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THEVolume XVII Issue V

3979 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami, Florida, 33149 (305) 365-MASTMAST AcademyFebruary 29, 2008

BEACON

A closer look at student expression

Lichtenstein installation at Fairchild Students drive sustainably

Fashion for charity

Jehan SinclairStaff Writer

The first day of the first lunar month on the Chinese calendar marks the start of the Chi-nese New Year. This year, that day fell on Feb-ruary 7.

Traditionally, the festivities are carried out for 15 days, culminating in the Lantern Festi-val on the last day, when colorful lanterns are hung outside. During this time, lion dances (performances in which two dancers in a styl-ized lion costume mimic the movements of a lion to ward off bad luck), fireworks and fam-ily gatherings take place.

The last year of the Rat was 1996. Though in Western culture there is an overwhelming negative stigma surrounding rats, in Chinese culture people born in this year are said to pos-sess wit, imagination and curiosity, according to ChineseZodiac.com.

Miami Dade College Kendall Campus has held an annual Chinese New Year Festival for over 20 years.

The festival includes arts, crafts and games for children, purveyors of various Far East-ern goods, cultural performances and ethnic foods.

This year’s festival took place over the

weekend of February 16 - 17. Special perfor-mances this year included the Lion and Dragon Dance by Wing Lung Tai Chi Kung Fu School, the Dragonfly Dance by the Miami Chinese Language School and festival drumming by Matsuriza, a taiko drumming group that has a resident show at Epcot in Walt Disney World.

Junior Jezabel Matamoros and senior Re-bekah Lyew-Ayee are veterans of the festival, attending since they were children. They began volunteering in high school. Senior Adriana Toscani also volunteered at the festival.

“It’s fun to see so many people of one culture…and the stuff they have on sale is wicked,” Toscani said. Responsibilities of the volunteers included collecting tickets at the entrance, distributing pamphlets and setting up or decorating booths.

Peter Liu, President of the Chinese New Year Festival Committee, thought the event went well.

“I think it’s great. We had a very good turn-out despite the rain,” Liu said.

According to Liu, there are four to five months of planning prior to the festival.

“None of it is possible without the help of over a hundred volunteers,” Liu said. “I’m glad we’re able to share our Chinese culture.”

Chinese New Year celebration hosted by Miami Dade College

Waterpolo teams undefeated

pgs. 6-7

Photo by Shelbi AugustusThe boys team, pictured during an afternoon practice, joins the girls waterpolo team in enjoying a spotless season record. Both teams won the Early Bird tournament on February 25 and respective games on the same day.

Chelsea WestraStaff Writer

The whole city of Miami was in dis-array on Tuesday, February 26 when power outages at Florida Power and Light (FPL) caused rolling blackouts from Daytona Beach to the Keys.

An estimated 600 thousand to 800 thousand FPL customers were left in the dark because two of the five units at Turkey Point were tripped and broken.

Traffic lights were out of order and nine accidents occurred in a span of 20 minutes after the blackouts began.

Miami-Dade County Public Schools did not release students without a legal guardian until the situation was consid-ered stable.

Our school was under a lockdown between about two and three o’clock p.m., but it was lifted before the regular release at three-fifteen.

Many students worried about trans-portation home, since many students depend on public transportation to get to and from school and Metrorail ser-vices were temporarily closed until

they could be run on generators. They returned before three-fifteen,

giving students the opportunity to re-turn home.

The blackout was as puzzling as it was inconvenient. Reasons for the blackout are still mostly unknown, but students and teachers have several hypotheses.

“I think it was Godzilla,” freshman Damian Hunt said.

“Someone pressed the red button,” sophomore Ailynn Betguen said.

Fellow sophomore Krizia Barker had her own idea.

“I think the Taliban took over FPL,” Barker said.

Many students joked about the ap-pearance of a monster like the one from recent film Cloverfield.

Another, more serious theory was that a nuclear accident at Turkey Point caused the blackout.

Maria Velez, an FPL spokesperson said that the company is in a state of repair and that all power resources should be restored soon and running smoothly.

Blackout strikes South Florida, rumors spread

pg. 9

pg. 2

pg. 10

Freshmen Rigoberto Hernandez and Amaia Sanz de Acedo read poetry by African- American authors in the CIC. February was first named Black History Month in 1976.

News In Briefnews2 The Beacon

2.29.2008

What’s going on in your school?

Compiled by Thais Wilson-Soler

Seniors, remember to pay for Grad Nite. The second payment of 78 dollars will be collected in front of the cafeteria during both lunches from Monday, March 3 through Friday, March 14.

The annual MAST Blast will be on March 27. Bring a bathing suit and towel and look forward to celebrating the beginning of spring break in style with games and contests.

The Junior Ring Ceremony will take place on Wednesday, March 26 at seven o’clock p.m. Family and friends can attend to watch the Class of 2009 be-come upperclassmen.

The Performing Arts Club Showcase will take place at seven o’clock p.m. on March 24. Students will have the opportunity to see the show again during Ac-tivities Period on Wednesday, March 26.

Ready to see some real talent? Support the class of 2008 at the Senior Talent Show. It will be held after school on Thursday, March 20.

Christine MonteroStaff Writer

Teachers and counselors received new sixth gen-eration iPods last month as part of Principal Thomas Fisher’s initiative to enrich the academic environ-ment with more technology. The handheld devices follow on the heels of the teachers’ new Macbooks and the use of Moodle for activities period sign-up.

The iPods were distributed during a technology training session led by Fisher on January 31, an ear-ly release day.

They were purchased using the school’s tech-nology funds, which Fisher allocates to areas of the school as he sees fit.

“[The iPods] can be used for building digital portfolios for students,” lead teacher Margaret Haun said. “Teachers right now are still only using them for photos and music, but we’ve just scratched the surface with this technology. It’s going to become very useful fairly quickly.”

By researching websites catering specifically to Apple users, Fisher has built up his knowledge of this technology to be able to lead instructional how-

to’s for the teachers during early release and teacher work days.

“If students are absent or on field trips it will be easy for them to get the lessons they missed in pod-cast form. It’s also extremely easy for the teachers to make and store narrated PowerPoint documents onto their iPods using their Macbooks,” Fisher said.

Some students and faculty members alike are wary of the teachers’ receipt of the iPods, claiming that the money used to buy them could have been better used elsewhere.

“They’re a complete waste of money. We could have gotten more books for the classrooms,” senior Maricel Paz said.

However, many see the value of such technology in the academic environment.

“Mr. Maas is always complaining about not be-ing able to access YouTube at school but now he can put the videos we need for class on his iPod,” senior Janie Ruiz said.

“The students have iPods and know all about this technology but now it’s time for the adults to ‘get there,’” Fisher said.

Mar TrujilloFeatures Editor

Many public schools around the nation are celebrating Black His-tory month. Instructors base projects and lessons on black history and speakers are brought in to talk to the student body.

Sharon Van Smith, the school’s media specialist, dedicated her time and effort in preparing different folders with the biographies and poetry of different African-Americans, such as Maya Angelou, Shel Silverstein, Langston Hughes and Claude McKay.

