The Blueprint - Volume 18, Issue 2

Midterm elections

Expected congressional ‘red wave’ falls short

WHERE ARE ALL THE GIRLS?

State runner-up Volleyball finishes the season second in state

STEM is the fastest growing field, but unlike senior Helen Zou (below), few girls pursue it. Read the story on pages 10-11. Photo | Shannon Hahn

Florida Republicans maintain power, ‘red wave’ falls short

Knoblauch | News Editor

For most students, bubbling in responses only comes with standardized tests and exams, but for those over 18, a simple answer sheet could uphold democracy and change.

“I found it important to go vote for these [midterm] elections because they can allow the citizens of Florida to voice their opinions,” senior Veronica Yanes-Nadal said. “As a young Hispanic woman, I feel it is my duty to voice what I feel is right.”

On Nov. 8, the midterm elections closed across the United States. Electing state governors, senators and representatives, the midterm elections serve to determine the majority control of Congress, which according to major news outlets, is still up for debate. While the final results of the midterms may not be determined until December, as Georgia will require a Senate runoff election, experts project that Republicans will likely take control of the House, but not by as large of a margin as was expected.

Historically, there is a trend in midterm elections where the current president’s party experiences a major loss of congressional seats, but this year, that projection did not occur. Experts suggest this was due to anger from the overturning of Roe v.

Wade in June and aggressive outreach to young voters through social media campaigns, which allowed the Democratic party to lessen the “red wave.” Despite the Democratic party losing eight of their seats, leaving them at 203, the GOP will still need to gain an additional six in the final results, as they currently stand at 212, with 218 seats required for majority control. Unlike the House, the U.S. Senate will remain in Democratic control with 50 representatives in the Democratic party and 49 in the GOP, with the Geogia seat heading for a runoff.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis was re-elected with a 59.4% majority vote, beating his Democratic opponent Charlie Crist. Likewise in the Senate, Republican senator Marco Rubio beat Democratic nominee Val Demmings with 57.7% of the vote. Although the percentage of Democratic votes in Florida increased, the previously labeled swing state continues to have a Republican majority.

“Honestly, I was not surprised [by the results],” senior Braden Bast said. “This is Florida; Republicans seem to win every year and the demographic of our state supports it.”

Political demographics can be seen not only in poll maps, but on campus. In a poll out of 149 students on campus, 39% said they mostly align with the Republican party. The other 42% said

they would consider themselves Democrats, and 19% chose neither. Although only 19% of students said they were able to vote in this year’s midterm elections, many still believe that being active and educated on political issues is important to the campus environment.

“You can still make your voice be heard even if you aren’t eligible to vote by voicing information on social media,” junior Haylee Citty said. “It is super important because the future of our generation rests on the decisions of congress, and as young adults growing into such a divided world, we need to act even if we cannot vote yet.”

By sharing news and information on social media, students could raise awareness for issues important to them. As Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in June, allowing state leaders to limit abortion access, women’s autonomy became a crucial issue in this year’s midterm elections. On top of abortion rights, threats to LGBTQ+ education and inflation were also key topics in the polls.

“I believe that rights, in general, are at stake,” Bast said. “Women’s rights, LGBTQ rights — just rights in general are being threatened by those in charge of our state.”

While many students and voters were concerned by these topics, only about 85% of the 17,002,480 eligible voters in Florida are actually registered, and only 46% went to the polls.

“A big [problem] is that a majority of people didn’t vote,” junior Camden Ward said. “It seems to be the people that didn’t vote that turn around and complain or question who is in the White House or Congress.”

Along with a lack of turnout among voters, a lack of education among youth also contributes to the campus environment. Through social media disputes and blind opinions, students can often get misled or misinformed about political issues and results.

“In previous years, I have posted about an election result and every once in a while, I will get responses from people belittling me for what I posted,” Bast said. “Every time this has happened, they have had no evidence or case to anything they have said.”

In order for future voting turnout to increase, many believe political awareness and education need to start as soon as possible. The more students learn about political and social issues, the better prepared they will be to form and voice their own opinions.

“I don’t believe any high school students are fully aware of all the circumstances in which these elections can fully affect our lives,” Yanes-Nadal said.

SIGN OF THE TIMES Campaign signs for the midterm elections stand outside Lawton Elementary School. After earning a majority vote of 59.4%, Gov. Ron DeSantis was re-elected for his second term, maintaining Republican power in Florida. Photo | Sarah Hinnant

Nadia

As young adults growing into such a divided world, we need to act even if we cannot vote yet.

- Haylee Citty, 11

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news briefs

Students win ‘Fall into Art’ festival

On Nov. 5, students competed in the Fall into Art street art festival in Winter Park, hosted by Chalk Art Nation. This event was centered around the Italian street art style Madonnari, and each pair of competitors from either the middle school, high school, or adult categories were given chalk and a five-by-five square to recreate traditional artwork portraits.

Chorus students attend All-County

On Nov. 3, five chorus students traveled to Millenium Middle School to work with other chorus teachers from all over Florida, including Stetson University and University of North Florida. All-County is an ensemble made up of students from all over Seminole County, which gives students the opportunity to improve their musicianship and focus on techniques in more detail. At the end of the day, students were able to perform their prepared pieces with in front of an audience.

“I look for the best students in the program that are outgoing, trustworthy and willing to put in the time and work,” Hickey said.

Students were chosen to attend

All-County to refine their skills and learn more about what it takes to grow as a whole as well as individually. For Kuerbitz, it was her chance to find confidence in her talents and achievements.

“I was really nervous and afraid that I would do it wrong and voice crack or forget something, but I did fine and I think I gained a lot of confidence from it,” Kuerbitz said.

Students were able to work on their teamwork as well as their individual craft, as they spent a lot of time making sure they were making a unified sound and giving the best performance they could.

“Things like making sure we start and stop together are really important, and we have to listen to each other to do that,” Kuerbitz said.

In the high school student category, participant awards included Best in Show, Best Reproduction EU Master Portrait, Best Reproduction EU Master NonPortrait, Best Reproduction U.S. Master Portrait, Best Reproduction U.S. Master Non-Portrait, and Best Reproduction Non-Master Photo/ Original. All competitors had to apply to participate in the festival and were judged on a scale of one to five based on the categories: impact, use of medium, presentation, effort/ care and team cooperation, with the highest pair winning in their respective categories.

Ailinh Vu and her partner Rae Tillison competed and won the Best American Master Portrait Category. The pair recreated American Gothic by Grant Wood, a famous piece created in the early 1930s, which was painted with Flemish Renaissance

influences.

Caitlyn Hale and her partner Amanda Negron created a replica of the “Woman with a Bowl” painting by Italian painter Guido Reni, earning the title of best European Master Portrait.

“It was our first time participating in this competition but we have done chalk art for different organizations before, so we had some experience,” Hale said.

The teams were able to use both teamwork and individual artistic talents to create the best product possible for the bystanders and judges alike to view. Both teams, Vu and Tillison, and Hale and Negron won a certificate and $100 prize to split between the pair.

PTSA hosts Pumpkin Painting Palooza on Oct. 26

The PTSA Student Ambassadors hosted the Pumpkin Painting Palooza on Oct. 26, an event intended for new students to get to know other people at the school.

All the pumpkins, paint, food and prizes came free to anyone who attended the event with the goal of drawing more students in. The club has hosted several events with this goal, such as the Lunch Bunch, where a collection of ambassadors sit with new students every other Wednesday.

“The student ambassadors’ new

student meeting that they had before was fun and I wanted to join after that,” freshman Michelle Henry said.

Students were competing to have the crowd favorite pumpkin, with a vote taking place when everyone finished. The theme was superhero, in which 30 participants, a mix of ambassadors and students, created 15 pumpkins with different designs.

“I think [the event is] really cool because we’re getting to know a lot more people,” junior Korielle Brodsky, who made a Ninja Turtle pumpkin said. “I wanted to meet new people and have fun by painting pumpkins.”

The winner of the event was a group of three led by sophomore Sydney Deford, who painted a black pumpkin with a purple mask. In second place, another group of three led by junior Jordan Wood, painted a city skyline with Batman inspired artwork.

“We weren’t that confident, but we ended up winning so it felt good,” second place winner Jordan Wood said. “The event was really fun and everyone was able to collaborate.”

The student ambassadors will have another Lunch Bunch event, as well as ‘Friendsgiving’ on Nov. 16 in the Group Projects Room at 1:30 p.m.

Madi Denizard | Staff Reporter

Grace Hilton | Staff Reporter

Kailey Calvo | Staff Reporter

Five students along with chorus teacher Christopher Hickey pictured. Photo | Rebecca Kuerbitz

Freshman Ava Bess

Photo | Grace Hilton

Senior Caitlyn Hale and junior Amanda Negron. Photo | Omar Otero

DRESS TO IMPRESS

(top) Senior Emma Lundquist poses in front of her “Lorax” themed trunk. The Trunk-or-Treat was held on Oct. 30 in the parking lot where many clubs hosted trunks to hand out candy.

