The Panther 2023-24 Issue #1: Coming Home Again: Panthers at the Drive-In

PANTHER

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Miami Palmetto Senior High School

7460 SW 118 Street, Miami, FL 33156 Tuesday October 24 2023

Coming Home Again: Panthers at the Drive-In

FEATURE

LIFE

NEWS

On Oct. 7, Miami Palmetto Senior High held its annual Homecoming dance. The week leading up to the exciting dance had the school decked out uniquely for each spirit day. Students filled the hallways showing off their Panther pride dressed out in their class colors, biker and surfer outfits, or even in their pajamas for a movie-night in.

ARTLOOK MIAMI: AMPLIFYING THE ARTS 04

Focusing on music education, Artlook map, a map illustrating art programs’ locations, is used to open barriers to quality art ed ucation and brings partners and students together to build arts education in schools throughout the district.

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head over wheels: MPSH''S DRIVEMPSH DRIVE-IN HOMECOMING 11

TRICK OR BEST HAL

NEWS BRIEFS Local.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently lowered requirements to be a substitute teacher for the second time in the past six years. A substitute application previously required 60 college credits or the equivalent of an associate’s degree. Qualification requirements changed in 2017, requiring substitutes to have at least one year of college education, receiving at least 30 credits. However, in the wake of the recent teacher shortage, the requirements have been lowered to just a high school diploma. All one needs to be a substitute teacher is their General Educational Diploma.

National

sports

Republican Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise dropped out of the race to become the new House Speaker, replacing speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was voted out on Oct. 3. He stepped out of the running after failing to secure enough support for his bid to succeed on the floor. Scalise had previously narrowly surpassed Republican Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan in conference vote to be named speaker-designate. However, he had made little progress in securing the 217 votes he would need in a floor vote to secure the currently empty position. Jordan replaced Scalise as nominee but was dropped on Oct. 20 due to three failed rounds of voting.

International

OPINION

On Oct. 7, the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel during their seven-day Sukkot festival, killing around 1,300 individuals and leaving buildings decimated. Attacks were carried out on land, targeting a music festival, from air, and at sea, via dozens of motorboats. In response, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, promised that Israel would not cease to defend their sovereignty and, soon after, launched retaliatory strikes in Gaza. Allies, including the U.S., have offered their support for Israel.

On Oct. 13, the Israeli Defense Force ordered that 1.1 million residents evacuate the Gaza territory. Hamas has called this an empty threat, while human rights organizations have criticized this order for being problematic logistically with civilians, sheltering in schools and hospitals and struggling to evacuate.

R treat: MIAMI' MIAMI'S MPSH''S swim team: MPSH 06 LLOWEEN SPOTS one lap at a time 17

For Miami Palmetto Senior High’s 21-member swim team, their morning routines start the same as any other students’. Yet, when the afternoon bell rings, the squad packs up their goggles, towels and sneakers and heads to Miami-Dade College for practice.

OCTOBER 2023

the secret code: miami kid''s guide to music 19 kid

Kids born with any ounce of Latin Ameri can blood are raised with a special talent: the ability to fall asleep at any family party despite the blasting music lasting until the early hours of the morning.

04 | NEWS

Artlook Miami: Often overshadowed and underappreciated, arts education in schools holds a larger impact than many acknowledge.

This prompted the Miami Foundation — an organization created to build a stronger Miami — and the Miami-Dade County Public School System to launch Artlook Miami: a web browser aimed to amplify arts education in the community.

In 2013, Artlook, a data platform used to help cities all over the U.S. monitor student access to the arts, was introduced to the Chicago public school system. In 2023, M-DCPS introduced the platform to its school system, despite Artlook being originally built for M-DCPS in 2019.

“The map links users to programs, helps to target resources and connects individuals,” M-DCPS District Six School Board Chair Mari Tere Rojas said.

Focusing on music education, the Artlook Map, a map illustrating art programs and their locations, is used to open barriers to quality art education and bring partners and students together to build arts education in schools throughout the district. Artlook’s data can assist these arts programs in receiving better funding.

The Artlook Map collects data from district operations, community agencies and individual schools while displaying it all in the same map to track the growth of arts education.

Students and

the parents can go to the map and use the search engine to link schools to programs. The map links individuals to other communities and partners to assist in the process of searching for an art program.

Artlook started with a small program on Google Maps, but, when the Miami Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Fishman Lipsey realized they needed district-level data, they introduced it to Miami-Dade County. Researchers looked into Artlook’s “sister” locations including Chicago, Jacksonville, Oregon, Houston, Sacramento, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Arkansas and Baltimore, which have all been successful within three years of opening the site to their students.

In addition to helping students, Artlook helps each school collect data about human capital resources and identify and collect information from schools and neighborhoods that are in greater need, while tracking the progress over time.

“It helps school administrators to assist parents to identify free or no-cost programs,” Rojas said.

