Red & Black, March 2019 by HHS Today

UNFINISHED BUSINESS The basketball team made it to the state semifinals for a second year in a row but fell short in overtime. Coverage, p. 16 PHOTO BY MAKAYLA BROWN

Making a splash Seniors participate in Water Wars with their classmates and aim to win | p. 3

Should teachers have guns? Find out what the staff of the Red & Black thinks about this issue | p. 10

Making a comeback The Jonas Brother just debuted a new album, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s how our critic feels | p. 14

2 March 2019

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Red & Black

LOOKING BACK AND MOVING FORWARD: MARCH RECAP STUDENTS PERFORM AT COFFEEHOUSE LEFT Junior Briana Miele performs her color guard routine as the closing act to the show. BELOW Members of the Bollywood Dance Club pose in their costumes for the dance they performed. PHOTOS BY MERCY TSAY AND AME-THYST DOWLING

HILLSBOROUGH OFFERS DRIVER’S ED COURSE DURING SUMMER Hillsborough County Public School is offering a driver’s education course for students over the summer. The course is 40 hours in total and five hours a day. It will include 10 hours of driving time and 30 hours of classroom instruction. The dates are June 10-20, June 24-July 8, and July 15-25, Monday through Thursday. In order to participate, students must pre-register by April 26. Parents may register their students at the school of their choice. The course will be offered at Hillsborough for the first STOP two sessions only. Students must be 15 years of age or older, hold a valid learner’s permit and pay the fee of $250 at the time of registration. The course is non-credit but students can earn a waiver to obtain an operator’s license from the Department of Motor Vehicles upon completion of the course with a passing rate on both the written and road test. They can also earn a completion certificate for possible automobile insurance discounts. STORY BY REEMA PATEL

RELAY FOR LIFE IS SATURDAY, MARCH 30 Laughter fills the auditorium as students and parents settle into their seats and the hosts tell an opening joke to the crowd. Coffeehouse is an event for students to preform and showcase various art pieces by students, while simultaneously raising money for the Hillsborough Esthetic Literary Magazine and National Art Honor Society. Some of the memorable performances include a comedic reenactment of Junie B Jones, a Disney medley preformed on the piano and book readings that moved the audience. Through this coffeehouse students were

able to raise $300 for HELM and NAHS. Junior Briana Miele perfomed two pices during the show, both the opening and closing acts. The opener was a performance of the song “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys with junior Natalia Artz as accompaniment on the piano. The closing act performed by Miele was her color guard dance routine that she will be performing at Solo and Ensemble. “You get to perform in front of an audience, which gives it a nice feel,” Miele said. STORY BY MERCY TSAY AND REEMA PATEL

SENIORS PREPARE IB ART EXHIBITIONS Seniors who are taking IB Art as their elective are beginning to present art exhibitions as part of their assessment for their IB Diploma. Students select a theme at the beginning of their junior year as they start IB art. Each piece students create for the class for the next two years are based around the theme they choose. Towards the middle of their senior year, they must begin choosing their best pieces which they will display in their exhibition. Students began setting up and presenting their exhibits on March 1. Senior Morgan Nystrom will be one of the first students to set up and present her exhibition. “My theme is mixed media so all my art in my exhibition will be made with different materials,” Nystrom said. IB Art pieces in the exhibition can take several forms including photography, painting, three-dimensional art and mixed media. STORY BY REEMA PATEL

Some of Morgan Nystrom’s pieces inluding photography and Mixed media work which she will include in her exhibitions. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MORGAN NYSTROM

Relay for Life is an event to raise funds going towards the American Cancer Society to further the studies regarding cancer. This year, multiple clubs like FCCLA, Key Club, Junior Council and NHS will get together to gather donations to support the cause. This event will be taking place Saturday, March 30 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. To either join or register a team you can visit relayforlife.org/theheightsfl or download the app “ACS FUNdraising” and track the teams’ progress. Teams will be walking around a set area to represent the “never ending battle of cancer,” accompanied by a ceremony of candles to bring awareness to the victims of cancer. STORY BY DIADELYS MENA

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Water Wars is infamous for cutthroat off-campus competitions between seniors in which students spray one another with water guns and even hoses for a cash prize. Plant, Sickles and Palm Harbor University high schools conduct the largest water wars and this year, senior class president Michie Guzman and vice president Brianna Joseph coordinated and oversaw an organized senior IB and traditional water wars not affiliated with the school. In previous years, the seniors shot one showered one another at the senior sendoff but this year, both Guzman and Joseph established rules for a week-long water wars. Although Guzman helped Joseph on nights of her club soccer practice, Joseph ran most of the water wars by regularly updating the twitter and excel spreadsheet with points earned by teams. To play, teams needed up to five members and $5 per person. Unlike some water wars based on last team standing, each participant had five lives. Once team members were hit, they lost one life and the opponent gained one point for their team. While on campus, in the workplace, religious areas, school events and extracurricular activities associated with school, students could not

March 2019

be targeted. Each team captain had to DM the twitter account for IB and Instagram water wars account for traditional with photos or videos as evidence to gain points. Due to familiarity of locations within the programs, the IB and traditional water wars were separated. According to the rules and regulations, the water wars were divided “not to intentionally separate the two programs.” Although the IB water wars had 14 participating teams, no traditional students competed in the water wars. “We talked to people about it, people seemed interested but nobody signed up,” Joseph said. However, Lauren Komar’s boyfriend, Quan Anderson, was able to join the IB water wars because Joseph and Guzman aimed for the water wars to not be limited to IB and wanted everyone to be included. Over the course of the water wars, large confrontations were organized by the participants at Twistee Treat, Burger Spot, in the Lowry Park Zoo parking lot before school and at Rivercrest Park. For some, these showdowns were their favorite parts. “I feel like it

made up for all of the weekends that we spent staying home doing homework,” Sebastian Perdomo said. “I like how we finally got to do actual teenage high school stuff without having to worry about school.” An unexpected turn around came from team Rush Hour who placed second. For the first three days Jerry Truong, William Andrews and Carlos Romero had one point but on the fourth day after organizing the Burger Spot meet-up, the team earned three points and each day the team steadily gained more. Even though the team was considered the underdog, Truong and Romero said it was motivating. “I remember the tweet asking if Rush Hour was even playing and after an enormous comeback, we garnered a lot of support from other small teams that didn’t want to see [the leading team]winning,” Truong said. “We were the people’s champion.” Despite a lack of participation from traditional students, Joseph felt that it was a success. “Everybody seemed to have so much fun.”

MEMORABLE MOMENTS FROM THE GAME

LUKE BINCAROUSKY Due to his resources like his sprinklers and house security camera, Brianna Joseph chose Bincarousky as the bounty. When he was worth five points, his mom held him as Katrina Das ran up his driveway so she could hit him. “My mom … it really be the ones closest to you,” Luke Bincarousky said. Although he earlier claimed his mom was strapped with water guns, Bincarousky’s mom finally allowed Das to hit her son because Das she thought Das should be rewarded for her efforts. However, Bincarousky used his high point amount to his advantage. Thirty minutes after he tweeted that he wanted a grilled cheese sandwich and Oreo shake, Khloe Dang and Delaney Holloway brought it to him. For their offerings, Bincarousky gave them his last three lives and they earned 15 points, helping their team win water wars.

