September Issue 2015

LightningStrike Taking Miami-Dade by Storm

Dr. Michael M. Krop Sr. High • 1410 Countyline Road • Miami, Florida 33179

May 28 , 2015 • Issue 7 • Volume 17

Best Buddies attend 10th annual prom

Mayan Derhy editor-in-chief When she saw that special needs students were excluded from prom, Natalie Sanz, who teaches at North Miami Beach Senior High, initiated the idea of holding a prom for kids with autism, realizing this special night of glam and dance should be afforded to everyone. Five years later, the event turned from a small gathering of a few schools to a district-wide event. Ten years later, this May 14, the “Spring Social for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders” included over 500 students from all over Miami-Dade.

Organized by seven Miami-Dade teachers, including special education teacher Manuel Quiroga, this prom is often the only chance special needs students have to experience a high school tradition that most other teens take for granted.

“They are surrounded by people who are just like them and they don’t have to worry about being judged or laughed at,” junior Juana Argiro, Best Buddies vice president, said. “They’re just having fun because the only thing they have to worry about is who they’re going to dance with.”

This year’s theme for the prom, held at the University of Miami, was “Hooray for Hollywood.” Because of his substantial involvement, Quiroga got special privileges to bring along students not on the autism spectrum, such as senior Eric Quinn and other students from the drama department. They were dressed as different movie icons, including Harry Potter and Candy Girl.

After dressing up and getting their make-up done by volunteers, Quiroga’s students made their way from his classroom to their coach bus under an arch of swords held by JROTC members.

When the students walked into the UM building, they were greeted by a battle between Harry Potter and a pirate. They walked through the main hall on a red carpet and were interviewed by fake paparazzi to make the Hollywood theme all the more realistic.

“The kids wouldn’t stop talking about the prom until we got there,” junior Maxime Korner, Best Buddies recording secretary, said. “Once we got there, the girls kept saying that they felt like total princesses, and it made me so happy to see them enjoying the ► story continues on page 3

FLORIDA LEGISLATION

End-of-course exams undergo drastic changes Jake Singer managing editor End-of-Course Exams (EOCs) are usually a significant part of the school year. However, recent changes to testing policies have eliminated some tests and made others futile.

In 2014, Florida passed legislation calling for DistrictDeveloped End-of-Course Exams (DDEOCs) for any courses without statewide assessments.

This decision received criticism from school districts, which cited that this testing was excessive and damaging the learning environment.

On Apr. 13, this legislation was amended, and the new changes gave districts more freedom to assess performance. Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvahlo responded to this newfound freedom by eliminating

290 of the 300 DDEOCs created for Miami Dade schools.

On his Twitter, Carvahlo said that this elimination of tests is “the most aggressive decommissioning of testing in the state of Florida, if not in the country.”

Sophomore Delanie Ludmir is glad that she won’t have to take DDEOCs. “These tests take a lot of time away from classes I can be learning in,” Ludmir said. “I don’t think they evaluate my capabilities very well, so I’m glad I don’t have to take them.”

In addition to the elimination of these DDEOCs, the state also abandoned the use of the Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry EOC score in determining a student’s final grade. The decision was made because the tests are unverified and the state would not be able to complete a thorough study of the tests’ validity in time.

The state gave districts

END-OF-COURSE EXAMS

10 OF 300

NUMBER OF THE FLORIDA STATE BILL THAT ENABLED DISTRICTS TO MAKE TESTING DECISIONS

0

6 OF 186 NUMBER OF END OF COURSE EXAMS BEING

PERCENT OF GRADE THAT ALGEBRA I, ALGEBRA II AND GEOMETRY EOCS WILL COUNT TOWARD

• Retiring teachers; Saying goodbye - page 13 • Summer blockbusters - page 14 • Player goes pro in NFL draft - page 16

ADMINISTERED IN MIAMI-DADE HIGH SCHOOLS SOURCES 1. Washington Post, 2. NBC Miami, 3. WSVN News

the ability to use the scores to recalculate grades, but MiamiDade decided against doing so.

Sophomore Gabriela Dunaveschi, who took both the Algebra I and Geometry EOCs this year, is relieved that the test will not count against her final grade.

“When I took the tests, there

More inside:

• Confessions of Freshman - page 7

7069

NUMBER OF DISTRICT-DEVELOPED END-OF-COURSE EXAMS STILL IN USE OUT OF THE 300 WRITTEN

• A penny spent may be a penny earned - page 4

BY THE NUMBERS

Burnt out seniors write their version of the Lightning Strike pages 10 -11

were questions on things I had never learned before,” Dunaveschi said. “I think I did poorly on the tests because of that, but that doesn’t reflect my performance in the classes.”

While Algebra I, Algebra II and Geometry EOC scores will not be used, Biology, US History and

Civics scores will count toward students’ final grades.

At a time where schools are bombarded with standardized testing, these changes are a relief for students.

“I’m happy I’m done with testing,” Dunaveschi said, “because now I can get back to learning.”

News

tops Page 2

KROP’S

Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High ranked 1,097th out of 19,753 high schools in the country by U.S. News and World Report. Krop ranked 84th out of 911 Florida high schools and was awarded a silver medal for its students’ college-readiness.

Seniors Nicole Newman, Daniel Guberek, Laura Katz, Joseph Levy, Dan Sicorsky, Lina Zuluaga, Parker Yagman, Shirley Plotnik and Yekaterina Kaydash received honorable mentions in their respective categories at the Silver Knight Awards Ceremony.

Sophomore Maya Levy received 4th place at the International Science Fair for her research project “Clinical Accuracy of Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring for Ex-Vivo Artificial Pancreas” and was awarded $500.

Freshmen Nathaniel Manor, Sophomore Michael Katz and Junior Elias Rosenfeld received the Principal’s Award at the Underclassmen Award Ceremony Boys Tennis, Girls Tennis, Girls Water Polo and Softball qualified to the spring FHSAA Academic Team Champions list because their team carried an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Junior Gabriel Shlain received the Harvard Book Award at the Underclassmen Award Ceremony.

Senior Laura Katz and junior Alex Tarlow received the Grand Pez Award at their respective Award Ceremonies.

Senior Dante Wilson received Prom King and Senior Amari Wynter received Prom Queen.

Compiled by Mikaela Mendez

The Lightning Strike • September The Lightning Strike • May2008 2015

From local to global: SOUTHERN FLORIDA : South Florida’s large increase in the death of dolphin’s sees a definite link between the BP oil spill in 2010. Scientists investigating this matter have seen these dolphins die due to lung and adrenal lesions because of swimming in oil.

SANTA BARBRA, CALIFORNIA : As California is set to get there “summer feel” going, an oil pipeline spills as 21,000 gallons of oil spill across California’s oceans. A 24 inch pipeline ruptured just days before Memorial Day weekend at Refugio State Park.

What’s going on around the world?

MIDDLE EAST : The United States has found documents left behind from Osama Bin Laden. These letters include possible plans that Al Quada had. Also, there were letters Bin Laden left behind to his family saying that he did everything for them.

NORTHERN NAMIBIA, AFRICA : A Texas native, Corey Knowlton, put in a bid to get a permit in order to hunt for a black rhino in Namibia. Knowlton received death threats as he was hunting for one of the world’s most endangered species. He spent a year and a half and Knowlton feels that the world just needs to live with it.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA : The domestic security agency of Russia has arrested a Lithuanian spy. This is because the Lithuanian spy was caught exchanging foreign and secret documents with a Russian citizen. This spy may have been sent just because a Russian spy was caught doing the same thing in Lithuania. sources:

LA PAZ, BOLIVIA : The Bolivian army has provided bakers, as they have gone on strike because the government has scraped subsidies for wheat flour, with tens of thousands of bread rolls to sell at their store. The bakers were on a 48 hour strike and since the strike has ended, the bakers are back in their stores.

CNN Miami Herald

Compiled by Ethan Curtis

ACTIVITIES

‘Proud 2 B A Girl’ empowers women to stand up to bullying Mikaela Mendez news editor

On Apr.30 Youth Crime Watch held a conference, PROUD 2 B A GIRL, which empowered young girls to embrace who they are and not let what anyone does or says affect them. An email was sent to faculty to recommend girls who they believed would benefit from attending the conference.

PROUD 2 B A GIRL was started

by Krop alumna Yana Minyazova.

When she was in high school many girls talked behind her back and bullied her. She did not want this to be a “normal” high school environment, and so she took it upon herself to start a conference where girls feel comfortable in their own skin.

“The goal of the conference is to spread the message the club enforces ,” sponsor Kim Fereira said.”Crime Watchers seeks to stop and prevent bullying through education and volunteering.”

The conference focuses on female youth empowerment, bullying and cyber bullying prevention and human trafficking’s

TALK BEHIND MY BACK: ‘Positive Comments About Me’ symbolizes that not everything somebody says behind your back is negative and exemplifies how important it is to let people know how you feel face to face. Girls walk around during the conference writing compliments on the other persons back (left). Senior Charity Waweru reads the positive comments people wrote on her back during the activity (right).

effects on the female population.

This was the third year the conference was held and this year it doubled in attendees and had four guest speakers.

Speaker Joyce Davis’ represented her organization Pearl Girlz in which she focused on rational aggression prevention and cyber bullying prevention. She compared how girls attack other girls on the outside to how parasites try to destroy an oyster. A pearl could be a mollusk, or an oyster. Then, a parasite comes in and attacks the oyster from the outside and pokes

holes in it to destroy the inside of the oyster, but the oyster does not allow it. In fact, it makes the insides of the oyster stronger due to the pressure it goes through to make a beautiful pearl.

Davis related her life story with some of the girls in the audience.

She remembers being the “new girl” in every school since her family moved around a lot, and often times it led to people making fun of her for being different. But she did not let it get to her, she kept her mom’s voice in the back of her head saying, “Jocelyn, you are going to be an

ambassador,” which gave her the courage to stand up for herself.

Other speakers included Detective Judy Chacon of the MiamiDade Police Department, who’s presentation focused on bullying prevention and police relations, retired Miramar Police Department’s Major Cindy Brown’s presentation on youth female empowerment and special agent Victor Williams of the Department of Homeland Security’s presentation on human trafficking.

Senior Chairty Waweru, wrote and performed a song entitled “ You’re exceptional,” for the event in hopes of helping girls accept and flaunt what makes them unique.

Many times, when you hear somebody is talking behind your back you associate it with something negative. During the conference, girls participated in an interactive activity called “Positive Comments About Me,” where students wrote positive messages and praise to each other on a sheet taped to their backs. The purpose was to show that, instead of crushing each other, girls should stand together to make eachother stronger.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Environmentalists warn against crossing the two degree threshold Climate Change Mayan Derhy editor-in-chief

“We’re 2 degrees from a different world.”

At least that’s what CNN reporter John D. Sutter, creator of the “2 degree project,” and other environmental scientists concluded. Environmental policy experts say that 2 degrees Celsius, or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, may be the edge of the cliff for climate change, and it’s a fine line our world can’t bare to cross.

