West Shore April 2019 Issue

ROAR

westshoreroar.com • West Shore Jr/Sr High School • 250 Wildcat Alley - Melbourne, FL 32935 April 2019

Senior duo reflects on its impact on the basketball program, 12 Custodian shortage leads to poor conditions, 15 Camps, Hayes carry on track legacy begun by older siblings, 17

Bre a k a le g to the ca s t of

C a ro u s e l M a rc h 29-30

WHAT’S INSIDE Senior Stride Travis McClendon and Auston Gonzalez jog out of the weight room to warm up before a game.

Page 12

Page 19

Familiar Field Physics teacher Andrew Madden approaches a defender in a college match at St. Leo University.

The “Roar”: April 2019

Review Emily Lovelock’s take on the Netflix series “Sex Education.”

Page 23

A Perfect Pairing

Senior duo reflects on its impact on the basketball program, 12

Opinion 4 5

Sports

Staff Editorial

17

The Running Men

Sports in, academics out

18

Athletes to Watch

19

Growing the Game

The college financial system continues to worsen

Soccer player Cooper Stein’s take on the relevance of sports on campus

News 9

Dancing Queens

10

Stressing Security

Gun violence, security concerns among top stressors for Gen Z

21

14

Shooting Showdown

23

Purrfections dance team wins a national championship

Proposed gun-law changes draw mixed reviews

Cover Photo: Valerie Butler and Joshua Freeman

Camps, Hayes carry on a legacy begun by their older siblings

A preview of who to watch this season

Physics instructor brings playing experience to coaching

Entertainment Love it, Hate it

‘Apex Legends’, ‘thank u, next’, Award shows

Reviews

‘Death Race For Love’, Samsung Galaxy Fold, ‘Sex Education’

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from the editor

Staff Editorial College financial system continues to worsen

Senior year. The time where everyone gets excited to finish out their highschool careers and move on to college.

October brings nothing but stress, pushing for letters of recommendation and loads of school-specific essays. The first major step every individual takes toward adulthood begins this year.

Excitement, apprehension and curiosity flow through the minds of students and parents alike. December hits, and early action and early decision letters begin to see release. As spring approaches, regular-decision notifications start to take over the worries of many students. Some see their futures unfold right in front of their eyes as they are accepted into their dream school, the one university they’ve been hoping to attend since ninth grade and maybe even before that. Others, however, watch their dreams morph into a harsh reality in which they are rejected from their top university. Several aspects behind the college situation are unfortunate. First of all, it is sad to watch society hold an aggregate of young minds to a strange standard that basically says if you do not attend college or higher education, you’re unlikely to succeed financially in this world, yet are unable to provide the support necessary to fund a college education. There is a vast number of current high-school students who are

creative and talented beyond the walls of a classroom. Obviously, there are myriad majors available throughout a variety of colleges, but there is still a vast number of individuals who are just not a great fit for college. We aren’t saying college is bad in any way.

However, we believe the social standard students are held to by society and the financial system college is centered

that would solve this issue, but we are rather striving to raise societal awareness about the stressful standard students are held to in modern education. Sure, it may be clear that many middle- and lower-class families are unable to fund their child’s college education. Now, though, college has become so costly that even those who are considered wealthy cannot afford it. According to research by the Institute for Higher Education Policy, even families earning more than $100,000 a year can’t afford nearly 60 percent of U.S. colleges. How can we push our students in high school to the highest standard of rigor, instilling the idea in everyone’s minds that if we do not attend college then we are basically failing in life, yet cannot find a way to make it affordable for everyone? It’s bad enough that we deal with everyday struggles. Either the entire financial system behind Illustration by Minaal Murshid colleges — mainly public around should be amended. There universities — needs to be changed should be a more efficient means of in a way that doesn’t force students finding the money to support your into unpayable debt or society needs education, as opposed to taking out to alter its standards and encourage tens of thousands of dollars in student those who are not fortunate enough to loans and applying for a plethora attend higher education to pursue their of random scholarships. We do not dreams in a way that will lead to a new believe there is one obvious solution wave of success.

Editor In Chief Auston Gonzalez Managing Editor Valery Linkenhoker Sports Editor Madhav Pamidikkula Graphics Minaal Murshid Contributing Writers Leighton Johnson, Christopher Johnson, Justin Ho, Shawn Humphrey, Cullen Capaldi, Michael Lucente, Rosellen Rodriguez, Emily Lovelock, Business Manager Alex Nixon Adviser Mark Schledorn Publication Policies “The Roar” recognizes itself as a public forum and encourages letters from West Shore students and members of

the community. “The Roar” cannot print ads promoting activity illegal by Florida law, ads opposing any religious beliefs, ads written in poor taste, ads with racial or sexist comments, ads considered inappropriate by the staff, advocacy advertising or ads containing libel. “The Roar” is not responsible for web sites viewed through links found on pages mentioned in the publication.

“The Roar” values letters from our readers: maximum length for letters is 200 words. No more than one letter a semester will be published

from a writer. Letters and columns are edited for length, content and clarity. “The Roar” maintains the right to edit all submissions for poor taste, length, grammar and libel. Views expressed in the “Opinions” section do not necessarily represent the views of the Brevard County School Board, the West Shore administrators, faculty, student body or “The Roar” staff.

Submit Send your opinions to wstheroar@gmail. com Visit Go to westshoreroar.com for more content

April 2019

opinion

Future Plans

Give sports their due

College app process can be stressful

to the editor

Valery Linkenhoker, Managing editor

College is one of the most stressful topics as you reach senior year. Whether it be applications, decision letters or considering where you will study, the process as a whole is full of ups and downs.

The application process is probably the leaststressful because all there is to it is filling out information you already know and have filled out a dozen times before. Make sure to fill out applications to more than one school even if you are sure you are going to get in because you never know what might happen. Also, apply to your dream school because you never know if you’re going to get in or not.

Once the applications are submitted, the next few weeks produce a series of emotions from being 100 percent sure that you’ve gotten in, to 5 percent sure and returning to your computer to fill out more applications.

When the acceptance letters come out, you are either waiting to rip open the envelope and celebrate getting into yet another school or waiting for someone to open the mail for you.

Once you have all your acceptance letters, deciding which college to choose is going to be a roller coaster of debating reasonable tuition and location.

You have to choose a school with your intended major as well as another major that might interest you just in case you change your mind while you’re at college. Be sure you like the campus because if you change your major and the school you go to doesn’t have anything else you are passionate about or want to major in, at least you’ll be on a campus you like.

Find a college you will be able to thrive in and not one where you will be distracted by outside factors every day. Obviously there are going to be parties and other distractions, but make sure that you are able to finish your college studies in the most successful way that you can.

The cost of college is the most stressful part.

Freshman tuition and fees are the most expensive, especially when you factor in meal plans and housing.

The price to attend my college of choice jumped about $20,000 a year after including meal plans and other miscellaneous costs, and it was a price I was not ready for or took into account. My word of advice is doublecheck all the freshman fees and requirements.

Regardless of where you decide to go, West Shore has academically prepped you to take on college with the knowledge you will need to succeed.

