the Marzano Scales could be one of their biggest mistakes.

“I think they are a complete waste of time,” says one anonymous countryside teacher. The majority of students agree.

“They’re kind of a waste of time,” complains one anonymous student. “Like, we’re just gonna learn it anyway. I just don’t like them.”

The dislike of the scales are so strong that when the students were polled, a frequent question was if the poll was a petition to get rid of them. If this isn’t a big enough signal to the DOE that there is something horribly wrong with the scales, there probably will never be any change.

Out of 25 teachers 1 apple=5 teachers

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Out of 225 students 1 person= 25 students

Agree

Indifferent

Agree Indifferent

Disagree

Disagree Strongly Disagree

Strongly Disagree

What is up with the dirty buisness of the school bathrooms? alex Henry

staff writer

Countryside students diagnosed themselves with a plague of the lack of cleanliness in the bathrooms. There are many gross stories of the bathrooms because of students lacks of hygiene.

“I don’t use the bathrooms because of how gross they are,” Senior Stephanie Alvarez said.

Freshman year, Stephanie had found blood on the bathroom stall door, but didn’t report it to maintenance.

Freshman year, the first week of school, senior Helen Krayer, walked in one of the school bath-

room that had diarrhea clogging the toilet, with blood and feminine products, and stuffed with toilet paper. The person who committed the dirty deed even left their empty coke can on top of the toilet. “ I have not used that specific bathroom since,” Krayer said.

“The bathrooms are gross because little juvenile kids make a mess and clog the toilets for no reason,” senior Andrew Brown.

“In the boys bathroom I found a lunch trays,” Michael Ulbrich said. Also in the boys bathroom there are piles of toilet paper due to kids just unrolling all of the toilet paper.

“We don’t get any reports, it would help keep the bathrooms clean,” Melissa Merrill said. Students don’t seem to know that they can report to help the schools clean team out.

From the stories it seems that the lack of cleanliness in the bathrooms is not the janitors fault; it is the students. The janitor’s work hard, and go in between during every class period to make sure the bathrooms are clean, but it only takes one student that clogs the clean bathroom so no else can enjoy it.

Puzzler

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November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

Find the odd leaves out, in this spot the difference challenge. While hunting for the fall themed words hidden in the word search.

5

5

6

2

7

3

4 8

Florida Drivers

THANKSGIVING SCARECROW FOOTBALL HAY BLACK FRIDAY FALL

PUMPKINS LEAVES CIDER TURKEY COFFEE

Graphic credit Thomas Booth

Answers: 3 and 8 dont match

HALLOWEEN HOLIDAYS CHILLY BREAK CARING WEATHER

Graphic credit Thomas Booth

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Foc

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

Tampa faces gross water like Flint Michigan chloeYATES

staff writer

Florida water crisis hits Tampa Bay area as an after effect of hurricane Hermine.

The storm and the rain days before the storm caused the St. Petersburg water lines to overload as well as the treatment plant. City officials had to dump 136 to 151 million gallons of raw sewage and rainwater into the Tampa Bay. Now, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection are saying that more than 148 million gallons of sewage water has been dumped into the Bay.This was the third time in over 13 months that the treatment plant released sewage into the Bay area.

The sewage in the water can cause many symptoms in divers such as “[...] stomach pains, fever, flu like symptoms, and achiness...” says one diver, Sam Secord, to News Channel 8 journalist, Jeff Patterson.

The City of Tampa Florida website has many preventative steps citizens can take such as do not dispose of household grease in the sinks or toilets, checking both (if there is two) cleanouts, and also stop or reduce water usage if there happens to have a blocked drain in said household until a professional comes out and take care of it. So far the advice city officials have to give citizens is to take hot showers once they go swimming in the water to get rid of the harmful bacteria.

“I really don’t see how taking a hot shower is helping getting rid of the pollution,” says 10th grader Shea Howard on hearing the advice.

“I hope they get it all figured out soon so I can go swimming in the causeway again,” says hopeful 10th grader Ilona Luten.

Others did not seem phased by the conditions, “Yeah I have been fishing in the water after they dumped the sewage, I honestly didn’t notice anything different rather than the odd smell,” said Ryan Yates, a Countryside High School 2013 graduate.

City officials are working hard to improve the conditions and are currently planning another meeting for pollution tests and preventional measures for future problems that may occur.

