“It was my first time going and it was very cozy feeling and i felt the pumpkins were very enjoyable,” Nickolas Cirigliano(‘23) said.
Long regarded as purely academic and intangible to all but the literary masters, literature has been confined to textbooks and classrooms and students have not seen it for what it truly is: art. Students in Mr. Vanno’s “Creative Writing 3” and “Lit in Media” classes are working towards making literature more accessible on campus and sharing its beauty and versatility.
One of the ways the class aims to promote the literary arts is through their Literary Magazine, (LitMag for short) “Equinox.”
Entirely student-run with Mr. Vanno as their adviser, the “Equinox” contains not just traditional literature (such as poems,) but also visual arts.
The theme for the first “Zine” of the year is “Summer Shine.” Niamh
Kirkwood (‘23), editor in chief of “Equinox,” discusses the vision the class has for its 2022 debut,
“Everyone broke off over summer...did different things, people wrote over summer, people drew over summer...it’s a way to put all of those elements into one Zine and to show everyone has their own experiences,” Kirkwood said.
After months of hard work, “Summer Shine” came together. The final magazine contains various poems, short writing samples, paintings, and even photography, all the work in the “Zine” reflects the summer experiences of students across many demographics. Mr. Vanno, the adviser of “Equinox” adds, “Students are so used to being given literature... they’re used to getting other people’s expansion
of ideas, this gives them the opportunity to actually be a part of that process and the one giving the ideas out.”
Emily Harris (‘24) the magazine’s layout editor
but I think my favorite part is just getting to create something to show other people and have it be filled with things that I care about,” Harris said.
widely underrepresented and misunderstood. The class hopes to bridge that gap by expanding the literary horizons of the student body.
“Writing isn’t scary,” said Mr. Vanno, “there’s more than one way to voice an opinion; it can be through their voice, through a story, through a poem, even through digital design, they can say what they want to say.”
and Kirkwood discuss what Equinox means to them, “Equinox is equality, it’s a place where everyone is equal to share their ideas.”
shares her favorite parts of working on the magazine, “Honestly, I love all of it,
Sharing a love for literature, the editors and staff all believe that it is
Jaylin Camacho staff reporter
Hispanic Heritage month is widely celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct.15, and is a time to celebrate important history, influential figures, culture, and ancestors that came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Hispanic Heritage month can be celebrated by anyone and allows people to come together and recognize one another’s diversity and divergent backgrounds. Though, some thought of the celebration to be skeptical due to the controversial term “Hispanic,” which refers to a person descended from Spanish settlers in the Southwest before it was annexed to the U.S. However, despite all the controversy people tended to disregard it and still come together to celebrate it’s Importance and long-lived tradition.
Trystan Capille (‘23), a member of the Spanish
National Honor Society and cross country leader, expressed what he thought about the long lived tradition.
“It’s not an important time of the month to me but I hope to really learn about the history behind it,” Capille said.
Certain parts of communities across the nation celebrate it and teach others what it is about this tradition’s importance. Except for schools, the teachings of not only Hispanic heritage month, but black history month are not talked about much in the classroom.
“Schools shouldn’t talk about it only because it isn’t fair to others as they don’t celebrate other ethnicities,” Capille said. This time of the month allows not only Spanish descendants but others to accept their history and accomplishments.
Isabella Torres (‘23), who is of Spanish descent, had a different view on what this time of the month means to her.
“It’s about celebrating
and representing the Spanish community and gives us our time to shine.”
Torres also says, “Because of how people are these days with racism it creates conflict and misunderstanding and I continue to hope others see what accomplishments Hispanic people made and how far we’ve come”
The traditional month reminds one another not only to celebrate others but also to remember and always celebrate who they are.
Torres also believes “The school system should talk about it more and every race and every ethnicity should get their representation and recognition but the school doesn’t want to because of the community we stay in the stereotypical people society makes everyone out to be, but I believe if we all got our representation and came together we would all be happy people.”
Even though the world may have different points of views and Differ beliefs,
the community manages to come together and support one another.
Ian McCollum (‘23), states that even though he doesn’t know much about this tradition he believes. “Schools shouldn’t talk about it because it would cause controversy and everyone at the end of the day is gonna have their own opinion and it would be a mess.”
Hispanic heritage month is a long-lived tradition still to this day that allows people who are willing to understand one another’s accomplishments and traditions to come together and put aside their differences. Hispanic heritage month reflects contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements for the United States. It’s celebrated for recognizing the contributions and Influence of history, culture and achievements of Hispanic Americans and their ancestors amongst the years.
With “Summer Shine” magazine being a success, the class moves towards their next Zine, “Changes,” a fall edition of the Equinox, following their theme of moving through the seasons. With the class size for “Equinox” having almost doubled this year, these young writers look toward furthering their goal of making literature accessible.
With a year full of literary inspiration ahead, Harris
Another section that this class runs to help promote literature is poetry readings. The most recent one having happened on Oct. 3, students went up to the microphone and shared a piece of literature, such as a story, a song, or a poem. Laura Thapaliya (‘24) shares her experience with poetry readings,
“I mostly like to share poetry I write, but every so often I’ll share something from one of my favorite poets, Erin Hanson,” Thapaliya said.
Encouraged by a welcoming community created by “Equinox” and the poetry readings, more and more students are now finding a love for literature within themselves.
