Students skipping class find places to hide across campus.

Budget Cuts Lead to Less Security

By Briana Goldson

Senior stress. When I was a Freshman, I viewed the Seniors as top of the high school food chain. I was a little pig, and they were the big bad wolves. Now that I am a Senior, I see how stressful it is, and I envy the Freshmen. I’m not saying that Freshmen don’t have stress, but Senior stress is on a whole other level. When Santaluces teachers tried to explain how high school worked Freshman year, some of us caught on, while others brushed it off to deal with when report cards came around. It’s important as a Freshman to understand what credits are needed for graduation, and also what credits are important for the college they’re planning on applying to. I wish that I would of thought that way when I was a Freshman. For a Senior, there is no mess-ing around. If Seniors fail a class, like Economics or English, it can cause them to not be able to walk at graduation and spend a whole summer re-taking the class when they were supposed to be enjoying their first high school-free summer. I failed Algebra II Junior year and now I’m re-taking it as a Se-nior. I am also taking two classes on E2020 and just finished the second semester of American History on FLVS. All the classes I have to re-take are graduation requirements, and the deadline to finish them is coming up. That is just one of the many stressful situations being a Senior entails. Sophomore and Junior year are the meat and cheese of high school; it’s what builds a student’s GPA. Taken seriously, those two years can be the differ-ence in college acceptance and scholarship opportunities. For students who haven’t already applied to college, the deadline is coming up. This means SAT and ACT scores and community service hours must be up to par. Getting 20 community service hours may seem unattainable, but the goal is easily attainable in one year, let alone four. I wish I would have joined more clubs as a Freshman, because they can really help a student struggling with community service. Although four years may seem like a long time, for me and other Seniors I know, time flies fast. Senioritis has taken the minds of many Seniors already, while oth-ers cannot seem to find the time to enjoy Senior year due to all the stress. If Senior stress is tak-ing this much of a toll on me, I just hope I can survive the stress of being a College Freshman.

Santaluces High School 6880 Lawrence Road Lantana, Florida 33462 Edition II, Vol. V

Freshman Need Virtual School Class to Graduate

Every year, the graduation re-quirements change for each incoming freshman class. The class of 2015 was informed of a new graduation require-ment at Freshman orientation. Freshman are now required to take one class on Florida Virtual School. If this requirement is not met by the students senior year, they will be unable to graduate. This requirement was made by the school district to cut overflowing class sizes. With more students taking vir-tual school classes, there are more space in the class room. This requirement might help the school district keep the class limit of 25 students per course. Some freshman have al-ready chosen the courses they plan to take on Florida Vir-tual School. The most popular choices being physical edu-cation and foreign language. “I’m taking personal fitness be-

cause I don’t think gym is an im-portant class to clog my schedule with,” said Freshman Sydney Toolis. Physical education is a gradu-ation requirement and every student has to take at least one semester of personal fit-ness and another semester of a physical education class. Two foreign language class-es are also required to grad-uate and are important classes to take for college. “The only time I’ve ever sug-gested for a student to take a foreign language class online is if they’ve previously taken the course, and failed,” said Spanish teacher, Mrs. Johnson. One Freshman, Jashia Cooper, has already finished five virtual class-es. He started taking them in mid-dle school, and finished three high school classes this past summer. “No, I’m not taking any more,” said Cooper. “It’s a long process to finish a class.”

The Secret Life of Candy Sellers

By Rimsha Rashid

By Tyler Shimkoski

Don’t Mess Up Like I Did

Some hide out in the bathroom of the 4000 building, standing around for 45 minutes, pretend-ing to wash their hands when-ever someone comes in. Others wander over to the park across Chief Way, hanging out at the baseball fields. Still others simply walk home, stopping by 7-11 for a cherry Slurpee and a candy bar. Those are the stories of serial skip-pers across Santaluces’ campus. Because of budget cuts this year, supervision on campus has been cut back by four people, leaving only one or two security person-nel patrolling about 30 acres. Wrestling coach, Coach Franco, is the man who is responsible for cov-ering the whole school. “It’s a little stressful walk-ing around all day, but it’s not a big issue,” he said. “I know most of the kids from sports and I start to learn faces.” Franco usually supervises the 8000/9000 building and marks his territory at the intersection of the main hall. Just because he is stationed in the most populated building of the school doesn’t mean he isn’t on call for prob-lem areas such as the courtyard and the 3000 and 4000 buildings.

Students say they know class-mates who skip class and seem to have mixed emotions on the topic of feeling safe in school. “I’m fine with only one security guy,” said Senior, Michael Renzetti. Senior, Daynet Escobar believes that because only Franco is cover-ing supervision, the halls are oc-cupied with many students and many of those don’t have passes. “There’s definitely more skipping and people not getting caught be-cause they know there’s only one guy[supervising],” said Escobar. Although assistant principals, especially Mrs. Mawali, patrol the halls regularly, on a recent Wednesday after first lunch, a trio of students were exiting the 8000 building and walked past two unsuspecting administrators. The students were able to escape school grounds with no penalty and Coach Franco was not in the area. “I just don’t think they [the APs] really care because they can’t catch us all,” said an anonymous source escaping near the student parking lot. More and more students feel it is okay to wander around the halls and ditch class, by hiding in all the

Although there is a police of-ficer on campus, Franco is the one faculty member who ad-ministration calls on the walkie when teachers press that white button to have students re-moved or when fights break out.

Mr. Krupa believes that the ad-ministration has a “good handle” on the situation because now APs are taking care of tardy passes. “We’re out as much as we can, it’s just a matter of catching them,” said Krupa.

One Senior’s academic advice for Freshmen.

As whispers slowly fill the class-room and money begins to si-lently creep around, the sound of candy wrappers awakens ev-ery student’s and mouth starts to salivate. Most teachers turn the other cheek. However some are guilty of joining in this se-cret world of rule-breaking. According to the School District of Palm Beach County, anything sold on campus must be ap-proved by Mrs. Orloff, Mr. Krupa and book-keeping. Whoever sells products without approval will earn 10 days of suspension. Although this is the district rule, many students and teachers do not follow it. Approved candy, donuts and other goodies are also being sold around the campus through school fundraisers, but the rest of it is sold for personal gain. But what’s the big deal, it is only candy right?“I think it isn’t really a big deal to sell candy,” said Shan-non Maufre, Sophomore. Everyone knows the rules and consequences, but that does not stop the teachers or stu-dents from breaking the rules.

“The students and staff should not be selling at all. But for the clubs, I don’t really mind it. You guys are high school stu-dents and are old enough to make your own decisions,” said Mrs. Orloff, the principal. “Stu-dents will get what they want and if they want candy, then they will get it from here or across the street to 7 Eleven.” Although students are sell-ing candy, teachers sell-ing candy is just “unaccept-able because it puts pressure on the kids” said Mrs. Orloff. While a few teachers disrupt classroom time to sell candy to help raise money for a child to go to Washington DC, others are just selling it right in front of their room in between class change. Along with Shannon, most students surveyed do not mind candy being sold most-ly because “it’s easy access”. Sometimes satisfying that sweet tooth before a test or ful-filling your appetite with a choc-olate bar or two is all you need

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By Kayelee Shimkoski

Graphic Design by Allison Ferreira

Every year, Homecoming Week culminates with the Home-coming Dance. This year, the gym was decorated following the theme “Chiefs on Deck”. The Student Government Aso-ciation class worked for weeks to provide the decorations for the gym, including a giant pa-per cruise ship, a volcano, a

lighthouse and deck railing. Mrs. DeMarzo, the SGA class teacher, had high expectations. “We tried to involve as many school departments as we could, so the budget could have been relatively limited, but of course we had to buy all the painting supplies.” Photo students took pictures and the Culinary Academy catered the

event. For the music, those who went to Prom 2011 won’t be sur-prised to hear the name of the DJ: DJ Lagado played music last year. One of the main attractions was the food: meatballs and po-tatoes, shrimp and crab wraps, cookies, and chocolate fondue. “The food was great, it’s just how I expected it,”

said junior, Layne Reyka. With its palm trees at the dance floor corners, the spotlights, and the colorful long and short dresses, this year’s Homecom-ing Dance was appreciated. “This year’s dance is fun, it’s really nice,” said Steven Castro, Junior. Chiefs knew that the dance floor was full of dancers and the music

played until the very last second. “The DJ was great, the deco-rations are beautiful and I loved having so much fun!” said Home-coming Queen Brianica McLaurin. Homecoming King Jarred Moore also praised the dance. “I had fun and I loved the food,” he said. “I knew that it would be a good night.”

By Lucrezia Gaion

Graphic Design by Allison Ferreira

Editor-In-Chief: Rose DeroseWeb Editor: Rimsha Rashid

News Editor: Briana GoldsonPhoto Editor: Allison Ferreira

Graphics Editor: Melissa Tyson

Staff WritersCharlise Baptiste

Fatou BobbAlexandra CarleyLickna EdmondMelissa EsterilDena FleuridorNavael FontusLucrezia GaionGed Guillaume

Shannon LechonEric McArthur

Brianica McLaurinMegan McQuaidTimothy Monecla

David PerezRachael RobinsonJordan Santa Rosa

Erika ScottiKayelee Shimkoski

Tyler ShimkoskiRayven Wright

Adviser: Mrs. Clifton

Tomahawk Times Staff

nooks and crannies provided by the school’s indoor architecture. Students, such as Junior Tara Grossman, feel that the friend-ship between the students and administrators complicates the discipline being served throughout the campus. “Students believe there is a companionship between some administrator and some of the students so they feel more com-fortable with the idea of cut-ting class,” said Grossman.

