Friday, August 27: Home- Kick/Off Classic- Fort Myers High School

Friday, September 3: Home- Clewiston High School

Friday, September 10: Away- Pasco High School

Friday, September 17: Away- The Bolles School

Friday, September 24: Home- North Browards Preparatory School

Friday, October 1: Away- Belen Jesuit Preparatory School

Friday, October 8: Home- Pompano Beach High School

Saturday, October 16: Away- University School

Friday, October 29: Home- Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School

Girls Varsity Golf:

Wednesday/ Thursday, September 1 and 2: Away- Carrollton HS Tournament

Wednesday, September 8: Away- American Heritage School-Delray
Monday, September 13: Home- St. Andrew’s School/ Carrollton HS

Monday, September 20: Away- Sebring High School Tournament

Thursday, September 23: Away- Plantation Chamber of Commerce Tournament

Monday, September 27: Home- American Heritage School- Delray

Friday/Saturday, October 1 and 2: Away- Circle Christian Tournament

Tuesday, October 5: Away- St. Andrew’s School

Thursday, October 7: Away- American Heritage School-Delray

Thursday, October 14: Away- Carrollton High School

Artist/Tour: Bamboozle Roadshow

Special Guests: All Time Low, LMFAO, Boys Like Girl, Good Charlotte, Hanson

Date: Tuesday, May 25

Venue: Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach

Artist/Tour: 3OH!3 and Cobra Starship

Special Guests: Travis McCoy and Flight Dragons

Date: Tuesday, June 8

Venue: Pompano Beach Amphitheatre

Artist/Tour: Brooks and Dunn: The Last Rodeo

Special Guests: Jason Aldean

Date: Saturday, June 12

Venue: Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach

Artist/Tour: Jordan Sparks and Kate Voegele

Date: Tuesday, June 22

Venue: Revolution Live, Fort Lauderdale

Artist/Tour: U2

Special Guests: Interpol

Date: Friday, July 9

Venue: Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens

Artist/Tour: Warped Tour

Special Guests: We the Kings, Sum 41, NeverShoutNever, Mayday Parade

Date: Saturday, July 24

Venue: Cruzan Amphitheatre, West Palm Beach

Artist/Tour: Rihanna: Last Girl on Earth

Special Guests: Ke$ha

Date: Saturday, July 31

Venue: American Airlines Arena, Miami

Artist/Tour: Santana

Special Guests: Steve Winwood

Date: Sunday, August 1

Venue: Cruzan Amphitheatre West Palm Beach

Light in the Piazza: This musical young-love story, set in the cities of Florence and Rome, Italy, tells the tale of an American tourist named Clara Johnson who falls for Italian native Fabrizio Naccarelli. However, Clara’s mother strongly objects to the relationship for reasons only revealed as the story unfolds. Based on the novella by Elizabeth Spencer, the show features a challenging musical score, composed by Adam Guettal, as well as a script by Craig Lucas. With 34 nominations and 13 awards from various associations such as the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critic Circle Awards, “Light in the Piazza” combines NeoRomantic classical and opera style music to create a complex but beautiful score. Auditions for the roles of Clara, Fabrizio, and Margaret will be held June 1st, and auditions for the remaining cast will be held at the start of the 2010-2011 school year. For further information, see Mr. Usher. The production will be staged in November in the main theatre.

The King and I: Based on the book “Anna and the King of Siam” by Margaret Landon, “The King and I” tells the story of Anna Leonowens, a British woman who became the schoolteacher to the King of Siam’s children in the 1860s. With music and lyrics by the esteemed Broadway duo Rodgers and Hammerstein, the show debuted on Broadway in 1951, winning the Tony for Best Musical. This classic musical will be performed in the Heritage main stage in March. Auditions dates will be announced next year.

Unlike other jokesters’ memoirs, Bedwetter reveals the method  to Silverman’s madness through tales of an atypical childhood in which she suffered from constant depression and the titular affliction that plagued her throughout her teenage years and lends the book its title.

Bedwetter is a spectacular literary debut for the potty-mouthed (wo)man-child, and provides more laughs and heart even than recent books by Chelsea Handler, another middle aged comedienne whose third novel, “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang,” is enjoying a seat on the New York Times Best Seller List.

Of course, Silverman’s humor is pretty much “love it or hate it.” Those who are easily offended or prefer the subtle witticism of  highbrow literature will probably loathe the novel’s continued use of Silverman’s signature tasteless humor.

The obscenity she writes in her book is needed for satirical reasons crucial to her humor. She revisits the numerous times her humor caused controversy, including two cases during the MTV Music Awards in which she landed herself in the center of scandal for inappropriately insulting Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

With all of the back-story to the brilliance of her comedy, the reader gets a full portrait of the self-proclaimed “Jewish-American horse face.” To quote Silverman, “My early trauma was a gift, it turned out, in a vocation where your best headspace is feeling that you have nothing to lose.” With nothing to lose, she gains well-earned status as one of the defining comediennes of the decade.

