Issue 4 March/April/May 2021

The Patriot Post

VOL. 24 ISSUE 4 MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2021 AMERICAN HERITAGE PLANTATION

Pg 4 Editorial: Put yourself first

Pg 18 Senior farewells

Pg 24 Patriots in NFL draft

Connections in COVID-19 Pg 14 Relationships shift through our digitized and distant year

(Photos/Bella Ramirez)

Staff Editor-in-Chief | | Bella Ramirez, 12 Asst. Online Editor-in-Chief | | Eva Pierre-Antoine, 11 Sports Editor | | Sammy Rosenthal, 12

Dear Heritage, Speaking from a personal standpoint, the past year completely changed the way I looked at all types of relationships. There’s a lot of people I don’t talk to as much anymore. On the other end though, I’m closer than ever with my core group of friends. They make me happy to wake up in the morning and strong enough to brace every headline that scars my wakeup newsletter “The Morning.” To best present the bittersweet and ever-changing relationships of the past year, we’ve decided to cover it as our center spread.

Relationships don’t just change in the context of COVID-19 though. So, remember to hold those in your life close. Thank you for all of the love the Heritage community gave both The Patriot Post and me over my years.

With love, here’s to the next chapter,

The Patriot Post

the American Heritage student news magazine VOL. 24 ISSUE 4 MARCH/APRIL/MAY 2021 Follow Our Socials

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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.

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With new posts on our online newspaper almost every day, the content doesn’t stop at the last page of this magazine.

Visit ipatriotpost.com for more information and subscribe for email notifications.

2 Welcome

Opinion Editor | | Jack Shechtman, 12 Entertainment Editor | | Emily Anderson, 12 Features Editor | | Ellaheh Gohari, 9

Online Editor-in-Chief, Social Media and Business Manager | | Kayla Rubenstein, 12 Copy Editors | | Emily Anderson, 12 | | Sammy Rosenthal, 12 Staff Writers | | Emma Remudo, 12 | | Joseph Richards, 11 | | Nithisha Makesh, 10 Adviser | | Diana Adams

The Patriot Post is featured as an online pdf on Issuu for free.

American Heritage has 1,900 students and 141 faculty members

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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.

(Design/Bella Ramirez) Issue 4

Table of Contents

PLUGGED IN To better stay connected over the year, students turned to social media platforms to reach out to their peers and form closer relationships. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found that 90% of teens aged 13-17 used social media at some point in their lives.

(Photo/Bella Ramirez)

Page 4

Opinion

Editorial: Put yourself first Distance learning has been detrimental to student’s learning and relationships College admissions impose a weight on students’ mental health Monolingual misery Doubting distance learning?

Why TikTok is more of a curse than a blessing

Page 8

News

Top scholars announced Induction ceremonies adapt News brief COVID vaccine update

Page 11

Features

Page 14

Cover Story

Connections in COVID-19

Page 20

Entertainment

Behind the scenes: Sound Singing into action: Krystal Molina Opinion: TikTok destroys good songs FASOTM: Mandy Lanier

Page 23

Sports

Backhands to the face: Varsity tennis Relax but without the “re”: Boys’ varsity lacrosse Patriot Alumni to NFL Draft

Interested in more? Check out our content at ipatriotpost.com

When they were us: Mr. Juan Laureano Everyone has a story: Lily-Rose Sheedy Guidance counselors during COVID-19 Tackling the AP exams Senior farewells Issue 4 (Design/Bella Ramirez)

Table of Contents 3

Opinion

Put yourself first

Mental health overpowers any other factor, and sometimes you must let go of past relationships to strengthen the one between yourself.

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hroughout the quarantine, hundreds of mental wellness accounts spread messages encouraging people to take “needed breaks.”

With the prevalence of mental health posts, there came a counterattack from hyperproductive accounts.

The voicesofyouth blog detailed the pressure from Instagram influencers threatening people to make the most of their time.

Blogger Kamogelo noticed this and said that “we link our productivity to self worth, even when we’re not doing okay, and it’s out of our control” and defined this as toxic productivity.

This toxic productivity can lead to a multitude of health imbalances starting in the mental and stemming to the physical.

After a year working mostly individually (for some), here’s one more reminder that the relationship you have with yourself is

the most important.

Putting yourself first can mean letting go of people you feel are taking more than they are giving to your life’s overall wellness.

Business Insider defined seven signs that a friendship is over, two of which seem applicable to the way people may have acted in quarantine: “you do all of the work in the relationship” and “you can’t count on [them].”

With every student on campus having Wi-Fi capabilities and internet connection, reaching out to others and responding during quarantine followed a complete line of choice.

If someone you thought was a friend isn’t giving you the dependability you want in a friendship, then it is ok to let that person go.

Psychology Today even details that “If it ever gets to the point where you need to dis-

tance yourself for your own well-being, just remember, you are doing the right thing.”

With quarantine and a majority of social interactions occurring digitally, most relationships were forced to operate plugged in. Unfortunately, with that came the dissolve of friendships or just a brief period of ignoring.

Now that we’re re-entering a sense of normalcy, it’s easy to question if those friendships truly ended or if that was a fluke with the spin of quarantine. There is no right answer to how to handle friendships.

Letting go of people because you changed or they are no longer the kind of person you would like to be friends with is valid and sometimes can help you grow.

A FUTURE FROM FRIENDSHIPS Mental Health First Aid reports that friends are especially important in matters pertaining to mental

health because sometimes it can be difficult to easily communicate with family about those topics. Healthy and positive relationships allow for a positive mindset by having someone to rely on, reducing stress and building up confidence. (Photo/ Bella Ramirez)

4 Editorial

(Design/Nithisha Makesh ) Issue 4

Distance learning has been detrimental to students’ learning and relationships Jack Shechtman |Opinion Editor pl235751@ahschool.com

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mid the unprecedented times due to the pandemic, schools around the country have offered or been completely virtual.

Through online school, students don’t receive the same engagement with their peers and teachers as they would in the classroom, and this not only limits their relationships, but it also makes learning that much harder.

When students participate in school through a camera, without a doubt, asking questions and paying attention is more difficult because you don’t have the ability to freely speak to classmates, and the distractions are limitless.

In addition, not having face-to-face interactions with classmates damages relationships, as there is no longer an opportunity to see and talk to all the people an individual is friendly with at school.

While you could stay connected through iMessage and social media, it is

not the same as in person because there is no reason to reach out and talk to so many different people, as opposed to just running into them at school and chatting.

According to research done by the High Focus Center, “Spending a significant amount of time online can fatigue both students and their teachers. [This] is because our brains are unable to process information in the way [they are] accustomed to.”

When learning face to face in the classroom, non-verbal cues like facial expression, tone of voice, eye contact and body language help an individual process information.

Watching your teacher lecture with his or her mask on eliminates those cues, making it unquestionably harder to absorb information.

The research also explained how social isolation with schools practicing remote learning causes anxiety and negative attitudes towards school.

While school existed as a learning

environment but also a place to be social, times have changed that reduce social interaction tremendously, and this not only affects relationships, but it can also cause stress and mild depression.

