January Issue 2016

LightningStrike 95 Theses on Public Education Taking Miami-Dade by Storm

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

LightningStrikeNews.com

January/February 2016 • Issue 4 • Volume 18

Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to reform the Catholic Church. The Lightning Strike collected their own theses from students and faculty in hopes of improving the public education system.

Compiled by Michael Katz, Art by Juana Argiro

I. When today’s economic prospects are dim, the first thing we sacrifice is educational spending. Electives are always the first to go.

II.

es

We must devote more resourcto vocational and arts programs.

III. Students should have the choice of a non-academic curriculum during high school to pursue interests rather than purely academic programs geared for college.

IV. Students are not required to participate in

clubs or after school activities. If a student has no initiative or self-motivation, they will simply drift through the school system until it’s too late, simply because nothing more was expected of them.

V. Competition created by a lack of educational resources puts students in a mindset of competing, not cooperating.

VI. In Florida, every course taken by a stu-

dent online equates to $800 of funding their school doesn’t receive.

VII. At $8,433 per student, Florida ranks 41st

in per-student funding. Our students are our future - and it seems like we’re not investing too wisely.

VIII. Students are no more than I.D. num-

bers, and our test performance has become a direct measure of our intelligence.

portance that it has become the sole motivation for students’ learning. Teachers can no longer teach what or how their hearts desire.

XIII. There is not enough teaching and learning that grows out of humans’ search for knowledge, improvement, love and community.

XIV. We spend more than 1.7 billion annually on testing and it’s costing us the passion that once fueled our learning.

XV. Uniformity is demanded on standardized testing when opportunities afforded to students are unequal.

XVI. Financial incentives are put in place to motivate teachers to get their students to perform well on standardized tests, making it even harder for them to resist teaching to a test.

XVII. Testing starts as early as February and

lasts until the end of the school, meaning that almost every day during the second half of the school year, students miss valuable class time to take some form of a standardized test.

XII. Test scores have been given so much im-

ing from the surrounding areas, students residing in lower socioeconomic neighborhoods often end up attending schools that parallel the scarcity in their surroundings.

XXIV. Students in some schools take six

classes a year while others take eight - in the same amount of time. As a result, some students have a much greater advantage when applying to college.

XXV. Grades are a poor reflection of a stu-

dent’s capacity and potential, yet students are taught to think that grades define them because they are given such importance.

XVIII. Oftentimes teachers are pulled from XXVI. The structure of the system suffocates their classes to proctor standardized testing, leaving teachers unable to teach and students unable to learn.

XIX.

The legislators making decisions about our education work in offices all day school board members are not required to visit schools under their jurisdiction, and their isolation results in schools being run like machines.

IX. Curricula has dominated the school sys- XX. Education falls short when tem. Teachers have less and less of a say in what or how they teach, and labs like hatching it comes to preparing students chicks or keeping class pets are beginning to sound more like myths than part of a student’s for real life - we graduate childhood. able to calculate the hypotX. The quality of our education is based on the enuse of a triangle yet clueway it looks on paper. Everything we learn has been reduced to a benchmark, everything we less as to how to buy a house do placed on the ticking timeline of our cur- or invest our money wisely. ricula.

XI. Not all students want to become lawyers XXI. Separating students into categories

or doctors, and cutting non-academic electives during tough times keeps students from discovering or developing their passions.

XXII. High school start times Budget and Policy Priorities found that 34 states are contributing less funding on a per in schools throughout the na- student basis than they did prior to the recestion begin at unhealthy times. sion years. Since states are responsible for 44 percent of total education funding in the U.S., The American Academy of Pe- these dismal numbers mean a continued crackdiatrics recommends that high down on school budgets, despite an improving economy. school start no earlier than 8:30, XXXII. Lack of funding leads to substitute yet only 14% of high schools shortages and classes left unsupervised when adhere to this suggestion. teachers must take the day off.

XXXIII. Department heads are responsible XXIII. Since schools pull part of their fund- for splitting up classes left without substitutes,

such as regular, honors, gifted and AP causes students to resent each other because some feel inferior to others, and often those not in advanced courses don’t receive the same push that is needed to succeed as those who are.

creativity. Since we enter kindergarten, we are taught to follow rules, obey our teachers, not speak unless we are called on - we can’t even go to the bathroom unless we ask. When we spend so much time thinking and acting in accordance with the rules, it makes thinking out of the box more challenging than it already is.

as well as a myriad of other duties, leaving them with little time to teach their own classes.

XXXIV. Substitutes are also affected by the

lack of funding. Many states have banned substitutes’ unions, leaving them to the mercy of the state legislators.

XXXV. In Florida, substitutes are unable to work for more than 10 days consecutively, because if they would, schools would have to give them benefits such as health insurance.

XXXVI. Many students who were deemed

ready to join the workforce and/or enter college by the public school system end up dropping out of college and entering menial jobs due to a lack of preparation.

XXXVII. Politicians dictate curriculum, funding, and in Miami Dade County, they have limited the amount of time attendees of school board meetings could speak.

XXVII. The pressure put on students to per- XXXVIII. Students, parents form well on tests leads to cheating, both by and teachers need to have a students and teachers. Either we cheat, or we’re bigger voice in deciding the cheated by a system that lets our grades dictate education afforded to them, our opportunities - there’s no way out of it.

XXVIII. Studies show that crowded class- because no one knows what rooms hamper students’ abilities to learn, yet they need better than them. over 22 percent of schools nationwide are XXXIX. More parents need to be involved in overcrowded. education system - and not just to fundraise.

XXIX. Crowded classrooms interfere with the Parents need to teach what teachers don’t have

high quality interactions, feedback, and relationship building.

XXX. AP and Honors classes aren’t regulat-

ed by the Class Size Amendment - a law that caps classrooms at 25 students.

XXXI. A recent report from the Center on

the time - or the energy - to: ethics.

XL. Most of today’s schools teach to auditory

learners - students who can sit down quietly, listen to a lecture without asking any questions or interacting with their peers - when very few students in fact are able to learn that way.

► see “ 95 THESES” on page 4

pages 10-11

More inside: • Controversy surrounding affirmative action - page 5 • FLVS takes money out of teacher pool - page 7 • What really goes into the drum line - page 12

• Valentine’s day confessions - page 15 • Hoverboards: the future of transportation - page 16 • Basketball team goes to regional playoffs - page 19

News

tops Page 2

KROP’S

Juniors Ben Manley, Chase Feldman, Clinton Jules, Monica Wang and sophomores Eliza Morton and Stephanie Morton are the state winners of the Verizon App Challenge.

Senior Harrison Garfinkle, Max Silverman, junior Jacob Gale and sophomore Dylan Hopen qualified for the State Debate Tournament.

Speech and Debate teacher Eric Jeraci was elected Regional Coach of the Year by fellow Miami debate coaches.

Seniors Lussette Espinoza, Anastasia Khlioustov, Julieta Rakover, Rebecca Balzan and Tania Weiss were awarded a Gold Key for Art Portfolio, Art. Senior Marthulda Francois was awarded a Gold Key for Ceramics.

Seniors Joss Gitlin and Noam Bendavid are National Merit Finalists.

Seniors Deborah Vainstein, Elias Rosenfield, Laura Cercet, Mikaela Mendez, Sara Eghtessadi, Gabriel Shlain, Nataly Wittels, Naiya Campbell, Tania Weiss, Valentina Tafurt, Victoria Louis-Don, Nicole Szomstein, Taylor Coachmen, and Dylan Zubata were nominated for the Silver Knight Scholarship.

Compiled by Mikaela Mendez

The Lightning Strike September 2008 The Lightning Strike •• January/February 2016

From local to global: WASHINGTON D.C., U.S.: One of the U.S. Supreme Court’s most conservative judges, Antonin Scalia, passed away during his sleep on a trip to Texas on Feb. 13. There is a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of who the next Supreme Court Justice to take over Scalia’s position will be.

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: South Korean citizens wait anxiously as North Korea has allegedly began to prepare for a terrorist attack in South Korea. The supposed attack is a response to anti- North Korean protests and movements and the National Intelligence Service predicts that public areas are most likely to be the target.

LATAKIA, SYRIA: Russia has sent one of its most advanced aircrafts to a military base in Syria, designed to monitor find other military aircrafts, with specially designed radars and signals. This is an example of Russia’s increasing military involvement in the Middle East.

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA: Eighteen year old Malachi Love-Robinson was arrested in Palm Beach County on Feb. 16 for posing as a medical doctor. LoveRobinson had no license, but had a website claiming to have his own practice and treating patients.

What’s going on around the world?

ANKARA, TURKEY: Six Turkish soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks committed by separatists radical Kurds. A few hours after the attack, Turkish armies launched air strikes in attempt to stop further attacks

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA: A viral video of beach goers pulling a baby dolphin out of the water has sparked outrage on social media and a rebuke from the country’s wildlife foundation. sources: CNN Miami Herald

Compiled by Megan Orlanski

COMPETITION

Students compete at School Duel

Ethan Curtis sports editor

Dueling was a form of battle in ancient times. Then it transitioned into a form of fighting in Martial Arts but another form of fighting is the academic challenge, School Duel.

School Duel is an educational tournament aired on Beacon TV where schools from Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties are invited to showcase their academic abilities by answering questions that range from sports to GOP debates. The invited schools chose four participants to represent them — the students from Krop were junior Ben Manley and seniors Gabriel Shlain, Noam Bendavid and

COURTESY OF BENJAMIN MANLEY

TOO SCHOOL FOR COOL: Seniors Marison Siqueira, Noam Bendavid, Gabriel Shlain and junior Benjamin Manley prepare for their first round of the School Duel hosted by Beacon Television. The participants were asked questions ranging from sports to GOP debates.

Marison Siqueira.

Interested students took a preliminary test that served as a tryout. The four highest scorers were chosen to attend on behalf of the school.

Questions dealt with random trivia about plant life and the 17 president.

During the weeks leading up to the event, the participants would meet up twice a week for

ACTIVITIES

GSA attends LGBTQ+ CampOUT retreat Mila Sicorsky feature editor When Krop GSA members noticed the dramatic increase in LGBTQ teen suicides in 2010, they knew something had to be done. That same year they created “Living Rainbow,” a student acting troop aimed to address the discrimination the LGBTQ community faces on a daily basis.

On Jan. 23, both present students and alumni performed at CampOUT, a three-day youth leadership retreat that works with the teenage LGBTQ community.

In the course of five pieces, Living Rainbow members showed examples of both discrimination and acceptance in their community.

“We work really hard to portray the hate that people

endure in their daily lives as a result of being LGBTQ,” GSA co-president and Living Rainbow member senior Cam Cano said.

The presentation kicked off with “Homophobia.” Students starred as aggressors and showcased examples of insults and degrading comments made to the LGBTQ community.

Conversely, “Why Machine” focuses on the hate victim and thoughts he or she goes through in times of isolation.

Performers then conducted “Roll Call” where they read off the names and ages of LGBTQ youth who committed suicide since 2010.

“The list goes on and on and on,” Cano said.

Living Rainbow members acted out a script by Ryan James Yezak called “Second Class Citizens.” In this piece actors

described the limitations the LGBTQ community faces in society, such as the restriction on blood donations. Later, performers showed “Dirty Flag,” which addressed the different “flags” that represent those who suffer homophobia within their different identities.

In their fifth and final piece, members performed “Affirmation Machine” to show their young audience all the positive remarks found in the LGBTQ community, like the much-desired “I accept you the way you are.”

Members will perform for faculty on Mar. 17.

“Living Rainbow means the world to me because I feel nothing but honored and proud to be representing my community and to be giving a voice to those who are silent,” Cano said.

two hours after school. During practice, the students would watch past events and answer random trivia questions.

