1. education
2. school

Test Date
2015 AP Test Dates
Test Name
Test Time
Monday, May 4th
Chemistry
8 a.m.
Monday, May 4th
Environmental Science
8 a.m.
Monday, May 4th
Psychology
12 noon
Tuesday, May 5th
Calculus AB
8 a.m.
Tuesday, May 5th
Calculus BC
8 a.m.
Wednesday, May 6th
English Literature and Composition
8 a.m.
Wednesday, May 6th
Physics 1
12 noon
Thursday, May 7th
Spanish Language and Culture
8 a.m.
Thursday, May 7th
Art History
12 noon
Thursday, May 7th
Physics 2
12 noon
Friday, May 8th
U.S. History
8 a.m.
Friday May 8th
European History
12 noon
Friday May 9th
Studio Art: 2D, 3D and Drawing
3 PM Submission
Deadline
Monday, May 11th
Biology
8 a.m.
Monday, May 11th
Physics C: Mechanics
12 noon
Tuesday, May 12th
US Government and Politics
8 a.m.
Tuesday, May 12th
Spanish Literature and Culture
12 noon
Wednesday, May 13th
English Language and Culture
8 a.m.
Wednesday, May 13th
Statistics
12 noon
Thursday, May 14th
World History
8 a.m.
Thursday, May 14th
Macroeconomics
12 noon
Friday, May 15th
Human Geography
8 a.m.
Friday, May 15th
Latin
12 noon
Ponte Vedra High School Exam Schedule
Semester 2, 2014-15
Make up exams can be administered by appointment after
June 5, 2015. No exams may be taken early.
Monday, June 1
9:15-10:45
EXAM Period 1
10:45-10:55
Break
10:55-12:25
EXAM Period 2
12:30-1:00
Lunch
1:00
Buses depart PVHS
9:15-10:45
EXAM Period 3
10:45-10:50
Break
Tuesday, June 2
10:55-12:25 Exam Period 5
12:30-1:00
Lunch
1:00
Buses depart PVHS
9:15-10:45
EXAM Period 6
10:45-10:55
Break
Wednesday, June 3
Please follow your assigned
lunch schedule
A Lunch 10:50-11:20 A Class
11:25-1:10
B Class 10:50-11:40 B Lunch
11:45-12:15 B Class 12:20-1:10
C Class 10:50-12:35 C Lunch
12:40-1:10
1:15-2:45
Exam Period 7
2:45 Dismissal Thursday, June 4
9:15-10:45
EXAM Period 4
10:45-2:45
Makeup Exams
11:00-12:00
Lunch
12:00
Buses depart PVHS
SENIOR FINAL EXAMS – Tuesday, May 19 – Friday, May 22.
SENIOR DEBT DAY – May 26, 9:00am – 12:00pm. PVHS Auditorium.
Debt Day is mandatory for all seniors. Seniors will clear all outstanding debt (textbooks,
parking fines, athletics, media center). Once cleared, seniors will pick up their cap, gown, honors
cords, and graduation tickets.
Each senior student will receive 2 tickets to the graduation ceremony. Seniors who have paid
dues will receive 10 tickets. Dues may be paid at any time, including on Senior Debt Day. Dues
are $30 payable as a check to PVHS. Email Mrs. O’Brian with questions regarding class dues.
SENIOR LUNCHEON – May 27, 11:00am – 2:00pm. Ponte Vedra Presbyterian Church.
All graduating senior students are invited to attend. GRADUATION REHEARSAL – May 29, 11:30am. UNF ARENA
The rehearsal is mandatory. Students should arrive early as rehearsal will begin on time.
Email Mrs. Collazo if you have questions or concerns about graduation rehearsal or the
graduation event.
GRADUATION CEREMONY – May 30, 1:00pm. UNF ARENA
Graduates must arrive by 12:15 and report to the dressing area.
More details will be posted regarding parking as we get closer to the event.
Schools in potential danger, State responds with solution 3
by Arman Tabassion and Kaitlyn May
The tragedies of school shootings have created
a panic among state legislatures across the country. At the start of 2015 in the Florida Legislative
Session the Florida Senate approved a bill that
permits the school superintendent to authorize a
school safety designee to carry a concealed firearm while on school campus. The bill has created some controversy about having guns on high
school campus. The main opposing argument
is that having more guns in the event of a school
shooting does more bad than good. Also, to ensure the safety of students in the school, significant training and background checks would have
to be placed on the designee who would receive
the firearm. The notes on the bill explain that a
level two screening would have to be placed on
the designee as well as other precautions to assure
that they are mentally able to handle a firearm
properly. Because of all of the training that would
need to be in place, another alternative has been
proposed which is that a full time officer could
be placed at Florida schools. This scenario has its
problems’ as well so neither is a perfect fix in
this situation.
The opinions of the students,
teachers and other faculty are also important in
this situation considering that it could potentially
put them at risk. “By far the risks in the situation
outweigh the possible benefits. School shootings are relatively isolated incidents, when you
introduce more firearms onto school campus’s
it does more bad than good,” said Mr. Pickard,
Ponte Vedra High School social studies teacher.
Another point that was brought up by Mr. Pickard was that it is possible for a student to overpower the designee in order to get the firearm,
which is another potential danger with having
protective weapons on campus. Brittany Cox, a
freshman at Ponte Vedra High School, says “It
would be beneficial to have more protection on
campus, but I think there’s too big of a risk.”
carry concealed weapon or firearm on
school property; provides requirements
for school safety designees,” according to
myfloridahouse.gov. It was also stated that
the designee will need a firearm license
and will be required to have the firearm
concealed and with them while performing school related duties. Here at PVHS
we have a part time officer who we share
with a few other St. Johns County schools.
