Tornado Times, September 2018

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Take drills seriously

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Security rules school

Pompano Beach High School September 2018 Vol. 10, No. 1

Security specialist Medford McLemore, Intern Principal Lisa Spencer, Assistant Principal Lori Carlson, School Resource Dep. Stephanie Smith and Principal Hudson Thomas stand outside the new gate by the auditorium. The fence and gate were added as a result of the district’s demand for increased security after the Feb. 14 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Welcome Back.

PHOTO BY JORDAN BROWN

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September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

news

Angelakos aims to get gold

By Sergio J. Garcia, Asst. Section Editor

Junior Lorraine Angelakos has earned not only the bronze, but also the silver National Congressional Award. Through hard work and continuous devotion to help the community, Angelakos is now working tirelessly for the gold award.

“I wanted to make a difference in some small way ever since I was little,” Angelakos said.

A large force behind her pursuit of community aid was the start of her own nonprofit foundation, Lolo’s Cocoa, which participates in many community service events, such as setting up a cocoa stand at the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami and

handing out cupcakes, sweet treats, make-your-own cocoa and a very pleasant surprise for the children.

“I actually wrote to the publisher of ‘The Polar Express’ and got 30 copies of the book to be handed out and donated to the kids,” Angelakos said.

“We also made little bells to hand out with a note attached that said ‘Believe in miracles’ so they could keep it along with the book.”

Last December, her foundation set up a Christmas arts and crafts station at the hospital for the kids and booked three more events this year. She is considering expanding her project at school.

“This year our school is doing mental health awareness week, so I think I

might have Lolo’s Cocoa set up for kids at Pompano as well,” Angelakos said.

“It hasn’t been approved but it is a discussion.”

Angelakos said she has always been invovled with some type of grand work.

“I made over 400 cards for veterans and military personnel stationed overseas, blankets for the sick children at St. Mary’s Children Hospital, dog collars for (seeing-eye) dogs that assist veterans with disabilities and people who have lost their sight,” Angelakos said.

More is needed than just exceptional community and public service to earn the National Congressional Award.

“I attended SAT boot camps and classes, I auditioned and joined the

Florida Youth Orchestra to increase my knowledge of percussion, furthered my development of Greek dancing and performed in competitions,” Angelakos said. “I played soccer and flag football for PBHS for the physical fitness portion. And finally for the expedition category I planned and executed two trips to further knowledge and experiences of each of the two different locations, immersing myself in local culture and adventure.”

With all this work, Angelakos has obtained the silver National Congressional Award, but she is not done there.

“I will be submitting my final documents to Washington in hopes of receiving my gold medal in June 2019,” Angelakos said.

Lorraine Angelakos poses with Rep. Brian Mast after receiving her bronze National Congressional Award.

Lorraine Angelakos stands by her Lolo’s Cocoa stand, ready to serve her staple hot cocoa to the patients at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Lorraine Angelakos works with the children at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, doing the holiday crafts she organized. Angelakos has won the bronze and silver National Congressional Award for community service and hopes to win the gold next June.

“She’s very motivated and she’s never sitting around doing nothing; she’s always on her toes doing something.”

-SGA president Erin Connors, senior PHOTOS COURTESY OF LORRAINE ANGELAKOS

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

School hosts 9/11 ceremony

By Charlotte Hood, Section Editor

JROTC conducted the annual 9/11 Ceremony on that date in the gymnasium to honor nearly 3,000 victims of the 2001 attack and to convey the true significance of the event to younger attendees, who have only heard of it in textbooks.

“I think it’s vitally important, especially now since a lot of our students coming in … some might have been physically born during 9/11, but have no recollection,” Lt. Col. Gregory Johnson said. “Everything they know about 9/11 is from a book or a video.”

The ceremony included a variety of events including the presentation of the 50 states’ flags, a 21-gun volley, a presentation by the Color Guard and the flag folding ceremony. JROTC members practiced hard to ensure the ceremony was carried out effectively and efficiently despite the limited time with which they had to work.

“It always comes fast to us because school starts … the week before we only saw them once ... and the next time we see them is gametime,” Johnson said. “So from that perspective, I think they did a good job. It was respectful and people appreciated it and we appreciate them for putting that on.”

