The Roar January 2015

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JANUARY 2015 ROAR VOL. 17 NO. 3

OPINION

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NEWS

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FEATURES

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SPORTS

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YOUR TURN

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Dogs deserve better Imagine going for an afternoon run around town with your dog, in 95-degree weather, with absolutely no breeze. You are extremely sweaty, can barely breathe, and have little water. You chug the last drops of available water and are far from refreshed, but better. However, your poor dog has no water and is wearing a thick, fur coat. Running your animal in 95 degree weather, or hotter, with no water and no break is like a human running five miles dressed head-to-toe in black, barefoot.

Animal cruelty is not a joke. I often see people at the hottest time of day riding a skateboard while their dog, who is panting and pulls them along. If you cannot get off your skateboard and run, or at least walk, you should not make your dog do it.

Dogs cannot say they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to run at scorching temperatures. The only reason they do not refuse is because they want to please you. If they love you that much, you shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put them in danger.

I am not against giving animals exercise.

I strongly encourage physical activity that produces health benefits for animals.

However, I am saying to get off your skateboard or bike, and just walk with them. If jogging with your beloved dog is approved by its veterinarian, then for their safety, make it short and at the coolest time of day.

$ ZDON LQ WKH SDUN +RW WHPSHUDWXUHV FDQ KHDW WKH FHPHQW DQG KXUW GRJVÂś SDZV Thank you to a journalist On Dec. 10, Eric Garwood ď&#x161;ť the planning editor of Florida Today ď&#x161;ť visited our creative writing class. He has been working in journalism for 30 years after graduating from the University of South Florida.

He explained to us his profession while answering pre-written questions.

Garwood had an experience with school newspapers during his high-school years and since then he has been pursuing a career in journalism. His position as the planning editor at Florida Today is a relatively new job. He is responsible for supervising the location of everything in the newspaper.

We thank him for sacrificing time out of his day to enlighten us about the world of professional journalism.

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POLLS What standardized test(s) are you planning on taking?

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How stressed are you for exams?

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(GLWRUV LQ &KLHI .DWLH *DUZRRG 0ROO\ 0LQWD 0DQDJLQJ (GLWRU (Y\ *XHUUD 2SLQLRQV (GLWRU (YHOLR 6RWRORQJR 6SRUWV (GLWRU %HQ 0HFKDFKRQLV (QWHUWDLQPHQW (GLWRU -RH\ &URZQ %XVLQHVV 0DQDJHU 6HDQ &DVH\ &RS\ (GLWRU -RH $ORQJ 6RFLDO 0HGLD (GLWRU +DQQDK %UXVFD 'HVLJQ 7HDP .HYLQ -RQHV -DPLH 0F,QW\UH 6WDII :ULWHUV 7LD %UXQQHU /L]]LH *XHUUD 1DWDOLH 0DQQ 1RHOOH 0RRUH -DFN 1HYLQV 6KDQH 3RWWHU %RQQLH 5LFH $QD 5RVDO 5RED 6DEDZL $XWXPQ 6FKHHU 6WU\NHU 6LQFODLU ,PUBLICATIONS POLICIES The Roar recognizes itself as a public forum and encourages letters from West Shore students and members of the community. The Roar cannot print ads promoting activity illegal

by Florida law, ads opposing any religious beliefs, ads written in poor taste, ads with racial or sexist comments, ads considered inappropriate by the staff, advocacy advertising or ads containing libel. The Roar is not responsible for web sites viewed through links found on pages mentioned in the publication. The Roar values letters from our readers: the maximum length for letters is 200 words. No more than one letter a semester will be published from a writer. Letters and columns are edited for length, content and clarity.

The Roar maintains the right to edit all submissions for poor taste, length, grammar and libel. Views expressed in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Opinionsâ&#x20AC;? section do not necessarily represent the views of the Brevard County School Board, the West Shore administrators, faculty, student body or The Roar staff.

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STAFF EDITORIAL

Gun control, mental health need to be addressed At 12:25 a.m. on Nov. 20, Myron May, a lawyer and alumnus of Florida State University, walked into the Strozier Library on FSU’s Tallahassee campus and opened fire, injuring two students and paralyzing one. Police officers from FSU and Tallahassee encountered May outside the library, where he was then shot and killed.

As time wore on, it became known that May was “struggling psychologically” and “in a state of panic.” Before he walked into Strozier Library, he had left a series of voicemails saying he was being attacked by an “energy weapon” and had a plan to expose it “once and for all.” Two months earlier, May went to the police and told them people were watching him through cameras planted in his apartment and talking to him through the walls. He thought the government was targeting him and believed in mind-control technology. He had voluntarily checked himself into a mental hospital, which evaluated him, prescribed medication, and sent him on his way. His friends described calling his therapist and the police,

and consistently meeting dead ends. No one was able to help.

The day before the shooting took place, Rep. Greg Steube (R-Sarasota) re-filed a bill that would allow arming “safety designees” in K-12 schools, which passed the House last spring before failing in the Senate. The shooting has led him to consider amending the bill to include higher education.

Similar bills have been introduced across the country.

School safety and our treatment of mental health are important discussions. They’re things we should be talking about and taking seriously, because May was not the first and, unless we begin to care, he will not be the last. America has a gruesome history of the mentally unstable acquiring weapons and inflicting great pain. And, as of late, due to lobbyists, interest groups, politics and apathy, America has had a history of brushing aside any discussion concerning gun control. It’s either “too early” to talk about it, or it’s too late. Whether it be arming teachers or taking away all guns, it’s time America takes action. ,

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OPINION

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Money on their minds

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is what people do when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re desperate. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the kind of thing you do when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re losing.â&#x20AC;?

Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what former Florida House Speaker Will Weatherford told reporters after the Florida Democratic Party filed a motion on Nov. 4 to extend the polls in Broward County until 9 p.m. The motion was not granted.

The 2014 gubernatorial election was widely believed to be a toss-up, which meant that each candidate needed to be extremely competitive in order to win. In Charlie Cristâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case, he needed to capture the minority vote, as well as the votes of the less politically interested public, both of which tend to be Democrat and reside in South Florida, namely Broward County.

Given the importance of Broward to the Crist campaign, the Florida Democratic Partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move makes sense politically and so you might be asking yourself â&#x20AC;&#x153;why is Weatherfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s quote a big deal?â&#x20AC;?

If Crist had shown himself to be politically adept, there wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be an issue. But that hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been the case. Crist needed the Latino vote to win, but rather than pander to them and do whatever possible to get their vote, he did the opposite. Rather than show interest in policies that Latinos like, such as statehood for Puerto Rico, Crist took a step in the opposite direction and endorsed Puerto Ricoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s anti-statehood governor.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tone deaf, and then thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not being able to hear the music at all.

