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HOW BRIGHT IS YOUR FUTURE? A look inside recent changes to scholarship requirements Page 12
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October 2019
Letters Curve crusher
I Photo: Roxy Underwood
Caitlin Topp (11) races down the field during the annual Powderpuff game Sept. 27. The seniors prevailed 30-12.
Contents 4................................................................Editorial 5................................................................Hurricane Holdup 6-7............................................................Briefs 8...............................................................Counseling carousel 9...............................................................Climate/Democrat 10-11........................................................SAT 12.............................................................Teacher Turnover 13.............................................................Deadly Disease 14.............................................................Sports 16.............................................................Swag or Drag 18-19.............................................................Reviews
Policies “Roar” recognizes itself as a public forum and encourages letters from West Shore students and members of the community. “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. “Roar” is not responsible for websites viewed through links found on pages mentioned in the publication. “Roar” values letters from our readers: maximum length for letters is 200 words. No more than one letter each semester will be published from a writer. Letters and columns are edited for length, content and clarity. “Roar” maintains the right to edit all submissions for poor taste, length, grammar and libel. Views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily represent the views of the Brevard County School Board, the West Shore administrators, faculty, student body or “Roar” staff. Send your opinions to wstheroar@gmail.com. Visit westshoreroar.com afor more content.
wstheroar@gmail.com W e s t s h o r e r o a r. c o m @Wstheroar
recently took the SAT in September. I did much better than I did on my last SAT, but my score only raised 10 points. I understand why, the test form I took was easier than most other forms, putting a harsher curve on the questions I answered incorrectly to equalize all other SAT tests. However, that doesn’t mean that I’m not upset, or that I am unqualified for college. The SAT has served as the most popular collegereadiness aptitude test for years, but that is just what it is: an aptitude test. While it tests your knowledge on basic algebra and comprehension, the way in which questions are formulated are sure to mess with the minds of students who don’t understand how College Board works, especially under extreme time-restraints where the average test-taker doesn’t have time to check their answers. A single test that requires millions of students to retake it two to four times in order to get a subjectively acceptable score is not a test that should be the nationwide norm. The SAT sets students up for failure, and does not accurately show everything a given student has learned up to this point in their lives. Not to mention the SAT is expensive, especially for students who are just outside of the reach for a fee waiver. A test such as the ACT has a much better range of concepts that objectively question a students cumulative academic achievement rather than their IQ. Thankfully, several colleges are finally noticing that nation-wide testing is a poor indicator of the true intelligence of a student, and are starting to focus more on comparing students from similar schools and areas with regards to GPA and classload. Devin Thrush, 12
Bugging out
I
would like to point out an issue that affects me and many other students. This issue is the wasps. There are many wasp nests under the pavilion outside the portables. I have never been stung by a wasp or bee, until this year at Power Hour. The wasp nests are not being removed (at least, I don’t notice it) and they are causing problems for the students. A solution I would like to propose is that we could start a fund raiser going towards removing the nests humanely and effectively. Like “Remove West Shore’s Wasps” or something. Hopefully, the issue is resolved or looked over. Another benefit of removing the nests are that students don’t have to constantly move seats to move away from the wasps. Because of the limited seating in the cafeteria and media center, me and other students eat outside. If we remove the nests, less stings/trips to the nurse would happen. Scarlett Edammudalige, 7
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Illustration by Isha Patel
From the Editor
Staff editorial Insensitivity surrounding tragedy in the Bahamas
T
ropical storm Dorian. That’s all it was supposed to be. Maybe it would strengthen to even a category 1, allowing us to stay out of school for a mere few days. Nothing too serious, just a little thrill only we Floridians get to experience once a year. Just like every hurricane season, all we have to do is put up shutters and beat everyone else to the water aisle, and if it looks too grim, hop in a car and drive away. To our surprise, Dorian quickly became a Category 1 then a catastrophic Category 5 headed straight for the Bahamas. When it made landfall, it stalled over the islands for nearly two days. To put it blatantly, the people of the Bahamas were devastated. One month ago, Hurricane Dorian, the most powerful tropical cyclone on record to strike the area, hit the Bahamas. According to the prime minister, it was, and still is, the greatest national ongoing crisis in the country’s history. What did social media have to say about that? Tweets and Instagram posts full of jokes and memes suggested, not sympathy, but utter disappointment. Disappointment over the fact that the hurricane just stayed far enough off the coast of Florida to cause no real damage. That hurricane was a joke. Nothing exciting even happened. And when Brevard Public Schools announced schools would reopen on Friday, students seemed to forget how fortunate they were not to have been at the mercy of 183 mph winds. I wish it hit so we could stay out of school longer. It seems that with the recurrence of national tragedies, students are becoming desensitized to them. However, the insensitivity present online and through the halls of this school is unacceptable. Fifty people. Dead, and expected to rise. Thousands still missing. Any sign of buildings wiped away by winds and floods. Sanitation and access to clean water is no guarantee. Yet, people still hide behind their phone screens poking fun at suffering. Where could this lack of concern and respect stem from? Is
4 | westshoreroar.com | October 2019
it because we’re a generation born too late to witness the true power and devastation of hurricanes? Older people do tend to take storms more seriously. Or is it because cable is dying and along with it the neighbor of viewers watching the news? Younger generations just don’t concern themselves with current events as they did in the past; too busy binge-watching Netflix series to turn on Channel 2 and see the reality of what’s happening in the Bahamas. Maybe they’ll hear about how terrible the storm is from their parents, but that’s nothing compared to seeing it for yourself and being told nearly 70,000 people have been displaced. Now with the buzz of the hurricane in the rear-view mirror of most students, people returned to their regular schedules; who they should ask to Homecoming and their next math test. And that is the worst part. These people should be going out of their way to contribute to relief efforts for our neighbors because the end of this tragedy is far from over. Thankfully, Environmental Sustainability Awareness club members have risen to the task and have set up a drive to receive donations to send over to the Bahamas. West Shore students didn’t hesitate when it came to contributing. One notable, positive difference with the social media presence online is that users are skipping out on the “raising awareness” fad; changing your profile photo a different color or posting “praying for…” They’re getting straight to what actually makes a difference: when and where can you donate, how you can help, and more information on the conditions in the Bahamas. It shines a light on that, among the ridicule and disregard, our generation is maturing and taking advantage of the true potential of social media. Although Dorian hit a month ago, we should look back and remember the steps the students around us took so we can learn and all be ready to take proper action in the future wherever disaster strikes next.
