SNN December 2014

Read about the talented Spartans of Lakewood.

Pages 12-13

Home of the Stars

Hollywood High

SCHOLAR ATHLETE: Senior Tyriek Hopkins excels on the field and off.

Page 21

ROBOTICS: Students learn how to assemble and fly drones.

Page 6

snntoday.pcsb.org

S PA R TA N N E W S N E T WO R K

LAKEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL • DECEMBER 2014 • VOL. 6, NO. 2

2 THE HUB December 2014

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

Students gather for a photo at the Lakewood Homecoming dance in October. This year the dance was brought back to the gym and featured a Hollywood red carpet theme.

A word from SNN

What legacy will you leave at Lakewood?

A

s the first semester comes to a close, students begin to study for exams and seniors put their finishing touches on college applications. For me, it seems as if this semester flew by as the first half of my senior year comes to an end. I have been thinking a lot recently about what’s ahead, but also what I will be leaving behind at Lakewood. By increasing our newspaper’s online presence and hopefully producing three successful editions of SNN, with the help of our dedicated editorial staff, I hope to have a successful year in journalism.

I imagine that other Lakewood students are thinking about the legacy they’re going to leave behind as well. The pages of this edition of SNN are full of stories featuring students who are leaving their mark on Lakewood in various ways, whether it be music, sports,or technology centered.

Most students have heard the Lakewood High School band perform during halftime but have you gotten to know the people behind the instruments? Seniors Kenneth Goolsby and Erica Wells tell their stories about being drum major and band president. They talk about how music has left a mark on them and how they will leave their mark on Lakewood through music.

Page 5 also features junior and violin player Danny McSorley.

Sports are a huge part of the high school experience and senior Tyriek Hopkins plans to leave his legacy on the field while still hitting the books. School can be stressful just on its own, but when you add a rigorous sport to the mix it’s another whole story. You may have seen Hopkins around school, on the football or soccer field or running track, but check out page 21 to see how he juggles sports and a rigorous class load.

With nine students, the robotics 4 class is leaving its legacy on Lakewood by achieving the highest level of robotics in the state.

These students have surpassed ground level robots and are now embarking on building and flying drones. Read more about this ground breaking experience on page 6.

This edition is more in-depth than ever before, with bigger

On the web Check out some SNN multimedia projects.

Chorus practice: In this slideshow, Eric Jordan leads students in a mix of pop and classic holiday songs for the Winter Chorus Show, which will be in the auditorium Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7 p.m.

Photos. By Alexis Williams.

Orchestra class: In Michael Kernodle’s class, students learn the violin. Photo slideshow by Naima Jackson and Tyricia Felton.

The Representation of the Backpack Nation: Zebra stripes, rainbows and cartoon cats are just some of the designs you’ll find on the colorful backpacks of Lakewood students. Photos by Ranaiya Nelson.

photos and more involved stories. We want to hear from you.

Write us about what you liked or didn’t like as a letter to the editor and visit snntoday.pcsb.org for regularly updated, breaking, news happening around Lakewood.

Zoe Blair-Andrews, Editor-in-Chief of Print

Did you know...

Model teachers show their swag: Teachers show off their fashion sense. Featured are Kristie Dowling, Chiquita Godwin, Chandra Dillard and Jacob Merrett. Photo slideshow by Gisselle Zayas.

Keep skating: Cool coverage of a local skater showing off his tricks and jumps. Video by Kejuan Samuels.

Teacher gaming: Outside school, some teachers occupy their time just as a lot of students do playing video games. Video by Daylan Perkins and Amber Bein.

Baby arrival

This year’s artistic yearbook cover has been released

The latest cover shows Lakewood’s new Spartan head over a spatter paint design. The artistic letters that spell out Lakewood on the cover will be created by art teacher Jayce Ganchou’s classes and placed around the school by the end of the year. The only way to guarantee a yearbook is to pre-order one in room C213 before or after school. Checks need to be made out to Lakewood High School. If a student wants to pay with a debit card, go online to www.balfour.com and follow the prompts to the school. The yearbook is $80.

By ZOE BLAIR-ANDREWS, SNN Staff Writer

Putt-putt proposal

English teacher Andrew Holzbog asked his girlfriend, MacKenzie Hassee, to be his wife on a putt-putt golf course. Holzbog said he decided to reenact the scene from their first date, so he went to Smuggler’s Cove near Madeira Beach to play mini golf. When Hassee, an assistant swim coach, hit the ball in the number 12 hole, she went to retrieve it and inside the hole she found a black box. When she turned around, Holzbog, who started teaching at Lakewood this year, was down on one knee. “It’s different every day and it’s never boring,” he said about their relationship. He said the two plan to get married sometime next year.

AMSET teacher James Kostka’s second child Archer Nikolas, below with sister Meghan, 4, was born Oct. 27, weighing in at 7 pounds and 11 ounces. Kostka said Archer’s birth was a little different from his first child because he’s a few pounds less than his daughter, but he’s doing well. “He’s sort of the runt,” Kostka said.

By LINDA CORBETT, SNN Staff Writer

By BRIANNA WALKER and XENISHIA FELTON, SNN Staff Writers

Cover photo by RACHEL BROWN From left to right, sophomore Doug D’orsi, junior Daniel McSorley, senior Terrence Nelson, freshman Jeremiah McCloud and seniors Paul Santora, Steven Lykins and Kendrick Simmons perform during the Lakewood talent show on Nov. 22.

Spartan News Network Staff Editor-in-Chief of Print: Zoe Blair-Andrews Editor-in-Chief of Visual: Naudia McDaniel News Chief: Bobbie Wright Design Chief: Kahil Holmes Chief Photographer: Julie Smith-Frazer Photo Editor: Brandon Sweat Web Masters: Ben Effiom and Angelica Sheppard Opinion Editor: Maggie Verdino Entertainment Editors: Amber Bein and Quindon Nolton Fashion Editor: Nilaja King Sports Editor: Zackary Earle Copy Chief: Victoria Bischoff Copy Editors: Haley Dolan and Alexis Garcia

Code of Ethics As journalists for the Spartan News Network, we work together as a community with respect, professionalism, accuracy and curiosity. We collect information and dig deep to get to the bottom of the most current events to produce and distribute hard-hitting and honest news to the Lakewood community in a timely manner. SNN is an open forum that strives to accurately report a balanced and truthful depiction of the news while remaining objective. Our main goal at SNN is to build and maintain trust with the people, to give a voice to the voiceless and to succeed at not just painting the picture, but telling the story behind the art.

SNN is produced by the students of Lakewood High School.

1400 54th Ave. S St. Petersburg, FL (727) 893-2916, ext. 2163 SNN is printed

by Lakewood’s business partner, the Tampa Bay Times.

For more news, go to the SNN web site:

snntoday.pcsb.org

December 2014 NEWS 3

Healthy choices at Lakewood

A partnership with All Children’s Hospital teaches students how to prepare healthy meals.

BY DE’QONTON DAVIS AND RASHAD WILLIAMS SNN Staff Writers

T

he sizzling aroma of garlic and onions fills your nose as you walk into room 401. Four teams of students are preparing butternut spinach risotto.

“You got to stir it. We don’t want the onions burnt. We want it translucent,” All Children’s Hospital chef Anita Jimenez said.

The lesson is part of a larger program that helps teach students about healthy eating and how to prepare healthy meals. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Lakewood is the only high school in Pinellas County that is participating in the grant.

After the students finished preparing and cooking the meal they got to eat it, and many of the students said they thought the food was good even though it was healthy.

“It tastes sweet. It’s creamy, and the butternut squash tastes like potatoes,” junior Kenishia Jordan said.

The program will be all year long every Wednesday during HOPE classes only.

In addition to the All Children’s Hospital program, cafeteria manager Kim Griffin has started making healthier lunches at

Lakewood so that young people will realize healthy eating can be fun and healthy at the same time.

Griffin, who came to Lakewood last February and used to work in the hotel and restaurant industry, said she took the USDA suggestions and made some specific changes. These changes include more salads and grains (whole wheat), lower sodium foods and no fried foods such as French fries.

“Mostly so that we can be aware of good health,” Griffin said.

Several new items will be offered, including frozen yogurt machines after winter break and the “Spartans Fresh Express” line, which has wraps and parfaits.

According to Griffin, up to 150 students eat during lunch which is more than previous years. At first a lot of students at Lakewood were angry because the fried foods were taken away, but many now say they enjoy the lunches.

“I like the buffalo chicken wraps. They take the place of the chicken and French fries from last year and they’re really good,” junior Jalen Bowman said.

Senior Jah’varis Dukes said he didn’t eat in the lunchroom last year, but this year is different.

“We all eat; we are in here eating everyday now,” he said.

GENNESHA GAGE | SNN

TOP: All Children’s Hospital chef Anita Jimenez helps sophomore Jacques Kellogg in a cooking demonstration.

LEFT: A student chops mangoes for a healthy recipe during a cooking class.

GENNESHA GAGE | SNN

Changing vending options

BY AKILAH BELL SNN Staff Writer

The clock strikes 10:20 and starving children eagerly head to the vending machines.

To their surprise, the items in the machines have changed big time this year. No more sweet honey buns, Arizona Iced Teas, sugary sodas or even the refreshing orange or apple juice preferred in the mornings.

What’s left is diet sodas, water, low-fat baked chips, whole grain Rice Krispy treats and healthy granola bars.

Some students said they think the changes are good.

“I think it’s great, because it will keep kids from eating fatty foods,” sophomore Kenneth Williamson said.

Others, however, disagree.

“It’s stupid. They need more food. They need to bring back honey buns and all that good stuff,” sophomore Zyeshia Lewis said.

“It’s not worth the money,” sophomore Rachel Williams said.

The big question: Why have these changes been made to the vending machines?

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), schools across America must now sell food that has fewer than 200 calories and is low in salt, sugar and trans-fat.

If any school does not comply with this law it can be fined and will be in serious trouble.

This applies to the vending machines as well ELIZABETH WRIGHT | SNN as the cafeteria.

Sophomore Jake Levy and junior Jordan Casala hang out in front of the vending machine during lunch.

These changes came about after people realized there was a dramatic increase in di-

abetes at a young age. First Lady Michelle Obama’s program, “Let’s Move,” had a major effect on getting these rules passed.

The vending machines in Pinellas County Schools are stocked by Florida Fresh Vending. Having to cooperate with the USDA requirements means the company is looking at a major decline in profit, Florida Fresh manager Paul Plante said.

“We are making way less money,” he said.

Principal Bob Vicari said that means the school, which gets a cut from the vending machines profits, will also make less money.

The money the school receives goes toward school-related activities, which lessens the cost a student would actually pay at a school event.

“I do believe the amount will be lower this year for a number of reasons. Machines are going to be replaced at many schools - this will take time. We will lose revenue from so many machines in the interim,” Vicari said.

According to Plante, the vending machines are re-stocked daily. However, being stocked daily is not the main issue Lakewood is having with these vending machines. The big problem is actually that the vending machines are old.

“The vending machines always eat our dollars,” freshman Marissa Rosa said.

The weather also affects our vending machines. Machines that exposed to the humidity and rain, like those near the cafeteria, make less money. Vicari said Plante told him that rainy weather can affect how well the machines work.

2 musicians earn spots Controversy surrounds in all-state ensembles end-of-course exams Three other students will perform with the allcounty band and all-county orchestra.

BY RASHAD WILLIAMS SNN Staff Writer

Two Lakewood High School students were named all-state musicians: Paul Santora for all-state guitar ensemble and David Deister for all-state band.

Santora, the first all-state guitar student from Pinellas County, is one of 45 students who were chosen after a difficult statewide audition process in September. The guitar ensemble will perform at the Florida Music Educators Association conference in Tampa on Jan. 15 at 2:30 p.m.

Deister, who plays the trombone, will also attend the conference in January for three days and perform with the all-state band.

Santora said he started playing guitar when he was in third grade.

“My dad was into music so I wanted to play along with the songs he was playing,” he said.

He said he chose the guitar because “it’s the best instrument ever.”

The audition for the all-state guitar ensemble required Santora to play sections of two pieces, one entire song, the E minus scale and sight reading. He said he

was surprised but wasn’t excited until he found out that he was the first in Pinellas County to earn a spot in the ensemble.

“I felt like a celebrity,” he said.

Santora said he plans to go to college and major in music at Juilliard in New York City.

Deister said he started playing trombone in the sixth grade.

“I was put in band and didn’t really want to be, but I found the trombone fun to play,” he said.

At his audition he played two prepared pieces, 12 major scales in two minutes and sight read a piece. Deister said he was also surprised when he learned he was chosen.

“I was shocked. I honestly didn’t expect to make it. Now I’m going to practice my butt off,” he said. ****** In addition to Lakewood’s two all-state musicians, two other students earned spots in the freshman/sophomore all-county band: Gavin Ard, who was named second chair French horn, and Sean Brodney, who was named fourth chair French horn. Junior Danny McSorley, who plays the viola, earned a spot in the all-county orchestra.

BY ALEXIS HOPTON AND REBECCA MASON SNN Staff Writers

Lakewood High School end-of-course exams (EOC) are coming soon, bringing test anxiety to many of the students as well as the teachers. In the 2014-2015 school year there will be an EOC in each class, as well as the Florida Standards Assessment, a new test that is replacing FCAT. The FSA is based on the Common Core standards, which are in 43 different states and now are beginning in Florida high schools this year.

The state has changed the test so that it would be aligned with the other states. Common Core focuses on developing critical-thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills that students will need to be successful.

The state is requiring every subject, not just core subjects, to have an end-of-course exam.

In addition to measuring how well students are doing, the exams will tell whether a teacher is efficient. They will be consistent across the state.

Principal Bob Vicari said though the tests “will get everyone on the same page,” he still believes students are being over tested.

“I’m a strong believer that you can assess our students’ performance and success in many other ways then tests. Plus many of these tests are being rushed through. The tests themselves haven’t been tested,” he said.

Vicari said he thinks the state should phase in the tests more slowly and make sure they are valid and reliable. In fact, he doesn’t think they should be started until 2017.

Sophomore Aliyah Marshall, on the other hand, said she thinks that having EOC’s in all classes is smart because they measure what students learn and remember. She thinks students should start them immediately to see student’s strength and weaknesses.

“It’s testing us on our knowledge in every single class that we have; it determines what we know and don’t know,” Marshall said.

Environmental science teacher Justin Bending agrees with Vicari and said we should wait and delay the EOCs - but only until next year.

“If you start in the middle of the school year it will not be efficient,” Bending said. “The EOC’s are good. They give teachers structure, same with Common Core.”

Many teachers and students are upset with the new Common Core test, also. This test, known as the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA), will start immediately this year and will not be delayed. The new standards provide a way for teachers to measure student progress throughout the school year and compare students to each other from across the nation.

“I think accountability is good. It keeps students and teachers honest, and they should have the same curriculum,” World History teacher Jessica Heiser said.

Common Core sets expectations for student achievement at each grade level. The test also requires students to show they understand what they’ve learned. The goal with Common Core is that more students graduate ready for college or a career.

4 NEWS December 2014

In CAT, it’s 3 boys for every girl

Happy Birthday, CAT

BY RACHEL BROWN SNN Staff Writer

BY HANNAH BLEVINS SNN Staff Writer

I

f you’re a boy looking for a girlfriend in the Center for Advanced Technologies, look to the freshman class.

There are 32 girls in the freshman CAT class, which has a total of 100 students.

This is highest number of girls in any CAT class since the program started 25 years ago, There are 334 students in CAT. Of those, 108, or 32 percent, are female. According to CAT coordinator Peter Oberg, this year’s number of girls is the highest it has ever been. When the program first started there was only one girl, he said.

Though the number of girls has increased over the years, there are still about two boys for every girl. These numbers closely match national statistics. According to Forbes.com, only 27 percent of all computer science jobs are held by women.

Why are there so few women in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields?

“I think there is a stigma or fear Peter Oberg of girls wantCAT administrator ing to go into the STEM programs.

They don’t feel comfortable. They feel it’s for boys, not them,” Oberg said.

Oberg majored in pre-med during college in 1972. It was a very male-dominated field, Oberg said. He said his fellow students believed that pre-med wasn’t a major for women.

In the 1980s women dominated the programming field. This changed when personal computers started to be sold to households.

These computers were marketed as “boys’ toys.” Oberg said he thinks this is the reason that men are more drawn to computers.

Junior Armando Hoare is in AP physics, a class that is made up of all male students. Hoare said that on average there are only four female students in his classes. He agrees that women aren’t attracted to STEM fields but men are.

“Men like science and technology. Girls don’t really like math and science that much,” he said.

This statement closely matches a statement made by freshman Brian LaPuste on why there aren’t more women in STEM-related fields.

