Spanish River Pathfinder Award nominees gather together in the courtyard. Each student demonstrated outstanding abilities in one of eighteen categories and will compete against other Palm Beach County nominees for the prestigious awards.

By JOSH LIEBERMANSTAFF REPORTER

PHOTO BY CAITLIN NOBILÉ

“Pull out” system returns to boost FCAT scores

By SAMANTHA COHENSTAFF REPORTER

By KATHY LONGSTAFF REPORTER

*article continued on page 3

Congratulations to Dwyer Award nominees Dennis Sweet-apple, Kelly Kayle-Gallon and

Eric Dybas.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE News 1, 3 Opinion 5, 6 Features 7,8,9 Feature Focus 10, 11 Student Life 14, 15Entertainment 12, 13 Sports 17, 18, 20

News Briefs

Students conduct research for science fair

Out of 86 science fair projects submitted by students at Spanish River, 10 will be moving on to the county science fair. If these competitors win at the county level on December 8, then they will attend the state competitions in Orlando in April. The science fair advisors Eric Dybas and Kimberly Baxter nominated science projects based on their organization, aesthetics and content. Students submitted projects ranging from evaluating the optimum conditions for butterfly chrysalises to studying Hepatitis C virus protein

inhibitors. Students had about a month to pick out and research a challenging topic, conduct their experiments, compile the data into a report and make an exhibit board. The ten selected competitors are junior Max Morgenstern and seniors Christine Adams, Lisa Deacon, Erica Howard, Cody Jackson, Francesco Poli, Lauren Quiroga, Jamie Taluto and Kelly Zhou. A higher number of students are competing at the county level this year, according to Baxter. In the past, the science fair was optional and only a total of 15 projects were submitted, in which only three students competed on the county level and moved on to the state level. The increase of projects moving

to the county competition may be due to the project’s mandatory completion for Biotechnology IV classes. Howard tested the effects of light and temperature on the length of a butterfly’s chrysalis. She tested 18 different butterfly chrysalises and found that the optimum conditions were a warmer environment and more direct lighting. “I came up with the idea because I wanted to do something with nature and I liked butterflies,” Howard said. “Doing the project was really fun and enjoyable.” Jackson investigated the proliferation of CD4+ T cells and how they are affected by regulatory T cells. T cells belong to a group of white

blood cells known as lymphocytes, and play a central role in immunity. Another project by Taluto featured aspirin’s dosage effect on blood clot time and platelet count in humans. Two different masses of aspirin were used, one 325 milligrams, and the other 81 milligrams. She conducted research on eight individuals for one month and drew blood from them weekly to test the effects of aspirin. Her results concluded that the higher the dosage, the longer the clotting time and the lower the platelet count. Participating students learned valuable research skills and now have the opportunity to be rewarded for their work.

Every year, eighteen Spanish River seniors are nominated for a Pathfinder High School Scholarship. Award categories include Academic Excellence, Art, Business, Communications, Community Involvement, Computer Science, Drama, Foreign Language, Forensics/Speech, History/Political Science, Literature, Mathematics, Music/Instrumental, Music/Vocal, Reach for Excellence, Science, Sports and Technical/Vocational. Spanish River’s nominees are selected by their performance in each field. “Composure, maturity, ability to articulate, engaging, and knowledge

about the specific award,” Academic Excellence Coordinator Lisa Barry said. “[These are] what make him/her a standout.” In order to qualify for a nomination, one must complete a nomination packet with a recommendation letter from the Principal, a guidance counselor or a teacher. Additionally, each applicant must submit a list of universities they have applied to, future goals in the specified area and all accomplishments and awards in the field. Although the application process may seem tedious, the reward is worth the hassle, according to the nominees. “The application process itself has many benefits, and therefore applying for the scholarship is worth it regardless of the eventual

outcome,” Science nominee senior Eric Pelz said. After the interviews, the nominees compete with others across the county. First place winners receive $3,000, second place winners receive $2,000, third place winners receive $1,500 and fourth place winners receive $1,000. The award ceremony will be held at the Kravis Center on Tuesday, April 26, 2011. In addition to the first place prize money, winners are given a trophy to commemorate their accomplishment. “It would be so rewarding to showcase my skills in vocal performance,” Vocal nominee senior Alexa Lebersfeld said. “Being able to show who I am through my music is a feeling unlike anything else.”

Spanish River has recently im-plemented “pull outs” to make more students proficient in reading, math and writing. All Palm Beach County high school students have to take the Florida Comprehensive Assess-ment Test (FCAT), which consists of reading, math, science and writ-ing sections. One of Florida’s high school graduation requirements is the passing of the reading and math FCATs. There is no score require-ment for the Palm Beach Writes, al-though some schools provide their students with incentives to do well. When a student is predicted to be a level one or level two, they are “pulled out” into a reading specific class that is substituted for one of their electives. These classes are similar to intensive reading or math classes where students are taught the skills and strategies needed to achieve higher scores on their FCAT tests. “The goal for the reading and writing ‘pull out’ classes is to help students learn the skills necessary to achieve higher test scores,” As-sistant Principal Mara Goron said. In order for a student to be se-lected to be a part of the reading “pull out” classes, teachers look at the student’s reading lexile, their reading FCAT scores from March of the previous school year and their winter and fall diagnostic test scores from the prior school year.

Award nominees

Spanish River earns an “A” rating for the

fifth consecutive year.

Congratulations to Salvador Carrillo, Razvan Chiriac, Andrea Gomez and

José Guerrero for consistently attend-ing Latin American Club tutoring and

reaping the award of passing the FCAT.

Dr. Susan Atherley named NCEA Principal of the Year

for Adult Education.

THE G LLEON 5100 Jog Rd. Boca Raton, FL 33496

Spanish River High School

Issue 3. December 2010.

SKILLED DANCE STUDENTS GET BEST OF BOTH WORLDSHARID STUDENTS DEDICATE THEMSELVES TO DANCE

INDULGE IN THESE DELICIOUS HOLIDAY TREATSWHITE CHOCOLATE CANDY CANE DROPS AWAIT IN THIS EASY RECIPE

STUDENT FACEOFF ON THE NEW FOUR LOKO BANARE FOUR LOKOS LOKO?

ADVERTISEMENTS 2 December 2010The Galleon

NEWS 3

The Galleon 2010-2011EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Lindsey GoldAlban Harrison

ASSOCIATE EDITORNicole Granet

ART EDITORSKathy Long

Nicole Zamfes

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITORS

Phoebe DinnerLee Ginton

FEATURES EDITORSNicole Granet

Caroline Posner

FEATURE FOCUS EDITORIlana Weisman

NEWS EDITORSJoey Goldman

Max Morgenstern

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITORCaitlin Nobilé

SPORTS EDITORSSam KaplanRenee Siegel

STUDENT LIFE EDITORWhitney Sha

STAFF REPORTERSEmily Bergman

Shelaina BloukosAriel Brown

Samantha CohenEmma Grubman

Taryn GrunesJosh Lieberman

Kathy LongCaitlin Nobilé Zach Schlein

Nicole Zamfes

ADVISERSuzanne Sanders

The Galleon is a member of Quill and Scroll Honorary Society for High School Journalists, Florida Scholastic Press Association, Columbia Scholastic Press Association, Southern Interscholastic Press Association, National Scholastic Press Association

The Galleon is a public forum.

PRINCIPALDr. Susan Atherley

Student council gives back,runs food drive for the needy

WEB EDITORJosh Lieberman

COPY EDITORShelaina Bloukos

ADS DIRECTORTaryn Grunes

By MAX MORGENSTERNNEWS EDITOR

Changes made to meet FCAT benchmarks

By JOEY GOLDMANNEWS EDITOR

“If a student received a level two score on the reading FCAT, they fall on our radar to be chosen for the reading ‘pull out’ class,” Reading Coach Kelly Kayle-Gallon said. Students in the “pull out” reading class go to the computer lab twice a week, where they use a program called “Read On” which allows them to read different passages, and then it tests them on comprehension, vocabulary and overall reading skills. Junior Matthew Poser is very familiar with this program; last year he took the “pull out” class to improve his reading. “The ‘pull out’ class really opened my eyes to school,” Poser said. “It helped me balance my time and I im-proved dramatically on the FCAT.” Palm Beach County writing spe-cialist Diana Yohe created the new writing seminars to teach students the tools and strategies needed to write a well thought out and gram-matically correct essay so they can achieve a higher score on their next Palm Beach Writes. Yohe cre-ated two different groups for these writing seminars: the first group consists of students that score in the one to two level and the sec-ond group consists of students that received one, two and three level scores on their Palm Beach Writes. When Yohe teaches these classes, she has two goals in mind. “I have a short term goal and long term goal,” Yohe said. “The short term goal is for students to be successful on the Palm Beach Writes, and the long term goal is to make students aware that writing is a medium in which everyone can express themselves and excel.” Students chosen for the “pull out” classes must attend them twice a week for four to six weeks. Due to consistent absences in their elective classes, the stu-dent’s grade for that elective class will depend on how well they do in either the writing seminars or the reading computer program. “We really want to support all students,” Kayle-Gallon said. Spanish River hopes that these newly implemented “pull out” classes will raise the level of profi-ciency on the FCAT reading test and the Palm Beach Writes.