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I feel as though that our school and the West Shore community does not put enough energy and support into our sports teams as we should. I feel that academics are a very important part in our lives and that we should all take our education very seriously, but as a school and as a community we should get behind our student-athletes and show how good of a school we are. We strive to be the best when it comes to our academics, so why shouldn’t we strive to be the best in our sports? As a student-athlete myself, I know I play better when there is a big crowd of my fellow West Shore students at the soccer games because I don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of everyone. This is one of the reasons I feel we as a class and as a school should get behind our sports teams. I think more athletes, no matter the sport, would be more motivated to play harder and to play better when their fellow classmates are their watching them. Team sports can help an individual gain team bonding and also teach someone how to work with other people, all of which these skills can be transferred into the classroom. I feel like as a school we tend to place sports at the bottom of our list when really we should put it near the top. High-school sports give us students a chance to interact with other students and help us create friendships.

Cooper Stein, 11th

Cheating the system

The cheating epidemic at West Shore is worse than most teachers would think. The rate at which students are getting stealthier with their cheating is surpassing the rate at which teachers can catch onto the cheating, and it is due to students having a better understanding of technology. Whether it be a group chat for sharing answers or using a phone or watch for answers discretely during a test, even the virtuous West Shore is not safe from modern-day dishonesty. While cheating is to be expected at any school, I believe it occurs more here for one significant reason: The competitive nature of the school promotes an environment of using any means necessary to maintain straight A’s. It can seem to students that letters and numbers on your transcript dictate what college you will get into, and therefore how successful your life will be. Not to mention the fear some students have when thinking of how their parents will react to their B (Remember: A for average, B for below average). Between the pressure of maintaining A’s for college admission purposes and the pressure put on students by their parents, a majority of students in each grade will use any means necessary to be among one of the 20 valedictorians at graduation. This, however, doesn’t mean that they should necessarily be expelled or extremely punished, and it’s even hard to say they’re entirely at fault. These kinds of dishonest students are a product of their environment, of a flawed system where impossible standards can only be met by insincere means.

Dylan O’Bryan, 12th

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westshoreroar.com

opinion

Your Future is Bright Keep college acceptance — and rejection — letters in perspective Story by Anna Wilder Featured Writer Mid-December. Jan. 15th through the 30th. February, especially the 8th.

On these days, dreams come true, tears are shed and hearts are crushed, as the anticipation continues to lurk through March and April, all leading up to a decision in May. The process of hearing back from college decisions has been daunting for years, with this year becoming particularly painful for Gator fans.

The University of Florida is becoming more competitive and has developed a prestigious reputation with its ranking being held in the top 10 public universities in the United States, with the acceptance rate only continuing to drop. With this in mind, there were very few people I knew who didn’t apply to this “holy grail” of a university, and as decisions rolled in, I continue to feel surprised.

As I look at some of my fellow classmates, and see the emotion and heartbreak that goes into this process, I’m left wondering what all of this is really worth. We continuously talk and think about what our next steps will be, as most of us stress out so much over one day that everything else in our lives become a blur.

Don’t get me wrong, this can be a great thing. We are motivated, sharp and confident about what our future holds, and we care about what others think of it too. Yet, as the months go by, it becomes harder to concentrate, and to even enjoy the last fleeting moments of senior year all due to one admissions office. We spend weeks checking into the admissions portal just to see if it has updated, only to await the day decisions finally come out.

Looking at the results of who has recently been admitted to the University of Florida, I sit with despair. I see my classmates, some of the most talented

and bright minded students who I have looked up to all of my high school career absolutely fall apart, all due to one college.

"We cannot let one school, one decision, one answer define who we are.”

One answer. All this time we have spent, emotionally and mentally invested… was it worth it? In my opinion, not at all. In no world do I view my classmates as failures due to one decision, and you shouldn’t either.

I am surrounded by one of the most accomplished group of students to be graduating from this school, we strive for perfection, and don’t stop until we get what we want.

We are lifelong learners and are going to succeed in whatever path comes our way, whether it is going to UF or not even going to college.

When we really ask ourselves what matters, I would hope to think our answers would be to find happiness and create a better world for those to come. Who says you have to go to UF to do this?

Fellow seniors, I want you all to know, that no matter what has happened with this school or any other university, we all

deserve the absolute best.

And if your dream school ends up rejecting you, than it isn’t where YOU are meant to be. Pick yourself backup and go for the next opportunity, dare to accept that you are better than this. We cannot let one school, one decision, one answer define who we are.

We are the next generation, the ones who are supposed to fix what is wrong with our world right now, and part of that is accepting who we are. I challenge all of you, to let go of the hurt feelings, and take a minute to just enjoy these last months, because our time is running out.

So as college decisions continue to come in, look around and start enjoying it. You will end up where you are supposed to be.

April 2019

campus connect

Fabulous Feats

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Four seniors gain admission to top-tier universities Compiled by Justin Ho, Staff Writer

The Students Maggie Dercole Duke University

Alexandra Vernich M.I.T.

Smirti Sanjay-Gopal

University of Pennsylvania

The Schools

Average ACT Scores 31 - 34 37,330 Applicants

Divya Reddy

Duke University

Average SAT Scores 1490 - 1560 3,219 Accepted

Average ACT Scores 33 - 35

Average SAT Scores 1500 - 1570

21,706 Applicants

1,464 Accepted

Average ACT Scores 32 - 35

Average SAT Scores 1380 - 1570

44,491 Applicants

3,740 Accepted

*The Annual Cost Tuition & Fees $55,960 Books $3,466 Room & Board $15,944

Tuition & Fees $51,832 Books $800 Room & Board $9,890

Tuition & Fees $55,584 Books $1,318 Room & Board $10,200

$75,370

$62,522

$67,102

*On average, not including food and personal expenses. All information retrieved from each school's official website.

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campus connect

April 2019

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Dancing Queens

Purrfections team wins its first national championship Story by Auston Gonzalez Editor in chief Third place is announced. Then second. The nine girls huddled around each other have no idea what to expect next. Sweaty palms and anxious faces sweep across a room filled with teams as competitors at the national dance event are seconds away from discovering its winner. After what feels like an eternity, an announcement is made, one that is now burned forever into the memories of the Purrfections dancers as they learned they had just become national champions.

“As soon as we found out we won my heart dropped,” junior Bella Stazzone said. “It’s the best feeling ever, knowing all your incredibly hard work paid off.

To be honest, at first I was in shock because I was so taken back and proud of the amazing accomplishment my team and I made.”

Stazzone said winning the event exceeded their expectations.

“Going into nationals, our goal was just to place top three because dance team never achieved that honor, so to be placed in first was a huge accomplishment and I couldn’t be more proud of my teammates.”

Senior member Macie Goldfarb said the team was surprised to learn it had won, but performed its best during the event.

“They only announce the top three for each division, so when they announced third and second and it wasn’t us we just assumed that we hadn’t placed,” Goldfarb said. “Then they called us for first and we all went ballistic. I definitely cried and so did almost everyone else. Both of our routines were the best we’ve ever had, choreographically and also just skill level wise. I was really excited to hear that the hard work making the routine perfect paid off.”