Santaluces students and faculty give generously to those in need.

Candy Sellers Say They Provide the Snacks Students Want

to get a little energy for the day.“I get so stressed out before a test that I start to get hungry, so I love having candy sellers around just because my nerves get calm and I actually do good on the test,” said a student who did not want to provide a name because she often buys from unapproved sources. Those who sell the candy say they do it because it is so diffi-cut for teens to find a job in this economy. One candy seller said he made as much as $1,000 in one school year because students can’t get the candy they want from the campus vending machines.

Every year, S a n t a l u c e s Chiefs ring in the holiday season with a giving heart as they give back to the c o m m u n i t y with projects such Toys for Tots and The Angel Project. Seniors in E c o n o m i c s and American gove rnmen t classes actu-ally have to help out with these projects for a grade. Mrs. Sand-ers’ economic classes are in-volved with Toys For Tots, which is a foundation sponsored by the Marines and donates toys to underprivileged families. “We’ve always done a Senior project,” said Sanders, “No oth-er club was doing Toys for Tots. In economics we’re learning about poverty and unemploy-ment and this is a good choice if someone is going into that type of career. They are also practic-ing citizenship and steeping up.”

In Mr. Yohe’s classes the students are participating in The Angel Proj-ect, Toys for Tots, Kibblez of Love, and Unforgotten Soldiers. These are all organizations that help families in need for the holidays. The Kibblez of Love organization helps families who can’t afford to feed their pets.The Unforgotten Solider organization helps mili-tary personnel who have suffered emotional and physical trauma. Mr. Yohe is having his students

do this so they can take a look at what’s go-ing on in the world and try to help resolve p r o b l e m s . Even clubs at Santaluces are getting into the holiday spirit and giv-ing back. FFL-CA and FFEA are involved with the Angel Project. The Angel Project is an organiza-tion that works with elemen-tary schools to help students who are in

need. Santaluces has signed up to sponsor 30 students this year. “The great thing about this proj-ect,” said Mrs. Kouf, early child-hood teacher and sponsor of FFEA and FFCLA “is that 100% of the money goes to the children.” Students are also happy to contribute to the needy. “It makes me feel great,” said Senior Tiffany Rodriguez who is a member of FFEA. “You know you’re helping kids in need.”

30 Acres + 1 Security Officer = Students Skipping

Chiefs Help Others for the Holidays

By Tyler Shimkoski

FCCLA and FFEA are just two of the clubs helping the needy this holiday season.

Students wander the halls during class time. While some have passes, others do not. One security officer patrols the entire campus.

Photo by Melissa Tyson

Photo by Briana Goldson

Photo by Kayelee Shimkoski

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Avoiding Crosswalks Could Cost You

National Art Honor Society Cre-ates Mural for the Little Chiefs

Ladies First Promotes Independence and Confidence

By David Perez

By Shannon Lechon

“The best way to learn to be a lady is to see how other ladies do it.” A quote by actress Mae West that seems to sum up the new club here at Santaluces, Ladies First. This club has, by far, the most members on campus and the best attendance record. It’s also spon-sored by one of the most popular teachers on campus, Ms.Palmer. The official members list has more than 50 members who can only miss about three meetings. Not to mention unofficial mem-bers are welcome to pop up for any meeting. Impressive, consid-ering this club has just started around two months ago. The Ladies have been on the move since October, throwing two so-cials and searching for outside sponsorship. It’s a sisterhood that many girls don’t get to have somewhere else and it seems to only be growing larger. “Ladies First is not only teach-ing us to be ladies but it also is about community involvement. For example, we assisted SGA in the thanksgiving can drive and we are currently working on vol-unteer opportunities to help the members of the club get their required hours to graduate,” said Junior Sh’Nelle Stewart. The success of Ladies First can only be judged by time but what started this idea? “After careful observation of the entire student body, espe-cially the young ladies of SHS, I realized there was a great need for them to receive instruc-tion not just on an academic level but also the requirements of social and professional eti-quette,” said sponsor Ms. Palmer. The purpose of Ladies First is to create strong, independent,

and productive members of Santaluces High and the world. Not only teaching the members about guys but getting them to learn how to love them-selves before looking elsewhere. “I’m learning that there are times when you’re stuck in a situation where you’re going to have to figure out problems by yourself. Basically to be more independent and to be care-ful with ‘people’ a.k.a guys,” said Senior Stacy Boisrond Although this club isn’t about degrading guys it’s more a way

to say that women don’t have to depend on them for everything. “This club is a women’s leadership organization dedicated to improv-ing the self esteem of the ladies of SHS because as it is said a civilized structure often rests on the shoul-ders of men and on the hearts of strong women,” said Palmer If you’re interested in learning more, meetings are held every Tuesday and Thursday in Ms. Palmer’s room 8106. Although the member limit has been reached,girls are still welcome to come and become “Lady” certified.

For the past couple of years, outside the Early Childhood class-rooms by the children’s play-ground, an unfinished mural is painted on the expanse of the back wall. By the end of the school year, Art teacher Ms. Ardner is hoping to finish sketching and painting it and finally have it done. The mural is a painting of a grassy forest with animals painted by the National Art Honor Soci-ety. To the far left of the mural is “Chief City”, another NAHS mural. “It’s been fun,” Ms. Ardner said. “It’s also a good way for my Honor Society students to learn how to paint over different textures. We all just have a lot of fun together.” The inspiration for the childhood mural came from Ms. Kouf, the ear-ly childhood development teacher. “It really helps to correspond with the kids,” she said. “And it helps to liven up the playground.” Jorge Aguilar, a Junior and NAHS president, has been working on the mural since last year, and he’s looking forward to seeing the mu-ral completed. He’s been sketch-ing the outline of the images that the NAHS artists will paint in. Aguilar believes that NAHS mem-bers will only need to visit the mural a few more times before it’s

The same thing happens every day, before and after school. When the bell rings at 2:44, students race to get off campus, crossing Hypo-luxo Road at any place they can. “I don’t want to wait 10 min-utes for a slurpee, would you? I wouldn’t,” said Junior, Daniel Lo-pez, “After a long day in school my brain is fried and drained of energy, so what’s the best thing to cure it?, a gigantic slur-pee, and I can’t wait 20 minutes waiting for the the crosswalk to change when I can jaywalk and go back and forth in five minutes.” Many students find it easy and think that it’s just a waste of time going back and forth through a crosswalk when the destination is right in front of them. “I jaywalk to Dom & Lou-ie’s Pizza every day right after school but when I’m crossing I’m always careful and cautious about it,” said Sophomore, Mar-ian Catrillo. ”If you are respon-sible enough to cross the street on your own then I think you

should be allowed to do so be-cause it’s just a big waste of time.” But, imagine the pain that the mother of four year old A.J. Nelson felt when he was struck and killed by a van while crossing a four-lane highway. His family was crossing the high-way to get to their home a few feet away from them when A.J. was separated from his mom and his sister before being hit by a van resulting in his death. As more and more officials be-came concerned with this accident, jaywalking laws started being en-forced all over the country. Here at Santaluces, Vice Prin-cipal Mr. Krupa has been con-cerned with Jaywalkers get-ting hurt while crossing Hypoluxo to get to the 7-11. Mr. Krupa announced on the morning and afternoon an-nouncements that police of-ficers would begin enforc-ing jaywalking laws and catch students crossing Hypoluxo. Each student will be fined $64.50

for jaywalking, said Mr. Krupa. Although officers, according to Mr. Kupa, don’t want to issue tick-ets, it’s to ensure that kids don’t get hurt and it’s for their own good. When people jaywalk, they aren’t aware of the damage that they can cause. They are putting students, their families, and other peoples lives in danger, said on-campus officer Furtado. “As a cop, if I see a kid jaywalk-ing, I would go over and give them a warning and talk to them about the risks that they are taking be-cause I’ve seen kids get hit by cars before,” said officer Furtado. Concerned students say it might be inconvenient, but agree that jaywalking could end with a student being seriously hurt. “You should be crossing at the crosswalk instead of jaywalking,” said Junior Brandon Olmstead. “It’s your own fault if you get hit.” Officer Furtado said that Boyn-ton Beach officers are stopping jaywalkers on a regular basis.

completed. Even though he looks forward to the mural’s completion, if the mural is not finished by the end of this year he will continue to work on it his Senior year. He said that nature is the main in-spiration for drawing the out-doors on the mural, and he finds the whole experience enjoyable. “I like drawing things that the kids will like,” Aguilar said with a smile. “I want to draw and make something that the kids will look at and wish that they could live in a world like that.” One of Aguilar’s friends, Amanda Nelson, a Senior, is one of the chief painters and sketchers for the mu-ral. She also has been working on the childhood mural since last year. Nelson, aside from being one of the main muralists on the Early Childhood, is also working on the Fine Arts mural, which is on the other side of the Early Child-hood development mural. Nel-son has painted and sketched, but she has mostly worked on the sky, lots of animals, and the trees. Nelson is inspired by the early childhood develop-ment teachers, like Ms. Ardner. “It’s been a lot of fun, and it’s really exciting,” Nelson said. “I like knowing that my work will be up there forever.”

