Tornado Times December 2015

Tornado Times

December 2015 Vol. 7, No. 2 @TornadoTimes Pompano Beach High School pbhsnewspaper@gmail.com 600 NE 13 Ave. thetornadotimes.org Pompano Beach, FL 33060

GRAPHIC BY NICOLĂ S GALLARDO

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What the students think:

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

news

A/B block schedule approved for ’16-’17

By Millena Rodrigues, News Editor

A four-by-four A/B schedule for next school year was approved on Nov. 4 by 94 percent of the faculty.

The major changes include four periods a day, classes of an hour and 45 minutes, a personalization period in which students can study and complete tasks that normally take away from class time, a longer lunch and a shorter school day.

The first bell will be at 7 a.m. and the last bell at 3 p.m..

This schedule was suggested last year at a summit of high school teachers held by the Superintendent Robert Runcie, in order to see what high schools were struggling with the most.

The greatest concern seemed to be the lack of planning time, which is one of the main advantages the A/B schedule offers.

“I think it’s a teacher- and student-friendly schedule,” Ms. Narus, assistant principal, said. “It gives teachers more time to go in depth with their concepts and apply the knowledge. Teachers will have more planning time and students can have a study hall period.”

In the 2010-2011 school year, students experienced a similar schedule. Students took four classes in the first semester and four different classes in the last semester.

“My brother graduated last year and he liked the schedule he had

during his freshman year,” junior Carrie Drake said. “He felt like he didn’t have as much work to do.”

Many students are unsure whether they will like the new block schedule.

“I feel like it has its advantages and disadvantages,” sophomore Alex Skirvin said. “It’s good that we get a study hall, so I can do my homework, but it might get boring sitting in a classroom for more than usual.”

Student athletes are also optimistic about this change.

“I won’t have so much homework every night, so I’ll have more time to practice baseball,” freshman Davis Major said.

“It’ll be helpful in some way, but I can see why some teachers and students don’t like it.”

- Alex Skirvin, sophomore

“I can’t stay in a class for more than an hour, but I think it’ll be better for my core classes, so I really like it.”

- Carrie Drake, junior

“I don’t know if I like it or not, but I won’t have so much homework every night, so I’ll have more time to practice baseball.”

- Davis Major, freshman GRAPHIC BY NICOLÁS GALLARDO

PHOTOS BY MILLENA RODRIGUES

SGA fundraisers suspended until further notice

By Millena Rodrigues, News Editor

Still a club but no longer fundraising, Student Government (SGA) is suspended from raising money for the club due to graphic images painted on a wall inside the gym after Homecoming week.

SGA is one of the biggest clubs in the school and one of its most important projects, according to the SGA students, is Homecoming.

During the Homecoming game, the parade committee had spray paint out in order to paint a fake field goal post for one of the floats. According to sources, the parade committee forgot to return the spray paint and unused props to the SGA room.

Once SGA finished cleaning up the gym after the dance, someone took the spray paint and wrote on the side of one of the walls in the gym “SGA 4 life” and painted images Ms. Narus did not want to describe.

“After the dance, we cleaned up and moved the paint and props inside,” an SGA member who asked to be anonymous said. “We left it in the gym and forgot to take it back to the room.

“A week later, administration called some members down and asked who painted images on the wall in the gym. No one has admitted anything and we still don’t

know who did it.”

Ms. Narus believes that the images spray-painted onto the wall were not done by students in SGA, but, in order for the club to start fundraising again, “they have to do a school beautification project,” Ms. Narus said.

Ms. Gould agrees with Ms. Narus.

“SGA didn’t do it,” she said.

“Our mistake was leaving the materials there.”

Although the messages painted made it seem as if SGA were responsible for the vandalism, some members of the club also doubt that anyone in SGA had anything to do with it.

“It wouldn’t make sense for us to spray paint something in the gym and write saying that we did it,” an SGA member said. “That’s just asking to get in trouble.”

Students in the class and involved in the club were afraid that the club itself would be suspended.

“I thought SGA was no longer going to be a club, so I really wanted to find out who did it,” an SGA member said.

The club can return to sell and fundraise before and after school once they complete a project that will either improve the school or make the school look better. The project has not been decided yet.

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

news

New security alert:

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Mr. McLemore, the new security specialist, reviews his notes in the front office. Transferring from Northeast High School, Mr. McLemore replaced the retired Mr. Stephens. “The culture of (this) school is amazing,” Mr. McLemore said. “All the adults are very helpful, polite and welcoming.” He plans to “make sure Pompano remains as safe and secure as possible, so students can relax and enjoy the full high school experience.”

