The CHAT January/February issue 2016-2017 issue # 5

Women March On...

and PPCHS students share their story.

See more in News page 29

Nadira Danticat - Content Sarah Barrocas - Content Cristina Feliciano - Layout Sofia Alfonso - Layout Managing Editors Chatter Daily News Evan Samuels Web Managing Editor Brittany Evelyn - Content Sarah Barrocas - Layout Business Managers Mr. J. Harris - Layout Mr. F. Fagen - Content Mr. J. Harris - Video Advisors Mr. P. Bayer Principal

David Cha-Kim News Editor Alexa Infante Student Life Editor LJ Lemmers Technology Editor

Contents

The C.H.C. Staff

Silver Night Nominees

Cristine Alayon Sports Editor Cristina Feliciano Features Editor Maria Acosta-Rubio Clubs Editor Ainsley McCormick Community Outreach

Student Life:

Samuel Eliacin - The CHAT Eric Hernandez - Web Photo Editors Katie Perez Graphics Editor

Travelers Take on Terrific Trips Charter’s Poetry Master

Content Staff: Jordan Alberti, Florencia Azcurra, Sofia Azcurra, Paolo Barrera, Roselle Curiel, Mason Feldman, Matthew Hernandez, Janae McDonnough, Frank Mora, Christopher Nappi, Andres Perez, Amanda Rodriguez, Diego Salazar Layout Staff: Jose Bozo, Tomas Eiletz Bottaro, Sarah Barrocas, Esteban Gangotena Photography Staff: Julian Barcelo, Justin Dourvetakis, Omar Loutfi, Giulia Marcondes GRAPHIC STAFF: Nicole Mercadal, Micheal Perez, Justin Pierce

The C.H.A.T. is an official publication of the Pembroke Pines Charter High School (PPCHS). The content of our newspaper is not necessarily the opinions of our advisers and administration.

The C.H.A.T. staff welcomes any comments to the editors and/or staff.

The C.H.A.T is a publication of C.H.C (Charter High Communications) sponsored by the Communications & Technology Department of PPCHS. Pembroke Pines Charter High School 17189 Sheridan Street Pembroke Pines, FL 33331 Phone: 954-538-3700 Email: chc.ppchs@gmail.com Twitter: @_theCHATter Instagram: @thechatnews The CHAT welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for poor taste, libel, and space.

Drop off letters in room C113 or send an email to chc.ppchs@gmail.com

Lifestyle: Hotspot Hangouts Help Hamper Hustle New Studies Slowly Strutting Off Peanut Allergies

Technology: “Amazing” Amazon Echo Amuses Users Tekken 7 brings a New Round to Fighting

Pg

Stude

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Sports: Pg 19

Clubs & Electives: Pg 15

ent Life

Sports:

Features:

A Tribute to the Legendary Craig Sager

Stories Untold: Secrets of Charter

Faculty Profiles: Wait.. Who Playes a Sport in College?

Cluck! Cluck! Chickens Coming Through

News: President Trump Dives Right Into Controvery Women’s march: Democracy in action

Clubs & Electives: Clubs Offer Chance to Express Yourself, Meet New People Student as Teachers, a Novel Idea

Entertainment: Princess Leia Sleeps with the Stars Sensational Shows Say Sayonara

Everybody Has A Story: Special Feature on Freshman Matthew Cilli

Travelers Take on Terrific Trips Mason Feldman

W

Gardens by the Bay: During her visit to Singapore, Kiana made it a point to visit the famous nature park and its three waterfront gardens.

Photo Donated By: Kiana-Alize Diaz

Staying in Singapore: Overlooking the city while lounging poolside at the Marina Bay Sands hotel, Kiana enjoyed her winter break trip.

Photo Donated By: Kiana-Alize Diaz

Beaches of Brazil: Kelen visited the breathtaking beaches of Ilhabela, Brazil.

Photo Donated By: Kelen Quintana

Escadaria Selaron: Known as the “Selaron Steps,” this set of world-famous steps were constructed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil by a Chilean-born artist.

Photo Donated By: Kelen Quintana

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Staff Writer

hile many people travel to South Florida during winter break to spend the time in warmer weather, Floridians travel to other far away destinations to experience new places. Three students went to three drastically different places over break: Indonesia, Brazil, and Canada. Their time away from school was spent experiencing new things, going on adventures, and making unforgettable memories.

Warm weather and sunny skies greeted junior Kiana-Alize Diaz on her trip to Bali in Indonesia. Kiana’s winter break was filled with travelling to places with all different types of weather. First, she visited Connecticut and Massachusetts to see family, then on New Year’s Day she hopped on a plane and flew 20 hours to Singapore. She chose to visit Singapore because of the many tourist options. Kiana then flew to Bali in Indonesia, where she spent a majority of her break. At this time of the year, Bali’s average temperature is 81 degrees Fahrenheit and the sun is always shining. Kiana loved visiting it because “it felt like paradise.” She said, “My favorite part of the trip was visiting the beautiful beaches. They were perfect for surfing and the food was amazing. All of the food is super healthy and organic, but still tastes amazing.”

Besides the beaches, she also visited a water temple where she saw wild monkeys roaming around freely, went cliff jumping, and went to a surfing beach. She enjoyed the warm weather while soaking in an infinity pool about 70 floors high and spending her break in a tropical paradise.

While Kiana was enjoying warm waters, sophomore Jada Hinds was spending all of her winter break in snowy Canada. Jada flew up to Calgary, Canada to visit her cousins over break. She brought her thick wool coat and snow boots because of the frigid weather up north, but enjoyed it nonetheless. Jada spent her time up north sledding down snow-covered hills and skating in a homemade ice rink in their backyard. But, her favorite part of the trip was the day that she first drove a snowmobile. “My uncle has a snowmobile and I was able to ride that in a trail he has in his backyard. I rode it at night by myself which was a little scary because the trail goes back into a forest.

The snowmobile was really fast but I liked the rush of adrenaline I got from driving it,” she said. While Jada was speeding through a snowy forest, Kellen Quintana was cruising along the coast of South America.

Junior Kellen Quintana spent her winter break experiencing the gorgeous lands of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. She went on a 15-day cruise with her family that stopped at the sea cities of Brazil and popular cities in Uruguay. Kellen was elated to visit Brazil for the first time and learn more about the culture. “I had the most delicious steak and empanadas while on the trip. The food was the best part of the trip, but I enjoyed all of the different aspects of culture. I really enjoyed meeting so many new people,” she said.

When she wasn’t enjoying the traditions and customs around her, Kellen could be found at the warm beaches, such as Copacabana, located near Rio de Janeiro and referred to as the world’s most famous beach.

The warm, tropical weather made the sparkly blue waters of South America even better for Kellen and her family.

Though many students spent their winter break at home with family and friends, these three students experienced once in a life time trips that they will forever treasure and remember. From Indonesia to Canada to Brazil, they enjoyed the culture change and experiences that they will surely look back on as school and the upcoming testing season sneak up on the Charter student body.

Galloping to N Sofia Azcurra and

Staff W

The Silver Knight Award is a prestigious accolad the brightest seniors. Senior year is a stressful year, w

grades, it never seems to end. Many students can be shown leadership qualities and have not only achieved their talent and knowledge to help their school further be selected for this award.

Community service is taken very seriously when it have exceeded their community service requirement service project that she hopes will receive attention if extremely proud because it will bring attention to my s revolves around a school in Peru called Yachay Wasi, w Silver Knight. Winning Silver Knight will bring public school is small and not known by most people, it does young children in a poor and rural area of Peru,” say contributed over 300 volunteer hours to our communi While the Silver Knight is praised by many studen award students have to receive a 3.2 GPA (unweighted categories: Art, Athletics, Business, Drama, English a Journalism, Mathematics, Music, New Media, Scien Each school in Broward and Miami-Dade County may then appear on an assigned day in front of a panel of ju and three honorable mentions in that category. Only t the ceremony for the names to be announced. At the c a Silver Knight Statue and $2,000. The honorable me rewards are possible through the Blank Family Found Being considered for a Silver Knight is an honor, nev would be considered a major achievement. “It is a hug I'm a senior and have been nominated it puts everyth All contestants have been dedicated to something in t been her main focus. “Not only would winning Silver recognized but it also brings the public's attention to a abeth. The senior hopes to inspire others to start proje All Silver Knight applications are done online and e Entry Form along with photocopies of the Support one-paragraph summaries that inform judges about th hold any photocopies of awards along with a letter the nominee's community service and its impact on th “Major Project” section of the application. “Winners also their dedication to improving their school and c coordinator, Mrs. Portalatin.

Although PPCHS hasn’t had any winners in 2016, w mony is set to take place May 17th 2017. PPCHS has

Alyson Dav Uzair Farid- G sh Alexa Kaufm Emily Reyneri Nicole Patrick- W Elizabeth Gar Shreeya Sin Sofia Moham Nadira Dantic Alyssa Haniff

Seniors take on Silver Knight: The class of 2017 Silver Knight nominees anxiously await await for May 17th where they will be recognized for their academic and communal accolades.

Photo taken by: Omar Loufti

New Beginnings

A Successful Walk Mason Feldman

Fleorencia Azcurra

Writers

de that through hard work and courage, is awarded to with college applications, senior trips, and maintaining nominated, but only a few can win. Seniors who have d excellent academic accomplishments, but have applied r throughout their high school career have the chance to

t comes to the Silver Knight. Generally, all nominees t. Senior Nicole Patrick has been working on a major she wins. “If I were to win in my category... I would be service project that I have been working on. My project which would get the recognition it deserves if I win the city to the school and hopefully, more donations. As the s not get very much recognition for its efforts to instruct ys Nicole. Other students like senior Uzair Farid have ity. nts, it is not easy to receive. To be nominated for the d) and have to be nominated in one of the following 15 and Literature, Foreign Language, General Scholarship, nce, Social Science, Speech and Vocational Technical. y nominate one student for each category. The nominees udges and from there each panel selects on Silver Knight the twist is that students have to wait until the night of ceremony the winners are given a medallion along with entions receive $500 and an engraved plaque. All cash dation. vertheless being nominated. Winning for most students ge honor to be nominated for a Silver Knight. Now that hing into perspective,” said senior Elizabeth Garrison. their years in high school. For Elizabeth, the arts have r Knight reaffirm that all my hard work deserves to be all the ways they can contribute to the arts,” says Elizects of their own and give back to the performing arts. each nominee is required to submit five packets of the Documents. These documents can include numerous hat students certain activities. The documents must also of recommendation with particular information about he community, which is also explained in the student's are not only recognized for their accomplishments but community,” said Sociology teacher and Silver Knight

we are well on our way to having a few. The 2017 ceres 11 nominees for the award:

vis- Business General Scholarhip man- Athletics - Social Science World Languages rrison- Drama ngh- Speech mmad- Science cat- Journalism f- Mathematics

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Staff Writer

n Wednesday January 25th, students poured on to the track as they participated in the Walk-A-Thon event held here at Pembroke Pines Charter High School. At 9:00am the homeroom bell rang and students started heading over to join in on the festivities. The cost at the entrance was five dollars, which guaranteed each student a wrist band to show that they are a part of the event. Every Jag that showed up was able to get a granola bar or a bag of chips and a bottle of water as they walked around the track. Everyone was enjoying the atmosphere it was a beautiful day without a single cloud in the sky, the music was loud and lively with a bunch of well-known rap and hip hop songs. Over 100 students showed up at the event and there was no sight of sadness as everyone was having a great time.

A big part of this event is the possible sponsorships that each student is able to receive. The student who raises the most amount of money through sponsorships will earn a 25 dollar gift card. Although there may be lots of entries for this award in getting sponsorships, but all students are encouraged to go out and try their best to receive sponsorships from anywhere.

In order to access the sponsorship form please go on Jupiter grades under downloads for the school office and scroll down to the SOS Walk-A-Thon Flyer as well as the SOS Walk-A-Thon pledge form. All proceeds went to the Pembroke Pines Charter Jags Walk for a Cause: Students walked the track in support of the Pines Schools Foundation. Along with paying the money for the event, Charter School system. students were allowed to dress down for the day.

Photo Taken by: Aijah Harper Despite the name “Walk-A-Thon”, there was a few people that were running and even playing tag on the track. That is the type of spirit and excitement that we like to show at charter. There is never a dull moment and this event showed that in many ways. Senior Lenford Powell attended the Walk-A-Thon and really liked how everything turned out, he said, “This is my last year doing the walkathon, I’ve done it every time the school holds the event and it’s just nice to socialize and interact on the track with my friends.” Overall this event turned out great as expected and the charter family made a lot of money to put towards the school and put a smile on all student faces.

Charter’s Poetry Master LJ Lemmers Technology Editor

For Johanna Moise, talent doesn’t just come from dancing,thebutaward from poetry as well. This small, energetic senior has won of Poet Laureate. The Poet Laureate is an event where

participants submit 10 poems to the judges and they pick the participant whose poem they feel is the best. It so happened that Charter’s very own Johanna Moise was picked as the winner.

“Writing is a very personal thing for me and I never thought I’d be able to share my poems with that large of an audience but I did and it felt pretty cool to be honest,” said senior Moise.

Winning the Poet Laureate was a surprise to Moise. She had submitted her poems on February 22, 2016 and the judging went on for two weeks. She then got a call to attend the Winning Writers Gala. With the event almost coming to a close, Moise was called up. Moise submitted ten poems to the judges and her exciting poetry captivated the judges winning her the title of Broward County’s Poet Laureate 2016 in the free verse category. In 2015, Moise had come in 3rd place for the contest.

She came back with more experience and determination to win it all in 2016.

“I have been writing poetry since I was a little girl and have enjoyed it ever since. I love it and I hope to keep doing for as PPCHS’ Poet Laureate: long as I can. I will be entering more contests this year and hope Pines Charter’s very own senior, Johanna that I can win them as well. I just want to keep improving and Moise, is crowned Broward County’s Poet do what I love,” she said.

Laureate for praiseworthy poems.

Each poem she wrote was different for her. She didn’t stick to Photo Taken by: Aijah Harper just one specific topic. Moise likes to write about the world and love in her poems. Her writing was free and she wrote what felt good to her. Moise stated that the process for writing her poetry is very unique. Instead of picking one topic, she just picks up her pen, grabs a book, and writes whatever comes to mind.

