West Shore Roar April 2018 Issue

West Shore

ROAR

April 2018

INSIDE:

#Me Too Students share how sexual harassment has influenced the community, 12 Wildcat Challenge Recap, 6 Senior leads lacrosse team to record year, 17 ‘Love, Simon’ review, 22

westshoreroar.com - 250 Wildcat Alley - Melbourne, FL 32935

“West Shore Roar”: April 2018 EDITORS Editor In Chief Alexa Carlos Tamez Managing Editor Rachel Montgomery Sports Editor Ben Lack ADVISER Mark Schledorn GRAPHICS Emma Remonsellez-Conde Catherine Ho Photo: Gianni Valenti

Show your spirit Seniors Mariah Jones and Andrew Leonard yell chants during Power Hour on March 29.

WHAT’S INSIDE

pg 4

Staff Editorial

Arming teachers won’t keep students safe

pg 6

Wildcat Challenge Recap

pg 9

Powder-Ruff

pg 10

Trouble with Tardies

pg 12

#MeToo

pg 17 pg 18 pg 21 pg 23

Juniors and seniors face off in field day

Annual game moved to spring

Late students to serve Power Hour detention

Students share how sexual harassment has influenced the community

Wes Impresses

Senior leads lacrosse team to record year

Athletes to Watch

A preview of who to watch this season

Love it Hate it

Getting ready for dances, Line dance, Promposals

Reviews

‘In My Blood,’ ‘Love, Simon,’ Lil Yachty

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ahjaney Friar, Auston Gonzalez, Justin Ho, Shawn Humphrey, Valery Linkenhoker, Michael Lucente, Madhav Pamidimukkala, Sanjay Ramchandani, Marissa Scalise, Jessica Travis, Walter Wilinsky PUBLICATIONS POLICIES “West Shore Roar” recognizes itself as a public forum and encourages letters from West Shore students and members of the community.

“West Shore 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. “West Shore Roar” is not responsible for web sites viewed through links found on pages mentioned in the publication. “West Shore 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. “West Shore 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 “West Shore Roar” staff.

SUBMIT Send your opinions to wstheroar@gmail.com VISIT Go to westshoreroar.com for more content

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Staff Editorial

from the editor District should dismiss the idea of arming teachers

Recently, the Florida legislators allowed school district to arm teachers.

Among many things, this decision portends some complications.

The Trump administration supports arming teachers, and announced that it wants to help states provide teachers with “rigorous” firearms training.

Secretary of Education Betsy Devos said schools should be able to arm teachers “if they chose to use the tool,” but then in a “60 Minutes” interview said she “couldn’t ever imagine” the prospect of seeing her first-grade teacher armed.

Meanwhile, at a Northern California high school, a reserve police officer teaching public safety accidentally fired his gun in a classroom, and a student was struck in the neck by bullet fragments.

In the event an active shooter entered a classroom, how would teachers react to a high-risk and life-threatening event? There is a difference between teachers being oriented to use a gun, and being trained to use one.

The New York Police Department’s own study shows trained law enforcement officers hit their intended target approximately 18 percent of the time in a gunfight. We are talking about giving teachers limited training, and it is probable that their numbers aren’t going to be any better than that. In the case of teachers, when they miss their

intended target, they could hit people they were trying to protect. That might very well be students.

Even more, equipping teachers with guns raises questions about the dangers of having an armed teacher in a confrontation with an unarmed teacher.

Could teachers possibly use guns on each other? In hostile situations between teachers and students, could

teachers use the gun as leverage?

With all of these tragedies happening and people voicing their opinions, it is a false choice to suggest that you’re either in favor of the Second Amendment or want to take everyone’s guns away. A compromise is needed to ensure safety in our schools. Gov. Rick Scott’s actions are swift and decisive, but the option of arming teachers may not be the best choice.

Putting a fully functional weapon in the hands of a teacher is as bad as just handing a gun over to a school shooter.

In multiple instances the school shooter

is not the one who purchased the gun he used. Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden stole nine weapons from their grandfather, along with their mom’s car, in order to kill other students at Westside Middle School in 1998.

If a student is angry and motivated enough to want to shoot up a school, he will definitely try to overpower a teacher and take the weapon. There should not be any guns in schools.

If the student resource officer were to find a teacher’s gun in a student’s backpack, what would happen then? Who would be charged with carrying a weapon?

There could be a scenario Cartoon: Catherine Ho in which a student brings a gun to school and shoots an armed teacher. Now the deranged murderer has two guns.

Brevard Public Schools is the only one of Florida’s 12 largest school districts considering the proposal to arm school staff. There are better ways to make schools a safe environment, one of which should not be bringing weapons onto school campus.

There should be no guns in schools besides in the hands of the school resource officer who is thoroughly trained to think and act rationally in a hostile situation.

April 2018

to the editor

Kids in the Café Recycling Rumors Back in the day when we were underclassmen, if an upperclassmen said that we couldn’t sit [somewhere] we would get out and respect them because that’s how it was. Now we can’t sit where we want after waiting so many years because the little kids run to the cafeteria and then we say “can you get out of our seat?” and then they go and complain to [administration] about it and [administration] says “hey, you can’t do that anymore,” even though that’s how it used to be. [Administrators] are now protecting [underclassmen] and what we’ve been waiting for this whole time we can’t get and it’s really annoying. It would even be different if underclassmen were nicer about the situation.

Reinaldo Alers, 11th

5

(Not) Good Friday

Every day we hear students complain about how the school doesn’t recycle. There’s rumors about whether there has been an actual attempt to do so, but students have yet to take action and make it a priority.

It isn’t necessarily the school’s fault that kids want to throw non-recyclable items in recycle bins, and then complain about how we aren’t environmentally friendly.

