BAITLINE - Coral Reef High School

Coral Reef Sr. High School
BAITLINE
Get Ho ked
http://crhs.dadeschools.net/
January 2014 Volume 15 Issue 4
Mama, I’m goin’ to college
By: Anaija Lapix
With the end of the first half of school
quickly approaching, seniors are already
receiving letters in the mail with their much
anticipated acceptances. You could sense the
anxiety from those who had applied early
action or early decision or even to schools
with rolling admissions.
Florida International University and
the University of Central Florida were among
the schools where acceptances were granted
almost every week.
Student Government Vice President Ivan
Melgar, in the engineering academy, has
received his acceptance into FIU, but “My
ultimate goal is UF [University of Florida].”
His recent acceptance in Florida State
University has given him hope that he can
reach that goal.
However,
Florida
International
University is the school he can afford at the
moment, but if he had his way, he would “love
to go out of state to California.”
Tuition plus room and board are definitely
a factor when considering what college to go to.
The route that most people plan on taking is to
go to Florida International University for the
first two years and then transfer out to a Florida
10101 SW 152 Street Miami, FL 33157
school such as University of Florida or Florida
State University.
However, most Florida schools are
generally inexpensive to most students who
my favorite. My top school is DePaul University
in Indiana.” Therefore, it is safe to say that he
yearns to travel out of state for his undergraduate
career.
Brianna Jones, in the legal academy,
has stated that “My top three choices are NYU
[New York University], Northwestern, and
UChicago [University of Chicago].” Besides
FIU, the university that has sent her admission
is FAMU [Florida Agricultural and Mechanical
University].
Jones does not necessarily have a choice
to whether she goes out of state or instate, but
rather that “[I] prefer to go to a good college with
a journalism program,” seeing as that is what she
wants to pursue.
The New Year has been a tough season
for those who applied early to their top schools
and to those who applied to Florida State
chose to go to college right after high school.
University. Those seniors, along with the rest of
Jose Araya, a member of the Coral Reef band, has the students, are eagerly waiting for the months
recently been accepted into Stetson University of March and April to hear from other schools of
which is located in Deland, Florida. Stetson importance.
has been around since 1884, but only recently Along with the rest of the senior events
has it gained more attention to people applying such as Senior Breakfast and Grad Bash, time
due to its comfortable atmosphere and quality is flying by and soon the class of 2014 will be
education.
moving in to their dorm rooms and starting their
Araya reveals that “No, [Stetson is] not lives.
Coral Reef FBLA headed to Districts
by:Carlos R. Gonzalez
Coral Reef FBLA members got ready to go to
district competition. There are four different types of
competitions: prejudged, testing, skill, and performance.
The
prejudged
competitions
included
competitions like digital video production, business
presentation,
business plan,
and web site
development.
These reports,
videos,
and
power
points
were
turned
into the district
adviser
on
December 20th.
T h e
next type of
competitions
are performance
events; which
included events
like emerging
business issues, FBLA returning from Districts with their winnings.
public
and
impromptu
speaking, entrepreneurship, parliamentary procedures,
and business ethics, among many others. All schools in
the district meet at one school to compete.
For the last few years South Dade High School
has hosted these competitions, but this year Miami
Dade College hosted them. So on Jauary 10th the FBLA
members competing in this type of events went on a
field trip to MDC Kendall Campus. At MDC Kendall
Campus each competition was hosted in a different
room and usually there are between 2 to 4 judges in
each room.
“This year we had a misunderstanding with the
test dates, our officers, and members were so confused.
The dates were changed about three times and they
came two weeks earlier than usual. Performance events
were January 10th, so our members that were competing
in these type of events pretty much had to complete
their presentations and reports in less than one week.
We are hoping
they still place
so that they can
be improved if
they make it to
the state level
competitions,”
said Business
junior
Julian
Lafaurie.
E a c h
school in the
district tested
the
FBLA
members from
their
chapter
which competed
in the testing
competitive
events at their
own school through online testing. These events include
over 30 different categories ranging from introduction to
communications and marketing to sports management
and business math. Those competitions took place in
rooms 302 and 308 on Wednesday January 15 during
second period. Each room has about thirty computers
which allow 90 students to take their test online at the
same time.
The last type of competitions were skill events
which included events like word processing I and II,
go to FBLA competition -page 11
What’s
Inside
Senior
Activities
Our time to enjoy high school
- page 4
New Years
A new year full of new
resolutions, shows and
activities
- pages 6-7
Thespians
Acting Troupe wins big at
Districts
- page 11
2
Opinions
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
The Truth behind the “N” word - is it ever acceptable?
By: Nichelle Cobb
The racial term “Nigger” has transformed
into the go to word for young people when
referring to each other. Many try to justify it
by claiming they say “Nigga,” but in reality it’s
just the slang version a word that has a racial
connotation.
African Americans were referred to this
word in the slave times and during the civil rights
movement when other races considered African
Americans inferior to them. There has been a lot
of controversy over the word in the media.
Dolphin’s player Richie Incognito was
suspended on a Sunday for conduct detrimental
to the team. Johnathan Martin left the Dolphins
on October 28th and claimed that he had been
the victim of harassment and bullying by Richie
Incognito.
Among the evidence that surfaced was
a voice mail in which Incognito called the
biracial Martin a “half-[n-word]” and vowed to
slap Martin’s mother. During the Fox interview,
Incognito admitted to leaving that outraged
voice mail.
This incident has become a major
controversy. Even though it was football players’
just playing around the history behind it makes
the situation serious.
“When I see that voice mail, when I see
those words come up across the screen, I’m
embarrassed by it,” Incognito told Fox news.
“I’m not a racist. And to judge me by that
one word is wrong. In no way, shape or form is
it ever acceptable for me to use that word, even
if it’s friend to friend on a voice mail,” Richie
Incognito said.
By seeing this whole situation play out in
the media it is truly, an eye opening experience.
The N-word is a racial word that reflects
ignorance. Past leaders such as Martin Luther
King and Malcolm X fought so that African
Americans wouldn’t be referred to by the
derogatory term.
In today’s music the N-word is thrown
around carelessly throughout numerous songs.
Rappers today have a major influence in
teenager’s life today.
Advocates of African-Americans’ innate
right to use what many consider one of the most
offensive words, want individuals to accept that
there should be one set of rules for one racial
group and another set of rules for another.
This view is an updated version of the
outdated and Un-American, “separate but equal
Coral Reef Sr. High School
BAITLINE
2013-2014 Staff
Adviser
Cheri MitchellSantiago
Editor
Jakeyla Augustin
Principal
Adrianne Leal
Staff Writers
Augustin, Jakeyla
Cobb, Nichelle
Gonzalez, Carlos
Harrell, Malcolm
Heiden, Courtney
Lapaix, Anaija
Lapaix, Nicanor
Lopes, Myrella
Maguire, Megan
Nunez, Shirley
Perez, Samantha
Polster, Sarah
Reyes, Madeline
Riera, Erica
Rodriguez,Melissa
rule.”
In an interview rapper, Jay-Z told Oprah
that his generation “took the power out of the
word”.
The idea that the derogatory word is
powerless doesn’t justify the use of it. This word,
which is one of many racial terms, will always
have a negative racial meaning no matter who,
what, how, and when it is used.
Baitline strives to provide quality student-led publications
to the student body providing the school community with an open
forum of public expression. In the publications class, students
will make all editorial decisions including, but not limited to:
generating story ideas, writing copy, editing copy, laying out
copy, taking photographs, and handling all aspects of running
the business end of a school publication. Because of this, any
comments or concerns should be addressed to the editorial staff.
It should be understood that the newspaper is not a
professional publication; therefore, students will make mistakes
during the learning process. As a staff, we will make every
effort to learn from these mistakes and continually improve the
publication.
While our primary goal is to inform and entertain the school
community, we also strive to maintain high journalistic standards.
All opinions expressed in the publications are the students’ or the
individual sources, and not the staff’s as a whole, the advisor, or
school officials.
Letters to the editor are appreciated and can be delivered
to room 305 or e-mailed to [email protected]. All letters
submitted may be condensed or edited for grammar and spelling.
Libelous material will not be printed.
Information about submitting ads can be obtained by
e-mailing [email protected].
Past issues can be viewed at http://crhs.dadeschools.net.
News/Opinion
The Dangers of Teenage Smoking
deaths occur each year due to
secondhand smoke.
Smoking cigarettes is a Smoking Facts
growing epidemic we have been More and more teenagers
dealing with in the teenage years are smoking every day according
with in our society for many
generations. Smoking not only
affects those who are smoking, it
also affects everyone around them.
Secondhand Smoke
There are two different
types of secondhand smoke that
individuals can be subjected to:
mainstream smoking and sidestream smoking.
Mainstream smoking is the
smoking where smoker themselves
exhale.
On the other hand, sidestream smoking is the smoke the
floats off the end of a cigarette.
to DoSomething.org and Lung.
Being
subjected
to org. Every day that passes 3,900
secondhand smoke can increase the children under the age of 18 try a
risk of receiving negative health cigarette, and 950 of them become
effects.
regular smokers, according to
Some of the health risks DoSomething.org.
people can endure include: 90 percent of people who
respiration infections, asthma, smoke start before the age of 21
coughing, sore throats, sniffling, years old; however, what many do
sneezing, cancer, and heart disease. not realize is that people who start
Secondhand smoke can at a young age are more likely to
be extremely detrimental to an become addicted to the intoxicating
individual’s health. Over 50,000 substance.
by: Jakeyla Augustin
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
Smoking cigarettes is the
leading cause of preventable death,
causing over 393,000 deaths per
year according to lung.org.
Most people who smoke
cigarettes
on
average
die 13 to 14
years prior to
individuals
who do not
smoke.
Not only is
smoking bad
for you, it also
leads to the
use of other
intoxicating
substances
such as alcohol,
marijuana, and cocaine.
Before deciding to smoke,
think about your health and where
you want to go in your future.
Drug Free Support Group
Both parents and school
organizations started supporting the
venture towards a drug free youth
from a young age.
In the 5th grade many
students are gathered in a class with
the sole purpose of being educated
about drugs and their negative
3
impact on society.
The group D.A.R.E, Drug
Abuse Resistance Education, is a
group of officers who share their
experience with the effects of drugs.
As students get older and
progress in their youth, the support
groups for a drug free society
slowly change. In middle school,
students are introduced to DFYIT,
Drugs Free Youth in Town.
The club DFYIT is a group that helps the community while
abstaining from the intoxicating
substances we know as drugs.
At Coral Reef Senior High
School students are given the
opportunity to join DFYIT, a club
dedicated to better the community
we call home.
Although many sign up
for DFYIT in the beginning of the
year, the club is always looking for
volunteers to help out with their
numerous ventures out into the
community.
Avoiding peer pressure and
abstaining from drugs can prove
to be a daunting task for some
students; however, there are always
students who are willing to offer a
helping hand in keeping you on the
straight and narrow.
Leaving their mark: students express themselves through ink and piercings
By: Samantha Perez
From elementary to high school, our
simplicity tends to vastly change. Where in
elementary we might beg our parents for a
second ear piercing, in high school we now want
tattoos and piercings more outrageous than just a
second hole.
Senior Kassandra Marin decided she
wanted hip dermals about a year ago. After
seeing it on the internet, she automatically knew
she had to get it. Of course, getting a piercing
like that comes with a lot of pain.
Kassandra, who is avid about working out, was
unable to do any type of exercise and was in pain
for three weeks. Regardless of how much it hurt,
she plans on getting more unique piercings. “It
becomes addicting” she said.
With a total of 13 piercings, one of
Giovanna Orozco’s most unordinary piercings
would have to be the snakebites on her tongue. When she realized how nice it looked, she made
a spontaneous decision to get it.
Orozco recalls the first day she got it and said
that it didn’t hurt at all. “I take pain like a
champ,” said Giovanna. Already having so many
piercings, she doesn’t plan on getting anymore. Tyler Cockrum has two tattoos, one on
his bicep and another on his calf. On his bicep
he has a dead tree reflecting in the water with
more life. On his calf he has a deep sea diver
being attacked by an octopus. Seeing his step dad with so many tattoos
influenced him to get the first one on his calf two
years ago, his sophomore year. The tree on his
bicep he got, only three weeks ago.
Tyler states, “the tattoos didn’t hurt but
it’s annoying”. He plans on getting his next
tattoo on his rib cage of a pirate ship.
Tattoos and piercings are creative ways in
which we get to express ourselves and should be
appreciated.
Life in Color - World’s
Largest Paint Party
by: Shirley Nuñez
The event known as the “World’s Largest Paint Party” was held on
December 27, 2013 at the Sun Life Stadium. Although, it was a while ago
many students remember it as the best event they’ve ever experienced.
Winter break was one many will never forget.
What could be better than music, confetti, and paint? “It was
insane, I had so much fun! The DJ’s had great sets and the paint made
it even crazier,” stated Ximena Corona, a junior in the Legal Academy.
LIC included a mix of something everyone would enjoy, terrific DJ’s,
awesome performers, and endless paint.
Many legends such as Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, R3hab, Calvin
Harris, Chuckie and others were present. Senior Logan Conklin said, “it
was awesome, there was a lot of different DJ’s some big, some small.”
The rain, cold, and paint created an unforgettable scene.
Overall Life in Color is an event everyone should go to at least
once in their life. Many said the paint burns and you lose some of your
stuff, but it’s worth it in the end. According to Kurt Burgess “if I had to
describe Life in Color in one word, it would have to be (wet).”
4
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
Seniors
Countdown to Graduation: Senior Events
By: Erica Riera
The 2013-2014 school year has officially
reached the halfway mark. Despite the recent
weather, spring is quickly approaching which
means many exciting things for Coral Reef
seniors.
Among these is the legendary Senior
Breakfast, taking place on March 4th, at the
Rusty Pelican. Every year, the survivors of this
event return with a plethora of stories of how
the hired hypnotist made students do things they
were completely unaware of.
If you aren’t a fan of being unconscious,
the food and music will still satisfy any one in
the mood for a fun time.
Another quickly approaching event
is Grad Bash. Not only is this your chance to
miss an entire day of school to go to Orlando’s
Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure
theme parks. It is also student’s chances to get
to go on rides, and enjoy a live concert while
bonding with friends.
In previous years, Mr. 305 himself,
Pitbull, was known to make appearances. Ne-Yo
is scheduled for the date of April 11, when Coral
Reef students will be there.
Also, be sure to take advantage of the
most recent additions to the parks which include
the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ride and
Transformers: The Ride – 3D before catching
a glimpse of construction for the Diagon Alley
expansion in the Wizarding World of Harry
that those planning to attend
begin preparations early while
dress and tuxedo shops are fully
stocked in anticipation of the
big event. Keep in mind any
potential friends you may want
to go with and figure out a clever
way to get that special someone
to say “YES!”
In order to participate
in any of these events, seniors
must ensure that all obligations
have been paid off (including
any still haunting you from the
dark days of middle school) and
also confirm that all 75 hours of
community service have been
earned and documented. See
the treasurer or your guidance
counselor if you have any issues.
With so much to
participate in, students should
try to get as involved as possible,
especially as the school year
draws to a close. Whether it’s
unleashing your competitive
Potter.
side by playing a spring sport,
Finally, the senior event to end all senior or earning more community service hours
events, the big kahuna of senior events, the senior through your favorite club, all students should
event that is four years in the making: PROM.
be participating in everything this school has to
Many people consider this to be the offer.
culmination of their lives as seniors, a night
spent partying with friends. It is encouraged
Senioritis: it is a real disease suffered by many
increased sleeping time, no regard for
rules, and no care for the school system
in general.
The general consensus of seniors
seem to be that school is simply
a daycare or more aptly put, a
place to stay so we cannot wreak
havoc on the city of Miami
during daylight hours.
Makayla Cribbs, a senior in
the Legal and Public Services
Academy says that, “You either
chose to have it or you don’t,
but it’s not a good thing to
have.” Senioritis can determine
your attitude for the year and to
Cribbs it means, “[that] I don’t
care anymore, I’m getting out of
here.”
However, you do not have to
necessarily be a senior to know
what senioritis is or experience
its symptoms. A junior in the
business academy, Lucia Mason
says that, “It prevents kids from
Many seniors can be seen chilling instead of working as the year approaches
wanting to do work in class
an end and they dream of summer and college.
starting their senior year,” which
is the most basic explanation of
their senior year might not be a rumor the phenomenon. She also goes on to say
after all. Senioritis seems to be a that she does want to graduate already
serious epidemic that lurks in the mind and replied that, “Onset symptoms
of kids and grows stronger as senior of Senioritis [start] coming in during
year progresses. The symptoms of this freshmen year.”
bug include laziness, extreme hunger, Fortunately, there are some who are
By: Anaija Lapaix
The age old rumor of a disease that
consumes the whole of students in
unaware of the deadly ailment such
as Aaron Dykxhoorn, a freshman
in engineering. He was completely
unaware of such an occurrence and after
I explained it to him, he believed that,
“It’s normal and okay, but you should
mentally prepare for college and check
that kind of stuff [mid-year reports].” He
further went on to clarify that everyone
slacks every once in a while, but they
should know when to tone it down.
Wise words from a guppy of the Reef.
Seniors should know that while they
might need a break, they shouldn’t just
give up on school completely. Mrs.
Martin, the academy counselor for
legal students and freshmen in I.B., has
expressed that Senioritis is obviously
“detrimental”.
“In terms of college applications and
acceptances that you may have received,
please know that mid-year and final
reports are still a major factor and can
adversely affect final admissions into
college,” is the sensible advice from
Mrs. Martin that all students should
heed, whether a senior or a freshmen.
Senioritis is a controversy all around
the school, but when it boils down to it,
everyone should be careful. Of course,
after winter break things begin to come
into perspective for seniors and the
fact that they are leaving in a few short
months on hieghtens the feeling.
Juniors
K15S my Class Ring
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
5
Believe it or not Junior Ring Orders have already been taken, and
the Class of 2015 is anxiously awaiting the beloved Ring Ceremony. With
thousands of ways to customize a class ring it is almost impossible for two
rings to be the exact same.
Many students were shocked with the amount of money their classmates
were willing to spend. Having options like 14k gold, and 10k gold instantly
increased the price of the rings. While some are purchasing the most basic ring possible, others seem to
be spending as much as they possibly can.
Nicole Picon a junior in the Business Academy said, “I was so shocked
to hear the boy next to me spent $2100 on his ring.”
Others were shocked that the cheapest ring they had heard of (other
than the factory special) was $359 plus tax. “The tax was equivalent to half a
ring payment of mine. Everyone seemed to forget the tax, yet it became one of
the expensive parts,” said Aubrey Hoffman a junior in the VPA Academy.
Junior Rings are a big tradition in high school, and many people are
anxious to see the outcome of their rings. These next few months will consist
of many people anxiously awaiting the final product. Some girls are already
preparing for the big day as they begin to set hair appointments and go dress
shopping.
The Junior Ring Ceremony is Class of 2015 first “official” step in
becoming upperclassmen. It is a bitter sweet realization because it’s one of the
last few memories made during the junior year, and after that it’s the quickest
and the most stressful year.
One of the many essential parts of applying to
college... Standardized Testing
by: Shirley Nunez
The dreaded Scholastic Aptitude
Test has arrived! Students who signed
up during the month of December
will be up and ready, early morning in
January. Exhaustion, nervousness, and
stress all combine on this one day, to
take the one test that can affect your
road to success. Many students believe SAT
is ridiculous, Sofia Ramirez a junior
stated, “The SAT is tormenting because
a simple test determines what college
you’re going to and that is just so
stressful and depressing.”
Not only do students have to
deal with their grades, extracurricular
activities, and excessive work, they
also have to find time to study for the
test.
The SAT isn’t
meant to cause stress,
but in case it does there
are methods to prepare
in advance. Junior
Lisley Cardosa stated
that “The SAT isn’t overwhelming if
you pace yourself.”
Get familiar with the time
restraints, pace yourself accordingly to
the time limit. Get a sufficient amount
of sleep the night before, eat a healthy
breakfast. Don’t forget to study by
taking online SAT preps.
Taking the test multiple times
will also help you get adjusted and
you may improve. Some colleges give
you the opportunity to send in your
best score and even superscore by
combining three of your scores.
Be prepared on the day of the
exam with your admissions ticket,
two no. 2 pencils and a soft eraser, a
scientific or graphing calculator with
extra batteries, and most importantly
some snacks and drinks.
If you haven’t registered for the
SAT yet, many opportunities are still
available. To take the test during March
you have to register by Feb 7, during
May the deadline is April 4, and to take
the test in June the deadline is May 9th.
6
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
Here’s to New Years Resolutions
So, how do you ensure that you
will accomplish your
goals
by the
time
2015
rolls
by: Erica Riera and Malcolm Harrell
With the New Year in full swing,
people all across the country have
begun to work towards their goals
for 2014. The infamous tradition
of setting a resolution for yourself
has become cause for some distress
for those that find it difficult to stay
away from chocolates, keep their
rooms clean, start homework early,
or any of the other promises that are
not being kept.
the point of saying you will get
something done when you know
it isn’t exactly possible? Sure, it
may give you something to work
for over the long-term, but if you
plan on finding a wild unicorn
and keeping it in your house you
will just be setting yourself up for
disappointment. Let’s be honest,
your mom would never let you keep
it anyway.
3.Be as specific as possible.
If you want to lose weight, give
yourself a number. If you want to
stop procrastinating, give yourself
a time limit on those YouTube
videos you watch after school.
This will make it much easier
to look at your goals in
a monthly or weekly
fashion and it will allow
you to take things step by
step.
4.Give yourself control.
around? First, you must discover Don’t set goals like “get into
what it is you wish to accomplish. college.” That is something that is
Use the following tips to help guide really out of your hands. Instead,
you.
say “I will apply to X amount of
1.Don’t
overwhelm schools this month.” Give yourself
yourself. Focus on one goal at a encouragement to take the initiative.
time, even if you may have more 5.Change your Attitude and
in mind. You have 365 days to your Behavior. The way you act
complete them and by giving and present yourself definitely has
yourself some limits, you will be a huge effect on the way you live.
able to accomplish more over time. Changing your routine can bring
2.Set realistic goals. What’s different results. Anthony Robbins
New Year, New Shows
by: Malcom Harrell
As we all know, the New Year
comes with new attitudes and resolutions
for a better and brighter life, but on a lighter
note it is known for mid season premieres
for television shows. From reality TV shows to comedic
sitcoms and the award season the month of
January has a lot to offer to televiewers.
“I can’t wait for all of the new shows
to start, I’m sick and tired of re runs,” VPA
senior, Rachel Sherman said.
Here are some of the air dates for
upcoming dramas, comedies, and the best ABC Family.com
returning series in the month of January.
•“The Haves and the Have Nots” (OWN)- Season
Jan. 1
2 of the intense drama created by Tyler Perry.
• "Dance Moms" (Lifetime)- Season 4 of the It tells the story of how the rich and powerful
popular reality TV show featuring Abby Miller, interact with their hired help.
MTV
young dancers, and their mothers.
Jan. 2
Jan. 13
• "Community" (NBC)- Season 5 of the comedy • "The Fosters" (ABC Family)- The #1 ranked
series about a man trying to get a law degree at a cable TV show about a multi-racial family of
community college.
foster kids.
Jan. 6
•“Switched at Birth” (ABC Family)- Winter
• “Teen Wolf” (MTV)- Season 4 of the Premiere of the drama series about two teenage
supernatural drama featuring Scott McCall and girls who were switched at birth
Lydia Martin.
Jan. 15
Jan. 7
• "American Idol" (Fox)- Season 13 of the hit
• "Pretty Little Liars" (ABC Family)- The second show with new judges: Harry Connick Jr.,
half of the fourth season popular series gets fans Jennifer Lopez and Keith Urban.
closer to understanding the mystery behind “A.” Whatever your preference, there’s a new
•“Ravenswood” (ABC Family)- The second show out there for you.
half of season one of the drama series centered
around five teenager connected by a fatal curse.
LifeTime
said, “If you do what you’ve always
done, you’ll always get the same
results.”
6.Self-Monitoring. Monitor
yourself and make sure you don’t
give in into your old ways.
7.Build a Support Group. Make sure those around you are
aware of your new goal and willing
to support it entirely. Those people
are essential because they will hold
you accountable when you’re in the
wrong. It will also be in your favor
to find someone with a similar goal
so they can run that race with you.
8.Reward yourself. If you
see that you are making progress
within your goal, recognize it with
a treat to yourself. Just be careful
and make sure your reward does not
conflict with your resolution.
9.Write it on Paper. Once
you have decided on our resolutions
write them down and they will
become more real to you. Post this
paper on a mirror or something else
you look at every day to reassure
that you are aiming towards your
resolution all the time.
10.Theme the Year. Develop
a theme that you want your year to
be about. Find a word or phrase that
will motivate you to achieve your
goal. Use his theme to drive your
goals into a central idea and stick
with it
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
Students take advantage of a two week
winter vacation.
The most wonderful time of the year: Winter
Break! Students look forward to this two week school
hiatus since the first day of school. The countdown
starts right after Thanksgiving, resulting in a lack of
drive, with a frenzy over the upcoming Holiday.
With only a few days left until Winter Break,
students get very anxious. Some have very exciting
plans, while others plan to simply relax and sleep in
all day.
Senior Aaron Sparber from the wrestling team
said that he stayed in Miami, but went to practice all
day, every day.
“This Winter Break, I’m most looking forward
to sleeping in every day the week we don’t have
practice.” For Christmas, Sparber has plans to go to
his family’s house in Jupiter. The big dinner him and
his family has is his favorite part of Christmas. He
by: Megan Maguire
also enjoys traveling to the Keys during the break,
and staying up with his family to take advantage of
the few short days he has to relax.
Senior Jasmine Robinson had a very eventful
Winter break this year. “I got two tattoos,” Robinson
said.
On Christmas morning, Jasmine usually goes
to her mom’s house. They exchanged and opened gifts
with each other and celebrated the day. Christmas
night, she went to her boyfriend’s house where she
enjoyed a big dinner with him and his family.
Erica Timmons, senior, had plans to travel
to Norway, where she visited some of her very close
family friends.
“I like hanging out at a lot of local spots with
my friends. It was very cold so I spent a lot of time on
indoor activities too!” said Timmons.
Timmons celebrated Christmas by going to her
dad’s house in the morning with her mom and step dad.
“We exchanged presents and had brunch together…
It’s probably my favorite Christmas tradition because
it’s a nice way for us to all get together as a family.”
No matter how Cudas spent their Winter
Break, students can agree that it is one of the best
times of the year.
Taking a break from all the chaos of the school
year is very refreshing. Every student cherishes every
moment of the two short weeks, because before we
know it, January 2014 is here and we are all right back
in school again!
What’s to come in 2014?
By: Madeline Reyes
2013 has come and gone,
leaving only memories of the year
behind- both good and bad. This
January not only brings with it a
four instead of a three, but like
most, the refreshing promise to
many of a blank page to begin
on. Weeks ago way back in ’13,
many were already anticipating
many events in the coming year;
welcoming 2014 with open arms.
Henceforth, I had just one simple
question for Coral Reef Students:
“What are you looking forward to
most in 2014?”
The most commonly
thought answer would be for the
end of school year in general. After winter break, the school year
seems to speed up. The only major
obstacle to get to summer would
be exams. While for most seniors,
the most important aspect would
be college acceptance letters,
senior events, most importantly,
graduation.
Senior Tristan Skeete
collectively agreed with that idea
by commenting that he’s most
looking forward to, “graduating
and starting over.” He then added,
“As well as making money to be
able to get an apartment.”
Marcela Cruz, who as
a sophomore is not particularly
absorbed by the idea of graduating
just yet, simply said she is
anticipating, “summer.”
Movies are all a buzz this
year. Starting the year off with
the Golden Globes, a prestigious
award
show
recognizing
extraordinary work in television
and film of the year, left people
wanting more this year from
the highly renowned actors and
actresses who dominated the
theaters last year.
Chabelly
Valle
and
Vershona Dean, two freshman
who were very enthusiastic about
the topic shared that they were
ready to, “dress up as Batman for
the movie and for Mockingjay
and Divergent to come out. And
summer to sleep and read.”
Junior Patrick Poll had
three humble words to give on the
topic which were, “to get swole.”
Hopefully
2014
will
also be a year full of unexpected
pleasant surprises and will meet
all the grand expectations set for
it.
7
New Year Fun
Facts
by: Madeline Reyes
After the fireworks are all
gone and the confetti has fallen;
it’s finally the beginning of a new
year.
However, not many people
know many things about the
holiday besides the dazzling lights
and colors shining through the sky,
the spectacles on television, and
their own traditions they practice
anticipating the arrival of midnight.
Therefore, here are some
interesting facts that hopefully you
remember to impress people with
at your next New Year’s shindig.
1.It is said that New Year’s
began being celebrated 4,000 years
ago.
2.The month of January
is named after the Roman God
Janus, who is said to have a face
facing forward and another looking
backward- which is something
many people happen to associate
with the start of a new year.
3.January first became the
first day of the year in 46 B.C.
(except in England).
4.The New York Times
Square ball dropped first in 1907
due to a firework restriction that
was put in place.
5.In 1942 and 1943, the
Times Square ball was not dropped
as a result of World War II.
6.In 2008, a new Times
Square ball was introduced. Made
out of Waterford Crystals and
weighing over eleven thousand
pounds.
7.In Australia, over a
million people line the Sydney
Harbor shoreline to view the
fireworks as they count down to
midnight.
8.“Auld Lang Syne,” the
song that is traditionally sung in
many places as soon as it becomes
January first, like in Times Square,
is roughly translated from the
originally Scots language of the
poem to “Days Long Ago.”
9.According to New Year’s
Facts by the Numbers Infographic,
about 45% of Americans make
resolutions and about 75% of them
only keep them for a week. (Hope
that’s not you!)
10.Superstitions
a.In certain cultures, they eat
specific foods to ring in the New
Year.
•In Japan, long noodles are eaten in
hopes of a long life.
•In countries like Mexico and
Greece, circular foods like grapes
are consumed to represent the year
“coming full circle.”
8
A & E
Working teens of the past, future teachers
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
by: Melissa Rodriguez
To have a job or not to have a job, that is
the question. It is pretty clear that all of us ask
ourselves that. Obviously, it is not mandatory to
get a job, but for those of you that don’t have
one, you are not alone. Some of our very own
teachers felt the same way.
Mrs. Kerr, an English teacher, did not
have a job in high school because she was a part
of her school dance team so she had no time left
to spare.
Mrs. Eden, another English teacher, did
not have a job because her parents simply did not
want her to have one. “School came first in my
house,” said Mrs. Eden.
Physics teacher, Mr. Jurado, said “I
couldn’t get a job because I had a lot of chores in
my house, so I didn’t have the time for one.”
Back in the day, Mrs. Kirchner, an
English Teacher at the school, spent her time
working at a concession stand serving ice cream
to the club members.
“I loved working at the concession stand!
I managed to always get a bit of ice cream every
day that I worked. Sometimes, I would freeze
the Reese’s peanut butter cups and swirl some
ice cream over it. It wasn’t until one day that I
somehow managed to get my finger caught under
the soft serve ice cream handle. To this day, my
finger nail still has the mark from the incident.”
Mrs. Kirchner worked at that concession
stand when she was in eighth grade until ninth
grade, when she decided to work for the local
Friendly’s franchise. Like at her previous job,
she would always sneak some ice cream into her
stomach before her shift was over.
“Every day, I would get a spoon and put
it by my five favorite flavors. When the manager
wasn’t looking, I would take the spoons and eat
a tiny bit of each of my favorites. I ate so much
ice cream back then, I don’t know how I have the
swanky figure that I do now,” said Mrs. Kirchner.
Mr. Krause, a Macroeconomics and
Government teacher also had a job throughout
his high school years when he was living in New
York. He worked as a custodian for McDonalds
when he was only 14 years old.
“It was an easy job and it paid well at the
time.”
He was also a custodian for his high
school. “The school would ask me during the
summer if I would like to help the custodians
clean. They payed me ten dollars an hour but
back then, the money was worth less so in reality,
I wasn’t payed much.”
In addition to being a custodian, Mr.
Krause worked at a golf course retrieving balls
for the golfers.
Although some high school students
have an easy time finding a job, Mrs. Ilhardt was
amongst the few that had a rough time. Since
she wanted to get a job at Super Wheels when
she was 15 years old, she had to obtain special
permission to work as young as she was.
During her career at Super wheels, she
worked the snack bar, was the hostess for big
parties, and most importantly she was Super
Wheels best floor guard.
“Floor guards are the people that tell the
skaters to slow down or move out of the way
when they fall,” said Mrs. Ilhart.
Unlike the previously mentioned
teachers, Mr. Miller accomplished big things as
a student employee. He worked at a sub shop
called Subrageous for three years. Throughout
those three years, he became the night manager
and he was able to save his money to buy his first
car. Along the way, he took the self-awarded title
as, “the best Sandwich engineer.”
English teacher, Mrs. Krieger, actually
used her high school job experience to do some
good in the world. She spent her time working
with autistic children in the Victory school in
North Miami Beach. They would use applied
behavior therapy in order “to increase behaviors,
maintain behaviors, generalize or to transfer
behavior from one situation or response to
another, and reduce interfering behaviors,”
according to www.thevictoryschool.org.
With humanitarians like Mrs. Krieger,
the world would have much more potential to be
a better place.
When Mr. Cloutier, a chemistry teacher,
was in high school, he worked in a pizza place
serving pizza to the hungry customers. Aside
from working with pizza, he was a stripper… a
paint stripper.
“I used to work for my dad. He had
me strip the paint off the walls in order for his
employees to paint the building or house we
were working on,” said Mr. Cloutier.
With all the labor Mr.Cloutier put into
his work, it’s a shame that his father paid him
so little. Coincidently, students still receive very
little for the work that they complete which
leaves them with difficulties paying for school
and personal expenses.
not
always
easy,
some
applicants are
turned down
before
they
even get the
chance
to
go in for an
interview.
Medical
senior Lennard
Grant
was
turned away
by a rude
Starbucks
manager. “She
hung the phone
up on me after
opportunities that allow them to become wellrounded individuals.
When students do not have jobs it gives
them more time to get involved in school sports
and clubs.
“The most challenging part of my first
job was dealing with my negative co-workers
and the way people talk to you in customer
service,” said legal senior Brianna Jones.
High school students in the work field are
at times exploited in low paid and low-skilled
jobs. These individuals are usually treated worse
than regular employees by their boss.
Positive Aspects of Teenagers Getting Parttime Jobs
Although, there are negative aspects of
getting a part-time job while in high school there
are also positives as well.
Medical senior Sami Majeed had
an awesome experience when he worked at
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt shop over the summer.
“I did it over the summer because it was
something to do, and it allowed me to buy new
clothes and shoes,” said Majeed.
By allowing students to obtain part-time
jobs it gives them something to do other than
getting into trouble.
Being in the work force as a teenager
teaches students valuable life lessons which
include: money management, hard work,
responsibility, and it also give students a taste of
the real world.
Having a job as a teenager can be the best
experience of your life or the worst experience,
but it is always good to keep a positive attitude
and know your own personal limitations.
Working teens balance school and work
by: Jakeyla Augustin
Teenagers who have part-time jobs are
nothing new to American society. American
teens get jobs for various reasons; whether it
is to save more for a car, college or just to have
spending money for their entertainment.
How to Get a Job
Many people have various techniques
to getting their first job; however, the same
general steps are usually taken.
Before beginning a job hunt, it is
imperative for students to be positive that they
truly want to obtain a job.
After deciding whether getting a job
is personally right for a teenager, that should
create a resume they shows all their credentials
– including leadership positions and community
service.
Resumes are extremely important when
it comes to getting a first job. They make the
applicant competitive in the job market.
Once the resumes are complete,
applicants should begin applying for jobs and
filling out job applications.
If the company you have applied for does
not call back within a reasonable amount of time
of you submitting the application call them to
see what is going on.
When the interview is finally set up,
teenage applicants need to prepare for the
interview by knowing about the company and
performing mock interviews.
Getting the job interview does not insure
that applicants will have a job, so dressing
professionally is definitely a plus.
During the process of searching for a job it is
she put me on hold,” said Grant.
Not all job searching experiences will be
positive. Keeping a positive attitude is one of the
most important aspects of trying to find a first
job.
Negative Aspects of Teenagers Getting Parttime Jobs
As with anything in the world, there are
both negative and positive aspects of getting a
part-time job as a teenager.
Some students do not know how to
balance school and work at the same time so
they begin to lag on their school work.
Young students can begin to get lower
grades in school, which can affect their future in
a negative way.
By getting part-time jobs as a teenager
in high school students miss out on a lot of
A & E
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
9
Dancing with Holiday Spirit
By: Erika Horback
The holidays around the corner,
and The Coral Reef Dance Magnet
prepared to put together a Holiday Dance
show called “The Wish List.”
The dancers put together a fun
filled, holiday spirit show. In preparation
for the show the dancers of all grades
rehearsed two hours a day, every day that
they had dance class at school.
Some days the dancers would
rehearse in the auditorium to get a feel
for the stage. On the week of the show,
the dancers stayed after school until 5:00
pm to get in extra practice that the dance
teachers, Mrs. Santalo and Ms. Kristen
Lui, felt was required to have the best
performances possible.
Alumni Ashley Ramsey, and
Dani Salano put in many hours of
choreography to put the show together.
They choreographed dances based off the
Holidays with a wide variety of themes, a
different theme for each dance. The Coral Reef Cudettes showed
their dances, which were the most
prepared and advanced of the show.
The dancers wore elaborate costumes
provided by the Dance magnet’s Costume
Closet, which is filled with costumes
from previous years. The purpose of the show is to
“allow dancers to show what we love to
do to for our friends and family while
raising money for the Dance Magnet so
that more shows like this can happen,”
says sophomore Emily Edwards. With all of the dedication and
hours put in behind the scenes of the
performance, the dancers of our school
deserve of an applause. The Holiday
Dance Show of 2013 was one to never
forget.
Behind the
Scenes in CRTV
I had the chance to interview
the funny and charming Elijah
Shama, an anchor on the School’s
very own CRTV Live.
Elijah told me how much
work went into each production.
The show is written and directed by
the entire TV production class, each
and everyone with a different job.
The script is written only moments
before the show airs, giving the
students little time to prepare and
rehearse, yet they still pull off a
unique show every morning.
The equipment room was
filled with everything from cables
to cameras, and is also where the
well-known Pala-bro hat is kept.
The class is mostly student run with
minimal supervision. The class had
a really relaxed atmosphere, people
were scattered around the giant mac
computers on which they edit their
work and collaborate with each
other to finish the job.
There is
more to
CRTV
t h e n
what you
see on
the TV.
There are three camera-men and
an equipment manager on set at all
times.
Walking through the hallways,
Elijah confesses, is uncomfortable
considering he gets multiple
awkward glances. “People look at
me and stare as if they know who
I am, but can’t remember where
they’ve seen me.” Elijah further
states. All in all, the whole cast
and staff seem to love being in the
studio getting their work done. “It’s
gratifying and I love the opportunity
I got to work on the show.” Elijah
confesses.
TEST PREPARATION: SAT,
ACT, E. O. C., PERT
Math: Algebra, Geometry, PreCalculus, Calculus
AP and IB Calculus, Chemistry,
Statistics, Physics
TUTORING BY
GEORGE
786-512-3030
individual or
small groups
CREDENTIALS
25 years of teaching experience
Miami Dade College Instructor
Specialist Degree in Math education
MS Management Information Systems
BS Industrial Engineering
10
The
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
A Baby Epidemic Around the Reef
by: Megan Maguire
If you’ve been walking around the school
recently you probably noticed something odd.
There is suddenly an influx of students walking
around with babies.
If you were wondering
why the sudden baby boom,
it’s because students are
participating in a psychology
project.
Psychology
students
have been learning about
development in children and
adolescents. A part of learning
this chapter is learning about
how infants develop and how to
be a good parent so they grow
up to become good children.
Teachers thought it proper for
students to learn what it’s like
to be a parent at this time.
Psychology
students
participating in the baby
project are required to carry a
baby doll with them, not only
at school, but in public and
at home as well, for about a
week. They can’t be caught
abusing or without the doll at
any time during the project or
they will suffer the wrath of
their teacher. Students get a
taste of what it’s like to have a
child.
Sophomore, Sophia Arana was one of the
few students who took on the challenge of caring
for not only one baby, but two. She volunteered
to have twins so she could earn extra credit in
her class.
“The most important thing I learned was
to take the elevator, not the stairs, if you have a
stroller,” said Arana.
Arana constantly had to keep an eye
on her baby in class because you never know
if someone would take it from you when you
weren’t looking.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced
throughout the project was trying to give both
children equal attention. Because I had twins I
had to care for both of them equally or it would
be considered neglect.”
Junior, Maryam Mahoud, learned how to
be responsible for another life other than hers.
She said, “The hardest part of the project was
not forgetting about the baby and leaving it
somewhere. The best part of the project is that
I now know in the future that I will be even the
slightest bit experienced, even if it’s not a real
baby.”
AP Psychology teacher, Natalie Sosa,
hopes that with this project her students will
learn the amount of responsibility it takes to be a
parent and that having a baby is not as simple as
society portrays it to be.
Ms. Sosa also participated in this project
when she was an AP Psychology student at Coral
Reef.
“I remember getting the firsthand
experience of what it’s like to be a teen parent. I
found that being a teen parent is difficult because
you become victim of stereotype, and you often
get misjudged in public,” Ms. Sosa said.
School Lunch: No Alternative for Nutrition
When many first enter
Coral Reef, the food isn’t as
unscrupulous as it is now. The
food at first was not so bad; I
would get a chicken wrap filled
with lettuce, tomatoes and a side
of ranch dressing. As the year
progressed, the foodn decreased exponentially in quality and the
amount given per serving.
The chicken wrap eventually
became two giant chicken
tenders shoved in a cold tortilla
with no dressing to go with it.
Now, the pizzas are held together
by barely melted mozzarella
cheese and the dull ground beef
served with a piece of bread to
replace a bun that it should have
gone with.
Most students do not have
time to pack lunch each and every
day. Therefore, most of the student
body is obligated to rely on the food
provided by Coral Reef.
Many high school students
say that they don’t like the food.
This is a major problem if students
are not meeting their nutritional
recommendation each day.
Students require an adequate
amount of nutrition to maintain a
healthy and balanced lifestyle. As
with any other age group teenagers
need the proper nutrition to remain
jubilant as long as possible.
Snacking is always a healthy
alternative to going to the vending
machine between every class.
Snacks such as fruits, vegetables
and snacking bars are good to eat
groups,
each
of
which will
be shown
performing
completely
original
p i e c e s
e v e r y
w e e k .
The contestants work towards
utilizing social media to earn
points, cumulatively calculated for
their “Genius Point Average” better
known as G.P.A.
Points may be earned by
receiving “likes” on Facebook,
using a Twitter hashtag in support
of your favorite artist on the
show, downloading one of the
original songs, purchasing artist
merchandise, or buying a ticket for
the final show.
Fans and supporters may
purchase the contestant’s music
(although any money spent is
by: Jason Romero (guest writer)
throughout the day. Instead of
skipping meals, like many do, it is
better to just snack throughout the
day to keep you fuel going. Personally, I eat school lunch
almost every day, mostly because
if I don’t I will eventually starve
and that will cause me to not have
enough energy to function in class.
I do not wish to have this
mentality, but the quality of the
meals does not appeal to me. These
last couple of weeks I have been
getting salad because it is the only
food in the cafeteria that won’t
give me a stomach ache after I eat
it. As a developing male
teenager, I need additional nutrients
for my sprouting body. Cudas Take Over Miami Musical Genuis
By: Erica Riera
Coral Reef senior, Leia
Schwartz, recently made her debut
as a reality competition television
show contestant on Sunday, January
19.
Miami’s Musical Genius
premiered at 4 p.m. on My Network
TV, on channel 33. It gave us a
glimpse into the life of a truly
talented young artist.
Schwarz
is
currently
competing against four other artists/
completely optional and purely
donation). Currently, the average
amount of money spent on Leia’s
live rendition of her song, “Believe,
Dream, Inspire,” is $3.25 which
puts her ahead of the game as the
other contestants typically receive
$1.00 for their pieces.
Fans may also purchase a
“TEAM LEIA” t-shirt for as low
as $14.95 (available in a variety
of colors). Watch Miami’s Musical
Genius and show your Cuda pride.
Reef
FBLA competition (cont’d from pg. 1)
spreadsheet applications, and desktop
publishing. Each school in the district
tested the FBLA members from
their chapter who competed in skill
competitive events at their own school.
Students competing in word
processing have to type, format, and
edit a variety of business letters, reports,
and memos. Those competitions took
place in room 308 during 2nd period on
Wednesday Jan. 15th.
Finally, on Wednesday Jan. 22nd
all members who competed in any type
of event were eligible to go to South
Dade for an awards ceremony. The ceremony awards the top 3
in the district with a trophy and a chance
to advance to states. Some competitions
give 4th and 5th place winners trophies
or medals as well.
Usually Coral Reef wins Christina Hernandez and Julian Lafaurie
students. Last year there were schools that had
significantly more than other schools
in our district; last year we had over 30 students to go to other hotels because there was no rooms
qualify for state competitions! We usually have available. States is between March 21st and
more students qualify, but the magic of FBLA March 24th. seems to have died down, maybe it’s because Coral Reef also has two elected officers sitting
school work takes so much time now. But when on the District Board for the upcoming year:
people see how fun FBLA can be they say. “I want Business junior, Julian Lafaurie and IB juior,
to join next year!” Probably one of the biggest Cristina Hernandez.
reasons why people join FBLA is because they Julian Lafaurie will also be running for state
hear stories from states and want to go the next vice-president.
year. At states anyone who places 1st or 2nd gets
to compete at nationals which are in Nashville District Winners:
Accounting I Talia Lopez 4th
TN this year!
FBLA States is in Orlando, but not in the Accounting I Daniel Weiland 1st
Rosen Centre, which held FBLA for over ten Banking and Financial Eduardo Paredes 1st
years, but the Hilton Hotel. FBLA membership Banking and Financial Camilo Alvarez 1st
in the state of Florida has been increasing over Banking and Financial Chaitanya Lokireddy 1st
the past six years that the Rosen Centre become Business Calculations Adrian Peart 2nd
too small to host an event for over three thousand Business Procedures Claudia Perez-Brito 4th
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
11
Client Service Wesley Franz 2nd
Computer Application Joshua Ahamed 1st
Cyber Security Edward Chang 2nd
Desktop Publishing Erica Riera 1st
Desktop Publishing Carolina Pulgarin 1st
Entrepreneurship Jake Ceballo 1st
Entrepreneurship Kshitij Kulkarni 1st
Entrepreneurship Dan Nahon 1st
Global Business Arturo Almanza 1st
Global Business Ivan Langesfeld 1st
Global Business Zachary Pierce 1st
Health Care Aisha Arias 2nd
Hospitality Management Sevginaz Kiroglu 1st
Hospitality Management Mariam Leon 1st
Hospitality Management Valeria Velasco 1st
Job Interview Yainely Castillo 1st
Management Decision Making Michael Angrand
1st
Management Decision Making Andrea Barreiro
1st
Management Decision Making Jesus Mendez 1st
Marketing Andres Perez 1st
Marketing Christopher Radcliff 1st
Public Speaking I Ivan Padilla 2nd
Public Speaking II Aysha Habbaba 2nd
Sports and Entertainment Management Juan
Calle 1st
Sports and Entertainment Management Michael
Germi 1st
Sports and Entertainment Management Mario
Ego-Aguirre 1st
Website Design Jeannette Bode 1st
Website Design Claudia Enamorado 1st
Public Service Announcement Nicole Martinez
1st
Public Service Announcement Natalie Mesa 1st
Public Service Announcement Alexi Hamilton
1st
Thespians Troupe Number 57……44
Melina Hernandez won
a Critics’ Choice for
Costume Design
Natalia Patiño won a
Critics’ Choice for a solo
musical
performance,
“Fly, Fly Away” from
the musical “Catch me if
you Can.”
Emma Kervel won
a Critics Choice for
Student Directed Scene
Nicole Garcia won a
Critics Choice for Play
Writing
David Scherker won a
Critics Choice for Play
Writing
The troupe also won
three
superiors
for
monologues,
three
Coral Reef Thespians performing “Revolting Children” from the play “Mitilda”
superiors for duet scenes,
by: Carlos R. Gonzalez
Gabrielle Perez won a Critics’
two superiors for ensemble scenes,
Choice for set design
three superiors for solo musicals, a
Congratulations to the Samantha Gonzalez won a Critics’
superior in makeup design.
Coral Reef Senior High Visual and Choice for sound design
Performing Arts Drama Magnet Javier Galarza, Lauren Horgan,
All of the students in
Students as they competed in the Celine Diaz, Gaby Fernandez
Thespians had an amazing time
District Thespian Festival. They and Rebecca Fallon won a Critics’
competing and doing what they
won nine Critics Choice, twelve Choice for their original Pantomime
love, performing.
Superiors, and three excellents. “Touch”
Mia Granade, president of
Thespians said, “I am very blessed
to be a part of this troupe, we
always give our best performance
and always end up successful.”
She also wishes the troupe a
wonderful year next year since she
is a senior. Granade was in “Revolting
Children” from the musical
“Matilda.” She also performed a
scene from the play “PillowMan”
and “Which Witch.”
Natalia Patiño, another
senior in the Drama Magnet was
ecstatic that she was able to perform
three pieces for the first time. Patiño,
as mentioned before performed
a musical scene from “Catch Me
if You Can,” and “The Ballad of
Sara Berry” and a duet scene with
Molly Manganelly in a scene from
“Antigone Now”; this was a scene
from their freshman year play, they
both said, “It was like a full circle
feeling when we brought it back our
senior year, and showcase was the
last time ever performing it.”
They will be taking
performances to states in the month
of March. Break A Leg!
12
Sports
Coral Reef Sr. High
January 2014
Often overlooked wrestling works year round
by: Anaija Lapaix and Jakeyla
Augustin
Often times other sports are
overlooked by students who praise
our football team. However, there
are many dedicated sports that need
recognition.
Coral Reef Senior High School’s
wrestling team has dedicated
numerous hours of blood, sweat
and tears to the game they know
and love.
Wrestling is a sport that requires
a strong state of mind to work
through the individual matches.
Many wrestlers started at a
young age due to figure heads
that succeeded in the sport when
they were younger. Sophomore,
Jevontea Yarbrough, was inspired
to join the sport because his uncle
wrestled when he was in high
school.
“Wrestling is a sport that requires
responsibility, and I believe it truly
builds leadership skills because
you
compete
individually,”
said Yarbrough who began the
headstrong game.
Wrestling, which many overlook,
is practically a yearlong sport.
The committed athletes begin
their season in September and end
around February.
These athletes who have managed
to remain enthusiastic about the
sport have practically dedicated
their life to it.
Junior, Marc Hughes said that “In
order to succeed at the sport you
must be willingly to work on and
off the mats.”
Each wrestler is assigned to a
specific weight class, and must
maintain that certain weight for
fear of removal from that particular
class.
In order to achieve this most
wrestlers tend to run every day, and
keep a strict diet that will aid them
in their journey to success.
While at practice, the team
works together by running, doing
drill moves and practicing their
wrestling moves on other members
of their weight division.
Crunch time is rapidly approaching
for the Cuda boys; districts,
regionals, and states are soon
coming.
Longtime member of the wrestling
team such as heavy weight senior,
Sterling Shippy got third at the
GMAC’s January 16th and 17th,
and is excited for districts the week
of January 27th.
“I am working hard in and out of
practice so I can make it to states
my final year,” said Shippy. He
would also like to thank Coach
Dominquez for his hard work and
dedication to the team he loves.
Boys Basketball team holds it’s own
the season and for the final game. Their
training included, “Drills, skill training, and
endurance.” Basketball is a sport that requires great
Peart elaborated on the endurance aspect
endurance and has a tremendous amount of
of their practice saying that it entitled, “Running,
pressure put on the performers. It tests the
sprinting, weight room, drills, and polymeric.”
abilities of the players and forces them to work
Next to football, basketball is a widely
as a team.
acknowledged sport here the Reef and Cuda
This sport has
Nation again takes the cake. We’ve had a
a great emphasis on
very successful season and the players really
teamwork and you can
appreciate the support that they get from fans
definitely see the strong
who attend the games.Basketball is the sport in
bond among the team as
Miami and at Coral Reef. It is a thing that keeps
the practice, play, and hang
this school going and everybody who is a part
out outside of the court.
of this organization of greatness truly deserve
“In order to be
everything that they get. successful, you must start
Jordan Edwards is a senior who started
doing what you hate to do
at the game. He plays point guard and he also
and stop doing what you
found the game to be very emotional. He said it
love to do,” said a senior
was “emotional” and “awesome”, surely a game
in legal, Zavier Peart. that he will remember forever. “I appreciate all
These
players
of my family and friends coming out to support,”
have a dedication to the
says Edwards.
game and rarely think David Bargamento drives down the court during a night game at Coral Reef.
Along with the rest of the team, they
of anything else besides
practiced plays in order to prepare for this game.
being the best and winning.
“Perfect practice makes perfect,” is a quote
They strive for excellence and are disappointed colleges can certainly put a damper on any frequently said by legal teacher Mrs. Cushnie,
when they do not reach the levels that they set friendships, but these guys have, “Become a but is used by Zavier Peart to express his feelings
for themselves.
family along the way.”
towards the game. He knows that if they work
January 22, 2014 was their last home David Bargamento, a business senior, hard, they can play hard and get everything that
game and is aptly referred to as Senior Night. recalled that practices helped out throughout they need.
by: Anaija Lapaix and Jakeyla Augustin
Thankfully the boys won against Southridge
Senior High School with a score of 64 to 61, a
fantastic way to end the season.
Senior Night was described as an
emotional time seeing as some of these young
men would not be playing with their teammates
in a school sanctioned game. Going to separate