October 2010 - The Chronicle

7201 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs, FL 33065

Coral Springs High School

October 2010

News..................1-4 Opinion...............5-7 Feature..........8,9,12 Dimensions.....10,11 Entertainment 13-16 Sports.............17-20

INDEX

Volume XVIV Issue I

The official newspaper of the CSHS Colts

New AP scoring system Shahnawz Hardanian Staff Writer

SO MUCH FOR

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS Alec Kaye Staff Writer

The football team’s schedule has been changed this year, from having a majority of games played on Friday nights to being shared by thursdays because of the low number of districtemployed referees.

Four out of the ten varsity football games this year will be held on a Thursday. Members of the football team voiced their concerns over the inconvenience brought forth from a Thursday night game.

“Thursdays aren’t good for the team,” said linebacker Sampson Saint-Felix, about distrac-

tions during gameplay. “We think about homework and what we have to do for our classes.”

Depending upon the outcome of the previous night, some members would hold a negative attitude toward attending school the following day after a loss.

“After a loss, I [don’t] feel like talking,” said Saint-Felix. “Some ask questions about the game, and it’s difficult. I try to recuperate.”

Susan Leon-Leigh, principal, said that Thursday games were also necessary while she was in high school, “but you got up and went to school the next day like you [were] supposed to. It would be wonderful [to play only

Friday games], but it wouldn’t work out.”

The Broward County Athletic Association (BCAA) generates sports schedules for every school within the county, looking at past records to match similar opponents for district games. Game location is decided by a twoyear rotating schedule, in which paired schools alternate between competing at home and away.

Damian Huttenhoff, BCAA Commissioner, stated that there have never been enough officials to run all high school games at once. The officials are in a general “pool” for both public and private high schools and middle schools, and their availability de-

her enjoyment in working with the children.

“I just like the kids,” she said.

“They are all so cute.”

The daycare is located near the cafeteria in room 307, but it is not open for high school students to visit.

Six children are currently enrolled, but there is enough room to maintain 14.

In order to make the classroom child friendly, Kayhlene Gainer, head of the academy, had the school purchase all the furnishings needed for class and search for a full time daycare teacher.

Rachel Autiello, the daycare teacher, began work on Oct. 8.

The daycare is a self-supported program.

Throughout the day, the children participate in different activities.

For their outdoor play, the children explore the outside patio.

Erica Gregg, senior, volunteers at the daycare.

“They run around and they point out things in nature,” she said.

After eating their snacks, they partake in circle time, which includes a story and game.

Further into the end of the day, the children take naps.

The cost of enrolling a child

cides whether there is a need for a Thursday game to help spread the workload.

“Everyone has to understand that [every school has] to have a Thursday night game,” Huttenhoff said. “It’s how it ends up.”

Stoneman Douglas, Coconut Creek, and Coral Glades High Schools have either recently added or renovated stadiums.

Taravella still remains stadiumless; they use the CSHS field for their home games.

“Since Coral Springs is a shared stadium,” Huttenhoff says, “It will have to deal with more Thursday night games.”

Photo by Cindy Morataya

The College Board announced in August that it would be ending the system of taking points away from a student on the Advanced Placement exam, and only give points for correct answers.

Emily Fox, junior, who is currently taking three AP classes, said “It’s a less accurate measurement of knowledge, but it’s better for getting a grade.”

In the past, a student would lose one-fourth of a point for each answer he or she missed.

“I’ll do better [on the AP exam],” said Emily Persico, junior, who is enrolled in four AP classes, “but because I’m guessing.”

Students aren’t the only ones who will be adjusting to this new scoring system. Until now, teachers have warned their students about making guesses on their AP exams, and instead suggested skipping the question, so as to not lose the quarter point.

“My initial reaction [to the change] was concern,” said Virginia Walz, AP Language and Composition teacher, “that it would water down the meaning of the score because it allowed students to gain credit for guesses.”

Continued on p. 4

Early Childhood classes help teach little Colts Ana Serpa Staff Writer

INSIDE THE CHRONICLE

The Little Colt Learning Academy opened its doors to the public in the fall of 2010.

The idea to open a daycare, thought of by former principal Anne Lynch, was put into action through advertising, acquiring space, and student interest.

During the school day, students in childhood education classes have the opportunity to go to the daycare and help out.

They can also stay after school to earn extra service hours for the caring of the children.

Natalie LaFontant, senior, volunteer at the daycare, expressed

FEATURE

Spiders frighten students in Coral Springs, but are generally non-lethal. p. 8

Continued on p. 4

Dear junk food companies: quit tempting us to eat all these unhealthy foods. p. 7

OPINION

Katie Jones CHILD’S PLAY: Erica Gregg, secretary of FCCLA, reads The Way Things Move to the children enrolled in the Little Colt Learning Academy during circle time.

ENTERTAINMENT The chorus department has been invited to perform at the University of Florida’s choral festival for the first time. p. 15

With a lack of swim team members, earning points at swim meets is a struggle. p. 17

SPORTS

October Altered lockout policy for better attendance CALENDAR

OCT 25

Powder Puff game

OCT 26

Hypnosis Show

OCT 27 Dodgeball

tournament

OCT 28

Haunted House

OCT 29

Homecoming game

OCT 30 Homecoming dance

Sarika Beharrysingh Staff Writer

In order to improve attendance and encourage students to attend classes, a new lockout policy has been activated this year.

For the past three years, the same policy has been in effect, in which students were sent to Internal Suspension for the remainder of that period for being late.

Hall sweeps between periods 2 and 7 have been eliminated.

Now students found in the halls after the late bell has rung are sent to class. From there, it is up to the teacher to give a suitable consequence.

Some students fell victim to

the previous lockout policy.

“Sometimes I would just stop to go to the bathroom, since teachers tell [students] to go before class and even if we knocked ten seconds after the bell, they had to lock us out,” senior Genni Giraldo said.

One of the policy’s new rules includes students not being able to make up work because it will be unexcused.

In contrast, it allows students to be present for in-class activities, tests, quizzes and notes that would set them behind if missed.

“Students should be in class, they should not be double penalized for being late,” Assistant Principal Farrah Wilson said.

In the previous policy, a fourth offense was subject to Saturday detention.

This year, due to budget cuts, Saturday detention will not be in session.

Consequences, which are now restricted to school hours, are based on the time students arrive to school and their record of tardiness.

Lock out for first period begins at 8:05 AM. If students arrive before this time, they are sent to class.

The first and second time a student arrives late, they are sent to their first period with an “unexcused” pass.

On the third offense, stu-

dents are sent to administration where their parent or guardian will be contacted.

The fourth time, the consequence is a half-day of Internal Suspension, the fifth time is a full day and the sixth is two days.

From that point, if the tardiness continues, the student is subjected to a full day of Internal Suspension.

The number of students over the past eight weeks has stayed relatively the same as before, but some benefits have been noticed.

“Hall sweeps are working quite well, but it’s a little more work for both teachers and adminitration,” said Assistant Principal Bernard Bell.

junior Alyssa Dayton. She estimated that she worked about an hour a day for five days in the summer setting up the room.

Now books are assigned into a system with a barcode, and then scanned out to students, who were able to come in on the Saturday before the start of school to get their books.

“It works just like the media center system,” Barcia said.

Barcia explained that this new system is one that she tried to implement years ago. It has been put into action now due to a county-wide adoption of the

program. She believes that it will both make the textbook distribution more efficient in the following years and will save the students and the county money.

When a book is turned in, it can now be scanned to find out to whom it belongs. Barcia believes that this will reduce the number of lost books.

Barcia went on to explain that an advantage of this new system is that the county will not have to put out excess money replacing books. She also mentioned that a disadvantage of this new system is that it requires someone

to manage the room, as opposed to previous years in which books were kept track of by each teacher, without the need for a central system.

Barcia said that next year there will likely be more days where students are able to get their books so that they do not have to carry so many books at once.

Books currently under obligation that do not have barcodes can be returned to the bookroom.

The obligation will be removed and the book will be processed into the system.

New barcode system for a new year Kathryn Long Staff Writer A new system has been put in place to alter the textbook distribution system at our school.

Formerly, students would receive books for each different subject through their teachers.

Textbooks are now checked out through a bookroom located near the cafeteria.

Donna Barcia, Micro Computer Tech, set up the room along with several teachers and students assisted in the checkout process.

“It was a lot of work,” said

COLTS WORLD VIEW

by Jamie Klein

RUSSIA Threats to U.S based computer networks have been made by both intelligence branches of foreign countries, but also teenage hackers. Naturally, casual teenage hackers have gotten better at their techniques and some make a living out of it. According to worldmarketmedia.com a website that supplies information about enonomic news throughout the world, FBI officials aren’t sure how the hackers are organized but they have stolen $9 million through hacking. The world is increasingly becoming a smaller place due to globalization allowing teens to “crack the system.”

Teens may begin to believe that it is acceptable to disregard good morality because they are getting away with it in cyberspace.

IRAQ

To understand our liberties as American citizens we must evaluate what is going on throughout the world. Extremist militants are forcing stores in Southern Iraq to shut down the selling of CDs and DVDs. According to Associated Press’ correspondents in Iraq some employees in music stores have been killed over the issue. In November 2006, it was reported by a UN news agency that 75 singers have been killed since this started in 2003. People have stopped listening to music in public out of fear. Listening to American pop music is regarded as making an association with our troops. Freedom of expression is a new target for Iraqi militants. As American citizens, the right to music has not been taken away.

CHINA

Our ability to use Google as a search engine supplies teens with much of their information. This resource has been censored in China because Beijing is determined to keep strict controls on the flow of information from foreign countries to its citizens. The flood of information is filtered through the Hong Kong portal and many sites are inaccessible. According to cbsnews. com, Google would “pull out of service” if it had to keep censoring Internet results. While searching google.cn one can distinguish which websites would be banned to Chinese citizens by a color-coding system. Websites that are based soley off independent submissions like Wikipedia and LiveJournal have been banned. Separatist groups and protest searches are also filtered out.

PNC Bank opens doors to students Cindy Morataya Staff Writer

PNC Bank has decided to open its doors to students at school for business exposure and accommodations to student life after high school.

PNC has attempted to develop a program to organize students’ schedules and needs. College life is costly and might not be easy to handle financially. PNC aspires to help students keep track of their expenses.

“One of the main reasons we want students to sign up is because we want them to become financially literate and carry that into their adult life,” said accounting teacher Catherine Farina.

PNC offers a “student virtual

wallet” on their website, www. pnc.com, that includes various apps and features including “Punch the Pig,” a way for students to put money into their savings account. A virtual calendar is included as well to organize weekly expenses. These different features are ways to manage money during students’ college life.

Mark Fitzgerald, vice president of Coral Springs branch, spoke to students in September during their business classes at school and informed them of the untraditional way this virtual bank is operated. Fitzgerald explained that J.P. Taravella and Coral Glades High School have been turned down to set up this pro-

gram at their schools.

“We want to get established in Coral Springs high first,” said Fitzgerald. He added that PNC wants to try one school at a time to confirm if a bank at school would be successful.

Since a majority of seniors are still underage, they are not able to open a PNC bank account on their own and must open a joint account with a parent or legal guardian. PNC bankers are determined to help both the parent and the student. Both account users can enter any PNC bank and just have to fill out an application with their personal information.

A minimum deposit of $25 is required for activation.

Some students move out for

college and don’t always have enough money for what they need. Some factors that contribute would be money for food, gas, and clothing. This is where parents play their roles. They can access the account online and enter money directly into their child’s bank account. Students can even send a request for money via email for quick cash.

