The CHAT newspaper december issue, year 16, issue #4

see more coverage on the Heroes of Charter on pages 8-11

Maria Bozo Editor-in-Chief Emily Deese - Layout Looghermine Claude - Content Matthew Fernandez & Genisis Vesco - Video Managing Editors Chatter Daily News Taylor Horan Web Managing Editor Sarah Barrocas - Content Sofia Alfonso - Layout Business Manager Mr. J. Harris - Layout Mr. F. Fagen - Content Mr. J. Harris - Video Advisors Mr. P. Bayer Principal David Cha-Kim News Editor Hayley Hartwell Student Life Editor LJ Lemmers Technology Editor

Contents

The C.H.C. Staff

Melissa Pierce Entertainment Editor Matthew Deno Sports Editor Nick Rivera Features Editor Cristina Feliciano Lifestyle Editor Cristine Alayon Clubs Editor

Student Life:

Lauren Cookley Community Outreach Sydney Silverberg - The CHAT Jonathan Harris - Web Photo Editors Matthew Perez Graphics Editor

CONTENT STAFF: Maria Acosta-Rubio, Cristine Alayon, Sarah Barrocas, Nadira Danticat, Mason Feldman, Matthew Hernandez, Alexa Unfante, Abigail Johnson, Frank Mora, Amanda Peralta, Lauren Ramirez, Evan Samuels LAYOUT STAFF: Sofia Alfonso, Jose Bozo, Lauren Cookley, Madison Duke, Esteban Gangotena

What’s your favorite gift or most memorable memory from the holidays?

The Holiday Season: The stress and the gifts

Lifestyle:

PHOTOGRAPHY STAFF: Elizabeth Gamez, Eric Hernandez, Nicole Hernandez, Kristen Miles GRAPHIC STAFF: Nicole Mercadal, Natalie Laurent, Katie Perez CHAT VIDEO NEWS STAFF: Samuel Eliacin, Cristina Feliciano, Omar Loufti, Christopher Rundell 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

From the heart: Energy drinkers beware Eat, Breathe, Sleep, Music

Technology: Our fountain in the digital world Right price for apps that entice

Pg Spo

18 orts

Heroes Of Charter: Pg 8

Sports: Beware: Turf fields can be cancerous The Best of PPCHS Soccer and Basketball

News:

Daniel Pressman’s Travels: Pg 7

Features: Heroes of Charter

Entertainment:

Orca shows weeded out of Sea World in response to Blackfish film

TMZ: Don’t believe the hype

UFO ‘spotting’ abducts Twitter spotlight

Just Celebrity Things: Holiday Edition

Clubs & Electives: An SGA Holiday Giving back while having a blast

Everyone Cheer, it’s that Time of Year

What is your favorite g memory from Senior Mikayla Henry

Senior Aly

Graphic by: Katie Perez

Evan Samuels & Alexa Infante

December is a month where different religions, cultures, and people express their beliefs and celebrate. Whether it is lighting the menorah, putting up the Christmas tree, Staff Writers

or fasting, there are different ways for people to get in the holiday spirit. Here at PPCHS, students celebrate all sorts of holidays like, Ramadan, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah, which are among the most commonly celebrated holidays in the U.S. So when the stockings are hung, and the smell of warm winter candles fill the air, the PPCHS students can be found celebrating the holidays in many different ways.

“For the holiday Ramadan, on the ninth month of the calendar of Islam the whole community fasts. This process is considered one of the ‘five pillars’ of Islam. Muslims following this belief have to fast each day of the entire month, from sunrise to sunset. The evenings are supposed to be spent eating meals with family and friends, restating prayers, reflecting on religion, and reading from the Quran. I really enjoy expressing my heritage in this way, but most of my friends celebrate Christmas so it is really hard to be different but I appreciate the difference,” said sophomore Zeyad Ghali. Ramadan is one of the main holidays celebrated by Muslims but another is Eid Al-Adha which is celebrated on the tenth day of Dhu al-Hijjah and lasts for four days, during which Muslims usually sacrifice a sheep and distribute its meat among family, friends, and the poor.

Christmas trees fill houses, mistletoe is hung, and Christmas music is on repeat every place you go. “Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus Christ’s birthday. It's a time where families come together in joy and happiness and forget about all their troubles and what is happening around the world. Usually my family and I go to church on Christmas day and then spend the rest of our time eating dinner and watching the annual NBA games that are held on that day. To people celebrating, this holiday is one of the most special days of the year,” said sophomore Chinaelo Chuckwalee. Christmas is a religious holiday celebrated by the different branches of Christianity in which they come together to recognize the birth of Jesus Christ.

The holiday Kwanzaa was first celebrated in 1966-1967. This celebration honors African American culture and occurs from December 26th to January 1st. There are seven principles in Kwanzaa each principle represents a day. For the first day the theme is Umoja, which stresses the importance of being close with family and friends. On the second day or the second theme, Kujichagulia is expressed which means to make the best interests for one’s family and community. The next theme is Umija, which reminds people celebrating of the importance of the past, present, and future. The fourth theme is Umajaa, which encourages Africans to meet the common needs of economic support. Then the fifth theme Nia, wants people to set personal goals, just like what Americans do for New Year's Resolutions. On the sixth day Kuumba people are supposed to express their creativity. Last is the seventh day Imani, which deeply expresses the importance of faith. Sophomore Corey Lessey follows these morals and said “these morals are the basis of my religion. Every year my family and I come together for this holiday, and follow the seven principles. My religion means a lot to me because it’s something that will always be a part of me.”

Hanukkah is a holiday celebrated by Jewish people. This holiday celebrates the rededication of the Temple in 165 BC (Before Christ) by the Maccabees after its desecration by the Syrians. Every year the date changes based on the moon. There are eight days in Hanukkah; and the days represent being close with family and friends, to be kind to your elders, to not lie, and just overall being a better person than the year before. Every night on Hanukkah families celebrate by lighting a candle, and give presents to each other to represent good times together. Junior Brandon Liguori said, “Hanukkah is a very important religion to my family and me. I believe it’s a time for Jewish people all over the world to celebrate a special eight days and to give thanks for their family and friends. Hanukkah is also a time to eat all the food you can possibly eat.”

Different cultures, families, and religions come together to celebrate their beliefs in December. Among the holidays celebrated are Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, and Kwanzaa, these holidays allow people to express their views nationally. PPCHS students are almost ready to take time off on Winter Break, and have a blast celebrating their culture with family and friends everywhere.

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“G oing on a cruise with my best friends, “Everyone in my Jenny and Alyssa, to Cozumel, Mexico is together all at the sa definitely something I will never forget.”

Freshman Lukas Lemmers

turned out to be Mich we all happily wore.”

Junior Camilo Grijalva

“M y favorite gift for Christmas is “A few years ago, my parents got my when I received an XBOX 360. I was fi- brother and I tickets to go to WWE Monnally able to play the latest games at that time and play with my friends.”

day Night Raw. We were surprised because it was in a cookie jar.”

gift or most memorable m the holidays?

yssa Dobles

family opened a gift ame time and the gift hael Kors watches that ”

Freshman Aleysia Hewell

“I got an IPhone 6 for Christmas that I really wanted for a long time. I was really

A

The Stress and the Gifts

s the holiday season approaches so does the stress of not knowing what gifts to get your significant other. Girlfriends ask themselves, should I get him clothes? Maybe a video game? While boys do not know whether to get their girlfriend jewelry, clothes, or shoes. Sometimes it is hard to determine what the “perfect” gift is. This makes the holiday season a little nerve wrecking.

According to beyondtalk.net, your gifts should be based on what each person likes. For example if your significant other loves makeup and spends hours in front of the mirror maybe a makeup palette from Sephora is her ideal gift. Or if your man loves sports and his favorite sport is football, maybe football tickets to see his favorite team is the perfect gift.

“Christmas is so stressful sometimes because I never know what to get my girl. She has so many different things that she likes but I don’t know what she really wants,” said Senior Ajai Camacho.

There is people like Ajai that spend every day thinking about what is the gift that will make their significant other’s heart melt. Instead of buying a $300 necklace your counterpart would most likely enjoy a more thoughtful gift like a photo collage or writing her a poem. The holiday season doesn’t have to be a time of who can spend the most money as long as the gift is significant to your partner.

Many people also stress about what to get their parents for the holidays because their whole life their parents have been giving them gifts. Some mothers prefer more thought out gifts such as a big card telling them how much their kid loves them, while other mothers prefer jewelry or perfume. If your mom prefers perfume some top selling ones are, Nude by Rihanna, Si by Giorgio Armani and many others. But if your mom prefers jewelry some more affordable stores are Pandora or Swarvoski which make beautiful jewlry that you don’t have to spend a fortune on.

Gift buying is not as hard as people make it out to be, the secret is shopping with time.

The mall may not have what you are looking for one day but it may the next time. Ashley Meyerpeter said, “I have been stressing for a while now about what to get my boyfriend and my mom, I am planning to start shopping earlier this year.” This holiday season stay cool Jags and shop with time!

happy that my parents could not only give me that present but trust me with the responsibility of a new phone.”

Junior Aja McGowans

Senior Leila Hathaway

“I already know I’m going to receive a “My best gift was getting a puppy that car for Christmas this year. After working I named Chewbacca. He is the cutest dog I hard in school and outside of school, my parents felt I deserved to get a car. I can drive anywhere I want to now.”

know and I appreciate him every day.”

Graphic by: Matthew Perez

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Student Life

The CHAT Editorial: Advice to underclassmen on college apps

College Apps: Underclassmen are encouraged to complete their Common Application as soon as possible. Photo by: Nicole Hernandez

Nick Rivera

Let me start off by saying that I am no expert in completing college applications, but I, like millions of seniors across the nation, have spent most of the end of my summer and fall with my mind on getting into a university. While I am no expert, through filling out multiple applications, I’ve learned of Features Editor

what I did right and a few things that I could have done better.

Where to apply. Some students have had a dream college for years. Others are now realizing some places that they are interested in. Others haven’t even thought of where they’d like to go. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, it’s important to apply to colleges that really fit you. If you know what major, or at least a few different majors, that you may be interested in, searching for colleges may be easier, but for those who are still undecided, there are other factors to narrow down where you want to go. This can be categorized into big or small universities, cities or college towns, or even in and out of state. Once you have a list of colleges picked out, know that you don’t have to apply to every single one. I thought that I wanted to apply to almost a dozen colleges, but as time went by, I realized where I could actually see myself going. Picture yourself going to each college. Decide whether you think you’d be happy going to that college. Decide whether you realistically can see yourself attending it, and what aspects would cause you to attend. If you don’t feel at least a slight urge to go to a particular college, then don’t apply. Whether you apply to 15 colleges or just 3 colleges, you will ultimately only end up at one. With that said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket and apply for a college that you may not be accepted to. We all would like to believe that every college that we apply to will pick us, but the sad truth is that every single applicant has that thought in mind and not everyone will get in. Try to have at least one safety school.

Start early! I can’t emphasize this enough. As students, it’s something we hear all the time--start this project as soon as you’re assigned it, don’t wait until the last day to do your work, you will not be able to finish this in one night. Most of us are trained to turn off our ears before the end of each statement. I am telling you now that college apps are not something that you want to leave until the end. Much of the reason to push off doing an application comes from a lack of inspiration to do the essay. What a lot of people, including me, don’t realize is that the essay is only one small part of the application. Most of the applications consist of listing extracurricular activities, all of the high school classes that you’ve taken, and other information along those lines. While it’s simple to fill out, this can be the most time consuming parts of the application. One way to get through this part is to work with friends. Since it’s easy to fill out, it doesn’t always take too much focus and so having friends around you doing the same thing will make the atmosphere lighter. It’s easy to start as soon as applications are released in August or early September and once all of that information is out of the way, you can start thinking about the essay.

Picking a Topic That’s Right for You. Your essay can be one of the major factors that goes into a college’s decision to accept or deny an applicant. Because of this, your essay should not be taken in vain. When looks at all of the different prompts that I had to choose from for my essay, I found it difficult to find a topic that I felt strongly about. This made me fall behind because I had no inspiration to write about anything. I could think of many things that I would have loved to write about, but none of the topics seemed to fit the prompt. It wasn’t until a few days before my first application was due that I just decided to write. I pushed all of the prompts out of my head and just wrote about a topic that I loved. For me it was music, but for others it may be movies, or sports, or even food. I found that when I was writing about a topic that I really liked, the essay almost wrote itself. I also found that any essay you write is bound to fit into one of the prompts. Many of the prompts that are given by CommonApp and other universities are very generic. Virtually any topic can be made to fit into one of the prompts.

Stuck on Writing. For some, even when they have a topic that they would like to write about, it can be difficult to translate into an essay. A number of obstacles can come in the way of writing. Writer’s block is among the most common. It happens to everyone; you’re in the middle of writing when all of a sudden you go to start the next sentence and your fingers stop moving across the keyboard and you realize that you’re stuck. Getting over writer’s block can be difficult, but one way that I deal with it is by moving to a new location. As weird and pointless as this sounds, I find that it’s one of the best things to do. Find a place where you have limited distractions. A coffeehouse with open wifi, for example, is a great place to keep your mind focused on your paper and not on the next Netflix episode you want to watch or your next meal.

Double dipping is allowed. As soon as one essay is done, you may be able to use it for almost every place you apply to. Unfortunately, every college, other than the ones included on the Common App, has a different prompt. But as I mentioned, most of them are generic prompts. This means that, more times than not, by adding a simple sentence to the end of an essay, you can change the whole dynamic of it in order to fit the prompt that you need. By doing this, you take a lot off the initial stress that comes from the fear of having to write a different essay for each college.

Proofread! Before you submit any essays, make sure you have read it multiple times. It’s always recommended to have a trusted teacher or adult to read your essay. One common issue that can occur is that they have a bunch of other essays to read or they simply don’t have time to sit and really edit an essay.

Don’t depend only on adults to read your essay. Have your friends read it. Even if they can’t edit it in depth, a quick read-through will allow them to tell you of any simple grammar errors, awkward sentences, or every some tips on how to improve it. It doesn’t matter who reads your essay, but the more eyes that see it, the more improvements you will be able to make. With the stress of expressing your personality within an average limit of around 500 words, everyone’s opinion has the potential to make your essay better.

The thought of completing a college application can be extremely terrifying and intimidating at first, but once you begin, you’ll be surprised at how easily it can come together. The most frightening moment comes from clicking the submit button at the end of an application, but the relief that comes with it makes everything worth it. I hope these tips will allow you to submit an application that you can be proud of.

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f you don’t know the name. Nicholas Raimont is ing Myself, and his popular as he can remember. From into music. This is when he channel in 6th grade for fun To create videos Ramiont the skills he has acquired a at numerous venues and sc But when I get hype, I just His love for the stage led most beloved faculty mem it. She’s a genius and she said Raimont. He has been at PPCHS. As for the inspiration for and his favorite band, Cou and producer, Tyler, The C reviews from Charter stude gain anticipation.