By Rachael Robinson

One of the most popular clubs in school has hit its membership limit.

At both the ice cream social and the pizza social in the cafeteria, the mem-bers of Ladies First invited the school to join them for great food, music and dancing. The pizza social celebrated the first home game of the Varsity boys basketball season.

Photos by Rachael Robinson

Photo by Andrea Ramos

No accidents yet, but officials fear students may be hurt.

Photo by Melissa TysonThe speed limit on Hypoluxo Road is 45 mph.

Many people try their whole llives to hit a hole in one, Sophomore, Radi Sauro did it while she was in high school. Sauro is an accomplished golfer who plays for Santaluces High School and maintains straight A’s. She has received plenty of accolades and seems to have a bright future ahead of her. “Radi is a very dedicated athlete, she attends class through Florida Virtual School so she can prac-tice hours at a time,” said Sauro’s coach Ms.Lucia who’s been coach-ing her for two years. Sauro has been awarded play-er of the year in 2007 and 2008 and won point player of the year in 2008. She also has academic awards, winning first place in the Writing Competition of SECME and won second place in the Na-tional Geography Bee in 2008. “Radi has already been on sev-eral college tours and was very impressed with Duke University,” said Coach Lucia. “However she has plenty of time to decide where she will be playing in college.” Sauro is performing at an ex-tremely high level at a young age and seems to be moti-vated to do well in this sport. “It’s her dedication to the sport. You can see the drive in her eyes and the way she holds herself on the course, one day we will be watching her play on the LPGA tour,” said Coach Lucia.

Sophomore Radi Sauro Takes to the Course and Shoots a Hole in One

By Tim Monecla

By Ged Guillaume

Soccer Season Off to a Shaky Start

Chief Wrestlers Endure Grueling Practices and Matches

Grunting, body slams, head-locks, and much more for hours in a cramped room. Then it’s out into the hallway for 40 laps, give or take, on a good day. Practice is no joke. Coach Agresti and Coach Franco often yell, “If you need to throw up, don’t waste my time, just leave, and come right back to practice.” The team members have to push themselves as far as they can go; they have to know their limit and sacrifice their own time to better themselves. The wrestling team meets right after school from 3 to 5:30 every day. Johnny Fiorentino, senior, and captain of the wrestling team has been a wrestler all four years of high school. He admits that it’s challenging to juggle all his re-sponsibilities. To Fiorentino, wres-tling has become a lifestyle. He has torn his inner costal muscle in his abdomen, has a cauliflower ear, where the cartilage deforms and hardens in that shape, and he has tendentious in his hips. “Sometimes it hurts to walk but I would rather miss school than miss practice,” said Fiorentino. “We go ten times harder than any sport so all practices are a must.” Fiorentino is also known as “The walking wound” on the team. Wrestling is said to be the martial arts of high school, yet it is barely

recognized. For tournament days, team members must wake up at five in the morning on a Saturday. If they gained even half of a pound they run to burn it off. Wres-tlers have to “make weight.” There are 14 different weight groups that a player can be classified un-der. Each individual is placed in a group based on his body structure. “I have gone over three days without food so I don’t gain weight,” said Fiorentino. “I know if I don’t make weight the team is forced to forfeit points. It’s a lose-lose situation, a loss in points and I lose a match.”

Even with wrestling always on his mind, Fiorentino still finds time to get his school work done and have a job. Last quarter he earned a 3.0 and he works six days a week at the local Mexican restaurant Rosalita’s. “School, work, and wrestling are all tied to each other. I have to get good grades so I can keep wres-tling. I have to work so I can make money to pay for my wrestling ne-cessities,” said Fiorentino. “And I wrestle to make myself happy.” Fiorentino’s teammates acknowl-edge his leadership and dedication. “He’s one of the best on the

team,” said Junior Kyle Stewart. “He is a great captain because he is a good motivator. He leads us in stretches and doesn’t hesi-tate to show us how to fix our mistakes. Even with his injury, he shows up to every practice, and practice is rigorous! We lose 3-4 pounds every practice.” There has been a higher turn-out for the students trying out for the wrestling team this year, said Coach Agresti. More and more people ignore the inju-ries and take on the challenge. “I get hurt everyday in prac-tice, but I plan to stay on the

wrestling team all four years of high school,” said Sophomore Jephter Auguste. “Wrestling is not like basketball, I have to depend on myself because the matches are one on one.” Students who do not know any better label wres-tling as a “gay sport”. Wrestlers such as Johnny, on the other hand, see those comments as an excuse to hide behind. He concludes that such students are not ma-ture enough, or even brave enough, to handle the sport.

Photo Courtesy of Ms. Lucia

By Lickna Edmond

Johnny Fiorentino

“Sometimes it hurts to walk but I would rather miss school than miss practice.” Johnny Fiorentino.

The Santaluces boys varsity soc-cer team is off to a shaky start with three wins, six losses, and a tie record as of December 8th. Team captain Anthony Villanueva, a Senior who plays forward and middle field, said he is confi-dent that the team will improve. “We’re good, especially with fundamentals,” said Villan-ueva. “But we need better communication on the field.” Before the Chiefs took on the Boynton Beach Tigers, Villan-ueva was confident they would win, but a very close game end-ed with a 2 to 3 Chief loss. Vil-lanueva said miscommunications between players caused missed assignments and led to the loss. Still, the players are op-timistic about the team. “We’ve won one out of the three district games so far. But we don’t stress the games during the regu-

lar season as much as we do in districts,” said Villanueva. “During the regular season we take notes and watch film to better ourselves. It’s really just a time to review.’’ The girls varsity team also has not had a successful year. Al-though the girls have defeated Boynton Beach twice this sea-son, the team has struggled to win both at home and away. There is no official team cap-tain. Instead, the players rotate who is in charge on the field. Defensive player and Toma-hawk Times staff writer Charl-ise Baptiste, a Junior, said the team needs more discipline. “So far we have a great team connection,” said Baptiste. “But it’s not showing on the field. Mid-fielder Tiffany Vaz, a Senior, said she likes her teammates. “I like soccer,” said Vaz. “We may not have the best record, but we’re a good working team.”

The Chiefs Boys Varsity Soccer lost to Park Vista.

Considered one of the most difficult sports to master, Wrestling gets little respect.

Photo by Allison Ferreira

Photos by Lickna EdmondChief wrestlers practice five days a week.

Basketball season at Santa-luces is jumping off. The girls team has started the season off very well with victories in Tip Off classic, season games against John I, Atlantic, Lake Worth, Boynton and Jupiter High school. These ladies have been play-ing together since middle school, practicing about four times a week or whenever they don’t have practice. They also play about 18-25 games a year. Last year they had a very success-ful season. This year they hope to grow and learn from their mistakes. “This year our goal is to win

By Melissa Esteril

Boys Head Coach Dixon

Girls Head Coach Leonard

Perrin Carriere - Point Guard

Peter Strzelecki - Shooting Guard

Mario Fleurima - Small Forward

Jess Ewald - Center

Jarred Moore - Power Forward

Districts,” said Team Captain Miriam Pierre. “or even further.” The starters, all seniors, include: Tykyera Dexter, Essence Williams, Dominique Winbush, Miriam Pierre, and Leanna Rathell. Since their days at Tradewinds middle school Dexter, Winbush, Pierre, and Rathell have been playing together. Winbush how-ever hasn’t played with the girls since starting high school and this will be her first year joining her old teammates on the court. Coach Leonard is excited about her presence, saying it will add to the team strength in rebounding.

Willams joined the ladies “clique” last year and has been welcomed as if she’s been with them for years. “Its an honor to be with these girls,” said Williams. “We all bonded. We hang out out-side of school so I already feel like part of their family.” Williams has a quickness which adds speed to the team, and that speed will allow the team to get back on offense at a faster pace. Coach Leonard and the girls have high hopes for this year. “I hope the girls can stay fo-cused,” said Coach Leonard “And being the best they can be whether in a game or at practice.”

Girls Varsity Schedule 2012

Jan 9 v. Forest HillJan. 12 @ Palm Beach Lakes

Jan. 14 v. Park VistaJan. 18 @ Village Academy

Jan. 19 v. Coral SpringsJan. 23 v. Boynton BeachJan. 26 v. Glades Central

Jan. 27 @ Olympic Heights

The boys Varsity basketball season kicked off with ex-pected wins early on. They’ve had victories against Lake worth, Village Academy, Boyn-ton Beach and John I Leonard. However their luck didn’t last long. They suffered a three point loss to Park Vista right at the buzzer. “The loss shows we have a lot of maturing to do,” said Ju-nior Mardochee Philemon. “We can’t go in underesti-mating the opposing team.” This loss showed Senior Jess Ewald a few things as well. “We’re ready mentally,” he said. “We were too cocky after

our win from John I Leonard.” It took a loss for the team to realize that they need to mature but they aren’t letting that hold them back. “My goal is to establish a good foundation for underclass men,” said Ewald. “And go to states.” For Coach Dixon, the Park Vis-ta loss was good for the team. “It woke them up,” said Coach Dixon. “Now they’re trying to get more focus during practice be-cause that’s where it all starts.” The Chiefs will get a chance for redemption against Park Vista in January and another dozen games to finish the regular season.

