Lili Mueller Portfolio 2016 by Jessica Samons

2620 Windham Court Delray Beach, FL 33445 1-234-567-8910 email@gmail.com March 7th, 2016 Stephen Moore Adviser, the Marquees Dreyfoos School of the Arts 501 S Sapodilla Ave West Palm Beach, FL 33401

Dear Mr. Moore, The Marquee Yearbook is a beautiful publication and I want to be able to contribute to it by being on the staff. As the index editor on the Masterpiece yearbook, I have mastered skills in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. I have designed spreads, taken pictures, interviewed, and written and edited copy and captions. I, personally, have met every deadline while cooperating and working with my spread team members. I am aware of the level of expertise that one must have to be a part of a successful yearbook. I am also aware of all the stress it may cause on one to meet deadlines and know that I will be handle the stress and pressure to meet the deadlines. I am aware that the Marquee, being a highly ranked Florida yearbook, strives to include all students to encompass the whole being that is Dreyfoos School of the Arts. I, being a diligent worker and honest, will never go for the easy interview and slack off, interviewing my friends, but I will be dedicated to the Marquee and interview everyone I can and of every major I can, going out of my own way. I appreciate your taking the time to read this letter and truly hope you will consider me as a choice for the 2016-2017 Marquee yearbook staff. Sincerely, Lili Mueller Enclosed: resume

2620 Windham Court Delray Beach, FL 33445 1-234-567-8910 email@gmail.com OBJECTIVE To bring experience and a hardworking spirit to the staff, while in turn learning about a higher level of yearbook and how to produce a yearbook for high school. EDUCATION -Three years at Bak MSOA -Graduation date June 2nd, 2016 -G.P.A 4.00 EXPERIENCE Masterpiece Yearbook, Bak Middle School of the Arts - Aug 2015-2016 Index Editor. Design layouts, interview, write copy/captionsm, take photos, idetify names Oraganized Chaos Literary Magazine, Bak Middle School of the Arts -Aug 2015-2016 Editor in Chief, critique submissions, select themes, accept/reject submissions, type submissions, help with Masterbook. RELEVANT MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDIES Journalism I, Advanced Creative Writing (x2), Yearbook HONORS, AWARDS AND MEMBERSHIPS National Junior Honors Society 2015-2016, a highly recognized middle school version of the National Honors Society Literary Magazine 2015-2016, Editor in Chief of the school’s highly respected Literary Magazine, Organized Chaos Active basketball team member 2013-present, Member of the school’s County Championship winning team, starter in the 2015-2016 school year Battle of the Books 2014-2016, an educational club that immerses students in reading REFERENCES -Jessica Samons 1-234-567-8910 -Douglas Battle 1-234-567-8910 -Jennifer Olivier-Gardner 1-234-567-8910 -Shannon Owens 1-234-567-8910

self analytical ESSAY

I started with Journalism when I became a communications major. I was unhappy in 6th grade

as a keyboard major and I wanted to do the thing I loved most, to write. I aspired to be on the school’s publications since I received my first newspaper. I decided to take journalism in hopes to gain experience into how to write copy and work on a publication in hopes of applying for the newspaper staff. As the year went by, I found writing copy to be hard and somewhat boring for me. When applications for newspaper and yearbook came out, I knew newspaper wasn’t for me. My best copy was feature copy. I loved its narrative style and it worked well with my creativity and my writer’s brain. I knew that the yearbook was a top-notch publication and that they were more centered on feature-copy writing. I applied and a few weeks later was overjoyed to find out that I had been accepted. This year has taken me by storm. I have learned so much more than I ever knew about producing a yearbook and teamwork. I am a lone wolf, independent, headstrong, and extremely stubborn. For me, it used to always have to be my way or the highway. In yearbook, I found out really quickly that that mindset will not work. On spreads, teammates have to work together efficiently and cooperatively to complete the yearbook or else grades and the publication will tank. I also learned to be comfortable with Photoshop and InDesign, both programs I was terrified of using in 6th and 7th grade. With both teamwork and production skills, I was able to meet every deadline. This course taught me so much about the real world. It was the only course I had ever taken that allowed students so much freedom and allowed them to take the fall for their actions, like real workers on the staff of a professional publication. I want to be a writer when I grow up, this means learning about layout and design in order to make a publication look good. Being a writer also entails meeting deadlines which is a very important skill I definitely learned on the Masterpiece yearbook staff of 2016.

rEFLECTION #1 HEADLINE GOES HERE

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Folio

Sports Divider

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SPORTING A NEW COLOR

I designed this layour from scratch, mostly. I added paint splatters and T modified them to frame the text in the best way possible. I chose the photo based on a behind the scenes look at sports. All sports photos are action photos, photos that are considered more appealing to readers. I wanted to show readers, for the sports divider, what those who are not in the game do. I thought that the photo emphasized team support. All of the boys on the bench are watching the game intently, while also looking into the spread, another bonus of the photo. The spread was pretty simple to design, but I had some difficulties completing it for I was responsible for the majority of the spread. I had some diificulties in the placement of the paint splatters for the bled onto the other page, but with the help of other staff members I was able to perfectly align them so that they were just stopped from bleeding off. I really liked the spread’s clean and modern look. Bak athletes persevere through hardships

he athlete thundered down the court, sweat dripping down her face. She heard the angry shouts of the girls behind her hollering as she ran. Her new sneakers squeaked against the shiny wooden floor as she leaped into the air, lobbing the ball against the backboard and into the basket. She stepped out of her comfort zone to score a basket for her team, she sported a new color. “[Games are] very stressful,” Isabella Martinez (8), starting basketball player, said. “I try to take a leading figure and help the girls with what I think they should do. It’s like a family situation.” The Stars had a tough season, the strongest of their opponents being Duncan Middle School. Duncan opponents beat the Stars in every sport earlier in the year. “I think [the season] started off roughly,” Valeria Beattie (8), softball player, said, “but we got a lot better towards the end of the season.” The captain of the boys’ soccer, Joel Soto (8) was new to the Bak team and being a captain. Soto, though being new to the team, was able to help the boys’ team in their season. “I was able to lead the team in multiple cases,” Soto said, “like leading our warm-ups, drills. Overall [I was] seen as a team leader.” The boy dug his cleats into the ground, using them to gain traction against the grassy field. The soccer ball soared through the air and landed with a soft thud in front of him. He ran towards the goal, kicking the ball along with him. He panted as he slammed his foot into the ball as hard as he could. Suddenly he was on his teammates’ shoulders, and he heard the cheering of the crowd swell. He stepped out of his comfort zone and sported a new color. by Lili Mueller

COOLING OFF Boys’ soccer team goalie, Jaylen Sanders (8), watches the game from the bench, cheering for his fellow teammates. “It was challenging,” Sanders said, remarking on the season. “[However] the games [gave me] an exhilarating experience.” Sanders had never played soccer before Bak. Photo by Sophia Pregadio

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Sporting a New Color

Sports Divider

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rEFLECTION #2 DIJON VU Spreading condiments on bread, Kailee Gomez (6) and Megan Rollins (6) prepare sandwiches for the homeless. “We pass around the sandwich and then add our part to it,” Gomez said. If she was homeless, Gomez would want people to help her out. Photo by Heather Rollins

How Can YOU Help?

1. St. Judes Children’s Hospital

“St. Jude...treats and defeats childhood cancer and other lifethreatening diseases. The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.”

2. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League

Helping

“Peggy Adams...is a limited-admission humane society and provides services to over 28,000 cats, dogs, puppies and kittens each year. Our vision is to create a community where 100% of the adoptable animals find loving homes.”

HANDS

PUPPY PRESENTATION Trying to get her family’s foster dogs adopted, Angela Yan (8) plays with the puppies to show off their playful spirit. “At first, [fostering] was not a passion, but we kept doing it and the dogs seemed cuter,” Yan said. There were 12 dogs the Yan family was trying to give homes to. Photo by Guest

Students’ actions were more than just school requirements

t was early in the morning. The beach was dotted with trash sticking out of the warm, brown sand. Water bottles stuck out from the bush and plastic bags scooped up shells. A single crab wandered aimlessly, dodging trash and trying to navigate its way to the ocean. A group of people with black trash bags arrived on the beach. A difference on the beach was made. “I helped at a beach clean-up and I saw all the people working their butts off to keep the beach clean. It was awesome to see these people gather together to make the beach clean,” Dara Desai vocal (7) said. In addition to volunteer groups, many students chose to get involved with nonprofit charities, such as the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. Students like Noah Sams vocal (8) also volunteered with their religious groups. “I babysit at my church, volunteer at camp to watch over the kids, and I run for cancer and some other serious diseases,” Sams said. “I got around 27 hours last year. This year, I want to get at least 20, maybe even 30.” 12

3. Goodwill “[Our goal is] to help change lives through the power of work. Goodwill provides career training and placement assistance for employment. We envision a community powered by a skilled workforce, successful businesses and a strong economy.”