Staff members shouldn’t have to separate trash from recyclables when it’s time for pick-up, instead everything should be ready to go and the process would be simple. If students don’t feel the need to prioritize the environment by doing a simple task, or rather a duty, then there is no room for hypocrisy and the complaints should stop. Until that happens, the recycling myths and rumors are essentially moot and people are just wasting their breath.

Armando SantaMaria-Bruno, 11th

I am outraged, livid, aggravated, that we don’t have Good Friday off. I’m a pretty religious person. I go to church each weekend and it is important for me to celebrate Jesus. So the fact that I have to decide between either going to school or using up one of my absent days is offensive. I’m hurt and I feel targeted. I shouldn’t even be at school right now.

Next year if no one has Good Friday off, I’m boycotting. I mean I’m not going be in high school but I’ll make my little brother boycott. There needs to be some changes in the schedule around here to meet the needs of the students.

Haley Walker, 12th

opinion

Problematic Planes

By Jessica Travis Staff Writer If you haven’t noticed already, the air show was going on all week. The planes are cool to look at but they’re not cool when I can’t even hear myself think. It’s crazy that so many people here can recognize a plane and know all the different categories talking about ‘F1-whatevers’ but having those planes fly over during one month of each year after six years is starting to get on my nerves. Being so close to the airport, we are already constantly reminded that airplanes do in fact exist and are flying barely two miles above the school.

Many students appreciate the planes because they either fly their own or they plan on going into the Air Force. It’s good to have an interest in something but I have never been more

Air show can be distracting

disinterested in a machine than I am with airplanes.

When this school was Central Middle School, one of the reasons the principal used to relocate to West Melbourne was the airport. She argued that having a school next to the railroad track, where a train could possibly derail directly into track practice, and an airport, with planes that could literally crash into math class, was too problematic. I still have the issue that once all the Central kids were moved, the school that was ditched for its bad location was immediately given to us. I realize it’s hard to move the entire school at this point but the air show could at least be rescheduled to Spring Break.

I’ve seen airplanes do barrel rolls and break the sound barrier which was pretty awesome, but noticing

planes that actually have the word ‘bomber’ in their name reminds me of what these machines are used for.

The ones usually flying overhead are mainly transportation, but the planes in the air show have the darker purpose of being used as a weapon.

Hearing people admire the planes is uncomfortably similar to hunters describing their guns or knives.

The air show is a cool event and we’re lucky to be able to see them in formation when they’re around.

However, it feels like every day we have to listen to planes landing and launching, so the Thunderbirds are anti-climatic because they feel like just more loud planes disrupting classes.

I know it isn’t the same sound, it is in fact much louder and much worse, but what matters is that they are annoying.

westshoreroar.com

JUNIORS SENIORS

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Q

campus connect How do you think your homeroom will do at Wildcat Challenge?

“I’m excited about Wildcat Challenge because this year our homeroom is actually planning everything ahead of time instead of not knowing what to do until the day of like last year. We were so unprepared last year, but I think we are ready for this year which means we will work better as a team. Our outfits look really good, so I’m glad and we are ready to win. I love competition, and my homeroom and I think this is a great way for us to gain more memories with each other before we head off on our own separate paths.”

— Hannah Johnson, Estevez’s Cup of Joe

“It’s inevitable, Hender-Sinners are going to take a dub two years in a row. We will have two trophies to put in our room.”

- Joe Luisi, Hender-Sinners “This is our last chance to compete against other homerooms in our grade and the junior class which is bittersweet because I don’t think we will realize how much we will miss it. We haven’t really prepared at all, but I’m sure we can all pull together last minute and make it work for the better.”

— Kishan Ghayal, Da Silva’s Deities

BEFORE BEFORE

Q

Are you excited for Wildcat Challenge and why?

“I’m excited because I really enjoy competition and having fun with my friends. I haven’t really prepared for it though besides making shirts for “‘Donald’s Disney Characters.’”

— Avery Kloppel, Donald’s Disney Characters “I’m personally super excited for Wildcat Challenge just because I have a really athletic homeroom so I think we have a pretty good chance of winning, and I’m pretty confident in that. To prepare all we really decided was on what we are eating the day of, and we had to order our costumes separately.”

-- Armando Santamaria, Raheb’s Rockstars

“Free time is hard to come by at this time of the year, so preparing for Wildcat Challenge hasn’t really been a huge concern of mine but I’m sure we will do fine.”

— Alexandre Beregi, Ms. A’s Animals “I love planning things and being in charge, so I was glad when Mr. O gave me the responsibility to place everyone in their events. I’m not really competitive, but I just think that working with my homeroom will be super-fun and good for us to all become closer together .”

— Alexia Potter, Tim’s Titans Photos: Bella Serrano

April 2018

campus connect

Q

7

What was your overall experience?

“I’m kind of mad that [Hender-Sinners] didn’t win back-to-back especially because there was only a 10-point difference, but I was proud of my homeroom and how we did. I’m also sad that we didn’t win backto-back overall for the tug of war, but at least we won among the seniors.

Overall, we’re happy with how we did. “ — Molly Redito, Hender-Sinners “I had fun yelling a lot, and also cheering for my other seniors. My homeroom felt robbed getting first place, but since the seniors won over the juniors I was OK with it.”

— Zak Mujeeb, Incredi-Nery’s

“[Winning] feels kind of OK, I suppose.”

— Dylan O’Brien, Carrie’s Scaries

- Carrie’s Scaries - Hender-Sinners - Incredi-Nery’s - Da Silva’s Deities - Henderson’s Hippies

Photos: Gianni Valenti

“Being disqualified from basketball was a letdown, and we were all very angry at first, but I think we got over it when the Hender-sinners lost, but overall we had a lot of fun.”

— Andrew Leonard, Da Silva’s Deities

- Mama Johnson’s

“Since we were going last in volleyball, our plan was to run down the clock, but no one knew what that meant and the juniors almost caught up.”