“Women don’t want to be engineers, because maybe they want to be professional cheerleaders,” LaPuste said.

On the contrary, here at Lakewood we have female students with great interest in science and technology. Sophomore Sydney Snyder is in the Foundations of Programming class, along with chemistry and biology.

“I really love working with technology. I have no interest in engineering, however. I prefer less mathematical structure,” Snyder said.

Snyder said she hopes the gap between women and men in STEM fields becomes more balanced, and she has a theory of why women are not as attracted to STEM-related fields: “I think the stigma is that men in those fields are more sexist and guarded. They are taught to push away women. That’s why there’s less [women], but that’s not always true,” Snyder said.

For now, Oberg said CAT is attempting to attract more girls by taking current female students to the county’s magnet fairs and middle schools. Oberg said he believes that the number of women in the STEM fields is increasing.

“I think women will take over STEM again because of the opportunities (available to them),” he said.

“I think there is a stigma or fear of girls wanting to go into the STEM programs.”

T

he Center for Advanced Technologies is 25 years old this year, and a celebration marking the dedication of the building will take place on Jan. 9, according to CAT coordinator Peter Oberg.

“When CAT was originated we were housed at A wing with 67 students,” said Oberg, who has been coordinator since the beginning and plans on staying at Lakewood as long as he can.

The program, which was ranked 16th in the nation in 2011

by Newsweek magazine, has grown both in numbers and ideas.

CAT has both national and international recognition and is looking for new ways to do things.

“Status quo is not an option,” Oberg said.

Oberg estimates the largest CAT class was about 20 years ago with 1,064 students.

The program was started by a group of Pinellas County School Board teachers with a vision: technology, math, engineering and science – but a lot has changed since then.

“There’s been an explosion in technology in the program.

Between the state of the art computer labs and Venue tablets for all CAT students, between wireless internet access and among email apps and websites, enormous changes in technology have taken place since 1993 in the CAT program,” math and research teacher Deborah Leadbetter said.

Leadbetter has been teaching in the CAT Program since 1993, 21 years. She said she hopes to teach for at least 30 years and then retire from the program.

“What I’ve enjoyed is having multiple students in multiple years. So I’ve seen their emotional growth, math growth and their growth into talented enthusiastic people,” she said.

Freshman Marissa Watson said she enjoys the program.

“It’s challenging but not to the point where I can’t learn,” Watson said.

Junior Brandon McCoy said he loves it.

“It’s amazing, and I have learned so much that I can already put to use for myself. The technology provided alone gives students extra help for their future jobs,” McCoy said.

Some seniors look back on their experience at CAT and view it as a success.

“I’ve really enjoyed my time in CAT. I’ve learned a lot and had fun too,” senior Kari Clark said.

Some, however, find the rigorous classes difficult to focus in. “I like my friends

TYRICIA FELTON | SNN

basically. Some classes are too challenging,” sophomore Caylee Wilson said.

The success of previous graduates and what they’ve become are what Oberg and Leadbetter say have to be the most memorable thing about CAT. Mark Holberg, a 2001 CAT alumnus, graduated from University of Central Florida and is now a software engineer for Google in California. Holberg said he got into the program because he had been interested in computers since he was a kid.

“It was a really cool place and I had a great time. The program kicked me in the butt. It helped me get interactive with people,” he said.

Even though the program is focused on technology, not everyone goes into the math and computer fields.

Ashley Ward Singleton, a 2002 CAT graduate, attended Florida State University and is now an attorney.

Still, she said, “The overall preparation and intensity of the program helped me to where I am today.”

JORDAN SHORTER | SNN

From left, sophomore Dylan Daughtry, senior Ryan Haughton, junior Marcus Bradley and sophomore Andrew Carvill make edits during CATCOM as teacher David Schneider advises them.

CAT students receive Dell Venue Tablets CAT students are now a part of a one-on-one program that gives them tablets to use at home and school.

BY JAMES LEONARD SNN Staff Writer

Students in Lakewood’s Center for Advanced Technologies program were given Dell Venue tablets in September to use for classwork and homework.

Each student received a tablet with a charger, and the ablility to download and use any apps that help in class. Many teachers will be using the tablets for classwork and homework, and some will use them for tests as well.

“It will give the CAT students an edge on their work and projects,” Network Administrator Louis Zulli said.

The program bought 400 tablets at $475 each. The money came from the Pinellas County school system’s technology capital outlay fund, CAT assistant principal Peter Oberg said.

The tablets were handed out from Sept.

11 – 16 in the CAT auditorium. Each student also had to pay for insurance, to cover damages and any problems the tablets might have before the end of the school year.

Many of the CAT students said they like the tablets.

“I like the tablets because I’m bad at organizing and it helps me keep my homework in line,” freshman Sierra Mieczkowski said.

As for how the tablets perform, there have been some glitches, according to Zulli. Some of the screens have stopped working and the power cords have been faulty., but the problems have been addressed. Dell has replaced the charger

adapters for all students and will be replacing all 400 keyboards and tablet pens.

If a tablet completely breaks or is lost, the insurance CAT students put forward in order to receive the device will be used to repair it, he said.

In some classes the tablets have become a point of tension.

“I don’t think it’s fair because (CAT students) can take tablets out like a phone, and we can’t take out our phones,” freshmen Beth Vrable said.

“It creates a barrier between CAT kids and traditional,” senior Jahaven Haye said.

Senior CAT student Kayla Subramanian said she sees both sides of the situation.

“CAT was granted the opportunity, and they took advantage of it,” she said.

Some non-CAT students, however, say they understand why CAT students have the tablets.

“CAT kids need it, because it’s a technology (program),” senior Sam Talmadge said.

“I think it’s a good learning experience for them, I would use a tablet if the school gave me one,” sophomore Kenney Williamson said.

Despite seeing the benefits, some teachers said they worry that the tablets can be disruptive in class.

“I think it’s going to really help, but they’re problems with kids wanting to use them in class so they get distracting,” English teacher Angela Hawkins said.

- SNN Staff Writers Xenishia Felton, Maggie Verdino and Bobbie Wright contributed to this story.

SAMATHA DOUGLAS | SNN

Freshman Chris Bates opens a Word document for notes.This is one of 400 tablets that cost $475 each and the CAT students use them for homework and classwork.

December 2014 FEATURES 5

Spartan musicians hit the right notes Three Lakewood students continuously exhibit their long-time dedication to music while juggling other high school activities. For them, music will always play a major role in their lives.

BY BOBBIE WRIGHT SNN Staff Writer

Musical talent among Lakewood High School students isn’t a new thing. The Lakewood marching band, itself, is known for having what it takes to make the stands rattle with excitement during the halftime jamboree. Along with the band, at Lakewood, there are many other musical extracurriculars such as guitar, keyboarding and even steel drums.

But for some at Lakewood, music isn’t just a leisure pursuit that’ll look great on college applications.

It’s a lifestyle. ****** CAT senior and drum major Kenneth Goolsby began playing the saxophone in fourth grade, but was inspired long before that because of his admiration for a professional musician who plays that instrument.

“My parents had the Earth, Wind & Fire DVD, and I would watch their saxophone player perform,” Goolsby said. “And I thought, I want to do that.”

But, at the age of 8, the lack of his two front teeth stood in the way.

Now, at 17, Goolsby said he believes band has done a lot for him throughout his high school career.

After performing in a concert at the Mahaffey Theater for the Mayors Youth Showcase as a freshman, he got noticed by viewers in the audience and received a lot of gigs.

“Without band, I’d be broke and on the football team,” Goolsby said.

Goolsby doesn’t waste any daylight and practices his sax on a day-to-day basis. He is involved in marching band, jazz band and the Spartones, a singing group at Lakewood. He recently performed in Lakewood’s talent show on Nov. 11th, showing off his vocal, pianist and saxophone skills while hosting the show aswell. Goolsby plans to pursue music in college, his number one prospect being Florida A&M University.

JULIE SMITH-FRAZER | SNN

Senior Kenneth Goolsby plays a saxophone solo during the homecoming game on Oct 24. Along with playing the sax, Goolsby is also a drum major for the Lakewood High School marching band. “Without band I wouldn’t have opportunities for scholarships,” Goolsby said.

****** Senior and band president Erica Wells also knows the meaning of dedication when it comes to band.

She has been playing the trumpet in school since sixth grade, but her love for the instrument didn’t simply start in a classroom. Her father, Eric Wells, also played the trumpet and passed his talent onto his children.

“I did encourage Erica to select and play the trumpet, because I played the trumpet,” Eric Wells said.

Wells’ brothers also participated in band at Lakewood High School, two of them playing the trumpet while the other played the tuba.

“Being a part of the band has helped Erica with her disciplined approach to life, studies and friendships,” Wells’ father said.

Maintaining her role as lead trumpet and band president means practicing four times a week for an hour outside of regular band rehearsals, which occur three times a week from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

“I would see my older brothers playing, and I wanted to be better than them,” Wells said. “Now I am.”

Music has, in turn, become a motivation for Wells to do better in all facets of her life.

“There are people (in band) constantly encouraging you to do well,” she said. “Especially Mr. K.” Wells is aiming to attend Florida Gulf Coast University or the University of South Florida. Although Wells has decided college band isn’t an option while she is working on her biology major, she recognizes it as a tool for success in high school.

During her three years in the band, Wells said she became a more outgoing person.

“Band forces you to blossom,” Wells said. ****** Students passionate about music aren’t all on the field at halftime. Non-band member and CAT junior Danny McSorley pursues his passion for music within the Pinellas Youth Symphony (PYS) program, which is dedicated to teaching young musicians orchestral techniques and ensemble performance.

McSorley started playing the violin in kindergarten when his elementary school formed a violin club.

At first, he said he didn’t take to the instrument very well.

“I was god awful. … I was getting progressively better, but I couldn’t play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” McSorley said.

McSorley eventually started private lessons, sticking with the same teacher for seven years while he began to master his craft. In middle school he was a part of the orchestra and performed as first violin in his ensembles. In eighth grade he joined PYS. Practicing takes up quite a bit of his time, keeping him busy from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sundays, as well as the time he spends with his private lessons instructor.

PYS conductor and musical director Susan Robinson has known McSorley since he began his time in the program. Robinson believes McSorley can pursue a career in music if he chooses to.

“Danny is very dedicated to the musical arts,” Robinson said. “He had always taken his music seriously.”

McSorley also uses his talents for the drama club, performing in “the pit” (a group of instrumentalists who accompany theater performances) during plays and even participating in talent shows. He recently joined the International Thespian Society and was featured in the school play, Ordinary Days.

Junior Danny McSorley adjusts his violin on Oct.3.

His violin is from Germany and was made during World War II. When McSorley recieved the violin it was in pretty bad shape but with some help, it now looks and sounds great. “(Playing is) therapeutic,” McSorley said.

JULIE SMITH-FRAZER | SNN

Senior drum major Kenneth Goolsby, right, pumps up the audience with junior Chase Goggins, left, at the band pep rally on Oct. 22. Goolsby plays the saxophone and also participates in jazz band. “My parents had the Earth, Wind & Fire DVD, and I would watch their saxophone player perform,” Goolsby said.

“And I thought, I want to do that.”

JULIE SMITH-FRAZER | SNN

Senior Erica Wells, center, plays her trumpet during the marching band’s show at the end of the homecoming game on Oct.24. Wells is the marching band president and has been in the band since her freshman year. She was influenced early on by her father who also played the trumpet.

“There are people (in band) constantly encouraging you to do well,” Wells said.

JULIE SMITH-FRAZER | SNN

6 FEATURES December 2014

ZOE BLAIR-ANDREWS | SNN

Seniors Donovan Pink and Cody Nipper and robotics teacher Jason Ness assemble the Iris quadcopter that arrived over Thanksgiving break. Students have been waiting for the drones to come all year and plan to begin flying them after exams.

Robotics class takes flight

BY ZOE BLAIR-ANDREWS SNN Staff Writer

Boxes of wires and robot parts sit around the room while students work on anything from building a robotic hand, to designing and printing a robot with the classroom 3-D printer. During sixth period, robotics 4 teacher Jason Ness’ classroom is occupied by nine students working diligently on hands-on projects.

This year, for the first time ever, Lakewood High School offered a robotics 4 class – the highest level robotics class offered at any high school in the state.

“We’re building it; we’re still fine tuning it,” Ness said.

At the start of the year, students wrote one big grant as well as individual smaller grants in hopes of getting money from the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Academy (UAV academy) so the class could work with drones in the upcoming year. They got a $5,000 grant, and the shipment of drone parts came in during Thanksgiving break.

“This year is going to be more in depth. … We will be able to interact with the drone in general … and retrieve more data than we would with other drones,” senior Jalen Randle said.

This grant will buy a couple of things, but the students wrote up proposals for exactly which parts they wanted to purchase for the drones, Ness said. After writing up the suggestions and presenting them to the class, the students decided together on the parts they wanted to order They are getting three drones this year, two small drones (quadcopters) and one larger one (hexacopter). The quad copters have already arrived and are being assembled and they each have a different operating system. After working with the quadcopters, the students will decide which system is best to work with and then choose one to apply to the hexacopter coming later in the year.

The drones have been a topic of conversation for a while and now students are glad they’re finally here.

“Now we can get to the stuff we’ve been planning to do since the beginning of the year,” senior Donovan Pink said.

Working with drones isn’t an everyday experience in school.

“Personally I don’t like flying things but it’s nice we’re doing something more unique,” senior Ryan Murch said.

Murch said the drones will add to Lakewood’s reputation. “(Drones will be) able to show the school off. That’s something outsiders will look at and say, ‘Wow, that’s really cool,’ and they’ll want to come here,” Murch said.

After building and working with the drones, these students will leave high school ahead of the game in robotics.

“Every kid should have several hours of flight time and a certificate. … (This will) get them ahead of the incoming (college) freshmen in any robotics work,” Ness said.

Students will also get the experience of programming the drones to accomplish a variety of tasks.

“All drones can be programmed to do what you want,” Ness said.

One of the quadcopters has the ability to interact with a GPS system and follow a path designed by the drone pilot. Using one of the CAT Dell Venue tablets, one student has already mapped out a course around the football field for the drone to follow once they begin to fly them, Ness said.

ZOE BLAIR-ANDREWS | SNN

Senior Walker Byrnes works in the robotics 4 class.The class, taught by Jason Ness, is the highest level robotics class offered in the state.This year the students will be assembling and flying drones.

For a couple weeks after receiving the drones, students will be busy assembling them and reading manuals. Then, after exams, the class plans to begin flying the drones.

For some students, working with this kind of technology will give them experience they need for their careers.

Murch has been in robotics class since freshman year and is a member of the robotics club. He plans to be a mechanical engineer and said his experience with building in robotics, will help him down the road.

“It’s a little bit different but it will help,” Murch said.

Pink also plans to go into engineering in college and will apply what he’s learning this year later in life.

“This is a real-world thing, an emerging technology,” Pink said. “I do plan to use this stuff in my life. …I would like to minor possibly in UAV systems.”

Drones are becoming more popular in the United States. U.S law enforcement is increasing its use of domestic drones for surveillance purposes, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and many states are in the process of, or have already passed, legislation regulating the use of these drones.

The ACLU recommends that drones be used by law enforcement only when the pilot has a warrant, in an emergency or if there needs to be evidence collected related to a criminal act. Domestic drones are not allowed to be equipped with weapons of any kind.

People aren’t sure how drones will affect the country or how people will react to government surveillance by drones, but there is a demand for drone operators as this innovative technology emerges.

“A part of me likes that it’s a little more open in that it’s preparing us more for these actual fields. … UAVs currently are big on the forefront,” senior Cody Nipper said.

Whether students plan to work with UAV systems or not, they are still excited about robotics 4.

“I like the fact that it’s pretty much hands on. ...With robotics you pretty much get to do whatever you want as long as you’re learning,” Randle said.

Even though the structure of the class is very open, students still have to work hard and stay involved.

“You kind of have to get your hands dirty,” Randle said.

ZOE BLAIR-ANDREWS | SNN

Above, senior Ryan Murch works on projects during the sixthperiod robotics class. As a personal project in the class, he is working on building a robotic hand.

At left, robotics teacher Jason Ness and students are hard at work during their period six robotics class. This class is new this year at Lakewood. “We’re building it; we’re still fine tuning it,” Ness said.

ZOE BLAIR-ANDREWS | SNN

December 2014 FEATURES 7

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY RANAIYA NELSON | SNN

The other f-word

An SNN survey shows just how misunderstood the word “feminism” is.

BY ANGELICA SHEPPARD AND HALEY DOLAN SNN Staff Writers

Some teens today have a skewed view on feminism. It is not “the qualities of a female,” “a man acting in an unmanly way” or “to be in your feelings like girls be,” as several respondents said in a recent SNN survey.