For the future, Ramiont d musical, he will be pursuin Fans of his will be glad to spare time.

With the support of his mo of him. “I don’t have any h Interested in seeing Ramio It will be $10 at the door a

Student Life

Lights! Camera! Raimont!

name of this special junior yet, chances are you will in ten years because he is on his way to becoming a household s a Charter junior who’s passion for music and acting has gotten him fame online with his albums, LARD and Upstagr performance from the musical Hamilton at the 14th annual Multicultural show. Raimont has loved music for as long m classic rock to classical to jazz to rap, Ramiont has always loved all genres, but middle school is when he really got e decided to learn to play trombone, become vocally trained, and created his YouTube channel. “I started my YouTube n and some of the videos are pretty awful,” Raimont joked. t had to learn how to edit and create videos all by himself. Fast-forward five years later and he can proudly say that all re 100% self-taught. Although he has a strong online presence, the junior is no stranger to the stage. He has performed chool events. “When I get onstage, it’s weird. I don’t get nervous that I’ll mess up, but that the audience won’t like it. t forget about all that and it is truly the best feeling,” said Raimont. d him to an inevitable class: Drama. During his time in this class, he has acquired an admiration for one of Charter’s bers. “When I act, I look to Ms. Kidd. I joined Drama in 9th grade and I just think she’s amazing; I can hardly describe inspired me to have confidence in myself and get into acting. She just has this aura to her that draws in students,” n in Drama ever since and has even made it to the Advanced class, the highest ranking course for any Drama student

his albums, released on Bandcamp, he has a few muses. When he writes music he often looks to musicals, hip-hop, unting Crows. “They’re so eclectic in how they compose their music. Their lyrics are poetic,” said Raimont. Rapper Creator, inspires his musical flow in terms of rap and composition. His album LARD was released this summer to rave ents and strangers alike. Ramiont even posted promos on YouTube and Twitter in the days leading up to its launch to

definitely wants to continue feeding his passion. Whether it’s teaching kids or directing the Counting Crows juxebox ng a profession in music. He cannot imagine doing anything in life that doesn’t include music in some kind of way. know that he is currently writing new songs like “Anxiety,” which he posted to his SoundCloud in November, in his

other, family, music directors, and friends, Raimont is sure to have an amazing life filled with music and theater ahead hobbies beyond music, performing, and acting. This is what I’m good at. This is my niche,” said Raimont. nt live? He’s performing @ Anonymous Guitars (10778 NW 53rd SW St, Sunrise, FL 33351) on December 19th at 7:30. and featuring fellow Jaguars, Matias De La Flor and Edward Brown (known as Tchaikovsky.)

Nicholas Raimont: Junior Nicholas Raimont performing at the Multicultural Show. Photo by: Logan McKinney

Senior takes traveling to new heights Maria Bozo

T

The photo senior Daniel Pressman took and submitted to a scholarship contest. Photo by: Daniel Pressman

Senior Daniel Pressman took this photo while on safari at Botswana. Photo by: Daniel Pressman

Editor-in-Chief

raveling is an activity that is essential to American values. For many, travelling means taking an annual family vacation. Whether it be simply to another city, or to another state, or even halfway across the world, traveling is a luxury that many people look forward to. For senior Daniel Pressman, both his family and he have taken traveling to a whole other level.

In Pressman’s brief seventeen years of life, he has travelled all over the world. He has visited six out of the seven world continents, and he plans to visit Australia, the only continent he has not been to very soon. Most recently, Pressman travelled with his family to China and Alaska last summer. The Pressman’s have also been to many different countries in Europe, and a couple in Africa as well. “The coolest trip was probably when we went to Botswana in Africa.

In Botswana we went on a safari, we saw everything from lions, to giraffes, to elephants, you name an African animal, and we probably saw it,” said Pressman.

Another one of Pressman’s most memorable trips was when he went to Antarctica a couple years ago. As one would expect, it was extremely cold, with temperatures ranging from zero to thirty five degrees Fahrenheit every day he was there. “Despite the coldness, nature’s landscapes and the glaciers were extremely unique and beautiful. We’re planning on returning to Antarctica this summer,” said Pressman. To get to Antarctica, Pressman travels with his family on a Russian icebreaker, which is not like a typical Disney or Carnival cruise ship at all. The ship is made to go around the ice, to live on the boat, and that’s it; the point of it isn’t to have fun, but to take in all that Antarctica has to offer while on board the craft.

“I’m extremely appreciative and excited that I was able to visit all of these places. I’m very thankful for my parents wanting to take me on all of these trips to adventure and explore the world. I’m extremely lucky and I definitely don’t take any of it for granted. I love travelling the world even though the long airplane rides suck. Traveling the world has definitely been some of the best experiences of my life thus far,” said Pressman.

Pressman’s travels have given him much more than just memorable experiences. “I was going through my files for the photography contest for the Coral Springs Museum and I noticed a picture that I took in Antarctica. It was breath-taking so I decided to submit it. So far, it has been received and I’m waiting to hear back. Hopefully, it wins so I get a scholarship and have it hung up in the museum,” said Pressman. Advanced Placement (AP) Art teacher, Ms. Vasquez signed Pressman up for the contest. Pressman submitted a picture of the reflection of an ice berg colored white and black on the blue water with a pale white sky. If selected, it will be seen in the Winter Fantasy art show, as well as the Coral Springs Museum.

Pressman has without a doubt been proactive with his travels; he has taken relaxation and exploration and turned it into something he will be recognized for. PPCHS wishes both Pressman and his family safe travels, and good luck to Pressman’s photo submission.

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Heroes of

Charter high school is filled with an extremely diverse group of students and teachers. In the spirit of the holidays, we at the CHAT wanted to spotlight a selection of special indiv individuals are a portion of the many that have gone above and beyon

Jaguars and horses team up to make a difference El Garrison

W

Special to The CHAT

hen she talks about her volunteer work with autistic children at the Starfall Ranch, junior Analeza Newman’s eyes light up, and it is clear that she cares a lot about the great work she is doing there. The day Newman started volunteering at the Starfall Ranch changed her life Every week, Newman helps the same group of autistic children ride and take care of the horses on the ranch. While some may be apprehensive about taking a strong role in the lives of these kids, Newman lives up to the challenge. The benefits are very clear. When she sees how her work helps them so much, it is worth all the effort and difficulty.

“I started volunteering there two years ago when I heard about it from a mutual friend and it’s been a life changing experience. I’ve grown as a person getting to see them learn, and grow as they work with the animals. It has really opened my eyes to all the amazing things this world has to offer,” said Newman.

Working one on one with these kids, Newman saw how they are just like everyone else. They enjoy playing games, telling jokes, and spending time with the horses just like any other little kids. Their shared love of horses helped Newman connect with the children.

Newman, along with the other volunteers at the ranch, are such a positive influence on them. By providing a safe place to grow and learn, they teach them to be confident in themselves and provide them with the opportunity to express themselves. Their personalities really shine when you give them the chance.

“This one little girl, her name is Jessica, is 9 or 10 years old, and she is the funniest little girl you will ever meet. When she gets on the horse she becomes a completely different person and really calms down. We get to work with the same group of kids every week, so we really form strong relationships with them,” said Newman.

It is already difficult enough for the children and their loving families to handle the challenges that come with autism; however, the scariest thing for parents is to watch their child not be treated like everyone else. They deserve the opportunity to make strong lifelong friendships. At the Starfall Ranch, the children get this priceless opportunity.

Helping autistic children connect with horses and other people will have a lasting effect on their lives. The experiences of helping these young people will have a profound and lasting impact on Newman’s life as well.

La Hoz’s mission: Aid special needs children on global scale Taylor Horan

F

Managing Editor - Web

rom an early age, Giselle La Hoz felt compassion and a drive to help kids with special needs and disabilities, specifically Down syndrome and autism. Down syndrome is a genetic disorder that causes developmental and intellectual delays (mayoclinc.org). It is the most common genetic condition in the United States, with one in every 691 babies born with the condition (ndss.org). Autism is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development that have various degrees. These disorders are characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and repetitive behaviors (autismspeaks.org).

“I would always see and hear about times that my cousin was left out, called ‘retarded,’ and made fun of because he was different, especially with people in general who ask mothers of Down syndrome children why they didn't get an abortion,” La Hoz shared. “It definitely made me sad and angry because of how mean people could be.”

La Hoz had the opportunity to be a paid tutor for a senior last year who had autism. When asked if she was interested, she did not hesitate.

After having this positive tutoring experience, she visited Mrs. Ostendorf, who runs the school’s ESE program, to see if she could establish a mentoring group or tutoring club that could benefit all ESE students. Senior Grecia Valencia had a similar idea, so they decided to partner up and work to create the group. Joining together, they created the ESE Tutoring Club. Valencia serves as President and La Hoz serves as the Vice President. This is the first year that the ESE club has been established at PPCHS. She hopes to see the club continue in years to come. La Hoz is positive that an inspired student currently in the club will set up the occasion when she and Valencia graduate to continue the great work that the club does.

“Giselle is an amazing Vice President. She constantly is giving me reminders and encouragements. Working with her has been great and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side,” shared Valencia.

While helping to create the ESE tutoring club for La Hoz was great, she desired to do even more for people who have disabilities. She specifically wanted to focus in Peru, where her family is from. Over the summer, La Hoz went to an orphanage, El Hogar de Las Bienaventuranzas, with her mother and aunts. The orphanage houses over 80 children and adults with disabilities that could include schizophrenia, motor disabilities, and autism.

“Some of them couldn't even go to school,” La Hoz said. “Even though the priest who runs the orphanage said that they needed all kinds of items, the kids responded most to donations and items that we often take for granted. The kids got so excited when my mom pulled out packs of gum. When my aunt pulled out her Chapstick, the little girls went ballistic.”

However, for La Hoz, there was one moment on her visit to the orphanage that really stuck with her. There was a little boy who was silently crying and gripping onto her arm. He followed La Hoz everywhere he went. One of the volunteers at the orphanage said that the boy gets really emotional when visitors come because it reminds him of his family. It was in that very moment that she knew that she needed to do something to help.

Once she returned home, La Hoz approached Mrs. Rudd at the start of this school year to discuss starting a drive with National Honor Society that would accept any household donations, especially items such as clothes, soft toys, socks and school supplies. For the items that NHS members donated, they would be able to receive service hours that would go towards the NHS 20 hour requirement. The drive is currently going on now and will conclude in December. The drive will conclude at the end of November. La Hoz will take the donations with her to Lima, Peru over winter break. The donations will be given to the original orphanage she visited. She hopes to see the drive continue after she graduates. La Hoz is more than willing to assist NHS again next school year. She would love to continue bringing donations to the Orphanage in Peru.

It only takes one small action to make one very large difference in the life of someone. La Hoz shows this in her work with the ESE Tutoring Club and the Peruvian Orphanage Drive. All of her service work has earned her our school’s nomination for a Silver Knight in the category of Journalism. She will learn in May if she won the award. Through her dedication to bring people up and helping those less fortunate, La Hoz has been able to become an impactful leader and a Hero of Charter.

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Photo donated by: Giselle La Hoz

f Charter

viduals who have really made a difference in the community and the world. To be a hero, one must prove that they are strong, noble, and caring in order to make that difference. These nd to prove their heroism. We present to you, your Heroes of Charter.

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Sylvia Supports Las Canas Hayley Hartwell

Many students get opportunities for leadership programs at different universities or go on mission trips through their church.

Senior Sylvia Lillquist sought out a chance to volunteer and experience a different region of the world where the residents don’t Student Life Editor

Photo donated by: Sylvia Lillquist

have it as good as Americans. During the summer of 2014, Lillquist, with the support of her parents and the organization Global Leadership Adventures, headed off to the Las Canas, Dominican Republic for two weeks.

During the trip, Lillquist built bottle schools, passed out water filters, helped clean up communities and conversed with the locals about their everyday life in that town. Bottle schools use columns and beams as structural support, then fully packed bottles with inorganic material are stringed together with chicken wire to hold the walls in place. Lastly three layers of cement stucco are applied on top of the bottles to produce a smooth, clean effect. It seems like labor-intensive work, but along with the help of 44 other teens from across the United States and the friendly residents of the town the time seemed to fly by for Lillquist.

“The experience was completely humbling. Going into a town with a 100% unemployment rate where people lack even basic necessities truly changes you. Despite the little bit these people had, they constantly wore smiles on their faces,” stated Lillquist.

One memorable member of the town was a 20-year-old named Wilson. He explained that it was hard with most people being born without a passport or last name. Because of this, they could not attend school. Wilson desired to travel to the United States to earn a medical degree to return home and help his neighbors with their health problems. “Speaking with him and all the other natives really opened my eyes to the reality of the rest of the world,” said Lillquist. “We live in a country where we have so many opportunities at our fingertips, and others around the world like Wilson see as a luxury.”

Lillquist has since become a global ambassador for the Global Leadership Adventure program to encourage other teens to partake in these trips to not only help others, but also help yourself to grow as a person. Before entering college Lillquist, plans to take a similar trip, but this time travel with a program called Gap Medics. This organization allows you to shadow a variety of doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, or even midwives.

While contributing your mark to these communities you can experience different aspects of the world, be exposed to various cultures, and meet new people. Lillquist has been able to experience all of these facets, which has allowed her to view our country and opportunities in a more appreciative light.

Capturing Kevin’s cheerful spirit Alexa Infante

Every day people are struck with events that can change their lives forever, and they are forced to make a choice on how to deal. For Mr. Garcia, a teacher here at PPCHS, and the rest Staff Writer

of his family, the decision was easy- turn a tragedy into something positive. After his brother Kevin passed away at the young age of 17 years old, the Garcia family chose to continue the legacy of the bright, humble, and generous life that was taken too early by starting the Kevin Garcia Foundation. This non-profit organization prides itself in helping at risk children and teenagers overcome economic barriers so that they can achieve healthier, more productive lives. When the funeral came around instead of bringing flowers, the family asked that those who attended donated toys as a true emblem of his spirit.

Freshman Isabella Devesa, who has been Mr. Garcia’s student since 6th grade said, “Mr. Garcia has really encouraged me support the causes I truly believe in. You may think creating a foundation is an impossible thing to do, but he taught me that out of every bad we must look for the good, and do what we can to take the good and create something extraordinary.”

The Kevin Garcia Foundation aims to put back the smile of the face of children who may have had their smiles temporarily stripped by severe hardships or conditions they are forced to face. Mr. Garcia is a true leader as he not only helps lead this organization out of school, but is in charge spreading the word about the organization throughout the school, and is a perfect model for someone who is able to bounce back from hard times.