Sometimes she can whip out an endless supply of poems, but Moise still can’t run away from writers block. She said it takes a while for her to think of something to write, so she likes to dance it out or sing and that is when her mind can free flow.

“Poetry is everything to me. It lets me write down whatever is on mind and I just let it go from there. I feel happy when I finish writing them and that is all that matters,” said senior Johanna Moise.

Johanna Moise is a star when it comes to poetry. She enjoys writing them and will continue to do so for as long as she can. Moise will be entering other poetry competitions and she will surely impress the judges there as she did with this

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Photos by: Newspaper Staff

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2016: The Yea

Student Life

Maria Ac

Clubs

2016 was a conflicting year for almost all students. The last year was a rollercoaster filled with highs and lows both nationally and glo

Why 2016 was the best year?

Sophomore Jon Wentzel

Sophomore Sophia Francisco

016 was the best year for me because I made a lot of new friends, including meeting my girlfriend. I won tournaments in boxing, which was amazing considering this is the farthest I’ve ever gotten in a sport. I’m just glad to be alive and to live my life, but 2016 was a year for the books.”

had some struggles in 2016. I went through a lot of personal stuff relationship and family wise. However, even through those tough moments I found myself and who I really am as a person. I got to focus more on myself than focus on everybody else. Although the beginning was rocky, looking back at 2016, I accomplished a lot.”

Junior Isabella Pavajeau

Junior Katia Lobo

“2

“2

016 was filled with a lot of positivity. The right to gay marriage was legalized in all 50 states and medical marijuana was passed in Florida. These actions showcased how a lot of government decisions were made based off the voice of the people. 2016 really showed moments where the whole nation celebrated as a whole.”

“I

“2 016 was a good year for me personally. Even though other people see it as a bad year.

I got to experience new places and experiences that I hadn’t done before. I travelled a lot during 2016. It was fun to travel with my cousins as company. My highlight of 2016 is definitely going to Europe for the first time, I loved It.”

Photos Taken By:

ar of Realizing

Student Life

osta-Rubio

Edtor

obally. Charter looks back at 2016 as a year of growth, realization, and history. Students hope 2017 is filled with positivity and hope.

Why 2016 was the worst year?

Sophomore Jaime Mesidor

Freshman Ethan Nieves

“T here was a lot of violence in 2016. The recent police shootings targeting Afri- “There’s too much to talk about in 2016. But it was a bad year. There was so much pocan-Americans impacted me very personally. It was hard hearing about all the deaths that litical tension this year which added even more stress. I was also going through some pertook place, not only am I an African-American citizen, but my dad is a part of the police force. I was scared because I’d never know what was going to happen when he or I walked out the door. During the whole year I felt unsafe due to the violence. It felt like if I walked out the door, I could get shot at any moment.”

sonal family matters. Those type of situations made the year drag on, seeming as if 2016 was an eternity. I’m just glad that 2017 is a new year, hopefully filled with better events.”

Sophomore Shane Tyrell

Junior Justin Montoto

“2 016 wasn’t the best year for me. In early February my cousin passed away from “Although I can see the good things of 2016, overall I think it was a rough year.

Lymphoma. It was a tough year for my family and I. Loosing someone you love is the Too many celebrities fell to the hand of 2016. Carrie Fisher, George Michael, Debbie

worst feeling in the world. Because of that, among other things, 2016 was a stressful

Aijah Harper

Reynolds, and others passed away in December alone. It was really hard for me to see so many role models and icons pass away.”

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Stories Untold: S Cristine

U

Charter Secrets: Having an immense amount of freedom, Charter students used to have the luxury of being able to eat their lunches anywhere on campus.

Photo by: Samuel Eliacin

Charter Secrets: Back in 2007, many students were in awe to see a bull wander about into the school parking lot. Maybe he wanted to go to school too?

Photo by: Giulia Marcondes

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Sports E

nderneath the skin of Pembroke Pines Charter High School, there lies the known and t current year of 2017. Principal Mr. Bayer has been there to witness the craze since 2003, a secrets of Charter may blow minds and open eyes to those who thought they knew the und By glance of the school, there lies a farm-like house on the north end. Many students may into the student parking lot as well. But that isn’t the only thing that joins the student park student parking lot during lunch, which was the talk of the town for a while. Adding to the an owl everyday who hung around outside of the cafeteria.

In the earlier years of the school, the U building did not exist and C building was entirely e due to a larger student body. Students also had open lunch on campus, meaning they could was like this, “I wish our lunch was open campus lunch rather than cafeteria because it wou Lying in the history of the school, a candle light vigil was held on the football field after moment as they gathered around the football field, lit a candle, and remembered those w used to have. At the time I was a math teacher and I remember the mood of the school com funeral service for Mayor Katz in 2004, who passed from cancer. Due to this, the auditoriu auditorium.

On a brighter note, a secret untold that lies near the swimming pool of PPCHS was that th in the pool PPCHS swimmers train in was Alia Atkinson from Jamaica. Carrying on abou Picture the gym and cafeteria as one huge space with a stage in-between. That was how th “pretty awesome, as well as the basketball games, due to the large space. More people fit t Countless of these untold secrets are now being told and another one of these includes tha mind when you hear this, but this did exist in high school. Day to day there would be ID c know that high school was like that back then, I am happy that the policy changed. The tra No tucked-in shirts and no student ID’s was one of the main reasons I was looking forward Square previously not existing for students, instead it was used as a teacher’s lounge where Transformations in the curriculum of Pines Charter included there once being an aerobics to Cleveland Clinic during some weeks to practice health professions. Along with this, th students to be teacher aides during the second semester. These students all had interest of a Moving away from the curriculum changes, a bunch of fun went down on PPCHS groun Kapela dressing up in raincoats and goggles and Mr. Bayer being unprepared using only a out on the students afterwards. There were also karaoke days at Charter to add on to the fu And there you have it. The countless untold history and secrets of Pembroke Pines Chart out to remind alumni and original faculty members of the funny times that occurred, hope remember the eye opening history and secrets of Charter.

Charter Secrets: He’s been here through it all! Principal Bayer sheds some light on the untold stries of Chater.

Photo by: Samuel Eliacin

Secrets of Charter Alayon

Editor

the unknown. Opening up in the year of 2000, a lot of events have occurred from then to the along with the original faculty members since the school opening. The following history and derground mysteries of Pembroke Pines Charter High School. ay wonder why there is animal life so close to the school and day to day the smell might flow king lot at times… a bull did too. Throwing it back to 2007, a bull did in fact wander into the he “animal’s during lunch” occurrences, what students also may not know is there used to be

empty. Currently, it seems impossible to not have U or C building, but they surely came along d go anywhere on campus, pop a squat and chow away. Nowadays, many students wish that it ould give more time to socialize with friends and find more silence” said senior Dana Meltzer. r the tragic occasion of 9/11. The student body and local members all joined that significant who had fallen. “I remember watching the tragedy go down in the old conference room we mpletely changing” said Mr. Bruns. Accompanying the sorrow of 9/11, the auditorium held a um went from being named “River of Grass” to the “Susan B. Katz River of Grass Arts Park”

hree Olympians trained in the pool for the Rio Olympics. One of the three swimmers to train ut sports, what students do not know is that the gym and cafeteria were once one big room. hese two areas were built in the early 2000’s. Being that it was like this, the pep rallies were too,” said Mr. Bayer. hat the high school once required ID badges and shirts tucked in. Middle school may come to checks and constant instruction to tuck in your shirt. Freshman Ryan Martinez said “I didn’t ansition from middle school to high school is awesome considering we can dress more freely. to high school.” Other major changes occurred such as there being only one lunch and Senior re all the teachers ate lunch. s room with mirrors, as well as an aerobics class, and a HOSA class, which students traveled here was an Exploratory Teaching class, started by Ms. Thomas, “This class was a class for a career in teaching, so it was a neat way to get them involved” she explained. nds over the years. Mr. Kapela and Mr. Bayer participated in a jello eating contest, with Mr. a spoon and napkin. During the contest, these two shoved their faces in jello, only to spray it un. ter High School is now coming out into open air, so take a fresh breath and breathe it in. Go e that a bull doesn’t wander into the parking lot, break new records at the school, and always

Charter Secrets: The school pool was used by olympians that participated in the Rio Olympics.

Photo by: Samuel Eliacin

Charter Secrets: In the earlier years of the school, the U building did not exist, while the C building was empty.

Photo by: Samuel Eliacin

Charter Secrets: Are we back in middle school? Many years ago, there was a strict dress code that consisted of wearing an ID at all times and maintaing a tucked in shirt.

Photo by: Samuel Eliacin

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Features

Coach Trueblood: Behind the scenes Mason Feldman Staff Writer

A lot of people in this world are underestimated in the volunteer work that they do and all that they offer to others. Individuals who work behind the scenes are often

overlooked for their true talents and should be given more credit for what they offer.

We here at Pembroke Pines Charter High School are fortunate enough to have a dedicated, hard-working and caring person as our Quality Control Coach and that person is Kenneth Trueblood.

Trueblood graduated from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University with an undergraduate business major. From there, he worked at Florida Power and Lighting for 29 years. Once Trueblood retired from FPL, he decided that he wanted to keep himself busy by helping where he was needed and be a part of his son’s school. He has been tirelessly volunteering here at PPCHS since 2008, the year his son graduated from the school. Trueblood felt the need to give back to the school and believed they would benefit from his expertise in maintaining the school equipment and facilities. Being a volunteer for such a long time and never receiving pay for all his time is impressive.

Trueblood shows great dedication in his work and his assistance at PPCHS allows the school to keep supplies well maintained.

Trueblood is happy to be a part of the PPCHS family after leaving a long career at FPL. Trueblood comes to the school every day around noon after he takes his dog for a walk and gets prepared for what is to come each day after school whether it is football, basketball or track and field. Trueblood has a deep connection in football, basketball, and track and field as he played all these sports at Pasco High School in Tampa. He delivers his words and work with a positive attitude. He wanted others to know his lifestyle saying, “I enjoyed working at FPL for almost 30 years. However, helping out all these kids here especially on the football field makes me feel like I’ve done a lot for this program.” Along with being the Quality Control Coach for football, he is also in the same position for the Boys and Girls Varsity basketball, and the track and field team.

Senior Jermaine Ralston has high praise for Trueblood. He said “He is the best coach I’ve ever had and helps me day in and day out on and off the field. He is there whenever I need him and when I need to be educated about something he is the coach to go to.”

He handles the water, the equipment, and makes sure each player is healthy and ready to go for each game. Coach Trueblood is an important part of the Charter family and we appreciate all the work he does for us.

Coach of the Year: Coach Trueblood, leading our teams to victory.

Photo by: Samuel Elician

Sunshine Girl Soon to Shine in the City of Lights Brittany Evelyn Entertainment Editor

C harter’s very own sophomore Lindsey Litton has a big secret to reveal! Lindsey recently took her love for modeling to the next level,

as she is set to visit Paris within the year. Although Lindsey can’t put her finger on exactly when she fell in love with modeling, she admits that she loves being in front of the camera.

As a young child, she found herself strutting around the house in her mom’s heels. Growing up, Lindsey had the impression that she had vanity issues, but as she matured and became more self-aware she realized there’s nothing wrong with that. “So although I didn't know it was modeling specifically that I wanted to do, my passion was sparked from my childhood interests.” Although she’s always had a love for modeling and being in the spotlight, Lindsey only recently decided to pursue a career in modeling. Her childhood dream is finally becoming a reality.

Before deciding to pursue her dream of becoming a model, Lindsey was fully committed to other activities, including soccer, dancing, and even tennis. However, modeling was the one of the first and only things she truly came to love. “I fell in love with my passion and ambition for it and that’s just what helped me setup my goals.”

Her journey began in 2016, as she sat down with her mother and explored the various possibilities her future held. Her mom thought taking on modeling would be a great experience that held many opportunities. They got in touch with a management company and Lindsey was soon off to modeling boot camp!

Attending boot camp in July of 2016, Lindsey was able to learn more about the industry and what would be expected of her. The first day was orientation and the second was spent listening to special guests, such as former America's Next Top Model winners. The following day, the aspiring models were able to participate in photo shoots, which was especially important to

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Lindsey, as it was her first. On the fourth day the models prepared for a runway leaving the fifth and final day for them to piece everything together for a runway show.

Once the boot camp was over, MCM management took Lindsey under their wings.

Their job is to raise models and present them with industry related opportunities.

Her agent at MCM Models submitted Lindsey to the very exclusive European Model Showcase. Luckily, she was the only one from Miami selected to attend. She is set to leave for Paris on May 29 and return June 3 of 2017.

In Paris, Lindsey will showcase herself to top agencies through her skills on the runway, as well as model in photo shoots. Accompanying her on this exciting adventure is her mother and other models set to star in the showcase. As the models are from all over, Lindsey is excited to learn more about them, where they’re from, and their interest in the industry.

Lindsey names models such as Kendall Jenner, Sophia Miacova, and Emily Ratajkowski as her idols. She feeds off of their ambition and love for what they do to motivate herself. “I love that they’re so driven and no matter what they keep themselves busy and on the go. That’s the kind of life I want to live.” Lindsey strives for a life in which she is always hard at work, traveling, and successful in everything she does.

Loved ones encourage her to be the best she can and wish nothing but great success for her future endeavors. As Lindsey begins this new chapter of her life and embarks on one of her greatest moments of her career, she is bound to leave her mark on the scene. Who knows, maybe one day we’ll see Model Student: Sophomore Lindsey Litton is preparing for her future modeling career.

Donated by: Lindsey Litton

her on the cover of a Covergirl magazine as America’s Next Top Model!

Features

Pablo Eyrich: The Secret Producer of Pines Charter Nadira Danticat Managing Editor

W hen you walk into a Pines Charter event, there’s a good chance that you’re greeted to blaring beats coming from every direction, getting the crowd pumped up for the upcoming activities. By now, most people know that

DJ Pablo: Pablo Eyrich drives into popularity with his amazing musical talent.

Photo by: Julian Barcello

this is all due to senior Pablo Eyrich, who serves as DJ to many events. However, there is something that a lot of people don’t know about Eyrich: he doesn’t just play music, he makes it.

“I don’t really broadcast my music. I just show it to my mom and save it on my computer,” joked Eyrich. The senior has been making music for a long time, but doesn’t really show people. He makes mostly piano based music, a skill he developed after teaching himself how to play. “I just mess around until something sounds good,” he said. Lately, however, he’s been experimenting with electro swing, which is a genre that gives a more modern feel to old school music. Electro swing is not extremely popular, but can sometimes sneak its way into the airwaves like "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool, for example, which went straight to No. 1 in over 20 countries all over the world.