— Haley Walker, James’ Jungle

- Estevez’s Cup of Joe

AFTER AFTER Q

How was your first Wildcat Challenge?

“I didn’t expect it to be such a hyped-up atmosphere as it was, so I was pleasantly surprised with all the homeroom nationalism there was.”

— Jacob Kent, Martin’s Militia

“It was pretty special to me because it was our first Wildcat Challenge and it’s nice to have the trophy for next year.”

-Cameron Yeutter, Raheb’s Rockstars “Well in the past week or so all the homerooms have been talking smack, particularly about brain bowl, and we had been expecting to win, but we were certainly worried going into it because since we talked so much smack the stakes were high and we were super happy to have won.”

— Evan Courtney, InFinchtry “I’m really excited we won best dressed because we worked really hard as a class to make sure it looked extremely well. We knew we wanted to do something based off of the military since our teacher was in the Venezuelan Navy and after throwing a bunch of ideas out we decided collectively what we wanted to do.”

— Sally Kempfer, Martin’s Militia

- James’ Jungle

- Raheb’s Rockstars - InFinchtry - Martin’s Militia - Fallon’s Fairies - Tim’s Titans - Thomas’ Tourists - Ms. A’s Animals - Donald’s Disney Characters

April 2018

campus connect

Second Spirit Week

Monday

9

Meme Monday Photo: Gianni Valenti

Sideline Spirit Senior Jessie Shaw cheers on Ahjaney Friar during a run play in the final quarter of the 2017 Powderpuff game.

Powder-Ruff Annual event moved to spring Story by Jessica Travis Staff Writer Hurricane Irma caused many scheduling changes, one of which was moving the date of Powderpuff from its usual spot in the fall to March 29, the day after Wildcat Challenge.

Athletic Director Tony Riopelle said the change went smoothly.

“I don’t remember ever having to change the dates from the fall before,” Riopelle said. “But it’s actually easier in the spring because in the fall we have so many athletes playing their sports, whereas now you’re really only dealing with lacrosse, track and tennis.”

Junior Sally Kempfer said the previous date had interfered with volleyball season.

“It makes the most sense for us to do it now, great weather and great availability for athletes,” Kempfer said. “If it’s all for fun, I think we’re all going to get the best out of it.”

But junior Marie-Claire Goldfarb, the coach of the junior cheerleaders, said the change caused many juniors to lose interest.

“When it was originally scheduled for fall, I know that a lot of the junior

boys were really excited,” she said.

“But by the time it started coming around again everyone started to kind of bail out, especially the boys.”

Goldfarb said a total of six boys signed up to participate.

“They’re still doing really well but it just bothers me that if it were the fall we would’ve had a bigger better group of guys,” she said.

Senior Dominick Delgado said the change worked with his flexible schedule.

“There’s a little disconnect between the team and the coaches sometimes, but usually we work really well together and we can get stuff done,” he said. “Even though it makes it a little more busy, it’s next to other events which is good.”

Riopelle said Powderpuff will go back to the traditional dates next year unless there’s an overwhelming response from students.

“It depends on how everyone likes it,” Riopelle said. “We might talk about [making the new date permanent] as an administrative team.”

The seniors left victorious, with a final score of 29-8.

Tuesday

Career Day

Wednesday Holiday Day

Thursday

Class Colors

Friday

College Day

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campus connect

Trouble with Tardies Story by Mahmood Syed Featured Writer In response to a growing number of tardies, the school’s administration has decided in-school detentions will now be served during Power Hour.

The detentions will take priority over other Power Hour events such as club meetings, test make-ups and tutoring.

Sophomore Conner Miles opposes the change.

“I think that this is a terrible idea because it messes with many teachers’ planned Power Hour office hours,” Miles said. “So if students need to make up tests or need to come in to a study or review session, they aren’t able to do that. Basically, students

Parking Problems Story by Marissa Scalise Staff Writer Tension between the courthouse and students has been at the forefront recently when courthouse officials announced that all students who park on their property or the property adjacent to the railroad tracks, across Nieman Avenue, will be towed. This is different from previous years as, although it has never been permitted to park in the courthouse parking lot, the area across the street used to be frequently used by students who did not wish to purchase a parking pass.

Both safety precautions and requests from the courthouse have instigated this change.

“We don’t advocate people park over there because we can’t be responsible for what happens to you over there,” School Resource Officer Valerie Butler said. “We can’t monitor it. We can’t make sure you are safely crossing because the school doesn’t have a

Late arrivals will serve detentions during Power Hour

shouldn’t have to sacrifice their education as punishment.”

Senior Mariah Jones said the policy will help those who come late.

“I actually would rather go to detention during Power Hour only because I have lots of extracurricular activities after school so it’s more conflicting with my schedule,” she said. “I think that any detention is going to and does encourage me to come to school earlier.”

But sophomore Matthew McCullough said the new policy probably won’t change much.

“The way this policy is set up, at least as I understand it, is that it only targets tardies,” McCullough said. “So if you have above five tardies, why not

stay home? This only really punishes kids who make some sort of effort to get to class on time. This won’t fix anything and only serves as an excuse to hand out more detentions.”

Senior Emily Smith suggests a productive detention as a solution.

“The office’s method of becoming stricter on the late policy is pointless and dumb because getting Power Hour taken away with nothing to do is not very intimidating,” she said.

“If students are allowed to work on homework at least, it would be slightly more productive than forcing students to stare at a wall for an hour.”

The policy has been enacted for the rest of the year and for the foreseeable future.

Students face being towed for parking at Courthouse school crossing guard. There wasn’t an intention for people to park over there across the street.”

Students parking on courthouse property not only created potential issues for students’ safety, but also became problematic for members of the courthouse and community.

