Carlos Trivino Portfolio 2016 by Jessica Samons

Welcome to the Carlosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Portfolio where everything is free and I was paid $15/hr to do this

That awkward moment when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re actually a robot that ended up losing his home state but gave a really good concession speech. #NeverforgetRubio

Final Essay

Reflection #1

I got started in journalism back in the 6th grade. When I first walked into Ms. Samons’ room on the first even day I had no idea that I’d be coming back there for the next 3 years. Since then I have gone from not knowing how to write a simple lead to becoming the pull-quote-cob-master that I am now (kind of). By being a part of The Portfolio staff for the second year, I am now certain that cooperation between people is absolutely necessary in order to produce a good looking, yet journalistically sound, publication. I have found out – the hard way – that it becomes increasingly difficult to complete your work on time when other staffers may not want to do something needed for your spread. Good collaboration skills would be in the best interest of the staff as it gets assignments good to go early/ on time, and those who refuse to do their share get points deducted. Teamwork allowed for everyone on the staff to benefit off each other. One example of this can be demonstrated when doing story ideas/assignments. We usually find that this takes around 2 class periods to do. However, this is mainly due to all the interruptions constantly happening. Despite this I remember in one issue we managed to get through ideas and assignments in record time, not only saving us time but Ms. Samons’ patience too. This was a very helpful class to take as it exposed me to new things which I wouldn’t have gotten to experience otherwise. I was trained in InDesign, bettered my graphic making skills, and learned how to gather and use information to carry the article forward. In the future I can use the things I learned from here in order to get more information, such as when asking follow up questions, and picking out only the relevant information from things. Overall, newspaper was a very fun class, which although stressful at times, I’m glad I was a part of.

I believe that my best piece of work would have to be my layout from issue #5 (I didn’t choose the issue #6 one because I felt like I could’ve made it a lot better if I had more time.) To begin, this layout was a very different approach from all my previous ones. Unlike its predecessors, I based the graphics and even column widths on 2 separate Best of the High School Press award winners. However, although I had some inspiration I also made the page my own. Adding the big sandwich sidebar gave the spread a dominant element that drew attention, alongside the fruit and vegetables cob. The change in column width helped to make the section look less uniform and bland throughout. I am most proud of the sandwich graphic though as it took a while to make from scratch and came out looking great. A few problems that I encountered had to do with certain articles being too long to fit when the cob was added or different sidebars being blocked off. These were quickly solved by a simple trip to Story Editor and a few size adjustments. The only real “change” this layout went through was the manipulation of the # of columns as I hadn’t originally planned for that.

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Features

A healthy meal includes all five of the food categories, grains, protein, fruit, milk and vegetables. “We exceed and meet the standards put out by the district,” Gold said.

By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor

ome students like Nashani Gilbert-Taylor know that eating healthy keeps the human body strong. “I like eating healthy because it makes me feel good and I like taking good care of my body,” Gilbert-Taylor said.

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The Portfolio April 2016

Cafeteria offers healthy choices for students

“A lot of students don’t always make the healthy decisions, but there are a lot to choose from,” Robert Gold, cafeteria manager said. The lunch menu consists of many healthy options that some students fail to consider. “We have five combos, fruit, milk, vegetable, protein, and bread. At least three of those have to be eaten for it to

be considered a meal,” Gold said. The school’s lunch follows the district guidelines. The guidelines for a meal according to the Palm Beach County district website are as following: 1) Calories from total fat will not exceed 30 percent, saturated fat not to exceed 10 percent. 2) A various selection of fresh fruit and cupped fruit (containing only natural juices or light syrup). 3) Offer a selection of vegetables and salad options to include locally grown produce. 4) A variety of low fat and fat free milk choices. 5) Whole wheat and whole grain bread choices. 6) Offer 100 percent fruit juice which is fortified with calcium and vitamin D. Gold said, “It’s important to have a nutritious menu and that’s why we offer free breakfast.”

Improved health: Good nutrition fights off disease, infections, increases performance

By Jordan Taylor Website Editor ating healthy on a daily basis could help improve people’s mental and physical state. Healthline.com states that without good nutrition, the human body was more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and poor performance. “Having a balanced diet The largest section should have your cookies and Gatorade, and putting it provides your body the greens, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. in a baby bottle. Then I ask if they nutrients, fiber, good fats and The other three sections would be your would feed that to their little brother protein that you need to grow, develop protein, such as low fat meats or vegan or sister. If they have to say no, then and function to your best ability,” proteins such as beans, good fats such I ask, ‘why do you feed those foods to Roberta Azrak, nurse said. as olive oil, and whole grains,” Azrak yourself ?’” Azrak said. Basing meals off of the food said.n isks of heart disease.ounts of The United States Department pyramid could help persuade children fat.stay away nty of protien of Agriculture (USDA) reports that to eat the right amount of each food According to bupa.co, people should four of the top 10 leading causes of section. According to safefood.eu, to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables death were directly influenced by diet eat a balanced diet, people needed each day, two to three portions of in the United States. Children with to combine different types of dairy products, plenty of lean protein, poor diets could have growth and foods from each of the two portions of fish a week and little development problems as well as main food groups, all amounts of fat. Saturated fat could poor academic performance. while maintaining a healthy raise bad cholesterol levels and increase Eating well could reduce the risk of weight. risks of heart disease. diseases, organ problems and some “A balanced meal should “I tell kids that usually do not eat cancers. According to healthline. be a medium sized plate split healthy to imagine them grinding com, unhealthy eating habits were hypothetically into four sections. up foods that they consume such as hard to break and can persist for the rest of people’s lives.

Breakfast improves health, allows for more energy throughout day By Carlos Trivino Features Editor

rom kick-starting metabolism to helping burn calories throughout the day, breakfast keeps the body up and running properly. Originating in the mid 1400’s the word breakfast literally meant “to break the fast of the night prior,” according to the Oxford English dictionary. In order for the positive effects include having more energy of a healthy breakfast to take throughout the day, regulated effect, one should eat within two blood sugar levels. Research also hours of waking up. According to indicated that breakfast enhanced the National Health Service, doing memory, attention, the speed of this results in “long term health processing information, reasoning, benefits. It can reduce obesity, high creativity, learning, and verbal blood pressure, heart disease and abilities. diabetes.” Glucose levels rise, and the In teens, the recommended pancreas produces insulin to shuttle amount of calories to maintain the glucose into cells, where it is their weight is approximately used for energy. Research found 2,000. A healthy breakfast can that keeping glucose and insulin help provide about 20 through 30 in the right balance has important percent of those. effects on metabolism and health. A study conducted by the “After a healthy breakfast your National Purchase Diary (NPD) blood sugar increases a little bit, group found that about 31 million but it will take a while for your Americans (around 10 percent of body to absorb it,” Eric Rimm, the population) skip breakfast. A professor of epidemiology and recent Harvard study showed that nutrition at the Harvard School people ages 45 through 82 who of Public Health in Boston, said Weekly Healthy Living nutrition skipped breakfast were 25 percent on consumerreports.org. “So you graphic: A light, healthy breakfast more likely to experience a heart might not be hungry for lunch for of 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber may help discourage attack. five hours.” overeating at lunch Other positive health benefits

Before eating: Food affects daily attitude

By Angela Yan News Editor

ood and mood may seem like merely words that rhyme, but these terms are more connected than people think. The brain and the body are constantly communicating with each other, with the brain telling the stomach how hungry or full the body is, and whether someone has a sugar or salt craving. Different foods cause new signals to be sent back and forth. “[Food] affects the body’s metabolism, hormones, and neurotransmitters [chemical messengers], and these, in turn, influence our emotions, concentration, and energy,” Nishi Dhawan, co-founder of the Westcoast

Women’s Clinic in Vancouver said in an interview with Best Health Magazine Canada. For example, leafy green vegetables, nuts, and eggs are packed with vitamin B. Vitamin B creates serotonin, a neurotransmitter that calms and reduces anxiety. Fish and flaxseed contain Omega-3 acids that relieve depression. “Studies have shown you can predict a country’s rate of depression by its seafood intake. The more fish the population eats, the lower its suicide and homicide rates,” Patrick Holford, British nutritionist and author of numerous health books said in an interview with Best Health United States. According to Best Health Magazine Canada, spinach, bell peppers, clams, and seafood are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C assists with iron absorption, which boosts energy levels.

I am proud pf this picure because I feell that although it was staged , once cobbed it looked a lot bettter. The interesting thing about the picture is that it was captured right when he was about to kick the ball, making it an action shot.

Reflection #2 As mentioned previously, I believe that my last layout is the piece that could still use some work. I think the most important thing I learned from this is to not underestimate the real time it takes to complete something well. My layout was fairly complex and required many cobs (which I have learned are very time consuming) which when mixed with the belief that 2 days was enough to finish everything, led to me having more than my fair share of work to do. The spread could’ve been improved first by fixing the accidental repeated quote. Also, I would’ve taken the blue word on the left hand side of the page out fully so it wouldn’t be just a small portion of it sticking out. Lastly, I would’ve made sure that the words and sentences on the sidebar lined up with actual lined I created on the graphic. Overall, I don’t believe that it was a bad layout (definitely better than when I first started the “boxy” layouts”) it surely was different and caught the attention of people.

Jaylen.jpg

I took this photo for the healthy cafeteria food options. I think the photo does its job in showing all the different options available. It has a slightly out of focus background as well. Healthycafeteria.jpg

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Features

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The Portfolio - May 2016

. . . .

How to find success at Bak

Do your work and, even though it may be hard, try your best and be determined, Joshua Wood, eighth grade theater major said.

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Have fun, but do not let your grades drop. Make sure to know who your real friends are and make the most out of your last year at Bak because it will fly by, Amanda Cohen, eighth grade visual major said.

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(Left to right): Brandon Lee, Isabella Caldwell, Anamaria Navarrete, Lauren-Alexis Herba

Looking FORWARD to next year

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What do you look forward to in high school?

Have fun and stay focused as well. Make sure to stay out of trouble so that you can do everything at the end of the year like Rapids, Lee Glaze, magnet coordinator said.

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Stay on top of your work. There will be a lot going on, but be sure to budget your time correctly because eighth grade really is a great year. If you manage your time, you will be able to get the most out of it, Douglas Battle, eighth grade history teacher said.

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Goodbye

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Welcome

What will you miss?

(Left to right): Elizabeth Sinn, Blake Weiss, Kate Richman, Janelle Puckering

Sixth graders offer advice to incoming students

I am proud of this photo because it showed Ms Vaknin teaching her students, which was the goal of the photo. It incorporated the rule of thirds into its composition and used depth of field to make the teacher stand out.

1) Being able to sit outside at lunch

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Don’t be afraid of anything, everyone here is really nice, and most of the teachers are not too bad if you do your work, Francesca Moore, sixth grade vocal major, said.

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4) Being the “oldest”

Don’t stress out, do your work and make sure you aren’t putting anything off until the last minute and you will succeed, Christopher Bedecs, sixth grade communications major, said.

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3) Going to Busch Gardens

Just be yourself. That’s how you make friends at a new school. Also, make a good impression on your teachers, Isabella Velez, sixth grade communications major, said

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2) Going to Rapids Water Park

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Try hard and do what your teachers ask- that way you get through the year. Try your best, Asher Bradburn, sixth grade theater major, said.

5) Eighth grade privilege 6) Winning the grade level pep rally. 7) High school acceptance letters

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I really think you should have fun in Practice hard and try different types of your major and work hard to achieve art, as a sixth grader you have a lot of your dreams, Vivian Miller, sixth opportunities, Naomi Francisco, sixth grade theater major, said. grade visual major, said.

(Left to right): Adam Goldstick, Lauren Mule, Isabella Ramirez, Emma Garret

I think you should always be prepared, make sure you always have your stuff, and be sure to practice and do your homework, Lilyanne Basa, sixth grade theater major, said.

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8) Eighth grade dance

My advice is to be prepared, you will have more work and assignments, harder teachers, but don’t get really stressed out, Veronika Rudaya, sixth grade visual major, said.

teacher teaching.jpg

Reflection #4 I believe that throughout all 6 issues of The Portfolio I was an asset to the staff. I consecutively provided articles that were of good quality/ written properly. I also ended up getting 2 advisors choice articles which is 2 more than I got last year so there’s that. I repeatedly came in to work on my assignments during my study hall and helped others on their layout whenever needed. Another thing to note is that now when you look at my layouts I haven’t needed the use of very many pull quotes unlike last year. In all seriousness I think that my time this year on the staff was well served and it shows.

