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Administration bans ordering food from ChickenKitchen, Gold China in 2006-2007 school yearOrdering food from off-campus venders is nolonger an avaliableoption for students’lunch time cravings.

BY JESSICA LEHMANNEWS EDITOR

Here at Coral Reef there arecertain luxuries that we all take forgranted. From teacher leniency tohaving only one lunch, ouramenities are endless. As the Classof 2006 departs out the big doubledoors, big changes are slowlysetting into place for those currentunderclassman. When the clock strikes eleventhere is usually a massive index incell phone usage around theschool. From Chicken Kitchen toGold China, students are placinghundred dollar orders to enjoysome sort of relief from normalcafeteria food. “On an average day we tend tomake a few thousand dollars profit

off of orders from Coral Reef,”noted a supervisor at the ChickenKitchen location in Country Walk,“and that is just from our location.The one on South Dixie highwayis just as successful.” This scenario will not longer setthe trends though, as of August2006. The Health Departmentdowntown, along with the schoolboard, will be cracking down onrules that interfere with thestudent’s ability to order outduring lunch. Their reasoning? “We are trying to set a trend thatwill provide all students in MiamiDade County Schools with anorganized and healthy mealroutine,” said Jose Mulligan, aconcerned employee with theschool system, “There is a healthconcern here with studentsordering out and we are simplytrying to eliminate any threat ofmalnourishment.” The Health Department,together with the school board,agree with the suddenenforcement. There has always

Curriculum council prohibits stu-dents from sending faxes to leaveschool early next year

BY CYNTHIA AHMEDSTAFF WRITER

Every year the administrationtightens the rope on the freedomof Coral Reef students. This year

they implemented ID’s andprogrammed the hallways withsecurity cameras. Next year,Cudas cannot order food and leaveearly by using a fax. The Ladiesin the front office screamed

“YEaaAuuH!!!!” when I askedthem if they agreed with theCurriculum council’s decision toend faxes next year.

CHICKEN KITCHEN AND GOLD CHINA NO MORE - Students will no longer be able to orderdelivery from popular establishments such as Chicken Kitchen, Gold China, and Sushi Maki.

JESSICA LEHMAN/BAITLINE

Continued on Page 2

AP teacher fired for fal-sifying credentials; stu-dents want him back

During the month of Februaryand March, it has come clear thatone of the A.P World Historyteachers at Coral Reef was due tobe fired. This was a result of a largecertification scandal. It occurred inboth Miami – Dade and BrowardCounty Public Schools andinvolved nearly 300 to 400teachers. Thirty teachers werefired the week of March 15, 2006. Every teacher is supposed to getre-certified every 5 years. FormerPalmetto Senior High teacherWilliam McCoggle was runningthe whole scam. This can also beknown as the MOTET creditscandal. Many teachers that wereincluded in the scam were mostlyphysical education teachers.Teachers paid him to get theircertification renewed withouttaking classes or the appropriatetests. Teachers that were involvedsaid that they only heard of thecompany through word of mouth.

BY BRIANNA ROSASTAFF WRITER

They paid $175 dollars per credit,in which $75 went to the companyand Mr. McCoggle kept the other100 dollars. This was exactly what JavierCurrais did years ago. As a resultof his mistake, he resigned. Due tohis termination many studentsrebelled. They tried to formpetitions to get their teacher.Finally Deanna Kalil brought thesituation to one of the boardmembers. A meeting was set withthe school board members in orderto get their teacher back, at leastuntil the end of the year so thechildren can go through the A.PExam with their teacher. Many parents and studentscame to the defense of the teacher.These include: Hilton Palma-Lima,Aimee Gonzalez, Patricia Martinez,Liliana Eljuri, Veleda Lopez, AndyVargas, Marina Palma-Lima,Deanna Kalil, Leah Sanchez,Adriyan Rotati, Alexa Goodman,Ivanna Gonzalez, Zach Jones,

Continued on Page 2Continued on Page 2

DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS...Students ‘fess up to their various misconducts

NEWS 2-3 EDITORIALS 4 OPINIONS 5 SUBMERGE YOURSELF 6-7 SPORTS 8-9 SPOTLIGHT 10 A&E 11 HIGH TIDE 12

Students need to learn the importanceof languages like Chinese - Page 5.

The boys baseball team hopes for ahome run of a season - Page 9.

Seeing double: learn how different CoralReef twins really are - Page 10.

As digital cameras gain popularity, filmbecomes an antique - Page 11.

CYNTHIA AHMED/BAITLINE

A THING OF THE PAST - Parents will no longer be able to send faxes to sign their kids out of school.

‘Takeout’ no longer taken into Coral Reef

Ball and chains forfuture generationsof Barracudas... “Students should make plansahead of time to leave. First of all,you all should be in schoolanyway, but if you need to leavenext year students will have tohave a parent come in. It’s a hasslewith a million faxes to get anyoneout of class on time,” agreed all ofthe Attendance personnel. However, some studentsdisagree with the new proposalcomplaining that it is hinderingthem from leaving in emergenciesand will cause a mass of absencesbefore senior events. “There are going to be a wholebunch of people skipping schoolnext year,” said Senior ShakiraLittle. The administration does notthink that it is a big deal to end thefaxing faze. When asking Dr.Cespedes what he thought aboutthe faxes he replied: “The little rats that turn in thewheels of the fax machine weremysteriously eaten by the catsfrom the courtyard. LOL” Administration continues toexplain that the changes are forsecurity purposes only. “How do we know that theperson sending the fax or on thephone is truly your parent?” saidActivities Director, Mrs. Martinez,“Parents will have to come in tosign students out and in thebeginning of the year 2007 needsto have a back-up plan. They needto make sure that they have

accessible people on theiremergency contact card” Yet, what happens if it’s anemergency. Seniors have had caseswhere they needed to be faxed outof school. “I think it should be illegal notto allow students to be faxed outof school. What if my parents areout of town and I have a medicalemergency? People abuse theprivilege at times but for the mostpart it comes in handy!” saidsenior Nicole Guerra. Students believe that nothinghappens until something happens. “The option to receive faxesshould be available just in casesomething does happen. Younever know what is going on inpeople’s lives. My brother was sickone day and I had to get faxed outof school to go get him” saidAlexis Brown. It is tradition for seniors, onFCAT days, before prom, or beforeHomecoming to be faxed out ofschool, so that students may leaveearly to get prepared for the event.However, next year that will be apassing memory and much moreof a hassle. The lock-downincreases as the years pass andsooner or later Cudas will havedress code and badge numbers,lunch in the Cafeteria and schooltill 4:00.The fax dilemma will beimplemented next year for theClass of 2007 to mainly endure, yetClass of 2008 you must askyourselves…what other freedomswill be taken next?