Photo: Courtesy April Shaw

Winning Wildcats Purrfections dance team gathers around the first-place trophy at Disney’s ESPN Wild World of Sports on March 3.

Coach April Shaw said competition was especially tough this year.

“We competed against 10 different teams from California, Utah, South Carolina, Virginia and Miami,” Shaw said. “California and Miami are areas that have extremely strong ballet backgrounds so it’s difficult to compete against them.”

The competition was held March 2 with the award ceremony being held on March 3. The team was able to prepare in several manners.

“We put in a lot of work,” Stazzone said. “It consisted of multiple extra practices, extended practices, conditioning and a lot of team bonding went into play.”

Each team’s routines are time restricted, with scheduled warm-up events and official performances.

“Our dancers have two minutes to perform their best,” Shaw said. “When we get to a competition, we can stretch in the hallway and we can stretch

outside, but our only warm-up is six minutes on the floor to get ready to go.

Our girls are under a lot of pressure to be perfect in two minutes.”

Stazzone said the team was able to pull through the competition in spite of multiple obstacles.

“We had a lot of setbacks including injuries and sickness,” she said, “so I couldn’t be more proud of my team.”

Assistant coach Stephanie Shaw summed up winning the championship.

“Immediately we are taking pictures, posting on social media, texting [Principal Rick] Fleming that a national championship team deserves a dance room,” she said. “Girls are crying in excitement and joy. I am crying.

Thirteen years ago, I was a seventhgrader here and all I wanted was to have a dance team. My mom took over as the coach, and we started with eight girls practicing in the chorus room with not even a thought that one day this team could become champions.”

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westshoreroar.com

campus connect

Stressing Security Gun violence and security concerns among top stressors for Gen Z Story by Emily Lovelock Staff Writer

Junior Zack Shazad had just finished the last bites of his chicken sandwich and had begun loading his homework assignment into his backpack when the alarm sounded just before the end of Power Hour on March 1. What followed could best be described as confused chaos. Students had experienced a once-a-month fire drill for as long as they had attended the school, but never during lunch.

I think the drill was uncalled for,” Shazad said. “I don’t think the drill resulted in any more knowledge about what to do during a random drill, and it was just really chaotic. No one could hear the intercom while we were walking to the soccer field, so we didn’t know what we were supposed to do until other teachers told us.”

Assistant principal Catherine Halbuer shed some light on what exactly caused the mass confusion.

“The students knew where to go when we got them out there,” Halbuer said, “[but] a lot of the teachers [...] went and lined up how they used to without understanding [the proper procedure].”

Despite the anxiety the drill caused some students, Halbuer remains optimistic about the new security protocols. “{The most recent drill} helped us learn [...] that we could do a better job communicating,” Halbuer said.

“It also let us know that there are some things we needed to update. So I think these drills have been a lot more beneficial than the fire drills have been because each time we’re

learning a lot of new stuff.”

But how do these new procedures impact students?

Reflecting the increased number of shootings in schools, the American Psychological Association has identified gun violence and security measures as significant sources of stress for Gen Z youth, who were born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2000s.

In spite of efforts made by administrators and law enforcement to make students and parents feel more secure, the data suggest that these endeavors have had little to no positive impact on the students’ sense of safety.

The report states, “75 percent of [Gen Z youth] report mass shootings as a significant source of stress, and nearly as many — 72 percent — say the same about school shootings or the possibility of them occurring.”

“I think gun violence precautions in school are stressing me out more than an actual threat,” junior Julia Travis said.

Travis’ opinion is echoed by the report, which found that “[22 percent of students] say security measures in their schools have somewhat or significantly increased their stress about school shootings.”

Travis expressed additional frustration due to difficulties she experiences as a dual-enrolled student at Eastern Florida State College.

“Sometimes the speaker [outside the gate] doesn’t work and sometimes they just can’t hear us stating our names [over the air-conditioning],” she said. “I end up being late [to

class] just because they can’t hear me.”

However, according to the APA, 37 percent of students share junior Veronica Santamaria’s concern.

“I feel like more security would definitely be beneficial with all the gun violence happening in other schools,” she said.

Licensed marriage and family therapist Stephanie Byrd of Melbourne Family Therapy said she believes the popularity of social media has facilitated the spread of graphic coverage on gun violence to students, which may be contributing to their stress.

“I’ve certainly seen students [...] afraid to go to school now,” Byrd said.

She added that the anxiety experienced by some students can go as far as mirroring the symptoms of post-traumatic stress syndrome.

Byrd encourages students to seek help if their stress is affecting their focus or sleep.

“Fear comes out of not knowing,” she said. “Identify what you need to feel safe and then implement some of the things that you can do.”

Byrd emphasized the importance of an action-oriented mindset and expressed her admiration for members of Gen Z who often initiate the idea to seek help rather than being force to attend therapy.

“This is probably the first generation where I have parents calling me and saying ‘my child wants to come in and work on some ways to manage their anxiety,” she said.

STRESSED

OUT

The recent uptick in the number of shootings on school campuses has resulted in increased security measures — and increasingly stressed teenagers.

Part 2 of a 3-part series

Illustration by Minaal Murshid

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westshoreroar.com

By the Numbers

1 698 171 850

Record shared for seven three-pointers in a game.

Career points for Travis McClendon.

Career three-poiters for Auston Gonzalex

Career points for McClendon and Gonzalez.

Dynamic Duo

cover

Basketball pair looks back on years of work, fun and friendship

By Madhav Pamidimukkala Sports Editor A last minute three-pointer released from the hands of senior guard and co-captain Auston Gonzalez ties the Wildcats over the powerhouse Viera Hawks. Not even one possession later, senior guard and co-captain Travis McClendon storms down the court and also shoots a three-pointer, this one to decide the game. The swish of the net harmonizes with the buzzer to signify the program’s first victory over Viera in a decade. Gonzalez and McClendon have been the keystones of the varsity basketball program since they were sophomores, contributing to the teams historic 17-11 season, and becoming the most efficient backcourt duo the school has ever seen along the way.

The two met at middle-school basketball tryouts in seventh grade and though only one was selected, they formed an instant connection.

“I remember [Travis] got cut even though he shouldn’t have,” Gonzalez said. “That’s when I actually started talking to him because I was kind of mad [since] there were a bunch of people on the team that were terrible, and he wasn’t. After that we started talking more because we had a few classes together and then we became friends.”

McClendon did not let the rejection deter him, however. He worked harder so he would not only make the middleschool team in eighth grade, but the highschool junior varsity team as well.

“When I didn’t make the team in seventh grade, I didn’t really compare myself to anyone else,” McClendon said.

“I just thought that I wasn’t good enough to make the team, so that pushed me and made me work harder so I could make the team next year.”

The following year, the two began their on-court bond.

“We’re both guards so we’ve worked

a lot with each other on the court and since we made the team in eighth grade, we played together for middle school,” Gonzalez said. “Then, we both played JV in eighth grade and we both started going to LA Fitness together. Our chemistry increased a lot over the course of one year. We kind of read each other every time we had the ball and we knew what the other person was going to do, so we built off that and then it just increased throughout high school.”