Still, some students may prefer to manage their own account and have the opportunity to keep the account for themselves once they’ve reached their legal age.

“As soon as you turn 18, you can kick your parents off,” Fitzgerald commented.

PNC bank hopes to expand their business through student

involvement and active participation. Fitzgerald commented that they aspire to grow large enough to afford installing ATM machines in the school if given authorization to do so.

The closest PNC bank is located at 4560 Lyons Rd. They are currently building a new branch by Coral Ridge Dr. and Sample Rd., and have also been approved for more branches in Plantation and Tamarac.

Students are encouraged to open an account with their parents and start a bank and customer relationship. PNC bank opportunities do not have to end after college students graduate. They offer a “virtual wallet” account for life after college as well.

BUY A YEARBOOK!!

Sale for only $55 ($30 off!)

OCT 18-20 NOV 8-10

25-27 16-17

‘Day care’ cont. New policies enforce restrictions on inapropriate clothing into the program is $100 a week plus an extra charge for an additional hour.

“I hope this price appeals to the public,” Gainer said, “but most importantly, I just like to watch the children grow up and develop their skills”.

The children will learn skills on language, math and science and they will prepare for kindergarten.

“It’s so exciting and refreshing to have the children,” Gainer said, “because everything they do is a learning experience”.

‘Scoring’, cont.

In spite of this, Walz said that she does not expect the change to have a large impact on the overall score.

The director of the AP program, Trevor Packer, said in a recent interview with USA Today, that the changes “will be simpler, cleaner, psychometrically, not having to account for the deductions for wrong answers.”

These changes are the first step to update several AP courses that will put more emphasis on the overall comprehension on the class.

The new non-penalization system is in effect for the fist time in May.

Administration tightens policies after students continually choose to ignore looser rules Brittany Salopek Staff Writer New dress code restrictions have been put into effect this school year.

The administration’s goal is

to enforce restrictions on revealing dress, like low waisted pants, skirts with high hemlines, very short shorts, shirts that reveal too much cleavage and those that show bare midrift, so students do not get distracted from learning.

If students don’t have to worry about diverting their eyes from innapropriate dress, they might more easily be able to pay attention and learn.

In past years, shorts were expected to be no shorter than a student’s fingertips, and some people managed to slip this past

security. Now the policy makes things fair for all students.

This year the rules are stricter and harsher.

“We are tired of seeing undergarments, and it’s getting out of hand. Inappropriate clothing distracts others, and it leads to behavioral problems,” Farrah Wilson, tenth grade assistant principal, said.

The newly enforced rules include: shorts at mid-thigh only, shirts at mid-thigh when worn with leggings, no pants with holes above the knee, and no sleeveless

shirts worn by boys.

“I have been told to pull my shirt down on numerous occasions, or I would be placed in Internal Suspension (IS),” said senior Mickia Williams. “Certain things like sagging pants are understandable, but I don’t understand the tops and shorts policy.”

Students are also prohibited from changing into other clothes that they may have stored in lockers or backpacks. They must only have a change of clothing brought to the school by their parents.

County to be in each class.

Administration is currently in the process of switching students’ schedules around in order to maintain the Broward County population rule and to ease the learning of the students in these classes.

Some students believe that they are at a large disadvantage as a result of more students in their classes.

“I’m not too fond of the bigger classes, because it is harder for your teacher to actually remember who you are. In my classes from previous years I’ve always

been the type of student to actually talk to my teachers without the awkwardness, but now the teachers don’t even know who I am,” Monica Cortes, sophomore, said.

The hallways are more crowded than last year. Megan Kearney, sophomore, believes this is the reason that many students are ending up late to their classes, even more so than last year.

“The halls are even more congested than last year. Many students are finding that they have to push [their] way through the crowded halls just to get to class.

This is starting to cause a lot of students to be tardy to class, and something should really be done about it,” said Kearney.

Kearney and Cortes hope that the increase in our school’s population becomes even less noticeable over time, and that all of the classroom and teacher problems eventually get straightened out.

With the reduction of class sizes, our school hopes to be able to provide a comfortable environment for students to learn in, leaving large inpersonla lecture halls with little to no contact with the teacher, to the universities.

Population increase affects student life Elisa Press Staff Writer Compared to last year, the school population has made a sizeable increase.

According to The School Board of Broward County, the ratio of teachers to high school students should be one teacher for every 25 students in a class. With this year’s lower number of teachers and higher number of students, this ratio is not easy to meet.

Additionally, some classes exceed the maximum amount of students allowed by Broward

News Briefs

Blood drive saves Hispanic heritage FSPA district Breast Cancer awareness week lives celebrated convention October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Students were able to recognize those affected by the disease by participating in different activities. On Mon, Oct. 4, student government handed out stickers to first hour teachers, which were given to students. They read uplifting words such as “hope,” “faith,” and “strength.”

Events held include face painting at Colt Counter, and a guessing game that required estimating the amount of pink M&M’s in a jar. They asked for estimations from the students during both lunches. Junior Jon McEwan, Chronicle staffer, was most accurate and received the jar of chocolates.

Oct. 7 was Pink Day, on which students were to wear pink to express their awareness for this form cancer. Next to the trophy case in the cafeteria there is a Remembrance Wall where students can write the name of a relative who is either a survivor, or has died from breast cancer.

-Ana Serpa, Staff Writer

The National Honor Society held their first blood drive of the year on Oct. 7. The CSHS Honor Society Chapter hosts the largest blood drive of any school in Broward County, usually holding four of these events each school year.

Students who are 16 or older may donate, but parental permission may be required. Donors must be in healthy condition and meet certain height and weight requirements. Various conditions, such as recent tattoos or piercings, low hemoglobin levels, illnesses, or having visited certain countries, may exempt some from donation eligibility. People who have donated whole blood must wait at least eight weeks before donating again, different regulations apply after other types of blood donations. Athletes should be sure to get approval from their coaches before donating.

Blood is donated in affiliation with Community Blood Centers of South Florida. The next drive will be held on Dec. 9.

-Kathryn Long, Staff Writer

The National Spanish Honor Society, with the help of their sponsor Jenny MartinezRoposo, has thought of a few ways to celebrate Nation Hispanic Heritage Month this October.

To begin this year’s events, members are asked to create posters relating to any aspect of Hispanic heritage. These posters will be hung up around the school for students to see, and will contain aspects of Hispanic contributions to America, such as influential Hispanics and Hispanic culture.

Spanish Honor Society will also be holding a potluck luncheon for their members at the school.

Members are encouraged to bring in custom home-made dishes from a certain Spanish or Latin American country in order to introduce new cuisine and culture to its members. The club will then get together and, in a festive setting, walk around the room and taste the many different flavors of Hispanic culture.

-Caitlyn Tate, Staff Writer

The Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA) had their 2010 convention on Saturday, October 2 at Deerfield Beach High School.

FSPA works to educate, train and support student journalists and their advisers.

Approximately 40 students represented our school’s Newspaper, Yearbook, Literary Magazine and TV Production.

Students had the opportunity to listen to keynote speaker Les Rose, elect our new District 7 Representative, Alex Hogan of American Heritage, and attend several informative workshops of their choice throughout the day.

Our school places in six contests, including, second placed for “On the Spot” Literary Magazine team; second place for “On the Spot” Newspaper Layout; second place for “On the Spot” Carry-In Web Design Layout; third place for Newspaper Carry-In Layout; third place for “On the Spot” News Writing; and second place in Creative Writing.

-Bria Carey, Staff Writer

Anti-Islam prejudice undermines American values

By Saraana Jamraj Feature Editor

TheChronicle

Two hundred and twenty-three years ago, the founders of our country ratified the Constitution.

“The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights,” said Thomas Jefferson, framer of the Constitution.

Nine years ago, our country was devastated by terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Radicals skewed teachings of Islam to justify unjust acts, when they flew planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. There were nineteen radical Muslims involved, but there are over 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. We have Muslim classmates, friends, and neighbors. Yet, recently, we have let nineteen radicals sour us to 1.5 billion moderates and progressives.

Islamophobia, irrational prejudice towards Muslims, is on the rise and citizens are protesting against mosques being built nationwide. Perhaps these people misunderstand what a mosque is. Mosques are not terrorist training camps, or 9/11 celebration grounds. They offer a place for Muslims to practice their five daily prayers, and give thanks to Allah. Mosques are places of peaceful worship, just like synogogues and churches.

Negativity toward Muslims has become widespread. A Washington Post-ABC news poll conducted in Sept. shows that 49% of Americans have an unfavorable opinion of Islam. It is unsettling, and frankly, shameful, to see that in a country founded for freedom of religion, half of the population disapproves of the second largest religion in the world. What does that say about our judgment if we can allow nineteen radicals to be the faces of 1.5 billion people? Does that 49% think Muhammad Ali no longer holds his place in history as one of the most beloved boxers? Does Kareem Abdul-Jabbar no longer have his right as a basketball hero? Will we stop laughing at Dave Chapelle jokes, and is the Taj Mahal any less beautiful because a Muslim Shah created it?

Muslims are even being targeted by politicians. With Election Day approaching on Nov. 2, candidates are using this issue in their campaigns. Renee Ellmers (R), North Carolina congressional candidate, claims that an Islamic community center to be built in New York City is a “victory mosque,” as if Muslims were labeling 9/11 as a triumph against America.

Politicians are hatemongering against a religion.

Americans are trying to prevent Muslims from building places of worship. Why is this okay? Doesn’t it all sound too familiar? The Holocaust did not start off with concentration camps. It began with small prejudices against a specific religion, and it turned into a tragedy.

There is a reason the Constitution includes both the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion in the first amendment- because they are equally important.

So it is not just ironic, but un-American to use freedom of speech to protest against fellow Americans’ freedom of religion. To spew hate and cast away an entire religion, to blame a billion peaceful people for the violent actions of a few, and to reach for intolerance before understanding stands against everything America stands for.

Our country was founded despite many obstacles.

Thirty-seven states and twenty-seven amendments later, it has become the symbol of democracy and freedom.

Radicals who hate America are opposed to our democratic ideals. They do not believe in freedom of religion or expression. If we try to limit Muslims’ freedoms; if we say that one religion is not as deserving of rights as another, are we not giving in to their way of thinking? If we take issue with mosques; if we allow politicians to continue blaming Islam for our problems; if we continue to stigmatize Muslims, we are making the same mistakes that AlQaeda made by judging us.

Cindy Morataya HEAVY LIFTING: The weight room acts as a safe and healthy environment for students to stimulate their adrenaline glands.

Adrenaline pumping sports inhibit stress hormones

By Alec Kaye Staff Writer In a society where the pressures of gaining social acceptance and personal achievement persistently bombard the minds of teens, day in and day out, an excess of mental dissonance accumulates over time. Yet, the human system has the ability to generate its own stimulant – adrenaline, also known as epinephrine.

Located above the kidneys, the adrenal gland regulates the amount of adrenaline pumped into the system. Adrenaline increases the heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts energy supplies to fend off potential threats for a short range of time. Production of glucose is also optimized to provide energy to the muscles.

Adrenaline-filled sports push the limits of peril and send one’s body raging with stress-reducing hormones.

Skateboarding on ramps provide the sensation of falling

and coasting at high speeds, while remaining in a relatively controlled environment.

The skateboarding park Ramp 48+, down by Fort Lauderdale, attracts the attention of skateboarder Logan Simmons, sophomore. As soon as he finishes his homework, he takes to the mini-ramp, his favorite attraction at Ramp 48+, in order to relieve any stress. “[When I skate] I feel the adrenaline rush a lot. It makes me feel happy and allows me to escape from everything,” said Simmons.

