Issue 3, Vol. 55 by highlights Newsmagazine

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Issue 3,

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Bhangra beats: Indian dance team

established at school

By Olivia Field STAFF WRITER

compliment the music and accurately represent the style of dance. “The dance is so jumpy, and the fact that you can express yourself makes it almost like a catharsis. That’s actually exactly what it is. It’s like you can have a really bad day and you can just feel depressed or you can feel low, but this dance doesn’t make any of that matter,” Moihdeen said. “As long as you are smiling, it just feels great. I get jittery and it’s like I have butterflies in my stomach. I really enjoy it.” The group’s original goal was not to become a school sponsored group, but rather to compete at the Indian and Regional Cultural Center’s celebration of Diwali, the annual Indian festival of lights. The event took place at the Dade County Fair Expo Center on Oct. 18, and was packed with tents selling traditional clothes, like the sari, and fresh Indian food, such as samosas and pani puri. After the success of that performance, Pochi said it was clear to her that she wanted to continue working and dancing with the other five girls. In addition to being a style of dance, Bhangra is a form of personal expression. All of the group members, besides Clay and Martel, are of Asian, particularly Indian, descent. The members said that the group gives them the chance to share their culture with others and gives them an outlet for appreciating their ethnic background. “This is my heritage. Both my parents are from India, so I’m having a chance to express my culture and have it appreciated in America, via this dance team. It’s nice doing something I wouldn’t usually get the opportunity to do,” Chawla said. With only one performance under the team’s belt, Pochi said she hopes to add to the team’s résumé by participating in school events like Fall Frolics and Cav Crash. To continue competing, the team is working to perform in other community events that celebrate Indian culture. Olivia Field/highlights

Mixing modern and traditional Indian dance, the newly formed Gables Bhangra team has started to make a name for itself at the school with its unique choreography. Classified as a northern Punjabi folk dance, Bhangra literally translates to “intoxicated with joy.” The dance team was started by sophomores Bhargavi Pochi and Guneet Moihdeen last month, and includes freshman Melanie Wu, sophomores Alitza Martel and Alexis Clay, and junior Harleen Chawla. With the help of Activities Director Ana Suarez and newly appointed sponsor and security guard William Hernandez, Gables Bhangra has been welcomed into the school’s body of dance teams as an annual performing group. “I know it’s going to be a lot of work to choreograph the dances, especially because there are so many pep rallies,” Pochi said. “But I have high expectations for the team, as anxious as I am, and I hope other people are just as excited as we are.” The group members stay after school almost every day, spending up to two hours practicing their routines. Composed of hand movements, high jumps, and long strides across the stage, the original Bhangra numbers coincide with the energetic beats of the traditional Punjabi music. Pochi, the group’s captain, choreographs all of their routines with the help of Moihdeen, the co-captain. With her history in dance, Pochi, the only member who has trained in Indian dance before, creates pieces of choreography that

DIWALI DANCERS: (From left to right) Sophomores Bhargavi Pochi, Guneet Moihdeen, and Alexis Clay perform an Indian dance routine at the Indian and Regional Cultural Center’s celebration of Diwali, the annual Indian festival of lights, on Oct. 18. The team is the newest edition to the school’s dance groups.

Student fundraises for recording studio news

Coming as soon as March of next year, a recording studio will be built in the school’s band classroom. Senior Amelia Leon is coordinating the fundraising effort for her Creativity Action Service project, a component of the International Baccalaureate program. The cost of all the necessary equipment adds up to $6,709 as the fundraising goal. Leon set up an account on the fundraising site Donors Choose, and still needs donations from other sources interested in helping bring together the recording studio. She has also asked the Symphonettes, a community service club that volunteers at various art events, and other musical based organizations for their help in creating the recording studio. “I want [the new recording studio] for the future generations of Gables. It’s not really for me, but for everyone

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PG. 4 School exhibits cultural diversity at annual Hispanic Heritage show

else in the school,” Leon said. The technology in the recording studio will include Leon, a trumpet player in the school’s Band of Distinction, updated software, such as Finale and SmartMusic (programs is pushing for the fundraising to be completed by February used to check and alter the pitch and accuracy of music) and 2015 so she can begin purchasing the equipment needed to professional level equipment that will allow students to listen create the recording studio. The to and correct their work. specially equipped studio will “Sometimes students don’t I want [the new recording studio] include a microphone, a Musical realize how they play [an for the future generations of Instrument Digital Interface instrument], or how they sing, and Gables. It’s not really for me, but keyboard controller, speakers, an they think it might sound really for everyone else in the school. Apple computer, and sound proofing good, but they are only hearing it materials for the room. from their side. Once they listen to Members of the band, chorus [their recording] they can be more Amelia Leon, and other musical groups at the objective in what their performance Senior school will be able to use the is actually about,” Morrow said. studio to record their own music, Leon said that she hopes the modify their performances, or tune recording studio will attract more their instruments. Chorus and band teacher Mary Morrow is students to the music department, as it is something she feels sponsoring the project, and said she is open for any teacher’s passionately about. request to use the room for projects.

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PG. 13 highlights copy editor Cyrus Zeledon tries out cheerleading

PG. 10 The minds of Daniel Blackmon and James Dunn are probed

sports

STAFF WRITER

features

By Savannah Payne

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highlights November 2014

Freshman council elected into office By Kasandra Scholz STAFF WRITER

On Oct. 21, the winners of this year’s freshman council elections were announced. The elections were held online, and the candidates ran for the positions of treasurer, class publicist, secretary, vice president, and president. Out of 15 competitors, six were elected to council positions. The new board consists of treasurers Leila Iskandarani and Hilda Delgado, class publicist Valeria Gutierrez, secretary Juliana Balladares, vice president Sara Saliamonas, and president Savannah Payne. The vice president election was initially a tie between Nardali Huet and Saliamonas, and a runoff election was held, declaring Saliamonas freshman class vice president.

Kasandra Scholz/highlights

President, Savannah Payne Newly elected freshman class president Savannah Payne said she is excited to begin working with the freshman council. “I want to represent the freshman class well and I feel like I could be a good voice for the class of 2018 and help change their ideas into a reality,” Payne said. Payne also said she wants to “help change [the freshman class’] ideas into a reality and give the freshmen a good year.” “I would like to provide good treat days, make a good class shirt, [and] have a fun class trip...and really just be open to any advice or opinions,” Payne said.

Vice President, Sara Saliamonas Vice President Sara Saliamonas said she ran to become more involved in the school and to carry on the legacy of her older sister who is currently junior class vice president. “I [want] to make sure that this year is really good for the class of 2018,” Saliamonas said. Saliamonas also said that she “[wants to] try [her] best to make sure everything is done on time and efficiently.” “[I’ve] been planning this ever since [my sister] ran, and I want to carry on the tradition and help out the school as much as [I] can,” Saliamonas said.

Secretary, Juliana Ballardes Freshman class secretary Juliana Balladares said she is looking forward to taking responsibility and working alongside the other members of the council to plan events for the year. “I wanted to be involved in the school, and to take a role in student council,” Balladares said when asked what motivated her to run for the board. “I know that freshmen don’t do much, and I want to see what the seniors and juniors do in their council and then maybe I’ll get an idea from them. I think I’ll do pretty good. I’m loooking forward to it,” Ballardes said.

Treasurers, Hilda Delgado and Leila Iskandarani Hilda Delgado and Leila Iskandarani were both chosen to join the freshman board as treasurers. “I think it’s a great way to get involved and I…would really like to help with the school funding because there’s a lot of in and out with the money and I think that its best that we allocate it correctly,” Delgado said. “My goal for this year is to bond with the all the other members of the student council, and to fundraise as much as possible.” Iskandarani said. “I’m really looking forward to working with the rest of the council.”

Key Club sponsor spot filled College Fair guides students By Mia Tolpin

By Sydney Scanlon

STAFF WRITER

Social studies teacher Oscar de Armas and science teacher Elizabeth Kiely have filled the Key Club sponsor position this school year, replacing former sponsor Stephanie Cosgrove. De Armas and Kiely will share responsibilities as sponsors by sitting in on board meetings, planning field trips, and attending Key Club sponsored events such as fundraisers and leadership conferences. This year’s goal is retention. De Armas and Kiely said they hope to keep as many members as possible and welcome new ones. “I’m a big believer in thinking globally and acting locally, and community service is a great way to do that. [Also] we want to keep them through engagement, we want to keep [Key Club] on their minds. Those who are civically minded, those who want to walk the walk not only talk the talk, and those that want to live in a better community [are the types of students we want in Key Club],” de Armas said. The club’s meetings occur on the third Wednesday of every month. They start out with an icebreaker, so members can become more comfortable with one another. Then the board discusses upcoming events. Members are also given an opportunity to start a project of their own to help out the community. “This year we will be introducing something new to [the sponsors] who haven’t previously experienced this type of responsibility. De Armas and Kiely are great, very eager to learn, and genuinely care about the club,” Key Club president senior Daniel Regalado said. De Armas and Kiely both said they are looking forward to this new experience.

upcoming events NOVEMBER

DECEMBER

LIGHT THE NIGHT, BAYFRONT PARK, 5:30 P.M.

IB PINNING, AUDITORIUM, 6:30 P.M.

FALL FROLICS, AUDITORIUM, 6:30 P.M.

SENIOR MEETING, AUDITORIUM, 8:00 A.M. SENIOR TREAT DAY, BOTH LUNCHES

DANCE MARATHON, GYM, 12:30 P.M.

MR. CORAL GABLES, AUDITORIUM, 6:30 P.M.

Sydney Scanlon/highlights

SENIOR TREAT DAY, BOTH LUNCHES

The annual College Fair, aimed at educating students about a variety of college choices and introducing them to representatives from schools, took place on Oct. 28. College representatives set up information tables with pamphlets and flyers. Students were allocated 30 minute sessions to explore the 74 colleges in attendance. Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) Chairperson Beth Lawhorn organized the fair. Colleges are invited to attend, and those who RSVP take a trip to South Florida and visit multiple high schools at once, giving talks and attending fairs. Lawhorn considered this year “the most successful college fair” so far on account that all 900 student passes were distributed and representatives praised the interactive student body. “The fact is that the idea of a better school than any other school is a misunderstanding; there are better fits for students than other fits so having a college fair in which you can meet tons of other schools in a wide variety of your options is very, very helpful for finding the right place and the right school,” University of Chicago representative Will Herald said. The PTSA uploaded a spreadsheet of colleges that would attend and their most popular majors on the College Assistance Program’s (CAP) website in an attempt to urge students to inform themselves on the colleges and ask “more prepared questions.” According to CAP advisor Elizabeth Stack, many of the representatives that were at College Fair are people who are assigned to do the first read of applications from South Florida. Those students that spoke to representatives of schools to which they are applying have the advantage of having spoken to the person who will be reading their application first. “College fair can offer face to face interactions with the people who are going to be looking at your applications, so it...is very important because [colleges] are very selective,” senior Pam Avaunzaff said. “I would like [students] to be able to broaden their horizons a little bit more, maybe the colleges they were thinking about they might be interested in, because there is so much information here [at college fair] and so many details about specific programs,” Lawhorn said.

