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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.
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