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The ceremony also had quite an effect on the students participating in it.

“I was blessed to honor them because, even though I wasn’t there I feel for the people and I feel for the family members that lost people that were in the World Trade Center that day,” junior cadet Keiarah Williams said.

The ceremony likewise brought up feelings of pride in the cadets as they were given the responsibility of honoring those who were lost that day as well as those who lost their loved ones.

“It made me feel like… I was actually giving back and… supporting those who lost their loved ones,” freshman cadet Breah Campbell said.

After the ceremony, Manuel Papir, assistant chief of staff for the mayor of New York City at the time, spoke to students about the his first-hand accounts of the events of that day and the chaos surrounding the aftermath of the attack.

“It wasn’t just someone telling you about it,” Johnson said. “He (Papir) was inside, ground level, (witnessing) what was happening inside the whole leadership portion of New York. That made it so special.”

Freshman Natalie Frish holds a flag for the presentation of flags at the 9/11 Ceremony. Cadets held the flags of each of the 50 states for the ceremony.

PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE HOOD Senior Jermaine Binns and his battalion wait for their time to begin the 21-gun salute at the 9/11 Ceremony.

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September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

opinion

‘This is not a drill’ Take codes seriously, support changes The Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting left the community scrambling for answers, and as a result, many changes have been made to improve school safety across the country. Even though these changes may be annoying, they are necessary for schools to become safer.

Gov. Rick Scott approved $98 million to fund school safety. This will be used to fund necessary improvements to the physical school structure, such as making single points of entry, building new fences and gates and potentially adding metal detectors.

These projects have been worked on, but not fully completed and tested. As in all changes, there are still flaws that need to be worked out.

It is important for these to be solved as swiftly as possible.

Broward County has passed a property tax hike recommended by the school board in part to improve the security at our schools. Additionally, Florida now requires schools to have Code Red drills as frequently as they have fire drills.

At Douglas, students were not prepared for a lockdown and did not follow correct procedures in some ways. Teachers let in students after the lockdown had been called, which

is a safety hazard. Teachers and students also did not know how to prevent blood loss in students who were shot.

While some teachers have begun to learn some of these skills in drills, most students and teachers still do not know. We must learn what to do and how to do it in case the unfortunate happens to us. Hopefully, while in Code Red drills, teachers educate their students on the best ways to position themselves and how to act in case of emergency.

The actual infrastructure of all schools also needs to improve. At Douglas, the doors in the building where the shooting happened opened inwards toward the classrooms, limiting students’ ability to

run away. This design should not be made at any future school that is built. In Texas, which was affected by the Santa Fe school shooting,

Gov. Greg Abbott released a plan to improve school infrastructure with ideas such as barriers to prevent vehicles ramming into buildings and an active shooter alarm, which would function similarly to a fire alarm. It is currently unclear on where these buttons would be placed, but the idea that they should be near a teacher’s desk, similar to a panic button in a bank, has gained some traction. This idea of lockdown alarms has also been implemented in Colorado, where the Columbine school shooting occurred.

Currently, none of these proposed changes are nationwide.

These infrastructure changes will require additional money, but most taxpayers are okay with a slight tax hike, as shown in Broward County, to improve safety for the children who have to attend these schools.

Improvements to Code Red drills are not costly and can be implemented with relative ease. If teachers are properly trained on what to do in an emergency, drills can be conducted more effectively to protect students.

We need to support these changes and understand that they are necessary to keep us safe.

GRAPHIC BY JULIA LATCHANA

Jessica Buchanan, Editor in Chief Alexis Schatten, Managing Editor Charlotte Hood, Section Editor Jordan Brown, Section Editor Emily Powell, Web/Business Editor Eduardo Andrade, Asst. Section Editor Andra Danu, Asst. Section Editor Sergio Garcia, Asst. Section Editor Kayla Gayle, Asst. Section Editor Julia Latchana, Asst. Section Editor Matthew Shanbom, Asst. Section Editor Delaney Staples, Asst. Section Editor Madison Tappa, Asst. Section Editor Kimberly Scanlan, Staff Intern Dr. Andrew Shipe, Adviser Tornado Times is produced by: Pompano Beach High School 600 NE 13 Ave. Pompano Beach, FL 33060 Phone: (754) 322-2000 Email: pbhsnewspaper@gmail.com Website: thetornadotimes.org Twitter: @TornadoTimes Print issues in the 2018-19 school year are planned for October, January, March and May. Online issues are planned for September, November, February and April.

