The chat newspaper october 2014 year 15 issue #2

More on homeroom clubs: Page 22

Extensive coverage on Cross Country: Pages 24-27

Jake Dreilinger Editor-in-Chief Maria Bozo - Layout & Content Kyle Moss-Solomon - Video Managing Editors Chatter Daily News Taylor Horan Web Managing Editor Emily Deese Business Manager Mr. J. Harris - Layout Mr. F. Fagen - Content Mr. J. Harris - Video Advisers

Mr. P. Bayer Principal

Looghermine Claude News Editor Melissa Pierce Student Life Editor David Cha-Kim Technology Editor Shakayla Lee Entertainment Editor Brett Alayon Sports Editor

Contents

The C.H.C. Staff

Aalyiah Pasols Features Editor Nicholas Rivera Lifestyle Editor Tyra Green Clubs Editor

Rebecca Gonzales - The CHAT Peter Dourvetakis - Web Photo Editors

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Student Life:

Matthew Perez Graphics Editor Carmen Pettersen Cartoonist CONTENT STAFF: Josiah Celestine, Lauren Cookley, Matthew Deno, Sofia Gangotena, Camilo Grijalva, Hayley Hartwell, Hanan Hessin, LJ Lemmers, Autumn Pough, Lauren Ramirez LAYOUT STAFF: Emily Deese, Tomas Eiletz, Esteban Gangotena, Jacob Morgenstern, Fernando Plata

Changes in Front Office: Guidance sees some new faces New classes: Students’ thoughts on Cambridge

PHOTOGRAPHY STAFF: Ryan Corona, Jonathan Harris, Alexis MongeRodriguez, Aalyiah Pasols, Sydney Silverberg GRAPHIC STAFF: Katie Perez CHAT VIDEO NEWS STAFF: Samuel Eliacin, Matthew Fernandez, Genesis Vesco The C.H.A.T. is an official publication of the Pembroke Pines Charter High School (PPCHS). The content of our newspaper is not necessarily the opinions of our advisers and administration.

The C.H.A.T. staff welcomes any comments to the editors and/or staff.

The C.H.A.T is a publication of C.H.C (Charter High Communications) sponsored by the Communications & Technology Department of PPCHS. Pembroke Pines Charter High School 17189 Sheridan Street Pembroke Pines, FL 33331 Phone: 954-538-3700 Email: chc.ppchs@gmail.com Twitter: @_theCHATter Instagram: @thechatnews The CHAT welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must be signed. The staff reserves the right to edit letters for poor taste, libel, and space.

Drop off letters in room C113 or send an email to chc.ppchs@gmail.com

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Technology: New with Apple: iOS8, iPhone 6, and iWatch Net Neutrality: The fight for the “Net”

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Featu

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Feature on Cross Country Pg 24&25

ures

24-31

Sports: Message to NFL: Enough is Enough

Feature on changes in Guidance: Pg 4&5

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Features: Humans of Charter: Jaguars’ untold stories

Best of the best: Boys and Girls Track profiles

The Inspiration: Humans of New York

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Clubs & Electives:

Columns:

New Clubs: Coming to a room near you

Domestic violence: Should I stay or should I go?

Inside the classroom: What is going on at PPCHS

Domestic violence: Pointing fingers at the wrong faces

Guidance sees s

Maria Managing Editor -

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uidance is the heart of PPCHS; our school simply would not be what it is today if it wasn’t for the guidance department. From helping with lunches to assisting with schedules and administering detentions, PPCHS would not be able to function properly if the guidance department did not do all they do for the school. It is a well-known fact that Charter had undergone many changes this year. Among the changes that were put in place this year were changes in the guidance department.

Ms. Maycock is a new face to PPCHS; she is the eleventh grade guidance counselor.

She replaced Ms. Buonomo when Ms. Buonomo made the decision to move to Northern California. As the new guidance counselor, Ms. Maycock evaluates students’ transcripts from schools that are outside of the district and compares the courses with our school to see how they translate over to our system. By doing this, she ensures that no students are reenrolled in courses they have already received credit for and their credits are kept up to date. In addition to this, she meets with parents and students to discuss anything, including time management, GPAs, college applications, SAT, ACT, etc. Not only does she help students in the school part of their lives, but she also helps and talks to students who are in any sort of a crisis situation. She also empowers students and guides them in finding a career/college that is best suited for a particular student.

Additionally, she has conferences to discuss any concerns a student has in a class and makes sure to resolve those issues. She also deals with schedule changes and guiding students in the right direction when it comes to what classes to take.

Ms. Maycock said, “I feel very good about this position and the familiarity I am already having with the students. My goal for this year is for all students to feel comfortable coming to me with any questions or concerns they may have. I envision myself being present and available for all student and parent needs. I don’t ever want there to be a situation where a student doesn’t know who their counselor is or say that I wasn’t helpful to them.”

Having a new guidance counselor in the guidance department is not the only major

Photos by: Sydney Silverberg

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some new faces

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Bozo

Layout & Content

change in guidance and administration. Mr. Gonzalez, the old Testing Coordinator and Dual Enrollment supervisor, has now moved on to hold the title of Ninth Grade Behavior Specialist and Brace Advisor. His new position gives him the opportunity to work with both ends of the spectrum, the freshmen and the senior classes. With the freshman class, he works to ensure the safety and the smooth operation of the ninth grade. Often times, his position has him handling referrals and detentions. His other title, Brace Advisor, brings him closer to the senior class. The Brace Advisor is the equivalent of a college advisor.

Although students from other grades go to him for information about colleges, he helps mostly the senior class with finding and earning scholarships, scheduling college visits, and matching the perfect college to any given student.

Filling Mr. Gonzalez’s shoes as Testing Coordinator is Mr. Simon. Previously, Mr. Simon was the Communications Department Head, and the teacher of Computer Literacy (the only Dual Enrollment class offered on campus). Additionally, he was the Digital Publishing teacher. He worked closely with the layout, graphics, photography, and video staff of the CHAT Newspaper and the CHAT Video News. Now, as the Testing Coordinator, he does all of the logistics in order to implement the tests for the entire school. Everything from sixth grade, to twelfth grade, he has to organize. In total, he does over 8,000 tests.

Additionally, he is in charge of dual enrollment and College Board exams. “This is a great challenge and I’m very excited about it. I’m learning a lot of new things, meeting a lot of new students, and working with the entire school staff. It’s all new to me. I expect to do a great job and be able to implement all the tests that are needed,” Simon said.

Although Charter’s guidance department had undergone many changes, PPCHS looks forward to see what the 2014-2015 school year has to come. The student body is sure that guidance will continue to uphold the high bar the department has set for itself year after year.

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Student Life

Charter puts the college in Col

Lauren

Staf

All the Jaguars at PPCHS know that the motto is “College Citizenship Community.” PPC go to and how to be one step closer to their college selection. Different informational session

ty, US Air Force Academy, Northeastern University, Full Sail University, Columbia Univers College of Pharmacy and Health Science, Western New England University, Barnard Colle There is a sign up binder located in the office at the guidance desk to sign up for each sch colleges they are interested in and if they are looking to stay in state or go out of state.

Junior Ashley Meyerpeter said, “I can’t to see what some of the college sessions have to off going.”

In these informational sessions, students will be able to learn about admission to the specific about the many academic programs they carry which can help them decide what they may w showing how to actually start applying to different schools. Financial Aid and payment will how to pay for the full four years of college. All colleges will have staff that will be willing Junior Rebecca Pena says, “I have many questions on many different colleges and I believe t one by one.”

With every session the juniors will be able to learn more and more about different college students to sign up for. Make sure to sign up before it’s too late for the college of your choi Graphics by: Matthew Perez

Model Jaguar takes a trip to Washington DC Camilo Grijalva

The Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, has chosen one of our fellow Jags, junior Taylor Horan, to represent them, along with a selected other few, in Staff Writer

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an educational trip to our nation’s capital. According to its mission statement, ADL was founded in 1913 and the original purpose was to “stop the defamation (ruining the reputation of) the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Since then, it has broadened its horizons to fighting anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, while also defending democratic ideals and protecting the civil rights of all people.

“We look to bring a diverse group of students that have demonstrated a desire to make their school and communities a better place by addressing stereotypes, combating bigotry, and celebrating diversity,” said Yael Hershfield, the Senior Assistant Regional Director of ADL in Florida. “Taylor was recommended by her school based on her leadership skills and her interest in combating prejudice and bigotry. Only four students from Pembroke Pines Charter were nominated for this prestigious mission. They were all wonderful; however, Horan stood out for her confidence and sensitivity. She was described as responsible, collaborative and a great communicator.”

PPCHS has only recently formed a bond with the Anti-Defamation League, first making connections last year. Our school also became an official “No Place for Hate” school in May of 2014. In order to get this title, a school must conduct three approved activities and a leadership training. No Place for Hate ensures that the charter campus is a safe zone for anyone and everyone. Not a single student shall have to endure bigotry or any other kind of defamation from another person.

Mr. Curry, Horan’s SGA teacher, said, “It’s an honor for Taylor to be chosen out of the thousands of entered names. She really shows her commitment to our school’s motto; college, citizenship, community, and especially exemplifies the community part.”

On the all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C., which will focus mainly on the Holocaust, our very own Taylor Horan, accompanied by other students, will have the opportunity to gain valuable lessons from visiting the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. They will also meet and hear from survivors of the Holocaust, Liberators, and others.

“I am incredibly ecstatic about the opportunity that the Anti-Defamation League has given me to go on this national youth leadership mission. I leave at the end of October for three and a half days,” said Horan. “It’s a great opportunity for me to part take in, as I am the lead student coordinator for anti-bullying week at PPCHS. I will come back with plenty of ideas for our school for anti-bullying week.”

This trip is a major opportunity for all of the selected students to open up their mind and learn first-hand from survivors what the Holocaust was like and also learn about anti-defamation and what they could do to better their community and school.

Photo donated by: Sofia Lalinde

Photo by: Aaliyah Pasols

Photo donated by: Sofia Lalinde

llege Citizenship Community

Student Life

Photo by: Sydney Silverberg

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Cookley

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Writer

CHS has a great opportunity for the juniors to be able to learn about the college they want to ns will be held at school during class hours about different colleges including Rice Universisity, University of Miami, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Chicago, Mass ege, University of North Florida, Florida Institute of Technology, and Merrimack College. hool a student would like to learn more about. This will help all students to really see what

fer. This will help me determine what my future will hold for me and where I can see myself

c colleges including what their GPA, SAT, and/ or ACT scores must be. They will explain all want to major in once they get to college. The application process will be explained as well also be brought up which can tell a student what scholarships schools will accept as well as to help students and answer any questions they may have on any of the college information. these sessions will answer all my questions. I’m excited to go and learn about many colleges

es that they may have never even known about. This will be a fantastic experience for all ice! You will be on the road to success in no time!

Graphics by: Matthew Perez

Photos by: Aaliyah Pasols

Artist turns PPCHS into her canvas

Lauren Ramirez

On October 2nd, 2014, the Pembroke Pines Community gathered to join officials from the City of Pembroke Pines, including members of the Arts and Staff Writer

Cultural Advisory Board, for a ribbon cutting ceremony and reception acknowledging the unveiling of an outdoor mural titled “Comedy and Tragedy”.

This mural was created by Jacklyn Laflamme, an artist in residence at Studio 18 in the Pines, and was created at the Susan B. Katz Theater of the Performing Arts, on the campus of Pembroke Pines Charter High School.

"I like to give back to the community," said Laflamme. "I really love the projects that involve the community and bring awareness to arts and culture, which really does help to drive the community and economy." Laflamme pulls inspiration from her life experiences or images she can't shake from her head.

“I really do pull it from my imagination, but it's also pieces of my life," she said. "It's almost like meditation. I just do it."

As part of the Artist in Residence program, Laflamme, a professional artist for 14 years, donated her talent to create and paint the mural. “Months ago the Art Advisory Board approached Laflamme and asked if she would create a public art project to add detail and design to the entrance way of Susan B. Katz Theater of the Performing Arts, and she agreed with her typical enthusiasm,” said Rosemarie Colombo, Chairperson of the Arts and Culture Advisory Board for the City of Pembroke Pines.

Laflamme developed the mural design over several days as she created sketches for the mural painted on the archway leading to the theater. She was delayed by rainy days, but eventually began working on the project. Laflamme used 12 colors of outdoor exterior latex paint to paint the Comedy and Tragedy masks which pop from a colorful pattern. The design includes a red ribbon flowing around the masks and features the name Susan B. Katz Theater of the Performing Arts.

“I first noticed the mural when my bus pulled into the school. Its vibrant colors seemed to add a bit of positivity and creativity to our school, something every high school needs. It’s a refreshing new touch and I’m glad that an artist in our community had the chance to show her work on our school,” says junior Franco Graubard.

"When I was asked to do the mural, I had just had a conversation about comedy and tragedy. This is where I gained my inspiration," she said. “I love that my work is colorful and happy, I hope that it will bring some brightness in a world that already has enough darkness.” The mural is sure to brighten up PPCHS and bring a smile to the face of everyone who sees it. The students, teachers, and faculty of Pembroke Pines Charter High School are honored to be able to say we have been gifted with the work of this talented artist.

