January 2011 - The Chronicle

The official newspaper of the CSHS Colts

7201 W. Sample Road, Coral Springs, FL 33065 January 2011 Volume XVIV Issue III Coral Springs High School

News..................1-5Opinion...............6-8Feature........9,12-13Dimensions.....10,11Entertainment 14-16Sports.............17-20

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Duffy DufresneStaff Writer

The step team had their first competi-tion this year at Blanche Ely High School, on Dec. 18.

Boys and girls step teams competed from Park Vista, Stranahan, Fort Lauder-dale, Nova Plantation, and Mirimar High schools.

The competition was hosted by for-mer radio personality ‘Big Lip Bandit’ from the radio station 99 Jamz. The title of the step show was “Steppin’ it to the royal coronation,” which involved the theme of the crowning of royality. Each team was given ten minutes to perform a step routine that adhered to the theme. Steps were scored on precision, volume, attitude, facial expressions and energy. Points were deducted if teams were late, if performances were too long, or if an obvious mistake was made in the rou-tines.

Our step team performed second in the competition order. The plot of their performance was a class field trip to a museum. In the routine, the “class” comes upon an exhibit where they view the crown of the ancient Egyptian queen of stepping, Queen Syria. They are told that who ever touches the crown will turn into stone, but when the tour guide leaves and one of the girls touches the crown, Queen Syria and her slaves come back to life instead. The girls then chal-lenge the queen and end up taking her crown.

Yvette Zeprene, step team sponsor, is hoping to have more performances this school year. “I’m hoping that there can be more competitions, but as of right now, I’m thinking there’s probably going to just be two more … hopefully three, but we can only see what time tells,” she said.

Zepren feels that the girls have worked hard and improved tremendously. “I feel that they’ve worked very, very well. I think that they’ve come a long way and I just have no doubt that they’re going to blow everyone’s mind,” she said.

The girls did not place in the competi-tion, but Yonellie Jean, step team captain, is happy with the step team’s

Continued on p. 2

Stepping up to competestatus Step team thrilled withperformance in first competition despite lack of placement

Kathryn LongStaff Writer

The drama club will be attending states following their performance at the quali-fying competitions. On Sat., Nov. 20, the drama club competed in the 2010 District 7 Individual Events Thespian Competition. They also competed in the One Act Compe-tition on Fri., Dec. 10 and Sat., Dec. 11.

Students competed in 14 different events at districts. In order to progress to the state competition, participants needed to receive a superior (the highest level) ranking from at least two of the three

judges.The district competition took place at

our school, with events held in various classrooms and in the school theater. The district encompasses 16 schools. From our school, 19 students competed in vari-ous events including individual, duet, and ensemble events.

At the One Act Competition at Deer-field Beach High School Jordan Cohen, se-nior, won the added distinction of Critic’s Choice, which means that he was chosen as best in his event. This is the second time Cohen has received this honor.

“It was amazing. It was the first time that I can remember that one student got Critic’s Choice two years in a row,” said Laurel Holland, drama teacher. Cohen is also a member of The Chronicle staff.

Cohen competed in the monologue competition, performing two contrasting pieces from a published play, the perfor-mance having to be under five minutes in length. The pieces he chose were from the plays Drinking in America and Funhouse, both by Eric Bogosian.

“I worked very hard, practicing in hopes Continued on p. 3

Drama club qualifies for States

The school has received an “A” rating for its performance during the 2009-2010 school year.

The grade was announced during fourth hour on Tuesday, Dec. 7th.

Principal Susan Leon-Leigh took to the television and P.A. systems to share the news with students. Later that day, the event was commemorated with a parade through the halls.

The “A” was awarded based on a new rating system, according to Broward’s Di-rector of Student Assessment and School Performance Paul Houchens. In previous years, FCAT scores were the deciding fac-tor in a school’s grade, making 9th and 10th graders predominately responsible for the school’s grade.

This year, Houchens said, schools are rated with a “more complete model of

assessment of a high school... that is ben-eficial to kids in the long run.” The new system still weighs the FCAT heavily, but it also takes into account AP, Dual-Enroll-ment and other college-level courses, SAT and CPT scores, and the school’s gradua-tion rate.

According to Leon-Leigh, the new ranking won’t affect the school’s day-to-day activity, but it will affect the “overall community.” “Politicians and the commu-nity think [the grade] is the ‘be all, end all’ of how nice the school is, but it really is not,” she said.

Of the three high schools in Coral Springs, our school received the only “A” rating. Stoneman Douglas, Taravella, and Coral Glades all received “B”s. This year, Coral Springs High is one of only ten “A” high schools in Broward County.

“Here at Coral Springs, we always have had that pride,” she said. “But now that we finally have the grade we deserve, we can really stand up a bit prouder.”

The school will receive a fiscal bonus for improving its grade, but Leon-Leigh said it “doesn’t exactly change the budget any.”

Continued on p. 2

“We finally have the grade we deserve.”

-Susan Leon-Leigh, principal

Katie Jones

AYE, NICE SHIRT: Faculty members received t-shirts celebrating the “A” school grade at the faculty holiday pot luck.

reached

Allie SchuttGraphics Editor

Alec KayeStaff Writer

Sophomores aim to benefit South

Florida’s needy kids

with a sneaker drive, page 4.

Do students place too much emphasis on technology? The

Chronicle explores the issue, page 8.

Feature editor Saraana Jamraj reflects on the first decade of

the 21st century, page 9.

Lacrosse practice begins under the

direction of coaches Lisa McQuade and

Michael Lucido, page 17.

ESE classes celebrate the holidays with a special guest, page 4

CALENDARJANUARY

COLTS WORLD VIEW

Researchers in South Africa, Austra-lia, and Venezuela have previously listed and mapped out threatened ecosystems

through their own system for targeting habitats in danger of disappearing. As of Dec. 5, new efforts from an international group of biologists in the Interna-tional Union for Conservation of Nature aim to come up with a uniform system in order to help identify conservation goals. They say drawing up a “Red List” of threatened ecosystems would help sharpen their focus on areas to conserve.

The list of habitats that have been devastated by people include North American tall grass prairies, along with the game animals that once thrived in them. The citizens of Coral Springs can contribute by tak-ing action in the conservation of the habitats within the community.

ISRAELFormer Israeli President

Moshe Katsav was convicted of rape Dec. 30, and may be sentenced to 4 to 16 years in prison. Katsav, who held office until ‘07, denied all charges, asserting he was a victim of a political witch hunt. The three-judge panel said his version of events was “strewn with lies.”

Hundreds of women’s rights activists stood outside the court-room, rallied against Katsav.

“The court sent two clear and sharp messages: that everyone is equal and every woman has the full right to her body,” said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The position of President in Israel differs slightly from the same title in the U.S. It is seen as more of a figurehead role, with the majority of executive pow-er given to the Prime Minister.

by Alec Kaye

As of Nov. 8, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported approxi-mately 1.5 million cases in the Caribbean.

The first local case of Dengue Fever in 50 years appeared in Miami-Dade County on Nov 11. Symptoms that characterize Dengue Fever include high fe-ver, rashes, nausea, pain behind the eye, and bone and joint pain. In fact, the pain in the bones is so severe that Dengue Fever has taken on the informal name of “breakbone fever.” The Aedes mosquito, a type that lives amongst humans and bites during the day, can transmit the virus only after first bit-ing an infected individual. Since there is no current cure or special treat-ment for the virus, precautions such as covering up or wearing insect re-pellent while outside is recommended, even to the citizens of Coral Springs.

CARIBBEAN VENEZUELA

NEWS2NEWSJANUARY 2011

8thClub Sidewalk PaintingAll participating clubs paint a square of the sidewalk by student parking lot.

11thDress for SuccessMandatory for students enrolled in bussiness classes to dress in business attire; optional for others.

18th-21stMidterms

22ndSAT TestingAt J.P. Taravella High.

27thTeen Political ForumStudents from around the area voice their poiltical views. At

6:30pm-8:30pm.

Step competition, cont.Chorus members sing in new yearAna SerpaStaff Writer

During the winter season, chorus is part of an array of different events. The annual winter concert showcasing band and chorus members was held in the auditorium on Tues., Dec.14.

The evening concert opened with “The Star-Spangled Banner” performed by all the chorus members. The mixed chorus, which consists of choral and chambers singers, then proceeded on stage to perform “Season’s Greet-ings,” by Joyce Eilers and “Miracle Hanukkah,” by Emily Crocker. Women Singers were next to perform and sang “Let it Snow, Let it Snow,” by Anita Kerr. Shortly after, the Chamber Singers, an advanced mixed chorus, performed “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” by Kirby Shaw. To finish the chorus performances, the combined singers, consisting of chamber and women singers sang “Joy to the World,” by Derek Johnson and “Hal-lelujah Chorus,” by George Frideric Handel.

A larger number of band members per-formed in the second half of the winter concert. The first performance was by the jazz band, which played “A Big Band Christmas.” Jazz band includes instruments such as trumpets, saxo-phones and trombones. The second perfor-mance was by the concert band, which played “Deck the Halls”. Concert band is a group of mu-sicians playing brass, woodwind and percus-sion instruments, which include the flute, tuba and base drum. The final act was by the sym-phonic band that played “Carol of the Bells.” Symphonic band is a performing ensemble con-sisting of several members of the woodwind family, brass family, and percussion instrument

family, and it consists of more challenging piec-es of music. The winter concert ended with a collaboration of the band and chorus members who performed “A Christmas Festival.”

The chorus also put on performances for the students the day before winter break, Fri., Nov. 17. During periods 2, 3, 4 and 6, in the au-ditorium, chorus performed pieces to classes whose teachers signed up for the event. Songs performed included, “Season’s Greetings”, which was also performed with a collaborative artist, Chris Johnson, junior, who played the piano during this piece.

On Tues., Dec. 21, the chorus attended Disney’s Candlelight Processional in Orlando (DCP). DCP is a telling of the Nativity story through music and narration by celebrity guest, Brad Garrett, of Everybody Loves Raymond fame. The opportunity was open to all chorus classes and 40 select students were able to at-tend. Arriving in Orlando, they visited The Mag-ic Kingdom and spent the entire day there. On Wed., Dec. 22, the chorus visited Epcot where they had scheduled two performances, the first at 6:15pm and the second at 8pm. As soon as the last performance concluded, the students boarded the buses to head home.

“It was a very fun and enjoyable experi-ence, and it is really cool that Disney opens up the performance opportunity to high school students,” said chorus member Nelson Ysabel, junior.

Mary Salo, chorus teacher, expressed her excitement for the successful events, and said that she was “so pleased that we were able to accomplish our goals in a exemplary manner.”

performance.“In my opinion, we did great. Four

first show with new girls I believe we did very well. Getting on that stage isn’t easy, it’s nerve wracking, but hearing the crowd gives you confidence and you stomp it out,” said Jean.

Step team try-outs began at the end of last year for upperclassmen, and at the beginning of this school year for freshman. The girls had about three months to prepare for the show. Last year the girls placed third in the Plantation High School step show and also performed at the Blanche Ely step show.

‘A’ school, cont. The extra funds, usually a certainamount per student, will be distributed shortly following a faculty vote. The last time the school raised its rank-ing was in the 2007-2008 schoolyear, when it rose from a “C” to a “B” grade. At the time, about 10% of the mon-etary reward went to the school to be spent on necessary items, while the rest was “split evenly among the faculty,” said Leon-Leigh. She expects the vote to be similar this year. Students celebrated the “A” in a pep rally on Dec. 8. The cheerleaders, then band, the drumline, and the step team per-formed in the gymnasium. One step team member called out to the crowd during their routine, “It’s about time we’re an ‘A’ school!”

In the Nov. issue of The Chronicle on page four, the news brief about chorus was meant to be expanded upon with additional information, but instead un-fortunate wording was used as filler text. We would like to point out that this was in no way the fault of Ana Serpa, to whom the article was credited, and we apologize to her for attaching her name to this mistake as well as to all those involved for our blunder. As always, we thank you for your continued readership of The Chronicle and we promise to be more vigilant in our editing in the future.

Retraction

of being selected as Critic’s Choice once again, but more so I wanted to perform at the state competition,” said Cohen.

He went on to say, “I am grateful for all the support I received from my family and peers.”

