But at the end of the day, how much administrative intrusion is too much? The school should definitely be able to monitor senior pranks, to a certain extent. Don’t get me wrong, when the pranks that students pull include vandalism of school property or harm against other students, such as Nair in water balloons, the school should step in. Administration, though, should give a little leeway when it comes to senior pranks.

Senior prank week may just seem like a bunch of upperclassmen fooling around and breaking the rules “one last time,” but the pranks are a rite of passage, something that happens every year and will continue to happen for many years to come. While the thought of seniors running around wreaking havoc and pulling cruel pranks scares me more than you know, senior pranks add a key element to the classic high school experience, just like Homecoming Week, the Powder Puff games, and Prom.

While administration certainly has the right to strip seniors of all their perks, expelling or suspending students for minor things such as squirting water guns outside is a little extreme. As with everything in life, there needs to be a balance; a balance between controlling pranks that could be detrimental to the school and allowing the seniors to have one last high school hurrah.

If you are reading this article, that means that I, a scrawny little freshman, have survived my first week of senior pranks. I hope that the school can get a proper handle on the pranks… but that when I’m a senior and my time comes, I too, can engage in this right of passage.

Josh Grosso started off his acting career at Heritage, performing his first show, Willy Wonka Jr.under the guidance of Mr. Lovejoy. It was evident that he was a natural as he earned the leading role as Willy Wonka.

Grosso came to Heritage on an 100% musical theater scholarship for his talent as a singer, and that talent along with hard work, has earned him a spot at Carnegie Melon in the fall. He is one of only seven boys chosen in the country to attend Carnegie Melon’s musical theater program. He was recently selected to represent the state of Florida at the National High School Music Theater Awards. He was awarded Best Performance by a Male in a Musical in the State of Florida for his role in Phantom of the Opera.
A fellow senior and cast mate of Phantom of the Opera, Samantha Sadicario, plans to receive her BFA in musical theatre at Penn State. Out of the fifteen schools she applied to, she auditioned for the musical theater program in eleven of them. Sadicario has been attending American Heritage for four years on a fine arts scholarship.

“Heritage offers more opportunities than any other high school in the state. We perform shows most high schoolers could not even dream of performing. We study techniques only found in colleges and discuss material that well surpasses our years,”  Sadicario said.

Although she does not participate in theater outside of school, she has immersed herself in the arts, spending summers at theater summer camps and pre-college programs for musical theater.  She received a Cappie her sophomore year for best lead actress in a musical for her performance as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd.  She won Critics Choice for her solo musical this year in districts and is currently nominated for a Cappie as best supporting actress in a musical for her role as Madame Giry in The Phantom of the Opera. Her pursuit and passion for the arts have taken her though high school and has prepared her to take the big step to college.

While we will have to say goodbye to the talented seniors as they leave their fine arts family to pursue their passions, there is no doubt that we will see them in the future onstage or on the screen.

PRE-RACE FOCUS: Sophomore Deja Parrish concentrates ahead of a tough race. (Photo/D. Parrish)

Our top-runners made their way to the campus of the University of North Florida, Saturday April 28, to compete at the class 2A track and field state championships.

Both the girls’ and the boys’ teams ran away with top honors; not only did the Lady Patriots clinch their third consecutive state title, but the boys  also put on a strong performance and became the school’s first ever state track champions.

The teams’ respective victories, however, did not come easily as the states’ meet was wrought with difficulties and drama. On the boys’ side, junior Walter Tucker took advantage of a rerun on the 110-meter hurdles (due to an official’s mistaken placement of the hurdles) to win the event. Although Tucker was in the lead the first time around, he clipped the last hurdle and fell, yet ultimately came out strong in the unexpected redo to clinch the race with a time of 14.74. Tucker also finished third in boys’ discuss and participated in a winning team effort on the 4×100 relay race.

Although the boys had to contend with a dropped baton on the relay and a false start in the 400 meters event, their final score of 45, just better than Orlando Jones’ 42, proved victorious.

The girls outright dominated and finished with 87 points, 35 more than its closest competitor. Seventh grader Daesha Rogers had a very solid meet and won three events. The girl’s 4×800 relay team, composed exclusively of underclassmen, not only won the event but their 9:13.53-finish was clocked in as the eighth-fastest time in the US.

The highlight of the meet, however, was the 400 event, in which Heritage’s sophomore Deja Parrish took on Miami Jackson’s senior Robin Reynolds. The girls have a compelling rivalry between them: Reynolds holds the record for the country’s fastest time and Parrish holds the record for the country’s second fastest time. Although Reynolds once again barely eclipsed her much-younger competitor (she finished first with a time of 52.9 while Parrish finished second at 54.40), Parrish is satisfied with her efforts.