Artlook’s tracking technology makes updated insights available to help properly support the communities and programs in need.

Artlook is free for anyone interested in using it. More specifically, parents can find a major benefit to the map providing help in making decisions about their child’s art program by offering useful information about each program.

“Often, parents aren’t sure where to look and the Artlook map is a major resource for parents who may be looking for a variety of music and dance program opportunities,” Rojas said.

Artlook is also a tool others willing to invest could use to gather information.

The map spreads information on funding to help Visual and Performing Arts programs and Miami’s arts initiatives receive investments and support as a whole.

By sharing the statistics on arts education programming, the platform helps communicate information about investments and helps community leaders create human and capital resources to build greater equity. “[Artlook Miami] allows us to improve communication and collaboration among the various arts education shareholders,” Rojas said.

Using Artlook’s map, statistics show that in Miami-Dade County, 5,197 arts courses were offered in 2021-2022. Using that data, over 77% of schools were found to have expressed their desire to create stronger partnerships for their art programs.

Artlook’s overall goal is to create a stronger arts education system for Miami-Dade students and make these arts more accessible for everyone — parents, students or partners. The map is an opportunity for young Miami artists and creates strong partnerships throughout the district.

“Arts education enables our students to become more creative and innovative thinkers. Through arts education, they can develop their creativity and imagination,” Rojas said.

Lilianne Fernandez

Multimedia Video Editor l.fernandez.thepanther@gmail.com DESIGN BY MIA SHIELDS PHOTO BY ELLA WEHMEYER

CONTENTS | 05

Calling All Writers:

A Guide to “Panther Voices” Calling all writers! We are excited to announce The Panther’s new online blog: “Panther Voices”. “Panther Voices” offers community members the opportunity to share their views on a current world issue, express their passion for a topic they admire or develop a response to one of our articles.

We believe addressing community views brings depth and authenticity to journalism. Exposing our audience to different viewpoints challenges people to think critically, evaluate arguments and engage in meaningful discussions. On The Panther, we value diversity in forms of background, beliefs, culture and experiences, and we believe representing this diversity is essential in fostering a school community.

Whether you are a student with a unique perspective or a teacher with valuable insights, we invite you to contribute your voice to our paper. “Panther Voices” is a platform to express your ideas, inspire change and resonate with writing. We look forward to reading your articles and sharing your stories with our community.

If interested in writing for "Panther Voices", please contact The Panther's Editor-in-chief, Amy-Grace Shapiro at a.shapiro.thepanther@gmail.com

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Trick or treat. Miami s Best Spots 06| LIFE

for Halloween

On Halloween, thousands of children ring doorbells screaming ‘Trick-or-Treat!’ all over their neighborhoods. Streets are filled with kids, parents and grandparents, all dressed in their costumes trying to get copious amounts of candy. But have you ever wondered why certain neighborhoods are more crowded than others?

In Miami, multiple different communities attract large crowds on Halloween night: Whispering Pines, Hampshire Homes, Mangowood, Palmetto Island and Cocoplum — to name a few.

Whispering Pines, located in Cutler Bay, brings together the whole community, hosting community -based events at the local park and around the community. Miami Palmetto Senior High junior Michaela Thompson, a lifelong trick-or-treater in Whispering Pines, loves the events they host for Halloween season and the united feeling it creates.

“The park itself hosts a two-night event where a ton of people come together and gather in costumes, there’s [also] haunted houses,” Thompson said.

“It’s super community-based and family-based so decorations are all out, everyone has their lights on and that’s the [meaning] of if you can go ask for candy and it’s just super vibrant and fun. It’s so friendly and it’s so festive that it just makes it really memorable.”

Whispering Pines does not only attract kids, but all kinds of families participate in the spooky festivities. Many love the community for the family-friendly aspect on Halloween night.

“Definitely how familyoriented we are [is a highlight] because it’s people of all ages.

It’s little kids but then you also see grandparents coming out dressed up and participating,” Thompson said.

“There’s a youthfulness to it.”

Over in Kendall, Hampshire Homes is a trick-or-treating hot spot. For years, the community has worked together to ensure everyone has fun o n

Halloween.

“It’s tradition. It’s something that was established. The community is 30-something years old, and it’s been happening since they first opened. It’s what I’ve been told, so it’s more word of mouth and the essence of going. And it’s the one constant,” community member Martha Ruiz said. “The community does get blocked off. And if you don’t live there or you haven’t arrived by 6:00, you won’t be allowed in. So it’s a sense of community and it’s a sense of safety.”

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hampshire Homes collaborated to ensure that local trick-or-treaters did not miss out on the holiday.

“During COVID, it was limited to the neighborhood. It was funny because we weren’t allowed to go knocking or anything, but everybody left bowls on the porches so that if you had a small child, you could visit the yard and the porch and you could grab your candy. Oh, I mean, it was amazing. During the toughest of times, we stuck together,” Ruiz said.

