January/February 2019 by The Patriot Post

VOL. 22 ISSUE 4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

We are sorry to inform you... (Photo/Angela Lin)

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& Angela the American Heritage student news magazine

VOL. 22 ISSUE 4 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

The Patriot Post is an award-winning, student-produced hybrid publication that informs students about events, influences readers through editorials and entertains through features and reviews, all achieved through responsible reporting held to high journalistic standards. We strive to create content that adheres to the highest possible standards of journalistic integrity. Any queries about our content can be directed to patriotpost@ahschool.com or to a staff member in room 9114.

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Week 4 Rx only

(norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol tablets, USP and ferrous fumarate tablets, USP)

Opinion/ Editorial 4 The Patriot Post is sold on a bi-monthly basis for 50 cents. American Heritage has 1,941 students and 160 faculty members.

Do you have a response to a column or article that was published in the news magazine? We accept and encourage letters to the editor by students, faculty or parents in response to any opinion pieces. Physically hand the response in to room 9114 or email it to patriotpost@ahschool.com. American Heritage School 12200 W. Broward Blvd. Plantation, FL 33325 954-472-0022 ext. 3300 patriotpost@ahschool.com ipatriotpost.com

Congratulations! While we unfortunately lack the authority to offer admission to college, we can offer (in our opinion) something better: our fourth issue of The Patriot Post. For those who disagree with our admittedly biased priorities, this issue has something to offer you as well. Inundated with an endless stream of supplements, standardized test scores and stress, many seniors can attest to the overwhelming nature of the college application process. We tend to orient much of our high school experience toward resume-building and admission to our dream schools, and yet, reality sometimes doesn’t seem to reflect these efforts. As we speak from experience, we know that one cover story from our magazine won’t impart any hidden knowledge that will magically get you into Harvard. Instead, we hope to broaden your perspective and posit that college is more than just one dream school. With this in mind, we hope you enjoy this issue as much as we enjoyed making it.

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(Graphics/Joanne Haner and Maia Fernandez-Baigun) (Photos/Bella Ramirez, Logan Roberts, Angela Lin and Olivia Lloyd) Editors-in-Chief || Amber Bhutta,12th || Angela Lin, 12th Online Editor-in-Chief || Joanne Haner, 11th Assistant Editors-in-Chief || Sloane Kapit, 12th || Kristen Quesada, 11th

Copy Editors || Amber Bhutta, 12th || Sloane Kapit, 12th || Olivia Lloyd, 12th News Editor || Kristen Quesada, 11th Opinion Editor || Alyssa Herzbrun, 11th

Online Assistant Editor Features Editor || Kayla Rubenstein, 10th || Bella Ramirez, 10th Adviser || Ms. Diana Adams

Entertainment Editor || Maia Fernandez-Baigun, 11th

Sports Editor || Alex Becker, 12th Cover Story Editor || Sloane Kapit, 12th Business Manager ||Kayla Rubenstein, 10th Social Media Editor ||Maia Fernandez-Baigun, 11th Staff Writers ||Madison Lynn, 11th ||Zoe Persaud, 10th ||Emma Remudo, 10th ||Sammy Rosenthal, 10th

Editorial Policy

The Patriot Post limits opinion to opinion articles, columns and editorials. All editorials reflect the majority opinion of the staff. Opinions detailed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of administration, faculty or the student body. At our own discretion, we will publish letters to the editor either in print or online at ipatriotpost.com. We reserve the right to edit these letters for grammar and layout restrictions and will not publish any content we deem libelous to any students, faculty or members of the community.

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Opinion/Editorial

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ublic schools across the U.S. teach some form of sexual education to its students, whether that education comes in middle or high school. Heritage does not offer such instruction, leaving many students unaware of safe practices and other concerns relating to sexual and reproductive health. The type of sexual education matters as well. A potential course should focus on teaching students how to prevent, recognize and react to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), rather than barraging students with disturbing images of genital warts and other symptoms. A course should additionally teach what positive, healthy relationships look like, discussing consent with students and implementing safe contraceptive practices beyond the scope of heterosexual penetrative sex. Conducting a course like this should reduce the stigma surrounding conversations about sexual and reproductive health as well as educate students. A variety of students recognize the need fot sexual education, including senior Simran Dulay. “The most the school has talked about sex was at the assembly where they talked about sexting,” Dulay said, referring to an assembly that discussed safety, campus security and sexting. Many advocates call for something called comprehensive sexual education. According to Planned Parenthood, comprehensive sexual education, “teaches that abstinence is the best method for avoiding sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy, but also teaches about condom use and contraceptive methods to reduce the risk of STI and unintended pregnancy. It covers a broad range of issues relating to both the physical and biological aspects of sexuality, and the emotional and social aspects of sexuality.” “A lot of school curriculum have focused on absti-

nence as a form of education in terms of sex, and I think that’s problematic. Kids are going to be sexally active, and abstinence is not a good way to show them all their options,” said senior Emily Moon, referring to instruction about contraceptives. A study conducted by the National Institute of Health found that abstinence-only sexual education actually is correlated with increased rates of teen pregnancy. Exclusively teaching that adolescents should wait until marriage to have sex silences conversation about safe contraceptive methods. A separate National Health Institute study found the U.S. has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the developed world at 57 births per 1,000 15- to 19-year-olds. “Sex Ed is more necessary for more urban schools, where risky behavior can begin as early as sixth grade,” said science co-department head Mr. Osmel Rodriguez. “In my opinion [if sexual education were taught here] it should be later, in high school, but by then students are already behind the curve.” The staggered levels of science classes that students take in high school makes it difficult to impose a set sexual education curriculum. This would make middle school the most feasible time for such a course. School president Dr. Douglas Laurie and junior high principal Mrs. Anita LaTorre expressed an interest in implementing sexual education into the junior high science curriculum. They are currently working on infusing topics such as drug use awareness and potentially sexual education into a new a curriculum for next year. “[I like] the complete package,” Mrs. LaTorre said, referring to the emotional well-being aspect of comprehensive sexual education. “I think it’s a really good approach.” Some of the information regarding contraceptives may not be as useful for junior high students. However, it is still necessary they are informed on such topics, so when the time comes they have the knowledge they need to implement safe practices.

