Issue 1, Vol. 59

highlights August 2018

Charter SchoolS IN THIS ISSUE: STUDENTS GET POLITICALLY INVOLVED (PAGES 6-7)

THE MELREESE DEBATE (PAGE 18)

FIFA’S RACISM ISSUE (PAGE 23)

Issue 1, Volume 59

Coral Gables SHS 450 Bird Road, Coral Gables, FL 33146

highlights

features highlights investigated junior Richard Smithies’ business, Helios Mining, and his accomplishments within his academy in the world of cryptocurrencies.

advisory board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Copy Editor Business Manager Social Media Manager Adviser Features News Opinion Sports The Scene Insight Online

Dylan Carol Alejandra Orozco Mariam Vela Ruben Escobar Mathilde Requier Melissa Gonzalez Estelle Erwich Angelle Garcia Jack Band Tatiana Campos Karina Wu Sutton Payne Kevin Monjarrez & Alexandra Torres

4 news 10

As the November election for governor approaches, Florida finds itself at an ideological divide in politics .

12

Miami-Dade County reevaluates public teachers’ salaries following the districts first ever “A” rating.

opinion

staff writers Natalie Abrahantes Alex Anton Lisbeth Arrieta Makayla Bell Giancarlos Carballea Dilan Denham Hanna Ebrahimi Sara Ebrahimi Aya Hamza Sophia Heilman Annie La Roche Ava Lederman Alma Martinez

Thomas Morcillo Melanie Nunez Natalia Pallas Ariana Peña Grace Rodriguez Marta Rodriguez Oraida Rodriguez Alexander Sutton Emma Vela Isabella Villaroel Audrey Weigel Gregoire Winston

Andrea Adesso

Erika Diaz

publication policy highlights is the official student-produced news magazine at Coral Gables Senior High School published and produced by highlights staff members. highlights has been established as a designated public forum for student journalists to educate and inform their readers on issues of concern to their audience and dissemination of news and ideas to the entire school community.

As the producer of a scholastic publication, highlights subscribes to the responsibilities set forth in the National Scholastic Press Association Code of Ethics for scholastic journalists and advisers.

According to Miami-Dade County School Policy, student media is not subject to prior-review by administration or district personnel and as such, all content is determined by, and reflects the views of, student staff members only. highlights welcomes reader feedback. All letters should be addressed to highlightscghs@gmail.com with the subject line “Letter to the Editor.

2 preview

14

While the rift between liberals and conservatives continues to expand, highlights looks at civility as the answer.

16

sports Alumnnus Erika Diaz returns to Gables as the new Gablettes coach with plans to improve the state-ofthe-art program and bring it back to its former glory.

19

contributors Susan Fernandez

As the country continues to grow more social media-dependent, many question the constitutionality of these sites.

the scene 25

FunDimension, a retro arcade with an 80s twist, hosts astro-themed Galaxy Saturdays for the Wynwood crowd.

26

Acai bowls have been an ongoing trend for the past year, gaining wild popularity among Miami juice bars and locals alike.

insight In light of Amendment 8, discussion returns over the benefits of charter schools. As Florida has some of the most charters in the nation, highlights investigated the reasoning behind the amount of school closures and failures.

28

Back to school

Teachers, athletes and journalists return weeks before school in preparation for the upcoming year.

pictures 3

h

Smithies invests in the future

features

Bitcoin craze reaches the school in awardwinning fashion with Richard Smithies’ business

By Alex Anton, Staff Writer

W

ALKING INTO JUNIOR he wanted to center his business around his Richard Smithies’ room may not newfound passion of cryptocurrency. seem like much. Sure, his bright “I wanted to do the business plan on PC setup may draw some attention, but for the something I really liked, so I thought of most part, it seems ordinary. At first glance, it cryptocurrencies. The end-product was Helios looks like Smithies is just a regular teenage boy Mining,” Smithies said. with a slight Fortnite obsession. His computer, Though most have heard of Bitcoin, however, is used for few fully understand much more than video what the technology, and games and Youtube cryptocurrency as a whole, “I’M ALWAYS LOOKING FOR entails. In simple terms, surfing.

Smithies’ OPPORTUNITIES. BITCOIN WAS Bitcoin is a currency that PC is the blueprint to AN OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE allows users to anonymously his groundbreaking cryptocurrency IT WAS BOOMING, WHICH GOT send money to other users business: Helios THE JUDGES INTERESTED without any central authority, Mining.

BEFORE MY PRESENTATION such as the Federal Reserve.

Like many high EVEN BEGAN. IT’S IMPORTANT Instead, Bitcoin operates on schoolers, Smithies a decentralized platform, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF was looking for known as the blockchain, EVERY OPPORTUNITY, EVEN IF which acts as a public ledger. a way to make a THAT INCLUDES TAKING ON A This means that all Bitcoin little extra spending RISK.” transactions are transparent money. So, when his cousins introduced RICHARD SMITHIES, and visible by everyone. him to cryptocurrency, New Bitcoins are JUNIOR he was naturally created through a process interested. After doing known as mining. “Miners” some research, Smithies saw cryptocurrency use high functioning computers to solve investing as a business opportunity and was difficult computations needed to authenticate instantly hooked. transactions. As a reward, the “miner” who “I wanted to make money but I couldn’t get a solves the problem is awarded a bitcoin. This job because I was too young. I began day-trading process occurs every 10 minutes until 21,000,000 to make money. It’s a very high-risk high-reward bitcoins are in circulation. Smithies’ business type of investing,” Smithies said. plan is centered around the mining aspect of As a National Academy of Finance (NAF) cryptocurrency. The current mining process student, Smithies was required to enter a is inefficient when it comes to electrical costs, submission for the Network for Teaching which Helios Mining strives to fix. Smithies Entrepreneurship (NFTE) business plan aims to make the bitcoin mining process more competition. When the time came, he knew sustainable, and economically feasible.

“

“A mining rig is basically a bad computer with really good graphing cards… electricity used to mine bitcoin creates a big problem of pollution, so we plan on using solar panels to eliminate this electrical waste. This saves us money on electricity, but most importantly saves the environment,” Smithies said.

This groundbreaking business model solves many issues that hamper the development of cryptocurrency. The judges at NFTE saw value in Smithies’ business plan. Consequently, Smithies’ placed first at the Regional Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge and was awarded $1,500 after several rounds of competition. Yet Smithies’ business still has more to achieve. This October, he will be travelling to New York with nine other national finalists, for a chance to win the grand prize of $25,000.

Smithies plans on reinvesting some of his prize money to prepare for New York in order to set up better mining rigs that can be applied onto actual solar panels.

When asked about advice for novice entrepreneurs, Smithies stresses the importance of dedication and staying persistent.

“I’m always looking for opportunities.

Bitcoin was an opportunity because it was booming, which got the judges interested ... It’s important to take advantage of every opportunity, even if that includes taking on a risk.,” Smithies said. “A lot of people are going to tell you that you can’t do it but with hard work everything pays off.”

In the meantime, Smithies strives to perfect his business plan for New York. He hopes to bring back the grand prize of $25,000 this fall.

Do not let the occasional dash of Fortnite fool you, Smithies means all business. h

BITCOIN BUSINESSMAN: Junior Richard Smithies powers up his competition presentation

Alex Anton/highlights

4 features

Artistic spirit survives and thrives Senior Susan Fernandez displays her talents while advancing her own skill and the school’s Art Club

By Oraida Rodriguez, Staff Writer

S

ENIOR SUSAN FERNANDEZ WAS participated in art-related events such as the Fernandez enrolled in ceramic classes and only six years old when she sat in her school’s annual ArtWalk, where everyone began concentrated on all forms of art to expand her first art class, completely unaware of to acknowledge her artistic gift. knowledge. the new door her art teacher would soon open for She became known by teachers and peers By this time, she was an avid member of the her in the world of creativity. club, although slightly dissatisfied Her teacher had noticed by the ineffective club meetings.

Fernandez’s progression Club gatherings or activities were and decided to send out few and far between, especially one of her works to a local for newer members. Realizing competition later that year. It this, Fernandez began her journey came to both Fernandez and towards an upgraded art club, one her teachers’ pleasant surprise that would be more inclusive to that her art placed third in not only experienced artists but the Youth Fair competition also those interested in the field. and was also displayed in the Her ambition and love for art yearly exhibition. Having drove her to take the club to the competed and placed against next level, so she began to plan. students almost twice her age, Once April of her junior year Fernandez came to realize rolled around, applications for that her talent in art was the board of the art club were undeniable. being accepted and Fernandez “This was a moment that took notice. After a wave of helped me realize that art is a encouragement from her friends skill that comes to me easily,” and an aspiration to upgrade from Fernandez said. her previous Vice Presidential Fernandez knew she has board roll, she had applied. always had an attachment to Unsurprisingly, Fernandez was her art, especially when she given the role of President. was younger. She would spend “She’s got a lot on her plate, all her time improving and [but] she’s excited to bring her sharpening her skills in the personal voice to the role of the Courtesy of Susan Fernandez craft. community,” ceramics teacher “I don’t remember a day Jennifer Stapleton said. where I wasn’t drawing or at This upcoming school year, least coming up with a plan to ARTISTIC ABILITY: Senior Susan Fernandez displays an art piece at the 2018 all her peers and teachers are draw,” Fernandez said. eager to see what Fernandez has Art Walk.

As she matured, her in store. With plans to incorporate involvement in the community began to expand. alike for both her bold style and her impressive a large mixture of events, activities and Once she entered high school, it was clear that portfolio. She then joined the school’s Art Club, potentially collaborating with other clubs, it she began thriving. Fernandez did not shy away and also got involved in anything that allowed seems Fernandez is ready to take the club and from opportunities to showcase her talent and her to take on new areas of art, such as pottery. her art to a new level. h

HALL TALK The highlights staff records what students are talking about in the hallways at school during summer activites.

“I just slapped myself with my own string cheese.”

“I can smell the Fabuloso from here.”

“What’s the disease where “Just like that, they stole you forget everything? Albino?” my Cheez-Its, bro.”

“At least if I go deaf I won’t have to hear your voice anymore.”

“You look like a chicken on antibiotics.” features 5

Civic Duty

Politically involved students make their voices heard by volunteering for local and national campaigns

By Alma Martinez and Emma Vela, Staff Writers

I

N A TIME OF INTENSE POLITICAL division, many young people actively voice their opinions on polarizing topics. In periods of national crisis or elections, students of both parties can communicate their political stances over social media. But beyond making their voices heard, a group of students have decided to take the future of politics into

their own hands. Taking action on a local and national scale, students are putting in politically involved volunteer hours and spreading awareness in hopes of empowering and educating the younger generation. Politically involved students at the school serve as role models for others who have already decided they want a future in politics. Students such as

sophomore Brayden Sanchez, junior Daniella Berrospi and senior Andrea Adesso hope that the time and effort they put into helping different political campaigns resonates with other young people and encourages them to do the same.

