The Roar: May Issue

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Table of Contents May 2017

pg 6

Speak Your Mind

pg 7

Winds of Change

pg 9

Finishing Fluent

pg 10

United for Uniforms

pg 12

Booked Destinations

pg 15

Alps to Ivy’s

“The Roar” writers disagree on assault statistics

Students travel to take part in science marches

Multilingual seniors to receive new graduation honor

Photo courtesy: Michelle Adams

Cheerleaders prepare for next-generation fashion

Class of 2017 members prepare to scatter

College plans range from Geneva to Cornell

pg 17

Gold Standard

pg 18

New Kids on the Block

pg 20

Love it/Hate it

pg 21

Wacky Stories

Athletes eye third soccer championship

Athletics to join Cape Coast Conference

Selena Gomez and the Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar’s new album, “13 Reasons Why” The craziest news of the month

pg 22

Reviews

pg 23

7 Seniors

“Bill Nye Saves the World,” “The Circle,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” of “The Roar” staff

Photo courtesy: Joanna LaTorre

Publications 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.

Staff:

Editor in Chief: Helen McSorley Managing Editor: David Thompson Copy Editor: Briana Sandoval Sports Editor: Ben Lack Designers: Gianni Valenti, Sarah Petrone Staff Writers: Alexa Carlos Tamez, Hope Dougherty, Ahjaney Friar, Kishan Ghayal, Matt Jones, Billy Macom, Elizabeth Marrin, Rachel Montgomery, Taylor Smith Adviser: Mark Schledorn

Submit:

Send in your opinions to wstheroar@gmail.com

May

3

In Our Words Florida House bill 989 designed to curtail broad education

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Romeo and Juliet” and Groups that don’t believe in certain parts of a scientific “Brave New World” are just a few of the novels taught curriculum, such as evolution or immunization, for in high school English classes designed to give students example, can now successfully argue that their children a wide range of knowledge surrounding the human are too young to be learning about a topic that they condition. In biology, students learn about evolution really just don’t want their students to hear about and immunization. In history classes, teachers brush because it goes against their own personal beliefs. on various religions and the history — including slavery Another issue with the bill is that residents don’t ­— behind different races. Some parents, along with even have to have a child in school to object to what legislators in the Florida House of Representatives gets taught. If special-interest groups who reside in and Senate, have decided that certain parts of the the county decide they don’t want students learning curriculum being taught in school are too controversial about a specific subject in school, they can object to and that they it being taught deserve the right on the grounds to determine how that the material or whether or not is inappropriate these subjects can or for an audience should be taught. of high school Florida House Bill students.

989, which allows In our parents or residents generation, of the county to students can object to the use of read or see pretty specific instructional much anything materials based on they want to, specified criteria, because we have was passed by the access to the Legislature on Internet. This bill May 5. According doesn’t actually to the bill, county censor anything residents can object because kids can Cartoon credit: Minaal Murshid to any reading access that and Florida Legislature opens door to increased censorship. materials viewed as worse on their cell “pornographic” or “inappropriate for the grade level phones and computers. and age group.”

Instead of claiming that everything is inappropriate The problem with this bill is that even though for their precious kids, parents should want their the sponsors claimed that it helps parents get more children to learn about these so-called “controversial” involved with their students and there are limitations topics in an environment that is controlled and honest on what can be objected to, the legislation can easily conversation can be facilitated. create a situation in which someone can object to a In order to be a truly educated society, students need subject being taught in school because it offends them. to be learning important issues without censorship.

4 May/Editorial

Letters to the Editor Fantasy Football One thing that many people are passionate about is football. Many people enjoy the sport and play it. West Shore is known for academics but they also have some skilled athletes. Unfortunately, they end up leaving West Shore. One reason is that we don’t have a football team. If we had a football team, potentially more student athletes would stay at West Shore for high school. West Shore should have a football team because it would keep more students. More students can result in more people donating to our great school. More funding also gives all sports teams and West Shore in general more funding. A football game is also a place for students and teachers to gather on game day.

High school graduation is supposed to be one of the best memories in one’s life. So, I would think that day should make the graduating students feel as happy as possible. But what frustrates me about graduation this year is the order in which we are graduating. It will begin with Senior Class Officers then National Merit Scholars then Valedictorians then AP Capstone Diplomas then AP Diplomas then AA degrees and end with “the rest of the class.” So what’s wrong with that? Well, I think the mistake here is that while administration was working to make students who excelled feel recognized, they make all the “regular” and honors students feel bad about themselves. The students without any special recognitions are made to feel quite literally the last of the class. And it’s funny because most of those kids have higher GPAs than the kids who walk before them.

Capstone is literally just one course you take junior and senior year, you don’t even have to maintain an A to get the diploma. Not that the kids who take Capstone aren’t

This can also lead to more and better sports teams. This is because their will be more athletes, who may be multi-sport athletes who may contribute to the other West Shore sports teams.

Football would make West Shore a better school overall.

It would bring in more students. It would also bring in more funding. This funding would improve sports equipment, as well as West Shore in general. And football games would also be a place for students and teachers to gather. This results in students and teachers knowing each other. It also, like mentioned earlier, brings in more funding.

By Kyle Connor, 7th

End of the Line

intelligent, but other students without Capstone challenge themselves with other AP classes and events outside of school. The problem with this order is that it makes a whole group of people at the end feel unaccomplished on their night of graduation, when no one should be feeling that way. I don’t see what’s wrong with walking in alphabetical order and having special distinctions called out when a student is walking. It definitely is an accomplishment to have all those recognitions, but I don’t think it should allow you to walk before other students (except for maybe the traditional Valedictorians). I realize it doesn’t sound like that big of a deal, and I guess when it boils down to it, it really isn’t, but I just wanted to address to administration that they shouldn’t be trying to prioritize certain students and allow them to walk first because of what they think is important because many who walk last certainly have other amazing successes.