Students from different classes, such as Nairy Reboredo’s AP American History class, Victor Morgan’s Algebra I class, Vallet Tucker’s Language Arts class and Lynn Paisley’s Spanish class, were asked to meet at the library and read poems and short stories written by different African-American authors.

“I thought it was interesting reading all these poems because you can see how African-Americans were affected by all their history and reverted it into their poems,” freshman Simon Reby said.

“I felt that it was amazing how African Americans can make such a colorful variety of poetry,” freshman Aaron Marks said.

Reby and Marks participated in the read-ins during various classes including Language Arts, Spanish and Algebra I. Their classes have also been going over important works by African-Americans.

Ana Plana, one of the current Culinary Arts teachers, has her stu-dents working on a project that will bring awareness of how African-Americans have contributed to the culture of the United States. Stu-dents have been asked to bring a report on an African American who has contributed significantly to different styles of cooking in the U.S and then have been asked to cook something inspired by the person they have researched and bring it to class.

“This is a great way to expand awareness of the amazingness that African-Americans bring to our culture,” sophomore Leah Putlek said “I wish more of our teachers would take more of an interest in Black History month.”

Many students have expressed a wish to see a Black History showcase.

“I don’t know why we are not having [a Black History showcase] this year since we’ve done it before,” said junior Vilma Diaz, “But a showcase would really help to raise an understanding of the differ-ent talents that the students have and how African-American’s have enriched our culture.”

Faculty receives iPods for classroom use

Students to model for charity

Photo courtesy of Elena Korallis

Emily NorthropEditor-in-Chief

Sophomore Andrew Meade has been named a county finalist in the Reflections competition. Spon-sored annually by the PTSA network, Reflections takes on a broad theme every year and offers stu-dents in all grades the opportunity to be recognized in one of several categories such as film, creative writing, photography and dance.

This year’s theme was “I Can Make a Difference by….” Meade wrote a steel-drum score entitled “Be-ing Myself” for the musical composition category.

Meade began playing the steel drums in middle school with the Miami Pan Symphony. He is now in music teacher Vincent Hamilton’s ensemble and advanced music classes.

Meade asked junior Alain Pierre-Louis to record

the song with him as part of the competition portfo-lio. Pierre-Louis began playing the steel drums in music class as a sophomore.

The two friends first collaborated in December of last year to play “Swingin’ Engine” by Burning Flame in the Winter Showcase.

“I wanted to learn more and [Meade] was a great teacher,” Pierre-Louis said. “It went very well.”

Meade described the song as having a “Spanish, Bossanova, Samba” beat, and Pierre-Louis added that it has a “Caribbean flair.”

“It’s refreshing and festive,” Hamilton said. A state panel will review the submission and

notify Meade if he has qualified for nationals by April.

Meade and Pierre-Louis plan to perform in the Spring Showcase.

Students collaborate on composition

Black History honored

Photo by Emily Northrop

Catie SkippStaff Writer

Interact Club’s second annual fashion show will be held March 13 in the auditorium. Continuing the tradition from last year, admis-sion to the show will be at least three items of clothing or school supplies to be donated to orphan-ages in Colombia run by Heresa Losano, a family friend of Inter-act historian, Amanda Suarez.

“The most important thing is why we are doing this. Interact Club must do an International Project once a year to help disad-vantaged youth, and the fashion show is an excellent way to fill the requirement,” counselor and sponsor of Interact Club Ana Ma-ria Posse said.

Modeling auditions were held January30. Selected models will receive community service hours for participating.

“I am excited about the fact that I’m modeling for a good cause,” junior Natalie Mesa said.

Models will be wearing clothes on loan from Up Against the Wall and other urban stores. These stores were chosen to be featured because they compli-ment the theme, “Old School Hip-Hop.”

To add to the urban vibe, Fash-ion Show decorator, junior Anam Parpia, came up with the idea of using vibrantly colored cassette tapes as admission tickets instead of the traditional pieces of paper.

“The combination of modern

music with a touch of old school and a mixed variety of models we hope will make the show a little more interesting,” Parpia said.

“The fashion show is a fun twist on community service and every show of support counts,” Suarez said.

Last year’s fashion show had the theme of “Upside Down Tea-Party” and showcased vintage clothing borrowed from students. Over 50 people attended, making it a success in Suarez’s mind. She hopes that this year’s show will “out-do” last year’s.

Junior Alex Kiszynski, a model last year, said, “I was able to have a lot of fun and help out orphans in Colombia at the same time.”

Sophomore Andrew Meade and Junior Alain Pierre-Louis practice the steel drums before school. Meade’s original composition, “Being Myself,” was recognized as a county finalist in the Parent Teacher Student Association’s (PTSA) Reflections competition.

news 3The Beacon2.29.2008

Cherie RodriguezStaff Writer

A celebrity sighting marked the beginning of The Social Stud-ies Honor Society’s (SSHS) trip to Durham, North Carolina for the Duke Model United Nations Conference (DUMUNC). Singer Chris Brown was at Miami In-ternational Airport and agreed to take pictures with the students.

The 19 delegates that attend-ed the conference from February 21 to 24 began preparing for the event in January.

“I did plenty of research. I lived and breathed Saudi Ara-bia,” junior Maria Texera said.

Alex Robel, a MAST Acad-emy graduate, was the chairper-son for the International Panel on Climate Change, one of the ten committees that delegates could have been in.

According to DUMUNC’s website, this conference is de-signed to encourage research and critical thinking. It is expected to

reflect how a real UN conference would be conducted.

There are two students per delegation, with few exceptions. Each delegation represents a country and many delegations make up a committee. Partici-pants are expected to learn as much as they can about their country and its policies in order to negotiate with other countries in committee. An example of a top-ic discussed is Security Council reform. Other topics are intended to bring awareness of neglected issues, such as the decolonization of Western Sahara, droughts and sex trafficking.

“The topics and committees were aptly chosen and reflected things the UN would actually deliberate,” junior Marcos Lanio said.

In addition to the traditional United Nations bodies, such as Special Political and Decoloniza-tion, there were three crisis com-mittees that dealt with the 1956

Suez war. The three cabinets that were involved were those of Is-rael, the United Kingdom and Egypt.

Students who were not in crisis committees had to turn in position papers for each of their designated topics. The papers de-tailed their country’s stance and were given to their chairperson on the first day of committee.

Chris Metz, Marcos Lanio and Margaret MacLaren were verbally recognized in the awards assembly for their performances.

As well as working during the day, the delegates attended a social dance to get acquainted with other delegates. They were also taken on a tour of Duke Uni-versity. The actual conference, however, took place at the Dur-ham Hilton, where the delegates stayed.

SSHS is planning to attend the United Nations Association USA competition at Florida In-ternational University in April.

Community Service Opportunities

Compiled by Candy Gonzalez

In order to keep the community healthy, the City of Doral will be hosting the City of Doral 5K Fun Run/Walk & Family Wellness Festival (FX). Volunteers are needed to help with race logistics, registration and water distribution throughout the race on March 1 from eight a.m. until two p.m. For infor-mation contact the project coordinator, Nathan Reiser at (305) 646-7460.