School hosts first community trunk or treat

Lopez | Staff Reporter

It was the night before Halloween, the parking lot was full, but instead of cars fighting to get out of the lot, club members had parked their decorated cars, ranging from Harry Potter to Candy Land to a tech deck skate park. On Oct. 30, the first schoolsponsored Trunk-or-Treat took place, inviting kids from the Oviedo community to get candy and play games.

“It’s just great to provide kids candy,” Entrepreneurship Club senior Thomas Russell said. “Being able to see them happy, it’s just a great night out.”

In previous years, a Trunk-or-Treat event had been run by Best Buddies exclusively for ESE students. While Best Buddies still held their event

Friday afternoon, the school held their own Trunkor-Treat, which was open to everyone, regardless if those attending were students or not. Elementary schools that feed into Hagerty were invited to attend the event.

The event lasted from 5-7 p.m. with preparation beginning at 4 p.m. Students were incentivized to participate by having the event count as volunteer hours for Bright Futures. The volunteer hours varied for each club.

While there were not any games or activities for the trickor-treaters to play, the students made it more entertaining by dressing up with their theme. The trick-or-treaters were able to make their own fun too, like two dinosaurs chasing each other across the lot and interacting with each club.

Every trunk’s theme was wildly different.

Student government’s trunk was decked out with Harry Potter designs with the sorting hat and pennants of each Hogwarts house. One of the many Science National Honor Society trunks was designed as a Jurassic World car with a triceratops skull.

“I wanted something that was a little bit science-y and I know little kids love dinosaurs,” junior Madalynn Flynn said. “I also love the movie so I thought it would be something I could do easily.”

The event was able to give an experience that is unique to all and is quite different from the usual going up to houses to get candy. It provided the opportunity for everyone to get a chance at enjoying some kind of Halloween, even if they could not do anything on the actual holiday.

“That’s part of the fun, the creativity, you know, you just got to think a little deeper than just lab coats. It’s more entertaining for the kids,” junior Sam Schultz said.

James

(bottom) Drum majors Braden Bast and Olman Hernandez stand in front of their trunk to pass out candy. The two hosted a car to represent the Tri-M Music Honor Society.

Photos | Sarah Hinnant

(left) Senior Rita Smith puts temporary tattoos on attendees at Trunk-orTreat. This event gave the opportunity to earn Bright Futures hours.

That’s part of the fun, the creativity, you know, you just got to think a little deeper than just lab coats. It’s more entertaining for the kids.

- Sam Schultz, 11

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Hispanic Heritage Month expands to Phase Two

Janell Lim | Online Editor

As the fourth period bell rings, Ely Cardenal prepares for her performance. The music starts. Castanets in hand, Cardenal begins clapping and dancing to the fastpaced rhythm, attracting viewers and cheers.

On Sept. 23, Cardenal and her dance partner Ernesto Caballero performed the flamenco at both lunches as a part of Fiesta Fridays, just one addition to the array of activities introduced by assistant principal Reginald Miller.

Under Miller’s direction, Hispanic Heritage Month expanded to include more activities. What started as Phase One last year, which included putting up posters and flyers about Hispanic Heritage Month around campus, is now on Phase Two, which includes a much broader array of activities. This includes Fiesta Fridays, where Hispanic music or entertainment was played during both lunches, an Encanto door decorating contest led by the Black Student Union, and the creation of the Hispanic Student Union.

When FTE clerk Joanie Rodriguez heard of the plans to expand Hispanic Heritage Month activities, she immediately thought of her flamenco teacher, Cardenal. Wanting to showcase more diversity at the school, Rodriguez coordinated with her teacher and on Sept. 23, Cardenal and Caballero performed.

“There are a lot of Hispanic descendants at the school, so I thought it’d be a cool experience to have [Cardenal] perform and show us a bit of Spanish culture,” Rodriguez said.

Although flamenco is a part of Hispanic culture, students of all races and colors enjoyed the performance, with many taking pictures with Cardenal and Caballero and talking to

them afterwards.

“This is the most fun I’ve ever had at this school,” freshman Maya Chang said.

The students’ positive reception was certainly the one Cardenal had been hoping for, who said she hoped the students would want to find out more about Hispanic culture after watching her perform.

“It was nice to spread the culture here in the local community because people don’t know too much about flamenco here,” Cardenal said. “And it’s such a beautiful culture with histories from all the way in southern Spain.”

Several clubs and honor societies also took part in raising awareness, including Spanish Honor Society and student government.

“Heritage months start a conversation. People live in their own cultural bubble and it’s important that they are exposed to different things,” SHS president Ariana Seguinot said.

Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month, which lasted from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, SHS members read a daily fact about Hispanic history on the announcements, participated in a door decorating contest, and partnering with Culinary and Woof TV to create an infomercial about tortillas and their cultural significance in different countries. Seguinot, who read the first daily fact on Sept. 15, explained why that day was chosen as the first day of Hispanic Heritage Month; it is the Independence Day for five different Hispanic countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.

On their Sept. 9 meeting, SHS brainstormed which famous Hispanic people should be recognized and student government designed posters to honor famous Hispanic people like Salma Hayek, a Mexican-

American actress, Simon Bolivar, a Venezuelan military leader who won the independence of many Hispanic countries, and Domingo Liotta, an Argentine surgeon and pioneer of heart surgery.

The Black Student Union, the first in the school’s history, was created to celebrate African-American culture and history, but also prides itself in helping other minority groups achieve the same success. During Hispanic Heritage month, BSU hosted an Encanto door decorating contest. Encanto, a film released in Nov. 2021, was praised for its accurate representation of the Latin community and the deep ties that bond Hispanic families.

Similar to how each member in the Madrigal family had their own special doors in the movie, teachers decorated their doors to celebrate Hispanic heritage, and whoever had the best door decorations won $100. Early Childhood teacher Jennifer Hennessy won first place, displaying a

door decorated by sophomore Kayla Nguyen.

Senior Lizt Trapaga, the Special Events Coordinator of the BSU, wanted to create a safe space for not only black students, but students of all races and colors.

“I wanted to be part of [BSU’s] legacy. To be able to say that I was here, as well as to inspire others in the future,” Trapaga said.

Aided by the BSU, the Hispanic Student Union held an interest meeting on Sept. 29 after school in the media center.

Seguinot, who attended the meeting, feels that the Hispanic Student Union is important because it connects people across cultural boundaries.

“I hope that [the Hispanic Student Union] just brings more awareness and allows people to learn more about a culture outside of their own,” Seguinot said. “Just doing that can make an impact on the way people think and act.”

JUST DANCE Flamenco dancers Ely Cardenal and Ernesto Caballeros dance in the courtyard. Cardenal often partners with other flamenco dancers like Caballero. Photo | Sarah Hinnant

Heritage months start a conversation. People live in their own cultural bubble and it’s important that they are exposed to different things.

- Ariana Seguinot, 12

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SHS holds Live Oak food drive

Julia Sumpter | Print Editor

The Spanish Honor Society held a week-long food drive in Live Oak as a way to give back to the community.

On Monday, Oct. 24, the group dropped off a paper bag in every resident’s door handle with a flier that explained the organization’s goal and told everyone the group would be back on Saturday, Oct. 29 to pick up the bags.

The team from Jean Scott Homes led the project, which has become an annual service project for the SHS. Scott’s team provides all of the materials needed for SHS to do the manual labor.

They also map off sections of the community and split SHS members into groups, telling them where they

will drop off bags.

“We are the manpower behind it,” SHS sponsor Yvette Rhode said. “It’s like a well-oiled machine.”

Scott arranges for a box truck to pick up the food after everyone has collected it. The food collected goes straight to HOPE Helps to restock their pantries in order to provide Seminole County residents with food for the holidays.

“I’ve seen it go from almost empty to full shelves because of the people [helping],” Rhode said.

This is one of SHS’s biggest events and happens twice a school year. The group goes through Live Oak in the fall, then the Sanctuary in the spring.

“It’s kind of like a competition,” Rhode said. “Jean Scott puts out how many pounds of food versus the

other one, trying to get a rivalry going between [the two communities].”

This year, there were 127 full bags of food collected. President Ariana Seguinot looks at the numbers each year, and is continually grateful for the support.

“I feel like every year we’re surprised by how much people actually donate,” Seguinot said.

Since every honor society requires at least one service project a semester, every member of SHS was required to be a part of the drop off on Monday or pickup on Saturday for the food drive.

SHS plans on holding another service project in November called Operation Christmas Child.

“We participate in Operation Christmas Child, where you decorate a shoe box and fill it with stuff and they send it to somebody that’s [in need],” Rhode said.

SHS’s next meeting will be Nov. 17 in Rhode’s classroom 6-122.