By Melek Turkmen, 12th

Opinion/May

5

Speak Your Mind

Misleading statistics overstate number of assaults on college campuses

By Billy Macom Staff Writer In the last issue of “The Roar,” something caught my eye that I felt needed to be addressed. The article on women’s concerns regarding college safety was wrong from the first sentence. It says that one in five women are sexually assaulted during their college career. Not true. This number originated from the 2007 Campus Sexual Assault study, which has a mess of a research process and very misleading wording.

First, the definition of sexual assault is not clear. Second, the sexual assault didn’t have to happen on campus. An example of poor wording is the question asking participants if they had sexual contact with someone but were unable to consent because they were passed out or drugged. I don’t know about any of you, but when I’m passed out I can’t really tell what’s going on. There were also questions about what participants thought happened but weren’t certain of. To say this study is reflective of all colleges is ridiculous considering they surveyed only two colleges and had a low response rate.

I also took issue with the article’s attitude towards reasonable comments. For example, the security guard mentioned in the article said that really all you can do is take precautions and try to be wary. The response? “How dare

you blame the victim!!!” Look, if I’m walking around and for some reason there’s a one in five chance that I will fall into a water tank filled to the brim with sharks, of course I’m going to take precautions. If college campuses are so dangerous and if the rape culture is real, why would the victim not be at least partly responsible for not caring about her own safety in such a hazardous environment? If I move to a minefield where the chances of getting blown to pieces is one in five, and I happen to step on a mine, yes I’m partially responsible for whatever happens next. This also raises the question of why parents would send their daughters to a place where there is a 20 percent chance that they will be sexually assaulted.

A 1995-2013 study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), not only said that women are safer on college campuses, but that one in 53 women are sexually assaulted on college campuses, not one in five. This number is found by averaging the numbers from 2010 to 2013 and multiplying by 4 after adjusting for the “per 1000”, then dividing 100 by that number to get the fraction one over 52.6 which you can round to 53. That’s much better than one in five, but it’s not something to be proud of. We don’t have a rape culture and the one in five statistic is wrong, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make college campuses safer for everyone.

Let’s stop arguing numbers and start addressing the root causes

By Helen McSorley Editor in Chief When graduating from high school, girls should be receiving gifts of dorm essentials and coffee gift cards, but instead they get pepper spray, rape whistles and key chain weapons. I get that girls need to be aware and need to be safe. I get it. But how does that not make some people think about why? Why is our society so quick to arm girls against disgusting behavior and not address the behavior at all?

The problem isn’t that girls aren’t warned about the danger, the problem is that there is danger for girls in the first place.

We live in a society where men can rape women, and the women are blamed for not being careful enough and men aren’t punished. Take the infamous Brock Turner, released from jail after a total of three months for raping a girl at Stanford. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, rape is the most under reported crime with 63 percent of sexual assaults not being reported to the police. And everyone is still asking why. Maybe the reason why is because no one takes it seriously.

Now, I admit, the statistic from the NSCRC that one in 6

May/Opinion

five women are sexually assaulted in college is quite scary.

And many would disagree because of the ambiguity of “sexual assault.” So I am going to use the Department of Justice’s definition, which is “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient.” Notice the word “behavior”—that’s right, sexual assault can be nonphysical. Under the category of sexual assault falls demeaning remarks, jokes and gestures. So stop treating women like objects and start treating us like people.

I am not trying to scare girls who will be leaving for college soon, although I do encourage you to be smart and safe. My main goal is to help people see the actual problem here. If you want to compare a college campus to a minefield for young girls, maybe instead of asking women why they are stepping on the mines ask why the mines are there in the first place. Land mines don’t just appear out of nowhere.

So let us be the generation that says enough is enough and let us treat all people with the basic respect they deserve. And by doing this, maybe we can start giving the girls going off to college real gifts, and not the weapons they very well might need in this current society.

Winds of Change

Environmental warriors raise voices during March For Science

Earth Enthusiasm Junior Alexa Carlos Tamez shows off her poster in Washington D.C. Science Siblings Senior Moses Chavez-Gray poses with his sister and their signs.

Photo credit: Alexa Carlos Tamez

Photo credit: Moses Chavez-Gray

By Rachel Montgomery Staff Writer The March for Science on April 22 drew more than 300,000 people participating in Washington, D.C., and tens of thousands more taking part at more than 370 sister marches across the country.

Junior Alexa Carlos Tamez attended the march in Washington to join others in bringing attention to government leaders about climate change.

“I think global warming/climate change is the most important issue facing our generation right now, and

our current administration isn’t really doing anything to combat the issue,” Carlos Tamez said. “The March for Science is the start of bringing that awareness and to show people that we need science which is really important for me, so that’s why I attended.”

In the Space Coast area, there was a march location in Titusville at the American Space Museum & Space Walk of Fame.

For some attendees, including senior Moses ChavezGray, the march was a way to spread awareness about the environment.

“I believe attending the march makes people aware of what is actually happening in our environment and the science field in general, rather than listening to the faulty political inputs,” Chavez-Gray said. “The environment is something that I believe serves as our shelter, but if we don’t understand it better and take care of it more, it will be our downfall.”

For junior Michelle Adams, the march was a way to promote change.

“The march helped spread awareness that science is being denied and underfunded,” Adams said. “The march also allows local lawmakers to recognize the passions of the community in order to create the right legislation based on what the people want.”

For all the participants, one thing brought them together to march: a love for the environment.

“This is the only planet that we have and it’s our duty to protect it,” Carlos Tamez said. “Everything that has been happening to it, whether that is deforestation or the endangered status of several species, makes me extremely sad that humans are doing that to our planet, which has been around for millions of years more than we have. The environment is beautiful and it’s important that we keep it that way.”

Congratulations Class of 2017!

National Recognition Record number of juniors achieve Commended Scholar status

By Elizabeth Marrin Staff Writer The Class of 2018 made West Shore history after 21 of its members recently were named Commended Scholars.

The students, who received recognition on the basis of their performance on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test last October, were among 50,000 juniors nationwide chosen from a pool of more than 1.5 million.

“That’s a pretty amazing statistic, and if you figured it out percentage wise, we would be in the top 99th percentile,” Principal Rick Fleming said. “We’ve never had 21 [Commended Scholars] since I’ve been here. The most we’ve ever had is 11.”

