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THE BENJAMIN UPPER SCHOOL NEWSPAPER 4875 Grandiflora Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL, 33418
What’s Inside
news
Meet the new Spanish teacher, Mr. Sanchez - pg. A2
opinions
GPA does not determine self-worth pg. A7
spotlight
The 12 Days of Winter Wonders - pp. A10-A11
school life
The shooting star: Becca Lichtblau - pg. A12
the scene
Parents’ new way to track a kid’s every move - pg. A16
{p}sports
Baldari and Jahn dominate fall sports - pg. A18 Get a mid-season update on winter sports at Benjamin- pg. A20
News: A1-A5 Opinions: A6-A9 Spotlight: A10-A11 School Life: A12-A15 The Scene: A16-A17 Sports: A18-A20
‘‘
COME AGAIN?
Countr y dance set for Januar y
December 12 , 2014
Volume 35
Issue 3
BY MADELEINE DALTON Copy Editor
For the first time in many years Benjamin will be hosting a Sadie Hawkins Dance on January 30, 2015 from 7-10 PM on the tennis courts. Sadie Hawkins dances originated in a cartoon where a character, Sadie Hawkins, participated in a challenge, and whichever man she caught, she could marry. This was then developed into the dance that is popular in the United States, where women choose their dates instead of being asked by men. Students seem happy, yet nervous about the new addition to the calendar. Sophomore Jacky Potts said, “I like the fact that it gives girls a chance to take the role in asking, but it can also be nerve racking.” Senior and President of Student Council, Trevor Ross, spoke on behalf of Student Council by saying, “For the most part we were all for the idea of a Sadie Hawkins dance. It seemed like a new, interesting thing that we could provide to the student body.” Sophomore Jenna Keller supported the idea, saying, “It is a good idea, and I think Student Council wanted to change it up from just a typical dance.” One of the obstacles that Student Council faced was deciding is whether or not people would See Country Dance page A4
ANNELISE HILLMANN This year’s Pathfinder nominees are (pictured from top left to bottom right) Andy Weir, Sydney Schultz, Jillian Sander, Angelica Bafitis, Reagan Jahn, Brody Nissen, Lillian Lesser, Julia Batts, Sam Stilley, Alexandra Murray, Thomas Vonlehmden (not pictured), Caroline Downey (not pictured), Jillian Sander (not pictured) and Ben Greenspan (not pictured).
Pathfinder nominees announced BY KATHLEEN WALSH Online Editor
This year’s annual Pathfinder nominees were announced in assembly from the Class of 2015 on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Benjamin’s nominees were as follows: Alexandra Murray for Academic excellence, Andy Weir for Communications, Brody Nissen for Computer Science, Angelica Bafitis for Drama, Caroline Downey for Languages, Benjamin Greenspan for History, Julia Batts for Mathematics, Samantha Stilley for Science, Sydney Schultz for English, Thomas Vonlehmden for Instrumental Music, Lillian Lesser for Vocals, Reagan Jahn for Sports. Students who wanted to be considered for the Communi-
ty Service and Business Pathfinders needed to submit an application to Mrs. Szeliga by last Wednesday. The administration planned to announce those two nominees by Tuesday, Dec. 16. Each of the high schools from Palm Beach and Martin counties are encouraged to nominate one student for each of the 18 categories. Last year, 615 students participated in the competition for $207,000 in scholarships. The program honors four students in each category with the first place winner getting $4000 and the fourth place finalist getting $2000. “We are all extremely excited about being selected. It’s an honor to be recognized in our respective categories, especially after all of the hard work we’ve put into them.
Math has always been a subject I’ve enjoyed and excelled in, so I’m extremely grateful to be able to represent the School as the Math Pathfinder,” senior Julia Batts said. Between now and January 15, the candidates will have to prepare a 20 page portfolio that will be read by 3 judges chosen from their expertise in the field. On March 11, each of the contestants will be interviewed by the judges for about 10 minutes. The contestants attend the award ceremony at the Kravis Center on May 13 which models itself in style on the Academy Awards, with winner’s pictures projected on a huge screen and a follow spot guiding the winner to the podium. This is the 32nd year that the Palm Beach Post hosts this award program. v
that works on cutting-edge scientific techniques and applications. The students who are the most successful and satisfied in majoring in biotechnology share several characteristics: love of science, a sense of curiosity on how the world works, a desire to help people and/or make the world a better place, an aptitude for working with their hands, having good attention to detail, wanting to collaborate with others, and an interest in always learning new things.” Design and Fabrication will also be offered next year. The Course of Study Book describes this course as follows: “Design and Fabrication will challenge students to conceive, design and implement original products. Students will participate in the complete design process from conceptualization to creation,
using three dimensional solid modeling applications produce prototype products.” Students will also be given the opportunity to work with the school’s new 3D printer. It will satisfy one of the two elective requirements of the Engineering Certificate Program. Electronics, a new course announced in last year’s Course of Study as being taught in the 2015-2016 school year, is another elective that will meet one of the two elective requirements of this certificate program. The departmental listing describes Electronics as the following: “This course provides students an introduction to the working of electronics and the process of electronics design. Students will work with engineering standards and technical documentation
New courses added for next school year BY JAKE KLEINFELD Staff Writer
Students will discover new course options available to them when planning their schedule in January for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. Four of these courses will
be offered in the Science Department. Biotechnology II will be available for students who have completed Biotechnology I. It will be a second semester course worth one half credit. Science Teacher Mrs. Rene Szeliga said, “Biotechnology is an exciting field
...so
Icomputer GOOD WAS I nominated
- senior Brody Nissen GRETCHEN SOUSA Many new sciences courses will be available next year.
See New Classes page A4
News
The Pharcyde Check out the latest news @ the new and improved pharblog.com
UPCOMING Mr. Sanchez Comments on His Start
EVENTS
to come to Benjamin?
A: It was actually through Mrs. Jurawan. She let me know that they were looking for someone at Benjamin. I sent in my resume, got an interview, and here I am.
December 1-12 Holiday Toy Drive December 12 School Holiday Book Fair December 16-24 Hanukkah December 17-19 Mid-term exams December 19 Last Day of School for 2014 December 25 Christmas Day December 31 New Year’s Eve January 6 School is back in-session January 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast January 16-February 1 South Florida Fair January 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Day January 24 SAT & Subject Tests January 31 Race for the Cure
Q: Has it been hard for you to ANDY WEIR Mr. Sanchez joined Benjamin in October.
Recently, The Pharcyde interviewed Benjamin’s newest addition to the language department, Mr. Maynor Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez was hired in October to reduce the size of several language sections.
Q: Have you enjoyed teaching at Benjamin so far?
A: Yes, I have. I like how the
schedule is structured and I like how Benjamin treats languages. I like how you have French, Spanish, and even Chinese. There is a language lab, which I think is fantastic.
Q: Where did you get the idea
adjust in a new work environment? Do you feel accepted by everyone?
A: I feel that people are okay
with me. My method of dealing with new things is to not overwhelm myself and not to overthink and try to do everything at once. The first day that I ever taught was at FAU as a teaching assistant. I went into a Spanish class and I taught by myself. I always remember that I had to teach a whole semester in the first day in Spanish 1 in fifty minutes. I know now to slow down, take it easy, and not to overthink what I’m doing. That helped me. In addition to that, Ivette Casiano has helped me tremendously with the Spanish curriculum, the pacing, and the adjustments. Madame Jurawan has helped me with the French and the overall adjustment to the school. Thanks
to those two ladies my adjustment has been fantastic.
Q:
Is it difficult to teach not only one, but two languages?
A:
I didn’t think it would be hard at all. It’s a little bit hard because of the different paces. In Spanish you’re maybe in chapter 3 but in French maybe you’re in chapter 2. I get a little confused that way.
funny at all, I have to get it out and say it just so my brain will leave me alone. I’ll come in and say something and they’ll think it’s funny. Every class is different. I might be teaching the same topic to two classes, but one class may be dynamic and the other may not be so dynamic.
Q: Is there anything you want
to improve for the rest of the year?
Q: What is your favorite thing A: I’ve been trying to give more about working here?
A:
I think my favorite thing is being able to step out of the classroom and have lunch with the language department in the faculty room. I enjoy that because, you know, lunch, and getting to know the language ladies. It’s great.
Q: Have you experienced any funny moments in your classes?
A: I think my students are get-
ting to know me better. They’re adjusting to my sense of humor because I have a very languageoriented brain. If there’s a pun and even if I know that it’s not
oral assessments. The week before Thanksgiving, my students did their first oral exam. They did well. I want them to be able to speak French with me and continue a conversation about a topic that they aren’t prepared for.
Q: What do you do for fun? A: I run away to my friends. I
have a lot of friends in Boca, so I go and visit them in Boca for the weekend, we just hangout.
Q: If you had one word to describe you, what would it be?
A: If you ask my students, they would say, “He’s hilarious.”
Construction causes parking, traffic delays BY JAKE KLEINFELD Staff Writer
With the construction of Benjamin Hall well underway, the School is encouraging student drivers to be patient as it takes extra precautions to ensure their safety when driving through the parking lot. Many of the students’ concerns center around the added congestion and traffic in the school parking lots and on the roads surrounding them. Because of construction site access areas for Benjamin Hall, 130 of the School’s 270 parking spaces have been blocked off temporarily. Speaking for a number of students, junior Amanda Difilippo said, “I get nervous driving in the parking lot, there is not a lot of room to drive and there are a lot of cars.” In an effort to keep traffic flowing, Security has had an increased presence in the parking lots throughout the day, particularly near the start and end of the school day. “Upper School Facilities Supervisor Mr. Jim Adle said. “The school is managing the parking on a daily basis to ensure the safety of the students, faculty, and staff”. Additionally, the School has also set up a makeshift overflow lot on the fields to the west of Theofilos Field to accommodate the growing number of student drivers on campus, but for some students, it is just not enough. Commenting on this year’s
JACQUELINE HENDERSON Traffic is often backed up significantly in the morning and after school each day.
increased traffic, Mr. Adle said, “Because the construction has blocked off areas within the parking lot, it has forced more drivers to use the same entrance and exit to the parking lot, causing additional traffic.” As a possible solution to this dilemma, some students have suggested keeping the back gate open all day, which would offer multiple access points to school roads, but as of now, it is only open from 7:00-8:00 in the morning. Explaining why the back gate is only open for one hour each day, Mr. Adle said, “The gate is closed in the afternoon because of added risk to drivers. If you are coming south on Central Boulevard from Donald Ross Road, it’s
an easy right-hand turn, but if you are coming north from Hood Road, you would turn at the light. Whereas in the afternoon, opening Buccaneer Way, would require some students to cross the median strip in order to turn left onto Central to head North.” The only way to mitigate this danger, Mr. Adle said, would be installing a new traffic light there, but that could cost the School an upwards of 250 thousand dollars. Because of this, the School has no plans to open the back gate after school begins. Another suggestion students are offering to ease some of this congestion is the removal of the seemingly unneeded stop sign at
the intersection of Buccaneer Way and Grandiflora Road, but according to Mr. Adle, there are no plans to remove it. “Grandiflora is actually a public road. Right now, it dead-ends into school, but in the near future, that road will extend beyond school into a new property. With that in mind, it makes no sense to remove the stop sign,” Mr. Adle said. Regardless, while construction continues, student drivers are being asked to drive with a little more caution and just be patient. The school parking and traffic situation is expected to return to normal upon Benjamin Hall’s completion early next year. v
EVENTS
UPCOMING
The Pharcyde
News
December 12, 2014
Page A3
New study raises questions over turf fields Class trips
GRETCHEN SOUSA New research from NBC News suggests that astroturf may be linked to some forms of cancer.