HOLIDAY SERVICE EVENTS

Nov. 10-Dec. 10

Who: Seminole UniServ What: Accepting donations of unwrapped Christmas gifts that will be given to UniServ members. Where: Seminole UniServ office

Nov. 17-Dec. 8

Who: Spanish Honor Society

What: Operation Christmas Child; Decorating shoe boxes and filling them with goods to send to a family in need for the holidays. Where: 6-122

Dec. 17-24

Who: Thespians What: Holiday gift wrapping Where: Oviedo Mall Dec. 26

Who: Boys lacrosse What: Winter themed photo booth. Each session will cost $3 for Hagerty students and $5 for everyone else. Where: School parking lot

TBD

Who: National Art Honor Society

What: Creating a chalk mural Where: Courtyard

FULL WEEK OF WORK Spanish Honor Society members pass boxes and bags of food to fill up food pantry HOPE Helps’ shelves. SHS partnered with Jean Scott Homes team to hold a food drive, collecting a total of 127 bags. Photo | Ariana Seguinot

I’ve seen [the pantry] go from almost empty to full shelves because of the people [helping].

- Spanish Honor Society sponsor Yvette Rhode

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Y E S

Nadia Knoblauch | News Editor

How would you feel if one of your favorite artists said, “When I wake up, I’m going Death Con 3 on Jewish people.” Or this: “The Jewish people have their hand on every single business that controls the world?” Now how would you feel if they had a net worth of $1.8 billion and made even more of a profit off of these hateful statements?

These were tweets posted by famous rapper Kanye West, on Oct. 8. With over 31.7 million Twitter followers, the artist’s series of antisemitic comments and threats led to his account being restricted by the company. By making comments such as “I can say antisemitic sh*t and Adidas can’t drop me,” West has given a green light to his viewers that antisemitism and unjustified hate can be easily excused, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

opinions

Commonly seen in today’s “cancel culture,” many have called upon West’s estimated 50 million fans to stop listening to his music and supporting him as an artist. So while West has rightfully received consequences and backlash for his actions, must his fans also be held accountable? This answer is not so simple.

There is a difference between saying, “I love this Kanye song,” and “I love Kanye West.” A song is not a person. An album does not make hateful and antisemitic remarks. A shoe does not support white supremacy. However, the creator does. So where do we draw the line? It is possible to separate the art from the artist, as long as the listener understands and condemns the creator’s actions. Just because you enjoy listening to a song does not mean you do or should support the singer as a person.

What we can do is appreciate the artist’s previous work without supporting their actions

CAN YOU SEPARATE

or future releases. Of course, there will always be a profit made when streaming an artist’s music, but other releases like merchandise and product lines can be avoided more easily. It’s one thing to listen to an artist’s old music in the comfort of your home or car, but exclusively wearing Yeezy shoes and Kanye sweatshirts to school is another. If you had previously bought one of his albums, you don’t necessarily have to throw them out, but do not bring him any extra attention that could further fuel his hate.

So does this mean you shouldn’t love any music or media? Absolutely not. We can’t always control what lyrics or rhythms speak to us, but we can control which artists we support as people. So next time you’re scrolling through your playlist, don’t feel guilty for listening to “Graduation” or “The Life of Pablo,” just understand that while West has created beautiful music, his actions are unjustified and unacceptable.

Greta Carrasco | Opinions Editor

Kanye West’s most recent antisemitic comments have cost him his corporateempire and musical career. It might seem acceptable to still listen to an artist’s music as long as you don’t support them. This idea sounds delightful in theory, but it is hard to see how it could be done. The support for an artist consists of actively helping them profit by subscribing to their platforms, streaming their music, or buying their products.

In this case, West said something that is hurtful to Jewish people. His fans do not condone his actions and are looking for a way to stream his music without supporting him. However, there is no way that a fan could listen to an artist’s song without them profiting. Platforms such as Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music give creators money for their streams. Unless the platform imposes penalties for

West’s actions, the separation of music and the artist seems impossible.

Even if platforms were able to penalize artists, it is still hard to quantify how that will happen. Platforms will need to come up with a set definition of guidelines to follow during their professional and personal life. Then, they have to get changes approved and inform everyone posting content on their platform. Problems start with how much profit the platform can legally hold. All these changes are costly and can damage professional connections. The hassle is not worth it. This reinforces that the most efficient way to separate profit from the artist is for fans to stop streaming his music completely.

It might seem like wearing Kanye branded items purchased before the incident would be okay, but that reality is also difficult. Instead of using merch in public, change it for at home attire. This may seem extreme but

the merchandise is bringing exposure to the artist.

People buy products, like Yeezy, without knowing anything about the creator. If a person finds Yeezy stylish, they will be sure to buy them. Money will flow right to the creator’s pocket even if the person who bought the product did not support the creator’s actions. This mindfulness of consumer usage is complicated. This does not mean you cannot ever wear or use what you bought, but to be aware of how it could help the artist.

Every choice we make has an effect. I am not suggesting to throw away all the shirts or Yeezy you bought. Just keep them at home while the artist resolves the trouble he has caused. In the end, the choice is ours. If you really feel that Kanye’s comments were wrong, you should spend your money in alignment with your values.

opinions

An unaffordable college decision

Skyler Glenn | Editor-in-Chief

Imagine your dream school is Northwestern University. With an acceptance rate of just 7%, you tirelessly write essays and join countless clubs to raise your chances of admission. If just signing a form would increase your chances by nearly 20%, you would sign, right?

But what if it costs you $300,000?

This is what early decision looks like for many. Early decision is an admission plan offered by many selective universities, including the University of Miami, Rollins, Flagler and Florida Southern. It is binding, meaning that if a student is accepted, they have to go. Applying for early decision is simple: submit the application by the deadline and sign an agreement acknowledging that early decision is binding.

Colleges offer early decision to make the application process less stressful, but often, it does just the opposite. When student athletes sign to a school early, they get to see their scholarship and make plans months or years in advance. Early decision has the same concept, but is filled with flaws.

Early decision acceptance rates tend to be much higher than those of nonbinding regular decision; for Northwestern’s class of 2024, the early decision acceptance rate was 25%, compared to 7% for regular decision. Not only is the early decision application pool smaller, but early decision applicants show a strong interest in the school, which admissions officers like to see.

Colleges hate rejection; one of the most important statistics for a college is its yield rate, and early decision guarantees that that number stays high. Applying for early decision seems like a no-brainer for students who have their heart set on a college — until they take a look at the price tag. Even though early decision is a binding commitment, the cost remains a mystery until decisions are released.

You wouldn’t choose a house to live in without knowing the price, and families with financial concerns often turn away from early decision for that exact reason. It was made for rich people — not those who aren’t sure if they can afford college. The sharp decline between early and regular admission rates puts many students at a disadvantage simply because their parents

aren’t made of money. Financially, regular decision students will always have the upper hand; when students apply early decision, colleges don’t have to “woo” them with scholarships since they aren’t competing with other schools.

While early decision definitely puts low-income students at a disadvantage, it does not spare the middle or upper classes. A family earning $200,000 a year may be well-off financially, but that does not mean they can afford an insanely high tuition. Federal financial aid offers often disregard this, giving these families next to nothing. Paying for college is difficult no matter what; being obligated to go somewhere expensive makes it worse.

Technically speaking, early decision is not legally binding — it’s only based on honor. It’s possible to back out of the early decision agreement, but doing so is quite complicated. If a college believes that your reason for rejecting their offer isn’t good enough, they can place you on a “blacklist” and cause all of your offers from other schools to be rescinded. Colleges might let you off the hook if your financial situation is rough, but that’s not guaranteed, which turns many students away from it.

If colleges really wanted to make the admissions process easier without causing a financial panic, they would offer restrictive early action. REA allows students to apply early to only one private school, but it is not binding. Students still get a chance to view and compare their financial aid offers while having increased chances of admission. For Notre Dame’s class of 2026, the REA acceptance rate was 17%, while for regular decision, it was 10%. At most Florida schools, like UF and FSU, unrestrictive early action is offered, meaning that students will receive their unbinding decision months before regular decision students. Unlike REA, these students can apply anywhere they want early. Both of these options yield less stress than early decision and allow students to make more informed choices about their future.

Although early decision may be appealing to those who want to attend top schools, it isn’t always the best choice. Applicants who aren’t sure if they can afford a school’s tuition should apply for regular decision, even if it hurts their chances of acceptance. A degree is a degree — a hardworking person will be successful whether they attend UCF or an Ivy League school.

Art vs. climate change

Sophia Canabal | Lifestyles Editor

What’s

more absurd: the fact that U.S. oil companies release 8 million tons of methane into the atmosphere each year, or a can of tomato soup being thrown at a painting? Unfortunately, many think it’s the latter.

In an attempt to increase climate change awareness, climate activist Phoebe Plummer publicly threw a can of tomato soup on Vincent van Gough’s “Sunflowers,” attracting national criticism for the demonstration’s disruptive nature. The incident came after a slew of other wild demonstrations in the wake of the movement Just Stop Oil, including cake-facing Prince Charles’ wax figure.

After kneeling in front of the painting and gluing her hands to the exhibit, Plummer addressed the onlookers.

“Crops are failing, millions of people are dying in monsoons, wildfires and severe droughts,” she said. “We cannot afford new oil and gas. It’s going to take everything we know and love.”

In her speech, Plummer reminds us of the inevitable famine, natural disaster and destruction that global warming entails, but when the demonstration ends, onlookers pay their condolences to the painting, not the environment. As critics continue to flame Just Stop Oil for their dramatic protests, they only confirm what the organization is trying to prove: people care more about property than the planet.