Doral Fun Run/WalkMarch 1

Volunteers are encouraged to lend a hand and at the Inter-American Development Bank Annual Meeting, welcoming honored representatives and organizations to the Miami com-munity. For information contact Alicia Quillen at Alicia@handsonmiami.org or (305) 646-7460.

Inter-American Development Bank March 24 – April 8

In celebration of Arbor Day 2008, register to volunteer to plant 125 trees in East Little Havana on April 25, 2008 with Mayor Manny Diaz and Commissioner Joe Sanchez. The cel-ebration will begin at eight a.m. in Henderson Park, located at 971 NW 2nd St, Miami. The planting will end at 11 a.m. with a free lunch and music. For information, please contact Hands on Miami at (305) 646-7460.

Green Miami Arbor Day CelebrationApril 25

Donate blood at the school Blood Drive, May 21, from seven thirty in the morning until two thirty in the afternoon. For in-formation contact Blood Centers of South Florida Inc. at (1- 800) 879-5020 or visit www.cbcsf.org to pre-register for your donation.

Give blood and save livesMay 21

Students explore international issues at DukeClub Highlight

Each month, The Beacon chooses a club to highlight. We shed light on the club of the month’s purpose and its activities for the year. This month’s profile is on the National Oceanic Sci-ences Bowl team, a branch of the Ocean Conservation Club.

Shelbi Augustus Staff Writer

The National Ocean Sciences Bowl (NOSB) regional competition took place on February 23 at Harbor Branch, an oceanic institute in Ft. Pierce, Florida. According to the web-site, www.NOSB.org, “this competition is intended to increase knowledge of oceans on the part of high school students… as well as to broaden student’s and teacher’s awareness of the latest scientific research.”

“Our school has been a part of NOSB since 1997,” ex-plained NOSB coach Mark Tohulka. “We have gone to state all but three times.”

This year’s A team was made up of seniors Lisa Van Houdt, Amanda Labora and Scarlett Barker and juniors Joaquim Ar-disson and Emily Northrop. Senior Brian Black, junior Colby Uva and sophomores Shanique Martin, Michael Ronzetti and Mitchell Rosenstein played for team B.

“I first joined NOSB because I love Marine Science and the club seemed to be really fun. More students at our school should join since this is a school based around science,” Van Houdt said.

Multiple choice questions, worth four points each, are presented to two teams. The first person to buzz in answers the question for their team. If answered correctly, the person’s team has a chance to discuss and answer a bonus question worth six points. Each round also features two written “team challenge” worksheets worth up to 20 points.

Both of this year’s teams played in the finals, and B team won fourth place. South Broward High School, the regional champion, will be given an all expense paid trip to Nationals in Seward, Alaska.

National Ocean Sciences Bowl

Tel 305-461-9960Fax 305-461-9865www.unitedwag.org

United WAG, Inc.P.O. Box 331073Miami, FL 33233

opinions4 The Beacon2.29.2008

It is unbelievable how easily a rumor can ruin someone’s life. Even though most people can agree that gossiping is distasteful, if not repre-hensible, they continue to participate in behavior that can destroy a person’s reputation. Whether a person contributes to the conversation or simply listens, they are equally

guilty of propagating a vicious cycle. Having access to privileged information is an intoxi-

cating feeling. Who can blame us for wanting to be in the loop? Everyone likes the idea of knowing something that other people don’t; we like to “get the scoop.” On a visceral, if not barbaric level, we yearn to be a part of a

group even if it means alienating others. Whether we re-alize it or not, gossip is founded on a desire to elevate the gossiper’s sense of self at the expense of the gossipee.

People often justify gossip by calling it harmless en-tertainment. The fact of the matter is that gossip is not a victimless dinner table activity. While certain elements of a juicy story may be based on fact, gossip is about as accurate as the Hollywood films that are “based on true stories.” After all, gossip wouldn’t be so entertaining if it were accurate. Consequently, every person that decides to share the gossip adds their own two cents. Anyone who has ever played a game of telephone can see how a seemingly harmless comment said in passing can be taken wildly out of context. Even if gossip were to, by some divine miracle, remain unaltered, it would inher-ently be one sided or biased; it never includes both sides of the story. The subject of gossip can easily become the center of overwhelming negative attention or the butt of insensitive jokes on behalf of tens, hundreds, and even

thousands of people.I am perturbed that completely fictitious statements,

whether intentionally or accidentally so, can have such far reaching effects on a person’s life. It is extremely easy to forget that the people being gossiped about are fellow human beings with feelings and reputations. While it shouldn’t matter what anyone says or thinks about people or situations that do not concern them, society tells us otherwise. Even the checkout line at the grocery store is lined with tabloids offering the latest celebrity gossip.

Although gossip is to some extent inevitable, I be-lieve that human beings can find less destructive and pernicious ways of entertaining one another and inflating their egos. We must acknowledge that gossip is never accurate and should take it upon ourselves to walk away the next time we are enticed with a juicy story. A good friend of mine once said “I think the most important skill one can have is being able to be inclusive without being exclusive.”

Ramblings... The lies about the whispers

Editors-in-ChiefMargaret MacLarenEmily Cava Northrop

Layout/Photo EditorAllison Goodman

News EditorMarcella May

Opinions EditorErin Jester

Features EditorMar Trujillo

Sports EditorBrynn Katzen

Truck EditorThais Wilson-Soler

Graphics Editor/WebmasterAlan David Reyes

Business ManagerVictoria Diez

The Beacon is MAST Acade-my’s student-produced newspa-per. Opinions expressed in The Beacon are those of the editors and writers and do not neces-sarily reflect the viewpoints or official policies of the school.

The Beacon welcomes readers’ opinions on all top-ics. Letters to the editor must bear the writer’s full name. The editor reserves the right to reject, edit or shorten letters. All letters should be placed in Mrs. Sutton’s mailbox, put into the Beacon Box in room 9 or mailed to:

MAST Academy - The Beacon3979 Rickenbacker CausewayMiami, FL 33149(305) 365-6278

PhotographerAnam Parpia

Staff ArtistCandy Gonzalez

Staff WritersCandice AllouchShelbi AugustusToni DarwishVictoria DiezAlyssa FowersAmanda LaboraLaura LondonoChristine MonteroStefan OrtegaCherie RodriguezJehan SinclairCatie SkippChelsea Westra

AdvisorKaren Sutton

PrincipalThomas Fisher

THE

EACONB

Staf

f Edi

t MAST students are generally regarded as conscientious about the envi-ronment. We are applauded for our efforts to reduce our carbon footprints and lessen our negative impact upon the planet. We take classes like En-vironmental Science and Solar Energy –classes that encourage us to think wisely about our actions. We participate in clubs like Interact and ECLIPSE, working to better the community.

