Baitline
Publication Policy
The Baitline Newspaper is the official student news publication of Coral Reef Senior High School, and is written, designed, and published entirely by its staff members. Baitline is an established public forum, and welcomes a wide variety of pieces with the ultimate goal of informing students about news, events, and happenings both inside and outside the Coral Reef campus Through its articles and issues, Baitline hopes to create a more educated student population that is more overtly open to discussing current events and analyzing a variety of points of view.
As the producer of a scholastic publication, Baitline abides by the guidelines presented by the National Scholastic Press Association Code of Ethics for scholastic journalists and advisers According to the policies of the Miami-Dade County Public School System, media produced by students is not subject to mandatory review by school administrators or district personnel. Thus, all Baitline content is the product of views and opinions held by student staff members only, and is in no way a reflection of overall school views or beliefs The student editorial board and corresponding student staff members assume complete legal and financial liability for the content of the publication.
Baitline gladly welcomes reader questions, comments, or feedback Letters to the editor may be submitted to Ms Woolley-Larrea’s mailbox, delivered personally to room 217, or emailed to baitline@coralreefhigh.org with the subject line "Letter to the Editor." Letters to editor should not exceed 300 words, must be signed, and must include writer's address and phone number for verification Baitline reserves the right to publish any letter sent
Coral Reef Senior High School Student News
Baitline
Editors-in-Chief
Greta Carosio
Lucia Vigil
Supervisor Mrs. Stephanie Woolley-Larrea
Editors
Gabriella Gomez
Valeria Hernandez
Martina Jaramillo
Veronica Martinez
Genesis Velasquez
Newsmagazine Staff Writers
Daniella Arce
Jonathan Cardet
Emma Nicole Chavannes
Chloe Glasko
Stellagus Goldstein
Madison Gonzalez
Daniela Jimenez
Leah Jones
Fabiola Lobo
Rachel Orozco
Evelyn Pena
Andrea Posner
Suhana Pulchan
Lhyana Rodriguez
Alejandra Saad
Caroline Toole
Amaya Valdes
Manolo Vigil
Camila Yanez
Layout Staff Tiffany Bobadilla
Shaddai Garzon
Amy Legarde
Sofia Ludovic
Madison Paton
Victoria Shokar
CORAL
SW
CT +1-305-232-2044 | baitline@coralreefhigh.org
Towards a Better Tomorrow
As we enter Winter, we welcome you, the reader, to the season of activity and revolutions. Our staff at Baitline has strived to express these new revelations and changes in today's society while acknowledging current challenges that we still must face and endure. Through the incorporation of student voices and worldwide discussions, the issue aims to focus on today's progress and the acquisition of knowledge by learning from the complacency of our past.
Greta Carosio & Lucia Vigil Editors-in-Chief
Greta Carosio
Lucia Vigil
Our solar system has four giant planets: Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, and Jupiter. Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft that has closely studied the four gas giants of our solar system. No other spacecraft except for Voyager 2 has studied Neptune and Uranus. The spacecraft has been in space since 1977. Today, it sends back information, not pictures. According to NASA, the last pictures Voyager 2 sent back were pictures of the planet Neptune.
Neptune is the eighth planet farthest from the Sun – farther than all of the other gas planets. Sometimes, even Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune is. Neptune is commonly recognized for its blue color, but there are many other important details to know about the planet. Neptune has fourteen known moons, six of which were discovered by Voyager 2. The spacecraft also discovered four of Neptune’s rings. Like Uranus, Neptune is an ice giant planet. These planets are farther from the Sun, causing cold weather and a different interior composition than the gas giant planets.
Alongside discovering all these details about Neptune, Voyager 2 also gave us insight on Uranus. Like Neptune, Uranus is four times wider than Earth. Uranus has twenty-seven known moons, ten discovered by Voyager 2 during its five and a half-hour trip to study the planet during its flyby. Uranus is the seventh planet farthest from the Sun. Something that makes Uranus unique is that it rotates on its side. The planet rotates from east to west and has thirteen known rings.