Some of us, however, see the ten week break as an opportunity to improve academic grades and get a head start with additional electives. Getting ahead in our high school curriculum can be crucial to getting accepted to our dream college and having room in our schedules to take more desirable electives instead of having to worry about graduation requirements.

Senior Trixie Richter saw the summer following her sophomore year in 2008 as a chance to improve a low grade in Algebra I, a required math class.

“I knew that I would be using the skills I learned in Algebra later in college, so I saw [summer school] as a chance to learn the material,” explained Trixie. “I got to raise my GPA with the help of a new teacher.”

Students may claim summer classes take away valuable relaxation time from their extended break, but when asked how three weeks of four hour long classes affected her free time, Trixie replied, “My class was from 8 a.m. to  noon, so I had a whole day ahead of me. Plus I made a lot of new friends.”

Along with improving grades, summer sessions allow students to use our summer to take elective courses for graduation requirements and to free up space in our school year schedule.

In the summer before her sophomore year, senior Lindsey Goldstein fulfilled her physical education graduation requirement through a six week summer course.

“It was such an easy credit, and it allowed me to free up space in my schedule. I got to take all the classes I wanted during the school year,” commented Lindsey. Instead of basing her sophomore year schedule around a gym class, she was able to take Yearbook, Newspaper, and  Spanish,  in addition to all of her academic classes.

Both Trixie and Lindsey agreed that the summer classes not only gave them the credits they needed, but the small class sizes truly benefited students.

Ms. Brock, Heritage’s photography teacher who teaches classes both throughout the school year and during a summer session, believes having only five to seven students “allows more individual attention to the student.” She said the students do the same amount of work in three weeks as a student taking the semester course during the school year.

No matter what the reasons for opting to take a summer course at American Heritage, spending the summer wisely greatly benefits us in the long run without causing us to miss out on summer fun.

All year long, many students work tirelessly to maintain passing grades in these college level classes, meanwhile committing a year’s worth of subject matter to memory in class and during after school reviews. This, along with mastering the AP writing style for the essay portion of the test, makes up the rigorous workload of those students who wish to excel in Heritage’s highest level classes.

Like finals, AP exams test students on an accumulation of everything they’ve learned since the start of the course. However, at $90 a test—let alone the innumerable hours of work many students devote to preparing themselves—it’s safe to say the AP exams have a little more riding on them than an ordinary final.

After taking their AP’s, however, many advanced students also have to return during finals week to take an additional final exam because they’ve fallen short of the 90% GPA exemption policy—a concept which seems superfluous to junior Scott Golden. Balancing AP Chemistry, AP American History, and AP European History, Golden feels three cumulative exams are enough.

“If maintaining “B” averages in three college level classes doesn’t prove I’m competent in the subjects, I don’t see how a final will,” he said.

Several teachers share students’ sentiment about the policy when it applies to AP students.

Devoting the year to making sure her students are prepared for the AP French exam in May, Ms. Mapes said she sees no reason to make them take an additional final exam.

“I believe if someone has worked very hard to take this exam, they should not have to be penalized twice,” she said of her AP French seniors.

Mrs. Gregor said that while the policy may seem unjust when applied to students who actually strive to make the grade, there are many students who treat AP classes as unimportant.

“I understand the plight of the students who work extremely hard to do well in AP Chemistry,” she said. “Unfortunately, there are some students who don’t put in that kind of effort, and over whom the final grade still holds sway.”

While American Heritage’s final exam policy requires all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors to maintain at least a 90% class average in order to qualify for exemption, it is redundant to force AP students to comply. It seems unfair that, after taking a three hour cumulative and intensive exam on a subject, a student should have to sit through an additional final in class if he or she has managed to make a “B” in that class. Heritage should lower its exemption policy average requirement for AP courses to an 80%, especially when seniors are allowed an average of 70% in any class to exempt, regardless of class level or rigor. If Heritage considers AP status when calculating students’ GPA’s, it should definitely weigh that factor into the exemption policy.

Broward Meals on Wheels Shopping Volunteers
Become a homebound elder’s shopper by running weekly errands.
Contact Ken Beers at 954-731-8770 ext. 119 or email kbeers@bmow.com

Cooperative Feeding Program
Contact Liliana Imamovic at 954-792-2328 or email liliana@feedingbroward.org

ARTS

The Exceptional Theater Company
Call Debbie Lombard at 954-683-0216 or email at debbie@etcsfl.org. Visit etcsfl.org

Rising Action Theatre Inc.
Call 954-561-2225 or visit www.risingactiontheatre.com

Young at Art Childrens Art Museum
Call 954-424-0085 or visit www.youngatartmuseum.org

ANIMALS
Broward County Animal Care Shelters
Help in a variety of jobs, from office secretary to vet assistant.
Call 954-359-1010 or visit www.broward.org/animal

Pets In Distress, Inc
Provide a foster home for animals awaiting adoption.
Call Elena Mavros at 954-472-8667 or visit www.petsindistress.org

Share A Pet
Bring your pet to hospitals and nursing homes for pet-assisted therapy.
Call Judy Wolff at 954-563-6486 or e-mail judywolff@shareapet.org

The girls’ track and field team ran its way through districts and regionals, and although they didn’t place first in any single event at state championships, their group effort led to an overall win.

