vol. 14, issue 4 // m

ay ‘15

...of ourpubliceducation

Felix Varela Sr. High School * 15255 S.W. 96 St., Miami, FL 33196

The Good

The Bad

The Ugly

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U.S. News and World Report has ranked Varela #81 in the state among charter, public and pri-vate schools.

Hollywood has officially run out of new ideas (Poltergeist, Mad Max, Terminator, Jurrasic Park)

Summer Break! See you all in 10 weeks.

Summer 2015 coming to a theater near you...along with every other antici-pated movie.

Hurrican season starts June 1.

Bashing on testing has been way too easy this year. Come on Florida!

t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m 3

the editor says: farewell seniors

volume 14May ‘15

editorial boardEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Cj Salcedo

Staffers

Jordan ClineAlec Di Lella

Danielle MalkinAlexia Ponce De Leon

Krystal Valdes

cover art byMeghan Espinosa

adviserElizabeth Cardenas

editorial policyThe Viper Vibe is the student news-paper of Felix Varela Senior High (15255 SW 96 St. Miami, FL, 33196). It is an open forum for student expression. The opinions expressed in the publication do not reflect the official opinions or policies of the school. The Viper Vibe welcomes letters to the editor, but requires that they be signed and reserves the right to reject, edit and con-dense letters. The staff and advisor can be contacted at 305-752-7900 or thevipervibe@gmail.com

adsThe Viper Vibe solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed obscene as to minors, defamatory or materi-ally and substantially disruptive of school activities.talk to us: thevipervibe@gmail.com

Your thoughts may be featured in the next is-sue of the Viper Vibe!

Here we are. The last issue of The Viper Vibe for the year. It has not been easy (most-ly because we still don’t have a class and it’s been difficult getting these magazine issues done) but we have still tried to ensure that the student body of Felix Varela Senior High School has a voice. This is also difficult because senior staff-ers that I’ve known since I was a freshman are all leaving this year. Let me take this op-portunity to say goodbye. It’s been an abso-lute pleasure working with all of you. I wish

you all the best of luck in college, and I thank you for these three excellent years. You’ve not only been great people to work with, you are all family to me. Your commitment to mak-ing this magazine happen has inspired me be-yond belief. I’ll miss every second of working with all of you. #SeeYouAgain

Cj SalcedoEditor-In-Chief

take the good with the badWe Say: After issues of magazines where we looked at either the really good or the really bad, we decided to take a look at the whole picture. Our school (and schools all over the country) is not perfect nor is it completely awful. The “bad” aspects are quite large, we realize that. According to Local 10 News, Felix Varela Senior High School ranks among the top 10 worst schools in Miami-Dade for drug-related incidents. According to the list “nine percent of the school’s reports were on drug use and 37 percent were on tobacco.” Scary isn’t it? In total, Varela has had 116 various student behavior violation reports. Add to that, we only have eight security guards for over 3,000 students. There is a solution, unfor-tunately it involves funding. If the county could allocate some money to hire more security guards, then there wouldn’t be a problem. One could argue that Varela is a relatively safe school, with not much activity going on. So, eight guards seems alright. Yet, the same way of thinking affected other schools like Columbine or Sandy Hook. Nobody expected situations like that to hap-pen, but they did. No matter how safe our school seems, we still need to prepare for the worst. The “ugly” aspect has been beaten to death already, but needs to be addressed. In our last issue, we spoke about Florida’s testing problem. Now that the school has gone through an official testing season, there are a lot of issues that need to be discussed.

Whether it is glitches in the software, post-ponement or just strange questions that were not in any curriculum, there are prob-lems with the state’s tests. So, why is an issue like school violence only “bad” while testing is “ugly?” With vio-lence, teachers and administration can find a solution and know of ways to end it. With the way testing has been lately, nobody knows how to help the students. The state seems to be making up the rules as they go along. It’s stressful to everyone, including teachers, students, and parents. While violence remains an issue, at least we have the extra-curriculars to turn to. Our

fellow students have won many accolades. Whether it’s drama, cheerleading, veterinary science, or even communications, Felix Varela has some award-winning talent. Not only that, but other

schools around the state are incredibly talented in these areas. That takes dedication from both hard-working students and skilled advisers. If we focus on these great pro-grams and try to keep them alive, the school would have more gold on our shelves. It’s so easy to blame public education for all the ills in the country. And while there are areas that need to be addressed and fixed, there’s also a lot of good being done. Kids can be amazing when they want to be (especially when they aren’t beating on each other or stressing over tests). Maybe if we spent more time celebrating what public education can do, and less time bashing on its sins, we would begin to see just how lucky we are for our free education.

our school is not perfect nor is it completely awful.