Unlike Neptune and Uranus, Saturn is a gas
giant, so it does not have a solid surface. Saturn is best known for its ring system. Not only does the planet look impressive, but it is suspected to have eighty-two moons, twenty-nine of which are waiting to be confirmed. Some of these moons might even be able to hold life. Hydrogen and helium make up most of the planet’s atmosphere, making it lifeless like all of the other planets in our solar system with the exclusion of our planet Earth.
Jupiter, another gas planet, is known to be the largest planet in our solar system. Jupiter has more than seventy-five moons, four of which were discovered by Voyager 2. The spacecraft transmitted seventeen thousand new images while studying Jupiter. Jupiter has a red spot, a massive storm that has been going on for over a century.
All four planets are giants that have both similarities and differences. They were all studied by the spacecraft, Voyager 2. Voyager 2 has a twin spacecraft named Voyager 1 and is the most distant human-made object according to NASA. We await more discoveries from Voyager 1 and 2 and hope they are as insightful as the ones they have made so far.
Junior Year: The Hidden Struggles
Chloe Glasko
High school is a journey of adaptation and discovery, but when it comes to Junior Year, a little preparation can go a long way. While we often hear about the challenges associated with Junior Year, it’s easy to dismiss them, assuming things work out as they always have. The reality, however, is that Junior Year often involves significant lifestyle adjustments and the realization that success won’t come as easily as it might have in the past.
To start off, one thing I’ve learned this year (that absolutely nobody will tell you) is that your final GPA is what college really cares about. This is the GPA colleges will focus on when you apply, as senior year grades often come in too late to count. From this, I advise you to get rid of that “I’ll do it later” mindset and focus on doing your best now. Junior year is also when students tend to take on more challenging classes, often leading to long nights of studying. You may find yourself doing homework until 1:00 AM, or even pulling all-nighters just to get a good grade–all together messing up your sleep schedule. Even after putting in all of this effort, you might not always achieve the results you hoped for. It's important to not let this discourage you or you could find yourself falling down a rabbit hole of futility.
Coming from sophomore year, which was full of fun moments, great teachers, and relaxed classes, many students may not know how to adapt to the reality of Junior Year. For me, it was definitely a huge wake up call walking into AP Biology and failing my first test. Hard classes can make you think you’re not smart or
capable enough to be there. However, there’s always a way forward. It takes altering your mindset to truly live up to your full potential. Instead of thinking “I failed, I’m not good enough,” you have to know that failure is part of the process. You can only improve from here so start focusing on things you can control. Learn what study habits work best for you, how to manage procrastination, and how to balance school work with your extracurriculars. Remember that school should not consume all of your free time. Beyond academics, Junior Year is also a good year to explore your interests and start planning for life after high school. This could mean joining clubs, attending programs, taking on leadership roles, or reaching out to teachers you may want recommendation letters from. Grades are important but colleges also want to see who you are beyond the classroom.Your extracurriculars are a great way to show what makes you unique.
Students are usually adamant about finding a job Junior Year, however, you should hold off if you’re unsure if you will be able to manage work and school. Furthermore, your social life is also something you don’t want to forget. At the end of the day, high school is about more than pure academics. Make time to hangout with friends and family and partake in activities you enjoy that don't necessarily benefit your academic goals. Remember that knowledge is power. Whether you’re currently a Junior or preparing for the years ahead, it’s important to find balance across all aspects of your life. Start getting involved or simply enjoy where you are right now. Ultimately, your choices will shape your future. Good luck, Juniors!
This year, the effects of climate change have become increasingly evident, with extreme weather events causing widespread disruption globally. Record-breaking heat waves, devastating wildfires, and severe droughts have left millions facing water shortages. Scientists warn that maintaining current carbon emission levels could lead to perilous global temperature increases within the next decade. Coastal communities are particularly vulnerable, as rising sea levels threaten to engulf homes, schools, and entire neighborhoods. The primary driver of this crisis is humanity’s dependence on fossil fuels and unsustainable practices.
In response to this, countries worldwide are implementing various measures. Nations like Norway and Japan are investing heavily in renewable energy to reduce emissions and serve as global examples.