PHOTO BY MILLENA RODRIGUES

What’s on the Web? Midterms to be given before win- Strachan provides opportunites for ter break, end of marking period the gifted afterwards Three years ago Mr. Strachan,

Miscommunication between the district and teachers led some students to believe that they would be taking their semester exams right after winter break.

But the school board did not expect many students would be staying at home studying.

The AP psychology teacher, attended a gifted symposium where educators from across Broward County gathered to set goals and talk about new ideas on how to reach gifted students’ potential.

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December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

news

Helping Hands: Harvest Drive feeds 250 families; JROTC, SGA, HOPE classes help

By Amanda Cisneros, Asst. News Editor

Two hundred and fifty families in need came to the gymnasium on Nov. 18 to get a week’s worth of groceries and food for a Thanksgiving meal through the Harvest Drive.

“Helping out at the Harvest Drive made me appreciate the people that organize these events, because I know it’s not easy, especially working with people and coordinating who brings what,” junior Maya Allen said.

“It was a great success (because) many people were fed and kids had an opportunity to give back to their community.”

Schools all over Broward County contributed to the nonprofit organization’s event, centered at Pom-

pano Beach High School.

All school clubs were requested to bring peanut butter and jelly, while SGA and JROTC brought pancake mix and syrup.

“Schools are assigned different items so that the goals for each item are reached,” Ms. Narus, assistant principal, said.

Families that benefit from the Harvest Drive have to be invited by the organization through the student’s school counselor to attend the distribution.

Many students got involved in sorting and distributing, including those in JROTC, SGA and HOPE classes.

According to Ms. Narus, all of the goals for all items were reached this year.

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Learnerator helps students pass AP exams Students who take AP classes usually find themselves struggling to learn everything College Board wants them to know by the AP exam in May.

By Millena Rodrigues, Because teachers News Editor only have a limited amount of time to teach the material and help them write the essays that are on the exam, students have been forced to purchase books that will help them get extra practice. Now, with a code provided by the school, students can practice for the AP exam for free through Learnerator.

Learnerator is a website that allows students to prepare for the AP exam with multiple choice questions about the course material.

Not only does the website provide the correct answer after a response, but it also gives you an explanation of why the correct answer is best.

When we see the explanation, it allows us to see which sections in the book we need to revisit.

Students should use Learnerator because it gives them AP-style questions similar to what could be on the exam. In class, teachers mainly focus on helping students write the essays.

The multiple-choice practice comes from learning the material and applying it to what the questions are asking. Students who use Learnerator have more practice on the types of questions that will be asked on the exam.

“I used (Learnerator) last year for AP World History and it definitely helped me get a 5 on the exam,” junior Stephanie Chiquiza said.

Some students feel that Learnerator doesn’t help at all because many teachers make results an actual grade in Pinnacle. If a student answers all of the questions but gets a bad grade on the section, that grade ends up lowering their grade in the class.

Hard work trumps talent Being skilled in a certain field is extremely beneficial if one wants to succeed in said field; however, talent can only go so far.

Working towards

By Sabrina Conza, a goal is what Managing Editor makes a person truly successful in life.

Michael Jordan, for example, one of the most famous and profitable basketball players of all time, was placed on his high school’s JV basketball team instead of the varsity team because he did not have the natural skill that is so rare in today’s world.

However, from working hard and practicing, he was able to get himself to the point where he was extremely talented, successful and

well-known.

When considering naturally talented people, there are many extremely talented people who don’t work to maintain their original skill and end up falling behind the hard workers. This can be seen in many educational environments, such as with students who were proclaimed gifted as children but have since fallen behind due to lack of trying to remain intelligent.

A combination of natural talent and hard work makes for the most successful kind of person.

Entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are naturally talented in their fields. Even though they were naturally talented, it took a combination of those natural gifts and hard work to get their respective companies, Apple and Microsoft, to the exceptionally impressive success that they have today.

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

opinion

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“I never really “I never really learn from it,” learn from it. junior Kent Snelson said. “It’s too It’s too concenconcentrated on the competition.” trated on the However, some teachers see that a student is trying to answer the competition.” questions correctly and simply - Kent Sneldoesn’t know the correct response, son, junior so they make it a participation grade.

“I use it as another tool for success,” AP Psychology teacher Mr. Strachan said.

“I used Practicing on Learnerator allows (Learnerator) students to get used to the struclast year for AP ture seen on the AP exam and gives World History them insight on what the test will and it definitely be like. helped me get a Overall, Learnerator is one of the 5 on the exam.” best tools you can use to study for - Stephanie an AP class. It allows students to Chiquiza, get familiar with realistic AP type junior questions and learn from the incorrect answers.

