The BluePrint - Volume 18, Issue 6

theBLUEPRINT

SENIOR WEEK WRAP UP

Seniors Jacob Seguinot, Sofia Federman, Avery Descheneaux and Tris Witter-Lowry dance at prom.

Photo | Levi Cal-Rivera

Parent complaint closes school store, ends Cupcake Friday

Greta Carrasco | Opinions Editor

Before the hectic schedule of exams and graduation begins, students look forward to their last Cupcake Friday of the year. As students wander around looking for cupcakes, they quickly remember that Cupcake Fridays are no longer happening.

After a complaint was brought forth by two parents at Lawton Chiles Middle School, SCPS set up a meeting with all principals and the superintendent to discuss the federal laws for selling food items at school.

In the meeting, it was explained that schools were not allowed to sell snacks from the midnight before school until 30 minutes after. They were also told that the snacks sold could not compete with Red Apple Dining, the county’s lunch program, and needed to follow the smart snack standard which is the state’s standards for healthy food.

After the meeting was over, principal Robert

Frasca informed the PTSA that the school store had to overview the items being sold. He also informed the senior class committee that Cupcake Friday had to come to an end, as it violated both the smart snack standard and the time when food could be sold.

“All rules and laws are in place for a reason. I understand both sides and it’s been frustrating for everybody on all sides of this scenario,” Frasca said, “but the bottom line is we are breaking the law if we continue doing that. As a principal, I may not have known all the repercussions of that before. I’ve got to make sure that we are trying to do things the right way.” PTSA decided to close the school store for the remainder of the year to make sure they are able to meet requirements from the smart snack standards. They will continue to make sales for their spirit merch in the online store.

“Our school store is going to revamp to help support those expectations, so we need some time to do that well,” PTSA president Gaynor BrockEdgar said. “Because of this, we had to close the school store for the remainder of the year, but our plan is to reopen for next year.”

While the loss of the school store is upsetting, the end of Cupcake Fridays has proven even more upsetting, as they were a staple for many students.

“I loved looking forward to an occasional cupcake so I am pretty sad about the closure of both events—everyone loved it,” junior Carter Bruno said.

As of now, no concerns have been brought forth for the current senior class as their prom and senior week events have already been paid for from the fundraising and previous Cupcake Friday sales. However, upcoming senior class sponsor Jacob Colquhoun just learned about the change, and he and his officers have yet to figure out their options.

“Anytime things change, you have to get over that initial frustration, and everybody’s got to come together and put their thinking caps on and try and figure out what options we have and how we can do something different,” Frasca said.

“We have a lot of volunteers, a lot of parents that are involved in this school, that do so many things to support our students and our staff, and I hope that collectively they can come up with another great idea that maybe is even better than what we have been doing now.”

PTSA holds “Living On My Own”

Janell Lim | Online Editor

SophomoreJessica Buzzard woke up as a normal high schooler, brushing her teeth, getting dressed and going to school. But for an hour or two, she was a physical therapist, married with two kids, for the sake of a game of life called “Living On My Own.”

On April 24-25, administration collaborated with the University of Florida to bring “Living On My Own” to Hagerty, an interactive session where students learned financial responsibilities through a simulated game of life.

Assigned different jobs, annual incomes and family circumstances at the start of the program, students went through different stations labeled “Cool Car Co.,” “Great Groceries,” “Bank Your Money” and “Want It All Mall,” where they could buy everything from food to a Netflix subscription. As they tried to budget their money, volunteers randomly hand them “life happens” cards, which can range from having another kid, getting laid off or going on a date night.

“It’s like the board game, ‘Game of Life,’ but in real life,” assistant principal Kristi Draus said. “It’s an experience for kids to really get to know the real world. Getting out of mom’s house where she doesn’t decide for you and having to make those decisions and see how far money really gets you.”

According to Draus, the PTSA and counselors first brought the idea to her nearly a year ago and contacted UF to make it happen. After getting the proper approval, working out dates that fit both Hagerty and UF, and asking for parent volunteers, “Living On My Own” was ready to come to Hagerty.

“I think financial literacy is important. I think it’s important to think about the decisions that you’re making as a young person and how pursuing certifications or higher education will influence how you’re able to support yourself,” UF Youth Development Agent Karen Henry said.

As the first year of the program at Hagerty, several classes were chosen to test out the simulation, including coach Steven Mikles’ Algebra II class. Prior to the event, his class went through some basic financial literacy lessons and researched what job they wanted.

THE FROSTING ON TOP Junior Preston Rupert buys a cupcake on Cupcake Friday. Complaints from parents at Lawton Chiles Middle School resulted in Cupcake Friday and the school store being shut down. Photo | Levi Cal Rivera

I loved looking forward to an occasional cupcake so I am pretty sad about the closure of both events, everyone loved it

- Carter Bruno, 11

Spearheading new intelligence: new AI course offered for 2023-24

From ChatGPT to computergenerated art, artificial intelligence has been everywhere, and to keep up with this trend, Florida has funded and promoted a new curriculum for students that will cover the usage of AI in the world and experiment with cloud computing platforms. Through a grant provided by the University of Florida, Hagerty has been the only school chosen in the county to spearhead the new program of emphasis.

AP Computer Science teacher Charles Haibel will begin teaching the

fundamentals for AI for the coming year.

“The first two are semester courses, Artificial Intelligence in the World and Applications of Artificial Intelligence, which will be available in next year’s electives. The second year is procedural programming, and the last year is Foundations of Machine Learning—the key to artificial intelligence,” Haibel said.

As AI becomes more prevalent in the world, students who have heard of the class plan to join and learn more about AI and what it means in the real world.

“I’m very excited to learn about

AI and understand how it works,” sophomore Pierre Cachet said. “I mean, if AI ever tries to take over the world, we’d know how it’s made and be able to combat it.”

Because the course is new, students like Cachet who are interested may have already filled out their course registration for the coming year. However, Toro and other guidance counselors, as well as several flyers around campus provide students the opportunity to change their selection if they want to join.

The QR code with this story will link students to a Google survey where they can sign up for the

program and what elective they wish to drop.

Haibel and other instructors who teach digital subjects are looking forward to the upcoming course and expanding the digital courses and opportunities for digital learning at Hagerty.

“I’m really, really pleased that Hagerty was asked to pilot this program next year,” Haibel said, “especially since we were asked before other schools in the district.”

Anderson directs independent play

On April 15-16, the studentwritten and directed play, “I Have Twenty Questions and Nineteen of Them Are About the Weather,” was performed at Penguin Point Productions in the Oviedo Mall.

Disney celebrates Thompson

On April 24, Disney ambassador Raevon Redding visited culinary teacher Matthew Thompson’s culinary class. Redding’s visit, along with special guest chef Mickey Mouse, was filmed for national television as a way to recognize Thompson for winning the Imagination Campus Disney100 Teachers Competition.

“I feel really proud of our program and how far he has taken it, I know different schools also have our program but he has elevated it to another level,” junior Savannah Nguyen-Meyer said.

Before the visit, each student in the class filled out consent forms allowing for them to be filmed for

the video. During the class period, students completed a mystery box challenge with an “Under the Sea,” inspired by the Little Mermaid, theme. Each group’s basket had five ingredients, and students had an hour to create and present their dish. In the meantime, a crew filmed the students and talked to Thompson.

“I really liked the lab they did because they did not know what was in there so they could have went 1000 different ways,” Thompson said.

This is just one of the many ways creativity thrives in Thompson’s culinary classroom every day.

“All this stuff you see when you look around, all the equipment and the tools they have, there is nothing these kids can not do. It is up to them to be creative,” Thompson said.

After the success of his first independent play, senior Mac Anderson was motivated to write another. Every aspect of the play was student led, and students from several Seminole County high schools came to act and participate.

“About 60 people attended, which might not sound like a lot, but to me, that’s 60 people that were interested in the story I had to tell,” Anderson said.

The play follows Wes and his step-brother Matty on a road trip where their car breaks down and they are left to fend for themselves. In their time alone, they ponder several life changing questions and events, which result in several arguments, truly showing the relationship between the two. The playwright felt that the fruits of his labor were shown through his work.

“I hope people take away that it’s possible for students to achieve their goals with the right planning and ambition,” Anderson said.

Anderson first began writing the script in the summer of 2022, and

after it received a superior rating at the Thespian District Festival, production began in February.

“Writing this one was way different because in this case, I took all the critiques I got from the first play, and applied it on the first draft,” Anderson said.

