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Coral Reef Sr. High School
2BAITLINE
Get Ho ked
http://crhs.dadeschools.net/
May 2012 Volume 14 Issue 10101 SW 152 Street Miami, FL 33157
Student finalist qualifies with Google Doodle
Walker Paulsen is the finalist for the state of Florida with his doodle about the History of Native Americans
Walker Paulsen discusses from conception
Coral Reef Senior High School
senior, Walker Paulsen, is the State winner
for Doodle for Google! Representatives
from Google presented him his award as
well as giving all Visual and Performing
Art Magnet students Google T-shirts.
Walker will be attending Ringling
College of Art and Design in the fall.
Walker originally thought to
participate in the drawing contest when
talking with a friend about how expensive
college can be. The Grand Prize is
$30,000, so Walker figured that would be
a great way to add to his college fund.
Friends encouraged Walker to
participate. “I figured it couldn’t hurt,”
said Walker.
Walker has been drawing since
he was old enough to hold a pencil. “It’s
a huge passion of mine,” Walker said.
He plans on becoming a video game art
designer after he graduates college.
He spent hours researching before
What’s Inside
even beginning to draw. After research,
Walker took over 8 hours perfecting the
drawing.
“I wanted to be as accurate as
possible with my drawing of the Native
American symbols, so I looked up
hundreds of photos so I could draw my
inspiration from them. The history of
Native Americans is really interesting so
I didn’t want to show it any disrespect
by drawing something wasn’t an fair
representation of their culture,” explained
Walker.
Walker certainly wasn’t expecting
his drawing to go as far as it did.
“When I heard that I won for the
state of Florida, I was really shocked! It
sucks that I didn’t go all the way, but I
won a trip to New York for the awards
ceremony which was pretty sweet. Plus
they gave me this awesome tablet that
lets me transfer my drawings on the
computer. It was a great experience.”
Doodle 4 Google is a
competition open to
K-12 students of U.S.
schools to create their
own Google doodle.
This year’s theme for the
doodles is “If I could travel in time, I’d visit…”
Out of 114,000 applications, there were only 50
winners throughout the 50 states. Walker will be
going to New York for the final award ceremony
on May 17th.
Most companies take their corporate logo
seriously and while Google does too, they also take
fun seriously. The combination of the two is what
they have come to refer to as a “doodle.” They made
their first doodle in 1998 when Google founders
Larry and Sergey were attending the Burning Man
Festival in the Nevada desert. They placed a stick
figure drawing behind the second “o” in the logo to
let users know they were “out of the office”. Users
were surprised to see a change to the standard and
simple Google logo, but enjoyed it.
Since then there have been over 1000
doodles for their homepages around the world
celebrating characters from Big Bird to Batman.
Some doodles run globally (across all the Google
homepages) and others are specific to just one
country.
Pages 6-7
Page 3
Pages 12

2 News
Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
Senior Activities
Not without cost and deadlines, Seniors work to meet their obligations
Staff Writer
Iti Mehta
Paying for senior activities has started. It started
with paying for the senior breakfast, which was
$35. Other senior activities, such as grad bash,
are also right around the corner and they are
expensive. It is a hassle to come up with the
money to attend senior breakfast, grad bash,
prom, and graduation and it is a hassle to be
eligible to go to all these events.
Eligibility requirements: pay all
obligations, complete the minimum required
75 hours of community service, and not be over
the absence limit, especially the unexcused
absences.
The hours requirement should be done
by now, since the last day to turn in hours was
Friday January 20, 2012 for seniors. Obligations
should also be paid by now, since students with
obligations were not allowed to buy senior
breakfast tickets.
As for the absences, senioritis should be
on a hold right now, since those who are close
to the maximum absences allowed should not be
absent anymore if they plan on attending senior
activities. For those seniors who already have
senioritis, complying with all the eligibility rules
is hard.
After all the eligibility criteria are
matched, the next thing to worry about is money.
After all, senior activities do cost a lot.
As a help to seniors, this year the school
made it mandatory for all seniors to sell at least
one magazine subscription. A lot of students
ended up buying that one magazine subscription
themselves. The more they sell the better. For
example, selling three subscriptions gets a senior
an extra graduation ticket, which is another thing
Teacher pay tied to student performance
Teachers whose students do not take FCAT will be evaluated on the school’s overall reading scores
a lot of the graduating students want.
Depending on the amount of subscriptions
sold, a senior can get tickets to prom, grad
bash, and other senior activities for free. Not
only this, but the magazine initiative is also
supposed to make the senior activities better,
such as the decorations, etc.
Tickets to the graduation ceremony. Students
are given only five tickets for the event. Those
who want more have to find their own way,
such as through friends.
While the senior’s plan how they are going
to get the money, such as through parents, here
is the cost: $35 for senior breakfast, $135 for
grad bash, and $75 for prom. The grand total
is $245.
After the money for tickets, there is
money for clothes. The cost of just the tickets
does not seem to be a hassle. It is the addition
of dresses, shoes, tuxedos, hair, nails, and
makeup that makes the total amount huge.
Business senior Courtney Taylor says senior
year is “the year to live life and be broke.”
In the end, it is all about the excitement,
the fun. It is the last year of high school for
seniors. It is the first and last time they will be
going to grad bash or to senior breakfast. Prom is
their last memory of high school. “Enjoy life! It
doesn’t come twice,” says VPA senior Alejandro
Alvarado.
Staff Writer
Kassandra Marin
Recently in the state of
Florida, Governor Rick Scott,
signed a bill that would implement
the policy of merit pay in the state
of Florida.
Merit pay is basically
performance-related pay, teachers
who “perform their jobs effectively”
will be provided bonuses. Most of
their performances will be based
on the performance on the students,
for example how well the students
perform in the classroom as well as
how they perform on standardized
tests such as Advanced Placement
tests, International Baccalaureate
tests and the FCAT.
There has been a lot of
controversy amongst the teachers as
to how this will affect them. Some
pros of merit pay are that it might
be able to lead to better educational
outcomes, apparently 50% of
the schools with such reforms
outperformed the other schools
in math and 47% outperformed in
reading.