Yes, throwing soup on a work of art is disruptive, but it shouldn’t detract from the underlying issue. Instead, it should serve as a wakeup call. In Nov. 2021, global leaders met at the 26th Conference of the Parties in Glasgow, Scotland to discuss the initiatives they had set the previous year to abate global warming. None of them actually came to fruition. COP27 is happening now, and they are about to find themselves in the same position. Meanwhile, the public remains unaffected, currently preoccupied by a more precarious issue: tomato soup, and the threats that it poses to humanity.

It might be easy to wag your finger at a disruptive demonstration, but if global warming is not addressed soon, a can of tomato soup will be the least of our problems.

At the University of Miami, the early decision acceptance rate is 36.8%, compared to just 28% for regular decision.

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BLUEPRINT the Hiding from the truth

Hagerty High School

3225 Lockwood Blvd. Oviedo, FL 32765 hagertyjourn@gmail.com

Phone: (407) 871-0750

EDITORIAL POLICY

The BluePrint is a studentproduced newspaper in which the student editors make all content decisions. The newspaper belongs to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, the National Scholastic Press Association and the Florida Scholastic Press Association.

Opinions expressed within the newspaper do not represent the staff’s views as a whole, the views of Seminole County Public Schools or Hagerty High School’s administration and staff.

STAFF

Editor-in-Chief Skyler Glenn Print Editor Julia Sumpter Online Editor Janell Lim News and Multimedia Editor Nadia Knoblauch Lifestyles Editor Sophia Canabal Opinions Editor Greta Carrasco Entertainment Editor Angelica Mendez Sports Editors Ava West, Karson Cuozzo Staff Reporters

Abigail Neal, Andrew Wilson, Grace Hilton, Joshua Krob, James Lopez, Kailey Calvo, Madi Denizard, Rachelle English Designer Dylan North Adviser Brit Taylor Principal Robert Frasca

The BluePrint Staff Editorial

In the 1960s, Fidel Castro ‘revolutionized’ the Cuban education system, vowing to dramatically raise his country’s educational standards. What happened over the next decade was a one-size-fits-all approach to education, and schools had to have government-approved material.

Whenever education is controlled by political leaders, the result is a one-sided view with limits in new ideas and growth. In the short term, the benefits might look good, but over time, the system is dramatically weakened. Students only learn when they are pushed outside of their comfort zones and exposed to new territories.

We are heading in the opposite direction, one where the only thing teachers can really “teach” is how to solve for x or annotate an essay. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ goal is to increase parent involvement in the classroom and focus on “student success,” but at every level of education, from kindergarten to college, the trend looks more and more repressive.

We cannot grow from past mistakes if we cannot discuss them honestly.

The clearest examples are in history, where a survey conducted by Education Week found about 32 percent of educators refuse to talk about contentious topics like the Holocaust or slavery, avoiding these topics in fear of getting fired or being sued.

But history is not the only area students are losing out. Science teachers are cutting back on subjects like sex education, life skills and biology, important subjects students need exposure to. In English, teachers cannot cover the same works they used to because of the controversial topics that used to be the standard.

Under DeSantis, lectures, discussions and even research projects covering senstive topics have to go through additional protocols, and more often than not, they get cut from unit plans. As a result, students are getting the watered-down version of their curriculum.

Limits on our education do not just happen in the classroom, either. Drama productions and student publications are reevaluating what they can do based on the current political climate. Last year, Lyman’ High School’s yearbook coverage of a protest against DeSantis’ “Parental Rights in Education” bill, known by critics as “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prompted the county this year to review every yearbook spread before publication. The county is censoring student expression, worried that parent groups will bring negative attention and consequences to anything happening in school that they do not agree with. But more than that, they are sheltering students from the diverse world of opinions we live in. Students will have a hard time accepting different cultures, religions or sexual orientations if they never are exposed to anything different.

But maybe that’s the plan.

The recent statewide bans on curriculum content have shown small groups have too much say in the education the rest of us receive. Parents are obstructing teachers’ ability to do their job. Nationwide, book bans have gained popularity, taking controversial titles out of school libraries. In counties across Florida, teachers had to get rid of their classroom library or have all of their books checked to show they do not have any illegal books. In Seminole County, book fairs were put on hold to start the year, something every elementary school child looks forward to.

As much as they may want to, parents cannot shield their children from sensitive topics forever. Even if that is their plan, shield them at home, not in the classroom.

Hiding students from reality does not sufficiently prepare them for the real world. When they inevitably leave their bubble the education system has put them in, they will encounter uncomfortable situations that they are not prepared to deal with. Teachers need to have freedom to teach tough subjects. You would not tell your lawyer how to defend your case, or tell your doctor what surgical cut to make. If we want Seminole County to continue to be a leader in the state, then teachers should have the ability to do their job.

Because of the growing idea that teachers are the enemy, schools are losing quality teachers in record numbers. It is no longer about getting people the best education; it is about giving safe discussions that will not hurt people’s feelings. Students should be exposed to uncomfortable topics so they can grow as a person, taught by teachers who have the freedom to teach how they want.

PIONEERS (clockwise from top) Senior Emma Lundquist; Gladys West, an American mathematician; Cynthia Breazeal, MIT scientist; Rosalind Franklin, discovered the structure of DNA; Tu Youyou, Chinese chemist; Hayat Sindi, Saudi Arabian medical scientist Illustration | Josephine Lim

Where are all the

Janell Lim | Online Editor

When senior Helen Zou walked into her second period AP Physics C class, she took a look around. Tristan. Rylan. Connor. Xander. Although slightly disappointed, Zou was not surprised. What started as 15 girls matching the 15 boys in her freshman science class dwindled down to 10 girls in her sophomore year, then six in her junior year. Now a senior, Zou is the only girl in her class of five, a phenomenon that is not unique at Hagerty.

With a projected growth rate of 10.5% between 2020 and 2030, STEM occupations are the fastest growing field for high school students. However, despite the opportunities that come with a STEM career, few girls are choosing to pursue one. Nationally, women in college made up just 19% of computer science and engineering classes in 20172018, with a slightly higher percentage (39%) taking physical science classes. On campus, girls make up just 21% of computer science classes, with a slightly higher percentage (37%) taking AP Physics classes.

“[The gender gap] is a bit strange, but I wanted to challenge myself because I want to pursue STEM in the future,” Zou said.

Traditionally, the AP Physics C class has always been a small one, with two girls in a class of 12 last year. AP Physics C teacher Darlene DePalma notes that the number of girls enrolled has been decreasing in recent years, along with overall enrollment.

“I think boys are pushed more than girls [into STEM],” DePalma said. “Girls just grow up hearing that you’re not good at math, you’re not good at the physical sciences.”

Senior Bernice Wong, who has a 4.519 GPA, took AP Physics I but chose not to go onto AP Physics C, attributing her decision to her worry that she would not understand the content and that she would feel isolated as the only girl.

“I didn’t want to take [AP Physics C] because I didn’t want to do badly in it,” Wong said. “And if I’m one of the only girls in [the class], I don’t want to be seen as the ‘dumb girl.’ I wasn’t that good at AP Physics 1, so I chose not to take AP Physics C.”

gender

aregirls?the

Although Wong chose not to take AP Physics C, she did take AP Computer Science A, since she wants to pursue computer science in the future. In her class of 40, just 11 are girls, while in the AP Computer Science Principles classes, only 18%, 23 out of 125, are girls. Junior Abigail Heimendinger, who also takes AP Computer Science A, thinks many girls might not choose to take the course because of their desire to take the same classes as their friends.

“[Computer science] is a male-dominated field,” Heimendinger said. “There’s not a lot of girls in the class already, so if you’re a girl, you don’t want to be surrounded by a bunch of guys. And I think not a lot of girls continue because a lot of their friends aren’t taking it.”

Although the effects are only being seen now, the causes of the STEM gender disparity are rooted in the past, back in the halls of preschool and kindergarten.

“Honestly, I think a lot of it starts at home,” DePalma said. “It’s the way girls are raised at home compared to boys. Boys get all the hands-on toys and building stuff, and girls get the dolls and the vacuum cleaners.”

Growing up, robotics sponsor Po Dickison had a similar experience. Despite her love for math as a teen, Dickison said because nobody encouraged her to pursue that passion, it eventually died out.

“I loved math and science growing up. I wanted to be a pharmacist,” Dickison said. “But I didn’t have anybody who encouraged me. So I ended up pretending I hated it and I just stopped taking [STEM] classes.”

Years later, Dickison began to reflect on the missed opportunities she had as a child. Merging her passion for teaching and her reignited love for STEM, Dickison became the robotics sponsor.

“I thought, I wish I had somebody who encouraged me back in high school,” Dickison said. “So maybe if I spark an interest in one or two kids, then hey, I’m making a difference.”

Today, Dickison marks her 13th year as a robotics mentor. What started as a small program with one team has grown to encompass five teams and 46 students, with many qualifying for international

competitions.

“If I could go back in time, I’d say to young Po, ‘Stick with it,’” Dickison said. “And I always try to tell girls, just because they’re boys doesn’t mean they know everything. Don’t give up. Don’t let that intimidate you because then it might be a missed opportunity. So I really try to stay positive and to encourage everyone, especially girls, don’t be afraid and show up.”