“Although his passing was a tragedy, it’s impossible to overlook all of the positives that have come out of the love that he left behind. In his English class, Kevin was asked to write an essay about who he would be if he could be anyone in history and why. His answer was Elvis Presley, and his reason was quoted from one of his favorite childhood movies, The Sandlot: ‘Heroes get remembered, but legends never die.’ Establishing the Kevin Garcia Foundation is our next step in spreading the legend of Kevin’s love, hope and joy to as many people as possible. Kevin did not have money, power or fame, but he had what every human aspires to achieve in a lifetime: The ability to touch another person’s soul,” posted his high school best friend Noah Ohlsen.

The three Garcia brothers along with their parents, and many other close friends and family have all united to truly take this cause from something small to something that can preserve the legacy that Kevin left behind. Specifically, this foundation has three main ways to give back to the community. The main event is the annual toy drive that takes place during the holidays. In this event hundreds of toys are donated and are taken on Christmas day to the families at Joe DiMaggio’s children's hospital, and the Ronald Mcdonald House. Also, they are a Golden Angel Society member of the Jackson Memorial Foundation in which they sponsor children for lifesaving and life changing medical procedures. Lastly, the foundation offers Athletic Scholarship Awards to high school students who are actively involved with the foundation and complete other requirements listed on the website. #LovelikeKevin is one way to showing support for the cause and all that it stands for. The foundation has all forms of social media as well as a website filled with information on ways to get involved (www.kevingarciafoundation.org).

Photo by: Eric Hernandez

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Features Emily Reyneri-A Hero of Charter Nadira Danticat

Poinciana Park Elementary School in Liberty City has gone from a dreary school devoid of creativity to a place where children express their passion for art -- and this is all due to Emily Reyneri. The junior Staff Writer

has planned to create either a mosaic mural of either the cougar, their mascot or an educational quote with all the students who wish to participate. In addition to this, Reyneri wants to create an art club for the students of Poinciana Park. She has created a GoFundMe page for the effort, which has accumulated over $400, but she is hoping more people donate so she can reach her goal of $3,000 before she graduates.

Reyneri felt inspired to create this project when she visited the school, where her stepmother is vice-principal, and discovered the inadequate environments that the children were being raised in. They had been exposed to poverty, crime and social injustices all of their lives, which could possibly affect them in their respective futures. The school has somewhat of an art program, but the school can only afford to bring an art teacher to the kids once a week and even then, their time with her is very limited.

Using the skills she typically uses to draw, paint, create jewelry, and play ukulele, Reyneri brainstormed with her stepmother one how to help the students escape the cycle of poverty, violence, and academic failure the students are immersed in. This is where the idea for the mural and art club came about. Her stepmother generously offered to pay for all the supplies and utilities, but Reyneri refused to let her take on that high expense all by herself. Raising money and completing her plans for the school has been on Emily’s mind ever since.

“The main purpose of my involvement with Poinciana Park is to provide the students with a clean and nurturing environment, where my stepmom has already been so altruistically doing.” said the junior, “I hope that through this project, the children will feel as though they are each helpful and inspiring individuals to their community, and always have a safe haven at Poinciana Park,” said Reyneri.

Besides fundraising, Reyneri sometimes goes to the school and does some volunteer work but since the school is far from where she lives, she doesn’t get to go as much as she'd like to. Over the summer, she and her dad painted over eighty panels at the school that were chipping and covered in graffiti.

This kind of humanitarian activity sparked her itch to assist the school even further.

Reyneri’s passion for art and teaching children has inspired her to start this project, and she is remaining positive about achieving her goals. Her kindness is expected to provide the students of Poinciana Park with a hands-on opportunity to tap into their creative minds and release their inner passions.

Hopefully, Reyneri’s dreams for the art project if fulfilled and she changes the lives of those children forever.

‘09 alumnus follows heart to military service Sarah Barrocas Staff Writer

A Pembroke Pines, Florida native and Pines Charter alumnus dropped his school textbooks to pick up newly well-equipped combatant riffles. Replacing his black polo and khaki pants with a complete camouflage attire, Jose Murillo was no longer a naive innocent student but a now well experienced fighter and aid of war.

Murillo graduated from PPCHS in 2009. After the turning of the tassel and accepting his high school diploma, he solidified his status as a now PPCHS graduate. After graduation, his initial plan was to attend a college to major in Computer Sciences. His agenda however changed when he decided to enlist in the military instead.

Murillo said, “There were a couple of reasons I felt were strong enough for me to enlist. I definitely wanted and needed more independence and structure in my life at the time. The most important reason for me, however, was probably because I wanted to repay the debt that I felt I owed to the United States for allowing my family and I to have such a good life here.”

Murillo’s parents, born and raised in Costa Rica, were most definitely surprised by their son’s unexpected decision. Growing up in a country with no official military, it took Roxi and Francisco Murillo quite some time to come around to the fate of their son’s future.

“We were proud of him yet heart-broken at the same time. We didn’t really know what he would be doing or where he would be located, his unknown future is probably what had scared us most,” said Murillo’s younger siblings Rebecca and Alejandro.

Murillo now works as a Hospital Corpsman in the Navy. He went through HM A-school in San Antonio, Texas where he was trained in basic naval medicine. He also went through Field Medical Training Battalion in Camp Pendleton, California where he was taught basic field medicine and Marine Corps history and customs.

Since he is stationed at the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California, the endless training and arduous boot camps never seem to come to an end. As a Marine, he did a lot of different training exercises in different areas. In a couple of weeks Murillo, alongside other Navy Seals, will be going to a desert for a few months for selective training. Murillo says that the key to enduring these tough training is to, “stay proficient at your job and always be ready if your unit is called to go to war.”

Putting an expected toll on your body both physically and mentally, service however comes with a major price. Boot camps take pure fitness physicality, endurance, and hard work, In the event of a war, it takes a strong soldier to succumb to the fact that death summons their name at every corner.

Explosive bombs decapitate human limbs while the casual shots of rapid bullets impale layers of protected skin. Murillo said, “Your brain is going to tell you to quit miles before your body is actually going to quit.”

Every member of the military gets 30 days of paid leave per year, and Murillo sure knows how to put his vacation time to good use. He says that that best part of coming home is driving through Pembroke Pines, seeing familiar faces everywhere, and seeing his family he has so longingly and anxiously been waiting to spend time with.

His litter sister Rebecca and younger brother Alejandro both replied, "He surprised us once right after the holidays. He flew home while we were away and we found out because his friend posted a photo on Facebook. The best part after seeing him is that he still the same old Jose. The military hasn't changed him one bit."

Murillo plans to serve a full five years to then separate from the Navy. With the years he has already served, Murillo has already been promoted three times and is hoping for his fourth promotion in a couple of weeks. Once dismissed from service Murillo hopes to continue his education and go back to college to receive a BS in a Computer Science related field.

“I have never [regretted enlisting]. There’s been times where I hated what I was doing and wished I was doing anything else, but I still did it, I volunteered for five years of service. I didn’t volunteer for five years of service only when it's fun or only when I feel like it. No one ever forced me to join. If you go into the military realizing that, it becomes a lot easier, still challenging however, but easier.”

For those who plan on enlisting into the military one day, Murillo’s biggest advice is to do your research. Know exactly what you will be getting into as you sign up for your first day for boot camp. He says the best thing to do after finding a specific role that you want to fulfill is to find someone else who is also working that job to see how they like it. Most importantly, he advises others to realize the practicality of war.

“The military isn’t like Call of Duty. There’s a lot of mundane tasks that need to be carried out and as the new guy you’re the one who is going to be stuck doing it. Don't get me wrong, we do cool stuff from time to time, but it’s not all shooting rifles and clearing buildings,” said Murillo.

Murillo has found his sanity throughout this whirlwind of an experience by playing jokes with the other Seals out on the field. Pranking one another helps maintain their sanity when there is nothing else to do. Hearing “taps” at 10 P.M. every night over the base speakers to signify that the day is over assures Murillo why he chose to fight for his home country and motivated him to get up early the next morning to continue his hard work. Murillo is not only seen as a Hero of Charter but a hero of our country, setting aside his pens for a weapon even more powerful, his heart.

Murillo is one of many Charter Alumni that have gone on to serve our country in the military. We would also like to recognize all past students that have done the same.

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some periods of time whe Dioguardi is currently be before her son was diagno Ever since Dioguardi got www.gofundme.com/. The of 4 months. Many swimm Junior and swimmer, Joh putting together a small fu Jags are able to help Dio

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ver 450 quotes line into pathway of inspiratio Block, to pick the quotes a “I used to be bullied a lo gardless of what people te what you love, you’ll be h On Friday, November 6 ness movement. Students couragement. The weeken “I had a girl come up to m made her motivated to get day, I can do my best toda Hernandez does more th to give them advice from what she wished she knew of seniors that she wants “We want them to know says Mrs. Perez. “We’ve d ing and GPA ranges that y how not to get sucked int As part of their volunteer goodies for girls and boys great way for students at C “I could see Nicole work environment that she’s in j go to college, she will fini Hernandez is starting sm through sticky notes and s

Features

Charter fights for brave swimmer alumnus Cristina Feliciano

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Lifestyle Editor

magine graduating from high school, getting accepted to the college of your dreams, and then turning 18. Being at one of the best moments of your life, you would never expect to hear heart-shattering news from your family physician; those 3 words would change your life forever: “You have cancer.” Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Charter alumnus Stefano Dioguardi.

Just two weeks after walking down the stage to shake Principal Bayer’s hand and receive his diploma, Dioguardi was told that he had Ewing’s Carcinoma in his pelvis. According to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Ewing’s Carcinoma is a very rare form of bone cancer that usually generates in the legs, ribs, pelvis, arms, or spine. This form of cancer also has the potential of spreading to the lungs. Dioguardi was diagnosed just 2 days after celebrating the milestone of turning 18. All family and friends of Stefano were devastated to hear this terrible turn of events. Family friend and secretary of the main office, Mrs. Calero is incredibly close to both Dioguardi and his family.

“Some of the swim moms and myself have been cooking for the Dioguardi family since Stefano’s mother is always in the hospital with him. We took this on because we love Stefano and his family very much and we treat them as if they are our family,” said Mrs. Calero. She went on saying that she is in charge of providing food every Monday for them and that they have been doing this for about two months now.

One of the swimmers on the team went to go visit his dear friend at the hospital about a month ago and Dioguardi was very thin. However, Dioguardi’s condition has improved since then, being that now he has more color and put on some weight. When asked what actions the doctors are taking towards his medical state, Calero responded saying that “Stefano is doing radiation now. When he did chemotherapy, the amount fluctuated due to the stages of the process. There would be ere he had chemo three days a week, and some where he had it every day”. eing treated at the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. This entire process is especially rough for the Dioguardi family because his mother was just told that she is cancer free, months osed. “The family is for sure going through a hard time. And all we can do right now is be there for them in their time of need” said Calero. t diagnosed, there has been a fundraiser made on the family’s behalf. A member of the South Florida Water Polo Club, Michael Goldenberg took the initiative to create the fundraiser on e fundraiser was made in order to help out Dioguardi’s family with all of the travel and medical expenses that they will endure. As of now, about $35,000 has been raised in a time frame mers on the team including junior Tommy Bayer, and senior Leila Hathaway have donated to help and shared the website to donate on their social media accounts. hn Pons, said “I’ve known him since I was a freshman and it was hard to hear the news that one of your buddies from the team has cancer. On the brighter side, we as a team have been undraiser for Stefano, and by the looks of it, it has been going strong.” oguardi fight this strenuous battle against cancer by donating to https://www.gofundme.com/ykejqk or posting a simple tweet for all your friends to see.

Sticking it to Sadness: Nicole Hernandez Looghermine Claude and Nick Rivera Managing Editor - Content and Features Editor

ed the hallways of U Building on yellow, green, pink, and orange sticky notes. Senior Nicole Hernandez, dedicated to spreading kindness, has transformed the hallways of Pines Charter on. Over a period of 4 days, Hernandez spent her time out of school writing an array of uplifting quotes on sticky notes. Hernandez got help from her homeroom club, New Kids on the and place them along the hallway. ot and I know how much it hurts when people are constantly picking on you,” Hernandez said. “I want to be an example to those who have been hurt and I want them to know that reell you, you have to move on and focus on yourself because at the end of the day as long as you’re doing happy.”

6th, students were encouraged to take down the quotes that they enjoyed as a part of the #choosekindwere asked to post the quote at home, on their agendas, or even hand it to someone who could use ennd was supposed to be a time to get in the right mindset and start the next week fresh and ready to work. me saying that she woke up in a horrible mood, but when she saw the quotes it made her feel better and it t through the day. That’s what I want, I want people to walk through and realize ‘Okay, I can tackle this ay and everyday’,” said Hernandez. han make sticky notes with New Kids on the Block. The club, aimed solely towards freshmen, is meant upperclassmen and adults. She shares everything that she learned during her years of high school and w during her freshman year. Hernandez, along with Mrs. Perez and Mrs. Maycock, is compiling a panel s to come and talk to her nine regular members about everything from academics to athletics. w what high school is about. We started the year with discussing how to study and getting organized,” discussed several things from progress reports, graduation requirements, college requirements like testyou need, volunteering and giving back.

We’ve also talked about social media, its impact, the drama, and to it. It’s exposing them to things that they would probably see later, now.” ring talk, the club participated in Operation Christmas Child. The drive asked that all classes collect s from ages 2-14 and place them into special shoe boxes. At the end of the drive, the members of New Kids on the Block came around to pick up the boxes and send them off. It was a Charter to make the less fortunate happy during the holiday season. king with kids from any age, from babies up until teenagers just providing positive feedback and encouragement to them. I think she’ll bring her positive nature and role to whatever just because she knows what it feels like to be marginalized or talked about or picked on. That empathetic side of her will show through any career field that she chooses. I know she will ish, she will succeed, and she will be a productive member of society,” said Mrs. Maycock. mall, but she aims to be a leader for good in the future. Using random acts of kindness and service projects, she wants to help others and guide them in the right direction. She hopes that shoeboxes people all around the world will feel a little better.

Ainsley McCormick: Average Student by day, Fostering puppies by night Maria Acosta-Rubio

Ainsley McCormick is a freshman at Pembroke Pines Charter High School determined to make the community a better place. When she was five years old, McCormick wanted a dog. Her mother gave her the alternative of fostering dogs, and she took it. McCormick, like many other adoption ambassadors, helps the dogs she Staff Writer

fosters to find their “forever home” as well as caring for them, feeding them, walking them and showing them love and affection.

“I can foster any animal that the Humane Society believes would have better exposure outside of the kennel. Every week a list is sent out with dogs, cats, and sometimes bunnies who are looking for foster families,” said McCormick.

