The BluePrint - Volume 15, Issue 1

the

blueprint Hagerty High School

Vol. 15, Issue 1

Oct. 1, 2019

Oviedo, Florida

hoco Strut Seniors Parker Wickizer and Conall Crossan practice in the cafeteria for Wednesday’s Powder Puff game, channeling their cheer spirit.

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Foley wins Years of experience paired with innovative teaching techniques help AP World History teacher Erin Foley win the Teacher of the Year award.

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of course Senior Aidan Kramer talks about his commitment to the University of Georgia Tech and the end of his four-year career at the top of high school golf.

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STICKING WITH

SPIRIT New principal brings the hype - page 2

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The Frasca spirit train has arrived everybody’s just been upbeat and energetic. I think we’re off to a great start,” Frasca said.

Staff Reporter He feels “blessed” to be part of the veryone dreads the moment they get positive atmosphere and is learning as the year called into the principal’s office, but continues. maybe not this year. Robert Frasca is He asked the teachers about what one thing hoping to change that by improving the way that they want to work on in their classes this people view high school principals. year. Teachers said they wanted to see more At the end of April, Frasca was hired as the school spirit, so Frasca started implementing new principal. The rest of the school consisted small changes: new pom poms, flyers in the of AP testing, nine weeks courtyard, and exciting pep “For me, it’s just a testing, senior exams rallies. Students experiencing and all the graduation matter of being a part of consistency on campus is the activities. Art and athletic outcome he wants to see from the school and the groups were winding the changes this year. down, and classes were “For me, it’s just a matter of community.” more relaxed than at their - principal Robert Frasca being a part of the school and third quarter peak. The the community… This year, campus “wasn’t in full effect,” Frasca said, so I don’t have any major shifts in philosophy,” he did not get to experience the real student Frasca said. body. Now in his first full year, he is getting “He’s definitely making his face known the whole experience. and basically becoming the face of the school, “There are a lot of people here that are which is what the principal needs to do,” said very proud to be Huskies,” Frasca said. “So far dean Roy DeCosta. Frasca used DeCosta to

Laura Luedman

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THE FRASCA LOOK

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help him with building relationships with students based off how DeCosta did through DeCosta memes.

DeCosta feels that Frasca has done a great job of working in the “precarious” situation he was put in as he is using all of his available resources for events such as giving the graduation speech. Frasca did not have much time to prepare for the task and he did not know the seniors well.

This is Frasca’s first year as a principal, but he spent 20 years working in education and 11 as a teacher. Hagerty is his fifth school in Seminole County in seven years, so he knows what to expect.

Frasca got into education because he enjoyed working with the students. He does not want to just sit at a desk all day. Frasca would prefer to interact with others and go see students represent the school whether it be a football game or a play, and he has been all over campus engaging with students.

“I’m just trying to be me… and to find how I can fit in and be myself,” said Frasca.

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New principal Robert Frasca (above) has implemented changes to increase spirit after his arrival, such as pom poms (1) and blue baby powder (4) for the student section at football games. He has also overseen changes by administration, like lanyards (2) directed by school resource officer David Attaway and new banners (3) that were requested by administrator Roy DeCosta. photo by Faith Marino

Homecoming in high gear Andrea Izaguirre

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Staff Reporter

owderpuff sponsor and coach Elaine Sayre is “particularly excited” about Wednesday’s Powderpuff game, both for her football players as well as her cheer team.

“Since the first practice, both sides have been a lot more focused than in previous years and they’ve just been really on point,” said Sayre. “A lot of the kids already showed up this year with new tricks and stunts.”

According to senior Christopher Ballentine, the male cheerleaders have had “difficulties” fitting into borrowed cheer uniforms – however, he is sure they’ll work it out in time to perform.

For the girls’ football practice, Sayre has been dedicated toward getting her teams in shape. In order to better assess the strengths of the group, Sayre split the girls into three teams to each focus on separate aspects of the game.

“I have girls who are really good at receiving the ball on the field working on their footwork and vice versa,” said Sayre. “Whatever it takes to make them better all around.”

The powderpuff game itself, scheduled to start at 7 p.m., is expected to be the “most competitive” in years according to Sayre.

“This group has a lot of real potential to make it an interesting match. Both the juniors and the seniors really want the win,” said Sayre.

Powderpuff is not the only activity happening during homecoming week however.

On Friday’s Music Festival spirit day, the school will host both the homecoming glow pep rally in the gym as well as the homecoming football game against Winter Springs at 7 p.m.

At the pep rally, students can expect a wide variety of student entertainers, interactive crowd games and a wave of glow sticks, baby powder and school pride. In addition, for those who cannot attend the game on Wednesday, both the junior and senior Powderpuff cheerleading teams want to make a return appearance during the pep rally.

After a week of spirit days and events, the Highway to Homecoming dance will be from 8-11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5. This semi-formal event is expected to be very similar in both set up and organization to last year, according to student body president Conall Crossan.

The dance tickets, which are now $35, also include a neon class t-shirt while supplies last.

These shirts will be used to organize grades at the glow pep rally: seniors will wear yellow, pink for juniors, green for sophomores and orange for freshmen.

NEWS BRIEFS HISPANIC HERITAGE CLUB STARTS

On Thursday, Sept. 12, the Hispanic Heritage Club held its first meeting in room 7-217. Students from all backgrounds and grades came to learn about Hispanic heritage and culture. The meeting ran just over an hour as students shared stories, laughs and food. Students can come to meetings to learn or to feel represented.

During meetings, members eat various Hispanic dishes as they learn about culture, traditions and heritage. “I hope to create an environment where everyone feels heard and where every day is a fiesta,” Ariza said.

CHOIR STARTS YEAR WITH FALL TUNE UP

New choir teacher Christopher Hickey arranged a concert in the auditorium to celebrate the new season of song on Thursday, Sept. 12. After a potluck dinner, the Hagerty Singers choir led the concert with their piece, ‘May You Always Have a Song.’ As the concert proceeded, the other four choirs performed their pieces. “I think we did pretty well,” freshman Ainsley Newton said. The students and staff believe Hickey has made a good impression and will be a positive addition to the choir department.

OVIEDO HOSTS “MEET THE CANDIDATES”

FLYING HIGH Juniors Andrew Alonso, Caleb Rodriguez and Sam Kaplan catch their junior stunt flyer Sahil Shah. They will be performing at the Powderpuff game. photo by Maggie Taylor

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, the City of Oviedo hosted a Meet the Candidates Night at the Fountainhead Baptist Church. Mayoral candidates Megan Sladek, Randy Core and Emma Reichert attended. Candidates mainly talked about many different issues. Involving the citizens in local politics is important to all three candidates. “A good mayor makes themselves available to the citizens, participates in community events, and has a long term vision,” Deputy Mayor Bob Pollack said. Elections will be held on Nov. 5.

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New spirit app to award prizes, build community Alexis Madlang

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GAME DAYS

Staff Reporter

hanting and cheering moving through the crowd as the play builds, setting up a goal. The moment the ball hits the net, a sea of purple rumbles in the stadium. Flags and banners whip around and the bang of drums fight to be heard over the roaring crowd. This is a normal celebration after an Orlando City or Pride soccer game, and principal Robert Frasca and the school administration want to bring Hagerty’s spirit to the same level.

Since he was hired last year, Frasca has gotten many comments and concerns from teachers and students about school spirit.

Increased spirit would create more pride at games, and make pep-rallies and events more enjoyable.

In response, the school is introducing a new app where students can earn points by going to different events to receive rewards like yearbooks, future parking, tickets to dances and t-shirts.

“I want some student input once we get it rolling,” said Frasca. “To see what prizes or awards they are interested in.”

Students can go to ‘https://getspirit.app/ hhs’ to register for the app and download it.

While registering, using the code ‘HUSKY’ will connect to Hagerty’s platform.

When choosing a ‘team,’ select the appropriate class or title at Hagerty to support ‘teammates’ in a competition against other teams. There are also individual rankings of who has the most points.

Additionally, there is a calendar with all the home events students can attend for points.

valid for sprit app points:

• 10/3 JV Football vs Winter Springs @ 6 p.m. - TBA • 10/3 Homecoming Week Dodgeball Tournament @ 6 p.m.

- Old Gym • 10/4 Varsity Football vs Winter Springs @ 7 p.m. - Stadium • 10/5 Homecoming Week Dance @ 7pm - Old Gym • 10/10 Freshman Football vs Oviedo @ 5:30 p.m. - TBA • 10/10 JV Football vs Oviedo @ 7:30 - TBA • 10/11 JV Girls Volleyball vs Leon @ 5 - Competition Gym SMELLS LIKE POWDERED-SPIRIT Students cheer on Husky football players during the second quarter. Baby powder was being thrown by upperclassman. photo by Juliana Joyner

The staff not only wants to see more school spirit, but attendance and excitement regarding the arts and academics.

The app is increasing spirit, and in the move toward building even more, the school is making adjustments to get people excited. This year at freshman orientation, new students

participated in a mock pep-rally to get them acclimated, raising school spirit and getting them ready for the year.

Frasca knows that students are thriving academically and wants to focus building “that spirit, that climate, that culture [and] trying to make sure everybody’s proud to be here.”

• 10/11 Varsity Girls Volleyball vs Leon @ 6 p.m. - Competition Gym • 10/12 Seminole County Marching Band Festival @ 9 a.m. - Stadium • 10/18 Varsity Football vs Orlando University @ 7 p.m. - TBA

Remind out, School Messenger in Leah Luedeman

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Staff Reporter

Ds, lanyards, locked doors, code red drills and… School Messenger? With safety becoming a more important issue, Seminole County looked through everything, including applications, to deem if they were safe. Remind was considered unsafe under the county’s standards because they could not monitor what was being sent. This meant teachers had to find a new application.