National English Honor Society Schulaski
a.m.
Ecology/ Fishing Club Koslin Room 323
Game Club Dotson/ Taube Room 324 Thursdays 3 p.m.
Speech and Debate Swenson Room 524
Last Friday
YouthBeats Vanno Room 330
Thursdays 7:55 a.m.
Student Council Besack Room 721 2nd and 4th Thursdays
Spanish NHS Orrego Room 327 4th Wednesday
Mattox Sartori Editor
On Friday, Oct. 7, the J.W Mitchell Mustangs faced off against the Villages Charter creating a victory for the homecoming game. While the players of the football team were working diligently for the win, students on the JW Mitchell band performed throughout the night hyping the spectators and players, contributing to the win. Gabby Setta (‘24), quarter master on the Band team, expresses how she feels her team helps benefit the football players.
“I believe our band has an impact on how the football players do, because we are providing upbeat music to support them and every time they score, we play our fight
song in celebration of that,”
Setta said.
Throughout the night whenever a play would end in the game, the band team would start up and play their music, up until the players were ready and back on the field, creating a positive and exciting atmosphere for the mustangs.
Abby Herbage (‘23), band captain explains her and her bands overall performance during the game.
“The band brings a lot of excitement to football games. We’ve even had players come over to the stands and tell us to play louder. I believe the team plays better when the band is present to cheer them on. We have a joke that the only reason why the football team has lost so far this season is
because the band was not there. It was different to perform this year with the new director (Mr. Middlebrook). He has made the band program so much better overall. Everyone in the band loves him and the positivity he brings!
With the new director in place this year, their performance has not yet to degrade, rather than be taught new things that will benefit their performances.
Setta discusses how it is performing with a new director.
“The only thing that is different about performing with a new band director is getting to know them and how they teach,” Setta said.
Being taught new techniques, students on the band will be able to take what they learned from their old director and improve
with the strategies from the new director. The band has already started the year out strong with minor difficulties getting in the way, but other than that they have been able to perform to their best abilities.
Students share ways that they like to spend their halloween, and how they plan on spending it
Karma Eltelety Staff reporterAs the fall and Halloween season arrive, people start looking for ways to get into the holiday spirit. There are many ways to celebrate this season. The typical celebrations that go on during the month of October are trick or treating, pumpkin carving, and visiting haunted houses.
The most traditional way to celebrate Halloween is trick or treating. Whether one hands out candy or collects it, this tradition is statistically the most popular. 66% of people hand out candy, 25% take children trick or treating, and 12% gather candy
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on their own. Asa Torrey (24’) talks about how he enjoys taking advantage of the free candy during this time of year.
“I like to go to the take one bowls, and take the whole bowl” Torrey said.
People who choose to partake in this holiday can pursue more than one task to participate in on this day. Torrey shares his evening plans for the day of October 31st.
“I want to go to Halloween horror nights at Busch Gardens dressed as the red Teletubby,” Torrey said.
Haunted houses and trick or treating are the events most
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I am very proud of your hardwork so far this year! I love you boo boo!
(‘25)
Thank you for being my sweetest of friends <3
participated in during this month. Though there are other ways to get festive. Emily Harris (24’) enjoys the more laid-back aspect of this holiday.
“I usually like to have a little costume party with friends or hang out at each other’s house, bake cookies, carve pumpkins, things like that,” Harris said.
Halloween can be celebrated outside in a social scene but also inside with treats and friends. Either way the spirit can be easily found. Celebrations during this month range very broadly from person to person, like people who enjoy visiting haunted houses and people who would
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rather host home parties. There are many ways to participate in the month of the jack-o-lantern.
As Herbage said, Mr. Middlebrook has made the program much better overall, meaning that throughout the year once the band members adjust to the new ways of being taught, we should expect excellence from the band.
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Happy Halloween!
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Thank
Thanks
Happy Halloween!
After a week of homecoming activities and dress-up days with themes dedicated to iconic time periods, students shift to prepare for the 2022 Back to the Future-themed dance taking place on Oct.
8. From detailed rituals and emerging trends influencing the new style of homecoming attire, modernized high school dance culture leaves the young women and men of J.W. Mitchell High School scrambling to get ready and make the best impression they can at homecoming.
Starting the day off early, Courtney Thurber (’23), prepares for what she anticipates to be a lengthy process for her
last homecoming, with an annual tradition celebrated by her and her friends.
“My friends and I always get Starbucks at 10 am each year on the day of homecoming. From there, I plan on spending the whole day getting ready with the two girls I’m going with. My hair normally takes me an hour and my face makeup definitely takes an hour. Getting ready is probably the hardest part of the day. Putting on the dress is the easiest part, which takes about 5 minutes, so I’d say I’m going to be getting ready for about three, maybe four hours,” Thurber said.
As popular social media platforms continue to take root among teenagers, apps like TikTok and Pinterest provide a wide selection of “get ready with me” tutorials and fashion inspiration that many reference while cultivating a trendy outfit for such a big event.
Ava Connors (’23), appreciates the change in homecoming dresses over the years and plans to incorporate some of her favorite styles into her look.
“For my hair, I really wanted to try out the gelled, slick back look that’s been popular for the past couple of months. I’m really excited to see how it turns out with my whole outfit,” Connors said.