News
Not everyone welcomed missed days Story by Leighton Johnson, Managing Editor
B
etween creating a new learning plan and losing three days of teaching, Maggie Molledo wondered how she’d be able to makeup the lost time in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, which skirted the Melbourne area early last month. “My anatomy classes suffered the most since most of the more engaging lessons that were planned I couldn’t make those lessons up, not to mention the huge amount of stress put on me because I couldn’t reschedule a test which we only spent a few days on,” said Molledo, who also teaches middle-school science research and biology. While thinking back to his preparations for the hurricane , putting up his own shutters but also his neighbor’s, senior Jacob Klenotich questioned the necessity of the storm preparations. “It was already too late to evacuate and besides the worst part of the storm was getting hit by a little rain and some wind, he said. “Usually I’d be all for not going to school, but now that it’s senior year. Missing too much school could be detrimental for my GPA. Even though it was only three days, the workload added could be hard to work off.” Senior James Leonard also expressed frustration about missing vital days at school. “I like to get a head start on my college applications but thanks to the hurricane, I wasn’t able to get any letters of recommendation or talk with my guidance counselor,” he said. “On the plus side, I did get a good
a
Cost of a close call $10 million for beach erosion restoration $800 thousand for parks, docks, and crossover repairs
Source: Florida Today
Hurricane holdup
$6 million
+
for emergency and protective services
$16.8 MILLION TOTAL amount of my essays done, which took a considerable load off applications.” Despite this, Senior Madison Newcombe feels that her evacuation was justified due to her grandmother’s condition stating, “My grandmother came down to Florida from Philadelphia. She never really experienced a hurricane before and my family didn’t want her to have to go through what we thought would be a Category 3 hurricane,” Newcombe said. “I’m glad that we evacuated because if the power had gone out, she would have been in trouble.”
COLOR PERFECT Auto • Home • Marine • Aviation Leather • Vinyl • Plastic Repair • Re-dyeing
Musa Rukab 5
SENIOR SEASON
Briefs
Cheering during the Powder Puff pep Sept.27 rally, Scott Maggio (12) chants for a victory. “This year was different because there was a lot more spirit involved and [there] were a lot more participants,” Maggio said.
Photo: Roxy Underwood
The rally of a drum echoed through the campus on Sept. 27. This resonance marked the start of the annual Powder Puff football game rivalry between the juniors and seniors. With spirit week leading up to this tradition, junior and senior boys prepared their cheerleading routine, while the girls perfected their flag football skills.
$
60
The amount anyone holding or using a cell phone while driving in a school zone or active construction zone will be fined under a new law that took effect Oct. 1. In addition to the fine, county assessment taxes and fees also will be applied along with a three-point penalty on an individual’s driver license.
SAMI RAMADAN (11) “I’m hoping by next year my friends and I know how to do a back flip so we can blow away next year’s juniors.”
RACING RECORD The Sept. 25 release of Mario Kart
Photo by Cayman Alford
Demonstrating the effects of centripetal force, Christopher Hinshaw (11) twirls a baseball in the air for his AP Physics class. “I really enjoyed the lab, since it helped me better visualize how physics can be used in everyday activities,” he said.
INTO THE SWING OF THINGS 6 | westshoreroar.com | October 2019
Tour has changed the game for many Nintendo fans. It has now surpassed more than 90 million downloads, making it the fastest downloaded mobile game in Nintendo’s history, according to Sensortower.com. “It’s surprisingly good considering it’s a mobile video game,” Aidan McCalley (10)said.
Courtesy of Nintendo
FAUX FLESH WOUND
Instead of another lesson, the Anatomy and Physiology Honors class spends the day applying DIY FX makeup to better understand the effects of scarring. Coral Kehm (12) observes her work as Bianka Albert (9) touches up her hand. “It was really interesting since it was a hands-on activity,” Kehm said.
Photo: Rosellen Rodriguez
IT’S ACADEMIC Varsity academic team members Kishen Mitra (12), Riley Afflerback (11), Emily Lovelock (12), Jack Baptist (10) and Chris Jenkins (11) set the tone for the season by finishing first in the introductory round in the annual Jamboree, which does not count for regular season scoring.