Another pro is that it
contributes toward the student’s
achievement; schools that used
merit pay were better able to attract
teachers than schools with no merit
pay system. Another pro
of merit pay is argued
that it can alleviate
teacher retention rate.
However even
though the system
argues that there are
pros, with pros there
comes cons, there are
various disadvantages
to this new program.
For example, according
to critics it will create a
low teacher morale and
increased competition
between teachers.
Also, it has been
said that the system
will waste time and
money while trying to
administrate the merit
play plans. And finally,
there is little to no
evidence from research
that this new merit pay
program will even lead
to student achievement.
According to TOK teacher,
Mrs. Scott, the system itself is
faulty, for teachers who’s course of
study or curriculum has irrelevant
to a standardized test or does not
culminate in a standardized test, their
pay is determined automatically by
the FCAT, this is not fair since they
Mrs. Kirchner works closely with her class for the FCAT review. Among
other teachers, her pay will be tied to the results of her students.
do not teach core subjects that relate
to the FCAT.
According to her, it has been
shown that in other states who have
already started to implement merit
pay, it has in no way improved the
system of education. She states that
in order for the system of education
to be improved, instead of using
money to conduct these standardized
tests and administrating the merit
play plans, the money should
be used to offer a higher pay to
new teachers, this will give them
a higher incentive to climb the
ladder, knowing that they have the
opportunity to make more money in
the long run, much comparable to
that of lawyers and doctors.

News
It’s a Virtual World
More and more students are hopping on computers and entering a virtual environment to learn
Staff Writer
Eric Miranda
The environment
around us is becoming
more and more advanced
with technology as the
years progress. Schools
are becoming more virtual;
children are being made to
learn through a computer
rather than a classroom like
we are accustomed to.
The question is: How
do students feel about this
situation?
Senior Carlos Nicado
says “Although it is not as
interactive as your regular
class, it is not challenging.
The student just needs to
stay on task rather than
procrastinate.”
Unlike the traditional
classes, students taking a Students use computers in the virtual lab to take classes.
virtual class have the choice of
the pace they wish to complete
a course. Two choices the
So what if you finish a virtual class early?
student can decide from are “Traditional Pace” Well freshman Kayla Lusk replies, “You can
which is estimated to take about the same time always choose another course and work ahead.
as classes not virtual; also “Accelerated Pace,” Meaning that in the span of one school year,
in which they are working on these tasks faster, you have the ability to finish two virtual classes,
resulting in finishing the class sooner than kids depending on the dedication of the student.”
who take regular pace.
Although it may seem like a beneficial
Instead of the teacher choosing the overall opportunity, some students may beg to differ.
pace for the class, the student has the freedom to Sophomore Sophia Shoulson says, “You’re not
choose how fast or slow they learn.
The dreaded X-BLOCK
Staff Writer
Rhea Cassimire
There is nothing more
irritating than jumping on to a
computer at school to quickly
cram in some last minute
touches to a project and
running into the Dade-County
Public Schools logo in the top
left corner and pretty much
everywhere else all over the
page.
The fact that MDCPS
took it upon themselves to
choose what is “appropriate”
and “inappropriate” for high
school students to view is
completely ridiculous!
Is high school not the
place where students mature and
become more aware of the outside
world? Then why is it that every
time we try to do a research project,
look for lyrics, or try to find pictures,
that we run into this problem of
being “X-blocked.”
However, X-block does
come in handy and should be used
in some cases I must admit. For
example, it would be necessary to
have a fool proof X-block in middle
and elementary schools because
the children in those age groups
The dreaded X-stop symbol hinders the process of
information acquisition at every turn
generally aren’t as mature as high
school students and can’t handle
such media and information.
Putting X-block on
computers in schools actually is
pretty pointless now because just
as the advancement of technology
grows, so does the knowledge of
hacking.
There are many ways to
get around X-block, and although
not all of them are always 100%
effective, most of them get the job
done. If the little codes don’t work,
most phones are
now 3G or 4G
capable which
means that if kids
really wanted to
they can find and
Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
3
actually learning, rather than the
whole thing being a review.”
So for incoming freshman
and other students who may not
have had this experience, should
it be avoided, or should they
enroll in a virtual class?
Carlos replies, “At
least take one, everyone feels
different, each have their own
opinion in which we cannot
decide for them.”
Along with the students,
teachers may have a few things
to say about the new way to
educate us students, for many,
they worry that technology may
overtake their positions of the
educational community in the
future years. Who knows how
we will respond to this new way
of learning?
Junior Angelo Pavon says,
“Even though the whole class is
facing the screen, it is actually
really fun; the teachers are not as
strict because it is all depending
on the student. So we can talk
and communicate with each
other. Also, if we are behind in another class,
we can “play catch-up” because of the pace we
have.”
So if you want a opportunity to excel in
various classes, or you just want to say you have
done a virtual course and have knowledge or
experience, may I suggest you enroll in Virtual
School?
spread whatever
they wanted even
with X-block on
the computers. But
what is MDCPS
going to do, X-
block our phones
too?
In all
honesty, what
we’re not exposed
to at school we’re exposed to at
home and bring back into the school
environment. There really is no way
for the school system to completely
shield our virgin eyes from the
dangers of the outside world.
Many students agree with
the removal of X-Block, like
Business senior, Miguel Amion.
“I’m devastated,” says Miguel. “I’m
devastated because I came to school
to use a computer. A computer of
which I can search things on for a
classes. Suppose I have to go to a
movie review website for Language
Arts, and suddenly I come face to
face with every student’s internet
nightmare! The deadly, mortifying,
inescapable, limiting, demeaning….
X-block. How about, instead of
blocking websites, teachers should
monitor students at all times
while on computers. There aren’t
that many computers in the class
anyway. I mean, kids are going to
get on bad websites with or without
X-block right?”