Being both a producer and DJ is an interesting combination and Pablo loves to have fun with it. After a long day of school, he enjoys being in control of one thing: music. He doesn’t have a large meaning behind it; he simply likes the way things sound and think that other people do too. However, there are some stark contrasts from playing music for an event and completely cultivating your own.

“Making music is different because there are millions upon millions of people that wish to do the same thing.

I'm by far not a professional and it's always a struggle to create something truly unique that doesn't just follow a boring pattern everyone and their mothers’ use,” said Eyrich.

However, music is not Pablo’s central passion. To him, it is purely a hobby and an entertaining way to make money. His true aspiration is to be a pediatric trauma neurosurgeon and eventually open up his very own private practice for pediatric neuro-oncology. Since he has taken courses like Ms. HD’s AP Biology and Dr. Glenn’s AP Chemistry, Pablo is well on his way to making that dream a reality.

Regardless, Pablo’s little known secret has offered up some opportunities. He has been offered the position to be a producer for a band that plays during games for the Miami Marlins. Though extremely flattered by the deal, Pablo opted out of the deal, choosing to focus on school. In addition to the band, Pablo has even gained some fans around school.

“Pablo is an amazing producer. I have collaborated with him numerous times, and I have been in awe of his seamless creativity when creating beats. He is modest, but I truly believe that he is great at what he does,” said senior and fellow musician, Nico Raimont.

Next time you walk into a school event and see Pablo playing music in the corner, you’ll truly have a deep understanding of his grasp on music. Though he has no plans to become the next Skrillex or Diplo, Pablo has a bright future ahead of him. Let’s just hope he doesn’t keep it a secret too.

Cluck! Cluck! Chickens Coming Through Cristopher Nappi & Diego Salazar Staff Writers

P ets are a great addition to any family such as dogs, cats, birds, and even chickens. Two teachers at PPCHS

that own chickens are Mr. Lavoro and Mrs. Phelps.

Both teachers have a unique background on how they got these chickens as pets.

Mrs. Phelps first moved to Southwest Ranches six years ago with her husband and her son. At their delighted home, her husband Mr. Phelps decided to design and construct a chicken coop which costs a total of $800. As parents they figured that it would be a good idea to have chickens as pets for their young son at the time. In the spring of 2015, Mrs. Phelps bought three one-day old chickens for only a total of $5. Her family decided to name the chickens Hopster, Vera, and Janie. Over the past two years Vera and Janie became very sick and eventually died. “Not only was our family heartbroken over the passing of these chickens, my son Finn witnessed his first real loss and we felt very bad for him,” said Mrs. Phelps. Soon after, Mr. and Mrs. Phelps bought two chickens at four months for $25 each so Hopster wouldn’t be lonely.

As for Mr. Lavoro the pet chickens he has were already on the farm when him and his wife moved in, the chickens that were there were Mrs. Lavoro’s family’s chickens. Since Mr. Lavoro bought the farm with his wife the farms chickens were now part theirs, the pair owned 28 private and house bred chickens. Chickens can be pets, but as for Mr. Lavoro and his wife the chickens are not their pets. “The chickens my wife and I own in the farm are really not considered pets- they provided eggs for us and for others for 6-7 years, they have helped us a ton,” said social studies teacher Mr. Lavoro.

In PPCHS owning a chicken is highly rare. We asked students if they own or have owned a pet chicken and, 90-95% would say that they do not have a pet chicken. Owning one chicken or more than one chicken can be tough to handle since these animals have to live in a farm. One positive note about having a chicken is that they are very low maintenance, they are not walked, or groomed, they just need to be fed vegetables and fruit. It would be silly if someone had a pet chicken indoors. If this was the case the chicken would shed all over the floor, and go to the bathroom which then makes the household all smelly. Chickens need to be outdoors and with other chickens, otherwise they will get nervous and start to damage their cage if they are in one.

Students had surpisisng the opinions on the idea of poultry as pets. “I do not think that having a chicken as a pet is unusual. If I heard that someone had a pet chicken, I would think that that is cool, and it’s something different. A chicken is no different than any other pet, the only difference is that you cannot walk a pet chicken,” said senior Andrew Hamilton.

For most students at the school having a pet chicken is quirky; having a dog, cat or hamster is much more common here in PPCHS. Even though pet chickens do not appeal to students, chickens are actually an easy first pet to have, as long as the person has more than one chicken and a barn. Chickens companions Phelps’s Hopster are great. However, they can also be used for resources to help out people that need the chicken’s eggs like Mr. Lavoro does with his chickens.

Either way, they are loved and cherished by many.

Pet Chickens: Chickens are just as lovable as dogs and cats.

Donated by: Ms. Sarah Phelps

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Student as Teachers a Novel Idea Alexa Infante

Student Life Editor

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hat is going to be the future of learning?” asks Sugata Mitra as he kicks off his TED talk about his revolutionary independent learning concept. Mirta has inspired many teachers around the world to implement his ideas in their classroom setting. Dr. Phillips, a well-known and well respected teacher here at PPCHS, decided to become a part of the movement by conducting a correlating experiment in her classroom. This experiment will see how effective it is when students have the ability to teach themselves.

Dr. Phillips allows students to divide themselves into groups and answer a single question over the next semester. One question, for example, is "are students too young to pick a profession/major directly after high school?”

Students will be allowed to work on their project every Friday.

The main aim of the experiment is to prove that education and intelligence do not necessarily mean the same thing. The teacher has a minute role, so students must take their learning upon themselves in this self- teaching experiment.

“I think this project is interesting and I'm looking forward to being able to teach myself and being able to research things myself without a guideline. I want to see what I'm capable of finding out on my own, and think that it's helpful to be able to figure out how to use the resources I'm given. College teachers won't be there to help us every step of the way so this will help prepare us for the work we have to do in college,” said senior Nicolas Petrillo.

According to the TED Talk, neuroscience evidence suggests that the reptilian part of our brain, or the center, when it's threatened, shuts down everything else. It shuts down the prefrontal cortex, the parts which learn. This is why students are resilient to learning. If the information is shoved down their throat, they shut down, making it virtually impossible for them to learn. Examinations are seen as threats. We take our children, and we demand that they perform. This can be attributed to the Age of Empires, when you needed those people who can survive under threat. When you're standing in a trench all alone, if you could have survived, you're okay, you've passed.” If you didn't, you failed,” says Mitra in his talk. However that age is gone.

"I think it is a really interesting project and I feel like more teaching should be done this way. It advocates for more independent learning rather than reading something from a textbook and memorizing it. Instead, this project lets you learn and research about things you are truly interested about," said senior Samantha Feinstein The project was just introduced in the wake of third quarter, but Dr. Phillips aims on making this a long term TED: The website started to help the cause. plan. “We need to shift that balance back from threat to pleasure,” Mitra says. Essentially, that is the goal of this Photo by: Julian Barcelo experiment- to see if students better absorb information when it is something they are interested in and are allowed to learn at their liberty.

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March Math Mad Dash!

Roselle Curiel

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Staff Writer

o you enjoy fun competition? What about math? Or, do you just have nothing to do after school on Thursday, March 2nd? Luckily, Charter’s math club, Mu Alpha Theta, will be having their second annual Math Scavenger Hunt! Hosted by the club’s advisor, Mrs. Guzman, the math scavenger hunt will take place in U building. Students will be able to sign up in her class, room 205, from now until the event starts.

The tournament will cover all school grounds. Groups of 3 will go from place to place trying to find the next problem in a manner that is similar to a traditional scavenger hunt. Unlike a traditional hunt, however, players won’t be looking for objects, but instead, the goal is to find the stations where the questions are set up. Once the question is answered correctly, teams will run and find the next course.

The scavenger hunt has replaced the math club’s previous Math Bowl, which became tedious after only those in the highest math classes would win the game, but members of Mu Alpha Theta pointed out that the purpose of these fixtures is for everyone to have fun! Vice President Alejandro Hernandez provided insight as to how the math club fixed these issue with their Math Bowl: “In order to be more inclusive, we decided to switch up the system by adding in options for participants. Last year,

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it proved to be a success, so I hope even more students join in this year.” The ‘new system’ being referred to is that each team will be divided by subjects, depending on what they prefer—algebra 1, algebra 2, geometry, and so on—everybody will get a chance to participate and show off their mathematics skills.

Taking a walk through the math side of U building, one will notice the frustrated groans and frantic behavior of those coming out of their classes. With Mu Alpha Theta’s efforts, they hope to change this attitude towards math, as well as promote their club.

“Students will be able to enjoy doing math while also being with friends...

Perhaps they’ll even get extra credit, but hopefully it’s not just for that. Last year, [in their first ever Math Honor Society: Mu Alpha Theta members scavenger hunt event] we explaining hard problems to got really good feedback,” students in need. added Mrs. Guzman, the Photo by: Julian Barcelo overseer for Mu Alpha Theta.

Math is an interesting subject because students are either really good at it or struggle; there’s typically no room for being in the middle. Students should take this opportunity, which is available to students of all grades, to better their relationship with math. Let’s make math fun again!

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cor the per One M Oth sch say deb are mo Th if th “str now to a wit I st “Th H bef a lo

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n January 17th, 2017, students filled the Pines Space Jam. Taking place right after school and serv $1.00 entrance fee in order to gain access to all the ed entry to the throwback world of PPCHS’ Spa students filtered into the gymnasium, eyes were i directed to the back of the gym, where the brack onto a light blue banner paper, organized the tour the afternoon. On both ends of the banner were tw paintings of Bugs Bunny and Blanko, adding to decor and ambiance that embodied Space Jam. First kicking off the events of January Space 3-point line shooting competition. In this event, stu minute and thirty seconds to shoot as many 3-poin sible. The full crowd of students went wild as they and supported their friends, sitting on the edges o as they anxiously waited for every shot to go in. of this event was senior Jason Acosta. Acosta im crowd with a total of 11 shots. Students were espec towards the end of his performance, in which he sh utive three pointers with only 30 seconds left with ted time. Jason said, “The 3 point contest was a fun for me. I was a little nervous at first, but I knew th to get into my rhythm to be able to win.”

Just shy of the 3-point shooting competition was Deandre Daniels. A player on the Pines Charter JV team, Daniels scored a total of 10 3-point shots.

As the 3-point competition slowly came to a clo 5 basketball tournament began shortly after. Five fore the start of the game, players had time to w stretch, allowing their bodies to prepare for what w Two games were taking place at once, since the p running around in half-court matches. The teams Volunteering to referee either ends of the basketbal vis. Junior and SGA treasurer Joseph Tinghitella M games, but also reminding teams of how much tim

Clubs Offer Chance to Express Yourself, Meet New People Paolo Barrera Staff Writer

Are classes student’s schedule normally revolves around school, in which time is something every student wants more of. Besides the basic and unique elective courses, extracurricular activities are another time-stealing occupation. The only difference between

two is that involvement in extracurricular activities, like clubs and student-led organizations, are not mandatory. There are some rks, however, to taking on the extra luggage of being involved in what the school offers outside of its standard courses and classes. e of these perks is the social interaction aspect of such extracurricular clubs and activities.

Many students have joined many clubs for the sake of attaining more experiences with peers who share the same interests as them. her students may have joined clubs with the hope to someday lead one. Despite the fact that the responsibilities and cluttered hedule of taking additional tasks after school scare some, there are students who think otherwise. Sophomore Falak Abbasakoor ys, “My weekends are filled with activities corresponding to my clubs and it makes me so happy.” Weekends of volunteering and bating has benefitted her greatly. “Debate has opened so many opportunities and friendships to me. Some of my dearest friends people who I only see at club meetings and club activities,” explains Falak. For those like her, clubs outside of school have done ore for her than she has done for them.

Clubs: Friends enjoying themselves for club activities. his raises a question: Does one need to be involved in school to be more socially interactive? Would a student gain rather than lose Photo by: Julian Barcelo hey sacrifice their weekends for a club or commitment? Six classes a day, for five days straight does force one to make bonds with rangers”, and this setup is what numerous students settle for. “I could definitely be involved more, but I am way too busy right w,” said sophomore Nicolaus Sarbello. The point can also be made that free schedules give way to more social interaction as well, since a weekend free of responsibility gives possibility a weekend for friends. “Not being in any clubs at the moment opens up my weekends. When I’m not busy doing homework or trying to get ahead on assignments, I’m normally chilling th my friends,” continues Nicolaus. Teacher Carlos Pargas recounts about his experiences with the effects of college involvement in his social life: “While I was at Miami Dade College, tarted out with not that many friends. But after getting into organizations that I was actually interested in, like student government, I slowly, but surely, met new people.” He continues, herefore, I think that, logically, being involved in activities and clubs you genuinely want to do will lead you to make more friends and such.”

However, it is undeniable that extracurricular activities effect social interaction. “School clubs open doors to new people, people who aren’t in your grade, and people you haven’t seen fore. Being part of a club makes you part of a family,” says Falak. More connections are made when you dedicate time to meeting people, serving people, and bonding with people. With ong list of clubs, events, and organizations open for all to see, possible friends inside and outside of school are only a debate or conversation away.

nuary Space Jam Jumps at Charter Sarah Barrocas Editor-in-Chief

s Charter gymnasium to participate in SGA's first annual January ving as the replacement to December Dunk, the event required a e activities. Once students paid for their ticket, they were grantace Jam. As immediately ket, painted rnament for wo articulate the overall

Jam was a udents had a nters as posy cheered on of their seats The winner mpressed the cially roused hot 5 consechin his allotn experience hat I just had

s sophomore V Basketball

ose, the 5 on minutes bewarm up and was to come. players were had a total of ten minutes to score as many points as possible. ll court were US history teacher Mr. Garcia and senior Bryce DaMC'd the event, not only announcing the results of the individual me they had left. “It was my first time being MC and it was pretty

impromptu, but with the help of Mr. Curry and Diego I was able to handle the job. It was pretty fun to be able to announce things and I would definitely like to do it again," said Tinghitella.

