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A u g u s t 2 011, V o l . 5 2

BLOWING OFF BUBBLING IN

WHY STANDARDIZED END-OF-COURSE TESTS MAY REPLACE OUR BIANNUAL ASSESSMENTS

By Casey Breznick and Mary Koehnk COPY EDITOR AND THE SCENE EDITOR

news

It is not uncommon Scanlon’s remarks reflect the general to witness fellow students sentiment towards the EOCs shared among hopelessly confused and teachers and students. frantically asking each other The end of midterms and finals relates to what the homework is or what the EOCs because standardized exams will the teacher just said. Now, replace teacher-made finals, and it is believed imagine the school’s teachers in that midterms will meet a similar fate. the same situation.

In theory the testing change-up carries This school year ushers in enormous implications, but on paper only the official end of midterms and three honors or regular subjects, biology, finals. Their removal paves the path for the Algebra I, and geometry, will have EOCs future implementation of a new standardized this May, and the Reading FCAT will still be testing program, which will replace the administered.

Florida Comprehension Assessment Tests Biology and geometry EOCs are baseline (FCATs) with End-of-Course (EOC) exams. exams that directly affect students’ Grade But, as of Thursday, August 18, many Point Averages (GPAs) - they determine 30% teachers did not know of the final grade. how the school would The Algebra I EOC I think [the EOCs] are unreaadapt to these changes. is a pass/fail exam. sonable. How can one test “Because the Tallahassee will determine everything you’ve teachers don’t exactly introduce more EOCs learned in one year? know what will be on for the remaining the exams [EOCs], non-honors classes in Teague Scanlon, students will have to the ensuing years. freshman read every chapter “Of course we and do a lot of selfneed to know if preparation. Having these exams actually students are learning what they need to learn, shifts more responsibility onto students,” said so there is benefit to standardized tests. But science teacher Eric Molina, who expressed statistics show that more students do poorly discontent over having to change the way he on midterms and finals than quarter grades, so teaches biology. there are benefits to students,” said Assistant Molina was one of the few teachers who Principal of Curriculum Nestor Diaz. had an idea that the changes were coming.

How exactly the school’s grading system Others like math teacher Rebeca Reinoso (e.g. the Five Point Rule, the elimination of and Italian teacher Melissa Ginsberg heard columns on report cards, etc.) will be affected nothing about the possible elimination of is unknown. Diaz noted that many teachers midterms and finals until the final days of already administer quarterly exams, adding summer. The lack of communication between that this will probably be the most popular the district, administration and teachers was alternative to not having official midterms directly due to the last minute school board and finals. Most likely, each quarterly grade meetings that took place the last weeks of will amount to 25% of the final grade, August on approving the testing changes. excluding the three courses with EOCs. Teachers are reliant on the administrators On the surface, the finalization of for such information, and the administrators midterms and finals may be a cause for were waiting for information from the school celebration. But the numerous unanswered board meetings. questions have the potential to backfire. The “I think they’re unreasonable. How can situation can be most accurately summed one test determine everything you’ve learned up in the old saying: “All that glitters is not in one year?” said freshman Teague Scanlon. gold.”

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the scene

PG. 7 Summer training heightens risk of dehydration in athletes

sports

opinion

PG. 5 Summer assignments expand to several subjects

Nicole Sielsky and Ali Stack/highlights

PG. 16 Miami’s moving food trucks are a quick, delicious eat

news

highlights August 2011

LAW & ORDER:

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Educators and students are no longer immune from criminal activities, with test fraud, a murder conviction, and a shooting occurring within the course of a few months

Atlanta educators accused of cheating

By Casey Breznick COPY EDITOR

Orso Raymo/highlights

Over the summer, investigative journalists uncovered a conspiracy behind the alteration of schools’ standardized test scores in the Atlanta Public Schools district. For over a decade, a large number of schools in the county experienced “hard to believe gains” according to Heath Vogell, the journalist who uncovered the scandal, in test scores, and at times, other schools experienced large drops, both of which seemed unusual to investigators. The former superintendent of the school district, Beverly Hall, at first denied any accusations of educators tampering with students’ scores, but later admitted to overseeing the conspiracy. She resigned a few weeks after the story broke.

The systematic cheating involved educators erasing and changing students’ test scores on the Georgia state standardized exams. This presented atypical erasure rates (erasing from the wrong to the right answer) to test-security specialists. Other methods of compromising

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Out of the 56 investigated schools, 178 educators from 44 schools were accused of inflating test scores. So far, 41 have resigned or retired, including 13 principals. Firing the remaining educators may take anywhere from days to years because of the legal aspects of union contracts.

The controversy has added fuel to the fiery national debate over standardized testing.

Sympathizers see the educators’ cheating as a last-ditch attempt of ensuring high test scores that guarantee maximum merit pay, while non-sympathizers and advocates of merit pay see this as strictly immoral behavior devoid of politics. Other large school districts, including Washington D.C., have undergone investigations in the past for unusually high testing gains, and 14 Florida school districts, including Miami-Dade, underwent investigations in June for high erasure rates and similar test responses.

Some argue that the students are most hurt.

Normally, students are placed into intensive reading or math classes, or are held back a grade, if they fail a standardized exam. A doctored answer sheet results in the misplacement of a student out of a class needed for real

improvement. None of the thousands of Atlanta county students have spoken out yet, and the level of concern students nationwide have over the matter is questionable.

“If it made a positive difference, then I’d be happy,” said freshman Jose Calafet on the possibility of teachers changing his scores.

In this school, testing materials, including Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) and End-of-Course (EOC) exams as well as Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate tests, are held in a highly secure room, to be removed only on testing days. Only Testing Coordinator Lazaro Hernandez, Assistant Principal of Curriculum Nestor Diaz, and Principal Adolfo Costa have keys to the room.

Live materials, or answer sheets, are collected at the end of the final week of testing.

“We follow a strict, state-mandated procedure. Questions booklets and answer sheets are always accounted for,” said Diaz.

Diaz added that he believes FCAT Reading paper testing will soon phase out, and that all EOCs will be computer-based. The nationwide push towards computerization of testing may spell the end of traditional methods of cheating.

Rodriguez convicted of murder Courtesy of The Miami Herald

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Numerous Atlanta County Educators accused of erasing student test responses undergo investigation [top] and Andy Rodriguez and his lawyers await the jury’s verdicts [bottom].

By Gretel Sanchez prosecutors countered that Rodriguez acted in STAFF WRITER

Andy Rodriguez, accused of killing a classmate in the 2009 stabbing, was found guilty of second-degree murder on Aug. 2, 2011.

Andy Rodriguez was tried as an adult due to the severity of the case during the trail, which began on July 21, 2011.

Defense attorney Lane Abraham claimed that Rodriguez acted in self-defense, while

a fit of jealous rage.

At the conclusion of the trial, the jury was given the choice to find Rodriguez guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter, or to vote for his acquittal. After three hours of deliberation, the jury decided on seconddegree murder.

Second-degree murder is normally defined as “intent-to-kill without the added ingredients of premeditation and deliberation” however with proof that the “defendant acted with malice aforethought”, as per the United States Department of Justice.

“We all came together in a cohesive group,’’ said jury foreperson Reva Homnick.

“We hugged at the end and felt we did the

X-Factor’s bittersweet Divisi critique

Former student shot and killed

By Suzette Wanninkhof NEWS EDITOR

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

ALL SMILES: Divisi stands in front of the X-Factor sign at the Bank Atlantic Center before they got to sing on stage in front of the esteemed judges.

Unfortunately, all four judges gave them all three X’s the second time around and sent home with a brutal critique by Cowell who called the rendition “... absolute torture.” Yet, Divisi Alumnus, John Llanera, was complimented by Paula Abdul after Cowell’s view.

“I was extremely content with the feedback Paula Abdul gave me and all the other judgments that they gave us.” said Llanera.

Despite falling short of their expectations, they were finally able to gain some actual expert critique rather than praises from parents and high school judges.

“I think we all got a great experience out of it. We got to perform for people in the business, meet other talented people, and get a little chance to shine on stage and on camera. The whole experience was a memorable one and one that can be looked upon very positively no matter what the outcome was,” said Gables and Divisi alumnus Favio Vizcaya.

Former Gables student Gian Davis was killed this past Tuesday, Aug. 16th in an accidental gun shooting. He and his two friends, ages 14 and 16, were allegedly staking out houses to rob in a stolen BMW near a Boynton Beach apartment complex when one of the teens accidentally shot and killed Davis, who was sitting in the front seat.

The two teens first told police that they were the victims of an armed robbery, but later admitted that no such event occurred and then that they were in the neighborhood in search of someone to rob.

Davis had a criminal record; according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, he was arrested for burglary in 2008 and charged for resisting police arrest in 2010. Although Davis was currently a student at Boynton Beach Community High School, he was found with a Coral Gables High School ID card on his person.

“Gian did attend Gables, but withdrew during the first semester of last year,” said principal Adolfo Costa.

Though the two teens are underage, they still may be tried as adults and are currently charged with second degree murder. As of now, police are trying to obtain a search warrant to search the BMW because the gun is believed to still be in the car.

Courtesy of Palm Beach Post

Josie Veloz/contributer

By Nicole Sielsky

Originally from the United Kingdom, the television talent search X Factor has crossed the Atlantic to search for possible stars across America since March of this year. After hearing about an opportunity to audition for the show, Divisi, the school’s choir group, practiced three to four times a week to prepare for the X Factor judges, Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Cheryl Cole, and Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid.

Divisi left at six in the morning on a school day to wait in line in front of the Bank United Center for several hours. They passed three stages of auditioning, singing songs such as “Use Somebody”. After witnessing many unlucky contestants being sent home, the choir group was finally able to face the four judges and an enormous audience containing some Gables students that sat to watch their friends perform.

“The audience as a whole was excited to see how they would do; they were the largest group there with the most people,” said junior and chorus student Lorrelle Jock-Fernandez.

The excited group of singers came on the stage and began with the song “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” but did not impress the judges. They were told to either choose another song within the next 30 seconds or go home.

right thing.”

The Miami Herald spoke to defense lawyer Alexander Michaels, who believes that the jury made the wrong decision saying that defendant Andy Rodriguez was “devastated.”