A couple of miles away, in Palmetto Bay, the Mangowood neighborhood is bustling with crowds of people. From walkers, to golf carts, to bikes, the neighborhood is filled with kids and families going door to door trying to fill their baskets with candy.

“Everyone is on golf carts and they all dress up in really crazy costumes. And there’s a lot of their decorations,” Mangowood resident Lily Feinberg said.

“It is such a fun place. There’s great candy and great decorations and you’ll just make so many memories.”

During Halloween, people of all ages join together in other communities around Miami such as Cocoplum in Coral Gables and Palmetto Island in Pinecrest.

The streets are filled with people on Halloween night from trick-or-treating parties that are hosted within the communities.

So, this Halloween season, check out some of these neighborhoods: the sights and activities will be endless.

08 | LIFE

PALMS UP:

The Fight Against Unsustainable Palm Oil What do Kit Kats, Jolly Ranchers and Sour Patch Kids have in common? Sure, they are all widely adored sweet treats, but they share one other common link; unlike most candies currently on the market, none of them contain palm oil as an ingredient.

Harvested from trees cultivated in exclusively tropical environments, palm oil is used in all kinds of products: foods, shampoo, laundry detergent, lipstick — you name it. According to the World WildLife Fund for Nature, plantations dedicated to producing palm oil are quickly increasing throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America due to the crop’s high productivity.

The repeated construction of these plantations has led to mass deforestation of the habitats of many endangered animals, such as rhinoceroses, elephants and orangutans. To combat this, Miami Palmetto Senior High seniors and Environmental Outreach Student Council Senate Committee Co-Chairs Sara Kramer and Cassandra Pita have taken matters into their own hands for the upcoming Halloween season. Spearheading their palm oil initiative, the two inspired activists have issued a movement to only use palm oil-free candies for all MPSH’s Halloween celebrations.

“For Halloween, [MPSH is] doing a Trunk-or-Treat for the younger grade levels. So, we’re pushing for all of the clubs to bring in candy that has no palm oil in it, just to keep our school more s u s t a i n a b l e and our community more aware of the impacts that they have,” Kramer said.

As lifelong environmentalists, environmental activism is not a new concept for Kramer or Pita. Kramer has been interested in the conservation of plants and protection of endangered animals her

whole life, and Pita has been active in the environmental political scene since childhood, taking part in campaigning events with her parents. With their combined knowledge and effort, they hope to raise awareness and concern for environmental issues.

“A big goal of it is for people to be aware of their actions. You don’t think of all these things — you go to Target and you pick up your shampoo and a box of Nutella and you don’t think anything of it. I think we just want people to recognize that their actions have consequences,” Pita said.

Zoo Miami Communications Director Ron Magill is a firsthand witness to the impacts that palm oil collection has on various environments around the world — ones that the average shopper has not seen — and he is passionate about saving the environment from palm oil’s mass destruction.

“The problem with palm oil is, to get the palm oil is [to create] such an incredible devastation in natural forests, throughout Southeast Asia especially. I mean, I was in Borneo and Sumatra and it was amazing to me to see when we landed there, literally as far as the eyes can see, habitat that was once habitat for everything from orangutans to a wide variety of birds and other wildlife was gone,” Magill said. “It was as far as you can see, nothing but these oil palm trees where they harvest the palm oil. So what you’re having is utter devastation of some of the most critical habitat left in the world that has some of the greatest biodiversity in the world, strictly to produce this oil. It’s really devastating.”

Students can join the effort to end unsustainable palm oil production by taking a few extra seconds to look over the ingredients in their grocery cart. By encouraging consumers to only buy products with sustainable palm oil, unsustainable palm oil companies will be pressured to take action. These changes do not start with corporations, however. According to Magill, they start with one thing MPSH is full of: youth advocacy. “[Students] set the tone for the future. So that’s what you gotta do, you gotta believe in each other, you’ve got to have the power in each other. You have to be able to coordinate yourselves to become one voice, to become that very strong voice,” Magill said. “You know, there’s another old saying that says when the people lead, the leaders will follow. You can get a movement going. You’d be surprised at how you can change perspectives of things.”

Though MPSH’s palm oil initiative only applies to candy, it still requires extra effort for many heads of clubs or students planning in-school celebrations, adding limitations to the food they can bring in. This is especially true for the Special Events Board of Student Council’s Senate, which hosts events such as Homecoming and Prom. However, according to sophomore and Special Events Board member Golden Brown, the board is happy to support the initiative.

“I think we’ll have to plan a little bit differently, and we’ll have to be more aware,” Brown said. “It’ll probably make our job a little bit more difficult, but I think we’re willing and up to the challenge because we support the environment.”

In addition to Student Council Senate’s support for the initiative, clubs such as Science National Honor Society have also voiced their approval for the movement. SNHS Co-President Isabel Duran believes that when it comes to environmental awareness in school, small movements can be big steps in the right direction.