Because of his bad American-Idolaudition political sensibilities, it makes me think that perhaps there were serious legal and democratic concerns to be had about the voting in Broward. Redistricting in August has caused confusion, which resulted in voters showing up at the wrong polling place and poll workers being unable to tell them where they should be, as well as some voters being issued voting cards, which improperly listed their polling place. On Election Day, voting equipment experienced several mechanical failures and polling places opened late. Secretary of State Ken Detzner said that nothing in this situation was â&#x20AC;&#x153;systematic,â&#x20AC;? but it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be systematic to be problematic,

7KH 6SHDNHU 'XULQJ KLV WHUP :LOO :HDWKHUIRUG ZDV WKH \RXQJHVW SUHVLGLQJ RIÂżFHU RI DQ\ OHJLVODWLYH FKDPEHU especially when it comes to voting. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fundamental right, and no voter deserves to be disenfranchised, even if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accidental.

So behind Weatherfordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s words lies an implication I detest. One, that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;desperateâ&#x20AC;? to do something that was, for all intents and purposes and with good reason, taken on behalf of voters who were being marginalized. Two, that this move could only be political.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s frustrating is that this is a safe assumption to make. We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trust our politicians to do things for us, but we can rely on them to do things for themselves.

And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not necessarily their fault.

Politics is a system. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a network comprised of interest groups, money, the people, and of course, the politicians.

And when weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re comparing our current politicians to those in the past, we need to understand that everything, from the bills signed to the articles written, is a product of a system and a time period. The Civil Rights movement or the New Deal wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen today; the system isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ripe for it.

This is especially true because todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political system is characterized by an influx of money. Since 1986, the cost of winning an election for both the House of Representatives and the Senate has steadily increased and is now in the tens of millions.

Wealthy individuals and political actions committees make up most of the funding, and since the late 1980s the number of PACs has nearly tripled. More than ever, those with money are able to exert a disproportionate amount of influence.

Say you do start out with good intentions; youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re running for Congress because you truly believe in protecting the environment, or our civil liberties, or because you believe our healthcare system needs to change. So you survey the field and you make a pitch to your local representatives of whichever party youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re choosing to run for and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very hopeful. Suddenly, you realize that you will need millions of dollars. This might mean spending some of your own money.

It might mean looking around for a wealthy donor whose interests intersect with yours.

But more often than not, it means changing yourself to attract said wealthy donors and spitting out as many inflammatory sound bites as you can. And then by the time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve reached office, not only must you focus on being re-elected in order to accomplish your â&#x20AC;&#x153;goals,â&#x20AC;? but you realize that you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the politician who chose to run in the first place.

What had started out as selflessness became corrupted by a system that forces you to play by its games.

It hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always been like this. Sure, politics has always been a game to a certain degree, but with moneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s newfound power it has become much more prevalent. Interest groups and rich people can, with a shower of cash, influence how our politics play out. A little dab of money here, you can fund a guy to run for president. A little dab of money there, and you can completely take over a state house, as Sheldon Adelson did with South Carolina.

In this current climate of Citizens United and unlimited spending, it has no longer become about the people. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now about how much money you can get, how much media time, how many ads you can throw on TV and how many cities you can get to in a day.

With money, politics has lost its personal spark. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had presidents, Democrat and Republican, who have done things for the people. But that was in another century.

The entire system of politics has been revolutionized, and the great, but terrible, thing about systems is that they perpetuate themselves. Through the revolving door, money and corruption flow in and out as slippery as oil. And if we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t act, the snarky soundbites about issues we need to take seriously will only keep coming.

The early 1900s saw increased awareness about corporate power, the 1960s major changes in civil rights. What will the history books say is 2010â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy? ,

OPINION

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Cat Fight

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I think gun control should be tightened, because people keep dying in a lot of situations and I feel like itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all very preventable. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really hurting my feelings to see continuous shootings and so little being done about it.

Testing doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bother me, but I know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s really not good for people with other learning styles, so it might be better to have more well-rounded ways of testing. EOCs are no fun, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see a better way to assess performance.

*XQ &RQWURO Recent school shootings, including the Florida State University shooting on Nov. 20, have prompted discussions over gun control.

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Due to a new state requirement, every class will have an end-ofcourse exam this year, including electives.

I think that everyone deserves their right to bear arms. I think people should have their licenses and go through their qualifications to get them, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think it should be tightened.

Generally Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pro-government-doing things.

Not that privatized companies canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t help the homeless, but I just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re able to do enough currently.

+RPHOHVV LQ %UHYDUG An ordinance approved in July by the Melbourne City Council bans aggressive panhandling, as well as panhandling downtown.

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EOCs are stupid, because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re already being tested with our final exams and FCATs. I think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way too much standardized testing.

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The more help we give to those who need it the better. I think the government should help to an extent, but I think we should mostly rely on our community churches and schools getting involved.

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NEWS

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Safe at home

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By Katie Garwood Vandalism, domestic disputes and theft. All of these have one thing in common: They happened within one mile of campus in the last few months.

Despite the various crimes reported in the area and nine registered sex offenders living in a one mile radius, the neighborhood around school is relatively safe, according to School Resource Officer Charles Landmesser. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For the most part, [the area around school] is safe,â&#x20AC;? Landmesser said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We still have a transient population and homeless population that lives back in the woods. I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in an inner city or anything like that. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a high crime area.â&#x20AC;?

Landmesser added that various factors around the school keep crime rates to a minimum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;With the courthouse right across the street, you would think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more chance, but between the sheriff being right there and a SRO on campus, it helps as a deterrent,â&#x20AC;? he said.

An area that recently has had more crimes is Downtown Melbourne. In the past two months alone, there has been a fatal stabbing and a nearly deadly fight. Landmesser said that to keep downtown safer, people need to communicate better with law enforcement.

He added that police often need help from business owners or residents who know their neighborhood well to spot people or events that are out of place. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Make an officer aware of it sooner rather than later,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; he said.

Unlike Downtown Melbourne, where crime has drawn recent interest and publicity, on University Boulevard in Melbourne, crime is more commonplace. More recent crimes around University Boulevard include a man who was shot and killed at an apartment complex and in November, an armed robbery. But, according to Landmesser, police units are active in the area. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The community is good about contacting [the police] and letting us know thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something going on and if they want us to come and take care of an issue,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Although there are higher concentrations of crime in some areas than others, according to Landmesser, crime can happen anywhere, especially in isolated areas. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a lot of people around, if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dark or itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not along the normal beaten path, especially after 10, it would be best not to go into a neighborhood you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know or a store that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a lot of people around,â&#x20AC;? he said. ,

8/ ROAR

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NEWS

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ACT vs. SAT

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By Tia Brunner

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In preparation for college applications, students across the board are faced with the task of fulfilling the standardized testing requirement.