“I don’t think he’s a murderer,” Michaels said. “Something happened very fast and he responded.”

Rodriguez’s sentencing is set to be on Oct. 4th.

As jury foreperson Reva Homnick said, “It’s a hard decision to make…Two young men and nobody is a winner.”

Rodriguez’s attorneys stated that their client plans on appealing.

highlights August 2011

$7.25 an hour, $57,000 a year

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Minimum wage is low. College costs are high. Whether because of the decrease in Bright Futures for Florida schools or expensive tuition of private universities, more students are taking on jobs to earn the difference.

By Brooke Donner STAFF WRITER

In the mind of a senior, the expenses of college are a constant concern. Especially now, with tuition increasing so rapidly, students are finding other ways to pay their tuition, such as through scholarships or jobs.

According to the United States Department of Education, in the 2002-2003 school year the national average tuition for a public four year under-graduate college was $4,059.

In 2010-2011, it was $7,605.

“It’s not good, but we don’t have much control,” said College Assistance Program counselor Barbara Inskeep about rising college costs.

Some students are taking on jobs to save money for the cost, such as senior Luis Rodriguez, who works as a Peewee soccer coach in Key Biscayne. Rodriguez hopes to attend New York University or Boston University but is not sure about whether the schools would be worth the cost.

“Most likely I will have to work if I leave the state, but if I don’t think it is worth the amount of time and stress I will happily go to a great school in Florida,” said Rodriguez.

Senior Maya Souverin also has a job, working at the movie theatre in Cocowalk

where she ushers and sells food at the concession stand. Although she initially enjoyed her job, she says she is now becoming frustrated with the low pay.

Another way that students plan to compensate for rising college costs is with scholarships. In the 2009-2010 school year, the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program gave over $400 million to Florida high school graduates. That is 177,612 scholarships, averaging at $2,385 a piece.

Though it may seem like a lot of scholarship money being given to students in need, the average amount per scholarship decreased by six percent, and the total disbursed funds decreased by one percent from the pervious year.

The reduction in funds is not the only thing changing— requirements needed to obtain a Bright Futures Scholarship have become stricter. All three scholarship levels now require more community service; Florida Academics Scholars requirements increased from 75 to 100 hours, and Florida Medallion Scholars and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars increased from nothing to 75 and 35 respectively. The three levels of scholarships differ in requirements and award money.

“Since Bright Futures isn’t guaran-

REAL COST OF COLLEGE Maya Souverin would have to work:

2619 hours, 41 minutes, 3 seconds

$19,150 tuition of

to pay the her dream school,

Adrian Diez would have to sell:

$28,500 worth of party tickets

$5,700 tuition of

to pay the his dream school,

teed, I’ll probably have to take out a loan for room and board,” said senior Adrian Diez. Diez plans to attend the University of Florida or Florida State University next year.

A decrease in Bright Futures Scholarship funds, an increase in community

service hour requirements, and growing tuition costs add up to an expensive college education that some students may have to work for.

Closing the

Mariana Munera, vice president of the English Honor Society (EHS). “Tons of students would gladly walk over to Merrick for some spoken word, but we think attendance will drop if the slams have to take place farther away.”

English teacher Camille Betances also expressed discontent over the closing of Borders.

“I think their method of organizing books is much better than Barnes and Nobles... [Borders] is my favorite bookstore,” Betances said.

In light of the bankruptcy of both Blockbusters last fall

By Casey Breznick and now Borders, some have begun to question the survival COPY EDITOR of ‘brick-and-mortar’ stores, which have a difficult time competing with the low prices and convenience of online Internet commerce and a changing American consumer book and movie suppliers like Amazon and Netflix. Borders have claimed yet another victim. Borders Group, the even attempted to capture the tech savvy market with its second largest bookstore chain in Kobo, a digital e-reader similar the country, filed for bankruptcy in to Amazon’s Kindle, but market Borders was not just a great February and began liquidation, the analysts said the move was too late place to buy books, but the selling off of all inventory and store to save the ailing bookstore. fixtures, in July. perfect venue for EHS poetry In-store readers afflict retail The Borders bookstore in Merrick slams, book stores by reducing sales, and Park will close in mid-September. The theft is also a reoccurring problem Mariana Munara, easily accessible and well-stocked that is afflicting many bookstores.

EHS vice president store served a diverse community, “Students were a major source and many locals, including Gables of thefts,” said salesperson Chris students and teachers, have expressed Caillouette about the impact high school students had on store disappointment over the loss of a place to purchase books, revenues. to study, and to hang out after school.

Borders has already put most of its merchandise on sale “Borders was not just a great place to buy books, but and will most likely continue to increase discounts weekly. the perfect venue for EHS Poetry Slams,” said senior

Parking decals for the 2011-2012 school year will be sold in the next few weeks. As usual, Treasurer Rick Gonzalez will be in charge of issuing the 300 decals. License, registration and proof of insurance (which can be in a parent’s name) are required for a decal, which costs $10. The decals consist of both a sticker to be placed on the windshield and a tag to be hung on the rearview mirror, and any car in the parking lot must have one.

“This year we will be stricter on towing than we have been in the past,” Gonzalez said.

Sales will begin as soon as Gonzalez receives the decales, and will be sold during lunch when they do. As per tradition, seniors will be first to be issued the decals.

GEARING UP

SWEET SOUNDS

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By Casey Breznick COPY EDITOR

WELCOMING THE CLASS OF 2015 TOUR DE GABLES

SHOWING THE WAY: Priscilla Rodriguez gives new students a feel for the school with a tour during freshman orientation.

“After being lost the first day of freshman year, I was glad to show the freshmen around the school,” said Rodriguez.

Audrey Fernandez/highlights

Nicole Sielsky/highlights

Nicole Sielsky/highlights CAV PRIDE: Freshmen can now show their school spirit with class of 2015 shirts. “We’ve sold 85 t-shirts so far and we’re excited to use the money earned on freshmen treats,” said freshman class sponsor Margarite DePaola.

BEEHIVE: The auditorium was buzzing with anticipation as nervous students and parents scrambled into their seats.

This marked the first shared experience between the class of 2015 as they were welcomed by the band.

news

highlights August 2011

New year,

IB Bigs and Littles Program

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MUSIC: Kevin Muncy Kevin Muncy, a seasoned musician who has been teaching since 1992, is another addition to the Gables staff. He is teaching band, jazz band, beginning guitar and music theory as well as being the band director. He transferred from Monsignor Edward Pace High School.

“My goals are to build the program, do better in competitions, and raise AP scores,” said Muncy.

He is replacing band director Daniel Ibarra-Scurr, who is moving to a high school in Tennessee. Muncy graduated from Miami Springs Senior High School and attended Florida State University.

SCIENCE: Orestes Mayo

Compiled by Scarlett Perez and Brooke Donner

For this upcoming school year, Orestes Mayo is the new AP Calculus, Honors Chemistry, and AP/IB Physics teacher. Mayo transferred from Robert Morgan Educational Center where he taught mostly AP Chemistry and Physics classes.

Mayo attended Gables for high school and then went on to the University of Florida where he received a degree in Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. He then began teaching at his alma mater, Gables, from 1991-1994. Mayo is looking forward to renewing the interest of students in the science and getting them excited about physics.

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men with a more personal and intensive tutoring service since their Big Brother STAFF WRITER or Sister can advise them on anything The International Baccalaureate they need.

Honor Society (IBHS) is returning After learning at Cav Camp, a week to its mentoring roots by implementlong orientation camp for IB freshmen, ing a new tutoring program called Big that the majority found this project Brother Big Sister. Current International helpful, Bibilonia and Puentes began Baccalaureate (IB) upperclassmen will developing this new mentoring program be paired with incoming IB freshmen to in order to begin when the school year give them advice on how to adjust to the starts. All academic workIB upperIt’s more than just mentoring, it’s load, balance classmen extracurriculars, a bond and a freindship that’s and underand otherwise classmen going to be created, navigate their wanting Olivia Bibilonia, first year of high to join are school. IBHS welcome to IBHS president President Olivia participate Bibilonia and and are secretary Dyanet Puentes, both seniors, not required to be members of IBHS, founded this tutoring service along with but must be in good academic standing IB coordinator and co-founder Sylvie with IB. Cuesta.

Applications will be sent to students “It’s more than just mentoring, it’s through English classes to students who a bond and friendship that’s going to be want to participate. IBHS will also host created,” said Bibilonia. bonding events, the first one being a This new program is different from movie night in the auditorium with all the previous mentoring programs IBHS the Big Brothers and Sisters accompahas offered because it provides freshnying their “littles”.

By Scarlett Perez

Former Gables teacher and alumna Preston Scanlon will be returning to the faculty this year. She will be teaching Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Dual Enrollment English. Scanlon attended The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after graduating from Gables.

“It will be nice to see old colleagues,” Scanlon said.

As well as teaching at Gables, Scanlon also taught in England, at Miami Coral Park Senior High, and most recently at Maritime and Science Technology Academy (MAST). Next year, two of her children, Cole (sophomore) and Teague (freshman), will also be attending Gables.

Scarlett Perez/highlights

The new school year intorduces not only fresh-faced students but teachers too, along with fun programs for the class of 2015

ENGLISH: Preston Scanlon

Scarlett Perez/highlights

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opinion

highlights August 2011

5

NEW KID

ON THE BLOCK

By Andy Fernandez PUBLIC RELATIONS

Google is currently one of the largest and most powerful players on the Internet, if not its dominant force. Even though Google does not have to do much more in order to maintain its grip, it is continuously evolving in order to respond to aggressive competitors, such as Apple and Facebook.

Evidently, Google noticed that social networks could be immensely profitable, and they sought to develop their own.

Their newest venture, Google +, cost $585 million to create. Ignoring the public accusations of imitation and a lack of creativity, Google has successfully created what many consider to be the first legitimate competitor (and very real threat) to Facebook. The advantages that Google+ carries are its new services: circles, sparks, and huddles.

‘Circles’ have a similar purpose to ‘friends’ in Facebook. While Facebook allows friends to be grouped, on Google+ friends can be divided into different circles that represent shared interests, groups of friends, cliques, organizations, and tastes. These circles can only be accessed by their members and they facilitate communication between members.