Senior Alex Lammers felt maintaining relationships through online school to be difficult. “Distance learning itself has someone confined to their own home for eight hours a day, creating the social environment that we used to live in into a mere memory.”

Lammers added, “Being in person allows for people to be more approachable and sociable, but when it is attempted on an online platform, the environment seems forced, awkward and inauthentic.”

While some of us make the most of online school and do a good job of continuing to learn and maintain relationships with their friends, many students struggle to remain focused and connected to their peers.

College admissions impose a weight on students’ mental health Nithisha Makesh |Staff Writer pl246981@ahschool.com

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hen it comes to the competitive nature of college, students assume they have to participate in activities that set them apart from the other thousands of students applying for the same schools. This is especially the case for highly selective colleges such as the Ivy League bunch.

Usually, when students are seeking advice pertaining to college, adults and alumni tell them to pursue their passion because that will make them more inclined to participate, which would make them more likely to succeed.

But, the reality is that competitive students might do anything and everything, so they can put those activities on their resumes, even if they do not particularly like all of those activities.

Students take several Advanced Placement (AP) classes, attend different Issue 4 (Design/Nithisha Makesh)

kinds of competitions even if they might be every weekend and join as many clubs as they can at school, while also applying for executive board positions of said clubs.

The obsession to have perfect scores and the right number of activities causes students to be so reliant on a single letter grade they received on their test and the long list of extracurriculars to determine their self worth.

“There are so many factors to getting into a selective college, and there are so many colleges. You also have so little control over many of the factors that matter,” Director of College Planning Sharon Bikoundou said.

“Be who you are, take what you want, explore, join clubs you like, [find] your passion[s] and have fun. Then find the college that fits you. You could work yourself into being sick and still not get into the college you want. Is it worth it?”

Trying to participate in all kinds of activities and succeeding in those same activities can become draining, at some

point. At some point it can be draining to sleep late every day, skip meals, go to club meetings of clubs that one really dislikes and skip out on hanging out with friends because of previous obligations to studying.

Engaging in activities with the singular goal to one day write it on a resume and not because that activity interests them and brings them some form of enjoyment, is simply not worth it.

The list of reasons why college is important remains lengthy, but mental health and staying true to one’s self is equally important.

Although the advice that students should only do the things they genuinely love is overused; a certain truth exists within those words; the activities students have an obvious passion for will overshine the other activities on their application.

Students should not take on projects only because they appeal to colleges.

Instead, students should participate in the things that appeal to them.

Opinion 5

News

Top scholars announced Kayla Rubenstein | Online Editor-in-Chief pl226461@ahschool.com fter the Class of 2020, administration said goodbye to valedictorian and salutatorian and hello to Top 10. Awarding the 10 seniors with the highest GPA, the Top 10 list highlights those who’ve achieved academic excellence.

Upper School principal Mrs. Elise Blum emailed these students and their parents April 1. “It is an amazing honor and achievement and a testament to not only your ability, but also to your hard work and dedication to your studies,” she said in the letter.

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Listed alphabetically by last name, here are the top 3% of the Class of 2021: Jae Young Beck William Chan Montserrat de Allende Silva Alexander Divoux Vasisht Ganesh Sena Ghobadi Muchen Guo Jonah Jacobs Gauri Kasarla Iris Lang Albert Lu Rishi Patel

To learn more about the role the Top 10 will play in graduation, and hear from the scholars, check out iPatriotPost.com or scan the QR code.

Induction ceremonies adapt Nithisha Makesh | Staff Writer pl246981@ahschool.com

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ast year, due to COVID-19, induction ceremonies occurred separately through virtual means, unlike the singular, major induction ceremony which combined all of the honor societies as well as clubs, such as Key Club and Mu Alpha Theta.

This year, virtual ceremonies will remain the same, where every club is set to have their inductions on their own dates.

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With induction ceremonies being over Google Meets, we definitely miss out on the personal parts of the award ceremony such as calling every member onto stage, but we are still able to recognize the people who have worked hard to gain acceptance.”

President Society

Clubs such as French Honor Society (FHS) plan to have events that encourage student bonding and playing French games, in addition to an online ceremony. Students inducted into FHS have taken French classes and maintained an A- in three quarters.

To determine which students get inducted, clubs and honor societies have a set of requirements that students must have fulfilled. For example, to be inducted into Key Club, members must have paid dues and attended at least five Key Club events including meetings and/ or divisional events, such as the Key Club Kickoff Conference and Spring Zone Rally.

List of Induction Ceremony dates: Rho Khappa: March 8 Science Honor Society: March 18 National Honor Society: March 30 Key Club: April 12 English Honor Society: May 3 Mu Alpha Theta: May 3 French Honor Society: May 4

of Science National Honor (SNHS), Roshni Mishra, 12

A ZOOM CEREMONY SNHS determines its inductees through an application process where students discuss their science classes and service interests. The induction ceremony occurred March 18. through Google Meets, instead of an in-person event.

8 News

(Design/Ellaheh “Ella” Gohari) Issue 4

Heritage News Brief Bella Ramirez | Editor-in-Chief pl237961@ahschool.com

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JSEHS/FJAS

ue to the online nature of events this past year, Sigma Xi swapped their tri-fold board for keynote presentations. The Junior Science, Engineering and Humanities Symposium (JSEHS), held by the University of Florida from March 7-9 , allowed juniors and seniors to submit research papers. If chosen from the papers, students presented their findings during a zoom call for 10 minutes. The Florida Junior Academy of Science (FJAS), held by Bethune-Cookman University March 20, followed the same process.

“It was kind of sad [going online], but it’s still really great to see how these universities and these different professors including Mrs. Joykutty have been able to translate everything well and have it run in a way that’s as close as they can get to a real competition. I really admire them for that,” Sigma Xi president Roshni Mishra said.

MUN

he last Model United Nations (MUN) conference for seniors, National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) ended with Heritage winning Best Delegation for the second consecutive year.

“It was definitely a good feeling, getting the first place award,” co-president senior Justin Folks said. “But it was also sad seeing it end online because we’re so used to it being inside this big ballroom for the closing ceremony, and we’re used to giving senior speeches after, but we didn’t get that chance this year, and it was just kind of mixed feelings.”

(Photo submitted/MUN

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NSDA

peech and Debate is looking forward to its last competition of the year with online submissions.

Topics will be released May 1, and submissions will be due June 1.

“It was online last year which was really upsetting. Last year was so boring.

The topic was bad; hopefully this year it’s better though,” Lincoln-Douglas debater sophomore Mary Abi-Karam said.

Over 6,000 students compete in nationals. Abi-Karam is one of the students from the school chapter to qualify for competition throughout May.

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FBLA

uture Business Leaders of America (FBLA)’s Florida state chapter announced its national competition would go online a week before students logged in to compete March 25-27. Despite the ups and downs FBLA endured with conflicting news about how competitions would be held, the school club accomplished an upward progression in achievement after switching leadership on a local level.

