Devil's Advocate (Issue 4 | 2012 2013)

devil’s advocate stanton college preparatory school

your stories. your school. your voice.

Through volunteerism, leadership, academic excellence, to impact and reshape the Stanton community next year.

no. 4 | may 2013

devilsadvocatepaper.blogspot.com

SAMANTHA FOSS

SAVANNAH MIKA

devil’s advocate 2013 Athletes of the Year

Cover Story: The Next Five

PAGE 08 Mission Trips Around the World

Devil’s Advocate

Golden Apple, Silver Star

Column:

More Time in School: Is it Worth it?

Contributing Advocates

Devil’s Advocate

1

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2013 Athletes of the Year

By AUVION BRADSHAW and EMILY ISELEY, Sports Reporters

Pictured from left to right: Kayla Thomas, Nick Kirby, Lizzie Tillo, Lianne Mananquil Not pictured: Moises Pichardo, Miguel Delacruz

MOISES PICHARDO

NICK KIRBY Tennis

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-

-

-

4 / devil’s advocate / sports

KAYLA THOMAS

MIGUEL DELACRUZ

Track

Aspiring Olympian, junior Kayla Thomas has made numerous contributions to the complish at every track meet. In this event, her strategy is to, “get out and stay ahead of the pack.”

She has admired the sport of track since her start in 2009 as a seventh grader.

Junior Miguel Delacruz continues to strive for perfection in the game of basketball. As

spare time.

photos by Kathryn McMullen

nonstop, I focus most of my time on this because it’s a fundamental aspect of the game,” said Delacruz. “Then I go into shooting, I start by repeatedly doing a one dribble pull up

LIZZIE TILLO

LIANNE MANANQUIL Soccer

Diving

Freshman Lianne Mananquil scored 21 goals for the girls’ soccer team this past season.

“Lianne became a very valuable part of the team in just her freshman year,” said head motivated me to train harder and be more competitive going into the state competition,” said Tillo.

steps ahead in a game.”

Outside of school sports Mananquil is on the Olympic Development Program’s naLeague, bringing together some of the best teams in the country to compete.

better,” said Gerhardt.

sports / may 2013 / 5

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STANTON

LIFE

A look at student life through the lens of a camera.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KATHRYN McMULLEN, Photography Editor

Next 5: Kishan Patel

J edd Marrero may seem like just another Stanton student who excels in school, sometimes having to stay up later than he surely call him for homework help, but be warned: he may just be preparing a gourmet dessert or rehearsing new dance moves.

There are some individuals who are fortunate enough to be talented in a wide range of areas and Marrero is surely one of

Reporter

curriculum, he is sure to leave a mark on our school.

Marrero has found a passion for dance and while pursuing it in his years at Stanton, he has proven to have quite a gift for performing. Participating in multiple dances in the 2012 and 2013 Mulitcultural Extravaganza, he amazed the audience and was one of the most talked about performers of the show.

Marrero’s interest in dancing stems from his sister’s participayears ago, he knew that was what he wanted to do.

Marrero.

He made it into that group and many more. For the past two years, Marrero has participated in the Korean Modern, Filipino Modern, and Hip Hop dances. Even though he may look like a

With his immense passion, it is quite likely that Marrero will inspire others just like the dancers who amazed him in the Korean dance two years ago. One thing is certain however, and that is that Marrero’s love for performing is here to stay.

“Performing takes you away from reality for the short amount of

Marrero’s talents do not stop at the stage. He has also developed a love for cooking, a passion which began when he was only eight years old.

Apart from Multi, Marrero is a member of Club Unity, the Stanton -

like a family to him. ally got comfortable with everyone by the end of the try-out week,

“

photos by Kathryn Mcmullen

K ishan Patel is well known around Stanton because he has been

president of the class of 2014 for three consecutive years. There is much more to him than just being a politician though. Patel is involved in many different volunteering opportunities, the MultiCultural club, two different sports teams, not to mention several outside of school dance squads.

