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November 4, 2016 | Volume 90 | Issue 3 H.B. Plant High School | 2415 S. Himes Ave. Tampa, FL 33629
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pepoplant.com 2 | Table of Contents
20-22
17
14-16
12-13
8-10
5-7
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
News No A/C, No Chill, Dance Your Way to Haiti’s Heart
Features Stressed Out, What is W.H.A.T.
Centerspread The Recipe for a Good Friendsgiving
Opinion It’s Getting Hot in Here, AP Classes, Face Off on Voting Participation?
Arts & Entertainment Scarves, Boots & Sweaters, Oh My!
Sports Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Pep O’ Plant is the student-run publication serving the community of H.B. Plant High School. The mission of the Pep O’ Plant is to provide an open forum for the free exchange of ideas.
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY:
Members of the staff are expected to use personal and publication social media accounts in a mature, responsible and professional manner. Students who do not follow these guidelines will lose the privilege of posting on the Pep O’ Plant social media accounts and may face additional consequences. Unsigned posts on a publication account will be removed.
EDITORIAL POLICY:
The editorial board will make all decisions for the publication. Editorial board members will discuss controversial issues and will consider the advice of the adviser before making decisions regarding coverage. Administration will be made aware of any sensitive topics in advance. Unsigned editorials reflect the opinions of the majority of the editorial board. Signed opinion columns and reviews do not reflect the views of the entire staff, advisor, faculty or administrators of H.B. Plant High School.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY:
Letters to the editor can be emailed to pepoplantnews@gmail.com. The editorial board has the right to revise, edit, condense and reject any letters. Unsigned or anonymous letters will not be published.
OBITUARY POLICY:
Any current student, staff, or faculty member who dies during the year will be recognized in the newspaper with a 300-word obituary and one mugshot photo. The editorial board may decide to cover the deaths of alumni or former staff/faculty members when appropriate.
ADVERTISING POLICY:
The Pep O’ Plant has ad space available in print and online for members of the school and local community. To receive advertising information, email pepoplantnews@gmail.com. Advertisements that promote services or products that are illegal or harmful for anyone under 18 will not be considered. The editorial board has final approval over all advertisement content and design.
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PO’P
PEP O’ PLANT
Staff
Editors-in-Chief Savannah Lowry Rachel Ferreri
News Editor Zoie Ashmeade
Features Editor Darnell Henderson
Centerspread Editor Zoe Antinori
Opinions Editor Sam Werner
Art & Entertainment Editor Maggie Fitzsimmons
Sports Editor Jacob Robinson
Business Manager Natalie Grant
Public Relations Pershia Haj Emilia DiFabrizio
Copy Editors Jake Criser Dean Criser
Sports Writer Reed Frevola
Staff Writers Isabella Ank Sydni Bates Thompson Draper Elizabeth Hancock Cole Maines Amanda Rodeiro
Policies | 3
Faculty Adviser Louisa Avery
M. Ryan Homes, LLC CBC 1257675
&
Proud supporters of the Plant Panthers!
4 | Advertisement
No A/C, No Chill
Classroom conditions affects productivity Darnell Henderson Features Editor Margeaux Sinibaldi enters her room and can immediately feel it, or the lack of it, in the air. Her classroom, among many others, has no functioning air conditioning. And the humid, sticky temperature is only rising. Sinibaldi, reading teacher, has gone without A/C for the past three weeks. “It worked until three weeks ago. I think this was week three or four of it not being on,” Sinibaldi said. Due to this lack of circulating air, Sinibladi had to rearrange her lessons and find a cooler location for her and her students, as remaining in a classroom with no A/C was not an option. “It definitely impacted [my classes] because I was going to the cafeteria for like four periods a day and then we found other alternate places for the fifth and sixth periods,” Sinibaldi said. “I couldn’t do as much group work or use PowerPoint so I just worked on FSA stuff with the students, where they could do things on their own because it’s a reading class. I just tried to figure out ways to modify as best as I could and then we just went with it.” But when the class did have to stay in room 16, Sinibaldi faced the challenges of heat and its toll on her students. “You do get to some points in the day where it was so hot in here and it
definitely affects the students because if it’s so hot no one wants to be in the classroom you know, and that can make for a long day…the air was really heavy so there was no teaching going on.” Sinibaldi said. Sinibaldi also recognizes that tough steps are being made to correct the issue at hand, but they aren’t working. “There was one time where somebody said your air should be fixed and it got fixed for like maybe twenty five minutes. It was on and then it felt cooler,
Temperature vs. Productivity
87 °F 80 °F 75 °F 71 °F 63 °F 59 °F
Performance drops to the temperature of 59 °F Performance drops to the temperature of 63 °F Performance slightly drops Optimal performance Performance slightly rises Performance at its lowest.