Reflection #5 One problem that I faced this year that I actually didn’t encounter previously was that, a lot of the times when asked who was responsible for making/ doing certain things I would always say I’d do it instead of making the actual person responsible do it. This on occasions led to an overflow of work that had to be completed but ultimately in the end, I usually managed to pull things off fine. From this I learned that it is not my job to assume others responsibilities when they’re capable of doing it themselves just fine. Next time, I would make sure I could take care of my stuff first, then if time allows to take on more work. I think I handled the situation ok by just working faster.

Reflection #6 One of the areas in which I did not rate myself a 5 in was selling ads. I did not succeed in this area because I honestly did not put forward any serious effort into trying to sell ads as I have not found previous success in trying to sell things. Another area was in “time spent out of class”. I tended to always pick articles that required little to no interviewing which led to not much time being spent out interviewing. Lastly, I didn’t always choose a 5 on “going outside the box”. This however was shown mainly in my old layouts as they tended to be repetitive and blocky. In the past 2 issues I have fixed this with new, more creative designs which look much better than the others.

Layouts (Issue 1)

Layouts (Issue 2) Page 6

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Features

Teaching methods help students By Valentina Gomez Arts and Academics editor ith her lesson in mind, the teacher reviewed her teaching methods, making note of the kids she must help with and those she must keep an eye on. “My goal for students is to turn them into the biggest science nerds ever,” Tracy Smith, eighth grade science teacher, said. In every classroom, each teacher had her own methods of teaching. They use specific lesson plans. No matter what they use, their goal is to help their kids learn in the best affective way. “I try to be relaxed and laid- back as I teach. I find that students learn more when they’re having fun,” Joe Balsamo, seventh grade language arts teacher, said. Along with their ways of teaching, teachers also have ways to deal with troublemaking kids in class. For a class to run smoothly, the students had to cooperate. “Students know that I’ll give them the stink eye if they misbehave,” Smith said, “If that doesn’t work, I’ll fill out those CBIR forms and call parents.” Motivating students establsihes classroom routines, according to www. edutopia.com. In order for students

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The Portfolio - October 2015

Photo by: Carlos Trivino

Alyssa Vaknin, a new communications teacher, encourages her students to explore various aspects of speech and debate. Vaknin said, “I like my students to have fun while learning. It makes them enjoy coming to school so I usually make my lessons interactive.”

to be in a schedule, they should be motivated to do so. If students think there is no point in routines, they will not do it. “I think by having a regular routine like taking notes or working on something independently, is a good way to control students. People in general are comfortable with routines since they’ll know what’ll happen. Uncertainty can cause stress,” Zane Hurley, sixth grade science teacher,

said. According to www.alternet.org, the pressure to be creative interferes with the outcome. If students do something for fun, they will excel more compared to if they are pressured. Leanne Cornwell, sixth grade math and algebra teacher, said, “I’d recommend teachers to make sure to be themselves and make sure the students be themselves as well. According to www.teaching.berkley.

edu, teachers can entertain her students in order to make sure everyone is engaged. Smith said, “I show students that science is fun by acting a little silly and telling stories about how science relates to everyday life.”

Trump continues to lead in polls

What kind of learner are you?

Take the

QUIZ

By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor 1) In class do you mostly: A) Doodle B) Talk C) Tap your foot or pencil 2) How do you study best A) Read B) Be quizzed vocally C) Write out the study material 3) In class are you the one who: A) Observes rather than acts B) Likes to answer questions a lot C) If called to answer a question, will use their hands to speak 4) When you memorize things do you: A) Memorize by seeing pictures and visible things B) Memorize by steps in a sequence C) Memorize by touching and feeling 5) Are you the type of reader who: A) Likes books with lots of words B) Only enjoys reading when a

book is being read to them C) Likes books with puzzles 6) When you are trying to figure out how to spell a word do you A) Spell it out and see if it sounds correct B) Write what you think it is to see if it looks correct C) Write in the air with your finger 7) When trying to decide what you want for dinner at a restaurant A) Read the names of the food and decide if they sound appealing from the description B) Ask people around you what they’re getting C) Point to the different foods and decide whether or not you want them If you answered mostly A’s then you are primarily a Visual Learner If you answered mostly B’s then you are primarily an Auditory Learner if you answered mostly C’s then you are primarily a Kinesthetic Learner

Students explore taking effective class notes

was to develop “your own language By Angela Yan of symbols” to write less, but still News Editor s the teacher droned on about understand the important information. the properties of matter, a “I write long sentences and can’t student rapidly jotted down keep up with what the teachers are bullet points with a purple pen. Another saying,” Diksha Gupta, sixth grade student pressed her eraser down on the communications major said. paper, spreading pink shavings across According to academictips.org, writing the table. in colored pens helped students retain “Sometimes [I have trouble] writing 50 to 80 percent more information notes down. I try to write things down without reviewing their notes from a teacher’s twice. However, PowerPoint, but highlighting they switch the I write long sentences everything on class slide when I’m and can’t keep up with notes emphasized right in the middle nothing important. of writing,” Brooke what the teachers are Attorney Jennifer Ibarra, eighth grade saying” Phillips said in communications an interview with major, said. FastCompany, “A friend of mine’s A common problem with student’s [civil procedure] book looked like she notes was not writing fast enough. squashed a clown to death between Copying a lecture word-for-word and its pages; everything was highlighted, writing in complete sentences were the thereby actually emphasizing nothing.” main causes for being unable to keep As well as taking notes in class, up with a teacher’s lecture. students found it helpful to rewrite “[Students new to note-taking] notes. should abbreviate a lot and only write “A lot of people say writing something important information,” Andrea helps you memorize it,” Turner said. Turner, eighth grade visual major, said. “After I write the notes, I usually don’t “That way, they won’t fall behind on have to study them because I know the notes.” them.” According to Exam Time, students The teacher clicked the last slide who took sloppy and unorganized of the PowerPoint off the screen. notes had trouble studying them before Students looked over their notes before a test. A recommended technique cramming them into their backpacks.

Features

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, left, and Jeb Bush spar early in the GOP debate at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2015. (Robert Gauthier/ Los Angeles Times/ TNS)

By Luke Stone Co-Editor-In-Chief ith still over one year until the 2016 presidential election, business mogul Donald Trump and neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson were in the lead of the Republican presidential primary. “I would not say I am impressed with Trump’s numbers as much as I am surprised by the fact that his numbers have stayed this high for this long,”

Study tips and tricks

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Photo by: Carlos Trivno

By Jordan Taylor Website Editor inding the right study method was important to excel in academic classes. There are some ways that have been proven to help students. According to the Huffington Post Canada, the most common study techniques such as highlighting, underlining, and summarizing notes were the least effective methods of studying. Here are a few examples of essential study tips. Although most students do not like the thought of studying weeks before a test, learningcenter.com says making a study schedule was an organized way

Photo by: Carlos Trivno

to study for a certain amount of time each day. An average of two hours of study time for each hour in class was recommended. Keeping the same schedule throughout the school year helped students get used to using it. Using flash cards were not just for kids anymore. This tool was good for vocabulary quizzes because the term can be written on the front of the index card and the definition on the lined side. Flash cards could be used to study alone or with others. According to examtime.com, flash cards were one of the easiest learning tools people could use. Students could host study dates and use the flashcards to quiz each other.

Photo by: Carlos Trivno

Using flashcards could train students’ minds to memorize correct definitions at a fast pace. They are portable and it is a quick way to review if students have some downtime. According to a report published in “Psychological Science in the Public Interest” The most common study techniques students’ used such as highlighting, underlining, and summarizing was the least effective method for progressing student’s learning. Instead, people should use the important highlighted and summarized information and make a practice test.

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The Portfolio - December 2015

Douglas Battle, eighth grade social studies teacher said. Back in June 2015, before Donald Trump launched his campaign, former Florida governor John Ellis “Jeb” Bush was leading the polls with 23 percent of the vote, according to NBC News. Now, in their latest poll from Oct. 15, 2015, Bush was polling at eight percent. “[Based on the resources he has], Jeb Bush should be winning this primary. Before Trump entered,

everyone thought he would receive the nomination and now he is struggling,” Battle said. In fact, one candidate ahead of him was his protégé Senator Marco Rubio, Florida’s former Speaker of the House of Representatives while Bush was in office as governor. Currently, Rubio is polling at 13 percent, third best among Republican candidates. “Rubio is going to benefit a lot as the field starts to thin because he is a good,

solid Republican candidate. I think his senate voting record is going to hurt him a bit because he has missed key votes, but because he has new, fresh ideas and governmental experience will help him in the polls,” Battle said. So far, Trump and Bush have engaged in several arguments, most of them revolving around Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush. The most recent of Trump’s attacks on Bush were about the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg TV, “When you talk about George Bush, I mean, say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time.” W Bush perceived the quote as a suggestion that his brother was responsible for the attacks. Jeb Bush took to Twitter to criticize Trump’s remarks, saying, “How pathetic of Donald Trump to criticize the president for 9/11. We were attacked and my brother kept us safe.” Battle said that while Trump may be leading in the polls, he may not win enough primaries to secure his party’s presidential nomination at their national convention next July.

School elects new SGA committee By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor

ith the new school year starting, a new Student Government Association (SGA) committee has been elected. Voting took place Oct. 27. Kevin Ray, newly elected SGA president said, “I want to be able to just get the kids ideas and what they want.” With 19 total students competing for seats on the committee, only 14 won seats. The four presidential candidates were Luke Stone, Jaylen Sanders, Kevin Ray, and Camila Fred. Ray ended up winning the presidential seat. “I was really excited, and just happy my hard work paid off,” Ray said. Part of Ray’s goals are to “bring back snack shack” which he stated in his speech. He also wants what the kids want, and has the idea to make a suggestion box where students can provide their input. “I want to make it a better school year, because the school year should be fun. People shouldn’t be dreading going to school,” Ray said. Popularity and bias play a big role

Photo courtesy of Shannon Owens

Eighth grade band major Kevin Ray records his SGA campaign speech. “I know most people think these elections are popularity contests,” Ray said. “ And while I may not be the most popular candidate I am the most experienced.”

in determining who will be the next president, which some may see as unfair. Some see elections as popularity contests, while others believe there was much more to it then how well known the candidates were. “Popularity can definitely have an effect on the election because you’re obviously going to vote for who you’re friends with, but it depends on your character and the type of person you are,” Eddie Diaz, seventh grade visual major said.

Becoming president was a big responsibility when it came to appealing to student’s suggestions and hopes, but all seats on the committee played a big role in decisions effecting the school. “Everyone is elected for a reason, and without one position, SGA as a whole could not function successfully,” Nikita Tanguturi, SGA secretary said. Students were hopeful the committee would make good changes to the school, and make

Famous Trump Quotes

Democratic candidates go head to head in upcoming elections

By Anushka Lakum Entertainment Editor Here are the top five funniest remarks that Trump has made while promoting his campaign. 1. “Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest— and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure. It’s not your fault.” 2. (www.telegraph.co.uk) 3. “Well, yes, I’ve fired a lot of people. Generally I like other people to fire, because it’s always a lousy task.” (www.brainyquote.com) 4. “You know the funny thing is, I don’t get along with rich people. I get along with the middle class and the poor people better than I get along with the rich people.” (http://www.ibtimes.com) 5. “I don’t need anybody’s money. It’s nice. I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.” (www.genius.com) 6. “I am very proud of my great performance tonight. I am not a debater, but I am a winner. If I am elected I will make this country a total winner - I will make America great again.”

History, tradition drives today’s student government

“Every day Americans need a Lily Gumbinner champion. And I want to be that Photo Editor s current President Barack champion,” Clinton said according to Obama’s term comes to an the New York Times. “So I’m hitting end, democratic candidates the road to earn your vote — because Hillary Clinton, Lawrence Lessig, it’s your time. And I hope you’ll join Martin O’Malley, and Bernie Sanders me on this journey.” are looking to take his place in 2016. Current Vermont senator, Sanders, “I think that the elections are more announced his running for president exciting and close than last time, but on April 30, 2015. Sanders was named there are candidates that are worse a “Top 20 US Progressive,” according this year. You really have both sides of to “The New Statesman,” a magazine the spectrum,” based in the United Alex Robinson, Kingdom. eighth grade They could lead us to “In terms of Hillary, vocal major said. success or put us behind I respect her. I’ve According to known her. I like her. Polling Report, in our goals for our So I’m not running Clinton was in country.” to attack Hillary the lead with 64 Clinton. I’m running percent and Sanders was behind her to talk about the issues that impact the with 25 percent as of Oct. 18. working class of this country and the “They are going to lead our country middle class,” Sanders said according for four years. They could lead us to to the Huffington Post. success or put us behind in our goals Other candidates Lessig and O’Malley for our country,” Shannon Owens, decided to run after Clinton and communications teacher said. Sanders. Their polls are about one to Clinton, former Secretary of State, two percent who plan to vote for them. New York senator, and first lady, Owens said, “This election has been announced her candidacy on April 12, a whole lot more exciting than it has 2015. Clinton also ran for president been in the past which is a good thing in 2008, but lost the primary election because more people will be part of to Barack Obama, according to the process. Ballotpedia.