Patel is involved with volunteering at Museum of Science & History, a day camp, and Kirby Smith Camp. Between the three places where he volunteers and has accumulated 480 hours of community service.

Another notable track of volunteering that Patel has taken part in is teaching kids how to play tennis through the United States Tennis Association. His volunteering shows how industrious he is outside of school and also that he enjoys giving back to the community.

With his already busy schedule he was also the treasurer of the Multi-Cultural club during his sophomore year and he has also been the head of the Raas dance group for the past two years.He was recently elected as the vice president of the Multi-Cultural

Patel who said children are a big reason why he enjoys volunteering.

Helping children and working with them is a major motivation for Patel and it shows that he is as much a humanitarian as he is a politician and dancer. Patel carries this same attitude into his volunteer coaching.

“

the community not just for

-Kishan Patel

club and also in the tight rhythm and timing of the dance group. He has also been involved in dance groups outside of school since he Patel is not just a scholarly dancer but also a scholar-athlete.

He has taken part in Junior Varsity basketball, Junior Varsity cross country, and also Varsity cross country in his three years at Stanton. There is still more to him than just sports and dancing though.

Patel also helds two jobs with his busy schedule; he works at the Florida Eye Specialist and also as a tennis coach.

He is clearly a force in the community and volunteers for more than just the hours.

8 / devil’s advocate / features

”

not logged any hours for the last two years.

with kids every week to improve their tennis skills by coaching

Being the class president for three years clearly shows his ability to be a leader and he should be able to use his abilities as the new Multi-Cultural Club vice president. There are times when he feels he has missed out on the opportunity to lead though, such as this years event.

He wants be involved in everything he enjoys doing, but being in a leadership position makes him feel more involved and like he is doing everything he possibly can to make it the best show possible.

“As the preparations for the show went by for this year’s exPatel.

Of course this one missed opportunity will not be repeated next year because of his new position as vice president.

Patel’s intelligence is exhibited with his 4.4 grade point average, but his home life is not consumed with academics.

-Jedd Marrero

love for performing and lead to many more in the near future.

Even being on stage for a short time, Marrero soon learned the power the crowd has in a performance.

“Just having everybody cheer you on, whether you know them or not, is memorable, since it makes everyone on stage have much Marrero explained his favorite aspect of performing, the rush of emotions which he described as “ranging from fear to excitement dancing, it became clear that Marrero has found an incredible talent.

about every sense. The ability to create a sharp yet delicious con-

their precision, the hard-hitting nature, the choreography.

the Chinese traditional dance, caused him much anxiety.

Many Stanton students have outstanding skills and personalities that set them apart from the rest.

The Devil’s Advocate be on the look out for in their upcoming years at Stanton.

cooking, in addition to dancing, is one of the best ways to express yourself.

”

cooking skills; he also enjoys making food for others. their face light up like Christmas morning when you have a slice of Marrero’s talents in the kitchen make his Club Unity name, a gourmet meal or even just a mouthwatering dessert amazes Marrero’s friends, even making some jealous that they are not as

While the workload of Stanton is overwhelming in itself, Marrero is able to obtain top grades even with all of his other pursuits.

He admits that at times, it proves challenging balancing his responClub Unity’s performance at pep rallies is always a crowd-pleaser. An sibilities with extracurricular activities. enthusiastic cheer never fails to erupt, especially from the sophoBy the time you get home, it is relatively late and your body has members recently took a few hours off from their busy schedules to travel to an elementary school and brighten the children’s day.

As Marrero fondly described his experience there, a feeling of unity of the step team was fully apparent, making it clear that that term certainly belongs in the team’s title.

He is a prime example that students don’t have to choose something enough, it is feasible to incorporate it into their busy schedule. That being said, it is certain that with proper time management and dedication, anything is possible.

Next 5: Jedd Marrero

Reporter

At home Patel takes a rest from his busy school life. he said.

Spending time with his older brother Niral is something Patel enjoys, especially because his brother is off at college so the time they spend together is precious.

