BlakeJenner

A Varela alumnus’ journey to Glee

The merit of YA Lit

Football’s new coaches

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Language studies shrink

Bulletin Board

I walked into room 228 three years ago and I fell in love. In joining The Viper Vibe, I found a home away from home - a place of headlines, deadlines and family.

I’ve grown immeasurably in my years here. So has the publica-tion. Three years ago, I was part of a newspaper. Now we’re a news-magazine, all glossy paper and col-

or coordination. It’s a big, scary change, yes, but it’s incredibly exciting.

This issue, months in the making, is rough around the edg-es. But it’s ours. We love it.

Over the course of our production process, there have been arguments, soy sauce fights and nervous breakdowns. We’ve declared each other the worst people ever - and the best - many times over. At one point, we may have actually threat-ened each other with Harry Potter spells. We’ve stayed at school until 9pm some nights, living off pizza and motivation.

And it’s been amazing.Thanks to an incredible staff and adviser, we did it.We look forward to producing the rest of this year’s issues

with all the passion and dedication we can muster and we hope you enjoy this one. We definitely enjoyed making it.

Don’t forget to be awesome,Claudia “Ravenclawdia” MoralesEditor-in-Chief

vol. 12October ‘12

E D I T O R I A L P O L I C Y

The Viper VIbe is the student newspaper of Felix Varela Senior High (15255 SW 96 St, Miami, FL, 33196). It is an open forum for student expression. The opinions expressed in the publication do not reflect the official opinions or policies of the school. The Viper Vibe welcomes letters to the editor, but requires that they be signed and reserves the right to reject, edit and condense letters. The staff and advisor can be contacted at 305-752-7900 or thevipervibe@gmail.com

A D S

The Viper Vibe solicits advertising but reserves the right to reject any material deemed obscene as to minors, defamatory, or materially and substantially disruptive of school ac-tivities.

E d i t o r i a l B o a r d

E d i t o r - i n - C h i e f Claudia Morales

M a n a g i n g E d i t o RJanelle Malagon

L i f e s t y l e E d i t o r Giovanna Navas

S p o r t s E d i t o rSuzanne Pontillo

A D V I S O R Elizabeth Cardenas

S t a f f e r s

Taylor Daley//James Hale//Raquel PalaciosKristian Quincosa//Cristian Rodriguez//Ciro Salcedo

The Editor Says:

We Say: Control is not the way

New beginnings

School has become a vicious cycle where the powers that be, from administrators upward, continue to standardize just about every aspect of our lives.

We’re inclined to believe that at least part of this stems from a genuine belief that they’re doing what’s best for us. Still, intent does not change effect and the effects are dismal.

The latest examples include the College Board’s SpringBoard curriculum in English and math classes and new, healthy school lunches.

SpringBoard follows the sick-ening trend of an obsession with college readiness. Rather than mak-ing us learners capable of original thought and analysis, they’re mak-ing us students and nothing more.

What if more schools imple-

ment the College Board’s franchised curriculums? Is discussion truly discussion when everybody has been taught to think the same way? Probably not. But that’s the situ-ation schools like ours are fostering.

The new, purportedly healthier school lunch practices - ranging from no ketchup to no third-party pizza - are less college-inclined, which would be a relief were the situation not as ridiculous as it is. Perhaps students would learn better from actual information and advice rather than unexplained changes.

That’s just it - at the end of the day, it feels like actual learning is being phased out in favor of a standardized greater good.

Maybe we missed a few vital lessons along the way, but we’re not sure that’s the education we want.

by Giovanna Navas

thevipervibe@gmail.com

T h e V i p e r V i b e 3

V i e w p o i n t s

Too often, Young Adult Lit-erature (YA Lit) shelves are ones less travelled. The genre has been stigmatized everywhere - from literary communities to schools - largely on the grounds that it lacks merit.

What’s most troubling is that teenagers are encouraged to write it off with equal preten-tion. The idea that we can read YA Lit critically, then, is too often held as literary blasphemy.

In dismissing YA Lit, people dismiss a genre so new and diverse it can barely be catego-rized. Though most YA Lit books feature young main characters

and are, in prose and in plot, compulsively readable, the simi-larities tend to end there.

The genre features every-thing from fantasy to dystopia to surrealism. It can take readers to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry or the “literal heart of Jesus” in Indianapolis, IN. While this diversity makes lower quality works inevitable, it’s important to understand that YA Lit is anything but a series of Twilights. And it’s not like there exists any genre devoid of its black sheep—Nicholas Sparks, anyone?