This proactive group put their summer break to good use— campaigning and canvassing to create the political future they envision.

BRAYDEN SANCHEZ Sophomore Brayden Sanchez is a vocal advocate for the Republican Party. Even at a young age, Sanchez has always felt passionate about politics.

For as long as he can remember, politics have been a huge subject in his household. Sanchez was surrounded by a predominantly conservative family, and he feels that they are the biggest influences on his political views today. Other than his family, Sanchez has been most inspired by former republican President Ronald Reagan.

“I was raised by a lot of older people, so their values and traditions definitely rubbed off on me… being mostly conservative,” Sanchez said. “But what drew me into politics were also the three things I believe in most: personal responsibility, God-given rights and small government.”

Sanchez has joined and donated to multiple conservative organizations such as Grassroots, whose goal is to attract more support for President Trump through social media posts. Though involved in Grassroots, Sanchez does not fully support the current president, but feels that loyalty to his party is crucial to advancing the conservative platform he stands for. He is

6 features

also an active member of Turning Point USA, a right-winged organization and political action committee for high school and college conservatives. He believes that the only way to make a change is to get involved immediately.

“Even if you do not get involved, it is important to try and stay informed… watch the news and social media. There are so many mediums that we can derive information from nowadays that it is easy to keep yourself up to date. Democracy is a blessing so take advantage of the opportunity you have,” Sanchez said.

Despite being a teenager, Sanchez spends his free time searching for new ways to support and raise awareness to his beliefs. He plans on staying involved and making an impact by showing people what the Republican party truly stands for. As a conservative, Sanchez hopes to create more jobs, adhere to the second amendment, promote his pro-life stance and ensure that veterans have stable lives after serving for our country.

“My goal is to really just help people through politics, because there is so much good you can do through politics. I hope that one day I can say that I have achieved everything I plan to do,” Sanchez said.

Emma Vela/highlights

REPPING REAGAN: Sophomore Brayden Sanchez talks about his biggest inspiration, Ronald Reagan, and his hopes for improvement of the right-wing platform.

DANIELLA BERROSPI

Emma Vela/highlights

PROSPECTIVE POLITICIAN: Junior Daniella Berrospi shares her future aspirations to run for office

Junior Daniella Berrospi is among the many student supporters of the Democratic party at the school. As an active member in the political sphere, Berrospi is concerned for the state of the country and believes that we should confront these issues in a civil manner.

She plans to take action by both staying informed of current events and using her insight into politics as her motivation.

“I realized that the conditions we are living in are unbearable and that politics has basically become a joke. I think it is time for a change in the way we do things,” Berrospi said.

Berrospi’s involvement began during her middle school years as she participated in Model UN and debate. After excelling in both, she used the tools she learned in these clubs to aid her in her venture into politics. Since then, she has been eager to make a change.

Berrospi believes that to encourage such change in the current political state, it is fundamental to not disregard small actions in light of bigger ones. Due to her perspective she was able to assist politicians including Matt Haggman and Rebeca Sosa.

Berrospi is currently involved as a fellow

in the Matt Haggman for Congress Campaign, which has taught her the importance of resiliency and dedication in politics. As a fellow, she assists in many ways, such as phone banking through Democratic National Committee’s votebuilder database, researching upcoming events in the community, training incoming volunteers and fellows, canvassing in neighborhoods throughout the district and data entry. She is also a youth commissioner for District 6 under District Office Commissioner Rebeca Sosa. Sosa, who has been in office since June 2001, has used her platform to shed light upon environmental concerns in Miami and inform the public of the dangers of rising sea levels. Berrospi fosters increased youth involvement by holding forums on current issues such as gun control, immigration policies and global warming. She also participates in various workshops as a youth commissioner, commenting on existing or proposed legislation, ordinances, resolutions and policies.

“I want to start by helping more people on a larger scale, mainly by trying to have everyone benefit from my beliefs and political views, no matter what theirs is,” Berrospi said.

ANDREA ADESSO With high hopes for the future, senior Andrea Adesso takes action into her own hands, by canvassing and phone banking. Growing up, Adesso’s childhood dream was never to become a popular politician or a campaign manager, but that certainly did not steer her away from becoming politically involved. Ever since the start of the 2016 election, Adesso felt that presidential candidate Donald Trump was not the best person for the position and decided to take action. Adesso felt motivated to make in impact on the election because no matter the outcome, she felt it would affect our country’s political future and our everyday lives.

“I feel that [politics] play a role in my daily life because everything somehow ties back to politics in some way,” Adesso said.

Adesso’s interest and involvement in politics increased in hopes that her voice would make a difference and reflect on the results of the election. Her own interests and ideals are what gave her an easy transition into being involved

in the Democratic Party. She is passionate about the preservation of the environment, curbing the growing threat of gun violence and improving immigration rights. Due to her political views, she gravitated towards Philip Levine’s Campaign for governor, with whom she shares similar outlooks. Adesso devoted part of her summer to working as an intern for Levine’s campaign. She currently does phone banking and canvassing for 15 hours a week.

“We are the next generation of voters, don’t be afraid to get involved and speak out on what you believe in,” Adesso said. “I’m hoping to get younger kids involved and show them that politics aren’t just for adults.”

Adesso plans on being involved by continuing to volunteer for other politicians with similar views.

Adesso hopes that by being engaged in politics, she inspires others to use their voice and to make sure that they are heard. h

Courtesy of Andrea Adesso

CAMPAIGN COMMITMENT: Adesso canvasses for gubernatorial candidate Phillip Levine

features 7

h news

Meet the board Common quotes and future plans

Dylan Carol Editor-in-Chief “One clap for ” Dylan is a senior and plans to study political science and later influence public policy.

Alejandra Orozco Managing Editor “Stop calling me” Ale is a senior and she plans to take a gap year before college and study graphic design.

Mariam Vela Copy Editor “AP style keeps me up at night” Mariam is a senior and if all else fails, she plans to become a navy musician.

Estelle Erwich Features Editor “I need hall talk” Estelle is a junior and plans to study international relations, and continue making a fool of herself.

Angelle Garcia News Editor “Congrats box?”

Angelle is a senior and after getting a degree in “undecided”, she has no plans for her future.

Jack Band Opinion Editor

Tatiana Campos Sports Editor “For studentathletes only” Tatiana is a senior who wants to retire in the beaches of Mykonos.

Karina Wu The Scene Editor

Sutton Payne Insight Editor “Somebody please write for me” Sutton is a senior who loves long walks on the beach...wait what was the question?

Karina is a senior who wants to study humanities or interior design, she also wants to be a professor.

Alexandra Torres

Co-Online Editor “It’s gonna be late anyways” Alexandra is a sophomore who wants to study journalism and travel.

Kevin Monjarrez Co-Online Editor “It’s my korner” Kevin is a junior and he plans to take over Constantinople and gain Super Saiyan Status.

Ruben Escobar

Mathilde Requier

Business Manager

“That’s all for me Gables” Ruben is a junior and he hopes he can stop procrastinating at some point.

Melissa Gonzalez Adviser “Don’t drag the desks!”

Gonzo hopes to win the lottery and move to Aruba with her family.

8 news

“Sounds yummy!”

Social Media Manager

“I need a caption”

Mathilde is a sophomore who hopes to study in every continent except Antarctica.

Find us online cavsconnect.com/category/ highlights-submissions/

Like our page: highlights Follow us: @highlightscghs

“That’s my OPINION”

Jack is a senior who plans to be in the credits of your favorite TV show someday, as a writer, of course.

News Review

By Giancarlos Carballea, Staff Writer

CALENDAR Sep. 13: Varsity Football vs. Miami High

BRIEFS Red tide hits Florida After a wave of increased summer heat, toxic algae are blooming across South Florida beaches, harming the coastal ecosystem. Local aquatic species ranging from fish to manatees are washing up on shore dead, or extremely ill, due to the red tide which occurs when algal blooms form. These algae produce brevotoxins that can seriously damage the central nervous system, if ingested by animals. The algae also give off a very potent odor, which leads to nausea, mild respiratory problems, sneezing and itchy throats. South Florida’s economy has also been losing between $15 to $25 million, as many people that visit during the summer come for the beach, and with the red tide, the beaches have been closed. Above all the problems created by the toxic algae, Florida also cut funding for water monitoring, decreasing the number monitoring stations from 350 to 115 over the last decade.

Sep. 14: Club Fair Sep. 20: College Night Sep. 27: Early Release

CONGRATS The school’s literary magazine, Catharsis, received All-American distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association.

Junior Chris Caceres won the “Showtime Dance Challenge” Top National Classic Studio Convention Scholarship with Xplosive Dance Company.

The school welcomes 16 new teachers to the faculty for the upcoming year. For a complete list of new teachers visit cavsconnect.com/highlights.

Academic program introduced Beginning this year, the school will introduce a new academic program. The International Baccalaureate CareerRelated Program (IBCP) features classes like higher-level English and any second core class. The program bases itself on practical skills such as resume writing and includes a required reflective project, internships and an industry certification test.

Students in the IBCP will also be taking a core course which consists of three assessments, a class named IB Personal Professional Skills and the opportunity to explore possible career options. Currently, 25 students are enrolled, and it is set to grow in the coming years. To enroll in the program students must have at least a 2.7 GPA, pass standardized tests, fill out the application and submit a teacher recommendation letter.

Medicaid cancels service Government assistance towards children with special needs could be revoked because of Medicaid fraud. Due to healthcare companies’ malpractice, the Agency of Health Care Administration (AHCA) has fined and shut down multiple agencies like MGM Behavioral and Meli Medical Center.

The dismantling of these companies has left children with developmental disabilities waiting for the proper care. To increase the amount of assistance that special needs children receive, the AHCA spent over 131 million dollars on behavior analysis services this year in an effort to maintain some programs and therapies available to children and adults with behavioral and developmental disabilities until they can regain government support and funding. h

news 9

Meet the candidates The Florida governor’s race is the first opportunity since the presidential election to see where the balance of power lies

By Alexander Sutton, Staff Writer

N

ATIONAL POLITICS HAS BEEN in the midst of a nationwide ideological crisis, and Florida’s election for governor could be the tipping point within the state. The winners in Florida’s primaries are set to be party leaders in the state and will give an indication of the direction in which each party is moving. Democrats and Republicans across the country are feeling the schism within their own parties, according to analysts like Tom Bevan, the founder of RealClearPolitics. Only months from now, Floridian voters will decide which of their candidates will be the winners of the political battles being fought across the nation.