Miguel has a point, wasn’t
the class size reduced so that
students could have a better one
on one experience? Then why is
it that teachers can’t monitor their
students while on computers? The
task sounds tedious and unnecessary
because we’re high school students,
but we’ll take the babysitting over
the X-block.
What is the real reason
behind X-block? Is it to stop kids
from seeing and downloading
things they aren’t supposed to,

4Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
Coral Reef, in comparison to many other
high schools in South Florida, stands out in
many ways. There is a relatively low amount of
violence, we have a comparatively large amount
of AP classes available to students and have been
an A school almost every year since its opening
over a decade ago.
This is not to say that The Reef is
perfect. But one issue that it not often discussed
is the way in which
decisions, namely
those involving those
that directly affect
students.
The hierarchy
of power in our school
seems to be a pyramid
structure with our
principal, Ms. Leal,
at the top; followed
then by the fleet of
Assistant principals
including Mr. Mejia,
Ms. Berge and Mr.
Burns respectively.
Next comes the
Counselors and lead
teachers of their
respective academies.
But then the question
becomes, where do the
students fit into this
chain of command?
“In my 4 years here, I’ve never made any
decisions as to how my hard work and dedication
would be rewarded. I think if kids had something
to aim for, they would work even harder than
they do right now,” said VPA Orchestra Senior
Adam Batchelor.
Figuring students into the power structure
would imply that we had any say on anything
that happens around here. Even the SGA (student
BAITLINE
201-2012 Staff
Adviser
Cheri Mitchell-
Santiago
Principal
Adrianne Leal
Editor-in-Chief
Mathurin, Jeremy
Staff Writers
Alderman,
Matison
Bacourt, Erica
Barbera, Julieta
Bennaton, Karla
Brody, Maegan
Bueno, Mitsu
Cassimire, Rhea
Commissiong,
Regine
Constain, Julian
Creary, Melissa
Debk, Jasmine
Escobar, Guillermo
Esquen, Nicole
Fleureme, Desha
Germi, Charles
Gonzalez,
Giovanna
Hoffman,
Christopher
Huaranga,
Michael
Karolewicz,
Christina
Lastre, Rey
Lillard, Hailey
Editorial
Students seek more control over their school
government association) seems to have a minimal
effect on what happens in our school.
It would be unwarranted to say that
administration doesn’t give us anything other
than the bare minimum in terms of extracurricular
compensation for a good scholastic year. But
neither would not be irrational to say that the
ways in which we students are rewarded for our
efforts does not match the effort we put into our
The ‘eating stands’ wait, stationed outside the tackle box, to be used by someone. Who decided to sink
the money into these tables... students may never know.
years at the reef.
“I mean, what was up with those stands
in the courtyard? They just appeared one day.
I’m not saying I want oversight over the budget,
but I think it the people who these decisions will
be affecting, should have some say in it,” said
VPA senior David Diaz.
Take into consideration this school year.
On one fateful Monday, the student body seemed
Limardo, Jackelyn
Marin, Kassandra
Martinez,
Gabriela
Mehta, Iti
Miranda, Eric
Nodarse, Yanely
Ocampo, Adriana
Ofoleta, Njideka-
Nn
Palmer, Daniel
Patlan, Kennedy
Perez, Samantha
Redondo, Karina
Sadeghi, Melina
Sicius, Paulina
Vento, Jeysel
Vidal, Ana
Yen, Victoria
genuinely surprised to find a dozen new wooden
tables in the court yard. But what was their
purpose?
In the brief period during which they
were operational, they were scarcely used by
the student body. Although the stands were
aesthetically pleasing, they seemed rather useless
seeing as how during the lunch block, the bulk
of the student body prefers to eat sitting down,
rather than awkwardly
stand around a group of
tables.
F u r t h e r m o r e ,
in a year where our
teams have been doing
exceptionally well, we
have seen a significant
decrease in the amount
of pep rallies. There
have been more than a
few lunch pep rallies,
but these don’t seem
to fulfill their original
intent: to rally pep in the
student body.
And finally,
there is the fun fair.
Many upperclassmen
remember prior senior
classes enjoying a mini
carnival in the fields
while underclassmen
took the FCAT. This has
been all but eliminated.
To end with a qualifying statement,
administration does give students a good deal
of freedom in terms of the flexibility of a single
lunch block, and uniform accessories, but
students do yearn to have more control over their
own education. It seems some students would
rather new textbooks, over a sanctuary to Barry
the Barracuda.
Baitline strives to provide quality student-led publications
to the student body providing the school community with an
open forum of public expression. In the publications class,
students will make all editorial decisions including, but not
limited to: generating story ideas, writing copy, editing copy,
laying out copy, taking photographs, and handling all aspects
of running the business end of a school publication. Because
of this, any comments or concerns should be addressed to
the editorial staff.
It should be understood that the newspaper is not a
professional publication; therefore, students will make
mistakes during the learning process. As a staff, we will make
every effort to learn from these mistakes and continually
improve the publication.
While our primary goal is to inform and entertain the school
community, we also strive to maintain high journalistic
standards. All opinions expressed in the publications are the
students’ or the individual sources, and not the staff’s as a
whole, the advisor, or school officials.
Letters to the editor are appreciated and can be delivered
to room 305 or e-mailed to cmitchell@dadeschools.net. All
letters submitted may be condensed or edited for grammar
and spelling. Libelous material will not be printed.
Information about submitting ads can be obtained by e-mailing
cmitchell@dadeschools.net.
Past issues can be viewed at http://crhs.dadeschools.net.

Opinions
Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
5
PETA members offended by Mario
Tanooki suit made of fur worn by Mario has PETA seeing red
Staff Writer
Daniela Prizont-Cado
It is likely that most of us
have played a Mario game at least
once during our childhood. This
iconic character, Mario, however,
has recently undergone an attack by
the People of the Ethical Treatment
of Animals Organization (PETA).
In the new Nintendo 3DS game,
“Super Mario 3D Land,” Mario
is seen most of the time wearing
a “Tanooki suit.” Tanuki is the
common Japanese name for the
Japanese raccoon dog, which has
actually been a part of Japanese
folklore since ancient times.