But fostering dogs isn’t just playful fun and love, it’s also a lot of work and time. Not only does McCormick have to make her home friendly and safe and shower her foster pet with hugs and kisses, but she also has to consider things that are going to keep her pet healthy like making sure they get vaccines.

McCormick usually fosters more pets during the summer instead of during the school year so she can keep herself focused on her schoolwork, but if she changes her mind, she can choose a dog to foster. Besides fostering animals and working with the Humane Society, McCormick volunteers at a Ronald McDonald house for a service called Movies, Muffins, and Beyond. She does things such as making and decorating cupcakes for kids in the hospital with the organization.

“Volunteering for these organizations made me realize that anyone can simply decide they want to help and do something about it. You can simply make a decision and choose to help an animal, kids, or the community at any moment,” McCormick said.

Anyone can help out the community and McCormick is just one of those people who continues to inspire and dedicate her time into helping the world.

Whether it be fostering puppies or baking cupcakes for sick kids in hospitals, McCormick dedicates her spare time outside of school to give back and that is what makes her so remarkable.

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Rounding-Up P

An SGA Holiday

Cristine Alayon

A s you may know there are an endless amount of clubs right here at PPCHS. The past tw months, the club presidents gathered together twice in the U113 court room to discuss the Clubs Editor

Photo donated by: Arianna Noda

plans for the year. The meeting consisted of about 40 club presidents or representatives an it was headed by Mr. Curry and Mrs. Torres. So they all gathered and shared their ideas an plans for the school year.

Toy drives, fundraisers, winter wonderland events, shows, homeless shelters, and so muc more were in these students minds as they shares their plans for their club. One of the mos popular clubs here at Charter known as Best Buddies is planning on a winter wonderlan event in the cafeteria on December 11th. For $5 you will be able to come in and interact wit the buddies and have a good time throughout. Along with Best Buddies, NHS is trying t make this holiday season a great one by giving back to those who need and putting smiles o people’s faces. Other clubs adding to the holiday spirit is Drama Club and Step Team. Ste Team will most likely be performing at the Winter Fantasy show that will be hosted by Dram Club and announced soon.

Some clubs are just doing their regular routine of continuing their club during the holida season. Relay for Life is planning a “pre-relay” that may be around 4 hours to warm everyon up and to get them an idea. “The reason I want to do this ‘pre-relay’ is to give an insight o what the actual event will be like. I can’t wait to for the actual event to start!” said presiden Pilar Sanchez (’16). Black History Club is trying to host a showcase in February with Fash ion Club. The PPCHS Dance Team is in need to get back on their feet again, “we’re tryin to get involved at shows and the Jags basketball games,” said Dance Team captain, Sasch Baines (’16). A new addition to this school year is the Jag Club Doc Club. The club is aimin to fundraise to put money towards diseases and has heard from back the famous Dr. Miam hoping to visit him. Also, one of the most popular ideas upcoming may be a dunk contest her at PPCHS hosted by SGA. This school year is looking to be a magical one with the clubs planning brilliant events. A a reward for the presidents, they will be attending a field trip to Disney World. Although, thi isn’t a regular field trip. The students are going to learn about leadership through “Disney’ YES Program.” They will be lectured by Disney and informed on leadership practices, man aging projects, and making business decisions. Jags, make sure you listen up to the announce ments for clubs and get ready for another extreme school year!

Lauren Ramirez

T here’s no better place to be celebrating the holidays than in the warmth and comfort of a loving environment with the people you call your family, for the members of student Satff Writer

government- that’s room U225. From the holiday decorations adorning the walls to the activities that bring every member closer, Student Government Association (SGA) knows how to do the holidays right.

It all starts in November with the annual Thanksgiving letters; each member of SGA picks a name out of a hat- then writes a letter to the person whose name they chose. The letters are always heartfelt and highlight the best qualities in the person. After exchanging and reading the meaningful letters, the students have the opportunity to write a letter back to the person that wrote to them. "Thanksgiving letters have been my favorite part of the year so far", said sophomore Joey Tinghitella, "you can really see how much we all mean to one another through the letters we write."

The night after thanksgiving letters, SGA members all gather together for a potluck style dinner at a member’s house, where they share food, laughs, and memories made. After the dinner, the members change out of their nice clothes into all black for an intense 30-player game of manhunt throughout the neighborhood. Senior and SGA President Saman Govaria recounts this year’s game, “It was pouring rain,” she said laughing, “I was hiding behind a bush with two of my teammates when the rain started and it didn’t stop for the rest of the game. We must have looked crazy, running out of a bush completely soaked and covered in mud trying to get to base. Our team didn’t win, but it’s still one of my favorite memories of high school.”

Once December rolls around, the Student Government members really get into the holiday spirit, this year they are planning to kick off the season by taking a holiday themed class photo with tacky sweaters and winter props. However, every member’s favorite part of SGA holidays is undoubtedly the Secret Santa style gift exchange. When it comes to Student Government, everything is more than what it seems- so instead of a simple gift exchange- it’s a week-long event. Each day the members surprise their person with a holiday gift by leaving it in one of their classes, often including hints about their identity along with the gift. At the end of the week, each member makes an attempt at guessing their Secret Santa. This is sure to induce laughter, smiles, and lots of hugs.

Student Government closes the holiday season by giving back to the community. The annual Jingle Bell Trot, taking place at Keystone Lakes on December 13th, is a walk around a community that raises money and holiday presents for teens in need through the charity The Covenant House. This nonprofit organization provides homes for teens in need. All of SGA promotes, organizes, and attends this event in order to help those less fortunate.

No club is able to get into the holiday spirit like Student Government is, from the beginning of November to the end of December, the winter atmosphere is apparent in the SGA classroom. Sharing the love within the club and outside it, SGA does winter right.

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What Clubs Do You W Freshman Max Romero

Sophmore Katie Coleman

“ t would be nice to have a Baseball Club where people who like baseball can meet people like them.”

“ t would be nice to have an Acapella singing club.”

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Give back while having a blast

PPCHS’ Clubs

Matthew Hernandez & Frank Mora Staff Writers

wo eir nd nd

T he holidays are back in action and many students, especially clubs, are interested in the festivities that come with this beloved time of year. Several clubs are doing activities/

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Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

Want To See at Charter?

Junior Sevval Ercin

Freshman Luke Pollack

“ t would be cool if we had a club similar in purpose and in initiative to the Peace Corps. We could reserve venues and hold soup kitchens to feed the homeless and poor.”

“ e really should have a Fantasy Football Club for all the sports lovers.”

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fundraisers to help make this festive season one of the best yet. Students love these types of events for Thanksgiving or even Christmas because they are such joyous and special occasions. So, students of PPCHS get active and participate in this year’s festivities!

The Red Cross club is having a Thanksgiving Drive this month. The idea is to bring in non-perishable canned goods to your second hour teacher. The class with the most canned goods will be awarded a breakfast party (a little incentive for those who love breakfast).

This is a great event that the Red Cross club is doing, it is for a good cause and many students will look to participate. Helping out those in need especially at a time such as Thanksgiving is a fantastic thing that will make many students feel proud of themselves.

Sophomore Kyle Heim said, “I love the idea of having a Thanksgiving Drive. It is truly for a great cause because many kids don’t get some of the benefits some of us here at PPCHS get. A lot of kids starve or have little to no food on Thanksgiving which is a day to eat a nice meal with the people you love. It is truly a shame not everyone can say that they eat an amazing meal with their family.”

Key Club is doing the Kevin Garcia toy drive which has a truly remarkable and unforgettable story behind it. Garcia helped people with so many things like helping someone with their preparations for a hurricane, or helping a kid build a sandcastle. He touched the lives of his family, friends, and even strangers. Kevin Garcia passed away on December 9, 2008 at the age of 17 and instead of ordinarily collecting flowers at his funeral, the Kevin Garcia foundation collected toys in remembering Kevin’s spirit. Following the funeral, this foundation made this toy drive an annual thing by sponsoring children with life-threatening illnesses and creating the Kevin Garcia scholarship. So in remembrance of Kevin Garcia, a loving and caring individual, and to help all the boys and girls who are struggling to keep their lives it is great for our school to be doing this toy drive.

The National English Honor Society (NEHS) is holding a book drive right now. Students who are participating are to turn in books to their homeroom teacher and then at the end of the month NEHS will be collecting up all the books. In December, the students of NEHS will get those books they collected and go to hospitals to read to the sick children and then give them the book. This is great for NEHS to give back to those children in need or sick.

The National Honor Society will be having an orphanage collection, a national toy drive, and a homeless shelter drive. This is a fantastic opportunity for many students to give back to those who don’t have the same privileges that we do. The kids in the orphanage and those in the homeless shelter are especially lonely around this time of the year so it’s important to make them feel as if they aren’t alone.

Operation Christmas Child also took place this year. Every Homeroom class in the school participated as teachers asked students to bring things ranging from toys, toothbrushes, and soaps to store into small shoeboxes for kids all over the world in need. Here at PPCHS all the classrooms really took notice and participated with Mrs. Phelps English class and Mr. Fagen’s Newspaper class coming in first and second with most boxes filled and donated.

SGA will be having their annual Jingle bell trot this year as well. The event is for a great cause as students who will be there helping will each donate at least one toy to a boy or girl that won’t be receiving a Christmas present this year. Then after they will take a walk around the neighborhood. The event will be held on December 13th at Keystone Lakes and all the toys will be going to the covenant house.

This year all the Clubs here at PPCHS really seem to be excited and engaged for the holidays. All of the events being held are all generous and kind deeds that will be very fun as well. PPCHS encourages all Jags to consider coming out to all of these wonderful events and showing your citizenship and support to the community. Happy Holidays, Jags!

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Photo by: Nicole Hernandez

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Boys Basketball

Kayla Parilla

Anfernee Munnings

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embroke Pines Charter doesn’t always have the greatest athletes, but every so often we’ll have that one amazing player that makes everyone’s jaw drop. This year, we might have another star in senior transfer combo guard Anfernee Munnings. Munnings has played basketball for the majority of his life and has loved the sport from ever since. His hometown is Hollywood, Florida, which is where he previously went to school before transferring and becoming a Jaguar for his senior year. He used to attend the International School of Broward.

“I’m excited to be able to play for PCB this year and hope to be able to keep up my stats from last year and also aim to improve them. College is coming soon so I need to improve myself this year more than I ever have before,” said Munnings.

Last season, he averaged 17.8 points per game and led his district in assists with 12 per game.

Munnings has gone through some ups and downs as he has also attended Lake Placid High School for his freshman and sophomore year, then went to the International School of Broward for his junior year, and finally for his senior year he came to PPCHS. Munnings’ college choices as of now are down to Alabama, Arkansas State, FIU, Florida State, Providence, and Virginia Tech. All of these schools are proficient Division 1 schools and Munnings has high standards he expects to meet. Munnings currently has a scholarship offer to play basketball from Virginia Tech, one of the major schools he would want to play for.

tanding at 5’2 and running the point guard position may not be Parilla. At age seven, Kayla fell in love with the game because of he games all the time with my family and I fell in love with Dwyane Wad Parilla was a member of the PPCHS Lady Jags basketball team last a freshman and got to see the court plenty of minutes throughout the s “I’d say I’m pretty quick with the ball,” she said. “My role most of th of assists.”

Practicing on her own time and playing travel basketball for the M court. Throughout her whole life, she played basketball as a sport for f until 8th grade. I realized that high school ball was much more advanc said Parilla. Parilla loves to watch NCAA college basketball on her number one dream would be to get a scholarship to her dream schools This season, she has already been on the ball and is helping lead the the court, it is sure that the girls’ basketball team will have a great sea

Cristine Alayon

Malik Harper

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rive, determination, and dedication. These are some of the most important qualities a basketball player needs to excel and stay competitive in the sport. Being able to give 100% of solid effort and focus on the best performance they can achieve is crucial to an athlete at this level. At PPCHS, we are so very fortunate to have one such amazing athlete who brings top-notch performances every time he steps onto the hardwood, senior forward Malik Harper.

Last year Harper came to Charter full of power and energy after attending Hallandale High School his freshman and sophomore years. Now a senior at PPCHS, this slim-statured 6 foot 5 inch powerhouse continues to command attention on the court with supporting plays and shots that help the team set up and pass the ball.

Harper feels he has a lot to offer in his senior year as a first-rate competitor. He is passionate about basketball and respected by his teammates. Harper practiced over the summer and feels his numbers will increase.

Giving the game all he’s got is going to help Charter reach their goal of getting past Regionals as Harper ends his final season as a Jag. Proving he has superior talent as he shows everyone, “Nothing but Net”!

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unior and all-purpose combo-guard Cristine Alayon has only ju second half of her high school basketball career, but the impact she h ready is immense. Alayon is only halfway into her junior year, but he and wide arsenal of skills left no doubt in the minds of her teammate her as their captain starting this season. Alayon tried a variety of spor but found the one true to her heart at age 6 with her discovery of bas was truly “born a baller”. Her natural position growing up has always as her main point of focus in her playstyle is her effortless scoring ab strong points are her shooting, her high basketball IQ, her knack for ge and her speed and agility.

“My biggest weakness is probably my defense,” says Alayon. “I ten most of energy for offense but I’m lucky to have teammates to rely on game balanced.”

Alayon scored 173 season points her freshman year, 252 points her year, and has scored more than 50 this season already. “Coach Olse helped me have confidence in myself. She always encourages me to d If Alayon does decide to play college-level ball, her dream schools to UCONN (University of Connecticut) and Duke. “While I love ‘getti my favorite part about wearing the Jaguar jersey is being able to pla love for my school and being able to share the court with my teammat

Girls Basketball

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e the easiest challenge for sophomore Kayla er favorite player. “I used to watch the Heat de,” she commented. season as well. She was the backup guard as season. he time is to set others up and rack up a bunch

Miami Suns team has helped her shine on the fun. “I didn’t start taking basketball seriously ced and intense, so I knew I had to step it up,” free time, along with NBA games. Parilla’s s LSU or NC State. e Lady Jags to victory. With Kayla’s help on ason in store.

ust begun the has made aler leadership es to choose rts as a child, sketball. She s been guard bility and her etting assists,

nd to reserve n to keep the

r sophomore en has really do my best.” o play for are ing buckets’, ay the sport I tes.”

Jeilyn Perez

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asketball has been a part of Jeilyn Perez’s life since she was about 6 years old. She has prepared her whole life for this run as a senior. Perez hasn’t missed a year of playing the sport she loves. From basketball during middle school to travel basketball over the summer, all of her hard work has paid off.

The love for the game began when Perez picked up a basketball and it hasn’t ended since. “My favorite part of the game is the thrill of it. When you’re on the court and under the lights, there is no better feeling knowing that you are playing the game you love,” said Perez.

