Halloween Pranks

Coral Reef Sr. High School Which books are BANNED? p.2 October 2008 Volume 12 Issue 3 Happy Halloween! BAITLINE Get Ho ked Hispanic heritage month p.11 10101 SW 152 Street Miami, FL 33157 See the “Submerge Yourself” section on pages 8 and 9 to discover the origins of Halloween and some of its ancient traditions and games. Revised student code of conduct ALEXANDRA CASTILLA Staff Writer At the start of the 2008-2009 school year the newly revised student code of conduct was stressed at orientation. Many students, however, didn’t exactly understand what it meant and its consequences, except that girls now must wear shirts with sleeves To the dismay of I.B. senior Sasha opposed to spaghetti Dunn, Mr. Mejia lays down the law. straps. “I don’t understand why it necessary for such a change, bare shoulders never hurt anyone,” said IB senior Ana Perez. Assistant Principal Mr. Evans says it all a matter of equality that Miami Dade County Public Schools is trying to stress. It is only fair to have the same regulations for all students no matter what gender they are. “Such a strong focus on the importance of equality in schools has been put in place in order to get rid of stereotypes and much smaller problems,” said Evans. It is important to understand, however, that the newly revised student code of conduct applies to all Miami Dade County Public Schools and that Coral Reef is not the only school forced to make such changes. “Laws have to change as situations in schools change,” said Mr. Evans. Amongst the changes in dress codes are changes in violations such as a “procession of items or materials that are inappropriate for an educational setting” (Level I Violation). Other changes to the code of conduct include the addition of the “distribution of items or materials that are inappropriate for an educational setting” (Level II Violation) and bullying (Level III Violation). Evans claims that most of these changes to the student code of conduct don’t exactly apply to Coral Reef seeing as there has rarely ever been any kind of high offenses taken place at the school and the majority of the student body are well-mannered. He also believes that the student code of conduct has a higher purpose. “College is a lot stricter than high school. Many believe that in college because you have more independence you are allowed to do anything you want. The opposite is true. The student code of conduct is getting students ready to be successful in college,” said Evans. In the end, the aim for the school is to have a functional school setting, one where students are allowed to learn and develop without distraction. 2 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 News Harry Potter has been censored from schools because it allegedly promotes witchcraft. ALEXIA FRITH Staff Writer Banned book week make it inaccessible,” said IB sophomore Britney James. Some of the books inaccessible in some schools are the Harry Potter novels, which were censored due to allegedly promoting witchcraft. “The reason we celebrate Banned Books Week is because it doesn’t matter what the book is, people will have biases because of a lack of knowledge or prejudices and they are going to try to force their opinions on everyone. Harry Potter was just caught up in that net,” said the school librarian, Mrs. Fradera. Banned Book Week reminds Americans of the importance in having freedom of the press. Unlike in other parts of the world, like China or Cuba, citizens in the United States may read any book they wish. With sponsors like The American Booksellers Association and The American Library Association, Banned Book Week is something that is well endorsed and on going. It is something students should take pride in and use to their advantage. For twenty seven years the American Library Association has been “celebrating the freedom to read.” Banned Book Week, usually on the last week of September, informs Americans of the privilege that they have to be able to read whatever book they choose. This celebration is something that many book lovers take great pride in. Libraries and bookstores alike come together and display different books that have been “challenged.” These books have been censored for explicit material. “I feel that [book banning] is unfair, because it withholds knowledge,” said Engineering sophomore Jordon Thomas. Books such as Killing Mr. Griffin, Captain Underpants, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Giver have been banned for reasons including depictions of violence and destruction, or negative messages. “I don’t see why books would be ‘banned.’ People should be able to read whatever they choose to. Just because someone doesn’t approve of what someone else is reading doesn’t mean they have the right to want to News SHANE SUMBU Staff Writer “I think it’s horrible the way they’re trying to As Americans complain about such get rid of a whole things as sky rocketing gas prices and the population, recent dive the economy took, a youth in because of Sudan is witnessing his home being burnt their ethnicity to the ground, his sister being raped and and we’re not maimed and his peers being murdered. doing anything For civilians in the Darfur region, in the about it. I don’t war torn eastern African nation of Sudan, think it’s ethical this has become a harsh reality. at all,” said IB As the United States has overstayed Senior Karishma its welcome in the Middle East for the Gieowar-Singh past 7 years, a similar Holocaust genocide C u r r e n t l y, upon non-Arabs in Sudan has been taking peace-keepers place for the last 5 years. Many students wear Darfur stickers, like the sent into Sudan The conflict began in February of one shown here, to voice their opinions on by the UN 2003 when two rebel groups accused the ongoing genocide. attempt to help the Sudanese government of oppressing civilians as the non-Arab Sudanese citizens in Darfur. death rate grows In response, President Omar al-Bashir exponentially. However, these peace-keepers are illsent an Arab militant group known as the Janjaweed from equipped and poorly funded. the capital of Khartoum into the Darfur region, where they As students, we can help by donating to the cause through killed unarmed citizens, systematically raped women and web sites such as savedarfur.org or simply sign a petition burned whole villages to the ground. demanding international action against the brutal killing Since then, nearly 400,000 have been murdered and through the same site. 2.5 displaced, now living in refugee camps in the nearby In addition with events such as Amnesty International’s nation of Chad. An estimated nearly 15,000 people die “Dance for Darfur,” students can both show support and each month. have a good time. Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 3 Waiting on the world to change: genocide in Darfur “Dance for Darfur basically collects donations going towards helping displaced victims of the genocide in Sudan with food etc. and is a 6 hour dance marathon at the same time,” said “Do Something” club president, I.B. senior Mar Echevarria. Though the UN has taken little action towards ending or slowing the Darfur genocide, students themselves can make themselves heard and can take action through making donations, or participating in events such as “Dance for Darfur.” “I think if the world is so concerned about dictatorships and human rights then the UN needs to pay more attention to what’s going on in Darfur, if nothing else provide medicine, food and clean water for the victims,” said History teacher Mr. Bullard. Most importantly, the genocide is going on, and being aware is the first step in solving the problem. Now is the time when students can show their humanistic sides, to show their potential to care and to effect a difference. “I think students should be actively involved in humanitarian efforts. As far as Darfur goes, they should join the “Save Darfur” coalition’s million strong list so they can get information periodically on how they can help,” said I.B. Senior Daniella Carucci. Gone and Back Again DROP forces teachers to retire and return gain that extra year. Instead, this year he has come back as a part-time teacher. He said that the original proposition made was to allow teachers to come back on a yearly contract after the eight years but it was not approved. “I loved the insurance and salary of being a full time teacher and now I’m being paid only one-third of the salary with no benefits. We were lucky though that Mrs. Leal could bring us back part time. She has been very good to us,” said Mr. Hunt. The disadvantages of teachers not being able to come back the three extra years came down to the money factor. Working three extra years allowed the returning teacher to earn a lot more money; Mr. Hunt estimated around $50,000 more each year. As teachers, each year worked gains more seniority which causes salary to go up, even if by little, giving teachers who work longer more money. For example, a teacher who has been working in the school system for 30 years will make $68,225 versus a beginning teacher who would make $40,804 . “I understand why they made us exit the program, however, it is ridiculous that Mr. Ford and I could not come back as first year teachers with beginning salary and benefits because with 38 years of experience we would be a bargain,” said Mr. Hunt. This retirement program, DROP, has had a great effect on many schools everywhere. Now some teachers that were promised up to three extra years of teaching full time with a growing salary and benefits were cut off. Some of these teacher or counselors are now back to school working part-time like Mr. Hunt and Mr. Ford, but some schools were not as lucky and could not rehire teachers leaving them without their jobs and fully retired. Diversity in the Reef JORDAN FELDMAN Staff Writer Students from different ethnicities share their experiences at school Mr. Hunt, a part time AP European teacher, was forced to exit the DROP program. NICOLE BRANDFON Staff Writer Going into the 2008-2009 school year, many students took notice of the amount of teachers who came back with fewer classes and fewer students. Mr. Hunt, an AP European History Teacher, and Mr. Ford both came back as part-time teachers due to the change in the retirement