The Muse: April Edtion

e h T

Alexander W. Dreyfoos

School of

the Arts Volume 9

issue 5 April 2012

CHEATING TO THE TOP Are students bypassing the consequences of cheating and reaping the benefits?

See pages 16-17

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 1

4/9/2012 2:49:18 PM

Table of Contents

TABLE OF

Pizza and plagiarism

CONTENTS ON THE COVER

4

op/ed

Kony 2012; PointCounterpoint

The Invisible Children Charity raises money to help children in Uganda who are forced to serve as soldiers. Writers debate the validity of said charity.

Photo/Illustration by Nicole Hamilton

Many teachers and students agree that cheating has become far too common at Dreyfoos. By using illegitimate means, students are rising to the top.

Clarifications and Corrections Correction: In the February issue, the headline for the standing feature of Department Spotlight was misspelled.

The correct headline is “Department Spotlight: Communications”.

Clarification: In the February issue, on page 21, the bottom photo was incorrectly placed. The correct photo can be found at themuseatdreyfoos.com.

Clarification: In the February issue, on page 34, an incorrect photo was placed for “Canon Quartet takes the Breakers”. The correct photo can be found at themuseatdreyfoos.com.

For more Museworthy stories visit:

11

News

Alumni Sticking Together

Alumni at NYU stay together and prove that the connections you make at Dreyfoos can last you a lifetime and help you in your future careers.

12

Features

Abducted as a Toddler

A feature on dance sophomore Tyla Francois reveals her harsh life in South Africa.

20 26

Arts

Inflatable Art

Visual students make art that is larger than life.

Sports

Hidden Campus Exercise

Learn exactly how much exercise you get on campus and how many calories you burn in a day of school. The numbers may shock you.

29

entertainment

Hunger Games is satisfying

The long awaited movie hits the big screen. See if it was a success or a let down.

themuseatdreyfoos.com Please recycle

The Muse

2

Photo by Dana Miller

Editors-in-chief Samantha Bilton (left) and Audrey Green play around with yellow pamphlets that were recently distributed to many students. They contain information detailing the official definition of plagiarism and explanations of its forms.

After careful review of the way our school functions, we have come to the conclusion that this student body revolves around one thing: not themselves, the staff, or its classes – pizza. Pizza permeates through the air of classrooms during celebrations and random hallways and pathways when students are looking for an easy lunch. Without pizza would students attend meetings and have such outstanding resumes?

Would people donate blood?

Does pizza save lives? Would staffers stay after on The Muse?

Maybe students don’t need to cheat to have such outstanding resumes; maybe they just need a pizza incentive.

Pizza aside, this issue we examine our values as students.

A very prominent and obvious issue here at Dreyfoos is cheating. Sure, everyone knows that the Honor Code exists and that nobody cares, but the real issue is this: students are often caught for cheating and the punishments are sometimes never carried out. There is an unspoken code amongst students not to turn each other

in; but perhaps there is an even more unspoken code that you don’t get angry at your peers for cheating unless they do it to get ahead of you. Of the students and even teachers who we surveyed this issue, most are just as frustrated as us about this topic.

On the topic of school policies, we discuss free speech on social networking and how schools are adapting to controversies such as the “Santaluces girls” (page 5), and debate the recent Kony 2012 hullabaloo (page 4). As we approach the end of school and the events that come with it, learn about the costs of prom and the prom king and queen nominees (page 15). Speaking of the end of school, read up on what some of our graduates have been up to (pages 11 and 13). Utilize the time we have left in school to get your daily exercise by walking around campus (page 26) and maybe you’ll even stroll by what the visual department is working on (page 20). So Dreyfoos, order a pizza, flip through the magazine, and enjoy. g

&

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 2

4/9/2012 2:49:21 PM

Staff Editorial

Inconsistency reigns

Failure to enforce school disciplinary policies hurts students

by MuseStaff

D

reyfoos has a problem – one that’s on a greater scale than the bugs crawling in buildings throughout campus. There is a blatant lack of consistency in disciplinary enforcement of the Integrity Policy. What the student handbook says does not always happen. Teachers seem to ignore guidelines for punishment, and some are even unaware of what action should be taken.

Whose responsibility it is to enforce the Integrity Policy in the student handbook is confusing, and this inconsistency negatively impacts students.

In a Muse survey of 999 students, 87 percent of students said that teachers do not catch most cheating, and 85 percent of students indicated that they think teachers do not report all the students they catch.

Students are correct. In a survey of 32 teachers, 20 indicated that they have caught students cheating but did not report them.

While this is not the case for all teachers, this statistic suggests that there is a lack of confidence among some teachers concerning enforcement of the Integrity Policy.

“I know of teachers who have followed all of the disciplinary procedures and for some reason, penalties were not given,” communications teacher Stephen Moore said.

“Teachers are supposed to make reports and it is not [clear] to me where it goes from there.

Something is broken, there is inconsistency.”

Moreover, there were at least nine teachers who were not aware of the disciplinary consequences for the first, second, third and fourth offenses. If teachers do not know the consequences of cheating, how can they enforce them when students are caught? And there is no shortage of students to catch. Even though 823 students indicated that they have copied homework before, 542 students believe that those who cheat should not be allowed in honor societies. With some of these 542 students in honor societies, it seems that some students are talking the talk but not walking the walk.

“Either you have moral character or you don’t,” social studies teacher Sara Stout said.

“It is something that is taught at home and reinforced at school. If you cheat on your tests,

Even if stronger efforts result in catching more cheating, and even if all teachers report these offenses to administration, the effort is inadequate if honor society sponsors are not informed of offenders.

Students are not allowed in honor societies if they have been reported for cheating more than once. However, sponsors of honor societies have no way of checking which students have been reported.

Instead, they are given lists of eligible students based on grade point average.

“It’s hard for [teachers in charge of honor societies] to be involved and know when a student has been reported for cheating,” Ms. Stout said. “How are we supposed to know unless administration lets us know? This is where it is really disjointed.

Illustration by Oscar Carl If a database was set up for teachers to identify students who have been reported, then it would be easier.”

That is exactly what should happen: the creation of a database for recording reported cheating offenses. The database should be updated regularly, and administrators and teachers should communicate with each other more frequently. The first time a student is reported for cheating, the punishment is essentially a warning, as they are permitted to remain in honor societies. This safety net is a privilege that students should not take for granted – in college, there is much less mercy and leniency.

Resolving the cheating issue and enforcing the Integrity Policy is a group effort: everyone must work together to lend a hand. g

S.S. Honor Code

you could cheat on your taxes; you could cheat on your wife. It gets progressively worse.”

In fact, 23 students across eight honor societies at Dreyfoos have been reported for cheating. As high as this seems, those who have cheated but were not caught certainly is significantly higher.

“Students are pressured, I believe, to do well by their parents, and they’re very competitive,” math teacher Olive Bryan said. “They feel the need to cheat to get ahead. I think it’s students who are at the top of their class who do the most cheating because they want to maintain that reputation.”

Cheating has become easier as more methods to cheat are being invented. Teachers need to make stronger efforts to combat it accordingly. Different versions of a test should be made to prevent students from looking at a neighbor’s answers. Rather than sitting at their desk doing other things, teachers should actively and rigorously monitor tests by staying alert at all times and walking around.

Contributor: Adriana Rahrig The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 3

3

4/9/2012 2:49:22 PM

op/ed

Heated controversy on Kony 2012 THE ISSUE Joseph Kony is the leader of the Ugandan guerrilla group Lord’s Resistance Army, whose agenda is to kidnap children and force them to be soldiers. Should the Invisible Children charity receive support for their campaign against this terrorism?

Point

Counterpoint

I

I

by TessSaperstein

n 2012, if an adult wants to get a teenager’s attention, it usually has to be done through Facebook, Tumblr or a video about cats. But in early March, something different happened. The video “Kony 2012,” which exposes the governmental corruption and human rights abuses that exist in Uganda, was posted on Youtube. Almost instantaneously, it became a hit.

“Some people criticize this as being sort of like a trend. But even if it is a trend, who cares? It still has the attention. Why not use that attention while we can and try to make a change with that,” said visual sophomore Charlie Krumholz, the president of Dreyfoos’ Amnesty International club.

Opponents of Kony 2012 have called the movement a watered-down version of what actually occurred in Uganda, but unfortunately, most of America can’t understand a several hour lecture on the history of politics in Uganda.

By watching a 30-minute video that highlights the atrocities Kony has committed and the low standard of living in Africa, people are becoming more aware.

“They took this marketing idea and brought it down to the simple level,” social studies teacher Richard Gallo said. “It’s oversimplified [because] most people are pretty stupid, [but] part of the success is that we’re talking about it.”

Then there is the argument that the video is misleading. Opponents of the video claim that the Lord’s Resistance Army is no longer a threat, but that is untrue. In 2010, the LRA killed over 1,000 people and is still a threat to populations of the Congo, South Sudan and the Central African Republic, according to the Christian Science Monitor. Just because they are no longer located specifically in northern Uganda doesn’t mean that we should ignore the atrocities the LRA and Kony have committed.

Critics can sit on their high horse all they want and lecture Kony 2012 supporters about how ridiculous they are being. While they complain about Invisible Children, a child in Africa dies every minute, according to the World Health Organization. Meanwhile, Invisible Children has created education programs and helped rehabilitate communities within Africa that have been affected by war. We can’t expect teenagers to understand the nuances and details of the government in Africa, but through this video, they do understand one thing: people around the world are being exploited and abused. Let’s get the movement started and make people aware. g

4

by KyleBell

t appears another Internet tsunami has swept across the newsfeeds of millions of Facebook users. With a passing wave of online sharing, tweeting and blogging of this social media phenomenon, millions of people have become social activists after watching a 30-minute video.

The video, titled “Kony 2012,” describes the notorious deeds of Joseph Kony, a war criminal who led a rebel army called the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda.

There’s no doubt that Kony 2012 has been effective in spreading socalled “awareness” to millions of misled teens, but it is unclear whether it will have an effect on the situation it advertises.

“People would repost this on their Facebook, Twitter or Tumblr just so they could get a bunch of ‘likes’ and have these self-righteous discussions, but in actuality they’re not doing anything,” communications junior Michael Cairo said. “It has brought awareness to white America for 15 minutes, just like everything else.”

Supporters of the movement claim to know and understand the situation in Uganda, Illustration by Oscar Carl when the information presented

by Invisible Children is so misleading that it inhibits the achievement of their goal. “Kony 2012” aims to use social media as a tool to spread awareness but the movement fails by assuming that publicity will provide results.

“People who actually have the power to make a change already know [about Kony],” communications sophomore Sergio Rodriguez said. “We can’t even fully understand it ourselves, so we can’t really act upon it in an effective manner.”

With 85 million hits on their video, Invisible Children has spread a misconstrued view using a piece of propaganda that twists the actual situation. The video only takes five seconds in a 30-minute presentation to mention that Kony is no longer in Uganda; in fact, Kony and his army are spread across a vast area in South Sudan. The video claims that 30,000 children have been abducted by Kony into the LRA, while the army is actually only made up of a few hundred scattered combatants.

Invisible Children leaves out the reality that Kony’s forces are tiny and scattered across a vast jungle area across three countries.

With such unclear distribution of funding and a record full of completely misleading information, we must criticize Kony 2012. The only result of the movement is millions of people with good intentions, and a commercialized and mislead view of the actual situation. This is hardly an effective method to capture Kony, or any criminal. g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 4

4/9/2012 2:49:23 PM

op/ed

Social media, The racist viral Santaluces YouTube video may and stupid be rude, but it is decisions protected

by TijieneneGordon

“I

hate black people.”

That was one of the racist comments made by two Santaluces High School freshmen in February in a YouTube video. Their timing could not have been any better considering that the video gained widespread attention during Black History Month. As much as I want them to learn the lesson that stupidity gets you nowhere, they should not be punished.

“School district policy states that if [the incident] is not on school time or property, the school district has less ability to do anything about it, than the school and the parents,” said Nat Harrington, the Palm Beach County School District Chief Public Information Officer.

Although the video was received with anger from viewers of all races on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and WorldStarHipHop, the fact of the matter is that they are allowed to say what they want in the privacy of their own home – they exercised their freedom of speech.

Many argue that the video was an example of hate speech. The First Amendment does not protect words that incite violence. At first view, it may seem as if their comments would stir people up; however, after watching the video the fourth time, responses such

as “they should get beat up” made by viewers are what actually count as hate speech. People even gave out the names, addresses and phone numbers of the two girls in the video.

When the video was brought to the attention of the school, they decided to investigate the situation.

As of now no official action has been taken, and there should not be any, for two reasons: one, a policy does not exist for social media incidents; two, how can you punish people for their opinions?

As an occasional wearer of a weave, I have heard comments from students just like the two girls, but no one jumped up to punish those people. What makes these petty freshmen different? If the school district were to go after every student who has said a racist comment about black people, then, and only then, could it punish the two girls.

On the other hand, punishments offered up by the parents of the students are an entirely different situation. Whether they choose to ground them for the entire summer or go with the traditional method I’m used to – spankings – the punishments have nothing to do with the

Illustration by Oscar Carl

school, the school district or the crazy viewers.

Let us use this incident as a valuable moment to illustrate how saying a couple of insignificant comments in front of your computer screen can easily spiral out of control. Students need to understand that we are no longer in the ’90s and that information travels faster than you can say, “Facebook,” thanks to Mark Zuckerberg.