TACKY TEACHERS
SCHOLARLY
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The National Merit Scholarship Corporation released recently the names of national semifinalists. Six West Shore students earned the distinction.
Alyssa Holmquist “I did Khan Academy for about a month before the PSAT. I tried doing an hour every Sunday.”
Chris Johnson
“I wasn’t stressed or anything. I was just taking another test.”
Kishen Mitra
Photo: Lily Schutt
In honor of spirit week, administration and staff showed their quirky sides for Tacky Tourist Tuesday.
Sarah Bahsoun “I made sure to get a full cup of coffee to stay on my toes.”
Tracy Zheng
TRICKY TREAT
A study from candystore.com ranks Skittles as the best Halloween candy in the state of Florida, with Snickers coming in close second and Reese’s peanut butter cups as third. However, at least one senior disagrees.
“Make sure to relax and take it easy, don’t stress.”
“Try your best, but don’t stress over it. A lot of factors go into it that you can’t control.”
Photo by PiccoloNamek
“One of my favorites is the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination, but my favorite candy is usually peanut butter M&Ms.” — Jade Norton
Mircea Silaghi “Sleep well. Sleep is very good.”
Campus Connect Charles Mitchell (10) talks to new guidance counselor Hannah Smith during power hour. “We
Photo: Sophia Bailly
aren’t just your guidance counselors to put your grades in. We are also people who are trained in mental health to help you,” Smith said.
Counseling carousel Guidance office opens year with myriad changes Story by Sophia Bailly, Staff Writer hile new and returning students received their schedules and reunited with teachers and classmates, registration day had the guidance office in unexpected turmoil with the sudden resignation of guidance counselor Spero Tshontikidis. After working on campus as a guidance counselor for seven years, Tshontikidis decided to become head guidance counselor at Viera Charter School. Viera Charter Assistant Principal Tom Armstrong discussed with Tshontikidis the projected expansion of Viera Charter School and proposed the possibility of having Tshontikidis join his school. “Although I did not intend to transfer this year and the timing was terrible, the opportunity to be the school’s lead counselor was before me and I decided to make the move,” Tshontikidis said. Traditionally, employees are expected to give a two-week notice before resigning, but Tshontikidis’s notice fell two days before registration day. “It was a terrible level of service to our students,” Principal Rick Fleming said. “I’m very disappointed in Dr. Spero for not giving us more notice that he was leaving.” The departure of Tshontikidis was not the only change faced by the guidance department. Guidance counselor Jennifer Ghiz returned to Eau Gallie High School during winter break of 2018, and former chemistry teacher Caroline Horst
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completed her master’s degree in school counseling and applied for the position. “I knew Mrs. Horst was getting certified in guidance about two or three years ago,” Fleming said. “As she worked through the program, we had always planned on her taking over when someone retired or moved on. We did not know Ms. Ghiz was going to be leaving during the year. I did not want to lose [Horst]. She has been very well-received at our school as a teacher, hence she would be very well-received as a guidance counselor. I don’t like to lose high-quality teachers.” Horst taught for 10 years before deciding to begin the two-year process to become a certified guidance counselor. When the guidance position opened, Horst was halfway through teaching her Chemistry Honors classes and preparing her AP Chemistry students for their exam. “Neither she nor I wanted to leave her AP Chemistry students in a lurch without a teacher,” Fleming said. Retired counselor Chuck Keener filled the guidance position for the remainder of the school year, while Horst completed her certification. “I was looking to try something new,” Horst said. “I knew I still wanted to work with young people, but I felt like I could make more of an impact in the guidance office. I could help them prepare for college, career planning and aspects like that. This seemed like a good fit for me.
8 | westshoreroar.com | October 2019
Over the summer, I spent time here just getting my feet wet with the paperwork aspects of the job.” Kimberly Strauch, the lone veteran guidance counselor on campus, said she was not prepared for the sudden changes. “Things happen and we just keep moving on,” Strauch said. “It’s more difficult for the students. Our jobs are our jobs no matter what. We are prepared to do whatever we need to do. Making sure that the students are being taken care of, that’s the fun part of my priorities: making sure that everyone is OK.” To that end, former psychometrist Hannah Smith joined the school’s staff Aug. 26. After living a majority of her life in Japan and moving to Florida five years ago, Smith decided to become a school counselor to make an impact on the youth. “You can be striving for excellence and be doing all of these things,” Smith said. “But at the end of the day if you’re too stressed out or if you have anxiety, I want to make sure that the kids understand, ‘Hey, come and talk to us.’” Smith earned a clinical masters’ degree to become certified in clinical mental health counseling and taught students with disabilities at Brevard Academy for Individual Excellence. Smith is currently earning her post-masters’ certificate to be certified as a school guidance counselor in Florida, a process that includes taking four classes and a state certification test.