Photos by Allison Ferreira

By Melissa Esteril

Miriam Pierre - Forward Dominique Winbush- Center Clairwin Dameus - Point Guard Essence Williams- Shooter

The boys varsity basketball team is led by its three se-niors, Mario Fleurima, Jarred Moore and Jess Ewald. The team was off to a strong start with an opening home game win against John I Leonard. A heart-breaking loss to Park Vista at the buzzer was a big wake-up call to the team.

Tykyera Dexter- Shooter

Girls Varsity Basketball Team a Close Unit for Years

Choosing the right univer-sity or college is an extremely stressful task that almost ev-eryone goes through at the end of high school. There are so many facts that you can’t overlook, and whether you are a freshman or se-nior, it’s always the right time to map out your future. Before choosing a univer-sity or college, determine what you would like to study and major in. Career assess-ment tests on the web can help you with this, as well as college major quizzes, such as www.mymajors.com. Many students, however, go to college undecided, and that’s fine, but having an idea of the career you would like to pursue can help in finding the college that best suits you. Make a list of facts that have to be taken into account when choosing your college. Do you want to live at home, live on

campus, or go far away? Do you want a public or private university? What about tu-ition fees and scholarships? Rule out any colleges that don’t fit your criteria. You want your college years to be the best possible, and you shouldn’t settle for something you aren’t completely sure of. With your list of criteria ready, go on the web dur-ing your free time and start searching for colleges that you would be interested in. Go to college fairs, where you can meet representa-tives from different colleges that might appeal to you. Talk to guidance counsel-ors and family members who can give you some sugges-tions of what you might like. After having both your lists ready, collect information about each school you have in mind. Visit the college’s websites and look at photos of the

It’s Your Choice, Choose WiselyBy Erika Scotti

campus. Even better, try to visit the colleges that most appeal to you on your list. All of this will help reduce the number of colleges on your list to a manageable number. Finally, apply to all schools that made the cut. Check and double check for appli-cation criteria and deadlines. You should always have two “safety” schools, where you are a shoo-in for admission. Also, apply to one or two dream schools, where you might have a small chance of getting admitted. Some-times, you’ll be surprised. After applying to at least those four schools, apply to at least two schools where you can expect to be accept-ed, and will be happy there. The one piece of advice that all experts agree on is planning ahead and not wait-ing until the middle of your senior year to start think-ing about these issues.

Michael Jordan, one of the most famous basket-ball players of our time, didn’t make his high school basketball team. But he put effort in and tried. He worked and worked until he was good enough. Good enough to become role models for children and an idols for adults. Ben Af-fleck, a screen writer/ actor dropped out of the Univer-sity of Vermont after a se-mester. But his failure was

his success. He realized from his studies that he wanted to pursue an acting career. Tom Cruise, the famous ac-tor, suffered from dyslexia and despite his learning dis-ability he appeared in many plays in high school and competed in many sports. Something that all these peo-ple have in common is that in school, even through dis-appointment, being involved in clubs or sports gave them an insight into their careers.

Marlena Kenol, a Sopho-more, has goals of being in a Sorority in college like her mother. She is cur-rently involved in The la-dies of Nu Gamma which is her second time being involved in a step team. She knows it’s a lot of work and practice but knows it will pay off in the long run. “I do it because I want to be a Delta. So I basi-cally do it as an opportu-nity for college,” said Kenol.

Kenol isn’t the only one looking for opportunities for college. Sophomore Bradley Brown has recently been going to ASPIRA club meetings, which provide college informa-tion in a fun environment. Junior Basilyne Fleuri-nord is involved in her third year of chorus and loves it. “The experience is exhilarat-ing and getting congratulated is really good.” said Basilyne. “There are so many good people. We’re like a family.”

Join the ClubBy Rachael Robinson

The first semester of the school year is coming to an end, and for the seniors, this means a semester of college and scholarship ap-plications is about to begin. Students who plan on go-ing to a college, university, or vocational school in Flor-ida can apply for the Bright Futures Scholarship to help pay for college, if they meet all the requirements. There are three levels of scholarships a student can earn: Bright Futures Florida Academic Schol-ars (FAS), Florida Medal-lion Scholars (FMS), and Florida Gold Seal Vocational Scholars (FSV). The appli-cant may only receive fund-ing for only one reward. Students applying for Flor-ida Bright Futures must ap-ply after December 1st and prior to high school gradua-tion. This means that if those applying don’t meet the re-

quirements, they have until graduation to meet them. If the applicant does not submit an ‘error free’ Initial Student Florida Financial Aid Application (FFAA), they will not be able to receive any scholarship money. For the FAS scholarship, students must have a 3.5 weighted GPA. According to www.floridastudentfinacial-aid.org, students must have 16 credits in the following courses: four English cred-its, four mathematics (Al-gebra 1 level and above), three natural science, three social science, and two for-eign language (sequential, in the same language). Also, students “may use up to two additional cred-its from courses in the aca-demic areas listed above and/or AP, IB, or AICE fine arts courses to raise the GPA,” according the web-site’s list of requirements.

Students must have up to 100 community service hours to qualify. It’s very important to make sure that students have their community service hours in before they apply. Test scores are also a necessity to qualify, and test score re-quirements are increasing for graduates in the future. The requirements for the FMS scholarship are basi-cally the same requirements as the FMS requirements, but the student needs a 3.0 GPA and only 75 commu-nity service hours. The test scores for the FMS differ from the FAS. The 16 cred-its for someone applying for the FAS is the same. The student may use 2 other credits to raise their GPA. The FSV has different re-quirements than the other two scholarships. The 16 required credits are a little different: four English cred-

It’s a Bright FutureBy Tyler Shimkoski

Every year the require-ments are becoming more challenging for ambitious upper class men. At the University of Central Flor-ida, the number of appli-cants who are admitted is 46% unlike University of Florida which is 43%. If students want to be one of the students entering into a four-year university, they better start getting their act together very soon. Many colleges are looking for students who go over the limit of taking the classes that are required. The average amount of credits an average high school student receives is 24. This includes four cred-its in English, four cred-its in math, three credits in science. Instead, many colleges want to see more credits in a certain area. For instance, taking four or five science classes is more beneficial for universities in-stead of three. Try taking Ad-vanced Placement classes, Dual Enrollment, or honors classes because this gives students a higher chance

to get admitted to a univer-sity. It is also free so many students take the opportu-nity to take these classes. “I like AP classes because it prepares you for college life, and it is a different experience than regular and honor classes,” said Junior Michael Zulauf. Doing more vol-unteer work throughout the community can also help students get admit-ted to an university. Col-leges do not just look at classes and grades in junior year but senior year also. “I do take AP classes be-cause it’s good to chal-lenge myself,” said Senior Christina Li. “Especially my last year as a student.” When it comes to ap-plying for colleges, many universities look at chal-lenging schedules. For in-stance, if one applicant has straight As and is taking standardized courses and another one has As and Bs and taking rigorous cours-es, the college would most likely admit the student with the rigorous courses.

It is important, especially for Freshmen and Sopho-mores to start taking more advanced courses. Although taking rigorous courses is important, grades are also important. Students need to make sure that they keep track of their classwork and tests to receive the appro-priate grade they deserve. “If you want to ex-ceed the requirement, stu-dents should take a third foreign language, fourth science, and math for every year in high school,” said guidance counselor Mrs. DeCabia. “Always strive to honor classes and take AP and Dual Enrollment also. Instead of 24 hours of community service, try to get 100. Be aware on how you put yourself out there. Try to get involved in clubs and extra curricular activi-ties. National Honor Society and other national societ-ies that will fit your ma-jor in college are the best clubs to join. Finally, try to join clubs and groups that will benefit the school.”

The True Requirements for CollegeBy Allie Carley

its, four math credits, three natural science credits, three social studies (U.S. History, World History, U.S. Government, and Econom-ics) credits, one fine arts or identified practical art; or .5 credits in each, and 1 credit in physical education. The applicant must com-plete 30 hours of community service hours. Specific SAT, ACT, or CPT scores are re-quired to receive this award. Students who are plan-ning on applying for any of these scholarships have to apply online at www.flo-ridastudentfinacialaid.org. The FFAA that is required to receive any of the schol-arship money may also be filled out on the website. The requirements change after each graduating year. Each graduating year’s requirements can be found online as well.