However, the way students treat the recycling bins does not reflect this general assumption. The paper recycling bins that are placed in every class-room are oftentimes plastered in gum. It is not uncommon to find trash–candy bar wrappers, broken glass and food items, for example–in the bins. The battery recycling bins are filled with everything but batteries. The box for cans in the cafeteria was thrown away because it was becoming a trash receptacle and a laundry basket.

Students understand that trash does not belong in the bins; the bins areclearly labeled. Solar Energy teacher Wafa Khalil and her students, along with ECLIPSE members, have spent a lot of time advertising the bins and explaining to students what can and cannot be placed in them. The general conclusion that we can come to, then, is that students are purposely disre-specting the bins. Not only does this negate the entire purpose of the bins, but it serves as a giant “screw you” to the school.

This sentiment goes beyond just the recycling bins, however. Students read the “Only Take One” signs on the paper towel dispensers in the bath-rooms and proceed to take four. They leave the faucets running in the bath-rooms and leave lights on in empty classrooms.

But because we have already established the fact that MAST students do in fact care about the environment, there must be another explanation for the reason why they are blowing off the bins and being wasteful. Perhaps it is because they are just too lazy to separate their trash. Or maybe they feel that they are above that task. Whatever the reason, we do not want our school to lose its reputation for being eco-friendly.

“Just because they enforce the law they think they’re above it,” senior Aaron Ray said.

Have you ever seen a cop run a red light or bully kids around for a bit of fun? There have been many instances when civilians felt as though the cops took ad-vantage of their powers and put the lives of civilians in jeopardy.

Many teenagers in these cases feel that they are at an unfair dis-

advantage because of their age. “I prefer dealing with older cops: maturity level,

judgment and experience,” JROTC Chief Robert Las-seter said.

“This one time when I was with my friend a cop grabbed my friend by the hair and threw him onto a crate because he looked like a ‘suspicious teenager’,” Ray said.

Strong, young and hormone-filled, some teenagers may feel like they are prime suspects for police offi-cers, believing it easy to start a fight or be blamed for something they didn’t do.

“About a year ago on the way to pick up some friends that lived a few blocks away I passed by a cop and then passed him again on the way back. When I stopped at a stop sign they came up behind me and

turned on their lights. I had done nothing wrong and felt that being pulled over was truly unnecessary. While the cop took down my information, another cop was trying to start a fight with the guys in the back. They knew if they responded to the cruel things he was saying they would get in trouble so they had to suffer through the torment that the cop was causing. After-wards the cop gave me back my license and said I was free to go, only saying he pulled me over because we looked suspicious,” junior Catie Skipp said.

Some say the reason cops can be so harsh or cor-rupt is because they want to make or exceed their quo-ta for arrests, but this is in fact untrue. Police officers do not have a certain number of arrests they need to make; it is only encouraged to make sure they are do-ing their job.

“Police departments spend a lot of money training police officers to do the right thing and an officer to do this is unacceptable and intolerable and not accept-ed by any police departments. Those that abuse their powers make up only a small population of police of-ficers and end up making the rest look bad,” Captain of Miami Gardens Police Department Marilyn Gonzalez said.

So why should some cops be able to get away with these illegal actions? I guess because even though there are some that get away with this, the majority are just trying to protect our lives.

Amanda LaboraStaff Writer

4-1-1 on the 5-0

Stop trashing the recycling bins

Stories from the students

“Once we were driving and a policeman turned on his sirens to get past traffic. Then he pulled into a Burger King.”

-Juniors Natalie Mesa, Bernard Selesky and Melissa Ortiz

Victoria DiezBusiness Manager

“This year during New Years, me and my mom were at Times Square behind barricades and my mom had to use the restroom really badly but the policeman wouldn’t let her through. Then these two blonde Barbies came up to the barricades and they allowed them to go through and even bought them coffee.”

-Junior Karen Rubin Santos

Photos by Shelbi Augustus

If someone were to ask a man what his ideal women would be, the answer might include a sense of humor, ap-petite, hobbies, ambition, intel-ligence and beauty. A trend that has been emerging for years is the appeal of a woman who drives manual cars, even as manual driving is becoming a lost art form as more people opt for the convenience of au-

tomatic shift. It is rare to see women driving manual cars part-

ly because many people believe in the stick-shift symbiosis between males and their machines. Yet there are women today who do drive stick-shift to break away from expectations.

“The stereotype is that girls are bad drivers, but in order to drive manual you really must know how to drive a car well,” junior Gonzalo Iribarne said.

Some men say it is a turn-on that these women have no fear in learning a skill that is usually associ-ated with men.

“It shows a sense of security and confidence; she is not afraid to be one of the guys. Man, a girl that’s driving a manual truck with some 44s on it, wow, that’s sexy,” electrical technician Shaheed Haniff said.

Men might say that women who do this have their own individuality.

“It gives the woman character, it makes them seem stronger,” art teacher Craig Kirk said.

When asked about men attracted to women who drive stick-shift cars, some women were surprised.

“Wow, I did not know that. Well, I suppose I can see why. It makes the girl more interesting, also mechanically inclined. They also might be good to have at a party for a

designated driver,” physics teacher Julie Hood said. One female student who does drive stick said she

was not surprised at all.“A bunch of guys always tell me that it’s hot that

I drive stick. I think guys see it as a turn-on because it shows the girl likes to be in control; it makes them seem adventurous and fun,” senior Jessica Jardines said.

“I love women who drive stick; it means they know about cars which is awesome. Also a woman who drives stick to me translates into attractive life-styles. If a girl can drive stick and make me laugh you’re my kind of girl,” senior Ryan Pham said.

As the years go on, the percent of women driving manual cars in the United States will decrease. Even with the new invention of Tiptronic, also known as “paddle shifting,” for many people it’s not the same.

Many drivers believe that manual transmission is too much to worry about when driving; some also believe that it’s too much of a pain to shift gears con-stantly in heavy traffic. Still, those who keep this tradition alive just love it.

Each man has a different reason for being at-tracted to females who drive manual transmission cars. Some say it’s because it makes them different from other women, they don’t mind getting their hands dirty, are strong or know a thing or two about cars. But all men seem to be attracted to unique women. Different reasons, same trend.

opinions 5The Beacon2.29.2008

Rethink changes in AP scheduleThe news that

enrollment in AP Government and Economics would be capped at 22 stu-dents hit the junior class like a shock wave. Astonish-ment, confusion and anger followed,

especially when the news broke that the

only AP class period would be held dur-ing seventh period and that placement would be determined by PSAT scores.

The reaction was something unique to our school, where students push them-selves to get high GPAs and take difficult classes. Still, it wasn’t solely driven by students’ ambition, but also by a sense of being insulted.

There are two schools of thought re-garding AP classes: trying to achieve ex-cellence or trying to expose as many stu-dents as possible to an AP curriculum. In trying to achieve excellence, class sizes are limited. To expose as many students as possible, enrollment in AP classes is left open to anyone who wants to work towards passing the AP test.

Both schools of thought have merit, and limiting the size of AP class is sen-sible. However, using PSAT scores to decide who will be in a Government and Economics class, a subject that isn’t test-ed on the PSAT, is ludicrous. The use of certain questions on the PSAT to predict the success of students on AP tests is well documented. But the use of one score, especially on a test that many students do not consider important, does not seem sensible. PSAT scores give no indication of a student’s dedication to learning or their level of classroom participation.

