March 2025

THE

TRINITY VOICE

March 2O25 Volume 27 Issue 5 Trinity Preparatory School 57OO Trinity Prep Lane Winter Park, FL 32792

Luau Lights Up Night On Feb. 28, student council hosted a luau featuring traditional fire dancing, food and live music.

NEWS

Students compete in the Student Astronaut Challenge at NASA. Page 6

OPINIONS

Tipping culture puts pressure on consumers.

Page 9

STEM

Artificial inteligence helps protect and preserve endangered languages.

Page 21

LIFESTYLES

Freshman Simar Kang records planets and stars through astrophotography, Page 25

SPORTS

Supersitions act as double-edged sword for studentathletes.

Page 31

Table of Contents

March 2O25

TABLE OF CONTENTS News

Lifestyles

Trump’s New Tariffs O5 Clothing Store O6 School Nurse O7

Astrophotography 25 Solo Leveling 26

Manatee 24

News Bites O4

Opinions

Lead Ed O8 Tipping Culture O9 Death Row 1O-11 Indigenous Identity 12-13 Climate Policy 14

Focus

Marvel Movie 27 Commentary 28

Sports

Victoria Moore 29 TGL Golf 3O Sport Superstitions 31 High-Profile NBA Trades 32

Cover Page 15 Malkin’s Past 16 Cabal’s Coaching Career 17

STEM

Ying Expo 18-19 Back Problems 2O AI and Languages 21

The Trinity Voice is a member of the Florida Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association.

The Trinity Voice is produced by the newspaper/journalism class at Trinity Preparatory School of Florida. Editorials represent the opinion of The Trinity Voice writer and are not necessarily the views of the administration, faculty, or Board of Trustees of Trinity. The Voice welcomes letters to the editor and freelance articles or photography. All submissions become the property of The Voice. Please send all correspondence to 5700 Trinity Prep Lane, FL 32792. The Voice may also be contacted via phone at 407-671-4140 and via e-mail at voice@trinityprep.org. For information regarding the purchase of advertising within The Voice, contact us by one of the methods mentioned above. The Voice is a monthly publication during the school year (with the exceptions of November and January).

VOICE@TRINITYPREP.ORG THETRINITYVOICE.COM

Sun Safety 22-23

@TRINITY_VOICE @THETRINITYVOICE Page 21

Graphic by Natalie Baron

Photo courtesy of Victoria Moore

Page 29

“THE TRINITY VOICE”

Staff/Podcast

March 2O25

STAFF

Editors-in-Chief: Peyton Alch, Carol Marques

Saint Talk This Month’s Podcasts:

Non-Print Editor-in-Chief: David Steinberg

Blurbs by Jack Aaron and David Hull

Managing Editors: David Hull, Zach Kleiman, Amanda Rose DeStefano, Lucy Chong

Ep.5 - Fantastic Foreign Foods

Copy Editors: Aarav Gupta, Jack Aaron Layout Editors: Laziza Talipova, Fay Zhao Social Media Department & Broadcast: Ana Herrera [Editor], Olivia Agnew, Sarah Currie News Department: Sofia Haddadin (Editor), Krish Gupta, Janav Ramprakash, Sami Haddadin

Opinions Department: Nikhil Daniel (Editor), Ashwin Anand, Karl Loiseau Focus Department: Mila Taylor (Editor), Mia Prince, Taylor Griffith Lifestyles Department Sammy Lou (Editor), Bowen Dong, Aarav Gupta, Jack Aaron, Lila Choudry Sports Department: Emily Lopez (Editor), Ben Kleiman, Thomas Bonos Podcast Department: Gustavo Membreno Graphics Department: Caden Liu (Editor), Maxi de la Fuente, Natalie Baron Photo Department: Jackson Napier (Editor), Aksel Williams, Ally Williams, Julia Hoskins, Eden Kiger Fact Checking Editors: Taylor Griffith, Mia Prince Business Manager: Jack Aaron Adviser: Erin Miller

3

Do you like food? So do we!

Listen in to Jack Aaron ‘26 and Sammy Lou ‘26 as they discuss the top 1O most underrated yet delicious foods. Spanning from Hawaiian desserts to Italian rabbit ragu, this podcast offers some of our most highly recommended foods.

Pardon the Interruption Tune into this month’s edition of Pardon the Interruption with David Hull ‘25, David Steinberg ‘25, Jack Aaron ‘26, Nikhil Daniel ‘26 and Thomas Bonos ‘26 as they discuss blockbuster NBA trades, predictions for the upcoming F1 season, and much more!

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News

March 2O25

NEWS BITES

Spread by Sami Haddadin and Janav Ramprakash Graphic by Natalie Baron

Nochur Sankar Science Center: The Monthly Update “We anticipate that the next month will include the drying-in of the building. That means that the roof, windows and doors should be installed over the next 3O days. Interior walls are going up as well.”

- Mr. Lawson, Head of School

This Month: By The Numbers

1OO,OOO

Number of eggs stolen in a Pennsylvania heist. Police have yet to determine who did it.

7 trillion

The tons of glaciers lost in the last 25 years as climate change has shrunk them.

St. Patrick’s Day Fun Facts

Records show the first ever St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in St. Augustine, Florida on March 17, 16O1

The New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade is the world’s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States.

15

The length in years of Juan Soto’s deal with the New York Mets the largest in MLB history.

Source: AP News

It wasn’t until 1798 that the color green became officially associated with St. Patrick’s Day, according to Time Magazine.

Before then, it was originally blue.

Source: Parade, Gainesville Sun

March 2O25

News

5

TRUMPS TARIFFS: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD Article by Sami Haddadin Graphic by Caden Liu The average cost of a car according to Kelly Blue Book is $49,740, but under President Donald Trump’s new tariffs, the average price could rise by at least $3,000, with some trucks seeing an additional $10,000 spike. Although the tariffs, which are a tax on imported goods, are focused on reducing the trade deficit and protecting American industries, they have sparked a significant debate on the global stage. One side argues that the tariffs could strengthen America’s economy, while the opposing view warns that they inflict greater harm, undermining the nation’s prosperity.

Trump is fond of using tariffs for one key reason.

“The tariff concept is something that he can do unilaterally … without congressional approval … and maybe that’s why he’s more willing to go towards it,” social science teacher Brandon Burmeister said.

For now, Trump has backpedaled on the 25% tariffs on all Canadian and Mexican goods. But China was not spared, getting hit with a 10% tariff on Chinese imports prompting retaliatory tariffs on their United States imports.

According to a Feb. 12 New York Times article, neither country is in a rush to talk, indicating that the tariffs could be here to stay for a while.

M e a n while, a Yahoo Finance article from Feb. 14 reports that Trump ordered a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports into the U.S. from all countries.

Additionally, Trump recently signed a measure that could lead to the implementation of reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. trading partners as soon as April.

Trump has made the warrant clear as to why

he is doing the reciprocal tariffs. According to a Feb. 13 White House Fact Sheet, U.S. trading partners have repeatedly placed disproportionally large tariffs on U.S. exports, but the U.S. doesn’t do the same. This is a major component of the growing trade deficit, currently at $98.4 billion.

Furthermore, tariffs could be a motivating factor for American industries to become more self-sufficient and not rely on other countries. “[Tariffs are] going to increase the domestic price that consumers pay,” social science teacher Caralyn Saldarraiga said. “But then there’s going to be pressure on the domestic producers to produce either a substitute or increase their own supply … We could possibly achieve the same prices given enough time, and then we don’t have the risk associated with being dependent on another country.”

However, there are some drawbacks to how the tariff works, and the undisputable truth still remains: inflation will go up.

“Ultimately, the prices are still going to be up because there’s a reason that these goods are produced overseas, because labor and supply are cheaper,” Burmeister

said. “Therefore, the products can be sold at a cheaper price. When you start putting that inside the United States, the labor, time and supplies are more expensive, so the prices are going to go up.”

Further, tariffs could destabilize the already volatile housing market in Central Florida and drive up prices for goods made with aluminum and steel.

“The tariffs on aluminum and steel are going to cause soda, automobile and housing prices to go up,” Burmeister said. “You’re going to see prices go up across the board for people that are just day-to-day buying and selling things.

We have a real estate market that is already really inflated, it’s going to be even more inflated now. So, buying a house and moving things are going to be really difficult in Central Florida.”

The tariffs could also impact Trinity students looking to get into sports.

“I think the biggest way that the tariffs would affect Trinity students is the price of sports equipment,” senior James Hawley said.

“I know football uses Riddell, which comes from China, and basketball uses Wilson and Nike shoes, and both of those are manufactured in China, so those are all going to become more expensive for students who want to get into sports.”

Looking to the future, the tariffs could have a positive effect on the job landscape, but a negative effect on the cost of living for the seniors at Trinity.

“There’s definitely going to be protectionism for manufacturing jobs, but while this is going to add more jobs to the market, the price to then pay for all the needed goods to live is going to increase,” Hawley said.

With this in mind, the tariffs imposed by President Trump have exposed the fragility of the global economy, and world leaders will have to take their next steps very carefully.

“There are a lot of big landmines sitting out there that could easily blow up into a pretty bad economic situation,” Burmeister said.

News

March 2O25

TRINITY ROCKETS TO SUCCESS Students triumph in recent Student Astronaut Challenge Article by Krish Gupta Photo courtesy of Michelle Chicas Picture long hours of intense work, meetings and preparation, fueled by a passion for space exploration. This is exactly what Trinity students recently undertook, navigating their way to success in the Student Astronaut Challenge. Composed of 25 total teams from freshmen to seniors, this aerospace-related competition occurred from Feb. 3-5 with an initial qualifying exam as well as four challenges each consisting of varying objectives: design, engineering, landing and space-flight simulation.

The design challenge included the creation of a mailbox that incorporated several spacethemed elements as well as a 30-minute presentation. The landing challenge, on the other hand, focused on safely landing a simulated shuttle, while the spaceflight simulation challenge involved the team running through a checklist of procedures. Lastly, the engineering challenge, in which Trinity received the third-place award, required teams to control a blind rover on Mars and collect minerals of the most value.

“The Student Astronaut Challenge ... [is] meant to test problem-solving and group work,” team coach and science teach- e r Michelle Chicas said. “Those are things that are emphasized in all of the challenges. Teams that work well together typically will do better on a lot of the challenges.”

This focus on collaboration and teamwork proved essential as the team faced various unexpected obstacles both during preparation and throughout the challenges, including their lack of experience and dissatisfaction with the mailbox design, prompting a collective effort to rebuild it.

“When you’re a new team like this, you need people that are willing to really try and make mistakes, because that’s how we learn,” senior and team member Nicholas Saraiva said. “No one was really shy about anything [and] we were all very upfront with our ideas.”

This willingness to be open-minded and collaborative, however, was not simply an inher-

ent skill between the team members. Rather, it was a direct result of team bonding and spending time together.

“Really getting to know someone helps,” Saraiva said. “We spent a lot of time together with each other before the competition, so I think that’s a good thing for a team.”

This team bonding stemmed from countless hours of preparation for challenges requiring hands-on skills and muscle memory, with the team also adapting to their circumstances due to limited resources.

Collage of photos including senior Nicholas Saraiva presents his team’s mailbox for the design challenge (bottom right).

“The biggest challenge was that we didn’t have all of the technical hardware we needed, so we practiced at The Geneva School where they have a more complete setup of the simulator,” Chicas said. “It’s not on campus here, so it was harder for us to practice more like the real thing as opposed to just the paper version.”

Understanding the intricacies of the competition was something that the newly established Trinity team was also challenged with.

Although they qualified for the upper league through the qualifying exam, they were advised to compete in the lower league due to the unwritten rules and guidelines embedded in the competition.

“There are a lot of things that, if you just follow the base instructions, you’re not even going to place,” Chicas said. “There are a lot of unwritten things that you only learn once you’ve competed there.”

Despite this obstacle, the team remained resilient and excelled in the engineering challenge, which participants were unaware of preceding the convention.

“In the other challenges, we didn’t score as well because a lot of them are routine [and] every other team knows about it,” Saraiva said. “Because we’re the new guys, we can’t be as competitive because we don’t know the ins and outs of everything yet. [The engineering challenge] shows raw intelligence and strength and I think that’s where it shows how strong our team really is.”

Their success at this year’s Student Astronaut Challenge is a testament to their hard work as well as a bright future for next year. “[Our win] really gives me a lot of pride because it shows that we know how to execute together and have a lot of good chemistry,” Saraiva said. “It makes me excited and hopeful for my future because I know that, if I can find a good team and people that I have good synergy with, I can really do a lot.”

