The Snapper

Juniors granted off-campus lunch over seniors’ wishes

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:24 -0400

By krizzy menez

After years and years of juniors
trying to get off-campus lunch, the long
awaited privilege may actually become
a reality for the class of 2010. Junior
Executive Board President Kevin
Pribramsky has proposed to the school
board that this year’s juniors should be
allowed to leave campus for lunch.
Pribramsky pitched the proposal to
the Building Level Planning Team and
the School Advisory
Council.
Leaving for lunch
has been a senior
privilege for the last
few years, but it hasn’t
always been.
“It used to be that
nobody was allowed off
campus. Then only seniors could leave
and the next year everybody could go
off for lunch,” said Welsh.
Although there is a possibility for
more accidents on the road and a slight
profi t drop for the school’s cafeteria,
Welsh has “no strong feelings one way
or the other,” regarding juniors leaving.
“It would be helpful in the sense
that more people would eat, but it may
hurt the students in the academic sense,”
said Welsh. He believes that “the more
the students leave, the more they will be
late for 4th and 5th periods.”
Student Activities Director Leslie
Holmes has similar views. “I’m neutral
on the issue. However, doing senior
lunch passes is hard enough already.”
Though juniors may be excited
about the possibility of being allowed
off-campus, the requirements for the
class of 2010 will be more strict than
those of 2009.
Only three absences must take
place each quarter and the juniors must
maintain a 2.5 GPA while seniors only
need a 2.0. The junior Executive Board
proposes that if a junioir receives either
in school or out of school suspension,
their off-campus privileges will be taken
away for the quarter. If a junior is caught
taking another
underclassmen offcampus,
the privilege
will be revoked for
that nine weeks.
After all the
calculations, it is
estimated that only
about 50-60 juniors
would even be allowed off if the request
is passed.
The fact that the subject is even
being considered caught students off
guard. The class of 2009 put together
a petition against juniors going offcampus
that has gathered the signatures
of even freshmen and sophomores.
Student Council president Blake
Oropeza said, “I am totally against
it. It’s just a senior privilege a junior
shouldn’t have.”
On the other hand, junior Natalie
Dudley feels that “the seniors are just
overreacting.”
The fi nal decision is still up in the
air as the juniors await approval from
the school board.

College headaches merge with high school realities

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:06 -0400

By alyssa averette

College, college, college. That is all that is being shoved down our throats from the day we begin school. As the standards rise, and students continue to test their knowledge, it is the future generations who will suffer from this ongoing epidemic of competition. If the typical teenager were to ask their parents what it was like to be in high school when they were your age, more than likely you will get a completely different outlook than what it is today. In fact, going to college was a minority back then. Today’s generation is the absolute opposite. One cannot make a decent paying job without a college degree. With the demand for degrees on the rise, it is only going to get harder and harder. It seems that we are constantly bombarded with every aspect of college. Students are now being required to pick their major before they even enter high school. Once you are a sophomore you have to take the PSAT’s and perhaps the SAT’s. By the time you reach your junior year you are in full-fledge college prep mode. You have to take the ACT’s, SAT’s and start planning where you want to apply. Within the first two months of senior year, you are already applying for college and should pretty much have a good idea where you want go and what you want to do. It’s not just the test scores and grades that will get you into college any more, it is truly the diversity. Therefore, not only are students forced to get the best GPA’s possible, but to be involved in activities and organizations in order to stand out. With all the aspects of college thrown into our lives at such a young age, when is there going to be time to actually enjoy the teenage years of high school? College classes such as Advanced Placement and Dual Enrollment allow students to complete their first one to one and a half years of college before they even step on the campus. Although it is benefitting the student’s educational path, when do they decide it is too much? Students are practically beginning college before they even enter high school. Some kids choose to not only take the AP and DE classes offered at their school to enhance their GPA, but they can also take extra courses online as well as classes at community colleges. Students begin to compete for the valedictorian position before they enter high school. It has become such an issue that many schools have eliminated valedictorians and salutatorians completely. With the 2012 graduating class here in Key West, that has already been established. College is no longer an option it is a necessity in the educational world we live in today.

H.O.P.E. takes over previous physical education classes

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:22 -0400

By erica jewell

For the class of 2011 the physical
education program at KWHS has
been remodeled. The new program
introduced this year is named Health
Opportunities through Physical
Education, or H.O.P.E.
It is a combination of two
previously required courses, Physical
Fitness and Life Management Skills.
Though the same material is taught and
even the same textbooks are used, the
new requirements differ from the old.
All classes prior to 2011 were
required to achieve one and a half
credits of Physical Education made up
of half a credit of Team Sports, half a
credit of Physical Fitness and half a
credit of Life Management Skills.
Team Sports was generally
completed during one half of a student’s
freshman year with a reading class
taking up the other half of the year.
Physical Fitness and Life Management
Skills were each taken for one half of
a year.
In the H.O.P.E. program Team
Sports has been eliminated to condense
the physical education experience into
one full credit.
In addition to the removal of
Team Sports, the H.O.P.E. program
differs from the former program in its
policy towards earning credits without
physically taking a course.
“Before H.O.P.E., students could
make up the Team Sports credit by
being in marching band, LMS, by
being on a sports team for two years
and passing a diffi cult exam, and PF by
being in ROTC,” said Vicki Cooper, the
guidance counselor of the fi rst class to
switch to the H.O.P.E. program.
Unlike the previous program, there
are no exemptions from one full year of
H.O.P.E.
To free up their schedules, many
students wish to participate in an
online version of H.O.P.E., but it is
not currently offered on Florida Virtual
School due to budget cuts.
H.O.P.E. can, however, be taken as
a summer course. One month of learning
fi tness and life skills during the summer
is currently the only way to avoid taking
H.O.P.E. during the school year. Last
summer, the course was full and had a
long waiting list.
“The two weeks were like nothing,”
said sophomore Gregory Barroso, who
took H.O.P.E. over the summer, “the
course was fun and interesting. I
learned a lot of useful things.”
Barroso is one of the few whose
high school years will be free of any
type of Physical Education course,
leaving space for a more specifi c
elective choice.