As a senior captain, Perez has a big responsibility on and off the court. She runs the forward and center positions on the PPCHS’ basketball team and runs it to perfection. Perez is a sharp inside and outside shooter averaging 18 points a game this season. She also is a strong player down low in the post and throws herself out to catch multiple rebounds. Her highest scoring game was a 36 point game, where she finally accomplished her 30 point goal.

“It felt really refreshing and good to know that I helped our team offensively,” Perez said. “Finally reaching my goal of a 30 point game is definitely a confidence booster.”

Perez’s hard work over the years has led her to the final decision of playing college ball. “I do want to play college basketball at the next level,” Perez comments. “Right now it’s unsure of what my decision may be, but I’m hopeful that I will attend a great school with a great basketball program.” With Perez’s leadership and basketball talents, there is no doubt that she will help lead the Lady Jags to victory.

Christelle Nelson

Gabriella Cordero

t a young age, Christelle Nelson would watch her older brothers play basketball constantly. Her passion for basketball stemmed from watching endless college basketball games and thinking maybe one day she could be one of the players on the court. Nelson started playing basketball in sixth grade, and has been playing ever since. She is now a sophomore playing power forward for the Lady Jags and loves playing the game she has been watching ever since she was born.

Nelson’s favorite part about basketball with the Lady Jags is being able to play with her best friends. While Nelson hasn’t decides if she wants to play basketball in college, she enjoys having the opportunity to be a part of a great Jags team.

“My teammates are truly great people. They cheer me on and they became my friends even though I was new to the team. They make practice so much fun, and I wouldn't want any other teammates,” said Perez.

Nelson is ready for the season to begin. With Nelson’s passion for the game, the Lady Jags definitely have a team ready to take other high schools by storm. Good luck Lady Jags basketball for being on their journey for a second district title!

abriella Cordero is truly an elite athlete. On top of playing basketball for the Varsity Jags, she plays soccer, runs track, and gets flag football into her schedule.

Cordero is an amazing competitor who trains rigorously.

Cordero’s passion for basketball did not start at a young age. Sophomore year one of Cordero’s friends told her to join the girls basketball team. She gave it a try, and ended up loving the game right away. Cordero plays the forward position in basketball, which is usually the most versatile player on the team. This position fits her well because of how she can play almost every sport.

“I do plan on playing college ball. I have a couple of colleges that are interested in me. Hopefully, by the end of the season I’ll be able to sign,” Cordero said.

Cordero has many tools not other basketball players have, like being very nifty, quick, and fast. She is a great player, and her hard work in practice will have a positive impact on the Lady Jags this season. Her favorite memory of playing high school ball was when the Lady Jags won district champs for the first time in Charter history. With the girls basketball season looming look for Cordero to lead the Jags on a run that will be destined for another district title. Good luck Lady Jags!

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Sports

Girls S

Sawyer Hall

Hayley Hartwell

ribbling down the field and beating numerous players, Sawyer Hall launches a ball from at least 20-yards out and it sails into the upper right corner sealing the Jaguars path to states. Hall is crucial member to the Lady Jags Varsity soccer team, not only helping them to a 3-0 regional final victory last year, but also making daily contributions to the team in every game and practice she participates in. As one of the two captains for the 2015-2016 season, Hall has continued high expectations in her team that has traveled to states for two consecutive years now.

“Even though we have a new coach this year I still believe this team has a lot of potential to do big things as long as we continue to work together. If we continue to practice and grow together I could see us in a good position,” stated Hall.

Hall is a versatile player being able to play center defense and forward. With her strongest feature on the field being her size, it allows her to win nearly every ball defensively and not get pushed off the ball offensively.

Since the age of five, when Hall began her soccer career, it has been her dream to continue playing soccer at the collegiate level. She has achieved her goals and will be committing to Barry University after they finish their current season. Barry is a NCAA Division II school who is currently conference champions and will hopefully be national champions on December 5.

enior Hayley Hartwell is returning to the girls’ soccer team for her third and final year. With her experience and talent, she is one of the leaders on the team that newcomers will look up to this season. Hartwell began to play soccer at the age of four. She tried other sports such as basketball, baseball, and cheerleading, but none of those worked out for her.

Improving on her skills, Hartwell raised her limits and went to travel soccer at the age of 9.

She has played for the Cooper City Cobras, West Pines United FC, and the Davie Sharks.

“There is a lot of change this year. We have a new coach and we lost a lot of seniors from the team this year. I hope we can make it to States again, but we are going to have to work really hard to accomplish that. It’s going to be an adjustment with the new coach, who has a lot of experience that can help the team improve on their game,” said Hartwell.

Hartwell’s main position is defense. She will make sure the opposition doesn’t get anywhere near her goal to score. However, Hartwell plays on the wing as well, so she can help her team penetrate the defense and score goals.

After graduating from high school, Hartwell hopes to attend Florida State University. She wants to study biology to become a doctor in the medical field. Her lasting memory for the school is going to States her junior year and winning state semifinals. Hartwell’s main position is defense. She will make sure the opposition doesn’t get anywhere near her goal to score. However, Hartwell plays on the wing as well, so she can help her team penetrate the defense and score goals.

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Daniel Ordaz

Marcos Vidaurre

he opposition is on the attack. They get past the midfield and face the Jags defense. The opponent takes a shot and the goalkeeper dives and makes a great save. Another forward comes and shoots the rebound, but the goalkeeper is there to make the save again. The Jags players pat the goalkeeper on the back showing the appreciation they have for him blocking those shots. One teammate shouts “Good job Danny.”

Daniel Ordaz is in his third year of playing high school soccer. He has been playing soccer as long as he can remember. Stating that he was already playing soccer when he was in “The Womb”. He was the main reason for bringing in the boys current soccer coach Alvin James last year which led them to Regional Quarterfinals last year. Ordaz is the starting goalkeeper for the boys’ soccer team and the co-captain with fellow senior Youssef Abougendia.

“The team has some work to do. We make some mistakes that if we fix we can be a really good team. I hope we can make it to States this year. We just have to take things slow and take each game a step at a time,” said Co-captain Daniel Ordaz.

Ordaz stated that he will take any college that after he graduates from high school. With Ordaz in the back, the boys’ soccer team has nothing to fear. He will continue to make the saves that will make the difference in the boys Jags games.

t is only his second year on the soccer team and he has already proven that he is one of the top players for the school. As one of the main defenders on the team, he makes the defensive plays to prevent the opposition from scoring. With his talents, he has helped the Jags in many situations last year and will continue to do so this year.

Marcos Vidaurre started to play soccer when he was 6 years old in the I9 league. Then at the age of 12 he moved to the travel program and played for the travel soccer team, Weston. Vidaurre found love for the game after watching the 2010 World Cup Final Spain vs Netherlands.

Seeing the goal scored by Andres Iniesta to see Spain win the title made Marcos so “excited that he wanted to play soccer right away.”

Vidaurre hopes to attend Southeastern University and study practical ministry. Outside of school, Vidaurre is very active in the church. On Wednesdays and Sundays weekly, Vidaurre is at church for youth services. He has his own connect group and helps out in services and do mission groups to help the needy.

The boys’ soccer team lost last year in the Regional Quarterfinals. He hopes to get there again, but reach past that stage and go all the way to States.

“I want the team to work together this year. If we can come together and work as one unit, then no team can stop us. We have the talent and I know we can make it to States. I feel like it is going to be a good season,” said Vidaurre.

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Boys S Roberto

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eing a defender means you ca to aid the offensive players in thei Coltraro has taken on that role of team. Being a fan of Barcelona si is what started his own soccer car though, Coltraro bases his style of Philipp Lahm of Bayern Munich w giving the ball away. Coltraro has and has strong communication skill “If we could improve on team ch field, defending set pieces and fini field I think we definitely have the n regionals,” stated Coltraro.

As a senior, Coltraro has to put ev as he will move on to college next behind him. “I will always remem still looked like an 8th grader, that megged at the time senior Andre B ever expected that and it definitely players on the team.” With college q choices are the University of Michi will definitely be lead to a bright fu

Soccer

Sports Hadley Rosendall

Adriana Robles

aking the varsity team freshman year is something to be proud of, but traveling to states every year since joining the team is even better. Hadley Rosendall is only a junior but she has earned a starting spot throughout her years in high school. Rosendall is a constant feature in the Lady Jaguars defense that can consistently lock down the defense and prevent goal scoring opportunities from occurring with her speed and good ball control to get out of the back.

“The good qualities I do have on the field can surely be improved through practice and more game time situations. Hopefully we begin to peak as a team later in the year so it can carry us to states for third year in a row,” said Rosendall.

Outside of high school soccer Hadley plays travel soccer for West Pines United, is a part of Best Buddies, and is a talented artist. After the high school season ends it will be time to focus on travel and the State Cup at the end of the year. Rosendall has another year to plan her future college plans but she is already set in her goals. Rosendall plans to attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University to further her soccer career and to ultimately become a pilot. Her dad is also a pilot and Rosendall has already earned her pilot’s license through hours of practice and with the help of her dad.

driana Robles has been running up and down the soccer field in cleats since she was three years old. The adrenaline and that family feeling she gets from her teammates keeps her going even on the toughest of days. Robles played only recreationally for a while, until she joined a travel team when she was eight. That’s when she realized she really loved the sport.

Robles is an important component of the PPCHS girls’ soccer team. She played a major part in the girls making it to the state finals last year by being a primary scoring option for the team.

“My favorite memory has to be when the Lady Jags finally made it to the state finals,” Robles said. “I had never experienced something so intense in my life, seeing how we all played made me so happy and proud.”

Robles loves the thought of playing soccer in college. She is currently talking to a few different schools to see if playing soccer with those schools in the future is a possibility.

Robles says that she would enjoy going up north for college so that she can experience all four seasons, a huge change from Florida weather. She also says that she wouldn’t mind attending UCF and joining up with her sister there. Adriana will always be a Lady Jag and will always be remembered as a great player when she graduates, wishing her the best of luck in her future endeavors.

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Soccer Coltraro

an’t be a selfish player and you have ir target of scoring a goal. Roberto right defender on the boys Varsity ince before Coltraro can remember reer at the age of seven. Currently play on his professional role model who is very strong in passing and not the ability to play a physical game ls between him and his teammates. hemistry and discipline and on the ishing plays in the last third of the necessary talent on the team to reach

verything he has into this last season t year and leave high school soccer mber in my sophomore year, when I t in the first practice of the season I Blackman,” said Coltraro. “Nobody y earned me respect from the older quickly approaching, Coltraro’s top igan and Columbia University, so he uture after soccer.

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Youssef Abougendia

Yannick Blackman

oussef Abougendia is a senior here at PPCHS and is an ecstatic soccer player. Youssef started playing soccer at the age of 3, and he got into the game because his father played professional soccer in Egypt and Youssef fell in love with it through his him. Abougendia is a dedicated soccer player who not only leaves it all on the field during a game or practice, but he also puts in extra time and effort with his cousin Zeyad Ghali, also a member of the soccer team here at PPCHS. Youssef is a striker for the team and is one of the team’s co-captains, “It’s an honor to be the team captain, but a huge responsibility. Many people think the captain can do whatever he wants when that’s not true at all. The captain has to lead the team and help them win in any way possible. The captain has to set the example so the rest follow. The players who are new to the team like sophomores or freshmen probably don’t know any better so they look up to me, the captain. If I’m messing around during practice, not focused or I’m not playing hard they will do exactly that. Our team wouldn’t have unity that way so when I hustle and work hard on every play, I’m hoping the rest of the team will notice and hustle too.”

Youssef also plays travel soccer along with high school and he loves both of them equally. His favorite part of soccer is scoring goals, which is a common thing amongst strikers in the soccer world. We wish Youssef and the team plenty of luck for the rest of the season.

annick Blackman is a sophomore here at PPCHS and he has some big days ahead of him. The 11 year soccer veteran started playing football when he was just 5 years old because he was “inspired” to play via his dad and brother. Blackman is very dedicated to his sport always putting in extra time after practice working on his passing and tackling.

He lives by the quote “hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard” because he says it “motivates me”.

He is the starting center back for our PPCHS Jags and he plays a vital role in the team. He is at the central of the defense and without him playing hard to keep the opposing sides attackers off the scoresheet the Jags would be in big trouble. Yannick feels that the school team has potential to be great but he feels that they need to “come together as a family” if they want to reach their season goal of making it to states.

Blackman’s favorite part of playing soccer is meeting new people and feeling a part of a brotherhood. He said “The thing I love most about this sport is that it makes you feel as if you are a brother to 10 other guys. When I am out there on that field I will do anything for my brothers to succeed and I know they will do the same for me.

The feeling of having people behind you for support is quite satisfying and reassuring.” We wish much luck on Yannick and the rest of the boys’ soccer squad, and go Jags!

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Sports Concussion problem becoming more of a headache

Beware: T

Evan Samuels

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Staff Writer

he NFL or National Football League has a major brain disease issue supported by new research. A vast majority of deceased players showed brain disease believed to come from repeated blows to the head, while an increase in severe leg injuries are also occurring in the NFL. This brain disease unfortunately leads to terrible conditions such as memory loss, depression and dementia, while these leg injuries are leading are career ending to players.

Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University have now identified brain disease, called chronic traumatic encephalopathy or CTE, in 96 percent of NFL players that they have examined. In total, the lab found that 131 out of 165 individuals or 79% who played football at some level above high school had CTE. A major portion of those individuals played on the offensive or defensive line because they come into contact with one another on every play of a game. Based on this, the lab is claiming that even repeated minor blows to the head can cause brain disease, as opposed to the thinking that only violent hits causing concussions, are the major problem. Another former NFL great, Junior Seau, recently took his life, and was later found to be suffering from CTE. Sophomore Aaron Sivilay said, “Being a part of Charters football team, hearing about what Seau did personally made me upset. I watched Junior Seau play football when he was with the Dolphins and he had incredible passion his whole career. I couldn’t believe he would take his own life at such a young age. This shows fans watching football, that these injuries that players suffer not only affect the players’ bodies but their minds too. It’s a scary thought to think about when I’m on the field that an injury is always an accident waiting to happen.”

Recently, an NFL linebacker, Chris Borland, who played one season in the league ended up retiring. “I just honestly want to do what's best for my health," Borland told Outside the Lines. "From what I've researched and what I've experienced, I don't think it's worth the risk."

This issue will soon be highlighted nationwide in a new Will Smith movie called Concussion. The movie follows the story of Dr. Bennet Omalu, who in 2005 wrote an article in the journal Neurosurgery outlining his discovery of CTE in the brain of former Pittsburgh Steelers’ great, Mike Webster. Webster died only at age 50, and based on the autopsy, was found to have permanent brain damage. Dr. Omalu concluded that the changes he saw in Mike’s brain shouldn’t be in a 50-year old man’s brains. He published his findings, believing NFL’s management team would want to know more; however, they didn’t. They actually demanded that he retract his report and findings.