March 2O25

News

HELP IS N THE WAY Jennifer Weiser joins Trinity as our new school nurse Article by Yizhao Chen Photo by Jackson Napier Ever since she was 6 years old and her fa- patients. However, the long 12- to 13-hour “I like teaching, and I like nursing, so I ther was diagnosed with diabetes, Trinity’s new shifts were hard to manage as a mother of thought school nursing would be appealing,” school nurse, Jennifer Weiser, knew she want- three.

Weiser said. ed to work in the medical field.

“It really wasn’t a good fit for me,” Weiser Weiser then took a job at United Cerebral “[My dad] included me in the process of said. “I had some patients who weren’t going Palsy of Central Florida charter school, worklearning how to manage his diabetes,” Weiser to make it, which was very emotionally diffi- ing with a population of about 300 students. said. “He would let me help him with his shots cult to deal with.”

Weiser’s favorite aspect of school nursing is and things like that, so I always thought, ‘I’m That’s when Weiser discovered school nurs- the opportunity it presents to teach children going to take care of my family.’ I feel like I ing as a possible career path. how to take control of their own health and had a natural inclination to learn more about their take care of people.” bodies.

During nursing school, “[Children] rememWeiser explored a variety of ber things that they learn medical fields through rotathrough experience,” Weistions in areas like women’s er said. “If you come in health, pediatrics and longwith an injury and learn term care. something about your After graduating from body or about healing that the University of Central you didn’t know before, Florida, she joined Orlando you take that with you.

Health as a surgical oncoloI like giving information - Jennifer Weiser, Nurse gy nurse. and teaching things that “They did these amazthe kids can take with them ing surgeries there called and use through their life.” flap surgeries,” Weiser said.

Her journey eventual“They could take an area of ly brought her to Trinity skin from one part of the when she researched the body and rebuild another school and found that their part after they removed the mission aligned with her cancer using the patient’s own. own skin. To me, that was “When you think, the coolest thing ever.”

‘What is one of the most Inspired by her newfound difficult things about the passion for wound care, human experience?’ it’s Weiser pursued a program pain and suffering and in Wound, Ostomy and illness,” Weiser said. “So, Continence Nursing at the the common factor is just Cleveland Clinic. helping people get back to “That’s the good thing their optimum, just faciliabout nursing,” Weiser said. tating that resiliency and “It’s versatile, so you can try helping people be better any area that you have an inagain. That’s what’s done terest in.” here on a broad, educaLater, she moved to Adtional, holistic level.” vent Health and worked School nurse Jennifer Weiser helps a student bandage her wound. Weiser discovwith bone marrow transplant ered her passion for wound care as a surgical oncology nurse.

“I like giving information and teaching things that the kids can take with them and use through their life.”

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Opinions

March 2O25

FEEDBACK REFORM Student feedback is essential, but our current system fails to foster effective discussion

Years of filling out Trinity’s “Student Feedback Form” have revealed one truth: The thing most in need of feedback is the form itself.

The Google Form consists of two broad sections: a list of statements about various aspects of the class to be rated and three open-ended questions about the student’s experience. According to Head of Upper School Tracy Bonday, the former is compiled graphically for administrators to analyze, and the latter is used to identify more specific areas for improvement.

School policy requires the form to be used at the end of each semester for new faculty members and semester-long courses but only at the end of the school year for all others. This means many teachers only have the chance to gauge how students are feeling once a year — too late for them to course-correct for possible student critiques.

“It’s important to change your approach based on who’s in front of you, and students change year to year,” Science Department Chair Romina Jannotti said. “You can’t do that if they’re not giving you feedback. Then you’re in an echo chamber.”

Because teachers cannot see what works for their students until they are already out the door, many students find no tangible impact from their responses and thus give the form little thought.

“I feel like these only apply to future students, not really my experience in the class,” junior Maddox Langston said. “I fill it out like it’s not for me, because it probably isn’t.”

This apathy is the biggest threat to any hope of progress. Students’ belief that the form is futile in turn makes the form more futile.

Bonday stresses that any implementation of the feedback at the administrative level requires evidence of a pattern. A pattern is only credible if the pool of respondents is large enough to show that the concern is significant to the overall student populace.

“If you want to have a certain level of voice, then the voice has to be … reflective of a larger

number of kids,” Bonday said. “You want to see a preponderance of the feedback indicating there’s something there.”

Even when feedback is provided, it is not always usable. Former English Department Chair Steve Krueger has noticed that students occasionally use the form to vent personal grievances in a way that obscures more objective critiques.

“Students need to be aware that they play a role in this process of being either constructive or not,” Krueger said. “We should totally have [criticism], but it should be couched, just as I would hope that teachers [do] when they give you feedback on the other side.”

The anonymous form provides a safe space to express concerns free of perceived power dynamics or judgment. However, since the feedback collection is one-sided, it does not facilitate open, balanced discourse between student and teacher, emboldening some respondents to toss out decency.

“With the [anonymity] sometimes comes someone who wants to go into a non-constructive ‘attack’ mode,” Krueger said. “Then there’s no give and take, and so there’s no opportunity to clear up any misunderstanding that may exist between you and the students.”

Regardless of the setup, student feedback has inherent flaws. A 2020 study by Wake Forest professor Justin Esarey and research fellow Natalie Valdes found that student evaluations are frequently biased by perceptions of a teacher’s gender or race. In another study from 2020, psychologist Wolfgang Stroebe found a strong correlation between grade inflation and better student ratings.

Students who approach the feedback system as a way to improve their grades or exact vengeance are degrading an invaluable tool that could help both them and their teachers come away more successful, educated and satisfied.

“It really shouldn’t ultimately be about what makes the class easier,” Bonday said. “The takeaway needs to be on what’s best for help-

ing students to learn … because we all need to be learning and improving if we’re going to be able to continue to meet the needs of a changing larger global context.”

To encourage a more productive feedback loop, the form should be filled out at least once a semester, if not quarterly. A more frequent touchpoint would ensure students’ concerns are being heard instead of pent up.

Tailoring the questions to specific departments or courses would make feedback more relevant to implementation. A broad question like “What did you enjoy most about this class?” can leave students scrambling to provide something useful. Instead, ask, “How effective were the labs in aiding your understanding?” for science or “How did you feel about the frequency and variety of writing assignments?” for English.

Additionally, teachers should offer students individualized feedback outlets that best serve their classroom’s needs. For example, Krueger has his students fill out smaller surveys at different points in the course, giving him a constant update on how he can help them. These forms are not always anonymous, but he hopes his students feel comfortable enough to share their honest thoughts.

“Years back, there were enough students that had mentioned that additional work in the area of research would have been helpful,” Krueger said. “I modified the curriculum personally in light of that, and I had a broader conversation within the department because I was not alone in seeing this suggestion.”

That success is what all of us — students, teachers and administrators — want to see on our campus. Constructive feedback creates constructive change. Both are long overdue.

The lead editorial expresses the opinion of the Trinity Voice editorial staff. Please send comments to voice@trinityprep.org.

March 2O25

Opinions

9

REACHING A TIPPING POINT Tipping expectations are putting pressure on consumers Article by Amanda Rose DeStefano Graphic by Caden Liu Going through a drive-thru used to be quite simple. You would pay, receive your food and leave. Now, you can’t make it out of line without the dreaded screen turn. Whether you smash the “No Tip” button or you’re feeling extra generous with a 20% tip, it’s easy to notice the pressure consumers face to tip, even in situations where it might not be necessary.

TIP SCREENS

I remember how simple tipping used to be.

My mom would dig up loose change from our car and drop it in the tip jar after going through the drive-thru line. Now, however, tipping screens have infiltrated these transactions.

With each item you purchase —– whether it’s a coffee or a carwash —– the infamous “tip screen” pops up.

Although it is explained as being “totally optional,” it doesn’t feel this way to most people.

Tipping screens, as an alternative to traditional jars, require users to actively engage in choosing whether or not to tip. Instead of passively overlooking a jar sitting on the counter’s corner, you must stare at the iPad and uncomfortably click “No Tip” as the employee oversees your decision.

These screens also exhibit a lack of transparency, where you are unable to see whom your tip is really going to.

“There’s no way to really tell if you’re tipping the person that checked you out,” senior Connor Nanus said. “It seems like more of a donation to this giant mega-corporation.”

COVID-19’S INFLUENCE

Traditionally, tips served as an incentive or reward for an employee’s good performance.

With the onset of COVID-19, though, this

motivation for tipping changed entirely. Consumers banded together to keep businesses afloat. Whether it be local coffee shops or big chain restaurants, all businesses were hit by the pandemic, and consumers took to tipping as a means of saving them.

According to a 2023 poll conducted by Pew Research, around 72% of U.S. adults say tipping is expected in more places today than it was five years ago, confirming consumer’s fears that tipping hasn’t gone away after the pandemic died down, with expectations to tip only increasing.

THE LARGER ISSUE

The bottom line is that tipping culture, although working to help underpaid employees, does not tackle the root of the issue. Food service workers and most other “tipped workers” are underpaid, causing workers’ fates to be left in the hands of unreliable consumers. Instead, it is the employer’s obligation to ensure that workers who run dishes back and forth for five hours straight or stand in the hot sun all day to work are paid a liveable wage.

Tipped workers make up roughly 5 million employees in the United States, as the Depart-

ment of Labor classifies any employee working a job that “customarily and regularly” receives more than $30 a month in tips as a tipped worker.

Understandably, consumers feel obligated to tip after seeing how difficult the jobs of many tipped workers are.

“Now that I’ve started working food service, I always tip,” junior and Chick-fil-A employee Chloe Nieves-Ramos said.

Unfortunately, this tipping culture deflects blame away from corporations who have historically profited from underpaid labor. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act excluded restaurant and hospitality workers from a minimum wage entirely, leading to the onset of tipping. In 1966, a “subminimum” wage was created mandating that tipped employees made $2.13 an hour. Now, in Florida, the minimum wage for tipped workers is $8.98, a clear sign of progress, but still less than non-tipped workers’ wages. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics terminalizes this disparity, with food preparation and serving-related occupations making the lowest median annual wage across all listen occupations at just $32,240.

“It’s basically just an excuse for them to pay their workers less, which is just completely nonsense,” Nanus said.

HERE’S A TIP

An important rule for navigating tipping culture is asking yourself “What am I even tipping you for?” Did you get exceptional service?

Leave your server a nice tip. Are you feeling extra generous this morning? Drop some cash into the tip jar at Starbucks. If you don’t feel as though the extra 20% is earned for a job that requires no real service, then there is no need to tip.

1O

Opinions

March 2O25

BEYOND THE BARS Article by Sarah Currie Graphic by Caden Liu

In December, Luigi Mangione captured the focus of news pages, social media feeds and everyday conversation. The suspected killer of CEO of UnitedHealthcare Brian Thompson, Mangione will face the death penalty if found guilty. As his sentence looms, Mangione’s potential fate reignites the question of whether or not capital punishment is just. Death row inmates endure a slow, agonizing psychological death long before their execution is even carried out, making death row an inhumane

ing multiple alibi witnesses. His conviction relied on coerced testimony from a jailhouse informant and systemic racism. Thankfully, he was exonerated in 1993 after the Equal Justice Initiative uncovered suppressed evidence and recanted witness statements proving his innocence.

Nonetheless, a wrongful conviction that leads to execution is murder at the hands of institutions that claim to protect us. Angela Drake is the ex-wife of Scott Dozier, a previous inmate on death row. To this day, Drake believes

“I hired the attorneys…we proved without probable cause that he [Scott] was innocent… I spent $35O,OOO… And Maricopa county did not reopen the case. I know for a fact with my whole soul that we proved his innocence.”

- Angela Drake, ex-wife of Scott Dozier, inmate on death row

sentence.

While capital punishment in the U.S. is performed by acts of either lethal injection, electrocution, hanging, or firing squad, the real brutality lies in the waiting.

Many people believe that an inmate’s treatment on death row is justified because of the crime they committed. Unfortunately, this logic does not account for our imperfect justice system where mistakes not only happen but happen repeatedly.

“With the backload of cases that we have, we don’t have time to look through every case deeply,” Leticia Feliciano, a Trinity Prep Mock Trial member said, “There’s a chance they could die and they did absolutely nothing wrong…

Historically we have seen that affect minorities and Black people disproportionately.”

