memories at prom

Ptease see

Please see

Ivette Dobarganes

shown excellence in their chosen field and

to the community in
.wi,,,,,,t'<> and

American's Silver
nominees
this year, and were
to the
and commu-

at
school. StUdents
emeritus
pers and 1968 Pulitzer Prize winner.
A
statute and cash

to

arduous
of selectone winner in each catwith
Honorable

alJ!JI!~'U

counselors and a
committee to chose the
Students are nominated
on
their academic acheivement and service to
all
of the student's achievements do not
have
be in their chosen "..,.,,,,,,~
"
those students
showed the initiative to
said

nominee.
The interview is a vital
the student's

in Stu~
dent Government as she served as

to serve their
their future
The

Senators;
. Senator and Sasha
more
These me
rs
nder
of Ms. Tina Goitia
have to coordinate events such

The

the

Brain Brawl finalist

to

20th at the Auditorium. Senior contestants included

drea Zuniga, Brad Est
dRamirez,
Sheldon Allen
the

it

Hu r r Ie a n e Flo yd ... F C AT' s

... Homecoming ... Y2K ... SAT's .... AP
Exams ... ClassTrips... Grad
Admissions .. Jt has been
a demanding year, but as a school and as individu"
als we have managed to
ready to bask in the warm summer sun.
So as students prepare to
on the
here is some advice to prepare for
2000, when we once
enter
the cycle of
and responsibility....
"To accomplish
we must

not only act but also

not
also
Anatole France
you
school into a new
your
special
on what the
and the
and succeed in
school has been a comfortable
shelter, and American has given you the
opportunity to
a foundation to the
of young-adult you will be, capitalize on all
that you have
here from math

equations to people skills, walk

an educated, civilized person,
<1IJI"'dll.JY;:' for their
not throws
them.
-" "",n"., its our time to take the lead!
Come August 2000 all eyes will be on us.
We are
to set the mode for the entire school year. If we expect to have a
fun, memorable
we should come ny<",n"".,.,rll-,. n,,,rror,, ....!>ta

must remain
remain considerate,
and
to lend a hand to our fellow Patriots. As 2001 ,
I have been
fortunate
hand what
we will leave a
successful class-only
a
if we enter the next school year with enthusiasm and ,,~,~~."'~,,-;~~
. While one's <il:nl'1!hf~!'n,n;i"""
parallel that
a middle
child ( with all the attention either
the ''freshmeaf' freshman or the
seniors,) your time to bask in the
upperclassman is soon
Believe me, it feels
Just stay
of the

half of the staff is either not into the

process or walks out once
got
self as an
student through extracurricular activities and !'l(',~rl"'lTIi,"",
that
have a
lege of
Congratulations Freshman! You
chaotic year at
have survived

a task to be

Ms. Goitia a

craved since my freshman year. Thank

You MS.G for
with newspaper
when you did not have
with
an incredible ,,,,..,,,,n,-.~
and
do not know how you
time to breathe.
I understand that many
were discontent with the
of time it took to

Laura Figueroa

David Garcia

Sports

JLJUi. . . . . .

The Third
is the official publication of American Senior
SchooL
Opinions expressed may not reflect the view and IJIUll''''li!;;~
and administrators. We welcome all signed-letters, which rnay be edited for
content and space. Letters can be turned in to Mrs. Goitia in room 135.

Hope-

editor-in-chlef has drained the blood out

of me, I am

Goitia

Myleen Arcia

criticisms or jeers you may have received

for
an "ewwwwfresrman", you are
and in the end

557"3770

Kadina '"" "" ""

art

you have become comfortable with

American, and if
perhaps then
the will to change those

second

Phone:

their

not
or
have news for you ... anyone
can be doesn't have
to do with looks or race. You
think homosexuals have it
easy, well did you know sometimes
out of their

two

me sane and
next year, I
wll! continue to
upon our stanso that you
The Third
is worth!