program of all state employees, DROP. DROP stands for “deferred retirement option plan,” which is a combination of many retirement systems that allow employees to retire but continue working for several more years. Mr. Zucker explained that after 5 years in the DROP program you are supposed to automatically retire and up until this year, teachers and counselors could stay up to an extra three years. This forced many teachers to retire who are now working part time in order to continue to earn some extra money. Mr. Hunt had completed seven years and was hoping to The diversity of the student body at Coral Reef is apparent just by walking down the halls any given day and being surrounded by an abundance of ethnicities and cultures. Reef’s diversity is reflected by the range of foreign language classes offered, number of afterschool activities, and Melissa Cruz, Patrick Volum, Maya Carter, number and variety of and Kent White all share a common extracurricular clubs. friendship despite their ethnic diversities. The Coral Reef High School census, according to www. “Although I’m Hispanic, I have friends muninetguide.com confirmed of many different backgrounds which is the ethnic diversity of its student body in one of the unique features of Coral Reef it demographics. Of Coral Reef’s 2,995 students, 50.2% High School,” said IB sophomore Alejandra are Latino, 23.7% are White, 21.2% Garcia. There is a visual display as well as an are African American, 4.7% are Asian, auditory display of the cultural individuality and 0.2% is Native American. This is consistent with the demographics of the student body of the many languages of Miami-Dade County and its large being spoken. It is not uncommon to hear conversations Hispanic population. spoken in Spanish, German, French, English The diversity of clubs represents the different ethnicities and cultures here at and many others. Many students learn a second or even third language outside the Coral Reef High School. They include the Afro-Heritage Club, classroom as well as in. The variety in cultures and ethnicities the Hispanic Heritage Society, the enables Coral Reef to have such an German Heritage Society, and the French Club Society. All of these clubs exceptional environment for its student acknowledge a preference for diversity. body to prosper. Although the students at Coral Reef “The many different ethnicities at Coral come from different backgrounds, their Reef have taught me about my fellow classmates and their backgrounds as experiences and interactions with each well,” said Leisure Medicine sophomore other leaves them with knowledge and appreciation of each other. Christine Webber. “Being at Coral reef is like being back at Despite the many ethnic and cultural Jamaica. Everyone is of different cultures groups, the students at Coral Reef High School do not solely group themselves and it puts a perspective for us as an according from where they came from international community,” said I.B. senior Rashielle Teape. or their race. Student employees Balancing school with work is a responsibility many students have to deal with A direct deposit is another tool that can aid an employee in achieving their As students get older personal financial there is a growing desire goals. Money goes for independence. directly to your This sparks the search account at the end for employment, the of the pay period. installation into the work “It’s rough force. out here on these Few things excite a streets! I gotta young adult more than pay for the things the anticipation of their my parents think very first paycheck. Plans are unnecessary. are made obligating Sometimes I want the funds that are well another haircut, on their way to a bank another pair of jeans account. or shoes, my mom Shaqueena Davis shows off her Aside from all the doesn’t want to Burger King uniform. obvious perks that come buy that. So I have from having a job, there to,” said Business are also difficulties that sophomore James Brown. some student employees face. Being employed allows for the freedoms Things are compromised, such as using available time effectively to complete that most kids want, but can’t afford. schoolwork, the time spent with a But there is one thing that the employed students should think about, saving their boyfriend/girlfriend, and resting. Students assume the responsibility of money. Money saved now will be a lot working with hopes of being able to help more useful in the future. Also, with the upcoming senior pay their senior obligations, buy a car, or even some new clothes for partying on the expenses, money should be put to use in the wisest of ways. With Homecoming weekends. “I go out on the weekends without tickets being $70; Grad Bash, $120; worrying about my mom pestering me Prom another $75; Senior Breakfast, about how much money she’s given me,” $35; Senior pictures ranging from $100 said VPA senior Jennifer Brewer when to, in some cases, $600; surely parents asked about the advantages of being would be more than grateful to have some financial help. employed. 4 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 News Students in the “real Seniors discuss the benefits of taking internships “It’s a good experience because I get to write articles and not just do clerical work, which a lot of internships consist of,” said Uchdorff. A chance to go practice a special interest is always exciting, but what really makes the internship elective so sought after? It could be the fact that it is offered only to seniors which makes it more exclusive and ultimately a privilege. “Personally I like having an internship I.B. senior Barbara Uchdorff interns at The Miami because I have waited Herald four years to become a senior to have the ALEXANDER MELENDEZ opportunity to have an internship,” said Staff Writer Legal senior Stacey Perrera. Many seniors at the Reef are taking Other seniors like their internships for a d v a n t a g e o f a n u n i q u e e l e c t i v e : another reason, like the chance to leave internships. school a few hours early. It is no surprise that Coral Reef offers “I love my internship. I get real hands an abundance of electives to enhance a on experience outside of school. Also student’s learning experience, like “office getting out every other day a little bit aid” or music theory. These electives provide earlier excites me,” said Legal senior a multidimensional element students’ Sabine Salnave. curriculums, often allowing them to branch The answer is ultimately based on off into other areas of study. personal preference. Yet among all the courses and activities The popularity of internships might be offered at our school, the one students because of the chance to leave campus a look forward to the most is internship. It few hours early, or that the experience one is a chance for them to get real hands on receives at an internship cannot be found experience in a field of their interest. in a school classroom. For I.B. senior Barbara Uchdorff, interning Whatever the reason, it seems that senior at The Miami Herald offers her the chance to internships will remain a part of school have her writing read by the public. tradition in the years to come. SHATONE GRAY Staff Writer Goodbye to Fatigue Long Life to Live, thanks to Ceregumil www.msbross.com 10% Ceregumil, recharges your body with natural energy and helps you feel better. SCIENTIFIC PROOF*, Ceregumil increses resistance to fatigue and the natural recovery of the body after realizing efforts. *Studies realized by the department of Cellular, Genetic Biology and Physiology, of the University of Malaga, Spain. Buy online at our store and get 10% off on your order (valid only for the Ceregumil Natural Tonic, and the Ceregumil Ginseng. Discount code CRHSCERE Opinions Teenage Love Affair CHIEDOZIE OKAFOR Staff Writer Teenage years are some of the best in a young man’s life. Male teens are in their prime, and feel that they have the ability to achieve anything. It just seems that young males, as most girls may say, can’t achieve everything needed to make the relationship work. There is no excuse for guys who are truly nonchalant and choose not to put effort into his relationships; however there are some guys that actually try, but just somehow fall short. Teen relationships are always a hassle. Both the guy and girl are young and just want to enjoy being a teen. After asking students, majority of the girls feel that being in a relationship can be a wonderful thing, but nearly every male student felt that at times relationships can be extremely stressful. Females are a little too serious when it comes to “teenage love,” it seems as if they’re thinking about marriage as soon as the guy consents to go out with them. “Girls are so complicated and it’s hard to have fun when you’re tied down,” said Business senior Gerald Grant. Ladies can be difficult! Guys are expected to walk their girlfriends to and from class, hold books, text her every second until the bell rings, then do it all over again the following period. Has it ever dawned on these females that maybe their boyfriend wants to be walked to their classes? Do they not realize that the guys books gets equally as heavy? “A boyfriend is supposed to do things for his girlfriend, not the other way around,” said Business senior Alexandria Marsh. True enough that part of being the man in the relationship means being the rock, the source of strength and stability, able to take care and keep his “girl” happy. “Some of these girls be tripping! It’s like, you take them out to eat, and when the meal is done and the check has come, girls would just fold their arms and look at you. It would be nice if a girl would at least offer to help pay for the tab!” said Legal Senior Joseph Jefferson. Joseph makes a good point. To take on the title of a boyfriend now-a-days is like signing up to be 24 hour assistant/ bodyguard. There are some relationships where the female demands and or expects certain things. The guy has to deal with random anniversaries, attitudes and mood swings, and trying to be considerate of feelings. That is a lot to juggle; it seems that as soon as the boyfriend messes up, he has committed the ultimate crime. Some girls expect too much from their boyfriends, claiming that it’s all a part of being Lovebirds Victor Garcia a “gentleman,” but what does being a gentleman and Sarah Gonzalez really mean? “Well, Webster defines being a gentleman as a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man,” said Business senior Stephanie Nicholas. Whatever the case may be, both the guy and girl in teenage relationships should try a little harder to enforce the 50/50 rule. Many girls have the misconception that the guy is there to do things for them, and not the other way around. Teen relationships are broken off by the male because the girl in the relationship had the mind-frame of receiving and never giving. So no offense girls, but you’re not perfect either! Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 5 Teenage relationships from a guy and girl perspective CHAMERE LITTLEJOHN Staff Writer The term “relationship” is a word that is vaguely used without knowing the exact meaning of it. It is taken and played with like a baby learning to walk; stumbling to grasp on to the concept. The bigger debate is asking “What exactly does it mean to be in a teen relationship from the girl’s perspective?” It is a concept that is most often misinterpreted in the eyes of adults. Often parents figure that teens are too young to date, or they aren’t yet ready. It gets even worse, when the controversy of dating between boys and girls are mentioned; is it fair that girls always seem to be targeted when it comes to the mere mention of dating, yet guys never seem to have that problem? Ironically, it always seems to be the girls who go through the most problems throughout the relationship. These include disputes with parents, cheating, lies, break-ups: the list can go on forever. This is not to say that guys make all the mistakes, but most of the time they are the cause. Stereotypes have always seemed to come into play Young men are blind when it comes to painting the image of how a young lady is supposed to be treated. They have not yet gained the knowledge of the right and wrong doings that tie into being in a relationship. Are these really stereotypes or is it just reality that girls face while being in a relationship? “No, guys should not be taught the ‘correct way’ of being in a relationship. We just want to do it our way,” said Legal senior Jean Andre. In reality, there is no ‘correct way’ of being in a relationship. Guys just need to understand that not all girls are the same and they all deserve to be treated with a fresh heart. Some girls tend to enjoy the silliness guys portray and love their joking manner, but sometimes a boyfriend can go overboard. Don’t forget, girls still love the sensitive and sweet side, too. “If he can’t make me laugh, I’ll lose interest. His personality should compliment mine,” said I.B. senior Daniella Carucci. Girls usually stress out more that guys do when it comes to relationships, mainly because they are struggling with the “L” word. Typically girls seem to fall in love quicker than guys do; they tend to get the fuzzy feelings in their hearts at a faster pace. “Most girls do like to think that they’re in love, because they want to feel wanted. For guys, not so much. They want to feel needed, but not needy,” said I.B. senior Hannah Dowd. Guys aren’t off the hook though. A study shows that it is the guy’s fault for the love trap. So, exactly what trap do they set up to let those caterpillars out of their cocoons? It is the goofiness and wittiness that girls oh so love. “People are just in love with the idea of being in love. There have been times where I use to believe that myself, but I’m not going to let it discourage me. It brings in the idea that many people have married their high school sweethearts, so why can’t I?” said senior Anquanette Anderson. “I believe if two people are deeply in love and both want that relationship to work out, then they would do whatever they have to in order to make it last.” In actuality, girls tend to have a hate/love relationship when it comes to adoring the guys. They seem to love the things they hate. It’s where they find their comfort that is lacking elsewhere. So do not fret guys, although slackness may occur, you’re still loved just that much more. 6 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 Editorial The Modern prometheus Will today’s science become tomorrow’s Frankenstein monster? As science speeds towards new innovations with each coming year, scientists must be evaluative and self-reflective, with a cautious eye on ethics. Otherwise, today’s science itself may become tomorrow’s Frankenstein monster. Mary Shelley saw the future when she wrote Frankenstein in 1818, originally conceived as an idea to present at a ghost story telling event. What I mean when I refer to science as today’s Frankenstein is not in the literal sense. Rather, I mean that science has as much potential for destruction as it does for helping people. Should we not be careful in our judgments and ethical considerations, we may just suffer the same fate as Dr. Frankenstein: destruction from our own miscalculated creations. A prime example of this is the controversial topic of stem-cell research, which is usually supported by liberals a pathway to curing disease, while conservatives denounce it as humans attempting to play God. Undoubtedly it would be seen as a good thing if life-prolonging treatment became available to the public. Yet there are critical questions that society must ask itself and important consequences that it must consider. With an increase in life-span, Americans would find it more desirable to pursue a career later in life. After all, the amount of time that can be afforded to waste in adolescence has increased. If humans could live up to a hundred and fifty or two hundred years, they might not pursue a career or begin a family until fifty years or so. Then humans in their first fifty years life would just be resource depletion with no contributions to society. On the positive side, an extra fifty years in adolescence could mean fifty years dedicated to education; with such time given for schooling humans could become even more skilled in their areas of study. Society could then become exponentially more efficient if such an education plan was possible. An increasing life span would also mean that the age gap between children and their parents would increase. With reproduction occurring so late in life, there is greater risk of humans dying before they have children. The world could then experience a drop in population growth, which may either open up job opportunities to people, or disrupt the economy because of a lack of inflowing skilled labor. But will world-wide economies be able to support such a prolonged program of education of fifty years for every human? And who would be granted this treatment for prolonged life? Will it be like the treatment of AIDS, so expensive that only the rich can afford it? And would it be ethical if some humans could live significantly longer than others? These questions are the kinds of questions we as a society must ask ourselves as technology becomes ever so advanced. By no means is science “evil;” it helps millions of people every day (a little something called “modern plumbing). All the same, a cautious approach is the best approach because it is better to be safe than dead. Editor-in-Chief Steven Li News Editors Leidy Perez Megan Zucker BAITLINE Sports Editors Julian Ortiz Vanessa Rueda Spotlight Editor Alexandra Castilla Tech Editor Emma Singer High Tide Editor Karla Anderson Guest Photographers Bryan Hesser Matthew Martinez Opinions Editor Jasmine Calin Submerge Yourself Editors Lukas Moon Karla Anderson A&E Editor Jillian Roberts Staff Writers Karla Anderson Nicole Brandford Jasmine Calin Alexandra Castilla Trudy Clarke Gabriella Delpozo Jordan Feldman Alexia Frith Shatone Gray Steven Li Chamere Littlejohn Andres Lopez Ricardo Martinez Alexander Melendez Megan Miranda Lukas Moon Chiedozie Okafor 2008-2009 Staff Julian Ortiz Leidy Perez Jillian Roberts Vanessa Rueda Emma Singer Shane Sumbu Megan Zucker Advisor Cheri MitchellSantiago Principal Adrianne Leal 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 baitline@coralreef.dadeschools.net. 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 baitline@coralreef.dadeschools.net. Past issues can be viewed at http://crhs.dadeschools.net. Opinions Uniforms MEGAN MIRANDA Staff Writer Five years ago, all public high schools had one thing in common. When you walked on campus, all the students were wearing their clothing of choice. Now, fewer high schools in Miami are allowing their students to dress freely. Among these high schools are Felix Varela, Miami Palmetto, and our very own Coral Reef. “We are privileged, unlike other schools, because we get to express ourselves and portray how we feel,” said Medical senior Diana Perez. From patched jeans to multicolored tops, Coral Reef students express themselves through the clothes they choose to wear. “Everyone has their freedom,” said Engineering freshmen Tyler Kushma. Coming from a school wear he was forced to wear uniforms, Kushma is happy to be able to shed the conformity of uniforms and wear what he wants. However, there are people at Coral Reef who do not shun the idea of uniforms. Some believe they advocate for school spirit and make the lives of students a bit easier. “If we had uniforms we wouldn’t have to worry about what to wear,” said Agriscience senior Alina Sabatini. Imagine how much time could be saved in the mornings Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 7 To wear or not to wear? College Applications My tips to help ease the process JASMINE CALIN Staff Writer College application time can be both exciting and confusing. To help ease the stress, here are my 10 tips to help you survive through the college application process: 1. Don’t rush: Give yourself time to write your essays and more importantly give your teachers and counselors time to write your recommendations. If they have to write in a rush or last minute it either won’t get done or they’ll be too angry with you to write anything worth reading! No one wants to have a recommendation from a mad teacher. 2. Make your essays about you: This is your one chance to have them get to know you as a person and not just a student. Don’t write a report or research paper that will bore the college acceptance committee in the first paragraph. “Follow the prompt” suggests Mrs. Harper, Coral Reef’s CAP advisor. 