The Viper Vibe - Volume 13, Issue 1

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Fall Sports Music Spotlights Homecoming comes home

How to Be a Viper

Hits and misses

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Eleven percent of last year’s juniors passed the American History EOC.

Corsi di italiano vengono tagliati. Un altro morde la polvere elettive.

Eleven percent of last year’s juniors passed the American History EOC.

Varela is officially an international school. Welcome foreign exchange students.

Varela hosts homecoming at home in the gym.

No more excuses!

Newspaper class is cut.

(But we’re still here!)

!

View p oints F rom th e E d itors

the editor says: we are still here If someone would have told me that I would be the managing editor of The Viper Vibe after only a year, I would’ve told them they’re crazy. But here I am. Managing the publication I contributed so much to last year.

This time it’s a little different though.

The actual journalism class was cut and now we’re a club, which isn’t that bad. Unfortunately, we don’t have the funding that we

would have with a class of 40.

Now, I’m not mad at administration for cutting the class. I’m not going to turn into the obsessive ex-girlfriend that still hasn’t gotten over the breakup, yet says she’s okay. With that said, enjoy Issue #1 of The Viper Vibe. #we’renotmad Cj Salcedo Managing Editor

Save electives by We Say: revamping schedule We are often told that high school is the greatest four years of your life. The events, people and the experiences. Unfortunately, the “best years of our lives” is hindered by the lack of any classes that people actually want to take.

These classes? Electives. Electives such as ceramics, Italian and our very own journalism class. It’s saddening to see that all the classes that have brought people so much enjoyment over the years, are dwindling away. Essentially, our students are having the creativity sucked out of them in favor of AP classes or dual enrollment courses.

I mean, there’s nothing wrong with these classes, but what about the kid that isn’t into the academics? The kid who comes to school hating math or science, but is willing to suck it up and go through them knowing that he’ll have art or music up next.

We at The Viper Vibe, are not angered by this, we know that there are many factors as to why certain classes are cut. There’s a lack of funding or a lack of people wanting to join the class, but isn’t the point of high school to explore opportunities and take what you are interested in?

I mean, if there aren’t any interesting classes, what’s the point of coming to school?

A student could easily just take the class virtually at home or just get his/her GED. It’s not like these electives are required for most universities.

Listen, this problem will eventually worsen. Students won’t have the ambition to do well, test scores will plummet and chaos will ensue.

There is a solution, though.

We propose that Felix Varela Senior High School moves to an eight-period schedule.

Similar to John A. Ferguson Senior High School, students will go to four classes a day, in block format. We already do this with six periods. Each of our current three periods will lose approximately 30 minutes in order to accomodate the fourth period.

Students will be able take their required courses such as math, science and English, as well as the other required classes such as Contemporary Literature or any of the Intensive Reading or math classes. This will leave spaces in a student’s schedule for their “fun” classes, like art or music.

In summary, these classes that are now gone, made Varela worth coming to. They allowed expression, creativity and freedom from the mundane activities of a core class.

“it’s saddening to see that all the classes that have brought people so much enjoyment over the years are dwindling away.”

Talk to us: thevipervibe@gmail.com

Your thoughts may be featured in the next issue of the Viper Vibe!

volume 13 November ‘13 Editorial Board MANAGING EDITOR Cj Salcedo SECTION EDITORS David Murray Taylor Daley

Staffers Griffin Baker-Royo Jordan Cline Christian Schlegel

Adviser

Elizabeth Cardenas

Editorial Policy The Viper Vibe is the student newspaper of Felix Varela Senior High (15255 SW 96 St. Miami, FL, 33196). It is an open forum for student expression. The opinions expressed in the publication do not reflect the official opinions or policies of the school. The Viper Vibe welcomes letters to the editor, but requires that they be signed and reserves the right to reject, edit and condense letters.

The staff and advisor can be contacted at 305-752-7900 or thevipervibe@gmail.com

Ads The Viper Vibe solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed obscene as to minors, defamatory or materially and substantially disruptive of school activities.

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New s A ro u n d V arel a

By taylor daley section Editor @ballat98

Varela is moving on

Change is constant. At a school, it is natural. Every year, one class leaves and another comes in. However, every once in a while a .big change come along that affect everyone in the school.