“After I became president, I realized FBLA was like a failing club” co-president senior Sean Kim said. He believed the way the club was run before, which allowed students to bring along a friend to compete despite never practicing, kept the club from winning many awards. Kim and fellow senior, co-president Srihari Gotluru, decided to change the direction of the club to make it merit-based. Since then, our school’s number of awards at states has increased every year. This year, they brought in 16 awards at state, surpassing the coPresidents’ goal of breaking double digits.

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SAT Prep Program

tarting next year, there will be a new single semester college preparation class where one quarter will be dedicated to test prep and the other quarter will be dedicated to the “college journey.” The “college journey” portion will detail all the steps of the college application process, including writing essays and researching colleges. Although schools are leaning towards test optional for next year, Heritage will continue its test program with new hires Mrs. Sara Kohn and Mr. Lance Kohn. The Kohns create our in-house test prep curriculum.

The Kohns took over the test preparation work for both campuses two years ago. The college preparation course was previously handled by the guidance counselors; but, now, the Kohns will be responsible for preparing and running both of these courses.

(Graphic/Ella Gohari)

Issue 4 (Design/Ellaheh “Ella” Gohari)

News 9

Everyone Has a Story: Lily-Rose Sheedy Bella Ramirez |Editor-in-Chief pl237961@ahschool.com

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or this issue of The Patriot Post, we picked our EHAS member by randomly selecting her from a list of iPatriotPost subscribers (feel free to subscribe to our emailing list at ipatriotpost.com). In Google’s random number generator, “26” spit out. This meant senior Lily-Rose Sheedy, former WAHS weather woman and vintage style enthusiast, would have her turn in the pages for Issue 4.

Sheedy sees herself as an outgoing person, something echoed by her friends.

Her friends note that her outgoing personality spills out in her fashion taste: an unapologetic obsession with Juicy Couture, 90s trends and K-pop.

“She’s so proud of everything that she likes, and I love that about her. I see her living her best life, wearing her style and it looks so good on her, that confidence,” senior Montserrat De Allende Silva said.

Her taste in fashion isn’t just an interest, it’s a job, too. Junior Ian Krockel and Sheedy correspond to share Poshmark and thrifting finds to sell on their Depop stores. Recently, Krockel shared a Britney Spears-inspired shirt that Sheedy flipped on her Depop shop for around a $45 profit.

“I thought that was exciting for her,” Krockel said. “I’m proud of her, the way she’s sourcing more things for her shop.”

Besides through Juicy Couture tracksuits and bright orange jackets, Sheedy finds herself in the spotlight as a reporter and Crew Chief of WAHS. Her interest in broadcast began as early as fifth grade when she joined her elementary school morning announcements. From there, her love of being behind the camera only blossomed through informal music videos and commercials with friends.

“In high school, the minute I went in club fair, I remember that was the kind of thing I went to; I knew I wanted to do that,” Sheedy said. “I think it’s the creative aspects mixed with talking. I really like the environment of being in the studio, and it’s with people you kind of work with a lot every day.”

This year, WAHS got a new studio, something Sheedy notes brought in more opportunities for jobs in the school’s broadcast program. A new studio isn’t the only change for Sheedy this year.

Although she is now in-person, she spent her first semester of senior year learning online from Ireland.

Sheedy notes that the hardest part to adapting to both online and out-ofthe-country learning was staying social with the time difference. FaceTime and iMessage came to save the day but not without messaging at odd hours of the day. Now that she’s back in-person, her friends describe their relationships as if she never left.

SUNRISE: Friends comment on Sheedy’s fashion style and newfound confidence over the years. Best friend senior Montserrat De Allende Silva praised her neon orange jacket and Hello Kitty earrings, specifically. (Photo/Lily-Rose Sheedy)

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“I’m very proud of my Irish heritage, and I go there every summer because all of my extended family’s there so I was very proud to be able to showcase where my family’s from at Heritage and bring that part of my life to the multimedia part of my life.”

Lily-Rose Sheedy, 12

“She’s such a fun person, like she’s happy and just amazing,” De Allende Silva said. “I know it’s cliche to say ‘oh, brightens my day,’ but she’s the definition of that. She brightens anyone’s day.”

ON TOP OF THE WORLD: At Student Television Network (STN) 2019, WAHS members posed on the Seattle Needle while exploring the city for leads for their Crazy 8 Morning Show competition. Senior Lily-Rose Sheedy grew more invested in the program the following year and got picked as one of the student presenters for STN 2020 before the event was canceled. (Photo/Lily-Rose Sheedy)

12 Features

(Design/Eva Pierre-Antoine) Issue 4

Guidance counselors adapt to the obstacles of the pandemic Nithisha Makesh | Staff Writer pl246981@ahschool.com

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ith a job centered on interacting with students and building relationships with them, guidance counselors also felt the consequences that came from experiencing a global pandemic, in addition to students, teachers and overall faculty.

“This year has been like no other in my 16 years at Heritage. Normally, in the fall our offices are filled with seniors each and every class period (including lunch) going over applications, reading essays, hosting college visits. Now we have still done those things, but over Zoom. Our office pivoted to virtual events -- even a virtual college fair,” Director of College Planning Sharon Bikoundou said.

Instead of the usual in person meets, counselors had to resort to meeting with their students online. “In Zooms, it’s frustrating when audio cuts out or the student has to be in a mask and is difficult to hear. I must have said a million times, ‘Can you say that again? Your audio cut out on me,’” college adviser Erik McLeod said. “I still feel able to connect quite well via Zoom, and we still rely on old-fashioned email as usual.”

Although counselors are communicating with their students virtually for the most part, counselors, such as Mrs. Bikoundou and Mr. McLeod, affirm that the switch from in-person to online did not affect their ability to connect with their students.

In order to get through these times, Heritage’s counselors stay optimistic and focus on the positives rather than the negatives. Mr. McLeod reminds himself of how much there is to be thankful for, and Mrs. Bikoundou finds happiness in news about students’ college acceptances.

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“I feel like there are many students I have truly gotten to know and know well. The students I have met consistently with, whether juniors or seniors -- when their camera is on it is almost like they are in my office.

I have had great conversations, searched for colleges with them, revised essays, celebrated as they hit submit on an application and looked over activity lists.

All of it over Zoom.”

Mrs. Bikoundou, College Counselor

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE “[I feel] exhausted from everything being online.

My heart also goes out to teachers, who have done a heroic job of adjusting in a very short time. [However] our school and teachers get an A+ for adjusting to Covid, and I think we have done as well as any organization could have possibly done,” Mr. McLeod said. (Photo/ Mrs. Bikoundou)

(Design/Eva Pierre-Antoine) Issue 4

Tackling the AP exams Emma Remudo| Staff Writer pl209912@ahschool.com Moving away from 2020’s method of AP testing, exams this year will take the format of traditional AP exams. Tests will range from three to four hours, as opposed to last year’s 45 minute exams.

College Board will also offer tests on three different dates to allow in-person schools to socially distance to administer physical exams.

To tackle any challenges, the College Board updated the way online test takers will complete their exams. For example, students will not need internet access while taking the exam. Although students will need the internet to open and upload the exam, if the internet goes down in the three to four hour testing period, their work should not be affected, according to College Board.