They can choose between the SAT, ACT or both. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Almost all major colleges and universities will accept either test,â&#x20AC;? testing coordinator Mike Drake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Some specific programs may require SAT subject [tests] which the ACT does not offer.â&#x20AC;?

Each test is different. Subjects tested on the SAT include writing, critical reading and math covering concepts up to Algebra 2. The ACT tests on English, reading, science and math concepts up to trigonometry. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In general, the ACT is more reflective of the curriculum that students have experienced in their school careers,â&#x20AC;?

Drake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whereas students who are bright but have not been exposed to strong curriculums would be better served by the SAT.â&#x20AC;?

Junior Nikita Davda said she is better prepared for the ACT because of the courses sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s taken at school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I prefer the ACT,â&#x20AC;? Davda said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel as if the material on the ACT is covered in school, while the SAT is more of thinking outside of the box, which is more beneficial for gifted students who like to solve problems with things they have never encountered before.â&#x20AC;?

Senior Shelley Mitchell agrees with Davda. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I prefer the ACT because it is much shorter and covers a wider range of topics,â&#x20AC;? Mitchell said.

A guess penalty on the SAT means points are deducted from a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall score for every wrong answer.

In contrast, the ACT is scored based on the number of correct answers with no penalty for guessing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the guess penalty is a bad idea because it encourages students to just skip the question instead of trying their best and taking a shot at the question,â&#x20AC;? junior Laura Rantanen said.

Drake said test preference depends

+LW WKH ERRNV &RQFHQWUDWLQJ VHQLRU 1D]LVK 0LU]D SUHSDUHV IRU WKH 6$7 DQG $&7 largely on a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic strengths. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Strong math and science students would be better served by the ACT,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Students who prefer language arts would be better served by the SAT.â&#x20AC;?

Brevard Public Schools pays for sophomores to take the PLAN (PreACT) and the school PTA pays for juniors to take the PSAT (Pre-SAT) to help students determine the better fit.

In March 2016, a redesigned SAT will feature questions â&#x20AC;&#x153;asking students to support their answers with evidence, vocabulary theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll use long after theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken the exam, an essay prompt asking them to analyze a writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s argument and multistep problems requiring them to apply math in real-world contexts.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s [also] doing away with the guess penalty,â&#x20AC;? Drake said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Students will earn points for the questions they answer correctly.â&#x20AC;?

Mitchell said she believes college

acceptances shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be determined by standardized testing scores. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think grades speak for themselves,â&#x20AC;?

Mitchell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Standardized tests do not guarantee an accurate representation of the intelligence or diligence of students themselves. They tell you who is a good test taker or who has figured out the system of such tests.â&#x20AC;?

Mitchell is not alone. In fact, the web site fairtest.org lists hundreds of colleges that do not require a standardized test grade as part of their admissions process. However, most state and private institutions do, so it is almost imperative that all students take either the SAT, ACT or both. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I feel really prepared to take both tests,â&#x20AC;? Davda said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;After all, we do go to West Shore and they do everything possible to prepare us for our education, college and future.â&#x20AC;? ,

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NEWS

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Bella strong

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By Ana Rosal and Tia Brunner

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Senior Alicia Ortiz has always had a passion for assisting others, so for her Senior Project, she wanted to help someone less fortunate. Despite encountering many medical confidentiality breaches when contacting hospitals, the MakeA-Wish foundation and support groups, with the help of the Parent Teacher Association, Ortiz discovered 7-year-old cancer patient Isabella Huffman who resides in Melbourne. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had to change gears [so I] contacted the PTA, who sent out an e-mail to all the West Shore subscribers and found Bella,â&#x20AC;?

Ortiz said.

Huffman has been diagnosed with Burkitts Leukemia, and her wish is to take a trip to New York City and meet the stars of the reality TV cooking show â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cake Boss.â&#x20AC;? If Ortiz cannot make those ends meet, Huffmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s alternate wish is to visit Disneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Animal Kingdom for four days and three nights.

Ortiz aims to raise money for both trips, which will cost about $10,000 total. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have been selling T-shirts for $10 that say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bella Strongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I helped make a wish come trueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and wristbands for $5 that say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bella Strong,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;? Ortiz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I also had a car wash and raised $960 just from that. I am trying to get local restaurants and shopping centers to sponsor my project. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m also trying to contact Kohlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Associates in Action program, as well as a possible bucket drop somewhere.â&#x20AC;?

6WD\LQJ VWURQJ &DQFHU SDWLHQW ,VDEHOOD +XIIPDQ ZLVKHV WR PHHW %XGG\ 9DODVWUR RI 7/&ÂśV Âł&DNH %RVV ´ Ortizâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s friends have been supportive along the way. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This project has made Alicia happier. I can see that she feels good helping this little girl,â&#x20AC;? senior Michelle Maldonado said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She loves kids and she is very emotional when it comes to cancer, so I think this was the perfect project for her.â&#x20AC;?

Help the cause by donating to gofundme.com/bellastrongxxx. ,

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a riot

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By Noelle Moore

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Gambino have inspired the music in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;RIOT.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I was mostly trying to find a medium between the authentic rap/ hip-hop and translating that into a theatrical context.â&#x20AC;?

Junior Jonah Hinebaugh, who played the role of the police officer who shoots the poet, said he was excited to be a part of the project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that it is really cool and a good experience overall to be a part of,â&#x20AC;? Hinebaugh said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was interesting to watch Evy and Joey go through the process of writing their 3OD\DFWLQJ $V D SDUW RI Âł5,27 ´ VRSKRPRUH /DXUHQ own musical.â&#x20AC;?

0F0LOODQ DQG VHQLRU (Y\ â&#x20AC;&#x153;RIOTâ&#x20AC;? was performed at the 6RWRORQJR DFW RXW D VFHQH One Acts competition on Dec. 5.