BY BEN GREENSPAN Co-Editor-in-Chief
Athletes, parents, and administrators at Benjamin are taking note of a series of recent reports by NBC News and other major news outlets, which outline possible dangers associated with longterm play on turf field. According to a piece published in October of this year by NBC News, a soccer coach from Washington grew suspicious of turf fields after two of her goalkeepers were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. This prompted her to compile a list of American soccer players diagnosed with cancer, and of the 38 she found, 34 were goalies. The speculated threat posed by the turf lies in the tire crumbs that fill all turf fields as simulated dirt. These crumbs are made from shredded vehicle tires. A report, also published in October, by the New York Daily News stated that the International Agency for Cancer Research identifies four dangerous carcinogens which exist in tires, although, at low exposure,
they are considered relatively safe. With the recently installed turf on Theofilos Field, the
“[Our vendor] has produced over 60 studies that state that the turf is not dangerous and has no link to cancer.” RYAN SMITH Athletic Director
School finds itself in a position where these claims could have a direct effect on student-athletes. “Obviously anytime you have something on campus that there’s a concern about that our kids, faculty, alumni, or staff could
be potentially harmed by, we take it very seriously,” Athletic Director Mr. Ryan Smith said. “The School is looking at this. We’re working with our vendor, who has produced over 60 studies that state that the turf is not dangerous and has no link to cancer.” The studies that Mr. Smith is referencing are available to view at the website of the Synthetic Turf Council, a special interests group working to promote the turf industry. While the STC said to NBC News that there is “a preponderance of evidence...that says turf is safe”, the Environmental Protection Agency called its own studies “limited” and stated that “more testing needs to be done.” According to the NBC report, goalies are the most at risk as they dive and fall on the turf and ingest more tire crumbs than any other players. Girls Varsity Soccer goalie Gabi Aguirre said, “I have heard of the reports about turf, but I am not concerned about getting cancer because we have just recently started playing on the turf, we don’t have many games, and this is
SNAPSHOT: SPORTS AWARDS
my last year playing.” Aguirre added, “I find the pieces of rubber everywhere after a game: in my shoes, my socks, my sliders, and under my shin guards.” Boys Varsity Soccer goalie Baylen Sparks was similarly unconcerned. “I’m not really bothered by the reports. From what I’ve heard, most of the cases have been in one area in Washington, so I think it may be more of an issue with the turf out there than turf in general, otherwise I think we’d be seeing it around the country,” he said. The sample size for the claims and the lack of proper scientific studies adds to the inconclusiveness of these reports. Addressing the concerns of parents and students alike, Athletic Trainer Mr. Dave Bailey called the reports “intriguing, but subjective. The infill product in turf [tire crumbs] has been in the NFL and throughout the nation in playgrounds and the like for years. Recently in the media, concerns about the health risks associated with in-fill have been brought to light by a coach in the soccer community. Although her assertions may warrant further inquiry, at this time it is conjecture,” he said. According to Mr. Smith, he is in contact with many athletic directors throughout the country concerning this issue, especially a director of another South Florida independent school. “They have been using turf for years, and kids from pre-k through middle school and high school play on their turf, and they’ve never had any health effects related to turf,” he said. “Yet, whenever NBC News does this kind of report, there is concern. And we owe it to you as students and to the staff to take a look and do our due diligence and be confident that our facilities are safe.” v
3
BEST TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
1. 2.
3. KATHLEEN WALSH The Varsity Girls Volleyball team celebrates their great season at the Fall Sports Awards.
Istanbul, Turkey
Rome, Italy
London, England
planned for 2015
BY MARISA MARINO Staff Writer
For high school students interested in traveling outside of Florida, 2015 is proving to be a promising year. Ms. Casiano, Ms. Cohen and Dr. Peruggia have exciting trips in store for the Benjamin high school students. Two of the upcoming summer trips plan to take the students overseas and immerse them within a variety of different and colorful cultures. In March, Dr. Peruggia is giving students the opportunity to explore the wonders of New York City. Starting June 4, Ms. Casiano’s Europe trip will gives students 12 days of exploring seven destinations within Spain, France and Italy. While in each of these places, students will participate in unique excursions exploring the diverse cultures, visit numerous wellknown landmarks within each region and tour both with locals and by themselves. These landmarks include the Prado, Puerto del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Plaza de Oriente and the Royal Palace in Madrid; La Sagrada Familia, Montjuïc Hill, Barrio Gótico, the Barcelona Cathedral, Parque Güell, and Las Ramblas in Barcelona; the Palais des Papes and the Pont du Gard in Provence; Vieille Ville and Promenade des Anglais in the French Riviera; the Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Pisa Baptistery and Cathedral in Pisa; the Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio, Chiesa di Santa Croce, Gates of Paradise and Duomo in Florence; the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Spanish Steps in Rome. Also, during June, two students and two parents have signed up to travel throughout China with high school Chinese teacher, Ms. Cohen. Starting on June 8, for 12 days the group will travel to Shanghai, Beijing, Xi’an and Hong Kong. While in China the students will visit local schools, learn to make traditional Chinese dishes and learn the ancient art of Kung Fu. “My students are very interested in Chinese culture. They will have a chance to talk in the country… they can even read some signs… in Chinese characters. They will be even more interested in learning after they come back,” Ms. Cohen said. This spring break, starting March 14, the Upper School English and Fine Arts departments will be offering a field trip opportunity to one of the world’s literary, artistic and cultural centers of the world, New York City. Senior Angelica Bafitis attended the trip to New York last year with seven other Benjamin students. Bafitis said, “You really become more cultured and aware of the different places that you travel. Also, it is super fun to visit new places and see what those places have to offer, and if you’re going with friends, it makes it more enjoyable.” v
Page A4
December 12, 2014
The Pharcyde
News
Google Drive New courses added for next school year meets mixed faculty response scribes Modern Asian History by saying, “The curriculum will trace the countries’ modern political, economic, religious, and cultural rise in the latter half of the twentieth century and its potential role in the twenty-first century. The goal of the course is to provide the student with a better understanding of how each of these burgeoning Asian giants will shape the near and distant future,” (Course of Study Book). Benjamin has over 125 different courses to offer to students, and that number has only gotten larger as time has progressed. In roughly a month’s
BY JAKE KLEINFELD Staff Writer
Teachers have expressed mixed feelings about the administration’s decision to require all teachers to use the Google Drive platform in place of Microsoft Office. The school switched to a Google Drive platform last August because the school implemented a new bringyour-own device program. Chief Technology Officer Russell Tepper said, “The school needed to find an office application and common framework that all the different devices and operating systems could work in, so that they could all be productive and collaborate together.” Google Drive contains certain features that Microsoft Office does not, and vice versa. Some teachers and students have found Google drive to be a very useful tool to them, and others are having issues with it. Math Teacher Derek Harse said, “Google Drive is a fantastic tool but Google Docs is an inferior word processing package that does not allow for the same editing features as Microsoft Office. Specific to math, it does not allow for proper equations to be written in a professional manner.”
“It’s like you are test driving a car, don’t just kick the tires off it, get in drive around with it, and really see what it can do.”
GRETCHEN SOUSA A variety of new classes will be offered for the 2015-16 school year at Benjamin. From New Courses Added page A1 will stay are Modern Middle East,
found in all aspects of electronics.” Electronics will become available to any students interested. Bioethics, a one-semester course, will be offered exclusively to juniors and seniors. The course description reads as follows: “Bioethics will explore the “why”, “should we”, and “how” of science, medicine, and technological advancements. The course will be interdisciplinary, drawing skills from social studies, current affairs, English, debate and even comparative religion as well as a greater understanding of the sciences.” The Social Studies Department is the only other department to make changes to the courses available for the 2015-2016 school year. Some electives are staying, but others cycle in and out of a two-year rotation. The social studies electives that
Introduction to Law, History and the Olympics, and Florida and the Caribbean. Contemporary Issues in the 21st Century will replace Economic Issues, and Modern Asian History will be offered instead of Three years: 1949, 1968, and 1989, which was offered but did get enough students to run this year. Contemporary Issues in the 21st Century is listed as follows: “Contemporary Issues introduces the student to the major challenges facing American society today. [Contemporary Issues] is a senior elective requiring position papers, debates, and strong class participation.” A student must complete U.S. History prior to taking this course. This is a one-semester course, worth one half credit. The Course of Study Book de-
“You want to challenge yourself where you can challenge yourself, and you want to maybe go a little lighter where you are not so strong.” DR. AMY TAYLOR
Director of Student Services time, the Course of Study Book will be available, and students may feel overwhelmed with the number of course choices they have. When choosing courses, Dr. Taylor said, “One of the things you want to make sure is that you’re meeting the graduation requirements. Then you want to choose your classes based on the level of competitiveness within your own ability. You want to challenge yourself where you can challenge yourself, and you want to maybe go a little lighter where you are not so strong.” v
SNAPSHOT: Hour of Code
MR. KEN ARCHER
Director of Multimedia Productions Physics Teacher Steven Gardner explained that like anything, there are pros and cons, and his biggest challenge is converting his hundreds of documents from Microsoft Word to Google Docs. He also has troubles using Google Docs with physics related documents because he uses a lot of arrows, diagrams, vectors and boxes,. Director of Multimedia Productions Ken Archer said, “I was happy with what we had with Word. Once I embraced Google Drive and saw what it can do, saw how easy it is to keep everything in one place, saw I could access it from anywhere on any computer or any device, no matter where you are, I became sold..” Archer has some advice for new users to Drive, he said, “It’s like you are test driving a car, don’t just kick the tires off it, get in drive around with it, and really see what it can do.” As teachers and students both continue to make the adjustment, many are hoping that time will make all the difference, allowing this new technology to become a seemless part of the classroom experience. v
ANDY WEIR Throughout the week, teacher Mr. Patrick Cullinane hosted Hour of Code seminars after school.
The Pharcyde
News
Page A5
December 12, 2014
Reback Track to be refurbished in 2015 New country BY ANDY WEIR
dance added
Co-Editor-in-Chief
From New Country Dance Added page A1
attend the event. “We decided to do it this year because the seniors have never had a
“ I hope it will be fun, but more than likely no one will know what they are doing.” JACKY POTTS sophomore
KATHLEEN WALSH The Reback Track & Field will close for refurbishment next year.
typical to do every six to eight years, the combined issues of the last decade have necessitated a full redo of the track. Many runners feel this is long overdue though. It’s great that they decided to fix the track, because it’s been in pretty bad condition for a while, but it stinks that we might not have any home meets and I don’t know where we’re going to practice. I would have liked it better had they fixed it sooner,” senior Max Wulff, who has run on the Boys Track & Field team since his freshman year, said. That exact practice location is also unclear at this point. Commenting on how the team plans to practice during
these improvements, Ms. Jefferson said, “Right now, we’re in talks with Dwyer to possibly use their track, but nothing has been decided yet…We didn’t schedule any home meets for this season because of these changes, but we did leave the option open for possibly hosting districts if the track is ready by then.” While they work out the details of the exact timetable, the School expects the refurbishment to take six to eight weeks. “We are are asking our track studentathletes to be patient and understanding during the construction process, and trust that they will have a new and improved track when completed,” Mr. Smith concluded. v
Three Benjamin students perform at Kravis Beaches is a group of over 350 singers in grades 2 through 12 from around Palm Beach County. The organization encourages unity and honors diversity. The company’s website states, “Young Singers strives to provide the children of Palm Beach County with the highest possible standards of vocal and musical training…. The children are exposed to the diversity of many cultures [through] music and interaction with each other; and they learn communication, team-building and problem-solving skills.” The group has produced an annual winter performance at the Kravis Center for the
“I think that our Winter Tapestry has been one of the best shows that we have had throughout the years.” ALEXA MCAVOY freshman
Photo Courtesy of Lillian Lesser Senior Lillian Lesser (left) and freshman Alexa McAvoy (right) sang to a sold-out audience.
BY ASHLEY SNIFFEN Staff Writer
Three Benjamin students as part of the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches recently performed in the winter musical extravaganza “Winter Tapestry” at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on December 7th. These students are senior Lillian Lesser, freshman Alexa McAvoy, and 7th grader Molly Sullivan.
The Young Singers performed an assortment of holiday songs, such as “Sing Noel” and “The Chanukah Song.” The company even incorporated the audience into the performance by conducting a Holiday Sing-Along. The Singers prepared for the performance every Monday since August, and spent 11 hours rehearsing on the day of the event. The Young Singers of the Palm
Performing Arts for over four years. McAvoy has been a member of the Young Singers for five years and believes Winter Tapestry was a success. She and Lesser are members of the advanced women’s choir, Cantate. “I think that our Winter Tapestry has been one of the best shows that we have had throughout the years. We’re all one big family and we work hard. We put a lot of effort into what we’re doing,” McAvoy said. “It was a great turnout, and a lot of people from Benjamin showed up.” v
Sadie Hawkins Dance, and we wanted to give the student body an additional event to have fun at,” Ross explained. Junior class President Derek Packer, agreed with Ross, saying, “I haven’t [been to] a Sadie Hawkins Dance during my high school experience, and I think it will be a fun and exciting twist to our usual spirit events and dances. I hope the students will keep open minds about this new event.” Packer added, “The key to the success is to get both sexes to come out of their shells and actually participate.” v
5
TOP HOLIDAY SONGS
A major renovation project is slated to start early next year for the Reback Track & Field to fix some of the issues that have plagued the facility for a decade. Although no specific timetable for these plans has been set, these plans include a complete rebuild of it from the asphalt beneath it up to the top coating. This refurbishment comes after a summer with an inordinate amount of rainfall, making for unsafe conditions on the track for runners. “I think it’s fair to say that this past summer brought an unusual amount of rainfall to the area, which caused a number of issues for the track and create problematic conditions for our runners,” Athletic Director Mr. Ryan Smith said. “The safety of our student athletes is our number one priority,” he added. Although the recent rainfall highlighted the track’s issues, many of these issues go back to its initial construction ten years ago in 2004. “Ever since the School’s construction, there have been issues with the track. For example, we’ve had a number of drainage issues. There are a couple reasons why that might be, but all the reasons point to the way the asphalt was laid ten years ago,” Mr. Smith said. This new project comes after a partial resurfacing of the track in 2012. “The main goal of the resurfacing in 2012 was to patch up the track, but it’s really needed something like this for some time now,” Boys Track & Field coach Ms. Franci Jefferson said. While resurfacing the top layers is
1.