Assistant Principal Gale Cunningham (and her bullhorn) retired at the end of last school year and Assistant Principal for Curriculum John Galardi was promoted to Vice-Principal at South Ridge Senior High school. Assistant Athletic Director Emilio Condis left to become the Athletic Director at Coral Park Senior High. With all of these departures, the administrative team has brought in new faces and moved personnel into other positions.

Assistant Principal Adrian Sanchez, who will work with the ninth graders, comes to us from Neva King Cooper Educational Center. Before that, he worked for seven years at Southwest Senior High School. Besides working with freshmen, Sanchez’s duties include keeping the building safe and clean by working with the custodians, security and maintenance workers. He is also in charge of our fire and safety drills. As the only male on an all-female administrative team, we at The Viper Vibe wish him luck.

Assistant Principal Angela Holbrook (whose husband Gary Holbrook previously taught in our Social Studies department before going Terra Environmental Research Center) will work with tenth graders. This is her first year as an assistant principal and she comes to us from Leewood K-8 Center where she taught science.

“Varela is a nice school and a wonderful environment. I look forward to

a happy peaceful year where students can maximize their potential,” Holbrook said.

Outside of her sophomores, Holbrook will concentrate on testing and attendance. So students who are constantly tardy or accrue too many absences will probably be meeting with her.

Moving into Galardi’s old position as assistant principal for curriculum (APC) is Wendy Barnett. While Barnett

“There was no one in the district who was ceramic trained and wanted to come to varela. we even called fiu and we called um and everything.”

has been with us for a couple of years now, her new position is lot of work. As APC, she is responsible for the master schedule. That means that she has to create not only the teachers’ schedules, but the students’ as well, making sure that more than 3,000 people all know where to go at what time. On top of all that, she will be working with the seniors this year.

The athletic part of the administrative team has also seen some pretty big changes. With Coach Condis leaving, Athletic Director Lisa Spinosa began looking around for another assistant athletic director and she found Susan Chue. Coach Chue helps with virtual school and also coaches our Cross Coun-

try and Track teams. Rounding out the sports department is Caryn Cortright who is the business manager.

Administrative changes aside, Varela has seen changes in its course offerings as well. Ceramics was closed due to the retiring of its teacher Elaine Evans.

Unfortunately, another teacher could not be found.

“There was no one in the district who was ceramic trained and wanted to come to Varela. We even called FIU and we called UM and everything. None of them had any upcoming teachers that were training in ceramics,” Principal Nery Fins said.

Small enrollment numbers forced the closure of AP Statistics and Newspaper which was moved to an after school club. This will also be the last year for Italian.

“We have been fading out for five years of Italian (language class) for years. It is not something new,” Fins said. “We kept Italian 2 open to accommodate those students who took Italian 1 last year. This is the final year we will have the class.”

In spite of closures, classes have also been added or expanded. New music classes were added with keyboard having a larger population, as well as Mural Painting classes. The Vet Academy has added another teacher, and World Geography, AP Physics, and AP Computer Science were all put on the subject selection sheets.

“We have about 800 classes here at Varela so isn’t it better?” Fins said. “Kids get to choose what they like.”

Even if various classes have been cut, there’s still something for everyone.

IN MEMORIUM

Sergio Arcelalinde

“Once a Viper, always a Viper” 4

t h ev i per vi b e . t u m b l r . com

Homecoming Week Viper vs Bison

photos by Fox-Mar

Homecoming

By Taylor Daley

Section Editor @ballat98

In an effort to address some of the issues put forth by many students, this year’s homecoming dance saw a change in location. For many years, the dance was held at a hotel downtown. The cost of the tickets and the inability for many underclassmen to find transportation all the way downtown prompted Activities Director Ms. Felicia Christin to bring the homecoming dance home.

On Saturday, October 12, Varela’s homecoming dance took place in the gym. The theme was Club Venom and the gym was decorated to “ I t resemble a dance club in was a lifetime colors of purple, gray and experience. It was fun black. Sheer curtains andexciting,”saidValentina hung from the walls Prieto.

She was crowned to hide the bleachers a n d Homecoming Queen at Viper multi-colored floor lights helped to transform Vamp, introduced to fans during at the Homecoming the bland gym into a hhalf-time o t Game, and honored at the club scene. Tables of Homecoming Dance. food were set up along Quite a week for this the sides buffet style. senior.

