| October, 2016| KNIGHTWRITERS 01
News
Parking passes increase in price
Sports
How students prepare for game days
Fritter
Fall fashion trends
opinion
Is dress code objective?
Principal Bhoolai Remarks on New Rules students. We’ve just been enforcing [the no headphone policy] from day one so that everyone knows the policy is: you can use your phone to text but not to talk or use headphones.”
l.hill Principal Bhoolai greeting the 2020 class at the opneinhg assembly.
By Madison Flower Editor in Cheif
KnightWriters Co-Editor-in-Chief Madison Flowers sat down with Principal Robert Bhoolai to talk about the new policies and rules that have come to effect during his first semester as principal. His comments on various issues are quotedin this article. How his principalship
has affected the school: “When you talk about a new principal, you’re really talking about a new way of doing business because the principal is the instructional leader of the campus. There haven’t been many changes as of right now because [I] have to observe to see what is going on, see what’s going well [and] see what teachers are doing well
and where they need support before [I] can start making changes.” Headphones: “My understanding is that headphones were never allowed, the policy was just never enforced. So we didn’t actually change the policy, we just enforced it, based on feedback from the teachers. … Over the summer we look at the discipline
Anything Can Be Art Robinson’s faculty has for years come up with brilliant ideas, to promote important causes in various ways, but just how do you mix art and with the theme of keeping our school clean? Which is just what Mary Wilson did. “I thought about this project on my first seven years of teaching, and now I’m on my 29th year now. My goal was to get the public more educated about art history and famous art work. By doing so I thought why not have a co theme of unifying the environment through art. Than I thought, why not put the art on something that everyone uses
data to see what kind of incidents the students are getting in and how much trouble they’re getting in as a result of that. And one of the things we saw [was] a lot of cases of disobedience because of headphones. The teachers felt like they were spending a lot of time arguing with kids and, contrary to popular belief, we don’t like to argue with
Locking the gates: “Every principal has a different outlook on things and they have different things they highlight in their principalship, and one of the things that I take very seriously is campus safety and student safety. No one wants to be that adult that’s in charge of the school if something bad goes down and rules and procedures were not implemented properly.” Warning bells: “Students were complaining when they came through the front office for tardies, they said, “Hey, I had no idea I had thirty seconds I thought
I had two minutes.” So [student affairs’] idea was to add a warning bell to let students know they have sixty seconds left before the actual bell rings. It’s actually been working really well. Obviously, the more seat time you guys have, the better prepared you are going to be for your exams and things.” Dress code: “In my mind, dress code is something that is certainly suggestive and it’s not objective all the time because my idea of dress code might be different than your idea of dress code and the rules we read regarding district dress code you might interpret one way and I do another. My big thing, as the principal, is I don’t want you to have to walk down the sidewalk and see someone’s underwear…” Continued on page 2.
By Mariano Heranadez Staff Writer
which is a trash can.” Wilson said. Mary Wilson teamed up with the amazing group of “Las Damas” a local organization in Tampa all about art. “The whole project was funded by the Las Damas, which is a woman’s artist group. They give out a teacher grant every year and it allowed us to take on this challenge and raise awareness.” Wilson said. Las Damas for those of you whom don’t know is a organization of art, they host events and just like Mary Wilson, they take it upon themselves to teach the public about art history. They give out teacher grants and help out students in many ways. It allows the students to get an opportunity at receiving scholarships.
Robinson is not only known for its great education programs but also for their internal beauty of the school. Not presenting Robinson in the best way possible, would give the wrong representation to many of the parents analyzing the quality school for their children. Accepting this great challenge very much so did help raise awareness to keeping our school and many other places clean.
Mary Wilson in her classroom.