Although the one-act was not chosen to move onto the state competition, it received a superior, the highest score. An encore presentation of â&#x20AC;&#x153;RIOTâ&#x20AC;? was performed at in the school auditorium Dec. 12. ,

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In a process akin to its name, seniors Evy Sotolongo and Joey Crown wrote and composed a one-act musical, titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;RIOT,â&#x20AC;? for the District Thespian One Act competition held Dec. 5. This is the first time in school history Troupe 6034 has performed a studentwritten musical. Sotolongo worked on the musical for his Senior Project while Crown did it for the experience of writing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evy has been asking me to write a musical with him for a long time,â&#x20AC;? Crown said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So when he finally approached me, the fact that we found an idea that we were both passionate about drove us to make this.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;RIOTâ&#x20AC;? takes place during a riot in a city. It follows three vignettes: A choir rehearsal in an inner-city church, a boy and a girl on a date atop a high rise and a rioter and policeman who were injured at the hospital. The riot in question is incited when a police officer shoots a poet.

Sotolongo and Crown split up the work, with Sotolongo working on the musical aspects and Crown focusing on the story line portion. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was a pretty intensive process; editing, coming up with lyrics and the computer software,â&#x20AC;? Sotolongo said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A lot of contemporary hip-hop artists such as Kanye West and Childish

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Call to action

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At 12 years old, freshman Emily George noticed an older man following her while she worked out at a gym. She initially thought it was her imagination, but soon realized he was actively trailing her. Not knowing what to do, she sought help from her mother, who instructed her to leave and reported the incident.

While not every girl has experienced that level of aggressiveness, nearly all have been victims of verbal harassment while out in public. Recently, a YouTube video entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Womanâ&#x20AC;? shed light on the cultural epidemic of verbal harassment in society by showing a modestly dressed woman bombarded by hundreds of catcalls from men while she walks through the city. To date, the video has amassed more than 38 million views.

While catcalls have persisted for decades, the video brings the practice to public attention. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Catcalls have been going on for forever and have just been accepted,â&#x20AC;? Assistant Principal Robert Farrell said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the point of the video is that now kids and women and dads and parents are expressing their distaste for this. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not right that a young lady canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t walk down the street to her job or to go get a cup of coffee without having to be worrying about being yelled at.â&#x20AC;?

Sophomore Kayelee Embry said the video shows how harassment happens no matter what girls are wearing. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think it was a good video, because some people think that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to get catcalled if you dress scandalously,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the woman was not dressed very scandalously and some people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand that as a woman, some people just look at you as a sexual object when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a person.â&#x20AC;?

On the other hand, freshman Zac Mujeeb said he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider a lot of the catcalls in the video to be harassment.

According to Mujeeb, the line between being friendly and sexual harassment is crossed when men are persistent and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t back off when a woman says â&#x20AC;&#x153;no.â&#x20AC;?

12/ ROAR

Âł7KH ZRPDQ ZDV QRW GUHVVHG YHU\ VFDQGDORXVO\ DQG VRPH SHRSOH GRQÂśW XQGHUVWDQG WKDW DV D ZRPDQ VRPH SHRSOH MXVW ORRN DW \RX DV D VH[XDO REMHFW ZKHQ \RXÂśUH D SHUVRQ ´ â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the video, I think a lot of it was the girl walking by and a guy just said â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hi,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they say â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;heyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your name,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or something like that and just try to strike up a conversation, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sexual harassment. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just normal conversation between two people.â&#x20AC;?

Sophomore Sacha Laloo points out that though she has seen instances of sexual harassment on West Shoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus, she believes it is a bigger problem at other high schools. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t realize what the definition of sexual harassment is,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They think theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re being friendly and just messing with someone and sometimes they take it too far.â&#x20AC;?

Farrell agrees that men often are not aware of the consequences of their comments and actions, and that the vast majority of the men who catcall donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider it sexual harassment. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wrong, Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not proper, but I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an educational thing,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If they were educated in regards to how it makes the girl feel, then it would be different.â&#x20AC;?

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In the forefront of the revitalized movement against sexual harassment is the push against sexual assault thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pervading colleges across the country. Recently at the University of Virginia, all fraternities were suspended for the remainder of the semester due to allegations of their involvement in gang-rape incidents. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What the college did, I think, is

appropriate because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sending the message that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to investigate it and until they investigate it fully, all activities are shut down,â&#x20AC;? School Resource Officer Charles Landmesser said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think that encourages the colleges and the fraternities to police themselves and to make sure these types of things do not happen. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that they send a message.â&#x20AC;?

A 2007 study conducted by the Justice Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Institute of Justice shows that one in five women are sexually assaulted in college. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[With] any kind of college clique, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s often times hazing, and the flip side of that are the types of things that they feel entitled to do to other people,â&#x20AC;? Attorney Mark Tietig, a civil rights lawyer in Cocoa who deals with discrimination and harassment, said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s say incoming freshmen want to join these fraternities and sororities, and have to go through hazing. A lot of the hazing is sexual in nature.â&#x20AC;?

Senior Evy Guerra said she worries about her sister, Ana, who currently attends Florida State University. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It makes me nervous because there are so many guys who think they should be able to yell things about her,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big problem. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m apprehensive to go away because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different from West Shore.â&#x20AC;?

According to Landmesser, people need to start rallying together more, like the students did at the University of Florida after recent sexual assault allegations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think [at] times people [and] students donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to get involved because theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re afraid of retaliation or think it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t concern them,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And I think as a whole everybody has to stand up for it, [whether] itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a community at West Shore or college, [they] have to stand up for one another.â&#x20AC;?

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Sexual harassment is as prominent in the virtual world as in the physical one, with video games being brought into the limelight recently. The previously male-dominant community now has more women than men.

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

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Anita Sarkeesian, a feminist video blogger who speaks publicly about misogyny in video games, made international headlines when she received death threats because of a planned lecture on the subject at Utah State University earlier this year.

According to senior Joe Along, a staff writer for a video game community website, misogyny and sexual harassment are no more prevalent in the video gaming community than in society as a whole, but active participation online gives gamers a platform from which to lash out.

“The gaming community for a long time has been almost exclusively male and it was sort of underground,” he said. “As women are getting more and more involved in video games, they’re starting to look at some of the video games that have misogynistic undertones and they’re trying to bring light to the social context of video games.”

Senior Gabii Reyes, an active gamer, said she has noticed misogyny in the video games she plays. In fact, she wrote her senior paper on gender stereotypes in video games.

“I feel like it’s kind of newer since online gaming is starting to become more of a thing, but [the portrayal of] women in gaming has always been a problem,” she said. “The first character to really be a female was from ‘Mario’ and ‘Donkey Kong’ and she was

just a princess that just said ‘save me.’ Then, the first good female character was Lara Croft, and she wore a bikini and booty shorts, so it’s always been a problem with women being sexualized in video games.”

Reyes said harassment towards women while playing games can take the fun out of the experience.