According to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Global temperature has risen 0.85 degrees Celsius since we started burning fossil fuels in the late 1800’s. The environmental dilemma is that humans have never lived in a world that is 2

degrees Celsius warmer than what it was then. Suffice it to say that such a change in our climate could cause an unstoppable ripple effect.

Climate experts say that we risk changing basic aspects of our planet by potentially passing that 2-degree mark. Our drinkable water could potentially become scarce and massive droughts would be more frequent. A rising number of our world’s animals would be at risk for extinction, including ocean animals and coral reefs. Some island nations could be underwater and shorelines would recede in places from Miami and New York to Mumbai and Shanghai.

Climate change experts say that unless we start to make drastic changes, we could hit the 2-degree mark by 2050 and, even worse, we could hit 3 to 5 degrees

of warming by 2100.

On top of that, as of May 8 this year another hazardous benchmark has been reached.

Our world’s CO2 rates are now above 400 ppm. This basically means that we now have a higher amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere - 400 parts carbon dioxide (CO2) for every million parts of something else. Just to put things into perspective, our world’s CO2 ppm before the industrial revolution was around 280.

The more carbon dioxide is in our air, the faster our world is going to heat up.

As our world becomes unbearably close to the 2-degree mark, environmental experts claim that only drastic and immediate changes will be able to prevent our world from irreversibly changing.

BY THE

NUMBERS

52%

of the carbon budget has been used as of 2011

500 million

people worldwide currently live below five meters of elevation and may be affected by the sea level rise CNN, John D. Sutter

source -Mayan Derhy

News Page 3

The TheLightning LightningStrike Strike• •September May 2015 2012

NEWS BRIEFS

‘BEST BUDDIES PROM,’ from front page event like that.”

With the funds Best Buddies receives from their morning bagel sales and donations from numerous organizations like Pearson Education, Autism Speaks and Fox-Mar, these students go to their prom for free. Absolutely everything from dresses and tuxedos to corsages and tickets are paid for.

Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who initially made the prom a district-wide event, came for the fifth year to show his support. His involvement went beyond advocating for the inclusion of every school, and there was rarely a moment where he wasn’t on the dance floor enjoying himself alongside the students.

“It’s such a beautiful event,” Carvalho said. “I think it’s a combination of different settings – the sound, the music and [the students] being the focal point of everyone’s attention that makes this so special and transforms these kids’ reactions.”

1

4

2

5

3

6

GLITZ AND GLAMOUR: On May 14, Miami-Dade students part of the autism spectrum came together at the University of Miami to celebrate their 10 annual prom. (1) Senior Chardyne Compere and freshman Janelle Paul smile and gasp at their friends in their beautiful dresses and tuxedos. (2) Freshman Latrell Fussel (left) and freshmen William Holm high-five eachother before leaving to the prom. (3) Attendees gather around their designated tables to enjoy a catered lunch. (4) Manuel Quiroga alongside Natalie Sanz who initiated the prom idea, Liliana Salazar director of special education for the district and Angie Torres, director of autism services for the district pose under the Hollywood themed archway. (5) Senior Kaila Fives answers junior Alexandra Wilk’s question, “Can I bring a water bottle to prom?” (6) Freshman Janelle Paul, along with the rest of the girls who attended the prom, got their make-up done in Quiroga’s room for free.

Photos taken by: Mayan Derhy (1,2,5,6), Juana Argiro (3) and Manuel Quiroga(4)

NATURAL DISASTER

Nepal earthquake shakes the world Nicolas Chmielewski staff writer On April 25, the waters rippled, the ground danced and structures demolished in Nepal.

As the result of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake in Nepal, there have been over 7,000 deaths, 14,000 injuries, the destruction of 130,000 homes and buildings as well as the missing of thousand of people.

According to many sources, including videos taken at first hand, the first shock lasted nearly three minutes. During this period of time, thousands of constructions were destroyed throughout the many districts in Nepal, particularly those that are neighboring the epicenter (Kathmandu and Pokhara), which is defined as the point on the earth’s surface directly above the focus of an earthquake.

Immediately after this natural

disaster, countries were alarmed and united to contribute assistance during such a desperate time. Countries such as the United States, India (the first to respond within hours being Nepal’s adjacent neighbor), Israel and Spain generously donated money along with humanitarian aid.

Spain, for example, donated up to 30 tons in charitable aid, which included awnings, kitchen sets and blankets.

Overwhelmed hospitals needed to move into buildings including schools, which are now being used as centers for relief distribution.

The earthquake has been the most potent natural disaster to attack Nepal since 1934. It also stimulated an avalanche on Mount Everest, which ended up killing 20 people. thus became the ‘deadliest day on the mountain’ recorded throughout history. Nepal, which generates most of its revenue through agriculture and tourism, will be expecting many

challenges in the upcoming months.

Harvest damage and farmers’ incapacity to grow crops within areas negatively affected by the earthquake are likely to change this year’s forecast.

The unprepared people of Nepal have been uncovering bricks, dirt and bodies from underneath for days. A mudslide buried approximately the entire picturesque Langtang Valley, which was widespread with tourists.

But with the quick globalization of social media websites, the devastated country is able to gain greats amount of support. To help accommodate those in need of shelter, food and/or aid in Nepal, http://www. charitynavigator.org/ is a suggested website. Charity Navigator gives recommendations as to charities that have been carefully selected using data such as track records, allowing the viewer to choose the right charity.

Senior Assembly Awards

On May 18 seniors Parker Yagman, Allan Stern, Eric Quinn, Sydney Vigille, Laura Katz, Joseph Levi, Lina Zuluaga, Dan Sicorsky, Charity Waweru, Danelle Amsellam, Daniela Michanie, Kimberly Foreiter and Daniel Guberek (left to right), were inducted into the Principal’s Hall of Fame.

The Principal’s Hall of Fame awards students who have stood out by making an impecable difference in our school through their service. Each of the awardees will have their picture framed and hung on the right side of the library wall.

-Mayan Derhy

School police use metal detectors to ensure safety School is a place meant to mold the minds of the youth, so MiamiDade school police believe that the use of metal detectors can keep schools safe and maintain their purpose.

For several years, the police have conducted random metal detections throughout the district. According to an officer the program’s purpose is to “prevent, deter and curtail the introduction of weapons into Miami-Dade County public schools.”

On May 18, Krop was randomly chosen for the fifth time this year.

Assistant Principal Daniel Ponkey believes that the program is a smart idea.

“It’s great to have this as a deterrence of dangerous behavior,” Ponkey said.

Ponkey also disagrees with the notion that this program oversteps student privacy. “When what we’re doing is meant to keep the school safe and for the overall good, I don’t think we’re infringing on student privacy,” Ponkey said.

Overall, Ponkey believes that the program is helpful because it gives students peace of mind. “When students see the police here, they know that they’re protected,” Ponkey said.

-Jake Singer

What do you know about college?

On May 26 top college bound seniors dedicated their time to teach underclassmen about their experiences and lessons they have learned while going through senior year and the college application process. The seniors put together a list of 46 tips ranging in topics from choosing extra circulars, essay writing and how to survive the lengthy process.

Each of the 14 seniors presented a personalized tip. The students chose to put the presentation together because they wanted their successors to be more prepared about senior year than they were.

-Shoshana Sommer

Starbucks shutdown due to system failure The day the Earth stood still.

Friday April 25, over 8,000 Starbucks shut down in the United States and Canada for a full three hours starting at four in the afternoon.

Starbucks said the shutdown was due to a failure in a daily system update.

The fiasco forced baristas to hand out thousands of free drinks to customers. According to Geek Wire, Starbucks lost about three million dollars in revenues due to the computer crash.

“Once I found out from a friend that Starbucks was handing out free coffee I stopped what I was doing and went there right away,” junior Paula Szulfman said. “Although I only saved $4 it was really exciting.”

Twitter blew up over thrilled coffee fanatics ready to share the news about the free coffee.

By 7:10p.m. Starbucks announced that they would be closing early.

Starbucks opened the next morning, and was ready for business.

-Shoshana Sommer

Editorial Page 4

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

SATIRE

When technology becomes trouble friend request brings you closer to people than any conversation or experience ever could.

IN MY OPINION michael katz

opinion editor

When I think of mankind’s biggest successes, I immediately think of sliced bread. Sliced bread was probably one of our best inventions. It marked the end of the era of torn edges and the beginning of the age of the sandwich.

The only thing better than sliced bread, however, is technology. Technology has changed our world in a way that sliced bread could only dream of.

Exercise

To be honest with you, I don’t know what I’d do with my life if couldn’t get my 60 minutes of exercise every day –

and thanks to my boys over in Nintendo, I don’t even have to leave my living room. The Wii has taken sports to extraordinary heights, allowing “athletes” to play tennis and eat chips on the sofa AT THE SAME TIME. Thanks to the creative geniuses at Nintendo, millions now work

Making Friends

A long time ago, in a planet far, far away, you would have had to kill a dinosaur and share the meat to become friends with someone.

I personally prefer adding someone on Facebook – it’s just more professional. Besides, the bond created by accepting that

LIKEM BONEY

THE LIGHTNING STRIKE An NSPA All-American publication Winner of George H. Gallup Award NSPA Pacemaker Finalist An FSPA All-Florida publication Like us on Facebook Visit us online at www.lightningstrikenews.com

MAYAN DERHY, Editor-in-Chief JACOB SINGER, Managing Editor MIKAELA MENDEZ News Editor MICHAEL KATZ Opinion Editor ETHAN CURTIS Sports Editor SOPHIE MUCHNICK Entertainment Editor FEDERICO PSEVOZNIK Spread Editor DZIDULA BONEY Copy Editor

MILA SICORSKY Feature Editor SHOSHANA SOMMER Lifestyle Editor SEBASTIAN KUZAK Business Manager MARYKAY SULLIVAN Adviser SUN COAST PRINTER Printer

STAFF WRITERS CORBIN BOLIES, JUAN BORQUEZ, FRANCESA BOZZA, ERICK COHEN, MACKENZIE DUFFY, ALEC EIDELSTEIN, DEVIN LEE, CHELSEA LEWIS, DANIELA MICHANIE, MEGAN ORLANSKI, SAIGE RAYMOND, STEPHANIA SALAVERRIA, DAN SICORSKY, LINA ZULUAGA AD POLICY

The Lightning Strike solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed libelous, disruptive, obscene or otherwise inappropriate.

EDITORIAL POLICY The Lightning Strike is the student newspaper of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School: 1410 Countyline Road, Miami, FL 33179; (305) 652-6808 Ext. 238.

Opinions expressed in the editorial section do not reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school. The Lightning Strike welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. However, we will NOT print anonymous letters. Please keep letters under 150 words and saved to a computer if possible. The editor reserves the right to reject, edit and condense letters. All letters should be turned in to room 2-233.

STORY POLICY

Questions or comments about the fairness or accuracy of stories should be directed to Mayan Derhy, Editor-in-Chief, at mklightningstrike@gmail.com

around tough schedules and still fulfill dreams of becoming star athletes in baseball, tennis, boxing, bowling and an array of other sports.