Thatcher’s home sinks, but hope floats

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:20 -0400

By ariana bacle

In Key West, Hurricane Ike grazed the houses of residents as they sat inside, still enjoying the comfort of their electricity and the darkness that shutters bring. Some residents went to the pier to enjoy the crashing waves or walked down Duval in an attempt to make their Weather Channel debut.
Reading teacher Peggy Thatcher wasn’t one of those people.
Instead, Thatcher was actually immersed in the crashing waves, near the Everglades in her 54-foot sailboat, along with her husband and three dogs.
Upon word of a hurricane, they left in their boat to go to a hurricane hole in the Everglades, with three other boats in tow. But they didn’t get very far, as Thatcher’s boat ran out of fuel halfway to their destination.
“It was dark and it was very rough,” Thatcher said of that night. “It was Sunday night and the hurricane hadn’t hit Cuba yet.”
With no fuel, Thatcher resorted to her anchor to keep her in place so she didn’t drift away. However, the anchor was a failure and due to it dragging on the bottom, Thatcher drifted over a mile from her husband, who was on a separate boat.
Thatcher was able to reach her husband on the radio, and he came and transferred to her boat. By then, the waves were increasing in intensity.
“We decided we’d call the Coast Guard to help us,” Thatcher said. “They said it was just going to get rougher and rougher and rougher.”
The Coast Guard literally came to the rescue to save the stranded couple-- and their dogs-- from the violent seas.
These waves couldn’t be avoided with simply a raincoat like those frolicking at the pier back in Key West.
A swimmer from the Coast Guard helicopter told Thatcher that they would have to go into the water in order to go into the helicopter. Thatcher was hesitant at first.
“He said ‘okay, are you ready?’ I said no,” Thatcher said. “I didn’t want to go.”
However, Thatcher complied and jumped into the high seas with her Chihuahua and lhasa apso in hand.
“I jumped in the water and thought ‘I’m just going to be swept away,’” Thatcher said. But the frightening exterior of the five-foot waves were deceiving, and Thatcher’s fears calmed. “[The swimmer] took my hand and swam me right to that basket.”
Thatcher, grateful for the Coast Guard’s “awesome” job at their rescue, says the experience was “great,” Thatcher said.
“The swimmer was John and that was my brother’s name and my grandfather’s name so that was a good name for me,” Thatcher said of the man who saved her
and her husband and dogs from what could have been a disastrous night.
“It was like a dream, a bizarre dream,” Thatcher said. “A dream, not a nightmare.”
Optimistic still, Thatcher and her husband hold out hope that their boats, and all of their worldly possessions, might someday be found. Until then, the Thatchers have moved onto dry land, renting an apartment on Stock Island-- near the ocean, but no longer on it.

Valedictorian and salutatorian titles vanish

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:18 -0400

By cole acevedo

Beginning with the class of 2012 there will no longer be a valedictorian or a salutatorian designation for top academic students.
“We’re implementing a system where more people are recognized for their GPA instead of just two,” said Superintendent Randy Acevedo.
Monroe County high schools are selecting a system similar to that of a college graduation standard. A committee designed to develop the student progression plan proposed instating the system where students could graduate cum laude, summa cum laude, or magna cum laude.
The cum laude standards focus on the overall weighted GPA of the student. A student who graduates with a weighted GPA of 3.5 to 3.9 would be cum laude; a student with a 4.0 to 4.4 is summa cum laude and magna cum laude is the highest honor, for those graduating with a 4.5 or over.
This change came about due to the highly competitive nature of the race for the valedictorian spot.
“In other high schools there have been abnormal problems, it became a numbers game. In some cases the person who took the more rigorous course selection wasn’t selected. Across the nation now, people are starting to recognize students with distinction,” said Assistant Principal Christina McPherson.
With this change, there has been discussion and controversy over who will be the speaker for the graduation ceremony.
“Each high school is going to come up with a criteria to select the speakers. They can consider, community service, academics and leadership. They could have an application process,” said Acevedo.
Key West High School, in particular has already considered the criteria for picking the speaker’s for the graduation ceremony.
“There will be a series of interviews that the contenders will have to go through to be chosen. of course the speaker position will only be open to those in the highest rank, which is magna cum laude,” said McPherson.
This change has sparked not much controversy for the class of 2012, who will be the first to test it out. Freshman Adam Diaz sees the transformation as helpful.
“For one thing, with the valedictorian position, you were competing with each other, and now, you’ll be competing with yourself,” said Diaz.