Madonna - “Santa Baby”
2. Justin Bieber - “Mistletoe”
3. Bruce Springsteen - “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”
4. Ludacris - “Ludacrismas”
5. NSYNC - “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays”
Opinions
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Editorials
The opinion of The Pharcyde Biden or Bieber: Who Really Matters More? v Students at Benjamin know far too little about the world around them. As a newspaper, The Pharcyde’s aim is to address issues it deems as worthy of note within our school. The paper does not stir controversy for the sake of controversy, and our words, especially within our opinion pieces, are chosen very carefully. That being said, upon review of a basic political knowledge survey recently administered by The Pharcyde, the Editorial Board has agreed that the School is failing to produce informed citizens. Three years ago, The Pharcyde conducted a similar survey in the midst of the 2012 Republican primary season to gather a sense of students’ political savviness. The results were disconcerting. Only 19% of students could name the governor of Florida (Rick Scott) and 20% correctly identified the Speaker of the House (John Boehner.) The students fared far better on pop culture questions, such as who sang the song “Friday” (86% correct) and the celebrity who filed for divorce after 72 days (83% correct.) This year’s Editorial Board was interested in the School’s progress since the last survey and created a new one, with many similar political questions and updated pop culture information. In some areas, results marginally improved. Of the 335 respondents, 58% correctly identified Rick Scott and the number of students who could name the two chambers of Congress increased by 12%. To 49%. Yet, of much greater note is the unequivocal black hole of civic knowledge that currently exists among the Upper School student body. Only 19% (63 students) knew the Secretary of State and seven students (not percent, students) knew the two senators from Florida. Good news exists, however, for the tabloids as 79% (265 students) identified Iggy Azalea as the singer of “Fancy” and “Black Widow,”
and 55% knew Blue Ivy is the name of Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s daughter. The blame for this travesty lies not with a single entity, but with parents, teachers, administrators, and the students themselves. The fact of the matter is that a culture of an informed citizenry does not exist within the school. One newspaper is available to read in the library and the magazines that are available are rarely read. Furthermore, when events of great importance happen in the world or even in our backyards, they are rarely mentioned within the classroom. The day after the Grand Jury chose not to indict Darren Wilson and riots erupted in Ferguson, Missouri, only two teachers of Pharcyde Editors mentioned it to any degree, and conversation among students was nil, likely due to woeful ignorance. This is not to say that other teachers did not speak to their classes about the events or that a handful of students did not mention it in passing, but rather that the bubble around Benjamin refuses to be popped, even by historic events. It is not solely the School’s responsibility, however, to inform its students, but the responsibility of parents as well. We cannot speak to what happens in the confines of the average Benjamin student’s home; yet, whatever it may be, it is clear that it does not inspire informed or knowledgeable citizens. It would make a world of difference if teenagers were simply asked to read one or two newspaper articles on domestic or foreign issues a day. A straw poll of students will find that a minimal percentage read any sort of news each week. One of the most common and lame excuses is that a student “does not have time,” second only to the perennial champion, “I don’t care
about politics.” If students have time to learn the name of the two-year old daughter of pop stars, they have time to know what the House and Senate are. The most troubling aspect of the student body is that many students know that their knowledge about current events is lacking, and they just do not care. This is where Benjamin has failed. Benjamin has created a culture that only cares about what is on the next test and whether or not a book is on SparkNotes for the pop quiz in class that day. This school does not inspire lifelong learners or knowledge-seekers. It is evident that students are not self-motivated to be informed nor are parents sufficiently motivating their children. So it is now the responsibility of the School to inform, a responsibility that should be embraced rather than scoffed at One of the numerous graduation requirements should be replaced by a compulsory current events class, a class that actually provides students with knowledge that is undeniably appropriate to everyday life. When students ask why they need to know a class’ subject matter for the real world, the current events teacher will have a solid answer. Yes, it’s true that most students in this country probably could not name two senators, and that is troubling; but Benjamin does not claim to be most schools. Benjamin claims to be not only a prestigious college preparatory school, but also a school that prepares students for life beyond college. If the School is content with the findings of The Pharcyde’s survey and the culture of learning within the Upper School, it should cease to refer to itself as a highcaliber institution.
Read the Fine Print: It Matters More Than You Think v By agreeing to the Handbook, students give up more rights than they realize. Students are often surprised to discover the rules they ard obligated to follow when they sign a consent form that goes with the student handbook. When handed an agreement form, many students instinctively sign it and turn it in as soon as possible without reading it or having any knowledge of what they signed. Among the most telling elements of the handbook are the following: •The Code of Conduct on page nine allows for punishment of students for behavior on and off-campus. It reads, “If the school becomes aware of situations where students have engaged in negative or irresponsible behavior, or portrayed themselves and/ or the school in a negative fashion, the school may administer disciplinary consequences toward that student.” •“The School reserves the right to conduct a breathalyzer test on any student suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at any school event or at any time the student is on campus. If a student tests positive for being under the influence of alcohol, the school will notify the parents/guardians to pick up their child” (page 10). •“To protect the Benjamin community, the School reserves the right to inspect and conduct a search of a student’s locker, book bag, backpack, vehicle, and/ or any other possessions or property on the school premises or at a school s anctioned activity” (page 10). •“The School, however, when confronted with observations, suspicion, and/or evidence of alcohol/ drug use by a student will require an alcohol/drug assessment by a Schoolapproved facility” (page 10). These issues all surfaced when rumors spread through the campus of an anticipated drug investigation. While the rumors were false, many students asked if it were really possible for the school to be so intrusive. These personal searches may seem invasive and an unnecessary annoyance to students. Some may take it as an insult; but in the end the real insult is that students are not being respectful of the motives
of the administration. They are only trying to prevent anything bad from happening to the student body; but that is not how the students see it. Students need to look to the school as another set of parents. Parents’ number one role in life is to keep us safe. To do that they make rules for us to follow. Whether we like the rules or not, we know that we have to abide by them. Those rules are what eventually shape us to be ready for adulthood. That is ultimately what the school is trying to do. The school also has concerns with how student’s actions have a large influence on other students. As students, it is our job to be the best we can
be. We were raised to reflect the ten character traits. Lately, some of these traits have been lacking from our student body. By not reading the handbook and being arrogantly oblivious to the rules, we are not being the respectful, kind, nor responsible students that we can be. By challenging the administration, we think that we are doing ourselves a favor but what we really are doing is demeaning. Students tend to believe that the School is trying to protect its own image when in fact all of these rules are made to guide us in a positive direction. We need to step back and realize that no one has put restrictions on us but ourselves.
Graphic by Annelise Hillmann
Opinions
The Pharcyde
December 12, 2014
Page A7
If a Student Fails
v GPA and test scores do not determine an individual’s self-worth. Kathleen Walsh Online Editor
It seems as if many of us equate our self-worth with the grades that are printed on a piece of paper and with the number that calculates our GPA. Many students are under the assumption that their intelligence is based on the most recent test they took. They’ll compare their GPA to every other person in the school, to those in other schools, to those in other countries. They will agonize over, self-criticize, and over-analyze where they stand in relation to other students using a convenient and enabling coefficient that allows them to rate their self-worth on a scale from 0 to 5.0. However, despite news reports, school brag sheets, and our transcripts, we are not numbers or statistics. We aren’t meant to be categorized, and our intelligence is not meant to be belittled because of a misplaced pressure to “succeed.” Lately I’ve been asking myself what qualifies as success. Once people have become successful, how do they know? The popular measure would be income level, but as the cliché states, money doesn’t equate with happiness. The truth is that success is a factor more immeasurable than how vast the universe is. To compare oneself to every single one of the seven billion people on this earth or even the 445 students in the Upper School is an impossible task. No one should even undertake the vapid task of comparing oneself to others. It is a waste of breath and valuable time that students could be spending on learning the material in front of them rather than worrying over the futility of rank, which is
really just an extension of pomp and circumstance. No system, coefficient, statistic, or social preconception will ever amount to the true blue satisfaction that comes with one’s own progress, not from the imagined superiority that he or she feels in relation to his or her peers. And yet, our current system seems to undermine its own purpose in pitting its students against one another in an overly competitive pressure cooker that values a number or a letter over the process of learning. School by nature only measures certain facets of a student’s intelligence. It leaves out the individual traits of a student who may not be as proficient in the school environment as they are in the out-of-school environment.
two people have exactly the same profile of intelligences, not even identical twins, because their experiences are different,” Gardner states that it lies within an individual’s own psychological makeup to determine in what way they will learn best; however, our cookie cutter systems work to the contrary, a fact which teachers are forced to ignore. A teacher’s concern should always be to teach his or her students to the best of their ability, to push students to break his/her own personal record instead of publicly making it apparent where they stand in relation to students in that class. Teachers too, I imagine, are under a similar pressure to follow a set curriculum, to meet the deadlines and quotas that are asked of them. But it is these measures that deflect our education and our happiness away from the joy that should be learning, and at the same time impede it. But I won’t delude myself into thinking that people will drop the self-destructiveness involved with grading. It is a necessary evil, and it is unfortunately here to stay. But students need to do more than what our current system is asking of them. I urge them to be voracious learners, not in the sense that they understand great and complicated concepts, but in the sense that they’re constantly trying to improve because otherwise they will remain stagnant, and as a shark which cannot move backwards without risking death, a stagnant student should fear that their curiosity should die at the hands of poor learning skills. William James, a noted American philosopher, once stated that “people, by and large, are what they think of themselves,” which means if a person believes that they are a failure, then they are. If that C+ in math or that A+ are the deal-breaking factors to determining a person’s worth, then they need to re-assess how they view the world, because the only place they are failing in is their perspective.
“No system, coefficient, statistic, or social preconception will ever amount to the true blue satisfaction that comes with one’s own progress, not from the imagined superiority that he or she feels in relation to his or her peers.”
v
Howard Gardner, a Harvard psychologist, became famous for his study of the eight types of intelligence, only two of which are measured by the current school system. Thus, our current school system further shows a lack of appreciation for each student’s individual gifts and qualities. Describing this problem, Gardner wrote, “Most intelligence tests look at language or logic or both - those are just two of the intelligences. The other six are musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalist. I make two claims. The first claim is that all human beings have all of these intelligences. It’s part of our species’ definition. The second claim is that, both because of our genetics and our environment, no
Be Truthful
Lying on a college application will not increase admission chances. Gretchen Sousa Photography Editor
Applying to college has to be the most stressful time for seniors. Whether a student is applying to 5 or 25 colleges, the pressure is still high to get into to that one magical, perfect fit school. With college acceptance rates being lower than ever, some students take the risk of inflating their resumes to make themselves appear more qualified for their dreams schools. It is very easy and tempting for students to lie on their applications, especially since no one has to check it. On average the 104 students in the
senior class applies to 5 colleges and or universities. That means that the college counselors would have to check roughly 520 applications, to make sure students we’re not lying. This is crazy and an impossible job for the college counselors; therefore, as seniors we are trusted to be on our honor. A student might claim that he or she is a club president when in actuality, he or she attended two meetings because bagels were served, and they had nothing better to do. However contrary to what these students
believe, these white lies are more harmful than one may think. When asked if being the president of a club compared to just being a member could make or break a college’s acceptance decision, Mrs. Feyk responded, “Being the president of a club instead of just being a member of a club is not a make or break factor for a student’s acceptance.” Theses lies do not have the magical power to automatically get a student into his or her dream school. These lies can only have a negative affect. If a college thinks that something is not right on the application, the admissions counselor will call and verify with the student’s college counselor. These white lies will be uncovered and the college has the right to rescind admission and or deny the student right then and there.
“However contrary to what these students believe, these white lies are more harmful than one may think..”