Source: Cornell University PO’P Darnell Henderson
like it felt like it was kicking in, and then it didn’t again,” Sinibaldi said. Emmy Adams, senior, struggled with this heat as she had to endure three hours of no air conditioning while taking the SAT. “It was actually a major issue for me. In general I am not a very good test taker so adding no air to the situation definitely made the situations ten times worse.” Adams said. “Throughout the
test I was really uncomfortable and I definitely was not as focused as I could have been.” Conversely, Lena Diasti, sophomore, experiences the chilly side of the A/C in Peter Jones’ class. She believes the colder environment sharpens her focus. “Honestly, the colder temperature helps me stay focused and concentrated on the [teacher’s] lectures. Definitely would rather be in a colder classroom than a hotter one,” Diasti said. Lauren Otero, the department head of athletics and facilities, explained that the reason for the fluctuating air throughout the school can be accredited to air condition units themselves. “Well you have all different kinds of units, we don’t have one system that controls the entire school. You have parts of the building that have all separate units. Just like in a house things have to be maintained,” Otero said. Otero went on to explain what is being done to take care of this issue. “That’s what the County takes care of, so anytime a unit goes down or a room is not cooling to the extent a teacher thinks it should be we submit a maintenance request and the maintenance request goes into a centralized ticket system,” Otero said. “Now some problems are more urgent than others so just because its in a progression of first come, first serve it may get serviced earlier, it may get put on hold if theres a bigger problem at a different school.” Christian Carvajal, freshman, believes that the school needs to focus on improving and fixing the A/C units. “We need to just work on these A/C units,” Carvajal said. Additionally, Adrian Mendoza, junior, is confused by the A/C repairmen and the dysfunctional A/C units. “These A/C guys don’t know what they’re doing like half the school is either hot or it’s like 50 degrees, like it’s the north pole up in the classroom like I don’t even know,” Mendoza said.
News | 5
6 | Advertisement
Dance Your Way To Haiti’s Heart
Teens prepare for annual Haiti fundraiser Pershia Haj Public Relations Manager The third annual dance, Dance For Haiti, will be held at Academy of the Holy Names On Nov. 5 from 2-10 p.m. . Teens for Haiti (TFH) is a student run non-profit organization founded in 2012 in hopes to help the Haitians of St. Suzanne, Haiti live a sustainable life. Over $50,000 has been raised since the start of TFH and the projects they have worked on. Students from Plant, Robinson, Academy, Berkeley, Tampa Prep and Jesuit all make up the board that completely plans and organizes the dance. Each hour, the dance has themes that vary. Beginning the day is the line dance teaching in the hour of 2-3 p.m., and the nights ends with the rave hour from 8-10 p.m.. Catering will be provided by PDQ. Emily Muscaro, president, has been on a mission trip to Haiti and experienced everything first hand. She explains that it is amazing having the chance to better lives of ones you love. Muscaro oversees everyone’s jobs and makes sure everything is in check. “It’s cool to be apart of something that’s bigger than yourself,” senior, Muscaro said. Emma Heese keeps everyone updated on general announcements, events, Facebook, Instagram and contacts food donors. “I enjoy doing what I do because I have personally connected with the children and people that our fundraising helps,” senior, Heese said. “It became really important to me after my trip during Spring Break last year and has kicked my drive to succeed in our goals and continue to help the small village of St. Suzanne, Haiti.” Allison Voiland finds dance instructors for each hour, gets the DJ and makes service project ideas. “The best part of being on board is
spending time with people that love and care for Haiti as much as I do and getting to plan the dance for Haiti,” senior, Voiland said. Nicki Barrow makes all the videos regarding the organization and trips as media producer. “It’s an amazing organization and the work we do for the people of Haiti is so inspiring and incredibly rewarding and I am so happy to be a part of it,” senior, Barrow said. Brooke Heyer works on the social media committee and helps update with upcoming events. “The experience overall is my favorite part about being in Teens for Haiti board. I have met new people who have done such great things in the community and all of us coming together for this great cause is so awesome! Its so fulfilling to be apart of something so meaningful,” senior, Heyer said. Cailey Clarke designs the website and creates t-shirts for Teens for Haiti. “The dance has been difficult to plan at times because we need to coordinate food, entertainment, t-shirts, and sponsors but we are expecting a great group of teens and are going to have a lot of fun,” junior, Clarke said. This year’s goal is to raise $20,000 and have at least 120 people attend (the same as last year). To attend, each participant has to raise $100. Students can join by asking for donations from friends or family or organizations/businesses that would be willing to help. The option to sign up in a group or as a service club organization is an easy way to get friends involved.
