Features
2 all photo credits Sofia Burgos
December, 6 , 2018 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
A hula homecoming week at the C-side sofiaBURGOS and sayreSHIVELY
staff writer
Here is a photo recap of our C-side homecoming week. The first day (first two pictures) was twin
Tuesday, the second day (third picture) was worn out Wednesday, the third day (fourth picture) was tacky tourist Thursday, and Friday (last picture on the right) was spirit day. The pictures
on the bottom are from the outdoor pep rally on Friday’s spirit day!
The ultimate lunch tray- paper vs. styrofoam katieGOSS
features editor
After calculating that over a million school lunch trays were thrown out every month, Hillsborough county switched from styrofoam to paper trays. An article from the Brandon Patch stated, “Converting to paper trays ‘will remove an estimated 483,000 pounds and 289,000 cubic feet of non-biodegradable foam from the Tampa Bay area waste stream’”. Considering the current state our planet has become, any and all efforts to help is highly needed. Especially in big areas or groups, like schools, eliminating trash and making it recyclable is a small step in the right direction, but nevertheless a step. Hillsborough county teaches over 200,000 students putting it at the third largest school district in the state of Florida. Pinellas ranks as the seventh largest school district in the state, teaching just a bit over 100,000 students. If one of the largest
school districts was able to make the switch to a planet friendly tray option, financially and easily, then why has not other counties in the area? Styrofoam is a cheap product which big companies, especially public high schools, can budget in. It does not grow mold or bacteria and does not become toxic, so can be stored in bulk for a while before being used. So economically styrofoam makes a lot of sense to use in schools. However, money can not be the only thing thought about when making decisions about products that will be waste after used. Styrofoam can only be broken down in our environment in constant sunlight, and only if it is really thin can be broken down within a couple of years. In landfills where there is typically no sunlight exposure, styrofoam does not break down. So all of those trays used in lunches across the country just sit in landfills pretty much forever. Not to mention the other products not only used in schools, but in the world
in general, made out of styrofoam that is wasted and just sits in the landfills, never breaking down. Animals are also affected by the never ending pile of foam. When the styrofoam breaks down into tiny pieces and blown around landfills or elsewhere, animals eat the pieces mistaking it for food. When their body is unable to process the pieces clogging their digestive tract, or they choke on a big piece, they unfortunately die. Paper is recyclable. Styrofoam is not. Hillsborough county is not the only county in the state, let alone the country that made the switch to different trays to help the environment be a little better. Though school districts have a budget they must follow, would it not be worth spending a few extra bucks if it meant cleaning our planet just a little bit more? Our decisions can not only be a money concern anymore when we have a whole environment to worry about with problems we helped create.
The holiday season is not just for meatlovers
oliviaDYDZUHN
staff writer
Holidays are normally not a vegetarian or vegans’ favorite time of the year. However, Countryside High School students who have chosen this lifestyle have found alternatives to the holiday meals of turkey, chicken and ham. Many people aren’t aware that vegetarians are people who don’t eat meat, fish, seafood or poultry and vegans don’t eat any dairy products as well. People who follow these diets are often stuck when it comes to these food-based holidays. Fortunately, a widely known vegan alternative is Tofurkey which you can buy at Whole Foods, Earth Origins, Trader Joe’s as well as some Publix and Walmart Neighborhood Market stores. Rylie Evans has been a vegetarian for two years.
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livia prepares a delicious Tofurkey to gobble up during the holidays. Photo credit Juiceonline
“My mother is a vegetarian and growing up I’ve always felt bad about eating animals because I feel the animals are unfairly treated,” she said. Rylie said that her favorite food to eat during
the holidays are lots of vegetables, mac n cheese and bread rolls. Ali Nash, has been a vegan for three years. She actually looks forward to the holidays because of the specialty food her family makes. Ali uses Pinterest to decide what she is going to eat for Christmas because she likes to do different things every year. She normally makes vegan brownies as a dessert for all holidays. She has even taught herself how to make vegan mashed potatoes by using almond milk. “Being a vegetarian gives me an energized feeling!” Ali commented Both girls get a good feeling by helping the animals and by eating healthy. However, they also enjoy the delicious vegetarian food that goes along with this choice.