Taking the court first were teams Dark Squad vs Monstars and PCB vs YEOT. Following these games were Los Diablos vs Lady Jags and 47 vs Gski. When the first round was completed, Dark Squad, PCB, Los Diablos, and Gski received wins in their individual games. Continuing into the second round were Dark Squad vs PCB and Los Diablos vs Gski. Ending the round in an unbelievable and memorable fashion, senior Malik Hardy, a player on Team Dark Squad and shooting guard for PCB, finished his match with just seconds left in the game with an incredible slam dunk that roared through the gym, causing the crowd to scream in uproar.

The third and final round included Dark Squad and Gski. Similar to the previous games, this match was also played on a ten minute interval. However, the final game was played on a full court rather than a half court.

The individual teams took the court, and it quickly became a match between a team of white shirts vs black shirts. Senior Kevin Tabraue kicked off the match with a 3-pointer just minutes into the game.

Team Dark Squad quickly makes a comeback with three consecutive layups by senior Mauriac Charles, changing the score from 6-3 with Dark Squad in the lead. Two minutes later, Malik Hard accomplishes an outstanding offensive play, just tipping the basketball into the hoop with double coverage against him. With a minute left, team Gski made a short-lived comeback. Senior Emilio Correa made two consecutive 3-pointers. However, team Gski came short of a loss with a total score of 18-12 to team Dark Squad.

“January Space Jam turned out to be a huge success and there was Slam Jam: In a tournament a nice turnout thankfully. It took us a while to prepare for it and we style game, students go head to head hit quite a few bumps in the road, but in the end we got past them. in friendly matches.

Photo by: Samuel Eliacin I'm just glad that everything worked out for the players and the audience,” said Chanoan Sumonthee, SGA’s Recording Secretary and scorekeeper for Space Jam. While January Space Jam was a first time event, many audience members and participants enjoyed their time at the fundraiser as they embraced their inner child while watching friends play basketball.

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Coach Kelly

Mrs. Hyacinth

Mr. Bruns

“Wait…Who Played A

round PPCHS, Coach Kelly is known as the varsity football coach and athletic organizer. He played football during his four highlight years in high school and college. He first fell in love with the game as a kid, watching every Dolphins football game on his couch in his South Florida home.

Coach Kelly started off his college career in Missouri playing for a community college and focusing on his education, so that he could later play for a university. He was the starting running back for the team and after two successful seasons, he moved to Tahlequah, Oklahoma to play for North Eastern State University. Despite the tough weather change, he agrees it was well worth the move, “The adjustment was overall a very big one. The weather and cultures were very different, but I learned a ton and I think it was one of the best experiences in my life.”

The college superstar had success at the division II University, competing for the Lone Star conference title back then. He suggests, “If you have the opportunity to play a sport in college, absolutely do it because it builds character and teaches you how to balance important things in your life.” Coach Kelly is always seen at the sports games on Charter grounds and will always remain around his one love: football.

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hat students at Charter might not know is that some teachers had their sports glory years, just as Jaguar athletes have. One in particular is AP Government and Law Studies teacher, Mrs. Hyacinth. Meet Mrs. Hyacinth: she was a Division III athlete who played basketball and volleyball, she stood at 6 feet tall, and simply dominated in her college years. Mrs. Hyacinth attended Heidelberg University, located in Tiffin, Ohio.

Starting in seventh grade, the multi-athlete played volleyball, as well as pursuing basketball. Her father was her main influence and also her number one fan, “He never missed a single game, he was the best,” she said.

Mrs. Hyacinth was positioned at small forward in basketball and outside hitter in volleyball. In high school, Mrs. Hyacinth averaged 17.3 points, 7 rebounds, and held the school record for most points in a game with 48.

Now being a teacher at Pines Charter, Mrs. Hyacinth still recalls the moment she committed to college, “Sports were honestly the only reason I wanted to go to college. I was recruited for basketball and walked on for volleyball and it was one of my greatest accomplishments,” she said. Mrs. Hyacinth remains in the game as she remembers the glory years of hers, whether it’s on a court or in a classroom, she still finds a way to win.

S teve Bruns, known as Mr. Bruns to students and Coach Bruns to athletes, was Creighton University’s utility man, the player who could play anywhere. As he rounded 3rd base

and headed home, a throw had to be perfect to get Bruns out. If not, the Creighton Blue Jays would take the lead in the semi-finals of the College Baseball World Series. The throw came in to the catcher as Bruns slid head first, but he was called out. This moment in college baseball would become known as “The Throw,” which brings us to today where Steve Bruns is here at Pines Charter as the Athletic Administrator.

Mr. Bruns grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and enjoyed watching the Chicago Cubs every game. He said, “I’m not sure that there is one player that I looked up to, but I loved the scrappy, hard nose type of players.” His grandmother was the person who practiced with him and taught him the game of baseball and on the other side of his household, his dad was a big influence for him.

Mr. Bruns has been able to succeed after “The Throw” and he continues to keep in contact with his teammates. From being on the field to being an athletic director, he still holds his college baseball memories even at Pines Charter.

Ms. Chevres

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hat students may not know about history teacher Ms. Chevres is that she was a star cheerleader and dancer during her high school and college years. Starting in sixth grade, Ms. Chevres found interest in cheerleading when she saw her friends cheering at football games. She continued to cheer throughout her youth until 10th grade. Despite being a cheerleader, her true passion was found in dancing.

“Dancing was everything to me. It was my life and it was the reason I chose the college I went to, which was Bethune-Cookman University” said Chevres. This athletic teacher has been dancing since she was four years old and it all began when she watched Janet Jackson dancing on TV. Ms. Chevres attended BCU where she got her Bachelor's degree in history. At the university, she would perform dancing at football games and even sometimes there would be exhibitions where she would be graded on her performance.

All in all, Ms. Chevres enjoyed dancing through her years in college and misses it. “I loved expressing myself through dance. I miss traveling and performing in front of people and being in great shape,” she joked. “Dance is a creative sport and it helped bring me out of my shell and I am grateful that it was part of my life.”

Profiles Taken By:

a Sport in College?”

: Justin Dourvetakis

Coach Iglesias

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oach Iglesias is no stranger to success in baseball as he was not always the coach, but a player. After playing three years of high school baseball at Hialeah Senior High, Coach Carlos Iglesias continued his talents at St. Thomas University for another four years of Division II baseball. Coach Iglesias says, “Baseball has influenced me by allowing me to know and understand the sacrifices and hard work that a student-athlete has to in order to be successful on and off the field.”

This was not the beginning or the end for this southpaw star, however, as he continued to showcase his passion on the field through coaching. Although he was adapting a new role, Coach Iglesias was able to extract his wisdom and experience from his own days in the dirt, and share them with the PPCHS Baseball team. He began his coaching career here at PPCHS 11 years ago and has stuck around to help the program flourish.

Unfortunately for Iglesias, after his college baseball days he had to hang up his player’s jersey, but fortunately for PPCHS, he picked up a coach’s cap to replace it. He can accredit mastery of this beautiful sport to his prior success and his ability to share his baseball wisdom with more players to come.

Mrs. Chancelor

Mr. Opalka

Ms. Rudd

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imme a M! Gimme a I! Gimme a….mitochondrial cell?” Located in the S building lies the Marine Science and Biology teacher. Her name is Mrs. Chancelor and along with her positions at PPCHS, she was also a cheerleader. Attending Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia, Mrs. Chancelor was part of their illustrious cheerleading squad.

In addition to her high flying and cheering for the Savannah State Tigers, Mrs. Chancelor had been cheering for some time before she attended Savannah State University, “I was a cheerleader all throughout my high school years before I did it in college, where my academics got more rigorous,” she said. Though students may not know of her cheerleading acumen, they are no stranger to Mrs. Chancelor’s groovy moves. The science teacher has performed with students during pep rallies and events such as Charter’s 2013 “Dancing with the Staff.”

Though she had the time of her life cheering for a school that she loves, she ultimately chose to give up cheerleading and concentrate on her studies as a junior and senior. However, she still looks back to her times on the squad fondly and cherishes how those years shaped her today. The skills Mrs. Chancelor learned as a cheerleader are surely part of what makes her such a great teacher at our school and role model to many Jaguars—past and present.

U.S. History teacher and assistant coach of the varsity basketball team, Mr. Opalka, has surrounded his everyday lifestyle with sports. Back when he was a college student attending Capital University in his hometown of Ohio, he was the star running back of his team, “I’ve always had a drive in me to be the best. Looking up to my older brother gave me a lot of inspiration to be the best version of myself because he was a brilliant student athlete.”

At age 11, Mr. Opalka started playing football in Catholic school and what began as a hobby, ended up as a passion. Slowly but surely, he became an all-star running back for his university. He set “several rushing records,” won the Division II National Championship Game, and had the perks of being MVP. Majoring in math and history, Mr. Opalka had to balance his studies along with the tiresome hours of practicing football and track. He uses the mindset of his athletic days and brings it into the classroom as well as the PPCHS boys’ varsity basketball team “I love to compete, that is why I like teaching and coaching.” Throughout Mr. Opalka’s life, he has always strived to be the best and he continues to set a good example for the student body here at Pines Charter.

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ith every stroke of the paddle that punctures the calm waters, the row boat gracefully moves itself across the waters and onwards to the finish line. Although Pines Charter may be collectively familiar with Mrs. Rudd as the teacher of AICE International History and AP World History, the likable teacher was not always known for her successes in academia, but also for her perseverance and passion for college sports.

While attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mrs. Rudd was a part of the Dukes Women's Rowing team, a division I NCAA school. She was the team's seat position, the front seat, and the coxswain, a rower who steers the boat and motivates the rest of the team. “Rowing gave me a greater focus because it's a very mental sport. Plus, I made some amazing life-long friendships while competing” she said.

After a near three years of competing, Mrs. Rudd was forced to stop rowing due to the difficulty of managing competitions and her courses. She said, “Ending was difficult for me, but it was the right decision because my classes and teaching needed to come first.”

Those who have had Mrs. Rudd as their teacher can surely attest to the fact that while she may have been an incredible rower in her past, she's an even more phenomenal teacher and person in her present.

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Sports

Baseball Profiles Julian Barcelo

E ver since he was young, senior Julian Barcelo has been swinging a bat and catching baseballs for fun. For Julian, the game has not only become a passion, but also an instinct.

He shows his love for the game on the field with his fellow Jags and shines under the bright lights.

Barcelo was first introduced to baseball by a player by the name of Edgar Renteria. He was from Colombia just like Julian and was able to meet him in person. The sparks flew from there on. Once Julian moved into the United States, he began playing baseball and hasn't put the ball and bat down since then.

As Barcelo began his high school baseball career, he has played on varsity ever since the end of his freshman year. This achievement not only shows the skill he possesses, but also the heart he has for the game. Julian's junior year was his best so far, as he racked up a First Team All County nomination from the Miami Herald, Sun Sentinel and Broward High School Baseball Network, and was a prestigous Third Team All-State in Florida.

He recalls these events as “probably some of the best moments I’ve had playing for the Jags and I plan on adding to these achievements next season.” The goal of playing at a D1 college has been in Julian's eyes ever since the start and now he is quickly seeing that opportunity arise. At the moment he has multiple D1 offers, but has not committed yet.

“I’m looking for the right fit for me that helps me excel on the field and in the classroom as well, I think my decision will be made soon though,” he said.

The amazing game of baseball has taught this young talent very valuable lessons, but the most important one to him is that leadership is key. The baseball season starts in late February and Barcelo is looking to have nothing but the best season he has ever had.

Photo By: Justin Dourvetakis

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Photo By: Justin Dourvetakis

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s an athlete since birth, senior Mason Feldman has been always been sweating and grinding for his love of sports. Years after he dribbled his first basketball and swung his first bat, he finds himself putting on a jersey with Pines Charter across his chest, representing the PPCHS baseball varsity team.

Mason is one of the many talented athletes that grew up in South Florida and since the age of five, he fell in love with baseball. As comfortable as he feels on the diamond, Mason has even made his mark on the court. Throughout his three years at PPCMS (Central campus), he has suited up for the middle school basketball team, playing the shooting guard position on the court. However, Mason ultimately chose to dedicate his grind towards baseball during freshman year. “The baseball atmosphere is perfect for showcasing the hard work I spent most of my life putting in,” he said. Since then, Mason has been playing for Pines Charter Baseball through all four years.

Mason can be seen playing multiple positions, “I pride myself on being a utility player.

I can play any position except for catcher,” joked Feldman. His primary positions are 3rd baseman and pitcher and his hard work has won him many awards, which include: Team Award - Rookie of the Year (2016), The Miami Herald All County 3rd Team (2016), SunSentinel Honorable Mention (2016), HSBN All District Team (2016), and Junior Varsity - Most Valuable Player (2015).

As for now, Mason is focused on academics in order to get into the best college available, but he looks forward to swinging back into Pines Charter Baseball’s spring season.

Christopher Nappi

enior Christopher Nappi’s passion for baseball started at five years old. When Nappi was little, he played many different sports, however, he found baseball more interesting than the others because of how there are nine players on the field and each player works together to win the game.

Nappi’s been playing baseball for 12 years, and in his senior year of high school his hard work finally paid off. Nappi was offered a division one scholarship to the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). “I’ve always wanted to go to college outside of Florida and an offer from a school in New York was perfect. I have family already up there and this was the best and strongest offer I received. I believe this is the best place to take my talents to the next level because the connection between the players and coaches was clear right away. I can’t wait to compete in the next level,” he said.

Nappi never thought the game of baseball would take him this far, but when he gave it a try in high school, he decided to keep on playing, “Last year against Doral Academy in Regional Quarterfinals, the bases were loaded in the last inning, with two outs and a 3-2 count. I struck out the final batter of the game and I will never forget this because this moved us on to Regionals.”

Inspired by MLB pitcher Matt Harvey, Chris strives to be as great as him one day. Over this past summer, Chris was being scouted by NYIT and he pitched one of his best games, pitching five innings without giving up runs and striking out nine. Nappi’s hard work and talent will definitely extend to his college career and perhaps even further. Pines Charter Baseball will certainly be losing one of their stars come this May.

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Mason Feldman

Photo By: Justin Dourvetakis

Sports

Alayon Breaks 1,000 Point Milestone Jordan Alberti Staff Writer

Step back jumper, defender crumbles, shot goes up, and shot hits nothing but net. This was the scene when senior Cristine Alayon scored her 1,000th point this season. Varsity coach Michael Haber called a timeout to have the team congratulate her on this amazing milestone. She was mobbed by her teammates as they realized what they had just seen. Soon after the game, Alayon was interviewed by Veronika Quispe of the Miami Herald. In the interview, she was asked about her mantra that she has followed throughout her four years here at Charter, “Work in silence and let your game always speak for yourself.” That is the mantra that she thinks about when she is putting up the extra shots in the gym or exerting extra drills to improve her footwork.