So you can have circles for the soccer team, your coworkers and boss, the friends you bike with, and your family. Despite seeming difficult to visually represent, the circle dashboard is indeed very neat and easy to use, as well as being a much more interesting concept than a simple friends list. Notably, you can choose

How the battle between Facebook and Google is going to revolutionize social networking and the way we interact the circles you want to contact and what can be viewed by specific groups. Instead of having some things in the public view, you can always choose if you only want your soccer team to see something, instead of your boss. This can be done on Facebook, but Google+ facilitates it in a more efficient manner.

‘Sparks’ allow users to type their interests into a search bar in Google+. Type in “gardening” or “cooking” and Google will bring the newest and most popular sites concerning the subject currently on the Internet. Facebook has no real equivalent, and these sparks are an excellent addition towards distinguishing Google+ from Facebook.

‘Hangouts’ let users have shared video meet-ups on Google+. These can be planned or unplanned, and they work similarly to chatting on Facebook. These hangouts can have multiple people with a maximum of ten. Hangouts have been called a more advanced form of chatting, and it is often called the best feature of Google+.

Google also integrates Google+ with older services such as Google Buzz and Google Profiles, carries social games, and features the mobile application on the Android and iOS which allows instant uploads to Google+. The mobile application allows users to ‘huddle’, or have a conversation among multiple people

TWOVIEWS:

AP/IB students have been required to read 7 novels with feminist themes in the past two years, raising the question: Is this education or overkill?

By Leslie Ramos

today, was delightfully scandalous to the readers of the era. Characters like Anna Karenina and Emma Bovary were some of the English teachers first modern women to basically say, “Hell continue to assign books nah, make your own sandwich,” and these chock-full of feministic stories sparked so much controversy that they drama, causing some in turn prepared the world for the female students to protest: “Hey, revolution. The themes of the stories are we wanna read about always the same; what is different is the way men!” It seems that every book assigned is the author tells his or her own version of the another female sob story and teachers are female struggle, through the eyes of the culconsciously skipping over classic testosterture and time period. That is what teachers one. What students do not understand is that want their students to soak up -- the styles of feminist struggles different cultures and shaped the history The theme doesn’t matter as long eras, right? As senior of Homo Sapiens, Matthew Sedaghat put as it’s educational, beginning with the it, “the theme doesn’t first story. matter as long as it’s Matthew Sedaghat, When Adam educational.” senior took the chomped These educational forbidden fruit elements are simply out of Eve’s displayed most interhands casting the pair out to serve an eternal estingly though the emotional, dramatic view sentence of suffering, woman, of course, took of a female character. the blame. Woman was the weaker sex, easily Adam has dominated since day one, while tempted, the root of this unforgivable evil, Eve has had to climb slowly out of the dirt. and the cause of all misfortune that befell This epic struggle has been the theme of these man afterwards, and for that, women were to novels, and part of stories heard throughpay. As a result, womankind has paid generaout childhood, like The Little Mermaid and tion after generation with her lack of rights, Mulan. A woman trying to achieve victory freedom, and respect, being chained to a role over a man always makes an entertaining much inferior to that of man. story because Man has always been Man. It is This role was challenged through classic women’s status that has been the ultimate epic literature, and what may be old news to us of humanity, the climb to Ms. Independent.

STAFF WRITER

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using text messages.

Google+ was launched on June 28, 2011 for Google employees, and it is still in an invite-only phase, meaning the only way to get a profile is to be invited by a current user. This was actually suspended the next day because of an enormous demand for accounts, but soon after the invite-only method was reinstated. Current members have only 150 invites.

Most reviews of the service have been very positive, and nearly all of them consider Google+ to be a very real competitor to Facebook. This is actually one of the best things that can happen to social networking at this time. Many people fear that Facebook is becoming stagnant after having next to no need to actually change because of its monopoly. In addition, Facebook has been plagued with controversy. Though disputed, many believe Facebook sells user information in order for advertising firms to solicit ads corresponding to users’ interests. It also allows data mining from government and universities. The release of Facebook Places actually allowed users to be tracked using their mobile phones, and this year Facebook enabled photo recognition and face tagging.

Of course, the opinion on Facebook varies.

Michelle Robles, freshman, finds that her

57%

of the protagonists commit suicide by the end of the book.

>>

only problem with Facebook is “When people you don’t know poke you,” Her sister Juliana Robles, also a freshman, says that “If you don’t want to have issues with privacy on Facebook, just don’t put private things.”

Google publicly announced that it has no plans to invade user privacy, but most importantly the features on Google+ are very innovative and unique, way more so than the soon outdated Facebook.

Thus, this will start a back-and-forth battle between the two companies. They will have to continuously improve in order to win, and in the end, the one who really wins is the consumer. Dominance leads to laziness, competition weeding out the weak, and Facebook has been the king for too long.

Perhaps most importantly, Google+ has clear advantages over Facebook, the website, and Google the company has advantages over Facebook, the company. Google is an economic titan that has established itself as a search engine, and the champion in advertising, in enterprise products, and productivity tools. Facebook only has its website, and if Google + successfully competes against them, Facebook does not have any other acquisitions to fall on. On the other hand, if Google+ flops it will take with it a chunk of the company but the remainder will easily survive. Facebook most likely be the party fighting the hardest and be the one to initiate the changes.

This battle might actually revolutionize the way people interact, so one can happily say that the future of social networking looks brighter than ever.

- The Awakening - Madame Bovary - Medea - A Doll’s House - Like Water for Chocolate - Anna Karenina -Their Eyes Were Watching God

By Suzette Wanninkhof The Awakening grow to be quite predictable.

NEWS EDITOR

Last week, I fell asleep while reading The Awakening. Though amused at this irony and frustrated at my inability to finish my summer reading, this sudden narcoleptic bout made me reflect upon why this book could simply not hold my interest. Then I remembered -- I’ve read basically this same book six other times.

Within the past nine months, junior Advanced Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) students have been required to read page after page of feminist novels. While initially interesting, the overkill of this theme has not only fostered a dwindling appreciation for the feminist movement, but has also reinforced the image of women being little more that dissatisfied housewives and has limited our studying of other important literary movements.

The plots of the novels we have read are continually overly-reminiscent of each other.

Generally starring an upper class woman of few worries other than being subject to male dominance, required novels like Anna Karenina, Madame Bovary, A Doll’s House and

Though initially entertaining, the repetition of the petty struggle of 19th century women caused my interest to evolve into boredom and then into frustration over having to read the same plot again and again.

Though these similar protagonists were undoubtedly forward thinking for their time, to today’s students, home bound housewives who accomplish little more than extramarital affairs do not represent the female gender as being particularly enterprising. If requiring these novels is an attempt at having students better understand women’s plight to overcome obstacles, it would be better to include a book or two where the female protagonist actually accomplishes something more than infidelity, like Atlas Shrugged.

And while one could argue that extensively reading feminist novels makes students well read, intelligent individuals, in reality this overemphasis on feminism has deprived students of exploring other literary themes like Transcendentalism, Surrealism and Modernism.

More knowledge about any topic is generally beneficial, but when studying it comes at the expense of broadening other horizons, it is more harmful than not.

opinion

highlights August 2011

Summer Reading

highlights

soaks up the fun

Staff

Editorial

Nick Arias/highlights

Another summer has come and gone, but this one was a little different. In between going to the beach and partying on Saturday nights, almost every student was sitting at their desks at home scribbling away math equations and surfing the web for discounts on the ten books they needed to buy for the school year.

Summer assignments have expanded beyond English required reading to other core subjects. History, psychology, economics, Theory of Knowledge, Human Geography, math, and science courses are now requiring summer assignments due at the beginning of the school year. For example, rising International Baccalaureate (IB) seniors had to read three books for Higher Level (HL) English, four novels if they were taking HL History, do six chapters of math review for HL Math, and complete a seemingly endless packet for Standard Level (SL) Biology.

This larger workload was not only dumped onto the IB seniors. On the school website,

there were many different math, science, and social science worksheets available in addition to reading lists that left no student unscathed from summer drudgery.

“I just don’t get why they give so much work when half the time they don’t even test us on it,” said senior Eddie Alsina.

Many students are of this opinion, most choosing to blow off summer assignments and hoping that either they do not get tested or the assignments are not weighted too heavily. But still, Alsina does have a point: while the idea behind summer assignments is understandable, the sheer mass of work that is assigned and the rare recognition of completion are not.

“I felt that six chapters of math homework was a bit excessive. It took me forever to complete all the work,” says senior Larissa Weinstein.

Summer assignments can be very useful because they give teachers a head start on the school year. Books and worksheets keep students thinking about school, so not everything is forgotten, as well as to allow teachers to get ahead in their teaching.

“Summer assignments keep information fresh in students’ minds so they don’t forget

6

all the stuff they learned during the year,” said AP/IB chemistry teacher Iliana Gonzalez.

And while these advantages provide a solid argument for the importance of summer assignments, the advantages can be lost if too much work is assigned and not graded, as many students miserably note. Students learn to despise subjects and give up on the work if there is too much. Instead, summer workload should be lowered to a more manageable level.

Pottermore website set to fill void

Editor-in-Chief: Ali Stack

Business Manager:

Managing Editor: Sophia Aitken

News Editor:

James Ziv

Suzette Wanninkhof

Opinion Editor:

Insight Co-Editor:

Insight Co-Editor:

Features Editor:

Sports Co-Editor:

Sports Co-Editor:

The Scene Editor:

Multimedia Editor:

David Perlmutter

Chris Cowen

By Jorge Galavis INSIGHT EDITOR

Jorge Galavis

Maggie Rivers/highlights

On July 15th 2011 millions of fans gathered at theaters to watch Daniel Radcliffe in his last moments as Harry Potter. The addicted fans, even though the novels appeal to all age groups, fall mostly into what can be seen as the Harry Potter Generation, whose members share in the global obsession of the books and movies.

“The Harry Potter series is an incredible phenomenon that transformed children’s literature and created an entire generation of readers and fans. I don’t think calling you the Harry Potter generation would be inaccurate,” said history teacher Kathryn Landsea.

One way these die-hard fans have found to do this is by joining Pottermore, an online community wherein members can explore Hogwarts and learn new things about ‘The World of Magic’ through an enhanced ‘reading experience’.