Fleming attributes the success to a variety of reasons.

“You have supportive parents, and you have engaged, smart kids who want to learn and have a love of learning,” Fleming said. “You have dedicated teachers, and you have good, solid teaching. I think that’s a recipe for success anywhere. I love being a part of it.”

To qualify as a Commended Scholar, a junior must achieve a certain Selection Index score on the PSAT. The

cutoff for the Class of 2018, which was derived from the top 50,000 scores on the test, was two points higher than the cutoff for the Class of 2017, sitting at 211.

“I think that it is a testament to the strength of West Shore’s Class of 2018,” Test Administrator Mike Drake said. “I don’t know that the selection index will continue to go up from year to year — only time will tell — but I do know that West Shore students have consistently fared well in the National Merit competition, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

Out of the 50,000 Commended Scholars nationwide, 16,000 will be named National Merit Semifinalists and 15,000 will be named National Merit Finalists. Fleming has high hopes for the current Commended Scholars.

“This [having 21 Commended Scholars] means that we have a very good chance of even half of those 21 students being National Merit Semifinalists and National Merit Finalists,” Fleming said. “The difference between semifinalists and finalists is only 1,000 students. In my entire career here, I think I’ve only had two or three students who were recognized as semifinalists not become finalists, and that’s out of over 100 students.”

Finishing Fluent Language-proficient seniors to receive special recognition

By Alexa Carlos Tamez Staff Writer When the seniors walk across the stage at graduation, a select few will be receiving a new type of award alongside their diplomas. These students will receive either the Gold or Silver Florida Seal of Biliteracy, an Photo courtesy: Florida Department of Education education bill which Seal of Success For students who have was signed into law already qualified, either the gold or silver seal of biliteracy will be placed on their on April 14, 2016 by diploma when they graduate on May 19.

Gov. Rick Scott. The award recognizes high school students who have proved that they are proficient in another language besides English, which they do so by meeting the necessary requirements in their respective world languages.

“I always like being recognized,” senior Juan Rodriguez said. “I’m sure other people would like to be recognized as well for all the hard work they put in, especially if they went the extra step to take four years of a language and pass their AP exam.”

The seal will be given to graduating high school seniors who have either taken four years of the same world language while maintaining a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average in that language, or achieved a qualifying score on a language assessment. The seniors will be granted either a gold seal, which is the highest level of competency according to the standards set by the Florida Seal of Biliteracy program, or a silver seal, which is the secondhighest level of competency.

“I think it’s important in school to emphasize that if you do four years of language, you’re going to be recognized,” Spanish teacher Luis Martin said. “Learning a different language, especially Spanish since Florida has a huge

Hispanic population, is very important.”

Some students may already have the seal on their diplomas when they graduate on May 19, others, however, might have to wait until July.

“First we’re finding all of the students in the district who have already qualified,” World Language Resource teacher LaDona Miller said. “They’ll already have the seal on their diplomas. The ones that we won’t know about are those who are completing the testing piece, because AP and IB scores don’t come out until July. So what we’ll do is say these are a list of candidates and if they pass the exam they’ll have to come in and get it fixed or we’ll mail it to them.”

Rodriguez, who is a native Spanish speaker and will be receiving the Gold Seal of Biliteracy, said the award will only motivate hard-working students to take more years of a world language.

“I think it’ll make the people who are competitive take foreign languages for a longer period of time,” Rodriguez said. “But for those who just want to take it because it’s a requirement, it won’t make them do the extra years.”

Senior Katelyn Kent, who has taken five years of French, said she is excited to have qualified to receive the seal.

“I think that getting the award is so cool,” Kent said. “It’s a good way to show the extra work we’ve put into French beyond the required years. It shows that we’ve gone above and beyond by being in the class for more than just three years.”

The Seal of Biliteracy also offers a unique opportunity for students who are native in one language but are taking classes in another. As long as students meet the requirements for the language they are taking in school to receive the seal, they can earn another by deciding to take one of the tests, such as an AP exam. Junior Jennifer Torres, who natively speaks Spanish but is in her fifth year of French, is an example of this.

“I’m going to go for the two seals because I can get more opportunities,” Torres said. “It’ll be something that can set me aside from other people when applying to scholarships and universities. I’ll also be considered trilingual, and that can open more doors for jobs since employers want people who speak more than one language.”

News/May

9

United for Uniforms Cheer team raises money for new state-of-the-art outfits

By Briana Sandoval Copy Editor Senior cheerleader Madison Glatz has taken initiative to raise money, with the help of the rest of her team, for new cheer uniforms. Glatz proposed the idea to her coach, Carrie Wadzinski, at the beginning of the year.

The project served two purposes — to help raise money for the cheer team and to satisfy her Senior Project requirements.

“I chose to raise money for the team because we’re more of a family than a team, and I wanted to give back to them,” Glatz said. “[Coach Carrie] does so much for all of us and even helps fund and support the team when it’s needed. I wanted to take some of that responsibility off of her shoulders and show the appreciation that I have for her and the whole team.”

Rising senior cheerleader Mariah Jones said she is looking forward to wearing the new uniforms.

“I am really excited that we are getting them because, of course, they are super-cute,” Jones said. “I feel like it’s something the team deserves because of all the hard work that everyone put in to raise the money to purchase them. It’s really fun to be able to wear different things when we perform at games, so I like that we are getting a new addition to what we currently have.”

Jones said she is grateful for Glatz’s efforts.

“It’s really inspiring that Madison made this her Senior Project to help the team raise money,” Jones said.

“It shows how close our team is because even though she won’t be wearing them herself, she did it in a way that we would be able to and it’s a great example of how we all try to help each other out. She did so wonderful planning the events. I’m so glad she was able to achieve her goal of raising enough money to get the new uniforms.”

Through its fund-raising efforts, the cheer team raised about $2,500. As for the look, the uniforms will be longsleeved and charcoal gray as opposed to the navy blue color the cheerleaders currently wear. The team will debut its new outfits during the fall cheer season.