The problem is not just at Hagerty. According to UNICEF, girls have lower self-confidence in their STEM abilities than boys in most countries, even though they scored the same or higher than boys on tests. This lower selfconfidence leads to lower interest and enjoyment in STEM, and subsequently fewer girls pursuing STEM careers.

one of

Even so, the few who choose to do so are often at the top of their class. While Zou is the only girl in her AP Physics C class, DePalma notes that she easily competes with the rest of the boys.

“She’s a great student,” DePalma said. “Sometimes the boys will group up together but her grades are right up there with the boys. The girls that come into this class are well above the boys. As far as math intellect goes, that’s what I’ve seen every year.”

Physics teacher Amany Bekheit saw this same trend in her classes. After seeing that she only had one girl in her fourth period class last year, Bekheit put together a survey to find out why not many girls choose to take AP Physics.

“I hope a lot of girls take the survey because what I noticed in UCF and in the workplace is that they’re trying to recruit more girls to be engineers, scientists,” Bekheit said. “So why not try that career and take [AP Physics], because it’s going to open so many doors.”

Although a gender gap can be seen in STEM courses, some girls are using clubs and extracurriculars as ways to encourage girls to join STEM. Senior Grace Catina, president of Science Olympiad, says she always tries to advertise the club to more girls.

“I tell them that there’s a lot of girls that come [to the club] and there’s a lot of girls that compete from other schools,” Catina said. “And obviously, I’m a girl so I’ll always be there to help them out but it’s not as overwhelming as you think. If anything, the girls do really well when they work together in an event because they just have that strategic mindset.”

Catina, who decided to pursue biomedical science after attending a science camp in fifth grade, believes the presence of just one girl in a room full of boys can inspire other girls to follow.

“Girls in STEM encourage other girls,” Catina said. “When I’m in Physics class, I have a lab group and there are a couple girls in the class that band together. So it’s really encouraging to have other girls that are in the same place to talk to.”

Science Olympiad Vice President Mohanashree Pamidimukkala agrees, noting that simply seeing girls participate in robotics competitions motivated her to keep pursuing STEM.

“At my old school, there were certain robotics teams that were all girls,” Pamidimukkala said. “And those were just really inspirational to see a bunch of girls come together and have a passion for STEM.”

As Vice President of Mod Squad, senior Emma Lundquist hopes their advertising and outreach will encourage more girls to join the school’s program of emphasis, Modeling and Simulation, in the future. In her last year of Mod and Sim, Lundquist still remembers walking into her freshman class and realizing she was one of the only girls in the class. Across the Mod and Sim program, girls make up just 19% of classes. Lundquist says that although the initial realization that she was one of the only girls in her class was shocking, it only motivated her to continue pursuing STEM.

“I mean, you look around and you go, ‘Wow, there’s no girls.’ There’s nobody else and it feels a little lonely, but it also gives me more determination to stay in the program,” Lundquist said. “It’s not going to be anybody else, so why can’t it be you?”

If I’m

the only girls in [the class], I don’t want to be seen as the ‘dumb girl.’

- Bernice Wong, 12

“

The push for more girls in STEM is evident, but big gender gaps still exist in the classroom.

Halloween Ends For the Night

Released in theaters on Oct. 14, “Halloween Ends” closes the “Halloween” franchise a year after “Halloween Kills” built up high expectations for its fans. However, like most follow-up films, “Halloween Ends” did not even come close to the original’s success. Audiences go into the movie expecting a feeling of nostalgia from the other movies, but it is ultimately a let down. Considering that this was made to end the “Halloween” movies, there were many things that could have been changed to focus more on Michael’s ending and Laurie’s revenge.

- Isabel Gray

Released Oct. 28, “For the Night,” is the latest release for singers Chloë and Latto. Not a single aspect of this song disappoints, especially when it comes to Chloë’s vocals which are beautiful throughout. “For the Night” is arguably one of Chloë’s best singles since going solo from her sister Halle, and almost one of Latto’s best. Chloë confirmed the song is about her current situation with rapper Gunna, with the song expressing how she feels in lyrics. Between Chloë’s catchy lyrics and mesmerizing voice, this single is definitely worth listening to.

- Angelica Mendez

Released Oct. 18, “It Starts with Us” is the long-awaited sequel to “It Ends with Us.” The book follows Lily Bloom as she deals with being a new mother, co-parents with her abusive ex and rekindles a childhood romance. Most of the book was a slow back-and-forth of Lily and Atlas wanting to date but being too scared or what Ryle would think. You never get anywhere until the end of the book and even then, there is no real climax. While the book does give fans more of what they wanted, it was too slow and does not compare to Hoover’s other books.

It Starts With Us Smithereens

- Angelica Mendez

Released Nov. 4, “Smithereens” is the third studio album for singer Joji. The album features nine alternative songs, all of which listeners will enjoy. The whole album makes you want to go for a late night drive with the windows down listening to these songs. Although all the songs are more lo-fi, they are still catchy and memorable. Joji’s voice remains transfixing and the instrumental for each song is put together nicely. The best songs on the album are “Glimpse of Us” and “Die For You,” but the whole album is still incredible.

- Angelica Mendez

Released Oct. 21, “Black Adam” is the much anticipated DC movie starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. Superheroes often share the same happy ending and rarely catch viewers off guard. Even though most superhero movies are predictable, it was incredible to see how quickly events changed in this one, and the storyline twist moved some viewers. Overall, Johnson outperformed himself, and the rest of the actors were outstanding. But once more, the superhero burnout should force filmmakers to alter the conclusions of many of the movies.

Black Adam The Watcher

- Thu Trinh

Midnights

Taylor Swift is a famous singer known for her amazing voice and sensational lyrics. Her past 11 albums have all charted highly and the Oct. 21 release of “Midnights” is no exception. Swift returned to the pop scene with a bang. Each song is beautifully composed with unique instrumentals, her breathtaking lyrics and iconic vocals. And every song tells a different story from her life. All the songs on the album are outstanding and will leave her listeners emotional. It’s safe to say that this is the best album released this year and deserves to win at the PCA’s.

- Gabriella Navarro

The School for Good and Evil

“The Watcher” is a mystery thriller show starring Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts that was released on Netflix Oct. 13. This terrific show is based on a true story and consists of seven thrilling episodes with a perfect mix of humorous, dramatic and nail-biting scenes. The great acting, captivating plot and the mysterious vibe of the show brings it all together. Each episode makes you think while trying to solve the mystery. If you have Netflix and don’t know what to watch, this show is the one for you.

- Syunta Fukunaga

Netflix’s new adaptation of the novel “The School for Good and Evil” takes viewers on a journey of plot twists and surprises. While the movie was good, it takes a little while to get into. The plot keeps watchers on their toes but the poor effects take away from the mood of the movie, making people question if the plot is too silly to enjoy. The main characters differ from each other immensely, one very likable, and the other harder to enjoy. It makes for an exciting journey of character development and an entertaining friendship to watch.

- Laney Chamelin

Universal Pictures

Simon & Schuster

BREAKFAST of CHAMPIONS

My trek across Oviedo has reaffirmed one thing: breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day. There are so many wonderful breakfast restaurants in Oviedo;

just choosing six was overwhelming. At every place, I ordered a classic breakfast dish—either waffles, French toast or pancakes, all ranging from $5.49 to $14.99. I rated everything I ate on a scale of 1-10, to find what I deemed the best breakfast in Oviedo.

Maple Street Biscuit Company: 11/10

Maple Street Biscuit Company, located in Oviedo on the Park, was definitely the favorite place I visited. I ordered the Sweet Grace waffle because I had already had many of their biscuits, and the waffle fit more into the criteria of the foods I wanted to review — and it was amazing. The service was great and everyone was very nice. The waffles come with no side, but since it is filling on its own I didn’t really mind.

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe: 7/10

Keke’s Breakfast Cafe, located on Alafaya Trail, is usually one of my favorite spots in Oviedo, but it honestly disappointed me this time. I ordered the kid’s silver dollar pancakes with blueberries on top which definitely subjected me to a weird look from my waiter, but I stuck with it nonetheless. The pancakes were not very cake — like and were pretty thin, but the portion size was great — it was filling but not too much.

Another Broken Egg Cafe: 5/10

Another Broken Egg Cafe on Alafaya Trail was one of the most highly recommended restaurants that I tried on my tour, but honestly, I am not sure why. My Apple Fritter French Toast was mediocre at best. The caramel sauce that it came in tasted strange, and the French toast was overcooked. The best part of my experience was definitely my waiter; he was extremely kind and definitely made this subpar visit better.

First Watch: 10/10

First Watch on West Mitchell Hammock is one of my favorite breakfast spots in Oviedo, and this meal was just as great as I remember. I ordered the Floridian French Toast, and it was truly great. The fresh fruit on top cut through the richness of the French toast and ultimately made the dish for me. The Parma Hash and thought it was amazing, too. I only wish that my French toast came with a side, but other than that it was perfect.