ETHAN PHAM On the first day of water wars, Ethan Pham drove 30 minutes to the Bob Sierra YMCA where his teammate Josh Owens worked out with Asia Elbooz, Joel Joseph and Bryce Tatum. As Joseph and Tatum drove past Pham, they attempted to shoot him but missed. In response, Pham chased after them for 30 feet and tried to shoot them through the car window. Even though they claimed he failed to hit them, while they debated Pham shot them point blank. However, according to Tatum and Joseph, Pham broke a truce by shooting them. Regardless, Pham earned three points from his trip to the YMCA because he also shot Elbooz while there. From his three points, Pham became the first top shooter for the next day. He racked over 30 points for his team, which divided $266.

STORY BY KATIE DELK

#twittermoment

BRYCE TATUM At 6 a.m., Riley Karekos and Madeline Rawls, whose team placed third, were in position to hit Joshua Owens and Bryce Tatum. While hidden behind a tree outside their house, Owens’ dad saw Karekos and Rawls and let them hide inside the house. As he laid in bed wrapped in his blankets, senior Riley Karekos did not hesitate and shot Bryce Tatum in the face with her water gun. “Good morning,” she said as he awoke with an aghast expression. Not only was Tatum hit in bed, but as he walked into the kitchen, Rawls sprayed him with water from her water gun. For the next few days, Tatum said that he felt paranoid to be in his house.

STORIES BY KATIE DELK

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March 2019

Red & Black

WATER DAMAGE SETS CLASSES BACK The room is quiet. The energy from earlier in the day has worn off and now the only sounds that can be heard are the scratching of pencils as students try to solve problems, broken only by the occasional quip from the teacher. Papers scattered about on the desks. Backpacks left open with their contents spilling to the floor. Down the hall, the office experiences the same quiet. Two teachers are both working to grade tests and complete paperwork. The scratching of pens echo off the walls of the room. A book is resting on the windowsill, still open to the page it was on when it was left there just a few minutes previously. Back in the math classroom, a strange gurgling interrupts the sound of pencils scratching. Students look up from their work. Shrugging, they ignore it and return to their work. The sounds of their pencils is now joined by a steady drip, drip, drip in the background. Down the hall in the office, the gurgling that was heard in the math classroom is much louder. Both teachers are perplexed but continue with their work. Then, the source of the sound becomes evident. From the ceiling, foul-smelling water crashes down onto the head of one of the teachers, completely covering the desk. The pages of the book on the windowsill are stuck together. The water doesn’t stop. In the math classroom, the steady drip turns to a steady stream, and then a violent gush of the same water that came from the ceiling down the hall. Panic. Students desperately grab their phones, their backpacks and shout at their classmates and teacher. Someone bursts into their classroom, telling them that they need to evacuate immediately.

A shocking start “I had no idea what was going on,” senior Brianna Joyce recalled. She wasn’t alone in this confusion. Fellow classmate junior Tie’Que Davis was also dismayed at the events. “It was a normal day, we were just taking notes but then a stranger came in the door and told us to leave and we all just ran out,” Davis said. “The water was black, it started just coming here and there but then it exploded All my work was wet.” Following the broken sprinkler head, sprinklers went off, causing a chain reaction that triggered the fire alarms. After mass confusion, the school was evacuated. Although there was no fire, the water from the sprinklers damaged several second-floor classrooms and offices, forcing those students and teachers to relocate while their original workspace was restored. Large industrial dehumidifiers were brought in to dry out the water-damaged classrooms. After the rooms had dried enough, the damage

was assessed. Many of the classrooms where water leaked from the sprinkler head required repair to the ceilings. This unexpected incident did more than damage dry wall, it set teachers back. In Dr. Brian Ginn’s math class, Joyce said the water put the students behind schedule and cost them their calculators. “We didn’t even have calculators and all the good ones were all upstairs in our old classroom but none of us could go up there,” she said from her new classroom. Ginn was moved to Room 143 throughout the duration of the repairs to his classroom. “I used the Smart Board all the time and the room we were relocated into didn’t have one, so I had to improvise on my lessons with losing it,” he said. “But the main thing is I’m back in my classroom now and everything looks fine, it’s OK. Some of my students are complaining of a weird smell but I haven’t really noticed anything yet.”

Stopped in their tracks In the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) office, aide Monica Foret recalls the immediate aftermath of the event. “I just started screaming, the water fell right on top of me. That nasty water was on top of me,” she said. “When we walked in afterwards, I’m not kidding, the water was ankle-deep, that’s how bad it was.” The priority for Foret and ESOL specialist Shelly Kress was salvaging the ESOL test that students take yearly to determine their level of English-speaking. “What we were trying to do was save a lot of the paperwork, but it got to the point where everyone, especially the custodians, were telling us ‘get out of there! Get out of there!’ because we didn’t know if the ceiling was going to fall on us,” Foret said. The two teachers, who had been testing all week leading up to the event, were concerned that the setback would be detrimental because the time allotted for testing is limited. “We’ve been testing so we don’t even know what they’ve done to our office, we haven’t been there,” Foret said. “We were doing really well with the testing and after that – nothing.” Although all the teachers and students have since been returned to their original classrooms, there are still many challenges. Several teachers lost lesson plans and tests they were grading, setting the entire class back. But others decided to make like of the event. “It’s a good opportunity to clean everything out,” Kress joked. Principal Gary Brady said the cause of the sprinkler malfunction could not be determined.

TWO ADVANCE IN TAMPA MAYORAL RACE On March 5, voters in Tampa made their way to the polls to vote in a crowded field of candidates for mayor. Neither of the two leading candidates, Jane Castor or David Straz, reached the required 50 percent threshold. Castor came close, with 48 percent of the primary vote. Straz, the second-place candidate, earned 15.5 percent. As a result, there will be a runoff election held on April 23 with early voting starting April 14. Here’s a look at the candidates still in the running to replace Bob Buckhorn as mayor of Tampa.

STORY BY MARIN FEHL

Jane Castor Castor was the former Tampa Police Chief for six years. Castor’s priorities include decreasing crime rates, investing in public transportation and promoting job growth in Tampa.

THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE - BY ROOM Room 211 The sprinkler head that caused the fire alarm broke in this room. Flooring needed to be dried.

Room 213 Dehumidifiers were placed in the room and in the hallway outside the room to alleviate some of the water damage.

Room 107 Condition of floors and walls were assessed. Dehumidifiers were also used here.

Room 107-A Ankle-deep standing water was left in the room, along with some damage to the ceiling.

How was the damage reversed? 1. Classrooms were cleared of all materials and furniture 2. Damaged tiles were removed 3. All standing water was vacuumed off the floor 4. industrial dehumidifiers were placed in all damaged areas 5. Broken sprinkler heads were replaced and tested

COMPILED BY MARIN FEHL

David Straz Straz’s priorities include improving the quality of life in Tampa, reducing crime, decreasing taxes, creating new jibs and local companies and promoting public transportation. COMPILED BY MARIN FEHL

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GOVERNOR WANTS TO SCRAP COMMON CORE

The current Common Core-based standards being used in Florida may be replaced For nine years now, Florida students have been taught by standards similar to much of the country. In two years, that Common Core system might be taken out of Florida schools and replaced with a new plan. On Jan. 31, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order for new statewide curriculum standards to be written which would then be proposed to the 2020 legislative session. DeSantis heard complaints from parents on the campaign trail that they are unable to help their kids on homework, specifically math. One goal to make the curriculum contain less topics to cover for each year, allowing students to learn what they need to know and retain it. There are a few other issues DeSantis hopes to fix with this new curriculum but the specific plans so far have not been released.

