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
Standard School Shooting Drills: Fitting or Frightening? The CHAT Editorial: Amid mayhem, we’re safe at home
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
The CHAT Editorial: Mental illness or revenge? You be the judge Triggering a shot at sanity
Technology: Technology puts finger on gun control Saving lives with one invention at a time
Pg
Studen
g4
nt Life
Q & A with Mr. Bayer: Pg 7
Sports:
Organizations Take a Stand: Pg 10
Features:
The Great Debate: Messi vs. Ronaldo
School safety a primary concern at PPCHS
Richt provides penalty of optimism for the U
The Teacher Outlook: What to do in an emergency
News:
Entertainment:
2016 Election: The candidates’ take on gun control
Helping or Hurting: Social media and its message on gun violence
North Korea hydrogen bomb tests rattle U.S.
The force is reawakened with Star Wars Episode VII
Clubs & Electives: Organizations take a stand against gun volence Anti-bullying week preaches no hate at PPCHS
Charter’s FSU campus shooting drill a real eye-opener
Graphic by: Katie Perez
Sarah Barrocas & Alexa Infante
Every time a gut-wrenching story about a school shooting hits the media, people’s hearts sink to the pits of their stomach as emotions of fear, anger, worry, and grief create a psyStaff Writers
chological whirlwind. School shootings are an extremely prevalent issue in today’s society; therefore, they are to be taken very seriously. Countless months of scientific research has gone into investigating these tragedies. The FSU elementary school campus of the Pembroke Pines Charter School system has acknowledged these happenings and have educated their teachers on the proper procedure protocol. On October 23rd, the FSU campus held a mandatory drill that only included the faculty and staff. During the drill, participants were assigned different roles that they would assume— some were the teachers and others were the students. Real gunshot noises were let out by the SWAT team and police force. This realistic event was aiming to educate the teachers on the procedures that should be taken during a school shooting, testing to see if they know the defendant procedures but also how to react to an event like this and how they should properly provide care to their students. “My thoughts while experiencing the drill were that I was feeling devastated that this has actually happened in real life at other schools. I thought about my little kindergartener and thought about how frightening it is to imagine that something like this could happen,” commented PPCES-FSU third grade teacher Mrs. Miller. School shooting drills are soon becoming a standard practice. Officially known as Active Shooter Drills, school shootings have become a new commonplace in an academic environment. Police officers come armed yet unloaded onto a school campus as they shoot their guns to create the sounds of a firing bullet. Kids run to the corners of the classroom, hiding in fear, as teachers roll down their window curtains with the attempts to block themselves from the shooter. The implementation of an Active Shooter Drill is becoming a standardized practice, like a fire or tornado drill is, and have become the new spread across our armed-attained nation. Sophomore Frankie Pizzo said, “I think that these drills should be implemented in schools everywhere. It organizes the teacher and makes them more aware of the situation that they could be put in. Yes, it can be argued that it is intense, and may be traumatizing, but it’s not a normal drill. School shootings are an excruciating reality, and sometimes the harsh knowledge or experience on certain things have the power to save a life in the long run. Also, I worry all the time about my mom. She is an assistant principal so in the case of emergency, she would need to be in the front line of defense. It worries and saddens me that the school environment can become a war zone, and may not be as safe as it used to be.” Since 2013 there have been more than 149 school shootings in America. Some of the more infamous school shootings include Columbine (1991), Virginia Tech (2007), and Sandy Hook (2012). Kids are being taught how to hide from intruders in school. It is often times that parents don’t approach this topic of conversation with their kids at home but allow them to go to school and practice death and carnage. Parents put the lives of their children in the control of the school staff as lawmakers still have not taken legal action to prevent this regular occurrence. Common sense laws, like those of “Every Town For Gun Safety” and “Moms Demand Action”, could provide universal background checks and safety courses to disclose these deadly loopholes. Favoring the drills seems to be a common opinion, Mrs. Miller emphasized, “I absolutely support lockdown drills in school as long as they are done with the kids’ ages in mind. I think that as adults and professionals we should keep some of the details from the kids in order to minimize their fears. I think we should remember that some of these kids are very young, and while they need to learn how to be safe, they don’t need to live in fear. I believe that kids should practice these drills at school. I believe that teachers should prepare the kids for situations where they need to act fast to keep the kids safe. I do not believe that kids need to practice the way that the teachers need to practice though. I don’t think the kids need to be scared of going to school or live in fear that something so awful could happen. I think teachers and administrators should keep the kids safe with practicing drills but not in a way that creates fear.” All in all, in such a sensitive yet crucial issue it is only obvious that there will be very diverse opinions on how to handle it. The teachers at the FSU campus were able to experience firsthand how they would react in that situation, and it might be able to save a life one day. No matter who gets involved, or what the official protocol is, safety is always the biggest priority.
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The CHAT Editorial: Amid S
chool shootings have becom States. These heart-wrenching tr the time I sat on the kindergarte community has always created a thousands of other students. As a naive kindergartener, I ma around me. As my mindset and p international issues, I have becom dent however that PPCHS is a sc from the teachers and administra School. Gabriela Deno, a Charter starte going to school every day, I hav There’s no other school than Cha safety of their students throughou felt that my life was in danger.” Senior Priscilla Cabus adds, “C there to support us creates an env In regards to the general safety brainstorm ideas. They try to un Charter High School with the safe cally considered a “safe school” b Charter students have developed Mr. Grijalva, World History tea lective safety on school campus caring students and administratio stop improving.” Pembroke Pines Charter Schoo have become a collective commu to remember that no matter the h second home to its attending stud
Should Teachers be allo Abigail Johnson
The whole country was shaken when the Columbine massacre killed 13 people in 1 a nightmare is becoming more and more of a reality for the American people. Everytow Staff Writer
since 2013, there have been one hundred and sixty school shootings in the U.S., with fatalities and fifty-three injured just in the year 2015. In the wake of these tragic inciden school shootings, people are scrambling to find a solutions that could lower the death to solutions, one of the more controversial ideas is that teachers should be allowed to carry The idea that teachers could carry guns reassures some parents while others believe it The issue has sparked countless debates online and in conversation. “I get both sides of teachers should carry a gun, but I understand the negative implications of having a gun Larmony, the Pines Charter Biology and Forensics teacher. On one side of the debate is that firearms will only make the situation worse. “Teachers of the chance a student might take a gun and try to shoot others for bad reasons. Teac more extensive background checks and even then teachers might abuse their power w thing I learned from TV it’s not to have a weapon in a kid’s environment, or that kid mi Said Katie Coleman, a sophomore against armed teachers. Education Week presents t that placing guns in schools puts them in a position to easily be acquired and be misu are too many variables to justify the possession of a gun, because there is no guarante access the gun quickly enough to make a difference in the event of a shooting. Anothe there may be some instances, like a classroom dispute or bullying, where a teacher m firearm, thus escalating the situation. Furthermore, CNN reported that of a nationwid that 72.4% of teachers said that they most likely wouldn’t bring a firearm to school if prefer to have armed guards. There are still many arguments for armed teachers, the Huffington Post provided a nu first of which being time. During a school shooting, time is of the essence, the goal is to sualties. If a teacher can stop a shooter before the authorities get there then multiple live to this, the knowledge that some teachers in a school where armed with guns might d approaching the school with harmful intent in the first place. With proper training, teac defenders of a school and its students. “I don’t really like the idea of my teachers being armed teacher could be more effective against a would-be attacker. Instead of, say, a se guards aren’t with you in class.” Said junior Sevval Ercin regarding the benefits to arme Whether in support of armed teachers or against, the decision is an important one to b ready allowing for armed staff, according to US News. Given the recent horrifying tren administrators and government officials alike are scrambling for a solution. Whether shooting, or unintentionally help one occur has yet to be determined. Until the right is not much else to do but mourn for the people who lost their family, friends, and to s shootings.
mayhem, we’re safe at home Sarah Barrocas Staff Writer
me a new pandemic that has stripped the lives of hundreds of students throughout the United ragedies have become a regular occurrence, heightening the fear of those involved. From en show-and-tell mats to now ordering my junior class ring, the Pembroke Pines Charter an open and nurturing environment in regards to not only the safety of myself but also for
ay have been more concerned about nap time rather than the dangers going on in the world personality have evolved through the Charter System and succumbed to the extent of many me more alert of the many dangers and took my safety into more consideration. I am confichool that has what it takes to avoid a conflict to this horrific extent. The positive attitudes ation reflect on to the students, creating a safe zone for all of those who attend a Charter
er and sophomore whose mom is a second grade teacher at PPCES-FSU comments, “When ve to keep in mind the safety not only of myself but also of my mom and brother as well. arter that I would feel safer attending. I know I could trust the faculty and staff to ensure the ut the school day. This is a school I have been attending all my life and not once have I ever
Charter is a mini community in and of itself. The fact that our administrators are consistently vironment in which we feel comfortable to express how we feel before we resort to violence.” y and surveillance of the students, the security guards come together and have a meeting to nanimously decide which safety precautions and measures should be taken out to provide est environment possible for their students. According to the FBI, Charter is not only statistibecause of the security offered on campus but also because of the impartial relationships that with their fellow peers and administrators, creating an honest and open environment for all. acher and parent of a Pines Charter student: “I feel we do a better job at embedding a colfor the students compared to many other schools. Charter has a civilized student body and on then some other places that I’ve seen. Yet at the same time, school safety should never
ols have created a close-knit family that can never be faltered. Staff members and students unity, standing together to protect and guide one another to safety. It is however imperative horrors that plague the world around us, Charter Schools will always be a safe haven and dents.
owed to Carry Firearms?
1999, unfortunately, what was wn for Gun Safety reports that, h RT America reporting thirty nts and in anticipation of more oll. Out of the many proposed y firearms on campus. will only add fuel to the fire. f the argument about whether n in the classroom.” Said Ms.
s should not be armed because chers will have to have much with a weapon. If there’s one ight misuse it and cost lives.” the same an argument stating used. In addition to this, there ee a teacher would be able to er flaw with this policy is that may unnecessarily pull out the de survey of 11,000 educators f given the option, and would
umber of different points, the o minimalize damage and caes could be saved. In addition deter a potential shooter from chers could become adequate g armed, but I suppose that an ecurity guard because security ed teachers. be made. A few States are alnd of school shootings, school an armed teacher will stop a solution is determined, there some their own lives in these
Graphic by: Matthew Perez
Student Polls: Do you support Obama’s new gun control policy? Do you feel that our school has aqeduate security measures? The unspoken dangers of cyberbullying Lauren Ramirez
It’s nearly impossible to be a teenager in today’s society without being warned time and time again about the effects of bullying. Both online and in person, we are all aware Satff Writer
that bullying is something that needs to be stopped. However, we often do not realize the extent to which bullying can affect a person. At an Ohio high school in April of 2009, cyberbullying led to the unthinkable. A feud between two teens that started on MySpace escalated into a shooting. A bullet grazed 13-year-old Briana Lewis’ ear after another teen she was arguing with online brought the dispute into the real world. This shooting is an extreme example of a growing trend that troubles educators, parents and juvenile-justice officials -- cyberbullying. Many of the teen feuds that start with online taunts turn into physical confrontations, experts said. In 2007, the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that at least a third of teens active on the Internet had been threatened, harassed or embarrassed online (Cleveland.com). The most infamous example of bullying taking a turn for the worse is the Columbine shooting, which took place April 20th, 1999, at a high school in Littleton, Colorado. It was reported that the shooters were bullied by their classmates prior to the attack. Though whether this was the cause of the attack remains up for debate, studies show that many students who are bullied mercilessly often see no way out except the death. They develop a “him or me” kind of mentality, and a single act of bullying could set an individual off (nobullying.com). Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, school, and mental health issues. They are more likely to experience depression and anxiety as well as increased feelings of sadness and loneliness. A very small number of bullied children might retaliate through extremely violent measures. In 12 of 15 school shooting cases in the 1990s, the shooters had a history of being bullied (stopbullying.gov). “It’s scary to think about how much bullying really does affect people. The fact that it can damage their mental state so much that they would do violent things makes it even clearer that we need to increase awareness of it,” said senior Monica Moljo. The internet continues to play a significant role in the lives of teenagers nationwide, and it is often an easy way to spread negativity and hatred. The effects of cyberbullying are far greater than we often understand so it is important that we spread awareness and positivity through our words and actions.