“I feel like it’s really interesting when we try to do environmental initiatives on a smaller scale. And it’s something that I feel like a lot of times receives a lot of criticism. It’s the same thing as when people go vegetarian.

And people ask, ‘Well, what’s the point?’ What’s one person’s difference gonna make?” Duran said. “For one, it’s getting us to talk about it. It’s starting this conversation between us that’s saying, ‘Okay, palm oil is something

that we should look at — why haven’t we looked at it before? Is there a different way we should look at it or what should we do about it?’ For one, it’s just raising the topic of the conversation, and this is something that’s true for all environmental issues: you have to start with something small.”

The palm oil initiative is the first step for the new Environmental Board, who hope to expand their role in making MPSH greener. With many more initiatives, movements and events in the works, this is just the start of Kramer and Pita’s efforts to make MPSH greener and more environmentally aware.

“And I think, you know, watch out. We’ll be taking some bigger steps this year because we want to leave generations of the Environmental Board something to work with, which I think is important. We just want to set Palmetto up to be greener in the future,” Pita said.

Edie Carneiro

Sports Editor e.carneiro.thepanther@gmail.com

Gabriella Alvarez

Life Editor g.alvarez.thepanther@gmail.com DESIGN BY MIA SHIELDS & LUNA GARCIA PHOTOS BY JAKE HAWKINS

LIFE | 09

Three Ways to Stop Using Palm Oil:

1. Check Ingredients Cetyl Palmitate, Hydrated Palm Glycerides, Palmityl Alcohol..;

2. Use the Cell Phone APP palmoilapp.com

3. Know Safe Brands www.orangutan.org/palmoil/safechoices.pdf information from orangutan.org

PANTHER STAFFER OF

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OCTOBER COLUMN

PALMETTO PANTHER’S ROMAN EMPIRE(S) Upon hearing the phrase “Roman Empire,” one used to automatically think of the global superpower of 27 B.C. However, due to TikTok’s overwhelming influence, it now serves as the new Gen-Z catchphrase for an obsession or event/person/situation that is always on one’s mind.

As a Panther, one becomes accustomed to what we, as a student body, look forward to and daydream about. Whether it be a food you wait for every morning or an annual event, MPSH has numerous “Roman Empires.”

One of MPSH’s main Roman Empires is Mr. Hayduk’s Bagels. These bagels are one of the greatest phenomenons for hungry Panthers. So much so that when Mr. Hayduk performed in the 2023 Panther Prowl, he threw bagels to the crowd, resulting in one of the loudest cheers from the audience.

Another Roman Empire is Mr. Panther, informally known as the Boys Beauty Pageant; Mr. Panther serves as one of our most attended and popular events in MPSH history. Students around the community, not just MPSH, flock to see what our Panther Boys have in store. This year, the theme is “Boy Bands” and conversation has already sparked, flooding our school’s hallways with excitement.

Enjoyed by mostly upperclassmen, the senior class’ Roman Empire is Mrs. Dwyer’s couch. Dwyer, dubbed as the “school mom,” provides a lush and relaxing experience for those undergoing the stress of college applications and post-secondary career planning. Whether it be the warm and cozy blankets, squishmallows or “cute baby animals relaxation compilation” music, Dwyer’s couch is always on seniors’ minds.

FEATURE | 11 – 15

HEAD OVER WHEELS: MPSH’s Drive-In Homecoming On Oct. 7, Miami Palmetto Senior High held its annual Homecoming dance. The week leading up to the dance had the school decked out uniquely for each spirit day. Students filled the hallways showing off their Panther Pride dressed out in their class colors, biker and surfer outfits or even in their pajamas for a movie-night in.

This year’s theme was “At the Drive-In,” inspiring various events, getting the student body thrilled for homecoming week and the dance.

Homecoming planning starts in the summer prior to the school year, during which the theme is decided, followed by plans for Panther Prowl and the Homecoming dance.

“In the summer we were originally going to do a different theme. A lot of senior students when I was meeting with them in the summer, didn’t really agree that there was enough with that theme to do all the stuff that we do in Homecoming. So, we kind of ended up workshopping an idea. They thought of the idea of ‘At the Movies’ and then I thought that it might be more fun to work on this vintage car [and other] drivein things,” MPSH Activities Director Elizabeth Valero said.

In addition to spirit days, MPSH also hosted the annual Panther Prowl and Varsity Homecoming football game. Aligning with the theme of the drive-in, the Homecoming Car Parade made a return after many years.

Both Panther Prowl and the Homecoming dance were sold out, making this year’s Homecoming one of the biggest and most successful.

Ava Stuzin

News Editor

a.stuzin.thepanther@gmail.com

Aayana Baid Copy Editor

a.baid.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY ISABELLA LAGARTO PHOTOS BY EMILIA HAUS, ISABELLA LAGARTO, ELLA WEHMEYER, LILIANNE FERNANDEZ & PAULINA HANDAL

Senior Ziyah McGriff walks down the field, running for Homecoming Queen, with her escort, senior Jack Proulx.