With the extensive range of diverse dresses available at stores such as Windsor, Lucy in the Sky, and Dillard’s, along with the time consumed by hair appointments and detailed makeup looks, the extent to which guys go to compose the perfect homecoming look is rarely recognized. Eric Kersey (’24), describes his thoughts on stereotypes that guys don’t care when it comes to formal events like these while getting ready for his first high school dance.
“I mean [the stereotypes] are kind of true, I didn’t do much. I got ready by showering, making sure my mustache was shaved, and putting on cologne. I also put curling cream in my hair which I don’t normally do,” Kersey said. “ I decided to wear a black suit with a pink buttonup to match my girlfriend’s dress and my dad helped me pick the clothes and shoes out at Dillard’s.”
To try their best, same thing I do with my kids at home. As long as they’re trying their best and giving their best effort. I get disappointed when kids are lazy or just don’t even try.
Matt DurchickTo always give their best at the end of the day.
Mrs.Perkins
Cooperation and collaboration. I’m not here to be a dictator, I’m here to provide and foster a healthy educational environment.
Mrs. KaelinDespite the many routines and durations it took everyone to get ready, the homecoming dance equally surprised the students by featuring a 360º photo booth, a wide range of food options, and a DJ that played songs from every decade. The night marked the completion of one of many dances to be attended for the 2022-2023 school year.
Courtney Thurber (‘23) starts to prepare herself early, for her last high scool homecoming at J.W Mitchell, on Oct. 8.
Photo taken by Cassidy Thurber (‘24)
I expect them to be attentive and work hard.
Mr. MiddlebrookTo remember that classroom procedures are designed for your success.
Mr. Oliveri
I thought [homecoming] was pretty fun. My favorite part was getting ready with my friends and taking pictures and going to Chilis after.
It felt really good [to be on hoco court], because it was just a really great experience. It was a lot of fun getting ready and getting to represent my grade.
I feel sad because I keep saying things like ‘oh next year I’ll do this,’ but then there’s not really a next year. I’m sad, but I’m ready to go
[My favorite day was] probably character day especially because it was characters from our childhood and I feel like everybody had a lot of the same shows that they watched as a kid, so it almost kind of unified everybody.
I would say that my favorite activity from the week was Rodeo games. It was nice to see because the school spirit has progressively increased, so I think that was really cool to see. I feel like it made me appreciate everything more as well because it just made me realize what a great school this has been for the past four years. The people here have been amazing and it was a good way to end Homecoming.
[My favorite part of powderpuff was] probably doing the pyramid. [Homecoming] was really fun, I liked the vibe of it. [My favorite part was] probably dressing up for different days. [My favorite game was] the Western day, and Rodeo games.
It was a lot of fun and it was definitely a lot because they had us do a lot of practices. Honestly winning was really good because we put so much work into it and actually being able to win was good.
My favorite part was getting to wear my blue velvet dress and walk down the field. It was fun walking with Emanuel because we are good friends.
With football season coming to a close, the cheer team is gearing up for the fast approaching competition season. This October the girls are preparing for their first competition in January. As a team of 23 girls, seniors: Riley Yablecki, Arianna Comito, Malesa Zullo, and Natalie Reynolds lead the team as captains.
Yablecki entered her last year in high school cheer ready to practice and perform on the sidelines and is ready for competition season.
“We go over all of our cheers, chants, dances, and stunts in our practices throughout the
week, before Friday. We like to also practice how loud we are, because it’s a big thing for the “Stang Gang’’ to be able to hear us. I like the sideline better just because I love football. It’s one of my favorite sports,” Yablecki said.
The chants heard by the “Stang Gang’’ are decided by the captains then learned and rehearsed as a team during their Wednesday practices. During games each captain has a row to lead through the night. As the team practices their cheers they will go into competition season as a non tumbling team; meaning they will only be doing stunts. This will be their second year competing as a non tumbling team.
Elianna Chalela (’24) looks forward to her third year on the team and her first full competition season.
“I just quit my outside cheer, so I’m excited to know what it’s like to not do two teams at once, as now I can focus more on high school cheer. I like going to the competitions because of potentially winning and the feeling before going on. It’s really fun,” Chalela said.
Last year the girls won second in states, this year they hope to win first and have been working on having extra spirit and better teamwork. During Football season it has become a tradition to have a team dinner at one of the senior’s houses before home games.
Jillian Donaldson (’25) looks forward to the competition season as the team has been practicing on bonding.
“[The dinners have] made our bond stronger. It has definitely helped us to sit down with our stunt groups and get closer with them. I think as a whole we all get along very well,” Donaldson
said.
Even with only a few games left in fall football, our girls will be continuing to prepare through the year until their first competition in January. With high hopes the team continues to practice as they want to end the competition season in March with a win.
The seniors on the Varsity Football defense describe their last year on the team
Bella Melby-Mazzei sports editorCarter Fields (‘23) is a cornerback on the Varsity Football team, joining the varsity team in his sophomore year. Fields’ best game happened against Wiregrass High School when he had three tackles and three pass breakups.
“[Progression of defense has] been up and down towards the beginning of this season, but right now we’re all starting to come together,” Fields said.
Johnnie “JJ” Jackson (‘23) is a cornerback, and he talks about some of the strengths that the
defense has when on the field.
“It’s our ability to communicate with each other on and off the field, and we just got love for each other,” Jackson said.