The play was a success, but it did have some ups and downs. There were absent members of the cast and some difficulty in finding space to rehearse.

From its conception to its production, Anderson was satisfied with how everything turned out. despite the challenges.

“I felt so proud of both my cast and crew because we worked so hard and it showed,” Anderson said.

Angelica Mendez | Reviews Editor

Andrew Wilson | Staff Reporter

Rachelle English | Staff Reporter

Matthew Thompson, chef Mickey and Disney ambassador Raevon Redding. Photo | Brooke Bohan

Actor Sage Baril and actor Oliver Maki.

Photo | Mac Anderson

Y E S

Greta Carrasco | Opinions Editor

It is only day 114 in 2023. Yet the number of mass shootings this year has already reached 168. Amidst the rise of gun violence, people would expect a tighter reform of gun use and possession; instead, the opposite is occurring. Effective July 1, House Bill 543 will make Florida the 26th state to allow permitless concealed carry. Although the law will maintain permits and background checks to buy a gun, people will no longer be required to have training nor a permit to carry it.

With similar laws implemented all over the nation, gun violence has seen an increase of 13 to 15 percent in states with concealed carry laws. The reason could very easily be the loophole of firearm transactions. Although the federal law requires sellers to perform background checks, unlicensed and online sellers typically do not perform this process.

80% of all firearms acquired for criminal purposes are from unlicensed sellers.

In these cases concealed carry permits could have provided a legitimate background check that would have confiscated guns from the wrong people. But further prevention from gun-related crimes is not available with the new law that facilitates this violence.

Even if guns are bought legally, deadly consequences remain. Previously, permit owners were required to take a training course that taught gun usage, maintenance and storage. After the implementation of HB 543, this will no longer be the case. Of course, Gov. Ron DeSantis ignores the fact that untrained civilians end up injuring themselves or others due to firing too quickly.

The effects are not limited to the violence. Tourists will be rightfully scared to come to a state with more guns, and especially international tourists who will look at our

shooting numbers and decide to go elsewhere. With Florida earning $51 billion from tourism annually, this could prove disastrous.

Although the law does implement restrictions of places where conceal carry is not permitted, these places do not include restaurants, malls or tourist spots like beaches. Just imagine strolling on the beach for a walk and wondering if the family next to you is packing a gun in their lunch cooler. With concealed carry law, expect these situations to become more common.

The statistics and countless deaths speak for themselves: we cannot afford loosening gun restrictions. Using guns as a way to cater toward voters may leave them satisfied until the death count starts to rise.

HB 543 will simply make a mass shooting headline in the news no longer seem like a big deal which should not, in any circumstance, be the case.

WILL CONCEALED CARRY

CHANGE ANYTHING?

Mendez | Reviews Editor

When a person thinks about guns, two different perspectives tend to come to mind. Vision A shows a world where guns are a danger to everyone and everything, while vision B shows guns as a way to protect and keep people safe. To reach a medium, current gun laws center around meeting certain requirements, like a safety course and permit. However, starting July 1, these rules are set to change in Florida.

On April 3, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed HB 543, also known as the constitutional carry right. Constitutional carry will allow for any Florida resident to carry a concealed weapon in public. Upon first glance, the bill is likely to send anyone into a frenzy. By establishing this law, Florida does run the risk of increased violence, but is this different from what happens now? Anyone can get a gun and use

it for the wrong reasons, and the news is filled with these stories every day.

Focusing on HB 543 is not how we fix the issues we already have, and spending time fighting this law only focuses on a small match in a giant bonfire. Guns as a whole are the real issue here.

Even now, if someone wants to get and use a gun for a crime, there, is nothing really stopping them. The Stoneman Douglas shooter legally had a gun. The Oxford High School shooter did not legally have a gun. It did not matter. HB 543 is not going to change the dangers that already exist when it is not the real issue we are facing. Just because a gun owner takes a course on how to handle a weapon does not mean they will end up listening to what they learned or that accidents will not happen.

Even now with HB 543 being put in effect, getting a permit to have a concealed weapon

has been growing almost as fast as these laws are put in place. According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, there are already 16.5 million people who have concealed carry permits, and that number is steadily rising.

Following recent shootings like The Covenant School shooting, Louisville bank shooting, and February Orlando shooting, it is not a piece of government paper saying ‘I can carry this weapon’ that will have stopped it. To fix the problem, all parties in Florida and other states have to work together and figure out how to deal with it in different ways.

Creating HB 543 does not help end the violence, but if we want to actually create a change, it starts with reevaluating the role of guns and if we even need them. The problem with gun violence has never stemmed from people having a permit or not, the problem is guns themselves.

Angelica

the SENIOR ISSUE

Sophia Canabal | Lifestyles Editor

When senior James Griffith recalls his freshman year, the first thing that he remembers is nervousness, fresh out of eighth grade, surrounded by older students and unfamiliar teachers.

“I just remember sitting here and wondering who everyone was. I didn’t know anyone,” Griffith said. “It did not set in that was in high school.”

Though most students can easily remember the awkwardness of their freshman year, most would rather reminisce about the memories they made with their families, friends and teachers. This is especially true for senior Kylie Sheplan, who did not expect her senior year to be so bittersweet.

“In the past, I would roll my eyes whenever people would say that they couldn’t believe it was actually happening, but I feel the same way,” Sheplan said. “It’s crazy to think that after 13 years, it’s all ending. I’m excited to move on, but nervous about the future.”

Sheplan is one of the many seniors that cherished Hagerty’s extracurriculars.

“I’ll look back on the closing night of Cinderella because it was extremely chaotic and we were all sick, but we still had to do the show. That was one of the most stressful but exciting times of my life,” senior Zoe Zachry said.

Finding themselves in the final stretch, many seniors also rush to collect their graduation cords for participating in honors societies. As senior McKenzie Adams received her National Honors Society cord, she thinks back to the bonds she formed during the club’s volunteer events, some of them still holding strong.

“My favorite memory from NHS was volunteering for the Ronald McDonald house,” Adams said. “We were helping out with their yard and garden and we had fun talking and

getting to know each other while we worked.”

Seniors have also made plenty of memories outside of extracurriculars, whether it be during school events or in class on a regular day.

“I have a lot of core memories from my junior year, but one of them was taking ceramics with my friend, Sophia Federman. Ms. Smith always made it engaging and was always very fun with our class,” senior Avery Descheneaux said.

The class of 2023 has a history of forging friendships in unexpected ways, especially during 2022, where half of their class attended school virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Nina Honda recalls her teachers finding ways to make lessons engaging.

“When we all first went online, [in 2020] I remember that Ms. Lake had given us an assignment to make paper masks for ‘Romeo and Juliet,’” Honda said. “Because we weren’t able to actually go to class, she logged into the Zoom call wearing a crazy mask.”

Despite the pandemic, seniors can still look back on their earlier years with fondness. When senior Nathan Forrer first joined the robotics program, he remembers growing closer to his team members and receiving mentorship from the upperclassmen.

“While waiting to hear our competition results, our team shared the stress and excitement of seeing the results of our hard work. Over the years, it felt like the disconnect between us had disappeared,” Forrer said.

While the first day of freshman year was the most awkward, the last day of senior year will be the most bittersweet.

“If I could talk to my freshman self, I would tell her not to be stupid, and to choose happiness and be with friends,” Descheneaux said.

Over the years, it felt like the disconnection between us has disapeared.

- Nathan Forrer, 12

“

Unleashed Dance

To the 2022-2023 Unleashed Dance Team Seniors,

Thank you on behalf of the team, Coach Allyson and myself for all the hard work, dedication, and endless hours of devotion you have had to the team. We would not have been able to get through the season without your tireless efforts to provide the team with the best experiences this year. We wish each and every one of you the best in the future and the best of luck in the path you are choosing. You will be missed!

- Coach D, Coach Allyson and the 2022-2023 Unleashed Dance Team

TO P TE N

Class of 2023 VALEDECTORIAN:

Tristan Irving

photos | Janell Lim

Illustration | Josephine Lim

GPA: 4.690

Fun fact: “I was born in England.”

2 Helen Zou

Chelsea Nguyen

3 Connor Pham 4

GPA: 4.680

Fun fact: “I used to live with the Amish for two years.”

GPA: 4.673

Bucket list goal: “Learn martial arts so I can beat people up.”

GPA: 4.642

Bucket list goal: “Get rich.”