In simple terms, watch what you say. g

Ice princess reminisces about skating spotlight

by ElizabethLane

A

s a child, I was a champion. At the tender age of six, I was shredding ice like no one’s business. I was an ice sculptor, more commonly known as a figure skater.

After school, I would scramble to the ice skating rink where I would slide on my misfitted skates and glide onto the ice. I could think of no greater thrill than the flying feeling of skating back and forth and all around the rink.

Particularly tacky music always blared though the poorly-funded stereo system.

“Hit Me Baby One More Time” and “Genie in a Bottle” were on a seemingly endless loop and I adored it. When I first began the sport,

skating was just dancing while sliding around; however, I eventually gained the ability to twist and twirl on the ice. My tiny body-frame proved to have great aerodynamics.

There were, of course, some low points to this activity. The cold never bothered me much, but I took many falls, many of which I thought would surely displace my gluteus maximus forever. Still, I managed to pull through, mostly with the inspiration of Olympic skaters Tara Lipinski and Michelle Kwan.

Performing was always my favorite: I had the opportunity to dress up in the tacky garb of neon colors with sparkles and better still, I had the whole rink to myself. Although I had prepared routines that I was supposed to perform, I considered myself more of an

interpretive skater. While performing, me and my lopsided hair-buns would grace the rink with an entirely madeup routine.

Perhaps it was my tiny self that cuteed my way to the top, or more realistically, it was out of pity or from the overall lack of participation.

Nonetheless, I won first prize consistently during my Golden Age of ice skating. This glory was short-lived, ended by my best friend at the time who stepped in and stole the spotlight.

I was too young and having too good of a time to care. Even though I quit soon after, I know that deep down somewhere, there’s a part of me that would like to reclaim my throne. Perhaps one day, I will. g

‘The cold never bothered me much but I took many falls, many of which I thought would surely displace my gluteus maximus forever.’

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 5

5

4/9/2012 2:49:24 PM

op/ed

The Starbucks elite is a brewed lie

by TessSaperstein

T

he hustle and bustle of the store draws me in. A strong aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingers in the air as faint jazz music plays in the background. I anxiously wait in line and clutch my wallet until the barista finally asks me the magic question, “What can I get for you today?”

I, just like millions of Americans, have fallen victim to the evil corporate scheme of Starbucks. According to their website, in an average week, Starbucks will have 22 million customers. These 22 million people are being lied to.

A social stigma has been created. While Starbucks may have humble beginnings as a small Seattle coffee shop, it has grown into something to be feared. Starbucks’ drinks can range from $2-$5 a cup – more than double the price of many drinks from McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts. Despite this, many people are willing to shell out the extra cash.

“I believe Starbucks sets its drink quality and customer service standards higher than other coffee shops,” said band sophomore Kathleen McMurray, a Starbucks Gold Card member. “I will buy a drink or pastry from Starbucks anywhere from three to five times per week.”

Many Starbucks patrons like McMurray claim that their drinks taste better than the drinks from other stores. This is where the

myth of Starbucks needs to be debunked-and it already has been. According to a blind taste test by Consumer Reports, the best and highest quality coffee came from McDonald’s. In addition to this, the test reported that the taste of Starbucks’ coffee was equivalent to one of Walmart’s coffees.

So why is the white cup with the iconic green emblem so popular on Dreyfoos’ campus?

In a recession, it is natural for people to want to cut back. And if McDonald’s supposedly tastes better and is cheaper, shouldn’t the golden arches become the number one coffee provider at the school? The fact is, Starbucks’ managers spend a lot of time analyzing what will make their coffee appealing to potential customers “We actually study traffic patterns,” Starbucks CEO Jim Donald said. “If it’s in a downtown area, we study foot-traffic patterns.”

In addition to this, Starbucks has created an atmosphere of “coolness.” The cozy

atmosphere and jazz music make people feel like they are in a more familiar and welcoming setting. Then, just as potential customers are letting their guard down, Starbucks swoops in for the kill.

“Not everyone can shop at Tiffany’s, but everyone can afford a cup of coffee – even if it’s 2, 3 or 4 dollars,” said Karen Blumenthal, who chronicled Starbucks for a year in her book “Grande Expectations.”

This is essentially what made Starbucks so popular. Purchasing an expensive cup of coffee has become the norm for many people.

Illustration by Oscar Carl By shelling out a few extra dollars each day, they are able to get that feeling of wealth without completely breaking the bank. The result is a bunch of teenagers thirsty for a convenient status symbol. There is nothing wrong with it. I admitted from the start of this article that I have also fallen prey to Starbucks’ schemes. My only recommendation is to recognize the expense and admit to having a problem. g

lacked any tangible quality of “ambition” or “journalistic integrity” (or for that matter, a desire to gather research, interviews or any semblance of factual information). This tends to be frowned upon in the world of journalism.

What I needed was a loophole, and it’s called opinion writing. I should stress that this only pertains to me, the “offbeat columnist,” not opinion writing as a whole.

I just have to find one thing, every month or so, that I care enough about to spend a few hours writing about. The rest of the time I pretty much just sit back and relax, or as I affectionately refer to it: brainstorm. It’s like being in gym class and getting to sit out whenever people start running miles.

I found my niche; my job was to write about the absurd. I went to roller derbies, smashed

pumpkins and even infiltrated and made fun of a social network on a crusade against “ugly people.” Anything I could get away with. But as it all comes to an end, I feel a bit reflective.

Next issue, the Muse youngins will be taking over, leaving us seniors our time in the sun. So I conclude with a simple thank you to The Muse staff, for what have been three enjoyable, really weird years.

And finally, a big Illustration by Oscar Carl puppy dog thanks to students who took time to read my work, or any of the stories in the publication. I’m proud to call you all friends, or acquaintances…or people I wouldn’t murder. Whatever, take it easy Dreyfoos, it’s been a ball. g

My final column: a Dreyfoos farewell

by HunterTruman

I

t is with a happy heart that I write you my last column for The Muse. I will, for the most part, have pleasant memories of my three years writing here. But to be honest, I have on several occasions unplugged my computer monitor from the wall and thought about hurling it through The Muse room’s third story window. But I’m here, the race is finally over.

Being a high school journalist has been a lot like running naked through the mall, carrying a two-liter bottle of heroin: you enjoy it at first, the new experience, the attention, the breeze beneath your loins…but at some point the fun ends, your feet hurt and you have to start thinking about the consequences for your actions. Until that point, the hallow moment of realization, it can be pretty dope.

Generally, it is the aspiration of incoming Muse staffers, with their naïve optimism and sophomore smiles, to one day ascend the ranks and become a main editor on the publication. These positions are for the Type A personalities, the go-getters so to speak.

I, however, realized from the onset that when it came to these kinds of things I

6

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 6

4/9/2012 2:49:25 PM

advertisement

Dermatology Associates, P.A. Joshua M. Berlin, M.D. Brett S. Dock. M.D. Mark R. Gardner, M.D. J. John Goodman, M.D. Howard A. Green, M.D.

of the Palm Beaches

Richard A. Krathen, M.D. Cristina Lampuri, M.D. Harvey J. Penziner, M.D. Robert A. Sarro, M.D. Brent Schillinger, M.D. John M. Strasswimmer, M.D.

WEST PALM BEACH 120A Butler Street West Palm Beach, FL 33407 • (561) 659-1510 PALM BEACH GARDENS 10335-A No. Military Trail Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410 • (561) 622-6976 BOCA RATON 7280 W. Palmetto Road, Suite 207 Boca Raton, FL 33433 • (561) 368-1440 951 NW 13th St. 2D Boca Raton, FL 33432 • (561) 862-5021 DELRAY BEACH 400 E. Linton Boulevard, Suite G7 & G9 Delray Beach, FL 33483 • (561) 272-1137 NORTH DELRAY BEACH 2605 W. Atlantic Blvd., Suite D204 Delray Beach, FL 33445 • (561) 819-5822 ATLANTIS 120 JFK Circle, Suite 128 Atlantis, FL 33462 • (561) 964-9671 WELLINGTON 10111 West Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 100 Wellington, FL 33414 • (561) 798-1649 BOYNTON BEACH 10301 Hagan Ranch Road, Suite 930 Boynton Beach, FL 33437 • (561) 739-5252 STUART/PALM CITY 3654 S.W. 30th Avenue Palm City, FL 34990 • (772) 403-2227

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 7

7

4/9/2012 2:49:26 PM

news

the

S F E I BR of

ction , e l l o c a te-size ies bi hy stor ort notew

SpeakEasy fundraiser shows debate talent S

by KloeeCiuperger

peech & Debate Team members showcased their skills on March 11 at the Debate Team’s annual fundraiser, SpeakEasy. Held at Matrix Mediation in West Palm Beach, students were broken up into rooms based on their designated event. But instead of competing against other schools, they performed for family, friends and teachers.

“It was a really cool thing. A lot of parents and teachers don’t get to see us perform, so it was great to combine a fundraiser with a showcase that gave people the opportunity to see us participating in speech and debate events,” said Daniel Milstein, communications senior and Debate Team copresident.

Through donations and sponsorships, the team raised over $2,300, which will be put towards future team expenses.

Speech and debate consists of events ranging from Student Congress to Interpretation to Public Forum. Students take the roles of senators, actors and public speakers, respectively, in these events.

“I never cease to be blown away by the talent and composure,” said Speakeasy host Rodney Romano. Mr. Romano is the father of communications sophomore Gabriella Romano and of communications senior and Debate Team co-president Jeremiah Romano. “It leads me to believe the country is in good hands with the next generation.”

As opposed to the normally competitive atmosphere, students admired one another’s arguments and gave feedback.

“It’s better to not be competing against your teammates. You’re here to enjoy them,” communications freshman and Debate Team member Kayleigh Rubin said.

Aside from raising money, the event gave the team an opportunity to show that speech and debate helps students gain valuable experience.

“There is nothing you can do in life and be successful at unless you can share ideas and communicate with others,” Mr. Romano said. g

8

Oscar comes to visit

by TimothyDiTocco

T

om Sherak, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, came to Meyer Hall and talked to theatre and communications students during their second period classes on March 6.

In his presentation he talked about his experiences with film production and gave students advice for going into the film business.

“It was an amazing opportunity that I don’t Photo courtesy of Angelica Moreno think I’ll have again,” [left to right] Digital media junior Kaylyn Bottiglieri, digital media junior Angie Roque, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts, Tom Sherak, theatre junior Vanessa theatre junior Taylor president Pierre-Pierre, digital media junior Sydney Fisher, theatre junior Melina Brown.

Greigner said. “I really learned a lot about the opportunity that was extremely informative business, and film is definitely a field I and just plain cool,” Carman said. “What would like to go into.”

I did was immature, but I think it was One of the most memorable parts of definitely worth the result.” the showcase was when communications During his career, Mr. Sherak partnered sophomore Jarrod Carman asked his two- with many large motion picture companies, part question. He asked Mr. Sherak if he such as Revolution Studios and 20th would look at his films and if he could host Century Fox. While at 20th Century Fox, the Oscars. Mr. Sherak declined Carman’s he helped oversee the distribution and request to host the Oscars, but was more post-production of films such as “Star than happy to give Carman his personal Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace,” contact information so that Carman could “Independence Day,” “Aliens” and many send him his films. other well-known titles. g “I thought it was a once-in-a-lifetime

Students get more spiritual

by JosieRusso

O

n Thursday, March 1, Florida Legislature approved a bill allowing student-led prayer in public schools. If the bill completely passes, students can deliver “inspirational messages” at school sponsored events, if the school district agrees.

Governor Rick Scott is expected to sign the bill, but others argue that the bill will invite “religious in-doctrine” into public schools.

“I can already feel students giving a disgusted scoff,” said communications junior Natasha Scruggs, the head of the First Priority Christian club. “Our generation has been pretty comfortable with the separation of church and state, including prayer in school. On the other hand, it may invoke a minimal reaction until something makes somebody feel uncomfortable.”

The bill’s concept of “inspirational messages” is up for interpretation; according to USA Today, it could include messages ranging from the Pledge of Allegiance to Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream speech.” David Barkey, the Anti-

Defamation League’s Religious Freedom Counsel, describes the bill as a “back door effort to bring organized school prayer back to school events.”

“They basically took out all prayer references,” said Mr. Barkey in an interview with the Florida Jewish Journal. “They’re using ‘inspirational messages’ as a euphemism for school prayer. It still ends up with state sponsored religious prayer and religious coercion.”

The U.S. Supreme Court case Engel v.

Vitale ruling in 1962 found state-sponsored prayer in schools unconstitutional, and, until now, that ruling has been upheld.

While some are concerned about what the bill will change in public schools, others don’t seem worried.

“I think that at Dreyfoos it will just be another great way of student expression,” digital media sophomore Emily Greentree said. “But at other schools, I just don’t think that it will be as positive for everyone.” g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 8

4/9/2012 2:49:28 PM

NEWS

Los Dragones

de Dreyfoos

roar in

Orlando

Photo courtesy of Angelica Moreno

[Back row, left to right] Digital media sophomore Alessio Villa, theatre senior Erin Alexander, social studies teacher Melissa Gifford, theatre freshman Diana Shiling, keyboard junior Christopher Wan, vocal senior Alejandro Acosta, strings senior Katharine Priegues, vocal senior Daniela Childers, visual senior Keith Bartolome, communications senior Alec Zisson and foreign language teacher Michael Anand. [Front row, left to right] Communications freshman Mackenzie White, strings freshman Britney Mumford, communications freshman Gianna Delgado, communications senior Angelica Moreno, strings junior Stephanie Carrejo, communications senior Rachel Anderson, communications junior Savannah Artusi, communications junior Enrique Orsoco and band sophomore Manuel Ramirez.

teacher and the head coach of Los Dragones. reyfoos’ own “Conferencia” team, Los “This is our thirteenth year in a row competing Dragones de Dreyfoos, won first place at the state tournament. We have won first, overall among division II 4A schools at the second and third place 11 out of 13 years.”