Times

Sydney Van Dreason, Editor-in-Chief Sabrina Conza, Managing Editor Millena Rodrigues, News Editor Amanda Cisneros, Asst. News Editor Diana Lopez, Opinion Editor Sabrina Chery, Asst. Opinion Editor Rebekah Garretson, Centerspread Editor Madison Steinkamp, Student Life Editor Melanie Trump, Asst. Student Life Editor Tyana Bryan, Sports Editor Kyle Kennon, Asst. Sports Editor Nicolas Gallardo, Graphic Design Editor Joao De Moura, Asst. Graphic Design Editor Reese McFarlane, Photo Editor Alexandra Griffin, Website Editor Mia Marquez, Business Manager Garrett Moore, Asst. Business Manager Dr. Andrew Shipe, Adviser Staff Interns Maria Suarez 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/Instagram: @TornadoTimes Issues in 2015-16 are planned for October, December, March and May. The purpose of this student-run newspaper is to inform and interest the population of Pompano Beach High School on the happenings of the school and beyond.

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. The staff has 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, which awarded the newspaper a silver certificate for its 2014-15 issues.

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December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

opinion

New schedule to benefit students and teachers Our school’s new schedule for the 2016-2017 school year will be the A/B Block: four periods a day, each one hour and 45 minutes long.

Students will still have seven classes, but with an added “personalization period” there will be eight periods in total. The schedule will be organized so that on “day A”

students will go to their first four periods and on “day B” students will attend periods five through eight.

Principal Thomas said the main purpose of the schedule change is “to give teachers more time to teach and plan and for students to be able to keep up with homework.”

This schedule will be better for many reasons.

The personalization period will be a great time for students to study and address certain needs that would usually take time away from their other classes, including projects, mentoring, surveys, pictures, guidance counselor meetings, makeup tests and even homework.

Attendance will be taken and the district code of conduct will apply, but no grades will be issued for that “free” period. This will be a huge advantage for students because it will give students time to work on things that this year they don’t have time for and end up stressing about.

“I think it’s a great idea,” junior Victor Lopez said. “Pompano has always been fast-paced because of our four-day school week, and this will definitely slow things down a bit and allow students to catch up on all the work we get buried with.”

Not only will students enjoy this new schedule, but teachers’ days will be less hectic. Ms. Carlson said that teachers will teach five classes instead of six, facilitate one personalization period and have a GRAPHIC BY NICOLÁS GALLARDO 105-minute planning period every

day.

“I am happy that the teachers’ voices were heard and that they will have more planning time next year.” Assistant Principal Carlson said.

Support from teachers was overwhelming: 94 percent of the faculty approved of the new schedule.

“I find that this schedule is very good for the students as well as for the teachers,” Mrs. Zambrano, physics teacher, said. “The kids won’t have such a big load every day and the teachers will have more time to prepare.”

Let’s not forget the fact that our school day will be shorter because some of our time will be saved by not having to change classes seven times a day. The first bell will be at 7:00 a.m. instead of 6:55 a.m. and the last bell of the day will be at 3:00 p.m. instead of 3:14 p.m. Another good change in the schedule is that lunch, scheduled around periods 3 and 7, and will be five minutes longer.

A shorter school day, a longer lunch, and built-in time for homework, projects and meetings -this new A/B Block schedule will indeed be an improvement that benefits the students and staff.

Sabrina vs. Sabrina: The midterm debate rages on Before winter break

After winter break

Midterms should be given before winter break for the simple fact that regardless of how many days you

By Sabrina Chery, give students, they will still wait until Asst. Opinion the last minute to Editor study.

When midterms are before the break, we have the opportunity to go over and ask the teacher any questions we have that may be on the study guide. If they are the week after break we don’t have

This year the school board decided that midterms will be before winter break, but there will be a week of school in the semester after

By Sabrina Conza, the break.

Managing Editor This is unusual, as midterms have always been the last week of the semester, giving teachers have the maximum amount of time to teach, and students have more time to learn and study.

Some may argue that having

that chance since the test will begin Monday morning.

After winter break and two weeks of not having school, we will not be ready for the test. We will most likely forget everything we learned and won’t be up to taking the test.

Midterms have always been before the break, so the school board was right not to change it now. The extra week of the quarter could be used to help kids raise their grades or to start on new material.

Either way, the decision has been made and I believe that midterms before the break would only help the students.

midterms after the break would cause students to forget material that they learned before the break; however, if midterms were after the break, students would be able to study throughout the break and grades would theoretically increase.

Limiting the student’s time to study what will be on each midterm will most likely cause grades to drop. Students here pride themselves on getting good grades, so with the drop of their grades could come a drop in their self esteem.