Climate control
Campus teens join global movement on campus and in community
Story by Emily Lovelock, Staff Writer
I
n an effort to draw attention to the issue of climate change, dozens of students could be seen gathering in the pavilion during their first period classes, participating in a walkout organized by the Environmental Sustainability Club on Sept. 20. The walkout was just a small piece of a larger movement called the Global Climate Strike. According to its website, groups from more than 150 countries joined the strike in order to encourage change before a United Nations emergency climate summit on Sept. 23. “I really don’t think that West Shore does enough to be sustainable, and it’s hard to see the planet suffer and people do nothing,” said junior Jasmine Narakorn, co-founder of the Environmental Sustainability Club. Fellow junior and co-founder Taqwa Naas initially was concerned about the turnout. With Narakorn and fellow junior and co-founder Palma Russo, Naas approached school administration in advance to declare their intention to strike. Members of the administration offered them support — and were indeed present at the strike — but were unable to clear it as an official school event. Students present at the strike either had to get their teachers’ approval to leave class or strike despite potential disciplinary consequences. “I kept hearing people saying, ‘Oh, I’m not going to come. I don’t want to skip class. I’m afraid my teacher is going yell at me,’ [so] I was really surprised a lot of people did come out and support it,” Naas said. “I don’t know whether it was to skip class or actually [because of] the climate strike, [but] it was a pretty big turnout.” In addition to the walkout at school, two of the three ESC cofounders attended a march at the Eau Gallie Causeway later
Photo: Roar staff
Activists gather on the Eau Gallie Causeway as a part of the Global Climate Strike on Sept. 20.
in the day, which they encouraged participants of the walkout to attend. “There were definitely more people from the community [...] and most of them did bring out signs,” Naas said. “People were beeping as they were [driving] by to show their support.” The Global Climate Strike was inspired by the Fridays for Future movement started by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg. Fridays for Future encourages students to strike every Friday until their governments implement effective policies to combat climate change. “There was one dude who was claiming that climate change is a hoax,” Naas said. “He was calling us liberals and socialists. The people responded to him in a positive way, saying things like, ‘I’m sorry you believe that,’ or, ‘Who hurt you?’ Despite the backlash, more strikes are already being planned for this month, though nothing at the moment for the school.
Record number of Democrats vie to face President Trump
Story by Isabel Burden, Staff Writer n unprecedented number of Democrats are facing off to determine who will run against President Donald Trump in the 2020 election. Among the 19 Democrats currently in the race, former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren lead in the polls. Sanders is running for president for the second time, after being defeated by Hillary Clinton in the 2016 primaries. Sanders’ ideas include raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and raising taxes on the wealthy. Biden touts universal background checks for people interested in buying guns, and Warren is most known for her bold environmental policies including ideas such as banning the fracking nationwide and imposing government regulations to reduce carbon emissions. Lesser known candidates include Andrew Yang, Sen. Cory Booker and Beto O’Rourke. Yang’s most well-known policy idea is giving Americans an extra $1,000 a month in order to help them with regular expenses, while Booker is fighting for racial and social justice. Finally, O’Rourke, a well-known progressive, aims to create universal healthcare.
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Senior Tommy Unger said he is not a fan of any of the Democrats. “A lot of them are way too radical,’’ he said. But senior Daniah Jarrah disagrees. “I really like a lot of the Democratic candidates, like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren,” she said. “Their policies could both really help the environment and people with lower economic statuses.” AP United States History teacher James Pustay, who identifies neither as a Republican nor a Democrat, said he’s not impressed by what he hears from the field of challengers. “They all have great intent, but there isn’t a lot of differences between [the candidates]. They all seem to have similar views on things like immigration policy, the economy and the environment.” This week’s national debate saw a record 12 candidates on the stage at the same time, because rather than divide the field into two groups, the Democratic National Committee required that a candidate have 130,000 individual donors and receive 2 percent support in at least four qualifying polls in order to participate.
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Cover Story
Is the future really bright?
A look inside recent changes to SAT requirements Story by Michael Stewart
Seniors have more to celebrate this year than graduating high school and beginning their college careers because starting next year, Senate Bill 190 will require students to have higher SAT scores to be eligible for the Bright Futures scholarship. To receive the Florida Academic Scholar award, which covers all tuition and fees for in-state colleges and universities, the required SAT score will increase from 1290 to 1330. The “Florida Medallion” scholarship, which covers 75 percent of tuition and fees, will require a score of 1200, up from the previous 1170. “I just think it makes it more difficult,” the school’s testing coordinator Mike Drake said. “The way the test scores were last year — meaning the 1170 and 1290 — they were pretty stringent. Those scores aren’t going to get you in an Ivy League school, but they aren’t the easiest scores to obtain for a lot of students.” According to the “Orlando Sentinel,” 38 percent of African American students, 31 percent of Hispanic students and 32 percent of white students who qualified last year would be ineligible under the new requirements. “Every year, we have 140 or so graduates and we have 100 or more of them qualify for the Bright Futures,” Drake said. “I see that number going down a little bit because of this. But when I think globally, I think it’s really going to impact students that are at other schools that don’t have the same opportunity that students here at West Shore have, and it’s just sad to me.” Drake said he disagrees with the change. “I think if students do all the things they’re supposed to do and they are good students and have good test scores and they graduate from high school and have a plan to go to college, we should do everything as a society to help them,” he said. “There’s a lot of students that their family situation is going to send them to college regardless of what their test scores are. There will be a section of the student population that won’t go to college because of it.”