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The What t
A word from the adviser
Photo by: Eric Hernandez
Faran Fagen
It happened at an elementary school full of innocent children, and a special needs facility that serves thousands of patients with developmental disabilities. Adviser
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If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. If you’re like me, with every news bulletin in 2015 that there’d been another senseless shooting, your stomach clenched. First thought: please no fatalities. Second thought: How could anyone do this? Third thought: Is this ever going to end? If we continue down our road, it’s only beginning. There were more than 50 school shootings in 2015 – the most in any year in U.S. history. According to an October article in The Washington Times and several other mediums, since the 2012 tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, there have been 142 school shootings in the United States. That means there has been an average of almost one school shooting per week in our country. So how do we stop this senseless violence? If there was an answer, we’d have prevented such a bloody year. Fingers have pointed at violent video games and movies, mental illness, gangs, terrorism plots, cyberbullying, revenge, sparse gun control and social media gone wrong. To name a few. I don’t claim to know the answer. Or if there is just one answer. But I know this – every attacker in every shooting shares the fact they felt alone or alienated somehow. Shunned, ignored, humiliated, bullied, isolated. The two killers in the Columbine shootings of 1999 were constantly harassed and bullied, and one of them wrote in his journal about his hatred for the human race. The day of the shooting, one of the boys wore a shirt with the word “Wrath” written in red. Another shooting occurred in 2007 that killed 32 people on Virginia Tech’s campus. Picked on by other students at a young age, the shooter was described by his college professors as a troubled loner. The shooter of the Newtown massacre was describe in various articles as friendless and isolated. All these horrific acts ended with the suicide of the shooters. Some contained heroes like Victoria Soto, a 27-year-old teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary, who hid students in a closet and died trying to shield them from bullets. Every time a shooting happens, I look at pictures of the slain and that knot tightens in in my stomach. In December of 2012, the media posted picture after picture of the 20 children killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The children look so happy in those pictures. Their entire future ahead of them. I choke thinking that those kids will never experience their graduation, or even their first kiss. Those 20 kids’ moms and dads had to bury their own children – an act said to be too terrible to imagine. As for terrible, one of the worst thing imaginable is the intention of the shooters. Their purpose. To kill. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears,” said Les Brown, politician and speaker. Most religions, colleges and businesses revolve around each member finding his or her purpose. Even in literature, the perennial outsider, Holden Caulfield of Catcher in the Rye, yearned for a purpose. He said he only wanted to do one thing in life – rescue children from falling off a cliff while running through a field of rye. What’s scary about the last couple decades of shooters is they lost that purpose – or as a Star Wars Jedi might say -- the good in them. Instead there’s just emptiness – solitude. It used to be okay to feel alone. In Oh the Places You’ll Go, Dr. Suess says alone is something you’ll be quite a lot. But in the end you’ll succeed, “98 ¾ percent guaranteed”. Now, being alone is a crisis. Somehow, we’ve lost our ability to cope. And have hope for someone utterly abandoned from the American dream of love and family that’s supposed to be so easy to reach. In this era of continued shooters, it’s imperative that we open our hearts and minds to the lonely and desperate. So instead of choosing violence, hopefully more kids will choose to move mountains…and get on their way.
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eachers are a major part of a student’s life, see not only are the opinions and preparedness of studen school is prepared. It’s no secret that the United Stat Some US schools have been training their teachers exploring all the options they can to keep students s
“God forbid, In the event that anything would ever I need to keep my students safe, so I would do my be my school when I was only in tenth grade. It was fr that our school has well prepared us as teachers. The deescalate a situation as prepared and do my job,” s Organizations like ALICE (which stands for Alert, tions involving active shooters. This company offers administrators, and even high school students. Orga full grasp at the situation, to make them and student “I mean, I personally would follow school protocol. those organizations give apply here. Of course both for me that’s the only thing that matters. But our sch teacher. Teachers in the US are now more likely to do quic to lock themselves in the classroom as they hand o earthquakes and other natural disasters. This point b Teachers although most of them feel safe in teach ever occur, are still cautious and watch out for signs their normal day to day lives, they feel responsible f “Yes, I’ve heard about how schools now are asking so I would go to one of those classes to teach mysel interest in how to keep everyone, especially my stud
Though parents and students alike express their co more concerns. Always looking for a way or option research whatever they can find to make sure that th
e Teacher Outlook: to do in an emergency
Q&A with Principal Bayer
Photo by: Eric Hernandez
Teacher Outlook: PPCHS English teacher, Ms. Ellis voices her thoughts about what she would do to protect her students in an emergency. Photo by: Eric Hernandez
Maria Acosta-Rubio Staff Writer
eing them through the first eight hours of their day. So when it comes to the topic of school shootings, nts important, but it is also important to hear them from the school staff such as teachers, in how our tes is the country that has more school shootings than any other, taking its toll on schools worldwide. s to fight back during a situation as frightening as this. But teachers don’t mind, as long as they’re safe during school hours, they’ll do anything it takes.
r happen here at Charter, I think I would do my best to remain calm. I can’t start freaking out because est to keep everyone calm. I take this topic very seriously and personally too, I had a shooter come to ightening but nobody got injured severely and everyone got to go home safely. But yes, I do believe y’ve given us discussions and we’ve done drills, so I’m prepared. I would stick to the school protocol, said Mrs. Rudd, an AP History/Geography teacher here at PPCHS. Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate) is an organization that offers training for handling situas different levels of training according to age-appropriateness. The training is given to teachers, school anizations like these are given to teachers who want to feel better prepared and feel like they have a ts feel a bit more comfortable in their own schools. . We’ll be on lockdown, keep the windows closed and the door locked so I don’t think that the training h the school and organizations such as ALICE have one main focus which is to keep the kids safe, so hool has done enough in my opinion in getting us teachers prepared,” said Ms. Ellis, a PPCHS English
ck mental calculations on where they can exit, what they can use as barricades and what they can do out assignments. This sense of mentality is making teachers feel that shootings is on par with fires, being proven by “The Atlantic” when they interviewed teachers for their story. ing in their schools and feel like their school has prepared them enough if a school shooting was to s in which anything or anyone could hurt their students. Since teachers are with students for most of for whatever happens to any of their kids. teachers or suggesting that they take classes or go to programs such as ALICE. I personally hate guns, lf how I can disarm a situation as quickly as possible. To me, I would take any class that’s in the best dents safe. To take a class like that would be a great idea,” said Mrs. Kidd, PPCHS’ Drama teacher.
oncerns to the schools about topics such as schools shootings, teachers also share those same, if not to keep their students safe, Teachers will take any course, go to any training, attend any meeting, or heir number one priority is always their students’ safety.
1) What do you think makes any given school safe? Unsafe? “According to the FBI statistics, the things that make the safest schools are when students feel like they have an adult they can turn to. More so than metal detectors, fences, extra security, and drones. They (the FBI) have said this for a long time—that you create a culture and an environment where students are validated and feel like they have a rapport with at least one adult on the campus.” 2) Do you think there are ways that can improve a school’s safety that starts with the student? If so, what? “Absolutely, I think that just like adults have to validate students, students have to validate adults. The culture of bullying and hostility between a group of kids makes a school less safe. When we have students that are open and accepting of differences, naturally, you are going to see improvements in more than just safety.” 3) How do you believe students and parents perceive our school in terms of safety? “I think they are, of course, cautious because of the times we live in and our fairly open campus in comparison to other schools. I also think they like the fact that our campus is smaller, kids are in uniform, and people know people—we have these advantages on our side.” 4) What factors do you believe makes PPCHS a safe school? “I hope mostly the culture of the school makes it safe such as Anti Bullying Week—I think this is really the most important aspect. ‘There is no such thing as security, there are just varying degrees of risk’ (note: this is not Mr. Bayer’s quote, this was said by Robert Allen). I think this is true now in schools just as it is anywhere. You see all these things happen across our country, and it seems so random. You don’t know if it’s a movie theatre, a place of business, or a school. There is no place that is 100% safe; even the White House had somebody hop the fence and run in! You have to hope for the best and plan for the worst. There is a project in process to put nice fencing around our campus. This would make the access points a little more restricted, but we are trying to do it in a way that won’t compromise the aesthetics of our campus. At the end of the day, the ultimate biggest help is having this environment where we are friendly and you see teachers and administrators in passing. We try to be very approachable, which is part of our nature, but it is also part of our design. Our training is to be there so kids don’t feel odd the first time they have to talk to a teacher or an adult about something important. They have already had that relationship, so they can feel approachable.” 5) What are your plans to keep our school safe currently and in the future? Would you be open to doing a school shooting drill that resembles the one at the PPCES FSU campus? “Yes, we tried to actually schedule that but the problem was that they only had two dates available: graduation day and the last day of school. Those are the only dates they had this year, but we will look into next year’s dates. We will do a lockdown drill on our own in the second half of the school year just as we did in the first half of the school year. Of course, the fencing project is also on its way. We have been planning that since Mrs. Haviland’s students came up with the design in her AP Environmental Science class last year. We have been trying to implement it, it just takes a lot of hoops—we had to budget and survey in order to follow through but I predict by the end of the school year you will start to see that fence project come into play.”
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Features
School safety a primary concern at PPCHS
Nadira Danticat
It’s no secret that school shootings have become a fairly typical event in American society today. From the exposure of the depressing news to exhilarating movies and television to addicting social media, it is a sad truth that most of us have become desensitized to them. But what if a shooting occurred in a place that’s frightening just to imagine: Pembroke Staff Writer
Pines Charter High, our very own school. For years students, teachers, and parents alike have shown concern over the safety of our open campus. From these circumstances, a number of valid questions have been raised: Does this make our school less safe than others? How equipped are the security guards that roam our peach and white buildings every day in the event of an attack? Should our school participate in the controversial “school shooting” drills? And how can we even be sure that a shooter isn’t one of us? While our uniforms and college-preparatory curriculum distinguish us from public schools like West Broward and Cooper City High, another defining factor is our open campus and lack of gates. Our school lies on the Academic Village Campus, which includes PPCHS, the middle school, the Southwest Regional Library, and the Pines Center of Broward College. While the campus is convenient to students in the Dual Enrollment Program, many have questioned whether the safety of college students frequenting on and off our campus on a daily basis. “As pretty as our campus is, it really does concern me how someone can just walk on and harm one of us,” said junior Elizabeth Garcia. Other Jaguars also believe that our school is superior to others aesthetically, but are worried about the possibility of a shooter being able to enter easily. An often overlooked characteristic of our school that has the potential to keep us safe is our security staff, consisting of Mr. Laffin, Mr. Garcia, Ms. Clark, Ms. Scocco, as well as School Resource Officer, Mr. Scopa. The staff is dedicated to keeping our palm tree adorned campus safe for all of our students, teachers, and administration. “In the event of a shooting, we are to basically go on a schoolwide lockdown. All of the doors in all of the buildings get locked and we check to make sure all the kids are inside,” said Mr. Garcia. Sophomore Andrea Tholenaar said, “I really do feel safer when I see the security officers around schools because it puts my mind at ease knowing that we have reinforcements on campus at all times.” Mr. Bayer, our principal, has considered the potentially dangerous aspects of our beloved learning institution and has had ideas on their solutions for quite some time now. One project in the works is the construction of an environmentally safe fence to be place around the school. Designed by Ms. Haviland’s AP Environmental Science students in 2014-2015, the fence is set to be started by the end of the school year. He has also considered a highly controversial practice that schools all over the country have recently been implementing – drills. School shooting drills, or active shooter drills, are rehearsals for students and teachers to prepare them for the event of an active shooter on campus. There a variations of the drills from school to school with police officers going into classrooms with guns to students acting a shooting, fake blood and all. Like fire and tornado drills, school shooting drills would have our school halt instructions for a period of time for preparation purposes. One drill was attempted to be scheduled for this school year, but due to unavailable dates, we were unable to book the drill. However, it may still occur next year. “I don’t know how I feel about that, to be honest. I know that it would help our school, but it seems really scary,” said freshman Natalie Alegria. From the adamant to the ambivalent, the idea of the drills carry a wide range of opinions and emotions. While preparing for the worst is the most effective route for some, it should be considered that the potential face of future fatalities, could be from one of our own Charter students. With this in mind, Mr. Bayer wants students to practice one of the best types of prevention for a school shooting-like situation, kindness. “No place is totally safe, not even the White House is 100% safe. A lack of safety comes from bullying and hostility amongst students. When there is an openness and acceptance of different people and cultures, safety is a natural result,” said Bayer. Thankfully, our school has accounted for this concept with programs like the Anti-Bullying Week, which was run by senior Taylor Horan and included homeroom activities to relinquish bullying, and the fact that teachers and guidance counselors are trained to be there for students so they don’t feel isolated or ostracized in the first place. Columbine High School, Virginia Tech, and even Florida State University are all schools that have been rocked to their core from the effects of a school shooting, whether fatal or not. With the plans, preparations, and people our school has put into place, Pembroke Pines Charter High School has a low chance of being added to that list. Despite the understandable concerns, our Jaguar Way campus is truly a safe haven for all students.
