October 2021 by HHS Today

r& b

THE OVERCROWDING ISSUE

Hillsborough High School | HHSToday.com 5000 N. Central Avenue | Tampa, Florida 33603 October/2021/volume 123/issue 1

Teachers share their favorite childhood movies p. 13

The Overcrowding Issue p. 8 & 9

Student’s Fall Fashion p. 12

October 2021

Editors- in- chief Asher Montgomery Carolina Tortorelli

Social media editor Tammy Nguyen

Web editor Isla Riddell

Graphics editor Isha Modha

Staff writers

Daniel Baldera, Victoria Bile, Dylan Cantrell, Melanie Columbie, Trayvon Hightower, Alexandra Hines, Eden Kay, Jaden Mancini, Eli Mohabir, Morissey Montgomery, Mathew Moreno, Mercy Ogunsola, Shyam Patel, Elisabella Pease, Isolde Rayman-Moore, Rohit Ramaswamy, Nyonnah Richardson, Kaylee Robinson, Diego Rodriguez, Joscelyn Rodriguez, Lia Rojas, Josephine Smith, Jack Wilkins, Jamiah Wright, Meredith Yen

BRIEFS Construction on Central Starting in late October, major construction will be taking place on Central Avenue in front of the school. During the 10-month long project, the county plans to install water and utility pipes under the road, as well as a bike lane, a widened drop-off lane, and a crosswalk connecting the corner of Central and Wilder to the church across the street. The project will help alleviate some of the traffic after school and make drop-off and pickup safer for students.

Sierra Kruse

Principal Kelly King

student editors

Membership Red & Black belongs

to the Florida National and Columbia Scholastic press associations

Awards

FSPA 2020-21 All-Florida and Sunshine Standout NSPA 2019-20 First Class CSPA 2018-19 Gold Medalist

Bylined columns represent the viewpoints of their authors

We welcome your letters, which my be edited for brevity and clarity. Submit via email, deliver to room 506 or mail to Red & Black, 5000 N. Central Ave, Tampa, Florida 33603 Email: hhstoday@gmail.com Twitter: @HHSTodayOnline Instagram: @HHSToday

Letter from the editors

During part of the construction, Central will be one way only towards the library, but parents and students will be informed when this will be happening. According to principal Kelly King, construction is expected to be done by the start of next school year, but with bad weather and other delays, it may extend to the end of next August. Families will receive an email with more information in October. Story by jaden mancini

Revamped snacking

Advisor

About Content decisons are made by

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Senior Paris Rosero, orders a snack out of the vending machine

Sophomore Mallorie Donahoo gets something from the vending machine every day. “I think it’s very helpful for a lot of students,” Donahoo said. “I be lovin’ them spicy Doritos.” Junior Salvatore Urso wishes that there are more vending machines around the school. Urso said he loves Skittles and Takis. “The Skittles make my day, and I can really taste the rainbow,” Urso said. He uses Apple Pay to pay for his snacks from time to time. Senior Paris Rosero is really into the twist Fritos and gets them every chance she gets. Rosero reminds herself every morning to bring money to get her twist Fritos. story and photo by melanie columbie

Happy fall everyone! We hope you all have successfully accumulated to school, have good grades, and are living your best lives. We also hope it starts to cool off sometime soon. This school year, we got an influx of new staffers. That means new ideas, new perspectives, and new angles to cover. So, we took this issue to celebrate both are collectiveness on this campus while highlighting the individuality of the people in this school. That leads us to the center spread. High school is naturally overwhelming. It’s normal to feel like you’re swimming in a huge school of fish. But what makes this year different is the half-empty school we faced last year. Coming back, the school seemed unready to get back into the full swing of high schoolers’ lives. We discuss the crowded pickup lines, cafeterias, classrooms and its implication on students. As you flip through the pages, we are inviting you to notice what you enjoy as well as what you think is missing. Email us at hhstoday@gmail.com for story suggestions. And as always, happy reading,

About the cover “Swarm” by senior Amelie McLeod

New ramp for accessibility Over the summer, a ramp was constructed outside of the band room of our school. According to principal Kelly King, the ramp was built to make the band room more accessible to everyone who needs the accommodation to enter the room. “I was very excited about the ramp construction. Our school was built during a time where accessibility towards people who use wheelchairs or crutches wasn’t put in mind, so I’m really glad that we could add this new addition to

the school,” King said. “Hopefully in the near future we can figure out more ways to make our school even more accessible.” Junior Lailah Carr, a french horn player in the Big Red Band agrees with King. “It’s a good decision for the school to build this for future disabled students as well as the current students who use it now but it’s a shame it took so long for one to be put in place,” she said. story and photo by trayvon hightower

The new ramp leads to the band room and into the cafeteria.

October 2021

highest-level and enjoy comfortable salaries, they must compete with gamers in the amateur scene for job security. Having to constantly climb up the ladder means that Filippini can never become complacent with his past laurels and accomplishments. But there isn’t a gilded path to becoming a professional gamer. Like traditional sports, the demands of competitive gaming can feel exigent with regards to work ethic. As soon as Filippini comes home from school and finishes his homework, he watches videos on strategy, communicates to his teammates, and plays scrimmages against other teams. He wears blue-light filtering glasses to reduce eyestrain. He balances the gaming workload by streaming casual games like League of Legends and Minecraft to ease his mind. He prefers the versatility of playing on a PC as opposed to a console. With its greater variety After trying out for Colossal Mango, of storefronts and games, and larger skill gap, Filippini instantly knew he had found that PCs allows him to truly showcase his gaming fit. Him and his teammates hit the ground acumen. running, consistently beating high-level His favorite aspect of gaming is the skill it opponents. requires, being able to monitor his improveHis teammates live in different parts of ment in real time. However, the nuances of the country, so they use Discord for commu- the video game can go overlooked in a ranked nication. While Filippini acknowledges that system, taking it with a grain of salt. As long it’s harder to keep the wheels turning with as the wins keep piling up, he knows he’s four more players to monitor, he still prefers improving. team-oriented games like Valorant because “I get to play with different of the increased competitiveness. people from different As a competitor, Filippini naturally ascribes the most importance to his team’s states, and the community success. He’s even willing to bring his indiitself is so wide. It’s vidual game accomplishments into disrepute amazing to me.” if they don’t contribute to a victory. He hates losing, but it’s just added motivation. “For me, it’s all about bringing my team Filippini mentally prepares for an gaming to the highest level,” he said. “If I bring my session by re-watching Naruto fight scenes. teammates up and I fall down a peg, I’m fine His favorite character in the show is Obito, with that.” emblematic of the confident self-regard of a Filippini truly became aware of his stellar villain that many of his gaming idols have, gaming abilities after defeating Dignitas, a drawing energy from their haters. team of professional players. To him, pros One of them, Juan “Hungrybox” DeBiedwere gold standards personified. Having the ma, was so good at Super Smash Bros Melee, opportunity to face off against his personal that a disgruntled fan threw a raw crab at him demigods put into perspective how far he’s after he won a tournament, barely missing his progressed as a gamer, a gratifying feeling. head. Along with Hungrybox, Filippini enjoys “These guys aren’t as far as I thought watching Shahzeb “Shahzam” Khan and they were. Now [I’m] beating them and it’s Hunter “Sick” Mims from Team Sentinels, like a boost of motivation. They’re definitely a reputable American eSports organization beatable,” he said. based in Los Angeles, California. Professional videogaming is a highly Most of the collegiate leagues, amateur coveted job. Because pro gamers play at the tournaments, and pro tournaments he Senior Julian Filippini sits on the stairwell with a Nintendo Switch.