been a ban on ordering food fromoff campus, but because theadministration here in our ownbuilding try to ensure that we aregiven every freedom possible,students were able to bend therules as much as permissable. Security is another issue at hand.With recent legislation additionssuch as the Jessica Lunsford Act,anyone who comes onto ourcampus must be fully identifiedand unless under constantwatchful eye of a security guardthey must undergo a completecheck. This act was put into effectafter Jessica Lunsford, a nine year

old Florida native, was kidnappedand killed by an alreadydetermined sex offender. Her family,upon her death, set up this act toprotect all young minors fromsexual offenders in their area byensuring that everyone they comein contact with has a clean recordand does not pose any sort ofthreat. Although seen as quite thebummer, especially for those soonto be upperclassman who havebeen used to ordering for years,some say that this might be a goodidea. “I can see where theadministration could be concernedabout safety, but it’s just going tobe another hassle. If they do go

through with it, then they need toput more variety in the lunchstands,” said Luke Jones, a juniorhere at Coral Reef, “They havealready taken away sodas, what’snext? The greasy pizza? This isour only way to get healthier food,a change of pace,” he continued. “They wanted to shut it downimmediately this school year. I hadtold them ‘no’ though. Ourstudents are entitled to their fulldue process in this school.” Mrs.Adrianne Leal stated. After atough fight and strong argument,the school board allowed for theenforcement to take effect at thestart of the 2006-2007 school year.Striving for the rights of all Cudas’

at Coral Reef, Mrs. Leal will beforced by the downtownadministration to no longer allowoff campus venders to come in anddeliver food to students. “This is one hundred percentunfair,” said Kirsten Rogers, ajunior in VPA. “My friends and Iorder out almost everyday forlunch and suddenly making achange like this is just crazy. Thereis not threat by security as long asthey check in when they enter thegate at the front of the school.”she continued. “This is just another temporaryrule that is going to get peoplepissed off. If anything it will causestudents to come together more

Continued from Page 1 and fight for rights that theyshould have,” explained MichaelLujan, a Legal Academy junior. The issue of having two lunchesnext year will be another concerndirectly caused by this one. Withstudents no longer being allowedto order out, an increase in lunchlines with a limited amount ofservers will make it more difficultto buy your lunch, sit down andhave ample time to eat it, let alonedigest it properly. “Ordering out helps with thelength of the lines. Those whoorder out now, are going to makethe lines longer.” said ElizabethCid, a junior in the VPA academy.

Continued from Page 1

VERY CREEPY - Students log onto computers during free timeto ask Pedro a question. Some know the secret, and some dont.Do you?

Pedro de responde:Cudas fear the unknown

BY CYNTHIA AHMED ANDBROOKE LERNER

STAFF WRITERS

What if the computer knew yourdeepest, darkest secrets? Asudden explosion of a websitecraze was recently discovered onthe Pedro De Responde Website(only found on Google). A chantis repeated, a question is asked,and a response is given. Some fearthat it is the work of the evil spirits. Some teachers have tried to comeup with a reasonable conclusion.They have tried the website on theclassroom projector, butconcluded after bringing somestudents to tears with no profoundexplanation that it must bestopped. “I think that it can be scary tosome students and because of theirfear of the unknown and becauseof its effect, I think that it is bestthat it is explained. It’s not just fun.

Some students are really frightenedby the website.” English teacherMrs. Arnold said. Beginning as a prank, the websitehas spread like wildfire as a CoralReef epidemic. “The look on your friends’ faceswhen they see that the computerknows who they are, what colorshirt they have on, or where theywere the night before is a Kodakmoment,” said senior JenniferGutierrez. Some don’t even question theirfaith; they feel that there is areason for the psychic computersrevealing. “There has to be a camera in thecomputer,” said freshman BriannaRosa, “it just doesn’t make sense.It revealed things that my familyand close friends only know.” Whether or not you believe inthe unexplainable or not, the factsspeak for themselves. Try ityourself: Ask Pedro?

Alexandra Vargas, Gaelan Jones,and Yando Lopez. They spent many long hourstrying to get back the teacher thatthey all loved and respected.Those who spoke were effectivein stating their point. They wantedtheir teacher back. One of thestudents who spoke stated that themotto for Miami – Dade countyschools is, “Giving the studentsthe world.” She said that they weregiving them the world but not theirteacher. During his emotional speech,Mr. Currais said “You don’t knowme; you don’t know anythingabout me except the one mistakeyou saw on that paper.” He statedthat nothing could be done torectify what he had done. All hewished was for the board membernot to have it affect his students. Sadly there was nothing thestudents or parents could havedone once the board membersmade their decision. They votedwhether or not to keep Mr. Currais.One board member made a pointthat if they keep Mr. Currais theywould have to keep all the teachersthat were involved in the scandal. The outcomes of the votes were4 out of 5. Ms. Perla TabaresHantman, Dr. Robert Ingram, Ms.Ana Rivas Logan, and Dr.Solomon Stinson were some of theboard members who wanted thedismissal of the teacher. The jobwas done and their teacher was notallowed to come back. Therequests of the students andparents were ignores. Many leftthe meeting in tears, and many whosaw the board meeting ontelevision were left in tears as well. During the later weeks manystudents made black t-shirts withthe phrase 191 Ronin. The meaningof this phrase was that of a samuraiwith out a master or teacher. Thatwas indeed how the students feltwithout their teacher. “We need him and this is hurtingus right before the A.P test,” saidone of Mr. Currais’s students,Ivanna Gonzalez. Although theycould not get their teacher backhe is giving lessons during theweek to help them prepare for theA.P exam.

Continued from Page 1

AP teacher resignsunder pressure

Superstitions: cultural or irrational?BY NATALIE SERRANO

STAFF WRITER

In Almost every culture certainsuperstitions or beliefs can befound. Depending on where youare situated in the worldsuperstitions may vary. In theJewish folklore the mysticism ofthe kabbalah is a commonly knownsuperstition, as is wearing red onNew Year’s Day for good luck tothe Chinese. No matter thelocation, groups will tend to havebeliefs that reflect theirsurroundings or culturalframeworks. At Coral Reef,students express their beliefs orsuperstitions and thus reveal whatthey think about themselves aswell as the world around them. “I believe that the people whofollow these trendy traditions donot have faith in their own willpower and depend on thesepassed down superstitions for

luck. Personally, I think it alldepends on the person and howmuch they believe in themselves-not if you found a four leaf clover,”junior Joseph Varona explained. Certain students don’t believe inany such superstitions but whenare put to the test to see if theytruly are confident thatphenomenal occurrences arenonexistent, they often fail. “When it comes to superstitions,I don’t pay attention to them. I’vebroken a couple mirrors in the pasttwo years, owned a black cat, mymom was born on Friday thethirteenth and yet, I have a prettygreat life,” junior Gabby Santiagodebated. “Still, I’m too wimpy totry bloody Mary!” Others simply test superstitionsin order to verify that these are theeffects of people who have nothingto do on the internet. “Personally, no, I don’t believein superstitions. Why? I guess I

just haven’t experienced any “7-years of bad luck,” “step on a crackand break your mother’s back,” or“if you don’t repost this chainletter a girl will crawl out fromunderneath your bed/shower withglaring red eyes and stab/strangle/eat you to death,” junior SangKang said jokingly. On another perspective, certainstudents follow thesesuperstitions by the book, and aredependent on these ideas, rumors,beliefs or whatever they have cometo be called. “When I glance up at the clockand see that it says 11:11, Iautomatically make a wish,expecting that it will come true,”junior Beula Amador said. “I neverstand underneath a ladder, and I’mextra careful on Friday the 13th. Ithink that all these myths musthave originated from somewhereand therefore some part of themmust be true. So every first day ofa new month when I wake up thefirst words I utter are ‘rabbit,rabbit’- which according to theChinese, brings good fortune allmonth long.” Students are not the only peoplewho consider superstitions to bevalid. Teachers also share commonbeliefs with students based onlong-established myths or ideas. “Yes! I believe in severalsuperstitions. If I see a penny onthe floor and it’s tails up, I turn itover for the next person who findsit to be lucky,” Mrs. Masullo saidsmilingly. “But if it’s heads up Itake it for myself.”NATALIE SERRANO/BAITLINE

UNLUCKY - Some students avoid crossing paths with cats like this.