F r o m t h e E d i t o r s V i e w p o i n t s

V i e w p o i n t s C o l u m n

Seniors have the final say Ah, Viper Vibe. Today I am writing my farewell letter to you. My entire

high school career has consisted of me writ-ing for “The Vibe” and I’m not quite sure how I’m going to feel about having

to leave. My first two years there was a class, with an editorial board and a staff that had a sizeable amount of people. Those years were easy. Over the summer between my sophomore and junior year, I heard the news that the magazine had been cut from the master schedule. For the past two years, I have had to stay after school, alongside the editor-in-chief, writing articles and hunting for

quotes and pictures from the band kids, drama kids, and athletes because no one else stays as late as we do after school. We’ve had it hard for the past couple of years, and I want nothing more than this class to come back next year with an army of staffers ready to take on the Vibe and keep it alive. If I wasn’t involved in the magazine, I never would have gone to my Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA) district or state competitions, to which I went to all four. These trips have taught me an exponential amount of life skills. These trips have given me best friends, favorite teachers, and feelings of great pride for my publications. To my editor-in-chief: if it weren’t for you, the Vibe and my first home in the academy would have ceased to exist. Thank you for all that you have done in keeping it alive. You truly are a brilliant writer and person. To my Advisor: Oh Mrs. C. I don’t

even know where to start. You’ve taught me so much and you’ve been here for me since I was an itty-bitty freshman. You’ve taught me the ropes of journalism and I’m eternally grateful. You’re my school mom, and my fellow blonde. I’m not going to ever forget you and believe me, I’m not going to leave you alone next year (thank Cj for that). But good heavens, am I going to miss see-ing you every day and hearing you talk about everything that I’ve come to love. I love you Mrs. C. Okay, now that I’m done crying all over the keyboard, this is my final fare-well to the one and only Viper Vibe. You’ll forever be in my heart, live long and prosper. (That’s for you Mrs. C.)

Going into 9th grade, I hated the idea of being

in T.V. Production. I argued against it and complained endlessly when I got my schedule and saw that I had gotten it as a class. Did my opinion of the class change? The short answer: I’ve been in the class all four years of high school. The minute I walked in, I felt strangely at home. I was fairly good at every-thing and ended up being one of the few in my class who actually cared. In these years, I have gone to red carpet premieres for movies, met famous actors and actresses, and spent a

year making a short film with the Florida Film Institute (that I wrote, filmed, and edited). I’ve filmed football games and pretty much every single school event… happily. I’ve felt comfortable behind a camera, more so even than behind a desk. I have to thank Mrs. Guerra for constantly giving

me the opportunity to do amazing things and get better at what I love. She has be-come not only an important influence in my life, but also another mother. It’s amazing, the things I have done, and realized I can do, simply from my time in the Communications Acade-my. Every teacher goes above and beyond for their respec-tive publications and keeps a relationship like no other with their staff and students. Mrs. Guerra, Mrs. Carde-nas, Mrs. Garcia and Mrs. Zoila Garcia have all treated me like their family and for that, I will never forget them and what they have done for me. They’ve dealt with my loud personality, corny jokes

and given me such crazy op-portunities that I would never have gotten anywhere else. What other student can say that they’ve filmed the first red carpet ever to be held on the deck of a giant cruise ship or hosted a Friday night top five countdown on Y100? Not many, I imagine. Often times, the only reason I’ve been motivated to even come to school is to find out what the next cool thing they have for me to do is, or to work on a project. Words alone cannot describe how happy I am to have been a part of this big family; however, I’m not sad to be leaving…. only happy to have had the chance to be a part of it.

Well, well, well, here I am. Hard to believe I actually made it this far. It felt like the Hunger Games if it were run by seagulls. Yeah, I don’t get it either, but let me just say that it was a crazy ride. I’ve met some

awesome people, some people whom I only befriended for a record time of two minutes, and some people that made me want to cut down a tree with a tooth-brush. In the rain. With lightning. On top of a hill. While wearing boxing gloves. Anyways, it was nonetheless an experience that I both gladly and sadly will not and cannot forget. From the long nights of homework to the pep rallies where we were inspired to be loud yet weren’t allowed to talk, everything has

been quite memorable. To be honest, I truly am going to miss a ton of people - from sharing their laughter to me randomly stealing one of their chicken fingers from behind their back. It’s been a crazy couple of years, but they truly have motivated me to be stronger, more light-hearted, but sadly not any less cynical. Here’s to you, my fellow Vipers and dictators otherwise known as teachers.

