November Issue 2019

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Cypress Bay High School • 18600 Vista Park Blvd., Weston, Florida 33332 • Vol 19, Issue 2 • Nov. 2019

WEEKEND IN WYNWOOD

BY CHLOE WAIN NEWS EDITOR

The annual homecoming dance on Nov. 2 was held by the Student Government Association (SGA) and was located in the courtyard and gym from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. The event included three stages, playing different genres of music throughout the night. The “Greetings from Florida” theme of homecoming week was incorporated into the dance by developing a minor theme of a “Weekend in Wynwood.” The club built walls that mocked the real designs in Miami and created murals for students to take pictures. SGA Treasurer Nadine Pecci said the goal of the dance was to elaborate on the decoration aspect to provide a more comfortable environment for students.

“We accomplished our goals of creating Wynwood by providing decorative walls with different light fixtures and props located in the gym,” Pecci said.

“Although some decorations were extravagant, the simple lighting outdoors and the placement of the food trucks added elegance to homecoming this year.”

SGA opened the event to every grade level at the Bay. Tickets were sold on Oct. 22-24 at $50 and sold on Oct. 28 for $60.

In order to purchase them, students needed to fill out a permission form. Students were allowed to invite any guests who were under 21 years old. Senior Corbin Bouvier said the dance was better than expected, as the music developed an energetic environment.

“I enjoyed the variety of music played throughout the night, as each genre can please each part of the large and diverse student population at the Bay,” Bouvier said. “The music allowed for students to dance throughout the night and have a

good time with one another.”

On the main stage in the gym, DJ Chris played a mixture of pop culture music and hip-hop from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m.

On stage two at the pavilion, DJ AVC played hip-hop music from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m., Latino music from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. and pure pop from 10 p.m. to 11p.m.

On stage three at the pavilion, the band “Electric Gypsies” played cover classics.

Adviser Danielle Nascimento said SGA attempted to create a distinct homecoming event that would intrigue students for years to come.

“The event is unique from any other school because homecoming at the Bay is not a traditional dance, rather it is more of a festival,” Nascimento said. “SGA attempted to fit every type of student through developing a music schedule and a different layout so everyone can enjoy dancing and have other activities to do.”

This was the second year the location of homecoming was at the Bay. Pecci said it was a good idea to change the venue of the dance because it is easier for students to find transportation and SGA has more opportunities to decorate the courtyard to resemble the theme.

“In my opinion, changing locations of homecoming to the Bay provides for a cooler and cheaper experience for students to enjoy,” Pecci said. “The outdoor and indoor stages are an interesting component to the dance which truly applies to the music festival title.”

Students had to park at the Falcon Cove Middle School lot to help with congestion of traffic. In order to enter, attendees had to bring their school student identification card. At the dance, SGA provided students with a lanyard and pass to enter. Bouvier said wearing a pass throughout the night was an inconvenience but

PHOTO BY DREW ROACH

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FEATURES SPORTS Students express imagination through creative writing.

Fanatics display extreme passion for sports teams.

necessary for event purposes.

“The lanyard was a bother, however, safety should come first as the identification cards allow staff to know which students are in attendance,” Bouvier said.

“Regardless, the dance was memorable and I am happy I attended because it was a well-organized event.”

In addition to purchasing a ticket, a meal voucher was available to eat at the food trucks for an additional $15. The food trucks available included coal fired pizza and an American food inspired truck that provided burgers, chicken sandwiches and cheese steaks. Junior and member of SGA, Juliet Bell, said her favorite part of the dance was eating at the food trucks.

“The food trucks were a great addition to the dance because students have a variety of meals to choose from,” Bell said.

“Placing the food trucks in the courtyard is convenient for students who are attending because food is a necessity when dancing for so long.”

To prepare for homecoming, officers created master task lists and created committees out of the SGA members.

The committees involved ticket sales, pep rally, homecoming court, decorations and promotions. Nascimento said the committees helped SGA by working hard and doing their part in order for the dance to be successful.

“As adviser, I helped organize the officers and members by keeping them on a schedule with deadlines, ensuring the ideas are realistic and can develop the theme,” Nascimento said. “With new elements such as changing the layout to be indoors and outdoors, the students needed to plan accordingly as deadlines approached.”

Juniors Briana Farnsworth and

Hayden Giles were crowned Mr. and Mrs. Lighting at the homecoming varsity football game during halftime on Nov. 1 and walked down a red carpet. The couple received sashes along with gold crowns.

Farnsworth said the event was special as homecoming is a prominent high school event.

“Winning this award has impacted me because it is an honor to be nominated,” Farnsworth said. “The homecoming dance was amazing because [Giles] and I were able to enjoy ourselves and being crowned made the experience more memorable.”

To promote herself, Farnsworth posted an announcement on social media to attempt to persuade students to vote.

Farnsworth said she has surrounded herself with great friends throughout high school who support her and the votes resembled that.

“The votes had a huge impact on the outcome, as students are the determining factor of who wins the award, so it warms my heart the student body chose us as the winners,” Farnsworth said. “It was amazing to share a moment with [Giles], as we both felt excited and humbled by the moment.”

Bell said homecoming week was a great experience because SGA successfully brought Wynwood to the Bay through the use of decorations, placement of stages and music. Bell said she is proud of the SGA officers and members for developing the event.

“The setup of the dance allowed students to feel as if they were in Miami,” Bell said. “Being in SGA, the club did an amazing job as they put so much work and effort to make sure students enjoy their homecoming as the event is one of a kind.”

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY JACK MCMAHON

A&E

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Vibrant hairstyles serve as colorful creative outlet.

OPINION

Schools should implement infrequent “mental health days.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

INTERNATIONAL FEST P.R.I.D.E. hosts the annual celebration in the courtyard on Oct. 24.

BY GABRIELLa BARRAZA

To celebrate cultures and diversty, Promoting Relationships in Diversity Education (P.R.I.D.E.) held their annual International Fest event on Oct. 24 in the courtyard. The pathways were covered with flags from different countries, decorations and booths. The event took place during all lunches and provided entertainment such as performances and activities for students to experience. Junior and International Fest Director Valeria Astaiza said the goal of the event was to allow students to celebrate and learn about each country.

“International Fest is a special day because it promotes differences between students and [celebrates] it, so I am very happy to be organizing it and participating in it for the whole school to enjoy,” Astaiza said. “Dozens of booths had to be made and each needed to contain information and activities pertaining to their country in order for everyone to have fun and reflect on their diversity.”

One of the adult sponsors of International Fest was language teacher Aida De Gouveia who worked to organize the event along with members, clubs and classes. De Gouveia said her co-sponsors were spanish teachers Virginia Chavero and Paola Barrera who each worked hard to put on the fest, which is critical to the club in teaching students about diversity.

“With such a big school, it is important to educate and help individuals understand everyone has different backgrounds but also share interests,” De Gouveia said. “People are very proud of their nationality and when they see how others are proud of theirs as well, students gain pride for their identity and others as well.”

Astaiza said the event is a day where students can all connect, whether it is celebrating the countries they come from or learning about new ones. Astaiza said students are able to congregate and appreciate the contrasts between each other as well as common interests.

“International Fest is one of P.R.I.D.E.’s most important events because we attempt to promote and showcase cultures, so I was excited to be able to provide students with a chance to learn different values and customs,” Astaiza said. “The event is a day students have a lot of spirit for because they can get together and become culturally aware of individuals they go to school with.”

Astaiza said the booths were spread around the courtyard and under tents to avoid heat. She said the main part of the event consisted of students visiting booths to experience the activities, taste the food prepared by each booth and view performance exhibited in the courtyard.

“The booths are the most important addition to International Fest because

PHOTOS BY gabriella BARRAZA

ALL AROUND THE WORLD: International Fest hosts by the Promoting Relationships in Diversity Education club on Oct. 24 in the courtyard. Students promote different cultures to celebrate and show diversity by creating booths and painting faces with flags of countries.

they showcase multiple cultures and where students learn about unique traditions about a country,” Astaiza said.

“Every booth had an activity pertaining to their country, so there was no shortage of entertainment and information for students at the event.”

Astaiza said this year, P.R.I.D.E. planned to incorporate the tents above each booth to provide a festival feel. She said the decorations that adorned the courtyard were placed to intensify the event’s cultural festivities for students to appreciate.

“The decorations helped to demonstrate the contrasting nationalities and assisted in lifting up the students’ spirits by seeing the courtyard decked out in multiple countries’ colors,” Astaiza said. “When students see the event and view their country’s colors and decorations, they see their heritage and are able to celebrate their nationality at school.”

Astaiza said it is important to have cultural representation, especially in a school containing numerous nationalities. She said it is crucial to

know the differences and similarities pertaining to each country and creating a united community that celebrates uniqueness because it broadens individual perspectives on others.

“I feel proud to be from Venezuela and enjoying being able to connect very well with students who also originate from Venezuela,” Astaiza said. “Individuals who embrace their culture at International Fest are able to meet a whole group of students and can relate to each other.”

Sophomore Sofia Moya said she appreciated seeing Venezuela being represented as a booth and the community of students who celebrated their culture because it reminded her of her nationality and how proud she is of her background.

“I arrived from Venezuela when I was little and I did not know anyone here so I had to meet new people,” Moya said.

“Seeing students from my country get together allowed me to connect to where I originated from and allowed me to meet other Venezuelans who moved as well.”

Moya said by visiting booths she learned about many backgrounds of countries and had the opportunity to relate to friends who are from other nationalities and gain perspectives on how they celebrate their nationality.

“I received a better understanding of how my friends behave, since culture is an important role in forming personality,” Moya said. “Learning and comparing countries made me feel more connected to my friends and their customs.”

De Gouveia said the event presented her the opportunity to interact with members and she was able to teach special skills such as leadership and organization that will help members in the future when students increase responsibilities.

“As leaders of P.R.I.D.E., by working with the students, we can create a good team to make International Fest a big event by working closely with the students,” De Gouveia. “It is wonderful to see members grow into leaders on that aspect and put on such a big event.”

De Gouveia said although the three leaders worked hard on the event, members assisted as well. In order to help, she said each member constructed booths independently and ensured students were receiving accurate information about each country.

“In addition, the members painted banners as well as prepared for the event, as we worked extremely hard to organize it,” De Gouveia. “In the end, the hard work paid off because International Fest was successful in sharing diversity, educating a population with different backgrounds and allowing students to be proud of where they came from and connect with others who have experienced situations similar to them as well.”

News Calendar Club Meetings

General

Midterm Week, Dec. 17-20 Period 1 and Period 2, Dec. Period 3 and Period 4, Dec. Period 4 and Period 5, Dec. Period 7 and Period 8, Dec.

17 18 19 20

English Honor Society, Nov. 18 Marine Science Club, Nov. 20 PAWS Club, Nov. 21 HOSA, Dec. 3 Law and Justice Club, Dec. 4

Events

Best Buddies Thanksgiving, Nov. 16 Blood Drive, Nov. 20-21 City of Weston Orchestra, Dec. 7 Relay for Life, Dec. 8 PSAL Night, Dec. 10

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NOVEMBER 2019

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Candidates run for freshman election

BY CHLOE WAIN NEWS EDITOR

The annual freshman class election for the 2019-2020 school year was held by the Student Government Association (SGA).

Participants campaigned in the courtyard on Oct. 8 and 10 and the freshmen voted on Oct. 11, 14, and 17. Candidates who won were President Ashley Diez, Vice Presidents Lara Stickler and Vanessa Yanes, Treasurer Samantha Machado, and Secretary Lara Akiau. Responsible for organizing elections, sophomore and Third Vice President, Noah Benson, said he prepared important dates and informational materials for the event with input from fellow board members.

“With support, I reviewed and approved all campaign materials submitted by the candidates,” Benson said. “I guided the candidates on setting up their campaign booths and monitored the area to ensure the freshmen complied with the rules.”

On Oct. 2, an informational meeting was held for freshmen students interested in running for a position, as attendance at this meeting was mandatory in order to become a candidate for the election. At the meeting, Benson said he explained the eligibility requirements, campaign rules and how to communicate said messages efficiently to the others.

“Candidates were eligible to spend $250 on campaign materials and created posters, banners and handouts such as kazoos and scrunchies,” Benson said.

“The freshman class election promoted themselves in many ways through social media, posters and morning announcements that were communicated to the student body.”

Interim SGA adviser and DECA teacher Robert Hosier said his position was to oversee the officers in planning and

being responsible for the election. Hosier said SGA wished to have conducted the voting process earlier, however due to mistakes in effectively communicating the date of the candidate meeting, the election was postponed and conflicted with planning for homecoming.

“SGA created fliers, sent out a social media blasts and a parent link to allow all the freshman class to be informed about an opportunity for candidates to come to the candidate meeting, learn more about the campaigns and decide if they wished to run,” Hosier said. “It was exciting to see there was a race in every position, as sometimes students run unopposed.”

Stickler and Yanes both ran for vice president positions; since the vote results were extremely close, SGA decided to allow both candidates to win. Stickler said she ran for the position because she wished to be more involved in school functions, help peers and promote the class of 2023.

“I have always wanted to run for a position to represent my school and this year was the perfect to accomplish that goal,” Stickler said. “Overall, the campaign was stressful at times but in the end, I pushed my thoughts aside and did not let them overcome me during the election process.”

Hosier said the campaign booths allowed for candidates to speak to freshmen directly and get them involved in the process. Hosier said he was excited the students were given the opportunity to have only the freshman class running for candidate positions, as it allowed them to have a voice and to make their names become known.

“The students have only been at the Bay for a few months and now they are running for an election, so to see the whole process come through and the excitement of candidates truly brought

PHOTO BY CHLOE WAIN

STICK WITH stickler: Freshman Lara Stickler runs her candidate booth with freshman Adriana Cofino in the courtyard during election week on Oct 8. and 10. Stickler created an election theme with llamas to show pride for her home country, Peru.

the event together,” Hosier said. “Win or lose, we still want the candidates to be involved in the class in the future and they were receptive to the idea.”

Since Stickler is originally from Peru, she promoted her campaign by creating a theme about llamas and created banners and posters to place around the school.

Stickler said in order to advertise outside of school and getting the class more excited about upcoming events, she

informed her peers through social media, asking to repost and spread the word.

“It was necessary for me to design and create a theme that would help my class become excited about the upcoming school year,” Stickler said. “I wanted freshmen students to understand I can be the voice needed to represent my class in office, and creating a different theme showed my peers I will be someone they will ultimately enjoy leading them.”

Scholarship semi-finalists announced

BY GOWRI ABHINANDA NEWS COPY EDITOR

Every year, about 1.6 million students enter and compete in the National Merit Scholarship, where students holding the highest Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholar Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) scores receive money towards college tuition and receive recognition for their work. Only 16,000 students qualify as semi-finalists to compete for the scholarship, and 36 of Broward County Public Schools students were selected. Senior and semifinalist Anurag Kulkarni said he now has the opportunity to advance in the competition to potentially win one of the 7,600 National Merit Scholarships offered in the Spring.

“The National Merit Scholarship is beneficial as it awards students money to pay for higher education,” Kulkarni said. “The recognition finalists receive assists in being accepted into colleges, as it is hard to earn high scores which show institutions academic rigor.”

In order to receive the scholarship, Kulkarni said he practiced rigorously and became more familiar with the type of questions and format that is written on the PSAT and SAT. “I prepared by taking a PSAT course as well as studying at home which took effort and time-management,” Kulkarni

GRAPHIC BY SAbrina blandon

said. “The process was relatively taxing, but it is necessary and earning a high score because of benefits such as having this achievement on a resume.”

Another semi-finalist, senior Angela Li, said receiving the scholarship was only possible through preparation. Li said she studied for the exam by completing multiple practice tests per week and focusing in on her weak subjects.

“I take the sections from tests I do not perform well in and work through

the problems carefully to ensure I do not repeat mistakes on those types of questions again,” Li said. “Recognizing issues and making an effort to improve is important to receiving a high score.”

Li said she was ecstatic with her results because of the amount of time, practice and patience she put into studying in hopes of qualifying for the scholarship.

“I was overjoyed because it is an amazing feeling to see the amount of work I put forth inside and outside of the

classroom come into fruition,” Li said.

“Knowing my effort was worthwhile makes me feel so glad I accomplished my goal of becoming a semi-finalist.”

School Guidance Counseling Director and National Merit coordinator for the Bay, Marlene Sanders, said she commends semi-finalists such as Kulkarni and Li who have put in effort and hard work to earn the scholarship. Sanders said it is important for students to be dedicated to worthwhile opportunities.

“Semifinalists are excellent students as they put in the work needed to raise their PSAT scores,” Sanders said. “Highquality students should strive to do well on standardized tests because they can open a door to a world of possibilities, such as higher chances of being evaluated positively by colleges.”

Although Sanders carries a positive outlook towards the National Merit scholarship and praises students who become finalists, she said receiving finalist or semifinalist status does not guarantee students will acquire the awards that are granted in the scholarship.

“It is great the students received the status and credit prior to the scholarship, but for the moment it is recognition until the winners are announced,” Sanders said. “However, the recognition received by semifinalists is still an achievement to be proud of.”

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Students utilize college tours for knowledge online news editor

Broward Advisers for Continuing Education (B.R.A.C.E.) Shari Bush and Guidance Counselor Christine Banach led the eleventh annual Florida College Tour on Oct. 16 to Oct. 18. Sophomores, juniors and seniors are all eligible to attend the tour in order to learn more about the Florida schools. The participants visited the University of Florida, Florida State University (FSU), University of North Florida, University of Central Florida and the Florida Gulf Coast University.

Banache said the purpose of the tour was to help inform future college applicants about Florida schools and better prepare students for the application process.

“Most of the students had prior knowledge about each school but the attendees could not decipher which schools were beneficial for their future occupations,” Banache said. “After attending, I think they realized the schools are very different and I think everyone has a better understanding of their differences.”

Junior Juliet Bell said it was beneficial to attend because she learned more about each school as she found what schools would be a perfect fit for her future occupation. Bell said she ended up favoring universities she did not expect to enjoy as much.

“Surprisingly, I loved FSU because the campus feels similar to an out-of-state college, which is what I prefer, but cheaper tuition wise,” Bell said. “I was originally planning to go out-of-state but after

visiting FSU, I really enjoyed the campus environment and I am looking forward to learning more about the school.”

Bell said that she was happy to hear from present and past students who attend the universities on the tours because they were able to provide her with information that helped her decided which school she liked best.

“Each tour was informative, which is beneficial to students in deciding which school fits personal preferences,” Bell said. “At specific schools, current students provided personal experiences and information that is necessary to understand each school as a whole.”

“

Each tour was informative, which is beneficial to students in deciding which school fits personal preferences.

“

By sophia handley

-junior Juliet Bell

Banache is a first-year guidance counselor at the Bay from Massachusetts.

Banache said it was important to attend the tour because she did not have prior knowledge about the Florida schools and wished to gain more information to better advise students.

“Since I am a counselor, it is important for me to learn about the schools because the students I mentor want to hear my opinion about the schools they are applying to,” Banache said. “Now, I can

photo submitted by juliet bell

Education-expo: (From left) juniors Liz Bagatini, Alex Mendoza and Juliet Bell visit Florida State University on the Florida College Tour to learn about different institutions. Bell said she enjoyed the trip with her friends and found value in the tour as it gave her knowledge regarding Florida colleges.

better explain what the Florida colleges are looking for students who come to speak with me.”

Junior Nicholas Pecanha said the tour helped differentiate which schools provided a better fit for the future and which schools seemed out of reach. He said he recommends the tour for future students who plan to go to school in Florida.

“My favorite part of the college tour was visiting the campuses of the colleges, as they were all different in their own ways,” Pecanha said. “It really helped me decipher what colleges feel right for me

and promote my future endeavors.”

Pecanha said under-classmen students should attend the next available opportunity to visit Florida colleges because the trip assisted him in deciding which schools are worth applying to. He said by attending the tour, he feels more confident about which schools he wishes to attend.

“The trip helped with my selection of colleges by providing lots of information about each school,” Pecanha said. “It allows the chance to see what schools have a potential future occupation that will help pursue a professional career.”

Scholars partake in preliminary exam by chloe nowack ad organizer

Freshmen and sophomores at the Bay had the opportunity to take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) at no charge on Oct. 16 to receive an estimate of what their possible future SAT score may be. The Bay declared it as a Super Testing Day, as select standardized tests are required for college applications. In addition, juniors had the opportunity to pre-register. Sophomore Paula Sandez said she is happy that she was able to take the PSAT during her first two years of high school.

“

I am happy students are given the chance to take the PSAT because it helps me better understand where I stand with the test at the moment, and what is necessary for me to do to prepare myself for the future.

“

-sophomore Paula Sandez

“I am happy students are given the chance to take the PSAT because it helps me better understand where I stand with the test at the moment, and what is

necessary for me to do to prepare myself for the future,” Sandez said. “The test helped me know how to plan my studying to do better on the next exam.”

The main objective of the PSAT is to provide students with a starting score used as an incentive to study and improve their scores. Sandez said the exam helped her to understand how the test was formatted and the sections to spend more time practicing.

“I want to start my studying early for the SAT, and there is no better way to start than taking the PSAT at the beginning of the year,” Sandez said, “Taking the PSAT gives me an opportunity to [get] an advantage with my studies.”

Students often prepare for the SAT during junior year, but sophomore Brian Rodriguez began receiving tutoring for the SAT at the beginning of the school year. Rodriguez said he is determined to do well on his test to attain an advantage for the official test required for college applications.

“I can use the score I earned to help myself find a proper tutor to assist me in sections that may be more difficult prior to signing up next year,” Rodriguez said.

“I aim to ensure I am as prepared as I can possibly be and taking the PSAT is a tool to provide a [benchmark] as to where I am to improve.”

Students utilize the PSAT as a study tool to understand what they need to study for, in preparation for the SAT in junior year. Freshman Sebastian Ramirez said he is determined to do well and is thankful the PSAT is provided to the underclassmen at the Bay. Ramirez said the exam was difficult, however, the

experience was necessary to perform well in the future.

“The PSAT benefits students in preparing for future education in addition to the SAT,” Ramirez said. “Students need to realize how helpful some of the tools the state of Florida provides and how we can utilize it every way allowed.”

With the Bay declaring a Super Testing Day, it is Early Release, meaning students leave at 12:15 p.m. Holocaust history and

illustration by Gowri ABHINANDA

English teacher Leslie Rheingold said she enjoys how the school accommodates its schedule for the exams and believes the Super Testing Days are designed to help students with their other schoolwork.

“I think taking the PSAT is important because it allows a student to see what taking the SAT will entail,” Rheingold said. “It can be a scholarship source as well, and aids other educational goals.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

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CLUBS AT THE BAY Clubs are planning new events to assist the community.

PHOTO BY CHLOE WAIN

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY MICHELLE DUQUE

Sports Development Outreach Club

English Honor Society

NEWS EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

BY CHLOE WAIN

Sports Development Outreach (SDO) is a new club at the Bay that promotes sports in areas where individuals in impoverished communities do not have access to these activities. Senior and President Jack Matt said the mission of the club is to volunteer and fundraise for underprivileged schools and sports teams in South Florida.

“Being part of SDO is meaningful because sports have always been an important extracurricular activity for students,” Matt said. “Individuals in disadvantaged areas do not have the same opportunities as other areas when it comes to having access to sports and equipment that is needed to participate in different activities.”

SDO is planning to host multiple donation drives at the Bay where students can donate supplies that apply to sports equipment for children in need. Matt said the club is aiming to help the community by promoting fundraising opportunities

and holding these drives for resources meant to benefit underprivileged kids.

“The drive is going to be beneficial for individuals who do not have access to the resources,” Matt said. “I feel lucky the club is able to help students and children.”

Economics and Philosophy teacher Hana Casey said the values of the club are important as poor students cannot participate in sports-related activities without equipment. Casey said individuals in first-world countries are not as appreciative of the endless opportunities available compared to other areas.

“It is crucial to bring those [supplies] to the students in impoverished areas that have no access to necessities,” Casey said. “It gives people a sense of hope and normalcy that we see everyday.”

Casey said athletes that are privileged may not realize how beneficial sports are.

“Through sports, children growing up in a not so great neighborhood are given more opportunities,” Casey said. “SDO can help adolescents in finding their passion for sports.”

National Honors Society

BY CHLOE NOWACK AD ORGANIZER

The National Honors Society (NHS) is a club that allows students to earn club service hours. It focuses on helping other individuals in the community and attempts to be effective throughout the world. Senior and Secretary Joseph Mullen said being a part of the club has many benefits, especially when holding a position.

“We do weekly service projects and events that benefit the community around us,” Mullen said. “Our values are summarized by four pillars: scholarship, leadership, community service and character.”

The club attempts to achieve their goals by hosting supply drives and helping the community by volunteering at different organizations across the area. Mullen said the club plans as many events as possible for students to seek opportunities

PHOTO BY CHLOE WAIN

and attempts to accommodates students.

“NHS holds special events, from drives of supplies to packaging food for the homeless to taking care of the local butterfly nursery,” Mullen said, “However, we do not plan fundraisers because our contributions are physical labor or items, as we believe one’s spirit of service is more than just monetary.”

The club provides students with easy service hour opportunities, the advantage of being in an honors club and being able to go to events and programs other students are unable to attend. Broward Advisers for Continuing Education adviser Shari Bush said meetings are once a month to cooperate with student schedules.

“The members receive community service hours where the goal is to help others in need and have the opportunity to assist our community,” Bush said. “It is important the students continue to contribute to making a difference for our community and school.”

BY CHLOE WAIN

The English Honor Society (EHS) is a reading-based club that focuses on increasing literacy in the community.

Each year, EHS sponsors events such as visiting elderly homes, assisting elementary after-school programs, supporting book drives and participating in the Literary Fair. Senior and Vice President Michelle Duque said the main goals of the club are to create a motivating environment for students and assist the community by teaching literacy skills.

“Although the club is smaller this year, it is more intimate because all members can participate in each activity,” Duque said. “I became an officer because I am very passionate and wanted to become more engaged in creating a wider array of opportunities available for students.”

The club sponsored two trips on Oct. 21 and 28 where the club created arts and crafts for the residents at a local elderly home. EHS held a youth trip on Nov. 1 meant to assist an elementary after-school

program by reading children’s books and creating literacy activities. EHS adviser and English teacher Cecilia Fonseca said the activities reach out to the community by promoting communication across generations.

“The activities planned allow members to communicate with other individuals who are present during the visits,” Fonseca said. “I enjoy hearing stories from the members about their visits because it warms my heart to know the club is accomplishing goals.”

For the upcoming meeting on Nov. 18, EHS is planning to write letters to soldiers in order to show appreciation. Duque said she wishes to increase member participation and engagement throughout the year by adding a variety of activities held more frequently.

“The club wants to show how the members can assist the community in different ways, all focusing on increasing literacy,” Duque said. “With more events, the members can grow and prosper.”