2012 Florida State Spanish Conference, “At Conferencia we had not just a fun time “Conferencia.” The team earned the highest competing in cultural events, but we got to score in Dreyfoos hang out and history.

The just share our conference was held experiences at the Wyndham with the Spanish Hotel and Resort language and in Orlando from the culture,” March 8 – 10. vocal senior Dreyfoos competed Alejandro Acosta with 16 students “During -communications freshman Mackenzie White said. and won 26 trophies the conference I in all, including two for first place in the state. received superior marks in extemporaneous “The tournament of impromptu speaking, speaking and third place in vocal performance.” poetry declamation, theatrical performance During the conference, students were only and musical entertainment involved the top permitted to speak Spanish and were invited 50 Spanish programs among Florida’s high to share their abilities with other competitors. schools,” said Michael Anand, foreign language The events were separated into native and

by TimothyDiTocco

D

‘We celebrated an amazing day in an amazing Spanish environment; It is my first year on the team, but I can’t wait for next year.’

non-native groups. The student got their materials ahead of time to read over the topics and prepare their performance pieces.

“This Spanish conference was special because it brought the whole state together to take part in a wide variety of Spanish speaking events,” Acosta said. “Overall I am very proud of this year’s team and hope it’s even better next year.”

One event was a dinner at Café Tu Tu Tango, a Spanish topas restaurant where artists perform shows and create new work, which has become a tradition for Los Dragones to visit.

“After our first day at the conference, going to Café Tu Tu Tango really rejuvenated me and the team, and we celebrated an amazing day in an amazing Spanish environment,” communications freshman Mackenzie White said. “It is my first year on the team, but I can’t wait for next year.” g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 9

9

4/9/2012 2:49:31 PM

news

LIVES Hernandez’s journey on the road to teaching

by KyleBell

A

life of embracing a passion for the arts can bring more wisdom and experience than many people realize.

Few people have gained as much artistic experience in music as band teacher Pedro Hernandez, a lifelong musician and the director of Jazz Studies. His professional life as a pianist and a trumpet player began during Photo by Alexandra Lopez high school, Band teacher Pedro Hernandez goes over g i v i n g music scales with his freshman music theory class. him the opportunity to travel around the country before he came to Dreyfoos.

At 15, Mr. Hernandez became a professional trumpet-player. He spent years traveling away from his home in San Antonio, Texas, and played at various events and for multiple bands across the nation until he started teaching in 1994. From his first day on the job, he showed an aptitude for teaching music

because of his professional experience. Mr. Hernandez has taught subjects ranging from jazz and composition to music theory.

“When I started teaching at the University of Colorado, it came pretty naturally to me because of everything that I learned on the road,” Mr. Hernandez said. “I played everywhere from dives to coliseums where I actually signed autographs because of the people I was playing with.”

While traveling, Mr. Hernandez would play with a variety different artists, perfecting his skill in many different generals of music. As a professional pianist, he played everything from Pop to Latin Jazz music, each with a different artist, and specific style that takes years to master. He was part of the back-up band for Selena, a late Latin singer who was named “Top Latin Artist of the 90’s”.

“I backed her up, and a lot of other Latin artists that were on a CBS label. I would go in there, do a lot of studio work, and just play,” Mr. Hernandez said.

Composition has been a staple of Mr. Hernandez’s musical career in many different forms. When he started to play the piano at age 20, he experienced a major breakthrough

as a composer.

“Sometimes, I’ll just sit down and start playing and improvising, and I get an idea and I take that idea and develop it,” Mr. Hernandez said.

Just as Mr. Hernandez started as an artist in residence for the music department, his daughter, Ruby Hernandez, is the current artist in residence for Film and TV in the communications department.

Ms. Hernandez has expressed a passion for the arts as well, but as a videographer and editor.

“It’s really nice to have my dad understand how hard it is to succeed in the arts, because art is just so subjective,” Ms. Hernandez said.

Throughout her film career, Ms. Hernandez has been able to apply her father’s expertise in music to her production. Composition is a major part of film because an original score can be created for the film.

“I just made a documentary, it’s 40 minutes [long], and he composed about two-thirds of the music,” Ms. Hernandez said. “It’s really great that we can work together like that and that both of our arts can connect in that way.” g

‘I played everywhere from dives to coliseums where I actually signed autographs because of the people I was playing with.’

Assessing Needs.

10

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 10

4/9/2012 2:49:40 PM

NEWS

Seven Dreyfoos alumni collaborate on film:

‘What You Left in the Ditch’

by FrancescaOtero-Vargas

A

t a university with approximately 22,100 undergraduate students in a city of about 8 million people, seven Dreyfoos graduates found each other again through former communications major Joseph Gerbino to work on a film entitled “What You Left in the Ditch.”

Gerbino is working with former communications majors Savannah Winchester, Joseph Poach, Daniel Satinoff, Kate Masaracchio, and former visual majors Errol Sabinano and Lily Howard-Smith.

“When you’ve been so close to a group of people, it’s almost hard to break apart from them, especially when your passion lies in the same medium,” Mr. Poach said.

“Dreyfoos is filled with young artists who are constantly trying to push the Photo courtesy of Joseph Gerbino envelope. Those “What You Left in the Ditch” is directed by Dreyfoos alumnus Joseph are the kinds of Gerbino. people we need on our side.”

The seven people involved in the film have been making films together since the sixth grade and continued to do so even after going separate ways after high school.

“Dreyfoos did an amazing job of preparing us,” Mr. Sabinano said. “Dreyfoos teachers like [communications teacher Ancil] Deluz, [visual teacher Marsha] Christo and [digital media teacher Peter] Stodolak helped me problemsolve. Everyone questions me about the skills I know now, and all I tell them is, ‘I went to an arts high school.’”

Mr. Gerbino had the idea to create the short film after reading a collection of short stories entitled “The Girl in the Flammable Skirt” by Aimee Bender, which contained a story called “What You Left in the Ditch.” Mr. Gerbino reached out to Ms. Bender, who granted him the permission to use her idea for his film.

Mr. Gerbino’s class is highly competitive, and less than half of the students get approved for production. However, “What You Left in the Ditch” gained full support from Gerbino’s teachers at Tisch School of the Arts at New York University.

“I’ve never felt so passionate that a film I worked on needed to be made,” Mr. Gerbino said. “It is an honor to be selected to go into production.”

The film is about soldiers suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, a condition resulting from exposure to a direct or indirect threat of death, serious injury or a physical threat. The film will be focused on shedding light on both the lives of these soldiers and the soldiers’ families, according to the film’s website.

“We can create more attention for an issue that is critically vital to the country and the

Photo courtesy of Joseph Gerbino

world; ‘What You Left in the Ditch’ will be a solution for doing just that,” Mr. Gerbino said.

In order to produce the film, Mr. Gerbino and his production crew have been holding fundraisers. They hope to raise $8,000 and are taking contributions on their website, which also features information about the film and crew.

“Unfortunately, the film probably won’t be made. We want to make a professional short, and that requires funds. That, in all honesty, would be pretty devastating,” Mr. Gerbino said.

“Even the smallest donation helps. This story needs to be made.” g

Visit www.indiegogo.com/what-you-left-in-theditch to learn more about the film and support it by making a donation.

Dress code policies to get makeover by SGA and Employee Building Council “We wrote up a report of opinions and he Student Government Association possible solutions, and submitted them to the and the Employee Building Council are EBC,” Ms. Whalen said. “It is currently being working together to form new guidelines for discussed and there are no decisions on what next year that will enforce the dress code and is happening as of now.” make the current dress code clearer.

Based on discussions with students, “[The topic] was given to SGA because, SGA stated in their letter that students have last year, administration and teachers not followed dress code because “it is not complained about the lack of enforced, students ‘We’re not here to ruin your dress code enforcement during want to express their lives; we are just making the Spirit Week,” said math teacher creativity and the current dress code clearer.’

Traci Whalen, a sponsor of SGA. dress code rules are “[The EBC] felt that if students -math teacher Traci Whalen too vague.” were allowed to be part of the “We talked about discussion and decisions about dress code, it and had some discussion on whether it’s they would be more likely to follow it.” enforcement or kids just wanting to break the The problems brought to SGA by the rules,” communications senior Javier Mora EBC, a council of teachers that makes said. “It’s really a two-sided debate that’s not recommendations on school issues, were that tearing us apart, but people are either on one students don’t follow dress code and teachers side or the other.” feel uncomfortable when they let students The dress code committee submitted know they are out of dress code. several possible solutions to the problem.

by JosieRusso

T

Solutions ranged from putting Assistant Principal Suzanne Smith in charge of enforcing dress code, since she is the only female assistant principal, to making the violation non-verbal.

The letter states one solution as, “Anytime a teacher feels that a student is out of dress code, place a pre-printed ‘out of dress code’ pass on the student’s desk. The student would immediately go to Mrs. Smith’s office for punishment.”

Some students are concerned that, because SGA is all seniors, they will change the dress code with little concern for how it will affect students next year. This is not the case; the committee is focusing on having all teachers and staff enforces the dress code.

“We’re not here to ruin your lives; we are just making the current dress code clearer,” Ms. Whalen said. “We want all staff to be on the same page and to enforce it. Even if one teacher doesn’t, it is ineffective.” g The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 11

11

4/9/2012 2:49:41 PM

Features

Francois survives

childhood hijacking

Photo courtesy of Tyla Francois one of the gunmen forced Tyla Francois’ n a society filled mother, Sharron Francois, to turn off the Dance sophomore Tyla Francois (middle) sits with her father, Desmond, and two older sisters Kimberly (left) and Chanelle (right). At 2-years-old, Francois with corruption satellite device that had been previously survived an armed hijacking with her mother, Sharron, and sisters in South Dance sophomore Tyla Francois and inequality, the installed into the caravan. The hijackers Africa. government basks in benefits while the citizens drove on with the four girls in the car Ms. Francois said. “But still, I was dropped question the democracy. Travel brochures for and disregarded any of her questions or pleas, off in the middle of nowhere after surviving South Africa advertise pictures of African adding to Ms. Francois’ anxiety. a hijacking with three children. I didn’t know wildlife, snorkeling opportunities and beautiful “I told them that they could take whatever what to do so I started walking in the direction beaches, yet they fail to show travelers the they wanted,” Ms. Francois said. “They could that the car had gone in.” other side of South Africa-- the side that dance have the car, my money and my jewelry. I Confused, startled and losing hope, the sophomore Tyla Francois begged them to let my mother and her children tried to find their way experienced in December of daughters and I go.” to safety. While walking, a woman pulled up ‘These kinds of things 1998.

Meanwhile, the girls’ beside the girls and offered to take them home. are so common in South father, Desmond Francois, As they were being dropped off, Mr. Francois “My mom picked me up Africa that police don’t had arrived home. Their was arriving back home. from my aunt’s house and took me and my two sisters nanny was hysterical, “When I saw them I was enthusiastic,” even care. Living in back home. As we pulled trying to explain what she Mr. Francois said. “I was driving and I didn’t South Africa has given up into the driveway, three had witnessed outside the even stop the car, I jumped out and wrapped gunmen ran up next to my me a better appreciation house. She was not able my arms around the four of them. The car hit mom’s door,” Tyla said. “They to go outside and stop the the trees, but that was okay because I had my for America.’ put a gun to my mom’s head, gunmen because it was family back.”

- dance sophomore Tyla Francois my head and my two sisters’ probable that they would Hijackers specifically target women, heads. Two of the guys got into have tried to harm her if she and they send children to the side of their the back of the car. One took intervened. Mr. Francois did what any father car to beg for money. While the woman is hold of me and told my mom to move over so would do in a situation like that: he went out to rummaging through her purse, men surround he could drive.” search for his family. the car on all sides and, at that point, she To ensure that they were not being tracked, “I was panicked and terrified,” Mr. cannot defend herself. Other family members Francois said. “I felt like like Tyla’s cousin and her grandmother have my world was crashing also experienced the work of hijackers. Sadly, down because I couldn’t her grandmother was not as fortunate as Tyla imagine losing my wife and was killed. and daughters. As soon as “These kinds of things are so common in I found out, I rushed into South Africa that police don’t even care,” Tyla the car and went looking said. “Living in South Africa has given me a for them.” better appreciation for America.”

The hijackers drove After the hijacking, Tyla’s family moved Tyla and her family to England and later Florida. Now, there are to a township, an things Tyla misses about South Africa. underdeveloped area “My entire family used to have this thing similar to a ghetto. called Sunday Bries,” Tyla said. “It was a family They took Tyla’s sisters, tradition, kind of like a family reunion every Kimberly and Chanelle, out Sunday. You swim, play outside and eat with of the car first, and then everyone: cousins, uncles, aunts, everyone. We told Ms. Francois and Tyla can’t do any of that now because we are all to get out and stand by a separated, so I miss seeing them all the time.” fence. Ms. Francois feared Regardless of what happened, the Francois that they were planning on family still loves the country. Both Tyla and shooting each of them. She Ms. Francois believe that people sometimes thought of different ways have stereotypical views about South Africa. to hold Tyla to ensure that “When people think of South Africa, they a bullet wouldn’t hit her, think of huts and mud and lions that roam but instead, the hijackers around in people’s backyards,” Tyla said. threw her now empty “They don’t think it’s civilized, but it’s the most purse out of the car and gorgeous place I’ve ever been to. It’s crime drove away. that ruins the beauty; the government is more “When I saw them corrupt than you know.” g speed off I was relieved,”

by CamilleSanches

I

12

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 12

4/9/2012 2:49:43 PM

Features

Imminent Disaster is an immediate

success

by MikeshiaLewin

L

ife after high school can be daunting, but Photo by rossmorrison.net for Dreyfoos alumna and career artist Through her profession, Robyn Robyn Hasty, it is anything but. She embarks on Hasty has worked with several journeys with a focus on alternate lifestyles and well-known street painters. spreads social awareness through unique modes of artistic expression.