Nhavy Nguyen

5 Eshan Kabir

GPA: 4.636

Inspiration: “Malala. I could never take a gun for education.”

6

GPA: 4.635

Fun fact: “I knew Tristan would be valedictorian in eighth grade.”

7 Benjamin Tao

Carina Orcutt

GPA: 4.596

Fun fact: “I’m on level 5,000 on Homescapes.”

8 Andrea Torres 9 Tara Chandra 10

GPA: 4.593

Dream career: “Playing poker and gambling.”

GPA: 4.573

Dream career: “Artist but they’re broke so architect or engineer.”

GPA: 4.564

Dream career: “I want to be a doctor, specifically an OB/GYN.”

THEATER

Zoe Zachry

Thespian Troupe President Assistant Director and Assistant Technical Director “Something Rotten!”

Superior rated Scene Design District and State Thespian Festival

“Zoe has shined both on stage and behind the scenes. She is the example of what a true Thespian should aspire to be. Zoe is a total team player as well as a dependable, kind and dedicated leader. She will give her all and more to make those around her successful. I know that she will go far in life. I cannot wait to see where her journey takes her next!”

– Jamaal K. Solomon

DANCE

Rita Smith, Rylee Howell

Four-year team members Unleashed captains

“These two ladies lead the team through a full regular year with multiple pep rallies back in the gym and a full competition schedule after never experiencing a full ‘normal’ year themselves. As freshmen, they had regular indoor pep rallies but did not have a regular spring. As sophomores, they did not have a regular year at all due to COVID. These ladies navigated uncharted waters with grace, and I couldn’t be prouder of them. Thank you Rita and Rylee for a wonderful 2022-2023 Unleashed Dance Team season!”

— Diane Hasenbank

CHORUS

Veronica Yanes-Nadal

Stetson Choral Festival and Camp

UCF Celebration of the Arts

FSU Choral Summer Camp

“Veronica Yanes-Nadal has been a valued member of the chorus program for the past four years. Veronica has a powerful voice and an ability to push herself and those around her to improve every day. She has performed as a soloist in chorus concerts, in theatre shows, and for different performances around campus. Veronica’s graduation will leave some large shoes to fill in the chorus program and I will miss her passion for excellence, her beautiful voice, and her questionable sense of humor!”

— Christopher Hickey

BAND

Jackson Kaplan

All-County Band

Jazz Band

AP Music Theory

“Jackson Kaplan is an exceptional musician and student in the Hagerty Band. He has been a part of the percussion class, jazz band, and AP music theory class. Jackson participated in the All County Band and countless ensembles during his time here. He will be missed.”

— Brian Kuperman

Percussion Section Leader

Teacher farewells

Class of 2023, I thoroughly enjoyed teaching you all Geography and U.S. History. Best wishes for you to achieve your goals and enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness while being kind to all you meet!

- Mrs. Hernandez: World Geography

It has been a pleasure working with the leadership of the Class of 2023! I hope that each senior has had a memorable experience through your journey at Hagerty High School.

- Mr. Dishman: ESE

To all my ‘SAUSOME SENIORS’: Be bold, be kind, be patient, and be prepared! There’s a whole world waiting for you to discover it, improve it, protect it, and leave it in better condition than you found it! Please do that. I wish you all the very best of everything!

- Mrs. Knoblauch: Math

To the class of ’23, Those who had me for English III Honors were my first students at Hagerty and will always hold a special place in my heart. It has been an absolute honor and privilege to watch you all grow into the talented and capable young adults you are. Thank you for welcoming me to Hagerty with open arms. I know that you will do great things.

- Ms. Ollwiler: English

You made it class of 2023! I for one am extra proud, either because I have had the utmost joy in knowing you as a student in either English or Film (or both), or I have seen you grow up from your kindergarten days. Continue being the iconic group that you are. Congratulations!

(And long-live Good & Fresh!)

- Mrs. Gendreau: English

I am so proud of you! Always remember, life is what you make of it. There will always be good times and bad times so just hang in. And never forget, ‘Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.’

- Mrs. Decio: Social Studies

Best of luck on your new beginnings!

- Mrs. Kurtz: Clerical

You guys made it!! You went through a pandemic, hurricanes, and all sorts of challenges! Good luck and we’ll miss you.

- Madame Lynch: French Seniors,

It has been a joy to see you go on your ASL journey! I remember way back when many of you were learning the manual alphabet. Look at you now! Just keep signing!

- Ms. W-Y: ASL

Be good, behave, have a great life, I hope you’re successful and fall in love, we love you all.

- Mr. Bordelon: Social Studies

You’ve worked hard now go forth and conquer the world!! Find something you love to do and you will never “work” a day in your life. Always remember to laugh not only at the funny things but at yourself as well.

- Mrs. Burrell: ECE

Congratulations class of 2023! I’m so delighted to have known so many of you and sincerely wish you happy and illustrious futures. Hope you are all ready spaghettis because now is your time to shine and (please) make the world a better place.

- Mrs. Rose: English

Congratulations, Seniors! I am so proud of all that you have accomplished and how hard you have worked! This is just the beginning! Have FUN this summer, make good choices, and remember you are loved!

- Mrs. Bearss: English

Congratulations. Don’t ever put off what you are able to do today. You never know when things can be taken away from you. Ask permission, then you will not need forgiveness. Don’t apologize, it is a sign of weakness!

- Mr. Stansbury: Social Studies

Class of 2023, I wish you all the best! Go forward and achieve your dreams. Congratulations!!!

- Mrs. Bingham: Social Studies

Brooke, Landyn, Avery, & Nadya - Thank you for an INCREDIBLE Indoor Volleyball Season! Your hard work and dedication to this program speaks volumes. We couldn’t have had a better season and you will all be missed! Don’t forget to laugh and have fun!

- Coach Hitt: Volleyball

To the Chorus seniors, thank you for welcoming me with open arms to Hagerty High School in 2019. I’m so proud of your growth over the last four years and I can’t wait to see how you tackle and change the world! I miss you already!

- Mr. Hickey: Chorus

I will miss all of you! We went through the pandemic together and survived. You are smart, driven, and will do wonderful things in this world. Do keep in touch. Go Class of 2023!!!

- Mrs. Ramsey: Career Ed

I am so proud to be a teacher at Hagerty. I have taught at many schools and Hagerty shines like a diamond. I taught some of you and am so happy for all of you in your next journey! You have survived and conquered these years that are monumental with school shutdowns for disease prevention and had to learn a new way for achievement. Kudos to you all and strive for excellence in your future!

- Ms. Thomas: Science

Thank you for the incredible impact you had on both myself and our culinary class this year as this senior class was truly legendary. Thanks for TCB every step of the way and making a difference in the lives of those around you. Your kindness and passion for what you do will be of great benefit for those who are lucky enough to cross your paths in the future. Best of luck and stay grizzly, my friends!

- Mr. Thompson: Culinary

‘What did the acorn say when it grew up? Gee Om a tree!’ Laugh and live life to its fullest! Congrats—and remember: Life without Geometry is pointless!

- Mrs. Arp: Geometry

Austin Whitworth & Mrs. Knoblauch

Ariana Seguinot & Mrs. Burrell

Nicole Marin & Mrs. Wilken-Yoder

Annabella Musumeci and Mr. Thompson

Emily Bass & Mrs. Bearss

SENIOR WEEK

Students recall the magical night at Hard Rock Cafe

Ava West | Sports Editor

As prom was drawing to an end, junior Jenna Lopez and senior Malacy Crossan walked to the dance floor for one last dance. The room was sparkling as they held onto each other. Crossan took her hand and spun her around, admiring her beautiful dress.

“It was magical,” Lopez said. “The venue was amazing and being able to have fun with my boyfriend and seeing everyone’s different dresses was so fun.”

On April 22, prom was held at Universal CityWalk’s Hard Rock Café with the theme, ‘A Night in Vegas.’

“The theme was fairly easy to come up with because we wanted a theme that would match the vibe of Hard Rock Café. This made it easier on us regarding decorations and things like that,” junior class president Ainsley Pomp said.

Students were able to dance the entire night with their friends and partners under purple and blue flashing lights. They danced to songs like “No Hands” by Waka Waka Flame and “Party in the U.S.A” by Miley Cyrus.

“My favorite thing about the dance was everyone was up and dancing the whole time. I went to another school’s prom and it was not as fun because most people just stayed seated,” senior Melina Lange said.

