For the first time at Westland, we are

introducing the Health Information Pro-

ject club. The club is based purposely

on teaching students about health

awareness and how to be healthy. The

club also encourages and assists teens

in accessing existing community health

resources. Club members meet twice a

month to discuss topics such as rela-

tionships, health, and different types of

drugs. The program includes peer-to-

peer discussions, several multimedia

presentations, social marketing, and

health promotion activities. Club finder

and director, Risa Berrin, started the

club to teach and address the health

crisis within teens in America.

The club is made up of all juniors who

go around talking to ninth grade classes

about different health issues and what

can be done to prevent them. “The

freshmen are very interested by the in-

formation,” said club leader, Ms. Marga-

rita Carrasco. Throughout the entire dis-

trict, over 6,000 freshmen will be in-

formed about all types of health issues

and places they can go to receive more

information on how to stay safe. The

club is very informative on how the stu-

dents can make the best decision con-

cerning their health. To join the club,

you must be a junior, have a 2.0 GPA,

and a flexible schedule. For more infor-

mation on the club, visit www.behip.org .

The Road To Education By : Brayan Diaz

On November 20,

2012 Westland students,

mainly composed of fresh-

men and sophomores,

embarked on a journey of

discovery and motivation.

For three days they visit-

ed; the University of Cen-

tral Florida, University of

Florida, Florida State Uni-

versity, University of South

Florida, and Florida Gulf

Coast University. They

learned about the

school’s background, fa-

cilities, and requirements

needed to attend.

The objective of the trip

was “to expose and moti-

vate students, particularly

underclassmen, to gear

their studies toward ful-

filling the requirements

necessary for admittance

to at least one of the 11

major, public universities

in the state of Florida,”

said Mrs. Katrina Cordova,

of the English Department.

According to Ayamey Caro,

junior, “the trip was enter-

taining; everyone was get-

ting along, it turned out to

be a learning experience

for everyone.”

It is still up for debate if

there is going to be anoth-

er trip in the spring.

“Model behavior and aca-

demic excellence is re-

quired for attendance, stu-

dents should make sure

that they are demonstrat-

ing their aptitude and de-

sire to attend the trip by

exhibiting these character-

istics in all of their clas-

ses,” added Mrs. Cordova.

College can be frightening

for anyone and these trips

help the students get some

exposure to the college

atmosphere and lifestyle.

Let’s hope for another trip

this spring, Wildcats.

Inside this issue:

Opinion 2

School Events 3

Entertainment 4

2012 Flashback 5

Sports 6

Ads 7

Ads 8

Volume 5, Issue 2

Winter 2013

THE WILDCAT CHRONICLES Westland Hialeah Senior High School

Be Smart, Be You, Just Be….H.I.P. By Amanda Blanco and Javier Gonzalez

Upcoming Wildcat Events!

February 8-Senior

Breakfast

March 22-March 31-

Spring Break

April 15-24-FCAT

April 26-Prom

May 4-Grad Bash

June 4-Graduation

Is The Safety Of America At Risk? By: Julio Fumero & Javier Gonzalez

Since the Civil War Era Americans have had the right to bear arms. It arose when the Second Amend-

ment was ratified in 1791. The Second Amendment contains two clauses: The Militia Clause and The Right to

Arms Clause. Those clauses were intended primarily for security purposes. It allows people to protect them-

selves and their homes from harm and it made it easier for soldiers that were part of the militia to have ac-

cess to guns. Since then, there has been much argument on the subject in light of recent events, such as the

school shooting in Newtown, CT., which has the United States divided.

Many questions have arisen due to these national tragedies. As a nation, what measures need to be

implemented? Some suggest more gun control, stating that the Second Amendment does not have much

validity to us anymore. Others want more security measures at school, such as having more armed guards

present in every doorway and teachers carrying weapons. Some demand better mental healthcare since

most of these gunmen have had serious illnesses. Many citizens have even turned in their weapons to their

local police in an effort to ensure more safety in their households. Yet, we can always argue the other side.

What about those illegal weapons that criminals will not turn in? Are we still that much safer?

The topic of gun control is a controversial one and will likely not be solved overnight. We shall see

what measures the government plans to put into action in the coming days as Vice-President Joe Biden

shares his plan of action with President Obama. For now, we should never forget the victims of these tragic

massacres in our nation’s history. We must honor their lives and treat each other with respect and dignity as

we stay hopeful for a resolution to this crisis.