Alayon has excelled on and off the court in her years at Charter as well. She is the Sports Editor for the CHAT newspaper and is in Student Government, all while maintaining a 4.2 GPA. The athlete will graduate this spring and she hopes to pursue a career in criminology while planning to attend Florida State University. In the records, she is the second player to break 1,000 points in Pines Charter girls’ basketball history and couldn’t have made any better timing.

This season, Alayon has led the Jaguars by scoring 60 percent of the team's points while averaging 20 points per game. Even though this has been a difficult season, with the Jags only managing to win 5 games, she has been on her top form. Coach Haber said in the interview with the Miami Herald, “Having an opportunity to coach a girl like this is the reason I’ve been coaching for so long; my only regret is that I have only been able to coach her for one year.”

Throughout her basketball career, she has been playing travel basketball with G Nation, out of Fort Lauderdale, which she credits for building her game up and allowing her love for the game of basketball to flourish. It was also a platform where she would practice channeling her favorites, Dwyane Wade and Klay Thompson, as she tries to improve her game and become more like these two All-Stars.

As for Cristine, we wish her the best in the future and we have to give it up to her for being able to balance being a great basketball player while also succeeding in school, which is the most important thing to do. Also, if you want to hear about the unselfish person she is, when she scored her 1,000th point she said “I didn’t even realize that I had just scored my 1,000th point. I was so caught up in the game and trying to win that I almost forgot” she joked. “I then noticed when coach called a timeout and everyone congratulated me.” Alayon will continue to achieve things in life with her other mantra, “Talking won’t do anything, you always have to walk the walk.”

Graphic by: Taylor Causey

A Tribute to the Legendary Craig Sager

Graphic by: Michael Perez

Cristine Alayon & Christopher Nappi Sports Editor & Staff Writer

Since the year of 1981, Craig Sager reported NBA, NCAA, and MLB games for TNT and TBS, reporting both on the field and in the booth. In every game he covered that aired on television, he would wear colorful suits that represented a certain type of disease or cancer. This affected viewers by offering hope on either finding a cure or beating cancer. Since the death of Craig Sager on December 15, 2016, the sports world was greatly filled with sorrow as they lost not only a reporter, but a friend. Before he passed, Sager was honored the “Jimmy V Espy” award for perseverance at the ESPN ESPY Award. Till this day, the “crazy-cool suit man” continues to stick with those he impacted and will always remain an icon whether it’s on or off the air.

Farewell, legend.

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In Theaters Near You Janae McDonnough

A

Staff Writer

s the New Year begins, more and more movies are not only making their way into theaters but people’s hearts as well. The films vary in genre such as those appropriate for families, comedy, horror, drama, action, and adventure, so there is something for everybody!

Split, Hidden Figures, and The Bye Bye Man are just a few of the movies premiering in theaters in January. Each movie was created with its own unique storyline intended to draw the audience in.

The highly anticipated horror movie, Split, in which James McAvoy plays the character Kevin, focuses on a man that lives with multiple personality disorders. The movie surrounds Kevin and his 23 different personalities as three teenage girls are kidnapped by one of his personas. The only way for the girls to stay alive is to get help from one of Kevin’s various personalities, in hopes that one of his identities will come to the girls’ aid. Although Kevin has several different personalities, one is significantly more dominant than the rest.

The movie Hidden Figures, entering theaters on January 13, 2017, is based on the true story of three intelligent, hardworking African-American women taking on jobs at NASA. The ladies, Katherine G.Johnson played by Taraji P.Henson, Dorothy Vaughan by Octavia Spencer, and Mary Jackson by Janelle Monae, were known as human computers. The female engineers provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space mission.

While doing so, they learn that the U.S enters a competition with Russia to be the first to send a man to the moon. With the help of the three women, NASA is successful in completing the

mission first. Needless to say, these astounding women made history, proving that women of a different race can achieve greatness and leave their mark on the world.

Patriot’s Day, in theaters January 13, 2017 is a drama film based on a true story.

The movie surrounds the tragedy of the Boston marathon as two bombs explode in the crowd. FBI agents partner with survivors and first responders to track down the terrorists responsible for the attack. Patriot’s Day details the manhunt that took place in the aftermath of such a calamity as agents work to restore a sense of peace and safety.

Horror movie, The Bye Bye Man, comes to theaters January 13, 2017. In the movie a group of friends discover and face the torment of the Bye Bye Man. They soon discover that the mysterious figure is to blame for recent acts of evil. The Bye Bye Man tends to bother his victims by using hallucinations to manipulate them into hurting themselves. The only way for the friends to defeat him is to drive him out of their mind forever.

Graphic by: Michael Perez Hopefully the movies premiering this month will foreshadow this year in movies. As you look ahead into the New Year, be sure to keep track of the movies!

Whether you love sci-fi, comedies, dramas, or horror movies there is sure to be something for you to watch in 2017!

Princess Leia Rests with the Stars Roselle Curiel Staff Writer

To the world, she was Princess Leia, but really, her name was Carrie Fisher - a humoristic writer and successful actress. Born October 21, 1956, in Burbank, California, she had an early interest in books and poetry and eventually got into the performing arts as early as age 15 when she appeared in the musical Irene, which starred her own mother, Debbie

Reynolds. Her debut in the movie industry was a part in the movie Shampoo, but her most successful role came about her part in Star Wars, which came to make Carrie Fisher and her character, Princess Leia, a noted feature in not only “nerd culture” but American culture as well. The franchise came to impact society with its iconic lines, such as “Luke, I am your father,” and eventually came to have its own official Star Wars Day, on May 4th, which drew inspiration from the movie’s quote, “May the force be with you”.

However, she had more than just space adventures; co-starring in movies such as When Harry Met Sally, Soap Dish, and Hannah & Her Sisters. Fisher even had her own interview show on Oxygen known as Conversations from the Edge with Carrie Fisher. Returning to her intergalactic roots in 2015, she appeared once again in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, along with her previous co-stars Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker).

As an author, Fisher drew in her personal experiences from having depression, drinking, and drug problems in the 80s. Through her words, she was able to create bestsellers such as The Best Awful There Is, Wishful Drinking, and Shockaholic. The first story she ever published, a semi-autobiography about a girl and her mother who were both in the showbiz, was titled Postcards from the Edge. The hit novel became a film in 1990s, starring Meryl Streep.

To quote the hard-working Carrie Fisher, “There is no point at which you can say, ‘Well, I’m successful now.

I might as well take a nap.’” Her success came with much responsibility. Fisher had a lot of business to tend to: books, projects, movies, and screen writings. On December 23rd, 2016, she suffered a heart attack while on a flight to California, and once off the plane and in the hospital, she was declared to be in critical condition. Fans gave their best wishes to Fisher by spreading the hashtag #MayTheForceBeWithHer around social media, worldwide. 4 days later, she passed away in her hospital bed at 60 years old.

Debbie Reynolds was a legendary actress, claiming her place in the show business during the 1950s. She was part of a myriad of classic Broadway shows such as Hit the Deck, The Daughter of Rosie O’Grady, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown, for which she received her first Academy Award nomination. Born in El Paso, Texas on April 1st, 1932, her rise to stardom came when she was discovered by a film scout for Warner Bros. Production at a beauty pageant. After her major success in her first film debut, June Bride, she was signed with MGM and starred in a series of famous musical productions. Known for her energetic aesthetic and beauty, she had her big break when she starred alongside Gene Kelly in Singin’ in the Rain, at just 19 years old. Her success only grew as she came to reach #1 on music billboards for her role in Tammy and the Bachelor. Most recently, she won an Academy Award for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2015.

Not just a day after Fisher’s death, Debbie Reynolds was planning her daughter’s funeral when she had suffered a stroke, caused by the hypertension of a ruptured blood vessel in her brain. “I miss her so much, I want to be with Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal Carrie," she had said to her son, Todd Fisher, a few hours beforehand. Honoring the end of two legacies, HBO aired a documentary on January 7th, dedicated to the mother and daughter’s close relationship, titled Bright Lights.

In Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, fans set up a memorial in their honor as a tribute to their favorite actresses. What first started out as a small get together became a parkwide event with many fans sporting lightsabers and Princess Leia’s iconic space buns. Some even dressed up in raincoats and carried umbrellas to commemorate Reynolds’s part in Singin’ in the Rain. By the end of the night, fans had a moment of silence for the women while a remix of Singin’ in the Rain and Star Wars played, raising their lightsabers in replacement for candles.

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Sensational Shows Say Sayonara Brittany Evelyn

Business Manager - Content

A

s we enter the New Year, we look ahead to the new seasons of our favorite TV shows, but for some of these beloved shows this season may be their last. Shows such as Teen Wolf, Bates Motel, Pretty Little Liars, Bloodline, Bones, and Switched at Birth are among those that recently announced the decision to call it quits.

Bones, a show that has held a place in many people’s hearts and television screens for over a decade, premiered its twelfth and final season on January 3rd. Bones details the life of forensic anthropologist, Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan, and FBI special agent Seeley Booth as they build a team to investigate murders.

Bates Motel is set to close after season five. The show centers on a mother and son who move to a new town so they can start over and set up a new business, but a lot of mysterious incidents happen, including the unanswered and horrible acts of the son. The finale, however does not come as a surprise, as the producers only envisioned a five season run for the show.

The end to popular drama, Pretty Little Liars, is set to air in April and will reveal long-awaited answers to viewers. In this series four friends band together against an anonymous being who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, while attempting to solve the murder of their best friend.

Freeform’s Switched at Birth will return in January from its year long hiatus, to air the final season. The fifth season will consist of ten episodes, including the hundredth episode special and a ninety minute finale.

Switched at Birth tells the story of two teen girls who discover that they were accidentally switched at birth.

Bay Kennish grew up in a wealthy family with two parents and a brother, while Daphne Vasquez, who lost her hearing as a child due to a case of meningitis, grew up with a single mother in a poor neighborhood. Things come to a dramatic head when both families meet and struggle to learn how to live together for the sake of the girls.

Teen Wolf will conclude after its hundredth episode. The cast and crew agree that the hundredth episode is a good place to end. The final season began in November 2016 but is split up into two ten-episode arcs, rather than telling a single story. The series finale is to air in 2017.

Bloodline depicts an intriguing story of a well off family in the Florida Keys that have dark secrets. The siblings are heirs of an inn that has been in their family for 50 years. It is their childhood home with many great memories, but the deep dark past holds many untold tales. All combined makes the future very uncertain.

Bloodline intends to call it quits after the upcoming third season.

Graphic by: Katie Perez

Ed Sheeran Shares New Singles Paolo Barrera

A

fter taking a break from social media that lasted a little over a year, British singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran is back with music that is already topping global charts.

It all started on the first day of the New Year, January 1st, on which Ed posted a video on his Twitter with a sign saying: “New music coming Friday!!” Five days later and multiple teasers after announcing a promise for more Sheeran bops, Ed released the one-two punch of “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill,” which were said to be tracks on his upcoming third album: Divide. Immediate reactions praised his new work, to the point where he tweeted out a message of thanks.

“I really liked his new songs, as it looks like Ed is coming a little more out of his comfort zone with every new project he does. [His new songs] are much more intense, instrumentally, and I can’t wait to hear what he did with the rest of his album,” said sophomore Ariana Arvelo. Days later, he uploaded the full album track list in addition to lyric videos for his two most recent singles.

Thirteen months after Ed first began his social media hiatus, he gave us two long anticipated tracks. “Shape of you” is an upbeat tune with, what Genius calls, an “island-tinged and

Staff Writer

Graphic by: Katie Perez

tropical house” melody. According to fan base feedback, the single also features hints of Sia’s “Cheap Thrills.”

“The song itself makes me want to dance, and I love his voice [in the song],” commented sophomore Giovanna Acosta. Ed’s latest track itself draws out the story of a trip to the bar that leads to falling in love with a girl, with special attention to “the shape of her.”

Along with “Shape of You” is his second single “Castle on the Hill.”

The song features personal trademarks created by the British singer in which a guitar driven foundation is clear to the ear. More personal than “Shape of You,” “Castle on the Hill” is a tribute to his roots in Framingham, Suffolk. “This is a love song for Suffolk, because I don’t think anyone has ever done that,” Ed shared. Lyrics from the song describe childhood memories on the English countryside accompanied by strong strums of Sheeran’s iconic guitar.

As of now, these two songs can be heard on radios across the globe with the tracks earning top honors on Spotify’s Global 50. The success of these songs has created hype for what lies in Sheeran’s upcoming album Divide, in which the mathematical title might add to his list of successful projects.

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Dominating Tech in 2017 LJ Lemmers

Technology Editor

T

echnology is everlasting, and every day new breakthroughs are being made to bring society into a new era.

2017 is a new year, and with that comes new technology that is being developed.

Augmented Reality: With VR making its mark in 2016, Augmented Reality (AR) is looking to step its way into 2017. Pokemon Go showed the early stages of what could be something great. Its success paved the way for other companies to breach out into the AR world. Apple has been rumored to be making AR Google glasses and are going to bring a update for the iPhone 7 with augmented reality features. It will take some time for AR to develop, but expect to see more of it this year.

3D Food Printing: German company, Biozoon, is usin Pro, a range of 3D-printable powd also very quickly melts when eaten. suffer from dysphagia, or the inabil choking and the senioPro can help c and texturizers to make the food mo

Hypersuit: The Hypersuit takes one step furth you feel like you're flying in VR. move your arms in a variety of dire enable it to detect your movements. both hardware and software. Grego inspiration came from the “oldest d of using VR sitting on a chair” (ven like they are a superhero, astronau the product hopes to have a ready suit out will have to wait a little bit

Cave2: The Cave2 is a hybrid reality environment that lets artists, scientists and engineers become immersed in their work. It is a 360° wraparound that has 72 LCD panels, a 20 speaker surround sound system and a 10- camera optical motion tracking system. To use the Cave2, 3D glasses are required. The glasses will allow researchers to move through anything. The Cave2 holds an immense amount of potential, especially for situations involving large amounts of data requiring visualization (hongkiat.com).