Teens For Haiti Board President Social Media Director Outreach Committee Social Media Media Producer Design
Emily Muscaro Emma Heese Allison Voiland Nicki Barrow Brooke Heyer Cailey Clark
Hannah Wilson, junior, competes in the hula hooping contest during the 2015 Teens for Haiti dance. They raised $20 thousand at the second annual Dance for Haiti. Photo courtesy of Savannah Tindall
News | 7
Debilitating
Stressed out Anxiety affects students’ performance Rachel Ferreri Editor-in-Chief
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Intimidating
Morgan Krause, senior
Maggie Fitzsimmons Arts and Entertainment Editor
Amidst demanding extracurricular activities and endless amounts of school work, anxiety can be a harsh reality for many students. Whether they are open about their condition or not. Anxiety can arise from a variety of reasons among high school students, and these causes can vary vastly from person to person. The pressure to do well in school, get into college, achieve the best standardized test scores, to be “popular” among others. “Stressing out definitely messes with my performance,” senior, Taylor Hatjiouannou said. “Like on a test if I don’t know the answer to one or two questions I’ll get freaked out and forgot the answers to questions that I know the answers to. I always try to just take a ten second break after the ones I struggle with, to ensure that it doesn’t that it doesn’t affect my performance on the rest of the test.” Students cope with these anxieties in many ways such as through therapy, deep breathing and confiding in their friends. It is suggested that finding healthy ways to ease anxious tendencies can greatly aid the sufferer. (Source: Anxiety Disorder Association of America) “Well I get headaches frequently in school and out of school, most times I just go to the gym and other times when I’m lazy I just sleep,” sophomore, Trey Heil said. Anxiety also takes different forms in different people. For some, anxiety causes panic attacks daily, whereas in others it will result in inflated amounts of stress.
Maria Hiers, junior
Anxiety feels like... Death Kenzie Malone, senior
Overwhelming Kennedy Logan, freshman
Can’t breathe Reilly Goss, sophomore
Stress Gabi Tishler, sophomore
1 10 in
Time Consuming
young
people will experience a mental health problem Source: MentalHealth.gov
8 | Features
Mac McKelvin, senior
Scary Nicholas Jungers, senior
Advertisement | 9
What is W.H.A.T.? New club facilitates interest in medical field Darnell Henderson Features Editor
what a profession in medicine could be like. “Our club also hopes to expose stuThe World Health and Treatment, or dents to various service opportunities W.H.A.T. Club, is a new club founded by that will help them dive further into their Charlie Curtis, senior, and Maggie Ely, passion for science and medicine,” Ely senior. said. Curtis thought to start the club after And, many students have taken this experiencing cardiac arrest during his opportunity to explore and expand freshman year. From this experience, upon their interest in medicine. he realized that he wanted to begin a “The W.H.A.T. Club is something I club that would inform the student body can personally relate to since I’m super about cardiac health and cardiopulmo- interested in the medical field. It allows nary resuscitation, or CPR. me to spread my passion for medicine “The main focus of W.H.A.T. Club is to Plant students and even learn more to educate as many as possible about about the medical field as well as other CPR so that they are comfortable heath issues in our community,” senior, enough to save a life when needed, to Lucille Wilkinson said. get students in Maddie Robcontact with the inson, junior, means necessary also shares this to pursue a cainterest in the reer in the medi- Our club also hopes to expose medical field cal profession and students to various service opand hopes to to keep students portunities that will help them increase and heart healthy and dive further into their passion share her medexercising,” Curical knowledge for science and medicine. tis said. for the future. -Maggie Ely, senior And this club is “I joined [the intriguing to stuW.H.A.T. club] dents. because I’ve “I’m interested always been inin things that involve medicine, health terested in health and I want to go into and treating people,” freshman, Eric a medical career. I hope to gain knowlZhao said. edge on health that I could use to help Maggie Ely partnered with Curtis to others,” Robinson said. make a club that would not only proSome who were even interested