Metro Diner: 9/10

I ordered chocolate chip pancakes at Metro Diner on West Mitchell Hammock, and they were fluffy and rich. The only downside was that my pancakes didn’t come with any sides, but the portion size was very good. Metro doesn’t limit its cuisine to breakfast foods; they are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and serve traditional American dishes for dinner as well, providing variety to a somewhat saturated breakfast scene.

The Town House: 9/10

The Town House is a classic in Oviedo cuisine, and honestly, I was impressed. The Town House has been serving classic breakfast since the ‘50s, and it definitely lived up to its famous name. I ordered chocolate chip pancakes with hash browns, eggs (not pictured), and bacon. The pancakes were fluffy and delicious, but the hashbrowns and bacon weren’t as crispy as I usually like. It was a solid breakfast at one of Oviedo’s staple restaurants.

Kailey Calvo | Staff Reporter

features

features

Husky Heritage

Janell Lim | Online Editor

For many Americans, Iraq is a country afflicted with war, destruction and dictators. But for freshman Fatimaalzahra Al Lebban, Iraq is, and always will be, home.

Al Lebban was born in Najaf, Iraq, before her family moved to the U.S. when she was two. She returned to Iraq for a few months when she was 10 years old, but has spent the majority of her life growing up in the U.S. She still visits the country on summer trips, though has not visited in recent years due to COVID-19. However, she still holds emotional ties to Iraq.

“It was really hard moving from Iraq, just because my whole family was there and I was just really sad for the first couple of months,” Al Lebban said.

Today, Al Lebban continues to celebrate Middle Eastern traditions and holidays like Eid al-Fitr and Nowruz. Eid al-Fitr, celebrated in the end of April, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. The celebration is typically marked with lots of food and desserts, as well as prayer and charity.

Celebrating el Dia de los Muertos

Rachelle English | Staff Reporter

Painted skulls, Spanish word searches and, of course, food.

Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday celebrated on Nov. 1 and 2 that honors loved ones who have passed. Families honor their lives with altars or ofrendas that serve as a gateway between the souls of those that have passed and their families, allowing the souls to be with them. In other places, people gather at the cemeteries where the deceased were buried to eat and enjoy their time together.

Inspired to immerse her students in the culture, honors and AP Spanish teacher Patricia Lopez teamed up with art teacher Omar Otero to bring a more creative feel to her Spanish III class. Together, the classes worked to create sugar skulls, which will be a part of a later assignment.

Otero gained the inspiration for his lessons from past experiences. Having been to the Day of the Dead celebration in Guatemala, he gained interest in the subject.

“We decided to combine our two classes and I would have my class help them, so they kind of all work together,” Otero said. “I came up with a kind of a formula, which started with basic shapes and

[since I’ve] been doing that, I’ve gotten a lot more product out of students.”

Planning lessons for an event that comes around once a year, Lopez created activities that fit students’ different levels of knowledge.

“I basically look for something with their level of understanding and their ability level, [because] I don’t know where they’re coming from in Spanish I,” Lopez said.

In her Spanish II class, students watched an informational video, colored sugar skulls and completed word searches. In the AP Spanish class, students wrote Calaveritas, which are humorous poems that talk about brief encounters with death.

Students in Spanish classes like junior Sebastian Suprenant are becoming more aware of what the holiday is like and the events that it entails.

“I [know that it is] a celebration of life more than death and one way they celebrate is through poems,” Suprenant said.

To Lopez, the holiday is about more than just the decorations. It has a deeper meaning and sense.

“I think that people need to [learn] about Day of the Dead. Because we’re a world of diverse cultures, it’s important to understand the culture around you,” Lopez said.

“[Eid is] about religion and connecting to God, but it is also about the community coming together for prayer and celebration,” Al Lebban said.

Nowruz, on the other hand, is an Iranian tradition passed down by Al Lebban’s mother, who is half-Iranian. The holiday marks the beginning of the Persian new year and the first day of spring. Back in Iraq, Al Lebban’s family practiced the tradition of Haft-Seen, or putting seven symbolic objects together on a table. Since moving to America, Al Lebban’s family does not celebrate it as much, but she still has fond memories of the holiday.

“My grandma usually made a table with items that start with the Arabic letter ‘seen’ and painted eggs with us. [Nowruz] is about family and celebrating the upcoming year,” Al Lebban said.

Other differences Al Lebban noted were in the way men and women were perceived. She acknowledges there is more of a gender rights gap in the Middle East, but says Iraq’s rules are much more lenient compared to Iran’s.

HONORING THE DEAD Freshman Thao-Nguyen Miles and sophomores Jordan Rosario and Aiden Lusby paint sugar skulls in art teacher Omar Otero’s classroom. This activity was done along with Spanish teacher Patricia Lopez’s class. Photo | Levi Cal Rivera

The slippery slope of self-diagnosis

Angelica Mendez | Reviews Editor

Sarah* knew the problem had gone too far when her parents had to call the doctor because she was drunk multiple times. Her drug and alcohol use — or, as she called it, depression treatment — was not working. She knew she needed to find a way to better treat the challenges she was facing that would not lead to further problems.

When Sarah first started noticing how restless and alone she felt, she turned to the internet to figure out what was happening. Sarah diagnosed herself with depression. But she was only half-right.

Sarah realized that the ways she was trying to treat herself were not working. In fact, they ended up giving her bad anxiety, making her feel worse and even resulted in her having to confess to her parents about using drugs to cope.

“When trying to self-treat my depression, I ended up doing things that made my anxiety worse without realizing it,” Sarah said. “One thing I tried was socially expanding myself in hopes to feel better but my anxiety did not agree with the socialization I was forcing myself to do.”

Self-diagnosis is when you diagnose yourself with a medical or psychological condition based on symptoms you think you have without actually talking to a trained specialist about it.

As a result of feeling worse, Sarah decided to talk to a medical professional in hopes of finding out what was really wrong and finding treatments that could actually help her. She was then clinically diagnosed with anxiety and depression. After her diagnosis, she was given proper medicine and proper help.

“Getting help did a lot more than me constantly trying to figure out ways to help myself — it allowed me to receive real medicine for treatment and methods to cope that worked for both my anxiety and depression,” Sarah said. “It also allowed me to be more open about the things I had going on in my life.”

However, Sarah is not alone when it comes to self-diagnosis. According to a research study published by the National Library of Medicine in 2020, when Americans discover symptoms for a potential health problem, about 70% of them turned to the internet to find medical solutions instead of seeking actual help.

“Sometimes people want to diagnose themselves, because they feel like it might be easier for them to digest than actually finding out what’s

going on,” mental health counselor James Bartlett said. “But self-diagnosing is a very slippery slope. I think at the end of the day, a lot of people end up diagnosing themselves with something way worse than reality.”

By solely relying on the internet for medical answers, not only is there the possibility for misdiagnosis, but people do not get the actual help and treatment they may need to solve their issues. This can make people turn to false treatment and medication, along with taking the wrong steps to get better.

When Amanda* realized she got anxious about the smallest of things, she put all her symptoms together to try to diagnose herself. She thought she might have the symptoms for anxiety and as a result, she tried to seclude herself, but it only made her feel worse. After talking to a specialist, Amanda had diagnosed herself correctly; however, this time the issue was correctly treated. And yes, self-diagnosing can be a step in the right direction when it comes to having an idea of what someone could have — like it was for Amanda — it is still important to get an exact answer and treatment from a professional, according to AP Psychology teacher Heather Douglas.

“It is good to be reflective, introspective and evaluate your life and what role you play in it, but we are not qualified to ‘diagnose ourselves,’” Douglas said. “Just like any other thing, if you knew you were struggling [physically] you would seek medical treatment, and I think you should do the same for your mental health.”

However, there are some people who do not feel like they have to reach out for help after diagnosing themselves. After Lauren* realized she had a very short temper, little patience and multiple mood swings, she scoured the internet to find out what could be wrong, eventually coming to the conclusion that she could be bipolar.

Unlike Sarah and Amanda, Lauren has not spoken to a professional and does not feel like she needs to. Instead, she focuses on treating it in ways that she feels helps.

“I have been going to the gym and doing yoga to stop the mood swings,” Lauren said. “I have tried journaling in the past but I found that it did not work for me personally. I noticed that when I am active I am a lot calmer and the mood changes are less frequent.”

Lauren believes that if you find ways to cope that help you, then you should not have to actually get diagnosed unless it is severe and nothing is helping.

Because she has found ways that have helped her thus far, she does not plan on talking to a specialist unless they stop working.

For some people who do wish to seek help, it can be hard. Between reaching out for help, having others know that something could be wrong and having to accept whatever your diagnosis is, it can be scary to turn to a professional rather than the internet.

“You may not want to know what the answer is, so there is reluctance to see what [your diagnosis] is, and then there is the social stigma attached to it.” Douglas said. “If I told you I had cancer, you would feel bad for me; if I told you I had schizophrenia you would be afraid of me. Neither of them are the individual’s fault.”

According to Bartlett, although it can be hard reaching out to a specialist because of having to tell someone what is going on, there are things you can do to try to make it easier. He suggests writing down or logging possible symptoms one feels and bringing it to a professional when they are ready.