Before ninth grade, the two were presented with the opportunity to attend their zoned high schools and more developed basketball programs, but their relationship provided them with the confidence to stick with West Shore and its academic rigor.

“I like challenges, and I knew basketball hasn’t been a main sport this school excels in,” McClendon said. “But after I came here in seventh grade and I developed connections with Coach [Tony] Riopelle, and especially with Auston, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to leave emotionally. The connection was just too good.”

As they progressed past middle school, the tides turned and McClendon began outplaying Gonzalez. McClendon was even granted some varsity minutes while in eighth grade. According to Gonzalez, he caught back up with McClendon in his sophomore year when they both made the varsity team.

“When we were in 10th grade, everyone already knew Travis could play,” Gonzalez said. “I was expected to be like one of the last people off the bench for varsity and then [during] a scrimmage, I was on Travis’s team and he gave me the ball a few times and I got hot and I felt like I outplayed most of the seniors that were on that team. That’s where I feel like personally I solidified my role as one of the best basketball players on the team.

In their sophomore year, the energy

cover

April 2019

13

Photo: David Coalter

In Sync Senior Travis McClendon and Auston Gonzalez make their way back to their team after a victory against Edgewood Jr/Sr High school.

and skill the two were able to bring off the bench contributed to the most successful season the school has seen. According to former head coach and current athletic director Tony Riopelle, this blossoming of their athletic ability reveals the hard work and leadership the two exhibit.

“Part of the reason I’m still coaching is because of Travis and Auston,” Riopelle said. “They were just small, little kids that didn’t stand out in any way shape or form, but by the time they hit high school you could see they both could shoot the ball very well and if they could develop other parts of their game, they could really develop to be good players.

Riopelle also said that the two make the players and even the coaches around them better.

“Put aside their talent and they’re fun to be around, work with and coach,” Riopelle said. “They don’t realize the impact they have, neither one is very talkative on the court with their teammates, but their teammates are gonna follow their lead so when those guys are really pumped up and energized and getting after it, the whole team would follow along and if they were having a hard time and weren’t feeling the energy, the rest of the team followed suit most of the time.”

“I wouldn’t be as competitive and as I am today because I have him to push me.”

Gonzalez and McClendon were apart of 38 varsity wins, took down Satellite and Palm Bay high schools for the first time in the history of the school’s varsity program, and Gonzalez even broke both the schools three-pointers made in a single season and over a career for the school this year. The two’s immense success did not come easy, however.

“I would say my greatest obstacle that I had to overcome was being confident in myself,” McClendon said. “When I was younger, I wasn’t that good at all compared to other players, so with that came low confidence and then over time, with the work I put in, I would gain confidence which would

help me perform on the court.”

Though McClendon’s work was tedious, he said that he enjoyed every minute of it. “ I would get up at like 5:15 a.m. and then either go to the gym and practice basketball or I would go to the park,” McClendon said. “It was just kind of like your daily routine, but it’s something that I enjoyed doing, whether anyone knew about it or not or if I was by myself or with someone else. It was just something I enjoyed doing because I love the sport.”

For Gonzalez, his defining hurdle came with the injury of his partner McClendon and crucial starter Scott Maggio.

Suddenly, the weight of the team was vested on his shoulders.

“It was hard because not only were we not winning the amount of games that I would have liked to, but watching Travis [McClendon] on the bench and he just looked like he wanted to play so bad, but couldn’t. Just watching him like sucked for me,” Gonzalez said. “It was really hard to overcome the fact that we lost probably the best point guard in our county and we were going to prove so many people wrong, but it was really hard to do that without him.

Though their senior season did not go as planned, the relationship the two share will forever be an important part of the their on-court and personal lives.

“If either of us are stressed with our social life or something, Travis and I can just call each other and go to LA Fitness or something like that for a couple of hours,” Gonzalez said.

“Literally you just forget about all your problems. And then Travis started driving like a year before I did. And he lives not that far from me, so he could just come pick me up and we can go hang out or do whatever. It’s one thing to have like a best friend off the court, but then when you actually have them in the sport that you’ve loved, it just increases your love for the sport by a lot.”

McClendon shares a similar sentiment.

“I think my love for the game would not have been as much as it is today and I wouldn’t be as competitive and as I am today because I have him to push me,” McClendon said.

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news

westshoreroar.com

Shooting Showdown

By Rosellen Rodriguez Staff Writer Valentine’s Day marked one year since the deadliest shooting in Florida took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Broward County, a mere two-hour drive from West Shore. Shortly after the Parkland shooting, March for Our Lives, a student-led demonstration to increase gun-violence awareness and support gun control, took place in Washington. It quickly became an established organization with chapters throughout the nation and in particular, one here in Brevard County that senior Anna Wilder joined last summer.

Three weeks after the shooting, Gov. Rick Scott signed into law the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which provided additional funding for student resource officers, and improved security and mentalhealth programs on school campuses.

However, this may all come under severe revision in the legislative session this month. As of Feb. 11, 50 bills had been prefiled for the session that address firearm regulation, including one from Florida Rep. Walter “Mike” Hill that would repeal many of the provisions passed into law post-Parkland which he believes are an “infringement upon the Second Amendment of our constitution.” The bill includes returning the legal age to purchase firearms to 18 from 21, weakening the three-day waiting period to purchase a firearm by having it required for handguns only, re-legalizing bump stocks (which were used in the Las Vegas Shooting in 2017) and repealing risk-protection orders which gave judges and law enforcement the power to seize guns from Floridians who pose a danger to themselves or others.

“I don’t think the first three should be repealed,” said junior Kyle Johnson, who identifies as a conservative. “The three-day waiting period is a good way to uncover any bad stuff in somebody’s

Students react to proposed gun-law changes

history. The law banning bump stocks is a good thing too because it can turn a semi-automatic weapon into an automatic. But with regards to the age to buy guns, I think if you’re allowed to buy cigarettes, nicotine, all the stuff at 18, and if you’ve gone through the proper training to purchase a firearm, I think that’s fine.”

During Wilder’s tour to help promote MFOL’s message, she discovered their position in the current political atmosphere regarding gun regulation is often overlooked by opposers who believe “MFOL is just a group of teens who are trying to remove all rights to guns.”

“Some of the people I went on tour with owned guns themselves,” Wilder said. “They are only asking for sensible gun laws, ones that keep us safe. If you’re a law-abiding citizen and have a permit and following the rules, we have no problems with people having guns.

Yet the impression they get is that we are looking to take it all away.”

The movement is in support of universal background checks, a ban on high-capacity magazines, as well as extreme-risk protection orders, just to name a few, which are included in the Democratic Party’s push for stronger gun regulation, but also directly opposed by Republican representatives, such as Hill.

Despite some lawmakers’ move to repeal forms of gun regulation, others are working to strengthen it. On Feb. 12, Florida Democrats revealed several bills that will work to ban assault-style weapons and large-capacity magazines.

AR-15’s are not assault rifles and will therefore not be included in the ban, a common misconception according to Wilder. According to the annual report “Mass Shooting in The United States” published by Everytown for Gun Safety, mass shootings involving the use of

high-capacity magazines resulted in more than twice as many fatalities and 14 times as many injuries on average compared to those that did not.