“My brother Niral Patel, who also went to Stanton, is my biggest he said.

His relationship with his brother has both its serious and playful moments, but it is one he would clearly not trade for any other.

“Whenever he comes back from the University of Florida we have intense NBA 2K12 sessions in which we play for each others His leadership and work with the community are what makes Patel more than deserving for his selection as one of the top students and humanitarians at Stanton, but the relationships with his family and his friends around Stanton is what makes him the great person that everyone knows him to be.

features / may 2013 / 9

Next 5: Kishan Patel

J edd Marrero may seem like just another Stanton student who excels in school, sometimes having to stay up later than he surely call him for homework help, but be warned: he may just be preparing a gourmet dessert or rehearsing new dance moves.

There are some individuals who are fortunate enough to be talented in a wide range of areas and Marrero is surely one of

Reporter

curriculum, he is sure to leave a mark on our school.

Marrero has found a passion for dance and while pursuing it in his years at Stanton, he has proven to have quite a gift for performing. Participating in multiple dances in the 2012 and 2013 Mulitcultural Extravaganza, he amazed the audience and was one of the most talked about performers of the show.

Marrero’s interest in dancing stems from his sister’s participayears ago, he knew that was what he wanted to do.

Marrero.

He made it into that group and many more. For the past two years, Marrero has participated in the Korean Modern, Filipino Modern, and Hip Hop dances. Even though he may look like a

With his immense passion, it is quite likely that Marrero will inspire others just like the dancers who amazed him in the Korean dance two years ago. One thing is certain however, and that is that Marrero’s love for performing is here to stay.

“Performing takes you away from reality for the short amount of

Marrero’s talents do not stop at the stage. He has also developed a love for cooking, a passion which began when he was only eight years old.

Apart from Multi, Marrero is a member of Club Unity, the Stanton -

like a family to him. ally got comfortable with everyone by the end of the try-out week,

“

photos by Kathryn Mcmullen

K ishan Patel is well known around Stanton because he has been

president of the class of 2014 for three consecutive years. There is much more to him than just being a politician though. Patel is involved in many different volunteering opportunities, the MultiCultural club, two different sports teams, not to mention several outside of school dance squads.

Patel is involved with volunteering at Museum of Science & History, a day camp, and Kirby Smith Camp. Between the three places where he volunteers and has accumulated 480 hours of community service.

Another notable track of volunteering that Patel has taken part in is teaching kids how to play tennis through the United States Tennis Association. His volunteering shows how industrious he is outside of school and also that he enjoys giving back to the community.

With his already busy schedule he was also the treasurer of the Multi-Cultural club during his sophomore year and he has also been the head of the Raas dance group for the past two years.He was recently elected as the vice president of the Multi-Cultural

Patel who said children are a big reason why he enjoys volunteering.

Helping children and working with them is a major motivation for Patel and it shows that he is as much a humanitarian as he is a politician and dancer. Patel carries this same attitude into his volunteer coaching.

“

the community not just for

-Kishan Patel

club and also in the tight rhythm and timing of the dance group. He has also been involved in dance groups outside of school since he Patel is not just a scholarly dancer but also a scholar-athlete.

He has taken part in Junior Varsity basketball, Junior Varsity cross country, and also Varsity cross country in his three years at Stanton. There is still more to him than just sports and dancing though.

Patel also helds two jobs with his busy schedule; he works at the Florida Eye Specialist and also as a tennis coach.

He is clearly a force in the community and volunteers for more than just the hours.

8 / devil’s advocate / features

”

not logged any hours for the last two years.

with kids every week to improve their tennis skills by coaching

Being the class president for three years clearly shows his ability to be a leader and he should be able to use his abilities as the new Multi-Cultural Club vice president. There are times when he feels he has missed out on the opportunity to lead though, such as this years event.

He wants be involved in everything he enjoys doing, but being in a leadership position makes him feel more involved and like he is doing everything he possibly can to make it the best show possible.