“I feel like [harassment] does happen a lot, especially in online gaming,” she said.

“Girls can play with guys and usually a girl talks on the game and a guy hears it, [so] they start to make derogatory comments and jokes and stuff at girls. A lot of times, it happens to them once and then they stop playing.”

Along said he thinks the solution entails conditioning male players to be more accepting of women.

“I think society as a whole lacks some restraint,” he said. “I think that’s perpetuated by social media. Your ability to say whatever you want and have it unfiltered allows for less-thought-out comments and that tends to lean towards these harassment problems that we’re seeing.”

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Because of an increased focus on sexual attention in the media, women are starting

to talk more openly about it, and coming forward with personal anecdotes, willing to share their experiences, like when juniors Gracie Parish and Megan Ward were shopping in a Barnes and Noble a few years ago. They rebuffed two men in their mid 40s who tried to talk to them, but when the girls left the store, the men followed by car.

“We had to lose them, and when I got home I filed a police report with their license plate,” Parish said. “It was so scary.”

Cross-country team member Hannah Keats said she often is subjected to harassment while training.

“I get a lot of car honks and things like that,” she said. “It’s just irritating, and it’s actually kind of scary. It makes me feel really bad about leaving my house to run. I try to run on a track as much as I can.”

Sophomore Alyssa Carrasco said women need to come out about incidents they encounter instead of being silent. She added the harassment is only going to get worse.

“They teach girls that we shouldn’t leave our drinks unattended instead of teaching the boys that they shouldn’t spike people’s drinks,” she said. “I feel like it should be taught more to the boys to not do bad things than it should be taught to the girls to prevent it.” ,

13/ ROAR

NEWS

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SPOTLIGHT

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By Evy Guerra

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As she scrolled through Twitter on Nov. 18, It is how your brain functions, you want to take senior Zuri Lawrence received a text message complex things and break them down and make from Senior Project coordinator Amanda them enjoyable. That is something that will always Kopp. The text contained a link to Kopp’s remain with me, even if I’m not teaching.” letter of resignation, effective Dec. 1. Lawrence Despite working with her current students only quickly read it before calling her friends in a since August, Kopp already had grown close to them. panic.

“It was especially hard to leave because it was in “I found out when I clicked on the message the middle of the year, and because this group is so link she sent to the senior class, I read the first fantastic,” Kopp said. “Everybody is such an amazing line and I started screaming ‘no,’ ” Lawrence person, and they are so talented. I’ve just gotten so said. “I called my three other friends to vent close with everybody so quickly because of that.” about how we were not going to graduate.”

Senior Eva Johnson said she felt an affinity with Kopp left to pursue a job with Dito, a Kopp early on. company that resells Google Apps.

“The first day of Senior Seminar class I was really “I am extremely happy for her,” Lawrence said. apathetic to be back at West Shore, but when we “If I was in her place, I would have done the walked into her classroom she made it really clear same thing. She is the first teacher I have felt a that she was actually on our side. She was like ‘yeah real connection with, so it is hard to see her go.” you can take naps, it is really not a big deal. I’m here Principal Rick Fleming said he also to make sure you guys make it through the year,’” understands why Kopp moved on.

Johnson said. “It became so clear how much love she “In her defense, it’s very difficult to compete is feeling. The fact that she is leaving us is really sad, when you’ve got Google in your right hand but she’s worth it, really worth going off and being a *UHHQHU 3DVWXUHV 6HQLRU 6HPLQDU that’s after you, and you’ve got a set teaching wonderful person.”

WHDFKHU $PDQGD .RSS SRVHV IRU D salary — which is barely enough to live on — on Lawrence said she appreciated Kopp’s way with SKRWR EHIRUH OHDYLQJ IRU KHU QHZ MRE. the other hand,” Fleming said. students.

Kopp’s new job combines her teaching skills “I felt that because she was so in tune with us, she with her love of technology. She will be responsible for educating treated us like actual people not just rambunctious high-schoolers,” corporations about the use of Google Apps.

Lawrence said. “Plus, her sarcasm is on point.”

“I knew once I got my master’s that my passion had changed a little Kopp said the only fair way to tell her students she was leaving was bit from teaching to technology,” she said. all at once, that is why she sent out the letter.

While she’s excited about starting her new job, ending her career in “Senior Project will go on as planned with adjustments to the public education was not an easy decision. teaching schedule but not the curricula or due dates,” she said. “Do “Leaving teaching had not been on my agenda, but it was something not worry, you will be in capable hands.”

I had to consider for my own personal security with business,” she Fleming has gone through the process of finding those capable said, referencing a change made in 2010 when the Florida Legislature hands, and has chosen seventh-grade civics teacher Jessica Hartman abolished tenure in favor of a pay-for-performance model. to take over for second semester.

In addition, Brevard Public Schools pay scale currently ranks 109th “My desire is to move somebody on staff to that position,” Fleming out of the 125 largest school districts in the United States and last in said. “That familiarity will breed comfort at least in a difficult situation Florida, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality, whose to the seniors in completing their Senior Project.” figures have been adjusted for cost of living.

Kopp will be working from home, but her new job does include “When teaching was changing, and it became apparent that tenure traveling anywhere around the country and sometimes even out of the was going away, there were people such as me, who are called ‘annual country, wherever Dito works. She plans to still be around. contract teachers,’” Kopp said. “Our position is seen as an opening “I don’t know how often my schedule will allow me to come back, every year — regardless of job performance — and we can try to be but one of the things I’d like to come back for is the Senior Project saved by our principal and people vouching for us, but our position is showcase. I’d love to see those finished products,” she said. “I’d really seen as an opening, so I started to explore options years ago.” like to come back for senior boards, help out and be supportive with While Kopp will no longer be a public school teacher, she said she that. The last thing I want to come back for is certainly graduation, will never stop teaching. which is something that I think I’ll be able to do.”

“It’s so hard to leave teaching just in general because it is such a Science teacher Mary Anderson worked across the hall from Kopp part of me,” she said. “Teaching is a job that never really does end. As and ate lunch with her almost every day. a teacher it is ingrained in you to always be thinking of things you “I’m really, really happy for her, but I’m sad for us as a school,” encounter in life and seeing how that could better help your students.

Anderson said. “We’re all going to miss her.” ,

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SPORTS

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Commitment issues

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By Lizzie Guerra

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have to be there to do it.â&#x20AC;?