During pre-planning in early August, teachers received an email about a list of

DON’T REMIND ME Sophomore Rebecca Rollins checks School Messenger in between fourth period and lunch. She used the app to check if she had to do anything for Spanish or Key Club. photo by Leah Luedeman

applications that were not district-approved to use, and Remind was on that list. A group of teachers got together to find a similar app within what they already had, and they discovered School Messenger.

“Safety wise, I think it’s more heavily monitored and streamlined through the county, and Remind just wasn’t,” said English teacher Lindsay Jackson, one of the lead technology teachers at the school.

In previous years, teachers used Remind as a way to communicate to students about due dates and special announcements. Students would receive text notifications as well as notifications from the app, if they had it. Remind was used school-wide and county-wide among many students.

School Messenger allows for the same abilities and more. Teachers can send out pictures, videos and direct messages to specific students of their choice. Notifications will pop up on phones and can appear as text messages if students opt in.

When students returned on the first day of school, they had received news that teachers were now going to be using School Messenger to communicate with students. Students had not received anything from the county about the change, so it was new to them, just like it was new for staff.

“We haven’t used it at all, and it’s so early in the school year. All I know is that it looks like it is user friendly and it just mimics what Remind could do, plus it is county approved,” Jackson said.

The new application will become more common as it is used more. Students will receive all messages from the school, their classes, clubs and sports.

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TALENT SHOW

OCT

POWDER PUFF

OCT

DODGEBALL TOURNAMENT

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GLOW’D GAME

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HOMECOMING

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The Tuesday of homecoming week, TV Production will be holding a talent show in the auditorium on Oct. 1. This event will be showcasing student talent; anyone who wants to attend will need to purchase a $5 ticket.

The long tradition of the Powderpuff game will happen on Oct. 2, and will flip the sterotypes of buff football players and energetic cheerleaders, as the girls will play the game while the guys cheer them on. Cost of admission is $5.

On Oct. 3, a dodgeball tournament in the new gym will feature teams of 6, including students of all grades and teachers. The fee to participate is $2 per person, a total of $12 per team.

Spectators can attend with no fee.

On Friday, varsity football takes on Winter Springs at 7 p.m. at Sam Momary Stadium. The game is neon-themed, so the homecoming class shirts that come with the purchase of a ticket can be worn. Homecoming king and queen will be announced.

Take a road trip with fellow classmates on the Highway to Homecoming. The music festival-themed dance is 8 to 11 p.m., an extra hour this year, in the auxiliary gym Saturday night.

There will be a 2,000 student cap, so get tickets early.

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Theater students take center stage for Crucible

TRYOUTS Olivia Martin and freshman Lily Joseph practice lines for Joseph’s upcoming audition on Aug. 20. She ended up landing the part of Mary Warren. photo by Maggie Taylor

Sophie Woodburn

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Staff Reporter

unior Kelsey Curley sauntered confidently on stage, electrified and ready to deliver her well-versed monologue. Nervous and excited, she gave it her all, performing Nell’s Monologue from Like Dreaming, Backwards a monologue chosen at random, just like all the other auditioners.

The drama department is producing Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, which first appeared on Broadway in 1953. The show will transport the audience to the year 1692, during which the Salem witch trials occurred. Puritans in Salem, Massachusetts burned and persecuted “witches” who went against the conservative teachings of the church.

Auditions for The Crucible were held on Aug. 20-21 after school. The play was highly

JOIN THE PACK

To check out all the clubs the school has to offer, scan the QR code to the right and see the full feature on our website, hagertyjourn.com.

Student Government Association

President: Conall Crossan Meetings: Vary by class; check social media Student government holds and organizes events for the benefit of the student body, often through the work of individual grade levels (classes). Members hold fundraisers and find sponsors to pay for these events.

SGA offers leadership roles, community service hours and fun behind-the-scenes activities. Specific roles within the club look good on resumes as well as college applications. It can take up a lot of time, but members get to organize things.

Asian Club

Sponsor: ZhenZhen Zhang Presidents: Zoey Young & Eileen An Meetings: Every other Monday With ethnic food, cultural activities and chances to volunteer to help out the community, the Asian Cultural Club celebrates and educates students on the culture and history of Asia. The club engages members with informative presentations and activities. Ethnic snacks and food are available at every meeting. Volunteering opportunities are given as well as fundraisers. Members are expected to pay $10 dues should they want a t-shirt.

Best Buddies

Sponsor: Tammy Harris and Lois Arp President: Julia Shepp Meetings: Fridays Best Buddies features three types of members: A buddy is someone with an intellectual or developmental disability who wants to be matched with someone without an IDD in a friendship pair. Peer buddies, someone without an IDD, hang out and talk to their buddies a few times a month.

Associate members aren’t involved in a friendship pair, but attend all the chapter events and hang out with all the other members. Friendship pairs meet two to four times a month both inside and outside of school to hang out.

anticipated, and 46 students auditioned, with many more applying for crew positions.

35 of the students who auditioned got callbacks and 20 of them secured roles.

Sophomore Andy Ayup was among the students who were called back to audition. He landed the role of Reverend Parris, the father of Betty Parris, uncle of Abigail Williams, and minister of Salem.

“I was very excited and pleasantly surprised to find the role I had gotten. Auditioning is a huge part of theater,” said Ayup.

The performance is set for Nov. 7-9, and theater students are enthusiastic.

“I’m really excited to see how the show comes out. Everybody is so passionate about what they’re doing, we truly love it,” said sophomore Olivia Martin, a member of the costume crew and Thespian Troupe 6885.

Traditionally, the fall production is a play and the spring production is a musical. Students generally like “a mix of both,” according to Martin.

Rehearsals began on Monday, Aug. 26, and all who contribute to the show are expected to attend the following practices every Monday through Thursday, until the final production in November.

Future plans include “Lone Star” by James McClure in November and the Thespian Superior Showcase on Feb. 18. The spring musical is “Big Fish,” which will be performed April 2-4.

Fall Play Leadership

Assistant Director: Jake Lippman The assistant director supervises and helps the director come up with staging directions.

Set Coordinator: Ethan Kareem The set coordinator makes sure everyone on set is doing their job correct and oversees production of the materials.

Stage Manager: Grace Caffera The stage manager schedules rehearsals, as well as communicates the director’s wishes with the coordinator of stage crew.

Costumes coordinators: Avery Sullivan and Sarina Sukhraj The costume coordinators oversee the production of costumes, and are in charge of the maintenance.

Props Coordinators: Dixie Kitchens and Kelsey Curley The prop coordinators watch over the construction of the prop production and organizing of materials.

Publicity Coordinator: Trey Pollack The publicity coordinator works on sending out flyers and important information on the play to attract attention.

Light/Sound Coordinator: Emi Oberson The light/sound coordinator makes sure the effects are taken care of and done correctly.

Juniors take crown for most National Merit Semifinalists Sharika Khondaker

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News Editor

n Tuesday, Sept. 17, administration announced the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists. This award is given to students who score in the top 1% nationally on the PSAT/NMSQT. Ten students achieved this title, a school record, and Hagerty now has the highest number of semifinalists in the county.

The semifinalists are Brandon Adams, Marcelo Felix, Paul Handberg, Samuel Jones, Aidan Kramer, Max Logalbo, Rachel Pyros, Nathan Weaver, Caitlin White and Julia Zhu. In total, Seminole County had 36 semifinalists, and results were released

by National Merit on Tuesday, Sept. 10 to news media outlets. The official list was released online on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and administration held a small celebration for semifinalists on Tuesday, Sept. 17. “[The administration] called all of the semifinalists into a room, clapped for us and gave us the information for what came next,” Jones said.

Every year, the PSAT/NMSQT is administered in mid-October for sophomores and juniors. However, the score for this test does not count towards the National Merit Scholarship until a student takes it in their junior year. Semifinalists are announced almost a year after students take the test, the next September.

Composite scores for the PSAT range between 320 and 1520, but semifinalists are determined by a student’s overall performance on the test, with their NMSQT selection index, which is calculated by taking the three sections (Math, Reading, and Writing), adding up the section scores and multiplying the result by two.

The cutoff for Florida students to qualify as a

NMS semifinalist was 219, which has remained the same for the last three years.

As the cutoff is high and not many people reach it, studying for the test is an important part in achieving a National Merit Scholar title.

“Make sure to take the test seriously and consider doing a practice test beforehand to see what you can improve on before the exam,” Handberg said.

Long before the official lists of semifinalists come out, students generally know whether they made it past the cutoff or not, unless they fall on the borderline. Jones knew that he was safely above the cutoff score, but he was still excited when he found out he became a semifinalist.

“When I found out, I ran into my living room and told my parents about it, and had ice cream the next day,” Jones said.

Becoming a semifinalist is only one of the steps in the process of becoming a finalist.

Semifinalists still have to fill out an application in order to qualify to be a finalist. Out of approximately 16,000 semifinalists, 15,000 of them become finalists.

“It is similar to a college application, in the sense that you have to be able to back up your PSAT score with academics, extracurriculars and an essay,” Handberg said.

Finalists are nationally recognized, and students can earn scholarships from it, such as the Benacquisto Scholarship in Florida. This scholarship pays for four years of tuition, room and board, textbooks and other things at most major universities. To be eligible, students have to choose one of the eight NMS college sponsors such as UF, UCF and USF. They will also have to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0, and earn credit for all classes taken in college.