I’m so proud of how everyone came together to work

10 May/News

Photo courtesy: Madison Glatz

That’s a Wrap Senior Madison Glatz and freshman Emerson Bramel sit at their fund-raising holiday gift wrapping event at Barnes and Noble.

Photo courtesy: Madison Glatz

Show of Support Freshman Emerson Bramel, senior Madison Glatz, eighth-grader Troy Desantis, freshman Katelyn Curtis, junior McKenzie Curtis and sophomore Maria-Elena Frederick pose for a picture with Wesley the Wildcat at a fund-raising event at Buffalo Wild Wings.

for this and am so happy that I could give the team uniforms,” Glatz said. “Everyone works so hard at what we do and after the amazing year that we had as a team I’m proud to have helped them. I can’t wait to see them wearing the uniforms.”

Congratulations Class of 2017!

Tyler Adams Chanel Bailer Heidi Baker Jackson Baney Aaron Basta Kelly Batache Jade Baxter Eve Beard Jennifer Billhartz Lucas Blackwell Jacob Booe Jenna Bratman Emily Browne Grace Bryant Nicholas Burgess Jake Bursk Austin Camps Clara Castor Malcolm Chavez-Gray Moses Chavez-Gray Amaefule Chukwunenye Ezinne Chukwunenye Nicole Conde Jaida Condo William Cosker James Crown Maria De La Hoz Kenneth De Los Angeles Deja Debord Rosemary DeFrancisci Edward Devlin Hope Dougherty Brian Drost Adriana Dudley Jared Duncan Kennedy Eddlemon Alexa Eenhuis Devin Elkins

Kayelee Embry Lonyee Eng Samantha Erfe Kathryn Etherton Michael Fagan Alyssa I. Feliciano Alyssa S. Feliciano Danielle Ferretti Kyle Fitzgerald Josephine Flickinger Jacob Gaines Nina Fusco Jacob Franklin Grant Gibson Madison Glatz Tyler Grabowski River Grace Savannah Green Matthew Green Payton Greenleaf Makana Grimm Lisette Guerra Alicia Handley Christian Hayes Aakilah Hernandez Andrew Hung Fatima Jarrah Skylar Johnson Matthew Johnson Neill Johnston Moriah Jones Matthew Jones Brianna Joyner Allie Kellner Ian Kennedy Katelyn Kent Stone Kershaw Anna King

Jessica Knowles Ann-Marie Lally Sacha Laloo Evan Lanier Joanna LaTorre Samuel Leighton Ayden Lew Adam Lizek Anne Lovelock William Macom Elizabeth Marrin Megan Mateosky Hali McCulloch Kaleigh McCullough Kyle McDonald Lauren McMillan Brian McMillan Helen McSorley Abigail Miller Chase Montgomery Ethan Mooney Matthew Moore Jett Morgan Matthew Moscrip Huda Naas Christian Napier Sophia Nuetzman Martina Parguian Juan Carlos PascualBarragan Rohan C. Patel Rohan M. Patel Aisia Pedersen Jenny Peeples Nicholas Pekmezian Jessica Peterson Sarah Petrone Brandon Rabel

Diego Ramos James Reid Brittany Reyes Summer Rhodes Eric Ritter Juan Rodriguez Gavin Rushnell Erin Ryan Roba Sabawi Briana Sandoval Jessica Sands Melissa Saunderson Christopher Savage Alyssa Schafer Keegan Schauman Angela Seibert Melinda Silaghi Joel Soucheck Luke Spenik Nicholas Stelter Nicholas Sutton Mamoon Syed Noelani Taylor Julia Thomas David Thompson Joseph Tolle Juan Torres Brooke Townsend Melek Turkmen Cortney Vanover Holly Velie Matthew Volk Reeder Ward Michael Weatherby Brianna Youhana

Where they’re going

Florida State University Founded: 1851 Location: Tallahassee, Fl

By Briana Sandoval Copy Editor

University of Florida Founded: 1853 Location: Gainesville, Fl

Edward Devlin Fatima Jarrah Alicia Handley Aakilah Hernandez Neill Johnston Allie Kellner Adam Lizek Diego Ramos

Ezine Chukwunenye Chase Montgomery Juan Carlos Pascual-Barrigan Juan Rodriguez Luke Spenik Noelani Taylor Rosemary DeFrancisci Hope Dougherty

William Cosker James Crown Jake Bursk Alyssa S. Feliciano Mary Billhartz Andrew Hung Stone Kershaw Ann-Marie Lally

University of South Florida Founded: 1956 Location: Tampa, Fl

Amaefule Chukwunenye Brandon Rabel Katelyn Kent Moriah Jones Gavin Rushnell

Matthew Jones Kayelee Embry Austin Camps Brooke Townsend Joel Soucheck

Rohan Patel Melek Turkmen Briana Sandoval Clara Castor Helen McSorley Jett Morgan

Founded: 1963 Location: Orlando, Fl

Joseph Tolle Cortney Vanover Reeder Ward Hali McCulloch

Erin Ryan Melissa Saunderson Emily Browne Savannah Green Jacob Franklin

Founded: 1972 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Nicholas Burgess Alexa Eenhuis Kyle Fitzgerald

Grant Gibson Brianna Joyner Keegan Schuaman

University of Miami

Matthew Moore Christian Napier Martina Parguian Sarah Petrone Jessica Sands Jade Baxter Sophia Nuetzman

Nicholas Stelter Holly Velie Annie Lovelock Eric Ritter Tyler Adams Eve Beard Kenneth De Los Angeles

Florida Institute of Technology Founded: 1958 Location: Melbourne, Fl Roba Sabawi David Thompson Huda Naas Sacha Laloo Samuel Leighton

Aisia Pedersen Chanel Bailer Matthew Green Jessica Peterson Summer Rhodes

Nicholas Sutton Mamoon Syed Michael Weatherby Brian Drost Jacob Gaines

Eastern Florida State College Founded: 1960 Location: Melbourne, Fl

Jessica Knowles James Reid Payton Greenleaf Kaleigh McCullough Madison Glatz Matthew Volk Matthew Moscrip Devin Elkins Jacob Booe