When faced with danger, look to a cop Looghermine Claude
We grow up listening to stories of superheroes. We hear about an amazing good guy who saves the day in the face of an evil villain. So it’s almost a no-brainer that when we watch the news and see the horrors of mass shootings, we believe that if there was just one good guy there, the tragedy wouldn’t have happened. If one person fighting for good had a gun the Managing Editor - Content
shooter would’ve been taken down. But is this actually true? Can a bad guy with a gun actually be stopped by a good guy with a gun? “I believe that shooters could be stopped by good guy with a gun because I think that if most people would want to carry a gun around, they are doing it for protection reasons. I think that these people would try to stop any shooter that comes their way,” said senior Breanna Jomsky. Though the National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun owners and enthusiasts believe that it’s possible, evidence shows otherwise. According to a 2014 FBI report “In 13 percent of the [160] shooting situations, the shooter was successfully disarmed and restrained by unarmed civilians, and in 3 percent of the incidents the shooter was confronted by armed civilians, of whom four were on-duty security guards and one person was just your average “good guy” who happened to be carrying a gun” (huffingtonpost.com). This means that the mindset that regular civilians can stop a shooting is misguided because the facts show that normal people aren’t actually stopping the shootings. Most shootings end when the shooter commits suicide or when the police and the shooter have a standoff. Even combat veterans are sharing why this idea just doesn’t hold up. “I think there’s this fantasy world of gunplay in the movies, but it doesn’t really happen that way. When I heard gunfire [in Iraq], I didn’t immediately pick up my rifle and react. I first tried to ascertain where the shooting was coming from, where I was in relation to the gunfire and how far away it was,” said retired Army Sgt. Rafael Noboa y Rivera. “I think most untrained people are either going to freeze up, or just whip out their gun and start firing in that circumstance. I think they would absolutely panic,” (patheos.com). It’s also been shown that people are actually less safe when more people around them own guns. “A study from October 2013 analyzed data from 27 developed nations to examine the impact of firearm prevalence on the mortality rate. It found an extremely strong direct relationship between the number of firearms and firearm deaths” (slate.com). Others studies have backed up these findings, showing that guns don’t actually keep a nation safer. “Relying on a good guy with a gun to stop an active shooter is ineffective because average citizens don’t receive the same training that law enforcement does. Regular people just don’t know how to analyze and react to high-stress situations like the police, which makes them bad at handling active shooters,” said junior Wynton White. So, what’s the most effective way of combating a bad guy with a gun? Law enforcement. Police officers are trained to respond to active shooters and know how to handle these situations better than the average citizen. With the surge of mass shooters, more training is being implemented at police stations to train officers to respond to these specific scenarios. Though they might not be at the scene the fastest, studies show that it’s best to leave it to the professionals.
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Features
Should the media interview a witness after a school shooting? Senior Lucas Valdivieso
Junior Danny Clark
“T hey should be allowed but there “I believe that the media should be able should be parental oversight if the student to interview children. It’s important for is under eighteen.”
Ms. Ciafre
Ms. Ferrer
“Y
us to know as a society what happened in such a tragic event.”
es I think they should be able to. The more information we get out to the public the more awareness we bring out. If we don’t then it’s an incident that doesn’t get heard, and no one knows about it.”
Freshman Sophia Francisco
Senior Jesse Cabrera
“N o I don’t think so. It’s not right for “No. I don’t think the media should be “I think they should listen to what the the media to immediately talk to a student able to interview children right after they students have to say before they make asor teacher who went through that trauma. We have to be respectful to the people went through something like a school shooting and then we can interview them.”
were involved or witnessed a school shooting. I don’t think that’s okay because you never know if those kids are traumatized. I just don’t feel like they would be ready to reveal what happened or what they saw yet. Those children could be so young or our age and my answer would still be the same. You never know if they lost a friend.”
sumptions.”
Dr. Phillips
“W hile it is unfortunate that the media can’t be trusted to give an accurate and
unbiased report of events, free press is the ability to share ideas, thoughts, and perceptions without censorship is too precious to sacrifice in the name of fear.”
Junior Adonaidys Chinchilla
“Well I don’t think they should be interviewed right after. To me it really depends on the age. Maybe when those children are ready to talk about it. But until then I don’t think the media should intervene.”
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Anti-Bullying Week preaches no hate at PPCHS Paolo Barrera
Organizations Take a Stand against Gun Violence
From January 11 to January 15, PPCHS has once again hosted its annual Anti- Bullying Week. Activities and events created by various clubs took place every day for an Staff Writer
entire week of festivities spreading vibes against bullying. Throughout the entire week, a purposeful banner hung in the cafeteria for all students to get a good look at. One specific and meaningful act that began for Charter students was the “Stop Bullying” banner. The banner is a black silhouette of a teenage boy, bent over his cell phone while being cyberbullied through the internet. During both lunches throughout the whole week, students of all grades were given the opportunity to sign the banner in silver sharpie in support of the message to simply, stop bullying. In return of endorsing your signature for the better, a “No Place for Hate” sticker was issued after signing the banner and taking the pledge to end bullying. After all is said and done, a ceremony celebrating Anti-Bullying week will be held after school during spring time. The event will be held to honor the banner and all of the pledges that it stands for in PPCHS’ strike against bullying. “The banner idea is a great way to spread awareness,” added junior Jamilla Amon. Our school itself has become a “No Place for Hate” school by the Anti-Defamation League for the third straight year after this year’s Anti-Bullying Week. Activities were lined up and planned by many of the clubs such as Student Government Association (SGA), Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Book Club, and Black Student Union (BSU). The week started off with a new geotag being uploaded on snapchat that could be used when taking a snapchat on the school campus. Support for the new geotag came as the week’s special “campaign” was just getting started. Every student was able to enjoy the filter while spreading the word about how there is no bullying at PPCHS. “I thought it was really cool that we have this tag and how we’re able to reach out and make this certain topic open to everyone,” said sophomore Maria Amon. Using the geotag reached out and helped spread the message using the power of social media, and many of the other events used the power of discussion. Classes were able to watch videos against bullying and used the lesson plans given by BSU and SGA to get involved with Anti-Bullying Week and its purpose to promote a school without hate. Book Club had its members discuss bullying they’ve encountered in their own life and even in the book, The Truth about Alice. After reading, all the members got together and held a club conversation about the novel’s bullying within the plot and how they can relate to it. Students even discussed ways to deal and cope with bullying, like speaking out about it. The rest of Anti-Bullying week had different lesson plans with activities created by GSA, Book Club, BSU, and SGA to give to students. The activities were aimed to simply stop bullying at our school and elsewhere, as well as helping every student relate to victims and allies. “I really believe that Anti-Bullying Week was a wonderful way to promote peace and to inform students about bullying and how to end it,” said sophomore SGA member, Sonia Kahn.
Graphic by: Katie Perez
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Graphic by: Matthew Perez
Lauren Ramirez & Lauren Cookley
In a society so influenced by gun violence, with over 300 mass shootings happening in 2015 alone, a sense of fear is to be expected from citizens nationwide. Thankfully there Staff Writer & Community Oureach Chair
are many organizations put in place to prevent gun violence both in school and outside. Though more popularized now, gun violence is not a new issue. For instance in 1989, teenager Alex Orange lost his life trying to break up a fight at a party. His High school classmates decided to take action starting the organization Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) with the vision that all students will be able to attend a school that is safe, secure, free of fear, and conducive to learning (nationalsave.org). Over the years, organizations have expanded to get more and more members involved. SAVE has grown outside North Carolina, to over 220,000 members in over 2,200 SAVE chapters across the U.S. SAVE serves youth in elementary schools, middle schools, High schools, colleges, and community youth-serving organizations in 48 states and several foreign countries. Education about school shootings is important and The Peace Education Foundation is an organization working toward violence prevention education. Their mission is “to educate children and adults in the dynamics of conflict and promote skills of peacemaking in our homes, schools, community, the nation, and the world” (peaceeducation.org). To accomplish this mission, they produce educational materials, training, and other school programs to spread awareness of school safety precautions. “It is really important for students to know what to do in the event of a shooting, which is why prevention education is so important. It’s good that there are organizations to help spread awareness about this topic,” said Sophomore Dominic Carissimi. The NCSV (National Campaign to Stop Violence) started "Do the Write Thing Challenge" Program ("Challenge"). The "Challenge" gives middle school students an opportunity to examine the impact of violence on their lives in classroom discussions and in written form by communicating what they have seen to be the causes of youth violence as well as solutions to help decrease the violence in their communities. By encouraging students to make personal commitments to do something about the problem, the program ultimately seeks to empower them to reduce violence in their homes, schools and neighborhoods. There are many clubs and organizations set in place to help prevent and protect students from the dangers of gun violence. Ranging anywhere from prevention through education and anti-bullying promotion to informing students on what to do in the event of a shooting. These organizations are designed to target children at an early age in order to instill this important knowledge in them and help them later in life.
Gun control hits the nation Cristina Feliciano & Nick Rivera
C
Lifestyle Editor & Features Editior
urrently, one of the most talked about political issues is gun violence. Once you turn on the TV and flip through the channels, whether it is CNN or FOX News, you will see gun violence in bold letters as a headline. Every year we are losing 30,000 people to gun violence. There are hundreds of kids across the country who are under the age of 18 that are being shot or are shooting themselves by accident. There seems to be a big controversy between those who are in favor of the second amendment the way it was written in the Constitution, and there are those who want the laws to slightly change. With all of the gun violence that we have experienced in our nation, this is a very serious topic in society because it has an impact on all of our lives. On January 5, 2016, President Barack Obama proposed a new strategy to halt gun violence. He suggested to the people during his speech in the White House that there should be background checks that are more thorough and in depth as well as checking on one’s mental state. Obama has consistently said throughout his presidency that he “respects the second amendment. I respect the right to bear arms. I respect people who want a gun for self-protection, for hunting, for sportsmanship. But all of us can agree that it makes sense to do everything we can to keep guns out of the hands of people who would try to do others harm, or to do themselves harm”. “If we could combine gun safety with sensible background checks and some other steps, we’re not going to eliminate gun violence, but we will lessen”. This was spoken by the President at the debate in the CNN Town Hall on January 7th. Law studies and Economics teacher, Mrs. Hyacinth had her own opinion to say when asked how she felt about the gun violence regarding school shootings. Hyacinth said “I think gun violence in school is obviously out of control”. Mrs. Hyacinth was not able to view the gun reforms debate at the CNN Town Hall. “Although I did not see the debate, I do not agree with the opinion that all guns should be banned as it is a constitutionally protected civil liberty, but I do agree that a more extensive background check is a good and necessary idea”. It’s safe to say that Hyacinth is on board with the plan that Obama is proposing to Congress. The second amendment states that "A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a Free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Nowhere in his speeches has Obama said that he wants to ban everyone’s firearms and take them away. This plan that Obama has brought forth could potentially make schools so much safer than they are now. The only thing he wants is to make it harder for criminals to obtain those weapons because there needs to be a decline, if not an end, to all school shootings and other homicides. Logically, it wouldn’t make sense for the President to order the FBI to go around the country, house by house, to collect what is about 300 million firearms. And this point was made by astronaut Mark Kelly. There has been a conspiracy going around that states that “Obama is out to take our guns! We stand by the Constitution!” However, President Obama put a stop to this immediately during the debate on the 7th of January. “I’m sorry Cooper… yes it is fair to call this a conspiracy. What are you saying? Are you suggesting that the notion that we are creating a plot to take everyone’s guns away so that we can impose martial law is a conspiracy? Yes, that is a conspiracy”. “I feel as is the second amendment is outdated and if nobody has the right to bear arms them nobody will need to protect themselves against them. I think it’s stupid that we’re the only major country with this issue and we’re also the only country claiming that there’s nothing we can do to prevent it,” said senior and AP government student Kelcey Hernandez. One of the biggest fears of second amendment supporters is accepting Obama’s gun control proposals with grace. If Obama’s proposals become law, then it paves the way for future laws that are more likely to further infringe on the right to bear arms. Second amendment advocates believe that it is a fundamental right to own a gun for protection purposes. However, there are more reasons, such as for hunting and target practice among other recreational activities. Even those in favor of owning a firearm believing in some limitations with some people arguing against owning larger guns such as AK47s. While there is huge controversy over the president’s plans for gun control, there is no real infringement on the second amendment. Regardless, there will still be those that support President Obama’s plans and those that vigorously oppose it.
Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal
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Blitzing the breakdown of concussions
Richt provides plenty of
Graphic By: Katie Perez
Evan Samuels & Alexa Infante Staff Writers
The NFL has a major brain disease issue on their hands supported by new groundbreaking research. A vast majority of deceased ex-NFL players have been shown to have some form of brain
disease believed to come from repeated blows to the head, while an increase in leg injuries are also occurring in the NFL too. This brain disease unfortunately leads to terrible conditions such as memory loss, depression and dementia, while these leg injuries are leading to careers ending for players in the NFL. In the NFL this season, many star players have suffered season ending knee injuries. Among these players are Le’veon Bell, Jamaal Charles, Cameron Wake, Dion Lewis, Julian Edelman, Kelvin Benjamin, and Jordy Nelson. These players are all huge contributors to their respected teams, but unfortunately have suffered horrific knee injuries. This knee injury has been a major concern in the league for many years now, and is only going to get worse as long as people play football. Another issue in the NFL is the concussion scandal, this issue is even leading star players to retire over concern for their health. Recently, an NFL linebacker who had played in just one season in the league ended up retiring. This player’s name is Chris Borland, who stated his reason for retiring was because he “wanted to do what’s best for my [Borland’s] health,”. 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, (79 percent) 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. Brain trauma is a serious concern for NFL players and causes former football players to become emotionally unstable after repeatedly taking blows to the head. Fortunately, there has not been any cases of ex-football players being a part of mass shootings or murders due to this brain damage, but several have unfortunately committed suicide because of the emotions they faced through head injuries playing the game they loved. Junior Julian Barcelo said, “Seeing the terrible effects that have happened to ex-NFL players makes me sad. I am happy I put the sport down at a young age and picked up something else. It’s scary to think what effects it would have had on me in the future.” On December 25th 2016, the new movie starring Will Smith, Concussion, hit the theaters. This film covered the trending issue of the serious effect caused by head trauma in football. The story follows the true story of pathologist Dr. Omalu as he makes one of the most important discoveries in the world of sports and neuroscience. Through operating on multiple deceased players of the Pittsburgh Steelers who turned crazy before their death, Dr. Omalu discovered CTE. CTE, as mentioned before is a form of encephalopathy, and is also a progressive degenerative disease found in people with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as sub-concussive hits to the head that do not cause immediate symptoms. This informative tale explains that when players undergo several years of intense practices and hundreds of games, the brain slowly deteriorates from the inside out. Since it progresses at such a slow pace, it is hard to recognize, but worsens with every blow to the helmet a player takes. PPCHS varsity football player Ezekial Alexander said, “It scares me to know that the sport I have played and loved all my life could be my ultimate downfall in the end. At the same time I am happy that they caught this disease early in my life and can find a cure or solution that would allow me to continue my football career without facing life threatening consequences when it is over.” The widely recognized and highly talked about sport has now been credited not only with being America’s favorite pastime, but the cause of many major sports related brain injuries. Clearly, research shows that there are intense repercussions that accompany this beautiful sport. With every clash of helmets, football players are under the influence of severe head trauma and it often goes unnoticed, but it is hard not to notice when the effects kick in later on. Americans will continue to hold this sport dear to their hearts, however this serious issue has sent award winning athletes into steep downward spirals. Rules and regulations, along with endless scientific research will be used to calm the storm, but the issue will never truly be resolved. All the way from pee-wee football to the NFL, an injury to this extent becomes possible every time a player steps foot on the field, and these terrible injuries are sure to cause maximum damage.
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Matthew Den
On the morning of December 4th, the University of Miami introduced one of i canes quarterback who played at Boca Raton High, takes over for the fired Al Golde Sports Editor
which was the worst in school history. Miami went on to finish the regular season w Larry Scott’s final game, the Canes unfortunately lost a close battle to Washington S Now Richt, the former Georgia coach who was out of work for less than a week, w first ACC championship next season, not that just conference championships are Ri “With Richt as the new head coach of UM, I feel that this team will be expected to Although those are high expectations, I think that they can realistically be met,” sai One of the first things Richt said at his introductory press conference was that he i U and I’m very excited about the possibility of that,” the new Miami coach said. It was fired on November 29th after an impressive 15-year career at Georgia. Days la take over as the Hurricanes new coach. By the evening of December 2nd, news of h press conference that had the feel of a pep rally, Richt was officially named the 24th “Mark Richt is the perfect coach to get this team back to being ‘The U’ again. He to get this team to the top again,” said sophomore Ivan Rodriguez. In Richt, the Hurricanes are getting a proven winner and a coach who understand played for legendary coach Howard Schnellenberger and was a backup to NFL Ha State as an assistant under Bobby Bowden before taking over as Georgia’s coach i record that included an 85-40 mark in SEC play. His teams played for five SEC cha Under Richt, Georgia had nine bowl appearances and finished in the AP Top 10 se the Hurricanes went 11-2 under former coach Larry Coker, who led Miami to its las that same kind of success. Given the talent that he has to work with along with his o
Jags That Prow
Hayley Hartwell & L
The boys and girls soccer team have had a rough year this season. Going into a haven’t played before. Heading into the new soccer season the girls Varsity team k
Student Life Editor & Techn
returning to the state finals. Losing five key seniors and the coach that had lead the have major obstacles to overcome. Without Patricia Yordan aiding the Jaguars in th upcoming season. The Lady Jags welcomed two new freshman goalies, Lindsey Lit to their former position. “I believe we are still a strong contender to do well in regionals, we just have to fin an advantage that we have gotten to play them so many times because it allows us to Being placed into a new bracket that features a very tough opponent in American He Having lost twice to them already the girl’s team will have to face them in the dist from the district. The Lady Jags ended the regular season 8-4, which got them to the The boys team have had a rough season this year. Losing their main striker, Jason Is the boys team would have to work harder offensively and defensively. There have b cause of mistakes in the back. However, with each game Like the girls, the boys team faced the powerhouse school American Heritage. Th 2-1. It was a close 1-1 game until Heritage got a penalty to make the game 2-1. The twice, the boys were able to learn from their mistakes and improve for future games “It’s been a difference from last year. Not having Danny Meltzer in the defense mak so it’s still solid in the back. I believe that we still have a chance to win States this y With a 9-5 record, the boys team were able to clench a spot in Districts. They got in 2 on Wednesday, January 20, the boys played the boys played Hallandale. Winning w Quarterfinals, but luck wasn’t on the boys’ side that day. The boys were able to score a goal and take a 1-0 lead in the first half. Despite havin more goals which lead to their defeat. Hallandale was able to get a penalty in the la teams were unable to score in extra time so the winner would be decided in penaltie Unfortunately, luck was not on the boy’s side and their season ended as they lost in able to go further than last year. It was a great experience for all the players on the t While the boys season has ended, the girls team has qualified to Regional state fina
optimism for the U
Graphic By: Katie Perez Graphic By: Nicole Mercadal
Matthew Hernandez & Frank Mora
no
its alumni, Mark Richt, as its new football coach. Richt, a former Hurrien, who was dismissed on October 25, a day after a 58-0 loss to Clemson, with four wins in its last five games and an 8-4 record. In interim coach State by a score of 20-14 in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. will take over a young, talented roster that will look to make a run for its icht’s expectation for his alma mater. compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff in the next few years. id junior Brandon Liguori. intends to stay at Miami. “My goal is to finish my coaching career at the t was an emotional whirlwind of a week for the 55-year-old Richt, who ater, he interviewed with Miami officials and emerged as the favorite to his imminent hire had leaked out of Coral Gables and two days later at a h coach in school history. knows the program better than any other coach and knows what it takes
ds both the tradition and expectations at Miami. The former quarterback all-of-Fame member Jim Kelly. He began his coaching career at Florida in 2001. In his 15-year career with the Bulldogs, he compiled a 145-51 ampionships, with the Bulldogs winning twice. even times. The last time Miami finished in the top 10 was in 2003 when st national title in 2001. Now, Richt looks to lead the Hurricanes back to own knowledge and personnel, he should get the team there in no time.
wl the Field
LJ Lemmers
nology
The Great Debate: Messi vs. Ronaldo
Editor
a new district, 4A, they faced a lot of new opponents this year who they knew they would have a tough journey ahead of them if they planned on team to two consecutive state appearances the 2015-2016 season would he goal the defense knew they would have to step up even more for the tton and Thalia Garcia, who have potential to assist the team to get back
nd the right formation to be able to shut American Heritage. I think it is o get to know them and their tactics,” said junior Hadley Rosendall. eritage High School has proved to be the toughest challenge for the team. trict finals and possibly another round since the top two teams move on e district finals against American Heritage. saacs, main defender, Danny Meltzer, and star keeper, Michael Martinez, been many games where the boys have been unable to hold the lead be-
he first time the boys encountered Heritage on November 5th, they lost second game saw the boys Jags lose 3-1 to them. Despite losing to them s. kes things harder, but we have Yannick Blackman in the defense as well year, maybe even better than last year,” said senior William Suarez. 2nd place so they got a spot to go straight through the semifinals. Playing would have clenched the boys a spot to go to District finals and Regional
ng a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game, the boys were unable to score ast minute of the game and tie to make the game go to extra time. Both es. n penalties. It was a great season for the boys overall. Despite not being eam. als and will play…
F
Staff Writers
or many soccer fanatics around the globe, the topic that is always up for discussion is who is the best player in the world, Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo? With Messi recently edging out Ronaldo for the 2015 Ballon d’Or trophy, the most prestigious individual award in soccer, on January 11th, the debate has been heating up. Lionel Messi is from Rosario, Argentina and is extraordinarily small for a soccer player, standing at 5’7’ and weighing 148 lbs. Messi wears #10 for Football Club Barcelona, better known as FC Barcelona. Messi is a phenomenal player and despite having a growing disability, he has worked as hard as everyone else if not harder to get to where he is. Messi’s World Accolades: Messi has the most Ballon d’Or’s ever at 5. Messi is the youngest two-time, threetime, four-time, and five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or at the age of 23, 24, 25, and 28. Messi set the record for the most goals scored in club and country at 91 goals in 2012, and he also set the record for the longest goal scoring run in a professional league in a single season at 33 goals in 21 games in the season of 2012-2013. Messi’s Europe Accolades: Messi has 2 UEFA Best Player in Europe awards in 2011 and 2015 which is the most ever. He also has the record for most goals scored for club in a calendar year at 79 goals in 2012. Messi is the only player ever to be the top goal scorer in 5 Champions League seasons: 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, and 2014-15. Messi also has 5 hat-tricks in the Champions League which is the most ever. He has the most goals ever scored in a Champions League match at 5 (shared with Luiz Adriano), and he is the youngest player ever to make 100 Champions League appearances at 28 years old and 2 months. Messi’s League (La Liga) Accolades: Messi is the top goal scorer in La Liga with 295 goals and he has the most assists ever in La Liga at 116. In the 2011-12 season he set the record for the top goal scorer in a La Liga season at 50 goals. In El Clasico (when Barcelona plays rival Real Madrid) Messi has the most goals ever (21), the most assists ever (13), and the most hat-tricks ever (2). Sophomore, Zachary Purrone said “Personally I think Messi is better, his skill set is through the roof. His shooting and dribbling are phenomenal and there is so much more to his game. I understand Ronaldo may have a few more goals all-time than Messi, but Messi is 2 years younger so to be as close as he is truly is astonishing.” All time (including club and country) Messi, at the age of 28, has 480 goals. Many soccer fans around the world beg to differ when it comes to Messi being the best footballer on the planet. They would say that title goes to CR7, also known as Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo was born in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal. He started his professional football career at Sporting CP in Lisbon, Portugal. He began in the academy team at age 16 and moved his way up the ranks to the first team in that same year. Ronaldo was so talented that by the end of his first year with Sporting, Premiere League giant Manchester United bought the player for 12.24 million Euros. He then spent 6 years with the Red Devils scoring 84 goals in 196 appearances before his current club Real Madrid bought the player for a then World Record fee of 94 million Euros. Ronaldo’s World Accolades: Ronaldo has the most appearances in the FIFPro World XI with 9 (shared with Messi). He is the only man to win the Champions League, League Cup, League MVP, League Super-cup, Golden boot, Club World Cup, and Ballon d’Or for two different clubs. Ronaldo is the first man to score more than 50 goals in four consecutive seasons and is the only player to score more than 50 goals in 5 consecutive seasons. He also is the only player in history to have scored 60 or more goals in a calendar year four times and the Real Madrid man has 3 Ballon d’Or’s to his tally. Ronaldo’s Europe Accolades: CR7 has the most appearances in the UEFA Team of the Year with 10 and the most consecutive appearances with 9. The No.7 man holds the record for most goals in a single Champions League group stage with 11 and most goals in a Champions League calendar year with 16. Ronaldo has scored the most away goals in Champions League history (39) and is the fastest player to score 250 goals in one of Europe’s top 5 leagues (La Liga). He also holds the record for most European Golden Shoe awards with 4 and he has the most goals scored in Champions League history with 88. Ronaldo’s League (La Liga) Accolades: Ronaldo has the most hat-tricks in La Liga history with 28 and he was the first player to score more than 50 goals in four [consecutive] seasons in Spanish football. Cristiano is also the fastest player to score 300 official club goals and is the player with the best goal ratio in La Liga history with 1.10 goals per game (over 100 games). Sophomore Matthew Perez said “Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player to have a football at his feet, simply put. The Portuguese star is virtually unguardable on the pitch and he is a constant attacking threat that gives opposing managers nightmares. Although Messi may have great skill we have never seen quite a player that is the goal scoring machine Cristiano is.” All time (including club and country) Ronaldo, 30, has 518 goals. Messi and Ronaldo have constantly proven throughout the course of their careers that they deserve to be the main two candidates in the conversation for the best footballers in the world. So now it’s your choice, Messi or Ronaldo?