As editor-in -chief

in
of

Staff Writer
Just
teenage life could not get
any worse
the exception of drugs,
alcohol, and sex) teens are being forced
to deal with Ageism.
is a form of
discrimination against someone due to
their
The
result in
an increase of drug, alcohol, and
among teenagers who perceive these
negative sources as a refuge from the
stressful, disrespectful, and regretful sociTeenagers are the future; they are next
to run
they deserve better than
Teenagers are as human
the next
person and for thatreason it is
certified that they have: equal
rights,
respect, """-; tha,
have the freedom of expression.
Every morning students rise for the
flag and recite the pledge of allegiance and
end with the five words
and justice
for all." "All" means everyone, every U.S.
citizen. Whether you were born
caught the bus here, or have a green card
that says you have the
to be
then you too are a U.S. citizen. The Dade
board
to
teenagers of their first amendment
by at~
tOn"lnti.,,,

to

im,~IQ'''niOlnt

ofthe
boa.rd
in
Prior review is a form of censoywhere the
or other school
reviewa student's
before it
goes Into the school newspaper and dewhether or not it will
If
this were to
in any local or compaper, the writer could claim "violation of their first amendment' The first
amendment of the constitution
every U.S
the
of freedom of
and
Are students not citizens?
not considered
like everyone else? if your
answer is yes, then
would the
to censor their words?
but mgny
still insist on
Teenagers
and forced into
a race that is then later made into a law.
When 17
HML student caused
accident that killed three
teenagers on their way back
the schoo! board closed campus for numerous schools. Statistics prove car accidents to
and
Despite the
that the death rates of car
accidents are so
that did not
National
idea to interdict all
world. So if the idea to
tional travelina due to excessive accidents
didn't
the national
does it affect the school
think that

doctors

said

who still have

senior.

",,,,..,l"IanT,,,"

at a greater risk of
car accident
than an adult over the age of 21 causes
insurance rates to go
for all teenage drivers. Drunk drivers are
car accidents
up
after
How is it that tn"".,,,,,,,,,,,
rate
into
a car? Isn'nhis discrimination based on

must respect me because i am an adult"

been used as a cliche rather than a
nr;uii"""';,f'u,,,

or an adult If you are an adult

you may enter with what ever
you
have and be free to
as usual. Teenagers are
to stand
alf three students in at a time
are asked to leave their
at
the front counter. After all these
cies are carried
are then
the clerks. "The reasons be" says one store clerk has
to
do with the fact that tho" .,,,,,, '",on<>,-,o""
but that t<:>",n:::.m:or",

.
characteristics has
fallen into the hands of a law suit in which
sued

As a

age," says
What adults fail to realize
is that no one is
and because of
that reason we all
mistakes.
fail
understand that we could all
from each other and that yes, tlClt:>n:::;nl"r

What's the difference between the racists remark and the

remark besides color? Thev are bothdiscriminat~
that its to
to=>on<'lnl"r",:::.r.on't
allowed at
the.
_
Mainstreet in Miami Lakes

can teach you "'''''''<>1rn,.",...,

dislres!Jected so much
and
are used to convict them of .

have devoted most of

lives to
fall upon deaf ears. Even the'
aside and for what? Be-

for kids rather than a

watch movies,"

, Features

you
. are
No one can describe a thief.
A thief can be dressed a 3
suit
sandals and boxers.
can be dressed in a casual Calvin Klein 2
outfit in a tie and a hat on skates.
A murderer can have a

_
a
on
its shoulder. Problems at home and
l!fe are the cause.
are
now more rebellious than earlier generavv"""",v. substitute teacher.
How
treat a person on
up will determine the way
down. No one rules forever.

..
. out
schoo! due to lack of concern
,
. then the world will
crumble as we see it.