For their one act, the drama club performed Not a Creature Was Stir-ring, which was directed by Arielle Hoffman, junior. It involved four leading characters played by se-niors Marcus Levine, Melissa Day, Emilio Acosta, and sophomore Sar-ah Fuhrman it also included a large ensemble of killer-bats.

They received straight superi-ors for the performance and were named, “Best Ensemble Cast.”

Fuhrman received an award for “Best Cameo.”

This qualified the cast for the state competition, which will be held in March.

A total of seven other students qualified for states through indi-vidual performances that were at the district competition, including, juniors Hoffman, Rachel Ledbetter, Karl Berrios, and seniors Levine, Kyle Edwards, Kendall Glaure and Cohen.

STRAIGHT SUPERIORS

STRAIGHT TO STATESNEWS3NEWSJANUARY 2011

Ana SerpaStaff Writer

The Marching Colts attended the Florida Marching Band Championships (FMBC) semifinals in St. Petersburg on Sat., Nov. 27.

FMBC provides an opportunity for competing marching bands to perform for an audience and judges, and receive evaluations on musical and visual com-position.

The marching band has attended this competition for the past eight years. To qualify, the band had to score a suffi-cient amount of points in several com-petitions held the previous month at high schools, such as John I. Leonard and Flannigan.

Florida Bandmasters Association (FBA) is an organization that assesses band performance. FBA was hosted on the CSHS campus on Oct. 23. During this event, the marching band earned straight superiors, which also allowed the band to attend states.

On Sat. of the contest the band per-formed at nine in the morning at Cham-berlain High School.

“There was a lot of tough competi-tion,” said flautist Yolanda Gonzalez, freshman.

The Colts were awarded 12th place out of 16 marching bands in class 3A.

Awards were announced shortly fol-lowing the class 3A competition.

Some awards were given to individ-ual students from all bands, including guard captain Felipe Maldonado, senior. Maldonado received the Music n’ Motion Scholarship, which granted him money for his college expenses. For this award, instructors nominated their students.

“I was very surprised I received it,” Maldonado said. “I was happy and I got really emotional.”

The following day the band watched the finals in the Tropicana Dome, the home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays since 1998.

“It was kind of a reality shock, seeing the level it takes to be a finalist and the level I knew we were,” said alto saxo-phone player Amanda Rosado, junior. “It was also amazing to see the level some bands were, beautiful sounds, marching, [and] visuals.”

For the past three years, the band has wrapped up their trip with a visit to the Busch Gardens amusement park.

“It was fun, exciting, and a little bit crazy, not in that order, but I enjoyed it,” said Gonzalez.

Dawson was proud of his students’ dedication and success.

“I enjoyed how well behaved and disciplined the students were, and of course how well they performed,” Dawson said.

Sara CastanedaEXPRESS YOURSELF: Not A Creature Was Stirring is a twisted telling of one fam-ily’s mayhem as they try to read the classic tale, The Night Before Christmas.

Drama heading to states, cont.

Band places 12th in state marching competition in St. Petersburg

Kerry WestonMARCH TO THE BEAT: Marching Colts step onto the field to begin their performance led by drum majors Pam Weston and Ashlee Mclymont.

STRAIGHT SUPERIORS

STRAIGHT TO STATES

3 NEWS4NEWSJANUARY 2011

NEWS BRIEFSESE students enjoy holiday party before break

Exceptional Student Education (ESE) classes held a holiday party before leaving for Winter Break on Dec. 17 from 12pm to 2pm. One of the student’s par-ents, Lynn and Barry Klein, organized the event and provided the food as a gift to the students for the holidays.

Food and refreshments included ham, turkey, sand-wiches, macaroni salad, potato salad, lemonade, ice tea, Christmas cake and more. Publix provided the catering for the event. Both ESE classes gathered in one class-room.

The kids danced to holiday music, sung Christmas carols, and took pictures with Santa Claus, played by John DeLuca, senior.

Overall, the ESE students and teachers thought it was a success and a great way to kick off the Christmas vacation.

-Bria Carey, Staff Writer

“A” school pep rally held in celebration of grade

In celebration of our “A” school grade an end of the day pep rally was held on Wed., Dec. 15 in the gym.

The pep rally included performances by the cheer-leaders, chorus, step team, color guard, band and JROTC.

Along with these performances, Principal Susan Leon-Leigh and Student Government Association presi-dent Courtney Librizzi gave a speech on our “A” school accomplishment.

Students were excited about the school grade.“I was surprised that within a year we managed to

rise from a “D” school to an “A” school. I was so excited to find out,” said Sandra Vukik, junior.

Additionally, the pep rallies were split up into two separate assemblies, by grade level. The pep rally for juniors and seniors took place during 6th period while the pep rally for freshmen and sophomores took place during 7th period.

-Elisa Press, Staff Writer

Seniors, are you on track to graduate?

Last year, the Broward County Association of Student Councils started a project called Destination Diploma, to motivate seniors in Broward County to graduate. It is a required project for all the schools in Broward County. In the years before Destination Diploma, such as the 2007-2008 school year, the graduation rate was at 86% at CSHS and by the following school year, the rate dropped to 83.8%. In the 2009-2010 school year the graduation rate rose to 89.4%. With an increase in graduating seniors last year, it led to the continuation of the project.

The activities put on for the project are public ser-vice announcements, which are shown on the morning announcements featuring seniors who are on track to graduate, and an ice-cream social for seniors who have met the graduation requirement of at least 40 service hours.

-Arianna Morrell, Staff Writer

Sara GrignonStaff Writer

Chorus hosted the Coral Springs High School Idol 2010 competition in the auditorium on Dec. 2.

Students from every grade au-ditioned and 12 contestants were chosen to sing two songs of their choice onstage. Teachers, stu-dents, and alumni judged the con-testants.

The first round consisted of the contestants singing a shortened ver-sion (30-45 seconds) of one of their song choices. The judges then picked six finalists for round two.

“We chose the finalists based on vo-cal quality, tone, stage presence, and performance,” said Lisa Bell, judge.

The contestants were judged on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the best. One of the judges was Damian Cadet, an alumnus and former member of the Coral Springs High Singer’s Cho-rus.

“All of the contestants were good. The only reason they didn’t make it

to the final round was because they were nervous. Confidence is key,” said Cadet.

The contestants in round two sang a full song. The audience chose their favorite singer on a ballot that was given to them at the ticket booth.

Songs performed ranged from dif-ferent genres such as country, R&B and rock. Some song choices included “Killing Me Softly,” by Roberta Flack, sung by Audrey Theodore, senior, “Love Story,” by Taylor Swift, sung by Rozanna Ally, senior, “The Ghost of You,” by My Chemical Romance, sung by Randall Martinez, freshman, and “Don’t Forget to Remember Me,” by Carrie Underwood, sung by Ana Mar-tinez, senior.

Some contestants played instru-ments as part of their performance. Ally played the piano, and Katie Gallo played the harmonica. Noelle Dionisio made her performance per-sonal by dedicating a song to her relatives.

The winner of Coral Springs High School Idol 2010 was chorus member

Theodore, who said she was surprised when she won.

“I was very nervous, but I just went up on stage and put myself into the song,” said Theodore. “I didn’t even realize they said my name. I couldn’t hear them over the audience.”

Theodore said that singing has al-ways been her passion.

“I’ve been singing since before I could even speak English. I would go up on this balcony at my house and sing to the trees. It’s a hobby of mine. I’m not sure if I want to make a career out of it, but you never know what could happen,” she said.

She also said that if she were to ever audition for American Idol, she thinks she would make it.

The prize for winning the contest was $100.

“I think I want to spend it on a nice dinner with my family,” Theodore said.

Other finalists included seniors Ally, Ana Martinez, Sarah Moseley, sophomore Katie Gallo, and freshman Dionisio.

Miranda SuarezSING YOUR HEART OUT: Audrey Theodore performs the winning song, “Killing Me Softly.”

Audrey Theodore, senior, wins CSHS Idol 2010

Shahnawz HardanianStaff Writer The sophomore class is currently working to organize a sneaker drive in our school for needy teens. It is planned to start in late January, and aims to benefit needy children and teens in South Florida. The drive will have large bins with cutouts of sneakers in various locations around the school. Students wishing to participate in the drive will be able to drop off as many pairs of new or used wearable shoes as they wish. Push Nation originally created this event,

but the sophomore class is the first to bring the event to our school. Push Nation is an organization within the New Missionary Vision Church. Each one of these churches nationwide is respon-sible for organizing certain charity events to benefit its specific location every six months. Sophomore class president Veronica Alba, who is a member of the church, worked to bring the charity event to our school to ful-fill the obligation each class has to organize one. “This will be the first year that [the sneak-er drive] will be organized this widely,”

Alba explained. “I’m really excited about it.” According to sophomore class, the hard-est part of holding this charity event will be organizing it, since members will have to check the bins for donations every day and keep track of them. If the drive goes well, Alba hopes to make the sneaker drive an annual charity event at our school. “I think [the sneaker drive] will be suc-cessful; it’s a pretty cool idea,” Alba said. “We’ll be helping a lot of people, it feels re-ally rewarding.” The sophomore class hopes to collect at least a hundred pairs of sneakers.

Sophomore class sponsor Tera Bias also shares Alba’s hopes for the success of the event. “I hope we can get other clubs involved in it,” Bias said. “That way we can collect much more.” The sneaker drive will be completed in mid-February, after which the sophomore class would then organize the donated sneakers by size, type, and whether they are for a boy or girl. In March, the sneakers would be sent off to Push Nation, where they will be distrib-uted locally to underprivileged children and teens.

Sophomore class tied up with sneaker drive

NEWS5NEWSJANUARY 2011

Aneesa AllieAustin BergeronJordan Butchen

Bria CareyJordan CohenReed Congdon

Amanda CurrentDuffy DufresneSara Grignon

Shahnawz Hardanian

Sarah MoseleyAnastasia Okonski

Elisa PressBrittany Salopek

Daniel SchuttJoshua SeilerAna SerpaCaitlyn Tate

Michael TrotmanKristin Vara

STAFF

The Chronicle is a member of Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA). Editorial opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Coral Springs High School or Broward County Public Schools The Chronicle is written and published by the journalism students at Coral Springs High School. Advertising is available by calling 754-322-

0600. We accept all letters to the editor in room 803. All letters are subject to editing for space and content. The School Board of Broward County, Florida, prohibits any policy or procedure which results in discrimination

on the basis of age, color, disability, gender, national origin, marital status, race, religion or sexual orientation. Individuals who wish to file a discrimination and/or harrasment complaint may call the Executive Director,

Benefits & EEO Compliance at (754) 321-2150 or Teletype Machine TTY (754) 321-2158. Individuals with dis-abilities requesting accomodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) may call Equal Educational

Opportunities (EEO) at (754) 321-2150 or Teletype Machine TTY (754) 321-2158.THEC

HRON

ICLE Katie Jones

Alec KayeKasey Litchfield Kathryn LongDaniel Lopez

Daniela LozanoSonya MajewskiHarley Mitchell

Lorenzo MohammedCindy MoratayaArianna Morrell

SAMANTHA SCHWAB, Editor-in-ChiefSHAINA KONZNY, Managing and Entertainment Editor

AMANDA CURRENT, News EditorJAMIE KLEIN, Opinion Editor

SARAANA JAMRAJ, Feature Editor ALLIE SCHUTT, Dimensions and Graphics Editor

ASHLEY RYNAR, Sports EditorLAUREN LEWKOWICZ, Sports Editor

SARIKA BEHARRYSINGH, Copy EditorTARA JOHNSTON, Photo Captain and Business Manager

SARA CASTANEDA, Photo CaptainJON McEWAN, Advertising Designer

CORY LAUB, Advisor

Ana SerpaStaff Writer

We have used our intelligence to develop new de-vices that allow us to obtain data more easily and ef-fieciently. Looking at how much emphasis countries like China and Singapore put on learning makes me realize how overly reliant we have become on the cal-culator in the United States. All we want when solving a complicated math problem is instant gratification, so we pull out a calculator and just punch in numbers to get the correct answer; this constant use of artificial in-telligence has rendered our own thinking capabilities nearly useless (or at least our desire to use those capa-bilities), and replaced them with easy answers.

“If it’s used to understand the basic concept then it is fine, but simple arithmetic should be done without one,” said teacher Thomas Renzo.