3. Figure out which colleges you’re applying to take the Common Application: Make life easy for yourself; if the college takes the Common Application that’s one less application you have to fill out. Just make sure you also fill out each schools respective supplement. Go to www.commonapp.org. 4. Gather all the information you will need to fill out applications: Get your unweighted and weighted GPA, class percentile, school CEEB code (101199), and ACT/ SAT scores and the dates taken all together so you can get the application done quicker without having to wait on this information from your counselor later. 5. Narrow your colleges down to a manageable list: Having a list of 31 colleges to apply to is ridiculous! But only applying to one is no more sensible. Pick a number that is good for you but not vast. Remember that you are only going to one school in the end. Applying to dozens of schools in hopes of getting into one may not be too smart… you may end up getting into a college you aren’t particularly fond of. 6. Be sensible with your choices but don’t undersell yourself: Know what colleges you are capable of getting into and focus on those. However, it is okay to apply to your dream college, but it is recommended to have a safety school. “UF is no longer a safety school. It is getting even harder to get in,” said Mrs. Harper. 7. If possible, make visits to the schools you are really interested in: Being on the campus will aid you in your decision on forming an opinion of the university. Ask yourself: could I be here for 4 years? 8. Apply to a couple state schools: with a 1270 or higher on the SAT or a 28 on the ACT while maintaining a 3.5 GPA or an IB diploma will award you 100% paid tuition to a Public Florida University through Bright Futures Scholarships. 9. The Early Bird gets the worm: Apply in Both college applications and in financial aid,” adds Ms. Harper. Most colleges have a rolling application acceptance process so students can send in their applications from the start of their senior year. 10. MOST IMPORTANTLY- Keep track of all your deadlines. It is very easy to miss a deadline here and there but it could be the difference between getting into to college of your dreams or your safety school. As a last note, it is important to stay focused during senior year because colleges can choose to revoke your acceptance. Refer to these tips anytime you get stressed and remember, there is a perfect college for every student. U n ifo rm s : W h a t S tu d e n ts T h in k 27% 73% A poll taken out of 500 students if students didn’t have to spend ten minutes staring sleepily into their closets for an outfit that matches their mood for the day. Instead they would just grab the required uniform and maybe use those extra ten minutes for much needed rest. Uniforms would rule out any prejudices or assumptions people make based on appearances alone. By wearing the same thing, no one could mock one another for their choices in clothing. “Having uniforms would unify us as a school. We’d be one student body and our lives would be easier. No one would judge us because of what we wore,” said Legal and Public Affairs senior Frederick Montgomery. Uniforms would significantly decrease the chances of outsiders coming into the school and causing any trouble or harm to the students or staff. “I would love to see students wear uniforms because it would be easier to identify who belongs to the school instead of looking for the ID badges,” said AP Biology teacher Laura Vogl. Coral Reef does not have uniforms and the majority of the students rejoice at the freedom to express themselves through the clothing they choose to wear. The people that do support uniforms make strong arguments in their favor, but are they strong enough? Will Coral Reef one day adopt the same uniform policies that high schools across Miami-Dade County have? Only time will tell. LUKAS MOON Staff Writer Drilling the seas Brazil has tapped into an oil reserve off of its shore that is the second largest known oil source in the world. Imagine what large oil reserves could be found hidden beneath the ocean One of the greatest political and economic problems facing the United States today is its dependence on foreign oil. Yet it is well known that vast reserves of oil lie underneath the ocean floor and can be tapped into if Americans allow offshore drilling. The use of limited offshore drilling would be a great value to our nation as it transitions into a new phase of renewable energy. Americans are one of the largest consumers of oil “[If we drill] we won’t have to buy floor around the North on such sites to avoid oil from other countries. It American coast. accidents and to prepare for is something that we have There are many concerns the worst case scenarios. to do until we get alternate with such drilling. There is They should limit the areas fuel sources,” said Legal the environmental concern: that can be drilled, set strict junior Charquavis Bell. it would be a nightmare safety regulations, and Indeed, it seems that a if one of the drilling sites hold the drilling companies temporary solution to our resulted in potentially the accountable for any oil crisis is right on our largest oil spill in world shortcomings in drilling shores. Russia and Cuba history, bringing destruction safety. have successfully found oil to both human and ocean Unfortunately, it seems reserves on the ocean floor. life. It also costs a lot of that both political parties money to look for oil and these offshore drill sites are susceptible to natural disasters. Due to these concerns government should set limits and safety regulations have got it wrong when it comes to offshore drilling. The Republicans are pushing for offshore drilling with few limits and little regard for the environment; they also treat it like the final solution to our dependence on foreign oil. The Democrats are fighting against it and want the United States to change to renewable fuel sources overnight, something that will take many years to do. We need a plan that will support offshore drilling for oil while simultaneously increasing research and development of alternate fuel sources. “I think it will help us until we can get a better alternative fuel source,” said VPA senior Christina Persaud. The United States must begin limited offshore drilling as a means to move on to renewable fuel sources to buy time for the development and employment of renewable energy. Offshore drilling does just that. Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 8 SUBMERGE Don’t turn off the light VANESSA RUEDA Staff Writer It’s that time of was the best theme the park has had since he has been year again where the air becomes just a bit more frightening, attending, this year promises to be the best one yet. With the dark holds more surprises than ever, and there is more several haunted houses such as “Reflections of Fear,” to a mirror than meets the eye. At least, that’s how it is at “Once Upon a Nightmare,” “Creatures!,” “Interstellar this year’s Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Terror,” “Dead Exposure,” and others along with “scare in Orlando, Florida. The theme is “Reflections of Fear” zones,” areas of the park that are themed specifically to scare you, such as “Asylum in Wonderland,” “Streets of featuring urban legends such as “Bloody Mary” Blood,” and “The Path of The Wicked,” to name a among others. few. This year has more haunted houses and While there have been “scare zones” than years before. For rumors that seniors would those who have never attended, yes, be attending this event the rides remain open when as a class trip, Mrs. you attend. Martinez was This year’s Halloween quick to end Horror Nights is sure to send a them. scare down the spines of students “The rumors at Reef that will last a lifetime. aren’t true. It’s not appropriate for high school students. If they choose to go on their own then that’s fine. There’s alcohol served and it’s just not something that Coral Reef will approve.” While it may not be a class trip, several seniors still plan on attending. Among them is Business senior Joel Perez who will be attending for the 4th time. Joel says: “I’ve been going for 4 years. The Halloween Horror Nights shirt from last year. It’s a thrill, I enjoy being scared and I usually go with a group of 25 people. This year’s gonna be sick!” While Joel’s personal view is that “Tales of Terror” How old is too old to trick-or-treat? CHIEDOZIE OKAFOR Staff Writer “Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat”—a song I will be chanting door-to-door on Halloween. Yes, at the age of 17, I will be dressing in a costume along with friends to not only play tricks, but to get some treats. Many people have come to me and asked whether I feel that I’m too old to participate in the tradition of trick or treating. My response is always the same: “NO!” There are no age limits on traditions and holidays. That’s like someone saying you’re too old to have a Christmas, it’s just unheard of! Although I feel a certain way about participation in such a “childish” holiday, I wanted to ask someone else their opinion. “If you’re going with a group of people then its okay, but if you’re alone then yes, you will look foolish,” said VPA senior Tiffany Shultz. I somewhat agree with Tiffany. Yes, it’ll seem better with a group of people around my age group, but if I was alone, is it that bad to want candy? “Thirteen is the last age anyone should be trick or treating. It’s so lame After candy and trick or treating are usually associated with little kids. “I don’t see anything wrong with being over 17 and trick-ortreating. I know I’ll be doing it!” said Legal senior Jean Sebastian Andre. Apparently everything concludes to “different strokes, for different folks.” Everyone feels differently about the so called “age limit” for trick or treating on Halloween. Personally, I feel that it’s okay. Why should anyone 17 years old, Thomas Martinez wonders why he shouldn’t be hindered from Trick-or-Treat doing something fun all because people claim to see older kids come to my house begging for candy,” said Legal Senior “you’re too old”? My advice is for everyone