Law and Justice Club

BY GABRIELLA BARRAZA

For the 2019-2020 school year, the Law and Justice Club has welcomed new guest speakers. Senior and President Ana Larez said the club greatly benefits members who are looking to learn more about law and justice related professions by teaching them about potential future career choices.

“Introducing new guest speakers to speak about their personal experiences to the members will benefit our knowledge as a club,” said Larez. “The volunteers, ranging from lawyers to police officers, educate members about events occurring in their specific field as well as bring different views to students looking to learn more.”

Adviser Wendy Wuenker said the exposure members acquire from guest speakers is extremely beneficial in helping them achieve their goals.”

PHOTO SUBMITTED BY ANA LARES

“Students are able to ask specific questions they may not be able to find an answer to in other sources,” Wuenker said. “It is always better to ask a reputable source in person about career specifics because they will tell you the good, the bad and the ugly.”

Larez said as well as having guest speakers introduced to members, the club is announcing their continued participation in Mock Trial for the school year. Larez said Mock Trial is a way for club members to get a genuine feel of what they may end up doing in their everyday life in the future.

“Mock Trial provides real life experiences of the courtroom where they will play key roles in a case written by Judge Diaz,” Larez said. “Members learn what happens in the courtroom as well as how a day in the court proceeds regarding that specific case.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

Homecoming dress up week ignites school spirit by chloe nowack ad organizer

Homecoming dress-up week, a yearly tradition at the Bay, took place from Oct. 28 - Nov. 1 to promote school spirit leading up to homecoming at the end of the week. For each day of the week, the Student Government Association (SGA) created a different theme for students to dress accordingly. As the overall homecoming theme was “Greetings from Florida,” the dress up days were Beach Day, Florida Colleges, Florida Check Meme Day, Halloween and Color War for the pep rally. SGA and Interior Design adviser Danielle Nascimento said homecoming is a time for the students to enjoy themselves as well as carry the traditions the Bay has maintained for many years.

“Traditions are important because people have something to look forward to,” Nascimento said. “SGA believes it is important for students to hold tradition, especially when it is school homecoming.”

Nascimento said the dress-up week was designed to build up excitement for the “Weekend in Wynwood” dance. She said SGA tried to pick dress-up days that would be popular among the student body and are easy to follow along.

“Being in the spirit with the music festival at the end of the week, dressing up gets people pumped up for the big show,” Nascimento said. “It’s a major event that we want the students to be excited for, as well as attend.”

For the past few years, homecoming week has been on Halloween and groups of students traditionally wear costumes to school. Junior Facu Ruiz said his favorite dress-up day this year was Halloween

because it makes school less stressful with the creativity of student costumes.

“Halloween is the best dress-up day because students can express themselves pertaining to the holiday; I dressed as a greaser,” Ruiz said, “This has always been my favorite holiday, so I am happy students can dress up because I love seeing the different costumes individuals create every school year.”

The week concluded with a pep rally on Nov. 1. Students dressed up in either blue, green, red or black depending on the color that corresponds with their grade.

On this day, students traditionally come to school dressed in their class shirts.

Ruiz said seeing the spirit of others at the Bay gave him excitement and was one of the most important days during homecoming week.

“Homecoming week is overall one of the best weeks at the Bay, especially Friday because the hard work students and clubs put into that day is different than all others,” Ruiz said, “On pep rally day, students express the love and pride they have for their grade and the Bay.” Junior Patty Fernandez said having days to dress up to with a decorated school makes the environment feel less stressful and more comfortable. Fernandez said having the opportunity to dress according to a certain theme helped make her week better with all of her exams.

“I have been assigned numerous exams per week recently and still have more to come, so just knowing I can dress up has created a more fun and playful working space that helps make me feel less stressed,” Fernandez said. “I hope the Bay always keeps homecoming week a yearly tradition.”

On Wednesday, students dressed for

Photo submitted by Jack Mcmahon

Dress to Impress: Senior Jack McMahon wears a swimming outfit for the

Beach Day dress up day. McMahon said he always decks out during dress up weeks because he love to share his school spirit with the student body. He said he wanted to go all out this year because it is his senior year and he wants to make the most of his last homecoming week.

the Florida Check Meme Day. They were encouraged to wear outfits to resemble internet jokes across several different social media platforms. Fernandez said she is happy the Bay decided to include this theme this year because it is her favorite part of the dress-up week.

“I have always seen videos online of other teens doing this dress up day at their schools and wished our school would do something just as creative,” Fernandez said. “SGA organized the dress-up week well and I am glad I had the opportunity to participate along with other students.”

Match Party creates new friendships by julia winton

a&E / opinion copy editor

Best Buddies held their annual Match Party in the courtyard on Oct. 8. The purpose of the event was to match the buddies and create an opportunity to build long-lasting friendships. Before members are paired up with a buddy, they are interviewed by the Best Buddies board, who pair each student with a club member. Sophomore David Layne said the event was successful in pairing the members and buddies to create perfect, ideal friendships.

“The event allows for people to get an understanding of the issues plaguing the buddy and how to get around it when interactions occur,” Layne said. “You get to see if you and the buddy get along and bond.”

During the Match Party, the members are introduced to their new buddies. AICE General Paper teacher and one of the new Best Buddies advisers Jeanne Kielbasa said seeing the reactions of the students to the reveal was priceless. Kielbasa said she enjoyed how excited and thrilled everyone was to meet their match.

“When you watch the buddies and they see who they are matched with, they are just so excited,” Kielbasa said. “I am very proud of [the members] because they put a lot into it, and they wish to get to know the buddies and have a relationship.”

Junior and Treasurer Jenesis Williams said getting to meet her buddy for the first

Photo Courtesy of Best buddies instagram

Friendship Goals: Junior Sophia Niño and her buddy freshman Noah

Riesta connect after being matched at the annual Match Party. Niño received an envelope in which a certificate was hidden inside that revealed the name of her buddy. After eating snacks, the members participated in activities such as finger painting and a scavenger hunt to help build their friendships.

time made the event extremely unique and sentimental. Williams said she values getting to know her buddy each year so they can stay friends and build a life-long friendship.

“This event is special to me because this year I was matched with a new buddy, Nyam,” Williams said. “It was really fun to start getting to know her because now I know her personality and can become

super friendly with her.”

After the reveal, the members and buddies completed a few activities, such as a scavenger hunt and painting fall colored trees. Layne said the structured activities were definitely a creative, unique way for the members to bond with the buddies.

“My favorite part of the event was the scavenger hunt to learn new and interesting things about the other buddies,” Layne said. “The event allowed me to help someone with a type of disability lead a normal friendship and life, [making] them a little happier.”

The event required an abundance of planning in order to run smoothly.

Kielbasa said without the amazing board in charge of the Best Buddies club, the event would not be possible. “[Leslie Rheingold and I] are both very pleased at how well the board runs,” Kielbasa said. “The president of the club, Rachel Alexander, is very good at keeping me up to date, so overall the board is just really amazing.”

Williams said the goal of Best Buddies is to encourage friendships throughout the entire student body at the Bay. Williams said the club helps her create long-lasting, meaningful relationships.

“I love Best Buddies because it promotes friendship and inclusion,” Williams said. “In Best Buddies, we pair together kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and kids who do not [have them].”

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NOVEMBER 2019

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Rising issue sparks interest in activists by jenna friedman editor-in-chief

While the fight against climate change expands to a global level, several students at the Bay are taking action to inform the community about the rising issue. Junior Jordana Rockley said she became informed on the climate crisis last year, as she was taking AP Environmental Science. Rockley said she immediately became invested in taking action against climate change and wanted to encourage others to do the same.

“As students, we are the future voters and the generation that is going to have to take climate action in order to see a future for ourselves,” Rockley said. “It is really important to make as many individuals aware as possible.”

photo submitted by Nick Montecalvo

“

Not enough students have accurate information [about climate change], so we decided something had to be done to change this.

“

-senior Andres Maraone

In order to promote the cause to the Bay, senior Andres Maraone, along with Rockley and other student activists, held climate literacy trainings for over 2,000 students over the course of two days in Sept. Maraone said they had over 11 trainings, each lasting about 45 minutes, during all study hall periods, where they presented a PowerPoint, played a “Kahoot” and had a question session.

photo submitted by Andres maraone

think globally: (From top) seniors Nicole Buckley and Andres Maraone inform audience members about the detrimental effects climate change can have on their community. The audience pays attention to the information being provided to them by the speakers.

“A lot of people do not know or just deny that climate change is happening,” Maraone said.

“We held [the climate literacy trainings] in order to change the thoughts going inside people’s heads about climate change and to create awareness and make people realize this is urgent.”

Maraone said students had planned for a climate strike field trip on Sept. 20 at the KC Wright Building in Fort Lauderdale, but it ultimately fell through, resulting in them hosting the literacy trainings instead.

Maraone said because they could not strike, he wanted to make a

difference in another way, so he negotiated with administration to host an assembly.

“We wanted to teach people why [climate change] is happening and what they can do,” Maraone said. “Not enough students have accurate information [about climate

change], so we decided something had to be done to change this.”

Marine Science teacher Jeannine Rendon, who was supposed to be the adviser for the climate strike, said she hopes students can organize a successful strike in the future and have the opportunity to organize it in a safer environment.

“I think a climate strike is such a great idea because people, especially students, need to understand what’s happening around them,” Rendon said. “I think the students should be able to voice their opinion and save our dying planet.”

Rockley said she became more involved in fighting against climate strike once she realized how it has a direct impact on her, and it is not just happening far away. Rockley said she protested every Friday during the summer and realized being an activist is her passion.

“As soon as I became informed about climate change, I knew there had to be something I could do to be involved,” Rockley said. “Once I saw how climate change was personally going to affect me and my family, I became more and more passionate about the topic.”

Rendon said the climate literacy trainings were an amazing idea on behalf of the students, and she is proud of the young activists because they are so passionate about climate change. Rendon said the trainings should become a school-wide event for all students and should involve teachers and professionals to help promote the cause.

“I think [the climate literacy trainings] are a great idea and should be emphasized more at our school,” Rendon said.

“I think it is great students are more aware of climate change and are taking action against it.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

H O C O H A L LWAY S Class officers decorate Florida themed hallways to kickoff Homecoming week.

1st Place by karla soberon

online editor-in-chief

In order to kick off the start of homecoming week, the class officers created their respective hallways on Oct. 28. Each hallway had a specific Florida theme that correlated with each of the grades: seniors with Miami, juniors with Cape Canaveral, sophomores with Orlando and freshman with Key West. The seniors received first place, followed by sophomores, juniors and the freshmen coming in last. The sophomore Vice President, Jami Bernstein, said the decoration of the hallways was a lengthy process that could only have been accomplished with the help of all the officers and the class representatives.

“It took the sophomore class four and a half hours to complete the hallway, and on top of that we still had very last-minute changes,” Bernstein said. “Last year, we were short with the number of people we had helping, so this year we had more than enough helpers with our [representatives] and other people willing to participate.”

Since the sophomore theme was Orlando, the students transformed the 200’s hallway to appear as Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) at Universal Studios. Bernstein said her job in decorating the hallway was to place decorations along the walls and floor and to ensure the helpers were working diligently and staying on task.

“I helped with all aspects, from overlooking the jobs of others, to making my

3rd Place

Photo submitted by gabi kerness

own contribution to the decorations,” Bernstein said. “Since Orlando is filled with theme parks, it was easy for the officers to come up with an idea for the hallway and make decorations since HHN requires scary Halloween decor.”

Decorating the hallways has been a long-standing tradition at the Bay, with class officers having the opportunity to choose a creative theme that relates to the main theme. Junior class representative Marley Solomon said the theme of Florida for homecoming week was innovative and challenging for the hallways.

“The sole purpose of the hallways is to get students from each class excited for the week ahead of them and to promote school spirit in general,” Solomon said.

“I think the main two ideas the classes came up with were Miami and Orlando since they are the most popular Florida cities, so coming up with Cape Canaveral/NASA was truly a challenge for my class.”

Decorations for hallways are made by hand and sometimes are bought from a craft store or Home Depot. Senior Vice President Samantha DeLuca said the officers and other helpers had some late nights making the giant Wynwood Walls for the hallway and building the props for the other sections as well.

“We went to our treasurer Dani Bengoa’s house every day for one week, working hard and being productive whether it was cutting boxes, painting props or taping things together,” DeLuca said. “The process for the senior hallway was especially long since we made it our goal to

Photo by karla soberon

2nd Place make everything by hand, so little by little the different parts of our hallway began to come together for us.”

To DeLuca, the senior hallway came out exactly as she had pictured it to be.

DeLuca said she was satisfied with the reactions from the students and teachers walking through the hallway.

“Seeing it all come together was such a rewarding feeling because I got to see the hard work the other officers and myself put into the hallway being paid off,” DeLuca said. “Our hallway overall had the best vibe of Miami, especially the part when the hall transitions from the Wynwood Walls to the nightclub; it was the climax of the whole thing to me.”

Solomon said although she is not an officer this year, she feels as if she contributed a lot of time and effort into the creation of the hallways. Solomon said she believes more students in the future should try and get involved in the process as it is truly rewarding at the end.

“We only get to have the hallway experience once a year, so I really want to encourage more people to come help the junior class next year as it is the last time we will ever get the chance to do a hallway,” Solomon said. “With only the Sunday before to start and finish the hallway project, the more people helping the better it will look, giving us a shot at winning first place our senior year.”

To senior class sponsor and AICE Classical teacher, Victoria Warenik, the hallways are crucial to the implementation of school spirit for the classes, being that homecoming week is a time where

4th Place

Photo by karla soberon

students show their pride for the Bay and for their corresponding class.

“I feel the Bay already has a lot of spirit to it in general, but having decorative hallways at the beginning of homecoming week just sets the standard for the remaining days since it creates a lot of hype and excitement by the officers,” Warenik said. “I think this experience is also important since it brings the officers together, which is essential during senior year when there is limited time left with your peers.”

The class sponsors’ job is to approve the officers’ ideas and ensure that they are within the school code of conduct. Warenik said for the senior hall, their ideas were exactly what was portrayed in the physical hallway itself.

“It did not take that long for the senior class officers to come up with their ideas since they already had an image of what they wanted to do since the theme of Wynwood for the dance was revealed,” Warenik said. “I think it is important the other classes help acquire students to become involved since it is such a great experience and it only gets better as each year goes on, going all out senior year.”

For Bernstein, getting second place in the hallways was just the beginning for her, and she is looking forward to next year’s homecoming.

“It is all in the hard work and effort we put into the halls, we did so much this year and it truly paid off for us,” Bernstein said. “I know that no matter the theme next year, we will still do an amazing job.”

Photo by karla soberon

NOVEMBER 2019

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Coming Out Day GSA holds its annual event to celebrate pride in the LGBTQ+ community on Oct. 15.

“The children who are questioning their identity should be able to be themselves and feel proud of who they are.”

Crothers said she is happy GSA puts together activities that give students a platform. She said students who are involved in the events can congregate with students who are in similar situations and ask for needed advice.

“GSA is a great club, as the events they put together affects other students by empowering and supporting them in a critical point in their lives, as well as developing an outlet for their questions and concerns,” Crother said. “GSA and events the club holds can help students grow and explore themselves in a safe space where they do not have to fear being judged.”

Stanemir said the events assist students on their journey to “coming out” by allowing them to have access to a supportive family at the Bay. Stanemir said individuals at the “Coming Out Day” event learn how special they are.

By Gabriella Barraza

The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) held its annual “Coming Out Day” event on Oct. 15 in the courtyard during all lunches. Officers painted posters, created decorations and facilitated activities around the cafeteria as well. Sophomore Allie Crothers participated and volunteered for the event by answering questions and participating in activities such as painting and setting up the event.

“This day is important in terms of reflection within yourself and others,” Crothers said. “Speaking about your sexuality can be hard, and it is good the club takes a day to recognize the struggles of people who have bravely [come] out or others who are still attempting to do so.”

Crothers said she enjoys seeing how far individuals have come in self progression, in being comfortable with their sexuality. In addition, Crothers said she appreciates how far society has advanced in terms of equality for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer (LGBTQ+) community.

“The LGBTQ+ community is not celebrated much, so by holding this event, closeted students and others who have already come out can find support through alike individuals,” Crothers said.

“The event educates students who do not belong to the LGBTQ+ community, as they can be misinformed or uneducated about members of that community, so this event creates understanding which allows for equal regard.”

Similar to Crothers, junior Amy Tracy volunteered for the event to celebrate her identity, contemplate on the importance of the event and its effect on her and other students. Tracey said she reflected on the prominence of “Coming Out Day” to closeted students by answering questions, as this is an opportunity to announce their sexuality to loved ones.

“

Everybody should accept who they are, even if they are not part of the LGBTQ+ community because that is how individuals become confident and live their life to the fullest.

“

-junior Brenda Stanemir

“

The LGBTQ+ community is not celebrated much, so by holding this event, closeted students and others who have already come out can find support through alike individuals.

“

-sophomore Allie Crothers

“When I was a freshman, I was closeted and did not have much support, so the event allowed me to feel unity and comfort,” Tracey said. “Being closeted and witnessing GSA hold activities dedicated for students is important because it is a welcoming place to speak to others who are closeted and have already come out.”

Junior and event planner Brenda Stanemir said the event is important to her because it provides the opportunity to meet other members of the LGBTQ+ community who may be struggling with their sexuality or identity and need a safe environment.

Photos by Anamaria Camara

Free

to love: (From top) freshman Daniel Klintworth holds up a sign to promote, inform and encourage students to participate in Coming Out Day activities. Senior Joey Cousin hands out candy to students who are participating in activities such as photo opportunities, face painting and purchasing bracelets to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community.

“It is sweet to see students come together and celebrate something we can partake in celebrating,” Stanemir said. “It gives me a chance to speak to people my own age who may be in a similar situation as me.”

Tracey said the event is not about forcing students to come out, but about welcoming them into a safe environment where they are not afraid to have a voice to openly express themselves. Tracey said by doing this, individuals can live a free and peaceful life where they are truly themselves.

“There are many queer students at the Bay who are closeted and events such

as “Coming Out Day” show students an open-minded community,” Tracey said.

“By holding this event, closeted students can find a community to assist, which can ease strain and trouble with other relationships.”

Adviser and AICE Classical Studies teacher Declan Lyons said it is important to show the presence of an LGBTQ+ community at the Bay for students who are questioning their identity and feel they have alternative identities than the common sexuality.

“Students who see the event receive a sense of unity and comfort because there are others they can relate to,” Lyons said.

“It is important to embrace yourself because it is who you are for the rest of your life, and there is no changing it,” Stanemir said. “Everybody should accept who they are, even if they are not part of the LGBTQ+ community because that is how individuals become confident and live their life to the fullest.”

Crothers said she found support in “Coming Out Day” last year, although she had come to terms with her sexuality between sixth and seventh grade.

Crothers said she was able to surpass negative situations associated with her identity by finding advice and support in the club through the event.

“Some individuals have the luck to have a kind and helpful support system when they come out,” Crothers said.

“Although others are not as fortunate, GSA and their eye-opening events can help students show what matters is they stay true to themselves.”

Lyons said with this event and club, LGBTQ+ students do not have to feel lonely because they have other members to whom they can speak. He said it is most important that students are not alone when they are undergoing their issues.

“Any student questioning their identity has a whole community to support them at school, which is why events such as ‘Coming Out Day’ are so important,” Lyons said. “By becoming adviser and planning the event, students can escape the tyranny from any issues they are receiving at home or elsewhere.”

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NEWS

NOVEMBER 2019

In this issue’s recurring segment that explores current event topics affecting the student body, News Copy Editor Gowri Abhinanda speaks to students and teachers about the fourth democratic debate.

On Oct. 15, the Cable News Network (CNN) held its fourth annual democratic debate, where 8.34 million people watched the discussion unfold on television. The 11 presidential candidates remaining participated in the debate.

Sophomore Nicholas Cardenas said he was unable to determine who would be a strong candidate to defeat the president in the upcoming election.

“I do not think any candidate has the ability to defeat President [Donald] Trump because their time was allocated to attacking him rather than focusing on their policies,” Cardenas said. “The president has a large, loyal base by attracting upper working-class individuals and I have not seen that appeal by any of the Democratic candidates so far.”

Cardenas said the confusing image the candidates provided to the public was due to the number of candidates that were remaining by the fourth debate.

“It is difficult to discuss agendas with many candidates, as the time allotted is not enough,” Cardenas said. “The structure of the debate does not allow for clear decisions to be made regarding who will best represent the people.”

Similar to Cardenas, junior Grant Scott said he believes the debate was disorganized, leading to the decision of who was the best candidate against Trump a difficult one to make.

“A town hall structure, where one general topic is chosen and enough time is allotted to each candidate to explain policies, is better for early stages,” Scott said. “The debates should only be held once there are about five candidates left.”

On the other hand, United States History and AP Government/Economics teacher Laurie Beloff Marks said the candidates remaining have the capability to beat Trump, which may be seen in the primaries held towards the end of next year.

“Candidates have the ability to beat the incumbent if they can present themselves presidentially and instill confidence in voters,” Marks said. “The right candidate may be able to siphon off some Republican voters, which is key to beating the incumbent.”

Marks said voting for a future leader should not be limited to only Democrats, and Republicans trying to run should gain attention. Marks said the Republican party should consider other candidates to run instead of just the incumbent president.

“Although Trump is the nominee, I would like to see Republicans attempting to change the decision to get nominated

Graphic by Isabella grogan

photo courtesy of variety.com

and have debates so we would know the options available,” Marks said. “There are three republicans trying to gain the Republican nomination, however, they are being blocked by the Republican Party and I think that’s a terrible violation to the spirit of politics, but the president is usually nominated.”

Scott said based on the debate, the strongest competitor against the president would fall to Mayor Pete Buttigieg, as he was the most compelling by providing an honest image of himself.

“Buttigieg has the potential to beat Trump because he has more moderate values of the Democratic Party, which is where most American voters lie,” Scott said. “He presents himself as a sincere,

passionate and genuine candidate by putting conviction to what he says.”

Scott said in his opinion, the next contender is Joe Biden due to the reputation he holds as vice president for former President Barack Obama from 2009-2017. However, Scott said the only reason Biden remains as a candidate is because of his reputation.

“If Biden was not selected as running mate, he would not have an opportunity to be the primary nominee,” Scott said.

“Biden has constant blunders, which can help increase the chance of Trump winning re-election.”

Cardenas said he was not able to decide which candidate is the best against Trump. However, he said he was able to

understand the issues each candidate elaborated on, their weaknesses, passions and stances on policies in the debate.

“Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard struggled on Syria, Senator Bernie Sanders seemed too radical, entrepreneur Andrew Yang made valid points regarding his economic plan, Joe Biden was vague and Senator Kamala Harris stayed progressive,” Cardenas said. “Mayor Pete Buttigieg regained momentum and efficiently responded to former United States Representative Bete O’Rourke, who dropped out of the race; Senator Elizabeth Warren was weak on healthcare and other candidates left that I didn’t mention just are not prominent to me.”

Scott said he is in agreement with Cardenas on the issues of Warren; however, he said Gabbard developed a major role in the debate, as she exposed Harris on a statement about the use of marijuana.

“If it was not for Gabbard speaking about the comment by Harris, the polls [for Harris] would have not decreased as much,” Scott said. “Harris may not be chosen as [a] candidate because of Gabbard, which I think is good as Gabbard informed the people.”

In contrast to Cardenas’s opinion on Sanders, Scott said rather than being viewed as a radical, Sanders is shaping the Democratic Party by promoting social democracy.

“Bernie’s campaign in 2016 revolutionized left-wing politics in America,” Scott said. “Bernie can beat Trump as he appeals to workingclass voters; his message of helping the common man with policies such as a raised minimum wage and universal healthcare are popular where Trump narrowly won last election.”

Scott said even though he sees potential in candidates such as Buttigieg, he wishes for future debates to produce a candidate to defeat Trump as he supports new leadership in government.

“A candidate must develop policies that are moderate to win re-election, but [Trump] will only be defeated by a representative who can fight Trump’s strong base,” Scott said. “If they can show they are a good candidate, they can win votes and beat Trump, which I hope will happen because I personally don’t fancy him.”

Overall, despite the confusion and the various topics the candidates did not speak on, Cardenas said the democratic debate is vital to the American public.

“It is important because it allows individuals to be familiar with different ideas candidates develop to solve issues facing our country,” Cardenas said. “The debate had room for improvement, but it was insightful nonetheless.”

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Rally for the Lightning The Bay hosts its annual pep rally in honor of homecoming week. news copy editor

To carry on a tradition, the Student Government Association (SGA) held the annual pep rally event during fourth period at the football field, where students from all grade levels from the Bay were welcomed to attend. The event celebrated school spirit and promoted various student-run organizations by holding a parade of club floats and performances.

Senior Italia Averett said knowing she would be attending this event for the last time encouraged her cherish the moment.

“It made me feel bittersweet, but happy to see how far I have come in high school and this pep rally marked that journey for me,” Averett said. “It is going to be my last time seeing these events and spending time with my friends in this type of environment, so I really valued the moments I experienced.”

“

We tried to change it [pep rally] up a little bit from past years, as we had different individuals involved and provided them different roles for the first time, which made this year’s pep rally appear different

“

-SGA adviser Danielle Nascimento

Averett said although she thoroughly enjoyed the event, this year’s pep rally was not up to par with previous presentations.

She said this was due to her conflicting emotions regarding pep rally last year at the Bay. “Compared to previous years, there has been better pep rallies, however this year’s was also exciting,” Averett said. “The energy has changed, but it is because I am upset it is my last year and I was mixed with a bunch of emotions and could not really focus entirely on the event when I knew it was going to end.”

Freshman Faris Abdelrahem said the pep rally was filled with energy and he enjoyed it because of the enthusiasm portrayed. Abdelrahem said the event

was carefree and enjoyable which took his mind off school.

“Pep-rally was nice and relaxing and even though it was hot outside; I had a great time,” Abdelrahem said. “I enjoyed everything like watching the tug of war and listening to music because it made me forget about the stress at school that day and I was feeding off of the high energy.”

Abdelrahem said he enjoyed the floats from the freshman and junior class as well as the Chinese Culture club at the event. Abdelrahem said the decorations were aesthetically pleasing and creative at the event, which contributed to the innovative feel of the environment.

“The floats were detailed and interesting, as students can see there was hard work and effort put into each of them,” Abdelrahem said. “It was creative and exciting to view during the event and a great factor to help increase energy of the students, as there were loads of hues on the floats that were eye-catching.”

It is a tradition at the Bay to place the freshmen on the visitor side of the football field, across from the sophomores, juniors and seniors at the pep rally. Abdelrahem said he was informed by upper-classmen there would be teasing towards the freshmen, such as water being sprayed.

Although the freshman class was isolated, Abdelrahem said he had an overall pleasurable experience.