The overuse of calculators is making students find it increasingly difficult for students to compute simple arithmetic without falling back on the device. Oftentimes students are prevented from discovering the meaning behind mathematics. According to Tom Loveless, a Harvard University professor, “there are some elements of math -- particularly at the elemen-tary level -- where some basic facts simply must be memorized. We have lots of teachers reporting that they’re getting kids in third, fourth, and fifth grade who don’t know their basic facts.”

Students who use calculators can also come to develop a false sense of confidence concerning their mathematical abilities. Consequently, these students end up signing up for higher level math courses which, as they soon find out, are much more difficult than they had foreseen. This is because they lack a sturdy foundation of basic math skills to build upon. As a result, students struggle, grades drop, and GPAs suffer.

Despite the common belief that math does not have a use in real life situations, math is really every-where. It’s there when you’re shopping, for instance. Pulling out your calculator in front of a cashier is not exactly socially acceptable,

Developing mental math skills will also provide the individual with a greater sense of accomplishment and confidence. Instead of people feeling like they must carry their intelligence in their pocket, they can process information without the help of a machine.

Pulling out a calculator is just like pulling oneself away from using intelligence. While it may be easier and faster, it disables thought.

“Of all intrinsic math one type that will follow you for the rest of your life is your ability to do math in the drop of a dime,” Renzo said.

Do the math:calculator dependance hinders students

Bria CareyStaff Writer

When stepping into a normal high school setting, I rarely see slushies thrown in student’s faces, cheer-leaders wearing their uni-forms every day of the year, or students bursting into random song and dance.

Since the beginning of their existence, teen drama television programs like Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl have taken normal high school situations and made them unrealistically dramat-ic, when often the most excit-ing thing to happen in a real high school situation is get-ting a math test rescheduled.

Of course these televi-sion shows can be addic-tive and comedic, but most of them are not realistic. Shows like The OC display constant verbal and physi-cal abuse not only from students but the teachers as well.

Such aggressive gestures could give incoming fresh-men unnecessary anxiety about getting thrown into dumpsters or their heads flushed down toilets. De-grassi takes this even fur-ther by having shootings, stabbings, and cyber-bully-

ing in every episode, creat-ing the misconception that high schools are really this violent all of the time.

Teen dramas show defi-nitely take the “typical” day at school to the next level.

“Their lives are either too perfect or too horrible, which makes it really hard to believe that it’s some-one’s reality,” said William House, freshman.

In all these types of shows there always seems to be at least one cheerlead-er, one jock, one nerd, and one rebel, each attributed with extreme and predict-able stereotypes.

For example, the cheer-leader is the mean girl who sets out to make the lesser-popular students miserable in many of these shows.

“It is crazy how the guide-lines of popularity are now something that can be de-termined by watching televi-sion,” said Luisa Patino, junior.

Obviously, every school has their fair share of snobby girls and jocks, but it’s one thing to simply ac-knowledge their existence and another to make it seem as if at all high schools they are the ones in charge.

Although television

shows make scenes more dramatic in order to grab the viewer’s attention, it misrepresents and gives a horrible reputation to ac-tual high school students.

These over-the-top shows make for great tele-vision, but we have to won-

der what affect this is hav-ing on our generation.

As much as we might want our lives to be more interesting, most of the time we just need to settle with average when it comes to our daily high school ex-periences.

Television dramas portray unrealistic characters

OPINION6OPINIONJANUARY 2011

Lorenzo Mohammed

Anastasia OkonskiStaff Writer

Let’s be realistic here: most high school students do their weekend homework on a Sunday. It is false to assume that a teen-ager considers doing homework as an op-tion when pondering how to spend those precious Friday and Saturday nights.

The local library, a hot spot for teens planning to get some work done, should be available.

It had originally been open seven days a week until the ever-present budget cuts slashed their operating times to Monday-Saturday, with no hours on Sundays.

On weekends, the library should

ideally be open from 10am-6pm, as it is a prime resource for research for students. Many students do not have access to computers or printers at home, and they shouldn’t have to sac-rifice Saturday time to wait in line at the library.

In the age of modern technology, the majority of classes require com-puter usage. Whether it be to type a report, or to create graphs computers are a necessary part of a students life. Unfortunately, many students don’t have regular access to a computer and cannot complete their work.

Moreover, the library is equipped with many other resources for students,

like private study rooms and classes on improving computer skills. Many refer-ence materials, such as atlases and en-cyclopedias, can’t be checked out.

“I think the library should be open much more often than it is now. I can’t get to the library by 6 pm some days and I lose out on using a lot of their re-sources,” said Jacob Newstreet, senior.

The current library hours are a huge disadvantage to high school stu-dents who traditionally use Sundays to do homework and study for tests.

Instead of closing on Sundays, the library should close on a week day. If it was open on a Sunday, it would opti-mize the total usage time for a student.

Public Library’s schedule limits student’s study time

THE CHRONICLESTAFF EDITORIAL

ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL WRITER AND ALL LETTERS ARE SUBJECT TO EDITING FOR SPACE AND CONTENT.

Send Letters to the Editors to room 803, or email them to [email protected] TO THE EDITORS

I’m happy you chose to write about the election. Florida citizens should know about our governor. I like that the writer is on the Republican side by saying good things about Rick Scott and how he will “cut property taxes, balance the budget, cut spend-ing, and create 700,000 jobs within 7 years.” This was informative for me since I’m a senior so I’m starting to think the state of the economy.

Michelle PisaniSENIOR

The November newspaper was enjoyable and readable, but I prefer previous issue for some reason. I found the last one more interesting and eye catching. You all did a mar-velous job on this issue. Maybe you guys just need to tweak it up a bit and get more interesting articles. But overall: good job.

Carolina AmbrosiniSOPHOMORE

I thought that the second issue of the newspaper was amazing. I really enjoyed the cover graphics. The im-ages just keep on improving. I person-ally want to praise the photography team.

Also, I really did like the article on Mr. Kimmel. He was my 8th grade English teacher at Forest Glen. My fel-low classmates of ‘09 were the last students he had. It was really nice to read about the memorial.

Jennifer PredvilFRESHMAN

First of all, I congratulate all the members who work for The Chronicle. This newspaper is a very good con-cept, which can increase the name of our school.

I really like the article “Face-off: BYO responsibility” by Shaina Konzny and Saraana Jamraj. I liked it because it talks about a theme which each par-ent should try to understand. This ar-ticle talks about the increasing level of alcoholic addiction in teenage life. “Parents who allow their kids to act as adults should be responsible for their action” is a very good message to our parents.

Sangeetha MatchanickalSENIOR

This issue of The Chronicle was very good. It showd me many things that have happened between the last issue and this one. However, there is something I would like to critique. In “Nightmare on Sample Road,” the picture was amazing and the text was awesome, but only if it was longer. The few paragraphs that were in the newspaper were good, but I couldn’t help feeling that I wanted more. May-be more pictures or text would have made that article spectacular. Also, I didn’t like how they didn’t show the reason why the attraction was closed earlier than it needed to be.

Lani SkolnickSOPHOMORE

I really enjoyed this edition of the newspaper. The spacing really helped with the appearance of the paper. The Mayor’s Cup story was great, and it made me extremely proud of our great varsity football team. However, the one thing I disliked about the newspaper was the media chosen on the Entertainment section. For ex-ample, Conan O’ Brien and Morning Glory wouldn’t appeal to the majority of the students.

Diego MunozFRESHMAN

PERSPECTIVE matters. With great diversity comes great

responsibility. America is home to millions of for-

eign-born citizens. As citizens of our country, it is our duty to understand people different from us. We cannot be considered “the great melting pot” without actually melting first. Melting, or blending together of differences, requires a general understanding of those in the metaphorical pot with us. How else could this be accomplished without learning the basics of com-munication?

The ability to communicate in for-eign languages has also been proven to be beneficial to individuals in jobs and cognitive ability.

Presently, in a traditional 24-cred-it diploma option in Florida, foreign language is not required for gradu-ation, but required for state univer-sity admission. That means that after more than 12 years of education, a student can successfully graduate without learning the basics of a sec-ond language. This can come off as disagreeable considering studies released supporting the idea that bilingualism can actually enhance a student’s educational experience.

According to “A Study of Bilingual-ism and Creativity” (1969) by the Edu-cation Resources Information Center, an online digital library of education research and information, bilingual students reflected a greater ability to carry out or embellish creative ideas than monolingual students.

Understanding a second language also gives students opportunities that monolingual students might not have. Mayling Fossi, senior, has been speaking English and a Chinese lan-guage called Cantonese, ever since she learned how to talk. Although she has a conversation in Cantonese only about once a week, she admits that knowing a second language has given her more options for her future.

“The fact that I know Cantonese helps a lot,” Fossi said. “I definitely have considered going to China for work.”

It’s not just being able to work in different countries, there are many employers in this country that need bilingual workers to fill positions such as translators, medical assis-tants, therapists, English for Speak-ers of Other Languages teachers, and telemarketers.

Fossi also says that knowing Can-tonese as well as English “is a better feeling than not knowing any second language,” because it enables her to learn other languages similar to Can-tonese easier.

In a year-long study done by Elaine C. Klein, linguistics professor at City Univeristy of New York, called “Second versus Third Language Ac-quisition: Is There a Difference?” Multilingual students outperformed monolingual students in acquiring English as a third (or fourth) versus second language, respectively. This study suggests that qualities attrib-uted to people that know more than

one language help them understand universal grammar, or similar prop-erties between languages.

With the increasingly competitive job market, being bilingual also gives applicants an extra edge. The num-ber of people who do not typically speak English is increasing every year, and employers are searching for workers that are able to interact with all the potential customers they can. Based on the 2007 America Commu-nity Survey, the number of individu-als who speak a language other than English at home is over 55 million (about 19% of overall US popula-tion.) compared to 46 million (about 17% of overall population.) in the 2000 US census. The U.S. is becoming a global marketplace fueled by inter-national businesses, and it is impor-tant that the next generation is able to keep up this status by understand-ing how to communicate effectively with other nations.

Learning to speak another lan-guage may also be helpful in under-standing other cultures and ways of thinking, which is an admirable skill for anyone to have.

As Americans, we must take steps to understand those around us. If al-tering the requirements for a diplo-ma where one must complete a for-eign language class cannot be done, then it is important to encourage stu-dents to enroll for their own sake. It is a choice that will help their future, as well as America’s.

Learn a second language, you won’t regret it

withJamie Klein

People don’t like to be spontaneous. Spontane-ity disables routine and routine is the key to pro-ductivity. With routine we can complete everything we need to and this gives us a sense of satisfaction. Some of us may not be as willing to randomly try new things, but to try new things in general will be enough. You’ll never know what else is in store for you unless you step onto another court.

Achieving our planned out goals is fulfilling be-cause people have managed to make it from the start gate to the finish line. Simply escaping one’s comfort zone is just as rewarding, though, since there are no self-proclaimed expectations and in turn no let-downs. Trying something new is just as rewarding as accomplishing goals.

Whether it is fear, indifference or laziness that stops comfortable people from changing their rou-tine, none of those qualities are good to have. Tasting a spicy curry dish may not put your tongue at ease, but with this experience you will be able to assign a distinct taste with a group of people. Just through this one experience a completely new outlook is obtained and a learning experience is under-gone. Through opportunities like this we get the ultimate understanding of different cultures and society.

By having the willingness to experience and ob-serve new things we develop creativity. Developing new ideas stems off creativity and in all of life inven-tiveness is gold. To enhance the way our world op-erates we must learn more, and what better way to learn then to experience.

While experimenting with different social groups new relationships can be developed. Often in a group of friends the people share similar interests. We might meet each other through sharing a class, sports teams or employment, all of which are places where plenty of time each week is spent with one another doing the same thing.

Based on Coral Springs’s population of 126,000, according to money.cnn.com, there are plenty of people in our own town to meet. Anyone could be the person to inspire or change your life if given the chance.

When your neighbor asks you to go to a holiday party with a completely new crowd of people don’t be so eager to say no. Consider the invitation and put on your dancing shoes because you may find some-one you’re completely compatible with.

Among our school, one pair met on a whim and can vouche for spontaneity.

Chad Marcoux, math teacher, met his wife, health teacher Debra Marcoux, in an unusual situation and decided to keep in touch despite living halfway across the country from each other.

“We were at the Stripes discotheque on the Car-nival Ecstasy cruise and a girl asked me to dance during a singles night. We simply met and weren’t sure we would see each other again, but this woman became my wife,” said Marcoux.