Another problem is the scheduling of the AP class. As a seventh period class, AP government and economics will be inaccessible to students with afternoon internships. To add to the pressure, the Ethics and Leadership course, which has in the past supplied internship credit to seniors, has been cancelled. It is not pos-sible for many students to complete their internships during the summer, and tak-ing internship as an eighth period adds more stress to already overloaded stu-

dents. Since internship is a requirement for graduation, it is impractical to place the sole AP Government and Economics class during a period when many stu-dents go to their internships.

It seems that there ought to be simple solutions to these problems. It is no more work for an instructor to teach a third or fifth period class than a seventh period, and students in internships would not be penalized. Similarly, recommendations should be taken from other teachers who have observed students in the classroom and know more about them than a stan-dardized test score.

According to principal Thomas Fish-er, the change is also about refocusing the direction of the school.

“We are a math and science high school,” Fisher said. “You should have the opportunity for it [the AP Govern-ment and Economics class], but who and what we are has to be kept in that vein of why we exist as a school.”

It’s true that AP science classes have increased in both number and length. The number of AP Environmental class periods has quadrupled and the AP Chemistry class now takes lasts for two periods. However, inserting more sci-ence classes, or even humanities-related science classes, like next year’s Ethics in Biology course, is no substitute for a rig-orous core course. Science and human-ity courses are not mutually exclusive. The success of our school is a living tes-tament to that fact.

Adam Maas, who teaches the AP Government and Economics course, was not aware of the decision to limit the available class periods until it had already been made. He worries not only about the effect on AP students, but on Honors students as well.

“I don’t like it because I think there are a lot more than 22 kids that are ca-pable of taking AP ... But there are kids who should be in Honors, so I can’t ac-celerate it for everyone and punish the kids that actually wanted to take Hon-ors,” Maas said.

Limiting AP classes to serious stu-dents and maintaining small class sizes are worthy goals. However, there must be more efficient and intelligent way of going achieving them.

Alyssa FowersStaff Writer

Stick it to the man

Stefan OrtegaStaff Writer

Proponents of the new surveillance bill in the Senate believe that it gives the government everything it needs to fight terrorism.

While there’s abso-lutely nothing wrong with fighting terror-ism there is a prob-

lem when it involves government-sanctioned

spying on innocent people. Supporters of surveillance measures have

long reverted to the classic “you shouldn’t worry about it if you’re not doing anything wrong” standpoint, failing to address the egregious invasion of privacy Americans may be subjected to. In trying to protect our national security, the government is undermin-ing one of the basic ideals of our nation, freedom for people to feel secure in their own homes.

The cur-rent govern-ment surveil-lance policy was set to ex-pire earlier this month, but has been extended pending a Sen-ate vote on an o v e r h a u l e d government surveillance bill. That policy, established by a bill passed in 1978, has proven woefully ineffective. The terrorist attacks the country have suf-fered since then are implacable proof. The new surveillance bill is even more intrusive, granting the government more insight into people’s lives.

I see little reason to believe that the new measures will accomplish anything.

One of the reasons America is often vulnerable is because it underestimates its enemies. Terrorists aren’t all crazy people

who blow themselves up with the express purpose of killing women and children shop-ping for produce in open-air markets. There are cunning masterminds further up in the hierarchy, often people trained and educated by the western world, who understand the basics of how we think. If the government taps phones and e-mail, they’ll simply find some other method of communication that can’t be so easily traced. One of the reasons terrorists are so successful is because they adapt so quickly.

For all the criticism the current admin-istration receives, they may just have fig-ured out the best way to keep terrorists off our own soil, and that’s simply to keep them busy in the Middle East. While I don’t nec-essarily agree with the methods involved in getting initial support for the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan and wish the violence wasn’t an issue in the first place, I do believe both campaigns were necessary, if not to stop or allay the violence in the Middle East at least to contain it and to keep it from spreading.

Washington, it seems, sometimes needs to be reminded that we’re living in 2008, not 1984. The best way to keep our people safe is to keep the people who want to attack us away from them. IT doesn’t matter how much information we have if we fail to act on it.

Surveillance intrusive, ineffective

Senior Karen Franklin puts her car, a manual transmission Jeep Wrangler, into gear.

Photo by Anam Parpia

Graphic by Alan Reyes

Alan ReyesGraphics Editor

Women and stick shifts a hot combination

6

Candace Allouch Staff Writer

Hairstyles, piercings and tattoos have been around for a very long time. They have been used for fashion, cultural reasons and branding.

During the Holocaust, tattoos were used for branding Jews. These tattoos originated in Auschwitz, the largest Nazi concentration camp in Europe. They were a line of numbers used to try and dehumanize the prisoner. The tattoo was placed on the left breast of the prisoner, but later began to be placed on the inner forearm.

In Indian and African tribes, tattoos are used to show rank, how strong someone is and how many wars they have fought in. They are also used to ward away illnesses and show rights of passage of clan members.

Nowadays many people have piercings and tattoos, but

that is a fad that has just recently developed in America. Many adults remember when tattoos were a big “no-no” and piercings were only accepted for women, not for men.

“Tattoos were not in! Only bikers and Hell’s Angels had tattoos,” school counselor Ana Maria Posse said.

JROTC instructor Robert Lasseter explained, “Neither piercings nor tattoos were a fad. Only ladies’ ears were pierced.”

Hairstyles on the other hand have always been a fun way to express oneself. Whether it is a ponytail, shag, afro or just long hair, hairstyles have always been con-stantly changing.

The “bumblebee” was a well-known hairstyle when some teachers were in high-school.

“You got your hair, doesn’t matter the length, and tease

the life out of it so much it stood up! Then you would take the comb so that the teasing wouldn’t show and have an outside coating of straight hair…. Flowy hair did not exist,” Posse said.

“Jerri curls,” is another hairstyle that was well-known when some of today’s teachers were in high-school.

“Jerri curls were really, really curly and oily tight curls. Just think of Michael Jackson in the music video Thrill-er,” science teacher Kenya Jones-Roberts said.

When it comes to facial hair there have also been many different styles throughout the years.

Music teacher Vincent Hamilton said, “Guys used to shave their eyebrows right through the middle with either two lines or just one going straight through.”

According to history teacher Calvin Webb, “Everybody had mustaches; if they could grow one, they had one!”

In living color: the history behind body modification

How many tattoos do you have? Five.

What are they?One is a swallow. Another [is] a piece of art done by a friend of mine, Gino Lucich. The rest are just artwork.

Why did you decide to get the tattoos?To commemorate a certain period in my life.

What was your mother’s reaction to your tattoos?She disowned me five times.

What does your wife think about the tat-toos?She actually drew one of them, the swallow, but we met when I already had the other tattoos.

Why is the story behind your tattoos such a mystery? Why won’t you tell anyone?Because it would sound silly. No matter how I tell the story it would just seem silly and it will never have the meaning it does to me.