Ms. Hasty works under an alias, Imminent Disaster, to evoke thought on social conformity. “[Imminent Disaster] is kind of an overarching sentiment about the Photo by unurth.com unsustainable This mural painted by Hasty captures her style of alternative lifestyles and nature of the society we live in, the economy, the world,” Ms. Hasty said. “It’s a bit apocalyptic, but I also think that a catastrophic reordering of the world can create an environment for an improved society to grow.”

Ms. Hasty’s work began as culture jamming—defined as the act of altering store signs and displays to challenge consumerism according

to AdBusters magazine. After her work began to gain attention on Flickr and in the street art community, she worked with a number of other notable street artists, including SWOON. With handmade rafts built from trash, they invented a sustainable way to travel and shared their talent with the new people they came across.

“A bunch of us floated down three major bodies of water over the course of four years,” Ms. Hasty said. “[We traveled] to Mississippi from Minneapolis to St. Louis, the Hudson to NYC and the Adriatic Sea to Venice.”

In her most recent project, Ms. Hasty traveled across America using an antique Kodak and the wet-plating photo developing method. She captured people in the process of rebuilding themselves in the midst of the nation’s economic failure. “‘Homeland’ is a crosscountry photo essay where I was riding on the wings of serendipity and a few wordof-mouth connections to explore the community that I feel is making great strides in changing how society works on a grassroots level,” Ms. Photo by visionaryartistrymag.com Hasty said.

Hasty uses the streets of Brooklyn, New York, to Although she doesn’t see address the issues of sex and the role of women in America. herself as an activist, Ms. Hasty’s work tends to deliver socially-conscious messages along with a personal touch.

“Ultimately,” Ms. Hasty said, “the ‘Homeland’ series is about feeling a connection and solidarity with people I feel are operating toward a common goal of social change.” g

Joanne Green, D.D.S. Cosmetic and Comprehensive Restorative Dentistry

10887 N. Military Trail, Suite 6 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 34410 P 561. 622.2815 F 561.622.3231 www.joannegreendds.com dr.green@joannegreenedds.com The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 13

1713

4/9/2012 2:49:44 PM

Features

The unspoken rules of social etiquette

by MackSchroeder and GabiCohen

T

here are certain rules of social etiquette that are common sense and are followed by most of the population, but there are a few that people fail to recognize. Take it from an experienced third party and avoid these situations at all costs.

Shouting out someone’s name in a crowded hallway

It is always nice to acknowledge a close friend in the hallway, but yelling to them through a crowd of noisy pedestrians is probably the worst idea ever. There are two possible outcomes, each as bad as the other: someone could have the same name as your friend and think you’re talking to them, drawing you into a conversation that you want nothing to do with; or your friend doesn’t hear your enthusiastic cries for attention, causing the entire surrounding population to judge you and avoid talking to you for the rest of the day due to their extreme secondhand embarrassment.

Taking “What’s up?” as a literal question

When acknowledging an acquaintance in the hallway for a brief moment, the phrase

14

“What’s up” serves as a very useful and friendly greeting. When one hears this phrase, it should be taken as a rhetorical statement much like “Hello.” If taken as a literal question, however, “What’s up?” will create a feeling of discomfort and awkwardness. You are then forced to either stop and talk to the person or respond from 10 feet away. This obligates you to blurt out a typical response like, “Nothing much,” “Just chilling,” “Hanging out” or even the attempted game changer, “Tired.”

ATAT 9:00 PM

The Ro lli Exile o ng Stones n Mai n St.

Graphic

by Kyle B

Making unnecessary comments during classroom discussion

ell

Humor is usually appreciated in a classroom setting- it lightens the mood and encourages your classmates to become more engaged.

That being said, not everything you say is funny, nor will it bring anything substantial to the conversation. Most likely, no one thinks

it’s funny that your third cousin dropped his musket during a Civil War reenactment. While your teacher might chuckle out of pity, your classmates will sigh or embarrass you by shouting the obvious, “no one cares.”

Sharing your music through a builtin iPod speaker

Most people aren’t interested in hearing your music in the first place, so please don’t share it with them through a distorted and barely audible medium. This usually results in sticking the end of your iPod practically in someone’s ear so they can hear the latest Drake mixtape you downloaded. This obligates the listener to garner a response such as, “Oh yeah, I heard this one on Pandora last week,” when in all honesty they just want you to turn off your

iPod forever.

Winking at people as a serious flirtatious gesture Just don’t. g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 14

4/9/2012 2:49:46 PM

Features

Mo’ Money Mo’ ‘Prom’blems Average Lowest and Highest Prices for Prom Items

Lowest Average Price

Highest Average Price

Graphic by Enrique Orosco/Information from usatoday.com and promadvice.tripod.com

While some students seek a luxurious prom experience, others focus on an affordable prom night

by JenniferYoon

D

ress, check. Hair, check. Makeup, check.

Accessories, check. Limousine, check.

From buying tickets for $75, a dress or a tux for $200, to the limousine for about $1,000, there are many items needed to make prom night special. But how much does this unforgettable, one-night experience cost?

For many, price is not an issue. For others, prom is the time to break open that piggy bank and spend long-earned savings.

“I plan on going all out since it’s my Senior Prom,” said theatre senior Kremena Arabadjieva, a prom queen nominee. “I may spend as much as $500. I need my dress, which will cost $200, shoes for $60, a bag for $40, jewelry for $150 and makeup and hair for another $100.”

Others are more frugal and will try to save as much as they can on prom. “[At] the Men’s Warehouse, if I give five of my coupons away and my friends use [them], then I get [my tux] for free,” theatre junior Chase Franks said. “I’ve also sold video games that I don’t really play anymore and got some money from that.”

Many people believe that girls spend more money preparing for this night than the boys; however, boys spend just as much and sometimes even more than the girls do. “[My girlfriend and I are] going to be splitting the limo with around 20 people, but it’s going to cost around $1,000 [with] $60 per person,” Franks said. “I’m buying both of the [tickets], my tux and I’m going to buy [a corsage]. It’s also going to cost about $60 to

ask my girlfriend to prom.”

Some students are not able to go to prom because of the high cost, but friends have tried to help out to make it possible for them to go.

“Some of my friends can’t afford prom, so I got a group of friends to help pitch in and donate some money for them,” communications senior William Miranda said.

For some students, the prom experience alone is priceless no matter what it costs to get there.

“I don’t think it’s necessary to spend tons of money on prom,” dance junior Elyssa Kelly said. “It’s less about the material aspect and more about the memories you’ll gain in that night.” g

Class of 2012 Prom King and Queen Nominees Brenden DiBerardino Theatre “[My biggest competition is] Javy Mora times 10.

I’m so afraid of him. I’m also afraid of Lawrence McClarin. Javy because, who doesn’t like Javy?”

Daniel Milstein Communications “I was really shocked when I found out that I was nominated. I’m incredibly honored.”

Javier Mora Communications “I think I should win because I am an active member of the student body participating on the debate team, Arts Club, and SGA. I also look good in a tux.”

Lawrence McClarin Dance “Although Brenden is not a threat to my campaign, he is also a likable person and he is cool so I would have to say he would be my biggest competition.”

Patrick Fritz Band “[I should win because the Prom King] should be quirky, vulnerable, nerdy, artistic, underdogtype, opposite of a typical high school Prom King.”

Jesse Hoffman Visual “[I think I should win because] I’m prettier than a lot of men and I can bench over 200 pounds.”

Farahnaz Hadjimiry Strings “My dad has always called me his princess, and in Farsi my name even means queen.”

Gabrielle Carrera Communications “I would be ecstatic to win, but I think any of the other girls who were nominated deserve to win.”

Kremena Arabadjieva Theatre “Being nominated already means the world to me.

Regardless [of ] what happens, I will be truly grateful to everyone who made this happen for me.”

Sydney Baldwin Dance “I don’t know [why I was nominated], but it was probably because I am a ginger.”

Tara Aboumahboub Theatre “Farah Hadjimiry [is my biggest competition] because she is also a Persian princess.”

Meagan Lewis Theatre “I think I’m fun and I’m sure most seniors know me for the most part, but that’d be pretty awesome if I won.”

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 15

15

4/9/2012 2:49:50 PM

Cover Story

Cheating SUCCEEDING

DO YOU THINK TEACHERS CATCH 87% MOST CHEATING? NO

YES

STUDENTS

Graphic by Nicole Hamilton

1. Is telling other students about topics/questions on a test cheating? Yes (306) No (660) 2. Have you ever copied another student’s homework? Yes (823) No (156) 3. Have you ever l

YES AND I HAVE NOT YES BEEN CAUGHT I have never NO cheated

AND I HAVE BEEN REPORTED

Have you ever

cheatED?

13%

by ShawnaBilton and DominiqueMcKenzie

T

the Integrity Policy was created in 2006 to effectively prevent and manage cheating.

The Honor Code, a key aspect of the Integrity Policy, is one of the steps taken by administration to reduce cheating at the source.

According to a survey of 999 students, 92 percent do not believe that the honor code prevents cheating.

Due to a lack of a clear definition of cheating, inconsistency among teachers when reporting students and a competitive culture, students are cheating at Dreyfoos.

“Students are pressured, I believe, to do well by their parents, and they’re very competitive,” math teacher Olive Bryan said.

There’s no

perfect

punishment;

with some perfect

students, it might be the punishment

or it might really hurt

somebody terribly.

-Assistant Principal Leo Barrett

“They feel the need to cheat to get ahead. I think it’s students who are at the top of their class who do the most cheating because they want to maintain that reputation.”

The Muse found the following results from surveying 999 students anonymously: • 85 percent of students do not think teachers report every student they catch cheating • 80 percent of students report that their teachers do not require the honor code on every test and assignment • 54 percent of students have looked at another student’s paper during a test • 92 percent admitted that they would not report a fellow student for cheating “I feel like [cheating] goes unpunished a lot and I feel like in some circumstances, because it’s not punished, it’s almost like it’s hurting yourself to not cheat,” communications senior Donald Meyers said. “It feels like if you’re not cheating, you’re doing yourself a disservice because you never get caught and you never get in trouble for it anyways.”

Why is Cheating Controversial?

Although the integrity policy

and its disciplinary course are both controversial, perhaps the definition of cheating is the root of the controversy. In a survey of 999 students, 60 percent consider copying another student’s homework cheating.

“We are looking at cheating as just plagiarism; there are so many other aspects that gives a place for people to disagree,” social studies teacher Danielle Edwards said.

While some teachers endorse the use of websites such as AP Central and Spark Notes, others find that students abuse the supplemental aspect of such resources.

“A condensed version of notes for anything is great, but if a teacher tells you to read an entire work and you use those sources inappropriately, then you’re cheating,” science teacher Stephen Anand said.

Teachers In a survey of 32 academic teachers, 66 percent said they have reported students for cheating and 63 percent admit that they have caught students cheating but did not report them. Based on the school-wide Integrity Policy, teachers must report a student who is caught

cheating and write a referral.

“I don’t think the honor code is being enforced. I know of teachers who have followed all of the disciplinary procedures and, for some reason, penalties were not given,” said communications teacher Stephen Moore, who is the Quill and Scroll Honor Society sponsor. “Teachers are supposed to make reports and it is not [clear] to me where it goes from there. Something is broken: there is inconsistency.”

Implications For many students, the second level of the Integrity Policy, which states that, “the student will be removed from all honor societies for the duration of high school,” is the most contentious.

Fifty-six percent of students disagree with the consequences of cheating and believe that students who have been reported for cheating just once should not be able to join or remain in honor societies. In fact, there are students who have been reported for cheating at least once and continue to remain members of these honor societies.

In the Art, French, Dance and Quill and Scroll honor societies, 2 percent of students have been

oo

ked at another student’s paper during a test? Yes (537) No (457) 4. Have you ever used a technological device during a quiz or test? Yes (333) No (663) 5. Have you ever hidden information (i.e. written answers on your body) during a test or quiz?

18 16 The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 16

4/9/2012 2:49:50 PM

Ahala pulicis pubis prore, di, cuperum nostrorum iam cres mus supicon territ Catum prei perem untribus ela int. Artiu conequam patissim plin Etrae patis. is ficaet; hilicae perfirtumMe nos dem, nicae nit; no. Adhus.

C. Quam oc,

TEST

Ahala pulicis pubis prore, di, cuperum nostrorum iam cres mus supicon territ Catum prei perem untribus ela int. Artiu conequam patissim plin Etrae patis. is ficaet; hilicae perfirtumMe nos dem, nicae nit; no. Adhus.

C. Quam oc,

TEST

Ahala pulicis pubis prore, di, cuperum nostrorum iam cres mus territ Catum prei perem supicon untribus ela int. Artiu conequam patissim plin Etrae patis. Me nos is ficaet; hilicae perfirtum dem, nicae nit; no.