In fact, many works of YA

Lit share most qualities seen in works of universally agreed-upon literary merit.They boast well-developed plots and characters, syntactical complex-ity, and topical depth, among other things. M.T. Anderson’s Feed incorporates a specula-tive colloquial rhetoric to bring his futuristic setting to life. In The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Anderson takes on the voice of a classically trained 18th century writer.

Writers like Anderson deliberate over every word, implementing techniques aged and new, creating something unique – something readers

should celebrate.Other works may favor a

more traditional writing style but incorporate allusions to classic literature in significant ways. John Green’s New York Times bestseller The Fault in Our Stars features lines from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and T.S. Eliot’s The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock as presentations of pivotal ideas.

Books like Green’s intro-duce readers to literature in a genuine and impactful way. When the authors love litera-ture and write characters who

love literature, the audience will be invested in not only the characters but their interests. These books present the subject without pretention and with great enthusiasm.

YA Lit approaches the difficulties and darkness of ado-lescence candidly and caringly. Books like Laurie Halse Ander-son’s Wintergirls give teenagers dealing with disorders hope, while books like Green’s Looking for Alaska approach death, hu-man significance and grief.

YA Lit introduces young readers to amazing literature, but it also is amazing literature itself. New books – new worlds – emerge every day, and commu-nities form around them. Move-ments rise. Change happens.

Perhaps most importantly, YA Lit empowers. It makes activ-ists of young readers through organizations like the Harry Potter Alliance and communities like Nerdfighteria.

Readers can participate in charity projects - the Harry Pot-ter Alliance recently fundraised almost $100,000 in the name of social equality - while carrying on thoughtful discussion about literature and the world. YA Lit makes us better. That shouldn’t be dismissed

YA Lit: The genre less Valuedb y C l a u d i a M o r a l e sE d i t o r - i n - C h i e f@ r a v e n c l a w d i a

by Gi

ovan

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Hits and Misses

The return of keyboard and creative writing classes.

“Keep Calm and Remember You’re a Viper” posters. We owe the British an apology.

The Viper Vibe’s new look. We might be a bit biased.

“Run FVHS” t-shirts. What does that even mean?

The demise of hall decorat-ing. The paint isn’t worth it.

4 T h e V i p e r V i b e

V i e w p o i n t s

Should diversity end where college begins? There was once a time when Varela offered a wide assortment of foreign language classes. The school invested in the Global Studies academy and cultur-ally enriched its students. With the Portuguese pro-gram having been cut eight years ago and the Japanese and German programs not long after, the program has narrowed from what it once was. And while a few courses are still being offered, the few teachers left feel it is far from enough. “This is a global world,” French teacher Florence Rouit said. “You need a window out to the world and if you only get that window through the internet, it’s just not enough to understand differences in culture and to learn to be accepting and tolerant of other people’s dif-ferences.” Despite constant talks of diversity, cuts continue. The Italian program is already shrinking drastically. “This year I have, for the first time ever in all the years I’ve been here at Varela - and I opened up the school - one Italian I class when I’ve al-ways opened up the year with four,” Italian teacher Arcesio Jaramillo said. “So right there I have over 100 students that have vanished.” These cuts are mainly due to the administration’s emphasis on Advanced Place-ment courses. Without the funding of the Italian Consul-ate, a type of embassy dealing

with minor diplomatic issues, the AP class is not offered. “The problem with the Italian program is that there’s not an Advanced Placement test that goes along with Italian right now,” Assistant Principal for Curriculum John Galardi said. “The Italian Con-sulate used to pay for the AP tests. They’re not paying any-more from what we under-stand. So really, Italian does not have the AP component to it that Spanish and French do right now.” Without that AP com-ponent, the Italian program as a whole is being phased out. According to Galardi, the administration feels that an AP course is necessary for full mastery of a language. Programs without an AP test at the end of the tunnel, then, are cut. “It’s a shame, I mean, it’s sad because the Italian pro-gram is like my baby,” Jara-millo said. “I came to open up the Italian program and at one point in time we had the biggest Italian program in Dade County.” Despite the Italian program having once been extensive, with twelve classes divided between Varela’s two teachers, it will soon join the German, Portuguese, and Japanese programs. “It’s possible,” Galardi said when asked if the Italian program would be cut alto-gether in the future. “Any-thing is possible. I think it really boils down to whether the Italian Consulate decides to fund the AP program. If the consulate comes back and they pay for it, then we can afford to run the program. If not, we’ll have to take a second look at it.” The problems do not