The seven candidates running for governor in Florida represent different brands of politics within each party. Democrats are dealing with the divide between moderate candidates, nicknamed “corporate Democrats” by their more liberal counterparts, and progressive candidates, many of whom have embraced a political philosophy they call democratic

Ron DeSantis (R)

socialism. Conversely, Republicans, are dealing with the question of whether to embrace Donald Trump’s policies of interventionism or to condemn the policies and the president along with them as extreme.

In Florida, both parties have assembled a slate of candidates poised for a political playoff with each other in the elections. What happens in the primaries this August will determine which faction of each party has triumphed.

Republican candidate Ron DeSantis has called himself a “proven conservative” who has promised to take a “conservative stance” on issues like abortion, immigration and the defense of the 2nd amendment. He is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Florida’s 6th congressional district, though he has only held public office since 2013. The other Republican candidate, Adam Putnam, currently serves as the state’s commissioner of agriculture. He served in U.S. Congress for 10 years before his election to the cabinet, and in the Florida House of

Has an “100

Representatives for four years before that.

Putnam calls himself a “proud NRA sellout,” and has raised more funding for his campaign than any other candidate.

The Democratic candidates include politicians Philip Levine, Gwen Graham, Andrew Gillum, Chris King and Jeff Greene.

Both Levine and Gillum are current mayors of Florida cities, Miami Beach and Tallahassee respectively. Gwen Graham, the daughter of former Florida governor Bob Graham, calls herself a “mom, PTA President and citizen.”

Despite opponents’ dispute of her loyalty to the party, her platform includes mainstream Democratic policies like calls for an assault weapons ban and protecting women’s reproductive choice. Chris King and Jeff Greene, who have never held political office, have made millions in the real-estate industry.

According to both King and Jeff, they hope to bring fresh, new ideas to the Democratic party in an effort to better represent and help the people of Florida. h

percent pro-life” track record

Served in the Iraq War from 2007 to 2010 Wants to end

Florida Common Core Curriculum

Endorsed by President Donald

Serves as Florida’s Commissioner Wants to improve

Trump

of Agriculture

education by allowing for school choice

Is dedicated to preserving

the 2nd amendment

Committed to making Florida the most military and veteran-friendly state in the nation 10 news

Adam Putnam (R)

Gwen Graham (D)

Calls for the preservation of

women’s reproductive rights

Has proposed legislation for an assault Called herself a “very

weapons ban

conservative”

Democrat when running for Congress

Would end

high-stakes testing in public schools

Calls for the abolishment of

the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Supports free health care and Medicaid for all

Andrew Gillum (D)

Endorsed by former democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders

Current mayor of Tallahassee, Florida Philip Levine (D)

Serves as mayor

of Miami Beach, Florida

Passed resolution asking lawmakers to ban Wants to increase

assault weapons

teacher pay to the national average

Plans to have Florida comply

with the

Paris Climate Accords once elected Signatory to the Giving Pledge, agreeing to give away

Jeff Greene (D)

the majority of his wealth to charitable causes

Pushes for two years of free

pre-K education for children

Ran for U.S. Senate unsuccessfully in 2010 Influential real

Chris King (D)

estate developer in Florida

Multi-millionaire who made his money as an Orlando

estate developer Plans to curb gun violence through a bullet tax

Would legalize

real

marijuana and pardon those charged with marijuana related charges

Began the ‘Elevation

Global Initiative’

Photos courtesy of: desantis.house.gov, adamputnam.com, chriskingforflorida.com, jeffgreeneforflorida.com, andrewgillum.com, gwengraham.com

news 11

Miami-Dade evaluates teacher pay raises After Miami-Dade County Public Schools received an “A” rating, the district puts raising teachers’ salaries up to vote

By Hanna Ebrahimi, Staff Writer

O

N NOVEMBER 6, RESIDENTS taken away money, insurance coverage, and of Miami-Dade County (MDC) even pension benefits. When I first started will vote in the general election teaching, a teacher’s salary was based on a to increase teachers’ salary following the step schedule based on years served, and now district’s first “A” rating in history. In similar that system is gone. Our health insurance cost success, Miami-Dade County Public Schools has gone up with less benefits and higher co(MDCPS) had no “F” rated schools for the pays. And I have to contribute to my pension second consecutive year and 98 percent of when it used to be included because of my the district’s schools earned a “C” ranking service as an educator,” history teacher or higher. Following these achievements, Lauren Noval said. a positive vote on the In order for the referendum referendum would to pass, a 51 percent majority increase property taxes of voters would have to vote to supplement teacher “A LOT OF in favor of the teacher salary salaries and school TEACHERS AT increase. If approved by voters, security.

90 percent of the taxpayer THE TOP OF THE money would go towards Teachers have long complained that their PAY SCALE HAVE funding teacher salaries and salaries are too low for BEEN BASICALLY 10 percent would go towards the expensive living costs improved school security. The CHEATED OF 10 percent is to be allocated in Miami. According to a MDCPS report, the WHAT THEY WERE towards having at least one average teacher is unable PROMISED THEIR school safety officer at every to afford 91 percent of school. All decisions about WHOLE CAREER. raises would be decided within housing in the county. To BENJAMIN GROFF, the teachers’ union during make up for the disparity, many educators and ART TEACHER salary deliberations. school officials work F u r t h e r m o r e , additional hours or multiple jobs to make Superintendent Alberto Carvahlo’s office ends meet. If the referendum passes, district issued a statement noting that the additional officials predict each average household will funding is needed to do right by the education pay an additional $44.54 to $178.17 annually workforce given that “in the past 15 years, based on property taxes. This will produce MDCPS has lost over $1.3 billion due to up to $309 million yearly for the district, policies implemented by the state”. allowing an increase in teacher salaries by as However, the possible teacher salary much as 20 percent to help subsidize living modifications are not permanent. The higher expenses. School counselors, principals and property tax rate revenue given to the school teacher aides’ salaries would also increase. district would last for four years and would “Since the beginning of my career as an have to be renewed in the next general educator, the state and district have slowly election by MDC voters. h

“

Average teacher salary by state

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

12 news

THE PAY:

STATE

OF

Florida’s public school teachers get paid about $10,000 less than the national average salary for teachers.

The referendum being voted on in November could close that disparity.

QUICK FACTS The United States pays public school teachers less than

60 percent of the salaries of similarly educated professionals.

The median salary for a U.S. high school teacher was

$57,200 in 2015; in Florida it was

$48,179.

Annual pay for teachers has fallen over the past

60 years

in relation to the annual pay of other workers with college degrees.

50: 12:

average hours per week on instructional duties

average hours per week on noncompensated school activities Source: National Education Association, Miami Herald Compiled by Angelle Garcia

h

opinion

Teachers fight for more pay National debate takes a local level as Miami-Dade teachers fight for higher salaries

By Ava Lederman, Staff Writer

U

NTIL RECENTLY, the meager salaries of public high school teachers in MiamiDade have not been addressed by local government. This November, a referendum will be voted on to address this long-standing problem. If voters agree in favor of a raise, the collected money would bring an additional $232 million a year to the school district, a large portion of which will go to teacher salaries, possibly increasing their pay by 20 percent. Increasing teachers’ pay is vital to the improvement of public education and voters should recognize this in November.

Coming off the heels of the districts first “A” rating in history, teachers in MDCPS have proven their value and deserve the raise that the referendum would provide them. Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho is in strong support of a raise. Arguing on behalf of all the teachers, he has repeatedly advocated for the professionalism, quality of work and importance of teachers across the county. Carvalho’s support of a pay increase perfectly describes the education sector’s necessity for teachers.

The importance of a teacher’s role in society cannot be understated. They are essential to the education and integration of young citizens and prepare students to grow up and take an active role in society. Teachers can inspire their students to be their best selves both academically and as future productive members of society. They teach skills necessary to become responsible, hard-working, disciplined and confident adults, they are responsible for acknowledging and analyzing each student so they feel valued and cared for and they take on the rigorous administrative workload necessary to send students to college. Underpaying them is sending the wrong message to children about the importance of education.

Educators, while their main objective is to teach academic curriculum, are so much more; they are mentors and can save lives with their guidance. Without their intellect and dedication, students would not be aware of their own academic potential and worthiness.

“Everyday there are more and more demands placed upon teachers. So, it’s not just show up, read, write and do arithmetics. They provide social services, character education as well as the basic academic component.” Assistant

Principal Lazaro Hernandez said.

There is a pervasive belief that teachers do not hold the same professionalism as other professionals due to their lower wages and interaction with children and teens. However, contrary to popular belief, their work is not limited to the hallways of the school. The countless hours of instruction are coupled with numerous other tasks that are being conquered after the students leave. These may include: grading papers, purchasing supplies with money out of their own pockets, editing lesson plans and specializing learning methods to conform to the needs of their students.

DID YOU KNOW?

“Teachers play so many roles beyond educators. We are facilitators, cheerleaders, surrogate parents, and mentors. Those are all roles I embrace.”

History teacher, Katie Landsea

Miami-Dade voters approved a $1.2 billion bond referendum in 2012 to repair and renovate deteriorating school facilities.

Source: The Miami Herald

According to The Miami Herald, some teachers cannot even afford to live in the district due to their low wages. The district can significantly improve its internal issues if they simply raise wages. By incentivizing a higher quality of work, teachers will be encouraged to improve and more people will be motivated to join the profession, weeding out ineffective teachers and enhancing the overall productivity of the district. In her book “How Does Teacher Pay Compare,” author Sylvia Allegretto explains that pay rates directly correlate to the quality of a teacher and that their quality is directly related to student and school success.

“I think you would attract better teachers to the profession. Because of that self-perpetuating cycle, we don’t prioritize teachers,” English teacher Michelle Zaldivar said.

If the referendum passes, teachers will finally get the raise they deserve and the district will experience a significantly higher quality of education for students. Paying teachers more will serve as a catalyst for a new generation of teachers. Citizens of the county would be doing a grave injustice to educators within our county by failing to reward them with the adequate pay that they deserve for the work they perform. h

“Compared to other professionals, the pay is not commensurate with as much responsibility as they have.”

Assistant Principal, Lazaro Hernandez

“Since teachers interact with students when they’re still growing up, they may help shape the way a student thinks or acts both positively and negatively. For someone to willingly take on that role justifies their need for more pay.”

Senior, Natalia Rodriguez

opinion 13

Civility: the missing piece As politics continue to divide citizens, many believe a lack of civility to be the cause

By Isabella Villarroel, Staff Writer

S

INCE PRESIDENT Trump took office, an increasingly polarized political climate has drawn attention to an issue that has been plaguing public discourse since long before the election: the deterioration of civil discussion. The prevailing voices in the media tend to be those of two opposing categories— conservative and liberal extremists–– which leads citizens rushing to extremes to share their own opinions. A lack of open-mindedness, the use of unreliable and biased media, the over reliance on emotions and political fanaticism rather than facts and people’s dismissiveness for the gray area in politics have led to a dangerous lack of civility between opposing factions.