by jordan clinestaff reporter@j_cline82297

by alec dilellastaff reporter

@alecdilella

by meghan espinosastaff artist

photos by Z. Garcia and Devoun Cetoute4 t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m

TheGood

TheBad

TheUgly

6 t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m previous page photos by Jordan Cline

Public education shows best and worstWith education coming under fire, it’s important to see the whole picture

by cj Salcedoeditor-in-chief

@cj_fett_salcedo

In 1966, Sergio Leone released the spaghetti western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The film concerns the bloody pursuit of Confederate treasure by three different men. The men are given nicknames but are ultimately recognized as “the good,” “the bad,” or “the ugly.” Public education is a lot like the Wild West. It’s every man and woman for themselves in an environment full of violence and corruption from students and teachers. Similar to Leone’s The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, there are three sides to our system.

the Good Nowadays, schools not only of-fer a standard textbook education, they allow students a chance to realize their dreams. Whether it’s working on airplanes at the George T. Baker aviation school or achieving success as a medi-cal student in the Medical Academy for Science/Technology at Homestead, the state of Florida offers ways for students to get a head start on their career in high school. Here at Varela, students have those same opportunities. Our nursing and vet programs offer tech certifications; stu-dents can go right from high school to a job as a nursing or veterinary assistant. Many classes here offer certifications in programs such as InDesign, Photoshop

and Dreamweaver. All of these are ben-eficial to careers as well. For those headed directly to college, students can get a jump start by taking Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment classes. These programs allow students to push their intellectual limits and their GPA’s. This year, Varela’s sports depart-ment saw six athletes sign with col-leges for scholarships totally more than $200,000. With the rigorous participa-tion standards for Miami-Dade’s ath-letes, these students excel in the class-room, as well as their sport. Aside from that, talent from stu-dents can be seen in the awards won through the other academies. Varela’s Troupe 6162 has won awards from two different competitions. In their state competitions, they have won superior in their one-acts. “It feels great because all our hard work pays off and we get recognition in the district for our superior winning shows,” said senior thespian Adriana Gonzalez. Awards like these bring attention to the school in a positive light. At the annual awards ceremony students have received awards in several departments such as band, foreign language, SPED and even journalism. “The awards we receive bring at-tention to our school and academy from different districts,” said senior thespian Vanessa McCloskey, “We are also recog-

nized at the state level as well.” It’s easy to look at the downside to public education. We hear about it every day on the news, and many politicians will be addressing those issues in the coming election. But in reality, there are also many ways for students to excel. They are the true stories of public edu-cation.

the bad Living in a post-Columbine and post-9/11 world has placed certain limitations and rules in different places. The most prevalent has been in schools. According to History.com “In the af-termath of the [Columbine] shootings, many schools across America enacted ‘zero tolerance’ rules regarding disrup-tive behavior and threats of violence from students.” The National Center for Educa-tion Statistics reports that, “In 2012, students ages 12–18 were victims of about 1,364,900 nonfatal victimizations at school, including 615,600 thefts and 749,200 violent victimizations, 89,000 of which were serious violent victimiza-tions.” In a 2013-2014 school climate survey by Miami-Dade County Public Schools, 88% of parents felt that their children were safe and secure, while 80% of students felt that way. “The lack of security is a big issue,” junior Tomas Caffe said.

Student achievements are celebrated through the many awards they receive. Besides awards, students can also receive industry certification in several areas.photo by Devoun Cetoute

t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m 7

Varela has eight security guards working full-time. The school needs some roaming around campus, in the open courtyard/cafeteria during lunch, watching all the cameras, and in the hallways all day. Unfortunately, there aren’t any funds to pay for the number of security guards to be in all places at all times, especially with the openness of our campus. Some students are not concerned with the violence at school. “I don’t believe our lack of security is an issue,” said senior Hailey Ellsworth, “I feel very safe here.” Despite what students say, the facts say otherwise. According to Local 10 news, Varela (who ranks among the 10 worst schools in the county for drugs) had a total of 37 fights during the 2013-2014 school year. Other reports in-cluded, “11 drug use, 37 fights, 14 thefts, 6 bullying, 43 tobacco, 1 battery & 1 sex harassment”(Local 10). In total, there have been 116 school reports filled out this year. Other schools on the list included are G. Holmes Braddock Senior, Hialeah Senior, Miami Killian Senior and Miami Sunset Senior (which, according to Local 10, has the “2nd highest percentage of drug use reports in Miami-Dade”). Some students feel too much secu-rity would be a major problem. Senior Richard Benvenutti said that more secu-rity would lead to a “prison-like environ-ment.” “It’ll make students feel less safe,” he said, “they will live in constant fear of security.” The National Association of School

Psychologists has found that “the widespread public impression that schools are unsafe — fueled by rare, but highly visible school shootings — is contradict-ed by empirical evidence. In fact, schools are not only safe, but are arguably safer today than they were a decade ago.”