stop with Italian, however. Even with its AP component, the French program has obstacles of its own. “The higher levels [of French] are mixed together,” Rouit said. “Which makes it kind of difficult to teach because it’s not the same cur-riculum.” This convergence of the French III, IV and AP level classes are, according to the administration, a direct result of a lack of student interest. “I believe there are only eleven students that are in AP French,” Galardi said. “I can’t run a class with eleven kids. You have to maximize the resources you have. So in maximizing the resources that you have, you have to combine certain courses.” This proved to be less than ideal, according to Rouit. She is left teaching three dif-ferent curriculums all at once. “I cannot teach French III honors the same thing I teach for French IV and AP French. There’s no way,” she said. “These levels are completely different and I have to go flip from one side of the class-room to the other side of the classroom and then come back to the AP and French IV then go back to French III. It’s very challenging intellectually and physically.”

When foreign languages are cut, there may still be an option through Florida Virtual School (FLVS) labs. However, many teachers and students agree that the experience is comparatively lackluster at best.

“I know that some students in French, especially French II, who are mainly in-volved in the iPrep program, have French II virtual,” Rouit said. “I know that because

The SitchGiovanna NavasLifestyle Editor@gioomaria

Language program dwindles

When Varela first opened its doors in August of 2000, it offered six languages. Twelve years later, it only offers three.

Past to Present: The Loss of Diversity

T h e V i p e r V i b e 5

Varela’s annual Battle of the Bands was held on Sept. 13 with six bands performing.

Drama teacher Rey Bode was forced to kick several kids out due to poor behavior. Sedgewick, the last band to perform, was disqualified due to crowd surfing and out-wardly breaking the rules of the venue.

At the end of the night, West End with their EPs in hand accepted first place.

The Kreators, whose frontman won the crowd over by playing guitar with his teeth, took second place.

And Wide Eyes, stand-ing out as the only act with a female musician, accepted third.

It was a night to re-member and showcased the brilliant talent within Varela’s walls.

Written by Suzanne Pontillo

photos by Giovanna Navas

N e w s

they’ve come and complained to me. They didn’t want French II virtual. They want to be in the classroom with a teacher.”

“Sometimes, it can get really annoying,” FLVS senior Valentina Lantigua said after having taken foreign language courses both in Varela and virtually. “Teachers in public school are there to help you immediately, and when you have a virtual instructor, it takes some time to get a hold of them. You do everything on your own watch, which can make you finish later than a regular class.”

Of course, this is subjective. While some students feel virtual classes lack the funda-mental resources a classroom offers, others do not mind it as much.

“The whole debate of [FLVS] being more difficult or not is based on the student’s integrity,” senior Cristina Garcia, now in a classroom after taking a year of virtual Span-ish, said. “One thing that I have always loved about virtual school is the second chances you get and how they correct you and let you fix what you did wrong - basically learning from your mistakes.”

According to department head of For-eign Languages Rodolfo Sanchez, other fac-tors affecting cuts include direct relevance to the student body. Because of Florida’s heavy Hispanic influence, he feels the Spanish language holds a higher importance at the moment.

“You have to see what’s the most impor-tant language aside from English in this part of the country,” he said. “That’s Spanish.”

With the college demand for fluency in Spanish coupled with the school’s constant emphasis on college readiness, it seems the Spanish program has little to worry about.

While Spanish is still kicking, other for-eign language teachers expressed that it just is not cutting it for an academy that claims to give students a well-rounded education of the world.

In fact, the 2012 tourism season set records for Florida largely because of the quick and steady rise of Brazilian tourism. According to CNN, a projected 1.5 mil-lion Brazilians would visit Florida this year. Those tourists take to Orlando’s theme parks, the state’s real estate market and stores, spending thousands of dollars each - they’re “loaded with cash,” as CNN puts it.

Some of the biggest names in the theme park industry, including Walt Disney World, are already taking mea-sures to better welcome this demographic. This goes from launching Portuguese webpages

to hiring Brazilian greeters and training team members in basic Portuguese. And yet, Portuguese was the first language to go.

As more languages are cut, teachers feel the harm to students only increases.

“We live in a global community,” Jara-millo said. “So if they’re pushing for a Global Academy, they should have the languages to come along with the whole program because it’s part of it. It’s the way it should be.”