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The Force is reawakened with Star Wars’ Episode VII
Graphic by: Matthew Perez
David Cha-Kim News Editor
“I n my experience there is no such thing as luck,” said the late Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi in Episode IV: A New Hope. This quote can be applied greatly to the profound success that Star Wars Episode VII:
The Force Awakens has amassed since its release in December, as it can hardly be attributed to luck in any way, shape, or form. The hard work put into the film under director JJ Abrams, John Williams, the original composer of the films, and the superb cast, including the returning Mark Hamill (Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), and Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), has well-earned the film its spot at number two on the highest grossing films of all time, surpassing even James Cameron’s Titanic for total box office in the United States. Arguably no other three movies have had as much influence on popular culture as the original trilogy of George Lucas’ world famous critically acclaimed franchise, Star Wars, spanning from 1977 to 1983. However, the prequel trilogy spanning from 1999-2005, didn’t meet nearly as much success. Episodes I-III were harshly criticized for their unnecessary plot buildup, overuse of computer-generated imagery (CGI), and at often times simply poor acting. Many fans of the original series thought that it could only go downhill from that point, especially when they heard more details about Episode VII which was set to be released in 2015. Fans began to grow skeptical when it was announced in 2012 that Disney would be purchasing the franchise from George Lucas and grew even more skeptical when it was announced that he would not be the director for the sequel trilogy. “As a long-time Star Wars fan, I’ll admit I didn’t quite know how I felt when I heard Lucas wouldn’t be directing VII,” says junior Aspen Oudshoorn. “But as soon as I saw the trailer my excitement left no room for worrying.” However, on December 18th, 2015, Disney’s first attempt at a Star Wars film casted fireworks all over the skies of the film world. Set about 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star at the end of Episode VI, the Galactic Empire is for the most part destroyed with the exception of the First Order, an organization stemming from the ideals and remnants of the former Empire led by the late Vader, Luke’s father. Following the victory of the rebels in the war against the Empire, Luke began training young Jedi in order to ensure the Jedi Order would not turn extinct. However, one student was tempted by the powers of the dark side and betrayed his classmates, killing all of them. This student as would later become Kylo Ren, the leader of the First Order. Luke, feeling responsible for the deaths of his students, escaped to an isolated planet, as his emotions overwhelmed him. As tensions between the Republic and the First Order grew, General Leia, Luke’s twin sister, began to seek out her brother’s location as they would need him to secure victory in the war. After witnessing the cruelty of the First Order against innocent civilians and deciding to defect from the militia with the help of a skilled Rebel pilot, one storm trooper, named Finn, crash-lands on a desert planet, where he meets Rey, a tough and strong-willed scavenger whose droid contains a top-secret map. Together, the pair joins forces with a now aged Han Solo to make sure the Resistance receives the information regarding Luke’s location, to put an end to the First Order’s terror. On their journey, the three also have to take at hand the task of disabling a new Empire ship, capable of destroying entire planets similar to the Death Stars shown in the original trilogy. Themes of internal family conflict return in Episode VII, providing for a very devastating plot twist, and though much of the plot basis was similar to Episode IV, VII brought great development to characters that had just been introduced in a way that has never been seen before, while still managing to have a key focus on the series’ original protagonists And with Finn being played by a British-Nigerian actor, John Boyega, the series showed an increasing ethnic spectrum, showing that the times are always changing, even with a series as classic as Star Wars. “Episode VII kept everything relevant and important to the plot, which made it easier to watch and more interesting,” said junior Jonathan Herbert. “That was something the prequels completely failed at doing.” Receiving a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and receiving Oscar nominations in five different categories, The Force Awakens is easily one of the most critically acclaimed, impactful, and successful films in recent years, and leaves no more doubt in the minds of Star Wars fans concerning Disney and JJ Abrams’ ability to keep them happy with quality film work. The hype-train anticipating the next two films in Disney’s sequel trilogy is already well on its way down the tracks.
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Helping or Hurting
9an :07am: January 14th 2016. NBC 6 South Florida tweets “Inmate charg execution,’ said #Miami Police in search for culprits who killed mental
is just one example of the relationship of social media and violence, there With news stations, police departments, and government agencies all on there are many different opinions on how good and how valuable these si threats of school campuses, gun violence is an incredibly dangerous topic to strengthen gun laws because there were too many tragedies occurring w In an interview with Anderson Cooper, film director Spike Lee said tha Twitter or Facebook posts “not by typing something on their phones but b “I believe social media has a huge impact on gun violence. Social medi media is initially disconcerting but it does make you aware of dangers and The National Rifle Association (NRA) does not support stronger gun law the NRA went live that said, “Good morning shooters! Happy Friday! W posted in the first place. The timing of the tweet did not help matters. “Honestly, in today’s world, there’s a lot to fear. If I hear about a bomb th though because, to be honest, I think they’re part of the safety problem,” While social media can be used to desensitize people and crimes, some is one way to get news out quickly. On January 12th, Apollo Middle Sch (local10.com). The Hollywood Police Department tweeted throughout the “Social media helps society when mass shootings occur because it give are,” shared sophomore Alex Ruiz. There are also mixed emotions about what the role of social media should out information in patches can cause more distress than necessary. Howev of how intertwined social media and gun violence should be. Assistant Principal Ms. Yanez stated, “I think social media is both a ble administration and local police, I think it’s wise. At some level, Social Me “Social media should strive for gun safety not violence. With many ‘jokes me feel annoyed that, in 2016, people still need posts that tell them guns c Gun violence is not a topic to take lightly at all. With so many things in t having to lose a loved one because of one quick shot. What the role of soc
Do musical ‘thri Nadira Danticat Staff Writer
T he halls of Pines Charter are always filled with a sea of students with he doing the usual like holding back tears to 25 by Adele or bumping to Kany
some are listening to artists like Eminem and Marilyn Manson. All of thes average teen; however, some say the last two are just a small percentage to incite violence with their music. The debate over whether music with blame for America’s mass shootings has been brewing for more than a d artists truly trigger violence in adolescents? Research says yes...and no. Junior Edward Brown says, “A person may be influenced into violent m weak will of the person committing the act. Tying violence to violent ly to do, but they’re really just two independent things that don’t really affe murder is a murder and a song is a song.” A great deal of research has pointed towards a correlation to the music pe they commit. A study published by the American Psychological Associatio lyrics increase aggression related thoughts and emotions and this effect is the lyrics” (APA). According to surveys by the American Academy of Pe four to five hours a day listening to music. If all of the music listened to listener violent as well, right? Not necessarily. Data shows that during the its peak with groups like NWA and Geto Boys at the forefront, both overa U.S. declined. The relationship between violent lyrics and violent crimes In particular, when it comes to school shootings, is violent music to bla know the story of the tragic Columbine High School massacre. In 1999, School in Colorado took over the school and killed 12 students, one teac most don’t know is that they were avid fans of heavy metal music. Band were listened to repeatedly throughout their high school days. Marilyn M scapegoat for the shootings, even saying that “Columbine nearly ruined say that bullying and video games are more at blame for the massacre, ra genres, but many argue say it was a considerable factor. Pines Charter’s band director Mr. Daugherty said, “I do think that violen iors. Football players listen to loud, exciting music before a big game bec contrast, people listen to calming music to meditate and do yoga. I’m not is going to cause someone to go out and kill puppies, but music is definite Clearly, Jaguar Way has many divergent opinions on the correlation betw search on the topic tends to contradict itself, but maybe we should all think to before we pop in those headphones.
g: Social Media and Its Message on Gun Violence Taylor Horan
Managing Editor - Web
ged with triple slaying accused of trying to kill fellow inmate.” 9:43am: January 14th 2016. CBS 4 South Florida tweets “‘This was lly challenged teen.” Going through news stations on Twitter will only bring similar results of death and crime in the area. While this e are many more. n major social networks, all utilize the likes of Twitter and Instagram to gets news out quickly. In the discussion of social networks, ites are. The same goes for how social media impacts gun violence. With more and more mass shootings occurring, and many more c. There has been many discussion of gun violence recently. President Obama announced that he would be ordering executive orders with guns as the weapon. Social media blew up after President Obama’s speech. at “social media is partly to blame for the escalation in homicides in [Chicago] (thewrap.com).” “Gangsters respond to Instagram, by bang, bang, bang,’ Lee said in the interview. Lee’s upcoming film Chi-Raq discussed the “epidemic of gun violence in Chicago.” ia always has too much coverage and violence making gun usage seem common place. Seeing things about gun violence on social d how not to be a victim,” shared sophomore Melanie McCleary. ws and feels that gun laws violate the second amendment. On the morning of the Auoroa, Colorado shootings, a scheduled tweet from Weekend plans?” The tweet was removed; however, the pro-gun organization still received tons of backlash that this tweet would be
hreat, I’m avoiding the location, because there’s always a slim chance the threat is for real. I don’t follow the police on social media, said junior Tobe Osakwe. feel that social media helps when a shooting, or really any violent acts, occurs. When there is violent acts happening, social media hool and Hollywood Park Elementary School were placed on lockdown when a gun was found on the campus of the middle school e event to keep parents and those of the community posted. Luckily, nobody was harmed in this incident. es people awareness. Social media has helped me support harsher gun laws because it makes me realize how many incidents there
d be in terms of shootings. While it is important to get the information out quickly, not all of the details are available at once. Sending ver, many people would rather know something rather than know nothing. This conflicting opinions cause the discussion to continue
essing and a curse, because in instances of safety and security, especially on a school campus, the more information controlled by edia can assist [during a school shooting]. In situations like that, it’s case by case and moment by moment.” s’ taken seriously, I’m careful on social media to not break any laws, especially any serious ones. Seeing posts about shootings makes can kill. [Guns] were literally designed to kill. Wake up America,” shared senior Lawrence Marable. the media that downplay it and desensitize the population, it is important to remember how severe gun violence can be. Just imagine cial media should be in terms of gun violence is not concrete. However, it is obvious to state that there are positives and negatives.
ills’ create kids who kill?
Photo by: Sydney Silverberg
Shootings Through the Screen Lauren Cookley & Lauren Ramirez Community Outreach & Staff Writer
O n TV, we often see violence in many action and adventure movies. It is said that violence in the media has been increasing and reaching proportions
eadphones in their ears. Some are ye’s latest Soundcloud tracks, but se artists may seem normal to the e of artists who have been known violent lyrics and messages is to decade. But do violent lyrics and
music, but the problem lies in the yrics seems like the logical thing ect each other at all. In the end, a
eople listen to and the violent acts on found that “songs with violent directly related to the violence in ediatrics, today's teenagers spend o is violent, it’s sure to make the e period when “gansta rap” was at all crime and violent crime in the is complicated to say the least. ame? As Americans, most people , two seniors of Columbine High cher, and injured 21 others. What ds like KMFDM and Rammstein Manson, specifically, was the main d his career” (Softpedia). Critics ather than their preferred musical
nt music can cause violent behavcause it gets them pumped and in saying listening to violent music ely a powerful thing.” ween music and violence. The rek twice about what we’re listening Graphic by: Natalie Laurent
that are possibly dangerous to others. The average American watches nearly five hours of programing each day, 98% of which is watched on a traditional television set, according to Nielsen Company. Nearly two-thirds of TV programs contain some physical violence (psychiatrictimes.com). According to the New Jersey local news, those who defend violent movies will often argue that there are millions of moviegoers who never commit violent acts. However, the counterargument states that, in some circumstances and for some people, watching violent movies does contribute to violent behavior. A generation ago, John Hinckley found a movie so “persuasive” that he shot President Reagan to impress actress Jodie Foster. “The people that defend violent movies defend their First Amendment right to make violent movies. Okay. They also maintain that what is seen in movies or television never persuades anyone. But that is not true. If stories on screen did not persuade, no one would ever pay to advertise,” reports NJ.com. “It’s concerning to think that movies and tv shows can affect people’s minds so much that it would make them do something like a shooting. I don’t think it’s directly correlated though, the person would probably have to have mental issues before watching the movie for it to affect them that much”, said senior Vanessa Osorio. Through research, reports often indicate many mass killers were addicted to violent video games. For instance the Sandy Hook Elementary shooter was a frequent player of violent first-person shooter video games. It was said his existence largely involved playing violent computer video games in a bedroom. Recently, researchers at Ohio State University conducted a study and concluded that, “People who have a steady diet of playing these violent video games may come to see the world as a hostile and violent place.” Brad Bushman, professor of communication and psychology at OSU, continues, “These results suggest there could be a cumulative effect” in making video game players more aggressive and violent over the long term as well as over the short term (charismannews.com). Both pop culture and TV media are said to influence school shootings in a prominent way, though this issue is still up for debate.