“As the preparations for the show went by for this year’s exPatel.

Of course this one missed opportunity will not be repeated next year because of his new position as vice president.

Patel’s intelligence is exhibited with his 4.4 grade point average, but his home life is not consumed with academics.

-Jedd Marrero

love for performing and lead to many more in the near future.

Even being on stage for a short time, Marrero soon learned the power the crowd has in a performance.

“Just having everybody cheer you on, whether you know them or not, is memorable, since it makes everyone on stage have much Marrero explained his favorite aspect of performing, the rush of emotions which he described as “ranging from fear to excitement dancing, it became clear that Marrero has found an incredible talent.

about every sense. The ability to create a sharp yet delicious con-

their precision, the hard-hitting nature, the choreography.

the Chinese traditional dance, caused him much anxiety.

Many Stanton students have outstanding skills and personalities that set them apart from the rest.

The Devil’s Advocate be on the look out for in their upcoming years at Stanton.

cooking, in addition to dancing, is one of the best ways to express yourself.

”

cooking skills; he also enjoys making food for others. their face light up like Christmas morning when you have a slice of Marrero’s talents in the kitchen make his Club Unity name, a gourmet meal or even just a mouthwatering dessert amazes Marrero’s friends, even making some jealous that they are not as

While the workload of Stanton is overwhelming in itself, Marrero is able to obtain top grades even with all of his other pursuits.

He admits that at times, it proves challenging balancing his responClub Unity’s performance at pep rallies is always a crowd-pleaser. An sibilities with extracurricular activities. enthusiastic cheer never fails to erupt, especially from the sophoBy the time you get home, it is relatively late and your body has members recently took a few hours off from their busy schedules to travel to an elementary school and brighten the children’s day.

As Marrero fondly described his experience there, a feeling of unity of the step team was fully apparent, making it clear that that term certainly belongs in the team’s title.

He is a prime example that students don’t have to choose something enough, it is feasible to incorporate it into their busy schedule. That being said, it is certain that with proper time management and dedication, anything is possible.

Next 5: Jedd Marrero

Reporter

At home Patel takes a rest from his busy school life. he said.

Spending time with his older brother Niral is something Patel enjoys, especially because his brother is off at college so the time they spend together is precious.

“My brother Niral Patel, who also went to Stanton, is my biggest he said.

His relationship with his brother has both its serious and playful moments, but it is one he would clearly not trade for any other.

“Whenever he comes back from the University of Florida we have intense NBA 2K12 sessions in which we play for each others His leadership and work with the community are what makes Patel more than deserving for his selection as one of the top students and humanitarians at Stanton, but the relationships with his family and his friends around Stanton is what makes him the great person that everyone knows him to be.

features / may 2013 / 9

While leadership is a common quality, very few people possess it. In fact, people who are considered leaders are not always aware that they are. Junior Sammy Spencer shows that she has Reporter

Spencer is involved with many activities at school and in her community. She participates in -

-

step in the direction of what she wants to pursue. to learn more about the country’s culture she is in. for 25 minutes. said Spencer. friend and admires her ability to be so nice to everyone.

As a freshman on the varsity baseball, football, and basketball teams, Keenan Bell is known for his drive in many sports. The one sport he shows the most compassion in is baseball. It started

about because she is so nice to everyone that she meets.

Typically, it can be hard to be an athlete and a Stanton student, mostly because of the need to balance sports and academics.

-

for a better performance.

Some attributes Bell would like to work on to become a better player include patience and

scholarship.

There are many stereotypes that come with a sport such as baseball. Some stereotypes claim -

Reporter 10 / devil’s advocate / features

Next 5: Nadia Al-Rubaee

By KYLE SANCHEZ, Reporter

Nadia Al-Rubaee is an ordinary International Baccalaureate (IB) junior at Stanton College Preparatory School with an extraordinary ability to go above and beyond academic excellence. With an undying passion for math and science, she has made outstanding accomplishments preparing her for a future career in medicine.