10 | westshoreroar.com | October 2019
RAISING THE BAR Florida Academic Scholarship SAT
1290 2020-2021: 1330
2019-2020:
Florida Medallion Scholarship SAT
1170 2020-2021: 1200 2019-2020:
ACT (No Change)
29 2020-2021: 29 2019-2020:
Drake said he is especially concerned for high-schoolers from less financially stable families. “Its been shown over and over again that students in lower socioeconomic status have lower test scores,” he said. Those opposing the change cite poorer students need funding to go to college. “It’s going to be a lot harder for people to get into college since some people need the money to get into college,” junior Ollie Anderson said. Since 2018, Florida has given out 40,000-plus scholarships and paid for all or part for 103,000 students to attend college.
“If students do all the things they’re supposed to do and they...have good test scores, we should do everything as a society to help them.”
“I think as the standards become higher, they need to continue to raise the score,” junior Brayden Cheek said. “They can’t be giving out scholarships because there is only a limited amount of funding for this. The standards are even higher so we have to work even harder to get these scholarships.” Junior Ezekiel Finlayson said he believes the change won’t affect whether or not he can go to college.
DIMMING PROSPECTS
Bright Future Scholarships paid in full
Initial Eligible Bright Future Students
Percentage of Graduates Eligible for Bright Futures
2003-04
45,067
33
2004-05
50,703
36
2005-06
55,993
37
2006-07
59,706
38
2007-08
62,360
39
2008-09
64,004
38
2009-10
65,253
38
2010-11
64,345
38
2011-12
55,513
37
2013-14
55,513
29
2014-15
52,154
20
38%
2015-16
35,694
20
2016-17
36,242
20
2017-18
36,695
20
White African American
2018-19
46,739
24
Students attending college based on Bright Futures scholarships since 2018
103,000
Percentages of students who would be ineligible under the new SAT requirements
Hispanic
RISING REQUIREMENTS Year
40,000
31%
“I’ve been taking the PSAT since eighth grade,” he said. “I’ve steadily increased about 100 points per PSAT, so I should expect to increase around 100 more points, so that would put me in the range to get 75 percent of my college paid for.” The changes were based off the national averages of SAT scores. Florida Academic Scholars scores are set to the 89th percentile on the SAT, and the Florida Medallion Scholars scores are set to the 75th percentile on the SAT. “National averages on paper sounds like a good plan on paper, but in practice, state averages would probably be more useful,” junior Dylan Bissessarsingh said. “Bright Futures is a Floridabased scholarship, so recipients of the scholarship should be judged based on Florida scores, and the same goes for other states.” Bissessarsingh said he believes the changes will have other ramifications on students. “I think making these changes is going to end up putting more pressure on students to do well on the test, which could end up being a good or bad thing,” he said. “On one hand, it might motivate people to study more, and as a result, get better grades. But on the other, students’ lives are already stressful enough. We shouldn’t need to worry about having to score even higher than we would’ve if the changes hadn’t been implemented.” Junior Loren Nienajadlo said he will be pushed to do better for the SAT. “I will definitely study harder in the specific classes to make sure I know the topics that are on the SAT better,” he said.
32%
Source: Orlando Sentinel
Source: Florida Department of Education
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News
SALARY INCREASE
Teachers recently saw the pay increase under a new contract agreement. • $2,000 for the 4,149 teachers rated “highly effective” in 2018-19 • $1,500 for 314 teachers rated “effective” • An additional $1,200 pay raise for teachers with 12 or more years of experience. Photo by Rosellen Rodriguez
Source: Brevard Public Schools
Teacher turmoil Educators recently received a raise, but still lag nationally Story by Olivia Blackwell, Staff Writer
T
he negotiations for this year’s teacher contract got off to a rocky start when the Brevard Federation of Teachers walked away from the bargaining table in late September. But on Oct. 1, Brevard Public Schools and the Brevard Federation of Teachers reached an agreemen and, as a result, teachers on average will receive a 4.1 percent pay increase. In addition, BPS and the teachers’ union also came to an agreement about the other terms of the pact. “I’m very happy,” said math teacher Steve Thomas, who serves as the Brevard Federation of Teachers building rep for the school. “It should be the norm. The superintendent and school board actually acted as if they cared about the classroom teacher.” The current contract was settled just two months after the 2018-19 contract negotiations concluded, with the district providing a small raise. In effect, teachers worked last year without knowing the details of their compensation. As a result, many expressed their displeasure with that arrangement as evidenced by a total of 3,886 teachers voting against the contract and 186 teachers voting for it. Getting to that point proved to be a contentious journey. Last May, special magistrate Tom Young, sided with the teachers on their contract demands, but Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Mark Mullins rejected the mediation
proposal in June. English teacher Kim Bracken said she felt let down over the results of the contract negotiations. “I was disappointed that the school board voted against the magistrate’s recommendation,” Bracken said. “Teachers, along with the support of the local teacher’s union, stood up for themselves, their students, and their profession by encouraging the school board to find ways to provide teachers with compensation that is keeping up with other counties in Florida. Many teachers are having to take on other part time jobs in order to provide for their families. The year-long dispute was stressful and had a negative effect on teacher morale.” West Shore recently added five new faculty members, including language arts teacher Tamara Reis. “My worry was that a lot of people were voting no [against the contract] because they wanted to make a bigger point, and I think people voted ‘yes’ because they wanted it all over,” Reis said. Many teachers have left education due to the continuing problems with pay in Florida’s public schools, but Reis remains hopeful that things will change. “I am one of the lucky people. Teaching is actually a second career for me, so I had a different career and I chose to move out of that and go into teaching,” Reis said. “I think Mrs. [Janice] Kowing in the front office has a great saying over her desk and it says, ‘you’re not in teaching
12 | westshoreroar.com | October 2019
for the income, you’re in teaching for the outcome,’ and I really feel that way.” But the results from last year’s protracted dispute continue to ripple through the current school year. “The shortage of teachers in our county will greatly impact students, teachers, administrators, and even our community,” Bracken said. “Highly effective, experienced teachers are needed in all classrooms in our county. Every student, no matter what school they attend, needs the consistency of a qualified teacher. The community expects that BPS maintains their high performing status, anything less is unacceptable.” Teacher compensation isn’t just a Brevard County issue. Florida currently ranks 46th in teacher pay and had 3,300 vacancies this year, but help might be on the way. In a response to those figures, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently proposed increasing the minimum pay for new teachers in Florida to $47,500 from the average current starting pay of $37,500. The pay increase for new teachers will be included within DeSantis’ 2020 budget if approved by the Florida Legislature. This proposal, however, does not include an increase in pay for veteran teachers. In addition, the governor’s proposal will need to make it through the upcoming legislative session. House Speaker José Oliva already has questioned how what amounts to a $2 billion increase in educational funding will be financed.