With 500 students in attendance, the venue was crowded. Most of the students were in the middle of the floor dancing in groups and having fun.

“People were stepping on my feet so I had to keep pushing them off, but all of the dancing was so much fun and

it exceeded my expectations,” senior Toní Greó said.

To enter the dance, students had to purchase a ticket through MySchoolBucks during ticket sales and show a form of ID. Once they arrived, there was a buffet that served caesar salad, macaroni and cheese, chicken tenders, bread, mocktails and soda.

Beginning at 7 p.m., the staff held a mocktail hour and opened the top viewing deck. Senior Ian Miller was crowned prom king and senior Ruby Isaacs was crowned prom queen, ending the night.

“This was pretty similar to last year’s schedule, the only difference we made was with the layout. We made a smaller dance floor and had fewer tables around the venue,” Pomp said.

The layout change came with some complaints as there were less tables, leaving many without space to sit and eat throughout the night.

“The seating arrangement was bad, there was nowhere to sit and we had to stand the entire time,” senior Josh Brawner said.

Some students did exciting things after prom like staying in a hotel, hanging out with friends or going to Universal Studios.

“I stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel after prom and the price was worth it. I also went to Universal Studios the next day, even though we were tired it was still fun,” Brawner said.

Even though there were some complaints, the dance was a success and students had a great time.

“I loved the dance and I am excited to do it again next year,” Lopez said. “I had so much fun and was able to dance with my friends the entire night.”

Photo | Bernice Wong

Photo

Senior Victoria Halligan

Photo | Sarah Hinnant

Senior Rita Smith

Photo | Rita Smith

AWARDS NIGHT Seniors Kathlynn Nguyen, Bernice Wong, Janell Lim and Helen Zou

10 years forward

Sammy Awards

Backyard Bash

Rose picked out the I wore and I spent a planning what to wear. consider it one of the best school days of all time.”

James Griffith, 12

It was nice to like that. I was very shocked

see

12

Photos | Brooke Bohan and Levi Cal-Rivera

- Logan Lopez,

Senior Neiken Nguyen

Photo | Mia Campese

Senior MJ Pierre

Photo | Levi CalRivera

Senior Blake Andres

Photo | Sarah Hinnant

Photo

Photo | Ava West

Photo | James Griffith

that my peers think of me highly very when I won and I didn’t expect to be nominated.”

| Francesca Salas

SPIKE IT Senior Giancarlo Rodriguez spikes the ball in a game of volleyball.

Class of 2023 destinations

Austin Desoto Undecided

Madison Dewitt FSU

Daimyan Diaz Rivera UCF

Ella Digiore

Alejandro Diodonet Caceres

Makenna Dipaolo UCF

Isabela Guise USF

Owen Gurtner

Amanda Gutierrez UCF

Alaref Keiman UCF

Lindsay Kempf

Laith Khartabil UF

Dylan Khreiche UCF

HJohn Kimball

Austin Kline

Michael Abdelnour Undecided

Mohamed Abdou

Ahmed Adam UCF

Mckenzie Adams UCF

Naseem Adgar SSC

Abigail Adkins SSC

Saud Alay

John Alcala

Jenaiya Alfonso

Renard Ali UCF

Lukas Allen Undecided

Mackenzie Allis Molloy Uni.

Kennedy Alvez-Geisbert SSC

Ramy Aly

Christiannie Anderson SSC

Garrett Baumann UCF

ALyndsey Bedwell

Daniel Beldowicz USF

Jamason Belgrave Brenau

Cadence Bell

Gustavo Bello Riera UCF

Anthony Benzija Stetson

Michael Benzija Monmouth

Zachary Betancourt

Mckinley Beute

Gurpreet Bhatia FIT

Ciara Bibbs Rollins

Zachary Boggs UCF

Amelia Bohl Millsaps College

Angelique Boles SSC

Natalie Boo UCF

Alyssa Bookhart

Gabrielle Bornelus FAMU

Kade Brashear

William Carr SSC

Jonathan Carrillo Work Force

Zarley Casas

Katherine Castro

Grace Catina NSEU

Alyssa Cecere

Alexander Cedillo

Casey Chamelin USF

David Champlin FSU

Andy Chan

Tara Chandra UF

Noah Charles

Clayton Childers Coast Guard

Aiden Cilladi Ole Miss

Jaden Claps Valencia

Kimbyrlee Clark UK

Liam Clark

Arianna Clarke

Luciano Coello SSC

Kylie Cohen

Mikayla Cooney SSC

Peter Donnellon

Daveanand Doodnauth

Evan Downs UF

Arynn Duba Pasco-Hernando

Olivia Dudash

Connor Dudley UCF

Emma Duffendack SSC

Erwin Eberhardt SSC

William Edmonds UCF

Richard Elam Navy

Grace Elliot SSC

Mackenzie English Purdue

Rachelle English Rollins

Nathan Epperson

Grace Escudero

Briana Estevez

Brendon Excellent Newberry College

Kaden Exner SSC

Zorian Facey Brown

Sofia Federman Chapman Univ.

Sofiia Filonovska

Hayden Firmin U.S. Navy

Gavin Fishman

Rylan Fitzgerald UCF

Amaury Flete

Brandon Fokine SSC

Abigail Fooshee UCF

Nathan Forrer UCF

Platinum Foster SSC

Maleah Frederick EFSC

Amelia Fullmer

Samantha Fusca SSC

Charlotte Gabbard

Samantha Galiano SSC

Tristin Gammons

Katherine Gan

Adrian Garces SSC

Alana Garcia Alicea

Destinee Garcia SSC

Gabriel Garcia FSU

Luke Gatten

Kenna Gay UCF

Delaney Geiger USF

Alison Hagan FSU

Caitlyn Hale UCF

Aine Hall Eckerd

Verona Hall

Victoria Halligan UCF

Tyler Hancock UCF

Jada Hani Valencia

Mohammed Haq UCF

Paul Harkins

EKiara Harris Keiser Univ.

Kamdon Harrison Navy

Daniel Harvey SSC

Devon Hawkins

Brandi Heckle SSC

Christian Henning

Elian Hernandez

Daniel Hernquist UCF

Israel Hilerio Aviles Undecided

Conlon Hill UCF

Alyssa Hines

Sarah Hinnant Daytona State

Tran Ho

Jenna Hoffman UCF?

FJesse Hoffman UCF

Kiyra Hoffman SSC

Joshua Holcomb SSC

Nina Honda UCF

Charles Hooper SSC

Demestrious Howard FAU

Rylee Howell USF

Gavin Hurt UCF

IOlivia Iacono WKU

Sophia Iacono U Arkansas

Lilian Iannuzzi

Nickolas Ingolia

Tristan Irving UCF

Ruby Isaacs FGCU

Addison Isaacson Coker

GJada Itani

Lily Ives

Alexis Izaguirre SSC

Hadyn Jacob

Kendall Jenson USF

Victor Jimenez UCF

Alyssa Johnson Gap Year

Elizabeth Johnson Elon Univ.