I firmly believe that midterms should be after winter break to maximize study time for students.

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

opinion

Holiday wars: Thanksgiving vs. Christmas

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Thanksgiving takes the cake, or pie Christmas jingles your bells The holiday season is one of the most joyous times of the year.

Families come together to celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas,

By Alexandra and many other Griffin , Web holidays. But, beEditor tween Thanksgiving and Christmas, Thanksgiving is by far the most enjoyable.

Thanksgiving is not subjective to one religion like Christmas is. Anyone can celebrate Thanksgiving, so there is no rift if family members or friends have differing religious beliefs.

The tradition of Thanksgiving is also more accurate to its origin.

Giving thanks, eating turkey and the fruits of the harvest were all included in the first Thanksgiving and are what it is revolved around today.

This is unlike Christmas and other holidays whose meanings have changed as they have become

more revolved around commercial businesses making big bucks.

Thanksgiving also doesn’t require people to spend tons of time and money buying gifts for people. All you have to do is make some food and eat it.

There is not the stress of finding the perfect gift for that one person and there isn’t the selfish appeal of receiving gifts.

With Thanksgiving being the most true, least stressful, and least subjective holiday of the season, it is clearly the best of them all.

With sections in Target and Walmart devoted to it and 25-day movie marathons in its honor, it’s clear that Christmas is the best holiday.

Christmas is more than just a time to celebrate a religion. For many people it’s a time for families to spend time together and spread joy.

Every Christmas my family gets in the car and goes to see the Fantasy of Lights show that Tradewinds Park puts on. Just sitting in the car blasting cheery

holiday tunes, laughing and smiling makes all of us happy.

Christmas is an overall happy time because everyone is trying to be extra nice in By Reese order to get pres- McFarlane, Photo ents from Santa. Editor As they behave, positivity and good karma spread.

Plus, for those who don’t live in Florida, with Christmas comes the cold and the possibility of witnessing a magical white Christmas.

I personally love the cold and the flavor of fall and winter. So when companies like Dunkin’ Donuts release their limited edition peppermint bark flavored coffees, or eggnog flavor, it’s like a mouthful of my favorite holiday. Tasting the coffee is like being able to taste Christmas.

Christmas has so many sentimental and significant memories and traditions attached to it, so there’s no wonder why it is the best holiGRAPHIC BY NICOLÁS GALLARDO day out there.

Small universities are better than large ones With senior year comes applying to colleges, and most students already have

By Sabrina Chery, an idea Asst. Opinion where they Editor want to go, but others have no clue. An important factor in deciding is whether you want to go to a large or small university or college.

In my experience, most students strive for large

universities like Florida State University or University of Florida because of their reputation and sports teams, but this may not be the best environment for some people learning wise. With freshmen lecture classes of 150-200 or more, many students may not be getting the individual attention that they need.

Smaller universities such as Florida Gulf Coast University or Florida Institute of Technology have significantly smaller class sizes, ranging from about 40-50

students. This environment will enable students to ask more questions and maybe even learn more.

“I think with larger universities you get a holistic college experience, but if students have had challenges with larger classroom sizes in the past, I think a smaller school will benefit them,” Ms. McFadden, BRACE advisor, said.

Some students like the individualized attention that comes with smaller universities.

“I prefer a smaller univer-

sity, because I can get more individualized attention and ask more questions,” senior Miriam Mata said.

Another influential factor is money. Students believe they cannot afford to attend a small, private university in when public school tuition is around $6,507 a year.

“In terms of smaller or larger universities the difference in money is only a couple hundred dollars.

I believe every student should have the opportunity to be able to attend a uni-

versity and be able to leave home,” McFadden said.

In the end you should choose a college that best suits you and not the people around you. Everyone learns in a different way, so it is important to pick a college where you know you will succeed.

With all factors considered, I believe smaller universities are better and they will help you achieve your goals with more attention from professors and a chance to make a bigger impact.

8 centerspread

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Tornadoes Talk on Terror: How Paris attacks impact us

By Rebekah Garretson, Centerspread Editor

Three hours of terror fell upon France on Friday, Nov. 13.

It began at 9:20 p.m. with a suicide bomber outside Gate D of Stade de France, where the prime minister of France was watching the soccer match between France and Germany. Five minutes later, two shootings occurred at Le Carillon and Le Petit Cambodge restaurants. At 9:30 p.m., there was a second bombing near Gate H at the stadium.

For the next 10 minutes, restaurant shootings began at Cafe Bonne Bière and La Belle Equipe, while a second bomb exploded inside the Comptoir Voltaire restaurant.