The mural is beneficial for anyone who is coming to see a show at the River of Grass theater because now it is clearly marked where the theater is located. Thanks to Laflamme’s determination and hard work, PPCHS has gained, once again, another beautiful work of art on campus.

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Student Life

Great expectations for Homecoming 2014 Taylor Horan

S

Managing Editor - Web

uits and ties. Girls dressed to the nine. Entering underneath the night sky. The evening begins with a dine. This is the format of Homecoming. While this year’s Homecoming will stick to the traditional format of dinner followed by dancing, everything in between will be special and unexpected. From sophisticated decorating to the beautiful Bonaventure Resort & Spa venue, the evening of October 24th will be spectacular and memorable. Last year’s ‘The Great Jagsby’ Homecoming was said to be one the best ones yet. Reminiscing on last year’s Homecoming, students have great expectations for this year’s Homecoming.

At the end of August, students were given the opportunity to vote for the theme of Homecoming 2014. Each ballot contained three possible themes and a short description of each theme. Students had the options of a night inspired by the Wizard of Oz, a creepy funhouse, or James Bond. With three incredible themes to choose from, the student body had a difficult decision to make. After school on August 29th, Student Government and Drumline announced the Homecoming theme to the student body. A large banner revealed that the theme would be “Bond, Jags Bond.” With over 700 votes, the 007-inspired theme was the clear winner. Speculation has already begun on how the theme will play out on the evening of Homecoming.

“When I walk into the Homecoming venue, I envision a classy setting and food that James Bond would eat. I suspect the area to be draped in curtains,” said junior Sasha Manning. Having attended Homecoming last year, Manning is hoping to have a whole different Homecoming experience. While both Gatsby and Bond are classy themes, the two Homecomings will be quite different. Gatsby focused more on the glitz and glamour of the Roaring 20’s, while Bond will emphasize mystery and timeless class. The 007 theme alludes to classy decorations and a mysterious evening. One can expect the color pallet this year to be classic with traditional hues.

“I honestly really like the Homecoming theme.

It completely contrasts last year’s theme. My expectation is for homecoming to be completely different this year,” said Junior Senator and SGA member, Jana Garcia. Garcia is part of the Banner Committee in SGA, so she is heavily involved in the construction and execution of all Homecoming banners. Having worked on the advertisement banners in the cafeteria, she already “sees the theme coming together”.

Many students have high expectations for homecoming, solely based on the theme. With the theme based on a series of films, students already have visual expectations of what to see. One of those students is junior Tristan Colon. He said, “I really enjoy the theme. I think it’s great. Personally, I’m a fan of James Bond. I’m expecting to have a lot of fun at Homecoming.”

Sophomore Alexa Gonzales said, “My expectations for this Homecoming is for it to be fun and enjoyable. Since I didn’t go last year, I wanted to go for the experience.” Gonzales is one of many underclassmen who has chosen to attend Homecoming this year. While many think of Homecoming as an upperclassmen even, there is no grade restriction on the event. All students that are currently enrolled at PPCHS and alumni under the age of 21 are allowed to attend.

Regardless of the theme, Homecoming is sure not to disappoint. With ticket sales going incredibly well, it is clear that students love the theme.

The hype is alive for this year’s “Bond, Jags Bond” Homecoming at Bonaventure Resort & Spa. While each student has different expectations, many concur with junior Grecia Valencia’s expectation- “I expect to see people looking beautiful and Homecoming to be worth it.”

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Photos by: Jonathan Harris

Student Life

Students’ thoughts on Cambridge Autumn Pough

In the year of 2014, PPCHS students were offered a new way to make their college resume more Staff Writer

Photos by: Alex Monge

appetizing, a new way to reinvent themselves, and a new way to take classes-- Cambridge. The Cambridge program consists of Pre-Aice, Aice, and AS courses, but Charter only offers Pre-Aice and Aice. In order to graduate from high school with an Aice diploma, students needed to complete and pass a minimum of seven courses. Seniors do not have enough time to get the credits. Currently, only a small amount of juniors are attempting to get the Aice diploma. Sophomores are taking other AP or Aice courses and freshman are still adjusting to high school while managing Pre-Aice courses.

Junior Sharnisse King is one of the students in her grade trying to receive the Aice diploma. King states, "I realize I have to obtain seven credits and pass them in order to receive the diploma, but I feel as though all the stress and pressure is worth it. If Cambridge and the diploma sets us students apart and makes us more unique to universities, then it is definitely worth it. Right now, my hardest class is General Paper because we have to do our work in deep detail and explain everything, but if you are a good writer, the class is passable."

A lot of students don’t understand the difference between Advanced Placement (AP) and Cambridge, even though the two programs differ in several ways. According to the College Board website, AP is a rigorous course designed to enable students to take college-level courses and exams and earn college credit or placement while still in high school. A 2008 study found that AP students had better fouryear graduation rates than those who did not take AP. For example, graduation rates for AP English Literature students were sixty-two percent higher than graduation rates for those who took other English courses in high school (www.cie.org.uk).

Sophomore Cheyenne Wakeland- Hart is also taking Cambridge and going for the Aice diploma. "I think Cambridge is easier than AP even though the classes are worth the same for your GPA as an AP class. My hardest Cambridge class is Aice International History. I don't regret taking Cambridge, but I know a lot of responsibility comes with the program and that can be overwhelming,” said Wakeland-Hart.

According to the Cambridge website, The Cambridge program is an international department that provides educational benefit through provision of programs and qualifications world-wide. This program is a part of a nonprofit division that provides a focus on promoting critical thinking, in-depth analysis, and strong writing skills (http://www.edweek. org/). Cambridge qualifications are recognized by universities and employers, giving students a range of options in their education and career. The Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) Diploma is an international curriculum and examination system that emphasizes the value of broad and balanced study.

Cambridge IGCSE offers a flexible curriculum to Pre-AICE students. It improves performance by developing skills in creative thinking, enquiry, and problem solving. It focuses on developing subject content, applying knowledge to unfamiliar situations, intellectual enquiry, responsiveness to change, working and communicating in English, influencing outcomes, and cultural awareness (http:// www.cie.org.uk).

PPCHS students have engaged in Cambridge and are now starting to feel the intensity of the program.

The difference between Cambridge and AP is still up for debate between peers. Already, Cambridge is creating opportunities for our school. As the year goes on, many students’ opinions will change on the topic of Cambridge courses, but right now students are taking advantage of the opportunity at hand while adjusting to the new program.

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Freshman transition to high school Camilo Grijalva and David Cha-Kim

With each new year at PPCHS comes a new litter of young Jaguars adjusting to what is their home for the next four years. With an entirely new campus, set of teachers, and

Staff Writer and Technology Editor

bell schedule, the first year of high school is a recipe for confusion, especially during the first few weeks of the school year. Major adjustments like new teachers, harder work, and a more demanding schedule are expected, but the force with which these changes come is still sometimes too much for new students to handle. But, eventually everyone overcomes the changes and after a while, middle school seems long gone in the past.

The most significant change for freshmen at the beginning of each year is almost always a decrease in the amount of sleep they are able to get per night. Incoming ninth graders have to adjust to waking up nearly an hour and a half, sometimes even more depending on bus schedules, than they did last year in the eighth grade. Along with the need to wake up earlier, the increase of homework in both difficulty and quantity takes away from their ability to go to sleep earlier.

“The amount of sleep I am able to get now is a lot less than what I got in middle school,” said freshman Errol Spence. “With all of the homework, extracurricular activities, and an even earlier start time, it’s hard for me to sleep as much as I did last year. The teachers are also a huge change. They take late work and tardies a lot more seriously.”

Adjusting to an entirely new campus in itself is also difficult. With PPCHS’ much larger area, what seems like a simple path to their next class for upperclassmen is a vast and confusing labyrinth for the rookies at Charter and it often takes quite a while for ninth graders to become accustomed to finding their way around campus.

“It’s much harder to get used to navigating around school this year,” says freshman Jordan Crenshaw. “Along with the school being completely new to me, it’s also pretty big, so it took me a while to completely know my way around.”

School also tends to be a much bigger and more important part of students’ lives when they start high school. Academics at the high school are taken much more seriously than they were in middle school, by both students and teachers. Assignments are graded a lot harsher, with teachers leaving little to no room for error, but in the long run this turns out as a benefit for the students because it leaves a more effective impact on what they have learned. Although college seems like years away for those in ninth grade, students start to worry about their applications from as early as now and tend to start caring more about their grades and giving their schoolwork more effort.

“Middle school work was more fun and games but now it’s more intense,” says freshman Lilliana Thomas. “The teachers in high school really want you to understand what they’re teaching while in middle school things weren’t as serious. I used to not try as hard when it came to grades last year, but now I care a lot more.”

Along with the core learning material becoming more intense, another academic challenge that has to be faced is preparation for the SAT- the all-important test that determines if you get certain scholarships, such as the Florida Bright Futures scholarship. Although the test does not have to be taken until junior or senior year, some students decide to take a safe and secure path and begin preparations years before to ensure a high and passing grade.

Aside from all the academic changes the middle school-high school transition brings, being a student has its posNew Transitions: Now that the new itive advantages outside of the classschool year is underway, many new freshmen made the transition to harder work and room. Compared to middle school, new classes Photo by: Aaliyah Pasols PPCHS has a much wider variety of choices in terms of clubs, and even some electives which require you to step out of your comfort zones and do things you wouldn’t have done before.

Clubs like Key Club and Relay for Life attract freshmen to join and give them opportunities to volunteer, give back to their community, and interact with new people.

They also have a chance to build up their volunteer hours towards the 40 necessary to graduate from high school and the other amounts necessary to qualify for certain scholarships. New elective choices such as Debate, Journalism, Drama, and Ceramics also give students new opportunities to take classes particular to their liking and expand their academic horizons.

Even with the large amount of major changes that come with high school, sometimes the little things are most important, and the ones that matter most aren’t what you would expect. Incoming freshmen appreciate the minor freedoms they have acquired such as not having to wear uniforms or ID’s, more time between classes, and access to better lunches. Although all of these things aren’t seen by upperclassmen as anything special, for someone who has just arrived to PPCHS, they can be major differentiating factors between middle school and high school.

Freshman experience: first High School Study Day

Photos by: Ryan Corona

Nicholas Rivera Staff Writer

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igh School Study Days are a staple of Pines Charter. It’s a day where high school students are able to have almost a full day off to study, see friends, or procrastinate. On September 11th, Pines charter had the first High School Study Day of the year. For seventy five percent of the school, this was nothing new; however, for freshmen, it was a new experience.

C amila Swanson – “I went home with my friend Brianna Adan. We went out to

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High School Study Day: Freshman at PPCHS experienced their first high school study day last month. Photo Donated by: Krystin Alvarez

eat at Cheesecake Factory. Then, we went to my house and had a Disney movie marathon and didn’t really study at all. As more high school study days come, I might end up studying more, maybe.”

Pre-AICE for the Class of 2018 LJ Lemmers

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Staff Writer

he 2014-2015 school year has brought many changes to PPCHS. One of these changes is the addition of the Cambridge program or Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE). AICE is an International Diploma that students earn by an advanced academic curriculum and assessment program written and administered by the University of Cambridge in England (educatingflorida.com).

Freshmen have the opportunity this year to take a class at a preparation level. PreAICE or International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE) is available for students in 9th and 10th grade. IGSCE is equivalent to high school honors curriculum.

“The pre-AICE program is very challenging. I had to think harder than usual. Questions asked in the pre-AICE curriculum are more critical thinking based,” said freshman Brandon Hedge.

Cambridge IGSCE gives a flexible and stimulating curriculum supported with excellent resources and training. According to Educating Florida, it helps improve performance by growing skills in creative thinking, seeking the truth and problem solving.

The courses are split into 5 different categories: Languages, Mathematics, Science, Vocational, Humanities, and Social Science (educatingflorida.com).

“My students are not fully adjusted to the program yet. Pre-AICE requires students to write more especially on the tests which have less multiple choice and more written responses,” said Pre-AICE Biology teacher Ms.Rago. “Pre-AICE Bio requires more practice of scientific skills. At the end of the year, they have to do a scientific experimentation for the end of the year.”

Pre-AICE assessment is taken at the end of the course and can include written, oral, coursework and practical. Examination sessions happen twice a year. The first one being in June and the second being in November. Results are sent in August and January (cie.org.uk).

“I think pre-AICE is harder than the Honors classes. It requires more research and critical thinking than previous classes I have taken. I am not sure if I will take AICE next year as it has only been the first month,” said freshman Errol Spence.

Cambridge IGSCE subjects are offered at two levels: extended and core. The extended class is for students moving up to the AICE level in grade 11 or 12. According to Cambridge International Examinations, there are many subjects that give a choice between the two levels which makes Cambridge IGSCE available for a broad range of abilities. Passing grades in IGSCE range from A to G with A* being the highest. If a student passes seven IGSCE exams with two from the language group, one from each of the other four and one from any of the five groups, then they will qualify for the

International Certificate of Education (ICE) Diploma. A student’s readiness to start freshman courses in an American university depends on their passing grade of a C or higher stated

by Cambridge International Examinations. The diploma is the same as a US advanced academic or honors high school diploma. It is awarded at one of three levels Distinction, Merit or Pass based on the grades received on the seven tests (cie.org.uk).