What is Common Core?

“We need to be held to a standard,” senior Alex Barrow said. Without knowing how the Florida government plans to replace the system though, he doesn’t believe he has enough information to form an opinion on whether or not Common Core should be taken out in the first place. Duncan McEwen, a junior, thinks that teaching everyone to the same standard isn’t effective. He also adds that “[Now], it feels like teachers are only teaching to the standard when they could be going deeper.” The Florida Department of Education is taking ideas and comments from students, parents and teachers about what they believe should be included or not included in a new plan in a survey at http://www.fldoe.org/standardsreview.

“We need to be held to a standard”

Teacher’s opinions

James Fosco, an Algebra 2 teacher in the Common Core are the academic standards IB program who has taught in the traditional ALEX BARROW, 12 schools use in 42 of the 50 states. They describe program for 12 years previously, agrees that what students are supposed to know at the end changes should be made to the curriculum. of each grade. The official website for Common “In math especially, we should be covering less Core explains the purpose of its creation: “The standards were topics and go more in depth with each,” Fosco said. “Now we sort created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with of just sprinkle a little on each topic.” the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, Although Fosco said we need change to the curriculum, he and life, regardless of where they live.” The National Governors notes that the government needs to have a replacement plan beAssociation Center for Best Practices implemented Common fore he decides if he’s supportive of the change or not. Core in 2009. John Jackson, an economics teacher, mentioned that something he’d like to see in a new plan would be more individual The New plan teaching freedom. The many benchmarks Common Core reInstructional curriculum quality boosts, for better and fewer quires teachers to teach doesn’t allow time for teachers to dig standards, streamline testing, to lower the number of standard- deeper with the class into subtopics they find interesting or imized tests we take and making civics a priority in schools are some portant. factors DeSantis wants to include in a new curriculum. Other However, Jackson isn’t too confident that the writers of the than that however, there are very few plans for what it will con- new plan will take teachers thoughts into much account. “They’ll tain. just do what they want to do and we’ll figure it out,” Jackson said. The new plan, said to be in the writing process, would be put Students’ opinions into place in 2020 after review and approval from the Florida DeThis issue changes what and how we learn at school, and many partment of Education. students have ideas on what should be changed about our curSTORY BY ASHER MONTGOMERY riculum.

March 2019

NEW ENTRANCE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The construction site where the new entrance is being built. PHOTO BY REEMA PATEL

Why is it being built now? A project years in the making, the new entrance was recently made possible due to extra funding and the combined effort of AP Eric Brooks and Principal Gary Brady.

What’s changing? Security upgrade and new guest entrance, the old lobby will get closed off with minor remodeling while still retaining its classic Hillsborough aesthetic, becoming the new administrative entrance. Staff will be stationed there during the day to process late students and guests, making the school more secure.

How are students affected? While students can still come in and out before and after school, as soon as the first bell rings until the last this will be the official entrance to the school.

When will it be complete? The project is expected to be complete around midApril and will cost $70,000 COMPILED BY JOSH MORRISON

MONTHLY LOCKDOWN DRILLS REQUIRED BY STATE LAW The halls are empty, doors are locked and covered and classmates are all crowded into a corner in a lightless classroom. This is what a lockdown drill is like. Hillsborough County Public Schools will be performing monthly lock-down and evacuation drills to prepare students in the event of an emergency. According to the HCPS website, schools are required to have at least one lockdown and evacuation drill per month. Last spring, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act was passed to implement lockdown and evacuation drills following the shooting

in Parkland. The bill introduced the drills but was unclear on the specific requirements for how many drills have to happen. This led to counties being inconsistent and conducting drills without guidelines. This fall, changes were made to the bill to clearly state that the lockdowns need to be conducted at least once a month by all schools in Florida. The bill was created for the safety of students and staff. To junior Jamie-Lynn Lopez, the existence of the bill itself sends a different message. “We’re dangerous. Even if we think we’re keeping people safe, we aren’t,” she said. “It means we’re never truly safe.” Lopez believes that having to prepare students in the event of an emergency like a shooting to the extent of regularly conducting drills says that our society is not safe anymore. Students have busy lives already. They’re worrying about school work and getting in to colleges, or getting jobs to start

earning some money. Today, students have to worry about the possibility of becoming victims in a school shooting. Sophomore Luke Kerish says that the drills are just one more worry that students have on their plates. “We have a lot to go through, and we have enough to worry about already. School needs to be safe so we can learn.” he said. Kerish wants to be in an environment where he can go through the day without worry of anything other than his assignments in class. In today’s society, he says we all have to keep the reality of being in danger in the back of our heads. Even in school. “We can’t watch everybody and see how everybody is doing, but the only thing we can do today is hope for good security and safety,” Kerish said. STORY BY JOHN DOAN

life

March 2019 Credit and Interest

FINANCING THE FUTURE

1000 1234 5678 9999 00/00

John Doe

What is Credit? Credit in the most basic terms is borrowed money used to purchase goods and services. You receive credit from a credit grantor, which can be a person or company who reviews credit reports to understand a person’s eligibility for borrowing money. The credit reports reflect how a borrower repays loans or honors agreements. Knowing your credit is very important because it determines your ability to secure financing for major purchases. A good credit score is between 300 to 850, but the higher the better.

Types of Interest 1. Simple Interest: Calculated only on the principal (deposited) amount of the loan

2. Compound interest: calculated on the principal and interest earned.

Types of Credit 1. Revolving credit : There is a maximum credit limit and you can make purchases up to this limit. You don’t need to pay the full bill at the end of each month, but for amounts that you don’t pay back you will be charged interest, along with finance charges for rolling over the debt. 2. Charge cards: Although similar to credit cards, the difference is there isn't a pre-set credit limit and you must pay the full amount at the end of the month. Most charge cards also include other fees.

Red & Black

A state lawmaker wants to require students to take a financial literarcy course prior to graduation. So while we wait to see if that passes, here are some tips for managing money.

d You sai

Do you think this class will be helpful?

“First, my parents never have time to teach me any of this stuff about taxes and all that other stuff. And I don’t know in general what taxes even ... I don’t know how to file it or nothing like that. And I’m getting to the point, where I’m a senior, and I’m going to need to know that stuff.” ELIJAH BERNARD, 12

Getting Started When you’re creating your budget, be realistic. You need to have an accurate number for how much money you’re earning so you can figure out exactly how much money can be dedicated to your needs, wants and savings.

Creating a Budget Putting pen to paper is an effective way to visualize your spending plan. This way you can keep track of how much money is being earned or spent in a specific period of time and helps you be more conscious of how you spend your money.

Spending and Earning Remain aware of your spending habits so you know exactly where you’re spending money. By recording what you spend the most money on, you can figure out where to cut costs and save more money such as not buying that Venti Frappuccino every afternoon.

Saving Loose Change Saving all the coins you find around the house will eventually add up. A waste management company estimated that Americans threw away $62 million in change in 2016 alone. Keeping track of that loose change would help to put some more money in the bank.