to enjoy everything life has to Nichel White. Now I know never to trespass offer. We are all here for a short while, Nichel’s House on Halloween! Maybe so why not do something that brings there is an age limit to trick or treating. nothing but harmless fun. YOURSELF It’s all about the tricksters CHAMERE LITTLEJOHN Staff Writer Halloween has always been one to have the best pranks and tricks up its sleeve. Ironically over the years, things have changed. It isn’t all about giving candy anymore, now-a-days it’s about playing a prank on society. The old classics are Ding dong ditching and going to a house to TeePee (toilet paper) it. However as a new generation is running the town, new pranks are in order. To what extreme have people gone to turn this holiday into what is called fun? The invention of shaving cream has been brought from under the sinks and is used to leave a nice clean shave on someone’s car. Pumpkin smashing has won an Emmy and now is the star role in our society. There’s nothing like seeing the extravagant pumpkin you took the time to create decapitated the next morning. Toilet paper still stands strong in spite of the competition it faces. The idea of having to clean up wet toilet paper that has been stuck to your tree doesn’t tend to be the best feeling you anticipate. Stephanie Nicholas, a senior in Criminal Justice, spoke out against Halloween pranks, “I think doing pranks are a waste of time. I feel the people that do pranks are juvenile.” Yet Halloween hasn’t completely lost its whole demeanor. Children (teens too) still 9 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 Harmless (and not so harmless) pranks liven up Halloween night Seniors Damien Rigol and Michel Tabbal “Teepee” the barracuda statue as their Halloween prank. get the enjoyment of going around trick-ortreating. There still is a fashion show in the streets with hideous costumes, and creative ones. Advocates for the thrill of Halloween also go to the extent of setting up their garages or homes into a haunted house. This can too be a practical prank because people go to the extreme to get the screams of the night. Be careful though, those talking Samhain: the night of the dead garages can sometimes have tricks parked in them. All in all, Halloween is a much anticipated holiday that most can’t wait for. There is no crime for having fun, just make sure it’s the right kind of fun. Tricks are always okay if they are safe and harmless. Is there advice of any sort? Sure, beware of those talking garages and don’t worry too much, your candy bags will surely do all the thinking for you. Discover the Celtic origin of Halloween and some its traditions and Samhain, which occurs the next day. Another Samhain tradition held that Halloween was a time to eliminate weaknesses—to do this, a person’s weaknesses were written on a piece of paper and then burned away. Halloween was a also time for fortunetelling and divination. Children and adults alike played games on All Hallows Eve to know their futures. To test a relationship, two hazelnuts were burned over a fire side by side. If they stayed together as they burned, the relationship would last. If they burst away from each other, the relationship would break up. Another small ritual on Halloween night was to place a perfect ivy leaf into a cup of water. It was left over night and if in the morning the leaf remained perfect, without any spotting, the person who placed the leaf would remain healthy until next Halloween. Yet another game was played blindfolded, with several saucers containing different things. After the saucers were shuffled around, the blindfolded person would reach out and touch a saucer. If the saucer contained water, the person would travel next year; salt meant future wealth; dirt meant illness; a bean foretold poverty; and a ring predicted love. Samhain symbolized the dying of autumn and the transition into winter. It was a time for change, to let go negative things from the past and start new. So this Halloween, get out those dusty Tarot cards sitting in the drawers, burn a few hazelnuts, or burn a few candles for the dead, and take part in this ancient Celtic holiday. All Hallows Eve was a time of fortune-telling. Tarot cards were popular means of divining the future. STEVEN LI Editor-in-Chief On the 31st of October, the veil between the spirit world and ours is thin. That night, children and teens alike take to the streets, piling their bags with candies. Yet, this holiday was not always as light-hearted: Halloween originated from the Celtic holiday of Samhain, also known as “All Hallows Eve.” Traditionally the festival of Samhain is celebrated on the first of November and is considered the Celtic New Year. On the night before, the final harvest takes place and the dead are honored. The ancient Celts believed on this night, the barrier between the living and the dead was thinnest and their lost friends and family members could cross over. Usually in preparation for this visit, an apple is laid out: a feast for the dead. These ancestor spirits are believed to bring guidance to their families for the year to come. In remembrance, candles are placed at the graves of loved ones. At the stroke of midnight, the spirits cross over and all remain in respectful silence. A Halloween tradition, trick-or-treating originated from the tradition of going from door-to-door collecting bread, cheese, and apples in preparation for the Feast of 10 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 A&E This summer’s blockbuster hits battled it out Monday, September 15: theater style. The “Battle of the Classes” is a play put on by all the drama classes: freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, where they create a 6 minute skit based on that year’s theme. The 2008-2009 school year’s theme was movies, giving each class a different hit movie. The freshman were given Wall-E, the sophomores had to base their skit on I am Legend a movie starring Will Smith, the juniors skit was based on the movie The Dark Knight and the seniors reenacted Mama Mia. Once all the skits were finished they were performed for the parents. Once the parents have seen all the skits, they donated money to the class based on which performance they thought was the best. At the end, the class that ended up with the most money won the battle, which happened to be the sophomores this year. “Battle of the Classes” was put together solely by the students, with the juniors directed by Henry Morillo. “The juniors did amazing, in my opinion they were the best. We had people rapelling from the second floor and dead bodies hanging from the catwalk,” said Morillo. As for whether it was daunting for the juniors to live up to The Dark Knight’s reputation, the actors weren’t intimidated. “You feel some sort of power when you represent on of the most famous villains in Batman,” said VPA junior Oscar Muñoz, who played the “Joker.” After the “Battle of the Classes” was over, the drama academy moved on to other productions. The next play performed by the drama students was called “The Brain Wave Plays” on October 1st, 2nd and 3rd. This was their last play for the 2008 year. Starting off 2009, the I.B. senior drama class will be performing their show in late February. Drama students competed for victory in “Battle of the Classes,” parodying movie hits The Dark Knight hits the stage Jamie Wheeler as Poison Ivy and Oscar Muñoz as the “Joker” College isn’t exactly Ivy League MEGAN ZUCKER Staff Writer While buying my ticket at the box office for the movie, College, I knew I would not be seeing an Oscar award winning performance. I went in with semi-hopeful expectations of the movie, which were crushed. What I really got was a waste of 94 minutes. The plot of the movie wasn’t the least bit unique and had many similarities to the film Superbad. “The movie was alright, but sometimes it got really boring. I would give it 3 stars,” said Business sophomore, Sheldon Oxendine. When the main character, played by Drake Bell, gets dumped by his girlfriend Paul Warren, VPA senior, debates for being too boring, he and his two friends decide to visit a local college campus as which college to attend, like the prospective freshman. The characters in the movie College. three friends, with large resemblances to the three characters in Superbad, get high-schoolers to fight back, becoming the “heroes” recruited to one of the rowdiest fraternities of the movie. on campus for the weekend and are granted access “This movie was like American Pie, but 10 to the college party scene. times better. It was definitely the best movie of the Throughout the movie, typical fraternity summer!” said VPA junior Josh Burstein. brothers put the three high school seniors through During the entire movie, the audience was humiliating and disgusting acts of hazing. The repeatedly disgusted with the many vomit and fecal movie becomes uninteresting and painfully boring centered humor. Whether or not it was the intention within 45 minutes. Although I did let out a few of the director to continually sicken the audience is laughs during the movie, it was mostly at the up to the viewer to decide. pathetic performances and screenwriting. In the end, College was very predictable and was Somehow, the three boys manage to attract the a downright horribly made imitation of Superbad. attention of a few college girls, who not only seem Unless you enjoy watching repetitive vomiting to believe that the boys are in college, but the scenes and typical fraternity hazing, I would not girls actually really like them. When the fraternity recommend anybody to waste their money and brothers find this out, they turn their antics of time on this film. embarrassment up to a greater level, forcing the Tri-M United Way benefit concert ALEXANDRA CASTILLA Staff Writer The Tri-M Benefit Concert is a tradition here at the Reef, taking place every year since the events of September 11th. Each year since 2001, the concert is put on in order to support a different cause. This year the Tri-M Benefit Concert supported United Way through donations of five dollars or more. The officers of the Tri-M Honor Society and Coral Reef Music organized the event with the teacher sponsorship of Mr. Rose and Mr. Caves. This year, the concert incorporated