in vide information about CPR and cardi- veterinary medicine joined. ac health, but also to create a club that “I intend to go into veterinary medwould provide students with the nec- icine and I figure it looks good on colessary information and tools for those lege applications. [I hope to gain] CPR interested in a job in the medical field. certification,” sophomore, Robert Mill“I want to eventually pursue a career er said. involving medicine and have met a ton of Along with informing students about people with similar interest, so I started medical issues and policies, the club this club because I felt Plant didn’t real- plans to have guest speakers come in ly provide any information to students and to participate in activities, such as about that career path,” Ely said. the Heart Walk. Ely hopes this club will give students “We’re going to do the Heart Walk in opportunities to test and experience
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10 | Features
Lucy Wilkinson, senior, hangs a poster about the upcoming Heart Walk. Wilkinson joined the W.H.A.T. club to further her knowledge in medicine. Photo by Darnell Henderson. Nov,” club sponsor, Carrie Mahon said. “It’s important because we didn’t really have anything for folks really interested in the medical field other than taking anatomy class, so it’s an opportunity for us to get together and grow some knowledge outside of the classroom.” Mahon was Curtis’ HOPE teacher, and witnessed his cardiac arrest during freshman year, and the two have grown closer ever since this then. “He had his cardiac issue in my health class during freshman year, and we’ve developed a really strong relationship. He’s an awesome young man and I just enjoy the energy he has,” Mahon said. Curtis’ experience changed his life, leading him to realize how important knowing CPR and other safety procedures really are. “I’m very proud with how the club turned out, and hopefully it becomes as strong and well known as our service clubs,” Curtis said. Contributions made by Thompson Draper
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Support your local Children’s Cancer Center to make an immediate difference in the life of a child. To make a donation or attend our events, visit:
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Kids need more than medicine to be well.
Advertisement | 11
Gather tasty recipes
Host the event
The fall season has many flavors, such as pumpkin and butternut squash, and dishes that traditionally accompany it. Most meals will include turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and other common Thanksgiving foods, but there are many creative options for those who are willing to think outside the box. “Have your mom make something or check the Internet or different cookbooks for recipes.” Seghrouchni said.
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There are many table games or activities to partake in during the Friendsgiving. To take festivities outdoors, playing football is a traditional activity for working up an appetite before the meal. During the meal, a more sentimental activity is allowing each person at the table to say what they are thankful for. After the meal is a good time to settle down and “just [make] s’mores and watch movies, it’s more about being together.” Seghrouchni said.
From the halls: What is the key to a Friendsgiving? “Pizza, why not, it’s Friendsgiving” -Campbell Gibson, freshman
“Cookies. Like chocolate chip” -Jayln Davis, sophomore
“A turkey because you have to have a turkey.” -Elijah Addison, junior
“Food because I love food; [I would bring] mashed potatos or potato salad” -Emune Hailu, senior
For the filling: 1) Combine all the filing ingredients in a large mixing bowl, tossing with your hands to coat the apples. 2) Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the filing to the prepared pie shell. Cover with the top crust, pinch the edges together, trim the excess dough to about an inch, and crimp. 3) Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping and pour the almond milk in a small cup. Brush the top of the pie with the almond milk and then sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Make five slits in the middle of the pie to let steam escape (a steak knife works great for this). 4) Bake the pie for 25 minutes, then lower the heat and bake for 30 to 35 more minutes, slipping on a pie crust shield if your edges are getting too browned (aluminum foil works fine too). Place the pie on a cooling rack and let it cool for about half an hour before serving.