For students, parents and teachers who need to be informed about what’s happening in and out of the school that affects them, Tornado Times is a print and web publication that provides timely multimedia and interactive coverage. Unlike social media, our product is focused around school events from the perspective of the bigger picture.

Tornado Times is a public forum for student expression. The newspaper staff is responsible for determining what subjects are to be covered and warrant placement in the newspaper.

As a public forum, Tornado Times welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed and sent to pbhsnewspaper@ gmail.com. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for poor taste, libel and space.

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Advertising which promotes illegal products under Florida law, includes false statements or is written in bad taste will not be accepted.

The opinions in this publication are not necessarily those of advertisers, Pompano Beach High School or Broward County Public Schools.

Tornado Times is a member of the Florida Scholastic Press Association.

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

opinion

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Hollywood lacks representation of minorities By

Kayla Gayle

Asst. Section Editor Representation in the media has been a topic of discussion for many years, and may always be. Hollywood has a preference of casting heterosexual white men for lead roles, but minority groups are demanding a change.

“We’re being unrepresented a lot in every aspect of society,” Afro-Caribbean math teacher Gary Clayton said. “That’s just the norm and that stems from Jim Crow and it still stems to today.”

The lack of proper representation for minorities is dangerous. I grew up only seeing white or lightskinned women on television. As a young girl in Jamaica, the only shows I remember seeing on Disney Channel with a black female character were “That’s So Raven” and the animated series “The Proud Family”.

“We only see white people,” Bengali sophomore Nafeesa Khan said.

“I felt isolated because I didn’t see people like me on the TV. Yeah, I didn’t like myself.”

When Hollywood does put Afri-

can-Americans and Caribbean-Americans in films, the characters are seen as gangsters and ghetto.

“They give us bad representation, like we’re poor,” Afro-Caribbean sophomore Medjina Dareus said. “The way they do represent us it’s like they don’t know what’s really going on.

They drag us down.”

It’s very rare that minorities are given the proper non-stereotypical representation they deserve. Though recently, just this year, some movies have been released that are finally pushing the boundaries, such as “Black Panther” and “Crazy Rich Asians.” “(‘Black Panther’) was really good,” Dareus said. “I loved everything about it. I was surprised, ‘cause at first everyone was like, ‘Oh, it’s a good movie.” I was like, ‘Okay, y’all just hyping it up ‘cause it’s black people,’ and then I was watching it myself and I was like, ‘Wow, this is really good.’

And it sends a really powerful message.”

The Netflix original “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” was sent to several production companies before one finally agreed to keep the main character Asian. The same fate befell the movie “Crazy Rich Asians.”

Many fans of the book “The Hate U Give” were excited to hear about

the movie adaptation that is set to come out in October; however, not many were pleased to hear the main character Starr, who in the book is a dark-skinned African-American teen, would be played by Amandla Stenberg, a light-skinned half African-, half Danish-American actress.

“If you pay attention to all these shows, they have a specific standard or type they go for,” Dareus said.

“When they do cast black girls in shows, they’re mixed.”

A lot of light-skinned actors take advantage of their privilege and take roles that were meant for darkskinned actors. Others though, like Zendaya, acknowledge their privilege and use it to support the darkskinned community.

Race and ethnicity are not the only categories dealing with a lack of representation in Hollywood. Gender, sexual orientation, religion, people with disabilities and people with mental illnesses are also not properly represented.

The movie “Love, Simon” did help and impacted many members of the LGBTQ+ community. For some, the movie gave them the courage to come out to loved ones.

The hardest thing Khan has had to overcome was dealing with her bisexuality. She says the lack of rep-

resentation in the past affected her greatly.

“I grew up watching heterosexual couples being constantly represented and praised in the media,” Khan said. “It was just considered the norm, so I thought liking two genders was really weird.”