students from all branches of the Visual and Performing Arts Academy, including band, chorus, drama, orchestra, and piano students. These students had been auditioning and rehearsing since September 2nd, and their hard work proved to be a success at the benefit. Performances ranged from classical, musical theatre, pop, R&B, jazz, Latin music, and monologues. “The show went incredibly well. All the performers did an incredible job, and I can honestly say that the officers of both Tri-M and Music Club were extremely impressed with how smoothly everything ran. There really weren’t any complications, and it was obvious that the audience really enjoyed the show as well,” said Nicole Iduate, TriM Honor Society President. This year, the concert raised a total of $1,400, the most out of all seven years of the concert. What? VANESSA RUEDA Staff Writer Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 Spanish Heritage Show spices up October 11 “I’m going crazy!” said Mrs. Merly, the Hispanic Heritage and National Spanish Honor Society sponsor, in response to her feelings about the upcoming activities for the month of October. In celebration of “Dìa de la Raza,” the day of the discovery of America, on October 12th, the Hispanic Heritage club is bringing several events to the student body in order to appreciate the Hispanic culture. The kickoff activity is a Hispanic Country fair that will take place in the courtyard during lunch. There will be arts and crafts, ceramics, newspapers, posters, folk clothes, and more, all unique to an individual country. There will also be a film festival during school, where three different Hispanic films will be shown to foreign language students. A salsa competition sponsored by the Salsa Club will also take place in the main courtyard. Of course, the main event will be the annual Hispanic Heritage show. Since September, performers have been rehearsing for the auditions of the music portion of the show. Contrary to previous years, there will only be one showing at school during 5th period for students and teachers, and one showing after school at 7 pm for parents and community members. “We’re going to be doing an AfroCuban piece called Aguanile by Marc Anthony. It’s a very African very jungle piece. We don’t have costumes yet, but we’ll be wearing big flowy skirts,” said IB senior and Salsa Club president, Karissa Dieseldorff. The club has been rehearsing on Mondays and Wednesdays in room 263 until 4:15 pm. The “big flowy skirts” Karissa referred to hold a lot of symbolism. While dancing, the men typically have a scarf that represents passion. They snap the scarf at the women in a seductive manner while the women use their skirts as a shield and back away from the men. The skirts are opened and closed as the ends are flicked out in a frantic manner, symbolizing the acceptance of the man. In the show, students can expect to see several singing numbers from students including Layla Martin, Karol Ramirez, and several others, along with several traditional dances such as salsa from Cuba, tango from Argentina, Plena from Puerto Rico, and meringue from Dominican Republic. The Magnet dancers are expected to perform along with the Chamber orchestra, a select ensemble of 27 students of the most advanced orchestra instrumentalists in VPA. They will be performing a piece titled “Margarita” by Manuel Tavarez. “I enjoy performing in the show because it allows me to show my Latino heritage,” said Legal senior Eduardo Herrera. The month of October is certain to bring many surprises and much entertainment, courtesy of Mrs. Merly and the Hispanic Heritage club. Hispanic Heritage Month Calendar Oct. 8- Hispanic Country Fair (Central courtyard- Lunch) Oct. 6 to 17- Hispanic Legacy Exhibition (Media Center) Oct. 16- Hispanic Musical Show (Auditorium- 1:00 PM) Oct. 17- Salsa Competition (Central courtyard- Lunch) Oct. 28- Spanish Film Festival (Auditorium- FL Teachers) Oct. 31- Faculty & Staff Hispanic Lunch (Media Center) Other activities: • Lectures TBA/ pending confirmation • Documentaries for School viewing/ TBA • Presentation of Hispanic Personalities/ CRTV Live Balancing it all Kathryn Hemsing talks about balancing academics and sports. LEIDY PEREZ Staff Writer the uniforms and for the season in Kathryn Hemsing, general. The Business senior, team has is the ideal well only been rounded student. permitted She has successfully to use one balanced herself bus, due to between sports and the severe school throughout budget cuts her entire high of MDCPS. school years. Along She has played with being a volleyball, softball, star player, badminton, and she holds basketball and has the national also been involved community in the nationally service chair recognized club in FBLA. FBLA. Kathryn “My favorite has done has always been activities volleyball, it’s such as the exhilarating because Kathryn Hemsing wears her volleyball jersey March of you are always on before a game. Dimes and the move whether a walk at you are touching the Coral Reef ball, covering, delivering, or just getting to collect funds for those in need. Kathryn ready for a hit; but more than anything I has placed in nationals with the FBLA and love it because it’s all about teamwork,” is also a member of the Business Honor said Kathryn. Society and the Spanish Honor Society. Teamwork is what she mostly refers back Kathryn serves as an inspiration to all to, stating that “the volleyball team is like those students at Coral Reef who fear the a family.” The team is now going through struggle of balancing the academic part of tough times because of the budget cuts but their student’s life with the extracurricular they are fundraisings to raise money for activities. 12 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 Spotlight Leading the masses ALEXANDER MELENDEZ Staff Writer In a school known for its prestigious academics, tailored classes, and outstanding alumni, how is it possible for one student to stand out among the rest? The only answer is to become a leader of leaders. It is already hard for one to find the time to stick out with hectic teenage schedules and the added stress of being a Reef student. Yet students such as Louisa Santos, Sonul Rao, and Mar Echevaria find a way. “It’s called no sleep. I sleep about two hours a night and even then it is a constant effort,” said Business senior and class president Louisa Santos. With the busy daily schedule she has, it is no surprise that she only gets about one fourth of the recommended sleeping time. Why anyone would put themselves through the added stress seems absurd. Is it to look better on a college resume or simply to make a difference? “For me, it is not so much about competition as it is about getting involved. I want to get people aware,” said VPA senior Mar Echevarria. Mar is the President of “Do Something,”a club designed to get students involved in the community. Other students find unique ways to stick out in a highly demanding school like Sonul Rao, President of National Honors Society who reached her position in a very creative way. “I rapped my speech,” said Sonul. In a school filled with students who are set to be the future of America, one needs to find their own way of sticking out. Students show remarkable signs of leadership Whether being President of a club or volunteering for community service, students find creative ways to help the community and make a difference. Sonul Rao, President of National Honors Society. Mar Echevarria, President of the “Do Something” club. A poet in our midst EMMA SINGER Staff Writer Kim Berkley talks about her writing career and how to face criticism little harder to take their criticism,” said Berkley. Kim is cautious about Coral Reef is home to a variety sharing her work with of talents, ranging from art to breakothers. “I usually tend dancing. VPA senior, Kim Berkley, to keep my writing to is a talented poet, as well as an upmyself until I really feel I and-coming author. like a piece but even then Kim’s inspiration comes from I hesitate about sharing some of her favorite authors, such it. It’s actually much as J.R.R. Tolkien, Edgar Allan Poe, easier for me to accept as well as her 11th grade English extremely harsh criticism teacher, Mr. Menasche. from, say, someone online “He taught me more about writing who knows what they’re in one year than I had learned in talking about but doesn’t five,” said Kim. know me personally than Apart from poetry, Kim is also to hear it from someone working on a fantasy titled Three I really care about,” said of Swords, which deals with Berkley. contemporary issues in a fantasy Still, Kim acknowledges setting. that criticism is a She also writes short stories, which necessary part of writing. she posts online, at www.deviantart. “At the same time it com. means a lot more to me Writing is Kim’s emotional outlet; when someone I love she unconsciously incorporates praises my work,” said issues she is going through into her Kim. Kim Berkley demonstrates her creativity with artistic character’s lives. She uses her poetry As to what advice she make-up as a vent for her emotions; some of has for young writers, it is rather private. poets and novelists alike, Many teenage writers face harsh criticism “I’m hoping to make writing my career. Kim urges them to listen to their from friends and family. Kim’s advice is to Getting a real novel of mine on the shelves listen to everything, but to not necessarily English teachers and never stop writing is one of my dreams (and it wouldn’t hurt or reading. follow their advice. to have a hit like Harry Potter, either!). So “And above all, never stop dreaming. “If it’s someone close to me or, worse, hopefully I’ll finish Three of Swords soon. The best comes in the form of someone I really look up to (like a famous Who knows, maybe some crazy publisher author I like or a good friend who also daydreams and nightmares.” will decide its good enough to sell!” happens to be a great writer), then it’s a In Retrospect by Kim Berkley Sitting on the wall by the beach frontier Waiting for the warriors of the waves to join me It’s a good day for a battle, and I’m ready to fight I’m ready to fight Standing on the scaffolding hanging way up high Waiting to grow wings so I can fly far, far away My feet are tired of walking, but