“Even though it was impromptu [bringing] Jack, that was still fun in itself,” McGriff said. McGriff has wanted to run for Homecoming Court ever since being eligible, and the big smile on her face proves so. “I’ve been going to homecoming since 10 grade…and it’s one of my favorite events because I get to put on a dress and hang out with friends and dance,” McGriff said.

16 | SPORTS

COVERING ALL THE BASES

:

Mpsh's new sports network

Miami Palmetto Senior High has a wide variety of sports teams and athletes.

Dozens of sports ranging from the Friday night lights of the football field to the dirt trails of cross country, allow for students to pursue their passions in the athletic realm.

As an effort for maximum coverage of all MPSH sports, The Panther Sports Network was founded this school year. But PSN is not only an Instagram account, it is also a brand new class and overarching initiative.

Every sixth period, students walk into MPSH’s Digital Design classroom, under Becker Downie’s instruction, with the goal of promoting MPSH’s sports and student-athletes. PSN covers all sports and their activities, like a volleyball game’s final scores or individual golf scores. Anything sports-related at MPSH can be found on the PSN Instagram account: @panthersportsnetwork_mpsh.

“The class uses a digital design background,” Downie said. “We mainly use Adobe Express to do everything in class.”

Students involved in the behind-thescenes of the network create their own digital designs, working with coaches and staff for each sport to implement photography and statistics to each post.

Similar to Journalism and Television Production, PSN bases itself upon student leadership.

“I help oversee and produce our posts that we put on Instagram and also make sure that everyone who is assigned to do a design does it,” Senior and PSN President Justin Corman said. “Basically [the board of PSN] helps make everything run smoothly in class.”

PSN, in alignment with it being a student-run class, has a board with standard positions like Historian or Treasurer. They hold a variety of important tasks, such as keeping posts on schedule and getting photos from coaches and teams to keep the class moving.

“PSN has been very dedicated to their work on giving credit to the people that represent the school,” MPSH sophomore and Varsity golfer Geoffrey Laklak said. “Me being a golfer, they have helped grow the sport to many people who thought it wasn’t for them, I have definitely been getting recognition from kids I don’t even know so I think PSN is doing a great job.”

Going forward, PSN has big plans.

They currently do not have their own photography equipment and rely on each team’s media, but in the future, PSN aims to have photographers go out and document these games and events.

Currently, plans are in the works to start a podcast about all of the sports going on at MPSH. While PSN has only been up and running since the start of the 2023-2024

school year, the staff are encouraged with the positive response so far and have exciting plans for the future to help promote MPSH’s sports.

“It took a short amount of time to gain a lot of followers, and the interactions on Instagram have been very good,” Corman said. “This is just a sneak peak of what is next to come for this spring and future seasons.”

Justin Fechter Staff Writer

j.fechter.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY JORDAN LEVY PHOTOS BY JAKE HAWKINS & ALEXIS JAMES

SPORTS | 17

MPSH’s Swim Team One Lap At a Time

For Miami Palmetto Senior High’s 21-member swim team, their morning routines start the same as any other students’. Yet, when the afternoon bell rings, the squad packs up their goggles, towels and sneakers and heads to Miami-Dade College for practice. With a nearly 30-minute drive from MPSH, this fall sport requires more than a mere splash of dedication.

The team consists of experienced club swimmers, first-timers and reigning champions carrying numerous titles. Like most athletic teams at MPSH, student captains have a valuable role to play. For senior and boys’ captain Nicolas Cerda, this means meticulously planning each practice — unique to each member’s ability, experience and areas for improvement.

“I have to go above and beyond. Me and my co-captain have to write sets for our school practice. We have to really pay attention to the kids who are just starting out, the freshmen and the sophomores. We have to pay attention to the way they are swimming and critique the way they swim now,” Cerda said. “We also have to cater practices to the way someone swims, their skill set and how good they are at the time.”

Though the squad enjoys spending time together, 3:30 p.m. means go time. The swimmers tighten their goggles and get serious for practice.

“Practices start at 3:30, and at 3:15 we usually all get there. We start warming up on land with simple things like running around and stretching to get our muscles going. At 3:30 we start hopping in the pool, we do some basic warmups before we get into the more intense stuff and after we either have a regular practice with sets, or we might start doing specific things that we need to fix or we need to prepare for a meet,” junior and Co-Captain Vasyl Romankiv said.

This season has led to new experiences for all members of the team. For Romankiv, taking on the role as a co-captain has led to new responsibility, especially when it comes time for meets.

“Me and the other captain, Nico, help our coach look at the list and decide what would be best for that meet based on interests and

capabilities, plus the team’s best interest,” Romankiv said. “For some of our newer swimmers, we like to give them a shot, so we will put them in some events to see where they are at, and actually sometimes we see they are very good where they are performing so we eventually bring them up into higher relay orders.”