Although marijuana use amongteens has somewhat diminishedfrom the decadent 60s, 70s, and80s, it is still very popular amongtoday’s youth, even here atcomparatively conservative CoralReef. What drives students to usethis drug? Stress, a need forfreedom, suppressed rebellionsfinding any available channel? Ordo people “just feel like it”? Then again, peer pressure playsan exceedingly significant role.Many students only tried it in thefirst place because “everyone elsewas doing it.” Then, these peoplewho obviously have weakconstitutions if they allowedthemselves to be stuck into asituation like that in the first place,cannot stop themselves fromcontinuing use. “Everyone has their reason [tostart smoking]. Some toexperiment, or to try new thingsout, some to see what everyonemakes such a big deal about, andsadly, some to follow the crowd,”freshman Mar Echevarria says. So,according to some, it’s all aboutfitting in or finding one’s self. “For me, pot offers an outlet for

emotions that would otherwise belocked inside by stress. I know it’ssad that I have to rely on a moodaltering substance to find somepeace within myself, but it’s theonly way I can wind down andtemporarily forget about the millionand five assignments that I havedue in the next two days,” ananonymous sophomore says.“We’re just kids; we need a breaksomewhere.” “I always tell my daughter shedoesn’t need drugs. She has an

amazing imagination and sense ofhumor without them,” parentLeslie Arenson says. “Kids at highschool age have minds that are stilldeveloping. They need to exploresome healthier outlets for theirstress like food fights or waterballoon battles.” Perhaps mud wrestling? “It doesn’t matter what age youare. It’s bad for anyone to smokepot. [Smoking pot] is dangerousto your health and can easily leadto other drugs,” sophomore

Bobby Goldfin says. Goldfin’smother is a nurse in the oncologycenter at Sylvan Center at theUniversity of Miami. He has seen

BY SPENCER DEL MORALPHOTO EDITOR

COURTESY OF HOWTHINGSWORK.COM

Why are teenagers attracted to marijuana?Young people find them-selves tempted to abuseillegal substances becauseof both stress and curiosity.

THE ILLEGAL LEAF- Even though it’s illegal in the UnitedStates, some adolescents still participate in substance abuse.

“For me, pot offers an out-let for emotions that wouldotherwise be locked insideby stress.

- ANONYMOUS

the hazardous results of anysmoking. Another, less common reason foruse might be the need for breakingout of control. All of us arecontrolled by someone. Even if it’sin a small way: teachers, parents,administration, fashion; we are allof us slaves to scheduled routine.Smoking pot is one way to forcesome personal control in one’s ownlife and throw a tiny rebellionagainst life’s oppressors.

Even with the ID’s, the tardypolicy, the cameras, and the factthat faxes will soon be a thing ofthe past, Coral Reef is still hands-down among the most lenient andmoderate high schools in Miami-Dade County in terms of thebehavioral code. This school isable to maintain thiscompassionate attitude becausestudents seldom cause trouble ordisruption. Fights are nonexistent, there arevirtually no problems with stealingor violence, and the worst thatmost students ever get caughtdoing is walking around thehallways during class or being

excessively tardy. However, in spite of this, manyof the luxuries that many studentsfeel is a reward for this goodbehavior have been taken awaysince the beginning of the year, andwill continue to be removed nextyear. For example, beginning withthe 2006-2007 school year, CoralReef students will no longer beable to order from restaurants suchas Chicken Kitchen or Gold China.And, reportedly, theadministration has beenconsidering instituting twoseparate lunches instead of one.The school has gotten morecrowded because more ninth-

Policies are too harsh for good students

graders are accepted each year,and getting through the hallwaysis unbearable. We are still extremely privileged

to be here, but more and more ofthe little things that made us loveCoral Reef so much are beingplucked away. Now, we realize that many ofthese decisions were not made bycounselors or administrators, oreven Ms. Leal herself. Often, theyare the result of judgments madeby the Miami-Dade County PublicSchool Board and the FloridaDepartment of Education. And, we also understand thatmany of these decisions are for thesake of the children; cameras, forexample, have made the schoolsafer with virtually no realconsequences for students.

However, we simply believe thatit is important to keep in mindwhat makes Coral Reef what it is,and why kids around the countycompete to attend this school. Notonly do we possess qualityacademics, but people really likeour friendly, relaxed, and secureatmosphere. We are not like everyother school, in that we have thetrust of our teachers andcounselors, and are not controlledby an austere set of policies andpunishments. Therefore, when making choicesthat will affect the in-school livesof every student, decision-makersneed to consider the fact that CoralReef is not like every other school– it is special, with specialteachers, special students, andspecial privileges. And once all of the perks ofbeing a Coral Reef student aretaken away, there will be no reasonto differentiate between CoralReef and any other school inMiami.

THE BAITLINECORAL REEF SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL10101 SW 152 ST. MIAMI, FL 33157

305.232.2044BAITLINE@CORALREEF.DADESCHOOLS.NET

E D I T O R I A L P O L I C Y

2005-2006 STAFF

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFMARTINE POWERS

NEWS EDITOR / BUSINESS MANAGERJESSICA LEHMAN

OPINIONS EDITORREBECCA ESPINOSA

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORANYA KAPLAN

SPOTLIGHT EDITORRAFAELLA BISCAYN-DEBEST

SPORTS EDITORJESSICA HERZON

PHOTO EDITORSPENCER DEL MORAL

STAFF WRITERSCYNTHIA AHMEDERIK CICERARO

BROOKE LERNERRAZIELA RODRIGUEZ

HAROLYN SAWYERNATALIE SERRANO

DANIELLE WILLISGEORGIA ZOYGANELIS

FACULTY ADVISORCHERI MITCHELL-SANTIAGO

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT:my.highschooljournalism.org/

fl/miami/crsh

To Javon Flax, who is inour hearts and prayers.

To the “Days Left OfSchool” countdowns onevery dry-erase boardand in every agenda.

To class elections - theonly valid excuse in the

whole year to blow up a 5-foot picture of yourself

and plaster it all over theschool.

To senioritis, de-stressingthe youth of America one

senior at a time.

To that sickening feelingthat you experience inyour gut as you count

down the days until yourfirst AP test.