“Students wish to mess around with underclassmen to follow the stereotype about hating freshmen, but every negative action I was told could happen, did not happen,” Abdelrahem said. “It was all fun and games and just friendly fire, we’re all on good terms and the whole dynamic the seniors try to put to intimidate us is just amusing if anything.”

Junior and SGA Executive Board member Allison Comite was the coChairperson for the pep rally event. She said the work SGA put forth was critical in making the event unforgettable to her peers and she wanted to make sure the event was successful in providing positive experiences.

“SGA worked out logistics, spoke to student groups for performances and figured out the details in order to make pep rally run seamlessly,” Comite said.

“Without SGA’s involvement, there is no way this event would take place.”

Comite said there were several activities held such as the parade, which

photo by sabrina olivieri

winner takes all: Throughout pep rally, classes play different games against each other in hopes of taking the victory. Tug-of-war is one of those games played every year, and each class creates a team consisting of five boys and five girls. This year, the junior class won this game and beat the seniors in the final round. Third place went to sophomores and last place went to the freshman class.

photo by GOWRI ABHINANDA

photo by sabrina olivieri

PEP IN YOUR STEP: (From top) at pep rally, there is a designated time for all the classes and some clubs that signed up to show off floats they built by hand. The class floats relate to the themes of their hallways, with the seniors being Miami, juniors with NASA, sophomores with Orlando and freshmen with Key West. The Bay’s cheerleaders stand in front of their respective class and encourage the crowd to get excited during the games and the varsity team performs as well.

required making sure the clubs and classes brought their floats. She also said they had commentary and recognition for the football team, which required proper networking with individuals responsible for these roles. Comite said making sure these aspects were covered for the event was a tedious process, but worthwhile.

“There is so much to cover and making sure we accomplished the tasks SGA set out to complete is crazy sometimes,” Comite said. “There is a lot to take into account, but we managed to be successful and it was worth it because the entire school can show their spirit.”

Similar to Comite, SGA adviser Danielle Nascimento said the event was stressful. However, she said her stress stemmed from additional factors beyond the preparation process.

“Developing what is going to happen can be overwhelming,” Nascimento said.

“SGA is planning an outside event for a whole school and external forces such as the weather could have ruined the event, but this year went smoothly.”

Nascimento said the pep rally this year had evolved from previous ones.

Components such as allowing Principal Kassandra Fried to be the grand marshal and including the Bay’s Sound of Thunder to perform have become new aspects of the event which makes it distinct from previous years.

“We tried to change it up a little bit from past years, as we had different

individuals involved and provided them different roles for the first time, which made the event appear different,” Nascimento said. “The big changes for this year’s event created a more enjoyable experience for students.”

Averett said each activity provided made the event more memorable. Averett said pep rally has a special place in her heart because she was able to spend these cherished moments with her friends.

“

It was all fun and games and just friendly fire, we’re all on good terms and the whole dynamic of the seniors trying to intimidate us is just amusing if anything.

“

by gowri abhinanda

-freshman Faris Abdelrahem

“For my last pep rally in high school, it was definitely a great one; I enjoyed the chanting and the music and being with my friends,” Avarett said. “This event is a time where students can celebrate, unify in school spirit and enjoy their days in high school because it only happens once.”

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creative composition

Poets and authors use writing as a source of confidence and self-expression.

by Sabrina Blandon

Features / Opinion Web Copy Editor

Photo submitted by shawntee Herring

“

Writing has helped and will help in being able to express thoughts and communicate clearly.

Being able to explain myself thoroughly, even when it’s not through a pen and paper, gave me the space to talk about the thoughts I didn’t know how to before.

And [writing] released so many emotions. photo submitted by taylor tieder

mightier than the sword: (From top) senior Manuela Caldas performs at Louder Than A Bomb Florida, a spoken word poetry competition. Caldas is part of the spoken word competition team that senior Daniela Vergara participates in. Vergara said she feels spoken word poetry is the most expressive form of writing because it can be performed. Senior Taylor Tieder writes in her journal while sitting on her couch at home. Tieder said she uses journaling to provide herself with a mental cleanse as well a creative outlet.

are vastly different subjects but they complement each other as well as help one another. McNeely said literature and writing both deal with connecting the writer to the world, which is a reason she fell in love with literature.

“Literature versus fiction, those are all very sort of delineated for me because literature for me is something that is timeless,” McNeely said. “Literature is something that is creating connections through the ages, so to speak. It’s the universal stories; they’re the universal

moments that connect fiction.”

Vergara said she started taking creative writing because her friends took the class. Vergara said she enjoys the class because it gives her the liberty of writing freely and she believes she, as well as her writing, has grown through the years.

“There’s just something about being able to express yourself without it having being judged academically or grammatically, or anything like that.

You’re more able to get your thoughts out [and write it on paper],” Vergara said. “I’m

“

As a way to express her feelings, senior Taylor Tieder said she has found a passion through writing. Tieder said she loves the freedom writing gives her and how it allows her to be creative.

“In an academic setting, students are expected to strictly analyze and write assertions,” Tieder said. “However, in creative writing, the writer has no restrictions whatsoever. Anything goes and that’s the beauty of [creative writing].”

Senior Bryanna Lares said she also enjoys writing because it allows her to express herself without boundaries. Lares said she has been writing stories since she was young and she is glad she took a creative writing class. “[Writing] allows me to have a voice and I feel it can be heard, rather than find a way to confine what I have to say within someone else’s box,” Lares said. “I was scared of taking Creative Writing, since nobody around me was, and I was told it’d bring my GPA down. It was the best decision I could have made to let go of those thoughts and go through with what I knew would allow me my expression.”

Tieder said she has a journal which she writes in daily. She said she uses it as her main outlet for her thoughts whenever she wants to rant, document her life and pursue story ideas.

“Creative writing allows me to collect my observations of the world and then express those observations through themes and figurative language such as similes and imagery,” Tieder said.

“Journaling provides a mental cleanse, as well as an everlasting creative outlet.”

Lares said she wishes to pursue the path of Sociology, Psychology and Wellness. She said she is still going to continue with her writing no matter where her future takes her.

“Writing has helped and will help in being able to express thoughts and communicate clearly,” Lares said. “Being able to explain myself thoroughly, even when it’s not through a pen and paper gave me the space to talk about the thoughts I didn’t know how to before. And [writing] released so many emotions.”

AP and AICE Literature teacher Karen McNeely said she thinks people wishing to pursue writing and literature in the future should not let anything stand in their way. McNeely said there are multiple ways a person can get their works into the world, which is the beauty of today’s society.

“There are so many avenues that are open now and there weren’t just ten years ago,” McNeely said. “You can get your works, your words, out there to the public and available to them, so be fearless, keep writing.

Senior Daniela Vergara is not only in the highest level of creative writing, but she is part of the spoken word poetry team. Vergara said while the writing and spoken word are two different aspects, they complement one another. “[Spoken word and writing] really go hand in hand because spoken word is just the manifestation of the type of writing,” Vergara said. “While writing poetry is different than spoken word poetry, I still have to focus on writing primarily in order to focus on the performance aspect of spoken word.”

McNeely said literature and writing

happy where I am with my writing mostly because I’ve been able to grow and learn through the years how to manage it, so it sounds purposeful, while still sounding nice and poetic.”

Tieder said she is involved in two clubs: English Honors Society (EHS) and Literary Club. Tieder said she joined these clubs to become better at writing and she enjoys being surrounded by people who appreciate her same love for literature and English.

“At EHS and Literary Club meetings, we put together writing activities not only to encourage students to express their ideas, but to expose them to different types of writing, which we recently did in Literary Club,” Tieder said. “Also, by sharing our pieces at club meetings, we, as writers, are able to become inspired and learn from other writers, which contribute to evolving as a writer too.”

Vergara said she started spoken word because she would watch YouTube videos of poetry and thought it was interesting.

Vergara said when her creative writing teacher told her to audition for the spoken word team, Vergara decided to give it a shot.

“Ever since I tried out, I’ve just been enamored with writing spoken word poetry because it’s such an expressive way of poetry, besides just writing because you’re able to perform it,” Vergara said.

“I definitely know that my writing will stay with me throughout my whole life because it’s something so important to me; it’s important to be able to get your heart on a page and express what you think.”

-senior Bryanna Lares McNeely said each person’s writing is unlike the person next to them. McNeely said a writer’s work is their footprint on the world and that’s what makes literature so diverse and unique.

“We all bring something different to the table. Our writing is a reflection of us on so many different levels. It’s our culture, it’s our culturation, our families and our interactions in the world. It all becomes part of the world,” McNeely said. “I think you have to be willing to get what’s swirling around in your heart and in your mind and putting it in black and white in front of you. And that sometimes takes a step of courage to do that, but it can be very cathartic and rewarding, even if no one else sees it but you.”

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Peers instill hope through tutoring sessions

BY SABRINA BLANDON

FEATURES / OPINION WEB COPY EDITOR

One of the ways junior Jordana Rockley helps her fellow peers is by tutoring students in all subjects, especially math. Rockley said she enjoys when students come to her with questions because she knows she was in their shoes not too long ago.

“You just have to push [students] a little further into the right direction by explaining to them different ideas that they didn’t understand when they first learned it in class,” Rockley said.

“So, [tutoring] is just about really being patient, taking the time, having empathy for them and understanding the problem they have with the question.”

Senior Alexis Cruz said he prefers having a student as the person tutoring him instead of an adult. Cruz said kids listen better to other teenagers than adults do, and this impacts tutoring.

“Teenagers listen to one another because they have a better way to communicate,” Cruz said. “They communicate in a manner that I would understand better than in an adult’s perspective, and that helps a lot when I get tutored by a student.”

Rockley said being tutored by other students is cheaper than professionals.

Rockley said depending on the tutee, whether or not the teacher is a student or a professional is entirely up to the person. “[Students] have the same struggle whether or not they go to a professional or a student,” Rockley said. “I mean in the end, the student being taught will have a better understanding of the material and

that’s what matters.”

Cruz said he it’s more fun when a student tutors him than a professional because sometimes adult tutors only teach for the money. Cruz said he thinks when students tutor him, it is because they are actually educating him in the moment instead of just tutoring because of the money.

“Some adult tutors might actually not take the time to enjoy the moment and teach the students,” Cruz said. “With a kid, they’re actually taking the time to teach and it’s better because it’s more interactive than with an adult.”

Rockley said she’s learned many valuable life lessons by tutoring people her age in subjects I which she excels.

Rockley said despite the hard work that goes into tutoring, she’s proud that she can help her peers.

“I’ve learned to understand that everybody needs a different path to get to the same point,” Rockley said.

“I’ve learned that there’s patience and hard work that goes into tutoring other students.”

Cruz said the preference of tutor is the choice of the student who wants the extra help. Cruz said with a student, it feels more friendly and he gets his work done.

“Picking a tutor also depends on the cost too. If the student tutor is cheaper and is more effective than the adult, then students should go to a student tutor,” Cruz said. “But sometimes, adults know more than the student tutors so it could impact what they teach.”

AICE Thinking Skills AS level, AICE Information Technology teacher Lisa Herron said she thinks student tutors

photo submitted by jordana rockley

A helping hand: Junior Jordana Rockley tutors sophomore Francisco Alvarez in his music theory class. She said she tutors in all subjects and loves answering her peer’s questions.

have a positive effect on the tutee because teenagers have the same understanding.

Herron said due to this comprehension, the student tutors have a great impact.

“Teenagers relate to other teenagers and they don’t feel threatened,” Herron said. “I think [student tutors] have a respect for teenagers who have been through something that they’re struggling with, so I think for the most part [students tutoring other students] is positive.”

Herron said there are some negative effects the student tutors can have on the tutees. Herron said if the student tutor abuses the authority of teaching another peer then that may affect the results of the tutoring process. “[The tutoring] can have a negative effect if one teenager makes the other teenager feel less than they are because

they don’t understand,” Herron said. “It honestly does not happen very often, but I’ve always thought that teenagers have a relationship with other teenagers, which is always positive when you have tutoring going on.”

Herron said she thinks a teenager should use all available options of tutoring if a student misses a day of class or just needs help with the subject. Herron said if the tutee can afford a professional tutor then they should go to the professional.

“If [getting a professional tutor is] not available to them, then student tutoring would also be a good option,” Herron said.

“Probably, the best combination would be to have the free student tutoring that goes on after school and a professional teacher tutor.”

Decorating enhances Halloween spirit

BY ISABELLA GROGAN

features / sports photo editor

The start of October means the start of Halloween decorating for many students at the Bay. Students and teachers at the Bay use decorations to get into the Halloween spirit. For junior Anika Cofino, decorating for Halloween is quite stressful.

“Decorating always makes me a little stressed out because I always wait until the last minute to do it,” Cofino said.

“I don’t know why I wait until the last minute because every year, I get more and more stressed, but I never learn my lesson.”

Junior Bella Flanagan said she and her family have been decorating for Halloween since she was three years old.

She said it takes them a few days to put everything up.

“My favorite part about decorating is seeing all the decorations that we already had, then being able to add new stuff that we find online or at Halloween stores,” Flanagan said. “My favorite types of decorations are the scary and gross ones.”

Secretary Gabriella Rodriguez decorated her desk for Halloween. She put up three pumpkins and a scarecrow, along with multicolor fake leaves.

“I thought it would be a good idea to put up some decorations because it makes my desk look more fun and lively,” Rodriguez said. “An office setting can get so boring, so I think whenever I get the chance to make it better, I should take it.”

This year, it took Cofino three days in total to decorate her house for Halloween.

She said the first two days she put up decorations on the inside of her house and then the last day, she decorated the

PHOTO BY ISABELLA GROGAN

spooky season: Junior Anika Cofino hangs up caution tape and other decorations for Halloween. To get into the spirit, she said she decorates her entire house.

outside of her house.

“My favorite decorations to put up are the ones inside my house,” Cofino said.

“They look cooler inside of the house because they are more visible.”

Cofino put up false spider webs around picture frames and accents in her living room and common area of her house. She also added a skeleton to her fan, so when the fan turns on, the skeleton is flying around.

“The skeleton on the fan is so funny

to me because whenever the fan gets turned on, I forget it is there and then I get scared,” Cofino said. “My mom’s favorite decoration is the skeleton because she finds it hilarious.”

Rodriguez said she brought in decorations she already had in her house.

She said many of her coworkers and even some students have complimented her decorations.

“It makes me glad to hear that people like the decorations I put up because I

like to make people happy,” Rodriguez said. “It is especially nice to hear that the students appreciate [the decorations] because my desk is one of the first things they see if they are coming in for privilege or arriving late to school.”

Flanagan said she helps her mom with decorating the inside of the house.

She said it takes a while because first, her family puts up the decorations they have, then they go to the store and get more Halloween decorations to put up. She said she likes the reactions her decorations get from people passing by on Halloween night.

“Most people love our decorations or they get scared of them and run away,” Flanagan said. “I like how we play scary music on the night of Halloween with a smoke machine and strobe lights.”

Every year, Cofino throws a Halloween party. She said she invites all of her closest friends. She said every year she tries to make her decorations scary and memorable for her party guests.

“I feel like it is especially important to decorate good for a party because the whole point of the party is to be scary and cool,” Cofino said. “Every year, I try to switch my decorations up so that my friends are not seeing the same ones.”

Cofino said her party was a great success. She said on the day after the party, she received many texts from her friends saying how much they loved the decorations.

“It made me so happy to get texts from my friends saying they liked my decorations because it took so much work to put them up,” Cofino said. “I was really worried that they weren’t going to be scary enough, but they were.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

Homecoming preparations commence by sandra talledo

Graphics / illustrations editor

Homecoming can be a stressful time for the Student Government Association according to sophomore Nicole Ortiz, who was on the decoration committee.

She said they began preparing for Homecoming right after it was announced to her committee. They started by setting dates after school to plan the materials they needed and make the decorations.

She said it was important to have lots of time to make sure to get everything done.

“My committee and I immediately got to work on brainstorming a plan for decorations, since we want to an amazing job,” Ortiz said. “For the actual day, we have a lot of hands-on work to do, which was going to be rough. After that, I’ll go home and get ready for the actual event.”

While Ortiz was setting up for the event, junior Adrian Valdes was getting ready at home. He said was excited about Homecoming, but didn’t plan what he was wearing or doing beforehand to prepare.

“I didn’t do much to get ready,” Valdes said. “I went to the mall to buy a new shirt and then made sure I looked good.

I feel like it’s not something to dress up so much for.”

For Valdes, spirit week is something he only participates in if he already has the clothes to do it. This year he only dressed up for the color war by wearing his 2021 class shirt.

“I would have dressed up, but I didn’t want to go out and buy clothes for it,”

photo submitted by fiorella marchan

finishing - touches: Students from the Student Government Association carry a decoration sign to help set up homecoming. This is one of the many ways the Bay prepares for the annual event. Ortiz said although it was a lot of work, she was thankful for the effort the group has made.

Valdes said. “If I already had something, I would have. I didn’t even dress up for Halloween, since costumes were expensive; I only borrowed friend’s stuff for a costume on Friday.”

AP and Regular Environmental Science and Marine Science Honors teacher Laura Beth Ashley said she looks out for students like Valdes dressing up for spirit week. She said she thinks it’s fun and she likes to compare how spirited her classes are. Ashley said she’s noticed

how many of her classes which have more seniors and juniors dress up compared to the other grade levels.

“I used to love spirit week when I was in high school,” Ashley said. “I think it’s a great opportunity for students to get out of their shell and try something new.

Usually, the freshmen don’t dress up, since they haven’t gotten used to it.”

Ashley said she’s seen some pretty innovative costumes this year. She said for beach day she saw a student with an

inflatable flamingo, goggles and flippers, along with another student wearing a full wetsuit.

“Of the themes I’ve seen, the best has been meme day,” Ashley said. “I like how interesting meme day is; I’m looking forward to Florida man costumes.”

While spirit week was going on, Ortiz was doing final preparations for Homecoming. She said this year was somewhat stressful, but she’s proud of all they’ve done. Ortiz also said she felt that spirit week went well this year and she enjoyed dressing up for it.

“We were all a little stressed during our planning time, but we also knew that we would be able to pull it off,” Ortiz said. “It was more being nervous to make Homecoming as amazing as possible.”

Valdes said he enjoyed the decorations Ortiz’s committee worked on. He said the school felt pretty different than normal because of the art and decorations.

“I liked all the decorations, especially how they painted the catwalk,” Valdes said. “I liked all the art in general; they were pretty cool and made it feel like we weren’t just at school.”

Ortiz said she was thankful for all the assistance they received to decorate. She also said she feels like they did a great job, especially with the time constraints.

“We had less time to get prepared compared to previous years, but it was just the right amount of time to get everything done,” Ortiz said. “Everyone was so helpful and involved that everything was able to be done by the deadline.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

Owners dress up pets for Halloween season

“Rescuing Gizmo has brought our family closer together,” Samara Munger said. “Dressing him up for Halloween has With Halloween approaching, senior become a family tradition that we can all Taylor Munger said she has been planning enjoy together.” on what to dress up her dog, Gizmo, for the celebration. Munger said she has been dressing Gizmo up ever since her family rescued him three years ago. One of her I love that I was able to favorite costumes she has put her dog in celebrate the holiday with is a Miami Hurricanes outfit.

“I have been a huge Hurricanes fan Datura and show her off since the day I learned what football is to my friends and family. and it definitely has been a huge part of my life,” Munger said. “My siblings and I I have always looked all agreed to dress him up as a Hurricanes forward to dressing her player, as the team has brought my family up because she is so closer together throughout the years.”

Munger said it is usually difficult to get patient and makes the Gizmo to sit still while she dresses him experience so pleasant. up due to his lack of patience. Although it was difficult to dress him up, she said it was worth it to see the smallest member -junior Jena Lindekugel of her family wearing a bandana and Samara Munger said this year her supporting her favorite team. family decided to dress Gizmo up as a unicorn. She said everyone thought it would be humorous since he is a boy I love to see her get and a unicorn is typically associated with excited in her Halloween girly qualities.

“I was so excited when I saw a unicorn costume. Seeing her in a headband at the dollar store and I knew costume honestly makes right away that’s what I wanted him to be this year,” Samara Munger said. “I talked her feel like one of our it over with my family and they instantly siblings. thought it would be hilarious.”

Similar to the Munger family, freshman Matthew Maykut said his -freshman Matthew family has been dressing up their family dog, Miley, for the past two years. While Maykut they are unsure about what she will be “I loved seeing Gizmo run around my this year, she was dressed as a witch last house wearing the bandana,” Munger year. said. “He surprisingly did not want to “I love to see her get excited in her take it off when he was going to sleep, Halloween costume,” Maykut said. which shows he is also a true fan of the “Seeing her in a costume honestly makes team.” her feel like one of our siblings.”

Like Munger, junior Jena Lindekugel Maykut said Miley has always had the has been dressing up her horse, Datura, personality of a human. He said she smiles since she got her in 2013. She said her for pictures and enjoys participating in favorite outfit she has put her in a Captain any activities their family does.

America costume.

“When Miley sees us dress up “In 2016, when I chose this costume for Halloween, it makes her want to for her, I had an obsession with Captain participate because she knows she America,” Lindekugel said. “Because will get praised for it,” Maykut I loved Captain America and my said. horse is extremely large, I decided Maykut said while it would be a perfect fit for her.”

Miley seems to enjoy Lindekugel said participating in the spirit her horseback riding of Halloween, it is trainer has hosted an difficult to get her annual Halloween party to sit still while in the past, which has they dress her inspired her to dress up.

Datura up “ W e due to her try to passion for remain winning calm and contests. provide While she can’t her with her dress her up this year due favorite to the fact there won’t be a treats Halloween party, she said to make she has already created an her as happy as abundance of memories while possible,” Maykut dressing her up. said. “Although “One of my favorite memories s h e loves treats, it still was winning the contest when we takes us a while to get her dressed up as Captain America together,” to cooperate with us which Lindekugel said. “It made me so happy ultimately tires us out.” knowing my hard work and creativity Maykut said his family is still paid off.” discussing what they should dress Miley Munger’s mother, Samara Munger up as this year. He said he hopes Miley said she enjoys dressing up Gizmo with will walk around with them this year in her family as everyone gets excited her costume; however, in the past, she about it. She said every year, her family liked to jump on people instead of calmly looks forward to Halloween for the sole walking around the neighborhood. purpose of dressing up their dog.

“Although she is still young, she has

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BY RACHEL ALEXANDER ONLINE FEATURES EDITOR

“

“

“

PHOTO BY rachel alexander

“

PHOTO submitted by jena lindekugel

spooky scary pets: (From top) senior Taylor Munger’s dog Gizmo is dressed up in a Miami Hurricanes outfit. Munger said the Miami Hurricanes outfit is one of her favorites to dress Gizmo in because she is a huge Hurricanes fan. Junior Jena Lindekugel dressed up her horse Datura in a Captain America costume. Lindekugel said the Captain America is her favorite costume for

grown a lot in the past year,” Maykut said.

“Now that she is two, I am hoping she will be able to understand the importance of remaining calm when we are approached by younger children.”

When it comes to taking photos, Lindekugel said Datura is extremely photogenic. Lindekugel said she also stands perfectly when dressing her up because she is extremely sweet and well behaved.

“When I take photos of her, she usually poses based on what I am telling her,” Lindekugel said. “Her poses always make

me smile as they reflect her personality directly.”

Lindekugel said her favorite memory from dressing up Datura as Captain America was last Halloween when she and a few friends rode their horses to Volunteer Park where their neighbors were on Halloween.

“I love that I was able to celebrate the holiday with Datura and show her off to my friends and family,” Lindekugel said.

“I have always looked forward to dressing her up because she is so patient and makes the experience so pleasant.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

Class of 2018

‘The Bay’s extracurricular activities helped me to become the person I am today.’

Alumnus Lance Kotler studies at John Hopkins University for international studies.

by alexa morchelies

After graduating from the Bay in 2018, alumnus Lance Kotler is currently studying at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Kotler said he had taken an interest in majoring in international studies, political science and Spanish and minoring in either economics or business. Kotler said the extracurricular activities he participated in at the Bay and in college have helped him achieve his goals for the future. “[The Bay] encouraged me to strive for [college] wherever I decided to go; since it offered me a range of amazing classes and extracurriculars, all which opened multiple new doors for me to shoot for a college like Hopkins,” Kotler said. “Shari Bush, my college adviser, supported me along the way. [The Bay didn’t] directly lead me to Hopkins; though, it had a great impact on my way to get to Hopkins.”

The Bay gives students the ability to join hundreds of clubs and a variety of classes. Kotler said he was able to find clubs and classes he was interested in, which has led him to figure out what he wants to major in, in college.

“I became really interested in political science and international affairs from debate,” Kotler said. “And these are some of the classes and clubs that I am studying now in college.”

“

Looking back, not every grade mattered as much as I thought it would and I shouldn’t have stressed over each thing. Focusing on the things you really enjoy and showing passion in those areas is really important.

“

-alumnus Lance Kotler Kotler said high school is an extremely important building block for the future.

He said although academics are extremely important, it is still important to have fun and enjoy high school and being a teenager.

“Looking back, not every grade mattered as much as I thought it would and I shouldn’t have stressed over each thing. Focusing on the things you really enjoy and showing passion in those areas is really important,” Kotler said. “In high school, try doing something unique and creative. Get some work or internship experience in a field you may want to study and have fun. Everything ends up working out well, so I’m happy with how my high school experience went and I had a lot of fun.”

According to Kotler, it is important

photos submitted by lance kotler

busy bee: (From top) alumnus Lance Kotler and Sam Horrigan play ultimate frisbee as part of the Division 1 sports team at Johns Hopkins University. Kotler kayaks whenever he has time. Kotler said he enjoys keeping himself busy since it passes the time, while still being productive. He said he always wanted to join a frisbee team in college and enjoys taking part in a new and fun experience.

for students to step out of their comfort zone and try new activities and interests.

Kotler said being a part of sports teams and clubs can help people grow and can influence their future interests. Kotler said the Bay has hundreds of the clubs, which allow students the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones.

“I loved being busy [in high school],”

Kotler said. “And these were all things I enjoyed doing and were fun or interesting for what I liked to study.”

Kotler said becoming a leader in clubs and sports teams can help prepare students for the future. Kotler was the policy debate captain for the Cypress Bay Debayte Team, president and treasurer of the Political Awareness Club (PAC),

Cypress Bay tutoring head for Mu Alpha Theta, member of National Honor Society (NHS) and Rho Kappa, played soccer for Weston FC, was in USY Jewish youth groups at his temple and worked with State Representative Richard Stark on his 2016 campaign. Kotler said being a part of many different groups can let students expand their knowledge.

“I think Debate and PAC, as well as working with Rick Stark, influences the clubs I’m in the most since they got me super interested in policy, government, international relations and affairs and more,” Kotler said. “Also, playing soccer all throughout elementary through high school led me to playing frisbee in college, also a running-heavy team sport and the rest are things I remember fondly.”

According to Kotler, college can give students the ability to broaden their knowledge about topics they enjoy.