Students will be notified if they are finalists in February. Juniors will take their qualifying PSAT on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

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opinions

OUR TAKE

Your face when busted for a missing ID

Administration takes the lead in building spirit

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udging from the packed student section to the enthusiastic targeted pep rallies, things have changed and we are finally developing school spirit. School spirit has always been our huge flaw for the past few years, but with a new principal in place and the sense of a fresh start, we feel and see the difference.

Before this year, the school years have felt redundant.

Students run away from intimidating administrators watching out for dress code violations, they sit quietly with unamused faces during pep rallies, and then they refrain from making an appearance at football games or any other games.

Principal Robert Frasca is trying to lift school spirit with more pep rallies and spirit items like baby powder and pom poms, but most importantly, he is leading by example and it is working.

However, the praise does not solely fall on Frasca.

Administrators like Roy DeCosta, Jay Getty, and Christy Bryce have done their part.

Getty took initiative with the new school spirit app, titled “Spirit,” which allows students to earn points by going to the selected different school events. By going to the event, students can earn points and receive awards: yearbooks, tickets to homecoming or prom, t-shirts and even designated parking spots. This has led to the increase of student sections at games other than football. Although the app is new, if it continues to work as well as the other initiatives, other sports’ student sections will hopefully continue to keep growing too.

We have been longing for a change and now is our chance Another place Frasca continues to lead in is attending school events. He can be seen in the mornings standing with assistant principal Dough Miller on the outside of the school, greeting students, on breaks walking around with a smile from ear to ear, and even at golf tournaments. It is like we cannot get enough Frasca. Along with Frasca being more present in the school, other administrators are following in his lead.

In the corners of the cafeteria we see Frasca, Miller, Bryce and resource officer David Attaway all together, chatting away and laughing. We see administrators who are not even scheduled for rotation during break at break, conversing and interacting with students and taking the time to get to know them better.

We have been longing for a change and now is our chance. While some transitions take some getting used to, like lanyards or the new parking setup, it is easier to take knowing that change can be good.

It seems that things this year, for the lack of a better word, are a bit more “chill.” It is not due to rules not being enforced, but due to the shift in the administrators’ focus.

Having a new, energetic person to run things comes with great expectations. Administrators are putting in the effort, and the student body has responded. So let’s continue supporting them by showing school spirit.

the

blueprint Hagerty High School 3225 Lockwood Blvd.

Oviedo, FL 32765 hagertyjourn@blueprint.com Phone: (407) 871-0750 Fax: (407) 871-0817

Panicked

Annoyed

Florida Virtual a real fiasco Charlotte Mansur

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Online Editor

irtual school is every student’s dream.

No homework, work at your own pace and you can do it all in your pajamas.

What more could an overwhelmed student ask for? However, love is not enough to keep the Florida Virtual School running smoothly.

This past spring, the people who run FLVS, or the independent board, were all fired or demoted due to allegations of mismanagement of funds and contracts, including the former general counsel Frank Kruppenbacher giving funds to his son-in-law. As the story broke, Gov. Ron Desantis called for an audit of the entire corporation.

The whole thing is shady, but that is not even the worst part. The board was replaced with four politicians, none of whom have any experience in the education system.

You cannot manage something if you do not know what it is. It is like if someone gave you a bunch of sentences in French, Hungarian and Italian and told you to sort them by language.

If you do not speak any of those languages you are just moving things around blindly with no idea of what you are doing. Sam Verghese, the new chief operations officer, for example, was previously the Secretary of Elder Affairs for the state. How is the next step to go into education? That is completely jumping from one demographic to another.

The Florida Virtual classes have a few inconsistencies even before this scandal. There are multiple loopholes in the system that make it too easy for students. As nice as it is to have

The BluePrint is a student-produced 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 (except for Our Take), the views of Seminole County Public Schools or Hagerty High’s administration and staff.

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a flexible class schedule, the system makes it easy for people to ignore their classes until the last minute.

Contrast this to Seminole Virtual classes, which requires a call at the end of every module or lesson, to ensure you are understanding the material. SCVS also has the advantage of being run locally, so they are able to manage their resources in a more effective way. They send out SCVS employees to each virtual lab to make sure every student is staying on pace.

Education is political enough as it is. A student’s schooling should not be swayed by policies or vote counts. People think that because they attended school they know enough to lead them, and that is just not true. There should be at least someone on that board that understands curriculum or even kids in general.

The new board reports to the state education commissioner, Richard Corcoran, who has expressed in an interview with the Orlando Sentinel that they hired candidates who could bring management and strong ethical leadership.

Strong ethical leadership, however, may be a bit of a stretch. Especially since the new chief administrative officer Erik Braun was recently reprimanded at his previous job in the Department of Children and Families for failing to report his DUI to his supervisors, which was required of his position. Do we really want a man who lies about his criminal record to manage a school that receives $180 million dollars a year? This man is no more qualified than the “criminals” he replaced.

If you want an easy A, Florida Virtual is the way to go, but if you value your education, consider taking a different route.

Editor-in-Chief Jessica Maldonado Print Editor Zoey Young Online Editor Charlotte Mansur

News Editor Sharika Khondaker Lifestyles Editor Lukas Goodwin Sports Editor Hayden Turner

Staff Reporters Andrea Izaguirre Haley Hibdon Noah Kemper Chanson Cadet Leah Luedeman Sophie Woodburn Laura Shaw Alexis Madlang

Unbothered Florida Virtual fast facts (from the FLVS website)

$2,744.55 savings for the state per virtual student 20% higher Full Time Biology EOC scores than the state average 287 digital learning labs 180+ courses offered in 2018-19 492,507 semester completions in 2018 FLVS students have achieved 4.1 million semester completions since inception in 1997 11% higher AP scores than the state average

Graphic Designers Milea Dozier Parker North Business Manager Charlotte Mansur

Adviser Brit Taylor Principal Robert Frasca

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Disney needs to bottle up live-action Sophie Woodburn

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The Lion King (2019)

Staff Reporter

othing compares to sitting at home in front of your boxed television as a child, jamming out to “Hakuna Matata” with animated Timon and Pumbaa, listening to commentary from iconic characters and loving every second of it. Re-watching these movies reminds us of our childhood or even adulthood, but coming back years later, will it be the same?

Did live-action “The Lion King” bring anything new to the story? Can Will Smith’s Genie live up to Robin Williams in “Aladdin?”

Recent live-action remakes such as “Dumbo,” “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” and “The Jungle Book” (2016) have been adapted from their timeless cartoons to liveaction counterparts with much speculation, catching the attention of passionate Disney fans. The consensus is the movies are okay, but not as good as the originals.

Though we’ve seen some of these remakes in the past such as “The Jungle Book” (1994), “101 Dalmatians” (1996) Disney has been really pushing these movies as of late, having us ride along on this live-action roller-coaster.

The influx of films from Disney is likely because of Disney Plus, Disney’s streaming service coming November. Parents are more likely to buy the subscription with fresh content appearing. Maybe they were not aware, but we would have bought it without the new films coming in anyway.

“Aladdin” and “The Lion King,” being the most recent, are taking the hits. No matter how bad the movie turns out to be, they are still going to be watched, due to the nostalgic story which will attract many millennials and Gen Z. This exact thing happened with all the remakes.

Kids and adults who enjoyed the movies in their childhood are obviously going to go back and watch the new movies as they come out, but are the movies worth the ten bucks you’ll spend on the tickets?

So we come to the question: are Disney live-action movies better than the originals? In short, no. The long answer is more complicated.

Don’t get me wrong, the movies are great, but none of them have surpassed the originals, and don’t seem to stand alone in imagination or creativity. Trying to recreate something while keeping it exactly the same was not the smartest choice for Disney. If you are going to redo it, make it more original.

The movies are still going to make money, and will have a generally good response, but messing with something already good to begin with just ruined the feeling of the movie before it even began. Nothing could ever surpass the

Barking Mad

Live Action

Original Cartoon

Strengths: - Kind of charming - Nostalgic Weaknesses: - Missing elements - Weird comedy - Bland characters Rotten Tomato Score: 94% Audience 57% Critics

Strengths: - Songs and thematics were on point - Timeless characters Weaknesses: - Frustrating - Animated beast Rotten Tomato Score: 80% Audience 71% Critics

Strengths: - Perfect animation - Timeless songs - A emotional story - Amazing characters Weaknesses: - Live-action version Rotten Tomato Score: 93% Audience 93% Critics

Strengths: - Original sweet story - Robin Williams - Unique characters Beautiful art Weaknesses: - The other movies Rotten Tomato Score: 92% Audience 94% Critics

Strengths: - Memorable characters - Inspirational and sweet story - Songs are bops Weaknesses: - Too short Rotten Tomato Score: 92% Audience 90% Critics

nostalgia associated with the original aspects and cast, so why even bother?

The 2019 rendition of “Aladdin” had some problems. In reality, the movie was fine, the plot was cheesy, but the cultural stereotypes were very apparent. In 2019 standards, that is dangerous ground to walk on. But when it came out originally in 1992, it was fine.

Speaking on character decisions, staying true to traditional cultural dress would seem like a good idea, but it would have felt more like a blast from the past if they kept the original style of Ja’far and Princess Jasmine. The movie was like a trip to Disneyland, with characters dressed as if they were not the characters, and there was definitely a disconnect. The animal side-kicks were also not memorable.

Not to mention, we are so inclined to love Robin Williams then when Will Smith was cast we were all a little apprehensive. But Will Smith is Will Smith and he did fantastic. It would have been more magical if the Disney genies decided to add a little something extra to the story, such as a new character or maybe a mild change in a scene or plot. The Lion King was like this as well, copied frame from frame, based on the 1994 animation.