“I had never been in a TV station before so my heart was pounding no matter how much I tried to relax,” Siqueira said. “As time progressed, I calmed down and felt more comfortable.”

This was the first year that Krop is being represented at the School Duel. On Jan.14th Krop faced the School for Advanced Studies in their first round (results of the match cannot be disclosed). Their match will be aired on Mar. 25th on Beacon TV and the rest of the tournament will begin to be aired on Jan. 28th.

One match will be played a week with the championship airing on June 2nd.

LGBTQ+ BY THE NUMBERS LGBT come out to their close friiends

80%

90%

of gay and lesbian youth report severe isolation

6/10

LGBT students report feeling unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation. of people who are LGBT report living in an unwelcoming environment

42%

5-10%

Percentage of the general population is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender

compiled by: Mikaela Mendez sources: dosomething.org, lambdalegal

News Page 3

The TheLightning LightningStrike Strike• •September January/February 2012 2016 APP CHALLENGE

‘Languasign’ app wins best in state Sebastian Kuzak staff writer It is said that we live in a world of smart phones and dumb people, but those phones must be made by smart people.

A team of students captained by junior Ben Manley won first place in Florida in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. Each year, students from across the country team up to create an innovative app idea.

This year, sophomores Eliza and Stephanie Morton were chosen by Manley to join a team that already included juniors Clinton Jules, Chase Feldman and Monica Wang.

Together they created the idea for “Languasign,” an app that translates American Sign Language to a variety of spoken languages. The app allows for translation through video, as a way of breaking the barrier between the deaf and hearing community.

“My sister Stephanie and I take American Sign Language classes, and when we heard about this challenge we knew we wanted to make an app to help

the deaf community,” E. Morton said.

The team met several times to brainstorm and research ideas. Once they agreed on Languasign, they interviewed the Mortons’ sign language teacher, wrote the required essays and made the video summary of the idea.

The video was the hardest part for the team since it had to be less than three minutes long and concisely explain the app idea.

On, Jan. 6th the team was informed via email that they had won best in state.

Apart from moving on to the regional round, the students received Verizon tablets and $5000 for Krop.

Many of the juniors on this year’s team won best in state in 2013 for their idea Rubble Rouser which sent GPS and medical information to 911 during natural disasters. If someone didn’t respond to a text received every hour, 911 would send help to the location the GPS provided.

These innovative students give voice to a community of people in need.

Model UN team competes at Harvard While the United Nations strives to reestablish global peace during mass conflict, our Model United Nations (MUN) team traveled to Boston, Massachusetts to mimic that experience of a real UN delegation.

Model United Nations (MUN) is an simulation of real United Nations conferences where students act as delegates to a nation. These delegations represent their country’s view on a certain topic and try to form a resolution to the problem.

President Elias Rosenfeld and captain Lara Soysal lead the school’s team. Last year, they pioneered its out-of-state trip to New York City for the national competition. The team did not win the top awards, although used it as a learning experience for this year’s competitions.

On January 28, 2016, the team

Ponkey goes to Marine retreat

COURTESY OF BENJAMIN MANLEY

‘LANGUASIGN’ WINS STATE: (Left to right) Sophomores Eliza and Stephanie Morton, juniors Monica Wang, Chase Feldman, Benjamin Manley and Clinton Jules entered the Verizon Innovative App Challenge as a team. The app they deisnged allows for translation through video, as a way of breaking the barrier between the deaf and hearing community.

TOURNAMENT

Nathaniel Manor business manager

NEWS BRIEFS

flew to Boston to compete in the Harvard Model United Nations (HMUN) competition, representing Monaco.

“It was a very interesting experience because we were able to interact with teams from all around the country and the world,” Soysal said. HMUN hosted teams from 19 U.S. states and 37 countries. “It felt great to compete against people from all around the world,” freshman Jacki Hatch said.

Preparations began in September.

The team met bi-weekly to research topics, learn format and procedure of the competition, and gather information into speeches for their individual committees. Rosenfeld and Soysal emphasized projection and the practice of public speaking, as they are major keys to succeeding in the competition.

The competition lasted for four days, spanning a whopping 20 hours

of committee sessions. The team was acknowledged for their participation in HMUN and sophomore Alan Imar was verbally recognized for his individual work in committee.

“Being recognized at Harvard MUN out of nearly 200 schools was an amazing accomplishment,” Imar said. “I worked very hard to win in the midst of my enormous committee.”

Apart from the thrill of competition and the accomplishment of winning awards, MUN has opened the doors to political life for its members. “Because of MUN, I’ve become more aware of the political affairs occurring in the country and around the world,” freshman Jacqueline Hatch said.

On March 2, 2016, the MUN team will return to New York City to take part in the National High School Model United Nations (NHSMUN) competition, once again.

COURTESY OF DANIEL PONKEY

FROM ASSITANT PRINCIPAL TO RECRUIT: Assistant Principal Daniel Ponkey fired an M16 assault rifle at a firing range to put himself in a Marine’s shoes. Ponkey was also involved in general phsyical training and obstacle courses.

Each year from Oct. through May, Marine Corps recruiters all over the country invite high school teachers, counselors and coaches to visit Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. There they witness first hand the Marine Corps’ training.

From Jan. 12 to 15, Assistant Principal Daniel Ponkey and art teacher Ernesto Montes endured a rigorous educator workshop in Parris Island, South Carolina - a United States’ Marines training hub.

Ponkey and Montes wanted to bring back to Krop a better appreciation for the military, and what they do for the country.

Sgt. Castro, a U.S. Marine and frequent visitor to Krop, invited Ponkey to attend the workshop. Ponkey then offered Montes the opportunity to join him on the trip.

The workshop has one main goal in mind: To immerse educators into the life of a Marine, and inform them about options that the military offers for high school graduates.

“There is a marine band,” Ponkey said. “I’ll take the opportunity to our Magnet students.”

On their itinerary were items such as firing M16 assault rifles, general physical training, obstacle courses, rappelling from a five story wall and seeing fighter jets in action. More importantly, they witnessed the abundance of training that must go into molding a recruit.

“They’re more selective than I thought,” Ponkey said. “The recruiting process in actuality is is more of a mental challenge.”

Alan Imar

Holocaust survivors reflect on their past with Chabbad

COURTESY OF YOSSI COHEN

ROAD OF REMEMBERANCE: On Feb. 9 Holocaust survivors Rudy Kutner, 93 years old, and Zak Kutner, 90 years old attended an after school activity with a Jewish program to explain how their tragic lives turned into successful ones. They discussed how you have to forget about the hard times you faced but not the lessons they taught you.

Mikaela Mendez

In the eye of the storm

COURTESY OF YUVAL MOR

SHATTERED GLASS: Senior Yuval Mor was one of the many students who suffered damage to her property due to the two tornadoes that rolled through South Florida Feb. 16. “My dad woke me up and told me to look outside the window,” Mor said. “When I looked outside I noticed the whole back of the windshield of my car was shattered.”

Mikaela Mendez

Editorial Page 4

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

SCHOOL LIFE

Talk is cheap, and so are community service hours Students find loopholes in system to attain easy hours

IN MY OPINION nicolas chmielewsky

spread editor

Community service hours have officially become a joke. There’s no hiding from it.

Before the end of December, students accumulated a large amount of hours when they delivered over 3000 into the activities office.

But reaching such astronomical figures is only possible by going through the loopholes.

The holes begin with the MKHS Student Guide to Community Service, which states “community service is any voluntary activity that is designed to address a problem or need in the community.” It goes on to explain that “you may do any of a variety of voluntary activities to meet the graduation requirement.”

Therefore, donating 500 books for a grand total of 1000 hours or participating as a supervisor at a children’s campsite for an estimated amount of hours is allowed as community service is defined as “working for free.”

Because of the vague wordiness in the Student Guide, students can gain hundreds of hours in an unconventional way. In addition, the activities director, Michelle Russell, is overwhelmed with work. She is responsible for recording all of the hours students turn in, including those that contain suspicious information such as illegitimate signatures. But even then, students can get around the activities office and submit the community service reports to the registrar office - generating yet another loophole.

Here is how it works. In November, the school held its annual food drive for Thanksgiving. Members of clubs and extracurricular activity organizations were encouraged to participate. For example, sponsors of the Chess Club and students with Silver Knights projects gave out hours for canned goods and other requested materials.

According to Florida law, the minimum wage for an hour of work is $8.05. So, to put it in monetary terms, hundreds of students drove to the nearest Publix and picked up a small can of tuna for $1.39. That student earned at least

E=mc2, 400 books=400 hours2

an hour of community service. Another student helps a teacher file papers and also earns an hour. Both students look like they worked for the same amount of hours on paper. But in monetary terms how does it equal? How is it possible for a student to receive an hour worth of work, which is $8.05, for the purchase of a can of tuna?

At this point, students forget to ask themselves why they do community service work in the first place. Students think community service can be used as an advantage for college applications, scholarships and awards including the Silver Knights. But according to CAP Advisor Robbert Roddy, only the top tier colleges use community service to distinguish students.

Schools such as Harvard, Yale or Princeton, have difficulty differentiating extraordinary students who all have great test scores.

The purpose of community service is to

COMMUNITY SERVICE BY THE NUMBERS: 1

hour of community service required in order to graduate

500+

books collected by Silver Knight nominee senior Mikaela Mendez in her book drive COURTESY OF MEGAN ORLANSKI

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MAYAN DERHY, Editor-in-Chief JACOB SINGER, Managing Editor MIKAELA MENDEZ News Editor MICHAEL KATZ Opinion Editor NICOLAS CHMIELEWSKI Spread Editor MILA SICORSKY Feature Editor SOPHIE MUCHNICK Entertainment Editor SHOSHANA SOMMER Lifestyle Editor SUN COAST PRINTER Printer

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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.

motivate students to communicate with other people and communities outside of their comfort zone. Although the Student Guide is vague about what constitutes community service, it conveys the importance of the work effectively. “It is designed to expand your view of your local community while instilling a sense of purpose and pride regarding your own abilities and interests.”

Community service is meant to assist people in the qualities of life – charisma, enthusiasm and generosity – that will help in the near future as they prepare for college.

Like the Student Guide to Community Service on the school website said, “Don’t underestimate the power and importance of community service in your life.” Community service hours are voluntary and shouldn’t be taken advantage of. Your time and support is very valuable to many.

*price for one 14 fl oz can of beans

3,840

most hours of community service performed by a single 2014 senior

$1.47

average price of one hour of community service*

SOURCES: www.publix.com, Michelle Russell

LETTERS Girls Who Code prepares students for bright futures

Toastmasters Youth Club enriches student experiences

Computer science is taking over this generation! By the time we are out of school and ready to support ourselves, computer-centered jobs will be in demand!

If we continue on the way things are going, only a small fraction of those jobs will be filled by women.

Girls Who Code is a national non-profit organization that empowers girls to learn how to code on computers.

This school year it has been introduced to MKHS and coding classes have already begun, but we want to increase our numbers and add more girls to the club!

Meetings are held every Wednesday after school in the digital design lab! If you are a girl and interested in coding, regardless of whether or not you have experience in computer science, check out Girls Who Code.

Joining Toastmasters has taught me more about myself than it has about public speaking. I’ve learned to be proud of my outgoingness and individuality and that the way I see myself directly impacts the way other people both see and hear me.

But that’s not to say that we don’t learn any public speaking either - we absolutely do. After two years of Toastmasters, I feel prepared and confident for anything a college interview could have in store for me. I’ve learned how to shape a speech, both in advance and impromptu.

And that’s not even the best part. My favorite thing about Toastmasters is how we are a family - and our arms are always open, so come on in. Meetings are the first and third Wednesdays of the month in the activities office!