Let’s talk about sex

(Graphics/Alyssa Herzbrun)

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cord

Cutting the

Sloane Kapit | Co-Assistant Editor-in-Chief pl216611@ahschool.com

s I type this right now, absorbing the flawless soundwaves traveling from my AirPods to my ears, I can’t help but question how I ever used any other type of headphone. My mind jogs back to last year, after each class, struggling to untangle the wires of my old headphones for so long that I would not even finish one song before arriving at my next class. Now, I whip my little white case out of my pocket as I walk out of class and enjoy my music with ease. The design and technology behind AirPods facilitates listening with the custom-designed Apple W1 chip. This chip produces efficient wireless that improves both connection and sound. It only takes one tap to set the AirPods up and connect them to Bluetooth on your chosen device (iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad or Mac). After that, they remain turned on and always connected. The high-tech pods can even sense when you are listening and pause when you take them out. “Optical sensors and motion accelerometers work with the W1 chip to automatically control the audio and engage the microphone, giving you the ability to use one or both AirPods,” Apple said. “They also enable AirPods to play sound as soon as they’re in your ears.” So, if someone calls your name from behind, forcing you to remove your beloved AirPods (which unfortunately happens to me quite consistently), your music will resume right where you left off. Besides knowing when you are listening, AirPods also know when you are talking. The chip has a voice accelerometer that recognizes speech and uses a pair of beamforming microphones to help filter out external noise, drawing in on just the sound of your voice. In addition to all of these perks, AirPods come with a long-lasting battery life, offering listeners five hours of use on just a single charge. The handy white case does more than just hold your AirPods; it is a charging case that holds multiple additional charges for more than 24 hours of listening time. If your AirPods start to run low, placing them back in the case for 15 minutes can give you three extra hours of listening time. People tend to complain about the $159 price tag of AirPods, but competing Beats Studio3 wireless headphones cost $349.95 and Bose SoundSport Free wireless headphones cost $199.95, making AirPods a more reasonable purchase. “It’s performance that’s unheard of in a device this small,” Apple said. I would have to agree with Apple.

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Opinion/Editorial

DANGER : TOXI

Students feel the pressure and stress of getting into a good college on a daily basis school can do to help. Bella Ramirez | Features Editor pl237961@ahschool.com

ollege, the “supposed” reason for our existence, or at least the reason why we all chose a college preparatory school, creates a system that thrives perfectly in our world. More people want and need it, so colleges can raise the prices and the stakes. Other than tuition, we pay a personal price for being a piece of the college system. Brand-name colleges breed one type of student: a wellrounded overachiever. However, humans are inherently not well-rounded. Instead, we are fragmented and imperfect, we have slants toward certain subjects, and we make mistakes; this makes us multi-layered and diverse. While colleges preach the “holistic application review process,” they actually look at whether you conform to their cookie-cutter identity. This leads to a natural selection of sorts; in order to receive this “holistic review,” you must have certain prerequisite qualities such as belonging to the top 5 percent of the class and speaking multiple languages. “Colleges do want well-rounded students, but they also want students who are passionate about chemistry or literature or physics. When students try to make themselves into what they think a college wants - they are doing themselves a disservice. You could do everything right - earn straight A’s, have 15 AP classes, and still not get into a selective college,” college advisor Sharon Bikoundou said. “My advice is to take the classes you want, study what you love and then apply to a balanced list of colleges and I promise there will be a college for you.” Students often trade a workable schedule for a high-AP course-load due to the influence of peers. “Even though I’m only taking three APs (my junior classmates are taking more), I constantly feel pressure to do more, take on more, participate more, but the reality is that time is an inescapable constraint, and it is super overwhelming to try and manage everything,” junior Paula Mitre said. This societal pressure for more APs is detrimental to fellow peers. Students should take classes because they want to learn from them, not because they want to say they have another AP under their belt. When consulting with guidance counselors in the upcoming months, consider what classes are best fit for you, not just best to see on paper. About 87 percent of students at Heritage (polled from 229 students) feel the need to be well-rounded, but only 63 percent feel unique. Since most Heritage students know what colleges look for, nearly everyone already fits the ideal identity or tries to fit it now. This leads to most people thinking the same: “I need a 100 percent” or “I need the hardest class.” “Although the classes at Heritage are demanding, I think it’s the culture at Heritage that puts the most pressure on the average student. We compete immensely with one another in order to get This is the point where we should be good grades,” senior Victoria Macklai said. It is not detrimental most supportive of each other, not to chase a high grade, but it is detrimental to determine selfcompeting against each other. worth based on those grades. With our rigorous course load, students should welcome study groups and group work as a way - senior Aaron Thaler to alleviate the pressures of many assignments. Besides students shining individually, college advisor Sharon Bikondou explained that colleges also admit to comparing applicants to students within their schools more than they compare them to students outside of their school. This creates a cutthroat environment; more people feel willing to slight others if it means raising their grade by even one percentage point.

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Senior Aaron Thaler feels guilty of getting caught up in the system as well but notes how unjust it is. “A lot of this is said jokingly among the senior class, but there is truth to it. Some people will say ‘don’t apply to this school because you’ll get in over me.’ We shouldn’t be thinking like that,” Thaler said. “We’re seniors, and we’ve grown up together for years, some of us for our whole lives. This is the point where we should be most supportive of each other, not competing against each other.” The competitive environment creates a stress bubble around the student body. When asked to rank the level of stress students feel in school out of 10 (one the lowest, 10 the highest), 88 percent of students rank their stress levels above five, and 17.3 percent rank stress levels a 10. Additionally, 77.7 percent of students name school as their main source of stress. As a way to combat this, administration is planning to offer mindfulness workshops. These will mirror the previously given assemblies on ways to handle stress (i.e. box breathing). You start to think ‘wow, if they’re “I suggest that teachers communicate to each other more efficiently winning and I’m not, I’m not in order to not assign several assessments, projects or large homework assignments on the same day,” freshman Christopher Fonseca said. While going to go anywhere in life.’ full cooperation between teachers may not be possible due to conflicting - senior Nicholas DiStefano curriculum requirements, teachers should at least consider students’ other academic obligations in order to enhance student performance. While most of this seems personalized to Heritage, the cutthroat environment and lone wolf thought process are inherent to the college process. As students attending a college preparatory school, we fall victim to college’s ploys. Our environment has evolved into a high-stress, every-personfor-themselves mentality. Heritage however, does contribute to the problem. Senior Nicholas DiStefano said that Heritage’s marketing tactics foster a robotic sense of appreciation. “With rigor, you’ll have stress, but the school does not try to limit it. They just add on with ‘oh look, this person won,’ and you start to think ‘wow, if they’re winning and I’m not, I’m not going to go anywhere in life.’ Then you always have that mindset that ‘this person is better than me, so why am I even going to try?’” DiStefano said. He believes the school should cheer for everyone equally. Some ways to include and appreciate more students is to feature monthly student profiles similar to @humansofahs posts on Heritage’s instagram (@americanheritageplant) and have a senior pamphlet that includes all college acceptances, not just the top 40 acceptances. Beyond changing marketing efforts to include a wider range of students, our students should change what we joke about and value mental health over grades. When asked about what humor the students at our school bond over, most students mentioned dark humor. Student jokes varied from “wanting to jump off the bell tower,” “ridiculing stress, “very negative stuff like failing tests” and “wanting to die.” Around 41 percent of 229 students polled at Heritage have felt a decrease in their happiness since coming to the school. High statistics like those do not belong in a high school. Amy Morin from Forbes magazine reiterated that repeating thoughts leads to believing them. “Your thoughts are a catalyst for self-perpetuating cycles. What you think directly influences how you feel and how you behave,” Morin said. If we stop joking about real problems like suicide and high stress, then we can become a more accepting and joyful class. American Heritage students are victim to toxic academia, but we don’t have to live that way. We need to think holistically— past the Intelligence Quotient and on to our Emotional Quotient.