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Technology puts finger on gun control Melissa Pierce & Taylor Horan
I
Graphic by: Katie Perez
Entertainment Editor & Web Managing Editor
“ f we have the technology that won’t unlock your phone without the right fingerprint, why can’t we do the same for our guns?”(theatlantic.com). These were the words spoken by President Barack Obama during his most recent speech concerning gun control that sparked a nation-wide technology revolution. The president’s use of plain logic prompted many key players in the gun industry to immediately start researching, developing, and marketing ‘the iPhone of guns’. These smart guns would primarily use the owner’s fingerprint to determine whether or not the intended user of the gun is authorized to fire it. “Most crimes are done with illegally obtained guns, these probably wouldn't have the finger code. It seems implementing finger codes into guns will reduce the gun related crime rates only among those who obtained guns by stealing them only. I think this feature should be implemented in guns, but this alone won't be enough to completely stop gun related crimes,” shared senior Fernando Plati. The fingerprint scanner would conveniently be positioned where the fingers naturally rest when holding the firearm (intelligun.com). This feature along with a locking system and the standard safety functions would allow each gun to be unique and personalized to only one owner at a time, and all of these new commodities would not affect the design of the firearm in terms of weight, shape, look, or feel (intelligun.com). “I feel that the funds needed to create these types of weapons would overrule the overall endpoint of the project. Not every gun would be removed from the world either. I don’t think this increased technology on guns would increase safety because it is too impractical with all of the current weapons out there that don't have it,” said junior Tomas Elitz. Although the fingerprint scanner is the dominant new feature being added to guns, there are other security measures being considered for gun control. These measures include a watch worn by the owner that would act as a sort of anchor between the gun and the person authorized to use it, and a specialized chip embedded in the firearm that would render a gun inoperable if it approached electronically marked locations such as schools (washingtonpost.com). The technological innovations are endless when it comes to improving gun safety—it’s time the smartphone of guns made its debut.
The CHAT Editorial: Is virtual violence too real? David Cha-Kim
I
News Editor
n 2015, there were a mass shooting at least once a day in the United States, and approximately fifty of them were school shootings (Washington Post). Why is this generation of students on the rise for gun violence in schools? What's different about the kids then and the kids now? What is inciting this uprise in youth-on-youth firearm violence, in a place designated for education and friendships? Many psychologists point their fingers at the increase in violent media, particularly media in which people can immersively enter and control: video games. Video games have certainly evolved in the past decades following their slow yet at the same time quick ascension to popularity. As times wore on, technology only got better, including the tech used to make video games. Games are getting closer and closer to reality, and many experts think maybe a little too close to reality, especially when it comes to violent games, particularly those of the shooting genre. Call of Duty, and Grand Theft Auto are two of the top ten bestselling video game franchises ever, and apart from their long time success, they share quite a bit more in common: one aspect being that the gameplay is almost entirely focused on the use of firearms. While both these game series are rated by ESRB to be played by players of 17 or more years of age, a massive many ignore these ratings and polls show that the majority of current COD and GTA players had played a game from either franchise before they were even in their teens (IGN). “I’ve been playing Call of Duty since I was like nine years old,” says junior Chris Alegria. “It’s kind of weird looking back and realizing how young I was when I started playing shooters.” Do games like Call of Duty, where the objective is to take the lives of the opposing soldiers, or Grand Theft Auto, an RPG about playing as a criminal with gameplay permitting you to shoot anyone you see walking around innocently on the streets, have a correlation with the increase in shootings in the past several years, particularly among America’s youth, which is the center of the shooting game audience? A 2014 study from the University of Missouri-Columbia studied 70 young adults and their reaction to playing violent video games. The participants were randomly assigned to play either a violent video game or a non-violent video game for a period of 25 minutes. Afterwards, the participants competed against an opponent in a controllable task, allowing them to choose how aggressively they could blast their opponent with sound. The results showed that the players of the violent games were more aggressive with their blast than those who were assigned to the non-violent game. Another study in Social Psychological and Personality Science, showed that aggression brought from playing video games can last for up to 24 hours after playing if the player continues to think about the game. Also, those who spend more time playing video games are less startled and more desensitized to violent content in other forms of media like movies or television shows. However, while many studies have shown a small correlation between violent video games and increase in violent tendencies and desensitization, many other studies were also released debunking these claims in response. A project carried out by, Michael R. Ward, professor of economics, at the University of Texas at Arlington even went as far as to support the hypothesis that video games have a negative correlation with rising gun violence. In his project, which includes three separate methods of obtaining data, found that those who played violent video games actually committed less crimes than those who didn't. It's possible that the video games provide a source to vent anger, or simply keep people off the streets, giving people less opportunity to get into trouble. Also, people who are avid gamers are also in general usually quieter and get into less physical confrontations in real life. While many of the shooters in recent mass shootings were later revealed to have been players of shooter games, all of these shooters were also proven to have at least a mild case of mental illness. There are tens of millions of people who play those games and maintain healthy mental and social lives, even better than a lot of people who don't. “I play a lot of games with violence in them, whether it’s guns, swords, or completely fictional,” says junior Matthew Crenshaw. “But, they’re just video games. For someone with a stable mind, it’s not hard to tell them apart from the real world, where violence is so sensitive of a topic.” However, it would make sense that one with mental illness would be invited by video games to commit similar acts in the future, especially if their mental condition hinders their ability to distinguish between reality and non-reality. “Violent video games increase aggressive behavior as much as lead exposure decreases children IQ. Where is the artistic value of shooting innocent victims?” said former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Gun control is definitely a huge rising problem that needs to be addressed at once, especially with the 2016 election coming closer. However, putting the blame on video games themselves, like politicians such as Hillary Clinton have done in the past, is not a wise way to attempt to make the situation better. Keeping kids who aren't old enough to play certain games so that they may develop regularly and preventing mental health patients to play violent games, on the other hand, would be taking a step in the right direction. Also, like professor Michael R. Ward said, video games are an important part of media, entertainment, technology, etc. and putting restrictions on games would prevent the works of many brilliant artists from being published. Video games are not the simple pixelated images they were once before. Modern games pull players into them and bring them into the experience just as well as any other work of art. Everyone agrees that something needs to be done about the increasing rate of gun violence, but targeting the video game industry is highly unlikely to be the most effective way of doing so.
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Crafty new rides Nick Rivera Features Editor
It began with the arrest of Wiz Khalifa at the Los Angeles International Airport. The reason: using a hoverboard through security. In Khalifa’s words, for not wanting “to ditch the technology that everyone will be using in the next 6 months.” Spoken in August of 2015,
no one could have predicted how true his words would be. These two-wheeled Segway-like items have rolled into the top of the markets in the past few months, becoming one of the fastest growing products in 2015. Many retailers, including some Walmarts, Targets, and even Amazon, sold out over the holidays across the United States. Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales dropped the price of the boards, leading to an even greater amount of purchases. The result has been the continued sighting of the so-called hoverboards everywhere. It’s now 2016 and rarely a day goes by where a hoverboard isn’t spotted in public. Parks, malls, even local stores are filled with people gliding across the floor on what are being called hoverboards or “swegways.” “I think they’re super cool and they make me feel like we’ve gotten really technologically advanced. I like that they’re so easy to learn how to ride. It only took me a day to figure out how to ride one. It’s weird how you only need to shift your weight really slightly for it to move. I wasn’t expecting it to be so sensitive,” said senior Saman Govaria. With their rise in popularity, hoverboards have also sparked many controversies, one of which comes from their name. The term hoverboard can be rooted in the 1985 classic Back to the Future II. The name itself literally refers to a board that hovers above the ground without any physical contact. These new so-called hoverboards have two wheels which are in constant contact with the floor. The debates do not end at the name. Many safety concerns have also arisen. Because of the popularity, it is common to see people riding hoverboards throughout neighborhoods and walkways. Cities, like New York City, have made riding them in public illegal due to the possible harm that it could cause pedestrians walking. According to bbc.co.uk, the United Kingdom looked to the Highway Act of 1835 to prove that riding these were illegal, which states that it is an offense to drive “animals or a ‘carriage of any description’ on the footway.” Dictionary.com defines a carriage as “a wheeled vehicle for conveying persons,” thus including hoverboards in this realm. “I can’t believe how common these things are and how suddenly they became so common. I’m fine with people riding them on their own, but I’ve seen them being ridden in malls and other public places. I feel like this can cause an unnecessary danger to people,” said sophomore Arielle Hernandez. Other dangers have also been tied to hoverboards. Besides the obvious danger of falling off of the boards, there have been multiple reported cases of hoverboards and other similar vehicles exploding (wired.com). These problems mainly come from the quality of the batteries used in the hoverboards. Hoverboards are powered by lithium batteries. These lithium batteries, when charged, move ions from cathodes to anodes, and the ions move back as the battery loses charge (livescience.com). Temperatures in these batteries can rise by a lot through a process called thermal runaway, and when the particles get too hot it can cause explosions (gizmodo.com). While this is rare, it would very well cause a lot in damages when it occurs. The few cases in which this has happened are linked with cheaper hoverboards, which are equipped with lower quality batteries. Despite the spike in popularity over the past few months of these hoverboards, with all of the dangers and controversy surrounding them, there is no way to truly tell whether they will continue to rise in popularity or whether they will flop. Whether they do continue to succeed or not, more products are becoming available, such as the WalkCar, which is set to be released in the spring, the Hendo Hoverboard, which will be released in October, and many more (buzzfeed.com). A generation of walking may soon be replaced with one of solely wheels and hovering.
Graphic by: Natalie Laurent
Saving lives with one invention at a time Evan Samuels
A
Graphic by: Matthew Perez
Staff Writer
s the world around us begins to grow each and every day so does technology. Advances in technology are happening by the second, and it’s important to realize this change is for the better. Unfortunately as technology begins to grow in America, so does mass school shootings. According to the Huffington Post, in 2015 there were a massive 45 school shootings in the U.S. New inventions are being made by the day to thwart school shootings like “the metal cord, door barricade, bulletproof backpack, ballistic whiteboard, and online apps to monitor for homicidal plots”, according to an article in the Washington Post. The metal cord is pretty simple and affordable for all schools. It’s a wire with looped ends that surrounds the classroom door. This cord is made to secure the classroom door from the inside, and prevents the shooter from opening the door quickly. Sophomore Manuel Estremera said “This metal is a fast and easy invention that could save the lives of many. I hope our school is able to implement some metal cords into their classrooms so we can better protect all students.” The door barricade allows for the integrity of the door to be maintained, allowing no entry into the room. Junior Ana Colicchio said, “I think this invention needs to be put into all classrooms. The barricade makes it nearly impossible for anyone to get through the classroom doors, allowing school shootings not to occur. I believe schools in America need to take immediate action and they need to start using new inventions like the door barricade in an effort to prevent these unrighteous attacks to our schools.” The bulletproof backpack which will allow students to avoid gun attacks with their backpacks. This will give students the opportunity of avoiding a bullet in the case a school shooter gets through a school. Sophomore Vincent Pirro, said “This invention is definitely one of the better inventions. I think every student should own this kind of backpack in the case of an emergency.” The ballistic whiteboard is especially important because it is made for the teachers to carry around to protect themselves. According to Gizmag, “the idea of the ballistic whiteboard is in the event of an attack, the teacher could grab the board, get between the shooter, and then use it to protect themselves and the students.” Freshman Samantha Pratts said “This ballistic whiteboard was a genius invention. It will be able to cover the bodies of not only students but teachers and will be able to stop bullets.” Today apps are being made to monitor homicidal plots. This app will give school staffs the opportunity of being aware of an attacker. Sophomore Jorge Herrera said “I’m very happy to hear that there are now apps being made in an effort to prevent school shootings. This really shows you that technology is becoming more advanced in a positive way. Having inventions like the metal cord, door barricade, bulletproof backpack, ballistic whiteboard, and new apps to monitor homicidal plots, it will now be much safer for schools going into 2016. Hopefully these advancements in technology will provide a positive impact in schools throughout America and save lives.