Jordan Gottlieb Grade 11

Amanda Berman Grade 11

Opinion

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

PUBLIC EDUCATION

95 theses (cont’d) XLI. Education is not a priority for our nation. Those running for government positions focus their campaigns and their legislation on issues such as unemployment and terrorism, and since most students can’t vote, their voices go unheard until unemployment is their main concern.

XLII. Lack of funding forces some teacher to offer extra credit for bringing in supplies, leading to students buying their grades. Those that have parents that can go buy pencils or copy paper benefit, while those who have to get pencils from the floor are left at a disadvantage.

XLIII. In several states, laws regulating teachers’ pensions are unjust.

In New York, for example, teachers who work 24 years get a substantially smaller pension than those who work 25 years. As a result, less than .1 percent of teachers retire after 15 years, and remain teaching until their pension fully vests, despite the fact that they’re burned out.

XLIV. Studies have shown that the minutes allotted to the traditional practice of recess has shrunk in 40 percent of school districts around the country, and some newly built elementary schools don’t even have playgrounds.

XLV. Our one-size-fits-all standardized testing system leaves the plethora of students that hard a hard time taking tests, like those with ADHD, at a loss because their performance on such tests determines the opportunities they’ll have open to them after they graduate high school.

XLVI. The people deciding which courses qualify as academic electives or fine arts credits aren’t the ones sitting in the classrooms - students could be working harder in a “non-academic” elective than they do in any core class, without receiving the same credit.

XLVII. Bullying has been and will always be a part of schools - yet less and less schools have the money to keep a full-time psychologist on the payroll, and as a result, less and less students are receiving the support they need to deal with it properly.

XLVIII. People are rooted in their belief that a traditional classroom setting is the best way to teach students.

If less money was spent on textbooks and more was spent on developing new, interactive, specialized teaching methods perhaps students would be more excited about learning.

XLIX. Most questions about why funding is continually cut or why students are forced to take certain courses are answered with a simple, “I don’t know. The people downtown make those decisions.” Yet no one knows who the people in Tallahassee even are.

L. It is the responsibility of the school system to educate and create able, outgoing students - a responsibility which it has been failing to fulfill recently. Public schools should be solving problems, not contributing to them.

LI. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the largest standardized test administered in the United States, reports that fewer than 40 percent of graduating seniors have

mastered reading and math and are poorly equipped for college and real world life.

Don’t believe it? Check out the next ten theses, written by juniors and seniors of the 2016 class and published verbatim: LII. “The county should hire teachers that can teach and should also hire nice teachers.”

LIII. “teache’s are never here But education feel like nothing cause we dont even learn anything haffe of the time. it’s not like Back in the day’s when learning was fun But Now is Boring, hard, or we dont even learn it,” LIV. “In my opion the most wrong thing that the school’s in the U.S. don’t imply is the use of forienge language’s so that student can learn more than two language.

LV. “I think what is wrong with our education is that we barely learn anything anymore because most of the times our teachers are not here to teach us what we need to know.”

LVI. “Another issue is how the teacher’s who don’t teach and just give out paper work and packets.”

LVII. “The thing that needs to be improv is less test taking. Also what needs to be improved is the quality of what the teacher teaches.”

LVIII. “One of the biggest challenges we have today is education let me explain why teacher’s are never here or if they are here they are in meeting, were have they gone teaches!!”

LIX. “Testing is hold back a lot of students from passing. If the student have an “A” in the class just be failing the test could drop there grade low.”

LX. “What is failing me as a student is that most times you are forced to choose between your mental health and your G.P.A. In example, most nights we have episodes of anxiety or depression, you are pressured to choose wether to feel better and get a good night sleep or study for the test.”

LXI. “Education today is getting worse. The education now a days don’t cover the important things that the students need when they get to college.”

LXII. Not everything should be blamed on the system, however.

There is and has been a decrease in students with determination and strive - in the number of students that take responsibility for their education because they want to succeed.

LXIII. The only question that remains is this: why is the American Dream fading away? What is making our students feel like cheating their way through their educations will lead them to success? Why aren’t our students excited about learning? And that’s something we must all think about.

Use this QR code or visit lightningstrikenews.com to read the full 95 theses.

Page 5

COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

Students use ancestry to qualify for Affirmative Action

Students manipulate race to amplify college acceptance rates IN MY OPINION feature editor

mila sicorsky

One summer night a friend of mine introduced me to her friend—a 17-year old baseball player at a private high school who paid $23,600 a year in tuition. Wow, I thought, his American ancestry must date back to the time of the Mayflower.

After some small talk he said he was one-eighth Native American.

Thinking this was some sort of joke, my friend and I exchanged glances and began to laugh. After a while, he joined in.

“I’m definitely using that for affirmative action,” he said.

As fast as it formed, my smile disappeared.

Affirmative action refers to policies instituted to encourage equal access to education for historically discriminated groups, like blacks and Native Americans. These guidelines originated in the 1960s when a wave of civil reforms attempted to better the lives of blacks in America.

After 1965 statistics showed just 5 percent of undergraduate students, 1 percent of law students and 2 per-

cent of medical school students in America were black, President Lyndon B. Johnson urged institutions, from government offices to schools, to use affirmative action in their selection processes.

Thanks to affirmative action policies, college enrollment for black students has increased 57.2 percent since the late 1980s. College graduation rates for Hispanics have more than doubled between the 1999-2000 and 2009-2010 school years, and attendance rates among minorities have never been so high.

Despite its success, affirmative action is questioned in America.

Critics argue that its policies endorse “reverse discrimination,” where minorities are favored over highly achieving white students. But data from the Current Population Survey shows that about 40 percent of whites ages 25 to 29 hold a bachelor’s degree or more, compared to 20 percent of blacks and 15 percent of Hispanics. So — surprise, surprise — majority whites are still in the lead.

Opponents also point to those who use affirmative action but don’t need it. Affirmative action is in place for people who are actually disadvantaged. Sure, one can rummage through Ancestry.com and prove

Affirmative Action

BY THE NUMBERS:

150310

point addition to SAT scores is equivalent to affirmative action in admissions offices

8

states have banned race-based affirmative action

5,860,400

minority students currently studying in the U.S.

SOURCES: www.dosomething.org, www.howtoedu.org

that their mom’s cousin’s uncle was Native American (like my friend’s friend), all while living a white, privileged life - but there will always be that person who is actually a minority and excluded because of a disadvantaged background.

PUBLIC EDUCATION

Conventional classrooms lack creativity IN MY OPINION alejandro preschel

staff writer

Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ideas and create new, meaningful ideas. In today’s fast-paced, progressive society, creativity is a necessary skill.

The problem, however, is that the modern educational system does not

to include the vocabulary words of the week.”

In a study known as “Barriers to creativity in Education: Educators and Parents Grade the System,” 4,000 teachers and parents of students were surveyed about the lack of creativity in classrooms.

The survey showed that 90 percent of parents and 87 percent of teachers agreed that encouraging creativity in education will fuel the economies of the future.

The problem is that students are

not taught to think outside the options presented to them - if it’s not A, B, C or D, there must not be an answer.” include the use of creativity in its curriculum. Schools are placing more importance on standardized test scores than the intellectual well-being and creativity of students, and procedures and legislation that would have to be passed in order to re-enroll creativity in our educational system puts a creative classroom years ahead of us.

“In third grade I had a teacher who always gave us assignments that required creative thinking,” junior Jackson Levine said. “One of those assignments was a story we’d come up with ourselves, in which we had

Most middle schools and high schools across the nation have one aspect in common: they focus on teaching students to answer questions.

The problem, however, is that students are not taught to think outside the options presented to them - if it’s not A, B, C or D, there must not be an answer.

Companies like Amazon, Google and Apple are led by people who who have the ability to innovate and come up with creative solutions and ideas.

In fact, many of the largest businesses today implement the 20 per-

cent rule, in which employees set aside 20 percent of their work time to thinking creatively.

We are living during the biggest technological boom in the history of mankind and our world is changing faster than ever- our schools need to reflect that by preparing their students for it. The biggest change we need to make today is the way we nurture the budding generation.

A student’s academic success should not depend on his or her ability to take a test. Nowadays, all students are judged by the same criteria, despite the fact that not all students think the same way.

The truth of the matter is that all students are different. Some may excel in certain areas while some excel in others. The system should work for the student, not the other way around.

The anticipation for standardized testing is stressful for students. But teachers, whose evaluation depends on their ability to prepare students for a test, feel the pressure as well. Having to teach for the sake of a test takes the joy out of what they do.

Students need teachers who love teaching - teachers who have the freedom to teach how and what they wish.

Students need a school system that allows them to think beyond the answers presented to them - students need to be able to think for themselves.

Feature

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

Page 7

EDUCATION

Florida Virtual Schools requirement takes money out of teacher pool

Educators left in the dark after state legislators change FLVS budget

Naela Foureau staff writer Try cutting three slices of a pie that only has half a slice left.

That’s exactly what educators across the state were asked to do in 2013 when legislators required Florida school districts to share funding with Florida Virtual Schools (FLVS) if their students take courses on FLVS. House Bill 7029 makes FLVS take one-sixth from a public school’s share for every class a student takes online.

In clearer terms, if a student is taking five classes at school and one full-credit course through FLVS, FLVS takes $960 from a school’s share of $6,700 per student. If a student completes two full-credit courses online, $800 is taken

from that $6,700, leaving the school with only $4,940 for each FLVS student that could go towards salaries for their teachers and support personnel.

“If 100 students take one full-credit class, we lose $100,000,” counselor Jack Heinemann said. “I’m sure we have more than 100 students that finish full-credit courses online each year,” he said.

This change has affected public school budgets districts statewide, becoming another cause of layoffs throughout the state. According to assistant principal Pamela Clappier, Krop’s administration has had to lay off three teachers for the 2015-2016 school year.

According to Pat Stewart, Florida Commissioner of Education, school districts may not deny or limit the num-

ber of classes a student takes on FLVS. However, school counselors may determine if a course on FLVS is “academically appropriate for the student,” leaving them with the burden of making a decision with possible reprimands.

“The state’s initiative is to have more student take online classes. That is something they support,” Heinemann said.

“My mission is to give students the best quality education there is. I want to support the quality of education here at Krop.”

The plan, backed by powerful politicians like presidential candidate Jeb Bush, is not widely known or understood by teachers or administrators.

Even those who make decisions at an administration level like Heinemann and Clappier do not know why the budget structure has changed.

FACULTY

Teachers unions and parent groups who oppose the bill agree that the new legislation is a move to privatize education by letting digital learning companies such as FLVS compete for state education dollars.

“You have a group of legislators who in a hundred ways want to end public schools as we know it,” Mayor of Aventura, Enid Weissman said. “One of the biggest cut-outs in the state’s ‘budget pie’ is in education. You shouldn’t be one of the largest states in the nation ranking the lowest in per-student funding,” she said.

And when schools lack funds, students suffer.

“All the classes are more crowded than they were last year, and we have about the same amount of students,” Heinemann said.

One factor that is especial-

ly disturbing to Clappier is the fact that FLVS classes taken off-campus are negatively impacting the school.

“If anything, the number of courses being taken is on the rise,” Clappier said. “When Florida made it a graduation requirement to take an online class in 2011, it created a higher demand for the classes,” she said.

Clappier, who just learned about the new legislation at a Full Time Equivalent (FTE) meeting September of 2015, believes not enough people are aware of the legislation, let alone how it hurts public schools.

“For a lot of services like this that are offered, people don’t usually question where the money is coming from,” she said. “When it starts impacting your school, people start asking questions.”