Though the MPSH swimmers only meet twice weekly for practice, the sport itself requires unwavering commitment. Those a part of separate club teams have a more demanding schedule, participating in frequent 4 a.m. practice sessions before school.

“We practice every day, Monday through Saturday…It is definitely a lot more commitment. The higher group has two practices in one day. For clubs, they move you up by your age. When you turn 15, they have 4 a.m. practices and 5 p.m. practices,” freshman Varsity and Club Swimmer Anabella Alfonso said.

Not only do meets offer the chance to test new styles, but they are the root of friendships sparked within the team and fostered by events, such as relays.

“Relays are usually four people and it is based off of speed or best strokes. The relays get made, and even if you don’t know the person [in your group], you end up having to talk to them and that is how the conversation starts and then you become friends,” Alfonso said.

For Alfonso, meets are a place for her passion to culminate with her teammates’ encouragement, fostering a place for success.

“We like to be together, show off our Palmetto spirit. Our cheer has always been our favorite thing. It is kind of unique… One person, usually the loudest, will say ‘Palmetto, what is your profession?’ Then we go, ‘Panthers on Three, Panthers on Three,”’ Alfonso said.

Amy-Grace Shapiro Editor-in-Chief

a.shapiro.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY JORDAN LEVY PHOTOS BY WILLIAM ALBURY & ALEXIS JAMES

18 | OPINION

The Secret Code: A Miami Kid’s Guide to Music and Identity “Nunca estamos quietos, somos trashumantes / Somos padres, hijos, nietos y bisnietos de inmigrantes / Es más mío le que sueño que lo que toco / Yo no soy de aquí / Pero tú tampoco / De ningún lado del todo / De todos lados un poco” — “Moviemiento,” Jorge Drexler.

Kids born with any ounce of Latin American blood are raised with a special talent: the ability to fall asleep at any family party despite the blasting music lasting until the early hours of the morning.

While the type of music playing depends on that particular family’s country of origin, it all has typically one thing in common — the Spanish language. Whether it be salsa, bachata, rock, reggaeton or any musical niche in between, kids raised in Latin American households go into the world with the built-in knowledge of movement, rhythm and culture associated with the deep roots of music in Spanish.

In my circumstance, being raised in a household hodge-podge of culture has given me a slice of both the American and Latin American pies. With a father from Ecuador and a step-father from Panama, despite their regional differences, their similarities in age have resulted in me being raised around a very specific era of music — Rock en Español.

The defining sounds of ‘80s and ‘90s rock music in Spanish, including Soda Stereo, Maná, Hombres G, Carlos Santana, Café Tacvba and many more, are the sounds that radiated from my dad’s CD collection throughout my early childhood and plague my stepdad’s high-tech internal sound system today. Being raised with this close attachment and familiarity to music in Spanish, I can appreciate it in its many forms — from boleros of all kinds to reggaeton rhythms radiating through any party scene.

With this in mind, being born and raised in Miami has made me lucky enough to share this experience with several other kids my age with similar backgrounds, always knowing who can be counted on to get up and start moving at the sound of a clave or dem bow beat — a kind of invisible string or alliance. Miami’s cultural melting pot of an atmosphere has those you would never expect to know the words to a Bad Bunny song belting each and every lyric to “Después de la Playa” on the

dancefloor at Homecoming. These kids are the true result of what it means to live in a metropolitan city like Miami: you would never suspect them to be so largely in the know about the cultures surrounding them in their day-to-day lives. Only in a place like Miami can someone go to their friends’ houses and hear such a large variety of languages within each family — from English to Hebrew, to Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Mandarin and so many more.

Even from a business perspective, considering the concept of Latino “crossover” artists — those who have made it to fame in both their respective countries and the U.S. — such as Shakira, Bad Bunny, J Balvin and others, their fame has eliminated the idea of these markets being secular to only Spanish or English music. In Shakira’s case, producing much of her music in both English and Spanish has allowed her to experience massive success with audiences in both Latin America and the U.S., combining Latin American music with American popular culture and becoming a worldwide sensation. A truly globalized field, the music industry has seen massive changes in such short amounts of time regarding its distribution and shifts in means of consumption — from vinyls and cassette tapes to CDs, Apple Music, Spotify and so many other revolutionary platforms for listening.

So, in honor of the recently concluded Hispanic Heritage Month, take a moment to embrace the culturally-rich, eccentric, lively environment we as Miamians call home. Take advantage of the universal sounds, pick up some Spanglish. Stop and listen to the music; take in the pulsating rhythms and move your body — you never know who might ask you to dance.