Online Online at at www.PharBlog.com www.pharblog.com
Founded in 1980 as The Spectator December 12, 2014 March 8, 2013 The Benjamin School 4875 Road TheGrandiflora Benjamin School Palm Beach Florida 4875Gardens, Grandiflora Road33418 Palm Beach Gardens, Florida 33418 Contact Info Phone: 561-472-3485 Contact Info Fax: 561-691-8823 Phone: 561-472-3485 Fax: 561-691-8823 Advisor: Mr. Ken Didsbury kendall.didsbury@thebenjaminschool.org Advisor: Mr. Ken Didsbury kendall.didsbury@thebenjaminschool.org Editors-in-Chief: Ben Greenspan benjamin.greenspan15@thebenjaminschool.org Co-Editor-in-Chief: Lauren Bernick Andy Weir lauren.bernick13@thebenjaminschool.org andy.weir15@thebenjaminschool.org Co-Editor-in-Chief: Ben Germano Executive Editor: Annelise Hillmann ben.germano13@thebenjaminschool.org annelise.hillmann16@thebenjaminschool.org
Editorial Board Editorial Board
Mission MissionStatement Statement
The The Pharcyde Pharcyde isis aa student student newspaper newspaperproduced producedtotofoster foster an open dialogue about an open dialogue about toptopics that relate to The Benjamin ics that relate to The Benjamin School. The issues that appear School. The issues that appear throughout throughoutour ourpages pagesmay maybe be light-hearted light-hearted oror serious, serious, but but regardless regardless we we aim aim toto reflect reflect the thediversity diversityofofopinion opinionwithin within our school that we value so deeply.
Benjamin Editor-in-Chief LaurenGreenspan Bernick Co-Editor-in-Chief Andy Weir Editor-in-Chief Ben Germano Co-Editor-in-Chief Gretchen Editor Emily Sousa DunkelPhotography Graphics Editor Katie Walsh Online Editor Casey Pearce Managing Editor Annelise Hillmann Executive Editor Ben Greenspan Copy Editor Michael Sports Editor Sam Mullery Greenspan Online Editor Fiona Schor Managing EditorEditor Dean Sandquist Sports Robert Charles Graphics Editor Staff Writers Madeleine Dalton Copy Editor
Lexi Cass, Averill Healey, Rachel Smith, Riley Burke, Jerrie James, Juliette Mercadante,Staff AshlynWriters Sendler, Paige Sode, Michael Will Bafitas, Abby Baucom, Jacqueline Mullery, Andy Weir, Caterina Breuer, Henderson, Niki Hendi, Dave Robinson, Jake Kleinfeld. Ashley Sniffen Annelise Hillmann, Bella Ross, Kathleen Walsh
Staff StaffArtists Artists
Gretchen Sousa Photographer, Annelise Hillmann Illustrator
Membership The Pharcyde is a member of the Florida SchoMembership lastic Press Association, American Scholastic The Association, Pharcyde is aColumbia member Scholastic of the Florida SchoPress Press lastic Press Association, American Scholastic Association and the National Scholastic Press Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Asscociation. Association and the National Scholastic Press
Advertisements The price of a full page ad is $200.00/ issue. The price of a half page ad is $120.00/ issue.
General The Pharcyde, the Upper School newspaper of The price of a quarter page ad is $90.00/ General issue. The Benjamin School, is published six times a The Pharcyde, the Upper School newspaper of year. The Benjamin School, is published six times a The price of a business card ad is year. The Pharcyde is distributed to every student and $50.00/issue. faculty member and is availalbe in the Upper The Pharcyde is distributed to every student and School office. Each issue is mailed to every Up- If you or anyone you know would faculty member and is availalbe in the Upper like to place an advertisement in The per School family’s home address. School office. Each issue is mailed to every Upper Pharcyde, please contact andy.weir15@ School family’s home address. The Pharcyde encourages submission of Letters thebenjaminschool.org or benjamin. greenspan15@thebenjamin school.org to the Editor. Send your feedback, criticism, or The Pharcyde encourages submission of Letters outside opinions in 150 words or fewer to andy. to the Editor. Send your feedback, criticism, or The opinion articles in this paper are weir15@thebenjaminschool.org or benjamin. outside opinions in 150 words or fewer to ben. the opinion of the writer or the majority greenspan15@thebenjamin school.org. The germano13@thebenjaminschool.org. The Phar- opinion of The Pharcyde Editorial Board. Pharcyde reserves the right to edit all letters for They are not the opinion of The Benjalength, grammar, and clarity. min School or our advertisers.
Page A8
December 12, 2014
Opinions
Give Some Effort
v Those who sign up really need to participate. Gretchen Sousa Photography Editor
In order to get an activities credit, a student must actually attend the activity. The famous director, Woody Allen once said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” If some students were held to this standard, then they would not be successful. Recently, students have just been appearing at their after school activity when it fits in their schedule. Students need at least one activity credit per year in order to graduate. It can be anything from being a thespian and performing on stage to being a hard-core lax bro who spends all his time consumed with the thought of how to make it back to the state championship. But no matter how talented a person is, they must show up, if they are going to sign up. The reason is simple; it is annoying to everyone else in the cast. If an actor does not show up for rehearsal, it halts the development of the play because the actor in that scene cannot get a sense of that person’s character. Also the next time rehearsing the scene, the time will just be spent filling in the person who was missing. The same is true in the world of athletics. If
a team is running a play and a player is missing, he or she cannot fully develop the skill of the play that the rest of the team has. So, when the coach puts the player who was missing in a game he or she will not perform to full potential. When a student does not show up, it hurts development to a better team. What makes this situation even worse occurs when a player or actor does not give any warning that he or she will not be able to attend. It is not like a student has to send a carrier pigeon or a letter in the mail. If students do not know how to make a phone call, text or email, then they have bigger problems than repeatedly missing practice. There is this magical device that fits in one’s pocket called a cell phone, and all students have to do was pull it out and send a sentence directly to a friend, coach or director saying that they are not going to be in attendance. This way the coach or director can plan for a player or actor missing. The most annoying thing that a student who is known for committing this crime can do is complain that he or she is not getting enough playing time or is not getting bigger roles. If an adult does not show up for his job, he or she will definitely not get the promotion. He or she will get fired. The school should have a policy in place with all activities that only lets students miss x amount of rehearsals or practices, depending on how long the season is before being asked to leave. This will allow students to make more informed decisions about the activities they should sign up for.
Coping With Stress
v Dealing with stress is all about thinking proactively. Annelise Hillmann Executive Editor As midterms steadily approach, we students often find ourselves so stressed out that we often lie comatose in bed, simply unable to function. Unfortunately, this problem is inescapable. School is a stressful environment, but some of the tension we face can be alleviated by a few simple measures. Reinhold Niebuhr, a 20th century religious philosopher, once summed up my stress-relieving mantra. He wrote, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Many of us constantly worry about things we cannot influence, and it is simply a waste of our time. We can’t stress over something that is out of our hands. Doing so would destroy our sanity. Sometimes we just have to accept that we cannot control every aspect of our lives, despite our intense desire to do so. Seniors are having a hard time with this right now as they wait to hear back from colleges. Almost all the applications have been sent; the process is done. It is safe to say you can’t do any more. At this point, either God, luck, fate or some other entity has the reins, and nothing you can do will change the result. And also when dealing with the day-to-day stress of AP classes, extracurriculars, and no sleep, sometimes students simply do not have the time or energy to perform every task. And that’s ok. Take
a deep breath and say, “It’s out of my hands.” Another method to relieving stress? Plan your work out. We often have so many overlapping deadlines that it is hard to see through the tangled mess of our planners. But knowing when assignments are due and working backwards allows you to not be caught by surprise. Allocate your time accordingly. If a project is not due for three weeks, but you have an essay due around the same time, get a head start on one of them. We all like to procrastinate, but it only hurts us in the long run and adds to that 3 AM bleary-eyed headache. Do not push it all off until the last minute, or that last minute could turn into the last ten hours. We should also keep in mind that we are all in this together (to quote High School Musical). Help your friends out, and let them help you. We all feel the pain of 10-page essays and 30-minute Spanish presentations. We all just wish it were summer already. And we all collectively decided not to talk about it. Knowing that other people are going through the same torture could help improve your mindset. Your friends are also your comrades in arms, fighting the long hard battle of high school. Let them know that you are there as a shoulder to cry on and a page-turner when they are too tired to do it themselves. And despite all the tears that stress brings us, it also serves a grand purpose: to challenge us. Without pushing our limits, we would never know exactly of what we are capable. All the midnight reading, torn-out hair and bitten nails contribute to the people we one day hope to become. In the words of Winston Churchill, “Continuous effort not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential.”
The Pharcyde
Letters to the Editors Mrs. Mallory Gleason
Middle School Science Teacher
In the last edition, Mr. Greenspan wrote about his experience with a Pure Barre workout. In the article, a senior student was quoted in saying that the program "focuses on women's bodies." This is an inaccurate statement. While the website purebarre. com recognizes classes are "predominantly female", it no where says that the workouts are designed for women's bodies. Therefore, I found his closing feedback ("It's definitely made for women") as rather sexist. In an age where few things are strictly for female use, it would behoove him to consider his words more carefully, especially those that are published. It makes it sound as though he struggled because he is male. I suggest it was perhaps his lack of experience with the program that caused him to struggle, rather than his lack of a second X chromosome. These are extremely different concepts and should not be confused.
Derek Packer Junior
This summer our school is offering two great trips, yet no one seems to want to sign up for them. This lack of enthusiasm is so disheartening. Perhaps, if you all knew how fun these trips actually are, there would be more joining. However, the only way to truly discover the excitement, anticipation and revelations packed into these life-changing adventures is to go; at this point, many of you will be left behind. I could spend this brief address reiterating what these two teachers have already said redundantly (because the trips really sell themselves), but instead I rather address a stigma attached with school trips and why we are all fools for believing it: many anticipate that school trips will be boring, mainly because they are “school trips.” However, people need to realize the only part “schoolish” about the trip is that a teacher organized the trip. When you are on the trip, it will be like going with the family (but even better because all your friends can come): you will be free to enjoy the trip how you want. That’s the beauty of school trips. If you don’t believe me, I invite you to come join and find out.
CORRECTION :
In a recent issue of The Pharcyde, there was an opinion piece regarding tardiness at Benjamim. In the piece, an accident on I-95 is referenced as a reason some students were late and allegedly given detentions. This information is incorrect; detentions were not given on that day. Anytime there is severe weather or an accident en route to school, the School does not give out detentions. The School goes to great lengths to monitor these situations. The School’s number one priority is the safety of its students and we do not want to place them in any sort of dangerous situation. We wanted parents to be aware of this fact since the article contained inaccurate information.
Have your voice heard.
{P} Write a letter to the editor. Send your thoughts, in 150 words or fewer, to benjamin.greenspan15@thebenjaminschool.org or andy.weir15@thebenjaminschool.org.
Page 10 The Pharcyde
December 12, 2014
The 12 Days of W
On the 12 th day of mid
Why Christmas is a Lie According to the Grinch
While all the Whos down in Whoville sure like Christmas alot, this Who believes it is a contrived holiday that is exploited for commercial benefit. First of all, Christmas day isn’t the actual day of the birth of Christ, since I was present at the birth, I totally know. Second of all, big corporations exploit the holiday season to get poor, ignorant people, and even rich, ignorant people to buy useless katchikes that they feel are necessary to convey their affection to their loved ones. Third of all, if one more washed up pop star comes out with a christmas album, I will personally steal all of Santa’s reindeer to prevent the holiday season from happening. Finally, Christmas should be a time spent with those you love and care about, and even if you do not celebrate the holiday,I urge everyone to at least take advantage of the peppermint lattes at Starbucks. Because afterall, thats what Christmas is all about. Bah Humbug. -- The Grinch
Holiday Songs That You Can’t Get Out Of Your Head: 1. “Light The Menorah”: This song will have you singing “Havah Negila” until the sun comes up.
2. “Jingle Bells”: How could something so joyful be so annoying at the same time? 3. “Feliz Navidad”: This song constitutes some of the only Spanish students will ever learn
4. “All I Want for Christmas is You”: All I want for Christmas is to get this song out of my head 5. “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?”: Do you want to stop playing this song now?
Gifts that Inspire the Heart
At Benjamin, many students seemingly have everything, so when the holidays finally arrive, it can be nearly impossible to find any gifts even in the mall. But a few gifts exist that everyone, even the most fortunate person, could stand to use. • A Heartfelt Letter: People nowadays don’t quite communicate their feelings the way they used to. A letter, a poem, or a card can be welcome and adorable gift for any person who has it all. • Homemade Cookies: If a warm, homemade chocolate chip cookie doesn’t soothe the scrooge in any gift recipient, then nothing will. Bake all your care and affection into a sweet treat! • Memories: Try taking all of the pictures, movie tickets, or mementos that you may share with a person and compiling them together into a scrapbook! • A Break: A lot of people would appreciate a simple break from their busy work schedule. Try organizing a day when they get to put their feet up and relax without a care in the world. • Faux Coupons: Give your friend or family member specialized coupons that promise to do chores, provide help or gives hugs.