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Despite Portuguese being the first to go, it is one of the languages becoming more and more necessary in South Florida as a result of Orlando tourism. Statistics gathered from The Miami Herald

6 T h e V i p e r V i b e

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AkeBFrom Viper to Titan:

by Claudia Morales (Editor-in-Chief)

Drama teachers Ozzie Quintana and Rey Bode stand with former student Blake Jenner. Jenner won Oxygen’s The Glee Project this

summer and will appear on Glee this November.

On stage during the Glee Project season finale, Blake Jenner “summoned the pow-er of Thor.” That’s how he explains the impossibly high jump he pulled off seconds after being declared winner.

Granted, the win was a pretty big deal for him: after eleven episodes’ worth of non-stop competition, Jenner’s victory meant a seven episode arc on Fox’s Glee.

His Glee debut as Ryder Lynn this November will be widely attributed to luck, talent, and the whims of show creator Ryan Murphy. In truth, it is the biggest stop yet in a dream-driven journey that began in suburban Miami.

That journey brought him to Varela before it took him to California.

It began with stories.“I started getting bitten by the acting

bug when I was in fourth grade,” Jenner said. “I’d write little short stories, as part of our morning journals in class and then I’d act them out. I’d make people laugh and that was the hook.”

Once in Hammocks Middle School, Jen-ner enrolled in their drama program taught by Susan Ryan.

“Blake was always the class clown,” Ryan said. “He enjoyed performing for any-one, anytime. Every acting assignment was met with enthusiasm.”

Even then, Jenner was already using his talent to the fullest.

By the end of eighth grade, he’d won a state-level critic’s choice award in the mono-logue category.

Jenner spent his freshman year of high

school at the Academy of Arts and Minds be-fore transferring to Varela as a sophomore.

“Blake had been at another school, an art school, that was giving him nothing,” drama teacher Rey Bode said. “He heard of the things we were doing here, since all his friends were here, and he was like ‘Wow, I need to be there.’ So he came here, but he was behind.”

Jenner’s freshman drama curriculum had left him unprepared compared to the students that had already been at Varela for a year.

According to Bode, however, it ultimate-ly did not make a difference.

“Once Blake got it, he got it,” he said. “And he really worked hard at everything. Not just in acting, it’s everywhere—his work ethic is really strong. That’s what I think sets him apart.”

That work ethic extended to making an early graduation possible.

“When I was in my junior year, I really wanted to get to Los Angeles as soon as pos-sible,” he said. “So I’d come here, do school during the day, and then go home and do my senior year coursework through [Florida Virtual School] at night. It became this ev-eryday thing, just go, go, go until I finished.”

By the end of his junior year, Jenner was months away from moving across the coun-try - a long-held ambition made real.

“As early as middle school, I knew I wanted to go there, to pursue my dream by any means,” Jenner said. “I’d tell my parents, hey, I’m not going to go to college. I’m just going to go straight into acting and I’m going to give it all I have. Of course, they were just like, ‘Yeah, Blake, sure, okay.’”

It turned out to be anything but a phase.“When high school started, I guess

they’d thought I’d matured and changed my mind, and they’d ask me what I ‘really’ want-

ed to do,” he said. “And I was like, uh, no. I’m going to act. I had to get out there as soon as possible—there are people who have been doing it since birth. In reality, I was late, and I knew I had to hurry up and go.”

Though the move proved difficult, it would ultimately lead him to Oxygen’s The Glee Project.

Jenner was up against 13 other con-testants. Right off the bat, he felt weakest vocally. When asked about the singing expe-rience he had before the show, Jenner said most of it involved singing in the shower.

“I was never vocally trained, so when-ever I had to sing I’d just be like ‘please don’t crack, please don’t crack,’” he said. “The first day, we were practicing “Born This Way” and I was listening to everybody else and I was just like, ‘I suck. I really suck and this sucks and I’m probably getting sent home the moment they hear me. This is going to be terrible.’ It was something I was always very insecure about.”

As the show progressed, he benefited from the “master class” format.

“Straight away and throughout my time there, I learned more and more from the contenders and the coaches,” Jenner said. “The Glee Project taught me everything that I know in terms of vocals. It opened my eyes, it stretched my range out—I was reaching higher and better notes. It really is a master class. It’s not just a show.”

His strength was acting. Jenner at-tributes this largely to his time with drama teachers Bode and Ozzie Quintana.

“Rey and Ozzie really made me love improv,” Jenner said. “That really helped throughout the show, especially in the ‘Act-ability’ episode, where we had to act but we didn’t have a script. And I know it’s going to help me on Glee, too.”