Spanish River currently offers four academy programs: Biotechnology, Entrepreneurship, Gilder Lehrman American History and Law and Teacher Education, in which 858 students are enrolled, according to a school press release. Academy Coordinator Deborah Stenner knows how important it is for every student to be properly prepared for a future career in their specific area of study, which is why she has introduced new rules and coordinated career events. One such occasion was the recently held Pathways to the Future Event, which Stenner said offered students a “chance to see the real world.” This event provided students with advice from successful professionals and entrepreneurs, such as local resident Mark Begelman, former President of Office Depot and current CEO of Pizza Fusion. Begelman has won the

Ernst and Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year” award twice and was named Financial News’ “CEO of the Year.” Junior Glenn Marks, a student in the Entrepreneurship Academy, was extremely impressed by Begelman’s business accomplishments. “Mr. Begelman’s commercial success is incredible,” Marks said. “His achievements definitely make me think that heading down a business path is the right thing to do.” After Begelman’s keynote, each academy then broke up into seperate groups where professionals met with academy students, sharing their experience and offering advice. Additionally, each academy is now required to have its own collared shirt. A newly designed academy logo, designed by senior Sylvia Chambers, can be seen on all of the shirts. Shirt colors however, vary between academies: blue shirts are for Biotechnology students, green shirts are for Entrepreneurship

students, red shirts are for Gilder Lehrman students and light blue shirts are for Teacher Education students. Stenner implemented this rule so students would have an easier time discerning their fellow academy peers, in the hopes of building more unity within the student body. In addition to this new requirement, another policy has been put in place to push academy unity; students might notice that their peers in their academy class are also in some of their other classes, too. These intentional class arrangements further enforce unity between students. “The shirts and class arrangements are great ways for students to realize that they share the same passions and ambitions,” Stenner said. The main goal of these new policies and career events is to create a common bond between students, not only for their time in school, but also as they move towards becoming professionals in their areas of interest.

The Spanish River Student Government Association (SGA) led a schoolwide canned food drive for the local needy. In affiliation with Channel 5 Food for Families, this project was one of the SGA’s greatest attempts to give back to the community. SGA members used their leadership roles to encourage students to participate in the food drive by offering incentives: all student participants received a varying amount of community service based on how many cans they contributed, and the class that collected the most

cans will be rewarded with a bagel party. The SGA then collected the cans and sent them to the Boca

Housing Authority. “I think it’s a great project and a great way for our school to come together and help make a difference in our community,” junior class president Zach Schultz said.

In addition to feeding the hungry, the project raised awareness of local poverty; the drive’s success was partially a result of its ability to galvanize students. Junior Bobby Glicksman was one such student who was enthusiastic to participate in the canned food drive. “The project made me consider the terrible situations of those in poverty,” Glicksman said. “I felt compelled to give back.” The project collected and donated a total of 3223 cans. “It’s important for students to understand that there are people in our community who go without [food],” SGA adviser David Yunker said.

The project made me consider the terrible situations of those in poverty. I felt com-pelled to give back.- Bobby Glicksman11

“ ”

Continued from pg. 1

Local professionals offer real-world advice for academy students

PHOTOS BY CAITLIN NOBILÉOrganized by Academy Coordinator Deborah Stenner, the Pathways to the Future event took place on October 27, when local profes-sionals offered career advice for Spanish River academy students. On the left, former Office Depot President and Keynote Speaker Mark Begelman shares his success story with students. To the right, four guest speakers talked to biotechnology students.

December 2010The Galleon

ADVERTISEMENTS 4December 2010The Galleon

SHARK ATTACK

Naughty and nice feedbackDear Editor,I found your view of what is and what isn’t a sport very interest-ing. It’s a very controversial topic and it caused a lot of uproar. I am on your side of this topic, but my letter isn’t about that. I just want-ed to stress that what you said was your opinion and people need to get off of your back about it. It was under the opinion section. To the people that say that it is a sport, that’s their opinion also. Let it go I say, it’s a opinion and noth-ing more, this whole school needs to chill.- Anonymous, 11

SHARKSOUT

OFWATER

Dear Editor,I don’t believe that we should get rid of the football team. It could definitely use some improvement. All the kids on the team have po-tential, but they only have prac-tice for 3 hours. Boca High has 4.5 hours, and Atlantic has 5! Plus, how can a high school not have a football team? If you get rid of it, people will go to Boca High or other schools. Making the team better won’t be easy or inexpen-sive, but it’s worth it. It wouldn’t make sense to have a golf team, but not a football team.- Ted Kiss, 10

Dear Renee Siegel,Your article was a little cruel and you obvious-ly don’t know how hard any of these activities work to be noticed. I’m in band and I know what we do should be considered a sport, but I’m not going to cry and complain about it like most of band. You should also get your facts straight before writing an article. We run laps around the bus loop, not the courtyard. Maybe if you tried out any of these activities, you’d see just how hard any they are.- Anonymous, 11

Only a few more days and Winter Vacation has arrived! If you are looking for a way to rack up on community ser-vice hours and give back to others, The Galleon has you covered on page 14. Hav-ing trouble finding gifts during the hectic holiday season? Check out page 9 for a holiday gift guide and page 15 for savvy shopping tips. Need a break in between exams? Turn to page 8 for a full-page fea-ture on Harid.

Good Luck on exams and have a great break!Lindsey Gold and Alban HarrisonEditors-in-ChiefNicole GranetAssociate Editor

From the Editors’ DeskSeniors Zack Goldwas-

ser, Ashley DeMartino and Nicole

Ross stop to take a pre-game pic.

Senior Renee Siegel, Ron

Siegel and Sean Delaney meet up to catch a picture

at the Penguin game.

Senior Veronica Zavel enjoys

the placid campgrounds

of South Florida - but not with-out her phone

Photos courtesy of participants

Principal Dr. Susan Ather-

ley serves turkey to the

faculty at their Thanksgiving

feast.

OPINION 5December 2010The Galleon

By MATHEUS KROEFF LOCO

If drinking were a sport, and please don’t harass me about the definition of a sport, then Four Lokos would be the steroids of competitive drinking- the fastest, cheapest way to leave a person intoxicated. And at three dollars a can, it’s easy to see just how quickly this combination of alcohol, caffeine, taurine and guarana became a favorite among our youth. However, along with everything else that the youth enjoy, the more mature sector of our society became skeptical. This time, though, I’ll have to agree with our rational elders. How can you not become skeptical of a drink that carries the alcoholic equivalent of six bottles of beers and the caffeinated equivalent of four cups of coffee in a single can? Alcohol and caffeine simply don’t mix. The Europeans learned their lesson after watching dozens of people die while mixing vodka and Red Bull. Now, it’s our turn, as handfuls of high school and college students end their nights fatally- with two cans of Four Loko in their stomachs and no sober friends nearby to drive them to a hospital. Thanks to fake IDs, black-mailed older siblings and pushover parents, obtaining alcohol is no large task for minors. Accordingly, our youth will always find a way to drink alcohol. With that being said, there’s no point in trying to completely stop our generation from illegally consuming alcoholic beverages; rather, what we must do is lead our youth away from dangerous substances such as Four Lokos and drive us towards safer alternatives. Let us throw around some plastic balls and casually drink... water, of course. Let us flip some plastic cups and celebrate good teamwork. Let us take a knee and get iced every now and then. Let us fill our stomachs up with more liquid but less alcohol, and let us enjoy the beauty of breaking the seal. But, don’t let us rely on chugging a Four Loko and driving around looking for the nearest party to crash. Don’t let us drink Four Lokos anymore.

There is much controversy surrounding the recent ban on the alcoholic drink Four Loko. Galleon confronts the

issue and lets you decide: Are Four Lokos loco or mojo?

The government regulates and controls many, if not all, of the processes of making a society. Understanding that all of the ingredients that go into the making of a Four Loko drink are completely legal, who are government officials to tell a 21 year old that they cannot drink the concoction? This recent November, several bans on Four Lokos have been put into place and the drink itself has become a controversial issue. The complaint against Four Lokos is that the drink has a combination of a stimulant-caffeine, and a depressant- alcohol, and that this combination has the possibility to be lethal. I “LOL” at this. What about tobacco? What about certain birth control pills? What about accutane, the acne medication? All of these, if misused or used out of moderation can be toxic. Even our fair friend, water, if imbibed in large quantities can kill us. Government, hasn’t your mother told you that everything is good in moderation? This past October, seventeen students and six visitors at Ramapo College of New Jersey were hospitalized because they overindulged during a Four Loko binge. The Four Lokos did not tell the students, “Drink me till you think you’re going to die!” Why should others be placed under the irresponsible umbrella and have simple consumption privileges revoked? Maybe there can be further regulations on drinks similar to Four Lokos, such as limiting the amount sold to a single person at a time. When tobacco and FDA-evading medicines are banned, I’ll accept the removal of Four Lokos from shelves. But until then, this is absurd and I need more justification. What will they ban next? Water? What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.

By RACHEL DUNN MOJO

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE SOLELY THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUALS EXPRESSING THEM. THE GALLEON DOES NOT SUPPORT UNDERAGE DRIKING.

The GalleonDecember 20106 OPINION

According to a relatively important document, I'm guaranteed the "freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Nice to know; I can say what I want to say and I can, for the most part, do what I want to do. Any objections? I'd hope not. Last issue, there was controversy sur-rounding two particular pieces. How-ever, both of those pieces were opinion pieces; one was a commentary and the other was the Face-Off, a section con-taining two persuasive pieces that pres-ent both sides to a seemingly controver-sial topic. The Constitution grants each individual the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press. So, our writ-ers and guest writers have the freedom to write what they want, being that it is school appropriate. And who is to deem the football team and defi ning a sport

inappropriate? Not me. We've received endless feedback on both opinion pieces, as well as what one may call today "hate mail." Keep them coming! Jeff Greer, our mentor from the Palm Beach Post, ever so wisely asked "what are journalists if they're not hated?" And he's right. If our doom isn't plotted, then we're failing at our jobs. We write to spur discussion. I have the right to say whatever I want to say and you have the right to hate me for it; I'll take it as a compliment. That means I did my job and I did it well. I write to inspire others and to hear their feedback. I like that my writing has the ability to make someone so angry they feel the only way to retaliate is by writing hate mail or making a public service announcement refuting my argument. A nice little paper entitles me to pub-lish what I want. Care to contend? If so, I advise you to go to Thomas Jefferson's grave and take it up with him. He might like to know that his writing causes con-troversy, as well. He might sleep better knowing that he did his job right.