Founded: 1925 Location: Coral Gables, Fl Lonyee Eng Malcolm Chavez-Gray

Florida Atlantic University Founded: 1961 Location: Boca Raton, Fl

New College of Florida Founded: 1960 Location: Sarasota, Fl Makana Grimm

Brianna Youhana Skylar Johnson

Florida Polytechnic University Founded: 2012 Location: Lakeland, Fl

Stetson University Founded: 1883 Location: DeLand, Fl

Matthew Johnson

Nicholas Pekmezian Anna King

Hillsborough Community College Founded: 1968 Location: Tampa, Fl

12 May/News

Jaida Condo Luisa De La Hoz Kathryn Etherton Alyssa I. Feliciano Ian Kennedy Nina Fusco

University of Central Florida

University of North Florida

Kyle McDonald Ethan Mooney Lisette Guerra

Angela Seibert Evan Lanier Alyssa Schafer Kelly Batache Grace Bryant Danielle Ferretti

Déjà Debord

Out of state Cornell University

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Christian Hayes Joanna LaTorre

River Grace

Founded: 1861 Location: Cambridge, MA

Founded: 1865 Location: Ithaca, NY

New York University

Founded: 1831 Location: New York City, NY

University of Alabama

Moses Chavez-Gray

Founded: 1831 Location: Tuscaloosa, AL

Hobart and William Smith Colleges Founded: 1822 Location: Geneva, NY

Nicole Conde

Carnegie Mellon University

Jackson Baney

Founded: 1900 Location: Pittsburgh, PA

The New School

Megan Mateosky

Founded: 1919 Location: New York City, NY Lauren McMillan

Fordham University

Savannah College of Art and Design

Founded: 1841 Location: New York City, NY

Founded: 1978 Location: Savannah, GA

Michael Fagan

Brittany Reyes

University of Richmond

University of Chicago Founded: 1890 Location: Chicago, IL

University of Tennessee

Juan Torres Elizabeth Marrin

Founded: 1794 Location: Knoxville, TN

Founded: 1830 Location: Richmond, Virginia Lucas Blackwell

Kennedy Eddlemon

Webster University Ohio State University Founded: 1870 Location: Columbus, OH

Founded: 1915 Location: Webster Groves, MO William Macom

Ayden Lew

University of California, Los Angeles Founded: 1919 Location: Los Angeles, CA Adriana Dudley

Elon University University of Geneva Founded: 1559 Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Founded: 1889 Location: Elon, NC Jenna Bratman

Melinda Silaghi

News/May 13

Major Decisions

College admissions affected by luck

By Briana Sandoval and Helen McSorley Editors Working tirelessly to maintain an impeccable gradepoint average and achieve the quintessential standardized test scores in addition to participating in myriad extracurricular activities is necessary to be even considered for admission to any of the eight Ivy League colleges or other similar prestigious institutions. This situation was all too familiar for many ambitious seniors, including River Grace.

“I think my college resume was mostly supported by my dedication to extracurricular activities, especially things like science research and music,” Grace said. “I don’t have a perfect GPA or test scores or anything like that, so I’m sure my extracurriculars were the main factor in my acceptances. I wish I’d paid more attention to how I wrote my essays, but I’m still happy with how everything turned out.”

For Grace, they turned out quite well indeed as he will attend the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology next fall.

“I’m most excited for the outside-of-the-box culture and unique people I’ll meet,” Grace said. “I’m nervous about the extremely intense academics, but I’m sure I’ll love the experience no matter what.”

After applying to 11 colleges, another senior, Adriana Dudley, also achieved her dream — a spot at University of California, Los Angeles.

“UCLA has definitely been my favorite school every since I can remember,” Dudley said. “I love L.A., and it’s in the heart of the entertainment industry. They have a really good theater program there so I definitely want to minor in acting.”

Principal Rick Fleming said that he thinks the admission decisions of the prestigious colleges are somewhat random.

“When you’re talking selective colleges, most of their applicant pool, if not all, are 4.0, 1450 SAT and a lot of our students meet that criteria when they apply, so it’s almost like the admissions people kind of toss up these applications in a room, and then throw up handfuls of glitter, and wherever the most glitter lands, that’s the ones that get in,” Fleming said. “So I don’t think it has to do with something we are doing or not doing. I think it’s luck of the draw to be honest with you. We have communicated

14 May/News

Where They Are Going

23toUF 20 Out of FL 18 FSU 19 UCF 15 FIT 15 USF 10 UNF 9 EFSC 8otherinFL 1 out of USA

Infographic: Helen McSorley

with college admissions people all over the nation and we asked them what separates students apart. All of the things we have been given indication on, we are doing.”

Fleming also mentioned that one of the reasons West Shore requires a language to be taken for three years is because it strengthens a senior’s college application.

“I remember when I first got here, we would have students who would take French 1, Spanish 1 and Latin 1 and say ‘oh, I’m proficient’ and the colleges wouldn’t admit them because they weren’t proficient,” Fleming said.

Another core part of the college admissions process is the personal essay, which Fleming thinks plays an important part in the decision.

“I think the personal statements of the student needs to be a little bit more cerebral,” Fleming said. “Rather than focused and about me, me, me, it needs to be more about building community and building capacity. I think colleges are looking for somebody who is going to be that cerebral leader that people are attracted to. Capturing that in 300 to 400 words in a college admissions essay is tough to do.”

Grace said one of the main reasons he applied to many schools is because he hoped to at least get in to one.

“On decision day I was nervous, but I didn’t expect to get into many schools,” Grace said. “Overall I was very happy with how many schools seemed to want me.”

Alps to Ivy’s

College plans range from NY to Switzerland

By Rachel Montgomery Staff Writer For senior Melinda Silaghi, attending college overseas means more than an education, it means reuniting with her family. In the fall she plans to major in chemistry at the University of Geneva in Switzerland.

For years it has been Silaghi’s dream to be with her grandparents, who live near Geneva.

“My primary reason for going out of the country is that I’ve planning to do so since I was little,” Silaghi said. “Switzerland has always been ‘home’ for me.”

College costs also figure in her decision.