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2016 Horosco
Brains Behind the Bullet
Nadira Danticat
Alexa Infante
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Staff Writer
t may be extremely hard to imagine what it feels like or the mental state it takes to walk into a school filled with so many bright young adults, and strip them of their vast futures ahead of them. It is hard to identify the exact “why” of the motives of a school shooter mostly because it is too hard to generalize. There have been 387 school shootings in the country since 1992, according to www.stoptheshootings.org. In the U.S., children ages 5-14 are 13 times more likely to be murdered with guns than in any other industrialized nation. Multiple psychologists have worked to identify traits that could raise flags as possible school shooters in order to prevent these catastrophes from occurring. Dr. Mark Stitham, a board-certified psychiatrist in child, adult, and forensic psychiatry on Oahu, says,” No one really knows for sure but there are common themes of extreme alienation, poor social skills and severe low esteem. After all, killing is the ultimate control over others, albeit in a horrific way.” It is true that a mental health pattern can be highlighted among the school shooters. Psychologists and experts believe it is important not to suspect a variety of groups mainly because very few people in total are school shooters as the acts are usually performed solo, and don’t want to influence a greater chance for attack. Dr. Martin Johnson, the founder of the Hawaii Center for Psychology, says, “Not all of those who suffer from mental health issues are violent. The key is to try to distinguish between the two.” This means that while the trend may be that those that are violent in this nature have a mental health issue, those who have these issues are not necessarily violent. That way those with serious mental health issues are heavily scrutinized just to ensure that if they show signs of violent nature, they are controlled with time. Other traits besides mental health that can be prevalent in school shooters are a history of violence, a distant social status, and in some cases substance abuse. There are no real solutions, but it is suggested to get a mental health check at one point especially if you notice someone who is exhibiting questionable behaviors. It cannot be guaranteed that a school shooting will or will not occur, but with the increase in interest on the issue by psychologists and other medical specialists, the situation will be more controlled so that we can continue to feel safe as we set foot on campus so we can open our minds and learn, not lock our doors and hide.
Capricorn
December 21-January 20 This year might be your most productive yet, and by doing what you do best: taking things slow. You may achieve a lot, whether it be piddly or monumental. Going with the flow will lead to positive developments in your career, in school, in love, and in life in general.
Cancer
June 21-July 22 This will be a year that Cancers everywhere will experience mostly positive changes--especially at home and with family. Romance will be a stronger aspect of life than of previous years. 2016 will just be a year of surprises.
Aquarius
January 20-February 18 It’s been a long time coming, but your hard work will finally be acknowledged this year, Aquarius! Your creativity may be praised and you may experience a yearning for knowledge and spontaneity. Any romance will come at you when you truly least expect it.
Leo
July 23-August 22 The new year brings a new and improved Leo who is truer to themselves and others. You may become more a giver, which will attract good people in your life--possibly romantically and definitely socially. Hard work will do wonders for the future.
Pisces
Staff Writer
February 19-March 20 2016 is the year of the Powerful Pisces. You may gain a ton of new friends who help you grow this year. A sense of boldness will develop within you and you will step outside your comfort zone as a result. The year will cultivate more romance for singles and couples alike.
Virgo
August 23-September 22 You will be brimming with creativity this year, Virgo. Put these ideas and concepts to good use and you will attract great opportunities and great people. A new relationship has potential to bloom if you move on from the past and anything holding you back.
Arie
March 21-A The new year r opportunities f cement your pu Aries. Your har take-charge at cause you to e things professio sss
Libr
September 23-O Your signatu charm and socia come in hand and grant you es to excel s career-wise, f and relatio Remain ambiti rewards will si to you.
Triggering a Shot Sarah Barrocas Staff Writer
Those who once seemed sane experience a shift to insanity, disguising their crazed interior beneath the one deadly mindsight at hand- to kill. With a pull of the trigger, a bullet is released, the life of a student o
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Photo by: Katie Perez
the life, mind, body, and soul of the victims and witnesses of school shootings. A bullet weighs a heav remotely normal life again. School shootings have pressed a negative impact upon many of its witnesses and victims. Many have su or trauma, leading the individuals to question the current state of their mental well-being. Some people are others have decided to continue to remain quiet. Marjorie Lindholm, a survivor of the 1999 school shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, CO, experiences, “I haven't been able to get over the shooting… I dropped out of high school... I switched to a it took five years for me to tell my mom where I was [in the school when the Columbine shootings happen lot more years till I'm at the point where I can really live with it every day and not be upset.” (WebMD.co The news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school that left 26 people dead, 20 of them child Bloom, a clinical psychologist, mentions, “These tragedies can completely trigger some of the nightmares and powerlessness.” Kacey Johnson, another survivor of the Columbine Massacre, shares her reawakened trauma, “Having b most of the world. I don't have the thinking that this would never happen at my child's school. I think the co that tell her kids will be safe and those that tell her that this could happen again, making one of her kids a Started in the summer of 2012, after a gunman opened fire at a movie theater in Aurora, CO., survivor Rebels Project. This project aims to reach out and help other survivors of mass shootings and families o transforming their pain into power- something called psychological alchemy. Graduating from PPCHS in class of 2014, Carolina Feliciano was in the library just before a shootout occ faculty immediately stepped in to console those who endured the shootout, there was counseling and brea Those who survive these tragic events are bonded by the everlasting support they give to one another in play of every moment may still be engraved in their minds, but they now have a stronger sense of love an
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April 19 rings in new for you to ublic image, rd work and ttitude will excel in all onal. As for
The CHAT Editorial: Mental Illness or Revenge? You be the judge Taurus
April 20-May 20 For those with the sign of Taurus, 2016 is all about reinventing yourself. You will meet new people, try new things, and possibly change your opinion on a few things. Love and strong emotional bonds await, but don’t forget to put yourself first.
Gemini
May 21-June 20 Amidst all the hate for your sign, you will prosper this year, Gemini, but only if you ensure it. Attention must be focused on progress, making clear and thoughtful decisions, and caring for the ones that matter the most to secure success. Graphic By: Nicole Mercadal
Cristina Feliciano Lifestyle Editor
Regardless of age or gender, we all have that one thing that makes us tick: whether its people pushing past you to get to class or someone who constantly bullies you. The real difference is in what we do afterwards.
Photo by: Katie Perez
ra
October 22 ure Libra al skills will y this year new chancschool-wise, family-wise, onship-wise. ious and the imply come
Scorpio
October 23-November 22 2016 is the year you break free from anything holding you back, Scorpio. An emphasis on patience and willpower will guarantee success. Chances of romance will be at an alltime high so make sure to turn on the charm.
at Sanity
Sagittarius
November 23-December 21
This year might start off a bit slow, but no Sagittarius should worry because it simply means there is more time to refine the skills that make you the star you are! Your health will be at its peak this year and if you’ve been yearning for a meaningful relationship, this may be your year.
eir ordinary exterior. A school shooter walks onto a school campus with or staff member ends. The single shot of the silent killer pierces through vy boulder on anyone attempting to accept the reality of never living a
uffered or are still suffering from different levels of post-traumatic stress e able to cope with the realization of the tragedy with relative ease while
and author of A Columbine Survivor's Story shares her road to recovery an online degree, so that I don't have to walk into a classroom anymore... ned]... And I think that it's always ... a process and it's still going to be a om) dren, presents a new danger to past victims of school shootings. Paula s and flashbacks, damaging recovery and bringing back feelings of terror
een the one in a million that this happens to, my reality is different from omplete the opposite." (CNN.com) Johnson battles between the thoughts a victim. rs of school shootings and their parents have created a group called the of the victims. Many survivors find peace in talking to other survivors,
curred at FSU’s Strozier Library. She comments, “Our student body and akout groups so students could help each other.” n order to accept the past and move forward into the future. The play by nd friendship amongst other individuals engraved in their hearts.
Is our first instinct to fight back, stay quiet, or go over the edge? Usually it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back when it comes to school shootings and why they happen. With school shooters, it is usually a long, slow build of anger and resentment. They do not just wake up one morning and become a mass murderer. Peter Langman included in his book –Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters –that there are three distinct types of people who commit these horrific crimes. The first would be the traumatized shooter. This individual usually comes from a dysfunctional upbringing which could include poverty and/or abuse. Overall, there is no stability in their life which progressed their rage. The other two types of personality patterns are similar in the essence that they come from stable and intact families. But psychotic and psychopathic are two different traits. One who is psychotic is a person who loses sense with reality. A psychopath is a personality disorder where that person lacks emotion overall. Psychotic and psychopathic killers do not care about the laws or authority because they get a thrill out of the fact that they have the power over life and death. According to http://everydaypsychology.com/ , “some adolescents kill because they’re chronically aggressive, cold and unfeeling. Others kill because they have been traumatized and are unable to tolerate their existence.” For any killer, damage to the orbital cortex of the brain is usually the key to a murder. The major violence gene is called the MAO-A gene. This is a sex-linked gene on the X chromosome, which is the chromosome that you can only get from your mother. This is usually why men and boys are more prone to be the school shooters. A girl receives one X chromosome from each parent, which dilutes it out. But boys can only get it from one parent which makes them much more aggressive. Within the past year, 2015 has had about 50 school shootings. This experience was very traumatizing for all Americans across the country. Usually for a homicide, there are many factors behind the motive. However, with mass shootings, the killers seem to have common reasoning for pulling the trigger and robbing someone of their life. On April 20, 1999, the two high schoolers that committed the mass murder of their classmates is something that stays with the American people to this day. Gunmen Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17 were the two boys that committed the Columbine High School shooting. The motive behind this shooting was a combination of things –being bullied, being influenced by video games, as well as being social outcast. For other mass murderers, like Adam Lanza, took their motive to their grave. Lanza was the man who took the innocent lives of 20 bright first-graders and six adults. These kids had their lives ahead of them, along with other victims of school shooting; and they were robbed of experiencing many of their firsts. With the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass homicide, police found through the evidence that Lanza definitely planned his actions, including committing suicide after the damage was done. Unfortunately there was no link as to why he did it or why he chose Sandy Hook to be the place where he ruined lives. Many of the school shooters decide to commit suicide at the very last second for a few reasons. One being that they do not want to deal with the repercussions of their sinful actions. Another reason could have to do with the reason why they did the shooting –because they felt lonely and isolated. It’s more common than not for a shooter to go into depression at a certain point in their life. And they think to themselves “It’s not worth it to live. Why am I still here? If no one wants me on this earth, they don’t deserve to be hear either.” Coming from his journal entry from December 29, 1998, Columbine shooter Eric Harris said “I hate you people for leaving me out of so many fun things. You people have my phone number, and I asked and all, but no. Don’t let the weird looking Eric kid come along.” For the FBI or any branch of law enforcement, it is very difficult for them to profile a school shooter. For a serial killer, killing people who look very similar could mean that the killer had a bad experience with a person in their life that looked the same as their victims. But as for school shooters, the homicide is extremely generalized. There is no pinpoint reasoning behind some of the school shootings. When asked what he thought goes through the mind of a school shooter, junior Devin Demenezes replied that “I think the shooter is not themselves. A lot of people think from anger and just react on emotion. I believe that the reasoning behind it is that they have a mental illness.” With about 50 school shootings in one year, there has been about two school shootings per month, which goes down in U.S. history as the deadliest year regarding school shootings. This is a very heavy thing for citizens to swallow throughout our society. Coping with the loss of a loved one is extremely hard and painful. However losing a 7 year old child who smiles as they skip to the bus, or losing a 18 year old freshman in college while they were studying for their college algebra final –that is something that no parent should experience. PPCHS Newspaper staff sends its condolences to anyone who has ever had to go through this tragedy.
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The Weekend Review Melissa Pierce
Entertainment Editor
State of the Union 2016:
In his final annual State of the Union address on Tuesday, January 12th, President Barack Obama encouraged Americans to look optimistically towards the future and reject the animosity associated with some portions of the political system. The President cordially acknowledged his critics and focused on fear and change for the nation as a whole (www.nbcnews.com).
Iran freed Americans:
The ten Americans sailors captured by Iran have been freed according to U.S. and Iranian officials. The sailors were captured on Tuesday, January 12th after their naval boats entered the water near Farsi Island. The sailors were interrogated for hours before they were released the following day and determined to have been in those waters on accident (www. cnn.com).
Powerball:
Many Americans rushed out to buy their two-dollar lottery ticket for the $1.2 billion Powerball. However, one could never buy enough tickets to guarantee winning; it would take more than nine years to buy every combination. There are expected to be over 440 million ticket sales this time around (www.money.cnn.com).