Democratic lawmakers also have prefiled bills that would institute universal background checks and redflag legislation.

2 3 An October 2018 Pew Research Center poll found that 85 percent of Americans support requiring a background check on all gun buyers, including 91 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of Republicans. Currently, background checks are not required for those purchasing a gun from unlicensed vendors, such as the online site armlist. com.

Red1flag legislation allows for family members of an individual to seek out Extreme Risk-Protection orders from judges if they believe said individual poses a risk and should consequently have their firearms seized and temporarily be prohibited from purchasing more.

According to the annual report “Mass Shooting in The United States” published by Everytown for Gun Safety, of the 173 mass shootings in the U.S. from 2009 to 2017, the shooter exhibited warning signs indicating he posed a danger to himself or others before the shooting in half of the total cases.

Thirteen states have enacted red flag laws to prevent potential mass shooters and 29 states, along with Washington DC, have considered red flag legislation in the past year.

“I feel that this is a step in the right direction because the gun control we have now clearly isn’t working,” said junior Shelbi Winslow, who identifies as a liberal. “This could help with shootings like the one in Parkland because if this act had been a law, then that shooting could have potentially been prevented.”

news

April 2019

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Campus Cleanup Custodian shortage leads to poor conditions

By Leighton Johnson Staff writer Scattered plastic bags, leftover bottles and half-eaten food.

These are common objects found within a messy environment and the same could be said about the campus. Students have failed to throw away food waste after lunch and continue to leave trash around campus on a daily basis. Although there are multiple custodians that work throughout the day, the school has been short one custodian for about a year, affecting the others’ shifts.

“We had a custodian that was working an eight hour position and she wanted to work day shifts so she went to another school,” assistant principal Catherine Halbuer said.

“That meant one of our five and a half hour custodians had to take her position. We’ve been struggling to find somebody for the five and a half hour position.”

Halbuer said the situation affects the school because of the shift times.

“It impacts the cleaning up of school,” she said. “We mostly need [the custodians] at night. We do have some other custodians like Coach Derrick [Hamilton] that coaches basketball so he can’t always be here at night and we work with our other custodian as well due to child care issues so he has a split shift. Primarily, we need the custodians in the evening more so than during the day.”

Around 950 students attend West Shore and spend around 175 to 180 days on campus. With that number of students on campus, the amount of trash produced is quite large as students transition from one class to another.

“Since I move around from Building 2 to Building 16 every day I’ve been in a lot of classrooms and usually after third period is when I start seeing a bunch of wrappers and crumpled up papers,” junior Mahmood Syed said. “These are simple inconveniences that could easily be taken care of with a little effort towards keeping classes clean.”

The “Brevard Times” recently reported several schools in the county having received an unsatisfactory rating during inspection conducted by the Florida Department of Health.

The health inspector goes as far as to say “They’re all garbage.” Facilities mentioned included Cocoa, Heritage, Melbourne and Palm Bay high schools. Similar stories revealed that a number of schools within Florida had failed to meet standards for school cafeterias, with some containing live rats and roaches. The reason for attracting such creatures are due to a combination of foods that have been left out in the open and cluttered environments. Similar conditions could be viewed around the West Shore campus, especially immediately after Power Hour. The administration has begun to take notice and plans to address the problem soon.

Photo: Valery Linkenhoker

Leaving Litter Students fail to clean up waste on tables after lunch.

Principal Rick Fleming said students need to be more aware of their surroundings.

“Part of the problem does come from me as an adult. I should put more effort into communicating with the student body but also make public-service announcements notifying students about these problems,” Fleming said. “Still, students should be aware and conscientious about cleaning up the campus.”

School janitor Anthony Gonzalez said students just need to pick up after themselves.

“The worst messes are usually in the cafeteria where I’ll find different types of foods stomped, melted or mixed together which makes cleaning an extra hassle,” he said. “My biggest concern is how students continue to leave trash on campus mostly the cafeteria. Then, when the winds blows, the trash and it just becomes a bigger mess” Junior Ben Aronson said he has seen the situation worsen during his time on campus.

“After attending this school for over five years I’ve noticed the condition [of our school] has continually gotten worse,” he said.

Freshman Samuel Eisert said the mess isn’t limited to the area in and around the cafeteria.

“I’m sure this issue has been brought up before during announcements, yet nothing has been done, especially after lunch,” he said. “When I walk into rest rooms, I tend to see toilet paper thrown everywhere. Sometimes the urinals will magically overflow even though they were working a few minutes ago. These situations are making it hard to step into a restroom.”

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westshoreroar.com

sports center

SCOREBOARDS Next Up NBA upstages NFL as most popular sport Compiled by Valery Linkenhoker

For a school that lacks a football team, it would be easy to leave the Swimming sport behind.

Girls Boys Record 4-2 Record 4-2 However, what much of the nation Sixth place, CCC Ninth place, CCC might find it hard to accept is that Second place, Districts First place, Districts football Golf may be Girls Boys THE losing Record 7-6 Record 8-7 SHAWN Third place, CCC Sixth place, CCC ground as HUMPHREY Third place, Districts Third place, Districts SHOW the most Eighth place, Regionals popular Sports Columnist sport Bowling Boys Girls in the United States. Following the Record 6-2 Record 7-1 lowest-rated Super Bowl in the last decade, Americans may begin to focus Cross-Country Boys Girls their attention towards the next most Second place Districts Second place Districts popular sport in the country: basketball.

Second place Regionals Sixth place Regionals Fourth place, CCC Fifth place, CCC Unlike the NFL, the NBA is a league without a proverbial cloud of domestic Volleyball violence issues, polarizing protests and Record 4-4 consistent concussions.

Soccer The NBA also is more marketable Boys Girls to the youth than the NFL. It’s much Record 15-3-1 Record 10-8-2 easier to recognize your favorite players Basketball when they aren’t wearing helmets that Boys Girls obscure their faces every time they take Record 11-13 Record 7-16 the field.

Lacrosse Take a look at social media. NBA Boys Girls superstar LeBron James sits at more 9 Cocoa Beach 19 10 Cocoa Beach 6 1 Viera 19 8 Viera 22 than 45 million followers on Instagram, 6 Holy Trinity Episcopal 11 15 Holy Trinity Episcopal 12 while wide receiver Odell Beckham 11 John Carroll Catholic 7 16 Eau Gallie 5 Jr., with more followers than any other 11 Rockledge 10 8 Rockledge 9 6 Edgewood 17 11 Edgewood 13 NFL player, has just over 12 million.

Even the NBA Instagram account Tennis itself has two times more followers Boys Girls 2 Viera 4 4 Viera 3 than the NFL’s account. NBA players 5 Palm Bay 2 7 Palm Bay 0 also are making a bigger mark when 5 Eau Gallie 2 6 Eau Gallie 1 it comes to clothing. You don’t see 5 Florida Prep 2 5 Melbourne 2 5 Melbourne 2 4 Satellite 3 football players signing shoe deals 3 Edgewood 3 4 Holy Trinity 3 comparable to James Harden’s gargantuan 13-year, $200-million deal Track with Adidas. It’s hard to find someone Boys Girls Feb. 9, Sebastian Open Feb. 9, Sebastian Open who is excited to rock the new “Tom Feb. 12, Merritt Island Feb. 12, Merritt Island Brady 12s.”