Do you think that having a tattoo has had any impact on getting or keeping jobs?For me personally, no. But I understand the stig-ma surrounding them. I try to break down that stigma.

Is there anything you have to say about tattoos?You should definitely educate yourself about the history and the proper way to get a tattoo. You should get a tattoo after your body belongs to you [after you turn 18].

Josue Cruz, English teacher

Cruz attempts to “break down” the stigma behind his tattoos.

Sean Serio, seniorWhat is your hairstyle called?A blow out.

How long have you had it? Since August, so… six months.

Why did you get it?Just to try a different look.

How did your friends and family react to it?My family didn’t like it, but my friends liked it.

Do strangers ever comment on it?All the time people comment on my hair… people at work. I’ve never had a random negative comment, so that’s good.

How did your employers feel about the change?They loved it… I’m like a showcase.

Would you change your hair and if so, what would you do?I would do blue tips. Midnight blue.

If you got a radical hairstyle, would people view you differently?For sure; it would change people’s perceptions.Serio’s blow out attracts attention from students and faculty alike.

Once the mark of a rebellious attitude or subculture involvement, body modification, including tattooing, piercing and radical hairstyles, has recently gained popularity and recognition in mainstream culture. We profiled students, and a teacher, who have adopted this alternative method of self expression.

The Beacon2.29.2008

7What inspired you to get your piercings?[I would see] most piercings and... think, “Oh my god!” I was seven when I got my first piercing and I don’t know what I or my mom was thinking. I got my cartilage piercing because of Jenny who graduated [from MAST] last year. My eyebrow piercing I got because of my best friend Mitzi. My old lip piercing was because of the guy who would change my piercing. They’re just addicting.

How did people react to them?My mom was perfectly fine with it. My friends were supportive if they approved of the piercing. When I wanted my lip piercing my friends dis-approved of it. I slowly realized that it’s for the best that I didn’t get one, especially after seeing how my lip swelled up. My body is a really slow healer.

Raymond Baucom, junior

What is your tattoo? It’s a Spanish skull with roses and a crown, decorated with hearts, flowers and stars.

Where is it located?On my upper back.

Is there a meaning behind the tattoo?It’s a memorial tattoo after my grandparents passed away. It means a bad experience turned positive.

Have you faced any discrimination or judgment because of your tattoo?Some people are judgmental but I don’t care. I definitely don’t regret it.

Alissa Descelles, junior Kendrick Leighton, senior

Did it hurt?No, it was okay except for the color yellow. It got an-noying ‘cause the guy had to rub it to make it show.

What did your parents say about the tattoo? I don’t really talk to them much.

Where did you have it done? How much was it?My friend did it for me. It was 170 dollars.

Do you plan on getting anymore tattoos? I’m going to get a half-sleeve of more Day of the Dead by the end of this year. Things like melting candles, rose petals and family members. I’m going to have a skeleton of my grandpa smoking a cigarette. Also tat-toos on my chest. I like the Day of the Dead.

What is your piercing? When did you get it? Why?They’re “snakebites” and I’ve had them for a while now. I got them because it was one of those ‘why not?’ things. It was spontaneity.

What is the tattoo?It’s a Sherder’s skull on my shoulder.

Is there any meaning behind it?It’s about the Day of the Dead. Instead of mourning the death of someone, you celebrate the life you had with them.

When did you get your tattoo?About one month ago.

Why did you get it?‘Cause I’m going to be covered in them, so I didn’t see a reason not to start now.

Photos by Jehan Sinclair

Once the mark of a rebellious attitude or subculture involvement, body modification, including tattooing, piercing and radical hairstyles, has recently gained popularity and recognition in mainstream culture. We profiled students, and a teacher, who have adopted this alternative method of self expression.

The Beacon2.29.08

features 9The Beacon2.29.2008

Sun rises over intricate tale of historical fantasy

Toni DarwishStaff Writer

Entymology training for high schoolers begins during mandatory freshman summer school and con-tinues during English classes. Teachers reiterate the value of being able to break down and understand words that have been seen on the SAT and will help with writing and reading comprehension. Students have honed this skill to such an extent that some have started to make up their own words with mean-ings and histories behind them.

Many students have coined their own slang words and phrases. They are usually born as inside jokes and used by a small group of friends. If repeat-ed often and publicly, the words may start to gain popularity and usage with the student body at large.

The word “Mer,” first used by juniors Toni Dar-wish, Paola Chang and Maria “Duda” Teixeira dur-ing their sophomore year, has become popular with a large group of students. Most students can recall hearing or using the word at least once.

“A couple of my friends at MAST used the word [“Mer”] and I think it spread so much I heard one of my Coral Reef friends use it and I thought it was really funny that the word got so big,” junior Natalie Mesa said.

The reputation of “Mer” may be based in its high usability.

Junior Maria “Duda” Teixeira said, “[Mer] is a way of life. It is what makes our friendship stronger every day. Mer is everything, right and wrong, mad or sad, happy and jolly.”

The popularity of the word “Mer” is one example of a veritable lexicon of student-authored phrases and words. Some student slang words, like senior Marissa Salas’ “gafa,” have their roots in foreign languages and cultures.

“[Senior] Chloe [Hans-Barrientos] and I use the words ‘gafa’ and ‘gafacita’. It is really a term of endearment we made up. In Venezuela, where I’m from, the word ‘gafa’ means dumb or silly…. The nicknames just stuck,” Salas said.

Other terms, such as senior Calvin Konrath’s guttural catchphrase, are simply noises.

“Calvin uses ‘urra’ all the time to describe what-ever he feels like or a certain situation. It is also used as a general agreement. Like, ‘hey guys, wanna go to the movies,’ and Calvin will reply ‘urra, urra’,” Isaiah Kuhle, senior and friend of Konrath, said.

Margaret MacLarenEditor-in-Chief

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden hardly needs embel-lishment to make it gorgeous-–and yet it insists upon try-ing. Its newest attempt, part of its annual “Art and Flowers” series, is “Roy Lichtenstein at Fairchild,” an installation of sculptures by the Pop artist known for his cartoonish prints.

It is a joy to look at art that is normally found in white-walled museums while enjoying the brisk air and peaceful scenery at Fairchild. Walking the grounds is pleasurable, but it is also fun to ride the tram and listen to guides that can relate the name of the blooming flowers as well as the meaning behind Lichtenstein’s Modern Head (1974/1989), a piece that stands over 30 feet tall.

Another statue, House II (1997), initially appears to be a bland portrait of what most Fairchild visitors are trying to escape. However, it is one of the more enchanting pieces because as the visitor passes it and views it from different angles, it appears to be shifting its position.

The Lichtenstein exhibit arrives at the heels of the 2006 installation, “Chihuly at Fairchild,” which featured glass

figures designed by the artist Dale Chihuly. Some of Chi-huly’s art is still in the Garden and provides an interesting contrast to Lichtenstein’s work.

While Chihuly’s glass spheres and orbs compliment and blend with the exotic plants at Fairchild, Lichtenstein’s bold statues, which seem to have been painted with an entirely different palette than Mother Nature had at her disposal, compete with heliconias and eucalyptus trees for attention.