Jayden Johnson

Keoni Johnson Marines

Hannah Kohn UT Chatanooga

Isaac Konz

Logan Kovats Valencia

Aaron Kratz

Corey Kruse SSC

Hannah Kuerbitz UCF

Joshua Kunitsugu

Daler Kurbansho UCF

Eric Kwiecinski Marines

LRobert Laakso Marines

Adriana Labarbera FSU

Almarie Landeros Cosme

Hailey Landon UCF

Melina Lange F&M College

Abigail Lannon

KJ Lanz DePaul

David Lara

Brenda Larrea UCF

Noah Larson

Robert Laumeyer RPI

Julia Lavoie UCF

Isaac Layo

Sofia Leggiero SSC

Kendall Leiss Ole Miss

Kendrick Leoncio

Gabrielle Lewis UCF

Janell Lim UF

Allyson Limbrick-Rosado UCF

Victoria Limbrick-Rosado UCF

Kristen Lindsey VSU

Mackenzie Lipsey UCF

Sofia Llerandi UCF

Sophia Logalbo UCF

Austin Longo Liberty

Logan Lopez UCF

Massimo Lopez SSC

Nathan Lopez Elmhurst

Alexis Lord

Ashley Lowery

Alexander Lue-Yat UCF

Kameron Lujan

JJaylee Luna USF

Emma Lundquist UCF

Sofia Lynn FIU

MMichael Ma USF

Dodji Maboudou-Tchao UCF

Kristian Macaw SSC

Charalampos Archavlis USF

John Arraia SSC

Brandon Ashby SSC

Alexane Ayup SSC

Aaditya Balasubramaniyan UF

Caleb Barber UCF

Amira Barek Valencia

Amanda Barna SCAD

Jonah Barnes

Emma Barona Lynn University

Dawson Barr Embry Riddle

Mark Basaly Tadros

Emily Bass FSU

Braden Bast UCF

Hayden Brewer Undecided

Gavin Brickler

Andrew Broome FSU

Catherine Bunn SSC

Domenic Burd SSC

BJacob Burniewicz Undecided

Casey Burns SSC

Michael Byers SSC

Emmalys Caamano SCAD

Kailyn Caballero

Alya Caban Undecided

Kaleb Caicedo UCF

Mia Campese FSU

Isabella Campo

Sophia Canabal UCF

Malachy Crossan

Noel Cuadrado UCF

Damarco Cummings

Karson Cuozzo Francis Marion

Angelique Curbelo SSC

Megan Dathe NSU

CAnnalise David

Reymonie Davis

Gianna Defalco Embry Riddle

Jan Delgado Alvarez SSC

Emanuel Delgado

Aries Deloy

Eric Delrosario SSC

Madison Denizard FAU

Avery Descheneaux UNF

Leah Gendreau Santa Fe

Gauge Gibson

Lindsey Gimbert UTampa

Skyler Glenn UF

John Goff

Maria Goncharova UCF

DGonzalo Gonzalez Astudillo

Savian Gonzalez-Velez

Andrew Gonzalez

Shadeysha Gonzalez

Kailyn Granados

Jhael Greer SSC

Brock Gregory UF

Antoinette Greo SSC

Ashton Griffith

James Griffith UCF

Celeste Grimmer FAU

Dylan Grossenbaugh FAU

Riley Grubb SSC

Jasmyne Johnston

Sierra Johnston UCF

Marietta Jordan UCF

Cameron Jorgensen UNF

Lily Joseph Undecided

Xavier Joseph

Jacey Judd SSC

Brianna Justice SSC

Eshan Kabir Columbia

Gregory Kalayedjian Valencia

Carter Kamm Coker

Brody Kane Flagler College

Jackson Kaplan UF

Joshua Kasner Undecided

Ava Keating Daytona State

Kiley Keegan UCF

Avery Machules SSC

Alexander Maduro-Sykes SSC

Jesse Maguire USF

Ava Manieri FGCU

Robert Manieri FGCU

Ashtyn Marchese

Nicole Marin SSC

Tristan Marinshaw Undecided

Vanessa Markeci UCF

KAndre Martin

Jenna Martin FAU

Andrew Martinelli

Westin Mathies SSC

Owen Matson UCF

Daniel Mayhew

Hannah Mays

Brayden Mcclain UCF

Bobby Mcclintock

Kamari Mccloud SSC

A list of the graduating seniors and where they will go after high school

Connor Mclaughlin UCF

Natalie Mcmaster

Sophia Mcneill

Damien Mcquillin

Frank Mediavilla Rollins

John Medlock

Quinn Mehring FSU

Blake Mendenhall

Matthew Mendoza

Francis Mentlick UCF

Carolise Mercado

Colten Merrihew Undecided

Abigail Miller Valencia

Ian Miller FGCU

Matthew Mirise SSC

Tyler Mitteff SSC

Omar Mohammed UCF

Madison Molina Jacksonville Univ.