By Luke Stone Co-Editor-In-Chief s the votes were counted, two dozen students sat anxiously in their classes over several days to see if all of their hard work campaigning had paid off and if they would be a Bak Student Government Association [SGA] representative. In the United States, student government began after college students across the country started to feel that they should have a say in the parts of college life that had an effect on them the most, according to faqs. org. “In this country, the idea of student government has been around for a while,” Debra Fiore, eighth grade social studies teacher and SGA co-sponsor said. “I was a student government representative when I was in middle school.” Much like early American student governments, Sharon Campbell, eighth grade social studies teacher and cosponsor wanted SGA to allow the student body to speak their mind. “[The purpose of SGA is to] allow our student representatives to get involved with changing our school and to give the student body a way for their voices to be heard,” Campbell said. Campbell also spoke of how

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important SGA is to students. “I think that SGA is important because it gives students a sort of buyin into the school. I also think that it should give students school pride and that is part of why I got involved,” Campbell said. Fiore said her goal for SGA was to get representatives actively involved in serving the community. “My goal is for SGA to get our representatives involved in community service,” Fiore said, “One of the things I had in mind was a holiday book drive.” Campbell’s goal for SGA revolved around the student body’s attitude toward school. “My goal is for SGA to make students here be happy to come to school,” Campbell said. “I want the students to view coming to school as a privilege, rather than viewing school as a chore.” Campbell, a first-time SGA sponsor stated that the students were one of the best aspects of the club. “I have really enjoyed being a sponsor so far,” Campbell said, “We have a great group [of students] so far. We [Fiore and myself] enjoy this group so much that we wish there was enough room for them all to be a part of SGA.”

school generally more enjoyable. Diaz said, “Basically I look for a strong person to represent us and that can handle the hard decisions, someone that can give us what we want,” With the new SGA committee elected, and students’ voices heard, now only time will tell if changes take place.

SGA elected officials

By Jordan Taylor Website Editor

With the recent Student Government elections starting on Oct. 26, candidates campaigned as much as they could to tell the student body to vote for them. They used strategies like putting up posters, expressed their ideas to get votes and the recorded speeches. These are the elected Student Government officials for the 2016 school year. Secretary: Nikita Tanguturi Treasurer: Ben Gao Historian: Sam Rosenkranz Sixth grade Senators: Se’Maj Griffin, Ava Murray and Olivia Arnold Seventh grade Senators: Ainhoa Bezerra-Gastesi, Alexandra Watson and Juan Plaza Eighth grade Senators: Shaina Franks, Jaylen Sanders and Camila Fred Vice President: Ervin Williams President: Kevin Ray

Layouts (Issue 3) Page 6

Features

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The Portfolio - February 2016

Students create, draw ‘The Lottery’ theater national icon with chalk show shocks audience

Layouts (Issue 4) Page 8

Features

Crocs, chokers make 2015 fashion flops list By Jordan Taylor Website Editor n 2015, many fashion styles became flops. Crocs, athletic wear worn daily and animal tails and ears were some fashion no-no’s that should not return in 2016. “The flops in 2015 that I did not like were chokers, animal tails and ears, and fake, long nails, (like nexgen and acrylics)” Maya Voorhees, seventh grade communications major, said. According to refinery29.com, trends were not supposed to last forever, and getting a kick out of clothes before they go out of style was a good enough reason to buy it. “I try to wear things that other people are wearing because their styles are trending and I like to wear trendy clothes,” Abby Sherry, seventh grade communications major, said. Certain outfits should not have been worn to middle school. Students had their own opinions on clothing in 2015, as well as stores that were trending.

Communications students provide glimpse into media

By Angela Yan News Editor he girl rolled up her sleeves as she began to rub her fingers on the chalk. She stepped back to admire her work, smiling as she gazed down at the image of the Statue of Liberty. “[The students] got to freely express themselves when they were doing the chalk drawing,” Karima Cromer, eighth grade visual major said. The visual arts Artsgiving performances included the chalk drawing and a darkroom tour.

“The students got to have an inside look on what we do in photography,” Cromer said. Jean Luis Montesinos, seventh grade visual major, thought that students enjoyed working on the chalk drawing. “I told my friend what [the visual arts department] was doing, and she said, ‘Oh, my god! That is so cool!’” Montesinos said. Many students thought Artsgiving was an effective way to showcase the different arts areas. Cromer said, “With Artsgiving, you could see all kinds of performances.”

By Valentina Gomez Arts and Academics editor he actor stood on the stage, speaking out his lines like he had done so many times during rehearsals. When his part came up, he performed to his very best, astonishing the audience. “The Lottery” was a theater show presented in the main stage theater during Artsgiving. “[The cast] worked pretty hard. They did best in the end. Once they had costumes and were performing with lighting and sound, it was then that it clicked for them,” Nicolas Santana, theater teacher, said.

As the students acted out silent but funny scenes, the comedy improvisation brought laughter to the audience, a great start for the show. “The Lottery,” another theater show presented during Artsgiving, was about how a town believed that in order to control the weather for better crops, they had to keep up a tradition where they make a lottery. Francesca Delguzzi, seventh grade communications major, said, “It was suspenseful and it caught you by surprise but it was also really sad.”

Dance performs African pieces Model Sherman Turtine wears clothing women don’t like on men, like baseball caps for all occasions, pants slung so low they reveal underwear and velcro sandals with socks. (Dan Rosenstrauch/Contra Costa Times/MCT

Separate instruments, one major: Students represent music

Photo by NIkita Tanguturi

With a look of determination, Sasha Monaco, eighth grader, demonstrates Oral Interpretation. Monaco performed her piece on selfacceptance for the communications portion of Artsgiving

By Carlos Trivino Features Editor iving is defined as “to communicate or impart a message onto someone.” During the day of Artsgiving students had the opportunity to experience a small glimpse into the work that happens in other majors, one of which being communications. “There were two things going on,” Alyssa Vaknin, speech and debate teacher said. “There was a live TV studio portion where students shadowed the crew and speech performances.” The events that were featured during the presentations include, dramatic, duo, humorous, and original interpretation as well as original oratory. “I really enjoyed the duo performance

that was based on a Disney channel movie,” Brandon Wisnicki, eighth grade communications major said. “I felt like the students could really connect with it.” Although there were classes scheduled to come in during certain times to watch the demonstrations, a few problems occurred. “A group would occasionally come in during the middle of a performance and we’d just have to let them in and continue,” Vaknin said. The demonstrations took place during eighth period in the speech and debate By Luke Stone room. There were four rotations with Co-Editor-In-Chief tudents sat anxiously in their two events in each one. eighth period classes as the clock “It’s really only just a sample of some slowly inched closer to 2:45 p.m. of our skills,” Wisnicki said. “I think which would signal the start of the that there is a lot more to be seen.” annual pep rally in anticipation of the

By Nikita Tanguturi Business Manager uning their instruments, reviewing their pieces, music majors were prepared for the chance to represent their department in the schools second annual Artsgiving. Seventh grade band major, Aidan Taylor, said, “Performing gives me a sense of excitement playing music which I love.” The music department performed series of concerts, featuring vocal, band, strings, and piano. “For Artsgiving, we [band] played two pieces. We worked on one of them around the beginning of the year,

Photo by Jessica Samons

and already performed it in an earlier performance. The other we played for the first time for an audience. It was really good practice for us,” Janice Hu, seventh grade band major said. Most students thought being able to perform in front of their peers was beneficial. “When we perform, you are under more pressure so you get to see what actual mistakes there are. I want to see how I play under pressure and what I need to improve on,” Jason Ibalerrosa, seventh grade piano major, said. As the concert finished, the performers took their bow, walking off the stage with the audience clapping.

Students chant for their favorite team at annual FSU-UF Pep Rally

Florida State vs. Florida football rivalry game. “I always enjoy bringing the entire school together for this pep rally. I love to see the pride students have in the schools,” Shannon Owens, communications teacher said.

As more and more students walked into the courtyard, students supporting both sides began to cheer for their school. “My favorite part of the pep rally is when the faculty starts the cheers and chants on the megaphone,” Owens

said. On the Saturday following the pep rally, Florida and Florida State had their 60th all-time meeting. After a game in where Florida’s offense struggled, the Seminoles prevailed 27-2.

In an article written by Leigh Weingus on the Huffington Post website, wearing athletic clothes but not working out in them was called “Athleisure”, and many students, especially girls, wore athletic attire to school last year. These items were meant to be used while being athletic, not for everyday use. Nike’s apparel revenue jumped 10 percent in a recent quarter compared to the same period in 2013, while Under Armour’s apparel net revenue was also up 26 percent. Lulu Lemon’s net revenue was up 10 percent during their most recent quarter. Besides the fact that these fashion flops were not the best option to wear out, students feel that fashion let them express who they were. Sherry said, “Fashion has impacted my attitude because I feel more confident wearing clothing that is ‘in style.’” “I didn’t like the store Levi’s because most of their clothes were not very trendy or nice looking,” Voorhees said.

Box office flops fail to please Music gone wrong: unsuccessful

By Anushka Lakum Entertainment Editor

Photo by Jessica Samons

Seventh grade dance major, Nathalie Garcia performs a West African dance piece for Bak’s Annual Artsgiving.

which included live drummers who By Jacob Schlessel “originated from Guinea,” Jessica Copy Editor ak’s second annual Artsgiving Widder, eighth grade communications showcased the arts with various major said. “Your movements correspond performances. The dancers had a number of showcases, from African with drums. The drums tell you what movement to perform,” Widder said. dance to classic and modern pieces. Dance majors were not the only ones “One jazz piece and two modern pieces who performed, as were performed,” non-majors who Holland Schiller, chose to take dance The drums tell you dance teacher said. class performed as The performances what to perform.” well. Some found it were shown in the a challenge to focus dance studios. One with a crowd of fellow students, while of the classes was Repertory class. “Basically the Repertory class presented others found it enjoyable. Ashley Tabachnick, seventh grade choreographic etudes that were learned from guest choreographers,” Schiller Wade dance major said, “I enjoyed performing in Artsgiving because it said. Another part of the performances was fun to perform in front of my included an African Dance piece friends.”

hroughout 2015, numerous movies have been produced. A number of them won awards. But some movies did not fare as well. “Jem and the Holograms,” for example, came out on Oct. 22, 2015. The producers spent $5 million, and they did not get any profit, but rather lost $3.69 million, according to www.

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Photo courtesy of freefuninaustin.com

“Jem and the Holograms,” lost $3.69 million because the movie came out decades after its TV show predecessor.

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The Portfolio - March 2016

forbes.com. “The film is a non-starter that is unlikely to attract the intended target audience,” Frank Scheck of the Hollywood Reporter, said. “Pan,” came out on Oct. 8, 2015. Since this was a more anticipated film, the production costs and losses were larger. The movie cost about $190,000 to make, and made $40.5 million in the theaters, but that did not make up for the $150 million lost, according to www.independent.co.uk. “There is enough going on in Pan to fill several movies, most of which you’ve already seen and perhaps enjoyed under other titles,” A.O. Scott of the New York Times, said. “Jupiter Ascending,” came out on Feb. 6, 2015. Its budget was $175 million, but it could only recover $19 million. “An instant candidate for the so-badit’s-sort-of-great hall of fame, the flick is totally bonkers,” Lou Lumenick of the New York Post, said about “Jupiter Ascending.” These movies were just a portion of the movie flops of 2015. Hopefully, 2016 will bring better films.

pieces throughout last year

By Nikita Tanguturi Business Manager

You used to play on my cell phone, late night till you went out of style.” 2015 was a year full of music, both the good, and the bad. One of 2015’s most widely anticipated albums, Madonna’s “Rebel Heart” started out as number one on the iTunes charts, and dropped to 37 in less than a week. The album made about 116 thousand dollars, less than half off what her last album, “MDNA” made. Music critics from Uncut said, “Rebel Heart almost gets the balance right, but at 19 tracks, most in the industrial party-pop style of cheeseball producers

Diplo and Avicii, there’s simply too much going on.” Featuring top artists such as Selena Gomez, there were high expectations for Zedd’s third album, True Colors. The album itself was a flop, starting at seventh and then dropping to 77 within a week. However, “I Want You to Know” (featuring Selena Gomez) stayed on the iTunes chart for over three months, rising and dropping, finally exiting at 95. A critic for The Rolling Stone said, “Zedd’s colors are often hard to tell apart.” Though many albums released don’t get their fair shine in the spotlight, some stood out as flops of 2015.