Self-Driving: There have been many research on self-driving cars in 2016 last year. Airbus has been developing self-driving flying cars that could over shadow the ground vehicles. The company hopes to finish a working model by the end of the year. "Many of the technologies needed, such as batteries, motors and avionics are most of the way there," said Rodin Lyasoff, the Airbus executive in charge of the burgeoning project (cnet.com). With flying cars, the cost for infrastructure in cities would reduce greatly.

Graphic by: Justin Pierce

Titan Arm: A team in University of Pennsylvan hancing upper body exoskeleton th arm helps rehabilitate people who It can help give extra strength and p To keep costs low, the Titan Arm us totype development costing to be re

“Amazing” Amazon Echo Amuses Users Ainsley McCormick Community Outreach

Recently, Amazon Echo owners have been having problems with their virtual voice-activated devices, as they have been malfunctioning in ways that are leaving their users speechless.

The device, known as “Alexa,” has two models both with a black, cylindrical design, and is designed to help around the house by making shopping lists, playing music, and answering

questions, among many other helpful actions. “Echo connects to the Alexa Voice Service to provide information, news, sports scores, weather, and more – instantly. All you have to do is ask.” (amazon.com). However, the high-tech gadget has been taking “helpful” to the extreme, even to the point where it is accidentally ordering expensive dollhouses and adding humorous items to shopping lists.

The biggest glitch concerning Amazon’s Alexa is its tendency to unintentionally order items that its users were discussing. One occasion that has been taking over newspapers and magazines for the snowball effect it caused. A little girl from Dallas, Texas asked Alexa if she could get her a dollhouse, which prompted the gadget to order a $170 KidKraft dollhouse. After a TV station reported this, other Amazon Echoes ordered the same dollhouse after misinterpreting the report as their user’s voice. This caused viewers to call the station and complain that their Alexa’s ordered a dollhouse. Alexa owners were frustrated at the error made by this piece of technology. There is a solution for this problem, however. Customers can add an ordering password that is required when voice ordering an item through Alexa. This prevents unwanted orders from going through and puts a stop to children innocently ordering items.

The ability to perform actions based on voice activation can lead to complications and miscommunications. “Sometimes my family will be having a conversation and Alexa will light up thinking we said her name or random music will begin playing when we didn’t ask her to play anything,” said sophomore Chonnalin Sumonthee, who has owned both Echo models since they came out. In addition to the upset caused by accidental purchases and musical performances, Alexa has been adding items to its owners shopping lists. On Twitter, users have begun to share the items that have been sneakily added as a result of Alexa hearing a conversation and mistaking it as an item to place on the list. From sneaky children adding harmless sweets like chocolate ice cream to Alexa mistaking conversations as requests to order non-materialistic items such as a girlfriend, there have been multiple occasions where glitches have occurred.

Alexa is always listening. In one case, she could even be a key piece of evidence in a murder trial. In February 2016, police arrested a man suspicious of first-degree murder. He was the owner of an Amazon Echo which police believe may hold evidence to the case. Amazon refused to allow police into the database for information without a valid legal demand. However, as the world is becoming more technologically advanced every day, electronics are becoming key pieces to significant events in people’s lives.

Fun to talk to and a great tool for helping out at home, Amazon’s Echo is an innovative gadget that many people find beneficial. However, in a society that requires technology every day, there are bound to be glitches of some form. Customers are allowed to return their Echo up to 30 days after purchasing if they are not satisfied with the product. Multiple issues, from ordering expensive dollhouses to Graphic by: Justin Pierce being a possible witness of a murder, are leaving customers unsure of their feelings towards Amazon’s Echo.

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Just Venmo Me David Cha-Kim

Every time you go out to dinner with a group of friends, all of you are either harassing the waiter to split the bill into six or seven different debit cards, or each stumbling to fumble up the exact amount of cash for your meal. Half the time you make a bet with your friend, he/she News Editor

ng the power of 3D printing to create senioder mixtures that solidifies when printed but . This innovative idea can help the elder who lity to swallow. It can help reduce the risk of create many types of dishes. Coloring agents ore appealing (hongkiat.com).

her in Virtual Reality (VR). The suit makes Users will be in a flying position and can ections. The suit has a number of sensors that . To finish it, the company will have to create oire Arcache, founder of Hypersuit, said the dream of mankind (flying) and the frustration nturebeat.com).The suit will make many feel ut, or a wingsuit flyer. The company making product in June so many looking to try this t more.

nia has created the Titan Arm, a strength-enhat will help you lift an extra 40 pounds. The have serious arm injuries or strokes as well. protection for people who lift heavier objects. ses 3D printing techniques allowing the proeduced to £1200.

seems to ‘forget’ about it, and the money they owed you in cash is made to seem like it has always been a figment of your imagination. When you have a friend or family member that lives several hundred miles away, it’s always burdensome and risky to deliver them valuable gifts or money in the mail. However, the steady rise of one smartphone app aims to quell these inconveniences.

Venmo is a mobile application for iOS, Android, and Web devices, currently owned by the multi-billion dollar company PayPal. Venmo allows people to transfer money to one another via an app described as a “digital wallet”.

The app uses a secure encrypted data system for users to link their bank accounts, debit cards, and credit cards (though credit cards have a three-percent fee for every transaction). If users do not have enough money in their actual Venmo accounts, the remaining balance is automatically charged to their card or account (Forbes).

Venmo has a strong social media aspect to it, with transactions between friends made public, and a constantly-updated global timeline showing all transactions across the globe. (The option for your transactions to be private is available too, of course). Public transactions take after mainstream social media with profile pictures, captions, likes, and comments similar to Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Venmo makes going out in groups much simpler, eradicates the inconvenience of cash purchases, and makes it easier to bet on belongings with friends, such as the new iOS 10 iMessage games which have helped to revolutionize the gaming aspect of the iPhone.

The app was started by developers Andrew Kortina and Iqram Magdon-Ismail, two University of Pennsylvania alumni who met their freshman year of college, when one day, Ismail was annoyed at the fact that he had left his wallet on a day the two decided to go out for dinner.

Chicago-based company Braintree bought the app for $26 million in 2012, and in 2013 Paypal bought it from them for $800 million.

Though the app has technically existed since 2009, in the past two years its pace has picked up rapidly. In 2015, over $7.5 billion was transacted among people through Venmo, and $3.2 billion in the first quarter of 2016 alone.

The app only keeps growing, becoming increasingly popular among university and high school students.

Senior Madison Lear said, “It’s so much easier to pay someone back or be paid back through an app on your phone than it is to wait for the other to meet you in person, especially since almost everyone young swipes their card for pretty much all their purchases. People always flood their Graphic by: Katie Perez phones with apps for entertainment, but Venmo speaks to your conve-

Tekken 7 brings a New Round to Fighting David Cha-Kim

T

News Editor

he fighting game genre has certainly died down in recent years, with traditional famous fighting series such as Street Fighter, Tekken, Soul Calibur, Dead or Alive, etc. losing their influence and place on the top of the gaming thrones. Apart from Mortal Kombat X in 2015 and Nintendo’s famous Super Smash Bros. franchise, the majority of fighting games in the last decade have been dominated by anime-based fighting games. Ultimate Ninja Storm, based on the Naruto series, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse, based on the pop-culturally iconic Dragon Ball Z, are just two of the most popular fighting games to name a few.

From the 1980s, gamers have loved 1-on-1 fighting games, especially considering how direct the competitive aspect of them are. Beating someone in any game is entertaining, but to literally knock your opponent down in defeat through the use of martial arts was on another level of excitement for early game enthusiasts. While Mortal Kombat X was extremely successful, the actual genre of fighting games remains the way it was before - dominated by Smash Bros and anime games, with MKX itself being the only exception. Many MKX players also loved the game for its gory ending ‘fatalities’ to battles rather than the actual fighting.

Tekken 7, which comes to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC in “early 2017,” is the traditional fighting genre’s greatest chance of revival. Tekken was one of the original fighting series from the East that helped fuel the genre’s initial uprising, with its first release coming in 1994 and most of its fame arriving from its popularity in arcades (Kotaku). The seventh installment in the iconic series will remind players why the fighting genre was as great as it was: the action-packed gameplay, unique characters, and stage designs. A successful Tekken could bring back love for the genre as a whole and influence the creators of Soul Calibur and other series to bring what they have to the table known as the current gen.

Tekken 7 is the first to make use of the Unreal Engine, one of the most powerful gaming engines in technological history. The first Tekken on the current generation of consoles looks beautiful, runs smooth, and feels more immersive and fluid than the vast majority of 1-on-1 games in the past (GameSpot). Bandai Namco will also be sure to make use of the Unreal Engine to create beautiful battle environments and settings in addition to the riveting soundtracks the series has been famous for creating in the past (IGN).

Along with improved graphics and engine efficiencies, the actual gameplay is returning to its roots, bringing back movement mechanisms from Tekken Revolution. But despite some of the game going back to the best, it will introduce many new features- as any good new game should. ‘Rage Art’ allows players to execute 30% damage attacks when their health reaches the critical zone, but in turn sacrifices the ability to deal normal attacks. ‘Power Crush’ allows players to continue dealing damage while taking hits. And lastly, ‘Rage Drive’ unlocks new attacks as a result of sacrificing the use of ‘Rage Art’ (BandaiNamco).

To keep up with the modern gaming experience, the Tekken 7 team is making the story more serious, dark, and emotional than the more crude ones developed in the past (Bandai). While fighting games are fun for playing against someone sitting next to you or even playing online internationally, fighting for a plot-induced purpose and using all of the uniquely created characters allows another level of appreciation for the game.

The game will have ten new characters, including Akuma from the Street Fighter series, as well as 23 returning ones from past installments. Character customization will give players a more personalized touch Graphic by: Taylor Causey to their Tekken experience.

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Charter Apprentice: The Businesses of Charter Diego Salazar Staff Writer

T oday there are plenty of businesses, with some being successful and some that end in failure. Microsoft, Apple, and Google all started as small businesses and now they have revolutionized our world today. In PPCHS, two students are hoping that

their businesses are as successful. Sophomores Camila Peralta and Ryan Gonzalez both have their own businesses that they run. Camila has a business in fabric designs, and Ryan runs his sport card and memorabilia business.

Sometimes inspiration is all a person needs to succeed, and this was the case with sophomore Camila Peralta. Camila has a business in selling fabric designs, and she got her inspiration from Sarah Benning, a popular fiber artist in the U.S. In Camila’s fabric design business, she designs plants, flowers, and anything else you can think of, there is no limit as to what she can do.

Camila’s startup company was created only recently. The 10th grader has never been in any type of business before, so this is a new experience for her. “Art really relaxes me; I paint and draw as well, so I have some experience in art. The most satisfying part of finishing a piece is to see that you did this with your own hands; it is a highly rewarding feeling,” she said. Some people may think that starting a business is expensive, but for Camila, she just has to buy the supplies and then she makes the product herself. The expenses that usually tag along with a business don’t affect Camila too harshly. “To be honest, I started my own embroidery business because of Sarah, her pieces looked beautiful and I just wanted to do this for fun. I did not expect to sell my pieces to friends and the public, this just goes to show that a little inspiration can lead to great things,” Peralta said. Camila’s young business has thrived so far and she hopes to be able to continue it and expand upon her initial success.

Ryan Gonzalez, on the other hand, runs his business on eBay, selling baseball, basketball, and football cards to buyers. He was introduced to the card industry by his father, who told him that it was a good way to make money doing something he enjoyed. Some people get into certain businesses because they just want the money that comes along with it, but Ryan is the polar opposite. “I really do enjoy this business because I love sports and I think this could be a good second job for me to have for years to come. I would like to run my business for as long as I can,” Gonzalez said. Ryan has had booming results from the card industry, having increased his profits every year since he started his business. “I feel that my business has been so successful just for the simple reason that so many people love sports, and they want to collect their favorite players” said Ryan. Ryan has been able to capitalize off of football cards the most, with baseball and basketball following suit. In the future, Ryan would like to expand into soccer because it is the biggest sport in the world and he would like to add something new to his vast collection of cards.

A business can be started from anything; the key is to make sure that it appeals to the student, and that they enjoy it to the fullest. Camila and Ryan both own a business that they are passionate about and they are highly successful. In the long run this will help the two students with in the future, and they definitely have a head start now. As for students, they might want to look into starting a business because who knows, it might pay off for them like it has paid off for Camila and Ryan.

Charter Businesses: Camila Peralta is the owner of a fabric design business.

Photo by: Eric Hernandez

Charter Businesses: Ryan Gonzalez sells sports cards on eBay. Photo by: Eric Hernandez

Alphabet Soup for the Teenage Soul Maria Acosta-Rubio

T here are days where happiness seems to go on forever, friendships are continuously blooming, and school becomes easier as subjects turn from pure boredom to suspiciously interesting students mental and emotional relief, granting the offer to simply enjoy life as it is. Hopeful as those days may be, most are a fight to get up in the morning. A student’s schedule is a he Clubs Edtor

overloaded with expectations and focus on everything else, oftentimes forgetting to take care of themselves. Below is an ABCD Handbook for how students can detox, de-stress, and dem that comes with the third quarter.

A: Acknowledge the fact that you cannot fulfill every task you assign yourself. There are only twenty-four hours in a day. Students are in school for at least seven hours out of the day, an and a half to return home. According the Huffington Post, Telegraph, and US News, students spend an additional three and a half hours on homework. Many students also spend three ho clubs meetings, volunteering, and running errands. In theory, fifteen hours have already been spent on those activities alone. With the remaining nine hours, students need that time to inc like eating, showering, and getting the socially acceptable hours of sleep.

“I go to the library after school and then I go straight to baseball practice. The homework given is a bit overwhelming. I suggest that when we feel like that, going to our friends can help us reduce stress. We have to remember that we’re not in this alone. As long as you stay focused and determined even when things are tough, you’ll be fine,” said freshman Julian Infante.

B: Begin from scratch. When students make mistakes, we frequently assume that the option to turn back is unavailable. However as impossible as it may sound, there is always an opportunity to change who you are, what you do, and how happy you can become. New beginnings are what bring new ideas, new strategies, and new experiences. When the pressure starts rising as quickly, the overwhelming sensation of panic nauseates all thinking. Beginning from scratch awards students the possibility to take a breather, reminding the hard-working pupils that there are other options besides giving up.