Although this name is
often linked with a mischievous
connotation, Tanuki are also seen
as positive creatures. It is said
that the Tanuki has eight “special
traits” that bring good fortune.
These eight traits include: a hat
to protect from trouble and bad
weather, large eyes to further help
understand the environment and
make good decisions, a sake bottle
that represents virtue, an extensive
tail that provides steadiness and
strength, over-sized testicles that
symbolize financial luck, and a big
belly that represents bold and calm
decisiveness.
On the other hand, since
the release of the game, this animal
rights organization has launched
a critical online campaign entitled
“Mario Kills Tanooki.” They
believe that the costume worn by
cartoon Mario, throughout the
game, implies their support in terms
of animal abuse and thus sending a
message to kids abroad.
“Tanooki may be just a suit
in the game, but in real life Tanuki
are raccoon dogs who are skinned
alive for their fur,” PETA site states.
“By wearing a Tanooki, Mario is
sending a message that it is OK to
wear fur.”
In 1928, with the initiation
of captive interbreeding of
raccoon dogs in the Far East, they
had gradually become the main
furbearers, particularly in Ukraine.
Staff Writer
Karla Bennaton
Here at
Coral Reef we are
fortunate enough
to have access
to a library rich
with resources
to enhance
our learning
e x p e r i e n c e .
Typically when
people think of
a library they
imagine books but
the truth is that a
library consists of
so much more.
Here at
Coral Reef our
library consists
of a plethora of
books consisting
of many
subjects, some
for entertaining
purposes and others
for educational
purposes. The
library is useful
in so many ways
that are almost
indescribable. It
serves as a resource
center, a quiet
room to read your
favorite novel or
simply a peaceful
place to hang out
and just catch up
with friends.
In a
student’s time of
need, when there
is a project due
next class and no
laptop or access to
a Smartphone, the
library is there to
save the day.
At least
that’s how it used
to be until one day
Now days, among the main animals
skinned for fur include Foxes
and Chinchillas. Meanwhile,
Mario wears his Tanooki suit, much to the dislike of PETA
many strongly believe that this
accusation is an overreaction and
taken completely out of proportion.
According to an article in foxnews.
com, this is actually not the first
time that Mario is seen wearing a
Tanooki suit. Mario first wore this
new controversial suit in 1988 with
the release of Super Mario Bros.
3 for the Nintendo Entertainment
System.
Still, PETA insists on this
I walked up to the
library, only to see
a white paper with
the words “closed”
on it.
M a n y
students depend on
the school library
for many reasons.
Unfortunately not
every student has
access to books
and resources such
as computers and
printers which is
why they rely so
much on the library.
But it seems almost
like every day the
library is closed.
Art senior,
Robert Castillo
said, “The library
is useless, it’s never
available for the
student’s to use it.”
Now there
inhumane game to be an abomination
and by proving so, they invented
what they call “Super Tanooki Skin
2D”. A parody game
they uploaded onto their
website where players
are able to re-capture
their skin from a flying
Mario.
“Mario often takes
the appearance of
certain animals and
objects in his games,”
a Nintendo spokesman
told Eurogamer in
a statement. “These
have included a frog, a
penguin, a balloon and
even a metallic version
of himself.”
The fact of the
matter is that the
content of these games,
for years, have made up
the loveable and artistic
Mario world that we
have all come to love and
enjoy. Mario’s different
transformations are what
make the games fun and
entertaining. The way Nintendo puts
it, “The different forms that Mario
takes make no statement beyond the
games themselves.”
It is one thing to voice one’s
opinion on a real controversial issue
and point out rights one strongly
believes in. It is another to denounce
an innocent game where friendly
Mario is only, merely dressing up.
I would leave Mario alone- after all
it’s only a game.
“Library Closed” signs frustrate eager learners
Although technology has taken over most needs for a library full of books, the library is a great resource missed by students
“Library Closed” is a common
sign seen on the doors of the
library. Budget cuts have led to
decreased service.
are a few exceptions
to it being closed
sometimes such as
teacher luncheons,
testing and things
of that sort but
every other time its
inexplicable.
Nowadays
you walk by the
library and it’s
just a big and dark
room with no one
in sight, so what
is the reasoning
for this? Is it fair
to the students
who depend on the
library to get their
school work done?
Sophomore
Medical, Yileismy
Anel said, “The
library can be very
useful but now just
it’s like a useless
empty room that
is never ever open,
you’re lucky if you
happen to find it
open one day.”
Now to
some people it
doesn’t matter
whether the library
is open, in fact they
couldn’t care less.
But I think most
people have used
the school library
at least once in their
lifetime for one
reason or another.
Even if it’s not your
primary source for
research or internet,
you can’t deny the
fact that when your
printer’s ink runs
out or you forgot to
buy a book for your
AP Literature class,
the library always
comes in handy.

6Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
The Miami Herald Silver Knight Awards is one of the nation’s most highly
regarded student awards programs. The purpose of this Awards program is to
recognize outstanding students who have not only maintained good grades but have
also unselfishly applied their special knowledge and talents to contribute significant
service to their schools and communities. The Silver Knight Awards program was
instituted at The Miami Herald in 1959 by John S. Knight, past publisher of The
Miami Herald, founder and editor emeritus of Knight-Ridder Newspapers and 1968
Pulitzer Prize winner.
The program is open to high school seniors with a minimum 3.2 GPA
(unweighted) in public, private, and parochial schools in Miami-Dade and Broward
counties. Students may be nominated in 15 categories: Art, Athletics, Business,
Drama, English & Literature, Foreign Language, General Scholarship, Journalism,
Mathematics, Music, New Media, Science, Social Science, Speech, and Vocational-
Technical. Each school may nominate one student per category.
Nominees from all schools appear on a designated day to be interviewed by
a panel of independent judges. Each panel of judges selects one Silver Knight and
three Honorable Mentions in that category. Names are not revealed until the Silver
Knight Awards ceremony. Silver Knights receive $2,000, a Silver Knight statue and
a medallion presented by American Airlines. The three Honorable Mentions are
presented $500 and an engraved plaque. The cash awards are made possible in part by
the generous support of the Blank Family Foundation.