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ue to a slew of storms, sewage overflows Tampa Bay’s water during the month of September.

Reproduced by permission of Zack Whittman for The New York Times

Clown craze hits cities around the country ryanGRIFFIN

staff writer

Clowns have a history of being quite scary, but they are now terrorizing communities across America. Killer clowns have now been sighted in Georgia, Florida, Washington, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and 13 other states.

Clowns have a terrifying history that dates back to the days when pygmy clowns, a clown similiar to a jester, would be entertainers for kings and queens, some royality not liking the clowns because of their mischievous ways.

In today’s time, clowns’ terrifying reputation have only been promoted by movies and novels such as “It”, a killer clown who terrorizes and attempts to murder a group of kids. A more recent example being American Horror Story: Freak Show having a clown known as Twisty. This clown kidnaps and holds people in a bus in the woods.

Twisty is actually quite terrifying having a mask covering his mutilated mouth.

When clown sightings come as close as Largo, some students have gone “clown hunting”, searching for these obnoxious clowns, not only putting themselves in danger but also promoting these activities by recording their actions and posting them to social media.

Junior John Choo Chew says “I think the whole clown situation needs to stop, people scaring and killing people for no reason. I personally think this whole clown scandal is dumb and needs to stop. Now if a clown gets beat up, they deserve it”.

With these troublesome clowns, some stores near the attacks have even went as far to take all clown attire from their shelves. Target, fearing their clown mask would help promote these actions, have taken them off the shelves in-store and online nationwide.

As reported by Fox 8 in Cleveland, police have investigated the death of a sixteen year old in Reading, Pennsylvania in which a suspect wearing a clown mask was responsible.

Professional clowns have also taken a big hit, losing clients and even going as far as starting a “Clown Lives Matter movement.

One professional clown said on his facebook page, “Us actors need to be heard! I’m not your enemy! I’m an actor!”

Authorities urge people to stay away from clowns, not engage in any clown related activity, report sightings to the police and do not go “clown hunting”.

Reproduced by permission of the-lineup.com

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wisty, the clown from American Horror Story, has some new friends in the real world. Reasons are unknown as to why people are dressing up as creepy clowns, but they could have possibly drawn inspirtation from Twisty.

cus

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

Poor FSA scores require students to take the ACT ryanGRIFFIN

staff writer

The Florida Standard Assessment reading scores were recently released taking students by surprise. Over 300 of Countryside’s juniors and seniors ended up failing the reading portion of the FSA. Why did so many Countryside students failed the state mandated test?

Students had to score a 3.5 on the FSA reading to get a passing grade, but many ended up scoring below this.

Many wonder how their scores went from sevens and eights on the practice test to dropping below a 3.5.

11th grader Christi Smith gave her opinion saying “i’m annoyed that i had to waste half a school day to retake the ACT and now have to waste another half day to retake the FSA.” While Juniors and Seniors were then tak-

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en out of periods first through fifth to replace their failing scores with superior ACT scores. Not only did students miss almost an enter day of school for testing it just so happened to fall on a homecoming spirit day.

The reading section was the required part to pass with a minimum score of 19. The reading section has a maximum time of 30 minutes with 45 questions applying to 4 different stories. After overhearing conversations from students after the test, it was discovered that approximately only a little over half of the section was completed when the five minute warning was called. This has brought up concern for teachers,students, and parents.

Many of the testers are worried about the scores and wonder if they will need to retake the FSA or ACT again. With these test taking more and more of our class times students and teachers are continually getting irritated.

Key points of Hurricane Matthew’s journey chloeYATES

staff writer

September 28 Hurricane Matthew started as a tropical storm. Warnings were in effect for St. Lucia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, Dominica, St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands.The path was Westward at 21 mph.

October 4 This was the day the first watch was issued for Florida. The Florida Keys at this time were forecasted to receive 4 to 6 inches of rain.

October 6 Hurricane Matthew re-strengthened to a category 4 hurricane with 138 mph winds moving northwest at 14 mph. The hurricane watch was extended north into the coast of Georgia as well as parts of the southern coast of South Carolina.

At this point Matthew was 5 feet off the Florida coast. It rained around 4 to 12 inches as forecasted for Florida and Georgia.