By LINDSEY GOLDEDITOR-IN-CHIEF

You can take it up with Thomas Jefferson

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

By NICOLE GRANET ASSOCIATE EDITOR

All my life, I have been perplexed by the amount of time and focus people place on tele-vision. I effortlessly go months at a time without watching TV; I’ve never been hooked on watch-ing fabricated drama. For 16 years I’ve lived happily on the other side of the screen, sticking to “real life.” And then, something changed. That some-thing? Gilmore Girls. Am I yearning for a mental escape from the pandemonium of the infamous Junior Year? Have I hopped the fence permanently, or is this just a phase? Take last week for example; I was inordinate-ly perturbed by Rory and Dean’s epic break up in the middle of the Stars Hollow Dance Mar-athon! She left him for Jess in an instant – it was tragic. And to top it all off, it turns out that Chris’s girlfriend is pregnant so he deserted Lo-relai, yet again. Cue the tears. The truth is that I often fi nd myself preoc-cupied with the, dare I say it, imaginary people, places and events in my fi rst favorite TV show, Gilmore Girls. I surprise myself with how in-volved I am in the lives of these fi ctional char-acters. While driving home from school, I can’t help but fantasize about the ferocious drama that might ensue at the next Friday night din-ner at Rory’s grandparents’ home. At the top of my list for a winter break getaway – Stars Hol-low! Oh wait, I keep forgetting it doesn’t exist. The unthinkable has occurred; I actually have passionate conversations about the show with other addicted friends – normal behavior for others, but uncomfortably unfamiliar behavior for me. 90210, House, Desperate Housewives, The Big Bang Theory, It’s Always Sunny in Phila-delphia, Glee – shows that teens follow atten-tively and more often than not, obsessively. If you ever miss a Tuesday night showing of Glee, don’t fret; simply check your friends’ Facebook statuses for a comprehensive play-by-play of the episode, but watch out for spoilers. As Sun-day night rolls around, I know I can count on my friends with Desperate Housewives fever to be discussing the latest happenings in Fairview. Lunch-time conversation with the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia clan usually revolves around, well, Philadelphia. Undeniably, today’s youth is overly-involved with TV shows, and considerably “un-phased” by news in the real world. While I acknowledge that I am addicted to Gilmore Girls, right now, it’s a great relief to es-cape into somebody else’s life in tranquilizing 45-minute increments.

Not that long ago, weekly church attendance was expected and society conformed to a reli-gious set of ideals. God and grace made up a large part of Ameri-cans’ lives. Christmas, Chanukah and other religious holidays were yearly celebrations of the reli-gious sensibilities that men and women lived by every day. Now, there is a new god. He loves all; he doesn’t care if you’re moral or immoral, monogamous or not. He just wants you to buy, buy, buy. His name is consum-erism. And with America’s new religion comes a new sacrament: Black Friday. Once a year, men and wom-en drop everything and convene outside large temples before fi rst light. But they don’t bring incense or offerings, the new god prefers credit cards. There to celebrate the modern religion, the devout run around frantically swiping plastic in an attempt to appease the demands of the Market; thus it is called for in Scripture (although the scripture comes in the form of TV ads). This yearly sacrament is complimented by smaller, but still important, ceremonies, intended

Church on sale! Coming next Black Friday. photo courtesy of Google Images

Does religion offer a Friends and Family sale?

By ALBAN HARRISON EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

to keep the common folk devoted to the Church of Consumerism. Instead of talk of the Harvest Festi-val, conversation focuses on upcoming sales from major retailers. Attendance to these ceremonies

is expected in order to appease God. Unfortunately, he has recently taken disfavor on the populace as attendance to his commercial altars drops dur-

ing the recession. The gov-ernment has taken notice,

and has instituted a “stimulus” plan. The goal: raise participa-

tion in the commer-cial-religious ceremonies

and appease the market Gods. Yes, the human race has come a long way since Aztec priest ripped hearts of victims out to appease their gods. Though the new religion may offend some with its lack

of moral ideals, the fact remains that it has gone a long way more than other religious in improv-ing quality of life. The religious obligation to buy is an incentive to work harder, slowing raising the productivity of the workforce. We live in a Golden Age, one that began when communications tech-nologies made large-scale market competition and distribution a possibility. How we merge the old and the new, I don't know. Until then, Visa or Mastercard?

Gilmore Girls: escape from reality or new ob-session?

The GalleonDecember 2010 7FEATURES

Junior Casey Donahue is not an ordinary student at Spanish River. While most stu-dents keep their after school passions purely at that - a passion - Donahue has managed to use her love for soccer and accomplish something incredible. After starting “The Give ‘n Go Project” with her cousin Amber Tollefson, a Varsity soccer player at Florida State University who shares Donahue’s affinity for soccer, they began collecting used soccer equipment and donating it to underprivileged countries. “The basic goal of the project is to help individuals who cling to soccer as an escape from their reality,” Donahue said. “They don’t have the same economic struc-tures we are lucky to have.” So far, the project has been a rousing suc-cess. According to Donahue, the project has already been able to make a difference for other children, and that, she says, is the most rewarding aspect of this entire endeavor. “They come from nothing, and for us to be able to give them something they’ll re-member forever is very rewarding,” Dona-hue said.

By ZACH SCHLEIN STAFF REPORTER

She went on to cite a s p e c i f i c instance w h e r e one child expressed their grati-tude for the d i f f e r e n c e “Give ‘n Go” had made in their life. “We revisited an or-phanage that was originally visited where communication was the hardest part of being there,” Donahue said. “When that or-phanage was revisited there was a young girl who had learned English. So when Give ‘n Go returned she had the ability to communicate better.” Fortunately for River students, there are a num-ber of ways to get involved with this wonderful cause. “Everyone has the ability to make a difference,” Donahue said. “Even if it’s something small, it’s more than they originally had. They can contact me personally and I can donate anything from sports clothes, cleats, shin guards, soccer balls, anything is greatly appreciated.”

At the charity event, Donahue

showcased the bright faces of the

children who will be receiving the

equipment. PHOTOS COURTESY OF CASEY DONAHUE

Casey Donahue shares her passion with underprivileged children

Junior Casey Donahue created a

flyer to advertise her charity, “The

Give n’ Go Project.”

FEATURES 8 December 2010The Galleon FEATURESFEATURES88 The GalleonThe Galleon

Oh, for the love of danceOh, for the love of danceBy LEE GINTON

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

This is the happiest time of my life.

-Pavla Ovtchinnikova, 11“ This is the “ This is the

””happiest

”happiest

Every Saturday morning at precisely 9:30, dance instructor Josée Garant claps twice, marking the start of her modern dance class at The Harid Conservatory. Before any danc-ing begins, Garant asks the dancers to raise their hands if they are injured. “Do blisters count?” one of the dancers asks jokingly, well-aware that all 12 dancers present are covered in blisters. But for the Harid students, who dance approximately 35 hours a week, blis-ters are the least of their concerns. Forty-one students from around the world currently attend the Harid Conservatory, all with one common goal - to pursue dancing. “You wouldn’t move out of your home when you’re 12 years old if you didn’t want to be a dancer,” Harid dancer junior Pavla Ovtchin-nikova said. “You devote your whole life to it.” Harid students such as Ovtchinnikova attend Spanish River for four hours per day to take their core classes - Science, Math, Social Studies and English. As soon as the school bell rings at the end of 4th period, the stu-dents head to their “second home” at Harid to spend the next six hours taking classes rang-ing from Ballet to Nutrition. “It’s like taking your favorite class for six hours,” Ovtchinnikova said. When these students were as young as 12

years old, they made decisions that will infl u-ence the rest of their lives. Danger and danc-ing go hand in hand as every dancer takes risks the minute they slip on their leotards and ballet shoes. Often, injuries are completely out of the dancers’ control, resulting in a constant strug-gle between their minds and bodies. A common ingrown toenail caused one of Garant’s danc-ers to sit out for three days. For every day the dancers have to sit out, their letter grade drops, but more importantly so does their improvement. Injuries are rights of pas-sage to these dancers, who constantly

push their bodies to the limit. “We’ve thrown away anything else we could do to go on this one path,” Harid student junior Lena Parker said. “[Dancing] is beautiful and fun to do and [the risk] is completely worth it in the end.” Auditions for Harid take place every year around the world. About 20 dancers are selected from the thousand who audition to join the “fam-ily.” When senior Jia Sun was 13, she was faced with an ultimatum - dancing or college. She could either stay in China and attend college fi ve years before the average American or fl y halfway

around the world to pursue dancing at Harid, which would mean leaving behind her fam-ily and friends. It is now her fourth year at Harid and she

loves it. The Harid Conserva-tory is one of the only d a n c e

academies in the world that is tuition-free. Each student costs the academy $40,000-$50,000 for each year of training. Rumors regarding the dancers’ nutrition are constantly fl oat-ing around the halls of Spanish River, but the dancers confi rm that the majority are com-pletely false. There are no weekly weigh-ins, they do eat junk food and yes - they eat cheese. The Harid students work hard every day to excel and perform to the best of their abilities; bodies full of blisters will not deter these de-termined dancers.

Meet the dancers

Rachel Malmstone, 12

Sun Jia

, 12

Kristen Patrick,11

TG: What is your average day like?

AB : We only have four academic courses at school. Then we return to Harid where we eat lunch and dance until 6. We eat dinner and then have a study hour from 7 to 8. Our curfew is 9:30 on weeknights. On Saturdays we have 1 dance class and then are free to leave campus until 11. Sun-days are our days off!

Asia BuiGrade: Junior

Year: 3rd at HaridHometown: Tampa, FL

Tyler RhoadsGrade: Senior

Year: 1st at HaridHometown: Midland, TX

TG: What’s your favorite part of Harid?