In his week back at Miami this August, Jenner performed with Bode, Quintana and several Varela alumni. The Impromedy troupe themed their season finale - dubbed ‘Impromeglee’ - around Blake and his re-cently announced win.

Even before the show began, the night was full of good-natured humor at Jenner’s expense. One of the cast members - likely Jenner himself - made a point of punching a projected picture of Jenner from behind the screen. Repeatedly.

It was a night that evidenced the bonds between Jenner and his hometown friends and how not even fame could shake that.

“Performing with Blake is a lot of fun,” Bode said. “He always throws a lot of curve-balls at you and he’s willing to accept your curveballs. So when he came back and did Impromeglee, he was a great team player. We kind of geared the show around him, making it a bit musical and stuff.”

The other feature of the night was Jenner’s gratitude. Between countless thanks to all involved and some self-deprecating hu-mor, actions spoke loud, too. After the show - which ended around 11 p.m. - Jenner made a point of taking pictures with every fan who wanted one. There were dozens.

“He is probably the most grateful per-

8 T h e V i p e r V i b e

son,” Bode said. “In rehearsal, he says, ‘Man, I owe it all to you guys,’ and he meant Ozzie and I. He really did say that. It was really cool.”

That gratitude was evident throughout Jenner’s week in Miami.

“I think this is the best part, getting to come back here,” Jenner said, gesturing at the covered courtyard. “I love being here, just sitting here, because I remember sitting over there at that lunch table and eating with my friends. It’s crazy. And everybody’s been so supportive.”

From Jenner’s big move in 2010 through his big win this summer, many Vipers maintained support. He cites this as a vital factor in his success.

“It was amazing having all of my friends and family and everybody at school be so supportive,” he said. “I’d come back and visit all my teachers here and just everybody, they’d be like ‘You’re gonna do it.’ I think that was really important, everybody back home that’s been a part of my life, that’s what was keeping me going. I feel like without those people, without that love and support, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere.”

As the school year began and the Glee Project finale approached, nerves ran high.

“It’s almost unreal, when you see Blake on TV and you’re rooting for him so much,” Quintana said. “But at the same time, you’re almost like a dad and you’re like ‘I know he can do it.’”

Perhaps most notably, this support helped Jenner through his struggles. At barely 18 years of age, a cross-country move all on his own proved difficult.

“I was terrified,” Jenner said. “The first day I was moving, I cried. I was really sad; it really hit me. I was trying so hard to stay strong, but I cried. It’s hard; hard being on your own, hard being so far from your family and everything you know and everybody that cares about you. You’re on your own and you’re so alone.”

After getting settled in L.A., Jenner began auditioning. He estimated he’d been to roughly “a freaking bunch.” The rejections were just as abundant.

“I was said no to so many times,” he said. “It’s the worst feeling. You have to keep your chin up, and sometimes that’s impos-sible. It was a series of no’s.”

Minutes before summoning the power of Thor, Jenner was ready to lose.

“I did not think I was going to win,” he said. “I was hoping so much and I wanted it like nothing else, but I did not think I was go-ing to win. I was ready to be happy for who-ever won, to hug them and support them.When they said my name, I was like ‘woah, dude,’ and I run to the platform and I jump off it,” Jenner said. “It was like Super Mario 64. I was Mario. I couldn’t even explain the feelings I went through in that moment.”

In light of that success, Jenner thinks fondly of his struggles.

“I’m thankful for my success, but I’m thankful for the struggling,” he said. “I’m glad I know what rejection is like, because I get to value my success that much more. I know

failure. So I’m thankful for all the times I went to bed without eating dinner because I needed to save money. It showed me how much you have to appreciate what you do get, and how quickly it can vanish.”

Jenner drew on these experiences when visiting Miami.

“I think it’s such a blessing to get where you hope to be and I’m so happy to come and share my knowledge,” Jenner said. “I wish somebody had done it for me. I went out to L.A. knowing nothing. There are so many people out in L.A. that will try and change you. You’ve always got to be like, clear of drugs, clear of alcohol, clear of everything. I would have loved for someone to let me know what I was about to get into, to let me

know how much I was going to have to reject people for my own good.”

It seems the hard work, dedication and character have paid off. Weeks away from his Glee debut, Jenner has already gotten a taste of fame and will only encounter more.

Those who know him, however, are confident that he deserves every bit of his success and that it will not change him.