Coral Reef failed to take home a winner this year, but had three Honorable
Mentions: Kira Konstanze Kuhnert, Mario Arcila, and Leah Claire Singer.
Mario Arcila
ART
“For four years, I helped
children ages 6 and older
develop space in their art.”
Kira Kuhnert
ATHLETICS
“I raised over $20,000
to get my Best Buddy
Chris to two dolphin
facilities. I’m also the
junior Ambassador for
the charity organization
‘dolphin aid’.”
Emerson King
BUSINESS
“I went to Columbia with
hundreds of backpacks
filled with supplies for
underprivileged children.”
Elizabeth Fiorentino
DRAMA
“I packed backpacks
with school supplies for
elementary students in a
title one school in Green
Iti Mehta
ENGLISH/LIT
“I taught English and basic
reading and writing skills
to children with cerebral
palsy in India.”

Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
7
Leah Singer
GEN SCHOLARSHIP
“I organize Benefits
concerts to raise money
for special needs children
all over the world.”
Rebecca Raskin
JOURNALISM
“I have been on the staff of
Elysium Literary Magazine
since 10th grade and I am
currently editor in chief.”
Ridhima Gurnani
MATHEMATICS
“I created a mathematics
camp for underprivileged
children. Aside from that, I
am the student Ambassador
for a local organization.”
Laura Plyler
MUSIC / DANCE
“It’s a huge opportunity,
not only an attempt to
win cash, but to help those
who need it.”
Anantrain Asthana
SCIENCE
“I did research on a new
upcoming technology called
molecular beam epitaxy,
which could revolutionize
industry and technology.”
Nicole Martinez
SOCIAL SCIENCE
“I volunteered for the
Unaccompanied Minors
Program helping the
children better transition
to life in the United States
from foreign countries.”
Melissa Quintana
SPEECH
“I created an
enrichment program for
underprivileged minority
elementary school
students that teaches
them public speaking and
research skills.”
Priscilla Suzal-Wright
VO/TECH
“I created my own
organization called Knots
of Hope. We make bracelets,
attend events, fundraise, and
spread awareness about organ
donation.”
Dylan Grief
WORLD LANG
“I went to Peru and
assisted in cleft palate
surgeries on little
children. I also brought
toys and candy for them
while they waited to be
operated on.”

8
Coral
Staff Writer
Micheal
Reef Sr. High
May 2012
Avengers, the most anticipated movie 2012
This blockbuster is on track to reach and surpass most box office records
As summer approaches closer and closer,
we all have something we’re looking forward to.
A vacation, more time with friends, and for most
of us here at the Reef, sleep. But after we all
catch back up with our zzz’s and it’s time to have
some fun again, most of us will all be heading to
the movies for some fun with friends. And we
all know that Hollywood’s been preparing us
for a summer filled with big blockbusters, and
Marvel’s The Avengers is no exception.
Now for the comic book newbie’s who
are unaware of the grandeur of this event, the
release of the Avenger’s means that comic book
fans worldwide will finally be able to see all their
favorite marvel characters on the same screen
for the first time. This summer, Marvel favorites
Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America, and
Hawkeye will all be coming to a movie theater
near you, and don’t be surprised to see a couple
a diehard fans at its release.
The first Avenger’s comic book was
released in 1963, and has since become a huge
hit with people of all ages everywhere. At first the
comic book Legal Senior Brandon Moran said “I
can’t wait to see the new Avenger’s because fans
everywhere have been waiting for forever for the
film to finally come. I have a friend who’s dad
Staff Writer
Karla Bennaton
The annual Coconut
Grover Arts Festival took place
on President’s Day Weekend
– February 18, 19, & 20, 2012.
It was nearly a mile of arts and
food.
The Festival is held in
the streets of Coconut Grove, the
festival is located just south of
downtown Miami. It runs along
the streets of McFarlane Road,
South Bay Shore Drive and Pan
American Drive.
They Celebrated its 49th
anniversary this year. The Coconut
Grove Arts Festival offered
visitors the opportunity to meet
with exhibiting artists, sample
cuisine, enjoy live entertainment
and enjoy the views of Coconut
Grove. The 2012 Coconut Grove
Arts Festival celebrates 49 years
of showcasing contemporary
arts and crafts at a 3 day outdoor
festival that attracts thousands of families to the
streets of Coconut Grove.
One of the most popular events on
Miami’s cultural calendar, the show features over
360 artists and craftsmen plus a unique variety
of food vendors, live performances and special
guests. Set in the charming bayside village
has been following them since day one and has
read all their comics. And now he’ll finally be
able to see it on the big screen.
This year’s Avengers will include Iron
Man, Hawkeye, Captain America, Hulk, and
Thor. All of whom have had different pasts but
Coconut Grove Arts Festival
Eat, Breathe and Live Art
where TVs “Burn Notice” films most episodes,
the rambling street fair runs along McFarlane
Road, South Bayshore Drive and Pan American
Drive.
Open daily from 10am-6pm, the art
festival features works in paint, clay, glass, fiber,
wood and mixed media. Jewelry crafts and metal
works as well as art photography and sculpture
A& E
will come to share a common
future in this flick.
Iron man aka Tony Stark is the
movies rich play boy esq character
who just happens to be a billionaire
on the side too. Then we have
Bruce Banner, the scientist that
turned into a green freak of nature
after a freak accident turned him
into the Hulk. However unlike the
Hulk, Captain America’s powers
were actually intentionally given to
him. Before becoming America’s
Hero, Captain America was just
a regular old scrawny kid with
no more than an ounce of muscle
on him. But after risking his life
in this state of the art experiment,
he was able to transform himself,
into the apotheosis of physique.
Thor on the other hand is a godlike
super hero, with the strength to
hold his own against villains of
all sorts. And as Senior Medical
Reefer Carlos Nicado stated “This
movie is gonna be big”.