Julian Filippini: The Gamer Senior Julian Filippini has been involved with competitive gaming since he was only 10 years old, first inspired by a Counter Strike video he watched on YouTube. To him, video games were so much more than a mere simulacrum for military battle. A story of competition, mechanical and team skills, and mental fortitude rears its head every time he engages in virtual gunplay. It’s driven him insistently towards his vocational goal – to turn professional and win eight titles. He plans on reaching it under his in-game username, Kinshasa, a Japanese name for a wrestler’s finishing kick. Filippini’s parents weren’t initially supportive of his endeavors. They felt he was prioritizing videogames over his schoolwork. It certainly didn’t support his case that he was a very vocal gamer, often getting on his parents’ nerves. But once he started winning tournaments against eminent gamers, they came around. He dedicated many years in his early gaming career to play CS-GO, later jumping around to Rainbow Six Siege and Fortnite until finally transitioning to Valorant when the beta released. Valorant is a 5v5 team-oriented first-person shooter game developed and published by Riot Games. Entering the amateur scene, Filippini understood that he would need the right “team fit” to play his best Valorant. Not contractually obligated to any one team, he tested his candidacy with different players, assessing his chemistry and coalescence with them.

hhstoday.com competes in are monetized with prize money, bonuses, signings, and sponsorships. Scouts are usually in attendance, so every impressive performance is an opportunity for publicity. Typically, each tournament has a proprietary website to register the team. Once the team captain verifies the entry, the team is designated a pool and randomly seeded in a single/double elimination bracket. Most of his tournaments are organized and hosted through Battlefy, a service that allows for prize pools, entry fees, and large amounts of teams competing. Every tournament, a competitive anesthesia settles in as he takes satisfaction in veritably trouncing his opponents. Filippini wants to commit to a university for eSports, narrowing his choices to UC Irvine, Winthrop University, University of Oregon, and Drexel University by virtue of their state-of-the-art gaming facilities. While his team hasn’t received any offers, Fillipini had a personal meeting with Winthrop, guaranteeing him a spot on their varsity A team if he is accepted. “I’m looking for an environment where I can have a fun degree, and a place where I feel like I have people on or above my skill level, who I can take to bigger heights, win championships, [and] get trophies,” he said. Filippini intends to major in business administration with a focus on eSports management. This way, he can stay connected to the gaming community no matter how his competitive career turns out. To him, a gaming career can be contingent especially if one doesn’t possess the talent, drive, and the will, so he advises all gamers to temper their expectations and have a back-up plan. He believes the gaming industry has only scratched the surface of what it can be. Various celebrities and organizations non-endemic to eSports like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Drake, and the Golden State Warriors are investors. Filippini has taken notice of new local gaming avenues opening up and is currently helping develop a gaming club at our school. “I haven’t personally met many competitive gamers here [in Tampa], but that’s why I love it,” he said. “I get to play with different people from different states, and the community itself is so wide. It’s amazing to me.” story and photo by rohit ramaswamy

NEWS

October 2021

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Hillsborough welcomes new terriers Elizabeth Eby Elizabeth Eby is the new Climate and Culture Counselor /AP. Her job is to analyze the systems at this school, look at behavior and also make some fun incentives for students at Hillsborough High.

Some incentives that she is trying out this year include borough bucks, spirit wear, music room, candy and tickets to the school’s sports games. Ms.Eby is also the sponsor for the Big Red Plan. She

looks forward to the upcoming sports seasons such as football and hockey supporting the Buccaneers and Lightning. She also loves walking her yorkie-poo Molly. story by alexandra hines

Taylor Troxell As psychology Teacher, Taylor Troxell, sat on her desk, her prized purple brain painting hanging above, she contemplated why she wanted to become a teacher. After some pauses, Troxell spoke. “I’m not only helping now but for the future,” she said. Hailing from the small town of Umatilla, Florida (about an hour north of Orlando), Troxell moved to Tampa to pursue a major in Social Science Education at the University of South Florida. All throughout her life, she said she

could be described as ‘timid’. Yet, despite her shyness, teaching seems to be her purpose. “I just knew that I wanted to help people,” she said. Troxell’s teaching position at Hillsborough came as the perfect opportunity, especially since she interned under psychology teacher, Francis, at the school a few months prior. Then, she got a phone call from Francis telling her that there was a position opening up within the IB program. “It kind of just ended up falling

into place,” Troxell said. Now, Troxell teaches AP Psychology to IB sophomores and has many goals for her first set of students, but to keep it simple: her number one goal is for her kids to learn. Outside of the classroom, Troxell helps more students by coaching for the Girl’s Junior Varsity Volleyball team at Hillsborough. In her free time, Troxell enjoys watching Rom-Coms, meeting with her friends, and going to the beach.

last year, she convinced Charette to tour the school, and to consider the new staff opening. At first she said no, but eventually gave in and toured the school. Afterwards, she realized that she was in love with

the history, culture, and the Terrier Pride at Hillsborough. Charette loves her job as counselor because she gets to see the academic progress of students’ academic journey and seeing them graduate. story by alexandra hines

Eileen Charette Eileen Charette is the new IB Guidance Counselor. Before Hillsborough, she worked at Steinbrenner High School for 33 years along with Principal Kelly King, When Mrs. King became our principal