Kotler said Hopkins allows its attendees to continue their education in different subjects.

“After graduating, I want to try getting some work experience or start graduate school,” Kotler said. “Hopkins has a great master’s program for international studies at the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Washington DC or I may work first or possibly get a graduate degree in something else like law, business, et cetera.”

Kotler said joining clubs and groups can make the college experience much better. Kotler took part in Debayte team, as well as PAC and his Advanced Placement (AP) classes in Human Geography, US Government/Comparative Politics, Macro/Microeconomics and History has impacted his path to Hopkins.

“At Hopkins, I have stepped out of my comfort zone and joined many clubs, groups and organizations that I enjoy.

Since I have always wanted to play frisbee in college and ended up making the time to join the team; I am enjoying taking part in this new and fun experience. I was inspired to join from hearing about outdoors clubs at a lot of schools during my college visits and I have loved the outdoors already,” Kotler said. “I’m also in the AEPi fraternity, which I found [out] was an awesome group of guys, who I enjoyed hanging out with as a great social outlet.”

Kotler said he likes how Hopkins is giving him opportunities to join groups which can influence his major and what he wants to do in the future. Kotler said taking classes are important, but getting involved outside of class involving the intended major is important, too.

“I have also gotten involved in groups that can help me with my major because I want to connect with people who have similar interests,” Kotler said. “I’d always wanted to try out Model United Nations (UN) and they’re all related to my areas of study.”

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Volunteering experience promotes generosity by alexa braxton

Junior Marley Solomon has a passion for volunteering and loves helping others in any way she can. Last summer, Solomon had the opportunity to volunteer at the Los Angeles (LA) food bank in California on a teen tour.

“Being able to volunteer for the less fortunate made me realize how good I have it,” Solomon said. “The people were so grateful that us, as teenagers, were putting in time of our day to help others who are less unfortunate.”

When Solomon went to the LA food bank, she said it was hands on, and everyone who was there with her became involved in what they were asked to do.

Solomon helped organize and sort food by putting it in plastic bags, which then led to her and her friends delivering the food to families and soup kitchens in LA. “Sorting out all the food took about four hours and thankfully, it wasn’t bad

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The thought of one million pounds of food being distributed each week is amazing and I was so glad to have been a part of something like this to make such a difference in at least one person’s life.

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-junior Marley Solomon at all; and I actually had so much fun,” Solomon said. “Everyone there had a super positive attitude, which made the energy and vibe in the room very enjoyable for everyone.”

Junior Sophia Niño, one of Marley’s best friends, said she loves how Solomon participates in a lot of volunteering activities because she knows she is doing a good deed. Niño mentioned she wants to get more involved with volunteering activities as well.

“I would love to go with Marley one day and volunteer at a homeless shelter or somewhere where I can help change someone’s life,” Niño said. “Hopefully, Marley will let me know whenever the next activity is that she’s doing.”

Solomon said she organized all sorts of food such as meats, canned goods and fruits.

Solomon said this food bank in particular gives more than tons of food weekly, which she said she finds insane, but remarkable at the same time.

“The thought of one million pounds of food being distributed each week is amazing and I was so glad to have been a part of something like this to make such a difference in at least one person’s life,” Solomon said. “Not only did I make a difference in someone’s life, but I also earned many service hours for doing a

good deed, which made me feel proud.”

Lori Solomon, Marley’s mother, said she is extremely proud of her daughter and all the achievements she is working for. Lori Solomon mentioned how when she was the same age as Marley Solomon, she volunteered in many organizations as well.

“I’m so proud of Marley for participating in such amazing programs and giving her time to help others,” Lori Solomon said. “It’s very rare to see kids Marley’s age wanting to participate in volunteering activities during their free time.”

Niño mentioned how when Solomon was on this trip, she was super jealous, not only because she was in California with a bunch of friends, but also because she was making a huge impact on someone’s life.

“I wish I could have hopped on a plane and went on the same trip Marley did,” Niño said. “Hopefully, in the future, I’ll be able to go on a teen tour as well and do some volunteering like Marley.”

Solomon said everyone who worked at the food bank was super friendly and patient with all of the volunteers.

Solomon said most of the volunteers have never done anything like this before, including herself, so learning how to do everything did take some time to learn and comprehend.

“All of my friends and I were really excited to try a new experience,” Solomon said. “I was really relieved once I got there because the workers were really helpful and nice.”

Lori Solomon mentioned she was not nervous or didn’t have any second thoughts of sending Marley away for the summer and she knew for a fact Marley was going to be fine.

“Marley went to sleepaway camp since she was a little girl, so I knew she was going to be fine going to California,” Lori Solomon said. “Also, knowing Marley was going to be doing some volunteering while she was gone left a good feeling with me.”

Solomon is the Student Government Association Harvest Drive Chair, so she has had the opportunity to run Harvest Drive for the past two years as well as this current school year. Solomon said this is a huge responsibility for her, but she is always ready to take on a challenge.

“Running Harvest Drive is super stressful at times, but it’s definitely all worth it in the end,” Solomon said. “I love being the leader of things and taking charge, so everything runs smoothly.”

Solomon said she collects food and items people bring and donate to the school and it takes about a month to collect a good amount of food to give away. She said she makes sure to advertise Harvest Drive on all her social media platforms to get the word out.

“I make sure to post about Harvest Drive every day to just keep reminding people about it,” Solomon said. “I personally donate a box or bag of food every other day that I bought myself from Publix.”

Niño said every year she donates at least one item for the Harvest Drive

photos submitted by marley solomon

helping hands: (From top) junior Marley Solomon volunteers at the Los Angeles food bank in California on a teen tour. Solomon and sophomore Rachel Supnick work together to provide supplies to those in need. Solomon said she spends her free time volunteering whenever she can because she has a passion for helping others.

because she feels it’s the right action to take. Niño said even one small can that is donated can help change at least one person’s life.

“When Harvest Drive comes around, I make sure to donate at least one thing every year,” Niño said. “There is no harm in driving over to Publix or CVS and picking up on product or type of food to donate.”

Solomon said after they collected all of the items last year, they had a lot left over; as a result, she and some of her friends brought it to a homeless shelter here in Florida. Solomon and her friends got to hand the food to people, which she said was life changing.

“Going to the homeless shelter was definitely super eye opening for me and my friends,” Solomon said. “I recommend [to] everyone to at least once in their lives do anything they can to help out the less fortunate, who unfortunately do not have what we all have.”

Lori Solomon said she doesn’t help Marley with any part of the Harvest Drive. She said Solomon got involved in Harvest Drive by herself and has been doing an amazing job.

“I am pretty impressed with Marley for getting into being in charge of the Harvest Drive on her own,” Lori Solomon said. “I surprisingly didn’t have to tell her to even think about getting involved.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

Month celebrates Hispanic culture by colin crawford features editor

Every year, across the United States, people celebrate their roots during Hispanic Heritage Month. For junior Veronica Macias, Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate Hispanic culture and teach others what the month is about. Macias said the month isn’t just about celebrating Hispanic culture, but also about the people who appreciate the beauty of it. She said the Bay gives the Hispanic community a lot of representation through events like International Fest and the decorations that were put up during the month.

“I think [the Bay] did a good job this year, but I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month,” Macias said. “I do love International Fest and how well [the Bay] represents every single Latin American country that we have. We have food; we have games and it’s honestly an amazing event that everyone looks forward to during the year.”

Macias said she believes International Fest, an annual event organized by P.R.I.D.E which took place on Oct. 21, can teach students about different cultures and because the event involves so many clubs, it is an effective way to educate people.

Macias said the decorations which were used for the event were extremely well done.

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I think that the Spanish Club did a great job decorating some of the classroom doors; nonetheless, more can be done in the future.

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-Spanish 4 teacher Ailen Batton

photo submitted by isabella flanagan

speaking out: Junior Veronica Macias leads a Spanish Honor Society meeting by informing members of upcoming events they can participate in to help the Hispanic community. Macias said one of her main goals is to regularly provide donations to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Detention Center in Miramar. She said she feels the Bay should do more to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.

“It wasn’t just one club doing it; it was a collaboration of clubs coming together and learning about one specific country and sharing it with the rest of the school, which I think is really cool,” Macias said.

“I think kids can become experts on one country, just by setting up decorations [or] banners, so I thought that was really cool.”

Similarly, sophomore Ian Jimenez said he thinks events like International Fest can teach tolerance as well as fight ignorance. He said even though the school promotes events like this, he believes Hispanic Heritage Month passes by unnoticed and the school should do more to support it.

“To be honest, I don’t think [the Bay] did the best job of celebrating this month because I have barely heard anything about it from the school council or the student government since the start of the month,” Jimenez said. “Despite this, I think Hispanics celebrate [the month] every day by feeling comfortable with speaking their own language or eating their own food and continuing to practice their own customs in a country unknown to them.”

Although Jimenez said he doesn’t think the school administration does enough to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month, he said he recognizes the administration’s support of the Hispanic community like the steps taken to ensure people are welcomed at the Bay. He said he feels all students are treated equally, regardless of their cultural ancestry or what languages they speak.

“I think [the] administration does support the Hispanic community, enough.

Many of the people in administration are bilingual; and even if they’re not, you feel them try their hardest to make people of the Hispanic community feel comfortable,” Jimenez said. “One example is that there’s a specific counselor for ESOL. I, myself, don’t have [the ESOL counselor] as a counselor, but this can make it much easier for someone from the Hispanic community to connect with the school and it integrates.”

Spanish 3 and 4 Honors teacher and Spanish Honor Society (SHS) adviser Ailén Batton said she liked the

decorations Spanish Club put up for Hispanic Heritage Month, but she also said more should be done to celebrate, and those ideas should come from the students themselves, not administration.

“I think that the Spanish Club did a great job decorating some of the classroom doors; nonetheless, more can be done in the future,” Batton said. “I believe that [Hispanic Heritage Month ideas] should be done via the clubs and via the students and administration will support what the clubs come up with, but it should definitely come from our students.”

Batton said the best aspect about Hispanic Heritage Month is showing others why Hispanic culture is so amazing. She said being able to learn more about any culture is beneficial to students, which is why she includes cultural activities in her class.

“We do different activities in class throughout the year; [Spanish class] is the perfect place to learn [Spanish culture] and it also makes the class fun,” Batton said. “We all come from different places and backgrounds and we need to be able to accept each other. The more we know about other people and their cultures, the more tolerant we will be of that culture.”

Macias is the president of SHS at the Bay and said she wants to help the Hispanic community through her position. Macias said she is trying to expand this effort to the people who are being held at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Miramar, Florida. According to Macias, people can stand in line for hours waiting for water and food.

“I think the best thing to do is give them some water, some food, some snacks and some clothes,” Macias said.

“Some people, most people, who are at that detention center come here with the clothes on their backs and nothing else [in order] to find new opportunities.”

Similar to Jimenez, Macias said she feels the hallway decorations were lacking, however, she also said there are other ways to promote Hispanic culture than through decorating the hallways.

She said students should stand up for what they believe in and protect Hispanic

culture year-round and not just think of it as happening one month during the year.

“I think hallway decorations are the base for us to learn more about countries, but there’s much more that we could do to inform kids of tolerance toward Hispanic culture,” Macias said. “By [promoting Hispanic culture] not only as a club, but individually, every time you feel like somebody is uncomfortable by a comment or if a comment is generalizing our culture, calling it out is one of the best things to do to change our community.”

Jimenez said he feels his Hispanic heritage has made him a better person.

He said celebrating his Venezuelan roots makes him proud and he said the fact he can celebrate his culture in another country also makes him proud.

“I am very proud of my heritage. I grew up in a very passionate and friendly culture with good morals and I feel like I wouldn’t be the same person I am today, if it weren’t for my Hispanic heritage,” Jimenez said. “Hispanic Heritage Month, for me, amplifies pride because it’s comforting to know that even in a foreign country, the culture of my family and the people like me is celebrated and welcome, and this makes me, and others in the Hispanic community very proud of our roots.”

Batton said Hispanic Heritage Month should be taken as an opportunity to educate students about Hispanic culture; she said she wants more students to be exposed to Hispanic culture through activities. Batton said gaining more knowledge about culture is beneficial to everyone and her favorite part of the month is seeing so much representation of the Hispanic countries.

“Being able to show what Hispanic culture is all about, the different cultures, how rich it is and how diverse it is because not all Hispanic countries have the same customs, food, dances, et cetera,” Batton said. “Learning the cultures of others makes us better members of the world.”

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haunted halloween Students at the Bay get into the Halloween spirit by attending horror-themed events. by sabrina olivieri business manager

According to junior Joey Milberg, spooky season has started, and it is celebrated during the month of October.

He said the entire month is filled with going to events such as pumpkin patches, horror movie nights, costume contests and theme park events. The goal of these events is to celebrate the season until Halloween happens. Milberg said the definition of spooky season brings him mixed emotions such as happiness and fear.

“Spooky season is the time of year, specifically in October, where everything seems spookier; it’s the perfect time to settle in and watch scary movies and just do whatever’s scary to you,” Milberg said.

“Spooky season should be celebrated because of how fun it is. You can watch a horror movie any time of the year, but it hits different during this time. It gives you an excuse to be with people you love and enjoy something scary.”

There are many ways to celebrate the season alone or with people. Some ways people celebrate are pranking and scaring photo submitted by Joey milberg people by inviting them to participate in a haunted house. Senior Marco Cardinal season: (From left) juniors Adrian Valdes, Camila Martinez, Ana said it is essential for him to go scare Spooky people from different ages, especially Sofia Lopez, Melanie Rojas, Joey Milberg and Lana Martin all participate in children. Cardinal scares people from all Enigma Haunt to get into the Halloween spirit. Milberg said he enjoys going ages by creating a haunted house every to events such as Enigma Haunt because they frighten him by having scary elements, but he still has fun while attending the haunted house. year with his family.

He said getting ready for spooky season makes his family connect more with each other.

“My family was my first influence in celebrating Halloween. Ever since I was a little boy, my father has always taught me to decorate as much as possible for the occasion,” Cardinal said. “This time of the year always brings me and my dad closer because I understand his passion of decorating our house for Halloween and it makes me passionate for the season too.”

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This time of the year always brings me and my dad closer because I understand his passion of decorating our house for Halloween and it makes me passionate for the season too.

“

Spooky season is the time of year, specifically in October, where everything seems spookier; it’s the perfect time to settle in and watch scary movies and just do whatever’s scary to you.

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-junior Joey Milberg

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-senior Marco Cardinal Annually, the Cardinal household creates a Halloween haunted house called “Cardinal Haunt” for everyone to enjoy and scare themselves, while they participate and celebrate the season.

This year’s theme was a cemetery and one of the main decorations was caution tape surrounding the whole house.

Brandon Cardinal, Cardinal’s father, said he would’ve never thought a simple decoration would ultimately become a famous haunted house that everyone wants to go to.

begins and everyone starts talking about Halloween and decorating their houses.

I love this season because I think it’s a scary experience, but 100 percent worth it to spend with my friends.”

Recently, more and more Halloween events have been created for people who love spooky season. Local events in Florida include Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, Busch Gardens’ HowlO-Scream and Enigma Haunt, a haunted house in Boca Raton. Cardinal said he was surprised of how Halloween Horror Nights didn’t meet his expectations.

“It became an annual [tradition] for me to go to Halloween Horror Nights ever since I was 13 years old,” Cardinal said.

“It is an incredible year with interesting haunted houses and thrilling scare zones, but honestly this year was kind of different and not that scary.”

Milberg attended this year’s Enigma Haunt with six friends. Enigma Haunt is a location with three haunted houses; Milberg attended the Cursed haunted house. He considered this day to be one of his greatest memories when it comes to the celebration of spooky season. He said the experience is nothing like anything he has ever seen before because it mixes up actors and monsters that look extremely realistic.

“I go every year to events like the Enigma Haunt and Halloween Horror Nights, but by far, my favorite this year was Enigma. I went to the Demented Escape Room, which is an escape room that takes place in a morgue and has live actors in it and that’s really fun and scary,” Milberg said. “[My friends and I] were all terrified and fell down a lot. It was a truly amazing experience.”

Graphic by sandra talledo

“I first created this Halloween experience years ago as a small thing; and only [the Cardinals] would experience it, but after some time, it gradually became this massive thing that everyone around our neighborhood can come and enjoy it,” Cardinal said. “I don’t think it is important to celebrate [the spooky season], however, it is a time for kids and adults to get easily scared and have fun at the same time.”

The spooky season is celebrated all around the world. Countries like Brazil have adopted the American culture and

children are receiving candy and scaring their friends and family with masks of monsters. Freshman Luana Becker said she learned more about Halloween back in her country, Brazil, because of her parents’ influence on her life.

“My parents first showed me what Halloween means and honestly; I am really glad they did show me because it’s a unique experience that happens only once a year,” Becker said. “Spooky season is when Fall

Some students utilize this season to express themselves by dressing up in costumes. For Becker, costumes are an important part of Halloween. She said she needs to brainstorm ideas for costumes way before the actual date to see if it is perfect.

“Not going to lie, this year was kind of difficult to decide what I was going to wear this Halloween. My friends tried to help me and I was still confused on what to wear,” Becker said. “So then, three days before Oct. 31, I had two incredible ideas for costumes. I was either going to be a sunflower or a lifeguard for the night. I decided to be a lifeguard, because I really like the ocean and the beach.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

Seasonal pursuits promote fall spirit

by sophia zapata

Since autumn is in full swing, students at the Bay are getting into the fall spirit by participating in seasonal activities like going on hayrides and visiting pumpkin patches. Junior Lily De La Rosa recently visited the Flamingo Road Nursery in Davie with her mother, Heidi, and her younger sister, Paulina.

“My favorite part about going was seeing all of the little kids running around and having fun,” Rosa said. “It reminded me of how excited I used to get during Halloween when I was younger.”

Rosa said she visits the nursery every year, but this was her first time going during the fall season. She said she loved seeing the decorations, like scarecrows and faux fall leaves, and picking out pumpkins to carve.

“I tend to look for pumpkins that are misshapen or odd,” Rosa said. “I like the ones that do not look like the others; it is more fun to have a silly-looking pumpkin than one that is just normal.”

Senior Anthony Guadagnino also took part in pumpkin picking this autumn when he went to Family Farms, located next to Southwest Ranches, with his grandfather, William Mendez, and his mother, Sabrina Mendez.

“I’ve gone to pumpkin patches ever since I was little; it’s always been my favorite part of Halloween,” Guadagnino said. “It’s a tradition in my family that I don’t think we’ll ever stop doing.”

On his day trip to the farm, Guadagnino said he went on hayrides and fed carrots and corn to the various farm animals that roamed around the pasture. Although Guadagnino enjoyed petting the goats and cows, he said pumpkin painting was his favorite activity.

“They conveniently have a bunch of picnic tables set up where you can eat and paint pumpkins,” Guadagnino said. “And you also have chickens running around at your feet; it’s really fun.”

Guadagnino said he visits a pumpkin patch every year during fall and has gone to various ones located all around Broward County. Out of all of the pumpkin patches he has visited, he said the one he visited this year was his favorite.

“This farm just has a really warm feeling to it,” Guadagnino said. “It’s very family-oriented and you can tell that the people who set it up put a lot of work into it.”

Guadagnino’s mom, Sabrina Mendez, also said she feels this patch was her favorite one out of any other pumpkin patches she has visited. She said the atmosphere of the farm was welcoming and inviting.

“I wish we started coming here sooner,” Sabrina Mendez said. “Even though it was super hot outside, I never wanted to leave because I was having so much fun.”

Anthony Guadagnino’s grandfather, William Mendez, said he loved the food and he has never been to a pumpkin patch

photo by sophia zapata

farm fun: Senior Anthony Guadagnino feeds carrots and corn to the sheep in the pasture on his visit to Family Farms. Other animals on the grounds include cows and chickens. Guadagnino said this activity, along with pumpkin picking, made this location his favorite farm of all.

which has had so many food options. He said having food available added to his experience and made the farm unique.

“They barbecued the food in front of you and that made it feel like I was at an old-fashioned family cookout,” William Mendez said. “Sitting down and eating a hot dog, while painting pumpkins is definitely part of the experience.”

William Mendez said he has been going to pumpkin patches with his family ever since his grandkids were young and enjoys painting pumpkins with them every fall. He said seeing what they paint each year has been a part of watching them grow up.

“I always put our pumpkins up as decorations on Halloween night,”

William Mendez said. “It always amazes me what they come up with to paint.”

Sabrina Mendez said while the rest of her family prefers to paint the pumpkins they bring home, she enjoys carving intricate designs and putting the pumpkins on display outside her front door. She said although it can be a lot of work, it’s worth it in the end.

“After I’ve been carving pumpkins for a while, it begins to feel like a job rather than something you do for fun,” Sabrina Mendez said. “But when I put the candle inside of them and set them down on the porch, I remember why I do it every Halloween.”

Horse riding sparks equestrian love By agavni Mehrabi

Ever since she was four years old, English 2 Regular and Honors and AICE English Language teacher Christy Wagner said she has had a special place in her heart for horses. She said her fondness for these animals encouraged her to enter the world of horseback riding.

“I now know that it was from the very first second I toddled up to my family’s Tennessee walking horse back in Texas that the love affair began,” Wagner said.

“I didn’t even want to go home after my first contact; and my mother had trouble getting me into the car.”

Wagner said horses are her favorite animal because of the way their cooperative nature allows humans to ride them. She said she even enjoys the caretaking portion of horse riding as an extension of the coexistence between man and steed.

“The fact that I have a large 1200-pound animal that will trust me and cooperate with me is amazing,” Wagner said. “I also enjoy having my horse happy, healthy and comfortable, because it is just another part of building on that partnership.”

Like Wagner, sophomore Jadyn Beard said her interest in horse riding originates from the unique relationship between the rider and the horse. She said she relates the sense of psychological association involved to the way characters in the movie “Avatar” physically connected to their creatures.

“This relationship is a secure bond that you feel safe in; and it is a connection that you cannot get with any other person,”

Beard said. “The way your hearts connect is like how people in ‘Avatar’ connected their hair, since you can look into [a horse’s] eyes and see what they see or feel whatever they feel.”

Wagner said her favorite horse is her mare named Abby. She said her love for her pet stemmed from fond memories of riding together, despite the financial sacrifices made.

“Sometimes, I would have to do more tutoring to afford her shoes, but I would do that all over again because she was worth every single cent,” Wagner said.

“We have had so much fun together, while doing everything from riding through moonlit cemeteries to chomping through sunny cornfields."

When talking about horse breeds, Wagner said it is difficult for her to choose which one she prefers best. However, she said one of her favorite types are the hot blooded thoroughbreds she encounters as a part of her riding exercises.

“I was nine years old when I had my first contact with thoroughbred racehorses and I have liked them ever since because they are bred to go forward,” Wagner said. “I have gone 45 mph on top of a two million dollar race horse; and that is just sheer joy.”

Beard said her favorite part of horse riding would have to be jumping, although the world of English equestrian includes many other categories. It contains the three subcategories of dressage, show jumping and cross-country riding which can each be composed of smaller sections.

“Dressage reveals the artistic aspect of riding in that it is a kind of horse ballet where the horse will dance along

photo submitted by jadyn beard

saddle up: Sophomore Jadyn Beard practices with one of the horses at

Mariposa Farms. Beard trains frequently in a variety of different subdivisions of jump riding, such as hunters, equitation and jumpers. Ultimately, she said riding is an activity that gives her a feeling of unbridled harmony with the horses she rides with.

to music; and cross-country jumping is a cool natural obstacle course,” Beard said.

“My favorite part of riding would have to be jumping, because it gives you a sense of freedom, unlike anything else.”

Similar to Beard, junior Maia Lacroze said riding is a multilayered sport. She said she recognizes the overall physical rigor that identifies it as an athletic activity, while also valuing the elegance that sets it apart.

“It’s an exercise for both horse and human by heavily testing your balance, training your muscles and acting as a workout for the horse,” Lacroze said.

“Riding also incorporates elements of art,

grace and harmony that do not come with other sports.”

Lacroze said the most important component of horse riding in general is to have fun. She said her personal experience has taught her the versatile nature of riding makes it something for everyone to enjoy, whether for competition or for leisure.

“A lot of my time off during my childhood in Argentina was spent in the countryside, and spending time with horses definitely gave me a soft spot for equestrian,” Lacroze said. “In my opinion, riding for leisure is every bit as artful as competitive riding is.”

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FEATURES

AMPUS Fashion trends come and go, but the worldwide designer brands that create them are known for staying relevant.

According to senior Bianca Piva, over the years, she has collected a number of accessories from different fashion seasons from brands such as Louis Vuitton, Channel and Tory Burch.

“The majority of my accessories are purses, so I only use them when there’s a special occasion like going out with my family,” Piva said. “The only accessory that I bring is my Louis Vuitton key holder, but I see a lot of students who use designer clothes and bring expensive accessories to school, probably because they want to look good.”

Unlike Piva, freshman Matthew Maykut has only one item from a famous brand, one that, according to him, is popular among teenagers: Gucci slides.

He said he usually comes to school with clothes that were thought out and not last-minute choices, but there are times where he doesn’t have the energy to think about his clothes.

“I like coming to school dressed up; when I look at myself in the mirror, it makes me feel really good.

There are very few times that you’ll see me wearing my Gucci slides,” Maykut said. “I normally don’t use them because I don’t like showing off, but when I’m feeling really tired, I’ll just put them on.”

Maykut said his reason to buy the Gucci slides was his friends had told him they were extremely comfortable, but because the prices for them are usually around $200, he was in doubt. He said he then decided to check the reviews for them online and when he saw that the majority was positive, he was convinced.

“When I told my parents that I wanted the Gucci slides, they said no at first because of the price and I agreed with them on that,” Maykut said. “Later, I asked for the slides as a gift and I got them for Christmas, but it took a lot of convincing for that to happen.”

Piva said she wanted to buy the key holder because it was trendy and some of her close friends had it as well.

Her parents only agreed to buy the accessory if it was as a present for her birthday, since it was expensive. She said even though she was delighted with the gift, she would never show it off since it would be unfair to other students.

“I don’t like when students show off the expensive things they have because not everyone has the same opportunities, or means, to have those things laying around their house,” Piva said. “I know people that can’t have those things and showing off what I have would only make them feel bad.”

Economics and Government Honors teacher Joshua Shapiro said he has a similar opinion when it comes to students who like to boast about the items they have. In his economics classes, topics can relate to renting a house to buying clothes and he tells his students people don’t value what they have until they’re the ones paying for it.

“I worry about students who only wear high-end brands [and] not understanding the value of them and the hard work it takes for them to purchase [the items],” Shapiro said. “I think if the students did pay for them, they would have a better appreciation of these products.”

Sophomore Nick Porras said his everyday clothes are usually from known brands such as Gucci, Dior and Louis Vuitton and they are mostly for practical use since he wears them to school.