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News

Building a new Heritage Kristen Quesada | Assistant Editor-in-Chief pl208162@ahschool.com

s Heritage continues to grow in its number of students, the campus grows along with it. With more than five large scale projects lined up for the upcoming years, the school plans on investing about $45 million in construction. With the implementation of 16 new classrooms in the almost-finished new building, the new space will allow school to start a business program and create new areas for speech and debate, a new TV broadcasting room and a publications lab. “Once we finish the new building, that will allow for us to do everything else,” school Vice President Dr. Douglas Laurie said. The construction of the new building will also allow school to rearrange the departments. “I’m trying to get engineering, the sciences and computers on one side and more social sciences and humanities on the other side,” Dr. Laurie said. “Those teachers need to collaborate, especially math and science.” The English Department will move to the new building and the east side of the 3000. Social studies and remaining English teachers will be in the 2000. Math will move to the current English hallway in the 9100, right below its related Science Department, which resides in the 9200. Next summer, the school plans to expand the library, which Dr. Laurie classifies as “a simple operation.” “We’ve outgrown the library a little bit,” he said. “We’ve been talking about expanding the space now for four or five years. We built that in 2006 and our number of high school students has grown.” He plans on knocking out the two center labs to have one big area with more computers and study space. The new area will also have a moveable wall to break it up into two in case teachers or students want to use it as a temporary classroom or a smaller study space. The next building in line will include a dining hall, student union and pool, and Dr. Laurie anticipates current freshmen will likely be able to enjoy this building in the future. This will be like no other building school has, combining several features into one building. With the Olympic-size pool on the first level, two more floors remain for student use. There will be moveable wall dividers to section off meeting areas and spaces for large club meetings and testings.

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“There would be 40,000 to 50,000 square feet of unused space in the dining hall so we’re trying to make it as multi-purpose as possible,” Dr. Laurie said. This building will also house a second library in the dining hall/student union. This area will resemble the library for meeting spaces, group study and quiet study. School is designing the study space to allow students to have a coffee or eat food while relaxing in the area. “During or after school, students will have a choice of two places to study and also have a lot better facilities for eating,” Dr. Laurie said. As he wants to recognize academic achievement in addition to sports achievement, he plans on installing trophy cases for academic competitions. “In the student union, I was considering having an area devoted to academic excellence where we can have academic competition trophies and the names of the students who have been National Merit Scholars,” he said. The Lauries have big plans for the future of Heritage, and evidently do not intend on stopping any time soon considering these projects extend well into the 2020s. Despite the wide array of future projects in line, current underclassmen will be able to see the fruition of the long-awaited new building in March of next year.

CONST RUCTI ON OVERV IEW Summer 2019 - Expanding uniform fitting space and admissions waiting room: taking over an adjacent elementary classroom to join the current uniform and admissions area for a larger space to fit uniforms and to add one or two offices in the new space for admissions - Converting the classroom in the elementary tunnel for new student testing - Library expansion 2020 - Moving the current weight room to the new gym with new workout equipment - Converting current WAHS News production room for middle school announcements - Construction of the student union/dining hall to begin Post-2020 - Current gymeteria to be split into two: elementary library as one half and elementary play area as the other half - Covering the current pool and making it into an outdoor dining area with lots of shade and vegetation; possible amphitheater (Graphics/Kristen Quesada)

Bella Ramirez| Features Editor pl237961@ahschool.com

News Brief

Talent Show

efore dancing into winter break, students auditioned for the talent show Dec. 3-7, 2018. After months of preparation by the Student Government Association, students competed in the annual talent show, Feb. 7. This year, there was more variety and a greater push for students to purchase tickets. Dean Natalie Cashman encouraged people to attend the event.

BREAK A LEG: For their performance of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” junior Zachary Dishinger, sophomore Ella Noriega and juniors Theodore Rackauskas and Elias Levy took home first place. (Photo/Olivia Lloyd)

Fine Arts Festival

he Fine Arts Festival will take place March 2 behind the 3000. The event showcases all types of art, including photography, painting, drawing and performance art for view by all grades. Clubs sponsor booths for the event as well. “Spring Fling gives Heritage artists the opportunity to get a performing experience. I think I speak for all entertainers when I say that when other people enjoy listening to me, I enjoy playing,” junior and guitarist Jacob Kasner said.

(Graphic/Amber Bhutta)

Ivy League Model United Nations

fter incorporating more novices into its conferences, Model United Nations (MUN) decided to take a step up from their more local tournaments and go to Ivy League Model United Nations (ILMUNC) for the first time. The competition was held at the University of Pennsylvania Jan. 31-Feb. 3. This nationally renowned conference replaced GatorMUN for MUN’s spring semester. “Our spring semester is really competitive in terms of trips,” co-president and senior Mikhal Ben-Joseph said. “It really put a lot of pressure on our fall semester because we knew there wasn’t going to be any other novice trips to prepare them until the Miami conference in April, so it took a lot of pressure to put as many people on as possible, which was really difficult.” Despite the challenges, Ben-Joseph felt they delivered in first semester and entered ILMUNC prepared.

Pre-Med 5K

he Pre-Medical Society hosted its 14th annual 5K For A Better Day Feb. 3 to fundraise for A Road For The Cure Foundation. The race aimed to help the pediatric oncology unit at Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital by raising funds to renovate the unit and create a playroom. “People of all age groups participate,” chairperson and junior Ebin Mathew said in preparation for the event. “It doesn’t matter if you are young or old, we invite everyone to come out and support our cause.”

ALL THE WAY: freshman Lucas Baumann crosses the finish line of the 5K on the track. (Photo/Maia Fernandez-Baigun)

Literary Fair

IT’S LIT: Literary Magazine staffers organize ribbons for the winning pieces of the Literary Fair. (Photo/Olivia Lloyd)

ONE SMALL STEP: The Model UN team gathers in front of the Federal Reserve Building. (Photo submitted by Kenzo Kimura)

IVY BOUND: The award-winning delegates display their honors after the ceremony at the end of their trip. (Photo submitted by Kenzo Kimura)

tudents who submitted to the Literary Fair found out their results Jan. 14 through the letters and emails sent out by the Literary Magazine staff. The staff honored winners at an open house Feb. 19 and displayed the winning pieces for the next two weeks. Visitors also could pre-order the literary magazine during the official open house event, and students had the opportunity to read pieces they wrote.