Together going green locally and globally

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:15 -0400

By haley martin

The local Five Sixes Taxi Company is on the road to creating a cleaner environment. Their first step in this global feat started with purchasing 14 hybrid vehicles. By March 2009, they plan to convert the entire fleet. These new additions reduce harmful emissions by about 80% and get 38 miles to the gallon versus the previous 12 miles. The genesis of this project formed alongside the American families’ biggest issue: rising gas prices. James Martin, an employee of the Five Sixes Taxi Company said, “Rather than cab drivers paying $60 for each gas fill-up, they now can get enough for a little over $20. This gives drivers more of an incentive to continue driving with the company.” To help cope with the ever-growing gas prices, junior Lauren Salter’s family has decided to trade their Lincoln Navigator for a more economic car. “My mom loves the car, but we need to make a change,” she said. Sophomore Jayci Hall and her family have adapted their lives in different ways. “My family doesn’t buy water bottles anymore, we use canvas bags when buying groceries, and we have switched to energy-saving light bulbs,” said Hall. Fred Mascherino, front man of band The Color Fred, has even decided to run his car on 100% vegetable oil. His band’s tee shirts read “My 1982 VW Rabbit runs on 100% used vegetable oil that I get from Chinese restaurants. It’s eco-awesome and I love it. That’s why I put a picture of it on this shirt. Do what you can do.” Although it may be too great of a change for the average working household to completely convert their family car into a gas-free vehicle, it is possible to help in other ways. Everyone can make a difference if they try. Hall said, “Even if it’s small, try to help.” Like Mascherino, many other people in the public eye have begun to focus on the environmental scene. The new show Project Earth reveals theoretical solutions to solving global problems such as the melting of the polar icecaps. Angels and Airwaves, one of the bands on the summer 2008 Van’s Warped Tour, provides the soundtrack for Project Earth’s promotional commercials. “I think that it’s smart for musicans to be involved with environmental projects. They have fans that look up to them and when kids see their idols becoming involved, they will too,” said Hall. Salter added, “I would much rather listen to a musician talking about global warming than a politician, they can talk to us in a way that we will understand.” The Five Sixes Taxi Company of Key West is the first taxi company in the state of Florida to convert to hybrid cars, Martin said. “We were not only the first to use hybrid cars, we were the first to install in-cab cameras to help document traffic accidents and unruly passengers.” Salter said, “It’s good to see these local businesses making an effort to make our world a cleaner place.”

Exemptions no longer a fall-back

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:12 -0400

kc chalbeck

Exam exemptions for
passing the FCAT and having
an appropriate attendence
record is now only a sweet
memory, or bittersweet if you
never made the qualifi cation
due to your score or attendence
record.
Starting this school year,
an exemption from taking a
fi nal exam can no longer be
used as an incentive to pass
the test.
“The DOE (Department of
Education) feels that the fi nal
exams in high school would be
good preparation for college,”
said Principal John Welsh.
The Monroe County School
District has raised the bar for
their rising expectations.
In addition to the inclusion
of a fi nal exam, a student’s
attendence record may no
longer excuse them from any
academic requirement, either,
according to Florida Statute
1003.33.
Semester examination
exemptions are also denied.
Not all is changing though;
exams will still compose 20%
of the student’s semester grade.
Some see this new change
in policy as unfair.
“It is not fair for us to take
it because we work all year for
[the FCAT], which determines
so much in high school, and
now we have to face fi nals
which determine almost as
much,” said freshman Isaac
Simmons.
“I know that students
really appreciated the exam
exemption and worked hard to
attain it,” said Welsh.
Not all students are upset at
the inclusion, either.
“I think the fi nal [exam] is
more important than passing
the FCAT in terms of testing
what we know,” said senior
Alex Fierro, “and probably
more helpful to us in the long
run.”
Whether rejoicing or
mourning the loss of the
fi nal exam exemption, new
incentives to appeal