“I mainly use them every day because those are the majority of my clothes, but also because I can throw them in the washer over and over and they won’t shrink or de-color,” Porras said. “After a while, I realized that with the name comes quality usually; some brands don’t have it, but most of them do and as you wear [the clothes] is as if you bought it new.”

Porras is a reseller, so with the money he receives from selling the items from the known brands, he is able to afford to buy those same items on his own. He said because of the money he earns, he has the status to buy what he likes.

“A little over a year ago, Nike and Off-White collaborated and I made a lot of money [because] of that; whenever I have [the] money to buy clothes, I most definitely will,” Porras said. “There are some students, here, that also wear a lot of expensive clothes and the majority of them are like me; we use them because it’s what we can afford, not to show off.”

According to Shapiro, high-end items such as clothes are, besides the amount of recognition they receive, no different than what ‘normal’ clothes are. The only high-end brand items he has are Rolex and Tag watches because that’s where his interests are.

“I’m not really interested in clothes from expensive brands because no matter how good the brand material is known for, all clothes wear out,” Shapiro said. “I usually buy new clothes when they’re already on sale because it’s way more affordable and the clothes remain brand new.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

NOVEMBER 2019

BY ROXY CARR

LAYOUT BY SOPHIE GAER

At the Bay, students are involved in various activities that they use as an outlet to express their creativity. Sophomore Faith Vargas plays the acoustic guitar in her free time to relieve stress and express her thoughts with musical composition.

“I’ve loved music since I was in elementary school,” Vargas said. “I started off playing the piano just to learn music notes, but I got bored so I transitioned into guitar.”

Vargas said she prefers playing acoustic guitar over electric guitar because of the tranquil sounds the acoustic instrument makes. She said she prefers acoustic guitar because the sounds feel more timid and beautiful to her. When composing her music, she said she lets her fingers roam around the strings freely until they strum a chord that appeals to her.

“My artistry is best expressed through my slower songs,” Vargas said. “I really enjoy writing the musical notes down on paper; the symbols themselves are so complex and meaningful to me. In my opinion, it’s the best part.”

Like Vargas, who expresses her creativity with a unique pastime, junior Andres Ramirez said he uses skateboarding as an outlet to express his creativity. Ramirez has been skating for more than a decade; he learned to skateboard in Venezuela when he was six and then fell in love with the activity. Even though skateboarding is his hobby, Ramirez said he takes it seriously; he has participated in various competitions across the country. He said he usually competes in Houston, Texas, due to how popular skateboarding is there.

“Competitions are difficult, especially because of the age gap,” Ramirez said. “Competitors are usually much older and also might have a natural talent for skateboarding, which doesn’t come easily.”

Ceramics 1 teacher Jill Malone’s favorite art form is drawing and painting; she said her inspiration comes from her emotions and state of mind. She said she uses art to express her feelings through a unique medium. According to Malone, art helps her release her negative emotions. She said her favorite time to pick up a paintbrush is when she’s stressed out or upset, as it can instantly make her feel better.

“I’ve been interested in painting and sketching since I was in high school,” Malone said. “I took a few

classes in high school and then in college, I really loved it.”

Malone said her favorite medium is graphite pencil.

She said, more than anything, drawing is what allows her to express herself. She said the simplicity of graphite, when it’s used in artwork, has the power of conveying complex messages even though it lacks color; she said the message of an art piece can have a different meaning to everyone who analyzes it.

“Sketching is my absolute favorite,” Malone said. “Creating shadows and depth with these pencils really brings my art to life.”

Even though he has skated with various skateboard brands, Ramirez said he prefers Element skateboards because they suit his style of riding. He also uses Mob griptape on top of his skateboard deck because it helps his feet grip onto the board properly. He said he doesn’t like when his feet slip off his skateboard. Griptape is one of his essentials; it doesn’t matter if he skates in Weston or if he is in a competition setting, he never forgets to put it on his deck.

“I’ve been using Mob Griptape ever since I first started skating,” Ramirez said. “It’s a timeless product that’s always worked in my favor.”

Ramirez also stresses the importance of the specific types of shoes he wears when he skates. According to Ramirez, his shoes need to have thick rubber soles and padding, which is meant to absorb heavy impact.

“Adidas and Vans have always been my goto shoes,” Ramirez said. “They’re sturdy, long lasting and most importantly, they feel great when I wear them.”

Like Ramirez and his shoe preference, Vargas prefers to use a specific type of guitar pick when she plays. She said her personal favorite picks are made by Fender, a brand that specializes in developing bass guitars. Even though she plays the acoustic guitar, Fenders are Vargas’ favorite brand when choosing a guitar pick because they are durable, smooth and fit her fingers perfectly.

“I prefer to use guitar picks instead of my fingers when I play

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guitar,” Va r g a s said. “It hurts when I use my fingers because they’re too soft to handle the friction from the strings; guitar picks are my best bet if I have to play a faster, more intricate tune.”

Like Malone, junior Isa Leombruno uses painting and drawing to express herself creatively. She is currently taking AICE Painting Materials and took AP Art History last year. Next year, she hopes to qualify to take AP Studio Art. Leombruno said she has been interested in art since she was in middle school, but when she got to high school, she started taking her talent seriously and began to practice whenever she had the time.

“My favorite mediums are watercolor and colored pencil,” Leombruno said. “The brand I prefer is Fantasia; their paints are beautiful and vibrant.”

Leombruno said she is inspired by organic objects like nature and people in general. Greenery and facial features are the aspects she finds most interesting about her subjects. But recently, Leombruno said the demands of a structured art class have taken a toll on her creative process.

“Since I’m required to paint for AICE Painting Materials, there’s always pressure on me to do a good job; and it doesn’t feel as fun,” Leombruno said. “It’s less like a hobby and more like a job, nowadays; it just feels unnatural.”

Whenever Ramirez has free time, he said he usually hangs around the skate park with his friends, practicing tricks and various skating techniques. The first trick Ramirez learned was a kickflip when he was seven. According to him, the joy he felt after finally getting it right was what made him fall in love with skateboarding.

“My favorite tricks are heelflips, fakie big spins and tre-flips,” Ramirez said. “The tre-flip is the hardest; I’ve only managed to do it a couple times.”

The hardest song Vargas said she has ever tried to play was “Blackbird” by the Beatles. According to her, it took months to master, but in the end, she thought it was worth all her effort. To learn the song, she would practice it for at least half an hour every day.

“I ended up playing the hardest song, ‘Blackbird,’ for my music recital,” Vargas said. “Playing the hardest song I’ve ever learned in front of my entire family and friends was indescribably empowering for me.”

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NOVEMBER 2019

THe things they carried FEATURING Melanie ROJas AND HER BACKPACK “The Things They Carried” is a recurring segment that examines the personalities of students through the contents of their backpacks. This month, staffer Sandra Talledo interviews junior Melanie Rojas to discover the meaning behind five items.

Notebook Rojas also makes sure to carry a notebook or her planner to doodle in to keep herself from falling asleep during class.

She has numerous pages in several notebooks dedicated to doodling, some have writing as well. She said once she feels herself getting tired, she’ll grab a pencil or pen from her pencil case and just start doodling.

“I often write ‘wake up’ several times over to keep me from nodding off; focusing on it helps me stop closing my eyes,” Melanie said.

“I also like to practice drawing people without looking during class. I feel almost accomplished when I look down and see the drawing.”

Metal Straw Rojas often shares drinks with friends, so she carries a metal straw around to easily share with them without having to use plastic straws. She said when she goes out, it is nice to have it handy. She also said she prefers metal straws to paper, so she decided to carry around her own.

“Once, I went to a restaurant that had paper straws. I decided to start carrying around my own,” Rojas said. “Whenever I need it and actually have the straw, it feels great to take it out. It makes me feel like I’m doing something good, maybe it’s a small thing, but anything is better than nothing.”

Spray Bottle Carrying a spray bottle filled with water is Rojas’ choice in fighting her and her friends’ sleepiness in class. She began bringing it to school with her earlier this school year after one of her friends repeatedly fell asleep in the class they have together. Their solution came to purchasing the bottle at a dollar store, though they initially tried other methods.

“She kept falling asleep and I wasn’t always able to shake her awake, so it seemed perfect to spray her with water,” Rojas said. “It’s been really effective; if the water’s cold, it works even better.”

Napkins There are several napkins from different restaurants residing in Rojas’ bag. She said she always puts the extra napkins into her bag or car, so they have built up to a large quantity. She also said she often needs them or is with someone who needs one, so they’ve been extremely helpful.

“There have been occasions where my friends spill something or get hurt and need a napkin or something,” Rojas said. “I like being able to whip one out and save the day.

Also, I don’t want my car to get a mess, so I always have some in there.”

Extra Shirts Rojas often has extra shirts in her backpack as well. She said it is not always consistent, but she sometimes borrows her friends’ shirts and will have them in her bag to give back. According to Rojas, it is convenient when she wears long sleeves and wants to change into a t-shirt when it is hot.

“Right now I have the 2021 class shirt that I just bought, but I feel like I always have some shirt in my bag,” Rojas said.

“Usually, I have to give a shirt or other item back to my friends, so I’ll put it in my bag. It’s nice when I happen to have one of my own when I need it.”

“

Usually, I have to give a shirt or other item back to my friends, so I’ll put it in my bag. It’s nice when I happen to have one of my own when I need it.

-junior Melanie Rojas

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NOVEMBER 2019

College Circuit

Tuition: $45,320

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Undergraduate Enrollment: 8,623

SAT ACT Composite: Composite: 1480-1600 32-35

The Princeton University is a private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey with more than 8,623 students. Class of 2019 alumnus Juan Salazar is a freshman at the university.

He spoke to The Circuit’s Anamaria Camara via FaceTime to discuss his experience so far.

I’m in the Bachelor of Science and Engineering (BSE) program, which is engineering, and I plan on majoring in a special major offered here called Operations Research Financial Engineering (ORFE) in order to maybe go into consulting after graduation. The ultimate goal is to work in consulting for a few years then start my own company, but who knows how that Why did you choose to attend will change over the years.

Princeton?

I chose to attend Princeton because I How is college different than high applied early and got in, so I don’t think school?

I’d prefer any other place over it. I visCollege has been different from high ited a couple of other places junior year school in that you have nobody telling and Princeton was really unique because you what to do and it is fully up to you to of how it doesn’t have any professional manage your time and activities, so that schools [like business, medical and law] everything gets done. Being an engineerinstead it’s something like 80 percent ing student is also a different experience, undergraduate students and there’s only since each week my work is mainly probaround 5000 of us, so it’s pretty similar in lem sets instead of readings, which tend to size to [the Bay], which I enjoy. I felt like take a pretty long time.

Princeton was an optimal place to pursue my future goals.

What advice would you give to a student who might want to attend PrincWhat do you want to do with your eton? degree when you graduate?

The advice I would give a student

Percent of applicants admitted: 7%

Photo courtesy of collegeconsensus.com

would be to find a couple of things which you genuinely care about and act on them to a high degree. And also, of course, keep the best grades you can. If you can show the admissions office you’re an individual who has something genuine to add to the class and the university community as a whole, you’ll have the best chance.

How have you grown as a person while studying at Princeton?

Freshman year for engineering students here is pretty uniform: physics, math, chemistry and then an elective. The other classes have definitely been challenging, but when your life is revolving around school, working at a high pace, it isn’t so bad. I definitely feel more confident in my ability to do things I didn’t think I was really capable of, which is pretty nice.

How did the Bay prepare you for college?

Taking a lot of Advanced Placement (AP) courses at [the Bay] helped me acclimate to the speed of classes at Princeton

nicely; but honestly, college is just a completely different beast that people have to learn to work with.

What opportunities have you had as a student at Princeton?

I have been able to join various student groups, which have led to opportunities for summers interning in cool places like Paris, but with work that doesn’t interest me such as TV production. Other than that, I have applied to tech/startup style internships through the school, which are available to first and second year students in places like New York and California.

Beyond internships themselves, there’s lots of opportunities to build a resumé because of how the school funds student led projects. You just need to find what you enjoy doing, which is definitely the hardest part. The academic side of opportunity is a completely different conversation, but also really open to people, whether they’re interested in careers doing research or not.

In this issue’s recurring segment that gives students an opportunity to learn more about the teachers they see every day, staffer Gabriella Barraza interviews Algebra 2 Honors and Geometry Honors teacher Evonne Pankowski. dents make their own style of notes with highlighters to get themselves to focus and memorize information better as well, which I think is a creative and artistic method of studying.

What jobs had you done before you became a teacher and why did you switch?

One of my jobs before teaching was selling clothes. I worked at a motorcycle shop. I was a bank teller and I worked as a camp counselor at a Jewish Community Center.

I decided to switch to teaching because I am good at math and teaching, and the thought of having summers off seemed fun to me.

What creative approaches have you seen students engage in for your math classes that impresses you?

I’ve seen a lot of my students make study groups as well as Quizlets and flashcards. I’ve seen stu-

What interests do you pursue outside of the classroom?

I love music, so I am always going to concerts from artists I love. I enjoy sports as well, so I go to sports games, such as hockey, on my free time. I like to blog on Instagram because people are always asking me about my makeup and clothes, so I post trends I follow on my Instagram. I’m basically a “wannabe influencer.”

What is the most interesting story you have from your career?

My first year in this profession, I was teaching an Algebra 1 Honors class and all the students in my algebra class started a food fight in the cafeteria, so all the students could not go to the end of the year field trip for that

grade. I remember it was unexpected because it was my honors class, so they are supposed to be the most well behaved. I also remember going into the cafeteria and asking whose students were in trouble and it turned out to be my kids, which I later thought was funny.

What is your teaching philosophy?

My teaching philosophy is to connect with and engage my students, so they know that what I am teaching is valid and true. I think it’s important to be fun and take breaks because sometimes math can get tedious. I also think it is crucial to be up to date with testing expectations and students.

How do you get students to engage in the lesson?

If I see a kid dozing and not paying attention, I’ll walk near them to get them to pay attention. Sometimes, I like to play music in the background

and I give meaningful notes that make students learn and pay attention.

How do you think your interaction with students is important?

I think that my interaction with students is important because if they feel that a teacher is more interested and respects a student as an individual, instead of just as a student, they are more likely to learn lessons from the teacher.

How do you think teaching impacts students in their lives outside of school and in their future?

If teachers show they care, it can impact students outside of school because the students are being invested inside of school as people, rather than just academically, which helps with their lives beyond school.

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Fierce Fanatics Sports fans display their unwavering support for teams.

BY DARIAN TRABOLD

The Heat will regain control of the east this year

ONLINE SPORTS EDITOR

All over the world, sports have the power to unite people as they cheer for their favorite team. For junior Jared Schaffer, hockey has given him a sense of community he never thought he would find.

“I love the hockey community because, well, it’s in the title: community,” Schaffer said. “I’ve made potential lifelong friends from just being in and around the [hockey] community for a little over a year and I wouldn’t trade that for anything.”

Schaffer said he has been an avid fan of the Florida Panthers for as long as he can remember. His love for the Panthers, he said, came from his dad and his love for hockey.

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I don’t intend on pursuing a career in hockey, although I expect to watch the sport my whole life and maybe even get my kids into a career in hockey.

“

-junior Jared Schaffer “I was drawn to hockey from the very beginning. My dad is from [Philadelphia] and was a huge Cats fan when he moved here and my family is from Canada,” Schaffer said. “I love hockey because of the speed and intensity. you never see a moment where players are just standing around. it is non stop action till the period or game is over.”

Schaffer said he started an Instagram page dedicated to the Panthers called “@barkov.memes”. He said he was encouraged by one of his friends who started an account similar to his and it just took off from there.

“My page, @barkov.memes on Instagram, was inspired by my love to entertain. One of my good friends started a page similar and inspired me to do the same. It has been a wild year and a half since I started it and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Schaffer said.

While he said he doesn’t intend on having a career in hockey, Schaffer said he will be involved in the sport for the rest of his life.

“I don’t intend on pursuing a career in hockey, although I expect to watch the sport my whole life and maybe even get my kids into a career in hockey,” Schaffer said.

Similar to Schaffer, junior Ruby Manzari said she got her love of hockey from her dad. She said her dad was a huge hockey fan and instilled that same passion in her.

“I grew up watching hockey with my dad. We spent hours just watching games and cheering for our favorite team,” Manzari said. “Sometimes we would go to hockey games and they were some of my fondest memories.”

Along with loving the sport of hockey

Photo SUBMITTED by Darian Trabold

(From left) junior Darian Trabold, Panthers player Hooked on hockey: Spencer Knight and junior Jared Schaffer rejoice after a Florida Panthers win.

Schaffer attends a Panthers game in support of his favorite hockey team. His support extends further than the ice, however, as he owns an instagram account dedicated solely to one of the Pathers players. The page displays his growing passion for the game of hockey, as well as the community and players within it.

Manzari said she also plays lacrosse.

She said even though she has only played lacrosse for a year she enjoys the challenge lacrosse presents.

“I started playing lacrosse last year but it has become something I love. I originally only joined because a few of my friends did,” Manzari said. “I had so much fun that first game I started to look forward to playing more and now lacrosse has become something I see myself doing for a long time.”

Junior Chloe Griffin said that even though she has only been involved in lacrosse since freshman year, it is something that has become an integral part of her life.

“I started playing lacrosse freshman year because before I was playing volleyball but I was stopping so I wanted to find a new sport to play,” Griffin said.

“I joined lacrosse with a bunch of my friends because we all wanted to play a sport in high school together and at the time I didn’t realize how much I would grow to love [lacrosse]” Griffin said her love for lacrosse has grown since she first joined. She said the pace of the game and playing with her friends has helped make the game enjoyable for her.

“My favorite part about playing lacrosse is the game itself. It’s a really fun sport and its really fast and requires a lot of skill and hard work to get good. I also like playing with my team and enjoy playing with my friends,” Griffin said.

Griffin said lacrosse has taught her a lot about life. She said it has taught her to always try her hardest because that is the only way she will get better.

“Lacrosse has taught me about life how if you want something you are going to have to work for it because it is not going to get easier unless you put the time to,” Griffin said. “Practice makes perfect, you just have to work for what you want and you could get it or get better.”

Griffin said she is not sure if she

will play lacrosse in college but she said she will definitely play recreationally wherever she lives as part of a club.

“I might play lacrosse in the future like in college I might play club lacrosse but I am not sure yet,” Griffin said. “I love the game and I would love to keep playing for as long as I can.”

Athletic Director Scott Selvidge said sports has a profound impact on the world. He said there have been a lot of breakthroughs that have empowered minorities and encouraged others to pursue their dreams.

“There have been so many breakthroughs for women, for minorities in sports historically speaking,” Selvidge said. “I think that’s probably its greatest impact in terms of empowering others and giving them an opportunity to achieve and generate success and in doing so motivate and inspire others.”

Selvidge said that as a former athlete he has an appreciation for those who work hard and are great at what they do. He said he also has fond memories of supporting his college teams at the University of Florida (UF).

“As a former athlete I think all of us who have played in our younger years have an appreciation for those who are great at what they do,” Selvidge said.

“From a college perspective going to the UF, that was a place where we convened on Saturdays in the Swamp to get together in support of the Gators.”

Selvidge said that sports can provide a place for those who back the same team to come together and cheer for their favorite team. He said it creates a sense of community that not all things have the power to do.

“I think sports provide an outlet to relax and enjoy each other outdoors or indoors,” Selvidge said. “It is fun to cheer passionately about something that in the grand scheme of things doesn’t bring any negativity, hopefully.”

Ever since the era of the “Big 3,” otherwise known as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat has not been anything special in the NBA. With the “Big 3,” the Heat was known as the best team in the NBA for several years and even won two out of four NBA championship titles during their reign. In recent years however, the Heat has not had any star players.

Although Wade only recently retired, he had seen major weaknesses in his game prior to doing so, as expected, and could not make nearly as massive an impact as he was able to in previous years. Despite the obstacles the Miami Heat has faced in past years, they are now on the rise. They acquired both Tyler Herro, a rookie out of Kentucky, and Jimmy Butler, an all-star shooting guard/small forward from the Philadelphia 76’ers, during the offseason.

Herro has shown an abundance of promise during the pre-season and clearly has a ton of potential. His shooting is as pure as can be and he seems to be tremendously intelligent in the game of basketball.

Butler, on the other hand, is the definition of a determined and disciplined player. He clocks into the gym several hours before practice and is a team player on the court. He shares the ball when necessary, but can score on command.

In addition to these two stars are players such as Dion Waiters and Kendrick Nunn.

Waiters is an experienced point guard and will serve as an excellent leader for his team this year.

Nunn, an undrafted rookie, also displayed great skill and discipline when on the court during the preseason. In fact, he scored 40 points in the final preseason game. Also, he looked extremely confident and dominant when on the court.

With these great players in the system alongside decorated head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Heat pose a great threat to the rest of the teams in the Eastern Conference. The Miami Heat will finish as a top three seed in the Eastern Conference and may even make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

The Heat did not only acquire guards and scorers during the offseason, but also Meyers Leonard, a 7’1” 245 lb powerhouse is a force to be reckoned with this season. He is a monster when it comes to rebounds and blocks and although he has not played much so far this year or had the greatest stat line, he has a major upside. He may be one of those players that shows up in a massive way once the playoffs roll around.

In conclusion, the Miami Heat have a tremendous amount of talent on their roster and a coach to guide this talent to the playoffs. While stars such as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant still lurk in the east coast, others, including Kawhi Leonard, left to the Western Conference which clears up the road for the Heat.

NOVEMBER 2019

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Lightning takes the win at homecoming game

BY SABRINA OLIVIERI Business Manager

The Bay’s football team finished the 2019-20 season by playing against the Cooper City Cowboys at a home game on Oct.1. Not only was this the last game of the season, it also served as the homecoming game and decided if the team would qualify for playoffs. Junior offensive lineman, Thomas Bagatini, said the team’s expectations were high because of the potential to win against their opponent.

“

Even though our position in the playoffs was not conquered, the boys did a great job playing this last game and past games as well.

“

-varsity football coach Joshua Shapiro

“There were some certain moments that were tough for us to play, but everything worked out great in the end,” Bagatini said. “As the season finishes up, we can clearly notice our improvements since our first game against the [South Plantation] Paladins; our coaches taught

a lot throughout this whole season for us to become more experienced players.”

The final outcome for the homecoming game was a home win with the score of 22-14. However, with a small difference of points, the team will not be eligible to play playoffs for this season. Coach Joshua Shapiro said he would always remind the team of their goals while practicing for all games.

“The main obstacle [as a football coach] is getting teenage boys to focus all of the time while practicing, but I kept reminding them about our main goals for the season,” Shapiro said. “Even though our position in the playoffs was not conquered, the boys did a great job playing this last game and past games as well.”

Junior Briana Farnsworth said she decided to be a major supporter for the team this season by attending all games during the season. She said she believes the season went well because all the boys displayed their talent on the field in their specific positions.

“I think all the players had their games when they were able to shine and really put forth their best and get the recognition they deserved for it,” Farnsworth said.

“Quite honestly, this past homecoming game was probably my favorite. The boys all clicked and worked really well together and overall just played super clean football while taking care of business.”

Photo by sophie gaer

it to win it: The Bay’s football team wins their last game of the season in with a score of 22-14 against the Cooper City Cowboys. The last game is also the homecoming game, so during halftime, Mr. and Mrs. Lightning is announced along with the rest of the homecoming court. Although they won, the Bay’s team still did not make it to playoffs this season.

As the season comes to an end, Junior quarterback Hayden Giles already has plans for the future when it comes to football. Giles said that he will most likely be more prepared for the upcoming season by working out more and having a balanced diet.

“I will be getting into a training program right after the season and I will be training with a personal trainer to get better with my game and be ready for next year,” Giles said. “I’ll start a nutrition plan and be working out every day so that

I’ll be ready. Even though our season is over, it’s time to get ready for next year.”

Bagatini said the feeling of this season was amazing and he will truly miss the team and playing for the Bay. “Even though I still got one more year, I’ll miss doing everything with my teammates such as practices, lifting and more activities we used to do during the season,” Bagatini said. “I feel like we all became closer and like a real family while supporting each other.”

Cheer teams encourage school spirit

BY ALEXA BRAXTON

The cheer seasons for both the junior varsity (JV) and varsity team have come to a close as the 2019-2020 varsity football season ended on Nov. 1 and JV ended the previous week. Both teams ended on a win and finished off the season with the annual pep rally event.

Every year, two cheerleaders get chosen to be captain of their grade for pep rally. Junior Jennifer Blardonis said she was excited to be chosen as one of them. She said she wanted to make a sideline routine and teach cheers that her grade would successfully comprehend and perform.

“I want everyone to have lots of school spirit this year at pep rally and I want to get the team to be hyped up and excited for it,” Blardonis said. “Hard work definitely pays off and I just have a feeling that this year’s pep rally is going to be the best one yet for not only the cheerleaders, but everyone else as well.”

One of the senior captains, Hattie Holliday, said she had high hopes for herself and the girls this year at pep rally because of how everyone on the team had been extremely motivated and all of the girls had definitely been looking forward to the event this year.

“I think being a senior and especially captain at pep rally is going to be the best time ever because seniors always tend to be more excited than everyone else since it’s their last year,” Holliday said. “Also, seniors get to stunt at pep rally which is exciting because not only does it look

cool for the audience but it’s also super fun for all of us.”

Deneen Stuczynski, the JV coach, said she had been preparing and working the girls hard for pep rally by having practices every week on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Stuczynski said she was so excited to see the girls perform and see all their hard work pay off.

“Each grade will stand in front of their own class throughout pep rally,” Stuczynski said. “Junior varsity will use the same cheers that were conducted during the season for the event.”

Blardonis said this year’s pep rally is not only going to be special for the seniors but for herself as well. Since Blardonis is the captain of the junior class, she said she worked hard by getting all the girls prepared. Blardonis said the event was special to her because all of her friends are mainly in the senior class and she was excited for them as it was their last one.

“I am so sad for this pep rally to be one of the last ones for some of my best friends who are cheerleaders,” Blardonis said. “I hope we all come together and make this the best one yet for the seniors and for myself.”

Holliday said that the senior night game was upsetting for everyone because they honored all the seniors who will be leaving next year which made her realize her cheer career was over. However, in light of pep rally, Holiday said she was even more excited because of how happy she knew her teammates would be.

“Senior night is always sad, but it’s definitely a memory that every senior on

Photo by Gowri abhinanda

WE’ve GOT

The Bay’s varsity and junior varsity teams both participate SPIRIT: during pep rally which took place on Nov. 1. The teams are separated by individual grades, and they wear each respective class shirt. The varsity team performs halftime during the event and they also cheer later that night at the football game.

the team will cherish for the rest of their lives,” Holliday said. “Pep rally is always super exciting for many reasons, but this year everyone just seems way more pumped up for it than usual.”

Stuczynski said she loved working with all the girls for the upcoming pep rally game and cannot wait to see the girls perform. Stuczynski said she thinks the

crowd will go crazy seeing the girls stunt at pep rally.