It seems as if Hollywood is at least trying to be more inclusive and portray diverse people in a more positive light, though it will take some for everyone to be fairly represented. “(Hollywood) still continues to whitewash people,” Khan said.

From a poll of 66 students on Sept. 24.

GRAPHIC BY KAYLA GAYLE

When’s brunch? Lunchtimes at school way too early By

Alexis Schatten, Managing Editor

According to the Oxford Dictionary, lunch is a meal eaten in the middle of the day, typically one that is lighter or less formal than an evening meal. The middle of the day is noon, yet those who have A Lunch go to lunch before 11 a.m.

Most students get to school before

seven, so they already have an early breakfast. An early breakfast makes sense; it’s a morning meal, after all.

However, lunch is supposed to be an afternoon meal, and 11 is hardly afternoon.

During the summer, I ate lunch around noon, at the earliest, although usually much later. Making the switch from lunch at a normal time to lunch before the morning’s even finished is an inconvenience, even if it’s only the difference of an hour. Meals should be evenly spaced out, and yet many of us eat breakfast around 6 a.m., making the time between typical breakfast and

school lunch five hours, and the time between school lunch and a typical dinner, around 7 p.m., nearly eight hours.

Sure, A Lunch may seem like a good idea in theory. Lunch after second period breaks your day in half: two classes before lunch and two classes after. And it would work great, if lunch were an hour later. Students, especially those in high school, are known for being constantly ravenous, and uneven spacing of meals makes it hard for us to focus, especially toward the end of the day when it’s been quite a few hours since lunch and there’s still quite a lot of time until dinner.

I only have A Lunch this year, but my last two years of school have been filled with an alternating lunch schedule, which isn’t much better.

Instead of being able to reluctantly get used to eating lunch so early, those who alternate lunches can’t get used to a steady lunchtime. On days where they eat earlier, they’ll be hungrier towards the end of the day, and vice versa on days where they have B Lunch.

In a perfect world, we could all have B Lunch and eat lunch at 12:47 p.m. instead of before we’ve even fully woken up. That’s not the case, though, so we’ll just have to accept that brunchtime is here to say.

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September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

Mr. Stone and Mr. Lovett prepare for their patrol as the school day comes to an end. An extra guard has been added to ensure the safety of students.

PHOTO BY DELANEY STAPL

“This year’s changes are much bigger, much more obvious and much more meaningful.”

The new gate to the fence by the Art room directs visitors to the single point of entry on the other side of the school. This gate, among others, is a part of the new security measures and regulations.

PHOTO BY JORDAN BROWN

A new camera is installed in the courtyard. This cam installed around school to increase security.

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New year, new fence MSD shooting prompts stricter security

mera was one of the many new ones PHOTO BY JORDAN BROWN

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

By Alexis Schatten, Managing Editor

The start of a new school year usually means little more than running into students that you haven’t seen before or having a different lunch period. This year’s changes are much bigger, much more obvious and much more meaningful.

Following the tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas and numerous events like it across the country, the school has had to increase safety measures. IDs must be worn on a school lanyard at all times; Code Red drills are to be done as often as fire drills; a new fence was put in place, enforcing the closed campus policy; and new security staff has been hired.

“Although (the new safety measures) may not seem like a lot, it’s done a lot in terms of keeping us safe on this campus,” school resource Deputy Stephanie Smith said.

The changes started before school ended the previous year. IDs being visible at all times on campus were required as of Apr. 2, but the rules regarding as to how an ID must be

worn have changed. Last year, wearing IDs on a clip anywhere, as long as it was visible, was okay, but starting this year, they must be worn around the neck on a school-issued lanyard.

“Everybody has to be identifiable,” assistant principal Lisa Spencer said.

“Everybody should look like a Golden Tornado.”

The state of Florida has required monthly fire drills for years, but the increased Code Reds are new this school year. The increase in drills may not have been the administrators’ idea, but they’ve come to a consensus on it being a positive thing.

“We want students to actually know the procedures,” Spencer said.

“Practice makes perfect, and it’s important that we know what to do in all those cases.”

The most visible change in security is the fence around the school.

Before, the school had no means of ensuring a closed campus. Now with the new gate, no one can enter or leave campus during the day without the administrators knowing.