“If the designee was a retired police officer
I would agree with the bill. Anyone who
does not have an extensive amount of firearm experience and contact with the public
I would not agree with,” said Ponte Vedra
High School Student Resource Officer,
Keith Shiffer. The bill has been moved
on to the Judiciary committee as of Tuesday, March 24, 2015. If the bill is moved
The language in the bill reads “Permits school on it will be effective starting July 1, 2015.
superintendent, with approval of the school
board, to authorize school safety designee to
Private Social Media information free for the taking
by Rob Peeters
With advancements in technology and the increased use of social
media for communications, employers and employees are at odds
when considering what is private and what is not. In an effort to
protect the privacy of employees, Senators Jack Lavata (R-Pinellas)
and Jeff Clemens (D-Palm Beach) have proposed a bill to the Florida State Senate. The Social Media Privacy Bill was filed in
November of 2014 and introduced on March 3, 2015 by State
Senator Jeff Clemens. The bill prohibits an employer from
requesting or requiring access to a social media account of an
employee or prospective employee. In addition the bill states
that an employer cannot retaliate if the employee refuses him
or her access. Nor can an employer refuse employment or advancement because the new prospect or employee, refuse to
allow the employer access to their social media accounts. The
bill also authorizes civil action to be issued to those who violate the bill. Maryland was the first state to pass a Social
Media Privacy law in 2012 after a prison guard who had been
on leave was told he could not return to his position unless
he disclosed his Facebook account password. The corrections
facility had adopted the new policy in an effort to filter out
job candidates and employees who might be associated with
a gangs or persons with criminal histories. The guard felt
the policy was a “frightening and illegal invasion of privacy.”
Similar bills have since passed in seventeen states,
while legislation has been introduced this year in more than 20
other states, including Florida. State Bill -126 has now been
referred to state committees for review and amendment. If the
bill is approved the Social Media Privacy Law will take effect
in October of 2015.
PHOTO BY JOSH DANIELS
Congratulations, CHLOE BARR, for being
crowned Miss Ponte Vedra High School
4
Anxiety caused from academics
by Amy Dantin
Shortening of breathe, shaking uncontrollably, mind anxiety disorder. “I would get them late at night, mainracing like a greyhound, and the paralyzing fear of dy- ly when I was alone and there was no one to give me
ing are symptoms of a panic attack. When one is having guidance through it. It was always horrible and it never
a panic attack, it feels as if the world is at a halt, but is seemed to stop until it did. You just feel so absolutely
going too quickly at the same time. They feel complete- worthless. You’re not in control of anything around you
ly out of control and useless. Some panic attacks can and nothing inside feels right; nothing is right.” Anxiety
last up to 20 minutes of uncontrolled disaster- or at least can effect ones high school career as well.
In another interview, the student would also like to
disaster in the eyes of the panicking individual. This is
remain unattached, they
not exactly the typically high
school overload of stress kind “When one is having a panic attack, it described a panic attack
that took place on campus
of panic attack; this is a somfeels
as
if
the
world
is
at
a
halt,
but
is
at PVHS, “I felt the stress
ber obstacle. There are people
build up and it kind of just
all around that are surviv- going to quickly at the same time.”
took over me. I got so frusing with anxiety and everytrated and I felt so powerday those people arise from
less.
My
mom
came
to
pick
me
up and I was still crying
sleep in hope to not have to endure through another panand
couldn’t
stop
shaking.
I
didn’t
want anyone to see
ic attack. According to the National Institute of Mental
Health, eight percent of 13-18 year-olds have anxiety me so exposed.” Both people stated that if they hadn’t
disorders. Out of that 8 percent, only 18 percent receive gone to friends who convinced them to go to family for
mental health care. Almost one in a group of ten have help, they would be so different. They both sought out
professional help to understand what was going on inside
anxiety and are most likely not getting treatment for it.
There are girls going through these effects and they them. If you or a loved one has any symptoms of anxiety
walks these halls at Ponte Vedra High School every day. or have had a panic attack, help yourself or help them
The following student has requested to remain anony- by speaking to them and letting them know they are not
mous but has agreed to share what it was like to have an alone and should receive help from a doctor.
New texting while driving bill being reviewed
by Amy Dantin and Emma Capelli
There was more than
1.3 million car crashes in the US in the last
year caused by texting
and driving the use of
a mobile device. On
Mar. 26, 2015, the bill
labeled the ‘No Texting While Driving’ has
gone under review in
the Florida Legislature.
This bill will go into
effect on Oct. 1, 2015.
The texting while
driving law in Florida is
a secondary law, which
currently means that in
Florida, currently, a person can only get pulled
over and given a ticket
for texting while driving, if caught with another violation. For ex-
ample, a police officer
can only pull someone
over if they are doing
something like running
a stop sign while texting. Texting while driving is a primary offense
in only 14 states. This
bill describes the safety
hazard of texting while
operating a motorized
vehicle and issue a citation to persons who are
texting while driving. If
a driver is texting while
driving, and a policeman pulls them over,
they may get a ticket
for this. Also, it states
that if someone is pulled
over in a school zone
or designated school
crossing, their fines will
possibly be doubled if
caught using a cellular
phone. Another point
this bill hits is that being ticketed for texting
while driving could put
points on the driver’s
license, and the price
for insurance may rise.
To teenagers, this bill
is indirectly talking
about their own driving
habits.
According to
Texting While Driving
Safety, texting while
driving makes a crash
23 times more likely.
Even with those statistics, some adults and
teenagers continue to
take the risk. Texting
while driving is also
six times more likely to
cause an accident then
driving drunk. Using
a phone while driving
is something that many
teens and adults do
every day. But, Ponte Vedra High School
students have made a
change in those numbers. Last school year,
PVHS introduced a club
called the “No Texting
While
Driving”club,
where students could
take a pledge to not text
and drive. This bill is
highly supported by
our club here. The bill
now must wait to be
processed and signed to
become a law and making Florida’s highways
a safer place to ride.
PVHS robotics club emerging
5
by Skylar Collins
“The starting point of all achievement is desire” – Napoleon
Hill
Bot Ball had its local competition March 15; Where Ponte Vedra High School had their Robotics Team competing
against teams like Landrum Middle and Bishop Kenny.
PVHS Robotics Team came in 3rd place overall. For the first
year, having a 20 plus team and coming in third is quite an accomplishment, for most of these other
teams have had a five to ten year veteran team, since the teams were founded.
In seven weeks the PVHS team engineered and constructed the bot. To then
program the robot to do complex tasks
that is on a board of PVC pipes and
wood. For every item that gets pushed
into a basket or pushed off a piece of
PVC pipe scores the team varied points.