Kadin Monk

Jonathon Montero

Pedro Montes Mundaray

Whitney Montgomery

Michaelya Montique

Kaylin Mooreland SSC

Brock Morris UF

Kendall Morris ECPI

Cameron Morrison Undecided

Yasmin Mouloua SSC

Giovanni Muniz

Olivia Munoz Flagler College

Christian Murphy SSC

Annabella Musumeci UCF

Annabella Musumeci UCF

Kallista Narunsky WCU

Arjun Nattanmai

Adriana Navarro SSC

Abigail Neal SCAD

Alexander Nelson

Ainsley Newton FIU

Chelsea Nguyen Undecided

Kathlynn Nguyen UCF

Neiken Nguyen FAU

Nha-Vy Nguyen UF

Nathaniel Nichols

Kyan Nieto UCF

Mika Noorlander Florida Tech

Dylan North FSU

Jake Nunn St. Petersburg

Nadya Nute Samford

Payton O’Berry

Catherine O’Connor Lynn

Caitlin O’Donnell Coastal Georgia

Rilee Oakman SSC

Evalynne Oberosler UCF

Zamien Oden SSC

Tiffany Odimegwu Northeastern

Madison Rhode SSC

Christian Rhodes

Thomas Rhodes

Jillian Ricks SSC

Andry Rincon Rincon UCF

Marcos Rios

Stefany Rios USF

Elijah Rivas SSC

Mariana Rivera-Maldonado UNF

Jordan Rivera UCF

Luis Rivero

Alina Roberg SSC

Timothy Roberts

Angelina Rodriguez-Perez CSU

Giancarlo Rodriguez Erskine

Cesar Roldan

Nicholas Roman DCU

Ryan Rookey Valencia

Renaldo Rosado SSC

Stephanie Rosario

Rhea Rose USF

Johnathan Rothenberger

Savanna Rowell

Anthony Ruberto Undecided

Andrea Rubio

Edward Ruping UCF

Abram Basaly Tadros UCF

Lauren Tait Univ. of Utah

Benjamin Tao Vanderbilt

Leena Taubeh

Mckenzie Thacker

My Thai SSC

Ava Thornsbury

Alexander Thrash SSC

Rachel Tillison SSC

Rebecca Tocco

Sean Torrence

Manuel Torres Santiago

Andrea Torres UCF

Emely Torres

Jariana Towes SSC

Mason Towne FSU

Lizt Trapaga Morejon Undecided

Ngoc Trinh UCF

Jake Troup SSC

Shalyn Tupper

Shahmir Turk

Nicole Turner

Trent Turner SSC

Reese Twiggs Rollins

Jaret Ong

Carina Orcutt Boston

Lila Ormsby UCF

Christopher Orne UCF

Airam Orozco Cruz

Addison Orr Embry-Riddle

Adelina Ortega SSC

Lyan Ortiz Brito SSC

Diego Osorio UCF

Karina Ostashchuk Undecided

Julius Pacheco

Christian Paladino

Miguel Pantojas De Jesus UF

Glen Parada Davila

Cassandra Parrott

Victoria Parsaram

Aryan Patel FSU

Emily Patterson UCF

Daniela Paulino Advent Health

Gabriel Pedroza UCF

Celeste Pelayo Undecided

Cyrus Peloso

Jasmine Pennie SSC

Arianna Peters

Connor Pham UCF

Kevin Pham UCF

Kaelyn Philippe Flagler College

NMarcnell Pierre FSU

Sofia Pilia

Luis Piris

Landyn Pittman UT

Gabriella Pizza SSC

Ryan Plourde Undecided

Preston Pomp Ole Miss

Cassidy Poorvin FIT

Alexandra Popovschi FSU

Samantha Porter

Emily Poulin UTampa

Mallory Precord FGCU

Quashell Pruitt

Nicholas Pryor

Joshua Rae

Siddanth Rajan UCF

Gabriel Ramia SSC

OMarcus Ramsey MSU

Ritam Rana UF

Sophie Razzell FAU

Kaitlyn Reed UCF

Syed Rehan SSC

Haley Reilley SSC

Landon Revis

Evan Reyes

Mason Reyes

Thomas Russell FAU

Mark Sanchez SSC

Rebecca Sanders

Michel Santana Arias

Raymond Santiago-Barahona

Giovanni Santiago Orange Tech

Diam Santos Delgado

Erik Schlichenmaier SSC

PMegan Schmitt FSU

Grace Schoening

John Schuck UF

Rachel Scura North Central

Technical College

Ariana Seguinot FSU

Ilani Seguinot UF

Jacob Seguinot UF

Benjamin Sekunna UCF

Victor Sepulveda

Elizabeth Shaffer

Daisy Shambrook SSC

Xander Shank

Vijay Sharma UCF

Gwenivere Shaw UCF

James Sheehan FAU

Kylie Sheplan UNF

Christina Sheridan UCF

Natalija Shumkovska

Samuel Silveri UCF

Raylee Simmons

Isabella Simonetti FGCU

Jazmin Simpson SSC

Michael Simpson AIM

Shanna Sims

Giovanni Singh

Ellie Sjoberg

Caidyn Slawinski SSC

Braydon Smith FSU

Rita Smith UT

Desiree Snell SSC

Alexa Sommerfeld UNF

Riley Spagnola SSC

Luke Spencer UCF

RAlexander Stasik SSC

Brooke Stephens Undecided

Carsyn Stephenson

George Stevens

Isabella Steward Chapman

Benjamin Stewart

Parker Stimpson SSC

Emma Stoner USF

Leah Strickland Prarie A&M

Ashton Sukhdeo

Cade Sullivan

Julia Sumpter SSC

Noah Urbina UCF

TCarlos Valencia-Gonzalez SSC

Sabrina Valentin

Taylor Vanhoozer

Curran Vaughn

Daniel Vega Zalazar Paul Mitchell

Roselyn Velez SSC

Pradeep Velmurugan

Jennyliz Vera Rodriguez

Ava Vettorel

Layla Vieni The DAVE School

Michael Vinti

Shaun Vocks

Anastasia Vrljanovic

Mackenzie Wallace UCF

William Wallen Army

Kyle Walsh

Riley Walsh

Marcus Watson SSC

Ariana Weber-Hernandez UCF

Owen Welch UCF

Tyler Welch UCF

Hailey West SSC

Tianna West SSC

VCamden Williams

Christian Williams

Jeremiah Williams

Julia Winiarski

Gabrielle Witherite SSC

Tristan Witter-Lowry UNF

Bernice Wong UCF

Chloe Wood UCF

Kelsey Worthy Ithaca

Abigail Wynn SSC

YVeronica Yanes-Nadal Daytona

Diana Yanez Paul Mitchell

WNathan Young SSC

Preston Young UCF

ZZoe Zachry UNE

Haven Zeigler USF

Carlos Zena

Megan Zimmerman

Helen Zou UF

Daniel Zuniga

Heaven Tyrell-Crittington

SBradley Uhler Work force

Mason Uhrick SSC

Jerzey Urban-Diaz

Aiden Wetzl UCF

UGrace White UCF

Corbin Whitlow SSC

Austin Whitworth Rollins

Lilia Wilken-Yoder

Sarena Wilkerson Flagler College

Photos | Mia Campese and Ava West

Congratulations varsity senior wrestlers!

Spanish Honor Society Chorus

Seniors - Les deseamos mucho éxito en el futuro. Que sigan triunfando y alcanzando sus metas que se propongan.

¡Muchas felicidades!

-La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica

Dear Senior Chorus Members,

I couldn’t have asked for a better class to spend my first four years at Hagerty with. I have loved seeing you all grow up and mature into wonderful young adults. Please keep singing and come back to tell me all about your adventures! Congratulations class of 2023!

- Mr. Hickey

BOYS TEAM OF THE YEAR: CROSS COUNTRY GIRLS TEAM OF THE YEAR: VOLLEYBALL

The boys varsity cross country team was SAC and district champions, regional runner-ups and fi fth place state finalists this year.

ACADEMIC ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

The girls varsity volleyball team took second place in the state tournament this year and took first at districts and regionals.

MULTI-SPORT ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

While on the girls golf te m, Nguyen held a 4.691 GPA, ranking second in her class. She was an honor grad this year, 2021 and 2022 AP Scholar and received the AP Capstone Diploma in 2022. Nguyen also served as the president for both National Honor Society and National English Honor Society.

While on the football and water polo teams, Morris had a 4.525 GPA, and he ranked 17th in his Class. Morris was a National Merit Commended Scholar in 2022. Morris also earned Seminole Athletic Conference All-Academic Honors for football, track, water polo and swim team, all while being the captain of the water polo team.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Kamdon Harrison was a district and regional champion in the 160 lbs weight class this year. Harrison placed third in the state and he is Hagerty’s first wrestler who was a four time state qualifier and placer. Harrison also broke the single season pin record for the fourth year in a row (45). His season record was 54-10, 45 by pin.

On the girls weightlifting team, Geiger took seventh at states. She was also a part of the competition cheer team who placed second at states.

Barber had 25 receiving yards and 369 total yards with five touchdowns for the varsity football team. He also scored 12 goals with four assists on the varsity locrosse team, all while going through both seasons with a torn hamstring.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Hannah Kohn

Hannah Kohn is the national record holder for most three-pointers in a game. Kohn has scored over 500 points playing for the girls varsity basketball team. She will be continuing her academic and athletic career at the University of Chatanooga on a full ride scholarship to play collegiate women’s basketball.

Kamdon Harrison

Chelsea Nguyen

Brock Morris

Delaney Geiger

Caleb Barber

PTSA Scholarship

Emily Bass

Mia Campese

Clayton Jeffrey Childers

Tyler Covelli

Annalise David

Jackson Kaplan

Allyson Limbrick

Emma Lundquist

Brock Morris

Mika Noorlander

Andry Rincon

Leadership Scholarship

Logan Lopez

Emily Bass

Prinicpal’s Leadership Award

Logan Lopez

Rita Smith

Citizenship Award

Riley Grubb

Lindsey Gimbert

Alpha Delta Kappa Sorority

Mallory Precord

Julia Sumpter

CTA Howard Fenner Scholarship

Amelia Bohl

Seminole Association of School Administrators

Whitney Montgomery

Hagerty Family Scholarship

Emily Bass

Seminole South Rotary Club Rising Achievers

Lyan Ortiz Brito

Isabella Campo

GFWC Oviedo Women’s Club

Lyan Ortiz Brito

Sophia Canabal

Kimbyrlee Clark

Caitlyn Hale

Brock Morris

Abigail Neal

Landyn Pittman

Lion Club Dennis Dulnak Scholarship

Gabriel Martin Pedroza

Kiwanis Club of Oviedo-Winter Springs

Lyan Ortiz Brito

National Technical Honor Society

We congratulate our Career & Technical Education seniors who have achieved the highest level of their chosen educational pathway here at Hagerty High School in the areas of Television Production Technology, Early Childhood Education, Culinary and Modeling & Simulation.

Brock Morris

National Merit Finalists

Eshan Kabir

Ilani Seguinot

Helen Zou

National Recognition Program

Blake Andres

Zorian Facey

Rachelle English

Israel Hilario

Tristan Irving

Victor Jimenez

Brenda Larrea

Sofia Llerandi

Victoria Limbrick Rosado

Dodji Maboudou-Tchao

Omar Mohammad

Tiffany Odimegweu

Rhea Rose

Ariana Seguinot

Sabrina Valentin

SCPS Foundation Impact

Jumpstart Award

Ciara Bibbs

Yearbooks are still available! You can buy one in room 6-201 with $85 in cash or on MySchoolBucks.

Rita Smith, Robert Frasca & Logan Lopez

GFWC Oviedo Women’s Club scholarship recipients

Mallory Precord, Rob Manieri & Ava Manieri

Lindsey Gimbert & Ciara Bibbs

Let me be CLEAR

Accutane comes with signifi cant side effects

Nadia Knoblauch | News Editor

Starting his morning routine, John* washes off his tretinoin cream from the night before with his salicylic acid cleanser. Walking out of the bathroom, he grabs a prescription box that contains red pills—the most important step of his skincare routine. While many can get by on drugstore products and pimple patches, John had to take it a step further. After going through countless other treatments and remedies to treat his acne, John was left with a final solution: Accutane.

“It is like the last resort because it is kind of intense,” John said. “I went through a couple of other medications like tretinoin and antibiotics, and when that didn’t work, they put me on Accutane.”

Side effects

Isotretinoin, better known as Accutane, is a form of vitamin A taken daily to clear cystic acne or other severe skin conditions. While the medication has close to a 50% success rate, according to the American Osteopathic College of Dermatology, the pill is notorious for its severe side effects and health risks.

“Pretty much everything is dry even with moisturizer. I had dandruff, dry face, chapped lips all the time, bloody noses and even my mouth was dry really often,” John said. “Whether it outweighs the benefits kind of depends, it did work for a while, but then I just got acne again.”

According to drugwatch.com, the most common side effect is dry lips, which 90% of patients experience,

followed by 80% of users developing dry skin, itching and consistent nosebleeds.

“It definitely did mess with my confidence a little bit because, I mean, no one really wants to walk around with chapped lips 24/7,” John said. “Most of my time on Accutane was pretty awful, I will say that.”