So on May 4, 2012 get ready to be
amazed with a movie that will be hard to forget.
One filled with action, stars, and a whole lot of
effects to go with it.
picture from IMDb
are all on sale throughout the Grove which
is one of Miami’s oldest settlements along
the tranquil waters of Biscayne Bay.
Originally home to an artisan
community, the city maintains a rather
bohemian vibe while providing visitors
with trendy restaurants, bars and hotels in
a small town setting.
At the edge of town, Peacock
Park is the center of the performing arts
presentations that coincide with the art
show throughout the Grove. After a few
hours walking through the exhibits, guests
can relax under a shade tree and listen to live
jazz, hip hop, and Latin music performers
starting daily at 11:30am through 5:30pm.
The Global Food Village in
Myers Park at South Bayshore Drive sells
a variety of affordable street treats like
arepas, soft pretzels, ice cream and fresh
fruit smoothies. Tickets to the festival are
available at show gates or online for $10 a
day or $5 for Coconut Grove residents with
valid ID. The Coconut Grove Arts Festival
is among the best of Miami’s annual arts
and cultural events.
The Festival has more than
150,000 visitors each year who come to
see and buy the works of over 330 artists.
Visitors can also attend culinary events, music
and theatre performance, and dine in the Global
Food Village. Arts on display include 2-D
Mixed Media, 3-D Mixed Media, Claywork,
Digital Art, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry & Metalwork,
Painting, Photography, Printmaking & Drawing,
Sculpture, Watercolor, and Wood.

Fashion
Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2012
9
Personalizing student uniforms
Although polos are the required part of a uniform, everything else is up for grabs as students put their own touch on them
Agriscience Junior and future
entrepreneur works around
the uniform and wears slacks
with his regulation uniform
Staff Writer
Daniela Prizont-Cado
The 1st amendment
of the United States
constitution was
ratified on September
25, 1789 and added
to the Bill of Rights.
Fortunately, this
amendment gives
all the American
citizens the benefit
of having freedom of
expression regardless
on how controversial
that topic may be. On
the other hand, how
much of that freedom
does a student have at
school with regards
to uniform?
In the past, Coral
Reef High School did
not have uniforms
and gave students
the opportunity of
being able to express
themselves through their
choices in clothing.
There was indeed
a policy where parents
voted every so often,
whether or not they
wanted their child to wear
uniform. The fact of the
matter was that some were
arguing that although the
majority of parents did
vote for uniform, they
did not however, vote to
have their child only wear
uniform tops.
Moreover, most
of the students in Coral
Reef actually don’t mind
wearing uniform. Rachel
Osei for example, a
medical student says that
she is okay with uniforms
because she does not have
to worry every single
morning about planning
what she’s going to wear.
She positively stated that
in a way, “they’re trying
to make the school a huge
Barracuda fish tank.”
Ms. Coppock, an
Intensive Reading and AP
English Language teacher
also admits she has no
problem with it, although,
conveniently, she is not
obliged to wear it. “I think
its for your safety…to
know who belongs in this
school or not.”
She compared our
uniform policy with real
life jobs. “Those working
at target have to wear
khaki pants and a red
shirt…that’s life!”
Lina Collazos, a
student in the International
Baccalaureate academy
reveals that she does not
care about dressing up
fancy just to go to school.
She said, “Our uniform
policy, could be a little
more relaxed especially
since we did not have
uniforms before.” When
she said this, she was
referring to the logo
patches worn. She believes
they are unnecessary and
“a polo is enough.”
N e v e r t h e l e s s ,
Coral Reef’s website
explicitly states “Miami-
Dade County Public
School Board Rule
6 G X 1 3 - 5 C . 0 3 1 …
Students whose personal
attire or grooming
distracts the attention of
The rites and rituals of the almighty PROM
Prom dominates conversation throughout the reef as seniors prepare for their last high school event before graduation
Staff Writer
Karla Bennaton
The 2011 Disney movie Prom voiced it
perfectly: “Who we were for the past four years
doesn’t matter.”
For one night it becomes irrelevant what
we did in the past or where we’re going in the
future. Prom is the time when our senior class
comes together to celebrate the culmination of
our high school careers. For some it’s just another
day but for others it’s a coming of age experience
marked by excitement and anticipation.
For generations, prom has held a special
spot in the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.
Months of preparation have come together on
this night and no ritual is more iconic than the
tedious process of shopping for the perfect prom
dress.
With so many different types of trends
emerging this year and reemerging from the 80’s
and so on, finding the perfect prom dress can be
pretty challenging. There are a ton of factors that
go into picking the right prom dress.
First, never dress for the theme. It’s not
original and prom isn’t a costume party. Next is
picking the right dress for your complexion and
the right kind of dress for your body type. You
want something that fits properly and that you’re
able to dance the night away in. Then you have to
fix your hair the right way and get the right make
up and jewelry. Yes, the factors and preparations
for prom are no joke. But what’s prom without a
date? It’s still prom.
Seniors Erica Bacourt and Jacque
Jones debate over the perfect
prom dress to wear to the quickly
approaching May 18th.
Whether you go alone or with a date or
even a group of friends, your total prom experience
depends solely on you. Most girls don’t believe
prom is the complete fairytale without having the
perfect date, but when the night comes you don’t
other students or teachers
from their school work
shall be required to make
necessary alteration to
such attire or grooming
before entering the
classroom or be sent home
by the administration to
be properly prepared for
school…”
“They are too
picky,” mentioned
Stephanie Poore, a senior
in the Legal academy.
Unfortunately, she has
gotten 3 detentions
already for only wearing a
school spirit shirt instead
of a polo. “It’s not that
serious… it’s my senior
year and it’s not like I was
revealing anything.”
Even though our
schools’ administration
may be a little picky,
we as students have to
understand that, that’s
their job. We have to
abide by the rules because
if we don’t, then what will
happen when we apply
for jobs with ugly and
unsatisfying uniforms?
only spend it with one person you spend it with a
group of friends. So don’t stress the perfect date,
just make sure you have a group of good
friends you know to link up with when the
night comes or find a random good group
of people to link up with when the night
comes.