Adhus. C. Quam oc, nos conditribus,

TEST

Graphic by Alec Zisson

8% 74% 18%

reported for cheating. In the Spanish and National Honor Societies, 4 percent of members have been reported for cheating.

Additionally, in the English Honor Society, 6 percent of students have been reported for cheating.

“You can’t call it an honor

Do you consider consulting

online resources for an essay or hoMework assignment cheating?

1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100

93%

7%

YES

no

Graphic by Alec Zisson

Do you consider copying another student’s homework cheating?

SHOULD STUDENTS caught cheating BE ALLOWED TO Be IN AN HONOR SOCIETY?

56% STUDENTS

YES

NO

DO you think the honor code prevents cheating?

society and put somebody in an honorable position if they are caught being dishonorable,” social studies teacher Ms. Edwards said.

Ninety-four percent of teachers agree that students who have been reported for cheating at least once should not be able to remain or join any honor society for the duration of their high school career.

Students

44%

According to the same Muse survey of 999 students, 92 percent admitted that they would not report a fellow student for cheating.

“There’s such a social pressure to be accepted that to say ‘no this is my work and you can’t have it’ almost seems comical,” Ms. Edwards said. “[Cheating] has become the norm that you know doing it must not be that bad.”

Because such a culture exists at Dreyfoos, cheating has become an issue that administrators

SHOULD STudents caught cheating BE ALLOWED TO Be IN THE TOP 20%?

35% 65% NO

STUDENTS

YES

60% 100% SAID YES

SAID YES

The results from a Muse survey of 999 students and 32 teachers were distributed and collected in confidentiality in order to ensure accuracy of results.

All percentages shown unless marked otherwise, are the result of the student survey.

To see more results from the student survey, check out the banner wrapping the lower portion of the pages.

To see more results from the teacher survey, visit themuseatdreyfoos.com

26%

YES

92%

NO

cannot find a perfect solution to.

“There’s no perfect punishment; with some students, it might be a perfect punishment or it might really hurt somebody terribly so just the punishment side is not always the right way to go,” Assistant Principal Leo Barrett said. “It’s got to be a balance of the right steps with punishment and consequences.”

Eighty-seven percent of students believe that teachers do not catch most cheating. Based on these results, it would indicate that the current disciplinary action and Integrity Policy together are ineffective in regards to decreasing and preventing cheating. “[Students cheat at Dreyfoos] because there isn’t sufficient punishment to deal with it and because our school is more competitive than other schools. So when you have that competitive environment, kids will use whatever edge they can

rs

che Tea

Graphic by Nicole Hamilton

8% STUDENTS

S

ENT

D STU

TEACHERS YES

74%

NO

to get ahead,” Meyers said. “And if they feel like they can get ahead without any consequences, by using illegitimate means, they’ll sometimes resort to those means.”

The Integrity Policy was created and designed five years ago in order to prevent, decrease and hinder the amount of cheating at Dreyfoos. Although some may believe the current system is effective, the survey results make it clear that there are flaws in the policy.

Many students and teachers alike will continue to express concern about the issue of cheating, but to Ms. Bryan, students who participate in dishonest activity will reap the consequences in the long run.

“Cheaters never win, and winners never cheat,” Ms. Bryan said. g

Contributors: Muse Staff

w a student cheating, would you report him/her? Yes (89) No (894) 9. Do all of your teachers require you to write the honor code on every assignment and test? Yes (197) No (800) 10. Have all of your teachers explained the exact disciplinary consequences for cheating? Yes (477) No (521)

Cover Story

our body) during a test or quiz? Yes (426) No (564) 6. Have you ever exchanged test answers during a test? Yes (402) No (580) 7. Have you ever told another student about a test topic/question before taking a test? Yes (850) No (132) 8. If you sa

The Muse | April 2012 Master Layout Issue Five.indd 17

17 19

4/9/2012 2:49:51 PM

Arts

Arts Index

A guide to what’s going on in the art area classes

by DanaMiller

Theatre

T

he Senior Showcase will be on May 1 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Palm Beach DramaWorks. The Theatre Collective will take place on May 18 at 7 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.

On March 14-18 almost 100 theatre students traveled to the Florida State Thespian Festival held in Tampa.

Dreyfoos students won multiple awards and recognizition in individual event performances, presentations and college and scholarship auditions. g

Keyboard

O

n April 13 the Pianoforte class will be performing at 6 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre. There will be a Klavier Recital on April 23 and May 4 at 6 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre.

“The repertoire is going to be challenging and showy because the highest class is putting it on,” keyboard junior Christopher Wan said. “It will be all classical music.” g

Visual & Digital Media

T

he spring show for visual and digital media students is coming up in April. The Senior Show is on May 19 from 5-8 p.m. at the Armory Art Center.

From April 9-13 there will be a photo workshop offered in all digital media classes.

Eight students were picked as National Foundation for the Advancement in Arts finalists and honorable mentions: four visual students and four digital media. g

Strings

Photo by Alexandra Lopez

Visual seniors Julia Lai and Valerie Nelson go over details for their upcoming show in the gallery room. In addition to all department shows, students have the opporunity to showcase their work in student shows that they sign up for.

Band

O

Photo by Alexandra Lopez

Strings teacher Wendell Simmons conducts a piece with his Orchestra Honors class.

n March 30, the Dreyfoos Jazz Band attended the South Florida Jazz Preservation Competition at the Spanish River Church. The Dreyfoos Jazz Band teamed up against the Park Vista jazz band.

“The rhythm section is locking in with the horns and were all comfortable with each other,” band junior Murphy Aucamp said.

On May 4-5 the Symphonic Wind Ensemble and band will be playing at the University of South Florida for the State Music Performance Association competition.

Students recently worked side by side with the New World Symphony on March 6, 7, 9 and 10 at the New World Symphony Hall in Miami. Out of 33 students from around the world, 10 were chosen from Dreyfoos to perform. This included band seniors Michelle Villar and Judith Gaunt and band juniors Murphy Aucamp, Nikolette Labonte, Mary Fortino, Michael Zuckerman, Emma Silberstein and Zachary Montague. g

O

n April 26, strings majors will perform their last concert of the year in Meyer Hall.

In May, strings students will attend the state Musical Performance Association Competition.

Strings senior Arian Shaw and string sophomore Ericsson Hatfield also performed with the New World Symphony on March 6, 7, 9 and 10. g

S

Communications

tudents have been preparing for the Communications Showcase which took place on April 5 in Meyer Hall.

On March 14 the Palm Beach International Film Festival’s Student Showcase of Films took place at Lynn University. Communications senior Jarett Rockwerk with his film “Palos Verdes Blue” and communications juniors Kelly Berger and Kloee Ciuperger with their film "The Child Inside" tied for third place in the Best Short Film category. g

18

Vocal

O

n March 14 there was a chorus and orchestra concert in Meyer Hall featuring French music. On April 30 the POPs concert, which features the chorus and band, will be performing current music in Meyer Hall.

“Be prepared for a musical experience like never before,” vocal sophomore Esther Delaney said.

The senior showcase featuring all of the music departments will be on May 1. The Spring Choral Concert will be on May 11. g

Dance

T

he Spring Dance Concert will take place on April 12-14 at 7 p.m. in Meyer Hall.

There will be dances by special choreographers such as alumni Billy Bell, Lauren Carey and Alex Anderson.

“This performance shows how unique the dance department is, for it’s the only show that features every single dance major,” dance dean Jan Hanniford-Goetz said. g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 18

4/9/2012 2:49:54 PM

Arts

Department spotlight: vocal

by ValeriaRivadeneira

W

hile most artists are burdened with the task of carrying around essential instruments such as paint brushes, paper, a violin or a camera, the only thing that vocal majors need is air.

Singing Gents: The first thing you’ll notice when walking into Dreyfoos’ boys-only vocal class is that the “Singing Gents” is much more than just a chorus group. They’re hardworking and passionate about their art.

“They have nice voices and are good musicians,” vocal teacher Arlene Sparks said.

“They learn very quickly but the hardest thing for them is staying on task.”

Comprised of only 18 male vocal majors from grades 10-12, the Singing Gents also practice complex choreography that includes making formations while vocalizing and matching the steps along with the lyrics.

“It’s hard to juggle the singing and the dancing sometimes,” vocal junior Eric Vinas said, referring to the dance moves choreographed by theatre teacher Garry Lewis.

The Singing Gents participate in events throughout school, such as helping deliver the singing carnations that were sold by the communications publication, Seeds. The Singing Gents serenaded those who received carnations on Valentine’s Day. “I love performing solo, but when you’re singing with other people, you connect with them in ways you just can’t by talking,” vocal junior Jarvis Ramil said.

Buddy system: Ramil is one of the vocal department’s librarians along with Vinas, meaning they’re in charge of organizing music sheets and keeping them in order. In addition, Ramil is also part of the vocal department’s Buddy System.

“We have a buddy system where we adopt freshmen. You file a form that talks about your interests and you get paired with someone with similar interests,” Ramil said.

The vocal department president, vocal senior Chrislyn Laurore, approves the forms and assigns each freshman to whoever wishes to sign up.

Photo by Alexandra Lopez

Vocal students rehearse their song “Jai Ho” for the last time on the day of their pop concert during an SRA. The performance featured vocal seniors Brett Warner (left) and Daniela Childers.

Juries:

Many students would agree that despite all the strenuous practices, warmups, scales and lip trills, the hardest thing about being a vocal major is the juries.

“The one thing that people don’t realize, is how hard our juries are,” vocal sophomore Shawn Herriger said.

Juries are almost every vocal major’s endof-semester nightmare. Students must learn not one, but three different songs that are often several pages long, despite the fact that they end up performing only one.

“One gets picked randomly and you have to perform it,” Herriger said. “Then you get questions regarding the translation of songs.

We’re also graded on breathing, posture,

pronunciation and attire.”

In addition to being five or six pages long, the songs are also in different languages, such as German, French and Italian. Ms. Sparks carefully explains the meaning of songs in order for students to completely understand them.

“Ms. Sparks has nice teaching skills, you can tell she really wants us to know the meaning of songs,” vocal sophomore Elizabeth Hornor said.

Some students end up practicing up to an hour each day in order to be fully prepared for their juries.

“It’s hard to remember which accents belong to each word,” vocal junior Alexis Seiler said. “Sometimes it’s hard to learn, but you get the hang of it after a while.” g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 19

19

4/9/2012 2:50:01 PM

Arts

Visual department

blows up on campus Griffin’s architecture classes create gigantic works of inflatable art

by ElizabethLane

M

assive sheets of heavy-duty plastic that are heat-welded at the seams lay wrinkled and shapeless in the grass outside of Building 9. With the use of an electric fan, an immense structure stretching about 10 feet high and 25 feet long rises. Inflatable structures like these are being created by visual students in visual teacher John Griffin’s architecture classes.

“We experimented with using the least amount of material to create the maximum amount of habitual space,” Mr. Griffin said. “It’s astounding what the structures become.”

The structures were made by welding carefully cut sheets of plastic together in a design that can support itself. Groups

20

of two to six students combined their skills and ideas into the formation of the structures.

“A lot of planning is involved in creating huge structures like these,” visual sophomore Sammi Burdo said.

“It has taken us about nine weeks.”

Field hospitals and astrodomes utilize inflatable structures because of the space they provide and the ability to pack them easily when deflated.

Since it was a requirement for the students to be able to go in and out of the structures they created, sizing was key. The dimensions ranged from 10 feet by 10 feet to about 40 feet by 10 feet.

“Inside of the structure my group Photo by Josie Russo and I created, the sound changes and senior Cody Stansky sticks his head out of the structure’s opening where you almost forget where you are,” visual Visual the air pump is located. Multiple people can fit inside the art. sophomore Mason O’Brien said. “It is very dark— it almost feels like you are in space because light is let in through tiny holes of the plastic.”

Despite much trial and error, the students gained insight into the logistics of creating their own inflatable establishments.

“This assignment is bigger than anything we’ve ever done,” Burdo said.

“We never thought we could make a structure so big, but we did. We’re all Photo by Elizabeth Lane really proud.” g The structure created by visual senior Joseph Parrella, junior Nic Rabinowitz and sophomore Mason O’Brien, fully inflated.

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 20

4/9/2012 2:50:07 PM

advertisement

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 21

21

4/9/2012 2:50:09 PM

Arts

From students to published writers

by KellyBerger

I

n a bright blue room on the third floor of Building 1, students type diligently at the computers. As part of the Creative Writing III and IV classes, they put their thoughts on paper and work on creative pieces—crafting everything from epic poetry to science fiction stories.

“I love that I get to foster students’ passion and creativity for writing in a way that is much more amorphous than my treatment of students’ work in the academic writing process,” English and communications teacher Brittany Rigdon said.

As both an academic and an arts teacher, Ms. Rigdon has had to adapt to the differences between the academic and artistic learning processes.

“It’s a laid back kind of class—anything goes,” said communications junior Alexis Kaufman, who has won a Scholastic Art and Writing Regional Gold Key and received an American Voices and Visions nomination for her writing. “We can pitch ideas to Ms. Rigdon as to how we want the class to run and occasionally Ms. Rigdon will take us outside.

We’ll sit in the grass and she’ll have us write about what we see so we can open our minds to all different kinds of possibilities and get inspired.”

This open environment gives writers the freedom to express themselves without the barrier of strictly defined boundaries.