October 7 Matthew weakened once again to a category 3 hurricane with 120 mph sustained winds and now located off the central coast of Florida moving north-northwest at 13 mph. At this point Florida was dealing with storm surge up to 9 feet while South and North Carolina felt a storm surge of 6 feet.

Reproduced by permission of NASA Earth Science Office

October 9 Matthew was just barely a category 1 hurricane. All hurricane watches at this time were expired as Matthew moved east off the coast of North Carolina.

H

urricane Matthew’s satellite image on October 4 made a creepy skull as it made landfall in Haiti.

8 Winter season is back!

Sports

November 16, 2016| Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

Farewell to the seniors

Starting off with girls soccer

Volleyball season comes to an end maddiMILLER

maddiMILLER sports editor

As the season of Countryside volleyball comes to an end, our lady cougars finished out strong!

Junior varsity volleyball ended with a record of 3-9 and varsity with a record of 11-9. With the season coming to the close, Countryside says goodbye to the team’s seniors: Cherelle Beckles, Alexis Glasgow, Faith Poelker, and Quianna Vaughan. Countryside will miss them for next year’s season, but wishes them the best of luck as they bump, set, and spike their way into their future!

reproduced by Taylor Damian

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ountryside’s volleyball seniors finish out this season strong along with the help of their coach Fran Freyer.

2016 World Series The return of the Cubs gabbyHERNANDEZ

staff writer

The Chicago Cubs won the 2016 baseball world series against the Cleveland Indians who had won the first 3 out of 7 games. The cubs thought their chances were over until they won the fourth game of the series. Winning this game was crucial; if they had not won, it would have all been over. Not only did they come back and win, they also broke the curse of the billy goat.

The curse all started when a cubs fan wanted to bring his personal mascot, a goat, into game four of the world series in 1945. They refused to let the goat in claiming “it stinks.” Ever since this event, the Chicago Cubs have not won a world series until this groundbreaking year.

Reproduced by permission of USA Today

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fter 108 years, the Chicago Cubs celebrate their victory in the 2016 World Series Championship.

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his was the lucky year for the Chicago Cubs to take a suprising victory. The Cubs manager Joe Madden seems very pleased with the outcome of the game.

Reproduced by permission of IBTimes

sports editor

Varsity

Junior Varsity

Antoinette Barnes Kiersten Maricle KB Wiener Alyson Chlopek Lily Conte Erin Grass Taylor Shivers Hannah Schultz Julia Montalvo Taylor Links Alyssa Barnes Nicole Wirgau Tori Clark Cassidy Swenson Delaney Lynch Rozafa Moquellari Cloe Fremmer Mira Quimbly

Lana Truong Jacey Montalvo Reagan Griffin Alexa Turner Julie Scarfo Alyssa Wirgau Ashley Chlopek Sophia Landa Kaitlyn Green Isabella Moreno Sage Hall Zoe Taylor Ilona Luten Emily Plante Jenna Brehm Kiley Marston Kayla Dixon

Student Life

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

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Countryside’s “key” to community service meganJONES

student life editor

Key Club was established in 1925, in a small school in Sacramento, California. Today, Key Club is the oldest and largest high school service program with over 270,000 members worldwide. It is represented in 38 countries, including Barbados and China, and it includes over 5000 clubs.

Key Club strives to build character, and promote caring and inclusiveness. It also allows students to get involved in their school and their community, all while building leadership skills.

Countryside High School has its own chapter of Key Club, run by club president, Brianna Wil-

Students step up to their responsibilities fionnPARDUE

editor-in-chief

On Tuesday, September 27th, 2016, students Alexis Glasgow and Tyler Prescott went to the Pinellas county school board meeting to highlight all the positive things going on at Countryside High School.

They are on the student’s rights and responsibilities committee, meaning they meet with the school board once a month to discuss all the school’s pros and cons.

Alexis and Tyler began their speech explaining Cougar U and all it does to help our Freshman class. Other topics that were spoken about include our R.O.C.K program, On-Track,Teen Court, and ISTEM programs.

“Our goal is to make all students feel they are an important part of Countryside High School so they can be successful and graduate as a Countryside Cougar,” Alexis claims.

The attendees of the School Board meeting were Superintendent Michael Grego, Chairperson Peggy O’ Shea, rincipal Gerald Vice Chairperson Tery Schlereth and Senior Alexis Glasgow pose af- Krassner, and Principal ter the Pinellas County Schlereth. school board meeting.