Taxes

Here are some tips on taxes for entry-level jobs, mostly oriented towards high school and college students who have jobs. “I think it’s a great thing to have. - Earned income: salaries, wages, tips and fees - Unearned income: interest on your savings acI feel like a lot of kids leave high count, capital gains and unemployment compensation school and don’t know what to do - Gross income: money, goods, property and services that are taxable next, because they don’t know how - Exemptions: predetermined amount of money to do what’s next.” you can deduct from taxable income for basic living TATUM WATSON,10 expenses (Minors/dependents are exemptions) exemptions vary based on your current situation - Standard Deduction: a set amount of money that the government gives you depending on your marital status.

Credit cards are an example of revolving credit. A minimum amount must be paid at the end of each month, if you have a balance, then you will also have to pay interest. Once the balance is paid, you will have access to the credit that you were using.

How to write a check John Doe 1234 Fake Address City, State, Zip (123)-456-7890

0301

1040EZ

Write the date.

Date 1. 3/4/19

Write the exact amount the check is payable for.

Pay to Write the full name or title of awhich you are paying. Make sure to check spelling! the order of 2. Fake Association

For example, four hundred and 23/100. Draw a single line in the empty space to prevent alteration.

4. four hundred and 23/100 Indicates the purpose of this check.

Memo 5. Rent

123456789

Dollars

$400.23 Security features included. Details on back.

Sign your check.

6. John Doe

1001001239

079

This is a single page filing form and the simplest to use (restricted to singles and couples with no dependents), it is used by most students. April 15 is tax day: Deadline to pay taxes. The IRS is a 24/7 service (1-800-829-1040) COMPILED BY JOHN DOAN AND MERCY TSAY INFORMATION COMPILED FROM CREDIT.COM AND CREDITKARMA

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March 2019

6 THINGS TO DO ON A DAY OFF 1. Go to the beach

4. Go to a park

We live in Florida; everyone knows that we have some of the best beaches around us, but many of us forget, or possibly dislike, to actually visit them. The beach can be enjoyable for every single person. Get your tan on at Clearwater Beach. Don’t like the sand and sun? Get a nice breeze while watching the sunset (seriously, Florida has the best sunsets). Bring a soccer ball, a music speaker and some friends.

Spring is around the corner and before the weather gets unbearably hot, although some would say it already is, you should take advantage of the many parks Tampa has. Have a picnic in Curtis Hixon. Go for a jog around Al Lopez. Canoe and birdwatch in Lettuce Lake Park. Pretend you’re a small child again and play in the splash pad at Water Works Park. Take a walk and listen to some music on Lowry Park’s trail. Whether you’re alone, with your pet, or with friends and family, a day at the park can end up being a great time.

2. Go downtown Downtown Tampa has been growing rapidly. There’s more to do there than ever before. In the last year alone, there have been additions like Armature Works and Sparkman Wharf. Spend a day exploring what the area has to offer. There are tons of good restaurants and hangout spots to try. Grab some pizza at Eddie & Sam’s, have a more traditional restaurant experience at Anise Global Gastrobar and try out some of the new options down at Sparkman Wharf. The Wharf has a lot of green open space to sit on with some friends and listen to the live music, if there is any.

3. Go to a museum TOP Enjoy the view of Clearwater Beach at sunset. MIDDLE Visit Armature Works during the night or day for a memorable experience. BOTTOM Take a walk in the Al Lopez Park and relax in the shade of the trees. PHOTOS BY BELLA MARTINEZ AND JADEN SHEMESH

Museums may not be every person’s cup of tea but they can actually be a really fun experience. Take a trip to the Dali Museum, or the Tampa Bay Art Museum. Or if you’re not into art, try the Tampa Bay History Center. You’re sure to learn a thing or two; see for yourself.

5. Go to the mall Malls are seemingly basic, but there are many things to do at the mall with friends. Catch a movie, grab some lunch and chat in the food court or just go window shopping. You can go to University Mall, Citrus Park Mall, International Mall or Wiregrass.

6. Treat yourself! As the “Parks and Recreation” character Tom Haverford used to say, “treat yo’self!” There are so many ways you can show yourself some love on a day off. Put on some pajamas, grab a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and binge watch all of Game of Thrones. Or don’t. You do you. Have a spa day, get a massage, go on a shopping spree, there are so many ways to make yourself happy, so don’t forget to treat yourself. COMPILED BY JADEN SHMESH

UPCOMING TEST DATES

April 9 - in school SAT for juniors

What are you doing over spring break? “I have to study up for all my exams, especially AP Euro, and [I’ll probably] hang out with friends.” THOMAS YAO, 10

“I’m going on a cruise to the Bahamas for four days with family.” SAMANTHA UNDERWOOD, 12

“[I’ll] probably be in the gym playing basketball with Coach Ward.” JQWUAN BATTEN , 11 COMPILED BY JADEN SHEMESH

WHEN THEY’RE GONE THEY’RE GONE AND THEY’RE ALMOST GONE

Before the exams remember to bring your admission ticket, your ID, pencils/erasers and an approved calculator. For Saturday tests, be at school by 7:45 a.m., gates close at 8 a.m. Report to the teacher’s parking lot and from there you will be directed. COMPILED BY MERCY TSAY

April 13 - ACT (Registration Deadline March 8)

d You sai

June 1 - SAT (Registration Deadline May 3)

May 4 - SAT (Registration Deadline April. 5)

July 13 - ACT (Registration Deadline June 14)

June 8 - ACT (Registration Deadline May 3)

Aug. 24 - SAT (Registration Deadline July 24)

Marc

ORDER YOUR 2019 YEARBOOK BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE $80 CASH IN ROOM 506 OR ORDER AT HHSTODAY.COM

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March 2019

WE’RE HIRING: HCPS PUSHES BACK AGAINST TEACHER SHORTAGE The names of three educators are called. After them, three more. Each one passionately states their case. They address the school board to let them know that they’re tired, that each of their students requires more time than they can give and that they have at least 20 asking for it. Teachers stand with administrators during the public comments section of a school board meeting to explain that they understand teachers face challenges, but the challenges they’ve faced this year have been too great. Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS) is currently experiencing approximately 200 classroom vacancies in this school year. The teacher shortage is not a new phenomenon. Hillsborough County specifically, because it is such a large district, has often faced the problem of a lack of teachers, or a low number of teachers certified in the subject they teach, especially in Achievement Schools, schools designated by the district for additional resources.

A nationwide epidemic During this school year, this problem has become increasingly critical. Enrollment in HCPS (including charter schools) has steadily increased in recent years, according to the Florida Department of Education. Unfortunately, the number of teachers employed in the district is not proportional to this rate of growth. But this is not just a Hillsborough County specific issue, or even a Florida one, the teacher shortage is a nationwide epidemic. There’s a decreased interest in education. Teachers have never earned the highest salary of all the professions, but that hasn’t previously deterred high schoolers and college students from aspiring to spend their career in a classroom. However, according to HCPS General Manager of Personnel Services Dena Collins, there has even been decreased enrollment in education courses at the college level, and a lower number of teacher certifications as a result. “The teacher shortage is not just a Hillsborough County concern, it’s a national concern that we’re seeing and that we have been working with our university partners as well, who have also been seeing a shortage of college students going into the colleges of education,” Collins said. “If you think about the trickle-down effect, we start really with our high school students and their interest in becoming a teacher, and then that goes into their interest in becoming a teacher in college and then actually becoming a teacher.”