If one can find love through being open to new experiences then friendship should be obtainable at the very least.

With hundreds of classes and sports available in Coral Springs alone, there is much to explore. The grass is always greener on the other side and you’ll never see that grass unless you live a little.

OPINION 7OPINIONJANUARY 2011

Stepping out of routine

Technology: teacher’s assistant or replacement?

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT

?technology in school

“Depending on what type of technology is being used, the student can either benefit or

become distracted.” RYAN SMALLEY, JUNIOR

“I believe technology helps students learn, because we get a hands-on experience with

what we’re learning about.” KIMBERLY MONTALVO, SENIOR

New gadgets keep students up to date and enhances learning

Harley MitchellStaff Writer

You don’t need to watch TV to catch the latest news when you have Tweets to keep you update nor is it necessary to shop at an actual clothing store when you can shop online.

It seems that everything we know is going digital, and the only way to keep students cur-rent is to bring technology into the classroom to advance learn-ing.

I don’t think anyone will miss the archaic sounds of chalk drag-ging along a chalkboard. Now we have Promethean boards to as-sist in learning. These interactive electronic smart boards were made to enhance learning in the classroom. With the smart board center, the user can bring up doc-uments and websites using the document camera, which shows up on the board for the class to see.

Not all of the classrooms have received a smart board, but some use a video projector. After the

screen is pulled down, the pro-jector is connected to the teach-er’s computer and like the smart board, can also bring up docu-ments and websites.

The use of either a smart board or video projector is not only helpful, but it has come to be a norm in the classroom life. Teachers don’t have to write pages of notes anymore, because the program used has pre-made lessons. The board also provides with a stylus, which gives stu-dents and teachers the ability to draw, highlight, or move objects around on the board.

Math teacher Lindsey Jalik, has grown accustomed to the smart board.

“I’ve had my Promethean board since last year,” she said. “I use it every day.”

Jalik also says that it’s easy to use the smart board and it makes creating lesson plans easier.

Students get to interact with the board, rather than just copy-ing down notes. It is more effi-cient and it even makes it easier on the teachers.

Technology will be around for the rest of our lives, so if you can’t beat it, use it.

We must remember technology is no substitute for a good teacher

Kathryn LongStaff Writer

Teachers at Coral Springs High School are encouraged to use technology in teaching their classes and that through Power-Point presentations, computer-generated flow charts, and other digital assignments students will absorb information better.

To some degree this may be true, because technology has the ability to make a teacher’s job easier or speed up certain tasks, but it does not change the simple truth that technology is no sub-stitute for a good teacher.

A study earlier this year by Mark Rush of the University of Florida compared grades of stu-dents who sat through a semes-ter of his live microeconomics lectures with those of students who watched the lectures online. The results showed that some demographics of the online stu-dents did noticeably worse.

Another example of technol-ogy failing to educate is the popu-lar Baby Einstein DVD series. The

videos claim to stimulate babies’ minds and thereby make them smarter. Yet, according to a 2007 study led by Frederick Zimmer-man and Dr. Dimitri Christakis, both of the University of Wash-ington babies who watched these videos learned fewer words than those who did not watch the vid-eos.

In some cases, technology may be an aid to education. It may simplify a teacher’s workload or enhance a lesson. Sometimes it is easy to forget that technology is only a tool, a method for achiev-ing an end.

So often it seems that people get caught up in the excitement of a new device or the chance to do something really different in class with the help of computer software. Nonetheless, it is im-portant to remember that use of technology is not in and of itself an education, it is just a method of getting there. It is time that we shift our focus from the idea that technology will improve educa-tion to realize that a good teacher will always be a good teacher, with or without any of the fancy gadgets that the modern world has to offer.

“Technology brings out a more innovative feel for

learning as long as it’s used in a constructive manner.”

JAMAL GILL, SENIOR

“I think technology helps in school, because it provides a

variety of answers.” NATASHA BONHOMME, SOPHOMORE

“This would depend on the student, because some like to have fun while others actually

want to learn.” ALBERTO OBONAGA, SENIOR

“I feel that technology is both an advantage and a disadvan-tage for future generations en-

tering the school system.” KATHLEEN VALDEZ, SENIOR

Saraana JamrajFeature Editor

Mark Twain’s 1884 novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is one of the most popu-lar, controversial, and classic American books.

Written in the first-person, Huckleberry and several other characters make use of the racial slur that has come to be known as the “N”-word. Set between 1835 and 1840, before the Civil War, the word is mostly used when referring to Jim, a runaway slave Huck accompanies and befriends through-out the story. This use of the word has gained the book controversy, often leading to its banning from schools, and earning it a top spot on the list of banned books.

A new edition of the book is set to be printed, in which all uses of the “N”-word set to be replaced by the word “slave.” While the effort is innocent, replacing and retouching the author’s original words is a misguided attempt; and will only blur the accurate and educational depiction of the times.

The six-letter noun is both inflam-matory and derogatory, and it is in no way fair to say about any human being.

An optimistic, harmonious, and toler-ant future has no room for the “N”-word; but in the a more bigoted past, in which African-Americans were not viewed as humans, the word was commonplace.

Replacing 219 “N”-words with the

“slave” does not erase the past; it does not improve the treatment of Missis-sippi Blacks in the 1830s, and it cer-tainly does not undo the horrors of slav-ery. It does, however, sugarcoat the past.

For those who have read the book, it is clear that Jim was not a stock character, or some sort of mockery of Black people. Jim was arguably one of the only truly admira-ble adults in the novel, if not the only one.

He was heroic, and full of heart. By hav-ing other characters and the narrator re-fer to him by such a derogatory term, the true nature of each character is revealed.

Those who use the word are shown to be ignorant and foolish, and it becomes clear that the word is an unfair and inaccurate label.

It becomes a ridiculous notion that Jim could ever be categorized by the “N”-word, therefore solidifying the notion that a per-son’s color does not signify inferiority.

The fact that Jim and other African-Americans had to accept this label makes their struggle more clear, which is essential to understanding the theme and characters of the novel. Just because something is ac-cepted doesnt make it right by any means.

Through this understanding, important lessons on race at the time and overcom-ing the prejudices are learned. They will come around again but must be overcome.

Mark Twain, one of the most re-

markable American writers, had pur-pose in each of his words. Changing just one of them, even to a very similar word, distorts the meaning and purpose.

His words should not be changed, be-cause each one of them is part of a classic, educational, and beautiful American story.

As Mark Twain once said, “The dif-ference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference be-tween lightning and the lightning-bug.”

Controversial word should remain part of Huck Finn

Graphic by Allie Schutt

Graphic by Allie Schutt

OPINION8 OPINION JANUARY 2011

FEATURE9 FEATUREJANUARY 2011

When the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1 and the ball dropped in Time Square, the first millennial decade came to an end. Full of triumphs and

tragedies, the past decade has been both devastating and victorious.THE DECADE’Stop albums

THE DECADE’Stop movies

triumphs&tragediesOF THE 21ST CENTURY

2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone2002: Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers2003: Lord of the Rings: Return of the King2004: Shrek 22005: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 2007: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End2008: The Dark Knight2009: Avatar2010: Toy Story 3

2001: Hybrid Theory- Linkin Park

2002: The Eminem Show- Eminem

2003: Get Rich or Die Tryin’- 50 Cent

2004: Confessions- Usher

2005: Emancipation of Mimi- Mariah Carey

2006: High School Musical Soundtrack

2007: Noel- Josh Groban

2008: Tha Carter III- Lil Wayne

2009: Fearless- Taylor Swift

2010: Recovery- Eminem

THE DECADE’Sbest sport

Barack Obama

iPod

Bill Gates

Columbia

Hurricane Katrina

2003: At 18, LeBron James becomes the number one pick in the NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.2004: The Boston Red Sox win the 100th World Series, officially breaking the “Curse of the Bambino,” after 86 years.2005: Cyclist Lance Armstrong wins seven consecutive Tour de France, breaking the record. 2006: Italy defeats France, wins World Cup.2007: Barry Bonds beats the record for most homeruns of all time, with his 756th.2008: The U.S. thrives at the Summer olympics; Michael Phelps wins a record-breaking 8 gold medals in swimming.

Saraana JamrajFeature Editor

The decade began tumultuously, and most of us will always remember what we were doing on Sept. 11, 2001, when we found out that terrorists had crashed planes into the World Trade Center and Pen-tagon. Through the al-Qaeda attacks 2,936 civilians, firefighters, and police officers lost their lives. The at-tacks instilled fear and sadness in citizens, and during the months following the flag was flown at half-mast. The increased awareness of terrorism led to the wars against terror in Afghanistan and Iraq. The war in Af-ghanistan began on October 7, 2001, and continues through the present date. The invasion of Iraq began on March 20, 2003, and the official withdrawal of com-bat troops began on Aug. 31, 2010. More focus has been put on the war in Afghanistan.

Natural disasters accounted for many tragedies throughout the past ten years. The Sumatra-Andaman tsunami in Asia cost over 230,000 lives from fourteen countries on Dec. 26, 2004. On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurri-cane Katrina made its second landfall in New Orleans, Louisiana. Through high winds and extreme flooding it brought devastation on the home front, killing at least 1,836, destroying countless homes, and displacing hundreds of families from New Orleans. At the begin-ning of 2010, the 7.0 magnitude Haitian earthquake caused horrible destruction, and killed over 230,000. Reconstruction efforts are ongoing.

A portion of the disasters were manmade. The Vir-ginia Tech Massacre occurred on April 16, 2007. A 23-year-old student at the time, Seung-Hui Cho, went on a shooting rampage. He left 25 wounded and killed 27 students and five faculty members before he turned the gun on himself. The killings were startling, more deadly than Columbine. 24 of the 32 families who lost love ones sued the state of Virginia, and settled for $11 million. On Nov. 2, 2009, another shooting occurred, this time at Fort Hood, Texas, when army major Nidal Malik Hasan wounded 30 and killed 13 people. Hasan is currently awaiting a military trial, and faces several charges including 13 counts of pre-meditated murder and 32 counts of attempted murder.

In February of 2003, the Columbia Space Shuttle exploded during re-entry into the atmosphere, on its 28th mission, killing all seven crew members.

While the new decade bred loss and destruction, it also gave way to new beginnings. In the past ten years,

we have witnessed countless “firsts.”Two presidential elections took place in the time peri-

od. During the first in 2004, incumbent George W. Bush won a second term in office, against Democratic candi-date John Kerry. On Nov. 4, 2008, with no incumbents, Democratic candidate Barack Obama won the election against Republican John McCain. The election sparked record voter turnout, with the highest percentage since 1968 in the Nixon-Humphrey elections, and brought the country its first African-American president. Both elec-tions marked steady increase in voter turnout, perhaps marking the new trend toward political participation.

Making several advances, technological break-throughs were prominent this decade.

The iPod, introduced by Apple on Oct. 23, 2001, is a necessity to many people today. It now comes in the form of the iTouch, iPod Nano, iPod Classic, iPod Shuf-fle, and the iPhone. It revolutionized the way we listen to music. Instead of carrying around CD players and several CDs, the iPod allowed people to have all their favorite artists, albums, and genres in one place, and some can hold up to 40,000 songs.

Communication drastically changed in the millen-nium, and new ways of staying in touch boomed. Social networking sites, such as Facebook, which launched in February of 2004, became immensely popular, with over five hundred million members. The sites allow people to share photos, statuses, and information with their friends, as well as a venue to chat. While YouTube seems familiar to us now, it is actually a millennial in-vention that did not come to us until February of 2005. It gave way to viral videos, such as the “Star Wars Kid” and “Numa Numa.”

Humanitarian efforts thrived in the millennial de-cade. While the two richest men in America, Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, have been devoting themselves to charitable causes for years, this past year, they invited fellow billionaires to join them in the Giving Pledge. It is a pledge for wealthy Americans to give at least half of their money to charities and philanthropic causes. Cur-rently, 57 billionaires are part of the campaign, includ-ing Gates, Buffet, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

The first millennial decade has past; but the second is now starting. Hopefully there will be more triumph than tragedy, and more reason to celebrate. Will we live past 2012? Will all movies be 3D? Will another peace era be attained? Only time will tell.

Coral SpringsBOYS VS GIRLSBY ALEC KAYE & KATHRYN LONGSTAFF WRITERS

Boys and girls are different -- far deeper than sole appearance. Cognitive differences come from variations in the function of each gender’s brain. Although there are distinctions explained by the function of the brain, some traits associated with one sex actually result from the overall personality traits of the individual, not the gender to which they belong.