The next part of the prom phase is the
after party. Most people enjoy renting
a room in a trendy hotel on the beach,
while others opt for renting out waterside
houses. Which one is best depends on
your personal preference and how many
people you’d like to share your night and
time with. Make sure that your friends are
comfortable around one another to avoid
as much drama as possible. If it doesn’t
work out it’s always alright to just meet up
with them later.
At the end of the night it doesn’t matter
who won king or queen or who had the
same dress and wore it best, all that matters
is that for that one night your senior class
was able to come together as one big
family and party it up one last time before
you all begin to go your separate ways.
When you look back on the memories
you won’t remember what song played
first or last, and you won’t care about how much
your feet hurt, but you will care about the new
friendships and memories that you made that
night and will remember forever.

10
Coral
Staff Writer
Nicole Esquen
Coral Reef Senior High
school is mostly known for its high
academics and innovative students,
but its athletics are not far behind.
Coral Reef’s sports have
been taking over this year with the
football team making it to the playoff
as second in the district, the boys’
basketball team winning first in
the district and the girls’ basketball
having the perfect season but behind
all of our great sport teams are a
group of unrecognized heroes; these
are the Student Athletic Trainers.
Athletic trainers have been
around since the early twentieth
century, and in the between the
late thirties and early forties, an
organization called the National
Athletic Trainers Association
was started but it struggled to be
recognized.
In 1950, the National
Athletic Trainers Association was
officially formed with about 200
athletic trainers, today there is well
over 30,000 athletic trainers which
include five from our very own
school. The qualifications for an
athletic trainer include graduation
Staff Writer
Melissa Creary
Reef Sr. High
May 2010
Although a majority of the publicity that
sports get in our school is dominated by football
and basketball, many of our sports teams that
fly under radar have been experiencing amazing
success.
As many know, the badminton lost their
coach last year due to the fact the previous coach
received an offer to coach for a school in New
York. After having no coach for a while the team
members asked Mr. Ansley if he could coach for
the Badminton team.
Although he was not familiar with the
game, he took the initiative to coach the team.
Sarah Jeffers, a senior in Agriscience, said, “I’m
ready for the season to start already.”
Palmetto was the hardest school to
beat last year, and probably will be the hardest
school this year as well. After talking to one of
the Captains of the team Linda Davio, she has
great expectations this season with the girls; the
season last year was great says Captain Linda
Davio. The team happens to be a coed team and
the boys were great last year, one of them was
number one in the state.
For Mr. Ansley just to start coaching he’s
a great one, he always listens to the input from
the team instead of assuming to think he knows
what the best for the team is.
Linda’s favorite part of last year had to
be districts. “It was the senior’s last game and
with a bachelor’s degree in an
accredited athletic training program,
CPR and first aid certification, an
endorsed application by the NATAcertified
trainer and successful
completion of the NBOC exam.The
future for athletic training looks
good, especially when the American
Medical Association decided to
everyone had become really close throughout the
season. Throughout the season the teammates had
their disputes but at the district game everyone
was cheering each other on and getting so loud
and wild, it was awesome seeing the team come
together like that,” said Linda.
The team was there to intimidate the
opponent for Coral Reef’s team to win, and Linda
thinks they did a pretty good job of intimidating
him. Team Captain Linda said, “It will be a
completely fresh start since the majority of the
team graduated last year. It’ll be interesting,
getting to know the new people and seeing them
become great players.”
This year Linda hopes some of the team
mates will make it to states, both girls or boys
Sports
Athletic trainers: the unsung heros of the sidelines
Athletic Trainers (from left to right)
Mitzy Perez, Jasmyne Cronkrite, Nicole
Esquen, Ms. Chester help at the Miami
Dade vs. Broward All Star football
game.
include athletic
trainers as fellow
allied health
p r o f e s s i o n a l s
in 1990. With
more and more
people becoming
athletic trainers,
the profession
is no longer
seen as a small
i n s i g n i f i c a n t
profession, but an
ever expanding
area of medicine
that is now
moving to not just
sports teams, but
even the military.
A l t h o u g h
athletic trainers
are now
considered health
professional they
are often thought
of as unimportant
by the general public but as IB junior
and student athletic trainer Jasmyne
Cronkrite says, “We are more than
just water girls.”
Even though spectators
minimize the importance of athletic
trainers and their duties, athletes
Badminton
Although contact sports often take the limelight, sports like badminton and volleyball also enjoy success
Badminton is a sport that is largely
ignored, but highly competitive and
rigorous.
know how important the athletic
trainers really are. Stephen McGriff,
senior in the art academy and star
player on the football team, says,
“Our athletic trainers are the best,
they are as valuable to us as the
coaches” when asked to comment
about this years trainers.
The duties of these
unrecognized heroes consist of
taping athletes’ wrist, ankles, knees
and other appendages before games
and practices to prevent injuries or
development of a previous injury,
making sure that every athlete
is hydrated through out every
practice and every game, and most
importantly to be at the rescue of
any athlete that gets injured.
Jessica Chester the head
athletic trainer for our school can
be found everyday during lunch and
after school giving treatment to hurt
athlete. Whether the athlete needs
just a bag of ice or the use of stem
machine physical therapy she is there
to provide the treatment necessary.
“Our trainers are awesome,
they really cater to our needs and
we wouldn’t be anywhere without
them,” stated Barracuda basketball
all-star Cedric Hankerson.
hopefully a mix; but most of all she hopes the
new team members enjoy the year enough to
come back nest year. “It’s a wonderful sport
overall, terribly addicting and I hope they catch
on to the love for it, like I have since I first
started,” states Linda.
The hardest school for Linda to beat
would have to be Braddock and the easiest
school would have to be Killian.
VOLLEYBALL
The Barracuda Volleyball Team is also
doing extremely well, with a record of five wins
and no loses as of the 10th of April, our Cudas
are leading our district with the perfect record.