DeSantis Plans to End Common Core After this school year, Florida Standards Assessment, or FSA, will no longer be used to measure students’ progress. Governor Ron Desantis announced on Sep. 14 that Florida will be moving away from Standardized testing, along with eradicating the Common Core standards. Florida will be the first state to fully implement progress monitoring in place of an end of year standardized test. Florida standardized testing will stop being administered in Florida schools after the 2021- 2022 school year and will be replaced with “progress monitoring.” Governor Ron Desantis says the elimination of common

core and the FSA as well as a plan that will be proposed later during a legislative session will provide real-time results for educators, parents, and students. This new “progress monitoring” differs from the previously “outdated” Florida standardized testing in several ways. For example, this new test takes just a few hours to administer in comparison to the days that it took to administer the FSA cutting testing time down by 75 percent, meaning there will be more time for learning and planning of lessons. While the FSA was given once a year and determined a student’s placement for the following year, FAST will be give

story by victoria bile

three times a year occurring in the fall, winter and spring and will provide insight into how the student is doing and their academic growth throughout the year. Now that common core is officially over, Florida’s standards will now be implementing the Benchmarks For Excellent Student Thinking or “BEST Standards” which is a approach to education that goes back to the basics. This allows for students to focus more on getting the correct answer as opposed to focusing on the correct method. With this comes a reduction in testing time. The introduction of civics being taught in every grade is also a new aspect, as well as

New clubs

Youth Activism Project

1st period Room: 523 Raising attention about social justice issues and writing articles and volunteering in the relm of social justice.

Medical Awareness club

6th period Room: 232 Educating and spreading awareness and discussing lesser-known illnesses.

Indian Student Association

7th period Room: 209 Discussing Indian culture and connecting more with the Indian community within and outside of the school.

Big Red Plan

1st period Room: Auditorium Aiming to unite the student body of Hillsborough and build a stronger sense of community through school involvement.

Code Red

6th period Room: Cafeteria Creating more school spirit through collaboration with other clubs like SGA and the compiled by jack wilkins Big Red Plan. and diego rodriguez the introduction of new accountability standards for early learning and the introduction of financial literacy being taught in high school. The key differences between current Florida Standards and BEST Standards include the elimination of common core, content rich, back to basics foundation building, flexibility for teacher’s parents and students, flexible for teachers with focus on content, improves rigor across all grades, sets concise standards to set clear expectations for student’s teachers and parents, and clear expectations for progression year to year through alignment of courses. story by kaylee robinson

NEWS

October 2021 Senior Vinay Govindaraju puts gas in his Honda Civic at 7-Eleven.

The cost of gas has increased roughly $1.50 in the past year. While this may seem negligible, the gas price increase can have drastic ramifications on the global economy if not contained. Companies that ship goods via trucks, boats, and even ships are going to have greater input prices. This means that other goods will be more expensive by virtue of the companies charging more to maximize profits. When prices increase, consumers make a decision: do they continue to buy the good, or substitute it for a cheaper alternative? Unless you walk or bike everywhere, there isn’t a clear substitute for gas. Gas is an “inelastic good”, which means there will be demand regardless of price. The reality is the gas-powered car is the cornerstone of our lifestyle. But why do the prices increase? At the fundamental level, both changes of gasoline and diesel prices mirror crude oil (petroleum) prices, determined by worldwide demand and supply of crude oil in the market. According to U.S. Energy Information Administration, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update, oil costs account for

Gas Prices are on the rise 43% of the price of regular gasoline. Essentially, when oil prices increase, so does gas. For diesel, most refineries concentrate on heating oil during the winter, which would decrease supply and increase price. It is important to note that diesel prices don’t always rise and fall at the same rate as gasoline. According to the EIA, diesel has been more expensive than regular gasoline since 2004. Diesel has different demand, along with different emission standards and federal taxes than gasoline. “I started driving at the end of 2019. Starting at almost an empty tank, I was able to completely fill my car with gas for $20. Now, it costs almost $35 for a full tank,” senior Vinay Govindaraju said. “Even my mom’s bill has gone up from $30-$35 to just over $50.” Because a substitution for gas isn’t readily available, the government has attempted to regulate gas prices. However, this has been historically unsuccessful. In 1970, Richard Nixon implemented a price ceiling, or a maximum price suppliers can charge. The lower prices disincentivized suppliers, creating an unexpected quantity shortage in gas. A contemporary solution is to subsidize the gas industry, but even this requires some risk management. But rising gas prices may have an unexpected positive effect. With rising gas prices, electric or hybrid vehicles are becoming more and more optimal. Electric vehicles don’t need gas at all, therefore removing the recurring payments for households.

According to CarGurus Electric Vehicle Sentiment Survey United States, rising gas prices would be especially influential to those considering owning an electrical vehicle in the next decade. In the survey, at $4 per gallon, 26% would be more likely to consider buying an EV. At $5, this increases to 57%. “I think [rising gas prices] are a good thing. The environment has been taken a lot of damage, ozone depleting, increasing amounts of pollution,” senior Jeevanram Munnangi said. “As gas prices continue to rise, people will be less inclined to buy gas cars and will buy electric cars.” With the onset of Covid-19, demand for gasoline decreased due to quarantine measures, decreasing the price. By the same token, the recent increases in price can be attributed to our economy recovering. As our consumption habits return to normalcy through an improved vaccination rate, demand and prices would also increase. As consumers, it is easy to scapegoat president Joe Biden for the increase in gas prices. But like us, his hands are tied. While he has a few mechanisms to decrease price in the short term, most factors for gas prices are supply-side and have little to do with him. “I think it’s tough for kids that go to school every day because there isn’t a way to save gas. Most kids don’t have cars with super good milage,” senior Dillon Patel said. “But it’s something that can’t be changed.”

that the new law could give more freedom to students and their parents, as long as people make safe decisions. “I think it’s fair, I’ll wear my mask and social distance if it comes to that,” she said. Senior Mauricio Salazar is on the same page. “I’m okay with it as long as they social distance,” he said. On the other hand, students like junior Aleysha Lopez feel strongly about the issue. “I think it’s very irresponsible for one to do, because it puts the public safety at risk and increases the chances of spreading the virus,”

Poll on Masks and Vaccination Students wereasked three quesitons about masks and vaccination. Here’s what they had to say: Are You Vaccinated? 1 2

66.4% said Yes 33.6% said No

Should all students be required to get vaccinated?

story and photo by rohit ramaswamy

Florida says parents can decide if children quarantine Since the begining of the pandemic, students who come in contact with the virus are supposed to quarantine for the next 14 days in order to keep others safe. But, a recent Florida emergency rule is allowing the parents of the student that is exposed to COVID-19 to decide whether or not their child quarantines. The student must be asympotmatic for the parent to decide that they will not quarantine. There are varying opinions on this new rule across the United States. Freshman Carliyah Regis, for example, finds

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Lopez said. “Covid is a serious matter and should be taken as that.” There’s no mistaking this virus has taken a serious toll on many people. Over 4.5 million people have died, and millions more will be affected by the aftermath of contracting COVID19, such as never recovering their sense of smell, or the long term damage to the lungs. “[The new rule] may cause a higher risk of people catching COVID which is a big no to the safety of the other students,” Junior Lorena Gomez said. story by joscelyn rodriguez

1 75% said Yes 2

25% said No

Do you regularly wear a mask?