I’m ready to go I’m ready to go Someone once asked me for a handful of change And in retrospect, I didn’t give him enough I gave him everything I had at the time, everything I gave him nothing Watching me walking my warping path You never knew who I was, but you guessed Flick of my hair and a single step more and I’m gone Spotlight Alexandra Blake speaks about applying to colleges KARLA ANDERSON Staff Writer LEIDY PEREZ “Between printing the applications online, turning them in on time, SAT, ACT, essays, and good grades this college stuff is rather nerve wrecking,” said IB senior Alexandra Blake. Seniors have many responsibiliSeniors, Karla and Claudia Cabreiro and Alexandra Blake ties and expectalook over college applications. tions. The college deadlines are coming near and the on time. seniors suffer through managing their time “It is a very hectic time of the year. But just right to be able to handle everything. it gives me a lot of pleasure because this “Not only do we have to deal with col- is what it is all about, getting the kids into lege stuff, but as IB students we have to college,” said IB counselor Ms. Vidaña. deal with IB things as well,” said AlexanNot only are the students in a rush to findra. The essays are one of the section of the ish all the applications, but the teachers and application that students have the hardest counselors are also pressured to finish their time with. part of the process. “It isn’t hard, it’s stressful because of the “It is kind of fun, seniors have done their uncertainty of what to write, your not sup- jobs and this is just what is going to reflect posed to be writing to your best friend but all their hard work,” said CAP Advisor Ms. it isn’t an English paper either.” Harper. Alexandra is applying to eight different The college application and acceptance universities and is struggling to keep up process is a very chaotic and time consumwith all the demands that are expected of ing one, but time management is the key her. to successfully finishing it in time. And for She is one of the many seniors that are most seniors this is what it comes down struggling between trying to keep up their to, the acceptance into the college of their high school grade point averages and still dreams, even if that means having to go being able to finish the college applications through such tedious processes. Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 “So little time, so much Jammies for Kids Michelle Fuentes, to do” IB Senior, opens up 13 Michelle Fuentes, an IB senior, was watching Oprah when she saw that one of the guests from Chicago started a pajama and duffle bag drive for infants and children up to the age of eight. Realizing that she could change the lives of orphans after that Oprah show, Fuentes started a project of her own. “I thought this was a cool idea, so I decided to talk to Mrs. Martinez, as well as the Children Home Society to see what I can do to help,” said Fuentes. This task was not as easy as it may seem. First, she had to contact both Michelle Fuentes, IB Senior, posing with the Children Home Society and His House Children Home to see if they received donations. agreed with her idea. “It took over a week for them to Do Something is a club that recognizes call me back, I thought they didn’t like the amazing young people who see a problem idea,” said Fuentes. “I thought they had in the world and want to tackle it. enough projects helping them already.” There are boxes located throughout the But as a matter in fact, both home societies school: rooms (Ford) 248, (Kirchner) 223, accepted the idea. (Scott) 310, (Paz) 307, and (Vargas) 105 for So Fuentes quickly started making flyers those who would like to make donations. and collected boxes to put in different “I think its great of her to do something rooms of the school that the students could like this and show how much she cares donate. for those less fortunate than her,” said IB In addition to collecting pajamas, Fuentes senior Barbara Uchdorff. is also collecting hygiene products, like For those students who donate, some toothpaste, toothbrushes, pampers, etc. teachers are even considering giving extra which would go to the His House Children credit. Home. Fuentes will finish her drive on October “This is a very important project to me, 18th. and I’m trying to spread the word out to “Please donate, because these are children everyone. I’m hoping to incorporate this that barely have anything and just the fact project into the new club at school, Do that they have pajamas will make a big Something.” difference in their life.” Our own soldier KARLA ANDERSON Staff Writer Mr. Mahoney after being sent to Germany speaks about his experience in the Air Force the side of a mountain about halfway up the side and then you go to the top where a castle is. They are both over 400 years old and are kept up nicely. It was quite a climb up the steps for a total of around 500 feet. Beautiful!” But of course, not everything was supposed to be fun. The part that he least enjoyed was actually doing his job. The worst parts are when he had to inspect the planes that carried the remains of soldiers who died in Iraq. “All movement stops in respect for the dead as they come through the Port. We are constantly reminded that there is a war going on and there are very real consequences,” said Mahoney, as he reflected back. Mr. Mahoney’s annual tour ended two days earlier than planned due to the several hurricanes in the Caribbean. “We flew on an Air Force C-17 plane into Dover, Delaware where we spent the night and we were bused into Philadelphia to catch a commercial flight into Miami the next day. We made it into Miami and down to Homestead Air Reserve Base where we spent the night until we were released on Saturday September 6th to go home. This ended our annual tour for this year.” We are all glad to have Mr. Mahoney back in school and proud that he is serving our country. The military places a lot of emphasis on not accepting History teacher, Mr. Mahoney, delays in returned from his 15-day trip to departures and Germany. so things would His trip wasn’t a vacation but in more than fact a job. Last year Mr. Mahoney likely become was in Kuwait for two months of tense prior to the school year and returned to takeoff. teach in October. When asked This year, he was sent to the what he Ramstein Air Base, Germany to enjoyed the fulfill his annual tour requirement most about his for the Air Force Reserves, which experience, is done once a year for 15 days. Mahoney said, “My job was to coordinate “Visiting the the movement of passengers nearby area and cargo on the cargo aircraft around the that the United States Air Force base as well as uses. The specific section that I Mr. Mahoney is happy to be back in school and grading papers after his trip a weekend tour work in is called the Air Terminal to Germany. in Belgium Operations Center also known by with about 11 its acronym of ATOC. We are would call other sections of the Aerial Port others from my part of several sections in the Aerial Port to service the aircraft. squadron. We went by tour bus, which was Squadron,” said Mahoney. Mahoney and his squad would also go full to its 45-passenger capacity. We visited On a daily basis, Mahoney and his squad out to the planes before they would depart Brussels and Bruges the next day before would go out to the airplanes and check the and ensured that all proper paperwork, going back to our base. We also visited cargo and passengers. They would gather cargo, and passengers were on the plane a town called Idar-Oberstein to sightsee. the necessary paperwork and if needed, ready to go. There is an old church that was built into Saving the world, one car at a time An emission-free, fuel-efficient “Air Car” is in production JILLIAN ROBERTS Staff Writer With gas prices skyrocketing and the recent obsession with the environment, the cost of driving a vehicle has an enormous effect on the average car owner, and more importantly, on our world. It is becoming a burden to own a car due to the outrageous price of gas and a vast amount of air pollution. Gas prices are constantly increasing. It costs more per gallon to fill up one’s car than it does to buy a meal at a fast food restaurant. People are constantly finding themselves leaving gas stations with full tanks, but empty pockets. In addition, the carbon monoxide emissions let out by cars is believed to be a major contributor to global warming. What is America going to do? The answer lies with the Air Car. Instead of being powered by gas, the Air Car uses a motor that is driven by compressed air. It gets an equivalent of 100 miles to the gallon, can reach speeds of over 90 miles per hour, and costs less than $18,000. It is also environmentally friendly, because it is emission free. “This is the most amazing thing I have ever heard of! The last time I filled up my tank, it cost me $115. The Air Car is a great idea, and a big money saver,” said IB junior Alex Hernandez. The Air Car, currently being produced in India, will be released in late 2009 or early 2010. Even though the cars won’t burn any gas, and there are no emissions, they still leave carbon footprints. It will take small amount of energy to compress the air, but much less than getting oil from the ground and burning it in a car. People are now more focused on “going green” and saving the environment and Air Cars are the perfect way to “go green.” Not only will CO2 emissions be greatly reduced, but people will save hundreds, even thousands of dollars on gas. Only time will tell if Air Cars will become the key to ending global warming. But for now, they are certainly the best that we have. 14 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 Technology Upcoming Gadgets EMMA SINGER Staff Writer Google Phone Estimated to cost $179 with a two year contract, the Google Phone has a tentative release date of Oct. 22. Apple MacBook Touch Using the technology developed for the iTouch, Apple is making a laptop with a built-in touch screen keyboard. 