CLOTHING STYLEAt the start of the school day, everyone is tired due to the typical high school pan-

demic of sleep deprivation. Even at this hour, boys and girls have seemingly character-istic styles of appearance. For the most part, the girls look perfectly put together. They have a carefully planned outfit with coordinating accessories; they have labored over their hair and their make-up. For most of the boys, the complete opposite is true. They look like they just rolled out of bed; they have messy hair, wrinkled clothes and for some of them, it’s a wonder their mothers let them out of the house.

The typical school of thought says that girls are genetically programmed to be more attentive to their appearance, but according to Virginia Meachum, psychology teach-er, it is more likely the result of each individual’s personality, or even their desire to “keep up with the Joneses.” Men are just as able to get caught up in the fashion trends, and usually for the same reasons, the need to feel included by having the same items or styles as others. For both genders, the freedom to decide their appearance enables them to express what they like. Preferences can be manipulated through conditioning and, therefore, is not set in stone by the physical functions of the brain.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTIn the classroom environment, each gender has certain subjects in which it statisti-

cally outperforms the other. It has falsely been asserted by the 1980 study by Johns Hopkins University researchers Julian Stanley and Camilla Benbow that boys surpass girls in mathematical skills. According to the recent research by Nicole Else-Quest, psychology professor at Villanova University, boys and girls perform at the same level when they are given equal resources and environments to work in. Expectations set by teachers and parents influence the outcome of the child’s performance.

“Girls are likely to perform as well as boys when they are encouraged to succeed,” wrote Else-Quest in her 2010 results.

Godfrey Pearlson, professor at the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University, showed in the 1999 Cerebral Cortex journal that the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas of the brain were significantly larger in women. These areas are related to language, par-

ticularly speech, and provide a biological reason as to why women outperform men in language-associated activities. In boys, accuracy in spelling and writing tasks depended upon the method the information was delivered, because they used different parts of their language areas to process the information. When reading words, boys were more accurate depending on the activity of visual areas while, in hearing words, their perfor-mance depended on the activity of the brain’s auditory areas. Girls’ performance was not affected by the manner in which the information was recieved.

Males process information slower as the visual and auditory areas work first before the information reaches the language areas of the brain. They create visual and audi-tory associations so that meanings paired with a word can be brought to mind just by hearing or seeing it. Females receive information more directly to the language areas. The boys’ slow start explains why girls excel in language at an earlier age, but later the difference disappears.

SOCIAL DIFFERENCESWhiting and Pope reported in The Psychology of Sex Differences, boys’ aggressive ten-

dencies are observable starting around age two; they are more likely to engage in mock fighting or rougher forms of playing than girls. Boys are far more willing to behave in an aggressive manner without having been provoked. They are also more likely to in-terpret an ambiguous situation as a form of provocation.

None of this is to say that women lack the capacity for aggression. Unlike boys, they are more prone to use of indirect forms of aggression such as gossip, spreading rumors, and rejecting, ignoring, or avoiding their target. Furthermore, when a woman feels provoked and justified in her aggression, particularly when her fear of retaliation is minimal, she is likely to behave aggressively and to feel less guilty about doing so.

Human beings have an unconscious tendency to attribute certain behaviors to one of the two genders. There is a reason for this: boys and girls think and behave differently. Although the two are physically and chemically different, our social customs are equally responsible for the separate behaviors. From birth, children are treated one way or an-other depending on their sex. They are spoken to, given toys played with, and taught ac-cording to what is socially considered to be an appropriate gender role. Boys and girls are different, but so are individuals. Much of what is considered to be divisions of the genders is actually caused by a mixing of the individual’s personality traits--regardless of gender--and our own stereotypes.

About 200 years ago, a group of women became curious. They wondered why it was so difficult to obtain equal status in society and have the

privilege of receiving higher education. They did not understand why their husbands and sons could attend school so easily when it was a struggle for them.

This curiosity slowly developed into a determination for change, and, eventually, the long journey to receive the education they knew they deserved.

Jump forward two centuries and you find females and males sharing a classroom, working side by side on the same assignment, and receiving similar grades. This com-monality is obviously apparent at our own school, where females actually exceed males in specific subject areas.

“The opportunities for women have increased so much in the past 50 years,” said AP Environmental teacher Michelle Krug, “and the girls are willing to work hard.”

Krug, the science department head, explains that girls take up about 55% of all Ad-vanced Placement science classes, and she is not surprised.

“In my teaching experience, I think girls are much more studious,” she said. “We ma-ture earlier and take things more seriously.”

The only Dual Enrollment science class, DE Anatomy, has the highest percentage of girls, with a total of 12 females out of the total 16 enrolled. Krug attributes the obvious imbalance of sexes to the growing number of women becoming interested in the medical field. According to the Washington, D.C.-based Association of American Medical Colleges, more women than men applied for admission to U.S. medical schools in 2003-a first in history.

Along with the involvement of women in medical practices, Krug also believes that girls are enrolled in college courses in high school because “girls are planners,” and “plan ahead of time” by getting six college credits out of the way.

The females seem to also be more willing to take on something a little different than just academics.

In Leadership classes, there are visibly more girls, with only two boys out of a total 28 students.

“Girls are more willing to get involved,” said Leadership teacher Melissa Goldstein.Leadership is a class in which students plan and execute school events to promote

school spirit, fundraise, create awareness, or serve to the community. All students in the class are expected serve as positive role models for the student body.

Goldstein has taught Leadership for five years, and although the lad-to-gal ratio was more balanced when she first started working, she has been dealing with mostly females throughout her career.

“Right now, the girls are really strong leaders,” she said.Goldstein says that girls tend to be more willing to enroll in the class because they

seem to be less apprehensive about taking risks and looking silly. Courtney Librizzi, senior, took such risks when she ran for office every year of high

school. Librizzi ran for Freshmen Class President, Sophomore Class President, Student Government Junior Vice president, and finally Student Government President. She is of-ten put in situations where she has to speak in front of larges groups of people, whether at pep rallies or other school events, and she claims she is never phased.

“Put me in front of a group of people and I’ll do fine,” Librizzi said. Some boys have taken the leap of faith and find themselves surrounded by girls in the

Leadership class.Karl Berrios, junior, finds the class to be “a fun way to get involved,” even though he is

one of the only two boys. Berrios reasons that the imbalance is because “girls are more motivated to be leaders,” he said. “I feel that at our school girls tend to care more about school events.”

Though some females have proven that they are able to outperform males in some school subjects, there are still some fields that remain male-dominated.

“There are about eight times more boys than girls in my class,” said Pathways to Engi-neering teacher George Medisch.

Once Technical Studies, Pathways to Engineering is a hands-on, project-based class where the students make computer-generated designs that are then cut out into wood by Computer Numerical Control (CNC) equipment. Medisch has been teaching woodshop-related classes since 1995, which he says has always had more boys.

“Girls have traditionally steered away from engineering because of the math in it,” he said.

He explains that boys also have “a little edge” in spatial sense, an intuitive feel for shape and space, which has allowed them to be successful in the field. Medisch wishes that more females would enroll in the class because “there is nothing a woman couldn’t do” and that engineering is a positive experience because it provides a practical applica-tion in learning.

BY SAM SCHWABEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

GENDER DIFFERENCES PROMINENT IN SOME CLASSROOMS

10 DIMENSIONS

Let me come out and say that I hardly understand women at all. They are possibly the most alien creatures on Earth, and though I have three sisters and a girlfriend they still confuse me on a daily basis.

I do understand one thing about them: the majority of them like be-ing noticed. They will go to great measures to stick out from the crowd. The clothes they wear, the way their hair is styled, how they are acting, who they are with, all seems to be planned like some bizarre play.

Take my younger sister, for example. Even though we go to school at the same time, she will often wake up 30 minutes to an hour earlier than I do in order to do her hair, or make-up, or nails. Unlike myself, who just grabs some clothes out of my closet, she insists on laying out her clothes the night before and plans most things out. Given that she does other normal “girl-things,” I venture to guess that she is not all that different from a lot of other girls in this respect.

Another thing I have observed about women is that a lot of times when they say something, they mean something else, and want totally

something else as a response! This is a stark opposite to a lot of guys, who are pretty straightforward in their wants and needs. This dif-ference is a huge problem, because how can you communicate with someone when they seem to be speaking a totally different language?

Here is a case in point: I’m sure every guy, at some point in his life has had a girl ask them if she looked fat, or pretty, or anything else that she might be insecure about. If you say that they look fat/don’t look pretty, you lose. If you say she doesn’t look fat/does look pretty, she says you’re lying, you lose. And if you stay silent and refuse to answer, she will say you are avoiding the topic, and guess what? You lose. So what do you do? I myself still haven’t figured it out.

It is almost as if they already have their minds made up as to the answer of the question and use other people as the victims of their resentment. One occasion when this was proven to me was when my friend, who we will call “Kate,” approached me. She asked me how her new haircut looked. Frankly, I did not even notice she had cut and dyed her hair and she ripped me to shreds when I responded with, “Yeah it looks nice as always, but I didn’t know snipping an inch off is considered a ‘haircut’.” Apparently, the only worse thing I could have said was that she looked like she had a dead opossum on her head.

Obviously, I have almost no clue of how to act around women. How-ever, this is what I have learned about them: you should compliment them, run away if they look like they are about to ask your opinion on something (if you’re not fast enough, just feign deafness), and never, ever, act like you understand them.

“GIRLS ARE SCARY and I don’t understand them”BY JON MCEWANADVERTISING EDITOR

Every day I notice the difference between males and females --

specifically , the manner in which they carry themselves. At least this is what I have come to know from personal experience.

I was first introduced to this behavior in my freshman P.E. class. There was a mutual liking between a boy and myself, but all he did was call me names and throw balls of foil at me. His slight taunting was funny at times, maybe even cute in a weird way, but I never really understood his intentions.

Despite this seemingly (at the time) minor flaw, I chose to further pursue the situation.

I thought that once we got to know one another, the foil tossing and name-calling would cease.

It did, but there was more to him than I expected. As a girl, I am completely aware of the differences between the

male and female modes of operation. Unlike males, females are rather

collected when they are in the presence of someone they like. At least I am: when in a situation like this, I am soft-spoken and charming.

But apparently, the boy I liked wasn’t like that. When conversing with this particular boy I admired, I noticed his

abnormally loud verbalization. He would laugh at things that weren’t funny and he spoke of things that would artificially enhance his charac-ter. He was clearly trying to impress me, but I think there is a fine line between impressive and obnoxious.

I, on the other hand, did not behave as I usually did with some of my best girlfriends -- which was carefree. Instead, my gestures were careful and my speech was consciously delivered as if I was under in-terrogation.

I often felt as if I had to portray a fixed and expected persona. Speaking of interrogation, restaurants are the perfect atmosphere

for intimidating date conversation. I was dining with the boy I liked, and during our typical get-to-know-you questioning, all I could think about was the hovering lamp right above our heads. It seemed that its only purpose was to put a spotlight on his narcissism. At one point, the conversation was geared toward only him and his interests.

He was rather arrogant about a lot of things. At times, I felt that no matter what I did, no matter how charming and self-conscious I was, it would not change his conceited nature.

Experiencing his unpleasant behavior only, and unfortunately, gave me a mind-set that all males are just the same: they all have some sort of obnoxious quota to meet by the end of the day.

“It’s as if boys have some kind of

OBNOXIOUS QUOTA”BY SHAINA KONZNYMANAGING/ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

11

FEATURE12FEATUREJANUARY 2011

EVERYONE STORYHASA

ALUM

NI S

POTL

IGHT

Shahnawz HardanianStaff Writer

In today’s society, it has become a popu-lar thought that the only people interested in high-intensity videogames such as Halo are men.

Charlene Andan, junior, on the other hand, proves this commonly accepted idea a fallacy.

Andan began playing Halo: Reach just a month after its Sept. release, and has now become an avid player. The newest game in the Halo series, Reach, takes place in the year 2552, and has players team up to battle Covenant, an alien soldier who has started a war with humanity.

Whenever Andan teams up with other players in the game, she says that they al-ways find it a huge shock that she is a girl, since she plays better than they do.

“It’s really fun,” Andan said. “I love hear-ing the guys when they discover I’m a girl.”