Aside from partaking in physical activities for an adrenaline rush, the mind has the ability to mirror the emotion through merely visual representation. In other terms, the mind also alleviates tension through empathy while watching others perform strenuous activities.

Influences from society will always try to bring you down, but healthier alternatives are always avilable to defeat the harmful influences in life.

Sticks, Stones, Formspring

By Sarah Moseley Staff Writer Behold, the most innovative way of promoting narcissism since the mirror and the simplest way of being abusive since sticks and stones.

Formspring, a website that allows anyone to ask users whatever they want anonymously, has made quite a splash in the virtual pond. While this site is grouped with other social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace, it truly reigns supreme when it comes to advocating such “noble concepts” such as cyber abuse, insecurity, and vanity.

In order to receive anonymous messages one must create an account. Through this account the user can choose which questions they wish to respond to and those will show on their page as visible to others. One can even go as far as showing these posts on their Facebook wall. The catch is you don’t have to be a user to post something on another person’s Formspring. Rather, anybody with Internet access can ask any user whatever he or she would like.

Though Formspring’s original purpose was to provide an opportunity for friends to ask questions anonymously, this initial intention has been abused entirely. A typical Formspring page is littered with professions of love, offensive statements, and rumors. This was the case of junior and Formspring user Mayling Fossi, who had a rumor spread about her via Formspring saying one of her “past boyfriends had cheated” on her.

SAMANTHA SCHWAB, Editor-in-Chief SHAINA KONZNY, Managing and Entertainment Editor AMANDA CURRENT, News Editor JAMIE KLEIN, Opinion Editor SARAANA JAMRAJ, Feature Editor ALLIE SCHUTT, Dimensions and Graphics Editor ASHLEY RYNAR, Sports Editor LAUREN LEWKOWICZ, Sports Editor SARIKA BEHARRYSINGH, Copy Editor TARA JOHNSTON, Photo Captain and Business Manager SARA CASTANEDA, Photo Captain JON McEWAN, Advertising Designer CORY LAUB, Advisor

Aneesa Allie Austin Bergeron Jordan Butchen Bria Carey Jordan Cohen Reed Congdon Amanda Current Duffy Dufresne Sara Grignon Shahnawz Hardanian Katie Jones

“It was really annoying, because my friends all saw it and confronted me about it. It was a lot of drama and caused a lot of tension,” said Fossi.

Through Formspring, it is possible for anybody to have a virtual and anonymous buffer zone that allows them to feel comfortable enough to post obscenities and offensive information that they would never be able to say in person. By this, not only is the site promoting cyber bullying, but it is weakening human confrontational and conversational skills. “[Formspring] allows people to talk [badly] about someone without taking the blame,” said Formspring user Cassidy Neer, sophomore.

With all the negative effects of Formspring, one may wonder why anybody would have one in the first place.

As human beings, we can’t help but appreciate attention.

Whether it be negative or positive, there is a sense of flattery when one receives a message through this site, knowing that someone took time out of their day to write to them. The fact that it is anonymous also adds to the element of mystery that so many of us thrive on. But all of these simple pleasures are in vain, and they can promote selfcenteredness, pride, and most importantly, insecurity.

“I found out things about myself that I didn’t even know,” said Formspring user, Olivia Polk, sophomore.

While the Formspring homepage may read, “Ask questions, give answers, and learn more about your friends”, the sad truth is many don’t join to discover more about their friends. They join to learn more about themselves.

STAFF

Alec Kaye Kasey Litchfield Kathryn Long Daniel Lopez Daniela Lozano Sonya Majewski Harley Mitchell Lorenzo Mohammed Cindy Morataya Arianna Morrell

Sarah Moseley Anastasia Okonski Elisa Press Brittany Salopek Daniel Schutt Joshua Seiler Ana Serpa Caitlyn Tate Michael Trotman Kristin Vara Charles Weintraub

The Chronicle is a member of Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA). Editorial opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Coral Springs High School or Broward County Public Schools The Chronicle is written and published by the journalism students at Coral Springs High School. Advertising is available by calling 754-322-0600. We accept all letters to the editor in room 803. All letters are subject to editing for space and content. The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure which results in discrimination on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, marital status, race, religion or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harrasment complaint may call the Executive Director, Benefits & EEO Compliance at (754) 321-2150 or Teletype Machine TTY (754) 321-2158. Individuals with disabilities requesting accomodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may call Equal Educational Opportunities (EEO) at (754) 321-2150 or Teletype Machine TTY (754) 321-2158.

STAFF EDITORIAL

THE CHRONICLE

FCAT 2.0, End-of-Course assesments could be detrimental for Florida Harder tests will give Florida a harder time.

According to the Florida Department of Education, as of 2011, all tenth graders will be required to take a more rigorous version of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test in reading this May. FCAT 2.0, they call it.

Even more unsettling is the End-of-Course Assessment (EOC) that must be taken by all students currently enrolled in an Algebra I course, if they plan on getting a high school credit for the class.

These tests, the result of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, are hoped to “improve college and career readiness,” according to the FLDOE. As of now, we’re only in the transitional phase.

If all goes well, the reading, mathematics, and science portion of the original FCAT will be eliminated, and will be upgraded to the FCAT 2.0 test by the 20132014 school year, according to

the FLDOE. End-of-Course exams will also be added for Biology I, Geometry, U.S History, and Civics.

It’s refreshing to know that the state is making an effort to upgrade the educational system in Florida, seeing that America as a whole is lagging behind the rest of the world in math and science.

But making a harder version of the FCAT isn’t the way to go, and past scores can prove it.

In 2010, 44% of all ninth and tenth grade students in the state of Florida performed at or above Achievement Level 3 on FCAT Reading, with a whopping 26% achieving a Level 1.

In grades nine and ten, 70% of students in the state performed at or above Achievement Level 3 in FCAT Mathematics, with only 38% of eleventh graders performing at or above that level.

Although the percentage of students who passed the FCAT has steadily increased from previous years, the numbers are still too low for a more difficult test.

If a large portion of students cannot achieve Level 3 or higher on the basic FCAT, then the upgraded version will cause passing rates to drastically decrease.

A decrease in passing rates means a lower grade for the school, which can, in turn, lower property values in Florida.

In general, people searching for homes will avoid neighborhoods zoned for poorly rated schools. When a school’s grade drops, people will be compelled to relocate to a school that will give their child a better education.

If a significant number of families sell their homes in one area at the same time, property values will decrease.

According to a 2000 report by the Department of Economics at the University of Florida, called What’s in a Grade? School Report Cards and House Price, “innocuous-seeming school classifications may have large distributional implications.”

Conclusions were formed from

housing price increases in neighborhoods surrounding schools that received an “A,” and the decreases presented in neighborhoods surrounding schools that received a “B.” If a difference of one grade letter caused a noticeable change in just one city, a drop in school grades among all high schools in the state could cause damage to Florida’s housing market.

As of now, the state is standardizing its education as a part of the national trend for increased school accountability from the No Child Left Behind Act (2001), which supports standard-based education reform.

It is good that the nation is pushing for higher standards, but Florida isn’t quite ready yet.

The state should stay at an FCAT minimum.

Scores in all sections should improve into at least the upper 50 percentile so an extreme drop in school grades will not be expected.

New team teaching techniques have been implemented in AP Psychology classes Tara Johnston Photo Captain, Business Manager

Most students’ would prefer to spend their high school years in classes with no more than 30 students. Those who choose to attend a post-secondary institution can be given a rude awakening when they find themselves in classes with at least 200 students.

A new style of teaching, which bridges this huge gap, “team teaching,” has been implemented this year with two of the Advanced Placement Psychology classes.

Team teaching is a method of instruction in which the classes hold about 50 students with two teachers, one teaching and one observing.

“I think [team teaching] does better prepare students for college, whether we like it or not. It may not be an as comfortable environment but that’s how it’s going to be,” Emily Fox, current AP Psychology student, said.

AP Psychology begins with each student figuring out what personality style they best fit into. Students are able to discover who they are early in the class, which runs deep throughout the year. In a larger class, students are able to see how each personality style reacts to certain situations. In smaller classes, students aren’t able to work with such a large group of each personality style. AP Psychology incorporates a lot of group work, and

Sonya Majewski STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: Students pay attention during auditorium style lectures in AP Psychology; this method prepares students for similiar college procedures. with a large number of students everyone can benefit and thrive off of each other.

“Bigger class size will allow students to work with more personality styles. In smaller classes you aren’t given that opportunity,” said Stacy Weaver, AP Psychology teacher.

In larger class sizes, students may be more hesitant to ask questions. This is a fear they will have to overcome once they are taking bigger classes because the teachers won’t have time for every student in class. It will make them have to take the initiative

and go see the teacher for extra help, a necessary skill beyond high school.

Aside from the difficulty to maintain communication between students and teachers, the classroom will maintain the same curriculum it has in the past.

“I’m doing my same lesson plans, just with more students,” Virgnia Meachum, AP Psychology teacher, said.

Also, with the larger class sizes and time constraint, students will have to take it upon themselves to do more studying outside of the classroom. Students will have to

learn to be more responsible, and rely on other resources besides the instructor, such as notes and textbooks. This may be a more complicated method of obtaining information, but it is one that will be necessary in the future.

Students who feel inconvenienced by this new way of learning, from my standpoint, will realize in the end that it can benefit them. If students would look at the long-term benefits instead of focusing on how much they don’t like it, they would be able to take full advantage of the opportunity placed in front of them.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Send Letters to the Editors to room 803, or email them to eicthechronicle@gmail.com To the students and staff of Coral Springs High School, and the Coral Springs community: welcome to the debut issue of The Chronicle for the 2010-2011 school year.

In future issues, this is the space in which “Letters to the Editor” will appear- and we thought we’d take a moment to discuss that with you, our readers. What exactly are letters to the editor?

First, it’s important to remember that news is always happen-

ing; every second of every day, and lots of it is relevant to you and your lives. The Chronicle tries to bring as much of this information to you as possible. But our staffers can’t be everywhere, and we’re not anyways privy to everything that occurs around school.

Sometimes, if something important is happening, we need some help in finding it. If it’s important to you, it’s probably important to someone else- why not let us know? Maybe we’ll print it.

The second reason for letters to the editor is this: We want to know what you think. With all the effort we put into the paper, it’s sometimes easy to forget that our paper is a training program for young journalists; we are still learning- we don’t always know if the news we report is reaching you the way it was meant to. And sometimes, though we try not to, we make a mistake in an article, and need to know what it is.

For all the above reasons and

more, we invite you, our readers, to write letters to the editor.

All letters can be delivered to our publications office in Coral Springs High School, room 803, or emailed to eicthechronicle@ gmail.com.

As always, we thank you for your readership, and look forward to bringing you the news.

Sincerely,

The Chronicle

All opinions expressed are those of the individual writer and all letters are subject to editing for space and content.

Jamie Klein Opinion Editor

Jersey Shore In the 1970s a new stereotype emerged, the “guido” lifestyle.

Economically lower-middle class men of Italian descent, native to the New York/New Jersey area, were referred to by this derogatory term. But today, some Italians embrace the image and have re-invented the name.

In the MTV reality series Jersey Shore, 8 housemates are chosen to spend their summer together.

They earn their living space by working part time at a rotating job. In the summer of 2009 the destination was Seaside Heights, NJ (The Jersey Shore) and in 2010, the show relocated to our very own Miami Beach.