Painting Your Own Path

Some people, like Genevieve Ansay strings (7) did community service as a part of their everyday lives. “A neighbor found some kittens, and we got to take care of them and find a home for them. The kittens have sad stories, so we got the job of taking care of the kittens,” Ansay said. “We fostered them, and we did it for community service. It takes a lot of work to foster kittens.” Even if it was required, students were driven to help their communities. Some students were born and raised in a family that always helped others. Others were affected by current issues in the world. “I help package food for people in other countries, like Africa, that are in need of food,” Sophia Salvador theater (8) said. “There are people everywhere living without food and [without] clean environments. [People in Africa] are not happy when they don’t have these items, so I would want to help them.” With the last bag of trash gone, and the morning transitioned to the early afternoon, the beach once again returns to the pristine beauty, uncluttered, in its natural state. by Heather Rollins and Brandon Lee

TEACHING TOTS As a library helper, Athena Choi (6) helps out by reading to the younger kids. “I’m in the program ‘Reading Buddies’ where, for 45 minutes, we help kids finish reading the books they picked out,” Choi said. The library Choi volunteered at was the Gardens library. Photo by Guest

DIJON VU Spreading condiments on bread, Kailee Gomez (6) and Megan Rollins (6) prepare sandwiches for the homeless. “We pass around the sandwich and then add our part to it,” Gomez said. If she was homeless, Gomez would want people to help her SINGING SENSATION Snapping out. Photo by Heather Rollins her fingers along to the song, Aoife O’Grady (7) practices for a concert. “In show choir, we are going places to do fundraisers and entertain people,” O’Grady said. The chorus group raised money for families who could not afford Thanksgiving turkeys. Photo by Guest

How Can YOU Help? 1. St. Judes Children’s Hospital

Headline SStu Student tuden d t Life/Helping ng Han H Hands ds

2. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League

HERE

The “Helping Hands” spread is a perfect example of poor planning, poor communication, and procrastination. I came up for the concept of this spread, 3 but the execution did not go well. I 1 did not communicate enough with my team, so we were rushing to meet the deadline when we hadn’t even started taking photos yet. I interviewed on the deadline date for our spread. Our spread was very different from the typical student life spread, we came up with a unique design for the spread but we lacked the time to execute it to the best of our ability. I feel responsible for the way this spread turned out, for it was my idea to creat a community service spread and I should’ve been a better leader. Today, when I think back on the “Helping Hands” spread, I don’t think it is as terrible as I thought it was in the moment. PUPPY PRESENTATION Trying to get her family’s foster dogs adopted, Angela Yan (8) plays with the puppies to show off their playful spirit. “At first, [fostering] was not a passion, but we kept doing it and the dogs seemed cuter,” Yan said. There were 12 dogs the Yan family was trying to give homes to. Photo by Guest

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SINGING SENSATION Snapping her fingers along to the song, Aoife O’Grady (7) practices for a concert. “In show choir, we are going places to do fundraisers and entertain people,” O’Grady said. The chorus group raised money for families who could not afford Thanksgiving turkeys. Photo by Guest

Student Life/Helping Hands

rEFLECTION #3

I am very proud of this photo because it shows an overview of everything in the play, in other words it has great composition. The photo is busy, yet it makes it work. The two girls frame the center of the photo. What attracts you to the photo is, yet again, its composition. LILI_DOM01.jpg I love this photo because of its depth of field. The photoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s center of interest, the player, is very clear while the backgroud is blurred, showing the freezing of time and motion captured by the camera. LILI_INDEPENDENCE.jpg

I like this photo because it captures raw emotion, All three girls are scared by the costume, which is out of the view of the camera, but they all show it in different ways. One girl is extremely scared and shows it well, another looks very disturbed, and the girl on the far left looks nothing but indifference. What attracts viewers to the photo is the emotion on the girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; faces, the content, the center of visual interest.

rEFLECTION #4

I believe I was an asset to this year’s publication because I was a very hard worker. For most of my spreads, I was dedicated 100%. I was willing to do anything to meet the deadline. Even though I socialized a lot in the lab, I was able to multitask and finish everything that I was assigned to do and sometimes more. Out of the staff, I was one of the most frequent volunteer to stay after school. I was avid about staying after school, even thoug it meant riding home on a disgusting, creepy train. I took so many photos this year so that my spread members had a lot to choose from, they had to scroll through 1000-2000 photos. And these photos were almost always high quality, not very blurry, though I took so many. I was also a “motivator”. I was the annoying one on spreads who pushed members to do more. if I could not attend or do something for one of my spreads I found someone who could, even if they were a little reluctant. I was also an asset to this year’s yearbook because, even though I juggled many projects, yearbook, lit mag, theme project, and this portfolio, I did everything to the best of my ability, though it sometimes resulted in sleepless nights and sob-sessions. My out of the box thinking helpedme design creative spreads (Helping Hands, etc.). My perseverance and bull-headedness helped me push through to deadlines. All in all, being on the yearbook staff has helped me hone my abilities and its been really fun to participate on the Masterpiece yearbook staff of 2016.

Lili Mueller, Index Editor

rEFLECTION #5

A- At the beginning of the year, I was going through a lot and I had trouble working with the staff, for I had not yet learned the importance of teamwork. I had trouble asserting my position/relevance on the staff and I had a hard time standing up for myself. B- I learned to accept my role on the staff and stick up for myself when it came to flack from the staff. I learned to step up for spreads where teamwork wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t in place and I learned to let others make their own mistakes, not to always interfere and take on more responsibilities. If problems like these arose again, I would stand up for myself and be responsible about doing my work, and my work only. C- In the beginning, I handled it badly, not sticking up for myself and letting myself get overloaded with work. As time went on I learned to be responsible and assertive, making my spread members do their part of the spread and doing my part to the best of my ability.

rEFLECTION #6

In deadline 1, my goals were to improve in communicating and planning with my team members , interviewing using proper protocol, writing corrrect, engaging captions, writing correct, engaging copy, creating and completing, and getting along with my team members. I learned how to write copy and captions by deadline 2, though still recieving major editing marks, I was able to improve as a yearbook writer, though I still had some trouble in the next two deadlines. My interviews definetly improved, as the year progressed I got many in-depth quotes and some very long quotres which served my copy well. Though, communicating with spread members and getting along with spread members did not improve until deadline 4, where I finally was tired of being overloaded with work and tired of always racing around campus last-minute. All in all, I succeeded in fulfilling my goals for the year, though some were reached later than I had hoped. I had so much fun working with the amazing team of staffers for the Masterpiece Yearbook Volume 19 and I am super excited that it sold out.

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M.V.P: Jonathan Caleca M.V.P: Girls’ Soccer Team “blahblahblahblahblahblahblah”

“blahblahblahblahblahblahblah” -Coach Anthony

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M.V.P: Boys Foot-

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Time to play

sports showstopper

WHY DO YOU PLAY?

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Duncan H.L. Watkins Jupiter

Bak Stars work hard and play hard

Jeaga

e scrambled for the ball, his arms flailing behind him, his cleats digging into the AstroTurf. He pulled his leg back as it slammed into the ball, flying into the air, landing in the goal. “I play soccer to have fun and support my school,” Christian Diaz right midfield said. “My teammates motivate me and they encourage me when I’m on the field. The boys’ played hard and worked together as a team, though they had many losses. “I think the season was so rough because we had a bunch of inexperienced players,” Joel Soto team captain, said “and then we also didn’t have a goalie, so people had to volunteer.” The boys’ toughest opponent was Duncan, who also bested Bak in almost all other sports of the school year. “Duncan’s team was very organized. They knew how to control the ball and pass it through the defender’s channels,” Soto said. The Stars’ worked hard and played hard to achieve their goal of a good season. “I think nothing comes easily or naturally in life and you have to work hard at anything that’s worth doing,” Xavier Zambrano center attacking midfield said. “Soccer is worth doing which is why I work hard at it. by Lili Mueller

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CLIPS~writing HEADLESS BRIDES Eighth graders Aisha Olasewere, Ella Jacobs, and Karmelysa Sabin scream at the sight of a headless bride at the Fall Thriller. “[The scariest part was] the upper level of the haunted house. The desks were organized to form an obstacle course while zombies jumped out at us,” Olasewere said. She especially enjoyed the zombies with a chainsaw who chased people around the courtyard. Photo by Lili Mueller

BRAINS Playing a zombie shooting game with her friends, Jessenia Abrigo (8) watches her friend as she lines up her shot. “I love it when we all get together, going into the haunted house, and winning candy,” Abrigo said. Abrigo looked at the Fall Thriller as the biggest Bak bash of the year and went there for all the other years. Photo by Lili Mueller

WINNER TAKES ALL Hoping to score some extra candy, Grace Handel (7), plays the hula hoop ring toss game.“The games made the thriller complete. There were so many to play,” Handel said. Students were given one or two pieces per game, though some left with a full bag. Photo by Lili Mueller

(R)ATTRACTION With an expression of awe on their face, Carlee Tew (8) admires one of the pieces of a gym game. “I walked around with my friends in the gym and saw everyone participate,” Tew said. “It was fun because there were a lot of people, I got to see many cool costumes.” She thought the best part about the gym games were the fake rats. Photo by Isabella Kjaerulff

NIGHT OF

HORROR

Students scream and shriek, barely escaping the chainsaw-wielding zombies

he sound of shrieks of students and a chainsaw wielding clown-zombie filled the air. Students shouted as they ran through the new two-story haunted house. Nervous chatter echoed from the massive line that swarmed the entrance to the haunted house, and rave music played on the outdoor pavilion which served as a dance floor. It was perfected pandemonium. “Everyone was pushing each other and trying to get past the parent volunteer who was guarding the entrance,” Ashleigh Kairalla theater (8) said. Though the line seemed endless, Sarah Stenberg vocal (8) thought it was worth the wait. For the first time, the haunted house expanded to include more horror and fright.