At the same time, the biggest death toll began with a shooting spree inside the Bataclan concert hall, during a concert by U. S. band Eagles of Death Metal, where hostages were taken while a third suicide bomber attempted to attack the stadium once again.

Capot: ‘I thought my cousin was dead’ Mr. McLemore

Timothee Capot

Dep. Smith

PHOTOS AND GRAPHICS BY REBEKAH GARRETSON AND ALEX GRIFFIN

Lt. Col. Johnson

Junior Timothee Capot and his family waited anxiously for a phone call. Capot’s cousin, Quiantin Fatt, was caught in the attack set at the Bataclan.

“My family contacted our relatives in Southern France, where they explained to us that Quiantin was one of the approximately 1,500 people inside the concert venue,” Capot said. “They told my family that they knew he had his credentials on him, so a majority of the night was spent contacting various hospitals.”

It wasn’t until a day after the attack that Quiantin Fatt contacted his family and was able to notify them of his safety.

“He told my relatives that he lost his phone during the chaos and stayed the night at a friend’s house; I’m just thankful he’s alive, safe and now home,” Capot said.

At first Capot was unaware of the attacks in Paris. A friend, junior Race Wilhoite, found out about the attacks and quickly called Capot to notify him of what was occurring.

“When I found out from Race, I went downstairs to my mom to check in on our relatives,” Capot said. “I thought for sure my cousin was dead, but it was just an overwhelming experience for all of us.”

Capot said he is concerned that France will turn to the extreme right-wing Marine Le Pen, who has compared Muslim street prayers to Nazi occupation and advocated for the end of immigration.

“I don’t want people to victimize the Muslim population on events such as these,” Capot said. “I hope that the people of France do not push any victimization such as this further, or it could drastically affect both French-Americans and the people of France in general. I have strong political views on the subject, and if people politically oust our own people, then Le Pen would kick those who are French and living in America out of France meaning I’m not French anymore.”

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

centerspread

Lt. Col. Johnson: ‘We teach our students to be alert’

Dep. Smith: It can happen here

The violence in France has led school officials to look closely at procedures involving safety and security.

“Just because an event like this hasn’t happened on campus, doesn’t mean that it won’t,” school resource Deputy Smith said.

“If something seems wrong, then nine times out of 10, it is.”

Being part of a criminal justice team has prepared Deputy Smith to confront violent situations such as the Paris bombings.

To become an officer, trainees are required to complete a certain number of hours of performance per year, as well as be able to address current events.

“We’re taught to expect the unexpected,” Deputy Smith said.

The training done for criminal justice and forensics means that a trainee is never to be skeptical or assume that the violence can’t happen in a particular area. New security specialist Mr. McLemore is familiar with the study of criminal justice and forensics.

“I was trained to be a professional interviewer, to be able to detect suspicious activity and suspicious people, to be a surveillance expert, and to have emergency condition response to any critical situations,” Mr. McLemore said. “Situations like the Paris bombings aren’t to be taken lightly.”

He stressed that students on campus should always report suspicious activity, be aware of your surroundings, as well as to not assume that something may only be a coincidence, because it could be more. Anything a student has to say on a subject that they feel particularly endangered by could contain useful information, Mr. McLemore said.

Although sponsored by the U. S. Armed Forces, JROTC does not train students to defend the school from an attack; rather, students are educated to address leadership and organization, which Lt. Col. Johnson feels would be particularly useful when dealing with a violent situation.

“We teach our students to be alert and to bring attention to questionable subjects,” he said. “Anything we do that relates to dealing with violence is making sure our students are able to follow standard directions. If a violent situation was to occur on campus, our organization would want ROTC students to utilize their leadership skills and help direct a safety procedure.”

On Nov. 18, a code red meant students had to be kept behind closed and locked classroom doors. In response to this event, JROTC students utilized their leadership skills both in and outside the classroom to calmly follow instructions and ensure their safety.

“We took the code red seriously,” JROTC junior Jonathan Levin said. “First Sergeant had me make sure my company (class) was all accounted for and that we all stayed together.”

According to Levin, the class realized the importance of what was going on and made sure each student was remaining calm during the situation.

Though the JROTC students aren’t trained professionals, their training in leadership is useful in helping fellow students.

Just like Capot, Deputy Smith, Mr. McLemore and Colonel Johnson expressed, violence can happen anywhere—on campus or out in a neighborhood—and can be done by anyone.

“It’s important to be cautious and take advantage of safety procedures, because it’s uncertain when it’ll be necessary to use this information,” said McLemore.