“They did have some issues where people who were attending court didn’t have a place to park,” Assistant Principal Catherine Halbuer said.

“There have been some busy days and there weren’t enough spaces for the people to get to court on time.”

Now that students are displaced from their typical parking area, they are forced to buy a parking permit from the school and find a new spot.

“They can either attempt to find an open spot in the auditorium spot that’s not assigned to a senior,” Butler said.

“If they can’t find a spot there, they can always call the front office and let [attendance clerk Elaine] Lawson or

one of the front office staff know that they need the back track unlocked.”

The new policy proves to be more intrusive for some students than others.

“I have been parking at the courthouse all year,” junior Riley Rodriguez said. “Now that I have to park at the track, I have to walk all the way across the school every morning.

It’s really inconvenient.”

New parking locations change both how students enter school in the morning and exit after dismissal.

Junior Viorel Silaghi, for instance, found the effects at dismissal evident when he had to change from parking at the courthouse to parking on the track, which not only houses a student parking lot, but also a place for parents to pick up students.

“It takes more time to get home.

The difference is five minutes,” Silaghi said. “I’m still trying to find the best trajectory. For the moment it’s kind of annoying, but I’ll get used to it.”

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BY THE NUMBERS

6.4 48

Million posts with #MeToo on Facebook and Twitter

Percent of 7-12 grade students experienced some form of sexual harassment at school

30,000

Reported cases of sexual harassment at work in 2015

56 1 in 5

Percent of girls experienced sexual harassment at school

High school women experience dating violence Sources: U.S. News, AAUW, WHO

cover

#MeToo Students share how sexual harassment has influenced the community

By Alexa Carlos Tamez Edtior in Chief, Rachel Montgomery Managing Editor As the girls’ soccer team lines up on the practice field to run sprints, a car driving by honks at them and the driver yells “damn” as he goes by. And for the girls, this type of treatment is nothing new.

Recently, sexual harassment and assault stories aren’t hard to find. Many women, and men alike, are joining the #MeToo movement, a campaign that started with one tweet and became viral as the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault was demonstrated.

The movement swept across the nation and brought attention that degrees of harassment are common, even at school.

“We [admin] take everything very seriously when it comes to student safety, specifically sexual harassment,” Principal Rick Fleming said. “It’s not what is said that matters, it’s how the victim potentially feels. It’s important to understand that.

Sexual harassment or any type of harassment is how a victim feels.

So a perpetrator may not even realize they’re saying or doing something.”

Recently, a coach resigned after players complained that he made them feel uncomfortable.

“At practice he would ‘jokingly’ hit our butts with his lacrosse stick,” a player said.

“When showing us how to do drills or various skills he would place his hands in inappropriate

places, and he would flirt with some of the players. It was very uncomfortable for a lot of us, but we didn’t really want to do anything about it because he made it seem like he was joking around and we didn’t want to get benched since he played favorites. It happened a little in the beginning but got more pronounced over time.”

After the coach resigned, law enforcement and the school district conducted separate investigations into the allegations.

“It’s not what is said that matters, it’s how the victim potentially feels.”

“My goal as principal was to remove that individual from any contact with children, and that was what happened, based on comments that were made,” Fleming said. “I didn’t want him working anywhere else with children, so even though he resigned from me, I wasn’t happy because as much as I don’t want him around my kids, I don’t want him around any kids. I am hoping that because of that additional degree of severity of losing a job here and investigation with law enforcement that he is no longer around children. That’s my hope and wish.”

April 2018

cover

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What are examples of sexual harassment?

Source: American Association of University Women, United Nations

Non-verbal • Hanging around a person • Looking a person up and down • Giving personal gifts At least one girl has complained about comments from a teacher during class.

“When I’m in class he’ll pay more attention to me than anyone else,” said a student who wished to remain anonymous. “When he walks by he’ll put his hand on my arm which I think is kind of weird. At first I thought it was all in my head until other classmates pointed it out.”

Others have had uncomfortable experiences with other students. “[A male student] used to walk up behind me when I was sitting in my chair and press into my back,” said another student. “Another time he called my name out of nowhere and said ‘you’re so sexy’. He even told me how he had a dream about me. I don’t like anyone looking at me in a sexual nature, especially when it’s unsolicited.

It bothers me that a man would look at me and the first thing he thinks of is something sexual, and then, on top of

Sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual behavior that takes place in person or electronically.

Source: American Association of University Women

Verbal Physical • Suggestive comments about • Standing close or brushing a person’s clothing or looks up against another person • Sexual teasing, jokes, remarks • Hugging, kissing, patting or or questions stroking that, he feels the need to share it with me.”

After the girl reported the student’s behavior to a teacher, his actions stopped.

“The first thing [the administration does] is investigate,” Fleming said. “If we hear a rumor or a hint, we try to gather names of people who may have heard, saw or been directly implicated or involved in conducting our investigation. Once we get the potential victim, or the victim that is not yet identified then we get a statement of how and why this is coming from.”

Once the situation is reported, there are a wide range of disciplinary procedures that can be implemented.

“There are different degrees of severity of any type of incident involving a student and a staff member,” Fleming said. “There can be harassment, assault (which is verbal) and there can be a battery which can be physical. There are different degrees of severity of potential punishment for those things as well whether it be outright losing their job based on any type of sexual harassment, a suspension, or whether it be a simple letter of reprimand depending on the degree of severity.”

In order to fairly assess claims, Fleming proceeds cautiously, seeking proof of any accusation.

“Any time there are alleged things that were said, I live by a guideline,” Fleming said. “There are people that will talk about things who will twist

“At first I thought it was all in my head, until my other classmates pointed it out” and spin what happened, sometimes willfully sometimes not willfully. If there are other people around who hear bits and pieces, then that leaves an audience, so information could be coming from the audience and not from the victim. It is important that when conducting an investigation, to get unbiased reports from people, so that talk of the situation is limited. It creates more rumors and conjecture, and getting to the truth is what is most important.”