Feminism is the advocacy of equality of the sexes and the establishment of the political, social, and economic rights of the female sex, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary.

To put it in simpler terms, feminism is about women having the same rights as men.

The F-word has been making headlines this year thanks to United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson and the HeForShe speech she gave in September in which she called on men to advocate for gender equality. The HeForShe campaign is a movement for gender equality created by the women of the United Nations to engage men and young boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights.

In October, Lakewood High School students were surveyed about their knowledge of feminism. Out of 252 students, 26.6 percent said they understood what the word feminism means, 12.7 percent of those had some knowledge of what it was and 60.8 percent had no idea as to what feminism really is.

Why do so many misunderstand this word? SNN’s survey set out to find out.

Senior Kayla Crawford considers herself an active feminist.

Crawford defines the term as “someone who strives for equality between males and females.”

“Over time people have kind of made the word feminist more as in we’re knocking down the men generation … like (we’re) saying screw men and like we don’t like them … and we’re going to get more power, … but it’s really not that,” Crawford said. “All true feminists want is equality. … That’s why people just don’t even use the word anymore because the definition has been corrupted.”

While 36.5 percent of Lakewood students identify as feminist, 63.5 percent do not.

Junior Stevenson Choute is part of the 63.5 percent.

“I believe feminism is about females being superior,” he said.

Many just like Choute believe that the feminist movement is about women taking charge and becoming superior.

“It’s not really so much like we want to overthrow men.

…It’s more that we want to be equal with men. We want to be able to work together and not feel deprived of anything,” Crawford said.

One problem, some say, is that feminism is difficult to discuss.

“I think feminism is hard for some people to talk about because it’s an old project being brought back up,” junior Jermilah Flemming said.

It’s no surprise that feminism is in the news once again with celebrities like Watson, Ellen Page, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and John Legend discussing the topic thoroughly and bringing it to light.

Still, with the many stars who support and understand feminism there are some stars who don’t.

Shailene Woodley, star of The Fault in Our Stars, told Time magazine in May that she doesn’t consider herself a feminist “because I love men.”

“I think the idea of ‘raise women to power, take the men away from the power’ is never going to work out because you need balance,” she said.

Pop singer Lana Del Rey also doesn’t seem interested in the concept of feminism.

“Whenever people bring up feminism, I’m like, god, I’m just not really that interested,” she said in an interview in July with the Fader, a music publication out of New York City.

Throughout the years women have worked equally as hard as men have, yet women still have more to accomplish.

“If you compare salaries of men to women in the same profession…you will see that women are making a lot less than men in comparable positions. How is that happening in 2014?” English teacher Kristie Dowling said.

According to White House officials, women earn 77 percent of what their male counterparts earn. Women would have to work 60 extra days (about three months) in a year to earn the same amount that men do.

In essence, women have made a lot of progress, but still have a long road to travel on the way to equality.

“Feminism is hard to talk about for some people, because some guys are male chauvinists, like they don’t want to admit it,” freshman Destiny Waters said. “They know deep down that women still aren’t being treated fairly. I mean they’re being treated better than they were, but not as much as they should be.”

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8 FEATURES December 2014

From left, senior Alexa Swain, sophomore Reon Slappey and sophomore Alexis Peterson carry their flags after the 2014 Marching Band MPAs on Nov. 8 at Dunedin High School.

Lakewood’s Soul of the South marches in time to Proud Mary by Tina Turner in their “Tina, Ray, James” show.

Senior and band president Erica Wells embraces former drum major Ryan Robertson after Lakewood’s performance.

‘Waiting on the score was like waiting for Christmas’ After months of practice, the Soul of the South band heads to Dunedin High School to participate in the Music Performance Assessment.

BY CAROLINE DUNNING SNN Staff Writer

Photos by CAROLINE DUNNING | SNN

Senior Kenneth Goolsby adjusts fellow drum major and junior Chase Goggins’ plume on his hat. Goggins was performing as drum major for the first time. “It felt great to perform as the drum major,” Goggins said. “It’s great because I know that the dedication and time I put in for the past two years was for a great reason.”

The peak of the marching season had finally arrived, and various marching bands were scattered around the entrance of Dunedin High School. Some performers looked confident; others looked terrified. The Marching Spartans were difficult to locate at first, but in their trademark black and gold uniforms, they could be spotted by any other Lakewood student.

The Soul of the South marching band participated in the District IX 2014 Marching Music Performance Assessment at Dunedin High School on Nov. 8.

“If our goals were set for anything less than the best, which is superior, well, we should have stayed at home,” band instructor Michael Kernodle said.

Other marching bands from across the county and further were also in attendance to attempt to impress the judges. The band had been preparing for the assessment since July.

“Everyone practiced equally as hard and sacrificed their time to make the band better,” band president and senior Erica Wells said.

In the Music Performance Assessment, otherwise known as MPAs, bands are rated based on their marching and their overall musicality.

Scores range from poor to fair, good, excellent or superior.

The Marching Spartans chose a show based on three famous musicians: Tina Turner, Ray Charles and James Brown. The show, titled “Tina, Ray, James,” was based on a “time period where the use of live instruments, creative dance, awesome vocals and true musicianship was expected from the greats,” Kernodle said. Songs included Proud Mary by Turner, Georgia on my Mind by Charles and a medley of Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag and I Feel Good by Brown.

The favorite among performers was Georgia on my Mind by Charles.

“It’s short, but it has dynamic movements that make the piece flow from one section to the next,” Wells said. “I enjoyed this song very much, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of playing it.”

After the performance’s conclusion, members of the Lakewood marching band awaited their

results in the pouring rain while watching other bands perform. Many Lakewood band members were nervous, but others had high hopes.

“Waiting for the score was like waiting on Christmas,” drum major and junior Chase Goggins said. “It felt like forever and the score means a lot to us because of all the practice we put into the show.”

In the end, the Soul of the South marching band received a “good” rating on their performance. Most of the performers were disappointed.

“Intonation, balance and blend are a few aspects that could have been improved during the performance,” Wells said.

The band, although lacking in certain aspects, performed well as a whole.

“It all kind of just smoothly came together, which was what we’ve been practicing,” Goggins said.

Kernodle also pointed out that the scores vary tremendously each year.

“As we grow and mature as an ensemble, we get better with every year,” Kernodle said. “The major categories all bands must constantly improve in is musicality, showmanship, discipline and consistency. It’s always a great situation when you can trust those around you to consistently perform and operate in a spirit of excellence.”

The Lakewood Marching Spartans have plenty more in store for the rest of the school year.

They performed at the football playoff games, the Pinellas Park Holiday Parade in December and will be at the Martin Luther King Battle of the Bands and Parade in January. They will also be attending the Honda Battle of the Bands in Atlanta on Jan. 23 and 24.

“Some years we receive very high ratings and then sometimes we leave shaking our heads not quite understanding or in agreement at all with what comes in for the rating of the day,” Kernodle said. “Although the rating of ‘good’ was not what we were aiming for, we accomplished the goal of doing our absolute best and leaving it all on the field.”

Behind the scenes The Drama Club this year produced a one-act play written by alumnus Nia Cumberlander.

BY MAGGIE VERDINO SNN Staff Writer

Lakewood alumnus Nia Cumberlander took on the role of playwright last year, earning herself critics’ choice at the thespians district competition.

What started out as a drama class assignment her junior year, would develop into a full blown production for Lakewood drama club this school year.

“I’ve been writing my whole life. I’ve always loved storytelling,” said Cumberlander, who wrote the play Transparency.

The play revolves around real events that happened in her own church which she attended from the age of 5 to 15.

“Towards the end of that, one of the pastors that worked at the church ended up leaving and starting his own church because he didn’t agree with how the head pastor was using money (and) he didn’t agree with how he was treating some of the staff members.

He just felt like it was time for him to, like I say in the play, branch out and start his own ministry.” Cumberlander said.

In the future, Cumberlander wants to produce films which include screen writing, directing and acting. She began writing for drama class her sophomore year when American Stage actor Steve Garland came to the school to teach drama students how to construct

a screenplay. Continuing on to advanced drama the following year, she began working on Transparency.

“I think growing up I was always encouraged by my mom to express myself and do things like that either acting, writing, playing music, all that stuff but as far as the story itself, it’s based off some things that happened to the church I went to,” she said.

When originally submitting the play to a district competition, she made a mistake that turned out to be beneficial. “I actually sent in a script that was a little bit of an earlier draft then I had wanted to send in. So they actually got a shorter version of the play,” Cumberlander said.

Cumberlander is excited and proud of the play. When music teacher Jacob Merrett decided to have his drama students perform Transparency for districts, Cumberlander was pleasantly surprised.

“I wasn’t really expecting to see my work being done so early so I’m grateful that Mr. Merrett took a chance on my play being the one they’re taking to districts because you know, it’s always so easy to go with another established author’s work.”

The play was performed at Lakewood High School in the Lakewood auditorium on Dec. 2 and was taken to districts the same week by the drama club.

HALEY DOLAN | SNN

Drama club sponsor Jacob Merrett fixes the lights while sophomore Mark Ralston and freshman Kessler Jones watch as other members go through the run down of rehearsals.

HALEY DOLAN | SNN

Senior Kaitlynn Galloway, left, and junior Chris Williams rehearse the play Transparency. The one act was written by Lakewood alumnus Nia Cumberlander during her junior year in drama class. “I’ve been writing my whole life. I’ve always loved story telling,” she said.

December 2014 FEATURES 9

EMPTY

CLOSETS Despite some challenges, more teens are gathering up the courage to come out to family, friends and society.

BY CAITLIN MASON SNN Staff Writer

“Coming out.” It takes a moment of bravery to tell your loved ones “I’m gay,” because of fear, rejection, discrimination and bullying.

“My personal belief is that our sexuality is on a continuum. Some people are way over here (solely gay or lesbian) and some people are over here (solely straight) and the rest of us kind of float around somewhere in between,” school social worker Joanne Mercier said.

The most common fear that teens have about coming out is that they will be rejected by their parents and other family members. From experiences that the teens have faced when coming out they have found that they were more likely to be accepted by their friends than their family.

Sophomore Timothy Cliett was struggling for years attempting to tell his parents his “little secret.” He had the desire to tell them but was afraid of what their reactions would be and if they would accept him for himself.

“I was pretty comfortable with (my parents), at least dealing with normal stuff. Relationship-wise, they would ask me, ‘Do you have a girlfriend; do you have a girlfriend?’ I’m like, ‘No, no, I don’t. Let’s not talk about that.’ Those were the times where I would really get uncomfortable and then as time progressed, when I finally came out to them, things kind of got a bit awkward,” Cliett said. “I had already come out to my friends.”

That was also the problem junior Asianna Martin was facing as well.

“Before I came out (to my mom), I was very confused because I didn’t know what I really wanted or if this was a right choice. … My father’s side of the family is religious so I didn’t know if I could come out in a way that would be comfortable enough for them to accept me, and I still haven’t come out to them,” Martin said.

Other teens have stories similar to Cliett’s and Martin’s, who both initially tried hard to hide a large part of themselves because they

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

When sophomore Timothy Cliett, left, and junior Asianna Martin came out, they were surprised by how accepting their parents were.

weren’t sure how their parents would react.

“Before I came out to my parents, I never thought that I was lying or anything. I just sort of felt anxious not having them know because it’s such an important part of me,” said a sophomore girl who asked that her name be withheld.

For these students it was bringing up the conversation that was the hardest part.

Each one wasn’t exactly sure just how their parents would react. They thought that most would not accept them for what they were. Only a few actually thought that their parents would be okay with it, but it was still hard telling them to their face. Usually, the initial reaction that most parents would go through is shock because they assumed that their child was straight.

Yet, they still accepted them for what they were in the end.

“I came out in the middle of my seventh-grade year in November,” Cliett said. “My mom took me out to McDonald’s to get something to eat and I wanted to tell her. So, … we sat down in the restaurant I just slowly (asked) her, ‘Would you be upset if you learned that your son isn’t interested in girls?’ She said, ‘Not really,’ but her face toward me looked more stern, and that made it a little harder for me to tell her but I told her that I was gay and she said, ‘Oh, okay, well I love you. That isn’t going to change anything; you’re still my son.’”

Martin was one of the few who knew that her mother would be more accepting since her mother’s best friend was homosexual himself.

“I sat her down and at first she thought I was pregnant and I was like, ‘No,’ and then I was like, ‘Mom, I’m gay,’ and she said, ‘Is that really all you had to tell me?’ because she was surprised that I asked her because she didn’t have a problem with it,” Martin said.

Cliett’s mother Bernadette Cherubin said her son’s revelation did not change the way she feels about him.

“Initially, when I found out – I was surprised but not disappointed.

We are a mix family. I have been married three times and have three different fathers for my children. Who am I to judge anyone? Society

likes to look down upon what isn’t the norm regardless of a person’s character. I’ve never not accepted my son and have no wish to change him. I only wish for happiness for him. Whatever makes him truly happy, I want him to do that,” Cherubin said.

According to an article from the website Livescience, after analyzing data collected from 245 white and Latino LGBT young adults, ages 2125, who were open about their sexual orientation to at least one parent or primary caregiver during adolescence, participants rated how often they had experienced positive behaviors from parents.

The results showed that the LGBT teens that were accepted by their parents had greater self-esteem and social support in young adulthood than the individuals who didn’t have the support from their parents or caregivers.

Many parents find that they just need time to adjust to the news.

They want what’s best for their son or daughter.

Though some parents are disappointed when they find out their son or daughter is gay, it’s easier now than it was 15 years ago for teens to find acceptance from their parents.

Mercierm, the social worker, describes her own parents as “homophobic.”

“Had I been gay I don’t think I would have come out to my parents – I know I wouldn’t have,” she said, calling the difference in attitude today “generational.”

With that said, acceptance from your parents isn’t everything, Mercier said.

“I would just encourage them to keep talking to somebody until they found somebody who will say, ‘You are just fine and everything is going to be okay and your parents might tell you that it’s not okay but I’m telling them that it will be okay.’”

Exchanges bring changes This year Lakewood has welcomed exchange students from Germany and Brazil.

Finja Fischer watches a movie in health sciences teacher Erika Miller’s class. “It’s good. I like the classes, and that there are so many sports you can do,” she said.

BY HANNAH BLEVINS SNN Staff Writer

JIMMY FAULKS | SNN

BY LINDA CORBETT SNN Staff Writer

Junior Finja Fischer is a foreign exchange student from Bremen, Germany, who is attending Lakewood this school year. She said she wanted to come here because she wants to work on speaking English more fluently.

“It’s totally different,” Fischer said about the school. “It’s much bigger, more students and more electronic boards.”

Fischer said she texts her family once a week and Skypes them once a month.

“I’m happy here, so I’m not homesick,” she said.

The biggest differences between Lakewood and the school Fischer attended in Bremen is the technology. In Germany they still have chalk boards and not many Smartboards, she said. There are also no lockers or dress code there. Lakewood is much bigger and has more students in each classroom.

American Field Service (AFS) is the organization that made it possible for Fischer to come here.

A prospective exchange student has to make a profile and include an essay to find the right family.

The process takes several months, and the host family cannot have any contact with the student until the process is done.

The host family must go through a criminal background check. After the screening the family gets to choose a student based on a short bio and their origin. When the student is picked the host family gets to look at the full essay.

Kira Darch, Fischer’s host

mom, said her family chose Fischer because they thought she seemed like someone who would be happy in their home, because she is interested in the same things they are interested in.

“She’s an amazing addition to the family,” said Lakewood senior Sterling Klein, Darch’s daughter.

Darch said hosting Fischer has been a great experience.

“It’s going fantastically,” she said.

She said the pros of the program are “friendship and love.”

There is only one con, she said, the cost of feeding one more child.

Darch said this is her first time as a host parent, but she was a “host sibling” when she was in high school. She said she probably would not do this again, because Sterling will be graduating and she wouldn’t want to bring another student in without having a high school student at the house.

Fischer is on the bowling team at Lakewood. They practice every Tuesday and have games every Thursday at various bowling alleys.

“She’s very quiet. (She) reminds me of myself when I first came to public school,” senior Chandar Dean said.

At the end of the year, when Fischer returns to Germany, she said she will miss the sports programs, the variety of classes and all the clubs at Lakewood. But she is looking forward to some things that she thinks are better about being home.

“Everything is closer. You don’t have to drive so far,” she said.

A home away from home is not uncommon. But how about a home 4,266 miles away from home?

In 2013, junior Pedro Cavalca Coelho moved from São Paulo, Brazil to St. Petersburg as an exchange student. Coelho came to America to study and get a better education, and he will be here until he finishes college.