“Alexis and Tyler represented Countryside High School with great pride, they made our school look amazing with all the positive information they discussed,” said Principal Schlereth.

Only being allowed to speak for 8 minutes, Alexis and Tyler are excited to return next month with even more information. They will meet directly with the Pinellas School Board next month, and each month for the rest of the year.

dridge, and advisor Mr. Siemion.

Students at Countryside High School are encouraged to join to earn volunteer hours, get involved in the school, and in the community.

“It helps people reach out and do something for someone other than themselves.” Said club member Caitlyn Coleman.

“It’s good to help the community and be aware of what’s going on outside of school and our grades.”

Key Club is a great way to meet people who are not only interested in helping the school and the community, but in making someone smile.

“I would definitely recommend joining because it’s an easy way to get involved. We motivate others to get involved for a positive outcome,” Said Wildridge.

Key Club brings the whole school together, and is an opportunity to make a change in the world.

Six degrees of separation:

Where do you work and who do you know?

Kendall Nelson works at Coldstone.

She knows Katie because they are mutual friends.

kierstenMARICLE

Sarah Dukes works at D’Lites Ice Cream. She knows Kendall because they met in middle school.

Katie Fontana works at Chick-filA. She knows Erin because they have AP Lang together.

editor-in-chief

Six Degrees of Separation is a theory that everyone in the world is connected with approximately six acquaintances between them. For this issue, Paw Print connected six Countryside students that spend their spare time working an after school job.

Erin Grass works at Eintsein Bros. Bagels.

She knows Jordan because they have been friends since middle school.

P

Pashion Scott works at Publix.

She knows Sarah because they met in middle school.

Jordan Longo works at the Hamptons. She knows Pashion because they have AP Seminar together.

photo credits tyler prescott

Student Life

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

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AP students are feeling the heat julesTROUNG

editor-in-chief

For AP students, the struggles of school do not end at just the typical difficulties involved with advanced classes and heaps of homework. The Pinellas county district decided to have schools start two weeks earlier this year, and in doing so, senior exams and graduation are now almost an entire month earlier. Graduation day is on May 16 and senior exams are still to be determined, but they may fall on the week before graduation day.

AP exams fall between May 1 through May 12, two weeks before senior graduation. This causes a few potential problems for AP students since senior exams may occur at the same time as AP exams. Besides the potential conflict for both AP and senior exams, AP students with tests at the same time slot will have to make up their exam after graduation since the make up days are on the 17, 18, and 19 of May. “They’re [students] going to have to decide which one to take first,” said Kathy Santiago, 12th-grade guidance counselor.

Ms. Santiago has also said that students will be able to make up the exams and still walk for graduation. For senior exams, students will have to speak to their teachers as these issues will be handled on a “case by case basis”. If there are any concerns, make sure to contact Ms. Santiago.

The main problem students face at this time is how to divvy up their time to each test accordingly.

Senior Lauren Whitaker, is taking multiple AP classes, three of which fall on the same day. Microeconomics and Human Geography share the same 8am time slot and European History is at noon.

For her situation, she must decide whether to take the Human Geography or the Microeco-

nomics exam first as well as working out a time to take any senior exams that may happen to fall on the same day.

“Now I have to choose which exam I have to take first,” said Whitaker. “And not only that, but I have to come back after graduation and make up an exam even though I just want to be done with my senior year.”

If you are one of these people, make sure to get this issue resolved as soon as possible! Make sure you know when your AP exams are and if there is a conflict, talk to Ms. Santiago and get it fixed. You do not want to wait until the last minute and throw away a year’s worth of work all because you neglected to fix your exam schedule.

reproduced with permission of www.wbyswcddnews.com

Crocs are the Homecoming Hit the jackpot new style week recap with free food! madisonANDERSON

pawparazzi editor

Remember those weird shoes that everyone seemed to be wearing years ago, then they suddenly faded away because of the weird shape and awkward tan lines left on feet? Crocs are back! People can be seen wearing them in a multitude of ways: with or without socks and with or without the backs on. Some people even personalize them by adding Jibbitz which are fun shoe charms, specifically made for Crocs. These shoe embellishments are sold individually and in little packages with varying themes including Disney, superheroes, Star Wars, and more.