Severe risks

However, dry lips and nosebleeds are not the worst effects that can be experienced, as 1 in 500 Accutane users will experience severe side effects, including birth defects, premature birth, miscarriage, Inflammatory Bowel Syndrome and suicidal thoughts.

Accutane has also been linked to causes of anemia, a reduction in the number of one’s red and white blood cells. Medical News Today reports that 1 in 10 Accutane patients may develop anemia, a fact Jane* experienced firsthand.

“[Anemia] was very draining and taxing on my health because it takes so much out of you,” Jane said.

Besides the development of anemia, Jane was met with another potential health risk due to the prescription, one that half of Accutane patients face.

The bottle’s label contains a warning that the medicine has an extremely high risk of severe birth defects. While commonly only 3-5% of pregnancies result in birth defects, 35% of infants who have been exposed to Accutane during the pregnancy have been diagnosed with a birth defect. As 50% of Accutane users are females of child-bearing age, the iPLEDGE program was created to require monthly pregnancy

tests for patients. Although this program has decreased the number of Accutane-caused birth defects, the company still advises female patients to go on birth control pills as a precaution, which brings difficult decisions for patients and families.

“My parents thought 15 was too young for birth control, and if I went on it there’s no going off,” Jane said.

Along with required pregnancy tests, patients are also required to have their blood drawn to observe their overall health and wellness while on the medication.

“Accutane definitely messed up my hormones so I have more mood swings, anemia, fatigue and anxiety, which is why it’s such a risky medicine to be on,” Jane said.

Different results

Even with all of the side effects and extra treatments, some patients only experienced clearer skin for a short period before their acne returned, even forcing some to go back on the treatment a second time.

“I was on Accutane for two sixmonth spurts because it didn’t work the first time,” John said. “[When I was] off of Accutane, obviously the side effects went away, but so did clear skin. I got acne again a few months after being off of Accutane both times, and they won’t do another round since it is heavily regulated by the government because of fertility side effects.”

Other patients, such as Jane, did not only continue to experience acne after treatment but observed changes in their overall skin texture and type.

“I was on it for eight months and fully cleared my skin for about four months, but now I have acne again but in different places because it changed my skin type,” Jane said. “It really dries out your skin and changes it, like I had oily skin and now my skin is dry, but I don’t think that should stop people from taking it because it works eventually.”

Despite many still experiencing acne after treatment, 99% of patients see

lasting improvements in their skin, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“My skin does respond a lot better to other medications now [and] is almost clear after being on a tretinoin cream for almost five months, which didn’t work at all the first time I used the cream,” John said.

A poll on the Hagerty Journ Instagram showed that 75% of Hagerty students say they have struggled with their skin and 16% have gone on Accutane, so it is important to remember that no matter the result of treatment, the main goal is for students to feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin.

“My skin definitely put a damper on me most of the time because I thought it was the only thing people could see,” Jane said. “I would recommend to people that are struggling with their skin to remind themselves that everyone has or has had acne—it’s a normal occurrence.”

*names changed for privacy

It definitely did mess with my confidence a little bit because, I mean, no one really wants to walk around with chapped lips 24/7.

- John

Greta Carrasco | Opinions Editor

Students searching for college credit and bumped up GPAs are faced with an important decision: should they choose AP or dual enrollment classes? In recent years, dual enrollment has become a more popular option. Especially for freshmen and sophomores, assistant principal Kristi Draus says she has noticed an immense increase in interest for dual enrollment courses.

Flexibility

Senior Avis Shaw first looked to dual enroll due to recommendations from upperclassmen — she decided that starting her college credits was something she was committed to do. After comparing AP and DE courses, Shaw believed dual enrollment would look good on college applications

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Duel it out

and was sure the experience she gained through those classes would allow her to get into a good college.

“I think dual enrollment is an amazing choice if you are committed to it,” Shaw said. “It wasn’t that difficult. I was able to understand the same things I would’ve learned in high school while only going to class once a week.”

For senior Carsyn Stephenson, her main reason to choose dual enrollment was due to the assured college credits. She is taking both College Algebra and Environmental Science.

“I feel as if I barely have any schoolwork at all, and the workload for the classes is pretty light, making it less time-consuming than regular classes,” Stephenson said.

Taking just one on-campus class, Stephenson says dual enrollment has given her more free time.

“I took AP Lang last year and it was just more complicated than any DE class I’ve taken, I would have rather been dual enrolled,” Stephenson said. “There is way less work and I feel as if I get more out of it by not having to take certain classes in college.”

Junior Amari Patel has had a similarly positive experience with dual enrollment. She enrolled in the English course (ENC11010) and has so far enjoyed her experience. She likes that she does not have to go in person for the course and that there was an option to choose a college course.

“I enjoy dual enrollment because of the ease of it. It is flexible and takes half the time to complete [than regular classes],” Patel said.

Dual Enrollment numbers rise compared to AP classes

Overlooked risks

Students who have taken dual enrollment courses have been extremely pleased by the outcome, but counselors make sure to warn students about this option. Although dual enrollment assures students college credit if they pass the class, there are factors that students might not take into account.

“Students in the community have heard these classes be described as ‘easy,’” school counselor Nick Maby said. “I tend to warn that if our 9th10th graders have already discovered that dual enrollment is an easier option, they can be sure that college admissions are also aware of this. Be selective in the classes you take. Only sign up if you are confident you will earn an ‘A’ as anything else will negatively impact the college GPA.”

Aside from these warnings, DE has other limitations. At Seminole State College, the classes that students are able to take for dual enrollment are limited to required courses only, and students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0, along with other restrictions. Seminole State College has started enforcing requirements to pass all subjects of the Postsecondary Education Readiness Test in order to Dual Enroll, meaning students who want to take an English course will need to pass the math section as well.

Even though dual enrollment classes continue to rise in popularity, AP courses have kept their high enrollment. Senior Mac Anderson has taken a total of seven APs throughout his high school career. Anderson decided to take AP classes to challenge himself and take the highest level possible.

Benefits of AP

“I was planning on dual enrolling for english but I ended up missing the deadline,” Anderson said. “Still, I am actually glad that I ended up taking AP Lit instead of DE because of the

great teacher and the fun class.”

Over the years he has been able to figure out which classes are his strong suit and which are not. He took AP U.S. History and although he passed the class and exam, Anderson believed he could have done better in the class.

“I had to play it by ear, but over time I was able to understand which classes I could take AP for and I enjoyed it,” Anderson said.

For junior Ivy Victoria, AP classes were the best option for her. She decided to take AP classes because of the availability.

“Dual enrollment is a long process so you don’t know what you’ll be able to take until a few weeks before you have to start,” Victoria said. “You are only allowed to take something like six credits at a time which only covers two to three classes, so it’s just not as convenient.”

The resources she has available have made the transition for early college admission easier for her and helped her understand college-level work.

“AP was the easiest option and there are a lot of resources and great AP teachers at Hagerty,” Victoria said. “I feel more comfortable in starting the college application process early because the [AP classes] really helped my GPA and showed me that I am ready for college level courses.”

Junior Alena Pezzoli has taken both AP and dual enrollment classes and plans to do so next year as well. Pezzoli says she asked herself which classes she wanted college credit for and those would be the ones she would choose to dual enroll in. Her APs would be classes she will retake in college.

“I recommend doing research and asking previous students on what they suggest,” Pezzoli said, “Not only are certain curricula much easier to understand, but certain teachers, and their ways of teaching are important to know when choosing classes.”

Illustration | Josephine Lim

sports shorts bp

Baseball ends in district finals

Karson Cuozzo | Sports Editor

The boys varsity baseball team lost to Winter Springs 3-2 in the district championship on May 4. Pitcher Talan Bell pitched five innings, getting five strikeouts and only allowing one run.

“I feel good about my pitching. I felt like I did my job and kept us in the game as much as I could,” Bell said.

Winter Springs scored in the top of the fifth, but the team quickly responded with two in the bottom of the sixth. First baseman Luis Rivero led the team with two hits, along with right fielder Adam Ciccone’s two RBI’s, and the score was 2-1 as pitcher Brayden Toro stepped in to finish.

However, Toro could not stop Winter Springs as they scored one run in the top of the seventh, sending the game into extra innings. Winter Springs scored the winning run in the eighth for the 3-2 victory.

The team will not move on to regionals for the first time since 2017.

“I feel like the team deserved a chance in regionals, but ultimately we lost some games we shouldn’t have and that prevented us from moving on,” Toro said.