“Here (the education) is like 10 times better. Public education is really good because the government actually invests in the public education,” Coelho said.

“They have all these colleges here. The people create more things here.”

Coelho said that what he is learning here is better than what he would be learning back in Brazil. Here he has the opportunity to have more advanced classes such as environmental science and programming.

Realistically, when he grows up he said he wants to be a civil NAIMA JACKSON | SNN engineer, using what he learns Pedro Cavalca Coelho looks down as Spanish teacher Alexandra Robalino works. here back in Brazil to help the country. However, his dream job has always been to become a professional basketball player.

Coelho has played basketball since he was 4 years old. Since then he has traveled all over South America, including Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico and Uruguay with his Brazilian team. He started playing because of his father, who played professional basketball for a team in Brazil.

“He was always supporting me and all that… I always had the support from my dad,” Coelho said.

Now Coelho plays basketball for Lakewood High School. He was on the junior varsity basketball team last year. And this year he is on the varsity team, playing as a forward guard. Coach Anthony Lawrence described Coelho as a dedicated member of the team saying that he always finishes his workouts and is on time to practice.

“Pedro is a hard worker. He does exactly what you tell him. He is easy to deal with and coach. Pedro is an all-around great kid,” Lawrence said.

Coelho said he was nervous about making friends when he came to America. However, it was a lot easier to make friends than he originally thought.

“At first I thought it was going to be hard to make friends but people NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN here are very friendly and I easily got a lot of friends. I thought it was Pedro Cavalca Coelho, right, stands with his host family, going to be harder,” Coelho said.

Christophe, Jay Cave and Mona Bagasao.

Junior Brandon McCoy met Coelho on the first day of Spanish class last year and they quickly became friends. are different from the words you would use in English,” McCoy said.

McCoy and Coelho don’t hang out outside of school, but are close When Coelho first came to America, he experienced culture change friends nonetheless. McCoy describes Coelho as a jokester and comedi- and only knew a little bit of English. He said he had to change the way an. One of McCoy’s favorite things about him is that he is from Brazil he expressed himself and treated others. and knows Spanish and Portuguese.

For example, in Brazil people often whistle at each other to get the “He talks about the differences between here and Brazil. I can’t tell attention of a desired person and in America it’s referred to as “cat-callyou a specific example because he does it so much, but I think it’s cool. ing.”

He talks about both sides of these cultures which is something I’m just “I did it to a guy on the basketball team. He turned around and said, learning about. He tells me about how the words you use in Portuguese ‘I am not a dog.’ I never did that again,” Coelho said.

10 FEATURES December 2014

Out to lunch

Whether it’s finding community or a sweet spot to enjoy your lunch date, Spartans hang in the nooks and crannies of the school’s hallways and courtyards.

ELIZABETH WRIGHT | SNN

Freshman couple Michael Dodge and Marissa Watson sit in the Hub during lunch.

ELIZABETH WRIGHT | SNN

Senior best friends Jahnique Brown and Karlyona Florence sit in the hub during lunch.

ELIZABETH WRIGHT | SNN

Freshmen Center for Advanced Technologies students sit in A wing doing their homework during lunch on Nov. 6.

ELIZABETH WRIGHT | SNN

From left, junior Kelly Bellinger, senior Brooke Skinner, junior Adissa Wassmer, senior Nichole Friedman and junior Laura Haan hang out and laugh with each other at lunch near T wing.

Humans of Lakewood SNN staff writer Victoria Bischoff, getting her idea from the popular photo series Humans of New York, set out to find unusual and interesting stories from the students and faculty at Lakewood High School.

NILAJA KING | SNN

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Ryley Baker, senior “(I’m) figuring out who I am and why I’m here. That’s cliché, but it’s something everybody goes through, I think.

Distinguishing between what I selfishly want and what I humbly desire. I don’t know, self-purpose in general, I guess.”

(How are you figuring those things out?)

“Mostly through experiencing new things, whether it’s music or traveling. I’ve been writing a lot of poetry these days, I write similar to that of free association, so I feel like I’m opening myself up to myself, if that makes sense.”

Bob Camel, senior “I want to become a leader in the field of media, either by hosting my own show or making it to the top of the ranks in the TV/Radio news business. … People told me I have the perfect voice for it. The thing behind me first looking into it is kind of weird, but it was the movie Bruce Almighty. Seeing how things work there at a news station, I was intrigued and decided I would look into that. After that, I got into news very much and have been hooked since. That was as I was starting sixth grade.”

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Melissa Ostrowski, math teacher “Two of my best friends died (in high school) on Good Friday – not so Good Friday anymore – in a car accident, being teenagers. As teenagers, you think you’re invincible. Speeding is no big deal, cutting people off in traffic is no big deal, until the person in front of you doesn’t use a directional, or their brake lights are out, or something like that. My friends were speeding, trying to pass somebody to the left, the guy didn’t have his left turn signal on, was making a left turn, hit my friend’s car on the passenger side behind the back tire. He almost got through. His car spun, hit a tree and burst into flames, and they all died instantly. It was horrible, a horrible tragedy to my town. Seminole’s small, all three of my schools, elementary, middle and high school, are on the same block, and we all moved from one school to the next together. Something like that affected our town for months. I got the lowest grades I’ve ever gotten that semester. His birthday’s (Oct. 9), he’d be 23, and he’s dead.”

Milisa Samm, history teacher “I wanted to be a nun. I had a Protestant and Roman Catholic background. I was free to choose my own religion. I didn’t like the way I saw my peers and where they were headed, so rather than get sucked into their vortex, I decided to go the other way, toward religion, (but) I was turned away because I was too young. As I grew older, the idea of devoting my life to one religion just faded away, and instead I decided to study as many religions as possible.”

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Kari Clark, senior “My biggest challenge right now is getting past all of the stress and doubt in my life so I can begin to believe in myself and in my ability to succeed in my future after high school. … There are days that I just have to stay home from school because I know I have so much to do and I can’t handle anymore at that time. I don’t think I handle stress very well, I just kind of ignore what needs to get done. The more stressed I become the less motivated I am to get everything done because I just want it all to go away. It all just hits me at once and I get really upset with myself that I let it get that far, then I force myself to get everything done.”

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Jayce Ganchou, art teacher “Sometimes when you’re a little deprived of oxygen and sleeping and you’ve spray painted a few too many times, then next thing you know you get a little goofy. Whoever falls asleep first pays the price. … We did outline some guy, we spray painted a guy, outlined him, we taped him all up in certain areas and then spray painted him gold.

I saran-wrapped a kid to his chair, I mean he was encased in saran wrap. … In the morning when he couldn’t get out I was like ‘why is it yellow at the bottom?’ He couldn’t get out, he peed in there.

And we weren’t drunk we couldn’t afford alcohol, no money to buy beer or anything; we were in college; we were creative.”

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

I Tried It: Practically Pikasso

December 2014 FEATURES 11

An SNN staff writer enjoys painting pottery with her family at Practically Pikasso.

BY HALEY DOLAN SNN Staff Writer

P

ainting pottery has always been an interesting topic to me. I’ve always loved to see the special and different ways you can paint a single item, and recently I had the chance to see for myself just how many ways there are.

In September, I visited Practically Pikasso, 1912 Fourth St. N in St. Petersburg, with my family to spend the day painting pottery. This experience was fascinating to me as I have always admired the artistic talent others have and I finally had the chance to show mine.

When we arrived we spent a while looking around at all the clay items we could work on and the different ways to design them once you’ve made up your mind. I made the decision to work on a teapot.

At Practically Pikasso, when you decide on the piece of pottery you would like to work on, you then go to the counter to pick the colors and designs you want, then find a table and paint away.

I chose a light blue color to paint my teapot and then used a toothbrush to complete my piece with paint splatters.

My design was inspired by a fantastic artist I met right away when we walked into the studio. Her name was Natasha Belichka, director of nursing at Sabal Palms in Largo.

She was working on amazing masquerade mask pieces. Although each individual in the studio was fascinating in his or her own way, I was amazed by her work and she inspired me to never give up on doing the things that I love.

“I like to see people happy. If everyone is happy, that makes me happy too. I love seeing people, especially the young generation, be successful in their professions and in society,” Belichka said.

We paid about $100 for the five of us to paint five items. The cost included the studio and paint fees along with the pottery. We were told that our pieces would be ready within a week or so. They will hold your piece for the next 30 days if you aren’t able to come in to pick it up. The price varies depending on the type of piece you choose to paint.

My experience in the studio was absolutely something I will never forget. I encourage everyone with artistic talent - along with those who have yet to find that side of themselves - to visit Practically Pikasso for the chance to be inspired not only in artistic ways, but also in many others.

HALEY DOLAN | SNN

Anna Davis, 3, practices painting a ghost plate, a Halloween special to the Practically Pikasso art studio, in September.

The studio receives special items every so often depending on the season or the current holiday. “I had a lot of fun,” Davis said.

HALEY DOLAN | SNN

An unpainted teapot waits for an artist to bring it to life.

HALEY DOLAN | SNN

Cosplaying at conventions Allyson Allums loves getting into costume as some of her favorite characters and showing them off at conventions.

BY MAGGIE VERDINO SNN Staff Writer

Lakewood junior Allyson Allums started cosplaying two years ago after learning about it from a friend. Cosplay, short for costume play, is the act of dressing up as a character from a book, movie, video game or anime and attending conventions.

“I see a picture of a person in an amazing cosplay and I think ‘I wanna do that,’” Allums said.

Cosplaying occurs all over the world from Japan to Tampa.

Conventions are held year round, varying in theme and place. Most conventions - cons - are about three days long and take place in hotels.

Many cosplayers (people who dress up) attend conventions where they meet others who cosplay. At her first con, she dressed up as a character from Naruto named Kiba Inuzuka, a ninja known for having his white dog as a companion.

“It’s like Halloween during the year,” junior Clio Perkins said.

Perkins is also a Lakewood cosplayer. She has multiple cosplays, and she attended Metrocon, an annual three-day convention in Tampa, with Allums two years ago.

Since then, Allums has created eight different cosplays and gone to multiple conventions. In addition to Inuzuka from Naruto, she has costumes for Gamzee Makara, Bro Strider, Jake English and Dave Strider all characters from the web comic, Homestuck. In late October, she dressed up as Bonnie the Bunny from the indie horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s for Shadocon, which took place in Palm Harbor.

While Allums and Perkins have some experience under their belt, senior Mathew Dombross has just begun. He’s currently working on his own Five Nights at Freddy’s costume. His goal is to make a costume of Foxy the Pirate from the game.

“Cosplay, in my opinion, if it’s done well is just generally awesome,” Dombross said.

When trying to decide who or what she wants to cosplay Allums tries to narrow it down.

“Usually I think, well, who’s a character I like and how difficult would it be to recreate that person because that’s kind of a factor when it comes into cosplay,” Allums said.

Putting the costume together is part of the fun for her, on top of going out to meet new people and spend time with them while at the con. Sometimes they even become close friends. Her current favorite cosplay is Bro Strider, the older brother of Dave Strider.

Overall Alums said, she loves how cosplay can simply bring people together. Just by the character you’re dressing as you can instantly make a friend at a con.

When it comes down to making a cosplay, she says the hardest thing to do is choose the materials and get money to pay for them.

The cosplay community has experienced cosplayers as well as novices.

“There’s definitely a lot of, I guess you could say, professional cosplayers out there, or more experienced cosplayers out there, and you just think ‘Wow, I’m never going to be that good. I should just stop now,’” Allums said. “But you shouldn’t [because] that’s pretty much comparing my chapter 2 to their chapter 50. It’s just not fair.”

Lakewood junior Allyson Allums shops for purple satin fabric for her Bonnie cosplay for Shadocon in October.

The convention is a three-day event in Palm Harbor.The costume is of the Five Nights at Freddy’s character Bonnie the Bunny.

MAGGIE VERDINO | SNN

Customer Natasha Belichka shows off her masquerade piece that she painted at Practically Pikasso in September.

Belichka goes to the studio on the weekends and generally spends the time painting gifts for her family and friends. “I have been coming here on the weekends for four years, and I usually paint things to give as gifts for the people I know,” she said.

Songwriting copycats In today’s music industry, you rarely find an artist ready to be unique. For many of them, it’s easier to copy songs that the world has already heard, and the results aren’t so great.

Nicki Minaj’s Anaconda came out in August and the majority of the song piggybacks Sir Mix-aBY CAROLINE DUNNING lot’s 1992 song, Baby Got Back.

SNN Staff Writer In the song, Minaj combines the classic tune with her whiny and immature lyrics. The auto-tune that overloads her voice is horrible and totally ruins the original song.

The band, 5 Seconds of Summer, came out with a new album and a new hit single in July that sounds an awful lot like Plain White T’s Hey There Delilah which came out in 2006. The song, Amnesia, is decent and hits the bar at an average level, but doesn’t come close to the bar set by Hey There Delilah.

Sam Smith mimicked Tom Petty’s I Won’t Back Down, which came out in 1989, with his single Stay With Me that came out in April. This one takes a minute for you to hear, but if you really think about it they sound exactly alike. The same three chords are used throughout both songs and even the melody notes are practically identical.

So why is this trend occurring? What makes new artists think that it is okay to copy or steal another artist’s work? That’s like repainting the Mona Lisa and calling it your own.

Recently the original artists are discovering the similarities and are suing the copycats under copyright infringement. Marvin Gaye’s family has sued Robin Thicke for Blurred Lines and The Who has sued One Direction for copying the introduction from their song, Baba O’Riley, in Best Song Ever.

Thicke’s excuse? According to the Washington Post, Thicke claims that he was on vicodin and drinking alcohol while he and Pharrell Williams were writing the song.

Maybe it’s because these artists know what sells, or maybe it’s because they ran out of originality - either way, they’re mimicking the past.

Copyright infringement is the act of violating any of a copyright owner’s exclusive rights granted by the federal Copyright Act. In the past, cases including Gordon Jenkins v. Johnny Cash and Queen v.

Vanilla Ice were won by the original artists and the copycats had to pay money. Jenkins required that Cash take the song off the air and pay royalties, while Queen only made Ice pay a select amount of money.

For more examples of these similar songs, you can visit soundsjustlike.com. This site lists many other examples from artists such as OneRepublic, Taylor Swift and Iggy Azalea.

12

CAMPUS LIFE December 2014

Where the talent is worthy of

Hollywood

L

akewood is called Hollywood High for a reason. From jazz ensembles and guitar concerts on the roof to class plays, you can’t deny that within Lakewood there is an immense amount of potential. Students choose to participate in the arts not only to show off their talent, but because it’s their passion. Whether or not they choose to pursue a career in the arts, memories that come out of these activities will certainly stay with them for a life time. Here we spotlight Spartans who showcase the talent at Hollywood High in their everyday lives.

Senior Tierra Foster dances on stage at the talent show on Nov. 22 in the Lakewood auditorium.

Seniors Alicia Velasquez and Kenneth Goolsby perform together in the talent show on Nov. 22

Sophomore Aliyah Marshall practices with the rest of her classmates in November for the upcoming Lakewood Winter Concert on Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium.

AMBER BEIN | SNN

Freshman Mya Bohlander and other guitar studen

AMBER BEIN | SNN

Junior Dimonique Hills p band room.

ALEXIS WILLIAMS | SNN

December 2014

CAMPUS LIFE

13

JULIE SMITH-FRAZER | SNN

nts play on the rooftop on Oct. 3. The students played two songs during lunch while guitar teacher Jacob Merrett played the drums and math teacher Phillip Morgan sang.

NAIMA JACKSON | SNN

plays the violin during orchestra class with freshman Hunter Wright on Sept. 25 in the Lakewood

AMBER BEIN | SNN

Junior Jamaurice Bailey dances during his audition for the talent show. Bailey is the founding member of Chapter 7, a group that dances for fun.

Sophomore Ena Salkacic plays an original song during the talent show on Nov. 22.This was Salkacic’s first year playing guitar.

RACHEL BROWN | SNN

14 ENTERTAINMENT December 2014

Club brings the 20th century back

BY JAMES LEONARD SNN Staff Writer

I

n C209, students sit with tablets on the desks, playing retro games. The new retro gaming club at Lakewood High School has about eight members and meets every Wednesday from 2:25 to 4 p.m. in history teacher Jessica Heiser’s class.

“I made the club to share my vast knowledge of video gaming history,” freshman Matt Crider said.

A retro game is one that was made before the year 2000. Members of the club are Charlie Van Middlesworth, William Warren, Raena Cobb, Karen Kloske, Wyatt William, Matt Crider, Jeremy Williams, Jeremy Eaton and Gavin Ard. Even Heiser gets into the action.

“Little by little I kind of jumped in and played, especially when they brought out the old NES (Nintendo Entertainment system). It was 100 percent nostalgia for me,” Heiser said.