The show highlights the extremes that some people try to reach to represent their ethnicity. At first, the strict “Gym Tan Laundry” lifestyle was mainly entertainment for viewers since it was an unfamiliar lifestyle for most. Now, this is a phrase that influences many teenagers in the United States whether they choose to practice it or not.

With watching just one episode of Jersey Shore, the viewer realizes that almost all the cast members are of Italian descent.

Many teens have displayed an interest in the casts’ unique lifestyle and through the show have been taught that the meaning of the stereotype isn’t a bad thing.

The show grasps the opportunity to re-define a stereotype to the general population, but for some students who don’t watch the show the term guido can still maintain its original offensive nature.

“I don’t watch Jersey Shore,” Anthony Marziliano, sophomore said. Marziliano added, “I think the term guido is insulting, it’s like being called a grease-ball. It would be ignorant to flaunt this.”

According to tvbythenumbers. com, a site that provides data about the television industry, Jersey Shore broke series records and delivered MTV’s highest rated original series in two years. Clarifying an insulting stereotype through reality tv was become popular among Jersey Shore viewers; it is a practice that should spread.

Jersey Shore allows us to observe a group of people, and eventually understand that we all feel the same and we all are the same underneath the masks we create.

Initially, the show was un-relatable and uninteresting among my friends; now after two consecutive summers of following the housemates through their problems, we see that many of them are understandable. We have naturally chosen our favorite characters and stood by their sides through their conflicts and resolutions.

It is easy to misjudge people and label them because of their tattoos or fake tans (physical attributes attained through unnatural methods), but after a few episodes of Jersey Shore it is nearly impossible to avoid falling in love with one of the unique characters.

?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT

red light

cameras

RED LIGHT CAMERAS: HELPFUL OR HURTFUL? Red light cameras increase the likelihood of speeding through the intersections Kasey Litchfield Staff Writer Red light cameras are popping up throughout the country. Intended to decrease the tons of accidents occurring at intersections caused by red light runners, the red light cameras have created more problems then they were supposed to solve.

The camera system continually monitors the traffic signals; any vehicle entering the intersection above a preset minimum speed activates the camera. After turning on, the camera follows traffic until a specified time runs out. If caught running the red light, about two months later a ticket is delivered to the offender, ranging anywhere from $75 to $125.

The cameras violate a basic principal of the criminal justice system- innocent until proven guilty.

This apparently doesn’t apply in this road scenario, because without a viable witness to the supposed crime, a ticket is sent to the owner of the vehicle caught by the picture in which the driver isn’t identified. A picture of your license plate doesn’t establish that you personally committed the crime - it only establishes that your car did, and

anyone could have been driving the car.

Some people’s opinions about the camera differ.

“At first I though the cameras would be a good idea, but I haven’t really seen a positive change in anything,” said Christina Beauvoir, junior.

The theory behind these cameras is noble, as it hopes to reduce the number of crashes, but the outcome is not so pleasing. Yes, the number of right angle crashes-or T-Bone collisions- has decreased, but the number of rear end collisions has increased at an average of 15%, according to a 2005 study by the Federal Highway Administration.

To avoid the ticket for running the red light if caught by the cameras, drivers stop too soon and can get rear-ended. For whatever speeding problem its presence solves, the camera causes a new collision. The probability of fenderbenders increases stress for some drivers. With this being said, the cameras present a health issue for many drivers.

These devices don’t even fix the problem. Going 100 miles per hour through an intersection will go undetected by the cameras as long as the light is green. The cameras don’t prevent car accidents. On the contrary, that is just what they are, accidents. Granted, red light running is dangerous, but if someone is determined to run the light, a camera won’t stop them.

Red light cameras act as another set of eyes for law enforcement to ensure safety Sara Grignon Staff Writer When approaching an intersection there are three colors to look for: red, green, and yellow.

Red obviously means “stop,” green means “go,” and yellow means “slow down.”

Most of the time drivers speed up and try to make it through the yellow light, but that often leads to accelerating to dangerous speeds. This increases the likihood of running a red light or possibly hitting another vehicle, or even worse, a pedestrian.

Since police officers aren’t always nearby, the city of Coral Springs has set up cameras at stop lights to take pictures of the drivers who run red lights, make illegal right turns and other traffic violations. Some students aren’t exactly happy that the city has decided to take the Big Brother route, but they’re not looking at the big picture.

“It’s not a scam but I definitely don’t think that the cameras are put up strictly for safety purposes. I think without question that they’re used to make money for municipal governments by sending out tons of tickets,” said Ash-

ley Gilkes, senior.

When a driver speeds up to catch a yellow light before it turns red, they often accelerate to speeds that are not only illegal and over the speed limit. These speeds are dangerous to pedestrians and other vehicles that are making turns when they have a green light.

The cameras’ main purpose is to protect the people on the roads. It’s a good idea to use these cameras to keep an eye on people who might have second thoughts about stopping at a red light. As a driver myself, I’m always on the lookout for drivers who would rather focus on speeding to make it to that big meeting they’re running late to, than to focus on what’s more important: the road.

“If you get in an accident and someone drives off, you could use the camera to catch the license plate of the driver, or zoom in and actually get a picture of the culprit,” said Jessica Lane, senior.

Using these cameras to watch the roads is no different than the use of cameras on squad cars.

They’re beneficial to the police because if something happens while they’re pulling a driver over, then they have a second set of eyes that can show the recorded proof.

Paying attention to the road is extremely important. If you’re not going to pay attention to it, the cameras will for you.

In the future, you will not be “lovin’ it”

Arianna Morrell Staff Writer Dear junk food companies, my name is Youth of America, and I am a junk food junkie. I have been hooked on the crunch of crispy potato chips and delicious sweets for as long as I can remember. A simple walk down the street results in the ordering of a Big Mac from McDonald’s or a Whopper from Burger King. I may have satisfaction for a few minutes, but in the future I will not be “lovin’ it”. With this salted treat I know I will pay for it later.

Obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, you name it and I may have it. After all, statistics have proven that one in every three children will develop diabetes.

Therefore, I would like to make this appeal to junk food companies across the land: quit tempting us to eat unhealthy foods.

The constant pressure spewed out by catchy slogans like Wendy’s, “Do what tastes right” leaves me in search of a fast food fix. In 1970 it was reported that Americans spent around $6 million dollars on fast food, and in 2006 that number rose to around $142 million dollars.

The junk food industry targets the younger population to create loyal customers years ahead. By showing fun toys in relatable ads starring kids, today’s youth have been desensitized to harmful effects of unhealthy foods. Artificial flavors are used twice more in kids’ meals than in adult foods.

With the constant consumption of these foods, it will lead to obesity and excess weight. Advertisements from pizzerias such as Pizza-Hut and Papa John’s add fuel to the calorie- enriched fire.

Most children today would agree that seeing steaming slices of pizza being carefully lifted out of a box is more appealing than a cold plate of lopsided vegetables staring at them. If young adults and kids are the future, then there is no need in luring them to eat unhealthy. Clearly we need to replace unhealthy foods with more nutritious options.

Yes, it is clear that Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and other food corporations need to make profit.

So if temptation lingers, why not add more healthy ingredients to the foods? It doesn’t hurt to have fat free and sugar-free listed on a box of cookies.

“Red light cameras are a great law enforcement tool to catch people who choose to run red lights.”

DANIEL BARLETT, SENIOR

“I think they’re great, because they capture somebody committing an infraction the moment it happens.”

DANIELA LOPEZ, SENIOR

“It might prevent accidents, but people running yellow lights shouldn’t be punished just because they’re in a rush.”

CINDY ROJAS, SENIOR

“The cameras are an annoyance because they watch every single thing you do.”

RYAN DENARDO, FRESHMAN

“This system prevents accidents and this will decrease the amount of death.”

SELENA AGOSOTO, JUNIOR

Sara Castaneda SNACKING AWAY: Vending machines are located on every corner increasing temptation because of their easy accessability.

“They are a good idea but I’m sure my mother wouldn’t appreciate them.”

AMANDA ROSADO, JUNIOR

“Greatest” mural ever seen, sponsored by Morgan Spurlock

Sara Castaneda “Super Sized” Mural: Filmaker Morgan Spurlock funds our new mural, as part of his next documentary, centered on economic budget cuts and solutions.

Sarika Beharrysingh Copy Editor Catching the attention of students and staff as they enter the north parking lot is a colorful mural. Naturally, many are asking questions about why it is being painted, who’s painting it, and what it is.

Morgan Spurlock, American documentary filmmaker, television producer, screenwriter, journalist, and most widely known for his popular film, Super Size Me, is responsible for

funding the mural. Spurlock contacted the Broward School district seeking to advertise his new movie, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. The film is a documentary about the issues and solutions regarding how to fund programs in light of the severe budget crunch that school districts around the country are experiencing.

Spurlock contacted Athletic Director Dianne Sanzari about how our school is handling the budget cuts. A member of the School Board Advertising Committee, Sanzari introduced Spur-

lock to our school facility, discussed our policies regarding budget cuts.

While touring the campus, Sanzari showed Spurlock the racquetball court.

“My vision was to have a mural on that wall welcoming people to our facility.,” said Sanzari.

Sanzari immediately discussed the idea of using this space for sponsorship with Susan Leon-Leigh, principal. After researching costs, the two learned that such funding could be at great as $15,000. This sponsor-

CRAWLING

INTO A SCHOOL NEAR YOU

Alec Kaye Staff Writer

A variety of creepy crawlers have taken refuge in our neighborhood, a few fierce and tough-looking, but for the most part not lethal. Among the assortment, the spider population remains strong and noticeable.

Nephila clavipes, also commonly labeled Golden Silk or Banana spiders, have been seen recently in Coral Springs. Characterized by their golden silk webs, they can grow to a leg span exceeding ten inches, with feathery tufts on six of its eight legs.

Periodically, the spider will destroy a portion of its web and rebuild it each day to cleanse the web of any residue picked up. According to H. V. Weems, entomologist, and G. B. Edwards, anthropologist, in their report Golden Silk Spider, published at the University of Florida Department of Entomolgy,

the Nephila clavipes will bite only if bothered – producing localized pain and slight redness, but contains no venom.

Typically, the webs are made in open woods or edges of dense forest, usually attached to trees and low shrubs throughout Florida.

An unknown species of spider has appeared lately within our school. Beige-white and averaging two inches long, the spiders have been spotted around the courtyard, where many students eat their lunch daily.

Self-proclaimed Little Miss Muffet Rachael Chirichello, senior, describes how she encountered the spider on several occasions: in the courtyard, out by Yogurtland on University Drive, and even on her own driveway.

“They seem to be following me. It’s like a curse or something,” Chirichello said.

In early Sept., a spider lowered itself down on its web directly beside Chirichello’s head,

sending her friends screaming in panic, during school hours.

Initial student reaction to the spiders is paired with feelings of disgust or even pure terror.

Thomas G. Shelton, research scientist for USDA Forest Service, explains in his publication The Black Widow: these eightlegged critters are essential to nature’s society, and tend to scurry away the moment they sight the oncoming footsteps of approaching human beings, gigantic in comparison.

“People are often afraid of spiders because of their ill-deserved reputation for envenomizing victims,” Shelton said. “In fact, most spiders do not have mouthparts strong enough to penetrate skin.”

Floridian spiders are most noticeable in late summer and into the beginning of fall, but are present year round. The warm environment of South Florida provides a suitable breeding ground.

ship would allow for not only a welcome mural but also individual business sponsorship. The idea was then presented to Spurlock, who loved it. Spurlock decided to sponsor the full 108’x30’ wall and provide the mural.