Today, the NFL is investing millions in research to try to minimize head-to-head hits. In April 2015, it also won final approval for a potential $1 billion settlement with 5,000 former players who have sued for head injuries. This research is beginning to pay off, according to its 2015 Health and Safety Report, the NFL said that concussions in regular season games fell 35 percent over the past two seasons, from 173 in 2012 to 112 last season.

Sophomore Ezekiel Alexander said “This problem is a major concern for us football players. I’ve been playing this game for so long, and been injured a few times. I’ve seen many of my teammates get injured for the season with tears in their ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), or Achilles injuries, and these injuries are sadly just a part of football.”

According to the NFL, they are trying to make football safer by changing rules, using advanced sideline technology, and expanding medical resources. They are also providing funds to researchers at Boston University to help speed up efforts to better understand the science behind these very serious issues. The league has a major problem with brain disease. Repeated blows to the head are unfortunately part of the game, while tears in the ACL and Achilles are too. The league, and researchers are trying to better understand the science which will hopefully lead to even stronger safety measures and long-term solutions to eliminate these recurring problems.

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Graphic By: Katie Perez

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he same artificial turf that many sports athl up tires called crumb rubber. Crumb rubber is m them more bounce. The crumb rubber can get i contain carcinogens that have been connected to University of Washington soccer coach Amy Gr lymphoma and about half of them are soccer goa most of the time diving for the ball.

“It’s surprising to hear that the turf I play on co scary to hear this information. I hope it isn't true Congress asked the Environmental Agency Pro 6th to answer ten questions. These questions aske EPA responded and said that they are working w Others have called into question the choice of “You’re talking about putting a petroleum-based and they’re going to fall down,” Steven G. Gilbe (highline.com). Many players are concerned that “If artificial turf does turn out to be dangerou dangerous, I believe they won’t change the turf a something else,” said junior Chinedu Ezenwa.

The mystery of the crumb rubber health risk co cancer. It will take more time until many athlete wash their hands, clean open wounds, take showe fields will continue to be in place as athletes wai

Turf fields can be cancerous

Sports Dolphin’s new coach brings fiery attitude Mason Feldman Staff Writer

Who is Dan Campbell? The newly named Interim Head Coach for the Miami Dolphins has greatly affected the Miami Dolphins after their faltering

Photo By: nichole Hernandez

LJ Lemmers Technology Editor

letes play on is possibly linked to cancer. There are over 12,000 turf fields in the U.S that contain ground made from recycled car and truck tires that are ground up into small pieces and spread on fields to give into the eyes, mouth, and open wounds of athletes. An NBC investigation discovered that the rubbers o health problems, including cancer. riffin has researched information on more than 180 athletes being treated for cancer. Many of them have alies. Soccer goalies are the most susceptible to coming in contact with crumb rubber because they spend

ould give me cancer. I had no idea that the rubbers we play on were actually made from tires. It’s a little e,” said freshman Lukas Lemmers. ogram whether or not the crumb rubbers in artificial turf fields are safe. They gave them until November ed about what tests have been done to determine if crumb rubber is a risk to athletes (nbcnews.com). The with California to examine the chemicals found in crumb rubber (wesh.com). putting old tires into the artificial turf. The tires also contain other dangerous compounds such as lead. product out on these fields that kids are going to be running across, adults are going to be running across, ert, Ph.D., DABT, director and founder of the Institute of Neurotoxicology and Neurological Disorders t not enough research was put into the health risks artificial turf could cause. us, I hope that they can replace it with natural grass. However, even if the research confirms that it is anyway. Turf is easier to maintain than actual grass, so maybe they could replace the crumb rubber with

start this season. He replaces former Head Coach Joe Philbin. When Philbin was leaving, he had nothing but positive words to say about the Dolphin’s organization. He stated “I have the greatest respect for Joe, he hired me back in 2012 and gave me a chance.” The Dolphins Organization expects more and the decision to hire Campbell, who is really enthusiastic about this opportunity, is just the jolt needed to change the atmosphere and culture of the team.

Campbell played 11 years from 1999 to 2008 in the NFL as a tight end with the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and the New Orleans Saints. Three years after retirement in 2012, Campbell was hired as the Tight End Coach of the Miami Dolphins and then named Interim Head Coach after week four of the 2015 season. Campbell is currently 3-2 as Head Coach and has successfully scored a win against the Tennessee Titans, Houston Texans, and Philadelphia Eagles. Losses were suffered against the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills. Campbell is a very assertive and competitive coach.

The players are thrilled to have him be their leader.

Junior Brandon Liguori stated, “He affected the Dolphins because he’s given the team a new voice, a more energized voice. The team is extremely motivated. Every Sunday they know the business they need to take care of.

I feel like he will get a long term deal with the Dolphins.”

Campbell’s coaching style emphasizes competition, along with shorter but more effective practices. Rookie guard Jamil Douglas says practices are “more energetic and have lots of enthusiasm involved every time we touch the field and he is out there with us”. Currently, he is the youngest coach in the NFL at age 39 and that can have some effect as to why he is so thrilling to be around. He can relate to the players having been on the field and has youth on his side.

Junior Myles Ruiz said “He has done a better job than Joe Philbin, a massive improvement. He’s more aggressive and I like the style of how he coaches this team. I also feel the defense has been playing a lot better than before Campbell’s hiring”. Campbell still has a lot to prove on and off the field as the Head Coach. On the field the Dolphins are currently 4-5 but still have lots of time to turn things around. The Dolphins have a major advantage down the final stretch with five of their last seven games being played at home. Go Fins!

ontinues to be researched. There isn’t enough data to confirm or deny that the rubber can directly cause es will be able to know if it is cancerous or not. Health officials recommend people who play on turf to ers, and clean their equipment and clothing afterward (healthline.com). For now, the use of artificial turf it for an answer on the mysterious crumb rubber.

Graphic By: Nicole Mercadal

Graphic By: Nicole Mercadal

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Album reviews for the holidays

Just Celebrity Th

Nadira Danticat

Tayl

Staff Writer

Managi

Purpose by Justin Bieber

JBieber B is back with a new record and it’s sure to revive any traces of Fever you had left. The 19-year old singer has matured and

in the best way possible. Purpose serves as the older, more suave brother to his youthful, unpolished albums Journals and Believe.

Bieber draws inspiration from his real life experiences, especially his on-again off-again relationship with Selena Gomez in particular.

The album opens up with “Mark My Words,” which re-introduces listeners to Bieber’s signature falsetto, sets a melancholy tone to the album. The next four tracks are the singles he periodically released leading up to the album’s release including the pan-flute infused “What Do You Mean?” and the Ed Sheeran influenced “Love Yourself.” The features on the album are certainly a highlight. “No Sense” features Travis Scott, who doesn’t rap at his best, but the track features an R&B vibe and infectious bass. Although the album is a huge win for the Canadian crooner, it does feature a few flops.

“Children” is a weak attempt at a song with a social message, parallel to Michael Jackson’s “We Are The World,” but does it pretty terribly. “Life Is Worth Living” also takes the album to a weird turn with the lyrics of a bad motivational speaker. Despite this, even the harshest Bieber critics cannot deny that this is his best.

Graphic by: Natalie Laurent

Christmas by Michael Bublé

Ichance f you’re in any store during the Holiday season, there’s a good this album is playing on the speakers and with good rea-

Graphic by: Natalie Laurent

son. Michael Bublé’s Christmas is one of the best holiday albums of all time and definitely the best of the 21st century. The album begins with a sentimental rendition of “It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas” that pays respect to legend, Bing Crosby. That along with “Silent Night” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” feature old-school vibes accompanied with a big band and orchestra. He also takes on more modern Christmas hits like “White Christmas” which features country music star Shania Twain and “All I Want For Christmas Is You” even though nobody does it like Mariah Carey.

Despite it being known as a cover album, Christmas includes a song Bublé wrote himself. “Cold December Night” provides the setting of a lonely Christmas night, which is both beautiful and gloomy at the same time. I recommend listening to the deluxe version of the album; it holds underrated interpretations of “Silver Bells” and “Winter Wonderland.” This CD is definitely a top contender to pop in right after your Thanksgiving meal.

Now That’s What I Call Christmas! by Various Artists

D ecember is known for having the same songs on a constant cycle on the radio, television, and pretty much every store in

every mall. Compilation albums are a good idea for easing the annoyance you’ll inevitably feel and Now That’s What I Call Christmas! is one of the best in this category. The record starts with “The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas to You)" by Nat King Cole, a true holiday classic with the commonly known “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” lyric. Dean Martin’s “Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” will make all Jags wish we didn’t have the warm climate we unfortunately do. Universally known, original classics like "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year” by Johnny Mathis, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" by Frank Sinatra”, and “Jingle Bell Rock” by Bobby Helms are a staple throughout the themed album. It also features obscure Christmas carols such as “Little Saint Nick” by the Beach Boyss, “Merry Christmas Darling” by the Carpenters, and the hilarious “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” by Elmo & Patsy. This album is enough to get anyone who celebrates Christmas into the most “holly jolly” mood.

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Graphic by: Natalie Laurent

E veryone loves the holiday. From Pumpkin S Some people celebrate the holidays more extrav

celebrities are most often not like us. From Ha days. Here are the top three ways that celebritie Number Three: The White House Christmas Tr Many people, celebrity or not celebrity, will sa all out when it comes to a Christmas tree, from White House is known for an extravagant Chr honor of decorating the tree. First Lady Lou H White House tree in 1929 (whitehousehistory.

1961, of selecting a theme for the official Whi for the tree in 2014 was “A Children’s Winter W children see the holidays.

Sophomore Brianna Adan said, “I think that [ I love to look at them because they always look Number Two: Katy Perry Goes All Out for Hal Katy Perry is known for costumes. From her dressed up in connection with a theme. When antics. In 2012, she dressed up as Jane Lane fro Her friend Shannon Woodward dressed as the t went to Kate Hudson’s Halloween party as a made out of the chip bag. The costume was cra cheeto.

When it comes to celebrities going all out fo costumes the celebs choose to wear really show through what they choose. Not just anyone wou Number One: Krazy Kardashian Christmas Ka Nobody is talking over-the-top and Christma family would take an extravagant photo by a fa and all of the sisters. However, there was not a com). The last card was in 2013. While it was e only male photographed was Bruce Jenner. The “As a fan of the Kardashians, I stand for the sources and the cards are really spectacular,” sh When it comes to the holidays, celebrities sur everything in between, every celebrity has an i

hings: Holiday Edition

lor

ing

Movie Reviews LJ Lemmers

Horan

Technology Editor

Editor - Web

Spectre

Jstallment ames Bond is back again in the 24th inof the series. Bond finds himself

in New Mexico when a cryptic message from the past leads him to stop an evil organization. If Bond fans were wondering if Spectre could live up to the expectations Skyfall left, they will be pleased. Spectre has non-stop action, keeping watchers entertained the whole movie. Daniel Craig continues to impress with his womanizing charm. The shots in the movie are amazing, capturing the angle of each action scene making it easy to follow. The movie appeals to fans who have watched the earlier films: the icy environment, the car chase, the use of a massive henchman, and the birth of Bond’s greatest adversary.

Overall, Spectre was a great movie that Bond fans and fans who have never seen the movie will enjoy.

Graphic by: Matthew Perez

Maze Runner: Scorch Trials

F ollowing the previous installment, Thomas and the Gladiators must fight the Graphic by: Natalie Laurent

Spice to everything nice, the holidays bring cheers to all those. vagantly, especially celebrities. When it comes to the holidays, alloween to Christmas, celebrities go all out to enjoy the holies celebrate the holidays in such an extravagant way: ree ay that their favorite holiday is Christmas. Many celebrities go super tall trees to extravagant ornaments and decorations. The ristmas tree each year. It is known that the First Lady has the Henry Hoover established the custom of decorating an official y.org). First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy began the tradition, in ite House Christmas tree (whitehousehistory.org). The theme Wonderland” (whitehouse.gov). This theme celebrated the way

[the trees] are so extra and over the top. However, I cannot lie. k breathtaking. They always get me in the Christmas spirit.” lloween music videos to her concerts, it is very strange to see her not it comes to Halloween, Katy Perry continues with the crazy om MTV’s Daria to attend a party at the Halloween Cemetery. title character from the show (dailymail.co.uk). For 2014, she Flaming Hot Cheeto (billboard.com). She even had a purse azy, especially due to the fact that she actually did look like a

or Halloween, senior Jana Ambre is on board. “I like that the w of their personalities. So, it’s like you get to know them better uld wear a hot cheeto as a costume!” she exclaimed. ards as without mentioning the “Kardashian Klan.” Every year, the amed photographer, which includes the boyfriends for the year a card for 2014 as the family “was too busy” (hollywoodlife. extravagant, it was missing all of the typical male figures. The e photo was described as “carnival-inspired” (eonline.com). e extravagant, Kardashian Christmas cards. They have the rehared senior Maria Chacon. re know how to enjoy them. From elegance to extravagance to interesting way to celebrate the holidays.

Graphic by: Matthew Perez

mysterious organization, WKCD. The Gladiators find themselves in the Scorch, a desert like area with many obstacles that they must overcome to survive. Many fans were hoping that the movie would be exactly like the books. That isn’t the case. The movie fails to follow any of the points from the book and takes its own plot with no understanding. The producers seem to be more concerned with the action scenes and details of the movie, instead of focusing on the actual plot. There was unnecessary fighting, the characters made decisions that made no sense, and it leaves watchers with a ‘what just happened’ face.

If you were thinking about watching this movie, save your money and watch something else.

The 33

A heartwarming and touching story, The 33 tells the real life story of the 2010 min-

ing disaster. A group of fifty three miners were trapped inside the San Jose Mine in Chile for more than two months. To start off, the way the movie was handled was beautiful. Patricia Riggen, the producer, did a good job to make the audience feel like they were in the movie themselves.

The switch between tense and emotional scenes was perfectly done. The acting was also very well done and the main characters were given a lot of personality and development. However, there were many actors that didn’t really speak and were just there as stand-ins. That could be due to the amount of miners there were in the movie and there were times when the movie felt slow and lost its pace. Those are only minor issues that the movie had. The movie was really good that does a good job telling the story of the mining incident.

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Graphic by: Matthew Perez

Lessons in tablets and typing Melissa Pierce Entertainment Editor

F

Tech in school: As technology advances, as does learning in our schools.

Graphic by: Katie Perez

irst grade ten years ago—rain forest art projects and grammar trivia games. First grade now—rain forest PowerPoint presentations and digitally interactive grammar lessons. The classroom setting has proven to have evolved with technology, leaving even current teenagers’ knowledge of elementary school technology in the dust. New and ever-changing advancements have allowed for classrooms to incorporate a more digitalized approach to educating starting in grade levels as low as Kindergarten.