Opinion
December 6, 2018 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
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Is vlogging an actual talent? cheriBURKETT
staff writer
Let’s talk about Youtubers. An ongoing trend of this generation is apparently watching the most dulled down videos ever created, and making the producers of said videos, famous. What exactly are these people famous for? You would think absolutely nothing, considering most of the content is completely stupid, but then again it is all about the views. If you have an audience feeble minded enough to sit through and watch these type of videos, this is where all the views come from. I never truly will understand where the
enjoyment from watching videos like “Youtubers React to Other Youtubers” or “Get Ready With Me: Morning Routine”. It’s actually unbelievable. These kids get thousands of views and are actually making money off of stuff like that. When we were younger we used to actually go outside and go on bike rides with our friends but now all I see is a younger generation of children watching people scream through a digital screen. Whether it is a vlog recording their boring life or some guy just sitting on a video game streaming, it really is not that interesting. What they need to do is get over themselves and accept that reality is not as interesting as they make it out to be.
As a community, we should have higher standards. Matter of fact as a human race, we should have higher standards. Humans have been studied for thousands of years, and we are supposed to be considered the smartest out there, but living in this generation makes me doubt my own kind. Considering some people are just that dull to just sit around all day and watch videos and not do anything valuable with their lives. I feel that the internet as a whole, not just youtube but many other websites, have really helped to dull our community down.
What music genre do our students and teachers like best?
taurissaDORSEY
staff writer
Teachers
Rap/Trap:19%
Hip Hop:17%
RnB:10%
Other:8%
Latin:4%
Reggae:6%
Country:5%
Rock:10%
Pop:16%
JAZZ:11%
POP:9%
ROCK:16%
COUNTRY:12%
Reggae:11%
Latin:5%
Other:11%
RNB:10%
Hip Hop:9%
VS.
Rap/Trap:6%
Jazz:5%
Students
H t or c ld at Countryside?
loganSCHNEITER
entertainment editor
When you enter a room you immediately make impressions; some good, some bad, some ugly. If you were to walk into any given classroom here at the enigmatic Countryside High School your first impression may vary, from students passed out mid-lecture, some students melting in a pool of their own sweat due to the inconsistency of the AC around the campus, and occasionally you may even find yourself in a sea of nagging teens complaining like elderly women about the temperature of the campus. The problem seems to be that in some
sections of the school the AC unit is working far too hard and freezing the students. In other sections where the AC unit may be having some issues, the temperature is far too warm. The office has the temperature set at a cool 74 degrees at all times, which compared to rooms in the school without a functioning unit is alarmingly chill. One student Hoang Nguyen even stated that the schools temperature was either “Way too hot or way too cold, which just isn’t good for learning”. As a matter of fact, when the guidance was asked about the temperature they are most comfortable in on a normal Florida day they responded with an average of 77 degrees
Fahrenheit. The easiest way to fix the great climate problem facing the school is to come to a compromise in the temperature setting for the campus. To say that all the units on the AC will always work seems like it would be the easiest suggestion, however expecting the entire system to function perfectly 24/7 is unpractical. The best way to solve the problem seems to be turning the heat up three degrees. The transition from functioning AC classroom to non-functioning would be a much easier transition and viceversa. The cold classrooms would not be as a cold, and the warm rooms wouldn’t feel so nasty, it’s a win-win-win.
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LEADERSHIP ROLES
December 6, 2018 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
Six degrees of Separation
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Jenna Brehm President of Marine Biology Club, knows Savannah Coleman through mutual friends.
cheriBURKETT Estefani Becerra President of Girlfriends Club, knows Jenna Brehm from Safety Harbor Elementary School.
Savannah Coleman President of Future Florida Educators of America, knows Autumn Oppenheimer because they are best friends.
staff writer
Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is connected with approximately six acquaintances between them. For this issue, Pawprint writers linked together students through leadership positions.
Teodora Simic President of SADD Club, knows Estefani Becerra from Safety Harbor Elementary School.
Autumn Oppenheimer President of the Senior Class, knows Caitlyn Coleman from AP Calculus.
Caitlyn Coleman President of Key Club, knows Teodora Simic from Biotechnology.
Twinning is winning taurissaDORSEY
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staff writer
ylan Cassidy and Devon Cassidy are indentical twins in 9th grade. They both play football on the JV team. Their favorite part about being identical twins is messing with people, but they believe there’s nothing that special about being a twin.
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aurus Dorsey and Taurissa Dorsey are fraternal twins in 11th grade. Their favorite part about being twins are all of the jokes they share together and having such a close bond.