“My advice would be to break up whatever is stressing you into manageable bits. Taking breaks and slowing down your process doesn’t make you lazy, it means you’re actually someone who understands your limits,” said senior Sumayyah Shareef.

C: Compliment yourself daily. Once students start comparing themselves to others, the result tends to produce overlapping questions.

“Why aren’t I as attractive? Why aren’t I as fit? Why isn’t my life as perfect as theirs?” These questions cheapen the level of esteem needed, and cheat students from viewing their full potential. Start getting in the habit of complimenting what you look like. Spread around sticky notes throughout your house with self-encouraging messages, take yourself out to your favorite restaurant, or state what you appreciate about yourself in the mirror. While these tips seem small, the increase in self-confidence is surely noticeable.

D: Disconnect. The purpose of social media is to unite people around the world on one website or social platform. Dr. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a clinical psychologist, expresses how, “In a way, texting and online communicating…puts everybody in a nonverbal disabled context, making body language, facial expression, and vocal reactions invisible.” Without the social skillset to directly communicate and point out physical cues about a person’s emotion, Adair says children will become more anxious and doubtful at what they do. This is where students begin to isolate themselves from their community. By being able to put down digital technology for a while, teens can cherish the company of others, forming a stronger bond and stronger sense of community.

“I do have a particular case in which a student had disconnected from another peer from communicating in social media. She would get in trouble and now that she’s distanced herself, it shows. She’s now focusing on her grades and how to improve. Social media was a huge part in how she viewed school. After she disconnected, she’s really taking the time to reset and refocus her priorities,” said Mrs. Maycock, a guidance counselor in PPCHS. Reaching happiness is a goal in which every student wishes to achieve. Although instant happiness is hardly ever found, instant satisfaction and peace can be accomplished in the smallest change. The secret of stress relief, is in how teenagers respond not only to what is given to them, but in what they can give to help themselves in the process.

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Hotspot Hangouts Help Hamper Hustle Paolo Barrera Staff Writer

With winter break over, hours of school replace the time normally spent with friends and family. However, fun times keep rolling once the weekend comes, in which students take a trip home, or to a popular destination in town. Though free time may be scarce this second semester, don’t expect busy hangout areas to be empty.

Definitely iconic and very familiar for students not new to Broward, is Pembroke Lakes Mall. Additions to the roster of stores and food options have come and gone, with current renovations taking place. Renovations have unfortunately meant the removal of the “famous” fountain that stood in the middle of the mall, next to the food court. However, the annual pictures with Santa have remained in the same place for the holiday season. What has made Pembroke Lakes Mall a popular hangout destination for teenagers are the familiar, yet top quality stores and kiosks scattered throughout the mall. As for familiar sights, familiar faces are very common as well. Friends and peers can be seen from the car garage to the carousel, either shopping or window shopping. Familiar Charter faces can even be seen working at the mall, with both alumni and current students in action. “I remember going to Aeropostale and recognizing an employee as an upperclassman from around school,” said sophomore Luz Eiletz Bottaro.

On the presumable “high-end” of the list of common student hangout spots is Pembroke Gardens. The outdoor collection of outlets and restaurants attract visitors of all ages.

Pembroke Gardens’ recognizable Barnes & Noble is one of the popular student locations in the mall. With vinyl, movies, study guides, and a Starbucks, mall visitors don’t only come to the store for the books. From Sephora to Nike, and from Bath and Body Works to Victoria’s Secret, Pembroke Gardens will have students of all ages feeling good, smelling good, and looking good from head to toe. The neighboring restaurants, like Cheesecake Factory and Lime will also have its visitors eating good as well.

Another hub for many hangouts is the Cinemark Paradise 24 theater and its surrounding plaza. The variety of places to eat, as well as the different things to do, attract many students for weekend trips. Its convenient location near the school, makes the plaza the perfect destination for a place to eat on a high school study day. “My favorite place to go to with my friends would have to be the Cinemark [Paradise 24] plaza because there’s just so much to do. You can watch a movie or just find a place to chill,” said freshman Matthew Cilli.

From full course meals at Piola or Sushi Sake, to fast food treats at Little Caesar’s or McDonald’s, there is something to eat for everyone. Ice cream at Cold Stone, drinks at Starbucks, and pancakes at Original Pancake House are specialties that bring our students out after a movie or high school study day. As for the actual movie theater, the experience of watching new movies and playing at the arcade bring students and their families to this popular destination.

Hotspot Hangspots: Pembroke Having many locations for fun around the city, the list of locations for a good time with friends goes on.

Gardens is one of the best places in Honorable mentions are Pines Ice Skating Rink, CB Smith park, and Towngate park, which are also prone the community to enjoy the company to frequent student visits. As summer slowly inches closer and free time becomes scarce with major exams of your friends and family. coming, students long for trips away from the books. However, no matter how busy one’s schedule may be, Photo by: Eric Hernandez expect a good time and a nearby Charter student at your favorite spot in town.

. Those rare days offer ectic one. Students are mean all the negativity

New Studies Slowly Strutting Off Peanut Allergies Evan Samuels

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nd take at least an hour ours in sport practices, clude basic necessities

Graphic by: Katie Perez

Graphic by: Justin Pierce

Managing Editor - Web

ccording to foodallergy.org, in the U.S. about 3 million kids report peanut allergies.

Everyday kids from around the world are diagnosed with this allergy, and unfortunately this allergy can lead to serious medical issues. The reaction can even be fatal if not treated properly. However, several doctors and scientists have been trying to find ways to contain this allergy in kids. The research brought new guidelines to people with peanut allergies, which could significantly decrease the number of peanut allergies in our world today.

According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), the guidelines say that experiencing people to peanuts at birth would reduce the risks of an allergy significantly. Junior Nick Perez said, “A few years back, I ate a couple of peanuts and ended up having an allergic reaction. Thank God I got the right treatment and care, but having this allergy is so hard. Everywhere I go I have to bring my Epipen and I wish this discovery had been made when I was younger. Having an allergy is a hard task to take care of, so hopefully one day doctors have a cure to end peanut allergies.”

Everyday more and more kids are affected by peanut allergies. Some get sick, and unfortunately some even lose their lives. Peanut allergies are a serious matter and need to be taken with more caution by parents. Furthermore, a study from Mount Sinai of Medicine, reported that from 1997 to 2010, peanut allergies rates rose from 0.4% to a staggering 1.4% of children. However, the studies indicated that early introduction to peanut allergies can decrease the risk of developing an allergy to a peanut by 70 to 80 percent. (CBSNews) So, if parents introduced peanuts to their kids at a young age, lives can definitely be saved. Sophomore Spencer Hautrive said, “When I was in Kindergarten, I was at lunch and ended up having this PB&J sandwich for lunch. This sandwich gave me a really bad reaction and I was a mere couple of seconds from death.

No kids should have to experience that and I hope the new peanut guidelines solve that problem.”

At Pembroke Pines Charter alone, there are dozens of students who are clearly allergic and have been affected by peanuts. Imagine the number of those who are affected by peanuts around the world. As these guidelines are utilized and put into place, it will be a necessity. Not only will they prevent most peanut allergies, but they will save many lives in the process.

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Weekend Review Nadira Danticat Managing Editor

McDonald’s unveils Grand Mac

With a new year comes new changes, and the fast food industry is no exception. This year, McDonald’s will have a new item on the menu: the Grand Mac. The Grand Mac has more beef than a Big Mac, weighing in at a third of a pound. The Grand Mac was tested in restaurants in Ohio and Dallas, Texas, and were huge successes. The burger is the brainchild of Steve Easterbrook, current CEO and the man responsible for the company’s all day breakfast menu. (CNN)

2016 declared the hottest year on record

According to the World Meteorological Organization, 2016 was officially the Earth's warmest year since the 1880s, when keeping records on the yearly average temperatures began. This is not a surprise to many for it was the third year in a row to be named the hottest of all the previously recorded years.

Despite claims from right-wing politicians, climate scientists believe that greenhouse gas emissions likely caused this trend, and it does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

(CNN)

School shooting in Mexico leaves 4 wounded, 1 dead

An unidentified student opened fire on a classroom in a school near Monterrey on January 18th. Authorities say he wounded a teacher and three classmates before turning the gun on himself. The shooting took place at Colegio Americano del Noreste, a bilingual institution that runs from preschool to the secondary level. This shooting comes as a shock due to the rarity of school shootings in Mexico, as opposed to their neighbors above them. (CNN)

President Obama commutes sentence of Chelsea Manning

Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. Army private convicted of leaking classified reports to WikiLeaks, has had her sentence reduced drastically by Obama mere days before the inauguration. Rather than 35 years of imprisonment, Manning will be released in May. The announcement of her release was rejoiced by many, especially LGBTQ+ groups as Manning is a transgender woman. In addition, he commuted the sentences of 209 inmates and pardoned 64. (NPR)

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Obama Means Family Maria Acosta-Rubio Clubs Editor

On January 10th, 2017, the world gathered together for one final speech made by Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America. The farewell speech was held

in Chicago, Obama’s home city. President Obama delivered many important key points during his hour-long speech covering democracy, terrorism, the rights of Americans, and the importance of our democracy’s future. The president also recalled the greatest achievements during his eight-year term, including rebooting the American auto industry, shutting down Iran’s nuclear weapons program, taking out the main strategist that planned the 9/11 attack, securing 20 million citizen’s right to health insurance, and winning marriage equality.

Contrary to all of the achievements Obama addressed at the beginning of his speech, he also made the American public aware of the issues that needed to be fixed. The 44th President focused his speech on four major issues that he believed still need to be fixed in the future presidency to come. Through his tone, addressed to the American people, the President seemed to urgently remind audiences that the democracy of the country would determine the future outcome of success and failures.

“I believe that this farewell speech was designed to keep people motivated for the next few years. It’s very clear to me that Obama is saying, ‘Okay, we’ve made all of these positive changes together and just because I will no longer be president, doesn’t mean you can’t continue to progress as a nation’” said senior Jordan Farenhem.

The second issue Obama brought up during his speech was the racial battles that many Americans face today. Obama mentioned that laws alone would not be enough to change the way racial discrimination is showcased in America. “Hearts must change,” he said. “It won’t change overnight. Social attitudes oftentimes take generations to change.”

The last point that President Obama makes in his speech is how our democracy as a nation is threatened whenever we take it for granted. The President began to address the nation, saying how participation what allows Americans to help create change in their own government, and how we, the people give the constitution power and meaning. The president cited a part of George Washington’s own farewell address, agreeing with the statement that self-government is the underpinning of and liberty. The President issued how it falls to all citizens in this country to improve our nation and to become guardians of the dem nation unique.

“President Obama was a great president. For most of us [sophomores] he was our president for almost all of our lives. He’s the only l known for our country. The people need to start thinking as a nation, not just what benefits them and their party. This is the time to c to other countries even if our Presidents are changing,” said sophomore Annalise Blair.

In conclusion to his farewell speech, President Obama gave one last order as the 44th President of the United States. He thanked th Americans, reassuring them that he was satisfied in one day having them run the country. President Obama, after restating the urgenc what made America born into existence, left the American people with the final request of asking to believe in their own ability to ch into the founding documents written by our Founding Fathers.

Disney’s animated film, Lilo and Stich, taught us that “Ohana means family,” which means nobody gets left behind. And to the Am means family, and as seen on social platforms, the hashtag #FarewellObama displays the public’s sorrow in having to let our 44th pr

Terror at F

Brittany Evelyn

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Entertainment Editor

he Fort Lauderdale- Hollywood International airport became ground zero as one of 2017’s first shootings occurred. On January pm about shots fired from within the airport. Government officials identified the shooter as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago. Santiago previously served in Iraq and currently served in the Army Reserves and the Alaskan National guard.

News of the shooting sent flyers into a panic. The realization that anything can happen at any given time start to set in. For sophomor time of the shooting, Jennifer’s return shed a light on the aftermath of the incident. “Personally, I’ve never experienced anything like There seemed to be a noticeable difference in the security measures at the airport, as well as the demeanor of flyers. Everyone took a m Santiago is said to have opened fire at passengers while at baggage claim in terminal two, injuring eight people and killing anothe eyewitnesses, Santiago shot several magazines of bullets then proceeded to lay on the floor and wait for authorities to arrive.

Santiago arrived at the airport on Delta flight 2182 around 12:30 pm. The flight was from Anchorage, Alaska, with a layover in Minn claiming that Santiago’s gun was in his check on bag. Upon retrieving his bag, Santiago went to the bathroom, loaded the weapon a Following the timeline, we know that at around 12:54 pm Santiago was seen walking briskly through the terminal while firing. passes carousel 2, he aims towards the terminal windows and doors. Santiago picked up speed, running through the terminal as he arriving from Atlanta, gathered their luggage. According to witnesses waiting at baggage claim, Santiago appeared normal. As he ru ammunition, he walked west in the terminal. Stopping near a set of doors, he threw the firearm on the ground and laid next to it, wi ordeal lasted less than 90 seconds.

As panic spread throughout the airport, rumors were not far behind. Deputies received several reports of other shooters and gunfire i Air Canada claims that is has no record of the suspect as a passenger or of checked guns on its flights to Fort Lauderdale. Delta wo The airport resumed operations for cargo planes, corporate jets and private small planes at midnight. Commercial operations were s On Monday, a federal magistrate judge revealed that two of the three charges against Santiago carry the possibility of the death pe relation to a crime of violence, performing an act of violence against a person at an airport serving international civil aviation that c the use of a firearm.

As news of the shooting spreads, the controversial issue over gun laws is brought back to light. Ms. Schwab said it best, as she rema ments. “I think that guns are absolutely a problem, I think that our national security needs to be looked at for errors, and I think tha she knows that completely getting rid of guns is nearly impossible and will inevitably lead to more problems. Not only will people fi nation in debt. As this event hits close to home, students, administration, and teachers are left to consider their position on gun safet

The Sad Tale of Tilikum Amanda Rodriguez Staff Writer

Tilikum, the largest whale in captivity, passed away on January 6, 2017. He passed away in Sea World, where he had lived for about 25 years. He was estimated to be about 36 years old, which is not considered to be a long, prosperous life for his species. His journey through captivity is truly heart breaking,

Graphic by: Katie Perez

our safety, prosperity, mocracy that makes our

eader we’ve truly ever ontinue being a model

he future generation of cy to recall the spirit of hange and to have faith

merican people, Obama esident go.

in fact so much that it inspired a documentary by his very name about whales in captivity.