This new experience is stimulating because it feeds the addiction in a way that would otherwise be impossible with the absence of new content in the series. Pottermore is a welcomed addition in contrast to pointless time-consuming sites that crowd the internet.

This site should be considered by anyone who enjoys the series because it is a very interactive and novel way to be a part of the Harry Potter World.

“To sign up was to wake up or pull an

Gene Liu

Andrea Biondi

Nick Arias

LUMOS: Freshman Ali Band opens a Pottermore account to fill the void in her life left from the release of the final installment of Harry Potter’s adventures.

all-nighter, they asked a random question as a clue. This only lasted seven days,” said senior Christian Ortega, who went through the difficult process of becoming one of the million members of the Pottermore preview before its public debut in October.

Essentially, Pottermore distinguishes the ‘legit Harry Potter fans’ from those have disrespected the series like an ending fad. While some have avoided it out of protest, seeing it as a greedy attempt to drain the last drops of profit out of the series, with the movies alone grossing over $7.5 billion worldwide, the true ‘Potterheads’ did their duty by sticking to their beloved story through joining what seems to be the success of Pottermore.

“I started reading the books when ‘The Order of the Phoenix’ came out and I’ve been following the books and movies since then. I don’t know what could possibly replace it so I haven’t even thought about doing that” said junior Alexandra Riesco an avid member of Pottermore, who, like many other dedicated fans should, found this way to stay connected to the beloved novels and movies.

Whether its an example of greed or an honest effort to keep Harry Potter alive, this web site, along with comparable book series, such as Twilight, are the only ways for those hooked on Potter to fill the void in their lives once spent enjoying and anticipating a new book or movie.

Mary Koehnk

Head Copy Editor: Casey Breznick

Nicole Sielsky

Adviser:

Melissa Nieves

Public Relations Coordinator: Andy Fernandez

Midterms and finals may no longer be given

By Nicolas Rivero STAFF WRITER

Yeah, I know. How pumped were you when you saw that front page headline? I was, too. But you might want to stop for a moment before breaking out the confetti and vuvuzelas to consider how much the elimination of midterms and finals would change things, and if that change is positive. Although administrator Nestor Diaz “strongly believes the change will benefit students,” they may just as well hurt them.

In theory, getting rid of midterms and finals makes a lot of sense.

The final days of a semester could be spent on actual instruction, instead of copying your friend’s study guide or compressing half a year of knowledge into an hour of cramming. Gone with these behemoth tests is the pressure placed on students of bombing a midterm and crashing their Grade Point Average (GPA). In fact, I think cutting these tests would be a great idea. But there is one problem: midterms and finals are not going anywhere.

If the exams were officially “eliminated,” teachers would still be encouraged to give big end-of-quarter tests. The tests you take this year would probably be identical to the ones students took the year before.

For the most part, midterms and finals would only be eliminated as a

column on your report card. So what would really change?

Midterms and finals would eventually be replaced by End-of-Course (EOC) exams. These standardized tests are something like a Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) for every class. Thus teachers may still administer the equivalents of midterms and finals, and students would end up taking one more test than they did last year. Fortunately, only those who take Algebra I, geometry, or biology have to take an EOC this year.

Additionally, midterms and finals offered students more of a chance to pick their grades up. Struggling students who once used these tests to help them meet their Five Points requirements or boost their GPAs would no longer have this powerful grade-saver at their disposal. Because they would no longer be their own separate grade weighted at 10% of the final grade, any large quarterly exam would be less significant than finals and midterms.

Quarterly exams would be tied to second and fourth quarter grades, running the risk of being lost in the alphabet soup of nine weeks of homework, quizzes, and extra credit printer paper.

The result is a worst of all worlds scenario: exams that have far more potential to hurt than to help. If you have good grades, scoring well on the exams would have little effect. With an ‘A’ in the second quarter, your midterm could only lower your grade.

The stress associated with midterms and finals will only intensify.

Nothing is more nerve-wracking for any student than a big test coming up, and nowhere to go but down.

Staff Members:

Deanna Breiter, Brooke Donner, Audrey Fernandez, Remy Fuentes, Lukas Georgatos, Giulia Heyward, Andrea Martinez, Eylin Martinez, Scarlett Perez, Leslie Ramos, Orso Raymo, Nicolas Rivero, Maggie Rivers, Gretel Sanchez

Contributing Photographers:

Janna Pelle, Josie Veloz and Alexandra Riesco highlights is the official publication of Coral Gables Senior High, 450 Bird Rd.,Coral Gables, FL 33146.

Call (305) 443-4871 ext. 2383, email melissanieves@ dadeschools.net for ad rates. highlights accepts all legal advertisements. If a mistake occurs, the ad will be reprinted, free of charge, in the following issue. Subscriptions are available for $15 annually.

Opinions expressed on the editorial page do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school. highlights is an open forum and welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. Letters to the editor should not exceed 200 words and must be signed, but names may be withheld on request and with the concurrence of the editorial board.

The editors reserve the right to reject, edit and condense letters. All letters should be turned in to the F237 mailbox. highlights strives to represent all groups fairly. Men and women of all races and nationalities will be represented with the same respect and dignity. This publication avoids racial identification except when it is essential to communication.

Press Affiliations: Columbia Scholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association, NSPA Hall of Fame, Florida Scholastic Press Association, Quill and Scroll

insight

highlights August 2011

7

childhood d r e a m s

to adulthood reality: A na誰ve outlook on life inspires children to picture themselves working in any career they can imagine. Although there is no reason to believe that these dreams will not become reality, the pressure to compete in a financially-minded society forces adolescents to contemplate more practical career options. Here is a look into the initial and current ambitions of students and the reasons behind the change.

>>

Princess Camila, firefighter Patrick and equestrian Isabela face Julian Ginori, Brooke Nelson and Maria Hernandez Gables students who prepare to finish high school with new realistic career options in mind.

Nicole Sielsky and Sophia Aitken/highlights

insight

highlights August 2011

H I e N W

G RoW Up How our aspirations get lost in transition

By Audrey Fernandez

success rarely occurs overnight, it is easy to fall victim to the pressure of time and begin overworking ourselves in the hopes of being triumphant. Ideas once Anything from the simple fairy tales told before bed to the animated movies perceived as attainable can seem completely out of reach and a misconception seen a countless number of times has the power to influence the futures children can arises which would leave many believing their dream jobs will not be set for themselves. financially or emotionally rewarding.

Approach any child and ask them what they want to be when they grow up.

“I aimed to become a dancer but now feel that I will be more successful as a Chances are responses will range from a princess to a secret agent, and every psychologist,” said sophomore Rada McKinnon, a cheerleader. possibility in between. With the passing of time, awareness of what goals are For others, the drive towards a certain career only strengthens with actually possible grows and those dreams confront actuality. What careers are experience and time -- individuals who strive to land a real job (princesses and high school students realistically looking into? trees excluded) in a certain field from an early age “I’m interested in pursuing a job in law,” said are often not easily wavered by the challenges Listening to the stories my father freshman Nik Rodriguez, who at a younger age of society. The discovery of talents and skills visualized himself as an architect. Rodriguez’s shared about his experiences as that come with age can serve as motivation for hopes, like that of many others, faded into something a firefighter pointed me in a path teenagers and young adults who may not reach believed to be more in tune with reality. “I changed their childhood goal of becoming President of the towards becoming one myself, my mind when I became conscious of the fact that I United States but face the obstacles linked with can’t draw.”

Travis Herrin, junior aging to work as far up the ladder as possible - like Once we lose the simplistic view of life held as being elected to Congress. a child and gain consciousness of the competitive Besides merely a consequence of age, career society which surrounds us, we are pressured to become something at all costs. paths are easily altered or maintained by interactions with others who we can The constant mention of words such as mortgages, bills, and taxes leaves those identify with. People may flatter us with tales of our skills, or dishearten us with on the brink of adulthood wondering whether or not a suddenly considered worries of difficulty. Whichever the case, children’s visions for themselves get child-like desire to rule a country or save the world trumps a thick wallet. very much shaped by those around them.

The passion and genuine interest that lay behind the decisions made as a child “Listening to the stories my father shared about his experiences as a vanishes, leaving behind a harsh reality that more often than not pushes us firefighter pointed me in a path towards becoming one myself,” said junior towards fields that lack in that certain something only each individual can Travis Herrin, who has had his father’s encouragement since he first considered define for him or herself. continuing his line of work.

For many, the motivation with which these dreams are faced also serves Realistically, the occupations we conjure up for ourselves as children are as a reason for change later on. Growing up in a society that is constantly in a bound to change just as our needs as individuals and our interests do. However, rush, many feel the experience that comes with age can close more doors than never should the belief with which we once imagined being a mermaid or it opens. This thought of being limited in available options sends enthusiasm a superhero disappear, for with that certainty no future initiative will seem away as stress settles in. Forgetting that energy does not last forever and that uncertain.

STAFF WRITER

‘‘

then

AND

now

What was your dream job as a kid?

NFL

player

Freshman Brandon Solina had always dreamt of becoming a professional football player.

He plans to keep good grades, finish college, and hopes to eventually be one of the few players drafted into the NFL. Solina says he has never doubted himself but admits to having other interests that may influence and change his future career choice.

Disney PRINCESS

As a child, sophomore Danielle Riesco wanted to be Cinderella at Disney World. “I was in love with the movie. I used too dress up while watching it and I did not want anything more than to be the real thing.” But when midnight (or puberty) struck, Riesco realized that the glass slipper did not quite fit. She now wants to pursue a career as a psychologist or chiropractor.

8

highlights August 2011

CHOOSING YOUR PATH

>>

Building blocks to success

School selection for job direction

Course selection and extra-curricular involvement can be a determining factor on one’s career path. To facilitate this process, highlights has outlined the best tracks to follow for several vocational fields: engineering, business, law, politics, science and medicine, foreign affairs, drama, music and fashion. All classes and clubs are available at the school.

Engineering Classes:

Calculus, Physics, Statistics.