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hers c a e T w e N s g in r B New Year Alyssa Herzbrun | Opinion Editior pl231251@ahschool.com

merican Heritage has three new mid-school year additions to the Upper School teaching department at the school this semester. Ms. Brooke Speyerer joined the science department as a chemistry teacher this semester. She teaches both college prep and honors. Before joining Heritage as a teacher, Ms. Speyerer worked in a microbiology lab for her post-year undergrad. She became a substitute at Nova High School and worked with the Titans Care Kids math program. Last year, Ms. Speyerer taught life science at Tequesta Trace Middle School. She loves coaching high school volleyball and was even a referee for the Heritage team twice last year. Ms. Speyerer did not always want to be a teacher. She always thought she would become an anesthesia assistant. She changed her mind in the last semester of getting her master’s degree. “I want my students to have a solid foundation in chemistry by the end of the year,” Ms. Speyerer said. “I know it’s hard adjusting to a new teacher mid-year, and I’m sure my students have some gaps in their foundation, but hopefully, they are ready to learn and have a successful year.” By the end of this year, she hopes that even students who do not love chemistry are open to learning more about the subject. Mr. Joele Denis is not really new to American Heritage. He worked in lower school as a substitute teacher, and he taught Speech and Debate for Lower School, junior high and Upper School, before joining the speech and debate department to assist the current Speech and Debate teacher, Mr. Hubbard for Upper School this semester. Mr. Hubbard has taken over as the head of the speech and debate department on the Plantation campus. Before coming to the school, Mr. Denis coached speech at Stuyvesant High School in New York and Cypress Bay High School in Weston. Mr. Denis hopes his students learn to become more confident speaking in front of others. “People are more afraid of public speaking than they are of dying,” he said. “I want my students to get over that fear and have fun in the process.” Ms. Kareen Barakat is joining the English Department this semester while Ms. Bolaños is on maternity leave. Ms. Barakat graduated from American Heritage. After graduating, she received her master’s degree in literature at Florida International University. In her second year of college, Ms. Barakat was able to teach her own classes. She has been substituting for a year and will finish off the school year taking Ms. Bolaños’s place. “I know high school is hard, but I hope my class is challenging enough to offer my students what they need for next year,” Ms. Barakat said. She believes that if you go to class and work hard, you will succeed.

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CRAZY ABOUT “I also w CHEM: ant them to have fu in the lab n while app lying wha they are t learning in class,” Ms. Speyer er said. (P hoto subm ted by Ms. itSpeyerer)

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As students at a college preparatory school, much of our high school experience seems geared toward college admission. Though the college application process itself appears riddled with obstacles that we have no control over, part of the issue also lies in our perception of higher education and what constitutes a “good school.”

Amber Bhutta | Co-Editor-in-Chief pl208261@ahschool.com

cross our diverse student body, comprised of widespread interests, talents and ambitions, one almost-universal goal of our high school experience binds us together: college. The process by which we all achieve that goal differs for each individual and leaves many students considering the process unfair. This perceived unfairness, however, only comprises part of the problem. As the number of students applying to college continuously increases, gaining admission into top choice schools tends to entail more than mere academic excellence and extracurricular involvement. As college adviser and Assistant Director of College Planning Mrs. Sharon Bikoundou explained, admissions officers must consider their own “institutional priorities” in order to fulfill their goal of building a diverse class that matches the school’s specific needs and opportunities. “Admissions offices have to answer to a lot of people,” Mrs. Bikoundou said. “Professors may want more students for their dying classics department, or one department may have too few women. There is always a lot going on when crafting a class.” “Crafting a class” typically implies increasing diversity, a goal often achieved through various types of increasingly controversial affirmative action policies. The term “affirmative action” arises from President John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order No. 10925 in 1961, which required that government employers “not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, creed, color or national origin.” Under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, this protection against discrimination expanded to include students belonging to historically shut-out minorities from educational institutions, and colleges began adopting affirmative action policies that gave special consideration to minorities to ensure greater diversity.

(Photos/Angela Lin)

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institutions, but they just may not have that specific thing the school is looking for in terms of its own institutional priorities. That is not a reflection of a student’s worth or ability; it is just what the school needs and how many students it has the ability to admit.” As reported by admissions statistics from their respective undergraduate admissions offices, highly competitive schools Harvard, Stanford and Northwestern all received upward of 40,000 applications in 2018, but each school could only accept around 2,000 students. “Those schools aren’t opening up more spots as they receive more and more applications,” Mrs. Bikoundou said. “As guidance counselors, we just want students to be happy with their college experience, no matter how cheesy it sounds. That often means broadening your perspective during the application process and realizing that there are so many places you may not have heard of where you can be academically fulfilled and happy.” She furthered that students who place too much emphasis on the name-brand value of the schools they apply to do not realize opportunities available to them elsewhere, especially through programs such as honors colleges. With these opportunities, she explained, students who work hard will still have the same platform for success that even Ivy League institutions offer. “There is a life after four years of undergraduate school,” Mrs. Bikoundou said. “If you work hard in college, even if it’s not the dream school you wanted, you’ll rise to the top and still have so many opportunities to succeed.” As abstract as it may sound, personal fulfillment in the college admissions process entails broadening your perspective. Avoid heavily weighing the name-brand value of each school into your decision-making process. Understand that higher education does not necessarily stop after four years OF of undergraduate school. UltimateTY I ly, the next time you encounter RS the phrase “College is a match to be made, not a prize to be won,” overcome the impulse to dismiss it, and take the time to reconsider.

Despite its well-intentioned origins, affirmative action remains mired in controversy, especially as many misinterpret its purpose or overstate its influence on college admissions. Such policies have invoked criticism and even legal action as some critics unjustly claim they violate the Equal Protection clause in the Constitution and give minority students an unfair advantage. “Affirmative action is a matter of finally including people who have been historically shut out from this process,” Mrs. Bikoundou said. “There’s no fault in that idea of inclusion, and while diversity is part of building a class, saying that minority students get into college because of their minority status neglects those students’ merit and accomplishments. They worked hard, too.” Others challenge that, in striving for diversity, these admission policies lead to the establishment of inadvertent racial quotas, epitomized by the Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard lawsuit in which the SFFA alleged that Harvard employs “racially and ethnically discriminatory policies” that put Asian-American students at a disadvantage by capping the percentage of Asian-American admissions in order to maintain a certain racial breakdown on campus. “Ultimately, things like this fall under that idea of institutional priorities,” Mrs. Bikoundou said. “One of those priorities is typically diversity. In this case, both the number of applicants and the breakdown of the applicant pool matter. The resulting students who are admitted may not entirely reflect the breakdown of students who apply, but that’s all in the name of diversity. It’s rarely perfect, but they try.” The culpability for such disparities, however, does not solely lie in the hands of admissions policies or officers. As Mrs. Bikoundou explained, part of the issue with college admissions does not revolve around a narrative of fairness, but rather a narrative of perspective. “There is such a focus on these top 200 or so schools that students apOF NORTH plying to colleges narrow their own perspective, ” Mrs. Bikoundou said. “So many stuLVX dents may be absolutely qualified to go to attend these

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“...saying that minority students get into college because of their minority status neglects those students’ merit and accomplishments. They worked hard, too.”

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Features

Olivia Lloyd | Copy Editor pl229501@ahschool.com

he mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School [MSD] Feb. 14 of last year marked a turning point in many people’s lives. A year later, a host of changes have taken place in response to the shock of the massacre that occurred. The Saturday following the shooting, Heritage students held a rally on Broward Boulevard as an early part of the March for Our Lives movement. Two months after the shooting, gun reform advocates working with MSD students staged nationwide protests from Parkland to Washington, D.C. Another new addition to the school was the Advocating for Change Today (ACT) club, founded by seniors Amy Haft and Jacob Mass shortly after the shooting. Haft and Mass founded the club with the intent of creating a space for “students who wanted to speak out after the Stoneman Douglas shooting,” Haft said. The first major event the club held was the walkout on the anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting, which (Photo/ TIME Magazine)

took place April 20, 1999. students from American Heritage and Stoneman Douglas gave speeches. A year later, though, as the shooting becomes more past than present, the ACT club has evolved. “We trans-

“After the MSD shooting, I felt really devastated and helpless. I’ve seen some of [my friends from Stoneman Douglas] have panic attacks or anxiety issues they didn’t have before the shooting. It’s been really rough to see that. In general, I try to be there for them whenever I can and stay in contact.”