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Page 11 December 12, 2014
The Pharcyde
Winter Wonderland
dterms, my school gave to me...
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A Professional’s Tips for Gift Giving Andrea Claster Greenspan, Oprah’s “gift doctor,” gives advice to those searching for the perfect holiday present. These unique gifts will make the season bright for anyone this holiday season. 1. Chocolate pizza mixed with marshmellows, crushed pretzels and rice crispies drizzled white chocolate “cheese” (William & Bennett). Approx $30 2. 5 PC sand molds, sandbox and colored sand for indoor play (Brookstone). Approx $60 3. 12 pack of assorted funny socks (Macy’s, Bloomingdales, etc). Approx $120 -$180 4. Personally customized ice cream by Ice Cream Club delivered to your door! Price on request 5. Adopt a Wildlife Animal and receive portrait and more while helping to save it in its habitat (World Wildlife Fund). Approx $75+ (depending on donation amount) 6. Life size T-Rex Skeleton Skull (Hammacher Schlemmer). $20,000
ours of amming
day parties
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Make a Difference This Holiday Season If you want to make a difference this Christmas, consider giving to Heifer International at www.Heifer.org. This charity provides farm animals to poor families around the world. Among the options for donations are the following: a Water Buffalo $250 a Llama $150 a flock of Ducks $20 an Ark, consisting of two water buffalos, two cows, two sheep and two goats, along with bees, chicks, rabbits and more. $5,000
breakdowns
of exams winter break
che worst of all
by Kathleen Walsh and Jacqueline Henderson.
Winter in Florida Winter in Florida is a strange time; it embraces the heat while yearning for the cold. In order to make up for Florida’s lack of snow, we have professionals make sand castles instead of snowmen, like the West Palm Beach sand tree. In place of mittens and heavy scarves, we wear boots with our school skirts and festive knee highs when the temperature drops below 70 degrees. Our outdoor activities don’t include carefully walking over ice but in fact going on windy boat rides. Palm trees, not pine trees, bear colorful Christmas lights. Boats can be seen with herds of plastic reindeer and shirtless Santas. But all these wacky customs make up a unique and amusing variety of traditions that we have learned to love, no matter their peculiarity.
School Life
The Pharcyde SHOUTOUT TO:
The cast and crew of Macbeth.
Student Stories + Teacher Features
PULL: senior aims for the sky with competitive shooting BY ASHLEY SNIFFEN
min for 14 years, Rebecca Lichtblau juggles her vigorous school schedule with her love for shooting clay pigeons. Her tight schedule includes practicing at South Florida Shooting Club in Palm City every day after school and participating in local tournaments to practice for regional and national championships. She devotes up to ten hours per week practicing her shooting skills. She first started competing on a serious level two years ago when she went to one of her father’s shooting practices. After she began shooting, people convinced her that she has natural talent and needed to pursue it. She believes that everyone should have some knowledge about how to handle a gun. Concerning the importance of
such a weapon in sport, she said, “I look at my gun as a tennis racket, or a baseball bat, or a hockey stick, but it comes with a greater responsibility because this can kill you.” Lichtblau considers the true competition to be with herself. She added, “If I feel like I shot very well, then I’m happy. If my score doesn’t reflect if I won or beat someone, that’s out of my control. It’s a very competitive sport, but I compete against myself and that’s the main thing.” She added that people shoot poorly because they worry about other competitors’ performance instead of their own. Given the psychological aspects of the games, she chooses to train with a focus coach to improve her shooting. Previously,
she suffered from nervousness. “I didn’t want to shoot in front of other people because I was so afraid of missing and what people would say and think and how it would reflect in my score... and then be posted on the board for everyone to see. I would get so nervous. I would get nauseous, and I would shake. That just took practice and experience to get over that, and now I have no issues with being nervous,” she said. Although it is mostly a male-dominated sport, she has not been treated differently by other male competitors, but has rather earned a large amount of admiration. “I haven’t experienced any different treatment from guys because I’m a girl. I generally get a lot of respect from what I do, and that’s one
of the things I love about the sport,” she said, “ I usually beat a lot of the men, and that’s great. But I get a lot of respect out there, and I haven’t experienced anybody treating me different.” She enjoys competing, in part, because she has the opportunity to travel all around the country. “I’ve met so many wonderful people. I have friends from all over the country now, and it’s they’re like my little family, so I love the atmosphere and the feeling of the tournaments,” she continued. The opportunity to travel has its downside. It is very expensive. She needs to pay not only for plane travel, but also for entry fees, gas, and shells for her shotgun. Acknowledging the costs, she stated that she receives money when she places well in competitions. Benjamin students have been supportive of Lichtblau’s success. Senior Kaitlin Keller has been friends with Rebecca since fourth grade and thinks very highly of her accomplishments. “She’s very modest and doesn’t like to brag, but she is very good at what she does. I’m extremely proud of her, and I think we forget how good she is, but she’s one of the best in the nation, if not the best in her division. It’s pretty amazing,” Keller said. Lichtblau hopes to attend Clemson University next year and be a member of its shooting team. Her future goal is to become a member of Team USA, where she would compete for the United States, and, if she makes the team, be one of the top ten female shooters in the country. “Right now I missed making Team USA this year by a sixth of a point... Basically my goal for next year is to shoot as well and compete as much as I did this year and hopefully I will v make the team,” she said.
hard for school, I like to look the best to my ability at all times.”
said, “At school I don’t care what I look like at all, but on the weekends I like to look put together.” She then shared her simple school morning routine, saying, “It takes me about fifteen minutes to get ready in the morning. I wash my face, brush my teeth, brush my hair, put on mascara and put on my uniform.” Like Doran, junior Olivia Belew does not pay as much attention to grooming at school. She said, “I care about my appearance when I need to look put together, but at other times I really could care less.” Still, girls are not the only ones putting effort into their appearance. Junior Vincent Bolchoz seems to have similar habits as DiFilippo. “It takes me about 45 minutes to get ready,” he said, “I care quite a bit on my appearance. Not because I care about what other
people think, but because I like to look my best.” Not only do students spend time on their grooming, but also their money. Junior Taylor Mahoney shared that she regularly spends a significant amount of her money on her hair, nails, shoes, and clothing. Doran agreed with Mahoney, saying, “I spend my money on mostly getting a manicure and pedicure and going out to eat with my friends. I usually spend about 400 dollars a month.” She went on to say, “If I was on a budget, the most important thing that I would buy for myself would probably be getting a manicure and pedicure.” Still, girls are not the only ones spending money on themselves. Freshman Michael Dohm said, “I mostly buy a lot of different types of clothes,
sometimes electronics, and things I need for my room.” He went on, sharing that he shops even more than the girls. He said, “I spend possibly at least over 800 to 1,000 dollars a month.” Junior Sofia Remez gave the surprising truth about many girls, saying, “I actually don’t really shop for myself a lot. I enjoy gift giving and love picking things out for others, but I really don’t like the process of shopping for myself.” Tight schedules also keep students busy, “I shop for myself whenever I get the chance to, so a couple times a month maybe,” Belew said. Dohm shared his feelings, saying, “I care about appearance a good amount because I feel like looking good and clean is something people can get judged on.” v
Staff Writer
See senior Rebecca Lichtblau at school, and she seems to be a typical female teenager. She has a group of close friends, is wrapped up in her studies, and yearns to go to college; however, she spends her afternoons doing something few teenagers are known to do. She practices shooting her shotgun. Lichtblau spends her afternoons shooting to prepare for sporting clay competitions, where she shatters clay pigeon targets. This October, her practice paid off when she earned four national shooting honors while competing at the 2014 National Sporting Clays Championships in San Antonio, Texas. She received the titles of the best lady shooter in Florida, best young adult lady shooter in the country, young adult runner-up, and the fifth best lady shooter at the competition which occurred from October 21 through 25, and she also secured a spot on the Florida AllState Team for sporting clays for 2014. The National Shooting Sports Foundation describes sporting clays as “a challenging clay target game designed to simulate a variety of fieldshooting situations. On a sporting clays course, shooters are presented with a wide variety of targets that duplicate the flight path of game birds.” A course normally consists of different shooting stations, and shooters go from one station to another to finish the course. Targets are thrown at each station for competitors to shoot. The targets, round ceramic disks known as clay pigeons, may differ in size or the number thrown, and a sponsor awards points for the number of targets the competitor shatters. Having attended Benja-
Photo Courtesy of Becca Lichtblau
Lichtblau began shooting competitively two years ago and hopes to shoot at Clemson.
So fresh, so clean: students tell what it takes to look good BY FIONA SCHOR Managing Editor
Ask anyone from Benjamin about how long it takes a girl to get ready on a given day and that person can paint a pretty clear picture. One imagines a girl spending hours applying makeup, perfecting hair, and picking outfits. Although the boys at Benjamin are most likely not wearing makeup, a number of them admit they might be obsessing over looks just as much as the girls. Junior Amanda DiFilippo could be part of the picture that many people imagine of girls getting ready for school. “I try [to look good] for school in the morning and take quite a while to get ready because I enjoy looking presentable. Everyday I try to experiment with new hairstyles and ways to wear my outfit because although I admit I try pretty
“I care quite a bit on my appearance. Not because I care about what other people think, but because I like to look my best.”
VINCENT BOLCHOZ junior She goes on to say, “I genuinely care about my appearance a lot because I believe that first impressions are lasting impressions.” Junior Payton Doran has a slightly different opinion. She
The Pharcyde
School Life December 12, 2014
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Engineering students take the old, make it new BY ROBERT CHARLES
said, “We went to a STEM expo down in Miami where the students go around and learn about the different portions of the competition. By proving that we have a lot of kids interested in this program, the Army gave us 2,600 dollars of equipment in order
Graphics Editor
Some of the most innovative minds at Benjamin have recently invented a portable iPhone charger no bigger than a matchbox. This is one of many unique inventions that are being created during the newest engineering course being offered. As part of the course curriculum, students must work together and design an invention used to overcome set challenges. Sophomore Alex Weinstein explained some of the inventions made in class when he said, “We built and designed a tower meant to support a set amount of weight while being limited to a box of spaghetti and a bottle
“I built an electric car made out of a few wires, some batteries connected together and a circuit connected to two motors. THOMAS CAMP senior of Elmer’s Glue. We also designed a windmill that had to produce energy and we also worked with circuit boards to create a portable iPhone charger out of a battery and an Altoid case.” Some students have taken advantage of the lessons that were taught during class and are starting their own projects outside of the classroom. Senior Thomas Camp mentioned his own project by saying, “I built an electric car made out of a few wires, some batteries connected together and a circuit connected
“We built and designed a tower meant to support a set amount of weight while being limited to a box of spaghetti and a bottle of Elmer’s The engineering program is now in full swing. With the help of the 3D printer, Senior Thomas Camp made an electric car (above) out of the frame of an old RC car, while other students (right) are now planning their next inventions.
Glue. We also designed a windmill that had to produce energy with a battery and an Altoid case . “
Photos by Gretchen Sousa
to two motors. I then used the body of an old RC car that I used as the framework for the car. I also used the 3D printer in order to create wheels for the car. After that, I wired up a full-series circuit that spun the wheels when activated.” The 3D printer is a vital tool used throughout the engineering program; however, some students use it for their own projects from time to time. Telling about his usage of the 3D printer, freshman Roberto Llama said, “I have made an Iron-Man mask and two different size skulls using the 3D printer as well as creating several other smaller projects such as a rose and a jet plane.” Llama explains another invention of his, saying, “During the electronics unit, I created an arduino board
ALEX WEINSTEIN sophomore
which is a micro controller and combined it with a PIR motion sensor to make a contraption that would flash a series of blinking lights when a hand was waved over it.” Working harmoniously with the engineering course, Mr. Patrick Cullinane and Dr. Daryl Martino introduced an engineering club. The club operates very similarly to the course in that students are learning to use the 3D print-
ers and work with circuits. The engineering club is currently involved in a competition sponsored by the US Army in which students are tasked with remodeling remote control cars and then entering their creations in the spring. The competition includes four categories including racing, energy, innovation, and a rover section. Elaborating further on the competition, Mr. Cullinane
to start our own team and to compete. Among the equipment we are outfitted with is a car which we have to take apart and rebuild in our own design so we can upgrade the car’s features, whether it be steering or acceleration depending on the section of the competition.” Commenting on what he likes most about the engineering program, Weinstein said, “I really enjoy the exposure and the real world skills we are getting. It prepares students for jobs in the field of engineering, and it really helps to have this knowledge as we continue being innov vative in the future.”
WHY STEM?