For the crust: 1) In a large mixing bowl, sift together the four and salt. Mix in the sugar. Add half the margarine and shortening by about half tablespoonful’s, cutting it into the flour with your fingers or a pastry cutter, until the flour appears pebbly. Add the remaining margarine and shortening, and cut it into the flour. 2) In a cup, mix together 4 tablespoons of the ice water with the apple cider vinegar. Drizzle the water and vinegar mixture into the flour by the tablespoonful, gently mixing it after each addition. Knead the dough a few times, adding more water until it holds together. You may need only the 4 tablespoons, but add up to 2 more tablespoons if needed. 3) Divide the dough in two, roll each half into a ball, then press them into disks and wrap in plastic wrap.
Recipe by Chloe Sysk, junior
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Centerspread | 13
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons plain almond milk or nondairy milk of your choice
For the topping:
6 cups peeled Granny Smith apples, sliced ¼ inch thick 1/3 cup brown sugar ½ cup white sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground ginger 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour Pinch of salt
For the filling:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour ½ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons sugar 8 tablespoons cold non-hydrogenated margarine 8 tablespoons cold non-hydrogenated shortening 6 tablespoons ice water 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
For the crust:
Ingredients
A Recipe for a Good Friendsgiving &
Maggie Fitzsimmons Arts and Entertainment Editor
2
Alternative holiday brings friends together
Rachel Fererri Editor-In-Chief
Make a group message
Thanksgiving has recently received a new twist with many students engaging in the practice of Friendsgiving, an alternative holiday that allows friends to share their gratitude for one another on a day that is not consumed by family time. Sarah Seghrouchni, senior, is throwing one for herself and her friends to celebrate the holiday together, these are her tips to help others create their memorable event.
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Create festive decor
Compile a list of friends who will make the Friendsgiving dinner a fun and enjoyable night. Remember that more participants means more food, and a large variety of dishes will make the meal more diverse. But remeber to “Only put close friends in the group text or it will get out of hand.” Seghrouchni said. Some students report that coordination can be a challenge, so designate one person to be in charge of making final decisions for the group.
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Another aspect of having a Friendsgiving is having the opportunity to decorate. Decorations allow the seasons true colors to be displayed and decorations such as pine cone turkeys, carved pumpkins or fall themed place settings “make it creative and festive.” Seghrouchni said. Whether your group decides to host your event outside or inside, sites like Pinterest will provide lots of inspiration for crafty individuals looking to host an Instagram-worthy Friendsgiving.
12 | Centerspread
STEP STEP
STEP STEP
It’s getting hot in here High temperatures cause low performance
From the PO’P Staff
50°
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valuable instruction time due to the inability of the cafeteria to provide a classroom environment. Students after physical education classes may return to their classes and hope that they’ll have a cool down after their exercise, but they are met with classes with stiff, unwelcoming air. After running outside HOPE students are particularly sweaty and stinky leaving their teachers uncomfortable dealing with their stench. The issue has even reached the point that students have had to take their SAT in a classroom without air conditioning. Many students pay for their testing and being assigned a testing room without air conditioning could alter their scores negatively due to the distraction, and even could be reported to college board as an unfit testing room condition. Although, portable air conditioning units have been utilized in some classes as a solution to cool down the room, the noise the units make also lead to dis-
tracted students who cannot hear their teachers across the classroom. When attending school students shouldn’t have to worry about the conditions of their classrooms, the general disrepair of schools across Hillsborough county is a major issue and according to the Tampa Bay Times the district has received up to 5,600 requests to repair air-conditioning units. The U.S. Department of Labor has regulations that state the maximum temperature for indoor workplaces is 76 degrees Fahrenheit, but across Hillsborough county it has been reported that classrooms have reached up to 81.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The district needs to solve their budget issues in order to provide a positive learning environment for students, before the lack of air-conditioning leads to students doing poorly in classes and on standardized tests.