Javan Baggott (‘23) transferred to Mitchell from River Ridge and joined the Varsity team in his sophomore year. He is an outside linebacker, and as of Oct. 7, has 46 total tackles. He became a captain of defense this year.
“Being a captain you have a voice and you can get people in the right mindset and know someone listens to you,” Baggott said.
During the game, the defense has to work together. The team is
constantly working on improving.
“[To be a team member, you have to be] someone that other people can rely on; like they won’t have to worry about what I’m doing, they can focus on what they’re doing,” Fields said.
One of the things that stands out about the defense to Coach Justin Fenton (FAC) is how well the team can adjust to their opponents and the new schedule.
“This season is going well, we’ve had to deal with a different district and different teams and our schedule is a lot harder than what has been the last couple of years. We’ve had different
challenges through the season like the Wiregrass game. We had a totally different offense than, say, the Land O’ Lakes game,”
Coach Fenton said.
As of Oct. 7, the Varsity Football team’s record is 4-3. The next game is on Oct. 21, against Spingstead at home.
Carter Fields (‘23) gets ready to get in position to defend against The Villages Charter on Oct. 7, at their homecoming game. The team ended up winning with a score of 30-20. “[The defenses greatest strength is] reading what the offense is gonna do before they do it, and coverage,” Fields said.
The Cross County team successfully navigates the season’s meets
As the cross country team finishes their race one by one, the sound of proud parents, fellow teammates, and
supporting students cheering them on carries all the way to the finish line. After running an exhausting 5000-meter race, the team stands together and relishes their day’s accomplishments nearly every Saturday beginning in the
August heat. When asked who to interview on the team, Coach Parmenter had a line of Juniors on the top of his list. Brenton Lovely (’24) was one of the first to be mentioned. While it is just his first year on the team, he is already reaching spectacular times with his personal record being 18:18. Lovely recalls positive past memories and shares his future hopes for the team following the Mitchell Invitational.
“We’re going to show up, show out, and prove to everybody that Mitchell is the best school,”
As the boy’s varsity cross country team prepares for their Sept. 10th meet at 8:30 a.m., they do stretches and paint their faces as a way of warming up. They gather under the team tent and await making their way over to the starting line.
Lovely stated.
Achilles Abbas (’24), another first-year cross-country athlete, has also had major success with the sport, setting new personal records meet after meet.
“My goals for this year are to improve my time and stay on varsity, obviously,” Abbas said. “So far, I think it’s been going pretty great. It’s been fun and I’ve gotten a lot better.”
Brady Pavlica (’24), a two-year returning member of the team enthusiastically described the loving family environment he shares with the rest of his team. Their pre-meet traditions and post-game rituals stand out from the rest.
“We all have a giant, big group hug and then we make wolf sounds. These really loud wolf sounds scare off everybody and we draw on each other’s faces with makeup. I drew a happy face on one cheek and a sad face on the other one,” Pavlica said.
While Lovely, Abbas, and
Pavlica had all stated that their favorite course to run on so far this season was Lecanto at St.Leo, Hunter Viens (’24) had differing opinions favoring the River Ridge Course despite the challenges that arose there.
“I tweaked my knee and fell in a puddle and I was injured for a week before I was able to come back,” Viens said in between laughs. “River Ridge just went really fast.”
Being notably one of the faster athletes on the team, Viens ran his new best time this season at 18:00 and has goals to break 17 minutes on a 5000-meter. He will likely continue to push on this year and even join again his senior year.
Overall, the junior boys on this year’s cross country time have stood together and remained successful through challenges and hardships. With states coming up, the boys look like they have a bright future ahead of them.
Making a splash, the swim and dive team, boys and girls, defeated River Ridge during their meet at the James P. Gills YMCA on Sept. 7. With this being both teams’ home pool and the years long rival, the meet was tense. Despite that, the final boys score 102-66 and the final girls score 133-34.
After being on the team since his freshman year, Gennaro Scarfogliero’s (‘23) reflects on his last season coming to a close, but he feels this is his best yet. He placed second in the 200yard individual medley (IM), which consists of 50-yards each of all four strokes, and third in the 100-yard butterfly.
“I was a little nervous before I got in the water because River
Gennaro Scarfogliero (‘23)
Ridge is a competitor for most sports.[They are] Mitchell’s rival for everything, but I knew we were going to do well. I’m happy we won against them for my last year,” Scarfogliero said.
Sabrina O’Grady (‘24) races 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle. After placing 1st in the 200 freestyle during the River Ridge meet, she also placed top 10 in the Pasco County Sunshine Athletic Conference on Oct. 8, which included ten different competing teams. The girls team placed first overall in the conference with a final tally score of 373.
“Without a doubt the girls team winning the conference [was my proudest moment this season]. For the last few years Sunlake and Land O’ Lakes have dominated the conference and this year we had very close meets against both teams. Going into
the season I was confident that the girls can win conference and they performed incredibly well and brought home the trophy,” Coach Sam Zondlo (FAC) said.
After an undefeated season for the girls, this win was the cherry on top.
“It was very exciting for the girls because this was the first time we won a conference in a long time. I’m proud of the team because with the difficulties we’ve faced we’ve done our best. We did a good job motivating each other by telling each other “it’ll be easy” and trying not to think about it too much,” Paulina Benitez (‘23) said.