Joe Sarci, the club’s founder and
president, has overcome so much to get this team competition
ready. From using his own garage as the shop for the team
to build their robot, leading 15­20 teammates into competition, He has multiple officers to help him keep things running
smoothly. The offices range from Joes Sister, Alexa Sacri to
Shivam Shah. To provide advice for the PVHS team, Geral-
dine Sarci and Martin Hiller assisted the PV Robotics team in
their preporation.
Joe had nothing but excited and confident things to say about
the club just a few days before the competition.
Joe commented, “The strength of the team is diversity.
We have all kinds of kids with different strengths and backgrounds…”
Intermit and Engineer for the team
commented, “We had a low budget robot
with modern principles, that being said,
we did what we could with what we had
and the final product was far superior the
are budget and that to me is awe inspiring.”
He later commented, “Well there are
going to be different challenges that we
must overcome, so we will see, but I
hope that we keep creating the quality
and preserving the flawless collaboration that we have had this
year, then the next years competition is in our hands.”
This robotics team is now gearing up for the international
level of competition in New Mexico in early July. If this team
preforms as well as they did at this last competition then the
world watch out.
On Monday, PVHS students rep-
resenting Operation
Teddy
Bear (OTB) Club visited
three Jacksonville Children organizations and delivered bears to
the children. The organizations
OTB delivers to are Trauma ONE,
Brooks Rehabilitation, and Children (St. Judes) Cancer Society.
There are 30 members in the club
who meet once a month at Ponte
Vedra High School. The sponsor of
Operation Teddy Bear Club is Ms.
Sterns, English Teacher at PVHS.
Members work with the community
to solicit donations allowing them
to purchase the teddy bears.
From left: Miller Farrell (President), Elizabeth Bugbee, Brandon Cleary, and Hannah Carn
(ALL SENIORS) with a Trauma
ONE Representative.
6
New app updates have little improvement
by Ross McCarthy
Smart phone applications are
always changing and adding
new features to the existing
app in order to keep its users
entertained
and
satisfied.
Although their intention for the
app is to improve it universally
for all, many users tend to be
enraged over the new changes
and deem them as unnecessary
or trying to do too much.
A perfect example of this
would be the recent Snap Chat
update. Snap Chat previously
was intended as a means of
quick, easy instant messaging
between friends, but now it has
added additional features. These
features include a viewing
feature where users can observe
their favorite sports moment
or the other option of reading
interesting articles written by
National Geographic on various
locations around the world.
This over complicates the easy
usage previously experienced;
in addition it requires a higher
speed of Internet in order to keep
the new information and images
updated on the application.
Another minor feature that has
caused major problems is the
best friends list.
Each “snap” sent to a user
is a score of 1 and the total
snap chats sent/received by
a user is totaled next to their
account user name. The people
who snap chat a user the most
talking to who. The comical
part about this is that people are
complaining that the application
is making things more private
and protecting personal info.
The puzzling thing is that Snap
Chat is a free application that can
be used with no payment prior or
after obtaining the app. So why
frequent will appear on their
best friends list due to the larger
number sent and received by a
given user. This is considered
by some as infamous because
it indicates to other users who
are contacting a specific person
more than the average person.
Relationships might hang in the
balance depending on if the girl
snaps multiple guys other than
her boyfriend and vice versa.
The new update removes this
option of seeing the best friends
list and has caused many people
to be enraged with the fact that
they can no longer see who is
don’t people discontinue the
usage of the app? The app has
not cost them a single cent and
yet they appear to be acting as if
it is a necessity on their mobile
phones, like texting or calling.
Similar problems arose in other
social networking sites such as
Vine’s new messaging system
and overall user experience.
The fact of the matter is that
applications such as Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter have
remained pretty consistent with
their original interface and have
just improved speed and overall
capacity.
“... this truth has caused a rapid decline in
future users and has made others rethink
the value of holding this app.”
wSnap Chats ratings on
the iTunes store (518 written
reviews) have been suffering
due to this rapid changes
and the fact that the app
experiences crashes every once
in a while, this truth has caused
a rapid decline in future users
and has made other rethink the
value of holding on to this app.
These reviews have only been
negative at the apps version
9.1.3, which is the apps most
recent innovative update.
The users have no real need
to fear, the company will listen
to the complaints eventually
and will improve the update in
order to sustain their large user
base.
Student programmer competes in statewide competition
by Rob Peeters
For many Ponte Vedra
High School students,
playing computer games
is an enjoyable way to
kill a boring afternoon or
escape the pressures of
academia. But for senior,
Reece Dantin, computer
games may hold the key
to his future. Reece, and
teammate Garrett Leapley, both members of the
Future Business Leaders
of America (FBLA), recently submitted their
computer game in a
state-wide competition.
Development on the
game called Datamine
began in December with
many hours spent match-
ing graphics
and
design
with
computer coding.
According to
rules for the
FBLA Computer
Game
& Simulation
Programming
competition,
submissions
had to focus on teaching
users about technology
and viruses. In Reece’s
game, the player is a virus
tracker who lives inside
a computer and travels
the network looking for
viruses. When one is detected a battle begins with
In January,
Reece
and
his teammate
learned their
creation had
won a district competition. Reece
then refined
the game and
PHOTO BY DREW DALTON s u b m i t t e d
it to a state
the launch of anti-virus competition. “The hardest
software discs at malware part was adding a feature
minions. The game’s ad- because when you add one
venture and challenge thing, two more break and
escalates from basic net- need to be rewritten”, exwork bugs to a Web Bot plained Reece. In March
boss while schooling the the team will learn the fate
user on computer technol- of their game when they
attend an FBLA conferogy.
ence in Orlando.
Reece finds programming pretty stressful
but extremely rewarding and plans to study
computer science in
college. In addition,
he hopes to work in
the programming field
after his studies. “I
love the feeling when
everything works, because after a good ten
minutes of typing and
you hit “run” and pray
everything works”, says
Reece. This is a process
that has come to dominate Recce’s life but
keeps him hooked on
programming.
Mr. Sabado: much more than an Intern
7
by Kayla Kelly
Born and raised as a local on the West Side of Jacksonville, Florida, Ponte Vedra High School recently welcomed a new opponent
into the shark tank, Philip Sabado. At the age of 15 he knew he wanted to be an educator under the strong influence of his supportive
parents. Where succeeding in school was an expectation and who
soon learned from them that it was no longer learning for his high
school, Ed White, but that it grew into what he called, “An intrinsic
motivation, learning for myself.”