02 KNIGHTWRITERS
|News| October, 2016
Parking Passes By Lillian Martin Staff Writer
There have been many changes around Robinson High School this school year, some more noticeable than others. One that has been particularly noticeable, especially to those with a car, is the increase to the cost of a parking pass. In previous years, students with a car and a license could easily get a pass to park in Robinson’s student parking lot for the price of only $5. This year however, the cost has been changed to $20 due to county policy. While this might not seem like a big deal to some, others are wondering why the price has gone up so dramatically. Several first year drivers were just as disappointed as students who bought a pass last year. Hailegh Mayhugh (‘18), who just got her license, said “This being the first year with my license and finally being able to drive places, I thought it was a bit ridiculous having to pay $20 to park at school considering last year it was $5”, The cost point serves as an inconvenience to many, and various students don’t see the point in paying
$20 just to be able to park at school every day. Some students have even taken the approach of not buying a parking pass at all. Luis Estevez (’17) said “I refuse to pay $20 for a parking pass. I never got one and never will.” Many others agree with this statement, and made the same decision as him. Other students, like Bryce Hoover (‘18) don’t think the price is justifiable, especially considering our crowded parking lot. “(Parking passes) are too expensive, and you aren’t even guaranteed a spot.” Several students have been arriving to school early just to get a decent parking spot. Although numerous students are angry with this situation, we shouldn’t necessarily be up in arms with Robinsons administration. The decision was made by Hillsborough County school board, and the policy was integrated in all of Hillsborough County’s high schools. Shelby Bray (‘18) recognizes this, saying “Its county policy, not school policy. People shouldn’t be that mad.” Parking Passes are still available through student affairs. You will need your license, vehicle registration, proof of insurance - and $20.
Parking passes sold for $20.
Knights Abroad By Cilicia Anderson Staff Writer
Smantha Baker (‘17) at Mount Tzfahot.
New Rules
Students spend 180 days in school to learn about the world to prepare themselves for real life. The majority of the learning we as students do is inside the safety and comfort of the classroom. However, when summer comes, it gives us the chance to travel to new places and get first hand experiences of the real world that you can’t fully enjoy from studying a textbook “I went with my mother to Cuba,” said Andy Labborarra (‘17) “My favorite part of the trip was probably going to Parque Lenin which is a theme park there, they have roller coasters and that’s where I went horseback riding and we played soccer.” Samantha Baker (‘17) went with her camp, Camp Ramah, to Israel. Camp Ramah is a network of Jewish summer camps that give incoming 12th graders a chance to join a seminar in Israel to have hands on learning experiences. “I went with a bunch of people from around the United States with my camp. We went for six weeks and did pretty much everything there is to do in Israel,” said Baker (‘17). Taking the trip to Israel gave her a chance to see
Continued from page 1. The bottom line is we want you in class learning, we don’t want you in the office for dress code but if you keep doing the same thing over and over and over again, we need to address the issue at a different level and that’s when parents get involved. We follow the student handbook; the tricky part is if I deal with a student for disciplinary reasons, I can’t talk to another student about what I did with them. Students may never know where their friends are in the dress code progression, they just hear “my buddy got ISS, that’s wrong. Why did they put them in ISS for that dress?” But in actuality, it was probably the tenth the AP had talked to them and said, “Hey, you can’t do this.”
News Briefs FISHY BUSINESS By: Riana Hill
For the next 10 weeks, Sarah Sanford’s AP Environmental class will monitor beta fish in a tank made from empty soda bottles. The students are doing this assignment to learn about how each chamber of the tank represents a part of the ecosystem and how each level depends on each other to grow. “I had a lot of fun building the bottle tank,” Diejonia Abbott, (‘17) said. “We are doing this to learn how interdependent the ecosystem is. For example, by making a species go extinct, the rest of the system is harmed.”
firsthand the different things to do there instead of just reading or hearing about them. Baker (‘17) said, “We toured around, we went to the Dead Sea, and we went to the Wailing Wall. We stayed in a Bedouin tent, we went to the desert, the north, and the south.” Another student, Sierra Clark (‘18), went to Costa Rica with her church group and got to help out over there. “I went on a mission trip with my church and we went to a church/school there and we painted it and fixed it up,” said Clark (‘18). “ I liked interacting with people, they’re really nice and I made lots of friends.” Our knights got a chance to meet new people and experience new things, spend time with family and friends, and learn about different cultures in different parts of the world to make for great memories that can last a lifetime. Baker (‘17) said “It was a really amazing time and I got to meet a lot of new people which I’m going to keep in touch with for like, my life.”