“Although talking to someone seems scary, the result of it is much more significant than letting your feelings constantly dwell,” Sarah said. “The only thing I would change about getting help would be getting it sooner.”

Sarah,* Amanda* and Lauren* wish to remain anonymous.

POTENTIAL PROBLEMS While turning to the internet to diagnose yourself seems like the fastest and easiest solution, it does pose some problems. Misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment are only a few of these possible issues.

Photo | Angelica Mendez

Getting help did a lot more than me constantly trying to figure out ways to help myself.

- Sarah*

“

The only thing I would change about getting help would be getting it sooner.

- Sarah*

“

Boys cross country captures fifth at states

James Lopez | Staff Reporter

With a fourth place finish by junior Jonathan Leon (15:49), the varsity boys cross country team finished fifth overall at the state meet on Nov. 5 in Tallahassee.

“I wanted to go under 15:30, I hit 15:23 so I did meet my goal on that,” Leon said. “I wanted to get top three at state, I got top four so that’s a little annoying, but I did really well. I’m proud of myself.”

Leon was followed by senior Miguel Pantojas (16:25) and juniors Gabriel Abbate (16:43) and Julian Scanlon (17:12) who placed 28th, 42nd and 68th respectively.

Though not the team’s best performance at FSU’s course this year, they still placed better than they did last year, where the team placed 15th overall when Abbate and Pantojas were not apart of the team.

“Running at states every year is always so surreal, you are surrounded by all these talented people that share the same interest as you,” junior

Cross Country postseason

Conference Champion

Leon: 1st, Pantojas: 2nd, Abbate: 5th

“I felt the team exceeded many people’s expectations. Losing Brayden at the beginning of the season made us counted out by a lot of people.”

- Jonathan Leon, 11

District Champion

Leon: 1st, Pantojas: 2nd, Abbate: 9th

Regional Runner-up

Leon: 3rd, Pantojas: 5th, Abbate: 29th

States: 5th place

Leon: 4th, Pantojas: 28th, Abbate: 42nd

10th overall out of 120 schools

“We won conference and districts and were runner up at regionals, but even after our regional runner up, we were still projected 10th at states. We placed 5th and continued to prove people wrong.”

- Jonathan Leon, 11

Alex Madruga said, “All these people work together to push each other to run faster, it’s very fun.”

Normal race time for the team has been early in the morning, giving them cool weather conditions to race in. Due to the team’s division, 4A, running last in the day’s eight meets, the race ended up being hotter and much slower than usual, taking place at 10:45 with nothing to block out the sun. This caused a very hot race which not only slowed the team down, but the entire field.

“Our greatest challenge this trip to the state championships was race time and weather conditions, as it was almost 80 degrees, full sun,” head coach Jay Getty said.

The team had excelled at regionals the week before states at Sante Fe College in Gainesville, with Leon and Pantojas helping secure a second place finish, moving on to compete at the state finals.

“Conditions were good, all aside from the heat, with a fast field of people to give us good a challenge,” Madruga said.

For the year as a whole, the team stayed on top in their meets, placing in the top five at every meet besides the FSU Invitational, where the team placed 11th. This postseason run has been one of the team’s strongest in recent seasons, even with the departure of Brayden Seymour.

“If you look at our championship run, their key numbers are 1,1, 2, 5 and 10,” Getty said. “That’s a conference championship, a district championship, a runner up at regionals, 5th place at 4A and then in all classes combined we were 10th out of 120 schools.”

Most of the varsity team is made up of juniors and underclassmen, but the team will be losing key pieces in Pantojas and senior Aidan Wetzl, who will both be graduating at the end of the year. Both have made major impacts despite their short time with the team and have pushed the varsity squad.

“I’m always excited for the upcoming year and to find out how far everyone grows over time, especially during the summer with their training,” Getty said.

SPRINT TO THE FINISH LINE The cross country team begins the conference championship at Hagerty, ending up as conference champions. This began their postseason push to a fifth place finish at states. Photo | Marietta Jordan

Boys bowling competes at state championship

School, which raised the nerves of the boys.

The boys’ bowling team competed at the state championships on Wednesday, Nov. 2 after they qualified at the district level. They earned their qualification on Oct. 25 by finishing first place in district seven going undefeated, 9-0.

“It’s not what I expected. I didn’t think we would make it to states,” sophomore Dillon Dunn said.

This year, there was no clear indication of where they would place. All but two of the team members either graduated or left, leaving senior Gavin Hurt and junior Jason Sanguinetti to be in charge.

“My expectations were, I wouldn’t say low, but they were up in the air,” head coach Jacob Colquhoun said. “This year, we basically had an entirely new team. We had two guys returning, [so] it took a lot for them to be leaders on the team.”

The team started in their bracket against Fort Pierce Central High School, where they won 3-1 in the baker rounds, moving them forward to the next round. Their next match was against Apopka High

“This is my third year [of coaching]. First year, we finished top twelve and last year, we finished top eight. This year, we were aiming for top four, but my main goal was to beat Apopka,” Colquhoun said.

In the first series of the baker rounds, the boys found themselves with two wins against Oviedo. However, it was not enough to move forward, as they lost to Apopka with a score of 3-2. Despite this loss, they still found success as it was a big step forward to reaching their goal of winning the state championships.

“[My] favorite moment [was] when we beat Apopka,” Sanguinetti said. “I wanted to make it to the second day, but we didn’t.”

The team finished at states in eighth place, aligning with their previous years’ status. They do not see this as a failure, though, but rather as a step in building their new team.

“I want to win a state championship; that’s my goal every year. Assuming everyone comes back, it’s possible,” Colquhoun said.

Jason Sanguinetti

junior State series: 785 High score: 224

This is Sanguinetti’s third year on the team

Gavin Hurt senior State series: 838 High score: 231

Favorite moment: “Winning districts and qualifying for states.”

Andrew Anstow

junior State series: 823 High score: 226

Favorite moment: “We went 9-0 in the losers bracket to win districts.”

Alex Pantoja sophomore State series: 816 High score: 226

This is Pantoja’s first year on the team

Connor Jimenez

freshman State series: 759 High score: 205

Jimenez was the only freshman to bowl for the team at states

Grace Hilton | Staff Reporter

STRIKE FORCE Sophomore Alexander Pantoja gets fist bumps from all his teammates after bowling during the team’s match against Oviedo. Out of the nine boys on the team, five bowled at states, including Pantoja. Photo | Levi Cal Rivera

sports shorts

Weightlifting kicks off season

Girls weightlifting took home their first win of the season against Lake Howell on Nov. 2. The team had 28 lifters participating in all three movements: snatch, clean and jerk, and bench.

New this year, each lifter is scored in two categories: traditional and Olympic. Traditional scoring consists of the lifters combined total from their highest bench and clean and jerk while olympic scoring consists of the lifters highest snatch and clean and jerk.

Stasik takes fifth in state diving finals

said. “It’s kind of overwhelming, but like, ‘wow, I did that.’”

Against Lake Howell, the girls weightlifting team won all olympic categories sinceLake Howell did not participate in the snatch movement.

Top performers of the night included seniors Ava Thornsbury and Delaney Geiger along with juniors Bayley Basco and Elizabeth Ruplinger.

On Nov. 4-5, freshman Noah Stasik competed in the states diving competition at the Sailfish Splashpark Aquatic Athletics Center in Stuart, Florida.

Stasik was the only student at Hagerty to place in the state competition, finishing fifth with a score of 393.85 out of 500 possible points, with a less than one point difference between the fourth place finisher, Carson Powers of Oviedo High School (394.25).

“It feels kind of strange [to place so high]; it’s hard to describe,” Stasik

Stasik qualified for states after placing second at the diving regionals competition. Coached by Terry Horner, Stasik has been diving for three years at the Rosen Aquatic Center, participating in club diving during the school’s offseason.

Stasik plans to continue diving next year, saying he loves the flexibility the sport gives him.

“I just like having freedom in the sport. It’s not focusing on the technique as much, I just like the sport because of the flipping ability and somersaults,” Stasik said.

Signing Day features 17 athletes

On Nov 16. 17 athletes signed their commitment to continue playing their sport in college: Garrett Baumann for baseball to UCF, Karson Cuozzo for softball to Francis Marion University, Ella Digiore for lacrosse to Belmont Abbey College, Bennett Duba for softball to Pasco-Hernando State College, Olivia Iacono for dance to Western Kentucky University, Addison Isaacson for acro tumbling to Coker College, Carter Kamm for baseball to Coker College, Hannah

Kohn for basketball to University Tennessee at Chattanooga, Melina Lange for lacrosse to Franklin and Marshall College, Madison Molina for softball to Jacksonville University, Olivia Munoz for softball to Mars Hill University, Catie O’Connor for lacrosse to Lynn University, Addison Orr for softball to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Miguel Pantojas for track and field to UF, Luis Rivero for baseball to St. Leo University, Conner Spelman for baseball to Jacksonville University, and Ava Thornsbury for softball to Indian River State College.

Thornsbury took home first place in both categories with a snatch of 115 and a clean and jerk of 145. Thornsbury hit a personal record with a clean of 150 but fell just short of the jerk.