Athletic Director Tony Riopelle coaches basketball, and has coached previously at Melbourne Central Catholic and Eau Gallie. He said he does not think there should be any more leeway for students at West Shore. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coachdependent. Sports are supposed to $UP LQ DUP ,Q D SUH JDPH FKDQW WKH YROOH\EDOO WHDP EHJLQV teach you a lot of LWV JDPH things, like time sleep between sports and studying,â&#x20AC;? management is one of them,â&#x20AC;? Riopelle Dimond said. said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So, no matter what school youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re On the volleyball team, coached by at, most coaches, in my experience, are Nicole Anagonostis, academics come first. going to tell kids, unless itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tutoring or â&#x20AC;&#x153;Coaches have their own style,â&#x20AC;? something where you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have control Anagonstis said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In my programs weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve of the time, you need to figure that out always agreed that the kid is not penalized and balance it around practices and for having to get tutoring, or take a test, games.â&#x20AC;? or study or whatever. We never penalize Senior Jake Dimond, center for the them.â&#x20AC;? varsity basketball team, agrees with The Florida High School Athletic Riopelle.

Association recently awarded the team â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you skip because you have too much the Academic Gold medalist distinction, homework then you should be punished,â&#x20AC;? after it finished first in Class 4A with a Dimond said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The only excuses that are collective grade-point average of 3.821. reasonable, in my opinion, are either West Shoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bowling, cross-country, golf family emergencies, or an academic event and swimming teams also made the list. such as testing or an event that directly Coach Bonnie Priester was proud of the influences your grade.â&#x20AC;? team.

Etherton also said there should be â&#x20AC;&#x153;For West Shore, athletics is considered consequences for those who are not as just one piece of the pie,â&#x20AC;? Coach Bonnie dedicated.

Priester wrote to her players. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The girls â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can understand that if you miss a here are diverse in their accomplishments. practice, you might be punished because We have class officers, valedictorians, the other players are putting in work at science-fair winners and students practice and should be rewarded to play in that mess up the test curves for their games,â&#x20AC;? Etherton said. classmates. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not uncommon [for Dimond balances his sports and players] to have three to six Advanced academics.

Placement classes, [with players] staying â&#x20AC;&#x153;I handle it by having very, very little up til 3 a.m. to do homework, [which] free time, and when I do have some all happens on the regular, and they will be I want to do is sleep because I never get at school on time the next day.â&#x20AC;? , 6RXUFH 'HDQ 6WHZDUW

Sophomore Kathryn Etherton sits in the bleachers wearing her varsity volleyball uniform. She tries to focus on her Algebra 2 homework while the JV team plays, knowing sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have a long night ahead when she gets home from her game. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Overall, the fall season is really stressful for me because we have practice every weekday,â&#x20AC;? Etherton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is physically exhausting, and then coming home to loads of homework is also mentally exhausting. I just try my best to get everything done to the best of my ability, trying to fit some sleep in.â&#x20AC;?

Etherton struggles to balance playing a sport while maintaining good grades. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s extremely difficult to keep up with the amount of school work, especially getting home so late from games,â&#x20AC;?

Etherton said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll even bring my books and binders in my volleyball backpack just to be able to get some work in while waiting to play when the JV team plays.â&#x20AC;?

At a school known mainly for academics, student athletes have to put their grades first and sports second. Greg Eller, who has also coached at Melbourne and Satellite high schools, said the differences are notable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Of course here it is very academically oriented, so that seems to come first â&#x20AC;&#x201D; along with grandmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in town and this, that and the other thing,â&#x20AC;? he said with a smile. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of the thing thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s different here than it is at other schools. Literally the things that go on here that are common â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if you did them at other schools â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you would be kicked off the team,â&#x20AC;? Eller said.

Academics come first, but even then for some students sports are still not even a second priority, according to Eller. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Here itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s much more lenient,â&#x20AC;? Eller said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say that across the board, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll say with a lot of sports itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more lenient. People here, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a chorus thing, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got all this stuff. I think a lot of times just the programs, like I know Coach Riopelle, heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more old school, I mean he doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do any of that stuff. The bottom line is to be good at anything, you

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SPORTS

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Winter Sports Q&A

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By Stryker Sinclair

Jett Morgan, 10th

Mary Billhartz, 10th

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Q: How do you feel

Q: What is the biggest difference from JV to varsity?

A: Everybody knows what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re doing on varsity.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harder to play now because I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just steal the ball.

Q: How do you help the team when you play?

A: I try my hardest and shoot when I have an open look.

Q: How have you developed since seventh grade?

A: I am better at shooting and am more confident when Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m on the court.

being asked to move up to varsity from JV? A: Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good experience because our varsity team is pretty good, and will be good enough to blow some teams out, so I can get some play time.

Q: How do you prepare yourself before every game?

A: I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk to anyone and focus only on the game and nothing else.

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Allan Joyner, 11th

Ashley Pekmezian, 12th

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Q: How do you feel your

3KRWR 5RDU VWDII

Q: What are your hopes for this season?

A: Our team plans to make it out of districts and hopes to go far in regionals. players now.

18/ ROAR

3KRWR 5RDU VWDII

Q: How is this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team different from years prior?

A: We lost a lot of players, and have a lot of younger

team will do this season in the playoffs?

A: I feel as if we will have a pretty good chance in districts this year because the competition isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t that great.

Q: As youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve progressed as a player, what has changed in your game?

A: I feel more confident in myself now as opposed to my eighth grade year going up against only upperclassmen on varsity.

SPORTS

-DQXDU\

The Pain Game

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By Ben Mechachonis The biggest challenge a varsity sports team faces each season isn’t a district opponent or adjusting to new teammates and coaches.

No, the biggest challenger’s name is injury, and it spares no team. It doesn’t matter how much players take care of their bodies before and after games or how well a season is going for a team; an injury will ruin all of this and set any varsity sports team back.

Every season, players have injuries, whether severe or nagging, that can derail even the most promising scenarios that team might see for itself. Athletes often play through non-season ending injuries in the hopes that it will magically go away, and don’t worry about the consequences that may befall them if they continue to play with an injury. If players get injured, it is the coaches’ duty to mediate a proper amount of recovery time after speaking with parents, trainers and the player. There’s no arguing this, safety has to come first.

I have a joke with varsity basketball’s starting center Jake Dimond that you have to risk it all for high school sports because that’s all that matters. Dimond’s knee comes and goes, as those who follow the basketball team know. So, every time he tweaks it or something doesn’t feel right, I ask him if he’s going to play through it to which

he replies sarcastically, “Of course, you have to risk it all for high school sports. Nothing else matters.” We both laugh, but by too many players and coaches, this joke is taken too literally.