TR: We have the opportunity to spend most of our day dancing while still meeting the academic requirements to graduate.

TG: How does everyone get along at Harid?

AB: For the most part it is like hav-ing 40 siblings: we usually get along, but at times it is hard to live with your friends.

TG: What do you typically do on weekends?

TR: There are five supervisors who live with us and drive us to places such as the mall, beach, Whole Foods, etc. Other than a strict cur-few, our weekends are just like any other teenager’s.

TG: What annoys you about being at Harid?

AB: It annoys me that we do not have the freedom to drive ourselves around and instead have to ride a short bus…

TG: How do you deal with being so far away from your home?

TR: Skype has definitely been a life-saver. It is a way I can see my friends and family back in Texas, even though state lines divide us.

TG: Would you clarify some Harid-rumors?

AB: We actually are allowed to eat dairy. We are also allowed to go plac-es and be picked up by friends from Spanish River!

TG: What is it like to be a boy at Harid?

TR: The boy to girl ratio at Harid is 1 to 3. Life at Harid for a boy is like life anywhere, just with more girls, more drama, and more options…

“Dance taught me discipline, an aspect of life that is applicable in all studies.- Tyler Rhoads, 12”

Interview by Lee Ginton

“I think it is one of the smartest decisions I have made. I feel like I have received some of the best train-ing and have educa-tional experience in high school. - Asia Bui, 11”

Photos of dancers by Lee Ginton, photo of shoe by Caitlin Nobilé

FEATURES

Art By Kathy Long

9December 2010The Galleon

Galleon’s Holiday Gift Guide

Too-BusyTeacherApple Post-it Notes$20 - DBros.com

Marvelous MomHeart Measuring cups$12 - UrbanOutfitters.com

Devoted DadPersonalized M&Ms + Mug$25 - Mymms.com

Brotastic BrotherSilver Bullet Mini RC Helicopters$30 - Brookstone

Neat-Freak FriendOrganizer Sticky Set$16 - KnockKnock.com

Photos Courtesy of Google Images

Stylish SisterRings$20-35 - BCBGeneration

Edible treatsFor a DIY (do it yourself) gift, try baking

these white chocolate candy cane drops,

courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens. Makes 50 cookies.

Ingredients

Directions1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line cookie sheet. Chop 4 oz. of the white chocolate. In a small sauce-pan, cook and stir the remaining 4 oz. white chocolate over low heat until melted, then cool chocolate slightly.2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 sec. Add sugar, baking powder and salt. Beat in eggs and vanilla, then melted white chocolate and then fl our. Stir in the chopped white chocolate and crushed candy canes.3. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 min., until edges are lightly browned. Enjoy!

IngredientsIngredientsIngredients- 8 oz white chocolate baking squares - 1/2 cup butter, softened- 1 cup sugar- 1 tsp baking powder

- 1/2 tsp salt- 1 tsp vanilla- 2 & 3/4 cups all-purpose fl our- 2/3 cup fi nely crushed peppermint candy canes

Having a hard time shopping for Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Grandma, Grandpa, Cat Sitter, Teachers, Coaches or Hair Dresser? The list is endless, but

The Galleon wants to put an end to your gift grumbles.

FEATURES

As far as the obsessive-compulsive scale goes for protecting my privacy, I’m pretty high up there, especially in the Facebook world. All photos have been personally checked, wall posts censored and statuses cautiously phrased. So, understandably, I get frustrated to fi nd that within the few hours, or minutes, that I have been away from my computer screen, a particularly unfl attering photo of myself asleep or a self-incriminating quote has invaded my profi le at the hands of a person who, at least on Facebook, I call my friend. As hard as I try to keep 300 plus classmates, cousins, camp friends, great uncles and people I’ve met once from knowing where I am or what unattractive facial expression I was mak-ing at any moment, I can’t seem to keep my name out of tags, comments or captions. It’s not just online, either. To think, in a time when all major scandals unravel on Facebook and all embarrassing uploads are online, we still have to deal with what goes on in person. I haven’t yet fi gured out how I am supposed to respond when four people are shoving their scantrons in my face yelling out to the class the percentage I scored on my test- or worse, asking me how I did. It’s un-fair that the longer I deny a public statement

of my grade, the more ridiculously dramatic I seem. I politely request that the next teacher to hand back a test grade staples on an explanation of my Fifth Amendment rights to withhold information in a testimony against myself. If my classmates can act as if I’m on trial, that’s fi ne with

me. I’d

just like to remind them that according to the Constitution, I’m allowed to remain silent. We should be clear about the fact that some Constitutional laws don’t apply in school, though, and it all goes back to priva-cy. That sign above the lockers in the 8000 building warns us that school administrators can search student possessions without a war-rant. In 1985, the Supreme Court ruled in the case New Jersey v. T.L.O. that even though evidence used to arrest a high school student dealing marijuana was taken from her purse without a warrant, school administrators are legally allowed to override Amendment Four of the Constitution which guarantees the safe-ty of our personal belongings, and ensures that personal property cannot be searched without a warrant. That right doesn’t really count in school. That sign is like a “We’re sorry it’s our job to take one of your rights away, but actu-ally... we’re not really.” So I’ve got no privacy. My daily schedule can be found on Facebook, my grades are announced out loud, my teachers can look through my locker and my neighbors can all see into my shower because someone decid-ed it makes sense to put a window there. I’m still getting used to the idea that life isn’t like it was back in fi fth grade, back when we had to ask our friends questions like “what’s go-ing on?” or “what did you do this weekend?” to really know the answers. And even when I can embrace that concept, I’m going to keep holding on to the parts of my life that aren’t online for people to see. That’s what distinguishes our Facebook friends from our real life friends: they’re the people out there who know just a little more about us than the rest of the world already does.

I’m not hiding anything in my locker.

By CAROLINE POSNERCOMMENTARY

Education 2020 (E2020) allows students who failed a course in a tra-ditional classroom to work at their own pace to complete challenging coursework and earn the credits they need for graduation. The program offers English, Math, History, Sci-ence and Spanish. However, some students take advantage of the opportunity by fail-ing classes on purpose so that they can take the class on E2020 and get an easy A, boosting their grade point average. “I’m failing Algebra II Honors right now and I had an A last quarter,” ju-nior Josefi na Born said. “I decided I’m just going to fail it this semester, or I’ll get a D, and then I can take it online or do credit lab after school next semester.” However, the original grade still remains on the student’s transcript. “They [colleges] see it as a class for forgiveness, whether they accept the grade or not,” guidance counselor Melissa Loyacona said. Whether students use or abuse E2020, one’s original class grades remain on transcripts. Still, the pro-gram is available for both students who want to redeem their grades and those who are attempting an easy A, ensuring that it is possible to achieve credit for a failed course.

By TARYN GRUNESSTAFF REPORTER

FEATURE FLASH!

E2020: loophole or savior?

You’d already know if I were.

Despite being one of the county’s top schools, Spanish River is afflicted with student crime. Surprising to some may be that thefts are the most common crime committed on campus, not drug offenses, according to school officer Luis Santana. “In terms of crimes at school, I can’t really name any specifics,” Santana said. “Most cases are thefts: wallets, cell phones, iPods, etcetera. A lot of people don’t purchase lockers and leave their bags lying around.” Santana explained that students engaging in crimes generally do so outside of school. In school, they are typically limited to a petty level, but there have been greater-scale incidents. An anonymous junior detailed numerous explicit incidents involving one group of people. “These kids have a little gang,” the student said. “They literally have a whole fear factor. People don’t like or respect them, but they fear them more than anything. In one instance, there was this kid who was saying hi to one of his friends in the parking lot. The kid offered to sell him an iPod. The guys in the car pulled a gun on him, threatening he better give them their iPod or else. He demanded the iPod. So he gave it to ‘em, and they drove off. This was on school campus mind you.” Santana confirmed that a similiar incident did occur, though he did not specify what type of weapon was used. “I will say that this incident started with one student stealing another’s iPod off-campus,” he said. “It did involve a weapon being pulled.” Despite the larger presence of thefts, Santana still deals with drug-related crimes. “We do make drug arrests here and there,” Santana said. “For Grad Bash, we generally request drug canines to search the students before they leave. We stay alert. But thefts are a much larger concern.” However, an anonymous female senior cited frequent drug use in the bathrooms.

CAITLIN NOBILÉSTAFF REPORTER

Bullying still leads to sufferingCase 2:

ZACH SCHLEINSTAFF REPORTER

“I’ll admit I’ve come to school high before, but I’m not stupid enough to smoke on campus,” she said. “It happens all the time. I walk by the bathrooms and it’ll either smell like cigarettes or weed. When I came here I never really thought anybody would do drugs on campus, but after four years of being here I’ve noticed that it’s basically a ritual. I mean, I smoke casually, but people who think they’re cool smoking at school…it’s just uncool.” Santana said that investigations - drug related or otherwise - are held regarding students who demand reasonable cause or suspicion to do so. Oftentimes, the Spanish River community proves to be an asset in discovering who should be investigated. “We generally get tips from concerned students

or parents. Being in a school is like a town; we require everybody’s help,” Santana said. Even with a large support system, Spanish River has not always dealt with petty crime with the occasional felony. Former student Michael Paggi, class of 2006, painted a darker picture for crime at Spanish River. Although he would not specify, Paggi detailed numerous incidents of gang-related activity, a far cry from what the students of today and Santana described. In the face of all of this, Santana painted a brighter picture for the Spanish River of today. “I make maybe three arrests a year, but just because we don’t arrest students doesn’t mean we’re not dealing with the problem,” Santana said. “We have numerous programs that help students rehabilitate and change. We don’t actively seek out problems, but we stay vigilant. We do what we have to.”

Case 3: The juvenile justice system revealed

What makes a bully?