The Lichtenstein exhibit, which opened in December in order to coincide with Art Basel, will be on display un-til May 31. It can be seen every day from 9:30 a.m. until 4:30 P.M. Admission is free for Fairchild members; for non-members, $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and $10 for children six through 17.

Thursday nights offer the chance to enjoy the Garden, art and all, at night, from six to nine P.M. Admission is $20 for members, $15 for member children six to 17, $30 for non-members, $20 for non-member children six to 17 and free for children 5 and under. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road.

Junior Saralee Morales said about the installation, “It brings more ... beauty to the area.”

Art in Fairchild: A natural fit

Roy Lichtenstein’s two dimensional statue House II contrasts with the natural beauty of Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Coral Gables.

Photo by Mary MacLaren

Alyssa FowersStaff Writer

Stepping into a historical pseudo-Europe is a common experience for readers of fantasy. However, the familiar setting is rarely handled with as much grace and skill as it is in Guy Gavriel Kay’s TheLast Light of the Sun. The novel focuses on Viking (“Erling”), Anglo (“Anglcyn”) and Celtic (“Cyngael”) cultures, taking a panoramic view of how they affect and change one another.

The book is a complex, intricately woven story. Small events lead to consequences that no one could have imag-ined; great leaders both shape their nations and struggle with their own families. Faith and religion take a major role as well.

When Thorkell, an Erling, kills another man in a tavern dispute over a dice game, he has no way to see what will come of it. He is exiled and his son Bern is relegated to the life of a servant. Later, Bern steals the horse of a dead man and is forced to flee his island home and join a group of mercenaries.

In Anglcyn, a pair of young Cyngael princes lead a cattle raid on a nearby farm, not realizing that an Anglcyn lord is in attendance there. A famous cleric, Ceinion, saves them from humiliation and possible death; however, trag-edy follows in an Erling raid on the farm. Greiving, Alun, one of the princes, agrees to travel with Ceinion.

Over arching these characters is the efforts of Aeldred, the Anglcyn king, to create a powerful nation that can stand up in the face of Erling raids. Meanwhile, an Erling blood-feud with an Anglcyn lord leads to continued raids which use the swords of Jormsvik mercenaries.

Also close to the hearts of the characters is how to rec-

oncile their belief in the sun god Jad with what they know of old religions and the fey folk. Aelred and Alun both have seen and believe in fairies; Aelred’s daughter Kendra discovers that she has witch-like powers despite her faith in Jad. Even the cleric Ceinion endures crises of faith.

As the major characters weave themselves into and out of each other’s lives, the minor characters are not for-gotten. The story follows up on them, providing insight into the cultures that Gavriel deals with.

This is a world of harsh realities, where death is a con-stant companion and stability can be ripped away at any moment.

Gavriel does not gloss over the difficulties for women, peasants and even the upper classes. Instead, he chooses to show how they work inside the boundaries of their so-

cieties to produce what change they can.The Last Light of the Sun is an elegant, brilliantly crafted book with strong, vi-

brant characters and achingly beautiful prose. Be prepared to be sucked into

a world that holds so strongly to you that you do not want to

leave.

Graphic by Candy Gonzalez

The wordon slang

science10 The Beacon2.29.2008

Sci-Tech Shorts

What’s new in the world of science

On the road to sustainability

Compiled by Anam Parpia

Scientists have developed a microfiber fabricthat can produce enough electricity to completely charge a cell phone or music player. It is made of zinc-oxide nanowires that are coated with gold, which serve as electrodes. When the fab-ric moves the wires move, changing the mechanical energy into electricity. If turned into clothing and produced commercially, it might be able to power hand-held electronics such as cell phones or mp3 players.

A convertible car that can drive underwater has been invented by the Swiss designer Rinspeed, Inc. This am-phibious car is called the “sQuba,” and can travel through the water at a depth of 30 feet. Electric motors turn the underwater screw. For safety reasons, the passengers will be able to keep breathing underwater through an integrated tank of compressed air. The sQuba’s can reach speeds up to 77 mph on land but it slows down to three mph on the surface of the water and 1.8 mph underwater.

Erin JesterOpinions Editor

Principal Thomas Fisher, Magnet Lead Teacher Margaret Haun, Outreach Specialist Diane Garcia and science teachers Mark Tohulka and Joseph Zawodny drafted a preproposal earlier this month for a 750 thousand dollar educational grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-istration (NOAA).

The goal of the grant is to promote environmental literacy in schools, which includes learning firsthand about Earth sciences and environmental and especially coastal resources. The program also encourages schools to incorporate NOAA personnel and resources in de-signing these educational programs.

If implemented, the grant will allow the school to acquire a vessel, which would become a portable class-room for research and outreach. The JROTC classes would also have an opportunity to use the boat. Other plans for the grant money are in the works.

The preproposal, entitled “Project Narrative: Oceanographic Curric-ulum Enhancement in Applied Natural Sci-ences (OCEANS),” is a concise descrip-

tion of the goals set forth by the OCEANS project, ways in which students will utilize resources provided by the grant money, reasons why the school’s environment is an ideal home for

marine research equipment provided by the grant and ben-efits expanding the program to other schools and the com-munity.

While drafting the proposal, Tohulka asked his ma-rine biology, regular biology and marine research classes to brainstorm for less obvious ways to use the research vessel.

“People mentioned community service [opportuni-ties], like coastal cleanup. That aspect of [the project]

had not occurred to me at all,” Tohulka said.Other ideas included expanding the Land

SHARC program and training MAST stu-dents to guide younger students from sur-rounding schools in research programs.

Pending approval from the school district, the preproposal will be evaluated by NOAA, and will either be declined or allow the involved teachers to continue with a full pro-posal, a detailed document outlining a proposed budget and the biogra-phies of personnel involved, among other factors.

Allison GoodmanLayout/Photo Editor

The smell of junior Roberto “Berto” Arreaza’s 1983 Mercedes 240D’s exhaust can make you hungry. The car runs on biodiesel, a fuel derived from natural oils, usually soy or canola, and does not release harmful toxins into the atmosphere.

“It’s so interesting that you can run your car off of something you eat and still save the envi-ronment,” Arreaza said.

The car is relatively new to him; he purchased it about half a year ago from a dealer in Hialeah Gardens. For the first couple of months, he ran the car off of pure diesel, and then he switched to biodiesel.

Filling up his tank is no hassle. When nec-essary, Arreaza stops at Sol Atlantic on his way home. Employees fill up his tank with 99 percent biodiesel and one percent diesel. They say that by using biodiesel, deterioration of his engine is re-duced by up to 60 percent.

If necessary, the car will run off of convention-al gas, eliminating worry. Arreaza rarely needs to do this because his car gets about 30 miles to the gallon.