“Advanced technology in elementary schools are aiding children in obtaining knowledge because they have access to resources they otherwise wouldn’t. Most computer programs are able to stimulate learning without a teacher being present at all. From what I have seen while volunteering at second grade aftercare, the students have online homework now that consists of spelling and vocabulary games. I think this form of education is effective because students are more interested and are more likely to study if the computer program appeals to them in some way,” said senior Fernando Plata.

The vast computer knowledge held by elementary school students shocks even current high school students here at PPCHS. There is a tangible gap between what high school students now knew as first graders and what first graders now know in terms of how to operate different computers, phones, and tablets; this gap consists of a mere ten years. However, developing such technological innovations at ages as young as five and six years old comes with its detriments. How will the generations to come know how to find a word in the dictionary if they have only ever used dictionary.com? How will their social interactions be affected if they are encouraged to keep their heads on their screens?

“The downside to having technologically mature children is that they may become too reliant on it. When the time comes to use a book to study, they may lose interest and not be able to find what they need in it,” stated Plata.

Technology in the classroom has progressed in a very short amount of time. Elementary school education went from simple yet stimulating projects to an array of digital media to choose from when completing a project. Technological affluence in today’s youth has even increased outside of the classroom; junior Tomas Eiletz-Bottaro said, “I feel that technology in elementary schools is most prominent with the use of cell phones. I didn’t get my first cell phone until I was in fifth grade, and my little brother who is in fifth grade now sees third grade students on their way to class with their smartphones in their hands.” Education is being enhanced by these advancements; however, excessive reliance on these devices and technologies can be anything but beneficial at times.

Right Price for Apps that Entice Sarah Barrocas & Alexa Infante Staff Writers

W ith the assistance of apps, users have the capability of tracking calories consumed and burned per day, conduct a personalized music playlist, pay with a digital credit card at cash registers, track the stock market, watching live streams of your

favorite sports teams, edit some of life's rare captured moments, and keeping up to date with the latest world political and social news. Quite the controversy has arisen over the payments of such downloaded apps. Many believe that apps should be free while others support the finance of it.

“I find paying for apps ridiculous. An app should be something free to everyone. I don’t believe I should have to pay money to listen to music or play the game I choose,” said junior Anthony Bombardiere.

As stated by philterdesign.com, it is inevitable that man-kind is frugal with the amount of money they spend. Because apps aren’t tangible and also take up storage space, many do not support financing app downloads. Apps also have the potential of obtaining a virus that could damage your phone and could also be pirated illegally from a third party source. One quick click to the app store.

Senior Priscilla Cabus stated, “I don’t think we should be paying for any apps of any kind whatsoever. I understand that this is how app makers profit from their ideas and they are usually sold for only $1.00, however apps are just a waste of storage space. Apps are an outlet used for personal entertainment. This shouldn’t be a price you should pay for.”

According to autosend.io, 90% of apps in use are free, many developers who experimented with adding a $0.99 charge for downloading their apps noticed that the demand for their apps increased significantly, and the average app price is $1.39.

Sophomore Andres Perez said, “I don’t mind paying for an app. Its easy pocket money that I don’t feel is going to waste.

Apps are like going to an actual place that provides you with entertainment, the entrance fee isn’t free. Also, apps have such an impact on our lives that we can’t expect apps to be improved or news ones to be invented if we don't pay for these downloads that could finance the possibility of future projects.”

Freshman Elizabeth Bornman agrees with Perez “I think we should pay for apps because some [apps] can be really helpful to those who use them. Apps can help with anything from ordering food, to helping with math, or entertaining you when you are bored. I would like to see apps continue to advance and paying for them allows the developers to do so,” she says.

One quick click to the app store imposes a difficult question for many, should apps be free or finance? There is defiantly a divide between people who feel that paying for apps is beneficial and people who believe it is not worth it to pay for apps. In this wide- world of endless technological opportunities, the benefits that can be gained come with a price.

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App Prices: Should we really be paying for these apps?

Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

New Apple TV is here, and it’s ‘app’solutely advanced Maria Acosta-Rubio Staff Writer

Apple has officially launched the new Apple TV. Adding the TV as one of its drop down options on its official website, Apple has shared information about its new creation. “Apps are quickly becoming how we watch today. So we

Apple T.V.: The new Apple TV brings a new definition to the word ‘innovation’.

Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

built a new foundation around this vision- with a new operating system called tvOS, innovative ways to connect with your screen, and a smart use of Siri to search for something to watch. This is the new Apple TV. This is where television is headed.” Said the company on their website. The New Apple TV experience includes asking Siri to search something for you instead of clicking countless of buttons, a new interface, a new remote, voice interaction, and a clean design including much more.

“I think it’s a cool idea. I mean you get everything in one and you get to see anything and everything. It’s great, I would totally buy it.” said freshman Julia Cunningham, Apple TV gives you access to the most riveting entertainment. Apps such as ITunes, Hulu, and Netflix have full lists of movies and hit TV shows. But that’s not all the new Apple TV has to offer. You can watch your favorite sports team or the new game, get information about the new breaking stories on the news, watch music concerts, find out what the weather will be like for the week, and have fun stuff just for kids. You can rent and/or purchase recent box office hits and classics with ITunes. You also have the ability to access single episodes and full seasons of popular, current and vintage TV shows. Many movies are also available the same day they come out on DVD, and TV shows are available the day after they air!

The Apple TV is 3.9 in. wide (98 mm) and 1.4 in. (35 mm) in Height. Its depth is 3.9 in. (98 mm) and its weight is 15 ounces (425 g) 1. The Apple TV remote is 4.88 in. (124 mm) in height and 1.5 in. (38 mm) in width. As well as being 0.25 in. (6.3 mm) in depth and 1.66 ounces (47 g)1 in weight. It’s 32GB2 ($149) and 64GB2 ($199) in Capacity and price.

The Siri Remote comes with a Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology, an IR transmitter, an accelerometer and gyroscope, a lightning connector for charging and a rechargeable battery providing months of battery life on a single charge (with typical daily usage).

“It’s expensive I’ll tell you that and I know what my parents would say if I bring it up, but it’s totally worth it to get something so cool and new for a high price. I will totally be waiting for this TV when Santa comes.” said freshman Stephenia Arango.

The New Apple TV includes a variety of choices to choose from and offers a variety of networks to watch what your heart desires. Whether it be sports, news, weather, TV shows, or movies, the Apple TV fits to your wants and needs. With affordable prices fit for a bundle of new and improved technology, it’s hard to believe so much great context can fit in such a small package.

Our fountain in the digital world Taylor Horan

W

Managing Editor - Web

hen students take photos on Snapchat, they often like to add filters or Geofilters. Geofilters are “special overlays for Snaps that can only be accessed in certain locations” (snapchat.com). Junior Natalie Laurent created the first ever PPCHS Geofilter. The filter shows the fountain seen at the center campus with the words ‘Pines Charter High’ written on top of it. This Geofilter can only be accessed on the high school campus.

Laurent began creating the Geofilter for PPCHS this summer. The idea to create a Geofilter for the high school stemmed from her increased interest in “the magic behind Snapchat filters.” She researched Geofilters and learned as much as she could. Through her research, she learned that Snapchat supported artwork submissions for Geofilters from snapchat users. “I felt like making [a Geofilter] for Charter would be a great way to welcome the incoming freshmen to high school,” she said.

While a Geofilter is easy to use, it was not as easy to create. To use a Geofilter, a person takes a photo on Snapchat and swipes left or right for different varieties. The creation of the Geofilter is a lot more complicated than the swipe of a finger. Laurent had to follow a specific set of guidelines set by Snapchat for the submission of the Geofilter. “It was definitely harder to create than I thought it would be since I didn't have much access to any professional graphic design programs. With the help of some basic software and the library computer room, the filter came out to my liking,” Laurent said. She created the Geofilter by looking at pictures of the fountain and working to recreate it without any rulers or guidelines. “I use similar colors, textures, and shadows to make it look almost 3D,” she shared. Laurent has a brief background in graphic design and currently is part of the graphics department for The CHAT. Since the creation of the Geofilter, Laurent said she has been “learning things about the graphic creation process that I wish I’d known while creating the geotag.” The Geofilter took her roughly two weeks to create, not including the few times Snapchat asked for revisions before the posting of it.

The Geofilter went live at the end of summer, right before school began. She shared, “I'd heard a bit about the filter from some Charter students who happened to visit the campus [at the end of the summer] after it was activated. All of the feedback I heard was pretty positive. I was actually expecting some negative comments. I didn't bother to publicly say that I made it in hopes to get unbiased opinions.”

The creation of the fountain Geofilter was just the start for Natalie Laurent. She aspires to be a computer programmer.

Becoming a programmer is something she has seen herself doing since she learned about computer programming. “I’ve always had the desire to use and know about as much of a computer as I can. I think the Geofilter in reference to graphic design was just a small aspect of computer use that I wanted to conquer,” she said. With her passion to learn and love of technology, Laurent is ready to continue to grow and succeed in the technology sector.

PPCHS Geofilters: Junior Natalie Laurent worked tirelessly to create PPCHS’ infamous geofilters on Snapchat. Photo by: Sydney Silverberg

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Eat, Breathe, Sleep, Music

From the heart: Energy drin

Cristina Feliciano Lifestyle Editor

Itot’sa crowd safe to say that everyone has had that superstar moment in the shower where they envision themselves singing of 50,000 die-heart fans. To most, this is just another fantasy; but to some, it’s something they want to

make into a reality. Senior Andrea Carmona is one of a few who have the dream of sky-rocketing her music career to its fullest potential. She has been singing since she was born and has no plan on letting anyone get in the way of her dreams.

Carmona has been singing ever since she could remember. “I remember as a little girl, my mom would tell me to stop humming songs at the dinner table,” said Carmona. When asked why she started singing, Andrea quickly replied that singing would always take her to that happy place and she discovered her talent at such a young age.

Carmona loves to sing Pop and R&B/Soul, she aspires to be like Britney Spears or Shakira. Even at just 3 years old, Carmona would never miss the MTV Video Music Award show on TV. As the years went on, at age 9, Carmona finally discovered her tone. “Ever since I really thought about what genre of music I wanted to record, Rihanna became my ultimate inspiration. I love that she does her thing regardless of what the public has to say and she really does know how to work a crowd”.

Not only does Carmona sing, but she also writes her own music. She said that there is a process to go through first before she can bust out a #1 hit. “Once I have the track or music made by the producers, I just sit down and listen to it a couple of times. This then will start making me think of the perfect melody of what I want the song to be about. But as far as the writing goes, it only takes me about an hour to come up with and perfect the song,” Carmona said. She has been putting her pen to the paper lately and writing a whole bunch of songs. “I can’t release any of my own music right now, but my absolute favorite would have to be ‘Intensity’. This song is very dear to my heart because it shows all of the ranges of my voice and the meaning behind it is what I’m all about”. Recently, Carmona did a cover of Adele’s smashing hit “Hello”. She recorded the video in her backyard and was very pleased with how it turned out.

When it comes to her biggest fans, that trophy would have to go to her parents. “Hands down, my biggest supporters are my parents! They have invested so much time and energy into my dream and have always supported me my whole career. They always tell me to do whatever it is that I set my mind to and be the best at it. For them, as long as I’m happy doing what I love, they are too”. She also said that her boyfriend has also been there for her by always cheering her on and going to a few studio sessions and rehearsals.

Carmona has been working with producers and vocal coaches since she was about 10 years old. Working with people who recorded with Ariana Grande to Austin Mahone, Carmona has definitely gotten her feet wet in the industry. The producer that she is currently working with right now is Ginger Salem. “She has changed my life tremendously and I am very grateful. She helps me with my music/artist development and basically produces all of my music. She is the best vocal coach/producer/manager because she does not sugarcoat anything, and I feel like that’s what makes me improve my craft”. Carmona described the experience as new and exciting and that she loves working with different people who have the same dreams and visions that she has for herself.

Many upcoming artists shut down their careers because of bullying or being put down by so many others. Carmona is the complete opposite. She’s fierce and chases whatever she sets out to achieve. “I have never felt insecure about my singing. Performing has always been a passion of mine since I was a young girl. I would say the only time in my life that I started to get quiet about was in middle school when I would get teased and made fun of. As hard as it was during middle school, that has only made me stronger and my drive for singing get bigger. I have realized that there are always going to be haters, but it’s my duty to prove them wrong.”

Carmona is currently putting college on the side to pursue her dream of being the artist she’s always wanted to be.

“I am currently enrolled in early admission now, so I do plan on finishing my Associate of Arts (AA) degree and I will be graduating high school with half of my AA completed. Depending on where I’m at in my career, I might take up journalism and fashion at FIU”. Carmona has always been into fashion ever since she started modeling, so she expressed that she would like to continue being involved in the fashion world. She is also recording a song in Spanish to give back to her Columbian roots.

This triple threat beauty has been working hard to get to the place she is now, so there is no doubt that she will succeed and surpass her expectations. PPCHS wishes Carmona good luck on all of her future and current endeavors.

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Photo donated by: Andrea Carmona

Energy Drinks: He may think energy drink are helping his preformance, but they are harming him on the inside. Photo by: Eric Hernandez

Amanda Peralta Staff Writer

A re energy drinks doing more harm than good? Over the yea come more and more popular. Athletes depend on them for stam

many people depend on them just for an everyday boost. But m to each person is not worth the energy. Although energy drinks “jump” as soda and coffee, the ingredients mixed in energy drin ones mixed in soda and coffee.

According to Alexandra Sifferlin from Time magazine, “the re like soda and coffee is because energy drinks contain two or m ments are all natural such as guarana and ginseng, the way they m risky.” Energy drinks are thought to jump start the heart so much may not cause heart problems. According to benefits-of-honey.c much as 80 mg of caffeine per 8-oz can, the equivalent of a cup the amount of caffeine in a can of coke.” Because you are addin body on the daily basis, it is possible that your body naturally sta which is not healthy in many instances.

Also, Sifferlin said, “scientists recently found that middle scho energy drinks are 66% likelier to display symptoms or hyperact There would be nothing wrong with that hyperactivity if it was n it is artificial it is very unhealthy.

This is prominent concern here at PPCHS because many ath consume energy drinks on the daily basis. Many of the athletes d term effects they might be putting themselves in risk of.

Senior and soccer player, Adriana Robles said, “I have consume because I have games after school a lot and usually I am very tire that the energy drink gives me.”

This is prominent concern here at PPCHS because there are m who consume energy drinks and the athletes may not keep in min might be putting themselves in risk of.