Clubs: Math Club

Classes:

Business, Accounting, Web Design, Networking, Economics Clubs: FBLA

Classes:

Law Studies, Debate, International Relations, Political Theory, Clubs: Speech and Debate Club

Foreign Affairs

ence, Anatomy, Health

International Relations, Foreign Language,

Classes: SciClubs:

SNHS, Athletic

Trainers

Garbage

MAN

Freshman Nadir Perez, an avid basketball player, hopes to someday be a player for the NBA. When Perez was younger he had his sights on a different career entirely. “I wanted to be a garbage man,” said Perez, “I would see the garbage man pass [by] on Tuesday and he’d wave so I wanted to be a garbage man to help people.”

After spending four years in high school, students have to choose the next step for their futures. With a little help from the school’s curriculum, this choice in vocation can be very simple.

Students come to the school with a choice of six academies, each one with several focused curriculum ‘strands’ to pick classes from. Once enrolled in an academy, each student has a choice in electives coinciding with their preferred strand.

These elective classes range from those that are very careeroriented, such as Computer Programming or just appealing to broad interests like debate .

“I took biology and psychol-

Law/ Politics

Business

Science/ Medicine

9

Drama, Music and Fashion

Classes:

Classes: Chorus, Band, Drama, Fashion, Guitar, Clubs: Fashion Club, Band of Distinction, Gables Players

Clubs:

Language Clubs

ogy so that someday I can study to become a psychiatrist,” said senior Isa Parra who has always taken her future into consideration when picking her curriculum for the year.

Internship class opportunities and schedule flexibility are also available for students who wish to take on a part-time job or internship outside of school.

The school also has many clubs and extra-curricular activities geared towards finding plans for the future, besides the variety of classes options available.

“Key Club gives students the opportunity to get involved in the community, build up social networks, get experience in their desired careers, and get the exposure to other careers they may not have considered,” said Key Club sponsor and history teacher Stephanie Cosgrove.

These clubs not only encourage students to explore their fields of interest, but also allow students to refine class selections for college. As a result, students who have explored a certain career field in high school save time and money by only taking the classes that would directly help advance their major.

It is not uncommon for college students to switch majors several times - in exploring one’s interests early on, wasted credits are easily avoided.

Thus, high school students determined to be successful in the career field of their choice would be wise in taking advantage of the academies, electives and internship opportunities offered to Cavaliers that make the strenuous task of narrowing career paths easier.

Compiled by Jorge Galavis and Chris Cowen

KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS I want to be a mermaid teacher.

>>

Rachel Cubilla, age 6

If my cheerleading career does not work out, I want to be a chef instructor.

Juliana Vasquez, age 9

>>

features

highlights August 2011

10

SAGA OF SOUND: A musical evolution Commentary by Leslie Ramos STAFF WRITER

70s

80s

The 70s took the revolutionary vibes of the previous decade and gave them a dose of funk. These times gave birth to the afro, platform shoes, and the annoying music our parents blast in the car: disco. Ah, disco. The vinyl albums of Donna Summer, the Jackson 5, and Saturday Night Fever were the best selling of the time. The 70s perverted music by turning towards more risqué themes. Songs ranged from, “I Just Wanna Hold Your Hand” to, “Let’s Do It in the Dark.”

In the emerging pop scene, Queen and Barbara Streisand reigned supreme, while his highness, Elton John, was voted by Billboard as the best artist of the decade.

Willie Nelson gave country music a good polishing and finally, trailing on the coat tails of the times, Punk Rock gained recognition as The Ramones and The Sex Pistols stomped on the shattered disco ball.

The 80s were the rebellious teenage years of music. Artists refused to stick to standards and they continued to push the envelope, moving music into new electric sounds. Everything about the decade screamed anti-mainstream, from Madonna’s pointy bras, to Michael Jackson’s dance moves; no one wanted to be average.

The King of Pop changed music forever by creating the first major music video, and he also sold the most records in music history with his infamous hit, Thriller.

The synthesized sounds of Sting, Blondie, and Boy George were also sensational hits heard on radios, and as MTV initiated broadcasting, on televisions across the country.

Bands such as Pink Floyd, Def Leppard, and Kiss took over the heavier rock scene, while Bon Jovi and U2 went for a softer sound. Music’s new beats led to new dance styles, like break dancing with the emergence of hip-hop. The era pushed music out of its comfort zone and challenged musicians to experiment.

90s

00s

The 90s opened a new, dark side of hip-hop. Lyrics became more about thug life, complaining about living conditions in the hood, and disrespecting women. Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, and Snoop Dogg led the pack while MCHammer stuck to the happy hip-hop. Hands down, without question, Whitney Houston was the queen of the 90s. Princesses included Destiny’s Child and The Dixie Chicks, and for the guys, boy bands dominated the hearts of tweens with their jean-jackets and synchronized moves.

Nirvana paved the way for grunge rock, and punk still maintained its huge head-banging fan base. Country music continued to clean up its act, rocking the piano and violin as Billie Ray Cyrus rocked the mullet and the charts. Most predominantly, R&B continued to blossom into a beautiful soul flower, being watered by hit groups Boys 2 Men and TLC. Michael Jackson’s music also took a turn towards a more R&B flavor during this time.

One looks back on the 2000s and really not much comes to mind. There was Britney Spears, reggaeton, and house music. But where is the substance? Did the increasing use of computerized instruments, shallow lyrics, and auto-tune depreciate music so much that we have no classics? The Black Eyed Peas have been seated comfortably at the top of the charts, winning Grammy after Grammy, by dropping a heavy bass on all their tracks and appealing to the drunken public.

It seems that music is no longer about soul, expressing the human condition or art; it is about having something loud to fill clubs, about being modern and innovative and completely artificial.

The masses want dirty lyrics and repetition, thus glorifying the likes of Ke$ha, Justin Beiber, and Pitbull. People, are we regressing?

Internet Radio

Where music of the past and present collide

By Orso Raymo STAFF WRITER

Orso Raymos/highlights

Rapidly creeping onto our computer screens and smart phones, internet radio is gaining momentum across the globe.

Popular services such as iheartradio and last.fm are growing thanks to low costs and extreme personalization.

“Personally I don’t regularly use internet radio services but I understand its potential.

If everything is already on the internet I don’t understand why radio should not be,” said

involve ratings, genres or hits. Using complex sophomore Michelle Tapia. algorithms, it analyzes songs using over 400 The services could be considered credentials, taking about 20- 30 minutes oxymorons, being that radios are devices that transmit FM and AM radio waves and internet to scrutinize a four minute track. The most relevant example of the project is Pandora radio uses, obviously, the internet. None the internet radio. Anyone can go to Pandora. less, internet radio exists in two contrasting com, enter a song forms. The ever name or artist, sit popular classic I don’t regularly use internet back and relax while approach to radio radio services but I understand the system evaluates is live broadcast, its potential, specific tastes. but now there is the The future of ground breaking Michelle Tapia, music is uncertain. music genome Sophomore With record sales project. at all time lows and Classic radio is music sharing and downloading at record simple: a disc jockey selects tracks based highs it seems people are less willing to dish on his personal taste then broadcasts via the out hard earned money for their music library. internet instead of FM radio transmission.

A free music streaming service seams ideal.

Using applications like iheartradio and CBS The consumer does not have to pay a dime radio you can then listen, in- real time, to and thanks to the occasional commercial, the internet broadcasted stations. label companies can finally earn some money.

The music genome project does not

‘‘

highlights August 2011

11

Costa discusses his plans for his third year

By Andy Fernandez

and got to know the school, he noted that students are “marvelous in this building.”

“Any thing you ask of them, they will come through,” Costa said.

The students have cooperated. Since Costa arrived, the academies have come into fruition. Notably, the Academy of Business and Finance was accepted into NAF (National Academy Foundation). He attributes this to hard work and dedication by everyone, but the job still is not done. Costa says that this year the school will need to increase its consistency in achievement, the percentage of students reading on grade level, and graduation rates.

Costa would also like to remind everyone that the theme for this year is a simple acronym: TIME. Standing for “Teach, Inspire, Motivate, and Empower,” it is intended to keep the student body encouraged and focused.

PUBLIC RELATIONS

Principal Adolfo Costa has already started his third year at the school and is busy preparing everything for it to have its best year yet. The school has come a long way since his first year.

His first impression of the school was that it has “great tradition”.

“I think the school is very full of spirit and the administration is very highly motivated and professional,” Costa said.

Upon arriving here, Costa immediately set out to improve the school’s performance on standardized testing. The year that Costa arrived, 2009, had been the twelfth year that the school had been rated a “C”, and he and the administration took the initiative to get better results.

As Costa spent the next two years here

CAPTAIN ON DECK: Costa talks to, encourages, and informs the audience at the freshman orientation rally on Aug. 16 in the auditorium. Costa was sure to explain the responsibilities of being a Cavalier.

SIBLING ACT:

Families on campus

GUESS WHO?

Match each student to his or her younger sibling

By Nicole Sielsky MULTIMEDIA EDITOR

?

? ?

1.

?

3.

?

?

a.

?

2.

b.

?

c.

All photos by Nicole Sielsky/highlights

A freshman’s first impression The only rumors I’ve heard about are the stabbing and suicide,

“

hlights

Andrea M ar ti

“

Gables looks like a really spirited school, and I can challenge myself because it’s an ‘A’ rated school,

“

hig s/ te

-Renay Spence

A n dr e a M ar ti

ne

high z/

lights

“

A lot of my family came here and they said I’ll like it here,

lights high z/ ne

ue n

-Rachel Ellis

By Andrea Martinez

“

Yaremy F

“

Answers to “Guess Who?”: 1.c 2.a 3.b

The majority of this year’s freshman will be lost in the dark abyss we have come to know as the hallways of the school, but a select few are fortunate enough to be the second born child in their family and attend this school along side older siblings. “[Laura] has made a good impression on most teachers and will help me get into many clubs.” said freshman Daisy Vazquez, Laura’s younger sister.

While older and younger Vazquez appear to be set, senior Alex Romanach is worried how his younger brother, Nicholas Romanach, will deal with the workload.

Like Daisy Vasquez, Nicholas Romanach is also grateful that he has and older sibling to guide him.

“I feel anxious about how well he is going to do, but he knows that he can come to me whenever he wants,” said Alex Romanach.

Unlike the other two pairs of siblings, Pedro Gimenez is well aware that his older brother, Felipe Gimenez, “will definitely not help him with anything around school.”