“We kinda knew it was a gym. It was pretty cool the way they transformed it,” said sophomore football player Jeremiah Stringer who also played in the homecoming game the night before. “It felt great to come, just to have fun and dance along to the music.” photos by Fox-Mar

“It was pretty tense on the field.

All the fans were excited, cheering for you. It made us play harder, “said senior Kevin Almeida. “I felt confident, we can bounce back. We have been in situations like that before.”

The Vipers were down by six at half-time.

Due to the location change, the price of tickets went down to $40 and the number of tickets sold went up.

“We sold about 200 more tickets this year,“ Christin said.

“The dance went very well and the kids seemed to enjoy the event. There were no complaints.

We will do it again next year in the gym” Thursday, October 10, senior Valentina Prieto was crowned Homecoming Queen at Viper Vamp. Prieto had been a Homecoming Princess in both her sophomore and junior year.

“It was a lifetime experience. It was fun and exciting,” Prieto said.

The previous evening, Prieto and the homecoming court were presented to the crowd at the Homecoming Game where the Vipers played Ronald Reagan/ Doral High School. The Bisons came out strong and at half-time, Varela was down by six.

“It was pretty tense on the field.

All the fans were excited, cheering for you. It made us play harder, “said senior Kevin Almeida. “I felt confident, we can bounce back.

We have been in situations like that before.”

There were a large number of fans on the Varela side and that made the game all the more exciting.

“It was different,” said freshman Clarissa Maltez. “It was fun to see the school actually have school spirit. I was proud more people came than I expected, especially since we won.”

In the end, the Vipers won their second homecoming game in a row defeating the Bisons 146.

New s A ro u n d V arel a

How do you spend the best Contributing writers: Taylor Daley, David Murray, Christian Schlegel, Claudia Morales

Class of 2017

I wish there was someone who told me what to expect during my freshman year of high school. I wish I would have known that for the first month of school, it would take me a whole half an hour to get my lunch. I wish someone would have told me that letting people get in front of me isn’t ok when getting lunch, because then everyone else thinks they can skip you. I wish someone had told me about all the clubs Varela has to offer and pushed me to join them. I wish someone would have explained what it meant to spend two hours in a class.

So to all the freshmen, here’s my advice.

• Always bring a jacket to class. Two hours in an icebox can get very uncomfortable.

• Bring a snack so that during class you can be more focused on work than on the war in your stomach.

• Get involved but don’t spread yourself too thin. Try to get an officer position in a club or play a sport. Don’t be a 7:20 to 2:20 kid. There are so many ways you can show your love for Varela.

• Get organized and stay organized. It takes longer to catch up than you think.

• People will make fun of you because you’re a freshman; don’t let it get to you. One day, you won’t be the freshman any more.

• Study for every single test and turn in all your homework.

• The attitude you had in middle school should not be the attitude you have in high school. Time to grow up.

• Ask as many questions as you want to. You are not the smartest person you know.

• Go to after school events. If you can’t play a sport, support those who do by going to a game. If you can’t be in drama, support those that are by going to see a play. Don’t complain about how horrible Varela is if you don’t do anything to make it better.

• Start getting your volunteer hours now.

• Don’t wait till the last minute to do anything.

• Have fun! This is your moment to be who you want to be.

photos by Taylor Daley and Crotalus

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Class of 2016

So now you’re a sophomore. You survived your first year of high school, but 10th grade is one of the most important years. Even though you still have two more years after this, the FCAT can keep you from graduating. You need to stay focused.

You want to hurry up past it and get on with the rest of high school. Here are some pointers to help you with this year.

• FCAT: Just pass it. You do not want to be a junior or senior worrying about it. It’s in your best interest to not goof off and think “Oh yeah, I’m going to pass.” That’s when everything goes wrong.

• Community Service Hours: You should have already started your service hours by now. Once the bulk of your hours are in, you can lie back in your junior and senior year and guide the underclassmen.

• GPA: Try to maintain your GPA and get it up. That’s very important, don’t goof around and let your GPA get low. It takes too much time and effort to try to gain back what you lost and you don’t want to spend your senior year stressed out and taking night school.

• Pay Your Fees: Pay all your fees. You don’t want all those fees to add up to your senior year. Your junior year will have a big expense in the class ring and seniors practically hemmhorage money with all their events. Be wise and stay on top of it.