Massive Shootings in the US

Dating back to 1999, there has been a total of 61 mass shootings in the United States. The rate of people killed by guns

in the United States is 19.5 times higher than similar high income countries in the world (Shen). Below is a timeline of

some of the shootings from 1999 to present:

* April 20, 1999- Columbine High School in Littleton, Co., 13 people killed and

21 wounded.

* July 29, 1999- Mark Barton murdered his wife, 2 children and 12 other family members before killing himself.

* March 25, 2006- Kyle Aaron Huff, went on a shooting spree through Capitol Hills in

Seattle, WA. The massacre was the worst killing in Seattle since 1983.

* April 16, 2007- Virginia Tech became the deadliest school shooting in United States history. Seung-Hui Choi

gunned 56 people, 32 of those perished.

* January 8, 2011- Former Rep. Gabby Gifford was shot in the head when a gunman opened fire at a market. 19

people total were shot, one of Gifford’s staffers was killed, along with a 9 year old girl.

* July 20, 2012- Aurora, CO., 58 people were wounded, 12 killed inside a theater during the release of The Dark

Knight Rises.

* December 11, 2012-Newtown, CT., 27 were shot and killed inside the Sandy Hook

Elementary School. 20 were children and 6 were adults, including the school’s Principal and school counselor

Shen, Aviva. "A Timeline of Mass Shootings in the US Since Columbine." Think progress.. 14 December 2012. Web. 23

Page 2

The Wildcat Chronicles

Just Say No! By: Dora Gonzalez

To close the event, guest

speaker, Jordan Bontrager, from

the Tobacco Prevention Youth

Advocacy.

Julio Fumero, senior, attended

the assembly said that “Listening

to Mr. Bontrager and saying the

pledge alongside Dr. Adderly,

proved to me that tobacco just

isn’t the route to go.” Before we

dissmissal, Dr. Adderly put to-

gether a tobacco pledge and had

all the invited classes pledge to

never to use the deadly drug.

Miami Dade Health Department

closed the ceremony with their

slogan. “Help create a world with

less cancer and more birthdays.”

On, December 7th, 2012, the

Westland Wildcats were honored to

have their 1st smoke-out assembly.

Not only was it a way of reaching

out to the Wildcat student body

about how smoking affects every-

day life, this assembly also featured

performances from our Wildcat

Dance Troupe, The Drama Club and

our Wildcat Drum line. The assem-

bly welcomed important personnel

from MDCPS, such as Dr.Moran,

and students who achieved a score

of 4 or higher on their FCAT exam.

Winter Festivities

By: Dora Gonzalez

This year the Drama

Club put on a

Christmas play,

“T’was the Night of

Noche Buena” written

by Nicole Mujica.

Kateryn Sanchez stared as “Elina”.

The play focused on the Cuban-

American teenager, Elina who’s given

a Christmas break project to re-write

the famous poem ,“T’was the Night

Before Christmas.” Elina, coming from

a Cuban heritage, begins to think that

her family is not normal because they

do not celebrate Christmas the Amer-

ican way. The show premiered on De-

cember 12, 2012 and was the perfect

start to the holiday season.

Ms. Karla Briceño did her own

show called Fall Frills. The show prem-

iered November 29th, 2012 and was

a huge success! This show featured

The Wildcat Dance Troupe and reper-

toire guest performers such as, the

Marlins Energy team, Hotspot danc-

ers, and the Showstoppers. Troupe

Captain, Jennifer Garcia, stated

“During the summer we

worked hard in our camp

and learned the dances

we presented.” The show

featured a variety of danc-

es from Hip-Hop, Lyrical,

and Contemporary.

Wildcat Chronicles Vol.5 No.2

Westland Hialeah Senior High

400 West 18th Avenue

Hialeah FL, 33012

(305) 818-3000 Ext: 2198

The Wildcat Chronicle’s mission is to inform and entertain all students,

faculty, and staff with everything Wildcat. We aim to cover every event

pertaining to Westland Hialeah Senior High.