Painting Your Own Path

“I liked that it was two stories this year,” Stenberg said. “It made it more entertaining.” After the haunted house, students relaxed and played the Halloween themed games set up in the gym, jammed out on the dance floor, or grabbed a snack from the parent volunteers. “I liked the places where you could sit outside. It was a relief from the claustrophobic atmosphere,” Jade Jackson vocal (8) said. The night of horror and excitement ended. The shrieks died down, and students successfully escaped the zombie with a chainsaw. As they sat on the sidewalk near parent pick-up, eating their hard-earned candy, the fright faded to laughter. By Lili Mueller and Aditya Jadvani

JAMMING OUT Listening to music and dancing along, Kate Deviney (6) and her friend enjoy their first Fall Thriller at Bak. “My favorite part was the music being played because everyone was singing, dancing and having a fun time,” Deviney said. After experiencing the haunted house, and the clown with a leaf blower, socializing with friends in the courtyard was a break from the frightening aspects of the event. Photo by Lili Mueller

Student Life/Fall Thriller

I wrote the Fall Thriller copy with Aditya for the Fall Thriller Student Life spread, pages 16-17. I also wrote the caption for the photo of the scared girls.

CLIPS~writing 15

T I R I

K E

MONDAY

PAJAMA DAY

E W

WEDNESDAY SPORTS

TUESDAY STAGES OF LIFE

1 LUNCH CONVERSATIONS “I like 6 FUR-RAISING “It was amazing,” 11 spirit week because it helps Ella Jacobs (8) said, “but [in me express my pride and art] I got charcoal all over my school spirit,” Ava Scuderi (8) white polar bear costume.” said. Photo by Heather Rollins Photo by Lili Mueller

RAZZLE-DAZZLE “I participated in spirit week to express how much I like our school and how much freedom [the school] gives us,” Katie Davis (6) said. Photo by Jade Johnson 7 PA-JAMMING OUT “Pajamas 12 NATURALLY NEON “I thought 2 TAILGATING “My favorite part it would be cool to dress of spirit week, as shown in Q feel great,” Vail Benedetto differently from what I usually the name, is our spirit, which (8) said. “Normal day clothes wear,” Christopher Bedecs shows our commitment to our are made to look good, not (6) said. Photo by Subhash school,” Alrik Blanchard (6) feel good.” Photo by Heather Kantamneni said. Photo by Heather Rollins Rollins 13 THE WALKING DEAD “I put a lot 3 SLEEPY MONDAYS “I like 8 FLUORESCENT FAIRY “I of time into making my clothes pajama day because I can participated in spirit week to look like they’ve gone through just roll out of bed, put on support our school and be with an apocalypse,” Isabella some makeup, and go to my friends,” Natalia Madison Ramirez (7) said. Photo by school,” Kristina Ronan (8) said. (7) said. Photo by Jade Jessica Samons Photo by Heather Rollins Johnson 4 LUMINOUS LEARNING “I 9 PAJAMA PARTNERS “Pajama 14 PEACEFUL PAJAMAS “I had decided to participate [in tests that day so it was easy day is fun because I can spirit week] because it shows for me to relax during the test wear comfortable clothes to people not to hide the person while in pajamas.” Emma Cruz school,” Valentina Gomez (7) inside,” Angelina Sierra (6) said. (6) said. Photo by Lili Mueller said. Photo by Lili Mueller Photo by Jade Johnson 5 SPOOKY SCARECROW “I liked 10 TALKING SPORTS “I like sports 15 FREAKY FRIDAY “Every day you get more excited because day because I got to wear my Freaky Friday because I could every day gets little bit closer great uncle’s jersey who is also show off my costume with my to Halloween,” Michael Laurito a hockey fan,” Carlee Tew (8) friends,” Amanda Vanner (8) (7) said. Photo by Isabella said. Photo by Heather Rollins said. Photo by Isabella Kjaerulff

THURSDAY NEON DAY

FRIDAY FREAKY DAY

I wrote several captions for the Spirit Week Student life spread, pages 18-19.

CLIPS~writing Beyond the music... Who is your favorite composer?

“My favorite composer is Beethoven because all of his pieces express how he feels and there are many dynamic changes in his pieces,” Nicholas Manganiotis (6) said. “Sergei Prokofiev: his orchestral pieces are very energetic and they motivate me to practice more,” Philippa Scroggins (8) said. “J.C. Bach. He is my favorite [composer] because he can look at a painting and write a piece based on it. He can express many emotions just through a couple of measures. You never get tired of his music,” Joseph Cuenco (7) said. “Leonard Bernstein because one of his compositions was the music in West Side Story,” Olivia D’addio (8) said. STANDING OVATION Playing his instrument, Ian Lewis (8) practices with a professional bass player. “When I was in second grade, [bass] was the coolest instrument, the biggest [instrument], and I was the tallest one,” Lewis said. Lewis planned to attend Oxbridge. Photo by Lili Mueller BLURRED LINES Playing the delicate notes, Elizabeth Nelson (6) has a unique story why she started playing the violin. “I had a dream [that] I saw a violin shape, and when I went to my old school, I saw the violin and I was inspired to play it,” Nelson said. Nelson appreciated the Bak MSOA strings program. Photo by Brandon Lee

FOLLOW THE LEADER Showing her students the proper posture, strings teacher Nancy Beebe models of the correct position to hold a violin. “Good posture will allow flexibility to play well and have good technique,” Beebe said. Posture was very important for all instruments, Beebe stated. Photo by Brandon Lee

BRIGHT FUTURES S Students have high hopes for future careers

EXPRESSIONS Playing a piece called ”Tengo Expressivo,” Natalia Sanchez (6) has a future in mind. “I want to go to Dreyfoos, and then [I] want to play in an orchestra in my during college,” Sanchez said. The elegant look of the violin was one reason why Sanchez liked strings. Photo by Brandon Lee

Beyond Primary Colors

UNIQUE NOTES Paying close attention to the teacher, Nyah Palka (6) shows off her colorful violin. “My mom gave me a choice between the piano and violin. I was always interested in unique instruments so I chose the violin,” Palka said. Palka wanted to perform in the front row in Carnegie Hall one day. Photo by Brandon Lee

he raised and lowered her bow, thinking about the goals she wanted to achieve. With each motion, her dream university flashed in her mind. She just couldn’t wait to see what her career would turn out to be in the future. “I want to make it into Dreyfoos and become a professional musician that teaches other kids,” Lemar Mcogg (6) said. “I want to become a musician because I am interested in bass.” Numerous students strived for a professional career in strings, and

commitment was needed in order to make the dream turn into a reality. Practicing methods varied from person to person, as according to bulletproofmusician.com. “I like to practice my weakest sections slowly and gradually get to the original tempo,” Adrian Carchi (7) said. “[Bak] has taught me a lot, including skills and knowledge.” Learning to play a musical instrument was beneficial not only to the students’ careers, but to their normal lives as well. According to education.jhu.edu,

learning to play music improved focus, concentration, built a sense of anticipation, released tension, and improved memory. “[Learning music] helps me be more focused and more relaxed,” Sarah Rivera (8) said. ”We can play with different people in quartets. It is fun to interact with the people.” She played her last note, satisfaction rushing through her veins. She knew what she would be. She knew what her path was. She knew her goal was in reach. by Brandon Lee

Arts and Academics/Strings

I wrote two captions for the Strings, Arts & Academics spread, pages 30-31.

3 31

CLIPS~writing DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT VISION

Beyond the language... How will learning a foreign language help you in the future?

Students look towards a brighter future with the gift of language

porting sunglasses and a scarf, Valentina Gomez communications (7) held a wrinkled script in her hand. Her partner, Allison Turner visual (8), was also wearing sunglasses and held a small clutch purse in her hand. In their tourist-like outfits, the girls did a dress rehearsal for the play they wrote about going through airport security. “The airport skit was my favorite assignment because we got to create unique plays and perform them for another class,” Turner said. “I played the part of a tourist from Costa Rica.” World language teachers often incorporated games and projects into their curriculum to make learning Spanish or French more interesting. As

high school credit courses, these classes provided a challenging program for students who wished to excel. “I take Spanish because it will help me communicate with tons more people,” Janelle Puckering theater (8) said. “The biggest challenge is knowing that this course will count in the future.” Many students chose to learn a new language out of many other electives offered. According to the New York Times, being bilingual “improved cognitive skills not related to language and even shielded against dementia in old age.” “Because I live in South Florida, a lot of people speak Spanish and I want to be able to,” Kai Koren theater (7) said.