Through the University of North Florida’s education program, Mr.
Sabado interned at three schools before coming to his new found
home, PVHS. Mr. Sabado says that
his internship here was, “the hardest
and most difficult internship I have
ever faced in my life.” His internship was a long process of learning
time management unlike anything
else, and taking on the responsibility like a full time teacher. Through
the support of administration Mr.
Sabado overcame obstacles and
was finally welcomed to the team soon after. But along his way into
earning the position of a full time teacher assistant, under the wing
of Jordan Schemmel, one of PVHS’s social science teachers, he
would soon find what Schemmel explained to him as “a drug”. The
drug, a metaphor, in an explanation as to watching the students here
mature, grow, and cultivate through education and build long-last-
ing relationships. Throughout his internship here, Mr. Sabado grew
to, “Appreciate the students hands down” and that within the short
amount of time he spent as an intern the 170 students already felt
dear to his heart.
Mr. Sabado began to grow tears in his eyes and started on a story that not only would inspire and enthuse his students but himself
as a new teacher, the story of his proudest moment during his internship. Known around this school’s campus as a “rap prodigy”,
he would take the chapter that was being taught and at the closing of every chapter, he would write and perform his own rap, integrating his love for hip hop and
social studies into one form. Two
students, seniors, Jacob Mahan
and Trent Padilla, decided to turn
the tables and instead wrote a rap
themselves, about their appreciation and not only the latest lesson
well-educated but the several life
lessons had they gained from Mr.
Sabado. Lines and rhymes about
not just your usual intern, but soon a man to be looked upon as an
inspiration.
“Through the support of
administration Mr. Sabado
overcame obstacles and was finally
welcomed to the team soon after.”
PHOTO BY JOSH DANIELS
8
After 30 years, Stearns wraps up career
by Alex Ossi
With 30 years under
her belt, Mary Carol
Stearns, English teacher at Ponte Vedra High
School, is one of the
more experienced teachers around. Having
taught age levels ranging from seventh grade
to twelfth grade, she has
decided that 30 years is
enough, and will be retiring at the end of the
2014-2015 school year.
While living in Hawaii, Ms. Stearns was
confronted by the minister of the church she
attended, who was also
a headmaster at a local
school, who begged her
to come and substitute
for a class. At the time,
Ms. Stearns was working
with a real-estate company where she “fixed
up reports” for a living.
Once she tried substituting, she fell in love with it
and from that point on she
been a teacher.
PHOTO BY JOSH DANIELS
Having taught in in three
different states, Hawaii,
California, and Florida,
Ms. Stearns has experienced many different situations in teaching. Her
favorite experience about
it all is when students who
may be struggling with a
certain topic, finally are
able to understand what
is going on. This experience shows that all the
teaching done will truly
help the students learn and
understand. She also said
she loves it when students
she has had; get accepted
to the colleges they want
to go to. Leaving years
of teaching behind, Ms.
Stearns said that the thing
she’ll miss the most about
it is, “hearing about the
students lives and not seeing [her] co-teachers every day.”
Though Ms. Stearns
is officially retiring, she
still plans on picking
up many hobbies after
retirement such as, golfing, cooking, and joining three book clubs.
At her home where she
lives with her husband,
who helps build ports
and harbors for a living,
she plans on picking up
gardening as another
hobby. She hopes to be
able to travel more often with her husband’s
job, to places like South
America. In addition,
she also plans on becoming a researcher for
her son’s film company.
In this position she will
be reading screenplays
and to provide suggestions
for improvement. She will
also be summarizing these
screenplays and reporting
back to her son for potential candidates for the acting position.
After a long run, Coach Mo retires
by Trent Padilla
As the 2014- 2015 school year comes to a close, Ponte Vedra High School not only will be
saying goodbye to yet another senior class, but also our beloved Team Sports leader, Coach Mo.
From the age of 14 Mr. Pete Molinaro, began working as a caddy. He would become a coach
after being surrounded by sports his whole life, in large part due to his father being a high school
and college football official. In 1975 Mo would start his coaching career at Central Regional High
School in New Jersey. He was then was hired by Nease High School in 1997 coach the golf and
basketball teams. Finally he transferred over to Ponte Vedra in it’s early years to play an instrumental role in starting the athletic program. From there he would also be the Team Sports teacher
and create cherished school wide traditions including the March Madness tournament. A crowning
moment in coach Mo’s career could easily be when he lead both the basketball and golf teams to
state championships.
While Coach Mo admits there is more he could offer here at Ponte Vedra, after getting up at six
a.m every morning for 46 years, he knew it was time for him to go saying, “ There’s just so much
more I want to do. I truly believe the best [years of my life are] still yet to come.” He is looking
forward to doing anything and everything that comes his way. The idea of retiring has definitely
has been hard on Coach Mo. He has became so fond of the student relationships that it sometimes
gives him cold feet, saying, “The one thing I will miss most when I’m gone are the kids.”
If there is one thing that is guaranteed it’s that Ponte Vedra will deeply miss one of the pioneers
of it’s athletic program.
PHOTO BY JOSH DANIELS
How vegetarians get their nutrients
9
by Gabrielle Gresham
After decades of globally inhumane treatment to animals,
many people have chosen to step forward and claim their
role as vegetarian in this world. They have decided to take
a stand, and stop giving money to an industry that kills innocent creatures. Or perhaps, they do it for health benefits,
‘‘Protein can be found in many earthly sustenances, such as lentils, beans, eggs, granola, nuts and green leafy vegetables.''
such as: lower cholesterol, prevent heart disease and diabetes, and maybe just a slimmer waist. When people hear the
term, “vegetarian” they often think, “anemic, malnourished
hippie”. Well, to be frank, it’s called being human. It’s possible to receive your daily nutrition while pursing your humane beliefs and making the world a better place.