One of Al-Rubaee’s most prominent passions is math. During middle school at Darnell-Cookman, she began to excel beyond the normal standard very early. In eighth grade, she took Intermediate and College Algebra at University of North Florida and Florida State College at Jacksonville.

Then, she progressed to take both Geometry and Algebra 2 in eighth grade. The typical path for students is to take Geometry in ninth grade and Algebra 2 in tenth grade.

“Each summer, I took the math course for the next year at one of the universities or online,” said Nadia Al-Rubaee.

In ninth grade, she completed an independent study with Mr. Robert Copeland calculus book. However, her academic excellence does not stop there.

Al-Rubaee shows innovation and brilliance in multiple areas of science. Ever since sixth grade, she has felt a real passion towards science fair when she made it ematical formulas over the years in application to her science fair projects.

“

Anatomy and physiology class was amazing. I love the idea of being able to work in such a complex environment.

-Nadia Al-Rubaee

”

“I used different methods to approximate ‘pi,’‘e,’ and ‘phi,’ in each consecutive year in middle school,” said Al-Rubaee. “In ninth and tenth grade, I developed an encryption and transcription/compression system for credit cards using polar equations, Huffman coding, and data matrices.” which is an IB award that recognizes hard work, knowledge and creativity. In 2012, she was awarded $1,000 by the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

Al-Rubaee has shown excellence outside of the school environment as well. She has been an active volunteer at Nemours Children Clinic during the summer and the school year, and has also been involved with science camps associated with UNF for the past few years.

Last summer, she was a counselor for a marine biology and ecology camp. The summer after her freshman year, she was a junior counselor for a math and science camp. Through her volunteering, she exhibits a passion for helping other people and bettering the community.

“I plan to go into medicine and become a doctor. Anatomy and physiology class was amazing. I love the idea of being able to work in such a complex environment,” said Al-Rubaee.

Whenever possible, Al-Rubaee shows a perpetual drive and motivation to excel and push for success. She also enjoys studying sciences like sociology and anthropology in her free time. Nadia Al-Rubaee has shown an undying passion for mathematics and science throughout her educational career, and continues to push for success.

Another extraordinary thing about Al-Rubaee is that she does not boast about these accomplishments.As other students have shared, she is one of the most modest people they know. She shows modesty and kindness to all of her fellow embodied academic excellence and will continue to build a very prestigious career

If you have recommendations for the 2014-2015 Next 5 list, please send an email to Mr. Knight at knightl1@duvalschools.org or visit Room 204. We are looking for We want to hear from you!

features / may 2013 / 11

Mission Trips Around the World The Devil’s Advocate world and help those less fortunate. These students not only use this experience to help others, but to also discover many things about themselves.

By SAMANTHA FOSS, Student Life Reporter

photos by Kathryn McMullen

Junior Cody Ragland has gone to Nicaragua during the past two summers and plans to go a third time this summer with his church, Normandy Park Baptist Church.

“My experience was amazing, the way those kids held on to your every word, how people wanted to hear what you had to say,” said Ragland.

Field, which is a baseball mission team, helping baseball teams to get better and preach the word of God. He hopes one day to travel to Wales with Faith Field to also achieve a connection with his heritage while helping others. A member of the varisty baseball team at Stanton, Ragland said that he would one day love to coach a team himself, and hopes to play baseball throughout college, along with continuing the Faith Field program.

“I want to preach the word of God and make known His power and glory,” said Ragland. “It’s a very humbling experience to see God working in the lives of people you don’t even know.”

Senior Dorrion Finley is a part of an organization called Every Nation that is organized by his church, Southpoint Community Church. He taught underpriveledged teenagers to not let where they live leadership and make a difference.

Finley’s best experience was witnessing a blind eight-year-old boy be instantly cured and seeing the that adds and strengthens Finley’s relationship with God. “My main goal: to show the love of Christ,” said Finley, who has traveled to South Africa, Colombia, and twice to Lima, Peru.