Consequences for violent acts include detention, suspension or just straight expulsion.Freshman Leonard Criberio said, “The school handles it [consequences] poorly. Outdoor suspension just seems like a vacation for these people.” The country has changed since major events

like Columbine or Sandy Hook. The safe-ty of students has become a major issue, with some State politicians even going so far as to suggest allowing teachers to carry guns in school. It begs the ques-tion…should students be more scared of their fellow students, or their teachers?

the ugly In our last issue, we spoke about testing. The editorial board wrote about the unrealistic amounts of tests that would be given and the way that they would be graded. Much has changed since then. Most of the elective EOCs were cancelled. This was a relief to many teachers who taught classes like drama, yearbook and band. The core classes however, were still required to have tests. Algebra, Geom-etry, Algebra II and United States History all have exams. The reception has been mixed. “The tests felt disorganized. Since we were supposed to have EOCs for every class, all the teachers rushed their benchmarks and the students might’ve learned less,” said junior Marco Paez. “Then, they said it wasn’t necessary towards the end of the year.” Complaints stemmed from faulty software to

ill preparation. The Algebra II EOC espe-cially has been subject to criticism. “I feel like I wasn’t prepared for what was thrown at me,” said sopho-more Patricia Gonzalez. “There’s a lot of room to improve since this was our first year with a new EOC and I feel that’s why everyone was so stressed.” Math teachers have also voiced their concerned, with Algebra 2 teacher Soheila Kasmaii criticizing the state’s policy on the EOC test. “It put a lot of stress on teachers and students to go over material that they weren’t even tested on. Afterwards, they [the state] said that they were not go-ing to count it, so now those weeks are wasted,” she said. One solution was to have teachers create their own EOC, similar to a final exam. However, the teacher union, UTD, fought this. Having teachers create a test that would then be used for ac-countability and school grades was out of the scope of what teachers should be required to do. The new ELA (English Language Arts) test which replaced FCAT has also had problems. Student enrollment in the Intensive Reading classes is determined by a student’s performance on the FCAT. However, this year, the 9th and 10th graders took the new ELA. The State re-alized that they cannot compare the old FCAT with the new ELA since they are completely different tests. So the school will have to use FCAT scores from last year. Also, any students currently in Intensive Reading will have to achieve a certain score on the FAIR (Florida As-sessment for Instruction in Reading), a state mandated reading test, in order to get out of the class. Whatever the solution is, most stu-dents, teachers, and parents can agree that the issue is still prevalent. One year, there could be no EOCs at all, the next, EOCs are demanded for every class.

8 t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m

Inside the Staff Lounge

What inspiresyou?

What is yourfavorite word?

What is the strangest thing you’ve ever had to do as an administrator?

What profession other than yours would you

like to attempt?

What sound or noisedo you love?

What is your least favorite word?

What sound or noisedo you hate?

What profes-sion other than

yours would you not

like to partici-pate in?

Why do you enjoybeing an AP?

What is the best adviceyou can give a student?

If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the

pearly gates?

Determination

Defeat

My motherThe sound coming from my earbuds

The alarm clock

Law enforcement(or Batman)

Waste man-agement

I can make a differ-ence from within

the office. I also gain a new perspective

every day.

There are plenty of hurdles on the roads. Look at them,

know them, cross them.

“Welcome to the Jungle”

N e w s A r o u n d V a r e l a

These questions are based on the French television series Bouillon de Culture hosted by Bernard Pivot.photo by Jordan Cline

Performing CPR to bring somebody back to life.

Mr. Adrian Sanchez

Mr. Sanchez has been teaching for M-DCPS for 16 years. He has spent three years as

an Assistant Principal with the last two here at Varela. He oversees the 9th grade from his

office in room 10.