Invitational Invitational Feb. 22, Satellite Invitational Feb. 22, Satellite Invitational The NBA also hasn’t had to deal Feb. 26, Heritage Feb. 26, Heritage with the cloud of controversy the NFL Invitational Invitational March 5, Eau Gallie March 5, Eau Gallie continues to suffering from. After Invitational Invitational receiving repeated blows to the head for As of March 14; for more updated scores, their entire career, NFL players have to visit www.westshoreroar.com deal with the possibility of developing

CTE, a degenerative brain disease.

Several former players have sued the league in recent years for failing to protect them. Now, the NFL is forced to focus on altering the rules of the game so that players aren’t taking these types of injuries as much.

While longtime fans of the game will argue that the league has become “soft,” others may simply choose to change the channel and watch Stephen Curry launch three-pointers from near half court.

The NFL is also forced to deal with a new player facing charges every season.

Just this year, the league watched one of its brightest young stars in Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt destroy his reputation with a domestic violence incident that was caught on video.

Now, the same player finds himself with a new team not even one year later. This will undoubtedly upset even longtime fans of the league.

He’s nowhere near the first player to find himself in this kind of situation either. In 2015, defensive-end Greg Hardy was handed a 10-game suspension for a domestic violence incident for which he was found guilty in a court of law.

Hardy’s 10-game suspension was reduced to four games and he signed a contract with the Dallas Cowboys — America’s Team.

NFL fans also will find fault with the fact that teams don’t think twice about giving players with these types of issues second chances, but have all but pushed Colin Kaepernick out of the league.

Or perhaps some fans will stand on the other side of the issue, having been turned off by seeing players such as Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem.

Compare this type of ethical battle with a league where the main issue that has people up in arms is the Golden State Warriors signing another star player.

April 2019

sports center

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The Running Men Camps, Hayes carry on legacy begun by the older siblings Story by Michael Lucente Staff Writer It’s 2014 and the first middle-school track practice of the year is underway.

Seventh-graders Austin Hayes and Christian Camps, who barely know each other, lace up their sneakers for the first time as runners for West Shore. Having siblings in track and cross-country, they know they have expectations to live up to.

Fast forward to 2019, Hayes and Camps have become close friends, and together they lead the varsity track team as co-captains.

“Christian has been one of my best friends for years, and it goes deeper than us just being cross-country and track teammates, ” Hayes said. “In school and outside of school we have grown close, and it’s been great to have someone like him by my side.”

Similarly, Camps also loves having one of his best friends by his side leading the team during the season.

“Having my co-captain be my friend makes going to track every day a lot more fun, and it helps push me every practice to run with him,” Camps said.

Running appears to be in the blood for the Hayes and the Camps families as both Austin’s and Christian’s older brothers ran for the varsity team.

“My whole family runs and my older brother Austin was on the crosscountry team, so I figured I would try it out and turns out, it was pretty fun,” Camps said.

Last year, Hayes’s brother Jared was the track-team captain and left his mark on the sport.

“I don’t feel any pressure following my brother,” Hayes said. “I learned a lot from him the past couple years, and I’m proud to be a good role model to the younger runners like he was.”

The coaches have seen the senior duo

Photo: Dean Stewart

Distance Determined Hayes runs during a cross-country race in 2018.

grow as runners.

“The two of them have been a great influence on the running program at West Shore,” Coach Bryan Cheek said.

“To be a successful high-school runner, you are running year-round, and those two set a great example. You can count on them to be at practice every day.

We run seven days a week most of the year, especially during cross-country, and they are leading the workout every day. They are also ambassadors for the program in the community, participating in local races and making a good name for West Shore running even when it’s not in a school uniform.”

Freshman Alex Skaggs reflects on what the two captains have done for him.

“Christian and Austin have really motivated me a lot in running the 400 because they say that I have a lot of potential with the times that I’m hitting now as a freshman,” Skaggs said. “I really enjoying running with them because I can ask them questions and they almost always know the answer, and I can also get tips from them since they have so much experience with running already.”

Sophomore runner Brayden Cheek is also thankful to have Hayes and Camps to lead him.

Photo: Dean Stewart

Finding the Finish Line Camps runs during a September meet.

“Teamwork is a large part of the sport, and Christian and Austin have really demonstrated that,” Cheek said.

“Their advice has helped me better myself as a runner because they both have a long history of running and they know some things that you can only get from experience.”

With the track season just beginning, Hayes and Camps have a lot to look forward to.

“This track season I look forward to being able to help the team grow and be as good as possible even after I’m gone,” Camps said.

Hayes also is anticipating the upcoming season.

“I think it’s inspiring to see how excited the younger guys are about running, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of the season brings,” Hayes said.

Camps and Hayes will continue to work hard in practice and hope for the best at the meets.

“Both of them were the right choices for team captain.” Cheek said.

“Teammates look up to them. They are coachable and willing to listen when there’s opportunity for growth as both an athlete and a leader. We will miss them in the running program and the running community next year.”

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westshoreroar.com

Athletes to Watch Compiled by Michael Lucente

Eric Tyler, 12 Lacrosse captain 21 ground balls 7 goals

Tennis

Lacrosse

Zane Sanders, 11

Fourth year varsity 1-1 in no. 2 doubles

Erin O’Brien, 12

Points: 32 Total goals: 14 Total assists: 4

Basketball

Anna Becker, 10

Soccer

sports center

Points per game: 7.9 Rebounds per game: 3.5 Assists per game: 1.0

April 2019

sports center

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Growing the Game

Physics instructor brings prior playing experience to coaching Cullen Capaldi, Chris Johnson Staff writers When science instructor Andrew Madden joined the faculty at the start of the school year, he not only brought his physics expertise, but, also more than a decade of lacrosse coaching experience.

“I started coaching right out of high school as an assistant for a community program in 2008 in Hillsborough County,” Madden said. “That developed into the club program for Durant High School, and I eventually became their head coach.”

Madden began playing lacrosse during his sophomore year of high school.

“On club sign-up day, I just picked the first club that interested me, which was lacrosse,” Madden said. “I had never played, or even seen a game before then, but it looked like fun.”

Madden quickly fell in love with lacrosse, prioritizing the sport over other activities.

“After playing both baseball and lacrosse for two years, I stopped playing baseball to focus on lacrosse for my senior year and beyond,” Madden said. “It was a good choice, as I ended up walking onto Saint Leo University’s lacrosse team.”

Madden offered advice for those considering playing sports in college.

“The key thing for any college student-athlete is to make sure you are working toward a degree you truly enjoy or are motivated to get,” Madden said. “It definitely took a different level of time management from high school, but the motivation of being a student-athlete helped to develop those time-management skills.”

Those skills have continued to be valuable even after college.

“I try to get on campus by 7:30 most

Photo: Andrew Madden

Taking aim Physics teacher Andrew Madden shoots towards the goal during one of his high school games

mornings, giving me time to take care of classroom responsibilities. It’s much easier when you are passionate about what you are doing.”