Junior Alyssa Sanchez traveled to the slums of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with her youth group of Chets Creek Church last year. in a free clinic they hosted for a few days. By the end of her trip, they had helped over 800 people who were suffering from poverty and illness. She realized that poverty exists in the world and found it amazing and laughter” even though they do not have everything that we have in the United States.

“My experience was amazing. I learned how fortunate and blessed we are to live in the U.S., and how many things we take for granted,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez plans to go back to Brazil on the last day of school to help more children affected by poverty and sickness. When she grows up, she wants to decision was seeing how much she could help those in need while in Brazil.

12 / devil’s advocate / student life

App

le

The Devil’s Advocate newspaper staff is proud to award the Golden Apple to Mr. Ben MacKay. He has shown brilliance, charisma, and integrity throughout his 20 years as a teacher of Advanced Placement American History. He has a special way of connecting with his students in an educational environment, and deserves recognition.

Mr. MacKay attended secondary school at Forest High School in Ocala, Fla.; upon graduating in 1984, he went to Davidson College in Davidson, N.C. He received his Masters from the University of North Florida (UNF) where he majored in World Religion, and planned to become a college teacher. However, his personal life eventually pointed him towards becoming a high school history teacher, and in response, he got a Masters degree in history as well.

“authentic,” or original.

den

my personality,” said Mr. MacKay. While stating that teenagers are good at spotting “phoniness,” he strongly believes that all teachers

to be overly authoritative or overly permissible.

“I think it’s a mistake to assume that everybody’s going to love your subject matter,” said Mr. MacKay. “I think there is some way to connect with everybody that is in that room. It may not be love of subject matter that makes that connection, but there is something. Trying to make students do something they don’t want to do is sometimes counterproductive.”

Mr. MacKay shows a clear and open-minded awareness of the way some of his students feel, even the ones

students. He gives them positive reinforcement with phrases such as, “If you pass this AP, you’ll never have to take a history in college again!”

“He has a laid back teaching style that allows us to connect with him,” said junior Brad Matos.

By KYLE SANCHEZ, Student Life Reporter

Therefore, Mackay stated that being able to teach at Stanton is his greatest accomplishment because of all the determined and prestigious students that he teaches. He sees the true value of the opportunities given at Stanton, and wishes that all students saw it as valuable rather than meaningless or forced work.

Silv

Every morning, as she enters through the double doors and into the school, the success of her students is on her mind. Every second of her workday is dedicated to the students of this school and it is because of this dedication that the student body has decided to reward Principal Nongongoma Majova-Seane the 2013 Silver Star Faculty Award.

“My father was the headmaster at a school in Africa, where I grew up,” said Mrs. Majova when

er

was a teacher she had in school as a young girl.

Since then, Mrs. Majova followed that inspiration to the United States where she eventually became a math teacher at Butler Middle School in Jacksonville. Eventually, she became principal of Raines High School, where she caught the notice of former Duval County Public Schools Superintendent Ed Pratt-Daniels who placed her at Stanton, in 2009, replacing former principal Debra Lynch.

Mrs. Majova arrived at Stanton with a mission which she still carries out today. That mission being success for her students “in all they strive for.” Building relationships between the faculty and students are her means to this end.

Known for conversing with students, sending out signed birthday cards, and even grilling the hamburger lunch for the Campus Cleanup, Mrs. Majova is seen by many of the student body as a caring principal.

“I think she is very sweet,” says freshman Eesha Athavale. “She always has a smile on her face when she walks around and says ‘hello’ to everyone. She thinks about each and every student.”

To Mrs. Majova, building these relationships between faculty and students creates the foundation upon which a successful institution such as Stanton is built.

“If people know you care,” explains Mrs. Majova. “They will be motivated to work harder.” According to Mrs. Majova, you “spend more time at school than at home,” so you might as well create lasting relationships in the school environment.

Mrs. Majova, having worked at many schools in the area, also believes that the students and their “commitment to excellence” set Stanton apart from other schools.