“Pre-AICE Bio is the same as Honors classes. It’s the same material and the class prepares students the same way as Honors classes do for the EOC except that more writing is involved,” said Pre-AICE and AICE Biology teacher Ms. Rago.

At PPCHS, we only have 3 IGSCE courses in the school. For science there are Pre-AICE Biology and 21st Century Science. For Social Studies, there is Global Perspectives. However, more courses will be available for IGSCE next year that will give freshman more options to choose from.

Cambridge has proven itself to be a successful pro-

New AICE Classes: In response to the new AICE and pre-AICEM classes, Ms. Rago now teahces pre-AICE and AICE Biology. Photo by: Sydney Silverberg

Ithesabelle Pavajeau – “I took advantage of Guy Boston - “I went to open gym from Frankie Pizzo – “I hung out at the liKiara Ayala-Trias -“I went to band free time I had by staying home and 11:30 am to 2pm. We did drills and scrimbrary with Kristen Alvarez and Justin practice. On High School Study Days, watching Netflix. I like watching really old movies. I kind of defied the whole purpose of ‘studying’, but I took the time to watch the movies and really notice the characters and see some differences from the other times I’d seen them.”

mages. Dribbling drills, shooting drills, cross-over drills, layup drills. I studied basketball so that I could try out for the JV team.”

Montoto right after school. Then we went to the Pancake house and met up with another group. We also went to Starbucks and McDonalds. Afterwards, we just hung out at Kristen’s house.”

there is always band practice. We went into our sections and we practice with those people. Then, we all go either in the cafeteria or on the basketball courts and run all of our songs.”

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The sophomore fieldtrip will have you roaring Lauren Cookley Staff Writer

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s a student walks into Animal Kingdom on October 17, 2014 they will be enchanted by sights of many different animals from lions to tigers and cheetahs. Students will be able to experience fast rides and fascinating jungle trails while viewing many types of exotic animals. Parades will take place with many attractions including 20 species of different birds. Animal Kingdom also holds a safari tour at the park to look behind the scenes at the animals and how they are cared for.

When hearing that Animal Kingdom was the field trip that sophomores were going on, students were very excited. It’s always an exciting moment to be able to hang out with your friends and take the exciting trip all the way to Orlando. There are many factors that students sometimes don’t think about. Everything from what the weather will be like, to who to sit next to on the bus to how long it takes to get there. These are all things to think about. The excitement will surely take over. Once students get to Animal Kingdom it will be a day they will never forget filled with fun.

Like sophomore Antonio Peetoom said, “I can’t wait to spend the day with all my friends at Animal Kingdom. It’s my first time going to Animal Kingdom so I’m excited to see what it’s like.”

Students are to be at school by 5:00 am and will return back to PPCHS by 10:00 pm. The trip’s last deposit is due by September 26th. Any parent who would like to chaperone will receive 17 volunteer hours for the trip.

This is a great experience that all will love. Students will be able to go all around the park and be able to see all Animal Kingdom can offer. They can also enjoy the shows Animal Kingdom has to see animals you may not have ever seen before. The most famous show seen is the Festival of the Lion King.

Along with the shows there are many rides that students can go on including Expedition Everest, Kali River Rapids, and Dinosaur. Expedition Everest takes you through the Himalayan Mountains on a speeding train with multiple drops. The Kali River Rapids is a river raft ride that takes you through the jungle landscape of the Chakranadi River going through tunnels and waterfalls. The Dinosaur is a race to travel back in time to see the fossils and back when dinosaurs walked the earth. It will take you through an adventure better than any other prehistoric museum.

Students will receive a meal voucher for one meal during the field trip. Animal Kingdom has many restaurants and dining options to offer including Pizzafari, Restaurantosaurus, Upcountry, and the Gardens Kiosk. Students will be able to choose which restaurant to eat at and can use their meal voucher towards that. They offer all types of food suitable to you.

Students will be able to view all the animals on a tour as well. They can see 34 different species including lions, zebras, crocodiles, elephants, and even more. This bumpy ride will take you through the African outback to see animals in their unique habitats. Students will learn about all these animals while on the tour. Be ready to always have your camera ready! You never know what you will see.

All and all this field trip will be an awesome experience for all sophomores. Students will be able to view the unique animals, go on many rides, and watch the many parades animal kingdom has to offer. They will be able experience the tours, and spend time with friends all in one. If you aren’t signed up for this trip, sign up as soon as possible. Before it’s too late!

Photo Donated By: Rebecca Gonzalez

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Animal Kingdom: Visitors feeding the giraffes some celery. Photo Donated By: Rebecca Gonzalez

Photo Donated By: Rebecca Gonzalez

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Juniors preparing for the SAT Lauren Ramirez Staff Writer

P

PCHS’ junior class is preparing more than ever for their SAT exams, which most of this class will be taking for the first time this school year. From flashcards to smart phone apps, many students have tried everything to prepare for the SAT. Luckily, for those students who want a little extra preparation, there are many classes available to help.

One of the many options for SAT preparation is Khan Academy. Khan Academy is a non-profit tutoring organization completely online. On khanacademy.com, students can make use of their extensive library of content, including interactive challenges, assessments, and videos from any computer with access to the web. By making a free account online, students have access to a collection of hundreds of SAT preparation videos that use questions from previous SATs. This website is one of the few alternatives that is entirely free. “[You can] download a real, full-length SAT practice test, watch Sal [Khan] work through real SAT problems, and get even more practice using their interactive exercises, which feature tons of previously-unreleased problems from real SATs grouped by topic and difficulty level”, says PPCHS BRACE advisor and behavior specialist Mr. Gonzalez.

Another option for students is the SAT and PSAT course being offered by PPCHS

for the upcoming October SAT and PSAT Administration. The course consists of

for an SAT preparation course, not to mention the money goes directly to help the

SAT Prep: Junior Marcos Vidaurres practices his SAT skills so he can get the best score possible on the test. P hoto by : R yan C orona

16 one-and-a-half hour classes and will be conducted by PPCHS senior Arvind Iyengar. The cost of the course is only $100, which is considerably inexpensive

Support Our School Fund.

Pembroke Pines Charter High School’s SAT preparation program, Ray Dass Test Prep, is also an effective way for students to

learn the skills needed to get higher scores on both the PSAT and SAT. Dass’s online videos are available to all PPCHS students (raydass.com). The test prep company also offers classes throughout South Florida.

One of their most highly acclaimed events is SAT Math weekend. Taking place every few months at American Heritage High School, the Ray Dass Math Weekend is a fun and educational event available to students all across South Florida at the cost of $99. Dass and other teachers in his company will be teaching the students who sign up for this Friday through Saturday event skills and techniques in effort to aide these students in their attempt to boost their math test scores.

Another option is private tutoring companies that offer SAT classes. One of these private companies is College Direct tutoring in Pembroke Pines. “College Direct’s mission is to help students achieve their goals of academic excellence”, says owner Lourdes Nodarse. The tutoring company offers individual SAT preparation at $65 an hour.

With many options available, students have many places to turn for effective preparation for the SAT. Whether it be a class or an online program; SAT prep is sure to boost scores and help the students feel more confident before the big test.

The Physics behind Busch Gardens Matthew Deno Staff Writer

“I

am really looking forward to going to Busch Gardens.” says junior Anthony Pacini. “I myself have never been, but many of my friends have and they all say that it is one of the best theme parks that they have ever experienced.” These are some of the thoughts going through student’s minds as they anxiously wait for the joy that is to come on December 5th of this year. Pacini is just one out of a little over a hundred privileged students that will get the opportunity to enjoy themselves while also learning about the physical aspects of the theme park. Many booths and activities will be set up around the park that will give the students a chance to learn something interesting. The cost of the trip is $140, but a $40 non-refundable deposit to secure a spot was due to Mr. Ramphall on September 26. Transportation to and from the park, park admission, the numerous physics events, rides/attractions, one meal ticket, and a Busch Gardens t-shirt is all

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in physics class and using in the real world.

The teachers at each booth were showing the students the different ways that physics is important for the creation of a roller coaster.

Also, Busch Gardens: Last year’s juniors enjoyed P P C H S their trip to Busch Gardens and this year’s juniors was one of will, as well. Photo by: Jake Dreilinger the many schools included in the cost. across the Last year, the students really enjoyed the country that was able to go. The park was idea of applying what they had learned still open to the public, but it was more ca-

tered towards the schools participating in the event. Many students that are going on the trip this year are getting some advice from those students who did go last year and are being told about what to expect once they get there.

“One of my best friends who went last year has been telling me that the physics activities were actually a lot more enjoyable than she expected, but the roller coasters and other attractions were even better.” says junior Kristen Grau.

When the 100 spots closed up on September 26th, a waiting list was opened for those who still would like to go on the trip. If one of the one hundred people that secured their spot can no longer go for whatever reason, then the next person up on the waiting list will be allowed to go.

The exchange of the $140 will be between the parents of the two students involved.

Whoever these 100 students are, they will experience the time of their life on December 5th

12th Grade quotes (advice to juniors/ regrets from last year) N oah Levy-“My advice to juniors is to Kristen Rodriguez-“Start preparing for Alex J Rodriguez-“Participate in clubs Justin Alexander Correa-“You need to find a way to stand out, through anything college as early as possible so you won’t and be active in the school because colmake sure that you do your homework on like sports, clubs, or classes you like, and help out the community also. I wish I had better study habits last year to secure my class rank this year.”

have to worry and stress about it senior year. Scholarships are very important and I should have begun looking for more opportunities earlier in my high school career.”

leges look at extracurricular activities also.

I don’t regret anything from last year, I think I did all I could.”

time and correctly and I wished I studied more to get better grades.”

N ikolas Ujueta-“You need to stay on top Kassandra Keator -“Wait until you’ve Suzette Reyes-“You should start earlier Michelle Portillo- “Do all your work of exams, but also hang out so you don’t practiced a lot to take the SAT, even though on scholarships. Colleges look if you’re a and prepare for college so you won’t have become overstressed, and participate in school events so there is a balance of everything in your life. I wish I joined a lot more clubs last year because I was able to, but I chose not to.”

you can take it multiple times, even though you may take it once without practice it’s better to be prepared. I would have liked to join clubs and become active in the school for my college application.”

well-rounded student so try and join clubs and extracurricular activities your junior year and senior year if you haven’t started already.”

to worry about it senior year. I should have joined clubs and been more active in school.”

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Senior T

Sofia Ga

S eptember • Talk to your BRACE advisor about career/college goals • • • • •

Review your courses! Are you taking the most challenging courses you can?

Apply early to college Take the Sat or ACT or both, whether it be your first time or second time Visit college campuses that you think you would attend in the fall Gather information from a variety of schools

Staff W

N ovember • Complete college applications ASAP

• Keep your first semester grades in check, they’re important to employers and administration offices • Use CHOICES (flchoices.org) online. This program helps you identify your interests and match your personal inventory with possible occupations.

O ctober • Check Virtual Counselor and make sure all of your information is correct

(name, birth, social security) • Develop an essay for college applications. Talk to your English teacher for assistance.

• Review scholarship requirements, such as for Bright Futures.

• Attend college fairs

D ecember • Order cap and gown • • • •

Finish college applications Continue scholarship search Complete Bright Futures application Attend financial aid workshops

What college do PPCHS students want to go to?

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J• Fian

to q • S retu

Timeline

angotena

Writer

nuary ill out FAFSA form ASAP after January 1st. This will give you the best chance qualify for financial aid, including scholarships.

Start application and estimate income and then update once you get your tax urn back

M arch/April • If you’re still undecided about your plans, see your BRACE advisor about infor-

mation on apprenticeship programs • Apply now if you’re planning on attending Broward College or another Florida community college

F ebruary • Keep track of academic progress using Virtual Counselor

M ay • Clear all senior obligations

• Keep working hard and fight off senioritis!

• Review financial aid award letters, and if you have any questions, ask the financial aid office at the individual colleges • Make sure to accept the financial aid award from the college you plan to attend and decline the offers from other schools • Fill out senior survey and final transcript form

Seniors count down until college Sofia Gangotena

F

Staff Writer

orget about high school being the best four years of a student’s life, because college is where it’s at. Even though the end of the year is still a ways away, seniors are starting to get antsy about graduation and starting the new chapter of their lives. College has many aspects that are different than high school, so seniors should get ready for some new experiences.

The thing that high school seniors are most looking forward to is the freedom. The idea that teens won’t have their parents around breathing over their shoulder is one aspect of college that is sure to excite many upcoming college freshmen, like senior Symone Cyrus.

“I’m most looking forward to the independence,” Cyrus said. Students can expect independence in the classroom as well. College professors are different than high school teachers. They will expect the student to ask for help if they need it, so students are responsible for initiating it. (collegeapps.about.com). If the student misses class, they must be responsible for getting any notes or work from their fellow classmates. But don’t fret, because college professors are always available after class to talk to and they’re always willing to help and students can always email them.

Some seniors can’t wait until they get to leave their hometown and broaden their horizons in other environments. Senior Danny Arango said, “I can’t wait until I can go to school out of state.” The average percentage of students who seek further education out of state is 13.7% (statisticbrain.com). The University of Vermont’s out of state students is at 61%, and it’s one of the highest colleges with out of state attendance.