Expletives and controversial topics like drugs,

sex and violence are permitted in the creative girl who travel across the country together,” writing room, and the supportive atmosphere Ragland said. “One of the prizes for winning is allows writers to delve into their personal publishing a book through this website called lives without fear of ‘CreateSpace,’ and it will be judgment. for sale on Amazon. It’s called “When we do ‘Thoughts from Underwater’ poetry and we and it’s a collaborative put our personal book of poetry between experiences in it, me and [communications our lives, it gets sophomore] Valeria really intense and Rivadeneira. It’s broken we’re really open,” down into chapters between Kaufman said. love, artwork and struggles “We’re like one big and changes.” family because we’ll Ragland hopes to earn spread each other’s her Masters of Fine Arts secret, but in a good in Creative Writing and way—we’re here for make a living as a published support and we’re novelist. here to listen and be Whether they’re writing shoulders to cry on.” full-blown novels or 2,000 Communications word short stories, the junior Hannah Beth students in the creative Photo by Alexandra Lopez Ragland has written writing class are passionate Communications junior Hannah Beth Ragland takes the time four novels since her in her creative writing class to write in her journal. about their work and enjoy freshman year, and the opportunity to explore this year, Ragland won National Novel Writing their writing abilities.

Month—a nationwide event that challenges “We’ve done everything from secondwriters to draft approximately 2,000 words a person stories to mystery stories, so I love day in order to have a completed novel by the that the creative writing class gives you end of November. opportunities to try out different types of “The most recent novel that I wrote for writing,” communications senior Melanie Bail last National Novel Writing Month was a love said. “It gives you opportunities to get your story about a pathological liar and a boy and work out there.” g

To-ree or not To-ree: that is the question Theatre student competes in Shakespeare contest in hopes of winning trip to London

by AubreyLevin

I

t is the east, and Toree Alexandre is the sun. Theatre junior Toree Alexandre recently competed in and is proceeding to the next round in Theatre junior Toree Alexandre strikes a the English Speaking pose from her Macbeth Union’s Shakespeare monologue.

R e c i t a t i o n Competition, where students from around the nation perform monologues and sonnets by William Shakespeare.

“I found out about the competition through [theatre dean] Beverly Blanchette,” Alexandre said. “The contest is sponsored by the English Speaking Union. There is first a competition held at your school, and then you move on to the district competition and then the nationals, which are held in New York from April 22 to April 24 in the Lincoln Center. If you win

22

nationals, you win an all-expense paid trip to London to perform and take acting workshops for two weeks.”

Alexandre found inspiration in the play Macbeth, performing a monologue as the insane yet mesmerizing Lady Macbeth.

“When I choose pieces to perform I use regal or simple and easy to understand characters where there isn’t much depth in the characters,” Alexandre said. “When I was looking for a monologue I wanted something different. My mom told me about the piece and I loved it when I read it and it was exactly what I was looking for. It’s about a character who is insane but powerful and it was definitely a challenge.”

Alexandre’s outstanding performance didn’t come together overnight. She spent many hours memorizing and practicing her pieces and working on her character with the help of her theatre friends and teachers.

“It was kind of hard to prepare for the monologue at first, because I scream in

the monologue very loudly, three times,” Alexandre said. “I couldn’t really practice it at home, so my screams had to be genuine. I had to become a murderer in a sense. Once I began working with Mrs. Blanchette, the monologue had new life.”

Alexandre’s family, friends and theatre teachers are all very proud of her advancement to the semi-finals. All her hard work will soon pay off as she heads off to New York with hopes of making it to London.

“I think what made her stand out was that she chose first of all a very difficult piece and then she was very brave with her performance,”Mrs. Blanchette said. “She wasn’t just reciting lines; she was really acting it out very professionally and dramatically. At the same time she had a certain amount of truth and she was very honest in her delivery.”

For never was a story of more glee, than this of a theatre student named Toree. g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 22

4/9/2012 2:50:14 PM

Arts

New dimensions Cutting edge students sculpt hot art R

ecently, visual teacher John Griffin assigned projects to his Sculpture and combined AP 3D Design and Architecture classes based on American engineer Buckminster Fuller’s model of a geodesic dome. In addition, students used torches to weld wire sculptures, sculpt with papier-mâché, and combine cardboard and colored tissue paper to create their unique pieces of art.

Visual junior Michelle Neumann was put in charge of creating and updating the Architecture class’s blog.

“It was brought up last year when Mr. Griffin was trying to come up with a way to connect our architecture with colleges,” Neumann said. “That way, when the college fair came around, we had something to show them.” g

Visual sophomore Robert Norris uses an electric circular saw to cut struts of steel. Norris will then use these 10 inch struts for his group’s structure.

Visual junior Helen Lehrer takes a break from welding her wire sculpture to create flowers for her friends.

Visual teacher John Griffin demonstrates with a wooden 3D model of Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome. Students took this model and created their own versions of it.

“I’m doing a sound piece for a portfolio,” visual senior Cody Stansky said. “It generates frequencies and I have to find the right frequencies that will make all the Styrofoam beads bounce and create a sound wave.”

Story and photos by Alexandra Lopez For more pictures, please visit:

www.dreyfoosarchitecture. blogspot.com

Visual sophomore Santiago Ramirez welds a wire sculpture. When taken, Ramirez created this sculpture without knowing exactly what he was aiming for.

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 23

23

4/9/2012 2:50:30 PM

Sports

Horsing around leads to new opportunities

The Interscholastic Equestrian Association opens doors to colleges and careers

friend, rather than n the world of equestrianism, there’s a as just a horse. quote that goes, “Riding is the art of keeping Horses can teach the horse between you and the ground.” us so much if we To communications junior Josie Graham just listen. I can go and strings junior Gina Donza, this quote to him when I’m accurately describes what they experience as having a bad day equestrians. Equestrianism is the skill or sport or going through of horse riding. Although it sounds simple, it a tough time. He’s has many different levels that most people very special.” never acknowledge.

However, in “[In relation to the quote] it seems that c o m p e t i t i o n s , way sometimes,” said Graham. “There are a lot the IEA gives of different disciplines. It’s all about getting the individual riders horse to trust you and getting it to do what horses they you want. People don’t realize how much goes are not familiar into it because they’ve only ever been on pony with as a way to rides.” gauge a rider’s Both Graham and Donza are part of the skill under new Interscholastic Equestrian Association in circumstances. It Photo courtesy of Gina Donza the Wellington division. Members of the IEA also gives riders Strings junior Gina Donza and Reason, one of the barn’s horses, go through a course on a Saturday afternoon. this is Donza’s first year being part of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association team, she feels compete with a team and on an individual a chance to show Although that it has allowed her to grow as a rider. “[I’ve learned] to always be confident and happy with everything,” basis in Hunt Seat, Western and Saddle off their skills to Donza said. “Before the team I didn’t feel like I was getting somewhere but with the team I feel accomplished. I’ve learned to just be happy with what I have and what I get.”

Seat disciplines, but the Wellington division college scouts. only does Hunt Seat. The IEA also offers “College scouts get to see how you handle different opportunities to earn scholarships those different situations,” Donza said. “They through competitions and different activities. offer scholarships and it gives an opportunity Currently, the Wellington division of the IEA to deal with different horses. It makes you a is the largest team in the nation. Despite this, better rider.” their team is very close-knit.

These opportunities to advance their skills “I feel very close to my team, even though and to continue riding on a college team is what in the ring it’s about the individual rider,” Graham and Donza want and look forward to Donza said. “Outside [the ring] it’s a big family. in the coming years.

It’s nice to have them all there.”

“I definitely want to continue with the team Donza’s interest in riding stemmed from her and when I graduate I want to join a college father, who always encouraged and nurtured team,” Donza said. her love for horses and equestrianism. When Another aspect of the sport that is typically she was 7 years old, not thought of is the responsibility Donza’s father passed ‘Horses can teach us so much required. Both girls have to make away.

Through that if we just listen. I can go to sacrifices when it comes to their difficult time there was life on the weekends, as [my horse] when I’m having social one friend that she could they are usually at the barn. turn to that would always a bad day or going through a “I can never make plans on be there to listen and to tough time. He’s very special.’ the weekends,” Graham said. “I’m Photo courtesy of Josie Graham Communications junior Josie Graham and Confetti, one of the comfort her: her horse. usually at the barns four times a -communications junior Josie Graham horses the barn provides for practice, have just landed a jump. “[Horses] are week and all day on weekends.” therapists without words,” Donza said. “When Despite the opportunities and the pure love The girls attended regionals, which my dad passed away, my old pony helped me for the sport, there is always a dangerous side.

Graham competed in, held on February 25 get through it and she just comforted me Connie Graham, Graham’s mother, cannot and 26 in Plantation, Florida. Regionals were through that hard time.” help but feel apprehensive when her daughter a prerequisite to zones, which Graham also There is said to be a deep and special gets in the ring. competed in. This competition was held in emotional bond between a horse and its rider.

“There’s always a sense of danger, but I Charleston, South Carolina on March 24 and This held true not only for Donza and her old wouldn’t want to take this from her,” Mrs. 25. The zones competition consisted of all of pony, but also for Graham and her palomino Graham said. “She’s had a couple of horses the IEA regions in Florida, Georgia, South Quarter Horse gelding, Denver. that have tried her sportsmanship, but she Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. “[Denver] is amazing,” Graham said. “He’s comes out on top. The pros certainly outweigh Graham placed sixth at zones. g the sunshine of my life. I see him more as a the cons.”

by EstherMendoza

I

24

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 24

4/9/2012 2:50:35 PM

Sports

Inside Athletics: track and field

Don’t be deceived by my washboard abs or glowing tan: I’m not an athlete. I’m a journalist. I am trying out all the varsity sports and relating my experiences to you.

by RachelAnderson

I

f you've ever been to a public track, you'll know that every track has its own set of rules regarding which direction to run and which lanes to use. If Dreyfoos had a track on its campus, here are what some of the rules would be, as established by the varsity track and field team members.

1. Wear/bring your sweatpants. All athletes must wear sweatpants during warmups or suffer the consequences: extra sprints, planks, pushups or whatever evil exercise the coaches pick that day. This rule is non-

negotiable unless the temperature is well into the 80s.

2. Bring your equipment. This ties in with Rule No. 1. Truth is, it’s difficult to compete if you don’t have the right shorts or shoes.

I brought two left shoes to one of the first practices last year; I didn’t notice until I had put them on and tried walking, and it felt like I had two left feet.

3. Tie your shoes.

Visual sophomore Isabella Pezzulo learned this one the hard way – she finished the seventh lap of the Park Vista meet on Feb. 28 with one shoe missing (fortunately it didn’t affect her pace).

4. Stay in your lane. Like driving a car, successful running on a track requires that you minimize lane changes and don’t swerve. There is nothing more annoying than a runner who clips your shin or pushes you off the inside of the track. This is basic etiquette, people.

Photo by Daniel Milstein

Visual sophomore Isabella Pezzulo assists Rachel with stretching her hamstring after a workout of 400-meter “Catch the Rabbit” intervals.

JAGUAR PROFILE

B

Photo courtesy of The Marquee

refer to the 3200 meter race as the “two-mile,” people will give strange looks to anyone who says “quarter mile” in place of 400 meters, or uses mileage for any race under 1600 meters (one mile).

6. Have a strategy. In long distance events at big meets, you will be removed from the track if you are lapped unless you are in the top 10 runners. To avoid getting ejected, run really fast for the first few laps to secure a spot in the top 10, then get lapped and adjust to your regular pace. g

LaRosa breaks 5-minute mile

by JensenTate

Although band junior Brandon LaRosa has only been on the Dreyfoos track team for two years, there are many aspects of track meets that he enjoys.

“Meets are fun because it’s where you get to show off all the hard work you put into practices,” LaRosa said.

5. Embrace the metric system. Although you don’t necessarily need to set your thermostat in centigrade or convert your speed to kilometers per hour, all track events are measured in meters. While it’s acceptable to

Photo by Daniel Milstein

Rachel attempts the long jump at Bak Middle School of the Arts, where the varsity track and field team practices.

and junior Brandon LaRosa, who is one of the track captains, only started running track outside of school in his freshman year at Seminole Ridge High School.

Despite his late start in running track, LaRosa has already made his goal of running the mile in less than five minutes and is now going after breaking the current school record 4:50.

After transferring to Dreyfoos in his sophomore year, LaRosa decided to join the Dreyfoos track team.

He likes running track for many reasons; one of them being the many opportunities the sport has offered him. “[I enjoy] track because you meet a lot of new people and there are many things going on at once,” LaRosa said. “I was relieved when

I got my time under five minutes. I couldn’t have run any harder.”

At LaRosa’s first meet, he ran the mile in 5:35. He was able to get his current time of 4:56 by being dedicated during practices. Instead of relaxing on the weekends, he spent those spare hours running. “[As captain of the track team] I show up for almost all the practices and meets and, set a good example for the team,” LaRosa said.

It is rare for a junior to be elected as captain at other high schools, but LaRosa beat the odds. He enjoys being the captain of the team because he can set an example, which makes everyone else work harder.

“He works hard and is a good leader,” track coach Geoffrey Waugh said. “[As he continues with track, the] sky’s the limit. It all matters what he does off season.”

LaRosa’s love for running is what pushes him to continue with track.

He tries to provide good spirit and leads the team through example. “[LaRosa is] a nice person, [and he is] very motivational,” teammate communications junior Anthony Rodriguez said. “He tells us what we need to work on, [but] not in a mean way.”