With a smile of great pride, Mrs. Majova explained that “her children” are what she enjoys most about being principal at Stanton.

“I enjoy having conversations with them and [seeing] their diversity and respect for one another. It doesn’t matter if they are African, Indian, or Italian; they all show each other the same respect,” said Mrs. Majova While Mrs. Majova cites the students as her motivation, many students see Mrs. Majova as their motivation.

“I think that Mrs. Majova represents everything Stanton stands for - hard work and integrity,” says junior Kanupriya Gupta. “She upholds Stanton’s high reputation and has always believed in us students during times of high stress. She encourages us to recognize our intellectual capacities on our journey to college and beyond.”

Mrs. Majova has worked incredibly hard in her 26-year academic career. She is seen by students, even those who do not know her well, as a determined, hardworking, and caring principal and individual. As another year comes to a close, another class leaves through the double doors and begins their journey into the world, determined to never give up, knowing that Mrs. Majova never gave up on them. For these reasons, Mrs. Nongongoma Majova-Seane is Stanton’s 2013 Silver Star.

Sta r

photos by Sanaa Belkaich

photos by Kathryn McMullen

Gol

so many students voted him for Golden Apple shows that they, too, recognize his ability to engage his students.

“He makes me want to do well,” said junior Sammy Spencer.

Mr. Mackay’s personality and teaching style seems like a perfect match for the types of students at Stanton, who are willing to learn even if the subject matter is not to their interests.

“I feel very blessed to teach here,” said Mr. MacKay. “The colleagues and kids I have are incredible. Stanton is just a very unique place.”

Mr. MacKay also taught at Santa Fe High School in Alachua, Fla. for three years. He found that many of those students

By SPENCER NACHMAN, Contributing Writer student life / may 2013 / 13

Editorial Staff 2012-2013 Alexandra Morgante, Editor-in-Chief Leah Quisenberry, Managing Editor Alexis Brown, Opinions Editor Kia’ Cooper, Features Editor Taylor Galloway, Sports Editor Laura Gerbec, Student Life Editor Kathryn McMullen, Photography Editor The Devil’s Advocate School. It is produced monthly by members of the Journalism class. The editors reserve the right to edit any material submitted to the paper for content, grammar, length, and accuracy.

The Devil’s Advocate is a public forum for student expression, which encourages free exchanges of opinions concerning controversial and non-controversial community and school related issues. The ideas and advertisements expressed within the newspaper are not necessarily those of the newspaper adviser, school administration, or the Duval The Devil’s Advocate accepts advertisements from all businesses in the Stanton community. The ad format can be given to the staff or the adviser, Mr. Larry Knight.

Students, faculty, and parents may contact the staff and adviser at (904) 630-6760 ext.

143 or at knightl1@duvalschools.org.

Duval Going Up or Downhill progress has been made, more problems have been mounting up over the years. School up to a status where everyone in the city of Jacksonville can be proud of, but the task seems impossible. stead of changing the way the schools are run. Unfortunately, these changes are masking the problem of many children in schools not getting an equal learning opportunity. His reinstatement of magnet busing for the 2013-2014 year can be seen as either a publicity stunt or him appeasing parents that know that every school in our district is far from equal. He has also brought back the special assignment program with a few more parameters; the major one being that the student requesting the special assignment must have The special assignment program he has reinstated in itself is being abused because it is still at the school’s discretion for what grades are appropriate for their schools. This program is abused often during the athletic recruitment process and is rarely caught until the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) catches wind of it and brings down punishment. A very recent example of this happening involved Fletcher High School who was caught recruiting two players (one was recruited away from Sandal-

Requiem for the Lost Students Aug. 22, 2011 was a dark day. As students glumly poured into the building to begin another school year, an even more somber mood was felt by all. Glancing around at the faces of thousands battle, a battle to be able to stay at a school that fosters academic achievement and intellectual the war cleared and the damages were accounted for, it became apparent that Stanton had suffered countless casualties.