Leisure Time

Technology makes doing the annoying things in life easier.

No more hand-washing dishes, no more hand-writing letter – heck, we don’t even have to brush our teeth manually.

And with the time freed up by finding answers to homework on Quizlet, you can finally start learning Italian – that is, as soon as you finish the second season of House of Cards.

We may not see it, but technology is slowly creeping deeper into our lives. It won’t be long before boy scouts will be taught how to use GPS’s and babies are given smartphones instead of blankets.

I’m all for technology, as long as it helps me be more human, not less.

LETTERS EOC scores won’t Meet new people, don’t stick to factor into final cliques grades Finally, the state came to its senses and canceled the 30% inclusion of the mathematics EOC tests to final grades. The sense of relief that washed over me when I read the exciting news was indescribable.

Not only did I have two weeks to learn six weeks worth of material that my Algebra 2 class wasn’t able to touch upon, but I had to teach myself material that is usually taught in Pre-Calculus and Statistics.

I stressed myself out with long nights of learning and studying material, new and old, for a test that now has no effect on me.

What’s even worse was the reason behind the cancellation of the scores - the majority of the state failed and there weren’t enough valid scores to be calculated into students’ final grades.

For nearly all students in a state to fail the same exam is unacceptable, which is why I wholeheartedly support the state’s decision!

One of the few things I do not enjoy about Krop is that it is very ‘cliquey’ – meaning that there are too many different groups of friends that don’t necessarily interact with one another.

While I may have my group of friends, there could be dozens of other people in Krop that I would connect with and even become closer to.

I think more students should branch out and make a point of meeting new people.

Of course you meet people in your classes, but there are so many students that I have no clue who they are.

I walk through the halls and I see so many faces that I could never put a name to, and I wonder, “Who in the world are you?”

That’s what clubs are supposed to be for - meeting new people and ending cliques. I just think it sucks that not enough people care enough to get out of their comfort zone.

Nathaniel Manor Grade 9

Jonathan Feuer Grade 10

EDUCATION

A penny spent may be a penny earned IN MY OPINION erick cohen

staff writer

Imagine if we all paid to go to Krop.Maybewewouldtakeourclasses with a little more responsibility.

College is an enormous expense to most families. Regardless, college should not be seen as a cost, but rather as an investment.

Getting a college degree is key to securing a career in the future.

Although there are many alternative schools to choose from, cost should not be the deciding factor of where you choose to go. Choose the school that will help you succeed the most in the future. The cost of college is a big commitment, so you should choose wisely and think about how the college you choose will help achieve your goals.

That being said, I am only encouraging students to take loans if they know that it will lead to a better job in the future. One should consider loans if the job realized in the future will secure to make the payments.

IF YOU BELIEVE

COLLEGE IS ONLY FOR PARTYING AND SOCIALIZING, TRUST ME, THERE ARE CHEAPER PLACES TO DO THAT.” For example, Senior Olivia Ojalvo, knows she wants to be a doctor. If this applies to you, the prestige of the university can influence where you go to graduate school and where you end up working. She chose the University of Central Florida instead of other universities, not because it was the cheapest option for her, but because it was the best option for her future.

If you believe college is only for partying and socializing, trust me, there are cheaper places to do that, because once you start paying your own money for school, dollars spent will have meaning to you.

College is expensive, and not everyone gets the opportunity to study. But if you find something you are passionate about, isn’t logical to find the best place to learn it?

I encourage everyone to go to college and further their education.

The best way to do that is to start preparing early. By the time you start high school, you should be thinking about doing well in your classes and applying for scholarships.

Taking out loans is not necessarily a bad thing. Just make sure it leads to a career that will help you pay those loans back.

Editorial Page 5

The Lightning Strike • May 2015 Page 5

SOCIAL UNREST

When you can’t buy it, you riot

Why we need to understand the causes of riots instead of judging the perpetrators

IN MY OPINION lina zuluaga

staff writer

The scene was one of chaos and uproar. Tear gas and pepper spray hung in the air while police in riot gear tried to control the rowdy crowd. I could be describing the Ferguson riots a couple months back or Baltimore as it currently unfolds, but I’m not. I’m describing the Pumpkin Fest riot that erupted in Oct. 2014 in Keene, New Hampshire.

You might be wondering if Pumpkin Fest is code for some inner city hotbed for crime and violence. It’s quite the opposite.

The Keene Pumpkin Festival is an annual gathering where locals take part in a massive jack-o-lantern lighting. But throw in some alcohol and the emotions brought on by lighting up pumpkins and you get a riot that led to hundreds of arrests, injuries, and property damage.

So why am I telling you about this lovely tale of pumpkin celebrations gone awry? Simply put, riots happen all the time. They happen over sports games; they happen over pumpkin celebrations, and sometimes they happen

as a result of human frustration.

What is different about the “human frustration” factor in the U.S. is that 1) they tend to involve low-income, black communities and 2) they are in response to police brutality.

Similar to Ferguson where riots broke out after the killing of an unarmed black teenage boy, Baltimore riots broke out after the mysterious death of Freddie Gray, an un-

throwing a tantrum.” Some tried to argue that Martin Luther King would never justify violence, and that riots should not be understood.

But riots should be understood. In the words of MLK himself: “They may be deplored, but they are there and should be understood...

They are a distorted form of social protest. The looting which is their principal feature serves many func-

A LOOK AT THE BALTIMORE RIOTS CAUSES

52%

of working-age residents in Freddie Gray’s community are unemployed

33%

of residential properties are vacant or abandoned

taking. But most of all, alienated from society and knowing that this society cherishes property above people, he is shocking it by abusing property rights. There are thus elements of emotional catharsis in the violent act.”

King understood that in low income neighborhoods, rampant poverty and institutional abuse create a premise for riots. These riots, as King explained, are an act of des-

BY THE NUMBERS

CRIME

}

$5million

A

A: unemployment + poverty

are responsible for crime and tensions within Baltimore

armed black man in police custody.

Full disclosure: this piece is inspired by the response I witnessed in social media accounts to rioters being called “stupid, ignorant animals” and were even compared to “children

amount paid by the city of Baltimore to settle police brutality cases within the last four years

$17million

is spent per year by Maryland to incarcerate people from Gray’s neighborhood alone

PROTESTS

}

10,000

B

B: a culture of crime and

Baltimore residents peacefully protested the death of Freddie Gray

~200

people arrested for violence and rioting but over half of these arrests have been released with no charges

}

C

C:

peaceful protests vastly incarceration is alive and well outweigh violence and rioting within Baltimore sources: globalresearch.com, foxnews.com, mic.com

tions. It enables the most enraged and deprived Negro to take hold of consumer goods with the ease the white man does by using his purse. Often the Negro does not even want what he takes; he wants the experience of

peration. Rather than belittling the people of these neighborhoods as cry babies, we need to understand that these acts are cries for help.

Perhaps most importantly, these riots make us pay attention. No lon-

ger can we distance ourselves from the reality of Baltimore or Ferguson. This is perfectly articulated by MDCPS teacher, Joshua Paolino who lived through the L.A. Riots.

“When one watches their city burn for five days it forces you to look at the causes, and address them head on...Going back to days like those at the end of April and early May 1992 was not an option.

Trust me, the sense memory of the smoke and ash in the air lingers with me still. It’s one of the most horrific smells ever,” Paolino said.

And finally, I must point out that often, it is privileged white people that dismiss the pain and suffering of black Americans. Their experiences, unique and different from that of white-passing individuals are valuable in times of riots and protests.

For example, I learned in a diversity camp of a young girl from Overtown who didn’t feel safe calling her police for help. Who didn’t feel safe walking down her street past 5p.m. While some of us take for granted the ability to run the Aventura circle and watch the sunset, other Americans are living in post-segregation ghettos. The brutality they face will always lead to uproar. Rather than dismiss their stories we need to understand them.

A PERSONAL ESSAY IN SPANISH

La genetica no define las familias (Genetics don’t define families) EN MI OPINIÓN valeria muñoz

guest writer

El 19 de febrero la noticia de que se negó la adopcion por parejas del mismo sexo en Colombia se desató. Parejas del mismo sexo sólo se les permite adoptar en Colombia si el niño es el hijo de uno de los padres, de lo contrario no estaría permitido. Como Colombiana y también homosexual, esto me rompe el corazon porque yo no sería capaz de formar una familia al decidir regresar a mi país de origen. A pesar de que sería capaz de ganarme la vida honestamente, yo no sería capaz de tener una familia. Este fallo es indignante porque pone restricciones estrictas sobre la adopcion del mismo sexo.

Ni son las rescricciones, pero la adopción en su totalidad porque un niño no va a salir de una relación del mismo sexo.

En 2011, la Corte Constitucional de Colombia anuncio que las parejas del mismo sexo son familias y en virtud de la ley y sus relaciones no pueden ser invalidados ni puede el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo ser illegal. Despues de dos años, el Congreso de Colombia para legalizar el matrimonio entre personas del mismo sexo, trataron a pasar un proyecto de ley, pero el congreso lo nego..* Aunque esta decisión sobre la adopción parece un exi-

to para algunos, en realidad no lo es, porque no muchos miembros de la comunidad LGBT serían capaces de formar una familia. El fallo es que un niño debe venir de una antigua relación heterosexual para que una pareja homosexual pueda adoptar o para que un niño sea concebido por inseminación artificial. Las parejas no deberían tener que ir a las longitudes con el fin de formar una familia, mien-

miembros de la comunidad LGBT quieran tener hijos, sin embargo todo el mundo deberia tener ese derecho humano básico. La gente quiere ser capaz de tener el derecho a casarse con sus parejas y ser capaz de iniciar una familia con ellos. La gente tiene que seguir exigiendo la igualdad de derechos de sus gobiernos. Muchos países dicen que sus ciudadanos tienen los mismos derechos, sin embar-

QUIERO SER CAPAZ DE VIAJAR Y TAL

VEZ ALGUN DIA VIVIR EN MI PROPIO PAIS Y SER CAPAZ DE SENTIRME APOYADA Y REPRESENTADA POR EL GOBIERNO.” tras que hay orfanatos, hogares de adopcion, y hospitales con miles de niños y bebés que necesitan una familia amorosa.

Colombia es predominantemente católica romana y esto tiene una gran influencia en la forma de percibir la comunidad LGBT en su conjunto de la población. Muchos países están luchando por sus derechos LGBT porque quieren ser capazes de casarse, tener protecciones en el lugar de trabajo, formar una familia, y no ser discriminados. Tal vez no todos los

go cuando se trata de los derechos LGBT demuestra la verdadera falta de igualdad por ejemplo con lo que esta pasando en colombia.

Quiero que el gobierno Colombiano crea leyes a favor de la igualdad y de hecho hacerlos cumplir. Quiero ser capaz de viajar y tal vez algún día vivir en mi propio país y ser capaz de sentirme apoyada y representada por el gobierno.

Verdaderas familias no requieren la genética, pero el amor y espero que dentro de poco, se va a ganar esta pelea.