International leaders convene at climate summits to collaborate, share technology, and support regions most affected by climate change. However, progress is often hindered by financial responsibilities, with wealthier nations and developing countries struggling to find common ground.
Environmental Activists are calling for urgent and substantial action, stressing that time is running out. Addressing this challenge extends beyond international conferences and governmental commitments. Individuals can play a crucial role by reducing plastic use, minimizing waste, conserving energy, and supporting renewable energy initiatives. We have the opportunity to create a more sustainable future, but it requires immediate and collective action. The well-being of our planet, and future generations, depends on it.
THECAKE PICNIC
STELLAGUS GOLDSTEIN
Cheesecakes, bundt cakes, cakes with frosting, cakes with fondant, even pie! People love to innovate on the classic cake resulting in endless options. I mean everyone loves a bite of spongey red velvet paired with the sweet and refreshing flavor of cream cheese icing! On that note, enthusiasts should gather to celebrate the delicacy together over their favorite dessert. The larger-than-life dream came true when Elisa Sunga dominated Hudson Square with her show of 180 cakes, each with a distinct persona that wowed Manhattan’s cake scene. Adoration for the dessert led Elisa to showcase her first event in the vibrant city of San Francisco, debuting with a cake lineup like none other traveled to the east coast and graced the equally eclectic where Elisa presented a comparable festival.
In short words, The Cake Picnic is a syncretism of a high-end country club’s buffet and a fastpaced action game where the goal is to build your arsenal of dessert. “No Cake, No Entry” is Elisa’s motto that requires guests to contribute to constructing the gorgeous cake-filled banquetnce the feast is plated, the party becomes a timed challenge to cut and collect as many slices as possible! The excitement of this cake game the mouth-watering reward the thrill of sharing your finest creation with fellow artists is catnip for the cake community. When the picnic opened its irresistible doors to Manhattan, New Yorkers were drawn in. Many gorgeous, uniquely artistic cakes decorated the scene, including Ryan Nordheimer’s three tier funfetti that drew roots in his previous cake that became his first
internet sensation. For some context, Ryan’s regular-sized birthday funfetti went viral because he accused the restaurant cutting the dessert of withholding half… He was wrong. But when he remodeled it to feed the Cake Picnic and traced his masterpiece in Swiss meringue, all was forgiven. His 15-layer tower was comprised of vanilla sponge cake (a well-loved basic), layers of soaked sprinkle cookie, and confetti mousse. Vanilla bean was a neutral flavor for the frosting encasing the cake, to let the mini cookie crisps polk-a-dotted into the cake have their personal funfetti moment. Ryan’s stunner of a cake was just one of nearly two hundred shared by passionate people.
The beauty of cakes is that they can be wildly different while still falling under the same decadent umbrella. For example, while Ryan’s cake might tower over you, Rachel (who goes by @bakeswithrach on Instagram) designed a cake that encapsulates the energy of our earthy floor. The cake could have been mistaken for a slice of the Scottish Highlands, fauna elements draped over the cake, giving it an essence of a fairytale land. The picturesque castle poking out would lure you in, but the way Rachel crafts classic Grimms’ elements would hook you to stay. She ornamented her showstopper with mushrooms, a pumpkin patch, cobblestone paths, and the iconic green forest moss. Describing her creation’s flavor profile can already lure any gourmand in, a base layer (cake) of earl gray, a body of buttery tonka mousse with chocolate ganache, and a covering of French chocolate buttercream, setting the scene for her creativity. Rachel’s dessert that satisfies both the eye and the tongue must have been a
diamond, even among the gems littering the cake space.
There are countless highlights coloring the Cake Picnic, from pistachio blackberry olive oil cake that embodies everything about last year’s summer, to concord grape sheet cake, and chocolate cardamom -every cake making an appearance had her own diva flair. Elisa willed the fantasy of dessert and community into existence, we can only hope she brings her Cake Picnic to Miami next!