“The need to pick on someone smaller so they can raise their self esteem...that’s a bully.”

-Adam Goldsmith, 9

“I guess a bully is someone who makes fun of someone else for not being what they see as ideal.”

-Jorge Paez, 10

“A bully is anyone who feeds off of the emotional torture of a poor, harmless soul.”

-Rachel Zhuang,12

The GalleonDecember 201010 The Galleon

December 2010 11FEATURE FOCUS

Case 1:

Fighting, bullying, drug dealing, thievery, gang forming and worse have all taken place among Spanish River students.

Some have been tried, convicted, sentenced, put on house arrest or even sent to juvie. Can the mystery surrounding teenage crime and violence be solved?

It looks like a crime scene investigation is needed.

A life of crime:Michael Paggi

ILANA WEISMANFEATURE FOCUS EDITOR

Whether verbal, physical or even digital, bully-ing is an epidemic that affects people of all ages. The Jeffrey Johnston Act, an anti-bullying law passed in 2008, reflects this. “It states that no bullying will be tolerated against students and teachers,” Assistant Princi-pal Elizabeth Torrez said. Prompted after the suicide of a bullying victim, this law requires all Florida public schools to cre-ate a policy aimed at the prevention of bullying, according to Bully Police USA. However, this law does not specify specific dis-ciplinary means as a penalty for bullying. At Span-

ish River, disciplinary action includes contacting parents of both sides and involvement of assistant principals and school police officers, according to Torrez. “Bullying affects everyone related to it,” an anonymous student said. “People don’t seem to consider the deadly repercussions that being bul-lied may have in the long run.” Victims of bullying may have term effects in store for them later in life. Effects such as depression, suicidal tendencies, and substance abuse are all possible results. “I had been really overweight as long as I can remember,” an anonymous student said. “Once I got to a healthy weight, I was called anorexic so many times to the point I had teachers follow-ing me to make sure I was eating. Whether over-

weight or lightweight, they were always going to say something.” This goes to show that bullies are not only humiliating in their thievery of lunch money or their knotting of shoelaces for a meaningless laugh; they could be setting their victims up for psychiatric help in the future. On the other hand, long term consequences await the bullies as well. A bully is more likely to be convicted of a crime, to depend on alcohol and illegal drugs, to abuse families and to have overall difficulty in maintaining a relationship. “Being ostracized for something superficial is almost dehumanizing,” another anonymous stu-dent said. “It leaves a scar that never quite heals.”

Art by Kathy Long

ILANA WEISMANFEATURE FOCUS EDITOR

Sirens sound, lights flash and police cars pull in close. Officers step out and all bystanders back away. A path slowly appears, leading to a par-ticular person. That one person is then led away, allowing for suspicion to fill the air. Many have seen this occurrence and are left wondering the same thing - what just happened? The witnesses of this seemingly strange event just saw juvenile justice in action. This process seeks to enforce laws and dispense justice to chil-dren and teens, but is often misunderstood by the public and rebuffed by those who have experi-enced it.

Just how, exactly, does the process start? It begins with an arrest, the act of being taken into custody by officers of the law, according to www.criminal.lawyers.com. An arrest is made when a law enforcement agency has viable cause or suspicion of an individual committing a crime. Although the arrest does not necessarily equate to handcuffs and cop cars, this dramatic interpreta-tion is often believed by teens. “The police car, it’s just like the movies,” a pre-viously arrested and charged anonymous sopho-more said. “Plastic bench, no handles, a cage, you cannot hide anything.” In some cases, officers will only need to speak with parents. In others, a ticket will be written or a fine will be issued. Students claim, though, that there are many stories that end with one in cus-tody- jail.

“Again, like the movies,” the sophomore joked, continuing on to confirm many of his classmates’ suspicions. “I felt like I was in Batman. In jail, there is the low, spooky light and the guy that asks questions.” Questioning the offender allows officers to gather in-depth information and press reason-able charges. If the crime is a misdemeanor, the opponent can then choose to accept said charges or fight them in a court scenario. However, more violent or serious crimes near-automatically constitute hearings before a grand jury. Manda-tory court dates are set, and the teen will often at-tend them with a lawyer, according to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. A typical crimi-nal trial ensues in court, with the main difference between juvenile and criminal justice systems being the sentence, not the proceedings. “They don’t seem to care much about us,” an anonymous convicted junior responded with dis-dain upon being asked about a particular experi-ence regarding the jury and court proceedings. “They just try to take your money and lock you up.” “[Law enforcement officers] are not out to get you,” the sophomore contrastingly said. “They just want to enforce the laws and prevent total chaos.” Laws are certainly enforced once court sessions close, when the teenager can be innocent and cleared of charges or guilty with a sentence, which is the legal term for a punishment. House arrest, fines, community service, anger management classes and detainment are common sentences for teenagers, according to the FDJJ. Perhaps the most well known sentence for minors is a manda-tory detainment at a juvenile detention facility, or “juvie.” A second anonymous sophomore served in a Palm Beach juvenile detention facility recently. He lived and learned at the center; he had to take the FCAT exam while completing his sentence. Al-though not there for long, he outright hated his experience. “It’s not fun,” he said. “They control it all. You

get told when to eat your food, how fast you can eat it, and there is not anything you can do about it. You have absolutely no control over anything.”

This student’s account of a juvenile detention center is reflected in the description of juvie itself. FDJJ officials say that discipline combined with structure and extreme control rehabilitate a con-victed teenager. Nevertheless, he still stated that juvie “was horrible.” Despite varied experiences and conflicting opin-ions having to do with the juvenile legal and jus-tice systems, each student agreed with the same general idea: to the juvenile justice system, truth means nothing. “The truth doesn’t matter,” the first sophomore revealed. “What matters is what you can prove and what you can defend.” He regards the truth-less-ness of the law as a false positive of the American legal system because it acts as both a barrier in seeking the true criminal and as a defense for those who were less- or not- involved in a crime. However, the junior disagrees and thinks the idea of the truth being irrelevant is repulsive. He believes that a lack of truth ultimately hurt his case and led him to a more severe and less reasonable punishment by the law. “The truth was smudged and we were all incar-cerated because of that,” he said. The juvenile justice system’s questionability may be high according to those who have experi-enced it, but undoubtedly promotes fairness and allows for justice to be served to people of all ages as well.

The truth doesn’t matter.

-Anonymous, 10“

”

It’s just like the movies.

-Anonymous, 10“

”

Art by Nicole Zamfes

By definition, a bully is a habitually cruel or overbearing person, but stu-dents often have their own interpretation of what a bully is:

Although many school crimes are at a pet-ty level, they can grow out-of-control - just ask convicted felon alumnus Michael Paggi, 21. After growing up in a broken home, Paggi entered a life of crime while in middle school. He engaged in numerous minor crimes, both violent and nonviolent. “I got in trouble for beating people up,” Paggi said, referring to when he began to commit crimes. “That’s when it started. It just led to one thing and another.”

Consequences also began as Paggi attended the Delray Beach Full Ser-vice School, where, he states, “you go when you get in trouble.” He was arrested for the first time when 14, and entered Spanish River with a criminal record. “It was crowded,” he said as he described the school in the early 1990’s. “There were at least eight different gangs...I just got involved in some of them.”

Paggi, participating in serious crime, was investigated for racketeering, but declared himself a thief. “I’ve been arrested for armed burglary, armed robbery, aggravated assault without intent to kill, fleeing from the police, grand theft, resist of arrest...” Paggi elaborated. “It all happened because of how I was at Spanish River.” He was not solely referring to his criminal actions. Paggi acknowledged having a GPA “close to zero.” He believes that had he worked harder in school and had been subject to more discipline at home, he would have avoided crime and “be happier, be in a better situation today.” Despite being regretful of his past actions, Pag-gi is still awaiting his final sentence, hoping to receive a “second chance at life.” If he does, he plans on attending college and pursuing a crime-free life. “I changed,” he stated. “I know I did. I’m better now. I’ll keep trying.”

Both minor, major crimes occur Information courtesy of dictionary.com

In this renactment, a student steals a cell phone from an abandoned bag. Thefts are relatively frequent, according to Santana.

Paggi in NovemberPhoto By Alban HarrisonMugshot courtesy Michael Paggi

Paggi’s mugshot, 2010

12 ENTERTAINMENT

By LEE GINTONENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

December 2010The Galleon

Football player Ricky Williams races 40 yards down the field and sky-rockets five feet into the air to catch the ball in the end zone. Thousands of gamblers are now up $40. The profits were great while they lasted, but on the next channel, basketball player Dwayne Wade misses his foul shots, and now they are down $80. In this day and age, many people love risking their money by betting on an uncertain outcome, also known as gambling. Teenagers are constantly gambling on the future; from sports to food competitions, betting is a quick way to make extra cash. For years teenagers have been playing video games, but now one can get the same enjoyment while earning some extra cash. “Betting on [who will win] a video-game is a fun way to make the game more competitive,” junior Nathan Goldenberg said. “It’s easy to make a lot of money doing it.” Many students at Spanish River oppose video

game betting, as playing video games does not entail the same responsibilities and working hours as a typical sport. FIFA Soccer, designed by EA Sports, is a virtual soccer game and popular choice for many betting teenagers. The object of the game is the same as an ordinary soccer game, minus the athleticism. One might say that because playing a video game is easier than playing an actual sport, it is not fair that teenagers are getting profit from it. “I work at a dancing studio and have to deal with people for hours only to get the same amount of money as a [person who wins money by betting on] a 5-minute video game does,” junior Bianca Guarany said. “It’s just not fair.” Online gambling is another variation of gambling gaming that students partake in. Online poker websites have been fighting legal issues for years, but regardless of whether they are legal or not, these websites always find a way to break the rules, according to onlinepoker.net. Many student at Spanish River ignore the legalities of betting and continue to play online-poker.