“I think the fence system is probably the biggest thing,” Principal Hud-

The first sentence of this caption tells the reader in present tense who is doing what in the photo. The second sentence, written in past tense, connects the photo to newsworthy information.

PHOTO BY JORDAN BROWN

centerspread

son Thomas said. “We wanted to make sure that the new safety would make it difficult for anyone to get on campus without us noticing. We want to be aware that something is happening.”

The school has also added to the security team.

“My biggest goal for this school year is to make sure that I continue to cross-train all of my security staff,” security specialist Medford McLemore said. “Each and every one of them is specialized in a particular job area, but I want them to be aware and have general knowledge of all areas, in case someone is absent or unavailable.”

The changes to the school may take some time to get used to, but it’s clear that they’re here to say.

“We want all of our students and our faculty and staff to be safe and also to feel safe, and those are two different things,” assistant principal Lori Carlson said.

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September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

student life

Senior sets stage

Tappa pens ‘Written in the Stars’ for drama showcase

By Jordan Brown, Section Editor

Ever since she was a little girl, it’s been senior Madison Tappa’s dream to be an author.

She’s been writing for as long as she can remember, which results in a lot of unfinished ideas and failed stories.

“Sometimes I can look at one object and think of a whole storyline and

then there are times where I have to sit and think for almost two hours to think of an idea,” Tappa said.

Tappa credits her audience as her biggest inspiration, mainly because of how they react and what they would think matters the most.

“Written in The Stars,” written by Tappa herself, is a play about a group of teens that fight to overcome their

PHOTO BY JORDAN BROWN

from the Director’s Note

When I was younger, I had always had the passion to write and act. As soon as I learned to write, I would take a couple pieces of paper, markers and I would come up with a whole storyline. The older I got, the more kiddie books turned into two hundred-page books and

one-act shows.

“Written in the Stars” is something that I wrote last year as a competition piece that I dedicated to my friends and family.

Coming up with a script idea, I reflected on the various struggles that teenagers go through.

And then the idea came: putting a few of those struggles in one show to make it as relatable as possible.

My goal in writing “Written in the Stars” was to reach out to

individual struggles and revolves around themes like life, death and everything in between.

“I wanted to reach out to the teenage audience, to kids and teens just like me that go through a bunch of different struggles in their life, and I just felt like I could write something that brings all those struggles together in one big thing,” Tappa said. teenage audiences and even adults who have been through similar struggles as teens themselves. I wanted to let them know that even if they don’t see it, there are people out there who care for them and love them as they deserve to be loved. The more I reflect on the characters I’ve created, the more I see how they relate to my family and friends around me.

Penny Robinson, who is the teacher in this play, is dedicated to my mother. The reason for that is because my mother is a kind and gentle soul who wants to reach out to everyone and make sure the people around her are alright, just as Penny does. In my family, if anyone has an issue, they go to my mom for help because they know she will stop at nothing to fix it.

Peter Johnson, who is a student in this play is dedicated to my dad. Even though my dad wasn’t abused like Peter was, he still had a rough childhood, but from that, my dad became the best father that he can be. Peter wanted to be different from what life gave him, just like my dad has become a wonderful man from what life had given him in the earlier stages and I look up to him very much for that.

Read more at thetornadotimes. org

“Written in The Stars” went all the way to the Florida State Thespians districts competition to earn two Excellents and one Superior (averaging out as an Excellent) and will be the first student-written play to be produced at this school.

“I felt overjoyed when (drama adviser Vaughn) Henderson decided to produce my play,” Tappa said. “It meant a lot to me because I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, so to find out that your work is going to be put on for other students to see, used as competition material and that you can direct it is a dream come true.”

Preparation for the stage started on Aug. 28, and for her, seeing the drama class react to her script was the best part.

“It was interesting seeing their reactions,” Tappa said. “The more people read my work, the more I like hearing the feedback, both positive and negative.”

Compared to previous drama productions like “Lost in Yonkers,” “Harvey” and “The Hairy Ape,” “Written in The Stars” is a bit more geared to our student body but still manages to convey important messages.

“My goal was to give everyone the best possible ending because I wanted kids who will watch this to think, ‘Wow, maybe life does get better,’” Tappa said.