The club learns about old gaming consoles then plays games on the old

system. Afterward the members rate the console as a success or failure.

“My favorite part of the club is that we get to play so many old consoles,” junior Wyatt Williams said.

The members like the club because they get to explore the history of video games. The club recently took a look at the Panasonic 3DO. They played GEX, a point and click adventure game, and a racing game called Road Rash.

“I wanted to join the club because I wanted to learn about old games and the consoles,” senior Jeremy Eaton said.

Club members bring the systems that they talk about and pay for it themselves. They also have the E.T Atari 2600 game. Most of the students have their favorite retro games like Donkey Kong country, Earthbound and Super Mario Bros.

Eaton’s favorite games are Sonic, the Hedgehog and the first Super Mario Brothers.

“These games were all examples of games that have care put into them,” Eaton said.

SANJULO KING | SNN

From left, sophomore Jeremy Williams, freshmen Gavin Ard, William Warren and Lucas Pitzen play Street Fighter with a Nintendo entertainment system on Dec. 3 during a retro gaming club meeting in teacher Jessica Heiser’s room.

The Boxtrolls show ‘Mockingjay’ leaves viewers hungry for part 2 that family matters

BY SARAH MOORE SNN Staff Writer

BY ALEXIS WILLIAMS SNN Staff Writer

The 3-D animated movie Boxtrolls is about a community of rascally, unusual creatures who raised an orphan human boy named Eggs, voiced by Isaac Hempstead Rice. These creatures live under a town called Cheesebridge, forced there by the residents above who do not accept them. The town’s “bad guy” spends his time conjuring up ways to get rid of them.

To save his family from complete extermination, Eggs goes up to the streets of Cheesebridge and meets a girl named Winnifred, voiced by Elle Fanning, who tries to help him save his troll family.

Boxtrolls came out in theaters Sept.

LAIKA 26 and is set to be released on DVD Jan. 20, 2015. It’s based on a book Here

by Monsters by Alan Snow. It has creative adventure scenes, tense moments and a very unpleasant villain. I would not advise anyone younger than 9-years-old to watch this movie.

The villain, voiced by Ben Kingsley, is Archibald Snatcher, a low-life exterminator who is the leader of the Red Hats, a gang of Victorian indigents. He has a dream of being an aristocrat and when denied to live the “good life” he feels entitled to do anything possible to get there on his own; no matter the cost.

The best scene was near the end when Eggs’ birth father steps in his life to try to save him from Mr. Snatcher. This was also a tense scene because Eggs has been an orphan all his life until his dad comes along.

Overall this PG movie goes a long way to teaching that standing up for what’s right and taking care of your family is never a bad thing.

After seeing Catching Fire, the second movie in the Hunger Games series, I was anxious to see Mockingjay. I was, however, a little disappointed when I learned that Mockingjay was only half of a movie.

But surprisingly it was a really good half of a movie.

Mockingjay is the third of the Hunger Games trilogy. Based on the book

by Suzanne Collins, the movie is divided into two parts. In the previous movie, Catching Fire, instead of tributes being tossed into an arena to compete for survival, the previous victors from each district compete. With sportsmanship and teamwork, the victors come together to outsmart the games resulting in nearly all of the victors staying alive.

In Mockingjay, main character Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, is selected to represent the people of all the districts, because of her heroic and rebellious attitude. Together she and all of the districts come together in an attempt to overthrow the government of Panem.

My biggest concern throughout the movie dealt with the gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman who died in February as the movie was being filmed. I didn’t know how they would piece the movie together, because he is an important character, but to my surprise they had enough shots to include him throughout.

Although the movie starts out a tad bit slow, the action throughout makes up for that and it scored an “A” in my book. In fact, parts of the movie were even more detailed than in the actual book - for example when they are trying to sneak into the Capitol to save Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson, and Annie, played by Stef Dawson. This part was very drawn out and long, way too long. I kept anticipating that something exciting would happen, but instead this section rambled.

Where some parts of the movie are detailed, other parts are added into the movie that are not in the book. I think that is a nice way to engage viewers in a Hollywood sort of way.

I especially love Jennifer Lawrence in this movie because she has such a great female lead. Despite Katniss’ rebellious attitude and all the funpacked action, the ending of this movie is the biggest surprise. It will leave Hunger Games’ fans eagerly waiting for part two.

LIONSGATE

Big Hero Six brings less popular comic alive on big screen

BY KEYONTE HOWARD SNN Staff Writer

MARVEL

Are you tech-savvy? Do you enjoy robotics, superheroes and Disney? Then Big Hero 6 is the movie for you. The movie was animated by Disney’s Pixar branch, but it didn’t have to go very far to write a plot. It is taken right from MARVEL comics, which Disney owns.

The ‘90s comic series takes place in Japan where the government wants a superhero defense system much like America has The Avengers. Originally, the B.H.6’s roster was composed of: Silver Samurai (the enemy of Wolverine), Gogo Tomago, Honey Lemon, Hiro Takachiho, Baymax and Sunfire. But the updated 2014 team is: Hiro Hamada, Gogo Tomago, Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Baymax and Fred.

Enough history - now for the plot.

Hiro Hamada and his older brother, Tadashi Hamada, are teenage geniuses.

Tadashi inspires Hiro with his invention, Baymax, a personal healthcare companion - changed from his bulky mechanical appearance from the comics to a kid-friendly look. Hiro soon wants to join Tadashi and his friends (check the roster above) and work among the elite technical minds of San Fransokyo. Tadashi dies in an accident soon after Hiro unveils his microbot invention that will prove

his technical prowess, sending Hiro into a state of depression. He accidently reactivates Baymax and finds that his only remaining microbot is reactivated as well.

They follow the microbot and find a masked man mass producing them. Hiro makes some deductions about the masked man, and begins upgrading Baymax to hunt the villain.

His friends join him with their special powers: Gogo is equipped with a suit that can enhance her speed, Wasabi creates dual-wielding laser hands, Fred has a flame-throwing suit that delves his obsession with comics (it’s a suit resembling a Japanese monster), Honey Lemon builds a purse that can create exploding orbs with multiple uses, Baymax is fitted into an exo-suit that has flight capabilities, Hiro has a suit that can control Baymax mid-flight.

This movie is one of the best Pixar has made, mainly because it’s based off of a less-popular comic series. It focused more on character development rather than comedy elements. The characters each have their own personality and you can tell who is who. Big Hero 6 is a film both comic fans and Disney fans will enjoy. The movie deals with stronger themes of death, depression and even revenge, and I would recommend it for ages 10 and older. I give the film a 9/10.

Give country music a chance Theophilus brings the ‘Vibes’ This genre is constantly criticized and stereotyped, but if you take some time to listen to the lyrics, you might enjoy it.

BY RACHEL BROWN SNN Staff Writer

T

oday’s popular music - heard pretty much everywhere you go - is nothing but gibberish with a beat. Research from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine shows that 77 percent of this type of music talks about drugs and sex.

I see no meaning to this “music” teens listen to now.

Hicks, rednecks and hillbillies are what people usually think of when they hear the words country music. But if teens and adults would give country music a listen they will find meaning to these songs.

In country music you would hear about jacked-up trucks, mudding, the occasional beer, country girls and how to treat your lady right. It is a free-spirited, all-american type of music. The great country we live in gives us our freedom and country music is all about that. Pop music. Not so much.

Part of being American is having rights and having country music. Jason Aldean’s song Fly Over States is about how the beauty, uniqueness and the

people who live in these hidden gems of the USA, are often overlooked.

“They’ve never drove through Indiana, Met the man who plowed that earth, Planted that seed, busted his a-- for you and me, Or caught a harvest moon in Kansas, They’d understand why god made those fly-over states.”

Instead of listening to a song like Molly by Tyga, which talks about doing an illegal drug, why not listen to It’s Just What We Do by Florida Georgia Line?

It is a song about having fun with friends without the drugs: “ You know Tommy gonna trick his truck, jack it up big time, Life kit, chrome tips, spin shinin like a diamond.

Game changed and the rain came and we took it down a back road.

Georgia clay mudhole, that’s how these boys roll.”

Many songs from these all-American singers send out an important message that most people don’t see: Being an American is a privilege. We have rights, freedom and opportunities, and it’s a message more people should listen to.

BY JALEN MIDDLETON SNN Staff Writer

The highly anticipated album by Trinidadian R&B artist Theophilus London, Vibes, released Nov. 4, delivers a combination of ‘80s and contemporary R&B, electro-pop and soft jazz. Executively produced by artist/rapper Kanye West, who is featured on the track Can’t Stop, this album is a 12-song masterpiece. London spent over two years creating this album, which is dedicated to his recently deceased great aunt Barbra, who helped raise London in Trinidad.

London says his influences include West, Michael Jackson, Prince, Kraftwerk and The Smiths, and you can hear their personas, musical characteristics and signature in certain tracks of the album, including Neu Law and Take and Look. You can definitely hear Prince’s influence in the opening track WaWARNER BROS. RECORDS ter Me. London fits perfectly into the R&B/pop genre bridging ‘80s pop with modern music throughout this album.

The album Vibes truly lives up to its title. London tweeted that his album was not one that he titled and then the music followed. London says he worked on the album for a while putting his heart into it and producing whatever he felt. He said the album was called “Vibes” because he and West were vibing to it during the duration of production. So if you’re listening in a relaxed, vibing mood, the interlude track, Smoke, will be just the song to please you.

With the possibility of a tour hanging over the heads of London’s fans, there is a big opportunity for the artist to spread his popularity through traveling across the country. I recommend this album to music lovers who enjoy jazz, R&B and pop music. I give this album 10 out of 10.

December 2014 FASHION 15

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

Senior Greg Wilson wears a braided Rastaclat bracelet.

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

Junior Stevenson Choute wears a two-toned bandana print button up with khaki joggers and all red Vans.

Junior Stevenson Choute wears colorful bracelets.

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

Senior Greg Wilson wears a black graphic tee with black speckled joggers and Nike running shoes.

Senior Greg Wilson, left, and junior Stevenson Choute sit on rusty stands at the outdoor basketball court.

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

Trendy Men

BY BRANDON SWEAT SNN Staff Writer

L

akewood High School has always been known for its fashion, but due to the strict dress code some of the expressive fashion has diminished.

As students, we know school is not Fashion Week and that we go to school to learn, but it’s sometimes saddening to see such a lack of style from the student population. The dress code is inflexible and with waking up so early sometimes it’s hard to force yourself to put together an extravagant outfit that’s full of life but simple enough to comply with the uniform policy.

That being said, some students are still trendsetting outside of school.

Lakewood senior Gregory Wilson and junior Stevenson Choute are two of those students. These guys have different styles, but within their style there’s one common statement of individuality. From their unique style of hair to their rare choice of clothing, they exemplify street fashion with a touch of class.

Choute wears Vans, jogger pants, colorful button-ups and tees. He samples his style from hip hop artists like Asap Rocky, Kanye West and model Ian Conner.

He doesn’t have a favorite brand.

“Start your own trend or follow a trend before anyone else does,” Choute said.

Wilson is a hip hop artist who has a more laid back style.

“I’m really big on comfort, and people dress so weird all the time that dressing normal becomes different,” Wilson said.

His favorite brand is Zhudaru, which means “where kings live,” a local indie clothing line. The company sponsors him as an artist and mentors his music. He has no real fashion icon or person he looks up to.

“I just dress the way I dress. I wear whatever I’m comfortable in,” Wilson said.

Choute and Wilson are holding it down on the male side of fashion here at Lakewood.

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

Junior Stevenson Choute wears a two-toned bandana print button up with khaki joggers and all red Vans.

Senior Greg Wilson wears all black with blue Vans.

BRANDON SWEAT | SNN

16 FASHION December 2014

OPINION

Left: Music teacher Jacob Merrett looks at his watch.

High time for style

Center: A variety of teacher accessories and details.

Right: Reading teacher Chiquita Godwin looks stylish in her black dress with white flowers, silver necklace, ring and matching heels. Godwin shows a good example of what teachers should wear to work.

Photos By GISSELLE ZAYAS | SNN

BY TASINA TAYLOR SNN Staff Writer

L

eggings, tank tops, sweat pants, deep V-neck tops, extra tight skirts - what? Some teachers clothing has gone completely wrong.

The profession of a teacher is not just a woman or a man in a classroom teaching. The clothes a teacher wears are highly important, too. A year and a half ago Lakewood High School instituted a dress code for students. This dress code, however, does not apply to teachers.

When you think of a teacher you automatically think of a person in a suit or a nice dress, whether the school they work at has a dress code for teachers or not; but here at

Lakewood some of the teachers dress like they‘re about to go jogging or to a night club.

These teachers may think that it does not distract us.

However, it does. Imagine a female teacher bending over adjacent to you, and you look over and all you see is her panty lines due to the tightness of the leggings she’s wearing. Not a good sight, right?

One of the jobs of a teacher is to be a role model - but if our teachers are wearing raunchy things, what do you think we will be wearing in the next six years when we are in the professional world? Might as well be naked, if that’s the case.

Our teachers should have a classy and professional style

of dressing, something that highlights their personality.

Reading teacher Chandra Dillard is a great example of what is considered appropriate for our school’s teachers.

“My style is fun, stylish and comfortable,” Dillard said.

Another great example of appropriate but fashionable style of dressing would be reading teacher Chiquita Godwin.

“I love to keep my style classy and professional,” Godwin said.

These few teachers are exceptionally well-dressed role models, so take a page out of their book the next time you pick an outfit to wear to school.

Packs full of personality Senior Sacaree Wright’ eyes.

Shape up

BY NILAJA KING SNN Staff Writer

O

n fleek or nah? Teens have come up with a one-word response that tells you if your eyebrows are shaped properly and looking good.

Within the past year well-groomed eyebrows for females have become more significant, making comments about each other’s brows and coming up with new urban slang has created a new need for females to be on point.

“Eyebrows can be the difference between reasonable and crazy. Eyebrows define your sanity,” CAT guidance counselor Cherri Ashwood said.

Your eyebrows are already made to flatter your face and its unique features. However, you can do different things to make them even more flattering.

“Not everybody should have an arch, some people are better off with them rounded,” senior Sacaree Wright said.

This is good and bad. Good because you know what you like, bad because the shape you prefer may give your face an unnatural look. It may also give your eyebrows a manly look and that’s not exactly flattering.

Many St. Petersburg nail shops contain an area in which you can get your eyebrows waxed for $8-10. Waxing is a process in which they align the warm wax to the desired shape of your eyebrow and rip it off with or without a warning.

If you are a little bit braver you can take the other option of getting them threaded for $12-15 dollars. Threading is a process in which they take a piece of sewing thread, tie a knot to connect the two ends and run the thread in a specific pattern across the eyebrow. Each process takes about 7-8 minutes.

Filling your eyebrows in is a whole other story. To fill in your eyebrows you can use eyebrow gel, brow powder or an eyebrow pencil.

This process gives the illusion that you have fuller and neater eyebrows.

Whichever process you choose, it will enhance the rest of your make up and you will look neat and put together.

BY RANAIYA NELSON SNN Staff Writer

Backpacks at Lakewood High School are unique this year. Students are wearing backpacks with distinctive designs and bright colors and patterns. In the past, backpacks have simply been something useful – students used them to carry their books. Now that Lakewood is a uniform school, however, students are using their backpacks as a way to represent their personalities.

Here’s a look at some of Lakewood’s most fashionable backpacks.

Left: RosaLynn Dingle stands in the middle of Lakewood High School’s courtyard. “My backpack says a lot about me like I love cats,” sophomore Dingle said.

Below: Daqueshia McCluster wears a black and gray zebra striped backpack she got from DTLR. “I choose my backpack because it fits my personality, which is crazy. I am crazy in a good way because I’m fun, goofy and down to earth,” sophomore McCluster said.

Photos by RANAIYA NELSON | SNN

December 2014 OPINION 17

Editorial

T

Tablet tension

his year, the school district spent $241,636 to purchase 2014 Dell Venue tablets and accessories for every Lakewood Center for Advanced Technologies (CAT) student, Pinellas County Schools assistant superintendent Thomas Lech-

ner said.

While this may be an amazing opportunity for them, about 858 students in the rest of the school are left in the stone age of the technological world.

Netbooks and other types of laptops are available for the non-CAT students. These computers are a well-known nuisance to teachers and students alike. The computers, which can be up to five years old, are in drastic need of replacement.

They constantly have problems connecting to the internet, and their loading speed is equal to that of a sad tortoise. Students are constantly wasting time just waiting for them to start.

This takes up learning time and in some cases, causes students’ grades to suffer.

Meanwhile, all the CAT students no longer have to deal with this problem.