“Some of my friends speak Spanish, so when they speak it, I understand what they are saying.” Learning a world language not only helped students to speak with people they know, but also would give them an advantage in a future career. According to the U.S. News, bilingual people entering the workforce in 2014 were given an additional 10 percent to 15 percent pay raise. “It broadens my horizons for a job,” Erin Hoffman communications (6) said. “People who are bilingual can do more, so they have more job opportunities.” by Heather Rollins and Esha Dudhwewala

“It will help me communicate with people, and I can listen to, talk to, and understand more people.” William Anderson theater (7) “If I want to go to a different country where people don’t speak our language, it will be important so I can ask to buy things, read signs, and communicate with tour guides.” Abigail Reynolds piano (8)

RIRE Laughing at his teacher’s comment in French class, Marco Flavio (8) listens to the vocabulary from the unit. “I always try to participate in what my teacher is doing because I feel that if I don’t, I might miss out on what we’re learning,” Flavio said. Some of Flavio’s family members spoke French and he hoped to be able to communicate with them once he learned the language. Photo by Isabella Kjaerulff

“It will help me get a job and communicate with people in different countries.” Nirmit Chandan communications (7) “I can better understand people, communicate, and guide them if they are new and do not know how to speak English.” Ambreen Murad vocal (8)

GUAU! Explaining his steps in Spanish, Noah Sams (8) performs an experiment. “The experiment was to explain how to defy gravity step by step in Spanish,” Sams said. “The end result was the upside down cup held the water without it spilling.” Sams took Spanish to learn a new language, and to learn all about the culture. Photo by Lili Mueller FUERTE Flexing her arms, Lillian Khanna (8) tries to crush a raw egg as she explains in Spanish what body parts she is using. “I told Mr. E that I [thought] my arms were much stronger than my legs,” Khanna said. Even with the helpful cheers from Naila Gomez (8), Khanna was unable to crush the egg. Photo by Lili Mueller

HOSPITAL Using props that their French teacher, Anne-Marie Bouchard, brought in, Emilia Boulon (8) and Emily Colaiuta (8) act out a scene about going to the hospital. “We tried to make our performance humorous and entertaining so the audience would like it,” Boulon said. Boulon already knew Spanish and she enjoyed the idea of being fluent in three languages. Photo by Esha Dudhwewala

¿PREGUNTAS? Questioning her teacher over a type of conjugation, Karima Cromer (8) receives a high-five as a reward for her thought-inspiring inquisition. “It’s interesting to learn a new language because you can use it when you go to foreign places like Puerto Rico, Cuba, [or] Mexico,” Cromer said. Cromer thought of her teacher, Christina Donnelly, as “muy divertido,” meaning “very exciting.” Photo by Joel Soto

Beyond Primary Colors

Arts & Academics/World Languages

I wrote three captions for the World Languages Arts & Academics spread, pages 40-41.

CLIPS~writing

PLAYING WITH FIRE

Beyond the lab...

Hands-on experiences help students comprehend the world

What’s your favorite science experiment? “[My favorite activity] was the DNA lab. I liked it because you could see your own DNA becoming visible.” Elena Snyder communications (7)

“My favorite experiment was when we looked through filters that allowed us to see the sun without hurting our eyes.” Keane Gosselin strings (6) “Cutting up geodes, because I like to learn about rocks and minerals.” Danielle Adams dance (6) “We did an egg dropping experiment, I enjoyed it because we got to build parachutes and test them, to see if our eggs would survive.” Meghan Agarwal communications (8)

INCISION DECISION Cutting a potato, Michael Hegeman (7) works on an osmosis science project in Gary Williams’ class. “The experiment was creative, and I hadn’t seen anything like it before,” Hegeman said. The result was that the potatoes sank in salt water, but floated in normal water. Photo by Isabella Ramirez

ooking over his project, Nicolas Ouporov dance (8) checked out his parachute to make sure there were no mistakes. His partners, Jordan Juliano visual (8) and Smit Viroja visual (8), made sure that it was safe and secure enough to cradle their egg safely to the ground. Ouporov proceeded to launch their apparatus off of the bridge. They clamored down the stairs and inspected their egg. Cracked. The boys sighed and tried to figure out how they could remodel their contraption. “I tried to follow the [research]. I read as closely as possible using the materials we had available, but it didn’t work out

well,” Ouporov said. “I tried to make the parachute dome-shaped but it ended up looking like a stop sign.” To learn the different types of science, students participated in handson activities such as panning for minerals and building parachutes for eggs. They also dissected animals like the squid, spiny dogfish shark, bull frog, and fetal pig. ”I thought it was interesting because we got to see the organization of the organs in a shark,” Amanda Ferber vocal (7) said. “I’ve learned that sharks have a different anatomy than humans.” Hands-on labs were not the only tool

students used to learn science. They also went on educational science trips like Bone Valley where sixth grade students panned for fossils, learning about the bone structures in organisms. “My favorite part of the trip was going mining. We learned a lot about rock and mineral composition,” Erica Schrieber visual (6) said. The boys finally modified their parachute to make sure it could preserve the egg’s condition. Hoping it would not crack this time, the boys dropped the egg, watching it fall to the floor. They ran to the landing spot and cheered. Their egg survived. by Lili Mueller and Tori Maxwell

EX-PAN-DING KNOWLEDGE Searching for minerals, Rachel Hobbs (6) learns how to pan correctly. “The panning helped me by making me understand mineral density and how the minerals in jewelry got there,” Hobbs said. She enjoyed seeing all of the different colored rocks and crystals. Photo by Esha Dudhwewala DOUBLE-HEARTED With a shark heart in his hand, Gerrit Felton (7) dissects a spiny dogfish shark. “[Dissections] are gross and interesting. At the same time, I felt like I killed something,” Felton said. He was not opposed to dissections, but felt sorry for the animals. Photo by Katherine Oung

HOT TO COLD Pulling the towel off the bag of ice, Tracy Smith, science teacher, shows Shaina Franks (8) how to clean up after an experiment about thermodynamics. “It’s a cool part for me as a teacher to watch the students apply what they learned in class to real life, such as making ice cream,” Smith said. Students had to transfer thermal energy from the mix to the bag of ice to make the ice cream. Photo by Isabella Ramirez

Beyond Primaryy Colors

FIRED UP To entertain his students, Gary Williams, science teacher, practices for a science fair demonstration. “I was teaching my students that gas was heavier than air. That’s why it didn’t explode,” Williams said. He made sure the ratio of gas to air was equal. Photo by Subhash Kantamneni

Arts & Academics/Science

I wrote the science copy with Tori for the Science Arts & Academics spread, pages 46-47

CLIPS~writing SPORTING A NEW COLOR Bak athletes persevere through hardships

108

Sporting a New Color

Sports Divider

109

I wrote the sports divider copy and the caption for the Sports Divider spread, pages 108-109

CLIPS~writing A PITCH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Players improve after every win and loss

he crack of the bat signaled the start of the game. The light shined into her eyes and she squinted against it, fighting to catch a glance of the ball. “[The worst part about softball] is when you’re in the outfield, the sun is in your eyes, and you get a pop fly,” Valeria Beattie (8) said. Some players included softball in their plan for the future, such as scholarships or careers. “I think [softball] will contribute to my future because it is one of my favorite sports and I want to play softball in college,” Annabella Saccaro (6) said. The girls won many matches, such as a home game against Howell Watkins, winning 15-0, a game at JFK, winning 22-4, a game at Howell Watkins, winning 13-8, and another game at JFK, winning 15-5. Players faced tough opponents such as Duncan, to whom the girls lost 15-0 or to Jupiter who they lost 10-0. “I think we had some very tough competitors this year,” Beattie said. “The eighth graders last year were a very big asset.” Some students have unique stories related to games this season. “I was pitching in a game for the other team, and I was scared but it was exciting because it was the first time I pitched for a whole game,” Saccaro said. To some students softball was more than just a game. “I think that being in softball gets me out of trouble because it’s something that I love,” Beattie said. The girl saw the ball streaking across the clear blue sky. She held up her glove, yelling, “I got it!” and stood her ground, easily encasing the ball in her mitt. by Lili Mueller

Girls’ Softball Scoreboard

110

Team

Us Them

Howell Watkins Duncan JFK Jupiter Howell Watkins Duncan JFK Jupiter Independence

15 0 22 0 13 0 15 4 4

Sporting a New Color

0 15 4 10 8 15 5 0 15

STRIKE OUT Winding up for her pitch, Annabella Saccaro (6) pitches in their game against Independence. “I want to play softball in college, and I really want to play in the professional leagues,” Saccaro said. Though Saccaro’s favorite part of softball was hitting, she also enjoyed pitching. Photo by Lili Mueller

WINDING UP Winding her arm into her pitch, Valeria Beattie (8) has a future career in mind for softball. “I have been playing softball ever since I was eight and I have always dreamed about getting a scholarship for softball,” Beattie said. Catching a pop-fly in the blinding sun was Beattie’s least favorite part about softball. Photo by Lili Mueller

KEEP AN EYE ON THE BALL Aiming for the ball, Alyssa Foglia (8) lines up her swing. “My brother inspired me because I grew up on the baseball field watching him play and I always wanted to try it,” Foglia said. Foglia played softball to follow her brother’s footsteps. Photo by Brandon Lee

Sports Sportscheck Why do you play? “I play softball because I like the rush in the game. I like meeting new people and playing with some talented individuals.” Lillian Khanna communications (8) “I play [softball] because it is in my family. My brother plays, and I thought it would be cool to play also.” Erica Ellison visual(7)

OVER THE PLATE In position, Sydney Williams (7) prepares to catch the ball soon to come sover the plate. “I like when we are in the dugout and one of our teammates is batting because we get to cheer for them and make jokes,” Williams said. She was inspired to begin running because of softball and loved that aspect of the game. Photo by Brandon Lee

Sports/Girls’ Softball

I wrote the Softball copy and most of the captions for the Softball Sports spread, pages 110-111

111

CLIPS~writing Students harness their public speaking skills

ights dimmed. The room fell to a hush. Two pairs of smartly dressed students walked in, clutching their legal pads to their chests like lifelines. Hearts beat quicker, like fluttering butterflies in the wind. It was time for the round to begin. “[I participate in Speech and Debate] for the speaking and to express myself, because I like getting my thoughts out there,” Jenelle Pollock communications (7) said, “And even though others don’t feel this way, I enjoy the pressure of facing the judges, as well as getting the butterflies.” During competitions, most members of the club specialized in certain events. They ranged from Interpretation to Public Forum to Congressional Debate. Competitors like Nedda Gosman communications (8), Anish Ravichandran strings (8), and Lillian Khanna communications (8) placed throughout the year. “[When I am competing], I want to show people that speaking in front of other people is not showcasing you,” Gosman said. “It is showcasing what you’re telling them about.” The speech finished, and the competitors watched the judges scrawl their final comments on the ballots. They left the room with shining smiles and weight lifted off their shoulders, replaced by the hope of taking home the gold. by Katherine Oung