Ballet master holds class Cabrejos, Mattig for dance magnet students coach Mock Trial VOLUNTEERING

at middle school

Megan Orlanski staff writer

In the world of dance, the name Arthur Mitchell is synonymous with excellence and mastery in ballet and choreography.

On Jan. 21, the world renowned ballet master gave a class to Bernadette Pierre’s dance magnet students.

“Arthur Mitchell is even bigger to dancers than Michael Jordan in the world of basketball,” dance magnet instructor Pierre said.

Mitchell was the second black male to achieve a principal role in the New York City Ballet and one of the youngest recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors award, given to performing artists for their significant contributions to American culture. The death of Martin Luther King Jr. inspired Mitchell to open a school called the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969 for children in the neighborhood.

“He is an inspiration for people to fight for what they want in life,” freshman Alexandra Werble said. “His ideal is ‘don’t give up because people tell you to’.”

Mitchell, now 81 yearsold, described each dance movement and speed, or tempo, while an assistant helped

Shoshana Sommer lifestyle editor

COURTESY OF WLRN

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Ballet master Arthur Mitchell shows a dance magnet student how to perfect her position. He gave a class to dance magnet students on Jan. 21.

demonstrate each step to the class. Mitchell decided to give his master class at Krop, the only school out of two other choices that has both magnet classes and a traditional education system.

Pierre was ecstatic to find out that Mitchell chose Krop to give his master class. Both Pierre’s fifth and sixth period participated. But to take part in the workshop, students had to wear the appropriate attire: tights without holes and hair in a bun. Reporters from

the Miami Herald and WLRN also filmed and reported on the event.

Werble explained that Mitchell showed minority students that nothing should hold them back from achieving their dreams because he was a living example of a black student who set records and achieved success in the world of dance.

“It was an honor to be in a class taught by him,” Werble said. “I didn’t just learn about dance, I learned how to fight for my dreams.”

Twice a week for two hours Law and Order fanatics Camila Cabrejos and Stephanie Mattig are in court. But they’re not defending New York victims— they’re coaching Aventura Waterways middle school students.

This is the second year they have gone to help out at their former middle school to prepare the students for their upcoming mock trial competition in March.

As co- Law Club vice presidents, both Cabrejos and Mattig aspire to become lawyers and love to work with kids. “I think participating in Mock trial is important because it teaches students how a court is run, which is something that is not taught in an everyday class,” Cabrejos said.

Mock Trial entails of ”a trail packet” given by the state that consists of a case description, statements that would be given by witnesses and evidence. “Of course this is all make believe, but the students must treat it as a real thing,” Cabrejos said.

Cabrejos and Mattig help the middle school students by teaching the witnesses how to say their statements so they sound

MILA SICORSKY/ THE LIGHTNING STRIKE

HARD AT WORK: Seniors Stephanie

Mattig (left) and Camila Cabrejos (right) look over Mock Trial paperwork. They have coached Aventura Waterways middle school students for two years.

believable. They also help the “attorneys” with their opening and closing statements by teaching the students how to speak confidently and professionally.

But teaching middle school students can be challenging.

“Sometimes the kids come without knowing their parts which can be frustrating since we are giving up our time to help them,”Mattig said.

However the process is also rewarding. “By teaching others we too are learning new things and new techniques,” Mattig said.

Feature Page 8

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

FACULTY

Rosenfield remembers education in black and white Silver Knight coordinator reflects on 53 years of segregation and integration in Dade County schools Mikaela Mendez news editor

Silver Knight coordinator Regina Rosenfield, who has taught in Dade County Schools for 53 years, remembered the first black student integrated into one of the schools where she used to teach. Having experienced both segregation and integration, she says the school system has come a long way.

Rosenfield started her career after college at a federated department store. Although there was an equal number of men and women working, they had unequal salaries—with men earning 65 dollars a week and women only 50 dollars a week.

“In those days, people thought men deserved more money than women,” she said. “When we asked why, they said that men needed more money because they paid for dates.”

It was this wage gap that inspired Rosenfield to become a teacher, the only career at the time that had equal pay.

After her first teaching job in St. Louis, she moved to Florida where she worked at Miami Beach Senior High and taught courses ranging from drama to AP United States History for 27 years. Many believed Beach High was the easiest school to integrate because the Juliet Tuttle Causeway connected Overtown, a predominantly black neighborhood, to Miami Beach, which had a mostly white community.

MIKAELA MENDEZ / THE LIGHTNING STRIKE

DEDICATION: Silver Knight coordinator Regina Rosenfield helps students with their award applications. She has taught in Dade County Schools for 53 years.

But integration in Beach High involved more than just black students entering the school. During her time, there was a large influx of Cuban immigrants to Miami. She recalls that it was groundbreaking for students to see a Latin American face in the hallway.

“It was the beginning of Miami-Dade County truly becoming a multicultural environment,” Rosenfield said.

Over 50 years later, Rosenfield’s job as Silver Knight coordinator has taught her that the face of the majority in America is straying away from whites and encompassing those who

were once minorities, like blacks and Hispanics. But attempts to better integrate the student population have not faltered.

“One of our goals at Krop is getting minority students to take AP courses,” Rosenfield said.

Besides being a Silver Knight coordinator, Rosenfield works with a committee at Florida International University that raises scholarships for first generation students who live in North-Dade.

“I always ask students if they would volunteer to be the one to make a difference still felt around the world,” Rosenfield said.

STAND OUT STUDENT LIFE

Taylor Coachman

by Nathaniel Manor For most people, a toothbrush and stick of deodorant are nothing more than ordinary toiletries. But for a homeless family, it means the world.

In early December, senior Taylor Coachman organized a toiletry drive for homeless families in assisted living facilities (ALFs) within the Miami area.

“It started when I met a lady named Ms. Huegette Theodore, a homeless woman with no family,” Coachman said.

COURTESY OF TAYLOR COACHMAN “I started spending time with GIVING BACK: Senior Taylor CoachHuegette at her ALF, chatting man organizes goods collected in her about her history and how she toiletry drive. She distributed the items to asssited living facilties during winter got to this point, so I decided to break. give back.”

The amount of people who didn’t have families to spend the holidays with saddened Coachman, and she felt obligated to help those living in ALFs. She held a toiletry drive at Krop where she baked desserts for homeless families and raised necessary hygiene items such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotion, deodorant and socks. She then distributed the items among seven different ALFs in the area, giving aid to multiple groups of people in different facilities.

“It means a lot to me because I have a ton of family, and I couldn’t imagine growing old without a home or having them with me,” she said. “I thought I could help someone out by making them feel special for Christmas by providing them with necessary toiletries that they wouldn’t be able to get by themselves.”

Coachman donated 54 bags which contained six to eight items each.

By expanding her efforts into a year-round collection, she plans to triple the results next year and to extend her efforts to families in less developed areas, such as Overtown.

Although the drive lasted only through the holiday season, Coachman plans to start a non-profit organization with her mother. She will open the organization through Always Best Care Senior Services, her mother’s business.

“This Christmas was truly special,” Coachman said. “For the first time, I was able to help someone and make them feel wanted.”

STUDENT LIFE

Twins share more than just genes Dzidula Boney copy editor Identical twin sisters Charlena and Charicka Little, both juniors, have more in common than just their looks. They do everything together from watching their favorite Korean drama, “Boys Over Flowers”, to practicing after school with the Silver Dazzlers.

“We truly are best friends,” Charlena said. “We fuss at each other all the time, but we still uplift each other.”

The girls began dancing together at the age of seven at a summer program for the African Heritage Center. Ten years later, they still share a love for dance, but they find ways to balance their differences. For instance, Charicka favors Afro-jazz, while Charlena loves modern contemporary. Person-

ally, they don’t consider each other as mirror images, but two different people with two different personalities.

But dancing together does have its advantages.

“I don’t have to worry about Charlena getting super frustrated because she knows me so well,” Charicka said, to which Charlena added, “And I never have to worry about whether Charicka will be in school, whether she’s going to practice or anything like that.”

This peace of mind allows them to trust each other.

“Sometimes onstage, we’ll look at each other and nobody would notice,” Charlena said.

“We can communicate with that one look, and we know what certain gestures between us mean.”

Other than dance, the girls run in their own circles. They

DZIDULA BONEY/ THE LIGHTNING STRIKE

ALWAYS TOGETHER: Twins Charlena Little (left) and Charicka Little (right) prepare to dance to Danza Kuduro. Not only are they both in the Dance Magnet, but they also share activities like hobbies and dreams.

don’t have the same classes anymore, so they don’t have to worry about teachers confusing them. With friends, they

don’t have to worry either.

“We don’t have many friends outside of our congregation,” Charicka said. “But with them,

I don’t feel like we are judged as much.”

Mostly they are seen as two different people. There are times, however, when choreographers will compare them and consider them as one person dancing twice. For the sisters, this is the hardest part about being twin dancers.

“When people comment on our dancing, it makes it seem like there is always a competition between us,” Charlena said.

As fate would have it, Charlena and Charicka share other interests besides dance, like their desire to become pediatric registered nurses.

“Dance is great, but as a career, it is very demanding and it doesn’t leave a lot of time for a social life,” Charlena said. Becoming pediatricians will allow them to do what they love—every day.

Feature Page 9

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016 SPECIAL EDUCATION

Quiroga’s program in new hands Rivero, Schiffman take over special education programs

Mayan Derhy editor-in-chief The retirement of the head of special education department Manuel Quiroga in Dec. left big shoes and hearts to fill for both the students and faculty. While Quiroga’s influence cannot be replaced, his positions must be filled. Lisa Rivero has taken over as head of the Special Education department and the role of sponsor for the Best Buddies club was filled by Coach Caron Schiffman.

Rivero started her teaching career 16 years ago in Horace Mann middle school working with kids with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD).

She knew from the start that she wanted to help kids who lacked support from home, specifically those with EBD, and hoped to provide them with a safe environment to share their feelings.

“When I went to high school there was no one to talk to and no one to trust,” Rivero said. “I hope I can be that safe person for the kids I work with.”

Rivero also worked as a clinical counselor for at risk kids in both group and indi-

vidual counseling. She says that the EBD teaching aimed to help the kids deal with their disabilities and they would look forward to coming back to talk to her.

“Being genuine is important,” Rivero said. “I think my kids knew that I cared about them and that I could be trusted.”

Seeing the impact she had on the kids pushed her to aspire to bigger goals. Rivero ran an after school tutoring program for eight years, which eventually grew into a summer camp, with over 100 students at a time. She pushed for the students to excel academically because she believes it will lead to higher confidence and therefore a better social life.

Once designated as the head of the Special Education department at Krop, Rivero knew she wanted to bring the things she had learned over the years to the classroom. She rearranged the desks in the class and changed the curriculum to ensure it was geared toward academic advancement. Within a short period of time Rivero saw a change in the class of 17.

“I want to bring as much fun into learning as I can,” Rivero said, “and after a cou-

MAYAN DERHY / THE LIGHTNING STRIKE

READING TIME: New head of Special Education Department Lisa Rivero helps her students Chyanna Pierce (left) and Alexandra Wilk (right) read a science book during class.

ple of weeks I already saw the kids reading and raising their hand. It’s amazing to see such an improvement.”

Schiffman, who took over the Best Buddies club, says that the transition was relatively easy for the kids because they were familiar with her from previous events. In her years of teaching Physical Education she has worked

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with kids with disabilities on many occasions, which was an experience that helped prepare her to take over the club.

“I love working with those kids,” Schiffman said. “The relationship I have with them is awesome.”

As to making any changes to the club, Schiffman says that there’s no need to fix what is not broken, and when you

have a program that runs as smoothly as Best Buddies does there is no need to change it.

Her main priority is to get to know the club members and ensure that they feel as comfortable with her as they did with Quiroga.