— Senior Jacob Mass

formed it into a grassroots program to teach high schoolers to get involved in politics,” Haft said. “I do think that a lot of students are starting to lose interest. It’s going out of their minds, and they have other priorities rather than (Photos/Amy Haft, ACT Club)

Feb. 14, 2018 Shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas leads to activists emerging around the nation.

(Graphics/Bella Ramirez)

14 Features

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getting involved in politics in their community.” Beginning the 2018-19 year, administration completed numerous updates to campus security. The updates include adding two armed police officers on campus, 15 additional security staff members, a reinforced perimeter fence and a security and surveillance office, to name a few. These updates alone cost approximately $1.095 million. Part of administration’s plan included adopting clear backpacks, something that MSD administration also instituted in the wake of the shooting but discontinued for the 2018-19 year. When MSD adopted the clear backpacks policy, its decision sparked protest from many students, who felt the backpacks were an invasion of privacy and an ineffective means to protect them from students who attempt to bring weapons on campus. Although less visible, one lasting effect on Heritage students, not to mention Douglas students, has been their emotional state post-shooting and the attempt to find a new normal. As the one-year anniversary passes, the effects of the MSD shooting continue to manifest. The local community and national public still attempt to process and respond to what has occurred, resulting in the Never Again movement.

April 20, 2018 ACT Club holds the Columbine Rally to give a voice to student activists.

March 2018 Seniors Jacob Mass and Amy Haft create ACT Club (Advocating for Change Today) to sponsor more activism from teens.

A Tou

(Photo/Emma Gellman)

Jan. 2019 Marjory Stoneman Douglas introduced an ongoing memorial outside of the school. (Photo/Olivia Lloyd)

One Year Later T

(Phot

When They Were Us:

CRUISING THE CARRIBEAN: Mrs. Blake takes a picture before going on a cruise with her high school friends, leaving her parents for the first time. (Photos submitted/Rosa Blake)

Mrs. Rosa Blake

Have you ever wondered what your teachers were like in high school? In our monthly teacher profile, we take a trip to the past and explore what teachers were like ‘When They Were Us’ (WTWU).

Madison Lynn |Staff Writer pl235031@ahschool.com

ailing from Havana, Cuba, Mrs. Rosa Blake, born Rosa Rodriguez, has always had a passion for teaching. However, that passion for teaching did not start in the field of Spanish but in music. When Mrs. Blake was 2 years old her family moved from Cuba to the U.S. for a better life, as they were seeking political

asylum at the time. They settled down in New Jersey where Mrs. Blake grew up and completed most of her schooling. “I’ve been playing the piano since I was 5 years old, classically,” Mrs. Blake said. “[My parents] asked me if I wanted to be a dancer and to take ballet or if I wanted to learn an instrument, and I said I wanted to play piano.” She found her deep love for music, which she continued to pursue in school. Mrs. Blake was involved in many extracurricular activities in high school. She was a member of the Glee Club, Students Against Drunk Driving and the Culture Club, where students explored artistic culture by going to musicals and museums and traveling to NYC. She was also president of the Spanish Club her senior year.

After she graduated high school, Mrs. Blake attended The College of New Jersey where she majored in Music Education and minored in Spanish Language where she found her other passion, singing. In college she interned at a local primary school where she taught music classes for young children every saturday. She also studied and traveled abroad all across Spain from Seville to Barcelona focusing on her Spanish language minor. In 2004, Mrs. Blake moved to Florida and worked as a part-time music teacher and Spanish teacher. Later, she taught Spanish fulltime. Although Mrs. Blake has not played any instruments recently, she retains her passion for music as well as teaching. Mrs. Blake met her husband, Doug Blake, in 2001 through her roommate and married him in 2005. Two years later, she had her first son, Dougie, and five years later had her second son, Dylan. Mrs. Blake, currently Spanish and ESOL teacher, notes that she strives to make her FRIENDS ‘TIL THE END: Spanish classes fun and interactive for her Even though her sister is eight students so they feel as interested and pasyears younger, Mrs. Blake sionate as she has always felt about Spanish. thinks of her sister as one of her closest friends.

Features 15

To 6.1 and be ond

Amber Bhutta | Co-Editor-in-Chief pl208261@ahschool.com

n a i r o t c i d e l a V o-

Shayaan Subzwari

Co-Valedictor ian

Saaketh

Vedantam

lutator ian a S

Andrew Ma

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16 Features

1+1 2+3(5)

While he received the accolade of Co-Valedictorian, senior Shayaan Subzwari’s academic involvement extends far beyond the classroom. In addition to the the 20 AP classes he has taken, he partakes in Mu Alpha Theta, Quiz Bowl, History Bowl and Science Bowl. He also plays piano and has a black belt in Taekwondo. “I would say that my participation with Quiz Bowl has probably been the most meaningful,” Subzwari said. “It’s been a way for me to pursue my interests in various fields and also make new friendships.” Through his involvement in Quiz Bowl, Subzwari says he has gained the knowledge to further improve his academic standing and eventually earn the title of Co-Valedictorian. “I’m honored by this opportunity to represent our class Co-Valedictorian and senior at graduation and thankful for my family, teachers Saaketh Vedantam participates in and friends who have always helped me Mu Alpha Theta, Science Bowl and along the way,” Subzwari said. competitive programing. Outside of school, he plays in the Florida Youth Orchestra and partakes in the Florida Student Association of Mathematics (FLSAM). “FLSAM is probably the most meaningful to me because it gave me exposure to major national math competitions where I met many other students who share similar passions as me,” Vedantam said. His involvement in FLSAM stems from his underlying penchant for science and math, something that has also manifested through the numerous Advanced Placement math and science classes he has taken. Ultimately, Vedantam says passion for STEM helped him earn the title of Co-Valedictorian. “It feels pretty good,” he said about becoming Involved in Mu Alpha Theta, Co-Valedictorian. “In ninth grade, I never thought Science Bowl and coding club, Saluit would happen in such tatorian and senior Andrew Ma consida competitive school.” ers his role as coding club president his most valuable extracurricular experience. “At school, I feel like coding is an unexplored area that has a lot of potential,” Ma said. “As president, I help implement the curriculum and teach, but I also try to bring it to the level of prestige that other more established clubs, like Mu Alpha Theta, have.” He added that his motivation in the coding club carries over to his academic career. “Even if you’re getting As, there’s always someone out there who’s doing better than you, and that motivates me to work hard,” Ma said, citing this competitive atmosphere as the primary reason for earning Salutatorian. “[Becoming Salutatorian] feels like everything I’ve been (Graphics/Angela Lin) working for these past four years has been validated,” Ma (Photos/ Weston Photography and Joanne Haner) said. “Earning this title is really an honor.”