Soon to be scientists, engineers, mathematicians

cience is defined as the study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experimentation. That’s what students in the Science, Engineering, Communication, Mathematics, and Enrichment club (SECME) focused on – observing and experimenting. One of the many categories that the students competed in was bottle rockets, where the participants constructed up to two rockets from soda bottles and launch them. “On the first day of SECME when I was in elementary school, we learned how to make bottle rockets. My rocket flew 9.8 seconds! That’s a high school level score,” Jillian Mersky theater (6) said. “At the actual competition the rocket totally failed. I was super disappointed because I should have built another bottle rocket for the competition.” The club encouraged and motivated the students to pursue their careers in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering. Sabrina Sillence theater (6) said, “I want to become a chemist. Experimenting made me realize how cool science is.” The students in SECME will be the ones who will change and make improvements to the world. They are the future. by Sophia Pregadio 126 Coloring Outside the Lines 126 Coloring Outside the Lines

Speak Up; Speech and Debate

Play for Real; Academic Games

RESEARCH FRENZY With a broad smile on his face, Nirmit Chandan (7), points to a headline of a Huffington Post article to Sheevam Patel (6). “I enjoy [Congressional Debate] because it’s an interesting way to learn about current events. Research is pretty easy too,” Chandan said. The 2015-2016 school year was Chandan’s second year competing in Speech and Debate. Photo by Katherine Oung

A FOR ACADEMIC Anxiously highlighting, Ambreen Murad (8) tries to keep track of the vital information she’s getting about the world of competition. “We were going over the rules and terms for propaganda and Mr. Battle gave us examples of what to do and what not to do,” Murad said. Club sponsor, Douglas Battle gave the students insight into the essence of what is Academics Games. Photo by Skyler Johnson

Leaders of the Future; SECME

Imaginary Chickens; Geek Games

EXPERIENCED SCIENTIST Being in SECME since fifth grade, this wasn’t Liliana Sisto’s (6) first time at a SECME meeting. “When I competed last year I was anxious because the mouse trap car started off fast, but slowed down in the middle which caused us to get second place,” Sisto said. Ben Baxley, club sponsor, helped her fill out an information sheet. Photo by Sophia Pregadio

Academic prodigies form a determined team

he students in academic games lived to compete and do their best. For them that was the adrenaline rush they lived for. “When I tried [Academic Games] for the first time I really enjoyed it. I love feeling the rush of winning at competitions,” said Thomas Ashley communications (6). The students could rely on each other for support during hard times because of the trust and strong bonds they had developed. “In Academic Games not everyone scores, so you have to be able to trust and help your teammates.” Deven Seedial, keyboard (6) said. The students knew that winning was not everything, but there was a feeling that winning gave them that was unlike any other. Club sponsor, Douglas Battle could not have been more proud. Battle was there to help them along and taught them strategy to win the games. “We get students from elementary schools with skills in math, so all I really need to teach them is strategy,” Battle said. Academic Games gave the students the opportunity to further their quest for knowledge and helped them uncover their strong desire to succeed in the competitive setting. The students on the team learned valuable lessons about both competition and teamwork. by Skyler Johnson

Students meet afterschool to play fantasy games

ith an intent look on his face, the student dove into the bin of figures, hoping to find a winner. “[I joined Geek Games] when I was in sixth grade, it seemed really fun, we started playing Heroclix before buses. It seemed like a fun strategy game and I like strategy,” Taylor DiPietro, communications major (8) said. Most games that the club played were fantasy games, focused around the subject of defeating monsters or each other, to become the best and win. “Every time you play, you learn something new and every time you get demolished, you learn something new,” DiPietro said. One game in Geek Games had caused trouble in both the past and the present. DiPietro said, “We played Dungeons and Dragons and everyone kept fighting. I thought it was funny because I didn’t care that much.” “I was actually kicked out of the Dungeons and Dragons club in my middle school because I was not taking the club seriously enough, apparently. I liked to buy imaginary chickens,” Zane Hurley, Geek Games advisor, said. FIRST MEETING FUN Enjoying the game of Heroclix, Chandler Paszkiet (6) avidly points out a mistake to his friends, Thomas Ashley (6) and Zane Hurley (6). “[Playing Heroclix] was fun The student emerged from the bin, pride on his face, because [Hurley and Ashley] are people I’ve known before. They are fun to play with and as he held his figures in the air, triumphantly sharing his have a relative interest in Heroclix,” Paszkiet said. The kickoff meeting was the first time of success. the school year that Geek Games members played Heroclix. Photo by Lili Mueller by Lili Mueller Clubs and Organizations/Speech/SECME/Academic Games/Geek Games 127 Clubs and Organizations/Speech/SECME/Academic Games/Geek Games 127

I wrote the copy and caption for the Geek Games portion of the first Clubs & Orgs spread, pages 126-127

CLIPS~writing Thespians learn about different aspects of theater

The World’s a Stage; Jr. ITS The Leaders of Tomorrow; SGA

he curtains parted and the lights of the theater cast a dim yellow glow on the stage. A pair of students, hand in hand and wearing bright tie-dye shirts, were revealed. Junior International Thespian Society (Jr. ITS) was a way for students with a love for theater to gain experience in the field of performing competitively. “I really enjoy being in theater, my major. That’s why I joined [Jr. ITS], because it was an outlet in which I could extend my passion. Jr. ITS attracted me, and plus, I was recommended by my teachers to join,” Sunaina Singh theater (6) said. Jr. ITS members competed in various festivals, such as Mini-Fest and District-Fest. The categories of pieces students could perform ranged from improvisation to large group performances to monologues. “I’m going to District-Fest with a monologue from the play “Power Play”. It’s about a girl who gets bullied at school. It’s a really emotional and touching piece. I feel like it shows that people get bullied for unimportant reasons,” Emily Matusik theater (7) said. The piece ended, and the theater resonated with applause. Glowing with happiness, the duo sat back down. by Katherine Oung

A windfall of ads results in a rare 16-page issue

IMPROV-MENTS Striking a pose, Jillian Mersky (6) and Chandler Paszkiet (6) perform their improvisation piece based upon the prompt “anniversary.” “I have always been the kind of person who goes up on a stage. I like to be seen and let people know that I have talent,” Mersky said. Mersky joined Jr. ITS because of a teacher’s recommendation. Photo by Katherine Oung

Working Together; Newspaper Give Back; NJHS

pile of advertisement requests flew into the newspaper classroom, more than the staff had ever received before. There was no way the ads would all fit into the 12 pages of the Portfolio Newspaper, along with the photos, articles, and other graphic elements. Advisor Jessica Samons came up with a solution to include as many ads as possible. “We had to increase the number of pages to 16, to make sure we could fit all the copy that we needed to accurately cover the first weeks of school,” Nikita Tanguturi communications (7) said. “We had to stay as organized as we possibly could.” All of the staff, editor-in-chiefs included, were obligated to work around the new layout. This included putting some of the news articles on the Portfolio website, because there was not enough room in the original layout concept. “It was a challenge to make the [special] 16page layout because we had to move things around, and ignore the dummy layouts,” Luke Stone communications (8) newspaper co-editor-in-chief said. “We had created and make an entirely new layout.” by Heather Rollins

128 128

Coloring Outside of the Lines Coloring Outside of the Lines

PLANNED PROPOSALS Discussing plans for the new school year, Ervin Williams (8) explains his idea for SGA to Jaylen Sanders (8) and Shaina Franks (8). “I want to understand what I can do to help the students in the best way,” Williams said. One of Williams’ jobs was to go to SAC meetings and write down what they said and discuss ideas. Photo by Isabella Kjaerulff

A FRIEND IN NEED Giving Ashley Kulberg (7) tips on her newspaper portfolio, Sreenidhi Nidamanur (7) demonstrates her point on Adobe Indesign. “We have to create [a digital portfolio] after every issue analyzing our work and how we would change or improve it,” Nidamanur said. Meeting the deadlines was a challenge for Nidamanur because she left her interviewing until the last minute. Photo by Subhash Kantamneni

SGA helps officers prepare for the future

he students sat in groups of three, discussing ways to improve representation in the school. Ideas were considered and discarded. One could hear the friendly chatter that filled Sharon Campbell, social studies teacher’s, classroom, and the occasional “eureka” from a group of students. Eventually, the Student Government officers came to the conclusion of selling candy canes as a holiday fundraiser. “We just started to [sell] candy canes,” Olivia Arnold communications (6) said. “We have to work together [with this fundraiser] because if you work alone, you get less work done. Some people cut the wrappers, and some attached the tags.” Beyond the fundraisers, participating students stayed after school for various jobs. They attended meetings, where they brainstormed and worked together. “The meetings help us understand that whatever position we are, we can have our voices be heard,” Ervin Williams communications (8) said. “I find that the question we always come to is ‘how can we affect Bak in the best possible way?’” Whether an SGA officer was an eighth grade representative, the treasurer, or any of the other jobs that SGA had in store, they got to gain experience so that one day, they could be the leaders of tomorrow. by Isabella Kjaerulff