84.5% said Yes 15.5% said No

2 compiled by kaylee

robinson graphics by isla riddell

October 2021

NEWS

hhstoday.com LEFT Junior Leon Hobdy walks home from his apartment complex after school. “I feel attached to these kids and these people,” Hobdy said about the community at Robles Park. RIGHT The fence surrounding the recently-evacuated burial site displays a list of names of those burried in Zion Cemetary. The names were listed on death certificates that lead to the discovery of the gravesite underneath the public housing complex. photos by asher montgomery

The displacement of Robles Park Village

Christmas in Robles Park Village is what junior Leon Hobdy and his cousin, sophomore Iyonna Keel, will miss the most after they move. Everyone walks outside in the morning to chat with neighbors, dressed in Christmas pajamas. The kids play with their toys in the street. In the evening, they dress up nice and eat rice, baked beans, ham and mac and cheese together. “It’s like a hood family,” Keel said. After the meal last year, Hobdy’s mom fed the homeless in Robles Park with the leftovers. On a regular afternoon, Hobdy walks home from school. First past the library, then the Chevron gas station, the Mcdonalds, the fire station and into his neighborhood. The salmon pink buildings with a red base line the street for several blocks and neighbors sit outside in camp chairs. Now, Hobdy and his family are getting ready to move out of the public housing apartment he’s lived in for four years. Last year, the long-lost African-American burial ground, Zion Cemetery, was discovered under Robles Park Village. The Tampa Housing Authority (THA) formed a new plan for the land that will both honor those buried in the cemetery and create a new, mixed-income neighborhood. This comes at the cost of displacing the community that has formed since the project’s construction in 1951. Hobdy says his mom thinks the move will be good for him because of the violence and shootings that occur in Robles more regularly than in other neighborhoods. Hobdy agrees to some extent. Fights are common, and there are always police around. “You’re not going to see a day [the police] aren’t there,” his cousin Keel said. Hobdy is also sad to see the community get dispersed. Keel and her family moved to Temple Terrace a few months ago and she rarely goes outside anymore, she says, because she doesn’t know her neighbors anymore. “I feel attached to these kids and these people,” Hobdy said.

A few blocks down from Hobdy’s apartment is the gated-off site of the Zion Cemetery. Zip-tied to the chain link fence are signs depicting what is known of the history of Zion, along with the names of the people buried there. Inside the fence are empty Robles apartments, pavement and on the other side of the apartments, a large grassy area. According to Fred Hearns, the curator of Black History at the Tampa Bay History Center and the President of the Zion Cemetery committee, 19 families were living in apartments on top of gravesites. They were evacuated soon after the discovery. Hearns has big plans for the area. He wants a memorial that can be seen from Florida Avenue and a garden. Somewhere, there will be a list of names of the people buried there. He also imagines a large facility, with a parking lot, where students, community members, and visitors can go in and do more research about Zion cemetery, the people who lived there, and genealogy in general. Hearn’s goal is to make sure that something like this never happens again. “I am hopeful, I’m optimistic. I believe one day we will do justice for the people buried there and their family and their descendants,” he said. The story of Zion Cemetery is one common throughout history. The city sold the land at a tax break to someone who knew there was a cemetery there. Then, the new owner got permission to put buildings on top. The people were told that the bodies were removed, but records show only a few of them actually were. There was an article published in the Tampa Tribune at the time of construction, showing that bones were found as they got the land ready for construction, but construction went on. “Black people of the time didn’t want to rock the boat with the people with power and money. Who was going to listen to them?” Hearns said.

Eventually, Zion Cemetery was forgotten by almost everyone. But in 2019, county worker Ray Reed came across death certificates for those buried in Zion Cemetery, which he had never heard of. He asked around and no one knew where it could be. Soon, old maps of Tampa pointed to the location of Robles Park. According to a scan of the area, there are currently 650 coffin shaped boxes under Robles Park. Hobdy says that before the discovery, his aunt believed there was something off about the neighborhood. She told him she felt a weird presence, like there were spirits. He didn’t believe her then. But when the news came out about the cemetery, it made sense. Now, the THA is using the discovery of the cemetery as an opportunity to redevelop Robles Park Village. The new housing will be a mix of market-rate housing, meaning prices similar to houses in the Tampa Heights Neighborhood, affordable housing with slightly lower prices, and public housing, which is what is provided at Robles Park now. The THA wants to work alongside the building of the Zion memorial, so that the projects can be completed at a similar time, but first the Zion Cemetery Committee has some obstacles to face. Currently, the area where the graves are is owned by three different entities, only half is owned by the THA. The other half is owned by two private entities that won’t give up their land without some sort of compensation. So, the committee is working on a deal with those entities to get the land before they can start on officially planning their project. Hearns hopes to have a concrete plan with official dates by next year. For now, the THA is working on moving all the residents into public housing elsewhere. Occupants were given money by the government so they can find a new place to live. Hobdy’s family plans on leaving Robles Park at the beginning of next month. story by asher montgomery

LIFE Firing it up at Gasparilla Music Festival

October 2021

The Gasparilla Music Festival (GMF) is a non-profit that organizes annual music festivals in downtown Tampa, the heart of the city. The festival itself takes place at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. In celebration of their 10 year anniversary, headliners Nas, Sylvan Esso, Sofi Tukker, and Gov’t Mule took the main stage. One of my favorite performances was from MOD SUN, a singer and rapper from Minnesota. He opened his set with “Karma,” one of his many popular releases. His stage presence was exhilerating, all eyes were on him when he was doing his drum solo, earning screams from the crowd. While soaking in Florida’s heat every afternoon, festival attendees made their way to the food stands, “Calle Cocina”, for refreshments and snacks. Local eats and treats like WhateverPops, Dough Nation, Independent Bar & Cafe, King of the Coop, Spaddy’s Coffee, Lolis Mexican Cravings, and more made an appearance. The next GMF will take place in March of 2022. The music brings people together and the festival provides a weekend full of activities.