The Spark plan Currently, the subjects with the greatest absence of educators are exceptional student education (ESE), math, science and English, and this absence is felt most greatly in Achievement Schools, which require more intensive support for their students. To attract teachers to these schools, HCPS voted to enact Spark incentives. These incentives will include

salary increases for qualified teachers to relocate to Achievement Schools. Collins is hopeful that by incentivizing work at these schools, the school district will be able to both gain and retain experienced teachers in the long-run. “We hope to see that we will be able to attract experienced teachers to go to our Achievement Schools and we expect to hire new teachers to those schools. We also want to look at the career of a teacher,” Collins said. “If I can get our experienced teachers in our Achievement Schools knowing that our first- and second-year teachers are going to have opportunities in many other schools because there will be vacancies, then as they grow in those experiences and they’re surrounded by other experienced teachers, then we’re going to retain teachers.”

Potential problems With the financial incentivization of jobs at Achievement Schools, there will be a direct effect on Title I schools like Hillsborough, which will not be receiving this plan. By attracting experienced and qualified teachers to these schools, there could potentially be a deterrent for other teachers seeking to

“We can’t overcome someone’s decision to work at a higher needs school for an increased salary rate because we just can’t offer that.” -ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL PHILIP MORRIS apply to schools like Hillsborough. “We’re definitely going to have to continue being very smart in how we market our school, and I think that Hillsborough has a lot to offer in terms of attracting people to the teaching career because we do already have a lot of great teachers here and we have a great principal, administrative staff and guidance counselors,” Assistant Principal Philip Morris said. “I think that there are lot of attractors that draw people into a school like Hillsborough, we just have to be sure to sell the best and brightest aspects of our school to interested people, but we can’t overcome someone’s decision to work at a higher needs school for an increased salary rate because we just can’t offer that.” However, Collins is confident that the plan will eventually attract new teachers to all the schools in the district. “We do see a benefit by providing opportunities for experienced teachers to go into achievement schools and accept new challenges and know that there’s a financial reward for going into those schools, and we know that we can continue to attract additional teachers because of these opportunities,” she said. The school district is also looking to attract teachers through the substitute program, Kelly Services, which is the main source of substitutes for the coun-

who said it?

“No because of the disrespect. Kids don’t know when to stop and they think everything is a joke. Even though I would want to help them if they aren’t gonna show respect then what’s the point?” - ERYKA WHITE, 9

Discussions of funding

STORY BY MARIN FEHL

After a socratic seminar about the teacher shortage in Joe Humphrey’s freshman English class, we asked students one question: Would you want to be a teacher?

ty. Recruiters and mentors, mostly retired principals, are working with this service to train and guide substitutes into a permanent teaching position. Currently at Hillsborough, there are only two vacancies, so the school is adequately staffed. However, the administration has faced difficulties with finding teachers to fill positions that opened earlier in the year and in years previous. “It’s just a smaller pool of candidates and I remember that when I first started working here, even three years ago, when we’d go into our system that allows us to look at qualified candidates, there would be greater numbers. Symbolically, that’s showing you a decline of options, so you must be very careful in who you select,” Morris said.

Although there is concern that the Spark plan will potentially siphon off qualified teachers from Title I schools that also require significant support, the necessity for the plan at higher needs schools remains undisputed. “I understand the need for highly qualified teachers at our achievement schools because those students also deserve the best teachers they can possibly get, so it’s a complicated dilemma. But if it works, and our high needs schools improve, then you could attribute it to more qualified teachers working at those higher needs schools,” Morris said. Currently, district officials along with school administration do not yet know how the plan will specifically impact funding in the next fiscal year, and this uncertainty has caused uneasiness. Despite fears that the plan might negatively impact things like Title I funding, the district remains confident that it will prove to be a money-saving technique in the long-run. “When we retain teachers and we hire well, there is a reduced cost to the district in terms of return on investment,” Collins explained. So, when we’re not retaining our teachers, when we’re not continuing to work and grow with our teachers and keep our teachers, it is more costly to the district. If this plan assists us with teacher retention, it would be cost-saving in the long run.” Although there is uncertainty about the logistics of this plan, the goal is to combat the teacher shortage in the district. With approximately 13,000 classroom teachers in HCPS and with more than 800-1,000 more hired annually, addressing this issue is a necessity. As the eighth largest school district in the country, HCPS has a lot of moving parts, and the implementation of the Spark incentive program is one of the first steps of many in establishing a stable teaching workforce in the county. “As we continue to grow in Hillsborough County Schools and in the number of our students, we will grow in the number of teachers in the workforce,” Collins said.

Red & Black

LEFT World history and AP Human Geography teacher Katy Francis poses with her students. She started her teaching career after backpacking around Europe. RIGHT Francis prepares for her lesson on the Holocaust before her World History class. PHOTOS BY KYLIE SMITH

FROM BACKPACKER TO TEACHER Katy Francis began her teaching career after a tumultuous high school experience that caused her to go backpacking through Europe

“I’d teach an elective like cosmetology or maybe elementary school kids because you’re teaching them things that they’re gonna use but high school kids stick to what they already know.” – JAILEIGH HARDY, 9

The American dream. The only thing Katy Francis could think about when she stood in the Belgian airport waiting for her flight to New Jersey. After not graduating high school due to dealing with homophobia, Francis decided to enter the military on athlete status. While training for a Taekwondo tournament she broke her ankle and left the military. But the military was the only thing she knew. After leaving, she was in a slump.

Global motivation “No, the students don’t do their work, they’re uneducated and they don’t have discipline. I’d actually go into the technology field in the military.” – JAMIL GREEN, 9

TOP English teacher William Baker discusses figurative language and how it is used in novels with his freshman class. MIDDLE LEFT Marine science teacher Alexis Cooke passes back assignments to her class. MIDDLE RIGHT English teacher Ashley Payne conducts a discussion about connected characters in Hamlet with her sophomore English class. BOTTOM LEFT Science teacher Mishell Thomas-King conducts a lecture about the different parts of a leaf. BOTTOM RIGHT Biology teacher Julia Salo walks her freshmen through an activity. PHOTOS BY JOHN DOAN and CHARLES DIAZ

“No because teachers joke around and say ‘Aw I don’t get paid enough for this’ and I believe them because students at this school misbehave a lot and I don’t really know if I want to deal with immature kids.” – KEVIN NGUYEN, 9

COMPILED BY KYLIE SMITH

This lead her to back-packing around Europe. In Italy, she met some people in the American Air Force. “I was always drawn to American history and American culture so having a conversation with these people sparked my interest to come and explore the United States,” Francis said. Fracis knew that was her next path to follow. In 2003, Francis flew into New Jersey semi-permanently and became a nanny to five kids. “I decided that I wanted to stay here [in the United States] and the only way I could live my life here was to make something of myself,” she said. Then with no high school diploma she went to the local community college. “I knew I wanted to be an educator, I don’t want kids to be in the same situation I was as a teenager.” “I started school and then I never stopped.” Later, Francis was accepted into the Florida Southern College master’s program that motivated her to move out of New Jersey. After graduating in 2014, Francis came to Hillsborough to teach reading. She then went to Leto for a year to teach world history, but, “This is where my heart is. I fit in with the kids here and I love the area. Plus the administration is awesome.” Francis then came back to Hillsborough to teach world history and Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography. “I love when I’m standing in front of the class and I say something and it completely blows

their mind and they say ‘Woahh’ or they look at me like I have five heads,” Francis said.