“With Blake, he’s not famous by acci-dent,” Quintana said. “He worked hard. He’s incredibly talented and he just dives into it. He’s not afraid to take risks. himself out there, but at the same time he’ll ask for criti-cism after. I think what [Bode and I] were happiest about was that he still maintains contact with us and he’s still very humble.”

Quintana impersonates Jenner at Im-promeglee. Bode looked on, confused.

Quintana aand Jenner perform musical improv. The theme

was archeology.

T h e V i p e r V i b e 9photos by Z. Garcia and Janelle Malagon

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Who would you vote for and why?At first I wanted to vote for Romney because my family has always voted Republican and I’ve been raised that way. But then I actually looked into Romney and a lot of [his platforms and be-liefs are] just ignorant. So I decided that if I were to vote, I would vote for Obama.

Julianne Fernandez (12)

In this election I would vote for Obama simply because Rom-ney’s views don’t apply to me. For example, he wants to cut away from funding for students.

Fernando Poschl (12)

I’m voting for Romney. My vote is not so much for Romney as it is against Obama. I do not believe in his socialist values or spreading the wealth. I believe you have to earn it.

Vivian Lorenzo-Guerra (Teacher)

I’m voting for Obama. Basically I belive in his policy. I believe in what he’s trying to do with healthcare and jobs. I’m willing to give him four more years.

Mayra Echemendia (Teacher)

1 0 T h e V i p e r V i b e

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Apple’s newly released software upgrade, iOS 6–the operating system that supports all of Apple’s new-genera-tion products– has brought a whole new meaning to integration.

iOS 6 no longer carries the built-in YouTube app, and Maps is not supported by Google.

The main upgrade to Apple products’ operating systems is the heavy integra-tion of Facebook. Want to share a picture of the awful traffic outside school but would rather not get arrested for texting and driving? Just have Siri post it directly to Facebook for them.

Among the other updates to al-ready-established programs and apps such as Calendar, FaceTime and Maps, iOS 6 brought aboard Passbook, a ticket-ing and coupon application.

Despite the leaps and bounds made by Apple, there have been countless problems with additions such as iCloud and Siri.

According to various iPhone users, iOS 6’s new version of Maps has errors. Numerous locations and details on Maps have been completely erased save for a few landmarks such as airports. Some complaints on the Apple forums indicate that small towns and their respective businesses and landmarks are entirely incorrect.

“Although #ios6 may say differently, we can assure you that the Tacoma Narrows Bridges have not melted,” the Washington State Department of Trans-portation tweeted.

“It’s not an impossible problem to solve, but building, deploying and main-taining a sophisticated mapping service is not something that can be done over-night,” Brian Blau, an analyst, told Wired.

technologyNot a dream come true

The tenth anniversary of popu-lar Square Enix franchise Kingdom Hearts brought a new addition to the franchise – Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance for the Nintendo 3DS.

This time around, developers had it easy because of the 3DS’s new addition of a circle pad. They were able to recycle the well-thought-out battle system seen in its predecessor, Birth by Sleep.

Although they reuse that com-bat system, some new features as well, including the Flowmotion moves – which allow the player to glide through the area at a high speed. Players will begin to get the hang of it after a couple of fights. Flowmotion causes significant damage if it is done correctly; however, be-cause it leaves the player open to enemy attacks, it can also be frustrating.

Reality shifts are more tedious and com-plicated. They allow the player to freeze time and either grab an object around the area to throw at the enemy or to grab the enemy itself to throw into the ground.

In this game, players get the chance to play as both Sora and Riku – both of whom are working toward passing their Mark of Mastery exam to become true Keyblade wielders.

To do so, they are sent to “sleep-ing worlds” based on both classic and modern Disney films. But instead of the traditional Gummi ships to take the player to the different worlds, as seen in the previous games, they go into “Dive Mode” to enter the sleeping worlds to awaken them and set free themselves from the Dream Eaters.

There are two types of Dream

Eaters in this game: the Spirits and the Nightmares. The Spirits are kind aids to the player’s quest of waking up the worlds while the Nightmares are the constant-spawning enemy.

Each Spirit offers a D-Link that powers up when attacking enemies and will allow the character to com-bine attacks with their Spirits to deal more damage. The D-Link takes a while to completely power up though

so by the time it is full, the enemy has already been

beaten or the D-Link had already been forgotten

about completely.One of the biggest

flaws of this game, however, is the drop gauge.