Translation:

On Feb. 19, the news that Colombia’s ruling toward adoption for same sex couples was denied broke out. Same sex couples are only allowed to adopt in Colombia if the child is the offspring of one the parents, otherwise it wouldn’t be permitted. As a Colombian and also a homosexual, this breaks my heart because I wouldn’t be able to start a family upon deciding to move back to my home country.

Although I would be able to earn an honest living, I wouldn’t be able to have start a family. This ruling is outrageous because it places strict restrictions on same sex adoption and in its entirety tries to ensure that a child will not emerge from a same sex relationship at all.

An online article from “The Jurist” stated that in 2011 the Constitutional Court of Colombia released that same-sex couples are ‘families’ under the law and their relationships cannot be invalidated nor can same-sex marriage be made illegal, but gave the Colombian Congress two years to legislate same-sex marriage rather than declaring it outright constitutional. Colombia is predominantly Roman Catholic and that has a major influence on the people’s way of perceiving the LGBT community as a whole.

Although this ruling on adoption seems like a milestone to some, in reality it isn’t because not many members of the LGBT community would be able to start a family.

The ruling is states that a child must come from a former heterosexual relationship in order for a homosexual pair to adopt or for a child to have been conceived through artificial insemination. Couples shouldn’t have to go to the lengths in order to start a family while there are orphanages, foster homes and hospitals with thousands of children and babies in need of a loving family.

Many countries are currently fighting for their LGBT rights because they want to be able to get married, have protections within the workplace, start families and not be discriminated against. Maybe not every single LGBT community member wants to have children; however, everyone is entitled to having that basic human right.

People want to be able to have the right to marry their significant others and be able to start a family with them. People need to continue demanding equal rights from their governments. Many countries say that their citizens have equal rights; however, when it comes to LGBT rights, it demonstrates the true lack of equality. I want the Colombian government to create pro-equality laws and actually enforce them. I want to be able to travel to and perhaps one day live in my own country and be able to feel supported and represented by officials. True families do not require genetics but love and I hope that soon, this fight will be won.

Lifestyle Page 7

The Lightning Strike • May 2015 STUDENT LIFE

Freshman confessions Students share their premature expectations of high school

Our expectations of the experiences we might meet in high school are introduced to reality. The cliché lies told in modern storytelling, the jokes played by upper classmates and the made-up notions we conceive lead to stories like these:

Bismarck Corrales, junior:

“I thought the first Friday of my freshman year was ‘freshmen Friday,’ where freshmen were supposed to get put in trash cans. Luckily I ended up learning they didn’t do that at our school.”

Devron Ellington, freshman:

“There high school that was next to my middle school, I had heard a lot about sex and drugs and violence. So I came into Krop expecting it, but not really expecting to know much about it. My exception

weren’t met because middle school was over exaggerated.

You’ll hear about these things every now and then, but it’s not as exaggerated as it was in middle school.”

are more disciplined in high school since they want you to succeed. I like the experience, like now I want do well, and in middle school I didn’t really care.”

Lara Sverdlik, senior:

Brian Plotnik, sophomore:

“I expected there to be many cliques like the cheerleaders, the football players, the geeks, all of that kind of stuff, but there really wasn’t. There are just more groups friends, once you form your group of friends, it can be a lot of diverse people.

The school is really diverse.”

Dylan Hopen, freshman “I was scared because I felt that my grades were going to be normal just like I got in middle school, because I got As. It was easy and I didn’t really have to study. But in high school it’s very hard because I got bad grades, so it was a pretty scary experience. The teachers

“Before I entered Krop, I was told there was a swimming pool on the third floor when there really wasn’t. I heard this from an upper class men, but when I came into the school, I was clearly able to tell that there wasn’t.”

Beatrice Ulysse, senior

“I thought high school was going to be like the movies with popular kids or lame kids, but instead it turned out to be the opposite. Reality is that there are separate clicks and every group may have a popular person; there isn’t a popular group ruling the entire school.”

Compiled by Nicolas Chmeilewski

What your birth order really means

by Chelsea Lewis Everyone has a birth order they can relate to and according to Alfred Adler, a pioneer in the field, birth order plays a huge role in a child’s growth and personality. Here are some pros and cons:

Firstborns:

Firstborns have been found to be responsible, assertive, task-oriented, perfectionistic, and supporters of authority. Research from developmental psychologist suggest that the first born is usually the most ambitious, successful and with higher academic achievement. All this may be due to the fact that firstborns receive more exposure to adult language and greater interactions with parents.

On other hand, since the eldest child is the first to experience the world before their sibling’s parents tend to be more cautious with them. The oldest child also has to deal with the pressure of setting the right example for their younger sibling, they get weighed down with more responsibility and if something does go wrong the firstborn is usually the one to blame.

The Middle Child:

The middle child is the most empathetic. They play the role of both older and younger sibling and become the mediator. Since the middle child is usually not given special treatment, they learn self- discipline early on. Their strength is that they learn to be more flexible and sociable, to compromise and build coalitions. The middle child also learns the importance of sharing, which leads them to being very generous.

To add, according to the Darwinian Theory, they lose out as they are neither the precious, able, oldest, nor the vulnerable youngest. The eldest tend to receive special attention and the youngest are pampered. But the middle child is left with the bad end of the stick, lacking attention from parents the most.

Lastborn:

Those born last usually are the ones who love the attention and love to be in the spotlight. Their thought to be rebels, non-conformists and drawn to creative professions and performing arts. Many lastborn choose a completely different path than their older siblings to avoid direct competition. Nonetheless, most of time they get all the attention they need from their parents and are readily pampered.

Since the younger child is usually spoiled, they tend to be more dependent on others as they age.

If parents were overprotective and pampering, the lastborn can develop personality traits like lack of self-confidence. If the youngest child was raised with more attention, as an adult they tend to desire the same favorable experience growing up by seeking attention.

Lifestyle Page 8

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

SPIRITUALITY

Religions you didn’t know existed Chelsea Lewis staff writer Once you learn about what people ironically put their faith into it will blow your mind. Here are a few unknown registered religions, and no, I am not making this up:

Jediism:

Creator of “Star Wars” George Lucas would have never foreseen the religious movement he prompted among die hard fans who truly believe the “Force” actually exists. The Church of the Jedi believes that there is one powerful force that binds all things in the universe together.

The religion has been referred to as a combination of Buddhism LOCAL

and Taoism that also incorporates elements of mediaeval chivalry.

Rumors have also suggested that to be integrated the elders of the church forcibly sit you in a dark room and watch the original trilogy 16 times.

Pastafarians(Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster):

Living in secrecy for astonishingly hundreds of years the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) came to the public’s attention several years ago due to a open letter written

by Bobby Henderson in May 2005 protesting to the Kansas State Board of Education decision to permit teaching “intelligent design” in public school science classes, since the religion opposed the teaching of this. The FSM

has millions of devoted followers and profits from their believer’s offerings and tithes. Pastafarians believe that the world has arisen from the Flying Spaghetti Monster. They also wear pirate attire as their official clothing, believing pirates aren’t evil, but happy people who have caused the worlds catastrophes due to their disappearance.

Earth. These beings closely watch and help the good, waiting to transport their followers into another dimension. The teachings of the Universe People include elements from Ufology (a study related to evidence of UFO’s), Christianity, and conspiracy theories.

Universe People:

The Church of Ed Wood is an “internet church” that looks to deceased Edward D. Wood Jr. as the savior. Although Wood is famously known in Hollywood as one of the worst directors of all time. “Woodism” is a pop-culturebased religion that uses Ed and his films to inject spirituality into those who get little fulfillment from more mainstream religions

This Czech religious movement centered around the leader Ivo A. Benda is governed by “Universe People” or “Comic people of the light.” The belief system is based upon the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations communicating with Benda who are believed to be operating a fleet of spaceships orbiting the

Woodism (The Church of Ed Wood):

like Christianity. By looking at his films and his life, they learn to lead happy, positive lives. At gatherings Woodists dress up as opposite genre and indulge their desires because Ed Wood loved transvestites and engaged them in his movies.

Woodists strive for acceptance of themselves and from others.

In case you doubt the veracity of these beliefs, look them up. These are actual approved and registered religions. The real question is how does faith in spaghetti and U.F.O’s sprout? That answer we may never be able to fully understand but what we do understand is that people are always trying to explain the unexplainable to which fits their taste best leading to the unexpected, but accepted religions.

How to live a Workout using your couch cheap Miami 1. lifestyle Frustrated Flamingo

Shoshana Sommer lifesyles edior There is a reason why Miami people say “I live where you vacation.” Take advantage of where you live by spending your summer days at luxurious hotels, beaches and other tourist destinations without breaking the bank.

To stay at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Bal Harbor the cheapest room is $499 a night. But if you spend the day at the spa, which only costs $25, you get a robe, locker and full access to the beach and pool.

Don’t spend your money on Miami’s top notch restaurants just yet. If you wait patiently until Aug. 1st , Miami Spice begins. Miami Spice gives locals an incentive to explore some of our finest restaurants during the long hot summer.

With is a prefixed menu lunch costs $23, while dinner is $39.

This is the price for a three course meal at a restaurant such as The Forge where just one dish can reach the $50 range.

This deal lasts until September 30. Check the Greater Miami website to see which restaurants will be participating.

It is always a must to get your summer workout on.

Exercise boutiques such as Flywheel and the Fitness shop are trending in Miami, but have classes that cost up to $30. A cheaper alternative is Shape up

with Schiffy, a free exercise class that entails both running around the Aventura circle and muscle building actives that will build your stamina. Shape up with Shiffy meets every Wednesday at Runner’s depot in the Promenade shops at 6:30pm.

If you want to make your instagram followers jealous, Viscaya Gardens is the place to be. Costing only $10 for students, Viscaya Gardens is a national historical landmark that has a beautifully maintained 34room mansion that is surrounded by acres of serene Europeanstyle gardens which sits right beside the bay.

For the adventurous type, on the first Thursday of every month FIU offers a nighttime paddle board session at 7 to 9:30 pm. Costing only $10, the program allows paddle boarders to explore Biscayne Bay under the night sky. The tour takes guests through the mangroves of the Oletta park trail to Beer Can Island, and out to the Haulover Sandbar. The neatest part of the session is that the paddle boards are LED lit, lighting up the bay and exposing the wildlife.

When all else fails, check Groupon for deals on actives ranging from water sports to a day at the spa.

Experiencing the “Miami lifestyle” doesn’t require going over budget, just look for seasonal deals and other options to feel as if you are on vacation for less.

For what: Balance, legs, and gluts.

Time or times done: 10 each leg How it’s done: Stand close to the couch and face away from it. Bring your left knee up towards your chest and then hold onto it with both hands. Then, bend your right knee and sit back into your hips while lowering your body slowly onto the couch while still holding onto your left knee. To finish the rep, stand back up while holding onto your knee the whole time.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Tommy TV Gone Right

For what: Abs and legs Time or times done: 20 times in a row How it’s done: Lightly sit on the edge of a chair or couch with both of your hands just outside of your hips. Bend both knees at 90 degrees and lift your heels off the floor while maintaining a straight spine. Flex your abs tightly to your spine, inhale, and hinge back as far as you can. Do not round your back nor rest on your body on the couch.