Success seemed unlikely during the 1600 relay when Heritage’s eighth grade Deja Parrish tripped and fell.

The team needed to come in seventh place to win the championship, and Deja was running strongly in third place when an opposing runner tried to overtake her, causing her to lose her footing mid-run.

“When Deja fell, I couldn’t believe what had happened,” said track and field coach, Kent Baker. Parrish was able to finish her lap and pass the baton on to the anchorleg.

“It was a heck of a way to end the season,” said Baker. The team placed seventh in the 1600 relay and took home their first state  championship title.

Going into districts, regionals, and states, the team knew the competition would only continue to increase, but the girls remained confident of reaching their ultimate goal: a state title.

Heritage placed fourth in the 3200m relay, third in the long jump, second in the triple jump, seventh in the 100m hurdles, eighth in the 100 hurdles, sixth in the 400m relay, fourth in the 400m dash, fifth in the 800m, 4th in the 200m dash, fifth in the 200m dash, and seventh in the 1600m relay.

“The team told me we wouldn’t have won if it wasn’t for me,” said Parrish, “but I wouldn’t let any of the girls hug me because I had scratches all over my face.”

“We’re all very happy for our team and for everyone who contributed and supported our program,” said Baker. “We’re very excited for the future of the [girls track and field] program.

Written by Deborah Brevoort in the form of a modern Greek tragedy, the play follows four women from Lockerbie as they try to obtain from the US government the 11,000 articles of clothing that once belonged to the victims. In an attempt to overcome the hate-inspired incident, the women create a plan to wash the clothes and return them to families. A couple from New Jersey also seeks to heal the wounds caused by the bombing, as mother Madeline Livingston frantically searches the land for the remains of her son, which were never found. As her grief is rubbed more raw with each minute of the search, she slowly loses her sanity as she desperately looks for answers she fear will never be found.

Outstanding talent and raw emotion truly brought this play to life in the small Studio Theatre in the Fine Arts building. The cast of seven students delivered emotional monologues about sensitive topics. Juniors Carolina Perez (Madeline Livingston) and Christian Thompson (Bill Livingston) had believable and palpable chemistry, particularly in their final scene, in which they find the suitcase of their late son. Both performers delivered outstanding monologues as they expressed the devastating grief experienced at the loss of a child.

Senior Katrina Kiss  also gave an incredible performance as Olive Allison. Her conviction, displayed through her wide stance and powerful deliverance, created a woman determined not to let hate triumph in her home town of Lockerbie. As the show progresses, however, the audience sees her gradually lose control over her own hatred. This control completely unravels in her intense, venom-filled monologue directed at Mrs. Livingston.

Seniors Alexis Wilpon (Woman 1) and Ilana Weinstein (Woman 2) worked beautifully in-sync with one another, creating a strong duo. Senior Adam Glickman (George Jones) also gave a touching performance. Watching his transformation from a stubborn American government employee to a truly compassionate man was incredibly moving and showed the extent to which tragedy can foster a sense of community. Senior Magen Young brought much-needed comic relief to the otherwise serious performance but was able to set the comedy aside when gravity was needed.

The talented juniors and seniors of the fine arts program presented a beautifully heart-wrenching story illustrating the awesome power of love to overcome the piercing effects of hatred in “The Women of Lockerbie.” As the cast took their bows, some for the last time at Heritage, the audience applauded with tear-filled eyes for this truly moving performance.

After releasing seven issues, I hope the school newspaper is still something Heritage students look forward to. I remember being a freshman on the Patriot Post staff, when the layout was much less pleasing to the eye, and selling many more papers than we do now. It’s hard to tell what has changed since then.

Has the recession really hit students so hard they cannot spare a quarter for a school paper?

Does our material really fail to interest the majority of students?

Whatever it may be, I’ve gotten used to seeing a month of hard work turn into trash; or, as Mr. Fleischman so lovingly tells me, carpet protector for his yet to be potty trained puppy. If at least a few people still enjoy the paper, though, I’m happy.

To the Newspaper staff, you guys have been the best. Every issue was a long, hard journey, but somehow we always got them out, and some on deadline too. There’s nothing like making deadline.

From James singing “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” to Mo’Nique and our dances, I leave this class with so many great memories. Remember to stay “so sassy” and “more classy.”

If anybody has any honest suggestions to make the Patriot Post more interesting, more engaging, or just better in general, email patriot_post@yahoo.com or just stop by room 9114. We want to publish material that interests all of you.

Falci out.