Graphic Design by Melissa Tyson

You’ve probably seen him around school, but if you haven’t then you’ve probably saw him on the field playing varsity quarterback. It’s not easy being a Freshman, but imagine being a Freshman and the new Quarterback for the varsity football team? Aspir-ing football start Lamar Jack-son had the opportunity to play as our quarter back this year. “It feels really good to be on the team,” he said. “Fresh-men really don’t have this opportunity at all really.” Jackson first started play-ing football when his cousin wanted to play one day. Since then Jackson has been play-ing for the last seven years prior to attending Santaluces. He enjoys playing basketball and training in his spare time, so that maybe one day he’ll be as good as his favorite NFL player Michael Vick. “My mom motivates me the most,” he said. “She’s a strong single parent.”

Freshman Andrea Jara seems like a normal kid blending into the crowd, but she stands out as an outstanding part of the marching band. The band practices from 5 pm right after school and end at 9 pm. The most spectacular thing about her is that she accomplish-es all of her work and comes to school ready to learn day after day. “I’ve known her since 5th grade,” said Cara Sampson, a Freshman, and a fellow marching Chief. ”She’s always been funny, quirky, and fun to be around.” As an incoming Freshman, her goal was to enter the marching band and show off her Clarinet-playing skills. She plans on be-coming either a photographer, or a music educator when she grows up. Her college plans in-clude going to UM or Lynn Univer-sity and majoring in photography. “I see myself as a happy, ex-

Dancer, model, track-star, football player, fashionista, and girlfriend are all categories that Sopho-more Jasmina Lahens fits into. “I like that she can multi-task, and she’s very outgoing and clever”, said Mrs. Schroader, her English teacher. “She’s a very deep person, and she’s fearless when she’s talk-ing in front of the class.” Dancing at both Sean’s Danc-ing Factory, and Dance Univer-sal, she describes Sean’s as “like her family.” She loves dancing of all kinds, although Hip-Hop and Urban dance are her favorites. In terms of music, her favorites vary, but she enjoys listening to Hip-Hop and R&B the most. Her favorite artists include: Drake, J. Cole, Wale, and Kanye West. She loves hanging out with friends and going shopping, especially with Sophomore Tayla Allen. “We’ve been friends for 4 years (since 7th grade) I love her,” said Allen. “I love her weirdness, and that she’s so funny and laid-back.” Her interests vary from dancing to her love of Math and Fashion. She enjoys dressing up and ex-pressing herself through fashion, and everyone is aware of it. Her unique style is, as she describes it, a combination of Vintage and Retro, she calls it “Viretro”.

Being the teacher’s son can be tough, but being the new kid in school can be even worse. Ser-gio De La Espriella, currently a sophomore and music teacher Mr.

Troy Stark, a baseball play-ing surfer who sings and strums his guitar, has a bright future ahead of him. As a Junior, Stark is constantly under stress but that doesn’t stop him from en-joying his high school career. Aside from playing the guitar, he plays the piano, trumpet and bass. He is in the music academy and loves his Sound Engineering II and Electronic Music II classes. “The academy I am in ap-pealed to me immediately when I learned they had a studio on campus,” he said. “I always wanted to learn how to use stu-dio equipment so I could one day create my own home studio.” Mr. Rivera, Stark’s academy music instructor is fond of Stark. “I truly think that I am lucky to have a student like him,” said Mr. Rivera. “He is a bright student, responsible, talented musician and an asset to the program.” Along with his academy classes, Stark has taken five AP classes and is currently taking AP Lan-guage and AP U.S. History. His favorite AP class is Mu-sic Theory because he is able to listen to his own work and it had a creative atmosphere. Although he is interested in mu-sic, his future includes majoring in Pre-Med. As for college, he is planning on applying to Univer-sity of Miami, Columbia Univer-sity, FAU and University of Florida.

Lamar Jackson - Freshman

Andrea Jara - Freshman

Jasmina Lahens - Sophomore

Sergio De La Espirella - Sophomore

Troy Stark - Junior

When most people hear the name Rod Louis they think of that fun-ny senior who’s always cracking jokes. Another thing that comes to mind when they hear his name is Bullethead, and not the character from the old Steve Harvey show. During the spring of 2010, there was a shoot out in Indian Pines park between local thugs. Rod, an innocent bystander, was caught in the crossfire. Luckily, he was only grazed on the side of the head. If

Rod Louis - Senior

Mayumi Combs has known what path she wanted to take in life since middle school. Her friend persuaded her to audition for a part in one of the school’s productions, and it intrigued her. Her love for drama had only begun as a hobby for her, some-thing to do in her spare time. But after performing in a production called Pippin, her interest was peaked. It soon became her fa-vorite activity, along with singing. She wants to go to the Art In-stitute or FAU. She’s also been nominated for the Pathfinder scholarship for drama, which can give her money for college. “I’m really edgy about it; there’s a lot of rough competi-tion,” said Combs. “But I’m re-ally excited to be competing.” In her spare time she likes to sing and practice her acting skills, but she also is fond of swim-ming. Combs is interested in all parts of the arts program, and if she wasn’t able to do drama, she’d go into the arts and draw-ing programs, or even dabble in the graphic design classes.Still, Combs says that no mat-ter how much she likes the other aspects of her life, her home will always be the stage.

When you think of breakdancing dancing at Santaluces High School, two names come up automatically, Kemar Minott and Oliver Stewart. You’ve seen them at pep- ral-lies, talent shows and almost all events that involve danc-ing. Minott and Stewart have even been in state competi-tions that showcase their talent. Even though dancing is one of their main talents, dancing just scratches the surface of what Mi-nott and Stewart are involved in. Besides being great danc-ers, the dynamic duo also have their own hobbies. “I draw, write poetry, rap, and

play basketball,” Stewart said. Minott also draws, writes po-etry, and is always putting work in at the gym. But the two best friends both agree, danc-ing is their number one priority. The pair were always good friends, and when they found out that dancing was some-thing they had in common, they became great friends. Minott and Stewart have been dancing together for four years. “We started together in the 8th grade,” said Minot. “And we’ve been [dancing] together ever since.” Their dancing has even been recognized statewide.

“We’ve been in competitions in Day-tona and Orlando.” Stewart said. “We performed in a dancing competition called Fine Arts and this year we came in 3rd place.” As for how far the two want to take their dancing, both agree that it’s something they would consid-er doing when out of high school. Even though Minott and Stew-art do not know where they want to go for college, both know they want to go up north (but stay in Florida) in a four-year university. “Even though its just a hobby for us,” said Minott, “if the op-portunity comes, I’ll take it.”

citing, and fun to hang out with type of girl,” said Java. She feels proud of being in the school marching band and mak-ing the cut in her Freshmen year. “Making the marching band was hard, so my advice for next year’s Freshmen is to work hard, practice every day, never give up, and give it all you got.”” By Jordan Santa Rosa

By David Perez

By Dena Fleuridor

By Navael Fontus

By Erika Scotti

Rivera’s stepson, transferred from Archbishop McCarthy in Broward to carry out the rest of his high school years here at Santaluces. “It’s kind of cool, being the teacher’s son,” said De La Es-priella. “People know who I am, but people, especially teach-ers, have high expectations because I’m Mr. Rivera’s son.” Sergio’s old school, Archbishop McCarthy, is a private Catho-lic school, so there is an abun-dance of differences between this school and his old one. “We had a strict uniform, and boys had to keep their hair a certain length which was a big thing for me,” he said. “San-taluces is also much bigger, and has a lot more students.” De La Espriella is taking one of the music academy’s courses, Elec-tronic Music, and is also involved in Reflections, the school’s top choir. However, his main interest is in musical theater. He is involved in the community theater near his house, and at Santaluces. He hopes to one day go to University of Michigan, or FSU, and either double major in musical theater and film acting or major in sports management with a double minor in history and musical theater.

Derricka Williamson - Junior

Of the student population here at Santaluces high school, a majority of the junior class either knows or has heard of Derricka William-son. She is involved in all there is to offer. Derricka is part of the AVID club, NHS, Ladies First, and Links crew. Williamson also plays basketball, football, and track. Derricka has been going since freshman year. She says the facul-ty and staff at Santaluces provide all the encouragement she needs. “In the future I plan to be-come a pediatrician or a physical therapist for young atheletes,” said Williamson. “Santaluces whole sports division has given me the will to do well in sports.” Outside of school, Williamson works at Panera Bread. Most people also don’t know that she enjoys singing, writing poems and listening to music. And, she plays drums, bass guitar and piano. A weird fact about William-son: she’s really afraid of feet, but can’t explain why. “They really scare me,” she said.

By Lickna Edmond

By Rimsha Rashid

the bullet had been inches closer to his head, it could have been fatal. “I was really angry when it hap-pened,” he said. “I don’t go to the Indian Pines park anymore because of the bad memories.” Since the incident, he has been quite popular around school. “People would just come up and touch my scar and hug me and stuff.” Popularity seems to be something that Louis has become accustomed to. “Yeah, I mean, I know a lot of peo-ple and I’m just good with them.” Louis’ brother, Ralph Louis, was a former Santaluces stu-dent who graduated in the class of 2010 and was also popular around campus. Louis’ brother helped him to gain popularity. “He introduced me to a bunch of the juniors and seniors,” said Louis. “He brought me up to a certain level with everyone. We share many things in common like our sarcastic nature. But by this point, I’m cooler than him when he was a senior in high school.”