To showing up to promwearing the same $300dress as three of your

enemies.

To senior obligations: “Inever did find that text-

book from ninth grade...”

To college rejection letters- you didn’t like their

mascot anyway.

The Baitline is an open forum and theofficial publication of Coral Reef SeniorHigh School. The Baitline’s goal is topractice journalistic integrity, reliability,

and responsibility.

Information about advertisements canbe obtained by calling 305.232.2044

and asking for Mrs. Mitchell.The articles included within thisnewspaper are the views of the

students of Coral Reef and the Baitlinestaff. The views do not necassarily

reflect those of Coral Reef’s faculty andstaff.

Letters to the editor can be delivered toroom 219, e-mailed to

baitline@coralreef.dadeschools.net orplaced in the mailbox of Cheri Mitchell-

Santiago.

All submissions must be signed, andmay be condensed for space or editedfor grammar and spelling. Anonymous

letters may only be printed with amajority vote of the staff. Libelous

material will not be printed.

Elio’s TutoringElio’s TutoringElio’s TutoringElio’s TutoringElio’s TutoringServicesServicesServicesServicesServices

Tutoring in Mathand Science

Homeservice

available

SpanishSpeaking

Interested?Call: 305-232-6005

E-mail:eliodomingo@netzero.net

We simply believe that it isimportant to keep in mindwhat makes Coral Reefwhat it is, and why kidsaround the countycompete to attend thisschool.

Chinese: The New English

BBBBBYYYYY R R R R RAFAELLAAFAELLAAFAELLAAFAELLAAFAELLA B B B B BISCAYNISCAYNISCAYNISCAYNISCAYN-----DDDDDEBESTEBESTEBESTEBESTEBEST

SSSSSPOTLIGHTPOTLIGHTPOTLIGHTPOTLIGHTPOTLIGHT E E E E EDITORDITORDITORDITORDITOR

Now, I know we might make abig deal about the IB Academyhere at Coral Reef and how we arealways in our own secluded littleworld. Dedication, Focus,Requirements, AP classes,Languages…all these wordsdefine us, especially the last one. The primary languages wealways revolve around are ourbasic Spanish, French andGerman. But as an “International”program, shouldn’t we havediverse choices in languages forstudents who truly want to becomemultilingual?

Shouldn’t the InternationalBaccalaureate Program add to itscurriculum additional languages? Increasingly, we are recognizingthe rise of Asia as one of thecentral continents of the twenty-first century. In particular China,with its remarkable economicgrowth and emergence as a leadingcountry, we can see the shift fromcouples of years back. I’m heading towards the benefitsof learning and speakingMandarin. The Chinese languagewill take over English and isexpected to be the new globallanguage, soon. So, shouldn’t we considerstarting to learn Chinese now,while we can, since it takes 10years to learn for foreigners? Not only will knowledge ofChinese enable you to explore adifferent culture and civilization,it will open your communicationand job opportunities. Incomparison, since Mandarin isspoken by very few non-natives,rather than European languages,this shows there is and will be agreater demand for Chinese sincefew Westerners are able to speakit. This is where the future jobopportunities come in.Mandarin is an open door on a vastjob market and multipleopportunities in business,

Block Scheduling

BBBBBYYYYY B B B B BRIANNARIANNARIANNARIANNARIANNA R R R R ROSAOSAOSAOSAOSA

SSSSSTAFFTAFFTAFFTAFFTAFF W W W W WRITERRITERRITERRITERRITER

government, even atranslator…that’s where the bigbucks come in… The interest of learning Chineseis steadily growing amongAmerican youngsters but there arenot strongly available throughschool programs. A 2004 surveyfound that 2,400 high schoolswould be interested in offering theAP in Chinese language andculture. Is Coral Reef one of thosehigh schools? I mean, howawesome would it be to learnMandarin with a whole bunch ofstudents and a teacher, instead ofan online class. According to a new Asia Society,at a meeting last April to answer acritical question: What would ittake to have five percent ofAmerican high school studentslearning Chinese by 2015? Just topass briefly, apparently, by the fallof 2006, The College Board willoffer to high schools nationally anAdvanced Placement (AP) Course& Examination in ChineseLanguage (Mandarin).

That’s like next year!!

I mean, who knew we couldbecome Mandarin-speakingBarracudas?

Recent rumors about the nextupcoming year and whether or notwe will have six or eight periods iswidely misinterpreted. Teachershave beensaying that itmight beenacted nextyear and somehave said in twoyears. In myopinion Ibelieve thateight periods isgoing to be toomuch foreveryone. Why shouldwe have to suffer three or four morehours of homework, stress, andmore classes? By spring break weall should know which schools willmake this drastic change. Allschools will have block schedulingwhich mean 4 periods a day. Oneschool in each district will make atest run. Since Mrs. Leal is on theboard it seems likely we are one ofthe schools who will be taken partin this test run. I do not think that I would behappy taking on that much extrawork. I am in I.B and I have enoughwork as it is and more work wouldequal a big pain. As a result theymight even offer kids more A.Pclasses. Some may take but somemay not. This is just too muchwork to take on for any one person.

“I would hate to take on thatmany classes, I want to have a life,too,” said freshman JenniferCampbell. She obviously makes avalid point. There are kids whowork, volunteer and do sports.They would have no time left todo any of those things. When I say we would have nolife I am serious. It is amazing howmuch the administrators and boardmembers don’t care about our wellbeing. If children in high schoolcomplain about school now,imagine when they start the eightperiod block scheduling. They willnot hear the end of it. School is important but it is notthe only thing in life. There areother things that are equallyimportant. Family for example isimportant as well. Teachers are

going to havemore work andtherefore lesstime with theirown families. Administratorsare probablythinking thatthis is goodidea. They getmore studentsand morechances to getthe big Aschool grade.

They can even get more studentstaking A.P classes which equalsmore money for the school. Again I have to stress the factthat this is not fine for students.There is so much talk aboutstudent depression among otherthings and they could just as wellbe part of cause. I would highly discourage thiseight block period schedule. Itwould be too much of a drasticchange for many people. I do notbelieve that this test run will gowell at all.

*At the printing of this paper, it wasannounced that Coral Reef would nothave an 8 period day.