Senior year is finally here: I’m not feeling the love

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:10 -0400

alyssa averette

As a high school student, one looks forward to the power and privilege of becoming a senior. After all, it takes three long years to finally achieve the title. But what exactly are these so-called “privileges” we consider so amazing?
As a freshman, I walked the halls surrounded by seniors towering over me. I sat in the window of my fourth period class, as my stomach made unnatural sounds from hunger, and watched all the seniors leave for off-campus lunch.
As I sat in all my stressful electives through the years, it seemed exciting to be able to be a student aide senior year. A somewhat laid back class seemed like a nice advantage.
Being in sports or any other activity, I couldn’t wait to be captains, presidents and leaders.
Seniority seemed like the most uplifting fact about becoming a senior, after all we get to wear red.
But now it’s finally here. I am a senior and now what? Ok, so all of us gotten inevitably taller and we don’t have people peering over us.
We now have courage to try to go off campus for lunch, because sure we have lunch passes now, but what are the chances that you actually have it with you or haven’t got it taken away for having too many tardies? No one ever told me all the guidelines for going to lunch.
And now, on top of that, they tell me that juniors will be getting the same off-campus lunch. I waited the three years, what makes them able to just skip a year? So now one more privilege has
been ripped from the hands of seniors. There seems to be no senior seniority here.
When it comes to being a student aide, or what they consider peer counseling, it isn’t at all what the rumors proclaimed. I simply thought I would have an extended lunch or a “free period,” but that’s not exactly the case. There’s errands to run and papers to file. The thing that the rumors don’t clearly state is the overbearing stress a senior schedule has. Yes, it’s a pretty important year, but all my other classes are at the college level and I can’t even put one more thing on my plate, nevermind after school functions or a social life outside the campus atmosphere.
I couldn’t wait to be a senior and be the “top dog” finally in control. Now I‘ve come to the harsh reality that the only thing it really meant was that by being the oldest we just got in trouble first.
Senior year is exactly the opposite of what I expected. I constantly heard about senioritis taking over, and senior year being one of the easiest years, where you can just lie back and enjoy the final months without any major responsibilities.
Wow, was I wrong. This year is one of the most stressful years of my entire life; as if school, work and sports weren’t enough, I have to throw college applications and the SAT’s and ACT’s that I need to take and retake along with it.
Walking in Tommy Roberts Memorial Stadium in our caps and gowns, the seniors gain the privilege of graduating and taking the next steps in our lives. That is one privilege that cannot be shared with the other classes. Yet as we graduate as the elite class of seniors of the school, we’ll soon enough find ourselves back at the bottom of the heap as freshmen again, this time on college campuses.

SMALL FRESHMEN,BIG CAMPUS

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:09 -0400

By haley martin

Has anyone noticed how
short the freshman class is?
Is it just me or is a reallife
scientifi c phenomenon
occurring in our little town?
Like the ancient
philosophers, I am trying
to explain this strange
occurrence. One theory I’ve
concocted is that our Earth’s
gravitational pull has become immensely stronger,
therefore pushing down on the still-developing bones
of our Class of 2012, giving them a closer view of the
shoe-blackened ground. Don’t agree? I have more.
Answer this: what do most freshman eat for
breakfast? Cereal. More specifi cally, cereal and milk.
Mothers have been telling their children for ages to
consume milk in order to build strong bones, and
does it help? I believe so, unless these youths are not
drinking real milk.
What if those spotted, multi-stomached herbivores
we call cows aren’t producing adequate milk? It is
certainly possible that these mysterious cow creatures
are munching on grass tainted by a rare fungal disease,
and therefore are not producing the bone-enriching
milk that our freshmen need.
Or, it’s equally possible that our government has
planted these abnormally short freshmen into our
school as a remedy for a genetic experiment gone
horribly wrong. For all we know, these hobbit-like
people came from the Nevadan desert where countless
other experiments take place, and now, the state has
run out of room to house all of them.
As for all the 2012’ers who miraculously topped
the 5-foot-3-inch mark, consider yourselves lucky. The
rest of your class will be praying for anything but a top
locker. So whenever you can, help the rookies unload
their books –which quite possibly weigh more than
they do—and offer to walk in front of them in the halls
to create a safer path through the monstrous towers of
upperclassmen.
And if anyone, and I mean anyone, mistakes me
and my 5’2” frame for a freshman, expect several evil
looks and threatening gestures. I blame it on genetics.

Trial of an upperclassman: 563 days until I walk the plank

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:04 -0400

cole acevedo

I’ve grown a lot the past two years, being a freshman and a sophomore seemed much less daunting than becoming a junior. In the mid summer haze of insomnia and laziness, the realization hit me cold in the face: I’m going to have to grow up. Which I would’ve been completely cool with in the early elementary years where my homework consisted of memorizing my full name and street address. As of now, I’m looking at the clock asking, “woah, when did this happen?” reaching upperclassmen status sort of popped out of nowhere, and with not much welcome or adoration on my part. More opportunities will arise for me, and an equal amount of responsibility will thus have to be exuded, these next two years will surely be a test. I will have to brave SAT-land, and actually have to start putting some effort into thinking about college. Because I’m no longer a freshman who has all the time in the world to think about a higher education, I’m an upperclassman on the brink of a journey that rightfully scares the crap out of me. “Junior year is the hardest”, that’s pretty much the beginning and the ending to an already numbingly banal conversation. Nobody ever asks, what makes it the hardest? After much contemplation and talking to many seniors, I’ve fully realized what makes junior year so much more hectic, complicated and intense. You’re taking the SAT’s and your workload takes a dramatic shift into what it will probably be like in college. Mentioning college: it’s happening, and you’re either going or you’re going nowhere. That’s society today. If you don’t get into a good college, then what was the point of your high school career? And even if you’re planning on attending college, get ready for one of the most stressful decisions of your life. Not only is college acceptance becoming scarily competitive but is also a life-changing decision. Upperclassmen status brings a few upsides, keyword: few. And when I say few, I mean it in the fullest entirety of what the word few can mean. You know, miniscule and indefinitely small on a grand scale. We get the traditional organized dances and functions that some may salivate over. By next school year, we’ll be granted off-campus privileges for lunch, which may even come sooner thanks to the junior class president. Those few things don’t really matter when you already are sort of sick of school and all the baggage that comes with it. I’ve got homework coming out the ying-yang. I’m not talking about the kind I could’ve pulled off during the day or a few minutes before class, I’m talking the kind I actually have to organize my time around. Over the next two years, I propose writing this column to document the trials and tribulations that run up along the two years left of high school that I have with upperclassmen status. If you haven’t heard enough everything starts to change with these two years, and while I have