FINDING THE RIGHT FIT: Senior Juliana Robles talks to the University of South Florida representative to get information about the school.

highlights November 2014

Miami Word Center rises to the occasion By Susana Rudin

According to The Washington Economics Group Inc., SkyRise Miami will create about 7,100 jobs during construction and approximately 17,000 jobs after its opening. The buildings Miami has finalized permits for its newest attraction. annual economic impact is expected to exceed $1.3 billion and SkyRise Miami will be a 1,000-foot, $430 billion building 3.2 million people are projected to visit annually. located in Bayside Marketplace. The “Miami is a world-class city, and I tower will include three observation think an iconic structure in downtown will It’s going to be Miami’s Eiffel decks, a restaurant, a nightclub, a Sky firmly cement Miami on the global stage. Tower. High Club, a ballroom, a conference, It’s going to be Miami’s Eiffel Tower,” and exhibition center and an interactive President and Founder of Berkowitz Jeff Berkowitz, exhibit. The tower is also planned to Development Group Jeff Berkowitz said. include three rides: SkyRise Theatre, The Berkowitz Development group is President and Sky Plunge Miami and SkyRise Drop. sponsoring the building. Founder of Berkowitz On SkyRise Drop, visitors will be able SkyRise Miami will be the country’s Development Group to jump off the tower while attached to second-tallest observation tower and the a high-speed controlled-descent wire. tallest building south of New York on On SkyPlunge, guests will lock into a harness and then free fall the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. It will offer a panoramic view 50 stories. SkyRise Theatre will be a “flying” simulator that ranging from South Beach all the way to the Everglades. will last six minutes while visitors watch movies that feature the According to the official projected timeline, the building is best views of South Florida and Miami. expected to be finished in 2017 and open in 2018. STAFF WRITER

Courtesy of SkyRise Miami

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MIAMI TAKES THE SKY: This computer rendered image of SkyRise Miami projects how this 1,000 foot building will redefine Miami’s skyline in 2018.

JROTC Cavs march on Model UN started at school By Leila Iskandarani

By Rachel Ellis

STAFF WRITER

The school’s Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program competed in its first competition of the year two weeks ago, on Sept. 20 at Larry and Penny Thompson Park. The program has two divisions consisting of the Raider and Drill teams. The Raider team is more physically demanding, while the Drill team focuses on mental discipline and leadership skills. This past competition, the Raider team competed and participated in events such as kettle bell carries, rope bridges, and litter carries. The Raider team placed second overall at the competition. The Cavalier Battalion is lead by Chief Warrant Officer Jose Santini and Sergeant First Class Officer Jose Roman. According to the JROTC creed, the purpose of the program is to instill “the value of citizenship, leadership, service to the community, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment within its members.” Practices are held Monday through Thursday, from 2:30-4 p.m on the school’s field and during seventh and eighth period. The battalion lines up in order of command and leadership, and marches out to the field while singing cadence or songs. A typical practice consists of various physical activities, such as running, weight lifting and calisthenics that differ depending on the practice and upcoming competition. “My favorite part about JROTC is the sense of leadership and discipline it’s instilled in me. Not only that, the camaraderie that it instills in everyone,” junior JROTC battalion second lieutenant Jose Gonzalez said. The next competition will take place on Nov. 8 and will be held at Larry and Penny Thompson Park.

Social studies teacher Kathryn Landsea is bringing Model United Nations, a simulation of a United Nations conference in which students represent the interests of an assigned country, to the school. This will not be the first time the school has participated in Model United Nations. Landsea decided to bring Model United Nations due to her past experience with Harvard Model Congress and her desire to give students the opportunity to practice critical thinking skills. “For now, the requirements are only a sincere interest and desire to do the preparation work necessary to participate successfully in the conferences. I’ve already reached out to my own students and to some students that I know participated in middle school. Hopefully, it will grow from there,” Landsea said. The conference, which does not take place until March 2015, will be hosted at Florida International University. Students interested in participating must contact Landsea as soon as possible, as only 28 students from the school may attend. Students, who act as delegates, are divided into committees ranging from the International Atomic Energy Agency to the United Nations Development Programme, and work in pairs to research and write position papers concerning current events. At the actual conference, delegates use their position papers to engage in formal debates with delegates representing other countries, with the goal being to promote the interests of the delegation’s assigned country. After the formal debate, delegates negotiate draft resolutions, which are then presented to the entire committee. “This will be my third year participating in Model UN. Even with the new assigned assemblies and countries, each year has been as enjoyable as the last,” freshman Catherine Healy said.

Congrats

Senior Patrick Quintana won Best Actor at Troupe’s ‘One Acts’ on Oct. 24. Rachel Ellis/highlights LEFT RIGHT LEFT: The Cavalier Raider Batallion marches in two straight lines out to the field for practice in preparation for the next competition.

The girls’ varsity swimming team won districts for the second year in a row. The boys’ cross-country team placed first at districts, and the girls’ team placed second. CAF&DM won a total of 10 awards at FIU’s Journalism Day on Oct. 25.

Gables supports breast cancer awareness By Sofia Viglucci STAFF WRITER

Sofia Viglucci/highlights

Pink Week, held from Oct. 13-17, raised awareness and showcased the school’s support for breast cancer patients, survivors and research. The Interact Club hosted a variety of events and activities for students and teachers to participate in and to show their consciousness of the cause. The color pink was swarming the school’s campus for the month of October, also known as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. On Oct. 13, 14, and 16, students left comments in support of the fight to end breast cancer on a poster that read “HOPE” in pink post-it notes in front of the New Building during lunch. The poster was taken to the Sylvester Hospital and hung up in the waiting room. “It’s a lot of work but I think it’s a great way to rally up support and awareness around the school and the feeling of putting it inside Sylvester hospital makes it all worth it,” senior Allyssa Dobkins said, who ran breast cancer awareness week for the second year in a row. Members of Interact also made hundreds of ribbons that were distributed to students and faculty during lunch. Oct. 17 was “pink day.” Students dressed head-to-toe in pink and were able to get a wristband to attend the Pink Pep Rally. The Pink Pep Rally was held in the auditorium and included dance performances from the Gablettes and the Sistas with Attitude (SWA). “I think the Pink Pep Rally was fantastic,” freshman Benjamin Estrada said. “There was so much energy in the crowd and performances and it’s awesome to see so many people wearing pink to support breast cancer awareness.”

PINK POWER: Juniors Sabrina Ochoa (left) and Eleanor Harley (right) show their support for breast cancer awareness with the post-it banner created by the Interact Club.

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highlights November 2014

Cavs celebrate Hispanic heritage Cavalier chorus By Amanda-Victoria Gonzalez STAFF WRITER

On Oct. 29, students gathered in the auditorium for the Hispanic Heritage show. The show included a variety of skits and dances such as Merengue, Bachata and the tango. The show was hosted by junior Alejandro Arzola and National Spanish Honor Society (NSHS) board members Joshua Zambrano and Maria Estrada. The Hispanic Heritage show was travel themed, taking the audience on a journey exhibiting different Hispanic countries and their cultures with information and demonstrations of historical backgrounds through picture on a projectort and scenes put together by the NSHS board members. NSHS board members prepared for the show for about a month, attending practices after school and creating props for their scenes. “We’ve been writing scripts and getting other clubs

involved, and the NSHS board members have been rehearsing like crazy preparing for the dance portion,” junior NSHS board member Gisselle Gonzalez said. The school’s Improvisational Troupe, Divas and Divisi performed their Hispanic themed songs and skits and the Sisters with Attitude (SWA) prepared a Latin style routine. The Gablettes performed a dance to Dare by Shakira and Color Guard performed while The Band of Distinction played a Hispanic song. “We incorporated a lot more of a cultural aspect to the show, meaning it’s more than people dancing and singing on stage. We wanted to not only engage the public, but educate them,” Estrada said. Towards the end of the show, Arzola called a representative for each Hispanic country who was holding their country’s flag onto the stage. Leading up to the grand finale was the Mexican song “Cielito Lindo” sung by all performers from the show and the audience.

Amanda-Victoria Gonzalez/highlights BAILANDO: (Left) Junior Alejandro Arzola calls out names of hispanic countries as people walk onto the stage with the respective countries’ flags. (Right) NSHS President Maria Estrada dances ‘bachata’ with junior Charalampos Politis.

receives grant By Ali Band STAFF WRITER

The Cavalier Chorus received a grant of $4,500 from the Coral Gables Community Foundation. The grant was awarded to the school on the night of the second annual reception for the Coral Gables Community Foundation’s Merrick Society, where the headquarters in Coral Gables celebrated the community grant recipients while honoring the Foundation’s most generous donors. The Foundation’s 2014 community grant recipients included the Coral Gables Art Cinema, the Coral Gables museum, the Battier Take Charge Foundation, and the school’s chorus. The grant money will assist in funding the Cavalier Chorus’ trip to New York City to perform at the legendary Carnegie Hall during Spring Break. Initially, the singers were invited to Carnegie Hall two years ago after winning first place at a competition in Bloomsburg Virginia, but they were unable to go due to a lack of funding. This year, however, they have fundraised and performed at numerous outside events, including the Gables Gatsby Gala and the Merrick Society reception at Bacardi Americas Headquarters, where the Chorus’ a capella group, Divaaz, were on hand to receive their grant and to perform a rendition of Killing Me Softly. This performance officially secured the Chorus’ spot to receive the grant. “It is one of the greatest things I will ever do. Many people never get to sing in a hall. Ms. Morrow tells us that when she was in college she told a friend that one day, she would have a chance to sing in Carnegie Hall and this is it,” senior Victoria Patel said.

Writer comes to Gables Mourning Jesus Meneses By Sydney Scanlon STAFF WRITER

Accomplished writer and screenwriter Neal Shusterman spoke to students about his writing on Oct. 28 in the Little Theatre. The lecture, arranged by Books and Books and the National English Honor Society (NEHS), is a leg of his current tour publicizing the final installment of the Unwind series, Undivided, which was released two weeks ago. The talk was attended by members of the NEHS and students in first period English classes, but was open to all students. Rather than presenting first and then taking questions, Shusterman opened the floor to questions from the audience immediately. He spoke about his new book and the possibility of it becoming a movie, his experiences as a screenwriter and his writing process. According to Shuterman, good story writing involves being able to hear and listen to the characters. “Everything I write is emotionally draining. I [want to] be the writer who keeps people on the edge of their seats,” Shusterman said. Shusterman talked about how and why he became a writer and some of the struggles he endured on his way to becoming a well-renowned author. He has now published 45 books and has a script “moving forward” toward movie production. “[Writing] is like throwing a rock into the pool and watching the ripples go out… and every once in a while one of the ripples come back to you,” Shusterman said.