The main factor that seems to put meat lovers in a tizzy is
protein. As a culture we believe that meat is the only source
of protein and we will starve without it. Not true. Protein can
be found in many earthly substances, such as lentils, beans,
eggs, granola, nuts and green leafy vegetables. To prove this
point, according to Veganstreet incorporation’s, 100 calories
of beef results in 6.4 grams of protein, while 100 calories
of broccoli results in 11.1 grams of total protein. Being 100
calories of broccoli provides much larger quantity than 100
calories of beef, so you get to eat more as a vegetarian. Since
there is no fat in broccoli, you can eat three cups of broccoli
in caloric proportion to steak.
Another substantial loss of nutrition vegetarians may face
if they do not substitute correctly, is iron. Lacking iron results in pale skin, weakness and in greater cases, anemia.
To prevent this, vegetarians eat sesame, collard greens, tofu,
beans, or iodized salt, depending on if they include that in
their diet.
“The only hard part about being vegetarian is the constant
questioning and ridiculing of meat eaters,” says sophomore,
Logan Gillespie, who has sustained a meat-free diet from the
age of seven.
Aside from the snide remarks and the constant hassle of
eating out, vegetarians benefit greatly from a plant based
diet. Due to the healthy acids and vitamins found in fruits
and vegetables, vegetarians strive with higher energy, stronger nails and hair, and a maintained weight. Also, you enjoy
the benefit of waking up every day knowing that you are a
part of something bigger and every time you turn down meat
you’re making a change.
When I grow up
I want to be...
With high school coming to an end, students are pressured to decide their career path,
and plan their future academic route accordingly. Specific schools better focus on preparing students for certain jobs, which students must take into consideration when
applying.
Comp;ied by Sarah Snyder, Caleigh Beane,
Ivy Virtue and Michael Cajigas
Graphics by Reece Dantin
Medical Field
Maddie Silva, sophomore: “I want to be some form of surgeon;
Grey’s Anatomy inspired me.”
Adam Snowden, sophomore: “I want to be a radiation
oncologist. They use different forms of radiation to help with
cancer treatment. I really like medicine and after having friends
and family go through radiation, I would like to help.”
Perry Bechtle, sophomore: “I want to be a doctor, because it is
an interesting field. My father inspired me.”
Top three universities to study medicine:
1.) Harvard University: The application fee at Harvard University is
$100. Harvard’s tuition full-time: $54,200. The faculty-student ratio at
Harvard University is 13.4:1. The Medical School has 12,584 full and
part-time faculty on staff.
2.) Stanford University: The application fee at Stanford University is
$85. Its tuition full-time: $50,715. The faculty-student ratio at Stanford
University is 2.0:1. The School of Medicine has 955 full and part-time
faculty on staff. For the class of 2014, 64.6 percent of graduates from
the School of Medicine at Stanford University who applied to residency
programs were admitted to their first choice.
3.) Johns Hopkins University: The application fee at Johns Hopkins
University is $90. Its tuition full-time: $47,250. The faculty-student ratio
at Johns Hopkins University is 6.0:1. The School of Medicine has 4,087
full and part-time faculty on staff.
Statistics
Average salary in the medical field (varies by specific field):
$156,000 to $315,000
Average years of schooling: 11-16 years (including college)
Journalism
Callie Brown, sophomore: “I want to be a journalist for
National Geographic in third world countries, because I want to
inform people what they don’t know about.”
Jordan Stallings, sophomore: “I want to be a sports journalist.
ESPN inspired me to want to be this.”
Top three universities to study journalism:
1.) University of Southern California: The Los Angeles based
university is known not only for its perfect weather and beautiful
students, but also for its Annenberg School for Communication
and Journalism. Annenberg is opening a new building in the fall
featuring a state of the art 20,000-square-foot digital newsroom.
USC also has the highest paid graduates from its journalism
program, according to College Factual.
2) Boston University, BU: Allows students to specialize
within the journalism major, offering focus areas in broadcast
journalism, magazine journalism, online journalism and straight
journalism.
3.) Washington and Lee University: As a liberal arts college,
W&L allows students to explore fields outside of their major
through a liberal arts education. Students still get plenty of
reporting experience — especially since they are required to
have at least one journalism internship before graduating.
Engineering
Ryan Udell, sophomore: “I want to have a PHD in business
and engineering. Who wouldn’t want to make millions? I would
really like to learn more about business concepts of the world,
and how everything works.”
Mark Davey, sophomore: “I want to be an engineer, because I
like math and science. I think it would be a fun job.”
Top three univiersities to study engineering:
1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Tuition full-time:
$44,720 per year. The 2014 Ph.D. student-faculty ratio was
5.5:1. The School of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of
Technology has 376 full-time faculty on staff.
2) Stanford University: Tuition full-time: $47,073 per year.
The 2014 Ph.D. student-faculty ratio was 7.1:1. The School of
Engineering at Stanford University has 241 full-time faculty on
staff.
3) University of California—Berkeley: Tuition full-time:
$11,220 per year (in-state) and full-time: $26,322 per year
(out-of-state). The 2014 Ph.D. student-faculty ratio was 5.6:1.
The College of Engineering at University of California--Berkeley
has 252 full-time faculty on staff.
Statistics
Statistics
Average salary in engineering: $80,580
Average salary in journalism: $38,000
Entry level education: Bachelor’s degree
Entry level education: Bachelor’s degree
12
Studying around the world
by Sarah Snyder
“Learning how to interact
with people from other countries and cultures equips future leaders in all sectors to
address urgent issues shared
across borders,” said Allan E.
Goodman and Stacie Berdan,
authors of “A Student Guide
to Study Abroad.” This is one
of the reasons that the popular
trend among college students to
study abroad is one that continues to grow.
Many college students aspire
to study in a foreign country,
whether for a summer, a semester, or a year. Anna Greene, a
junior at Vanderbilt University
(and Ponte Vedra High School
graduate), studied at the London School of Economics last
summer. “I would recommend
studying abroad to anyone. It
is honestly such a great experience. You have this cultural
exposure you don’t get such
visiting Europe for a couple of
weeks,” said Greene.
Among the benefits of studying abroad is helping students
have a better understanding
of global issues and connects
them to the larger world. Mol-
ly Davey, a sophomore at the
University of Virginia (also
a PVHS graduate) who spent
three weeks in Germany, said,
“I was working with German
students which helped me to
gain an international perspective on the global problem we
were tasked with solving.”