Extra-curricular activities eat away at students’ piggy banks

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:33:01 -0400

By jamie kessler

For students involved with extracurricular
activities, it’s time to put their money where their
cleats, instrument, pom-pom, fl ag or ball is. Almost
every sport or organization in this school requires a
fair share, a participation fee or the purchase of basic
equipment.
The majority of sports programs do not have a
participation fee, but students, depending on their
sport, do purchase cleats, shin guards, gloves, and lots
more. Those items can range from $20 to over $100
depending on brand and quality. Their fees are usually
minimal because they receive revenue from ticket
sales and concession sales at their games.
Cheerleaders pay around $200 for basic fees and
$800 for optional camp which is highly recommended
and attended by almost the entire squad.
For the school’s competition cheerleaders, the
price leaps to nearly $1200.
“When we go away for competition, we have
to pay for everything like food, bus and hotel. But
there is lots of fundraising,” said sophomore Jessica
Anderson, a competition cheerleader.
For the band, a new member pays approximately
$200 - $230, plus a $125 “fair share” fee, along with
being required to sell four football season tickets at
$25 each. That does not include an instrument, which
can be rented from
the school, but the
choice to purchase an
instrument increases
the cost to hundreds
or thousands up front.
Also, instrument
maintenance can cost
anywhere from a $10
kit, to a $100 part
replacement.
The larger
sports can cost
around $50,000 to
operate, and the
band program can
cost around $100,000 depending on how
much they travel throughout the year. There have
recently been county-wide budget cuts, and expenses
that were subsidized by the district are no longer
covered. Some students say they’re feeling the effects.
“The price is outrageous just to be in half a year
of marching band,” said sophomore Ryan Herrington,
who is in his second year in the marching band.
Most programs offer fundraising, but for some
fundraising isn’t enough when students continuously
fi nd themselves being turned down by members of the
community who have already sponsored someone else
or can’t afford to.
“I get turned
down a lot. People
say it’s not tourist
season so they don’t
have enough money,
or they’re already
sponsoring someone
else,” said junior
Natalie Dudley, a
varsity soccer player.
“I went to get
sponsors downtown
with my girlfriend
and we spent three
to four hours per
day and we got one
check and four maybes. Only one of the maybes
came through. When they turned me down they said
that they’ve already sponsored someone or they don’t
sponsor the band,” said Herrington.
Many students are disgruntled by the high fees
and not sure how to handle the situation when they
feel they’re being turned down far more than they are
sponsored.
Between a slower economy and higher activity
expenses, student activities are feeling pinched.

Bottom of the bottle brings no answers Movement to lower legal drinking age not as popular as predicted

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:57 -0400

By kc chalbeck

It is unnerving at fi rst, as I sit in a crowd of over
2000 people at the 10th Annual National Underage
Drinking Enforcement Training Center (UDETC)
Leadership Conference and listen. The cause has
journeyed a long way and gained much attention
over the past decade, when it was fi rst deemed as a
lost cause and an impossible reality to change. I’m
not the only “kid” there either; there are about 300
other youths from across the nation. I see groups of
these kids and adults sit at their designated tables,
assigned by state. About a dozen kids from Dover,
New Hampshire are representing their county. I am the
only one from Monroe County, Florida.
The purpose of the convention, I remind myself,
is not to continuously lecture of the harmful effects of
drinking but instead to fi nd the cause, study the effects,
and create a solution to deter those youths who binge
drink or just drink casually from consuming alcohol
until they are at a healthy age to do so. Though at
fi rst it feels like a D.A.R.E. session, I cannot deny the
disturbing facts presented.
The Chief of Police for the Metropolitan
Nashville Police Department, Ronal Serpas, steps
up to the podium. I was dubious at fi rst but as his
speech advanced, more intriguing points rose to
the surface and I was reminded of all the teenagers
I know who at this point, in my junior year,
are already developing alcohol dependency
problems.
“We have a problem in America with
young people drinking,” Chief Serpas said.
“This is an issue that galvanizes us from
coast to coast.”
Over the next few minutes the audience
is showered with facts. I felt enlightened
to know that 10% of 8th graders and 22%
of sophomores report of binge drinking
experiences. Even scarier is that the number
one cause of death among young people
is motor vehicle crashes and that over a
quarter of those, 28% to be exact, involved
the consumption of alcohol, according to
the National
H i g h w a y
Traffi c Safety
Administration.
They are not
alone; instead
they muster in
with the 10.8
million people
under the age
of 21 who reported
drinking within the past
month.
I ask myself, what
is the cause of all of
this? Many ideas were
presented throughout
my three day stay but
the most popular one
by far is that drinking
among teenagers is
viewed as a transition
into adulthood.
What so many
people, as displayed by
the facts, fail to see is that
the conventional wisdom
of the rite of passage is
neither conventional nor
wise.
“So many of my
friends tell me about
how they got drunk the
other night and ended up puking and passing
out but also how fun it was,” said senior Jake
Romberger of Pennsylvania, youth delegate
representing his state.
Col. Terry L.C. Stotler, Consultant for
Clinical Social Work to the Air Force Surgeon
General and Chief of the Alcohol and Drug
Abuse Prevention and Treatment of the Air
Force puts this particular problem into
simpler terms.
“You are fi ghting generations of
ideas of what it is like to be a teenager,”
Stotler said.
Living in Key West, however,
means that you have to factor in the
environment as well. The isolated
party town characteristic of Key West
leaves us surrounded by the infl uence
of alcohol.
“There is really no place for kids
to hide from alcohol consumption
down here,” said Ted Healy, the
Project Director for the Monroe County
Coalition.
One of the few places that should be
autonomous of the infl uence of alcohol
in Monroe County are the schools and
yet even our institutions are facing the
ever expanding sphere of consumption.
As recent as last July, Monroe County
School Board member Andy Griffi ths
proposed the idea to “utilize” our
“under-utilized” buildings by allowing nonprofi ts and
business groups to hold fundraisers and festivities that
would serve alcoholic beverages on school grounds,
which currently is against state law.
“Schools would be fantastic for these events;
there’s plenty of parking, places to sit, people can
spread out. People who usually wouldn’t see the inside
of schools could see what they’re paying for, see how
beautiful the renovations are,” Griffi ths said.
“Monroe County reported young people drinking
alcohol on a 20% greater level that any other county
in the state of Florida,” said Healy. Healy continued
to add that “DUIs among 18 to 20 year olds are 250%
higher over a three year period in Monroe County.”
Promoting relaxed alcohol laws is a national
trend among educational leaders. Over 159 university
presidents from around the country have signed onto
the Amethyst Initiative, which asserts that the 21 year
minimum age for drinking is a failure due to college
students still drinking. Ironically, MADD (Mothers
Against Drunk Driving) points to research that
maintains that about 25,000 people have been saved
by the current minimum of 21.