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ax Thorpe and Rachel Thorpe are fraternal twins in 11th grade. They agreed that they love having a twin for various reasons whether it is having a friend always around, dance partner, or study buddy, they have eachother.
cus
December 6, 2018 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
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Surrounded by art, in and out of school maddisonMARICLE
Mrs. Andersen started making her way into helping with choreographing and teaching at the studio. Now she is one of the lead instructors. She trains at the studio twice a week but has a hoop in her house, so she can train whenever she would like to. Her studio performs at locations like Armatureworks and the Tampa Convention Center. Seeing as her main career is teaching art, she mostly only has gigs on the weekends at these locations. Even though she is considered one of the artistic directors at the studio, she does not plan on retiring from teaching at Countryside to take this on this art form full time. Mrs. Andersen explained that she loves having a job teaching art to various students, while she then gets to go to her studio and teach different students a completely different type of artform.
opinion editor To our surprise, Mrs. Andersen does not just teach art at Countryside high school, she performs it too. This art educator has a fascinating talent that everyone deserves to know about. She is involved is the Circus Arts. When asked about how she got involved in this talent she said that “I had a student who never came to school and she was on the verge of dropping out. So I asked her why she was not coming to school and she said ‘I am going to Circus Arts’.” A few years back when Mrs. Andersen’s father passed away, she was in the need for an outlet, so she looked back into these Acrobats. “I went in and took a class for fun and I was able to climb the first day which was pretty good for a beginner.” From there she just decided to continue with this newly discovered talent. Like almost everyone is after doing an activity with that intensity level, she was ridiculously sore the next few days. Mrs. Andersen did not let this pain discourage her, instead she ended up being there 5 days a week and trained often to strengthen herself and increase her abilities.
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rs. Andersen completes an aerial ring performance. Not only does she practice at her studio, but she has some circus arts equipment at her house, so she can practice in her spare time.
photo credit Mrs. Andersen
Alexis Enriquez shares her artistic talent sofiaBURGOS staff writer Her whimsical brush strokes and creative ideas make twelfth grader, Alexis Enriquez’, paintings stand out in a crowd. Beginning her journey of art in freshman year, Enriquez is now pushing out more pieces than ever, thanks to her AP Studio Art class that she is taking this year. She started painting to relieve stress and other troubles,
“being able to tune out everything and paint was the main reason that brought me to pursue art for relaxation,” said Enriquez Having no one in her immediate family that was proficient creatively, Enriquez was exposed to art through the people she surrounded herself with at school. Her artwork is mostly inspired by her Aunt that committed suicide, “I tend to paint butterflies in remembrance of her in many of my pieces,” said Alexis.
She likes to incorporate semicolons to represent suicide awareness and suicide prevention. It also motivates her to keep painting and to spread awareness about mental health: an important and dear topic to her. Recent developments have given her the opportunity to showcase her paintings in a studio, in which she says is a big accomplishment. Alexis says she stays humble in her work and truly loves working on new pieces.
all photo credits Alexis Enriquez
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lexis Enriquez poses with paintings that she has created. She enjoys painting to relax and express herself.
“Internal Battle”
“Peace of Mind”
Sports
December 6, 2018| Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
SPOTLIGHT ATHLETES Joey Burns
Tony Burburija
janaeFORD
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sayreSHIVELY
staff writer
Anthony Burburija, known as Tony, started wrestling at the age of eight years old. Being 5’11 and 195 lbs, Tony is known for being one of the best wrestlers at Countryside High. “My passion for wrestling on a scale from one to ten is a ten,” Tony Burburija said. As his senior year begins, Tony is working on getting offers from different colleges. “In five years, I see myself wrestling in college, pushing to win a national title,” Tony said. This is not a hobby to Tony, this is his life. This what he does inside of school, and out. Tony spends three hours practicing for high school and club wrestling. Five months out of the year, Tony is wrestling and even during the five to six months of off season, Tony still practices as often as he can. On top of high school wrestling, Tony wrestles for a club called “Countryside Wrestling”. Tony’s greatest accomplishment is winning a state championship. He has maintained a 3.6 GPA while also focusing on his athletic abilities, such as his second sport as a linebacker for varsity football. Wrestling coach Mr. Prince talks very highly of Tony. He feels Tony is a great leader and a great addition to the team. He is heading in the right
staff writer
When did you start swimming and Why? “I maybe started around five or six, it’s because my parents made me.” How long did it take you to learn to love what you’re doing now? “Almost 4 years. After continuously doing it, I was loving it more and more. Especially when I knew I was getting better at it.” What is your inspiration? “To make it into the U.S Olympics.” Do you have any obstacles? “Mental prep, and how to get myself in the right mindset.” Some advice for some other swimmers? “Relax, It’s just race, don’t work yourself up about it. What was your biggest moment? “I made states freshman year.” Why is the state olympics such a big deal for a freshman/How does a freshman make it a big deal to be in the olympics? “Since I never liked swimming when I was younger, I knew I was getting better when I made the Olympics, so it just pushed me more and more since it was a big deal for me.”
direction for senior year.