“Stunting is personally one of my favorite parts about cheerleading and I not only love to teach it, but I love to watch as well,” Stuczynski said. “I cannot wait for the girls to shine and show who’s boss.”

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NHL becoming more exciting than NBA NCAA should compensate athletes Over the summer, the St. Louis Blues took the country by storm when they went from being ranked last in the NHL in January, to winning their first Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history in June.

In the NBA championship, the Toronto Raptors surprisingly defeated the Golden State Warriors. The difference is the fact that it was not expected for the Blues to make the playoffs, let alone win the Stanley Cup. However, most people expected Warriors to be in yet another NBA final.

The NBA is not exciting anymore.

The predictability of the NBA has made it less interesting, while the NHL remains unpredictable; this leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. Moreover, the NBA does not have as many young stars rising through the ranks while the future of the NHL looks bright.

At the beginning of the 2018-19 NHL season, everyone expected the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup. What they did not expect was the Lightning to get swept in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. A team that had a subpar regular season was able to sweep the team that had the best regular season record.

On the flip side, in the NBA, the Warriors were expected to be successful as they had made the NBA finals the last four seasons in a row. In the NHL, neither of the Blues nor the Boston Bruins had been to the finals in six years.

The NHL starts every season with a level of enthusiasm the NBA has not achieved in at least a decade.

A current trend in the NBA is to create a team full of all stars called super teams. The Brooklyn Nets and others all followed this trend in the offseason by

FACE OFF

forming their own super teams similar to that of the Warriors. The regular season has not even started yet, but people can already begin filling out their playoff brackets, which makes it uninteresting since everyone knows what the regular season holds.

The NHL, on the other hand, does not have any super teams as any team can win on any night. The preseason rankings have already been thrown out the window and people are still unsure of who will host the Stanley Cup in June.

This competitive spirit in the NHL keeps viewers on wanting to keep watching to see what will happen.

Bottom Line:

The NHL has become more exciting than the NBA in recent years.

The NBA relies on LeBron James to sell tickets and does have many promising young stars that can draw in a crowd. In the NHL, rising stars like Jack Hughes are expected to be successful and it will be exciting to watch them live up to their potential. Once James retires it is unclear who will be the face of the NBA while the NHL has many promising players to choose from.

The NHL is the most compelling league in the country. No one knows what is going to happen come playoff time and brackets are usually busted by the first round. With the NBA, it is understood which teams will be in the finals. The future of the NBA is unclear and that is a cause for concern. The NBA has become boring in the last five years and needs to find a way to be as interesting as the NHL or they may not be able to fill stadiums in the future.

YES Tom Brady is undoubtedly the most prestigious and skillful quarterback to have ever played in the National Football League (NFL). After playing 19 seasons in the NFL, he currently holds almost every record that he possibly can for his position. He has brought six championships to the New England Patriots, and his dynasty there with Rob Gronkowski and Bill Belichick will likely never be topped.

There is a large debate surrounding whether or not Brady should continue playing in the league, as he said he would in the past, or retire after winning his sixth ring at 41 years old. The smartest thing for him to do would be to retire. Not only would he be risking injuring himself by playing another year in the league, but he already began a “downfall” so to speak, and there is no guaranteeing that it will not continue into the 2019-2020 season. His touchdown/interception ratio last season was the lowest it had been in five years (29/11), and the Patriots record was the worst it had been since 2009 (11-6). Tom Brady has nothing left to prove, leaving him no reason to play another season in the NFL. There is a short list of people who are lucky enough to have ended their career in the NFL with a championship ring, Peyton Manning being one of them, and Tom Brady should take the opportunity to be added to that list while he still can.

-Recce Kaufman

Ever since the start of college sports, the athletes have not been paid. Recently however, this has changed as some states have been passing laws which state college athletes must be paid. States such as Colorado, Florida and Kentucky have all proposed bills that would permit this to happen. These bills, also known as Fair Pay to Play, originated from California when Nancy Skinner, a California representative, introduced the bill earlier this year.

Between workouts, practices, classes and film sessions the players have to attend, being a college athlete is a full time job to which the players are committed. On top of that, they are missing countless days of class for nationally televised games in which the TV companies are making millions of dollars and accruing millions of viewers. Not only should college athletes be paid for playing, they should also be compensated for endorsements, televised games and sportswear. These players are bringing in millions of dollars for their universities and should be receiving a portion of that money for their hard work. If the team plays better, the players get paid more.

Furthermore, the coaches make their money from the talent of the athletes. The team’s staff get bonuses for accomplishing goals such as making the playoffs or getting a certain record, but none of that money goes to the people that actually played the games. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) should do the same for players if they win major awards for their outstanding plays such as the Heisman Trophy or Naismith Trophy.

While scholarships are typically given to the players, those only cover their textbook and housing costs. Athletes need

Do the Patriots have the best defense in the NFL?

money for other common expenses such as food, water and clothes. By spending the time playing for their college, they are missing out on opportunities to get a job and make money for their essentials.

Another reason that college athletes should be paid is that it promotes greater play. If the athletes know that they would get paid more if they played better, they would be more motivated to play to the best of their ability. Also, getting paid would be another factor in deciding whether or not to leave early and play professionally. Professional athletes in the NFL, NBA and MLB are getting paid millions of dollars to perform the same tasks as college athletes. Even though they would not be making as much as they would as a professional, playing for

Bottom Line:

If the NCAA pays college athletes the everyone will want to play better. one’s college is a special opportunity that can only be done for four years and getting paid is another reason that they should stay until the end. Since the teams get paid for their play on the field, court or rink, having top players stay for all four years will benefit both the athletes and the universities.

If every state allows college athletes to be paid for their hard work, the players will be happier. This boost in spirit can greatly improve the mood for the whole team which consequently will improve the quality of play from the players. Also, since the players will be happier, their mood will boost their crowd’s attitude, so the home-field advantage will be an even bigger factor in games.

NO The New England Patriot’s defense this year is not the best in NFL history. Even though their statistics are impressive so far, they have played against teams that are not even in the top half of the league for total offense. Without playing any challenging offensive teams, it is hard to tell whether or not their defense can actually stand up to a team that knows how to move the ball. The Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and New York Jets are arguably three of the worst teams in the NFL, so putting them up against the Patriots should not be considered a difficult obstacle to tackle. However, by the end of the season, the Patriots will have played the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans. These teams make up the top four offenses in the NFL. This stretch of games will certainly prove to be a test of the Patriot’s defense and will determine whether or not the hype surrounding them is justifiable. They lead the league in forced turnovers with 22 takeaways, but the teams they are about to play have only turned the ball over an average of nine times during the season. Therefore, these teams know how to protect the ball and will not let the Patriot’s defense take it from them. While their defense has been playing well, they will not hold up against good offenses and will be taken down.

-Devin Pabian

SPORTS

NOVEMBER 2019

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ATHLETES TO WATCH TESSA ALEXANDER What inspired you to start playing soccer?

My dad was a soccer player his entire life and signed me up to start playing when I was only five years old.

As I grew up, I always wanted to be the kind of player he was on the field.

What inspired you to start playing soccer?

My dad inspired me to play soccer at a young age. He played professional soccer in Honduras and growing up I looked up to him and still look up to him till this day.

What is the most difficult part of being on the team?

The most difficult part of being on the team is the amount of time and commitment I have to devote to it. It can sometimes be challenging balancing the team, schoolwork and a social life all at once. In the end, it is so worth it because of all the hard work my teammates and I put in at all of our games and practices.

What position do you play and why?

I play goalkeeper. I play goalie because it’s the most unique and one of the most important positions on the field.

What do you think you can improve on in the future?

In the future, I think I can work on my awareness on the field. I often find myself to be focused on my actions during games that are intense and stressful. I want to start watching how my teammates perform on the field more closely. This would allow me to help them improve and increase the amount of wins my team achieves for the season.

Do you hope to continue this sport in the future?

I have been playing soccer almost my entire life and am not planning on stopping anytime soon.

Soccer has become my life and I play this game most days of the week. I hope to be able to play in college and learn more skills to help my game.

-Samantha Reichstein Class of 2020 Height: 6’1’’

RYAN MARTINEZ

GOAL: PLAY IN COLLEGE HEIGHT: 5’5” TEAM: GIRLS SOCCER CLASS OF 2021

What is the most difficult part about being on the team?

The hardest part about being on the team is the pressure of not messing up and letting my teammates down during practice and games.

What do you think you can improve on in the future?

I can improve on being more of a leader on the field and being able to keep my head up after a loss.

Do you plan on continuing this sport in the future?

I hope I can play soccer for a couple more years after high school and hopefully play in college and as a professional.

What is your goal for the season?

My goal for the season is to continue to grow and build stronger bonds with my teammates.

-Alexa Braxton Height: 6’1’’

Class of 2020

GOAL: CONTINUE TO IMPROVE HEIGHT: 5’10” TEAM: BOYS SOCCER CLASS OF 2020

FALL SEASON STATISTICS Varsity Hockey (2-3) North Broward Prep

JV Girls Volleyball (19-0)

Boca Raton

L

W

Cooper City

W

Marjory Stoneman Douglas

L

Somerset Academy

W

University School

W

Archbishop McCarthy North Broward Prep

W L

Sagemont

Archbishop McCarthy

W W

Varsity Swimming (8-0)

Varsity Football (5-5) Cooper City

W

Taravella J.P.

W

Piper

W

Western

W

Flanagan Charles

W

Fort Lauderdale

W

Plantation

Fort Lauderdale

L L

Stranahan

Cooper City

W W

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NOVEMBER 2019

THE CIRCUIT

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vibrant hair “colors” the campus by roxy carr

At the Bay, many students use colorful hair-dye to express themselves. Junior Andrea Ansarov has dyed her hair silver, black, blonde, purple, red, turquoise, dark blue, neon orange, light brown and magenta while being a student at the Bay. “I dye my hair so often because I like change,” Ansarov said. “I get bored of dull colors easily, so I always try to switch things up.”

Ansarov said she dyes her hair as often as every other month, usually by herself or with a friend. She said that it is more efficient and cost-effective to dye her hair on her own, as salon prices are high. Ansarov is not worried about the damage that is usually associated with frequent hair color changes because she uses a hair mask about twice a week in prevention. She said that the treatment that she uses is relaxing, and that it keeps her hair extremely healthy.

“Aveda’s Damage Remedy hair treatment is my savior,” Ansarov said. “It keeps my hair glossy and soft while restoring its color perfectly.”

Similar to Ansarov, sophomore Jade Benca said she dyes her hair because she enjoys coordinating its color with her outfits. Her hair is currently dark purple, and she said she feels it looks best when she wears clothing with slight lavender tones.

Benca said she finds her habit extremely amusing, and that it sets her apart from other students at the Bay, which makes her feel unique.

“When my hair isn’t the color I want it to be, it just doesn’t feel right,” Benca said. “My confidence is affected; it’s unnatural for me.”

Benca said that her parents do not mind her dyed hair because they know it makes her happy, and the color will not last forever. Her mom only worries about the harsh chemicals her hair dye may contain and how teachers will perceive her.

“I don’t think my teachers care too much about my hair color,” Benca said.

“I even get compliments from them.”

Junior Hunter Hirschenson said he dyed his hair for the first time over the summer to experiment and try something he had never done before. He dyed his hair by himself at home, bleaching it first and then highlighting it with red dye.

“The reactions I got were definitely more negative than positive,” Hirschenson said. “I think it’s because guys dying their hair is seen as abnormal or bad in our society, which is something I think is unfair.”

Hirschenson said that he did not choose to dye his hair, he actually lost a bet to his friends over the summer.

“When I lost a bet, my friend dyed my

photo by roxy carr

photo submitted by hunter hirschenson

bright and bold: (From top) Junior Andrea Ansarov smiles and shows off her colorful locks as she leaves school. Junior Hunter Hirschenson and friend Jared Courson had lost a bet this summer, forcing them to dye their hair.

Courson dyed his hair blue and Hirschenson went with red.

hair red, but I was not really upset because it was just the summer, and I knew it would grow out fast,” Hirschenson said.

“Surprisingly enough, I ended up really liking how I looked with red hair.”

AICE General Paper teacher Jeanne Kielbasa has dyed her hair red, blonde and light brown. She said she uses colorful hair dyes to add more excitement t o her natural hair style.

“As you can see, my hair is grey,” Kielbasa said. “I d y e some of my h a i r red to add some sort of pizzaz; it helps me feel better about aging.”

Hirschenson also said he believes that students should consider being more open minded when it comes to self-expression.

He said that societal norms allow girls to dye their hair as outrageous or as often as they please; however, for boys it is seen as feminine and is usually frowned upon.

30

“The Bay is a big school, yet not most people like to stray from the norm and really express themselves,” Hirschenson said. “By dying my hair, I learned a lot about how it feels to be ridiculed for feeling like my most unapologetic self.”

Unlike Hirschenson, Kielbasa said she typically gets positive reactions from other teachers about her hair. Kielbasa said other teachers have told her they want to try dying their hair as well, and many say they will experiment with colorful hair over the summer.

“Dyed hair [is] definitely associated with negative stereotypes,” Kielbasa said.

“But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter unless you’re happy with yourself and you’re not hurting others.”

Benca said that she often hears people say that individuals with vibrant hair are attention-seeking and shallow. She said she believes that everyone has the right to express themselves in any way they want and to not worry about how others perceive them.

“All I hear everyone say is that people only dye their hair crazy colors for attention,” Benca said. “This isn’t the case here; I dye my hair because I love how it makes me feel.”

Instagram “like” feature creates controversy

On the social media platform Instagram, users can post photos and videos in which their followers have the option to like. The ‘like’ button is a small, white heart under the post and turns pink when a user clicks on it or double-taps the photo. Both the user and all of their followers can see how many likes the post has received, but recently, the pros and cons of the like feature are coming into question.

As Instagram is such a relevant platform many people all over the world use to post about their lives, it is common for users to compare their lifestyles to those of influencers, celebrities or just about anyone in general. Users can compare their wealth, body image and tons of other factors just by looking at someone else’s page. One other aspect one can compare is how many likes a picture receives. These comparisons are unhealthy as it prohibits Instagram users from being themselves, as they often times try to resemble people with more likes.

This technology feature is not as beneficial as is appears, as it creates insecurities and confidence from a young age. Some may compare their page and all of its aspects to other accounts. If one has few likes, or not as many as they would like, they may think that their image or video is not impressive enough. If one post has lots of likes, this can make people cocky and even go viral, making other users want to create content just like that post.

While being aware of these concerns, Instagram took action this July and decided to remove likes from users in seven countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ireland, Italy, Japan, and New Zealand. The Huffington Post has shared the effects of this trial, and the results show that affected users felt less pressure when using the app, and they felt like it was easier to be themselves.

With social media being a large part of teens’ lives today, it is highly likely that the like button causes issues online. While some may argue that the like button is a great concept, as it is rather a compliment to the original poster, some users become so needy and reliant on likes that a lack of them can lead to self-confidence issues. As there are so many students at the Bay, it is likely that students compare their accounts to accounts of other students, creating a level of assumed hierarchy at the Bay. This causes an unnecessary divide between students that can cause some students to shine and some to live in the shadows.

It would be extremely beneficial to remove the like button. As the comment section will still be open, this gives users the ability to write genuine feedback, which means far more than clicking a button. In full, it would be beneficial if Instagram removed the like feature as a whole, as its negatives clearly outweigh its positives, and as a result of their trial, proved to be beneficial for users.

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Spider-Man returns to MCU after backlash In September, the news that Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures will be joining arms in partnership again for Spider-Man movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) created excitement. Additionally, the recent news that the next piece of the Spider-Man franchise is being released on July 16, 2021, has left fans like sophomore Eva Ventrella on the edge of their seats with anticipation.

“I was so happy when our ‘friendly neighborhood Spider-Man’ was back in the business,” Ventrella said. “This character is so iconic and has been a part of my childhood, he’s just relatable to so many teens, and it’s great news to know he’s in a great cinematic universe and will have a movie coming up under the MCU.” Ventrella said she has seen people think the web-crawler is better under the rights of Sony as it tells the classic tale of Uncle Ben, which fuels the young hero’s motives to save others; however, Ventrella said she disagrees. She said recent movies, such as “Spider-Man: Homecoming” and “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” highlighted new dynamics under the famous character.

“The MCU allowed Spider-Man to move from his uncle dying like five times into a new storyline,” Ventrella said. “In the MCU he got a father figure, Tony Stark, who is I r o n Man, and it shows the side that Peter Pa rker, who’s SpiderMan, wants to grow as a hero into the big leagues like the Avengers.”

M u c h like Ventrella, sophomore Fabio Barros said he believes the partnership between the two industries has allowed for character development in the super teenager.

“Spider-Man is one of the best comics

of Stan Lee, and he brings value besides his abilities to every movie,” Barros said.

“I was very happy to see Spider-Man in the MCU, and I enjoyed the father-son relationship that was being shown with Tony and Peter and the partnership allows for this.”

Barros said he was afraid when there were tensions, and the two companies split up for a time. He said it would have ruined the character’s current narrative that has developed in the MCU.

“

I think that new interpretations, like the MCU version rather than Sony, would empower the story of Spider-Man. -Debate teacher Nick Montecalvo “When they were splitting, I was scared as I thought it would be the end of Spider-Man in the MCU,” Barros said.

“I was sad because I know that there wouldn’t be a Spider-Man as good as the current MCU version as there has already been so much development in character, and the same Uncle Ben story is old and dated.”

For Barros, the character development is important to him as it pertains to another of his favorite heroes, Iron Man. After his death in Endgame, the franchise that started in 2008 came to an end.

“I was happy that Spider-Man stayed in the MCU as it ensured that the death of Iron Man meant something,” Barros said. “His legacy will live on with Spider-Man, and I’m personally fond of both characters so if Spider-Man was taken out the MCU, it would mean Tony’s sacrifice was for nothing.”

Ventrella said the actor of MCU’s Spider-Man, Tom Holland, deserves

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Movies

credit for bringing the fans what they desired.

“As an actor, Tom Holland was passionate about his role to a point where he involved himself and called Sony and Disney and begged the producers to bring Spider-Man back,” Ventrella said.

“He was a component in the deal, and even through it all, he was really positive about the whole thing, even if the split happened, but like every Marvel fan, he was overjoyed when the deal was put back together again.”

Debate teacher Nick Montecalvo said he is happy there will be a new movie coming in the MCU as it builds up a character to whom he can relate.

“I identified with Spider-Man because he’s a teenager unlike Superman or Batman, and I liked his sense of humor, but in Marvel, he grows more as there are more characters and storylines being depicted,” Montecalvo said.

Montecalvo said Marvel does a better job of portraying the full scope of Spider-Man’s motivations and the small components in life, like the dynamics with his best friends. He said because of the presentation of the character, he enjoys the superhero’s story better.

“I feel his story is better expressed through Marvel, as the tropes presented are valuable,” Montecalvo said. “I think that new interpretations, like the MCU version rather than Sony, would empower the story of Spider-Man.”

“Waves” Nov. 15 “Frozen 2,” Nov. 22 “21 Bridges,” Nov. 22 “Queen & Slim,” Nov. 27 “Playmobil: The Movie,” Dec. 6

Concerts

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Now that Disney and Sony have secured the rights together over the hero, fans like Ventrella and Barros are left in suspense for the upcoming movie coming in two years. Ventrella said she has high expectations after the cliffhanger in “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and is ready for Spider-Man in the MCU.

“

This character is so iconic and has been a part of my childhood, he’s just relatable to so many teens, and it’s great news to know he’s in a great cinematic universe and will have a movie coming up under the MCU.

“

News Copy Editor

“

By Gowri Abhinanda

-sophomore Eva Ventrella “Spider-Man has already generated amazing money in the box office,” Ventrella said. “The last movie did amazing, [so] the one in 2021 will be amazing and set the tone for the next phase in Marvel.”

Jonas Brothers, Nov. 15 @ BB&T Center Sara Bareilles, Nov. 23 @ BB&T Center Riptide Music Festival, Nov. 23 @ Fort Lauderdale Beach Ariana Grande, Nov. 27 @ American Airlines Arena

32 THE CIRCUIT

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NOVEMBER 2019

Comeback video game initates player nostalgia “Mario Kart Tour”

BY JeNNA FRIEDMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Nintendo released a mobile version of its highly acclaimed video game “Mario Kart” on Sept. 25, which allows users to play the popular game at any time. “Mario Kart Tour” is the ninth installment of the “Mario Kart” series, and it is available for both iOS and Android devices. Although the app often crashes and contains a few glitches, Nintendo does an excellent job of transferring the “Mario Kart” experience into a mobile game.

As the name suggests, “Mario Kart Tour” offers several “tours,” each lasting for about two weeks and consisting of 16 different cups, and they are based on different cities around the world such as New York City and Tokyo. Each tour offers unique settings, new drivers and different courses. This innovative addition to the traditional “Mario Kart” game gives the app a sense of individuality and offers a new perspective to the popular game.

Also, in addition to the city-themed tours, there is a Halloween Tour to celebrate the holiday. The involvement of these tours gives the app an exciting and fresh feature that can only be experienced with this version of the game.

Another feature of “Mario Kart Tour” is the involvement of “challenges”

featured in each cup, which are similar to the challenges featured in the Mario Kart DS installment of the game. Each challenge gives users the opportunity to earn more stars, which allow them to move onto the next cup. Challenges include performing a certain number of jump boosts, collecting coins and completing a level within a set amount of time. These challenges are not only helpful to users as it allows them to easily earn stars, but they are also entertaining and help users to improve their skills.

Although the game is simple at first, as users move through tours, the levels become increasingly difficult, and it becomes nearly impossible to earn the maximum number of stars from each level. If not enough stars are gained from the earlier levels, users are prevented from moving on through the tour, and essentially, they become stuck. Although a challenge is entertaining in most games, it becomes irritating and frustrating when it restricts gameplay. Nintendo should attempt to make some of these levels less challenging and make it less difficult to gain the required number of stars to continue through the game.

One aspect of “Mario Kart Tour” that must be fixed is the amount that the game crashes. On the day the app launched, many users were restricted from playing the game due to technical difficulties, and the game continues to crash every so often. Although most of the technical issues are minor, it still hinders game usage and creates a frustrating situation

for users.

In addition to these impressive qualities, another incredibly innovative feature of the game is the addition of new characters. Aside from the original players, such as Mario, Luigi and Toad, there are fresh faces, such as Rosalina and the Koopalings. This allows users to not only experience the app with the familiar, well-known drivers, but also with new characters. This is another reason why “Mario Kart Tour” is innovative and unique from the other installments in the “Mario Kart” series.

While it is also impressive that “Mario Kart Tour” offers four separate difficulty levels (50cc, 100cc, 150cc and 200cc), it is required that users pay for the “Gold

PHOTO Courtesy of google images

Pass,” which is $4.99 monthly, to acquire the 200cc level. Although 150cc is sufficient, it moves quite slowly; therefore, users may have to spend money simply to experience the fastest mode. In addition to this, there are other in-app purchases such as buying different karts and drivers, which are all unnecessarily expensive.

Overall, while “Mario Kart Tour” is an enjoyable game with exciting, new features, the addition of in-app purchases, technical difficulties and nearly impossibly levels hinder the experience of the app. Nintendo did an excellent job of transforming the well-known game into a mobile app, but there are definitely components of the game that need improvement.

The circuit recommends

“A Little Bit Missin’ You” Chance Moore Country

Chance Moore’s warm tone and deep voice combined with meaningful, yet catchy lyrics truly make listening to this track worthwhile.

Moore’s effortless command of his vast range is displayed in this song as he utilizes his lower range. The musicality of the song, combining the guitar with the fiddle, creates a unique sound that sets Moore apart.

“BROWN SKIN GIRL”

Beyonce, Blue Ivy Carter, Saint Jhn, Wizkid Hip-Hop/R&B

An ongoing feature that includes lesser known songs by popular artists and songs from up and coming artists. This month’s playlist was compiled by features editor Colin Crawford.

This track from “The Gift” album curated by Beyoncé for the recent live action remake of The Lion King, is an uplifting anthem that utilizes Caribbean Soca in its infectious beat.

The song is empowering and uses pop culture references creating an easy and fun listening experience.

“Sailor”

Bluebiird Folk

“Bags” by Clairo is almost four and a half minutes long and contains instruments like keyboard, guitar, synths and drums paired with Clairo’s charming voice.

The song talks about a one-sided relationship, but has a bright and joyful tune.

“Human”

“Love Affair”

“Morning Song”

The Korean rapper demonstrates his versatility in this track off his new album, “Thinking Pt. 1” by not only rapping, but also by showing off his vocal ability. The song conveys this message of yearning for love, and Zico’s pitch perfect notes drive home that message.

Umi’s soothing and soft voice is relaxing on this new track, as she tells the story of her crush. Umi’s distinct style is made up of slow jam beats and light production. Her new visual album has four tracks and is currently being released on YouTube.

This track off their new album, “Today,” is reminiscent of The Beatles or The Beach Boys with its use of harmonies and a simple backing track. The song is relaxing yet upbeat and perfect for study music.

Zico Korean pop

Umi R&B

Babe Rainbow Alternative

NOVEMBER 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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PROLIFIC PRODUCTIONS “Ant Farm” by alexa braxton

“Cake Boss” by karla soberon

The 2011 Disney Channel show “A.N.T. Farm” tells the story of three talented middle schoolers, Chyna (China Ann Mcclain), Olive (Sierra McCormick) and Fletcher (Jake Short), who join the Advanced Natural Talents (A.N.T.) gifted program. Every episode is extremely captivating, and it constantly incorporates humorous scenes. During this program, they move up to high school together and conquer many challenges by sticking together and remaining friends. The three main characters each have special talents that allowed them access into the A.N.T. gifted program.

Chyna is musically inclined, as she can play most instruments and sing beautifully, Olive has a photographic memory and Fletcher is an artistic genius who can paint, draw and sculpt just about anything. The show definitely gave Chyna a lot of recognition due to her amazing singing voice. The show’s theme song , “Exceptional,” is catchy and enjoyable to listen to at any time of the day. The tune is sung by China Ann McClain, which allows her voice to become recognizable.

There truly are not any negative aspects of the show. The show aired for a total of three seasons; throughout the entire show, every actor played their roles extremely well, which is impressive considering most of the characters were young teens. In the show, each episode had a different and non-continuous theme and plot, preventing the show from being repetitive. Overall, “A.N.T. Farm” incorporates talented young actors and themes of creativity and friendship to make an excellent show for all ages.

online editor-in-chief

“Victorious”

“Skin Wars”

Dating back to its first airing in 2009, “Cake Boss” has brought the joy and wonder of eccentric cake making to the viewers of The Learning Channel (TLC) and now, in its recent seasons, the Discovery Network. Buddy “The Boss” Valastro is the owner of the family-owned and run business of Carlo’s Bakery, which is the shop the show is based upon.