Editor in Chief: Dora Gonzalez

Managing Editor: Brayan Diaz

News Editor: Amanda Blanco

Sports Editor: Julio Fumero

Opinion Editor: Javier Gonzalez

Entertainment Editor: Madelaine Farrada

Photo Editor: Dora Gonzalez

Advertising Manager: Brayan Diaz

Staff Writers: Dora Gonzalez, Amanda Blanco, Madelaine Farrada, Javier

Gonzalez, Julio Fumero, Brayan Diaz

Page Designers: Dora Gonzalez, Amanda Blanco, Madelaine Farrada

Advisor: Ms. Arlene Socorro

Page 3

D E H I S T O R Y G R N G U H P J X

G G Q W S R E H C A E T M P G N B K

I V V S E R O M O H P O S M O T S V

Y C B O I R O C L O O H C S C L X Z

N N K I R E A D I N G W H U V X L R

E O Y O V G O H F J S O F T B A L L

M I R F L S Z R E C C O S B T I C O

H T A N H E P W E S T L A N D V E X

S A U E H N F O O T B A L L K F A Q

E R N L D I B W E Y G S K M W O P I

R T A E S O S C I E N C E K D S B K

F S J C T R V Q Q K W G D M T T Z J

M I W T N S J U N I O R S D A A Y T

R N P I E P F M K X F J U C F C J J

I I I V D G L L X O L D J U B D N G

Administration Math Students

Baseball Reading Teachers

Electives School Tico

Football Science Westland

Freshmen Seniors Wildcats

History Soccer Juniors

January Softball Sophomores

* Suit & Tie—Justin Timberlake feat. JAY Z

* I Knew You Were Trouble—Taylor Swift

* Ho Hey—The Lumineers

* Locked Out of Heaven—Bruno Mars

*Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia

* Don't Stop the Party—Pitbull feat. TJR

* Beauty and a Beat—Justin Bieber feat Nikki Minaj

* Home—Phillip Phillips

* Daylight—Maroon 5

* Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

Page 4

Now that we’ve survived, what the Mayans called “The End Of the World” let’s flash-back on some 2012 Wildcat memories.

Homecoming….

Football….

Drama Performances...

Congratulations to the Boys Soccer team on

their success on becoming district champions!

Page 5

One Team, One Heartbeat By: Julio Fumero

The Wildcat Boys Soccer team is back

and better than ever. Since last season,

the team as a whole has made tremendous

improvement. Their goal this season is to

make it to playoffs and earn the district

title, by triumphing over Homestead, Ameri-

can, and Belen. Thus far, they have played

nine games this season with two wins, two

losses, and six ties. Coach Greg Solano is

extremely proud of his soccer team and

their advancements. Luigi Infanzon, sen-

ior, has scored a total of 5 goals this sea-

son. Infanzon is determined and ready to

reach district ; since their one point loss

last year.

Maykol Valdes, senior, is proud to be

a starter for the Westland Hialeah

soccer team. When asked about other

teams, Valdes stated “Playing against

American feels like playing in the fi-

nals. Daniel Gonzalez, senior, gave

the same sentiment about the team

and how proud he is.

This year the Westland Hialeah

Boys Soccer Team became district

champions! The entire faculty and

student body would like to congratu-

late Coach Solano and the entire

team on their incredible achievement!

Teamwork Makes The Dream Work! By: Madelaine Farrada

Wildcat basketball is back in season as the boys

played their first game of the 2012-2013 school

years on Monday, November 19th, against the

Belen Wolverines. “Belen has always been a tough

district opponent, along with Mater and Central,”

stated basketball coach, Samuel Watts. Off-season

training was no joke this year. “It’s been the tough-

est but most beneficial off-season conditioning so

far,” said varsity starter, Roger Chirino.

This year many of the players participated in the

cross-country team as a form of conditioning. This

is something that has not been done since the bas-

ketball program here at Westland initiated. “Being

part of the cross-country team has given me more

endurance, leg strength and speed. It put me in a

better overall physical shape,” stated Chirino.

The Wildcats also participated in summer leagues

and team camps in preparation for their season. The

expectations this year for the team are pretty high. “I

believe we have a chance in making the playoffs this

year,” claimed coach Watts. He feels the team this

year is more experienced and more united com-

pared to previous years. The thought of new starters

on the field isn’t much to worry about either. “The

loss of last year’s seniors isn’t going to be a problem

at all, “ added Coach Watts.

“Our new starters are more than ready to fill in

their shoes,’’ commented varsity starter, Christian

Gonzales.

The Wildcat Chronicles, along with the rest of our

Wildcat family, wishes our Basketball program the

best of luck in reaching their expectations.

Page 6

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Page 7