• Have Fun: Life isn’t all about work. Make sure to have fun.

Join clubs, play sports. You only attend high school once, so make it an awesome experience.

With these tips your sophomore year should be great.

No one is going to care about your education as much as you.

Make every day count.

News A ro u n d Varela

four years of your life?

Class of 2015

Junior year can be a really fun and a knowledge-full year where you are one more step to entering the real world beyond cliques and the superficial parts that some people enjoy in high school. In reality the way you spend your time will have an impact on your future. This is the year where everything starts to come together.

• Don’t procrastinate with the SAT/ACT. The more you do it the better score you can attain if you learn from every test you take. Varela’s media center can show you how to get free access to practice tests and online courses. You should take both tests in the Spring or early Summer. If you are on free or reduced lunch, see the CAP adviser about getting free vouchers.

• You should be winding down on all your community service hours to have a stress free senior year.

• Pay all your fees. Don’t wait for next year when you will have senior events (Grad Bash, Prom) and graduation activities (cap and gown, announcements) that will suck all the money out of your bank account.

• Ask your counselor for the senior requirements so you don’t have to struggle and work harder than you’re supposed to in your senior year.

• Work hard your junior year since your senior year is not the only grade colleges review.

• Start saving money now to attend all the fun senior events.

This would be a good time to get that part time job.

• Get more involved in the school. Play a sport or join a club.

Colleges like to see that you participated in extracurricular activities. Plus, you’re almost out of here. Make some happy memories.

• Have an idea of what electives you want or are missing in order to graduate with no regrets.

photos by Fox-Mar

Class of 2014

In the interest of full disclosure, my senior year was a complete rejection of tradition. I did not go to Homecoming. I did not participate in spirit week. I was too lazy to put together a senior crown. I had other plans on Grad Bash. I sat at home and blogged in my pajamas on prom night. I fell down the stairs at graduation.

Twice.

And I think I turned out fine.

Still, there was always this nagging sense that I was missing out on something momentous everywhere I turned. Now, my only regret is that I can’t go back and do everything over again without worrying.

My senior year ended up being one of the best, most transformative times in my life thus far. I poured everything I had into a publication I couldn’t be prouder of. I participated in the single best class I’ve ever had with the single best group of people I could have asked for and learned to stop “Waiting for Godot.” I competed in what I loved and lost count of the awards.

Things like prom and one last pilgrimage to Orlando are big deals to some people, and that’s fine. But attending these events should be organic, genuine - not something anybody feels obligated to do. In the end, the best memories will happen on their own, regardless of the venue. Forcing it won’t work.

So here are my words of advice for those in the midst of their senior year.

• Stop taking things for granted.

• Recognize that this year is one of lasts more than it is of firsts.

• Value the teachers that change your life.

• Value your friends. Know that, in a few months, they’ll either be across the country or too busy to do much.

• Don’t idealize high school, but don’t pretend it’s below you, either.

• Perhaps even more importantly, know that it gets better.

• Take mental health days when you need to.

• Cut out toxic friendships, paying no mind to excuses like “but we’ve known each other forever.” Stop feeling unnecessary guilt.

Before you know it, you’ll be entering a phase of your life where you choose your classes and aren’t reduced to asking permission to go to the bathroom. Know that you don’t have to put up with the bad things forever, and the bulk of them can be cut out right now.

If somebody tells you this is the best year of your life, look them in the eye and say “it better not be.”

But make the most of it, regardless. theviper vibe.tumblr.com 9

L if est y le E nt er tai n m ent

Review

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

A PIRATES’ LIFE FOR ME

By CJ Salcedo Managing Editor @cJ_fett_salcedo

I’ve spent over 40 hours on my PlayStation 3 sailing the seas, fighting off British and Spanish armadas and of course, in true pirate fashion, searching for buried treasure and spending it all on rum and clothing. Ubisoft and Ubisoft Montreal’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag lets me live out all the debauchery, and violence. It lets me discover fame and fortune all without leaving my couch.

Players don the hood of Edward Kenway, grandfather of Assassin’s Creed III’s Connor Kenway and infamous pirate. After being caught in the middle of the Templar/Assassin war, he sets out to find a grand fortune that will have him set for life. The game has a lighter tone than the previous games. Similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, the game knows when to poke fun at itself and isn’t afraid to not take itself seriously.