“I’m here to try to get into [Quiroga’s] shoes,” Schiffman said, “but I could never fill them.”

Page 10

The Lightning Strike • January/February

iPrep by t IN MY OPINION jacob singer

managing editor

“A promise made is a promise kept.” That’s the motto delivered by Superintendent Alberto Carvalho hundreds, if not thousands of times during his career.

In early December, Carvalho uttered his famous phrase at a meeting at the Aventura City Hall, saying that he promised additional student capacity east of I-95. But at a meeting for the Homeowners Association of Highland Lakes and Skylake, former Mayor of Aventura Susan Gottlieb recalled this promise he made back in 2012. “The promise that Mr. Carvalho made was that Northeast Dade would be getting additional seats,” Gottlieb said, “and Krop was the main site discussed.”

It is now 2016 and the promised capacity amplification is now a proposed iPrep Academy that be an extension of Krop. Currently, the plan is to build it on the campus of the Highland Oaks Middle School (HOM), but if this academy will be an extension of Krop for students who live within the attendance boundary, we must ask - Why not build it on Krop’s campus?

Logically, Krop’s campus is the best place for the iPrep academy, and here’s why.

First off, the people who live right next to the HOM campus in Highland Lakes don’t want the school built there. President of the Highland Lakes and Skylake Homeowners Association Lenny Feldman estimates that 90% of the people he has talked to would rather have the school built on Krop’s campus. This proposal also brings back memories for these homeowners of Aventura Waterways K-8. With Waterways, the people of Highland Lakes feel burdened because a school on their land is used to house children who reside in Aventura and they feel a similar sense of burden from the plan to build the iPrep on the HOM campus.

Another reason that the iPrep belongs on Krop’s campus is that under current plans, the iPrep offers no student parking.

As a student driver who once took the bus, I found a legitimate positive impact on my life because I now drive to school. When I wasn’t able to drive, I could not stay after school for any assistance nor extra-curricular activities like contributing to this newspaper, and I could not have been less fond of a 30-minute bus ride home that should have taken a mere five minutes.

For any student fortunate enough to get a car, the opportunity to drive to school is not one they should have to pass up.

The importance of extracurricular activities in a student’s high school experience cannot be overemphasized. The transportation of iPrep students to Krop for afterschool activities would without a doubt take at least 30 minutes, so in order to compensate for that added time, school would need to start before 7:00 in the morning. With the early 7:20 start time already a hot topic of discussion, any time earlier seems unfeasible. These transportation problems would be solved by building the school on Krop’s campus.

The point I am trying to make boils down to this: the best way to preserve Krop and add the concept of the iPrep is to keep the school in tact.

On paper, the iPrep would still be part of Krop, but in reality, if they build it in a different location, would it? iPrep students may never interact with the ones on the main campus, they may never come outside of their iPrep bubble with their iPrep lifestyle and their iPrep friends. As a student who went to private school my entire life, when I went to Krop, it was the first time I had ever been exposed to the real world, a world diverse in people, culture and ideas. I had only known my upper-middle class Jewish life before Krop, but through my experiences at Krop, I have become a more understanding, intuit and connected person. Yes, the iPrep has its benefits and it may very well be the future of education, but the if Krop’s iPrep academy is not built on Krop’s campus, we will hurt the students who attend both schools.

So, I ask again - Why not Krop?

100%

Graduation rate at the Downtown iPrep Academy

$11.8

million to be placed on school construction from the district

170

students currently enrolled in the downtown iPrep

Downtown iPrep is ranked

20th in

GLANCE INTO THE FUTURE: A planned blueprint (top)

Florida

demonstrates the possible construction plans for the iPrep to be built on Highland Oaks Middle School Grounds.

A blueprint of the Krop grounds and land around it (right) show in yellow the lot of land the Strike feels should be alotted to the iPrep academy if it were to be built on campus.

Com iPrep Academy established in Downtown Miami

2010-2011 School Year

MDC School Board approved placing a $1.2 billion for the construction of schools

August 15, 2012

Bond was passed by county voters, 70% of which were in favor.

November 6, 2012

Aventura Town Hall Meeting Carvalho revealed the plans for the new iPrep Academy.

December 3, 2015

SGA meetin Martin Kar

December 10, 20

Page 11

The Lightning Strike • January/February

the numbers Michael Katz opinion editor

8th Grade com-

pletion of Honors

Algebra 1 and Honors Physical Science

49.5%

AP Enrollment v. MKHS’s 20.0%

500

seat addition to MKHS

2.5

Unweighted minimum GPA

mpiled by the Lightning Strike staff

ng with Dr. rp

015

A long time ago, in a galaxy not so far away, a General Obligation (GO) bond was passed. It’s not really as interesting as jedis and light sabers, but for Dade County Public Schools, the bond is definitely something to be excited about.

Passing the $1.2 billion GO bond in 2012 required a minimal tax increase for homeowners in the area - only 5 dollars more the year it was passed - to raise funds for constructing new schools, renovating others and introducing new technology to schools throughout the county.

Since then, over 10,000 Promethean Boards have been installed in classrooms district-wide, and 20 million dollars have been allocated for the renovation of Madie Ives K-8, Virginia A. Boone Elementary and Ojus Elementary, with another 16 million set aside for the construction of a secondary facility for Krop Senior High.

Krop’s new IPrep Academy would only cost 12 million to build, and would add 500 much-needed seats, considering that the main campus is already at 125 percent capacity. The academy would follow the traditional IPrep model, which emphasizes the use of team building and blended learning, a mixture of online and physical instruction, to prepare students for future jobs.

School board officials have proposed the academy be built on the Highland Oaks Middle campus on Ives Dairy Road, where lack of parking space would prevent students from driving to school. Students would either be bused directly to the IPrep or drive to Krop’s main campus and then be bused back after school.

Naela Foureau staff writer Aventura citizens have been requesting a school built for their families for almost five years. But a proposed $12 million dollar plan to build one in Highland Oaks Middle School’s backyard for 2018 is leaving some members of the community on edge.

The school is modeled after other iPreparatory academies started by Superintendent Al-berto Carvalho that follow a “blended learning” curriculum, where students independently pace themselves while using different technological mediums such as online media for research.

Students who want to attend the academy must take Physical Science and Algebra by eighth grade and maintain a minimum 2.5 unweighted GPA prior to application.

They will have different AP classes and electives than students who attend Krop’s main campus, and there will be no classes offered below the regular level. Although the proposed lo-cation site is separate from Krop’s campus, iPrep students will still be able to participate in Krop sports and extracurricular activities. “iPrep is for the independent learner who enjoys technology, ” North Region Superinten-dent Vivian Santiesteban-Pardo said at a meeting with Krop’s student government. “ It is a school of choice. If a student decides that iPrep isn’t for them, a simple schedule change will bring them back to Krop.” she said.

For Travonte Audige, former student of North Miami Beach Senior High’s first iPrep class of 25 students, iPrep was anything but a “school of choice.”

“You had to be selected to attend. The only choices iPrep offered was the use of technol-ogy,” Audige said. “It was different from a regular public school because it was more comforta-ble, teachers came to us and we had bean bags all over the room. We only left the class room twice so we didn’t

SGA meeting with Vivian Pardo (North Region Superintendent) and Sally Alayon (Administrative Director).

January 8, 2016

But since IPrep’s curriculum requires students to have an internship in their 11th and 12th grade years, some officials say students may have to drive to Krop’s main campus, take a shuttle to IPrep, and take another shuttle back when leaving for their internship.

This excessive movement of students brings about another concern: traffic.

To this, School Board officials promised community members a traffic study to determine how the development would influence traffic patterns.

As to who can attend, only students who have over a 2.5 GPA, have completed both Honors Algebra I and Honors Physical Science by the end of 8th grade and have enrolled in Biology and Geometry (plus several others; see sidebar) will be eligible to apply, and students will be chosen by lottery.

The restrictions placed by these restrictive requirements raise concerns about the accessibility of the academy to the feeder pattern population, who fear that such restrictions would decrease the diversity present on Krop’s main campus.

These concerns, in addition to the extra traffic and congestion the academy would bring to the area, leave residents who would be most affected by the location of the new school wondering why the facility isn’t being built on Krop’s main campus. The Homeowner’s Association of the area voted on January 21st to pass a resolution supporting the construction of the IPrep if, and only if, it were to be built on Krop’s main campus.

Krop’s IPrep academy will open in 2018 with a class of 125 ninth and 125 tenth graders. Where it is built, though, and how it affects our school is still in our hands.

interact with the rest of the students at school much,” he said.

But it is iPrep’s competitive selection process that members of the community fear will diminish the diversity that many Krop teachers and students take pride in.

“Krop is a family, we push each other to excel,” senior Keleque Smith said. “How will low-achieving students push each other to succeed when all the higher-achieving students are on a different campus?” Smith asks.

With 40 percent black students, 36 percent Hispanic students and 22 percent white stu-dents, Krop serves as a melting pot for students living in Aventura, Ives Dairy and Highland Oaks. Located west of I-95, it is essentially the meeting-point between a predominately white and prosperous Aventura, and the moderately diverse neighborhood of Ives Dairy.

“The location of the new school does seem to suggest that those east of 95 would be much more likely to attend it, due to traffic patterns and such.

Therefore, Krop’s diversity will definitely be affected,” English teacher, Audrey Silverman said. “I think we all know that the majority of African-American students at Krop live west of 95, and that it would lead to a shift in school complexion for that reason alone,” Silverman said.

However, school officials argue that a new facility on Krop’s campus will only add to an already overpopulated facility of 2,700 students, which is 125 percent of the school’s capacity.

“We are already so overpopulated,” Santiesteban-Pardo said. “Adding additional student-stations to this campus is not conducive to our resources,” she said.

Another factor to be considered is the overwhelming pressure coming from Aventura families who have signed petitions since 2012, asking for a high school built for their neighbor-hood.

“Part of what were trying to do is get students back in the public system,” Aventura Mayor, Enid Weisman said at a press conference with newspaper staff. “And to do that, we have to give the parents what they want.”

Enid Weisman, mayor of Aventura, met with The Lightning Strike to discuss the implementation and creation of the 2012 General Obligation Bond.

January 15, 2016

Homeowners Association Board Meeting - The members unanimously voted that the Krop annex be built on Krop property.

January 21, 2016

Entertainment Page 12

NOMINATIONS

And the Oscar goes to...

Corbin Boiles co-online editor This year’s Oscar nominations are some of the hardest ones to predict. 2015 brought standout movies such as The Martian, Carol, and The Big Short, renewals in old favorites like Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and the latest movies in the filmographies of directors Steven Spielberg and Quentin Tarentino, Bridge of Spies and The Hateful Eight. But, despite the large amount of quality entertainment we’ve gotten, there can only be one winner in a category.

Here are the nominees who I believe will take home the Oscar.

Best Nominated Picture

What will win: Spotlight. The provocative film tells the story of the team of the same name uncovered the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church. Through fantastic performances (if the field wasn’t locked, I could definitely see Mark Ruffalo winning the supporting actor category), an amazing attention to detail, and the nature of the story, this is surely the film that will claim the Oscar this year.

Films to watch: Mad Max: Fury Road, The Big Short, The Martian

Best

Nominated

Actor

Who will win: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant. After five nominations, this will be the year the actor takes home the gold. In

the stunning drama The Revenant, DiCaprio plays Hugh Glass, a man on a quest for survival after a vicious bear attack. Going through horrors both on and off-screen (DiCaprio ate a raw bison liver for the role), it would truly be a shock if he doesn’t get the Oscar.

Actors to watch: Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Best Nominated Actress

Who will win: Brie Larson, Room. With a movie like this, where you have two characters locked in a single room for years, the movie really depends on the actors’ ability to carry the film. That gravitas comes from Brie Larson, who has capped off an amazing year in nominations. The youngest actress on the awards circuit, she has proven that she can ascend to the top of the Oscar race.