Mountain Climbing? More Like Couch Climbing!

Time or times done: Fast as you can for one minute How it’s done: Face the couch and place your hands on the seat of the couch. The hands should lay directly under your shoulders with your arms extended. Walk both of your feet back out in a form of a plank. This means a top of a pushup. Hold your arms in tight, then run in place as though you are mountain climbing in a plank position.

Letting the Behind Go

For what: Thighs and abs Time or times done: 10 times with the right arm and left leg. 10 times with the left arm and right leg.

How it’s done: Lie on the floor face-down with both arms and legs extended straight out and open. Your body should be in an ‘X’ letter shape. Try laying on a carpet or a mat. Then, extend your spine while lifting your chest, thighs, arms, and legs off the ground. Maintain the ‘X’ shape. Linger above the floor and lift your arms and legs that are opposites of each other higher towards the ceiling. For example, if you pick up your right arm then you also pick up your left leg. Return to hover, not the floor.

Squat Cross and Chop on Couch For what: legs, butt, and core Time or times done: Alternate sides for one minute.

How it’s done: Stand with your back facing the couch and your feet hip-width apart. Your arms should be extended at chest height as they are clasped together. The next step is to perform a squat. Bend your knees and sit back into your hips. While you’re performing the squat, keep your arms out and hands together as you chop them down and across to the outside of the right thigh. Then, push through your heels and stand out of your squat quickly while bringing your arms back to the start position. Now, repeat to the other side.

Compiled by Francesca Bozza

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

Page 10

Fed up with being told he ‘ain’t much,’ Debo bulldozes the gate

Page 11

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

Struck by Lightning

Finally freed, Sheinman shares tales of imprisonment

We’re burnt-out.

Secrets, stories spill as year comes to a clo

se

Alec Eidelstein outgoing news editor

Daniela Michanie outgoing opinion editor

When it comes to skipping class, security officer David “Debo” Robinson doesn’t play around. But on the morning of May 3, he took everyone by surprise.

Senior Kaila Fives witnessed the action. “I came to school late as usual, and as I was driving into the student parking lot, I saw Debo leading the team of security officers with Mr. Twitchell’s gardening tools in route to parking lot. knock the gate down,” Fives “The gate was wide and said. “I immediately updat- Debo ain’t much,” senior ed my Snapchat story telling everyone to get in their cars Marcus Pinto, who was and go.” the first of many to leave, Following the bell to said. switch from first to second Rumor has it, Coach period, students rushed to- Thompson keeps a several ward the lot to see if Fives’s hundred page-long hidden Snapchat story was true. Not list of students who skip only was the gate of the stu- class through the student dent parking lot thrown in parking lot gate every day the dumpster, but Debo and (The list does not include the rest of the security per- students who walk the field sonnel were celebrating by or jump the fence). drifting in the Drivers’ Ed. “At the end of the year,

After months of sixth period walkouts and protests at Gavanna, senior Benjamin Sheinman – notorious DJ and Krop Afterparty host – is finally free.

Allegedly placed on outdoor suspension by the administration since October, “B-Shein” was allowed to return to the halls of Krop to take his AP exams and attend the last of the senior events.

But the truth is much more grim. According to Sheinman, he has been locked up in the dark corners of Dr. Beatriz Jorva’s office since the afterparty.

“They’ve been holding me hostage since that fatal day @ da club… i’ve been a prisoner of turn-up war!,” Sheinman tweeted as he was dragged out in chains from Jorva’s office.

Jorva and the administrators deny all allegations of locking up Sheinman, and have already lined up social studies teacher Connie Higgins as their attorney – precautionary measures, of course.

“I would never lock up a student in my office, even if they threw a terrible fiesta,” Jorva said. “Pero irregardless, we will try to help B-Shein through this tough time, as he has clearly lost his mind.”

At his headquarters in DeFuniak Springs, psychologist Michael Fass spoke about the possibility that Sheinman had imagined the whole thing.

“In my expert opinion, I believe that Sheinman was experiencing symptoms of depression,” Fass said. “After being grounded and banned from clubbing, he likely lost his mind and began to imagine things – a common side effect of someone with compulsive turn-up disorder (CTD) experiencing withdrawal.”

Sheinman returned to Krop just in time to take his AP Exams-- a “happy coincidence,” as the administrators called it.

“After six months of outdoor suspension, we thought we would go easy on Sheinman and bring him back. Plus, he’s in, like, four AP classes,” Principal Dawn Baglos said. “We can never have too many passing scores to impress the Chinese Delegation!”

When asked about his future party-hosting endeavors Sheinman seemed to indicate that he is seeking rehabilitation for his CTD. “The administrators thought that they saw the last of me at Homecoming Afterparty.” Sheinman said. “And they were right. I learned my lesson and after Homecoming I never, ever plan on hosting another party ever again.”

Elias retires to become new

Dan Sicorsky outgoing editor-in-chief

they will be given an obligation,” Thompson said when asked what will happen to the students who are on the list. Let’s hope assistant principal Dr. Beatriz Jorva does not get involved.

Following the incident, administration is holding an investigation into why and how this happened.

They are also handing out applications for new security positions. You can pick one up from Debo, who will be spending the next three weeks in CSI.

disposable water bottles were ta- er of the Year” award in boo. Students knew not to hydrate 201 1, which came with a themselves for fear that Elias $10 ,000 prize. would grab their bottle, decorate “Finally, The world watched as Miley someone Cyrus evolved from a flirtatious, it with the word LOSER and then realizes the true intent of my actions,” she said hoe dow n-th row dow n-d anc ing politely hand it back.

Senior Michelle Quilici knows during pop star to a scandalous, wreckher 2011 acceping-ball-riding twerker. Few this firsthand. Today, she keeps a tance speech at Camelthought they would ever see a water bottle inscribed with LOS- bak’s headquarters in shift as dramatic as Cyrus’s ever ER on her bookshelf as a reminder Chernobyl, Ukraine. of her past sins.

“I didn’t just write again. But, boy, were we wrong.

Elias’s reasons for opposing mean thin Last week, social studies gs on my teacher Ellen Elias announced plastic bottles were many. Aside students’ water botshe would be leaving her 34-year from causing untold environmen- tles for nothing.” teaching job to replace Muhtar tal damage, she argued daily, the As soon as Elias chemicals that make up plastic ann Kentas as Dasani’s next CEO. ounced she bottles taste gross. would take over The catch? For years, Elias As an alternative, Elias en- Dasani, has been an ardent opponent of students cou rage d students to buy refillable started bottled water. The move comes as noticing a surprise to many, but none more bottles from brands like CamelBak changes in her beand Contigo. In recognition of her hav than Elias’ own students. ior. “The tables efforts, she was awarded Camel- hav e really turned,” In the AP teacher’s classroom, Bak’s “Best Non-Paid Advertis- Qui lici, who has

Lured by bagels, hungry students flock to school Admin returns to promote ‘Styles by Francisco’ in record numbers

Stephania Salaverria outgoing photo editor

It seems Krop students are willing to do anything for a free cup of orange juice and a bagel. They’d even wake up early, drag themselves out of bed and get to their first period class by 7:20 a.m. And not just for one day, but for an entire semester because of the new incentive that rewards students with one free breakfast for each nine weeks of perfect attendance. Because of this, for the first time in Krop history, there has been 100 percent attendance in every class for a straight year.

“The breakfast incentive has

genuinely changed my life,” senior come every day,” senior Joshua SwerdLauren Klein said. low, who came to school only six times Introduced by Dr. Jorva, the new durin g the first semester, said. attendance incentive has worked miraWhile public schools provide free cles on seniors. Those who once slept break fast to all public school students in are now in their seats even before the in the morning, it isn’t as tasty as when warning bell sounds. one earns it through punctuality.

“Now that I know I’ll If Miami-Dade County Public have free b r e a k f a s t Schools no longer offers free breakfast in nine w e e k s , every day, not only will Krop have 100 I might as well percent attendance, but it will also enroll a thousand new students.

Krop now has more to offer than high test scores, challenging courses and a fantastic magnet program. It also has a rewarding free breakfast for those with perfect attendance.

Saige Raymond outgoing staff writer

able to wear booty shorts!”

The fashion icon, who has been praised by Coco The frightening rumors are true – our favor- Chanel, designed leggings ite administrator Francisco Garnica is returning that are not transparent and to campus in style. will sustain their users in After a year spent away studying fashion in Mi- even the coldest classrooms. lan, Garnica created Styles by Francisco, a line of He also engineered a uniKrop-inspired snapback hats and spandex leggings. sex snapback for the brainy The fashion products will, of course, be in- students with big heads and the cluded in the school uniform. Those who don’t students toasting under the P.E. wear their Francisco snapbacks on bad-hair days sun during alike. will be escorted to CSI by the designer himself.

Though Garnica is often loud, he felt his Students who knew Garnica from his time fashion voice was often ignored. He confessed at Krop are logically shocked by this complete he used to take students’ hats not because they turnaround. But Garnica says his rebellious, violated uniform, but because he saw them as free-spirited nature sparked his innovative ideas. fashion abominations.

Now, he worries school rules try to condemn the Styles by Francisco apparel will go on sale true fashion voice of the student body. this summer for the following school year. All “It just isn’t fair,” Garnica said of the current items will be sold on Garnica’s website, Fashsystem. “If I want to wear booty shorts, I should be ionbyFranki.com.

CEO of Dasani since switched to teacher as its nex t CEO. a Contigo bottle, Elias claims she only opsaid. “Now, kids posed bottled wat er throughout who drink bot- her teaching job so she could earn tled water are held Camelbak’s $10 ,000 award. But as examples, and one widespread rumor says otherthose who drink wise. from Dasani botAccording to social studies tles are held as, teacher Michael Fass , who startwell, gods.” ed the gossip, Elias’s departure In a special for Dasani is part of a mastermind interview with plan to gain the trus t of investors, the Strike, close fire all employe es and declare family mem- bankruptcy. bers revealed But to Elias, the promotion is a that Elias had relief after decades of faking disdreamed of a job dain for bottled water. “I wasn’t with Dasani from being true to mys elf,” Elias said. an early age. “Ev- “But after all this patience, I’ll ery single one of her finally be able to spend my days friends asked for next to the thin gs I love most – Barbies and dresses, plastic bottles.” but all Ellen wantOnly time will tell if Fass’s ed for Hannukah theory about Elias wanting to sink was a plastic bottle,” Dasani is true , or if she really does Elias’s mother, Le- love water bott les. Until then, the nore Elias, recalled.

Food and Drug Administration With the release recommends that all households of this detail from stock up on Das ani water, because Elias’s life, it makes whatever her intentions might sense that Dasani be, the compan y will soon meet would pick the AP Ellen Elias.