We wish Pedro and the rest of the freshman student body the best of luck.

-Carolina Cancella

STAFF WRITER

The anticipation of high school is certainly something every freshman can relate to. Very few freshmen come into this school without feeling intimidated. But who can blame them?

These former middle school students are coming from a school where they were at the top of the food chain into an environment where they are the “fresh meat.” The first impression of the school from numerous freshmen was that it is a labyrinth.

“It’s huge and complicated,” said freshman Guillaume LeCocq.

Entering a school full of new people and teachers can be a very daunting experience. Most freshmen walk into the school scared out of their minds as they see all kinds of people from gothic kids to sunny preps. But they just strut the halls and act like they know where they are going, trying their best not to look like an easy target, while inside the butterflies are fluttering wildly.

After a few days though, the nerves die down as the surroundings feel more familiar. The only freshmen that seemed comfortable the first day of school had siblings or other family members going to the school.

“I think it’s a nice school, a lot of my family came here and they said I’ll like it here,” said freshman Renay Spence.

Many freshmen come into the school with all sorts of crazy rumors, some true and some false. Freshman Samantha Bernal heard “there was a pool on the fourth floor of the new building.”

Well that one is true. They just built in a pool on the fourth floor.

The swimming and water polo team are thrilled! Some other gossip freshmen have heard are that fights happen every day in

the pavilion. Fights happen just like they do at any school, just not everyday. You will be fine as long as you keep your guard up.

Freshmen have also heard rumors about the existence of sex hallways and other drug spots. But the majority of freshmen have heard rumors about the unfortunate recent deaths of two Gables students.

“The only rumors I’ve heard are about the stabbing and suicide,” said freshman Rachel Ellis.

It is unfortunate, how infamous our school has become due to these incidents, because this could happen anywhere. Students from other schools still poke fun and say “Woah, don’t go Gables on me” when students from this school get angry.

But freshmen did pick the school for a reason! Although some of the students just ended up here by chance like freshman Ron Leiferman who came because he lives close by, many freshmen chose this school because it is a well-rounded environment.

“Gables looks like a really spirited school, and I can challenge myself because it’s an A rated school,” said freshman Carolina Cancela.

Whatever the reason for their coming here, they can be sure that they will have a full and enjoyable high school experience here.

features

highlights August 2011

12

GARDENING & BUTTERFLIES

Gables Earth and IBHS beautify the school

By Orso Raymo STAFF WRITER

If you are an avid member of Gables Earth, you know that the school is filled with gardens, but if you are part of the remainder of the student body, you may be blissfully unaware.

The school has two gardens: the older, more unknown is the herb patch, while the other is a nifty little butterfly sanctuary located between the 100 and 200 hallways.

The herb garden came to be on the basis of necessity; the school kitchen needed a steady supply of relatively inexpensive herbs. The obvious solution was to build a garden, so they did. You can find it just behind the new building where it can only be accessed via the kitchen or student parking lot. The garden should aim at supplying the kitchen with heaps of freshly scented leafy goodness, yet at the moment all that can be found is a rather unusually large rosemary plant, which thanks to its hardy traits thrived through the extreme summer months. According to Gables Earth vice president, Amanda DeCanio, the garden came to be in the 2009- 2010 school year thanks to a grant by Slow Foods Inc. Miami.

“The butterfly garden was planted November 20th of last year with the help of the International

GABLES GARDENS: Both the herb patch [left[ and butterfly garden [right] are lush with plant life and fauna. A solitary Monarch rests on a Ruellia Brittoniana under the vast murals of the IB patio between the 300 and 400 halls.

Baccalaureate Honor Society and donations from local nurseries,” DeCanio said.

The garden consists mainly of Ruellia plants, also known as the Mexican petunia. The mural was later added by Gables Earth using charitable donations from Waste Management. It depicts various life cycles of the animals that inhabit the area. “In order to partake in the Fairchild challenge we needed some sort of guide to the butterfly sanctuary. Instead of putting something that could be weathered by the elements we

THE ART OF Origami

decided to paint a mural,” said Madeline Cowen, president of the Gables Earth Club.

The club plans on increasing the size of the butterfly haven and aims to encompass the near wooden dirtbox, making the patio a more aesthetically pleasing place to walk. The International Baccalaureate Honor Society (IBHS) says they have plans of their own “We aim to fence the garden so students won’t damage the plants, and we also plan on raising awareness of the area so more students

Young adults discouraged by adverse effects of cosmetic surgery

How to make an Origami crane:

a short history

The Hope Cranes, among the most famous of origami creations, are named for the story of Sadako Sasaki.

This Hiroshima resident contracted leukemia after the infamous atomic bombing. With only a short time left to live, she began folding the Senbazuru (1000 cranes) in the hopes that upon finishing them, she would be granted a wish, her health.

Sadly, she grew too weak to even fold the cranes and passed away after having made only 644, her friends then finished for her and created a shrine, honoring it each year with 1000 more cranes.

These sets of origami birds are still believed to grant wishes, and make beautiful gifts to those who are worth the time taken to fold them.

will go and have lunch there,” says IBHS secretary and spokesperson Dyanet Puentes The gardens have two contrasting goals. One beautifies the school while providing shelter and nourishment for insects. The other provides lots of fresh garden herbs for the school’s cafeteria.

You might know the gardens because you have had to mulch them in detention or you were a part of the renowned Gables Earth. For those who have not visited the gardens, be sure to go and pass by.

By Giulia Heyward 1. Fold the paper in half, both directions, then pinch corners and push them into each other.

2.Fold outside edges in, make sure the open end is facing you.

STAFF WRITER

3.Unfold each side seperately and push in to make the image in the picture, flip and repeat.

If you make 1,000 of these then you get one wish!

4. Fold in half and fold the lower half (with one point) upwards on each side.

5. Unfold, pull the head and tail outwards and pull gently on wings.

Repeat this step once more.

Compiled by Jorge Galavis Photos by Nicole Sielsky

Mango Pancakes

After five days of waking at the crack of dawn, take your first Saturday of the school year to re-indulge in the joys of summer — sleep until noon, then whip out your frying pan to enjoy tropical fruity flavor so reminiscent of those lazy July days.

Ingredients:

Instructions: Heat a frying pan up to medium heat and add enough butter to cover the bottom of the pan once hot. Mix all of the ingredients together, adding the mango last. Pour about a quarter cup of batter at a time and flip once the pancake starts to bubble. Instead of maple syrup, which overpowers the mango flavor, serve with a few pinches of powdered sugar.

Janna Pelle/Contributor

2 cups buttermilk (Try substituting with 2 cups of milk and two tablespoons of vinegar if you do not have it on hand) 2 tsp baking soda 4 eggs 3 tbs melted butter 2 cups of diced mango (I buy my mangoes from the lady on the corner of US-1 and Bird Road. They’re not too cheap this time of year, usually three mangoes for $5, but so delicious) 2 cups all-purpose flour 3 tbs sugar (or a little more if you want your pancakes a bit sweeter) Powdered sugar (for topping) Butter (for frying)

Many high school students already have ideas of where they will go to college and what they will be when they grow up.

Among these planned-out students are those who also have a list of surgeries they want to get done when they turn 18. There is also a group of students who have a completely different opinion.

“They definitely need to put a limit to this type of surgery so it would only be used for severe emergencies or damages,” said sophomore Kimiko Tejada, who underwent surgery for medical reasons last summer.

A lot of people blame teenagers’ perceptions on themselves due to what they see on magazines and TVs. “I believe that the majority of people that go through surgery are attempting to portray themselves as an “acceptable” social image,” said sophomore Andrea Snyder, who does not plan on getting any plastic surgeries ever.

Another issue is the side effects that come from getting a surgery done.

“I know quite a few people who’ve gone through plastic surgery. Most of them have had breast augmentations and the side effects for them have been positive. They feel better with their appearance,” said sophomore Rachel Cubilla, who has not ruled it out.

“Nothing besides the obvious soreness for four days after the surgery,” said sophomore Darlene Fajardo about a friend who got a breast augmentation.

But there is a difference between getting surgery when a person is 30 and when a person is 18. At 18, the body has not fully developed.

Even if a person is able to go through a surgery and not deal with any other side effects, at 18 a person may still be too young to make a life changing decision like that.

“There’s a con to everything.

Sometimes the procedure can go wrong.

At times after plastic surgery the person can’t even recognize themselves, much less their family members and friends. Plastic surgery is life changing, it’s best to think it through,” said sophomore Minting Xu.

sports

highlights August 2011

BALANCING ACT

13

Lacking participation in female sports possibly threatens their male sports’ counterparts

By Andrea Martinez

participate in sports. The girls’ sports experiencing the lowest enrollment are softball, water polo, and basketball, but their male counteparts are currently experiencing high enrollments.

Although it may come as a surprise, low enrollment “I think there is low enrollment in basketball because girls in female sports in the school may spell the end for some think it is a boys’ sport,” said Crystal Dingle, a sophomore male sports. There is a possibility that the school will need basketball and softball player. to eliminate various male teams because of Title IX, an Some propose that women do not see enough female amendment to the United States law in 1972, which states that athletes as role models, and it can female and male high school sports be argued that males are constantly Female sports have a stigma are required to have a similar number exposed to a sports culture of athletes in their rosters. behind them. Girls feel that if whereas girls are usually not.

Title IX was implemented to they join sports they’ll seem less “Female sports have a stigma ensure an equal amount of equipment, behind them. Girls feel that if they feminine, practice time, funds, locker rooms, join sports they will seem less practice facilities, participants, and Louis Romero, feminine,” said Athletics Director, publicity for both genders. While Louis Romero.

Athletics Director this law was a great step towards Romero added that an equal treatment for athletes of both effective way to improve female genders, some wonder if it is fair that enrollment would be to educate those with interest that there male athletes are excluded from their sports due to the low is nothing wrong with participating in sports. The current enrollment of females. low enrollment of female athletes in school sports leaves the “Cutting sports for that reason [Title IX] does not make completely-filled male teams out of compliance with the federal any sense. Just because more guys want to play a particular requirements expressed in Title IX. sport than girls, they should not be barred from playing,” said If female sports continue to maintain low enrollment, it junior Nicole Kaufman, a varsity soccer player. could come to a point where the same male sports’ would be Currently, less than 10% of females in this school elimated.