Not only are CAT students using their tablets in CAT classes, they are also allowed to use their tablets in non-CAT classes. While the rest of the students are stuck taking hard notes, the CAT students write down twice as much informa-

tion simply because they’re at a keyboard. This is infuriating, especially for students who type faster than they write.

We won’t even mention how many times we’ve looked up and caught a glimpse of a CAT student playing video games on their tablets while they were “taking notes.”

But more importantly, the tablets give an overall unfair advantage between CAT and non-CAT students. This obvious advantage only highlights the separation between CAT and the rest of the school. The segregation was obvious enough before, but now with the tablets’ glowing screens showing up all around the school the disparities are even more apparent.

Granted, the money in the capital outlay fund, while limited, is available for non-magnet uses as long as the request has to do with things such as hardware, tablets and computers.

“There’s a process where the school can request, but there’s only so much capital outlay money,” Lechner said.

Now that CAT’s taken care of maybe it is time for Lakewood as a whole to request money to boost the technology for non-CAT students.

It’s true that CAT students need the newest technology possible as they are part of a technology magnet. But Lakewood as a whole is well behind the technology revolution for everyday computers, and that money could have been better spent improving the technology in the rest of the school.

Our Voice Lakewood students were asked: “What is your understanding of the different ways that the ‘n-word’ is used? Is there ever a time when it is appropriate to use? By whom and when?”

Personally, I don’t tolerate when people use the n-word around me. I believe that, no matter your race, you should never use the word. It’s derogatory and rude in my opinion. No one realizes the impact it has on not only blacks, but also everyone else. Most of the music going around today includes the word at least once and I feel like that gives people a false sense of security in using the word. Like ‘Oh Nicki Minaj and Drake are allowed to use it in their music, why can’t I say it with my friends?’ More often than not, people think the use of the word is fine in no matter what the circumstance and it definitely is not.”

Haley Dolan, 11th grade

Deep down I could care less about if the n-word is used, but I do in fact care about who is saying it, so no one outside the family should call you that nickname. Just as now woman are starting to glorify the b-word, blacks should glorify the n-word. Taking power from the old negative meaning only makes us more powerful than those who once wished us bad.

Blacks use it among themselves as a friendly term to refer to their close friends or someone they like in general. Blacks also use it when they get upset and are referring to another person. Whites and other races have no right to say the n-word because they weren’t the ones it was used upon.”

Kayla Crawford, 12th grade

-This editorial was written by Maggie Verdino and reflects the opinions of the SNN Staff.

Letters to the Editor A spiritless week

School spirit drained

Dear Editor, I came to Lakewood at the end of my ninth-grade year and I originally went to Boca Ciega High School. That being said, I’ve experienced Homecoming week at another school, so I know how other schools have fun. … Lakewood must have never gotten the memo. Our administrative team is truly great at what they do; they’re strict and know how to lock it down, … but us teenagers as seniors have a right to do what we know how to do, and that’s “turn up!” We’ve been through almost 12 years of easy to stressful schooling.Why can’t we enjoy our Homecoming week? The morning of Oct. 23, Class Color Day, all our senior decorations were taken down because they were distracting.

Honestly? Distracting? They were in the Hub. Who is it distracting? Happy seniors celebrating their journey and their last Spirit Week in high school is distracting? Not to point fingers, but it simply looks like our administrative team just doesn’t care about our joy, success or school spirit. Ever since the dress code was enforced Lakewood High School has been feeling like a prison more and more each year. The class of 2015 got over the dress code rules; we follow them now, and we just don’t care anymore.

Now they want to shut down our school spirit? They want to kill our senior cheer? No, not happening. The class of 2015 has too many young activists willing to protest for our right to enjoy our senior year.

Jenna Ramirez, 12th grade

Dear Editor, Students keep saying that Lakewood has no spirit, but is that the students’ fault? We could barely even dress up for homecoming week because of the dress code. St. Pete High even reverted to the regular Pinellas County dress code for Homecoming week. St. Pete Catholic’s dress code was relaxed as well and they’re a private school.

Here at Lakewood, we could only be out of dress code with our shirts. We didn’t even have a homecoming assembly, we had a parade at lunch and the powder puff game was moved to after school. Why does Lakewood even have spirit week if they don’t let any of the students show their spirit? Why are the administrators punishing the students who show their support for the school?

Lakewood needs to loosen up before all the students really do lose their school spirit.

Laura Haan, 11th grade

Homecoming was no fun Dear Editor, This homecoming week was not as fun as the others in the past that I have experienced. In the other years we had way more freedom on how we could dress. Also the themes for the days were much better than the ones we had this year. My favorite year was my sophomore year, but it’s only because people actually participated. So next year they should be flexible with dress code for Homecoming week.

Lonnie Lee, 12th grade

Modernizing the media center a good idea

My position on the use of the n-word is that it depends on who is saying it and how that person is saying it. Today’s generation truly believes that “n---a” is not the same as “n----r”. One has a completely different meaning than the other. It’s used as a way to establish a level of friendship between black young adults but it can also be used in a more hurtful and powerful way.”

I hear the word all the time I even use it but I use it rarely.

There is a difference between “n----r” and “n---a.” One is the one given to blacks by a white man; the other is a friendly term given by everyone.”

Gisselle Zayas, 10th grade

Julie Smith-Frazer, 12th grade

I understand both positions. It is an offense to older African Americans but it’s a friendly word to younger African Americans.

I agree on both. Yes, it’s a bad word, but it doesn’t have that old meaning anymore. Young people use it to show them their closeness with their friends. While, back then, it was to show offense. The slaves were called that by their owners.”

I think anybody should be able to use the n-word if they choose, but should remain aware that many still take offense.

I’ve only ever understood the n-word in one way. That’s as a friendly reference to the people you hang out with. The connotation of the word has really changed in the last 60 years from purely negative to neutral and positive.”

Dahmaris Duarte, 9th grade

Ben Effiom, 12th grade

Dear Editor, After reading the article on the renovation of the media center, I’m relieved to know that we aren’t getting rid of the library.

I think it’s a great idea and investment to modernize the media center. I think there will be more activity in the media center than before. People could go there to finish work, read, or just relax when they have downtime. Some people might find the area a comfortable safe haven where they have time to themselves and finish whatever they have to do. I’m excited to see the finished product.

Michala Melvin, 11th grade

Spirit week blues Dear Editor, I feel that this homecoming week was unfair and took away our spirit. I feel that we should’ve went all out for homecoming week. Not allowing different pants and face paint is taking away our creativity. The themes should’ve been better as well. It’s like they don’t want us to be happy with spirit week. Flock day should’ve been more exciting and happy. The game should be like an assembly during our last period of the day. But it isn’t; it’s after school at 5 p.m. and it’s a dollar to get in. What if we live far away and can’t get to the game? I feel last year and the previous years were better. Eventually we will just be another school that’s completely dull and boring.

Caylee Wilson, 10th grade

Do more public surveys Dear Editor, I am really looking forward to reading the schools paper this year, it was really good last year and it covered a lot of things. I mainly pay attention to the sports articles, but when I do read other articles they are entertaining. I think that you should do public surveys and post them in the newspaper just to interact with the students at this school, you don’t have to question everyone but just a part of the school for certain things. Thanks for making the paper and once again I’m looking forward to this year’s paper.

Azavier Odom, 11th grade

We’ll be proud to keep the A

Computer update needed

Dear Editor, I feel Lakewood can maintain the “A” grade. The article says we’re relying on assessment grades this year to keep our school’s average. I think it’s amazing that since Principal Vicari has been here, we’ve made such a turn-around from a “D” school. Hopefully the students this 2014-15 year can keep up the good work and do well on class assessments before the first week of December. When that time comes, it’ll be time for Pinellas County to grade the schools. It will be a proud honor to be one of the students at Lakewood to help keep our grade high.

Edgar Martin, 11th grade

Dear Editor, I wanted to tell you about the sad state of our school’s computers. Even at the time the county bought the netbooks, they were outdated and underpowered. Many of the computers are defaced and missing keys. Some even have profanity and scratches decorating the screens.

I wish that the school would give more priority to our technology, which we have an entire wing dedicated to, than to the frivolous pursuit of a dress code that has been criticized by the majority of the student body.

Quinn Barnes, 12th grade

Suggestions for teacher feature

Spartan survival guide was useful

Dear Editor, I read the article in SNN titled “New teachers settle in at Lakewood.” I really enjoyed how the article included some background information on each new teacher. You included what subject the teachers are to teach. The article also included a quote from each teacher stating how or why they started working here. It could have been improved a little, though. For example, if the article had a picture of each new teacher. Another nice addition would have been adding the room numbers of these new teachers, so that way students could come and welcome them to our amazing school.

Tatijana Simmons, 11th grade

Dear Editor, In the first edition of SNN there was an article “How to survive as a Spartan,” which featured a number of students, ninth through 12th grade, giving advice. I really enjoyed it because the incoming Class of 2018 received essential information on how to get through their four years. They didn’t just take kids that were in CJAM and ask them what they thought, they went and found traditional, AMSET, some CJAM and even CAT students to throw some knowledge at the fresh meat - and the best part was no one gave exactly the same advice. Everyone is an individual, and those are the types of responses we see.

I think that SNN did a very good job featuring numerous articles for all of the classes but specifically 2018, to introduce them to what they’ll get out of our school for the next four years.

Donesha Sermons, 11th grade

18 OPINION December 2014

When grades mean more than learning

BY ALEXIS GARCIA SNN Staff Writer

The bell rings as you stumble into class late, copying last night’s homework problems onto your crinkled paper and with one swift motion turning it into the homework bin on time.

I’d be lying if I said I’d never copied someone’s homework. At the time the only thing that comes to mind is I need to get this done, I have to get an A. Who cares if I learn the material?

It doesn’t matter as long as I get that perfectly symmetrical A on my report card. The A that signifies I am above average. The A that raises my GPA and fills my mailbox with letters from colleges suggesting I apply to their school. The A that gives me hundreds of opportunities, including scholarships, grants and the chance to become valedictorian.

And man, does valedictorian look good on college applications.

Countless days spent cramming until three the next morning because memorizing the material in one night and receiving a good grade is more important than sleep. Why would students put themselves through this?

“If I cheat it’s because I don’t understand the material. If I understood the material I wouldn’t have to cheat or copy off of people,” senior Jalen Hawkins said.

With the pressure of making honor roll and backpacks overflowing with assignments on our shoulders, students persist, determined to suc-

ceed no matter the cost.

The consequences of cheating include the possibility of failing the course, expulsion and a bad reputation among teachers and peers. Yet a multitude of students are so used to it that they almost don’t see it as something that they can be punished for, or maybe they just don’t care.

“Cheating has become an academic survival technique among students,” assistant principal Peter Oberg said.

I’m not going to blame all of this on students. Aside from the laziness among most students, teachers play an important part in the role of cheating and or copying assignments. No, technically they don’t encourage cheating, but they may as well hang a sign on their doors saying You will not pass my class unless you cheat if they don’t plan on physically teaching us the material.

Teachers have a habit of assigning four essays and three textbook pages all due next class and assume every student is capable of learning that way. Not all teachers consider students’ individual learning needs.

This results in kids scrambling to complete assignments for not only that teacher’s class but our other classes as well. Due dates hover over us while we exhaust ourselves, sacrificing sleep, extracurricular activities and social lives in order to make the grade. But why do this when you can just copy?

Technology deletes social skills ...

Modern technology is advancing further than our wee little grandparents can comprehend. On the one hand, our generation sees it as a plus. The more you can do with your cellphone, the better, right? Yet, there are

BY BOBBIE WRIGHT drawbacks to living a SNN Staff Writer life filled with the latest gadgets.

Social skills in today’s youth are declining rapidly. In fact, I rarely see teens putting them to use. This generation seems to lack the desire to have normal human interactions. Everything must be social media based. You want to call somebody out?

Do it in 140 characters or less on Twitter. Need to end a relationship? Keep it short and sweet via text message.

I don’t think we as high schoolers realize how much this can cripple us for the adult world, which is coming up faster than we may believe.

Social skills are for more than making friends (but they’re good for that too). In the real world, social skills project good personality traits such as politeness and charm. These things can easily get you to places you want to be. Need a raise? Well, know how to approach your boss.

Even now, good manners can get the average student a long way. It’s not too hard to be polite and ask your teacher how their day is going. I guarantee they’ll be more open to giving you an extension on your project after that exchange.

So, whether it’s work life or needing to make a new friend, social skills are essential to getting a person where they want to be.

Having a Twitter, Facebook or blog is fine. Just don’t let those social media sites disconnect you from the real world, because it’s out there and it’s coming up soon.

... or keeps you connected with friends Social networking has been a huge factor in some of our lives and has affected us in various ways. The internet has opened up new paths for us. While some people look at the harmful asBY MARTIN SALAMANCA pects of the internet, I beSNN Staff Writer lieve that social networking can be beneficial.

There are many reasons why social networking has benefits. People who look for an extra way to communicate with their friends can use Facebook or Twitter and talk while they’re away from each other. In addition, people who don’t enjoy faceto-face interactions can use messaging through social networks and have a better experience there rather than in person. Also, people who are friends, but live miles away from each other can benefit through the use of social networking. Social networks have allowed me to talk to family and friends I left when I moved to St. Petersburg. Another benefit of technology is that it saves time. A second of social networking can spread a mes-

sage quickly.

While social networking can lead to fewer face-to-face interactions, this problem can be solved through the use of video messaging, which allows face-to-face interactions, but doesn’t have the same limitations as meeting with someone in person.

Opponents of social networking also state that using social networks exposes users to predators, such as burglars and pedophiles. However, this can be easily avoided with the touch of a few privacy buttons. Others also argue that social networking is a waste of time, but how is interacting with friends and family a waste of time? In fact, using the internet to interact with acquaintances saves time, as meeting in person can be more difficult.

Those who use Facebook, Twitter and all other social networks, should not interact with complete strangers. Tragic events have occurred due to social networking, but only because children have interacted with strangers even after they have been warned not to. Users can make their profiles private and only interact with people they know. If everyone does this, then social networking could open up new doors. These rules should be enforced for everyone who uses social media.

There is usually a time in a student’s life where they would rather rip their hair out than stay up all night to complete 100 problems that will only earn them 15 points. In order to save mental health, students may turn to cheating/copying.

“We’ve switched the focus from learning to grades. Learning should be in an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes and not be penalized for it,” Oberg said.

A plethora of students feel like failures if they get anything less than an A. “When I don’t get an A, I can’t stop thinking about it and it makes me angry with myself,” sophomore Ja’Cara Edwards said.

There is not a way to completely dispense with cheating but there are ways to make it occur less often. To begin with, if teachers take the time to make sure that at least 90 percent of their students understand the material, test scores would be on the rise, naturally that is. Students would feel more confident. Another way to prevent cheating is to assign less homework and provide tutoring. This may make students feel less overwhelmed, therefore less likely to cheat. Applying these techniques may lead to more independent and creative students.

Twelve things I wish I’d known before 12th grade

BY VICTORIA BISCHOFF SNN Staff Writer It has recently occurred to me that “simple” and “easy” are not synonymous, and while getting through high school may sound simple, it’s anything but easy.

Here are some tips you may find useful through high school: • Sleep. Five hours a night doesn’t cut it. A pot of coffee doesn’t either.

• You can be alone without being lonely. You might switch your friend group a thousand times in an attempt to find the place where you truly fit in, but until you can sit alone in silence without feeling abandoned, you won’t know independence.

• You have to try. Nothing worth having comes easily. You’re going to have to work for things your entire life, so you might as well start now. Study for your test.

Go to the gym. Make an effort. You’re only as miserable as you allow yourself to be, so get up and do something about it.

• You are not an aptitude test. Or a letter grade. Or an extracurricular. Don’t listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

• Stop apologizing. This applies to things that make you happy and things you have no control over. People will have their opinions and there’s nothing you can do about it, so why bother?

• A tardy is a tardy. Whether you’re five or forty-five minutes late, it’s marked the same in Portal. If you aren’t at school on time, you might as well eat breakfast.

• Slow down. You’re not an adult yet, you don’t have to grow up so quickly.

• Talk to people who aren’t your own age. Talk to upperclassmen. Talk to underclassmen. Talk to teachers. Talk to administrators and janitors and cafeteria ladies.

Learn something from everyone.

• You’re going to fall. No matter how strongly you believe you can pile everything on without breaking, stumbling is inevitable. Whether it’s failing a class or getting your first B, it’s bound to happen. Don’t let it get the best of you. Breathe. Pick yourself up and start again.

• Learn to keep things to yourself. Whether you’re not a virgin, you smoke pot, or you spend your weekends getting wasted, the whole school doesn’t need to know.

Believe me, no one cares.