17%
how much that STEM-related job opportunities will grow over the next decade
17th
U.S. students’ rank in science 60
24th
U.S. students’ rank in math
25%
How much more STEM employees earn than non-STEM
Percent Increases in STEM Jobs 2010-2020
40 20
All Jobs
Math
Sys. Med. Biomed. Comp. Analysts Develop. Scientists Eng.
Data from www.stemadvantage.org and US Dept. of Defense Education Activity
Graphic by Robert Charles
Graphic by Annelise Hillmann
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December 12, 2014
The Pharcyde
School Life
Delete that ReTweet: colleges really do check social media accounts BY JACQUELINE HENDERSON Staff Writer
GRETCHEN SOUSA
Seniors Thomas Camp and Hadley Lane rehearse one of the plays written during the elective.
Bazar optimistic about Page to Stage BY ROBERT CHARLES Graphics Editor
In addition to the recent production of Macbeth, the creation of the new class “Page to Stage” is one more demonstration that Mr. Thomas Bazar seeks to put his mark on the Benjamin theater program. Page to Stage is a onesemester English elective that is available exclusively to seniors. During the fall semester, seniors have been reading plays by Aristotle and Shakespeare to help get a grasp of some techniques famous playwrights used. Using these examples, the seniors have been learning to use plot, character, conflict, action, diction, and other writing mechanics in order to create a well-written play. Mr. Bazar explained his goals for the course by saying, “I wanted to come up with some ideas about teaching the students the art of playwriting and at the same time I wanted them to be practitio-
ners in a sense that I wanted them to write their own oneact plays and work on those throughout the semester and have a finished product by the end of the year.” The students enrolled in the class have responded positively about their experiences in the class so far. Telling what she enjoyed about the class, senior Sydney Shultz said, “I find it really interesting learning about the process of writing plays. I have been in so many school productions that it is eye opening to see the other side of the production. It’s very different from a traditional English elective, and Mr. Bazar has done a great job teaching the different aspects of playwriting.” After the semester is done and 20 plays have been completed, Mr. Bazar has several plans involving the created student works. He said, “I want to take maybe five to six plays and produce them in a venue. I am hoping that sometime between the fall
play and the musical we will be able to find room in our schedule to actually pick a few of the plays and have an evening where they would be put on for an audience.” In order to decide which of the 20 plays will be performed, a panel of judges will pick the five best plays. The panel will consist of members of both the Social Studies and English departments. Explaining what his play is about, Senior Kyle Malone said, “It is about two high school kids who live in a trailer park in Seattle and it’s about their struggle in life and living in poverty for a majority of their lives. It deals with judgment and how to get past it and how to lead a normal life when being judged by all those around you.” Giving thoughts on his experience in class, he said, “I am very excited for this class and look forward to it daily. The kids seem to really enjoy it and it is a part of an ever growing theater program here at Benjamin.” v
Relatively few students have jobs BY ABBY BAUCOM Staff Writer
According to a survey conducted by The Pharcyde, approximately one in seven Benjamin students have jobs, significantly fewer than the national average. At Benjamin only about half as many students have jobs compared to their national counterparts. The national census, conducted last year in January, showed that one in four high school students have jobs. The majority of the students working were over 16 years of age. The Pharcyde survey revealed that only 24 Benjamin students, out of 173 that answered the question, had jobs. It also revealed that only 21 Benjamin students, out of 145 that answered the question, wrote that they are on the hunt for a job. Freshman Kailey Graziotto works at Publix, which is one of few local businesses that hire employees starting at 14 years old. Employees this young work as grocery baggers. Graziotto said, “Ever since I was a little kid, I always had said I wanted to get a job so I could have
money. Although my reasoning on why I got a job has changed slightly since then, I still enjoy having some spending money.” Junior Margot Hirsch, works for a professional company as a horse show photographer. She said, “I love having a job in high school because it gives me a sense of responsibility to always be on-time and be prepared. Also, I love having the job because it feels great to be working at such a young age with older professional photographers, and also to learn so much about the best ways to photograph [horses].” “It takes a while to learn exactly how to photograph based on how your boss wants you to. On top of the learning part, the venue is a highly populated, muddy area. I use my dirt bike to travel from location to location to photograph certain people. On rainy days, my legs are constantly being caked in mud and rainwater. One downside is that you stand in the sun for multiple hours on end, and you are always on your feet, moving back and forth to get the best jump angles. Also, you have to be very patient. If you do not like watching 150+ horses do
the exact same thing for multiple hours, then the job may not be right for you,” Hirsch said. Senior and Cod & Capers Seafood Restaurant employee, Kyle Vincent said, “I work on Saturday nights so it’s hard to hang out with friends during this time and I can’t watch my favorite college football teams play on Saturday.” The challenges high school employees face are sacrifices that students, including Junior and Dune Dog’s waiter, Alec Mahoney have learned to overcome. Mahoney said, “I tried working on the weekdays but it was too much with going to school all day and then working. So now I just work on the weekends.” Because of the strict rules restricting work hours for minors, businesses, such as Dune Dog’s, that hire students in high school must assign flexible work hours to younger employees to coordinate with their extra curricular and academic schedules. In the face of adversity, high school students at Benjamin and nationally juggle the challenges of having a job while still under going a full v load of academic classes.
While most seniors focus mainly on their college applications, recent news reports indicate that colleges are including applicants’ social media as a part of the admission process. A New York Times article from 2013 indicated that at least one college admitted to searching social media to learn about their applicants, a practice which college counselor Mr. Jeffrey Wong admitted should be a concern to students. In the article, the Bowdoin College Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, Scott A. Meiklejohn, acknowledged that a student’s misjudgment on social media affected her chances for attending the school. The school became aware of online comments that the applicant made about other candidates while she was attending a campus information session. The comments, described as “disparaging,” caught the eyes of Mr. Meiklejohn. Specifically regarding that student, he said that if her grades had been better, it would have been a more difficult decision concerning acceptance. Because of her poor grades, however, the School did not have to acknowledge the role of the comments. Responding to a recent email request from The Pharcyde, Mr. Meiklejohn spoke on behalf of Bowdoin College and reiterated his prior position, saying, “Our attention to social media is neither more, nor less, of an issue than when the New York Times ran that story.” Confirming social media’s role in the college admissions process, Mr. Wong, who previously served on Brandeis University’s admissions staff, said, “Hearing from colleges when I was still in
the admissions world, they told me that they would occasionally check. It has now come to be a random thing for colleges to do.” With the percentage of people using social media rising from 42% to 74% over the last two years according to the Pew Research Internet Project, students are now at a higher risk of making poor choices about how they are perceived by colleges. Last week, Campus Technology magazine wrote an article reaffirming that student’s social media could affect their college applications. According to the magazine, Kaplan Test Prep conducted a survey to see if colleges do, in fact, check their applicant’s social media. Their article said, “Kaplan polled four hundred and three admissions officers last summer and found that 35% of those who responded said they had visited applicants’ pages to learn more about them. That is the highest percentage since Kaplan started tracking the issue in 2008. Six years ago, only sixteen percent of admissions officers who responded said they checked social media pages.” The magazine also did a survey asking students what they think about their social media having the opportunity to affect their college admission. Surprisingly a large percent of students responded that their social media might help their chances along with their application. Only a very small percent disagreed and said that it would give a negative impact to their application. Responding to the new information, senior Amelia Gardner said, “I think it is important that students keep their profiles on private; but also keep them monitored because of the new risks to our v future.”
GRETCHEN SOUSA
Despite rumors to the contrary, colleges do check social media.
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School Life December 12, 2014
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Faculty members take trips down memory lane BY ANNELISE HILLMANN Executive Editor
Like the monotone Mr. Stein in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, teachers are often pictured as uninteresting people with wholly uninteresting lives, but that is not the case at Benjamin, where faculty members harbor surprising personal experiences from their lives before they were teachers. On her path to stardom, Head of the Performing Arts Department Sara Salivar was born in Lima, Peru, while her father worked for the U.S. World Service. From a very early age, Sra. Salivar spent most of her time in the dance studio. “I started dancing when I was three. My older sister was a dancer, and I was trained under the same studio,” she said. “By the time I was five, we had appeared already in a couple of TV programs as sisters, doing a sister act in tap.” As a small child, Sra. Salivar practiced thirty hours a week and then performed on weekends in the popular TV show El Tio Johnny from ages 11 to 14. While only a middle schooler, Peru’s very own Hannah Montana enjoyed the best of both worlds, experiencing the American life of her parents and the traditions and values of the Peruvian people. However, not all of Benjamin’s faculty were as outgoing as Sra. Salivar. “In high school, I was very shy,” English teacher Mr. Tom Bazar said. “It wasn’t until I started tackling theater, which was in college, where I started getting out of my shell. There was a girl who I had a crush on - I remember her name was Janna. I was so shy, and my friends were all saying ‘go ask her out.’ But I could never do it. I was also very short and didn’t really physically grow until later.” While Mr. Bazar was mustering his courage, economics teacher Mrs. Nidhi McVicar was inside, studying. “I have to say that I was kind of a nerd in college. I did a lot of homework,” she said. “Boston College was a very upper middle class white Irish Catholic demographic. And I came from a humble single parent Indian family in St. Louis. Not a lot of connection there. To put it another way, I had never shopped at J. Crew before I had gone to college, and BC is a walking J. Crew catalog.” Instead of worrying about her wardrobe, Mrs. McVicar spent most of her college experience focused on her job options after college, which rewarded her later in the form of ten job offers immediately after graduating. “At Goldman Sachs, I worked in private wealth management as a financial analyst. And that was the best job you could get out of college as a business person. So that’s what I did for three years,” she said. During his time at Wesley College, English teacher Dr. John Peruggia worked as an intern at a boarding school in Massachusetts. “I taught expository writing and worked in the upper school boys dorm. I became a teacher and dorm head,” he said. “When people would leave their underwear in the shower, I’d find out who did it and make him walk
around apologizing to the whole dorm for making them see his underwear. It was quite effective.” A baseball fan, Dr. Peruggia also worked at the Major League Baseball Players Association as assistant to the chief counsel. “I was an administrative intern with the MLBPA. I sort of did everything, from going to meetings and typing up checks to answering tickets requests and helping agents to understand how to register,” he said. While some teachers found their paths early in college, others needed more time to discover their passions. “In college, I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Mr. Bazar said. “I was kind of lost for many years, and I thought I was going to drop out at one point. Then I decided to take some courses I always wanted to take. This included acting, SCUBA, and other stuff I found interesting. I felt I had nothing to lose. I took this acting class, and it totally changed my life. I didn’t expect that to happen. It had a lot to do to shape the person I am today.” Mr. Bazar’s love of the stage led him to join an acting troupe in Hollywood after college. “It was a nice group of people, about ten actors. I started working with private teachers and studios and got involved with theater companies. We did plays and put up productions. My favorite role was Pozzo in Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. He’s a very strange wild role. I just had such a good time with it.” Mr. Bazar then travelled to the East Coast where he started his own theater company. “I’m proud that I had a theater company that had a good strong run for a couple years in Philadelphia. It went from money out of my own pocket to something that had a board of directors and went overseas. It was a pretty viable institution for a few years, and it’s something I look back on fondly,” he said. Also a supporter of the arts, Mrs. McVicar worked with the North Carolina Symphony and considers her time there her favorite job. “I did development work and raised corporate and foundation grants,” she said. “And that was really interesting, because I love classical music and it was rewarding to work for a non-profit. That would probably be the most
Mr. Thomas Bazar (above) worked as both an actor and director in Philadelphia, Mr. Eric Gardner (right) joied the Navy and Sra. Sara Salivar starred in a popular Peruvian television show. Photos Courtesy of Mr. Gardner, Mr. Bazar, and Sra. Salivar
meaningful job I had.” How did these different and colorful people begin teaching at TBS? Mrs. McVicar has luck to thank for that. “When I moved to Florida, I was floundering for something to do. I had taken a couple years off. And then Ms. Buxe, the old statistics teacher, had to have a medical procedure, and they needed a sub who could teach statistics,” Mrs. McVicar said. “And I don’t know how it happened, but somehow I got in touch with her. Mrs. Willick [the former economics teacher] said, ‘You’re way overqualified to be subbing, and I want to retire. If you want to teach AP Econ, this is the perfect opportunity.’” Through whatever avenue, this diverse group of teachers has come to call Benjamin home, and they still have future goals to accomplish. “When I grow up, I want to write novels,” Mr. Bazar said. “Eventually, I want to spend a lot of time travelling. More than anything else I want to kind of explore the world.” Having already visited every European country and studied abroad in Rome, Dr. Peruggia hopes to become head of his own school. The personal experiences of Benjamin teachers not only enrich their own lives but add to the lives of students as well. Mr. Bazar said, “I was fortunate to have two excellent mentors in my life who taught me how to be me, and that’s what I try to pass to my students as well. I try to be as positive and encouraging as possible, traits v I admired in my mentors.”