Actresses to watch: Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn), Cate Blanchett (Carol), Jennifer Lawrence (Joy)

Best Supporting Actor

Who will win: Sylvester Stallone, Creed. The 69-year-old actor stepped back into the role that got him nominated for two Oscars, proving to the world that you can succeed in a role you love. The Academy likes to award actors who have had long careers, and having been recognized by the

Golden Globes, this should ultimately secure Stallone the gold.

Actors to watch: Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight), Christian Bale (The Big Short)

Best Supporting Actress Who will win: This is a tough category to pin down, as many actresses in “supporting” roles could easily transfer to the lead actress category (specifically, Alicia Vikander and Rooney Mara).

However, if I was to pick a clear winner, it’d be Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl. She has had a fantastic year, with turns in the sci-fi drama Ex Machina and the wife of Eddie Redmayne’s character in The Danish Girl.

If she’s not nominated in the lead actress category, expect her to sweep this one.

Actresses to watch: Rooney Mara (CarKate Winslet ol), (Steve Jobs), Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight) In such an unpredictable year, it’s hard to determine exactly who will win. Whether Leo finally gets his Oscar or a journalism film is strong enough to be “Best Picture,” we’ll find out on Sunday, February 28th.

But one thing we can all agree on: Inside Out will win Best Animated Feature.

EXTRACURRICULAR

The beat behind the drum

What really goes into the drum line and its performers

Megan Orlanski staff writer Seated on the bleachers like packed sardines, students wait for the stars of our Lightning performing arts Magnet to appear.

Suddenly, the gym doors burst open and in come the dazzlers, cheerleaders, pep band and the booming drum line. The drum line takes the stage, giving the pep rally it’s upbeat and fast-paced aura.

“It makes people want to move to the beat and harmony of our pieces,’ junior and drum line member Fratz Dorcin said.

The focus of the drum line is to get people up on their feet for school events by cheering for the athletics department. It is hard not to have spirit with the number of performers pounding on their drums.

“It makes you happy to know that you have the power to entertain people,” senior drum line member Alexis Cutler said. “You might be able to change someone’s emotion or brighten their day just by doing something that you love.”

Both Dorcin and Cutler have been members of drum lines since middle school and, although they stay long hours after school to master their pieces, performing and getting the audience ‘hyped’ is worth all of the effort.

“When you’re good at something you want to perform more. It makes you want to strive more to feel that good emotion to play in front of an audience.” Dorcin said.

The drum line is comprised of mostly Magnet students. However, students outside of Magnet can take a musical assessment given by magnet teacher and drum line director Bringle Cidel to join the band.

“Once you get in it’s kind of hard to stop, you build a brotherhood.”

Cutler said. “It’s like a group of close friends that have the same talents as you so that makes it easy to talk and relate to one another.”

Cutler also mentions that this ‘brotherhood’ is not only between band members but also between the players and their instruments.

Although members are used to switching around to different types of drums, the constant beat maintains a connection for players.

Members say that the transition and the formation of this connection to the band is a process. It takes some getting used to and a lot of hard work and effort, but persistence leads to the amazing feeling of getting someone up on their feet and in a good mood.

Members like Dorcin say that it was difficult to stay motivated and continue to participate in the band as a freshman, but he persisted through and never gave up.

“Don’t let anything interfere with you and your music,” Dorcin suggests for new band members, “always push forwards.”

The Lightning Strike • January/February2016 MOVIES

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Corbin’s Critique Corbin Boiles co-online editor

The Revenant

The Revenant is a beau- get back at his companions? tiful film. A visual spectacle Great. The movie tells us this from the first scene to the story, but it doesn’t show last, it is so easy to get lost in us enough to bring us into the nature presented before it. We see Glass’ struggle to us. The problem with being survive, which is thrilling in a visual spectacle, though, its own right. But if the movis that you cannot lose sight ie wanted to do this story, it of your story. Unfortunately, should’ve gone more in the The Revenant does that one vein of Gravity, since The Revenant is basically Gravity time too often. on land. Instead, we get two The story centers on the hours of Leonardo DiCaptrue story of Hugh Glass rio in the woods on a quest (Leonardo DiCaprio), a fronto survive with about half tiersman who struggles to an hour extra of bonus story. survive after a vicious bear attack. However, after being abandoned by his two travel companions tasked with keeping him alive (Tom Hardy and Will Poulter), Glass goes on a quest for revenge.

While this story seems clichéd on paper, the moment you see a mother bear ferociously attack Glass to protect her cubs is the moment you realize that, “This movie is not messing around.” You see the Glass’s plight in such meticulous detail that, whenever The Revenant really shines a new horror befalls, him, you in its behind-the-scenes work. can almost feel his anguish.

The movie was shot only with One cannot properly renatural light, which makes the view The Revenant without scenery look spectacular. The giving credit where credit camera work is phenomenal, is due: Leonardo DiCaprio with close-ups of DiCaprio gives the best performance pulling you into the intensity of his career. DiCaprio has of the scene. The score also played an autistic teen in suits the story well, even if Who’s Eating Gilbert Grape? it is a bit repetitive at times. and a sleazy Wall Street If this film doesn’t get some broker in The Wolf of Wall credit in the “technical” cateStreet. But with the role of gories at the Oscars (basicalHugh Glass, he moves into ly, everything that isn’t ___ a different caliber altogether.

Actor, Film, or Writing), then Whether it’s when he pulls the world is not in balance. himself out of snow or eats a With spectacular imagery, raw bison liver for survival, truly breathtaking visuals, DiCaprio proves that he is the and a sublime performance best actor of our generation. from Leonardo DiCaprio, The What hurts the movie is Revenant is a very good film. that, despite DiCaprio’s actWhat detracts is the sub-par ing and remarkable imagstory that comes with it. ery, we don’t get a story we can invest in. Glass wants to Rating:

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

Entertainment Page 13

MUSIC

Farewell to the Starman: David Bowie Nathaniel Manor business manager On January 10, 2016, the world lost one of the most influential, genre-transforming, trendsetting musicians of all time - David Bowie. After an 18-month battle with liver cancer, Bowie passed away two days after his 69th birthday in his Manhattan apartment.

Fans and celebrities around the world mourned the loss of the great music legend as they gathered in his hometown of Brixton, London for a mass sing-along to his most famous hits, including “Let’s Dance,” “Changes,” “Rebel Rebel” and “Space Oddity”.

Other celebrities turned to social media sites to pay tribute to Bowie. Stars including Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Mariah Carey and the Jacksons bid their farewell to the Starman.

In honor of Bowie’s passing, astronomers have named a constellation of seven stars near Mars “Starman,” in the form of his famous lightning bolt figure.

From Major Tom and Ziggy Stardust, to Aladdin Sane and the Thin White Duke, the man of many personas continued to reinvent himself album after album. Bowie was famous for

COURTESY OF BILLBOARD.COM

FAME: In 1976, legendary talent David Bowie poses for his album cover Changesonebowie. This album was Bowie’s first best-hits compilation album and was certified platinum in 1981.

his various personalities and alter-egos that he took on.

By combining the genres of pop, rock, folk, jazz and dance, along with pairing up with artists such as Queen for “Under Pressure” and Mick Jagger for “Dancing in the Street,” he was able to rise to and remain at the top of the music scene for nearly five decades.

Bowie was a unique type of musician that pioneered the art of pushing limits and breaking boundaries, way before Madonna, Tupac or Lady Gaga. He’s donned plenty of flamboyant outfits, continuously innovated his music, urged tolerance of all races and sexualities and was

one of the first to integrate unisex fashion into pop culture.

Bowie faced plenty of criticism in his career for his gender-bending fashion and his out-of-the-ordinary performances. He was an artist who never cared about public criticism, a quality that catapulted him to the far reaches of space and back into millions of fans’ hearts.

Venturing past the music industry, Bowie made his way onto the big screen in 1976 in the film, The Man Who Fell to Earth. Since then, he’s appeared in 28 movies and TV series, including the cult classic Labyrinth and his portrayal of classic

artist Andy Warhol in Basquiat.

His work on film helped him enhance his music videos, as well.

Bowie’s last work was his 25th studio album called “Blackstar,” a final parting gift to his fans before his death. The album was kept secret from the world by his producer, Tony Visconti, as they both knew it would be Bowie’s last. It was released on his 69th birthday, January 8th, 2016, just two days before he died.

Although gone, Bowie will never be forgotten. His career has influenced those of countless artists ranging from Nirvana and Depeche Mode to Calvin Harris and Arctic Monkeys to Mötley Crüe and U2.

With 14 awards and 52 award nominations, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award of 2006, Bowie’s life has been properly honored. His five decade-long career revolutionized today’s music scene and social atmosphere. Bowie’s legacy will continue to inspire countless of upcoming artists and live on for generations to come.

As Bowie once famously said, “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” Starman, you will be forever missed.

CLUB ACTIVITIES

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Film club creates original music videos Nicolas Chmielewski spread editor Music videos aren’t only an art platform to dance to or a presentation for Nikki Minaj to show off her body. They can demonstrate the importance of music in film as they heavily rely on each other to better express a certain idea, feeling, or story.

Therefore in January, the Film Club members were assigned to make a music video.

Members split into four groups. They chose their songs and sketched storyboards. They had a tight deadline, they were given a month to complete

the videos.

One group combined each of their favorite songs into one video, they decided to make a music video for every member of that team. Consequently their video uses a playlist of three songs which revolve around one old mustang, each a self-portrait of a team member.

The video is ten minutes long, with two to three minutes for each member. “Since we didn’t all try to direct one music video,” said junior Liel Balaila, “each member had their own, and we could help each other out in a very efficient way.”

Member Corbin Bolies, recorded his video using the song “Car Radio” by Twenty One Pilots, recreating the lyrics, which represents the importance of silence. Senior

Bismarck Coralles, Bolies’s and Balaila’s counterpart, focused on the mood and tone of an individual part.

Another group produced their own music, which included recording and editing the song as well. Sophomores Eli Navarro and Stephen Reddy play their original song on acoustic guitars. The band named the video and song “Scenes of Disconnect,” showing scenes of two guitarists strumming on different locations, disconnected from the active, outside world that surrounds them.

A third group of girls showcased what music meant for them. The video begins in black and white, representing a life without music. Soon it turns to color when the two

actresses plug in ear-buds and the music starts to play. The crew got inventive with editing by making an animated series of pictures of each member dancing, receiving an ovation for their creative expression.

“It was a great exercise for all of us,” said Balaila.

“We learned to work with other team members really well and the process was very fun.”

The Film Club screened all of the films during one of their meetings and all of the groups received applause for their creativity and teamwork. To watch the music videos, you can go to the Lightning Strike Online Website.

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Artists in mourning “His star will shine in the sky forever.”

-Paul McCartney

“David Bowie was one of my most important inspirations, so fearless, so creative, he gave us magic for a lifetime.”

-Kanye West

“A timeless icon has left us. David Bowie you will be deeply missed.”

-Avicii

“Talented.

Unique. Genius.

Game Changer.

Your Spirit Lives on Forever.”

-Madonna

“What a honor, what a soul.

David Bowie, Spirit of Gold.

R.I.P.” -Kendrick Lamar

“David was always an inspiration to me and a true original.

He was wonderfully shameless in his work.”

-Mick Jagger Compiled by Nathaniel Manor

JOIN YOUR

Join us for our Lightning Extravaganza & Silent Auction @ Frankey’s Sports Bar in Gulfstream Park on Thursday, March 10!