Fleming said he has no tolerance for sexual harassment.

“I am very transparent with everything that I do, I don’t like there to be any secrets,” Fleming said.

“Anybody that is going to harass any of my kids here, they have to get through me, [guidance counselor Mike] Drake, and a bunch of guys that won’t let anything happen. I get really irritated with these things because they’re at the top of my pyramid.”

14

news

westshoreroar.com

Photo: Ahjaney Friar

Stay strong Sophomore Emily Lovelock grieves for the victims from Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Student Strength

Show your sign Freshman Hannah Sheinman holds a poster stating each of the 17 victims’ names from Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Photo: Lexi Vander

Gun violence sparks nationwide walkout in schools

Story by Auston Gonzalez Staff Writer On March 14 at 10 a.m., high-school students throughout the nation decided to walk instead of run.

After 17 people fell victim to a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, a number of students became motivated to work to ensure they would never have to run from a gun again. Recent legislative action in response to the shooting has yet to satisfy their pleas. So, on March 14 they organized a nationwide walkout to honor the 17 slain victims and to call for more government action.

Here on campus, several students helped to plan West Shore’s contribution to the movement.

Organizers passed out formatted letters encouraging students to write to Gov. Rick Scott during the 17 minutes of silence held for the victims.

Senior Sydney Zamorano called the event a success.

“I think it was effective,” Zamorano said. “A lot of kids ended up writing the letters to the governor we handed out. I wasn’t expecting that many

people to actually write one. Even kids who didn’t write a letter decided to write small notes of encouragement to the students of Stoneman Douglas, so I think it was beneficial both ways. I think it made a difference.”

Social studies teacher Bob Sarver, who helped the students plan the walkout, said he was pleased with what was accomplished.

“It was pretty inspiring,” Sarver said.

“I was really proud of all the students for showing respect for what had occurred, and I was impressed because I had looked at the letters students wrote and they were thoughtful. I’m especially proud of and inspired by the students that helped organize the event.”

One week before the walkout, the Florida Legislature narrowly passed a bill and Gov. Rick Scott signed into law the first successful gun-control measure in the state in more than 20 years.

The bill includes provisions such as raising the minimum age to purchase all guns to 21, funding school security, expanding mental health services and regulations and perhaps the most controversial provision of arming

school employees.

Though the bill showed the legislature taking action in a timely manner, it left out some of the biggest changes the students and their supporters had hoped for, including a ban on assault weapons. In addition, the idea of arming teachers has failed to win the broad support of teachers throughout the state.

“I have very mixed feelings about arming teachers,” English teacher Adrienne Gent said. “Research has shown that police officers that are highly trained and skilled that want to do that type of job only have about a 30 percent rate of hitting their target in a situation where guns are being discharged. So for teachers who are not highly trained, my concern is what their percentage would be. And what would the situation be if you had one teacher firing a gun down the hall and another teacher firing a gun down the hall, who would be in the crossfire? It’s such a chaotic situation that I think it could lead to more lawsuits or more deaths or injuries for children or other teachers.”

Math teacher Jill Whitacre said

April 2018

news

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New bills in the legislature

Photo: Ahjaney Friar

Spread love Freshman Baily Hetzel is comforted by a friend during the walk out.

she believes there are more plausible solutions regarding school safety than arming teachers.

“I think a better solution would be to put more security officers on campus if that’s what they feel is needed,” Whitacre said. “I do understand that something needs to be done. I am very much against putting more guns in school.”

Social science teacher James Pustay said he believes opposing arguments for the legislative action aren’t completely realistic.

“I was looking at the reasons why they were against the governor’s bill,” Pustay said. “It was ‘kids will break the lock.’

They are safes [where the guns would be stored]. You’re not going to break that lock.”

However, Pustay said he does believe more government action is needed.

“Now let’s be honest, there’s probably some people that have access on this campus to [firearms] already and nobody really cares,” he said. “But I think the other side is so weak in terms of it’s mostly all emotion which is good, but they have to go beyond the emotion.

They have to be able to sit down with

Write for change Juniors Collin Robidoux, Avery Kloeppel and Ian Leighton write letters to Gov. Rick Scott expressing their opinions.

the other side.”

During the walkout, students were provided with pencils and paper to voice some of these concerns.

“The important thing that we have to do now is after we send the letters, we follow up and push for a response,” Zamorano said.

The demonstrations did not end with the March 14 walkout. Survivors of the Parkland attack organized a national March for Our Lives event held March 24 and an estimated 2,500 Brevard County residents rallied on the Eau Gallie Causeway to show local support.

Sophomores Sarah Paylor and Isabel Burden joined with those calling for change.

“We took part in this important event to show our support for ending gun violence,” Paylor said. “What happened in Parkland is something that can never happen again.”

Local demonstrators marched, carried posters and listened to speeches.

“I wanted to be there to show my support for ending gun violence,” Burden said. “I am inspired by the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas and everywhere else that are

Photo: Ahjaney Friar

advocating for ending gun violence and putting an end to school shootings. It’s time for action and for the young people to finally be heard.”

In Washington, hundreds of thousands gathered to listen to speeches given by Parkland survivors.

Whitacre said she hopes to see more action nationwide.

“I hope that lawmakers are listening and care,” Whitacre said. “We have seen a lot of movement in Florida, and I do agree with a lot of the things that they did do. It was really good for us to stand together to show support and feel like we contributed to a movement.”

Gent said she is encouraged at seeing students taking a stand.

“I don’t know what kind of change it might bring about, but I think the bigger picture of change is that the kids know they have power and can stand up and say what they want to say when they see something wrong,” Gent said.