Experiment in International Living program takes students abroad

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:59 -0400

By ariana bacle

This summer, eight eager students embarked on a journey of a lifetime thanks to Take Stock in Children and the Experiment in International Living program. Students had to endure a rigorous application process, including an essay and an interview, in order to be reviewed to go abroad. In the process, applicants had the opportunity to choose their top three desired destinations. Senior Jesse Hammers was pleased to get his fi rst choice, Australia. “I’ve grown up watching the Crocodile Hunter and Crocodile Dundee,” Hammers said. “I wanted to see the wildlife.” While Hammers was lured by the vicious wildlife of Australia, junior Dora Cajina sought a different reason for her choice. “I had always told my mom that if she’s mean to me I’ll move away to China,” Cajina said. Fortunately, Cajina didn’t need a quarrel with her mother for her trip to China. After, in some cases, dozens of vaccinations and pages of paperwork, the students jetted off to their destinations, ready to explore their unknown. For each trip, participants stayed with a host family for up to two weeks. This allowed them to directly immerse themselves in the culture of the country. “It was nice to put faces to the country and make c o n n e c t i o n s there,” senior Tylor Wilhide said, who went to Mexico for a one month stay. T h o u g h connections were made, it wasn’t an easy task for Wilhide. “I learned that my Spanish is very limited,” Wilhide said. “But through hand gestures and acting it out, you get your point across.” Language was a barrier for some, but luckily, junior Corinne Haskins didn’t have much trouble in New Zealand. “[My host family] were surprisingly like my family,” Haskins said. “They were really fun and it was easy to adapt to them.” Across the water, Cajina split her homestay between two separate families: a rural one and an urban one. “The biggest difference was that the urban family had a real toilet,” Cajina said. In addition to the plumbing, Cajina made another observation. “In the urban homestay, they weren’t as united as they were in the rural home,” Cajina said. “It taught me that money doesn’t bring your family together.” While Cajina was house-hopping in China, Hammers was busy hunting the local game, including kangaroo, which he says “was the best meal ever.” Hammers wasn’t the only one eating the local delicacies, as Wilhide’s program was focused on the culinary arts. Wilhide’s group attended a cooking class at the University of the Americas in Mexico, where she “made rice pudding, mole, rice, soups, guacamole” and even “tortillas from scratch.” The food may have been eaten, but the jetsetters found something else that may last a little longer than chips and salsa. “Our group became very connected,” Wilhide said. “I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it half as much if it wasn’t for them.” Traveling abroad was more than just a way to combat a boring summer, but rather an experience of a lifetime. “I think I’m more open-minded,” Cajina said.