Unlike high school, college schedules are completely up to the student. Once they choose their classes, students can choose what time to take them. If the student wants to take an afternoon class, they can. If they want to take a morning class, they can do that too. Senior Alyssa Rogers said, “I’m really excited to be able to choose the classes that I want to take and the time of the day that I want to take them.”

College is a great place to get to know new people and go through memories that can last for a lifetime. Whether new freshmen will go to school close to home or far away, the new experiences they will collect is sure to be different than anything they’ve ever done before. Senior Alison Smith said, “I can’t wait to meet new New Journeys: Many seniors are considpeople and walk around campus. I want to look ering choosing FSU as their college. Photo By: around and see the attractions and do activities Rebecca Gonzalez that go beyond the academics.”

Universities often offer different events for

the students to attend. The University of Florida (UF) has many opportunities for students to get together and have fun.

The university holds an annual pep rally for homecoming called Gator Growl.

According to the University of Florida: Some seniors are thinking about applying University of for UF after visiting it over the summer or on college tour. Photo by: Florida webRebecca Gonzalez site, this year, UF students will get to see musical artists like Foster the People and Ludacris, and see comedians like Brooks Wheelan, known for his acting in HBO’s “Girls”.

Students also have the opportunities to partake in fraternities and sororities when they’re a college student. Senior Sabah Abbasakoor said, “I’m really excited to get the chance to join the sorority and various other clubs.” According to the Florida International University (FIU) website, the school has more than thirty fraternities and sororities available for students.

The reason why students go to college in the first place is to seek further education. So, it’s understandable if students are counting down the seconds to the first day of school to the college of their choice. Senior Ethan Hernandez said, “I’m looking forward to being able to continue to receive my education.”

College can really be the source of some of the greatest moments of a student’s life. Just ask the teachers. Social Studies teacher and Saint Leo alumni, Mr. Quigley said, “The best stuff happens in college at 3 a.m., when you’re not in class and just hanging out in someone else’s dorm room.”

English teacher and FIU alumni, Mrs. Santiago remembers that her favorite part of college was being in the library. “It had seven floors, and you could get lost in the aisles. It was quiet, but you were always surrounded by others reading or studying.”

The thought of becoming an adult may seem daunting, but many seniors are ready for the challenge. As seniors mark their calendars for graduation day and apply for colleges all around the country, they also count down the seconds until their first day of class, when an old chapter closes and a new chapter opens.

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Humans of Charter: Ja What was the best day of your life? How has that moment changed you?

The Inspiration: Hu

Aaliyah

B

Junior Dayna Lawrence Photo by: Rebecca Gonzales

“T he best day of my life was when my four older sisters, my little sister, my mother, my father, and I moved here from Jamaica because it was the first time I actually had a house. We used to live in a shack and it was just one mattress and we used to

all pile up on there. When we came here, we had our first real apartment and we got our first van. Even though it wasn’t a lot, it was the first time we actually had something to call our own. Back home not many people had much. I was down in the concrete jungle and we made houses out of scraps that we could find, so when I came here I finally somewhere to live. I finally had a bed.”

“In all honesty I’d really rather live in Jamaica than here. Even though I live here and I can drive and everything, morals are better. The kids here are very disrespectful. People think I’m angry, but it’s more like I’m hurt. Here it’s like everyone is trying to hurt each other, to use each other. They love objects and use people, when you’re supposed to love people and use objects. So I prefer Jamaica because even though there’s a lot of crime going on, we love each other and we trust each other.”

“What’s the scariest thing you’ve been through?”

Senior Khyllah Melton Photo by: Aalyiah Pasol

“Itohadhappen. heart surgery at four years old due to a birth defect. My mom was nervous and scared and didn’t know what was going But despite all of this, she said I was really strong and that it was okay that I was going through this surgery

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because I was going to be fine. I actually think the surgery helped to shape who I am today because I feel like I can face anything and I have a more positive outlook on life.”

Feature

randon Stanton, creator of the Humans do; confused about what he wanted to do i failed him, he took a leap of faith. He travele nity. And he should be glad he did. In that bi he wanted to do: Stanton set out to take pict Along the way though, Humans of New Yor of project. One that was more deep, more pe “HONY began to take on a much different c stories from the people I met, and began in graphs. Taken together, these portraits and ca said Stanton on the HONY website.

Stanton began to have conversations with t them and finding quotes to match their photo able. From one person talking about their los has met the girl of his dreams, the stories are After Stanton’s blog skyrocketed to populari Humans of Miami, Humans of Dubai, and H universities have pulled from HONY! And n Through the halls of PPCHS, students pass sit with the same friends, say hi to the same what’s the deal with that quiet girl in the co hiding? How did those two best friends me questions and more. Instead of interviewing the academically inclined, we prowled throug students with stories untold, and with word that’s what we bring to you, PPCHS. A look didn’t glance twice at before. A glance into t

aguars’ untold stories

umans of New York

“Is there something that has had a big impact on your life?”

h pasols

es

Editor

of New York site, started off just as all of us in life, unsure. With his previous job having ed to New York, in search of a better opportuig busy bustling city he somehow found what tures of everyone in New York City. rk (HONY) began to look like a different sort ersonal, more inspiring. character. I started collecting quotes and short ncluding these snippets alongside the photoaptions became the subject of a vibrant blog,”

these strangers on the street, getting to know ographs. The products ended up being remarkst father to another one talking about how he e random, unique and overall, really beautiful. ity, many other imitations have sprang up like Humans of Los Angeles. In addition to these, now, its Charter’s turn to get a little taste of it. each other up without a second glance. They e people, and visit the same classrooms. But orner? What is the boy with the hoodie really eet? The CHAT hopes to answer all of these the usual Jaguars at Charter like the athletes, gh the hallways, searching to find the Charter ds of inspiration lingering on their lips. And into the lives and minds of students that you the Humans of Charter.

Junior Tiffani Neal Photo by: Jonathan Harris

“H aving a dad in the military has its ups and downs. One thing I love about the military is moving to new places and learning new cultures and sometimes languages. On a different note, moving can be rough, especially when leaving someplace I've stayed for so long. I recently moved from Montgomery, Alabama two years ago. Considering I lived there for 6 years, it was difficult leaving somewhere that I've spent the majority of my life. My dad has been a part of the Air Force for 26 years and will be retiring this year. It will be hard to leave the military life and possibly Florida if my dad gets a job up north. It'll be sad knowing I might not be graduating from Charter. I'm hoping for the best but… life is unpredictable.”

“What is something that changed your life drastically?”

Freshman Juan Gomez Photo by: Alex Monge

“M y family moved here from Mexico when I was three months old. Life was tough for my family. My dad still had to work in Mexico as a software engineer and traveled there every day by plane. He didn’t get a job in the United States until I was seven. My mom couldn’t speak English and had trouble communicating with people here. I grew up in in the United States, so I didn’t grow up with the Mexican culture. I do celebrate Mexican holidays and my family returns to Mexico every two years to visit family.”

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Features

Humans of Charter: Ja

“What’s the coolest adventure you’ve “What has been a turning point in been on?” your life, and what are your biggest plans for the future?”

Senior William Sadler Photo by: Aaliyah Pasol

Senior Natalie Joseph Photo by: Ryan Corona

“T hree years ago I came across this abandoned stadium in Miami called the Miami “The biggest turning point in my life was when I went up from middle school to high Marine stadium. It’s a stadium facing the water that was closed in 1992 after hurricane school. It was such a big transition; waking up to the huge workload. With that I was given Andrew. It was claimed unstable and no one was allowed to enter it again. I found out about it and begged my mom to drop me off at the building one day so I could explore by myself. I remember climbing through a hole in the gate and thinking that it looked like everything I expected it to be. It was beautiful and cool to see because it’s really old. Elvis filmed a movie there, and the Beach Boys and Queen have performed there!”

many more responsibilities, which helped me to mature as a person, but all these changes are for the better. For the future my biggest plan is to start a family of my own, and hopefully see where that takes me in life.”

If you could give a piece of advice to “If you could create a utopia, what a large audience what would it be? would the elements of your utopia be?”

Junior Chinelo Osakwe Photo by: Sydney Silverberg

Senior Akwile Ujagbor Photo by: Jonathan Harris

“T reat people how you want to be treated because a lot of people still decide to hurt “I don’t know about the minor details, but I am sure of the fact that I would want the other people because there’s something different about them. Don’t judge other people! major element to be peace.”

That’s my biggest pet peeve. I don’t care about your preferences as long as you’re nice to me”.

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aguars’ untold stories

Features

“What was a life changing moment “What is something that has had a for you? What’s your favorite thing major effect on your life?” you can remember about your grandma?”

Junior Kyla Wells Photo by: Ryan Corona

Sophomore Kenneth Preston Photo by: Peter Dourvetakis

“When my grandma died last year.”

“I got Lyme disease when I was eleven and that definitely affected my life a great deal. Despite all of the negative effects like having to miss a lot of school, it had an overamount of positive effects on my life as I got to meet new people and adopted a different outlook on life.”

“Well we’re Haitian so she had this accent and when she got mad it was so funny.” whelming

“What’s the hardest thing you’ve been through?”

Sophomore Manahil Ali Photo by: Aalyiah Pasol

What is your fondest memory?

Sophomore Jared Bushing Photo by: Alex Monge

“W hen my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. Watching her go through the “[My fondest memory is] the first time I won my championship game in baseball suffering has taught me to love what I have and not to abuse the relationships I have with when I was in eighth grade. It made me feel better about all of the other times I tried when people. I’ve learned that you need to enjoy every moment you have with someone who is special to you.”

I got so close and made it to the championship game, but never won. I’ve been playing baseball since I was four years old and winning made me realize that it’s not just about you, it’s about you and your team.”

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New clubs coming to a room near you Nicholas Rivera and Looghermine Claude Staff Writer and News Editor

O

ESPN: Mr. Maye running his club on ESPN. Photo By: Ryan Corona

Photo By: Ryan Corona

ne of the biggest changes that Pines Charter has gone through is the implementation of study hall rather than SSR. Rather than being limited to reading, study hall allows students to have a half-hour of free time to study or do homework. In September, some students got the chance to participate in different in-school clubs that meet on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the half-hour of homeroom time.

At the beginning of the school year, teachers, administrators, and guidance counselors volunteered to sponsor the specific club or group of their choice. Then, in the first week of September, students had the chance to fill out a survey though their Social Studies class or through JupiterGrades.com that had students rank their top three choices for the different clubs available to them. The students who filled out these surveys were placed in one of the over two dozen clubs that were offered.

“We wanted an opportunity for students to explore other interests and have a little “down” time. It also gives students the opportunity to work within some already existing clubs. In the future, we hope to see even more students enrolled and even more clubs being offered. We will look to the students in the future for more club ideas that they would like to see happen,” said Mrs. Torres, one of the Club Days Organizers Some students decided to take advantage of homeroom time for studying and doing homework, but for those who wanted to participate in Homeroom Club Days, there was a club for almost every interest. The choices included: Class of ’15, ’16, and ‘17 officers, Yoga, Sneaker Admiration, Club Girl Power, Senior Scholarships, Science Club & SNHS Officers, Book Society, ASL Immersion, ESPN Club, Photography, Math Competition Team, Football Film, Common App, and Animation Nation Officers.

Yoga with Mrs. Yanez & Mrs. Portuondo, Photography with Mr. Quigley, and ESPN with Mr. Maye got the most sign-ups, but all the clubs had good amounts of people in them. Some clubs, including the Class Officers and the Math Competition Team, required that the students who were signing up for these clubs to have already been members as they are focus groups for certain students.

“I like the idea of homeroom clubs because we actually get to do something productive with our time instead of being forced to sit and read. To me, it’s more constructive than SSR. The two clubs I was interested in were Jazz Band and Yoga because I feel like those clubs would be a good way for me to relax and get out of school mode for a while,” says junior Thea Edwards.

In time, the effect of homeroom clubs will show, but as for now, there are high expectations. With nearly 400 students signing up for the different clubs, the introduction of Homeroom Club Days has, so far, been a success.

New Clubs Hanan Hessin Staff Writer

Gamers United Club

If you are a video game fanatic then Gamers United is the club for you. Founded by sophomore Mat-

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thew Olivo, this club brings people together to talk about their favorite games. With Mr. Curry sponsoring the club, there are many goals the club is looking to achieve. Some of which are to provide a place for people to look at the history of video games, discuss and review current video games, and to have tournaments and play reviews in the future. “I think this is a great club to create friendships over video games,” says Curry. “It all started from animation nation, I thought students should have a club that’s exciting and where we can just have fun instead of the clubs that PPCHS has that mostly helps people. I think it’d be a place to have fun and hang out and talk about what we love.”

Throughout the year members will go into classic and modern games and how they’ve evolved over time. The club is open to students all year round and meet every Tuesday. Mr. Curry hopes to one day be able to take this club to gaming conventions. Gamers United is more than just video games, it’s a way for students to create a fellowship and appreciate the one thing they love the most---video games.

Psychology Club

With her deep interest and love for psychology, Catherine Paneque decided

to start a club that will help her and other students learn more about psychology. “I thought it would be an interesting journey, especially since PPCHS has never had anything like it before”, says Paneque.