Deadly disease
Vaping linked to mysterious illness
Story by Sophia Bailly, Staff Writer
V
aping, the so-called “healthy alternative” to smoking cigarettes, has been linked to 19 deaths (as of Oct. 4) with the possibility of more victims to come. The first death was confirmed on Sept. 5, having been caused by a severe lung injury. Illinois, Oregon, Indiana, Minnesota, Kansas, California and Missouri confirmed the first nine deaths, respectively, with California reporting two of those deaths. In the following months 48 states reported 1,080 cases of the illness. In 2005 Stanford students Adam Bowen and James Monsees presented their invention of vaping as the “future of smoking.” For 14 years companies such as Juul have marketed e-cigarettes as a safe alternative to smoking combustible cigarettes. Joseph Gordon,coordinator for Students Working Against Tobacco, said e-cigarettes “hurt you quicker than combustible cigarettes.” “It causes irreversible damage to your lungs,” Gordon said. “Particles from the e-juice will never dissolve into your lungs.” This mysterious lung disease causes side effects including shortness of breath, chest pains, vomiting, pulmonary illnesses, lipoid pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome, a condition that causes fluid in the lungs to build up and prevent oxygen from circulating. More than half of the victims require intensive care and about one-third have reported needing respirators, according to “The Independent.” While victims include all ages, the mean age of those exposed to the illness is 19. With about 2.1 million middle-school and high-school students vaping in the United States, concern has risen. “Let students know specifically that they are young,” Gordon said. “They are fifteen, sixteen, seventeen and eighteen years old. If they start vaping at fifteen years old and are constantly vaping, by twenty they have adult bodies but itty bitty baby lungs. Their lungs are not developing because you stopped them from working. That should scare them. The bottom line is these kids don’t understand the dangers of how bad it is.” One student on campus said he has vaped since eighth grade as a way to relax and said he “decided to try it out” because “the people around me were doing it.” A former student now in college said peer pressure led him to vape for three years before he quit. “After about six months if I skated hard I would be out of breath and it would take a little while to catch up,” he said. “I cannot see inside my body to see what damage I caused in there.” E-cigarettes have repeatedly been marketed as a healthy alternative to regular cigarettes, with a variety of flavors intended to attract consumers. With the lung illness unfolding throughout the United States, President Donald Trump has called for a ban in flavored e-cigarettes, according to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar. The FDA continues to review the safety of e-cigarettes — a process that is expected to take weeks — as the Trump administration works to outline and pass a ban. “It’s a company trying to make money,” Gordon said. “I specifically feel like those 70,000 flavors should be banned
Illustration: Adam Hicks
because those target kids directly. If they are vaping two Juul pods a day, that’s forty cigarettes a day. Most of these kids are vaping two pods a day at least. That’s mind blowing. They think it’s cool. They don’t know any better.” Investigations conducted by private research institutes and the Food and Drug Administration suggest vitamin E acetate, nicotine, marijuana, and unregulated substances as the potential cause of the illness. As the FDA looks into options to ban forms of e-cigarettes (such as banning flavored e-cigarettes from the youth), a review of all electronic cigarette companies is scheduled for 2020.The FDA has stated that tobacco-flavored e-cigarettes have been on the market to help adults quit smoking. But with minors using the products, e-cigarette access may face restrictions. “We care for all of the kids in Brevard County,” Gordon said. “We want to see our kids healthy. We want to see our kids live a great, healthy life and not have to worry about irreversible lung damage or brain damage. I tell kids when I give presentations that I love them — because I am a parent. And I come at them like a parent, not like someone who wants to tell them what to do. I come at them with a caring heart.
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Sports
Photo: Stephanie Shaw
Photo: Courtesy of University of Florida
Line up Posing in the student union, the Purrfections prepare to take the field. “It was a really good experience,” Elise Chauvin (10) said. “It was a little bit outside of our comfort zone because of the crowd, but we ended up having a really good time.”