Apartment 334
MADISONPATON
The frost on the windows trickles up the glass, like geometric patterns dancing upward until the entire window is covered in a natural leaded glass display. As the last of my view of the outside world is clouded over by the frost, I turn away into my covers in submission. It’s Christmas Eve, but the only indicator that any holidays are near is the festive envelope that’s just been slipped under my door. I shift over to get a good view of this mysterious parcel sitting on the floor of my three-hundredsquare-foot apartment. I haven’t gotten a letter in two years, at least not one like this; this is a real letter. It’s the third year I've spent the holidays alone, and I've started to grow fond of the isolation. I look at the letter with hate. What is this intrusion on my privacy, which only reminds me there’s a world outside my home? I reluctantly get up from my bed and make my way through the piles of mail-order catalogs and empty food trays stacked up in towers. I brush my long, unkempt hair out of my face and read the letter.
“If you're reading this, you're living at my old address. I have no one else to wish a Merry Christmas. Call me..”
I forget how to breathe. So many emotions run through me like electricity. Who is this stranger? Why are they contacting me? This oasis I've so delicately created inside my apartment is threatened, and I’m afraid. The memories of the good times with my family pierce my heart with each word, so beautifully inked in cursive on the letter. And yet, my hands creep to my phone in my pocket. I watch myself dial the number, and hit the call button.
I hold my breath as I wait for them to pick up.I hear a voice eerily reminiscent of mine. For a second, I really thought it was me talking to myself as a last resort to correct the path I've followed.
“Hello? Hello? Who is this?” she says. She sounds frantic, tired, and congested. I presume she’s been crying.
“I’m Lucille, and I live in apartment 334.”
The line goes silent for a moment, and then she swiftly speaks her heart out.
“That apartment was the last good thing I owned. Please tell me you’re taking good care of it.”
I look around at the mess I've created, reflecting on the fact that perhaps this place was loved once. Perhaps it was even cherished.
“Uhm… Yeah,” I respond defeatedly.
She then proceeds to tell me about herself— about how she's 23, just like me, but unlike me, she’s had her whole life already decided for her. She played it smart and married rich, just as her parents told her. She currently lives in one of the million-dollar penthouses of New York, stories above the filth of the underground. She stayed in my apartment for about three months when she rented it out to spend some time with a secret partner before accepting the fate that presented itself to her. She told me it was the best three months of her life. She’s already married, has two kids, and spends her days in the home while the nanny takes on
“Finally, when Christmas time came around this year, and I bought all these cards to mail to those I loved, I realized I had nothing to say to anyone. I hoped maybe, by some divine intervention, I’d have something to say to the universe, and so I sent it to you. I promised myself if someone answered, it was a sign I don’t belong where I am. If I could just get one night, one single night to do whatever it is I like, no matter how unladylike, or messy, or wrong, it would be mine to do, and not anyone else’s. I know you’re a stranger and have nothing to do with me, and I might as well be talking into the air, but maybe, just maybe, you understand.”
Her words reverberated through my bones, bouncing back into my brain and then out of my eyes as gentle tears streamed down my tense cheeks. Here we are, worlds apart; I am in the slums of Manhattan, unable to hold a job to save my life and without any will to do better. I am without any means to escape the trap I'm entrenched in. She, living up in the clouds, probably spends money like it really is just paper. But still, I understand her. Her name is Ariane, and she’s just like me.
my throat, so instead, I say what I can.
“I feel you. I am you. Come find me.”
And so I hang up, letting the weight of the phone drag my arm down to my side. My cheeks are flushed, and I am alive. Suddenly I’m aware of exactly where I am, what I stand for, and what I must do. I look around at the piles of trash barricading the door. It’s gotten so bad that when I order food, I have to ask the delivery guy to shove it through the large mail slot. I look to the door, and a soft light glows from the cracks. Quickly, I run over, and with strength I should not have, I pry the door open. My hair is crazy, my clothes dirty, my teeth unbrushed, and my body shaking. The cold stings my face, and the fluorescent glow of the streetlights burn my eyes, yet it still feels so good to be outside. I let the snow shock my body. It’s been so long since I've endured the elements, I might pass out from shock. I hear tires screeching on the street, so I turn my head to the right. I see a limo hauling down the street so fast the street would be on fire if it wasn’t so cold. The chauffeur stops in front of me, and the back seat window rolls down. I've never seen her before, but I know it’s Ariane. I can tell because she has the same look in her eyes as I do; that look that tells you they’re never really looking at you, but into the far future. Her hair is blonde and beautiful, and her pearls glimmer in the light, but her mascara is caked on her eyes and running down her cheeks. I've never seen anyone cry more beautifully. She gets out of the car and instantly we embrace. It’s been so long since I've hugged someone, but naturally, I release all tension. I melt into her winter coat, motherhood. Despite loving her kids with all the love she could give, they left her a husk of her former self. Caught in a marriage decided for her by her parents, she played her part to the best of her abilities, but already her patience was running thin.