Pursuing an education Along with teaching, Francis is also working to get her doctorate in social studies education. She wants to eventually move on from high school to being a college professor and the person who writes history textbooks. “This is the land of opportunities. I believe the American dream does exist, you just have to be stubborn and strong,” Francis said. The Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club is sponsored by Francis because she is also a huge advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusivity. “We can fuse difficult topics into the already existing curriculum without changing anything and without going off topic,” Francis said. She wants to be able to include some LGBTQ positive mentions. “It shouldn’t be some whole big thing.” She has already started this in her AP Human Geography class with a Model United Nations project that students did about how LGBTQ members are viewed in other countries. This project was recognized and will now be published in scholarly journal by the end of this school year. “I want to train future teachers on how to deal with these situations in the classroom and in the school as a whole because studies show that with positive mentions or supportive teachers, then the school as a whole is more secure and safe for every student whether they identify with LGBTQ or not,” Francis said. She wants her students to know that she understands them, “I feel like every teenager should get the opportunity to explore who they are and with support of caring adults and teachers they can transform into unique adults and productive human beings.” STORY BY KYLIE SMITH

opinion

March 2019

RED&BLACK VOLUME 120, ISSUE 6

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marin Fehl WEB EDITOR Mercy Tsay DEPUTY WEB EDITOR Jaden Shemesh COPY EDITOR Katie Delk PAGE EDITORS Makayla Brown, Johnathan Doan-Truong, Lauren Komar, Reema Patel, Kylie Smith STAFF WRITERS Alex Croft, Ria Dey, Shawn Gist, Ceejay Liberatore, Diadelys Mena, Asher Montgomery, Joshua Morrison, Racine Seide ADVISER Joe Humphrey, MJE PRINCIPAL Gary Brady ABOUT Content decisions are made by student editors MEMBERSHIP Red & Black belongs to the Florida, National and Columbia Scholastic press associations AWARDS 2018-2019 FSPA All-Florida 2016-2017 NSPA Online Pacemaker 2016-2017 NSPA All-American 2016-2017 CSPA Hybrid Silver Crown The EDITORIAL reflects the view of student editors and can be found in the opinion section

SHOULD TEACHERS HAVE GUNS? NOPE. The students’ eyes roam over their teachers in fear. Although the guns equipped on the teachers may not be visible, their ominous presence is always looming. Sure, you can give teachers training and they can be “certified,” but a gun adds a lot of responsibility for the teacher and increases potential for misuse in a classroom. Even assuming you can trust every teacher 100 percent not to snap or threaten students, some students could easily who overpower or steal from a teacher, making the classroom even more dangerous.

The Guardian Program A program is already passed into law, on a previous school safety movement, and allows counties that accept it to give certain members of staff and school resource officers guns. Recently, there has been consideration in the Florida Legislature about the expansion of this program to include classroom teachers. At a Hillsborough County School Board meeting last month, members from Students Demand Action chapter from across the county passionately argued against this legislation, preceding Hillsborough County’s unanimous opposition to the new measures. The state of Florida, as with most things, is attempting to solve a complicated problem with what sounds like a simple solution. People are shooting up schools, put more guns in schools to stop bad guys, problem solved. What they fail to consider, is that every time a weapon is introduced the situation gets more life-threatening. But again assuming no accidents happen and the day comes where someone enters shooting, can we trust our teachers then either? Can we trust them to keep calm in a life or death situation with limited training? What would happen when police entered the school and had to deal with amateur shooters? Their answer to the problem just added a whole lot of other problems to an already chaotic scenario.

Funding Now let’s talk about money. The sheriffs’ offices of the 25 participating counties have already spent $9.3 million from the program, out of a total

Bylined COLUMNS represent the viewpoints of their authors We welcome your LETTERS, which may 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. ADVERTISING content is subject to approval of the editorial board Visit us online at HHSTODAY.COM CONTACT Phone: (813) 276-5620 Fax: (813) 276-5629 Email: hhstoday@gmail.com Twitter: @HHSTodayOnline

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This editorial was inspired by the Florida Senate Bill 7030. The proposed bill would expand school faculty that are allowed to voluntarily carry firearms to teachers who only have classroom jobs as well.

of $67 million the state set aside. Whatever money is left unspent will be rolled back into the 2019-20 budget, with no guarantees on how it will be used. These new measures are soaking up millions of dollars of state resources, money that could be used for actual education, like textbooks. Or just simple maintenance like A/C that doesn’t constantly fail or some soap for the bathrooms. And if security is really the state’s only priority, maybe spend the money investing in safer, more effective measures; like more cameras or more secure doors. It’s almost an insult to use all this m o n e y making schools a

more dangerous environment for students instead of supporting schools to help them succeed. This law, despite the good intent behind it, ultimately hurts more than it helps, wastes valuable state resources and is not a realistic policy. We support measures that could actually help. We hope the Legislature reconsiders their decision.

Editorials reflects the collective opinion of the Red & Black staff. We know this issue is one on which people hold passionate viewpoints and we welcome your feedback; email hhstoday@gmail.com, deliver to Room 506 or mail to Red & Black, 5000 N. Central Ave, Tampa FL 33603.

opinion

hhstoday.com

March 2019

POINT-COUNTERPOINT: IS ISS/OSS EFFECTIVE? The effectiveness of suspension is debatable. Some believe it is a good method for students to learn and move on, while others argue that it is a waste of time.

Suspension isn’t a smart solution

Suspension is a good punishment

The idea of in or out of school suspension doesn’t sound so bad when we’re talking about an organized program where students would be learning the values of discipline and education, taking a “time out” of a regular school day to reflect on their actions and better themselves. This is, however, not always the case. Although the program is run by multiple teachers, the objective, having students do work and address behavioral issues, is not consistently enforced. This results in students listening to music, going to sleep and even watching movies instead of doing their assignments. How is this, in any way, a punishment or learning experience? The only punishment students receive by continuously being sent to ISS or OSS is a higher chance of them dropping out, and an obvious decrease in their chance to graduate. In fact, multiple studies throughout the country have found that a single day of suspension in the ninth grade doubles the risk of students dropping out before graduation. Florida had a 5.1 percent suspension rate in elementary schools alone, so this poses a significant issue. Taking into consideration the amount of opportunities given to students to complete graduation requirements. This results in a situation that could be described as hypocritical. We want students to graduate, but we will allow them to miss days worth of knowledge to teach them a lesson for being tardy and skipping class. According to our school’s administration, sending students to multiple days of out of school suspensions will be kept to a minimum. This measure will only be used in extreme cases like fights and continuous disruptive behavior, sending more students to ISS. According to our district’s standards, any time a student is sent to ISS and/or OSS their absence is counted as unexcused. In other words, teachers don’t have an obligation to give said student those days’ worth of work nor are they obliged to grade them, resulting in low grade point averages. It isn’t mandatory for students to even ask their teachers for class work.