“At first, it was just for fun, but now, I am in
love with it. Its my favorite sport,” Business
and Finance Junior Gregory Deverson says
“Everyone on the team plays as a team, there
are no hotshots on our team.”
To whom do we Barracudas owe our
thanks to? No other than Coach Ortiz. “Even
when we are winning we leading in the game,
she is still coaching. She is the best at what she
does.”
I had a chance to witness the unstoppable
team at its best during a game versus the Killian
Cougars on Thursday, April 5th. The Barracudas
seemed to have won the game effortlessly as
they beat the Cougars in three straight sets of 25.
Spectators of the mighty Cudas believe that the
season will most likely end with a perfect score
of 8-0.

Spotlight
Coral Reef Sr. High
May 201011
Going off to college a right for many seniors
What to expect when going away vs. when and why to stay home for a college education
Staff Writer
Karla Bennaton
As we approach the
upcoming deadlines and the
dates get closer and closer to
graduation we ask ourselves
what we will do. It’s an
ongoing question among
soon to be college students,
whether they leave or stay.
Many have dreams
of going to out of state
schools but it’s easier said
than done. With rising
college tuitions it’s even
harder and attending an out
of state school can cost you
double maybe even up to
triple the cost that it would
cost to go to an in-state
school. So this brings us to
the controversial question
“to leave or not to leave?”
Of course there are
pros and cons from each
stand point. When students
think of going away they’re
usually looking forward
to the college experience.
They want to go somewhere
new and be away from their
parents and although they
all say they will be good
they will party.
But besides all the
partying, going away teaches
you a sense of independence
and responsibility. “I don’t
see it as a dilemma, although
it is expensive you get to be
more independent,” says
VPA Senior, David Diaz.
One of the things
about going away which
may seem as a con to some
people is the fact that you
will now be responsible
of making your own food,
washing your own clothes
Agriscience Senior Vernon Davis sports his UM
gear on school groups, pumped to play Division I
Football for the Hurricanes in the fall. Staying close
to home will help ease costs.
and mommy won’t be
there to tell you to do your
homework or clean your
room—you’re on your
own.
Now to some
people being on their own
and having to take care of
themselves sounds like a
recipe for disaster.
Moving away
means you’re
going to have to
do everything
for yourself
and that does
include even the
unpleasant things
like cleaning the
toilet and having
to pay rent and
bills if you live in
an apartment. Not
only that but it’s
very expensive
and the cost of
tuition plus all the
extra costs really
add up.
This brings
us to the number
one reason why
you would want
to stay home. The
main reason why
anyone would
not want to leave
out of state for
school is to save money.
All the extra money you
would use for out of state
costs can be used for other
things like a car which can
be very convenient during
Senior year a stepping block to college
the college years. Not to
mention that you get to
stay at home so you won’t
be missing mom’s homecooked
meals and even
better—you won’t have to
make them yourself. You’ll
always be close to home,
meaning you’ll always be
close to your loved ones.
“Going out of state
would make me homesick,
just the thought of it makes
me homesick; I would miss
my mom a lot,” says Legal
Senior, Virginia Castro.
The only bad thing
about staying at home is that
you wouldn’t get the “oncampus”
college experience
because it’s not the same to
be a commuter student then
to actually live on campus.
“I want to go away, college
is an experience that you
should live to the fullest,
take advantage of it all”
says Legal Senior, Michelle
Elkott . If you stay at home
you don’t get to have
the experience of going
somewhere new and if you
really hate living at home
with your parents you have
to stick around for another
four years.
With a fulfilling senior year behind her, Patty Trujillo looks forward to going to college while staying close to a mother with health issues
Staff Writer
Melissa Creary
Patty Trujillo, a Visual
Performing Art student in the dance
program, has done a lot throughout
her four years in Coral Reef. The
one day all seniors look forward
to, is the day we into accepted into
the University of our choice and for
Patty this University just happened
to be... Florida International
University (FIU).
Patty plans to major in
either biology or psychology to
become a physical therapist. FIU
wasn’t Patty’s first choice but FIU
will do for her, her top schools
were University of Florida ((UF)
and University of Central Florida
(UCF). Patty says,
“I’m definitely ready to
leave high school, I’m pretty sure
I’ve been ready to leave since my
junior year.”
One of the best moments
for Patty has been being part of the
senior class officers and being able to
start her own volunteer
group. Patty also states
that her Senior Year
homecoming was
another memorable
moment in high
school.
Ultra Music Festival
2011 was the most
memorable moment for
Patty; she has enjoyed
those moments to the
fullest and will cherish
them forever.
In 2011 Patty’s mother was
beyond blessed when she receive
a match and a donor for a heart
transplant, this moment made
Patty’s year due to the loyalty
people have in this world today.
The worst part moment in high
school for Patty would be when she
choked on a pastelito in front of all
the seniors in the courtyard on the
Patty Trujillo plans
to stick close
to home while
attending FIU.
first day of her freshman year, she
was truly embarrassed the seniors
will never forget
her after seeing that
incident occurred .
Throughout high
school, Patty has
stated that she has
“learned to be more
responsible, learn
how to write better,
and who my real
friends are, and that
you only experience
high school once so
you might as well
make the best of it a live life to the
fullest.”
In college Patty looks
forward to meeting new people and
experiencing a completely different
type atmosphere, learning better,
getting time management down
pat and hopefully joining a sorority
within the next four months we
have left in Coral Reef, she’ll be
experiencing everything and more
once we enter the “Real World.”
Throughout high school
Patty has fulfilled an immense
number of activities from being a
Senior Class treasure, Historian of
Dance Alliance, a member of the
national honor society of dance
arts and she received over 2,000
community service hours due
to the activities she takes part in
throughout school.
She has also volunteered
with the Transplant foundation,
Miami Children’s Hospital and has
even helped co-found her volunteer
group B.A.M. (Be A Miracle).
Most students think that
senior year you will be entitled to
slack off, but there are some student
always pushing to be something
better in life and with all of the
activities Patty has accomplished
she proves that senior year may not
always be so slack.

12 PROM
Coral Reef Sr. High
May 2010