By Ged Guillaume

By Shannon Lechon

The Dynamic Duo: Kemar and Oliver Always Impress

Photos by Allison Ferreira

Kemar and Oliver perform at the Winter Sports Pep Rally

Kemar Minott

Oliver Stewart

Mayumi Combs - Senior

Old School Meets New School

SGA Celebrates the Holiday with Speical Needs Students

The tables in the gym were filled with brownies, cook-ies, water, lemonade, and more than 50 boxes of pizza. Accompanied by the most en-ergetic Student Government members and dedicated school staff, the Snowball party rock-ers danced the afternoon away. This year’s Snowball is the 4th annual dance. It is spon-sored by Mrs. Demarzo, head of SGA, and it offers ESE stu-dents not just from Santaluces but from around the county, a special event just for them. The students enjoyed taking pic-tures with Santa Claus and his favorite elf among the festivities. Guidance counselor Mr. Smith’s voice was behind this year’s Santa. “I’ve never been Santa before,” said Mr. Smith. “It was really fun to make other people happy.” Santaluces is known all around Palm Beach County for this event. Teachers and faculty from various schools such as Park Vista, John I. Leonard, Boynton Beach, and Wellington dressed to impress for the occasion. The gym was decorated with a christmas tree, snow flakes, pres-ents, wreaths and much more to emphasize the holiday theme. Every year Mrs. Demarzo sends out an email to the ESE depart-ment of the schools attending. At this event, schools are no

Influenced by the mov-ie “To Sir, With Love”, a 1967 British drama film that deals with social and racial issues in an inner city school, Ms. Ewing decided to pursue her teaching career and has been teaching here at Santaluces for 28 years. Her love of math and

Known for riding his cool mo-tor cycle to school everyday, new English teacher Mr. Witt is teach-ing 10th grade English and Reading. He came to Santaluces right after the first pep rally. He taught 6th grade last year at Lake Worth Middle School. “When I called for an interview here,I asked many of my teaching friends what they thought about Santaluces High School. Each response was overwhelm-ingly positive, so I knew that if I was of-fered the job, I would certainly take it.” Although he graduated from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee with an English degree, he actually wanted to be a doctor. “I decided to do what I was good at,” said Mr. Witt. “I had two F’s in medicine.” Mr. Witt is known for rid-ing his blue Honda motorcycle. “I bought it because commuting to the Boca and Daive campuses of Florida Atlantic University last year and this past summer,” he said. “It’s faster, quicker, and much more fuel efficient. I bought it for all those rea-sons, but also because I like motor-bikes. I think they’re cool. I do drive my old jeep whenever it’s raining or I need to carry a lot to or from school.”.

One of the many new faces at San-taluces this year is Ms. Sampson. She graduated from the University at Albany - Suny, has been teach-ing for five years. She taught English and Reading at Tradewinds Middle School for four years before deciding she was ready to teach high school. “I’ve wanted to work for Mrs. Or-loff since she was the principal at Tradewinds,” said Ms. Sampson. “I also heard very good things about this place.” Ms. Sampson is optimistic that she will have a great year getting to know her students and learning the Chief way. During her down time, Ms. Sampson likes to take care of her children and tend to her four dogs. Ms. Sampson’s son is a student here at Santaluces. “My son is part of the Chiefs marching band, so I help out a lot with their events and activities,” said Ms. Sampson. Besides taking care of her chil-dren and dogs, the five-year eng-lish teacher loves to, of course, read. Ms. Sampson is dedicated to and loves what she does.“If I could have any other job it would definitely still be a teacher,” she said. “I just love what I do”

SGA Hosts Annual Snowball

longer rivals, students min-gle, dance and have fun with other special needs students. Each school selects a king and queen, some holding elections, and they are crowned at the dance. As students stood on their toes for a better look, the kings and queens were announced. After the Snowball dance was over, as everyone was cleaning up, SGA members chatted about the event. “Oh my goodness, they were so

cute,” said Sophomore Caitlin Col-ligan. “Next year I want to do this again because I had a great time and it was a wonderful experience.” The Snowball dance went well according to Mrs. Demarzo. “It’s the most rewarding thing we do all year,” she said. “I would love to take all of my SGA mem-bers but I can only choose so many. The ones I did choose had fun, but also worked hard to make all the kids dance.”

The countdown begins. His-tory teacher Mr. Peccia is on his way to retirement, as the class of 2013 receives their diplomas, he’ll be hitting the road. Peccia has been teaching here at Santaluces since 1982, two years after the school opened. He has taught many different social studies courses such as American Govern-ment, World History, Econom-ics, plus Physical education. Peccia taught a copious amount of subjects at various schools before Santaluces and has been teaching for more

“Oh My God,” Mr. Peccia is Close to Retirement

Fiesty but Fair, Ms. Ewing English teachers Mr. Witt and Ms. Sampson left middle schools for Santaluces

By Lickna Edmond

Photos by Lickna Edmond

Special needs students from around the county enjoy the annual Snowball Dance in the gym. The dance is sponsored by Santaluces SGA.

helping students in high school had a big role too. During her time here, Ms. Ewing has no-ticed a few changes. The big-gest overall is the amount of teaching time lost to testing. Still, Ms. Ewing has formed spe-cial memories with her students and co-workers. One of her fa-vorite was in 2003 when she was teaching Calculus trying to explain something called saddle point. She attempted to draw a horse on the board. One of her stu-dents gave her a stuffed horse and told her to never attempt to draw a horse ever again.

The same year the horse, whose name is Henry was kidnapped. It was returned at the end of the year, but it has become a traditional game to kidnap Henry, the horse. He has been to prom, Washington DC, and last year he traveled to Europe. Before coming to Santa-luces, Ms. Ewing attended Palm Beach Junior College, now known as Palm Beach State College, then moved on to graduate from Florida Atlantic University. She has 19 year old twin daughters.

than 40 years. But teaching was not his first career of choice.“I wanted to go to law school,” said Peccia. “I planned to work as a teach-er to pay for law school.” He wanted to pursue law school and become a lawyer, but he couldn’t escape the family tradition of being a teacher. Even his children are in the education field. His son, Joey Peccia, was a Principal at Manatee Elementary and his daughter Torrey is a Bowling Green Elementary Reading Coach. Both Joey and Torrey graduated from Santaluces

High which was one of his most memorable moments of teaching here, he said. Peccia has also been part of extracurricular activi-ties in his teaching career. He a was an athletic di-rector, head coach of the wrestling, basketball, and football teams. One of his most memorable mo-ments of coaching was winning the champi-onship in football with “Teaching is reward-ing and the students help keep me young,” said Pec-cia. “At least in my mind.”

Wake up and smell the coffee! The hustle and bustle starts in the 1000 building with the calling out of coffee orders. The Chief Coffee Club must prepare it all with only one coffee machine. The organized chaos is respon-sible for provid-ing teachers with their cof-fee orders. Mrs. Motter, teacher to the ESE stu-dents, began this project with her class of ten students. In ef-forts to fund the off campus work program that teaches ESE students how to use pub-lic transporta-tion, Mrs. Mot-ter and her ESE class decided to begin sell-ing coffee to faculty on campus. “We wanted to service the campus in some way along with servicing the off cam-pus program,” said Motter. It costs $1 a day for teach-ers who are not members of the club and 50 cents per day for teachers who are. So far, all of the profits have gone back into the project to purchase supplies such as cof-fee, cups and napkins. Their current goal: buying a second coffee pot for better business. They got the idea from other high schools that have had suc-

cess with it and made it their own. “Two of us stay outside of the classroom and one person runs the coffee and we wait till they get back,” said Senior, Yareliz Cruz, member of the ESE class, describing the strategy used to

deliver coffee quickly to teachers and staff. “We deliver during third hour every-day day except on LTMs,” said Motter. The teach-ers who are mem-bers of the Coffee club receive half off on the coffee they order every-day and sometimes even receive spe-cial gifts and treats with their purchase.Mrs. Orloff is an enthusiastic mem-ber of the club. “I think it’s great! It gives kids the

chance to learn business skills and relate to adults,” said Mrs. Orloff. Early Childhood teacher, Mrs. Kouf also believes the ESE stu-dents learn valuable business skills when selling the coffee. She is a member of the club and likes the various treats the club offers. She supports the learning experi-ence it offers to the ESE students. “One day they gave me a piece of chocolate with my coffee but they put it underneath the cof-fee, so it melted, but it still tasted good,” said Kouf, “That’s an experi-ence that the kids will learn from.”

By Fatou Bobb

By Rose Derose

By Brianica McLaurin By Navael Fontus

By Briana Goldson

Matt Judson enjoys his coffee order.Photo by Rose Derose

Brewing Business Skills

The Hunger Games: May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor

Twilight’s breaking Dawn part 1never as good as the books

Holiday Movie PreviewsBy Rayven Wright

By Eric McArthur

“It keeps you on the edge of your seat,” said Sophomore Carlos Rivera.