• Take a break from social media and electronics. Your friends can wait. You’ll never realize how big and beautiful the world is if you never leave your bedroom.

• On one hand, you don’t matter as much as you think, but on the other, you haven’t even begun to maximize your potential. You can’t be right all the time, but don’t sell yourself short. Stand up for yourself and believe in your ability to make a difference, but when you need help, don’t be afraid to ask.

Tablets: For better or for worse?

BY KEYONT’E HOWARD SNN Staff Writer

I

t came as a shock to every student, Lakewood is getting tablets. Let me correct myself, the Center for Advanced Technology program is getting tablets. At first many students’ exclaimed, “This is unfair!” or “Where’s our tablets?”

Soon it just became reality that the other two magnet programs and traditional weren’t going to get on the bandwagon. Many were okay with that, until a little problem arose.

Some CAT students aren’t always using their tablets for the intended purpose of studying and doing asSAMANTHA DOUGLAS | SNN signments.

Freshman Chris Bates opens of a Word Document for notes.This is one of 400 tablets that cost $475 Many students notice CAT kids that the CAT students use for homework and classwork. are using class time to play games, watch movies and access social media outlets. Some teachers call them out on it, while some shrug off the fact that their to work on outdated netbooks and laptops. Even on a good day when the old own students are basically ignoring them. The Pinellas County School Board’s Windows 7 computers work, they don’t work well, mainly, because plain and website block doesn’t work very well. It’s like tiny gnats in your face. Basically, simple, they’re outdated. Something people tell me a lot is, “You can’t fight the it’s a minor inconvenience. It seems like 95 percent of the school knows how to future!” If this is the future of our school, then I’m transferring to Northeast get past it. So, no matter how hard the school district tries, there will be those High. with capabilities to get past the blocks with the simplest of ease.

The students using these tablets leave every other student in the dust, left

BY MATTHEW BISCHOFF SNN Staff Writer

T

he Center for Advanced Technologies, or CAT, one of the most well-known mathematics, science and computer education magnet programs in Pinellas County, recently got a batch of 400 brand new Dell tablets. Every CAT student at Lakewood High School received a tablet. Many people are jealous of them, others are glad to have them. Overall they’re a great learning tool.

There are many advantages to the CAT tablets. Paper and ink are no longer wasted by teachers or students printing out their assignments, so some classes have even gone completely digital using Microsoft’s OneNote program as a substitute for their previous notebooks.

In addition to saving paper, the new tablets are also helping CAT students who don’t have the technology required to do their homework at home, allowing work to be more efficiently accomplished over time.

Previously for classes such as programming, in order for a student to do their work at home, they would need a computer as well as the various programs they work with installed on their computers. The tablets come preinstalled with all the programs - Microsoft Offices, Visual Studios or Visio – used by CAT students.

A majority of CAT students say that they deserve the tablets. CAT is after all a very accomplished program. In 2010, CAT moved up to No. 15 in Newsweek magazine’s list of top 100 high schools. With the reputation that CAT has, the tablets are well deserved.

December 2014 SPORTS 19

Fall sports recap

As the autumn ends, the seasons of football, volleyball, swim and dive and cross country end too. Some teams saw sweet victories, while others met bitter defeats.

ELIZABETH WRIGHT | SNN

FOOTBALL: Senior Ryan Davis prepares to hand the ball off to senior Tyriek Hopkins during a game against Boca Ciega on Oct. 2. The football team went on a hot streak after a shaky first half, winning their next five games in a row to finish with an 8-3 record, undefeated in their division. They worked their way through the district playoffs defeating Gulf and River Ridge, but they lost in the district final to Suwanee by a score of 37-0. Quarterback Ryan Davis broke the county record for career passing yards. In four years, two at Northeast, two at Lakewood, Davis accumulated a total of 6,760 passing yards – ZACK EARLE

SANJULO KING | SNN

SOCCER: Senior Elliot Sailes, Lakewood’s goalie, dribbles a soccer ball during a game. Lakewood’s soccer season is already under way. As of Dec. 2, the boys are 1-1 in districts, 1-4-1 overall. As for a a season goal, boys’ head coach Andrew Holzbog has high expectations. “We’d like to win districts,” Holzbog said. “We don’t have as many wins as needed but we are moving in the right direction for our district games.” - REGGIE ALLEN

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

BOBBIE WRIGHT | SNN

SWIM AND DIVE: Sophomore Michelle Rodriguez swims the breaststroke during an individual medley at the Northeast Pool on Aug. 28. Four Lakewood swimmers made it to the swim and dive state competition Nov. 14 in Stuart, Fla. Junior Jonathan Long placed fifth in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle. His brother, freshman Ethan Long, came in 13th in the 200-yard freestyle and came in 10th in the 100-yard freestyle.

Junior Eden Hessinger competed in the diving event and came in seventh. Freshman Connell Murch took 18th place in the 100-yard backstroke. - BRIANNA WALKER

VOLLEYBALL: The varsity volleyball team gathers in a huddle during a game against Southeast on Oct. 2. The volleyball team’s rebuilding season was a rollercoaster of ups and downs. They started off on a good note with multiple line ups, but after a plague of injuries they hit a slump. They finished the season with a losing record. “We fell a little short for the goals we had,” head coach Kayla Rodak said. “But everyone progressed in different aspects.” – TONY O’NEAL

JAVON COBARRIS | SNN

CROSS COUNTRY: Sophomore D’Asia Hobbs leads the pack as the cross country team runs laps during practice at Lake Vista Park in September.

Both teams made it to regional competition this year.

The boys qualified for top 10, and the girls were in the top 20. Senior Brion Riley made it to states, the first time in three years that a Lakewood runner has made it that far. “We had the best season ever since I’ve been here,” coach Anthony Snead said.

- MIRIELE PAUL

20 SPORTS December 2014

A Spartan gets Rowdy Former Lakewood student Anthony Wallace played professional soccer for the Tampa Bay Rowdies from February to November.

BY BEN EFFIOM SNN Staff Writer

S

trong in tackle, in the air and in possession, Rowdies left back Anthony Wallace controlled much of the left side of the field against FC Edmonton on Oct. 4 in a 1-1 draw. He was even able to test the goalkeeper on a decent strike from about 30 yards out midway through the first half. Late in the first half, Wallace pulled up for what appeared to be a muscle injury in his thigh, but he stretched it out and played the rest of the game.

Born in Brooklyn, N. Y. and raised in St. Petersburg, the former Lakewood High School Spartan played left back and center midfield for the local Tampa Bay Rowdies from February to November of this year.

Starting at just 4-years-old, he grew up playing the sport.

“Even from the first assignment in kindergarten, when the teacher asks what you want to be when you grow up, I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” Wallace said.

During his childhood, he drew inspiration from Tampa Bay’s Major League Soccer (MLS) team, the Mutiny. The club managed to win the MLS Cup in its debut season in 1996 and made a few playoff appearances before dissolving in 2001.

“My favorites were Roy Lassiter and Carlos Valderrama, the big-haired Colombian,” Wallace said.

Wallace started playing at local youth teams Southside Strikers, Tampa Bay Kickers and Strictly Soccer before joining Lakewood in 2003. Wallace was at Lakewood for just his freshman year before transferring to IMG Academy, an institute for professional sports development in Bradenton.

From IMG, he played for the University of South Florida Bulls in 2006 and remained, again, for just his freshman year before making the leap to the MLS. The following year, he was drafted ninth overall in the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by FC Dallas. After three years at FC Dallas, he moved to fellow-MLS club Colorado Rapids where he won the MLS Championship in 2010, the highlight of career thus far.

Wallace played in Colorado for three years before signing with his hometown Tampa Bay Rowdies on Feb. 10.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies are a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League (NASL).

The NASL is the United States’ and Canada’s second division professional soccer league, only to the top division Major League Soccer (MLS). The club was originally founded in 1975 and continued until 1993.

Then, in 2008, a new group of owners founded and named it FC Tampa Bay Rowdies. The club’s highest point came in 2012 when they won the NASL title.

Commonly referred to as “Wally” by teammates

Wallace signs a young fan’s shirt after the game at Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg on Oct. 4. and fans in Tampa Bay, Wallace is best known for his U.S. National Team appearances and strong shot from distance, most notably his goal from about 25 yards out against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in May 2014.

“What attracted us the most from Anthony was his experience in Major League Soccer, where he played from 2007-2013,” Rowdies assistant general manager Perry Van Der Beck said. “At the time that we signed him, we were looking for a left back and Anthony fulfilled our needs having played that position for several years.”

Although he generally plays left back, Wallace said he actually prefers to play in the midfield as it’s a position where all the action occurs.

“I’d love to play as long as my body will let me,” Wallace said, explaining his plan for the rest of his career.

After his career as a player, he hopes to pursue coaching or anything that involves soccer.

Having played at the collegiate level, Wallace leaves some words of wisdom for the Spartan soccer players looking to play in college.

“I know those players already in college will be older, bigger, and stronger, which can be very intimidating,” he said, “just have confidence in yourself.”

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Wallace wipes sweat from his forehead after warming up before the game on Oct. 4.

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Kids from youth soccer camps line up around the perimeter of the Rowdies soccer field to watch the game on Oct. 4. Below, Wallace sits injured after a play.

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Wallace practices his kicks before the game at Al Lang Stadium on Oct. 4.

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Rowdies staff and fans fill Al Lang Stadium for the Rowdies game on Oct. 4.

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

New girls soccer coach a familiar face

BY AKILAH BELL SNN Staff Writer

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Girls soccer coach Megan Swain stands with player Melissa Dones at the game at Lakewood on Nov. 14. Swain graduated from Lakewood in 1997 and has been coaching soccer for 10 years.

“I’m very excited to be back at this school. It feels great,” she said.

Starting fresh this year, the girls’ soccer team has a new coach – and she’s familiar with Spartan Field. Former Spartan soccer player Megan Swain has returned to maintain and help rebuild the team.

“I’m excited about returning to the field,” Swain said.

Swain graduated from Lakewood High School in 1997 and has been coaching for over 10 years. She has coached at the YMCA, at Eckerd College and for the Clearwater Chargers. She said she believes her coaching skills can amp the team up a notch.

“I like coaching because I like helping people to work and achieve their goals,”

Swain said. Swain said she heard there was an opening for the coaching position from basketball coach and freshman experience teacher Anthony Lawrence.

“She’s a Lakewood student, she’s intelligent and I think she’ll do a great job,” Lawrence said.

The soccer players are also impressed.

“I really like her. I think she’s constructive and wants to help us win,” sophomore Ciana Rodgers said.

Being a former Spartan, Swain makes the extra effort to carry on the school’s legacy in a sport she once played and loved. In Swain’s senior year, the women’s soccer team scored 172 goals in an entire season and won the

Pinellas County Athletic Championship.

Swain graduated from Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory, N.C., where she studied human and community services.

Swain has three children, a boy and two girls, who are very active in sports. In her spare time she said she likes to hang out with her kids. She is a targeted case manager who works with kids to find foster homes.

Swain sees herself in 20 years still coaching.

“I’m very excited to be back at this school.

It feels great,” she said.

December 2014 SPORTS 21

A

Balancing Act

The typical day of a student athlete can be rough. It’s a nonstop grind from schoolwork to homework, and practice to games. It can be a lot to handle, and although many can keep up with both, few can excel.

Senior Tyriek Hopkins, who plays football, soccer and runs track, is one of those few.

I

BY ZACK EARLE • SNN Sports Editor

t’s a Monday morning, a B day. Tyriek doesn’t have a first period so he usually gets some extra sleep, or uses the time to finish any assignments that might be due that day. When the time comes, he wakes up and prepares for another week of school. He brushes his teeth, gets dressed, eats breakfast if he has time and drives to Lakewood in his 1999 Lincoln Navigator. He only has three periods, but the workload in those three periods is far from a cakewalk.

He starts the day with fourth period: AP Calculus BC. During lunch Tyriek hangs out in health science teacher Erika Miller’s classroom. Afterward he has AP English Literature, and finishes the school day with Physics 2 Honors.

On A days, Tyriek has 2-D Art, American Government and AP Physics. Three advanced placement classes, including two physics classes produce a lot of homework for Tyriek.

“Depending on each day it’s a good amount, because I’m in CAT so I usually have calculus homework, or American government,” Hopkins said. “I probably have a good hour’s worth.”

With such a heavy workload, studying is essential, and Tyriek tries to study at least three times a week.

“I study most of the time, basically just calculus because it’s my hardest class, Tyriek Hopkins and AP Physics,” senior Hopkins said.

Tyriek’s two physics classes are taught by Ryan Frewin, who said he sees a lot in Tyriek.

“He’s a good student,” Frewin said. “He works hard, he’s thorough, and he tries to get things done.”

Even with athletics and a personal life, Tyriek has managed to accumulate a 4.3 weighted grade point average. Currently, his unweighted grade point average sits at 3.5.

After school, Tyriek turns his attention to the thing he is most passionate about: football. Tyriek is a running back and has played football for Lakewood since his freshman year.

“Football is probably the most important sport I’ve played,” Hopkins said. “I’ve probably put more time into football than many people you would ever meet.”

“Make sure you’re using whatever time you have to use for football, and then use the rest to get your schoolwork done.”

Football has been a part of Tyriek’s life for a long time. He started playing around the sixth or seventh grade, and has grown up around the game as most of his family has played it. His favorite thing about football is the game itself, and what you get from it. “(I like) learning new things, being able to compete with others, being the best at your position or the sport in general, and having a team of people you can spend most of your time with and learn from,” he said.

Tyriek has learned many valuable lessons from football, and not just about the game itself.

“Most of it has to do with leadership, working together with other players, and learning what to use from one player to another,” Tyriek said. “Basically just making a group of people get to one goal.”

Lakewood head football coach Cory Moore said he knows how special Tyriek is both on and off the field. He has known Tyriek since he ran track at Bay Point Middle School.

“Tyriek brings a lot of things (to the team),” Moore said. “He’s an unbelievably classy kid. His leadership is phenomenal. His work ethic is great.

He really exemplifies what a Lakewood student athlete should be.”

Even the number on his back represents something special.

“He wears the number four jersey, which is a jersey that only I give out,” Moore said. “The number four jersey to me, it’s from a young man that passed, Carlos Jackson.”

Carlos Jackson was a former Lakewood student who was murdered. He played football with Moore.

“He was a stand up kid, great academically, and a very hard worker,” Moore said.

Every year for the past seven years, since taking over the team as head coach, Moore has chosen the one player who gets to wear Jackson’s number four jersey.

“That’s the guy who represents the team. So he (Tyriek) does that very well,” Moore said.

As his coach, Moore doesn’t just focus on the football aspect of Tyriek’s life. He has an active role in keeping up with Tyriek’s grades as well. “(My job is) to oversee, and also hold him accountable for his grades, to continue to push the point of how paramount education is. With a kid like Tyriek, it’s easy to coach and to lead because of his willingness to want to be great,” Moore said.

Tyriek is seen as one of the true leaders in the Spartans’ locker room. Teammates Reggie Harris and Austin Tavares, both seniors, have seen this leadership firsthand.

“He takes initiative and sets an example,” Tavares said.

“He’s a great leader. He helps people out,” Harris

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Senior Tyriek Hopkins stands on the sidelines during a football game aganist Northeast High School on Nov. 7. Hopkins plays three sports and maintains a 4.3 GPA. “He really exemplifies what a Lakewood student athlete should be,” football coach Cory Moore said. said. “He’s after practice getting his extra work in.”

Besides just being his teammate, Harris is a longtime friend of Tyriek’s. According to Harris, they’ve known each other “since eighth grade summer”. “(Tyriek) has a positive attitude. He likes to have fun,” Harris said.

When they have time between school and football, Harris and Hopkins hang out with friends on the weekends.

After high school, Tyriek hopes to continue to play football at the collegiate level. He’s been offered scholarships from Morehouse College in Atlanta and the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne.

If he doesn’t take a scholarship offer from one of those universities, Tyriek said he would like to attend either the University of Florida or Georgia Tech.

He’s also applied to Stanford for their world-renowned engineering program.

Tyriek said he wants to pursue aeronautical engineering as a career.

“I’ve just always had an interest in planes, and that ties into aerospace, which, as you can tell from the name, has to do with space,” Hopkins said.

As for right now, Tyriek’s involvement in Lakewood athletics isn’t over after football. You might be seeing number four playing another sport.

“I’m most likely going to play soccer because I’ve been playing soccer since I was like 4 or 5. I’m probably going to end up running track also,” Hopkins said.

With school, football and friends, it’s hard to imagine how Tyriek is able to juggle everything so well, but Tyriek says he makes the time.

“You just try to get it in anytime you can,” Hopkins said. “You just try to do as much as you can, or wake up early so you can get your homework done.”