“Hopefully that skill will transpose into other areas when they see things aren’t right and they’ll say something and make a difference and not be complacent in what they believe is not a good situation.”

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SCOREBOARDS Compiled by Walter Wilinsky

sports center

What’s Up, Doc? Brevard lacrosse pioneer guides team to victory

Boys Tennis Record: 8-1 7-0 at Satellite 0-7 Holy Trinity 5-2 at Heritage 7-0 Bayside 5-2 at Edgewood

6-1 Florida Prep 5-2 Space Coast 7-0 Merritt Island Christian 5-2 Merritt Island

Girls Tennis Record: 6-2 3-4 Satellite 6-1 Florida Prep 2-5 Holy Trinity 7-0 Space Coast 7-0 Heritage 5-2 Merritt Island 6-1 Bayside Christian 7-0 Edgewood

Boys Lacrosse Record: 3-7 10-7 Melbourne 10-11 Edgewood 0-20 Viera 0-18 Merritt 14-8 Holy Trinity Island 12-5 John Carrol 3-11 Cocoa Beach Catholic 3-17 MCC 4-16 Sebastian 7-9 Satellite River

Girls Lacrosse Record: 1-8 6-17 Satellite 3-11 Merritt Island 6-18 Edgewood 3-18 Melbourne 5-22 Viera

1-20 Sebastian River 2-13 Rockledge 6-13 Holy Trinity 7-17 Edgewood 6-18 Melbourne

Track and Field 2/12 at Palm Bay 2/23 at MI 3/2 at Satellite

3/6 at MI 3/15 at Heritage 3/28 at Satellite

As of March 28; for more updated scores, visit www.westshoreroar.com

Doc’s Determination During halftime, lacrosse coach Dan Scheurer motivates the players in the game against MCC on March 17.

Story by Shawn Humphrey Staff Writer Following a less-than-stellar season in which it finished with a record of 1-14, new head lacrosse coach Dan Scheurer — know as “Doc” to his players — already has seen his team pick up two big wins against Melbourne High School and John Carroll Catholic School. Senior attacker Wesley Dennis said Scheuer’s philosophy has been just what the doctor ordered.

“He really cares about us a lot,” Dennis said. “Everything that he has goes out to the team. He inspires us to be good.”

Because the sport is still gaining its footing in the county, the school found it difficult to hire a new coach.

“We had a very hard time finding a lacrosse coach, because lacrosse is so new in Brevard County, and there are hardly any coaches out there,” athletic director Tony Riopelle said. “Lacrosse has only been an FHSAA sport here since 2011, and for three or four years it was only a club sport.”

During his time at Viera High School, Scheurer was responsible for starting the first public school lacrosse team in Brevard County.

“I taught AP U.S. History,” Scheurer said. “A student in my class played in Virginia and wanted to have a school team. He talked the principal

Photo: Walter Wilinsky

into starting a team, but the principal required that he have a teacher be a sponsor to supervise. He kept hounding me to be the sponsor until I finally gave in. We started with 18 guys he rounded up, of which only three had ever heard of or seen a lacrosse match.

The principal gave us two goals and a set of uniforms, which started the first public high-school team in Brevard.”

Sophomore goaltender Kyle Johnson, whose season includes a 20-save effort in the victory against Melbourne High School, said Scheurer’s experience has exponentially benefited the team.

“He’s a great coach. He knows the game. He knows exactly what to do,” Johnson said. “As the season progressed, he assessed what we needed to fix, and he was able to correct those things and bond the team, so I think it strengthened the team a lot.”

Scheurer holds high hopes for the future of the school’s lacrosse team.

“The team will grow in numbers and quality in the future,” Scheurer said.

“We will be more competitive and win more matches. The younger players are excited and are very focused on mastering the skills. They are hard workers who rarely miss practice.

Exciting things will eventually emerge for the West Shore boys’ lacrosse program.”

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Wes Impresses

Senior leads team to record season Story by Ben Lack Sports Editor The head coach of a sports team represents an authoritative figure; one who commands respect and unifies players. After the loss of the boys’ lacrosse head Coach Chuck Landmesser last season, questions were asked regarding who would step into the vacant leadership role. Senior Wesley Dennis, a three-year varsity veteran, presented himself as a candidate for captaincy at the beginning of the season.

“I don’t really lead by motivating with speech, I lead by example in practice,” Dennis said. “I always keep my head down and stay focused. No matter what, if we play a tough opponent and the odds are stacked against us, I always show up and bring my best.”

Despite losing four players from last season, the boys have put together one of their most successful seasons

to date, posting a record of 3-8 and earning their first playoff appearance since 2015.

Teammate Zack Bursk gives input on Dennis’ contribution as a leader to the team.

“Wes is really good at getting open and taking shots,” Bursk said. “His shot accuracy is the best on the team and he has the most goals. His knowledge of the team is really good, so he’s always giving us advice on what to do and helping us improve as a team and as individual players. Before games, he always tries to hype us up and after games, he always has advice for us and how we can improve our playing.”

Dennis has been playing lacrosse since eighth grade, when he was on the JV team.

The following summer, he joined the Florida Surf Side Lacrosse Academy Landsharks, where he played for one season. Since then, he has been a member of

Photo: Dean Stewart Photography

Stick Together The team raises their sticks together to chant before playing.

Photo: Dean Stewart Photography

Assisted Attack Senior Wesley Dennis runs towards the goal to score as sophomore Christopher Johnson runs along side for extra support.

the Space Coast Stingrays, a local lacrosse club team.

“I love lacrosse because I used to play football,” Dennis said. “[Lacrosse is more of a fast sport with the same amount of contact.

Ever since [I started playing], I’ve loved scoring and

“I love the contact and the energy in the game and lacrosse kind of brings that to the next level.”