It is clear that studying abroad
helps to increase a students understanding of a culture, widen
their global perspective and enhance their ability to appreciate
new and different ideologies.
Greene stated, “I learned a lot
about the European perspective
on Economics, and enjoyed
learning about it from outside the US.” Davey agreed,
“Studying abroad exposed me
to parts of the world I probably
would never have encountered
otherwise.”
According to “Open Doors
Data,” about ten percent of
undergraduate students study
abroad. Depending on the college/university, a semester
abroad could cost, on average,
$17,785, according to “Fox
Business,” although financial
aid can be offered. Many colleges and universities offer
study abroad opportunities, but
there are practically an endless amount of programs that
can be applied to. Mary Grace
Scully, a senior at PVHS, hopes
to study abroad during her
schooling at The University of
Florida. “I want to study abroad
because I feel the best way to
learn about different cultures is
to immerse yourself in them,”
said Ms. Scully.
Study abroad programs, popular at colleges and universities
across the country, are trends
that are surely beneficial to
both the student, as well as the
globalizing world.
Online school opposed to traditional school
13
By: Alex Ossi
As more technology is created,
there become opportunities that
were never provided in the past.
One of which is the ability students have to take courses for
high school online. This online
(virtual) school provides an alternative to the usual big classroom size of traditional schooling and gives students who may
be socially awkward, focus better
with fewer people around, or just
want to take a class outside the
classroom, have a chance to help
them succeed. Though this might
sound like a perfect alternative
to traditional school, a lot of students who are enrolled in virtual
school, whether for only one or
two classes or for all, have began to notice it’s not as good as
it seems. Jonathan Schaeffer, senior at Ponte Vedra High School,
who is currently enrolled in English four online said, “It’s hard
because I have to teach myself
most of what I need to learn because the teacher is only there to
grade.” Students who take classes online often are under the impression they will be taught just
like they are in the classroom
PHOTO BY JOSH DANIELS
but over the computer, which is
not the case for a lot of classes.
Other students have noticed similar situations to Schaeffer’s such
as, online school is mostly based
upon one’s ability to be motivated and get work done on their
own, find an area where there is
limited distractions, and to predominately teach themselves les-
sons with the use of guidelines
provided. Schaeffer also said,
“Making schedules on my own
has allowed me to fall behind
of where I should be, it is much
harder than I thought it would
be to stay motivated and do my
work at home like I would be in
the classroom.”
There is also another argument
for virtual not being the best alternative to traditional schooling. That is that having classes
at home provides much more
opportunity for cheating to occur.
Schaeffer said, “If I really wanted to, I could find the answers to
every assignment I am required
to do just by doing a Google
search.”
Florida state legislature has
made a requirement for students
to have to take an online course
in order to graduate. This requirement causes issues for students learning, because taking
an online course creates a poor
learning environment for most
students. It is not easy to stay focused and truly learn at the same
levels as one would in the traditional classroom. On time graduation is also a serious concern for
virtual school students. According to the National Education
Policy Center, run by the University of Colorado at Bolder, in
the 2011-2012 school year, 37.6
percent of full time virtual school
students graduated on time, compared to 79.4 percent of public
school students who graduated
on time.
14
May the holidays
be with you
By Cedric Bautista
We often take for granted little things in our lives,
whether they be useful or not. With May coming
around the corner, here are some holidays you
may or may not have known about that celebrate
the most random things in our lives.
May 1st - Mother Goose Day
May 3rd - Lumpy Rug Day
May 4th - National Candied Orange Peel Day
May 4 – Star Wars Day
th
May 5th - National Hoagie Day
May 5th - Oyster Day
May 6th - Beverage Day
May 6th - No Diet Day
May 7th - National Tourism Day
May 8th - No Socks Day
May 9th - National Train Day
May 10th - Clean up Your Room Day
May 11th - Eat What You Want Day
May 11 - Twilight Zone Day
th
May 12th - Limerick Day
May 13th - Frog Jumping Day
Girls and Boys,
Different or the same
By Emily McAullife
These are some questions that were asked to both a guy and a girl.
Clay Welch, Paige
Eastland, Lindsay Bettis,
Austin Sizemore, Avery
Guenther, and Chris
Tomazewski
BMW or Jeep?
Paige- BMW
Clay- Jeep
Lindsay- BMW
Austin- BMW
Avery- BMW
Chris- Jeep
Which is more
important: grades or
sports?
All of the girl respondents
said they preferred grades.
Clay- sports
Austin- sports
Chris- grades
May 13th - Leprechaun Day
May 14th - Dance Like a Chicken Day
May 15th - National Chocolate Chip Day
May 16th - Love a Tree Day
May 16th - National Sea Monkey Day
May 17th - Pack Rat Day
May 18th - No Dirty Dishes Day
May 20th - Be a Millionaire Day
May 20th - Pick Strawberries Day
May 21st - National Waiters and Waitresses Day
May 22nd - Buy a Musical Instrument Day
May 23rd - Lucky Penny Day
May 24th - National Escargot Day
May 25th - Tap Dance Day
May 27 - Sun Screen Day
th
May 30th - Water a Flower Day
May 31st - National Macaroon Day
Hot or cold weather?
Sophia Bracken, Corey Gracie Gardner, Chris
Russi, Sam Isaacs, and James, Lindsay Freeman,
Noah Solaun
and Zach Devlin
How long does it take
to get ready in the
morning?
Sophia- 15 minutes
Corey- Takes about 30
minutes
Sam- 10 minutes
Noah- 5 to 10 minutes
Which is worse failing
or never trying?
Both Gracie and Lindsay
said failing was worse.
Both Chris and Zach said
never trying was worse.
Shower at night or in What is one thing you
the morning?
cannot live without?
Sophia- night
Corey- both
Sam- night
Noah- night
Gracie and Lindsay said
their cellphone.
Chris- sports
Zach- girls
Breakfast, lunch, or
dinner?
Sophia- breakfast is
Twitter or Instagram?
preferred for all three
Gracie- Instagram
meals
Chris- Instagram
Corey- dinner
Lindsay- Twitter
Sam- lunch
Zach- Instagram
Noah- dinner
All respondents said they
preferred hot weather.