The animation and CGI in “The Lion King” were interesting in most parts and had good voice actors which helped the movies’ overall feel. Though, sometimes the animation was too much and took away from character personality.

And of course, nothing can replace the handdrawn artwork from the original.

“The Lion King” and “Aladdin” are the most recent live-action films, but others were

“The lack of time to do homework between two days.”

-Laila Viator 11 “The stairs are really crowded so it’s really hard to get to class.”

-Kevin Pham 9

“I don’t like having 7th in the middle of the day, it would be less confusing at the end of the day.”

-Matt Parr 11

Hurricanes make for a great grocery trip

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Strengths: - Nostalgic - Animation, sometimes Weaknesses: - Too similar to org.

- Amination Rotten Tomato Score: 88% Audience 53% Critics

“The ID policy is really annoying because it’s easy to forget the lanyards at home.”

-Landon Ravis 9 Barking Mad is a collection of short submissions about things that tick students off around school. If something at school makes you mad, e-mail us at hagertyjourn@gmail. com and it may be featured here.

Aladdin (2019)

CHAR-CASM

produced as well, with the same reaction. Just a little disappointing, but still a good try.

The recreation “Dumbo” (2019) came before “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” was even worse. The original “Dumbo” was full of magic and life, so when the live-action was released it was a bit of a disappointment. The animation dulled the characters’ enchantment and though the original story was phenomenal, they ruined the feel of the plot.

In another aspect, when the live version of “Beauty and the Beast” was mostly well done.

Disney kept the story but made it feel the same as the original, which is very important. Other than the poorly animated “beast”, the story was just as magical, and a tale as old as time.

Reminiscing was an experience, and to the common eye, the movies were good. But making something that is exactly like the original and messing with an already good movie was a mistake, they should have just let it be. Times have changed and if they would have strayed farther from the original story, it would have been more enjoyable. This might have made Disney fans upset, but still, bringing something fresh would have been a nice surprise.

Whether you like these live-action stories or not, Disney is not stopping, more movies are coming soon to theaters near you: Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019), Lady and the Tramp (2019), Mulan (2020), Cruella (2021), with many more to come. These movies will hopefully bring something new to the story, especially Mulan. But with Disney’s strange history so far, it will be interesting to see how they adapt the story if at all.

F

ew things cause as much stress as a hurricane can. For every 10% chance of disaster we are out six days in advance filling our carts as high as we can with bottles of water and canned peaches giving us a strange sense of control over an intimidating situation. Despite the stress that hurricanes bring, we can all find comfort in one thing: the food.

Hurricane season is the only time of the year where it is socially acceptable to buy ten packages of Oreos in one trip. No one is going to question your food choices when they themselves have six Costco-sized cases of water and enough veggie straws to feed a small village. Do I really need four bags of Cheetos? Probably not, but if the world ends at least I will be eating well.

Cheetos, however, are nothing in comparison to Pop Tarts, the ultimate storm food. Every hurricane warning makes them disappear faster, and for good reason. Pop Tarts can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner and last for years. And moms in a frantic haze will buy as many of them as you want. They will buy anything you want within the next decade. Rice crispy treats, a bag of croutons even the new pumpkin-spice flavored Spam-all sufficient food for a family anticipating a hurricane.

Of course you can not dive into the supplies before the hurricane comes – each storm comes with its own awkward waiting period where no one really knows what to do with themselves, this is a prime time to eat out. Restaurants stay open until the eye of the storm has hit land, and they are never crowded. No line at BJ’s? Believe it. Plus, no one wants to buy real meals at the grocery if they could end up sitting in a warm fridge.

The freezer phase of a hurricane is an undiscovered fantasy world of frozen meat and ice cream that goes unnoticed until the fear of a power outage is present. Food that has thawed and refrozen can be dangerous, so please, for the health of all those around you, grill out that steak, fry that bacon and most importantly, clean out that tub of rocky road.

Besides calories do not count in a hurricane anyway.

Although most hurricanes turn out to be false alarms, for every ten Dorians there might be that one Irma, so get eating.

“I don’t like the parking lot because the spots aren’t assigned anymore.”

-Emma Suehle 11

“Most of the vending machines don’t work, they just eat your money.”

-Christian Laurencelle 10

“The ID policy doesn’t do anything to keep us safe.”

-Brandon Zou 10

“I don’t like having every class on Wednesday, each class is just such a short amount of time.”

-Kamdon Harrison 9

“Name tags are annoying because if you don’t bring it you get a Hero pass and it’s really easy to get detentions.”

-Tyler Pate 12 “The cafeteria is too cold. It’s really uncomfortable.”

-Ethan Garranchan 10

Charlotte Mansur

“I almost get hit in the parking lot by parents and students.”

-Elliot Mooney 11 “One of my teachers told me not to ask questions.”

-Anthony Johnson 10

“Some of the teachers.”

-Hannah Roberts 11 “The school ID’s.”

-Miah Broderick 11 “The school’s lunch meals.”

-Ryan Carroll 12 “How early that you have to wake up for school.”

-Evan Kauffman 11 “The inconsistency of the AC is really annoying because some of my classes are freezing and others are boiling.”

- Faith Marino 11

7

entertainment R R E E V V II E E W W B O X

“Euphoria” (Season 1) (HBO)

“Soul Searching” Bazzi

“Euphoria” is a teen drama series released June 16 to HBO. “Euphoria” dives into the life of Rue, a drug-addicted teenager struggling with mental illness. Some of the scenes are a bit much, with explicit content such as drugs and scenes of sexual nature. However, how the episodes are centered around one person and expand out into a full-blown story that interconnects is well done.

The only thing that could help “Euphoria” reach a more diverse audience would be to lessen adult content; despite this, the show was beautifully done.

- Sophie Woodburn

With previous success of album “Cosmic,” Bazzi’s most recent release was a major letdown.

“Soul Searching,” which debuted on Aug. 8, attempted to cover serious topics such as selflove and mental health, but the lyrics were overtly braggadocios, with many unnecessary sexual innuendos and references. The music was mediocre as well. Exceptions would be the upbeat songs that featured Bazzi’s singing voice such as “I.F.L.Y” and “No Way!” While Bazzi’s attempt at changing up his sound and the message he sends through his music is noted, “Soul Searching” is a poor representation of his hard work.

- Zoey Young

“Bare With Me” Justine Skye The mixture of R&B tracks with tropical songs such as “Bulletproof” makes for an interesting listen, especially when combined with deep, personal lyrics penned solely by singer Justine Skye on her EP, “Bare With Me,” released on Aug. 27. What elevated the album was the unique storytelling element found on each song. “FAV” allowed listeners to get closer to Skye by allowing for a peek into her budding feelings for a certain lover. “Bare With Me” fit its name perfectly, allowing for more of a personal experience which made the EP worth a listen.

- Zoey Young

“The Mind Explained” (Netflix) Netflix’s new limited series “The Mind, Explained,” released on Sept 12, shows why topics of memory, dreams, anxiety, mindfulness and anxiety happen and how. The episodes thoroughly go in depth providing historical examples and how understanding about the topic has changed over time.

Every statement made is supported by statistics and other forms of information like graphs, which is helpful to uninformed viewers. This ability makes it easy to watch. Overall, the documentary series should be watched by anyone interested in learning more information about how the brain works.

- Leah Luedeman

“Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly”

In what will be one of the most watched documentaries on Netflix, Travis Scott’s documentary title is “Look Mom I Can Fly,” released on Aug. 28. Not only did this documentary highlight the most important aspects of his life, including his musical career, daughter and his mission to getting Grammys, it also shows Scott’s dedication to his music. The visuals in the documentary itself were also interesting because every shot is different, between adding a filter or the frame being cut. Overall it was good because of the scenes and the insight into Scott’s life, however, some parts got boring and seemed like dead film.

- Alexis Madlang

“Lover” Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift released her album “Lover” on Friday, Aug. 23. It brings back Swift’s main sound she incorporates in her music, with the same type of lyrics,her fans are used to, which reminds us of the old Taylor. Swift reverts back to her light, delicate beats combined with upbeat pop in songs such as “Cruel Summer” and “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.” However, despite this overarching tone throughout the album, there are still a range of songs and beats in the album, from “You Need to Calm Down” to “Afterglow,” and anyone can find a song that they would enjoy from the album.

- Sharika Khondaker

Slow start, fast finish for “13 Reasons Why”

RISING POPULARITY “13 Reasons Why” has become one of Netflix’s most popular TV series since season one came out in 2017. Season three was released Aug. 23. story becomes a classic case of ‘Who did it?’

Leah Luedeman The first episode of the season introduces Staff Reporter an outgoing and geeky new girl, Ani Anchola, n the first two seasons of Netflix’s teen played by Grace Saif. The season’s plot builds drama, “13 Reasons Why,” Bryce Walker, off events from the previous seasons, events played by Justin Prentice, is the series revolving around what Bryce has done and the antagonist. In the third season that premiered events from the trial.

Aug. 23, Bryce’s body is discovered and the The series starts off slow and features a lot

I

of confusing flashbacks. Ani’s experience as the new kid at school and during and after the homecoming game. The season shows how all of the events played a part in the mystery of Bryce’s death and were not just there to waste time like staring at the wall for an hour.

The majority of the series does not start in the present, which was hard to understand for the first couple of episodes. It is hard to tell what happened in what order and information that only the viewers know. This does not work very well though, as it is one big jumbled mess that takes forever to get through.

Throughout the season, the plot was repetitive. The group of friends basically get a new piece of evidence, they learn a lesson and then the cycle repeats almost like a set of instructions for the most basic of tasks. These lessons are shown in most media and are a little too easy.