“In tuition, it only costs 500 swiss francs [$500] per semester,” Silaghi said. “My room and board are free since I am living with my grandparents, and the only major cost will be transportation, which will be a couple thousand francs per year. I plan to tutor and Photo courtesy: Creative Commons possibly take a substitute teacher job during my vacations which is way better paid than Campus Close up The University of here.”

Geneva’s commons where Melinda Of course there will be a language barrier— sort of.

Silaghi will be attending.

“I will have to speak French there,” Silaghi said. “Even though my first language is French and I speak and write it regularly, it will still be culture shock because I haven’t done school in French before.”

Despite the distance and six-hour time zone difference, Melinda’s mother, Anne Silaghi remains hopeful the family will stay close.

“It will be strange to have the ocean between us,” she said. “Since she will 3. be with her many cousins, with her grandparents, and about as many friends as here, I expect that, she will not be homesick. With e-mails, WhatsApp, Skype and more, there are quite a lot of easy ways to keep in touch. Hopefully, Melinda will be happy to fly back for some breaks in winters, and we will meet her during summers in Europe.”

••• The thought of attending Ivy League school can be daunting, but for seniors Christian Hayes and Joanna LaTorre, Cornell University located in upstate New York is the next step in having their ambitions fulfilled.

Cornell’s engineering program was ranked the best out of the eight Ivy League schools, a reason why Hayes majoring in electrical and computer engineering applied.

“Cornell emphasizes hands on learning,” Hayes said. “It also gives students the opportunity to work on team projects that would not be given as often at other schools.”

LaTorre has dreamed of attending an Ivy League for years.

“I’ve known about Cornell for a long time, since it’s an Ivy league,” LaTorre said.

“I’ve aspired to get into one [an Ivy] since I was in elementary school.”

One of the usual setbacks to Ivy League attendance is the price of tuition, but Hayes Photo courtesy: Christian Hayes has the costs covered.

Towering Expectations Senior 4.

Christian Hayes and his dad pose for a “I was fortunate enough to be offered a full Navy ROTC scholarship and the picture on the Cornell campus. scholarship covers all of tuition and books,” Hayes said. “There is still room and board 4. to be paid, but that will be manageable for my family and me.”

LaTorre has worldwide aspirations in mind.

“I believe it will help me in the future,” LaTorre said, “by allowing me to become drastically more knowledgeable on the world of business, teaching me important information about the global economy and leadership.”

News/May

15

Lacking in Lax Lacrosse looks to bounce back after losing seasons

By Taylor Smith Staff Writer After a long season, leaving them with a record of 1-12, members of the boys’ varsity lacrosse team are looking to redeem themselves within the next few years.

“We have a very young group of guys so we’ve got to work on becoming more of a team rather than individual players,” Head Coach Chuck Landmesser said. “But I think just with what we’ve seen so far as young players coming up, the team’s definitely going to improve over the next couple of years. It’s going to come down to them understanding that we have to execute the fundamentals, learn the plays and work together as a team. If all those components come together, then they’re going to be successful.”

Boys’ varsity lacrosse player Adam Zoiss, however, feels that it’s more than just a lack of togetherness, but rather a lack of effort and structure.

“I think it’s just a combination of things,” Zoiss said.

“Not everyone is putting in their full amount of effort and the transition between coaches probably made it a little tougher as there wasn’t as much structure. But in terms of preparation for next season, I know that most of us are joining club teams and there’s a summer league that West Shore is trying to put together with the Melbourne High School boys’ lacrosse coach.”

As well as the boys, the girls’ lacrosse team is relying on the development of their younger players after finishing the season with a 0-10 record.

“This season was really a growing season for us,” girls’ varsity lacrosse player Anna Feldbush said. “We had a very young team, and while we were able to fight and score at least one point every game, at no point during the season did we actually win a game. We’re only losing one person next season though, so we have a good core team coming back. We plan on focusing, even a little bit over the summer, on building skills and just becoming closer as a team.”

Runners’ Redemption Team breaks school record despite stumble

By Ahjaney Friar Staff Writer Despite having a total of 17 athletes advance to regional competition at Miami Northwestern Senior High School, the track team had only one runner move on to the state finals held at Bradenton’s IMG Academy. Senior Austin Camps advanced after placing third in the 2-mile event.

“It’s a bittersweet feeling,” Camps said. “It was the race leading up to my final race in my high-school career, and I know that other people on the team — more specifically Jared [Hayes] — could have made it right along with me if he had better luck.”

While running the 800m, junior Hayes took a fall in what seemed to be an intentional trip by another runner. Senior Grant Gibson also suffered a setback when he stumbled but

16 May/Sports

did not fall in the final lap of his 800m regional race.

“After tripping and realizing that I wasn’t going to break 2 minutes, I got really upset but I knew that I had to keep pushing through it the best way I could,” Gibson said. “I felt really bad for Jared after watching him fall because if it weren’t for the fall he definitely would have advanced to states being within the top four runners.”

Despite the downfalls in the 800m race, sophomore Austin Hayes, Gibson along with Christian Hayes and junior Jared Hayes were able to carry on and get ready for their final 4 by 400m relay, in which they broke their old school record.

“It was really disappointing seeing Grant and Jared not succeed, especially Jared being so close,” Austin Hayes said.

“We were pretty mad after it, but we turned all of that anger into a new school record and that’s a pretty great memory that I will always have with them.”

Gold Standard Athletes attempt to win third State Cup title in two years

By Matthew Jones Staff Writer The boys’ soccer team has secured its place in the West Shore record books as one of only two teams to win the FHSAA class 2A state championship. However, a few players from the team don’t seem satisfied with this level of success. Seniors Nicholas Burgess, Matthew Moscrip and Sam Leighton as well as junior Abe Murphy will attempt to cement their legacies by winning the Florida Youth Soccer Association State Cup with their club team, Brevard Soccer Alliance, for a second year in a row.

“If we could win state cup again this year it would just mean that we’ve dominated in soccer for the last two years of our careers,” Leighton said. “To finish on that high note would mean a lot to me.”

Leighton said the emotion after the state cup victory paled in comparison to the victory atmosphere after capturing the 2A title.