Offering a variety of projects on brain activity, Paneque and Mr. Lavoro will be teaming up to give students a chance to work on fascinating experiments that they don’t have time to complete in class. Paneque is also planning to invite well-known psychologists to guest speak for the club.

The psychology club is will also be offering study days to help students review for their upcoming psychology tests. Whether regular or AP, all students taking a psychology course is welcome to the study days. Fresh and innovated, the psychology club is a great opportunity for those who are interested in studying psychology in college..

Music Appreciation Club

This year, a new club was introduced to PPCHS students who are interested in learning about different

types of music, why people of a certain era like the type of music they listened to, and an all-around explanation of why music is appreciated. Senior Leah Stern and Mrs. Rodriguez have always loved talking about their favorite artists, bands, and albums. Last year, Leah asked Mrs. Rodriguez if she would like to sponsor a Music Appreciation club and ever since they’ve been working together to make it happen. Learning about the cultural aspects of music and how it influences different societies, Mrs. Rodriguez and Stern hopes that the members of the club have a good time and meet new people who enjoy music just as much as they do.

Hopefully the club will be able to take trips to local cultural and music festivals. “My favorite part of the club is that I get to learn about my favorite kinds of music and its origin. I’m also really excited about meeting new people and making new friends who have the same taste in music as me”, says music fanatic and sophomore Emily Reynerri. This club is an interesting way to bring people together and learn about the music that they listen to today.

What’s happening in the classrooms of PPCHS? Hanan Hessin and Taylor Horan Staff Writer and Staff Writer

ICabeza’s Know What You Did This Summer (Mrs. M r. Perdomo’s Physics Classroom: Mr. Quigley’s Economics Classroom: M rs. Hernandez-Davis’ Chemistry In full spirit of Constitution Day, Mr. QuigEnglish Classroom): Fly to new heights Classroom: A Scientific Introduction When students return to school from summer vacation, many desire to share what exciting adventures they embarked on. From visiting a foreign country to volunteering at a summer camp, every student has an exciting story to tell. While many teachers have students verbally share how they spent their summer, English II teacher Mrs. Cabeza took this shareand-tell event to the next level. Each student had to print a picture of an experience he or she had this summer, paste it to a phone cutout, caption the photo, add a hashtag, and return the completed phone cut-out for a grade.

The template of the phone cut-out photo looked very similar to the popular social media app called Instagram. Discussing how she got the idea for such an innovative icebreaker, “I was doing a lot of research over the summer for lesson ideas. I came across a lesson plan on Pinterest that I loved. It integrated social media and lesson ideas that entices kids to do them and be happy with the lesson,” says Mrs. Cabeza. Walking through the halls of D building, students can capture the essence of how Mrs. Cabeza’s students enjoyed their summer.

Sophomore Christina Hartenhoff’s added a photo of her and her brothers standing in front of a Winery in California. She and her family went to California for a wedding this summer.

She said, I liked that I was able to share what I did this summer. Also, I learned a lot about other people.”

With the school year in full swing, all classrooms are engaged and ready to work.

Among these classrooms is that of Mr. Perdomo. In an effort to liven up his class and incorporate interactive learning, this Physics teacher took an ordinary lab outdoors. Students were asked to construct a paper airplane that would stay in the air for a long period of time. Tape and paper clips were scattered around the classroom by time construction was over, but an unusual design from his first period class topped all. Junior Borys Morales’ group made a circle—a basic circle with a hole in the middle. However, this unique construction went further than any other. Morales says, “I got the inspiration from my seventh grade science teacher. We were building paper gliders, but the circle glider he made went further than anybody else’s. All these years later, I remembered his glider and recreated it.” All in all, the students were introduced to physics calculations, such as velocity and speed, in an interactive and much more effective way.

ley has assigned his annual project to the Economics students. On Friday, September 19th, students stood on top of the fountain, on the stairs of the River of Grass, and outside of various buildings to shout out the United States Constitution. Senior Isadora Zuidema, who gladly screamed her country's Constitution, says, "I was personally really excited for it, considering that I don't mind making a fool out of myself at school.

It was really fun, and on top of that we got to educate the rest of our school about what their very own country's Constitution is really about". The method behind Mr. Quigley's madness is simple--not enough people are fully aware of what the U.S. Constitution is. It is one of the most important documents throughout U.S. History, and it even dictates rulings made in modern-day Supreme Court. In other words, Quigley's students will learn about their country's political history, even if it means screaming it to the entire school.

Mr. Perdomo: Mr. Perdomo sitting as his desk Photo By: Johnathan Harris

Getting your schedule for the new school year is an incredibly exciting moment. Students instantly wonder who will be in their classes. Teachers use icebreakers to “break the ice,” allowing students to mingle and converse with one another.

Mrs. Hernandez-Davis, better known as Mrs. HD, was able to incorporate Chemistry into this annual icebreaker, Students enrolled in her Chemistry Honors course were assigned to use elements from the periodic table to create adjectives that best describe them. Sophomore Sofia Mohammad chose four adjectives to describe herself: nerdy, genius, artistic, and creative. For the adjective ‘artisitc,’ Mohammad used the elements Aragon (Ar), Titanium (Ti), Sulfur (S), Titanium (Ti), and Carbon (C). “I liked that Mrs. HD gave us the opportunity to get to know our classmates while still incorporating chemistry. This was much better than an awkward icebreaker,” said Mohammad.

Leadership: Mr. Curry teaching his class on leadership. Photo By: Johnathan Harris

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Girl’s cros

Demi Iglesias

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or sophomore Demi Iglesias, running isn’t just something she does to get in shape; it’s her newly adopted life. Her motto, “I run for fun,” is not just some corny catch phrase.

Ever since she was a little girl, Iglesias played a variety of sports from flag football to basketball to tennis. It wasn’t until middle school when she quit playing softball and devoted herself full-time to Cross Country.

“When I first came up with the idea of running, I didn’t think much of it. But the second I started I immediately fell in love and it has grown into a serious passion of mine,” said Iglesias who is in her second year of the PPCHS Cross Country team.

Along with her regular after school practice with the team, she also wakes up at 4:30 A.M. to run and train individually in order to secure her position as a Jag runner. On September 19th, Iglesias, along with her fellow school runners, took part in a UF Invitational.

Iglesias clocked in with a final time of 24 minutes and 13 seconds, beating her previous personal record of 24 minutes and 34 seconds, and finished 282nd out of 421 runners. Personally, she is not proud of her personal performance, saying “I am hungry to perform in my next race, where I hope to drop my time even more.” As a school team, she is content with their overall performance and hopes to lower her time in order to raise the rank of our Jag runners set their status as a prestigious cross country team.

Kali Hazera

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father-daughter bond in the sports world is like no other. For junior cross country runner Kali Hazera at PPCHS, she knows exactly what this bond is all about, as her dad is the coach of the PPCHS cross country team. Hazera was introduced to running at just the eight years old and has never looked back since that.

Hazera is one of the most energetic and lively student-athletes at PPCHS and her personality has allowed her to become so close with her fellow cross country runners. “We all eat meals together, have parties, and hangout literally all the time. We feed off this bond because of the mutual need and want to do great and make it all the way to the state level,” Hazera stated.

In 7th and 8th grade, Hazera made it all the way to states and she hopes to return to the “promised land” soon.

The junior is surely not known to set her goals lower than “sky high” as Hazera plans on running the 5k (3.1 miles) under 20 minutes. Just days ago at The University of Florida Invitational, she came closer to her goal by running a 21:04, beating her previous record of 21:52. Striding signs like this prove that Hazera is ready to fight for her goal, and she will have plenty more opportunities to succeed..

Hazera seems as if she will have no issues reaching her aspirations with her dad right by her side to lead the way.

No matter how hard her father is on her about training, he always keeps her wanting to run harder and faster. This mentality of Hazera’s can help her go all the way and really leave her mark as a Jaguar.

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Natalia Valderrama

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ophomore Natalia Valderrama has been a part of the girls cross country team since freshman year, and even though she has only been there for 2 years, don’t let that confuse you about her running ability. Valderrama has been running cross country since she was in the 6th grade, and the reason she started was because that she had always looked up to her brother, so when he started, she simply followed in his footsteps.

Valderrama said, “When I started running in the 6th grade I knew that I was going to have to get in shape, but it honestly wasn’t that hard of a task, and after a little while it just seemed more like fun rather than work.”

For looking in the future, Valderrama thinks that even though seniors will be leaving next year, they can still go all the way because of the strong foundation they have set for the people coming in next year. Looking even farther into the future, Valderrama hasn’t thought about a specific college she wants to run for, but she knows she wants to run for a school in Florida for college.

Recently the PPCHS cross country team, both boys and girls, went to the UF campus to participate in a cross country meet and Valderrama came in 66th place out of about 400, putting her in the top 25% at the meet for girls.

Valderrama said, “It was a good experience running in that meet and this has qualified us for states in October.”

Even though Valderrama is only a sophomore she still has a lot to offer to the PPCHS cross country team, and will continue to help out and win medals for PPCHS as long as she can.

Leysha Caraballo

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hen it comes to senior Leysha Caraballo, there is no limit to her goal of improving her performance on the track. After participating in track her sophomore year, Caraballo decided to take her talents towards the sport that she’s “grown to love”- Cross Country.

Although the sport that has had her heart for eight years is swimming, this multitalented athlete doesn’t limit herself to life in the water. Having been on the Cross Country team for two years, Leysha explains that because she’s not new to the team she “knows what she needs to get done, how to do it, and what it takes to get there”.

Running every day for about an hour and a half, adding up to 30-40 miles a week, Caraballo uses the cardio training and constant tests of endurance to help with her swimming and improve her races all around.

“This year I got to go to UF and prestate at FSU. I’m not a natural but I got to states last year because of all the practices I went to and how much I pushed myself,” said Caraballo. “‘I’m really proud that the work I put in has allowed me to compete at higher level races. I did well at the UF meet, I went 21:19 and even though it was off my best time it’s still early in the season. I want to break 21 min soon and by the end of the season break 20 min, and I’m determined to reach my goal. I’m considering running in college, and even if I don’t run for the school, it’s something I will keep doing no matter what”.

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Boy’s cros

Sports

Tomas Gimenez-Beron

Carlos Peneranda

ne of the new faces for Cross Country this year is senior Tomas Gimenez-Beron. Gimenez-Beron is one of the top Cross Country players to look out for this year at PPCHS. With a passion for running, Gimenez-Beron has been running since the start of 6th grade. Six years later and he is now hoping to make history here at Pines Charter. When asked about who inspired him to do Cross Country, Gimenez-Beron relied by saying his mom. His mom has been running since she was a little kid and he is now following in her footsteps.

Gimenez-Beron said he doesn’t know where he will go running for college, but has thought about going to top Florida colleges like FSU or UCF. In the UF Invitational, he displayed amazing running skills by placing 9th out of 570 runners in the 5k with a time of 16:01. “I definitely think we can win States this year. If we work and train hard and set our minds to it, we can take it all,” said Gimenez-Beron.

Look out for Gimenez-Beron on that track field. He is working hard to make sure he can help win his team a State Championship. He will surely make a lasting impression when he is doing what he loves the most: running.

t only took senior Carlos Penaranda one day of cross-country practice for him to fall in love with it. His first time on the track was in ninth grade. “I actually wanted to condition for basketball try outs so I initially started for that reason. After my first day on the track, I knew that I was going to stick with it,” said Penaranda.

Fierce and competitive, Penaranda enjoys the sense of fulfillment he gets when he wins a race. “I like knowing that whether you fail or succeed entirely depends on yourself. The person who put in the most work and believed in themselves the most is the person that runs fast, there’s no cheating your way through it,” said Penaranda.

For four years Carlos has dedicated his time to running 45 miles per week.

Penaranda is not only dedicated, but also determined to never back down from any race. To make sure he is focused and prepared for his races he keeps a journal of all his workouts and what was going through his head during the workouts. He also has quotes that he refers back to motivate him.

His competitiveness was evident at the UF Invitational as he ran 16:24 and helped the Jags place third out of sixty-four teams.

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Daniel P

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t often happens that good thin it, and that is just the case for se Penaranda. Originally, he joined t condition for the Junior Varsity B for try-outs the following year. D him that basketball was also his size he had no chance to continu Penaranda made the mature decis benefit him in the future. Now, tha as Penaranda is taking the cross c “Currently, I am ranked as one times have majorly improved ov need to improve on relaxing my very tense which leads to me was Penaranda has only raced once t ida in which he ran a 5K in 16:29 5K. Out of the 471 total runners a 23rd. He is still hungry to improv With that attitude, he will be com

ss country

Sports

Peneranda

ngs come to those that least expect enior cross country runner Daniel the cross-country team as a way to Basketball team so he could prepare During his try-outs, the coach told passion, but with his weight and ue the sport after high school, so sion to pursue the sport that would at is looking like the right decision country world by storm. of the top 25 in the state and my ver my running career. However, I upper body because I tend to run sting energy.” said Penaranda. this year at the University of Flor9. His personal best is 16:25 for a at the meet, he placed a remarkable ve on his times and run even faster. mpeting for a state title in no time.