During the game, the player alternates

between using Sora and Riku and the way this hap-pens is that when the time on the drop gauge gets to zero, they are forced

to switch to the other character, even when in the middle of a boss

fight. If this happens, when the game switches back to

the character that had been fighting a boss, the fight will start over.

The biggest problem with Dream Drop Distance is the same one seen in all other Kingdom Hearts games – the storyline. Developers put in a valiant effort trying to correct their mistakes with the storyline from past games, but in doing so, they managed to turn it into an even more tangled mess that now deals with time travel and a hand-ful of identities for one person.

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance may not be a dream come true but if you manage to ignore the gaping plot holes, it can still be a decent one.

photo courtesy of Square Enix

by Janelle Malagon Managing Editor@Janbydesign

by Suzanne PontilloSports Editor@smariepont

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L i f e s t y l e

Electrifying post-metalcore band Pierce the Veil’s new album Collide with the Sky is unfortunately very lacking in comparison to their previous works. Musically, Collide lacks originality. The record is influenced heavily by pop-punk—es-

pecially notable in “Props & May-hem”—and gives listeners catchy melodies rather than the harsh and memorable ones characteristic of their previous work.

Of course, because they are upbeat, infectious, and pleasing to the ear, the songs still sound good. Their experiments with more euphonious instrumentals along with various collabora-tions—Kellin Quinn (Sleeping with Sirens), Lindsey Stamey (Oh No Fiasco), and Jason Butler (Letlive)—ultimately make this album an enjoyable listen. But knowing what they are capable of, it is disappointing that this mediocrity was what they delivered.

In Living Things, their new musically complex album, alternative heavyweights Linkin Park pursue a new sound while staying true to themselves. It

may even be the strongest they have ever been, lyrically. Easy to grasp but difficult to forget, Living Things provides listeners with thought-provoking anthems. Leading single

“Burn it Down” speaks of the self-destruc-tive world we live in. Meanwhile, “Castle of Glass” communicates vulnerability. The noticeable electronic pop influ-ence is lighter and more experimental than their previous work. It intertwines with their percussion-driven alternative rock to create something previously unheard of. Opening track “Lost in the Echo” is one of the many stunning testaments to this. Living Things may not be Hybrid Theory or Meteora, but it is incomparable to its predecessors. This record is different without being dishonest and it adds to their already dynamic discography.

Music

photos courtesy of Warner Bros, Fearless Records, RCA Records, Big Machine Records and Jive Records

by Giovanna Navaslifestyle Editor@gioomaria

Living Things

Collide with the Sky

With “Blow Me (One Last Kiss),” her latest single, Pink lost her trademark indi-viduality. While she retains her confident spunk, it ultimately falls short. The single is generic, lacking the depth and honesty that has defined Pink for her entire career. Because the song is a carbon copy of every Top 40 hit on the radio, it’s still catchy and enjoyable. The melody – while a bit sloppy – is infectious enough to at least vaguely entertain its listeners. Pink’s downfall is her accidental ano-nymity. If not for her distinguishing raspy vocals, “Blow Me” could be any other single on the radio. The song isn’t bad for a top 40 hit, but it is by Pink standards.

There are ways to make a statement by means of satirical humor and this was certainly not one of them. Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” addressed the vapidity of modern lyricism in a way that was lyrically thoughtless and sloppy everywhere else. The instrumental of the song was carelessly composed and poorly transitioned from verse to chorus, rendering the entire thing a choppy mess. When making a satirical statement, an art-ist needs to be careful on how they approach it, but Swift carelessly tossed this song together. I seriously hope this single and my eardrums never ever get back together.

Three Days Grace has nailed it with “Chalk Outline.” They’ve combined slight electronic influences with post-grunge to create something fresh while maintaining their musical honesty. While there is clear pain within the song, lyrically, they’ve also gathered strength and speak of their subject with-out forgiveness. It’s musically dynamic from verse to chorus while still giving a climactic and smooth transition. The song has an incred-ibly infectious melody that even gives a few pop songs a run for their money.

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After becoming worldwide champions during this summer’s Olympic Games in London and bringing home gold med-als, the US Women’s soccer team began a national victory tour that consists of ten friendly matches against teams from around the world. The tour began in New York on September 1 against Costa Rica and the final game will be played in Con-necticut on October 23 against Germany. Pia Sundhage, who has been coaching the U.S. Women’s soccer team since 2008, an-nounced her retirement at the start of the first game by belting out the lyrics to Bob Dylan’s song, “If Not For You.” Sundhage plans to go back to her home country

of Sweden and coach the women’s soccer team there. President of U.S. Soccer, Sunil Gulati has not announced any possible candidates yet.