National Junior Honors Society members make an effort to help the community

ight before a meeting, two co-presidents reviewed the agenda. Club members researched and ran over last minute notes, ready to present their ideas. “I love how we get to give back to the community. It’s so amazing to see the end result of all the donations,” Devika Jhaveri, theater (8), co-president said. The members of NJHS mostly ran fundraisers to help the community, such as a Fall Food Drive to feed the hungry, and a drive for Grandma’s Place, a home for needy or abused children that needed supplies. “I like the charity events we do, because it is a great experience to give back to the community,” Madaleine Rubin commuinications (8) said. Members were required a 30-hour minimum amount of community service hours to be part of the club. “I volunteer at events run by my elementary school. Also, I volunteer at animal rescues and adoption events,” Amanda Vanner, communications (8), secretary said. The responsibility of running the club was up to the students. “Students mostly run the club, because we come up TODAY’S AGENDA Presenting what would be discussed during the meeting, co-presidents with everything that we do. It allows us to sponsor [the] Lauren Herba (8) and Devika Jhaveri (8) speak animatedly to an attentive audience. “I love events that we want to,” Rubin said. “It’s great how creating the agenda,” Jhaveri said. “Alexis and I have such a fun time planning everything out and we work well together.” Jhaveri loved the freedom of NJHS. Photo by Lili Mueller everyone collaborates.” by Lili Mueller Clubs & Orgs/Jr. ITS/Student Government/Newspaper/NJHS 129 Clubs & Orgs/Jr. ITS/Student Government/Newspaper/NJHS 129

I wrote the copy and caption for the NJHS portion of the second Clubs & Orgs spread, pages 128-129

CLIPS~design DIJON VU Spreading condiments on bread, Kailee Gomez (6) and Megan Rollins (6) prepare sandwiches for the homeless. “We pass around the sandwich and then add our part to it,” Gomez said. If she was homeless, Gomez would want people to help her out. Photo by Heather Rollins

How Can YOU Help? 1. St. Judes Children’s Hospital “St. Jude...treats and defeats childhood cancer and other lifethreatening diseases. The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.”

2. Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League

Helping

HANDS

Students’ actions were more than just school requirements

Painting Your Own Path

SStu Student tuden d t Life/Helping ng Han H Hands ds

I designed the Helping Hands Student Life spread, pages 12-13, I came up with the idea for a community service spread and so I took the lead on designing that spread.

CLIPS~design SPORTING A NEW COLOR Bak athletes persevere through hardships

108

Sporting a New Color

Sports Divider

109

I designed the Sports Divider spread, pages 108109, arranging the paint splatters and modifying it from the original template to suit the style of the spread.

CLIPS~photos HEADLESS BRIDES Eighth graders Aisha Olasewere, Ella Jacobs, and Karmelysa Sabin scream at the sight of a headless bride at the Fall Thriller. “[The scariest part was] the upper level of the haunted house. The desks were organized to form an obstacle course while zombies jumped out at us,” Olasewere said. She especially enjoyed the zombies with a chainsaw who chased people around the courtyard. Photo by Lili Mueller

NIGHT OF

HORROR

Students scream and shriek, barely escaping the chainsaw-wielding zombies

Painting Your Own Path

Student Life/Fall Thriller

I took almost all of the photos for the Fall Thriller Student Life spread, pages 16-17.

CLIPS~photos 15

T I R I

K E

MONDAY

PAJAMA DAY

E W

WEDNESDAY SPORTS

TUESDAY STAGES OF LIFE

RAZZLE-DAZZLE “I participated in spirit week to express how much I like our school and how much freedom [the school] gives us,” Katie Davis (6) said. Photo by Jade Johnson 7 PA-JAMMING OUT “Pajamas 12 NATURALLY NEON “I thought 2 TAILGATING “My favorite part it would be cool to dress of spirit week, as shown in Q feel great,” Vail Benedetto differently from what I usually the name, is our spirit, which (8) said. “Normal day clothes wear,” Christopher Bedecs shows our commitment to our are made to look good, not (6) said. Photo by Subhash school,” Alrik Blanchard (6) feel good.” Photo by Heather Kantamneni said. Photo by Heather Rollins Rollins THE WALKING DEAD “I put a lot 13 3 SLEEPY MONDAYS “I like 8 FLUORESCENT FAIRY “I of time into making my clothes pajama day because I can participated in spirit week to look like they’ve gone through just roll out of bed, put on support our school and be with an apocalypse,” Isabella some makeup, and go to my friends,” Natalia Madison Ramirez (7) said. Photo by school,” Kristina Ronan (8) said. (7) said. Photo by Jade Jessica Samons Photo by Heather Rollins Johnson 4 LUMINOUS LEARNING “I 9 PAJAMA PARTNERS “Pajama 14 PEACEFUL PAJAMAS “I had decided to participate [in tests that day so it was easy day is fun because I can spirit week] because it shows for me to relax during the test wear comfortable clothes to people not to hide the person while in pajamas.” Emma Cruz school,” Valentina Gomez (7) inside,” Angelina Sierra (6) said. (6) said. Photo by Lili Mueller said. Photo by Lili Mueller Photo by Jade Johnson 5 SPOOKY SCARECROW “I liked 10 TALKING SPORTS “I like sports 15 FREAKY FRIDAY “Every day you get more excited because day because I got to wear my Freaky Friday because I could every day gets little bit closer great uncle’s jersey who is also show off my costume with my to Halloween,” Michael Laurito a hockey fan,” Carlee Tew (8) friends,” Amanda Vanner (8) (7) said. Photo by Isabella said. Photo by Heather Rollins said. Photo by Isabella Kjaerulff

THURSDAY NEON DAY

FRIDAY FREAKY DAY

I took three photos for the Spirit Week Student Life Showstopper spread, pages 18-19.

CLIPS~photos Beyond the notes...

How do you balance school and music? “I try to find time to practice whenever I have time open.” Connor Richter (6) “It’s difficult, but I try to find time after my homework, but before dinner.” Nicholas Vogel (6) “I don’t really, but I try to pack it all in after school. My schedule becomes packed quickly.” Jeffrey Crawford (6) “If something is important to you, you’ll make time [to practice] and band is important to me.” Sara Bernstein (8)

REDHAWK Practicing the song “Redhawk” in class, Aalycea Herring (6) listens to the music her class creates. “When I play, I feel like I wrote the music,” Herring said. Spending time with her friends during class made Herring enjoy being in the band even more. Photo by Cora Gilbert LONE WOLF With eyes focused on his sheet music, Desmond Paparo (8) plays his trombone. “[I started playing because] my family likes to play instruments, and that’s something I liked to do,” Paparo said. Paparo believed that the hardest part of being a band major was performing alone. Photo by Heather Rollins

BEGINNING OF THE END While playing the song “American March” on the marimba, Roberto Arias (7) enjoys the ending of the song. “[My favorite part of playing the marimba is] working together,” Arias said. Arias played the lower level of the marimba. Photo by Lili Mueller

FINDING YOUR RHYTHM R CLARINET DUET Practicing their pieces, Victoria Whitlock (7) and Jaymin Zhu (6) focus on hitting the right notes. “[The best part about being in band is] when you get to finish a song, and seeing how it sounds when you’re done,” Whitlock said. During that class, the students were playing “The American March.” Photo by Heather Rollins

Bey Beyond eyond Prima ey Primary ary Col Co Colors os ors

YORKSHIRE BAND The sounds of instruments echo through the room as Dylan Reed (7) plays the song “Yorkshire Band.” “I just really like music,” Reed said. “It’s nice to be playing it.” For several years, Reed had played the baritone. Photo by Heather Rollins

Band students who practice together, perform together

esting his hand on his trumpet, he listened carefully as band teacher Jamie Groves explained the notes she had written on the board. He was confused, unsure of the pattern he saw, consisting of eighth notes and sixteenth notes. When Groves realized her students were baffled by the new music, she decided to explain it in a different way. As she articulated her lecture, the room filled with “Oh!” and “Now I get it!” He felt the sweat on his forehead fade as he let himself play the notes, as did the rest of his class. The music flowed throughout the room, providing a calm environment. “It makes me feel happy when I

hear the sounds of my instrument,” Mason Lenehan (6) said. “I started playing an instrument when I was six years old because I loved the sound of instruments playing together.” Band members were expected to learn the music over a course of days and be ready to play together. Most students developed a method to manage their time. “I practice with classical band music first, then all of my jazz music, then I do all of my scales my trumpet teacher gives me,” Jonathan Tordi (6) said. Instruments were a large commitment for some, leaving very little time for other activities. Sometimes, though, playing an instrument had its bad days.

“I started playing because my friend wanted me to be in the school band at my old school. I didn’t really want to, but when I auditioned for this school, it encouraged me to play more,”Justin Delgado (8) said. Music was more than a pastime; it was a way of life. “After becoming so involved in music, I developed a passion. Now, I think I want to minor in music,” Skylar Rose Margolin (8) said. From practice to method, the moment that counted for the musicians were the concerts. Margolin said, “After working so hard on something, you want to perform your best. You don’t want all your hard work to Art A Ar Arts rs&A Ac Academics/Band cade demic m s/ ss/B //B Band d 25 5

I helped out the Band Arts & Academics spread, pages 24-25, by taking one photo for them, it was a period they could not cover.

CLIPS~photos Beyond the music... Who is your favorite composer?

BRIGHT FUTURES S Students have high hopes for future careers

Beyond Primary Colors

Arts and Academics/Strings

3 31

I took all of the sidebar photos and one photo for the Strings Arts & Academics spread, pages 30-31

CLIPS~photos IT’S SHOWTIME

Beyond the script...

Learning aspects in theater helps to bring productions to life

he stood in front of the mirror, staring at her glistening makeup and trying to contain her nervousness. Her friend made last minute tweaks to her hair as she reviewed her lines over and over again for the next scene. When she stepped closer to the stage, everything she had learned in the past flashed through her mind. Students learned different aspects of theater, varying from improvisation with Laura Graham, set design with Wayne Steadman, costume design with Erin Amico, musical theater with Randy Booth, fake combat fighting with Nicolas Santana, to acting with Richard Valentine and Sandra Tepper. “I have gained the ability to memorize monologues and scripts, use power tools and drills in Mr. Steadman’s class, and make things up on the spot in Mr. Valentine’s class,” Ryan Lamontagne (6) said.