Favorite time of day?
Sophia- anytime I can go
to the beach and get a tan
Corey- whenever P.E. is
or whenever 3:45 rolls
On the phone or
around
watching TV when
Sam- when I get to go to
bored?
sleep
All of the girl respondents
Noah- when I get to go to
said they preferred their
bed
phone when they’re bored.
All of the boy respondents
said they preferred
Beach or mountain
watching TV when they’re vacation?
bored.
Sophia- beach
Corey- beach or
mountain to get the best
of both worlds
Sam- beach
Noah- mountain
Soda or water?
All respondents said
water.
Winter or spring
break?
Gracie- spring break
Chris- winter break
Lindsay- spring break
Zach- spring break
Tennis serving big this season
15
By Kayla Kelly
Traveling away from
home, Ponte Vedra’s
High School Tennis
Team took a trip down
south to the nest wrapping up their 2015 season with a tremendous
win against the Pedro
Photo by Eliza Green
Menendez
Falcons,
GIRLS TENNIS TEAM Gathers for a team
defeating
everything
photo
on his last match of the
that flew on the court. The singles matchseason, Massey said, “I
es proved to be a blowout and doubles were
liked the camaraderie
none than the less. With an annihilation
and the collective supagainst Pedro Menedez’s Geiger and Molliport everyone showed
ca, Anthony Capaso, junior at PVHS, and
for each other during
Davis Massey, sophomore at PVHS, proved
their matches.”
The
untouchable with a win 8-0. Looking back
2014-2015 Tennis season
has officially come to an
end with an outstanding
record this year.
460 Davis Park Road
Ponte Vedra, FL 32081
(904) 547-7350
[email protected]
Editor in Chief
Brett Greene
Production Manager
Grace Kellaher
Sports Editor
John Panner
Photographers
Drew Dalton
Josh Daniels
Graphic Design Editor
Reece Dantin
Copy Editors
Emmanuel
Stamatogiannakis
Mary Grace Scully
Page 2 Editor
Tess Reiman
Advertising Manager
Alex Bowden
Associate Editors
Mary Grace Scully
Michael Swain
Ryan Wiele
Matt Norton
Abbey Parker
Advisor
James Johnson
The Tiburon accepts editorial comments on all relevant issues from students,
staff, and members of the
community. Letters to the
editor must be accompanied by a signature. The
Tiburon reserves the right
to edit letters for length,
clarity, and factual accuracy, but will not attempt to
alter the meaning or intent.
Opinions of The Tiburon
editorials do not necessarily
reflect the views of the Ponte
Vedra High School administration, St. Johns County
Public Schools, or the St.
Johns County School Board.
The advertisments of the
products or services in The
Tiburon do not imply endorsement by either The
Tiburon or the St. Johns
County School District.
The Tiburon is a student
product of the Journalism classes at PVHS.
16
Sharks off to the races on the track
by Nolan Fordam
“Our strengths
are individual
athletes...”
SENIOR, NICOLE GREENE
TAKES ON THE LONG JUMP
DURING A TRACK AND FIELD
MEET. NICOLE HAS COMMITTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
NORTH CAROLINA.
PHOTO BY DREW DALTON
The high school Track and Field Freshman/ Sophomore
Invitational held at Nease High School on March 25 included
several schools in the area, such as Creekside High School,
Bishop Snyder High School, Nease, and even the Florida
School for the Deaf and Blind. With a new Track and Field
coach, Coach Zane Guile, the team had a lot to prove. When
asked if the event was tougher because the meet is held at
rival school-Nease, freshman, Quinn Mowlam replied, “Not
really, but the more schools in general make it tougher.”
Coach Guile says, “Our strengths are individual athletes and
our weaknesses are that we are very young and lack experience.” He says he likes coaching for Ponte Vedra but that, “It
has its moments… A lot of things I didn’t expect, but a lot of
nice things.” One of the biggest issues Coach Guile thinks the
team needs to work on is being a team and working together.
That shouldn’t be too difficult because freshman, Kev’on Ahmad says, “our biggest strength is our teamwork and we love
supporting each other no matter what.”
At the end of the day, Ponte Vedra High School placed
fourth for the men’s bracket scoring a total of 91 points
while the women’s bracket, Ponte Vedra came in second;
scoring a total of 110 points. Ke’von Ahmad scored an impressive 30 combined points from the Long Jump, 100-meter dash, and 200-meter dash. When asked what events he
participated in, Kev’on said he commonly participated in
the, “long jump, 100-meter, 4x1, and 4x4.” Kev;on attributed greatly to the team making a third of the team’s total
points. Other athletes that contributed greatly to the team’s
overall efforts are: Stela Hymeri, Gabriella Fasanelli, Christian Herring, Gabriel Dion, and Makenzie Leonard. Nicole
Greene came in first for the 2015 Bob Hayes Inivtational
by getting a total of 5.79 meters for the Girl Long Jump and
1.82 meters in the Girls High Jump. Nicole came in second:
scoring 12.00 meters for the Girls High Jump; 0.12 meters
less than the first place winner.
Sharks JV lacrosse ending season off strong
by: Tori Hilbert
Playing in a shark tank underwater, due to inclimate weather conditions, the Creekside
Knights girls lacrosse team (Junior Varsity) were proven beatable.
Although the Knights
scored within the first
three minutes, freshman, Rachel Newcombe,
quickly made a goal to
follow. Before the first
half ended, Creekside
scored two more times,
closing the half with a
score of CA3-1.
Kicking off the second
half, Creekside unfortunately scored instantly.
Minutes later, freshman,
Tatum Taucher scored
a goal which made the
game neck and neck.
Shortly after, freshman,
Leah Sills, brought the
heat, leveling the score to
a tie, 4-4.
The going got tough
when the Knights scored
their final goal, putting
them up by one point.
by: Tori Hilbert
Favorably, Tatum Taucher scored yet another
goal within the last two minutes of the last half.
The game closed with a tied score of 5-5.
Granted this was neither an easy win nor lose
for the JV Lady Sharks, coach, Hayley Wort-
man, concluded “The girls definitely showed
improvement against Creekside since our
first meeting this season. They played great
defense and showed they could work as a
team.”
