Nov. 15, 2021 | Newspaper | Vol. 1, Issue 1

Page 1

Cuda Baitline Coral Reef Senior High School's Student Newspaper

VOL 1. ISSUE 1.

The Controversy of Reef's Three Lunches The Fall of the Mask Mandate Dune: The Sci-Fi Epic Brought to Life Teenage Insecurities Due to the Pandemic Holiday Celebrations Still Interrupted by Covid? Where We're Facing in a Classroom Matters Layout Staff:

Editors-in-Chief:

Valeria Velasquez Annick Abello Ana Lucia Garcia

Krystal Li Samantha Perez

Any questions, complaints, concerns? Contact our sponsor: swoolleylarrea@coralreefhigh.org

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NOVEMBER 15, 2021

The Controversy of Reef's Three Lunches By: Natalie Jacob With the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, school life has changed drastically, from the mask mandates in school to the schedule of the lunches at Coral Reef Senior High School. Before the pandemic, there was one long lunch where all of the students of Reef assembled together and had forty minutes to socialize, eat lunch, or even cram for a test that they forgot about. Now, with the need to social distance, take more precautionary measures, and accommodate thousands of students, the once singular lunch has been broken into three. The first lunch starts at 10:20 am with the rest of the lunches following in thirty-minute intervals. This poses the question: Are the three lunches preferred, or do the students prefer one lunch? There are many benefits to having one universal lunch: a student could eat with all of their friends every day without worrying about their schedule, what lunch they have that day, or who to sit with in the different lunches. Furthermore, since it would be a long lunch, there would be more time to eat,

especially with the long lines to get food. It would also give students a chance to hold club meetings during the lunch period, giving more opportunities to students who want to join clubs, but are not able to because the meetings are held after school. Coral Reef could also hold different activities during the one lunch, such as pep rallies and meetings, instead of having students miss class time. Still, there are some cons to having one long lunch. For instance, there would be longer lunch lines because of all of the students that need to buy and eat lunch at the same time. There also would be fewer places and areas to sit, eat, and talk with friends, especially if the school’s campus is small, or there are not a lot of options to add more tables or benches to sit. While there are many advantages to the long lunch, there are also many benefits to having three broken-up lunches during the school day. For instance, with the Coronavirus pandemic, it is easier for students to social distance and be around fewer people without masks if there are three lunches. BAITLINE NEWSPAPER


Since there would be only a third of the school’s students there, it would be safer and easier to keep everyone safe and healthy. Furthermore, with everyone separated, it would make it easier for the administration to control the large crowds in the cafeteria and the courtyards, and it would allow for the lunch lines to be shorter since the number of people needing to buy lunch would be divided into three. Having three lunches would also allow for more places to sit on campus, although some students may not ever be able to eat or spend time with their friends. Claire Dryer, a sophomore in the IB academy agrees with the decision to split Coral Reef’s students into three lunches every day. She says that “If it wasn’t because of the big lines and short lunchtime, maybe I would push a bit towards one lunch wave. Although for now, I’m okay with three; plus it helps you sit with different people instead of just sitting with the same group of people every time” (10th, IB). She believes that it would be better if all of the three lunches were extended, with just five to ten minutes extra so that everyone has enough time to buy lunch, eat, use the bathroom, and walk back to class.

To Dryer, having three separate lunches has more benefits than having just one lunch. To continue, Kevin Wang, another sophomore in the IB academy also believes that the split lunches are more beneficial. He believes that even with the three lunches, the cafeteria is already packed and that the lunch period would be “chaotic with only one lunch” (10th, IB). He believes that even with the three separated lunches, there are still lunch lines that are too long and that there would be too many students eating lunch at the same time if everyone had the same lunch, and therefore the three lunches are better for Coral Reef. In summary, the students at Coral Reef Senior High School have differing opinions on whether having three lunches or one lunch would be better. Having one lunch may be better for students who want to see all of their friends at one every day, and use the lunch period to catch up with them, while having three lunches might be better for the students who have to wait in line to get their lunch, or want to sit with different people every day. It is evident that the students are divided on which option works better for the school.

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Baitline

The Fall of the Mask Mandate By: Isabelle Nelson During the summer, the plans of reopening schools physically were announced. Months after, the Delta variant was detected in the U.S., causing a delay in what was deemed to be a progression period. Just as the sun began to shine, another storm followed, as the Delta variant is known to be a stronger, more effective form of the Coronavirus. Humanity became caught in a predator and prey cycle and could not catch a break.