An artist who creates many of the murals at various schools around the county, Michelle Morse, met with Sanzari to discuss possible ideas. Morse presented sketches of what the mural could look like and once a final concept was decided in early July, work began.

The mural is bright, showing two men riding horses. Between the two men is a painting of horses running freely. On the far right, the words “This school has a loyal Colt following,” is followed by a list of the sponsors and their logos. Sponsors include jetBlue, Hyatt, and movietickets.com. On the far left is “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,” Spurlock’s film. These sponsorships earn the largest portion of mural’s funding.

Students and staff have welcomed the mural as an enhancement to our campus.

Jordan Butchen Staff Writer

nounced an end to all combat operations in Iraq and the immediate withdrawal of all combat troops within the country. The current remaining U.S. force of 50,000 troops still in Iraq is to serve in an “advise and assist” capacity. This means that U.S. soldiers will continue to help ensure peace and stability in the country and help promote the institution of Iraq’s new democratic government.

With tens of thousands of soldiers now returning home to their loved ones, whom they might not have seen for years, this act will now give them the ability to begin a new stage of their lives.

Several soldiers will be returning home to students of our school. Tom Ferri, father of juiorDylan Ferri, is one of these soldiers. As a result of Obama’s decree, Mr. Ferri and many others will be welcomed home to their families.

“I’m glad I get to see my dad more. I missed not being able to spend time with him for so long.

Now I will be able to do all of the things that I’ve never had the chance to do with him before,” Ferri said.

Mr. Ferri had previously been employed as an officer of the Ft. Lauderdale Police Department, and upon his return to Florida returned to that position.

Troops return from Iraq A war that started over seven years ago now appears to be heading toward its conclusion.

On Mar. 20, 2003 a multinational force of troops, led by the United States and the United Kingdom, invaded Iraq in order to search for alleged weapons of mass destruction and help create a stable environment in this region of the world.

During the course of the past seven years, Saddam Hussein lost power and was executed.

No chemical or biological weapons were discovered. Also, there were over 17,000 deaths and approximately 60,000 injuries. The United Nations Refugee Agency registered over 300,000 Iraqi refugees.

President Barack Obama stated several times during his election campaign his tentative plans for dealing with the war.

His intent was to remove all U.S. soldiers from combat positions within a specified period of timeleaving the remaining troops there for security and support.

“The Iraqi people now have led responsibility for the security of their country,” said Obama during an Oval Office address.

On Aug. 31, Obama an-

Messenger

Sara Castaneda

Feyaad Allie Contributing Writer

Aneesa Allie Staff Writer Unlike your typical high school senior, Rakan Shaker discovered his passion right from the get go, which led him to study film in college.

Shaker graduated with the class of 2008. During that year he became involved in numerous hobbies that led to his interest in film. Shaker’s love of skateboarding impacted his desire to film, as many skaters documented their skateboarding through vidoes. He also enjoyed playing guitar, which was a natural path to recording music videos.

Shaker went on to Florida State University, where he is now enrolled in his third year.

He entered with one goal in mind: getting into FSU’s extremely competitive film program.

Denied entrance as an incoming freshman, Shaker was motivated.

He began meeting other film students his age, using the opportunity to earn recognition by volunteering on their sets. With the experience, Shaker once again applied to the film program, but again was turned down.

“My second denial was heart-breaking, as applying again meant

spending an extra year in school and graduating after all of my friends already in the program,” Shaker said.

Despite this second rejection from the program, he continued to work toward his dream. He started volunteering on larger sets, making more connections and landing more freelancing jobs. Shaker applied to the film program a third time in his sophomore year, and this time was accepted, landing one of five transfer spots.

“I’m definitely happy that the third time was the charm. This program is worth it, and the extra year of volunteering actually equipped me well,” Shaker said.

Shaker has also made commercials and Internet advertisements for fraternities, local businesses and Seminole Boosters and Productions. He has interned with the City of Tallahassee, writing and organizing news releases for the Department of Communications, which linked him to the local news channel WCOT. Shaker cofounded Special Delivery Productions, Inc., a small film production company, with fellow alumnus, Chad Greene. The group made money by shooting weddings, commercials, and music videos.

They entered the Delray Beach Film Festival’s Script to Real Contest and tied for first place.

Shaker hopes to edit and work on lighting feature length, large budget films in the near

ACTION!: Rakan Shaker, ‘08 grad, made it into FSU’s prestigous film program; he works toward winning an Oscar one day. future, whether they are established under Hollywood or created independently. His main target is to become a cinematographer, but will openhandedly accept jobs as an editor, director, writer, or production designer of films. He patiently awaits the day he wins an award from Cannes, Sundance, or the Academy for his work.

As for now, Shaker spends his time taking film classes, which can be up to 13 hours long. Regardless of the length, Shaker embraces them. He believes that his commitment will help him accomplish his ultimate dream of officially making it into the film world.

Photos Courtesy of Rakan Shaker

DJ Nadia Davis hits the scene Katie Jones Staff Writer

You’ll find that a lot of teenagers today express their music interests in various ways: through playing their instruments, listening to their iPods, or even just using their own voice. But for Nadia Davis, freshman, it’s a different story.

Upon meeting this quiet but intelligent girl, people wouldn’t expect to learn that she practices the art of Disc Jockeying. Almost every weekend she’s at familyrun parties, practicing her skills at the turntables, or perfecting her organization of the equipment being used.

The type of music that might be heard at these parties consists of mostly techno and Caribbean blends.

“When I DJ I play different types of music including hip hop and rap, such as songs on 99 Jamz,” said Davis.

Sonya Majewski Go DJ, That’s My DJ: Nadia Davis spends her weekends at the turntables, and makes her passion for music part of life.

She has always been around the DJ booth; her mother is involved in the St. Lucia Association Community Center, a party location. Her uncle, the man who taught her everything she knows,

DJs professionally. The parties have lots of dancing, music and food, and much celebration.

Davis mentioned that she doesn’t have a terrible experience or an embarrassing moment

involved with DJing, but she hates when she is unable to make the music flow well. Or even worse, when the equipment does not work the way she’d like.

Even though Davis may be a little better at setting up equipment than DJing itself, she is still dedicated to music and making sure the crowd is entertained. She loves to hear the crowd cheer her on and see them dancing to the music she is mixing for them.

“DJing is a way to express my love for music,” said Davis.

She says that the best part of it all is when it works out; she knows the crowd loves her creation, and the music all flows together.

EVERYONE HAS A STORY

As busy teenagers, we overlook the programs and organizations our city has. We are too preoccupied with homework, afterschool activities, and social life to realize that our city has numerous beneficial programs.

Once we notice the opportunities that our city makes available, we can really make a difference in our community.

As Scott Brook wraps up his term as Mayor of Coral Springs he is definitely going to leave a lasting impression. Mayor Brook has created an organization titled The Teen Task Force (TTF) for Healthy Choice.

This group is intended to be a method by which schools will prevent violence and advocate advantageous choices for teens.

Mayor Brook and the members of the planning committee aspire to bring TTF to the local middle and high schools of Coral Springs. The school based groups will have a liaison and coordinator for each team, who will report to the organization’s committee their results, suggestions, and observations.

Mayor Brook explained that the main goal of the TTF is to make sure that we can help avert local tragedies involving teens, along with encouraging healthier choices for the adolescents of Coral Springs.

The Teen Task Force has held two meetings to brainstorm ideas on how we can combat violence, unite students, and create a healthy lifestyle for teens. School administrators, students, parents, and city officials were invited to attend both meetings to devise the details on how the group will operate.

The organization is off to an excellent start and plans to have the Teen Task Forces in action soon. The organization specifically intends to prevent teen violence by getting all high school students involved in workshops and volunteer opportunities.

Rakan Shaker: Taking on film school

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Mayor’s

4 DIMENSIONS

SAM SCHWAB

Coral Springs

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

2 1 IT’S

Welcome to high school, where the concept of time revolves around application When you were five years old, it seemed like an endless continuum of new “dinner” were put in front of it.

Things have changed quite a bit since then.

For a child, it’s nothing but a way to differentiate day and nigh To the high school student, it’s a ticking clock.

Freshman through senior years are vital parts of a per those precious four years are spent on Facebook, a poten Ryan Webb, junior, realized that last year.

“Sophomore year I didn’t have a planner, and ev A low GPA from his previous slacker years, f agement skills.

Along with the addition of a planner an time better.

“I do my homework and study mor Managing your time wisely is no victim to the temptations of lazine Senior class president and A amount of her time on social n “Every day I go on Face done.”

Although not always “I’m sure I could r Nielsen Online, a ity, released a repo time on social ne B.R.A.C.E. a Woodring “There a Schola If deadlin simply b Wh Flo “I R stre

2 ABOUT

TIME3 A TYPICAL AFTERNOON

OF A COLT

p s

5 PM

6 ENJOYING A SNACK

4 PM

ov

9 8

ht.

rson’s life. They are when kids mature into adults and find their places in the world. If ntial college attendee could find himself alone in the dust.

very time I got work I just decided not to do it,” Webb said. “I just came home and went to sleep.” filled with avoiding assignments and excessive naps, was his motivation to improve his time man-

nd a fresh outlook on life, Webb now manages his

“EVEN THE BRIGHTEST STUDENTS CAN FALL VICTIM TO THE TEMPTATIONS OF LAZINESS. ”

re now,” Webb said. ot an easy task, and even the brightest students can fall ess.

AP student Lauren Rossi, senior, admits to spending a good networking websites. ebook and it’s such a time sucker,” Rossi said. “I don’t get things

s practiced, organization, according to Rossi, is a good way to save time. regain 20 minutes of time that I use looking for stuff,” said Rossi. an internet measurement service that monitors and measures more than 90% of global web activort Aug. 1, called “What Americans Do Online,” which said that the majority of Americans spend 23% of their etworking sites. advisor Cindy Woodring knows of these dangers and helps seniors avoid them. g, a strong believer in deadlines, emphasizes how critical they are, especially when senior year comes around. are multiple deadlines, like the ACTs, SATs, and college applications,” said Woodring. arships that seniors can apply for to receive money are in abundance and could help financially with college. nes aren’t accounted for, Woodring warns that students will be wasting valuable money that can be acquired by applying online. hen it comes to scholarships, “there’s a self imposed punishment,” Woodring said. orida Atlantic University’s Admissions Coordinator Michele Rios can vouch for that.

If [students] don’t watch out for deadlines, they can miss out on an opportunity,” Rios said.

Rios recommends applying ahead of time so you can start planning out your future early. “It’s also less essful,”she said.

Both Woodring and Rios suggest that students break down a task step by step. Otherwise, it becomes an verwhelming process.

Woodring does this by encouraging students to sign up for tests and apply for colleges first. Before an application deadline, she steers clear of mentioning scholarship opportunities to the senior because it can put students in a stressful situation.

Once Tina Mora, senior, entered into her final year of high school, she felt the stress almost immediately.

“I was extremely overwhelmed and I felt like I needed to manage my time a lot more efficiently to get everything done by the deadline,” Mora said.

Mora found it necessary to limit her cell phone usage if she was going to survive senior year.

“I spent too much time with my cell phone, texting and communicating with other people, so I decided to give it a break,” she said. “I wanted to detach myself from too much social activity.”

Mora took a leap of faith when she made the decision to turn off her cell phone for an entire week.

“I’ve been more motivated and now I can get my homework done quicker,” Mora said.

The most efficient way to manage time varies between individuals. It’s important that these skills are exercised on a daily basis, so students can get the best out of life in the shortest amount of time.