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In a school 90 years old it’s normal to experience an occasional outage of air conditioning, but around Hillsborough County, schools are faced with the issue of classrooms hotter than 80 degrees during the already unbearable Florida summer heat. Classrooms are either too hot or too cold and students are unable to feel comfortable, which diminishes their motivation to do school work. Students in hot classrooms tend to be lethargic as they are hit with symptoms of heat exhaustion. Our dress code policy requires girls to cover their shoulders, but in warm classes they feel conflicted over “distracting boys” and feeling comfortable enough to focus during class. Teachers in classrooms that have had no air conditioning all day have also lost motivation; in order to beat the heat they’ve moved their classrooms to the lunchroom. But seeking colder air leads to a change of lesson plans because teachers are unable to use PowerPoints or other aids they could use in their classrooms. For example, Katherine Bohan opted for her Macroeconomics class to move into the cafeteria for the day, but lost
When attending school students shouldn’t worry about the conditions of their classrooms.
70°
80°
90° PO’P Zoe Antinori
14 | Opinions
AP classes promote wrong concept
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They are too much work and a lot of stress.
-Austin Spicola, junior
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I like them. It’s good to take one freshman year.
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What do you think about AP classes?
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From the halls
-Lydia Kaliebe, freshman
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Year long classes are condensed into a semester here. -Tory Underwood, senior
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I like them because they prepare you for college.
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When students make up their schedules for the upcoming year, the question that seems to linger the halls is, “How many AP classes am I going to take?”. For some students, creating next years schedule can be extremely stressful, which can lead to hasty decisions. Often, students are pressured by their peers and even guidance counselors into taking classes that they are not ready for. Although AP classes offer benefits, such as extra points added to a students GPA, they are not always the best decisions. Since AP classes are college level courses they move at a faster pace and contain more complicated topics, making it hard for honors level students keep up. The student body consists of over 2,400 students, and are being treated like the 10 percent who are potentially rocket scientists. On average, less than half of the students that are administered advanced placement exams, pass them. It’s not ideal for all high school students to take between seven and ten AP classes during their high school career. “Students are encouraged to enroll in AP courses, if available, but the applica-
tion process is not impacted negatively without AP courses,” according to Deborah Watkins, Officer of Admissions at University of Central Florida. The myth that without AP’s, college isn’t an option has impacted the decisions of many students over the years. Encouraging them to take classes they may not be prepared for. Also AP classes are not the only option for students to receive a boost in their GPA. Dual enrollment is another great option for students. When dual enrolling, students don’t feel the pressure of passing AP exams, and are more prepared for university classes since they have already taken classes in a college setting. Advance placement courses are a great way for some students to get extra preparation for college and a boost in GPA. These courses are not for the faint of heart, and should be taken seriously for those who want to challenge themselves academically. It’s important as a student to enroll in challenging courses but understand that AP isn’t always the right step for everyone. Rather then signing up for classes they may not be successful in, students should take classes they can truly keep up with.
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Sydni Bates Staff Writer
-Davis Price, sophomore
Opinions | 15
Should students vote? Participate in the polls
Darnell Henderson Features Editor Voting in the upcoming election is highly unadvised. The 2016 presidential race has proven to American’s across the nation can have not just one but two entirely horrific and unfit individuals running for president. Though, not voting may appear like an immensely bad decision since America stands on a democratic foundations, the candidates in their simplest form are: a constant liar and a sexist, racist “business man”. The options of Clinton or Trump are so outrageously bad that individuals would be better off saving themselves the tragedy that is picking between Clinton or Trump and instead, begin to make accommodations for life with either terrifying president leading America into failure. However, regardless of one’s political ideology, these candidates are seriously no where close to president material.
16 | Opinions
Sam Werner Opinions Editor United States citizens should take the opportunity to vote in this upcoming election so that their voice is heard. A major reason people don’t vote in elections is because they think that one vote won’t make a difference. Although there are millions of people in the United States who are eligible to vote, every vote matters. For example, in the 2012 election only 56 percent of the population voted in the election. If the other 44 percentage of the population voted, the outcome could have been drastically changed. The concept of democracy is that the peoples’ interests are represented, The only way to be truly represented in a democracy is to share opinions with the government, and the easiest way to do this is by voting. Trump’s temper always set to combust, and Clinton who has proven time and time again that trust is something she cannot guarantee, the reality that one will reside in the oval office is actually frightening. Not voting, may to be appear to be a entirely hopeless solution to the decisions of who to vote for, but this is entirely hopeless election. Both have certainly proved that they will not “make America great again” or that we will be “stronger together” under their presidency. Though, for those who cannot fathom the thought of not exercising their freedom of speech rights, one can always vote for a third party candidate, and lucky for them are three different third party candidates to choose from. Both presidential candidates present their own closet of horrors that one can only dream will be brought upon the American populace if that candidate is elected. So avoid the crisis that is voting and instead google some cheap plane tickets.