“Winning the championship for the school was a lot more rewarding, because a lot of our friends from school were there cheering us on, everyone was so pumped, and we were on TV playing soccer, which was literally a dream,” Leighton said. “When we won club it was just a few parents there maybe a couple friends, it’s just not the same.”

Senior defender, Matthew Moscrip, and BSA expect to replicate their previous success in this year’s State Cup competition, which is a tournament not affiliated with West Shore and officially began on March 18.

“For the state cup tournament our expectation is to win it all, and that’s also my personal goal,” Moscrip said.

“We did it last year and we can do it again.”

As a result of their previous state cup victory, BSA was promoted from the Florida Premier League which they played in last year, into the Southeast Regional Premier League for their club regular season, where they faced off against teams as far away as North Carolina.

“Sometimes we have to take 12-hour car rides there and back, so it’s pretty important to all of us,” Leighton said. “It makes everything more serious, and the teams we play are better than what we would face in Florida.”

Moscrip believes the higher level of competition is beneficial for the team’s mindset, and makes their title

Photo credit: M. Saunderson

Field General Senior Sam Leighton plays the ball forward in the state championship against Berkeley Prep on Feb. 16.

endeavours more realistic.

“We hung with the teams in the southeast and now we’re better for when we play teams from Florida because they probably won’t give us as much trouble,” Moscrip said. “So our goal is to win state cup one last time.”

BSA began their title defense in the group stage round on May 13 against West Florida Flames as well as May 14 against Florida Elite at Auburndale’s Lake Myrtle Park.

“We have to win our group to advance,” Burgess said.

“Because if we finish second then its up to chance, but there’s really only one other team [in their group] that can challenge us, which should give us a really good seed going into the next round.”

The West Shore members of BSA set their sights on their third championship in two years.

Sports/May 17

New Kids on the Block Athletics will join Cape Coast Conference

By Ben Lack and Kishan Ghayal Sports Editor and Staff Writer Beginning next school year, West Shore athletics will become a part of the Cape Coast Conference, a league with high schools from all around Brevard County competing against each other for a conference title. Athletic director Tony Riopelle said the school will benefit from the increased competition.

“I think it’s going to be a good thing for the school as a whole, or we wouldn’t have done it,” Riopelle said. “What I call the individual sports — cross-country, tennis, track — they have an end-of-the-year conference meet. On the other side of it, for the team sports — soccer, volleyball, and basketball — they’ll have to compete against these other schools in their regular-season games.”

Sophomore varsity basketball guard Auston Gonzalez said the basketball boys will face an unprecedented level of competition next season.

“It’s going to be new for us,” Gonzalez said. “We’re losing nine seniors this year and we only have four returning players, so it’s going to be very challenging and we’re going to have to show the upcoming varsity players what to expect, but I think it’s going to be a good challenge. It’ll test our perseverance and make us better.”

Senior basketball player Ayden Lew said he fears the worst heading forward.

“I feel bad for the basketball team heading in to next year,” Lew said. “They are losing nine seniors and are going to have to play one of the hardest schedules in West Shore basketball history.”

Meanwhile, junior Abe Murphy, member of the defending 2017 2A State Championship soccer team, said the new opponents will not have a substantial impact on the success or mindset of the varsity boys.

“I think it’ll be about the same,” Murphy said. “The conference I don’t think matters too much. It just depends on the players coming back and if they really want to work hard like this past year. Every team we play, I just go in with the same mentality: If we play good, we’re going to win.

So it doesn’t really matter how good the team is or what conference we’re in. Just play well and you’ll be fine.”

There will be 14 Brevard County high schools participating in the Cape Coast Conference for the 201718 May/Sports

Lock Down Sophomore Auston Gonzalez plays tight onball defense against Edgewood Jr./Sr. High School.

Pushing the Pace Junior Abe Murphy dribbles the ball up the sideline against Berkeley Prep.

2018 athletic season: Astronaut, Bayside, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Eau Gallie, Edgewood, Heritage, Merritt Island, Palm Bay, Rockledge, Satellite, Space Coast, Viera and West Shore.

In addition to competing in the FHSAA State Series, team sports will now vie for a Cape Coast Conference title.

A tournament between the member high schools will take place at the end of every season.

The Captain Prevails vs

By David Thompson Managing Editor

Captain America

Thanos

DC

The Marvel vs. DC Superhero online tournament began all the way back in the September issue of “The Roar.” Student were encouraged to cast their votes for their favorite heroes and villains on westshoreroar. com. In the first round, the biggest upset of the tourney happened when The Atom took down the No. 1 seeded Superman.

“I still can’t believe The Atom beat Superman,” sophomore Auston Gonzalez said. “I’m pretty sure that busted everyone’s bracket.”

By the Elite 8 round, fan-favorite villains such as The Joker and Loki, had been eliminated from the competition. The villains at this point were all, surprisingly, either a fifth or sixth seed for both Marvel and DC. Captain America had an impressive run to the final, taking out frontrunners Iron Man and Spider-Man. “I think Captain America isn’t just a hero, he serves as a symbol,” senior Sacha Laloo said. “He’s not merely heroic, but serves as an inspiration for others to better themselves.”

Thanos is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe.

“It is very fitting that Thanos came out on top because he is overpowered,” senior Evan Lanier said.

“However I am surprised that he was popular enough to win.”

After starting with 64 heroes and villains compiled from Marvel and DC, Marvel reigns supreme with Captain America and Thanos being the only ones left standing.

Love it Hate it

By Ahjaney Friar Staff Writer

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd "I really like them as a couple and I hope they actually last a long time.”

—Tenely Paul, 7th

“They probably won’t be together for too long, so who cares. ” —Laith Rukab, 8th

Kendrick Lamar’s New Album “I like it a lot because it has a different type of rhythm for every song. ” —Dwight Bygrave, 9th

“Personally I think the album is overrated. It’s not as good as his other work. ” —Emily Shoemaker, 10th

“13 Reasons Why” “It’s kind of rough and I think it might give kids the wrong idea and the plot was also depressing. ” —Ayden Lew, 12th

“I can’t wait for a season two. Jeff Atkins deserved better. ” —Kerrianna Jadunandan, 11th

Survey Says Tweet

Tweet West Shore Yearbook

West Shore Yearbook

Kendrick Lamars New Album?