His journey began when he was first captured near Iceland in November, 1983, at the age of 2. Torn away from his family, he was then held in a cement holding tank in a marine zoo in Iceland for a year. He was transferred to SeaLand of the Pacifica in British Columbia, Canada, where he kept in a 100 by 50 foot tank that was only 35 feet deep. He was in a tank with two dominant females who attacked him, and the trainers withheld food from him as punishment if he didn't keep up with them.

The only time he got to go out to a bigger pool area was when he would perform seven days a week, eight times a day. The stress from this rigorous performance schedule gave him stomach ulcers. To someone who loves sea life, hearing this is just heartbreaking. Junior Kelsey Tomey said, “This is no way for such a beautiful and big animal to live.

I go to Bimini every year, and watching all the sea life in their natural habitat interacting with each other, you know that’s exactly where they should and want to be.”

On February 21, 1991 a trainer, Keltie Byrne fell into the pool with all Tili and two other orcas, and Tilikum dragged her to the bottom ending her life. After that incident, they closed down SeaLand and put him on the market. SeaWorld heard about this and quickly purchased him for breeding, overlooking his aggressive tendencies. 54% of the orcas in SeaWorld have his genes. He then killed two more trainers - Daniel P. Dukes in 1999, and Dawn Brancheau in 2010. After Brancheau’s death, he was deemed unfit to perform anymore so SeaWorld kept him in a tiny tank where he couldn’t swim, floating aimlessly (http://www.seaworldofhurt.com).

His story inspired Gabriela Cowperthwaite and Manny Oteyza to gather up a team and create a movie called Blackfish. This movie, with the main star as Tilikum, unraveled the truth about orcas in captivity, filled with what actually happened in every incident, and how SeaWorld lied and mistreated the animals.

Cowperthwaite said, “For two years we were bombarded with terrifying facts, autopsy reports, sobbing interviewees, and unhappy animals – a place diametrically opposite to its carefully refined image”. She was scared about the movie because Seaworld is a 2 billion dollar a year entity and she was revealing all of their secrets. She e-mailed Seaworld multiple times to have a voice in the movie but they declined. She wanted people to know the truth about how orcas cannot live in captivity (http://www.cnn.com). She and her staff did, however, get interviews that appeared all throughout the movie, with trainers who used to work for SeaWorld, and were working around the time when all of the chaos occurred.

Camille Acevedo, a senior in AICE Marine who watched the movie Blackfish stated, “Whales should not be kept in captivity, aside from the fact that he was left in a small holding space they used negative reinforcement which caused him to be mentally disturbed.”

SeaWorld has announced that they will no longer be breeding orcas in captivity, but there are 22 currently at SeaWorld today. These beautiful, majestic creatures, that stay with their families their whole life need to stay in their natural habitat, with Tilikum as a prime example of why. In loving memory of the largest orca in captivity, rest in peace Tili.

Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

Fort Lauderdale Airport

6th, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office received a call around 12:55 o was taken into custody with active duty identification on him, as he

e, Jennifer Zukoski, this was especially true. As she was in Brazil at the that, but the energy of passengers in the area made me a little scared.” more cautious approach, especially in being aware of their surroundings. r five. Thirty seven more were injured after the incident. According to

eapolis. Broward County commissioner, Chip LaMarca sent out tweets nd started on his rampage.

Terminal two services Air Canada, as well as Delta Air Lines. As he continued shooting. At carousel 3, passengers from Delta flight 1465, uns out of bullets, Santiago reloaded and continues firing. Once out of th his limbs spread out, until deputies arrived to arrest him. The entire

n the airport. This has now been deemed false, as Santiago acted alone. uld not comment if the suspect took one of their flights. set to resume on Saturday, January 7, 2017. enalty. The charges include using and carrying a firearm during and in aused serious bodily injury, and causing the death of a person through

arks that the blame cannot solely be place on guns or security measureat there is an individual responsibility.” Understanding the real world, nd new ways to harm others, but the eradication of guns will leave the y.

Graphic by: Taylor Causey

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News

President Trump Dives Right Into Controversy Frank Mora Staff Writer

J

anuary 20th, 2017 will go down as one of the most important days in American history. At exactly 12:00 pm, Donald J. Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States.

As probably the most doubted and unexpected candidate to ever win the presidency, Trump’s inauguration, although destined since his win in November, still came as quite a shock.

The New York native, after being sworn in, gave a speech about 16 minutes in length explaining what he wants to do and how he wants the country to come together. Perhaps his most famous quote was, “As of today, January 20th, 2017 the power of government is now back in the hands of the people.”

According to Fox News, Trump’s Inauguration had the best TV ratings of any ever but the amazing and historic event could be overshadowed by the huge amount of protests that were taking place only blocks down from Capitol Hill. There was said to be thousands protesting Trump and about 200 people were arrested for rioting and other violent actions while there.

Trump got to work immediately after his big day as the following Monday, Trump signed executive orders on some very controversial issues. The new president signed an order to withdraw the United States from the TPP, a huge trade deal that aligns the U.S. with about a dozen Asian nations. The deal would have obviously benefited the U.S. for trading purposes, but Trump says that leaving the group will save U.S. jobs.

Trump also signed an executive order to cut funding for abortion in foreign countries. This move has especially gotten a ton of heat as millions of women all across the nation have protested Trump’s anti-abortion view. Former pop queen Madonna said she has “thought an awful lot of blowing up the White House.”

Trump’s last two moves of his first week of office involved the construction of some very controversial projects. The building of the pipelines that are destined to run through sacred Native American lands have resumed after Trump’s executive order. President Obama had halted the building of these pipelines because of strong opposition from the media and Natives, but Trump is not new to going against the status quo.

And as Americans got closer to the new presidency, they began to doubt how realistic the construction of a wall on our southern border was, but the President is already making plans to dispel those doubts.

“Everyone our age doubted him, and pretty much no one in the media believed in him,” says junior and big-time Trump supporter Kyle Heim. “After all the ridiculing and criticism he received, it was truly satisfying to see him officially sworn in as our leader.”

With so many decisions and orders made so quickly already, it’s clear that President Trump will be an activist, and that he’s going to change a lot of things fast. Congress and the many who disagree with him are mistaken if they think they’re going to have a lot of gym time to transition.

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Graphic by: Michael Perez

News Women’s March: Democracy in Action Nadira Danticat & Roselle Curiel Managing Editor and Staff Writer

Graphic by: Katie Perez

On January 21st, the day after the historic Trump inauguration, an even larger event took place. The Women’s March was an inaugural protest of grand and global proportions, creating a scope of over 673 protests in 82 countries and all 7 continents (yes, even the scientists in Antarctica participated.)

Following the protest, the Women’s march has broken several records including, the largest protest against Trump, the largest one-day protest in United States history, and the largest inaugural protest in United States history.

Critics of the march went as far to say, “It’s a waste of time, they’re marching for the rights they already have,” though some would argue it wasn’t just about women’s rights as it is about other issues.

The march was initially created in response to the news of Trump’s presidency on November 8th.

However, protesters defended divisive issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, reproductive rights, climate change, immigration policies, racial inequalities, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and the clean water crisis in Flint, Michigan. In addition to civilians, celebrities also attended these marches. Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Cher, and many more stars from the radio and the silver screen joined in on the historical day to proclaim their stances and opinions on Trump’s presidency amongst other things.

Several Charter students chose to join the camaraderie. Seniors Shreeya Singh and Jordan Farenhem heard about the march and felt compelled to participate. Donning signs that read phrases such as, No Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA and “ANOTHER SIGN I FORGOT.” Other Charter students believe that the Women’s march is, in a word, absurd. “I think these marches are unnecessary. Donald J. Trump is our president, and everyone needs to accept that,” said freshman Matthew Pressman.

Donald Trump had some conflicting words about the protest. On January 22, the day after, he tweeted “Watched protests yesterday but was under the impression that we just had an election! Why didn't these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly.” However, two hours later he tweeted, “Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don't always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.” Whether a change of heart or a fear of backlash, Trump’s tweets stoked the already raging fire of the left-wing.

Many questioned the credibility of the march when it came to light that one of the national cochairs and founders of the protest, Linda Sarsour, was an advocate with Sharia Law, claiming it’s “reasonable” and “misunderstood” on Twitter, despite being a legal system known to treat women unequal to men. Donna Hylton, a guest speaker at the march, was found out to be a convicted felon that served 25 years in prison for the kidnap, torture, and murder of a homosexual 62 year old man.

There was also a “ban” on pro-life women from attending; the Women’s March official account on Twitter, @womensmarch, posted a statement saying, “The anti-choice organization in question is not a partner of the Women’s March on Washington”. This caused controversy around the protest and its founders, who proclaimed the event was inclusive to all.

The Women’s March inspired, and enraged many due to its immense participation. No matter what your stance is on the new President of the United States, there is no denying that the remaining time of this presidency is going to be both captivating and controversial.

Raging Protests Spark Chaos Across US Airports Swati Kumar

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Staff Writer

lanes stood grounded at airports across the country as thousands of protesters raged against Donald Trump’s Travel Ban. Following the biggest protest at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, rallies broke out around the nation in major airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Denver. Amid the chaos of crowds challenging the executive order in and around terminals, families desperately searched for their relatives being detained at the airport.

President Trump’s travel ban, signed January 27, temporarily bars citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for a period 90 days. Due to the ban, the United States’ refugee system is also suspended for 120 days. Oddly, this executive decision did not apply to the countries who carried out the 9/11 attacks; rather, it concerned Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan.

“When I first heard about the executive order banning Muslims from entering the U.S., I was furious and very saddened. I am Iranian, and I haven't seen my family in Iran since I was 9. Iran responded to the Muslim ban by saying that they wouldn't allow any U.S. citizens to enter their country either. My family and I were planning to go to Iran this summer, but those hopes are now crushed. My mom feels hopeless and very upset, as this is her home country that she can't even visit anymore,” expresses freshman Ara Johnson.

Though criticized by many for enforcing the order, Mr. Trump claims that his “extreme vetting” system will “keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the US” [CNN]. However, his reasoning is dismissed by those who do not take the same stance on this issue. “I do not think what Trump is trying to enforce is constitutional by any means. In fact, I think it goes against what this country was founded off of: immigration. He is excluding an entire group of people from coming to the U.S. and generalizing all of us as terrorists, which is extremely insulting,” reasons Ara. “Iran has never committed a terroristic act on U.S. soil, but people from Saudi Arabia have, and sure enough, they aren't banned from coming here. The whole ordeal is really shady and unjust.”

Panic gripped the hearts of thousands of students in universities who fear that they may have to decide between seeing their families again and creating a good future for themselves. “My cousin in Iran is studying as a doctor and planned to come to the U.S. after he finished, but that isn't possible anymore,” Ara explains.

Trump’s order shocked the business world as well as many companies expressed that they would not be who they are without immigrants. Among them was Apple which promised to help employees that were affected by the ban.

While some people oppose the immigration, those who support Trump are in agreement with his executive decisions. Junior Andrew Magill commented, “I agree with the Muslim ban because he executed it for safety of our country. It is not an act of discrimination at all. Radical Islam is a major issue in our world today and it is just a precaution that President Trump is taking. Obama put a stall on Muslim refugees for 11 months and no one said anything about it, but here is Trump creating a temporary ban and there is protesting everywhere. It is not an act of discrimination, it's just precaution so the terrorist attacks within our borders stop.”

Despite having a green card, more than dozens of travelers were detained at major airports across the nation, including two Iraqi men with ties to the US military who filed a lawsuit against the President. While protesters expressed their unhappiness, unrest engulfed the streets as well, as thousands of demonstrators rallied outside the White House in Washington and in New York’s Battery Park.

“As long as the protests remain peaceful, I'm in support of them. In fact, I am going to attend the next one. People speaking out gives me hope because now we have judges filing lawsuits against this order. The Muslims detained at airports have been released, and now people with legal green cards can enter the United States,” says Ara. “Overall, I think we should keep fighting to completely exterminate this unfair executive order. The people united will never be defeated!”

Trump’s Muslim Travel Ban may have appeared as a division in religion and race, but in truth, it has catalyzed a union among the people. These protests have given people a faith in humanity.

Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

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At Pines Charter, we often peer over the lives of the people we walk past every day. That boy you see in S building could do something amazing on the weekends, and the girl you always see roaming in the cafeteria could have an interesting secret, but you would never know. To combat this lack of exploration, we brought back a concept from our newspaper’s past. We randomly selected a student from a student directory, interviewed them, and THIS is their story.

Everyone Has a Story: Matthew Cilli Paolo Barrera Staff Writer

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lorida, being the athlete producing state that it is, is littered with hard working student athletes and competitors. Pines Charter High is an example of the Sunshine State’s reputation for a stronger love for sport.

Freshman Matthew Cilli’s love for sports is just as evident- a defining characteristic of his- along with his long locks of hair.

Matthew prides himself on being a versatile student athlete with a passion for both football and baseball. “I enjoy tossing around a football with my friends when I have the chance,” said Cilli. When he suits up to play football, he plays as a part of the defensive line. When playing on the diamond however, Cilli takes his talents to the mound as a pitcher. He recounts his favorite memory as a game on the mound: “My favorite story would have to be the time I threw a perfect game because I remember it was my first time playing as my team’s pitcher,” he says. An impressive memory that is sure to make his family proud.

As a younger brother to a college athlete, Matthew aspires to walk down a path similar to that of his sibling. “I hope to play football in college like my brother, who plays for UM,” said Cilli. Sports aside, Matthew’s aspirations go further. Like his hopes for college football, Matthew’s other goals are somewhat influenced by his family. “I [also] aim to get my degree at FIU, since that’s where my dad works,” he states. Besides the role models he’s related to are the role models he looks up to as a fan and student of the sport. When it comes to football, Matthew talks about the retired linebacker Ray Lewis as his favorite. In the realm of baseball, Cilli looked up to Jose Fernandez as a pitcher who he has modeled his game after.

Being the teenager he is, Matthew’s prides himself in being a sports lover. He enjoys playing video games and joking around with his friends. “After school, I normally go to football practice. If I don’t [have practice] I usually just chill with my friends,” explained the freshman. Following his classes then ending the day with football to unwind, has become the routine that Matthew has established in his first year at PPCHS. “My end goal is to just succeed and get myself a degree,” concluded Matthew. Armed with that goal in mind, he continues to stay active as both a student and athlete, with hopes for a bright future.