Students will also have no backward navigation during the exam, preventing them from returning to a question they answered.

While taking the exam in its new form may pose a challenge for some, here are a few ways to help ease the transition to digital AP exams.

1. Create a study plan: There are plenty of ways to familiarize yourself with the content of an AP exam. College Board releases past exams and short response questions for select subjects to use as practice. To make studying more effective, take practice tests without backward navigation and online if you do not plan on taking an in-person test.

2. Familiarize yourself with the dayof-test procedures: Taking an exam at home can bring unprecedented worries.

Although this year’s exams have been modified to work with unstable WIFI, ensuring that you have sufficient internet access the day of the exam can help relieve some of the stress of logging into and uploading the exam. Unlike last year, this year’s exams must be taken on a computer.

Features 13

Cover Story

Connections in COVID-19 Ellaheh Gohari | Features Editor pl236951@ahschool.com

Throughout 2020 and into 2021, relationships between friends and family changed drastically

Friendships

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reshman Anya Pinto has always been on the shyer side, but during a time where many felt isolated and alone, Pinto overcame that to make some new friends… virtually, that is.

No stranger to being new — just last year, she moved from India to the U.S. and had to adjust to not only a new country but a new school. Pinto could not imagine how new students this year must be feeling, especially those online. Despite her initial nervousness, Pinto reached out to the new students in her class via email, finding new friends because of it.

“I kind of just wanted to let kids know that I was there in case they needed anything,” Pinto said. “Everyone was so happy that I did it. They were so sweet about it, and I made lots of really, really good friends, so I’m really happy that I did it.”

Long gone are the days where friendships form just by being in the same place; Pinto’s story being yet another example of the newest, 21st century way to make friends: the Internet.

With social distancing, virtual learning and masks, 64% of 44 surveyed students at school believe it is harder to find friends this year than last year. The general consensus among students is that it is harder to make friends while online as the Google Meet format does not foster a sense of community. The distance learners surveyed believe they miss out on class gossip, have trouble contributing in class discussions and are largely unable to form meaningful relationships with their classmates and teachers.

“It was much more difficult to make and maintain friendships virtually as I was so isolated. Once I switched over to in person learning; however, I found that my eagerness to socialize with anyone in general pushed me to make almost double the number of friends I had pre-pandemic,” eighth grader Katerine Fateev said. While she — and others — made new friendships this year, they were made during in-person class or sports, two activities that distance learners may not get to experience.

This physical barrier does not mean there is no chance of making a friendship. Whereas prior generations might have had trouble staying connected to their peers, technology has the potential to help new friendships form and old friendships continue. Even distance-learners have the opportunity to meet new people by reaching out via email, Instagram DM or other social media. Nearly 93% of a random sample of 42 students communicate with friends outside their household using text, with other common methods of communication including FaceTime/ Zoom/Meet (74%), phone call (71%) and social media (64%).

“I know it’s scary to talk to new people sometimes, but if you see someone who’s new, they’re probably as scared as you, if not more scared, so I think it’s just nice to reach out,” Pinto said.

14 Cover Story

Through Your Lens Student testimonies about their relationships over the year.

(Photos submitted by Alexandra Elkhoury and Shana Xia)

(Design/Nithisha Makesh and Bella Ramirez) Issue 4

SCREEN SOCIAL LIFE Online students are very familiar with Google Meet, using it to join online classes. The screen between students and the rest of class leaves some feeling isolated. (Photo/ Bella Ramirez)

Family

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he pandemic and ensuing lockdown forced most students to spend more time than usual indoors, often in their homes with their immediate family. The close proximity can help relationships become stronger, allowing family members to talk and spend time with each other, but it can also lead to arguments, disagreements and tension.

Out of a random sample size of students, nearly 43% of 42 respondents believe their relationship with their family changed positively over the year.

“We spend more time together,” junior Sophia Hasckel Da Cruz said. “I feel like I know [my family] better.”

Others feel the pandemic triggered more familial disagreements than usual, particularly because of the extra time spent in each other’s company.

“I [got] to spend more time with my family, but we get into arguments,” said sophomore Oreamo Belleh.

Besides relationships with immediate family, about a quarter of students saw extended family (who do not live with them) within the past month. Another quarter saw them 1-2 months ago, but the next highest group, 19%, have not seen them in over a year. Going long periods of time without seeing family can make it difficult to maintain relationships, but just as the digital age allows friendships to form, technology — when used correctly — can also help families stay connected even miles apart.

Issue 4 (Design/Nithisha Makesh and Bella Ramirez)

(Photos submitted by Leanna Fadel)

Cover Story 15

How the school can fix it

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ven though the pandemic has led to some online kids feeling isolated from their in-person peers, students are divided on whether the school should interfere and force relationships to form.

“Kids don’t like being pressured to make friends; it can be uncomfortable,” said sophomore Alexandra Elkhoury. “However, just by doing more group projects in class, I think it makes it more accessible for people to meet, regardless of the screen between some of us.”

Other suggestions given by students were more mixers such as virtual ice cream socials, breakout room activities, more downtime to socialize and virtual game nights.

Alternatively, some students dislike the thought of the school inserting itself into personal relationships.

“They should maintain minimal involvement,” said sophomore Mary Abi-Karam.

Ultimately, besides sporadic social mixers (such as the freshman mixer which happened in the middle of the year), school has largely stayed out of students’ social lives; whether that is a good thing or not is up to the individual.

ALPHABET SOUP Reaching out to people can be a tough assignment to swallow. (Photo/Bella Ramirez)

PLUGGED-IN PERSONAL LIFE Technology can connect people all over the world, leading to new relationships -- and new heartbreaks. (Photo/Bella Ramirez)

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(Design/Nithisha Makesh and Bella Ramirez) Issue 4

Psychological Impact

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uarantine isolation can make individuals feel alone and helpless. This, coupled with diverting funds for mental health facilities to hospitals, financial stress and the fear surrounding coronavirus, is the perfect storm for a mental health crisis according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

In fact, nearly 46% of people aged 18 to 24 reported increased anxiety symptoms according to a survey done by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), as well as increases in depression and other mental illnesses. Even though restrictions are being relaxed, the coronavirus-triggered mental health crisis is not going away anytime soon.

The WHO claims that, worldwide, 72% of mental health services for children and teens were disrupted due to the pandemic, ranging from regular therapy and social groups to individualized care and mental hospitals. At such a developmental time, teens are feeling the effects of declining mental health, especially regarding their relationships with friends, romantic partners and family.

“I didn’t really make an effort to meet anyone new,” said senior Olivia Malkin. She, like some other seniors, felt meeting new people was unnecessary as they already have an established group of friends.

The Mayo Clinic agrees. “Quality counts more than quantity. While it’s good to cultivate a diverse network of friends and acquaintances, you also want to nurture a few truly close friends who will be there for you through thick and thin.”

While socialization is important, it is up to the individual themselves to determine how many friends they need to feel fulfilled.

However, with coronavirus barring many students from meeting new people and the distance deteriorating established relationships, some students believe the school needs to step in and help.