The growing rift between citizens is only exacerbated by a close-minded approach to politics that relies on stubbornness, which breeds conflict. Being open to new ideas is essential when discussing political matters, and significantly helps in shaping coherent opinions. Effective political debates between citizens revolve around the ability of one to listen. The capacity to understand another’s perspective is beneficial for refining a way of thinking. However, this capacity is rarely seen in today’s politics, and the close-mindedness impedes any hope of agreement. Closemindedness goes hand in hand with fanaticism.

A fanatic can and will defend any actions that support their beliefs. Fanatics inspire passionate responses to specific issues that ultimately result in the polarization of large groups of people. As a result of this fierce fanaticism, many citizens, fearing their unequal

Back to school shopping

“Like normal shopping.

But you’re on fire, and the store’s on fire, and everything’s on fire.”

-Arianna Peña, Staff Writer 14 opinion

passion for certain issues, choose to conform to those of their passionate counterparts. While some people’s ideals may be consistent with those of their political party, having an opinion is crucial to one’s self identity, but in modern society where many opinions are rooted in emotion, the need for factual support is cast aside.

Factual support, while often lost in the process of debate, is crucial in maintaining civility in public discourse, and without it, discussion devolves into unproductive mudslinging. However, citizens across the nation struggle to distinguish fact from false statements. The unwillingness to seek untampered, factual support comes as a result of adamant fanaticism which, coupled with anti-media jargon, continues to cloud already passionate debates.

DID YOU KNOW?

While 67 percent of Democrats are close friends with other Democrats, 57 percent of Republicans are close friends with other Republicans.

Source: Pew Research Center

The exorbitant amount of biased and inaccurate information, distortions and conspiracy theories presented as facts spread online and through the media is incredibly damaging to civil discussion. While this information is protected by the First

3D-Printed guns “Now you can make dangerous weapons in the safety of your own home!”

-Alexander Sutton, Staff Writer

Amendment, it has ultimately managed to confuse and manipulate citizens nationally.

According to The New York Times, false claims were 70 percent more likely to be shared on Twitter than credible ones. This represents one of the biggest problems— a decreasing variety of valid sources. This shrinking supply of accurate information creates another split between those who are properly informed and those who are not. It also further expands the division between credible political commentators and passionate, outspoken citizens who adamantly condemn the opinions of their opposition.

One step towards a less divisive society is a stronger, more credible variety of media sources that take pride in their impartial reporting.

While fanaticism’s effect on factual support seems destructive, the aggressive debate style employed by many, calls into question the presence of civility at all. A political fanatic may try to impose their ideologies and intimidate their opposition. Although this problem has been inflamed by the current political climate, the lack of civility in public discourse is not anything new. In fact, this incivility dates back centuries, with instances like the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1804 and the caning of Senator Charles Sumner in 1856.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders experienced this incivility first-hand when a restaurant in Lexington, Virginia, a predominantly Democratic city, refused to serve her mid-meal and asked her to leave the premises. This incident alone spurred a national debate, and many argued over whether the restaurant owner should have the right to decline serving her as a result of her

First day of school “Where we dropping, boys?”

-Alejandra Orozco, Managing Editor

From the

EDITOR

By Dylan Carol, Editor-in-Chief

opposing political views.

Ultimately, many believed that the owner did not hold sufficient grounds to decline serving Sanders and while she may support different policies and ideologies, civility should have come first in this instance. The lack of civility exhibited by the institution has not only tarnished its reputation and placed it in the middle of a political quagmire, but it has also been counterproductive to the point they were trying to make in not serving her. The lack of civility exhibited was highly controversial, further advancing it as national issue, as well as a political one that is threatening the fabric of public debate in everyday life.

Politics aside, citizens must learn that discussions go both ways and while their opinions certainly hold a degree of value, they must also accept that there will never be a time when everyone in the country comes to a complete agreement about anything. Arguments are essential to the formation of coherent ideas, but too often, arguments devolve into personal attacks that accomplish nothing but add to the polarization of the public. The country is nearing a dangerous place in which ideas cannot circulate throughout society. While a complete agreement may not be reached, most citizens can agree that the state of the country, and the art of argument, can be signifcantly improved with the one thing that has continued to prove effective in conflict resolution: civility. h

of students think a lack of civility has increased the polarization of today’s politics

86% of students have held back an opinion out of fear or ridicule

64%

56%

of students think civil disobedience is an ineffective form of protest

of students have difficulty remaining calm while discussing politics

45% Out of 351 students surveyed.

opposable thumbs

Umbrellas on Giralda “Rihanna?”

-Jack Band, Opinion Editor

Space. The new frontier. Soon, the great unknown will be conquered like never before. The White House, after countless hours of research watching the Star Wars trilogies and 2001: A Space Odyssey, announced its plans to create a new branch of the military: the Space Force.

President Donald Trump hopes to finalize the expansion of this branch by 2020, adding billions to the largest defense budget in the world and establishing a new chain of command within the military.

Other vital administration priorities set to be completed by that time include reducing the number of letters in the alphabet to seven, renaming the state of New Mexico to Newer America and fully funding the American Meatball Initiative to combat against IKEA’s stranglehold of the consumer base.

Critics of the Space Force claim that it will wreak havoc on the Air Force, under whose command the current spaceoriented military operations run. They also feel it will add another level of unnecessary bureaucracy to the government and will be a colossal waste of money. However, what good is an F-16 if there is a Millennium Falcon? What has bureaucracy ever done but get things done quickly and effectively? What is money good for if not for lasers and big spaceships? Those in Congress who oppose this new branch of military lack the President’s ability to think way outside the box and foresee dangers that nobody else has even dreamed of, and because of it, are not able to fully grasp the necessity of this project.

In his announcement of the Space Force, Vice President Mike Pence called for “American dominance in space,” language that seemed shocking and inflammatory to many. Debate surrounding the exact meaning of those words rages on, but sources are now reporting that the Trump administration is bringing McDonalds to space, fully delivering on Pence’s bold promise to the nation and sticking true to this country’s unbreakable record of facing every problem with a gun in one hand and a Big Mac in the other.

The Space Force is just another example of this administration’s inventive approach to foreign policy, one that will certainly rewrite history. h

opinion 15

TWO VIEWS: Social Media censorship

With the rapid growth of social media as a public forum, d media sites hold the right to censor inflammatory content?

By Aya Hamza, Staff Writer

o s n e C

H

ATE SPEECH, condemned for decades as a verbal attack directed at a specific person or group, has managed to contaminate yet another aspect of American society: the Internet. Just like in common debates about speech, many question the constitutionality of hate speech’s place online. In light of right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ removal from multiple social media sites following a series of ludicrous and farfetched uploads, the topic of censorship has become the center of a heated debate. As the Internet is the world’s most accessible and broad public forum, it would be a crime if proper censorship policies were not enacted.

On the foundation of liberty and justice for all, it would be unpatriotic to claim that rhetoric degrading a person’s background or physical features is a form of free speech. In recent years, the most violent manifestation of hate speech could be seen in the Unite the Right rally which took place in Charlottesville, Virginia from Aug. 11 through Aug. 12, 2017. Also known as the Charlottesville riots, where this hate-driven speech culminated in agitated violence and the death of a counter-protester, this event marked the violent consequences of hate speech and how effective social media is when organizing like-minded individuals in a crusade against other citizens.

This combination of social media and hate speech groups has and will continue to

YES

be toxic to the country if the social media sites do not intervene. U.S. laws condemn and prohibit harassment and direct threats, so, when groups of minorities are harassed day and night and are subject to death threats online because social media sites refuse to relinquish this digital enforcement to the government, it is their responsibility to uphold the laws of the Constitution.

While sites like Facebook and YouTube have acted in defending victims of hate speech, Twitter has proven ineffective in its censorship of hateful content like Jones’ InfoWars and must follow in the footsteps of the other social media outlets. According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, hate speech must create a “hostile environment” to be considered discrimination.

Twitter’s unresponsiveness to such harsh and borderline cruel content has failed to prevent this “hostile environment” from taking grips of users’ devices. Opposite of Twitter, Facebook has already jumped on the bandwagon by establishing policies that condemn hate speech and by creating an algorithm designed to detect violations of the rules required by the site, which, in turn, results in hateful and harmful posts being taken down. The tech giant has certainly made a positive impact within the global online community by censoring inflammatory content from their sites, and while their actions have certainly inspired other sites to follow suit, they must continue to develop stronger enforcement for the content.

The terms and conditions required of every user who signs up for a social media account include mandatory cooperation

with U.S. Federal Statutes. The social media platform is not liable for what their users say or do. However, they are capable of reducing these infractions of potential harassment.

According to The Huffington Post, Jones was recently banned from the video-sharing platform Vimeo for violating their terms of service, as he had produced “discriminatory and hateful content,” similar to that of the other sites.

In fact, according to The Washington Post, 40% of America’s youth feels that protecting offensive speech is dangerous to the nation’s well-being.

“Blocking out this hate speech would ensure a safe space for those of us who are really just trying to go about our daily lives,” sophomore Alina Astacio said.

The need for censorship is relevant now more than ever, as more and more people begin to wield the Interne as a weapon to incite chaos. Right now, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who is leading an investigation around Russia’s potential interference in the most recent presidential election, has looked into the influence of Russian bots on social media sites as they upload inflammatory, polarizing content, meant to divide citizens. If proven true, social media sites will be highly scrutinized even more at their inability to detect such content.

Seeing through both legal and social lenses, censoring hate speech on mass outlets of communication protects people from social ostracization. Talks of improving the country can only be realized through the enforcement of the one thing that every American citizen uses day in and day out: the Internet. h

“I think that if people are promoting violence of any sort or doing anything malicious, it should be censored.”

Jessica Rivero, Sophomore 16 opinion

ip

d e r o s

m, do social tent?

By Arianna Peña, Staff Writer

F

OR THE PAST two decades, the world has grown accustomed to the incredible phenomenon that is the Internet. For years, the Internet was solely employed as a tool for business and productivity. However, in more recent years, people of all ages and lifestyles have flocked to the Internet for its vast database and irreplaceable social media platforms.

While social platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, have completely revolutionized the transfer of information throughout the globe, they have also opened the largest public forum in history. This forum, while once used as a place where people could share anything on their minds, has become widely politically-driven. With the politics, many have come to question the constitutionality of the platforms as a place for free speech, including speech many find harmful or toxic.

