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Homecoming spends week in Rio Wednesday
Photo by Jake Arthur
Photo by Bailey Fisher
Freshmen Dierdre Meekins and Vangelli Tsompanidis
Juniors Matt Mero, Ben Ferringer and Luke Richmond
Tuesday
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omecoming spirit week started out with “Olympic Athlete Day” where students dressed up as athletes from sports such as cycling, ping pong and track. “Wearing the cycling outfit to school was probably the best thing I had for a last minute outfit,” junior Ben Ferringer, who won silver in the dress up contest, said. “My favorite part about wearing it was the positive feedback I got from most of my friends.” After a three-day weekend, students arrived donning their tennis and ping-pong gear, eager to take home the gold. The after-school activity of that day, the dodge ball tournament, was canceled due to lack of participation, as only five teams were registered. Students were notified about the cancellation during the afternoon announcements.
friday
Photo by Bailey Fisher Sophomores Veronica Heredia and Ashley Worrell
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n Wednesday the theme was Favorite Country to Support. Students arrived in outfits ranging from Brazilian soccer jerseys to full-on American flags, but most outfits were homemade and easy to find. “I got a red bandana, red, white and blue face paint and I dressed in red, white and blue according to what I had at home, so it was pretty inexpensive,” sophomore Veronica Heredia said. The day ended with the Powderpuff game, which raised $3,000 for the junior and senior classes. The seniors emerged with a 20-6 win. Despite senior dominance during the flag football game, only one senior cheerleader, Jake Arthur, showed up to cheer on his team. “[Juniors] didn’t win on the field, but at least we won on the sidelines and during halftime,” junior class president Sierra Hittel said.
news you need to know
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FINDS LINK BETWEEN RED MEAT, CANCER The World Health Organization published a report on Monday, Oct. 26 citing a link between meat consumption, specifically red meat and processed meat, and certain types of cancer. Processed meat was listed as a Group 1 carcinogen in the report, while red meat was listed as a Group 2A carcinogen. The groups are denoted by how much evidence is available to suggest a link between the substance and cancer: a Group 1 label means there is enough evidence to conclude that the substance probably increases one’s risk of cancer, while a Group 2A label means there is strong evidence the substance can increase one’s risk of cancer, but the evidence is not conclusive. WHO estimated that 50 grams of processed meat a day could increase one’s risk of colorectal cancer by 18 percent, and 100 grams of red meat a day could increase the risk of colorectal cancer by 17 percent. Many experts say cutting these types of foods out of your diet entirely is not necessary, but they should be eaten in moderation. OFFICER ASSAULTS STUDENT AT SOUTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOL On Monday, Oct. 26 a student at Spring Valley High School in South Carolina was brutalized by school resource officer Ben Fields. The student had her phone out in class, and when she refused to hand her phone to the teacher, a school administrator was called to remove her from the room. When she refused to leave, Fields was called in to remove her. While still seated in her desk, Fields flipped the student backwards, then dragged her and her desk while she was on her back before tossing the desk aside and throwing her across the room. The incident was caught on cell phone footage by at least three students, which then circulated on Twitter along with the hashtag #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh. The student was arrested for disturbing the peace, as was another girl who told the officer he was using too much force. Fields was fired on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and the FBI, Department of Justice and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are each independently investigating the incident. Fields has faced several lawsuits in the past for allegations of excessive force and racial bias, and has been referred to at the high school as “Officer Slam.” The girl who was assaulted suffered injuries to her neck, back and head, according to her attorney. A GoFundMe page raised $35,200 in one day for the girl to help cover medical bills and other extraneous costs. The two students still face charges for disturbing the peace. TWO-DAY FLORIDA HUNT KILLS HUNDREDS OF BLACK BEARS Florida’s first bear hunt in 21 years was cut short on 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after 295 black bears were killed in a two day period. The FWC had originally planned for the hunt to last from Oct. 23 through Oct. 30, with a statewide limit of 320 bears. In the eastern panhandle, the quota in the 13-county area was set at 40 for the week, but 112 were killed in the first two days. In Central Florida, where the limit was set at 100 black bears, 139 were killed in the first two days. After one day statewide, 207 black bears were reported killed. The hunt was an effort by the FWC to reduce human-bear interactions in residential areas, which mainly include bears going through trashcans and dumpsters for food. Before the hunt, the bear population estimate in Florida was around 3,500, and the black bear had been on the endangered species list until 2012. However, there are no accurate reports on the current bear population, as the total population has not been tallied since 2002. A census of the bear population in Florida is scheduled for next year, and critics of the hunt called for the FWC to wait until its results came out to allow for more accurate population totals and quotas, but the FWC decided to proceed with the hunt.
THURSDAY
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elebrating Greek Day on Thursday, students dressed up as Greek gods, goddesses and mythological figures, plus the occasional sorority or fraternity member. In the evening, the cheer team hosted their second annual Husky Rumble, a glow-in-thedark pep rally featuring the football team doing the Whip and Cupid, the artist behind the famous dance hit “Cupid Shuffle.” “This is the first time that I’ve ever seen a school take part in an after school assembly to pump up for homecoming, so this was awesome,” Cupid said. However, compared to its debut last year, the Rumble saw a considerable drop in ticket sales, with final attendance around 260. Also, the cheer program lost an estimated $2,000 of its funding due to lack of attendance.
Photo by Bailey Fisher Freshman Alexa Hilston with a Lawton Chiles Middle cheerleader and Avalanche
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n the final day of the week, Spirit Day, students wore school colors and participated in the homecoming parade down Lockwood Boulevard. “I loved that everyone was willing to dress up,” freshman Alexa Hilston said. At 7 p.m., the varsity football team won against Lake Howell, 49-15. During halftime of the game, seniors John McHale and Claire Tendl were crowned homecoming king and queen. The week concluded with the homecoming dance, which was decorated according to the theme of the 2016 Rio Olympics. “I was there early in the morning to set up decorations for the dance itself,” junior leadership member Luke Richmond said. All of the events of the week were run primarily by Leadership.