The action of suspending students is, plain and simple, discipline. Suspension is not a waste of time. When students are suspended, they have an entire day to reflect, do schoolwork and be productive. Suspension is a disciplinary action that is used on students who misbehave, by taking them out of class and putting them elsewhere for an entire day. Using this time, students can catch up on the work that they’ve missed out on. By being removed out of the classroom, suspended students are removed from any distractions in their usual classroom environment. This allows them to study and be productive in an otherwise silent classroom where there are no teachers teaching, no classmates talking and therefore no distractions distracting. Suspension is an effective punishment because students basically punish themselves. They are the ones who have to sit and think all day, since they can’t use their phones if they’re in ISS. They think about why they got suspended and how much it affects them. Some students hate being suspended. Once they get out, they try to avoid being suspended again by changing their behavior. They’ll turn in work in class, be less disrespectful or do whatever they need to do to stay out of trouble. Studies have shown that being suspended can negatively affect graduation rates. However, Hillsborough High School’s dropout rate has changed by less than 0.3 percent in the last 4 years, with the 201718 school year’s rate at a low 3.4 percent. These numbers prove that suspension doesn’t affect graduation rates as much as other responsibilities do. Students who continuously don’t do their work earn bad grades because they don’t learn anything. And if they don’t learn anything, they fail their classes and their exams then they won’t graduate. Suspension might be negative, but it’s much less negative than failing your classes. Suspension is a small part of a bigger problem: academics. The point of ISS/OSS is simply to get students to make better choices in school. It’s not meant to make students fail their classes, or to lower their chances of graduation: It is punishment for bad behavior.

who said it?

Is ISS/OSS effective?

“If a student doesn’t care about school ISS is a paradise.” RAFAEL SALAZAR, 10

“ISS can be ineffective especially when students aren’t using their time wisely.” ASIA ELBOOZ, 12

“It depends because for some people it works and others it doesn’t.”

- ADRIEL POO, 11

“Kids should just be forced to go to class instead and be productive.” ANTHONY GUTIERREZ, 10

“I don’t think they are very effective because they don’t change how they are going to act.”

COLUMN BY DIADELYS MENA

COLUMN BY JOHN DOAN

DALIA SANCHEZ, 11

March 2019

DRAWING FROM THE HEART

Red & Black

Jamie-Lynn Lopez, top right, working on a current piece, steadily placing each dot carefully to add depth and a 3-D perspective

All through her childhood and middle school, junior Jamie-Lynn Lopez admired art created by others. However, she faced criticism from others for her own self taught art. Lopez disregarded the hate and criticism she received and focused on proving others wrong. “I feel that I have grown as an artist, because a few years ago in seventh grade I would draw like really bad cartoons. Now I have way more skill that I’ve grown into with time, patience and persistence,” Lopez said. “Now when people see my art, they are astonished and blown away by the details that I spent days on to make the piece really pop. I proved that my skill was always there, it just takes time to reach a place of satisfaction with your art.” Lopez’s artwork has become a major part of her life, and she plans to pursue it as a career. Her aim is to display her work in art galleries and to become a successful tattoo artist. She talks of re-

ally focusing on the details and how they contribute to the overall piece. “I use bold lines to get the attention of the focal point of the piece, and use the small dots to add onto the shading of the overall piece,” Lopez said. From nudity to holy saints, she breaks stereotypical concepts of these figures by displaying nude individuals in delicate poses, soft to the eyes, rather than in sexual manner. To others, Lopez has a unique and exoctic style of art, which may be considered dark due to her preference of using a lot of black ink and paint. Despite the fact that her artwork is mostly black and white based, she uses pops of primary colors to create contrast within her artwork. “I use the dark black to really pop against the white space on the paper, also by using contrasting colors such as red, blue and green,” Lopez said. “I like to challenge the conformity a lot of

other artists find themselves in. They’re so desperate for it to be good or for it to fit into the standards of what other people would like; Whereas I do this solely for my own love and passion that I have for art.” Compared to her peers, her artwork stands out due to the darkness of her pieces and the amount of detail being displayed. This causes spectators to investigate all the tiny dots that come together to form a full portrait. Lopez dedicates all of her free time and late nights to work on her art. With music playing in the back and all her supplies laid out on the floor, she hunches over her sketchbook and begins to outline what she’s roughly idealizing in her mind. “The thought process is taking things that I think about and putting my feelings into the thoughts, and trying to make something out of it that would make others feel uneasy and in complete awe,” Lopez said.

“I consider my art to be gloomy, nihilistic, or just an array of things that I feel that I cannot express into words,” Lopez said. “I would describe it as artwork that would make people uncomfortable, and I love that.” Now, her artwork is far more intricate and full of miniscule details. According to Lopez , she uses nudity and body parts to show the immense emotion and devotion that she spent on some of her pieces. She spends days working on a single piece, sometimes losing sleep just to finish a single piece. “In the end, everything that I do to pursue my art, is worth it,” Lopez said. “Going days with little sleep is really worth it all when you see the finished results, it’s rewarding. It’s art, it’s my art, and nobody can take my love for it away.”

STORY BY ALEX CROFT

hhstoday.com

snapshot

SENIOR SPIRIT SHOTS

ABOVE As he finishes some history work , senior Luke Bincarousky dresses as Eminem from the early 2000s. The second spirit day was Celebrity Day. Other students dressed as Janelle Monae, Cardi B and various other celebs. MIDDLE At prom, many students interacted with these two dancers that performed with the DJ. They wore lightup costumes and glasses so they could be seen anywhere on the dance floor. RIGHT Fixing senior Brooke Ledenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hair, senior Montserrat Lopez places bobby pins to hold her hair back. At the Florida Aquarium, there were two separate rooms and a balcony for students to get fresh air. Both main rooms offered refreshments as well as an assortment of desserts. PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA BROWN, MARIN FEHL, LAUREN KOMAR AND WILLOW MORTON

March 2019

LEFT Cups lined up on each side of the table, seniors Jazmine Vallejo, Andrew Vo, Nanjalee Singh and junior Nicole Figueroa wait for their turn to attempt throwing the balls into the other cups. Feb. 25, the first day of spirit week, was Frat vs Sorority day. BELOW Brow pencil in hand, senior Camila Santana works on her makeup a few hours before the dance on March 2. While Santana preferred to do her own makeup, many girls had it done by pros or other students.

entertainment

March 2019

Red & Black

MARCH TITLES Here are some shows we think you should stream on Netflix this month

Conversation with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes — If you’re into crime and documentaries this is the perfect series for you. It tells the story of infamous serial killer and rapist Ted Bundy through a series of interviews and conversations with the killer himself. Sex Education — This British television series which follows the life of a sexually awkward teen boy navigating his way through taboo topics such as sex, masturbation and much more. His mother, who sees herself as a liberated sex therapist, tries to help him through his problems as he befriends the rebellious Mavis. Together, they get paid to help fellow students with their sex problems. You — Based on a young bookstore worker in the midst of New York who develops a deep infatuation for a customer who happens to walk into his store one day, You is narrated by him as he works himself from murder to murder in an attempt to get closer to his love interest: Guinevere Beck. BoJack Horseman — If you’re into inappropriate, Nihilist-friendly comedy, BoJack Horseman is sure to make you laugh. This series follows an animated ex-Hollywood horse named BoJack as he struggles to maintain his reputation in a superficial society. This show uses satire and exposes society for its plastic habits. REVIEWS BY RIA DEY