Trends from 2015 come fashionably into 2016 By Lily Gumbinner Photo Editor 016 has arrived with its own set of trends. Looking back at some of 2015’s most popular styles – like tulle skirts, midi skirts, and jogger pants - has given the world a better idea about what 2016 has in store. “It is a struggle to find something to wear in the morning. I’ll start looking in my closet but I can’t find anything to wear because everything goes out of style so quickly,” Grace Johansson, seventh grade theater major said. According to trending Google apparel searches, tulle skirts and midi skirts (a knee-length skirt) gained popularity, up 34 percent than the year before. Jogger pants were another trend everyone was talking about because they were comfortable and fashionable. Men, women, children, and even toddlers are sporting the new look. The top most searched item on Google: Emoji Jogger pants.

“I like jogger pants because they are comfortable. They are like trendy sweatpants, but they make you look less homeless,” Johansson said. “I also like white high-top Converse because you can wear them with anything.” Clothing and apparel prices have increased by 27 percent in the past decade, according to businessoffashion.com. “Fashion always affects price,” Jennifer Pierre, eighth grade vocal major said. “Every time a trend starts, the stores skyrocket the prices because they know everyone is going to want to buy it.” Styles like high-waisted pants, Adidas shoes, tattoo chokers, and jogger pants are all coming back from earlier eras. More are expected to return in 2016. Photo by Carlos Trivino Pierre said, “I feel that rompers might Seventh grade communications major, Jade Johnson sports highbe more popular in 2016 because lots waisted jeans, a fashion trend from previous years which returns for of people wearing them.” 2016.

Goodbye music of 2015, hello music of 2016

Social media, music apps make appearances in 2016

By Angela Yan News Editor

By Ashley Kulberg Photo Editor rom YouCam Beauty to musical. ly, a variety of unique apps have been trending in 2016. “Apps where you can see other people, like photo and video apps, are starting to become popular,” Francesca Delguzzi, seventh grade communications major, said. Many new social networking applications have been climbing the charts recently. Among those was Peach. Users could “wave” or “blow a kiss” to their friends. “I’ve heard about Peach through my friends and the internet,” Joshua Kenny, seventh grade communications major, said. “It looks like a different way to connect with friends.” Arriving shortly after Dubsmash, a lip sync app that took the charts by storm, came musical.ly, an app with the same idea but added features, such as time lapse. “Musical.ly is expected to become more popular this year because it’s an easy app that a lot of kids can do,” Delguzzi said.

hen the ball dropped in New York City on Jan. 1, 2016, it not only signaled the new year, but launched new music as well. “I hope Beyonce will come out with some new songs, but [the 2016 artists] will mostly be the same popular artists from 2015,” Lili Mueller, eighth grade communications major said. On Jan. 1, 2016, Rachel Platten released her third album, “Wildfire.” According to Headline Planet, “Wildfire” ranked number five in the U.S. “When I listen to [Platten’s] songs, I feel empowered,” Brooke Ibarra, eighth grade communications major

said, “like I can do anything in the world.” Another anticipated album was “Death of a Bachelor” by Panic! At The Disco. According to Billboard, the album was released on Jan. 15, 2016 and sold 169 thousand copies in the first week. “I was hyped to hear [“Death of a Bachelor], and I stayed up until midnight the day before the album was released,” Mueller said. According to Idolator, new artists such as Steve James, who co-produced Justin Bieber’s “Purpose,” and August Eve, who released the single “Ghost,” will appear in trending 2016 music. However, many students thought 2016 would not bring a completely new music genre.

PHHHOTO, a “moving photo app”, has also become well-known. Users take multiple photos, which are then streamed together and turned into a gif. “A lot of people post PHHHOTOs on Instagram,” Kenny said, “It will become popular because it’s a mix between a photo and a video.”

Photo courtesy of fstoppers.com

Over one million posts have been shared with PHHHOTO since it launched in July 2016. It was rated four stars on the App Store.

A healthy meal includes all five of the food categories, grains, protein, fruit, milk and vegetables. “We exceed and meet the standards put out by the district,” Gold said.

Improved health: Good nutrition fights off disease, infections, increases performance

By Jordan Taylor Website Editor ating healthy on a daily basis could help improve people’s mental and physical state. Healthline.com states that without good nutrition, the human body was more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and poor performance. “Having a balanced diet The largest section should have your cookies and Gatorade, and putting it provides your body the greens, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. in a baby bottle. Then I ask if they nutrients, fiber, good fats and The other three sections would be your would feed that to their little brother protein that you need to grow, develop protein, such as low fat meats or vegan or sister. If they have to say no, then and function to your best ability,” proteins such as beans, good fats such I ask, ‘why do you feed those foods to Roberta Azrak, nurse said. as olive oil, and whole grains,” Azrak yourself ?’” Azrak said. Basing meals off of the food said.n isks of heart disease.ounts of The United States Department pyramid could help persuade children fat.stay away nty of protien of Agriculture (USDA) reports that According to bupa.co, people should to eat the right amount of each food four of the top 10 leading causes of section. According to safefood.eu, to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables death were directly influenced by diet eat a balanced diet, people needed each day, two to three portions of in the United States. Children with to combine different types of dairy products, plenty of lean protein, poor diets could have growth and foods from each of the two portions of fish a week and little development problems as well as main food groups, all amounts of fat. Saturated fat could poor academic performance. while maintaining a healthy raise bad cholesterol levels and increase Eating well could reduce the risk of weight. risks of heart disease. diseases, organ problems and some “I tell kids that usually do not eat “A balanced meal should cancers. According to healthline. be a medium sized plate split healthy to imagine them grinding com, unhealthy eating habits were hypothetically into four sections. up foods that they consume such as hard to break and can persist for the rest of people’s lives.

Page 8

Features

Welcome

What will you miss?

. . . .

How to find success at Bak

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Do your work and, even though it may be hard, try your best and be determined, Joshua Wood, eighth grade theater major said.

“ (Left to right): Brandon Lee, Isabella Caldwell, Anamaria Navarrete, Lauren-Alexis Herba

Looking FORWARD to next year

Breakfast improves health, allows for more energy throughout day

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The Portfolio - May 2016

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Cafeteria offers healthy choices for students

By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor

Page 7

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Goodbye

What do you look forward to in high school?

Have fun and stay focused as well. Make sure to stay out of trouble so that you can do everything at the end of the year like Rapids, Lee Glaze, magnet coordinator said.

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Features

The Portfolio April 2016

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Page 6

Layouts (Issue 6) “

Layouts (Issue 5)

(Left to right): Elizabeth Sinn, Blake Weiss, Kate Richman, Janelle Puckering

Sixth graders offer advice to incoming students

By Carlos Trivino Features Editor

1) Being able to sit outside at lunch 2) Going to Rapids Water Park

4) Being the “oldest”

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3) Going to Busch Gardens

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Don’t be afraid of anything, everyone here is really nice, and most of the teachers are not too bad if you do your work, Francesca Moore, sixth grade vocal major, said.

Don’t stress out, do your work and make sure you aren’t putting anything off until the last minute and you will succeed, Christopher Bedecs, sixth grade communications major, said.

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Just be yourself. That’s how you make friends at a new school. Also, make a good impression on your teachers, Isabella Velez, sixth grade communications major, said

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Try hard and do what your teachers ask- that way you get through the year. Try your best, Asher Bradburn, sixth grade theater major, said.

5) Eighth grade privilege 6) Winning the grade level pep rally. 7) High school acceptance letters

(Left to right): Adam Goldstick, Lauren Mule, Isabella Ramirez, Emma Garret

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I really think you should have fun in your major and work hard to achieve your dreams, Vivian Miller, sixth grade theater major, said.

Practice hard and try different types of art, as a sixth grader you have a lot of opportunities, Naomi Francisco, sixth grade visual major, said.

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8) Eighth grade dance

I think you should always be prepared, make sure you always have your stuff, and be sure to practice and do your homework, Lilyanne Basa, sixth grade theater major, said.

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Weekly Healthy Living nutrition graphic: A light, healthy breakfast of 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber may help discourage overeating at lunch

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By Angela Yan News Editor

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Before eating: Food affects daily attitude

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rom kick-starting metabolism to helping burn calories throughout the day, breakfast keeps the body up and running properly. Originating in the mid 1400’s the word breakfast literally meant “to break the fast of the night prior,” according to the Oxford English dictionary. In order for the positive effects include having more energy of a healthy breakfast to take throughout the day, regulated effect, one should eat within two blood sugar levels. Research also hours of waking up. According to indicated that breakfast enhanced the National Health Service, doing memory, attention, the speed of this results in “long term health processing information, reasoning, benefits. It can reduce obesity, high creativity, learning, and verbal blood pressure, heart disease and abilities. diabetes.” Glucose levels rise, and the In teens, the recommended pancreas produces insulin to shuttle amount of calories to maintain the glucose into cells, where it is their weight is approximately used for energy. Research found 2,000. A healthy breakfast can that keeping glucose and insulin help provide about 20 through 30 in the right balance has important percent of those. effects on metabolism and health. A study conducted by the “After a healthy breakfast your National Purchase Diary (NPD) blood sugar increases a little bit, group found that about 31 million but it will take a while for your Americans (around 10 percent of body to absorb it,” Eric Rimm, the population) skip breakfast. A professor of epidemiology and recent Harvard study showed that nutrition at the Harvard School people ages 45 through 82 who of Public Health in Boston, said skipped breakfast were 25 percent on consumerreports.org. “So you more likely to experience a heart might not be hungry for lunch for attack. five hours.” Other positive health benefits

My advice is to be prepared, you will have more work and assignments, harder teachers, but don’t get really stressed out, Veronika Rudaya, sixth grade visual major, said.

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The Portfolio October 2015

Technology

Page 4

By Madaleine Rubin Co-Editor In Chief

he debut of the movie “Back to the Future Part II,” on Nov. 22, 1989 gave people a glimpse in to what was generally referred to as the future. This image included flying cars, time machines, hoverboards, and many other futuristic technologies. However, some of these advanced concepts have truly become a reality in modern day life.

Meet the new Lexus hoverboard, more commonly known as the “slide.” This flying skateboard combines elements of the future with the abilities of today’s technology to create a new form of motion. According to the Lexus hoverboard’s official website (lexus-int.com), “The hoverboard is constructed from an insulated core, containing HTSL’s, or high temperature superconducting blocks. These are housed in cryostatsresevoirs of liquid nitrogen that cool the superconductors to -197 degrees

By Lily Gumbinner uitar-joPhoto is a Editor new device that attaches to an electric guitar, giving it the sound of a banjo. Musicians can add the plucky

Smart watches compatible

Photo courtesy of allibaba.com

By Carlos Trivino Features Editor oogle. The multinational corporation responsible for the millions of smartphones and internet searches used every day. On Aug. 31, Google announced that its line of smartwatches would become compatible with iOS (Apple) users starting on Sept. 2. Google entered the smartwatch world in 2014. The first year had a slow start with only 720,000 of 4.6 million units actually sold. Apple released their first wearable device, the Apple Watch, for official sale on April 24 of this year. It now dominates over 75 percent of the

By Anushka Lakum Entertainment Editor fter the departure of Assistant Principal Amie Souder, Misty Connelly, teacher from Jupiter Middle, became the new assistant principal. Souder was promoted to principal at Everglades Elementary. “My goal is to be as supportive to students and teachers as I can be and continue the excellence that I have seen so far,” Connelly said. She was a speech and debate teacher for 12 years and thinks that it is a different experience from being an assistant principal. “I loved it because I learned something new every year along with my kids, and every year I got a new set of kids with talents and challenges,” Connelly said. Coming from another middle school where arts was not the drive of the program, Connelly was adjusting to a middle school where freedom of expression was evident. “Sometimes I feel like it’s perfect, because it feels like my personality, but sometimes it’s a challenge, because I’m coming from a school with a lot more

Android meets Apple: smart watch market, according to some estimates. Although reaching out to a wider variety of users, the new android wear and iPhone compatibility has some restrictions. Amongst these are not having the capability to access the over 4000 apps available for android wear on the Google market place. Another aspect includes that only newer smartwatches will be able to connect to the user’s phone. The iPhones will have to be no older than the iPhone 5 and be running iOS 8.2 software or newer. The users will be able to connect to their Google smartwatch through the Android Wear app on the App Store. Google expects the prices of Android watches compatible with the iPhone to range from $100 to $400. Apple, which has a long history of demanding premium prices for its products, sells most of its watches for $350 to $1 thousand, though its luxury models cost more than $10 thousand. Google is hoping the next wave of Android Wear watches will help to shift the tide in its favor. International Data Corporation (IDC) analyst Ramon Llamas said, “This is a shrewd move by Google to expand its potential market. There is only so much space available on each wrist.”