Kristinn McNair

Daniel Arango

hen it comes to senior Kristinn McNair, his speed and perseverance on the track is never questioned. “I started running when I was in eighth grade because everyone thought I was really fast,” said McNair. His drive to always do his best showcases his motivation to get winning results. Kristinn never misses a beat, as he is always ready to run on the track at 2:30 p.m. sharp after school to condition and prepare for his next race.

“Sometimes you never know where long distance running will take you, because when you are running off the track you can find new trails and see new things,” said McNair.

When it comes to the McNair family, running has always been a staple as his mom was a sprinter and his brother was a mid-distance runner. In the future, McNair would love to fulfill his dream of running cross country for the University of Southern California. Not only does he run cross-country, but he also runs the 400m, 800m, and 1600m events in track. At the University of Florida Invitational meet, he set a personal record of 17:08 in the 5K event, which helped the Jags place third overall as a team. However, when the season comes to a close down the road, McNair hopes to help his team place number one overall in States.

t often happens that good things come to those that least expect it, and that is just the case for senior cross country runner Daniel Penaranda. Originally, he joined the cross-country team as a way to condition for the Junior Varsity Basketball team so he could prepare for try-outs the following year. During his try-outs, the coach told him that basketball was also his passion, but with his weight and size he had no chance to continue the sport after high school, so Penaranda made the mature decision to pursue the sport that would benefit him in the future. Now, that is looking like the right decision as Penaranda is taking the cross country world by storm.

“Currently, I am ranked as one of the top 25 in the state and my times have majorly improved over my running career. However, I need to improve on relaxing my upper body because I tend to run very tense which leads to me wasting energy.” said Penaranda.

Penaranda has only raced once this year at the University of Florida in which he ran a 5K in 16:29. His personal best is 16:25 for a 5K. Out of the 471 total runners at the meet, he placed a remarkable 23rd. He is still hungry to improve on his times and run even faster. With that attitude, he will be competing for a state title in no time.

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Cross country runni

LJ Lem

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ross Country girls’ team is looking to make it to States for the first time ever in Charter history. They recently competed in a race and won 2nd place over all the other teams. Junior Kali Hazera, the captain of the girls Cross Country team, got first place in her first race this year.

“As the captain, I push the girls every day to accomplish this goal. For practice we have an alternation of hard, easy and long days. We run 35-45 miles a week. We push ourselves to the limit because we want no regrets toward the end,” said Hazera.

Weeks ago, the boys’ team had a race as well and came in first place as a team. Eight of the boys from Cross Country, Carlos Penaranda, Tomas Gimenez, Daniel Arango, Daniel Penaranda, Kristinn McNair, Jehal Thompson, Justin Ortiz, and John Medina, placed in the Top 10. They have high expectations to make it to the State Championship. Currently they are ranked 7th in the State with the times they ran in their last race. When asked about the team, senior Carlos Penaranda only had high praise for the team.

“Our team is much better than last year’s team. Five out of our top seven runners ran their fastest times this year and we’ve only raced once. We are all training extremely

hard this year to win States,” said Penaranda.

When there is a good team, there needs to be a good coach to lead them into success.

Coach Hazera is the definition of what a coach should be. He expects more than what he knows his players can give and is proud of them every step of the way. Hazera treats them as if they were his own kids. His standard for his runners are set really high and wants nothing but the best from each and every Cross Country player that runs.

Both the boys and the girls Cross Country team go through the same practice routine every day. They have rigid, hard days on Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday they have easy, relaxed days and on Saturdays a long run. On tough days they have fast interval workouts on the track and on relaxed days they do constant paced runs that are no longer than 4 miles. The team has practice on Sunday, but it isn’t mandatory.

“The coach expects us to try our hardest to push through the pain. This sport is very mental, so it starts with the runner. Coach Hazera is there to guide us but we have to put the work in. I hope the girls can make it as a team for States this year instead of just Kali and me only as individuals,” said senior Leysha Caraballo.

Andrea Carmona – Outside Hitter

Volleyball Leysi Espinel –

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olleyball is played internationally by many teenage girls across the globe, but this sport means more to some girls than others. Junior Andrea Carmona at PPCHS has been involved in sports since she was a toddler, playing volleyball for over 5 years. Getting into this sport was quite simple for Carmona, as she used to play beach volleyball with her family all the time. All the hard work and time she’s put into this sport has truly made her stand out; she has shined as a Jaguar.

Carmona’s favorite part about this sport has always been the competiveness that comes with the games.

Standing by her side, Carmona’s teammates are there for her every step of the way, making the games an even better atmosphere to be in.

“We all know how each other play and each other’s potential so we know who to pass it to and set. Plus, we all joke around and are very supportive. We never have drama,” said Carmona.

As for the outlook on the season, Carmona strongly believes they will play in Regionals and compete with the top schools in the county. This sport means a lot to her, and succeeding with her teammates would mean even more.

Ashley Cristantiello - Setter

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pikes are what stand out in the sport of volleyball; however, setting tends to go unnoticed often on the court. At PPCHS, senior Ashley Cristantiello is in fact the most talented setter the Lady Jags have on the girls’ volleyball team, but her teammates praise the senior’s unique skill. Cristantiello has always admired volleyball because it’s a stress reliever, it allows her to create new friendships, and it brings out her competitive side.

All of the volleyball players have continually stressed the importance of team chemistry and Cristantiello has certainly been a huge advocate as well. She said, “Our team is truly like one big family. I don’t know if I’ve ever been around a group of girls that appreciate each other like we do. Our bond is unbreakable.”

Cristantiello is one of the most humble athletes PPCHS has to offer and her quiet confidence proves that even in the biggest of moments, the senior remains calm and believes in her talent. As a charter starter, she has devoted so much time and effort to the volleyball program year in and year out. Cristantiello’s commitments as a volleyball athlete have never been overlooked and will surely not be overlooked in her final quest to win a state ring as a Jaguar.

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Lindsay Behnke

Sports

ing to the finish line

mmers

Writer

The Cross Country boys and girls participated in the UF Invitational on Saturday, September 20 2014. The boys came in 3rd overall coming short to St. Thomas and Belen by a small margin. For the girls, they had a team average of 25:40 going into the race and most of the girls got a personal record, which bumped their average to 23:05.

Before the race, the girls were ranked 11th in the region and now they are 7th in the region and 4 seconds away from 6th place.

“Our team goal is to get to state as a complete team. The top 6 teams in the region make it to states and we are getting closer to our goal and this race did nothing but help!” said Hazera.

On September 27, 2014, there was the Spanish River XC Invitational at Boca Raton, Florida. The girls and boys competed in the 3A and 4 division. The girls had an outstanding performance coming in 2nd place of all the 3A schools that participated. Two girls were able to get onto the podium and receive an award. Leysha Caraballo came in 6th and Kali Hazera earned 7th place out of all the other runners in 3A. Caraballo had a time of 22:06 and Hazera got 22:28.

“It was a hot and slow course so only one or two girls got personal records, but we did

l’s top six Middle Blocker

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inning isn’t something taken for granted by junior Leysi Espinel at PPCHS. As a volleyball player since 8th grade, Espinel has been to countless practices. She stresses the importance of being able to execute what you do in practice because it will transfer into the games. Her mindset is one of a dedicated athlete, and this allows her to create a great bond with her teammates.

“Our connection is so strong. Since most of us have played together before, it was like the season never ended and new players fit in so well. A team without chemistry on and off the court cannot play to their full potential. You can have six amazing girls on the court, but if they don’t know how to play with each other, they will simply fail,” said Espinel.

Espinel feeds off her teammates support to play at high level on a consistent basis. She hopes to play at this level of intensity throughout the course of the long season and head into districts and regionals with much confidence. For now, Espinel is taking it one game at a time and hoping for the best. With her skill set and determination, she can expect the best, instead of hoping for it.

– Outside Hitter

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enior Lindsay Behnke on the PPCHS girls volleyball team stands out in one unique way: she doesn’t even go to the school. Behnke is currently in her second year at College Academy and has been an active player of the sport for over 6 years now. The starter’s experience is key to the Lady Jags early success and she hopes to continue to strive for greatness.

Behnke has always been one to lead the charge and support her teammates 100 percent of the time, no matter the circumstance. “I really admire and respect all of the girls I play with,” she said. “I trust that we’ll always have each other’s backs. Our team chemistry is a huge part of why we do so well together.”

Being the outside hitter is no easy task for Behnke as she is constantly on the move to spike the ball with all her force, putting her opponents at unease. There are just a select few of athletes that play with the heart and emotion Behnke does, so coming across one at this level of talent is uncommon. Utilizing this skill can get the Lady Jags to a place only the best of the best go to.

fabulous enough to have 2 girls earn an award. I was a bit tired and felt run down that race. I got 7th place and Leysha received 6th place in all of 3A runners” said Hazera.

For the boys, they displayed an amazing performance at the meet. The boys won the 3A varsity boys division. Tomas Gimenez won the race with a personal record of 15:52 for 3A boys and almost all of the boys were on the podium and received a ribbon. Only the top 7 on each team counts for team results in Cross Country. Tomas Gimenez, Carlos Penaranda, Daniel Penaranda, Justin Ortiz, Jehal Thompson, Kristinn McNair, and John Medina were the top 7 who helped the Cross Country team win 1st place. Carlos Penaranda had a time of 16:09, Daniel Penaranda had 17:10, Ortiz had 17:38, Thompson had 17:45, McNair had 17:47, and Medina had 17:50.

As our Jags take their first steps in the 5K event, they will only have one thing in mind; victory. They will take that into every race and get to States. As the runners cross that finish line, they will hear the fans cheering in the stands, the smell of sweat from their faces, the taste of victory and that feeling of knowing that they have accomplished their true goal which is winning States.

Maria Amon - Setter

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eing gifted can only take one so far in an athletic career, while great work ethic can take one to places some athletes can only dream of. Fortunately, for freshman Maria Amon at PPCHS, she attains both of these traits. The freshman that came right out of PPCMS Central is one of the starting setters for the girls’ volleyball team. With a couple of wins already under her belt, Amon has already gained much knowledge from her coaches and teammates.

“I always take advantage of any opportunity that pops up where I can learn from the experienced players on the team. They give me a lot of great tips and advice that will definitely help me down the road when I’ll eventually be one of the leaders,” said Amon.

Amon has been very familiar with volleyball as she’s been playing for 6 years now, contributing most of her talents to a club team in Pembroke Pines. Although the freshman has very impressive talent, she still feels a lot of pressure mainly because she is the only 9th grader on varsity. Despite this, Amon continues to strive for greatness as she listens to her coaches and teammates day in and day out. Quickly becoming accustomed to how the team system functions, Amon is surely a star in the making.

Samantha Toribio – Middle Blocker

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pikes, digs, blocks, and sets are what senior Samantha Toribio is made to do as she starts at the middle position on the Jaguars varsity volleyball team. This is Toribio’s third season on the varsity team, getting moved up to this team in her sophomore year for her hard work and dedication. Toribio has played soccer her whole life, so when one of her friends, the goalie for the varsity soccer team, Patricia Yordan, and Yordan’s mom, Mrs. Santiago, suggested the idea to her in middle school that she should join the volleyball team at the YMCA. “I expect our team to do much better this year. We won the district championships last year so I expect us to continue on this year and become even better, possibly winning the regional championship also,” said Toribio.

In volleyball, a team has to have a strong bond and good chemistry because there are a lot of trick plays and talking to each other as to who is going to go for the dig or the block. This year Toribio says, “the team is truly a family, we all are friends and enjoy playing together.” Go out and support the varsity volleyball team on their 2014-2015 road to states!

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Sports

The CHAT Editorial: Message to NFL: Enough is

Brett Alayon

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Sports Editor

he recent devastation of NFL domestic violence cases may have caught many by surprise. But should we really be that shocked? With the constant debates over the NFL’s domestic violence policy and the “professional” athlete’s suspensions, it has been nothing but chaos the past month. Highly criticized commissioner Roger Goodell may see his tenure as the “big shot” come to an end soon, or he may not.

Regardless, the outlook of this NFL is far from positive. Young athletes today are turning on their televisions to see a remarkable number of NFL players suspended, fined, or even put in jail. The past few weeks have been one of the most disappointing weeks in sports history, creating a sense of rage amongst student-athletes throughout the nation. The example some of these grown men are setting is inexcusable and in fact, this is no stereotype.

On February 15, 2014, running back for the Baltimore Ravens Ray Rice was involved in an altercation with his then-fiancée in an elevator. Before September 8th, Rice was suspended two games by the NFL after visual evidence of him dragging his then unconscious wife out of an elevator surfaced. However, a recent video released at the beginning of September clearly displayed Rice physically beating his fiancée in the elevator. According to nydailynews.com, commissioner Goodell and the Raven organization did not see the video before September 8th. Goodell was instantly put under duress and denigration following the release of the elevator tape, but he later admitted in an interview that he “didn’t get it right.” Rice was eventually released by the Ravens and has not spoken to the media since.

“I feel like this whole situation is intolerable and the league did not get it right the first time around with Ray Rice. Every day, people are held to standards and being a widely known athlete where you inspire tons of people, it’s just inexcusable to do things like this,” said senior football player Chris Mitchell.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the NFL’s best running back, Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, turned himself in to authorities after a grand jury indicted him on felony child abuse charges. Cnn.com reported that the child was his four year-old son and was reportedly hurt “with criminal negligence”, stated by the prosecutor in the case. Peterson was immediately removed from the Vikings lineup in their second game of the season and has not seen the field since.