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH By: Emily Bowlin
It’s that time again from September 15th through October 15th it’s Hispanic Heritageō Month. Everyone in Spanish classes around Robinson High School will be celebrating the Hispanic culture. Each day until October 15th there will be activities during lunches and afterschool. You can even see projects of the Hispanic culture made by students in the foreign hall and library. “Hispanic Heritage Month is where we honor culture and traditions of people that have roots in nations of Central and South America also in the Caribbean,” Spanish teacher Senora Enedy Robles said.
Buy your yearBook before the Price Goes up
$75
Cash/Money order room 112
• yearbookforever.com
October, 2016 |Opinion|
KNIGHTWRITERS 03
Clinic Offerings Not Publicized By Cilicia Anderson Copy Editor
For the past two years, I’ve noticed how bad our school has been at advertising things to students. Whether it be events or clubs, or more importantly, things offered in our school’s clinic. For student athletes like myself, it is difficult to find time and money to fill out athletic packets so that we can begin participating in practice and games, especially now that our athletics advisor only clears packets on Mondays, causing us to miss valuable practice and playing time. I was unaware that our school clinic offers free physicals every Thursday and Mrs. Christine Chapman, our school’s CPR instructor, informed me
that there are many things our clinic has to offer. “There’s the healthy students program where with parental permission we medicate with over the counter, general medicine; Motrin, Tylenol, cough drops, those kinds of things,” Chapman said. “Out of about 1600 students, 600 are enrolled.” The clinic also gives STD and Pregnancy testing for free, which doesn’t need parental involvement. “Pregnancy tests are a part of healthy students,” Chapman said. “If somebody came to me they would be counseled on if there really is a need to do it because what happens is they go out Saturday night and something
happens and Monday morning they’re terrified.” A lot of routine procedures take place at the clinic for free, or if you have insurance they are able to take that too. Inhalers and Epi-pens can be kept in the clinic as well or if you need to keep it on you there is paperwork you and your parent can fill out. The nurse practitioner can do sports and school entry physicals and work with your teachers to create a care and action plan. The school doesn’t advertise these things to students very much, however, it is important for us to know these things.
Staff Editorial: Dress Code Every school within Hillsborough County is expected to uphold the following dress code for students: “clothing that exposes the entire shoulder, tube tops, spaghetti straps, or similar type of clothing may only be worn with a blouse or shirt. Clothing exposing the torso or the midriff, either front, back, or sides shall not be worn. Clothing shall not expose the mid-chest area. Clothing with tears that are indecent shall not be worn. Clothing traditionally designed as undergarments or sleepwear shall not be worn as outer garments. All pants and shorts shall be secured at the waist. Boys’ shirts shall have sleeves. Mini-skirts, mini-dresses, and short shorts shall not be permitted. Hemlines shall be no shorter than fingertip length.” The rules display that Hillsborough
Editor-In-Chiefs Morgan Cox Madison Flowers Fritter Editor
Bianca Baum
Staff Reporters Mariano Heranadez Lillian Martin Anna Thomas Riley Shackowsky April Ryckman
Design Editor
Hayle Short Copyeditor Cilicia Anderson Features Editor Rhinannon Leebert
Publications Adviser Nancy Oben
Principal
Robert Bhoolai
County demands a level of modesty from students when they dress for school. The KnightWriters’ Staff respects the dress code and believe everyone should dress appropriately, so students are comfortable enough to learn, which is the reason we come to Robinson every day, anyway. However, the dress code is too subjective to be equitable. Shorts that a girl is sent to ISS for wearing can be worn by a male student, and teachers don’t give a second glace. Similarly, the same piece of clothing can be considered inappropriate on one female student, but not another, just because of their body types. The Staff agrees that students should dress professionally, and there should be consequences if a student purposely disregards dress code. But, dress code should remain a policy that de-
creases distraction, rather than a rule that takes students out of class unfairly. It is the job of the administrators and teachers to enforce dress code fairly and it is the job of the students to understand what clothing is appropriate and dress accordingly for school.