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by Francesca Bozza

Feature Page 12

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

RECOGNITION

The Knights in shining armor Meet the nominees: Part 5 Michael Katz, opinion editor

With 14 categories ranging from core subjects like mathematics and English to vocation and art, the unifying element of all Silver Knight nominees is community service. Impressive “projects,” or long-term service is the defining aspect of Silver Knight.

World Languages “For reasons I will likely never figure out, I gave off the impression of an athlete to my Silver Knight coordinators – but you know what they say, never go off impressions…”

Senior Dan Sicorsky saw opportunity in adversity. Having moved to the States at only five years old, he was forced to leave his friends, culture and confidence back in Argentina to face a new world.

“I had always been the class clown, but when I got here everything changed,” Sicorsky said. “I would spend nights crying to my mom. It wasn’t easy.”

However, speeding out of ESOL, he caught on fast and it wasn’t long before he was the one teaching English to others.

For his project, Sicorsky spread bilingualism in an attempt to help others discover their voice. As editor-in-chief of the Lightning Strike, he incorporated stories in Spanish that were translated to English.

“I remembered what it felt like to not have a voice even though you had something to say,” Sicorsky said.

The heart of his project, however, lies back home in Argentina, where he volunteered in a hospital in San Telmo, one of the poorest provinces in Argentina, and played games to teach the patients English. In Spain, he gave one-on-one English lessons to disadvantaged children as part of a language immersion program.

“ESOL was not a pleasant experience for me,” Sicorsky said. “I just wanted to make bilingualism something fun to learn.”

Lina Zuluaga

Saige Raymond

Dan Sicorsky

Journalism

Vocational Technical “Digital Design has taught me the art of delivering a message without having to speak.”

Senior Saige Raymond’s cousin introduced him to the world of digital design when he was a freshman – little did he know his life would never be the same.

“Digital Design has taught me not only how to use Photoshop, but how to send a message,” said Raymond, who has used his passion for graphics to create T-shirts, stickers and pamphlets for clubs that have a message to share but a hard time sharing it. By creating publicity for clubs like SEAT, Raymond has been able to help clubs spread their message to more of the student body.

His main project this year was helping promote Krop’s PeaceJam chapter. He made pamphlets to spread the message about ending racism and hate. Coupled with an unwavering effort by PeaceJam chair senior Daniela Michanie, Raymond was able to help revamp Krop’s PeaceJam program by advertising events like International Day and Mix-it-Up Day. “My nomination has helped him see the true passion that lies in design,” Raymond said. “It’s made me see that I can use my talent to help better the community.”

“Making Interact what it is today has given me the opportunity to inspire others while diligently serving my Krop family and bettering the conditions in my community.”

Some students spend their afternoons looking to relax, but senior Lina Zuluaga spends her free time cooking for the homeless, collecting toys for disadvantaged children and inspiring others to follow in her footsteps.

Over the past four years, Zuluaga has transformed Krop’s Interact Service Club from a group of a few friends that would rummage through their pantries for canned food to donate into an army of 300 students who constantly organize and execute service projects.

“The greatest issue I had in building Interact was during my sophomore year - there was no one left except me and one friend,” Zuluaga said. “We thought attracting members to meetings with food would be effective, but we quickly learned that a love for pizza does not equate to a love for service.”

So how did she get the club to the level it is today?

By allowing for students who were unable to pay the club fee to join, she opened doors to a once excluded population of dedicated volunteers, including underclassmen.

“The impact is undeniable,” Zuluaga said. “With every year that goes by, the club only continues to grow, to improve, and t o bring together an awesome group of kids that wish to be agents of change.”

Editor’s note: Silver Knights and Honorable Mentions were announced at an awards ceremony in May 2015, with nine honorable mentions given to Krop students. These are the last three nominees the Strike will feature for their selfless community service projects.

Top 10 things you didn’t know about Ms. Martin 1. Hobbies- When all her students do well on

6. Goals-

With a dream to travel the world and visit exotic places, Martin collects articles and travel magazines with the hopes of going one day.

a test, Martin uses her favorite hobby, baking, to congratulate them by bringing in chocolate cookies made from scratch.

7. Favorite pastime- Out of school, Martin has a love for the outdoors, spending most of her time at the beach, going to botanical gardens and taking nature walks. “I can float in the water all day,” she said.

2. After school- Since she stays after school

every day, Martin allows her students to stay in her room until they are able to go home. They study, have open floor discussions and watch videos.

8. Best memory- Her fondest memory is when

3. Change- When she began teaching at Krop,

she would spend time on the Jersey Shore with her family, especially going to an oyster bar with her father.

she only taught two chemistry classes and four biology class. Two years later, she now only teaches one biology class.

9. Life advice- The best piece of advice Martin

received was from her father. He told her to “go to college, learn a good person so that you can be financially independent.”

4. Pet peeve-

Her biggest pet peeve in the class room is when her students talk back to her, and in life it is when she misplaces things.

5. Hometown-

Martin was born in Cuba, where she spent her early years in the country side, and moved to Jersey City, New Jersey.

MIKAELA MENDEZ

COMMITMENT:

Maria

Martin

teaches biology and chemistry at Krop.

She stays long hours after school providing extra help.

10. Family- Martin is now a mother of three sons, her two eldest are Marines. “They are the love of my life, the greatest joy of my life, and my greatest accomplishment,” she said.

Compiled by Mackenzie Duffy

Feature Page 13

The Lightning Strike • May 2015 ACADEMICS

Saying goodbye

Teachers may come and go, but their legacies will remain forever. Six teachers, all from different subject departments, will be retiring when the school year ends.

Here is a glimpse into how they impacted Krop in both tangible and intangible ways:

Ruth Smith

Wendy Abolsky Sure, some math teachers encourage and others motivate, but few make students feel like young Albert Einsteins, even when they are far from it.

Having taught at Krop since it opened in 1998, Wendy Abolsky has “always been one step ahead of where [her students] are supposed to be,” her student junior Leron Taoz said. If you want to find her for one last good-bye, simply take a stroll down the math hallway and when you hear a booming, energetic voice erupting from a classroom, you’ll know you’ve found her. And while some believe this ball of energy gets no rest, when asked what her plans are after retiring, Abolsky responded: “I am looking forward to sleeping in!”

Compiled by Mila Sicorsky

Phyllis Blanco Phyllis Blanco is proof that a New Jersey native can teach Spanish better than most Latino teachers. Listen in on one of her lectures, and you will realize how spontaneous they are—easily moving from a discussion on the preterit tense to one on European culture. Besides the pleasure she takes from educating students, she is grateful for the liveliness of her class.

“Students truly bring energy to the table,” Blanco said with a smile. “They are ‘a la mode’, or up to date.” But this energy goes beyond Room 2205. In the past, students have attended foreign language state competitions and participated in “Barrio Latino,” a celebration of Latin American culture. But Blanco does not intend to let her enthusiasm wane. She will continue to “work to live, not live to work.”

Compiled by Mila Sicorsky

Fredrick Goldman Walking through the school’s gardens, you notice the way the sun shines on the flowers by the portables. These represent the legacy of science teacher Frederick Goldman who, among many things, has had his students help him with a major contribution – beautification.

“The grounds of the school are in a beautiful condition,” Goldman said. This is done through the help of students in his agriculture class, who go around the school to help clean it up.

Junior Padro Restrepo can attest to this. “We’ve trimmed some of the trees in the parking lot so that they don’t bother the cars,” he said. “We’ve also put up the tarps on the tennis court.”

But what’s next for Goldman? After helping a professor at Nova University and doing some traveling, he hopes to volunteer for the school and help further expand its beauty.

Compiled by Corbin Boiles

Fifteen years seem like a short time to encompass everything that Gifted Chair Ruth Smith has accomplished in her time at Krop. As an educator she recognizes the racial inequality present in the public school system. Smith chaired Unitary Status Compliance, an organization aimed at increasing minority representation in higher-level courses. She also led SACS (Southern Association of Colleges and Schools) to examine the operations of high schools. Despite her self-motivation, Ruth Smith was awarded Teacher of the Year in the 2013-14 school year, which she considers her major accomplishment. Smith, sitting at her desk with a smile that never seemed to disappear from her face, admits that her good days definitely outweigh her bad ones. “Ms. Ruth Smith is the perfect example of a teacher that genuinely cares about students’ well-being,” Junior Victoria Louisdhon said. “She was there for me when I needed her the most.”

Around the world in three months When it comes to plans for the summer, students are traveling all over the globe.

“I’m going to Dominican Republic as a missionary to help underprivileged kids.

My first mission trip was to Honduras two years ago, and I’ve been addicted to helping others ever since.”

- Senior Charity Waweru

Compiled by Mila Sicorsky

Rodney Reed To know who Rodney Reed is, one needs to understand the impact he has had on the lives of others.

Throughout Reed’s career as a coach, P.E. Teacher and administrator, he has made it his duty help his students become better people. “Whether it’s in a classroom or as an administrator, I try to pull the best out of each kid,” Reed said.

Reed’s impression on his students’ lives can be felt through his lasting connections with them. Students he taught from as far back as the 1980s still visit and keep in touch with him.

Tandra Everson is one of Reed’s former students who has benefited from his presence. Everson’s father passed away when she was six years old, and it was Reed who became a father figure in her life. Everson opened up to Reed and says that Reed is one of the most important people in her life.

Even though Reed is retiring, children will remain an important part of his life. Now he plans to spend time with his own children, but if he gets bored, he doesn’t rule out the possibility of returning to teaching.

Compiled by Jacob Singer

Ellen Elias The number of teachers who have moved their students to the point of tears can be counted on one hand, and social studies teacher Ellen Elias is one of those few.

From the start of her teaching career 28 years ago, Elias has had one goal: to make students feel that they can make a difference and are capable of changing the world. In using videos on topics ranging from rape in Africa to rescue missions from North Korea, Elias exposes her students to the world around them. What students will remember most about Elias is not what she taught from the book- but from beyond it. She goes above and beyond to show her students examples of non-profit organizations and real world applications to the lesson at hand.

Compiled by Mayan Derhy Editor’s note: These teachers have made lasting impacts on students’ lives and will always be remembered for their contributions to Dr. Michael Krop Senior High.

“I haven’t seen my dad since I was ten years old, and this summer I finally get to go visit him in Canada. We have kept in touch over the years, and I am really excited!”

-Freshman Ashlee Joseph

“I’m doing a cross-country trip across Canada, all over the U.S, including San Francisco and Colorado, and then back home.

It was something I always thought of as a freshman.”

-Senior Laura Katz

“This summer I am going to Tokyo to visit my family. I was born there, and I’ve been going back every summer since I was eight.”

-Junior Jasmine Medina

- Mayan Derhy

Entertainment Page 14

REVIEW

The Lightning Strike • May 2015 WEBSITES

“See you again” at the movies Grade saving websites Megan Orlanski staff writer

Ethan Curtis sports editor Actor Vin Diesel once said in Furious 7, “It’s not always about being fast.” But truthfully, this saga of movies drove by, and never looked back.

The first movie was shown in theaters in 2001 and received a rating 6.6 out of 10 according to the International Movie Database (IMDB). Enough money was generated from the first movie to film a second and a third.