MIND OVER MATTER With a single tap, people can cross galaxies. The entire world can be accessed via the Internet, making it difficult for some to stay grounded. Social media may be a blessing, but it just as easily can be a curse in disguise. (Photo/Bella Ramirez) Issue 4 (Design/Nithisha Makesh and Bella Ramirez)

Cover Story 17

Senior Farewells

Bella Ramirez (Photo/ Bella Ramirez)

Sammy Rosenthal (Photo/ Sammy Rosenthal)

Kayla Rubenstein (Photo/ Kayla Rubenstein)

Walking into Heritage for the first time, the first place I stopped was room 9114. Ms. Adams greeted me with a hug my awkward eighth grade self wasn’t prepared for. She seemed to say “Welcome home.” Well, if you ask anyone on campus, her message was received. I’ve frantically studied for exams, held fiestas, danced to “Thriller” and almost fainted in the publications room.

To Kayla: It goes against my journalistic integrity to say goodbye to you. You’re one of the people I know I’ll be friends with until the day I die. So, I’ll see you after school and beyond. I’m excited to be part of the Rubenstein romance jury.

To Ms. Adams: Don’t laugh at my cheesiness, but you’re my family now. You’ve seen me at my highs and lows and made me laugh when I didn’t think I could. I hope to one day adopt your mentality of “not worrying about the future” (although I think secretly you worry like me sometimes).

To my senior staffers: We did it! You’re all going to do amazing things; I can’t wait to read all about it (#whoareweare).

To next year’s staff: You’ve come to learn about media in the most immersive year possible. Although this gave us a lot of struggles, the fact that we overcame them spoke volumes. You’re all resilient, intelligent and hardworking individuals. I’m proud of all of you.

To you, the reader: Thank you for reading The Patriot Post. Student journalism is a work of blood, sweat and tears in the most literal fashion. Your dedication to empowerment and appreciation of our work is why we create the issues that we do. Keep pursuing information.

I love sports, but I only joined the paper because my parents didn’t want me to ride the bench for the JV basketball team anymore. I clearly wasn’t good enough to play sports for the school, but I could write about them; and I’m thankful to everyone who has helped me do so.

Sheck, I enjoyed taking a young rookie, like yourself, under my veteran wing when you joined junior year. I saw that you needed someone to put you in your place, and I did just that, throughout Newspaper, Madden and fantasy football. I sincerely think that you have grown as a rook, and I hope you will remember my wisdom if you ever graduate to vet status someday.

Bella, thank you for trusting me to take care of the Sports Section with a seemingly unwavering confidence.

Kayla, I will always cherish competing for 100 online articles and my official plaque. It is also for that reason I intentionally let you win fantasy football.

Joseph, my newest rook. All-time great Alex Becker taught me the ways, and now you can say that about me.

Carry on the legacy. Ms. Adams, I’m grateful for these past four years and the confidence you have given me, not just in my writing, but in everything I do.

I was the first to ever reach 100 total online articles, have a plaque to honor that title and have the most articles in iPatriotPost history. I’d call that a Hall-of-Fame career if I’ve ever seen one. As I head off into retirement, I’ll leave you with a quote I’ve always liked.

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” Now that I’m on the outside looking in, I see how true that is. Shout out to our loyal supporters through the years. Vet out.

How do you say goodbye to the place, the people that made you who you are? Ever since I walked into room 9114 as a shy freshman, Newsmagazine has not only opened my eyes to our vibrant community, but it also has given me a vessel to express myself. I am forever grateful to the people who curated such a special environment.

To Bella, my best friend and partner in crime: You’re a giant reason being editor this year was so special.

We learned how to be journalists together, then lead our sister publications as a team. If I’m your “common sense,” you’re my compass. Don’t forget our sentence a day!

To Sammy: Our race to 100 may not have ended the way I planned, but fantasy more than made up for it. Thank you for constantly keeping me accountable and excited to write online articles.

To the staff: Although this year didn’t go as anticipated, I’m so proud of all we accomplished. Eva, I can’t wait to see what you do next with iPatriotPost; I know you’ll do an incredible job. No matter what, I’m just a call away.

And, of course, to Ms. Adams: Words cannot begin to describe the impact you’ve had on me. You helped me become the person, and writer, I am today. Whenever you have a student come up the stairs huffing, remember who started the trend.

To answer the question in the beginning, you don’t. As I write this in the new publications room, I know that while I may be saying goodbye physically, I’ll always cherish the place where I found my voice.

18 Senior Farewells

(Graphics/Nithisha Makesh)

(Design/Nithisha Makesh and Ellaheh Gohari) Issue 4

To my awesome Patriot Post seniors, You have done an amazing job in an extremely challenging situation! I am so proud of you all. Your professionalism and dedication have created publications we are all proud of. You are going to be impossible to replace, and I am going to miss you all so much.

I can’t say remember your way home, since several of you have never stepped foot in Room 25310, but you better find your way here next year!

Love you all, Ms. Adams

Jack Shechtman (Photo/ Jack Shechtman)

Emily Anderson (Photo/ Emily Anderson)

Emma Remudo

While my journalism career may be coming to an end, the new friendships, improved writing techniques and invaluable skills I’ve learned through my time in Newspaper will not be forgotten.

I also am extremely happy I learned to use Photoshop and InDesign, as well as learned the skills of perfecting an interview. I will definitely continue to use my proficiency in these programs and people person skills in the future, and I also enjoyed being creative on these applications to make our writing look enticing.

To Ms. Adams, I loved getting to know you and having you as our teacher for two years. Thank you for always having my back, acting so welcoming when I started, and helping me become a better writer.

To our EIC, Bella, I admire your effort and dedication to the newsmag more than you know. Your work ethic and time put into making every issue absolutely perfect is incredible, and you’re the best EIC I’ve ever known.

To Sammy, the wise old newspaper veteran, I give you a big shoutout for taking me under your wing. Whenever I had a question, you had the answer, and you taught me how to use InDesign. Your dedication to covering Heritage sports is something that will forever be unmatched, literally, and I couldn’t have been prouder watching you reach 100 articles. While our rivalry will soon come to an end, I believe I have ended my journalism career as a superior writer. But Sammy, who doesn’t want their apprentice to grow up to be better than them? You did your job buddy; thank you.

To the rest of the staffers, I’ve enjoyed working with you all and piecing together our beautiful magazine. As a collective effort, you all do a great job, and I’m proud to be a part of this group.

As a freshman, I had absolutely no plans to pursue journalism. I was pretty set within the Pre-Engineering track and spent most my afternoons within the walls of the engineering lab. However, as my first semester drew to an end, I found myself feeling out of place.

Come sophomore year, I decided to take my first journalism class. Soon I realized I wouldn’t be leaving room 9114 for a while. After stumbling through journalism, then Lit Mag, I finally found newsmagazine. My home.

To my fellow seniors, thank you for giving me the best three years of my life. While I had not spent them all within the newsmag classroom, I adore your company and appreciate all the lessons we have learned and taught one another.

To the staff, I hope you find what you love. It doesn’t have to be newspaper or engineering or even a class at Heritage. Find somewhere that cherishes you and your potential and allows you to learn and grow–– much like what newspaper did for me.