Ostendorf uses simplicity and humanity as her muses

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:52 -0400

By kc chalbeck

If you were to take a walk with junior Sonja Ostendorf you would quickly realize that the simplest aspects of the human existence can inspire a collection of complex ideas that wait to be taken to the drawing board.
“Art wise, everything has potential if you have the skill,” said Ostendorf.
Ostendorf, who has been drawing, inking and exploring the realms of cartoon and abstract art since childhood, can fine her muse close by just about anywhere she goes.
Her inspiration climbs high into a tree of nature, emotions, and already existing ideas that provoke the mind
There is one branch in particular that leaves her especially intrigued: humanity.
“Human behavior itself inspires me and also puzzles me,” Ostendorf said.
It isn’t the complicated behavior that fuels her curiosity either; instead she finds beauty and art in simplicity.
“Sometimes it is mediocrity that inspires me,” said Ostendorf, “it can have meaning to me but seems futile to others.”
More often than not, the inspiration is derived from interaction, observation and dialogue.
“If I talk to someone and they say something with great meaning to me I will meditate on it and reflect it through my work,” Ostendorf said.
If studying her work, one can expect to find anything from geometric patterns, usage of vibrant inks, cartoon allusions, symbolism, a distorted depiction of nature and manic emotions all in one piece that relates to human existence.
“Sometimes I’ll add in multiple things,” Ostendorf said.
“Her work is detailed beyond belief and just makes you think how she could come up with something so crazy from such a simple observation,” said juinor Jessica Davis.
Most of her portfolio consists of works drawn and inked, a medium that she prefers most due to the nature of being able to sketch, perfect, and ink. She has dabbled in some canvas painting, a mediumshe has explored but seldom desired.
“I’d much rather ink than paint because painting is a long drawn out process,” said Ostendorf, “I’ll either tire with what I’m doing or completely forget what I’m going to do next.”
Her most loved medium is charcoal sketching, which she came across a few years ago.
“An old friend of mine used to do a lot of charcoal sketching and inspired me to try it,” said Ostendorf, “It’s the most fun thing I’ve ever done.”
Later she revealed that one of her most entertaining experiences with charcoal sketching was erasing her mistakes with a piece of bread.
Though all of her work contains personal meaning, others may find it hard to interpret, at which she says “sometimes it is best if things are left senseless.”

Brisson displays determination, leadership with varsity volleyball team despite setbacks

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:55 -0400

By jasmine jones

If you look up the definition of a “dedicated player” in a dictionary, senior Victoria Brisson’s picture should be there. She’s considered one of the most committed and enthusiastic players at Key West High.
From the start, Brisson has pushed herself to be the best player she could be, even if that meant working extra hard. In my opinion, she is one of the best players on the volleyball team in the sense that not only has she become a tremendous blocker, but Brisson has had to overcome obstacles that many student athletes have never even encounter let alone beat.
Brisson started out as a freshman blocker on JV, learning the ropes and working hard with hopes to one day land a spot on the varsity team. Her freshman year went very smoothly, but her sophomore year was when she encountered a few bumps in the road.
At a summer volleyball camp before her sophomore year, Brisson tore her ACL. In a match she came down from a spike and her knee blew out as she landed.
“The injury really set me back. I had to rehabilitate my knee all
sophomore year. I couldn’t play at all,” said Brisson.
But with the trainer’s help, Brisson worked tirelessly to nurse her knee back to full health. She finally achieved her goal when she returned her junior year as a varsity athlete, even though she couldn’t play at her full potential just yet.
“I still had to sit out of practices and important drills sometimes.”
Now in her senior year, Brisson will start the season fully recovered. She has improved on many of her weak points.
“My timing when I block has gotten a lot better than last year as well as my blocking technique. I can also serve overhand which I am very happy about,” said Brisson.
The team has also made a lot of progress with their serving, positions, communication and chemistry.
“The varsity’s chemistry has really improved. We go out to dinner occasionally and hangout all the time. Sometimes we even play beach volleyball on the weekends. We are getting along great.”
Their “Big Sis Lil’ Sis” program has also helped them get closer to the JV players.
“The varsity players choose JV players that will be their ‘little sister’
and we support them by going to their games and making signs to cheer them on. And they do the same for us.”
Sophomore Jessica Bodmer had nothing but good things to say about her fellow teammate.
“I love Big V. she’s a very good friend of mine,” said Bodmer. “Victoria is a very good example for the younger players. She’s a great leader, is encouraging and never criticizes you even if you mess up. Plus she has awesome grades and is the editor of the yearbook.”
The volleyball team has high hopes for the 2008 season. After losing to Monsignor Pace in the district semi finals, the team hopes to redeem themselves and go even farther. Based on the results of recent tournament, one win one loss, Brisson feels they have a very good chance this year.

Cross country runs away from the alarm clock to cross the finish line

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:48 -0400

By morgan fraga

Sophomore Emma Fehlig’s left eye is a shade of green and her right eye is a shade of brown.
Fehlig may be the only one with interesting irises, but she epitomizes the cross country runners’ tendency to break the norm.
Waking up to get to first period on time seems to be a hard enough task for most students. Try waking up before six to go run several miles before the majority of your peers have stopped dreaming. Then try putting off homework for a couple hours, not to gossip with friends about the latest Obama vs. McCain scandal, but to run seven miles in the hottest part of the day all over Key West.
It doesn’t end there.
“Because the kids who go out for cross country are usually self-motivated, they show the same dedication to their schoolwork,” said girls head coach Debra Bertolini.
The girls cross country team had the best overall GPA of all the sports teams last year.
So on top of all this work how can they possibly take a more intensified practice which coaches Terence White and Bertolini have instilled into this season’s routine?
Pride is attributed to the dedication expected. “When an athlete puts on their uniform it should show a certain level of commitment and hard work,” said Bertolini who had worked two years as a volunteer for the girls’ team before becoming head coach last year.
The workouts have been stepped up considerably this year.
“Attending training and practice is mandatory. I’ve asked the athletes to prioritize because this is an opportunity to be as good as they possibly can,” said Bertolini.
The schedule of running six days a week hasn’t scared off Fehlig, who joined the team this year. After a season of pole-vaulting for the track team Fehlig sees the differences. “Track definitely seems less challenging,” said Fehlig, “it’s getting really intense.”
Fehlig, who currently holds a personal record of 23:55, says that her competitive side motivates her to keep going on those hot afternoons. “Olivia Kent, the captain, is really encouraging. I see her ahead of me and I want to keep up with her,” said Fehlig.
Others use the idea of improvement to fight the urge to hit the snooze button.
“The practices are a lot tougher but I’m definitely better than I was in 9th grade,” said junior Marlene Thurber, who has been running since her freshman year. “Bertolini wants us to get better.”