I’ve loved being with my team and all my bros.”

Dennis’ influence extends beyond his contributions on the field; as a leader, he influences the younger members of the team.

The lacrosse team sits at 3-8, with an eye towards a lengthy district playoff run.

To open the season, the boys earned their first-ever victory against Melbourne High, a 10-7 take-down. Dennis scored three goals that night.

“Wes can score, play aggressively and take shots,” sophomore Christopher Johnson said. “He leads the team by example, and I’ve always looked up to him. He scores a lot and is the type of player I want to be.”

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sports center

Molly Redito, 12

Muhammad Abdulla, 12

PR’s 400 meter- 1:07.00 4x400- 4:32.01

Varsity captain 2nd year on varsity

Athletes to Watch Designed by Emma Remonsellez-Conde and compiled by Alexa Carlos Tamez

Hannah Lebeau, 0 12

Varsity captain 5th year on varsity

Phi Duong, 12

Varsity tennis player Team record 8-1

April 2018

sports center

Noble Goals Story by Kyle Johnson Featured Writer The school’s boys’ and girls’ lacrosse teams joined Rockledge High School to participate in PAL’s third annual Spring Family Fest at the Field of Dreams in West Melbourne on March 24. The program encourages people of all ages with mental disabilities to attend and take part in sports, art and dancing. The two teams joined forces to expose the attendees to the sport of lacrosse. The sports portion of the Family Day was planned by the Parker Foundation, a non-profit organization looking to provide sports opportunities to anybody with a mental or physical disability.

Founder Melissa Parker takes personal interest in this event.

19

Wildcats, Raiders team up for autism awareness “Our son is affected by Autism so we went to the Scott Center for treatment,” Parker said. “After that there was nothing for him to do socially or sports-related. So we were inspired to start the foundation in 2015. We want all kids to have the opportunity to play sports. Our foundation does sports, arts and education programs for children with Autism and their families.”

The participants’ families also were encouraged to attend in order to improve their relationships with their member affected with autism or other disabilities.

“The kids’ siblings can come out and play too,” Parker said. “That way they can become good role models for the kids with autism, who typically have a harder time

with certain activities like sports or social events.”

Players from both teams demonstrated aspects of the game to anyone at the event.

“It was pretty simple,” sophomore Shea Ix said. “We just played with the kids and had some fun. We taught them how to shoot, pass and catch. It was a great time.”

West Shore player Isabel Richards described the impact of the event on the team.

“Not only was it like an extra session of practice, but it allowed our players to bond with other teams and each other because of challenges we might have faced,” Richards said. “The event was a huge learning opportunity for our girls.”

pianomarvel Learn piano online with the world’s best piano learing system! www.pianomarvel.com

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entertainment

Patrol Photographer

SRO takes photos outside of school Story by Valery Linkenhoker Staff Writer Student Resource Officer Valerie Butler began a side job of professional photography after taking pictures of her niece and nephew.

Butler became interested in photography after buying her first camera and experimenting with different settings. Butler looked to YouTube videos and in-person workshops to help expand her knowledge.

“It all stemmed from taking a couple pictures and realizing how artistic I can be,” Butler said. “It started off just for fun, with my family and people that I knew and then I got so many requests when [my family] started posting [my pictures online].”

Butler began a website after strangers began to ask her to take photos of their families.

“I’ve had complete strangers see photos of weddings,” Butler said. “Anyone can contact me if they want to have their photos taken. I do weddings, portraits, children, family shoots and senior photos.”

Butler began posting her photos on her website in 2013 after requests to see more of her work.

“So many people were asking who was taking the photos that I ended up starting a website and a business and doing it that way,” Butler said. “It’s just me. I don’t have any employees or assistants.”

Senior Fallon Klenotich turned to Butler as a consultant to help her expand her knowledge and ability for her senior project.

“Officer Butler has a side job of professional photography,” Klenotich said. “One day she came up to me and gave me her e-mail and link to her website, telling me she would love to be my consultant.”

Photo: Valerie Butler

Beautiful Bridesmaids Officer Butler photographs a wedding on Aug. 19, 2015.

Photo: Fallon Klenotich

Snapshot Sensei Officer Butler served as a mentor to Fallon Klenotich for her Senior Project and assisted her in taking portrait photographs.

Photo: Valerie Butler

Pretty Picture Officer Butler photographs a couple at the beach on Aug. 20, 2015.

Klenotich said she learned how to make people feel comfortable in the situation she put them in because of Butler’s tips.

“I learned a lot about professional photography and how to capture the right moment,” Klenotich said.

Butler explained to Klenotich how to get a photoshoot and how to interact with people to get them at ease.

“She taught me how to have the correct settings and modes on to take professional portraits,” Klenotich said. “Officer Butler allowed me to use her personal camera to take the photos for my senior project.”

But that’s not the most important lesson the student learned from her teacher.

“Officer Butler taught me more than just how to take photos,” Klenotich said. “She taught me how to understand people and their different personalities.”

April 2018

entertainment

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Hate it

Love it

Compiled by Ahjaney Friar

"It takes a while but I end up looking clean in the end so it’s good.”

—CJ Coyle, 8th

“Getting ready just isn’t my thing, I’d rather just stay home.”

—Kaitlin Lelievre, 8th Prom preparation

“It’s a big group so it’s better to not get embarrassed which is fun.”

—Thomas Brownlie, 7th

“I’m really bad at them to the point where it’s laughable.”

—Madelyn Sorgenfrei, 7th Line Dances

“They are really expensive plus I’m always getting rejected.”

—Khalil Paul, 12th

“It’s nice to see because for the most part everyone is happy. ” —Carl Koko, 11th Promposals

Wildcat Winners Story by Justin Ho Staff Writer Sophomore Madison Newcombe was ecstatic to find out she scored superiors for her costume designs during the recent Florida State Thespian Festival at the Tampa Convention Center.