Voting has the reputation of being an activity that takes a lot of time and effort to participate in. Before elections voters must register, and although the process may seem long and unnecessary registering to vote is not as hard as it has been in the past Many countries around the world don’t give citizens the chance to vote. For example, in North Korea (a communist country) all the decisions are made by the dictator, the people have no say in policies that affect them. By not voting, citizens are taking for granted how much influence they have in the government. Voting is also one of each and every citizen’s civic duty. By skipping an election people are disobeying but the wishes of the founding fathers. Everyone who is eligible to vote should vote. If don’t vote in an election your voice can’t be heard.
Avoid the election
Scarves, Boots, & Sweaters, Oh My! Fall fashion trends, styles emerge as the new season begins Natalie Grant Business Manager Most students will agree it's safe to say that summer is long gone, and the autumn's breeze is trickling in. Though our Florida palm trees won't brown into an array of colors, and the breeze we do get is accompanied by 80 degree weather, students continue to think about fall fashion. Though our cool days have been fairly scarce, sweaters and boots are already being worn. Many positive reactions towards the cozy outfits can be found amidst students. “I really like big sweaters. They are soft and comfortable. You can put no effort in the outfit, and it looks like you are trying,” junior, Olivia Bucklew said. Dressing up in the new seasonal styles isn’t a prominent thought among everyone. To some people, fall fashion is utilized as a necessity rather than a fashion statement. “I think that I wear what I wear in the fall more for comfort than I do because it is fashionable. Like, I will wear pants instead of shorts just because it is warmer, not because it is the fashion,” sophomore, J.R. King said. However, the influence of Florida's weather does play a factor in how people view the new style trends. Despite some enjoying the new styles, others note the negative aspects of fall fashion or see it unnecessary. "Everyone wears flannel. It isn't cold enough to wear flannel," senior, Katrina Rosenoff said. The idea that fall fashion is universal disregards the fact that students in hot climates are often unable to take on the trends. The temperature's failure to remain constant affects the effort of students who normally enjoy fall fashion. Emmy Digiacomo, freshman, describes this notion as uncomfortable. "It's cold in the morning and gets super hot during the day. That makes me mad," junior, Julian Cuevas said.
Check out our favorite styles and trends on our “Fall Fashion” board on the Pep O’ Plant Pinterest! Search our username “pepoplantnews” on pinterest.com or find us on the app
Emma Platt, junior Flannel from “A boutique in Virginia”
Pants from Urban Outfitters
Shoes from DSW
Anthony Kaptzan, senior Sweater from Tommy Hilfiger
Pants from Tommy Hilfiger
Shoes from Marshalls Photo by Zoe Antinori
17 | A&E
18 | Advertisement
Advertisement | 19
Boys basketball campaign shifts into gear
20 | Sports
season by working on our strength and conditioning since last spring,” Henson said. “Many of us have also been playing AAU basketball at a good level and playing against good competition.”