In order to tend to the requests of students and parents all over Miami-Dade, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho allowed the reopening of schools to continue by putting extensive COVID-19 protocols for public schools to obey. Two of the major procedures made were the change in the quarantine process and the mandate of masks. The mask mandate, in particular, received a large amount of feedback, both negative and positive. While many Miami-Dade parents were thrilled, some were angry with the mask mandate and believed the right to send their children to school with or without a mask was theirs to regulate. Remarks targeting Superintendent Carvalho were made public on social media. One parent voices their opinion stating that “[she would] rather [her] kids wear a

Florida parents protesting mask mandates.

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mask and be healthy than lose them to COVID.” Other parents abruptly voiced their disagreements, with some even comparing masking children to child abuse.

domain as a whole. COVID-19 has branded the lives of the entire global community. Countless times, this pandemic has brought humanity to the brink of defeat,

A Coral Reef classroom with students wearing masks.

Amid the heated argument: to mask or not to mask, it may have been overlooked that Carvalho did promise to revisit the subject of masks periodically, only making decisions where scientific data supports the public’s best interest. On Wednesday, October 20th, Carvalho acknowledged the decline of COVID-19 activity in Miami. He claims that he will proceed to “do the right thing” when it comes to the mask mandate. With that being said, Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announced during the most recent monthly School Board meeting that he plans to ease the mask mandate within Miami-Dade public schools in several weeks. The idea is to provide parents with the option to opt their children out of the mask restriction. “The decision will be based on when the latest COVID19 data is released by the state Department of Health, which occurs on Fridays, and based on the advice of a task force of local doctors advising the district on its coronavirus policy.” This was confirmed by David Goodhue with The Miami Herald. Despite the many targeting, biased comments toward MiamiDade and its officials, the district remains honorable when looking out for its community as well as the public

and every glimmer of hope began to dim day by day. It is those like Carvalho who restore a beaming glow of hope, that this pandemic will not last forever. Carvalho kept his word, sought out medical professionals, and made a decision based on the public’s best interest. By the end of the month, masks may

not be mandatory any longer, and the journey to a post-Covid life may appear closer than before.

Dune: The Sci-Fi Epic Brought to Life By: Keira Upshaw Frank Herbert’s critically-acclaimed science fiction novel, Dune, was recently adapted to the silver screen, complete with an all-star cast and elaborate special effects. The novel and film are centered around the fantasy planet of Arrakis, a harsh desert environment featuring deadly sandworms, warring families, the most valuable material in the universe, and a political conspiracy brewing in the main house. Paul Atreides, played by Timothèe Chalamet, suffers the severe consequences of this diabolical plot while discovering his own bizarre destiny. With the inclusion of topics like politics, religion, technology, and human emotion, the pressure for this blockbuster film was immense. Many people can agree that Dune is a burden to read, as a 400-page novel filled with complicated subplots and characters. Making it into a movie is a beneficial solution, but absolutely isn’t a simple one. Fans worried that the talented cast wouldn’t bring the beloved characters justice. After watching the film in its entirety, it can be said BAITLINE NEWSPAPER


that the cast was true to the characters’ personalities. One student, Trevor Landgraf, expressed that “Dave Bautista was spot-on in his portrayal of Beast Rabban” (Engineering, 12th). The intensity the actors exhibited through the screen was palpable, and they made the film immensely appealing.

A clever choice was made by the director, Denis Villeneuve, in that the movie is being divided into two parts, which will make it easier to achieve the key plot points. Although it’s unclear if or when part two is being released, it seems that Warner Bros. will have no option but to approve the sequel based on the box office success. When reading Dune, Frank Herbert’s wondrous imagery caused readers to envision the world of Arrakis, including its many inhabitants and advanced technology. Not everyone would agree that the film achieved their personal envisionment of the novel, but it portrayed the universe of Dune with dynamic special effects. The way the various technologies used in Dune were depicted in the film is astounding and evidently took viewers’ breath away. The premise of Dune is generally psychological, therefore it was very challenging to convey the scenes that Frank Herbert created. Paul Atreides and his mother, Jessica, possess an extraordinary power called the Voice, which enables them to have entire control of someone's actions. The film’s score made this particular part remarkably powerful as well as the scene of the “[House] Harkonnen exit from Arrakis” where the score was “ominous and overpowering,” as said by an anonymous Coral Reef High student in the VPA academy.