“It was really cool to win as a sophomore,” Newcombe said. “Just being in the room with some of the competitors was amazing. They’re all really talented, so it’s cool to be compared to them.”

Junior Dylan O’Bryan and senior Catherine Tenbusch achieved a superior ranking for their duet “Rita’s Confession” from the musical “Lucky

Students excel at state theater competition

Stiff.”

Seniors Jerry Sola, Rachel Montgomery, Gianni Valenti, Taylor Donovan and Tenbusch, sophomore Sabrina Torres and freshman Christian Lutz secured a superior for their original pantomime performance called “Robbery Gone Wrong.”

In addition, the troop achieved three excellent rankings for large group, Lexi Vander’s publicity and Alison Gibb and Devin Thrush’s duet acting scene.

Valenti performed in the large group which consisted of 15 students and, after reflected on the experience of his final high-school dramatic competition.

“It’s bittersweet. We put in a lot of

hard work, so it’s going to be different not to be working all the time on theater and having to worry about rehearsal, scheduling and practicing,” Valenti said. “It’ll be nice not to have all that pressure, but it’s something that I loved so much and it felt like a family. It’s one way that I know I’ll always see my friends and have something we love so much together.”

O’Bryan expressed relief following his performance at states.

“We put a lot of hard work into it and practiced a lot. You’re always nervous to find out how you did,” he said.

The troupe’s final performance will be its annual dessert concert on April 28.

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reviews

‘In My Blood’ Shawn Mendes single

Photo: Creative Commons

Review by Angelina Grosso Featured Writer “In My Blood” is completely different than any of Shawn’s other music that he has put out over the past four years. The musical composition is so much more complex and the lyrics of the song have gone deeper into his emotions that he has ever gone before.

‘Bobby Tarantino II’ Logic Album

Photo: Creative Commons

Review by Auston Gonzalez Staff Writer “Bobby Tarantino II” is easily one of Logic’s best projects, showing both his clever lyricism and ability to make an entertaining song. Tracks such as “Contra” and “Midnight” reveal his lighter side as an artist. The album establishes Logic’s place as a top tier artist in the hip-hop world.

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ All Stars Season 3

Photo: Creative Commons

Review by Gianni Valenti Featured Writer Starting off with a bang, All Stars Season 3 had a promising cast of characters. Ben de la Creme leaving threw a wrench into the fans idea of the rightful winner, but in the end, Shangela’s perfomance was without a doubt phenomenal and deserved a spot in the final two.

Photo: Star Wars

‘Love, Simon’ Review by Alexa Carlos Tamez Editor in chief For many young teenagers, an accurate representation of their experiences as they go through their adolescence is hard to find.

Cheesy romantic movies of the popular boy falling in love with the nerdy girl are all the rage.

This theme is replayed over and over again, which is fine, because who doesn’t love a happy ending? “Love, Simon” meets all the requirements to be a cheesy rom-com, but it does so in the best way. The movie represents the teenage LGBT experience in a positive light, something that really hasn’t been shown before.

Simon is a teenager that like many others his age, feels alone in the world. He’s struggling with coming out to his family and friends because he’s scared of their reactions. Simon is obviously the most well-developed character in the movie, and although the rest of the characters (except for Blue, who is Simon’s romantic interest) aren’t as well developed, it’s forgivable because Simon’s relationship with his friends still gives the audience something to root for, and they are all actually believable characters. Jennifer Garner beautifully plays the role

of Simon’s mother. When he finally comes out to her, the most memorable line in her response to him is “You get to exhale now, Simon.” Those words were probably my favorite in the movie because of the love she portrayed.

“The LGBT youth needed a movie like this one.”

We should all strive to be as accepting as she and the other characters in this movie are, because their love and support for Simon are truly incredible. “Love, Simon” is a simple, heartfelt movie, and although it may not be a cinematic work of art, it’s ground-breaking in its own way. The LGBT youth needed a movie like this, one that gives them hope for a future where acceptance is a normal thing.

While “Love, Simon” can and should be enjoyed by everyone who watches it, the people who will identify with it most are those who see themselves in Simon. It’s a movie that will make people cry, laugh, and leave with a feeling of complete satisfaction.

April 2018

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Lil Yachty

WANT TO GO TO A CONCERT BUT DON’T KNOW WHO TO SEE? DON’T WORRY. WE’VE GOT YOU COVERED.

Photo: Creative Commons

Review by Auston Gonzalez Staff Writer Recently, Lil Yachty released the much anticipated sequel to his debut mixtape Debut rank on Billboard Top 200 “Lil Boat,” the project that landed him Albums a spot on XXL’s 2016 freshman list.

After “Lil Boat,” Yachty has been under the radar in the hip-hop world. His 2017 “Teenage Emotions” album did not meet its surrounding expectations, leaving Yachty behind several other upcoming artists including 21 Savage Tracks featured on the album “Lil and Lil Uzi Vert. However, this may Boat 2” be the project that sets him back on track for success. “Lil Boat 2” made its debut at number two on the Billboard Top 200, and he was also featured a number of times in Quality Control’s December album “Control the Streets Vol. 2.” Recent criticism about whether Million streams in the first week or not Yachty is truly a talented artist or just someone who knows how to appeal to the new age of hip-hop may have helped spark his recent releases, where he seems to focus lyricism and looks to silence his critics. His diversity seals his place in the hip-hop world, and Thousand album sales hopefully Yachty continues to release the quality music that everyone knows he is capable of creating.

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COMING UP

No. 2

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P!nk Tuesday, April 24 Orlando

Justin Timberlake Monday, May 14 Orlando

Kendrick Lamar, SZA, ScHool boy Q, Jay Rock Tuesday, May 22 Tampa

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