“WHEN IT COMES TO SCHOLARHIPS, THERE’S A SELF IMPOSED PUNISHMENT”

7 PM ROCKIN’ OUT

6 PM

7 6

5

USE TIME

WISELY

1 2 3 4

Keep track of everything you need to do. A planner will help you make sure you have time for everything from college applications to the latest TV shows.

Prioritize your tasks. Finish your most important things first; that way, you have peace in your mind and room in your schedule for the fun stuff later.

Don’t overload! If you make yourself responsible for more than you can handle, you’ll never be able to finish everything. Keep your own limits in mind.

Reward yourself when you get things done in a timely manner. Head over to Yogurtland for a sweet treat after a stressful week - you’ve earned it!

8 PM PLAYING TETRIS

n deadlines, homework due dates, and not being late to class. w adventures and joyous moments, mentioned only if the words “play” or

BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME

SORRY, CHARLIE

RUNNER UP

Kings of Leon gives impressive performance Sarah Moseley Staff Writer Kings of Leon joined with opening bands The Whigs and The Black Keys, Fri., Sept. 17 at Cruzan Amphitheatre for a night full of smooth, unobstructed music.

The Whigs kicked off the night by playing some of their hits such as “Right Hand On My Heart” and “Kill Me Carolyne.” Lead singer and guitarist Parker Gispert, drummer Julian Dorio, and bassist Tim Deaux, stayed true to their underground sound and prepared the audience for a night of soulful rock.

Following The Whigs came The Black Keys, and with their bluesrock sound they were the pied pipers that reeled in a restless crowd.

The musical duo originally came from humble beginnings, as they were involved in the underground scene of Akron, Ohio. Performing such songs as “Tighten Up” and “Chop and Change,” lead vocalist and guitarist Dan Auerbach, and drummer Patrick Carney easily impressed the audience.

One attendee reflected their unexpected liking toward one of the opening acts.

“I didn’t really know much about the opening bands, but hearing them for the first time, I

thought they were really good,” said Oliver Riquelme, senior.

After the stage was set, Kings of Leon made their way onto the scene. With lead singer Caleb Followill’s voice booming through the speakers the crowd erupted and then simmered into a state of melodic euphoria with each following song. The extent of the stage decorations being only a wall of lights behind the band, the true focus of the night was on the music.

“I thought the music sounded equally as good as it was on the CD. They were very genuine and they didn’t overdo anything,” said Cindy Rojas, senior.

Their rock sound, with a twinge of country soul, was seemingly flawless as the family band performed. Drummer Nathan Followill, bassist Jared Followill, and lead guitarist Matthew Followill played as if they were practicing in the comfort of their solitude, while Caleb made the vocals seem effortless. The band performed most of their hit songs, such as “Use Somebody” while still performing lesser known but equally superb songs such as “Bucket” and “My Party,” leaving no room for complaint.

transition from Barnes’s previous exploits as his transsexual alter ego Georgie Fruit, as seen on Skeletal Lamping and Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? The latest album refreshes Of Montreal’s audience with a more tamed and singular resonance.

Unlike Of Montreal’s last nine studio albums, False Priest was recorded in Hi-Fi, which complements the synthesized pop undertones throughout the album.

Barnes’ notoriety for exorbitant lyrics may deter some listeners from hearing the album. The final track on False Priest, “You Do Mutilate?” engages the listener in a se-

ries of haunting aphorisms.

“Oh, you do mutilate, we’re going to celebrate our emotional poverty,” Barnes sings.

On the other hand, Barnes delivers in a sappy mutter on the third track: “I don’t wanna catch you with some other guy’s face under your eyelids,” in the album’s hit single, “Coquet Couqette”.

The sounds of Barnes’s signature falsetto and infectious funk rhythms are to be expected and admired, though the absurd lyrics make the songs unrelatable to its general audience. A large portion of the album recalls Barnes’ sexual escapades.

On a more personal note, the song that stood out most was “Famine Affair,” the tenth track. Barnes’s lowest emotional point on the album, he brokenheartedly repeats, “you marginalize me, you sabotage me, go away go away (you’re a bad thing, you horrible thing).”

It’s strange, unfamiliar, and glam. I found this album incredible without breaking any barriers. For anyone who is accustomed to the melodramatic lyricism or the obscure psychedelic pop genre, this album simply is perfect for you.

known best for Fight Club and the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the movie was innovative and fresh, but at times drawn out.

The opening scene was perfect. The conversation between Zuckerberg and his girlfriend Erica Albright, played by Rooney Mara, was funny, witty, and fresh.

It built such high expectations (in fact, at that point, I was almost sure I was giving this movie four stars.) As the movie went on, it slowed down. A couple of parts were actually boring. The end was a striking contrast- no excitement or wit; it was disappointing.

On a higher note, the cast, filled with young actors, was absolutely flawless. Their acting was brilliant, and elevated the movie.

Jesse Eisenberg, who played Mark Zuckerberg, was able to capture the role, with the perfect mixture of awkward and arrogant, genius and stubborn, passionate and in-

different. Andrew Garfield, who played Saverin, brings just the right amount of charm and innocence to balance the despicability of the other characters. While Eisenberg and Garfield were the clear cut stars of the movie, the smaller roles were all perfectly executed. Especially notable was Armie Hammer, who took on a double-role as the Winklevoss twins, Cameron and Tyler. He managed to embody both distinguishable personalities, and made the characters memorable.

The depiction of the relationship between Zuckerberg and Saverin is fascinating, and reminiscent of Gene and Finny’s friendship in the novel A Separate Peace. They complement each other and reveal the darkest aspects of friendship; it was the most captivating part of the story.

What separates a good movie from a great movie is the feeling

it leaves audiences with after they leave the theatre. Whether it’s a year’s worth of jokes and movie quotes to use with friends, or a burning question of morality, great movies stay with the audience.

Despite my dislike of Facebook itself, and my slight disappointment at the ending, the movie left me with something valuable. It made me question my own morality, priorities, and actions.

While on the surface it seemed like a story about how a Harvard drop-out got rich, it posed an ethical question that went much deeper than that. Fincher took a situation so far removed from our own lives (we’re not the youngest billionaires in the world) and made it relatable; that made the movie beautiful.

All hail False Priest, Of Montreal’s latest album Charlie Weintraub Staff Writer Amidst the contemporary music scene lies a unique band, Of Montreal, whose latest album, False Priest, presents orchestrations of the front man Kevin Barnes. The album was released September 14 by Polyvinyl Records.

The conventional structure of Barnes’s songs seem to be a medley of hit singles, including appearances by Janelle Monae and Solange Knowles on the tracks “Enemy Gene” and “Sex Karma,” respectively.

False Priest marked a distinct

THE SOCIAL NET WORK

Director David Fincher successfully brings to the big-screen an ethical question concerning the road to success and the relationships passed along the way.

Saraana Jamraj Feature Editor The Social Network, with a youthful cast and fresh topic, met and exceeded all expectations, becoming a contender for the Oscars.

The film centered on the founding of Facebook and the shifting relationship between CEO Mark Zuckerberg and best friend Eduardo Saverin, premiered on Oct. 2.

Directed by David Fincher,

Horror Edition UPCOMING MOVIE RELEASES

Release dates: (from left to right) Oct. 22, Oct. 29.

Graphics courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

BEST IN SHOW

REVIEWS

Currently reading

Tara Johnston

Amanda Current News Editor Every once in a while a novel comes along that completely changes your life. It comes at unlikely times and from unlikely sources, but when it happens, it’s imperative that everyone knows that it’s out there.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the book that took me by surprise and has left me hungry for more.

This science fiction novel is set in a post-apocalyptic North America now called Panem, ruled by an overbearing government known as “the Capitol.” Panem consists of 12 primarily impoverished districts.

Every year the Capitol chooses two children from each district to be thrown into an arena where their main goal is to kill all other tributes until they are the last ones remaining.

The novel centers around 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the most povertystricken area of District 12. After being chosen at the “reaping,” Katniss must face the terrifying reality that she will have to compete against and kill 23 other children or die an undoubtedly brutal death while the whole Game is being aired on every television in Panem as a twisted form of entertainment.

This novel is one of the most shocking, terrifying, intense, and breathtaking of any book I have read. It will take you to another place where the world you came from is not remembered or missed.

Every character presented in the novel is incredibly interesting. Each one stays etched into the reader’s mind as if they know them personally. There is no truly evil character that must be defeated, due to the complexity of each character’s development.

Just when it appears that everything is figured out, the plot twists in ways that even an experienced reader could find unimaginable and heartwrenching.

There are innumerable words to describe the undeniable talent of Collins and her incredibly terrifying new world.

This book can appeal to anyone with a hunger for imagination and thought-provoking concepts.

Reviews

REVIEWS

Halo continues to entertain audience

Joshua Sieler Staff Writer

The release of Halo: Reach for Xbox 360 on Sept. 14 marks the end to the beloved Bungie Halo series with a large, spectacular bang.

Halo: Reach, like its predecessors, has once again amazed audiences with its stunning graphics, amazing multiplayer options, and terrific campaign. Halo: Reach

completes the epic journey of the Halo series by explaining the background to the original Halo, filling in players on the events leading up to the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, Halo, and the invasion of Earth by the Covenant.

Players take control of Noble 6, a Spartan super-soldier, assigned to Noble team, a group of elite soldiers of the United Nations Space Command. The Campaign begins with Noble 6 and his

team heading to a downed communications relay site to repair what is suspected to be damage caused by human insurrectionist on the planet. They fail to find any human insurrectionist, only the dreaded Covenant. Suddenly players are fighting against a huge Covenant invasion as they try to save the planet from being overrun.

In true Halo series fashion, the game adds new content, such

as a variety of weapons, a wide selection of vehicles, and an additional type of Covenant unit known as Skirmishers. Players are also going to enjoy the new improvements in the forge, a way to create player maps by placing objects on an empty board.

Many new game types including Headhunter, a game in which people collect the ‘skulls’ of killed players for points, appear in the multiplayer, which sports addi-

tional maps and gear. The popular Firefight mode, in which players fight against wave after wave of enemy, is also an added feature to the game.

Halo: Reach leaves little to be disappointed about and its replay ability is definitely high. This superb game is a recommended buy.

up in the lobby. Displaying a sense of family fun, we initially approved of the new restaurant.

We walked through the door to a long line of guests waiting to fill their stomachs. We remained calm even as time dragged on and we moved slowly toward the cash register.

Looking at the menu, there wasn’t much to see. The only things listed were the child, adult, and early bird specials. To our surprise, when we were rung up at the cash register the meal was two dollars more than what was listed because of a drink charge

that was not only presumed to be included in the meal, but also not listed anywhere on the menu or store.

After waiting in the large line to be seated, we were brought to a crowded room placed in an anything but intimate setting, where the conversations of our diningneighbors were heard loud and clear.

Once seated, we grabbed our plates and headed for the buffetstyle salad bar. At first glance it looked full and delightful, but when we started to decide what to eat, we noticed that the top-

pings -- such as various vegetables, fruits, and dressings -- were limited. Regardless, we ate the mediocre salads, headed over to the main course buffet, and tried a bit of everything.

Expecting food that, if not healthy, was at least going to be pretty good to the taste, we were quickly disappointed. Cold mac n’ cheese, overly tart orange chicken, bland french fries, seafood that tasted like typical frozen isle goods sold in grocery stores, and imitation Chinese food were some of the main dishes.

Even after the rocky appetizer

and main course, we managed to keep a positive attitude while awaiting the deserts. An assortment of cakes, pies, chocolate, and what seemedto be other delicious delicacies turned out to be worse than they appeared to be.