STAFF WRITER

‘‘

nd

xa

e Al ra t on /c co es

Ri rib ut or

By Nicolas Rivero STAFF WRITER

A concussion is a mild brain injury resulting from a blow to the head. It usually results in confusion, blurred vision, loss of consciousness, or short-term memory loss. The damage is minor and the symptoms fade quickly.

This year, student athletes will begin taking mandatory concussion tests. They will enter information on any previous concussions they have sustained, and will then be shown a series of shapes, words, and colors. The test will measure memory by testing the athletes’ ability to recall and recognize these figures when they are shown again.

The purpose of these tests is to monitor changes in memory to make sure that athletes have not suffered a concussion. In high school sports, many concussions go unreported because players think their injury is not serious enough for medical attention or do not recognize their symptoms as signs of a concussion. Many players simply do not want to miss any playing time. As a result, these injured athletes do not get the care they need from trainers and risk aggravating the problem and causing long-term damage.

To give them time to rest and heal, players who have suffered a concussion will be benched from one to three weeks, depending on the severity of the injury. Concussions are most common in football and, in an effort to avoid injury, trainers

and the head coach, Joe Montoya, routinely check the team’s helmets. Montoya says that he does not believe concussions are necessarily a part of playing football, but “they are going to happen.” And when they do happen, players need to report them.

“We’re not stupid,” said Montoya.

He and his staff know how to recognize the signs of a concussion in order to help his athletes recover.

Senior Bernie Grisi, of the Varsity football team, has had a concussion and described his experience very simply: “I don’t remember.” Despite memory loss, he is not worried about the risk of suffering another concussion or the long-term effects that could have accompanied the injury.

But these long-term effects could be the most dangerous part of the injury. According to www.emedicinehealth.com, athletes with Post-Concussion Syndrome (PCS) can experience side effects, usually problems with memory, mood, and concentration, for weeks, months, or even years after the injury.

PCS occurs when damaged brain tissue does not heal properly.

These brain injuries, especially when they are repeated and not properly cared for, can lead to Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s, or dementia later in the athletes’ life.

The school’s hope is that with these tests, concussions will be properly recognized and treated so players will never have to suffer their long-term effects.

Immediate symptoms:

>>About 1.6 - 3.8 million sports related concussions occur in the Uniter States per year.

-Fatigue -Ringing ears -Slurred speech

>>Every year, 1 in 10 contact-sport athletes suffer from concussions.

-Dizziness -Nausea

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-Amnesia

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MARK THE DATE August

Boys’ Varsity

Spotlight:

Nick Arias/highlights Lukas Georgatos/highlights

CONCUSSIONS:

New sports safety procedures and requirements bring to light a hidden danger in unreported head injuries in student athletes

Mateus Tuon

>> Student athlete scoring as high in the classroom as he does on the field

By Scarlett Perez STAFF WRITER

As with most false generalizations, the “stupid athlete” stereotype has found another shining contradiction in the school’s athlete, senior Mateus Tuon. This student athlete understands the importance of the balance between academic and athletic achievement.

“I got a five in Advance Placement Calculus last year; that’s pretty good,” said Tuon, a varsity Cavalier football player.

Tuon looks forward to his senior year and excelling both on and off the field.

“Academics are important. They are what get you into college,” said Tuon, “Also, without academics, you can’t participate in athletics.”

It seems to be that Tuon is just another example of a Gables student dispelling a pathetic stereotype.

Compiled by Gene Liu

to support our athletic teams and cheer them on!

Girls’ Varsity

Varsity

Girls’ Varsity

vs. Hialeah

vs. Miami Killian

26 6 9/9 9/12 Football

Volleyball

Swimming

Fri. at 4:00 p.m. at Coral Gables Senior High

Tues. at 5:00 p.m. at Coral Gables Senior High

Fri. at 3:00 p.m. at Hialeah Senior High

vs. American

vs. B. Coleman

Golf

Mon. at 3:00 p.m. at the Granada Golf Course

sports

highlights August 2011

Whatchya listenin’ to?

Gene Liu/highlights

Gene Liu/highlights

Lukas Georgatos/highlights

Pushed beyond their limits

GETTING HEATED: Seniors Joey Nelson, kicker (left), and Jarrett Best, quarterback (right), along with the remainder of the football team, battle the sun’s unrelenting heat and each other during morning practice on the school’s field in preparation for the season.

STAFF WRITER

In the brutal summer heat of the first week of August, as student athletes trained under the Miami sun, record temperatures claimed four lives on high school practice fields across the South.

A fourteen year old in South Carolina, a pair of sixteen year olds in Georgia, and a football coach in Texas succumbed to the sweltering heat wave gripping the nation. In the meantime, four high school football players in Arkansas were hospitalized for dehydration after practicing in 114 degree weather. It was the worst week in thirtyfive years for athlete deaths.

It is common to hear coaches attribute their athletes’ successes to an age-old cliché: “All those hours in the sun paid off.” But when the payoff is burying four high school students before the end of the week, is pushing players hard actually worth the risk?

One look around the school during the summer will reveal its athletes’ tenacity, hundreds of students fine-tuning their skills and their bodies for the 2011-2012 season. Their work begins in the early morning and continues into the afternoon. Coaches try to get their players off the field before the heat sets in, but practice for football players and cheerleaders does not end before one o’clock.

With the midday sun high above, coaches make sure their athletes do not overheat and drink plenty of water.

“We try to avoid kids not getting water,” said head football

>>The highlights staff presents a brief selection of its favorite tracks to energize players and athletes before games

coach Joe Montoya.

Baseball’s head coach, Phillip Wisser, uses air-conditioned locker rooms, Gatorade, and water to prevent injuries. He proudly proclaimed that “never in all [his] years of coaching” has a player showed even the warning signs of heat exhaustion. In fact, all the coaches interviewed boasted of their perfect track records regarding heat-related injuries. As an added precaution, trainers who can recognize the first signs of heat stroke are on hand to quickly treat it.

When it comes to avoiding heat stroke and death, the solution is simple, keep athletes cool and hydrated, and do not hold practice in extreme heat. If the body cannot cool itself, and its core temperature rises above 104 degrees, an athlete can quickly lose consciousness. If untreated, the body may suffer from organ failure, brain damage, and death. Those who survive may experience lasting effects including permanent brain and kidney damage. Of course, all of these problems can be avoided with a cooler of Gatorade and a coach willing to cancel practice in triple digit heat.

“I definitely push my players hard,” said Wisser, “but never to the point where there is any risk of them getting hurt.”

Montoya has a similar philosophy, asserting that he pushes his players hard enough to prepare them for the game, “but my first concern is always player safety.” Perhaps our school’s clean record on heat stroke can be attributed to our coaches, and their belief that it is far better to send players to the locker room than the hospital.

Lukas Georgatos/highlights

By Nicolas Rivero

14

FALL SPORTS

STAFF WRITER

season preview

Football shake-ups With every new school year, there is a new football season, and for Cavalier varsity football, that means a whole new year without some of their best seniors from last season. “[It is] a big drop in experience,” said Joe Montoya, coach of varsity football, when asked about losing last year’s premier senior football players, such as Denzel Perryman.

Now that the size and experience of the past seniors are gone, the younger players will have the chance to gain the attention the others once did, but it is “too soon to

tell” who the stars will be, according to Montoya.

Practicing is obviously a very important factor for success in football. For coach Montoya, endurance and conditioning are crucial parts to focus on during practice.

Another key point the coaches are trying to improve upon is teaching the younger players how to play multiple positions.

“We have a pretty good defense right now,” said senior Bernie Grisi about how the team is currently performing.

Their goal for this season is to make the playoffs as Montoya noted.

Officially, the boys’ and girls’ cross country teams were scheduled to start training for the upcoming season on Aug. 15, but according to coach Scott Nelson, every runner was expected to train on their own throughout the summer to stay in shape.

“One of the main differences between this [year’s] and last year’s season is that the team started training during the summer,” said junior Tori Convey.

When asked about potential stars this season, Nelson said “Tori Convey is our best returning runner for the girls and Pablo Martinez for the boys.”

After all the hard work the players have put in alone, senior Luis Rodriguez expects the teams’ race times to improve greatly.

With other sports already preparing during summer, it is no surprise that the Cavalier golf teams officially started Aug.15, a week before the new school year.

The new boys’ and girls’ teams have not had much time to bond, even though golf is an individual sport.

“I expect to go to regionals like I did last year, but also receive a better ranking this time,” said senior Tara Coleman when asked about her personal season goals. She is also hoping to better her short game, including chip shots and putting around the green.

Golf requires patience, finesse, and skill; the team hopes the extra time spent practicing during the summer will improve the players’ abilities and their chance to go far this season.

BUNKER SHOT: Senior Tara Coleman attempts to place the golf ball onto the fairway during summer practice.

Getting vertical Lukas Georgatos/highlights

Summer runners

Swinging season Indiana Martinez/contributor

By Lukas Georgatos

RACING TO STATES: Senior Pablo Martinez (left) and junior Ryan Kaufman (right) run laps to prepare for the upcoming season.

The varsity volleyball team started practicing for their upcoming season two weeks before the new school year.

“This year we have several girls who can help score points,” said coach Natalie De La Vega.

The team is planning to work on their passing so their hitters can have more chances to score.

Losing seniors always seems to be an issue that threatens high school sports teams, but according to De La Vega the volleyball team is not worried because it has a few new freshmen and sophomores who

will be able to fill in empty spots.

The team is relatively young, but De La Vega expects the team to improve daily and play at their full potential towards the end of this season.

“I’m super excited for this year. It’s going to take a lot of hard work to get the new girls to understand the game; but when we put it all together, we are going to be a force to be reckoned with,” said De La Vega.

With all this time and practice, the upcoming girls’ volleyball season should turn out to be an outstanding one.

the scene

highlights August 2011

catch it

15

if you can

Cirque du Soleil goes

By Orso Raymo STAFF WRITER

The Cirque Éloize is an exhilarating, fast paced show that has been touring the world for over 18 years. The current production, iD, is even more so: their website describes the show as “sixteen artists on stage, thirteen circus disciplines, and the discovery of a world which is new to us, that of urban dances such as break-dance and hip-hop.”