For example, Walter McMillian, a Black man from Alabama, was wrongfully convicted of the 1986 murder of Ronda Morrison and sentenced to death based on false testimony and prosecutorial misconduct, despite hav-

that Dozier was wrongfully convicted.

“I hired the attorneys…we proved without probable cause that he [Scott] was innocent… I spent $350,000…

And Maricopa county did not reopen the case,” Drake said. “I know for a fact with my whole soul that we proved his innocence.”

With a notoriously imperfect justice system, we have to be mindful of how we treat those on death row. That said, no matter the circumstance, human rights should be extended to all humans – imprisoned or not.

According to a survey conducted by the ACLU, 93 percent of states lock up their death row prisoners for 22 or more hours per day.

Prisoners receive medical attention and food through a slot in the door, and most death row prisoners will never hug a family member or loved one again, as 67 percent of states mandate no-contact visitation.

March 2O25

Opinions

How death row can destory the mind “Humans thrive on contact comfort…it’s hardwired into our biology… that security, that safety you get from a loved one —a touch on the shoulder, a hug— we are built to desire that,” AP Psychology teacher Michael Brown said “[The lack of contact’s] gotta hurt them that much more.”

In addition to being void of all human contact, a death row inmate’s cell is on average the size of a parking spot. The cell has no natural light and little to no artificial light. Being confined is one thing, but being put into the darkness and not being able to

touch another human is cruel and unusual.

Death row conditions blatantly deprive prisoners of their human needs for years. “[The state penitentiary in Nevada] locked him up naked for 14 days, and they never came for him,” Drake said. “They didn’t give him back his music, because they wanted him to go crazy.”

The conditions on death row push inmates over the edge, and it seems as if the system wants them to end their lives themselves.

Death row inmates have negative physiological and psychological reactions to these barbaric

cally spend more than a decade on death row before execution or exoneration.

But after seven days of solitary confinement, prisoners will have lower levels of brain function, as there is a decline in EEG (electroencephalogram, a test that measures and records the electrical activity of the brain) activity.

At the end of the day, no life should be valued above another. Every person deserves to be seen as a human being, and hatred is countered with humility, not vengeance. While

“There’s a chance they could die and they did absolutely nothing wrong...Historically we have seen that affect minorities and Black people disproportionately.”

- Leticia Feliciano, a Trinity Prep Mock Trial member

conditions, and they often resort to self-harm.

While Dozier was on death row, the penitentiary had slipped him a straight blade, accordingto Drake. “[The penitentiary and state of Nevada] were really pushing for him to end his life,” Drake said.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, death-sentenced prisoners in the US typi-

incarceration is necessary to protect society, inflicting psychological pain as a form of punishment has no place in a just system and must be abolished entirely.

We need to acknowledge the humanity of people who are too often ignored. To stop potentially innocent people from being psychologically tortured, you can find an inmate on Florida’s death row, learn about their case, and write to your state senator. Additionally, you can go to the Floridian’s Alternatives for the Death Penalty website and sign petitions to remove inmates from death row. While Mangionie’s actions are not justified, we have to recognize his humanity and frustration with our system. We must realize that no person deserves to have their basic human rights taken away, no matter what they have done.

Opinions

March 2O25

REPRESENTATION MADE REAL Article by Karl Loiseau Graphic by Maxi de la Fuente Disney has been, albeit very gradually, making progress in representing all peoples through their princesses. We did get a fish before an Indigenous princess, or Black princess, or an East Asian princess, but at least most of our generation was able to grow up seeing princesses that look like them. However, the purpose of representation is undermined when it ignores the true history of a group. In the case of Pocahontas, the myth of a kind and generous colonizer became a reality for the millions of children and adults who watched the Disney film. Regardless of intention, poor representation can often worsen the situation for the very groups of people that it is supposed to help.

Significance Representation on and behind the screen matters. The choice to not cast Indigenous actors, hire Indigenous screenwriters or platform Indigenous producers is just that — a choice made by those in power. A USC Annenberg study from 2023 that examined patterns of Indigenous representation in Hollywood reported that after analyzing 16 years and 62,000 speaking roles, only 99 of the roles, or 0.001%, were portrayed by Indigenous actors. Whether intentional or not, the message is clear: The industry does not care to portray Indigenous stories.

These are not just numbers, but a representation of a system that continues to attempt to erase the lives of millions of people in the United States and deny their right to exist in the public conscience.

“That invisibility had a big impact because it’s like if I don’t see myself, then do I really exist?” said Kimberly Guerrero, actress and professor of theatre, film and digital production at the University of California Riverside.

Indigenous people are then put in a position where they have to justify their existence on screen.

“I’ll never forget that … my first time in the room with HBO … out of my 15-minute pitch I had to include at least five minutes of helping them understand why Native stories were important and why there was an audience for them because we got told so many times [that] … people don’t care [about Indigenous people],” Guerrero said.

Such conditions create a cycle where Indigenous actors are not hired for major or even minor roles. Their stories never enter the public consciousness, so there is no push to see their lives represented. As a result, Indigenous actors are hired even less, making the likelihood of substantive change even lower.

“A lot of Native scholars and also Native community members talk about the importance of representation and representational sovereignty,” said Dr. Mandy Suhr-Sytsma, professor of Indigenous Studies at Emory University. “The realm of representation being one of many in which native people need and want to assert their sovereignty and to have self-determination over.”

Looking Back

The representation that does exist carries its own issues.

“I feel like it gets really stereo“To fight dehumanization with story is typed, and we see more of old Naparamount because story is medicine. It tive American culture like the one that everyone thinks of, big headcan be good medicine, or it can be bad.” dresses, stuff like that, and less of just normal people,” junior Chloe - Kimberly Guerrero, Professor at the Nieves-Ramos said.

The earliest portrayals of IndigUniversity of California Riverside enous people in American film came in the form of Buffalo Bill shows. At best, the shows were

March 2O25

Opinions

Accurate representations of Indigenous identity fight dehumanization

cultural consultant.”

Knowing how to write and accu“We see more of old Native American cul- rately portray Indigenous people is just ture like the one that everyone thinks of, big as important as having them play the headdresses, stuff like that, and less of just lead role. Actors should not be the only source of representation in the industry. normal people.”

Likewise, the roles themselves should - Chloe Nieves-Ramos, Junior not be confined to just correcting historically inaccurate portrayals.

“My great grandma was a Cherokee push a message that love conquers all, misrep- Indian, and she wasn’t like what everyone resented the true story of Pocahontas. Amon- thinks of when they think of a Native Ameriute, or Matoaka, was 10 years old when John can person,” Nieves-Ramos said. “She was just Smith, at 27, originally came to her village. a normal lady, and I feel like we don’t see as Their interactions never extended past diplo- much of that.”

While tackling the issue of a lack of repmacy between the colonizers and the Powhatan tribe. After a few years of this dynamic, resentation on an individual level may seem daunting, it can be as simple as picking up a Smith died on a voyage back to England.

In what people viewed as one of the land- new TV show. On Hulu, for example, “Resermark movies for Indigenous representation, vation Dogs” is the first TV show to be writreal people’s lives fell to the wayside and a ten, directed and produced by a solely Indigenous cast. Supporting shows and movies like myth was immortalized. propaganda, and, more often “That’s a powerful form of misrepresenta- that demonstrate that people do want to see than not, at worst, they were blatant tion,” Suhr-Sytsma said. “That might seem an- actual representation for Indigenous stories.

Outside of supporting the media, people displays of white supremacy. noying … but actually [it] has lots of ideology The shows featured battles between ste- behind it and material consequences attached should take the time to do research and understand the history, and more importantly, the reotypical Indigenous tribes and the “he- to it.” current-day standing of Indigenous people. It roic” cowboys where the cowboys always is important to recognize that the education seemed to win, sometimes even ending in someone may have received is wrong. the extermination of herds of buffalo.

“It happens with every culture where people Those same images were advertised to families as a fun afterGood representation is simple. When dis- think they’re being socially aware and politinoon out. cussing Indigenous representation, Indige- cally correct, but actually they’re taking it in The issues with the Buf- nous voices should also be platformed and a totally different way because everyone’s only falo Bill shows are clear heard. Non-Indigenous voices should take the seeing it through the lens of what’s been presented to them,” Nieves-Ramos said. “So once to people now. Roman- backseat and simply listen. ticizing a culture of “It’s important to spend … time … on In- again, that’s a big education thing.”

Platforming Indigenous stories and voices murder and brutal- digenous created-texts and stories, because I ity to children will think there’s so much richness there and the outside of media is just as important as withonly leave them work of foregrounding those voices is so im- in the film space. Fictional stories are not the only stories people have to share with the with a skewed portant,” Suhr-Sytsma said. perception of On a larger scale there is obvious room for world. They also have their lives.

“To fight dehumanization with story is parreality. So why improvement in the film industry. did people like “The biggest issue has been they haven’t amount because story is medicine,” Guerrero “Pocahontas” included us in … above the line positions,” said. “It can be good medicine or … bad.” so much?

Guerrero said. “That means producers, direcDisney, out tors and writers in particular … so you’ll have of a desire to a situation where they will, at best, bring in a

Looking Forward

March 2O25

Opinions

H T TOPIC

America politicizes climate change, leaving Earth as the casualty Article by Ashwin Anand Graphics by Jack Aaron

In an executive order titled “Unleashing America’s Energy” on his first day back in office, President Donald Trump declared that America would be free of the Green New Deal and all of its “burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations.” With the path we are on, America might soon be free of its home planet, too.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 2024 was the warmest year recorded on Earth in modern history. This time last year, so was 2023.

It seems that at such a pivotal moment in our planet’s life, we are purposely turning a blind eye to its treacherous future.

Trump’s branding of climate policies as “ideological” epitomizes the problem: Climate change has gone from a scientific topic to a political one. As global temperatures have risen, so have tensions over the issue.

“When I was a kid and something happened, the first people they’d go to was the scientist to figure it out,” science teacher Scottie Smith said. “The scientists were the good guys.

And in the last 20 years, scientists and scientists’ understanding of how things work are actively rejected … Most developed nations do not struggle with this problem, mainly because the populace is educated in science and understands it.”

This placing of politics over fact has manifested as a war on all green policies. Trump has made clear his plans to remove any sort of incentive toward renewable energy and invest solely in traditional oil power. Though burning fossil fuels may have an immediate economic advantage, actively resisting alternatives simply limits the choices available to the American people.

“It’s a virtue signal to remove tax credits on solar and wind to prove that you stand against climate proponents, not one made out of economic, rational thought,” social science fellow Quinn McKenzie said. “Americans having the

choice to install solar panels on their homes or wind turbines on their farms is more freedom … It feels like it’s a move that can only be made out of spite and [one] that is indicative of a broader politicization of climate.”

Furthermore, as of Feb. 10, Trump’s administration has told NOAA to review all of its grants for words such as “greenhouse gas,” “carbon” and “climate.” Though we have yet to know the directive’s ultimate purpose, recent scientific censorship at the National Institute of Health and the purging of diversity-related language within the government have offered little comfort.

Whatever his true intention, Trump has “drill, baby, drill[ed]” a huge hole in our climate protections in what he couches as an attempt to help the United States become more competitive in the global economic sphere.

The same rationale underscored his decision to once again withdraw from the Paris Agreement, a global treaty comprising over 190 world nations with the goal of limiting global temperature increases.

“I think Trump perceives it as a prisoner’s dilemma, where if we commit to climate action, he views us as then being outcompeted by countries who don’t commit like India or China,” McKenzie said. “It’s a self-fulfilling cycle. When America pulls out, China and India can go, ‘Oh, well, if the U.S. isn’t going to do it, why would we commit to it?’”

Trump’s belief that America has been given an unfair burden to tackle climate change is antithetical to his idea that America leads the world. If China’s population does not encourage its government to act on climate, America — which has for centuries been an example and beacon to other nations — should not hold itself to the same low standard. We must set the pace in fighting for our planet instead of joining the rest of the world in neglect.

“To say we’re being unduly burdened is untrue,” McKenzie said. “Most of that burden is

coming from the American citizens. If your people are placing the burden upon you, it’s probably not an unfair burden.”

Despite a 2024 Pew Research Center survey finding that 76% of Americans are saddened by climate change, the American people ultimately place other, seemingly more pressing matters over climate without consideration for how climate can directly affect them: If droughts impede food production, grocery prices will go up. If natural disasters disrupt mining sites, gas prices will go up. If people’s ways of life are destroyed by an ever harsher climate, “climate refugees” will be forced to migrate to survive.