The series received bigger ratings going from a 6.6 to a 6.8 when one of the main characters, Michelle Rodriguez or Letty Ortiz, her character name, was killed off in the fourth movie, Fast and Furious Four.

The IMDB reports the action of the Fast and Furious that everyone sees today started in the fifth movie. This is because the movie introduced a new way of action with the explosion of cars, the action of weapons and bank robberies, nothing that the previous ones offered.

Throughout the entire series this saga of movies uses a central theme of family. No matter what happens the main characters protect one another and come back to each other.

This idea of family is shown in

COURTESY OF CHICAGONOW.COM

ACTION PACKED: Late actor Paul Walker and Vin Diesel film one of there action scenes in “Fast and Furios 5”.

the sixth movie when Letty Ortiz is brought back. This is because the movie explains that Rodriguez never truly died.

The idea of family is seen as the main characters do everything in their power to get her back. This includes tanks on bridges and cars hanging down from planes all to save one life and revert back to being a family.

At the end of the sixth movie, there is a short clip of Sung Kang, or Han in the movies, being killed in a car crash in Tokyo. This can only mean that the third movie that was played in Tokyo was set in the future. Therefore, in terms of order the movies should be one, two, four, five, six, three, and seven.

The latest movie, Furious 7, currently has the best ratings with eight out of ten according to IMDB. This movie was played in theaters without the actor Paul Walker for parts of the movie due to his tragic death during the filming of the movie. Cody Walker, Paul Walker’s brother, was used to film the ending scenes of the movie.

The movie also ended with a tribute to Paul Walker and the song “See You Again” was playing in the background. Even though this song was used for the tribute, it also signifies the fact that the Fast and Furious Saga will “See You Again” when it returns in 2017 for Fast and Furious 8.

Handling classes, final exams and extracurricular activities is known to be a lot of hard work and dedication.

That’s why entrepreneurs have designed websites to assist students digitally through websites that can also be used on the go.

These websites help students organize their schedules, provide quick and easy research sources and make sure students get more than just two hours of sleep.

Mathway

This website provides example problems based on problems the user enters in the search box. Topics covered by the website include pre-algebra, algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, statistics, finite math, linear algebra and even chemistry.

Word Frequency Counter

One thing English teachers look out for is a repetitive use of words. This online resource tool allows you to upload your document and then later checks and notifies you about repeated words. The site also offers a Phrase Frequency Counter, more effective for longer papers.

Etymology Dictionary

The study of Etymology encompasses the pronunciation and origins of words, the website also has an explanation of what the word meant hundreds of years ago. Using this website that gives the origins and definition of thousands of words, Shakespeare won’t be a drama anymore.

Sleepy Ti.Me

High schoolers are known to only get a few hours of sleep a night which results in less focus and even health problems.

However, with Sleepy Ti.Me, students can type in the time they plan to wake up and the website calculates the time they have to go to sleep in order to get a healthy amount of sleep.

Toodledo

A problem for many teenagers is how to maximize their time and productivity, with Toddledo, students can enter due dates for future assignments, send to do lists to friends and family and order events into levels of importance. The website is also adapted in mobile version for the Apple Watch.

Thanks to websites like these, life gets a bit easier for students handling the time consuming stresses of highschool.

MOVIES

Plan to spend your summer watching these films Corbin Boiles staff writer Though summer is generally associated with the beach, relaxing and spending endless amounts of time at Chipotle, nothing could be associated more with the season than movies. Here are some of the films that will make you laugh, make you cry or make you glad that you don’t have to study for an AP exam.

Jurassic World

Release Date: June 12th

Synopsis: The movie is set 22 years after the first film in the series,

centering around a theme park on Isla Nublar filled with tamed dinosaurs. However, havoc is unleashed when a new, manmade dinosaur breaks loose in the park, leaving new dragon trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) to stop it. Filled with plenty of dinosaurs to fulfill your thirst, this movie is a great way to start your summer movie marathon.

Inside Out

Release Date: June 19th

Synopsis: The first Pixar movie this year, “Inside Out” revolves around 11-year-old Riley Anderson as her family is uprooted from the Midwest to San Francisco. However, the film takes us into the emotions within Riley, exploring Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Mindy Ka-

ling), Anger (Lewis Black) and more as they try to guide Riley through the stressful process.

Directed by the Oscar-winning director of Up, this is the film to see if you’re looking for quality animation (and a great time).

Ted 2

Release Date: June 26th

Synopsis: A sequel to the hilarious (and somewhat surprising) hit “Ted”, the adult bear is back – and married! In his quest to be a father, Ted (Seth Macfarlene) and John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) has to prove to the law that he’s a human. Featuring an array of guest stars including Morgan Freeman and Liam Neeson, this film is the must-see comedy film of the summer.

Ant-Man

Release Date: July 17th

Synopsis: The latest entry in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, “Ant-Man” follows the thief Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who is given a suit by his mentor Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) that allows him to change his size to that of an ant. However, they must both plot a heist that will protect the suit and save the world! Coming right off the success of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man will give you more than enough of your superhero dose.

Paper Towns

Release Date: July 24th

Synopsis: The second John Green novel to be adapted to film, “Paper Towns” centers around Quentin (Nat Wolff) who, after a spending a night of pranks with childhood friend

Margo (Cara Delevingne) finds that she’s gone missing. However, after discovering clues left by Margo, Q and his friends race to find the gone girl. Fans of The Fault in Our Stars will surely fall in love with the two leads here, making this the perfect summer romance movie.

With many movies being released over the summer, you may not know which ones are worth your time (and money!). But if you’re looking for a great action film, a hilarious comedy, thrilling superhero heist or a mysterious romance, these are the films to see.

Entertainment

Page 15 The Lightning Strike • May 2015

The Lightning Strike • May Page2015 15

LOCAL RESTAURANT

Former Krop student offers fresh spin on juicing Mikaela Mendez news editor With new smoothie and juice restaurants popping up quicker than fruit could be blended, Raw Republic has made its way on the map by adopting a “raw” lifestyle.

Raw Republic does not use powders or sugars but cold-presses their fruit and vegetables. By using a cold press hydraulic machine, they are able to sell their customers the highest quality juice that exists. Using this method, it extracts almost every ounce of juice that the fruit or vegetable can yield.

Juices from other restaurants or made at home are usually one fourth processed above 115 degrees, which in turn oxidizes a lot of the living enzymes.

Krop alumna Jesse Gimelstein, co-owner of Raw Republic attended FSU after graduation from Krop and earned his degree in hospitality. But he’s been an entrepreneur his entire life.

He started working at a 50-year owned family retail store on Lincoln Road when he was only 13 years old.

MAYAN DERHY

Health: Krop alumni Jesse and Jordan Gimelstein open new local restaurant “Raw Republic”. The menu focuses on all natural and organic foods.

He co-owns Raw Republic with his brother, Jordan Gimmelstein who is also a Krop alumna, attended UCF, then FIU and started his own export company.

His cousin, Zack Stein, attended FSU and then got his masters in business at Nova.

They believed it was their turn to make a difference by opening up a micro juicer in their own backyard.

“We wanted to create some-

MUSIC

Can’t go wrong with these summer songs Sophie Muchnick entertainment editor Everyone is excited for summer, whether it’s going to the beach or hanging out with friends, nothing makes things more enjoyable than fun songs to listen to. Here are some songs that will get your juices flowing and ready for summer.

“Shut Up and Dance”

by Walk the Moon- This is song is bound to get you hyped for summer. Recorded by rock band Walk the Moon, “Shut Up and Dance” was written by band members and songwriters Ben Berger and Ryan McMahon. This song is based on an experience band member Nicholas Petricca had at a night club in LA. His girlfriend invited him to dance, inspiring the title, which he precieved as a way to let go of frustration and to have fun. The song became the band’s biggest hit single to date, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a number-one hit on the magazine’s Alternative Songs chart.

“Budapest”

by George Ezra- The track starts with a gentle guitar sound that remains mostly the same throughout.

With George Ezra’s soothing voice, the song is very relaxing. The lyrics follow the story of a man who

thing in our hometown where people felt they could nourish their body and still feel like they’re at home,” Gimelstein said. “At the same time, with out the laboring and thinking process of how to healthily feed your body.”

Raw Republic is mostly known for its juice cleanse. It is a short term (3-7 days) all liquid diet that is used to asset in achieving health goals. Many

people believe cleansing implies starving your body, but it actually gives your body plenty of sustenance, in the form of a wholesome, organic, cold-pressed vegetable and fruit juice. The juices include The Recruit to explore and nourish the body, The Inquisitor to restore and re-energize the body and The Warrior to awaken and heal the body. But it does not come cheap, the mini cleanse is $39 per day and the

signature cleanse is $59 per day.

They sell juices and smoothies, as well as acai and pitaya bowls with unique and delicious flavors. Prices range from $7 to $12. For first timers, Gimelstein recommends the coconut twister smoothie with a pretty in pink or PB&A (peanut butter and acai) bowl.

Pretty in pink is a pitaya bowl made with coconut water and banana, topped with dried coconut, banana, flax seeds and honey.

While, PB&A is an acai bowl made with banana, almond milk and peanut butter, topped with granola, cacao nibs, and banana.

Raw Republic includes unique ingredients in their bowls and smoothies such as bee pollen and flaxen seeds, which are carefully selected by a nutritionist to ensure the bowls/smoothies are healthy and delicious at the same time.

According to Gimmelstein, the process of adding new ingredients to their items on the menu is a complicated process of blending different ingredients to get the perfect flavor.

Join the republic and take the next step to becoming a better and healthier you.

ADVERTISEMENT

is willing to risk it all for the one he loves most, although family and friends worry about the relationship.the best example of this is when he sings ‘My friends and family, they don’t understand, they fear they’d lose so much if you took my hand, but for you, you, I’d lose it all’. People close to him worry about his relationship, yet he disregards their warnings which is something many people can relate to.

“Elastic Heart”

by Sia- This song was released as the second single from the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The song’s meaning depicts the mania we face in our world today. As he shows in her music video, two completely opposite kinds of people are locked in a cage together. By the end of the video, they are both exhausted..

Mania’s constant battle requires an ‘elastic heart’, as Sia sings, “not to fall apart.” Upon the music video’s release, the visual faced criticism from a number of audiences due to the depiction of a nearly naked adult and child dancing together, being accused of depicting images that may express pedophilia.

With summer right around the corner, its importnat to know which songs are going to get you pumped for summer.

“Excellence is our Legacy” 5555 North State Rd. 7 Coral Springs FL, 33067

(866) 387-8080

Sports Page 16

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

Former student selected in top ten picks of NFL Draft after college career at University of Miami

PROFILE

Jake Singer managing editor

Every year, at the NFL Draft, teams select from the best and brightest college football players in order to improve for the next season. Out of all the players who enter the draft, very few make it in the National Football League. One of those who looks poised to do so is former student Ereck Flowers.