Features
6 __,_ _ _ _ _
Christian Acosta Strikes a. Chord to the Heart
- ~,

American Senior High School

Roma de bl Cruz

_ _M'liA'! _ _
A talent or passion in life is one
thing .that gives people a chance to
express themselves. While some must
practice and strive to attain talent, oth~
ers like junior, Christian Acosta are
bornwith an innate talent. Despite be_ing blind, Acosta is. able to play the pi~
ano in an extraordinary way.
Since elementary school, Christian attended an ESC program and was
immediately identified as possesing
strong musical skills. At first he played
with only three fingers.
With the aid of his musical therapist Alice Kinsey, Acosta has been able
to master the elements of piano. Kinsey
has been involved with Christian's development
since
elementary
school. Christian masters each challenge Kinsey puts before him;for instance is she tells Christian to start off
in the middle of the music sheelhe can
identify what measure she is talking
about.
Kinsey visits Christian every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday of each
week with the Jazz band. He has independent classes every Wednesdays, where they practice playing musical and wedding tunes ..
Kinsey's goalS in working with .
Christian is to assist him in developing skills so he will be able to have a

"~I

future career in music and have the

opportunity to attend a university to
take-Jazz courses.
As of now, since Christian joined
the Jazz Band, he has great socializationskills, by interacting with students
and teachers on a daily basis.

Laura Figueroa
~

~:::I

. On the heels of winning a slot in the recent ~

Student Government elections as sophomore' ~
senator, Sasha Muradali is already leaving her ~
mark among peers and faculty as a dedicated stu- ~
:::I
dent.
8
At the 2000 Dade County Fair and- ExposiJion,Muradali received first place honors for a ,g , .....
replacation 6f the' "Scaene Frons-Ancient Roman !:iuradali's prize winning model.
Theatre." The model was an entry in the high
school d,ivision of the American Heritage and World History category.
Muradali' is no stranger to awards, as she. has won numerous accolades
as a gymnist and during her years atMiami Lakes Middle. This current member of the Class of 2003, and Pre-Medical Honor society credits her father for
encour~ging her to succeed in school.
'
"I have always been involved in school. I always want to do my best,
serve my school and serve my community, " stated Muradali.
Things seem bright for Sasha who in only her freshman year has accomplished so much. She'states that among her favorite subjects, English is that
which most appeals to her. She includes three honors classes in her rigerous
schedule.

.s

__'U"W"',

several levels.
"Being a music therapist I learned
that music c'rosses all boundaries of intellect, it's a universal language:' commentsKinsey.
In addition, Kinsey and Christian
have a well-rounded personal relationship. They attend outdoor activities,
such as, holiday parties sponsored by
the White House, for the blind. Also,
they watch concerts together and celebrate his birthdays with the family.
Senior, Frank Tavernier plays
saxophone in the Jazz band with Chris- tian each week. He expresses his
gratification for merely having'the opJ)ortunity to play music with the talented Acosta.
"It is wonderful to play with Christian because as a musician, it crosses
the borders that are hard to overcome.
He inspires me to excel in my music
~as
as well," said Tavernier.
Christian Acosta has beenrecognizedin the Rising Star competition,
he won in his age group in 1992. In
American's talent show,he received
fourth place in the 1997-1998 school
year. Christian joined tbe state competition in the Jazz band and together
Christian is extremely active in the
they received superior ratings.
community. He performs in festivals, tal"I enjoy music because it has
entshows, .and performs at the "Remany spiritual movements, it is so
tired Teachers Association Banquet" at
beautiful. Christian makes what I do
the Miami $prings Country Club.
such a joy. Money can't amount to
Christian's music not only effects
what I share with Christian," concluded
the community but effects Kinsey on
Kinsey.

enjoy music because it

many spiritual
movements, it is so beautijul.Christian makes
what Ido such a joy. Money can't amount to
what] have with Christian. "
Alice Kinsey, Musical Therapist