ABOVE Mod Sun’s guitarist, Brennan Peirson plays the guitar. MIDDLE Baby Jake performs on Friday evening of GMF. RIGHT Mod Sun sings to the crowd. BELOW Mod Sun lets a little girl sing along.

The “Munchausen Waves” have a borough connection Crab Devil, a Tampa based artists collective, made an appearance at the festival with their illusion piece “Munchausen Waves.” Freshman Ella Lemieux’s father, Michael Lemieux is one of the creators. He spent over 200 hours building, painting and working out the details. Using acrylic paint, Ella Lumieux helped her father paint the paddles made out of PVC pipes, and

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assisted in assembling and welting the steel frames. “We have a giant team of people who helped build it and we needed so many different hauling trucks to set up at the site,” she said. The art was a teaser for the group’s establishment called The Peninsularium, which is estimated to be finished by the end of next year. Their goal is to provide Tampa a phenomenal immer-

sive arts installation experience. “I really loved it. I’ve been so astonished of it because if you look at one side of it you can stare at it for like 30 minutes and then you realize there are colors on the other side”, Ella Lemieux said. Besides running around to help her dad and crew, she enjoyed seeing performances from Nas, Vella, Sylvan Esso, and Bad Cameo.

Red, orange and yellow on one side, and blues and greens on the other, it took Freshman Ella Lemieux’s father over 200 hours of work to create the“Munchausen Waves.” This moving and interactive artwork was featured for all three days at the Gasparilla Music Festival photos and stories by tammy nguyen

FOC

September 2021

THE OVERCROWDING I

C-Lunch

Ten, fifteen minutes go by and still no lunch. People skip and make the line even longer. Twenty minutes. Now he’s got his food, but the lunch period is almost over. He sits down with his friends to eat for as long as he can in the loud and crowded cafeteria. Senior Jorge Pina points out many problems found during C lunch. “We get annoyed, [the line] is so long we have to wait until the end of the period to eat. That’s bad for you,” he said. “We have 34 minutes to eat and there’s barely enough time to even get your food. That’s a problem.” In order to get his lunch with reasonable time to eat, Pina attempts to get there as soon as the bell rings. “I have to run from upstairs to the lunch room, just to be able to get close to getting food.” he said. With all students back on campus, bus ramps, halls, and especially the cafeteria have been really crowded. Assistant principal Aaron Berry believes the crowding is a result of the shortage of staff. “I think it is just reflective of where we are in general with the lack of resources and the lack of personnel. You see it from the buses, to the number of workers in the cafeteria, to the amount of teachers that are in the school,” he said. “What you see is people doing the best that they can with what they got.” Some students, such as senior Jack Fontenot, choose to bring lunch from home to avoid the “absurdly long and inefficient lines,” he said. Although the overcrowding problem stems from the larger issue of shortage in education, a couple measures could be taken in order to make lines more efficient according to Pina and Fontenot. They suggested that students should either have more time to eat lunch or there should be another lunch period. Another suggestion is to have better line-skipping prevention. story by carolina tortorelli

The P

As sophomore Ca Dorcas walks to his m Honda Pilot every da after school, he is ove whelmed by the stand congestion on Centra Avenue. It takes him five minutes just to ge out of the line in fron the school and even a getting on the road, h frustrated by the near 30-minute drive to hi house partly due to th immense amount of t He is annoyed by the going traffic problem occurs each day durin afterschool pickup. “When I’m walkin my car, I enjoy it… u get to the road. It’s a l nerve-racking trying cross the street and a of drivers are dumb a aren’t paying attentio Dorcas said.

The line for lunch extends to the cafeteria door during c lunch in the cafeteria. photo by carolina tortorelli

CUS

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ISSUE

who said it

Pick-Up Line

arter mom’s ay erdstill al nearly et nt of after he is rly is he traffic. e onm that ng

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Not only is it a problem around the school, but the congestion continues out to the intersection at Hillsborough Ave. and Central Ave. as well as the intersection at Osborne Ave., the exit to the senior lot, and even Florida Ave. No matter the route taken to leave the school, there’s no escaping the mass of impatient parents and student drivers just trying to get home. Principal Kelly King says that part of the issue is that unlike most schools in the area, Hillsborough has no separate drop-off and pickup loop from the main road. While the addition of one would significantly improve the flow of cars, there is nowhere for it to be added because of the location of the school.

Despite this, Central Avenue will undergo major construction starting in October. The project, that will be carried out by the county, plans to address many of the issues causing the traffic. The current drop-off lane will be widened, and a crosswalk will connect the corner of Central and Wilder to the church across the street, allowing students to safely cross without causing cars to back up. While it may take quite a while, the project is expected to help reduce traffic and remove some stress and chaos from parents’ and students’ days.

How many times do you run into someone in the hallway on an average school day? “Probably five or 10 times” -JUNIOR VAUSI SMITH

“Probably 200 but actually like at least 150 people” -JUNIOR JAN MARCOS ECHEVERRIA

story by jaden mancini

Cars picking up students block Wilder St outside of school. Construction will begin in October to lessen the traffic. photo by jaden mancini

“Two times a day” -TAMMIE NGUYEN

“Five to 10 times a day” -JUNIOR ZOE CROYER compiled by alexandria hines and josephine smith

The Classroom Letha Maxey, who teaches Web Design and Customer Service, always expects a bit of an overflow during the first few weeks of school. However, what occurred at the start of this school year was a first. Maxey’s roster displayed 55 students for her third period Web Design class, but she only had 30 computers available. The issue was not the amount, but rather the lack of space needed for their setups. Her classes were overloaded and integrated students of varying course levels. Yet, Maxey was not overwhelmed by this development. She brought in extra chairs and ensured that every student had a seat. Her end-of-the-year curriculum was swapped for use in August so she could accommodate the class size. As of now, she’s ahead of the schedule. “We’re very used to rolling with the punches,” Maxey said. Even with the threat of COVID-19 more probable with the overloading situation. there were no cases in her classes and a few quarantines. Maxey emphasizes the importance of masks and social distancing (3 feet in her case). According to Maxey, the issue of overcrowding does not originate from the school, but rather the county. As teachers leave Hillsborough, their former courses remain but without an instructor. “The issue was that we don’t have enough electives in the school,” Maxey said. Overcrowding will most likely continue to occur until teachers leave and their courses go with them. Her class sizes were condensed when another teacher took one of her Customer Service courses. Maxey no longer has 55 students, but she only has 33 spaces for her current 34 students. story by victoria bile