The responsibility lies first and foremost with schools to instill the knowledge of climate change’s tangible impact in people as early as possible. Smith believes Trinity does a phenomenal job through courses such as AP Environmental Science or Human Geography, but other Americans may be less lucky.

“If we start with the kids, explain to them the problems, I do think you grow up to be a better environmental steward,” Smith said. “I do think that adult humans who have decided based on some 20-minute Google searching that they’re right are very difficult to convince.

It took me 25 years to convince my mother that climate change was, in fact, real.”

Whether or not we are able to educate the masses, the government still bears a responsibility to protect the Earth. A republic should produce leaders who will make educated decisions in their citizens’ best interest, and — however radical it may seem — having a planet to live on may just serve our interest.

“The purpose of the U.S. as established in the preamble of the Constitution is to establish an enduring union for ourselves and our posterity,” McKenzie said. “And I think that part of ensuring a brighter, better world for our posterity is making sure that the place they live is habitable.”

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Focus

March 2O25

MALKIN’S MASTERPIECE Ceramics develops a safe and creative environment

Article by Mia Prince Photo courtesy of Vadim Malkin From Moscow, Russia, to Brooklyn, New York, and Orlando, Florida, ceramics teacher Vadim Malkin has taken a long path with many twists and turns that led him to teach at Trinity Prep.

Growing up in the Soviet Union led to a hard childhood for Malkin. Unlike the United States, he was unable to go outside and walk the streets, or have a bag of candy readily available. However, at the age of 9, Malkin and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York. His eyes were opened to a new world full of fresh adventures and diverse cultures to explore.

“I grew up in the Soviet Union when I was in Russia, so [my childhood] was a little different,” Malkin said. “The Soviet Union was very much like America was in the 1960s, but this was the ’80s.”

From a young age, an appreciation for the arts was instilled in Malkin. Both his father and grandparents were artists and encouraged him to follow in their footsteps.

“We did art lessons every Saturday, so [different techniques were] the kind of thing I always did [growing up],” Malkin said.

Early on, Malkin learned traditional drawing and painting techniques. However, he majored in ceramics at the University of Central Florida. He had always done a little bit of ceramics, but he decided he had a true passion for it and could see it as a job.

“I was originally planning to do graphic design in college, but one of my art history professors talked me out of the idea of sitting in front of a computer all day and said that would be extremely boring, and I agreed with him,” Malkin said. “I changed to ceramics as a major and from there just kind of spiraled into it. I really loved it and here I am.”

After college, Malkin became a full-time artist doing ceramics while still continuing his love for all art forms like painting, drawing and portraying still-lives. He continued to different art techniques on the side with a main focus on ceramics.

After college and working for a while, he was

offered a job at Lake Howell, where he became a full-time ceramics and art teacher. Six years later, he came to teach at Trinity Prep.

“My favorite part [of teaching is] seeing students grow, like when you start with a student and they’ve never touched clay, and then by the end

Ceramics teacher Vadim Malkin teaches students different pottery techniques in class.

of the semester, they’re completely transformed,” Malkin said.

Ceramics allows for students to be introduced into new topics and concepts of art that they previously did not know.

“I feel like [ceramics] has opened new ideas for me, giving me ... a deeper perspective of art and understanding hard work,” sophomore art student Kinsley Wood said.

Not only does teaching bring Malkin joy, but

his students feel the same joy for ceramics and an appreciation for art after they leave his class.

“Then you found this love for clay and you made that little difference in their life, and they’re always going to enjoy that no matter what they do in their careers,” Malkin said. “They’re always going to have that little hankering for clay, and I love to see my students that have graduated, and they’re still involved in clay.”

Ceramics and all other art forms allow students to show their creativity and take a break in the day from their other stressful core classes.

“I find that my little corner of the world is a little haven for creative freedoms, and I’ve really enjoyed being that little bit of creativity for students,” Malkin said.

Malkin also enjoys creating his own pieces like “The Score,” which is a squirrel on an acorn. Malkin described the piece as a culmination of strategy, instinct and luck that all come together.

Malkin works hard to achieve a comforting space for all students to achieve their creative potential. “[The classes are] fun and uplifting,” Wood said. “There’s always music and you’re free to just be yourself and work while talking to others or just keep to yourself, but you can basically be, however you want in the room.”

While many students love the ability to express their creativity through their ceramics, many also find it an outlet where they can destress and relax from their other issues at home or with school. “[One student of mine sent] a letter [saying] this class had prevented her from committing suicide because it made her want to continue [living], so that was like, wow, this does matter,” Malkin said.

March 2O25

Focus

17

CABAL CRUSHES CAREER Teacher has a secret past of being a colligete level wrestler Article by Taylor Griffith Photo Courtesy of Isiah Cabal His wrestling background led him to his Like many young athletes, AP World Histo- out I can be better than this other person today.” teaching and coaching career. Cabal became ry teacher Isiah Cabal dreamt of growing up As he continued wrestling, he won a lot the first-ever wrestling coach at Hagerty High and playing in the NBA. and gained attention from a lot of colleges. School, where he coached both wrestling and “When I was younger, I was pretty good At a massive wrestling tournament that he football for 13 years. Then, he moved to Lake at basketball, and then when I was in middle attended, he beat the state champs. He then Howell, where he was also the head wrestling school, I was convinced I coach. was going to be the first “The best part of Filipino to make it to the coaching was taking the NBA,” Cabal said. kid who’s never wrestled Although he trained before and seeing them every day to become the grow and mature and next Michael Jordan, his find success,” Cabal said. plans took an unforeseen Cabal’s love of coachhalt when he realized the ing extended to the classother boys were twice room. his height. He turned to “I think a good pracfootball and succeeded tice plan is structured because he was speedy the same way a good and small, but as everylesson plan should be one grew up, he was left structured,” Cabal said. behind.

“There are different com“Everyone had grown, ponents, and just like and I’m Filipino and I teaching and coaching, had pretty much stopped you analyze the results.” growing,” Cabal said.

He moved to Trinity in Instead, with the ad2018 after he heard the vice of Cabal’s football AP World History spot coach, he found wreswas opened. He found tling as a viable option great love in teaching where height was not an this class and moved issue. to refereeing instead of Leaving behind the coaching. team-based sports of “My favorite times of football and basketball, reffing is for UFC behe changed to wrestling cause I referee people which focused on the from the UFC and see as one-on-one aspect — AP World History teacher Isiah Cabal referees the Ultimate Fighting Championship they grow and go into prosomething he ended up (UFC) in December, focusing on the mixed martial arts (MMA) section. He refs 2-4 fighters,” Cabal said. loving. Soon, Cabal’s ath- times a week ranging from UFC fighters to more advanced pro fighters.

He refs mixed martial letic goals completely shiftarts and kickboxing two to ed to wrestling. committed to the University of Missouri and four times a week.

“The times that I did win, those were althen transferred to the University of Central “There’s a quote from Dan Gable,”Cabal ways great,” Cabal said. “The feeling of all Florida, where he wrestled for all four years. said. “‘Once you’ve wrestled, everything else in that hard work finally paid off. There’s just “So I wasn’t a great collegiate wrestler,” Ca- life is easy.’” something that you get from wrestling that bal said. “I was fine for high school, but colyou cannot get from anything else, and that lege was a whole different beast.” is one-on-one competition and just figuring

STEM

March 2O25

A SCIENTIFIC DEBUT Article by Peyton Alch Photos by Peyton Alch

On Feb. 13, 16 upper school Trinity students showcased individual research projects at the Ying Expo, a science competition that encourages students to find ways to benefit humanity through science. Throughout the school year, these students developed their projects using various research methods and applications, with the common goal of trying to solve a real-world issue. With projects ranging from the impact of energy drinks on tooth decay to using quantum cascade lasers to search for environmental solutions, there is no limit to what can be explored.

Slide and See: Can a VR Slicing Game Sharpen Peripherial Vision?

Senior Rianna Patel’s project uses Beat Saber, a virtual reality slicing game, to test if the peripheral vision of 27 participants improves over time.

“I’ve always been interested in vision and ophthalmology and wanted to see if new technology could be utilized, especially concerning peripheral vision, to improve this,” Patel said. “I want people to learn that they can use different types of visual training to improve their peripheral vision, especially those that are accessible to them.”

Patel placed first in Biomedical & Health Sciences and was a grand prize alternate, meaning that she will move onto the State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida in March.

Fresh or Foe: The Impact of Body Deodorants on Lactobacillus Junior Lucy Chong researched the impact of whole-body deodorants on the vaginal microbiome by examining their effects on Lactobacillus, the dominant bacteria of the vagina which plays an essential role in maintaining the region’s health.

“I knew I wanted my research to involve women’s healthcare as it’s a chronically underresearched industry,” Chong said. “I chose whole-body deodorants due to their recent resurgence, I wanted to draw attention to how some of these products that are promoted by the beauty industry as having health benefits may actually be endangering women’s health.”

Chong won first place in Microbiology, was a Ying Scholar grand prize winner, and a recipient of outstanding achievement for ability and creativity in In Vitro Biology. She will move on to the International Science and Engineering Fair, taking place in May.

How do People with Higher Emotional Intelligence Handle Frustrating Situations?

Junior Kelly Wentz wanted to research the cor-

relation between emotional intelligence and mental disorders by using Braille. She gave her subjects 10 minutes to learn the first 10 letters of Braille and then tested them on how much they remembered. In the simulation, subjects were placed into a stressful situation to measure their frustration and sweat levels, in order to determine a correlation between stress levels and emotional IQ. Wentz’s projects earned an honorable mention in Senior Behavioral & Social Sciences.

“The goal of my project was to have people develop a new method to test for mental illness,” Wentz said. “Right now, the testing for anxiety and depression happens later in adolescence, so the goal is to see if there is a correlation to try to speed up the diagnosis process so psychiatrists can help people earlier in life.”

March 2O25

STEM

Saints present independent research projects at Ying Expo Unseen Light: Revolutionizing Python Detection Technology with Near Infared Cameras Juniors Connor Brady and Victor Fang (not pictured) researched practical applications of NIR imaging to identify Burmese pythons in the Everglades. They used specialized cameras and illuminators to take pictures of snakes. The pair placed second in Senior Environmental Engineering.

“We want people to learn that there is an alternative to the largely inefficient boot-on-the-ground searches in regards to Burmese Python identification and capture,” Fang said. “Hopefully we will be able to help the biodiversity of the Florida Everglades recover from the invasive species of Burmese Pythons.”

Utilizing Quantum Cascade Lasers for Precise Methane Detection and Environmental Solutions in Polluted Air

Juniors Jia Sood and Katia Lykah constructed an experiment that addresses the issue of gas leaks by measuring methane levels using quantum cascade lasers. They simulated a pipe leak using a PVC pipe to replicate an enclosed methane chamber. They shot a laser through the pipe, reflecting onto a spectrometer that measured methane levels.

From there, they were able to understand how methane can be detected and came up with ways to use it on a larger scale in everyday life, like with a drone. The pair earned third place in Senior Environmental Engineering.

“Because methane is odorless, it is really difficult to detect,” Lykah said. “It is a really big pollutant in the environment so the goal of our project was to show that finding solutions to climate change doesn’t have to be expensive. There are inexpensive ways to focus on individual factors that can address the issue.”

Energy Drinks vs. Enamel: Testing Tooth Erosion Senior Danika Senekal (left) investigated how energy drinks as compared to water and club soda contribute to tooth erosion on human teeth. To demonstrate the demineralization of teeth, she calculated the average rate of change in mass for each solution.

Senekal also took pictures to document the progression after the total exposure period in each solution.

“I want people to learn that energy drinks are just as harmful to your oral health compared to sodas,” Senekal said. “They can stain and demineralize your teeth.”

Senekal placed second in Chemistry and hopes to expand her research during her undergraduate studies. Beyond her project, Senekal wants to continue to advocate for dental health and spread awareness to ensure her experiment won’t become someone’s reality.

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STEM

March 2O25

BACKBONE OF EDUCATION

How students are damaging their backs to succeed in school Article by Lila Choudry Photo by Julia Hoskins Backpacks slung over shoulders, hours hunched over desks and the pressure to perform academically — all these factors contribute to a growing yet often overlooked issue among students: back pain. While it might seem trivial at first, back pain can significantly impact a student’s daily life. Yet, the conversation surrounding this issue remains largely unspoken.