According to Andan, the most memo-rable time this happened was when she was involved in a Team-Swat, a part of the game when players team up to battle with-out shields, and aim to get 50 kills. Andan brought in 24 kills for her team, more than anybody else, securing their win. She was so excited about this win that she began cheering into her headset, revealing to her male teammates that she was a girl.

“They didn’t think I was the one playing [because of how well I did],” said Andan.

“They thought my brother or boyfriend was playing instead.”

This victory boosted Andan’s morale, making her feel better about her level of skill in videogames.

“I wasn’t always good at videogames,” Andan explained. “My brother used to beat me at them all the time.”

Charlene Andan is an excellent exam-ple of a well-rounded student.

In addition to her gaming skills, she also possesses a wide variety of musical abilities.

She taught herself how to play acoustic guitar four years ago, af-ter being inspired by a close friend, and six months ago took up bass guitar.

She has also been a member of chorus for two years.

To other girls who feel sup-pressed by boys when it comes to videogames, Andan’s advice to them is to not let it bother them.

“When I get called bad or ‘nob-bish’ [beginning player],” said An-dan. “I just take it as constructive criticism and try to improve.”

Tara JohnstonStaff Writer

If you knew alumna Caryn Nesser when she was in high school, you would think that extracurricular activities were her life.

She was involved in activities ranging from student government to stagecraft. Little did she know that the one activity among many that would change her life forever was American Sign Language.

Nesser initially enrolled in Spanish I to meet her foreign language requirement, but soon realized that it would be a strug-gle because she easily confused it with Italian, a language she was already fluent in. That is when she decided to try out the ASL class taught by Ms. Bandy at the time,

“I absolutely fell in love with the lan-guage. In fact, when I was in high school I had said to my mom, ‘one day I want Ms. Bandy’s job’,” Nesser said.

After high school, Nesser ap-plied and was accepted to the Uni-versity of Florida. Once she began school, she was unsure of how to incorporate her love of ASL into her studies.

At the time, UF’s sign language program was small and difficult to get accepted into; it had a seven-year waiting list.

“The first thing I did was go to the ASL teacher, Dr. Tuccelli, and speak with him… well, sign with him, since he was deaf,” Nesser said.

She was able to test out of ASL I and go straight into ASL II. She then took ASL III, eventually becoming a teaching assistant

for the prerequisite course. When surfing the web, Nesser came

across a job listing for an American Sign Language teaching position at Coral Springs High school and knew she had to apply.

When she walked in, Mrs. Anne Lynch,

the principal, hired her on the spot. Ness-er was in complete awe and could not wait to teach at her alma matter.

“I have been inspired by a few of my former teachers and administrators that I am now able to call co-workers. They taught me from a students perspective what it means to be a good teacher, and I try to live by example,” she said.

Nesser says the biggest reward from teaching is the ability to try to make a dif-

ference in someone’s life. She says she genuinely cares about her

students and tries to push them to their full potential. At the end of the day, Nesser just likes to know that she has done ev-erything in her power to be a positive role model.

Katie Jones

SIGN ME UP: Caryn Nesser teaches American Sign Language to her students while wearing a jacket that represents her alma mater, the University of Florida.

Alumna takes her passion for sign language local

I absolutely fell in love with the language.

-Caryn Nesser, ASL teacher

Mayor’s Messenger

Mayor Roy Goldencourages students to attend Teen Political ForumFeyaad AllieContributing Writer

Mayor Roy Gold has been in office since November now. He is really en-joying his new job as Mayor of Coral Springs and wants to offer many pro-grams to benefit teens. He would like to invite all high school students to come out to the Teen Political Forum, on Thurs., Jan. 27 at the Coral Springs Center for the Arts.

This is an event that will allow city and school board members to share their experiences as elected officials and address the teens in general. At the conclusion of the event, students in the audience will be able to ask the guests different questions relating to their job in public offices, the city, and more.

Last year students asked about school budget cuts and FCAT testing. This is an opportunity for students to directly communicate with local poli-ticians on topics that they find impor-tant. Most of the same guests will be returning from last year.

The program began four years ago during the mayorship of Scott Brook. The main purpose of the event was to connect the officials of Coral Springs with the teens in order to form a per-sonal relationship with the students and teach them about the city.

The event is open to the high school students who live in Coral Springs or attend our local high schools: Coral Springs High, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High, Coral Glades High, Coral Springs Charter, JP Taravella High, or Coral Springs Christian Academy.

The Teen Political Forum also of-fers four service hours to all students who attend the program.

Senior Courtney Librizzi, who at-tended the program last year, said, “It had the best question [and answer] and was run very smoothly and re-ceived much positive feedback from those who attended.”

Mayor Gold encourages all students to attend the program which will run from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. He is sure that it was be a great success.

Overcoming adversity - Halo style

Charlene AndanHALO, HOW ARE YOU?: Charlene Andan, an avid video-gamer, prepares to play the newest Halo game, Reach.

FEATURE13FEATURE

Little Fockers:REVIEWS

UPCOMING MOVIE

RELEASESGraphics courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Release dates: (from left to right) Jan. 14, Feb. 04.

BEST IN SHOWRUNNER UPBETTER LUCK NEXT TIMESORRY, CHARLIE

CURRENTLYREADING

Joshua SeilerStaff Writer

Call of Duty: Black Ops was released on Nov. 9 for the Playstation 3, Xbox360, and PC.

The seventh in the Call of Duty series, the game was developed by Treyarch, the company that created Call of Duty: World at War.

Black Ops takes place during the Cold War and involves fights in Vietnam, Rus-sia, and Cuba. It puts players in control of several characters such as Alex Mason, a special force soldier, and CIA agent Jason Hudson. The game begins with Mason and his team of special forces in Cuba as they attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro during the Bay of Pigs invasion. Mason is captured and transported to a Soviet Union prison camp in Russia. When he escapes he re-turns to America where he is informed that he must track down Dragovich, a Soviet

general, and kill him before a deadly nerve agent is released across the United States.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a must-have. It ranks high in graphics, interactivity, and replay-ability. The thrill factor is off the charts, though multiplayer is a bit buggy with major lag causing the game to often stop at the most essential times. Match-making and hosting are also lacking, with long waiting times before matches can be organized and even then these are often canceled.

Multiplayer brings in a new system of leveling up, called “COD Points,” an in-game currency used to purchase new weapons, attachments, perks, titles, and other ac-cessories. This system revitalizes the old COD4 design of level unlocks, which lim-ited the weapons players could use based on their rank. An improved gaming engine in multiplayer allows for expansive maps.

Zombie mode, a feature of CoD:WaW,

returns with the new map Kino Der Toten, or in English, “Cinema of the Dead,” where players fight against Nazi zombies in an abandoned movie theater. Included in the new zombie mode is the map ‘Five,’ where players fight off zombies in the Pentagon. The four characters that the gamer can use are President, John F. Kennedy or Richard Nixon, Secretary of Defense Robert McNa-mara, or Fidel Castro.

Its rating is only brought down by a defi-cient multiplayer system, though Treyarch has already made announcements to the effect that they are going to fix this prob-lem with a software update that fixes exist-ing gaps in programming. Black Ops comes highly recommended and provides hours of entertainment to gamers.

Call of Duty heats up the Cold War

The Roomate

Saraana JamrajFeature Editor

Despite minor flaws, Little Fo-ckers met expectations and provided a feel-good comedic experience. The movie premiered on Dec. 22, 2010,

and grabbed the number one spot at the box office. It is the third of the Meet the Parents series.

With a star-studded cast, the act-ing didn’t fall short (for the most part).

Ben Stiller, playing Gaylord “Greg”Focker and Robert De Niro, continuing his role as

Greg’s father-in-law Jack Byrnes, were the clear stars, providing the perfect mix of come-

dic genius and male egos. Owen Wilson, acting as Kevin, Pam’s ex-lover, was hilarious and ac-

countable for some of the funniest moments in the film, such as his performance at the

kids’ birthday party. He was eccentric and sensitive and ridiculous in a way that only Wilson could be. Jessica Alba was the thorn to this rose; her medio-cre acting only made her already irri-tating character more annoying. Over-all, her surrounding cast made up for her lack of skills.

The plot, though moderately pre-dictable, was everything wanted

from a Focker movie: funny, raunchy, and wild. Chances are, most people watching this movie have seen at least one of the previous install-ments of the series. In those movies, an all pow-erful De Niro is at odds with a pathetic, fear-ful Stiller throughout most of the film. Little Fockers was unique in that it was not just a repetition of the same concept, and it took the audience to a more balancedplace in the Byrnes-Focker relationship, in which Focker is no longer completely powerless, that they have been waiting years to see.

Comedies are funny by definition, but a common flaw of the film business dimin-ishes that. Often, they show the funni-est parts in the trailers. Fortunately, this movie broke the recent pattern. Little Fockers was great, because the funniest parts were not previously anticipated, which made them all the more funny.

Definitely worth seeing, Little Fockers is the perfect remedy for back-to-school stress. It’ll leave you with jokes and funny phrases for weeks.

“FUNNY, RAUNCHY, AND WILD”

I have always believed that Orson Scott Card would sit comfortably as one of America’s greatest modern writ-ers. His works involve depth greater than any I have ever encountered. He has time and time again found ways to take a typical story and make it ex-plode into something with levels and thought-provoking concepts that are enjoyed throughout.

Of all Card’s great works, I have found a particular love for the Ender’s Shadow series, which consists of four companion novels to the brilliant Ender’s Game series.

In a near-futuristic world faced with the fear of an impending alien at-tack, the leaders of Earth have turned to young geniuses, trained as leaders, tacticians and generals, to save them.

Of these few and elite prodigies is the smartest and nearly most capable of them all, Bean, who came from the streets of Rotterdam at the age of four.

Bean’s genius goes beyond that of any mortal human, because he was ge-netically altered before birth to have a brain that grows at an accelerated rate and continues to grow for all of his life.

Based off his thorough knowledge of history, politics, strategy and science, it is apparent that Card put in a great deal of research when creating Bean’s genius character. His intelligence and ideas are levels above any normal man, let alone a child of such an incredibly young age. It amazes me that Card could create such a convincing portray-al of brilliance in such a young age at all.

Although the first Shadow book was written after the first Ender book, the two can be read in either order be-cause they were set in the same time frame, but told by different people.

I thoroughly enjoyed both initial novels, but I suggest this one only for what follows in the rest of the series. While the Ender series, following the life of Ender Wiggin, is set in a far-off future in space, the Shadow series takes place back on Earth in the face of war and destruction, focusing on poli-tics and strategy in an effort to bring the Earth peace once again.

Ender’s Shadow and its followers have captivated a great number of the science fiction community, along with many others finding the genius in Card’s words. The Green Hornet

ENTERTAINMENT14 JANUARY 2011ENTERTAINMENT

Photos courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Sonya MajewskiStaff Writer A Day to Remember, a band formed in Ocala, Florida, released their fourth and newest album, What Separates Me from You, on Nov. 16. The album consists of 10 songs written and recorded from May to July of 2010. Their general musical style is a fusion of hardcore verses blended with melodic pop-punk choruses, with the oc-casional release of a softer, acoustic song.

The main message and point being con-veyed through the lyrics of this album is to dismiss hate and people who talk down to others, and also to vent out troubles of

devastating breakups. In the opening song, “Sticks and Bricks,” the lyrics “My heart is filled with hate!” are belted out, which makes it seem like the angrier the band is, the more intense lyrics and sounds are pro-duced. “…Can’t waste my time on hateful people like you…” is a perfect demonstra-tion of lead singer Jeremy McKinnon’s way of getting over haters who have bothered him.

In this album, it was interesting that many outside influences were so evident. New Found Glory, a mainstream and well-praised band from Coral Springs, Four Year Strong, and My Chemical Romance all had

obvious influences on Separates. It’s also amusing that the band clearly made refer-ences to old-school video games like Sonic the Hedgehog with one of the songs being titled “You Be Tails, I’ll Be Sonic,” and an au-dio clip yelling “Fight!” from Mortal Kom-bat in the song “2nd Sucks.”

Overall, the album has received mixed reviews from fans on online forums and music websites such as YouTube; some saying it’s the best album yet, others com-plaining that they have become too main-stream and repetitive in their songs.