The play will be on stage sometime in December for the district competition and in January for the annual drama showcase, and Tappa is “nervous to see how people will react but excited to get her name out there.”

“My idea, my work, has made people realize their self-worth and how life actually does get better, and that’s everything I ever wanted.”

Tappa said.

Freshman Invasion eases entrance to high school

By Charlotte Hood, Section Editor

For some, it may seem like an inconvenience to spend a day at school while enjoying the final, fleeting days of summer vacation, but the annual Freshman Invasion has proven a necessary precursor for those entering their first year of high school. By providing opportunities for incoming students to familiarize themselves with the grounds, rules and their fellow classmates, the event is designed to ease the transition.

“It allows the freshman to get a grip on what’s happening the first couple days of school. It teaches them what they need to know,” mentor Kyle Kobleur said.

During the various games and activities, freshmen were able to bond with their peers and form relationships before the start of the school year. “(Freshman Invasion) helped me because I met a few people...and I ended up being good friends with them for the few weeks of school that we’ve started,” freshman Caden Day said.

Such activities also allowed new students to bond with their upperclassmen mentors, who will guide and ad-

vise them throughout the coming year.

“I had good mentors to help me with my classes and to find out where I’m supposed to go, what I’m supposed to do, what not to dress like,” freshman Antoin Tatham said.

The event, in turn, also allowed mentors to get to know and bond with their potential mentees.

“All mentors are supposed to go to Freshman Invasion to get to know their mentees better, so that later...we have a general idea of who they are, so we can find someone we click with,” mentor Khylin Bellhorn said.

By asking mentors questions about the school coupled with their experiences on the first few days of the semester, freshman were able to get a clear understanding of the workings of high school, which often contrast greatly with expectations.

“I was nervous because watching high school movies...gives you an image of high school,” Tatham said. “I thought people were going to be like, ‘Hey, give me your lunch money,’ but it’s not like that at all.”

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

student life

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Above: Junior Alexa Salazar leads freshmen on a guided tour of the school during Freshman Invasion on Aug. 7.

These guided tours allowed incoming freshmen to familiarize themselves with the campus before the first day of school.

Below: Senior Juliet Campbell shows the incoming freshmen the door to the counseling office at Freshman Invasion on Aug. 7. She and other Student Government officers helped freshman become more acquainted with the school grounds.

PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE HOOD

NHS serves at voting

By Jessica Buchanan, Editor-in-Chief

Zachary Tirrell sits ready to hand out ballots to incoming registered voters on Aug. 28 for primary election day. He worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., earning service hours for National Honor Society.

PHOTO COURTESY OF MEGAN TIRRELL

Eight students from National Honor Society volunteered at the election primaries on Aug. 28 to raise money for senior scholarships.

The students arrived at their assigned polling location at 5:30 a.m. and stayed there until 8 p.m. as either a voting service technician or backup voting service technician.

“I helped set up the precinct and assisted voters in inserting their ballot into the machines,” senior Megan Tirrell said.

The volunteers raised $1,680 for senior scholarships according to adviser Dr. Sandy Melillo.

“I think that this is an amazing thing,” senior Sasha Mikhailau said.

“College can be very expensive, and it’s great to know that there is money being raised to help out.”

Megan Tirrell stands by her designated precinct sign to tell voters where to vote. “I had to tell them the right precinct because we had two precincts in one location,” Tirrell said.

PHOTO COURTESY OF ZACHARY TIRRELL

10 sports

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

New football coaches #ChangingTheCulture Assistant coach Kenneth Stiggers reacts to the game against Suncoast on Sept. 14. Assistant Coach Quinton Miller (bottom right), and Head Coach Melvin Jones and Stiggers (top right) relay commands during the game. The team lost 30-12.

PHOTOS BY SERGIO JAVIER GARCIA

By Sergio Javier Garcia, Asst. Section Editor

Head coach Melvin Jones and his new staff -- Kenneth Stiggers, A.J. Turner, Quinton “Q” Miller, and Lenny Cilitro -- are focusing on turning the mentality not only for the players but for the audience as well.

“You know once you get the fans out there in the stands excited to see the game and watch their friends play on the field, it’ll bleed over to the guys,” Stiggers said. “Then they’ll see they have people out there supporting them and their work.”