Though the season started off slow, the episodes get increasingly more suspenseful with each piece of evidence. The series gives clues that will make viewers start to make theories about who is guilty and who is innocent, and then watch every episode to see if their theory is correct. Plot is revealed like an old radio show where waiting impatiently is just a given

task only for the ending to be short, leaving audiences wanting more and feeling cheated.

The characters of the series do fit into one category, which can seem pretty unoriginal.

Every character seems to be placed in a box about what they can and cannot do. It would be more interesting to see characters with similarities and bring a new twist to the TV stereotypes.

Some characters like Clay Jensen, played

by Dylan Minette, remained boring and was no longer worthy of being a favorite. Meanwhile, other characters like Ani and Tyler Down, played by Devin Druid, did grow to be personal favorites.

“13 Reasons Why” tells a story that is cliché and is thorough with the way they present new information. It makes viewers want to know the ending, but skip through all of the episodes to get there. It may seem like a waste, but the reward could be what is wanted or just flop People intending to watch the season should be aware that the season does not get binge-worthy unfortunately, and the ending is not worth the wait. The big end secret could have been revealed earlier to make the season interesting sooner and not seem like waiting through traffic.

gIRL G

Makeups of a VSCO girl Pura Vida accessories

pur vida a

The only jewlery VSCO girls wear. Worn stacked up on each wrists.

Will the V

Jessica Maldona

Metal Straws

Turtles

In the hope to save the turtles, girls are seen with portable, reusuable straws.

By using metal straws and wearing Pura Vida bracelets, girls are hoping to bring awareness and save the turtles and our oceans.

Hydro Flask

Key item in the “VSCO girl” look.

However, it serves a real purpose of keeping water colder longer.

Mottos

Dramatized VSCO girls are known for saying “and I oop” and “sksksk” randomly every few words.

Hyd

H

air pulled in An oversize track shorts Pura Vida rings and from the end of her “Save the Turtles” s Everyone knows the thousands of T them in the hallway up during the summ exaggerated meme t The dramatized girl includes scrunch Birkenstocks, Pura Hydro Flask and a m the turtles and the there are the key VS and “and I-ooop” words.

The term “VSC editing VSCO app, essential in complet then created on Tik Shortly after, YouT VSCO girls” hit the are either mocked girls look up to influ how to achieve the V

ro F lask

Through the decades Take a look through the years to see what trends became the permanent fashion styles we still recognize.

Hippie 1970s The bootcut jeans, fringe vests and the tie dye sunglasses complete the hippy look for the 1970s.

Preppy 1990s With an abundance of blazers and chunky sweaters paired with a plaid pattern inspired by Cher from Clueless, 1990s preppy style was the trend.

Tum

Tum volum mas

GONE VSCO

VSCO trend disappear or become a lasting style?

“I don’t think an app for filtering photos can be a lifestyle Editor-in-Chief or aesthetic,” freshman Emily Poulin said. “VSCO girls only become VSCO girls because they think it’s cool, and that’s nto a messy bun with a pink scrunchy. how trends usually go.” ed pink Vineyard Vine shirt paired with While VSCO is the trendy term, the style of wearing s and Birkenstocks. Wrists stacked with oversized t-shirts and Birkenstocks with scrunchies has d bracelets and a Hydro Flask hanging always been a way for girls to dress comfortably to school. fingertips with a metal straw and a big “A lot of girls have been dressing like VSCO girls even sticker. before it became popular. Things were just added along the s who these girls are, whether it is from way in order to exaggerate it, which allows for more funny TikToks mocking them or from seeing videos,” freshman Desiree Snell said. ys. VSCO girls are the trend that blew As any other trend, young girls who are invested in social mer, but is it a true lifestyle or just an medias will follow them, hoping to not feel being left out that will soon fade? of the “cool club.” Other times, girls will d make up of a VSCO “I don’t think an app follow the trend because they truly believe hies, oversized t-shirts, for filtering photos that it could help the purpose of the trend. a Vida accessories, a can be a lifestyle or For example, some girls dress and use the mentality set on saving “VSCO” girls’ items for their own benefit. aesthetic.” e environment. Then, “It’s clearly a lifestyle. Girls wear Emily Poulin, 9 SCO mottos: “sksksk” scrunchies because it doesn’t damage spread randomly between every few their hair and use Hydro Flasks because it keeps their water cooler,” Snell said. “Dressing like a ‘VSCO’ girl is just a cute CO girl” originated from the photo and comfortable dressing style. which adds a Polaroid effect – another While social media users make funny videos on the topic, ting the VSCO girl look. This trend was more and more things were added to dramatize what makes a kTok, but mostly in a teasing manner. complete VSCO girl. Part of this was targeting the freshman Tube videos about “Transforming into class, and how they will act upon arriving at high school. e trending page. Now, VSCO girl trends “As a freshman, myself, I would want to say that it is a or admired, and many young teenage way for other classes to feel superior, but honestly it’s because uencers such as Emma Chamberlain on we are the only class I’ve seen with actual VSCO girls who VSCO girl aesthetic. follow the exact stereotype of it,” Poulin said.

How VSCO are you?

15%

call themselves a VSCO girl

ado

mblr Girl 2010

mblr app in 2010 greeted the users of girls with minous hair parted to the side, heavy layers of scara and lots of graphic t-shirts and piercing.

39% Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask

wear and buy scrunchies

Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask

29%

own a Hydro Flask

27%

own and use metal straw

Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask

34%

Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask

Hydro Flask

have the VSCO app

haloscope

100 female students were surveyed

Old School 2018

E-Girl 2019

Denim, layered blouses and Air Force 1s were all the rage in 2018, as the fashion went old school.

Widely known as an e-girl, fishnets, striped shirts and heart stamps under the eyes were staples of 2019.

10

lifestyles

Cutting it Zoey Young

I

Print Editor

Short

n a sea of brunettes and blondes, junior Celeste Dixon’s my hair, but I hope it shows people that I try to be happy and eccentric hairdo immediately draws the eye. Dixon sports colorful most of the time,” Dixon said. a half black, half bleached white, pixie cut that she pairs

She learned from her older sister how to bleach and cut with sparkly pink sunglasses. her hair and tries to have a plan for what she wants. Dixon

This new style was a major change from Dixon’s is also mindful of price, and the amount of time it takes previous rainbow buzzcut, but hair transformations are no to complete the change, as well as the work it will take to big deal for Dixon and other students who have dramatically maintain her hair after the change. switched up their hair.

Maintenance is often overlooked when making a big hair

“I like changing things up, and cutting and dying my change and it can be a hassle for some students, like junior hair makes me happy,” Dixon said.

Logan Irving.

Usually, a new style is a momentous occasion that

Irving, who had shoulder length, curly hair for his takes up weeks of planning and relentless back and forth freshman and sophomore years, cut it the summer before on whether this is a good decision. During this period of junior year to donate toward cancer organizations. contemplation, parental consent or supervision is present,

Getting 13 inches of hair removed served to be a providing advice or even putting a stop to the whole massive relief for Irving, as the upkeep and maintenance was operation. exhausting. He had to continuously trim and condition the

Yet, for sophomore Jailyn Yankeloff, parents were no ends of his hair, and it would take hours for his hair to dry challenge on her quest to get bangs. Despite her parents’ after a shower. disapproval, Yankeloff went ahead

“I had to keep it healthy, trim “ with the plan, going so far as to cut the dead ends and use conditioners on her own hair. it. Showering took me 45 minutes and I

“I kept telling them I was going would air dry my hair afterward for like to do it and eventually I did, and they six hours to get it fully dry,” Irving said. actually liked it. My parents were

Big changes to hair can be nervesurprised, but most of my friends wracking, seeing as it is a semi-permanent ” really liked them,” Yankeloff said. process. Some hair dye doesn’t easily Celeste Dixon, 11

Yankeloff her bangs during the wash out, and hair does nott grow back summer, using different videos for reference. While she had overnight. Despite these worries, students remain unfazed. thought about getting bangs for months, cutting her own hair

Irving knew his two hairstyles would garner a lot of was on impulse. attention from friends and family. Some would prefer his hair

“I had been wanting them and just finally decided to longer, while others preferred it shorter. However, Irving does commit. It was really impulsive. I did not really learn to cut not get too caught up in other people’s opinions, and looks it, I just watched some YouTube videos,” Yankeloff said. forward to dying it purple in the coming months.

For inspiration, students use a wide variety of social Similarly, Dixon isn’t afraid of what others think, even though media platforms. Dixon primarily uses Pinterest and her hairstyles can be quite different than her peers.

Instagram, but occasionally takes interest in the different

“I think it is obvious that I look different than some other looks around her in real life. While she does not look for people in my classes, but I do not think it makes me stand out a anything specific, Dixon resonates with colors and haircuts lot. Everyone at Hagerty is pretty unique and accepting of each that radiate positivity. other and I think that makes me comfortable to do whatever I

“I am not really expressing anything specific with want with how I look,” said Dixon.

I like changing things up and cutting and dying my hair makes me happy.

Lock In THE look Changing your hair can be a big decision.

Here are some tips and precautions to take when considering one of these styles.

THINK PINK Junior Celeste Dixon’s latest color is a vivid shade of pink that she matches with a pink lanyard. She went to Sally’s to get most of her bleaching and coloring products.

Making the cut-off Long hair can be a hassle, or sometimes you get the urge to chop all your hair off. We’ve all been through that moment.

When cutting lots of hair off, be careful, as hair does not grow back overnight.

To dye for The prospect of dying your hair can be exciting, but keep in mind that it is a careful process with a lot of steps depending on you hair and what you want. When thinking about your hair, be careful and make sure you know what you are doing. It is also best to obtain parental approval.