For productions, elements from all the technical theater classes came together. All the basic sewing techniques, utilizing tools in the workshop, costume designing, and set design helped the performance come to life. “The technical things [are important], such as lighting and set design. Without all the technical stuff, it’s just you acting, but once the lights go on, it really starts to feel like a show,” Rachel Robinson (7) said. Three years of learning theatrical aspects led to eighth grade productions, which included “Servant of Two Masters”, “La Dispute”, “Babes on Broadway”, “Charlie Brown the Musical”, and “The Lottery”. Madison Elliott (8), who played Clarice in “Servant of Two Masters”, said, “Getting ready for the show required a mix of talent from all of the theater department. It included Ms. Amico’s

costume design class, who did an amazing job with the costumes, Mr. Steadman, who worked really hard on the set, Mr. Valentine and Ms. Pascal who coached us, and Mr. Santana who helped us with the swords and daggers.” Although most productions were performed by the eighth graders, the production of “Orphan Train” was a seventh grade show. Since every seventh grader had a part, there were three different casts of the same show. Hannah Gardner (7) said, “In Ms. Tepper’s class we have been working on how the characters in ‘Orphan Train’ stand, talk, and gesture. We have also been working on costumes to look and resemble our character.” In the actress’ mind, all the effort led her to this moment, the moment when she would shine. She took a deep breath and stepped into the light. by Seoyoon Yang, Aditya Jadvani, and Madison Elliott

VANITY AFFAIR As Annie Oxer (8) and Lauryn Owen (8) argue about who is prettier, they are held back by Cassidy Patz (8) and Jordan Beres (8), while Shaina Franks (8) and Sawyer Hyatt (8) watch from above. “I was very nervous during the performance because I thought people would react differently when they saw ‘Egle’ and I were yelling and fighting with each other,” Oxer said. They were performing in the play called “La Dispute.” Photo by Lili Mueller

What is the real life application of theater? “In theater, they teach us how to express ourselves and be outgoing. If I had an interview then I would speak my mind honestly.” Brianna Souffrant (7) “It gives me collaborating skills and presentation skills.” Sawyer Hyatt (8)

SNAPSHOT Posing for the last scene of an improvisation play, Julia Kenny (6) and Kaitlyn Diaz (6) pose in the center while Andrew Munoz (bottom center), Jacoy Paul (6), Nicolette Carew (6), Angelina Tharitimanont (6), Mia Lopes (6), and Davilia McDonald (6) hover around. “We would have somebody make up a word and then we would make a story to act out and perform,” Munoz said. They were playing a game with different sea characters. Photo by Seoyoon Yang

“We learn stage combat which is what to do in a fight when we’re performing. Our teachers tell us what to do then, and what to do when we’re in a dangerous situation.” Olivia Saurberg (7) “In theater, I learn valuable information I will use later in life, including speaking in front of a large group of people about something or someone I care about.” Seth Greenberg (7)

PANTALONE In the production “The Servant of Two Masters,” Jakob Littell (8) plays Pantalone. “Rehearsal is relaxed and has less energy than a show because during a show you can feed off the audience and their laughing or applause push you to do the best you can,” Littell said. Littell was playing the wealthy business man of Venice. Photo by Aditya Jadvani REAL FACE MASKS As Isabelle Eisenberg (8) prepares to form the mask on her group partner, Rebecca Boss (8) waits patiently for the strips to be placed on top of the Vaseline. “[The Vaseline] covered your eyes, so it was almost kind of soothing to me and I was isolated from the rest of the classroom,” Boss said. The girls were in Erin Amico’s eighth period costume design class. Photo by Isabella Kjaerulff

MAKING BOUNDARIES As Sophia Salvador (8) lightly outlines the wood with a pencil, Jillian Gore (8) (left) and Kaila Cohen (8) add their inputs. “First, Mr. Steadman tells us what we are going to be doing, then he helps us with the measurements and guides us while we do it by ourselves,” Gore said. Their goal was to get the sets done early so cast members could see them and start working with them. Photo by Esha Dudhwewala

Beyond the Primary Colors

Arts Artts & Academics/Theater Acade ade emics/Thea ater e

I wanted to cover the play “La Dispute”, so I took pictures of the play and the Theater Arts & Academics spread, 32-33, used it for their spread.

CLIPS~photos DIFFERENT LANGUAGE, DIFFERENT VISION

Beyond the language... How will learning a foreign language help you in the future?

Students look towards a brighter future with the gift of language

Beyond Primary Colors

Arts & Academics/World Languages

I took two photos for the World Languages Arts & Academics spread, pages 40-41

CLIPS~photos

REAL WORLD CONNECTIONS

Social studies influences students’ life decisions

hile watching a fellow classmate present her Dreampiece, the students learned how the Aboriginal Australians functioned as a society. As she continued her lecture, the students realized how one country connected to other foreign civilizations. By the end of the presentation, the students were able to associate social studies to real life. Isabella Caggiani vocal (8) said, “More people can appreciate the mechanics of the world when you learn different parts of history.” Unlike other middle schools, Bak’s social studies curriculum was divided throughout the three years. Eighth grade studied American history, seventh grade concentrated on civics, and sixth

graders learned world history. “World history is about the start of early civilizations and civics focuses on what laws and rights we are entitled to,” Arman Khoshbin visual (7) said. “When you’re learning social studies, you [get] to learn about different cultures, and it inspires you to visit these other places,” Cole Hamilton visual (6) said. “It’s interesting because you are learning about a different way of life.” In social studies, learning important and tragic events helped to prevent history repeating itself. Isabella Lipkey visual (6) said, “Social studies helps me because if we can learn about the mistakes people made in the past, it can help to prevent our mistakes, such as a quarrel. Social

studies is important because being able to learn about what other people have done will help us rethink what they did and improve it.” The lessons taught helped to spark creativity in the career choices that corresponded with their art. “I feel like visiting bilingual and diverse cultures would help me pursue my career in communications,” Erin Hoffman communcations (6) said. “Social studies helps me by opening my horizons to learn about different people’s government, religion, agriculture, beliefs, war strategies, and how we used their ways to benefit ours to create the United States of America.” by Seoyoon Yang and Jade Johnson SPELLING IT OUT Doing a group activity with Julia Reiss (7) and Ashley Kulberg (7), Nicholas Lamaina (7) continues to place letters on his Republican Party group poster. “I was working hard because I wanted our poster to look the best and be the most descriptive,” Lamaina said. They were describing the party platform and were preparing for a class presentation. Photo by Lili Mueller INK WRITING After dipping his quill into a bottle of ink, Bryce Broedell (6) continues copying Hebrew onto his paper. “I was writing the ancient Ten Commandments in Hebrew. I’m used to seeing the Ten Commandments in English, but seeing them in Hebrew was cool,” Broedell said. He was in Janet Karvonen’s eighth period world history class. Photo by Seoyoon Yang

Beyond the culture...

What is the most interesting thing that you have learned in social studies? “My favorite thing about the American Revolution is that they fought in wars for their independence.” Jane Djajaputra vocal (8) “I learned about the Syrians and how they attacked using the siege method. They circled the village until the villagers ran out of food.” Stephen Uter strings (6)

WRITING LIKE A SCRIBE Using a bamboo stick, Jessen Joseph (6) writes in the Sumerian language on a clay tablet. “The writing looked different and it was harder than English because they used a lot of different symbols,” Joseph said. His favorite part of the activity was squishing the clay to write on it. Photo by Aditya Jadvani

Beyond Primary Colors Beyond Primary Colors

MOCK DEBATE The class stares as Kristina Ronan (8) stands up to give her argument in the class mock colonial debate. “Mock debates are informative because they offer a preview to what a real debate looks like, and shows both sides of the Anti-Federalist and Federalist arguments,” Ronan said. She was portraying the Federalist stance in the discussion. Photo by Seoyoon Yang

“It would be the Egyptians because I think the mummification process is interesting.” Ava Rosenberg communication (6) COLORFUL ACTIVITIES As Gabriella Jaburek (7) looks up information on an iPad, Danielle Stolack (7) writes on their group’s poster. “I think the activities are fun because we got to learn more about governments,” Stolack said. She also enjoyed the activity because she got to work in groups. Photo by Jade Johnson

“How America got their government from the Greeks,” Benjamin Gao band (7)

Arts & Academics/Social Studies

I helped out the Social Studies Arts & Academics spread, pages 42-43, being a student aide for a Civics teacher, I had an easy photo opportunity and I decided to help them out.

CLIPS~photos A SHARP MAJOR

Beyond the chords... What is your favorite chord?