The whole coaching staff has focused on getting the mood and mentality to change.

“You know we feel like we really need to change everything around the team, everything from the staff and faculty, the fans, the parents,”

Stiggers said. “They all need to get a grasp on this change and really follow our idea. It’s a whole thing about the organization, our main thing being #ChangingTheCulture.”

The staff feels as if their approach to the team needs to be unique due to the small roster and the emphasis on academics rather than athletics in being eligible for the lottery. “(I’m) coming from a bigger school where there were hundreds and hundreds of kids compared to coming here and only having just a tiny part of my other school,” Turner said.

“We were able to focus much more on sports while here it’s a majority academics.”

Due to the smaller roster and the college-ready academics of the students, the coaches realized that

this team needed to be coached and trained differently than normal high school team.

“We have started actually getting down to these kids and giving them some college-level stuff,” Stiggers said. “We have them out there working a college schedule, and trust me plenty of us coaches know exactly what that looks like. This college regimen gets all of our guys to that next level which was clearly very necessary.”

The new staff has also brought heavy team bonding, not just with the players but also amongst the coaches. Drills during practice for the players and meetings after practice for the coaches specifically emphasize teamwork and communication.

“Yeah, we usually all get together after every single practice and talk there for a while about anything really,” Turner said. “We all make sure we are on the same page and agree on what’s going on. It really does build up our connection.”

All the coaches have taken the football team’s history of losing records as fuel to keep them motivated to prove doubters wrong. Rather than viewing these words of negativity and getting down, they take it as a challenge.

“We are all aware of what’s being said in school and in the stands,” Jones said. “But what we teach the kids is to not let that get to them, take it as motivation, as fuel to the oven.”

Christensen clubs competition, aims for state title

By Madison Tappa, Asst. Web/Business Editor

Senior golfer Thomas Christensen is looking to build off last year’s 11thplace finish at the state golf tournament.

“States was a cool experience,” Christensen said. “I enjoyed playing the course and doing stuff with my dad and Mr. Hammond.”

Christensen, who has enjoyed playing golf for over 10 years, qualified for states by winning regionals.

“My favorite part was just getting to play especially since I had just missed out the year before, so I appreciated that I was there to begin with,” Christensen said.

Mr. Hammond, the boys golf team coach, is particularly fond of Christensen.

“If he wanted to go on a tour, he most definitely could,” Mr. Hammond said. “He’s the best golfer I’ve ever coached in my life.”

Christensen also has some golfteammates who are very fond of him as well.

“Thomas is a very skilled golfer.

He really has helped me improve on my chipping,” senior Kaitlyn Bergeron said.

Although Christensen, who holds a +2 handicap and low 18-hold score of 65, enjoys golf as his favorite extracurricular activity, he also enjoys some other activities as well

such as debate, Interact club and other sports.

“I have played lots of sports other than golf in my lifetime including baseball, basketball, football and soccer,” Christensen said. “I enjoyed all of them, but was never as serious about them as I am with golf.”

Read more at thetornadotimes.org

sports11

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

Swim teams make splash at meet

Freshman Josh Cajuste practices the breaststroke before the Sept 20. meet. The team won the tri-meet over Deerfield and Coral Springs.

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE HOOD

By Charlotte Hood, Section Editor

The girls swim team won its trimeet on Sept. 20 against Deerfield and Coral Springs with scores of 100-76 and 124-55 respectively. The boys proved just as capable, winning 122-49 against Deerfield and 133-43 against Coral Springs.

“The other teams were also pretty strong,” senior swimmer Matheus Santos said. “There were some fast swimmers from every team, but it was just a good race.”

The cross country team competed against Coral Springs, Blanche Ely, Coral Glades, Northeast and Plantation on Sept. 25. The boys’ team placed fourth with junior Esteban Ramirez’s leading the team with a time of 19 minutes, 35 seconds in the five-kilometer race.

Sophomore Mya Brown finished in 30:56, the fastest time among the girls team.

The football team started off its season 0-5.

“All we can do is keep working hard, get our mental errors straightened out, and play as a team,” senior offensive/defensive lineman Corey Little said.

The team’s next game is at 7 p.m. on Oct. 5 at Coral Springs Charter.