160 GIG PS3 Scheduled for release in Europe in October, the 160 GIG PS3 is rumored to cost $499. Miles per Gallon in popular cars A new kind of Facebook EMMA SINGER Staff Writer Facebook is seen by its 100 million users as a harmless, fun way to gossip, keep in touch, and share pictures. But all that is about to change. The CIA and FBI are teaming up to develop a new kind of Facebook, called A-Space, better known as Facebook for spies. This new website will enable Secret Service personnel to access information without barriers. Any information written online, filed in a computer, or discovered by other agents will be posted on A-Space. This website is a place where spies can meet, share information, and brainstorm about current issues. Does A-Space violate our privacy? “I’m really big on privacy, so this makes me uncomfortable. I think it really depends on your perspective,” said VPA sophomore Giovanna Barreto. Technically, A-Space is completely legal. The Patriot Act, passed by President Bush in 2001, enabled the government to legally be able to listen in on telephone calls, read email communications, and gave them access to medical, financial, and legal records. A-Space will be a combination of all of this information, an immense database with all of our lives on file. A-Space has cost America just under five million dollars. This program was put into effect without the consent of Americans, and without their knowledge. Do taxpayers approve of how their money is being spent? Does it matter? “I think that it’s okay and worth it, but should be really restricted because it has the potential to be used dangerously. But it’s good that our government can keep us safe,” said IB sophomore Patricia Dranoff. Where will the Secret Service be obtaining this information? Mainly from other branches of our government, but also from internet sources. “I think that this is a great idea, and not invading our privacy because if we put our information out there, whether its Facebook, or Myspace, people can see it. That’s why it’s called the world-wide-web,” said IB freshman Benjamin Pham. A main concern of many spies involved in this project is a potential leak, from the inside or outside. A spy with conflicting interests could easily transfer this information. Though this has been a possibility since the establishment of the Secret Service, previously, a spy would only have been able to leak information from their own case/branch. But now, all of the information is accessible to any spy. Whether or not this new program is morally right, it is too late. The program will launch sometime from early October to December. So remember, when on Facebook, be careful. Someday the FBI may poke you. A new beat hits the Reef 07-08 Lacrosse District Cuda stomp makes its debut as the new step team Champions Can they do it again? JORDAN FELDMAN Staff Writer The Coral Reef Lacrosse team is looking forward another exceptional year after going undefeated in the regular season last school year. The team came out victorious as District Champions, but was later defeated at Regionals. “This year is going to be a big challenge. We lost all but a few returning varsity players so were going to have to reinvent our style of play,” said IB sophomore, Jake Schiff. Due to a tough schedule for the 08-09 season, the Coral Reef Lacrosse team has a long road of hard work and dedication ahead of them. Their District opponents include Palmetto, Killian, Western and Columbus high schools. With the graduation of many seniors last year, including Scott Levitt, Michael Matthiesen, and Paul Thompson, the team will have to work even harder to defend their status as defending District Champions. It will not be easy to replace 1st team All-League Joseph Bellando, 2nd Team All-League Andrew Bekkevold, and 3rd Team All-League Logan Gomez on the Coral Reef Lacrosse Team. Practicing every week, the team is looking to improve their game plans, conditioning, and most of all, playing as a united team. “This is my first year on the Coral Reef Lacrosse team so I have much to learn and improve on, but if I work hard I’m sure I’ll see some progress in my game,” said Business and Finance Freshman, Justin Garcia. Head Coach Alan Bellando, starting his third year as head Varsity Coach at Coral Reef High School, will lead the Barracudas. Coach Bellando was the recipient of the 2008 Coach of the Year out of Coral Reef’s District. Sports Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 15 Gerald Grant (president), Michael Davis (vice president), Tavares Andrews (member) of the Sigma Beta team. TRUDY CLARKE Staff Writer Cuda Stomp is Coral Reef’s brand new step / hip- hop dance team. The clinics for Cuda Stomp were held on Thursday, September 4th and Friday September 5th. Finally, try outs were on Friday September 12th. Anyone who was interested in auditioning was told to come in a white t-shirt, black shorts, sneakers, and have their hair pulled back out of their face. But what were they preparing for? The four captains of Cuda Stomp are medical juniors Sarah Girma, Estefani Aguiluz, and legal juniors Francesca Polanco, and Stephanie Dufreshe. On the first day of the clinics, 94 girls and guys showed up for a team that will consist of only 15 girls or guys and five alternates. Although Cuda Stomp is not guaranteed at all pep rallies, we will see Cuda Stomp at other shows, including the annual Sigma Beta Step Show. Students will also see them at the Dade County Fair and Expo dance competition On the other end, Sigma Beta is a youth group sponsored by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. It consists of 25 male members and is dedicated to mentoring youth and keeping men off the streets. They can be seen doing road blocks in order to raise money. “Our main focus is to get out to the community, last year we performed at Miami heights elementary,” said Business senior Gerald Grant. “We are currently looking for sponsors for our team uniforms,” said Legal junior Stephanie Dufreshe. Sigma Beta will perform at their annual step show hosted at Robert Morgan, which will be held on December 19th, 2008. Tickets sales start some time in November for $10. The goal of the show is to raise money for the groups’ main event which is the college tour. Students interested in performing in the Sigma Beta step show can contact Gerald Grant, who is currently the president of Sigma Beta. “We are a family not a team… a group of brothers. Expect greatness when you hear from Sigma Beta,” said Grant. “Expect greatness” is a quote that both teams hold deeply in there heart. For the 2008 – 2009 school year, Reef will hear a lot from both Sigma Beta and Cuda Stomp. Boy’s lacrosse district championship trophy for the year 2008 “I expect to repeat our District Champion like last year, even though we lost 9 out of our 10 starters, we are still the team to beat,” said IB senior Michael Franklin. Ranked in the top ten in the State of Florida for Lacrosse Club teams last season, the Barracudas must over-achieve to match last years success. Upcoming varsity football games 16 Coral Reef Sr. High October 2008 High Tide The Game of Life Our biology age vs. chronological age: how old are we really? Alina Sabatini, Agriscience senior, taking the Biological Age quiz online. MEGAN MIRANDA Staff Writer Scientists have theorized that humans have two ages. There is the chronological age, which is the number of years a person has been alive, and the biological age, the body’s true age. Biological age tells how fast the body ages based on what is done to it. The more stress, health problems, and abuse one puts on their body, the faster they will age. David Niven Miller, author of “Grow Youthful,” has written his book to try and help people slow their aging so that they can appreciate the time they have. But how accurate is this theory of Biological Age vs. Chronological Age? On his website www.growyouthful.com, Miller has a Biological Age Test for any person interested in knowing their biological age. It calculates the body’s true age based on answers given to 140 questions ranging from stress to health to dietary habits. Several Coral Reef students have taken Miller’s Biological Age Test and they all seemed to have different reactions to the ages the test gave them. Some took the test lightly, such as Engineering senior Matts Michel. “[I] didn’t know I’d still be in school,” said Michel, in response to finding out that while chronologically he is 17 years old, his body has aged to 24 years old. Others seemed a bit stunned by the results expressing surprise and even a hint of apprehension. Jeffery Mondesir, Legal and Public Affairs senior, is also 17 years old and from the test he found out his body is 21 years old. “I think the test is accurate and it’s scary. It feels like its taking years from your life,” said Mondesir. This test was taken by seventeen Coral Reef students, varying from freshmen to seniors. The average biological age for these students was 22 years old. This means that the bodies of these students are aging much too quickly. “It made me realize that I need to take more precautions in my life,” said Frederick Montgomery, senior in the Legal and Public Affairs academy. In order to slow down this aging process, changes must be made in the students’ lives. These changes are made in their eating habits, stress levels, sleep habits, and many other factors that contribute to the aging process. For example, someone who chooses to eat fast food everyday would have an age significantly higher than someone who eats fast food once in a while and instead eats a balanced meal made from home. The number of hours a person sleeps a night affects many body functions such as immunity production. Other major factors the test considers when calculating biological age are how much alcohol, recreational drugs, nicotine, and prescription medicine a person consumes. The intake of the aforementioned items significantly affects the body in different ways. Alcohol, nicotine, and recreational drugs damage the body’s nerves, organs, and reflexes which adds several months if not years to the body’s biological age. However, there is no way of telling how much a specific factor will age the body because of the numerous other factors that need to be calculated as well. The test and theory are just that, a theory, but the point made by both is that people need to take care of themselves. The body is fragile and easily affected by everything that is done to it, and ultimately, it will affect the life of the person.