North Korea hydrogen bomb tests rattle U.S. LJ Lemmers
O
Technology Editor
n Wednesday, January 6th, North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a small hydrogen bomb. A 5.1 tremor was detected b the US Geological Survey (USGS) and South Korean officials said they suspected it was an explosion. North Korea boasted about th “spectacular success” of its first hydrogen bomb. Kim Jong Un said the test would “make the world look up to our strong nuclear country “I think North Korea made a bold statement claiming that they tested a hydrogen bomb. I think it made the other bigger countries mo wary of North Korea and will begin to start surveilling the country more than before,” said junior Aspen Oudshoorn. Many countries had mixed responses to the North’s test. A few days later, the United States responded by sending the B-52 bomber j from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam flew over Osan, South Korea. South Korean F-15 fighter jets and U.S. F-16 fighter-jets joined th B-52. South Korea's President said the test was a “provocation” and “threatening” the lives of his people and safety. China said they ha no notice of the bomb and Russia and NATO condemned the test (cnn.com). "This was a demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the America homeland," said PACOM Commander Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. The U.N Security Council, which included China, Russia, and the United States held a closed door meeting right after the test to find punishment necessary for North Korea and begin working on a new solution. After the meeting, the three countries condemned the test as “clear violation of past resolutions and of the nonproliferation regime” (cnn.com). The 15-member UN Security Council hoped to preve North Korea from receiving more nuclear weapons. Past measures to stop the state were arms, nonproliferation and luxury good emba goes, a freeze on overseas financial assets and a travel ban (cnn.com). None have been able to stop North Korea from continuing their test “North Korea doesn’t think that they could be bombed at any moment from the US. They believe that they are bigger than they are, b they aren’t close to the technology the US have. However, if North Korea starts to gain better nuclear weapons then it could be a wor problem in the future,” said junior Tobe Osakwe. However, there is some speculation if the bomb actually happened. The United States doesn’t think a bomb was actually detonated wi White House spokesman Josh Earnest saying “The initial analysis is not consistent with the North Korea claims.” Some experts say that different type of hydrogen bomb was set off. Norsar, a group in Norway that keeps tracks of nuclear tests, said that their seismic reading showed a blast equivalent to less than 10,000 tons of TNT. They also added that the test took place deeper underground which would mak it harder to monitor radiation and determine the type of weapon tested. The US, China, South Korea and Japan are all looking for airborn and ground radiation, but haven’t been able to find anything so far. If North Korea did successfully set off a nuclear bomb, it would be a ‘game changer.’ As North Korea continues to test nuclear bombs the scientists get more data and are closer to miniaturize nuclear weapons allowing them to send them with longer range missiles. Officia have stated that the test has given a sense of national pride in the country. It’s no wonder United States officials are very wary.
El Chapo:
Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was caught after six months on the run. He was captured by a team of Mexican Marines who raided the apartment where he was sleeping. It took about fifteen minutes for the Marines to gain control of the situation, which was captured in its entirety on a GoPro camera (www.abcnews.go.com).
Istanbul suspected bombing:
ISIS
The attack near the Blue Mosque left ten tourists dead, all of whom were foreigners. Terrorism is now affecting even tourism, and spreading its threat to all corners of the world. This attack is suspected to be the work of ISIS, for they have altered their strategy to affect more lives. It is just a part of spreading their message that anything can happen anywhere to anybody (www.nytimes.com).
Paris attack update:
Belgian officials claim to have identified three key locations in the Paris bombs in November that killed 130 people. They found bomb making materials, fingerprints, and DNA of two of the bombers as well as a third bomber in person. The apartment locations were rented by fake identities, and the people found are indeed in association with the ISIS forces (www.cnn.com).
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Graphic by: Nicole Mercadal
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Graphic by: Matthew Perez
Looghermine Claude Managing Editor - Content
225. If you follow the FBI’s definition, which is when four or more people are killed, that’s the number of mass shootings that have happened in the United States since 2006 (usatoday.com). 225. As recent as January 11, 2016, a person has opened fire on innocent civilians ranging from close family members to co workers to complete strangers.
This number makes the U.S. lead the world in the number of mass shootings. According to CNN, the U.S. has 31% of the world’s public shootings. Looking at the factors that separate the U.S. from other nations can help us understand why mass shootings happen so often and what we can do to stop them. One reason why the U.S. has the highest number of mass shootings is our gun culture. According to Adam Lankford, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Alabama, over half of U.S. citizens believe it is their right to own a firearm because of the Second Amendment (time.com). This leads to the U.S. ranking as number one in terms of gun ownership per capita with around 270 million firearms or 89 firearms per 100 resident (wsj.com). The high number of firearms in the country makes easier for anyone with malicious intentions to get hold of a gun and cause harm. “When compared to other countries like Australia, the U.S. doesn’t have very many gun control laws,” says senior Giselle la Hoz. “There is also a huge taboo when it comes to mental illness, which stops us from addressing it head on.” The copycat phenomenon is also a contributing factor to mass shootings. “Some researchers believe these mass killings can be contagious: One killing or shooting increases the chances that others will occur within about two weeks, an "infection" that lasts about 13 days, researchers found in another study this year” (cnn.com). The phenomenon says that national news media attention towards mass shootings reaches people who are at a higher vulnerability of causing those crimes. This makes vulnerable people more likely to commit crimes. The thought of becoming famous is another possible reason why more mass shootings happen in the U.S. Lankford says “Being famous is one of this generation's most important goals. It seems like Americans are growing in their desire for fame, and there is no doubt that that there is an association between media coverage that these offenders get and the likelihood that they will act,” (cnn.com). Lankford believes that many may see the amount of attention that shooters get when they cause a lot of damage. Those who want that same attention might go out and kill, just to get their screen time. “People want to be famous. They want everyone to know their name. For some, they work hard and try to create art or act or sing or dance. Others are looking to get famous fast and resort to things like mass shootings because the amount of media coverage shootings get spreads their name and the face around” said senior Sabrina Ferrero. Mass shootings in the United States could be so rampant primarily because of one reason or because of a combination of all of the reasons researchers believe. Each person is influenced differently by different outside forces, so it may be easier for researchers to look at the background of one shooter rather than make a general statement about all shooters. No matter what the case may be, there are way too many shootings in the U.S. and it needs to stop.
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News School Shootings: The Unfortunate history
2016 Electio W
ith the 2016 Presidential Election coming closer day by day, one of th 2015, which included several mass shootings. On the left side of the political spectrum, the Democratic Party feels that altho need for self-defense. The main goal of the Democratic Party is to strengthen g On the right side of the political spectrum, the Republican Party believes that t public hand for hunting and other recreational gun use, and are against gun laws their second amendment rights very dear to themselves and are hesitant to mak of the United States America.
Ted Cruz
Graphic by: Natalie Laurent
Cristine Alayon Clubs Editor
A pril 20th, 1999: Two student’s at the age of 18 and 17 opened fire at Columbine High School, Littleton, Colo. The shooters killed 12 students, a teacher, and ended up wounding 20+ students.
As a result, they killed themselves after the tragedy took place. February 29th, 2000: Shockingly, a 6-year-old boy who attended Theo J. Buell Elementary School, had been committed for a crime no other 6-year-old would know of. Appallingly, the boy shot and killed another 6-year-old female classmate. May 26th, 2000: The year 2000 was a ghastly one for Lake Worth Community Middle School in Palm Beach County. An honor student at the age of 13, shot and killed his teacher on the very last day of school. September 24th, 2003: Rocori High Schools’ 15-year-old freshman student shoots and kills two of his classmates. Both were young, 17 and 15. This day stained many lives of people all around Cold Spring, Minnesota. March 21st, 2005: One of the most deadly shootings took place at Minnesota’s Red Lake Senior High School this very day. A 16-year-old male killed his own grandfather along with his grandfather’s companion. The dreadful news didn’t end there. The male then headed to Red Lake Senior High School and murdered 5 students, a teacher, and a security guard. After, he took his own life. August 30th, 2006: Former student at 19, was arrested for a back to back murder. Bloodily, he killed his father and then head to Orange High School’s, NC, parking lot and wounded 2 students. Before the shootings, he sent an e-mail to the principal of Columbine High School that read: "Dear Principal, in a few hours you will probably hear about a school shooting in North Carolina. I am responsible for it. I remember Columbine. It is time the world remembered it. I am sorry. Goodbye." September 27th, 2006: An adult gunman raided Platte Canyon High School on a day that seemed like every other day. The man took 6 female students hostage and fatally took one of their lives at the age of 16-year-old. He then took his own life. April 16th, 2007: Despite all minor years of school shootings, it occurred at well-known college Virginia Tech. Gunman, 23, kills two people in a dormitory while on campus. A few hours later, he did the unthinkable and entered an academic building killing 30+ people and himself. October 26th, 2008: University of Central Arkansas’s two students, 18 and 19, were killed in a shooting carried out by multiple men. Shamefully, 4 men killed the two students while on campus at UCA. December 14th, 2012: Many know of this shooting that took place about 3 years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School. 20-year-old killer shot and killed his mother in their home before drying to Sandy Hook Elementary School. 26 lives were taken, 20 of whom are first-graders. He then, committed suicide. June 7th, 2013: Gunman, 23, killed his father and brother and then set their home on fire before another tragedy. He fled to the college campus in Santa Monica, California. While there, he randomly shoots at cars, resulting in killing 3 more and wounding others before he was killed by police. June 5th, 2014: Seattle Pacific University was faced with a life changing day. 26-year-old man shot on the campus of Seattle Pacific University. One man in his 20s was confirmed dead and 3 others injured. The call to 911 came in at 3:23 p.m. from Otto Miller Hall, after the shooter was pepper-sprayed and pinned down by a student guard. November 20th, 2014: Florida State University experienced a chilling crisis on this day. At the least, 3 people were injured after being shot at located at FSU’s library. Campus police arrived and shot and killed the gunman, 31. October 1st, 2015: T Most recent and major shooting during 2015 occurred at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. 9 resulted dead and 9 resulted injured.26year-old student shooter committed suicide
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P
assionate Texas Senator Ted Cruz believes that restricting the second am ment is a big mistake and he opposes taking away people’s right to have a fire He thinks that people having the right to firearms is detrimental to their protec and he said “you stop bad guys by using our guns, not by taking them away. also warned in the latest GOP Debate that “the government can take your guns i let them”. However, he does also acknowledge that there needs to be at least s moderate reform. Cruz (like Trump) believes intensive background checks sh be performed before allowing someone to purchase a gun. He also believes waiting period before buying.
Martin O’ Malley
T
hough he is one of the lesser known candidates of the 2016 race, O’ Ma has got a bold approach to possible gun reform. According to his website, he gone as far as saying “he has set a national goal of cutting deaths from gun viol in half within 10 years.” As president, O’Malley would require a background c for all gun sales, end unregulated internet gun and ammunition sales, streng background check processes, and encourage states to improve information sha which would require state governments to provide information on people who restricted from purchasing guns, like felons or people with a history of dom abuse. The former governor of Maryland is often overlooked, but is clearly ma a statement with his stance on gun control. Graphics by: Matthew Perez
News
on: The Candidates’ take on Gun Control Nadira Danticat & Frank Mora Staff Writers
he most important points under discussion is how each candidate views the policy of gun control, especially considering the ridiculous number of shootings and gun-related deaths in
ough citizens have the right to own firearms, they are subject to regulation. Democrats also are against citizens owning military grade assault weapons, believing that handguns meet the gun control to reduce violence. the ability to own firearms is a huge part of being an American citizen. Conservatives support the right to obtain and store ammunition without prior registration, support opening more suits and licensing, as they feel the majority of gun-owners are honest, law-abiding citizens. Though the Republican Party acknowledges the increasing problem of gun violence, they hold ke any bold gun control moves too quickly. The varied stances on gun control in America has created an even larger divide between the parties and the candidates for the next president
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Donald Trump
Marco Rubio
he leading Republican candidate feels quite strongly about this topic. He believes that people should definitely have the right to own a firearm and that should not even be up for debate. On his official website when talking about people’s right to bear arms he stated “The Second Amendment to our Constitution is clear. The right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed upon. Period.” Mr. Trump does feel that in-depth background checks should be performed if a person wants to obtain a weapon. Also he thinks that assault rifles should be banned for purchase.
uban Florida Senator Marco Rubio, known for his very conservative views, feels that the second amendment is a cornerstone to our democracy and it should not be compromised. He believes that newly proposed gun laws are ineffective and we shouldn’t pass them. Rubio said “Criminals will ignore gun laws because they're criminals”. Like many other key figures of the Republican Party, Senator Rubio believes that disarming the citizens will only make the situation worse, because those who truly seek to harm others with firearms will still have methods of obtaining them, regardless of government policy. Rubio feels that we should deal with gun violence, but that we should do it constitutionally.
Bernie Sanders
Hillary Clinton
T
K
nown for his progressive thoughts on college tuition, minimum wage, and women’s rights, Bernie Sanders is not explicitly known for his gun control policy. He is calling for stronger, instant background checks, a ban on semiautomatic guns, and an end to the “the gun show loophole” which allows people to purchase guns without a background check. During his 9-year senate run, Bernie has voted yes to banning high-capacity magazines of over 10 bullets, allowing firearms in checked baggage on Amtrak trains, and prohibiting product misuse lawsuits on gun manufacturers and voted no to decreasing gun waiting period from 3 days to 1. As he is from the pro-gun state of Vermont, Sanders shows somewhat of a conflict on the issue, which is something he is criticized for.
C
T
he leading Democratic candidate has used gun control as a major issue that she plans to address if given the presidency. She believes due to the frequent instances of gun-related crimes, we as a country need to enact stricter laws and policies to prevent these tragedies. Her solutions include extensive background checks, cracking down on illegal gun trafficking, and keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and stalkers. Like Obama, Clinton supports the development of “smart gun” identification technology that would prevent unauthorized gun use. One of her most unique and controversial stances is to revoke gun manufacturer immunity, hold them accountable for American endangerment, and allow them to be sued. It is no wonder gun control advocates see Clinton as an ally.
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