“My boyfriend was literally addicted to online-poker,” an anonymous student said. “While he could easily make $40 a day, he could easily loose it at the same time.” While the anonymous student’s relationship with her addicted boyfriend went downhill mainly due to his poker addiction, many friendships have sparked over online-gambling. Fantasy Football is a website where one chooses National Football League (NFL) players to create their ideal football team. One gets points for their team if a chosen player has played a successful NFL game for that week. Competitions have sprung up between those involved in Fantasy Football. What does the winner get at the end of the season? Money, of course. Whether one supports gambling or not, it is safe to say that it is here to stay. Whatever the reason may be, there is just something about betting on the future that people crave. Despite the legal issues involved, betting on sports games and video games continues to gain popularity.

Sharks tread water in the betting pool

By NICOLE GRANETASSOCIATE EDITOR

Producer Hernandez experience the real-life stress, excitement, skills and pulse of working for a news show as they intern for The Mangru Report, na-tionally broadcasted on Saturdays and Sundays at 5:30 pm on FOX Business Network. “It’s our job to make sure the show happens,” Ast said. “There is no paid staff, so we have to make sure there are great articles with correct facts, and a guest each week.” Not only are these students in charge of tap-ping into significant business and financial issues, they also strive to report on issues that differ from those on other news stations such as MSNBC. Find-ing these breaking stories opens up the sought-after opportunity for the interns to interview notable pro-fessors, athletes, celebrities, icons and experts. “My favorite part of the program is building re-lationships with important people in the field I want to work in,” Hernandez said. “The relationship we have with Dan [Mangru] is one that most people will never have in the industry. Another great expe-rience is talking with multi-millionaires about how they make money, as well as taking great financial advice.” In addition to invaluable experience and contacts in the broadcast and business industry, Ast, Clark and Hernandez have acquired and enhanced skills that will be priceless in the fields that these students

aspire to work in – Ast in broadcast and poli-tics; Clark in television, politics and busi-ness; and Hernandez in television production and direction. “I learn time management skills,” Clark said. “I have to be able to handle my time when I spend an average of ten hours per week on the show.” Part of working at a professional news station are the legitimate challenges that ac-company and complement the excitement. “I once had to get on an unplanned, ear-ly flight to New York to deliver our tape to FOX’s headquarters because we missed our Fed Ex deadline,” Clark said. Ast, Clark and Hernandez all confess with a grin that they love the work they do. “Seeing the show on the air makes me feel good that I contributed to something that a lot of people watch,” Hernandez said. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride in what I am a part of.” If you are interested in interning at The Mangru Report starting in January of 2011, please email Clark at johnclark714@yahoo.com.

FOX News interns take a dip in the real work world

Art by Nicole Zalmfes

Photo by Google Images

It is 10:30 on Wednesday night when se-nior Haley Ast is about ready to hit the sack. That is when her boss, Dan Mangru, host of FOX’s business and financial news show The Mangru Report, calls to inform her that the show is three stories short, and she is the one responsible for researching, writing and send-ing them in before midnight. So much for hit-ting the sack. Meanwhile, senior John Clark has to put off Facebook time to have a confer-ence call regarding cutting edge politics and business with Congressman Allen West and a highly-esteemed Harvard professor. Once Ast has researched and written the stories, and Clark has interviewed the guest panel-ists, it is time for senior Christian Hernandez to produce the show – coming up with story ideas, recruiting guests, editing footage and managing The Mangru Report’s publicity and videos on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. Alas, Ast, Clark and Hernandez head to West Palm Beach where the show is filmed every Friday. Intern Ast, Head Intern Clark and Intern/

13ENTERTAINMENT

My favorite movie quote is...

all of the same lines everyone else did. Then, when someone had two other people with them it was imperative to be “the three best friends that anyone could have” or be a part of a “wolf pack,” (The Hangover). Knowing every single line to this movie was just the natural and the right thing to do. When arranging plans with someone I would have to say, “ Oh, you know what? Next week’s no good for me... The Jonas Brothers are in town. But any week after that,” (The Hangover), and trust me, when I say it, it does not sound the same as when an overweight adult male with a Santa-like beard and high pitched voice says it. Not only could 16 year old girls take on the role of a 30- something hungover male, we could now cast spells and threaten enemies with our supernatural powers. One day, my friend was too lazy to pick up her school books so she pointed to them and said “wingardium leviosa!” (Harry Potter) in hopes of levitating the books towards her. When this did not work, she claimed it was due to an absent wand. If you try this one at home, “may the force be with you,” (Star Wars). The idea of dating the perfect man who says the perfect thing has also been dramatized by movie quotes. When Julia Roberts stands in

Caution: If you have not seen the movies mentioned below, you might as well be reading this commentary in Swahili. “Houston, we have a problem,” (Apollo 13). The entire student body is quoting Mean Girls. It is like our young minds have not seen anything but this one movie, starring a celebrity with frequent flyer miles at her local rehab. The best part is that we laugh every single time at the witty lines that have been repeated since the film came out in 2004. And yet I find that no English teacher can explain the story of Julius Caesar quite like Gretchen Weiners did when she shared with the movies millions of viewers that “we should totally just stab Caesar,” (Mean Girls). Girls across the globe learned how to perfect their “You go Glenn Coco,” for cases when someone is praised and “ You don’t even go here,” for cases when someone is unwanted. How often I quote Mean Girls, “well that’s classified.” (Topgun). When I saw The Hangover, I laughed at

front of Hugh Grant and says “I am just a girl asking, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her,” (Notting Hill), one can not help but have this fixed image of love in their brains and expect their romantic future to be just as ideal. Do we think that if we say these long romantic speeches we would live happily ever after just like Julia Roberts does in all of her movies? Movies are filling the minds of people, making them think that one day they will have the chance to say “you had me at hello,” (Jerry Maguire). Underneath the fluff and glamour of a movie quote, the ability to drop a quote at any given moment is something I take pride in, even if that quote has to do with a teenage girl’s life in comparison to the jungles of Africa. When a movie relates to your life, you are able to marvel at the same realization that maybe your life can be comparable to those on the big screen. “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get” (Forrest Gump).

“

”

By PHOEBE DINNERCOMMENTARY

Mr. Spanish RiverBen Heller

Ms. Spanish RiverNatalia Piedrahita

Fourth and Ten spins their record

“Stupid is as

stupid does.”

Forrest Gump

By PHOEBE DINNER ENTERTAINMENT

Movies, recited in a classroom near you

“Just keep swimming.” F i n d i n g Nemo

Photo by Lee Ginton

The ambition of six students to follow their love of music has brought them here, to a work office, with a pile of papers in front of them. At least that is what their album cover depicts. Instead of the typical clothes one would see on band members, Fourth and Ten takes a different approach. They model button down t-shirts and ties on their album cover, proving how serious they are about their music. “We are a little more mature this time around,” junior Lucas Feigenbaum said. “We know what we want.” With this focus and dedication, Feigen-baum and juniors Gil Vizner and Jason Po-tak play in the band along with junior Zach

Rosson from Boca High and Mike Schalk who attends Palm Beach State College, have col-laborated their talents to produce a CD avail-able to the public on December 11. They will be playing their new songs for everyone then as well; the South Florida music scene is ex-cited to hear the product of their talents. The band will be performing at Rocketown and it will cost $5 for entry, but the small price should be worth it. The band’s Facebook page says that 216 people should be attending the show and the band could not be more excited. “There is no feeling in the world like for-getting everything but the music you are play-ing,” Feigenbaum said. “[Along with] sweat-ing off pounds of water weight [and] making something great with your best friends.” The excitement has built up so much that their CD is featured on xeasycore.blogspopt.com earlier than expected. In addition to this,

the song lyrics are posted on Facebook and they encourage everyone to go and read them, according to Potak “I would rather have kids singing along at the show come next weekend than standing around listening,” Potak said. “It is a way [better] experience.” Some students at River have already heard their music and can not wait to hear them play live. Junior Jenna Levy got a pre-view of their songs and loved their sound and passion. “I know Lucas [Feigenbaum] has an amaz-ing voice,” Levy said. “And I can not wait to hear the lyrics with the melody in the background.” Anticipation is rising and the amplifier will be pulsating, this event is not one to miss.

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!” - A Few Good Men

Math Teacher Bob Tufo

photo courtesy of Fourth and Ten

December 2010The Galleon

STUDENT LIFE 14

Spotlight On:Volunteer Clubs

The usual series of consequences for a Spanish River student accused of wrongdoing includes a referral, a conviction and possible expulsion from school. However, through a little-known program called Honor Board, students can earn a second chance. Honor Board was founded in 2007 by alum-nus Ashley Miller, who volunteered with youth court outside of school. Miller organized a simi-lar “courtroom” at Spanish River where students accused of wrongdoing can go before a panel of peers and receive a lesser sentence. “Honor Board is mainly for first-time offend-ers, for kids who make one mistake,” Assistant Principal and Honor Board sponsor Ira Sollod said. “Honor Board gives them the opportunity to still be involved in school activities. If stu-

dents had a referral on their transcript, they wouldn’t be allowed to participate in things like leadership. But if a teacher sees that they’ve been through Honor Board, it’s a different story.” Penalties can also be harsher than exclu-sion from school activities. For example, an academy student who is found cheating can be kicked out of the academy and returned to his or her home school (if it is not Spanish River). Going before Honor Board allows the student to reduce the punishment. “I think Honor Board’s been a good thing for this school,” Sollod said. “It’s helped students a lot.” Senior Kelly Zhou, one of the 15 student mem-bers of Honor Board, became involved with the jury in the beginning of her junior year. “In a typical case, we talk about what hap-pened, the defendant explains themselves, they leave the room, we make a decision, and the defendant returns to hear the decision,” Zhou

said. Zhou is not worried about the fairness con-cerns that arise from a student’s punishment being decided by his or her peers. “I think we’re fairer than teachers because we come from a student’s perspective,” Zhou said. “Second chances are important to us.” Biotech III teacher Patricia Martinez also agrees with students’ need for second chances. “I gave a student a referral once for cheating with a cheat sheet,” Martinez said. “If he hadn’t been reviewed by Honor Board, he would have had the referral on his permanent transcript. Instead, he received three days of OR. Honor Board gave him a second chance.” Honor Board comprises a hardworking group of students and staff that handles about 25 cases each year. Although the program receives little exposure, its members work diligently to ensure that students who deserve second opportunities at Spanish River get them.