Students prove that practice makes perfect

f one was to walk into Room 4-125, they would hear the silence, while young pianists tapped the keys, not making any noise. The sight was confusing, for most expected the music students to be playing loudly. The only ones who could hear the pieces being played by the students were the student playing and Estibaliz Gastesi-Latorre, piano teacher. There were even students who wrote their own music, such as Elizabeth Sinn (8). “Writing music is how I deal with my emotions.” Sinn said, “I have perfect pitch and a good memory, so I am able to memorize my pieces without

depending on the sheet music all the time.” As with all arts, practicing was key to mastering the piano. But before practicing, students needed to get familiar with their piece. Although most students sight read the notes from the actual sheet music, some, such as Mabel Tam (7) preferred other methods. “I prefer learning by hearing the music, because sight reading is hard [for me],” Tam said. “I listen to the full piece [played] with both hands. Then I try to [replicate]the piece with my right hand.” After about two months of practicing, the piano department hosted their first

concert of the year. Parents, students, teachers, and the public were invited to two nights of piano performance. Pieces were played on a grand piano, not a keyboard. “I prefer using a piano over a keyboard, because a piano gives you more opportunities to embrace the sound of your piece,” Tam said. Piano students were required to take one piano class each year, though some took more and went beyond the normal. by Heather Rollins

“ The G chord is my favorite, since it is easy and fun to play, but still sounds really positive.” Aaliyah Ali (6) “G is my favorite chord because it combines some of the best notes of the piano into one combination” Clayton Lim (7) “ In general, flat scales are the best, because they sound awesome and are easy to play, and E flat seven is the best of them all. So it is my favorite chord.” Elizabeth Sinn (8) CHORD TROUBLE While playing a piece in the key of C, Kaylie Martling (6) struggles to play the correct chord. “My favorite chord is the C minor chord, because it makes any piece you’re playing sound spooky and haunted,” Martling said. According to music.net, a group of 3 or more notes played together makes a chord. Photo by Katherine Oung

“My favorite chord has to be G. It makes any piece sound really grand.” Gabriel Sun (7)

MUSIC TO MY EARS Brianna Perry (8) works her way through the notes in order to learn her piece. “I practice slowly,it takes a long time for me to learn a piece and perfect it.” If given the choice between performing a solo piece or a duet, Perry preferred duets because it helped her practice for her Dreyfoos audition. Photo by Lili Mueller ACOUSTICALLY ATTEMPTING Concentrating on her piece, Cristina Lindner (7) strives to become better at her major. “I want to just get better moving up as a pianist in general and work faster so that the few months I get to practice a piece is enough,” Lindner said. Lindner usually approached a piece by sight reading it two times, then trying to play the piece by memory. Photo by Esha Dudhwewala LIGHT OF THE MOON While playing the piece “Clair de Lune”, Jacques Coury (8) focuses on hitting the right chord. “When you’re playing a piece, if you lose your focus for one moment, you’re going to mess up, so focusing is really important,” Coury said. “Clair de Lune” was a piece written in 1905 by Claude Debussy and meant “light of the moon” in French. Photo by Lili Mueller

IMPORTANT DYNAMICS Learning from a master pianist, Sean Schulze from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Shixaun Zhou (7) prepared for an upcoming piano competition, by practicing dynamics. “I think dynamics are important for a piano piece because it shows the mood and expression of a piece,” Zhou said. Dynamics were defined by the Music Dictionary as the relative loudness of a group of notes. Photo by Subhash Kantamneni

Beyond the Primary Colors

Arts and Academics/Piano

I took two photos for the Piano Arts & Academics spread, pages 52-53.

CLIPS~photos Jaylen Sanders Sophie Santarpia Nalisyia Santiago Dillon Satchell Annabel Schreiber

Grace Swanson Jillian Tarini

Anders Schullstrom Nichelle Scott Philippa Scroggins Ava Scuderi John Senderling

Carlee Tew Gabi Thomidis

Procrastinate? “Sometimes I don’t do [my work] because there’s

Kevin Ray

Michelle Serafimovich James Shaw Luke Shaw Gabriella Siedle Jeremy Siegel

Do you ever

something I’d rather do. I always say I’ll get to it in a few minutes, but I never do.”

Faith Tirtarahardja Dominique Toresco “Terribly. I do my

Caleb Zhou

homework, I get good grades, but I just don’t Jonathan Sierra Gabriella Silvestri Brian Simpkins Elizabeth Sinn Matthew Sledge

Ava Stelmack Sarah Stenberg Christian Stephens Quinn Stolberg Luke Stone

Jordan Tortorella Justin Tortorella

Carlos Trivino Jeremiah Tulloch

Kathryn Dennison

Ashley Smith Tyra Smith Vyona Smith Joel Soto Molli Sramowicz

sleep enough.” Elijah Torres Zaskia Torres

“I procrastinate, but I’m a master procrastinator. I know how to manage my time and I know how long I can procrastinate.”

“I cram stuff in at the last

thing to do, but I pass my

Full Spectrum

Timothy Tulloch Allison Turner

classes. Usually it depends on whether I like the subject.”

People Section/Eighth Grade

Amelie Ogg

minute which isn’t a good Julianne Strickland Jonah Sutinen Grace Sutton Olivia Swabek Brianna Swanson

I took all of the headshots for the sidebar on the People’s Section spread, page 71.

CLIPS~photos A PITCH IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Players improve after every win and loss

Girls’ Softball Scoreboard

110

Team

Us Them

Howell Watkins Duncan JFK Jupiter Howell Watkins Duncan JFK Jupiter Independence

15 0 22 0 13 0 15 4 4

Sporting a New Color

0 15 4 10 8 15 5 0 15

Sports/Girls’ Softball

I took two photos for the Softball Sports spread, pages 110-111.

111

CLIPS~photos Boys’ Basketball Scoreboard Team

Them

Jupiter Independence Duncan HL Watkins Jeaga Jupiter Independence Duncan HL Watkins Jeaga

25 36 16 20 43 10 23 40 52 35

53 49 48 54 72 50 43 49 45 56

THERE’S NO “I” IN TEAM

BUCKETS Working on a free throw, Jaylen Sanders (8) gets ready to spring up and launch the ball. “During the game if you want to win you have to pass and work as a team. We work hard and we know that we can’t win every time but we learn from our losses and try to do better,” Sanders said. He practiced sixteen hours a week to improve his strategies. Photo by Lili Mueller

JUMP BALL The starting whistle blows and Quintavius Tally (7) leaps into the air to hit the ball to his teammates. “Making shots feel natural to me. It’s a good feeling to know that I might have helped my team win,” Tally said. He focused on getting the ball into the basket. Photo by Seoyoon Yang

FREE THROW Preparing to make the shot, Ian Lewis (8) concentrated on the basket. “I like shooting because I love the sound the net makes when you make the ball in,” Lewis said. Lewis believed that losing motivated the team. Photo by Sophia Pregadio

As the season comes to an end, the boys achieve a victory

tarting the season off with losses and close calls, the boys’ basketball team ended the season with a long-awaited win against Watkins Middle School. With season after season of loss and disappointment, the boys came away with a win. “I felt that it was a needed win for our team. Our teamwork finally paid off. I’ve never seen so much cooperation on the court during a game before,” Alexander Haddad post (8) said. The boys’ basketball team had a tough season and lost against challenging competitors such as Independence, Duncan, and Jeaga. Isaiah Robinson point guard (7) felt that Independence was a tough competitor because they had the advantage of height, which enabled them to get rebounds quicker. “If we’re playing against a team from Jeaga and they’re guarding us really well, then we have to pick up the pace and put more strength and dedication into moving the ball,” Maximus Wagner center (8) said. Jordan Juliano shooting guard (8) said, “Jeaga has a very strong defense so we want to use our drills to counter it.” Captain, Jaylen Sanders (8), tried to motivate the team to focus more on their defense rather than their strong offense. The team reflected on their past game to identify areas that they could improve. “Our losses affect the team mentally. I like to look back at the game film and see what I did well and what I did wrong and work on my weaknesses afterward,” Jordan Haynes shooting guard (7) said. They lost 36-49 against Independence in a home game but continued to work hard in following games against Watkins and Jupiter and came back with a 52-45 win against Watkins. “I feel like our win was something that should have come a while ago but I’m still proud of how the guys came together on the court,” Sanders said. “It helped knowing that I added points to the score, knowing that I might’ve helped us win motivated me to stay positive and keep playing.” by Seoyoon Yang and Skyler Johnson

Sports Sportscheck Why do you play? “The reason I play is because it is fun and it keeps me out of trouble. It pushes me to get good grades.” Ian Lewis (8) PASS THE BALL Dodging a Duncan player, Isaiah Robinson (7) looks for a receiver. “On the court, we have to work harder. It will help us work together to win more games,” Robinson said. He practiced basketball everyday with the support of his family. Photo by Sophia Pregadio

120

Sporting a New Color

TEAMWORK To stop Watkins from making a basket, Maximus Wagner (8) attempts to hit the ball out of the opponents’ hands. “The swish of the net sticks in my mind. We all want to win and improve our season from last year even though it’s been difficult,” Wagner said. Wagner and the team put in their effort to work together on the court. Photo by Lili Mueller

“I play because it makes me happy and it gives me a lot of energy in the game.” Tyler Asuncion (8)

Sports/Boys’ Basketball

I took two photos for the Boys’ Basketball Sports spread, pages 126-127.

121

CLIPS~photos Students harness their public speaking skills

Soon to be scientists, engineers, mathematicians

Speak Up; Speech and Debate

Play for Real; Academic Games

Leaders of the Future; SECME

Imaginary Chickens; Geek Games

Academic prodigies form a determined team

Students meet afterschool to play fantasy games

I took the photo for the Geek Games portion of the first Clubs & Orgs spread, pages 126-127.

CLIPS~photos Thespians learn about different aspects of theater

The World’s a Stage; Jr. ITS The Leaders of Tomorrow; SGA

A windfall of ads results in a rare 16-page issue

Working Together; Newspaper Give Back; NJHS

128 128

Coloring Outside of the Lines Coloring Outside of the Lines

SGA helps officers prepare for the future

National Junior Honors Society members make an effort to help the community

I took the photo for the NJHS portion of the second Clubs & Orgs spread, pages 128-129.