OPINION

October 2021

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Women deserve the right to an abortion Texas’ legislature passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in all of the developed world on Sep. 1. The law allows for any private citizen to enforce the law through civil lawsuits, meaning people can sue a woman who has had or attempted an abortion. Also, anyone who aids in abortions such as an Uber or Lyft driver, the doctor who performs it, or even any family that they have talked to about getting the procedure done can be sued. Additionally, Texas is giving plaintiffs four years to sue after the “incident.” This is extremely cruel, how a woman’s one decision must follow her for so long. Furthermore, the law limits the arguments that the defendant can use in court. Thus, controlling the argument they say a defendant cannot state that the law is uncon-

stitutional (which it is), she cannot claim ignorance, she cannot protest that the lawsuit is in violation of the constitutional rights, and she cannot have given the provider consent to perform the abortion. Lastly, Texas feels as though they have given victims of rape an out, stating that if a woman is a victim of such crime that they have six weeks (about one and a half months) to be able to abort. Abortion is easy for no one. Not only is six weeks not enough time to make such a decision, but most women dont even know they are pregnant at that point. Plus, this law was clearly instated as an attempt to control women, only under the facade of caring for children. According to the Anne E. Cassie foundation that measures the state of child

Where Can I Get

Vaccinated?

welfare in each state, Texas is in the bottom ten. This ranking was developed by investigating child poverty, dropout rates, reading proficeincy and many more factors. If the Texas governemnt really cares about children, they should spend more of their effort in improving children’s lives instead of controlling their birth. Women deserve to choose what is right for their body, mind, and soul. Taking this right away will not even stop abortions, but instead encourage women to seek out harmful ways to get abortions. In the end, these restrictive laws will cause a lot more harm than good. column by jamiah wright graphic by isha modha

You need to get vaccinated The world is nearing the two-year anniversary of the discovery of SARS-CoV-2. This adaptation of the original SARS-CoV virus sent the world into static shock. Media caught strong wind of its presence as it infected the world; as such, treatments, preventative measures, and public health have become some of the most discussed topics as well as some of the most divisive ones. With the premier preventative measure being the FDA approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, discussion over whether or not to take it is plentiful.

Efficacy

•Walgreens 3917 N Nebraska Ave. •Winn-Dixie 805 E MLK Jr Blvd. •Walmart 1720 E Hillsborough Ave. •Walgreens 2115 E Hillsborough Ave. •CVS Pharmacy 2502 W Hillsborough Ave.

The Pfizer vaccine is an astonishing 95% effective in preventing infection of the standard strain of COVID-19. It is the most successful way in stopping contraction and transmission of the virus. The vaccine is comparatively more effective than its predecessors. It’s the first phase III-approved mRNA vaccine. MRNA vaccines send signals to messenger RNA in the cells to omit a spike protein found in COVID-19, causing the body to develop antibodies and fight off the virus internally.

Reservations

Worry over what the Pfizer vaccine does to your body and the uncertainty surrounding its design has sparked justified fear and opposition towards the current trends of mass immunizations. Those of whom have expressed this hesitance or resistance have been labeled as immoral or “far-right”, but there is some truth in many of their claims. Let’s analyze the facts.

Health concerns

Per 100,000 Pfizer jab recipients, eighty-six suffer a lung or heart blood clot, one hundred-twenty-five suffer acute kidney injury, seventeen have an ischemic stroke, and forty-three suffer deep-vein thrombosis (Per a University of Oxford Study and Israeli Government study). As such, many of those less fearful of contracting COVID-19 view vaccination as an unnecessary health threat. And this belief can be justifiable in some younger communities but for the majority of the population living in densely populated urban environments, the vaccine’s benefits outweigh the miniscule risks.

Reality

The truth of the matter is that the FDA approved COVID-19 vaccine will most likely do no harm to the average person, but rather nearly guarantee their complete safety from contracting COVID-19, a virus with a significant mortality rate of 0.5-1% (per fullfact.org). While people should have the freedom to choose what they put into their bodies, businesses, schools and government agencies should have the freedom to mandate vaccines as they see fit in the best interest of public health. column by diego rodriguez graphic by isla riddell .

LIFE Following the Guidelines October 2021

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Florida colleges alumni Why would you reccomend your alumn college? Don Middleton

University of Southern Mississippi engages students. The faculty there really cares about its students. Its sports teams complete in everything from college football to women’s basketball. It has one of the best music programs in the nation. The “Pride of Mississippi” Marching Band is the best.

Letha Maxey

Tampa Bay's fall essentials Pumpkins, cold weather and autumn leaves. The typical image of autumn. Even though Florida doesn’t really experience the fall weather, there are still some essentials that can make the season feel more festive. One essential that is perfect for fall are candles. Stores like Target, Marshalls and Bath and Body Works are filled with a wide variety of different seasonal scents such as pumpkin, cinnamon and spiced apples. Candles are such a perfect addition for bedrooms, living rooms or kitchens to really spice up the environment. Another essential that is very popular

are specialty drinks. Restaurants like Starbucks, Dunkin and McDonalds sell fall beverages like the Pumpkin Spiced Latte or Dunkin’s new Pumpkin Cold Brew. However, a glass of apple cider or hot chocolate would also be a perfect way to welcome the autumn season. Fall is also an amazing season for some festivity with friends and family. Don’t forget to visit local farmer’s markets such as Tampa Bay Farmers Market or Bearss Groves, pumpkin patches and corn mazes. It’s a perfect opportunity to take pictures, buy some pumpkins and possibly take a hayride.

cartoon by isha modha

In addition, take time to volunteer more at nonprofit organizations to help out our community. Whether it’s at Meals on Wheels, Metropolitan Ministries, Humane Society, etc., we can spread love and joy to others that may not be as fortunate as us. As we welcome the autumn season, these essentials are perfect for not just ourselves, but for our community as well. The holidays are all about spending time with loved ones and being festive; therefore, these are great additions for the season. story by meredith yen graphics by isha modha

The University of South Florida was flexible for those who worked due to a wide variety of classes. My favorite thing was the Marshals Center which was where everyone could gather to eat and drink or do movies on the lawn.

Dale Allegree

USF has great programs and the weather can’t be beat. St. Leo is very personal and has smaller class sizes. It also offered online and in-person classes. compiled by kaylee robinson

October 2021

FASHION

Autumn Tones

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Students share their favorite outfits for the fall season

Sophomore Zaria Betsey accessorizes her red dress with an intricate nail design and purple-tinted glasses. “I mean, I got my style from myself,” she said. “I get compliments everyday, and it makes me wanna dress good. I get [my nails] by looking at Youtube and stuff and then I just make them and they turn out good.”