Obama: ‘Not just an attack on Paris’

After the attacks on Paris, our nation stands in support of France, hoping for greater peace to wash over our world. On 9/11, France stood in support of the United States, laying our flag out in front of the Eiffel Tower and stating “Today we are all Americans”. On 11/13, the United States lit the colors of the French flag on various buildings, one being New York’s One World Trade Center’s antenna. President Obama declared, “This is not just an attack on Paris, not just on the people of France, but on all humanity.” * Never underestimate violence and where it can occur, because it is possible and it can happen anywhere. Students should remain conscious of their surroundings and do as Colonel Johnson teaches his students to: “Stay alert, stay alive!”

*Author’s note: The slogan “Pray for Paris” was circulated throughout the nation on November 13th, 2015. When France stated, “Today we are all Americans”, Americans responded to this on Friday, November 13th, by saying, “Aujourd’hui, je suis Français” which means “Today I am French.”

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10 student life

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Fish fosters Fido: Counselor helps dogs find home

By Melanie Trump, Asst. Student Life Editor stead of fostering the dogs through

Three puppies were added to the student body over the past two months. American Staffordshire Terriers, Phantom, Jasper and Melody, were brought nearly every day to school by school counselor Ms. Fish, interacting with students during A & B lunches.

“They’re adorable and have really brightened my days,” junior Daniel Lloréns said.

Mrs. Fish said her daughter Hannah, a 2015 alumna, “pushed her to get a friend for Jace (their current dog),” so she gave in and went to see puppies at the animal shelter, where she found three puppies available to foster.

After filling out the paperwork and waiting a few days, Ms. Fish found that a non-profit rescue organization called Little Paws of Love had picked up the dogs. In-

the humane society, Fish contacted Little Paws of Love to sort out a way for her to foster the trio.

Fish said she wouldn’t have been able to bring the puppies to school without the permission of Mr. Thomas, principal.

“This was the first step towards exposing them to students,” she said. With his approval, she made the full commitment to foster and socialize them on campus.

The puppies were so young, they needed to be fed a milk substitute.

Ms. Fish needed to bring them to school because having them at her feet made it possible to provide round the clock care to them as well as her students.

“It made me look forward to the day the puppies came back each week,” junior Camilla Lin said. “I was always dying to see them dur-

Phantom, a puppy fostered by Ms. Fish visited school twice a week, along with his brother and sister, Jasper and Melody. He was the first of the trio to be adopted.

PHOTO BY MELANIE TRUMP

Melody and her brothers stayed together with Ms. Fish for over two months.

Melody, the only girl of the trio, was the last to be adopted on Nov. 21.

PHOTO BY MELANIE TRUMP

ing lunch. If I had to pick a favorite, it’d be Melody.”

Melody is also Mrs. Fish’s favorite. While her brothers Phantom and Jasper found their forever homes quickly, Melody had a more difficult time. It wasn’t until Nov. 21 that Melody found her family.

After a family whose dog did not get along with Melody decided not to adopt her, Melody attended an adoption event at a park, where a new family adopted Melody as their own. Ms. Fish was happy for Melody, but her attachment to the dog left her a little bit heartbroken.

“Melody leaving was definitely the hardest because she was with me the longest,” Ms. Fish said.

To many students’ delight, Mrs. Fish said she will be bringing more foster dogs to school in January.

She will remain a foster for the same organization, Little Paws of Love.

Anyone interested in fostering or adopting can contact Little Paws of Love on its website, www.littlepawsoflove.com, or through Kristin Arias at littlepawsoflove@yahoo. com.

The Reel Deal ‘Mockingjay Part Two’ wages war

By Sydney Van Dreason, Editor-in-Chief

for two and a half hours until the credits are rolling.

As the fourth and final installOnce again, the characters are ment of the bestselling trilogy written by Suzanne Collins, “Mock- brought to life in a world where war ingjay Part Two” had a lot to live up is the top priority. Lawrence once again stood out, but other notable to, but it still managed to meet all performances were given by Juexpectations.

In this second-half portion of the lianne Moore as President Coin, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark, third book, we return to Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), the and Willow Shields as Primrose Everdeen. heroine of the trilogy, victor of the There is enough action and susHunger Games and symbol of the revolution against the Capitol. The pense in this movie to keep even the most clueless movie-goer’s Districts have united under the eyes glued to the screen, and I fully Mockingjay and are preparing for recommend that people see this a war. movie.

Avid fans of the book will be With that said, welcome to the pleased that the movie follows the 76th Annual Hunger Games, and book’s plot, and they won’t even may the odds be ever in your favor. realize they’ve been sitting there

student life 11

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Sci-Fi lovers should watch ‘The Martian’

By Sabrina Conza, Managing Editor

The newest science fiction movie, based on the novel “The Martian”

by Andy Weir, entered theatres on Oct. 2 and topped Box Office Profits for the next two weeks, according to Box Office Mojo.