The big bang theory Bangs can be tempting, but are also a big change that takes time to reverse. If you decide to commit to bangs, it is recommended to get a professional to cut them in order to get the best result.

perm-fection Perms are a major trend on social media, especially on the video platform TikTok. Perms are a serious hair treatment and should be thoroughly researched.

11

lifestyles CHAY’S CLOSET

I S B S L O E P M M I A E DE H T

POSSIBLE

Charlotte Mansur

Online Editor

V

eggie burger - most people picture a lump of black beans and some quinoa smashed together in an attempt to create a sad version of a patty. Not many would picture a sizzling juicy medium-rare “burger” like the one Impossible Foods creates. Their Impossible burger is a meat alternative genetically modified to look, feel and taste just like meat. The burger has taken the world by storm and corporations like Burger King are taking advantage.

To test the quality of Impossible meat, a burger party was thrown where students shared the new Impossible Whopper now being sold at Burger King, and the group compared it to a regular Whopper in taste and quality.

“When I first tried the burgers, I couldn’t tell a difference. If I didn’t know it wasn’t a real burger, I would think it was real,” junior Faith Neidhart said.

Impossible meat is made up of just four main components. Textured soy and potato proteins blend together and create a meat-like consistency that provides the nutrients needed to substitute for other proteins. Coconut and sunflower oils create a sear and sizzle when meat is cooking and add some flavor. A fancy cellulose binder is used to create the juicy burger that meat eaters crave.

The most important element, however, is heme. While it may sound like something from a “Men and Black” movie, it is actually a common protein that every plant and animal needs to survive. The flavor that is typically associated as “meaty” is in fact the flavor of heme. Basically, heme is the foundation of the Impossible meat industry.

Many large corporations other than Burger King have jumped on the heme bandwagon. Epcot, for example, has an

entire Impossible Foods-themed kiosk that is a part of the international Food and Wine festival. Even Katy Perry, who is a major investor in the company, wore a burger costume to the Met Gala to promote the product. Meat substitute products are expected to be a $2.5 billion dollar industry by 2023 according to Euromonitor estimates.

Despite all of its success, plant-based burgers have their critics.

“You know, as someone that has eaten meat almost my entire life, and never deviated from that path, you can just tell that one’s not meat. I can’t describe the taste but it just tastes cheap,” junior Alex Tao said.

In addition to comments about a lesser taste, many question the nutritional value of the product, claiming that its high sodium and calories contradict their “health food” brand. Chief financial officer of Impossible Foods David Lee has refuted these claims in many instances explaining that their purpose is not to compete with the benefits of greener food, but to compete with the red meat industry.

In comparison to red meat, the Impossible burger has 10-20 percent less calories, and no cholesterol. They also pride themselves in using healthier fats like coconut and sunflower oils.

Other companies such as Beyond Meat and LightLife have similar products on the market, but have failed to create a realistic-looking burger that reaches the audience Impossible has gained through their partnership with Burger King and their Twitter account.

Impossible foods has hinted through their social media that they plan to have pre-packaged patties available for sale in grocery stores by the end of this month to make Impossible burgers accessible for everyone.

I S B S L O E P M M I A E DE H T

POSSIBLE Meat substitute products are expected to be a $2.5 billion dollar industry by 2023

BEYOND THE BURGER Sidebar

87%

Uses fewer greenhouse gases

Requires

Uses roughly

45% less energy

25% less

saturated fat than the real meat Stats from CNBC

75%

water

95% less land than producing ground beef

less

Blazers: easy, breezy and not at all cheesy

O

Chanson Cadet

versized blazers, velvet blazers, cropped blazers, satin blazers, plaid blazers, blazers with belts, etc. Find the blazer style that best suits you and your personality, then rock it.

Whether they are worn by professionals or those interviewing for a specialist position, blazers are typically found on those in an office space or working environment.

But, according to New York fashion week designers and fashion influencers like Rhianna, Kim Kardashian and Bella Hadid, blazers are rising to the top as one of the trendiest items for everyday streetwear.

The biggest brands in fashion are featuring blazers as an essential part of their fall collection, including Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Chanel and Tom Ford. However, fashion enthusiasts can certainly purchase the same trendy items at Forever 21 or Old Navy.

Not everything seen on the runways of New York, London or Milan makes its way to high school, but blazers should. Fall is the season when you start looking for the jackets that you lost months ago, so it is the perfect time to give blazers a chance. Investing in a blazer is so much easier than trying to find an actually decent looking coat in this mosquito minefield we call Florida, and or the past few years I have had to steal my mom’s jackets because I can never find any for myself.

Blazers offer a classy way to stay warm.

They make you look and feel intelligent and put together, but more importantly, they make you feel like a boss.

A blazer is also a great way to dress for success. Sure, wear hoodies and sweaters Monday through Thursday so that when you wear a blazer for your midterm on Friday you will look and feel like a confident powerhouse ready to embrace the weekend after you ace your test.

It is currently cuff season, so if tests are not your priority, try wearing a blazer to cop a cute date. You will assuredly have a 10% higher chance of getting a homecoming date if you wear a blazer. Who would say no when you put in effort and look like you could maybe own a Fortune 500 company?

“Blazer” is a general term, but so is this trend. If the typical black shoulder-padded blazer style is not for you, there are dozens of different options, and if your only problem with this specific article of clothing is if you can pull it off or not, you can.

If you want to go for the oversized blazer style, with or without a belt to cinch your waist, I recommend asking your dad or any older male related to you. Chances are they have something they would not mind parting with if it means you will be the most fashionforward person in your third-period class.

Another cheap option is Goodwill and people in general are more open to thrift-shopping these days and there is no shame in it.

Blazers are the most subtle way to stay warm while not looking like you are wearing the clothes you wore to bed last night. Just give them a chance the same way you did for mom jeans, and that turned out great.

12

lifestyles

MADE FOR MANDARIN Zhenzhen Zhang opens up Mandarin I, a course concentrated on the Chinese language Lukas Goodwin

W

Lifestyles Editor

ith the vast selection of world language courses available to students, from Spanish to French to American Sign Language, adding one more to the list might seem like too much. Several others are available online, including German and Italian, but the lack of a physical teacher and a classroom setting can be intimidating for many students.

Starting this year, Geometry teacher Zhenzhen Zhang decided to make a change and introduce Mandarin as an on-campus class.

Currently, Mandarin I is the only option, but the curriculum for future years, Mandarin II, III, IV, and AP Mandarin, is still in the early stages of planning.

Despite the newness, Zhang has been eager to open up the course. Growing up in China, Zhang moved to the U.S. around 2015, where she has been teaching ever since. She already had experience with teaching Mandarin at Freedom High School in Orange County, but this is her first time teaching it here.

“When I first started teaching Chinese, I didn’t get that many students... We did not do a very good job advertising Chinese,” Zhang said. “But coming into this year, I was like, ‘Okay, I know what to do that is right, I know what to do that works well and I know what to avoid.”

Zhang hopes to make this year as engaging and interesting as possible for her students. Beyond teaching the basic foundations of the language, like vocabulary, grammar and numbers, she wants to emphasize Chinese culture in her lessons.

Zhang follows through with this goal by creating projects every nine weeks. The first one will be chalk art in the courtyard that incorporates illustrations of Chinese characters, symbolism and other cultural aspects from Chinese

cities. Following this, the second project will give students the opportunity to cook ethnic dishes, the third will study Chinese film and the fourth will concentrate on music.

Students who enrolled in the course enjoy the material in the class, and are passionate to study the language and culture.

Many would expect Mandarin to be a challenging language to learn, as it does not rely on the Latin alphabet like the English language; however, Zhang is making sure to accommodate for this by introducing the essential components of Mandarin at a gradual pace.

“The rich culture that China has… truly made it interesting to me,” said junior Robert Alvarez, one of the many students new to the language.

Despite the content being new and potentially difficult, students like sophomore Olivia Rommel have appreciated the class. Many are seizing the chance to be challenged.

“It’s really interesting and fun. It’s worthwhile. It’s especially nice to learn it along with other beginners,” Rommel said.

Along with starting up the Chinese class, Zhang has continued as the club sponsor for the Asian Culture Club, which is co-run by juniors Zoey Young and Eileen An. The club invites all students, Asian or not, every other Monday after school to Zhang’s room to discuss various cultural aspects from different Asian countries.

Some activities in the past have included origami lessons, an “Asian Thanksgiving,” and lantern making.

Additionally, Zhang will be hosting a trip to China in the summer of 2020 via EF Educational Tours. The trip will spend eight days in Beijing, where students can visit the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden

City, the Summer Palace and many other popular tourist attractions. The tour will then take a bullet train to Shanghai for another two days to visit more famous spots.

“We will have a deeper cultural tour, instead of just rushing between cities,” Zhang said.

A meeting with more information and details on the trip was held in the media center on Sept. 11. Those who missed the meeting should see Zhang in her classroom, room 6-214, if they are interested in learning more about the trip.

Whether students plan to go on the trip to China, take the class or join the club, Zhang hopes to bring a new era of Asian culture to the campus.

TIĀN stands for sky.

It is also used in terms like “everyday” and to describe weather.

MÙ translates to eye.

It is used in other words like “look” and “see.”

An introduction to Mandarin vocabulary ÀI comes from a mixture of characters that mean loving people through actions.

SHǓI translates to water, resembling a splashing water droplet.

SHĀN stands for a mountain, and looks like three peaks.

RÉN means man, using two strokes for legs. Two of these means “everyone.”