Out of the four regular season meets only threeare being hosted at home which is new for the team.

The team hosts the next meet at home versus Oviedo on Nov. 16 for senior night.

“For the first meet back we collectively did really good. I think I [also] did pretty well coming back from a bad knee,” Thornsbury said.

Home stands closed indefinitely

At the Oviedo game on Nov. 4, the walkway in front of the student section began to give way. Students were prompted to move off of the front walkway and into the stand rows for the remainder of the second half.

With a history of fans in the student section jumping and cheering at stadium events, the walkway portion of the bleachers has gotten progressively weaker.

Since the collapse, all of the home stands are closed for an engineering inspection. The stands will be closed until further notice.

For upcoming events, fans from both sides will be directed to sit in the away stands on the north side of the stadium.

Josh Krob | Staff Reporter

Julia Sumpter | Print Editor

Abigail Neal | Staff Reporter

Students cheer after the walkway was closed to prevent collapse.

Photo | Shannon Hahn

Junior Bayley Basco completes a clean and jerk of 145 pounds.

Photo | Erin Thornsbury

Abigail Neal | Staff Reporter

Photo | Jay Getty

Football qualifies for playoffs with hail mary win

Despite ending the regular season with losses against Winter Park and Oviedo, the varsity football team played their best season since 2017, finishing with a 8-2 record and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2020. They traveled to Lake Mary for the first-round game.

Due to Tropical Storm Nicole, the game was pushed back to Monday, Nov 14. Lake Mary was 6-3, but had played a tougher schedule .

The game was a wet one, and rain was not the only battle the team had to face. The weather obstructed Benzija’s pass plays, which led to two interceptions and several punts in the first half, and a 21-0 halftime deficit.

In the second half, the weather cleared and the defense held Lake Mary to just one score. The offense moved the ball better as well, twice getting in Lake Mary’s red zone.

However, the team turned the ball over on downs three times, and twice after taking Lake Mary to the 8- and 27-yard line, but Lake Mary did not stay there for long. They were able to throw a quick pass and score a touchdown, making the score 28-0, as the final quarter approached.

Hagerty turned the ball over two more times, as Benzija was intercepted, and the game finished 28-0, ending the season.

But the highlight of the season was making the playoffs, and to even guarantee their spot, the team had to survive Spruce Creek on Oct. 28.

At the end of the game, Hagerty had stopped Spruce Creek on defense, causing them to punt the ball, but quarterback Anthony Benzija had a touchdown called back and then was sacked three times in a row, leading to a fourth and 30. But Benzija threw a hail mary to wide receiver Ian Miller and scored the winning touchdown.

Players called the ending “electrifying” and “crazy.”

“We thought we were going to win easily and then they came back, and we knew we needed to score immediately,” Miller said. “We ran a hail mary and I made the winning play of the game. It felt electric.”

The game did start smoothly, and the team was winning, 16-3 going into halftime. Once the third quarter began, Spruce Creek got the momentum and the lead, 21-16 as the fourth quarter approached.

“They hit us harder than we thought they would. We went into that game thinking we were going to have an easy win,” corner Michael Byers said.

After the 22-21 win, the team had to refocus and play Oviedo on Friday. Nov 4. Playing Oviedo is never a civil game, as there is always lots of chanting and animosity throughout the game.

Oviedo scored first, leaving the team behind 6-0 in the first quarter. They then stopped the twopoint conversion and took the lead 7-6 as they moved into halftime.

“Everyone felt ready— I think it was just the simple mistakes that changed the game, and those

mistakes happened because of pressure,” Byers said.

Leading up to the Oviedo game, the team studied game footage and ran plays that they had not used yet, but when it came to game time, they just could not execute.

“People were running in the wrong places, especially during throws. Our linemen missed blocks and left gaps,” Benzija said. “We need to execute better under pressure. We let our nerves play a factor.”

Benzija was the player of the Oviedo game, throwing for one touchdown and 251 yards, and though the team lost to Oviedo 26-18, they ended their normal season with an 8-2 record and moved into the playoffs.

“Going into that game every year, there is always a lot of pressure on us since it’s the hometown rivalry. Everyone comes to watch,” Byers said.

Even though the team struggled in the last three games, they ended knowing it has been the best season in the last five years. The team finished with six wins of 21 points or more and two shutouts. Head coach Steven Mikles is pleased with his team’s progress.

“We outperformed my expectations. I thought we played really well, especially defensively, throughout the year,” Mikles said. “I knew that we were going to be pretty good is when we played University and we basically shut them out... that’s when I knew we were in pretty good.”

BIG WINS: Varsity football beats six teams by 21+ points

University (Orange City)

28-7, Aug. 26

The team set the tone in the first game. Running back Anthony White had 101 rushing yards, and quarterback Anthony Benzija had one touchdown pass.

Winter Springs 48-0, Sept. 9

Benzija had two touchdown passes, and White had five carries for 37 yards. One of two shutouts on the season, the other coming against Colonial, 55-0.

East River 45-7, Sept. 23

Benzija had four touchdown passes, wide receiver Caleb Barber had 65 receiving yards, and wide receiver Ian Miller had 64 receving yards.

University (Orlando) 31-7, Oct. 21

Barber, with 82 receiving yards, and defensive end Frankie Mentlick, with six tackles including a tackle for loss, both received player of the game awards.

Karson Cuozzo | Sports Editor

STATE RUNNER-UP

seed, beating host Timber Creek 3-0 and topseeded Winter Park 3-2 to win the title.

HEAD IN THE GAME

(Bottom) Blocker Faith Walsh and outside hitter Mikayla Miessler recieve their second place medals. The team finished runner-up in 7A.

Photos | Shannon Hahn

Ava West | Sports Editor

During the first set of the state championship game against Venice, the girls varsity volleyball team was down by six. They got possession of the ball after a kill by outside hitter Brooke Stephens and quickly made up the points and gained the lead.

The score was 24-21 when libero Mayte Camacho served the ball, which led to a backand-forth rally. Setter Brielle Mullen set the ball to outside hitter Jenness Orcutt, who spiked the ball and got the first set win.

After the first set, however, Venice came back, winning the next two. In the fourth set, Venice had an 8-0 lead when the team came back, cutting Venice’s lead to two with a score of 10-8. But a 15-8 run by Venice gave them the fourth set and the match, leaving Hagerty as the state runner-up.

“We knew it was going to be an emotional day no matter what happened,” Stephens said. “I wished it turned out differently than it did, but I am still so proud of this team and all of our accomplishments.”

During the game, the girls had long rallies which lasted 30 seconds or longer. Camacho, the libero, anchored the defense with 34 digs and four assists. Stephens was the focal point of the offense with 20 kills and 12 digs. Orcutt continued the strong play she has shown during the playoffs with 10 kills and 10 digs, and Mullen, the setter, led the team with 37 assists and 18 digs. All four players had 100% serve accuracy.

To even get to the state championships, the team went on a seven-game winning streak. The streak started off with a 3-2 win over Oviedo, which many of the girls describe as the turning point for the second half of the season.

“When we beat Oviedo on our senior night –after losing to them – it put a spark in all of us,” Camacho said. “Because of that win, we played our hearts out in every single game.”

Ending the regular season against Oviedo, the team came into the district tournament as the third

After the district tournament, the team won three games to get the regional title and advance to the state semifinals. They beat Bartram Trail 3-0, and then traveled to Winter Park to beat them again, this time on their home court, in another 3-2 win. In the title game against Lake Brantley, the team was on the road and the underdog again going into the game, but still won, 3-1.

“After winning the regional championships we sat down and had a long and serious talk,” coach Juanita Hitt said. “We talked about everything that we have accomplished and what our goals are. We made sure everyone was on the same page and was ready to work as a team to give the state championships the best shot we got.”

One of the main focuses for the team during their playoff run was to control their mindset. This was a problem early in the season because, during games, when the other team gained a lead, the girls would start to get down on themselves and not be able to turn the game back around, according to Camacho.

“Mentality was definitely one of our main focuses during the playoffs because it caused us to lose games [earlier in the season] we definitely should have won,” Camacho said.

Also during this run, the team made some lineup changes that significantly affected their game-play. For the first half of the season, the team ran a 6-2 offense, which meant they had two setters who split duties. They started to run a 5-1, with Mullen setting every rotation. In addition, Orcutt was moved to the back row and freshman Faith Walsh got increased playing time.

“This lineup change was very successful for us,” Hitt said. “It allowed us to show something new to our opponents and it took them by surprise.”

During the season, eight of the team’s matches went five-sets. Players believe that those early five-set matches prepared them for the playoffs. The team won against Lake Highland prep in their first five-set game, then had their first lost against Oviedo. They lost two other five-set games, and won every single one in the playoffs.

“It has helped us stay focused and committed during harsh games,” Mullen said. “It also helped us remember to never give up on a game.”

The team ended their season with a record of 22-9.

We knew it was going to be an emotional day not matter what happened.”

“

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(Top) Setter Brielle Mullen makes an assist to outside hitter Brooke Stephens. The girls varsity volleyball team lost against Venice in the state championships 3-1.