6311 S. Lois Ave • Tampa, FL • October 2016 • Volume 57 • Issue 1 Robinson High School 6311 S. Lois Ave Tampa, FL 33616 Phone: 813-272-3006 Fax: 813-272-3014 School Hours 7:33 am -3 p.m. Population 1600 Students 150 Staff
Policies The KnightWriters newspaper is published by the journalism department at Robinson High School. Editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board not necessarily that of the staff or administration. The KnightWriters will only accept signed letters. We reserve the right of selection and editing of all letters. The letters may be deposited in room 112 or Ms. Nancy Oben’s mailbox.
04 KNIGHTWRITERS October 2016|
FEATURE
Knightwriter’s Guide to College Applications Advice from Seniors
college tips Start Early: It is never too early in your High School career to begin the college process. Most students have an idea of where they want to attend but there are so many great schools that you may not know about. Even as a freshman or sophomore, you can begin the college hunt. As a Junior it is important to tour campuses and prepare for your tests, like SAT and ACT. Starting early makes senior year much less stressful. Use School Resources: If you haven’t spoken with your guidance counselor or Robinson’s college and career counselor, Ms. Wright, you might be missing out on important information and tips. They have information about schools, deadlines, scholarships, and much more. In addition, The Cube is an invaluable resource for Juniors and seniors throughout their college process. Remember to sign up for their remind! Also, don’t forget that your teachers are helpful for recommendations and to edit essays. Remain Organized: Keeping track of deadlines and applications is important. You can make a spreadsheet of the colleges you want to apply to, their cost, deadlines, and parts of their application, like essays or recommendations. Then you can mark off each step. It will help you visualize the process so it’s less hectic and you don’t fall behind or forget anything important.
“Write your essays during the summer!” –Anna Paddock (‘17)
“Don’t slack off on your homework… and do a bunch of extra-curricular activities because they [colleges] are looking for well-rounded students.” – Hannah Sheppard (‘17)
“I would suggest being really involved in school and clubs. Find something you’re really passionate about so that you have something to write about in your essays. I also recommend starting your testing junior year.” –Emma Duffey (‘17)
“Do it [college applications] quickly because everything just piles up; all the work and all the classes you have to do for senior year.” –Maya Bourgeois (‘17)
Attend School Events: Robinson hosts many events after school that are just for college. Attending these will allow you to ask individual questions and learn information about college that you can trust. College night and college visits help you connect with a school so you know if it is a good fit and so the schools knows you’re interested. Seniors: Follow these tips and get your application in on time. Send your transcripts and SAT or ACT scores now. Remember to complete your FAFSA and SSAR forms online. Most importantly, make sure you work hard now because, even though it may be stressful, it will pay off next year.
Colleges coming to RHS Florida Atlantic University
Duke University Wednesday, Oct. 19
Monday, Oct. 17
Brown University
Samford University
Wednesday, Oct. 19
Friday, Oct. 21
| October 2016 KNIGHTWRITERS 05
FEATURE
Navigating College
M
By Cilicia Anderson Copyeditor
ost Juniors and Seniors are narrowing down their post-high school decisions on where they would like to attend college, but without doing research or visiting the campus itself they could be getting themselves stuck at a college that just isn’t right for them. “A lot of times students have an idea in their head of what the college and university is like,” said Meredith Wright, Robinsons’ College and Career Counselor. “Then they get to the campus and it’s not what they expected and they realize they don’t like it or they love it even more than they thought they would.” Also, students often downplay the idea of going to a community college because they don’t believe that it will set them on the right track in their life. However, community colleges may be more beneficial for some students for numerous reasons. “HCC really has a lot of good career tracks
that are ‘two and two’; they do their two years at HCC and then they go into USF or any of the other universities they want to. They have a lot to offer.” Said Wright. Robinson has 35 scheduled college visits including FSU and UCF. These visits will really give students more information about possible college options and be able to answer any questions they might have concerning the application process as well as campus life and courses offered. “When the representatives come down here to meet with students, there is usually not very many because a lot of them already pinpointed what they want to focus on,” said Wright. “Usually, we have about five to ten. The representatives are usually some of the people looking over the applications when students apply and if they remember their name and they recognize them, it just helps them out.”
Meredith Wright, Robinson’s College and Career Counselor.
The application process can be rough but students should take advantage of any and every opportunity that is given that can possibly help make it a little easier. “Colleges want to see a well-rounded student. So, I would find something that you’re passionate about and work on that. Do that.”