As a collective, the immediate reaction by social media outlets to any hate speech that is posted is to censor these posts. While it seems that it would be unfair to ban people because of a difference of ideas, this is the case on many social media sites. Yet, with rightwing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones being banned on virtually every relevant social media platform, the debate over censorship has gained significance once again.

Jones is a far right conservative and is the creator of the online show and podcast InfoWars. His content, which covers all facets of politics and current news, rampantly and aggressively attacks many he deems worthy of insulting. As a result, social media

sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have all condemned Jones’ content and ultimately removed his accounts from their sites. While their approach certainly dealt a blow to Jones, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has chosen a different method when it comes to taking a stand against Jones. Dorsey, who worries about the impartiality of a ban on specific users, has suspended Jones’ account temporarily in an effort to inspire Jones to conform his posts to follow the policies of Twitter.

Unless hate speech holds the intention to incite criminal activity it is not illegal and is, in fact, defended by the First Amendment.

Hate speech in actuality has no set legal definition. It can be described, however, as a type of speech that attacks a specific person or group of people based on attributes, different from those of the speaker.

While many supporters of Jones have argued that he has the right to speak freely and is protected under the First Amendment, unfortunately that is not the case. Private entities including social media companies are not held to the same standard when it comes to First Amendment issues. The State Action Doctrine states that the Constitution and its protection only applies to the government, as stated by Hofstra Law. However, every private company has the freedom to draft their own rules about speech and every employee or member of this company must follow these rules. This applies to social media users as well, as the privacy and policy agreement ensure that any post that is considered hateful or aggressive towards a group of people can be taken off of

the website via the power of the report features.

Limiting hate speech online should be treated with the same standard as that in real life. If one was to consider hate speech morally, it is without a doubt, wrong. However limiting the ideas of a certain individual is quite similarly, wrong. Social media companies have created platforms where individuals have the ability to share and create freely and it seems almost as if denying certain people the ability to express themselves creates a double standard.

In the 1988 case of Boos v. Barry a judge stated that the government must allow hate speech because it provides “breathing room” for certain people. The same principle should be applied on any social media platform.

If looked at from an objective standpoint, hate speech, while certainly harsh and aggressive, inherently supports the objective of the Constitution, to allow all individuals of the country to express their opinions, barring any threat from stronger governments or organizations.

With features like the report tool and block tool in place, companies can allow users to deem what content is appropriate and best for them and the sites may cater to all citizens, regardless of their beliefs, ideals and political affiliation.

Company heads must halt their incessant need to please every user demographic and instead strengthen features of the site that would enforce serious, credible threats rather than policing free speech. h

NO

“Some people are talking about what’s happening in the world and are getting censored.

If you aren’t doing anything illegal, you shouldn’t get censored.”

Luiz Rizo, Sophomore

opinion 17

Staff Ed: The Beckham question As the proposal for Beckham’s soccer complex emerges, many question the motives behind it

S

INCE JUNE, FORMER SOCCER star to have one that’s close and inspire more kids David Beckham has taken part in a to play the beautiful game of soccer while crusade to erect a Major League Soccer bringing money to the city.” stadium on the current grounds of the Melreese Beckham promises to preserve the most golf course. While this proposal has infuriated important feature of Melreese: the First Tee. many locals, Beckham’s soccer stadium will The First Tee, an organization that aims to be incredibly beneficial for the city of Miami. teach children self values through golf, would Privately funded, Beckham’s massive project, continue to thrive in a close location. In Miami, dubbed the Miami the First Tee impacts over Freedom Park, favors 5,000 kids annually, teaching the city economically them nine core values and WE DON’T HAVE A promoting self-improvement by creating an influx of jobs and augmenting STADIUM LIKE THAT through golf. While many fear tourism while the loss of such a valuable NEAR US SO IT WILL program, this is, in fact, not continuing to support BE EXCITING TO HAVE the case. Under the proposal, the local charity located at Melreese.

ONE THAT’S CLOSE AND a driving range would be The proposal installed in the Miami INSPIRE MORE KIDS TO Freedom Park as well as an offers to build a 25,000 PLAY THE BEAUTIFUL 18-hole course dedicated to seat stadium, public soccer fields and a GAME OF SOCCER the First Tee at the nearby youth soccer academy, Miami Springs course.

WHILE BRINGING bringing the sport to To pay for the proposal, MONEY TO THE CITY. the community and a Beckham’s group would location to establish NEIL TOLOZA, pay more than $3.5 million a Miami-based Major SOPHOMORE in annual rent. His revised League Soccer team. proposal also states that he It also promises to would pay $20 million to provide office space, restaurants, stores, a hotel the city for the general improvement of parks and a parking lot. These installments would and green spaces around the area and another create thousands of jobs with wages gradually $5 million for the completion of the Baywalkrising to $15 an hour— almost two times the Riverwalk Project, a project that would minimum wage— helping those entering or establish pedestrian routes around the Biscayne struggling in the workforce. It is also predicted Bay and the Miami River. to produce an annual tax revenue of $40 million, Another crucial aspect of the plan would be further boosting the city’s economy. the cleanup of the land itself, which is currently “I feel like the new stadium will be an contaminated by toxic waste. According to excellent venue that will attract the different Beckham’s investment group, the remediation cultures in Miami to the sport of soccer,” of the land would cost roughly $38 million, sophomore Neil Toloza said. “We don’t have a and would be completely privately funded. stadium like that near us so it will be exciting With this new land, his proposal promises to

“

establish 58 acres of public park, maintaining green space for Miami.

While the prospect of Miami Freedom Park seems perfect for the city, some major drawbacks of the actual proposal must be addressed. Traffic and the lack of transparency surrounding the proposal are the two main reasons people are opposed to the project.

The extensive amount of construction would affect the nearby Dolphin Expressway, increasing traffic on an already busy street.

Moreover, the lack of transparency has left much confusion on Beckham’s actual plans, making it harder for both the public and the city to hold him accountable for all his promises. If not held accountable, the city would risk losing out on tons of money and the First Tee’s charity.

Before the city comes to a decision, Beckham’s proposal must reach full transparency. Without this transparency, it would be incredibly difficult for voters to trust such a large and costly venture. With more than a billion dollars funneling into it, the dangerous line between an incredible park with every promise by Beckham fulfilled and one of the largest private realty failures in the city’s history must be considered by the voters as they decide the fate of Melreese.

Despite these issues, the Miami Freedom Park still represents a promising and profitable plan for the community, offering a new zone of entertainment for locals and soccer fans with its stadium and stores.

Maintaining the green space with its public park and soccer fields, the predicted tourism from the park and the increase of employment would only serve to benefit the city. Most importantly however, the proposal keeps the First Tee, preserving the benevolent spirit of the Melreese golf course for the generations to come. h

by the numbers cost of construction seats in the proposed soccer stadium

18 opinion

25,000 110

acres of green space in Miami Freedom Park

amount of jobs the proposal promises to create

11,000

600,000

square feet of retail, restaurant and entertainment space

h sports

Dancing to new beat Gablettes prepare for the coming year after a change in director

By Sara Ebrahimi, Staff Writer

H

IGH KICKS AND the school system. checkered vests were never After working as the dance director out of the ordinary for the at South Dade Senior High School new Gablettes coach, Erika Diaz. The for 10 years, Diaz hopes to bring her Cavalier alumna has returned to her enthusiasm and skill for blossoming alma mater to revamp the team and young talent to the Gablettes. Her goals elevate them to even higher levels of as coach include focusing on building success. a strong team of trained dancers by From the age of seven, Diaz fell in polishing their technical skills as well love with dance. Watching her idols like as incorporating better hip-hop routines, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Paula Abdul and refining their contemporary and jazz and Michael Jackson on MTV sparked choreographies. her career as a dancer. She has a long “Competitively I want them to be history of performing, starting dance at the top. I want everyone, not just in Joe Michael’s Dance Studio in 1986 and Miami but in the nation to know who the later progressing to the Gablettes dance Gablettes are,” Diaz said. team.

She strives for As a Gablette, perfection in every Diaz took part in routine because she top-tier kick and COMPETITIVELY, I wants the Gablettes to pom-pom routines, be known once again WANT THEM TO as national champions. which resulted in BE THE TOP. I She likes to bring in multiple national championships. Her WANT EVERYONE, accomplished dancers team created an and choreographers NOT JUST IN to help the team gain unbreakable bond, and MIAMI, BUT confidence and skill to this day, they still keep in touch.

IN THE NATION in varieties of dance, Diaz first took including ballet and TO KNOW WHO acrobatics, which help part in choreographing THE GABLETTES improve their turns, as a sophomore in high school, when ARE. leaps, tricks and overall the former Gablettes ERIKA DIAZ, performance. director, Rosanna “They have a lot to GABLETTE COACH improve, and a lot to Karpiac, helped her start creating routines. grow but they work so “My sophomore hard, I have no doubt year I was choreographing for the they’ll get there,” Diaz said.

Gablettes, and I guess I just never Along with a greater focus on stopped,” Diaz said. technique, team bonding is an essential While studying to earn a degree in aspect of a successful team for Diaz, dance education at Florida International because she wants to create a setting University, Diaz’s love of dance drove where her team feels cared for and happy her into teaching, choreographing and to practice. Over the summer, she worked managing for local dance studios in the on different activities with the team to Miami area. In 2001, she packed up help the students in different grade levels and moved to Los Angeles, California feel more comfortable dancing with to become the Studio Manager at the each other and inspire a sense of unity highly acclaimed Millennium Dance among them, which would benefit the Complex. Within a few months she team in future group performances and also became the Artistic Director of the competitions.

Junior Program/Arts Academy, where “I hope to retire from here, and build she managed for five years. In 2007, this program back to what it was. I just Diaz moved back to Miami, and in the want kids to come in here and know that following year she started teaching in they have a family,” Diaz said. h

“

TERRIFIC TECHNIQUE: (Top) Freshman Erika Diaz poses with teammate Ivette Hackney, (Bottom) Gablette director, Erika Diaz leads the team in ballet routines.

urt

Co

z

Dia

rika

fE

o esy

s

ght

hli

ig i/h

him bra

E ra

Sa

sports 19

CAVALIER SECRET

WARRIORS

Students throughout the school come out of hiding and reveal their varied martial arts skills

By Ruben Escobar, Business Manager

H

IDDEN IN THE SHADOWS of the school, secret warriors from different backgrounds lie in waiting.

Some students hold clandestine double lives and keep their skills hidden away, while others more openly express their skills in the martial arts through social media but still remain undercover while walking the halls.

Martial arts are a common after school activity and sport that are usually practiced and taught in studios, dojos or institutions.

This activity is very popular during childhood, but once adolescence is reached many children stray away from the art and go into mainstream sports.

Every one of these students has trained for years to become warriors, with each one focusing on different forms of martial arts such as karate, taekwondo or mixed martial arts, each one putting in time and effort to earn their black belt, make a career out of martial arts or to find something to nerd out about.