HUǑ was designed to look like a crackling fire. It is found in related words such as

13

lifestyles

New mental health counselor joins staff Zoey Young

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Print Editor

n a world riddled with rising teenage suicide rates, weekly news of school shootings and the looming fear of bad grades, college rejection, anxiety and stress are always present in the high school environment. Mental health goes unnoticed too often, as students are focused on completing classwork and trying to stay afloat amongst drama at school and at home.

With the addition of district-appointed mental health counselor Cassie Palmer, students now have access to another way to help.

Available on Mondays and Thursdays, Palmer is located in the front office, next to bookkeeper Missy Clark’s room.

While the position Palmer holds is fairly new, having been created last school year, Palmer has been intrigued by the subject of mental health “I started with an interest in psychology.

That kind of developed from there. I think that the way that brains work, and human behavior is really fascinating to me,” Palmer said.

Palmer has been working with Seminole County Public Schools since 2006, working with all school levels, including middle school, high school and elementary. However, she finds high schoolers to be the most interesting and the most challenging to work with as they have the most “real world problems.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Health in 2019, 17.2 percent of high school students are faced with serious thoughts of suicide, with that number increasing to 47.7

percent for high schoolers who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. Compounded with the fact that one in five kids show signs or symptoms of suffering from a mental health disorder, as reported by Meg Anderson and Kavitha Cardoza at NPR in 2016, mental health is a serious issue especially for older students.

Palmer seeks to alleviate these problems in high schoolers; she feels that there is more to life and that high school students have much to strive for.

“I see a lot of potential with high schoolers.

They are right on the cusp of something greater.

I see that sometimes, you guys just need someone to talk to,” Palmer said.

Students who go to see Palmer are there to talk about anxiety or stress from pressure either put on by themselves, parents or friends. She feels that sometimes students need to vent or have a “third party to bounce things off of.”

Despite the problems teenagers are saddled with, many do not visit a counselor, which Palmer hopes to change. One of her challenges she hopes to fix is the damaging stereotype of receiving therapy for mental health. Often, seeing a counselor or getting therapy is taboo.

It brings about the image of a patient laying on a couch while the doctor takes notes on a clipboard. However, Palmer sees therapists and counselors as so much more than a note-taker.

“Counseling is not like that, we are intended to be on your side, we are intended to be your allies. I want people to know that it is not scary,” Palmer said.

Palmer strives to help others improve in a positive way with tips and skills. She urges people who are on the fence about therapy to

go and that it is not reserved for people with definitive mental disorders.

Principal Robert Frasca further explained the importance of having a counselor, especially on campus.

“Our school counselors know of many different resources to direct students towards, but they have their specific training, which is more in the curriculum piece and that part of the counseling,” Frasca said. “So, having somebody on campus for kids to access, when in crisis, if they just need somebody to talk to.

I think that is going to really help our students.

And that is our goal.”

Frasca notes that his experience with Palmer has been nothing but positive, citing her help in events with the PTSA and with administration in organizing events and teaching students about mental health. He also mentioned that she is mainly here to help students, as there are resources and programs outside of the districtappointed counselor for them to access.

The environment Palmer works in can sometimes be emotionally heavy or downcast, which is why she utilizes different strategies, calling them her “toolbox” to help with the weight being a counselor might bring. She especially pointed out that one must have a passion, or a love for the job to cope with the content. With students are her main priority, the main motivation for Palmer is being able to see the difference in the people she sees.

“I think that it has always been really great to see your efforts work out, and see people improve based on the conversations that you have with them. Being able to have that sort of influence is extremely rewarding,” Palmer said.

Foley wins Teacher of the Year

MAKING HISTORY AP World History teacher Erin Foley helps sophomores Hakim Aburrashid and Diego Garcia with an assignment. photo by Amy Hinnant

Chanson Cadet

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Staff Reporter

t is finally sixth period, and students have been wearing their ridiculous get-up all day. As students walk into class they see their peers wearing ugly sweaters featuring various historical figures and events.

AP World History teacher Erin Foley was announced as Teacher of the Year on Monday, Sept. 23, and Ugly Sweater day is just one of

the student-centered activities happening in her room all the time. The award looks for teachers who put in extra effort to make the classroom a constructive learning environment and where high expectations are set and achieved with help from the instructor. To get this award, teachers must be nominated by their peers, and chosen in an election court.

“There were 11 other people nominated and it was like a who’s who,” Foley said. “It was just everybody you could think of that was great.”

Foley works hard to consistently improve her philosophy and how she cultivates relationships with her students.

Foley’s supervisor, assistant principal Gisela Cotto said, “She’s a highly effective teacher, she brings a lot of different strategies into the classroom, she works a lot with groups and has them collaborate so that one student is actually teaching the other students.”

This innovative way of interacting with students allows Foley to teach without being at the front of the classroom, all of the time.

“It’s about every year, you try and make your class more engaging and interactive,” said Foley.

Foley was appreciated by her fellow teachers and students for allowing groups to work through questions and discuss the material on their own, while also circulating to offer assistance to students that require it. This allows students to develop their own thinking process and teamwork skills.

“She showed us fun videos and I remember she mentioned every time we hear Mansa Musa you’ll remember this video,” Gilbert said. “And I really have remembered the video.”

Another video Foley showed to her students was the ever so famous “Fleas on Rats” video that describes the bubonic plague.

“She lectured every now and then, and she did it very well because she engaged our attention. But she also had activities where we would go around the classroom and do something, it was just very entertaining,” junior Logan Irving said.

Foley is now eligible to become the Teacher of the Year for all of Seminole County. Finalists will be announced in March.

MIND OVER MATTER Palmer urges anyone on the fence about counseling to attend. She wants to emphasize the point that counseling is for anyone who needs someone to talk to.

“The Child Mind Institute reports that half of all mental illness occurs before the age of 14, and 75% by the age of 24.”

“A school counselor isn’t just the awkward hippy trope you see in movies and on TV. Counselors are real people with a real interest in helping students learn and grow.”

Palmer is available Mondays and Thursdays in the front office. You must have parental consent along with a scheduled appointment through student services.

-Wake Forest University -National Education Association

What makes Foley special “I just like her teaching style.

She explains stuff well and makes it easy to understand.”

- Isabella Caro 10 “She obviously cares about what she teaches...you can see in the way that she teaches how she doesn’t even have to look at the material when shes talking about it, it’s just in her brain. You can tell she’s passionate about it.”

- Reagan Estlick 10 “I feel like because I have her I’ll get a good grade on the AP exam.”

- Verina Faragalla 10 “I think she teaches history in a different way. She is able to compare something...to pop culture and she makes jokes that keep the class constantly alive.”

- Charissa Thompson 10

sports

14

legend in the making Senior Aidan Kramer commits to play Division I golf at the University of Georgia Tech next fall Hayden Turner

A

Sports Editor

summer in De Pere, Wisconsin was all it took for two-year-old Aidan Kramer to find his passion. In an afternoon with his dad at the driving range, Kramer developed an instant love for the game of golf.

“When I was young, I wouldn’t watch cartoons,” Kramer said. “I would go downstairs and watch the Golf Channel instead.”

Now, 15 years later, he is committed to play Division I golf at Georgia Tech.

Kramer has led the Hagerty golf team in all four years of his high school career and has improved each year. He has dominated all players through the regular season, as the lowest player in each of the events he has played in. He leads the team this year with a 34.4 scoring average, the lowest in school history, and holds the nine and 18-hole school records, with a 32 and 67 respectively.

Playing golf at this level has always been a dream for Kramer, as he has traveled all around the country participating in tournaments. After looking at all the universities he could attend, he chose Georgia Tech.

The golf program at Georgia Tech is one of the best in the country, with golf legend alumni like Bobby Jones, Matt Kuchar and Stewart Cink. Georgia Tech stood out to him because of the school’s unique golf program.

“If you do what the coaches tell you, and follow the model that they set, you can make the PGA Tour from there,” Kramer said. “It has been a goal of mine for a very long time and I want to be able to make it to that level.”

Kramer has taken multiple trips to Atlanta to spend time with the players and coaches while viewing the facilities. He believes he will excel in the environment there, and that nothing will be holding him back there to achieve his goal, the PGA Tour.

“Maybe I will [make the PGA Tour] and maybe I won’t, but all the resources are there for me to succeed,” Kramer said. “Their on-campus practice facility and the courses they have access to, are second to none. There is no better place to hone your skills at the game of golf then Georgia Tech.”

Before his commitment in 2017, Kramer participated in a tournament days before the high school golf season began. Before his second round, he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his back.

“I was in a fairway bunker and I had to lift it over the edge, and I felt the entire left side of my back-muscle tear,” Kramer said.

This injury severely limited his range of motion, leaving Kramer unable to perform at his best. After the tournament, his outlook for the high school season was in jeopardy, as his back would take six to eight weeks to heal.

Per FHSAA rules, in order to participate in the postseason, a player must participate in five regular season matches to become eligible for the postseason.

While sitting around his house, he swung left-handed with no pain. His dad told him there was no way of re-injuring it if there was no pain, so he played lefthanded, and shot a 45. He continued to turn in scores and became eligible for the postseason.

“I’ve only done it as a joke in the past but after practicing left-handed for about ten minutes I started to get the hang of it,” Kramer said. “At that point I was good enough to be able to turn in a score. It wasn’t a matter of winning or my scoring average, it was just about becoming eligible.”

After he became eligible and recovered from his injury, he led the team to a second place conference finish and second place district finish.

Kramer will be enrolling in the fall of 2020 and will be majoring in Engineering.

“They match against the best competition against the best players at the best courses,” Kramer said. “It is a very competitive environment and I will be able to find out truly how good I am.”