Purrfect purrformance
School’s dance team participates in University of Florida football pre-game show Story by Abigail Johnson, Staff Writer ixty seconds to leave her mark with the dance team. For senior Bella Stazzone, there wasn’t time to worry about the myriad other teams from around the state as she planned to perform before the UF vs. UT Martin football game Sept. 7. This experience would be the start of the next four years of her life. “I’ve been trying to decide if I want to dance in college,” she said. “After getting to perform at UF, I knew I’d definitely want to.” The opportunity for the Purrfections dance team to participate in the pregame performance, called Varsity Spirit Day, required members to learn a 60-second routine from a video. “We met the day before [the game] and ran through it a couple times, so I felt pretty prepared,” senior co-captain Kathryn Carrick said. After arriving at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the University of Florida campus, the team practiced for about three hours alongside other dance and cheer teams from around the state, adding visual effects to the basic routine to increase the crowd appeal. Then, it was time to perform for 80,000 people. “It was a really cool experience for sure,” Stazzone said. “It was a little nerve-wracking at first, but it was neat to get a feel for performing for a huge crowd.” Several Purrfections alumni have gone on to dance for college teams: Jennifer Garrido, Class of 2012, danced for the UF Dazzlers; Alicia Ortiz, Class of 2015, danced for the University of Miami Hurricanes and Hope Dougherty, Class of 2017, currently dances for the Dazzlers. Part of these dancers’ success can be traced to Purrfections
S
Coach April Shaw, who has extensive dance team experience herself, including dancing for the St. Louis Cardinals NFL team and the St. Louis Blues NHL team. “I try to model everything about our team after college teams so any of our dancers can be prepared to try out for a college team if they want to,” Shaw said. “I have attended college tryouts to see what they do, and I continually watch college games to see what their dance teams are doing.” However, there are certain aspects of college dance that can’t be replicated at a high school level, especially at West Shore. “It’s a huge change going from a high school with no football team to dancing at SEC football games,” Dougherty said. Shaw said college dance teams have become increasingly competitive. Many colleges now hold clinics and recruit dancers, with some being able to offer small scholarships. With that increased competition comes increased responsibilities for every dancer who makes the team. “Dazzlers is definitely a much bigger time commitment [than the Purrfections],” Dougherty said. “We practice four times a week and work out three times a week.” In addition to practices, the Dazzlers perform at all home football games, men’s and women’s basketball games and volleyball matches. Dancers are also required to maintain a minimum 2.5 grade-point average and full-time student status. Despite this, Stazzone said she is sure about her future in college dance. “I just really get the feeling that this is what I want to do,” she said.
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“I hope to do very well in districts. A lot of the kids on the team are swimming their best right now, so I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Fifth-year varsity swim
“This year, our district changed so now we have all the private schools in Orlando under our bracket. I expect districts this year to be good competition.”
Third-year varsity golf
Shane Gibson (11)
Jonelle Plahuta (12) Best run time (3.1 miles):
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“This season I hope we can make it to states again which will be a lot harder, but i think we can make it if everyone works hard.”
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16 | westshoreroar.com | October 2019
BBN
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Business
News
Congratulations to cast of a great show
Entertainment
Universal unveils Orlando theme park continues to evolve with addition of a new roller-coaster Story by Laith Rukab, Staff Writer
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hen the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in mid summer of 2010, Floridians and tourists from all countries paid a visit to the newest addition at Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Since then, they have expanded to the connecting park with a recreation of Hogsmeade and other Harry Potter attractions. Now, in the process of replacing an older rollercoaster (Dragon Challenge), the engineers have transformed it into Hagrid’s very own Care of Magical Creatures class. With the opening June 11, the line approached 10-hour wait stretching y to Suess landing on the other side of the park. No express pass was available to use to skip the longer wait until two weeks later. Sophomore Rachel Benezra visited the park a couple weeks after they grand opening. “It was nothing like I expected, she said the scenery throughout the ride caught me by surprise with the amazing attention to detail and characteristics from the Harry Potter movies.’’ Even after waiting almost two hours, Benezra said she enjoyed the experience. “As I approached the front of the line, I could hear the low hum of the motorbike waiting to take me through Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures class and the Forbidden Forest not knowing yet of the many twists the ride has.” This new ride is one of the more exhilarating in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with top speeds reaching up to 50 mph both forward and backwards. The ride features an unexpected 17-foot drop. The engineers also planted more than 1,200 trees. Even with all these improvements, senior Savannah Henderson said Universal’s expensive ticket isn’t worth it even with recent new expansions. The ticket prices have been increasing with each new addition to the park to compete with the neighboring parks like Disney and Seaworld. “I like the different atmospheres that the park exhibits from each section in Universal/Islands of Adventure, but with the the increasing ticket prices each year, I don't feel like it appeals to the students anymore.” Sophomore Madeline Huberman, who has visited the parks a couple of times, was unaware of the new additionsto the park. “I mainly go to Universal when they offer Halloween Horror Nights during October,” she said. “But I think more kids at our school prefer going to Halloween Horror Nights over the actual park.”