Sara Paredes

Senior Copy Editor

s.paredes.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY SAVANNA BYLES

OPINION | 19

YES:

The first week of October looms like a storm cloud over many high school senior’s head, awaiting the thunderclap that is the class rank release. At Miami Palmetto Senior High, whose graduating class consists of about 700 students, the official rank date was released and masses of kids lined up after school outside of the main office, anxiously waiting for their counselors to call them in and declare their fate.

Though class rank is not calculated until the fall of senior year, working toward being in the top 10, five or even one percent is an ongoing competition all throughout high school. This promotes a culture of toxicity, as students are constantly trying to outdo their peers by pushing themselves to take as many Advanced Placement, Honors and Dual Enrollment classes as possible, to the point that they cannot handle their own course load.

While students may think that taking the most difficult classes will increase their rank, it often does the opposite; the classes can become overwhelming, causing their academic performance to diminish which often leads to a decline in the student’s mental health.

While some argue that class rank is an accurate measure of a student’s academic performance, it disregards circumstances that may have afflicted the student’s GPA. If a student experienced a period of ill health or family problems, colleges would purely see a dip in grade performance and make their own assumptions without the full story.

In addition, others often argue that without class rank, the highest-performing students falling within the top percentiles would not receive the recognition they deserve. However, ranking highly in one’s graduating class is not the only defining characteristic of a highachieving student: colleges also take into account honors, awards, letters of recommendation and more. By eliminating class rank, less importance would be placed on students to compete for the highest GPA, providing them with opportunities to further enjoy their high school years.

Jasmine Judge

Business Manager

FACEOFF:

NO:

j.judge.thepanther@gmail.com

DESIGN BY SAVANNA BYLES

SHOULD CLASS RANK BE ELIMINATED?

Class rankings are an important metric for colleges to use in order to understand how a student performed in school, relative to their peers. High schools calculate their weighted GPA differently and having a class rank lets universities know where a student’s GPA falls within the context and academic environment of their school.

Getting rid of class rank will not remove the reality that some students perform better in class than others, it would just avoid the topic. Class ranking at Miami Palmetto Senior High is calculated by percentile and nobody can know definitively what their numeric rank is. Instead, students are provided with an incentive to study hard and take rigorous courses in their high school years, promoting a healthy, objective form of competition within a class. Therefore, class ranking also gives students something to aim for, such as reaching a certain percentile to be able to wear special stoles at graduation.

Class rankings are pure calculation. When it comes to awards, honors and letters of recommendation, there is room for bias or favoritism. With class ranking, a student earns what they deserve and while feelings of anxiety for those three years leading up to the ranking announcements are valid, the student’s weighted GPA was in their hands the whole time. There are certainly other factors and circumstances, such as ill health or family problems, which can hurt a student’s GPA. However, colleges will take those factors into consideration, for example, through the “Additional Information” section of the Common Application, which allows students to discuss how certain hardships have affected their academics.

Taking away the ability for a school’s highest achieving students to have a way of communicating that aspect of their academic profile to colleges does not help anybody.

Students should instead accept that, from the first steps they take on campus, they will have to embrace the competition if they wish to stand out academically.

Daniel Perodin Feature Editor

d.perodin.thepanther@gmail.com

PHOTOS BY SETH CLARIN

OPINION | 1

20 | DONATIONS

Special Thanks To Our Donors!

The Judge Family The Hewitt-Carmona Family The Baid Family The Clarin Family Jacquie O’Malley Andrea Carneiro The Haus-Duran Family Catherine Bonilla Lourdes Martin Barry Levitt Ida Chacon Alicia Hamilton Leslie Webb The Shapiro Family Chelsea Wilkerson Helen Garcia Marisel Strohmeier The Albury Family Sara Wehmeyer Lauren Hawkins Ana Harris Joshua Harris Amy Levy Natalie Snyder April Stuzin The Perodin Family Jill Davis Katz Stephanie Langer Lisa James Irene G. Fernandez Zachary Silverman Santosh Govindaraju

CONTENTS | 21

Letter from the Editors Welcome to the first issue of our 66 edition of The Panther! We are excited to cover the 2023-2024 school year with our student body, staff and surrounding community. We aim to emulate Palmetto’s spirit and passion through the pages of our print issues as we have since 1958!

Our dedicated team of writers, photographers and editors are excited to bring you the latest news, feature stories, event coverage and more. We invite you to contact us with your ideas, stories and concerns. Your involvement makes our newspaper a true reflection of our school’s spirit and diversity.

In today’s fast-paced digital age, journalism remains a pillar of our society, essential for fostering informed, active and empathetic communities. As high school journalists, we recognize the enduring importance of journalism in shaping public opinion, holding power accountable and amplifying voices that may otherwise go unheard. In an era of information overload, reliable journalism serves as a guiding light, sifting through flashy headlines to deliver accurate and balanced reporting. Journalism equips us with the knowledge and context we need to understand the complexities of our world, empowering us to actively participate in shaping a better future. The Panther strives to uphold these fundamental values, recognizing that journalism not only informs but also unites, educates and inspires, making it more relevant and vital than ever before.