15

sports

Varsity football learns new language Laura Shaw

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PLAYS IN ACTION Quarterback J.J. Baird hands the ball off to running back Ethan Lopez against Gateway. The team would go on to win 23-0. photo by Juliana Joyner

Staff Reporter

ith one minute left in the half, running back D.J. McCunney caught a pass from quarterback J.J. Baird, scoring a touchdown from the 25 yard line and increasing the lead 14-0 against Gateway high school.

Against Lake Howell, two and a half minutes into the first quarter, wide receiver Shomaree Blake caught a 24-yard pass for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

Baird has 275 yards in the first four games which is already more passing yards than all of last season.

With the addition of head coach Wes Allen, starting quarterback J.J. Baird from Oviedo, and a passing game, the football team looks nothing like last season’s team.

Allen has implemented a new playbook, focusing on a spread formation in contrast to Zigler’s run-heavy system in previous years.

Starting at the end of last year, every position on the field was altered and changed.

“It was like teaching the boys Mandarin,” Allen said.

The new look is not just in the playbook.

Also, Allen got the team new Nike jerseys and pads to replace the worn out Russel Athletic gear from last year. Allen said the athletes are like “his kids” and “his kids deserve the best.”

Baird ran spread offense plays at Oviedo, and he runs the some basic offense here now.

The transition has not always been smooth, but it has been working so far.

He came in this summer and started helping the team transition to the new offense. It is these offensive plays that have led to games like the 23-0 opening win against Gateway.

A certain level of authority is expected of a quarterback, and so far Baird is pulling through.

“J.J. has stepped up a lot in this class over summer. He has been there for us,” offensive lineman Reece Germer said.

Even though Baird is only a junior, he has earned the respect of all of the team, seniors included. Wide receiver Shomaree Blake said that he’s “seen a lot of leadership come from his heart.”

Besides changing the offense, Allen has created a new atmosphere as well.

“I feel like it’s just [an] all around different culture and attitude on the team,” linebacker Garet Lagrange said.

As of right now the team has a 2-2 record with wins over Gateway and Lake Howell and losses to Lake Nona and Timber Creek.

The homecoming game against Winter Springs is this Friday and then the Oviedo game is on Oct. 25.

Allen is proud of how the players have adjusted and said that “offense is starting to find their identity and... getting better every week.”

ATHLETE OF THE ISSUE who

Brayden Seymour

team

Cross Country

date Sept. 21 what Ran an 18:04 min. 5K

where West

Orange Invitational Freshman Braden Seymore has made his impression on the cross country team very quickly as a runner. After coming to Hagerty as one of the best cross country runners in the county from Lawton Chiles Middle School, he has already set the lowest time this year for the 5K, in his first race of the season by completing it in 18:04. This is first of many low times for Seymour. “It’s a good feeling but I still have a lot of work to do and I believe I can lower my time significantly,” Seymour said. The next cross country meet will be Saturday, Oct. 5 in the Windermere Invitational.

sports

16

Setting up for state Haley Hibdon

I

Staff Reporter

n ten years Oviedo had beaten the girls varsity volleyball team 15 times, Hagerty had won six. So when the girls finished the game on Sept. 12 with a straight-set victory (2516, 25-20, 25-21), it was something to celebrate.

“Not only were we playing our rivals at home, but we got to play in one of the bigger crowds we’ve had so far. The girls all responded to the distractions and we stayed focused on the end result,” senior setter Emily Lawrence said.

It was the first time they had beaten Oviedo in the three sets since 2015. The team will face Oviedo again away on Thursday, Oct. 11 at 7 p.m.

The girls have faced many strong teams this year like Plant City, Lake Highland and St. Thomas Aquinas, the most difficult earlyseason schedule they have ever had.

“We have a really tough schedule. That’s a reason why we’re playing tough,” head coach Juanita Hitt said.

Because of the difficult teams they have played and beaten, the team is ranked number one in the 7A classification and number three in the state overall.

The team has lost three this season and has a current record of 13-3. Two of the losses were against Lake Highland Prep and the third was against St. Thomas Aquinas, the top-ranked and fourth-ranked teams in the state, respectively, across all divisions. Hagerty fell to Lake Highland in a 2-3 (25-22, 22-25, 25-12, 24-26, 11-15) match at the home game on Aug. 27.

The team faced Lake Highland again at the

Battle At the Beach Tournament in Venice, they lost 1-2 (25-17, 19-25, 12-15).

After reaching the regional finals last year and the final four the year before, there is hope that the team will win a state championship. The girls believe they can get there if they continue to push.

“I really believe we have the potential to bring home a state championship if we keep the right mindset. And if we keep on doing successful things we’ll get there,” Hitt said.

The team will be traveling to Arizona this week for Nike’s Tournament of Champions to face some of the best teams in the country. They placed second in the Silver bracket last year and hope to place even higher this year.

“We’re going to do great if we just play our game and don’t play down to the other team’s level,” outside hitter Olivia Price said.

But even with strong defense and aggressive hitters, the most important thing has been that they are working together and have good chemistry.

After a strong group of seniors who graduated last year, the entire team has been able to bond more than before.

“We really get along well, and I think this bond helps us when we get in tough situations,” Lawrence said.

The team plays together really well on the court due to their great chemistry. They are good at communicating which is a skill that comes with good relationships.

“The girls are close, they actually care for each other,” Hitt said. “They’re very good and in tune with each other, which makes them successful on the court.”

SPORT SHORTS

GIRLS BOWLING ROLLS OVER SEMINOLE

On Wednesday, Sept. 27, the girls bowling team beat Seminole with a 1678-1657 win at the Oviedo Bowling Center. Led by junior Paige McCarthy with a score of 160, the team is now 8-2 overall for the season. With the most successful Baker game yet, a cumulative score of 185, the team recovered from what was a “particularly difficult match, especially in regards to missed spares,” said McCarthy. In anticipation for their match on Oct. 1 against Lake Howell, the team is focused on their consistency. “Even though Wednesday was rough, I think we really pulled it together.”

CROSS COUNTRY COMPETES IN INVITATIONAL

On Saturday, Sept. 21, the boys and girls cross country teams competed in the West Orange Invitational. At the meet, the boys team was led by Reagan Eastlick and Brayden Eastlick who both finished with times of 18:03.

Eastlick ran the fastest first mile with a time of 5:24.

The boys team finished with an average time of 18:52 and placed 19th out of 38 teams. After the boys ran, the girls team was led by Kaylee Rod and Adrianna Singh.

Rod finished first on the girls team with a time of 20:32.

Singh finished with a time of 22:21, leading the girls to an 11th place finish out of 30 teams.

GIRLS GOLF BLOWS OUT WINTER SPRINGS On Monday, Sept. 23, the girls golf team blew out Winter Springs with a 180-290 victory at Twin Rivers Golf Club. The team was led by freshman Chelsea Nguyen who shot a 37, and sophomore Lilly Sullivan, who shot a career-low 45. This led the girls team to its best performance ever. The team improved to 7-2 and competes in the SAC tournament on Oct. 1. “This was our best effort of the year at Twin Rivers and it is great preparation for the next conference tournament next week,” head coach Tod Benedict said.

Volleyball rolls into end of season with high hopes for a state championship

DOUBLE BLOCK Setter Emily Lawrence sets middle blocker Nyasha Mafarachisi during the Plant City game on Oct. 22. The team won in straight sets. photo by Maggie Taylor

Boys bowling strikes back Noah Kemper

O

Staff Reporter

n Wednesday, Sept. 25, the boys bowling team defeated Seminole 20611706, avenging their season opening loss, to advance to 6-3 overall.

After trailing by a few pins, the bowling team scored consecutive spares to gain the lead, leading to five strikes in a row from juniors Jacob Deleandgro, Connor Leifert, and Chase Wajda. This gave the boys a 300-pin lead, with only a few frames left. The boys team pulled away, winning 2061–1706.

After the win, the team advanced to 6-3 and avenged their loss to Seminole. The teams next matchup is against Oviedo on Oct. 1.

“The team has played really good. They have a great shot at districts, we even have three bowlers in the top 15 rankings,” head coach Zachery Capparell.

In each match, each bowler bowls two games, and in each game, a player bowls twelve frames, and bowls 24 frames in an entire match.

After the scores are added up, the score is then divided by two for the average team score.

At the beginning of the season, the boys team struggled in their first few games. The team lost their first two games of the season including a big loss to rivals Oviedo. After the loss to Oviedo, the team picked up their first win of the season against Lake Howell. They won their next four games in a row to Lake Howell, Lake Mary, Lyman and Crooms, including a close 12 pin victory against Lake Mary.

“We’ve held our own pretty good so far in the season, we may not be the team we use to be, but we still have been working for it, practicing more and having a lot of fun,” Leifert said.

Throughout the season, the boys team has been led by Deleandgro and Leifert. Delrangalo has a season high game of 259 pins, and Leifert has a season high game of 243 pins.

Both bowlers are ranked in the top 15 in the player rankings. They have helped lead the team to third place in the conference.

“Competing in bowling is a fun experience, were always having fun while competing and chanting during a game,” Eiefert said.

Toward the end of the season Wajda has been leading in pins knocked down after each match. In his recent match against Seminole, he led the team again by knocking down 231 pins, leading his team to victory. His highest game was 256 pins against Lake Mary. Wajda is ranked tenth in district for pins knocked down.

Although the team is very competitive, they also have fun throughout the competitions. In each match, all the bowlers have chants for different actions.

If a bowler rolls five strikes in a row, the boys team will chant, “ one, two, three, Yahtzee!”

The team has several chants they do as a team, always pulling for each other.

“Bowling is a lot of fun because everyone is out there competing and trying to win, but at the same time they are having fun, no matter if we are winning or losing everyone is having a good time,” Deleandgro said.