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all know each other. One decides to go private, one decides to go public, and they still live down the street on Davis With a year under the leadership of Island.” Coach Cameron Coleman, the boys basOutside of beating Jesuit, another ketball team is beginning the upcoming goal for the team is to get past the disyear after finishing 4-22 in the previous trict tournament. season. “Our goal for this season is to make “Everyone’s goal is to beat Jesuit it out of the district tournament, which on Nov. 26 at Jesuit,” junior, Kyle Sin- means that we will have to make it to gletary, said. “It’s probably the biggest the district championship game,” segame of the year. We are expecting a nior, Jacob Henson, said. Coleman also reflects on his first year as Varsity coach, but not at Plant; he was the JV coach before going to Blake High School. “Last year was not one of our best years, but that was most likely due to the coaching change to Coleman,” Singletary said. “This year I’m expecting us to do better as we should because it’s his second year and the player-coach relationship is much Bobby Gough, sophomore, blocks the shot by Tyrique Richardson, senior. The team began conditioning in September for the upcoming season. better. “ Photo by Amanda Rodeiro Another way the team is imbig turn out there.” proving is by having seniors that have The goal to beat Jesuit is also shared played with Coleman, allowing them to by sophomore Bobby Gough. become comfortable with his system. “My goals are to have a winning “Now that the seniors have a year season and beat Jesuit opening night,” under their belt, not just playing but Gough said. playing under me, we are starting to get The matchup between the schools is through that tussle of used to doing it a rivalry due to players on both teams one way instead of doing it this way,” having grown up with each other. Coleman said. “It’s the same neighborhood,” Coach The team prepared for this season by Cameron Coleman said. “The battle of working with coaches, playing in sumHimes. You have one set of kids that all mer and fall leagues outside of school grew up together, whether they went to and participating in conditioning with Academy of the Holy Names or Christ wrestling coach Chase Hollmer. the King or Coleman or Wilson, they “We having been preparing for this Reed Frevola Sports Writer
My goals are to have a winning season and beat Jesuit opening night.
-Bobby Gough, sophomore
Overall, success for the season, besides wins and losses is better defined by the attitude the players on the team will play with according to Coleman. “Outside of wins and losses, the true success will be my guys playing hard for one another and everybody having that one common goal and truly holding each other accountable to meet that goal,” Coleman said.
Check out Reed Frevola’s coverage of the Boys Golf State Title on our website: www. pepoplant.com
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Girls basketball season begins with high hopes Jacob Robinson Sports Editor For head coach Carrie Mahon and her Lady Panthers, the new season brings the goal of getting past the date of Feb. 14, the date in which Mahon’s team find themselves knocked out of postseason play year after year. With conditioning done, the preparation begins for Mahon and her Lady Panthers. She looks to her senior leadership to try and get the team to play in Lakeland for the right to a State Title. “Senior leadership is just incredible. Payton {Paro} has been on varsity now for her fourth year. She brings so much to the court in terms of skill, but she also brings leadership,” Carrie Mahon said. “We’re probably going to have one or two first year seniors with us, and Payton has done an awesome job accepting them and because of that, the rest of the girls are too.” Compared to past seasons, Coach Mahon has cited lack of defensive aggressiveness as a setback for past teams, which is why they found early exists. But according to those on the team there are little to no weaknesses for this team. “We have a lot of guards this year so the game will be a lot more fast
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paced. I can also tell that it’s going to be a really fun year with all of the different personalities on the team,” Alexys Mathangani, sophomore, said. The Lady Panthers are also looking forward to taking on specific opponents during their season. “There’s always the Robinson rivalry with every sport, so it applies to us. For some reason I love playing Alonso, because it’s always a good challenge and I’m familiar with the girls on the team there,” junior, Martie Mahon,
In addition to the cast of returning players, there’s also new role players added to the already growing team. One of these players is Honor Culpepper, freshman, who will be one of the new incoming freshman apart of Mahon’s team. “So far, Coach Mahon has taught me a lot about good fundamentals and being a good teammate. I’m looking forward to learning more from her throughout the season,” Culpepper said. Culpepper admits that being a freshman on a high school basketball team can be a bit scary too. “Everyone is so much older and mature which is a bit intimidating but I actually think it’s a good thing because it makes me motivated to be like them. In the end, it will help me as a player and as a person,” Culpepper said. Whether it be a freshman or a returning senior, the cast of role players on the Lady Panther team will try and raise another banner to the gymnasium wall in hopes of capturing a state title. Sydney Crosby, sophomore, works on her form during a practice session with her other teammates. The team began conditioning in Setpember for the season. Photo by Savannah Lowry
said. “Plant City is fun because we always win and my family is over there too.” Paro says that her time under Coach Mahon has been valuable. “{She} makes it a focal point that everything is for the team, I really think that it’s important and I will carry that with me for the rest of my life. The team is always first, and we wouldn’t have found success otherwise,” Paro said.
Payton Paro, senior, participates in defensive slide drills during tryouts. This will be her fourth year on varisty. Photo by Jacob Robinson
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