Sophomore Serenity Foster wears fall colors, dark orange and brown, acompanied by nature themed jewlery. “I look at Pinterest a lot and then different aesthetics and base [my outfits] on my emotions on different days. I’m just very confident,” Foster said.

compiled by isolde rayman-moore and mercy ogunsola

Senior Jazmyn Wajd’s jewlery adds spice to her graphic tee and joggers. Her style developed over the summer. “I just felt like I needed a change, so I just started looking at how different people dress, most girls like to dress girly, but I have a gender-neutral style, and it’s like streetwear,” she said. “I feel like an icon.”

Sophomore Victoria Cotter choses a more gothic look for the fall. “I grew up watching a lot of horror movies and old gothic themed type of movies, like the Adam’s family, and that’s where my style originated,” they said. “I’ve dressed like this since elementary school, I wore all black and band t-shirts and stuff like that, and that’s kind of where it started, and then it just kind of got more extreme as time went on.”

13 ENTERTAINMENT Movie Recommendations: Teacher Edition October 2021

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Teachers reveal their favorite childhood movies and what it means to them.

Katty Francis - The Journey of Natty Gann Starting Meredith Salenger, John Cusack, and Ray Wise, this movie is an inspiring story of determination and friendship. The film is set in the 30s, after the Great Depression. It follows Natty Gann (Meredith Salenger), a tomboy who goes on an adventure to reunite with her dad (Ray Wise), after job and money circumstances led them apart. On the journey, they befrien many personali-

ties including an abused wolfdog, and a young traveler named Harry (John Cusack). Natty encounters many difficulties along her way, as she must travel along the U.S to find her way back to her dad. “I related very much to her... I felt that it was me, like I was the one that went on the adventure by myself, as I was different. It is the only movie that has left a stamp on me,” Francis said.

Tonette Johnson-Wright – Love and Basketball This film follows Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan), the fierce and resilient young woman aspiring to play basketball professionally, in a world where men dominate the game and Quincy McCall (Omar Epps), the son of the star shooting guard for Los Angeles Clippers, who excels at basketball and becomes a famous player for Los Angeles Lakers. The movie shows the relationship between the two, from playing basketball together, in their ups and downs in life, and through different paths in life which are interconnected

with the LOVE of BASKETBALL. “Because I was an athlete... Basketball was the thing of my time so, it was more relatable as far as what was going on in my life at that time... the movie does involve basketball at a competitive level its why I really liked it and its also sort of a like a love story,” Johnson-Wright said. She teaches math in the 3DE program. “If you are into sports... it kinda connects how sports relate to relationships relates to lifelong decisions, you are having to make.”

Letha Maxey - Grease For the people who love musical, this movie will just do the job. Set in 50s America, this musical throws back to simpler times, where milk was shaken, and hair was GREASED. This film stars John Travolta, known for his role in Pulp Fiction, and four-time Emmy winner Olivia Newton-John. This film follows the romance in high school between Danny (John Travolta), the leader of the T-Bird gang of leather-jacket wearing ruffians, and Sandy (Olivia Newton-John), a straight-A student who transferred from Australia. “I love musicals... It still resonates today, it’s a boy meets girl, they fall out, they come back together, everyone has a good time,” Maxey said.

compiled by mathew moreno

Goodnight Pupun has a deeper meaning than it appears Goodnight Punpun is a coming-of-age drama story revolving around a kid named Onodera Punpun. Punpun is drawn to look like a bird, with long stick legs, two dot eyes and a sideways triangle for a beak. In the story, Punpun lives with a crazy family but attends school like a normal kid. His quest however is to find the meaning of life. Although it may seem childish, the book really is a metaphor for life. What makes the novel Punpun so different from the average novel is how the author portrays life as the situations and the emotions that everyone goes through in their lifespan. Events

that happen in the story don’t just seemingly go away, but rather carry on into more diverse and difficult options that PunPun is forced to face. The novel shows the harm of ignoring these problems by showing the characters coping methods as if they were real people. The events that take place in the story are clearly events that a growing kid anywhere will eventually go through in their life. The beautiful art in the story portrays how they feel in certain scenes and situations as if it was a dream. Another interesting choice the author makes

is changing the scene in an instant from just joking around and having fun to despair and darkness. This graphic novel has reason why it’s the best. The story dwells on and deepens the bonds of every character in the story, from his wife to his friends, family, crush, and even himself. It touches on every point in life that makes this book realistic despite the art form. Punpun was just a kid then got faced the dark cruel true reality of life at an early age leaving him in a dark corner. review by daniel baldera

ENTERTAINMENT Outerbanks season two was poorly made 14

October 2021

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The second season of Outerbanks season two debuted on Netflix over a year after the first season was released. When the first season was released, this action show draws in viewers attention with the relatable characters, making it perfect for teenagers. The excitement of the treasure hunt and the summer vibes make it fun and exciting to watch. But while it is definitely an entertaining show, it isn’t a good one. There has been some criticism for the special effects used in the second season that I agree with. It is badly rendered and somewhat comical in the context of the dangerous situations these teenagers are placed in. The weapons are obviously fake and break the illusion of the terrifying events that the characters are meant to be going through. It is somewhat disappointing to be immersed in this dangerous situation and then see an explosion that looks like it was edited

on an Iphone. While I argue that the special effects are worthy of a movie made by a fourth grader, the surging popularity of the show says otherwise. “I thought it was really good, and like, a lot of unexpected moments, I really recommend it,” junior Vausi Smith said. But there’s also those who find the plot too tedious and unvaried. “I just think it’s kind of boring and basic, not much interesting plot,” junior Logan Taylor said. In my opinion alot of the season was just action-packed scene after action-packed scene without any of the friendship and mystery from the first season. junior Zoe Coryer expressed the same opinion. “I didn’t like it that much, I thought the first season was better,” Croyer said. So, it seems that the popular opinion is that the second season didn’t live up to the expectations

set by the first season. For the people who did enjoy the second season It did give them the adventure and fun they needed to keep them occupied. For example, junior Jasmine Anderson is particularly invested. “Ward needs to die...everybody needs to die,” she said. The characters’ relationships with each other were definitely the most engaging part of the new season. New romances were blossoming and relationships were created and destroyed, this kept people guessing what would happen more than the somewhat bland plot. Overall, cgi was truly horrible but people enjoyed it. It is a drama show, so, it doesn’t need to be good. It needs to be entertaining, and it was. story by josephina smith graphic by isha modha