HIDDEN CAUSES One of the most common culprits behind student back pain is the muscle strain that comes from carrying heavy backpacks. However, the problem is more nuanced than simply hauling books across campus.

“Heavy backpacks are probably not healthy for the spine,” Pain Management Doctor at Orlando Health Bruce Dixon said. “It’s not just about the weight but how it’s carried. If a backpack looks too heavy from a spectator’s perspective, it probably is.”

This issue is especially pronounced in younger students, whose developing spines are more vulnerable to injury.

“My backpack was pretty heavy, so I get back pain a lot towards the end of the semester, but also when I start playing lacrosse it gets worse,” senior and student athlete Charlotte Davis said. “I take stuff out of my backpack and clear my papers from my bag every semester, but it doesn’t really help.”

But heavy backpacks are only one piece of the puzzle. Prolonged sitting and poor posture compound the problem.

“A sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for back pain,” Dixon said. “Good posture can combat this, but slouching is a bad habit.”

In classrooms designed for efficiency rather than comfort, students often find themselves sitting for extended periods, leading to muscle fatigue and spinal misalignment. This discomfort can easily escalate to lifelong chronic pain if left unaddressed.

Sports, too, play a significant role in student back pain by predisposing students to specific back injuries.

“Students are most likely to have back pain

due to muscle strain or a disc bulge,” Dixon said. “Other causes could be a pars interarticularis defect (a small break in a section of a lumbar vertebra that can cause lower back pain), particularly in those involved in high-impact sports.”

MENTAL TOLL Back pain is more than just a physical inconvenience — it impacts every aspect of a student’s life. Chronic pain can lead to a vicious cycle of discomfort, stress and anxiety.

“Pain can interplay with things like depression, and they can kind of feed off each other,” Dixon said. “This becomes a long-term problem, affecting productivity and overall well-being.”

Students experiencing persistent pain often struggle to concentrate, leading to reduced academic performance and heightened stress levels. The emotional toll is compounded when students feel isolated in their pain, unable to articulate their struggles to peers or teachers who may not fully understand the severity of the issue.

LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES If left untreated, back pain in students can lead to chronic conditions later in life. While some cases are self-limited and resolve with conservative care, others can persist and worsen over time.

“Back pain doesn’t always resolve,” Dixon said. “It could become a chronic issue, leading to long-term complications.”

Chronic back pain can impact sleep, mood and energy levels, creating a ripple effect on all aspects of life.

ful of how they sit and carry their backpacks.”

In addition to physical adjustments, stress management techniques can alleviate the mental burden of chronic pain. Practices such as stretching and regular exercise can help reduce tension and improve overall well-being.

“When I start playing lacrosse, it gets worse,” Davis said. “I don’t really stretch a lot when it’s not lacrosse season, so I think if I did that more, it would be better. But I know when I do stretch on the field, it feels so nice.”

TAKEAWAYS The prevalence of back pain among students demands a shift in how schools and families approach the issue. Rather than dismissing complaints as minor aches, it’s essential to recognize the long-term implications and address the root causes. This means creating supportive environments that prioritize physical health, mental well-being and educational success.

Back pain is more than a temporary discomfort; it’s a silent barrier to student achievement.

By fostering awareness and implementing preventive measures, schools can help students carry the weight of their education — without carrying the burden of pain.

PREVENTIONS AND SOLUTIONS Preventing back pain requires a proactive approach, beginning with awareness. Schools can play a pivotal role by ensuring ergonomic classroom designs and encouraging regular movement breaks. Educating students about proper posture and backpack safety is as equally crucial.

“Keeping the spine in good alignment is key,” Dixon said. “Students need to be mind-

Charlotte Davis demonstrates the effects of slouching at the desk, with red marks indicating areas at risk of spinal damage.

March 2O25

STEM

PROJECT: PRESERVATION Artifical Intelligence protects endangered languages Article by Aarav Gupta Graphics by Natalie Baron and Caden Liu Typically AI is seen as something to be feared. As Elon Musk said, “With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon.”

Instead, AI is being used as a way to preserve endangered languages through documentation and translation.

Despite endangered languages facing incredible risks, artificial intelligence is providing powerful tools that preserve languages.

“When [linguists] collect data from a speaker of an endangered language, they might have hours and hours and hours of recorded speech,” linguistic professor at the University of Washington Andrew Hedding said. “I know of some people that have used automatic speech recognition tools to try and take a sample of a language and then use that to train a model that could recognize the speech of additional data that you’re giving it.”

Other than automatic speech recognition tools, large language models (LLM) are trained to perform translations among many languages. In fact, Google launched a program to build AI models that help younger generations explore linguistic heritage by learning indigenous languages.

Languages become endangered from the changing demographic factors and limited speakers, specifically children.

“The main thing we look for to determine whether a language is endangered is how many children are learning the language,” Hedding said. “Children are learning them in the home and speaking them with their families and then they’re also speaking them out in the community.”

According to language database Ethnologue, 3,170 languages are endangered worldwide. Languages go extinct because of the use of English and other dominant languages, due to colonialism as well as other factors.

“Latin itself is no longer spoken due to the governing structure that propagated Latin,” Latin teacher Kyle McGimsey said. “With no more central government structures in Rome, you have all of these places where Latin was spoken, starting to evolve independently.”

Usually, languages pass from generation to generation but limited communication can put a language at risk of extinction. However, certain methods allow for the preservation of these languages.

“In endangered languages that transmission is starting to be broken causing the language to have endangerment in future,” Hedding said.

“For some languages that are severely endangered, linguists will make recordings of stories and then preserve those.”

Preserving endangered languages plays a significant role in promoting the diversity of languages worldwide, important markers of identity and crucial for preserving one’s identity. “[Latin] can be a unifier of that people as a way to hold onto a history or a culture that helps them feel that sense of identity,” McGimsey said. “The study of that dead language does have the potential to stamp out other

languages because it’s being seen as a shared inheritance of Western Europe.”

In spite of its tremendous potential, these AI models have encountered privacy issues, inaccurate conclusions and lack of trust among users.

“I think there’s just a question of who has access to that data and are the AI companies able to use that data to train other models,” Hedding said. “Another issue that might come up … is AI making untrue statements. Also … some communities might be skeptical about a non-community member machine generating data and that being taken as a source of data.”

While tools like AI can make understanding endangered and extinct languages easier, they still remain challenging to learn, especially for the younger generation.

“All these languages are heavily inflected, meaning that they have cases and endings and are much less dependent on the order of words in a sentence than they are on what those words look like,” McGimsey said. “Another challenge can sometimes be that … you’re not always learning the words that feel like you’re relevant to your life.”

Still, speakers have recognized the great potential of AI for preserving endangered languages that are at serious risk.

“Documenting endangered languages is a bit of a race against the clock,” Hedding said.

“If these tools are able to increase the speed at which linguists and community members are able to document languages … it might allow us to improve our analysis of languages.”

It is only a matter of time before these endangered languages go extinct. The development of these advanced AI tools will ensure that such progress will not be lost.

STEM

March 2O25

BEYOND THE BURN Article by Sofia Haddadin Photo by Julia Hoskins, Graphics by Caden Liu and Natalie Baron Shortly after her son’s first birthday, melanoma survivor Leah Koskinen noticed a small spot on her shoulder and thought nothing of it. After her mom encouraged her to get a skin check, the seemingly innocent spot flipped her life upside down as the doctors told her the diagnosis: she had stage three melanoma.

With the cancer spreading to her lymph nodes, scans and frequent checks became her new norm. Countless doctor appointments and surgeries later, Koskinen has been in remission for six years. However, her story is far too common for millions of Americans, emphasizing the importance of raising awareness about sun safety and skin cancer.

Skin cancer can be classified into three main sub-categories: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. While all three are deadly, melanoma is the most fatal due to its tendency to spread to other parts of the body. Just two sunburns before the age of 18 can increase the risk of getting these cancers by over 50%. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 9,500 people are diagnosed with skin cancer every day, and more than two people die of the disease every hour. On the bright side, when melanoma is detected early, the five-year survival rate is 99%.

“The cancer can go anywhere when it’s melanoma, but it really depends on the type of skin cancer,” Koskinen said.

“But it’s not just as simple as getting a mole removed. If we didn’t catch it as quickly as we did, that cancer could have gone throughout my whole entire body.”

Unfortunately, despite such deadly statistics, there are popular misconceptions plaguing society.

To debunk such myths, it is important to be well-informed to be able to differentiate between fact versus fiction.

While many are aware of the dangers the sun poses, most are oblivious to the indoor danger that is even more deadly than the sun’s UV rays: indoor tanning. While seemingly harmless and even marketed as a safer alternative to the sun, tanning beds pose a threat to anyone who decides to use them, especially to teenagers. MD Anderson Cancer Center warns that using a tanning bed before age 20 can increase your chance of developing melanoma by nearly 50%.

“The vast majority of my peers perceive sun safety as an unnecessary precaution and ignore the risks of skin damage to prioritize looking tan,” eighth grader Collette Baum said. “Tanning beds emit ultraviolet radiation ten to fifteen times higher than the sun at its strongest intensity, and individuals who have used a tanning bed before they’re 35 are 75% more likely to develop melanoma.”

Despite these risks, the desire to achieve a tan remains prevalent, especially among teenagers, who are particularly susceptible to peer pressure and societal beauty standards.

Eighth grader Collette Baum applies sunscreen to protect herself from the sun’s UV rays.

March 2O25

STEM

The truths about sun safety can combat common misconceptions

“Another misconception is that you only need to put on sunscreen once per day,” Koskinen said. “You should really be reapplying every two hours. I like to set an alarm on my phone so that I don’t have to think about remembering when the two hours are to make it easy for [myself ].”

Setting alarms or daily reminders on phones are easy ways to remember to apply and reapply sunscreen. While sunscreen works wonders by deflecting or absorbing UV rays, it is not invincible.

“In reality, even the best sunscreens wear off after about two to three hours, and they deteriorate even quicker if you are sweating or swimming,” Baum said.

By being diligent about sunscreen reapplication, we can protect ourselves from the dangers of skin cancer. Constant reminders build healthy habits to make sunscreen application a no-brainer.

Consistency is key to success, and this is especially true regarding sun protection.

Lauren Muench, a dermatology physician assistant at Reflections Dermatology, encounters social media conspiracies and myths regarding sun safety on a daily basis through interactions with patients.

She commonly hears her patients say that they do not have to wear sunscreen every day since they rarely go outside, but she warns that this could not be farther from the truth.

“I inform my patients that the sun has a cumulative effect and that 10-15 minutes in the sun each day adds up,” Muench said. “It may not seem like much at the moment, but 10 minutes every single day is a lot of UV exposure, which can put individuals at risk for sun damage — including skin cancer and premature aging. This is why it is important to apply SPF each day to protect ourselves from the harmful effects of UV radiation.”

The compounding effect of the sun means that even if you occasionally go outside and are exposed to the sun, you will still feel the effects over time. Sunscreen application and general sun protection, like wearing UPF clothing or staying in shade during the peak hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to Northwestern Medicine, are critical to staying safe.

Social media has a tight hold on teenagers in today’s society, making it the best method for instilling sun safety habits. With #tanlines having over 430 million views on TikTok, the sunscreen narrative should and can be changed.

“If influencers and other celebrities celebrated their natural skin tones and sent a message that beauty isn’t only skin-deep, it could be revolutionary to skin-cancer statistics, causing a significant positive change,” Baum said. “There are so many individuals online boasting tanlines and romanticizing a burnt complexion, which has had a monumental impact on teens around the world.”

It is important to protect the face, ears, neck, chest and arms as they are exposed to the sun’s harmful rays on a daily basis. While sunscreen is one of the main aspects of sun safety, other important forms of sun safety cannot be forgotten.

“Another thing that is helpful is wearing protective clothing — such as UV shirts or hats whenever outside for long periods of times,” Muench said. “Also, finding shade whenever possible to prevent direct sunlight is an easy thing to do to minimize excessive sun exposure.”

It truly is the little things that add up to have the greatest impact when it comes to building healthy sun safety habits.

“Just do the simple things, you know, have a hat to keep it in your car, keep a little bottle of sunscreen in your purse and make sure your makeup has SPF,” Koskinen said.

While simple practices like carrying sunscreen or wearing a hat can help prevent skin damage, advancements in technology are enhancing the ability to detect skin conditions at earlier stages. New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are becoming key components in early detection, which can, in turn, increase survival rates.

“There are currently AI-powered apps and tools that patients and providers can use to perform more accurate exams and potentially detect concerning lesions at an even earlier stage,” Muench said. “There are also non-invasive biopsy techniques such as DermTech — which is an adhesive sticker test that you can apply on a skin lesion to assess certain genetic properties, indicating whether or not a biopsy is warranted.”

Baum, Muench and Koskinen all echo a similar message: start early and prioritize consistency when it comes to building healthy and sustainable sun safety habits.

“It’s so easy to live in an all-or-nothing mindset, but what typically happens is that teens abandon their sun care routine early on and let their skin pay the price,” Baum said. “Making sure to apply sunscreen every single day, even if it’s only a little bit, is what has the greatest impact over time.”

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Lifestyles

March 2O25

MANATEE MISSION

Berchem finds her life’s purpose among manatees Article by Fay Zhao Photo by Julia Hoskins

It was 2011 when Cora Berchem arrived at a hotel in Miami, FL, to attend a conference with her film and television company. Berchem, who came from Germany to the States to pursue a career in communications and filmmaking, was used to traveling to different places. Little did she know, this trip would change her life.

It all began when she visited a promotional stand in the Miami hotel lobby and saw a cuddly gray plushy of an unfamiliar sea creature which at first she thought was a whale.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, it’s so cute,’” Berchem said. “I was told it’s a Florida manatee ... I had never heard of a manatee before we bought the toy.”

Interested in all kinds of wildlife, Berchem started researching what a manatee was.

“They’re well studied at this point, but they’re not as well known,” Berchem said. “I think they fascinated me because everybody knows what a dolphin, a seal or sea lion is. But a manatee, there’s still a lot of people who don’t know a lot about it.”

Inspired, Berchem found her new passion project: a documentary about these gentle giants. She interviewed many professionals around Florida, featuring the efforts of Save the Manatee Club and local zoos.

“One of the ladies I interviewed at Zoo Tampa … I heard her talk and realized how passionate these people were,” Berchem said.

“So when I went back up north, I had a job there and I said, ‘What am I doing here?

Where are these people? They’re saving lives down in Florida.’”

Berchem, already familiar with Save the Manatee Club from almost two years of collaboration in bringing the documentary to life, took the first opportunity to work with them for a short period of three months. Eleven years later, Berchem is still with the manatees, working as the communications director for spreading awareness on these gentle creatures.

“I think about finding ways to communicate that knowledge, because there’s a lot of these scientists out there that have this amazing

body of knowledge, but if you want people to care and make a difference, you have to communicate it on a level that they can relate to and understand,” Berchem said.

Along with her job running the social media, digital web cameras and other educational events, Berchem shadowed the park’s manatee researcher of 40 years, Wayne Hartley. There, Berchem worked hands-on with manatees in participating in morning roll calls — a head count and documentation of all manatees in the spring each morning — and rescues.

Throughout the years, she created countless unforgettable memories of seeing manatees recuperate from injuries and their total rise to a record number of 827 — each success story a testament to their conservation efforts and the manatee’s resilience.

“The most rewarding thing is if you see an animal that you rescued and released comes back,” Berchem said. “Especially an animal that wasn’t doing well the season before and now you see that it’s all healed up and doing great … you get the feeling that you are making a difference for them.”

Now during the winter season, Berchem finds herself on a canoe every morning spending time with these manatees, recognizing each of them. Occasionally, she will see her favorite, Annie, whose calf was first spotted by Berchem right after its birth. Other times, she will spot Mampee, the manatee named after the first little stuffed animal she got at the hotel lobby in Miami.

“Sometimes you just never know,” Berchem said. “If you had told me when I was in college that I would be working in Florida right now with manatees, that was not something I would have ever considered. You never know, and if you have a passion for something, go with it, even if it’s not the direct path of getting somewhere.”

Berchem paddles slowly in the water, watching for manatees resting at Blue Spring State Park.

Learn more about the roll call:

Lifestyles

March 2O25

CAPTURE THE COSMOS

Freshman records stars and planets through astrophotography Article by Fay Zhao Photo Courtesy of Simar Kang Freshman Simar Kang finds his usual spot in the darkness of the surrounding park and sets up his barlow lens, telescope and camera. Although he can not see much around him, the darkness is his friend, illuminating the faraway dance of stars and planets in the night sky. “[When] I looked through it, I saw craters on the moon, the rings of Saturn and Jupiter’s moons,” Kang said. “And I [was] like ‘Wow.’” Recording pictures of the night sky is a frequent occurrence for Kang. But even before discovering astrophotography, he was fascinated by space.

“My first interactions with space pretty much began when I was around 6, and I saw a lunar eclipse,” Kang said. “It was super cold out that night, and I looked and saw the moon turning. I thought that was really cool.”

Interested in anything involving space, Kang stumbled upon a YouTube video by astrophotography channel “AstroBiscuit.” The video opened a new world for Kang as he began exploring the ins and outs of capturing these celestial objects — first with the purchase of his own professional Dobsonian telescope.

“I pretty much discovered it on my own,” Kang said. “I looked at their videos since they have quite a few tutorials. I took inspiration from those projects and also looked things up.”

Since then, Kang has completed several

projects over the span of these three years and established his own techniques. Along with the Dobsonian telescope, he uses a dedicated astronomy camera (ZWO ASI 585 MC Pro), which attaches to the telescope. On top of his main equipment, a field flatter, which ensures no stars are stretched or blurry, and a derotation device are necessary to accommodate for the rotating nature of Earth. With plenty of practice, dealing with these complex devices became routine.

“I’ve mastered processing techniques and such to really get what I want and keep all those [unnecessary] artifacts out,” Kang said.

“In general, set-up time has gotten a lot lower since I first started because you have muscle memory. As to what goes where, how to do everything, you pretty much have that all set in your brain.”

Each project begins with Kang looking for targets on the astronomy app Stellarium. Usually, he has a period of two to three months in which he can best capture the target.

After scheduling the day, he heads out around 9 p.m. and images for around two to three hours; during which, the camera captures around 500 frames. From there, he transfers the information onto his computer, using a stacking software to combine them into one cohesive image.

While some photos come out well, others may feature an unexpected appearance of a white trail seemingly made by random satellites, rocket boosters or meteors captured in the moment.

“You can see all that data,” Kang said. “I’m either like ‘Really? Is that really all I got?’ or ‘Wow, that looks great.’ I was amazed that I got that data, especially from a light polluted sky.”

Sometimes in order to capture all the sufficient data, the capturing process may take days.

In Kang’s upcoming project, he In this photo, Kang captured the “Horseh- plans to capture the Crab Nebula ead and Flame Nebulae” in the winter of 2024.

The “Helix Nebula” was Kang’s most complex shot, taking three hours to image.

— a supernova remnant of a star that exploded in the 10th century — which will take over three nights in a total of nine hours to capture.

Along with the skill of shooting these frames, Kang found that the entire process of astrophotography also helped him embrace subjects that he never found much interest in — including math.

“I’m not someone that likes math, but some of this stuff requires an ethos, FOB calculating and seeing if your pixels are going to line up with the telescope,” Kang said. “There’s a bunch of formulas you have to do, and yeah, I stopped hating math.”

But no matter how complicated the process is, Kang finds astrophotography as a labor of love in which he unearths the remarkable place that is space.

“Just simply looking at people’s pictures, seeing how beautiful space is, what sorts of objects are just in the sky waiting to be seen and overall seeing those objects like the planet craters on the moon cemented the whole thing in my brain,” Kang said.

26

Lifestyles

March 2O25

SOLO LEVELING: A MUST WATCH Article by Sammy Lou Poster Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

Boasting breathtaking animation and intense fight scenes, Solo Leveling’s action is unparalleled. While somewhat lacking in complexity, Solo Leveling is the perfect show for those who love watching powerful characters clash on the battlefield. This thrilling series is a non-stop adrenaline rush that makes 23 minute episodes go by in the blink of an eye.

The concept of Solo Leveling is simple: the main character, Sung Jinwoo, lives in a world where people awaken magical abilities to fight powerful monsters. While most hunters’ abilities cannot improve after they “awaken,” Sung Jinwoo discovers that he can use a “player system” that allows him to level up his power endlessly as if he were in a video game.

Season 1 of Solo Leveling finished releasing on March 31, 2024, and season 2 began airing on Jan. 4, 2025, which is when the show hit mainstream popularity. The season 2 hype was sensational: the release of several episodes crashed streaming websites like Crunchyroll due to high demand. In a display of the show’s universal appeal, one viral video shows Liverpool soccer stars watching Solo Leveling while on a flight. Fans have had very high expectations for Solo Leveling’s animation studio, A-1 Pictures, which also has produced big name shows like “Sword Art Online,” “Erased,” “Your Lie in April” and “The Seven Deadly Sins.”

The animation in Solo Leveling is by far the best aspect of the show. Many of the frames in the fight scenes could be displayed as artwork on their own.

The animation easily exceeds other well-budgeted shows like “Demon Slayer.” Solo Leveling’s characters are incredibly powerful,

which makes it challenging to bring them to life convincingly. Still, the animation team nailed it, and I was wowed by the complexity of each character’s powers. The animation includes subtle details and movements that make seemingly difficult actions look effort-

less. For example, you can sense the calm, John Wick-esque confidence of Sung Jinwoo when he casually dodges back-to-back attacks with a straight face. Impressively, A-1 pictures also did a brilliant job animating each detail for the

side characters. The detail put into side character Choi Jong-In’s “S-Rank” fire tornado that wiped a cave clean of monsters was equally as terrific to watch.

Solo Leveling’s storyline is also engaging. Its simple yet compelling nature keeps the audience hooked to the series. As Sung Jinwoo gradually levels up his power, the story presents various monsters that he must defeat. In these battles, he showcases his newly improved power in a beautifully animated fight scene. This cycle keeps viewers like me yearning to witness the next stage of Sung Jinwoo’s power development.

However, the “overpowered main character” concept isn’t for everyone. Viewers who are looking for shows with hidden meanings and underlying themes will walk away from this show unsatisfied (check out my “The Boy and the Heron” review if this is what you are looking for!). Additionally, those expecting character nuance and depth on something similar to an “Attack On Titan” level masterpiece will be disappointed. The focus of the show is to portray Sung Jinwoo’s journey of “Solo Leveling.” Still, for those that love a good comeback underdog story or high-octane action shots, Solo Leveling is the perfect show to go watch.

Plot aside, Solo Leveling’s animation is an absolute masterclass.

Its simple yet effective plot and detailed fight scenes make for a captivating, binge-worthy show. If you enjoyed other shows like “Jujutsu Kaisen” or “Demon Slayer” or if you are looking to jump into the world of anime, Solo Leveling is the perfect show for you. “Solo Leveling” is available on streaming services Crunchyroll and Amazon Prime Video. You don’t want to miss out on one of the most awe-inspiring animated series of the year.

March 2O25

Lifestyles

MARVEL’S BRAVE NEW STEP Marvel releases new movie “Captain America: Brave New World”

Article by Janav Ramprakash Graphic by Maxi DelaFuente It has been no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been in a confusing state lately. Ever since the introduction of the Disney+ streaming service, Marvel Studios has produced an excessive amount of content, with four movies and five T.V. shows produced in 2021 alone. For comparison, before 2021, Marvel only released an average of two movies annually, with no T.V. shows in the mix. Because of this new focus on quantity, the influx of entertainment has suffered from a lack of coherent storytelling and overall quality.

“It’s been a rough time,” Co-President of Marvel Studios Louis D’Esposito told Empire in 2024.

“Maybe when you do too much, you dilute yourself a little bit.”

Though movies like 2024’s “Deadpool and Wolverine” and 2023’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” found success, others such as 2023’s “The Marvels” and 2021’s “Eternals” came up short at the box office in recent years. With the release of “Captain America: Brave New World,” however, Marvel is finally taking a small step towards success. At the conclusion of 2019’s “Avengers Endgame,” Steve Rogers (formerly Captain America) gave his shield to Sam Wilson (formerly Falcon), establishing Wilson as the new Captain America.

Now, the studio is aiming for audiences to accept his new position with the release of this movie.

“That shield has been passed, and it feels like the audience knows it was passed to the right person,” President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige told GamesRadar+. “I think this movie will solidify that more.”

Since this is Sam’s debut as Captain America, the film does incorporate several themes of an origin story. One prominent theme is the struggle that it takes to prove oneself worthy of a significant title. Throughout the film, Sam

faces challenges that test his ability to take on the mantle of Captain America. Eventually, his heroic triumph over these obsta- cles secure his place as the new Captain America.