Entertainment

to Earth Alyssa Herzbrun | Opinion Editor pl231251@ahschool.com

Urban Decay originally made products that were tested on animals but recently decided to stop the process. The products are in the $30 range. The company’s go-to products are in the collection named Beached with bold lipsticks and nude eyeshadow palettes. The brand has a wide variety of makeup and is sold in most every makeup store and Macy’s.

Reformation provides both sustainability and accountability to its customers through its release of quarterly reports. It recycles up to about 75 percent of all of its garbage and maintains extreme energy-efficiency. “Basically, in exchange for the emissions, water and waste our clothes used last quarter, we protected 1,000 acres of the Amazon Rainforest from deforestation, contributed 27 million gallons of freshwater to critically dewatered rivers and wetlands in California, and purchased landfill gas offsets,” the Reformation website said.

Amour Vert has focused its mission on promoting eco-friendly, yet fashionable clothing. The brand uses locally and sustainably sourced fabrics; local production of the clothing decreases heavy pollution caused by transport. With every purchase of an Amour Vert T-shirt, the brand plants a tree in North America in partnership with American Forest®. “To date, we’ve planted over 200,000 trees and supported 21 reforestation projects,” the company said. The denim industry leaves a detrimental impact on the environment, polluting both the air and many rivers through heavy factory production. However, DL1961 utilizes domestically sourced fibers and natural indigo dyes from plants. The brand also uses solar power and its own inhouse power generation plant. “A traditional pair of jeans is made using 1,500 gallons of water. We use less than 10 and treat and recycle 98 percent of it,” DL1961 reported.

Patagonia

DL1961

Amour Vert

Urban Decay

The Pacifica brand not only stopped animal testing but is also vegan, which means the makeup uses no animal products. The products often range from $10 to $20. Pacifica not only sells makeup but also about 10 scents of cruelty-free and vegan perfumes. One of the most popular products includes its purifying face mask to hydrate the skin. This makeup line sells in makeup chain stores such as Ulta and Sephora.

Reformation

Pacifica

Sloane Kapit | Co-Assistant Editor-in-Chief pl216611@ahschool.com

The fashion and makeup industry comes in close second behind the oil industry as one of the largest polluters in the world. Here are six brands that have taken the initiative to combat this and embed sustainability into their sourcing.

(Graphic/ Maia Fernandez Baigun)

Patagonia commits itself to crafting not only durable outdoor apparel, but also recyclable and environmentally friendly products. Patagonia donates 1 percent of all sales to assisting environmental organizations worldwide. Additionally, when a Patagonia product “has reached the end of its useful life,” the company collects the items for recycling and repurposing.

Entertainment 17

OBSCURA

iko

Throughout the album, Aiko dedicates Maia Fernandez-Baigun | Entertainment Editor pl212601@ahschool.com songs to three of the most important people

ccasionally, a certain thing that used to be popular will lose its hype - only to regain it years later. This has happened with fashion, lifestyle and music genres. Broader music genres such as hip-hop or jazz have “transformed” to fit into today’s society, but this also gives smaller genres like lofi pop or soulful music the opportunity to rise in popularity into more of a trend. In early September 2017, singer and songwriter Jhené Aiko surprised fans when she released her plans for a three-part project she was working on. The project, known as MAP, boasts a double meaning: one stands as an acronym (Movie, Album and Poetry), while the other is simply the meaning of the word in relation to her experience and mapping her path while coping with her brother Miyagi’s death in 2012. She then released her sophomore album, “Trip”, Sept. 22, 2017.

in her life at the time: her deceased brother, her daughter and her boyfriend. The concept of the album was to trace her path of recovery from the loss and to show the different stages of grief, including depression, drugs and emptiness. Despite her despair at the time, Aiko pours her heart into each lyric in every line of the 22 tracks. Her airy voice blends in with the psychedelic chords, creating a melodic-high. Where other artists blend their R&B roots in with rap, hip hop and pop music to create a greater appeal to the general audience, Aiko stays true to the slow and soulful melody and the intended message of her journey. The album, filled with major collaborators including Swae Lee, Brandy, John Mayer and her boyfriend Big Sean, leaves a lasting impression on the listener. The album’s top hit, “Only Lovers Left Alive,” creates more dynamism within such a lyrically melancholic album. “Sativa,” featuring Swae Lee, is also one of the standouts

Entertainment Brief Madison Lynn | Staff Writer pl235031@ahschool.com

Meek Mill Tour

American rapper Meek Mill will start his 2019 tour, “The Motivation Tour” promoting his latest album “CHAMPIONSHIPS.” This will be his first tour since his release from prison in April 2018, and he will begin in Miami Feb.19 at the Fillmore Miami Beach. The tour will feature top songs from his album such as “What’s Free” and “Uptown Vibes.”

18 Entertainment

(Graphics/Zoe Persaud) (Photo/www.ebony.com)

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Jh en

within the album. The hazy and almost trippy melody is accompanied by the lyrics “Why you make it so complicated?/ Off the drink, we concentratin’/ I know you won’t leave me hangin” giving context to a time in Aiko’s storyline of grief. As two of the more popular tracks in the album that convey Aiko’s raw emotions with her lyrics, these two songs give a sense of bittersweetness ultimately leading to the final track in the album, “Sing To Me,” featuring Aiko’s daughter, Namiko Love. As they both repeat the phrase “sing to me” over piano chords, Aiko exposes her sentimental side once more. Trip works because other than retelling Aiko’s story, it highlights the “places” people go to escape reality and themselves. With her lyrical transparency, Aiko conveys how she found a reason and people, who are still alive, to carry on and to tie in to her ultimate savior, love. Aiko will continue to work on this three-part project and recounts her experiences during a time of mourning, but also rebuilding.

Grammys

Super Bowl LIII Headlining at the Atlanta, Ga. Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Super Bowl LIII was pop band Maroon 5. Although many black artists have been discouraged from performing at the halftime show in protest of the new NFL policy enforcing that all players stand for the National Anthem, African American rappers Big Boi and Travis Scott joined the band for the show.

In the annual celebration of musical success, the 61st Grammy awards were hosted by R&B singer Alicia Keys at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. The awards included nominations of 2018s most well-known artists, such as Post Malone for his album “Beerbongs & Bentleys” for Best Album, Ariana Grande for her performance of “God is a woman” for Best Pop Solo Performance, and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper for their song “Shallow” for Best Record.