191 Ronin: Bring back beloved AP Worldhistory teacher for sake of students

191 Ronin. I’m sure that by nowmany of you have spotted a fewstudents bearing t-shirts with thestatement. Well for those that havebeen left wondering, let me fill you

in. A few weeks ago, the schoolboard fired the first of manyteachers involved in what hascome to be known as the“MOTET” credit scandal. One ofthese teachers was Coral Reef’sown, Mr. Currais. I was one of his students andyou wouldn’t imagine the anger myclassmates and I experienced as wewalked out of that school boardmeeting after having spent hours(7 to be exact) rallying members toconsider letting Currais stickaround for the rest of the schoolyear. We spent 7 hours therebecause Currais was one of thebest teachers we have ever had.In his class, we had a good time,always laughing, but when hesaid, “Shut it up!” it was back towork. He wasn’t just a teacher tomost of us, he was a friend;genuinely concerned for our well-

being and academic success. Thisis why us, his former studentsformed the 191 Ronin. In 1701, 47Japanese samurai lost their daimyo(leader) at the mercy of thegovernment and thus becameronin (a samurai without a master).Even without their leader, theyfought to avenge his death.There’s 191 of us, now, ronin andCurrais was our daimyo. Losing him brought tears to myeyes but the rage was brought onby something else: the schoolboard - whose sole purpose issupposed to serve students-decided that our education wasnot an important factor in theirdecision. The ones who supportedthe immediate dismissals(Hantman, Barrera, Ingram, Logan,and Stinson) said that theycouldn’t send out the messagethat they condone cheating, but

the message I got was that theydon’t care about us. If they had,they wouldn’t have taken one ofthe best teachers on their payrollfrom his students less than 2months before the AP. Their choicewas made out of sheer personalinterest, in an effort to clean up amess they should have fixed 15years ago. Mind you, I know that Curraismade a mistake, but I also knowthat he acknowledged it and triedto rectify it, and in my opinion thatis an even more importantmessage. We’re all human, andhumans make mistakes. Theschool board judged Currais anda half-dozen other teachers basedon what they saw on a piece ofpaper and that, ladies andgentleman is not justice.According to them, this onemistake completely overshadows

BY IVANNA GONZALEZGUEST WRITER

years of hard-work in the system. We never asked to make Curraisthe exception, only that they allowhim to finish the year with us andmeanwhile take the time toconsider all the teachers inquestion as individuals. What’s even worse is that Icounted at least 10 occasionswhen members on both sides saidthey didn’t have all the facts butyet they figured that was enoughto ruin a man’s career? So what have I learned from this?Recognize your mistakes, try to fixthem, but above all, I learned thatthe Miami-Dade School Board iscomposed of mostly individualswith their own agenda whocouldn’t care less about the verypeople they represent. And for allyou Ronin out there, “LONG LIVETHE MONGOLS!”

School is important, but it isnot the only thing in life.There are other things thatare equally important...Teachers are going to havemore work and thereforeless time with their ownfamilies.

Students cheating on tests andhomework is a serious problem hereat Coral Reef. Some students blametheir likelihood to cheat on the ex-cess stress put upon them to main-tain a certain grade point average.Others (teachers included), believethat students are just too lazy to dothe work themselves. “Students cheat because they feelpressured by their peers and theirparents to never fall behind,” sopho-more Maria Duarte says. “If a stu-dent doesn’t have time to study, theywon’t think twice about cheating toget an A.” In the IB program, an incredibleamount of duress is placed upon thestudents; however, in any academy,students are expected to meet cer-tain requirements such as turning outone painting a week, or preparing formock trials or surgeries. A studentcan only meet a limited amount ofrequirements at any point and time.

TY LITTLE SECRETS. DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS. DIRTY LITTLELITLITLITLITLIT

Good studentsthe tempation

TOO EASY TO CHEAT - Students often find themsScantron answer sheets like this one.

BBBBBYYYYY S S S S SPENCERPENCERPENCERPENCERPENCER DELDELDELDELDEL M M M M MORALORALORALORALORAL

P H O T OP H O T OP H O T OP H O T OP H O T O EDITOREDITOREDITOREDITOREDITOR

IRTY LITTLE SECRETS. DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS.DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS. DIRTYDIRTYDIRTYDIRTYDIRTY

At some point or another, the expec-tations become unbearable and stu-dents must learn interdependency tosurvive. “I wish I could say that they [thestudents] cheat because of the diffi-culty of the material. However, 18years of teaching has left me withno other conclusion than that theydon’t prepare for tests and quizzes.And they don’t study in the firstplace because of a continual circleof social interaction.” Chemistry/Biology teacher, Noelle Gerstmansays. “They are constantly at the mall

or in chat rooms, it’s all about enter-tainment.” “I think cheating is worst amongIB students,” Jamie Green, AP/Hon-ors European History says. Some students within the IB pro-gram believe the extra cheating ob-served among IB students is due tothe excessive stress of various gar-gantuan coinciding projects, plus anextended essay. Students outside ofIB however, maintain a differentopinion. “I believe cheating to be a lack ofrespect for peers; I believe IB stu-dents think themselves too smart tolower themselves to the level of workdone in their mixed classes. Thatthey’re too good for even their own‘IB’ work” sophomore Sheldon Dearrof VPA says. Despite the large problem withcheating in the IB academy, it is alsoan issue in other academies. “For any test in any of my classes,there are always at least sevenpeople cheating” sophomore JulieMelo of Agriscience says.

d students succumb totempation of cheating

CHEAT - Students often find themselves cheating off of multiple-choice tests that useer sheets like this one.

MARTINE POWERS/BAITLINE

18 years of teaching has leftme with no other conclusionthan that they don’t preparefor tests and quizzes. Andthey don’t study in the firstplace because of a continualcircle of social interaction.

- NOELLE GERSTMAN

Only the Fansare to BlameBBBBBYYYYY A A A A AN T H O N YN T H O N YN T H O N YN T H O N YN T H O N Y T T T T TO R R E SO R R E SO R R E SO R R E SO R R E S

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1

J.V. Baseball 10 /12:30

Vs. Varela

2 3 V. Baseball

3:30 Vs. Palmetto @ Coral Reef Park

4 J.V./ V Volleyball

6/7:30 vs. Southridge @ Southridge

Tennis 3 @ CRHS vs. Southwest

5 6 V. Baseball

3:30 vs. Homestead @ CRHS

J.V/ V Volleyball Vs. Palmetto

@ CRHS

7 Volleyball

Royal Palm Beach

Tourna-ment

8 J .V. Baseball

10/12:30 Vs. Miami Springs

@ Miami Springs V. Baseball

Vs Chattahoochee

9 10 Baseball

Vs. Buford

11 Baseball

Vs. North Forsyth

12 13 14 15

16 17 18 J V/V Volleyball

Vs. Homestead 5 /6 @ Homestead

19 20 J V/V Volleyball Vs. Westminster

4:30 @ CRHS

21 22 Baseball

Family Day 10 /1:00

J V Volleyball Sunset

Tournament

23 24 25 26 Volleyball

GMAC

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30

Baseball

GMAC

Baseball

District 16-6A Tournament

There are only two things thatSouth Floridians can be sure of:hot summers and hurricanesready to dismantle your house.Other than that, nothing is certain.But nothing remains moreuncertain than the future of theFlorida Marlins. Since their inaugural season in1993, the Marlins have beencrowned twice World Champions,and shortly after each WorldSeries win, have auctioned offtheir marquee players in a fire sale.Many residents of south Floridaare now questioning FloridaMarlins owner Jeffrey Loria’scommitment to keeping baseballin South Florida. And while manypoint fingers at Marlins’management for their ups and

downs over the years, noone is more to blame thanthe residents of southFlorida. The Marlinshave always finishedclose to last in terms offan attendance, evenafter they won the WorldSeries in 2003. As quoted in an ESPNarticle, Loria stated that“I was thinking about thelast four years andsaying to myself, ‘itwould be nice if all thosefans who were part ofthat parade route hadsaid something to theirelected officials about wanting tokeep baseball here.’ I really believethis thing would have been doneby now.” Each of the previousMarlins owners, have also triedto fund a baseball-only stadium

with the help of South Floridagovernment and residents. The situation has become so direthat the Marlins are now talking tovarious cities about relocating,

including Las Vegas, Portland, andSan Antonio. And while the

Marlins have gotten offto a hot start in springtraining, with 11wins, 5losses, and 2 ties, Loriacontinues to say thatthere are bleak daysahead for this franchise.And yet, he loves theway that each and everyplayer on his team goesout there and plays hisheart out. Many students atCoral Reef do not wantthe Marlins want torelocate. “Miami needs abaseball team, and we areblessed to have the