Sasha Muradali Honored at Dade Fair

--.1tJft("'iMMI'~

June 2000

.. _-_ ... _ - - - - - -

The Battle To Overcome Disease-Continued

.endtheir legal war , now each side can
Days, if not years, will pass and
carry the banner of humanity and wave
many will die and I carl ~uarantee that
pictiJres of martyrs. Their motivation
the world and its leaders will not have
may also lay in the shiny reflection of
changed. It is unfortunate that science
tl'le Nobel Prize and in its prize money
and progress are now falling victim to
that could gain anyone ofthe scientists
theirown sickness, that of avarice but
involved not only an elevated place inthe
their cure is available this second.
world but in history itself. Their drive is . Their ~ure is not a pill but a glance,
understandable but still not justifiable. It
the glance of a sick human being who
is possibly a mistake to group every perpleads for a decade of life but . What
son involved in this fiasco as one havdoes it matter whose country is really
ing an ulterior motive but I am a product, responsible for the discovery, for HIV
of my. environment and my environment,
and AIDS are the world's diseases and
dictates that to act in a humane matter . no one country should except all the
is almost unbelievable. f cannot possi- . rewards. For decades the world has
bly allow myself to believe that the
struggled to free itself from the bondmiracle makers ofniy time would rather
age of greed and yet we stand still at
fight in a courtroom than save lives and
the same internationalcrossroads facpossibly my judg'ment is being passed
ing the same issue we've debated for
too quickly but consider the worlq ...
millions of years.

Brain Brawl Battlecontinued from page one

computer only the highest scorer from
each grade level. was allowed to move
on to the final round of the Brain Brawl
so that only four finalist remaJned.
Those four finalist were Sheldon
Allen (senior), Laura Figuerda Uunior),
David Llanos (sophomore) and
Armando Rojas (freshman.)
Allen dominated the game with a
total of 20 pOints, where as Rojas followed by with 15 pOints accumulated.
Senior, Sheldon Allen was crowned

Brain Brawl champ. The 2000 Brain

Brawl Champion concludes by noting;
" When I first heard they were
having a brain brawl I knew I had to
enter, since the beginning\ I knew I
was going to win, no one else is on
my level. Everyone doubted me, everyone thought the little ninth grader
was going to win, but I proved them
wrong. Noone is on my level. I'm Just
proud to represent the class of 2000."

'CAP Comer:Prepare for the Future Students

By: now you have heard about
the "Talented 20" plan initiated this
year by Governor Bush. There has
been' much confusion regarding
this program and what it means in
terms of university admission and
scholarships. Hopefully, the following will clarify the situation
even if you do not like the ouh
Come. 1) If, by the sevent.h semester in high school you are
in the top 20% of
your class; You will
lYe admitted to one of
the state public universities, however it may not
be your first, second or
third choice school. 2) You
have taken 19 academic credits, and, 3) You have taken the
SAT or ACT college entrance exam.
There is no money attached
to this plan! The letters that were
sent to this year's top20 % were
confusing. The money mentioned
was for those students who meet
the "need based financial assistance" as detirmined by the Financial Aid Administration, and will be
disbursed through the -Florida

State Assistance Grant (FSAG)

program. The talented 20 will be
given "priority consideration"
when, and only when, the FAFSA
forms are sent and processed.'
Seniors, this is another good reason
to send them in as early as possible.
- The best suggestion I can make
in terms of getting into college is
this-BE SERIOUS - STUDY
HARD-MAKE GOOD GRADES
(starting in the ninth
grade)-PREPARE WELL FOR
THE SAT/ACT
TEST- and in your
senior year APPLY
EARLY" ON TIME, AND
MEET
DEADLINE
DATES!
DO NOT
PROCRASTINATE!!
Seniors this is a reminder that
the college you have chosen to attend will need a final transcript. You
~can start requests on this in the
registrar's office now.Congratulations to the many seniors who have
already been accepted to college and
have'recieved many scholarships. Go
Patriots!!!
M. Mathos- CAP Advisor

,;;:

Janice Brooks

of

s .... iJl!iiIiiii.5miOi4&Jiil.!iliii

The most high

anticipated
night came to pass on
19,
2000 at the Wyndham Miami
Beach Resort in Miami Beach,
Florida. Hundreds of juniOrs and
seniors
for
big night.
After weeks of wondering who to
ask ... what to weaJ... what to do ...
and where to go?; renting cars,
rooms, tuxedos and limos, Class
of 2000 and Class of 2001 were
finally ready for the Magical Masquerade 2000----'-prolTl night.
At 8:30 r_m hundreds of students entered the Wyndham Resort dressed in their best threads
from head to toe. Guys sported
everything from hats to canes, and
gloves to capes. Ladies made
their presence known with splits
traveling all the way up to their hip
bones. Hugs, kisses,
cameras, and action
the room as
these teenagers came together to
celebrate the eve of graduation.
Although'doors opened at
8:30pm the party didn't start
about 1
It was at this time
that the dance floor was packed
with booty shaking girls and
observing guys sweating thei r
hair-do's and weave tracks out.
With an estimated 600 students,
secu
had no
the fori down. Security enforcement was in
as all those in
attendance had to wear visable
red wrist bands.
Hosted by the 8abaloo
Boyz of Power 96,and presented
and organized by the Class
2001 , prom was a non-stop period of laughter and
With a mixture of R&B,
Reggae, and Latin music, there
was not any song worth s
down on, except for that
moment of silent hesitation when
the fuse blew out on Aal
Again" from the
n
soundtrack Romeo Must Die.
But perhaps Romeo should
have stayed alive to pacify the

screaming students
to
rsonate
dance
moves tathe song.
"The prom was like a Latin
basketbali
" said senior
In between
the disc
would ask "where's all the
which
cause all
the males to
apart from the
girls in an effort to hear the latest
scores on the Eastern conference
finals of the Heat and Knicks
game, where the Knicks ended up
_ the Heat.
Also at the event an array of
gourmet
was served. Prom
goars
buffet tables
offering Steak Dianne, ChiCken
Tri-Celored Tertillini,
a choice
Cesar or Garden
salad, rolls
and an as~
sortment of
chocolate
mousse, and fruit.
The
ended with the
dance
Kci- and
"All
Life." This was the cue for ali
the
to
with a slow grind.
and best dressed
>

so did prom.
guys hurried out of the resort !.eavbehind glass sippers
in a effort to catch their
and
n
ended and
the rest of the morning was
with an agenda of cluband hotel
prom was a
there were some
who didn't
think so. Some of the prom
ers were incidents where aguy
his car towed, a girl left her wallet
at home and was broke all
_
of tardys resulted
Sent
away from
due to .
But we could all end the

defensive back Corey

and
lavender and black;
and
. lady in red Veronica Thatcher;
Shaa-kiera
Anderson
the silver
Steven Harris and Louise Garcia
flaucing the M rix suit with a
French tie;
Calderon and
Mariela
also rocking silver and white; and Erick Vicioso
with his girl
It was a
Of I
that no one
eras lit up the
froze the most

cheated on their

stated Brit

or died

senior.
Sean AZZEl left a memormance that only enht with his

said that money cannot

"At least it was better than Senior

" said Senior Hamid
Ramzan.
As seniors now place their
dresses and tuxedoes in the back
of their
what will not
hidden
n
Now seniors
are
to make that final li18lasting memory at the Class of
2000 Commencement
This year
will be held
the Miami Beach Conventioncenter at 3:00
away from
the Jackie leason Center for the
Performing Arts, which was
venue for the
two years. However,
away from the traditional has been a
to
class that
lennium.
Some seniors await a future
here at home in Miami, while others will venture out of
nonetheless the
here
at
ute to. the success of
ers of the new millennium.

it can be
you

Drama members
Charlene Manzano and
Sean Azze
Its a bird! Its a plane! No, its
SUPERGITJINGSI Yes, you ,hea.rd
right First year drama teacher
Taurie Gittings has quickly risen from
"anonymity to super teacher with her
remarkable presentation of the play
"Fortress" .
"Fortress" is a piece based on
the lives of a young lady named Kim
and a young man named
who
contrast each
in severa] aspects, yet
a common bond in
their love for Superman comic books.
The play follows their lives from early
to near
and covers the several
Kim
Charlene Manzano) to
"nn'".... '~''' Billy (played
should be an
does not flinch

The entire cast is dressed in

the exceotion of Tawil

cere and at times

to be Manzanos own
vuhlerThe situations which are porin the
such as a sumin-

venUes' lives.
The ensemble cast does well
from one
to
isa
mix
Yet the show
is Manzano. Her poroutcasted from
",,,,,,~<>t,,, to win the afcrush is sin-

as realistic occurrences and in the

Elnd can
lessons about
and
,
from the roller coaster of
emotions communicated
, the
is rather enterand comical at times. Ms.
_ direction and brilliant
of actors excludes any dull moments.
will be
sometime in late

esteem here at American. , A breakfast was

for
nominees , to h0!10r

Sports

American Senior High School

June 2000

Tennis Team Takes Swing at Districts and Lose

,

. ~

,.