Love it Hate it

“13 Reasons Why?”

81%

Love it Hate it

19%

32 votes Final Results 5:50 PM May 4, 2017

37 votes Final Results 5:50 PM May 4, 2017

Tweet West Shore Yearbook Selena Gomez and The Weeknd?

20 May/Entertainment

Love it

81%

Hate it

19%

64 votes Final Results 5:50 PM May 4, 2017

62% 38%

Social Media Faux Pas

According to ABC news, police caught a burglar after taunting him on Facebook. The man broke into a Lakeland pizzeria on three separate occasions and posted a photo of himself posing with a stolen bottle of liquor wearing the same shirt he was wearing during the heist.

Grumpy Grandma

Snake Salary

In Fort Lauderdale, snake hunter Dusty “Wildman” Crum caught a 16 foot, 10 inch long python, a catch worth $375 from the South Florida Water Management District, according to NBC2 news.

Eighty-one-year-old Grace Raymond drove by her ex-husband’s home and spit at a couple from the passenger side window, ignoring an injunction that states she must stay 500 feet away from the home, according to “Ocala StarBanner.”

Wacky

Stories Compiled by Helen McSorley Editor in Chief

Horsing Around

A video went viral from Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park where a horse decided to fight an alligator. The preserve is home to many wild animals, and it has been reported that both animals were fine after the fight, according to “Huffpost.”

Car Circus

According to “Tampa Bay Times,” a truck driver was a little banged up after a hit and run accident involving a zebra in Wimauma, FL. The escaped zebra rammed into his truck before being corralled into the enclosure. The zebra was owned by a licensed animal exhibitor and fourth-generation circus performer.

Entertainment/May 21

Reviews Roar critics share their thoughts on the movies and TV shows.

The follow up to the 2014 cosmic superhero flick that took everyone by surprise, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” may have been more appropriately titled “Star Lord and Friends.” This action-packed sci-fi sequel focuses heavily on the main protagonist Peter Quill (Star-Lord) played by Chris Pratt. With all the attention on Quill, I felt some characters weren’t delved into as much as they were in the first installment. Even with my gripes about character development, this summer blockbuster has great humor and a few tear-jerking character moments that make you forget you’re watching a movie with a talking raccoon.

All around, “Vol. 2” is an entertaining film that doesn’t quite live up to the ridiculously high bar that “Vol. 1” set.

By David Thompson

Bill Nye’s new Netflix show, “Bill Nye Saves the World,” immediately sets a different tone than the show we all watched in middle school science class. Nye’s message is pretty clear and so are his political views, but he uses scientific explanations to debunk popular beliefs.

Nye’s new show is reminiscent of his old kids’ show, but it is geared toward an older audience. From the very real threat of global warming, the apprehension towards artificial intelligence and the dangers of alternative medicine, Nye continues to teach his audience about science through simplistic, but crazy, demonstrations.

By Helen McSorley

“The Circle” was a movie that exaggerates a world in which technology is rapidly expanding. However, it becomes clear early on that the privacy of these individuals is in danger. The film focuses on a company, known as “The Circle,” that strives to improve video and image technology through sharing the documentation of lives through video cameras. But it also shows the negative impact that the overuse of technology can have on an individual. This movie is effective because it showed the alternate effects that technology can have such as diminishing our right to privacy. However, the movie ends abruptly and with so many questions left unanswered, which was extremely frustrating.

By Briana Sandoval

22 May/Reviews

7 Seniors of the “Roar” staff

Helen McSorley Editor in Chief

Helen will be attending Florida State University and is planning to major in economics. She has been on staff for two years and has loved the opportunity to work with so many talented writers. She is proud of her staff this year and all of the hard work they put in to create six issues and compete at FSPA. She would like extend a special thanks to Bsand and Schle for all of their hard work and sacrifice.

David Thompson Managing Editor

David will be attending Florida Institute of Technology to major in multiplatform journalism.

He has been apart of the journalism program for the past three years, working as the sports editor and managing editor during the past two years. He is very grateful for all he has learned during his time working on “The Roar” and it has inspired him to pursue journalism professionally.

Briana Sandoval Copy Editor

Briana will be attending Florida State University and plans to major in exercise science. Her two years of working on “The Roar” staff and serving as the copy editor during her senior year have been enjoyably memorable and she is grateful for the experience. She would like to thank the staff, her co-editors and of course, Mr. Schledorn for all their help and effort to produce six issues this year.

Hope Dougherty Staff Writer

Hope will be attending the University of Florida to major in business administration/finance.

In addition, she will be furthering her dance career as a member on the UF dance team, the Dazzlers. This was her first year on “The Roar” staff and she is thankful for the experience.

Matt Jones Staff Writer

Matt will be attending the University of South Florida to major in political sciences. He has been a member of “The Roar” staff for two years, focusing mainly on the sports sections of the news magazine and the website. He is thankful for the skills he has gained while writing for “The Roar” and for the experiences of working with the other staff members.

Billy Macom Staff Writer

Billy will be attending Webster University in Missouri in the fall and will be double majoring in philosophy and sociology. He is glad that the year is over but he will miss everyone. He is also grateful that Mr. Schledorn gave him the opportunity to be a part of “The Roar.”

Elizabeth Marrin Staff Writer

Elizabeth will be attending the University of Chicago in the fall and is majoring in economics. This was her first year on staff and she has enjoyed writing news stories to be published in “The Roar.”

Entertainment/May 23

Florida Institute of Technology is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate, master’s, education specialist and doctoral degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Florida Institute of Technology. Florida Institute of Technology is committed to nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnic or national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, ancestry, disability, genetic information, military status, protected veteran status, or other non-merit reasons in admissions, scholarship and loan programs, educational programs, athletic or other university sponsored programs or activities, and employment including employment of disabled veterans and veterans of the Vietnam Era, as required by applicable laws. Contact the Title IX Coordinator at 321-674-8700.

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