Davis Hughes meganJONES
editor-in-chief
When did you start playing football? “Freshman year.” Why did you start playing football? “One of my soccer teammates’ dad was the coach and asked me to come out to the JV team and kick for them.” Tell us about your UCF visit? “It was an unofficial game day visit where we went to the stadium an hour and a half before the game. We were shown the athletic facilities,
met with the position coaches and regional recruiters, were able to be on the field during the warmups and were able to stay in the student section seats for the game. Then after the game we were able to go in to the locker room. I went to a national kicking camp and I went to a top 40 invite only camp and was awarded 21/100 top performer.” What is the farthest field goal you have made? “I’ve kicked 54 yards in a game and 65 in practice.”
What is your proudest moment? “Being able to come back after a broken ankle injury and be better than where I was.” How often do you practice? “5 days a week for 2 hours.” Do you have any advice or a favorite quote? “If you want something go after it.” Do you have plans to visit any colleges? “I have planned an unofficial game day visit to USF and also to go on another one to Ole Miss.”
Student Life
December 6, 2018 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
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Countryside student after -life
loganSCHNEITER
student life editor
Prologue
It is believed that a person dies twice, once when your heart takes its last beat and the last time someone says your name. This ideology encourages people to seek out ways to create some sort of legacy while they are alive. However, it seems as if some cougars have twisted the rules. Instead of creating themselves a legacy whilst amongst the living, four of the schools alumni have created a sort of unorthodox fame. Without further adieu, here are Spirits of Countryside High School.
Spirits of Countryside
Lisa Millisor - Lisa Millisor born 1967 daughter of former cougar football coach, Howard Millisor, died at the early age of eighteen. While alive she was incredibly active in the drama department at Countryside, she even stage directed the theaters play on her senior year. However, it seemed as if her love for the program ultimately ended in her rushing to the school one spring day in early 1985. On Lisa’s way to the school to help with the schools production of Pillow Talk, the former thespian was hit in a head-on collision with a car killing her instantly. Saddened by the news the department put up a plack that still hangs in the prop cage today. It is believed that since the plack was put up Lisa’s spirit has roamed the halls of A and B, where her father use to teach, and the auditorium. It is even said that she can control the lights in the auditorium. Allegedly there have been instances of the lights in the audtiorium flickering uncharacteristicly. The only remedey seeming to be asking Lisa to stop. Ian Tillmann & Rich Nichols - In a marching band there are several components to making a certain sound appealing to the ears. One of those components is the tuba, the largest instrument in the brass family,
has the deepest sound, and has been played by both Ian Tillman & Rich Nichols. After highschool, Ian Tillman went on to be a sort of local skateboard icon, he went on to do great skating feats until his unfortunate death in a skating accident in 2005. After his unfortunate accident, the town of Safety Harbor named the Ian Tillmann Skatepark in the honor of the fallen skater. Soon after his death there were reports of paranormal activity in the band room with slamming doors and objects moving. Another alleged tubist turned phantom is the late Rich Nichols who died in the early twenty-first century. A former marching band member and personal friend of Countryside High School’s own Vincent Parrulli. One late night after a band event, Parrulli was in the theater when all of a sudden the air got cold one of the heavy theater doors slammed and an orb appeared on the stage. Parrulli further elaborated by saying that he believed that Rich had latched himself on to the theater teacher and was attempting to reach out to his old band friend from the good old days. David Petriken- David Petriken was a member of the inaugural marching band squad, his excellence in band even led him to become a drum major. After highschool he left his band life behind him to become a California bodybuilder in Oakland. Unfortunately David passed in 2013 due to complications during surgery. After his passing, his mother had a garage sale to give his band things away to young and upcoming band kids. A young incoming student happen to find his old marching outfit and purchased it to give to the school. Shortly after the marching uniform was hung up in the room odd things started to happen. Doors would be slammed in the band room, door handles would shake at a frightening rate, and things would move by themselves. The uniform is still hung up for all willing to see, whether it for the history, the memory of the lost cougar, or something a little more paranormal.
isa Millisor, the senior who died on her way to a showing of Pillow Talk, next to a plack made in her honor that still hangs in the prop cage today.