SUPER BOWL

(Photo/rap-up.com) (Graphics/Joanne Haner and Zoe Persaud)

SPOT LIGHT

Sloane Kapit | Co-Asst. Editor-in-Chief pl216611@ahschool.com

style, she can access the most vulnerability and tell a story through her motion. “Dance is important to me because it relieves my stress. It allows me to clear my mind. When my body feels good, my mind does too,” Roberts said. Her talents led her to becoming the first freshman in the school’s history to join the dance company. Talents and accomplishments aside, Roberts considers the friends she has made along the way the most significant aspect of her years of dance. “I’ve been through good and bad times with my dance friends, so I know most of these friendships will last for a lifetime,” Roberts said. Dance has taught Roberts the valuable lesson that nothing in life comes easy. In her words, if you don’t work hard for what you want, you’ll never succeed or reach your full potential. As for her advice to other dancers, she boils her own success down to being humble. “It doesn’t matter how talented you are. If you have a bad attitude or are difficult to work with, you’ll never be successful in the dance world,” she said. On Feb. 12, Roberts, along with the rest of the school dance company gave a performance to honor African Americans in history during Black History Month, this year highlighting historically black colleges. In the coming months, she will take on various national competitions with Dance Attack and seek to defend the studio’s national championship title.

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t 2 years old, she walked into her first dance class; now, she stars on every stage she walks onto. Upon trying out her first dance class, she had so much fun that she begged her mom to return each day. Now, after 16 years of dancing, senior Logan Roberts has proven herself not only to the school Dance Department, but also at various national competitions with her studio. Roberts credits her Chinese-Jamaican background for providing her with a special interest in music and arts from a young age. This inspired her to find her own rhythm. Her Jamaican-born parents surrounded her with the opportunity to go down the creative path of her liking. Throughout Roberts’ dance career, her mom and grandmother have supported her; she can sense how happy it makes them to watch her perform on stage. “Nothing compares to watching my family’s faces light up as I greet them after a competition,” she said. After years at various different studios, she moved to Dance Attack Dance Studio in fifth grade. Here, with the help of her dance teachers John Culbertson and Cookie Ramos, she flourished into the dancer she is today. She fell in love with the lyrical genre of dance, as she feels that through this

Logan Roberts

Entertainment 19

Sports Alex Becker| Sports Editor pl215753@ahschool.com Sammy Rosenthal| Staff Writer pl218212@ahschool.com

Springing new

into

weightlifting

The Patriots weightlifting team lost a lot of its power during the summer with Zachary Zambrano and Jacob Kaplan leaving to play college football. Now, the Patriots will rely heavily on senior long snapper Jose Melgarejo to carry the load. Melgarejo qualified for the state tournament last season and holds a personal best 305-pound bench.

varsity tennis

swimming

The entire swim team work toward building off last season and improving every day. “We have some good young swimmers,” coach Nobutaka Tan said, “[but we’re] looking for a more competitive team.” Coach Tan hopes to focus on inspiring his swimmers in the new season.

THROWING HEAT: Senior pitcher Amelia Saviskas looks to continue her success this season after winning 13 of her 14 starts last season. (Photo/ Charles Trainor Jr.)

track and field

After Jaden McBurrows recently transferred to St. Thomas Aquinas and now-college football players Patrick Surtain Jr., Tyson Campbell, Anthony Schwartz and Miles Jones graduated, Coach Gregory Barnes will look to use the boys track and field team’s season as a rebuilding year. The girls track and field team will look to bring home the state championship with the help of top athletes sophomore Myrka Cadet, junior Danielle Bess, sophomore Kenya Thompson and sophomore Sherri-Ann Norton.

volleyball

boys

After finishing last season 1-6 with a sole 3-2 victory over Pembroke Pines Charter, the Patriots did not end the season as they intended. The win from last season is the team’s third since 2014. However, with the majority of the roster returning this season, the Patriots chemistry should be at a high. In a game in which communication is key, the returning roster might be exactly what the Patriots need to have a winning record for the first time in team history. Despite losing the talents of top-ranked tennis player sophomore Adam Duan, coach Toby Croke looks to lead the varsity tennis team and improve from last season. “Last year’s tennis team core remains intact since we had no seniors and most of our players are returning this season,” sophomore Elliot Starkman, one of last year’s starters, said. “We are looking to build off of last year’s efforts.”

ACE OF STRIKES: Senior lefty pitcher Ryan Cabarcas led the team in strikeouts last season with 95. (Photo submitted by Ryan Carbacas)

varsity softball

The Lady Patriots look to make it back to the state championship for the eighth consecutive year, hoping to win back-to-back titles. Coming off their 21-8 season, in which the Lady Patriots scored 231 runs with a .423 batting average, the team will strive to pick up where it left off offensively. Senior pitchers Amelia Saviskas and Julia Grobman will lead the mound after combining for 102 strikeouts and a combined earned run average of 1.5 a season ago.

varsity baseball

The Patriots took the field last season as the No. 1 baseball team in the country. However, after losing first baseman Triston Casas to the Boston Red Sox and third baseman Cory Acton to the University of Florida, the Patriots will look for upperclassmen to step up this season. The team hopes to keep up its efficient scoring from a season ago where it scored 237 runs on 257 hits. The Patriot bullpen will also try to stay on the same page as a season ago when it held a team earned run average of 1.70 behind senior ace pitcher Ryan Cabarcas.

sports

boys lacrosse

Despite losing to St. Thomas Aquinas in the district final, the Patriots walk into the 2019 season after their best season in team history with an .850 win percentage. The Patriots will look to build off a successful season where they won 85 percent of all face-offs and scored 257 goals, while only surrendering 150. While the team hopes to continue its good fortune, it will also need to replace last season’s senior captains Dante Cloutier and Ryan Marek. Luckily, the team will have eight of 11 starters from last season back.

girls

20 Sports

lacrosse

After finishing 7-12 last season, coach Troy Millican and the girls lacrosse team will look to improve in the upcoming season. One area of focus would be its 3-9 record in away games. The team plays their first away matchup in their third game of the season versus the Plantation Colonels.

Flying to new heights Madison Lynn| Staff Writer pl235031@ahschool.com

arsity cheer co-captain and flyer Gina Heintskill has cheered since the young age of 7. She started by cheering for her older brother’s flag football team and continued to cheer in school as well, starting her first year of junior high. “I joined not only to make friends but also to start getting involved [in athletics] as soon as I could, because I was very active when I came to Heritage in sixth grade,” Heintskill said. Now in the second half of her senior year, Heintskill has completed seven years of cheer at Heritage.“I love the camaraderie that is in cheer,” Heintskill said. “I love making new friends and sharing new experiences, going to cheer camp and meeting girls on other teams. At the end of the day, it’s really fun to be a part of,” Heintskill said. With cheer comes complexities, and she believes the most challenging part is learning dances, while other aspects such as cheers, chants, jumps and stunts come more easily. “[The most rewarding part] is when my stunt group has been working very hard to

get down a stunt and we finally get it,” Heintskill said. “The best part of that is learning something new and overcoming something that we probably could have, getting through obstacles.” This past year, Heintskill tried out and qualified for the Varsity All-American Cheer Team, in which junior varsity members perform at the Macy’s Day Parade and varsity members perform in London. “We stay in our rooms an hour to an hour and a half until we get things like dances, cheers and jumps down pat,” Heintskill said. “So when we try out for All American, we have everything and are not going to mess up, as everything is set in stone.”