Although the team has lost a few members, LaRosa has plans to improve the team by making sure everyone is focused and not slacking off. He feels this is easy to do because the teammates are in control of how hard they push themselves. “[LaRosa] is a great runner. He is so inspirational; some of my best times have come from his pep talks before meets,” Rodriguez said. g

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 25

25

4/9/2012 2:50:43 PM

Sports

The real stairmaster workout: DSOA edition

by JosieGraham

S

ix hundred and thirty-seven: that’s the number of steps it takes to get from TriRail to Building 1. That’s 0.31 miles and 33 calories burned. From the student parking lot, it’s 368 steps and 0.162 miles to Building 3, with 10.2 calories burned. That’s just the beginning of a typical Dreyfoos student’s day.

Watch out Weight Watchers and Richard Simmons, there appears to be a new weightloss program in town, and it’s found right in a Dreyfoos student’s schedule.

The campus has nine buildings spread out on 19 acres. In a single day of school, a student will walk approximately 1.5 miles and will burn anywhere from 100 to 150 calories.

Add a heavy backpack to the mix and you get a workout that will surely make you sweat.

Officer James O’Sullivan has seen this campus exercise in action and sympathizes with the students.

“I see kids with some heavy backpacks. If it bothered them, then they’d store some of [the books] in their locker and others figure they’re in good shape and they’re trying to get a workout,” Mr. O’Sullivan said.

Students also get plenty of exercise by climbing the stairs number of calories at school. There are burned walking from the 470 stairs total at student parking lot Dreyfoos, and 164 of to Building 3 them are in Building 1.

Communications sophomore Colin Duffy enjoys the overall feel of the campus, but struggles with maneuvering an overloaded backpack - which weighs close to 40 pounds - around school.

“On some days, when I have my academics

10.2

Tennis jargon quiz

Building 3 Building 1

Building 1 Building 7

classes, I will have Building 4 such a Building 9 l a r g e backpack I need Building 7 to look Building 3 around before I Parking lot to Building 3: can turn - 368 Steps so I don’t - .162 Miles - 10.2 Calories hit anyone,” building 1 to parking lot: Duffy said.

- 146 steps “The sheer - .064 miles - 3.9 calories weight of [my *stairs include both flights backpack] can Graphic by Alec Zisson be crushing, especially them with late passes, social studies teacher when you have a class on the third floor of a building after Jeffrey Stohr, whose classroom is on the third floor of Building 3, believes that the exercise walking across the campus.”

Along with carrying heavy backpacks and students get from walking the campus is good books, some students must tote trumpets for them. “[The backpacks] are bad for [the kids’] and trombones all 324 steps to Building 3 and up four floors. Band sophomore Nicholas backs, but walking up the stairs is good for Bimonte plays the trombone and must carry it [the students],” Mr. Stohr said. “For some of these kids, this is the only exercise they get with him at school and on Tri-Rail.

“It is a challenge to drag [my trombone] all day.”

Although not everyone appreciates the across the campus since my [trombone] amount of walking and stair climbing done is anything but compact,” Bimonte said. on campus, students agree that Dreyfoos’ “It especially is a hassle on Tri-Rail. Kids knock over my instrument and I always campus is one-of-a-kind in its layout. The have to sit in certain areas due to my fusion of indoors and outdoors that the school instrument. Bringing the instrument from offers is popular among students.

“I like the campus and the situation of Tri-Rail to campus is also a hassle and I don’t everything,” Bimonte said. “It is all outdoors favor it at all.” and it really gives me the feeling that the Teachers notice the amount of physical exercise students go through in a normal campus is a unique one that you won’t find day of school. Although the many stairs on [at] many other public high schools.” g campus and the layout of the buildings may cause complaints from students and provide

What is a serve?

What is a double fault?

What is a bagel?

Do you know your tennis terms? These students think they do.

Contributor: Max Fields

“[A bagel is] when you hit the ball in a circle.”

“A serve is when you hand the chicken parmesan to the paying customer, and in return, they give you a generous tip.”

“When the doubles players run into each other.”

compiled by KevinLevine

Andrew Outlaw theatre senior

26

Colin Duffy

communications sophomore

Jarett Rockwerk

communications senior

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 26

4/9/2012 2:50:45 PM

Hernandez, Wood and Holland are taken back to their college athletic careers

Photo by SteveMcLaughlinPhotography.com

Photo by Kevin Levine

Communications artist-in-residence Ruby Hernandez played for Wesleyan University’s volleyball team. Ms. Hernandez is the Dreyfoos volleyball coach.

Chemistry teacher William Wood practices with the basketball team after school.

by KevinLevine

A

lthough Dreyfoos is not typically known for its sporting prowess, there are teachers who step outside of the reputation that nobody at Dreyfoos has any knowledge about the world of sports.

Ms. Hernandez Although there was no volleyball team at Dreyfoos when she attended, Ruby Hernandez, a current communications artist in residence and the volleyball coach, found her way onto the Wesleyan University volleyball team. After years of club and beach volleyball, Ms. Hernandez walked onto her college team in Connecticut.

“It was hands-down the greatest experience of my life, to meet and exceed my expectations in my sport; it was amazing,” Ms. Hernandez said. “To have my teammates and coaches help me on and off the court [was amazing]. I had the support of the entire athletic program.”

Ms. Hernandez was the libero, or her team’s defensive specialist. She was an honorable All-American at her position in 2009 and 2010, which means that she was the best player at her position out of every college team in the country for those two years. She is also the all-time Wesleyan University leader in digs, which is when you return a spike.

“I love defense because most defensive players are overlooked, but they are an integral part of the team,” Ms. Hernandez said. “It is the most satisfying thing to be able to take a point away from someone. When they are set up for a spike, and they get a good

hit on the ball, and they think they have the point, but you make a dig, and now your back on offense.”

Even though she had a strict volleyball schedule, Ms. Hernandez valued her school work and double majored in film and history.

“We are student-athletes. Being a student comes first. We aren’t athlete-students,” Ms. Hernandez said.

Mr. Wood Chemistry teacher and basketball coach William Wood played college basketball at SUNY College at Oneonta, one of the best Division III college basketball teams in the nation. After two months on the team, he quit to double major in Chemistry and Chemistry Education.

“It was just too much. I was working all the time with basketball and double majoring,” Mr. Wood said. “Sports in college are serious, but we’re there for school, not for sports.”

Although his college basketball career was cut short, his high school basketball experience was a much different atmosphere than what we are used to here at Dreyfoos.

Mr. Wood went to Courtland High School in New York, where they sported a very successful high school basketball team.

“We just had really talented athletes. In fact, I think all of our starting five played at the next level, which is pretty rare,” Mr. Wood said. “Sports [were] a much bigger deal at my high school; we even modeled ourselves after the Cameron Crazies from Duke. The bleachers were packed for our games, and they had their own chants.”

Bagel /ˈbāgəl/ ‘ e

s

Athletic teachers

Correct Answers

noun A bagel, in tennis, is when you win a set 6-0, because a zero looks like a bagel.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Holland

Math teacher Lisa Holland was a top ranked tennis player on the University of Charleston’s tennis team.

Mrs. Holland In 2005 , math teacher Lisa Holland was inducted into the University of Charleston’s Hall of Fame. She was the No. 2 seed on her college tennis team, which at one point was ranked as high as seventh in the nation, and beat the larger, better-known schools in the region like the University of West Virginia. “[Being inducted into the University of Charleston Hall of Fame] was the coolest thing I’ve ever done,” Mrs. Holland said. “My main math professor found out about it, and was at the reception for me. It was the coolest phone call I ever got.”

Mrs. Holland equates her success on the court and in the classroom to one thing: her ability to focus.

“One of the reasons I was so good is because I was so focused. They wrote newspaper articles about just my focus,” Mrs. Holland said. “Playing a tennis match is very much like taking a math test with the focus.”

In addition to being on her college tennis team, Mrs. Holland was also a cheerleader at the University of Charleston.

Mrs. Holland believes that, as posted on the wall in her classroom, “Practice makes all the difference.”

“I didn’t have the advantages of some of the other kids. I didn’t have the lessons, or the country club to work at. I had to do it on my own,” Mrs. Holland said. “If you spend enough time practicing something, you’re going to be good at it.” g

Double Fault / ‘d b l fôlt/ e e

1

noun In tennis, you are allowed two attempts at a serve to hit the ball into the box. A double fault is when the player misses both attempts at the serve, therefore forfeiting the point.

Serve /sərv/ e

3

Sports

noun In tennis, a serve is the shot used to start a point. A player lines up behind the baseline, and tosses the ball into the air. They then have to hit the ball to the side diagonal from them, within the allowed area, called the service box.

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 27

27

4/9/2012 2:50:47 PM

Entertainment

You only live once, but there are ‘1000 Ways to Die’

Maggie Patterson News aggregate BuzzFeed.Com is what would happen if Twitter and the Huffington Post got married and had a baby. BuzzFeed has serious coverage of the Republican Primary next to a list of top forty cutest sloths.

There’s something for everyone, and the stories are sorted by the reader’s reaction. The best part? It updates every 10 minutes.

Gabi Cohen

I’m a little bit ashamed to admit this, but I spend a lot of time on the Internet. I’ve discovered a lot of new websites since my Neopets days. One of my favorites would probably be HelpINeedHelp, but specifically their “Help I’m Bored” section. In this part of the website, users can click on special prompts, such as “Help I want my cat to be a cover model”, and an entertaining little pop-up will appear with a strange picture or a funny activity related to the prompt.

Laura Pitts Whenever I have nothing to do, I always end up on StumbleUpon. com. This website helps you “stumble” through the internet based on interests you establish when you sign up. It brings you anything, from funny photos to interesting articles to educational videos. It’s a website where you can spend hours without getting bored.

Enrique Orosco

For the brony looking to stay in the know, there’s no better resource than EquestriaDaily. com. As the leading My Little Pony website, it’s the go-to website for the most up-to-date show news, fan fiction updates or pony music releases.

WHAT’S HOT

Draw Something FREE

by LauraPitts

Check out the interesting world of iPhone apps.

28

Photo by Apple iTunes

T

By MackSchroeder

E

very day should be enjoyed to the fullest and you should live to appreciate your family and friends.

When the little things in life bring Photo by Spike TV you down, just think of the 69 episodes of “1000 Way to Die” features about all the people Each four to five ways that someone could feasibly die. that care about you and put a smile While these sequences are entertaining back on that bright and interesting, they are depicted little face of yours, for every day we in a controversial and offensive are blessed with the gift of life, and way that leaves the viewer feeling nothing can take that away from you… perturbed and queasy. Fortunately, unless, of course, you suffocate from the behind the scenes experts show a level of intelligence and credibility swallowing a live jellyfish.

Drake wasn’t lying when he said, to undermine such poor acting and “you only live once,” and “1000 Ways capture the viewers with intriguing to Die” proves this in the most extreme scientific explanations.

The show is in its third season, ways possible. The show premiered on “Spike TV” in 2008 and has been and two of the most recent episodes, airing new episodes on a weekly “Locked and Low Dead” and “Sorbasis. From skull-fracturing golf balls Dead Affair,” feature some of the most to chest-impaling remote controlled strange, ridiculous and tasteless deaths helicopters, the show leaves little to yet seen on the show. One sequence the imagination. Each death is inspired in “Locked and Low Dead” features a by a (supposedly) real human fatality promiscuous woman who meets her with an added twist of dark humor demise after wearing a chemically and scientific analysis. A cast of cheesy tarnished green dress for St. Patrick’s actors plays out each death sequence Day. While the science behind this in the appropriate setting while a death is intriguing, the woman’s acting narrator and a set of experts describe is so lowbrow and offensive that it the physics behind each death. The makes you want to turn off your concepts behind each death range television.

As a whole, “1000 Ways To Die” from gruesome to sexual.

Each episode consists of six death deals with a very sensitive topic in a sequences, each with its own clever title crass and juvenile way, which leaves like “Eye-Sick-Kill,” which describes a viewer feeling unpleasant and insulted. man dressed as Santa who is impaled If you’re feeling strong-stomached, in the eye by an icicle, and “Chairway this show will no doubt provide some to Heaven,” which tells the story of a cheap laughs and entertainment for a man who is propelled through his roof short while. g by pulling the lever of a fighter jet seat.

TV

REVIEW

his app is a word game in which users draw a specific term on the screen, as a friend attempts to guess the correct word. If the friend gets it right, both earn points that can be used to buy more color schemes for in the game. It’s similar to Pictionary, but mobile.

GasBuddy FREE

Photo by Apple iTunes

I

f someone is on the go and in need of gas, GasBuddy locates the closest gas stations and displays their current gasoline prices, making it easier to avoid overpaying for gas. Users can report gas prices at stations they see to earn points, which can be entered to win a gas gift card.

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 28

4/9/2012 2:50:48 PM

Entertainment

Radiohead, Kings of Miami

by GabiCohen

O

n Feb. 27, every one of the 19,600 seats in the American Airlines Arena in Miami was filled. Anxious teens and adults squirmed in anticipation of the show they all came to see.

It sold out in a matter of minutes, and people lined up in front of the venue several hours before the doors even opened. So what drew these thousands of people to an arena in Miami on a Monday night? It was none other than the British genre-jumping band Radiohead, kicking off their first U.S. tour since 2008.

Thousands of avid Radiohead fans screamed and cheered as the lights were lowered in the hazy arena. Everyone stood up in unison and craned their neck so they could see the stage, now illuminated by a colorful LED display and a dozen hanging screens that continuously shifted positions throughout the set. Radiohead opened with “Bloom” from their most recent album, “The King of Limbs”. Nearly every song following the

opener mimicked this electronic stand-upand-dance but somewhat ambient vibe; the only exceptions were the gentle piano songs accompanied by lead singer Thom Yorke’s placid, yet haunting, ghost-like wails.