Volleyball earns playoff berth

James Lopez | Staff Reporter

With other spring sports fighting for state titles and winning multiple district championships, boys volleyball has largely flown under the radar, struggling to post a winning record most seasons. This season seemed the same, but a three-game win streak pushed them to a third seed in the district playoffs.

“We have been all over the place playing some really great matches and some not so good ones,” libero Kaleb Heyliger said.

The team’s first playoff match against University on May 2 started rough. After falling behind in the first set due to University’s defense, the second set looked better as the team held a seven-point advantage. However, University came back and beat them 25-23, putting them at a 2-0 disadvantage moving into the third set.

The team didn’t lose hope and neither did the home crowd, as they only got louder. The third set began to show off the synergy of the team especially with striker Marcel Clemens and Heyliger, and setter Giancarlo Rodriguez who propelled the team to

six unanswered points in the set, and a 25-20 win, keeping the pressure on University going into the fourth set.

The team did not falter, even as top players were subbed out—junior Evan Lusher with his more technical striking and senior Aiden Cilladi with his defensive work, which included six blocks in the match-up.

The team would stay alive, winning the fourth 25-22. The game had reached an energy peak from both sides in the crowd, only making the final set more tense. This proved to be the easiest set of the whole match after a series of University miscommunications and Clemens’ spikes helping the team win 15-8.

Two nights later, however, the momentum ran out against top seed Timber Creek, who swept the team in straight sets, 3-0, but the late-season win streak and win over University allowed the team to get into the regional tournament as the six seed, where they will face Freedom High School on Tuesday.

“We have beaten some really good teams,” Rodriguez said. “To advance further, we need to minimize the mistakes during games, and we have to be confident every time we step on the court.”

Softball falls in district semifinals but advances to regionals

The girls varsity softball team lost 11-3 to Oviedo in the district semifinals on May 2.

The game started off with Oviedo scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, but Hagerty responded to make the score 3-1 going into the second. Pitcher Reese Twiggs threw a scoreless second inning, along with Oviedo’s pitcher Kennedy Gibson.

Both teams scored one run in the third inning, but Oviedo continued their lead in the fourth inning, scoring three more, 7-2. Center fielder Ana Roman and right fielder Addison Orr both had multiple hits, each with an RBI.

“We need to tighten up our

defense a little and attack pitches that work for us early,” first base/ pitcher Rachel Matthiesen said. “We kept our energy up even while we weren’t playing the best and our fight was never gone.”

Both teams had scoreless fifth and sixth innings, but in the seventh inning, Oviedo added four more runs where Oviedo maxed out their score, adding four more runs. Roman managed to push one run through, but that was all the team could provide. The final score was 11-3, with Oviedo advancing to the district championship against Lake Howell.

The team has beaten Oviedo two times before the district match up, 12-0 and 4-3.

“I just think this loss was a bump in

the road and it doesn’t define us as a team at all. Oviedo simply outplayed us but they are not the better team,” Matthiesen said.

The team has a bid for the regional tournament and is scheduled to play,Thursday, May 11 at 7 p.m. at Oakleaf.

Head coach David Stone, after 19 years of coaching, 12 as the head coach at Hagerty, announced that this will be his last season with the program.

“We want to make a serious run through regionals, so we know that means championship level practices, we have to go out and represent that ‘H’,” Stone said. “It’s my last run here at Hagerty with a special group of girls. I want to make it memorable.”

Outside hitter Marcel Clemens

Photo | Marietta Jordan

First baseman Rachel Matthiesen

Photo | Marietta Jordan

Karson Cuozzo | Sports Editor

FINAL FOUR: Lacrosse ends season in state semifinal

Ava West | Sports Editor

The April 29 regional final between varsity girls lacrosse and Vero Beach had been close the entire game. With a minute left, Hagerty was up by two when Vero got the ball off the draw, sprinted the field and tried to set up their offense as quickly as possible, but the defense held strong and caused a turnover. Defender Madison Rogers ran the length of the field to get it back to the offensive side to seal the regional championship.

“Everything on our minds outside of that game was gone—that is all we were focused on,” midfielder Stacy Glover said. “The parents started to count down the last 10 seconds of the game and that’s when I knew that we did it.”

The girls won that game, 13-11, a game that was originally scheduled for the day before but was moved to the due to rain delays. The game was also moved to a different field because the Vero Beach High field was deemed unsafe.

not prepared for. We practiced their plays based on film and they ended up running a hybrid version that led to us being in the wrong position,” defender Elena Hill said.

During the second half, the team switched up the offensive play and the defensive set they were running to try and make a comeback.

Attacker Madison O’Connor was subbed in during the second half of the game and scored two goals, the first on a feed from her sister, attacker Catherine O’Connor. Glover and Wilkins each scored another goal, contributing to the comeback.

“We definitely had the chance to win in the second half,” Glover said. “We were finally able to get to the goal, and the defensive side was able to hold the eight and not let them get as many chances,” Glover said.

The girls won the second half 6-5, but lost the game 108, sending Saint Thomas to the state championship.

ON THE RUN: Attacker Ella Digiore dodges her defender and assists attacker Ellie Wilkins for the first goal of the game. The girls varsity lacrosse team won against Creekview, the #10 team in the nation, 9-7 on April 4,

Top wins of the 2023 season

1. Vero Beach: 13-11, April 29

A regional final win after the team lost to them at the beginning of the season and in last year’s regional final.

2. Lake Highland: 9-8, April 5

Lake Highland’s first loss to a Central Florida team since 2019. Earned Hagerty “top Orlando team” title.

3. Lake Mary: 13-12, March 8

The team lost to them last year by one point and won by one goal this year, making them SAC champions.

4. Creekview (Ga): 9-7, April 4

Creekview is ranked #10 in the nation. Biggest out-of-state win this season.

5. Sacred Heart: 6-5, March 25

Out-of-state tournament overtime win against the Kentucky state champion.

Because of the delays, the team had to drive to Vero Beach twice in the span of 24 hours. Nevertheless, the team still pulled through with the win, making up for the loss in the last year’s regional final as well as a loss to Vero Beach to begin the season.

It was an all-around team effort with five people scoring the 13 goals, including Glover with four goals and attacker Ellie Wilkins with three.

“After losing to Vero earlier in the season the team was motivated to come back and show them who we really are,” midfielder Melina Lange said. “Being able to experience going to the Final Four because of that win was amazing.”

After winning the regional championship the team advanced to the final four for the first time since 2019. Their opponent for the state semifinal was Saint Thomas Aquinas on May 5 at the Paradise Sports Complex in Naples.

The game started off slow for the offense because they were not running the plays they practiced for the game properly, and Saint Thomas’s defense shut down the dodges and caused multiple turnovers.

“We needed to value possession of the ball and work on our shot placement, we rushed into a lot of our plays causing them to not work,” Glover said.

The defensive side also struggled with a lack of communication in the first half due to new plays that Saint Thomas was running. Wilkins and Glover scored the only two goals for Hagerty, and they trailed 5-2 at the half.

“There was a big miscommunication between our defense when they started to run plays we were

“They did not beat us, we beat ourselves,” Hill said. “We could make up excuses, but we all know we could have won that game if we played better in the first half.”

Even though the season might not have ended how they would have liked, it was still one of the best seasons the team has ever had.

“I am so proud of this entire team,” Lange said. “Overcoming all of the adversity in the regional finals and finally being able to beat Vero. That was our biggest goal this season.”

The first three games of the season were losses on the road to top-ranked teams in the state: Vero Beach, Bartram Trail and Ponte Vedra.

“We turned it around quickly after those games,” Lange said. “We worked on our offense and improved so much.”

To compete at the state level, the team realized they needed to make some changes.

“We realized what we were capable of and it paid off,” Hill said.

The team then went on to face Lake Mary for the SAC championship. The girls lost the championship last year to Lake Mary. The final score was 13-12 with Wilkins scoring in the last 30 seconds of the game to put the team in the lead.

“Making the winning goal against them felt so satisfying,” Wilkins said. “ It was like I could finally breathe after holding my breath for 25 minutes.”

The team won the SAC, district and regional championships and hopes to compete for a state championship again next year.

“We should have been able to do it this year, but I am glad that I got as far as I did with these girls,” Lange said. “Next year is the year.”

We realized what we were capable of and it paid off.

- Elena Hill, defender

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one of several big wins this season. Photo | Brooke Bohan