Applications to join the PTSA can be found in the main office or on kropseniorhigh.org in the PTSA tab

Lifestyle Page 15

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016 HEALTH

Psychology of failing

Often times students find themselves in a dilemma whether to fail honestly or pass by cheating.

Mikaela Mendez news editor Imagine studying three hours for a test and the next morning getting a hundred percent and not making a mistake. You eat a healthy breakfast, hop in the car and to get to school psyched for the first period test.

But you walk into class and realize you studied for the wrong chapter—your whole GPA flashes in front of your eyes.

You turn the test in blank knowing you have failed and try to come up with a witty explanation as to how you confused chapter 15 for chapter 19.

According to PsychCentral, if you ask the average person why they haven’t accomplished their goals yet, fear of failure will always be one of the primary blocks to success. But, attitude speaks louder than failure, how one chooses to react in the

ing that year.

“This student took out his phone to google the questions to the test hoping the answers would pop up, but my teacher caught him,” Cerzosimo said.

“He tried telling the teacher it was his mom calling, but of course we all knew what he was doing.”

Or they make up an excuse such as “I didn’t know the test was today,” or “but you told us it was next week!”

Junior Manuela Longas sees an example of this in her AP Spanish –MANUELA LONGAS, junior class when Tomas Gonzalez a n n o u n c e s there is a test or After a while, students essay. realize they aren’t “earning” “I don’t understand why a high score, and use their students take college level neighbor they’ve been cheatclasses is they are not ready to ing off of as a scapegoat for put in the effort for the credthem failing. it,” Longas said.

In Ana Cerzosimo’s junior But rarely does anybody year she took AP Biology as ever take the road less travher science credit and was apeled by—accepting their “F” palled by the amount of stuand learning from it. dents who were caught cheatfuture can determine whether the failure was indeed a failure or a reinforcement of success.

When faced with certain failure one looks for ways to counteract the situation by cheating or making excuses.

If students were to cheat on a test and succeed, they get used to cheating and stop studying.

I don’t understand why

students take college level classes if they are not ready to put in the effort for the credit. ”

STUDENT LIFE

Valentine’s Day confessions Dzidula Boney copy editor Valentine’s Day is a memorable day for almost everyone, whether single or in a relationship, Krop students shared some of their most memorable moments from this day of “love.”

Cynthia Machado, freshman

“Every Valentine’s Day, I spend the day with my three moms: my birth mom, the woman who raised me and my sister’s mom, and that’s just how I prefer it.”

Madelyn Torres, senior

“I found it really cute that this guy came back about six times to buy singing grams for his girlfriend.”

Natalia Carpio, senior

“The first Valentine’s day I ever spent with my boyfriend David, he got me a big stuffed dog, a large box of chocolates and flowers. I got him a hand painted box of over 200 notes that said how much I love him.

That was probably the best day I ever spent with him. We went

out to eat and then we just spent the rest of the day watching documentaries on Netflix, just relaxing on my couch.”

Jessica Ciscone, sophomore

“In freshman year, I heard that Chipotle was giving away free burritos if you kiss your date on Valentine’s Day. A guy really liked me but I didn’t like him back, yet I took him to Chipotle, kissed him in front of the cashier and got free chipotle. I dumped him the next day.”

Dr. David Buncher, Science Department Chair/ teacher

“Six years ago I rekindled my relationship with my then girlfriend, who is now my wife.

Ever since then, every Valentine’s Day we go the same spot in Cartagena, Colombia and have the same meal, shrimp cocktails.”

Jhennessa Brockett, junior

“In my first period, Mr. Reich had the entire class write a Valentine’s Day story together. We passed around a sheet of paper and Mr. Reich read it out loud, it was all over the place.

At first, people were falling in love and then aliens invaded.”

Thomas

Mclean, studies teacher

social

“When I was in 7th grade, I was telling an employee at my dad’s florist shop how much I liked the “queen bee” at my school. As I was telling him the story he started creating a bouquet of flowers that I could bring to her. Since Valentine’s Day was on a Saturday, my dad drove me to her house so I could give her the flowers. When I opened the door and all of her friends were there because they all had a sleepover the night before that I didn’t know about.

It was kind of embarrassing, since they laughed at me but after that I day I was much more popular.”

Gabriel Shlain, senior

“In ninth grade, I asked this girl to watch a movie with me and she said yes.

We had everything planned out perfectly. I even bought a huge teddy bear but at the last minute, I freaked out and cancelled on her. I ended up just hanging out with two of my friends.”

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ADVISE

Life Hacks Ordering at restaurants To the average person, saving 99 cents will not make or break a bank account. But if you only eat out twice and save 99 cents per meal, that means you means you have just saved $102.96. By following these life hacks, you will get the most value out of your meal at restaurants such as Chipotle and Starbucks.

Lager Serving Sizes

At Chipotle when ordering double protein, order a single serving first, then towards the end of the order ask for a second serving of meat. This hack will guarantee you an overall larger serving of protein, since a precedent for the serving size was already set which assures that the second scoop with be as large as the first.

The serving size of a burrito at Chipotle is usually less compared to the amount of food that comes in a bowl. To get the most bang for your buck, order the bowl and ask for the tortilla, which is free, on the side. Although you have to assemble the burrito it is worth the extra meat.

Ice on the side

An ice cold beverage sounds like the perfect accompaniment of a meal, but with sodas costing up to two dollars the added expense can make a bill pricey. To get the most value out of you drink, order ice one the side. Ice takes up the majority of space in a cup, so by doing this hack your cup will be filled with more liquid than ice.

More is less

At any café, order a medium coffee in a large cup. The barista is bound to give you extra coffee than what you paid for.

-Shoshana Sommer

Lifestyle Page 16

The Lightning Strike • January/February

FEATURE

Student entrepenuers share their success stories Sophie Muchnick entertainment editor From designing personalized shoes, producing short commercials and selling iPhone accessories, these three students proved balancing school, friends and a career is possible.

1. Hannah Moss

Senior Hannah Moss has taken her doodling and artistic creativity to a new level. Moss’s business, HMkicks, allows her to create custom designed Van sneakers.

“Typically, my customers bring me a pair of white canvas sneakers and tell me all about themselves and what they want on their unique shoes.” Moss said. “Then sketch and paint in the designs using acrylic paint pens that stay on the shoes permanently.”

15 percent of all proceeds are donated to the Gotta Have Sole Foundation. This charity was founded by Moss’s cousin.

The Foundation provides new footwear to children in homeless shelters throughout the nation.

Moss doodled on every blank surface she could find and thought, Why not turn my hobby into something useful that I could also make money from?

“My favorite part of HMkicks is that I get to do something I really enjoy and share it with others to make it worth something.” Moss said. “I used to just draw on scraps of paper that would eventually disappear, but now I feel like my art is actually useful.”

By the time Moss got entered 9th grade she began thinking of ways to put her hobby to some type of use.

“Last year when my sister suggested drawing on shoes, I knew the idea was perfect for me.”

After Moss graduates this year, she plans on continuing HMkicks in college and possibly expanding Hmkicks by selling her shoes to stores.

You can check out Moss’s shoes on Instagram by following @hmkickss or searching #hmkicks.

helps small businesses promote work with short commercials and overviews. Levi films, edits and produces these shorts.

“My favorite part of my business is that I am providing a service that most small businesses need.” Levi said. “It’s also something I love to do.”

Levi began Isaac Levy Productions in his sophomore year when he needed to make some money. His stepfather asked him for help with videos. Levi realized he could do these videos for others and help out his local community.

“It was a good way to do something productive in my downtime when I didn’t have a film to work on while also doing something I loved.” Levi said.

Levi plans to use his money from videos he makes to further his knowledge in editing and upgrading his equipment to produce higher quality videos.

Levi wants to continue creating short films until he lands his first film producing job.

Senior Isaac Levi’s company, Isaac Levi Productions,

Junior Carlos Solis’s is another student entrepreneur.

2. Isaac Levi

3. Carlos Solis

He and his cousin co-own Mando Inc. Their business provides cell phone protection like iPhone cases and screen protectors.

Solis designed the company’s logo, worker uniforms, and the company’s webpage.

Solis was inspired by Steve Jobs’ work ethic. Jobs was a brilliant man that came from nothing and creating a billion dollar business.

“Jobs had great vision to build Apple.” Solis said. “He did this without a degree and I hope to leave a great legacy just as he did.”

Solis and his family moved to the United States from El Salvador two years ago. His parents wanted to provide him with more opportunities and a better life. Solis feels that the work he does as a successful young businessman will make all the work his parents did worth it.

“I just want to make my parents proud.” Solis said.

“Being in a new country is hard enough. I want them to know it was worth something important.”

1

2

3

SATIRE

Hoverboards: The future of transportation IN MY OPINION kevin bauernfeind

staff writer

Hoverboards are impressive. With special features like catching fire and exploding, they make great alternatives to campfires or fireworks.

We all know how much of a hassle walking can be. Moving your legs successively puts ridiculous amount of strain on your body. Hoverboards are the solution - just lean forward and you will be flying at a death defying 10 mph.

When the battery does not explode they are very practical. In hallways across America, you can see students jumping out of the way of this speed demon. Many campuses have banned them out of fear of lives being at stake.

Hoverboards also make great alternatives to cars.

In the same price range you

can get the 2000 Mitsubishi Galant. While a full tank of gas can keep you going for a week, a hoverboard’s massive battery can stay charged for 30 minutes. Another benefit is that you no longer have to walk - that’s so 2015.

ing their hoverboards as a family. They can also make great presents if you want to hospitalize your annoying and aged uncle. Hospitals across America have received an increase in “Hoverboard related injuries.”

With special features

like catching fire and exploding, they make great alternatives to campfires or fireworks.”

Everyone deserves a hoverboard. Just imagine the possibilities. All the time they wasted walking, they’d be able to spend texting or playing flappy bird.

Hoverboards bring families closer. Moms, Dads and even siblings can now roll around the neighborhood together and spend time charg-

One advantage of a hoverboard accidents are those concussions, broken bones and hilarious videos. So if you see anyone riding these, record it, then post it online. It will be viral in no time.

The future is here, “Just as Back to the Future Part II” predicted. It’s a truly an exciting time to be alive.

JUANA ARGIRO

Uncle Jake wants YOU to know that the Lightning Strike has entered the 21st Century! Visit LightningStrikeNews.com to check out the school’s online coverage of everything you want and need to know!

Sports Page 18

tops

YEAR IN REVIEW

Seniors Vandrick Verdier and Jacquante Pitts were slected to play in the Dade vs. Broward All-Star football game.

Ethan Curtis sports editor

KROP’S SPORTS

Juniors Donella Massola and Cielo Massola were selected to the second team All-County roster for girls’ varsity soccer.

Junior Lauren Solomiany, sophomore Tiffany Schram and freshman Priscilla Cortez were selected to the third team All-County roster for girls’ varsity soccer.

Senior Vandrick Verdier committed to play football for the Florida A&M Rattlers in the fall of 2016.

Deborah Vainstein was named the 2015 FOX Deportes Student Athlete of the Year for Miami-Dade County and was awarded a $5,000 scholarship.

Compiled by Ethan Curtis

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

Girls’ soccer season ends with run at distritcs The score was 2-2 in the last two minutes of the district championship against Flanagan high school when the Lightning gave up a goal going down 2-3 to lose and end their run at districts. All the hard work, training and rainy day practices to win districts, came down to that one goal.

“The loss was disappointing and was a sad moment for the team because we worked so hard all season long, and we played our hearts out,” junior Donella Massola said, “but even after losing, we were all proud of each other and our team.”

Although the main focus was to be crowned district champions, their season advanced to the regional playoffs losing in the first round to Cypress Bay. This season may have surprised many, but not the players. In the past two seasons, the team has not been able to get past the first round of the district playoffs, but they broke that streak this season.