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an Tilmann (left) on one of his casual routes on Hercules Avenue, a couple years before his unfortunate death in 2005. Rich Nichols (right) posing for his 1985 senior year photo.
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avid Petriken posing for the inaugural marching band photo in 1980, 33 years before his unfortunate passing on a surgery table.
sydneyMazur
staff writer
Once Christan Ponce had seen some Instagram videos of people playing with the kendama, which is a wooden toy with a handle called a kem and a ball called a tama that is held by a string. It is a skill that people with patience, focus and creativity enjoy and as soon as Christian saw the video he was very interested. Later on, Christian got the opportunity to buy a kendama and took it because he hoped that his skills with balancing objects like chairs on his nose and juggling would help him excell at the kendama. He started by doing the smaller tricks which he would recommended others to do. Some parts of the kendama skills have came naturally to him however, he also has to watch youtube videos and practice his advanced tricks like flips and spikes. Christian loves how he can always learn new tricks with the kendama. “When I keep failing it doesn’t stress me out it actually relaxes me,” said Ponce. Currently, he has four kendamas and has a lot of fun doing it. He enjoys showing off his kendama skills to his friends and teaching them about it. Christian’s advice for others wanting to start using the kendama is to start with the easy, simpler tricks and then watch videos to improve. After practicing for over a year Christian can now do 40 tricks.
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Rubik’s cube standoff
The Great Kendamar of Countryside oliviaDYDZUHN
Gallery
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hristian Ponce showcasing his several kendmars in the school’s auditorium.
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ngel Labib attempting to best Davis Sauer in a rubix cube battle in the halls
All Photo Credits Logan Schneiter
staff writer
Davis Sauer and Angel Labib are not as fast at solving a Rubik’s Cubes as Guinness World Record’s Feliks Zemdegs at 4.22 seconds. However, Labib claimed she is capable of solving a Rubik’s Cube in about one minute, while Sauer believed he can solve one in about 45 seconds. Learning how to solve the cube wasn’t anything planned for Labib, “I just saw a Rubik’s Cube laying around my house then I picked it up and began solving it,” she explained. Labib secretively expressed that the algorithms she uses is what sets her above everybody else, a technique Angel is unwilling to share. Davis, on the other hand, claims that he is aware other people are a lot faster than him, but knows he is still exceptionally quick. After asking him if a rubik’s cube were to be very disorderly scrambled, he confidently replied that he could solve it “100%!” “I saw my friend solving one and he offered to teach me, so I took up his offer and learned how to do it” said Sauer. After asking why he believes his talent is so unique, he replied “It can be very difficult if you don’t understand what the person is trying to teach you and not a lot of people can do it these days. Sauer is currently in the process of learning how to solve a rubik’s cube in a different, faster way, and hopes that he can possibly set a world record in the future. Labib and Sauer set out in a friendly, yet highly competitive Rubik’s Cube battle. “I hope I beat you!” exclaimed Labib, while Sauer added “I wish you the best of luck, but hope I beat you, honestly.” After a nerve-racking Rubik’s Cube battle, the results shocked both participants: Labib won against Sauer in solving the cube by ten seconds.
Pawparazzi
December 6, 2018 | Issue 2 | Paw Print Newspaper
Coming Soon:
Countryside staff in the spotlight
meganJONES editor-in-chief
Just like Shrek described himself as having layers like an onion, the staff at Countryside have layers just the same. Often students do not know much about their teacher/administrator counterparts, especially if those layers included unique talents and abilities. However, the staff here have those layers in full form. Maybe it was never asked of them and they just needed someone to ask in order to share their talents. A few sample talents have been provided. Officer Comini soars through the clouds while skydiving. Mrs. Amiot-Priso sails the open seas, and Mr. Straub puts on a spectacular magic show each year that students look forward to around Christmas time. Mr. Schlereth can be described as a fitness guru. He enjoys all things working out. Students just need to peel back a layer of their outer facades to see their shining inner light. The staff talents included are not the only talents around these walls, but are rather a sampling of some of the greatness that can be learned just by asking simple questions and by getting to know the teachers and staff who make this school function. Just like these staff members have been willing to share maybe students can peel back their own layers and let their light shine for all the other students and staff to see.
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