We are crushed under the weight of wishing for something different to come along. I want to tell her everything, but the words catch in
so warm and large. She looks me tenderly in the eyes with the love of an older sister, and silently we enter the backseat.
“I can’t go with you, look at me. I don’t even have shoes on. And where are we even going?” I remark. She looks at me sympathetically and sighs.
“I’ll clean you up just right, don’t even worry about it. I just ran out of the house as I was. I was supposed to go to a dinner party with my in-laws, but I just shoved my husband out of the car and told Pierre to take me here. Honestly, I have no idea where we’re going. But just for right now, let’s just drive. Just for tonight, let’s pretend none of it ever happened. If nothing changes tomorrow, let it be different tonight.”
I hold her hand while looking out the window as I lean against the car door and let the red and green colored lights hung outside people’s houses pass over my face. I close my eyes and take a deep breath as the chauffeur accelerates.
in Valencia, spain
ANNEPEREZ
Madrid, Spain - Torrential rainfall has led to flash flooding in Eastern Spain, impairing the lives of numbers of civilians across the country. Due to the storm's concealed nature, citizens were unaware of its encroaching presence and left helpless when it swept away vehicles, homes, and businesses, shattering thousands of livelihoods. To date, at least 217 people have been confirmed dead, and at least 89 people are still unaccounted for.
Scientists and meteorologists claim that the immediate cause of the flooding is a weather system called DANA. This atmospheric system is caused when a low pressure area is cut off from the stream– a fast-moving wind current that separates cold polar air from warm tropical air. When this occurs, the cold air migrates over the Mediterranean. This causes warm air to rise and form dense clouds that can dump heavy rain over a large area for several days. While this phenomenon is prominent in Eastern Spain due to Spain’s geographical location between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean, it has become a recurring issue for the Spanish people because of climate change.
The regional Valencian authorities asked the central government for help in mobilizing resourcing, National Police Officers, and Civil Guards were deployed into the region in the largest peacetime mobilization of military and security forces inside Spain. The national government said that as of Tuesday, the 5th of November, there had been over 36,000 people rescued. However, the Valencia regional government has been heavily criticized for not
sending out flood warnings to cell phones until 8pm on Tuesday, when the flooding had already started in some places and well after the national weather agency used a red alert indicating heavy rains. Spain’s king and queen were also heavily criticized for a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities after the floods. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were pelted with mud and other objects after visiting the town of Paiporta, one of the worst affected regions. There have been outcries from the affected including one undisclosed source who cried, “They left us to die. We’ve lost everything: our businesses, our homes, our dreams.”
While Spain is still facing many challenges in dealing with the immediate aftermath of the floods, the disaster has spurred discussions about the need for greater resilience in the face of climate change. Despite the tragedies that have occurred, the community has become resilient in the face of these recurring natural disasters. “Despite this, he felt grateful to survive. He told me, ‘I may have more or less, but being alive is priceless.’ I was struck by this resilience and positivity, focusing on what he still had rather than what he’d lost.” The community has found courage and a strength to adapt that is remarkable.However, these devastating floods have been a stark reminder that the climate crisis is not a distant problem but a current one, and its impacts are being felt across the world. It has urged the need for resilient infrastructure, effective disaster management, and climate adaptation policies. The increasing amount of natural disasters
have reached a degree of intensity and danger that need stopping. In conclusion, the catastrophic flooding in Eastern Spain serves as a wakeup call to every person at large who has either observed or experienced the catastrophic frequencies of the climate crisis. The resilience shown by the Spanish community is inspiring, however we need to do our part in ensuring collective action is taken. Reducing carbon footprint, supporting sustainable businesses, advocating for stronger climate policies or even just spreading awareness about the urgency of the climate crisis are all great examples that make all the difference.