Constantly, I am hearing stories about kids rushing back from injuries because they miss playing. These kids are going to have serious health problems if they do not sit out while their injuries heal. What is wrong with them? This is not OK at all, because guess what’s going to happen? That player is going to come back too soon and break his ankle three plays in and will be out for the season because of the surgery that is required to fix a broken body part.

Kids sprain a knee or something in their back and think nothing of it, then they come back and injure themselves further and get stuck with the realization that their body will never be the same. I don’t understand what the thrill of playing injured is. What kind of enjoyment can come from the sport a person loves if he is playing it at less than 100 percent?

People praise professional athletes for playing through pain and injury, but those people are being paid millions to compete, whereas high school students may never play past their secondary level of education. Nobody is chanting their names for playing with pain; they’re laughing at how stupid they are for risking their health and well-being for nothing. Good luck with your game next week, and good luck walking normally for the rest of your life, I hope everything works out. ,

19/ ROAR

ENTERTAINMENT

-DQXDU\

Year in Review

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5.

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ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK GAME OF THRONES PRETTY LITTLE LIARS THE WALKING DEAD BIG BANG THEORY

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20/ ROAR

ENTERTAINMENT

-DQXDU\

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So stellar

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By Joey Crown

Christopher Nolan, the director of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellar,â&#x20AC;? had a sort of holy regard among film fans after the release of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Inception.â&#x20AC;? Personally, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a fan of his older films like â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mementoâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Prestige,â&#x20AC;? which conquered complex plots, but without all the grandiosity and over-inflated sense of importance his films have seemed to develop.

This is why â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellarâ&#x20AC;? made me skeptical. The plot seemed to have everything going for it, but I was worried it was going to suffer from the same effect â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Dark Knight Risesâ&#x20AC;? did; after the initial excitement wore off, all you have is a fairly mediocre film. This left me deliberating on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellar,â&#x20AC;? and I wanted to wait before writing this review because I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want the hype to cloud my opinion.

But I can say that I still love â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellarâ&#x20AC;? just as much as I did after I left the theater. The story is one of humanity in dire shape, where a changing climate left crops dying and people starving, with few options left but to look to the stars. NASA has been operating in secret, but its existence has been wiped from the history books. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is an accomplished farmer and former pilot who discovers a gravity abnormality in his house that reveals the coordinates of the NASA facility in binary. Cooper travels there with his daughter â&#x20AC;&#x153;Murphâ&#x20AC;? (Jessica Chastain) and they are captured as intruders in the facility, but it conveniently turns out Cooper is the best pilot NASA ever had. The project lead, Professor Brand (Michael Caine), needs him to travel through a wormhole to another galaxy in order to find a new planet for humanity to live on. Cooper agrees, and he departs into the stars with a crew comprised of a biologist, Dr. Brand (Anne

Hathaway), and scientists Romily (David Gyasi) and Doyle (Wes Bentley).

All the performances were great in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellar,â&#x20AC;? but I was especially fond of McConaugheyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. His dynamic with Hathaway provided the majority of the drama, as their mission into another galaxy becomes about more than the preservation of the species. She wants to find an astronaut from a previous mission who went to this star system, and due to time dilation should still be alive on one of the planets. However, a lack of fuel forces them to choose between two potential worlds.

Brand goes on a rant that her love gives her a feeling that the right planet to go to is the one her lover is on. The scene provides a brilliant characterization that demonstrated how similar she is to Cooper, who wants to see his daughter again. It showed how human they were even when light years away from Earth.

The plot isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hard to follow, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s incredible that a sciencefiction project so large was able to remain grounded in reality.

Even more impressive is how the film still had room to tackle an interesting philosophical pondering. It poses a fascinating idea of what our imperative as a species is: to continue our culture or our genes? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Interstellarâ&#x20AC;? is reminiscent of a certain quality that used to exist in Hollywood in the 60s and 70s.

The grand epics of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lawrence of Arabia,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Apocalypse Nowâ&#x20AC;? and even â&#x20AC;&#x153;Star Warsâ&#x20AC;? all are remembered as cinematic masterpieces because they took a story with scope so grand it seems larger than life, and related it to the struggles of a hero, revealing something deeper about the nature of humanity. ,

21/ ROAR

ENTERTAINMENT

-DQXDU\

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Me and Earl and the Dying Girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; memorable $QGUHZVÂś GHEXW QRYHO WHOOV LQWHUHVWLQJ WUXWK GHÂżHV FRQYHQWLRQ

By Roba Sabawi Rarely does a book manage to achieve the feat of combining vulgar, dry humor as well as a reluctantly moving and truthful outlook on two common horrors that collide in one very unprepared teenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life: high school and death. This is especially remarkable for debut author Jesse Andrews, who shows his prodigious and comedic talent in the new young adult novel, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.â&#x20AC;?

The book is told from the perspective of Greg Gaines, a hilariously below average 17-year-old senior. Greg begins the book by introducing figures like his quirky family and the different cliques at school that he has learned to navigate so skillfully. His reservation has enabled him to stay neutral and thereby virtually invisible among his peers. His only acquaintance is the perpetually angry Earl, with whom Greg has enjoyed making films since they were young.

Greg is pretty set in his ways, sarcastically content with his mediocre life, until a meteor comes crashing down on Planet Greg, a wake-up call for a kid with no motivation.

Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, a determined woman with an unwavering conscience, forces Greg to become reacquainted with Rachel, a girl he knew when he was younger. Their families know each other quite well, but the teens are complete strangers with an embarrassing past that becomes an even more awkward

present. This sudden, growing friendship, cringe-worthy yet inadvertently inspirational, all began because, according to Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mother, Rachel needed a friend during her battle with cancer. Much to Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chagrin, Rachel is shown his and Earlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homemade films, which are symbolic of yet another part of Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life that he has deemed worthless. Therefore, it is expected that the shameful films never see the light of day.

Rachel ends up being the only audience truly .appreciative of the videoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comedic qualities and they become an essential medicine for her during her painful struggle, bringing out the softer side of the surprisingly intuitive Earl and the disbelief of Greg. The real test, however, occurs when Gregâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worst fear comes true, and the films take him on a path he would never have dreamed of.

Throughout the story, Greg insists it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t turn into a typical love story and is true to his word. Rather, the story becomes so much more: a realization of what matters, and the courage it takes to abandon invisibility and make a stand. Uncertain and self-abasing, Greg seems like the least likely person to be able or willing to deal with what life has thrown at him, but the real question remains: who would be? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Me and Earl and the Dying Girlâ&#x20AC;? is a wild ride of wit and emotion, incredible in how realistic and relatable it becomes.

While the transformation the protagonist undergoes may not be Hollywood-worthy or conventional, it is definitely one to remember. ,

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By Noelle Moore Q: What are some of your biggest influences?