Senior Bridget Atterbury is one high school student who has joined in on this new trend.

“I honestly started wearing them as a joke. I got them on sale when I was on a road trip in Tallahassee and I loved how funny looking they were.

The more and more that I started to wear them, the more and more that I liked them. I wear my crocs with the backs off because that’s how the cool people wear them. Soon, I even got hired to work at the Crocs store. I really enjoy the environment working there and how it’s not stressful.

All of my coworkers and I can say that we love our job and love Crocs,” said Atterbury.

People usually think Crocs are only the shoes with holes, but there are more styles than the standard “Croc” that people are used to. From Croc boots to flip flops to tennis shoes, the popular brand has them all. Prices of the footwear can range from $15.00-$140.00.

Junior Taylor Damian is another high school student who has become a part of this new footwear statement.

“I love my Crocs because they are super comfy and breezy through the top. I bought them a few months ago at Ross when my volleyball team and I were traveling to a meet,” said Damian.

liaDEALVAREZ

randiKISER

business manager

Movie Monday

Taytum McMillian & Jenna Brehm

Takin’ It Back Tuesday

business manager

Most students will agree that any chance to grab free food needs to be taken. Restaurants will do promotional and anniversary days in which they will advertise free food, ice cream, coffee, etc.. Here are some opportunities for a snack without breaking out your wallet:

Free short stack at IHOP’s National Pancake Day on March 7th

Free Italian ice at Rita’s on March 20th Free cone day at Ben & Jerry’s in April Haley Yavorsky, Owen Rowson, Anthony Postiglione, Vincent Postiglione, John Choo Chew

Wacky Tacky Wednesday

National Bagel Day at Einsteins on November 9th

BOGO Coffee at Starbucks on February 14th.

Free dessert at Boston Market on February 14th.

Summer Osborne & Chase Condon

Circus Thursday

Free cone day at Dairy queen: Mid-March Free coffee for Wawa Day: Mid-April

Rebecca Petit, Kate Goerke, Sarah Sandberg

Spirit Friday

Free Cone Day at Carvel: Late April Free Froyo at TCBY on Mother’s Day Free small popcorn at AMC on April 15th

Madison Avery & Matthew Monaghan

reproduced with permission of Pinterest

photo credit Randi Kiser

Entertainment

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

11

Kodak Claire, the one and only alexisGLASGOW

guest writer

Every year, Countryside High School participates in a school-wide homecoming week. This week consists of specific themes that the stu

reproduced with permission of Claire Kemp

K

emp posing outside of Countryside High School showing off her gold chains

dent body dresses up for in hopes of getting the entire school excited for homecoming night fes-

tivities. One of the most notorious days this year was Wacky Tacky Wednesday, where students were told to dress as crazy and zany as possible.

Wacky Tacky Wednesday apparel quickly turned into an intense act of cultural appropriation accusation within a few hours of social media sharing.

Senior Claire Kemp decided to dress as her favorite Hip Hop artist, Kodak Black. She put her hair in Bantu Knots, wore chains around her neck, and a “Free Kodak” T-shirt that resembled Kodak’s most common outfit style. While she was dressing up just for the kicks and giggles, some people interpreted this act as cultural appropriation.

“I think people on twitter just want their opinions to be heard,” said Kemp.

She felt as though there should not have been a particular issue with her outfit choice, as it was just her way of getting in on the school festivities. A common argument based around this situation is that kemp did not participate in the controversial ‘blackface’ that has caused an uproar for many years.

Megacon comes to Tampa Bay adrianPORRATA

guest writer

On October 28-30, 2016, a special convention was held called Megacon at the Tampa Bay Convention Center.

As soon as you walked in vibrant characters, a rambunctious atmosphere, and an overall visually pleasing background could be seen.

In the main room there was even more to see such as vendors, attractions like photo booths with fan-favorite characters, and meet and greets with characters from various series such as Ghostbusters, Star Wars, and other sci-fi movies.

It wasn’t just popular movies, but different anime, cartoons, and even obscene characters.

For those into the anime scene, there were many different manga comic books, all with cheap and fair prices. Other booths offered trinkets and posters from various other genres such as swords, t-shirts, pictures, keychains, and even steampunk hats under $20.