In the eyes of the players, they played with more moti-

FEATURE

vation and heart this season than they have in the past three years.

“Our coach pushed us to work harder and fight for what we wanted,” junior Clara Cohen said.

Practicing every day after school for two hours and playing games every week, the team gained confidence in their abilities to play as individuals and brought out the best in each other as players. The team focused on conditioning by running during practices and on skill drills by practicing one-touch passing and shooting to prepare for games.

Next year, the players will start practice earlier in the season in order to better prepare themselves for the season.

The future is bright as seven players will be returning as seniors, giving extra motivation for those players to leave the school as district champions.

“Next season, we expect to win districts,” junior Lauren Solomiany said. “There is no other option.”

The Lightning finished their regular season with an 8-7-1 record and finished their season losing in the first round of regional playoffs.

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOXMAR

FOCUS: Junior Lauren Solomiany fights off a defender while dribbling the ball down field in a regular season game vs. MAST Academy. Her focus on this single play and others, along with the rest of the team, lead to success.

LOOKING AHEAD

Freshman cadet goes Success of the boys’ soccer team lies above the call of duty in hands of the freshmen Kevin Bauernfeind staff writer Usually only juniors are awarded the title of Chief Petty Officer. Sarah Smith earned that title in her freshman year.

Smith started out as an E 1 Seaman, the starting rank for recruits, but she rose quickly with hard work and effort.

She skipped five ranks to the E 7 chief petty officer, which is her current rank and is for senior cadets. She is also captain of the unarmed exhibition and supply chief.

As captain of the unarmed exhibition, Smith leads a group of freshman cadets on a drill team.

The drill team is judged on the perfection of the routine that they perform. In their first competition, Smith’s drill team won first overall which came as no surprise because they practiced after school, four to five times a week for up to three hours.

Smith also controls and manages the inventory as chief of supply, a job crucial to the infrastructure of the NJROTC. Any problems

with equipment or uniforms, Smith must fix. This responsibility takes her two hours. She comes in every morning and gives up lunch to keep the NJROTC room organized. This job is usually held by senior cadets and older members of NJROTC because of its importance.

Even with both jobs, she still stays motivated. She has no “I can’t” in her vocabulary and her impact on the entirety of NJROTC is profound and noticed by her higher ups.

“She is a mentor and a leader,” said Captain Gallagher.” She helps cadets and is a role model to them.”

NJROTC is a place Smith believes she can call home for the next three years during high school. She mentors other cadets not because she has to, but because it’s part of who she is as a member of NJROTC. “Knowing that I have a family here in NJROTC helps me stay motivated every day,” Smith said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Sebastian Kuzak staff writer

This year’s boys’ soccer season didn’t end the way the team had hoped. A 2-1 loss to Cooper City High in district semifinals marked the end of the dream to repeat as district champs.

of two freshmen to start the majority of games. Although only two freshmen started for the team, three more got consistent minutes off the bench for the team.

“I’m very proud of my eight goals,” Constantini said.

“I feel like I was able to adapt to my new teammates and

This is the

most talented group I’ve seen in my four years on the team.”

–ARIEL CHUEKE, senior The team was never able to recover from the loss of several seniors from the 2014-2015 season. But this year was not a total waste as many people assumed.

Talented freshman were given opportunities to show their abilities. Luis Constantini was among the team leaders in goals, having scored eight on the season and was one

help the team win games.”

Senior captain Ariel Chueke has been on the team for four years and knew it would be a difficult season compared to years past. He leaves the future success of the team in the hands of the gifted freshmen group.

“The freshmen were pressured to step up to the plate this year more than ever, but

this is the most talented group I’ve seen in my four years on the team,” Chueke said.

Despite the addition of young talent, the team will be led by veterans. Junior Tomas Borenszteyn and sophomore Sebastien Atis have been voted to co-captain the team both by teammates and. The two compete at the club level for Davie United, where their team success took them to Italy in consecutive summers to compete against the youth squads of professional Italian teams.

Despite their opportunities with Davie, both are committed to Krop and expect big things of the team next year.

“As a team we have the goal to win districts every year,” Borenszteyn said. “As captain, I look forward to leading the team and becoming a role model for our young players.”

This season did not turn out the way the team had hoped, but the players believe that next year could be the one.

Sports

The Lightning Strike • January/February 2016

Page 19

ACCOMPLISHMENT

Seniors end high school career with regional playoff appearance Jacob Singer managing editor While cliché, the old proverb “all good things must come to an end” holds true when talking about the Krop basketball team. The trio of captains, Karl Jeanty, Abraham Aracena and Felipe Souza are all seniors who have played their final game in purple.

“It’s the end of an era,” senior Max Levy said. “I’ve grown up with these guys and been to almost every one of their games. The team won’t be the same without them.”

This era began when this year’s senior class entered Krop as freshmen and joined a team that went on to win four games over two seasons. Once a basketball powerhouse, the Lightning were at a low point and in need of a change which came in the form of Coach Chris Garcia.

“After two tough losing seasons, I was very frustrated with the way my high school career was going,” Jeanty said. “When [Garcia] became the coach, he really turned the program around.”

Last season, Krop made it to

the district playoffs, but lost in the first round to a Beach High team lead by the 7-foot-2-inch phenom Zach Brown.

“Our team was really challenged by [Brown],” junior Joseph Block said. “Nobody on our team came close to his height so he was really difficult to stop.”

This year, Brown transferred to the already strong Miami Senior Stingarees and picked up where he left off, as the Stingarees quickly proved to be the best team in the district. Meanwhile, the Lightning’s seniors steered the team to a 14-6 record and a spot in the district playoffs.

Just before the playoffs, Miami Senior’s Brown transferred to a school in Connecticut, leaving the district title up for grabs.

In the first round, the Lightning had a decisive victory over the American Patriots, which sent them to the district championship against Miami Senior. Even without Brown, the Stingarees proved to be a formidable opponent and were able to win the game and capture the title.

While Krop lost this game, their

win against American won them a spot in the Regional Quarterfinals against Flanagan High. The team was confident that they could win this game, perhaps too confident.

The team had a turnover filled first half that left them with a deficit at halftime. Early in the second half, Flanagan added to their lead, which seemed too large to overcome. With time running out, Jeanty and his teammates mounted a comeback, but their efforts were to no avail.

“I know that if we had a few more minutes, we would have won that game,” Jeanty said. “We put ourselves in too big of a hole, but we could have and should have beat them.”

While the season is over and key players are leaving, senior Jordan Landman, a self-proclaimed Krop basketball “superfan,” believes that there is reason to be hopeful for next year.

“We have some really good underclassmen who just haven’t had their chance to shine yet,” Landman said. “Under Coach Garcia’s leadership, next year’s team can exceed people’s expectations.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF FOXMAR

PASSION: Senior Karl Jeanty drives for a layup in a game against American Senior High. Jeanty has led the team to successful seasons for the past two years and will leave a legacy on Krop’s basketball team.

One player who will have to step up next year is Block. He was an important role player this season, but must transform into a team leader next year in order for the team to succeed.

“Obviously it’s tough when you lose eight of your fourteen players,” Block said, “but I know that we are up for the challenge of carrying on the legacy that our seniors are leaving behind.”

SPORTS BRIEFS

TRAINING

Baseball season starts with high expectations

PHOTO COURTESY OF Nicolas Poj

SIGNING: Sophomore Nicolas Poj gets his cleats signed by retired Argentinian soccer legend Martin Palermo with two other players who attended the training clinic.

Students train with retired soccer legend Ethan Curtis sports editor Martin Palermo is said to be one of the greatest soccer players to ever play in the Argentinian soccer league, Primera Division. Four years into leaving the game, he now trains with high school students around the county in hopes of getting them to where he is, a retired legend.

Palermo scored 220 goals in 432 appearances over his career with soccer clubs Boca Juniors and Estudiantes La Plata putting his scoring totals top 20 in Argentinian soccer history.

On December 16th and 17th, Palermo trained students at the North Miami Beach Soccer Center. Juniors Ezequiel Priven and Nicolas Poj participated. During the training camp,

Palermo taught the players to view the field as a player, make better passes and decisions.

“I learned that to reach the next level and be the best that you can, I must improve the little things, because all the seemingly insignificant details must be done correctly one hundred percent of the time if you want to succeed,” Priven said.

Students who trained with Palermo feel that they were a part of something bigger -- something that you had to be there to understand because of what Palermo did as a player.

“Whenever you learn something from someone who dedicated their whole life to something you love doing, you feel as if you took something special and meaningful,” Priven said.

Some students learned through Palermo’s memories as a player and not just the skills they were taught.

After training with Palermo, players created memories of their own.

“I feel that the best way to learn is through experiences and this was a memorable one I will never forget,” Poj said.

To those who trained with him, it wasn’t only the training and the drills that were special, it was who they were training with, an Argentinian icon. The training camp gave new opportunities and skills for those who attended to use in their game and gave them a chance to play with one of the best.

“As a kid, I would watch the Boca games and watching him always score, it was something amazing,” Priven said.

The varsity baseball team entered the new season in a fashioning manner with a 15-1 win against North Miami Beach Senior High School Chargers.

Last season, the Lightning just missed the district playoffs finishing in fifth place in the district as the top four contend for the district championship.

This season, that is expected to change. The team is in a new district and is expected to make the district playoffs, but players believe they can go farther than that.

“I expect us to be in the playoffs and contend for the district championship,” junior Jason Girardi said.

Even after losing six seniors last season, the team still gained a year of experience playing together and will use this to drive them to their further success.

-Ethan Curtis

Lightning introduce new head football coach after retiring of Coach Hudson This month, the school will see a new face on campus as Krop has hired Coach Steven Farley to be its new head coach.

He was recently hired after coach Hudson retired, by a committee that included Dr. Harley, coaches Elizabeth Morgan and Michael Kypriss and Ms. Jackie Torano.

The former defensive coordinator and interim head coach at Lehigh Senior High School in Fort Myers played football at Marshall University and was a 1995 Division I-AA runner up. On Feb. 8, he unofficially met a few of the players.

The players reacted positively towards him, according to Coach Morgan.

“He was different from what I thought he would be, but at the same time I wasn’t disappointed,” junior defensive tackle and center Mark Lesperance said.

His first official season will be next fall.

-Dzidula Boney

Through the lens Page 20

Students celebrate

The Lightning Strike • January/February

2

Valentines Day 1

3

4

Valentines Day

5

BY THE NUMBERS:

6

million people are expecting or planning a Valentine’s Day marriage proposal

1400

Varieties of Hallmark’s available Valentine’s Day greetings cards 1) TYING THE KNOT: The GSA holds mock marriage ceremony. These “marriages” gave students an opportunity to express their love and friendship for each other.

2) ROAMING THE HALLS: Carolers Narissa Thompson and Alexander Jerman sing to students in class. These singers went from class to class delivering “songagrams” to those were sent such by their loved ones.

3) A SIGN OF LOVE: The Dance Magnet advertises their Valentine’s Day fundraiser.

This was one of many Valentine’s Day festivities at the school.

4) PRESENT YOUR COLOR: Students in relationships exchange gifts with eachother.

This gift included a baloon, chocolate and a teddy bear.

5) BREAKING SONG: Afria Jenkins, Ketsia St. Hilaire, Keleque Smith and Catherine Knowles, Nala Brown seranade Mayan Derhy in the newsroom. The Lightning Strike received a much-needed break while they were hard at work laying out this newspaper.

58

Million pounds of chocolate candy bought during Valentine’s Day week.

$130.97

the per person average estimated amount that people will spend on Valentine’s Day

Pictures courtesy of Kevin Bauernfiend and the Yearbook Staff Compiled by: Shoshana Sommer

SOURCES: