Junior Prom Dresses Looked Beautiful Class of 2017 Makes Junior

The
azette
April 22, 2016
In this issue
Senior Citizen’s Prom
Dance Show
Music Education
AP Tests
Volunteer Work
BEYOND FRANKLIN
Abducted Children
NJ School Success
Light City Festival
Entertainment
Superman V Batman
MTV Awards
Fantastic Beasts
Sports
Nyjari McNeil
Mr. Somers
Scorpion Classic
Kobe Bryant
Issue 16 Volume 81
Class of 2017 Makes Junior Prom Pop
Franklin
Prom Dresses
Est. 1935
By Mica Gunby; Contributing Writer
The Junior Prom:
a night for 11th graders to
come together and have
a good time at a formal
event. The Student Government Association has
been fundraising all year
for this night and junior
prom serves as a fundraiser for the class of 2017’s
senior prom. Prom took
place the night of Saturday, April 16. Tickets
were sold for thirty dollars
each the week prior.
The night began at
8pm in the school’s cafeteria. It was decorated to
a luau theme with a huge
dance floor in the middle
and octagon lunch tables
surrounding. There was
loud music, strobe lights,
and happy juniors inside.
The DJ was the
same DJ the school hires
for the homecoming dances and he started the night
off pretty poor with music
that nobody listens to or
wanted to dance to. Luckily, the class of 2017 knows
how to make the best out
of bad music. As the night
progressed the music got
better and more appealing
From left to right: Sydney Gaskins, Majenta Thomas, Cali Shelton, Mckenna Logie, Jose
Cabrera, Emily Dioguardo, Jaden Thornton.
to the majority of students.
Students were cutting it up
on the dance floor.
Prom King and
Queen were announced towards the end of the night.
The reigning homecoming
Prince and Princess won,
Samuel Botchway and
Tierra Reid Junior Alexis Hernandez summed up the
night, “It was very exciting and a very memorable
experience if I could go
back in time I would do it
all over again.”
Sophmore
Emily Dioguardo was asked
to prom by junior Ryan
Ganslaw. She states, “I
thought it was fun. A lot of
people were on the dance
floor which I thought was
pretty cool. Only some
people sat down.”
Juniors are now
counting the days until the
pomp and circumstance
of the senior prom. many
have already started thinking about what they will
wear and who they might
invite.
Junior Prom Dresses Looked Beautiful
By Cali Shelton; Contributing Writer
Franklin’s Junior
Prom was on Saturday,
April 16th. Everyone
looked so beautiful in
their prom dresses. For
the most part nobody had
on the same dress, which
is impressive because at
homecoming
everyone
was basically wearing the
same dress.
To prevent this
everyone posted a picture
of their dress in a Facebook group so nobody
would get the same dress
this year. The majority of
the dresses were from the
website Tobi and Lulu’s,
but even with the group
chat people still ended up
with the same dress. The
website Tobi has a variety
of dresses to choose from,
but most of the dresses
look like the same style
and color. So basically
Continued on Page 2
in Franklin News
FRANKLIN NEWS
Junior Prom Dresses Looked Beautiful
By Cali Shelton; Contributing Writer
Continued from
Front Page
everyone was wearing the
same dresses again .
Rosie Hendedrson,
Rachel Frizzell, and Rani
Kshepara all accidentally
bought the same exact
dress. However, Rosie
went to Pikesville’s prom
instead, so it only left
Rachel and Rani wearing the same dress. They
both looked so great in the
dress and it complimented
each of them differently.
The dress was a rich red
color and looked so cute.
Sydney Gaskins
dress was made of black
lace and looked classy and
she just wore it so well.
Also, Melissa Blum’s
dress was such a pretty
color on her, and it looked
super beautiful. Emily
Diogardno’s dress was the
prettiest red color . Destini
From left to right: Jacob Sanchez, Cali Shelton, Rachel
Frizzell, Jordan Opher, and Mckenna Logie all taking
pictures before dinner and the prom .
Royal looked so beautiful completely. Annie Banks’s
too! Her dress was long dress looked amazing as
and flowing and suited her well, it was covered in
jewels and looked so cute
on her.
The entire night
was super hype, and everyone that went had a great
time dancing with their
friends. Everyone looked
so beautiful in their dresses and had their hair and
makeup done. The whole
night is a great memory.
Senior Citizen’s Prom Enlightens Franklin
ByYasmeen Ali; Contributing Writer
The Senior Citizen’s Prom, one of Franklin’s favorite events, is
taking place on April 30th
of 2016. The Senior Citizen’s Prom is held in the
gymnasium and brought to
you by the Student Government Association and
other gererous outside volunteers.
This day is very
special to the people who
attend and special to the
students as well. For many
senior citizens, this is the
first prom they have ever
experienced so everyone
volunteering must make
sure to make it extrordinary.
The gymnasium is
decorated by tables with
cloths and center pieces
and wrapped utensils to
give it a classy look. Mr.
Attendees and volunteers enjoying last years event
Brown typically is in
charge of the DJ of the
music. Franklin student
volunteers are waiters and
waitresses for a night. The
students are required to
wear black and white to
imitate, again, a classier
and formal wear to the
prom.
The favorite part
for the seniors is of course,
the delicious dinner. There
will be a drink table that
Franklin volunteers will
help with. Soda, ice tea,
and coffee will be provided. And for dessert, there
will be brownies, vanilla
ice cream and chocolate
syrup, or sorbet. On the
tables will be salad, bread,
and all the necessary condiments. SGA loves to
spoil our senior citizens.
To make it a perfect night, volunteers must
attend a training session
that provides all information they must follow. Students must remember to
be neat and tidy and keep
their hygiene in check.
Students also must make
sure to prioritize what the
seniors want first. Wait until they are ready to dance,
don’t force anything upon
them. This is their night.
“This event is for
the senior citizens, don’t
forget that” says Mrs. Mcneily, head of the SGA.
This event is meant
to create new memories
for each person present
that night.
“Even though it is
tiring, it is worth it. I’ve
done this for a few years
now and I am so happy
that every year it’s even
more successful than the
last” Justin Doan, treasur-
er of the student government says.
This is a very fun
event and the SGA always
welcomes anyone that is
interested in helping out.
Many come to help out
from 12 am for the decorations and change at school
and wait until the event
starts. The SGA is happy
with anyone that volunteers with this great event
that creates many smiles.
To sign up, come
to room 112, Mrs. Mcneily’s. Information for
the Senior Citizen’s Prom
will be held on the 20th of
April in room 112. Hope
to see as many people
there to create yet another
successful prom.
Upcoming Dance Show Bound to Dazzle
By Sylvie Lass; Contributing Writer
esteemed dance class
will be performing live
in the auditorium, as a
fundraiser and exhibition for the school. Students and teachers alike
are encouraged to come
to see the performance,
and enjoy what these talNyjari will be performing
ented students have to
in the show alongside her
fellow dance class students offer. The performance
This
upcoming will take place at 6:00PM
Wednesday, students from on Wednesday April 20,
Franklin High school’s 2016. At the door, attend-
ees will be charged a small
entrance fee of three dollars, which will go toward
the dance department.
The dance show
has been carefully planned
and choreographed by
Franklin High school’s
own physical education
teacher and dance instructor, Ms. Mathis. Ms.
Mathis has worked very
hard to make sure this performance will be a success,
a fact which will surely
be evident in the exhibition itself. She, like her
many current and former
students, is very excited
about her students’ chance
to show their skills on
stage. She is confident that
all the dancers’ hard work
will pay off and make for
a spectacular show.
Many of the students participating in the
dance class’s show are
eager to share their talents
both on and off the stage.
Some, such as
Franklin sophomore Nyjari McNeil, are not only
proud members of the
dance class, but also excellent members of the
school’s sports program,
Continued on Page 3
in Franklin News
2
FRANKLIN NEWS
Upcoming Dance Show Bound to Dazzle
By Sylvie Lass; Contributing Writer
Continued from
Page 2
and active participants in
the student body. When
interviewed about the
concert, Nyjari was quick
to encourage attendance
to the event. “You should
definitely come to our
performance this Wednesday,” she said enthusiastically, adding that, “It really isn’t all that expensive
to get in, and it will totally
be worth it. We’ve been
working really hard to pre-
pare for this, and it should
be pretty great.”
This positive attitude is wide spread among
members of the dance
class, who have spent
many weeks practicing
their choreography, and
building their strength and
endurance for events such
as this. For these students,
the dance exhibition is not
just a chance to look cool
while busting a move, but
the culmination of a year’s
worth of hard work and
exercise.
All in all, while the
set list of songs that will
be performed to on this
upcoming Wednesday has
been carefully kept a secret
from those not involved in
the exhibition its self, one
thing is definitely true: this
dance performance will be
one to remember.
Baltimore County Wins Best Music Program 2016
By Anieyah Smith; Contributing Writer
Baltimore County
has had the honor of being
named one of the best districts for music education
for the 10th time in the row.
Baltimore County
originally started to win
the award in 2004 but
since 2006, the county
has been receiving an
award for the music program every year. About
476 schools in the United
States as a whole were selected for the same award
this year and 120 actual
schools were selected for
the Support Music Merit
award. There were only
two districts in all of
Maryland out of the 476
that were awarded.
The way a district
receives an award for this
particular area involves
a number of conditions.
The districts are judged on
the amount of staffing and
the amount of money that
is put into the music departments. Teachers who
are highly qualified to
teach music classes make
the schools look even better. They also look at how
many schools offer different areas of music from
coral to marching band.
In our district, students are strongly persuaded to take a music class
while they are in elementary and middle school.
After middle school, they
can take whatever fine arts
they want.
Baltimore County
has a lot of opportunities
for their students musically. There are many
programs to help young
musicians.
Baltimore
The Baltimore Youth Symphony Orchestra during a concert in 2015
County even has a partnership with the Baltimore
Symphony Orchestra so
there are students who
get to play with real professionals. The Baltimore
Youth Symphony Orchestra at George Washington
Carver Center for Arts and
Technology was founded
in 2012 and gives students
a chance to perform in real
concerts. There are also
partnerships with other
organizations like the Hippodrome Theater and the
Lyric Opera Baltimore.
Super Intendant,
Dr. Dance is very proud
of this award once again.
It’s clear that he feels very
strongly about the need for
an outstanding music department for the children
in Baltimore County. He
wants to feed the hunger
of future artists and performers while they are still
in school. He plans to continue to make improvements to music education
in Baltimore County.
AP Students Begin Preparing for Exams
By Mica Gunby; Contributing Writer
It is officially
April, and for upper classmen there are definitely
a lot of things going on.
Seniors are about a month
away from finishing high
school. Between preparing for their final exams,
getting ready for prom
and graduation, choosing
colleges, participating in
extracurricular activities,
while not letting senioritis
get the best of them, the
class of 2016 definitely
has a full plate. However,
so do the juniors. Juniors
have their prom, extracurricular activities, their
grades, and the SATs. The
two classes both have one
thing in common, however, and that is the upcoming AP exams.
With AP exams
taking place between
May 2-13, students are in
that crunch time. Teachers have been doing many
things in order to help
the students prep for AP
exams. For example, AP
Psychology teacher, Mrs.
Harris, assigned a project
to all of her AP students to
help them prepare for the
exam. Each student has to
choose a unit they have
previously learned and
create a study guide for it.
They also have to create
a five minute presentation
about the given unit for
the rest of the class. This
is a great way for students
to focus in on a unit that
they were not strong in or
a unit they simply do not
remember much from. Not
only that, but it also allows
the other students to study
from something made by a
peer.
AP Human Geography teacher, Ms. Pizzariello, does a very similar
project for her students.
Teachers have also
been distributing practice
tests/mock exams. These
tests are often past AP
exams, which allows students to get a taste of what
that AP exam is like in
terms of length, content,
and difficulty. AP Chemistry teacher, Dr. Batarse,
allowed her students to
take an optional mock
exam over the weekend of
March 19. The experience
was just about identical
to that of a real AP exam.
She even goes as far as to
score each student’s test
and give the student a relative score that they would
get on the AP exam. This
is ultimately very beneficial for the students so
that they know what to
expect when it’s time for
the real test. Dr. Batarse is
one of many AP teachers
who have given his or her
students the opportunity to
experience a mock exam.
Despite all of the
preparation administered
by the teachers, students
are still strongly recommended to purchase an AP
review book such as Baron’s, Princeton, or Five
Steps to a 5. These books
include practice quizzes
with AP style questions,
explanations for the correct answers, recaps of the
units, and more.
3
FRANKLIN NEWS
Franklin Students Help Their Elders
By Meerq Panikar; Contributing Writer
Future Care is located close to FRanklin High School on Reisterstown road and is a
great way for students to earn service learning hours.
The Future Care the applicant fills out a re- include passing the ball
Nursing Home on Reister- sume, medical history, and and getting to know a fact
stown Road accepts stu- background history. The about each resident, exdents from many schools final task before becom- ercising, playing music,
and different areas in ing a volunteer is that each cooking different types of
Maryland to come vol- volunteer has to receive a desserts or main dishes,
unteer their time with the tuberculosis vaccination. bingo, and arts and crafts.
elderly. The nursing home After the paperwork and The residents’ favorite accreates a fun and safe en- the vaccine, the volunteer tivity, bingo, takes place
vironment for the resi- can decide any day that every morning, and a huge
dents and provides activi- they would like to partici- crowd of people gather.
ties and games to involve pate. Many residents pre- The winners of bingo rethemselves in, while cre- fer volunteers to come in ceive prizes and gifts.
Holidays and speating a friendship with on weekends, because that is when the activities are cial events excite the resieach volunteer.
When people of more varied, but the week- dents, because the nurses
different ages volunteer at days are wonderfulas well. and volunteers set up inGames are used triguing games and events
the Future Care Nursing Home, it is required that for physical therapy and that relate to the specific
holiday. For example,
on Valentine’s Day the
residents’ played a game
where each male resident
speed dated with a female
resident. Franklin High
School student, Mitsu
Ghodasra, participated in
the activity and received
a chance to get to know
each resident, with the
printed out questions the
nurses provided. The occasion allowed the Future
Care chefs to bake and
cook delicious desserts
and healthy treats that the
nurses approved of for
the residents. Some of the
treats, included pink colored pudding, cupcakes,
and celery and carrots
with pink colored ranch.
The most active
and energetic holiday
events at Future Care, are
the Christmas, Valentine’s
Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and
Easter. Religious ceremonies, like Catholic Mass
or a Jewish ceremony, are
varied for each resident to
celebrate their faith.
Knowing how to
use a wheelchair is probably the most key component to volunteering at the
nursing home, because the
nurses allow the volunteers to help the residents
around the nursing home
to their desired location.
Many of the residents
prefer sitting outside on
the patio, where there is
a vegetable and fruit sale.
The volunteers, doctors,
and nurses at the nursing
home purchase tickets to
win fresh fruits and vegetables in the auctions on
Mondays. It is fascinating
watching the residents get
excited when they win the
raffle.
Franklin
High
School student and Future Care volunteer, Mitsu
Ghodasra, said, “I love
coming back to volunteer
at Future Care, during
my free time. It is a great
place to create a smile on
another person’s face.”
BEYOND FRANKLIN NEWS
Families Still Search for Their Abducted Children
By Emily Dioguardo; Contributing Writer
Families throughout Nigeria persist in their
search for their children
after two long years.
Two years ago,
Boko Haram fighters
stormed a school in the
Nigerian town, Chibok.
They burned buildings
down and kidnapped
nearly 300 Nigerian girls.
Most of the girls who were
kidnapped have not been
heard from since then.
This abduction took place
on April 14th, 2014 and is
only one of many brutal
acts that Boko Haram has
committed on Western Africa in the past few years.
The abduction caused a
worldwide movement for
the girls, involving the
hashtag, #BringBackOurGirls. This international
movement even brought
the First Lady, Michelle
Obama, to join the cause.
Ever since the attack, several people have
protested, by surrounding
government buildings in
Nigeria’s capital. Other
nations, like the United
States, have joined NigeHorrific ordeal: Some of the 219 Nigerian girls kidnapped
ria against the Boko Haby Boko Haram two years ago.
ram. Soldiers have been
working to free villages girls, forced to recite their abducted. The video has
that were under the con- names and state that they raised hope for the famitrol of the Boko Haram.
had converted to Islam. A lies of the missing girls.
Now, two years minister was questioned There was also informalater, the Nigerian girls on whether the video tion which suggested that
are still missing and have was made recently or far the government received a
not been found. But, in before, because the girls similar video the summer
December, a video was looked the same as they before.
made of the abducted had at the time they were Families of the
victims complain that the
Nigerian government has
not done anything to help
them in their search for the
girls. In the months following the attack, almost
50 girls from the Chibok
abduction were able to escape from the people who
took them. That leaves 219
girls who still cannot be
found.
Hope rose again
when rumor of two girls
escaping spread around,
only leaving them to discover that the girls were
from another town. The
parents and families have
been taunted by false hope
and still search for their
children.
4
BEYOND FRANKLIN NEWS
New Jersey School Successfully Run by StuBy Maiya Robinson; Contributing Writer
Students all over
the country depend on
their teachers to give them
all the information they
need for their day. However, in New Jersey, a group
of students are running
an entire school by themselves, while maintaining
a near-perfect graduation
rate.
St.
Benedict’s
Preparatory School was
founded when Benedictine
monks came to Newark to
serve the German community of Saint Mary’s
parish. They saw the need
for a school and opened
Saint Benedict’s College
in 1868. By 1917 most
students enrolled for the
college prep curriculum.
The college curriculum
was eventually dropped
and the school officially
became St. Benedict’s
running. Student groups
are required to run almost
every operation that goes
on throughout the school.
They organize schedules
and compete for the highest grades, inspiring students to study harder.
The school stresses the principles of community, leadership, and
excellences. With a motto
of “What Hurts My BrothA group of St. Benedict’s students celebrating on the day
er Hurts Me,” it’s expectof their graduation.
ed that the students work
reforming the school.
Preparatory School.
well together to keep the
The Boy Scout school in top shape.
The school, sta- tioned in Newark, New Handbook is a manual Incoming freshJersey, was originally shut that focuses on teaching men quickly learn what’s
down 50 years ago when boys leadership and in- expected of them through
racial and political prob- dependence. Leahy took their entrance exam and
lems started the collapse the many lessons from boot camp style orientaof the inner city. Despite the Handbook and ap- tion. Students learn how
this, headmaster Edwin plied them to St. Bene- the school operates in a
Leahy decided The Boy dict’s in the 70s and let military fashion. Current
Scout Handbook would be the students take charge in students also develop a
the perfect foundation for keeping the school up and feeling of brotherhood,
referring to one another
as “brother” and looking
for a student if he doesn’t
show up to class. Bruce
Davis, student and senior
group leader, says “If he’s
out, if the parents don’t
know where he is, we have
to go find him because he
has to be in school.”
St. Benedict’s has
even received praise from
the Mayor of Newark, Ras
Baraka, who says “Nobody in the city, the country, or planet does it better
than this school in Newark.” It’s extremely impressive to see a group of
high school kids come together to do something as
important as running the
very school they go to. It
just goes to show how big
of a difference a group can
make when they hand together for a greater cause.
Light City Festival Illuminates Baltimore Culture
By Sylvie Lass; Contributing Writer
This year marked
the premier of Baltimore’s
“Light City” festival of
“light, music, and innovation.” The event was
centered around Baltimore City’s Inner Harbor,
and featured multiple attractions based around
the festival’s common
themes, from concerts
with colored spotlights to
drum circles over sound
sensitive lights that pulsed
rhythmically to the beat.
The festival was even
kicked off by a parade on
the first evening, where
volunteers dressed in colorful costumes and carrying banners and small
floats marched alongside
several local cheerleading squads and marching
bands. Nearly everything
along the full length of
the Inner Harbor, from bicycles to drum sets, was
wrapped in string lights
and glow sticks.
While the event
did have a certain makeshift feel to it, with many
During the opening night of the festival, participants in the parade wore colorful costumes and carried lighted banners celebrating all things Baltimore.
of the floats made from
recycled materials such as
paper mache, tissue paper,
and plastic grocery bags,
the effect was whimsical and high-spirited.
The festivities didn’t try
to hide the fact that Baltimore isn’t perfect, but
flaunted the strengths it
does have, and the creativity of its residents, in
an uplifting display of our
city’s individuality and
pride. The parade featured
a diverse group of people
of all ages and walks of
life, and while it was still
somewhat small, it was an
excellent representation of
Baltimore’s culture.
In addition to celebrating Baltimore’s culture,
the festival also helped
to display its rich history.
The harbor was lined with
many ships of a wide variety of ages and origins,
colorfully displayed by the
many spotlights. One spot
along the harbor had been
converted into a historical
presentation for children
visiting the festival, with
historians and presenters
placed in front of a large
projection screen in the
shape of a ship’s mast.
The festival was made
possible by many volunteers from Baltimore’s social organizations, such as
the Creative Alliance, in
addition to receiving sponsorships from local companies. One of the largest
financial contributors to
the festival was BGE, as
the festival coincided with
the two hundredth anniversary of the local power
company’s founding. The
company was eager to
demonstrate their estab-
lished place in Baltimore
history, and was instrumental in the funding and
organization of the festival
as a whole.
The festival, which ran
from March twenty eighth
to April sixteenth this year,
and will be repeated annually, was introduced by
speeches made by some of
the most important people
in Baltimore city today,
including
Baltimore’s
current Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. The
speeches highlighted how
far Baltimore has come
since it became the first
city with electric lights in
the US, so many years ago.
In conclusion, while Baltimore’s first “Light City”
festival was small, it was
the start of something
great, and will surely prove
to be an excellent showcase of the city’s strengths,
in years to come.
5
ENTERTAINMENT
Batman V Superman Explodes on Screen
By; Ayinde Roberts; Editor
The wait is finally
over. Fight Night is upon
us. The first superhero
slugfest of the year is now
in theaters.
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was
directed by Zack Snyder.
It follows Man of Steel
from 2013. Henry Cavill once again stars as the
Last Son of Krypton as he
is now dealing with the
consequences of his actions from his fight with
General Zod. As he is
faced with the question of
“must there be a Superman”, another hero begins
to show his face: Batman
played by Ben Affleck. As
Batman fears that Superman’s actions are left unchecked, the Dark Knight
faces off against the Man
of Steel while another
threat looms over these
two titans, the city of Metropolis, and perhaps even
the world. Personally,
I really liked Batman v Superman. For starters, Henry Cavill still remains one
of the best actors to portray Superman in a long
while. While Clark Kent/
Kal-El/Superman may be
seen as a “golden boy of
comics,” Cavill brings out
the more human side of
the Man of Steel. Not just
in physique, but Cavill has
mastered what it means to
be the Superman: a selfless, powerful godlike being living amongst men.
However, he isn’t
the best character of the
movie. So why stall any
longer: Ben Affleck as
Bruce Wayne, a.k.a. the
Batman, is by and large
the best character of the
movie. There are so many
layers to Batman shown in
just this movie alone. He
was the most interesting,
and the most relatable.
He also had one of the
best action scenes in the
movie when he takes out
the thugs. It’s remarkable
how everyone began to
hate Ben Affleck as Batman, but he was no doubt
the star of the movie.
Gal Gadot was
also really good as Wonder Woman. Again: another casting choice that
people were worried
about, but it turns out she
was really good. I liked
the way she bounced off
of Batman and she also
made her mark in the action scenes.
The score was really good too, although
it wasn’t like the Man of
Steel score.
I also appreciated
the directions the movie
took, especially with Superman. The movie delves
into the consequences of
actions, where Superman
is dealing with the things
he did in both Man of Steel
and in Batman v Superman. It’s a relatable lesson for a newer generation
who naturally would come
to see this movie.
But without a
doubt, the movie excelled
at the action. This movie
is one of the most pulsepounding, high octane superhero flicks in the past
decade. When the first action scene hits, you get immediately hooked by the
energy of the scenes. Each
one has its own fair share
of “that-just-happened?!”
moments, most of the time
revolving around the Batman. The Dark Knight in
this movie was the deadliest and most brutal version of Batman that has
been shown on-screen,
and it shows. When Bat-
man and Superman finally
trade blows, it’s awesome.
There’s no question about
it. The back and forth
nature of the fight was
so intense that when it
ended, you can feel yourself letting out a sigh of
relaxation. Even the last
fight of the movie, with
Batman, Superman and
Wonder Woman all facing the monster Doomsday (which isn’t a spoiler
because it was in the trailers), it still carried that intense nature of the Batman
vs Superman fight from
earlier.
However, there are
inherent problems with
the movie. The first of
these problems being Lex
Luthor, played this time
by Jesse Eisenberg. While
he wasn’t the exact worse,
Eisenberg’s Luthor was
so much like a cartoon
that it wasn’t interesting. His motives were all
over the place and his plan
made little to no sense in
the long run. By the end,
you’re wondering why
they chose to introduce
Lex Luthor the way they
did.
Speaking of all
over the place, the tone
was all over the place as
well. At times the movie
went for a serious and dark
tone, but then it switches
to something lighter. It flip
flops back and forth between tones so much, the
movie begins to feel unbalanced.
The last thing that
sort of irked me – and this
could be considered a nitpick – but how they introduce the rest of the Justice
League was awkward. You
know that some of the
members of the League
make cameo appearances, but the way it was
done felt like it should be
a post-credit scene, not in
the main movie.
Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice is a flawed
movie, for sure. With Lex
Luthor and the lack of consistency within the movie,
it has obvious flaws. But
despite that, because the
performances of the DC
Trinity were top-notch,
the themes presented were
interesting and timely,
and the high-octane action, Batman v Superman:
Dawn of Justice is definitely a piece of cinematic
history that does need to
be seen on the big screen.
Franklin Gazette Staff
Editors
Staff Writers
Bridget McNamara
Yasmeen Ali
Regan Fleischer
Luis Belmontes
Nina Durant
Meera Panikar
Ayinde Roberts
Lyle Drescher
Micaela Gunby
Maiya Robinson
Mackenzie Warfield
Sydney Gaskins
Devin Johnson
Mary Shelton
Gyselle Lopez
Sylvie Lass
Anieyah Smith
Emily Rubin
Josiah Lindsay
Mahima Chauhan
Megan Lipo
Danielle Stein
Dario Toval
Emily Dioguardo
Savannah Ward
Ashley Young
Haelle Litvak
4
6
Entertainment
The Rock and Hart Explode on MTV Awards
By Mahima Chauhan; Contributing Writer
The 2016 MTV
Movie Awards premiered
on Saturday, April 9th,
2016. The award show
was held in Burbank, California at 7:00 pm. The
MTV Movie Awards is a
film awards show presented annually on the channel MTV. The nominees
for the award show are
decided by the producers
and executives of MTV.
The winners under each
category are then voted for
online by fans. This year,
the award show was hosted by famous Hollywood
actor Dwayne “The Rock”
Johnson, and hilarious comedian and actor Kevin
Hart.
There were many
categories, with a few
nominations for each. The
first category was Movie
of the Year. Six films were
nominationed for the coveted ”Golden Popcorn” including Avengers: Age of
Ultron, Creed, Deadpool,
Jurassic World, Stars
Wars: The Force Awakens
Ariana Grande channels her inner “Marilyn Monrore”
and wears a classy, strapless pink dress with diamond
earrings and a diamond necklace to the 2016 MTV
Movie Awards.
and Straight Outta Comp- category were Ed Skrein
ton. The year, Star Wars: for the movie Deadpool,
The Force Awakens took Hugh Keays-Byrne for
the movie Mad Max: Fury
the prize.
Another major cat- Road, James Spader for
egory was Best Villain. the movie Avengers: Age
The nominees under this of Ultron, Samuel L. Jack-
son for the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service,
and lastly, Tom Hardy for
the movie The Revenant.
The winner under this
category of Best Villain
was Adam Driver for Star
Wars: The Force Awakens.
As you can tell the
MTV Movie Awards is
based more on fan appreciation than critical aclaim.
Althouhg nominated in
some technical catagories,
Star Wars failed to win
even a single Academy
Award. This award show
gives the fans the opportunity to vote and so it is
more a celebration of pop
culture than film making.
As for performances, singer Ariana Grande
delivered an amazing live
performance of her hit
new single, “Dangerous
Woman.” Grande captured the audience’s attention with her amazing
voice. She wore a Marilyn Monroe inspired outfit
that paid homage to old
Hollywood.
Many
celebrities walked down the red
carpet to show off their
amazing looks and outfits.
Some of the many celebrities who definitely captured the eyes of everyone
were Kendall Jenner, Gigi
Hadid, and Chris Pratt.
Kendall
Jenner
wore a stunning modern
black dress and heels.
MTV’s supernatural television show Teen Wolf star
Tyler Posey arrived at the
award show in an adorable
onesie.
The MTV Movie Awards is definately
geared more toward a
younger audiance, celebrating their loves and
fandom. There is more of
a party atmosphere to this
award show than many
we see in the winter. This
was the 23rd annual MTV
Movie Awards and we
can’t wait until next year’s.
Fantastic Beasts Promises to Enchant
By Ashley Young; Contributing Writer
A couple of days
ago, Warner Brothers released the first trailer for
their newest movie, Fantastic Beasts and Where
to Find Them, which plans
to expand the Harry Potter
universe.
This movie is a
continuation of the Harry
Potter franchise. It follows the exploits of Newt
Scamander, who has a
briefcase that holds many
dangerous creatures and
their habitats. When these
creatures escape the case,
Newt has to set out on an
adventure to find them in
1926 New York while also
dodging a group of wizards and a society of Muggles who want to eradicate
any and all wizards in
New York City.
The trailer shows a
lot of really cool imagery
and plans to capture the
feel of the original Harry
Potter films. The movie
takes place within the
Harry Potter universe, but
is set years before the first
Harry Potter book.
Eddie Redmayne
stars as the main character
Newt Scamander, who is
described as an introverted and eccentric wizard.
He is the author of a book
that shares the same name
as the movie.
Another one of the
leads is Katherine Waterson, who plays Porpentina Goldstein, or “Tina”.
She is described as a very
down-to-earth witch who
works at the Magical Congress of the United States
of America. She wants to
do what’s right and fights
for that. She likes to stand
up for people, but she
works in an office below
her skill level because she
stood behind the wrong
person.
One of the villains,
Percival Graves, is played
by Colin Farrell. He is a
very high-raked author
who is tasked with finding
Newt and his friends. The
other villain in the movie
is Samantha Morton as
Mary Lou, a Muggle who
is a leader of an extremist
group out to expose and
kill wizards and witches.
Based on the trail-
er, the movie looks like a
lot of fun. The trailer has
comedic elements and
showcases some really
cool action and magic. It
was really magical to see
wizards turning people
into possums and teleporting. It feels like a new
Harry Potter movie, even
though there is no Harry
Potter in it. The music
tied this film to the series
by using one of the songs
from the original Harry
Potter movies.
Just like the films
before it, Fantastic Beasts
looks to be an enchanting movie with fantastic
visuals and stellar acting.
The movie comes out on
November 18, 2016 in 3D
and IMAX.
7
FRANKLIN SPORTS PROFILES
Nyjari Wins on the Track and on the News
By Dario Toval; Contributing Writer
Ever since she was
a child, Franklin sophomore Nyjari McNeil knew
she wanted to be a runner. Her mother had always encouraged her to
take part in sports, but she
could not find any she actually enjoyed. That was
until her mother signed
her up for Owings Mills
track. Although McNeil
and her family disliked
how far she had to travel
to attend the track meets,
and how sore she was
when she first stated running, she found out she
was passionate about the
sports. She began to run
every day, never miss a
practice, and eat healthier.
She continues to do these
things and was awarded
the title of “Girls Indoor
Track Performer of the
Year” by The Baltimore
Sun this year.
McNeil left the
Owings Mill Track club
in 2013 when she became
a freshmen at Franklin
High School. She became
a member of Franklin’s
ing and has a great mindset even when she loses.
“Losing is always a lesson,” she says. She believes losing can actually
be a good thing to show
her what you may be doing incorrectly, or what
you need to improve on.
She says she loves rivalries, is quite cocky, and
loves to trash talk.
Nyjari used to take
losing quite seriously, as
Nyjari McNeil holds one of her many trophies given for it would discourage her,
wins in Track.
and she would call herself
McNeil maintains bad and always compare
track team almost right away. In her sophomore her endurance and speed herself to the other runyear, she won the class by running 30 miles ev3A 500 and 800 meter ery week. That is a huge
state titles. Her time was 1 amount of distance that
minute and 14.89 seconds, even she says is a strugwhich was 2 seconds fast- gle to maintain. She also ners. This stopped around
er than the second place makes sure to watch her 8th grade for her, where
diet, eating a lot of en- her coach gave her a man
runner.
One of the most ergizing fruits, although to man talk (or in this case,
impressive things about she does like to celebrate a man to women talk) on
McNeil is her endurance a victory with some fries how you sometimes just
and her versatility. Her and a burger. She also tries need to accept a loss. In
coach, Paul Hansen said to maintain a high carb conclusion Nyjari is a very
“she’s a great performer, a diet to improve her ability driven, passionate runner
hard worker, and is grow- to run.
that is an important conMcNeil says she tributor to the Franklin
ing into more of a leader- has always loved compet- track team.
ship role.”
Early in her carrerr
at Franklin, Nyjari was
featured in the Sun paper
for as the Female Athlete
of the Week (March 3,
2015). She recently was
awarded the Girls Indoor
Track Athlete of the year
after her impressive victory in the Indoor Track
State Championship. She
won both won the Class
3A 500- and 800-meter
state titles. McNeil scored
20 of Franklins 35 points
in the meet.
With McNeil looking to improve through her
PLAYER
involvement this spring in
Franklin’s Track and Field
team and through her own
hard work and perseverance, she going to be a
powerhouse for the Indians for the next two years.
The Sun paper and all
Franklin’s opponents will
surely be paying particular attention to this speedy
sophomore.
Mr. Somers Leads the Tennis Team to Success
By Lyle Drescher; Contributing Writer
Mr. Somers has
been coaching the tennis
team for the entirety of his
two years here at Franklin. As both a competitive
player and avid spectator
of the game, Somers has
found great success as a
leader of Franklin tennis.
it can become. Everyone college that I still keep in
comes prepared to play touch with to this day. He
and have fun each day.
always joked around with
his players and knew how
Q: How have your own to keep it light, but when
experiences in tennis af- the time came to get serifected your coaching?
ous he never lost focus of
A: I have a lot of experi- his personal goals and alence in tennis. I still play ways kept us motivated. I
have a duty to reciprocate
the great coaching and
lessons that he gave me
onto my players and my
with my dad all the time. team. I also watch tennis
He and I have been a suc- on TV constantly looking
cessful doubles team since for ways to improve my
I was in college. He used game.
to get so into the game
that I once had to stop Q: How has being on the
him from jumping the net tennis team benefitted
and getting physical with your players?
our opponents, who he A: Some players have told
believed were making in- me that it teaches them
correct calls. Aside from to be focused and work
that, I had a great coach in hard. They enjoy how ten-
COACH
Q: What do you believe
the tennis team needs to
do to have the best season
possible this year?
A: Right now our team
is incredibly strong. We
have a lot of positive energy and spirit, and I think
all we need to do is transfer that emotion into the
raw skill and talent I know
nis is an individual sport,
as it gives them the motivation to work hard for
themselves when they
don’t have anyone else to
fall back on. They understand that no matter what,
someone has to lose at the
end of the day. It’s tough
on the individual, but they
always bounce back (pun
intended).
Q: Any words of inspiration for our Franklin tenQ: What challenges do nis players?
you think the tennis team A: Because tennis is not
will have to overcome this a team sport, no one can
season?
step into the match for
A: We’ve moved up in our you. Success is all up to
division so now we play you and there are no exthe best teams in the coun- cuses allowed.
ty twice. It’s going to be
an uphill battle but I think
we can do it. We definitely
have the skill and we definitely have the heart.
7
FRANKLIN SPORTS
Franklin Races for Success at Scorpion Classic
By Mica Gunby; Contributing Writer
On Friday, April
15, Franklin’s track and
field team participated in
the Scorpion Classic track
and field meet at Oakland
Mills High School. The
meet was an overall success because many Franklin students were able to
make it to the podium for
their individual events.
Franklin brought back
eleven medals.
A runner who never performs less than superb is sophomore, Nyjari
McNeil. She took the gold
in both the 400m dash and
the 800m run. McNeil almost broke the meet record for both the 400m
dash and the 800m dash,
even though the 800m
record is already help by
McNeil herself.
McNeil was not
the only person breaking
records, however. Senior,
Amanda Murphy broke
the meet record in the
girls discus throw with
124-11. Though Murphy’s
personal record is higher
than this, setting the meet
record is still definitely
something to be proud of.
These two girls, though
not the only ones, are
definitely on their way to
returning to states again.
For Murphy, this will be
her fourth year in a row attending states.
One of the most
exciting events of the evening was actually the very
last race of the night, the
boys 4x400m relay. The
team consisting of senior,
Kareem Felder, junior,
Fadhili Maina, junior,
Brian Chambers, and junior, Miles Hollimon, was
able to dominate their relay. The boys took the first
place spot immediately,
and were able to keep that
spot the entire race, ultimately finishing the race
with a fifty meter gap between Hollimon and the
second place team. They
finished the relay in 3 minute and 28 seconds, which
qualifies the boys qualify
to run at Penn Relays.
Hopefully the boys will
be able to attend the Penn
Relays track meet and represent the talented athletes
that are a part of the FHS
track team.
That’s not to say
that there were no other
exciting races at the meet.
Usually, the long distance
events are not a favorite
event to watch because
they are just that, long.
However the girls 3000m
run was definitely an intriguing race to watch,
specifically at the conclusion. Sophomore, McK-
Senior, Kareen Felder; junior, Miles Hollimon; junior,
Brian Chambers; and junior, Fadhili Maina pose for a
picture after their win for the 4x400m relay.
enzie Patrick, who took a
medal for the 3000m, had
an adrenaline rush at the
finish as her and an opponent were side by side during the final one hundred
meters. Patrick finished
the race with a time of
11:04, and she definitely
gave the watchers something to jump out of their
seats about.
Overall the meet
was a success for a number of the runners. With
the team being half way
through the season, it is
definitely time for some of
them to work hard to finish their season strong.
NATIONAL SPORTS
Kobe Bryant Says Goodbye to the NBA
By Danielle Stein; Contributing Writer
On
Wednesday,
April 13, 2016, Kobe Bryant played his final basketball game after 20 years in
the NBA. Fans all over the
nation knew about Mamba Day, Bryant’s last ever
NBA game and many people watched the 37-yearold score his final baskets
of his career.
When drafted first
round into the NBA in
1996, Bryant knew he’d
play for a while. After
switching to the Los Angeles Lakers, he told a
Lakers broadcaster that
he would play for 19 or
20 years. Though many
thought that was crazy
for a rookie to say, Bryant
stuck to his word.
Bryant’s
final
exclaimed after the game
when handed a microphone at midcourt. “I can’t
believe how fast 20 years
went by. This is crazy. This
is absolutely crazy. We’ve
been through our ups and
we’ve been through our
downs. I think the most
important part is that we
stayed together throughout.”
Bryant waves to his fans on the court for one of the last
Bryan was honored
times.
and supported by many
game was more than just and how his talent and at- opeople at the game. His
a game for Bryant and titude changed the league wife and two daughters
were there, and about 25
NBA lovers nationwide. and lives of many others.
To them, it was history Bryant played one of his of his former teammates
and an honor. Many were best games on Wednesday including Hall of Famer
not focused on the final night, scoring a total of 60 Shaq, ex-champions Robscore, although the Lak- points. The crowd loved ert Horry, Rick Fox, Laers beat Utah Jazz 101 to watching him play for for- mar Odom, and Derek
Fisher, along with many
96. Fans cared more about ty-two minutes.
Bryant’s career as a whole “Man!”
Bryant others like Chris Mihm,
DJ Mbenga, Adam Morrison, and Mike Penberthy.
Magic Johnson also spoke
before the tipoff, upon
Bryant’s wishes.
These people gave
Bryant a special ring, as
a gift from the Lakers. It
was a championship-like
ring with five large diamonds on it (one for each
title he won) and 20 smaller diamonds (one for each
year he played). They also
gave one to his wife.
Kobe
Bryant’s
NBA career was a wild
ride that he was and will
always be thankful to be
a part of. He will not be
forgotten because he was
truly an all-around great
athlete.
8