This movie achieved such large profits because it was one of the most creative science fiction movies that I have ever seen. “The Martian” is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon, being stranded on Mars. The other astronauts who were on the expedition ended up leaving him on Mars because it seemed that he was dead, and they had to leave the planet due to a sand storm.

Damon’s character works hard

to survive on his own by rationing food and learning to grow crops on a planet where they cannot grow.

He also attempts to communicate with NASA, who thinks that he is dead.

Although I know that no human has ever been to Mars, I found myself forgetting that due to the realistic elements of the movie. I felt like I was watching a movie based on real events, like “October Sky” or “Apollo 13” because the amount of human emotion and accurate scientific processes made the movie feel relatable.

I would recommend the movie to anyone, even if sci-fi is not his cup of tea. I can’t imagine someone disliking such an amazing movie.

12 student life

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Walk like a man: Pinard wins Mr. P

By Sydney Van Dreason, Editor-in-Chief

Senior boys have the opportunity every year to show off their talents and strut their stuff with the hopes of being crowned the next Mr. Pompano, and this year’s show was no different.

Students from all classes attended the event to witness Dylan Pinard take home the crown. The runner-up was Remy Bassett-Audain.

“I felt like I was on top of the world,” Pinard said. “Winning was definitely one of the peaks of my high school experience.”

Pinard won the hearts of the audience after singing “My Heart Will Go On” by Celine Dion from “Titanic” to fellow senior Theodore Eisner, who made a guest appearance on stage.

“I knew that if I could make my act funny, I’d have a chance at winning,” Pinard said.

The on-the-spot question round was also filled with crowd pleasers and quirky answers.

Pinard once again stood out to the audience, saying that the first thing he would do as president would be to make college free for everyone.

“I encourage all underclassmen to do Mr. Pompano,” Pinard said.

“My only warning is that if someone is interested in doing it, he has to be confident with his body and act.”

This year marked the fifth year of the show, and it went down in the record books as having the largest number of competitors, 12, in Mr. Pompano history.

Senior Dylan Pinard, winner of Mr. Pompano, is held up by his opponents. Some opponents included (from left to right) runner up Remy Bassett-Audain, Daniel Chalco, Zachary Ingrao, Johnathan Riedel, Ryan Swart, Jonathan Machado and Brandon Andinomartes.

PHOTO BY REESE MCFARLANE

First-time shot:

sports 13

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Scheele takes over girls soccer

By Maria Suarez, Staff Intern

Having a Mexican-German background has influenced alumnus Andres Scheele, now a freshman at Florida Atlantic University, into playing soccer. He was hired by Coach Frey, athletic director, to become the head coach of the girls varsity soccer team.

“I try to teach the team lessons that will lead them beyond the soccer field.” — Coach Scheele

Meghan Tirrell said. “He knows how to play soccer well, he has a lot of ideas for drills, he’s serious about it, dedicated, and he knows that we have our limits and gives us lots of water breaks.”

Coach Scheele has specific goals for the team and for himself for this school year.

“My main focus is to motivate others and try to teach them the things that I know and it feels good,” Coach Scheele said. “I try to teach the team lessons that will lead them beyond the soccer field.”

Players on both the varsity and

JV teams have high hopes for Coach Scheele this season. “(Coach Scheele) will have good player-coach relationships with the team because he knows when it’s the right time to be nice and serious,” senior captain Alyson Richardson said.

The team trains with coach Scheele for 90 minutes, five days a week.

“I don’t believe there is ever a time where you can put “enough”work in,” Tirrell said.

“There is always more that can be done.”

“I started playing soccer as long as I could remember,” Coach Scheele said. “I was influenced at a very young age, and (soccer) is something I will enjoy watching/ playing/coaching for the rest of my life.”

Coach Frey is confident in his hire even though Coach Scheele is only 21.

“I hired Scheele because he understands how I want things to be done, and I trust him,” Coach Frey said. “As a student he was always a student of the game and did things above and beyond.”

Coach Scheele has had experience being the assistant coach previous years and while in high school, he played for four years in the boys soccer team.

This will be his first year as the head coach of the girls varsity team.

The majority of the team members say he seems very young to be the head coach but they described him as “being kind, passionate, honest, caring, understanding, a motivator and having knowledge of the sport.”

Coach Scheele is not only a great soccer player himself, but he is able to assist the JV girls too in perfecting their own skills.