This fall in the NFL has been hectic, seemingly so, even more hectic than the summer. Defensive end Greg Hardy for the Carolina Panthers was convicted in mid-July of assault on a female and

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communication threats. It wasn’t until September 17th when reports we Hardy’s wrongdoings. Hardy was not cut from the team, unlike Ray Rice, ted to be with the team or go to the team facilities (Huffington Post).

“Kids and teens look up to these players as role models and the playe right example,” said senior quarterback Kevin Gonzalez. Indeed.

Cnn.com reports that some football fans are attempting to boycott the lea is that these fans in particular may be taking it too far, but what these indiv go unnoticed. America’s pastime centers around football. The pigskin is a the miscues these NFL athletes have done are unacceptable, but some fa of this behind them and focusing on the leagues (and players) dilemmas. turn this rollercoaster will take in the NFL as journalist from all over the c in on this situation.

A journalist for espn.com, Michael Wallace, helped make sense of all th this field when it’s very difficult to separate your emotions and feelings a ing to do your job, and as a person who has a mother, sister, daughter and recent slate of domestic violence incidents in professional sports has been one hand, you hope the extensive coverage and backlash that result from serve as a deterrent in many ways. But it also is a stunning reminder th fame and resources at their disposal still struggle with issues that impact t I’m all in with Mr. Wallace’s logic. The fury that these allegations and is something that the sports world does not need, but unfortunately has. I these players’ tactless acts of violence, but even more so how these playe popular reaction of football fans nationwide has been to criticize these ath them? It’s simple: the prominence of the NFL is as ruthless as it’s ever be As the players take the field to entertain the millions that are glued to the T suspended from the field who capture our thoughts. And that’s really a sh

s enough

Sports Time for the Real Stars to Shine Matthew Deno Staff Writer

With the 2014 regular season and its many eye-catching storylines winding down to a close, eight teams have made it past the

wildcard round with a spot in one of the four division series. This year we saw a farewell from The Captain, numerous blockbuster trades, and collapses and comebacks of epic proportions, so we know the playoffs are going to be filled with drama. Who will make out as the last team standing when it’s all said and done?

Will it be the division winning heavy favorite, or the underdog wild card team? Well, as we all know, there is no certain way to tell, but there is nothing wrong with trying.

The Cards flew to the finish, overtaking the free-falling Milwaukee Brewers at the start of September, going 17-9 as the summer turned to fall. The starting pitching came into its own down the stretch, jumping up to third best in the NL over the final 30 days of the baseball season. The relief core also enjoyed a hot streak in September, led by the 100 mph throwing closer Trevor Rosenthal and his 42 saves. However, pitching is not the Achilles heel of these Cardinals- it’s the offense. The Dodgers and their manager Don Mattingly are all under major pressure to reach the World Series this year. With an outstanding lineup that includes the likes of Matt Kemp, Yasiel Puig, Hanley Ramirez, and Adrian Gonzalez, the fans in LA can breathe a little easier. And we all know what Clayton Kershaw can do.

Baltimore is a team that’s really tough to hate, but some baseball fans are just talking about what the Orioles don’t have, and that’s the story right now. How can the free-swinging O’s win in the playoffs without the struggling but always dangerous Chris Davis, their all-star catcher Matt Wieters, and their golden-glover Manny Machado? The answer is that this team always seems to find a way to get the job done, regardless of who is on the diamond. Having

said that, these Tigers seem to be late bloomers. They’ve won four consecutive American League Central titles and yet there always seems to be something about this team that prevents them from reaching their full potential in the regular season. However, when the playoffs come around they tend to come together nicely, coming back from 0-2 deficits the previous two seasons. That is not a bad postseason record at all, and this season Detroit is once again coming together late.

If the Royals didn’t throw their kitchen sink at Oakland in the AL wildcard game, we would not be discussing them right now. Can that kind of play work against a powerhouse team like the Angels?

It’s questionable, but the escape they had in that game certainly can’t happen every night. They’ll need more timely hitting from guys like Eric Hosmer, Salvador Perez, and Lorenzo Cain. Really, it’s up to the Kansas City starting pitchers like James Shields, Jason Vargas, and Yordano Ventura, to try to shut down LA. More likely though, the big bats of the Angels unleash four years of non-playoff frustration out on the Royals, just as they did on all the American League West in 2014. And with his first shot at postseason play, it’s Mike Trout’s time to become the face of baseball.

Balance. The Nationals have it, and now that they’re near full strength, on paper they should beat San Francisco with relative ease. Except that it’s not easy to oust the Giants with ease, just ask the Pittsburgh Pirates, who got mauled by them in the NL wildcard game, 8-0, in Pittsburgh. With two World Series titles in the past four years, these Giants teams get on huge postseason rolls in seemingly average seasons, and, well, an 8-0 win over the Pirates in yet another average season sounds like the start of something to me. However, those formidable Nationals’ starting pitchers will have something to say about that.

Graphic By: Katie Perez

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Graphic By: Matthew Perez

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Graphic By: Matthew Perez

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It’s not your choice; it’s your Destiny Jake Dreilinger

Y

Editor-in-Chief

ou enter a world you once knew seven hundred years into the future. All of humanity, once expanding as far as Mars and Venus, has nearly collapsed. All that remains of the once great human race remains confined within the last safe city on Earth in what used to be present day Russia. The protectors of this city are the elite band of warriors known as the Guardians, and they are humanity’s last hope. In Bungie’s new sci-fi game Destiny, players are thrown into a world of chaos and have to fight the evil that awaits around each corner.

The Human Race was changed forever following the discovery of The Traveler, a white, celestial being that was floating on the surface of Mars. Under The Traveler’s power, the human life span tripled, and humanity entered the Golden Age, where major advancements in technology let humanity expand to other planets in the Solar System. Humanity was thriving; that was until an event known as the Collapse wiped out all of the human colonies and ended the Golden Age. In humanity’s absence from these planets, various hostile alien races took their place.

Destiny is a massive multiplayer online role playing game, or MMORPG for short, first person shooter video game made by the creators of the Halo franchise, Bungie. Players have the benefit of an open world concept, all while enjoying a story lay out by the creators of the game. Anything done in the game is up to the gamer to decide, giving the gamer an opportunity to form his own legacy and pursue his own destiny.

“I thought it was kind of a cut and paste of Halo combat at first,” said junior Brandon Beatleson. “I liked the freedom to do whatever you want in the game. I played with a friend and we hung out by the spawn area and helped the newer players. I liked that a lot of older players taught the newer players how to fight the enemy.”

The game begins with the player customization screen, where players have a chance to create the face and class behind their Guardian. The first choice the player makes, and perhaps the most important, is their class. Destiny offers three classes: the deadly Titan, the magical Warlock, and the stealthy Hunter. The titan focuses on heavy machinery and hand-to-hand combat. The Warlock uses magic from The Traveler to fight the forces of evil at a mid-range level. The Hunter is the assassin, using snipers and pistols to eliminate their targets. Three races are available for customization: Humans, Exo, a race with an undead feel, and Awoken, a race that resembles mythological beings like vampires and elves. Once a race is picked, the game gives the player options to customize the hair, eyes, and face of their Guardian. Once that is done, the game officially begins.

“I picked Hunter, because I thought the Warlock wouldn’t be right for me,” said senior Justis Harrilal. “I thought the game was pretty good. I loved the campaign much more than I loved the player vs. player mode. My first experience made me think the game was bad. Then, it got better as I continued to play and level up.”

Destiny was released September 9th around the world. On release day, Destiny made over $500 million in sales, becoming the most successful new video game franchise of all time. Those who preordered the game got early access to the Destiny Beta in July, which showed gamers a preview of what is to come.

Destiny is not the typical game everyone is used to; it’s not a straightforward shooter or adventure game that follows a single plot and nothing else. It’s a game where anybody can do anything and go anywhere they choose.

Forged in light, the Guardians set out the push back the forces of darkness once and for all. How to fight that battle is up to the player, and as the slogan of destiny says: “Become Legend”. It must be done because it’s your Destiny.

Graphics

The fight for the “net” Nicholas Rivera & Looghermine Claude

E

Staff Writer & News Editor

veryone has their favorite website. Whether it be the blogging format of Tumblr, the endless movie choices on Netflix, or the variety of shopping options on Etsy, there’s something for everyone to love. Part of the net experience is the relative fast speeds that all your favorite content loads on, but what if one day the homepage won’t load? Net Neutrality is what allows online users to maintain an open internet. It means that Internet Service Providers (ISP) are obligated to allow access to all that the internet has to offer for free, without impeding any content. It has made internet use simple and easy, and it may be changing for the worst.

“Net Neutrality lowers the barriers of entry for entrepreneurs, startups and small businesses by ensuring the Web is a fair and level playing field. It’s because of Net Neutrality that small businesses and entrepreneurs have been able to thrive on the Internet. Without Net Neutrality, the next Google being built in a garage somewhere will never get off the ground,” said savetheinternet.com.

In May of 2014 the Federal Communications Commission proposed that cable companies, such as Comcast and Verizon, would be able to have authority in internet use. These companies would be able to make access to some websites faster than others, as well as slower than others, based on what provider they have. Everyday users would be faced with longer loading speeds and buffering, while larger corporations would be able to have more rapid access with an added fee. In other words, they would be able to take control over the internet (battleforthenet.com). This began the brawl for Net Neutrality.

“This makes me feel awful because it’s like we are working back, we aren’t progressing. We’re going back to slow internet days, DSL-type stuff, you know? I don’t like that. We need to be moving forward towards faster internet, not limitations. This is America. Cable Companies are just in it for the money, and that’s not fair,” said junior Andrew Kelleher.

On September 10th, another online protest was held, this time on some of the biggest websites. Reddit, Netflix, Tumblr, Etsy, FourSquare, KickStarter and an others held an “Internet Slowdown Day” to protect Net Neutrality (time.com). As part of their protests, the sites “display[ed] a ‘loading’ icon to symbolize how a lack of ISP regulation would result in slower website services for some (newsweek.com)”. The awareness generated by the protest caused members of Congress to get over 1,000 calls per minute and the FCC to receive over 1.4 million public comments on their rule, more than any other rule in its history.

“It’s unfair. People should enjoy what they want to enjoy. I don’t think they should change it because they don’t like the company. There’s also the educational aspect. If the teacher wants to put on something for her class, it wouldn’t be fair that she’s not able to put it on because the Cable Companies feel a certain way,” said junior Jasmine Simon.

While there is no clear winner, Team Internet continues to fight with protests, such as the Internet Slowdown Day. And as the battle between Team Cable and Team Internet continues, both side will continue to fight. Cable companies have the power to change the internet forever, but The Internet refuses to give up its freedom.

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Photo by: Aaliyah

Comic by: Carmen Petterse

Apple seed planted in the soil of technology David Cha-Kim

I

Technology Editor

t’s once again that time of the year. The weather starts to get cooler and windier, the leaves begin to change colors, and of course, the amount of hype for upcoming Apple products shoots through the skies. Hardcore Apple fans refer to autumn as “iPhone season” and with great reason. Just as they did last year, Apple will be releasing their new operating system for their devices, iOS 8, along with the new models of the iPhone, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 Plus. Apple will even bring something completely new to the game early next year: the iWatch.

iOS 8

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Matthew Perez

• Redesigned Photos/Camera apps- The new Photos app gives users a wide array of options of editing their photos with an increased selection of filters and an extremely easy way to make adjustments to exposure, brightness, contrast, etc. Finding photos is now much easier with a smart search that immediately finds your pictures based on album title, the date/time the pictures were taken, and the location they were taken. The new Camera app has brought an all-new time-lapse mode to iOS, showing a sped-up sequence of photos over a period of time, rather than a regular video.

• Enhanced iMessage- Improvements in iMessage bring users the ability to send voice messages and the ability to share video messages and locations with the rest of the chat in a very convenient way. The enhanced group chat system lets users personalize group chats by giving them titles and finally allows users to leave and rejoin chats when they want to.

“I’m glad Apple finally made it so that you could leave group messages,” said sophomore Jack Equenazi. “The notifications you used to get in group chats killed your battery and there was no way to stop them.”

• Improved design/shortcuts- Interactive notifications allows iPhone users to respond to Messages, e-mails, calendar alerts, and notifications from other apps directly without having to leave their home screen or the app they’re currently in. The multitasking bar in iOS 8 now shows your favorite contacts and the contacts you’ve recently talked to for easy access, keeping the people most important to you close to you. The User Interfaces for Safari and Mail have also been redesigned with a crisper, futuristic look and feel.

Photo by: Alex Monge • Smart keyboard- iOS 8 makes typing easier by suggesting appropriate words to complete your sentences. It predicts what you are going to type by recognizing who you’re talking to and what application you are using, making typing easier and less time-consuming.

• Family Sharing- With the Family Sharing feature, up to six people in your household can share each other’s purchases from iTunes, iBooks, and the App Store. You can also keep track of each other’s photos, calendars, locations, and other content stored on your devices.

• Health- The new Health app gives users an easy-to-read dashboard of all of your health and fitness data. A new tool called HealthKit allows all the health and fitness apps on your phone to work together and harder for you, efficiently helping your health and lifestyle.