Gamers are given a character that isn’t caught up in politics and is only in it for the payout. Wrap all of this

into an excellent story told with great characters and the series’ famed historical conspiracy theories, and you have the greatest Assassin’s Creed story yet.

The story is second to Assassin’s Creed IV’s visuals. The game builds upon the previous engines and creates on the best looking games of the year.

The environments are detailed, ranging from tropical islands filled with luscious plant life to small cities in Cuba, filled with its inhabitants and large stone structures.

The sound design is also incredible.

The roaring waves hit Edward’s ship The Jackdaw, sea shanties are being sung by the crew and voice acting is top notch.

Returning to the series are the present day sections. These missions are optional and are played in a first-person perspective and are very similar to Half-Life. Players have to solve puzzles and discover the secrets that lie within Abstergo Industries. It’s a great distrac-

The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire has been highly anticipated for the past few months, and the arrival of it is finally here. Having grossed over $684 million worldwide The Hunger Games has set high expectations for Catching Fire.

The Hunger Games put Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth on the map and they have been in the spotlight for the past year

and a half.

New to the cast and heading for celebrity stardom is Sam Claflin, who plays Finnick Odair in the new movie.

People and Entertainment Weekly have added to the hype surrounding him by posting numerous pictures of him in character. Fans of the series will have to wait until November 22 to find out if he lives up to this hype.

by Jordan Cline

10 thevipervibe.tumblr.com

tion from the historical sections.

The great gameplay returns and is better than ever. Edward can carry more weapons on him and the brutal executions are as violent as they are entertaining to watch. The biggest improvements are in the sailing sections. Now, leaving and entering the ship is fast and fluent, and the huge world is ready to be explored. The game also doesn’t force players to go through story missions and they are allowed to create their own. Unfortunately, players still have to go through a beginning mission that feels forced and dragged on. Multiplayer also makes a return and is still incredibly fun.

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is to the pirate setting as Red Dead Redemption was to the western setting. It defines piracy in video games and allows for absolute freedom. Raise ‘yer glasses and set sail for one of 2013’s greatest adventures.

A-

Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft, said: “‘Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag’ is based on a true, harsh and exciting part of a legendary era and will thrill longtime fans and newcomers alike.” (MCT) Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin, left) and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” (Courtesy Murray Close/MCT)

Trevor Jackson

Katy Perry

Becky G Becky G is not new to the music world thanks to the Internet. The videos she has posted on her YouTube account are what made her famous for remixing songs such as Die Young by Ke$ha. Her first EP is called Play it Again.

She showcases her Hispanic heritage in songs like Can’t Get Enough featuring Pit Bull. Becky G is known for her collaborations with artists such as Cody Simpson (Wish You Were Here), Cher Lloyd (Oath), Kayzee (Love), Will.i.am (Problem the Monster Remix), and Jennifer Lopez (Becky from the Block).

A-

Katy Perry’s fourth album Prism arrived in stores on October 22 with her first single Roar already topping the charts. It is her eighth single to top the Hot 100 selling over half a million downloads in its first week of release. There are two versions of the album, regular and deluxe. The price difference is $3, with the deluxe album including three additional songs Spiritual, It Takes Two (one of my personal favorites), and Choose Your Battles.

The single, Roar and its accompanying video, gave the impression that the whole album would be a call for “women empowerment.” However, that is not the case. The rest of the songs cover lost love, partying, and teenage angst.

B

The 17-year-old Trevor Jackson has been in the spotlight since the age of eight when he was cast to be young Simba in Disney’s TonyAward Winning national tour of The Lion King. Trevor then became the youngest and longest running actor to play on a national tour. He later appeared on TV shows like Harry’s Law, Cold Case, Austin & Ally, the SyFy Channel’s popular series, Eureka and the movie that made him a big star, Disney’s Let it Shine.

His new EP #NewThang includes five songs. Two of the featured songs Like We Grown and Drop It the remix featuring the rapper B.o.B were already released. His sound is very similar to Trey Songz using elements of soul and modern R&B. He is comfortable with dance music as well as ballads.

It’s definitely worth the $4.99 on iTunes.