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Dune featuring popular actors has captured the attention of younger audiences. It has started trending on various social media platforms, including TikTok. With a fastpaced stream of information, TikTok will hopefully promote the film and novel to a wider range of people. Seeing Dune undoubtedly leaves an impression on people, whether they’ve read the novel or not. Dune may be one of the most intricate movie adaptations to produce, but this remake was a stellar accomplishment and should be relished by anyone who enjoys an intense and stunning film.

Teenage Insecurities Due to the Pandemic By: Sofia Peralta Before the start of the new school year, the miami-dade school district announced its return to in-person schooling. Those who chose to go to school in-person during the 2020-2021 school year were shocked by the sight of a completely full school building. On the other hand, virtual students were even more bewildered merely at the sight of a school building.

During quarantine, many Americans adopted unhealthy habits such as binge eating and not exercising. According to an American Psychological Association (APA) survey, “61% of U.S adults report undesired weight changes”. This led to the birth of a new term “quarantine 15”, referring to the fifteen pounds, on average, that people gained during quarantine. In addition, social media heightened insecurities on quarantine weight gain as teenagers began to compare the appearances of others, especially those of influencers, to their own. To exemplify, cases of eating disorders in adolescents rose during the pandemic due to “...the increased exposure to filtered, Photoshopped pictures of people on social media and the decreased exposure to real human bodies as they actually appear.” (“The loneliness of an interrupted adolescence”, McCarthy). With this, the country saw an increase in body dysmorphic disorder, also known as BDD, and resulting eating disorders. As well as social media, Zoom contributed to increased self-consciousness. With Zoom being the platform by which students connected to their teachers online, students had to spend their days constantly looking at an image of themselves. This worsened the mental health of many students. For instance, Samantha Weber, a sophomore in the IB Academy, stated that “I hated looking at my picture all day.” Fortunately though, with the switch to in-person school, this is a much less frequent problem.

Although this shift was a glorious step in the right direction towards a more normal future, it adversely provoked teenage insecurities as students shifted from quarantine life to seeing many people in person. BAITLINE NEWSPAPER


In addition, another pandemicspecific term that came from social media was “mask-fishing.” The term describes somebody who looks more attractive with a mask on than without one. Although this idea may seem like a jokingly innocent trend at first sight, it actually serves to detrimentally affect teenage mindsets. For example, Samantha Weber also stated that eating lunch with new friends is a very “nerve-wracking process” due to revealing her facial appearance for the first time. Moreover, “maskne,” acne triggered by wearing a mask, intensifies the feelings of insecurity that teenagers face. One student said that she feels much less confident in herself after recently developing “maskne.” Events such as Homecoming in which most people took their masks off was a frightening experience because she was worried that people would judge her for her skin’s appearance. In closing, many teenage insecurities have heightened due to the pandemic. This period of transition and accustoming to inperson school may be a sensitive time for some students struggling with insecurities. However, If a classmate is struggling with insecurities like these at the moment, they must be reminded that they are not alone.

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Holiday Celebrations Still Interrupted by Covid? By: Florentina Montoya As the effects of the spread of the COVID-19 virus continue to cement themselves into our daily lives, the multitude of Coral Reef students have become accustomed to accommodating atheir day-to-day activities in regards to the pandemic. However, as the holiday season approaches, with Thanksgiving and several other celebrations around the corner, will Covid continue to affect our yearly festivities? Last year, holiday celebrations were put on pause due to the rise of Covid cases and the regulations put in place. A year has passed and the uncertainty regarding the difficulties and regulations pushed by the virus remain persistent. This leaves many students and their families wondering how the regulations on travel and populous gatherings will affect their planned holiday celebrations for another consecutive year. Many students have expressed how the pandemic has completely impeded their plans of traveling. Whether it be outside of the country or even outside of the state, many students have found their aspirations of enjoying their holiday trips affected and interrupted by the continuous difficulties presented when traveling such as various travel regulations and the risk of spreading the virus. Instead, students have become used to the reality of staying home during the celebrations and have even begun to find enjoyment in these adapted holiday plans. For example, Aidan Martinez described his comfort in staying home during the holidays:

“The pandemic caused my family and me to stay home rather than go visit our grandparents and cousins, but we realized how cozy our home can be”. On the other hand, with the introduction of vaccines for Covid-19 in the past year, many students have expressed a newly added sense of security regarding celebrating with their family and friends, as opposed to last year. Pablo Sanchez, an IB junior, expresses how his family has reacted to this new feeling of ease and certainty, stating that “With the complications of the pandemic, we’ve become thankful for the added safety we feel this year as opposed to last year as we now have the opportunity to protect ourselves with the vaccine.” As a result of increased vaccination rates, the opportunity will definitely increase the number of festivities and the number of people celebrating this year. It has become an opportunity to participate in interactive celebrations with friends and family again, which was not available last year. Lisa Maarek, an IB junior, expresses her excitement marked by this new opportunity, stating she is “going to Paris to visit my family that I haven’t seen in two years because of the pandemic since they lifted restrictions there with help of the vaccine.”

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Overall, continuity is still seen regarding holiday celebrations and how they have been adopted by the pandemic as many students still feel the need to stay home instead of fully engaging in their previous activities before the spread of the virus. However, new positive behaviors and attitudes towards the effects of covid on our festivities have surfaced, contrary to the previous year, which demonstrates a progression in how we have reacted to Covid regarding our special events and important moments.

Her class consists of occasional notetaking and essays, but the main focus is on discussions regarding the themes of the novel being read. The desks in Ms. Krieger’s classroom are arranged in a U-shape with two rows in the center, reflecting the South Florida-born teacher’s idea of creating a “dialogue” between the teachers and students. Though, most classes aren’t based around this principle. If not learning from each other, then what is the purpose of coming to school every day for at least 13 years of our lives? Adina argues that it’s “learni

Coral Reef students have reacted to this progression in different manners, some adapting to the changes presented with holiday gatherings and others remaining persistent with their hopes of returning to traditional celebrations pre-Covid. Eventually, I believe in the future, students will incorporate adapted behaviors to the changes made by the virus in combination with some celebrations held before the pandemic started when celebrating the holidays.

Adina argues that it’s “learning and knowledge.” Passing down knowledge about math, science, literature, and social sciences is important and although rudimentary, education began with this idea. Conversely, John Locke, an

Where We're Facing in a Classroom Matters By: Matias Cabello Del-Boccio In English class, students discuss the journal question Ms. Krieger (IB, English teacher) projects on the board. While they debate whether or not texting provides a true personal connection, Adina Marroquín (IB, 11th) sits in the back of the class quietly, waiting for “the other people in the class that have more to say” to raise their hands so she can comment on something, but usually, she stays silent. That’s obviously not Ms. Krieger’s goal.

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English 17th century thinker of everything to do with government , including school, elevates the purpose of it as not only passing down empirical knowledge, but also societal virtues. In other words, teachers don’t only teach what is already known about the liberal arts sciences, but also about how to be a dutiful citizen. In both Adina’s and John Locke’s version of education, desks should be classically arranged. All students face the teacher, with the main goal of taking in information.

Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, on the other hand, agrees with Ms. Krieger, maintaining that schools should be teaching students how to think for themselves. In Ms. Krieger’s class, students learn about past analyses of novels and give their own views on them. Sometimes, students analyze the novel in a way Ms. Krieger hadn’t thought of, something she encourages. The Ushaped desk arrangement helps make lessons “more student centered instead of teacher centered,” which she hopes will inspire students to learn to think critically and question other students’ analyses of a novel, as well as learn from them.

The way in which desks are arranged in classrooms affect what we do in the classroom, why we think we are there, and vice versa. When entering a science classroom, students aren’t expecting a discussion full of different opinions; instead, the students sit down facing the teacher, listening to them lecture about the structure of an atom or the phototropic qualities of a sunflower’s leaves. As aforementioned Adina’s emphasis on the value of knowledge would point to a classical seating arrangement, where all students are facing straight towards the teacher, who is teaching facts. While in a history class, John Locke’s vision of education would dominate, as the subject would be inevitably taught from the perspective of the culture the teacher and students are from. The students, though still taking facts in and facing the teacher, would be able to discuss the significance of what is being taught.

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At the end of the spectrum is Socrates and Ms. Krieger’s version of a classroom, where critical thinking is most valued, and desks would be facing each other, one way or another.

Comics from the Reef

Needless to say, when a student enters the classroom on the first day of school, the first thing they notice, whether consciously or not, is the way the desks are arranged. Enjoyment of a class might be based on how students interact with the subject, rather than the subject itself.

By: Aurore Boyd (12)

By: Kaitlyn Ramos (12)

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