Flowers went to Krop from his freshman year in 2008 until his junior year in 2011. During his junior year, Flowers started to become the standout offensive lineman he is today. Back then; he stood at 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds, and after the season, in which he had 40 pancake blocks (a move where he metaphorically flattened his opponents into a pancake), Flowers received several offers to play college football.

Over the summer after his junior year, Flowers gained 50 pounds and grew two inches. For his senior year, Flowers moved to Miami Norland High School where he began to attract national attention. Yahoo Sports ranked Flowers a four star recruit, and

he received offers from schools like Ohio State, Florida State and Louisville. But when his high school career was over, Flowers decided to attend and play football at the University of Miami.

At Miami, Flowers was a member of the ACC team in 2014. The ACC is a “power 5” conference that is considered one of the most talented and competitive in college sports. This was partially because of Flowers’ ability to block for the run. In 2014, when rushing to Flowers’ side, Miami ran for 7.1 yards per carry.

At the NFL combine, an event where prospects showcase their talent and athleticism, Flowers put on a show. Flowers led the entire rookie class in bench presses with 37 reps of 225 pounds, which nearly hit the mark of 40 that is so seldom achieved. Because of this feat, some experts considered Flowers one of the strongest players in the draft.

On April 30, the New York Giants selected Flowers with the ninth

overall pick. Out of more than one million high school football players, Flowers proved to be better than almost all of them.

The Giants hope that Flowers can be a premier left tackle, which is one of the most important positions on the field. Flow-

ers’ position is so important because for most quarterbacks, the left tackle protects their “blindside” (the side behind the quarterback’s back), which he cannot see. Without good protection on this side, the defense can easily neutralize the quarterback’s abil-

ity to pass.

When Flowers was at Krop, nobody expected him to be where he is today. This has changed as Flowers’ journey from a regular student at Krop to an NFL rookie and beyond continues to turn heads.

ODDS OF MAKING IT IN FOOTBALL

BY THE NUMBERS

1.6%

1 IN 17

0.08%

254 THE NUMBER OF

OF ALL PLAYERS COMING OUT OF THE NCAA GET DRAFTED INTO THE NFL. OF ALL HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR PLAYERS MAKE IT TO THE NFL Source: Associated Press

EDUCATION

Two students named scholar athletes

Source: ncaa.org

THE NUMBER OF HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS WHO END UP PLAYING NCAA FOOTBALL

NCAA ATHLETES DRAFTED IN 2013 OUT OF 70, 147 Compiled by Ethan Curtis

ACCOMPLISHMENT

DiMartino, Rodriguez chosen Two seniors who excel both on and off the field were for Miami-Dade All Star game chosen as this year’s Miami Dade Scholar athletes Saige Raymond staff writer Miami Dade Scholar Athletes are talented students able to excel both academically and athletically. Krop chose seniors, Lucyana Panti and Joseph Levy as this year’s Scholar Athletes.

Panti has achieved a 4.8 GPA and will attend the University of Southern Florida

four years. Since then, she’s made it her goal to be successful for her mother.

“My passion for sports and education is how I strive to make my mom proud,” Panti said.

That drive has led to her involvement in a variety of school sports and clubs. Panti is a member of ten different clubs and is the president of the Chemistry Club.

SINCE I FIRST CAME TO THIS COUNTRY, MY FRESHMAN YEAR, SPORTS AND ACADEMICS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPORTANT TO ME”

–LUCYANA PANTI, senior this fall. She was on the bowling team as a freshman and swam during her past three years.

She came to Krop during her freshman year from Peru.

Panti came to America to reunite with her mother after

Panti got involved in sports because that’s how she spent her free time in Peru, playing sports made her feel more at home.

“Since I first came to this country, my freshman year, sports and academics have

always been important to me,” Panti said. “These were things that occupied my time in Peru.”

Joseph Levy has excelled to a 5.9 GPA and has been accepted to Georgia Tech University while playing tennis and being on the swim team since freshman year.

Levy is a member of six different clubs and is the president of the Science Honor Society. He is a student with a natural eagerness to strive while he seizes every opportunity to create the person he is becoming.

“I love doing as much as I can within a 24 hour period,” Levy said. “My academic and athletic involvement is driven by the desire I’ve always had to succeed.”

Since freshman year Panti and Levy have shown the ability to receive a distinction such as being named a Scholar Athlete. Their involvement in sports while maintaining their honor roll averages made them winners of the Miami-Dade Scholar Athletes award.

Megan Orlanski staff writer This year, seniors Diego Rodriguez, catcher, and Phillip DiMartino, first baseman and pitcher, were selected to participate in the Miami-Dade All-Star Game.

Eighty of the best public and private school baseball players from around the county are selected each year to participate in the Miami-Dade All Star Game.

This is the fourth annual All-Star game that awards seniors for their exceptional baseball skills that they have shown this past year.

DiMartino said that he was unsure of what the All Star Game was at first, but as he looked into it, he became more excited about being selected.

“This proves that I have made a huge improvement from last year to this year,” DiMartino said.

Rodriguez spent the past summer improving his swing and catching techniques and said that by the time the season started, he was ready to per-

form, which came as no surprise, as he practiced three to four hours every day six days a week.

Rodriguez feels that there is always room for improvement and says that playing with the All-Star league is an opportunity to play alongside Miami Dade’s top baseball players Both Rodriguez and DiMartino plan to play baseball in college. Rodriguez hopes to play on a college team at either, Florida Tech, Florida Atlantic University or Florida Southwestern. DiMartino will attend Florida Gulf Coast University, but has not decided whether he will join the recreational team or the college team.

After a great season for both players, the team went from winning 3 out of 19 games last year to 10 games out of 25 this season.

All in all, Rodriguez’s and DiMartino’s dedication to practice and the sport of baseball is what gave them the opportunity to compete against the best in the county. The game will be played on on May 29th, at St. Thomas University at 7 pm.

Sports Coaches expectations for next year The Lightning Strike • May 2015

Page 17

EXPECTATIONS

Coaches give their reflections from this year as well as their expectations for next year of the most popular sports BASEBALL:

BASKETBALL:

FOOTBALL:

SOCCER:

SOFTBALL:

‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ Coach Scott Olsen

I would say this year was better, the overall record was better and there were major improvements made from some of the players.

There were things that didn’t translate on to the field the way that I had hoped in some aspects. Overall, it was a decent season. My expectations are just for the kids to continue to grow on and off the field into young men, and really mentally mature. Baseball is a game of failure for the most part and to be able to come to terms with that and understand that you can’t be perfect all the time and it”s how you bounce back from adversity. That is going to take them a long way forward in baseball and in life in general.”

Coach Chris Garcia

I think we did well this year considering that the past few seasons were not very successful. We lost in the district finals by one point, so it was discouraging. But at the same time, we do have one of the toughest districts. Even though there were controversial calls, that’s part of the game. We really did want to move on but everyone gave it their best. Each year, you want to progressively get better and go farther than you did the year before and that’s the goal. Of course we would like to win the district championship and ultimately a state championship. With our top three coming back I think we have a chance to do that.”

Coach David Hudson

This year didn’t go as well as I would have hoped to considering the standards we have set for our football team in the past. From last year to this year, we improved offensively, as we were able to score more and defensively we were able to stop people. Our overall record, we didn’t reach our goals. We are trying to get back to what we used to be and that is a slow process that will continue on. Last year, we were 1-9, and this year we were 2-8, so we are getting there little by little. For next year, I’m expecting more improvement and to work hard every game and ultimately improve on our record.”

Coach Tomas Gonzalez

I think it’s a process. It has nothing to do with that this year was better than last year; the first year I was coach, the team did not win any games.

We went to winning seven games, which is incredible and why it is a process. I started three years ago, meaning most of the team this year are seniors which means this year, was a three year process. For next year, I expect to get farther.

We lost in the regional state tournament after winning the district. I believe we have the team to do so and I believe the kids returning know exactly what I want with the same hunger that the eleven seniors leaving had.”

Coach Krista Latessa

When you look at our record I truly do think we had a great season even though it didn’t end the way all of the girls would have wanted it to. Losing one of our captains will hurt a little, but I am expecting to have mostly everyone back that has experience and is ready to play. I think the success that we have had in the past couple years will really motivate everybody to continue that success. For next year, I expect a turnaround from this year and to take back the district and make a run for the state championship that we have been wanting for the past couple years.”

Compiled by Ethan Curtis

RECRUITMENT

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The struggle of recruitment Devin Lee staff writer Athletic scholarships are a lifelong dream for two of Krop’s top athletes, junior Karl Jeanty and senior Robert Henderson.

These athletes realize the pressure of picking a college that benefits them best both academically and athletically.

Junior Karl Jeanty believes that being recruited by a university is something he has been thinking about as a little kid.

“The fact that colleges want me to come to their university and do what I love for a free education is crazy,” Jeanty said.

With a list of division 1 basketball programs offering him scholarships, including schools such as University of Alabama at Birmingham, he has been excited with his recruiting process.

“It’s a dream come true,” Jeanty said.

But being recruited can also be a hassle in some aspects. Senior football player Robert Henderson says the decision can be tough. With a list of colleges wanting him to play for them including University of West Florida and Assumption College, Henderson says making the right decision can be tough.

“You want to go to a school

that offers you the most benefits, but you also want to go to a school that will see yourself excel in,” says Henderson.

Executing on the field or the court is only half the deal of any athletic scholarship. If athletes want to participate in athletics,

The fact that

colleges want me to come to their university and do what I love for a free education is crazy.”

–KARL JEANTY, junior

they have to realize how important the academic portion of a scholarship is.

Henderson says that he wants to go a school that will best suit his major of sports management.

“Education is always the main objective, so finding a school that really prepares me for my career plays a part in my decision,” Henderson said.

Jeanty is also concerned about preparing for his future after college basketball.

THE

Lightning Strike thanks you

While the Lightning Strike may seem like a professional paper, it is not. It is a student-run newspaper that does not receive enough funding from the school system. The Strike relies on advertising to print, and unfortunately, the students this year did not raise enough to print the final issue. Because of this, we asked for help from supporters of the Lightning Strike. Because of these supporters, we were able to continue our love for journalism. Because of these supporters, we can continue to print one of the few high school papers without prior review (the practice where anyone other than the staff can demand to read the paper before it is printed). Because of these supporters and their contributions, we were successfully able to print the paper you are reading right now. And for that we say thank you to:

David Muchnick Robert Roddy Sheldon Muchnick Juna Garfield-Lewis and

Jen Walner If those reading this would like to help preserve the Lightning Strike’s award winning tradition of student journalism, visit www.gofundme.com/savethestrike.

The Lightning Strike • May 2015

Easy Sudoku

Fun & Games Page 19

Summer Time Maze start

Hard Sudoku

end

Odd summer trivia

Interesting facts to build up the anticipation for break The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France grows by more than six inches in the summer because the iron expands on hot days.

Because of the hot temperatures, ice cream is most popular in the month of July.

The best temperature for pools is 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and a pool becomes too hot when it reaches 90 degrees.

The mosquito, summer’s most annoying insect, has existed for over 30 million years.

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