The Scene Tech
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The Arts
The Pharcyde SHOUTOUT TO: All partipants in the Winter Concert.
Choke collar: parents track students with new iPhone apps BY FIONA SCHOR Managing Editor
The emergence of powerful iPhone tracking applications, largely for parent usage, has sparked widespread concern and anxiety among students. One of the most common applications being used in the community is Find My Friends, an application where one can get location-based alerts or be notified of another person’s whereabouts. Similar to Find My Friends, Find my iPhone helps users see the approximate location of their Apple device. Lastly, an app that most
“Tracking apps show a lack of trust. We’re teenagers, not dogs.” ALEXIS KAUCHICK junior
students and parents have not heard of is Ignore No More. It is currently available for Android users and will be available for iPhone users in
the near future. This application lets parents remotely lock their kids’ phones until they get in t o u c h and is impossible for a child to delete from his or her phone.
Junior Alec Mahoney’s m o t h e r uses Find My Friends to track him. He said, “Yes, she can see where I am everywhere I go. Whenever she looks at the app, it shows where I am.” Some parents among the community only use this app at certain times. Sophomore Casen Gavidia’s parents only track him when he is out of his house past 10 at night. He said, “It’s good because if something happens to me, my parents can find me.” However, junior Alexis Barker’s grandparents use the same app to track her every
day. She said, “I am very annoyed because I have given them no reason to track me as frequently as they do. It’s really over the top.” Asked if she has gotten in trouble through the app, she said, “No I have not because I’ve never been tracked at somewhere I should not be be-
how a tracking application works, including junior Alexis Kauchick’s. She shared her situation, saying, “My parents have tried in the past, but ended up not following through with it.” All students whom The P h a r cyde inter-
cause I’m never anywhere I shouldn’t be.” Unlike Barker, junior Carly White admitted she has been in trouble multiple times because her parents tracked her through an app. Mahoney shares the same sentiment as White when he said, “It’s very annoying,” This complex tracking technology can be difficult to manipulate. Some parents are unable to understand
viewed are in agreement that if their parents used the Ignore No More application on them t h e y would be upset or even furious. Still, an anonymous student shared that her parents went to even greater degrees than using Ignore No More to ensure their child’s safety. “One time they called the police when I didn’t pick up. I was at a summer program at the University of Virginia and
I forgot to call them to check in.” This student added, “After I got home, the kidnapping incident at UVA went completely viral. When they found out about that, they were definitely glad they called the police.” Junior Alexandra Dimas has a different situation altogether. Rather than her parents tracking her with an app, she tracks her mother. She shares that she knows her mom’s iCloud password and tracks her through that. Her mom still does not understand how her daughter is tracking her. “Sometimes if I want her to come home and make me dinner, she will say she is on her way but I will check and make sure she leaves wherever she is,” Dimas said. Asked if her mother has tried tracking her, Dimas responded, saying, “She barely knows how to work her iPhone so she would never even try.” Kauchick spoke for a number of students by saying, “Tracking apps show a lack of trust. We’re teenagers, not v dogs.”
Illustration by Annelise Hillmann
Review of homework-helping math apps: don’t bother BY MARISA MARINO Staff Writer
Newly created math apps give Benjamin students a way to cheat the system by doing their homework for them; however, in a recent Pharcyde survey students reported that the apps fail to impress, and they feel greatly disappointed by the outcomes. These apps are programmed to do math equations for students facing simple algebraic problems in student homework. Some of these math apps include Mathway, Wolfram Alpha and MyScript Calculator. PhotoMath is an app that uses the camera function on the smartphone to scan the math problems, and it shows him/ her how to do the equation step by step. Mathway and Wolfram Alpha are apps that solve the equations through typing them out instead of scanning them. Wolfram Alpha also is a computer engine that answers almost any question, math or not. MyScript is like to Wolfram Alpha and Mathway, except the student must write out the equation using a finger or a stylus instead of typing it. In terms of efficiency, The Pharcyde survey shows that
these apps do not work most of the time with complex equations, but only with equations that are simple and easy for most of the students to solve anyway. Thirty-five of the fifty students who answered the survey said that none of the apps work 100 percent of the time, but only sometimes. Sophomore Jacky Potts said, “I have used the app PhotoMath and MyScript Calculator. They never work for complex problems, but it can solve basic problems that I can easily do in my head. I recommend [PhotoMath] for anyone below Geometry, because it ceases to work for anything above that level of math. People got really excited when they found out there is an app that does their homework for them.” The download volume of the app PhotoMath proves that the idea of the app is better than the actual product. PhotoMath was number one on the Apple App Store’s top ten free apps as of October 23rd. This ranking came only two days after the app’s release date. This math app even surpassed the popular Facebook Messenger that had been number one on the App Store’s chart for a very, very long time. As of today, PhotoMath does not even make the top one hundred. How is that so? Sophomore Jacky Potts said, “After seeing the app, I immediately wanted to download
JACQUELINE HENDERSON
While the new iPhone apps claim efficiency, many students have found they don’t walk the walk.
it, knowing that it could help me in my math class. However, I was disappointed when I used the app and saw that it only worked for simple algebra equations. I think that the app dropped in its ranking because of the [number] of people who did the same thing as me.” However, just because these apps are not capable of fully working now, they could be improved for the future, now that the idea of the apps is out. Sophomore Sydney Pincus said,
“If these math apps are used to assist some students, other students may use these apps as a tool for other things, like cheating.” Out of the 53 responding students who use the apps, 38 of them see no change in their learning after using them; 11 feel that it is making them a worse math student; and four feel it is actually benefiting their knowledge. Commenting on this issue, math teacher, Mr. Harse said, “I would caution students about relying on any app too much.
Using all available tools to help with the learning process is something I hope any student would do. However, knowing the limits and capabilities of an app is just as important. Many problem solving techniques in math require creative thinking that cannot be duplicated by any app.” One thing is certain today, with technology flourishing, there is an app for everything, even some that do not completely work. v
The Scene December 12, 2014
The Pharcyde
Dancing with sugar plums: Walsh wants her nap time back I don’t know about you guys, but I could really, really, really use a nap right about now. The singularly biggest disappointment post-kindergarten was discovering that naptime was not a federally mandated daytime procedure.
“I mean I didn’t need a nap in kindergarten where the most stressful thing I did all day was trying to play dodgeball without getting pelted in the face by Timmy, that one five-yearold on steroids...” KATHLEEN WALSH columnist However, I fear that my napping days are over, as now I get roughly 4-5 hours of sweaty,
uncomfortable sleep in between recurring nightmares of physics tests and universes where the Internet doesn’t exist. I mean I didn’t need a nap in kindergarten where the most stressful thing I did all day was try to play dodgeball without getting pelted in the face by Timmy, that one five-year-old on steroids (who consequently had a five o’clock shadow.) No, I need a nap now. Everyday. I need a 30-45 minute nap filled with unperturbed, blissful sleep. The fact that our school doesn’t give us nap hour instead of oddly situated break periods is beyond me. Matter of fact, I think it is down right cruel and unusual to not have naptime. Come on Student Council. I elected you to execute these kind of ingenious ideas. Get to work. I mean what kind of uncivilized society are we that don’t even have naptime? The Greeks did it. The Romans did it. And, as we know, Greece and Rome were the birthplaces of democracy. Therefore, not having naptime is anti-democracy. Ergo, anti-naptime is anti-American, but, at the risk of sounding like a
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certain socialist-hating senator, I severely digress. Take the Hispanic culture, for example. While they have no doubt contributed greatly to art, science, literature, and the like, they have most importantly created the singularly most intelligent creation known to mankind; the siesta. Forget the cotton gin, the Declaration of Independence, and penicillin; the siesta is the true invention of the centuries. Now for those of you who don’t know what a siesta is, fasten your seatbelts. A siesta, in Hispanic culture, is an hour or so of relaxation where a person eats a snack, and then, wait for it, sleeps. Food and sleep?! Are you kidding me? To be honest when picking between French and Spanish as my foreign lan-
“I mean what kind of uncivilized society are we that don’t even have naptime? The Greeks did it. The Romans did it. And, as we know, Greece and Rome were the birthplaces of democracy. Therefore, not having naptime is anti-democracy.” KATHLEEN WALSH columnist guage of choice, the siesta factor pushed me toward Spanish. Señora, if you’re reading this, “lo siento.” But really, naptime would benefit the entire community. If naptime were mandated, the epidemic of students who sleep in class would lessen significantly. I mean walk into any
JACQUELINE HENDERSON
Katie relishes a quick cat nap before B Period starts.
math/science/English/history/language class and you’ll enter the Sleeping Beauty kingdom where everyone is under a deathlike slumber. However, instead of true love’s first kiss, the only thing that’ll wake these snoozing “princesses” is the lunch bell. Thinking about it now, if the entire world just napped at least once a day, I’m pretty sure half of all wars wouldn’t exist. Is your state having a problem with looting, rioting, and/or vandalism? Institute naptime! I guarantee crime rates will go down and productivity will skyrocket. Churchill took naps. Thomas Edison took naps. Napoleon took naps. Those men were dealing with war, electricity, and chronic shortness. Somehow, I think we can fit a naptime
into our schedule. Between six hours of homework every night (though most of this article may be exaggerated, I literally do have 6 hours of homework a night), the looming cloud known as the SAT, sports, clubs that I don’t actually attend, math in general, staggering amounts of idiotic reality TV, coma inducing lunch (lookin’ at you, pasta day), horribly irresponsible drivers at our school, and unrelenting idiotic teenagers who make my life a living purgatory on a daily basis, we could all really, really just use a nap. All I’m asking is for one hour to sleep without a care in the world. I’d like to think the entire school would tend to agree. #I’llkeepsleepingin classuntilithappens. v
Top Winter Blockbusters Exodus: Gods and Kings December 12, 2014
The story of the daring leader Moses challenging his brother Ramses and the rest of the Egyptian empire leading over 600,000 Jewish slaves on a monumental journey across Egypt battling terrifying cycles of plagues as they escape from slavery.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies December 17, 2014
The final installment of the Hobbit comes to an epic conclusion. Having reclaimed their homeland the adventurers unknowingly unleashed a great evil upon Middle Earth. The adventurers must unite with the other armies in the world in order to protect their lives.
Unbroken December 25, 2014
Based on the novel by Laura Hillenbrand, set during World War II an Olympic runner, Louis, Zamperini is captured by Japanese forces after a devastating plane crash above open water. The story follows the brutality that Louis endures as he travels between POW encampments.
Graphic by Annelise Hillmann and Robert Charles
{P}Sports
The Pharcyde SHOUTOUT TO:
Girls Varsity Soccer team on its season thus far.
Baldari and Jahn lead Lady Bucs fall sports BY MADELEINE DALTON
Copy Editor
This fall, Alessandra Baldari and Reagan Jahn have demonstrated superior skills and effort in their sport of choice and have been locally recognized for their talents. Freshman Alessandra Baldari has broken five Benjamin high school swimming records in the past two years. While she was in eighth grade, Baldari broke three TBS high school records, which include 100-meter freestyle, 200-meter freestyle, and 500-meter backstroke, but this year she broke the 200-meter IM (Individual Medley) and her own record in the 500-meter freestyle. When asked what her favorite stroke is, she replied, “I don’t have a favorite stroke, but I really like IM, which is all four strokes in one race, and long-distance freestyle. I think IM’s are fun because you are switching strokes and not only focusing on one. I like long-distance because I can pace myself and go at a relatively fast speed for a long time,” Baldari said. “My biggest accomplishment this season was almost making a USA Jr. National time cut in a few races. I am very close to getting those time standards. I am .04 of a second away
Photo Courtesy of Alessandra Baldari
Freshman Alessandra Baldari made waves this season and broke two Benjamin swimming records.
from the qualifying time in the 100 butterfly, [which is] one of my favorites!” she said. She justified her reason for picking swimming instead of another sport by saying, “Since I was little and started taking lessons, I have really enjoyed swimming and wanted to do it more often! After trying things like gymnastics and ballet, swimming was pretty much the only sport I was good at, and loved!” She noted that, “My favorite moment of this season was the Winter Championships in Plantation. I swam many different events than I hadn’t done during high school season, which was a good change. During the 200-meter IM, I was neck and neck against another girl in
Photo Courtesy of Reagan Jahn
Senior Reagan Jahn led the girls to a district title.
the Finals and I ended up coming in first place, beating her by .02 of a second! It was really fun
and intense, and I loved hearing about what the commentator said during my race when I had
finished.” Summing up her overall experience of competitive swimming, she said, “I really like the whole aspect of competition and racing, it gets me fired up! I also really enjoy the team atmosphere of swimming. Although it is not necessarily a team sport (except for relays), everyone becomes so close and always cheers for each other, which is really nice!” Senior Reagan Jahn is another female athlete who has been commended and recognized for her successes this season and in many previous seasons. She recently was named the Benjamin Pathfinder Nominee for Athletics. Like Baldari, she began her sport of choice in middle school and has
continued it throughout her high school career. One of her accomplishments this golf season was her victory at districts. “My favorite moment of the season was winning districts as a team and coming together to try to make it to states,” she said. “I played in a few tournaments outside of school throughout the years, but the majority of my tournaments are for the Benjamin team. I won my first tournament around the age of seven. But, for Benjamin, I won a couple of tournaments this year, including districts,” Jahn said. One of the factors that contributed to Jahn’s decision to work toward getting better at golf was the possibility of playing in college. “Part of choosing golf came after visiting Lehigh University and completely falling in love with it. Playing any sport in college is an amazing opportunity that I am so fortunate to have,” she said. Jahn explained what her favorite thing about golf is as a sport when she said, “I’ve always loved golf and being part of the team here at school. I love that it is an individual sport and being able to work toward my goals, and at the same time having a team I can play for.” v
Varsity Wrestling poised to be stronger than ever BY DJ ROBINSON Staff Writer
Over the past few years, The Benjamin School has not been known to have a large number of wrestlers. Most know Nick Wettermann, who was our one and only wrestler for numerous years. This year however, four students will be wrestling: senior Steven Reece, freshmen Manning Bolchoz, and Thatcher Seiss, and seventh grader Royce Howley. These four are looking forward to learning new things. They all are practically new to the sport and look to advance their wrestling ability with the help of Coach Frederick German. Reece will be wrestling in the 152-pound weight class, Bolchoz will be wrestling in the 120-pound weight class, Seiss will be wrestling in the 170-pound weight class, and Howley
will be wrestling in the 126-pound weight class.