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn

Director Steven Spielberg adapts Hergé’s classic comic books into this big-screen, animated ad-venture. The movie is shot in the Tintin is a young reporter in search of the secret behind the model ship, Unicorn, which he purchases at an outdoor market. Suspicious characters try to buy the model from Tintin, but he refuses. Tintin is kidnapped and put into the custody of the drunk, Captain Haddock. Tintin knows the ship, Unicorn, contains the key to finding a hidden treasure; he, Captain Haddock, and Tintin’s faithful dog, Snowy, join together in this glorious adventure with battling villains, treasure hunts, and the secret of the Unicorn.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Based on the late Stieg Larsson’s book trilogy, The Girl with the

Dragon Tattoo is an epic tale of mystery and murder. This movie is a remake of the original Swedish version. Mikael Blomkvist,played by James Bond’s Daniel Craig, is a journalist with a tarnished ca-reer. He teams up with Lisbeth Salander, a computer hacker, to investigate the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, a woman who vanished 40 years ago. Although Mikael and Lisbeth dig deep to find the truth, Harriet’s family will do anything to keep their family history a secret - even if it means burying Mikael and Lisbeth alive.

We Bought a Zoo

We Bought a Zoo is a touching family drama that its creators say will surely touch your heart and make you smile. Matt Da-mon plays a recently widowed father of two. In an attempt to start over and tighten the bonds between his family, the widower purchases a zoo. The staff of the zoo help not only to repair the establishment and return it to its

former majesty, but to bring the his family closer together. The trailer for this movie offers the possibility of something great,

but it could end up a sappy mess.

Mission: ImpossibleGhost Protocol

Ethan Hunt is back again in the fourth installment of the action-packed Mission Impossible series.The movie trailer offers a glimpse of the action as Tom Cruise slides down the side of a glass build-ing in one scene then driving and crashing sports cars through city streets. Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol is directed by Brad Bird, the director of movies such as The Incredibles and Ra-tatouille, It’s his first live-action film. The IMF, or Impossible Mis-sions Force, has been shut down after being accused of involve-ment in a terrorist plot. Now, Hunt and his four-man team must go uncover to find the truth and lift the charges against the IMF.

Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and Breaking Dawn. This seemed to be the perfect mix for the Thanksgiving Break. The first part of the final chapter of the Twilight Saga has begun. The movie was released in theaters on November 18, 2011, and it earned $62.3 million during Thanksgiv-ing weekend alone, according to b r e a k i n g -dawn.o rg . “I read the books and I really want to see the movie. It’s get-ting better!” said junior, V a n e s s a Mazzocchi. After w a t c h i n g the mov-ie, some some people believe that “it goes with the book”. But, I personally don’t think that the movie fol-lowed the book very well. The first part of the movie can be summarized with two words: sickening romance. The first ten minutes are about how bad Bella feels about marrying one of the hottest guys, and then for al-most an hour and a half the new movie director, Bill Condon, de-cided to show how much Bella and Edward “love on each other”. I have to say that Part 1 dis-appointed me. Kristen Stewart has worn the same expression for three movies and a half, without changing a minute. However, it’s also true that I’ve been surprised by the second part of the movie: when Bella found out

that she was pregnant, I started to be more interested in it. I have to say that the make-up was pret-ty amazing and I liked how they showed the connection that was made between Rosalie and Bella. Taylor Lautner has played the character of werewolf Jacob Black in a way that it seemed he man-aged to inhabit the character bet-

ter than ei-ther Bella or Edward. I ap-preciated the i m p r i n t i n g scene, which was actually the same in the book. If I were Ste-phenie Meyer I would be disappointed knowing that my Jake is

not the “Alpha Wolf” in the movie. As for Edward, Bella’s vampire boyfriend-turned husband, Robert Pattison has even less expression than he has in any of the other movies. The only exception was during the second part of the mov-ie when he realized the impact his attitude was having on his baby. According to Rotten Toma-toes, the movie recieved only 27% positive reviews from crtics, even worse than New Moon, which earned 28%. Now, there’s nothing left to do but wait for the second part of the movie, which will be released in theaters on November 26, 2012. I am really impatient to watch it, and see if finally, at least the last movie will fulfill my expecta-tions as much as the books did.

Imagine yourself and 23 other teenagers forced into an arena and told you were to fight to the death. You are uncertain of every-thing. Your competition, the arena and the dangers you’ll face when you get there, it’s all unclear. And to top it off: All of America has to watch it on live TV. The bloodshed will be immense. Still the worst part is, there’s nothing you can do about it. These are the Hunger Games. This international best seller has capti-vated both teens and adults and will be re-leased as a movie in March. Written by Suzanne Collins,The Hunger Games takes place in an unidenti-fied future time period af-ter the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol and 12 sur-rounding, poorer districts. Dis-trict 12, is where the book begins.As punishment for a previous re-bellion against the Capitol takes one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each dis-trict at random and forces them to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised event in which the participants, or “tributes,” must fight to the death in a dangerous, outdoor arena, controlled by the Capitol, until only one remains. The story follows fatherless 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12, who volun-teers for the 74th Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also participating from District 12

is Peeta Mellark, a boy whom Kat-niss knows from school. They are the main characters of the book. The book has received wide criti-cal acclaim with some referring to it as “addicting”. Well known authors such as Stephen King and Stephenie Meyers (author of the Twilight Saga) have

praised the book call

-ing it “exciting, poi-gnant, thoughtful, and breathtaking by turns”. The series has also done very well commercially with 29 million copies in print as of January 2011. Hollywood has taken notice of the popularity of the books and a live action film is in the works.When the movie trailer was released in November, fans flocked to the In-ternet to catch a glimpse of how well the movie captures the book. Now, with huge movie franchis-

es like Harry Potter, Twilight, and Transformers coming to an end, a hole is being left in the movie world. Some critics are saying the Hunger Games will fill the gap. With a budget of $100 million, The Hunger Games looks poised

to be box office block b u s t e r . Talented actors and a c t r e s s -es such

as Jennifer Lawrence (Winter Bones, X-Men: First Class) Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are Al-right, Journey To the Center of the Earth), and Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song, Expendables 2) are all set to star as the leads. Here at Santaluces, the Chiefs in the Trailblazer English class were assigned the book to read. Fresh-men were seen all around cam-pus with their noses in this saga. They’ve also inspired other stu-dents to read the books as well.

“I wish I had read it in English class because I would have been able to talk about it in class and an-alyze it with a teacher,” said Soph-omore Carlos Rivera. “It keeps you on the edge of your seat.” Trailblazer English teach-er Ms. Hollinshead said she chose the book for her class because she loved the strong female character of Katniss. “I wanted to remind my stu-dents that reading can be fun and adventerous,” said Ms. Hol-linshead. “The students loved this book and most went on to read the rest of the series.”

The International best-seller is now a movie and assigned reading at Santaluces.

10.) Join a sports team. You’ll have fun competing and making new friends with your teammates. Whether it’s football, basketball, soccer, swimming, or even tennis, being on a sports team will build you up physically and mentally. 9.) Join a club. Santaluces has more than 20 clubs. From Yoga to National Honor Society, you can always find a club that best suits you and your abilities. Clubs are not only fun, but they looks great on a college application. A major-ity of clubs help you receive com-munity hours . The best part about joining a club at school is that you don’t have to be 18 to get in. 8.) Get Community Ser-vice Hours. Giving back to the community is an essential part of high-school. Our district re-quires that each student earn at least 20 hours of commu-nity service in order to gradu-ate. You can do anything from a beach clean up to helping out at a retirement home. Whatever it is, make sure it’s something you’ll enjoy and have fun doing. 7.) Maintain your GPA. You would NEVER want to be that stu-dent who doesn’t walk across the stage so keep a close watch on your GPA. Your GPA has to be a 2.0 or higher in order for you to grad-uate. Always strive to aim higher than a 2.0 because most universi-ties look for a GPA higher than 3.0.

6.) Take SAT/ ACT. Tak-ing the SAT and ACT is no walk in the park, but there are many benefits that come out of tak-ing these tests. The ACT and SAT let you know where you stand academically and pre-pare you for college. When your scores are higher it’s easier to get into a college or University. 5.) Decide on your college. Knowing where you want to go for college early helps you to know what’s needed for that particular college. Whether it’s a four-year university or com-munity college, know where you want to go after high school. The most important thing to do is speak to your guidance counselor as much as possible. 4.) Go to Homecoming. Think of it as the level before prom. Even though it’s not as lavish, Home-coming is something every student should attend before graduation. 3.) Go to Grad Bash. Imag-ine, 24 hours of fun with your senior class. No parents and no curfew. This is Grad Bash. 2.) Attend Prom. Wheth-er you’ve watched a movie or read about it in a book, prom is known of internationally. It is only one night but the memo-ries made will last a lifetime. 1.) Have fun! You don’t want ev-ery day of your four years in high school to be a drag. Meet new people, join new clubs. Whatever it is, make it fun and memorable.