Overall, it was an interesting meal that was not satisfactory at all. We are not experts in the restaurant business, but we would not suggest that you check out Golden Corral if you are looking for a quality meal, or a good price.

Golden Corral buffet unexpectedly disappoints Kristin Vara Reed Congdon Staff Writers As many teens in Coral Springs have figured out, there is not much to do in this town except eat. So, when Golden Corral opened up in Peppertree Plaza on Sample Rd., we decided to test it out; knowing that a fair amount of our peers would also be curious as to what the restaurant has to offer.

Upon entering, we giggled at the sight of adults taking advantage of the childish games lined

Schutt Up &

Geek Out

Daniel Schutt Staff Writer Allie Schutt Dimensions Editor Tara Johnston As nerds, it can be difficult at times to make sense of social situations. But every now and then, geeks like us congregate in special little havens called conventions. Here, anyone can be a robot, a princess, or a master swordsman. And it doesn’t matter so much if it’s all in your head.

We were lucky enough to experience one of the most anticipated conventions of 2010 in August: Star Wars Celebration V. Events like this don’t happen every day - or every year, for that matter. The convention, officially held by Lucasfilm every several years, began with Celebration I in 1999. Since then, it’s been held all over the world: from London to Tokyo, to Los Angeles. In fact, this is the first time it’s ever taken place on the east coast of the U.S., so it’s kind of a big deal.

We didn’t realize how big of a deal it really was until we arrived at the Orange County Convention Center this August. We entered the lobby to see an AT-AT Imperial Walker before us, surrounded by gleeful geeks posing and taking pictures in their Old Republic Jedi tunics and Storm Trooper ar-

mor. This was only the beginning, though. The vast convention hall held life-size prop replicas that were truly mindblowing, including sets like Jabba the Hutt’s palace and the interior of the Millenium Falcon. A massive Tie Fighter was the perfect set-piece for the legions of cosplayers in elaborate, homemade robes and masks.

That wasn’t even the coolest thing we saw, though. Not even close. We had the honor of being in the same room as Carrie Fisher, the iconic actress who brought Princess Leia to life. Now in her fifties, Fisher is one of the most charming personalities we’ve ever come across. She brought one of us near tears (guess which) when she recited her famous “Obi Wan Speech” right in front of us -- the one that ends with “Help me, Obi Wan Kenobi.

You’re my only hope.”

So if your extra midichlorians make your social life a little awkward, perhaps you should be around for Star Wars Celebration VI. And in the meantime, maybe you should leave your lightsaber at home for a little while.

TIE FIGHTER - Imperial starfighters used during the Galactic Civil War.

Chorus receives invite to UF choral festival An opportunity to visit the University of Florida has been offered to the chorus department this year for the first time.

The festival, hosted by the University of Florida in Gainesville, will be held on Wed., Oct. 21. The festival is by invitation only, making it an exclusive experience for the chorus.

Thirty chorus students, selected by the teacher MaryCatherine Salo, which will be participating in the festival. These students are of the advanced chorus and are most eligible to partake in the festival, according to Salo.

The festival will consist of activities such as clinics, per-

formances by choirs and faculty, voice master classes, and a special performance by the choral students of UF. Other schools selected to participate include Chamberlain High from Tampa, Eau Gallie High from Melbourne, Lake Brantley High from Altamonte Springs, Martin County High from Stuart, and The Villages High from Buffalo Trail.

The festival is an opportunity that the chorus has yet to experience, but they have participated in other trips. They have performed in New York and Atlanta and some students have gone to Europe to sing with CSHS. Salo will be taking the chorus on the trip and along with her new student teacher, Cody Wallace, UF student.

“I think the chorus will do spectacularly this year,” said Wallace.

Emily Frick, senior, is working with peers such as Jacob Newstreet, Kristin Vara, Arianna Morrell, and Nelson Ysbael. They’re preparing certain pieces such as “Joy to the World,” “Shenandoah,” and “Goodnight Dear Heart.”

“It’s exciting because the chorus group hasn’t gone to any invitationals,” Frick said.

This trip, being highlighted on Salo’s calendar, brings much enthusiasm to her and the students participating. They are very excited for the chance to be interacting with other schools’ chorus departments.

“The other choirs are awesome,” Salo said. “We’re so honored to be in this company.”

opportunities for band students,” Dawson said.

Our school will be hosting the competition this year, as it has for the past three consecutive years.

“This is the sixth time we have been selected to host this event,” said Brett Dawson, band director.

The band has been in this competition over 30 times and received a superior rating 29 times.

This system of rating differs when considering other competitions.

“Instead of [the kind of] scores you get as if it were a test at other competitions, it’s a rating,” Rebecca Fedderwitz, sophomore, said.

In this kind of competition, the ratings include poor, fair, good, excellent, and superior ratings -poor being the lowest rating and superior being the highest rating.

The band is preparing their marching show for this competition by rehearsing six to nine hours after school each week.

The competition is made up of

many categories, for both the band’s sound and visual parts, such as the marching formations, of the performance. Other categories include percussion and the guard/flag/rifle section.

The judges rate different aspects of the performances. They are rated on Marching/Maneuvering, General Effect, Music Performance 1 and 2, Auxiliary, and Percussion. Over 30 bands from Broward County and throughout south Florida wil be participating in this event.

The attitude toward this year’s competition is optimistic.

“I think we’ve improved a lot this year as opposed to last year,” said Fedderwitz. “Even though some of our best players left last year as seniors, there are so many new freshmen and most of them are great marchers. With the right determination we can do better than last year.”

If the band wins this competition they will receive a trophy and, as Fedderwitz says, “the reputation of being awesome.”

and thousands of applications to download, just like the familiar Apple product, the iPod Touch.

The use of applications on the new Nano may be affected due to its small screen size. Some students have expressed their concerns with this change.

“With a smaller screen, things might be difficult to see,” Ashley Murphy, sophomore, said. “I feel as if the applications could be of better use on a bigger screen, which the iPod Touch can offer.”

Apple products aren’t just about the music either. Jobs also announced the Apple TV. Apple TV is set up by plugging the power cord into the wall and accessing the account from the TV it is connected to. This requires a

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) cable.

Once the Apple TV is connected, the user can rent movies, watch TV shows, and streamline music and photos straight from their iTunes library. YouTube, Netflix, Flickr, and Mobile-Me, a feature that sends new emails, contacts, and calendar events right to an iPhone or Mac, can also be accessed from Apple TV. The iPod Touch is known for its full touch-screen and the ability to download applications. Soon after Jobs converted the Nano to this design, he had to upgrade the original iPod Touch.

The new iPod Touch now has FaceTime, a calling feature only usable to iPod Touch users. This is

similar to the video-chatting software like Skype, which is used on Windows, or iChat, which is used on the Mac. This requires a camera; Apple added two built-in, on the back and on both the front of the Touch.

The front camera is made for the FaceTime feature, focusing on the user in the best possible lighting. The back camera can be turned horizontally to capture others and what’s going on around them. With the new Retinal display, which is now the clearest screen for Apple, has upgraded to four times the amount of pixels than the previous iPod Touch. You can also record in HD Video and later edit that movie right on the Touch.

In order to listen to music on all three of these products, iTunes 10 will be used. iTunes 10 works the same as the previous version, but now includes the Ping feature, a social network for music. Ping is similar to Twitter, but it allows users to follow musical artists and see what they are listening to. Ping allows one to create his or her own profile and list their top five albums. They get to see what their friends are listening to, topics they are talking about, and continuous recommendations of music.

With two new iPods, an Apple TV, and the music-based program, Apple completes one’s survival guide in a technological world.

GEEK GLOSSARY

AT-AT IMPERIAL WALKER- Heavily armored land vehicle used by the Imperial army.

Katie Jones SINGING: For their first invitational, to be held at the Universty of Florida, MaryCatherine Salo prepares her advanced chorus students.

MIDI-CHLORIANS - Microscopic life forms that reside inside living cells; high numbers in a human makes them more Force-sensitive and more likely to become a Jedi.

Katie Jones Staff Writer

Band prepares for upcoming competitions Daniel Schutt Staff Writer The Marching Band will be participating, once again, in the Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) Marching Band Music Assessment, an all day event on Oct. 23.

“FBA stands for Florida Bandmasters Association. This is the organization that most band directors throughout the state of Florida belong to and participate in various music performance

Apple releases four new products, enhances technological world Harley Mitchell Staff Writer Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the release of the new iPod Nano with Multi-Touch, iPod Touch, Apple TV, and the upgrade on iTunes on Sept. 1.

The new iPod Nano is about half the size of the previous generation, but still has a memory capacity of 8 gigabytes (GB) or 16GB. The new Multi-Touch feature allows the user to either swipe his or her finger in a certain direction to get to each menu on the iPod or just tap the play button to listen to music. Now with a built-in clip, the listener can wear his or her iPod anywhere. There are seven colors to choose from

Football season kicks off Reed Congdon Staff Writer

The 2010 varsity football team this year is made up mostly of returnees, half of them seniors. Now that a fresh, new season lies ahead of them, the players, along with Head Coach Ray Gould, have high expectations for what’s to come.

“Our goal is to win the district championship and compete in the state playoffs,” Gould said.

The team is filled with skilled players who have had several years of experience, giving them an advantage, but there is still room for improvement. The defense is said to be strong, but if they wish to bring the Mayor’s Cup back to our school, or win Pig Bowl again, the Colts need to stay focused.

“I just wish we had more size. We need bigger kids in the school to start getting involved,” Gould said.

Another obstacle for this season is the lack of Friday night home games this season that so many of our students look forward to. It just so happens that the district has to spread the amount of Friday and Thursday night games evenly among the surrounding schools, and it didn’t fall in our school’s favor.

This is difficult for the team, not only because it’s a struggle with means of transportation for every game, but fan support may dwindle now that the games won’t be played on Fridays. Fans mean as much to the team as the games do to the fans.

“Fans can play a huge role in our games. They encourage us

and get us pumped and excited, and they make it fun to play in a high energy environment,” said varsity center Adam Levenson.

As of this writing, the team’s record is 2-3, with a district record of 1-1. The team defeated Coral Glades but had an unfortunate loss to Coconut Creek. Emotions ran high at the game, with multiple injuries on the field, one in particular being Lamar Palmer’s. Palmer Running back broke his arm in the secJared Joyner, ond half and will be out junior, scored on for the remainder of the a 2-yard run and season.

2-point conversion The next game will be against Coral Glades on Oct. 15, at 7p.m. and on Sept.30. held at Douglas for the Photo courtesy of Bryn-Alan annual Pig Bowl.

Baseball swings into action Jordan Cohen Staff Writer

The 2010 Fall Baseball season started off prosperously. Within the first week of Sept. they played against three travel teams: the Wolverines, Superstars, and Plantation at the Triple Crown Tournament in which we came in first place.

The fall baseball team is so large this year that there are three teams, the Junior Varsity, Varsity A and Varsity B. The team’s agenda is quite busy. With 35 games just for fall season, the team can only afford to practice twice a week, for there are three games a week.

“There are so many kids this Fall Ball season,” Frank Bumbales, baseball coach, said. “My outlook for this season is that it’s just a time we can get a look at the kids at practice to see who can play in spring.”

The fall season revolves around practicing and getting better before spring, which the players consider the most important season.

“We [baseball team] need to practice to prepare for the district championship that takes place in the spring,” said pitcher Cole Bumbales, junior.

The baseball team’s limited practices

take place in the batting cages, where the team works on their techniques, but the 35 games that will be played this season are considered practice in itself.

All their hard work is aimed towards achieving the title of District Champions in 2011.

“I look forward to us getting better as a team in this new year,” said junior Alan Sharkey, “but it doesn’t compare to my excitement for spring season.”

The baseball team had their first home game on Sept. 17 against Pompano Beach High School, in which they beat Pompano 10 to 0.

Swim team small but determined Jon McEwan Staff Writer The start of the school year has also marked the start of the Colts swim and dive season.

The team, headed by coaches Kristen Marcey and Stacey Weaver, is significantly smaller than last year. Only nine girls and seven boys participated, as opposed to teams approaching 15 members each last year.

“We are working harder at practice this year, but we have a lot of fun,” Anna Bonito, sophomore, about the strength of this year’s team.

As of this writing the boys and girls team both have a record of 1-2, scoring a win against Stranahan High School but losing to Nova and Flannigan. Several swimmers on the team are ranked high in the district and last year went on to compete in the regional tournament, but is scored ranking in each individual event. In theory, a team could have seven Michael Phelpses and still lose at most meets due to their lack of numbers. Despite this, the teams are not discouraged.

Sonya Majewski DIVING IN: Ryan Wilkerson, senior, placed first in the 100m breat stroke and 100m freestyle in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas, J.P. Tarvella, Coral Springs “What we might lack in numbers we gain in effort and determination,” said Chris Williams, sophomore.

The Colts have their next meet on Oct. 20 at 4:30 pm. Opponents will be Boyd Anderson and Everglades High Schools.

“Just my family alone bought a lot of the tickets that I was trying to sell,” Jensen Holroyd, junior, said.

The tickets are sold for $50-60 by Ticketmaster, but through this fundraiser they are available for $25 each. Games offered include the buyer’s choice of either opponent Cleveland Browns on Dec. 5, or against the Detroit Lions on Dec. 26, both held at the Sunlife Stadium in Miami at 1 pm.

By selling these tickets, it is helping our school, and also benefits the Dolphins organization; as $10 of the purchase goes straight to the team themselves. The tickets themselves come

from the Student Activities Liaison of Broward County after they are ordered from each school and are handed down to the people that are selling those tickets to be handed out to the fundraising donators.

“It’s a fun way to raise money for your cause, and it’s easier than selling boxes of candy,” Holroyd said.

Selling the Dolphins tickets appears to be a financially productive way to get people to give back to their community through sports. To buy tickets, ask local clubs or organizations at our school, or contact Ms. Melissa Goldstein in room 204 or more information.

Dolfans aid fundraising efforts

By Danny Lopez Staff Writer

An innovative way to fundraise was introduced to our school with help from the Miami Dolphins football team. Many clubs and organizations at our school, including athletics and student government, are welcome to sell Dolphins tickets as a form of raising money for our school. Most kids are finding it a lot easier to sell these tickets by selling them to friends, family, or even strangers, the tickets help to fight the low budgets that have been affecting our school.

Get in the know

with reed & d. lo Reed Congdon and Danny Lopez Staff Writers Budget cuts being made this year to the athletic department have been noticed by many students who participate in the programs. Volleyball for example, was supplied with nothing but two game balls for the season, the bare minimum that is needed to play the game. It may make some kids angry or upset with the school, but one thing to remember is that the budget cuts are nobody’s fault.

Even elementary schools in the area are getting rid of special programs, and many don’t have a full time P.E. teacher such as Coral Park Elementary.

Our school isn’t the only one that took a blow its our athletic budget. In fact, it was a district-wide decision to reduce the amount of money used for school sports, since they are extracurricular and considered a lower priority than academics.

“In my opinion, without athletics, you lose a lot of kids, because a lot of them aren’t here for school, they are here to play sports,” said Athletic Director Dianne Sanzari.

Since the budget cuts, the school board is doing what they can to help athletics so that no sport has to suffer. While our school could take the easy route and start putting certain non-revenue sports, like tennis, that requires more money to play than they raise, on the chopping block, instead they are working hard to work out a system so that every sport has a chance to continue with a bright future.

“Even with the budget cuts, we haven’t lost a single sport,” said Sanzari.

It’s unfortunate that about $12,000 in coaching staffs throughout the district have been lost somewhere in the money shortage, leaving many teams with only one or two coaches, by reducing the amount of games in the district season for volleyball from about 25 games to around 20 games per season, and having a rotation of which teams get new jerseys each year, our athletic department is doing what they can to get over this setback. If a team wants any extra commodities for their season, it’s up to them to raise the money. While it’s true that half the money that comes from individual fundraisers goes back to support our school-wide athletic program, it’s safe to say that any money is better than no money at all.

“They’re doing the best they can, but we all have to pitch in, “ said Assistant Athletic Director Susan Halliday.

Some fundraising ideas to overcome this financial misfortune include selling Dolphins tickets that are supplied through the school, or selling Resturaunt.com tickets, where a person can buy a gift card worth twice as much in coupons online to local restaurants. Another project in the works is selling decorative pavers to cover the cement between our school’s gym and ten hundred building as a way for donators to leave their mark on our school while supporting the athletic program.

The dwindling funds for our school’s athletic program aren’t fun for anybody, but it’s important to give credit where it is due; our athletic department is straining to keep everyone satisfied. It’s important for athletes to dedicate themselves to a team, not only during the game, but also by undertaking the responsibility of keeping their heads above water financially.

Golf team looks forward Lorenzo Mohammed Staff Writer

P R E P Classes near CSHS!

Coral Springs 954-346-9445 martyfeldmansatprep.com

The Colts golf team’s regular season came to an end Oct. 12. Their record is 5-7, with the Oct.12 game unplayed as of this writing.

On Oct.19 starts their District tournament, against seven other schools in the district.

“I’m looking for third” said coach Sam Sirico, of his hopes for the district tournament.

Sirico thinks that with his two best players, Jacob Mays, junior and team captain team, and Kyle Williams, freshman, they can place third.

The competition between the two players can be distracting according to Sirico, so he keeps them separate when they play matches. One player may try to out do themselves and perform inadequately overall.

The team’s past trimester game, played on Oct. 6 against Hollywood Hills and Coo-

per City resulted in two wins for the Colts.

In the game against Hollywood Hills they were behind and needed a low score in order to win the match. Alex DeLuca, senior was the final player; he scored a 47, which was exactly what was needed for the win.

The game against Cooper City was forfeited to CSHS because only two of their players showed.

Many games were canceled during the season. To Sirico this is not unusual, due to fall weather. He purposely scheduled 20 games knowing that some would be canceled because of rain or “other oddities.”

On Sept. 8 Douglas canceled, as did Deerfield Beach. The team isn’t letting the cancellations affect their attitudes.

The Colts practice and hold their games at the Coral Springs Country Club course, where they will play their final match of the season against Pompano Beach High.

“Even though the season’s over I’ll still find time to practice on my own,” Mays said.

Athlete Spotlight: Evan Lassiter

Ashley Rynar Lauren Lewkowicz Sports Editors

Since age 3, Evan Lassiter has had a craving for football. It started out just by playing catch with his dad and turned into a passion. Little did the junior know this passion would lead to him becoming quarterback this season.

On Sept. 3, Lassiter’s first game as varsity quarterback, he passed for 197 yards and helped the team shut out Ft. Lauderdale 31-0.

Along with his interest in football, Lassiter also participates in boys volleyball and basketball. He has been playing basketball since fourth grade and volleyball since seventh at Forest Glen Middle.

Being 6’5” and 205 lbs, Lassiter was naturally selected as captain of the varsity volleyball team and led the team in kills, which are spikes that are not returned by the opposing team, last year. He was also recognized as MVP for the season.

Along with these activities Lassiter also enjoys watching the Miami Dolphins and taking “long walks on the beach.”

Sara Castaneda He hopes to pursue his dream of playing college football and plans to carry on the tradition of “sweating blue and bleeding green.”

EVENT

UPCOMING SPORTING EVENTS OPPONENT

DATE/TIME

LOCATION

Volleyball

Deerfield

Oct. 14/ 7pm

Deerfield

Football

Douglas

Oct. 15/ 7pm

Douglas

Swimming

TBA

Oct. 16/ 4:30pm

TBA

Volleyball

McArthur

Oct. 19/ 7pm

CSHS

Swimming

TBA

Oct. 20/ 4:30pm

Coral Springs Aquatic Center

Football

Monarch

Oct. 21/ 7pm

Coconut Creek

Football

Cardinal Gibbons

Oct. 29/ 7pm

CSHS

Football

Cooper City

Nov. 5/ 7pm

CSHS

Football

J.P. Taravella

Nov. 12/ 7pm

CSHS

Soccer

Coral Glades

Nov. 12/ 7pm

Coral Glades

Soccer

Coral Glades

Nov. 12/ 7pm

Coral Glades

MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS EVENT

DATE/TIME

LOCATION

Powder Puff

Oct. 25/ 7pm

CSHS

Dodgeball Tournament

Oct. 27/ 5pm

CSHS

NEW YEAR,

NEW COACH Caitlyn Tate Staff Writer

For the first time in years, the Lady Colts volleyball team has a new head coach. Corey Sarubbi, previous head coach for the boys volleyball team at Forest Glen Middle School, has taken on the challenge of leading the team and is excited at the idea.

“I’m having a really good time coaching the team,” Sarubbi said, “It’s a good group of girls, and they’ve been working really hard.”

Sarubbi was previously the head coach for the boy’s volleyball team at FGMS, an instructor for recreational team in Rochester, New York, his hometown, for five years, being a head coach for Wildfire, a county-wide recreational volleyball club, and coaching the junior varsity girls volleyball team last year.

“He was a really great coach last year. I learned a lot from him,” said Angela Musser, sophomore on the JV team.

Sarubbi is the first person to realize the difficulty of his job. He explained that the team’s greatest weakness was “experience on the volleyball court, because only a few players do [play] recreational volleyball.” Sarubbi contends that the team’s greatest strength is their experience in other sports.

“Most of the girls play other sports throughout the year and bring that athleticism to the team,” he said.

The team in itself has reshaped since Sarubbi took over. There are now eight seniors on varsity, meaning that eight girls will not be returning for next season. In volleyball, only six people start on the court, eight people can be a frightening loss.

Sarubbi hopes that the rest of the returning varsity team members will be able to pick up the slack once the others leave.

In order for a team to keep a strong reputation in the county, there must be a solid foundation. This means that they must have a strong set of players behind the varsity stars so that there can be something to fall back on once the older players leave. This is where the junior varsity team comes into play.

The JV team is made up of generally younger girls who wish to train hard and commit to learning all they can about the sport, so they can one day make the varsity level. Derek Schweitzer, this year’s junior varsity girls coach, is new to the volleyball program.

“He really makes us work hard so that we can get better,” said Chelsea Sage, junior on JV. Ever since the beginning of the summer months, Sarubbi has been working with and training his players in order to prepare them for this season’s matches. Keeping a practice schedule of 5 to 6 days a week, he stresses how important it is that the girls work hard now so they can reap the rewards later. One of the goals that Sarubbi has set for his team is to make it to the district finals.

In order to do this, the team must beat out long-time rival, Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Sarubbi also emphasized the positive effect that being committed can have on the team, saying that dedication is the one message he hopes to get across to his team. His advice to any athletes: “Make sure you’re fully committed to it. Otherwise, you’re wasting time.” In lieu of a team motto this year, Sarubbi has instead decided to let the team stand on its own credentials. “Our performance is our motto,” he said.

TEAM INSPIRATION:

Coach Sarubbi gives the varsity team some last minute inspiration against district rival Coral Glades.

Photos Courtesy of Bryn-Allen Photography