Madden shared his goals for this season and beyond.

“My expectations for this boys varsity season is to really have them working as a complete team, and to make it back into district playoffs for the second year in a row. There are some major holes that have developed in the lineup compared to last year, so getting guys put into the right spots to fill in those gaps is the key to our success,” Madden said. “For the future, growing the sport on campus is the primary goal.”

Junior midfielder Zane Sanders believes the team may regress after losing several senior players.

“My expectations aren’t too high because we are such a young team,” Sanders said. “I’m mainly looking forward to next season.”

Junior attackman Shea Ix is optimistic that area teams are in the same rebuilding phase.

“Hopefully the season will go well and we will win some of our games,” Ix said. “Many other teams are in the same boat as we are with a lot of young players, so we have a decent chance of winning some of the games.”

Sanders believes this season will allow the younger players to gain experience. “Honestly [my expectations] aren’t too high because we are such a young team,” Sanders said. “I’m mainly looking forward to next year.”

Madden expressed his gratitude to have the opportunity to help grow the school’s lacrosse program.

“I’ve wanted to teach since I was 14 and have wanted to coach since graduating high school, so being able to be on campus at such a great school and having the opportunity to help build the West Shore boys lacrosse program is continuing a dream I’ve been fortunate to live since I started teaching and coaching back in 2014.”

The boys’ team is currently 2-4, following a 17-6 loss to Edgewood on March 12.

entertainment 20 Smash Hit Novice lands starring role in ‘The Lion King Jr.’ westshoreroar.com

Photo Creative Commons

By Sophia Bailey Featured Writer Eighth-grader Ritvik Varada has proven himself as a member of the Florida Association of Mu Alpha Theta, MathCounts, Future Problem Solvers, as well as Space Coast’s soccer team, but none of those pursuits helped prepared him for his latest extracurricular activity: playing the key role of Young Simba in the theater department’s upcoming middle-school presentation of Disney’s “The Lion

King Jr.” “I haven’t even watched a play,” Varada said. “I barely knew what Broadway was until the beginning of this year.”

Varada’s decision to audition for the musical was prompted by encouragement from his friends, including eighth-graders McKenna Slaughter, Grant Newcombe and Deklyn Gardner.

“I have sixth period gym with Newcombe and Saughter,” Varada said. “On the day of the audition, they were talking about ‘The Lion King Jr.’ and I was like ‘What’s that?’

Newcombe told me to try out for it, so I texted my dad and he said ‘Fine.’ He let me audition.”

Despite not participating in theater performances prior to ‘The Lion King Jr.,’ Varada said he decided to take the opportunity to try something new with his friends and see what happened.

“My dad was motivating me to get out of my comfort zone,” Varada said. “Newcombe was like ‘Just do it. It doesn’t matter. If you don’t get a role, it’s not going to hurt too much.’”

Going into the Jan. 22 audition, Varada said he had never acted or sang before, but gave it his best effort when he was asked to sing “Happy Birthday” and recite a dialogue from the performance.

“Everyone said that I did well,” Varada said. “But I couldn’t tell if that was out of being polite. I thought I did decent on the script reading, but I’m not sure how I did with singing.”

Varada’s friend, Saughter , who has performed in shows on campus as well as at the Henegar Center — including “Sweeney Todd” and “West Side Story” —said that she was excited to see Varada audition.

“He went in expecting to be a blade of grass,” Saughter said. “We went in half-expecting him to be a blade of grass.

So it was definitely surprising.”

The cast list was revealed the following day.

“The second I got cast as Young Simba, I texted everyone

entertainment in caps lock on the group chat.

One of my friends, Gardner, had posted who had gotten what role,” Varada said. “Everyone was happy because they got the characters that they wanted.

McKenna got Nala and Grant got Old Simba. And I got Young Simba somehow.”

Ritvik will be singing “I Just Can’t Wait to Be King” and “Hakuna Matata”. He also has a duet with the character Mufasa.

“Halfway through ‘Hakuna Matata’ — which is the end of Act One — Grant switches with me as Old Simba,” Ritvik said. “Young Simba goes across a bridge — McKenna calls it ‘the puberty bridge’ — and then he becomes Old Simba.”

The show will premiere Feb. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m in the school auditorium.

“I think the cast is really good but also the show itself is really pretty and the music is amazing,” McKenna said. “[Ritvik] has a lot of lines and a major song. ‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ is the song that everyone thinks about when they think of ‘The Lion King’.

It’s definitely a lot of pressure to be a lead for your first show but I think he will be OK.” The theater department welcomes students from different backgrounds and experiences to come together in creating a show to transport audiences to a different world, even if only for an hour or two.

“I encourage everyone to give [theater] a shot, because it’s a really good time,” McKenna said.

“It’s a bunch of time hanging out with really cool people. I love the adrenaline of opening night shows. Everyone is so nervous and the stage lights go down and everyone is like ‘Ooooh’. It’s all

very exciting.”

As this will his first theater performance, Ritvik will receive aid from other students in the show and rehearse under the guidance of Theater Director Maureen Fallon.

“I plan on talking to McKenna, Grant and Deklyn because they are super experienced,” Ritvik said. “They are probably going to give me some singing tips. I think that I can recite the lines pretty well, I just need [my friends] to proofread. The hardest part of the performance will be mending up my singing.”

“It gives you an opportunity to transport yourself and be a different person for a while.”

The cast will be memorizing lines and lyrics as they rehearse in the weeks to come.

“I think that the people cast in the roles are going to do it a lot of justice,” Saughter said. “Theater is interesting. It’s different than anything else because it gives you an opportunity to transport yourself and be a different person for a while. And also you put all of this work into something and you feel like you’ve created something special. So many people come into making this product, and when it finally comes together it’s a nice moment for everybody.

And it’s nice for the people who get to watch [the performance] too.”

The status quo is not holding Ritvik back from trying something new.

“I want to prove to myself that I’m not bad at theater,” Varada said.

April 2019

Love it Hate it

21

Compiled by Valery Linkenhoker

"It is a good game. “Apex Legends” “It’s an unfair advantage to [those They should add who] have been being able to play playing longer .” first and third —Zachary Rowe, 9th person.”

—Bryson Lohse, 8th

“It has a lot of fun “thank u, next” “It sounds like songs, but I think every other pop she didn’t really song on the radio.” use her talent. She —Alexus Schriner, has a really good 11th voice, I just don’t think she used it in the best way.”

—Madison Ainbinder, 10th

“Nickelodean Kids Award shows Choice Awards, I used to live for that. I don’t watch many now, but they’re always entertaining.”

—Mia Harolakus, 12th

“I think they’re overrated. You don’t need a huge announcement to know you did a good job on something you produced.”