A: I look up to Coach [Bonnie] Bettis, my HOPE teacher, because sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s super cool and supportive. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a good teacher and I enjoy her class.

Q: How do you de-stress?

A: I swim for West Shoreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s swim team.

Q: What is your dream for the future?

A: I really want to swim in college and go to a Division II school. My dream would be to become a professional swimmer.

Q: Who are your role models?

A: My parents are my role models because they have always been there for me. They cheer me on at all my swim meets, which I really appreciate. They are the greatest parents.

22/ ROAR

ENTERTAINMENT

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By Ana Rosal Taylor Swift has caught a lot of attention with the release of her fifth studio album, â&#x20AC;&#x153;1989.â&#x20AC;?

The record, named for the singer-songwriterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s birth year, has been described as her first official pop album.

Swiftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new record is a noticeable shift from countrypop melodies to mainstream pop music, filled with synthesized vocals and guitars.

The album features catchy beats yet predictable lyrics, such as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Welcome to New York/Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been waiting for you/Welcome to New York/Welcome to New York/Welcome to New York.â&#x20AC;? Swift is the epitome of an artist who changes her music style to fit in with standard top 40 radio fare, like Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus.

Her albumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s debut single â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shake It Off â&#x20AC;? is too repetitive, and demonstrates a lack of lyrical creativity. The single also contains a spoken-word bridge, almost rap-like, that leads up to the final chorus, conforming to the composition of pretty much every other song on the pop charts.

The rest of the songs featured on the album arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t much better. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s apparent Swift had many inspirations for the album with certain songs that sound almost exactly like those of other artists. The recordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second single, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blank Space,â&#x20AC;? had a superbly original sound, until I realized itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basically the same

beat heard in Lordeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s single, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Team.â&#x20AC;? Another influence can be noticed in the track, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Wildest Dreams,â&#x20AC;? where the poetic lyrics and flowing melody can be easily mistaken for a Lana Del Rey song. It is blatantly obvious Swift is striving for a more minimalist pop sound, but she is much better suited for her tried and true country-pop style with down-to-earth lyrics and charming acoustic melodies.

What is clear is that Swift struggles with originality. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a sad thing to listen to a song, but spend the entire time trying to remember where that familiar beat or melody was last heard. This occurs frequently when listening to â&#x20AC;&#x153;1989.â&#x20AC;?

Many old â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and new â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Swift fans have praised her for experimenting and trying to go in a new direction with her music, which is completely fine. Perhaps itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s good she isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to successfully pull off the sound she is striving for, since it allows space for her own special musical twist. But Swiftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s country-pop days remain the pinnacle of her career. They were what propelled her into the forefront of the American music scene, and they have discernibly gone extinct. I hope Swift will one day ditch the synthesizer and pick up her acoustic guitar again.

Listening to â&#x20AC;&#x153;1989â&#x20AC;? is almost as disappointing as listening to â&#x20AC;&#x153;Red.â&#x20AC;? It is a painful thing when an artist I used to love so much has lowered herself to a level she is too talented for. The album would be best used as static in the background when reading or doing homework. The songs are not unique or ear-catching whatsoever. â&#x20AC;&#x153;1989â&#x20AC;? doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do much to impress and certainly is not worth the extra money for the deluxe edition. ,

23/ ROAR

$'9(57,6,1* 63$&( 3529,'(' %<

BBN Vol. 31 No. 24

June 17, 2013

Brevard

Business

News

$1.00 A Weekly Space Coast Business Magazine printed in Brevard County, Florida since 1984

The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse establishes a foundation

Happy Holidays

By Ken Datzman

COCOA VILLAGE — The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse, a cultural pillar of the community for more than two decades, has established a fund–raising vehicle for the organization as it prepares to position itself for the future.

The facility was recently renovated increasing seating capacity to 595 people, and those seats were all filled for the world–premier performances of Tony Macaulay’s “Build Me Up Buttercup — The Musical.”

Now, the Cocoa Village Playhouse is looking to build on its successes and is reaching out to the business community and to individuals in support of its mission.

The new “Broadway on Brevard Legacy Foundation” has been set up to provide long–term funding for operating expenses and special programs that the Cocoa Village Playhouse hosts and runs on a yearly basis.

With grants being sliced and other arts resources dwindling, a group of community leaders decided it was the perfect time to rally around the Cocoa Village Playhouse and create a foundation that would help ensure its longevity in the community.

“The launch of the Broadway on Brevard Legacy Foundation I think is one of the most exciting things to happen for the Cocoa Village Playhouse,” said area businesswoman Susie Wasdin, the founder and chairperson of the Legacy Foundation and a longtime supporter of the Cocoa Village Playhouse.

“We’ve had a successful year. We’ve completed the renovation of the facility and we’ve made the ownership transition from Brevard Community College to the City of Cocoa. Now, through this foundation, we are focusing on keeping the funds flowing long–term for the Cocoa Village Playhouse. We have come together as a group and stepped up to the plate to create this foundation.”

Wasdin singled out the City of Cocoa for its leadership during the transition phase and for its ongoing support of the Cocoa Village Playhouse.

The Legacy Foundation hosted a kick–off party on May 19 at the Merritt Island home of Mike and Rashmi Shah, local entrepreneurs. “We had this unbelievable recognition event and introduction to the foundation at the Shahs,” said Wasdin, who sits on the Cocoa Village Playhouse board.

The host committee for “An Evening in Paradise” included Guy and Delores Spearman, Tom and Susie Wasdin, Barbara Halgren, Jerry and Dixie Sansom, Harry and Dee Dee Sheffield, and Charlotte Houser.

Rashmi Shah said she attended a fund–raising event last year at Rockledge Gardens and was invited to become a member of the Cocoa Village Playhouse board.

“Our family has always enjoyed the performances at the Cocoa Village Playhouse,” said Rashmi Shah. “It’s an outstanding organization. I told Staci (Hawkins–Smith, the Cocoa

from the Brevard Business News family — to yours

PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS, INC.

Please see The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse, page 19

BBN photo — Adrienne B. Roth

The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse has established the ‘Broadway on Brevard Legacy Foundation’ to help ensure the long–term future of the organization that presents a range of arts and cultural entertainment for the community. The Legacy Foundation is seeking pledges from businesses and individuals. From left: Staci Hawkins–Smith, executive director, Cocoa Village Playhouse; Susie Wasdin, founder, Legacy Foundation; Delores Spearman, founding member; Dee Dee Sheffield, founding member; Rashmi Shah, founding member; and Charlotte Houser, founding member.