The BluePrint - Volume 11, Issue 3

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Issue 3 Volume 10 Dec. 9, 2015 Hagerty High School

WOOF TV HOSTS H-FACTOR The TV Production class held its annual talent show fundraiser on Thursday Nov. 19. More than $700 was raised to purchase new equipment. PAGE 2 - Darrell Beausivoir

Administration attempts to solve bee infestation

Photo by Jake Arthur

HIVE FIVE Hamilton describes this bee infestation as more insidious than an infestation of other potentially harmful insects, as the location of the hive is unknown. “We have to be more proactive about finding the source in the future so we can get it done the professional way, the right way and the legal way,” Hamilton said.

Peyton Whittington

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CRASHING CARNEGIE photo by Jake Arthur

Freshman Jakob Schoenfeld to play percussion at Carnegie Hall in February Jeannie Williams Managing Editor nly the best of the best perform at Carnegie Hall. It is a time-honored tradition, one that is, for freshman Jakob Schoenfeld, a reality only months away as a result of years of practice. On Saturday, Oct. 31, when others were focused on Halloween and the annual Florida-Georgia game, Schoenfeld, a percussionist, received an email confirming his acceptance to the 2016 High School Honors Performance Series at Carnegie Hall for percussion had been approved. “I didn’t expect to make it,” Schoenfeld said. “At first, I was pretty excited, and then after a minute, I sort of accepted it.” The road to Carnegie Hall was long for Schoenfeld, whose band career began in a middle school Beginner Band class. Until middle school, he took drum set lessons and participated in music classes at his elementary school, but Schoenfeld credits Lawton Chiles band director Grace Kuperman with helping him learn to enjoy music. Schoenfeld began with snare and worked his way to bells and timpani, while using other auxiliary percussion instruments like tambourine and triangle. By the end of seventh grade, Schoenfeld began one of his favorite parts of percussion, four-mallet solos. Four-mallet pieces are typically played on mallet instruments like the xylophone or marimba with two mallets in each hand. They allow for more chords and notes to be played. “Once you learn how to play four-mallet, there’s a lot of cool things you can do with that and a lot of great pieces, too,” Schoenfeld said. Before he was in band, Schoenfeld (and his brothers, Lukas and Aleks) took piano lessons, which was helpful for mallet instruments, since they have different toned bars. Most percussionists prefer playing on drums, but Schoenfeld prefers marimba. “It can provoke so many emotions, and I have just fallen in love with the instrument really,” Schoenfeld said. Outside of school, Schoenfeld took lessons with music instructor Willie Rast, who used to assist with the band at Lawton Chiles, but had to stop when the schedule of marching band season got too hectic. He is also currently taking private lessons with Matt Albano, who assists percussionists in the school band. Schoenfeld learns the majority of his pieces at home, first learning the notes and rhythms, then self-recording and evaluating. He typically does a mock performance for his family and friends. Not all of the instruments are available to Schoenfeld at home, so he

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usually learns his marimba pieces on the piano first, then practices the technique at school. With snare, he uses a practice piece at home, which allows him to practice without the loud sound. Schoenfeld has had to balance marching band with his commitments to the soccer team earlier this year, often sacrificing one practice for the other. Now that marching season is over, Schoenfeld can focus on soccer, but still plays at home. “I feel like it’s given me something to do when I’m bored,” Schoenfeld said. “Sometimes I just need to drum or play piano and just forget about homework for a little while.” After playing in his middle school band for three years, Schoenfeld wanted more. He made all-county band in seventh grade and all-county and all-state in eighth. “I realized there’s more than just those things locally. I can try out for more stuff, and I’m good enough to make some of the honor bands,” Schoenfeld said. Through Accepted, an online program where students can submit applications for schools and programs, Schoenfeld was invited to apply to Honors Performance Series after they were notified he had viewed their page. Seeing that the pieces “weren’t too bad,” Schoenfeld set to work, learning the songs and borrowing recording equipment to create an audition video over the summer. In late August, Schoenfeld submitted his application and waited until Oct. 31, when he heard he was accepted. Fellow band member Jason Donnelly was impressed by Schoenfeld’s acceptance. “He’s a great person. He’s an even better musician,” Donnelly said. “Carnegie Hall, is one of the most respected concert halls in the world. Getting an experience in such a large and acoustically sound environment would certainly be a great experience.” Schoenfeld was one of 750 selected to perform in the performance series at Carnegie Hall out of over 18,000 national applicants. In addition to this program, Schoenfeld, along with Donnelly, applied for Honor Band of America, which will take place at a music festival in Indianapolis in March, but results have not yet been sent out. Additionally, Schoenfeld will soon be recording an audition video for NYO2, run by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute. For now, Schoenfeld is focused on Feb. 4-6, which he will spend studying and performing music in New York City. “Being selected to the Honors Performance Series is something each finalist should be extremely proud of accomplishing,” program director Morgan Smith said in a press release. “Working with these conductors and performing at Carnegie Hall is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that these musicians never forget.”

Online Editor-in-Chief his year, as with last September, it is not an uncommon sight to walk past a trash can on campus and see 10-15 bees feasting on the garbage inside. These bees are honeybees, known for their pollination of flowers and production and storage of honey. They are attracted to the sugary drinks consumed by students, which means they usually only swarm trash cans during lunch hours. Dean Brett Hamilton, who is in charge of facilities, has taken considerable measures to secure campus safety. As suggested by county administration, Hamilton had the garbage cans pressure washed, removed them from student eating areas and ensured the daily disposal of garbage can liners. He also described the situation to Seminole County Animal Services, who reportedly offered little other help than the precautions above. “I went online and Googled home remedies, and I put cinnamon and cayenne pepper in all the trash cans because that’s supposed to keep them away, but that didn’t work,” Hamilton said. “I did everything I possibly could to keep our school and our students safe.” Bees are not yet a protected species, but they are dwindling, which is why both Hamilton and Dr. Mary Williams favored the possibility of calling a professional beekeeper as opposed to an exterminator. Most bee complaints, however, have come from students with bee allergies and their parents. “If you’re allergic to bees and you don’t want to be in the vicinity of them, you definitely need to be eating lunch inside,” Williams said. “That being said, I personally haven’t heard of one person being stung.” Despite this, there are still students who are unsatisfied with the current bee situation. “I get hit in the face with them every two seconds,” junior Jessica Vasquez said. “They moved all the trash cans away from the tables, but that won’t get rid of them.” As for students’ role in de-escalating the situation, administration advises students to make sure their trash is thrown away at the end of the lunch period. “The bees are not here to attack you, they’re here for what’s in the garbage,” Hamilton said. “If you’re attacking them, they will want to retaliate and fend for themselves.”

See more on hagertyjourn.com Alumni Arroyo’s Army Success Marcos Arroyo, 2014 graduate, has had a far from normal college experience. Arroyo, who committed to West Point to play soccer, traded Greek life for grenades and learned to adapt to the Army lifestyle. For more about his first two years of college visit Hagertyjourn. com.

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