News 17
Joke Threats Aren’t a Joke
Ainsley McCormick Editor-In-Chief
I
t isn’t a new trend for kids to joke around, but with the recent mass shooting that occurred at Parkland, these “jokes” are being taken more seriously -- and they’re resulting in repercussions that need to be taken note of. The topic of gun violence is not something to be taken lightly, and although it may seem like fun and games to many, the consequences are real.
modifies the way it’s run to make the place safer for students, faculty, and staff.
“Students learning and growing is our number one priority in school, but we can’t focus on that unless our students and faculty feel safe. I think students are becoming more aware of the things they say, and that there are consequences for their actions. We just want our school to be Just recently two teenagers in Broward a safe one,” said Mr. Bayer. County have been charged with separate Students should be warned that now, more felonies after making what they picked out than ever, they need to be serious about to be a joke in regards to gun violence. One the danger of gun violence, whether it be made the comment in an Instagram group on social media, on school grounds, or chat and the other during a drill. anywhere else. Teachers should have their In response to these recent events, new eyes and ears open for any signs of a posStudent Resource Officer John Mulcahy sible thread and be ready to alert authorisaid, “Our theory is we prepare for the worst ties. Parents should always be conscious and hope for the best. Prior to me coming of a student’s feelings and emotions and be here, (Student Resource Officer) Scopa was aware if any possible red flags may appear. here by himself for the past five years, and According to theSunSentinel, “Authorities after the Stoneman Douglas unfortunate urge parents to speak with their children incident, they increased police presence at about the seriousness of such crimes and all the schools, not only in Pines but all of to caution them against making threats of this nature.” Students making jokes like, Florida.” “Be ready for a lockdown,” and “I have It’s obvious that schools are taking a surprise for everyone tomorrow,” is not comments, such as these, more serious. Mr. something to be taken lightly (Sun SentiBayer released a Jupiter Ed message saying, nel). While students shouldn’t be making “This is an opportunity for us all to reflect jokes like this, it should also be reported on the appropriate and acceptable uses of if a weary comment is seen or heard. As humor and the potential consequences of off- always, it is better to be safe than sorry. handed comments in the wrong situations.” It had been noted and appreciated that “Jokes” said for a laugh in class are no Charter has already begun to strengthen longer to be taken as just a joke, but rather their security through extra security guards, something that everyone is keeping their an updated security system, tougher rules eyes and ears open for. Students -- watch when entering campus, and more frequent what you say, for it can have dangerous uniform checks. With each event, the school repercussions.
Hurricanes Brittany Evelyn Managing Editor
CHARTER HIGH ACADEMIC TIMES
National SAT Scandal Rachel Rivera
A
Lifestyle Editor
fter working for months to prepare for the high stakes college entrance exam, students around the world all sat down to take the SAT. What most students didn’t know was that the test they took was allegedly a recycled test given by the College Board in October 2017. The test was reported to be floating around the internet for months, giving students easy access to the test and its answers. Although Jon Boeckenstedt, enrollment chief at DePaul University in Chicago says “It’s not unusual for them to reuse some questions” students claim the test was identical to the one available online. The test was supposedly given in Asia in October and in North America this August. Students from China and South Korea traveled to the U.S to retake the test after already taking it in their respective countries. The College Board responded to these rumors, stating they “significantly increased our test security efforts and resources” and that they will take “quality control steps to ensure cheating hasn’t occurred, including a “comprehensive statistical analysis of certain test scores.” Many students feel the College Board’s vague responses to their concerns and their carelessness is unprofessional, considering the SAT is one of the most crucial aspects to college applications. The Board ensures they will take appropriate actions of cancelling test scores and prohibiting students from taking another College Board assessment if they determine the student has gained an unfair advantage. “Preparing for the SAT takes months of hard work if you want to get a high score, if I knew that the SAT I took was leaked and some of the students had all the answers while I spent months studying I’d want their fake scores invalidated along with other serious consequences, they didn’t earn them and they didn’t put in all the time that other kids did,” says senior Trinity O’neal. College Board continued to defend their organization by making it certain to students and parents that although individuals will always continue to challenge the system and find new ways to cheat, they will take the steps necessary steps to make sure that the SAT remains a valid, reliable tool for college admissions. Junior Carolina Gomez
Graphic By: Justin Pierce
weighs in on the situation,“I think the easiest way to avoid students getting the answers ahead of time is for the College Board to stop recycling their test. If there’s a new exam every time in every country no one will have an unfair advantage.” This scandal has not been the first the College Board has dealt with that has called into question the credibility of the exam. Junior Zachary Phillips states, “Since this is not the first one there is no guarantee that it won’t happen again.”A plot uncovered by federal investigators in 2011 revealed that students paid thousands of dollars to then 19-year-old college student Sam Eshaghoff to take the SAT for them. Following the 2011 fiasco, more than one dozen Chinese nationals were put under a federal investigation in 2015 for a Pittsburgh-based cheating offense. Students were accused of participating in a scheme in which they paid about $6,000 for others to take the college entrance exam for them. To students who spend most of high school preparing for the test, this scandal brings questions surrounding College Boards method of recycling tests and if it will give others an unfair advantage. If they aren’t penalized, these students may be put at a higher advantage to be accepted into universities that others work years for. As the College Board continues to deal with this situation, students all around the world will continue prepare for their exams and remain hopeful that everyone is presented with a fair advantage in the future.
Hurricane Florence
Hurricane Helene
Tropical Depression Joyce Hurricane Isaac
Tropical cyclone Florence began to develop off the north coast of Africa on August 31st. The storm developed as wind speeds increased and it traveled along the Atlantic Ocean. By the time it was 485 miles southeast of North Carolina, the storm had become a category 5 hurricane. Wind speeds began to slow down as the storm neared closer and closer to land, finally reaching category 1. The category 1 hurricane touched down on land on Friday, September 14th, in North Carolina. By 5 pm the same day, Florence had been downgraded to a tropical storm. On Sunday, September 16th, at 5 a.m. it was declared a tropical depression, NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center said, with sustained winds of 30 mph. (Weather.com)
After reports of a potential tropical cyclone forming off the north coast of Africa, Helene quickly turned into a tropical depression, then tropical storm. By Sunday, September 9th, winds had picked up to 75 mph, classifying Helene as a category 1 hurricane. The storm has made a sort of “C” shape, as it traveled outward in the Atlantic Ocean and up the coast of Africa, into Europe. The storm regressed to a tropical depression by the morning of Sunday, September 16th, lingering 405 miles north of The Azores. (Weather.com)
Developing about 285 miles south-southwest of The Azores, Tropical Depression Joyce is said to be of no immediate threat to nearby lands. The storm developed from a depression to a tropical storm on Thursday, September 13th. Over the course of three days, the storm formed a “U” shape in the Atlantic. With winds at 35 mph, gusts at 45 mph, and a pressure of 29.77 in., Joyce is predicted to remain in the Atlantic. As of Monday, September 17th, it remains a tropical depression with wind speeds of 35 mph. (Weather.com)
Tropical Depression Isaac began developing on the evening of Friday, September 7th, in the Atlantic Ocean. The depression strengthened to a tropical storm by Saturday, September 8th, with winds of 40 mph. By Sunday, September 9th, Isaac progressed to a category 1 hurricane. Travelling in an almost straight line between the islands of Martinique and Dominica, Isaac slowed down, with wind speeds in the 40s. As of Saturday, September 15th, Isaac remains a tropical depression 260 miles south of the Dominican Republic. (Weather.com)
Graphic By: Henry Severe