These are the school’s very own secret warriors.

ROARING IN THE RING

20 sports

the most sincere and beautiful friendships.”

This foundation also offers services such as General Education Diploma (GED) programs, domestic violence education for victims, education on the importance of childhood obesity and a few other after school programs and lessons. In addition to these programs, the Young Tigers Foundation promises to teach its students proper behavior, respect and compassion. Through these lessons, students learn the values of being a functioning member of society, which Manalich has taken advantage of.

Manalich is open and proud about his MMA skills. He regularly posts pictures and videos of his training on his social media pages where he considers himself a martial artist, yet his skills are only known to the digital world.

MMA is commonly described as one of the world’s fastest growing sports. Due to this,

Manalich sees a future career in MMA that will bring him success through hardship and a lifestyle he would enjoy in the near future.

“I see MMA as a future career,” Manalich said. “MMA is a sport that has been growing throughout the years and one day it will be the biggest sport in the world... Being a professional fighter would be a lifestyle I would definitely enjoy.”

Ruben Escobar/highlights

Starting at the age of four, senior Maikel Manalich’s dedication to kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) has been present throughout his entire life. MMA is a mixture of many different types of martial arts and combines kicking with punching. Thus, resulting in a more rigorous and aggressive form of fighting.

Kickboxing is a mixture of karate and boxing, which, like MMA, consists of both kicking and punching.

Due to his love for fighting and competitive nature, Manalich took up MMA and has been practicing for over 12 years. He trains regularly from Monday through Saturday at the Young Tigers Foundation, an MMA studio that focuses on the rehabilitation of troubled youths teaching children ages 12 to 18 through boxing, fitness, muay thai, mixed martial arts and submission grappling.

“Young Tigers Foundation has made a second home for me,” Manalich said. “They have given me the opportunity to train with the best coaches in the world, train with the best fighters in the world and make some of

A FOOLED WARRIOR unless they bring it up.

“I don’t mind if people know. I don’t go out of my way to let them know or anything,” Babani said. “It usually just comes up randomly in conversation.”

At Brickell Karate, a commonly used belt ranking system is employed. Starting with a white belt and ending with the black, students must train and practice to conquer specific challenges to graduate to the next belt or stripe.

Four stripes must be earned in order to move up to the next belt. Babani has recently graduated to a first degree black belt and cannot graduate to the second degree black belt until she is at least eighteen years of age.

During her eight years of shotokan, Babani learned more than just self-defense. She had been taught obedience, respect and other attributes through training and discipline.

“I think it’s good to have hobbies and to know different skills to be well-rounded. And [martial arts] is a very good skill to have.”

Babani said. “Since I started when I was little, they taught me discipline and how being humble is important.”

Ruben Escobar/highlights

After being fooled by her own parents, junior Bridget Babani has been practicing shotokan for about nine years.

“Shotokan doesn’t focus on cutting boards or the type of stuff you see on TV. It’s more focused on self-defense,” Babani said.

Twice a week, Babani can be found training at Brickell Karate, an affordable karate dojo that offers after-school programs for kids and teens and also teaches adult self-defense classes. Selfdefense is why Babani continues to practice shotokan.

“I started karate when I was seven because my parents told me to get in the car. I thought we were getting ice cream, but then they dropped me off [at the Brickell Karate dojo], so I didn’t really have a choice,” Babani said. “Once I started and made friends, I began to like it, so now I kind of do it to learn self-defense and to do something active.”

Additionally, Babani finds shotokan to be fun, a good way to stay active and therapeutic for her because it allows her to let out all her stress and frustration from her daily life.

Babani is open about shotokan but does not mention it to her friends or anyone else she interacts with or talks to throughout the day,

UNDERCOVER NERD

ghts

ighli

ar/h

cob

n Es

hits you in the back of the head from behind. All your martial arts goes out the window,” Paba said.

Like Babani, Paba says that he is open about his skills in taekwondo and other forms of martial arts but does not like to show it off because he has not perfected his craft. “[Taekwondo is] not something that I like to keep hidden, especially since I’m a very outgoing person,” Paba said. “I’m not embarrassed about it or anything, but I know I’m not the greatest taekwondo practitioner, so it wouldn’t be my first line, like ‘Hey I do taekwondo.’ That’s not my main identity or my main identifier.”

However, his passion for the martial arts is what pushes him to continue with taekwondo despite having little time to practice.

“It’s my nerd-out,” Paba said. “I can tell you all kinds of things about that sort of [martial art] if you let me, but I don’t want to bore anyone about that.” h

e Rub

Disguised as a wrestler by day, senior Marcel Paba considers himself a taekwondo practitioner by night. Despite having dabbled in other forms of martial arts, such as judo and jiu jitsu, Paba has turned his focus to taekwondo the past four years. Taekwondo is a martial art that focuses more on kicking rather than punching, whereas normal karate has a balance of both.

Paba practices taekwondo at Kick LLC, a local martial arts institution that offers taekwondo lessons for almost all ages, starting from the age of four and extending past 70.

However, with wrestling season taking up most of his time, Paba has limited his practices to approximately an hour two days a week. Despite this, he continues to practice as much as possible and tries to learn more about taekwondo with every practice.

Paba also practices taekwondo to be prepared for combat, but says that it will not be a useful skill when in danger outside of a martial arts studio.

“If you think that doing your martial art will defend you in the street you’re probably wrong.

You don’t know what the scenario is and you could be walking in the street when someone

sports 21

College football’s toxic culture Recent details about Maryland football, bring the sports culture under fire

By Dylan Carol, Editor-in-Chief

22 sports

ex

An

to n

/h i

gh

lig

ht

s

ins

ton

/h ig

hli

gh

ts

“If you know you’re being pushed too hard you should just stop. Your coach just wants to push you to get the best out of you. You should push yourself, just not so much that you die.”

D’Angelo Paul Senior

eW

Maryland football’s issues, which came to a head with McNair’s death, are deeply rooted in the culture of extreme physicality that exists in college football, and its implementation by the coaching staff.

McNair reportedly began to show signs of fatigue and physical distress an hour before a 911 call was made, according to ESPN, which demonstrates severe negligence on the part of the strength and conditioning staff in charge of the practice and a fatal manifestation of the toxicity of the culture that head coach DJ Durkin has fostered in his program.

Additionally, ESPN reported that shockingly extreme verbal and psychological abuses, such as forcing overweight players to eat candy bars while watching their teammates work out in the gym, force feeding players to

Al

oir

Source: Orthopaedic Center

students speak up

eg

DID YOU KNOW?

From July 1990 through June 2010, an average of 12.1 college and high school football players die per year.

the point of regurgitation and throwing light weights at those who underperformed in the training room, were commonplace.

Maryland is certainly not alone in its perversion of the values of physicality that football is built upon. In January of 2017, three Oregon players were hospitalized after a training session with the conditioning staff, bringing about some questions about the intensity of their practices.

An example of verbal abuse featured former University of Florida head coach Jim McElwain’s tirade on the sideline towards a player who made a throat slash gesture that cost the Gators an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in 2015, in which he also came close to hitting the running back.

Although not as horrific as the Maryland situation, these instances further reinforce the toxic environment created by the prevailing attitude around college football. When coaching staffs are sacrificing the safety of their players, it is the culture of the sport, not just the actions of the individuals that need to be addressed.

Strength and toughness are undoubtedly vital to football. Coaches should push their players to their limits and help them perfect their craft. All coaches have a unique coaching style that may be more physically taxing than another. There will always be locker room jargon that may not be acceptable outside its doors and there will always be players that need to be guided more than others and differently than others. However, when the methods and motivations for these goals become cynical, as they did with Maryland and McNair, the parties involved need to be held accountable by their athletic departments and the NCAA. Coaches must always maintain strong personal relationships with the players they promised to protect and mold into adults, and put that above everything else, even their jobs. Success has been wrongly associated with overwhelming strength, the gridiron has been wrongly associated with a battlefield and players have been unfairly deemed expendable. The cult to the extreme must give way to a more reasonable and player-first culture in order for the sport to move forward, and to prevent anything close to the tragic death of McNair from happening again. h

Gr

G

RUELING conditioning s e s s i o n s , physically taxing drills and questionable motivational methods have been a part of college football since its inception. But, after details surrounding the death of University of Maryland offensive lineman Jordan McNair in June recently emerged, that long standing culture has been rightfully brought into question. McNair’s tragic death after suffering from a heatstroke at a practice in May, has not only shed light upon the horrors of the Maryland football program, but has also led people around the sport to challenge the manner in which coaches approach their players and the game itself.

The culture of verbal and physical abuse that comes with college football is something that extends beyond Maryland, and must be addressed in order to ensure the safety of the players and the future of the sport as a whole.

“Well I think that this has to do with motivation and the players need motivation to make them work harder but then, it goes to a certain extent.Some coaches take it overboard, some coaches don’t.”

Brayan Gonzalez Senior

Racial tensions invade the field With the World Cup in the rear view mirror, the issue of racism in the sport still remains

By Dilan Denham, Staff Writer

T

HROUGHOUT the World Cup, it was not hard to miss one of The Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) biggest problem —racism. This issue has been going on since national teams started selecting players who held partial nationality, in countries which may already struggle with racial tension. These players end up facing backlash regardless of whether or not they play well, and face even more criticism when the team loses because of their nationalities and racial backgrounds.

The incident that brought the conversation to a head took place at the start of the World Cup when Mesut Ozil and İlkay Gündoğan, German players of Turkish descent, faced harsh racism at the start of the tournament after being photographed with the Turkish president.

According to the BBC, Ozil received hate mail and threats, and was later blamed for Germany’s “disappointing” World Cup performance.

This only added to the mistreatment he had been receiving from the German Football Association, due in part to his nationality.

Consequently, Ozil retired from international soccer in a social media post that included grievances about being marginalized in German society and being blamed for losses despite having won the 2014 World Cup, a shocking and disappointing display from the Germans towards one of their star players.

Similarly Romelu Lukaku, a Belgian

striker of Congolese descent who has lived in Belgium his whole life, still faces racism. In the World Cup qualifiers Lukaku scored 11 goals in just eight games, but after losing to France in the semi-finals, Lukaku was subject to racism and was blamed along with other multi-ethnic players on the team, who faced a wave of backlash and racist insults following the game. When he played well, Belgium would praise him as a top striker but when his team played badly, he was called out as a striker of Congolese descent.

DID YOU KNOW?

Out of the 32 countries who played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, 97 of the players competing were foreignborn.