“I joined the wrestling team for a physical activity to do after school, and I’ve always been into grappling and figured wrestling was the happy medium for both.” THATCHER SEISS freshman When asked about why he wrestles, Seiss said, “ I joined the wrestling team for a physical activity to do after school, and I’ve always been into grappling and figured wrestling was the happy
medium for both.” Bolchoz, who is also looking forward to wrestling season said, “I’m looking to learn some great skills in the sport and maybe get to districts then regionals, and hopefully states.” These students are working hard, training every day after school to prepare for the upcoming season, the workouts include jump roping, grappling moves, resistance band workouts, stadium runs, tire flips, and a few other forms of conditioning. The most experienced of the three, Reece, has high expectations for himself. He said, “I look forward to hopefully winning most of my matches, and maybe getting a bid number to wrestle in the Jupiter tournament which is the biggest event in South Florida.” v
JACQUELINE HENDERSON
The wrestling team’s roster has quadrupled since last season’s lone wrestler.
The Pharcyde
{P} Sports December 12, 2014
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Sitting in the Hall of Fame: what it takes to be inducted BY MICHAEL MULLERY Sports Editor
Many people over the years have contributed to the growth and success of Benjamin athletics; however, it is only the cream of the crop that have been honored with a jersey retirement, and for even fewer, an induction into the Hall of Fame. The first Hall of Fame class was inducted in the fall of 2010, and included Marshall Benjamin, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Ryan Berube ‘92, and Julian Reynolds ‘95. Marshall Benjamin was the school’s founder and a contributor to the athletic department who helped to launch the school’s first football team, back when Benjamin was only an elementary school and went by the name North Palm Beach Private School. Jack and Barbara Nicklaus were inducted to the hall because of their generous contributions to the school over the years. Ryan Berube ’92 was inducted because of his success in the pool, most notably winning an Olympic gold medal in the 4x200 meters relay in the Atlanta 1996 games, a race in which he swam anchor. Julian Reynolds ’95 was inducted due to her prowess in track and field. After setting multiple records in her days as a Buc, Reynolds went on to win gold in the 4x400 meters relay at the 2003 Pan American games. No stranger to sporting success as a Buc, Athletic Director Mr. Ryan Smith, who had his own football jersey retired, detailed the many requirements that must be met for a student-
BEN GREENSPAN
Many Benjamin athletes whose jerseys now hang in the gym have had illustrious careers after high school.
athlete to have his or her jersey retired, or earn a spot in the Hall of Fame. He said, “First of all, a coach must nominate a student to have their jersey retired, and then the candidate must meet a number of criteria. The athlete must have a varsity letter in his or her sport for at least
three years, must be all-state, All-American, or player of the year at minimum, and if applicable must set records in his or her sport.” He added, “If the candidate meets the criteria, the athletic award committee convenes to decide if the jersey will be retired after reviewing the stu-
dent’s athletic record and historical data available in that sport.” One of two athletes to have their jersey retired from the class of 2014, golfer Caroline Araskog spoke about what it was like to have her golf shirt on the wall. She said, “It is an absolute honor to have my jer-
sey hanging on the wall in the gym. Competing on the golf team at Benjamin was one of my main highlights of my high school experience and nothing makes me happier than to think a part of me will always be at the school.” She added, “On my list of achievements, this is defiv nitely at the top.”
new system because of the human aspect that accompanies it. The BCS computer analytics poll, while it did take into account strength of schedule, offensive and defensive efficiency, and many other factors, failed to account for the impact of injuries, and how team’s improved over the course of the season. Simply put, the committee is more adept to judge the four teams that have the best shot at winning it all in the post-season, which does not necessarily mean they will be the four teams with the best record Take, for example, the decision to include Ohio State. If Ohio State beat Wisconsin by only a touchdown in the Big Ten Championship, they could very well have not made the playoffs because of the injury to their star quarterback, J.T. Barrett, in the last game of the regular season. Had Cardale Jones, the Buckeyes third string quarterback, not orchestrated a 59-0 thrashing
of the fourteenth ranked Badgers in his first start, the committee would not have trusted the Buckeyes going forward. However, the fact that even with their third string QB, Ohio State was able to win so convincingly, the evaluators felt comfortable putting them in the playoffs. Junior Chris Raso is one fan of the new playoff system. He said, “In my opinion I think this new system is more fair than the BCS because the computer system cannot accurately depict the best teams in the country. The committee takes a lot into account when deciding and it results in the true best teams making it into the top four.”
The committee released their final rankings this past Sunday. The Alabama Crimson Tide, the number one seed, will face off against Ohio State, the fourth seed, in the Sugar Bowl. Meanwhile, in Pasadena, the two seed Oregon Ducks will play the third seeded Florida State Seminoles in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day. The winners of those two semifinal games will meet in Arlington, Texas on January 6th to square off for the national championship. To some, the undefeated Seminoles third place ranking came as a surprise. Junior Peter Burt said, “Even though FSU has not been playing well, I think they should be ranked number one because they started the year out ranked first and they are the only undefeated team in the country.” However, others think Florida State’s ranking is justified. Junior Matt Ellmyer said, “I think that it is fair that FSU is ranked third because they haven’t played that strong
of a schedule and have just barely won against teams that are nowhere near their level. Strength of schedule matters but if a team plays a schedule that isn’t that tough, they should be winning by a large margin each game. That’s why Alabama and Oregon deserve to be ranked higher than FSU.” Even though the new playoff system may not have worked out all the kinks just yet, the consensus is that it is an improvement over the BCS system of years past, and is a pleasure for fans of college football. Mr. Ken Archer summarized the feelings of many by saying, “I am a proponent of the new playoff system rather than the bowls and polls of the past. All other divisions of college football have been using the playoff system for decades, and it’s the fairest way to crown an actual number one. The day will come that the NCAA will get it right and have a 16-team playoff; until then, I will settle for the four team playv off over the BCS any day.”
New college playoff system praised by students, faculty BY MICHAEL MULLERY Sports Editor
College football fans will soon be rejoicing in bowl season, and with it this year comes the new four-team College Football Playoff system, a process, which many students and faculty think, is an improvement of the BCS system of years past. Unlike in years past when the national championship matchup was decided by the BCS system which took into account the Harris Interactive Poll, the AP Coaches Poll, and a computer analytics poll, this year the semifinalists for the national championship were named solely by the College Football Playoff committee’s ranking. The committee is made up of 13 evaluators ranging from former players and coaches, athletic directors, and former United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Fans, both in and out of school, generally prefer the
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December 12, 2014
The Pharcyde
{P}Sports
MID-SEASON REPORTS
CATCHING UP WITH THE BUCS HALFWAY THROUGH THE WINTER SEASON
GIRLS SOCCER BY MICHAEL MULLERY Sports Editor
The Lady Bucs soccer team has experienced a great deal of success in recent years, posting a remarkable record of 38-4-1 over the past two seasons, and this year has been no different, with the team currently at 9-1-1. The team has been flat out dominant, with an average goal differential of 6.2 goals per game in their nine wins. Leading the way in scoring with 14 goals is future Florida Gator, senior midfielder Mayra Pelayo, second is senior forward Katie O’Hare
with 11 goals, and third is another Florida commit, junior center midfielder Kylie Borislow, with 10. Their dominance is not just reserved for the offensive side of the ball either; their defense has been nothing short of suffocating, allowing only 0.64 goals per game, with senior goalkeeper Gabi Aguirre posting five shutouts. Borislow said, “We don’t lose our intensity, so many of our players have high energy and no intention of slowing down the games.” Adding, “We like to mercy teams to get off the field earlier.”
JACQUELINE HENDERSON
The 9-1-1 Varsity Girls Soccer team has a state championship on the mind.
BOYS SOCCER BY WILL BAFITIS Staff Writer
MADELEINE DALTON
The young boys soccer team has had a strong start this season.
BY WILL BAFITIS Staff Writer
After just missing out on the playoffs last year, this year’s Girls Varsity Basketball team, featuring new Head Coach Willie Shelton, has looked dominant so far this season. Having graduated three seniors from last year’s team--Division 1 commit Riley Burke, 1000 point scorer Arden Pettit, and six year varsity member Hannah LaBovick-the Lady Bucs have not missed a beat this year. The girls are currently 6-3 and second place in the district standings. The team is currently riding a three-game winning streak. While it took some time to shake off the
At the midpoint in the season, the Boys Varsity Soccer team is on track to live up to the pre-season expectations they set for themselves. After graduating six seniors from last year’s team, this year’s squad is focused on surpassing the team’s fourth place district finish from last year. The team opened the season
on a high note, crushing Cardinal Newman by a score of 8-0; they followed that with a shutout victory over Pope John Paul II. The Bucs record so far is 6-23, with all of their wins coming in district play where they are currently 6-1-2. Their only loss was to state powerhouse American Heritage - Delray. They currently sit in second place in the district behind the aforemen-
tioned American Heritage. While the team is doing well so far, they have not lost sight of their ultimate goal of going deep into the state playoffs. Wulff said, “Our goal is to finish the season with good results, especially against our district rivals St. Andrews and American Heritage. We are working to reach the district finals, then succeed in Regionals, and ultimately make it to the state finals.”
GIRLS BASKETBALL early season rust, senior Stephanie Roche believes the team is clicking at just the right time. She said, “The team is doing really well so far. We had a lot of new players, and our first few games were against some pretty tough teams. But now we’re really working well together and we just won the Berean Christian Thanksgiving tournament.” After falling to state powerhouses Florida Air Academy and Lincoln Park earlier in the season, Roche believes their improved play will translate to a win the next time they face these teams. She said, “We are excited to play Florida Air for the second time. We’ve improved since we last played them and I hope we can bring home a win.”
JACQUELINE HENDERSON
Girls basketball, under new Head Coach Willie Shelton, is currently on a hot streak.
BOYS BASKETBALL: TYLER KASTEN BY DJ ROBINSON Staff Writer
JACQUELINE HENDERSON
Boys basketball has struggled, with injuries to key players like Senior Tyler Kasten.
He sits anxiously awaiting his return to the court, waiting for the moment he can lead his team again. Senior Tyler Kasten has been sidelined due to injury since the beginning of the season. The absence of Kasten, who has a foot injury that has yet to heal, has taken a toll on the team overall, seeing that they have yet to win a game. Playing as a wide receiver for the football team this season, Kasten went up to catch a ball and landed wrong, causing him to break his foot. Asked about how it feels to be sidelined, Kasten said, “It sucks not being able to play, I wish I
could be out there helping the team to get some wins.” Senior Brandon Mackles talked about the impact of Kasten’s absence, saying, “Tyler is a four year varsity player so his return would bring great leadership and basketball skills. We will be a much better team with him, once he returns.” Although Kasten is out, he is still contributing to the team. “While I am out I still have to be the leader of the team. In practice, helping everyone know what to do and before the game helping everyone get ready to play,” he said. “Also, in games telling my teammates what they should do in the game is a big part of how I help the team while I am out.”