“Running against such a tough competitor was the hardest part of the meet,” said Parrish, “but running against her also made my own time a lot faster,” she said.

At the day’s end, however, the Lady Patriots, led by Coach Michael Rumph, handily collected its third straight states’ title. “We’ve won states three times in a row because we all work hard to get as good as we are,” Parrish said. “The team is very special because we’re all elite athletes.”

—-

Quotable Quote: “My ultimate track goals are to get a full scholarship to school for track and field for college to get my degree in nursing (first), then afterwards, I do plan on being in the 2016 or the 2020 Olympics. I really look up to Sanya Richardson-Ross, Jessica Beard, Allison Felix, and Francena McCorory (the USA Women’s 4×400 relay team).” -Deja Parrish

The problem: it has too many pieces, and not enough spots. At least, that’s how I feel as I watch newly licensed, sleep-deprived students maneuver their cars into parking spaces. Students and teachers who arrive to school early to find a spot run the risk of being blocked in by their late-arriving peers. Students who arrive later are forced to park their cars between buses, alongside dumpsters, adjacent to curbs, and sometimes down the center line of the road (leaving barely enough room for other drivers to squeeze through).

The solution: Create more spaces, or reduce the number of cars. However, since expanding the parking lot interferes with city codes, administration needs to implement new techniques to reduce traffic in the lot.

In order to improve the parking situation, all lots in the school should be available to both teachers and students; to guarantee a parking space, teachers AND students should have to buy a parking decal with an assigned spot at the beginning of the year — first come, first serve. After the decals corresponding to spots in the lot have been sold, administration should refuse to sell additional (nonexistent) spaces. Additionally, the school should move the buses located in the 2000 parking lot across the street during the school day, to free more parking spots. If necessary, these buses can be moved back to the lot each night.

To claim that the current parking situation is inconvenient would be a drastic understatement. Unless administration works to reduce the number of cars, this jigsaw puzzle will be impossible to solve.

PARKING MAYHEM: Because of the insufficient number of spots in the school's parking lots, certain student drivers are forced to park their cars in the middle of the curb. (Photo/Lautaro Grinspan)

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE: This month's EHAS arose when junior Melissa Danz retrieved and disposed fo stray litter. After lunch, the Post left an empty water bottle out in the 9000 breezeway, and she was the first to take notice and do something about it. (Photo/Ashley Wood)

Our selection process this month, although on the surface simpler than those of past EHAS-es, was one of great significance for it (kind of) allowed us “test” the civility of the student population. Moments before the 3 o’clock bell rang, we placed an empty water bottle on the ground of the 9000 building’s breezeway. The first good-Samaritan student to pick up the bottle and throw it away in a nearby trashcan would naturally be our subject for this month’s EHAS.

Following a rather dismaying, good-Samaritan-less 15 minutes, junior Melissa Danz picked up the bottle and emphatically became our newest EHAS.

Danz is most obviously unique compared to her peers in her singular knowledge of what she wants to do in the future. Indeed, as a mere high school junior, she already knows she wants to major in broadcast journalism and minor in political science  in a college in the northeast. Eventually, the very driven-Danz plans to work as a political analyst for CNN.

Although her ultimate goals are still far away, she is, in a sense, already working towards achieving her dreams, as her involvement in both in-school and out-of-school activities shows. Danz is editor-in-chief of the school’s yearbook, vice-president of fundraising in Model UN, co-president of the One Planet United club, president of Quill and Scroll and weekly anchor of WAHS News.

At that moment in our interview, however, we were … pelted by a berry someone in the crowd threw (whether we actually were the intended target of the mysterious aggressor’s fruity projectile is  not quite certain). The interruption, however, shed light on Danz’s character: she immediately got up and declared that “if anyone ever hits me with a berry I’m going to turn around and get really mad at them.”  Being the victim of the berry season’s ruffians, however, would not annoy her half as much as that which she brands her greatest irritation: people chewing loudly.

Although Danz has no shortage of credentials (and the skill to get those positions under her belt), most of her friends and peers are unaware that she is not always as outgoing as she appears.

“Most people don’t know I can be shy sometimes,” Danz said.

But even her occasional shyness didn’t stop Danz from beating the odds, getting into the Asian American Journalism Association, despite her Caucasian background. Though the AAJA takes ethnicity into account, Danz’s application made it through.

Having attended a similar workshop at American University last summer, Danz hopes to better prepare herself for her future goals as a journalist.