Source: National Geographic

It is evident that racism is still prominent in world soccer, as even some of the biggest stars of multi-ethnic backgrounds are subject to racial berating. The lack of acceptance toward these players who have worked just as a hard as any other professionals is incredibly demeaning and disrespectful. Racism can cause for unstable relationships and can lead to negative feelings towards the players’ country of heritage. In addition to its moral shortcomings racial tensions can derail a team as seen with the most recent German squad.

On the other hand, the French national team has seemed to mitigate this issue, with many players of African descent representing the country. France has come to understand the need for diversity within a team and now relishes in the success it brings. This is due in part to France’s 1998 World Cup victory on home soil, when the team relied on its star player, Zinedine Zidane, who is of Algerian descent, to lead them to glory. That year’s triumph coined the term “noir, blanc, beur” or “black, white or Arab”, echoing the same sense of multicultural unity that helped lift France to its second World Cup twenty years after their first.

A key difference between French success and German failure in the World Cup, and other national teams that have had racism problems in the past, was their embracement of multiethnic players. France’s victory is a symbol of the power of multiculturalism and the necessity to move past the toils of racial tension.

The issue is definitely a complex one, but FIFA and society as a whole needs to make a more concerted effort to address racism and the destructive ramifications it has, along with their anti-discrimination campaigns. Responsibility also falls upon the shoulders of the individual fan bases, who are at the heart of the problem and need to come together to rally around those who have been singled out by the racists within them. France’s triumph is a testament to the importance of diversity and an example for those countries struggling with issues of racism, who need to become more accepting in order to be successful. h

by the numbers Zinedine Zidane, a player of Algerian decent scored two goals in the 1998 World Cup Final for France.

14 out of 23 players on France’s team have immigrant parents.

23%

of Germany’s team are of foreign decent.

Source: NetBet

sports 23

h

Kream of the Krop

the scene

Mr. Kream, a hip hop themed parlor, melts the barriers of a traditional ice cream shop

By Natalia Pallas, Staff Writer

24 the scene

Nata

/high allas lia P

light

s

w

HEN ENTERING MR. kream, the aroma of baked goods and sound of rap music sets the mood. This Wynwood ice cream shop overlooking North Miami Avenue fuses hip-hop culture into their decadent treats, attracting customers and tourists from all over. Run by Ari Kalimi, also known as DJ Affect, and other widely known DJ’s, it is safe to say that this dairy lounge is like no other.

“I came up as a hip-hop DJ and producer and one of the things I learned that was lacking in the culinary industry was the … entertainment,” Kalimi said.

Kalimi established Mr. Kream in 2016, deciding to combine two of his passions: ice cream and music, with the goal of bringing friends and families together.

Inside the building, what immediately catches the eye of many visitors is the DJ set. Located behind their wall of modern artists, the set highlights the ice cream shop’s distinct musical atmosphere. The spunky graffiti artwork also emphasizes the influence of hip-hop and Wynwood style inside the shop.

“We have a variety of rich and incredible flavors, and they’re not like your normal ice cream,” employee Breon James said.

Each ice cream is inspired and named after a hip-hop artist with careful consideration from Mr. Kream’s team. Their most popular flavor is the “2 Live Blue,” a combination of blue cookies and cream and cookie dough inspired by the cookie monster. Other flavors include “Gucci Lemonade,” a lemon sorbet, and “Red Alert,” a creamy red velvet ice cream with chunks of cake. “Rock Steady,” a chocolate ice cream mixed with peanut butter and chocolate morsels, also stands as a crowd favorite.

Another one of Mr. Kream’s trademarks is their edible spray paint, which serves as a

topping for the ice cream.

All ice cream flavors cost $5 for the initial scoop. Ice cream can be served in either a cup or a cone, cones being 75 cents more. Customers are welcome to sit inside and play the board games on the table. From Uno to Jenga to arcade machines, Mr. Kream offers a variety of enjoyable games to play with while savoring the ice cream.

“Mr. Kream is a special place because of its chill environment and how it makes a perfect place to hangout with friends,” freshman Jasming Senel said. “And having their own personalised arcade machine is a pretty cool feature.”

Aside from ice cream, the menu provides many affordable options with prices ranging from $2.50 to $14, which include: baked goods, shakes and floats. Priced at $4, “Home of the fat boy” is a chewy brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, drizzled with chocolate fudge and caramel sauce. “Gucci goes to Mexico” is a float that combines sorbet and Jarritos soda at the price of $7.

In addition to their indulgent treats, Mr. Kream features great service, where the workers are ready to answer customers’ questions and give out free samples.

Mr. Kream is open daily, with Monday through Thursday open from 12:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, closing time is at 2:00 a.m., while on Sundays it is 9:30 p.m.

The decision to open Mr. Kream in Wynwood was based on the emergence of the area as an art district. Now, Mr. Kream’s unique blend of ice-cream, bold flavors and hip hop music leaves a lasting impression on their customers and the rest of the Wynwood crowd. h

galaxy night

By Grace Rodriguez, Staff Writer

FunDimension arcade combines 80s themed games with modern music and lighting for the ulimate entertainment experience

Grace Rodriguez/highlights

T

HE FLASHING LIGHTS AND intergalactic atmosphere transports visitors of FunDimension to another world. On 2129 NW 1st Court, FunDimension is a unique addition to the Wynwood Art District, bringing outer space downtown.

Its outdoor bungee jump, DJ booth and fluorescent lights have gained exposure on the Internet, as well as other features such as its Laser Tag, Bumper Cars and Virtual Reality Theater, which stand out compared to the average run-of-the-mill arcade. This attraction bears a modern decoration with a retro theme that takes patrons back to the past.

On every second Saturday of the month following the Wynwood Art Walk, FunDimension hosts an event known as “Galaxy Saturdays.” From 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., guests have access to extreme indoor outings and adventures. These include arcade games, Bungee Jump, Laser Tag and more. Many different styles of arcade games are available to play, from Space Invaders to Crossy Road to NBA Basketball.

On Galaxy Saturdays, guests may purchase a FunDimension Game Card, which grants access to unlimited plays in the Arcade and a slice of pizza for only $5. For $30, guests may purchase the Galaxy Saturday

Full Package, which allows unlimited plays in the Arcade, unlimited rounds in Laser Tag, a ride in the Virtual Reality Theater and the all-important pizza slice. Additionally, the FunDimension cafe provides a variety of rice bowls, salads and sandwiches at relatively low prices, ranging from $3 to $19.

“I usually spend about three to four hours here…the arcade games are really cool. I love playing Space Invaders,” freshman Maria Alconero said.

Quesada is the DJ for Galaxy Saturdays but also runs his own DJ business, Volksmusik.

The inspiration for creating FunDimension came from the owner’s family.

Her feelings were mutual among those of her friends, who struggle with finding a play area appropriate for their children and their gas tank, also echoed her sentiment.

“I have an eight-year-old son and I noticed they had nothing [in the area] for the whole family. There’s nothing near me for the entire family to do indoors,” founder Joyce Frohman said.

Frohman had a clear vision of what she wanted her arcade to be, but not a concrete plan on how to execute it.

Though the arcade faced multiple

challenges in its establishment, FunDimension is thriving against all odds and proving to be a successful business and entertainment venture.

“There were a lot of challenges [in establishing], when it came to permits, getting the city of Miami to allow it... It delayed opening for about eight months,” Frohman said.

Although FunDimension was originally intended to be a play center for children and their families, Frohman has discovered that it has also become a hangout place for young adults.

“At night, we cater to teenagers, millennials and even adults and corporate groups. [It’s] well-received because it’s an upscale family center… hopefully one day we’ll open a second one… it is something that we definitely contemplate,” Frohman said.

The abundance and variety of activities at FunDimension provide something for everyone to enjoy, whether it is electromechanical games, outdoor outings or the tasty treats served at the Cafe. Nevertheless, friends and families can still come together and enjoy the night together on Galaxy Saturdays. h

the scene 25

Juicense

Açaí

Craze

By Audrey Weigel, Staff Writer

As the açaí trend has spread across the nation, juice bars and restaurants in Miami have been offering them as a staple to their menu.

T

he violet, round shaped berry grows on açaí palm trees in South and Central America. While its health benefits were initially recognized in Rio, açaí eventually became known on a global scale. Today, the healthy treat has become wildly popular among the streets of Miami, with various juice bars offering it on their menu. Ranging from Purple Orchid to GreenLife, açaí has become a staple in our diet.

As a superfood, açaí boasts of various health benefits. Açaí is loaded with antioxidants, healthy fats and fiber, which makes it a great choice for a healthy snack. Users have the freedom of adding a multitude of toppings, including fruits, oatmeal, granola and coconut flakes, which add texture and taste to the indulgent bowls.

26 the scene

Juicense is an organic juice bar perfect for customers interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Attracting customers from the heart of Coconut Grove, Juicense displays a more modern atmosphere. Pedestrians walking their dogs in the area are allowed to bring them inside, thanks to the bar’s friendly atmosphere. Juicense was founded by Mariana Diez, a certified dietician who made sure that every item on the menu had a variety of health benefits for the customers. Located on 2992 Mcfarlane Road in Coconut Grove, the bar’s most popular item is their açai bowl. They offer customers a variety of bases, toppings and boosts to choose from.

“It’s made on [the] spot while other places get the puree shipped to them and they just place it in a machine, like an ice cream machine, but over here we blend it on site. We just make it fresh every time,” manager Lucas Quirino said.

The “Classic” base with the “Get Fit” topping for $11.75 is the most popular combination.

GreenLife Organic Bistro On the corner of Giralda under the colorful umbrella sky, Green Life is a bistro that allows its customers to customize their own açai bowls. Due to this, the bistro is not only an ideal spot for eating, but also taking pictures. Located on 104 Giralda Ave, Green Life’s most popular bowl is “The O.G.” for $11.99.

“It’s good because as a vegetarian, I don’t usually find healthy options. I’m usually restricted to cheese and bread, so it’s nice to walk into a place where I know everything there can fit into my diet,” sophomore Daniela Parra del Riego said.

Because of its close proximity to the school, Green Life is an ideal location for students to enjoy a quick lunch.

“I think the general atmosphere and the decor [sets Green Life apart],” employee Tristan Manley said. “We have our slogan: 99 percent of our products are organic, seasoned or locally sourced, so I think that probably separates us from other places in Miami where you don’t know really know where the fruit is coming from.”

Purple Orchid

The Agudelo Peres family founded Purple Orchid three years ago, attracting customers because of their Brazilian authenticity. The shop was named after one of their most popular smoothies, which has been offered since they initially opened. Located on 100 S Biscayne Blvd, the smoothie and juice bar only uses natural ingredients. Their açai base is 24 ounces, while other bowls vary from nine to 12 ounces for a similar price.