Putters walk it out on the green

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:50 -0400

By amanda lopez

Driving through the breeze on a
sunny day at the golf course seems great.
And it is. There’s nothing to do but take
notes and pictures, because loud talking
is a big no no, as well as cell phones.
“Amanda, what are you doing? Get
off that cell phone,” said Coach Wise,
“Don’t you know those things send off
waves that cause the clubs to vibrate?
It’ll make them shoot bad.”
After careful analysis, however,
it can be assured that thsi is just
a myth. Talking on cell phone is
prohibited though. It’s a serious socially
unacceptable faux pas in the game of
golf.
Golf is fi lled with many social
rules, and rules that are just supposed
to be known as polite. It is an extremely
traditional sport.
While recreational golfers get to
venture about in golf carts from hole to
hole, the team walks the entire length of
the 18 holes, a rough 6500 yards, while
carrying their bags of clubs.
This is one
of the many
challenges the
golf team faces.
Battling the
t e m p e r a t u r e s
outside can’t be
easy.
In a game
that is often
underestimated
and characterized
as “easy,”
members voice
that it is indeed
a challenging
game, just not in
the way people
think it is.
“You really have to keep mentally
focused through the whole round,” said
senior captain Rick Vaders.
Sophomore Jack Lockwood,
whose father is an experienced golfer
and whose brother is a professional,
excels in the sport but fi nds his own
diffi culties.
“It’s really
tough living
up to family
expectations,”
said Lockwood.
“There’s a lot
of pressure.”
A n d
that fact is
u n d e n i a b l e .
One cannot
fully appreciate
the intensity of
the sport until
you’re out
there on the
green watching
friends try to putt it in on one stroke.
The silence is deafening and if
they are unsuccessful, one can feel
the disappointment as if it’s their own.
If they are triumphant, you can feel
their personal victory and internal
celebration.
Coach Nora Laubenstein is always
there to support her team and in turn
expects the best from them.
“We’ve got four seniors this year
and they really want to go to Regionals,
but we’ve got a long way to go,” said
Laubenstein.
“It’s tough but we always get so
close but lose it because of a couple
teams’ scores. I have faith in the team
though if they can pull it together.”
It will take focus and drive for the
team to achieve their goals.
Pulling it together may sound easy
enough, but this group is probably the
most “comedic” group of them all.
“Oh gosh [remember] the time
when Rick put his shoes in the other
team’s van?” said Lockwood.
“Yeah, that was funny!” said
Vaders.
“No you don’t understand, his shoes
got like fl ooded and they smelled like-
-“
“--like not even shoes!“
“Yeah and he just stuck them under
the seat!”

New faces mean new goals for swim team

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:32:45 -0400

By amanda lopez

Usually, eager freshmen girls enter the rusted, metal fencing of the Florida Keys Community College pool, with the intention of being a part of one of the most “popular” athletic teams on campus-- and of course to work on their tan.
The freshmen boys, normally only a few, join to maybe make some new friends of the female persuasion--and of course to work on their tan.
This year, however, fewer freshmen grace the surface of the pool. With only three new freshmen girls, the girls’ swim team is composed of 21 girls, including top swimmers, Effie Ford, Alessandra Hally and Rachel Kohler.
“They have a lot of enthusiasm,” said junior Effie Ford. “They’ve also all pretty much been to every practice and everything we’ve participated in, so that’s good,” Ford said.
On the other side of the pool, the boys’ team has a whopping 12 members, which is two more than ever before.
“We have a pretty good boys’ team,” said senior co-captain Oscar Fernandez. “I really want to break my record in the 50- meter freestyle by two seconds. That’s a lot. It doesn’t sound like much, but it really is.”
With some of the most talented swimmers here, the team begins to focus on how else they can improve their skill.
“Now, we really just need to work on our individual technique. We’ve come together as a team and seen what works well when we’re participating in relays and stuff, but now we need to focus on ourselves,” said Ford. “Swimming is an overall individual sport, even when you’re swimming relays because you can make or break the team, so we should really work on making our individual selves better.”
The veterans have more of the same personal record goals and team goals, but it seems new members have a different agenda.
“I really want to be able to swim better and faster, but I also want to be able to get fitter by swimming and
exercising,” said sophomore Catherine Pierce.
New members also, being new to the whole experience, have their own opinions.
“The practices are really tough,” said Pierce, “but once you’re done you feel like you’ve accomplished so much.”