The announcement that transportation would be cut caused widespread panic. All of a sudden, many students had to face a reality that they had tried so hard to avoid: The possibility of having to drop out of Stanton. Students from across Northeast Florida had relied on the magnet school limitations all were aspects of a predicament that soon turned into crises. For many, the truth had to slowly sink in that returning to Stanton would be impossible. These individuals worked hard to earn their place here, but due to unusual and seemingly unfair circumstances, they were forced to transfer to places where transportation would be provided, usually their neighborhood school. These are the very same schools that students were trying to avoid when they chose to attend the top high school in the state, and they certainly do not offer an environment equivalent to Stanton. What’s more, the loss of these students left a large impact on those lucky enough to remain despite the busing cuts.

Alas, as in all wars, life went on. As the school year drew forward, the pain of the students who were lost eventually lessened, but periodic accounts of the hardship they now face at neighborhood schools cut into our hearts as wounds opened anew. Eventually, they were forced to accept their fate, but little did they know that two years later, a day would come that would cause enough anger and disgust to stir a revolution. On this day, in March of 2013, Duval County announced that magnet school busing would return.

This announcement was met with cheers by most, but upon closer examination of the situation, a lack of justice was revealed. Two years ago, students were forced to leave a school where they were surrounded by peers who were highly motivated and had an exceptional work ethic. In order to survive, they had to learn to adapt to a new unfavorable environment. Now, with busing reinstated, they would have the transportation needed to be able to attend Stanton. However, Duval County policy forbids them to return. Once one decides to leave, either willfully or reluctantly, they have permanently lost their spot at Stanton. If a student desperately wanted to return, they would have to go through the application process yet again. Due to the fact that this is a lottery process, though, it certainly does not guarantee a possibility of reentry to Stanton. Even if be accepted into IB is only available for incoming freshman. That being said, it is doubtful that the lost students will ever be able to return to the school where they felt at home.

The Opinionator: Your voice.Your opinion.

Here are your thoughts about Issue 3...

“I loved the covers” -Cheynanne Hampton, 10th

Stanton and many other schools have IB programs but they also have much lower pass

“It was different and it focused on everyone’s different talents.”

-Christie Husbands, 10th

from their other programs in order to run these ones. There is no reason for a program like this to have a small amount of students and a large amount of funding. An easy solution for this is to send the kids in these programs to the magnet schools that already have established IB programs and reallocating the schools funds for their program and put them back into their standard and honors programs in order to make things better across the board.

All those problems are big ones, but there are two problems that are much more important: funding and teacher’s pay scale. Funding for all schools in Duval County is do about it so instead they choose to ignore it. Teacher pay scale is a fun topic and downtown they are having trouble coming up with ways to make money and distribute it to the schools; however they have no problem making a trivial evaluation rubric that can take money away from the teachers. There is no real purpose to take money away from the teachers unless the county is doing their best to make sure that no one is motivated to do their job. Teacher pay cuts do not help the county in any way because no one wants to work for next to nothing. Even if you enjoy your job you still want to get paid a fair amount for doing it.

14 / devil’s advocate / opinions

“It could have had more student interaction.”

Send your Issue 4 comments to stantondevilsadvocate@gmail.com

“There were a variety of stories and a great deal of creativity with the pictures.”

-Joshua Davis, 10th

More Time in School: Is it Worth it?

STREET BEAT

As soon as next school year, we may see a change in our scheduling. As the demand for

Question: Which historical

hours.

person would you like to speak with? Why?

and that is something we could all learn from.

schools operate with an A-day/B-day system, consisting of three 90-minute classes and -

four on each day.

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-Alexis Sanders, 9th

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intellectual leader and statesman. Without him,

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separate class periods.

the rest of the school day.

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So, is it worth it?

is worth it.

By

, Contributing Writer

opinions / may 2013 / 15

SCP SPONSORED BY THE CLASS OF 2013 l CLASS OF 2014 l CLASS OF 2015 l CLASS OF 2016