The team is eager to push itself to shoot for even higher goals later in the season.

“We train for the end of the season,” head coach Michael Judd said. “I want to win every dual-meet we’re in, but we definitely train for districts, regionals and our states meets.”

The team members are equally as eager to hone their skills to qualify for these advanced competitions.

“I hope to make states (2A) finals

and then hopefully get top three … and just score overall pretty well,” Santos said.

Along with their rigorous practices with the school team, some members are even taking extra steps to ensure that they reach their full potential in their individual events.

“I have a club team that I go to, so I’ll go to dive practice for high school and right after that I’ll leave and go to club team for practice,” freshman diver Christina Hilton said.

The varsity girls volleyball team lost 3-2 against South Plantation on Sept. 26.

“It’s a part of the game,” Coach Luis Pico said. “Someone has to win, someone has to lose. The girls did their best; the scores were very close.”

The team lost the first two sets 25-21, 25-23, won the next two sets 25-14, 25-16, and lost the fifth set 16-14.

“It’s frustrating,” senior outside hitter and middle back defender Madison Bobes said. “We fought hard, but it sucks to put in your all and then lose after five games.”

The next home game is Oct. 4 against South Broward High.

The JV girls volleyball team beat South Plantation on Sept. 26 25-13.

“It’s good to see them win,” Coach Luis Pico said. “They’re learning; the girls need to work together to improve.”

The next home game is Oct. 4 against South Broward High.

Boys and girls golf: Senior Thomas Christensen leads the team with a best score of 65 for 18 holes.

“I have always wanted to win a state championship in golf, and I aim to do so this season.” Christensen said.

Both the boys and girls teams will compete at districts in Boynton Beach on Oct. 15 and 16, respectively. Senior Kassie O’John said both teams have a chance to qualify for regionals Oct. 22 in Okeechobee.

Freshman diver Christina Hilton practices her dives before the Sept. 20 meet.

PHOTO BY CHARLOTTE HOOD

At districts, the girls will be facing Westchester, and the boys will be facing Cypress Creek.

“I’m excited for districts. We definitely have big competition this year and we all need to keep our heads in the game,” said sophomore golfer Heidi Christensen, who has a best score of 39 for nine holes. “Overall, it’s a round of golf, and it’s all about having fun and putting our best efforts out on the course.”

The next match for the girls team is 3:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Deer Creek, and the next match for the boys team is at Pompano Municipal Golf Course at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 3 against Marjory Stoneman Douglas High.

12 last look

September 2018 • thetornadotimes.org

Exchange students compare security

“Since I’ve been back I think that teachers and students are a lot more cautious and they are trying to make our school feel as safe as possible for everyone. I like that we are doing something about it and responding to the situation instead of just sitting there and not doing anything. At my school in Italy, Liceo Scientifico Galileo Galilei, there weren’t many security measures at all. Over there it is a much safer area and not many incidents happen. Anyone could come right into the school without even passing through an office and the students don’t have any identification showing that they go to the school, but they also stay in one classroom the entire day, so the entering and leaving school between class periods doesn’t happen over there.”

-Gabriella Ribeiro, senior

PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMILLE STANBURY

PHOTO COURTESY OF GABRIELLA RIBEIRO

“High school isn’t as enjoyable as it was before. I find myself thinking back to how much freedom we had freshman and sophomore year. However, I do understand the need for the security, and I appreciate feeling safe at school.

In my exchange school, Porin Suomalaisen Yhteislyseon Koulu, there was no security. The only security I can think of was that they locked the front door of the school during classes, and sometimes the teachers locked their classroom doors. But even with the complete lack of security I never felt uncomfortable or not safe at school. There was never even the thought that something bad would ever happen at school.”

-Camille Stanbury, senior

“I like the fact that there are more guards and that you can open the door only from the inside, but I don’t think that wearing an ID is necessary (at PBHS). In Prywatne Akademickie Liceum Ogólnokształcące No. 8 in Krakow, we have a guard that opens the door for students. It’s a small school, so he knows who is a student and who isn’t. There is also only one door to enter the school.”

-Olga Oracz, junior exchange student from Poland PHOTO AND DESIGN BY ANDRA DANU