By the Numbers...

t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m 9

A r o u n d V a r e l a N e w s

Class of2015

821Number of seniors

415406

$35,000Senior D

ebt 2014-2015

125

Cum Laude

39

Magna Cum Laude

41

Summa Cum Laude

Graduatio

n

Hoods

phot

o by

Fox

-Mar

1 0 t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m

L i f e s t y l e M o v i e s

Avengers: Age of Ultron made me feel stuffed. Before I hear

the words “heresy” or “execute him” from the legions of fans weeping as I type, allow me to clear things up. Age of Ultron is not a bad movie. It was a fun, action-packed and dazzling sequel to 2012’s The Avengers. The story this time sees the Avengers as an established team and protecting earth from evil. Seeing the destruction caused by them, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) devise a plan to build an Artificial Intelligence program capable of protecting the universe, hopefully ending all the casualties that come with being a superhero. Unfortunately, the program goes rogue and becomes the android super-villain Ultron (James Spader). This is my favorite aspect of the film. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has

crafted the most eerie looking, smart-talking and all-around awesome villain, Ultron. Spader’s voice acting is abso-lutely perfect. He is reminiscent of ear-lier villain roles such as The Office and Secretary. He brings a lot of humor to the movie, which is a better change from Loki (Tom Hiddleston) constantly being sinister and conniving. Those words can also describe Ultron, but he also delivers some hilarious moments. Another positive point is the expan-sion of certain characters. Hawkeye (Jer-emy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are given more backstory. In addition to that, Hawkeye has an excel-lent subplot which brings some strong emotional depth. It also raises questions that su-perhero films don’t normally address. (Specifically, those concerning people without powers among a group full of super humans.) The action is also top-notch. Some superb special effects make this a visual

treat for viewers. All of that changes when the story rears its ugly head around the corner. While not awful like a lot of superhero movies (Daredevil, Batman and Robin, and Spider-Man 3, just to name a few), it could be a lot better, especially coming from the god of all nerds, Joss Whedon. It feels very rushed, and never slows down. One minute there’s a Hulk-buster, the next, Captain America is arguing with Tony Stark. So, while not the worst superhero movie out there, it could’ve been way better. The comic book fan in me is satis-fied with all the action, heroes and fan service. (That post-credits scene was worth the two-and-a-half hours.) The movie critic in me is disappointed in how the story turned out. Overall, comic book fans will be happy to see their favorite superheroes beating the ever-loving snot out of bad guys. Hopefully, they could do a better job of looking past the issues.

Avengers shoots too high, missesby cj Salcedoeditor-in-chief

@cj_fett_salcedo

Left: Mark Ruffalo (Hulk), Chris Evans (Captain America), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Scarlett Johans-son (Black Widow), and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders), Evans, Don Cheadle (James “Rhodey” Rhodes/War Ma-chine), Claudia Kim (Dr. Cho), Hemsworth, Downey Jr., Renner, Ruffalo, and Johansson.

Ultron Prime (voiced by James Spader).”

photos with permission Marvel/MCT

t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m 1 1

Seven films in The Fast and the Furious series. Seven. Soon enough this series will catch up to the amount of movies in the Star Trek series (excluding the most recent reboots). With so many movies in a series, does Furious 7 do its job as a sequel? Well, let’s go over what I feel the definition of an effective and viewer-friendly sequel is. It must carry the storyline while remaining understandable and easily followed by newcomers to the series. Thankfully, Furious 7 does just that. It appeals to both the fans of the entire series, like me, and action lovers that are fresh to the series. If you’ve never seen Tokyo Drift - if you haven’t, shame on you for commit-ting such a heinous social and moral crime - you can easily figure out where the series left off and not find yourself lost in a sea of references and inside jokes. Not many people can grasp the value of cars and the bonds they procure amongst gearheads. If you’re one of these people, boy or girl, man or woman, (it also helps to be a fan of the series)

you know who you are. This is the movie for you. In the effort of not spoiling the movie, I’ll analyze the predictable. With the sudden and tragic death of actor Paul Walker, who plays Brian O’Conner in the series, many fans were anxious to see how the movie could possibly meet their expectations. Though I can’t (and won’t) tell you how that predicament is alleviated, I can say that the predictable tribute to Walker was tear-invoking, to say the least. It isn’t often that a movie gets me to show any kind of emotion, but the end-ing to Furious 7 proved to be the greatest ending to any movie in the series by far. It made my stomach sink with empathy and sadness over the loss of a main char-acter of a series of movies that shaped my unbreakable passion for cars. Not only did it relate to those who empathized with Walker’s family and friends in the time of his (and that of his often forgotten stunt-driver Roger Ro-das) death, but it also strongly appealed to fans of The Fast and the Furious series in that it revisited Walker’s role and

importance to the series as a main char-acter in each movie (though he did not appear in Tokyo Drift). As a tribute, its effectiveness is unmistakable, and, very possibly, unparalleled. Moving away from the meaning of the movie as a tribute to Walker and the rest of the series, we start seeing the same aspects of every movie in the se-ries that are highly regarded and loved: the cars, the fighting, the action, and the cars. Did I mention the cars? I’m pretty sure I didn’t. As always, the driving scenes are as impressive as ever (not as impressive as the drifting scenes from Tokyo Drift in my opinion, but hey, different strokes for different folks, right?) and the fighting scenes prove to be incredibly suspense-ful. That brings me to my never before aforementioned topic: the cars. I’m not the only guy obsessed with cars, if that’s what you’re thinking. These machines are beautiful of course, but the pain of seeing them battered and destroyed took a piece of my soul with them. At the

end of each scene, however, it’s important to remember that the cars are enjoyed to their fullest and lived a happy life. Since I feel as if I’ve left this out… the cars were spectacular.