As of Oct. 13 the girls team is undefeated and the boys team has 3 wins and 2 losses. Both the boys and girls teams are preparing for the district championship, which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 22.
Celebrating the school spirit around the halls, the anticipation of the annual powderpuff game and cheer happens every year during Homecoming week. The powderpuff game has been a school tradition since the 2000’s. Shannon Gigantelli (FAC) participated in this tradition in 2009, her senior year when she went to Mitchell.
“I really enjoy seeing this tradition still being around and all the hype around it still being there. My senior year my friends all played together, and it was great to be part of the winning team,” Gigantelli said.
This game encourages students to participate and celebrate the school during the homecoming week. Novalie David (‘24) the class of 2024 student council president participated in this event, but also was part of the process of organizing it.
for two years, this year was a first for many. A returning participant in this activity, and kicker for the Varsity football team, Julie Michaels (‘23) coached the senior class this year.
“We hadn’t had it since my freshman year so to have it my senior year made that much more special, to take part in this event one last time it truly was a core memory. I couldn’t have asked for a better senior game,” Michaels said.
put me in what they think we will do best in. I’ve been racing IM for 2 years now and I like it because it’s all four in one instead of doing the same thing every meet, it’s like I do all of them,” Scarfogliero said..
Walking onto the court, the seniors are celebrated one final time, being honored for all their arduous work and dedication to volleyball. Senior night celebrates how much they have put into this sport including long practices, extra training, and team bonding. Families, students, coaches, and friends all came to the game to recognize all the commitment these athletes have to this sport. Not only are they there to celebrate their importance on the team but they discuss their goals and ambitions for their future.
At the senior night game they defeated Hudson 3-0. Standing at 5’11, and four years of varsity experience, Caroline Knight (‘23) dominated the court with 21 kills. Surpassing the national average, ranking #1 for kills in the district, and #15 in the state, Knight has obtained 314 total kills during her high school career.
“Senior night was an incredibly special night for the seniors and the ceremony was done very well. I’m planning to continue playing volleyball in college,” Knight said.
With a career average of 5.7 assists per set, Ava Connors (‘23) showed off her skills during the Hudson game totaling 26 assists. After four years of playing on varsity, Connors’ high school volleyball career comes to an end.
“The whole night was so sad, it was like my whole 4 years of high school volleyball was over so fast, other than that the night was beautiful. I could not have asked for a better night.”
Janelle Lopez (‘23) has been on the team since her freshman and sophomore year as a JV first string player and is now finishing her last year of volleyball as a senior.
“I have played club and high school as well as beach volleyball keeping me in the sport all year round. My friends and
teammates have always pushed me as well as having amazing coaches along the way to make me reach my goals and continue my journey,” Lopez said. This nostalgic night created lasting memories for the seniors to be celebrated by their fellow teammates along with the families. The Varsity team will compete at the district championship on Oct. 18.
“It was fun getting to play with friends, including the ones I made in student council. I enjoyed getting to play a sport that I don’t normally do. It really took me out of my comfort zone, but the experience and the energy of everyone made it worth it,” David said.
After not having powderpuff
The game started off with seniors going against freshmen, then juniors versus the sophomores. At the end of the game, the final two classes, Juniors and Seniors fought over who would take the win in the powderpuff game. Juniors took the victory with a score of 14-7.
With the 2022 golf season coming to a close, the Mitchell boys golf team prepares for their state tournament, while reflecting on their most recent season
The boys golf team 2022 season contained a lot of victories. In dual matches they are 9-1 and in the 18 hole state level tournament they were 8th as a team. Currently the golfers are preparing for their upcoming state-level championship.
Every new season comes with some new accomplishments.
Erikson Meier (‘25) is proud of how much he qualified for.
“My greatest accomplishment this season was qualifying for districts or regionals for the team,” Meier said.
Every team has certain aspects that help make the team stronger, while also maintaining a healthy environment. Evan Zehm (‘23) notes that he helps make the team more competitive.
“I feel that I brought some
competitiveness to the team. We’re all competitive against each other, so we all try to play good and hopefully help each other as well,” Zehm said.
With the state tournament coming up, the team has to prepare for victory. Sam Brandenburg (‘25) explains some of the requirements needed to make it to states.
“Right now we’re working on trying to make it to district, trying to shoot below 300. If we shoot below 300, we have a good chance of making it to state championships,” Brandenburg said.
With the end of the 2022 golf season quickly approaching, looking back on all of the improvements made during the season is rewarding to this team.
Taking a turn into the spooky season, popular movies start to spread as students cuddle up together with a bucket of popcorn.
Alanna Wyatt staff reporter
Celebrating the upcoming spooky season, students start to gather up to watch their selected favorite horror films. After releasing a poll to the students, movies “American Psycho”, “Halloween”, “IT”, and “The Conjuring” were most voted as their favorite movies to watch during the Halloween season with their friends.
Bat Westin, (‘26) expresses how she feels about her favorite horror movie “American Psycho”, and how it brings suspense and thrill.
“American Psycho is just simply too good. Listening to the obsessive thoughts of a serial killer with a sick sense of humor and the iconic lines, one of the funniest parts of the movie in my opinion is how no one suspects Pactrick Bateman of his killings because he was a loser and just like everyone else and at the end, you’re left confused and because of the plot twist will rethink the entire movie.”, Westin Said.