Personally, I thought the entire album sounded the same from song to song. In

comparison to other albums, I noticed this one was more anger-filled. I didn’t dislike this album, but I found nothing special to love in it. However, my favorite song was “All Signs Point to Ft. Lauderdale,” because it had a catchy chorus. I could relate to the lyrics since it was mainly about a kid want-ing to leave the city they live in, and find a place where they feel like they belong. On the other hand, my least favorite song was “All I Want,” because I found the music to be clumsy and the lyrics very boring, and not even appealing to one specific subject.

Remember the day of new album releaseREVIEWS

Lorenzo MohammedStaff Writer

Delta Pi Sigma held their first poetry reading in the media center on Dec. 2.

The reading was open to all students interested in sharing their work with their peers. It was held during second lunch; pizza and refreshments were provided to all present.

Before attending the reading, I expected to hear the great poetry of my peers, in a comfortable environment, that would re-veal a wide variety of messages and stories that would be nothing short of inspiring.

Each reader came up to the front of the

audience and read aloud the poem they had prepared. There were several readers who really caught my attention.

Urlande Saint-Felix, sophomore, read a personal piece that impressed me called “Here I Stand.”

A part of the poem read, “Once broken and torn mind, body and soul left alone with no place to go.”

She spoke in a strong tone that made me listen to what she had to say to the au-dience. The repetition of the words “here I stand” each made the piece seem meaning-ful and personal. It was one of my favorites heard at the reading.

Saint-Felix also read a poem along with co-author, T’keyah Tindall, sophomore. The two of them wrote the poem “Time After Time.” The double reading truly portrayed the voice of the poem and grabbed the au-dience’s attention.

Another favorite was Rachel Reh, soph-omore, who read “Incinerated.”

Before she began, she mentioned that it may sound different from the rest of the poems before hers, and she was right.

The poem was less contemporary. The words made me experience exactly what she had to say, and the feeling of isolation and anger filtered through me as the words

she spoke passed through my ears and into my head.

The reading began a few minutes before second lunch, which made it difficult to be there on time. Although few poems were missed, they could have been just as won-derful as some of the others.

Listening to a great poem read straight from the authors themselves is a great ex-perience. Delta Pi Sigma is having another reading in Jan., hoping more students will get involved and present their poems as well.

Delta Pi inspires young poets with intimate reading

ENTERTAINMENT15ENTERTAINMENTJANUARY 2011

Aneesa Allie

Staff WriterIn late Sept., Verizon CEO Ivan Seiden-

berg mentioned the possibility of the iPhone joining his network. It is expected to be released early 2011.

The signing has not been formally con-firmed, but was announced on Twitter by the official Verizon page and deleted short-ly after.

Prior to now, the iPhone was exclusive to AT&T customers. Although AT&T’s ex-clusive contract does not end until 2012, reports still predict a 2011 release from Verizon, suggesting the contract can easily be broken or amended. The release of the new phone is expected to cause competi-tion with other smart phones within the company.

There are changes expected to be made to the phone to make it compatible to Ve-rizon Wireless services. The Verizon phone will resemble the new iPhone 4, but will be

modified to fit the network’s current stan-dards. Due to the type of technology [Code Division Multiple Access] Verizon uses, their version of the iPhone would not allow for a simultaneous use of both the voice and data applications. Meanwhile, AT&T’s version of the phone is known for its mul-titasking opportunities that allow users to talk on the phone, surf the web, check their email and use other data applications at the same time.

“I love the fact that I can make calls and look up movie times with a friend at the same time without having to hang up. It’s one of the things that were bragged about when the iPhone first came out,” said Shan Rustam, senior.

Verizon may not offer simultaneous application use, but there are still general preferences for the company over AT&T. The price for an AT&T iPhone can be ex-pensive, depending on the data package for the contract. Verizon is aiming for a lower

price when their phone is released.

AT&T is preparing for the loss of their exclusivity by adding Android phones and the Blackberry Torch to their lineup. Their customer devo-tion to the family plan is also something they rely on to keep customers from abandoning the company.

Regardless, opening a con-tract with Verizon is expected to attract more buyers to both the iPhone and the wireless company.

“It’s great that Apple opened a contract with Verizon. It allows customers to become part of the Apple family without having to go through the hassle of switching ser-vices like I did and gives me more people to ‘face time’ with,” said Ol-ivia Polk, junior.

VERIZON CUSTOMERS:

iPhone may be in your future33%

of students own an iPhone

21%of students have Verizon as

their cell phone provider

13% of students with Verizon said

they would purchase the iPhone

if their company carried it

SCHUTTUP&GEEK OUT

Tara Johnston

Emily Frick rocks the stage

Photo courtesy of Emily FrickINSPIRING: Senior Emily Frick performs outdoors for the Live Aid Re-made tour with the School of Rock.

*Based on a survey of 100 random students

Daniel SchuttStaff Writer

Geeks have always been inter-ested in escaping into an alternate reality, from Dungeons and Dragons to simply reading Tolkien’s classic, Lord of the Rings and letting their imagi-nations run wild.

Today, with the massive progress made in the video game industry, the new worlds have come to life in a way text-based MUD and D&D players of the 70s could have never dreamed of.

These games have branched off into their own genres of play. One of the most popular of these is role-playing games (RPG).

Though they can usually not be played online, they offer an incredibly expan-sive solo experience. RPGs can be played for hours without one even scratching the surface of them. One of the best RPG companies is Bioware. Some of their most popular titles are Star Wars: Knights of the

Old Republic, the Mass Effect series, and Dragon Age Origins.

Another very popular genre of games is first person shooter (FSP) games, or “shoot ‘em up games” as I call them. One of the reasons these kinds of games have become so popular is because of the in-credible graphics the modern FPS games have and their replay value. What gives

them their replay value is their ability to be played online through networks like Xbox live. This has brought huge groups of players together to battle it out to the “death” and they can be enjoyed for quite a long time without them ever becoming boring.

Bringing games online has also caused a new kind of gaming culture to emerge. Along with this, new slang has popped up, such as pwning (beating someone in an huge way) and noobs (new, inexpe-rienced players). And with every group there all also the elitist jerks that use the superior knowledge of the games to bring players down for any tiny mistake they make.

Of course, one can choose to not par-ticipate in the online aspect of games, which, in my opinion, can be just as ful-filling as playing with others through the Internet. The downside to this is that the game would probably lose some of its replay value. But the advances in technology are sure to bring us better and better games, which I, for one, am happy about.

“Geeks have always been interested in escaping into an alternate reality”

Jordan ButchenStaff Writer

Emily Frick, senior, was presented with the opportunity to spend two weeks of July performing live on stage with her band.

This past summer, Frick had the chance to be a part of the Live Aid Remade tour. The tour raised funds for the victims of the Haiti earth-quake. It toured throughout the Mid-western states, such as Oklahoma, Michigan, Illinois, and Texas. The tour was comprised of a total of 10 shows; one of her group’s venues was the House of Blues in Houston, Texas. These events sometimes had audiences in the hundreds.

Several years ago, she joined the Coral Springs chapter of School of Rock, a business that teaches musi-cians how to play instruments and perform music. Here, she toned her abilities and became a better musician. The school taught her how to play the guitar and presented Frick with the opportunity to perform a concert tour across the northeast, including Virgin-ia, Maine, New York, and Philadelphia,

during the winter of 2010. She sang and played the guitar during this tour, and performed rock and blues music.

She described how the bond be-tween her and her band members got closer as the tour went on. “As the time went by it got better, because we grew more comfortable with each other and it just became fun to go out there and play music,” she said.

She went on to state that her trip was very memorable. Frick recounts how she was able to meet a huge amount of people during the tour that treated her with kindness and respect.

“Hospitality is still alive in the Mid-west. Everyone was so nice,” Frick said.

Frick created her own band last year called “Free November.” Her group plays an original form of mu-sic that is a combination of blues and rock. They practice frequently and as-pire to perform at popular venues.

As a student, she hopes to at-tend college and pursue a career in business with a minor in music. She hopes to incorporate music into her profession.

ENTERTAINMENT16 JANUARY 2011ENTERTAINMENT

IN THE KNOW

REED &D.LO

SPORTS17SPORTSJANUARY 2011

with

Reed CongdonDanny LopezStaff Writers

For an athlete, one of the most discouraging things is being unable to play because of an injury.

It may be even more frustrating since athletes have no control over it. You would think that the pain would be in the injury itself, but in reality, it all lies on the fact that they have to suffer by being stranded on the sidelines.

Too often, high school athletes go into a season able to play at their best and come out less than healthy.

Many of the injuries that happen in high school sports are minor, but they can continue to bother the athlete for the rest of their life. Senior Andrew Moenich tore the rotator cuff in his shoulder in Sept. while practicing tackling drills during his var-sity football season. Although he could still play in games, the injury hasn’t completely healed.

“I could play as long as it felt good, but my doc-tor said it will always bother me until I get surgery on it,” Moenich said.

Other times, serious injuries can ruin an ath-lete’s future in sports.

Senior Chase Zizzo, quarterback of the varsity football team tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) right before the season started. He was un-able to play in a single game his senior year, just as college scouts began discovering him. As for col-lege, Zizzo fortunately has a backup plan.

“I’m going to college for academics anyway,” said Zizzo.

Although this injury didn’t do too much damage to his future goals, most can agree sitting out a full season is a bummer.

Most kids who are involved in daily athletic ac-tivity find it almost unbearable not to play their sport.

Junior Brett Schneider on the varsity baseball team injured his elbow during practices, putting him in a sling until January. Often, athletes learn the hard way that one wrong move, or throw, can keep them out of valuable practice time for weeks at a time.

“I’m an active kid and I don’t like standing still and doing nothing,” said Schneider.

Being an active athlete is about pushing one’s body to its full potential, but never forcing it over the limit.

It’s vital for athletes to take precautions to protect their body from injury, like making sure to stretch, or warming up properly before every game, since these minor details can cost them their future as an athlete.

Awareness of how to protect themselves from injuries can make or break them, literally.

CALL IT A COMEBACKAs of now lacrosse is considered a club sport at our school, but with more students becoming interested in the game the teams hope it will become a sanctioned sport in years to come.

Duffy DufresneStaff Writer

The competition cheerleaders placed fifth in their first competition of the season on Dec., 1.

The competition was hosted in the school gym at 6 pm. Nine other Bro-ward County high schools participat-ed including rivals Stoneman Douglas and Monarch.

Our cheerleaders were the first to perform, beginning with the music portion of their routine. In the music portion, the cheerleaders were ex-pected to include different types of sequences, jumps, and dance styles. They then performed the cheer por-tion of their routines, during which they were to incorporate signs and involve the crowd. The routine ran for a total of two minutes and thirty seconds.

The cheers were awarded a maxi-mum of 300 points, 100 points per judge, and were scored on how well

cheerleaders got the crowd involved, stunt execution, overall appearance, and dance. Points were deducted for failure to execute a stunt properly, sloppy movement, or low levels of routine difficulty.

Monarch came in fourth place with a score of 188.5, Plantation came in third with a score of 199.5, North-east came in second with a score of 200.25, and Douglas won the compe-tition with a score of 201.0.

Though they didn’t make first place, junior Hayley Kessler is happy to be in the top five. “I didn’t expect to make fifth place. We didn’t do very well last year at states, so getting in the top five was really awesome,” she said.

Jennifer McDonald, who was also pleased with their score, “said, Mc-Donald. We did the best we could, with the short amount of time that we had to prepare for what we did today, [the performance] was really good for

what we had.”Ashley Reed, cheerleading coach,

feels that the cheerleaders’ hard work paid off, but that they have room for improvement.

“The thing they needed to work the most on is[executing the moves] clean[ly], because they have the high energy and they have the stunts, they just have to hit those a little bit better, and just maintain cleanliness [in the routines], but besides that they’re re-ally good,” Reed said.

Try-outs for competition cheer-leading were in October, and practices began the first weekend of Novem-ber. The cheerleaders had about four weeks to prepare for the competition.

Last year the competition cheer-leaders made it to states and placed 22nd out of 68.

Head coach Stacey Gomez-Downs says that with the team’s new chore-ographer and more difficult routines, “Hopefully we’ll make it to the top five

Competitive cheerleaders place fifth

This year, students and teachers within our school are working to cre-

ate a lacrosse club.Lacrosse is a sport that is popular in the

northern part of the country, but does not yet have a large following in the south. Teams range from 10 to 20 players, and the positions are similar to soc-

cer. It is played with a rubber ball, and a gender-specific lacrosse stick.