Quiz: How strong is your college application? What is your current GPA? 4.0
3.5
2.5
> 2.0 Focus on graduating
Are you in any clubs/sports
No
Yes Do you hold leadership postions ?
Yes You’re on the right track
No Get involved!
Join something!
06 KNIGHTWRITERS |Sports| October, 2016
Fall
Football
Sports Update
The football team is 2-4 on the season. Runningback Anfernee Alston (‘17) said,” We should of won some of those games, but can still make the playoffs by winning 2 of the last 3 remaining games.
SAVE THE DATE Oct. 21
Golf
Golf has completed their regular season and has moved on playoff play. “It felt really great to win because I’ve been practicing since I was really little and my hard work paid off,” Anna Gillhool said.
Oct. 22 Oct. 24 Oct.25 Oct.28 Oct.31
swim
The swim team is having a great season, winning every meet except 2. “Even though the team lost, they really pulled together and swam a great meet”. Alex Micheo (‘17) said.
Nov.5 Nov.7 Nov.8 Nov.9 Nov.21-25
Cross Country
The cross country team, proves to show rising talent with freshman Ethan Geiger finishing as the top freshman at the FSU prestate .The girls make up for being small through training hard in efforts to strongly end a great season.
Volleyball
The volleyball team shows great promise, so far undeafeated record and only faceing a few tournament loses. This season players hope to finally pass final four agianst rival Laiey High, with a new coach and team atmosphere. “The team has reallly suprised me, we’ve have been winning games that we were seated to lose”, team captian, Mckenna Tyson.
-Pep Rally - Homecoming Game HOMECOMING Girls Basketball Begins Volleyball Regional Quaterfinals Varsity Football @ Jefferson Mens Basketball Begins Halloween Cross Country Championship Wrestling Begins Soccer vs. Hillsborough Orchestra Fall Concert Fall Break
HOW OUR SEASON IS GOING The Marching Knights Firebird show is heating up
e. vance “This year has been very interesting. We’ve had our ups and downs just like anyone else but we pull it together. We are doing very well, I’m super proud of everyone the show is great,” ZJala Phelps ‘18 said.
e. vance “We havent had any competitions yet, people are learning the rountines well and it’s all coming togther,” Elijah Castellanos ‘19 said.
e. vance “ We’ve had one competition so far and it’s been rained out. We have competition this Saturday October 15, hopefully we compete. We will perform at our very best, I know it,” Michael Williams (’17) said.
m. cox “Our season is going okay, the rain is hurting our practice,” Katy Davisson ‘17 said.
October, 2016 |Sports|
KNIGHTWRITERS 07
How do you get ready For
M.cox Vs. King was the frist game we’ve won. Many more winning games to come. BY Anna Thomas Staff Writer
Wthe sidelines, and a student-packed sta-
ith the band in the stands, cheerleaders on
dium, the Robinson football team comes to the field every Friday night ready to play. Let’s take a look at game days from the inside of the helmet and from the eyes of a football player. Though Friday is just another weekday for most, high school football players go through their day preparing for the task ahead. While some players are trying to get excited and stay motivated, others are trying to keep calm. “Coming to school [on game days] fills me with anticipation and excitement because it’s what I’ve prepared for,” JaQuan Jackson (‘17) said.
GAME DAY
Meanwhile, kicker William Roseman (‘18) says, “I try not to stress out and goof around as much…with kicking, stressing out can mess you up a lot. It’s important to stay calm.” Regardless, every player is in their best mindset to win. “As a team, we kind of stay focused on the game,” says Tremon Lacy (‘17) when asked about team preparation. “The team plays music in the locker room and hangs out before games,” adds Eann Johnson (‘18). Johnson continues, “We eat a meal together and have individual meetings with our coaches.” Through all the chaos, excitement, and personal preparations, the football team remembers to remain
unified as one functioning machine; a machine programmed to fight together every night. Win or lose, these boys are one unit. “On game days, we wear the same clothes as one another to show that we are a team,” Lacy says. “Right before we step out on the field, we pray together as a family because we’ve worked so hard together.” No matter how they go through their day, prepare for the game, or play on the field, our Robinson Knights are one team, one machine, and one family.