by alec dilellaStaff reporter@alecdilella

Above: Furious 7 marks Paul Walker’s final film appearance. photo with per-mission Universal Pictures/MCT

Left: Dom (Vin Diesel) stars in Furious 7. photo with permission Universal Pictures/MCT

Furious 7 is fitting end for Paul Walker

1 2 t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m

L i f e s t y l e M o v i e s

by alexia ponce de leonStaff reporter

alexia0114@hotmail.com

by cj Salcedoeditor-in-chief@cj_fett_salcedo

You won’t be dis-acca-pointed with Pitch Perfect 2. From the comedy to the music, from the laughter to the tears, this sequel totally rocked. Becca, played by Anna Kendrick, returns with the rest of the a cappella girls, The Barden Bellas, to com-pete at the international singing competition called Worlds. In a contest where no U.S. team has ever won, the Bellas have a new rival from Germany called The Sound Machine. The movie really sends a message of sisterhood. Aubrey, played by Anna Camp, returns to help them through-out this journey to rediscover themselves, their sound, and their pitch. This movie had the audience laughing from beginning to end. Rebel Wilson, who plays Fat Amy in the movie definitely stole the show with her outrageous physical comedy. Keegan-Michael Key of

Key and Peele fame makes his debut as a condescend-ing music producer with an amusing kick. Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games) returns as one of the contest judges and also makes her movie directorial debut. If you liked Pitch Perfect you will surely love Pitch Perfect 2. The movie is not a continuation of the first; it’s just a new challenge. So you can enjoy this movie all on its own. The music was great and they even included real life a cappella group Pentatonix. I really enjoyed watching this film. Plan a girls night out and watch Pitch Perfect 2. You won’t regret it.

Pitch Perfect 2 hits a high note

Girls night out vs. boys night outMiller brings back the Road Warrior

Being the first film in the Mad Max series in over 30 years, the film is an excel-lent place for newcomers to start the series. Taking place directly after the events of the first film (Mad Max, which was released in 1979), the movie sees Max taken prisoner by a gang of cult followers called the War Boys led by Immortan Joe (Hugh Keys-Byrne). Meanwhile, Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) is driving a heavily armored War Rig to get ammo and gasoline for the people of the wasteland. Joe finds out that Furiosa has taken his wives away from his enslavement and enlists the help of his War Boys to capture her and the mothers of his children. This entire chase is the central focus of the film. Mill-er uses techniques from his original Mad Max trilogy, and employs them well in Fury Road. All of the stunt work is real, with all the vehicular combat achieved without the use of CGI. That is an incredible feat, considering people are flying out of cars, large trucks are

exploding and there is a guitar playing War Boy whose instrument shoots flames from its neck. The editing also enhances the effects greatly, with some really fast cuts being made all the time. There are extreme close-ups and random wide-angle shots thrown in there to make this a surreal experi-ence. The performances from the leads are also excellent. Hardy and Theron steal the show, and are given a well-written script full of narra-tive heft, that matches all the action on screen. With themes of feminism, survival and home, Fury Road is the most mature blockbuster put to screen in ages. Fury Road delivers on every level. Visually, it’s unmatched by any other film released this year. Director George Miller has brought back the grandfather of all dystopian films, and it’s a great welcome. Max, it’s been 30 years, and I’m glad to see you back and madder than ever.

Above, Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) will do anything for love. Below, The Barden Bel-las reunite in Pitch Perfect 2. photos with permission Universal Pictures/MCT

Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron star in the film Mad Max: Fury Road. photo with permission Warner Bros. Pictures/MCT

t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m 1 3

M u s i c L i f e s t y l e

photos with permission Universal Records and Decca Records

Kalin White and Myles Parrish are new pop sensations that have just recently released their EP, Dedication. Although business is booming, there was a time where the boys were just regular people. That all changed though, when Kalin was introduced to Myles through a mu-tual friend in 2011. Since then, they have been working on producing their own music. Throughout the journey, Kalin and Myles were given the chance to perform shows with Austin Mahone and Megan & Liz, which greatly expanded their fan

base. After creating their hit single “Love Robbery” in 2014, it racked up over 1.8 million views on YouTube and became the most played song on Spotify for that year. The dynamic duo has almost one million followers on their Vine account, 12 million-plus Youtube views, and even 200 thousand-plus on Instagram. As for the EP, an enormous amount of work was put into it, and it is shown in the amazing choruses, harmonies and instrumental breaks. Dedication starts off with “Trampo-line” and boy, does that song make you want to bounce. Although the meaning of the song isn’t too life changing, it in-cludes very catchy lyrics and has a great beat. I can confirm that after a tiring day of sitting in a classroom, this song gave me a source of energy and a better mood. My personal favorite, “You’re The Only One I Need” contains beautiful guitar riffs and a finger-snapping chorus. The song was written with the help of Eminem and Lil Wayne, which is prob-ably why it’s so captivating. Overall, Dedication is a great EP for people who enjoy upbeat songs. Kalin and Myles did a great job of portraying their originality and creativity. Hopefully we’ll hear more of them on the radio.

Sheppard is an indie pop group that consists of siblings George, Amy and Emma Shep-pard, guitarists Jay Bovino and Dean Gordon and drummer Michael Butler. The band was originally created as a duo between George and Amy Sheppard, when she had asked for help on a music assignment. As time went on, the band expanded and began to produce and write their own music profes-sionally. The Australian family founded band, has released their new album Bombs Away which is rapidly ascending the U.S charts. This album includes the amazing hit single “Geronimo.” This catchy tune is upbeat and

exciting—making you want to sing along. Not only is “Geroni-mo” a lyrical de-stressor but it offers your ears the pleasure of euphoric melodies. Although some of the songs on Bombs Away may be too mellow for me, there are a few that caught my attention, including “Halfway To Hell,” “Let Me Down Easy,” and “Find Someone.” The songs are all cheerful, including amazing, ear-enhanc-ing harmonies and efficient instrument use. All in all, the album has its faults in certain song choices but overall, Sheppard has done an excellent job in portraying their originality in creating music and pleasing an audi-ence.

YouTube sensations Kalin and Myles take over the airwaves

Sheppard is blowing up the U.S. charts with Bombs Away by Krystal Valdes

Staff reporteriG: @i’mal00ser

1 4 t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m

S p o r t s V a r e l a

In all seriousness, Viper football fans should hope that this year’s “Black and Green Scrimmage” is not a represen-tation of the fall season to come; while the players forecast a promising season filled with young energy, a fresh quarter-back, and a sparkling new defense, the event itself proved to be near lackluster.

Thanks to Mother Nature, not much would occur prior to a nearly 90 minute rain delay and 3:30 p.m. start time that would find reporters, fans, and players still playing at 7:15 p.m. The Varela Viper football

team doesn’t not have a strong reputa-tion of spring football games, however, this year’s “Black and Green Scrimmage” leaves fans with a hint of what they can expect in the fall season: and fans, it looks promising. “We could have done better,” said ju-nior Ricardo Matos, who plays receiver, tight end, and linebacker. “But it’s good because we really see how we stand on the field and what we need to improve on.” With the graduation of over 20 se-niors, the team saw a shift in strategy on both sides of the ball. The Varela offense, despite possession of sophomore run-ning back Julian Harris, has found more comfort with the pistol offense. The offense is ways away from the Wing-T, utilizing three wide receivers and multiple tight ends, while allowing for easier defensive reads by the quar-

There are few teenagers that will sign their name to a contract, let alone one that binds them academically, ath-letically, and financially to an institution. Yet, six Felix Va-rela students did just that, as they participated in National Signing Day. The athletes, Neysa Parham (Cross Country and Track and Field), Mathew Franco (Boys’ Soccer), Robert Armand (Football), Nick Leon (Baseball), Amanda Perez (Girls’ Soccer), and Sabrina Verdes (Girls’ Basketball), were surrounded by their biological and Viper families, who were more than excited to be present for such a mo-mentous occasion. “It’s a proud and emo-tional moment,” said Varela

Athletic Director Lisa Spinosa. “They’re babies when they come here, and now they’ve grown up and are off to the real world.” Viper Central was home to six collegiate contracts, totaling over $200,000 in scholarship and aid. But the occasion was more than dol-lars and cents; it was a morn-ing of emotions for so many involved. Students were recognized not only for their spectacular athletic achievements, but also for their work in the classroom and community. “I am just so proud of her. She has done an amazing job with school, with running…there aren’t enough words to describe my pride in her,” said Susie Parham, Parham’s

mother. Parham signed a $68,000 cross country and track schol-arship with Stevenson Uni-versity in Maryland; she spent her last year at Felix Varela as one of the top female athletes, representing both Varela and Miami-Dade in competitions. Before signing, Cross Country and Track Coach Borris Lopez remarked on Parham’s growth throughout the sport. “When I came to work at Felix Varela, Neysa was just a silly little fast girl. Now, she’s a fast, well-to-do, in college girl. In the last two years, she had put a lot of work into her training….it’s great to see her excel in running and her school work.” The participants in the