To Ms. Adams, thank you so much. You have changed my high school career and allowed me to see my own potential. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Finally, to room 9114, or 25310, thank you for nurturing me these past four years. From the moment I walked into my freshman 101 class, I found not only a classroom, but a home.

I remember our first night attending NSPA in Washington, D.C., very distinctly. The Washington Monument, the Newseum and the Lincoln Memorial feel like yesterday. However, my most vivid memory is not of viewing a tourist attraction, but of the inhumanly large spider hiding in the corner of our hotel room. Zoe and Bella, although terrified, approached the issue head on (sort of). This is how I remember my time at newspaper: not the big conferences we attended or awards we won, but the times we faced our challenges and emerged victorious.

To Bella, Kayla and the rest of the seniors, from fantasy football leagues to virtual issues, this has been a truly memorable year. From sophomore year to now, I have learned so much from all of you. Whether in writing an article or laying out a page, I have gotten to improve immensely because of your help and dedication to the Patriot Post.

To Ms. Adams, thank you for teaching me everything I know about journalism and for an incredible past three years. To next year’s staff, while I haven’t been able to get to know you all in the way I wish I could have, I’m confident you’ll manage to hold the wildest fiestas, create a truly magnificent quote wall and put out the best mag yet. Hopefully, we will actually be able to meet in person one day. Until then, goodbye newspaper.

(Photo/ Emma Remudo )

Issue 4 (Design/Nithisha Makesh and Ellaheh Gohari)

(Graphics/Nithisha Makesh)

Senior Farewells 19

ENTERTAINMENT

Behind the Scenes: Sound

Pit orchestra and cast experience bonding during live performances Bella Ramirez | Editor-In-Chief pl237961@ahschool.com

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he Patriot Post typically shows behind the scenes features on shows by detailing the crew’s or the cast’s work. Still, there is a third element to live theater: the pit orchestra.

“It [pit orchestra] creates bonds with the cast members, it creates bonds with the tech members and it just creates this kind of like loving community between everybody in the fine arts program,” senior cellist Sebastian Diaz Herrera said.

Diaz Herrera is on a fine arts scholarship for cello and has played cello for nine years.

Over his four years at Heritage, he played in four shows. He defines smaller productions like “Spitfire Girls” as more fun to the pit orchestra since they give the musicians the opportunity to be on stage with the actors.

“For pit, you need a bit more soul because you need to follow the actors,” Diaz Herrera said. “I love performing under Ella and Irene because they’re very easy to follow; they understand how to keep tempo and mesh their sound with the pit.”

Since the pit orchestra consists of Heritage students actively playing instruments live while actors sing on stage, the production holds more ability to change songs rather than sticking to their predetermined tracks. This can come in the shape of a new instrument solo or tempo change.

“It’s that teamwork type of thing that kind of goes unrecognized because a lot of people don’t realize that live orchestra is being taken place until the end of the show when they peer in and look at the pit,” Diaz Herrera said. “Overall, it’s created such special bonds that I’m never going to forget.

It’s been one of the greatest experiences that I’ve had throughout Heritage.”

Although working on musicals gives the opportunity for actors and musicians to bond through proximity, certain students feel these mutual work experiences serve as talking points for conversation rather than the basis of friendships.

20 Entertainment

“[I know them], less because they played pit and more because of outside things that I’ve known them for. It’s an interesting dynamic because their boss is Ms. Imerbsin and my boss is Mr. Moccia,” senior Irene Newman said. “We work together to create art, but you get to know them outside of rehearsals and outside of those things.”

“

Having that back and forth while you’re singing is so addictive, and I love it so much.

- Irene Newman, senior

(Photo/Irene Newman)

Newman, also on fine arts scholarship, defines the usage of live performers, both on stage and in the pit, as the backbone to preparedness for theater in the real world.

“The best part about being at Heritage is having live performers because a lot of people don’t really get that until they work in Broadway or they work with private companies, and it’s my absolute favorite thing in the world,” Newman said.

Newman cites working with the pit orchestra as one of the reasons she still does shows at Heritage.

“There’s this art being made when you’re singing and they’re playing and we’re both contributing to this piece and we’re both giving emotions through music and we’re working to tell this beautiful story,” Newman said. “Having that back and forth while you’re singing is so addictive, and I love it so much.”

ONE LAST SONG: For many cast, pit and crew members, “Fugitive Songs” ended their high school career in theater. Senior Ella Noriega (picture above) performed in seven of the songs in the song cycle of the show. (Photo/Irene Newman)

STEP UP: Junior Wesley Wray helps senior Ella Noriega onto the platform during their duet “Wildflowers.” To abide by COVID precautions, Mr. Johnpaul Moccia assured live audiences that stagehands gave student performers hand sanitizer off stage immediately after any point where they held hands. (Photo/Irene Newman)

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Junior Wesley Wray sang ten songs in “Fugitive Songs,” the song cycle musical for spring 2021. Although students were allowed to be out of costumes for rehearsal, the final show’s costume included clear masks for viewers to better see the expressions on the performers’ faces. (Photo/ Irene Newman) (Design/Emily Anderson) Issue 4

Singing Into Action How upcoming freshman Krystal Molina achieved her dream of a fine arts scholarship

Emily Anderson | Entertainment Editor pl238251@ahschool.com

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ith a passion for singing and love for all things musical, eighth grader Krystal Molina recently earned a fine arts scholarship for chorus.

While she has been singing since she was seven years old, Molina didn’t initially plan on auditioning until her friend informed her about the academic scholarship offered.

“My friend was telling me about the academic scholarship, and then I wondered if there was a singing scholarship,” Molina said. “I asked my mom, and then she [found out about it] and we got the audition dates.”

Despite singing leisurely during the year, Molina didn’t start preparing for her audition until closer to the actual audition date.

“I first found out about the scholarship nine days before the audition,” Molina said. “I immediately started working on finding two songs of different styles and a two minute monologue.”

After choosing the pieces she would perform, Molina had doubts about

memorizing each piece with only nine days until the audition.

“My biggest doubt [was] that I wouldn’t be able to fully memorize my song choices,” Molina said.

PERFECTLY PASSIONATE: While music is her main passion, Molina enjoys visual arts amd psychology as well. (Photo/Krystal Molina)

With so little time, Molina had to find a method of memorizing her songs.

“One strategy that I believe really helped me was making a Spotify playlist with only my audition songs and familiarizing myself with it anytime I had

the chance,” Molina said. “I do not know how this was possible, but within reading my monologue about five times, it was memorized.”

Outside of school, Molina performs mostly in music-based projects like talent shows, musical showcases and her church choir. However, she does incorporate her music into community service as well.

“One of my accomplishments that I am most proud of is making a video to spread awareness of homelessness,” Molina said.

“I recorded part of a song in a studio and then shot footage on the streets of Miami for Camillus House.”

While not sure of the genre, Molina hopes to pursue music in college with her ultimate goal of being a musician and selling out tickets at her concerts. As for right now, she appreciates the opportunities Heritage has offered her.