PHOTO BY: DREW DALTON
JUNIOR, JORDAN GRUNE practices her shot before her upcoming game.
Boys Lacrosse finish season strong
The rivalry between our very own boys varsity lacrosse team
and St. Augustine has turned out to be one of the better lacrosse
rivals in St. Johns County.
In a district playoff game, which just so happened to be senior day, the game turned out to be breeze. Senior, Miles Silva,
quickly scored two goals within the first minute. Seniors, Eric
Applegate, and Logan Taucher, both had single goals themselves to follow. In turn, a freshman on the opposing team, ended up scoring the first of the total two by St. Augustine. Shortly afterwards, the last of the total two goals was made by St.
Augustine. Before the first quarter ended, senior, John Harding
assisted his senior classmate, Rob Peeters in a goal to make the
score 5-2. “We made some steady strides as a team this season,
and I’m glad to be apart of such a humble team,” Peeters said.
The second quarter flew by, ever in our favor, with goals after
more goals. To end this victorious quarter, sophomore Andrew
O’Dare, assisted senior, Miles Silva, in his third goal this game,
bringing the score to 12-2.
Starting the third quarter off right, senior, Miles Silva, scored
yet another goal. Senior, Connor Vaughn, scored the second
to last goal of the game, assisted by, junior, Jude Kuhn. As a
tribute to the final score, sophomore, Marshall Few, added one
more point which closed the game. The final score was 19-2.
After this game, the record leveled out to be 16-2.
17
18
Sharks softball pummles Menendez
by: Molly Miller
Perhaps one of the most exciting series of matchups that
Ponte Vedra High softball has encountered this season have
been against the Pedro Menendez Falcons. Earlier in the season on February 20, PV suffered a serious 3-13 loss to Pedro
Menendez. The Sharks were not working well together yet and
Pedro won easily.
The Sharks rallied later in the season, fired up on March 26, senior night to win on home turf 7-2. The team took the field with
confidence and proved themselves by taking a 2-0 lead by the
end of the first inning. With a Menendez runner on base, Mary
Jacobsen, junior at PVHS, leapt into the air and caught a ball
making its way over the fence and saved the team from tying
the game. The Ponte Vedra girls held off their Pedro opponents
throughout the next six innings only letting in two base hits
during the 4th and 5th innings. In addition to the two points in
the first inning, the hitters for PV racked up five more points
to add to the scoreboard. With a final score of 7-2, Ponte Vedra varsity softball players left the dugout satisfied with the
outcome.
Going into the FHSAA district 4-5A playoffs, the Ponte Vedra Sharks girls once again found themselves facing the Pedro
Menendez Falcons. To this point, the Sharks had achieved a
winning record of 14 wins and 11 losses. Shortstop Morgan
Podany and infielder Claudia Cotto both had impressive averages. Going into districts, Podany was hitting .474 with 11
home runs, 26 RBI and a .524 on-base percentage. Cotto was
not far behind, hitting .456 with 27 RBI and a .492 on-base
percentage. Assistant Coach Gordie Rolison is proud of the great
leadership of his key senior players Morgan Podany and Mary Jacobson. Gordie commented, “The seniors have really stepped it up
this year and have served as great role models for the underclassmen. Morgan has really led the team.” In addition he added, “Not
only have the seniors stepped up but also freshman Kiley Hennessey and Elizabeth Fox have exerted themselves in helping the
team. It’s been a solid year so far. We have high hopes for districts.”
Pedro’s coach Gatlin was quoted before the district match-up
in the Jacksonville Times Union as saying that the game would
come down to pitching. The Falcons scored first in the bottom of
the first inning but could not stand up against the Sharks offense.
Ponte Vedra had 10 hits on the night. Taylor Bradshaw, a sophomore, went 3 for 3 and also walked and drove in two runs. Mary
Jacobsen got a single in the third inning, scoring junior Abby Zitiello to tie the game. Menendez tried to come back in the bottom of
the sixth inning, but PV pitcher Nicole Johnson was able to hold
off the Falcons to advance Ponte Vedra to the district championship
game against Clay County.
Kiley Hennessey, one of the four freshman on the varsity softball team this year, enjoyed playing with all of the girls this season
and is “Sad to see the seniors leave because they have given me
so much encouragement, They went out of their way to make the
freshmen feel welcome.” Hennessey states that the girls have had
a “very solid year and I am very excited to play softball at Ponte
Vedra for the next three years.”
PHOTO BY: JOSH DANIELS
MAGGIE GLYNN runs in for a Touchdown in this years annual powderpuff game as
the seniors take the W.
Sharks baseball plans to turn it around
by Trent Padilla
The Ponte Vedra baseball
team has had a slow start
to the season with a 8-15
record but are looking to
turn the page heading into
playoffs.
After three quick victories
the Sharks have hit a skid
going 5-15 coming from a
lack of runs crossing the
plate. Head Coach Tom
Stanton attributes some
of the struggle to poor at
bats saying, “it’s not even
so much the hitting , its
just getting ground balls
and fly balls to move the
runners.”
One of the more bitter
losses
came
against
district foe Palatka. Even
after a strong game from
Senior Donovan Garrard,
going 3-3, the sharks were
not able to get the runs
needed for a win. However
SOPHOMORE, ERIC ALEMAN, ON the mound, warms up before a
“There are only 7 wins that matter. The 7 at the beginning
give you 7 atta boys, the 7 at the end get you a ring.”
2 0 1 5
M a r c h
Madness
LeftSOPHOMORE, JD
PIRRIS,
DRIBBLES down
the court to score a
basket for his team
in this year’s March
Madness.
Right- SENIOR,
JOHN FENNEL,
SIZES up his
defender in this
year’s March
Madness.
19
they were able to get revenge and a much needed
district victory crushing
Palatka 14-4 the next day. Although the season has
been filled with turmoil
there is much promise
in this years team. It
all starts with the deep
pitching rotation that is
only giving up around
three runs a game. Led
by the pitching the sharks
look to turn the season
around as they start
heading into crunch time.
Although the baseball
team is disappointed
with being tied for third
place in the district Coach
Stanton put it perfectly
saying, “There are only 7
wins that matter. The 7 at
the beginning give you 7
atta boys, the 7 at the end
get you a ring.”
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