In addition to the long term risks energy drinks have, they co Energy drinks are recommended not to be used during exercise fluid loss from sweating and the diuretic quality of the caffeine c dehydrated. (brown.edu).

Basketball player and also senior Tyler Barney said “I have hea saying energy drinks are bad for you, but I have to admit I have before a game; just because it is giving me the jump I need.”

Energy drinks may cause a jump start your energy for a little bi the future is not as positive as your momentary energy. Use cau drinks!

Energy Drinks: Jeopardizing h takes of that disasterous energy

nkers beware

ars, energy drinks have bemina before a workout and maybe the harm it is doing s give you the same kind of nks are more risky than the

eason energy drinks are unore stimulants. The supplemix though might be a little h that in the future it may or com, “Red Bull contains as p of coffee, and about twice ng so much caffeine to your arts to speed up its heart rate

Tis’ the Season for Sweet Reason Sarah Barrocas Staff Writer

T is' the season for more frequent smiles, endless amounts of laughter, receive gifts and give thanks. The chilled air, piercing pine cone needles, and scent of mouthwatering gingerbread welcomes the fast approaching winter season. Eating generations of family recipes and professing your gratitude towards family and friends immerse people into the true definition of the holiday spirit. This winter season, with sweet reason, show your family and friends some love by melting their hearts and warming their homes with these delectable holiday treats.

Melted Snowmen Oreo Balls: INGREDIENTS • 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese softened • 1 package (regular size) OREO cookies • 16 oz. of vanilla candy wafers or melts (can be found out Target, Walmart, Michaels, and other craft stores) • 1 package (bite size) mini OREO cookies • Blue, orange, and black icing or gel DIRECTIONS 1.)

Crush regular sized OREOS in a food processor at regular pulses.

When OREOS are finely crushed, move the OREOS to a separate bowl. Mix cream cheese at cookies until well blended.

2.)

Shape cookie mix into 1-inch balls. Place the cookie balls onto a pan. Then place the pan into a freezer for at least 20 minutes.

3.)

As the balls freeze, melt the vanilla candy chocolate. Place the candies into the microwave. At 30 second intervals, stir the vanilla candy until smooth and fully melted. Take the cookie balls out of the freezer and dip them in the candy. Cover the balls completely and place them back in the freezer for at least another additional 20 minutes.

4.)

Take cookie balls out. Place a mini OREO on the top of the ball to serve as a hat. Use the blue icing or gel to draw two dots as eyes, orange to draw a triangular carrot nose, and black to draw a smile. Place balls back into the freezer for another hour or until firm. Keep refrigerated.

oolers who consume sugary ivity that those who don’t.” naturally made, but because

hletes from different sports do not keep in mind the long

Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

Reindeer Cupcakes:

ed energy drinks many times ed, so I need that extra jump

INGREDIENTS Chocolate Cake: 1 box devil's food cake mix 3 eggs 1/2 C. oil 2 tsp. vanilla extract 1 C. milk or buttermilk 1/2 C. sour cream Chocolate Frosting: 1 C. butter 1/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder 2-3 C. powdered sugar 2 Tbsp. milk Pretzels Nilla Wafers Bag of regular and white mint M&Ms Bag of chocolate chips

many athletes, like Robles, nd the long term effects they

ontain short term risks too. because the combination of can leave an athlete severely

ard a lot about these studies e had a Monster or Red Bull

it but maybe the outcome in ution when drinking energy

his batting skills with each gulp he booster. Photo by: Eric Hernandez

Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal

DIRECTIONS 1.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pans with cupcake liners.

2.)

Sift cake mix into a small bowl. Set aside.

3.)

In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, vanilla extract, milk, and sour cream until completely mixed.

4.)

Combine cake mix and liquid ingredients together.

5.)

Fill cupcake liners until ¾ full. Bake for 16-20 minutes or an inserted toothpick comes out clean. For at least 30 minutes, let cupcakes cool.

6.)

Prepare the chocolate frosting. First beat the butter until smooth. Add cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and milk. Slowly add additional powdered sugar until desired consistency is reached. Frost all of the cupcakes.

7.)

Prepare the reindeer faces. Melt chocolate to use as glue to stick brown M&Ms onto the Nilla Wafers (use some red M&Ms for Rudolph). Place leftover into a Ziploc bag. Cut off the tip and pipe a brown dot onto the White M&Ms to use as eyes. Place Nilla Wafers with M&Ms and dotted mint M&Ms onto cupcake. Place two pretzel towards top of cupcakes for antlers (use picture as a guide).

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The Weekend Review

UFO ‘sighting’ abducts T

Melissa Pierce

LJ Lemmers

Entertainment Editor

Sweat pleads guilty in prison escape:

David Sweat, only one of two prison mates who escaped from the Clinton Correction Facility in upstate New York last year, has plead guilty to two accounts of escape in the first degree and one count of promoting prison contraband. The other inmate that escaped with Sweat was killed by police in the aftermath of their initial escape. At the time of the escape, Sweat was already serving life behind bars for murder, and will return to prison to complete this sentence in addition to the sentence given for these new charges (www.cnn.com).

Utah judge returns baby to same-sex couple:

On Friday, November 13th, Juvenile Court Judge Scott Johansen of Utah changed his mind regarding a custody decision dealing with a homosexual couple. Judge Johansen initially ruled that the child under the care of two female same-sex foster parents should be removed from the home and placed under the care of heterosexual parents. After much criticism however, he formally reversed his order (www.cnn.com).

Lawsuit for birth control packaging error:

A certain birth control manufacturer is facing over one hundred law suits after they distributed products that had the labels tilted 180 degrees in the wrong direction. Because the labels were tilted, women took placebo pills when they were supposed to be taking active pills, believing that they were preventing pregnancy when they were not. Ninety-four women gave birth after unexpected pregnancies and seventeen did not carry their pregnancies to term as a result of this labelling mistake (www.cnn.com).

Famous gum wall removed:

The famous gum wall in Seattle, Washington at Pike Place Market was stripped down to its original brick pattern. After twenty years of watermelon and pink bubble flavored gum accumulating on the wall, it took three days for the Cascadian Building Maintenance crew to tackle the task and industrial steam cleaners to shoot out gallons of water per minute (www.cnn.com).

O

Technology Editor

n November 7th, many Los Angeles residents were surprised when they saw a bright blue light flying across the sky. At first, the object appeared to be an orange light moving very fast and then suddenly turned into a giant blue light, which finally turned into a white light, leaving much confusion in the minds of Californian citizens. (hollywoodlife.com) The video recording of the incident sparked much controversy on social media. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media sites blew up with countless videos of the “supposed” UFO sighting. Many people thought that aliens had come to America.

“The idea of aliens living out there is for certain. Humans aren’t the only living beings in this world. When I saw the UFO video in Los Angeles, it surprised me that there might be potential life right here on Earth right now,” said junior Josiah Celestine.

Quickly, the government issued a statement stating that the mysterious object was actually a Trident missile test-fired by the Navy. The Navy scheduled a test launch at sea from the USS Kentucky, a ballistic missile submarine off the coast of Southern California. “The tests were part of a scheduled, ongoing system evaluation test,” the statement said. “Launches are conducted on a frequent, recurring basis to ensure the continued reliability of the system. Each test activity provides valuable information about our systems, thus contributing to assurance in our capabilities.” The tests continued until November 12th. (cnn.com) To make the claim that aliens were on Earth debunked, a picture of what appeared to be an alien was posted on social media. The picture was widely shared on Facebook leaving an unexplained answer to what it actually was. It turns out that the object was just a dead deer fetus that predators must have ate.

“It was disappointing to hear that the UFO turned out to be a missile from the U.S Navy.

It would have been cool to see aliens on Earth. I wonder how advanced their technology would compared to ours if there were aliens,” said senior Alyssa Dobles.

Even though the supposed UFO was just a Trident missile from the U.S Navy, the idea of extraterrestrial life is not improbable. They could just be walking among the human race, blending in with society, waiting to take over this planet. UFO sightings will continue to be spotted all over the world and humans patiently wait for the day that alien life will be confirmed.

Orca Shows Weeded out of Sea World

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Three year old boy shoots himself in mother’s bedroom:

On November 15th, a three-year-old boy in South Carolina shot himself in his mother’s bedroom. The boy’s mother was at home, in the bedroom watching television when she heard the gunshot go off. His ten-year-old sister was in another part of the house at the time and the boy’s father was not home; he was later pronounced dead and detectives are still working to figure out where the gun was and how he managed to get a hold of it (www.nbcnews.com).

Oxford word of the year:

For the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year cannot be defined into a single word because it is an emoji! The “tears of joy” emoji was selected by Oxford Dictionary for the 2015 calendar year and is formally called a pictograph. It was decided that the emoji best reflected the moods, ethos, and preoccupations of 2015 while the 2013 Oxford Dictionary word of the year continues to hold strong even today—selfie (www.nbcnews.com).

Six murdered at Texas campsite:

On November 15th, Anderson County Police in Dallas, Texas found a total of six bodies between a campsite and a pond. William Hudson, who lives in the house just behind the pond, was charged with the murder of these six people. Police however have not revealed what led them to him as the suspect. Meanwhile, Hudson is being held on a $2.5 million bond (www.nbcnews.com).

Inmates escape detention center in Houston:

Three sixteen-year-old inmates escaped from the Houston Youth Detention Center after one of the three, who was being held on murder charges, beat down an officer and stole his keys. The three orchestrated the attack by asking for toiletries just after midnight, and then proceeding to beat the officer when he turned his back to open the door. These are the first inmates to ever escape the detention center and two of the three who escaped will be tried as adults (www.nbcnews.com).

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Graphic by: Katie Perez

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Air Terror in Egypt

Twitter spotlight

Nick Rivera

Graphic by: Matthew Perez

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d in response to Blackfish film Elizabeth Garrison Special to the Chat

Ocanwhale November 9, SeaWorld announced that they will be replacing the iconic theatrical shows the theme park is known for.

n San Diego, in 2017 we will launch our all-new orca experience. It’s going to be foused more on the natural setting, natural environment and also the natural behaviors of the hales.” stated SeaWorld President and CEO Joel Manby.

After the 2013 release of the controversial documentary Blackfish, SeaWorld has experinced a wave of backlash for their treatment of captive whales and a drastic decrease in ark attendance and profit. The documentary focused on the capture of Tilikum, an orca hale that is associated with the deaths of three people including the trainer Dawn Branheau. The film exposes the mistreatment of captive orca whales and apparent disregard r trainer safety.

SeaWorld denies all of these claims, and accuses the documentary of presenting a false nd biased representation of their company. They created a tab on their website called “The ruth about Blackfish” which describes the film’s use of “misleading techniques” such as animal rights activists masquerading as scientists.”

Blackfish did not change my perspective on Seaworld. I thought the movie’s very basis as attacking the park. They only talk about the negative things that Seaworld did and not ny of the positive things SeaWorld does such as taking care of the animals.” Said PPCHS enior, Daniel Kan. n response to the public uproar generated by the Blackfish film, SeaWorld is ending their ca whale show in San Diego and investing $100 million dollars in a tank expansion proam. Although the California Coastal commission approved the tank expansion program, ey established strict anti-breeding policies for whales in captivity. The eleven remaining ca whales will most likely be among the last bred in captivity. is unclear what this will mean for the future of the other SeaWorld parks. Animal Rights dvocates believe that ending the orca shows in one park is simply not enough. The fight ill not stop until the orca whales are released back into the wild. am strongly against the captivity of animals for human entertainment. If aquariums e there for medical or research purposes than that’s fine, but forcing animals to perform hows without their consent is basically enslavement. I was glad that the Blackfish docuentary opened people's eyes to what is really going on.” said PPCHS Junior, Valentina menez. “ When I heard that SeaWorld was ending orca shows in San Diego, I thought it as a step in the right direction but at the same time I wanted to stomp up to Orlando and otest against the animal cruelty that is still happening.”

Under such extreme public pressure, it is unlikely that ending the orca whale shows will be e last of Seaworld’s attempts to win back the public.

Features Editor

Russian plane on the Metrojet airline crashed to the ground last October with what at first was thought to be an engine failure. The plane, which was flying from Sharm el-Sheikh to St. Petersburg, went down over the city of Sinai in Egypt killing all 224 passengers on board. Initial reports were contradicting. Russian officials claimed that the tragedy occurred due a plane failure. But, a video released by the terrorist group ISIS portrayed what seemed to be ISIS members shooting down the plane. Within a day after the first claim, a Metrojet official ruled out the possibility of a technical error, saying that the plane was in near perfect condition. This raised more fear and suspicion towards the possibility of it being an air strike conducted by ISIS. The result was a re-routing of all planes flying over or around Sinai.

As more details emerged, it seemed that there was not a possibility of the plane being hit by a ground missile. Due to the fact that the plane was flying too high up and photos of the wreckage showing signs of an extreme force coming from inside the plane, the idea that it was hit by an air strike was less and less likely. It was also believed that ISIS would not be able to access weapons capable of carrying out an airstrike. These new details lead officials to believe in the possibility of a bomb being detonated on the plane rather than an attack from the outside.

It was then rumored that baggage handlers may have been responsible for smuggling the bomb on board. Baggage handlers were interrogated on whether they had any involvement and recently, two of them were detained. Weeks later, it has been confirmed that there was in fact a bomb that was detonated on the plane. The homemade bomb was made out of a soft drink called Schweppes and said to have been detonated by a timer.

The effect that this event has had on has been extreme. Vladimir Putin, who has been outraged by this act of terrorism, has declared that whoever is responsible be severely punished. Putin stated that “we will find them anywhere on this planet” (The Guardian).

He has already begun air strikes to avenge the people that have been lost.

“I think it's going to be interesting how Russia and Putin respond to this. He already said that he wanted to find the people responsible now that he has some sort of evidence. I feel like he’s going to increase forces in Egypt against ISIS. Pardon my French, but [with the amount of enemies they’ve gained] I believe [ISIS] is going to be in trouble,” said senior Carlos Andreu Meanwhile, in the United States, tensions in airports are rising as well. Towards the end of November, a plane headed towards Minneapolis from Fort Lauderdale was forced to turn around after passengers feared a bomb threat. The plane landed at Fort Lauderdale International Airport and was immediately searched for any explosives. Nothing turned up.

“Now we’ve got this elevated sense of paranoia. I don’t want to say that it’s not called for, because it is. The candle has been lit and it’s going to have this awful domino effect. People are going to be overly sensitive on one side and we’re going to see more things happen from ISIS because the fear will give them a sense of power,” said teacher Mrs. Krawczyk.

This tragedy may be cause for a huge turning point in the war against ISIS. As more attacks are made, ISIS creates more enemies. Tensions continue to rise and while much sadness has come from their attacks, countries are staying strong to fight back.

Graphic by: Natalie Laurent

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