How We prepare
Robinson fall sports student athletes share their pregame rtiruals Compiled by April Rycman and Riley Shawscosky
E.Vance
“I eat lots of carbs so I have energy, I also listen to music before my events” (Max Smith ‘20)
E.Vance
“Before every meet I try to put time aside to study.” (Laura Thompson ‘17)
E.Vance
E.Vance
“I love eating PDQ tenders and apples for my pre-meet meal! It gets pumped for the meet!” (Claire Casper ‘17)
M.cox This year’s cross country team lines up at the start.
“Game day prep for me is making sure I look good: having my make up done, my hair perfect, and matching the girl next to me.” (Oliva Smith ‘17) “I shut out all noise and listen to my gameday playlist on Spotify.”( McKenna Tyson ‘17)
FRITTER
s + Fashi t r
A
on
F•r•i•t•t•e•r
Food + Entertainment
W
elcome to Fritter! Formerly known as the back page, Fritter is the new face of all things fashion, entertainment, arts and food. We thought that the page back deserved to be a place where students could explore their creative side. We hope you enjoy our escapade into recipes, trends and drama.
Eats Around Town BY BIANCA BAUM Fritter Editor
Big Ray’s Fish Camp
Students have been raving about Big Ray’s Fish Camp. “It’s a great place for people who love seafood and love the friendly atmosphere of a small restaurant,” Sammy Baker ‘17 said. A seafood favorite located at 6116 Interbay Blvd, has garnered the attention of faculty and students alike. “It’s the cutest little place and [they] have the best grouper sandwich. Seriously, you can’t beat it!,” guidance counselor Erika George said.
Marianno’s Movie Review
Photo courtesy of Sammy Baker, @ sambake_, at Big Ray’s Fish Camp
Thailand Restaurant
A modern twist on traditional thai food that’s been around for more than 30 years. “When I go there it smells like Thailand wood, I get greeted, they already know my order. My favorite is the coconut soup,, it’s very delicious,” Sophie Abel ‘19 said.
BY MARIANO HERNADEZ Staff Writer
Many of us love iconic classic horror movies. You know those bone chilling, frighting movies we use to be scared of as little kid. I for one do, and getting a reboot is an exciting thing to look out for, because the movie will either be great just like the original series, or totally fail and be an abomination to the original footage. The Ring was a very successful movie that created a traumatizing terror, for the first time ever too everyone’s television. The eeriness of the screechy television screen, and awaiting for the arrival of little girl (Samara) to come and take your last breath away. Causing the palms of your hands to
sweat, and quiver in fear. The chatter of your teeth to become louder and stronger. Till your pupils dilate to its maximum. Till you’re paranoid of your surroundings, and can’t decide what is real and what is not. Apart from the climatic suspense. This year around, the plot hasn’t changed a lot. Except a little twist, this time Samara (Boonie Morgan) will be terrorizing multiple people. I’m excited to see how this will play, due to the fact that in all the past movies she has only attacked the victim who’s seen the footage of her death, and that victims who has been marked.
Kojak’s House of Ribs
A family owned and operated southern BBQ that offers the best ribs in town.
“It’s good if you’re into that dry rub stuff,” social studies teacher Ron Simmons said.
Cook’s Kitchen
Cook’s is the perfect place for sandwiches, salads, and desserts with a Briish flair. “The perfect place for a quick bite to eat. My favorite part is the British ambience and how it makes you feel at home.” (Max Smith ‘20)
Fall Fashion
Floral bomber jacket
BY BIANCA BAUM Staff Writer Fall is in the air at Robinson High School. KnightWriters staff talked to students rocking the fall trends... but for less. Here’s some ways to look stylish on a budget or splurge on the latest trends.
SAVE Prokopp picked up this floral find at a local thrift store. “I like thrifting because it requires patience and a trained eye to spot a real gem,” Prokopp said.
SPENd Urban Renewal Recycled Embroidered Satin Bomber Jacket$149 at Urban Outfitters
ripped t-shirt
SPEND Topman Ripped Longline Crewneck T-Shirt $35.00
SAVE Daymian Alarcon ‘19