Honor Board weighs in on disciplinary actions

By WHITNEY SHASTUDENT LIFE EDITOR

What is the first thing teens do when they find out that their parents are going out of town for the weekend? Throw a party, of course. But what about when their parents are still at home? Sur-prisingly, it is becoming much more common for kids to throw wild and crazy parties while their parents are in the house. With the holiday season in full swing – Home-coming, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s – there is plenty to celebrate. It is a typical teenage response to throw a house party in honor of these events, and the typical house party includes alcohol. Most Spanish River students are under the age of 21, so they cannot legally purchase any alcohol. The question is: how do these teens acquire it? The answer: through their sparents. Some parents believe it is better to provide alcohol for their chil-dren’s parties than to have their children obtain it illegally. Others provide alcohol simply because they do not care whether their child hosts a par-ty with alcohol. A junior boy who wishes to remain anony-mous has such parents.

“My parents never care if I throw parties, and they don’t mind buying alcohol for my friends and me,” he said. “It’s easier that way.” While not all parents are so nonchalant about buying their kids alcohol, many do not mind having alcohol in their homes. A sophomore boy who also wishes to remain anonymous has had parties during which his parents have been home. “My parents were home but they didn’t buy me alcohol,” he said. “They would never do that, but they don’t care if other people bring it. My friends just use fake IDs to buy it.” Despite the increase in parental leniency when it comes to alcohol at house parties, there are still severe consequences if the police find out that parents provided the alcohol, let alone that they were home and knew that the party was taking place. This was the case with two recent Boca Raton parties busted by the police. In late October, an open house party with about 50 attendees was broken up after a fight occurred. The parents of the host, Paul and Ingrid Paolino, now face a misdemeanor charge of allowing minors to drink alcohol. Just a week before this incident, the same situation occurred at a waterfront mansion in celebration of American Heritage’s homecoming, according to WPTV News. This

also resulted in the arrest of the host’s parents, Shlomo and Jeannie Rasabi, who remained in their master bedroom at the time of the booze-infused party. “I threw a house party while my mom was out of town, but neither of my parents knew about it at the time,” an anonymous junior girl said. “I knew there was a chance of it getting busted because there was a lot of alcohol, so I would never put them at risk of getting in trouble.” As an easy way to avoid the potential con-sequences involved, some parents conveniently disappear on “business trips” or other excur-sions on party nights. The surge of parental involvement in parties where alcohol is present has proved that many par-ents do not object to these circumstanc-es, despite t h e c o n -s e -quenc-es of their ac-tions.

By ARIEL BROWNSTAFF REPORTER

Parents play major roles in parties

Want to lend a hand and contribute to the Span-

ish River community for the holiday season? Then

check out these brand-new clubs that can help you get

involved!

The Art of Giving

Occasional meetings after school in Room 8102

The club was founded by Spanish River gradu-ate Gabriel Collie but brought into action this year by Kroeff. Through-out the year, the group will participate in differ-ent projects to raise mon-ey, which will go to the Bryant Institute, a school in Haiti.

Wilderness Protection Club

President: Kathy Long, 12Meetings during lunch in

Room 7105Club members help out at the Loxahatchee Wildlife Reserve, which is maintained mostly by volunteer workers. Members choose from activi-ties as diverse as greeting visi-tors to eradicating invasive species. “Volunteering gives everyone a chance to learn how to help the environ-ment,” sophomore club mem-ber Mesley Mallari said.

Kiva Club

Meetings Friday after school in Room 8108

The group’s mission: to lend money to entrepreneurs in less-developed countries. Weinstein organized the club after reading Half the Sky, a book about the lives of impoverished women in developing areas of the world. “[The book] made me cry,” said Weinstein. “It really made me want to help these people.”

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

President: Matheus Kroeff, 12President: Emery Weinstein, 11

December 2010The Galleon

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

In an attempt to fulfill a shopping spree, senior Gloria Vosu sifts through rack after rack in a local thrift store. This shop is only one of many she has visited today. Vosu, along with other teenagers nowadays, enjoys shopping at thrift stores because of the clothing’s rare and vintage look. Thrift shops also offer items at deeply discounted prices. For example, at a thrift store, one may purchase a handbag that was originally over $100 for less than $10. “I like shopping at thrift stores because most of the time I find things I wouldn’t ordinarily find in a generic store,” Vosu said. “I get things I’m happy with while not spending too much

money.” In today’s not-so-promising economy, people are trying to save money left and right, accord-ing to Time magazine online. From not buying at all to shopping at discounted prices, everyone has his or her own way to save. To attract price-savvy customers, numerous stores are offering big name brands at more affordable prices. Such stores include Loehm-an’s, Marshall’s and Ross. Lesser-known options include Rent the Runway, a website with discounted name-brand clothing and accesso-ries and Cinderella’s Closet, a dress drive that collects gowns for underprivileged girls around prom and homecoming season. Although these foundations target women, it seems everyone is looking to save money today, which is exact-ly the purpose thrift shops serve, according to

Often, the word “religion” is not associated with fun. To most teens, religious activity is only associated with long services during which they must sit still for hours at a time, only looking forward to the food offered after services. Youth groups, however, have been building the connection between the social and cultural aspects of religion, ultimately providing teens with amazing friendships and experiences as well as life lessons. Such youth organizations have become especially popular among Spanish River students. In Boca Raton alone there are several differ-ent Jewish and Christian youth organizations. One Christian group, U TURN, is based at Span-ish River Church. U TURN is a program where teens can listen to live music and watch videos that relate to religious messages, hang out in the church’s interactive game room and gym or grab a bite to eat at the café. “The best part of being in U TURN is the friends you make,” senior Jacqueline Baxter said. “I have known my best friend since fifth

grade because of youth group.” There are also Jewish youth groups that are associated with larger organizations such as the reformed North American Federation for Tem-ple Youth (NFTY) and the conservative United Synagogue Youth (USY). “[NFTY] is a very strong and lively communi-ty that provides sources of learning and friend-ships that last a lifetime,” junior and NFTY South Tropical Region (NFTY-STR) Member-ship Vice President Lucas Feigenbaum said. “Regional board as a whole provides leadership, and we plan events for our region.” NFTY-STR holds many different conven-tions throughout the year, including Fall Kal-lah, Winter Regionals, Spring Kallah and the Liz Leadership Training Institute, during which teens interact socially through various interest-ing programs and ice-breaker activities known as “mixers.” “In NFTY we are trying to connect Jewish teens with their religion and themselves, while having fun, gaining friends and becoming future leaders,” Feigenbaum said. In addition to NFTY and USY, there is the B’nai B’rith Youth Organization (BBYO), which is split up into thousands of chapters nationally based on cities rather than temples. “Once you start getting involved [with BBYO], you go to so many conventions where you learn so much about our religion in a fun way,” fresh-man Jenna Lichtman said. “It is a big family and an amazing place for teens.” Unlike NFTY, BBYO chapters meet every week in separate groups for girls and boys. Their events include Kallah, Regional Conven-tion, New Member Convention (MIT/AIT) and Athletic Convention (AZAA/BBGG). The Boca Raton chapter also has a huge party at the end of the year known as the Boca Formal. Associating religion with fun is the purpose of youth groups all over the world. These social organizations provide teens the opportunity to make life-long connections with fellow teens through a common bond.

Youth groups allow stu-dents to bond

By SHELAINA BLOUKOSSTAFF REPORTER

By EMMA GRUBMANSTAFF REPORTER

Thrift stores attract smart shopperswww.scholastic.com. “Thrift shops are cool because their stuff isn’t commonly seen with other people,” junior Brian Feldman said. “The prices are extremely reason-able as well.” Senior Nicole Sampedro earned community service hours by volunteering in a nearby thrift store. “I would see teenagers coming in and out all of the time,” Sampedro said. “I don’t blame them; the stuff in thrift shops is reasonably priced and of fair quality.” Trying to obtain an individual look while spending money wisely is made easy by thrift shops. With prices that are guaranteed to con-serve one’s dollar and a look that ensures uniqueness, there are not many cons when it comes to shopping there.

Couponswww.dealsea.comwww.retailmenot.comwww.couponcabin.comwww.ecoupons.com

Special Dealswww.fatwallet.comwww.slickdeals.netwww.bensbargains.netwww.dealcatcher.com

Discount Retailerswww.overstock.comwww.newegg.com (electronics only)www.bluefly.com (clothing only)www.amazon.out/outlet

Savvy Shopping

With the holiday shopping sea-son upon us, there is a lot of money to be spent but also a lot to be saved. Visit these cou-pon and special-deal websites before splurging on that new MacBook:

Senior Jacqueline Baxter, center, enjoys a U TURN func-tion with her friends.