Much of the show is accompanied not only by modern music and dress; but also by video projection which literally allows the troupe to change the backdrop in seconds, allowing walls and doors to appear and disappear instantaneously. The result is a show with “playful, energetic, youthful and urban” aspects.

But perhaps, the most innovative aspect of not only iD, but the whole circus is the fresh view it provides on old acts. iD includes modern disciplineslike break-dancing and inline skating, that has been done before. What has not is a direct coexistence of dated acts like juggling and acrobatics but with a completely modern twist.

Exclusively found at this cirque, the “Cyr” wheel, invented in 2003 by Cirque co- founder Daniel Cyr, is as simple in shape as it is to use – “a device that allows circus performers to execute a

virtually infinite number of acrobatic figures, each more complex and awe-inspiring than the last,” according to the website. The wheel is a large aluminum disk in which a performer grips the sides and spins horizontally. It is not only present in iD, but in two other Éloize productions, Nomade and Rain and in Corteo.

Among other things, Éloize follows a notably urban approach towards iD. From the tire screeching and ambulance sirens in the pre show designed to mimic the fast pace of city life to the modern “hip” dress of the cast, it all looks like a rap video from those early 90s. Unlike other circus acts iD has no defined story, rather it represents the essence of the streets, a vibrance, filled with all the dullness and excitement of life. The production portrays people from all walks of life from the casual businessman to the lonely homeless man and even the rare foreigner, camera in hand. Everyone is in it, and they dance to show it.

The show, running from July 26 to Sept. 4 at The Adrienne Arsht Center, is an adrenaline rush reminiscent to West Side Story, will have you thoroughly entertained.

Courtesy of www.cirque-eloize.com

catch up

• September 4

GROVE BED RACES

Commodore Plaza and Grand Avenue The Great Grove Bed Race has been occurring for the past three years every Labor Day weekend.

A team of five creative, race-hungry locals come registered with a handmade bed on wheels to race through the streets of Coconut Grove while thousands of spectators cheer them on.

Miami Spice returns, offering the public high-end local cuisine without the usual splurge

• September 20

BOARD GAME NIGHT 5505 NE 2nd Ave. Miami, FL 33137 Play board games galore at Sweat Records from 8pm-11pm! Play Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Boggle, and many more for free or enter the Speed Scrabble tournament for $5 to win a Sweat records gift card.

By Remy Fuentes STAFF WRITER

•October 8 & 9

COLUMBUS DAY REGATTA Biscayne Bay

Sailors and boaters gather to celebrate Christopher Columbus’s arrival to America.

Enjoy a day of boating, sailing, among other activities at this popular annual event in Miami’s popular Biscayne Bay.

•September 30-November 4 UM FESTIVAL MIAMI University of Miami Festival Miami hosts over 25 concerts, master classes, and lectures over a five week period to inform and entertain South Floridians and its tourists about the world of music.

Compiled by Nicole Sielsky

Courtesy of www.ilovemiamispice.com

STREET

Miami Spice is a yearly event that takes place all around Miami’s top restaurants.

This will be the 10th year that Miami hosts this event, allowing gourmet restaurants to once again offer their amazing food at affordable prices to attract customers.

Miami Spice lived up to its hype when I went to one of the restaurants by Miracle Mile called Por Fin, a Spanish restaurant with unique dishes. Usually, one plate of ham costs a whopping $30, but during Miami Spice the same amount can purchase a three course meal.

During Miami Spice, which takes place from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, lunch is $22 and dinner is $35, not including tax and the dessert price. Every meal consists of an appetizer, entrée, desert and drink; the selection is so large that the end descision is often difficult.

However, not all of the participating restaurants include the beverage and the dessert in the original price, so prices can vary slightly. Miami Spice is organized by the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors

Bureau. They organize most of the restaurant events in the greater Miami area, such as the beaches, Gables, downtown, the Design District and Kendall. Around the Coral Gables area there are more than 50 participating restaurants for this annual event.

Por Fin deserves an “A+” for sophistication: rather than bread before the meal, breadsticks with stuffed onions dipped in olive oil were served. Rather than tap water, I had the choice of bottled, sparkling or Coral Gables’ finest. Fancy names like Pa Amb Tomaquet, and Serrano ham, and fancy foamy potatoes, complimented the cuisine.

“Only three out of 10 patrons ask for the regular menu,” Mauricio, a waiter, said. The restaurant was completely full, and Mauricio said that there had been a 40% increase in business since Miami Spice started.

Not all Miami Spice participating restaurants provide lunch and dinner every day, so before you go to any Miami Spice restaurant, check the dining schedule on its website on ilovemiamispice.com, which also lists all the participating restaurants and special events. There is a restaurant for every ones specific taste in food, ranging from French cuisine to burger joints.

305-804-1782

the scene

highlights August 2011

16

MEALS ON WHEELS Good eats truckin’ around Miami

By Maggie Rivers & Remy Fuentes STAFF WRITERS

atmosphere. Often these trucks come together in weekly range from spicy Japanese food to French events to serve hundreds of people during lunch and crepes. Some of the more famous trucks dinner hours. Michael include “Dim Ssam a gogo,” a truck went on to say that these designed by Adam Forman from LA The food trucks offer a nice events created “a nice Ink. A popular dish from this truck is environment, everyone can environment, everyone tater tots, topped with ribs and meat. come and socialize, can come and socialize.”

The Monster Burger truck has The food truck their famous Monster Burger with Michael of workers eat at other delicious Colombian seasoning, but Clarabelle’s Cupcakes make sure to have a lot of napkins, trucks because they often sample each others because it is messy. The Latin Burger foods. food truck has its famous Latin Macho There is a food truck for pretty much everyone; they Burger, named appropriately after the truck, and its mouthwatering nature.

‘‘

Tuesdays

Mondays Bayfront park 1st street/Biscayne Blvd 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Northeast 127th Street/ Biscayne Blvd 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

Northeast 48th Street/ North Federal Highway behind Publix 5:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

H T I W S N I A H C BIG

By Giulia Heyward

Street Food Fridays

Thursdays

(1st Friday of every month) 1300 Biscayne Blvd 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

(not so)

know can obtain a sense of prestige.

It is also a way to show off to friends.

After all, only a true fan would know the There are confused restaurant employees restaurant’s entire menu. If an item is so everywhere wondering why a number of their good among its customers then why not customers are ordering items that they have take items off the ‘secret menu’ and put never even heard of. There seems to be a secret them on the actual menu? Or at the very subculture of people who like to order items least make the secret menu more publicly from a restaurant’s “secret menu,” meaning a list known? As popular as any one drink may of items that you could order despite not being be, Jamba Juice maintains an image of only something that the restaurant normally carries. serving healthy drinks and most of the items “As far as I’m aware, I’ve never heard of a on the secret menu—ranging from “Fruity secret menu at any restaurant,” said sophomore Pebbles” to “White Gummy Bear”—listed do Mia Rathjens. not seem to be as healthy as standard menu But a quick Google search of the words drinks. McDonald’s “secret menu” offers “The “Jamba Juice secret menu” can result in Big MacChicken”—a Big Mac sandwiched several dozen sites with reviews on a long list between two McChicken patties instead of a of obscure drinks that have been apparently bun and Starbucks offers a “Zebra Mocha”—a ordered successfully from Jamba Juice. There combination of white chocolate mocha with is even a website dedicated to recreating these regular mocha. The calorie counts of these secret drinks such as “Hello Jesus” and “Pink “secret menu” items are not available.

Starburst.” Each website is also filled with If the idea of ordering a “Super Cream comments from other customers raving on Frapuccino” (Starbucks) or the “Monster Mac” either the amazing drinks they got from Jamba (McDonalds)is appealing to you, then you might Juice, or on how the “secret menus” do not want to do a trial and error and end up going to exist. every Starbucks or McDonalds until they are “I don’t understand why they would have lucky enough to find a worker who knows what ‘secret menus’, that’s kind of silly,” Rathjens their secret menu item is. said. To a lot of people, ordering something that only a customer in the

Remy Fuentes/highlights

You may have noticed trucks that are decked out with artsy décor that have recently been roaming around the city of Miami. If so, you mostly likely have witnessed one of Miami’s newest trends: food trucks.

Food trucks bring restaurant quality food to the public, while catering to customers who live in many areas. Many of the truck owners are past restaurateurs and chefs who have worked in well-known restaurants.

Take, for example, Julio of the Monster Burger food truck, who worked for well over five years in popular eateries. Julio and his girlfriend, Diana, started their very own food truck without even having a restaurant.

These trucks are not the “roach coaches” with questionable cleanliness you may be used to seeing around Miami. They are treated just like restaurants and pay multiple permits to operate and serve food to their customers.

“The food trucks aren’t always stationed in one place,” Michael of Clarabelle’s Cupcakes food truck said, “we try to go all around Miami.” When we asked Julio and Diana what their favorite truck was, they both agreed that it was Mr. Good Stuff, a truck notorious for their handmade arepas.

Michael originally worked at the Clarabelle’s Cupcake bakery, and was one of the original first who came up with the idea to put Clarabelle’s Cupcakes on wheels.

MONSTROUS MEALS: The Monster Burger food truck posts up in the Pep Boy’s parking lot, ready to serve their He explained that being mobile helped generate famous seasoned burgers to the public. a lot more clients and created a more family friendly

Art Walk Street Cuisine (2nd Saturday of every month) 2234 NW 2nd Ave 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m.

BIG SECRETS -Pie McFlurry

(a pie blended in a McFlurry)

-Land, Sea and Air Burger

(beef, chicken and fish filet patties between four buns—have fun dying early)

-Nachos

(exactly what it sounds like)

-Quesorito

(quesadilla wrapped up and warmed all crispy)

-Hello Jesus

(supposedly just like heaven—it might be a while before you can make a valid comparison)

-Pink Starburst

(pink starbursts, lemonade, soymilk, raspberry sherbert, frozen yogurt, sorbet and fresh strawberries)

-London Fog

(earl grey tea latte with vanilla flavoring yum)

-Short cup

(cute smaller secret cup) Compiled by Mary Koehnk