Ry Stinedurf, (24’) expresses love of The Conjuring because of the
Pumpkin presence filled the halls, as fall comes in Keira Walter entertainment editor
adrenaline rush the horror gives her.
“I really enjoyed the cinematography and quality of The Conjuring. It really adds to the experience and feel of the movie. I love the thrill factor of it as well. I mostly watch horror or thriller movies for the adrenaline it gives me”, Stinedurf said.
Christopher Johnson, (‘23) discusses his love for Stephen King and the highly streamed movie IT.
“I have always loved Stephen King.
I believe that the most recent IT is
a lot better than the original movie in 1986. But it is not like a horror movie, it’s not just like jump scares and stuff in that matter. I think it’s interesting how the kids are being manipulated by their fears to fight against pennywise. It is a little more complex than a normal horror film.”, Johnson said.
Flowing into the next couple months, new horror movies releasing are “Halloween Ends”, “Terrifier 2”, “Scream 6”, and “The Nun 2” are new movies to look foward to.
Lighting rows of oil lamps, or diyas to welcome prosperity and signify the triumph of good over evil, millions of Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists across the globe gather with their families and communities to celebrate Diwali. Also known as the “Festival of Lights” because of the tradition of lighting numerous oil lamps, every family and each community has its own festivities to celebrate the holiday. However, many people who celebrate Diwali live away from their home countries and/ or communities and have had to adapt their traditions to their new homes.
Having moved from India to America, Riva Nathani (‘25) discusses the similarities and differences between her family’s Diwali celebration in India and in America.
“After we did our puja, we lit fireworks for 2 to 3 hours with our family, literally the best part of Diwali,” Nathani said.
Nathani adds that her family’s Diwali celebration was much bigger in India, with more of the sweets being homemade, the house being more thoroughly
decorated, and there were more friends and relatives to celebrate with.
“I would go crazy with the rangolis, just do them everywhere when I was in India,” Nathani said.
Rangolis are colorful patterns drawn with colored powder, sand, or flowers to decorate homes during South Asian holidays. Nathani moved from India to America in 5th grade, and she has observed how her family has preserved parts of their traditions in a new home.
“Here we still wear new clothes, and we attended the puja at the temple, and lit some fireworks later, it’s very different,
but I like it here better,” Nathani said.
Diwali is a very auspicious day for those who celebrate it, people wear newest clothes, pray to the gods, specifically Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth and prosperity) as well as other gods and goddesses, and light fireworks (because it is the Festival of Lights.)
With a smaller Indian community here in Trinity and Tampa, Nathani and her family have also made their festivities smaller and more private. Throughout all this change, Nathani still is very fond of the holiday, “I just love my culture, it’s so bright and colorful.”
Nathani lights a diya[an oil lamp traditionally made of clay] to welcome good fortune into her home. Diyas are typically arranged in patterns outside the main door. Nathani makes sure she is in a positive mindest before this auspicious activity. “We still decorate our house like we did in India, just not as grand.”
Nathani said. Photo by Uma Lamaye
From coffee to bread to candles. The pumpkin craze spreads through the halls every year as fall blows in. Sept. 22 marks the first day of the autumn, and stores began over indulging in pumpkin products. Every year, the start of fall launches pumpkin sales. According to Beach On Demand this year alone, 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin are grown and sold in the month of October alone.
Sarah Martinez (‘23) shares her love of pumpkin while also telling her view as a Publix’s employee , the local grocery store, importing pumpkin products.
“I love pumpkin, it is my favorite thing to order at Starbucks. I also love pumpkin bagels, cream cheese, cake pops, and bread. I work at Publix and this year they started to stock the shelves with pumpkin flavored things and every person I check out at the cash register gets at least one pumpkin product. I relate to them,” Martinez said.
In the month of September, Starbucks and other coffee shops like Starkey Market, begin their sale of pumpkin-flavored coffee, bread, and cake pops. Littering the halls students carry a drink in their hand while walking into classrooms. KaithlynTubens(‘23) shares her thoughts on the popularity of pumpkin at Starbucks during the fall season.
“ I feel like pumpkin is over hyped. I see my friends come in with a pumpkin spice latte from
Starbucks almost every day and are constantly talking about how they wish it was a year round thing but I’m not into as much as them,” Tubens said.
Pumpkin patches strike the market with Halloween around the corner, becoming the go to spot for pictures and pumpkin carving activities can be found around the corner at Starkey Market located on Starkey Blvd. Nicholas Cirigliano (‘22) takes his first trip to Starkey Market for pumpkin shopping.
“It was my first time going and it was a very cozy feeling and I felt that the pumpkins were very enjoyable,” Cirigliano said. Coming up later on in the month of December, peppermint will take on the next holiday craze in the winter season for local grocery stores and coffee shops.
Riva Nathani (‘25) discusses how her family’s Diwali celebration has changed through the years.Crigiliano and Olivia Sylvester(‘23) take a look at the pumpkin display at Starkey Market. “I love how some of our florida trees turn a sunset orange and the carving of pumpkins,” Cirgiliano said.
The hallways cram and spill with students pushing their way through the aggressively narrow corridors. People huddle around the vending machines, glaring at those who dare to buy the final Kickstart. Doors slam shut in faces, horns blare in the afterschool parking rush, and it seems the overall vibe of care and politeness begins to fade.