Setting her apart from her peers (whether in the classroom or a summer workshop) is Danz’s style. Almost always sporting a colorful watch, Danz keeps time with class.

But, her various watches cannot compare to her prominent accessory—her bows. Her collection has steadily grown since she began wearing them as a baby, and Danz now has colorful collection of the whimsical hair accessory.

Though her fashion may seem playful, under her bright bows lies an ambition undoubtedly strong. With her quirky sense of humor mingling with her serious determination to involve herself in her passions, Danz moves closer to her goals daily.

​When the Sony Ericsson Open returned to Miami’s Crandon Park this year, seven students took time out of their busy schedules to become “Ballpersons.”

​For nearly two weeks, March 19 – April 1, seniors Delfina Grinspan and Leah Arango, juniors Alyna Pradhan, Carlos Ortiz, and Lautaro Grinspan, sophomore Karim Pradhan, and freshman Susana Chinchilla scrambled out on the courts to retrieve any and all lost balls for some of the best-known players in the tennis world.

​“This was my first year,” said freshman Chinchilla, who plays for the varsity girl’s A team at school. “I had to wake up at five for morning shifts.”

​Ballpersons’ responsibilities on the court essentially make for more efficient play, recovering the round yellow game pieces and keeping “the ball rolling,” so to speak.

​The job is mutually beneficial, though, because the Ballpersons receive a few goodies in return: official uniforms, snack credits, ten stadium tickets, service hours, and perhaps, most significantly, close proximity to the players.

​“It was an amazing experience,” said senior Arango. “You meet so many amazing tennis players and…I actually had the experience of talking to [Rafael] Nadal during the breaks and got to see Roger Federer come out of the press room.”

​Though the Ballpersons were not permitted to speak directly to the players, Arango did make a comment to a friend when player Roger Federer exited the press room.

​“It’s Federer!” Arango said, turning to her friend.

​“Yes, it’s me,” said Federer.

​More than 400 people applied for the limited amount of spots at this year’s open. For those interested in applying for next year, head on over to sonyopentennis.com and click the tabs under “Volunteers.”

“When I went to high school, very few people had computers, so cheating was actually just as much work as actually doing the work,” she said. But, as she points out, after a 14 year academic hiatus, she noticed an astounding increase in cheating. “I was amazed at the progress that had been made in cheating. Word processors made the old ‘copy and paste’ so easy for students to lift something from somewhere.”

The availability of technology began fostering cheating in the 1990’s; but, due to the necessity of technology in a school setting, moderating students’ use of technology is practically impossible. “Last year, I wrote two research papers for other students, and they both got A’s,” one senior said. “I charged $100 for one paper and $80 for another. It was on the same topic as mine, and it didn’t seem like a big deal, since they had written up an outline, and I just doctored it up.” While this student claims his actions were somewhat justifiable because he did not write the papers from scratch, in retrospect, he claims he would not have written the papers again.

Though this student regrets his actions, actions like these have prompted a response by administration. Maybe what administration should realize is the students are not the only ones to blame for cheating; parent pressure and teacher indifference have catalyzed this generational divide– perhaps to a point of no return.

“The fear instilled by teachers, parents, and anticipation of college has forced us to view education/school as a corner in which dishonesty or practically killing yourself are the only ways out,” Danielle Vargas, a sophomore, said. “Unfortunately, school is not about the learning experience, but the little capital letters that will either make or break you. Yes, [cheating] is wrong, but with this instilled fear, some are left with no choice.”

“[Cheating] has been going on for so long, but [administration] is finally doing something about it,” junior Liza Katz said. Although this year’s senior class has been under scrutiny for their actions, every class has contributed to this problem. As Katz pointed out, every student cheats– be it in an academic or social setting. We believe students care about how they are perceived, but they care about something else more: doing well, regardless of the means and measures taken.

“I did not want to bring shame on my family by cheating,” Mrs. Hurtado adds. “It was considered as low class and as bad as stealing. The idea was ‘What, are you so stupid you need to steal someone else’s work?’” Nowadays, or so it seems, this idea of shame (or, as math teacher Mr. Michael Fleishman says, “having a ‘good’ name”) is irrelevant. The pressure from parents and the drive to succeed supersedes morals and values. While this drive for success speaks for our generation’s values, our willingness to achieve success dishonestly speaks against them.

If people are so apt to cheat, and even moreso to condone cheating, what does that say for our future? “Back when I was in high school, I never thought to cheat,” Mr. Fleishman said. “All you have is your good name and your honor.” While Mr. Fleishman does not like or condone cheating in any way, he sees in class cheating endemic to what it means for society as a whole.