EXPLORING DEVELOPMENT IN
STEM CELL RESEARCH
LUCIA VIGIL
WHEREITBEGAN
Back in the early 1960s, scientists Ernest McCulloch and James Till conducted a series of experiments where they injected bone marrow cells into mice being heavily exposed to radiation. Upon further investigation, McCulloch and Till observed the growth of small nodules on the spleens of the mice. This number of nodules remained proportionate throughout the experiment to the number of bone marrow cells injected into the mice. The key takeaway from this experiment was that some of the spleen colony cells had selfrenewing properties, a property that stem cells also carry. Later, in 1981, Professor James Alexander Thomson, along with his team at the University of Wisconsin, managed to separate embryonic stem cells from mice. He and his team went on to become the first to grow human embryonic stem cells in a laboratory dish. 2000s
The 2000s, while full of boy bands, Britney Spears hits, Lindsay Lohan, and tracksuits, also saw a lot of scientific advancement. To kick off this eventful time in stem cell history, in 2001, Christine Mummery worked with a team in the Netherlands to develop beating heart cells outside the body. This scientific investigation is vital to the development and understanding of the potential of stem cells as it has allowed Mummery and her team of scientists to work on growing a small piece of a human heart from stem cells. This growth can be used to study causes of different diseases. By the time 2003 came around, Professor
Antonio Beltrami discovered the heart had its own stem cells. The true significance of this discovery would not be realized until later, in the 2010s. Aside from this study, in 2006, Shinya Yanamaka discovered induced pluripotent stem cells, or cells generated from adult cells that are redesigned to have the characteristics of embryonic stem cells. This finding held a lot of significance to the stem cell world, and would go down as a major breakthrough in this area of research. Yanamaka did so by identifying conditions that would grant some specialized adult cells the ability to reprogram their genetics to take on a stem-cell type of state.
2010s
During this decade, many monumental discoveries were made, one of them being the further development of a previous discovery made in 2003. Scientist Dr. Nicola Smart of Oxford University began working on how to awaken the stem cells within the heart, after Professor Beltrami discovered their existence. This research concluded that stem cells could be used to make new heart cells through the use of a thymosin beta-4 protein. This protein essentially draws cells towards damaged tissues in order to make new muscles. While the technical explanation behind this discovery is difficult to understand, its implications are clear: the first steps to mastering repairing an injured heart. The second notable discovery of this decade is more recent, and some may say it was a bloodbath! Eight years ago, in 2016, Dr. Jo Mountford’s studies focused on the generation of red blood cells from stem cells to allow for
an infinite supply of blood for transfusion. This discovery could be applied to real life medical cases for individuals losing blood from an injury or accident, possibly saving the lives of thousands of future hospitalized individuals.
2020s
Finally, in 2023, scientists discovered yet another type of stem cell, proving that the possibilities with these cells are limitless. These newly found stem cells are called vertebral skeletal stem cells, and they are located in the spine. Their function is to produce a protein that signals to tumor cells, opening new paths for cures and solutions to different kinds of cancer. The hope is that these cells will target cancer and reduce its spread, using proteins and signals. While the medical usages of this stem cell are a bit of a stretch, scientists like Matthew Greenblatt, who worked as a pathologist on the investigation, are contributing to further research on the matter.
Nowadays it seems like everywhere we turn there is a new disease with the potential to take us all down. Stem cells are the scientific light of hope in this disease-ridden medical world of darkness that we find ourselves in. It seems the stem cells have found us in our time of need, our knight in shining armor. The discoveries noted in here are just some of those that have stuck out the most over the last 30 years, but they are by no means a full representation of the blood, sweat, and tears put in by scientists all over the world to explore this new land in the scientific field. It has taken more than a
village to establish stem cells as a viable solution to any medical issue, big or small, and the ongoing shower of stem cell discoveries is far from over.