Similar to a salad bar, Purple Orchid offers a variety of different toppings and allows its customers to be able to choose what they want to add or take away from the base bowls. Customers can choose from the bar’s menu or make their own. “The Strawberry” sells for $10.95 per bowl.

“Everything is fresh, that’s our main constant, you know it’s something we really care about,” owner Sara Agudelo said.

Green Berry Fresh

Green Berry is boutique styled, featuring a relatively smaller and more intimate location. Located on 305 Alcazar Ave, customers can choose to sit outside under the patio umbrellas near the green ivy wall, an addition that allows customers to enjoy their cold açai. Food can be prepared to eat there or to go, convenient for customers who are in a rush. It offers one base açai bowl, the “Organic Acai Bowl,” which costs $10.49. Parking is convenient, as there are several Coral Gables municipal lots nearby and Pay By Phone is an option.

“When you make something, you make it with patience and love...I think that’s something that everyone here puts into the preparation of the acai, because when I see it, they probably have the same stuff, but it’s the patience and love that sets it apart,” manager Adriana Garcia said. h

Do It Yourself Ingredients: For the base: *1 (100g) packet frozen açaí *1 frozen banana *1/4 cup milk or yogurt

Choices for toppings: *granola *coconut flakes *mix of berries *honey

Instructions: *Using the high-power feature on a blender, combine açaí berry packet, frozen banana and milk or yogurt *Blend until smooth consistency (without chunks) Karina Wu/highlights

*Pour into a bowl and add choice of toppings the scene 27

S CHOOL iS IN SES SION? BY: ANNIE LA ROCHE

Florida, the state with the third-largest amount of charter schools, has invested millions into these privately-operated institutions with aspirations of providing a higher quality education. However, with many charters known to fail early in their operation due to ffifiinancial burdens and mismanagement, taking taxpayer money with them, highlights weighs the advantages of these schools compared to traditional public education.

28 insight

DID YOU KNOW?

Miami-Dade has lost $7.9 millon from 19 former charter schools that have closed such as Cooperative Charter School, pictured here.

Source: Department of Education

Sutton Payne/highlights

4 features

B

EGINNING WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE Florida Charter School Statues in 1996, charter schools have become a growing and viable option for many families. The establishment of charter schools is predicated upon providing free, high quality education that is specialized to promote each individual student’s success. Charter schools are free, independently run public schools. In comparison with traditional public schools however, they differ greatly in terms of how they operate and where their funding comes from. Charter schools act as an autonomous division of the district. While both types of education are entitled to funding from the state, charters also receive additional funding from private investors. In principle, charter schools seem appealing, as they offer a feasible alternative to traditional public education with no centralized curriculum and more educational adaptability from student to student. Many families are opting to choose charters based on these principles and some have proven to be successful, as 34 percent of “A” schools in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) are in fact charter schools. This offers an explanation for why charter schools are growing by 400,000 students annually across the state, according to the Florida Department of Education, with MDCPS being no exception. However, overrun by mismanagement, financial loss and lack of transparency and accountability, there are many overlooked complications that result in charter school closing and poverty-stricken students lacking education.

Recently, Florida’s 37 commissioners proposed an amendment that would entirely reform public education. Amendment 8, which is up for vote in the November general election, consists of three constitutional changes: limiting school board positions to eight years, requiring civic literacy to be taught in all schools and taking the power of supervision of all public schools, including charters, away from local school boards and handing it to the state, the latter being the most contentious of the proposed amendments. Essentially deregulating charter schools even further, Amendment 8 could exacerbate the fundamental issue with charter schools, lack of oversight breeding rampant mismanagement, bringing the viability of charter schools as a whole to the forefront.

In reality, anyone can open and run a charter school if they receive the funding to do so.

Charter schools operate independently, leaving the decisions on finances, curriculum and spending up to the owner of the school. Many charter schools in Florida have closed due to poor school management and misuse of funds. Liberty City Charter School, opened in 1996 by Jeb Bush, attracted many low income students as it was located in the neighborhoods of Miami’s Overtown. During its years of operation, Liberty City initially received excellent score and grade reports, which led to the establishment of more charter schools across the state, hoping to recreate the same academic success

insight 29

for more children. However, due to a lack of funding and proper oversight, the school later faced financial struggles, slipped to a C-rated school and closed in 2008. Another case of a charter school closure was the Balere Language Academy in South Miami Heights. The school had an “A” rating but was struggling financially with almost $230,000 in debt.

They could not recover and eventually closed in 2012. Although many charter schools have A ratings and achieve academic excellence, some are not able to maintain it due to the fact that the business behind the scenes can tarnish the school’s educational standards. This is a problem unique to charters, as the Florida Consortium of Public Charter Schools reported that no public school operated by a Florida school district has ever been closed for poor performance, while 387 charter schools have closed since 1997.

Regardless, the charter school movement has gained momentum in recent years, as more and more schools are being opened in and around the country. However, when schools like Liberty City or Balere Language Academy fail, a huge amount of money is lost. An educational blog, Niche, claims 24 percent of charter schools close due to mismanagements.

The Florida Department of Education also reported that charter schools have received more than $760 million from Florida taxpayers since 2000, many of which have closed abruptly, which in turn led to a waste of public funds by a private entity.

Charter schools are publicly funded on a perpupil basis, meaning that the less students they have, the less money they receive. On average, charter schools tend to receive less funding than traditional public schools and have to rely on grants, awards and donations for supplemental funding and capital government expenditures.

Typically, in order to compensate for their low-

SPEAK UP

“

What are your thoughts on charter schools?

“I had a very good experience at my charter school. They pushed me forward in my education and took care of my personal difficulties in the classroom environment.”

Sophomore Olbin Gil

30 insight

budget, they hire private organizations, known been accused of charging students illegal fees as Educational Management Organizations and faking attendance records to earn more (EMOs). EMOs began in the 1990s as fortax dollars. This stigma has not shown to be profit entities bringing entrepreneurship into an anomaly as the current charter school laws the public-school system. EMOs replace the are aimed more at promoting the schools rather management of a school and independently than policing them. handle the school’s operations. All charter The decentralized budget of charter schools must be non-profit, however, these schools was implemented to allow a more schools are able to hire efficient spending of for-profit management resources that conforms thus bypassing the better to each school’s state’s charter school individual needs.

CHARTER SCHOOLS ARE However, as mentioned regulations. Because of this, for-profit EMO’s A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD by the Education run roughly 16 percent BECAUSE THEY ARE RUN Policy Center, most of all charter schools, charter schools spend PRIVATELY, AND WHEN a significant amount according to the Center for Public Education.

RUN PRIVATELY THEIR of their money on In this aspect, students’ and MAIN GOAL IS TO MAKE administration education becomes management rather MONEY AND THEY ARE than catering to incentivized for a respective company’s specific GOING TO CUT CORNERS students’ profits. needs.

Considering that TO MAKE MONEY. THESE The privatization 70 percent of charter SCHOOLS SHUT DOWN school’s budgets are of the public school system creates a WITHOUT WARNING AND spent on instruction, the loosely regulated THESE KIDS ARE RUINED quality of teaching is administration that advertised to be better.

AND IT’S A SHAME. However, unlike public poses fiscal risk. The ADOLFO COSTA schools, not all charter popularity of charter schools creates a PRINCIPAL schools require their vehicle for corruption. teachers to be certified.

For example, The “Charter schools Life Skills Center of are a double-edged Miami-Dade County was criticized for paying sword because they are run privately, and 97 percent of its income to a management when run privately their main goal is to make companies. Many of which own the property money and they are going to cut corners to used by the schools, sometimes collecting make money. These schools shut down without more than 25 percent of a school’s revenue in warning and these kids are ruined and it’s a lease payments according to the Miami Herald. shame.” said Principal Adolfo Costa.

The Academy of Arts and Minds, recently Charter schools, if run properly, can closed for financial reasons, has been even offer many benefits for students seeking

“There needs to be more funding put into the public school system. Charter schools need to be controlled by the state in order for kids to succeed as well.”

Freshman Mia Betancort

“I think there should be more control from the district because locally they know what each individual school needs.

It also provides an oversight of charters that is clearly neccessary.”

Junior Alfonso Pryer

a non-traditional style of education. For students who are more comfortable in a smaller learning environment, there are many drawbacks of attending the local, largelypopulated public school, and the individualism advocated by charter schools can aid them more appropriately in their academic future.

According to U.S. News Education, two out of the top five schools in Florida are charters.

However, this can be misleading. Since they are magnet schools, charter schools have been criticized for hand picking their students in order to better their academic output and receive higher testing scores.

In order to make charter schools more accessible for all students, funds should be allocated to developing Exceptional Student Education (ESE) or English as Second Language (ESOL) programs as offered in traditional public schools. By denying minority students such as these their education, charter schools fail to deliver the diverse and quality learning experience children benefit from.

Presented as “schools of choice”, charter schools are offering an alternative approach to education that is growing in approval. The abrupt closures do not seem to hinder their growth whatsoever as charters are opening and at higher and higher rates, according to Stanford’s CREDO study. However, the millions of public dollars spent on charter schools should not be overlooked. Charters divert money from the vast majority of students that are attending public schools. Whether this means addressing the mismanagement and providing more state oversight or providing more immediate funding or even focusing on public education , the charter school dilemma needs to be discussed. There needs to be more transparency and accountability within the charter school system, because the public should know where their money is going. h

ABANDONED:

Established in 1996 as the first charter school in the state of Florida, Liberty City Charter paved the way for the charter school movement. However, struggling with financial deficits, infastrastucture limitations and a lack of resources, the school closed in 2008, taking a total of nearly $1.2 million in state funding in its 12 years of operation. As most of their funding was spent on rent and property insurance, only $133,000 has since been recovered. As pictured in present day, paint-torn walls, shattered windows and loose trash cover its grounds. The property now acts as a ruin of the forgotten school and a failing system.

Sutton Payne/highlights

By the Numbers

387

THE U.S.

AVERAGE FUNDING PER STUDENT

charter schools have closed since 1997 in Florida.

FLORIDA

6x 3rd has had a

INCREASE IN CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE PAST 15 YEARS.

4 features

has the

MOST CHARTER SCHOOLS IN THE COUNTRY.

Sources: Department of Education, National Alliance for Charter Schools

$6,585 CHARTER SCHOOLS $10,771 PUBLIC SCHOOLS insight 31

Find us online Like our page: highlights Follow us: @highlightscghs

cavsconnect.com/category/ highlights-submissions/ Questions? Email us at highlightscghs@gmail.com.

What’s your opinion? Tell us your point of view on a topic published in highlights with an email titled “Letter to the Editor.” We reserve the right to publish any letters sent to this email.

lightbox Teachers participate in a question and answer exercise at their “Opening of School” meeting at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens on Aug. 16. The meeting was held to set goals for the coming year and boost morale.