A typical episode begins with a customer having a private interview with Buddy, and a prototype of his vision of the potential cake is shown as an animation. Next, the actual process is shown, from making the batter to the last detail of the completed cake. What makes “Cake Boss” such an innovative program is the creativity Buddy puts into the desserts, a lot of them actually have aspects that are moving; he has done fireworks shooting from the cake and even giant life-sized cakes that are truly out of the ordinary compared to a normal cake. At the end of an episode, there is actually a clip of the customer’s reaction to the giant cake, which is an additional aspect that gives the show a nice twist to the stressful process of creating a piece of edible art as a team. While the bulk of “Cake Boss” is about the actual process of making the bizarre custom cakes, the additional piece of the family drama is as well a great implementation to the show that makes it more personal. Overall, “Cake Boss” is an innovative show that portrays creative minds working together to create wonders with cake and frosting.

by annabelle daniels-rosenberg

by jenna friedman

“Victorious,” an American sitcom, aired on Nickelodeon for three years and had a total of four seasons. The show begins as teenager Tori Vega (Victoria Justice) transfers to Hollywood Arts, a performing arts high school. The show displays the characters’ talents such as singing, performing and playing instruments. From the students’ lockers to their hair, every aspect of the show expresses creativity and diversity. Aspects, such as comedy, drama and authenticity, are incorporated into the show through the diverse characters. Although all so different, they all share the commonality of being incredibly talented. As Tori meets her fellow classmates, she develops relationships and shares crazy experiences with them. A neat and entertaining aspect of the show was the varying personalities the characters held. Although the show was scripted, several episodes included the characters in improvisational situations where they all play off of each other. An important part of the show was how Tori had to prove herself time and time again. She faced the challenges of being a normal teenager, but at the same time, she was approached with out of the ordinary scenarios.

This adds a neat way to relate to the superstar-like characters. The classes and lessons the students learn at Hollywood Arts are fun and entertaining, and situations arise that an average high school would not present. The creativity added to a normal sitcom makes the show a light watch and different from the rest of Nickelodeon’s shows about teenagers.

“Skin Wars,” a reality-TV show on the Game Show Network, is centered around body painting competitions and incorporates aspects of creativity, competitiveness and drama. In each of the three seasons, 12 contestants enter the show in hopes of winning the grand prize of $100,000 and a ticket to the World Bodypainting Festival. While actress and former model Rebecca Romjin is the show’s host, the outstanding judges include entertainer RuPaul Charles and artists Craig Tracy and Robin Slonina; the judges’ artistic experience and creativity allow them to become not only judges, but also mentors to the contestants. Some of the intense competitions include camouflaging the model into a detailed background, such as a setting in a supermarket, and using certain color schemes. “Skin Wars” not only showcases the underappreciated art of body painting, but it also demonstrates the talent of unknown artists. One incredible aspect of the show is how past competitors and winners of “Skin Wars” are often brought back to mentor the more inexperienced artists in newer seasons. While every season has different contestants, some of the repeated competitions, such as camouflaging, become redundant, and it seems as if each contestant faces the same challenges each time. However, “Skin Wars” does an excellent job of ensuring the contestants in each season offer individuality. Overall, the show “Skin Wars” highlights the creativity and beauty behind the art of body painting, and it allows unknown artists to display their talent to the world.

“Cutthroat Kitchen”

“iCarly”

online managing editor

editor-in-chief

by jen silverman

by Courtney levinson

“Cutthroat Kitchen” is an American cooking competition show aired by the Food Network and has been on air for four years. Host Alton Brown distributes $25,000 to each of the four competing chefs. In the beginning of each round, Brown announces what they must cook; often times, the dishes are quite basic, but chefs are expected to put their own personal twist on the classic dish. After this, competitors have 60 seconds in the pantry to fight for their ingredients, which is a creative aspect as there are limited ingredients and time, making the show truly cutthroat. Brown holds an auction where players bid on advantages and disadvantages in which they can give to another opponent, making it difficult for them to cook. Some of the challenges include cooking with a mini-toy kitchen, being prohibited from using electrical appliances or being handcuffed to another competitor. After each round, the judges come out and grade the food. They do not know who made what or what penalties the chefs encountered, creating a blind tasting. Judges Simon Majumdar, Antonia Lofaso, Jet Tila and Richard Blais send one competitor home each round. In the dessert round, the winner is announced, and they get to keep all of their remaining cash. Cutthroat is extremely different than other cooking shows as the sabotages that competitors can buy put a unique spin on the show, making it extremely entertaining. Additionally, some of the sabotages are so cruel that they are exceedingly comical to watch, adding an immense sense of humor to the show. Cutthroat is exceptional television as it is action packed, drama filled and full of exciting and creative dishes.

“iCarly” is an American teen sitcom aired by Nickelodeon that began in 2007, created and produced by Dan Schneider.

This show was aired for five years and has a total of six seasons. The main character, Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) lives in Seattle with her goofy older brother Spencer Shay (Jerry Trainor), who is her guardian. Spencer is a homebody who invests his time in creating dysfunctional inventions and decorating the apartment with his bizarre creations. While it is apparent that Spencer is not the most responsible and mature guardian out there, he always puts Carly first and is strict and caring when it comes to Carly. These actors illustrate great talent in these roles as they portray their sibling bond in such a clear and perfect way. Carly’s best friends, Sam Puckett (Jeannette McCurdy) and Freddie Benson (Nathan Kress), join forces to create an online vlog, called iCarly, the hostesses being Sam and Carly and the videographer Freddie. With Sam’s intense personality and Carly’s silly mind, their vlogs are quite creative and random. They sometimes include various special guests and viral challenges. The vlog allows the characters to express themselves and acts as an extremely entertaining creative outlet for them.

Although this show was most popular in the 2000s, the iconic scenes and characters are easily remembered to this day. “iCarly” is a must watch for children that are growing up, as the show is able to send a message that it is acceptable and encouraged to express creativity.

arts & ent. editor

pr manager

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NOVEMBER 2019

Rock band releases eccentric album “Surviving”

By julia winton A&E / opinion copy editor

Jimmy Eat World, the American rock band originating from Mesa, Arizona, released their 10th album on Oct. 18, entitled “Surviving.” Originally formed in 1993, the group has been creating songs and performing them for over two decades now. The band is currently composed of lead guitarist and vocalist Jim Adkins, drummer Zach Lind, backup guitarist and vocalist Tom Linton and bassist Rick Burch. The band is well known for its American rock and emo pop roots.

In 2016 they released “Integrity Blues,” the band’s most recent album up until the debut of “Surviving.” This album was a turning point in the singing group’s career as they deviated from their standard genre to a more modern, digital sounding track. This transfer earned them lots of attention from new fans, possibly because it had been one of their best works yet. However, unlike “Integrity Blues,” “Surviving” goes back to a mixture of the band’s rock and pop roots, as most of the songs on the album feature a heavy base of guitar in the background.

Although this is slightly disappointing, “Surviving” creates its own distinctive platform in the rock world.

One of the more well-known tracks from the album of 10 songs is “All the

Way (Stay).” The majority of the song is mainly composed of just three instruments: guitar, drums and vocals. During an interview, Adkins had explained how he believes less is more in his band’s music. Collectively, they decided to just have four men playing their instruments to lead to less of a “loud” song and present more of a counterintuitive effect. To differentiate this song from all their others, there is an exaggerated instrumental section solely featuring a saxophone towards the end of the song. This introduces more of a classical jazz feel to the rock song and creates a more diverse, yet simplistic track.

“Surviving” is the album’s most unique, if not most liked, tune. This is because it’s not the average American rock song with a repetitive chorus. In fact, there

bum. It is an American rock song, heavily relying on the use of the electric guitar to produce its sensational rhythm. The track is missing some of the typical elements of a Jimmy Eat World rock song, such as the mixture of different instruments; however, it does this without straying too far beyond their classic rock roots. Although the song’s sound slightly differs from a typical Jimmy Eat World’s rock song, the rhythmic, repetitive melody and distinct vocals still allow it to resemble the iconic music for which the band is recognized.

Adkins said the inspiration behind the name and overall theme of the album was to help him confront his past of self-doubt and depression. This explains how he is “surviving” the voice inside his head. The band definitely did an amazing job executing this motivation through their harmonious, upbeat, catchy tunes. photo courtesy of yahoo images Clearly, after over 25 years of prois no chorus at all. The track repeats the ducing music, Jimmy Eat World is still same theme, ideas and beats throughout without ever reaching the climax of the Bottom Line: song or repeating any single phrase. Although the format of the song is extremeJimmy Eat World’s ly one of a kind, it should reach a peak “Surviving” album is an at some point. The climax of a song is definitely one of the most interesting and upbeat rock classic with anticipated parts, so without this characcatchy tracks teristic, the song feels unfinished. Also, the majority of the song is composed of creating a unique, addictive platform of instrumental breaks. According to Apple rock music for fans to enjoy. This album, Music, Adkins said that the song is a way filled with energetic, upbeat tunes, truly of the band pushing themselves to “work uses the juxtaposition of intense and light within some framework of restraint,” re- moments to its advantage, in a successinforcing the idea that sometimes simpler ful attempt, to create an extremely wellthought about, yet simplistic collection of is better when it comes to rock music.

“Criminal Energy” is another tune songs. featured in Jimmy Eat World’s newest al-

THE music in your ears “The Music in Your Ears” delves into the music taste of students at the Bay. Staffer Francisca Giuliani interviewed four students who enjoy listening to different types of music.

“Spooky Scary “China” by Skeletons” by Anuel AA, Daddy Andrew Gold Yankee, KAROL G “This is an extremely upbeat, fun song that I love to hear with my friends or when I’m in a great mood. The song is a great summer song.”

-freshman Aurora Muñoz

“It is a song that represents the essence of the Halloween spirit, and it is the perfect October Song to sing along to.”

-sophomore Ian Jimenez

“Sit Next to Me”

by Foster The People

“A Million Dreams” by The Greatest Showman Cast

“This is a song that is perfect for any time of the day and it just brings back the happiest memories with my family.”

-junior Magdalena Blaquier

“Me and my best friend love listening to this musical song, and ever since the movie came out it has been one of our favorite songs.”

-senior Ciara Lopez

NOVEMBER 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

New cafe provides extraordinary service

“Il Toro”

BY HANNAH SHULBY NEWS / A&E PHOTO EDITOR

Il Toro Caffe, a quaint new restaurant, was recently established in the city of Weston. This cafe offers a quick accessible outlet to grab a beverage or bite with the speed of their drivethru window or inside the stylish cafe. As an added bonus, Il Toro is the only drive through coffee shop currently in Weston.

The parking lot is adjacent to Publix, a school and other small businesses in Glades Crossing Plaza. This can end up being a great way to bring new customers in for lunch and coffee.

While many cafes have a small indoor space, this one sets itself apart with

Bottom Line: Il Toro Caffe brings Weston a one of a kind service for those searching for something different in the area. It has quick service and delicious menu items the chic farmhouse vibe. The wooden tables mixed with the comfortable couches create a cozy atmosphere. The restaurant gives off the aroma of fresh loaves of bread and cinnamon rolls as

customers enter. The chef bakes fresh on the premises, and they use whole, freshly groundcoffee beans.

This cafe offers a wide selection of items on their menu, such as their various types of coffees. Some of their coffee drinks include espresso, cappuccinos and cold brews. For people who are nondairy or lactose intolerant, they offer alternatives to milk choices, as well as some flavor add-ins to enhance the coffee experience. Their is also the choice to order teas such as raspberry acai green tea, guava mango black tea, and Chinese matcha lemon and mint tea.

The range of options helps expand the cafe to the customers’ various preferences.

Il Toro Caffe has other selections of non-coffee drinks, such as their natural teas, turmeric lattes, matcha and hot chocolate for people who are not coffee fans.

Il Toro has specialty goodies and drinks, where each day they feature a new brew and treat of the day. The menu’s many delicious options provide an outlet for customers to try new drinks or snacks they never would have bought on their own.

As an independently owned business, the company provides top quality products.

They make all of the food and drinks from scratch each day, ensuring flavor of a high standard. They have a wide selection of sweet treats, such as their brownies, various cookies and cinnamon rolls.

The cafe has a numerous amount of cake flavors to select from and purchase.

The cafe not only has dessert, but it also has breakfast and lunch food. Most

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photo by hannah SHULBY

photo by hannah shulby

my cup of tea: The Il Toro Caffe was carefully decorated with a chic farmhouse interior that gives the restaurant a distinctive look. A combination of sharp edges on the wooden furniture and the couches create an interesting contrast that enhances the environment the costumers dine in. The wide range of drink choices on the menu allow costumers to order anything from coffee to tea.

of Il Toro’s meals range from $4 to $8.

They have typical cafe foods, like biscuits, eggs and toast, as well as unique items, such as tequenos and special loaves. They provide vegan and non-vegan options for their food and desserts. The inclusivity of their menu items makes the restaurant a good option for people looking for a new cafe.

With a knowledgeable staff, the servers are helpful with suggestions of different brew selections and meal choices. The friendly staff helps provide a comfortable atmosphere for the customers to enjoy a relaxing meal. Il Toro Caffe is good for a small bite or coffee run on a busy day.

They provide a quick service, which is perfect for a costumer that just wants a quick to-go meal.

The Torro Caffe also provides a unique twist to their drinks, the foam designs on the top of their lattes add to the delicious taste. They also make for a good picture opportunity.

This cafe has decently priced items and tends to be quiet most of the time of the day as many have not discovered this new restaurant since it is in a less remote part of Weston. Overall, Il Toro Caffe is an excellent restaurant that provides delicious coffees and a pleasant experience for their customers. This caffe is a nice addition to the City of Weston.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

NOVEMBER 2019

Malone embodies creativity on tour “Runaway Tour”

BY CHLOE WAIN NEWS EDITOR

To promote his new album “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” platinum-selling artist Post Malone performed at the American Airlines Arena in Miami on Oct. 20 and the BB&T Center in Sunrise on Oct. 21 at 8:00 p.m. The “Runaway” world tour featured opening acts Tyla Yaweh and rapper Swae Lee. Malone created a memorable concert by performing a mixture of old and new tracks and the strong use of visual effects.

Bottom Line: Most of Malone’s songs didn’t include their features brought disappointment, but it was made up for through his energy.

To open the concert, rapper Swae Lee, formally known as half of the duo of Rae Sremmurd, first performed tracks from their only album: “Swang,” “No Type,” “Guatemala” and “Black Beatles.” The upbeat rhythm, colorful lighting and vi-

sual content created an energetic environment. In addition, Lee played “R.I.P. Screw,” Unforgettable,” “Won’t be Late” and “Borrowed Love.” To end the act, Lee performed a hit single from Rae Sremmurd, “Powerglide.” Lee warmed up the crowd with nostalgic songs prior to Malone, but a 30-minute intermission followed.

Post Malone opened the event singing “Hollywood’s Bleeding,” with a thundering bass and flashing blue strobe lights.

Malone walked onto the stage with energy, and the stadium appeared sold out.

After, Malone played new tracks “SaintTropez,” “Goodbye,” “Die for Me” and “Enemies,” in which the audience sang in unison. In addition, the artist performed songs from past albums intertwined with new favorites, such as “Better Now,” “Candy Paint,” “Psycho” and “White Iverson.”

Malone changed his routine and performed “Stay” as an acoustic. Malone sat on a small stool in the middle of the stage with a guitar. Incredible aspects of the performance included how Malone interacted with the audience by encouraging the crowd to sing along to the track. At the end of the song, the artist smashed the guitar and dramatically walked off stage.

In order to perform as many songs during the setlist, Lee and Malone did not play most songs to their entirety and removed featuring artist soundbites. However, Malone used more visual effects and pyrotechnics for “Take What You Want,” as Ozzy Osbourne sang his piece at the beginning of the track. The two television screens showed Osborne’s face enlarged,

PHOTO BY CHLOE WAIN

wow: Post Malone takes the stage at American Airlines Arena and BB&T Center on Oct. 20 and 21. On the “Runaway” world tour, Tyla Yaweh and Swae Lee open, singing and rapping their hit tracks. Malone plays a variety of his songs including those from his newer album, “Hollywood’s Bleeding.”

with blue strobe lights and fireworks.

Towards the end of the concert, Malone teamed up with Lee to sing “Sunflower,” a duet from the “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” soundtrack. Lee brought flowers on stage and the crowd sang in unison. Malone ended the night with “Congratulations,” and the audience screamed for an encore.

The use of visual effects enhanced the performance of each artist and created a pleasurable viewing experience and a stage full of colors. Flashing lights and visual content on large television screens on either side of the stage provided the

audience with snippets of the featuring artists of each song. Pyrotechnics used to accompany the song followed the rhythm of the beat, which brightly lit up the dark stage.

Overall, the concert was a well-organized and energetic event. Although the opening act of Yaweh was disappointing and no soundbites of featuring artists played, the performances of Lee and Malone exceeded expectations. Malone created a perfect balance between past and newly released songs, and it was an unforgettable experience.

Gemini Man takes original twist on action “Gemini Man” By isabella grogan

features / sports photo editor

From the creative mind of director Ang Lee, the movie “Gemini Man” is an interesting film with action-packed scenes. Will Smith is the main character; Smith plays two versions of the character Henry Bogan: an assassin and a young clone of himself. The movie has a creative twist to it because the assassin is the same character as the person getting assassinated. Bogan completes his 72nd job and is ready to quit his job of being an assassin when he discovers his clone coming to kill him.

Bottom Line: Although the film had an intriguing story line, it could have been executed better

This movie is especially unique and creative because there are no assassin movies where the person trying to kill

the other person is his or her own self. Although it is confusing at first to catch onto the plot, after the first 30 minutes it becomes more clear.

Many times, films like these can become somewhat redundant, but the creators of “Gemini Man” do an excellent job in making the movie contain new events that enhance it. The movie’s effects are well done and thought out because they looked realistic. The effects play a significant role in making the film interesting.

The special effects artists do an amazing job of portraying the difference between Bogan’s young and old self. The artists use advanced technology to make Smith identical to his 23-year-old self.

In the scenes when Smith is younger, he filmed them wearing a technological mask that transformed his face.

Smith’s acting in the movie was one of his best yet. He does an amazing job of portraying himself as two separate people; his old and new self. If it was not for his acting, the clone assassin aspect of the movie would be much more confusing and difficult to watch.

The film lacks impressive dialogue due to the dullness and the absence of sufficient comical scenes, which is what Smith is known for. It becomes boring after a while; Smith occasionally says something relatively funny, but it does not compare to some of his previous films.

However, the action-packed scenes make

photo courtesy of google images

up for the boring dialogue. The scenes where Bogan is assassinating people are the most action-packed because he is running after them.

The costumes in the film do not live up to the movies plot. They are bland and similar to everyday clothes in today’s world, while they should be more futuristic, considering the movie is about a clone coming to kill himself. Bogan wears mostly black in the film as his future self.

As his old self he wear jeans, a t-shirt and a jacket, which is a basic outfit.

Watching the movie is quite nostalgic

because when Bogan is shown as a young man, Smith looks exactly how he does in his famous television show, “The Fresh Prince of Bel Aire.” Although their appearances are similar, the acting in this show is much more successful than his performance in “Gemini Man.” Compared to other movies featuring Smith, this one of his least successful. In other films he is funny and charismatic, whereas in this film he is more serious.

While the plot is intriguing and one-of-akind, the execution of the backstory definitely needs improvement.

NOVEMBER 2019

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NOVEMBER 2019

Chorus showcases new songs in fall concert By sophia zapata

The Bay’s Chorus Club performed their first concert of the 2019-2020 school year in the auditorium on Oct. 7 with the theme of positivity and unity. Senior Caitlin Turner, a chorus member for three years, said this theme was fitting because the club is all about spreading love and good vibes.

“The songs we performed were really happy and upbeat,” Turner said. “So they were super fun to perform.”

Turner said the directors of chorus, Tina Gill and Bradley Franks, with her performance and said that the group of girls she performed with made her feel relaxed and comfortable.

“I used to get nervous for concerts, as I think everyone does their first few times performing,” Turner said. “But now I just get excited for concerts because I’m with my friends doing what I love.”

Turner said her favorite part of the concert was singing with the Advanced Women’s choir. She said learning new songs with a new set of girls was a bit stressful, but it was all worth it in the end.

“When we sang our last song I feel like we all really came together and created something beautiful,” Turner said. “I am so grateful to have a teacher for over 24 years who teaches Chorus, Music Technology, AICE Music and American Music Theater/Theater Tech, are in charge of choosing the theme for every concert. She said once a theme is chosen,

they shape the performance around the message they are trying to convey.

“When the music is picked, all the choirs practice for months perfecting the dynamics, such as pitch and attitude,” Turner said. “Once the big day comes, we have all of the little details perfected.”

Turner, who is a part of chorus’s Advanced Women’s Choir and Women’s Barbershop, feels satisfied been a part of that.”

All choruses took part in this concert, including Beginning Women, Intermediate Women’s, Advanced Women, Men’s Chorus, Show Choir and Women’s Barbershop. Franks said he is immensely proud of his students’ production.

“I think my favorite part was the Men’s Chorus,” Franks said. “Many of them are new, and they have made some great improvements since the beginning of this school year.”

Franks said when choosing a theme, he enjoys having students think about the text of what they are performing. He said this helps them feel closer to the songs they perform, and this devotion to the music shows through in the execution on stage.

“I appreciate seeing everything come together,” Franks said. “It always surprises me when all 230 chorus students are on stage together. I forget how big that looks.”

Sophomore Kai Kantor, who has been a part of Men’s Chorus for two years, said

photo by SOphia Zapata

Lift your voice: Men’s Chorus comes together to perform covers of “Life is a Highway” and “I’m a Believer.” Both pieces were chosen to match this year’s fall concert theme of raising one’s voice through song. The selected songs were introduced to chorus members in Sept. and were rehearsed in class all through the month until the beginning of Oct.

his favorite part of the concert was the final song performed by all of the choirs combined. He said for every show he has been involved in, the last song of the night always captures the essence of their overall performance.

“I loved the last song because that’s when everybody just lets loose and has fun with it,” Kantor said. “Having everyone on stage really makes it feel like we’re a family, which we are.”

Kantor said he is eager to be a part of

chorus’s upcoming Winter Extravaganza, the choir’s annual winter concert. He said although the next performance seems far off, events, such as these, tend to come quicker than he expects.

“Right now I’m focusing on becoming better for the next show,” Kantor said. “I feel like everyone in chorus is proud of this concert, but we are all excited to give the next one everything we’ve got.”

Cast list revealed for AMT performance “We are currently doing character skits to really get into our characters and we are slowly learning all the songs,” Antolini said. “Having such a talented cast, I cannot wait to see how the show turns out.”

By ANamaria camara

On Oct.18, the cast list for American Musical Theatre 1’s (AMT 1) production of Beauty and the Beast was released.

Auditions for the play took place in September, and the students are now preparing for the show set to take place on Feb. 19-21.

Freshman Camila Antolini, who was cast as a dancer, said she is satisfied with her role and is excited to start learning choreography for all the songs.

“I feel that everyone who got what they got fit perfectly in their roles,” Antolini said. “When the actors really connect with the role they are given, it makes the show much more interesting to watch.”

Auditions are considered for about a month before roles are given out.

Freshman Connor Lirio, who received the lead role of the Beast, said he was extremely happy to see he had received the lead male role in his first show in high school.

Lirio said. “I’m going to take this as an opportunity to grow in theatre and make the best performance possible.”

Students audition for a role with a song and monologue of their choice, along with a dance audition to pick dancers for the show. After callbacks and coldreads, performances are then judged and chosen AMT teacher Cynthia Lutwin, who -freshman Camila Antolini by said the way students present themselves “I worked incredibly hard on my during their audition is extremely monologue and on my song, so finding important. out I got a lead felt so rewarding,” “When choosing those who are going

“

“

I feel that everyone who got what they got fit perfectly into their roles. When actors really connect with the role they are given, it makes the show much more interesting to watch.

“

I worked incredibly hard on my monologue and on my song, so finding out I got a lead felt so rewarding.

-freshman Connor Lirio

photo Courtesy of WHATSONHUB.COM

to take part in a role in this show, it’s important that students give their absolute all into the pieces they are auditioning with,” Lutwin said. “The auditions really showed how hard the students prepared for their performance and how badly they want to participate in the show.”

As all the roles have now been handed out, AMT 1 students have now started to prepare for the February show. Antolini said she is most excited to learn all the new choreographies and harmonies to the song “Be Our Guest.”

Rehearsals occur every week and are done in class, which includes script reading and song learning. Lutwin said students try to get as much done as possible in their rehearsals to quickly keep moving forward.

“They are in the process of going through all their lines, acting them out and memorizing them,” Lutwin said.

“Students will start to learn all the choreography and memorize the steps as well as for all students of AMT 1, ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is the first production they will be performing at the Bay.” Students will sing, act and dance all three nights of the show, including understudy night. Lirio said he is excited yet nervous about the response to the show, especially since he has no understudy and will perform all three shows.

“I hope people sing along with us and find the show captivating [since] we’re working really hard to make this production perfect,” Lirio said. “As time passes to the day of the show, cast mates turn to family.”

“

NOVEMBER 2019

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Days off necessary for mental health With record-high rates of depression and anxiety in teenagers, lawmakers in Oregon and Utah have implemented advantageous policies that provide students with ‘mental health days’ in hopes of gaining mental strength. Now, other states including Florida have begun discussing the implementation of this law. These mental health days mirror sick days in the workplace and extend to those who have clearly demonstrated a valid excuse of mental illness. However, they are limited to a certain amount of days per semester. These days off are instrumental to students as they foster mental health.

For individuals who have been affected by these issues, HB 2191 is vital as it addresses a prevalent subject that is underrated. There is a misconception that because mental illness is not always physically incapacitating, it is not important. Additionally, according to John Campo, Doctor of Medicine, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, people consider the issue illegitimate as it is the fault of the one with this illness as they are “weak”.

These views are harmful as it ignores the fact that these internal predicaments can lead to suicide. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, suicide has become the leading cause of death among children ages 10 to 17 and the suicide rate has increased by 70 percent since 2006. With this in mind,

illustration by Gowri Abhinanda

it is clear actions towards the promotion of mental health are critical and should not be sacrificed, as the benefits of advocating for this issue exceeds any possible drawbacks.

Although this law appeals to those who recognize the scope of the problem, some feel these mental health days would hinder school attendance. In Oregon, more than one in every six students were chronically absent during 2015 and 2016 according to the state’s government. The assumption is that HB 2191 would enable frequent absences, causing individuals’ grades to be hurt due to automatic zeros

entered into the grade book. Although this is a possibility, the law prevents this from happening as it limits the days a student can take off from school per semester. Additionally, the Anxiety and Depressions Association of America notes that students who are suffering mentally do not attend school as it is a stress-inducing environment for these children. However, this piece of legislation is beneficial as it grants students a day off so they can rejuvenate mentally, which would motivate students to attend school.