“I don’t think [biodiesel] is a sustainable so-lution,” solar energy teacher Wafa Khalil said. “However, it is a good transitional alternative.” She believes it is a good substitute if the biodiesel comes from recycled oil, such as frying oil from

restaurants. “It cannot be an absolute solution, because

there is no ultimate alternative,” Khalil said.Junior Savanna Sill’s family car is powered by

this recycled oil. Her family bought a 1980 Mer-cedes 240D a couple years ago and spent 50 dol-lars and four hours to convert the car.

“It’s a really simple conversion,” Sill said. Sill and her father installed three filters along the gas line to clean the biodiesel before it enters the en-gine.

The biodiesel is from Anoka, an Indian restau-rant in Coconut Grove.

The restaurant pays a company to pick up and properly dispose of this used oil, so it benefits from this arrangement because it does not need to pay the company to come as frequently.

Occasionally, when a filter becomes clogged, the car begins to shake. In this case, Sill and her family pull over and clean the filter by dipping it into paint thinner. They clean this filter once ev-ery couple weeks.

This will be Sill’s car in April.“[Using biodiesel] stretches our resources to

the max,” Sill said. This excites some students, who plan to run their cars on biodiesel in the fu-ture.

“I would convert my car to biodiesel because it’s a cleaner solution,” senior Lisa Van Houdt said.

Junior Roberto Arreaza’s slightly modified 1983 Mercedes runs on biodiesel, a fuel derived from renewable natural plant sources.

I bought this ad because I love Allison.

Administrators, teachers seek environmental grant Graphic by Alan Reyes

Photo by Jehan Sinclair

Hawaii will be home to an algae biodiesel plantbuilt by the oil company Royal Dutch Shell. Shell is collabo-rating with HR Biopetroleum, a Hawaii-based plant, on their project. They hope to produce around 8.5 million barrels of biodiesel a year. Algae can create enormous amounts of oil from very little in the way of nutrients and land, but extracting the oil and converting it to biodiesel is a difficult process. First the company plans to build a small research plant then later expand to a commercial one.

The Law Office of

Steven D. Losner

Proudly SalutesMAST Academy

Class of 2008

Steven D. LosnerSteven D. Losner, P.A.65 N.W. 16th Street

Homestead, Florida 33030(305) 247-2522

wellerandlosner@aol.com

sports 11The Beacon2.29.2008

Compiled by Brynn Katzen

March events

3.03

3.05

Girls Waterpolovs. Miami Beach(Home) 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Boys Waterpolovs. Miami Beach(Home) 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Girls and Boys Tennisvs. Coral Reef Senior (Home)4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Girls Softballvs. Archbishop Curley Notre Dame (Away)4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Candy GonzalezStaff Artist

The boys tennis team scored their first victory by win-ning five out of six matches against Miami Beach Senior High on February 15.

“[We] feel good. It was a good start. We are very con-fident,” junior Nicholas Conner said.

Senior Guarav Sen believes this season will be “noth-ing short of spectacular.”

The boys and girls tennis teams are kicking off with new freshmen players Olivia Sanchez, Nicholas Grrido and Isabella Geronymo. Coach Victor Morgan now has the support of Assistant Coach Albert Fernandez and Logistical Coordinator Lisa Layne. Morgan focuses on technique while Fernandez stresses fitness and Layne takes care of scheduling.

Fernandez graduated from Miami Senior High School, 2007 and was one of Miami High’s tennis play-ers. For Fernandez, having been on Miami High’s tennis team gives him “a feel for what the team needs to do…to improve their game.”

“He is an excellent tennis player, a pretty fair coach. He really knows what he is doing but despite all these great things he doesn’t have the cool accent Mr. Morgan

has,” Sen said.The girls are conditioning their way into what they

hope will be a successful season. They do push ups, sit ups and complete drills, such as the wraps (which are 20 laps with one minute intervals) every day.

Even though they lost to Miami Beach Senior High, they learned, as senior Georgia Pesquera said, “not to get cocky and take [the game] seriously.” Senior Yomara Lo-pez learned from the experience as well and found that there are ways to improve their game.

“I think we need more practice… practice makes per-fect,” Lopez said.

Following the Miami Beach game, Sanchez and soph-omore Leah Putlek, the “team motivator,” placed fourth in the doubles category at the Youth Fair Tournament. Lopez placed fourth in singles.

“[The team] has a good dynamic…. The potential is there for them to do well this season,” Layne said.

“In the last week, [the team] has improved a lot. Its been a 180 degree turn around… I am excited for the games to come,” Fernandez said.

Both teams have upcoming games against Doral Academy, Palmer Trinity and Coral Reef Senior High School.

Brynn KatzenSports Editor

Participation in high school sports has increased from four mil-lion to 7.2 million players since 1971, reports the Center for Disease Control (CDC). While partaking in high school sports increases self esteem, strength, skill and promotes good health, it also accounts for up to five hundred thousand doctor vis-its and 30 thousand hospitalizations annually. Although injuries are in-evitable at any level, whether it be high school, club, college or profes-sional, injuries to high school ath-letes can pose more danger because teenagers are susceptible to growth plate injuries and stress fractures of the spine, which leads to a condition called spondylolisthesis.

Senior Jean Lopez, captain of the boys soccer team, tore his meniscus, damaged a posterior ligament and sprained his ACL and MCL in a re-cent game when he collided with a member of the opposing team. Lo-pez’s injury will leave him off the field for the remainder of the year.

“Everything happens for a rea-son, my injury happened for a rea-son,” Lopez said.

Senior Ashley Benitez dislocated her finger during a basketball game and senior Brynn Katzen tore her ACL at a soccer game. Junior Joa-quim Ardisson broke his tibia and junior Carlos Gonzalez tore his me-niscus, to name a few.

This high risk or injury does not deter students from playing the sports that they love.

Students take hits for teams

Junior Alexis Sanchez mourns the injury to her foot from sliding during a softball game.

Girls and Boys Trackvs. G Holmes Braddock andRonald Reagan High(Away)3:15 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Girls and Boys Waterpolovs. Hialeah Miami Lakes (Home)4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Girls and Boys Tennisvs. Carrollton Home4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Photo by Jehan Sinclair

20% offany manicure & pedicure

upon presentationof this Ad

3.06

Boys Waterpolovs. Christopher Columbus (Home)4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Boys and Girls Tennis(Home)Marathon 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm Tennis nets one

Spotlight is a forum for creative expression of students and staff. Please submit poetry, short literature, artwork and photographs to The Beacon in room 9.

Graphics by Marissa Salas

Four Letters ByBurtJ.Charles

Love is a four letter word that brings pain.If you brave, I dare you to say its name in vain.Like a Ying-Yang,The opposite side is far from the same.It all depends on the cause and effect within your brain.

Love is a four letter word that brings pleasure.Everyone is loveable, but you must find their hidden treasure.Let your heart beat free,Break away from the measures.If only love was that easy, instead it’s quite clever.

Love is a four letter word that brings trust.Avoid the misinterpreted confusion of “Love vs. Lust”If you’re lucky, you can come out with your heart in one piece.If your not, you’ll loose your heart like you signed it off on a lease!

Love is a four letter word,A contagious disease!If you play your cards wrong,Your love may forever be deceased!