Marlins in this city. I mean, whatwould happen if they just left to adesert like Las Vegas? Surely it willonly be a matter of time until theydry up!” said Marlin fanatic

BY ANTHONY TORRESGUEST WRITER

Marlon Gutierrez, a sophomore.“But only time will tell about theirfuture, and all we can do now isjust wait and see.” To the contrary, we can do somuch to help the team. But themain problem remains unsolved:fan attendance. South Floridadoes not want to build a stadiumin which only twenty thousandpeople will inhabit during weekendgames. Nonetheless, while the situationremains bleak and unclear, othersbelieve that there is hope here andnow. Kyle Alonso, a catcher on theJunior Varsity baseball team statesthat “So far, what I have seen withthe Marlins is that, while they areyoung, they play their hearts outevery time they take the field. I amexcited to see what they will dothis season; maybe some good willemerge from this pile of ashes thatMr. Loria has left South Florida.”

Only the Fans are to Blame

NORTHERN STAR

Who would have thought CoralReef would be the home of suchstrongly bonded Cudas with anundying love for their sport andeach other to the point they havenicknames? Well it’s a fact the J.V.baseball team has that along withvery high expectations for theirnext year and their current season. “Next year Varsity is havingseven returning starters and theteam is definitely going to be onthe rise,” says sophomore MikeMartinez, captain of the team. Another sophomore, ChrisGomez and teammate James Fiskconfesses that there is a lot ofpotential walking around ourhallways everyday. “A lot of Seniors are motivatedbecause it is their last year to playand it helps that they will bepassing on what they know.” Their positive attitude is due totheir undying loyalty to each otherand dedication to the game theyplay. Talking to Martinez, it wasevident these boys share morethan just a passion for baseball.He says it’s all because they hangout on the weekend and get toknow each other so theircomfortable on the field. “J.V. is very tight, there is goodchemistry between us all and wehang out regularly,” saysMartinez. “We also havenicknames for each other: I’mCaptain Crunch, Fisk is Fisky Fisk,Gomez is Gomey, Gill is Gill Pill ,DeMarize is Dema, McDonaldwould be Quarter pounder, andSantaMaria is the Enforcer.” It seems silly but it must havehad some effect because they areinseparable and they depend oneach other because trust is there. They also agreed that it is dueto having an excellent coach. “Holladay is positive and triesto find the little things that arewrong and can be improvedbecause anything can make the

difference,” says Alonso. “It isobvious he knows what he’stalking about.” Fisk agrees there are other factorsto their success like the fact thatthey are the youngest baseballteam to stick around for a while. When asked what game hadstressed them out the most andshattered their confidence they alljumped to retell their game againstKillian. There were two outs in the lastinning and they were down sevenruns. Gomez started off the rallywith a pop up to 3rd which wasdropped; man on first and endedup scoring. The bases were loaded10-7 and Mack came up to bat. Alleyes were on Mack in hopes of ahit to bring in the runs. With aswing of the bat, the ball flew upand over the fence. “Grand slam!” The game ended 11-10; Coral Reeftaking the victory. The boys weremore than confident after thisgame. “It was a major comeback,” saysGomez and Dages. They all agree

the team came together, held theirlead and pulled a victory. They are hoping they can keepthis up but they are sulking overone matter: their lost teammateFrank Dages. He transferred fromKillian and he can’t play for a yearbecause the school considers thatrecruiting. “He just wants to be with hisboys,” Fisk says. “It just really sucks that I haveto wait so long and that I have tobe on the freshman team but I’ll bejoining them soon,” says Dages. Even though they must admitthey not all play on the same level. “Nine guys are just the roleplayers and the leaders, it’s a mustthat some step up their game justbecause they’ve been around thesystem,” says Martinez. They still find a way to placethemselves on an equal balanceand contribute to the team as awhole. They believe they will outdo themselves this year and CoralReef will just have to wait andwatch.

What’s all the Racquet?BBBBBYYYYY R R R R RAZIELAAZIELAAZIELAAZIELAAZIELA

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CAPTAIN CRUNCH- Mike Martinez steps up to bat. ANTHONY TORRES/BAITLINE

As a whole the team desires tomake it to states since they haven’tsince 2001. The rest of the players are also100% satisfied with their team.

They do say they are nervousabout some matches even thoughthey just beat Mast and describedas a “total knock out.” “Sunset is still a worry becausethey always go to state andPalmetto is considered ourbiggest rival and as far as the boys,Killian is definitely their biggestthreat,” says Austin. Sophomore Elisabet Torrents ofthe girl’s tennis team agrees withAustin but admits a lot of thingscan be improved and it can all bedone with the help of you! Sheconfesses, “We need more supportfrom our school at our games, mostof them are home games so there’sno excuse to miss out!” “Everyone makes such a big dealabout football and every othersport so it needs to change,”enthused Austin. The boys’ tennis team isn’t fallingbehind either. They’re just as

It is safe to say the tennis teamwill be soon conquering Coral Reefwith their over the top confidenceand new found unity. NakitaAustin, the captain of the tennis

team has all the assurance in theability of every single player onthe team this year and coach. Shedescribes the team as “strong frombeginning to end” and she admitsthere has been “a greatimprovement from last yearbecause our coach is dedicatedjust like everyone else.” Shebelieves it could be better if theteam bonded a bit more but overall its good because there is nopressure because they are a youngteam since they are all sophomoresand because sadly “no oneexpects anything from Coral Reefsports.”

excited for this new year ’scomings. The expectations ofsophomore Jake Annear seemed togo hand in hand with Austin’s. “Our team is young andtalented,” Annear said. “We are inthe toughest division in the statebut I’m sure we’ll come togetherand start a winning tradition.” When asked about tensions orinsecurities with any upcominggames he answered full ofconfidence and rage. “I look forward to playingPalmetto because I want to stick itto our rival,” states Annear. There is a lot more to expect fromthis team and without a doubt ourfull support will be there to helpthem achieve all the goals theyhave in mind. “We need to show the rest whatwere capable of so start going toour home games,” says Annear. Go Cuda Tennis!

Good luckto all Coral Reef athletesfor the rest of the season.