.Terrific Threesome: Sean Jones, Crystal Jeboo, and Evelyn.Corraliza no only are
they team players, but also are good friends outside the court

Patricia Florit
s
Its the. second set, Sea.n Jones is
Jlaying against North Miami Beach,
:he score is 6.0, and he is up 5-0 with
:l game score of 40-30 Jones serves
lis last pOint, and Ace! He has' another
Nonderful victory added to his record.
"As part of the guys Tennis team I
Nould like to say that this year our enhusiasm a,nd skUl will get the boys
earn through the tough r'natches and
lafsh games . We will beat out our
:ompetitors keeping our mind and
:ommitment on achiving State
)hamps:' said Jones, senior.
With a disappointing '99 'season,
he boys tennis team returns this year
vith brand new talent, such as BranIon Milliares (4). Returning players in:Iude Sean Jones (i), Javier Figueroa
2), John Zozaya (3) and Trar'nond

Duckworth (5); all of which are prepared to lead the boys tennis team to
various well deserved victories, and
slowly heading towards District
Champs, and later on show their.pa-"
triot pride towards achieving State
Championships.
"I have improved greatly on my
skills since I started playing, and hope
to improve more throughout the season,;' commented Millares, senior.
The boys new season began
promptly on January 24th, and continued on to April 19th. They began under the direction of Laura Gordon, the
head coach of both the guys and girls
team. She has helped them through
back hands/fore hands, and has come
, to achieve great values and skills.
'This years Boys Tennis Team
. came together at the last minute with
the addition of our number four
player, Brandon Millares. In addition,

we have several "other boys this year

who will dovery good and hopefully
try their best in order to win districts
and states," explained, Gordon.
The boys team have succeded at
many tough competitions. Some include the effortless win against Jack" son High winning 6 games to 1. Another win was against afltime rival
North Miamt Beach. This Tennis
. Match was won more tightly 4 games
to 3.
"This years team shows great
skill therefore reaching our highly set .
goa/swill be an easy task to achieve,
not only for me as an individual however all of us as a team," said
Figueroa, junior.

Girls Tennis

The girls tennis team is a sport

that is not usually acknowledged by
many in AmericaI') Senior High, however within the team Hes alot of po.tential. The girls Tennis team is filled
with verY talented girls and dedicated
players, who may some day reach the
. level of professional stardom such as
players like Venus Williams, and Ana
Kornukova
"This years girls team is filled with
high expectations, whic~ we as a
team will so hopefully reach. As well
as improving o.ur skill, we will work
on other basics such as foot movement, and forehand and backhand
swings in order to reach our so desired goal," said. Crystal Jeboo (1),
junior.
The team is filled with returning
talent such as Crystal Jeboo (1),
Nathalie Cassidy (2), and Patty Florit
(3), new players came along with the
addition of as Denise Carbuccia (4),.

Batter Up: Boys Baseball Team Aim High

David Garcia

.ijlIi""mil _
Last year, American baseball finished
17-11. Although on
the surface this may
have" seemed decent,
inreality, the year was
full of disappointment
,and uncertenity. This
season,'"the patriots
have a new coach,
new look and a new
fQund confidence that seemed to lack last year. The new
coach is Eddie Diaz and his hopes for the team to become true contenders for the district title. In addition,
he believes that this year's t~am is a more close knit
team than last years;
.
"Based on what I hear from the players, ther~ were
too many ind.ividuals. Too many players worrying about
stats and not the team. This year, we will playas a whole
nstead of individuals," said Diaz.
, .The changes began when former head coach, Rob3rt Hertler, announced he was "stepping down as the
lead coach of the American baseball program. After the
3eason ended, he announced to the returning players
hat Eddie Diaz would take over as the head coach.
:;o~ch Diaz is a proven winner, he played four years of
{arsity baseball at. Jackson Senior High, received a full
laid Scholarship to Florida Memorial, has won the City
)f Miami Little League World Series in 1994, won a State
I A title as an Assistant Coach at Brito Miami Private in
96, and was most recently a area scout for the Arizona
)iamondbacks laslyear.Although.he has accomplished
nuch already, he wants to continue a winning tradition