Though nearly half the set consisted of Photo by ateaseweb.com songs from “The King of Limbs” and “In Radiohead performed its first U.S. tour since 2008 at the American Airlines Rainbows”, Radiohead did play a few of their Arena in Miami on Feb. 27. older hits from 1997s “OK Computer”. But you want to mosh with your head-banging in addition to their known songs, Radiohead bros. Radiohead is more about chilling out and premiered two new songs: “Identikit”, which admiring the impressive visuals. The hanging was played toward the end of the main set, and monitors showed a distorted videofeed of “Cut a Hole”, which was the penultimate song each band member, creating a creepy “we are of the first of two encores. For the few minutes watching you” effect. that each song took up, the entire arena was At the end of the night, Radiohead closed almost completely silent and illuminated by their second encore with “Karma Police”. the cellphones of people desperately trying to People were moved to tears as everyone sang get a good video. They even played “Meeting in in unison “I lost myself”, and it left an eerie the Aisle,” a song that had never been played echo as the band left the stage. Though many live prior to that night. people doubt Radiohead, that night in Miami The thing about Radiohead concerts is proved their ability to entertain audiences and that it’s not the kind of concert you go to if give an impressive show. g

‘Hunger Games’ leaves us hungry for more T

by LauraPitts

he much-anticipated movie “The Hunger Games,” which was based on Suzanne Collins’ 2008 series of the same name, opened in theaters March 23. Directed by Gary Ross and co-produced by Ms. Collins, the film grossed over $152.5 million in its opening weekend.

The movie is set in Panem, a post-apocalyptic North America. Seventy-four years after the 13 districts’ failed rebellion against the Capitol (the aristocratic governing city of Panem), they decided to hold annual Hunger Games to remind citizens not to rise up. Two tributes, ages 12-18, are chosen lottery-style from each of the remaining 12 districts to compete to the death, leaving one victor is standing.

The story follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), a 16-year-old girl from District 12. She lives with her mother and little sister, Primrose (Willow Shields). Although it is the first year Prim is old enough to be chosen as a tribute, her name is called.

MOVIE

REVIEW

Crackle FREE

Photo by Apple iTunes

C

Photo by Lionsgate Pictures

The Hunger Games earned $155 million during its opening weekend. There are plans to make three more movies for the trilogy; the last movie is going to be split into two parts.

Katniss volunteers to take her place, something that has never happened in District 12. Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), a baker’s son, is also chosen. They head to the Capitol while being mentored by the only surviving, drunken, tribute of District 12, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson.)

Overall, the movie stays true to the novel, with no major deviations from the plot. There are a few small details changed, such as how Katniss obtains the important “Mockingjay” pin that stands for her safety, and eventually her freedom. Some scenes, such as the train ride to the Capitol, were cut for time, although

rackle is perfect for entertainment enthusiasts. It has free movies and TV shows to watch any time. Although the movies may be outdated, popular ones include “Year One,” “2” and “The Messengers.” Shows include “Seinfeld,” “All in the Family” and “Ripley’s Believe It or Not!”

Sleep Cycle $0.99

the film lasted two hours and 22 minutes. The acting effectively portrayed how I saw the characters in the book; Katniss is a swift-footed hunter; Peeta is the shy but smart boy; Gale Hawthorne, (Liam Hemsworth) Katniss’ best friend from District 12, is as playful but wise as the character in the story. Elizabeth Banks successfully played the oblivious, if not obnoxious, character of the District 12 Tribute Escort, Effie Trinket.

The movie’s only flaw is that there seemed to be gaps. Certain elements wouldn’t be clear to viewers who haven’t previously read the novel. For example, in the novel, readers could see what Katniss was thinking throughout The Games, such as when she was aiding Peeta when he was in need. In the film, however, viewers could only see her actions, not what drove her to do them. There were also differences in some aspects of The Games, such as the “muttations” at the end of the novel. The muttations were Capitolmade animals designed to kill the tributes. In the novel, they represented dead tributes in both fur and eye color, psychologically affecting the living tributes.

As a whole, the movie was very successful, as was shown in its opening weekend sales. “The Hunger Games” surely left audience members ready for the sequel to come out, “Catching Fire,” which is expected in 2013. g

S

leep Cycle is an alarm clock that analyzes your sleep patterns through movement. It wakes users up while they’re in their lightest sleep cycle so they feel naturally rested. A graph shows their movement throughout the night. To use, simply place the phone on the bed and sleep.

Photo by Apple iTunes

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 29

29

4/9/2012 2:50:48 PM

Entertainment

Alaska Young heats up music scene

by MaggiePatterson

E

very band wants to be the best, but today, sticking out from the crowd is like climbing Mount Everest wearing a swimsuit and sandals. Still, some bands rise to the challenge. Alaska Young is one of those bands.

Alaska Young’s members are all high school students, two of which go to Dreyfoos.

Communications freshman Nicholas Sadler plays guitar.

Communications freshman Dylan Thompson plays bass and performs harsh vocals, the characteristic ‘scream’ of scream music. Other members include Cristian Vernis, a freshman at Dwyer High School, and Mike Santomaso, a freshman at Palm Beach Gardens High School.

“We’ve been together about a year,” Sadler said. “We’ve had all kinds of name changes, though. We’ve been ‘Alaska Young’ only about eight months.”

Although they now play for crowds of more than 500 people, Alaska Young had humble beginnings, playing at small venues and friends’ houses.

“Our first show was at a house party,” said Thompson. “Somone called the cops on us for being too loud. People were turning

not to limit ourselves.”

Most high school bands fall into the trap of being popular only among high school students. The musical stylings of Alaska Young are popular across demographics.

“We were asked back to [Swampgrass Willy’s] play a show for adults,” said Sadler.

A probable reason for Alaska Young’s success is their inclusive performance style. Unable to afford pyrotechnics and Photo by Alaska Young expensive equipment, Alaska Young relies on simple performances and song quality The members of Alaska Young at a concert (from left) Palm Beach Gardens High School freshman Michael Santomaso, communications to attract fans. freshman Nicholas Sadler, Dwyer High School freshman Cristian Vernis “We try to make it fun for the audience,” and communications freshman Dylan Thompson.

Thompson said. “We get into it with around from their conversations to look at headbanging and talking to people in between us. We weren’t just background music. People songs. Some bands play a concert, and they’ll you would not expect to like us were coming just play songs one after another with nothing up to us [afterwards] and saying ‘you were in between. The songs mean nothing to you. awesome.’”

You don’t know the story.”

Even though their songs incorporate the Alaska Young has a Facebook Page and a screamed vocals characteristic of screamo YouTube channel. Catch them in concert on music, singer and communications freshman April 28 at Swampgrass Willy’s in Palm Beach Dylan Thompson describes their sound as Gardens. g ‘Metalcore.’

“Some bands have people singing opera in their metal songs,” Thompson said. “We try

Website reviews

by EnriqueOrosco

I

Klout

n an ever-changing Internet landscape, social media is beginning to play a growing role in our lives. With each tweet and status update, we expand our influence across social networks. If you have ever wondered how much of an impact your statuses make, how influentical your internet blog is or how many people are affected by your tweets, visit Klout.com, a website that seeks to measure your Internet influence by analyzing your social history by number of comments, likes and posts. Klout measures how strongly you and your friends influence one another and rates you. Featuring a friendly, warm layout, a simple 1-100 scale and nifty achievements tracking your progress, Klout is easy to read and fun to use.

Photo by Klout.com

Klout.com serves to measure an individuals overall online influence.

30

Scanwiches

Photo by Scanwiches.com

On Scanwiches.com, page visitors can view a large variety of diffrent sandwiches, such as the Ramen Noodles with ham and chesse shown above.

When you’re three hours into the school day and your hunger is building up, there’s no greater cure than looking at pictures of sandwiches.

Where can you find these mystical sandwiches that you desperately need to get through your day? Enter Scanwiches.com, where you can find scanned cross-sections of sandwiches of every shape and size. If you’re feeling bright and frisky, feast your eyes on March 18’s scan of a Nutella, cream cheese and raspberry sandwich. For the conservative diner, check out May 7’s cold cut combo. And for seniors on their way to college, there’s no better preparation for years of dorm life than November 28’s Ramen noodles with ham and cheese sandwich.

Tom Hanks is Animals Tom Hanks is an Academy Award-winning actor, starring in films such as “Philadelphia,” “Forrest Gump” and “Saving Private Ryan.”

There’s no greater example of Tom Hanks’ versatility than TomHanksimals.tumblr.com.

Here, your imagination can run wild as you scroll through pictures and pictures of Tom Hanks’ face on different animals. There’s Tom Hanks as a giraffe, Tom Hanks as a duck, Tom Hanks as a panda—the variety is astounding.

There really is no limit to this website or Tom Hanks. g

Photo by tomhanksimals.tumblr.com

Tomhanksimals.tumblr.com is filled with an array of photos displaying Tom Hanks on a variety of animals.

The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 30

4/9/2012 2:50:49 PM

Staff list

The Muse Staff Editors-In-Chief Executive Editor Senior Layout Editor Managing Editor Managing Editor, Content & Style Assistant Managing Editors Op/Ed Editor Op/Ed Staff News Editor News Staff Features Editor Features Staff Head Columnists Sports Editor Sports Staff Arts Editor Arts Staff Entertainment Editor Entertainment Staff Business Managers Business Staff Photo Editor Copy Editors Assistant Layout Editor Graphics Editor Website Editors Cartoonist Adviser

About The Muse

Samantha Bilton, Audrey Green Rachel Anderson Nicole Hamilton Alex Rehberg Daniel Milstein Kelly Berger, Shawna Bilton, Dominique McKenzie Adriana Rahrig Tess Saperstein, Hunter Truman, Tijienene Gordon Francesa Otero-Vargas Kyle Bell, Timothy DiTocco, Josie Russo Mack Schroeder Camille Sanches, Mikeshia Lewin, Jennifer Yoon Mack Schroeder Josie Graham Max Fields, Esther Mendoza, Kevin Levine, Jensen Tate Kloee Ciuperger Elizabeth Lane, Valeria Rivadeneira, Aubrey Levin, Dana Miller Laura Pitts Gabi Cohen, Maggie Patterson, Enrique Orosco Tijienene Gordon, Emily Lane Enrique Orosco Alexandra Lopez Savannah Artusi, Jillian Adams Angelica Moreno Alec Zisson Max Fields and Josie Russo Oscar Carl Stephen Moore

Editorial Policy

The Muse is a national award-winning newsmagazine. The publication has won numerous awards from the National Scholastic Press Association including a Pacemaker in 2004, 2008 and 2011 and a Silver Crown from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. This publication, and all six issues produced, is completely funded and created by its staff, advertisers and donors.

Over 1,300 students and a multitude of instate and out-of-state subscribers receive copies of the magazine annually. All aspects of the magazine from the cover to the exposure on the back page are written and designed by the students. There are 43 staffers, grades 10-12, from the Communications Department (and a cartoonist from the Visual Department) who work during and after school to make this publication possible. We would like to thank School of the Arts Foundation board members Lisa Marie Browne, Ralph Guild and Don Silpe for contributing generously to the 2011-2012 issues of The Muse. Your donations are greatly appreciated by everyone on this staff. Please visit our website at www. themuseatdreyfooos.com. g

themuseatdreyfoos.com

This is a q-r code, scan it with your smart phone and it will take you directly to the muse website.

The Muse is a student publication produced by Journalism IV, V and VI classes at Alexander W. Dreyfoos, School of the Arts. Opinion is limited to editorials and columns. We welcome and will print letters to the editors, which should be submitted to the Pressroom (1-305).

We reserve the right to edit letters for grammar and space restrictions and will publish no letters that are libelous or defamatory to any staff, students or members of the community. We also accept guest editorials, although we reserve the right to edit or to decline at our discretion.

The Muse gratefully accepts advertisements from community businesses as well as donations from interested readers. Yearly subscriptions can be purchased for $35. Please make checks payable to Dreyfoos School of the Arts and send to:

Dreyfoos School of the Arts 501 South Sapodilla Avenue West Palm Beach, FL, 33401 or call (561) 805.6252 The Muse | April 2012

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 31

31

4/9/2012 2:50:49 PM

exposure Ryan Mieszczenski

Photo by Angelica Moreno

Master Layout Issue Five.indd 32

V

isual senior Ryan Mieszczenski created this piece, “Ronald”, in October 2011 in visual teacher Marsha Christo’s AP Studio/2-D class. The character on the left is a drypoint on Plexiglas, and this was glued onto the monotype background. A drypoint is made by using a needle to etch an image into a surface, pouring intaglio ink over it and sweeping away the excess ink.

Monotypes are made by a similar process in which an etched surface

is covered in ink or paint and then transferred onto paper.

Instead of planning his art in advance, Mieszczenski enjoys watching a piece change and develop in front of his eyes. The colors at the top of this piece are the colors he typically uses because he thinks they are pleasing to look at. The figures and designs in the piece also reflect Mieszczenski’s style, which he describes as “semi-meditative.”

“I was thinking along the lines

of an altered perception of a person.

The lines are supposed to stimulate the mind and constantly be something to look at,” Mieszczenski said. “The figure on the bottom left has a joker’s hat on and that’s kind of making fun of [the character].

There’s a brain next to him, and [the] path going to the upper right is supposed to represent his mind and the constant evolution of thought.” g Written by Savannah Artusi

4/9/2012 2:50:53 PM