• Spotlight- The spotlight feature gives you the ability to conveniently find a contact, app, or simply answers/information on the web with the motion of a single upwards swipe. Spotlight gives you suggestions from Wikipedia entries, places nearby, trending news, and more.

• iCloud Drive- Along with iOS 8, apple has released iCloud drive, a program similar to Google Drive, letting users collaborate with each other on documents, presentations, and images by using either mobile apple devices or laptops/desktops.

iPhone6/ 6 & 6Plus

Pasols

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• Bigger screen size- The iPhone 6 has a screen diagonal length of 4.7 inches in comparison to the iPhone 5’s 4 inch size. The iPhone 6 Plus tops the 5’s length even more at an astonishing diagonal length of 5.5 inches.

“Overall it’s a really nice phone,” said junior Jordan Lewis, who just recently purchased the iPhone 6.

“The size is perfect. It’s big enough but not at the point where it’s too big,” • Thinner body– iPhone is bigger and thinner than ever before. Along with the larger display, the iPhone 6 is only 6.9 mm thin while the 6 Plus is only 7.1 mm thin.

• Higher resolution- The new iPhones not only bring a bigger display, but also a better one as well.

The iPhone 6 brings a 1334-by-750-pixel resolution retina display while the 6 Plus brings an even sharper 1920-by-1080-pixel resolution one.

• Efficiency/battery increases- Despite the power needed to drive a large display, with a 64-bit architecture, an A8 chip and the M8 motion coprocessor, the iPhone is running faster and more efficient than ever before. Along with a stronger power force, the increased battery life lets users get things done with their devices faster than before and for a longer period of time.

•iSight Camera- The iSight camera brings new photography and video features, including the Focus Pixels option, better face detection, autofocus, and enhanced noise reduction, improving the overall quality of your pictures and videos.

iWatch • Diversity- Arriving in early 2015, the iWatch is coming in three different versions so there’s a “watch for everyone (Apple)”: the Watch (standard), the Watch Sport, and the Watch Edition.

• Precision- Unlike the majority of watches, the iWatch will never ever be inaccurate, not even by the slightest millisecond. Apple’s watch is constantly in sync with the definite global time standard, so users can always expect their device to be “on the dot.”

• Personalization- You can customize your iWatch to your specific liking by rearranging your applications, changing the font, and altering its appearance, making your iWatch truly yours.

• Easy communication- The iWatch notifies you when you get a message or other alert by giving the skin under it a small, gentle tap. The simple interface makes it easy to respond to messages in a short period of time, all done from your wrist.

• Fitness- Apple Watch can help you to improve your health as it has the ability to give you summaries on all of the physical activity you do per day, measuring both the quantity and quality of your movement. The Activity app shows your progress, motivates you, and shows you what you need to do more of to improve.

There is also a separate Workout app for sessions of cardio exercise.

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Should I stay or should I go?

Melissa Pierce

Student Life Editor

You wake up one morning and think to yourself, “What am I doing?” You have been in a relationship – no not a relationship, a trap – with a man who says he loves you every day, yet can’t control his anger. Sometimes it gets heated. The first time, he pushes you. The second time, he slaps you. But the third time, he punches you in the face – blood appears. You are shocked and appalled; remember, he loves you. Is it your fault that he hit you? Or, are you better off finding someone who loves you enough to talk to you, instead of physically engage with you?

According to the StatisticBrain website, 25% of women are victims of domestic violence every year. These women find themselves in unhealthy relationships, and many are aware that it is not socially or politically acceptable for a man to intentionally harm them. However, isn’t it possible to leave this relationship? He may be emotionally suppressing you, but it should be in a woman’s best interests to find a healthy environment for the sake of her head and heart.

In this day and age, women are more respected throughout society. It has been years since a woman was seen as an object of the home; they are currently avid participants in society all around the world. In other words, there is nothing holding a woman back. She may not get paid as much as her male counterpart, but she is still of worth and value. So, put this into perspective. For a woman to allow a male to dominate her through physical oppression is showing that the man has power over her mind. It sends a message to the abuser that the victim will respond if she is shown who is in control. Besides control, this is about self respect. As mentioned previously, women have the capabilities of putting themselves in positions of high regard; whether it be emotionally or politically. In order to do this, a woman must place herself on a pedestal and remind herself that she is as worthy as any other man or woman on this planet.

She can't accomplish this if another human being is literally pushing her back down every time she thinks she can stand up.

However, I am not saying that the victim of domestic violence is at fault. It just may not be humanly possible for someone who is smaller and weaker to overpower their suppressor. What is unacceptable however, is to allow your abuser to control you for a long period of time. This gives them the notion that you respond to violence. At this point, they won't compromise when it comes to getting their point across. Their first instinct will be to hit, punch, and shove because that is when they get you to listen. Women have proven over the years that they are independent and ready to take the lead-- Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa, Hilary Clinton. Abuse is another form of ownership; your abuser owns you emotionally. An aware and independent woman should come to terms with her self worth and leave an unhealthy relationship. If you are allowed to leave the house and strong enough to withstand a man's beatings, it is more than in your best interests to walk to the police station.

So, although the victim needs to know when to walk away, it is sometimes deeper than a footstep out the door. When a victim of domestic violence makes the wrong decision by staying in an abusive relationship longer than they should, their feelings may get in the way of their departure.

These feeling are more psychological than emotional however. I am not talking about the simple excuse of, "...but he loves me"; if he loved you he wouldn't willingly and knowingly harm you. I am talking about the case of Stockholm Syndrome. According to www.counsellingresource.com, this is when a victim emotionally bonds with their abuser. Some do this in order to survive, such as in the case of a kidnapping victim, while domestic violence case victims do this to cope and hide their true feelings. Stockholm Syndrome narrows the mind of the victim, specifically those of domestic violence. It causes them to cherish the good times over the bad, regardless of whether or not the quantity of abuse outweighed the quality of the time a couple spent in a happy state. This, of course, is psychological and only happens when the victim stays in the relationship longer than they need to. It should be first instinct to sever ties as soon as violence plays into the picture.

Today, you decide to jump out of bed. You will not be pushed down anymore by the person who "loves" and "respects" you. And this is how it should be. Don't make yourself a victim; say that you were a survivor. You didn't let him beat you. You didn't let him brand your face.

Now you know what you are doing--respecting yourself. It may not be possible to physically shield yourself and fight back, but it is more than possible to walk away as a strong woman.

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Pointing fingers at the wrong faces Looghermine Claude News Editor

D omestic violence is one of those topics that people tend to avoid. It’s glossed over and hushed, put under wraps and forgotten. It’s nudged into the attic of our minds,

forgotten to murder charges and terrorist attacks. That bothers me—a lot. Domestic violence can’t just be forgotten. It’s a serious topic--and it needs to be handled as such—but sadly, I almost never hear about cases in the news. Most abusive relationships get pushed aside as “personal problems”, and the verdicts of the cases are rarely ever heard, if they’re even taken to court.

Though the news portrays intimate partner violence cases as few and far between, it is a common problem. According to safehorizon.com, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime, and nyawc.org says that 30% of Americans say they know a woman why has been physically abused by her husband or boyfriend in the past year. Domestic violence doesn’t only happen to women. 40% of domestic violence victims are men and 63% of males had a deadly weapon used against them in a fight with an intimate partner (domesticviolencestatistics.org).

The worst part about the veil that covers domestic violence is that when people take a peek behind it, they believe that the victim is the one at fault for his/her problems.

But domestic violence is never the victim’s fault. Abusive relationships are caused by a superior-thinking partner who controls and manipulates the other partner. The manipulation has been carefully set so that the victim feels so low that they seem to have no escape. The abuser takes careful measures to suppress their partner and keep them from leaving.

No matter how strong mentally or physically the victim is, it sometimes isn’t possible for the victim to just get up and walk out. Abusive relationships have four different forms: physical, sexual, emotional, and financial. Physical abuse is the most common. It includes the abuser scratching, biting, punching, choking, or burning their victim. Sexual abuse covers rape and violent sexual relationships. Verbal attacks and insults, lack of affection, and forced isolation are a part of emotional abuse. Abusers committing financial abuse often withhold money, put their partners on an allowance, and prevent them from attaining a job, (thewomansctr.org).

Another reason why domestic violence victims can’t “just leave” is because of the possible consequences. When abused women try to change their behavior to break the cycle of violence, they only fuel their abuser’s control, making the situation worse for them.The only way that the violence can stop is if the abuser changes their behavior, not the victim.

People also believe that abused partners have the power to walk away from the situation but don’t because they have no respect. But, statistically abused women are at the highest risk when they flee their current situation. As abusers are very controlling of their partners, they may feel as if they have lost control when their partner leaves, causing them to get even more angry and violent. Domestic violence victims are also devoid of resources. “Abusers...often deny their victims access to resources including money, information, and social support. If the survivor is an immigrant, her resources may be even more limited and she may face additional language, cultural, legal and economic barriers,” (nyawc.org)..

Sometimes abused men find it even harder than women to leave the relationship that they’re in. In a society where men constantly feel pressured to act masculine and macho, showing signs of weakness immediately gets shunned. “Men are largely silent on the issue [of domestic violence] because of the perception that men are physically stronger and should be able to subdue a female attacker easily. Those men who do report physical violence are more likely to be ridiculed–both by law enforcement and by the public–than women are,” (domesticviolencestatistics.org).

The secrecy and hidden nature of domestic violence leads to people believing that the problem with domestic violence lies in the victims’ hands. The wrongful accusations placed upon victims is part of the reason why they don’t search for help. According to the National Coalition Again Domestic Violence only approximately one-quarter of all physical assaults are reported to the police. For now, people need to realize that domestic violence can only be solved if the abuser is apprehended and reprimanded for his actions.

Let’s talk college Christina Yeh

W

Special to the CHAT

hen I was fourteen years old, I had a dream where I got into every college that I applied to. For lack of better words, it was AWESOME. I decided right then and there that I would start sleeping fulltime since my dream life was so much better than my real life. Granted, that plan didn’t work out so well—no matter how hard I tried. Three years later and here I am, trying to make that same dream a reality.

So I guess the question is: does the college of your dreams stay right there: in your dreams? If so, what does it take to make those dreams come true?

Ah, college. The seven-lettered word that used to represent dreams, the future, and a mixture of nerves and excitement. So what exactly happened to cause the word “college” to become synonymous with “stress”, “essays”, and “pull-my-hairout-because-I-have-to-get-recommendation-letters-and-apply-to-college-and-heydon’t-forget-scholarships”?

In an attempt to reassure those of us freaking out over college, adults provide us with, what I like to call, words of wisdom. Now, it’s nothing we all haven’t heard already, but you can’t deny the truth in those statements. I’d like to think that’s why clichéd statements about college are so well known—because they’re true.

Otherwise, people wouldn’t say those same words over and over again. For one, they say that colleges are looking for “well-rounded students”. Now what exactly does this mean? I’m no college expert, but I believe that this means that admissions officers are looking for students who not only have good grades, but also are active members in clubs, extracurricular activities, and the community. So you’re saying if I do just that, I’m guaranteed acceptance to the college of my dreams? Well, not exactly. In fact, many seemingly over-qualified students suffer just the opposite fate.

What does it mean when someone with perfect scores in every single section of the SAT and a 4.0 GPA that did athletics and clubs for all 4 years of high school gets flat out rejected from top schools? If you’re confused about why students like this are denied from many colleges, welcome to the club. It seems like there’s some unknown black magic going on behind the scenes of college admissions offices, and unfortunately, students are never going to be able to understand the process. This only adds to the college-dedicated stress that all seniors have. Who likes uncertainty? I know thousands of lives would be easier if we knew exactly what it took to get into college. But the fact of the matter is that we don’t, and we won’t.

Unfortunately, that’s the cold hard truth.

You don’t have to be a present-day Albert Einstein to know that stress isn’t good for you. So to make the college application as least stressful as possible, use your time wisely and efficiently. Start applications for college and scholarships early. Use downtime to brainstorm ideas for your essays. Schedule meetings with your guidance counselor. Ask your teachers for recommendation letters early in the year.

Do all the things you have to do as early as you can, in order to save yourself time and stress later on.

Now in an attempt to not be a complete Debbie Downer, I’m going to give in and say yes, once the stresses of college are over in a couple of months, senior year will probably live up to the “fun” that it’s known for. I mean how can we not get excited about prom, grad-bash, senior awards night, and senior dinner?

But as for now, there’s not much we can do.

We’re at the end of the line and it’s time. Not to sound ominous or anything, but it truly is time.

We’ve worked ourselves past our limits the last 3 years, destroyed standardized tests, and have met all the graduation requirements. Now, it’s finally time to apply and wish for the best.

So before you embark onto the “applying to college” battlefield feeling attacked from all sides, remember to take a breath and do your best to dodge the bullets. Use your time wisely, soldier—I hope to see you ringing the college bell in a couple of months.

Multiple Choices: There is a variety of colleges seniors can choose from. Photo by: Peter Dourvetakis

Vassar College: Vassar College is a popular choice for many students at PPCHS. Photo by: Peter Dourvetakis

Applying: Many seniors are almost done filling out their college applicatiopns. Photo by: Peter Dourvetakis

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