Lacrosse is not yet a sanctioned sport, meaning that is not officially recognized

at the school as a sport. It is considered a club, and for that reason, the teams have scrimmages, not games, against schools in the district, and anybody who wants to can play.

The girls team will be coached by English teacher Lisa McQuade, and the

boys by Environmental science teacher Michael Lucido. Both coaches have ex-

perience as players, having played throughout their high school and col-lege years.

When it comes to the girls team, McQuade wishes to have at least 25 players, because there will be

constant rotations to the lineup during matches. There are cur-rently 20 prospective players, but more are expected to join

before practices start. Last year, McQuade brought the girls la-

crosse program to the school for the first time,

and this year hopes to have more success. She plans to create this success by putting more fo-cus on the sport throughout the school.

“I think every year [the team] will grow,” McQuade said. “Anybody can play as long as they can put in the commitment.”

The main focus of the team this year will be to improve the girls’ skills, since many of them have never before played lacrosse.

“[I want to play lacrosse] because the coach is pretty cool, which makes it easier to learn,” said first-time player Bria Herrington, junior.

The boys lacrosse team currently has 40 prospective members, and is headed by Jor-dan Dahan, senior, and Matt Detig, sopho-more.

The boys also hope that this year will be better than last.

“There is more interest this year,” said Da-han. “I want to see the team come together.”

Like the girls team, the players for the boys team are relatively new to the game.

According to coaches, the biggest struggle for the teams, besides gaining recognition, will be funding, since even a scrimmage costs any-where between two-to-five hundred dollars, but both teams plan to fundraise by holding car washes and selling muffins in the morning.

Both teams share the long-term goals of mastering the basic skills of the game, and hopefully making lacrosse a sanctioned sport in the following years.

The boys team plans to practice every day, and the girls twice a week. Practices are sched-uled to begin in January.

Ashley RynarSports Editor

Lauren Lewkowicz, senior, has been named on the All-County Volleyball First Teams listed in both The Sun-Sentinel and Miami Herald. This comes just weeks after she signed with Nova Southeastern University on Nov. 17.

Lewkowicz, outside hitter, has been part of the Var-sity volleyball team since her freshman year. She has held a starter position all four years.

This season Lewkowicz had 216 digs, 234 kills, 98 service points, and 38 aces. She has had 880 kills

throughout all four seasons, setting the school record for career kills.

Lewkowicz has played volleyball in and out of school since the seventh grade, as well as competing with club and beach teams.

“Volleyball has always been a huge part of my life. When I signed with Nova I really felt that all my hard work over the years of club and school volleyball has really paid off,” said Lewkowicz.

Nova has presented Lewkowicz with a four year scholarship. She plans to start school as a Shark in the fall of 2011.

Nova Southeastern signee named volleyball first team All-County

Rigorous practices and workouts are not the only concerns for athletes

Injured athletes hurt physically and mentally

Sara Castaneda

Shahnawz HardanianKasey LitchfieldStaff Writers

Ashley RynarLauren LewkowiczSports Editors

Senior Amanda Bush has been cheering for five years. She started her cheer career at Joy Deco summer camp. Her devotion to cheer has blossomed into a full-on passion.

Going into her fourth year cheering at school, her hard work and dedication helped Bush be-come captain of both the football and competi-tive cheer teams.

Bush’s duties as captain are to ensure the team knows what they are doing at all times and to help the coaches prepare. She believes the two types of cheering she participates in are

very different.

“My favorite part of competition cheerlead-ing is the thrill of being able to put all your hard work and dedication onto the floor for everyone to see,” said Bush. “[Football cheering] is being able to get the boys spirit up and help them to a sweet victory.”

Bush doesn’t play any other sports competi-tively, but she is enrolled in Adavnce Placement classes and Duel Enrollments. She considers cheerleading to be her “boyfriend,” taking up most of her time after school. She plans on at-tending Florida Atlantic University this fall and hopes to continue cheering during college.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHTSPORTS18SPORTSJANUARY 2011

Amanda Bush: Not just a typical cheer captain

Jordan ButchenStaff Writer

The varsity basketball team has started off their season 8-4, as of Jan. 6.

The team, headed by Matthew Dearen in his third year as coach, has a roster consisting of 17 players. It includes 3 starters and 2 reserves who are returning members. Reserves are players who fill in when the starters are unable to compete. The starters include seniors Gabriel Dos Santos, Randy Floyd, and Jeremy Brown. Other key players are Alberto Durogene, senior, and juniors Evan Lassiter and James Payne.

The team trained throughout the summer and ear-ly spring to ensure they will perform at their highest ability. They have been primarily focusing on defensive strategies and team unity. One of the main problems they faced last season was their inability to defeat

teams they would have to play in the district playoffs.Coach Dearen is optimistic about the team’s future.

“We expect to go very far this year. Our team has the potential to be successful if we all play together as a group.”

The team played two practice games against Span-ish River and Olympic Heights High School. They were victorious against Olympic Heights, but lost when matched against Spanish River.

As of this writing the team has a record of 7-1 in the district. On Nov. 23, the team played their first game of the season. They traveled to Blanche Ely and lost 63-27. The following week on Nov. 30, the team faced off against Boyd Anderson and won 58-48. The Colts then went on to lose against Deerfield Beach, but defeated Coconut Creek.

This year, our school will be hosting districts. Dearen

strongly believes in his team’s future success. “We are hoping to win districts and make it through regionals.”

According to The Miami Herald, it is apparent that the team’s improvement in their game plan was nec-essary in order to move farther this year.

Coach Dearen optimistic about boys basketball season

We expect to go very far this year. Our team has the potential to be successful if

we play together as a group.-Matthew Dearen, Basketball Coach

Wrestling team named City ChampionsAshley RynarSports Editor

The wrestling team was named City Champion on Jan. 5, after defeating rivals J.P. Taravella and Coral Glades at the annual city meet. The meet used to include our school, Taravella, Coral Glades, and Stoneman Douglas, but since Douglas is not technically in the city of Coral Springs we currently wrestle against them in a separate meet.

In the beginning of the meet Coral Glades defeated Tara-

vella. Following that match our team went on to compete against Taravella, defeating them 84-0. All of our wrestlers went undefeated in this match, with seven of them win-ning by forfeit.

The next match of the competition was Coral Glades against the Colts. The Colts triumphed with a score of 69-10, with 12 of our wrestlers winning.

By the end of the night 12 of 14 Colt wrestlers went un-defeated and the team earned the City Champions title.

Sheldon TranBRING IT TO THE HOOP: The Colts competed against the Boyd Anderson Cobras with a home court advantage, defeating them 58-48 on Nov. 30.

TOGETHER WE STAND, TOGETHER WE FALL: Senior Amanda Bush (right), Vasity and Competition cheer captain helps fellow cheerleaders lift a flyer in a stunt.

Tara Johnson

UPCOMING SPORTING EVENTS

EVENT

Girls Soccer

OPPONENT DATE/TIME LOCATION

Boys Basketball

Douglas Jan. 6/ 5pm

Boys Soccer

Girls/ boys Tennis

SPORTS19SPORTSJANUARY 2011

Deerfield Jan. 10/ 5pm

CSHS

CSHS

Boys Soccer Pine Crest Jan. 19/ 5pm

Feb. 17/ 4pm

Jan. 26/ 6pm

Pine Crest

Deerfield CSHS

CompetitiveCheerleading

J.P. Taravella

Coral Glades Jan. 12/ 7:30pm Coral Glades

Boys Basketball Douglas Jan. 18/ 7:30pm CSHS

Girls Basketball Coconut Creek Jan. 10/ 6pm CSHS

Girls Basketball Monarch Jan. 21/ 6pm CSHS

Piper, Douglas, J.P. Taravella, Coral Glades

Jan. 28/ 6pmWrestling DouglasDouglas

Sarah GrignonStaff Writer

The boys soccer team kicked off its season with a slow start, due to what they saw as a lack of communication on the field. The team did not have many plays planned before starting their games, and the result was a bit chaotic.

“When the season started, we were bad. We didn’t have a lot of communication and we suf-fered in games,” said captain Roods Jacques, se-nior.

Jacques mentioned that as the season pro-gresses, the team is communicating more, which is helping them put together plans so they know what to do when game time comes around.

“We like to switch the system around a lot,” Coach Randy Hulse said. “We have a play that we like to use a

lot and it works really well.”One play the team has found effective is the

4-5-1 formation. Four players are placed in the front, five in the back, and one in the middle.

“Since we’ve been talking more and planning plays, our performance on the field is better,” Ja-

vier Bolivar, senior said.Jacques says that their leading goal scorer is

Jeffrey Vera, senior.“He’s helped us a lot,” Jacques said. Hulse believes that at the rate the team is go-

ing, they could make it to second place in the dis-trict, depending on Douglas’s scores.

“We’re doing good,” Hulse says. “We’re look-ing forward to competing for states.”

On Thursday, January 6th, the boy’s team put in a valiant effort against Douglas, but were beaten 2-0.

Currently the team third in the district, with Monarch in first and Douglas second. Their re-cord as of this writing is 6 wins, 6 losses, and 1 tie.

“We’re doing good,” Hulse said. “We’re look-ing foward to competing for states.”

Boys soccer looking up after rocky beginning Sara Castaneda

We’re looking forward to competing

for states. -Randy Hulse, Soccer Coach

SPORTS20SPORTSJANUARY 2011

PIN IT

Alec KayeStaff Writer

The wrestling team comes with a grand legacy, having been crowned Dis-trict Champions 13 out of the past 17 years. This legacy also comes with high expectations, and though the team has 15 wins under its belt, including victo-ries on Jan. 5, four losses before Winter Break showed that there was room for improvement.

Head coach Dan Jacob knows the team can do better, especially when it comes to putting in the effort during practice.

“They want to win,” said Jacob. “They take the initial steps of going to practice, but they just [haven’t] put it all out there on the practice mat.”

The wrestlers have begun to step up their game, despite injuries and many of the team’s stars having moved on to col-lege.

Wrestling pits each athlete against an opponent of equal weight. Though the sport is physical, the true game is in the mind of the wrestler. A winning team will not just have the strongest and fastest players, but the determina-tion to refuse defeat.

Jacob noted the few teams that beat the Colts were also beating them in the number of football players who also wrestle. There is not an exact science to it, but a relationship does exist. The two sports feed into each other, said Jacob, building better athletes for both sports.

Ray Gould, head football coach, agreed to the correlation. He could not give a clear reason to the lack of involve-ment on his members’ parts, though he he has noticed that many students focus on one sport or activity and are less in-volved in others.

Most recently, the wrestling team earned the title of City Champions, in a

Jan. 5 tournament against both J.P. Tara-vella and Coral Glades High Schools.

Before Winter Break, the Colts won their competitions by an average margin of 26 points, approximately 4 pins more than the opposing team. Co-captain Kyle Eggnatz, junior and 112-weight class wrestler, admitted they have a lot of work to do, but felt the way they had been practicing will bring them favor-able results.

Jacob invited alumnus and former Olympic wrestler Eric Albarracin to work with the team during Winter Break. Albarracin worked hand to hand with the wrestlers and taught them to be warriors.

“He helped give us some of the in-tensity that our team has been missing,” said Nick Mejias, freshman, 160.

One setback occurred when captain Curtis Boyette, 119, was sent for an MRI on Dec 4. Boyette fought his way out of

a double leg, inducing serious ligament and muscle strains on his left elbow as he was dropped to the mat. His injury had kept him out until the second week of Jan.

Several of the younger wrestlers have been given the opportunity for more time on the mat. Mejias was able to prove himself after Dan Higgins, senior, 160, suffered from a herniated disk in Nov. Mejias committed himself to earn the varsity spot he had moved to.

“Honestly, I feel honored and I’m grateful that I have this amazing oppor-tunity,” said Mejias.

Eggnatz complimented the newest additions to varsity as “rising to the oc-casion.”

As for veterans of the team, Justin Brimlow, senior, and Robert Slapikas, junior, are individually ranked.

Ultimately, the team hopes to become one of the top two in the county.

WIN ITto

Antoine Philistin, senior, went undefeated in the 140lb weight class at the City Championship tournament on Jan. 5.

Sam Senner, junior, pins his Taravella opponent in 1 minute 51 seconds.

He went undefeated in the 130lb weight class.

Sheldon Tran