PHOTO BY CAITLIN NOBILE

STUDENT LIFE 15December 2010The Galleon

ADVERTISEMENTS 16December 2010The Galleon

SPORTS 17

Cheerleading competes for title

“S-R-H-S! We are the best!” Cheerleaders fi-nally got to prove their sporty athleticism at their first competition on December 4. The state of Florida is trying to qualify cheerleading as an of-ficial sport, mandating their participation in the competition for this title. Since the state requires competition for the cheerleaders to earn varsity letters, additional practices must be added to the girls’ already hec-tic cheer schedules. “We already [cheer for] football and basketball and truthfully [the competition] added stress,” cheerleading coach Ellen Reilly said. Major skill and coordination is required to per-fect each routine. To validate this, there has been a push to receive the title of an official sport. If cheerleading were to be recognized as a sport, it would allow the athletes on the team to access re-sources provided to traditional athletes, accord-ing to sportsmed.com. The girls have prepared themselves for the competition in order to perform well and receive

their sought after title. “We practiced at Cheer Florida, (a cheer gym), three times a week, where they helped us prepare our routine and [chose] music,” senior Cali Liporace said. The competition was different than what the team is used to. Cheering for the football and basketball teams is nothing compared to the magnitude and anxiety of the competition. “It was more like the pep rally [routines] in that there is more repetitive coordination and intense stunts,” Liporace said. The girls came out with first place for standing tumbling and running tumbling and second place over all. “We did really well being that it was our first competition,” junior Victoria Leo said. “We [all felt] very prepared.” A lot of anxiety went into the preparation, but the girls’ hard work paid off. “We were really nervous watching the other teams, but we knew that we were ready,” Leo said. “[In the end,] it was a fun rewarding experience.” After 10 years, the 2010-2011 cheerleading team displayed their skills in the hope of earning the title of a “sport” in their competition.

By EMILY BERGMANSTAFF REPORTER

By SAM KAPLANCOMMENTARY

I remember my first case of manorexia... It was a late night, I was exhausted. I had a headache, sweaty palms and a fever. I felt as if some force invaded my body and vacuumed out all of the energy inside of me, causing me to rot into a prune. The reason? I hadn’t eaten in three days. This was my life last year.        I dealt with the average life of a high school wrestler. I’ve been wres-tling for two years now and last year I made my a huge cut. Then, I weighed about 137.8 pounds, 2.8 pounds away from where I needed to be to make my 135 pound weight class. Only one week before, I weighed 148 pounds, show-ing the significance of my eventual 13 pound cut. I went against my coaches’ will. They wanted me to wrestle in the 152 pound weight class, but if I go 152, naturally weighing 148, I’d be wrestling a natural 160 pounder who cut 12 pounds. So, I resorted to star-vation. Healthy, right? The worst part about my starvation was watching ev-eryone around me react to my physical and mental transformations. I looked like an aged old man and couldn’t even process thoughts. It was scary. I now realize starvation wasn’t the proper route to take and I want to enlighten my fellow wrestlers of the dangers of unhealthy methods of weight loss, such as starvation, utilized to make a certain weight class.       81 percent of high school wrestlers cut weight, according to teenink.com. In the last 15 years, 48 division one schools have cut wrestling due to the dangers of cutting weight, and at one point three college wrestlers died in 33 days from cutting weight, accord-ing to sportsillustrated.com. This year is a new year, with a new coaching staff that is against cut-ting weight, the team as a whole isn’t forced to cut a significant amount of weight. I worked over the summer eating healthy and exercising, cutting weight the right way so I do not have to go to the methods from last year to make the weight.      Moral of my story- cut weight the right way. Exercise and eat healthy; don’t stop eating completely. I trans-formed into a shriveled up form of my-self and I never want to feel the way I did again. So wrestlers, please take notice of my warning and listen to it.

By CAROLINE POSNERFEATURES EDITOR

The price of being a student athlete

Varsity and club sports are fighting for fund-raising activities as they struggle to pay for the nu-merous expenses associated with uniforms, equip-ment, travel costs and more. Students and their families must carry the burden of these costs when fundraising fails to meet the teams’ needs. Ice hockey is one such team facing these financial challenges as the season begins. To put the school team out on the ice costs a total of about $14,000, according to ice hockey coach Sean DeLaney. Ice hockey requires specific gear and each player is re-sponsible for providing his own equipment. Due to this deficit, parents end up with the burden of the student athletes’ costs. “We don’t get enough fundraising to cover much of anything,” Delaney said. “It’s a challenge every year.” Sophomore Evan Deacon says that the costs in-volved with boys’ lacrosse put the team members and their families, in a similar position. Expenses for the sport include goalie nets, balls, game jer-seys, medics and referees, in addition to each play-ers’ individual clothing, bag, helmet and stick. “We collect gate fees for our home games and [we] had a fundraiser at Five Guys in November,” Deacon said. “Fundraising and sponsorship dona-tions help defray the cost to the players.” Players with financial hardships can try to find aid for these high costs. Last year the coach’s brother sponsored a player,

according to Deacon, sponsorship being a com-mon practice in lacrosse. To overcome the difficulty of accumulating funds, Spanish River teams, such as the girls’ varsity soccer team, plan a budget for their team purchases. Senior Marissa Koolik says that the costs to play soccer vary based on an individuals’ personal equipment, but each player contributes a set price for the two shirts, sweat shirt and slid-er shorts each girl receives. “There are $300 cleats... and $75 cleats,” Koo-lik said. “But for the Spanish River team, we buy team clothes, which all together with careful bud-geting, cost around $100.” Koolik added that the players fundraise by sell-ing PTSA raffle tickets for ten dollars each, but the earnings are collected for the team banquets and cost of the extra clothing becomes each play-er’s own responsibility. The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), which oversees sports teams through-out the state, provides no funding except for coaching supplements and subsidization for girls’ teams. Consequently, money for transport, equipment and officials must be independent-ly raised, according to Athletic Director Kevin McEnroe. He adds that these costs can prevent students from trying out for teams, despite the school’s efforts to never exclude an athlete based on inability to pay. With current lack of external income, fundraising continues for Spanish River teams and the trend does not appear to be slow-ing any time soon.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

December 2010The Galleon

Go from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. Seems simple, right? Just an assorted vault, precision jump, wall run and shoulder roll later and that mission is accomplished. Those are just the basic moves... A new way to get an a d r e n a l i n e rush unlike one ever experienced before has e m e r g e d , and it is completely drug free. Parkour is an urban sport unbeknown to many, that continues to gain traceurs all over the world. It started from Georges Hébert’s French philosophy, the “Natural Method”. An estimated 40,000 traceurs practice parkour currently, according to Mark Toorock, founder of Americanparkour.com. A unique aspect of parkour is its following of people generally between 13 and 26 of age. Let it be clear, however, that parkour is different from

SPORTS 18

Sarah Jacobsen

Soccer

For the holdidays I asked for...

Dolphins or Heat?Favorite disney character

Movie I can watch again and again

without getting old

SOFIA SOTOSUG-AR

lacrosse

ROBERT HULLbowling

REGGIELOVE

Basketball

A car The blind side Heat Simba

a RUNNER GIRL MAGNET

BASKETBAll shoes

nike sneakers

MEan Girls

the Hangover

MEAN GIRLS NEITHER

UrsUla

goofy

HANNAH MONTANA: Nobody’s Perfect, but i AM

By RENEE SIEGELSPORTS EDITOR

ART BY KATHY LONG

freerunning. Freerunning is “using your body in a creative way with a combination of aerial stunts and parkour to show off your skills,” referring to the flashy flips and twists people hear about, according to senior Brett Epstein. So when Epstein does back

flips off the ledge of the P a l m e t t o P a r k Pavilion, it is freerunning. H o w e v e r , when he jumps from the 6th story of a building to the 5th story of a building over 10 feet away, it is parkour.

“Parkour is all about disciplining your body to overcome any obstacle in your path,” Epstein said. “It may seem dangerous, but the sport is specifically designed so that you don’t get hurt.”

So where does someone even begin to learn parkour? Epstein and his friends, including fellow senior Sepehr Ghofrani, learned from watching Youtube

videos. Apart from the internet, individually practicing certain moves and taking classes by local instructors can amp up one’s skills.

Parkour is a flexibility and muscular workout: every muscle in the body is used to overcome difficult climbs and vault over walls. More than that, it is a mental workout. While strengthening the muscles, one is strengthening mental discipline as well.

So go out, watch a video or find a traceur who is willing to give a few pointers, because as Epstein says, “the world is our playground.”

ParkourLet’s Get Physical

Assorted Vault

(noun)- The use

of your hands to

overcome an obstacle

Freerunning (noun)-

using your body in a

creative way with a

combination of aerial

stunts to show off

skills

Parkour (noun) -

getting from point

A to point B in the

quickest, most efficient

way possible

Shoulder Roll (noun)-

landing technique for

landing off high jumps;

meant to decrease

impact from being placed

on any one body part

Traceur (noun)-

someone who practices

the sport of parkour

Parkour Dictionary

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE IMAGES

Senior Brett Epsteing exhibits freerunning by doing a back flip from the Palmetto Park Beach Pavilion.

Photo courtesy of Sepehr Ghofrani

December 2010The Galleon

ADVERTISEMENTS 19December 2010The Galleon

G LLEON SPORTSSOCCER

THIA

GO C

ALDAS

posit

ion: m

id-f

ield

YEARS E

XPERIE

NCE: 13

Favorit

e t

eam: R

eal m

adrid

and m

cenroe’s

sabr t

eam

pre-g

ame r

itual: s

alute t

he

americ

an f

lags

unknown f

act a

bout m

cenroe:

he n

ever p

layed s

occer

MaT

theus KROEFF

position: center mid

Years experience: 11

pump up song: i am

a real am

erican/rick derringerpre-gam

e meal: school cafete-

ria’s tinfoil surprisepre-gam

e ritual: kissing dar-ren’s bald head

Ryan H

eagan

Posit

ion: K

eeper

Years e

xperie

nce: 10

Pre-g

ame m

eal: F

rozen

capris

un a

nd p

lums

Favorit

e p

layer: M

ike

Heneks

Guillerm

o Cam

arenaPosition: D

efenseYears experience: 11

Favorite team

: Barcelona

Pum

p up song: Point and

Shoot by P

epperPre-gam

e meal: P

anini and hydroxicutPre-gam

e ritual: Mariokart