As we embark on this new school year, we encourage you to stay engaged and curious. Your experiences and perspectives are invaluable, and we look forward to hearing from you. To our teachers, parents and the wider school community, we extend our gratitude. Your support inspires us to reach new heights in journalism and storytelling.

SINCERELY, Editor-in-Chief

Print Editor-in-Chief

Online Editor-in-Chief

the

PANTHER STAFF

Editor-In-Chief

Amy-Grace Shapiro

Print Editor-In-Chief Isabella Hewitt

Online Editor-In-Chief Sofia Strohmeier

Managing Editor Ava Garcia

Senior Copy Editor Sara Paredes

Senior Multimedia Editor Emilia Haus

Senior Design Editor Isabella Lagarto

Business Manager Jasmine Judge

Feature Editor

Daniel Perodin

Contents Editor Nicole Martin

News Editor Ava Stuzin

Life Editor

Gabriella Alvarez

Sports Editor

Edie Carneiro

STAFF EDITORIAL As students walked into school this year, confusion spread as sudden changes were made to a crucial aspect of their identities– their names. A new Florida law came into effect, prohibiting teachers from using any name not stated on the child’s birth certificate; parents must provide written consent for teachers to use any form of nicknames. This is one element of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Law, better known as the “Don’t Say Gay’’ Bill that continues to negatively affect students’ comfortability in school.

Going to school every day and not being able to present one’s true self is one of the various issues with this new law. It places a target on a magnitude of students, specifically transgender ones.

Not having the ability to call a student a nickname also brings in the use of preferred pronouns. Because of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, teachers can not refer to students’ preferred pronouns. The public school system has far more dire issues to attend to, including the ongoing teacher shortage and gun violence in schools.

Without change, these students will never feel welcomed; instead, they will continue to feel constantly invalidated by the large steps Florida continues to take back in time. It is 2023; all LGBTQ+ students should be granted the same rights and freedoms as anyone else. A name might seem like a minor detail within one’s identity, but for some people, those letters hold a deeper meaning. Those letters represent their ability to be the best version of themselves. This new law limits that freedom, reflecting the need for change within Florida legislation.

Opinion Editor

Brooke Wilensky

Video Editor

Madeline Volpe

Multimedia Team

William Albury Seth Clarin Ella Wehmeyer Jake Hawkins Alexis James Paulina Handal Lilianne Fernandez

Design Team

Luna Garcia Mia Shields Jordan Levy Savanna Byles

Copy Team

Anna Levitt Aayana Baid Eleanor Harris Sophia Snyder

Staff Writer

Justin Fechter

Adviser

Laura Aviles

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MISSON STATEMENT The Panther staff aims to inform fellow students and parents about school-wide, local, national, and international news. The Panther’s content aims to represent the student body.

Editorials feature the opinions of staffers. Features of other students, teachers and clubs further promote the spirit, culture and personality of Miami Palmetto Senior High School.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Panther is a monthly publication of Miami Palmetto Senior High located at 7431 SW 120th Street Miami, FL 33156, (305) 235-1360 ext. 1124. The views expressed are solely those of The Panther staff. Students who wish to respond to an article in this publication or discuss another issue may write letters to the editor and submit them to room 1124 or e-mail us at a.shapiro. thepanther@gmail.com. The Panther has professional membership in NSPA and CSPA. The Panther prints 1,100 copies per issue for distribution. The Panther is distributed for free to all students in school. Please visit our paper online at thepalmettopanther.com.

BYLINE POLICY:

All creative work (such as illustrations, graphics, photos and writing) excluding staff editorials and staff member pictures will include byline credits.

ADVERTISING POLICY:

Ads will be designed by the advertiser and include all information the advertiser wants included. If the advertiser asks the staff to design the ad, the individual who sold the ad will design the ad or the Ads Manager will. Ads will be approved by EICs, the Adviser and the Ads Manager. If an ad produced is illegible, contains false information, or the advertiser does not like it, they will receive a free ad in the next issue. If you would like to advertise, please contact us.

The School Board shall comply with all Federal Laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination and all requirements and regulations of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Board will enforce its prohibition against discrimination/harassment based on sex, race, color, ethnic, or national origin, religion, marital status, disability, age, political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender, gender identification, social and family background, linguistic preference, pregnancy and any other basis prohibited by law. The Board shall maintain an educational and work environment free from all forms of discrimination/harassment, which includes Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX prohibits sexual harassment and other sexual misconduct such as unwelcome touching, graphic verbal comments, sexual jokes, slurs, gestures or pictures. All students, administrators, teachers, staff, and all other school personnel share responsibility for avoiding, discouraging, and reporting any form of prohibited discrimination or harassment against students by employees, other students and their parents or guardians, or third parties. This policy prohibits discrimination and harassment at all School District operations, programs, and activities on school property, or at another location if it occurs during an activity sponsored by the Board.