Gains and losses Dolphins hanging onFormer Green Bay Packers assistant Joe Philbin took the field this month for his first regular season game as the Dol-phins’ head coach. The Dolphins started their season with a loss against the Hous-ton Texans with a score of 30 - 10. New quarterback Ryan Tannehill threw for

219 yards. Receivers Reggie Bush and Brian Hartline had 6 receptions with 46 yards and 3 receptions with 50 receiv-ing yards, respectively. In week two, the Dolphins came

back and took over the Oakland Raiders, winning 35 - 13. Though Tannehill only threw 200 yards, Bush had 172 rushing yards and Hartline had an amazing 111 receiving yards and 9 receptions. Week three was a roller coaster ride. The Dol-phins took on the Jets and came up short losing 23 - 20 on an overtime field goal.

Heating up for new seasonFor the second consecutive year, the Miami Heat fought their way to the NBA Finals – this time against the Okla-homa Thunder – and on June 21, during the fifth game of

the Championship series, the Heat won with a final score of 121-106. Although Lebron James walked away with the title of the NBA Finals MVP and the Champi-onship ring he waited so long to receive, it was Mike Miller, who was 7 to 8 for three-pointers, that stole the spotlight that night. This upcoming season, Miami fans can only hope that the addition of former Boston Celtics player, Ray Allen, former New Orleans Hornets player, Rashard Lewis, and newcomer, Justin Hamilton will make up for the loss of Ronny Turiaf and set them on their way for yet another Championship title.

The close relationship often seen be-tween a team and their coach can be compared to that of a family, and this year the football team – both varsity and junior varsity – has faced a change in coaches and a change in family. A new addition to the family, Carlos Mollinedo has 16 years of experience as an assistant coach and an offen-sive coordinator. Although he has never had the position of head coach, when the school offered him the job, he took it without hesitation. “Any time you come in and take over a program, the kids are always going to have concerns, questions and doubts ... I think early on, the kids and coaches built that family relation-ship or environment. They know we care about them. We coach them hard but have fun and show them it’s more than football – it’s academics, being a man,” Mollinedo

said. Not only does this close relationship make the game and the practices more en-joyable, it plays an important role in how the players do out on the field. “It is important [to have that sort of relationship with the players] because if

not, they won’t play hard enough and when a game is on the line, they need to not only win for themselves but for their coach, their team,” Trelvin Payne, new head coach for junior varsity, said.

With almost 14 years of experience, Payne has been head coach to a handful of Little Leagues and schools around the county. JV is the foundation upon which var-sity is built, he said, and having that sense of family in the team will only make building a strong varsity team in future years, that

much easier. But football isn’t only about having excellent head coaches; there are several other coaching positions that ensure that the team is practicing as hard as they can. There are coaches for defense, offense, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, as well as plenty of assistants that make up this large family. Varela alumnus Ryan Mesh is the new offensive coordinator for JV and coach for wide receivers on the varsity team. This is his first

year coaching and his love for the school and the sport brought him back. Between JV and varsity there are ten coaches that are “expecting to work the players to be their best, to be competitive in

1 4 T h e V i p e r V i b e

SPORTSNew coaches encourage team’s bondingBY SUZANNE PONTILLOSports EDITOR@SMARIEPONT

photo by James HaleHead coach Carlos Mollinedo goes over plays with his athletes during a game at Southridge Sta-dium. Varela went on to lose the game 46-0.

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every game, and to be in a position to win the district championship,” Mollinedo said. The players have indeed been working hard. They practice five days a week for almost three hours after school. After this much time with a group of people, one can’t help but get comfortable and allow them to gain your trust. “As you get more into it, you just fall into the family. You’re with these people every day – you see them on the practice field and more [often] than your own family,” senior Zachary Deerr, linebacker and running back, said. Whether it’s football, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, swimming, wrestling, track or any other sport, in the end, that sense of trust and family doesn’t only make the game a bit more fun, but it turns the losses into a learning experience, and the victories into something memorable and gratifying. “That close bond within the team is gravely important. They need to believe in you and you in them, if that happens, the sky’s the limit,” Mesh said.

10/12: vs. Coral Reef @ Southridge Stadium 4 p.m.10/19: vs. Sunset @ Tropical Park 7:30 p.m.

For more sports and schedules:http://47289.digitalsports.com

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