B+

fall sports

cross country

The Cross Country team placed 9th in the District this year. Neysa Parham (11) and Blanca Siles (12) both did well individually at Districts.

girls volleyball football

The Varsity Football team made it to the District playoffs, but were defeated by Southwest 39-0. They ended their season with a record of 6-4.

swimming

George Lucian (9), Christopher Gutierrez (9), Andrea Gutierrez (10), Sebastian Torra (11), Robert Matias (11), Adrian Elkind (11) qualified for regionals this year in both individual and relay competitions.

They narrowly missed states by seconds in almost all the events.

The Lady Vipers made it to Districts this year, but lost in the quarter finals to Sunset. They ended their season with a record of 1311. Freshman Tiffany Bola単os stands out as a rising star on the team.

Viper Wrestler Nixon Chavez aspires to the Olympics

N

ixon Chavez, a senior here at Felix Varela Sen By:Chris Schlegel ior High, started Staff Writer wrestling when @chrisschlegel21 he was in middle school and was a huge fan of the WWE. He dreams of one day being in Like many athletes, Chavez has rituals. Before a match, he the Olympics. In fact, one of his favorite wrestlers is Henry likes listening to old school hip-hop and rap, especially Cejudo, the youngest AmeriTupac. He also wears his pair can Olympic gold medalist in of lucky socks. free style wresAfter practice, he tling. jogs an additional AT 5’7” and 130 mile to get extra pounds, Chavez fit. feels that the best Being an Amerwrestling move in ican of Mexican his arsenal would descent, Chavez be the soft toss. is interested in He only has a total becoming a lawof five losses from yer so that he can last season, but he help immigrants wants to improve move to this on that this year country. and go all the way, As the captain making his last for the wrestling year a special one. team, he advises Chavez has no his teammates to particular school “work hard, never rivals in mind, give up , show but he would like photo by Christian Schlegel to pin down both Senior Nixon Chavez is captain your 100 percent of the Viper Wrestling team. He effort and try South Dade and would like to be an Olympian nothing , but your Braddock High like his idol Henry Cejudo. best.”

Schools.

photos by Fox-Mar and Taylor Daley

Winter SPORTS SCHEDULE Date Opponent Location Time Girls’ Soccer 11/19 Coral Reef Varela 3:30 pm 11/22 South Dade South Dade 3:30 pm 11/26 Southridge Southridge 3:30 pm 12/3 Killian Varela 3:30 pm 12/6 Ferguson Ferguson 3:30 pm 12/10 Palmetto Palmetto 3:30 pm 12/13 Sunset Varela 3:30 pm 12/17 Coral Reef Cutler Ridge pk 3:30 pm Boys’ Soccer 11/18 Sunset Kendall Soccer Pk 4:00 pm 11/21 Coral Reef Kendall Soccer Pk 5:00 pm 11/25 South Dade Kendall Soccer Pk 5:00 pm 12/2 Southridge Southridge 4:00 pm 12/5 Killian Varela 4:00 pm 12/9 Ferguson Ferguson 3:30 pm 12/12 Palmetto Palmetto 3:30 pm 12/16 Sunset Varela 4:00 pm 12/19 Coral Reef Cutler Ridge Pk 3:30 pm Girls’ Basketball 11/18 Southridge Southridge 7:30 pm 11/19 Sunset Varela 7:30 pm 11/21 South Dade South Dade 3:30 pm 11/25 Coral Reef Coral Reef 7:30 pm 11/26 Coral Park Varela 5:00 pm 12/2 Killian Varela 7:30 pm 12/5 Palmetto McKinney Court 7:30 pm 12/9 Southridge Varela 7:30 pm 12/10 Sunset Sunset 6:00 pm 12/12 Homestead Varela 7:30 pm 12/16 South Dade Varela 7:30 pm 12/17 Coral Reef Varela 7:30 pm Boys’ JV Basketball 11/18 Southridge Varela 6:00 pm 11/20 Sunset Varela 6:00 pm 11/25 South Dade South Dade 6:00 pm 11/27 Belen Jesuit Belen 6:00 pm 12/4 Coral Reef Coral Reef 6:00 pm 12/6 Killian Varela 6:00 pm 12/9 Braddock Braddock 6:00 pm 12/13 Palmetto TBD 6:00 pm 12/16 Southridge Southridge 6:00 pm Boys’ Varsity Basketball 11/18 Southridge Varela 7:30 pm 11/20 Sunset Varela 7:30 pm 11/25 South Dade South Dade 7:30 pm 11/27 Belen Jesuit Belen 7:30 pm 12/4 Coral Reef Coral Reef 7:30 pm 12/6 Killian Varela 7:30 pm 12/9 Braddock Braddock 7:30 pm 12/13 Palmetto McKinney Court 7:30 pm 12/16 Southridge Southridge 7:30 pm Boys’ Wrestling 11/19 Southwest Southwest 3:00 pm 11/26 Palmetto McKinney Court 5:00 pm 12/20 South Dade TBD 8:00 am For more sports and schedules: http://47289.digitalsports.com