Who would be recommended to go to this convention? Anyone! Just be prepared with extraordinary costumes, spending a wad out of your pocket, and the fairly long lines for the bathroom. Also, be advised that with thousands of people there will be bumping and shoving, but everyone was cordial.

Jingle Ball 2016 lineup laimWALSH guest writer

Daya

Lukas Graham

Around the holidays, it’s good to start off with a fun activity to do with friends. Jingle Ball is a concert in which select singers from different genres come together to perform an annual and traditional event. This years performers include Pitbull, the Chainsmokers, Fifth Harmony and many more. The two Jingle Ball concerts in Florida take place in Tampa, on December 17th, and Miami, on the 18th.

Tickets are still on sale ranging from $59.00 to $1350.00. You can find these tickets sales on websites such as Stubhub, Vividseats, etc. Recently, the Jingle Ball gets sold out very quickly so get your tickets now!

Pitbull

Martin Garrix

Fifth Harmony

The Chainsmokers

DNCE

While this situation has spiraled out of control, reaching many news outlets and social media platforms, Kemp is not the only one receiving backlash for her decisions. Celebrities like the Kardashian family have been accused of

K

emp doing a signature Kodak Blaco pose, expressing her full wackiness on this Wednesday

cultural appropriation as well for wearing cornrows in their hair. It is evident that through acts of innocence, there can be harsh repercussion.

Countryside’s library and Barnes and Noble connect

Pawparazzi

November 16, 2016 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper

12

Countryside cougars rant about life Ann Scott visits the tylerPRESCOTT

“Th ed res bot s cod - D hers e rea m eva lly nte e.”

Dix on

staff writer

le sit in “I don’t like how peop eryday ev r ke loc my front of n get mad during lunch and the to it.“ t ge when I try to iana org Ge n rga - Mo

“I hate how freshmen still throw food like they are in 5th grade.”

- Victoria Bronson

e or m he e ve t us ha t at eca s.” d i ul ir s b me co l sp me co p e o a ly m “W cho ll g eal Ke r s ba e ire ot on la o f no -C

ny ma is o i to d t ay h an d.” w e c are un lat re at l opu ss e “Th ople verp Gra pe so o Erin -

staff writer

O

n Thursday, October 27th, Ann Scott, wife of Governor Rick Scott, came to Countryside High School to visit the Little Cougars PreSchool. She read three pictures books, posed for pictures, and smiled with the preschoolers.

Since 2010, when Rick Scott was elected, his wife has been traveling to visit kids.

“I get dr day fo esscoded e veryr wear in able c lothes g comfortI’m cov even though ered u p.”

- Vinn ie Sch werer

What are the Little Cougars thankful for?

gabbyHERNANDEZ

Little Cougars

liamWALSH

staff writer

Jordan to the Rescue zoeCOOPER

staff writer

17 year old, Palm Harbor University student, Jordon Litowchak, and his family were on their way to his friend’s house on Highlands Blvd in Palm Harbor for a Sunday dinner. He heard a loud splash, made his mom stop the car and got out to help when he saw the car in the lake.

Litowchak jumped into the lake and pulled out 71 year old Daniel Vinovich from the lake. A hospice nurse stopped to help at the scene andstayed with Danie until the ambulance arrived.

He had neck and back spasms which caused him to drive into the lake. Daniel was not hospitalized after the accident. The windows were down which made it very easy for Likowchak to pull him out.

“I had some adrenaline going but I just had to save this man. He was very emotional and very thankful to me for saving him. I mean, of course, I’m grateful I could be here, but I don’t want like anything in return. He doesn’t need to thank me or anything. It was just a good thing to do, and I’m glad I could do that for him,” said Litowchak.

Best Buddies go bowling

“I am thankful for my big boy bed.”

-Dylan

“I am thankful for my mommy and daddy.”

-Ayla

madisonANDERSON

pawparazzi editor

“I am thankful for my toys.”

-Peyton

T

“I am thankful for my teddy bear.”

-Myles

“I am thankful for my sister.”

-Taylor

he Best Buddies group had a Halloween Boowling event on Friday, October 28th at Countryside lanes. “The students had a great time and I would like to thank Pam Phillips and all of the parents who attended. Best Buddies strives to build relationships, so that every student can have a typical high school experience with friends,” said Ute Bennett.