Even for those who haven’t seen

t h e previous films, this theme will still resonate with many deeply, making it a worthy watch for those who haven’t seen it yet.

“It stayed true to what the main conflict has been,” history teacher Patrick Castro said.

“How is the world gonna react to Sam Wilson now being Captain America? How is Sam Wilson dealing weight of being So I thought job on touching

with the Captain America? that they did a good on all of that.”

Alongside this though, Anthony Mackie’s portrayal of Wilson added much-needed depth to the character too.

“I thought Anthony Mackie had a good mix of that empathetic character that’s trying to connect with people because he’s been in those traumatic situations before,” Castro said. “I

thought he had his humor going on too. Overall, I thought he did a good job of Sam Wilson and making the character likeable.”

Additionally, the movie provides a compelling explanation of the difference between Sam and Steve Rogers.

“There was a really good quote [from the movie],” Castro said.

“They said, ‘Steve Rogers gave people someone to look up to. Whereas you, Sam, you are giving people something to aspire to.’ I think that’s [a line] that kind of drives the difference home between the two characters for sure.”

However, this is not to say that the film is without its imperfections. One recurring issue is the inclusion of too many subplots, like the Serpent Society, which ended up playing a smaller role than fans had anticipated.

“I think the [Serpent Society] is fine,” freshman Marc Wang said. “I think they didn’t give [them] as much time as [they] should have been given in terms of plot though.”

Another issue the movie faced was the noticeable reshoots made in June 2024, which lasted for 22 days. Though these reshoots aimed to adjust key events in the story, it also led to some poorly edited scenes. “‘Brave New World’ had an infamously tumultuous reshoot process in which massive swaths of the film were reworked and patched together,” critic Caroline Siede told Girl Culture in 2025. “And you can definitely feel that in the choppy editing.”

Currently, “Captain America: Brave New World” has received mixed reviews online, with a 48% critic approval rating and an 80% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. However, it does outperform many recent MCU films like “The Marvels” and 2023’s “Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantamania,” both of which have IMDb ratings below 6/10, while Brave New World scores above 6/10. While not a huge leap in quality for Marvel, the film does represent a small step in the right direction.

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March 2O25

Commentary

COMMENTAAR N In Da Club

Dearest applicant:

Welcome to Commentaaron College! It is with the utmost pleasure that I write this satirical article to congratulate you on your admission to our class 2029! It was a pretty tough decision between you and 78 million other students, but we are happy to inform you that you made it into the 0.03% students we are admitting.

Being such an outstanding accomplishment on your behalf, we wanted to inform you of the factor (yes, only one) that went into our admission decision: your club.

While it’s great and all that, you have a perfect GPA, are the captain of three different varsity sports and have more community service hours than x2VOL is able to log, we really care more about that cute thing you run during the 25 minute break your school has once in a millennium.

We are glad to hear that you founded your very own prestigious institution, Breakfast Club (a pretty good ’80s reference if I do say so myself ), a club for all foods served during any time from sausages at senior sunrise to middle block mozzarella sticks. Since your school only has 200 clubs, we are sure that starting a club must be a very high honor for you.

Furthermore, we were exceptionally ecstatic when reading about all of your club’s prolific accomplishments: writing cards on colored paper and sending them to people who don’t have access to french toast and eggs benedict.

Kudos, by the way, for delivering a three-slide presentation on how the lack of such foods negatively impacts mental health during an Upper School assembly.

While we regret to hear that your school still utilizes such an archaic form of capital punishment to force students to hear information they could easily get from an email, it is just absolutely fantastic that your Breakfast Club is informing fellow students on such a crucial issue.

For this reason alone, we are happy to let you and the Breakfast Club’s accountant, secretary, historian, activities manager and two members — who show up to meetings as often as our school wins a state championship in a sport — all into our college with a full ride.

Congratulations and welcome to Commentaaron College’s School of Computer Science.

RED, WHITE AND WOAH

American patriotism is overwhelming Article by Yizhao Chen ers. Sure, in Austria, the national anthem plays before our national team plays against other countries. But not at a high school soccer game. And here, it’s not just the people involved in the game that participate. Anyone who just happens to be close to the field stops I pledge allegiance to the flag of the Uniteverything they’re doing, takes off their cap, ed States of America, and to the republic for places their hand firmly on their heart and which it stands, one nation under God, indistares at the nearest flag with pure devotion. visible, with liberty and justice for all. Every The first time that happened to me I thought time I recite the pledge alongside my fellow I’d been bewitched and stumbled into some Saints during assembly, I find myself in a mini kind of seance. existential crisis. Do I place my hand over Then there’s the actual flag itself. It’s everymy heart? Is it weirder if I don’t blend in or where. On campus, in every restaurant parkif I pledge allegiance to a country I don’t being lot and even in the driveway at home. I long to? Amidst my dilemma, one thought mean, I understand if the flag is flying next keeps echoing in to a government my mind: I still building. After all, can’t quite grasp the it’s a democratsheer scale of Americ institution. At ican patriotism. school, you can Take the pledge argue that Ameriof allegiance for can ideals are being example. Due to taught. But Publix?

Austria’s history The only store that with Nazism and embodies Amerithe rhetoric that was ca well enough to perpetuated during deserve a gigantic that time period, flag flying in the showing any strong parking lot is Bucpassion for the naee’s. In Austria, you - Yizhao Chen, Writer might see the flag tion is very problematic. Honestly, if I heard of a school flying during spethat made its students pledge their allegiance cial occasions like an important holiday or a to the Austrian flag once a week, I would be soccer game, but other than that, it’s kind of worried that the education system was failing a rare sighting. us. But in the U.S., it’s just standard operatBefore I came here, I thought patriotism ing procedure. Every Tuesday, without fail, the was reserved for July 4th, but I’ve come to entire school stands and recites the exact same realize that it’s not just a yearly performance; words, with their hand placed firmly over their people really live by it. heart. And honestly, it’s impressive. It’s like So, while I still don’t quite know whether this weirdly synchronized performance art, a or not I should place my hand over my heart group of 500 students simultaneously swearduring assembly, I am starting to understand ing loyalty to a rectangle of fabric.

American patriotism. I mean, if I belonged to Don’t get me started on the national anthe only country that had Chick-Fil-A, Chithem. Before soccer games, everyone, from potle and Crumbl, I’d bow down to a rectanplayers to coaches to parents, turns towards the gular piece of fabric too. flag while the anthem blasts from the speakYizhao is an exchange student spending a year at Trinity through the ASSIST program. In this column, she documents her unique experiences and observations on American Culture.

“Honestly, it’s impressive.

It’s like this weirdly synchronized performance art, a group of 5OO students simultaneously swearing loyalty to a rectangle of fabric.”

March 2O25

Sports

29

PRIDE ON THE PITCH

Sophomore Victoria Moore competes with the Puerto Rican national team to qualify for the U17 World Cup Article by Lucy Chong Photos provided by Victoria Moore On Jan. 31, the Puerto Rican U17 Women’s National Soccer Team clinched a 2-1 victory over Bermuda, qualifying them to compete in Panama this March for a spot in the upcoming U17 World Cup. Among the team’s players was sophomore Victoria Moore — Trinity’s very own star goalkeeper.

Earlier this year, Moore received the callup notifying her that she had been selected to play on Puerto Rico’s U17 national team.

Shortly after, she traveled to Puerto Rico to aid the team in three straight victories over St. Vincent, the Cayman Islands and Bermuda.

Since the team is made up of players from all over the world, but primarily the U.S. and Puerto Rico, they are given extremely limited time to practice together before games — expected to practice and play with one another for the first time all within the same week. Theoretically, this should make playing more difficult. However, according to Moore, there wasn’t much of a learning curve.

“I think it’s cool how all these players that they select just play together,” Moore said. “The chemistry is still there, even though we don’t play with each other on a daily basis.”

Moore catching high balls while warming up before a game in Puerto Rico.

As the top-ranked team from their group, Puerto Rico will be one of the twelve teams competing in the final round of qualifiers in Panama this March. There, the teams will be split into three groups of four, with all the group winners and the best second-place finisher advancing to the U17 World Cup in the fall.

Having played for her club and school most of her life, Moore is no stranger to competitive soccer,

Moore kicking long balls to another goalkeeper while warming up for a game in Puerto Rico.

stincts. I like the pressure.”

Shortly after she began soccer, Moore joined a competitive travel team. From there, she has only continued to improve, making Trinity’s varsity team in eighth grade and playing internationally in ninth for Florida’s state team.

Despite her busy schedule with club and now international play, Moore is still an integral part of Trinity’s own team. According to

“Vic is the best goalie on the field, and perhaps even in the state, but also a leader. She’s a critical piece, and without her, we would really struggle because she bails us out of a lot of tough situations.”

- Sebastiaan Blickman, Varsity Girls Soccer Head Coach but she describes her experience playing for Puerto Rico as a unique turning point in her career.

“It was different than club because you [are] representing something way bigger than yourself,” Moore said. “Everyone there was representing the islands.”

Moore began her soccer career in elementary school, playing at her local YMCA, where she fell in love with the sport and discovered the position of goalie — the position she has played ever since.

“When I was little, my coach [asked], ‘Who wants to play goalie?’ and I raised my hand,” Moore said. “I fell in love with the position, and I don’t ever want to play on the field. This is where I want to play. I see the field differently than everyone, and I have to react off of in-

Varsity Girls Soccer Head Coach Sebastiaan Blickman, Moore has one of the best work ethics on the team, often running before practice or working, even though she should probably be resting.

“Vic is the best goalie on the field, and perhaps even in the state, but also a leader,” Blickman said. “She’s a critical piece, and without her we would really struggle because she bails us out of a lot of tough situations.”

Post high school, Moore hopes to play at the Division I level in college, and after that maybe professionally.

“If she maintains the same trajectory she’s on now, the sky’s the limit,” Blickman said.

Sports

March 2O25

PUTT-ING A NEW SPIN OF GOLF

TGL looks to transform the golf world and expand the sports appeal Article by Thomas Bonos Photo courtesy of TGI presented by SoFi

“It’s more close up and smaller scaled golf From Arnold Palmer to Tiger Woods, pro- of golf and still respecting the long-standing traditions associated with the game; venues airtime,” Lebioda said. “It gives PGA stars the fessional golfers have teed off into the wide such as PopStroke and TopGolf have targeted opportunity to play at a high level and showand vast land that made up the fairway. In people looking for a more fun take on golf. case their game but [allows golfers] more timeTGL presented by SoFi, modern-day golf su“It’s smart of TGL to try and bridge that gap to show their personality and unique [traits].” perstars — including Justin Thomas and Rory between conservative golf fans and ones of the Recently, golf has seen a rise in popularity McIlroy — tee off staring at a 64-foot screen, new era,” Stanford Men’s Golf Head Coach on social media as golf content creators, cedisplaying a virtual golf course with 30 unique Conrad Ray said.

“TopGolf and other similar lebrities and professional golfers used the platholes and a rotating green. TGL was first essimulator-based golf interests people and proform to extend to new audiences.

Th is can tablished in August 2022 by Tiger Woods, vides a casual outlook to the otherwise often work in tandem with TGL as it can both marRory McIlroy and the TMRW Sports Group. serious game of golf.” ket it and include big names within the golf The simulator-based golf format took the conmedia space.

Sophomore Luke cept of virtual golf and scaled Kang, member of the Trinity it into a large arena that looks varsity golf team, expresses his to challenge even the best of eagerness in seeing this new genthe best. Much innovation and eration of golfers in TGL. development was needed to “The potential for these golf take TGL from concept into a content creators to market TGL live, working hit. and somehow become a part of “We had to advance [TGL’s] the competition is exciting to technology, making it so presee,” Kang said.

“Bringing celebcise that it lived up to the exrities or big names that are inpectations of the best players volved with golf like Josh Allen in the world,” Vice President will generate [more] popularity.” of Digital Media atTGL and Although TGL only applies to Trinity Prep parent, Jon KroPGA Tour pros and special guest pp said. “The challenges were appearances, there is a possibilione: taking existing technolty that it will reach different levogy, putting it into a bigger Th e TGL arena holds a 64-foot simular, rotating greens and bunkers els of golf in the future. platform, and two: integrating with sand from Augusta National.

“TGL could have a trickle down the individual pieces [of the techeff ect as it furthers [in] technology nology like the] transforming green, and [mainstream] appeal,” Ray said. large simulator and the stadium atGolf media and content has favored a lon“It could be a fun way to have college teams mosphere.” ger and slower style of advertising tournament compete out of season, celebrities interested in Traditional golf has always been popular play.

