VALENTINE’S DAY
SPRING SPORTS START PRACTICING
BREAKING THE NORM
Local businesses offer Valentines Day specials[
Students discuss gender neutral clothing[ SPECIAL,
Water polo players prepare for the upcoming season
page 2,3
ENTERTAINMENT, page 4
hilights Volume 69 ß Issue 1
for students, by students
William R. Boone High School ß1000 E. Kaley St. ßOrlando, FL 32806 Friday, February 12, 2021 ß boonepubs.com
Design by CALLA CURRY, content by CALLA CURRY and MADISYN MCCANDLESS EYE OPENING. With his hand raised to protect the ball, senior Antony Silva-Nunez dribbles down the court. “This season has been eye opening, but we recently picked up a nice win against a really good Olympia team,” Silva-Nunez said. The team, 17-9, won the district semifinal game against Lake Nona on Wednesday and moved onto the district final game tonight at 7 p.m. photo/CARTER BREEZE
FOUR YEARS TOO LONG. Sophomore Kirsten Kennedy jumps toward the ball in the game on Dec. 10 against Winter Park. “I want to make it past [the] district [competition], further than we did last year,” Kennedy said. The team, 9-2, beat Winter Park for the first time in four years. photo/DEANNA MCRAE
ATHLETES DESPITE persist CHALLENGES
Demitrius Richardson
Demitrius Richardson, lovingly known as Coach D, age 28, died Tuesday, Dec. 15. Richardson was a campus security guard, JV girls basketball head coach and varsity girls basketball assistant coach. Richardson was born Jan. 29, 1992, in Orlando, FL. He is survived by his father Rayfield Richardson and his brother Dominique Richardson.
ßrandomfact The hybrid between a cow and a bison is called a “beefalo”
INDEX special entertainment
Lady Braves persevere after loss of coach
Athletes set goals for the season
In December, the girls basketball team faced a loss in the death of Coach Richardson, their assistant coach. “The team came together after the loss of our coach. We were just all there for each other and kept bringing each other up and tried to stay positive,” junior Jenna Sankey said. In the weeks following his death, the girls shared and continue to share memories of their coach. “My fondest memory of coach was him coming into the gym every day smiling. He loved life and made sure he enjoyed every second of it. He never complained or took anything for granted and pushed us to be our best selves every day,” Sankey said. Despite their sadness, the team focused on their season, ending it with a 8-15 record at the district semifinal game. “I know if he were here he would be telling us to get up and put that work in,” Sankey said. To commemorate their coach, the team designed a poster with his often repeated sayings to hang at home games, as well as shirts with his name and favorite quote for the girls to wear. “The best part of being on the team is having a family who will always have your back. Through COVID-19 and the passing of our coach I always had a family I could rely on and talk to. We are like sisters,” Sankey said.
2 4
GET INVOLVED Check us out on facebook, follow us on Instagram or Twitter @boonepubs
ON THE MOVE. Sophomore Alejandro Diaz-Colimba runs in the game on Dec. 14. “Many teammates of mine have [been sick or quarantined] and due to that they weren’t able to play numerous games. Thankfully, they have recovered and are able to play now,” Diaz-Colimba said. The team played Apopka at the district competition on Feb. 4, ending their record 8-5-1. photo/OLIVIA CASOLA
“ “
weightlifting
In weight lifting I have smaller goals that I continue to meet. I’m hoping to be able to bench 130 pounds by the end of the season,” junior Madison Rynearson said.
boys basketball
I’m trying to get a banner with the class of 2021 boys varsity basketball team state champions,” senior Jackevis Lovett said.
SEE AND HEAR MORE go to boonepubs.com for photo galleries, soundslides featuring students and weekly sports’ beats
2
Friday, February 15, 2015 boonepubs.com
specialfeature
hilights
Friday, February 12, 2021 boonepubs.com
hilights specialfeature BRAVES RUN SOLO
I feel like we should have already had gender neutral clothing options in the world.
WHAT IS THE BEST PART ABOUT DANCE MARATHON?
The Brave Run will be held virtually from Feb. 20 to Feb 21. Participants can choose which organization or individual to support, then run an individual 5K race.
Keishla Ramos, sophomore
GENDER EXPRESSION TODAY GENDER EXPRESSION TODAY GENDER EXPRESSION TODAY GENDER EXPRESSION TODAY GENDER EXPRESSION TODAY GENDER EXPRESSION TODAY
“[The best part about fundraising is that] I know that it is gonna help people.” Jackson Rouadi, freshman
Clothing companies move to become more progressive Clothing companies incorporate gender neutral labels for customers By ORRIN EDWARDS As the new year continues, clothing brands are becoming more progressive with how they label their clothing. There is an increase in clothing companies that no longer label their items by gender. Although this may seem like a small change for people that are comfortable with their gender, this is a big win for the LGBTQ+ community, especially non-binary people. “We should have already had [gender neutral clothing options] in the world,” sophomore Keishla Ramos said. “I don’t believe clothes have a gender because [we already] have limits on what we can and can’t do as men and women
From the growing popularity of gender neutral clothing options to the reinstation of transgender rights in the military, students are becoming more open minded about gender.
and to believe that clothing has a gender will be a big limitation on life.” Brands across America are starting to create more inclusive clothing. Olderbrother, located in Portland, Oregon, is an apparel clothing company focuses on creating natural clothing for any body, not just men or women, and Tomboy, a company located in Brooklyn, New York creates unisex clothing for all shapes and sizes. “I don’t think your gender should affect what you wear, I think everyone should be able to wear whatever they want, at the end of the day, it’s just clothes,” senior Yvebella Aime said. Students interested in shopping for gender neutral
clothing believe this change is delayed and overdue. “The world changes around us every day and to have something so simple as a piece of clothing adapt to changes in the world would be amazing,” sophomore Adonis Lissade said. With Gen Z as the generation that will become owners, managers and designers of clothing companies in the future, they might continue to implement changes like this. “I would have a section labeled without a gender as well as a men and womens section,” Ramos said. The clothing items one wears on their body doesn’t solely affect how one looks, but also affects how they feel on the inside. “It’s beneficial for people trying to like figure out their [gender identity] or honestly figure out their personal [style it] makes sense,” sophomore Alex Kunneke said.
Students explore gender neutral clothing
Design by Samar Baig content by Samar Baig and Haylee Patrick
I think me dressing the way I want to and not trying to conform to what’s seen as like common for someone like me to where I think it draws in like the type of people I want in my life.
Transgender military ban timeline from June 2016 to January 2021 source: THE NEW YORK TIMES and ASSOCIATED PRESS
Madeline Flint senior
8 million $50 billion $
of the July 2017
The Trump administration reversed the decision to allow transgender people in the military. The administration noted that medical costs would be too high with transgender individuals in military.
military budget is spent on transgender care
1,500+
military members were diagnosed with gender dysphoria between
2016 and 2019
Gender doesn’t really apply when it comes to clothing, because clothing is how you feel and gender and putting different pieces of clothing into gender norms just causes more problems than solutions. Abigail Byrd junior
June 2016 The Obama administration declared that trangender citizens may serve openly in the military. The Pentagon was set to cover the costs of gender transitions to those serving.
3
January 2021 President Joe Biden signed an executive order reversing the transgender military ban, and restoring the Obama administration’s protections for transgender service members.
I don’t really think that gender really influences my style because in my opinion clothes should be genderless, and you should just be able to wear whatever you want to wear. Mai-Ly Thompson Senior