Additionally, opponents of the proposal feel it is not feasible as they

believe children could claim they need time off from school when in reality, they are just skipping it on a false premise. In Oregon, where they were first trying to implement the law, the students were met with resistance from some teachers due to the job of interpreting who is allowed to have those days. The Washington Post adds that teachers felt it was another added responsibility as they would have to decipher who is faking and who is actually in need of these days. Although this argument brings a fair assertion, it is not burdening as the students must prove they have a mental illness through a formal verification from a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist.

Knowing the impact mental health has on students, HB 2191 is beneficial as it executes ideas that allow for mental growth. Anxiety and depression levels would decrease as students will have time to relax, which allows them to proactively approach their issues instead of turning to suicide or self-harm.

In any law, there is always a chance of there being some sort of caveat; however, despite these doubts, mental health days should be included in schools and eventually even the Bay. Individuals experiencing mental illnesses need to have personal time to value their health instead of forcing themselves to attend school when they are not in the right mindset to take on the pressures of the classroom.

FLASH OF BRILLIANCE

YES Enforcing school uniforms at the Bay would be beneficial to the large population and community within the school. The Bay has always had a relaxed policy towards what students wear and there are not many restrictions. Although clothes can be used for expression, to some, outfits can be inappropriate and act as a distraction. At such a large school, there is a lack of school pride and spirit and no sense of community that every high school should withhold. As one walks from class to class, a feeling arises of being surrounded by strangers and new faces one may never see again or even notice. By requiring uniforms, it could give the school that missing sense of commonality between students.

Providing uniforms to students would help eliminate the judgment from others and need to try or to impress. If everyone is wearing the same outfit, then everyone seems to become more of an equal rather than comparing who wears the nicest or trendiest outfits. This could have a positive influence on many students’ mental health. Another factor that would better students’ daily lives would be the removal of pressure. The stress of what to put on every day and thought of whether one looks good enough would be gone. The purpose of school is to learn, and clothes are just another distraction that encompasses teenage students’ minds. Uniforms should be imposed on students for more unity and the abundance of positives that outweigh the everyday decision of what to wear.

-Annabelle Daniels-Rosenberg

Should high schools require a uniform?

INFOGRAPHIC BY ANNABELLE DANIELS-ROSENBERG

Visit our Twitter @cbhscircuit to vote on the topic

NO Since the Bay opened, students have been given the privilege to choose their outfits for each day. As a reward for exemplary behavior and academic excellence, the typical rules and regulations for school uniforms have been disregarded. This freedom has allowed the students who attend the Bay to express themselves in a creative way and have an outlet to display their personality through their clothing. With a diverse population of about 4,800 students, having this freedom is an aspect of the Bay that sets it apart from other schools in the county. If taken away, a piece of the school would be gone with it as the importance of creativity and artistic freedom are two factors that make the Bay so unique and special. Some may argue that having a uniform would create more relaxed mornings in regards to picking out an outfit. However, the choice to wear sweatpants and a T-shirt some days and jeans on others, is one that is highly valued by many students. Being required to wear a uniform would suppress students’ innovative imaginations and possibly prevent them from feeling comfortable and content with the school’s environment. This feeling could potentially cause some to lose their sense of individuality if they find themselves looking the same as everyone else.

Overall, the addition of school uniforms would not be beneficial to the student body as students from all grades use their clothing to truly represent who they are.

-Drew Roach

40 THE CIRCUIT

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 2019

Rigorous gym courses should be optional

At the Bay, it is a requirement that students take a physical education class in order to graduate. Most students use Health Opportunities through Physical Education (HOPE) in order to fulfill both the physical education and online class graduation requirements. However, physical education classes should not be a requirement if students do not want to participate in them.

Making physical education optional could allow students to focus more on school and getting into college. If it was optional, people would have the opportunity to take an interesting elective or a class to prepare them for the future.

Instead, the mandatory HOPE class wastes a spot on students’ schedules because the material that is covered can be covered in science classes that are already mandatory like Biology.

If Broward County or the state of Florida was to abolish mandated physical education, they would not be in the minority. According to study.com, the states Colorado, Alaska and Arizona do not require physical education at any grade level. Also, of the states that do require physical education, only five have weekly time requirements further conveying the message that HOPE is unnecessary.

The state of Florida says that in order to graduate, a student must complete

a personal wellness course that can be online, like HOPE. However, unlike grades kindergarten through eighth, there is no waiver, which is unfair to students. Instead of forcing students to complete a course of this nature, the state requirements should be that students can complete the topics through science classes on early release days or days such as “Take Your Child to Work Day.” HOPE can be completed over the summer or during the school year, but the class is regularly weighted, so it could also bring down the GPA of overachievers who take rigorous courses, like AP or AICE. Having heavy course loads is another reason why HOPE should not be required. Students who are driven and passionate about certain subjects should have the opportunity to be exempt from HOPE in order to pursue their dreams.

The physical education requirement in place hinders the ability of students to achieve their full potential.

Obviously, health is important and students should learn how to maintain good nutrition, but the state of Florida should either include more information in the course so that it is actually enriching and not just a ‘study hall’ or not require it all.

Since HOPE is usually taken online, students may work at their own pace but students who work faster and complete

illustration by hannah grogan

all the necessary material will not be required to complete any additional learning. This allows the class to become a second study hall where a student can waste time in school. Instead, the class should have a real year-long curriculum in order to justify its existence.

The students in the state of Florida should petition to have the ability to exempt themselves from having to take a personal wellness course. Now, it is unlikely that the state would completely abolish mandated physical education, which is a good thing; however, high school students especially should have relaxed guidelines when it comes to physical education. Students are preparing for college and focusing on

their core subjects, as they should.

According to shapeamerica.org, the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards for Physical Education, Florida’s physical education regulations were last reviewed in 2008, over a decade ago. In order to keep up with the rapidly changing times in regards to college preparation and academic rigor, these standards should be revised again.

Health and physical fitness are important, and all students should be able to learn about this subject, but the current curriculum is less than ideal. HOPE should not be mandatory and instead of teaching personal wellness in high school, it should be covered in middle school or as a part of the science curriculum.

Letters to the Editor Students should not be punished or required to pay a fee if ID is forgotten one day The security at cypress has a lot of responsibilities, but if I do not have my ID on, it should not be the end of the world. I do not enjoy being late to class because I have to wait in line along with other kids for making an honest mistake of forgetting it. I miss the free feeling the Bay used to have, and although all security measures are for the safety of the students, the freedom element is what made the Bay different. I do appreciate the effort of administration to keep us safe by being able to identify who goes to this school.

-Ben Schiller, senior

Students need to start cleaning up after their lunches and around the school Students at the Bay need to learn how to clean up after themselves after lunch and in the hallways. Many students are disrespectful and do not pick up after their lunch and throw their food on the floor. They assume that someone will pick up after them, but they can also help. It takes a group effort to make the Bay the best it can be. Students often walk over trash in the hallways instead of just picking it up. There is also food left in the stairways because people who eat on the catwalk can’t be bothered to pick up their trash. Our school is huge and it is hard for our staff to be able to clean up after every lunch and every period. Students should treat our school like it’s their home, since we

spend so much time here. If everyone did their part, we would have a much cleaner campus. It’s all about common courtesy.

-Shelby Schultz, junior

Vending machines should be updated to ensure students receive snacks

It is crucial for students to attend school but when a half day is announced, it is often taken as a free day. Overall, half days are a wasted school day and instead there should just be more days off.

-Sofia Rojas, sophomore

The tents in the courtyard create hysteria as they conflict with the Whenever I feel like I may need a traffic from the students little snack between classes, the vending machines are my go to. But the vending The tents in the middle of the courtyard machines here at the Bay are a hit or miss. look weird. They create a nice amount of Some days they are a reliable source while shade and make it so more people can other days they are not. These problems eat outside without dying of a heatstroke, include either the transaction part not but it clutters up the school more than it cooperating, or a lack of variety from already is. Added with the construction, within the machines. This inconsistency there is very little space to walk around. produces a sense of distrust among From a glance, the school looks cluttered students since they do not know whether and messy. It also makes getting to class to rely on these vending machines as a very hard because there are always way source of a quick snack here at the Bay too many kids walking at the same time -Abbie Holt, senior in a very small and confined space due to the tents. If they were taken out, the school would look more open.

Half days at the Bay are a -Diego Santos, sophomore wasted school day and instead they should be days off Administrators should work I think that half days at the Bay are to prevent vandalism from a wasted day for students and teachers. spreading throughout the school The limited amount of time in class does not allow teachers to present a Vandalism is something I have seen lesson that students can fully grasp. a lot at the Bay for the past four years.

These days also mess up schedules for There is always writing on the tables or the teachers. Teachers may rush a lesson on the bathroom stalls, some of it being so that they can keep all of their classes unpleasant or explicit. Vandalism gives on schedule. This often results in some the school a bad reputation to newcomers classes not as prepared as others. On or specials guests that are attending the half days, a lot of students often think school. We should attempt to prevent it is not necessary to attend class. Even any more of it or at least get rid of what though it is not the duration of a full is already staining the schools property class period, teachers are still teaching.

-Mariana Beneli, senior

Healthier lunches should be provided to encourage future healthy eating habits Schools, especially Cypress Bay High School which has thousands of students, should have better lunches offered to students. Being provided healthy lunches at school while growing up can help build healthy eating habits for the future. Healthier school lunches can even reduce aggression and hyperactivity among children, as well as help break the unfortunate cycles that may trap some low-income children in poor health choices for the rest of their lives. This addition of healthy school lunches will only benefit the students here at the Bay. -Nicole Martinez, junior

Letters to the editor are encouraged as part of The Circuit’s mission as a public forum. Submissions should not exceed 300 words; they should be dropped off in Room 360 or mailed to the school to the attention of adviser Eileen Manella. The author will have the final say in phrasing of the letter, but letters are subject to editing for length, clarity, punctuation and grammar. Anonymous letters will not be printed and the writer’s identity will be confirmed prior to the publication. Any material deemed libelous, obscene, disruptive or unlawful to minors will not be published.

NOVEMBER 2019

OPINION

Reality television ideals diminishing to provide entertainment for viewers

While people look forward to traveling, relaxing and vacationing over the summer break, fans are awaiting the reality-competition television series to kickoff. With drama-filled shows like Big Brother and The Bachelorette, fans begin to watch the programs routinely.

The Bachelorette is a dramatic TV series in which one selected bachelorette mingles and builds relationships with 30 bachelor contestants. The end result and ultimate purpose of this show is for the bachelorette to find her future husband.

However, this TV show is much more than the ”finding love” aspect; it becomes a backstabbing, complicated and harsh competition.

Bottom Line: Reality TV shows should not veer away from their ideals simply to provide interesting content For the duration of the show, contestants are living in the Bachelorette house, based in California. Cliques begin to form in an alliance-like style which divides clearly creates a divide between the contestants.

While the purpose of this show is to find love in a competitive manner, the main purpose often becomes hidden and the show turns into a bloodbath of men trying to harm each other’s reputations, so they will ultimately win; the show is not about love anymore. It is solely a competition as it veers away from its true ideals.

Throughout the show, different style dates take place for the contestants to get to know the bachelorette. With group dates and single dates, everyone yearns for the chance to get that one-on-one time with the bachelorette. This can lead to broken relationships and negative

competition between contestants. The bachelors end up trying to one-up their competitors, which leaves a poor taste in many viewers’ mouths.

Love Island, another television series, is about a group of young individuals looking for love, spending the summer on an island together. Once again, the goal of this show is for participants to find love; however, it does not do this directly. This show allows viewers to cast votes for the couples who they like and want to stay on the show. The winning couple wins a large sum of money at the end of the season. This can negatively influence the contestants, as the monetary prize may force a relationship that is not true love.

Similarly, with Big Brother, contestants are placed in a house for the summer and play games and challenges to stay in the house. The winner of Big Brother wins half a million dollars. While the true purpose of this show is to demonstrate how competition affects relationships and fuels divisions in friendship, the contestants end up backstabbing their friends for their personal gain. While viewers thrive off of these nail-biting competitions, decisions and relationships, the contestants inside the house are honestly just working towards beating each other at the same game. While the show itself leaves room for extra competition, all chances to compete further are taken.

In the end, what could have been a friendship ultimately turns into an enemy alliance, which could have easily been avoided but was influenced by the show.

While reality-competition TV shows provide ongoing entertainment and interaction for viewers, the real reason they are happening is often overlooked. A variety of shows, from Bachelorette to Big Brother, have all altered ways of playing out and differing endings that veer away from their true purposes.

Fairness, higher grades promoted by schools becoming “test-optional” While standardized tests, such as the SAT and ACT, used to be mandatory for all students applying to college, certain schools around the world are becoming “test-optional.” This means they are allowing high schoolers to opt out of these tests and apply to college without any standardized test scores. Although this may seem unfair to those who do choose to take these exams, it eliminates the possibility of students scoring lower due to limited study resources.

While standardized tests arguably place students on a level-playing field and provide colleges with a method of comparison when reviewing applications, certain students are exposed to better resources and preparation for these tests than other students. If the SAT and ACT are optional for schools, it allows those who perform well on the tests to submit their scores and add a benefitting factor to their applications, while also giving the opportunity for those with lower scores to

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High-schoolers should avoid basing college decisions on relationships

This generation’s teen experience can be highly impacted by complicated and serious relationships that take place throughout high school. As one gets older and reaches the point of senior year, the severity of a relationship might take a toll on the decision of where one goes to college. Ultimately, relationships during high school are an enjoyable and eyeopening experience, but sometimes the influence of a relationship can go too far.

It seems as if in high school, relationships are taken to the extreme and couples act as if they are already married by going on trips by themselves or just having sleepovers; at what point is this going too far? As a senior in high school involved in a relationship, it is evident that college is a major topic of discussion as both sides have different dreams and aspirations but are afraid of losing each other. However, a decision as big as where one will end up at college should not be influenced by one’s partner.

It can be hard to think about not being with a person one loves due to schooling, and this may make it easier to take a boyfriend or girlfriend’s opinion into consideration in regards to the college decision; however, the truth is that the only person that should decide where one goes to college is oneself and nobody else. The dreams and aspirations of one person are most likely not the same as the next, which is why settling on a college should be based upon one’s own heart, and not that of the other.

There could be dire consequences to allowing your significant other to be a deciding factor for college, the most prominent one being going to school together and then breaking up because feelings become lost. Another consequence may also be following your boyfriend or girlfriend to school for them to just fall for someone else or vice versa. It is important opt out. This allows for more fairness, as students from low-income schools may not be as prepared as those who can afford a private education and a tutor.

Another reason why schools should become “test-optional” is because these exams take a dangerous toll on the mental health of students. Because some perform better than others in test-taking environments, it may relieve testing anxiety and promote higher scores if a student knows that these scores are optional and can only benefit them and their application. Also, if someone happens to be an excellent test taker and succeeds on these standardized exams, it can serve as another factor to add to college applications.

Although these exams allow schools to analyze a student’s understanding of important topics, this information can also be perceived through their grades in school and end-of-course (EOC) tests.

Many higher level courses such as the AICE and AP programs require an end of course exam to test the knowledge of students, so these scores can be used to portray their level of understanding possibly even more efficiently than the SAT

to keep some of these potential results of a relationship on the table before making one’s 18-year-old mind decide whether or not to end a high school relationship.

While there may be the lucky case of a happy and healthy relationship jumping ship from high school to college, it is evident that one must not base their life around their significant other because it worked out for one couple. Making a transition from seeing each other every day at school and on the weekends is a completely different lifestyle than college, where there are completely new faces, friends and just a distinct community style. This transition may be the period where one may notice that high school relationships are not worth continuing for there are so many other people that one will meet in the four years of college.

Bottom Line: Students shouldn’t follow their significant others to college

Deciding at such a young age on keeping a forever relationship that began in high school is not healthy and could have the possibility of ruining the college experience, especially in the case of long-distance. When one partner decides to go out-of-state for college and the other stays in-state, red flags should immediately arise when deciding if the relationship is worth keeping together. It is rare that a long-distance relationship works in general, so why would it work between two young high schoolers about to embark on a separate journey and be with a completely new crowd? The truth is, it does not. It is better to save each other the heartbreak and high hopes for a long future than ruin each other’s lives from thousands of miles away.

and ACT, as they are more detailed and focused on specific subjects. Therefore, with these tests, colleges should have enough of an understanding of a student’s level of comprehension and additional standardized tests should not be required.

With the college application process being extremely stressful and difficult for students, the addition of more “testoptional” schools could relieve some of this pressure, and ultimately, allow students to perform better in their classes.

When high schoolers are put under immense amounts of stress, it can be detrimental to their grades and overall motivation to succeed in their schoolwork. With the elimination of this excess burden on students, it can increase focus on schoolwork, extracurriculars and mental health.

Taking this all into account, there is an abundance of reasons why standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT can negatively impact a student’s high school career. The addition of more “test-optional” schools would not only allow these exams to only be a benefitting factor to college applications, but it can also promote higher grades and overall sanity of students.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 2019

Aspiring dancer reaches milestone

I have been dancing since the age of three and over the years I have developed my love for the art form. I always strive to improve my technique, flexibility and other skills in each class I take. I think focusing on these elements have matured and improved the way in which I dance as well as shape me into the advanced dancer I am today. This is why I was able to co-choreograph a trio on myself along with two of my best friends.

From a young age, I have always found a reason to dance in almost any situation, whether it be in rehearsal or to improve on my own. However, I finally put my dance knowledge to use when I received the opportunity to teach children different styles of dances at the day camp run by my studio, Meg Segreto’s Dance Centre. This was a great accomplishment for me and I felt honored to be asked to tackle the vast responsibility.

It showed me the effort I put in every day at my dance classes had made me worthy of the opportunity and I was grateful for that. This challenge was not too intimidating because the campers were inexperienced and I have been dancing almost every day at the studio for the past 13 years. I was able to choreograph a basic, more predictable dance using simple moves that the kids would enjoy learning.

However, along with teaching dances at the summer camp, I also took separate workshops geared towards helping me become a more refined, well-rounded dancer. These were unlike the typical technique classes I attended during the school year because rather than focusing on learning a dance, the teachers try to distribute pointers on how to choreograph dances and improvise on the spot. For instance, in one of the many activities, a group of dancers and I completed, our teacher split us up into groups of three and then assigned us a random song, each one representing a distinct genre. We were instructed to make up a phrase, or a brief chunk of choreography, that went with the music we were given. After each group presented their creation, the instructor switched the genre of music and told us to perform the same phrase to the new music. This not only required us to create unique movement in our choreography, but to also use our brains and senses to

immediately adapt to the music while simultaneously staying together as a group in harmony.

After we had finished all the mentally and physically challenging activities, we were assigned a small group in which to choreograph a dance. I was working in a group of three, alongside two of my best friends, so I knew we would easily be able to agree on the type of movement in which we would put into the dance. Since I was working in the same group I had previously operated in, we were able to use some of the same choreography we had previously created in our phrase work.

This was a considerable advantage for my group because our dance teacher said she truly felt as though we had stepped out of our comfort zones with our phrase work and it had really paid off.

Over the course of two or three days, we were provided with time to focus on our student choreography. We began with our phrase work and then kept adding on until the piece was complete, each of us contributing a fairly even amount of choreography. We included an abundance of follow-ups into our piece. This is when everyone executes the same movement but at different times to create a more complex effect which can look like a ripple. We also tried to incorporate different speeds of movement to counteract the slow, soft music and create a more dynamic piece.

However, we faced a few difficulties along the way. Everyone in the workshop was given two rooms to work in, but there were four separate groups constructing dances. Since we had to share a room, there was a limited amount of space to assemble our pieces. At one point, this definitely influenced our movement in the dance to be more confined and compact. Being in the same room also enabled us to copy movement from the other group.

Although we explicitly tried our best to keep our choreography our own, there is no doubt that the other groups’ styles may have influenced a couple of moves within our piece. Also, since we had no say in what music we choreographed to, it was slightly harder to be inspired by the repetitive, wordless, flowy music prechosen by our teacher.

We were to perform our dances for our parents and a few others at a smallscale concert held at the studio. My

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY JULIA WINTON

triple threat: (From top) sophomore Julia Winton practices with her dance partners for their student-choreographed recital. Her dance was exhibited in her studio’s winter holiday show in front of parents and other members of the dance company. Winton said the group spent about three hours to choreograph it and practiced it for a month. The dance features a mixture of both fast and slow paced movements to create greater dynamics. Originally, Winton said the dance was created for entertainment, but after her teacher saw the dance she wanted to feature it in their show.

teacher decided to have live music for the concert, so there were musicians playing music instead of it being played off of a CD. This seemed like an impressive idea at the time; however, during the performance, the musicians played part of the song extremely different from the CD we had been using to practice. Since the three of us think so much alike, we made the same correction, on the spot, to our dance to allow it to finish in time with the music. The movement we fixed during the performance was barely noticeable, if at all, especially since the three of us were the only people who knew the choreography like the back of our hands.

Our teacher was not only impressed,

but also in awe of the movement we created and our ability to adapt under pressure, especially without being able to communicate with each other. She later informed us that she would feature our student choreography in our annual holiday show. This was an important milestone for all three of us because this was not just a small concert for our parents, but a show on a vast stage for hundreds of people to see. I feel immensely honored to have this experience that not many at my studio have had. With the great extent to which I devote my time and energy at dance, I feel as though my hard work has paid off and encouraged me to keep on pushing myself.

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OPINION

NOVEMBER 2019

THE CIRCUIT

Hosting event teaches valuable life lesson

As a cheerleader, it has always been my duty to cheer for my class at our homecoming pep rallies. However, seeing a fellow cheerleader take on the position as the event’s host last year, it immediately became my goal to follow in her footsteps and host my senior pep rally. While I never expected to actually be provided this opportunity, I tried my best to ensure the chairs of the event were aware that I was willing to do the job.

As someone who has many peers in Student Government Association (SGA), it was not hard for me to implement the idea of me as pep rally host into their minds. I would strategically mention it to my friends throughout the past year, encouraging them to spread the word that I wanted the job. After a while, it became an ongoing joke between my friends and I, that is, until I was actually offered the opportunity to host pep rally.

It was both exciting and nerveracking to receive the official offer, but I immediately accepted it. As soon as both hosts were chosen, a meeting date was set between SGA Pep Rally chairs senior Jack McMahon, junior Allison Comite, my co-host Sean Pursell and I. At our meetings, we mainly established the script and created hilarious jokes to poke fun at the freshmen, which has become a pep rally tradition. Once we were told the predetermined theme of the Everglades/ the swamp, we immediately pondered costume ideas and roles for our script; we

came up with the idea that I would be a “swamp tour guide” and Sean would act as a “wild Florida man.” The excitement continued to build as pep rally approached, and I truly looked forward to being able to express my school spirit in this way.

On the day of pep rally, the SGA room, which is unfamiliar to me, was even more hectic than I could have imagined.

All of the hardworking students were preparing for the event, setting up props and helping to move floats. As Sean and I tested the microphones, it took some time to finally establish the best volume for the crowd to be able to understand us.

However, we did not expect the technical difficulties that we unfortunately faced.

Once the bell rang to release students, the stands soon flooded with eager students, which only fueled my excitement even further. As soon as we were given the green light to begin speaking, the microphones gave out and would only cooperate from inside the announcing box. Despite the shortlived disappointment of being unable to host from the middle of the field, we immediately improvised and instead raced up to the box to host from there. Thanks to the help of many SGA students, Sean and I were able to easily make the transition and improvise the script accordingly.

While pep rally was something I have been looking forward to since last year, when I was unsure if I would even be offered the job as host, it definitely did not

EDITORS

The Circuit is the student newspaper of Cypress Bay High School. The opinions expressed in the paper are not necessarily those of the adviser, administration, or advertisers. The publication of advertisements in The Circuit does not imply endorsement.

The Circuit is a free publication available to approximately 4,800 students and 300 faculty and staff members of Cypress Bay High School. The publication prints 3,500 copies six times per year.

The Circuit has been recognized as a Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown Winner, National Scholastic Press Association-All American publication and Florida Scholastic Press Association All-Florida publication.

TO CONTACT US: CALL (754) 323- 0350, ext. 3277 eileen.manella@browardschools.com OR VISIT cbhscircuit.com

PHOTOS SUBMITTED BY JENNA FRIEDMAN

HOSTED UP: (From top) senior Jenna Friedman stands with co-host senior Sean Pursell to practice their script before the pep rally event. Due to technical difficulties, Friedman had to host the event from the announcing box. The hosts stand in front of their senior class before the event to hype up the crowd.

go as expected. However, it taught me a valuable lesson that life will not always go as planned, and I have to always try and make the most out of a difficult situation.

If it were not for the positive attitudes and improvisation skills of SGA and Interior Design Adviser Danielle Nascimento and the SGA students, I definitely would have had a more difficult time remaining calm while jumping through a sea of seniors to make it to the announcing box.

HYBRID EDITORS

Editor-in-Chief: Jenna Friedman

A&E / Print Opinion Copy Editor: Julia Winton

Managing Editor: Drew Roach

News Copy Editor: Gowri Abhinanda

News Editor: Chloe Wain

Features / Online Opinion Copy Editor: Sabrina Blandon

Features Editor: Colin Crawford Arts & Ent. Editor: Jen Silverman Sports Editor: Robbie Solomon Layout Editor: Sophie Gaer Ad Designer : Jake Miller Ad Organizer: Chloe Nowack Business Manager: Sabrina Olivieri Adviser: Eileen Manella

ONLINE EDITION EDITORS Editor-in-Chief: Karla Soberon Managing Editor: Annabelle DanielsRosenberg News Editor: Sophia Handley Features Editor: Rachel Alexander Sports Editor: Darian Trabold Arts & Ent. Editor: Hannah Lassner

Sports Copy Editor: Devin Pabian Graphics / Illustrations Editor: Sandra Talledo News / A&E Photo Editor: Hannah Shulby Sports / Features Photo Editor: Isabella Grogan PR Managers: Courtney Levinson, Ethan Gaer Features / Sports Multimedia Editor: Sophia Busto News / A&E Multimedia Editor: Sofia Russ Visit cbhscircuit. com for more news, sports, feature, arts and entertainment and opinion stories.

As anxious as I was for everything to run perfectly, I know that no matter what, we made this year’s pep rally the best it could possibly be. I am extremely grateful that I was offered the chance to lead my school in such an entertaining and rewarding way, and I know that hosting pep rally in front of the incredible population of 4,800 students was the opportunity of a lifetime.

STAFF WRITERS Gabriella Barraza, Ana Boix, Alexa Braxton, Anamaria Camara, Roxy Carr, Marc Forrester, Francisca Giuliani, Hannah Grogan, Isabella Loschiavo, Reece Kauffman, Agavni Mehrabi, Alexa Morchelies, Samantha Reichstein, Dani Shapiro, Sophia Zapata

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NOVEMBER 2019