“I am so proud to be [here because it] offers real life opportunities,” Molina said.

“I’m very grateful and honored to have been chosen for this scholarship. It was so special to perform in the big theater.”

TikTok Destroys Good Songs Emma Remundo | Staff Writer pl209912@ahschool.com

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verplaying songs is no new issue.

Whether on Sirius XM or Y100 Miami, a repetitious list of music coming from big artists tends to fill radio stations. A new pattern of repetitious music arose with the popular social media app TikTok. The app has been downloaded approximately 500 million times according to The New York Times and allows users to create short videos behind popular songs.

While for some artists these sounds have brought breakthrough fame, for others these repetitious trends have delegitimized the quality of the artist’s music. Among the Issue 4 (Design/Emily Anderson)

top 30 most popular songs on TikTok are “Crazy in Love” by Beyonce and Jay Z and “Blinding Lights” by the The Weekend.

Despite the musical accomplishments of these artists, many songs popularized on TikTok fall into a category of simply “TikTok songs.”

For many TikTok trends, the sound ends after 30 seconds or less of the song’s chorus alone. Stripping music of its full lyrics capable of evoking emotion and melodious song structure takes away the key components of what make a song successful. Instead, TikTok trends promote songs based on a catch phrase or other easily recognizable tagline, putting in second place the well-thought-out chords or tune.

(Graphics/Emily Anderson)

According to BuzzFeed News, ads run rampant across Tik Tok. One example is a campaign for Sony using the song “100 Bad Days,” by AJR. The ad and song reached over 5 million Tik Tok users.

Through campaigns like these, Tik Tok markets songs not based on their lyrical accomplishments, but by how catchy a short clip of the song can come across as.

By allowing longer clips of sounds to play or by clearly distinguishing when a song is attached to a campaign, Tik Tok could begin to detach the music from the trend.

Whether on the radio or on TikTok, the overrepetition of songs undermines music’s ability to send a meaningful message.

Entertainment 21

WALTZING ACROSS THE STAGE Mandy Lanier (far right front row) attends Dance Theatre. In June of 2020 she performed in their annual showcase. She, along with other dancers, is seen in their final position of the piece, “Waltz of the Flowers.” (Photo/ Mandy Lanier)

FASOTM: Mandy Lanier Dancer by day and mathematician by night, Mandy Lanier chooses to pursue both the academics and the arts in the future.

Nithisha Makesh |Staff writer pl218212@ahschool.com reshman Mandy Lanier started dancing at five-years-old. As she grew older, she developed a love for dancing because it gave her the opportunity to express her individuality and feel a sense of freedom through her movement.

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“

Dance is my first love, it’s my passion and it helps me develop something that’s specific to me and me only Mandy Lanier, 9

“I feel like most people that I know started when they were like two [years old]. It was like before you could walk, essentially you were dancing,” Lanier said. “I started dancing when I was like five or six, so even though that’s extremely young, that’s already so far of a disadvantage.”

She did not become serious about dancing until age nine, when she made that transition from dancing for fun to being serious about it and working at it in

22 Entertainment

order to improve. “I’m lucky enough that I was able to have [the seriousness] click as fast as it did because it definitely put me on track; and then from there, I was able to work hard enough to be ahead of where most people my age are. I didn’t start as early as you would expect, so that’s living proof that hard work pays off.”

One of her most notable achievements includes when she went to Nuvo Dance Convention in Orlando, in May of 2019, with her dance team and competed in a three day competition. She ended as one of the 25 dancers chosen to receive a scholarship to Nationals in LA, Las Vegas and Orlando.

At school, Lanier participates in Dance Ensemble, Dance Tech 2A and the Patriot Dancers, in addition to dancing at her dance studio. As a student who dances five hours per day, Lanier has to structure her time effectively to succeed in both school and her art. Her work ethic allows for her to manage her time in order to balance both interests.

“I try to spend every spare second I have that I’m not dancing, doing something schoolwise and the big thing that I do to keep [myself] on track is I don’t procrastinate,” Lanier said. “I try to get ahead, so at [any] time if I’m really busy,

I don’t have to worry about slipping up on grades because I know I’m one week ahead of what I have to do.”

Although Lanier has a great love for dance, she also has the same amount of love for mathematics.

“Even though I like math and I like how concrete it is, I feel like I’ve definitely taken my dance side of my brain, the artistic [side] towards math,” Lanier said. “My favorite thing to do is write about math; I find it so beautiful. I feel like my artistry shows in everything that I do that I love, and math is definitely included in that.”

For the future, Lanier aims to go to college for math while also dancing for a ballet company, such as The Boston Ballet in Massachusetts.

Wanting to go through as much school as possible, Lanier aspires to earn a PhD in something related to math.

“I want a real job for life because dance careers end at the age of 30. If I play my cards right, my plan is to dance in a company all throughout college, and by the time I get a PhD, I’ll be done with my dance career essentially, and that would’ve carried me through college,” Lanier said.

(Design/Joseph Richards) Issue 3

Matches in Full Swing

Sports

The varsity tennis teams’ road through the playoffs Sammy Rosenthal | Sports Editor pl218212@ahschool.com

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fter wrapping up the regular season in early April, the varsity girls tennis team aimed to capitalize in the playoffs to end the year with a title.

The road to state would begin with the Patriots claiming the district championship to go along with single district championship titles from sophomore Grace OdomMontbrun, junior Katelyn Gramanzini and freshman Jackie Daynovsky, the Patriots advanced to the regional semifinal.

The team continued to take care of business, overcoming American Heritage Delray to punch their ticket to a regional final matchup with Pine Crest.

With the season on the line, the Patriots found themselves down 3-2 and clutched both doubles matches to clinch a state championship birth behind performances

from Odom-Montbrun and Daynovsky in #2 doubles as well as sophomore Natalie Block and junior Sangee Prieto at #1 doubles.

In the quarters of the state tournament April 28, the Patriots cruised with a 5-0 victory versus Pensacola High School to move on to the semi-final round.

“Heading into the semis I think we’re all super determined and confident,” Block said following the win. “We all played great today, and we’re ready to repeat that tomorrow.”

The Patriots continued to do just that, securing a 4-0 victory over Gulliver Prep to earn a spot in the State Championship Final.

In the final round, Heritage remained perfect to earn themselves the title of 2021 FHSAA 2A State Champions.

“Because the season was cut short last year, winning this year is even more meaningful to the team and me,”

Passing the Torch

Block said. “Individually, to win with the team in 2018 and the team this year feels super rewarding. I think for the team, after almost losing at regionals, winning state so easily is huge for us.”

SERVING SHOTS

Sophomore Natalie Block serves to start a point at the Tennis Spring National Championships. The girls team recently became district champions of the 2021 season. (Photo submitted by Natalie Block)

The boys varsity lacrosse team, which capped their season off in the district championship, have focused their efforts on mentoring the younger generation

Sammy Rosenthal | Sports Editor pl218212@ahschool.com ollowing a 6-2 record to close out the regular season, the varsity boys lacrosse team hoped that their young athletes’ growth over the course of the year would translate into playoff successes, since the team lost much of the valuable experience last year’s seniors provided.