JONAS BROTHERS REUNITE

The Jonas Brothers broke up as a boyband on Oct. 29, 2013, and thus discontinued the release of their much awaited album “V.” Now with the release of their new single “Sucker” fans are excited for the threesome to make it back to the charts with all new music. “Sucker” is about the intensity of a crush. The boys sing about how they’re “dancing on top of cars and stumbling out of bars” to represent the crazy things in which love can cause people to do. Although it is based on a serious topic, the song is fast paced and upbeat, successfully maintaining the innocence in which the boys were originally known for. Let’s be honest. It’s easy for artists to allow today’s mainstream music to influence their style but the boys stay true to their brand, confidently releasing a catchy spring banger. Even though the song is overall sweet, it has an air of edginess and desperation to it, the emotions continue to run strong as the narrator further describes his love for a woman who is seemingly driving him crazy. Stanza 1 begins with Nick Jonas convincing his lover

they would be perfect for each other, more bound together than “the birds of a feather.” The pre-chorus soon transitions to a harmonious melody sung by Nick, Kevin and Joe. As usual, their voices smoothly melt into one. Overall this song creates a very upbeat vibe despite the seriousness of its overall message. The Jonas Brothers are back and stronger than ever. Although I found the lyrics to be quite repetitive due to the heaviness of the pre-chorus and the chorus itself, it is easy to ignore once you get caught up in its dramatic yet uplifting beat. “Sucker” debuted as No. 28 Billboard’s Pop Songs radio airplay chart. REVIEW BY RIA DEY GRAPHIC BY JOHN DOAN

ARIANA GRANDE RISES UP WITH THANK U, NEXT With the release of a new album just six months after her previous one, “Sweetener,” Ariana Grande has risen to a level of stardom almost equivalent to Taylor Swift. Her new album, “thank u, next,” demonstrates the evolution of Grande as a singer and person, delivering a wide range of emotions through both pop and R&B beats. While “Sweetener” was an album completely filled with upbeat songs and a positive message about persevering through hard times, “thank u” is more real, and relatable. It doesn’t stray from the ideas of self-love present in the last album, but Grande focuses more on exploring her flaws, her relationships and her lifestyle, which the listener can relate to more. For instance, in “needy” Grande sings about how her emotions can change a lot and how needy she can be, but she sings about her flaws in such a way

that listeners admire her even more for showing her vulnerability. Her message is simple: discussing your flaws or unusual choices does not deter you from being a formidable, impressive force; strength can come from vulnerability. Perhaps my favorite song on the album, “NASA” retains the upbeat, perky beats from “Sweetener,” adding the typical radio-sing-along side Grande’s hits have but with a new message of needing space from a friend-with-benefits. “Bloodline” is perhaps the most obvious pop hit, but it is my least favorite song on the album as its beats are obnoxious and repetitive in a way most of the other songs are not. Despite the numerous amount of upbeat hits, there is only one true slow song, that being “ghostin”, where Grande beautifully sings about her attachment to Mac Miller. Even if you

try to stop yourself from singing and dancing to the seemingly simpler songs such as “7 rings” and “break up with your girlfriend, i’m bored,” you’ll find that your head is already bobbing and swaying and you’re screaming the words. Many of the songs on the album sample older hits; with samples from *N SYNC and Wendy Rene, among a few others, the album’s hits have an extra hint of sing-along-ness. “fake smile” beautifully exemplifies this, using the beat from “After Laughter” with a message about faking your emotions. Grande’s rise over the last year does not go unwarranted; her evolution as an artist has been painful, heartbreaking, beautiful and exciting, and her newest album best exemplifies each of those feelings. REVIEW AND GRAPHIC BY JADEN SHEMESH

hhstoday.com

sports

SIGNING DAY RECAP

March 2019

Seniors from baseball, softball, track and football publically sign to the colleges that they plan on attending for their respected sport

Where are they going?

TOP LEFT Terence Doston, Roc Scott, Juan Nunez and Maâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;At Lee pose for a picture taken by a family member. BOTTOM LEFT Jade Mention, Alexis Woodall and Mike Austin wait on the stage while Nunez finishes giving his speech announcing the college he will be attending. TOP RIGHT JT Brown smiles as he rises to go talk at the podium about his college, while Charlie Dean sits besides him. BOTTOM RIGHT Terence Doston looks at his signing papers after an emotional speech about continuing football and baseball at his dream school. PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA BROWN

Athlete

Sport

College

Jade Mention

Softball

Northwest Florida College

Juan Jamie Nunez

Baseball

Saint John River State University

Alexis Woodall

Track

Arkansas State

Mike Austin

Football

JT Brown

Football

Charlie Dean

Football

Maâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;At Lee

Football

Roc Scott

Football

Terence Doston

Football and Baseball

Dodge City College Arkansas Pine Bluff Harvard Independence College Mesabi Range College West Virginia

March 2019

sports

Red & Black

TERRIERS FALL SHORT IN THE FINAL FOUR

TOP Senior Pranav Nemani prepares to pass a ball in the game against Aubrundale. MIDDLE LEFT Sophomore Jalen Harris works the ball down the court while trying to surpass Dillard’s defenders. MIDDLE RIGHT Senior Josh Gloster dunks a ball at the end of the regionals game against Auburnedale. BOTTOM Warren Mclymont prepares to pass to Christian Deleon in the state semifinals in Lakeland.

LAKELAND — With just 10.7 seconds left in overtime of the state semifinals, the Terriers trailed by 1 point, 43-42. In those closing seconds, Dillard scored four more, putting the game out of reach and despire a last-second three pointer by Cantia Rahming that made the game 47-44 Dillard, the Terriers found themselves in the spot as the previous season: Bounced one game from the state final. The buzzer sounds and the overhead speakers fill the room, congratulating Dillard on its achievement to moving up from the Final Four. The Terriers shake hands then head into the locker room. All that can be heard now from the Hillsborough side is some whispers and the sound of them leaving the building. “This game meant a lot to us because our slogan this year was ‘unfinished business,’” senior Xavion Lockwood said, “so it hurts when we prepared ourselves all season for this moment and we came up short.” This lose ended a 21-game winning streak. Throughout the game, the scores were close with the lead typically being at 3-5 points, with the highest gap of 8 points, where the Terriers trailed in the third quarter. The Terriers came back in the fourth and with 3:43 left in the game they were only losing by one point at 37-36. The Terriers defense is able hold Dillard for the rest of game time and with 18 seconds left in the game Christian Deleon made a free throw, tying the game at 37-37 and sending the game into four minutes of overtime. For some of the teammates this wasn’t just their season ending, it was their last game for high school. “It was a big game for me, it was my last high school game and not being able to finish out on top made me mad and sad,” said senior Mike Austin, a forward. The Terriers made their way back to Lakeland with a successful run through regionals. The Terriers played Auburndale and the close game resulted in a four point win, 75-71, in which the Terriers worked back from a 12-point halftime deficit. The Terriers also defeated Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes in the playoffs. Last year, the final four game was played against Choctawhatchee and the Terriers suffered a loss of 88-52. As a result of this games out come the team decided to adopt the slogan “Unfinished Business,” which they then had written on their basketball T- shirts and on their seasonal outerwear. The main thing that went wrong was the free throws made by Dillard that gave them so many points. “Towards the end of the game it was the free throws and not making shots” Austin said. Even though the team made some mistakes that ultimately led to them not being able to move on, the Terriers had their positives. “We didn’t give up no matter how much we were down or how much time was left.” Lockwood said. “We played until we couldn’t play anymore.” STORY BY LAUREN KOMAR PHOTOS BY MAKAYLA BROWN