By Navael Fontus

How to Survive High School

By Lucrezia Gaion

The British aren’t just com-ing anymore. They’re here. British native Adele caught us by surprise when her song “Rolling in the Deep” rose to #1 shortly after it was released in November 2010. Since then, it’s everywhere: on TV shows such as Glee, blaring out of every car radio around and playing on iP-ods belonging to both teenagers and their parents. Personally, I am not one of those fans. Her songs consist of the cliché sub-ject of being done wrong by a man, and blah blah blah. Many women think she has an amazing voice and believe they can con-nect to the lyr-ics in her songs. I however don’t really see what the hype is all about. I find it nauseat-ing to hear the repetitive lyrics blasting through every depart-ment store and radio in town. It really disappoints me to see people idolizing and glorifying artisits such as Adele and other like her. In my opinion, they don’t make ‘em like they used to. I prefer rock and artists such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin and Joan Jett. But they don’t get the kind

Anti - Adele

of respect Adele has with only a few albums under her belt. Even some of the most famous rock bands such as Van Halen, Kiss, and even the Ramones have never had a #1 hit in America, according to Billboard magazine. Adele however managed to nab two #1 billboard titles. I cannot express my utter disgust

that we focus more on an artist’s stage presence and the overly advertised hype. What ever hap-pened to the artistic value of an artist, the tortured and dark persona of the deepest think-ers of our times? Take Kurt Cobain for example. I ap-preciate everything he has done; writ-ing songs about life. Yes, Cobain’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” is the song everyone probably knows, but even that song is better than Adele’s re-

petitive “Rolling in the Deep”. The title doesn’t even make sense or relate to the song in any way. Nirvana’s song “All Apologies” is about Cobain’s despression and the troubles in his life. You can feel the sincerity and the genuine pain in his voice. Meanwhile, Adele can only think about how bad her life is because a guy broke her heart.....puh lease.

Should I Choose the Military Over College?

I was in the fourth grade when my brother Anderson announced that he would be joining the US Navy; as a ten year old I had no idea what he was getting himself into. I remember vividly my moth-er’s tears streaming down her face as she watched her first born get ready to be shipped to boot camp in Great Lakes, Chicago. As years passed, my brother was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. He was never in the front line or dan-ger or anything from my perspec-tive, just a regular working man doing what it takes to pay his bills. The first time we went to visit him as a family I was 14 years old and he was getting ready to go out to sea for six months. Once again I watched my mother cry helplessly at the simple thought of her el-dest son living on a boat for six months. He came back unharmed and tears of joy streamed down her face quietly as she thanked God for bringing her son back. My mother hates the fact that Anderson chose to go the mili-tary and his constant renewal of his contract is also an annoy-ance to her. But when it comes to my other brother Malherbe however she feels different. It’s

Imagine facing the world on your own with no guid-ance and millions of ques-tions going through your head. Am I ready for this? Am I ready to take care of myself and walk my own path? It’s time to leave home, grow up and do things for yourself. So what’s the problem with grow-ing up and becoming an adult? Many teens are afraid of grow-ing up because now they are forced to face the real world. They are no longer living in an environment where they feel protected and at ease. Now they’re thrown into reality and are seeing first-hand what being an adult is like. Paying bills, finding work, living on their own, and making it in life with-out their loved ones’ assistance. Teens are going to learn that not everything comes easy in life and hard work is a necessity to make it in this world. “I don’t have fears,” said Se-nior Trey Rawls. “I believe I’m ready for the real world, I was raised correctly.” The only thing is that most teens do not feel this way and they feel unprepared. The fears could be endless: “lack of money, a crap-py job, and not being in college, which equals no life,” said, Se-nior Caitlin Summer. Adversities such as these could just kill young adults’ confidence in dealing with the real world. Also, if they see their older coun-terparts struggling to adapt to the expectations and demands of growing up, then teens could feel that they are nowhere near ready to take the world head on. Many teens have never need-ed a job, never had bills to pay, and had basically everything they needed handed to them. Once all of these things pile up, their brain are going be rattled. I honestly feel that growing up can be pretty scary if you don’t feel prepared for reality. I can’t expect to have things hand-ed to me and not work for it. That’s not how life works, I know that I have to become in-dependent and get through life on my own and I can’t just pass my problems along. I have to handle them myself. No longer can I go to my fam-ily and expect them to help me deal with my problems like most teens do. When you grow up, everything you do falls on your shoulders and you just have to man up and face them head on.

Give Me a Break

Junior Melissa Esteril will decide next year whether to join the military.

as if she’d prefer him to be in the military in order to receive some well needed discipline. And then there’s me. Seventeen years old and the youngest at that. I now find myself ponder-ing whether or not to take the route to college or take a deep breath and head to the air force. A tough decision that I and many other high school classmates face as the clock winds down and graduation quickly approaches. Choosing to go to the military is a decision that not only affects the person enlisting but his/her fami-ly as well. The burden of knowing

that the reason your family cries is because they miss you isn’t an easy one to deal with; but is the fear of disappointing others a rea-son to pass up the great oppor-tunities you’ll get in the military? Being a Junior and maintaining a 3.5 GPA with the motivation to succeed in every aspect of life, I now have a decision to make. I feel as though I’m trapped, not knowing whether to go forth to a university after graduation or get in shape and head to boot camp. If I take the route to the Air Force I’d still have the opportunity to go to college but I’d also get

Photo by Lickna Edmond

the to chance to visit the world. If I go to a university I’d deal with the financial struggles; growing up in a lower middle class family money for college isn’t something that will come my way easily. I know I can survive and do well in a college atmosphere, but the sea of debt I’ll be swimming in isn’t something I’d like to jump into. A year and some change; that’s all the time I have to make my de-cision. One that I won’t be able to just take back. One that I have to consider others and not just myself. In the end, however, it’s my life and I will do what I want.

Grahpic by Kayelee Shimkoski

By Melissa Esteril

By Jordan Santa Rosa

Breakup songs don’t appeal to everyone.

By Timothy Monecla

Adele’s #1 Hits:Chasing Pavements

Rolling in the DeepSomeone Like You

Facing the Future:

Do teachers give too much work over vacation?

Imagine: The last day of school before winter break has finally came rolling around and you can already smell the wrapping paper and red-green sprinkled snicker doodles. Your only aspirations for this Christmas are to sit back and enjoy the warmth of the fireplace against the chilly December air outside... and then start reading a 300-page novel and answer-ing 60 questions along with a six-page overview of the book. As irritating as it might seem, some teachers view it accept-able, and often encourage more work over winter break. “I believe homework should be given, but to an extent,” said AP World History teacher Mr. Jayne, “It should be enough to keep them on track, so we can pick up where we left off once we come from break.” The most common thought go-ing through a high school stu-dent’s head when homework is assigned over break is “whats the point of taking a break if there is still homework to do?”. In the eyes of many teach-ers, it’s the only way to keep students, especially high school students, on track. “It just doesn’t seem reason-able to me, we go on break to get

away from work,” said Sophomore Mohamed Auguste, “I’d rather be actually enjoying my free time.” From the perspective of a stu-dent, work over winter break seems like busy work, or just discipline, it doesn’t help the stu-dent learn. Most teenagers view it as teacher’s way of taking away their freedom. They don’t seem to understand the importance of it. “Its okay if its only like a Math packet covering the stuff we’ve been learning about, to keep your mind refreshed,” said Sophomore Sara Saba, “But reading a book and answer-ing questions is just redundant.” Even during all other breaks from school, including spring and Thanksgiving break, the responsi-bility of homework over break gets heavier, and is weighted espe-cially for AP and honors students. For many, if not all, AP courses, a project/assignment is required to be completed over break, and it’s never as simple as reading a book, or answering questions. “The thing is, most kids, even AP students, don’t want work over the break, they don’t do it until the last minute because they’re busy actually enjoying their vacation,” said Yenny Osorio, a Sophomore.

By Dena Fleuridor

How many of us are ready to grow up?

Photo by Lickna Edmond

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ARTIST SPOTLIGHT

It all started at the age of six when Senior, William Helena start-ed drawing. His interest in draw-ing grew as he read comic books such as Captain Underpants and watched cartoon shows such as Dragon Ball Z. He was also inspired by his father, who was an artist. “I always looked up to him and want-ed to draw just like him,” said Helena. “One day, I asked him to draw Poke-

mon for me and he did it perfectly.” In the beginning of his Senior year Helena decided to take up photog-raphy. He took AP Drawing his Ju-nior year with Mrs. Ardner and got interested in taking pictures after seeing his classmates’ artwork. He thought everybody’s art work was really “cool” and that inspired him to take the class. Helena has now become a double threat, an artist and a photographer. Even though Helena has been an artist for roughly eleven years, he wants to pursue film at Florida State University. After Mr. Badome, Visual Technology teacher, ex-posed him to hands-on film mak-ing, he became a big fan and wants to make it his career. He chose to go to FSU because they have a film program which is linked to Digital Domain. His goal is to become a visual effects artist. “I’ve always liked movies,” said Helena. “I love fantasy and ac-tion and those are the kinds of movies I want to make.”

William Helena

By Rose DeroseThese works represent a few of Helena’s favorite photos. The pine cone is an example of a close-up shot and the rusted chain is an example of texture. Helena completed the digital self portrait in Mr. Badome’s visual technology 3 class.