News

New school year brings new assistant principal, changes

Though the technology behind the board seems extremely advanced, the materials used to build its exterior are significantly less complicated, and make up the natural technology features in Lexus’ invention. According to “Wired,” another science magazine, Lexus’ spokesperson on the project, Maurice Durand, “The slide takes several design cues, like bamboo finish and carbon fiber touches, from Lexus automobiles.” With all of the components of the Lexus hoverboard in mind, from the high-tech to the low-tech, pricing is a serious debate. According to Sam Sheffer, who rode the Lexus hoverboard at its specially designed skate park in Spain, “There is no definite price for the hoverboard because it is just a promotional tool for Lexus’ cars. Lexus won’t sell you one of these things, they are just using it for ad purposes.” Though the Lexus hoverboard may not turn Marty McFly’s hoverboard chase scene from “Back To The Future Part II” into a complete reality, it can still be rendered a futuristic innovation, bringing society one step closer to a time period that had seemed imaginative.

Katrina remembrance article

Photo courtesy of motorscribes.com

Sam Sheffer, test rider of Lexus’ newest product and avid skateboarder, steps on to the hoverboard in Barcelona, Spain, at the specially designed Lexus hoverboard skate park.

Celsius, or -322.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature needed in order to hover.” In simpler terms, what this all means is that the hoverboard is using magnetic levitation to keep itself and its rider above ground. The superconductors are, according to Elizabeth Palermo, associate editor of “Live Science,” a science newspaper, are “materials that can conduct electricity with zero resistance below a certain temperature.” The zero resistance factor is part of what keeps the hover board in the air. Nonetheless, this description can be misleading. One should not assume that the hoverboard can hover on plain ground. The Lexus hoverboard official site states that “the board is placed upon a track containing permanent magnets. The track’s magnetic flux lines are ‘pinned’ into place, maintaining the hover height of the board.” The track operates in complete unison with the board. The two electrical current produced by the superconductors and the magnets in the board create a strong magnetic field that repels the magnetic field put out by the track. This effect is, essentially, repelling gravity.

Smart watch article

Clips (Issue 1)

Future to reality: Lexus hoverboard creates form of motion

The Portfolio October 2015

structure [than Bak],” she said. And it is the arts that appeal to Connelly. “What I like most are the students and their talents, and every time I visit a class I want to stay and take the class.” Connelly said. She appreciated that staff and students had been very friendly to her. “I love the diversity and I also feel like everyone has made me feel comfortable, and the students go out of their way to make me feel welcome.” she said. Though Connelly liked all the majors, she has one major she could relate to the most. “Communications because I taught debate for 12 years, and I think that debate offers a little bit of all the majors,” she said. Something that Connelly was looking forward to at Bak were all the student projects. “I am most excited to see the students’ products. Their broadcasts, artwork, productions, and performances,” she said. Even though it was the beginning of

Photo by Nikita Tanguturi

New Asst. Principal Misty Connelly talks to strings major Elizabeth Fenner as they discuss new changes at Bak. “I like that I am more mobile. I also like how I can get to know all the students,” she said.

a new year and a new school, she was looking forward to being a part of the Bak family. Connelly said, “I hope that I am a

support and I help the school grow, and I want to be part of the fabric that’s already here and maybe add a new color.

Hurricane Katrina: Life 10 years after the disaster

in Florida because it did curve up into the Gulf,” Lisa Hanser, seventh grade civics teacher, said. “We were all lucky [in Florida] but it was truly horrible watching the effect it had on other states.” At its peak velocity hurricane Katrina reached wind speeds of almost 175

mph as a category five storm. It had a span of over 400 miles across and while the actual hurricane itself did not cause the most devastation, its aftermath did. During this time, thousands of people around the gulf coast of the United States, mainly in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, were displaced from their homes. Levees overflowed due to the heavy rains causing massive flooding in these areas. Experts estimated the damages surpassing $100 billion, making hurricane Katrina the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history. The total death toll of the major hurricane was approximately 1,833 casualties. While the storm brought loss and grief from New Orleans to Mobile, Alabama, there were somber ceremonies marking the day 10 years ago when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. “We had a million structures that were damaged, 250,000 homes were destroyed [and] 1,800 people were taken away from us,” Mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu said in an interview with ABC news. “It was a big, big, massive deal that spanned the entire city. Everybody lost everything.”

major said. The school district invested $50 By Angela Yan thousand when they hired a thirdNews Editor party attorney, Eugene Pettis, n the ﬁrst day of school, former President of the Florida Bar, some buses arrived at Bak to investigate the transportation so late that zero hour was problems. extended to let students on the late Avossa authorized hiring Pettis buses receive their schedules. “to come in and investigate how this “I called [my parents] at 8:40 one happened, who is responsible, and time and said, ‘I’m at school,’ and what we need to do to ensure that we they said, ‘Really? This late?’” Jean are not dealing with these issues in the Luis Montesinos, seventh grade visual future.”

Avossa called the transportation issues a “perfect storm” of errors with lack of bus drivers and computer glitches happening at the same time. The district had been hiring 10 new bus drivers each week to compensate for their errors. “Our drivers have stepped up,” Avossa said in an interview with School Bus Fleet. “They have delivered the kids to the best of their ability. Now it is time for the district to do what’s right for them.”

Anne Warren of Gulfport, Miss., right, prays with April Moore of Gulfport after the 10 Years, 10,000 reasons Hurricane Katrina remembrance service at Barksdale Pavillion in Jones Park in Gulfport on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015. Moore, who said she lost everything in Katrina, was overcome by memories of the storm. (John Fizhugh/Biloxi Sun Herald/ TNS)

By Carlos Trivino Features Editor en years ago, rain relentlessly pummeled rooftops in the worst storm of the 21st century, Hurricane Katrina. Aug. 29 marked the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. “I don’t think it was all that bad here

Transportation Problems Continued from page 1

The Check out page 10 to ﬁnd out more about the eighth grade Washington D.C. trip!

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Smart Helmet protects athletes

In memory of Dora Bak: 13 years later By Carlos Trivino Features Editor t has been 13 years since Dora Bak’s passing, whom the school now bears the name in her husbands’ honor. Dora Bak was born on Aug. 14, 1914 in Germany. She developed a love for music and the arts, growing up in a home where her father was a violinist for the town orchestra. Bak also liked to paint, speciﬁcally in the impressionist style until she lost her eyesight. “Dora had a request put in for a donation of $1 million,” Lisa Hanser, seventh grade civics teacher said. “The only condition was that the school be renamed in her husband’s honor and a plaque be dedicated to them. When we agreed she added an extra half a million to the donation.” The Foundation website states, “Dora Bak’s gift and the passing of the half cent referendum in 2004 provided funds to complete Bak’s new campus. The completion of Bak’s auditorium cost upwards of $5.8 million. Students moved onto the new campus January 9, 2006.” Born in 1884 in Austria, Richard Bak, Dora’s husband, was a renowned European economist who specialized in international markets, ﬁnance and economics. He founded the Emile and Zerline Hahnloser-Richard Bak Fund, Inc. in New York, which supported medical research and the arts. He died on Oct. 25, 1973 in Paris.

Photo by Madaleine Rubin

Smiling broadly, eighth grade communication majors Anamaria Navarrete and Amanda Vanner admire each others’ makeup. Eighth grade visual arts majors helped construct the infamous haunted house.

By Valentina Gomez Arts and Academics Editor ak MSOA’s annual Fall Thriller was held on Oct. 23, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event included games in the gymnasium, music and lights in the courtyard and a haunted house, courtesy of the visual arts department. “The haunted house was ﬁlled with people pretending to be mummies and things that popped out at you. It also had strobe lights which made it very scary,” Shweta Pandit, seventh grade vocal major, said. The event hosted activities and games

in the gymnasium which rewarded candy, a DJ who played music in the courtyard where students could dance, and a two-storied haunted house in the eighth grade building. Ever since the ﬁrst Fall Thriller 15 years ago, the visual department had been making the dance as eventful as they could. “We try to outdo ourselves, trying to keep making it better. We worked on lighting, music, DJ, and, this year, we made the haunted house two stories,” Glen Barefoot visual arts teacher said. The theme for the haunted house this year was zombies, showing off

Halloween make up and causing frights. Many students participated in the Fall Thriller games such as the Fortune Teller booth which allowed fortune tellers to determine students’ future through palm readings, glitter or a key. “I liked the Fortune Teller because while I was in line, I didn’t know what to expect. When I walked inside the booth, I got to learn more about myself,” Ava Marano, seventh grade communications major said. Students joined their friends in the courtyard, dancing underneath the neon lights as the DJ played modern music to the kids.

By Nikita Tanguturi Business Manager hree, two, one. The two girls held hands as they dived off the side off the boat into the awaiting reef below. Once they got in, the sight under water took their breath away. The annual seventh grade Marine Lab trip was fun for both students and chaperones. “Snorkeling in the keys is one of my favorite things to experience,” Zane Hurley, sixth grade science teacher said, “and sharing it with kids who never done it before is really cool.”

As they explored the open ocean of the Florida Keys, the students were able to see tons of different flora and fauna. “I really like seeing the different animals and species of fish, it was really cool,” Emma Troast, seventh grade visual major said. “They [also] have a lot of jellyfish but I try to avoid them.” One of the more popular species in the water was the Aurelia Aurita, Photo courtesy of msoafoundation.org Dora Bak was born in 1914 in otherwise known as a moon jellyfish.

Dora Bak

Continued on page 4

Seventh graders embark on Marine Lab trip

Photo by Guest/William Anderson

Students were able to see a variety of marine creatures, including a green turtle. Students saw how the ecosystem bounced back from a disease called white pox, which was caused in the coral by a human pathogen.

Marine Lab Trip Continued on page 4

Breslau, now Wrocław, a city in Poland. In the 1930’s she moved from Europe to New York.

Food Hacking article

Dora Bak article

Clips (Issue 2)

December 2015 * Volume 19 * Issue 2 * Bak Middle School of the Arts * 1725 Echo Lake Drive * West Palm Beach, Florida 33407

Visual department hosts annual Fall Thriller, frightens students

By Anushka Lakum Entertainment Editor ntil just recently, the protocol for treating potential concussions had always been looking at the player’s head. But now a fresh wave of technology has been developed, hidden inside football helmets. They did much more than a visual inspection could ever do, they developed data that could help detect concussions in real time. Known as smart football helmets, these helmets were designed to measure the force of on-field collisions and notify when a player may have had a possible concussion or when their health may be in danger. Riddell, an American company specializing in sports and football equipment, is the developer of the

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The Portfolio December 2015 sensors equipped in the football helmet. The helmet’s crown contained a flexible panel that squeezed upon impact, reducing the force of collisions. Meanwhile, the helmet can be fitted with sensors that send wireless alerts to handheld devices on the sidelines, telling coaches when a player had sustained an unusually forceful hit to the head. According to popsci.com, the helmet is available online and at football equipment stores, where it cost $1000. A mouth guard that measures acceleration is also included. The smart football helmet could definitely identify potential concussions better compared to just looking at an injury. And now players can be safer on the field.

The new smart football helmet with head-impact sensors tackles the challenge of high technology to reduce injury and improve the game. They helped to decrease the amount of recurring head injuries and Photo by bestcleats.com concussions.