Th is causes certain types of viewers to begolf and even amateurs in some capacity.” among older generations and people who apThe rise of alternative tour events — inpreciate the long-standing traditions of golf. come deterred from the slow-paced broadcast, specifi cally younger audiences who are among cluding LIV Golf — outside of the PGA has Alum Hank Lebioda, who played golf at Florthe growing audience of golf. sparked controversy; with golf purists arguing ida State University and is a PGA Tour Pro, “[TGL] looks to change trends in media, that nothing should get in the way of the masees TGL as a modern spin on the traditional behavior and entertainment, particularly for jor championships and the PGA Tour. While game of golf. younger demographics,” Kropp said.

“Golf is TGL provides an alternative pathway for golf ’s “It is a very unique and different way to a really good business, we wanted to capitalize superstars, it serves as a complement to the broadcast and in turn digest golf,” Lebioda on viewership in shorter bytes and try to break PGA tour and major championships. said. “Not everyone’s going to sit down and down some of the inherent challenges that “[TGL is] an opportunity to showcase the watch golf on the weekend for hours. It atthe traditional golf broadcast [brings].” world’s greatest players, and by no means does tracts a different type of audience, other than With bringing increased attention to golf, that take away from the PGA Tour,” Kropp die-hard golf fans that bring even more eyePGA stars have the opportunity to highlight said.

“It’s purely additive. We’re creating a new balls to the sport.” more than just their golf skills on TGL. avenue for these players to reach new fans.”

Similar to TGL’s goal of innovating the game

March 2O25

Sports

31

MYTH OR MINDSET

Superstitions become performance tools for student-athletes Article by Ben Kleiman Graphic by Caden Liu

Before every football game, junior Orion Ratanasirintrawoot follows the same ritual before every game: praying. Ratanasirintrawoot’s praying is a habit rooted in faith, but to him, his superstition is more than just a pregame tradition; it’s a precaution. Consequently, the few times he skipped it, he paid the price.

“I kind of got this feeling when I was playing that day,” Ratanasirintrawoot said. “I felt like I just shouldn’t be out there playing.”

In the two instances when Ratanasirintrawoot skipped his pregame ritual, he tore his ACL and suffered a triplane ankle fracture.

For athletes like Ratanasirintrawoot, every game starts long before the first whistle blows.

Success is not just about skill or strategy; it’s rooted in superstition. Many believe that specific actions, objects or sequences of events influence the outcome of a game.

Pre-game rituals can range from physical routines, such as tapping a specific spot before entering the field, to mental practices, like visualizing success before stepping onto the court. Some athletes refuse to step on cracks, believing it brings bad luck, while others always put on their gear in a specific order.

Twenty-two-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal is known for his meticulous superstition of arranging his two water bottles in a specific position, alternating drinking between each bottle, a routine that gives him a feeling of stability. Rituals like this provide athletes like Nadal focus, which can be essential in high-pressure situations.

“I have been through difficult career situations, but I managed to overcome them.”

Nadal said to Tennishead in a 2020 interview.

“If the bottles aren’t right, I can’t concentrate on the game. This way, I make them the same each time so I can concentrate solely on the game and what lies ahead.”

Rituals also serve as a psychological tool to help athletes feel prepared before competing.

AP Psychology teacher Michael Brown believes that routines can affect how well athletes perform by putting their minds at ease. “[Athletes] rely on comfort,” Brown said. “[Routines] actually put you in the right head-

space and right mindset. We, as humans, thrive off of superstitions. Whether that’s a sleep routine or an eating routine, our physiology likes routine. It likes balance. It likes consistency.”

Superstitions derive from the brain’s desire for stability and control. The need for structure also explains why superstitions have remained prevalent in society, offering comfort and a way to manage the unknown.

According to an article in Medical News Today, superstitions can have a soothing effect, relieving anxiety about the unknown and giving people a sense of control over their lives.

Once a routine is ingrained, breaking it feels unnatural, even dangerous. Rather than questioning their effectiveness, people continue to do their superstitions because it has always been a part of them.

“[Athletes] probably just feel comfortable,” Brown said. “If we’ve done them for years, we can easily trick ourselves into believing it does help. We are creatures of habit. We like to do what feels right.”

Superstitions can be a double-edged sword, offering comfort and confidence, but also creating doubt when they are broken. For some athletes, missing a ritual can feel like a bad omen, leading to hesitation. Forgetting su-

perstitions can negatively affect performance, planting uncertainty in an athlete’s mind.

“If you don’t do your routine, can you no longer perform as well?” Brown said. “Can you no longer make that free throw? [Having] superstitions could impact you both positively and negatively.”

The placebo effect plays a significant role in the power of superstitions. If an athlete believes that their unique routine will help them play better, they are more likely to perform with confidence and reduced anxiety. Even when an action has no direct impact on physical performance, the belief in its effectiveness can lead to improved results.

“Our brain is super powerful and it can make things come true,” Brown said. “It’s the idea of manifesting something. If you say it’s going to happen, it’s more likely to happen.

That optimism does have a significant impact on us as humans.”

Sports are as much mental as they are physical. Anxiety can interfere with performance by causing hesitation and doubt. Rituals and superstitions act as coping mechanisms to combat nerves. By engaging in a familiar routine, athletes create a sense of control over an unpredictable situation. This is why many athletes refuse to break their rituals, even if they may seem irrational to others.

“We can really trick ourselves into feeling good about stuff,” Brown said. “Once we feel good about something, we generally perform better than when we feel bad about it. The athletes perform better if they truly think this thing is working.”

That mindset is exactly why many athletes hold onto their routines. Whether they believe in superstition or not, the comfort of a ritual can be powerful. For some, it is about feeling prepared. For others, it is about avoiding the unknown consequences of breaking a habit.

“I forgot to pray, and then I got hurt, twice,” Ratanasirintrawoot said. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but after that, I wasn’t willing to take the risk anymore.”

Sports

March 2O25

STRICTLY BUSINESS

Luka Dončić trade headlines the harsh reality of professional sports Article by David Steinberg Graphics by Caden Liu On Feb. 2 at midnight, sports fans around the world received unthinkable news: the sudden trading of generational talent and fivetime NBA All-Star Luka Dončić. Despite leading the Dallas Mavericks to the NBA finals just seven months prior, the 25-year-old was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving fans, players and ownership in disbelief. Though shocking, the deal reinforced a brutal truth about professional sports — they are, above all else, strictly a business.

Since 2000, the volume of trades in the “Big Four” (NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL) has remained fairly constant. However, the magnitude of these deals has skyrocketed, with high-profile players being dealt at an increasingly frequent rate.

In professional leagues where roughly 40% of revenue — $4.5 billion in the NBA — stems from merchandising, ticket sales and sponsorships, the movement of star players can result in significant financial gains according to Visual Capitalist. The trade of Dončić, a player in the prime of his career, was no exception. According to Yahoo! Sports, the superstar’s Lakers gold jersey sold out in under 48 hours on Fanatics, generating millions for both the franchise and the NBA. Additionally, the average ticket price for Lakers home and away games has surged by 19% since the deal — a clear display of the skyrocketing demand to watch, what many are calling, the “Luka Lakers.”

Senior basketball captain Neil Mathow was lying in bed when he first got the update from ESPN Insider Shams Charania. Initially, he thought the deal was fake, but after opening Instagram and seeing several posts pop up on his feed, he knew it was a reality.

“I thought Shams was hacked,” Mathow said. “Even after it was confirmed, I still couldn’t believe it. You never expect to see a

star, [let alone] a top 3 player in the league, being traded in his prime.”

Not only were fans like Mathow caught off guard, but several NBA stars — including former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and AllStar Bam Adebayo — voiced their opinions on X, realizing that not even the league’s best players could feel secure in their current situations.

For professional athletes, a team is more than just a job; it impacts entire families. Every time players are traded, families buy new homes, children change schools and players must adjust to entirely new environments — all in an instant.

While the nature of being a professional is unpredictable, athletes must rely on the teammates and organization around them in order to perform at the highest level. Gaining trust in a locker room is a common characteristic of championship rosters, and nobody knows that better than Orlando Magic Assistant Coach Jesse Mermuys, who has worked in the NBA for over 17 years.

“At the Magic, we work to build a culture that extends from the players, to the coaches, to the trainers, to the fans, all the way down to management,” Mermuys said. “Team chemistry is of the utmost importance, and it shows on the court just as much as off of it. We’re a really tight-knit group, and that starts with trusting your brother next to you.”

For many fans, watching their favorite players leave a franchise is difficult — not only because of their impact on the team, but also because of the character they display off the court. In multi-billion dollar industries like the NBA, where a franchise’s identity is deeply connected to community outreach, players often form strong bonds with the cities they represent. For instance, the Luka Dončic Foundation in Dallas organized countless youth

basketball camps, hosted local children at the Mavericks games and organized seasonal food collections for the holidays. When traded, the city of Dallas didn’t only lose a remarkable player, but an even better neighbor.

“I saw a video of fans [in Dallas] holding a

fake funeral for Luka, with a casket and all,” Mathow said. “For these people, losing him was like losing a family member.”

While the blockbuster deal wasn’t the first time a superstar was traded in professional sports, its unexpected timing left fans stunned.

The shock only intensified when Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison defended the decision by citing concerns about Dončić’s conditioning and weight maintenance. The rapid shift from celebrating Dončić as the “franchise player” to questioning his commitment sparked heated controversy, leaving many feeling betrayed. Yet, for every heartbroken fan in Dallas, there’s a young Lakers fan proudly wearing a gold jersey, dreaming of a 17th championship. This duality is exactly what makes professional sports both thrilling and heartbreaking — and what fuels the industry’s multi-billion dollar valuation.

While the trade was incredibly challenging for Dončić, who reportedly purchased a $15 million home in Dallas just days before the deal, Mermuys believes that adversity ignites a fire in the best players — and expects Dončić to be no exception.

“There’s always going to be movement in the league, it’s the nature of the game,” Mermuys said. “How you respond to those difficult situations is what separates the good from the great. Are you going to let the [tough times] affect you, or are you going to work harder to prove people wrong?”

March 2O25

Broadcast

SAINTS TALK LOCAL Broadcast by Nikhil Daniel

I’m a doer. I look around, and if I see something that needs to be done, I want to get it done. I want to make Winter Park the very best place to live in now and for the future.

EPISODE 1- WINTER PARK MAYOR SHELIA DECICCIO

- Shelia Deciccio, Mayor of Winter Park

Junior Nikhil Daniel sits down with Winter Park Mayor Sheila DeCiccio to discuss her life story, day-to-day as mayor, and her ongoing projects. DeCiccio ran on a platform of getting things done and discusses her goals in the sit-down interview.

EPISODE 2- OUTGOING ORANGE COUNTY SUPERVISOR OF ELECTIONS GLEN GLIZEN

Nikhil sits down with the outgoing Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean to discuss his background, position, and new initiatives including the Youth Pollworker Initiative. Gilzean was appointed to the role by Governor DeSantis in March 2O24 and left office in January 2O25. This conversation provides unique insight into the inner workings of election offices and the 2O24 cycle in Orange County.

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March 2O25

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March 2O25

Puzzle

Puzzles by Mila Taylor

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4. Winners of the 2025

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36

Photos

March 2O25

PHOTOGRAPHY EXPOSITION Campus Activities

On Feb. 5, Sports 4 the Kids Club hosted a dodgeball tournament to raise money for the Sports 4 the Kids organization. All of upper school was allowed to watch or play in teams of five. In the finals, the seniors ended up beating the sophomores to win a casual day.

Aksel Williams Senior Aubrey Ott stands as she wins a round of bingo, hosted by seniors’ parents on Feb. 12. She said, “I am thankful to have had a great time with friends and am happy the parents organized this for us.” Seniors got to enjoy prizes such as candies and gift cards to various places.

Jackson Napier Rollins professor Dr. Jennifer Queen (pictured top right) joined the Girls in Stem Club meeting on Feb. 12 during middle block to share a powerful message about inclusivity in science. The discussion included messages about important roles in jobs, schools, and everyday life.

Eden Kiger

Ally Williams

During the first-ever Match Game on Feb. 20, senior Connor Nanus (right) questioned junior Isabella Moore (left) about junior Owen Raffa (not pictured). Teams were asked personal questions about their partners, and seniors Jose Quiros and Anabel Duggan won.