Signing

Day

Spring Football shows glimpse of fall season

photos by Danielle Malkin

V a r e l a S p o r t s

t h e v i p e r v i b e @ g m a i l . c o m 1 5

terback. As for the defense, Vipers now line up in a “30 stack,” which promotes speed over size, allows for confusion of the of-fense, and is easily adjusted by defensive readers. “Defense still has some areas to im-prove. Offense we have to tighten up and make those little things right,” said Gio Matos, sophomore safety, running back, and slot receiver. Matos, much like his older brother, will find himself playing both sides of the Viper ball. “It’s going to be a little tiring, but it’s going to be a great expe-rience for me,” he said. The spring scrimmage marks the conclusion of the off-season: lockers are cleaned out, schedules are thrown away, and players say goodbye to their brothers in green

May 18 ceremony know all too well the benefits of hard work and being a well-rounded individual. Armand, signing a football commit-ment with Stetson University, is advanced on more than just the line of scrimmage. He takes Advanced Placement and Duel Enrollment classes, while maintaining an intern-ship and playing time on the varsity football team. Fellow athlete Leon, who will join the Lenoir-Rhyne Baseball team next spring, was shocked at his growth from the “pee-wee” league days, but excited for what the future holds. “It feels great knowing that little kid from Tamiami Park would be coming here and doing great things, it’s a

great feeling,” he said. “He’s always had to work twice as hard as the athlete next to him, since age four, playing baseball. Just seeing him achieve this goal….proud is an understatement,” said Leon’s mother, Alina Lorenzo. Aside from celebration and excitement for their first collegiate seasons, graduates are leaving behind quite the reputation for athletes to fol-low. With records broken, titles earned, and the next stepping stone to a collegiate career official, what do the signees have to say to their underclassmen? “Just work hard,” said Lincoln Memorial commit Amanda Perez. “You guys can do it.”

Left to right: Neysa Parham, Mathew Franco, Robert Armand,

Nick Leon, Amanda Perez,

and Sabrina Verdes. photos by Cj Salcedo

and Danielle Malkin

for a few short months. But the spring scrimmage also marks the commence-ment of a new season; new players find their way into the hallowed halls of Vi-per football, while veterans move up the ranks, taking the numbers and positions of their former teammates, and the slate

is seemingly clean. The summer allows for rebuild-ing, and a (hopefully dry) fall season will bring out a new and

improved Viper Football team. What does the future hold for Viper

football? That, fans, is up to them. In mere seconds, 21 players be-

tween the lines of Tropical Park can make all the difference for a team of 50, a staff of 10, and a school of 3,000. And as this family settles

down for a serious renovation, we can look nowhere but up.

Ten musings of Miss Sports Guy

Although I may not be privileged enough to wear a Varela Viper jersey, I’ve learned some invaluable lessons from the days and hours spent as a sports reporter for The Viper Vibe. There is no doubt, than within the next year, my list will grow as these athletes and their stories have taught me about suc-cess on and off the field.

Varela Sports by danielle MalkinStaff reporterdani.ginger97@hotmail.com

1. Athletes are some of the kindest people within our student population. Yes they appear scary, and they may appear to have their cliques, but nobody knows teamwork and the value of family like a Viper athlete.2. There are good days and there are bad; only the strong realize how impor-tant it is to have both. 3. “Mind over Matter” is the mantra: Vipers prove that size is a factor they do not fear. 4. There will always be a rebuilding year. 5. The most successful people are beautifully humble. 6. Athletics are changing the lives of young people everywhere, including Felix Varela students. 7. Hard work is everything. Period.8. The big leagues are not impossible. Big news came for the Viper family team when Varela Baseball alumna Johnny Barbato was traded to the New York Yankees, bringing a little “pinstripe pride” to Viper territory. Not the first and definitely not the last – could you be next?9. There is nothing like the atmo-sphere of athletic events; be a fan. Hey, be a crazy fan. 10. Nothing is comparable to being a sports reporter. The athletes, the coach-ing staff, the atmosphere, the ability to be in the midst of the craze and find the small, beautiful stories of people just like you and me. Thank you to all those involved in Varela athletics, for provid-ing a future for these talented young people, as well as allowing me to find those stories.

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