Food Hacking: New technology changes eating habits By Carlos Trivino Features Editor food’s actual taste consists of a fusion of the smell, touch, and texture all in a single sensation. Japanese scientist and professor Takuji Narumi used virtual reality technology to change the physical appearance of food to see how it affected eating habits. “Food hacking means brain hacking to me,” Narumi said in an interview with cnet.com. “How do we create new eating experiences by manipulating the senses in our brains? To make food taste different by changing humans instead of food, that’s the most interesting to me.” Started in 1994, VICE is a youth media company and digital content creation studio. A new series on VICE’s food channel “Munchies” called “Food Hacking” explored the possibilities of the technology. Swedish host Simon Klose used a pair of special virtual-reality goggles while holding an actual cookie in the first episode of the series. Through the goggles, the researchers are first able to make that cookie bigger or smaller. “Food that is virtually enlarged to be 50 percent bigger leads to 10 percent less consumption, while food that is

virtually shrunk to 30 percent its size makes people eat 15 percent more,” Narumi said. According to the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University a visual perception bias called the Delboeuf Illusion influences what portions are consumed depending on the size of the plate in which it is presented. Narumi has his own twist on this. It involves a large table with a built in display designed to change the size of the virtual plate depending on what food is placed on it. The official Munchies website stated that Food Hacking re-imagined how people cook and eat. Host Simon Klose explored food prepared by activists, techies, and even robots as he took a close look food disruptors who mapped out new boundaries of Japanese cuisine. Although the technology Narumi made is in its infancy, as wearing large bulky goggles in order to perceive a different food and smell may be impractical, large industries took interest in the future of the product. “When we displayed this at a computer graphics conference in the US,” Narumi said, “NASA approached us and said that they really wanted to try this. So in the future, this could also be used for space food.”

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Sports & Clubs

The Portfolio February 2016

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Features

The Portfolio - February 2016

Students create, draw national icon with chalk

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‘The Lottery’ theater show shocks audience

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Dance performs African pieces

Separate instruments, one major: Students represent music With a look of determination, Sasha Monaco, eighth grader, demonstrates Oral Interpretation. Monaco performed her piece on selfacceptance for the communications portion of Artsgiving

Photo by NIkita Tanguturi

Photo by Jessica Samons

which included live drummers who By Jacob Schlessel “originated from Guinea,” Jessica Copy Editor ak’s second annual Artsgiving Widder, eighth grade communications showcased the arts with various major said. “Your movements correspond performances. The dancers had a number of showcases, from African with drums. The drums tell you what movement to perform,” Widder said. dance to classic and modern pieces. Dance majors were not the only ones “One jazz piece and two modern pieces who performed, as were performed,” non-majors who Holland Schiller, chose to take dance The drums tell you dance teacher said. class performed as The performances what to perform.” well. Some found it were shown in the a challenge to focus dance studios. One with a crowd of fellow students, while of the classes was Repertory class. said. On the Saturday following the pep “Basically the Repertory class presented others found it enjoyable. Ashley Tabachnick, seventh grade rally, Florida and Florida State had their choreographic etudes that were learned 60th all-time meeting. After a game in from guest choreographers,” Schiller Wade dance major said, “I enjoyed performing in Artsgiving because it where Florida’s offense struggled, the said. Seminoles prevailed 27-2. Another part of the performances was fun to perform in front of my included an African Dance piece friends.”

Students chant for their favorite team at annual FSU-UF Pep Rally

Photo by Jessica Samons

Seventh grade dance major, Nathalie Garcia performs a West African dance piece for Bak’s Annual Artsgiving.

Artsgiving article

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Jaylen Sanders profile

Clips (Issue 3)

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Versatile athlete competes in multiple sports By Carlos Trivino Features Editor ead, dribble, block. Run, pass, and kick. Jaylen Sanders, eighth grade communications major, does it all in three sports. “I think my biggest achievement, as far as school sports go, is being the captain of the basketball and track teams,” Sanders said. Although having to accommodate for academics, he spent countless amounts of time training. “On average I usually practice around 15 hours a week (two and a half hours a day). Outside of school I’m involved in basketball and football,” Sanders said. Currently goalie for the boys’ soccer team, he hoped to continue playing sports both at school and for his travel team. Brandon Wisnicki, eighth grade communications major said, “When it comes to sports, everyone knows Jaylen.”

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soccer 3-7 by end of season

Sports Editor

ighth grade communications major, Nashani Gilbert, is one of Bak’s star players this year By Nikita Tanguturi as she is the captain of the volleyball l l Business Manager a b team. y e l acing a tough year, the boys’ “I lead my team by motivating them Vol soccer team ended their season and making them believe that we can with a record of 3-7. win,” Gilbert said. Passing and communicating seemed But, volleyball was not the only thing on Gilbert’s mind. She was also a point to be one of the main issues so far in guard for her basketball team, where the season, causing the Stars to lose she scored at least 15 points per game. control of the ball. They were not able “In basketball, I have good ball to connect their passes, which allowed handling and I can score to help my their opponents to steal the ball and score. team,” Gilbert said. 10 kills “The other teams are a lot bigger and per ga me She has been playing basketball for faster. They are always intercepting our 5 Ba five years and knows that basketball ske passes. We also made some bad passes tbal will take her far. But, with every star l tro phie player comes challenges to overcome. that we couldn’t connect,” Thomas s Ashley, defender, said. “I struggle with trying to know the All of the players had different skill other players skill level. I overcome this by getting used to the players,” Gilbert levels, and played different positions, which made it harder for all the players said. She has set some goals for both to work together. “The biggest thing I want to change volleyball and basketball season. Photo by Sreenidhi Nidamanur Gilbert said, “For volleyball, I want is if we can have the same skill level of kids and the same personalities,” Seth to get into the playoffs. For basketball, I want to win another championship.” Greenberg, goalie, said. Another big problem was the height of the players, which affected their ability to get the ball when punted or thrown in, allowing other teams to get more opportunities to steal the ball and score. “If I could make one change,” said Greenberg, “I would make all of them tall. Our team cannot get the ball in the air, because no one is tall. It’s not a bad thing, it is just that it is disadvantage.” The players were able to represent their school in the Palm Beach County Bas ketb league, but the team did not get into all C They had won three times, apta playoff. Howell Watkins once, and in against Duncan twice. “My biggest achievement of this 15 season is that I get to be the last po int defender, and I get to help my team sp er win games, that I say is the biggest ga achievement,” Greenberg said. “Not me that I blocked a good goal, or passed a good ball right to my player. I don’t care. I care that I’m helping my team.”

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Photo by Sreenidhi Nidamanur

Girls’ volleyball ends challenging season with 3-5 record By Ervin Williams Technology Editor

he Bak Girls’ Volleyball team ended their season with a 3-5 record. Although getting better was an “important part of the sport”, Vivian Miller, outside hitter said, the reason why they play was most important. “I play because it is about being on a team, and the feeling that you get when you spike a ball or ace a point is indescribable,” Miller said.

Playing against Duncan, which was one of their “rivals”, Miller said, they lost the first set 12-25, then in the second set 25-12, then lost the third set 8-15. “One of the games that I loved was Duncan, who we were very close with the whole game, even though we lost, it was still fun for us,” Anderson said. They began the season with two wins: Conniston and Watkins. They lost three games against Duncan, Independence and Jupiter Middle. But the fifth game, they won against Watkins. They had a

win against Independence, then ended the season with a loss to Jupiter. “I think our hardest games were with Jupiter and Duncan because they have great players,” Anderson said. Even though the team did not reach the play-off, they appreciated Coach Sallas and his support. “He huddles us up and uplifts us, instead of putting us down,” Miller said. Sallas said, “Volleyball is an exciting team sport that requires all members to communicate and work together.”

Photo by Isabella Ramirez

Stars’ defender, Thomas Ashley, steals the ball from the opposing offender. Ashley said, “I felt I played well, but we need to work on a lot of things, like changing formation.”

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Technology

The Portfolio March 2016

Students present pieces to annual competition, express talent

unmanned aerial vehicles. They can fascinated me that drones could be capture shots that humans cannot get used for so many purposes. The to. They are operated with propellers, student’s father was fixing roofs when a computer, controllers, and goggles. he met with an injury. With drones, There are many other accessories to the father could fix roofs without even put on your drone such as propeller being there,” Cantor said. guards, decal sets, and crash packs. He had a great amount of expertise “The propellers keep it level and the although he had only started building computer adjusts it and lets you see drones a couple years ago. what the drone sees,” Cantor said. “My expertise in in most aspects Cantor has built over 80 drones so of programming and flying drones,” far. He uses drones to capture aerial Cantor said. shots. But, he mostly makes drones for Most small drones cost a little less people who have than the bigger ones ordered them. He and the military There are two parts in drones are more customizes them to match the way what I do with drones. The expensive. the owner wants first part is that I build them “Small drones it. to what people order and I cost around $50, “There are two while the big drones parts in what I repair them too. The second cost thousands of do with drones. part is selling them and dollars due to the The first part is also using them for aerial amount of pieces that I build them purposes.” and the motors. to what people Some military order and I repair drones are millions them too. The second part is selling of dollars,” Cantor said. Photo by Sreenidbi Nidamanur them and also using them for aerial Cantor loves building drones because David Cantor, sixth grade science teacher, builds drones in his free purposes,” Cantor said. it’s a ‘good escape if you’re having a time. “I enjoy building drones because it passes time, keeps me busy, Cantor had gotten the idea to start bad day.’ and is a good escape,” Cantor said. exploring drones from a student who Cantor said, “When you have the By Sreenidhi Nidamanur in addition to teaching. Sports Editor “I enjoy building drones because it chose the drone for their “Invention goggles on and you’re flying the drone, it’s amazing because it’s in a bird’s ixth grade science teacher, David gives you a cool feeling, but sometimes Convention” project. “A few years ago, one student did perspective. It’s very peaceful and Cantor, has a side hobby of it’s a challenge,” Cantor said. creating drones and selling them Drones are formally known as a science project on drones and it relaxing.”

By Sreenidhi Nidamanur Sports Editor any students earned awards from the Scholastic Art and Writing Contest, hosted by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. “I had 17 students from my class who earned either gold, silver, or honorable mentions,” Natalie Sharp, communications teacher, said. Teens entered in categories such as ceramics, poetry, and fashion. Victoria Reis, seventh grade communications major, won an honorable mention for film and animation. “When I found out I won, I felt really good because I was waiting for the news,” Reis said. Many students developed a love for arts and writing that motivated them to expand more skills such as Tori Maxwell, seventh grade communications major. Maxwell said, “I personally love writing because it enables you to expresses your feelings.”

offers lightning fast charging

By Carlos Trivino Features Editor ith each new generation of smartphone becoming increasingly more compact and lightweight one major factor is greatly affected, battery life. According to All Business the average time to charge a smartphone fully is around two hours. StoreDot an Israeli founded company plans to do this in under a minute. Originally unveiled at Microsoft’s Think Next Conference in 2014, the company has since then been working on ways of charging larger batteries in the least time possible. Currently, StoreDot is testing three different design variants for its chargers, 20x, 100x, and 200x models. Like the names suggest, these chargers

In the past year StoreDot raised $42 million for refining their technology. They hope to start advancing the technology to quickly charge electric and hybrid cars.

can respectively charge a smartphone 20, 100, or 200 times as fast as a conventional charger would. However, the downside to this is that they require specially designed connectors, and any charger faster than the 20x requires significant modifications to the user’s phone. The models themselves are as big as a standard laptop charger. The charger relies on organic amino acids called peptides. When these link together they form proteins, making peptides popular amongst body builders. However, these proteins are put to use in a very different way in order to effectively reduce the charging time. When connected to a smartphone’s battery, the amino acids are set in motion, producing the shortened charging period. Doron Myersdorf, CEO of StoreDot predicts that by 2017, the company should have their special chargers on store shelves. Myersdorf recognized that the solution being proposed by their company has its limitations. With the smartphone world quickly switching to reversible connectors such as the new USB-C and apples lightning cable, the chargers require a special one. Myersdorf said in an interview with CNN, “They [phone manufacturers] can implement it however they want, but I need 20 pins [a larger phone port] to do it.”