This generational divide insinuates a quasi-damnation of the future; if current high school students are so prone to cheating and turn a blind eye to those who do, who is to say they will not continue this habit in college and cheat through law, engineering, or medical school? “Cheating, as a teacher, doesn’t insult me personally, as much as it insults me as a member of society,” Mr. Fleishman said. “These cheaters will make society dysfunctional.”

They performed a stark number to Ray Montagne’s “Let it Be Me,” in which the dancers, after forming a teardrop shape onstage, broke apart to show off individual talents, as they crossed the stage throwing rifles and twirling flags.

In order to adequately prepare themselves for the high-level competition they faced at the championship, members attended weekly practices from four to eight PM.

“They’re pretty intense,” junior Liliana Cruz said. “They’re painful, but they’re still fun.”

Now, as the season winds down, Winter Guard is preparing to perform alongside the marching band at the annual Band Concert in May. But, already getting ready for next year’s performances, Winter Guard is currently recruiting new members. Currently, with only one male on the Guard, they are encouraging boys as well as girls to consider joining.

“It really increases your confidence,” junior Lucas Alvarez said. “You learn how to do things you didn’t think you’d be able to do.”

The team offers a supportive environment in which even newcomers to performing can be comfortable.

“We care about each other even outside of Winter Guard,” Cruz said of the team dynamics.

Those interested should see team captain, junior Christie Ramsaran, or team advisor Ms. Marissa Chuckaree, who oversees all practices.

British singer Mika promotes positive thoughts in songs such as “We are Golden,” “Big Girl You Are Beautiful,” and “Lollipop.” In “Big Girl You Are Beautiful” his lyrics try to convince girls that they should not diet and to appreciate their curves. To anyone suffering from weight problems or to any teen feeling the pressure of society, this song can send  an uplifting message and completely turn someone’s day around. “We Are Golden” stands as an anthem for teenagers in general, declaring that teenagers are not what everyone thinks they are. Mika tells teenagers that it’s okay and normal to feel misunderstood and not to believe all the judgement and negativity that comes their way.

The rap genre might have one of the worst reputations of all music, but pop star Nicki Minaj, whose songs remain consistently on iTunes top charts, raps about keeping your head up and standing up for yourself in her song “Fly.”  The message is definitely positive whichever way it is looked at. Music can speak to teens and can be that factor that calms them down so that instead of fighting they keep their heads up and move on from the situation. Whatever might happen music is one constant that’ll always be accessible to a person when they are down or feeling alone.

Positive Playlist:

“Who Says” – Selena Gomez

“Firework” – Katy Perry

“Big Girl You Are Beautiful” – Mika

“Born This Way” – Lady Gaga

“Fly” – Nicki Minaj

“Unwritten” – Natasha Bedingfield

“Haven’t Met You Yet” – Michael Buble

“Beautiful World” – Carolina Liar

Although, technically, students who want to work out actually can use the weight room (if they have received approval from Athletic Director Coach Jeff Dellenbach), the average student’s only relationship with the weight room remains distant at best. Indeed, many have only casually heard of the room’s existence and most have never actually been there, the weight room’s exact location being somewhat of a mystery (especially for those who have never gone to the clinic).

As of right now, the weight room is centered around the school’s high-performing athletes and those whose schedules allow them to  take the “Weightlifting” class. While the aforementioned students should definitely keep their priority over use of the weight room, a more direct level of integration should still be possible. Non-athletes, for instance, could work out along with the athletes if capacity allows. The athletic department could also set a specific day and time for only non-athletes to use the weight room (as in, every Friday from 3 to 5).

Given safety’s importance in this matter, a training session could be held in which athletes and/or coaches could teach prospective weight room users how to properly use the gym’s machines. Only those who have received instruction at a training session could use the weight room.

The simple need of non-athletes to work out should be considered as well. While serious athletes are often affiliated with some sort of gym or club outside of school, many regular students have considerably less chances to be physically active and therefore have a greater need to work out. To have such an easy, convenient, nearby fitness option would surely motivate some into leading a healthier lifestyle. In essence, the school “opening” the weight room more could do wonders to the overall health of its student population.

Again, it’s not that the school or the athletic department deny students the use of the weight room, but rather, that students are not knowledgeable of their weight room privileges and that a more comprehensive, better weight room policy is possible.

Ultimately, the idea of a weight room readily accessible to all, where students could simply go  and work out after their classes is of undeniable appeal. Hopefully, it won’t be long until the practical myth that is the weight room becomes a real reality to all.