When it comes to the balancing act that student athletes face, there is a method to the madness. Tyriek’s advice to them is simple: be organized.

“You have to prioritize. Use your time wisely,” Hopkins said. “Make sure you’re using whatever time you have to use for football, and then use the rest to get your schoolwork done. I’m pretty sure you want to have a life, so you just have to organize yourself.”

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Hopkins blocks an opposing player during a football game against Northeast High School on Nov. 7. Hopkins also plans to play soccer in the winter and run track in the spring.

Hopkins works on an assignment in English teacher Barbara Palmer’s advanced placement English literature class. He has been offered scholarships at Morehouse College in Atlanta and the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne. Other schools he has considered include the University of Florida, Georgia Tech and Stanford.

High school athletics offer educational benefits

BY CAROLINE DUNNING SNN Staff Writer

Many Lakewood students participate in extracurricular activities, whether a club like the Drama Club, a community service group like the Girls Service League, or an event like the Talent Show. Probably the most popular extracurricular activity though is sports. With a wide range of sports at Lakewood, many students participate in at least one sport. But how does this affect their grades?

According to the Womens Sports Foundation, females athletes alone are three times more likely to graduate than female non-athletes.

“I think sports help a lot with your focus in school but also they have a negative effect when you don’t have a lot of time to do work after school because it takes up so much of your free time,” sophomore Alexis Job said.

Job participates in volleyball, soccer and track at Lakewood. She trains every weekday and occasionally on Saturdays depending on the coach’s preferences. She also is a member of the Center for Advanced

Technologies program at Lakewood.

“Sports have had a big effect on my education,” Job said. “It helps me. ... I always find myself doing more homework in class than I do at home because sports will end so late, and I’m really tired when I get home, so you learn how to manage your time.”

Volleyball coach Kayla Rodak agrees that there are positive and negative effects to playing sports in high school.

“I think sports can positively affect education because they can teach kids time management, they can teach them discipline with their studies and with athletics as well,” Rodak said. “But at the same time, sports can also negatively affect education if the student isn’t taking the student athlete thing seriously, meaning student before athlete. … No matter how good you are as an athlete you won’t go anywhere unless you have grades.”

According to a story in the Atlantic magazine, research shows that schools with strong athletic programs have higher test scores and lower drop-out rates.

Senior Austin Tavares wrestles and is a member of Lakewood’s foot-

ball team, which implements a daily study hall. Tavares says that the study hall time period “really alleviates some of the stress” and gives him time to study and complete homework.

“I feel that a vigorous practice is necessary, but it also cuts down on time after practice to be able to complete homework at home,” he said.

Rodak agrees that a team study hall is a good idea.

“I think if you have a student who needs extra time to study then as a team you might need to implement study hours,” Rodak said. “But I think once you’re in the high school level and the high school setting that’s on the student to take responsibility for.”

According to the website Newswise, middle and high school students who participate in sports express less hostility toward their classmates and are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college.

Job gave advice to fellow student athletes.

“Work hard in school, work hard at sports and everything should work out for you,” Job said.

22

SPORTS December 2014

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Working with his instructor Tony Perri, left, senior Cris Munoz, right, does a spinning hook kick during his taekwondo class at the YMCA on First Avenue S on Nov. 4. Munoz has been training at the YMCA under Perri for more than four years. “He has improved tremendously,” Perri said. “Cris is very close to being an Olympian.”

‘He’s very close to making (his) dream come true’ Senior Cris Munoz, who has a red belt in taekwondo, has a shot at going to the 2020 Olympics.

BY VICTORIA BISCHOFF SNN Staff Writer

W

VICTORIA BISCHOFF | SNN

Senior Cris Munoz does an axe kick during his taekwondo class on Nov. 4. Munoz trains two hours a day, five times a week in pursuit of the 2020 Olympic games. In addition, he’s gained valuable life lessons along the way. “(Taekwondo) has helped me stay focused. It’s given me motivation to try other new things. It helped me become more confident,” he said.

hile grades and chores are your average teenager’s concerns, striving to get to the Olympics is almost unheard of. For Lakewood High School senior Cris Munoz, however, training for a spot on the 2020 taekwondo team is a part of his everyday life.

“Taekwondo, to me, is a sport of discipline. … (It’s) the way of the hand and foot,” said Munoz who has his red belt.

The word “taekwondo” is actually a combination of three arts: “tae” meaning “foot” or “to step on,” “kwon” meaning “fist” or “fight” and “do” meaning “the way” or “discipline.”

Four years ago, Munoz’s mother asked him if he would be interested in taking taekwondo and told him about Master Tony Perri, who has been instructing for 21 years. That summer, Perri took Munoz under his wing and he started attending classes in Treasure Island. They later moved to the YMCA in St. Petersburg where Munoz currently trains.

Perri said Munoz has made major improvements in his technique and form over the last four years and will soon be good enough to qualify for the Olympics.

“He has improved tremendously,” Perri said. “Cris is very close to being an Olympian. All he’s got to do is a lot of hard training, more focusing … focus on conditioning, focus on what he wants to achieve out of taekwondo. … He’s very close to making (his) dream come true.”

Munoz maintains a busy training regimen, practicing two hours a day, five times a week, and still manages to fit in school work without a problem.

“It’s not hard at all because they fit in a schedule,” he said.

Abby Munoz, Cris’s mother, described him as “very disciplined.”

“He’s very responsible at school. (He) knows what he needs to bring out of it,” she said.

Munoz said his parents are supportive of him and went with him to the national championship in Fort Lauderdale in 2013 where he won the national title in forms and the bronze medal in sparring.

Forms are a series of movements that combine physical skills, such as blocks and kicks, and mental skills, such as balance and focus. These movements are executed against an imaginary partner. Sparring is when those movements are practiced against an actual partner, though the goal is not to injure.

After nationals in 2013, Munoz said he started thinking about becoming a Junior Olympian.

“I figured that I might be able to go further,” he said.

But after the 2014 national competition he reconsidered.

“I had changed my mind when I was invited to try out for the Florida team in 2015 in August, so I am no longer going to take a huge risk in going to Junior Olympics,” he said.

However, he still intends to pursue the Olympics as an adult in 2020.

“It was a wiser choice not going (in 2016), because he would be risking a lot for something that wasn’t set in stone, and this way he can have time to gain better skills and become more adaptable to the higher level of sparring,” Abby Munoz said.

Over the years Munoz has been injured twice, including ripping muscles in his hamstring and tearing his quad, but he never sought medical attention.

“The first time I had my first injury, I was scared that I was never going to be able to kick again. It did take about a year to heal,” he said. “My second one, I didn’t sweat it so much. I knew that I would be able to get back into it.”

Taekwondo has helped Munoz improve in other areas of his life as well.

“It has helped me stay focused. It’s given me motivation to try other new things. It helped me become more confident. …

I don’t judge anyone,” he said.

Like Munoz, Perri believes that taekwondo is not limited to the mat, but extends to all aspects of one’s being.

“It’s about teaching children how to use self-defense, teaching how to kick, teaching how to strike, punching and multiple techniques of takedowns,” Perri said.

And for Munoz, it has done just that.

December 2014 SPORTS 23

Training for the future

Do you think football is too dangerous a sport?

Why or why not?

BY ANTHONY NIEMEIER AND JALEN MIDDLETON SNN Staff Writer

E

ither on the field or on the sidelines Lakewood High’s student athletic trainers are getting hands-on experience working with Spartan athletes.

“We train and practice out in the field. You learn more out on the field than you do in class,” said freshman Jayda Watts, who worked with the junior varsity football team this fall.

Student athletic training coach Erika Miller said students who want to be athletic trainers must meet certain prerequisites or qualifications. They must fill out an application, get two letters of recommendation and have and maintain a GPA of 2.5 or higher with a good discipline record, meaning no suspensions or referrals.

“I think it’s just something that looks good on an application or resume,” senior athletic trainer Olivia Gibson said.

Trainers are assigned to work with a sports team and once assigned they are required to attend at least one practice a week and must be at every game, Miller said.

“I just enjoy all the things Ms. Erika can teach to us,” senior athletic trainer Kari Clark said.

Athletic trainers must complete basic first aid, and they must undergo CPR training before officially becoming a student athletic trainer. They also learn proper bandaging for different injuries and how to help players put on protective padding and bring water to them.

“They provide a tremendous amount of assistance and are an important part of each team,” Miller said.

Currently there are 14 athletic trainers who cover all sports at Lakewood. But Miller said she is always interested in having more sign up. They meet at sport team’s practices and once a month during lunch break.

“I wanted to be an athletic trainer because it gives me something to do outside of school on Thursdays and it looked fun,” Watts said.

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Above: Medical skills teacher Erika Miller shows athletic trainer Kari Clark how to unwrap an athlete’s foot in the weight room on Nov. 3. Miller trains students to become athletic trainers for the school’s athletes.

Left: Seniors Kari Clark and Emily Williams fill water bottles at the football game against Northeast High School on Nov. 7. Clark and Williams are athletic trainers.

“I don’t think football is too dangerous of a sport because it makes you get good grades. It also keeps them fit and keeps them from getting in trouble.”

Sherry Dunaway, 10th grade

“Yes, I think football is too dangerous of a sport because they can get concussions and broken limbs and it is a waste of time. I wouldn’t let my child play football.”

Kenishia Jordan, 11th grade

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Spartans raise funds for injured Viking Athletic trainers raise $650 to donate to Leshawn Williams, whose leg was amputated after a football injury.

BY ALEXIS HOPTON SNN Staff Writer

N

ortheast High School senior Leshawn Williams went down with a knee injury during a football game against Clearwater High on Oct. 31.

He was taken to the hospital and just hours later his right leg was amputated.

“My heart went out to him. It sounds like he’s a positive person and is surrounded by positive people that will help him get through this,” athletic trainer and health sciences teacher Erika Miller said.

However, Miller thought she could help Williams out in other ways.

So Miller and student trainers decided to have a fundraiser for Williams. After a week of selling products, they had raised $650. That Friday prior to the game starting, when the team

was lined up, the check was presented to Williams.

“He smiled and seemed grateful and he thanked us,” Miller said.

Miller and student trainers sold Gatorade products, including energy chews, protein shakes and protein bars in a variety of flavors.

Energy chews and protein shakes cost $1, and protein bars cost $2.

“I think it’s a great idea that Miss Erika came up with. I think it’s good to give back to others,” senior trainer Emily Williams said.

Many students and teachers are glad that donations were made to Williams to let him know that the Spartans support him and wish him the best.

“I am happy we are donating money to him because it could give him an opportunity to recover and help him out with his future,” former varsity football player Thomas Ciriello said.

Athletic trainer Erika Miller meets up with Northeast football player Leshawn Williams.

Miller sold Gatorade products to raise funds for Williams’ after his injury.

NAUDIA MCDANIEL | SNN

Safety on the sidelines Some wonder whether players would be safer if paramedics were at every athletic event.

BY AKELA HARRIS SNN Staff Writer

N

ortheast High School football player Leshawn Williams was injured during an October game, so seriously that his right leg had to be amputated.

This has raised the eyebrows of some parents, students and administrators. Many people are now asking the question: “What if this happens to my child?” And some have speculated that the amputation might not have been necessary if an ambulance had been on site and able to administer care sooner.

“It would be better to have paramedics at the games. It TONY RENGIFO | SNN would be faster to help playAn ambulance is stationed on the field during a playoff game against River ers and prevent situations like Ridge High School on Nov. 21. Paramedics do not come to regular season Leshawn’s,” said freshman games.

Wallace Neal-Williams, a ju-

“No, I don’t think football is too dangerous of a sport because, football is all about being physical and active and if that means getting physically touched by someone else then, oh well.”

Nisha Noeltner, 10th grade

nior varsity football player.

Athletic trainer Erika Miller, however, said she does not think it is necessary for paramedics to be at all games because of the cost, which is about $400-$500 a night.

She said the number of times that 911 has been called does not justify it, and the money could be better spent on other things.

Football coach Cory Moore said there are provisions being made for Sunstar to be at the big games, but as of now if an athlete gets injured at a game, he or she immediately has an athletic trainer by their side helping them.

Freshman Jahjosiah Westmoreland said when he was injured, the athletic trainers were right there to help.

“They gave me time to sit out, and they took time to ask what was wrong and they

had me wait until I was well enough to continue playing,” he said.

When offensive lineman Nyquel Alexander injured his knee last year during an away game against Clay High School, he needed help off the field.

“Of course they helped me but not fully. Coach Moore had to help me off the field, and they couldn’t do much because I needed to go to the hospital and get a knee brace,” Alexander said.

For Moore, “safety is paramount.”

“I think the big question is how much you are willing to pay or sacrifice for safety? How much is your safety worth? And just because it didn’t happen yet doesn’t mean it won’t happen,” Moore said.

“Yes, I think football is too dangerous of a sport because you can get bad head injuries, knee injuries and other bad injuries. ... I would let my child play, though, because they might want to play football as a career.”

Jimya Holmes, 10th grade

Photos and quotes gathered

by Amber Bein and Latavia Nelson, SNN Staff

24 OUTDOORS

December 2014

Environmental Expeditions

TONY RENGIFO | SNN

Lakewood High School Aquatic Managment Sytems and Environmental Technology students walk on a hill at the Fish and Wildlife Commission in Manatee County in September.

The students collected a plethora of plants for Lakewood.

From tramping through mud in Manatee County to touring a ship in downtown St. Petersburg to cultivating a new garden on campus, AMSET students expand their knowledge of the local environment.

BY TONY RENGIFO AND JULIE CHRISTIANSEN SNN Staff Writers

S

tudents in Lakewood’s Aquatic Management Systems and Environmental Technology program have been on the move this fall.

The program’s second garden is on its way. Named Spartan Grange, it is between the concession stand on the football field and along portables 1, 12 and the clinic. Spartan Grange is the name given by AMSET coordinator James Kostka in honor of a song by ZZ Top, a band from the 1970s.

Several vegetables will be grown including basil, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli and collard greens. Once harvested, the vegetables will be given to nutrition and wellness teacher Faith Walker.

She said she will use the vegetables to make a veggie pizza with her students.

“Students don’t know what fresh vegetables look like. They see cauliflower and don’t know what it is. Students don’t like vegetables. I’m going to teach them how to recognize them, how to store them and how to cut and cook them,” Walker said.

The vegetables are also going to the cafeteria to be used in the sandwich and salad line.

In addition to planning the new garden, 27 AMSET students headed to Manatee County’s Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission early on Sept. 16.

They went there because they wanted to learn about and harvest spartina, a type of sea grass. An employee, Martha Gruber, showed them how to pull the grass up and put it in bags the students had to carry to the truck. They needed 100 plants per bag and there were 50 bags. Lakewood brought home 27 plants to plant at Lakewood.

Lakewood also gathered up plants for Countryside, Seminole and East Bay high schools to use in their programs.

“It’s a fun trip and gives you an idea of what the world is like and it’s not easy,” junior David Deister said.

Finally, this semester AMSET students went to the Blue Ocean Film Festival in downtown St. Petersburg from Nov. 4-7. This was the first year the festival - which features filmmakers, photographers and scientists – was held in St. Petersburg. The AMSET students went to meet other people who deal with marine science and look at different career options, Kostka said.

TONY RENGIFO | SNN

Sophomore Julie Tavares and junior David Deister carry a bucket of plants.The students were removing plants from the Fish and Wildlife Commission Stock Enhancement Facility in Manatee County to plant at Lakewood.

TONY RENGIFO | SNN

Above, AMSET teacher James Kostka holds a sea purslane, an edible herb that grows in coastal areas. There were many edible herbs at the Fish and Wildlife Commission in Manatee County.

SNN Staff Writer Nooran Al-Dileamy contributed to this story.

TONY RENGIFO | SNN

AMSET students look out at the water from the second deck of the Nautilus ship during the Blue Ocean Film Festival. The Nautilus is equipped with resources to explore the ocean.

ALGERNARD BROWN | SNN

Freshmen Alexis Brochu and Sabrina Chisari dig a pit at the start of the Spartan Grange on Nov. 21.The Spartan Grange is an example of hugelkultur, a rasied garden layered with wood or cardboard under a layer of seagrass and leaf debris. “I really love the environment,” said Chisari. “I think (AMSET) will teach me how to do more environmental stuff in my neighborhood.”

TONY RENGIFO | SNN

AMSET coordinator James Kotska, far left, pulls plants from the ground with a group of students and volunteers.Volunteers helped students pull plants at the Fish and Wildlife Commission Stock Enhancement Facility in Manatee County. “It was really slippery, it was muddy, it was like if you stepped into it you got completely covered, it was kind of gross,” sophomore Julie Tavares said.