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RANKED
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PRAISED
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EARNED
91M
$
OPENING WEEKEND TAKE
Can’t keep a bad clown down Horror series finale more fun than fear
Review by Sophia Bailly, Staff Writer fter two years of anticipation, “It: Chapter Two” hit theaters with heartfelt moments, laughter to spare and some lackluster scares. Stephen King’s iconic story takes audiences back to the creepy town of Derry, Maine where, after 27 years of silence, the murderous clown Pennywise has risen from the sewers to cause more terror. The original cast of characters returns, but this time the innocent children from “It: Chapter One” revisit their hometown as adults to defeat Pennywise once and for all. Despite the well-executed storyline, “It: Chapter Two” falls short of scary. While there are plenty of gruesome and gory moments to go around, there is a lack of fear. The anticipation of a scare builds up, only to fall flat almost every time. There could be more screen time for Pennywise the Clown, but then again, the true form of Pennywise is not always what meets the eye. What the film lacks in fear, it makes up for with its characters. The reunion of the misfits known as the Losers’ Club provides humor and emotion. Every character has a distinct personality and role that adds a piece of the puzzle to the story arc. The casting steals the show, with the mannerisms of the adult actors perfectly mirroring those of the child actors. Stephen King doesn’t cease to disappoint with his plot lines (and cameo). His stories not only provide thrilling scares fit for unimaginable nightmares, but the depth of character development provides audiences with a sense of connection to the characters. Aside from the absence of thrilling horror, “It: Chapter Two” leaves audiences experiencing a movie rather than simply watching one. Even with the degree of disappointment after all of the built-up expectations, the finale of the movie brings tears to the eyes; tears that don’t go away until the credits started rolling and It reaches its end.
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Swift’s free spirit returns Review by Isabel Burden, Staff Writer
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aylor Swift fans are no strangers towards vengeful break-up songs, but her seventh studio album “Lover” is anything but. This album is an antithesis of her last album “Reputation”, which was filled with 15 songs about revenge and retaliation towards those who have wronged her in the past. “Lover” is a toast to her older albums like “1989” and “Fearless” that had to do with being in love and the many emotions that go into it. Throughout “Lover” there is an accumulation of songs that are the epitome of what Swift used to be. “Paper Rings” is a testament to finding that one person who completes you, while “It’s Nice To Have A Friend” is a lighthearted look at young love. This era of Taylor Swift is a lot more free
New release represents a blend of old and new sounds
Courtesy of Republic
spirited and a look back at Swift’s eras from late 2000s to 2010s, after her country streak but before her “Reputation” era. This album is a much more colorful work and shows that Taylor Swift can record a nostalgic record that is a gift to her older fans that have been through the previous six studio albums. “Lover’s” light
and soft tracks like “The Archer” and “Cornelia Street” are romantic but not overdone and are songs that sound more like “Enchanted” from her 2010 album “Speak Now” than anything else, while “Cruel Summer” and “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” are more like 1989 with their effortlessly cool tone that give that much needed beat to the album to keep fans intrigued and excited to hear more. As someone who has been a Taylor Swift fan since “Love Story” from “Fearless” and “Back To December” from “Speak Now”, “Lover” came as a surprise but also a gift, being a much needed album with a sound that hasn’t been heard from Swift for years. Overall, “Lover” is a great way for Swift to branch out of her sound yet bring back many attributes that made her who she is.
Superheroes gone sour
Review by Rosellen Rodriguez, Editor in Chief ake everything you ever thought you knew about superheroes, all of it, put it all in a bag, and throw it out into the ocean. Now, with a clean slate, “The Boys” twisted take on the super-abled gives comic fans a much-needed break from the usual family-friendly, PG-13 superheroes movies often seen on the big screen. No more cheesy one-liners or modest bloody wounds that we’re all tired of. Think “Logan” and all the exciting decapitating action or “Deadpool” in all its gory glory. You’re probably already thinking “Great another superhero show, like we don’t have enough of those.” Albeit “The Boys” may fall under the dark and gritty sub genre of superhero shows which have already taken the spotlight, such as Marvel’s “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones”, but there’s one thing distinctly different about this series: It plays off our culture over-saturated with superhero movies. It’s as if the writers thought “oh, OK now let’s put all the lovable, goody-two-shoe heros this generation grew up with into the real world.” “The Boys” brings back into focus that heroes are human. And just like anyone, they can be egotistical, greedy, cruel and just plain flawed. So, of course, they all work for Vought, who protects, pays and grants them fame. Under their control they cut corners, blackmail (or murder) politicians and kill the innocent without a second thought. These heroes aren’t just bad: they’re bad people. And it’s refreshing. Those in power are often corrupted in the face of wealth and fame and this story spares nothing to emphasize that this pattern can also apply to heroes. But contrary to typical superhero-packed shows, these so called heroes aren’t the center of the story. It’s normal-abled Hughie Campbell and his haphazardly put together squad.
Photo: Amazon Prime
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After A-Train (a knock off of the Flash) runs through Hughie’s girlfriend, destroying her into a gory mess in quite literally the first few scenes, he is approached by Billy Butcher who promises him a chance at revenge. He then embarks on a quest to take down the once thought untouchable Seven with Butcher. The Seven is clearly a satirical version of DC comics’ Justice League and the writers rely on audiences to have that background. Unlike most series, this isn’t just some copy and paste of what we’ve seen in the past. It also doesn’t try too hard to reinforce its dark universe distastefully as DC did in “Batman V. Superman,” although I did notice a similarity in the visual monotone filter the show employs. It’s realism at its finest or as close as it can be. The acting and writing brings it to life so viewers rare immersed in this strange society that seems oddly familiar. It is successful in the difficult task of making itself standout among the sea of series of the same type, giving it the golden seal of binge-worthy approval.
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