One of the main recurring situations at school is the struggle of getting around. With an overcrowded campus, making a timely pace from one end of the school to the other proves more difficult than previous years; every passing period
becomes a battle between fast folks and slow stragglers.
“It depends on the person, but I come across a lot of impolite people, especially in the halls. It can be just walking past people and they slam right into you, not even saying ‘excuse me’,” Liliana Gunter (‘25) said.
However, students still believe the majority of their peers abide by basic rules of societal respect toward each other. The divide between teacher and student or freshman and senior weakened with the changes in school rules and new generations. Classes run smoothly without interruptions from rowdy students, showing that respect towards staff hasn’t taken a turn for the worst quite yet.
“Being in a large group like Band is great because we know we have similar interests and will be inclined to be friendly to each
since we have so many people, it isn’t as polarized as the norm, which I find to be a great feature of our school,” Zander Newton (‘23) said.
other. It just goes to show that our school has its social groups like many other high schools, but
Can it feel like fall even if the weather doesn’t resemble it?
Alexandria Swere staff reporterMarking the first day of autumn, Sep. 22 opens a world of decorating with pumpkins, getting everything pumpkin spice, and taking out chunky knit sweaters packed away in the back of closets. But the full fall effect proves difficult when the weather isn’t cool and the leaves aren’t turning red, orange, and yellow.
Different steps can be taken to make Florida feel more like fall, even if it doesn’t necessarily look the part. Genevive Tucker (‘26) keeps the fall spirit alive by lighting pumpkin scented candles, drinking pumpkin spice lattes and listening to All Too Well by Taylor Swift.
“I think despite the warm temperature here the atmosphere still feels like fall. I think there are certain things and traditions that, at least for me, I follow every fall that still gives me that nice fall feeling,” Tucker said.
According to GoBankingRates.com, the coffee franchise has sold more than 600 million pumpkin spice lattes since the drink has dropped. That would be about 31.5 million pumpkin spice lattes each year. Baillie Phipps (‘23) is one of many who partakes in buying pumpkin spice products when celebrating the fall season.
“I do think it can feel like fall despite the weather outside not really resembling fall at all because it’s more than just the weather. The feeling of fall also comes with things like decorating for halloween, carving pumpkins, and watching scary movies with friends, which are all things I do to get into the fall season every year,” Phipps said.
Everyone has their own ways of celebrating fall. While living in Florida, a few extra steps must be taken to get in
the fall spirit; however, some people think that after all that effort, there is still no way it can feel like fall in florida. Used to the fall weather of her home town of Brittany, France, Zoe Orhant (‘25), notices the major difference in temperatures between France and Florida.
“It never feels like fall because the leaves are not orange and they are not all over the ground. It feels more like fall in France than in Florida, it is always so hot and you don’t get to wear sweaters. Right now in Florida, it feels like summer,” Orhant said.
Although Florida’s temperatures don’t dip low enough to reach true fall temperatures seen in other places, Floridians have traditions set in place to get into the fall spirit. Fall in Florida is not a failure because autumn is not just about weather it is a feeling that comes with personal experiences and traditions.
Issues with peer-topeer interactions still run rampant for most people, despite the school’s efforts to fend off aggression. Fights still happen, even early on in the year, likely cheered on by social media and the value they have on passing period bores. Further, the exploration of unique styles of dress, speech, and hobbies isn’t quite as accepted schoolwide as students wish it to be.
“I think that this school has many underlying problems with
bullying, even if it doesn’t want to be addressed. Many people ostracize those who act or dress differently, and it gets super tiring, even as an outsider,” Lizzie Jewell (‘25) said.
Yet the separation of styles makes for more individuality, and thus the balance of politeness and teenage annoyance evens out again as school spirit reigns for Homecoming and Halloween. The decline in simpler bouts of respect, like holding doors open, acknowledging the flow of hallway traffic, and being more accepting toward each other might be unwelcome, but as the year continues, it becomes an imminent occurrence.
Each fall calls for a week full of school-spirited fun, in preparation for homecoming. The week of October is composed of student-run activities ranging from rodeo games with every class competing for the top spot, to each day being a different dress up theme encouraging creativity and fun among high school students.
Homecoming week is traditionally about amplifying school spirit and bringing energy to support the school’s staff and football team as the weekend approaches. Alexis Mai (‘22), a returning student of Mitchell and familiar with the traditions of the school, shares her thoughts on the dress up days.
“It’s fun and it adds school spirit, if people actually dressed up. Overall they bring energy to the HOCO game and the Homecoming,” Mai said.
Representing school colors, Friday’s spirit day is the peak of the entire week for students with the pep rally marking the final activity before the weekend’s upcoming events. Ava Nicols (‘26), member of the freshman Homecoming court, expresses why spirit day was her favorite dress-up theme.
“Spirit day was my favorite because it was the day I dressed up the most and a lot more people dressed up, so it was fun to see and be around.”
Although dress up days are supposed to be easily accessible, some days are not as liked and easily done. This coupled with the fact that it was a half day and many students didn’t come to school, the turn out was less than optimal. Leila Crain (‘26), explains her thoughts on what day was her least favorite and why she believes it did not have a great turn out.
“Occupation day was probably the worst because people didn’t know what to dress up as, because many occupations are hard to show,” Crain said.