Coach Andres Scheele talks to the girls varsity team after the first half of the game “He’s one of the best coaches I’ve against Monarch on Oct. 27. This is Coach Scheele’s first year coaching the team. trained with,” freshman JV player

PHOTO BY MARIA SUAREZ

Winter Sports Calendar Dec. 8

Dec. 9

Dec. 10

Girls Soccer JV Girls Basketball Boys Soccer Girls Basketball

vs. Heritage

JV Boys Basketball Boys Basketball Girls Basketball JV Girls Basketball

@ Coral Glades @ Coral Glades vs.

Stranahan vs.

Stranahan

vs. Heritage vs. Heritage vs. Heritage

JV Boys vs. West Basketball Broward Girls vs. West Basketball Broward Boys vs. West Basketball Broward

Dec. 17

Girls Soccer Boys Soccer

vs.

Miramar vs.

Miramar

Ja n .

4

Girls Soccer Boys Soccer

vs. Piper vs. Piper

14 sports

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Quick Hits

Fall finishes, winter starts Cross country

Top district runners: Boys: Freshman Augusto Cohn placed 33rd with a time of 20 minutes and 7 seconds.

Girls: Senior Nicole Romer placed 18th place with a time of 23:38 .

Girls volleyball

Varsity: Won districts on Oct. 23, regional quarter-finals on Oct. 27 and semifinals on Oct. 31, losing in the finals in Orlando against Bishop Moore on Nov. 3.

Boys soccer

Varsity: 1-8

Girls soccer

Varsity: 7-6 “We want for every team in our division to remember how hard it was to play against us,” senior cocaptain Delaney Stuart said.

Jv: 2-5-1

Girls basketball Varsity: 2-7 JV: 3-1

Boys basketball Varsity: 2-2 JV: 2-2

Records are as of Dec. 4.

Kickin’ it:

Senior Alyson Richardson goes to pass the ball to her teammate at midfield during the Oct. 27 game against Monarch High School. The girls varsity team won 3-0.

PHOTO BY SYDNEY VAN DREASON

sports 15

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

Varsity players awarded VIP lunches

By Rebekah Garretson, Centerspread Editor

of the idea during the summer. He said that in order to initiate havThe varsity members of each ing these lunches for the varsity sports team are recieving special athletes, he had to contact Princiaccess to a new lunch program pal Thomas to get permission and that was started by Mr. Frey, the show how it would be created and athletic director, for this school carried out. year.

Once it was accepted, Mr. Frey The special lunchroom is located began to orchestrate preparing the in the back teacher’s lounge in lounge room. “It’s still in the prethe cafeteria, with a special list liminary phases,” he said. “I want of names of all the varsity players the room to be painted in the future who are allowed in. and for the program itself to be Constantly referred to as the more organized and well created.”

“Varsity Lunch Lounge,” the room The selective lounge has already is equipped with personal bathreceived reactions from students, rooms, extra microwaves, a perespecially the athletes. sonal fridge and a projector that Senior Carla Pico, a varsity volstreams “Sports Center” while the leyball player, said, “The varsity students are eating. lounge is really cool, but we could “It’s like a nightclub, just for our use another table in there.”

VIPs,” Mr. Frey said.

The program has kids bring their These lunches were first orgaown lunches so that it doesn’t innized by Mr. Frey, who thought terfere with the hot lunch program

at school.

Senior Didier Paultre, who is a varsity football player said, “The varsity lunch lounge makes me feel special. I love the idea of having special privileges over other students.”

Having this lounge does not affect the admission of underclassmen who are on varsity sports teams. In fact, freshman Shariff Rodriguez, a varsity football player, emphasized just how special he felt for being permitted to use the varsity lounge.

“It’s a blessing to be able to use the varsity lunch lounge,” Rodriguez said. “I came to this high school with one goal, which was to make the varsity football team, and now I am privileged to be honored even more from it.”

Mr. Frey strongly advocates how this lunch is primarily a place for varsity athletes of every sport to

relax, but the program is also focused on allowing each varsity player to connect with one another. ”It is something special for the varsity athletes to chill out, get their mind right and interact with other varsity team members,” Mr. Frey said. “I wanted to do something special for the varsity members of each sports team, as well as honor them for their work, commitment and achievements.”

Mr. Frey knows that with the privledge of the lounge comes responsibility and compliance from the students. Any students who are admitted into the lounge are strongly cautioned to exercise this special treatment both graciously and respectfully.

“With extra incentives comes extra responsibilities,” Mr. Frey said.

16 last look

December 2015 • thetornadotimes.org

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PHOTOS BY REESE MCFARLANE AND REBEKAH GARRETSON