New body surfing suit creates innovative way to catch waves

By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor magine soaring on the waves like Poseidon, boogie boarding without the board, charging waves like never before. This is what the new WaveWrecker promises. The WaveWrecker was created by Nick Gadler, a water sports enthusiast and entrepreneur who thought there was more to body surfing then what was available. His new body suit allows for more buoyant floating and better wave catching experiences. The suit offers two sizes, kids and adults. The adult size retails online for $400 and the kid’s size retails online for $300. The suit “incorporates flexible and buoyant, super-durable, closed-cell

foam,” according to the WaveWrecker’s website, which allows for more waves rode without wipe-outs and provide for a smoother experience when on the water. Normally avid body boarders use swimming fins to increase speed, but the WaveWrecker features 11 built-in fins, not requiring additional purchase. Chris Weiss, a writer for gizmag.com, reviewed the WaveWrecker as taking away the “free, simple attraction of diving into the ocean and catching a wave without spending hundreds on boards, fins and other equipment.” The WaveWrecker is perfect for thrill seekers, people that want a new twist on watersports, and those who are willing to spend the money.

Photo Courtesy of Nick Gadler

WaveWrecker launched a Kickstarter that allowed users to preorder the suit. The Kickstarter currently has $7,000 out of the set goal of $10,000. The suits were set to ship in March 2016.

Servant of 2 Masters article

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S0 to 100 real quick: StoreDot

Arts & Academics

Eighth graders learn science at Busch Gardens trip

Fast charger made in Isreal article

Clips (Issue 4)

Science teacher creates drones as hobby

The Portfolio March 2016

Drawing by Acel Suriaga

Acel Suriaga, seventh grade visual major, participated in the Scholastic Art and Writing Comeptition. She won a gold key for her artwork of “Front Entrance: Garden of Sunshine.”

Photo by Maddy Rubin

Passengers on Busch Garden’s Sheikra sit face down at a 90 degree angle before dropping 200 feet at a speed of 70 miles per hour. Other rides at Busch Gardens such as Cheetah Hunt and Kumba also dropped passengers from high heights at speeds as fast as those of Sheikra.

By Madaleine Rubin Co-Editor In Chief ighth grade science students rose early and headed to Bak before usual school hours on Feb. 12. After the bus ride, they arrived at Busch Gardens- where learning was a thrill. “Busch Gardens was so much fun,” Kora Wilson, eighth grade theater major said. “It gave students a chance to learn in a fun atmosphere instead of sitting in a classroom, bored all day.” While at the theme park, students spent the day watching the various science terms they had discussed in class. “At Busch Gardens we got the chance to experience what we are learning this year in a hands-on type of way,” Skylar

Margolin, eighth grade band major said. Originally only attended by science students of Tracy Smith, the Busch Gardens field trip began in 1999. Smith said, “In 2004, the other eighth grade science teachers wanted to join the fun and we have been taking students as part of our science curriculum ever since.” Students were not the only ones who found combining science with an amusement park experience enjoyable. “Watching students show their ‘science nerdiness’ and being able to interact with them outside school day makes this trip so fun for me,” Smith said. Students were able to walk around the theme park with a new connection

Busch Gardens Fun Facts 1. “Cheetah Hunt” is 4,420 feet, making it the longest ride at Busch Gardens. 2. The “SheiKra” was the first dive rollercoaster in the United States. 3. The rollercoaster “Montu” was named after an Egyptian warrior god. Information from www.buschfardenstampablog.com

between the terms “fun” and “learning.” Eighth grade communications major Brandon Lee said, “Busch Gardens taught me that science is happening around me everywhere and it never stops.”

‘Servant of Two Masters’ brings entertainment to students, experience for cast By Carlos Trivino Features Editor s the huge crowds of anticipating students hustled into the theater and settled in their seats, the talking ceased with a hush and the lights dimmed, signifying the beginning of the performance. “Servant of Two masters was a great performance to be in,” Madison Elliott eighth grade theater major said. “I loved our cast and we had so much fun even though we were stressed sometimes.” Originally from a novel, it was created in 1746 by Italian playwright Carlo Goldoni. The Servant of Two Masters was a comedy written in the Commedia dell’arte genre. This style of theater is characterized by its improvised performances and masked “types.” It began in the 16th century and was responsible for the advent of the improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. “In the Commedia dell’arte, you can play with the words a lot,” Elliott said. “When it was originally done in the 18th century the actors just had a simple plot line to follow.”

The play which was directed by theater teacher, Richard Valentine, took about one and a half hours to perform but “around four and a half months to practice and rehearse for the play including some after school practices,” Jakob Littell, eighth grade theater major, said. “He [Mr. Valentine] thought we were strng at improv and so he chose a performance that fit this the best.” Littell said. Costume design, which is the envisoning of clothing and costumes and the overall appearance of a character or performer, also played a big role in making the costume for Truffaldino, played by eighth grade theater major Preston Padgett. “His costume was made entirely from scratch and took a few months to create. In the end it had a couple hundred triangles in it.” Littell said. The play presented went on for about two weeks and although it was greatly rehearsed, the cast found a few minor mistakes which they would have liked to improve. “If we could improve on one thing

Photo by Carlos Trivino

During a scene of “The Servant of Two Masters”, Preston Padgett, playing Truffaldino, is met with the task of working for two individuals. Padgett said, “My favorite part of the play was working with the other people and learning off them and their abilities.”

it would be memorization, because in theater it is a bare minimum,” Littell said, “If you don’t have that then you don’t really have anything.” Valentine said, “One of the things I love about theater is that we do our

best to try and make performances available to all students. It’s kind of like a field trip for everyone without having to leave the school.”

Technology

The Portfolio April 2016

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Microsoft looks to future, unveils HoloLens

By Carlos Trivino Features Editor ince the announcement of the Oculus Rift back in 2012, many companies began to implement and develop their own virtual-reality headsets to compete in the newly formed market. The HoloLens itself is built in the form of a large pair of sunglasses with an additional headband for putting it on properly. Like other products, its purpose is to indulge the user in a virtual surrounding, giving the impression of being in the game. However, Microsoft made the headband to not actually use virtualreality, instead the product uses augmented reality by projecting the “holograms” onto the HoloLens’ visor. This makes the viewer experience the holograms as if they were in the same room as them. Microsoft stated the product as “bringing holograms to life in your environment where you can interact with digital content in relation to your real world, just as you do with physical objects.” Powered by Windows 10, the HoloLens works by using two cameras for video recording and depth sensing, four microphones, and a Photo courtesy of arstechnica.com variety of environment understanding Inventor Alex Kipman was behind Microsoft’s Kinect system. Now, he components such as an accelerometer is leading the companies’ new augmented reality rig. Kipman said in an capable of measuring the speed of the interview with Fast Company magazine, “Software is the only art form in user. Images are projected onto the

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Features

Cafeteria offers healthy choices for students

A healthy meal includes all five of the food categories, grains, protein, fruit, milk and vegetables. “We exceed and meet the standards put out by the district,” Gold said.

By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor

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The Portfolio April 2016

Improved health: Good nutrition fights off disease, infections, increases performance

By Jordan Taylor Website Editor ating healthy on a daily basis could help improve people’s mental and physical state. Healthline.com states that without good nutrition, the human body was more prone to disease, infection, fatigue, and poor performance. “Having a balanced diet The largest section should have your cookies and Gatorade, and putting it provides your body the greens, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. in a baby bottle. Then I ask if they nutrients, fiber, good fats and The other three sections would be your would feed that to their little brother protein that you need to grow, develop protein, such as low fat meats or vegan or sister. If they have to say no, then and function to your best ability,” proteins such as beans, good fats such I ask, ‘why do you feed those foods to Roberta Azrak, nurse said. as olive oil, and whole grains,” Azrak yourself ?’” Azrak said. Basing meals off of the food said.n isks of heart disease.ounts of The United States Department pyramid could help persuade children fat.stay away nty of protien of Agriculture (USDA) reports that to eat the right amount of each food According to bupa.co, people should four of the top 10 leading causes of section. According to safefood.eu, to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables death were directly influenced by diet eat a balanced diet, people needed each day, two to three portions of in the United States. Children with to combine different types of dairy products, plenty of lean protein, poor diets could have growth and foods from each of the two portions of fish a week and little development problems as well as main food groups, all amounts of fat. Saturated fat could poor academic performance. while maintaining a healthy raise bad cholesterol levels and increase Eating well could reduce the risk of risks of heart disease. weight. diseases, organ problems and some “I tell kids that usually do not eat “A balanced meal should cancers. According to healthline. be a medium sized plate split healthy to imagine them grinding com, unhealthy eating habits were hypothetically into four sections. up foods that they consume such as hard to break and can persist for the rest of people’s lives.

Breakfast improves health, allows for more energy throughout day By Carlos Trivino Features Editor

rom kick-starting metabolism to helping burn calories throughout the day, breakfast keeps the body up and running properly. Originating in the mid 1400’s the word breakfast literally meant “to break the fast of the night prior,” according to the Oxford English dictionary. In order for the positive effects include having more energy of a healthy breakfast to take throughout the day, regulated effect, one should eat within two blood sugar levels. Research also hours of waking up. According to indicated that breakfast enhanced the National Health Service, doing memory, attention, the speed of this results in “long term health processing information, reasoning, benefits. It can reduce obesity, high creativity, learning, and verbal blood pressure, heart disease and abilities. Glucose levels rise, and the diabetes.” In teens, the recommended pancreas produces insulin to shuttle amount of calories to maintain the glucose into cells, where it is their weight is approximately used for energy. Research found 2,000. A healthy breakfast can that keeping glucose and insulin help provide about 20 through 30 in the right balance has important percent of those. effects on metabolism and health. A study conducted by the “After a healthy breakfast your National Purchase Diary (NPD) blood sugar increases a little bit, group found that about 31 million but it will take a while for your Americans (around 10 percent of body to absorb it,” Eric Rimm, the population) skip breakfast. A professor of epidemiology and recent Harvard study showed that nutrition at the Harvard School people ages 45 through 82 who of Public Health in Boston, said skipped breakfast were 25 percent on consumerreports.org. “So you more likely to experience a heart might not be hungry for lunch for attack. five hours.” Other positive health benefits

Before eating: Food affects daily attitude

Weekly Healthy Living nutrition graphic: A light, healthy breakfast of 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber may help discourage overeating at lunch

By Angela Yan News Editor

Health benefits of breakfast

Microsoft HoloLens article

Clips (Issue 5)

existence that is not bound by the confines of physics.”

translucent, tinted visor for the user to see. The company described this headset as “the most advanced holographic computer the world has ever seen.” Although the controller is designed to be the user’s hands, the product allows for a Bluetooth connection to pair it with a “clicker” which is a thumb sized device made for scrolling and selecting. The lens will also support a Wi-Fi connection, as well as an app that allows others to see what the user is currently seeing in the headset. Microsoft has announced that it will be putting a developer version of the product for sale on March 30 starting at $3,000. The battery life on the HoloLens is set to be five and a half hours for light use and two and a half under heavy use. It will also be compatible with Xbox controllers. Another feature that is currently being researched and possibly implemented is what the company is calling “Holoportation”. This feature allows the user to see another HoloLens user in a skype like manner but with the added bonus that the other person is projected as a full “Star Wars like” hologram. Microsoft has yet to reveal information on the general availability of the product to the public, but it is expected that it will be a while until the company finishes tweaking the headset and pricing for the HoloLens drops.

Google self-driving car crashes into bus New drone races increase in popularity By Madaleine Rubin Co-Editor In Chief irtual reality headsets secured on tightly, controllers in hand, and drones whizzing by every second. The sport of drone racing utilizes all of these high technology elements to provide gamers with a blast from the future, rather than the past. According to myfirstdrone.com, drone racing is a sport where drone pilots strive to build fast and agile multi-rotors to fly around a set course as fast as possible. Drone racing is most commonly done using First Person View (FPV) systems. These systems allow drone pilots to fly their drones through three-dimensional courses at high speeds. FPV systems utilize

Photo courtesy cbsnews.com

On Valentine’s Day, a Lexus version of the Google self-driving car crashes into a bus near Mountain View, California. It was caused by a misunderstanding between the drivers, and some thought this was new for Google cars.