Real Madrid pays unprecedented amount for Gareth Bale

by Christian Schlegel Staff Reporter chrischlegel21@gmail.com

Real Madrid now the Galacticos have signed Gareth Bale the winger/midfielder from Tottenham Hotspurs with a world record signing of $100 million in the U.S. In Europe that would 85 million Euros. Bale is the most expensive player in soccer history.

This signing is really controversial due to the fact that Spain is going through an economic recession.

According to goal.com, the Manager of F.C Barcelona, Gerardo Martinez, says “this is an insult to humanity due to how much of that money could have been used for better uses such as helping starving countries.”

Just buying a player because you can isn’t the most moralistic thing you can do in this world.

On the other hand maybe it’s just due to the fact that he’s the coach for their rival team. Never the less, not even the legend Zidane the Real Madrid assistant coach has seen this price to be logical to this price of 100 million euros.

Many Real Madrid players agree with this signing. Cristiano Ronaldo and others were in a press conference and believed

that they had no right to judge this transfer. Bale has said that he will not allow the money to go to his head and will be only second to Ronaldo.

Everyone has a different opinion related to this transfer, but no athlete has ever been worth this much. In Bale’s defense he scored 55 goals with his English club the Hotspurs. In the 2012-2013 season, he scored 26 goals, making him the third person with the most goals scored in the English Premier League after Robin Van Persie and Luis Suarez.

Bale is known for his monster speed running. He ran the 100 meter sprint in 11.4 seconds. Many say Bale has the dribbling skills of a Brazilian who is the most successful country in the game which we call soccer.

In addition he is also known for his free kicks and won UEFA player of the year in 2012.

Can Bale prove he was worth all the speculation and win the Champions League the most sought for European trophy?

Soccer fans will just have to wait until April for the Champions League final.

miami sports

S p or ts | M iam i

By: David Murray Sports Editor @heyydavidd

With the season just starting people are having their doubts about the Miami Heat going all the way and taking it again. But, all players have a good feeling about this season including their coach Erik Spolestra. The team signed him to a multi-year contract keeping him in South Florida for a long time, with the team going to the finals three years in a row already. They are looking to capture another championship in the coming season.

Miami Heat’s LeBron James works towards the basket against the Washington Wizards at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida, on Sunday, November 3.

The Miami Dolphins football team has shocked more than half of the world. With them having a great season so far, they look to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill said during pre-season that they have been overlooked so far and with the new team they have they look to have one of their best seasons yet. They have so far backed up their words with a record of 5-5 and being #3 in the AFC East, they look to have a tremendous season.

Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks piles on teammate Cameron Wake after Wake sacks Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton for a game-winning safety in overtime at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Thursday, October 31. The Dolphins won, 22-20.

The Florida Panthers Hockey team is not looking great so far with a record of 6-12. Tim Thomas, the goaltender, wants to make it on to the USA Olympic team. He played for Team USA in the 2010 Olympics. According to foxsports.com, “Team USA is expected to narrow down its roster for the 2014 Sochi Games by the end of December, and Thomas said Monday that he hopes to be on it.”

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson (74) fires a shot, but does not score against Florida Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen (30) in the second period at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., Saturday, November 2

The Miami Marlins finished their season with a disappointing record of 62-100. Their stadium however, may become the home of a new Major League Soccer team. Soccer celebrity David Beckham has been scouting locations in Miami to start the new team, and Marlins Park is a possible location. photos with permission Sun Sentinel, Miami Herald, Chuck Myers, MCT Marlins photo courtesy of http://miami.marlins.mlb.com

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