By Avery Budin STAFF WRITER

Seventeen year-old senior Jesus Meneses passed away on Monday night, Oct. 27. Meneses was found by local authorities shortly after leaving to play basketball with a group of friends at Kinloch Park. Police believe that Meneses was electrocuted after jumping the park fence to retrieve a basketball lost in the Florida’s Power and Light’s sub-station. Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho tweeted “The @MDCPS family unites in deep thought and prayer for the young Coral Gables student who dramatically lost his life at a community park.” On Oct. 29 an intimate ceremony took place at 7 p.m., giving friends and family an opportunity to pay their respects, and the “Jesus Meneses Memorial Fund” has been organized to collect donations on behalf of the Meneses family’s sudden loss. Meneses was described by his friends as being full of life and always looking for an adventure. He is mourned by the Miami skateboarding community as well as his close friends in the school’s student body. On Oct. 31 students wore red in Meneses’s honor. The school is offering counseling for Meneses’s friends and for anybody else affected by this loss. This unfortunate event has acted as a precautionary warning to all students, and police officials encourage students to learn from the experience.

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opinion

highlights November 2014

Apple and Google shut out the law

The debut of iOS 8 and Android L has raised questions about whether law enforcement ought to have access to data stored and locked by passcodes on users’ phones. Should individual privacy take precedent over national public safety? Commentary by Maya Iskandarani STAFF WRITER

Whether they mean to or not, Apple and Google are spiting law enforcement with the newly restrictive privacy policies on their respective operating systems. For the sake of justice the companies must backtrack on these policies, and the public must get over the privacy hysteria to recognize the need for certain data to remain accessible to law enforcement. The new policies place virtually all personal data under the protection of the user’s passcode, to the extent that Apple and Google can no longer fully satisfy investigative legal warrants because they cannot retrieve data that has already been encrypted on the user’s device; with the new systems, everything is encrypted automatically. With Apple’s latest iOS 8, only data stored on iCloud—at the user’s discretion—can still be accessed without the device’s passcode. Similarly, Google’s

Commentary by Joey Lancaster STAFF WRITER

YES

Apple and Android are taking bold steps in the right direction towards freedom from government intrusion on mobile devices. However, while many users of these devices are ecstatic knowing that their private images are safe, law enforcement agencies like the FBI are opposed to the idea of inpenetrable mobile phones. Law enforcement should understand that the largest priority for these companies is, as it should be, the satisfaction of their paying customers, not to bend to the will of the government. “I am a huge believer in the rule of law, but I am also a believer that no one in this country is above the law,” FBI Director James Comey said. “What concerns me about this is companies marketing something expressly to allow people to place themselves above the law.”

highlights

Android L shares personal data at the discretion of the user, who would have to do so to take full advantage of Google’s apps. Criminals benefit from choosing the data they share at least as much as innocent customers. Even hackers, the only criminals who could be deterred by the extra data protection of possible victims, can still take advantage of the new systems; they conceal malicious intentions as much as harmless ones. When Apple and Google still had the power to bypass passcodes and access all customer data, law enforcement could file warrants for the information of alleged criminals— information that is now protected by the new operating systems unless the user chooses to share it themselves. “There will come a day…when it will matter a great, great deal to the lives of people of all kinds that we be able to with judicial authorization gain access to…a criminal’s device,” James Comey, the FBI director said. Regardless of how much protection is actually rendered under the new operating systems, both

TWO VIEWS

It’s understandable that the FBI feels somewhat threatened by this loss of coverage for national security agencies, but Comey neglects the fact that companies like Apple and Android are not designing systems to prevent law enforcement from executing legitimate warrants. Their goal is to please their customers. One way of doing that is to build systems that prevent everyone who might want access to your data — including hackers, malicious insiders and even hostile foreign governments — from accessing our phones. The debate over how much access the public should have to cryptography tech is far from new. In the early 1990s the U.S. government and privacy advocates waged what is now known as the “crypto war” over the government’s ability to insert back doors into technology products and limit the spread of encryption technology to consumers. However, Comey is blowing Apple and Google’s encryption expansion out of proportion. “Google and Apple have never been able to decrypt your

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

BUSINESS MANAGER

COPY EDITOR

Brooke Donner

Maria Ovalle

Maggie Rivers

Cyrus Zeledon

ADVISER

Melissa Gonzalez

SECTION EDITORS: NEWS

OPINION

INSIGHT

FEATURES

SPORTS

THE SCENE

Camila Lupi

Raquel Braun Francis Pérez

Stephan Chamberlin

Bianca Mangravite Laura Acosta

Staff Writers:

Ali Band, Eleonor Bauwens, Avery Budin, Octavio Castro, Marko Ciklovan, Daniel Delgado, Rachel Ellis, Olivia Field, Sabrina Fiske, Amanda-Victoria Gonzalez, Leila Iskandarani, Maya Iskandarani, Joey Lancaster, Angelika Menendez, Jordan Payne, Savannah Payne, Susana Rudin, Araceli Sanchez, Sydney Scanlon, Kasandra Scholz, Mia Tolpin, Vanessa Vazquez, Natalie Viglucci, Sofia Viglucci

Contributors: Aliana Gonzalez-Leyva, SkyRise Miami, Kevin Lopez, Ridley-Thomas, archives.gov, nih.gov, whitehouse.gov highlights is the official student-produced newspaper at Coral Gables Senior High School published and produced by highlights staff members. highlights has been established as a designated public forum for student journalists to educate and inform their readers of issues of concern to their audience and dissemination of news and ideas to the entire school community. As the producer of a scholastic publication, highlights subscribes to the responsibilities set forth in the National Scholastic Press Association Code of Ethics for scholastic journalists and advisers. According to Miami-Dade County Public School policy, student media is not subject to prior-review by administration or district personnel and as such, all content is determined by, and reflects the views of, student staff members only. highlights welcomes reader feedback. All letters should be addressed to melissa_gonzalez@dadeschools.net Press Affiliations: Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, NSPA Hall of Fame, Florida Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll

Chromebook or MacBook, so why should they be expected to be able to decrypt your cellphone?” Kevin Bankston, policy director at New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute, said. The new iOS and Android changes are simply providing the same level of security to our cellphones that we already have for our laptops, security that will better protect our most sensitive data against thieves and data breaches. Stronger data protection is the future. The trend has been, and always will be, towards protecting user information from unwanted viewings or retrieval. Like it or not, passcodes being a hurdle to the government isn’t a concern to 21st century customers. This can’t be settled by creating a few more regulations because the desire for data privacy is moving in only one direction: to close out the government and technology companies, and give users control. Apple and Android are separating themselves from law enforcement, and are setting a precedent that users, not companies, should hold the keys to their own devices.

America’s democracy downfall Commentary by Daniel Delgado STAFF WRITER

ADVISORY BOARD:

Apple and Google are exploiting the hysteria of extra data protection that emerged after Edward Snowden’s exposure of the National Security Administration’s domestic spying operations. The resulting business strategy is simple: advertise the product as the safest on the market, and sell more of it. Using this strategy, the two companies implemented operating systems that were so “safe” that the companies themselves could no longer bypass user passcodes, even if they wanted to—or were legally obligated to—with the pretext that the renovations were made in the interest of customer safety. The brutal truth is that users are too absorbed in the “need” for data privacy to realize that too much data protection is unnecessary and potentially dangerous and to acknowledge that the companies’ primary incentive for putting such systems in place is not customer safety, but increased profit. If Apple and Google truly have their customers’ best interests in mind, both will retract or at least modify their current privacy policies and operating systems to reflect so.

In Hong Kong there are tens of thousands of protesters on the street fighting and demanding that their voices be heard in an attempt to bring natural democracy to their city. The issue that citizens are up in arms about is that instead of letting voters pick the candidates that get to run for chief executive, Beijing wants the candidates selected by a 1,200 person “nominating committee” that promotes pro-Beijing policy and is comprised of Beijing’s business and political elite. Many Americans might see this unfold and sympathize with the protesters given their courage to fight for true democracy. However, Americans must also recognize some of the parallels that can be drawn between the injustice of the Hong Kong situation and the injustice of our current electoral democracy. We should be fighting the same fight as the protesters in Hong Kong. Business and political elite rule America’s democracy. They act as the filter that eliminates any candidate that might harm the status quo and alter their position of power. They select the appropriate candidates to run through large sums of campaign donations, bending the democratic process to their will. According to The Huffington Post, in the last non-presidential election, only about .05 percent of America gave the maximum contribution to even one congressional candidate in either the primary or general election; .01 percent gave $10,000 or more; and in 2012, 132 Americans gave 60 percent of the total super political action committee money spent.

by the numbers

Financial inequality is a fundamental issue that has gained prominence due to the disproportionate political influence that America’s richest citizens possess. Economic growth has stalled; the median household income has remained constant while gross domestic product has grown. What this means is that even though the country’s economy is growing, indicated by the gross domestic product, the majority of people are not feeling the effects of the growth of the economy, as they should. This large gap between the classes is a result of our current democracy being extremely responsive to the interests of the economic elite. Ninety four percent of the candidates who invest more more money in their campaigns win the elections. There is not a single political analyst in America today who does not look at whether a Congressional candidate has the necessary financial support of the relevant funders. The fight to eliminate bias at the polls is not over, and it is time for Americans to learn a lesson from Hong Kong. American democracy, exceptional and grandiose as it might seem, is and has been susceptible to being unfair and nonrepresentative of the people’s interest, and this must be addressed. Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission is the Supreme Court decision that allowed for there to be virtually zero regulation of campaign spending by organizations. While money is not in absolute control, it is impossible to deny that it is in enough control to water down the power of ordinary Americans to participate in a truly representative democracy. The concept in play is that we have all the democracy that money can buy, and that is very distant to what our democracy is supposed to represent.

828 billion

percent of candidates who spend more money on campaigns win the election

total amount in dollars raised in super pac history

Compiled by Daniel Delgado

146 number of people who control 80 percent of the super pac funding

Source: The Huffington Post, US News, and Center for Responsive Politics

opinion

highlights November 2014

United Way fundraising lacks transparency STAFF

Editorial

Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ current partnership with United Way to fundraise money annually for a group of charities should be something that inspires students to actively participate in and raise money. However, little is known about where the money goes, and the significance and connection that a charity fundraising event should have with students has been lost due to its business-like and ambiguous organization style. Allowing students to choose which charity receives their money would create a positive incentive for students to raise more money and would be more meaningful for the school and the charity. This cannot be accomplished due to district policy that does not allow schools to fundraise for any charity that is not United Way. “It is the only non-for profit unless a school has a club whose national charter states that in order to have that club they must fundraise for a particular organization. This fundraising is done outside United Way campaign dates. Schools may also fundraise for their [own] needs, [it is] up to [the] principal [which] method and what they fundraise for,” Raquel Regalado, District 6 board member, said when asked about the exclusivity United Way has in the district. In addition to the lack of flexibility

in choosing a charity, and the lack of transparency regarding exactly where the money goes in the district, United Way is not the most reliable organization to give to. United Way has been involved in controversial spending practices that have put into question the organization’s dependability. Many people lost trust after its “non-profit” affiliation following the scandal over the milliondollar compensation package of former CEO Gloria Pace King. Despite all the controversy, however, United Way continues to be one of the top charities in the country in terms of popularity. United Way doesn’t seem like the best option for a partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and little is known about the specific policy regarding it. This is disconcerting considering United Way’s past offenses of unethical and questionable uses of donated money. The underlying issue with this policy is its lack of transparency with regard to how the money is being used and towards what causes it is going to. Whenever envelopes are passed around in the classroom for collections, students should know exactly where their money is going. Involvement in the process is important, and keeping students in the dark only creates doubt about the fundraiser’s mission. The district should reconsider its policy concerning the annual United Way fundraiser, and, instead, allow schools to fundraise for a few local charities of their choice.

NASA in need of fiscal fuel Commentary by Stephan Chamberlin OPINION EDITOR

You may recall hearing the news about the Indian Mars Orbiter Mission, affectionately abbreviated MOM, which went into orbit around the red planet a few weeks ago; images of female scientists celebrating dressed in traditional colorful saris went viral on the internet. Some are starting to view India’s space ventures as an affront on American space dominance, but it’s not too late for the United States to break new ground and maintain the cosmic lead. If one thing is for certain, our National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) isn’t out of the fight just yet. The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) main objective with the new orbiter was a proof-of-concept mission. They wanted to show the world that they could put a satellite into Martian orbit on their first try, and they did. American policy makers in Congress need to see this Indian mission as a wakeup call, and realize the problem of our slowing presence in space isn’t just going to go away. India is starting to catch on to the benefits of having a thriving space program. A space program doesn’t just boost the economy by creating a generation of young scientists and engineers; it brings them together in a common desire to see their country succeed and explore. India just a few weeks ago approved a budget which provides funds for designing the crew cabin of a manned spacecraft that’s already been in the works; this is essentially a declaration to the world that India intends to put men into space in the next twenty years. It is things like this which should light a fire under every lawmaker in this country, and inspire them to give NASA

Discrete discrimination in blood drives Commentary by Avery Budin STAFF WRITER

Upon entering the One Blood donation vans, students are willingly poked with sharp needles and expel pints of blood to contribute to numerous medical treatments. Unfortunately, because of misconceptions about sexually transmitted diseases, gay males are unable to participate. “Have you (males only) ever engaged in sex with another male?” For a culture uneducated about the probability of disease transmission amongst males, blood organizations lose a number of clientele donations and demonstrate unwarranted prejudice against homosexuals. Following the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in the 1980s, which showed an increased occurrence of AIDS in gay males, blood donation companies refrained from drawing blood samples from all sexually active homosexual males, and continue to do so to this day. After years of studying the disease, it has become clear to scientists that AIDS is not the “gay man’s disease,” as coined in the early ‘80s. Women today are just as sexually adventurous as males, making participation in anal sex more common than in the past, and it is because of this fact that the questionaire for blood drives is outdated.

Moreover, because contemporary sexual expression is glamorized in society and permeates most areas of pop culture, recent forms of sexual experimentation are somewhat expected of women and men alike, making the probability of transmitting diseases more possible. If blood organizations really want to help as many people as they can, and receive as many donations as possible, the questionnaire they give prospective candidates ought to be modified. Instead of directing the inquiry of sexual activity (with men) to male applicants alone, the question should be directed to both men and women. With our current knowledge of AIDS transference and prevention, the survey should be changed to address participation in anal sex and should be a required query for both genders. This particular question on the donation survey is not only discriminatory towards homosexuals, but to sexually active donors as well. Allowing a celibate homosexual to donate blood, while preventing a sexually active gay male from doing so is an exploitation of homosexuality and an inefficient technique to avoid blood contaminated with AIDS. Giving gay and straight individuals equal opportunity to contribute to blood charities is the only efficient and ethical way to conduct blood drives. Technology has advanced considerably in the last 35 years. We shouldn’t waste blood that can save ill patients, regardless of the donor’s sexual orientation.

Social media’s illusion of freedom Commentary by Marko Ciklovan STAFF WRITER

Social networks have revolutionized the media and gained global market power in a world that revolves around them. Since 2011, 90 percent of the American media has been controlled by six media giant corporations: GE, News-Corp, Disney, Viacom, Time Warner, and CBS. These six corporations dominate all forms of media including newspapers, radio stations, movies, and television. We need websites and online social platforms that won’t sell data to big companies; it works out better for the users, who really should have the final say in who their information is given out to. The profit that these companies take in is astonishing. This is certainly an oligopoly, the market is dominated by a small number of companies. This oligopoly does not allow other companies rise to challenge them, preventing unfiltered opinions from ever reaching the masses. There are websites that have decided not to allow this power hungry group to take data about their users; the most famous being Ello. Ello

has a policy promising users that their data will never be sold to a third party. Google has been heavily criticized for leaking information to companies about search results, emails, and other valuable information. It doesn’t seem fair that all of a person’s information can be spread and used without their permission or even knowledge that it is happening for a company’s profits. More social media outlets like Ello have to challenge the power of the oligopoly that controls what is popular, gains high profit margins, and has millions of people’s personal information. Companies can easily track user searches; so they can have specific advertisements displayed on their interface. That is also why cookies are used to track webpage visits, airline companies use this to decide whether to raise or lower prices. People should be able to feel free and safe online and not have to worry that their information will be taken. Unfortunately, until regulations return, they will continue to control 90 percent of everything Americans hear, see, and consider important. Hopefully websites like Ello will rise to take down or at least hinder the power of the company controlled social networks that currently dominate the market.

back its momentum. The only way we can hope to stay in the lead is by increasing NASA’s budget. At the moment, the budget for NASA accounts for 0.5% of the federal total. This meager amount of money, which is at record lows we haven’t seen since 1960, is supposed to pay for every American space endeavor. Every satellite, telescope, Mars rover, and maintenance of the International Space Station has to be squeezed out of a shrinking puddle of funding. If we give NASA the money to stay in the lead, it won’t affect the economy negatively at all. The percentage of federal funds that go to cosmic exploration are equivalent to half a penny on the tax dollar. The federal budget this year will spend more on defense than it does every other category except medicare and pensions, and only by a small margin at that. We don’t even spend enough on space to make it onto the pie chart. The saddest part of this is how little drive the United States as a country has to put men and women on other planets. It’s been 42 years since the last Apollo mission to the moon. What was once a space agency at the forefront of manned space exploration has become one satisfied with launching the occasional rover to our next door neighbor. What we need to stay ahead is not another satellite to a distant planet; we need to send a message to the world that American dominance in space isn’t going away anytime soon. If there’s one thing the United States knows how to do best, it’s run the space race. Planting the American flag into Martian soil in the next ten years will prove the “American century” is not too far gone, and that the US will never take a backseat role in exploring the cosmos.

Opposable

THUMBS

Halloween candy binge “Dentists have to get paid somehow.” -Stephan Chamberlin, Opinion Editor

Sweater weather “I thought I had something with long sleeves...” -Francis Pérez, Sports Editor

Car tow warning sticker “Just replace the windshield, it’s easier.” -Avery Budin, Staff Writer

Cafeteria crowds “Ordering food shouldn’t feel like bidding for stocks.” -Danny Delgado, Staff Writer

Paper towels in bathroom “Now all I need is toilet paper.” -Rachel Ellis, Staff Writer

insight

highlights

November 2014

anyone can be one

Feminism \fe-mi-ni-zm\ n : the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.

Few movements are as stringently disapproved of as the feminist movement of the 21st century. highlights investigates the vortex of misconceptions that surrounds this movement, delving into both the common misunderstandings of its goals and everyday examples of inequality.

Photos: Susana Rudin, Mia Tolpin/highlights

insight

Feminism 53%

highlights

November 2014

Although feminism simply translates to gender equality, both males and females insist on identifying as non-feminists or anti-feminists. Obvious inconsistencies can be seen in the percentages of males and females who do not identify as feminists but support feminist causes.

Of males do not identify as feminists

81% of males and 89%of females believe that both women and men are fit to hold government or leadership positions and

believe that women and men should be paid equally

33%

Of females do not identify as feminists

62% of males and 74% of females believe that women have not achieved equality in the workforce, education field, or social scene. Compiled by Raquel Braun/anonymous survey

The prevalence of misogyny in the school By Kasandra Scholz STAFF WRITER

In the world as a whole, gender inequality is recognized as one of the to these behaviors early in their lives, and these and other experiences shape the way that they most widespread and subversive issues. It impacts most aspects of daily life, think about gender. and is responsible for the restriction of both sexes to gender-specific roles. “Even though a lot of the issues [in school] are minor, it’s upsetting that that they’re so It can be seen everywhere in the U.S., from government institutions to the accepted. People don’t even notice sometimes,” junior Lillian Obando said. school system, where it breeds discomfort for many people and represents a Both sexes are told how they should act, and their development is shaped by gender roles. serious issue within society. People’s likes and dislikes are determined by the way they are raised, and different sexes are Inside the school system, gender inequality is most noticeable in encouraged to engage in different activities. Gender norms restrict the discrepancy between the treatment of male and female students individuals and prevent them from acting as they please, sometimes Even though a lot of the by their peers. In classes that do not stereotypically fit their gender, deterring them from participating in events that were traditionally issues [in school] are minor, students are sometimes ostracized or looked down upon by those meant for the opposite sex.w it’s upsetting that they’re so who feel that they do not belong. Classes in scientific or mathematic An additional issue lies with the language that is used in general fields, for example, are often mostly male, and female students conversation. Students tend to insult one another by using genderaccepted. People don’t even can be treated differently or thought of as less important or less specific language and slurs. It is common, for example, to hear one notice sometimes. respectable when they choose to participate in them. In courses that male student insult another by calling him a “girl.” The implication deal with the arts or linguistics, the opposite is seen; male students behind this insult is that being a girl is somehow offensive, and its Lillian Obando, junior are criticized for participating in groups such as chorus or creative underlying assumption is that women are inferior to men. These and writing because they are stereotypically thought of as feminine other insults are damaging in that they raise one gender above another; activities. Both of these stereotypes perpetrate gender inequality, and prevent students from the fact that many cultures consider half of their members an insult is deeply disturbing. participating in courses they enjoy. These behaviors are all undeniably wrong. They promote inequality within the school Students of different genders are also treated differently by their teachers. This treatment system and society in general, and are the product of a rigid set of unfair gender constructs. ranges from a teacher requesting that specifically male students carry a stack of textbooks down Normalizing mixed-gender participation in typically separated activities is a start, but society the hallway (implying that female students are incapable of doing so) to the excuse of “boys has a long way to go before all of its members can stand on equal footing. Both genders need will be boys” made in grade school (justifying negative behavior on the basis of gender), to to work to find ways to encourage more accepting behavior and start to tear down the walls of the popularization of the belief that boys should not show emotion. Many people are exposed sexism.

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highlights

November 2014

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An angry woman; looks mean.

Doesn’t care to shave and is manlier than most women. Wears construction worker boots or covered shoes.

Has short hair, wears jeans, and is conservative about her body.

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Courtesy of Aliana Gonzalez-Leyva

Defining feminism and its misconceptions Commentary by Sabrina Fiske STAFF WRITER

Feminists receive mixed greetings and reactions when presenting truly are disadvantageous such as lacking to protect the rights of transgender. The MRAs their arguments for equality. Some of this can be attributed to the popular movement’s principles purely discriminate against anyone who is not male, leaving out not beliefs that feminism means misandry, a hatered of men, among other only excluding women, but also people who do not fall into a gender unlike the feminist misunderstanding. However, thinking that feminism is not needed today movement, which is fairly inclusive. represents a view that is not well informed. Being a feminist, then, does not mean you have to follow the popularized “middle-class A feminist is someone who believes in the advocacy of women’s white women image” of a feminist. Women can be feminine while being feminists, while rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality for all genders. Throughout one the other hand, men can be feminists and while not advocating for their own demise. the years, nonbelievers have condemned feminism to the With all movements, naysayers and radical followers taint point that being a feminist came with a negative reputation. the movement. Anti-feminists claim that feminism does not mean I think [feminism] has In reality, instead of promoting the well being of one equality, rather prejudice against men. Feminism, according to gender and the downfall of another, feminism is driven by these anti-feminists, only liberates women at the expense of men. received such bad reactions a need for equality in all aspects of women’s lives. It is not This suggests extreme misunderstanding of the feminist movement because people in social about the misconception that feminists are “bra-burning” as a whole. Radical followers give feminism a bad reputation by media send out these images women, who are bound by the same discriminatory manbelieving that men are only capable of oppressing and not of being of what feminists would look hating cause. This negative perception came as a result of oppressed rather than focusing on gender equality that liberates all like. They see girls that don’t exaggerations of second wave feminists, who were the more genders and gives everybody the ability to be equal. radical feminists of the 1960s and 1970s who debated on “Women really wanted to be treated the same and [sometimes] save their armpits or people issues such as sexuality, reproductive rights and family roles, take it to a whole other level,” junior Glenda Gomero said. who hate men, or people that were seen as hairy man-hating women who detested the Feminism carries these negative connotations and is viewed who are crazy, which isn’t idea of having children. as something “morally wrong” by being considered too liberal or always the truth. “I think [feminism] has received such bad reactions too harsh in rejecting cultural traditions, but it also encompasses because people in social media send out these images of what the history and experiences of women and men before today Jake Paz, sophomore feminists would look like. They see girls that don’t save their that helped achieve women’s equal and fair treatment. Rejecting armpits or people who hate men, or people who are crazy, which isn’t always the true,” feminism only ignores the years of sacrifice that people have made and instead of receiving sophomore Jake Paz said. unwavering support, feminism has received discouragement from a society that widely With the advancement of gender equality and feminism, both men and women are freed accepts an internalized prejudice against women. Despite sacrifices that have been made, from traditional gender norms and roles. Men do not need to be the breadwinners, and there is still inequality that exist among genders today that must be shattered, and simply women do not need to be housewives, but that also does not mean that they have to reject accepting equality is not sufficient. Feminism has roots and history that egalitarianism just traditional roles; everyone benefits equally from feminism. does not have. Men’s Right Activists (MRAs), conversely, concentrates on male disadvantage, Feminism has not reached its full goal until both men and women are treated and discrimination and oppression, while also disputing claims that men have greater power and respected equally for the sum of one’s personality, values, morals and actions instead of advantage than women do, yet seem to fail to support men’s rights in situations where men their gender. Regardless of its misconceptions, feminism is still necessary today.

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Incredibly greasy skin with, in extreme cases, various molds and fungi growing on her body because shower heads were invented by the patriarchy so they would have yet another way to force fluids onto women through a phallic symbol; wears as baggy of clothing as possible so that, when forced to actually go outdoors, it is as hard as possible for men to rape her with their eyes.

“

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Looks like a man.

“

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I never picture a typical or feminine girl. Just some female.

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Most of her clothes are from Urban Outfitters and probably decides not to wear a bra more often than not. She is also most probably caucasian.

A woman with short hair that has an unnecessary attitude.

“

Despite the fact that a feminist can be any race or ethnicity and identify with any gender or sexuality, the results of an anonymous survey depict common misconceptions regarding the physical appearances of feminists.

“ “

“

What does a typical feminist look like?

10 features Tweedle-Dan and Tweedle-Dunn highlights

November 2014

By Rachel Ellis STAFF WRITER

highlights delves into the minds of social studies teachers Daniel Blackmon and James Dunn. The school’s iconic figures, known for their passion for teaching, duck sounds and incredible wealth of knowledge, offered their opinions and advice full of wit, wisdom and quirkiness. Daniel Blackmon

James Dunn

highlights: If not teaching, what other profession would you want to pursue?

highlights: What is the happiest moment of your life?

highlights: If you could give one piece of advice to a freshman, what would it be?

highlights: If not teaching, what other profession would you take up?

Blackmon: Missionary, but I just knew I would end up in Papua New Guinea, and I couldn’t handle that. Papua, New Guinea is what God made on the eighth day along with the leftovers.

Blackmon: The first time I held my daughter into my arms.

highlights: If you could give a piece of advice to a freshman what would it be?

Blackmon: A lot of places! First on my list is the buried city of Akrotiri on Santorini. I have always been utterly fascinated by Minoan society.

Dunn: “Decide what you want to be and what you want to do in life and start developing a plan to get yourself there. Don’t wait for life to happen to you because if you wait for life to happen to you, you are just going to have a mediocre life like everybody else, and what’s the point in that?

Dunn: A writer. I intend to publish some philosophic writing in the future; I just don’t have time now. I have this idea that I want to publish some short stories and put them together into one book and call it “Tales from an Ordinary Life” and the purpose of this book is to promote the idea that if you visualize your life and point out why something meant something to you and turn it into a narrative, that is essentially what is giving life meaning. You don’t have to climb the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro to do and be something significant, this can happen right in your own backyard.

Blackmon: Willingness to work hard and to be self disciplined and self motivated are much more important than sheer intelligence. Native intelligence is a gift from God; hard work, discipline, desire to excel are character, and that belongs to you. highlights: What is your craziest college experience? Blackmon: I did not have any crazy college experiences. At least, none to which I am willing to admit. I spent my time mostly in class, in the library or studying.

highlights: Is there any place on earth that you have not been to and wish to go to?

highlights: What do you do on the weekends/ favorite pastime of hobby? Blackmon: I enjoy watching college football in season, I watch the History, Discovery and Cooking Channel a lot, and I read. highlights: How has your clothing style changed over the years? Blackmon: No. highlights: Is there anything else you would like to share? Blackmon: It is extremely difficult for me to imagine myself not at Gables; I have spent most of my life here (1966-69 as a student and 1977-present as a teacher). I don’t want to leave, and I have been grieving over it since I was more or less forced to enter DROP (Deferred Retirement Option Program).

SLEEP IS FOR THE WEAK: Blackmon has been teaching International Baccalaureate History and Theory of Knowledge at the school for 37 years. Specifically know for his duck bill whistle, Blackmon uses it to wake up snoozing students.

highlights: What are you most critical of? Dunn: People who just go through the motions and really aren’t what they pretend to be, whether they be moral or religious hypocrites. These people are everywhere; they are the average person. highlights: If you could change anything in the world, what would it be? Dunn: Am I a contestant for Ms. America, or something? Well, the world hasn’t changed all that much if you really look at it, the human part of it anyways. All you can change is the part around it. With that being said, my philosophy of teaching is quite different than what the county sees, and I wish that could be changed. I think it is far more important for the student to see what is possible and drop all of the other junk around them, and go for the gold. I feel strongly that that’s how life works in general. You find those people that you can really communicate with at this level, and you focus your life on your relationship with them and the rest of it is the same old nonsense going on forever.

highlights: What do you wish to accomplish at the end of every day? Dunn: Lots of things. I have this planner pad, a fancy version of an agenda, and I always try to push the envelope every day by finishing all and more of the tasks that I have down on my planner pad for the day.

FANNY PACK FANATIC: Theory of Knowledge, Dual Enrollment American Government and Political theory teacher James Dunn wears his infamous black pack strapped across his chest where he holds all his materials and electronic gadgets he needs for the day.

Dead Film Society brought to life By Sofia Viglucci STAFF WRITER

became a ‘society.’ In order to watch rated R movies, students must fill out a permission slip with parental consent. For students in search of a short escape from the overcrowded, boisterous hallways of the school, and with an appreciation for films of the past, the Dead Film Society is the ideal abode. “It’s a place for students to come together to watch good movies that are worth watching,” Dunn said. So far, students have watched the movie the “Dead Poets Society,” and next in line is “The Last Samurai.” Anyone can come on any of the available days for a serene experience, and for a break from the stressful and rigorous school schedule to take a trip into the fictional world of movies. “I think the idea is really creative and unique and it seems like a lot of fun. I’m very interested in movies, especially less popular ones, so this gives me an opportunity to take a break from class and watch a genuine film. I’ll probably be going to watch some movies very soon,” freshman Roxy Rico said. With movies ranging from romance, to comedy, to drama, the Dead Film Society satisfies anyone’s movie cravings, bringing dead movies back to life.

Sofia Viglucci/highlights

Among the hundreds of thousands of films that are released into the world, only a select few make it to the national stage and are considered quality, worthwhile movies. Although some years ago they may have been more popular, many are now skipped over and not as reconized by the modern generation. To give these movies the recognition they still deserve, senior Luis Cárdenas had an idea: to create a movie society where students could gather during both lunches to feast their eyes and their minds on worthy, under-appreciated movies that were left behind. The purpose of the society can be presumed simply by reading its name: the Dead Film Society. It is a society where students can substitute eating their lunch in a cafeteria with sitting in a welcoming classroom of their peers with a shared interest in watching under-appreciated stories come to life on a glowing screen. The Dead Film Society Takes place in Social Studies teacher James Dunn’s classroom, room 9307, during second lunch every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Students can gather to sit back and watch movies chosen through popular vote, with free snacks provided. The Dead Film Society was originally intended to be a club, but there was lack of funding and in turn, it

MOVIE MAGIC: Senior Louis Cardenas watches the lunchtime screening of “The Last Samurai” in teacher James Dunn’s classroom.

highlights

November 2014

Applying for unconventional scholarships By Sabrina Fiske STAFF WRITER

Waves of anxiety can consume any high school student when they see the outrageous tuition prices of their dream college. highlights has compiled a list of unconventional scholarships that will make paying the steep college tuition fees a little bit easier. Duck Brand Duct Tape “Stuck at Prom” Prom-goers, apart from having a great night to remember, want to be unforgettable and original. In the Duck Brand Duct Tape “Stuck at Prom” scholarship contest, couples accessorize and create their prom outfits with any type of duct tape. With their colorful and sticky outfits and accessories, they have the chance to win $10,000 cash each and $5,000 for their school by just wearing their one of a kind outfits to prom. Not everybody goes to prom with a date, so for the single attendees who still want to participate, the scholarship provides $500 to the winner and $500 to the winner’s school. DoSomething.org Birthday Mail 1 in 3 homeless people in the US are under the age of 18. Many of these homeless children do not get the chance to eat everyday, much less celebrate their birthdays. DoSomething.org challenges students across the US to make birthday cards for these homeless children. Students can make one imaginative birthday card and send it to their local homeless shelter for a chance to win $4,000.

Tall Clubs International Scholarship Award The Tall Clubs International Foundation awards annual student scholarships to tall prospective college applicants who will be attending their first year of college in the following fall. To participate in the scholarship, female students must be at least 5-foot-10 and male students must be at least 6-foot-2. The winner of the awarded scholarship has a chance to win up $1,000. In order to apply, email tci-scholarships@tall.org, with your name, email, city that you live in, and the purpose of your email. Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship Zinch awards a scholarship every week to the student with the best answer to their weekly question. While the question might be easy, the winner is chosen based on their two to three sentence, or maximum 450 word, response to the week’s question. The winner of the weekly contest wins $1,000 by answering questions. Past questions have included what they think should be the next mobile app or what is the best advice they have ever received. Girls Impact the World Film Festival The Girls Impact the World Film Festival, sponsored by Harvard College Social Innovation Collaborative, is a short film contest where students submit a three to five minute video that would raise awareness about current issues affecting women globally and/or propose solutions to these current challenges. Winners receive a monetary prize, as well as film distribution through various channels, and a chance to intern at Creative Visions Foundations in Los Angeles, a community for creative actvists.

highlights how-to: household hygiene By Vanessa Vazquez STAFF WRITER

Filth builds up in just about everything. From your undergarments to skin, not everything is washed as well as it should be. highlights found three things most people do not care for enough and how, when, and why they should be washed.

Vanessa Vazquez/highlights

Bras When it comes to female necessities, one can never be too careful, especially with a bra. Rashes, irritation, and blemishes develop on the skin from a dirty bra. Sweat and other oils in the body are absorbed into the bras material. However, excessive machine use cause the bra straps to loosen and can damage the underwire. Hand wash bras whenever possible. To avoid this let it air dry, and only wash the bra every three to four wears.

Bed sheets Bed sheets build up large amounts of dust mites, grease, and dead skin cells over time. Bacteria feeds on the dead skin cells that settle on dirty sheets. The accumilation of filth can cause rashes and allergies. Washing sheets once every one to two weeks is the right way to go. To avoid fading, bleeding, and tearing it is recommended to wash your sheets with similar colors and fabrics at a warm temperature.

Hair Extremely filthy hair can aggravate the scalp because of dandruff and grease buildup. However, washing the hair too often kills the sebaceous glands which produce the oils that keep the hair moisturized, causing the hair to dry up and fall out. Washing your hair every other day with shampoo and conditioner is the key. Apply shampoo to the roots, and conditioner from the mid-lengths to the ends of the hair.

Paraprofessional provides personal aid By Savannah Payne STAFF WRITER

Savannah Payne/highlights GIVING GUIDANCE: Paraprofessional Michael Bryant helps junior Daniel Velasquez organize and complete upcoming assignments during lunch.

Paraprofessionals are special-education workers who are not licensed to teach. You may have seen one of the them sitting in the back of your class, walking through the hallways, or possibly eating lunch with some of the students. One of the school’s devoted paraprofessionals is Michael Bryant. Bryant is responsible for assisting junior Daniel Velasquez and keeping him on top of his work. Bryant keeps a daily log of all the work Velasquez has and still needs to be completed, including any upcoming tests, projects, and homework. He has been Velasquez’s paraprofessional since the spring of 2014. “My enjoyment is to see a child take advantage of their educational development, and wanting to excel. Then, I also find it very challenging when a kid just needs that extra push, or extra guidance to achieve their goal, and doesn’t put in effort,” Bryant said. Bryant received a bachelor’s degree in Exceptional Student Education from Union Institute and University, and a master’s degree in Christian Counseling from Jacksonville Baptist Theological Seminary. As a paraprofessional, he has been an employee of MiamiDade County Public Schools for 13 years and has been an official student educator at Coral Gables Senior High School for three years. As an alumnus, Bryant said he enjoys being back at the school and being given the opportunity to “give back to the same institution that helped [him] succeed in all of [his] endeavors.” For Bryant, being back at the school brought back good memories of being a student. He values the

opportunity to wear the same shoes as his teachers, such as his English teacher Kathi Eastham whom he said has influenced him greatly. He said the opportunity to be back at his alma mater and gain newer experiences has been “incredibly rewarding.” For Velasquez, having a paraprofessional, such as Bryant, to accompany around school is better than being alone in such a big school. Velasquez said that he would give Bryant the title “entertaining acquaintance.” “Daniel, at the beginning, challenged me as an educator. I had to be creative in developing a report, and getting him to trust me,” Bryant said. When asked what his favorite thing about having Bryant with him, Velasquez said, “It gets me a free pass to the first spot in the lunch line,” with a laugh. Overall, Velasquez believes that the positive aspects of having a paraprofessional outweigh the negative ones. He not only keeps track of Velasquez, as his job requires him to do, but Bryant also assists other students with differing abilities. He involves himself in many of the students extracirricular activities. On top of all of his work, Bryant has a nonprofit organization called Agape 4 Orphans International Inc. His organization asks donors to provide school supplies for orphaned students in Nairobi, Kenya. He visits Nairobi once every other year, and is currently organizing Agape 4 Orphans International’s annual toy drive. His organization will be donating toys to children in over 450 families in Kenya. Bryant said that he believes that he is a strong disciplinarian who helps keep the classroom in order. His aim is to aid teachers as much as possible and to help students accomplish their goals.

features

highlights

November 2014

Are you smarter than a Gables student? By Ali Band STAFF WRITER

highlights put the bright young minds of our student body to the test by questioning them about their surrounding world. The answers are as hilarious as you would expect.

Courtesy of archives.gov

Courtesy of ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov

Nelson Mandela

The Constitution

Who is this?

What document is this?

- “Morgan Freeman.”

- “The Declaration of Independence.”

- “That actor guy.”

- “The Bill of Rights.” Courtesy of whitehouse.gov

Joe Biden

Can you name a country that starts with the letter ‘U’?

Who is the current Vice President?

- “Yugoslavia”

- “Bill Clinton”

- “Utopia.”

- “Oh, I know. It’s that black one.”

Courtesy of nih.gov

Leonardo da Vinci

Six faces

Who painted the Mona Lisa?

How many faces does a cube have?

- “Leonardo DiCaprio, I think.”

- “Four.”

- “Michelangelo.”

- “There are four sides of a square, so it’s sixteen if you do your math.”

HALL >> talk The highlights staff records what students are talking about in the hallways while passing between periods.

BLOCK 1

BLOCK 2

• “I swear, if you tell him, I’ll delete • “Steel-cut oats are a big thing everything on your Common App.” now.” • “Get away, you almost cut me with • “I sharted in my bed once and I your leg hair.” was too lazy to get up, so I just rolled around in it all night.” • “If I lose my phone, I’ll text you.” • “No, you don’t get it, they dropped me off at the wrong school.”

www.gablestutoring.com 1886 S Red Road Miami, FL 33155

(786) 972-1602

• “I am more attracted to Disney characters than most of the guys at this school.”

sports

highlights

November 2014

CYRUS CHEERS FOR THE CAVS Commentary by Francis Pérez SPORTS EDITOR

Laura Acosta/high

light s

Laura Acosta/highlights

After participating with both the Gablettes and Sistas With Attitude, senior and highlights Copy Editor Cyrus Zeledon tried cheering and dancing one more time before graduating. This year, Zeledon joined the school’s cheerleading team for a day and learned the steps and jumps of some of the routines and cheers. After changing into some comfortable clothes and his pair of sporty glasses, Zeledon walked onto the pavilion grounds ready to meet up with the cheerleading team. The team has no official place for practice and meets at the pavilion every day to decide where to go, so finding a location was an issue. After deciding to go to the patio by the child care room, Zeledon and the cheerleaders had to move to the auditorium due to rain, where they began to stretch. “Come on Cyrus, feel the burn in that stretch,” senior captain Mirza Tanis said. From the start, Zeledon had trouble with some of the stretches and even took his shoes off to complete them. However, Zeledon was extremely flexible, shocking the rest of the team when he perfectly performed the butterfly stretch. Once stretching was over, the cheerleaders migrated to the courtyard located in front of the new building. Tanis decided she wanted to teach Zeledon one of the

cheerleaders’ signature jumps and asked him if he preferred any specific jump. Zeledon was completely clueless about jumps. So, the team began to teach Zeledon how to perform a toe touch. The cheerleaders showed him how his legs should be positioned when jumping, which consisted of turning his knees outward. This lesson was continued by demonstrating how Zeledon’s arms should swing and land while performing the jump. After listening to these tips and watching some of the cheerleaders correctly execute the toe touch, Zeledon learned the moves and finally caught the jump. “That’s better than mine,” senior cheerleader Jessica Crespo said. Zeledon even surprised Tanis. “I didn’t expect to see everything come so naturally to him. His jumps and flexibility were better than what he led us on to believe. I think he would be a great contender if he tried out for cheerleading,” Tanis said. The team also showed Zeledon one of the cheers they perform at football games, however, Zeledon could not master the timing and was never in sync with the rest of the cheerleaders. The practice then ended just like every other practice—with all of the member’s hands touching in the middle of a circle and screaming a chant. Except this time they changed up the words to “Cyrus on three! Cyrus on three! One, two, three, Cyrus!”

JUMPING SPIRIT: (Top) Zeledon looks over to see how to properly peform a stretch. (Bottom) Zeledon stands amongst the cheerleaders before a new cheer.

Marrero hits for team USA By Vanessa Vazquez

a game against Argentina with a score of 22-0. More games were played against other Latin American countries with USA winning every game, eventually earning them a gold medal in Senior Elih Marrero is one step closer to the big leagues the final game. All the games were played in Houston, Texas than most when it comes to baseball. Marrero is not only the and La Paz, Mexico from Aug. 30-Sept. 13 of this year. school’s catcher, but also the catcher for the 2014 USA Baseball Having played with Team USA, Marrero said it is not the U18 National Team. same as playing for the school. Wearing a different number on Baseball runs in Marrero’s blood. His father, Elih Marrero the back of the uniform is not the only thing separating the two Sr., played in the MLB for almost 11 teams for Marrero. According to Marrero, years. His cousin, Chris Marrero, is representing the country gives him a Being on team USA is a currently an infielder for the Washington different feeling. great feeling, going out and Nationals. Marrero also plays for the South winning the gold medal. According to Marrero, hard work Florida Elite Squad baseball team in the and focus were what helped him make summer. As for college, Marrero has Elih Marrero, the team. Marrero worked for two years already committed to play baseball at senior to make the team. Mississippi State University. “I knew I had a chance to make this “We’ll see what happens after this team, [so] I worked even harder. I pushed myself to limits I had year’s season. Hopefully this year good things happen. [Maybe] never pushed myself to before,” Marrero said. I’ll get drafted this year and get the chance to play professional Marrero also explained how his father influenced his baseball,” Marrero said. athleticism. When it comes to playing baseball, Marrero has the same “[My father and I] go at it back and forth. I’ll do something goal as most other players. wrong and we’ll work on it until I get it right,” Marrero said. “I “I wanna make it to the big leagues one day. It’s a special wanna be just as good [as he was] or better.” feeling just to be in the big leagues and stay up there and to Team USA beat Canada in the five games played, and won have a career,” Marrero said. STAFF WRITER

‘‘

Marko Ciklovan/highlights STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE: Senior catcher Elih Marrero bats against the American Patriots on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

FALL SPORTS

season wrap-up

STAFF WRITER

According to head swimming coach Kelli Fraga, the girls’ swim team had a “really great season” holding a record of 7-1 and losing only to Ransom Everglades High School. The team won first place at GMACs on Oct. 9 and in districts on Oct. 21— something that has not been done in the school’s swimming history. “[When] I swam for Gables, we were never able to do that. The powerhouses have always been Reef and Palmetto and for Gables to be up there, competing at that level, is just amazing,” Fraga said. The last swim meet was held on Nov. 1 with the team competing in regionals. Sophomore Hannah Cordes qualified for states in the 200 meter individual medley along with freshman Paloma Sanchez in the 50 meter freestyle, the girls’ medley relay, and the girls’ 200 meter freestyle relay. Fraga said that the team “completely met and surpassed” her expectations this season, and she hopes the team can keep improving to become the powerhouse school in swimming. Fraga said the boys’ swim team “is on their way up.” The team earned third place at districts and fifth place at GMACs. Both teams have been training for their meets since Aug. 4 for two hours a day.

Swimming

Golf

The girls’ golf team ended its season on Oct. 21 with a record of 4-2, losing against the Miami Beach Senior High Hi-Tides and the Miami Palmetto High School Panthers. The team won third place at the Greater Miami Athletic Conference (GMAC) tournament at Redlands on Oct. 9, fourth place at districts on Oct.14, and eighth place at regionals on Oct. 21. They also participated in the Dade County Youth Fair on Sept. 17 and placed fourth. One of the key players on the team was sophomore captain Marisa Urrutia who has been playing golf for four years. “I think we could have done better. We have a lot of untapped potential, but it’s awesome to know my hard work has paid off,” Urrutia said. The boys’ golf team ended its season on Oct. 20 after placing twelfth in regionals. The team held a record of 2-5 this season, winning against Maritime and Science Technology Academy, Miami High School, South Miami High School, and Sports Leadership and Management High School. The boys’ team placed sixth at GMACs, and fifth at districts. They also participated at the Westminster Christian School tournament at the Biltmore, where they finished in eighth place.

The Cavaliers football team started the season off with wins against Miami Southridge High School and Dr. Michael M. Krop High School. The first loss of the season was against Christopher Columbus High School on Sept. 12 with a score of 14-13. As the season continues, the record currently stands at 7-2. The team faced Coral Park Senior High on Oct. 25 and won with a score of 54-0. On Oct. 30, they beat Miami Beach Senior High School with a score of 29-0 and became playoff eligible. The Cavaliers are second in the district and will face the Columbus Explorers for the second time this season at districts. Head football coach Roger Pollard said that the team’s expectations are to reach and win the states championship. “Right now we’re right on track, but probably a little bit behind from where we want to be offensively,” Pollard said. According to Pollard, the team is playing with enthusiasm, getting to the ball, and carrying out assignments. Pollard also said that the team needs to focus on playing well on offense, defense, and special teams in a single game. The Cavaliers continue with their season on Nov. 7, at 7:30 pm when they will face Southwest Miami High School at Tropical Park.

Football

By Angelika Menendez

sports

highlights

November 2014

Transgender Athletes:

Should transgendered athletes be allowed to engage in sports with the people of their identified gender?

Commentary by Cyrus Zeledon

Commentary by Octavio Castro STAFF WRITER

COPY EDITOR

YES

In recent years, there has been a huge push for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights and equality, demanding for acceptance. However, there comes a point where pursuing equality and acceptance is detrimental to the fairness of a situation. In regards to sports, transgender athletes who compete with their identified gender, especially in a high school setting, put other competitors at a disadvantage. Transgender is the term for gender variation, which includes people who do not identify with the sex that they were assigned at birth and undergo medical intervention to adjust to their identified gender. Some transgender individuals seek to participate in professional sports of their identified gender. The International Olympic Committee allows transgender individuals to participate with three basic criteria: they must undergo surgery to their identified gender, be legally recognized as their identified gender, and have two years of hormone therapy. Meeting these criteria allows for fair competition in a professional setting. However, this is not the case in a high school setting. Without hormone treatment, high school transgender athletes are at an advantage. The division between male and female sports exists because the genders are too biologically different and it would be unfair to compete against each other. Testosterone provides men with bigger skeletal muscles, giving men an edge in regards to strength. Women have less muscle than men, but have looser joints, giving them an advantage in flexibility. Pat Cordova-Goff, a senior at Azusa High School in California, identifies as a transgender female, and was admitted into the school’s female softball team. However, she has not undergone a sex change or hormone therapy, and maintains a male physique. This gives her an unfair advantage over the other girls, like Cordova, who is significantly muscular and bats harder than the rest. To maintain a balance in high school sports, transgender individuals without a sex change should not be able to participate alongside their identified gender.

With the recent incidents of injustices against transgender people in sports, there is no doubt that transgender athletes are in many of the sports arguments across the country. As it stands, transgender policy in the sports world should not waver in regards to transgender athletes who play with the gender they identify with. Now, of course, most people will jump to the assumption that a transgender athlete will have an edge because of his or her physiology before the change, as did CrossFit when it told a transgender athlete that she could not compete with the women because she was born a man. However, this is not the case. Multiple sources, like Sherman Leis, a reconstructive surgeon, confirm that the edge is nothing more than a myth. Leis has stated that the physical strength, muscle mass, and bone density of a transgender woman decrease over time and reach the normal level of the female athletes. Transgender women, after the physiological change, have less testosterone than that of natural born women, which can result in fatigue. According to transgender MMA fighter Fallon Fox, the only reason she lost to MMA fighter Ashlee Evans-Smith was due to her muscle fatigue. Some people argue that Fox still has an unfair advantage even though she lost. The fact remains the same; transgender athletes do not have an advantage over the other athletes, and those who argue otherwise seem to hold similar opinions to the homophobes who said that homosexuals should not be allowed to play with heterosexual men, an argument that still exists today even in high schools. Even after cases like NFL defensive end Michael Sam and high school basketball player Zeam Porter, athletes and sports teams still use the argument that gay athletes, and even transgender athletes, cause a disruption in and off the field. However, sports organizations, such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the NCAA, have ruled, in their respective guidelines, that transgender athletes are neither a distraction nor superior to other athletes due to their assigned gender.

TWO VIEWS

Lopez takes over badminton team By Francis Pérez SPORTS EDITOR

Courtesy of Kevin Lopez BACK AT IT: Alumnus Kevin Lopez practices his badminton skills during his sophomore year.

After chemistry teacher Kelli Fraga became the school’s swim and water polo coach, the school’s badminton team was left without a coach for the 2015 season, allowing for alumnus Kevin Lopez to take the position. Lopez graduated from the school with the Class of 2013 and was part of the badminton team from his sophomore to senior year. He said that his passion for badminton was what made him want to continue playing and become the team’s new coach, which he was able to do after receiving his educator’s certificate for athletic coaching. Junior girls’ doubles player Gaitana Jaramillo said that she looks forward to having Lopez as a coach. “I think it’s going to improve us a lot more than last year since now we actually have someone that knows how to play and can improve all of our skills,” Jaramillo said. Lopez has already begun coaching the team by conducting this year’s first meeting on Oct. 29, and has put out dates for open gyms on Nov. 8 and 22, Dec. 20, and Jan. 10.

Climbing Miami's highest peaks By Leila Iskandarani

CAVALIER STAT BOX

Girls’ Volleyball

OCT 6

Cavaliers

vs 0-3 L

Lourdes

OCT 8

Southwest

vs 3-0 L

Cavaliers

MARK THE DATE Varsity

@ CGHS

vs 0-3 L

OCT 13 MAST

vs 2-3 W

@ Ferguson @ CGHS

Ferguson Cavaliers

Football

Cavaliers

vs Killian 21-28 L

OCT 17 Cavaliers

vs Miami 22-12 W

OCT 25 Cavaliers

vs 54-0 W

@ Tropical Park

@ Curtis Park @ Tropical Park

Miami vs @ Memorial Field 29-0 W

REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: Senior Logan Morris scales the walls of the X-Treme gym.

High

Coral Park

OCT 30 Cavaliers Brooke Donner/highlights

By replicating the unique and large structures of mountain sides in both the interior of buildings and controlled areas outside, rock climbing provides a thrilling experience for both beginners and experts. For those wishing to reach new heights, highlights has compiled a list of places around Miami where rock climbing is available year round. X-Treme Rock Climbing: This indoor rock climbing gym, located at 13972 SW 139 Court, appeals to all climbers. The 14,000 square feet of climbing space is marked with frequently changing routes for any level of expertise. First-timers can take advantage of the introductory-level instruction offered at the gym. Also available are additional amenities like yoga classes, a separate fitness center, and gear rental—all this for only $17 for an all-day pass. Deering Canal: Located at 16701 SW 72 Avenue, Deering Canal offers one of the most multi-faceted climbs around. Consisting of fossilized limestone, this rise varies from 12-15 feet in height. Although gear is not needed, only adept climbers should attempt to scale these walls, which lack marked routes. Perrine Wayside Park: With two bouldering traverses standing at 50 feet in height, one of which has an overhang, climbers will be satisfied with the level of difficulty this climb has to offer. Perrine Wayside Park—located at 16425 South Dixie Highway—is ideal for climbers looking for an intense physical challenge at no cost. Only experienced climbers should attempt this outdoor climb, seeing as there are no specified routes, and climbers should bring their own gear.

@ Lourdes

OCT 10 Cavaliers

OCT 8

STAFF WRITER

November

Beach

Girls’ Soccer

OCT 20 Cavaliers

vs 8-0 W

Pace

OCT 23 Cavaliers

vs 8-0 W

Hialeah High

OCT 28 Cavaliers

vs 3-2 W

Coral Park

OCT 31 Miami Beach

vs 1-6 W

Cavaliers

@ Pace @ Pace

@ Coral Park @ CGHS

to watch our athletic teams rack up the points!

Girls Varsity

Boys Varsity

Girls Varsity

7 10 18 21

Football vs. Southwest

Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Tropical Park

Soccer

vs. Killian Monday at 4 p.m. at Coral Gables Senior High

Basketball

vs. Coral Park Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at Coral Gables Senior High

Basketball vs. Palmer Trinity

Friday at 5 p.m. at Palmer Trinity

the scene

highlights November 2014

Food trucks galore Delectable delis of Dade By Natalie Viglucci STAFF WRITER

Even before you reach the entrance, the mouth-watering aroma of truffle loaded cheese fries, juicy burgers on the grill and freshly sliced pulled pork overtake your senses. With awestruck expressions and fast paced walks towards the lines extending from the portable kitchens, people are eager to get the delicious foods into their mouths. The Wynwood Street Food Fest is the perfect place to go on a Saturday night. Food trucks decorated with neon lights and distinctive paint jobs never fail to catch the eye and draw in customers, and the live music makes the giant cookout complete. Located in Wynwood on 210 NW 22nd Ln, The Wynwood Street Food Fest is every second Saturday of the month from 6 p.m. to midnight. Over twenty food trucks, including Ms. Cheezious, HipPOP’s Handcrafted Gelato Bars and The Purple People Eatery surround vistors, leaving an overwhelming number of choices. The variety of food ranges from popsicles and cakes to Indian

By Mia Tolpin

foods like curry and lamb. Picnic tables crammed with customers sampling the offerings sold at each food truck are scattered throughout the Food Fest.Prices for a full meal are anywhere from $8 to $15, and the lines are no more than a five minute wait, leaving time to visit other trucks and explore the area. “The food trucks give everybody an alternative to the usual places in Miami Beach, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables,” customer Thiago Angelo said. The back doors of the trucks are left open, and the cooks can be seen preparing fresh meals for the excited customers as the aroma of grilled chicken and french fries spread through the crowds. “This [Food Fest] is directed more toward the young crowds. You got food, you got drinks and all different varieties of food trucks,” Inspir-Asian Food Truck owner Connie Li said. “It is a new experience every time [working on a food truck] and every day it’s like going to a different party; I don’t know what will happen, and that’s why I love it.”

English-inspired cuisine

ELeonor Bauwens/highlights BRITISH AND BOLD: With its eclectic interior and menu, the recently opened Seven Dials invites customers to sample British cooking with an American twist.

By Eleonor Bauwens STAFF WRITER

Named after the seven-street intersection in London, Seven Dials is an eclectic American gastropub. However, do not be fooled by the word “American”. With a figurine of Queen Elizabeth by the bar, and decorations ranging from reading raccoons, pandas with eye patches and harmonica-playing bats, Seven Dials is as British as it gets. The place is buzzing with a lively atmosphere. The simple yet sophisticated menu is inspired by modern American cooking with British influence. Organic and local ingredients are used based on season and market availability. There is a wide variety of choices to pick from, including eggplant parmesan, fish and chips, corn soup, and cauliflower and cheese falafel and gorgonzola salad with walnut brittle and apples. Seven Dials serves an all-day breakfast made up of an omlet, bacon, and sausage accompanied by maple butter. Prices range from $8-12. “It is really different but at the same time homey. It does feel super British but the food is not ... like you would expect. I really liked the eggplant parmesan,” junior Kathryn Boylan said. London-born chef Andrew Gilbert opened the restaurant on Aug.8. Located on 2030 S. Douglas Road, Seven Dials is a refreshingly unusual restaurant definitely worth trying. It is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. - 10 p.m., on Fridays from 11 a.m.-11 p.m. and Saturdays from 5 - 11 p.m.

Mia Tolpin/highlights

Natalie Viglucci/highlights SAVORY SUNSET: As the sun sets on the second Saturday of the month, food truck lovers gather at the food truck festival to sample from a broad range of cuisines.

STAFF WRITER

DELI DECOR: Lots of Lox deli’s decor is no-frill, simple and inviting.

“Delicatessen,” coming from the German word meaning “delicious things to eat,” encompases the ideals of prime delis. Though the European meaning designates a luxurious, high-quality, fine food restaurant, the Americanized version of a deli calls for a more family friendly ambiance. Its Latin root word, “delicatus,” means giving pleasure and delight- two things that these three delis do. highlights divulges the best and most authentic delis in South Florida. Bagel Emporium This delightful deli is almost as busy as the street it sits upon. Located at 1238 South Dixie Highway, Bagel Emporium attracts customers of all ages. Once you have arrived, you will most likely run into University of Miami frat guys sitting in front of an elderly Jewish couple. Situated minutes away from the University Metro Station, the Emporium is a convenient place to get a quick bite to fulfill your bagel and lox fix. To fully satisfy your hankering for New York style deli food, the nova platter is highly recommended by many Emporium veterans. Freshly baked pastries such as danishes, rugelach, macaroons, cookies and more are located in the front by the cash register. Roasters’ n Toasters Three miles down the road, you can find Roasters’ n Toasters capping off the strip mall on 9465 South Dixie Highway. Since opening in 1984, this bustling eatery has transformed from a coffee shop to what it is today: the go-to deli in the Pinecrest and Kendall area. Upon entering, you will catch sight of a deli case holding every style of bagel you could imagine. The recommended breakfast is the “fluffiest omelet in town” accompanied by latkes (potato pancakes) with a heaping scoop of applesauce. For great food and reasonable prices, Roasters’ is the breakfast, brunch or lunch spot for you.

Lots of Lox About seven miles from Bagel Emporium, Lots of Lox sits inside a strip mall on 14995 South Dixie Highway. After walking past the ducks that welcome guests at the entrance, you will see the typical deli atmosphere– red and white tile floors, a cash register perched upon a deli case stocked full of goodies, and signs covering the shop’s walls with the daily specials. Come hungry and you’ll still leave with enough food for a whole other meal. Portions are huge and the great prices will keep you coming back. The menu is almost as thick as a “Harry Potter” book, leaving you dozens of options to chose from.

the scene Gablestage: By Laura Acosta THE SCENE EDITOR

Nestled within the Biltmore Hotel, unbeknownst to many, lies a small theater with a capacity for around 50 people that shows award-winning and critically renowned plays to South Florida audiences. This is GableStage, a local theater company that offers an experience like no other– the chance to witness professional live theater up close. Inside the small theater, velvet seats face a fully furnished and decorated stage that lies at the same level as the floor. Even the farthest row sits only feet from the stage, allowing the entire audience to become fully engrossed in the performance. Theater-enthusiasts, as well as first-time theatergoers, will both be able to appreciate the skill level of the actors, as well as the effort put into the entire staging. GableStage has also collaborated with Miami-Dade County Public Schools, bringing the theater to students. In the past, performances have been held in the little theater at the school for drama students and aspiring actors. The majority of the plays shown at GableStage have been well-received by audiences and theater critics alike– the last play to show, “Mother and Sons,” received high praise from a large amount of South Florida publications.

highlights November 2014

A unique theater experience hidden within Coral Gables

Additionally, GableStage has been awarded a multitude of local awards, including acknowledgements for their community involvements, as well as “Best Theater for Drama,” “Best Director,” and many more recognitions from the Miami New Times. GableStage’s newest play will premier on Nov. 22 and play until Dec. 21. The play, “Bad Jews,” is a comedy revolving around the discussions of a family over how to split the belongings of their recently deceased grandmother. Following “Bad Jews,” GableStage will be showing five more plays, a mixture of dramatic and comedic shows, with something to offer for anyone interested in attending. Tickets are available for sale online, as well as by phone and at the box office. Ticket prices vary by show date: Thursday and Friday showings at 8 p.m. cost $45; Saturday showings at 8 p.m. cost $55; Sunday showings at 2 p.m. cost $50, and Sunday showings at 7 p.m. cost $40.

Access to the arts By Olivia Field STAFF WRITER

For the cost of only $5, anyone under the age of 22 can purchase tickets to South Florida’s most enriching events in the arts, such as musicals and museum showcases. This is all thanks to the Culture Shock Miami, a program formed in 2004 by Miami Dade County’s Department of Cultural Affairs. Making it easier and cheaper to attend events, this organization allows the year-round purchase of $5 vouchers for live performances and museums that are located in the greater Miami area. Anyone under the age limit may purchase vouchers for an unlimited amount of events, however, only one pass can be bought for each performance, or two tickets for any Miami museum at a time. These vouchers can be purchased on Culture Shock’s website, www.cultureshockmiami.com, printed out and presented at the entrance of the program or museum, then traded in for actual tickets. The only downside of these vouchers is that the corresponding ticket may be for a badly positioned seat in the audience, since the tickets are either set aside for the Culture Shock program or are those that are leftover. Otherwise, the organization is a perfect gateway to receiving seats and entry passes to quality Miami events. Out of the average 15 events every month, some of the upcoming ones include: a performance by jazz singer Gretchen Parlato at the Gusman Concert Hall (Nov. 5), Noche Flamenca (Nov. 15), a dancing and musical program that highlights the history and beauty of the Flamenco dance, and Miami Symphony Orchestra’s “The Beatles U.S. invasion” (Nov. 16), a tribute to the Beatles at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Culture Shock Miami also provides vouchers for art museums, such as the Perez Art Museum of Miami and the Vizcaya Museums and Gardens.

Laura

st Aco

ig h a/h

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CULTURE SHOCK: Situated in the middle of downtown, the Adrienne Arsht Center is one of many places that allow students entry via Culture Shock Miami.

Wynwood goes green By Araceli Sanchez STAFF WRITER

A new and innovative greenhouse design is the winner of the international architectural Wynwood Gateway Competition. Designers from over 20 countries were called in to design a 14,000 square foot urban park that offers the Wynwood community a place to come together and enjoy the neighborhood. The winning designers wanted to introduce a natural aspect to a district taken over by concrete buildings and repurposed factories. The design is a glass greenhouse structure built around a huge oak tree, and the design team plans to add built in LED lights, to brighten up the park. Despite its name, the park is not a typical greenhouse, as it will not house exotic or tropical plants, and instead, will serve as a park and open area of grass and trees, where people can relax and gather.

The design team consists of Miami artist Jim Drain and two architects, Roberto Rivero and Nick Gelpi. Out of 238 submissions, the winners were coincidentally the only local team of designers in the competition. The greenhouse will be angular and modern and will serve as a public park and butterfly garden. It is expected to stand out and contrast sharply with the usual art galleries and dull gray buildings of Wynwood. Plans for the greenhouse place it at 2825 N.W. Second Ave., which is currently a parking lot. As of now, there is no set date on when construction should start or end because it is still in the first phase of the development. The Wynwood Greenhouse is aimed at brightening up Wynwood and making it a more modern and eco-friendly place to hang out.