By Anushka Lakum Entertainment Editor oogle’s self-driving cars have been driving on the road since 2009. However, these cars have been in 17 crashes, and this was the first time the Google car was the cause. On Feb. 14, a Google Lexus selfdriving car was about to drive around some sandbags on the road in Mountain View, California. Both the car and test-driver assumed that the bus in the next lane would slow down to let them pass. The bus driver thought that the car would stay put until the bus passed. Both driver and car assumed incorrectly, and the vehicles collided. It was a minor crash, and there were no injuries. According to engadget. com, the Lexus hit the side of the bus at 2 mph, while the bus was going 15

virtual reality googles, which display a real-time video feed from an onboard camera. The official Drone Racing League, otherwise known as the DRL, hosts drone races at locations around the world where top pilots fly high-speed drones in an arena. A DRL race is scored based on a combination of completion time and checkpoints drone pilots must successfully maneuver their aircraft through. In a typical drone racing season, there are six races around the world where pilots earn points. The pilots with the most points qualify for the World Championship race. For more information on this futuristic pastime, visit fpvracing.tv.

mph. The car’s front fender, wheel and sensor were damaged in the process. After the crash, people were afraid that the Google software could make the same mistake again and incorrectly predict a human driver’s actions. But in a statement, Google said that it made changes to its software to “try to avoid future accidents like this.” According to google.com, self-driving cars were not actually a new invention. The steering wheels and pedals were just removed, and sensors were added to detect objects in all directions. In a blog, Chris Urmson, the head of Google’s self-driving car program, said that in most crashes, the car was not at fault, and it was just humans at fault. Photo courtesy of New York Times Urmson said, “The clear theme is human error and inattention. We’ll take Flying high in the air at a speed equally as high, this particular drone whizzes past checkpoints in an arena. The tiny, agile style of the all this as a signal that we’re starting to multi-rotor allowed for it to reach such high velocities. compare with human drivers.”

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The Portfolio May 2016

News

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Photo courtesy of uncrate.com

Zapata Racing CEO Franky Zapata takes the new FlyBoard Air out, revealing it to the public for the first time with a 10 minute flight.

By Jacob Schlessel Copy Editor unhappy with this product, as these n the summer of 2015, self- boards falsely claimed themselves to balancing boards took the market be “hoverboards.” Zapata Racing may by storm. Many consumers were

Photo courtesy of www.jkcf.org

The Young Scholars program holds a Welcome Weekend and Civics Week each year at John Hopkins University in Virginia. It was a way for the scholars to get to know each other and create lasting friendships.

school, but it also provides community service opportunities and makes a path toward the college scholarship of $40,000 a year. According to jckf.org, “To be eligible for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program, students must be entering 8th grade in the fall of 2016. They also must have earned grades of all or mostly As in school with no Cs or below in your core academic subjects since the beginning of 6th grade as well as be able to submit scores from a standardized test taken within the last two years.” The scholarship prides itself on being dedicated to advancing the education of advanced students who have financial needs and they have a goal to help every student they can. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholars program strives to challenge and inspire their scholars by ensuring that they are challenged with a higher-order curriculum and access to resources such as meaningful summer programs, a close-knit and high-achieving peer community, and also one of the most generous financial aid in the nation. Through the program, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation supports students through school. Through the Young Scholars Program, the Foundation has to date supported over 800 students from across the nation, providing them with educational advising combined with financial support from the 8th grade through high school. In an interview with a Jack Kent Cook associate, Marybeth Banks, 2012 undergraduate transfer scholar (Wellesley College) said, “Thank you [Jack Kent Cooke Foundation] for helping me to work toward my goals by allowing me to focus completely on my studies and extracurricular activity.”

Sunfest

Continued from page 1 By Luke Stone Co-Editor-in-Chief “I think that the main reason for SunFest’s growth was the turn that we took to become more of a music festival,” Jamieson said. “We took that turn before the music festival industry began to take off and got ahead of the curve.” With SunFest’s increase in popularity, the festival’s annual budget has also increased. “When I was first working for SunFest, the budget was $1.5 million. Now [26 years later], our budget is closer to $8 million. SunFest has changed into becoming much more of a business than it was in the past,” Jamieson said. Some of this year’s artists included singer Meghan Trainor, rapper G-Eazy, British pop band of the eighties Duran Duran, DJ Steve Aoki, and more. “My favorite part of SunFest was being able to hang out with my friends and see G-Eazy,” Tara Miller, eighth grade vocal major said. “We were able to get close to the stage and he was a talented performer.” “My favorite part of SunFest was getting to see Duran Duran,” Christian Stephens, eighth grade theater major said. “It had a great atmosphere and that made it difficult to have a bad time.” One part of the great atmosphere Stephens described was SunFest’s location on the West Palm Beach waterfront, and Jamieson thinks that works to the event’s advantage. “I think that our location makes a huge difference,” Jamieson said. “We’ve had people that have come from other festivals and go to other festivals and say that SunFest, bar none, is the most beautiful location of any festival they have been to.”

Microsoft CaptionBot article

New York firefighter Stephen Humenesky views the monument honoring the firefighters who lost their lives during 9/11 at the 911 Flight Crew Memorial and “Valor Commitment Dedication” monument in Grapevine, Texas, on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014. Humensky, who worked on Engine 301and worked on Ground Zero that day, is now retired and lives in the area. He said he paid his respect here since he cannot make it back to New York. (Bob Booth/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT)

Young Scholar program provides scholarships of mostly A’s and B’s. The prospective scholars must also have taken the ACT or the SAT within two years of applying and must plan to enter eighth grade in the fall. Despite its selectivity, when a student is accepted, the benefits of the program are numerous. The benefits of the Young Scholars program is that it will help pay high school tuition and also summer programs. They will provide financial aid for extracurricular activities such as art and music classes. Not only will it provide financial aid for high

have the answer to these disappointed shoppers. Ranging from a hefty price of about $3,000 to $9,000, the FlyBoard Air is the next advancement in technology. First releasing the $6,600 water FlyBoard, Zapata Racing looked to take a more futuristic, gravity defying, land-based version of the original. A video uploaded on April 9 by the official YouTube account of Zapata Racing depicted Franky Zapata, CEO of Zapata Racing using the FlyBoard Air to fly at an approximate speed of 34 mph for three minutes and fifty-five seconds. While trying to keep quiet on most of the stats about the FlyBoard Air, they did claim that the board can reach heights of up to 10 thousand feet, can reach a top speed of 93 mph and can currently fly for up to 10 minutes. On April 30, Franky Zapata was

cited for breaking the world record of longest flight by a hoverboard, crushing the old record which was 905 feet by 6,483 feet. (His record was 7,388 feet). Many skeptics of the FlyBoard Air claim that the video was rigged with ropes or chains. In 2014, a company named Funny or Die released a video of various actors depicted riding a hoverboard. The video drew a lot of attention. The makers of the video later admitted that the video was faked and there was no hoverboard, and it caused an uproar on social media. With new technology bring revealed every day, the FlyBoard Air especially sticks out for being ahead of its time. Zapata Racing currently offers six different models of both water jetpacks and hoverboards on their website If money was not a problem, the FlyBoard Air may soon be the new favorite for commuter travel.

INew virtual reality rollercoasters bring enjoyment to thrill-seekers History of Memorial Day

Clips (Issue 6)

By Ervin Williams Technology Editor he Jack Kent Cooke Foundation provides low-income families with the resources to prepare their children for college and beyond. The organization’s Young Scholar scholarship is selective of the students that they induct into their program, it’s application-acceptance period being January-March each year. The minimum criteria for the scholars are supposed to maintain a transcript

Technology

New Flyboard Air breaks world records

Memorial Day celebrates history of U.S. soldiers By Carlos Trivino In 1914 the First World War had Features Editor broken out. The United States became n the mid 1860’s the Civil War caught in another major conflict, so brought about great changes in the holiday came to represent a day the country. After leaving more for honoring all men that had perished than 620 thousand Americans dead, while serving their country. it became the bloodiest war fought Congress passed a law declaring that to date. Although the exact origin of Memorial Day be switched to the last the holiday is unknown one thing is Monday in May, in order to create certain. Memorial Day came about as a a three-week holiday. The same law also made the Memorial Day a federal result of the Civil War. Three years after the war ended, holiday and went into effect in 1971. Over two dozen towns claim to be the Union general John A. Logan declared May 30 to be Decoration Day. A day to original birthplace of Memorial Day. However, during decorate the graves of his presidency, the fallen confederate Memorial Day continued Lyndon B. and union troops. General Logan chose to be celebrated on May 30 Johnson declared Waterloo, New this specific date as it York as the was not the anniversary until the late 60’s” official town. of any battle. The last addition Later that year, the first celebration of Decoration Day was or change made to the holiday was in held at Arlington National Cemetery. 2000. Congress signed into law The James Garfield, a union general who National Moment of Remembrance would later become the twentieth Act. According to the Department of president, gave a speech there to a Veteran Affairs website, the National Moment of remembrance occurs at 3 crowd of over five thousand. By the turn of the century all of p.m. local time on Memorial Day and the northern states had declared encourages citizens across the country Decoration Day an official state holiday. to stop what they are doing for a minute The southern states had separate dates of silence in order to honor those who set aside for honoring their dead until have died. the next major conflict.

The Portfolio May 2016

By Sreenidhi Nidamanur Sports Editor amsung recently joined forces with the amusement park, Six Flags, to increase the thrill factor of rides using virtual reality headsets. The New Revolution Virtual Reality Coasters, powered by Oculus, have 360-degree views at 55 miles per hour. They allow thrill-seekers to experience a whole new dimension with synchronized action to the roller coaster. According to usatoday.com, the ability to precisely track the motion of train is critical and the virtual reality (VR) headset is equipped with controllers to fire simulated guns. These are the world’s first giant loops in Texas, Georgia, California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York and Quebec. This loop is 90 feet high and 45 feet in diameter with 3,457 feet of steel track. According to sixflags.com, riders must be 48 inches tall and at least 13 years of age. With its debut on March 26, the

roller coaster allowed the riders to experience a futuristic fighter plane battle. Riders save the planet from an alien annihilation at New Revolution, while the Superman VR experience recruited passengers to help fight the villain, Lex Luthor. According to fortune.com, Brett Petit, senior vice president of marketing for Six Flags said, “The possibilities are almost endless when you consider all of the different concepts and themed worlds that can be created—we can now provide experiences you can only do in a virtual world, like the ability to fly alongside Superman, be the co-pilot of a jet fighter and save the planet, or explore outer space.” Samsung is now the official technology partner of Six Flags as the headsets are compatible with Samsung’s latest devices including the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. “The expertise and hardware that Samsung provides with the Gear VR and their partnership with Oculus, is really what took this to the next level

Photo courtesy of theverge.com

New virtual reality roller coasters allow thrill-seekers to experience an alien annihilation as well as a Superman experience. Virtual reality headsets enhance the journey of the roller coasters by allowing the passengers to fire virtual weapons.

and made virtual reality on a roller coaster possible,” Petit said. According to usatoday.com, when there is disconnect between what a person sees on VR goggles and what their bodies are physically experiencing, it can lead to queasiness. However,

these VR rollercoasters are in sync with the movement of the roller coaster.

Petit said, “The company has been exploring VR for years, but now the technology exists to deliver the types of one-of-a-kind experiences it was looking for.”

Microsoft creates new program to write captions for photos By Carlos Trivino Features Editor ore than 40 years after it was founded, Microsoft continued to roll out and unveil new programs and software, its newest release being the CaptionBot. A bot is defined as an autonomous program on a network that can interact with computer systems or users. Powered by Microsoft Cognitive Services, the bot can be found online at captionbot.ai. The program works by having the user input a picture from their galleries which the CaptionBot then analyzes to give the most accurate description it can. Alternatively, one can also input a link to the image. Microsoft Cognitive Services consists of a compilation of Application Programming Interfaces (API’s)

Photo courtesy of megynkelly.org

Captionbot can understand thousands of objects, as well as the relationships between them. Using its program it is also capable of recognizing celebrity faces and matching personal selfies with that of celebrities.

which are resources and tools used to create applications. The CaptionBot uses three API’s. A Computer vision API to process and categorize visual data, Emotion API to analyze facial expressions, and a Bing Image API to add a variety of image search options. The captionbot combines information from all three of the API’s to turn out a one sentence caption describing what it thinks is in the picture. Although the program is relatively new and makes mistakes, it is designed to learn from this. After making a caption, the program asks for input based on a five star rating system for future reference. Microsoft has made the program so as to retain any pictures which have been submitted into the website, however no personal information is collected. Other online programs created by

Microsoft include their “How Old Do I Look?”, “Are You Twins?”, “My Moustache”, “What Dog?”, and “Celebs Like Me.” Facebook also came out with their own bot before Microsoft, with an alternative purpose than just creating captions. The Facebook bot’s purpose was to describe and read out photos to the blind. Previous attempts at a bot by Microsoft had ended in the program spouting racist remarks in reply to twitter comments. The company made the new CaptionBot in spite of their previous failure, and aims for the application to be as accurate as humans at writing captions.