—Tyanna Tizol, 11th

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westshoreroar.com

reviews

‘Death Race for Love’ New Juice WRLD Album

Photo: Creative Commons

Review by Madhav Pamidimukkala Sports Editor “Death Race For Love” not only makes up for Juice WRLD’s past project’s mediocrity, but also surpasses the standard he set with the first. This new project represents his transition to a more pop and rock style with upbeat instrumentals, yet still maintains the lyrics that reflect his anxiety and depression that many listeners can relate to. In the first track “Empty” the chorus is remarkably more developed and in synch with the instrumental than some of his other songs, and this works well to create a hard-hitting style that sends chills through the listener. Throughout the album, he uses repetitive choruses which make the songs stick in your head and make you want to keep listening to them; this is especially evident on “HeMotions.” With the project, he’s able to experiment with a more diverse tempo usage and is able to slow down the songs and make them seem more “pop.” The album’s premier single is definitely the Billboard Top 100 hit “Robbery” which really shows that Juice WRLD is focusing more on his vocals and using them to create a unique niche in the oversaturated field to pave his way to the top of the rap industry.

‘Galaxy Fold’ New Samsung smartphone Photo: Creative Commons

Series treats subject with respect Review by Emily Lovelock Staff Writer Despite initial concerns due to Netflix’s reputation for using mature content simply for its shock value rather than its actual artistic value, the platform’s new show “Sex Education” proves to be a refreshing step toward what the future of such material on Netflix should be.

Otis Milburn, the son of a sex therapist, is pushed by his classmate Maeve Wiley to start his own clinic with her at their school after she witnesses him help fellow student Adam after he overdoses on Viagra in his struggle to overcome his impotence.

The show has sufficient predictability to viewers satisfied in its realism, but more than enough plot twists to keep them on the edge of their seats.

Despite the pilot including multiple graphic scenes, the sexual aspect of the show isn’t exploited for views. The opening scenes act more as a filter for the potential audience, clearing out the viewers that aren’t as comfortable with sexual scenarios. Unlike with other series, the graphic content actually decreases with each episode.

The plot also changes from Otis helping people with their physical issues to a more honest discussion about emotional conflicts and identity concerns.

“Sex Education” also twists old tropes — like the will-they-won’t-

they love story and the manic pixie dream girl — along with crude humor to mask a serious show that tackles tough topics such as the effects of teen pregnancy, suicide, drug use cheating and mental health.

It’s rare that a show is able to handle such themes without falling back on a number of damaging stereotypes, but “Sex Education” proves to be genuine and well-rounded in its presentation, challenging the representations seen in traditional television.

“Helping people out with their physical issues to a more honest discussion about emotional conflicts and identity concerns.”

Asa Butterfield gives an amazing performance as Otis, but the entire cast is stellar. Despite this being her first major series, Emma Mackey is quickly making a name for herself in the role of Maeve — even drawing numerous comparisons to Margot Robbie.

The show is only improved by the amazing cinematography and overall design. It is amazing to see the characters so clearly reflected in their environments. The landscapes and costumes feel true to each scene, if not playfully campy at times.

“Sex Education” is a ground breaking show that will definitely be in the public eye for some time.

Review by Valery Linkenhoker Managing Editor The Galaxy Fold is probably the most pointless piece of technology to hit the market. If you really need a screen to be that big just buy a tablet. I think it is useless in the sense of practicality, a phone that is probably the double the width of a normal phone seems ridiculous. Not to mention that it is a $2,000 phone. That’s bonkers, there are so many things that DISCLAIMER: This show is not intended for children. Please follow the $2,000 could buy, why waste it on something this content guidelines set by your parents. impractical?

April 2019

reviews

Artist Spotlight:

By the Numbers

Lil Skies Photo: Creative Commons

Review by Auston Gonzalez Editor in Chief Following his 2018 mixtape “Life of a Dark Rose,” Kimetrius Foose, creatively known as Lil Skies, has released his debut studio album. “Shelby,” named in honor of his mother, consists of 14 tracks and contains features from Gunna, Landon Cube and Gucci Mane. After listening to Skies for a long time, it comes as no surprise that he has the best hip-hop album to start the year. Following the releases of Gunna’s “Drip or Drown 2” and Offset’s “FATHER OF 4,” “Shelby” is simply much more of a vibe, for lack of a better description. Whether you’re driving to school or at a party on a Friday night, you can’t go wrong with this album.

Skies has tremendous versatility when it comes to the mood his music creates.

After posting a snippet of the first track “I” many months ago, he starts with a catchy hit to hook its audience into listening through the rest of the album.

Immediately after, Gucci Mane is featured on the second song “Bad Girls,” soon followed by “Nowadays, Pt. 2,” a sequel to Skies’ most popular song with long-time friend Landon Cube.

Gunna is featured in the middle of the project on “Stop the Madness,” which is a

23

major feature after Gunna blew up in the hip-hop world in 2018.

For the final seven tracks, Skies is the only artist you’ll hear and he definitely does not disappoint. He produces an upbeat melody with “When I’m Wasted” and expresses raw emotion for the following three tracks.

“Name in the Sand,” the album’s single that was released last June, is a slower song that almost promotes a tired mood.

Lastly, “No Rainy Days” is the perfect track to conclude the project.

In basic terms, Skies displays a level of confidence that supports his dedication and work ethic. He deserves the attention he’s getting although he’s still underrated and his hard work is definitely paying off. This project gives us much more of a look into Skies as a person, not just an artist. We’re given an idea of his emotional journey as an artist, learning more about his anxiety and the struggles he’s faced on his climb to stardom. “Shelby” allows Skies to flash a rockstar-type personality while showing true emotion behind what goes into his craft. With Juice WRLD dropping an album a week after Skies, a project like “Shelby” may just go overlooked. However, Skies deserves tremendous respect as well.

69 50 7 10

Peak ranking of “Red Roses” on Billboard Hot 100

Thousand projected album equivalent unit sales for ‘Shelby’

Ranking for ‘Shelby’ on Apple Music

Peak ranking of ‘Life of a Dark Rose’ on Billboard Top 200 Albums

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Instruction is provided in all subject areas, including up to eight hours of practice tests. Regularly scheduled conferences are held to discuss his or her progress.

32-HOUR PROGRAM The 32-Hour Program provides instruction in all subject areas: • Reading, Writing and Language, and Math for the SAT, or • English, Math, Reading, and Science for the ACT.

14-HOUR PROGRAM For students who have limited time to prepare, our 14-Hour Program focuses on one subject area of your choice: • Reading, Writing and Language, or Math for the SAT, or • English, Math, Reading, or Science for the ACT.

SAT/ACT PREP

THE HUNTINGTON ADVANTAGE THE HUNTINGTON ADVANTAGE MEANS:

4 Individualized Tutoring 4 Test-Taking Strategies 4 Proven Results 4 Flexible Scheduling 4 Convenient Locations 4 Specially Trained Teachers

Huntington Suntree

6300 N. Wickham Road Melbourne, FL 32940 321-757-0379

CALL TODAY Personalized Attention. Proven Results.

1.800.CAN.LEARN

©2017 Huntington Mark, LLC. Independently owned and operated. SAT is a registered trademark of the College Board. ACT is a registered trademark of ACT, Inc. These entities were not involved in the production of and do not endorse this program. *Offer valid for Academic Evaluation or Tuition; new students only. Not valid with any other offer.

HLC1870D

www.HuntingtonHelps.com

1.800.CAN.LEARN