“As the season has progressed, several of the younger players on our team have begun to step up,” senior Ethan Heim said.

“While we initially had to rely strictly on the few experienced players we had, several of the young guys have gained confidence and can now make a great impact on the team.”

Throughout the year, this development of the underclassmen has been apparent to the remaining seniors on the team, though room for improvement remains.

“I think there’s still a lot of work to do with our shot placement,” senior Connor Maron said. “We are good at getting good looks and taking good shots. We just need to be smarter about where we place them, but that has definitely

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(Design/Joseph Richards) Issue 4

gotten better as the season has gone on.”

By remaining consistent in their work, though, the Patriots aimed to hone in on the team’s positives to the best of their abilities.

“One thing that we must do to ensure a playoff run is to keep up the intensity at practice,” Heim said.

“While staying healthy remains a great priority, we must continue to bring great energy to every practice, lift or film session in order to continue improving.”

With districts on deck, the team’s young core faced their first test to handle a playoff atmosphere, and while they put up a competitive fight, the Patriots ultimately found themselves on the wrong end of a 6-5 final score to close out the season.

“Our team had a great season considering the challenges we faced of losing a lot of starters and maintaining Covid safety,” senior Jack Shechtman said. “We started out with a very raw team, but grew into a team with discipline that learned how to play together.”

Though more seniors will now leave the team for next year, many of the experienced upperclassmen enjoyed what they saw from the future of the Patriots.

“While the younger kids still have lots of room to improve and get more physically ready, they all worked really hard to compete at the varsity level,” Shechtman said. “That type of commitment is what is needed to have a successful lacrosse program.”

SAYING GOODBYE

The seniors of the lacrosse team, Jake Marek, Jack Shechtman, Connor Maron and Ethan Heim (pictured left to right) reminisce about their times on the field on senior night. The boys are 6-3 in their 2021 season. (Photo submitted by Jack Shechtman)

23 Sports

Not one, not two, no

With six of seven eligble former Patriots finding a home in the 202 players selected from a single high school in the same NFL draft. H Sammy Rosenthal | Sports Editor pl218212@ahschool.com

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ith the ninth pick of the first round in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos selected former Alabama and Heritage CB Patrick Surtain II. A top recruit coming out of the class of 2018 in high school and son of Heritage head coach and former NFL pro Patrick Surtain, Surtain II (pictured right) generated major buzz among the league teams as he begins to transition to the pros. Having played at the forefront of the nation’s top defenses for the past three years, the Patriot product found himself as the second corner off the board.

MAKING PLAYS: Campbell sets up versus Missouri in 2018. The projected early round pick forced and recovered a fumble en route to the Georgia victory. (Photo/Ed Zurga)

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ith the 33rd overall selection of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars took Georgia cornerback Tyson Campbell.

Also from the graduating class of 2018, Campbell (pictured left) played opposite Surtain II at Heritage Field and was the second-ranked corner prospect, only trailing his Patriot counterpart.

Like Surtain II, Campbell’s college days treated him well, as he thrived in his freshman year with 11 total starts. Though

24 Sports

Pat Surtain II He managed to build an impressive resumé heading into the draft, to which he most recently added the title of defensive MVP of the College Football Playoff Semifinals in the Rose Bowl en route to helping bring Alabama to a 2021 National Championship.

In his junior campaign, Surtain II collected 38 total tackles, 12 pass deflections, one interception, one fumble recovery and one touchdown before declaring for the draft, leading to the majority of scouts locking him in as a highend first round pick.

If the star defensive back failed to convince the Broncos at Alabama, though, he certainly impressed at his Pro Day, where Surtain II’s 40-yard dash time clocked in at a 4.42. He also managed 18 reps on the bench press, a vertical jump of 39 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet and 11 inches.

Many mock drafts projected the shutdown corner to fall off the board somewhere in the 10-15 range, falling almost in line with his ninth overall selection.

GETTING SET: Surtain II prepares to drop back versus Kentucky this past season. In the 63-3 win, the defensive back deflected one pass to go with two tackles. (Photo/ Crimson Tide Photo)

Tyson Campbell injury plagued his sophomore campaign, Campbell bounced back this past season, where he secured his first interception of his college career in addition to breaking up five passes before ultimately deciding to declare for the draft.

Weighing in at 185 with a 6’2” frame, Campbell sports a lean build and blazing quickness that garnered the most attention from scouts. At his Pro Day, the Georgia CB showed off his speed with unofficial 40-yard dash times of 4.38 and

4.39, placing Campbell among the fastest at his position.

Chief draft analyst Tony Pauline projected Campbell as the fourth cornerback off the board, which fell in line with many analysts’ predictions of the Patriot alum finding a home in the early second round, with an outside shot at a late first round selection.

The former ended up being the case, as the Jaguars made Campbell the initial pick of the second round.

(Design/Sammy Rosenthal) Issue 4

ot three, not four...

21 NFL Draft, Heritage now sits atop the record books for the most Here’s an analysis of three of the pros from the historic class.

Marco Wilson

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ack when The University of Florida’s cornerback Marco Wilson (pictured right) was a Heritage Patriot, he helped bring Plantation two titles in 2014 and 2016. Now, he will bring his talents to the Arizona Cardinals after the team used the 136th overall pick on the Gator.

After the four star recruit committed to Florida, he became just the fourth true freshman to start at cornerback on opening day in 2017.

Including having to overcome a shortened 2018 season due to a torn ACL, Wilson ended his Florida career with 36 games played and 103 total tackles to go along with three interceptions.

Following a rocky end to his 2020 campaign (that most notably has ties to a costly penalty to end a Florida-LSU matchup late in the year), though, some scouts grew cautious of Wilson.

NFL analyst Lance Zierlein, for example, claimed his best season came in his freshman year.

Zierlein did, however, praise the 6’1” corner’s athletic nature, specifically noting Wilson’s aggressive attack towards the ball, as well as his “explosive” leaping abilities.

At his Pro Day, Wilson showcased the latter, notching a 43.5 inch vertical jump to grab the attention of scouts. He also dazzled with a 40-yard dash time of 4.37 after posting a 136-inch broad jump.

Across the board, Wilson’s performances at Pro Day earned him the ranking of third most statistically athletic cornerback since 1987.

The day ended up shifting Wilson to the number six slot on NBC sports analyst Chris Simms’ top cornerback list heading into the draft.

“It was pretty exciting to perform these numbers I did today,” Wilson said in a post pro day interview following his workout. “I wish I could have run a little bit faster in my 40, but other than that, I was really happy for what I did. The work doesn’t stop here.”

With the boost in stock, projections as to where Wilson may have fallen in the draft transitioned to the middle rounds, which ended up proving accurate when he became a Cardinal in the fourth round.

PREPPING: Wilson surveys the Miami offense in the second half.

The former Patriot finished the game tying his season high in tackles with five.

(Photo/Phelan M)

Scan the QR codes to read about how the draft shaped up for each Patriot Day 1

Issue 4 (Design/Sammy Rosenthal)

Day 2

Day 3

Sports 25