Upcoming Tournaments*4/8-12 Boys Baseball

Spring Break Trip* 4/22 J.V. Boys Volley-ball Sunset tournament

* 4/26 Volleyball GMAC*4/25-27 Baseball Dis-trict 16-6a Tournament

DEM BOYZ: THE J.V. BASEBALL TEAM CHILL-ING AT THE PEP RALLY.

The Pierpont Racquet Club

RAZIELA RODRIGUEZ/BAITLINE

BY JESSICA HERZON ANDRAZIELA RODRIGUEZ

STAFF WRITERS

‘Dem Boyz’: The boys baseball team

RAFAELLA BISCAYN-DEBESTSPOTLIGHT EDITOR

&REBECCA ESPINOSA OPINIONS EDITOR

We can make an impressiononly once, but they can do ittimes two. Those who don’t have a twinalways assume that everythingthey do, say, and the way theyact will always becomplementary. Our twins hereat Coral Reef prove thisstatement wrong. Althoughthey have been doingeverything together since birthlike having matching outfits,lunchboxes, and loving thesame favorite color, manytwins eventually choose tobecome independent and takea different path from oneanother, like going intodifferent academies. From theseven sets of twins that wereinterviewed, more than fiftypercent admitted that they wantto be known for theirindividuality rather than beingassociated as ‘Megan & Brian’, ‘Kevin & Kyle ’, ‘Margo &Flora ’, ‘Adam & Elvis ’,‘Priscilla & Leyla ’, ‘Michaela& Manuela ’and ‘Rickie &Rikki.’ Although we mostlyknow what they have incommon, let’s find out whateach of them is about. They are seniors in theBusiness Academy, one is # 1of the class and the other # 15.Who could it be? Brian &Megan Lee. Although fraternaltwins, people have an instinctto tell they’re twins. “Sometimes, I don’t evenknow some people and theycome up to me and are like‘hey, aren’t you Brian’s

It takes Two! Coral Reef Twins show a different side.sister?’” said Megan. But thatdoesn’t mean others don’t getconfused.“Once, a good friend of oursorganized a surprise Birthdayparty. Megan wasn’t there yet.This Chinese girl from middleschool was standing next to meand people actually thought shewas my sister,” rememberedBrian. They’re identical, ones inDrama, the other in Medical,they’re best friends, andsophmores on the Baseballteam. It’s Kevin(Drama) &Kyle(Medical) Alonso. “We do everything together.We’re on the baseball team, weshare a car, but thankfully wedon’t share a room. The onlytime we like to be alone is whenwe’re with girls,” said Kyle.“Although Kevin did dosomething that made me reallymad; I liked this girl and hekissed her,” said Kyle,laughing. Now, how do we tell themapart if we don’t know them?Kevin let’s us know somedifferences between the two.“Kyle is the nicer one, olderand taller than me. Peopledifferentiate us also by ourstyles. Kyle is preppy and I’mmore laid back,” said Kyle.And a cool fact to know, theirdad is in the FBI.(don’t get inany trouble now!) They’re from California, onehas blond bangs, the other a tealhighlight (cuda spirit!).They’re fraternal, sophmoresforced into the IB academy,have the same friends...oh, andone is scared of birds. Margo& Flora Gignac, who recentlytransferred to Coral Gableshigh school. “We do most things togetherbut for example, I don’t mind

staying at home readingHolocaust books while Floraalways wants to go out,” saidMargo thoughfully. “Except we don’t have thesame best friends,” exclaimedFlora. Now, the next pair offraternal twins is an interrestingone. Juniors, one in Medical,the other in Engineering. It isAdam & Elvis Marin. “Our twin thing is not abrother thing. We are rivals.Elvis strives to beat me ateverything,” answered Adamwhen asked on their attitudetowards each other. Now, story time. Being a twinalways brings you experiencesthat wouldn’t happenotherwise. “A story worth publishing inthe newspaper?” asked Adam.“Okay, well before we wereborn, our parents wanted toname us Adam & Eve if wewere going to be girl and boy.When we were actually born,the doctor told our mom thatwe were two boys and so theyhad to come up with a nameother than Eve. They wanted itto start with ‘E’ so my dadcouldn’t think of any othername besides Elvis,” explainedAdam. Isn’t that the cutteststory? Although some twins justseems copies of themselves,they truly aren’t. They’reseniors in the IB Academy, andtheir attitudes are what makesthem different. They are Leylaand Priscila Torre. “Our attitudes are completelydifferent. I’m the nicer one,she’s grouchy all the time,laughed Leyla. As much as you might loveyour twin or can’t breathwithout them, which isn’t the

case for Priscila and Leyla, theyassured us, there are things thatgets annoying.“She [Priscila]always puts herstuff on my bed. We share thesame room, and even thoughit’s a big room, it really irritatesme,” says Leyla. When asked is they sharedfriends Priscila responded “Weshare most of the same friends.For example, one year I mighthave a certain group of friendsand then the next year shehangs out with that same group.The same thing happens withour boyfriends…” she pauses“well it’s only happened liketwice.” Better watch out not toget confused ! They’re identical, they loveastrology, they’re freshmen,seperated by Academies. Why?Their mom wanted them tomeet new people and separateas twins, so she decided that theone with better grades would gointo IB and the other in Medical.They are Michaela & ManuelaEkowo. What irritates youabout being a twin? Michelaanswers “I hate it when peoplesay ‘You guys should marrytwins.’ I think that’s thestupidest thing.”Manuela explains that by beingseparated from her twinbecause of academies, sheopened up and got to meet newpeople. They are still bestfriends, but do not share theirschool friends. “I tell hereverything. We share the sameclothes and we do a lot of stufftogether,” says Manuela.Manuela is considered more onthe shy side, and Michela themore outgoing, open one. Seniors, almost same name,only pronounced differently,one in VPA Band and the otherin Agriscience. They are known

as Rickie & Rikki. “Our mom’sthought it would be cool [tohave similar names]” sharesRikki. “We get along pretty good. Wedress alike and do most thingstogether, just like any otherbrothers.” said Rickie. Something they have incommon? “We both have thesame taste in girls,” adds Rikki.In every twin there isdifferences.When asked Rickie, heanswered “I’m more of theorganized sports guy and Rikkiis more of the band guy sincehe’s one of the drum majors ofour band.” With such similar names, onemight get confused. Rickiecontributes by letting us knowthat at home they call Rikki‘Tank’ because when he waslittle he used to eat everything,and that his biggest fear wouldprobably be not having food. Coral Reef has many pairs oftwins that we, unfortunatly,could not interview and placein the paper, and we apologizeprofusely. As you have read foryourself, twins are really nodifferent than any other sets ofsiblings, besides the fact thatthey might look exactly alikeand sometimes are best offriends, which for some peoplewho have siblings, is a bitcrazy. They are definitelyamong the most interesting setsof people at the Reef and youare bound to pass at least oneof them a day, not knowing thatthey might have an identicalother. The twins here at CoralReef have something more toadd to our schools culture, notonce, but squared.

DOUBLE VISION - On the sides, Patrick & Lauren Morris, and in the middle, Priscila & Leyla Torres having a “little” debate. The rest is for you to figure out which twinis which?