Aside from cheer, Heintskill plays piano, partakes in the school choir, was a member of the track team for six years and enjoys teaching younger cheerleaders the basics when they need help. She has a passion for track but due to her busy schedule and commitments, she had to drop track and prioritize cheer. Heintskill believes everyone has potential even if they doubt themselves. “Everybody has their good qualities and their not so good qualities, there is something that they are good at,” Heintskill said. “Some are good at memorizing cheers, some are good at memorizing chants, some are very physical and can help with stunts, and some are very flexible and can be flyers. Everyone has their own qualities whether or not they know it.” CHEERING CHAMPION: Senior Gina Heintskill competed in many cheer competitions during summer cheer camp. (Photo submitted by Gina Heintskill)

Paris Sharpe takes basketball by storm

Olivia Loyd| Copy Editor pl229501@ahschool.com

eniorParis Sharpe made her mark on the varsity girls basketball team during her first and last season at Heritage. Sharpe, who signed in November with Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., played for Heritage her senior year after SHARPE GAME: Senior Paris Sharpe has been leading her team to victory since seventh grade. (Photo/Weston Photography)

switching from Cardinal Gibbons for the 201819 year. “I transferred here for a better education and basketball,” Sharpe said. In middle school, Sharpe had the opportunity to participate in multiple sports, including dance and basketball, but ultimately she settled on basketball in seventh grade and has been playing since then. Sharpe played down low, primarily as a power forward in addition to small forward and center. She frequently racked up the most points and rebounds, averaging 20 points and 12 rebounds per game. At Rollins, she plans to pursue a degree in sports medicine. When Sharpe begins playing on the Rollins team she will have to adapt to playing a new position. “In college I won’t be considered as tall,” said Sharpe, who is 6 feet tall. “Most of those girls are about 6-feet-6 inches.” Sharpe played center until her sophomore year before beginning to play additional positions for Cardinal Gibbons and eventually Heritage.

After moving to Heritage this year, Sharpe quickly became acquainted with playing for the new team. “I’m considered a leader, so I have to make sure everyone is comfortable and together and playing as they should,” Sharpe said. “I have to make sure I keep up a good attitude so my teammates don’t ever feel like they don’t have a chance.” Although the season has not gone as planned, Sharpe is looking toward the playoffs. “It was a little up and down [this season],” Sharpe said. “We played really hard teams, top teams from different teams who are state champions.” The team went 17-9 during the season with a notable victory over rival Archbishop McCarthy in a 80-32 win. Sharpe scored 21 points and had 14 rebounds at the Feb. 8 playoff game. At the close of the season, Sharpe will continue to work on her basketball skillswhile looking ahead to playing for Rollins College beginning next year.

Sports 21

From the Bench BY ALEX BECKER

The time I went to the gym

I recently went to the gym. It was not my decision; I was pressured into it. Most of the time your friends will be the ones to convince you to do something you don’t want to do, but not me. No, the one who forced my hand at working out was my own mother. My brother thinks he is “big.” Although he is a nerdy statistics major who wears an adult small, my 20-year-old brother insists he has “guns.” I will admit he is in good shape. Raised in a household with a father who considers buffets a game to be won and a mother who packed Lunchables for school up until freshman year, it is quite an accomplishment to leave for college thin. Home from school and looking to maintain his “voluptuous body,” my brother decided to go to the gym. He told me I should go with him, but I declined, finding myself rather content in bed with Cheeto fingers watching my “Friends” marathon (the only marathon I enjoy). However, my mom overheard and said, “It would be good for you.” That struck a chord. I knew I was chunky, but my own mother telling me that I should go to the steroid capital of Weston was a real kick in the you-know-where’s. Suddenly motivated, I swapped my slippers for Nike’s and went with my brother. The gym was everything I expected: a room full of people thinner than me, sweating while they lifted weights in abnormal positions. I felt like a cow in a horse stable. My time there was short but painful. I benched (I max out at the bar, in case you were wondering), I did shoulder workouts (even though I’ve never looked at my shoulders and thought “I wish these were more muscular”) and I used the free weights. Despite being told I would feel healthier, I left sore and wondering why exactly I need to look in the mirror while I curl a five-pound weight. Why I tell you this: Do not feel the need to exercise just because people tell you to. The gym isn’t for everyone; in fact, I believe it is only for the mentally insane. Some people are better off jogging on the treadmill at home or simply walking around the neighborhood. I, for one, feel I am at my physical peak whilst soaking in a bubble bath.

22 Sports

Shining a light on sports broadcasting “I see [future students] creating not just podcasts, but a weekly or biweekly sports show that we could put on our website,” ith more than 60 teams on cam- Ms. Molina said. “We have a lot of winpus, it can be a difficult task for ning teams, and we want to get exposure a publication such as WAHS or for them. There are kids on those teams the Patriot Post to cover every event. En- that nobody knows about and that’s what ter Sports Production Honors, a separate we want to hit.” broadcast-related class with a special focus Junior Alycia Cypress currently serves on sports reporting and live events. Intro- as the WAHS assistant crew chief, but she duced about three years ago, Sports Produc- also took the Sports Production class her tion provides multimedia students with an sophomore year. opportunity to specialize in a specific field “I definitely learned what I wanted to of broadcast journalism. learn and fell in love with all of the sports The class, taught by WAHS advisor Ms. that Heritage has,” Cypress said. Maria Molina Cypress also with assistance says she knows from WSVN the school sports anchor sports system inMr. Donovan side and out beCampbell and cause of her exESPN play-byperiences in the play man Mr. sports broadDavid LaMcasting class. ont, works on She commonly covering all takes photos of sports present LEARNING THE PLAY-BY-PLAY: Sophomore Timothy sports events at Heritage, Nolle and Freshman Jacob Bennett sit behind the play-by-play across campus from the eques- station during a varsity football game earlier this year. (Photo/ for WAHS. trian team to Maria Molina) Ms. Movarsity football. In order to take Sports Pro- lina noted that the collaborative enviduction Honors, students must complete ronment of the class is not only enjoythe multimedia course or equivalent as a able for the students but makes the class pre-requisite. Students can take Sports Pro- feel more like a discussion instead of a duction multiple years and build seniority, teacher-guided lecture. similar to newspaper and broadcasting. After taking multimedia classes in ju“WAHS has been around since 2007, nior high and serving as the Sports Editor and we’ve had live events as long as I can for the Spotlight yearbook last year, junior remember, but there were never enough of Harrison Krimsky is currently enrolled in us to cover all the sports. That’s when I saw the sports broadcasting class. the need to branch off,” Ms. Molina said. “I “Ever since I was little I would avidly talked to Mrs. Behar, and we brought Mr. watch the sports broadcasters on ESPN asCampbell in.” piring one day to do what they did. This Sports Production allows students to class gave me the perfect opportunity to put incorporate their multimedia experience my passion into place,” Krimsky said. into the athletic world through conducting With the chance to express their athletic interviews with athletes, holding live press side but not necessarily in a uniform, sports conferences, creating podcasts and learning broadcasting has helped many students fuel sideline reporting. their love of sports in a less traditional light. Joanne Haner|Online Editor-In-Chief pl184941@ahschool.com

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(Photo/Angela Lin)