with the patriots. One thing different about this team is

the youth.
"This team younger but much l'l10re discipline than
last year's and it's much more unified," said Andrew Arias,
"
junior, catcher.
This season the Patriots are made up of six seniors,
five juniors, seven sophomores, and one freshman. Coach
Diaz believes that this is the way to get both results and
develop his younger players for the future. The varsity
are led by senior catcher, Sixto Leal and Senior short
stop Luis Gonzalez. Along with the addition of the younger
players, the Patriots believe they can be a top contender
and win games, one game at a time.
OVerall, we'll be more successful this season than l
last, due to team unity and determination," said Martinetti.
The team began this season with a new look and
a new confidence, however they were quickly reminded
thatgamesare not wpn on looks alone. They began
their season on a four ga,me losing streak and spirits
. morale was low. However, the team bounced back from
adversity by knocking off Columbus behind a great
pitching performance from junior pitcher Adrian
Bermudez. They then continued to roll, defeating North
Miami, Norland, Michael Krop, and Jackson. The Patriots moved on with impressive vitories over HialeahMiamiLakes, North Miami, and Norland again. The
team defeated the teams by a combined score of 496. The Patriots finished the season with an 11-10
record (excluding the Sarasota Classic). However
American went into the playoffs confident they could
make a run for a district title. Unfortunatley, the Patriots could not over come their second round opponents
of Hialeah-Miami Lakes. The Patriots finished with an
overall record of 12-11. However, the team is confident that the experincegained by the younger players will serve well for next few seasons ahead. "

ing a 11 to 1 winning season.

Elisha Herring (5), and Evelyn

Corraliza (-6), whom are all filled with
great potential, and are all in reach
of becoming number one.
"As a new member of the team"1
can observe how hard the sport is,
and how much practice and dedica~
tion it requires, and as a sophomore
I will dedicate my time to the improvemerit of my skill and to become a
better player," expressed Evelyn
Corraliza (6).
As well as many other sports at
American Senior High such as Baseball, and Volleyball, the girls Tennis
team is also under new leadership,
in Laura. Gordon. Along with being
the tennis coach she is also a government and economics teacher.
"As-the new coach, I can observe
the dedication and time these girls
put forth into playing the "sport. Since
the beginning until now I could see
an improvement in each of the
individual's skill. The have gr.eat team
spirit and .dedication to the sport.
Each of the girls concentrates and
practices hard, as well as having fun,
which is a good combination in each
sport," said Gordon.
The girls team started out the
season by defeating Carol City 5
games to 2. Jeboo who defeated her
opponents and others who like wise
annihilated their opponent~. This victory was followed by the triumph
against long time rival North Miami
Beach. They reached victory defeating NMB 4 games to 3. This was a
very special victory due to the. fact
this was the girls very first victory in
history to NMB's exceptional team. "It
waS our first victory againstNorth Miami Beach, we were extremely excited to be the first girls in American
High's Tennis history to deleatthe NMB
girls, which were last year's district
champions. This raised our objectives
and expectations of this years team.'"
said Nathalie Cassidy (2), senior.
In addition the team itself has
lots of pride, and unity within team
mer'nbers. Before every match they sit
and relax and get to know each other
more. They share meals, thoughts and
make memories with one another,
which not only makes the team spirit
high but also creates high se/festeem,
and team unity.
"This years girls team is s~t with
, " high goals and hopefully they will
reach districts and states in order to
play against the best of Florida's high
schools," added Gordon.

i;.""