The students and staff host various activities at the end of the school day to keep up the strong spirit coursing throughout the school. Willis Weaver (‘24), recounts his experience with this year’s pep rally.
“It was my favorite because of the powder puff cheerleaders, especially Hung’s dance, plus leaving class is always a nice bonus,” Weaver said.
Traditionally Homecoming activities remains relevant and an important rite of passage for every class. Nichols reflected on what being a part of Homecoming Court meant to her.
“It was an important moment for me to be chosen as a freshman and is something I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Many people ostracize those who act or dress differently, and it gets super tiring, even as an outsider.
Lizzie Jewell (‘25)Zoe Orhant (‘25) still has her fall clothes from France, however she is unable to wear them in Florida at this time of year. Photo by Alexandria Swere On Oct. 7 each class saddles up in their best western wear for the Wild, Wild West theme. Staying a constant theme dating back to the opening of Mitchell, this dress-up day brings students back to the ranch. Ran by student council, the activity involved numerous rodeo games, including relay races and tug-of-war. Photo by Ceyphora Wamba
Halloween is a holiday that has existed for around 2,000 years. What started as a religious celebration by the ancient Celts celebrating the end of the harvest season by lighting bonfires and wearing costumes to scare off ghosts, turned into a fun holiday celebrated by kids and grown ups alike.
There are many different ways to celebrate Halloween in today’s time. Whether it’s watching your favorite horror movies, going out to parties, or going trick or treating; one essential part for most of these traditions is children dressing up in costumes. But how old is “too old” to dress up, and what are some of the good things about dressing up?
Some people, like Quentin Parkes (‘25), like to see how creative some people can get with their costumes.
“My favorite thing about dressing up for Halloween is the creative expression. Sometimes, when you have less time or money you get to be more creative with your costume,” Parkes said.
People such as Brock Garcia (‘26), enjoy the idea of getting to be someone you are not for a day.
“One thing I like about dressing up is getting to be whoever you want for a day and not having to worry about being judged,” Garcia said.
A lot of people worry about fitting in among their peers. Parkes notices that others his age still enjoy the tradition of
dressing up on Halloween.
“I feel that dressing up on Halloween is definitely an individual thing, but I’ve found that more kids my age still enjoy dressing up in costume,” Parkes said.
Even though dressing up is enjoyed by many, when is the “appropriate age” to stop? Some students, like Cole Schaeffer (‘24), believe that there is not necessarily an exact age you have to be to stop dressing up.
“I don’t really think there is an age where someone should stop dressing up. It’s a great way to feel young again and express yourself. I think everyone enjoys doing that once in a while,” Schaeffer said. During Halloween, students
also enjoy dressing up for the humerous aspect that is recieved by putting on a costume.
Kayla Larson (‘24) explains why she enjoys dressing up and seeing others in their outfits.
“On Halloween, I always look forward to seeing what people decide they will dress up as every year. I enjoy seeing people who decide to wear funny costumes or relavent costumes to trends that have spiked throughout the year. Usually it brings a smile to my face seeing all of the people who decide to participate in this fun day,” Larson said.
Halloween is a fun holiday that most people love. Age should not be a limitation on how people should celebrate on this holiday.
Halloween is a widely celebrated holiday across America, many people question its bone-chilling origins, however people still find ways to have fun during this so-called spooky season, celebrating with friends and family by partying and eating an abundance of candy. There comes an age when dressing up is no longer appropriate.
Cooper Burden (‘26) believes it is more fun to hang out with friends than dressing up.
“I like to have fun watching movies with friends rather than deciding and making something I will only wear once,” Burden said.
As you get older dressing up gets more difficult, because
now, coordinating costumes and finding other friends to go out with comes into play.
Brianne Guy (‘23) explains why she decides not to dress up each year.
“I don’t go trick or treating anymore because as i grew up, i just stopped wanting to go. As a child going trick or treating was the highlight of fall, because of all of the candy and the fun costumes, however, as i got older, the sugar highs and the costume planning just became too much to deal with. I feel like when you’re a kid, you don’t have much to worry about but as you get older, the responsibilities stack up, and the fun things get out on the back burner and your definition of “fun” changes. As a kid i liked to play outside and
i found it boring to stay home, but now, I love to be able to chill at home whether I am alone or with friends. I would rather stay home on halloween and watch scary movies than go trick or treating,” Guy said.
Many people who find it childish to dress up still have the Halloween spirit. Handing out candy and watching the Halloween classics.
Jack Thurber (‘23) discusses what he prefers to do on Halloween.
“I think of it as childish; I got way too old to dress up and go door to door asking for candy. I would much rather stay at home passing out candy or go walk around with my younger brother so he could enjoy trick or treating,” Thurber said.
To some people dressing up is almost disrespectful to
the dead, Zoe Orhant (‘23) especially agrees with it.
“I don’t want to dress up for Halloween because it’s a party about Death, why would people want to celebrate and dress up just to celebrate the dead, you are pretty much mocking the dead and why would we want to do that,” Orhant said.
As people find the aspect of dressing up for Halloween disturbing, others may just not enjoy the entire concept of it at all, and genuinely enjoy staying home with family.
Halloween is a fun season, and most participate in many spooky activities, yet whether you choose to dress up or not should not decide if you can have a good time.