RAFAELLA BISCAYN-DEBEST, REBECCA ESPINOSA, AND HAROLYN SAWYER/BAITLINE

Evolution: record players havebeen replaced by cassette players,which in turn were replaced by CDplayers, just to later be replacedby I-Pods. All of that in little overa century! Nowadays,photography is going through thesame cycle. Photographers arehaving added complexity findingtraditional supplies. And, with thedevelopment of Photoshop anddigital cameras, people are optingfor the digital art instead of thetraditional means. “Traditional photography is theprocess of exposing film to a lightsource through the commoncamera, hence force creating a

negative that is processedthrough developing chemicals tobecome light resistant. Then, lightis shone through the negative,casting a positive image unto alight sensitive photo paper in turncreating a photograph,”generously explained FernandoRosales, a VPA sophomore. “I like traditional because it takesmuch more technical skills andshows your abilities as aphotographer. I want to make atleast one big masterpiece in thedarkroom because, if thetraditional style disappears, it willbe like a relic to admire,” saysZachary Witlin, an IB Senior inphotography. Students and teachers in thephotography magnet are finding itincreasingly hard to acquire time-

honored equipment for thedevelopment of traditionalpictures. “The companies whomade traditional materials are nowgoing into the Digital businessbecause there is a greater demandfor it,” says Zachary, “Printingpaper, chemicals, and film havebecome harder to find. Enlargerswho have been breaking down orin need of replacement are twicethe price they used to be 5 yearsago,” adds Zachary. With the improvement oftechnology such things asPhotoshop and computerized arthave become main- stream. Withease you can erase, undo anymistakes, paint, change styles,and choose from a variety of filterswith just the click of a button incontrast with traditional, “ which

can take more than 2 hours of hardwork in the darkroom,” saysZachary. The passionate photographyteacher, Mrs. Stemple, brought anew thought forth, “I believe thatDigital is more environmentallyfriendly. It is! You are notdisposing of health hazardouschemicals into the ecosystem; youconsume fewer natural resourcesto make digital photography, nomore killing trees for photo paperssince people save it on theircomputer and send it via e-mail.It is a real time saver, you don’tneed to burn gasoline just to driveto the drugstore to pick up yourpicture, and digital is muchcheaper since there is no morebulky equipment to pay for; thenovice or the average Joe can

develop them themselves. Plus,inhaling all those chemicals can bedamaging to your health.” But, traditional photographyand digital have managed to co-exist together until now. Whenasked if the darkroom in the schoolwas going to be shut down, Mrs.Stemple replied, “As long as thedarkroom can be afforded, it willremain. We just have to keep onlooking for cheaper resources.”Students enjoy doing both sinceeach one has its pros and cons. “Yet, traditional will always retainthat glow to it. Digitalphotography has no glow. It’s likean old marriage, the glow is gone,and there is no more richness toit,” adds Mrs. Stemple as finalwords.

The End is Near for Traditional PhotographyGEORGIA ZOYGANELIS

STAFF WRITER

Georgia Zoyganelis/BaitlineOLD NEWS - Film and non-digital SLR cameras are becoming a thing of the past in the photography world.

A Musical JourneyBY GEORGIA ZOYGANELIS

STAFF WRITER

Cellist Alex Franisco takes Baitline on the path to his Musical Success

To shed some light onto themusic world at Coral Reef, I havedecided to interview AlexFransisco, a student in the MusicMagnet to see one person’sexperience on music.

Baitline: Is that your cello orschool property?Alex: No, it’s mine. Mygrandmother bought it for me.Baitline: When and why did youstart playing the cello?Alex: My mom liked classicalmusic and begun to learn how toplay the cello. I didn’t like it at firstuntil I listened to Yoyoma and hismusic inspired me to start playing.Baitline: How long have you beenplaying cello?Alex: I picked it up during thesummer of my 8th grade. I playedeveryday for one hour and had ateacher instruct me on the art of

BOW TO THE GREAT - Alex Fransisco practices on his cello inthe Orchestra room.

GEORGIA ZOYGANELIS/BAITLINE

cello. A year went by until Iauditioned to get in to theOrchestra magnet and I did it!Now, it’s going to be my fourthyear playing cello.Baitline: Who are yourfavorite composers?Alex: Mostly Bach and Dvorakand of course, Yoyoma.Baitline: How long do youpractice now days?Alex: I usually practice everydayfor at least four hours. Onweekends I used to play more butI got a job now so yeah. It’s hard

because I don’t do my homeworkso I can practice more.Baitline: Wow, that’s amazing.Alex: Yeah, I’m focused when Iplay, I can almost avoid gettingdistracted.Baitline: Do you listen to anyother music?Alex: Of course, I like hip hop,especially Eminem. I enjoylistening to Green Day andsometimes the Beattles.Baitline: Are you planning ontaking it to the next level(University maybe)?

I usually practice for at leastfour hours... It’s hard be-cause I don’t do my home-work so I can practicemore.

- ALEX FRANCISCO

What can be more exciting than a trip to thegorgeous tropical island of Puerto Rico; whereyou can find local exotic hideaways, miles andmiles of white sandy beaches, natural wonders

such as mountains, valleys and creeks as well aswonderfully warm and friendly people? Forone week junior Gabby Santiago spent her

spring break soaking up the sun on theluxurious crystalline beaches, eating deliciousPuerto Rican cuisine, and spending time with

family along with friends and acquaintances shehadn’t seen in about a year. Gabby stayed in thehouse she lived in until she was three years oldin the town of Rio Piedra, located about fifteenminutes from the capital of San Juan. Gabby

enjoyed spending quality time with her relativesas well as getting involved with activities she

can’t do in Miami. One of Gabby’s favorite things about

vacationing in Puerto Rico is getting off theairplane and visiting a beach front town near the

airport. “To tourists this town seems like a slum but in

reality it’s a great place where genuine PuertoRican food can be found,” Gabby explained.

“As soon as we get off the plane we headstraight there!”

When Gabby visited Puerto Rico, she noticedmany differences between Puerto Rico andMiami that go beyond traditional food and

cleaner beaches. “A big difference is that in Puerto Rico it is

still safe for kids to play in the street-much likeit was in the United States forty years ago,”Gabby said. “And obviously, there is more

greenery.” Sometimes, however, Gabby wishes that

certain different things she enjoys from PuertoRico such as “Alcapurria” (which is like a

Jamaican meat patty breaded with yucca), andthe famous native tree frog “Coquí” wereaccessible in the United States, or more

precisely, her dwelling in Miami. To Gabby spending time in Puerto Rico for

spring break is a wonderful experience and sheconsiders herself lucky.

“It’s comforting to go vacation in Puerto Ricoand especially that house, since two generations

of my family have lived there.”

Spring Break in Puerto Rican paradiseNNNNNAATALIEAATALIEAATALIEAATALIEAATALIE S S S S SERRANOERRANOERRANOERRANOERRANO

SSSSSTAFFTAFFTAFFTAFFTAFF W W W W WRITERRITERRITERRITERRITER

days and counting!24....24....24....24....24....23...23...23...23...23...22...22...22...22...22...21.

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