Did Rod Waves album “Soulfly” underwhelm anxious viewers? After releasing his hit album “Soulfly” a few months ago, Rod Wave returned with the deluxe to the album including nine songs releasing on AUG 20th. Soulfly recently placed number one on billboard’s top 200 list. This will be the second time Wave dropped a deluxe to an album after doing so on his previous album Pray for Love. Like the rest of Waves music, the songs are sad and talk about what he has gone through in his life. Compared to Soulfly, the deluxe focuses more on themes such as reaching goals and having no regrets. He also touches on not owing anyone anything

in the song. Unlike last time, there are two features on the deluxe edition coming from Kodak Black and Lil Durk. Wave moved away from his trend of not having features on his album after this addition and his addition of Lil Baby on his last album. Kodak is on the song “Get Ready” and he helps add a laid-back style to the song, as both rap about everything they have gone through from nobody being there for them and how they made it to the top of the rap game. Lil Durk raps on “Already Won” adding his great vocals and his own style to the song. My favorite song on the album is

“Get Ready” because I like the mixture between Wave and Kodak. The best part about the song is when Wave says “I don’t owe anybody anything get that clear”. This song focuses on how they made it because of themselves and they did not depend on anyone and those they did depend on ended up doing them wrong. Wave decided to drop the deluxe right before he went on tour. I agree with him releasing the deluxe because it gets people listening to his music right when he goes on tour. Wave doing this makes his tour more popular and helps sellout his concerts. story by dylan cantrell

October 2021

SPORTS

hhstoday.com Senior Candalyn Thompson gets ready to spike the ball.

TOP LEFT Holding a bouquet of flowers, Senior Lauren Novorska stands between her parents. BOTTOM LEFT Seniors Malaina Dickey, Hannah Harich and Lauren Novoska stand ready at the net. TOP MIDDLE Juniors Laura Dong and Alyssa Fraser and Sophomore Kiera Matthews go to give senior Malaina Dickey a hug. photos by tammy nguyen

Spiking on senior night As they walk into the court, wearing their uniforms at home one last time, they reflect on the last four years playing volleyball for Hillsborough. The walls are decorated red and black and there are large posters of them smiling. Each one of the four seniors receives a bouquet of flowers by Hillsborough volleyball alumni, reminding them of how fast time has passed since they first started playing as terriers. Assistant coach Andres Florez announces their names, and they pose with their families. The crowd in the stands, larger than ever before since the start of the season, starts cheering for them. After the bitter-sweet ceremony is over, they put their game faces on and join the rest of the team for the start of the first set against Armwood. They started strong, with good serves, and won 25-10. The second set was very similar, with a final score 25-11. The third set was a bit more intense and competitive. As the opposing team scored 23 points, Hillsborough two points behind, the Terriers hustled and

caught up with them. Armwood then took the lead again, making the score 23-24, but the terriers soon tied at 24-24. Sets must be won by at least two points, so they scored two more times and finally took the win, three sets to zero. “Senior night was such a fun experience. We all played a great game and had the help of very large student section,” senior captain Malaina Dickey said. “I’m very thankful for all my teammates and I’m going to miss playing with everyone so much after this season.” “I was excited to play with my team but a little said that this will be my last game at Hillsborough because I have so many good memories on this court,” senior Lauren Novorska said. “My favorite memory was when we won our district game last year. The whole bench exploded and all of the Hillsborough fans rushed the court to celebrate. It has been amazing to play alongside my friends and on such a talented team.”

Yearbook and senior pictures the

Book your senior pictures now at

YEAR LIVES HERE!

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Hillsborough High School

TERRIERS

This school year will live forever in the pages of the yearbook. Help your student remember friends, classes, fun and more by purchasing a 2022 yearbook for them today!

COST: $80 TO PURCHASE: Go to

yearbookforever.com and enter our school name, to purchase a yearbook with a credit card, debit card or PayPal. Please contact Ms. with any questions at sierra.kruse@hcps.net

DON’T MISS OUT — BUY A YEARBOOK TODAY! yearbookforever.com

story by carolina tortorelli

The last day to take pictures to make it into the yearbook is Dec. 10. Visit hhstoday.com for more content, including our Terrier Talk podcast.

SPORTS Brandon High Meet 16

October 2021

Junior Nathan Olsen starts his run at the Brandon highschool cross country meet. He was the first one from Hillsborough to cross the finish line.

hhstoday.com Sophomore Adrian Richie shows effort as he approches the end of the race. He has been running since 6th grade.

Sophomore Adriana Martinez-Sanchez compets with her rival in attempt to beat her previous time. photos by tammy nguyen

Ishaan Bhadouria: The Baller

Professional portrait of Bhadouria taken during the Stephen Curry camp. courtesy of bhadouria

Junior Ishaan Bhadouria checks up the ball, pump fakes, then crosses left leading to a wide-open layup for his eigth point to win the king of the court drill. Stephen Curry, known as one of the greatest shooters ever and one of the best points guards ever had a basketball camp called Underrated Camp with one of Hillsborough’s own attending. Bhadouria flew up to Chicago for the camp and enjoyed every moment. While he was there, he didn’t have much free time, but when he did visit the Navy Pier. Although Curry was not physically there, he virtually commentated on the camp and posted about the camp and its top performers. Currys trainer, Brandon Payne, ran the camp, putting the campers through drills then scrimmages. The kids participated in NBA level drills to determine who had skill

and wanted to work hard. The camp consists of two days. It started off with 75 campers, but in between the first and second day, 45 were cut. Bhadouria was one of the 30 who made it to the second day. In a 10-minute scrimmage, he had 12 points, scoring more than most people. He even won the king of the court drill on the second day, which is where you play one on one vs the other campers. The camp worked on all aspects of his game and focused on your weaknesses. It was made that the best of the best play each other so that scouts can see what the players can do against good competition. “The camp emphasized on defense and helped me become a well-rounded player,” Bhadouria said. Underrated camp helped Bhadouria get better in many areas, but he feels he could

have performed better. “I could have focused on my rebounding and being more aggressive,” Bhadouria said. This camp helped him realize what his strengths and weaknesses are so he can work on them and improve. Looking back at the camp Bhadouria feels the drills helped him the most as he was able to use what he learned in the scrimmages. He used each drill in a scrimmage to get better and he ended up winning king of the court. Even though there weren’t many scouts present, the film is online and coaches can access it at any time to scout the players. “I had a lot of fun at the camp, as it was a great experience, and I learned a lot. I can’t wait until any future camps I do,” Bhadouria said. story by dylan cantrell