ISPA's Spirit Week
As has become a tradition among countless high schools across the country, ISPA recently hosted a School Spirit Week. The themes, chosen by the senior class, were “Twin Day” (Monday 10/22), “Pajama Day” (Tuesday 10/23), “Way Back Wednesday” (Wednesday 10/24), “Color Wars” (Thursday 10/25), and Homecoming: “A Night in Paradise” (Friday 10/26). Throughout the week, students participated in a variety of activities. Some days consisted purely of dressing to fit the occasion, such as Twin Day (on which one found a partner to match their outfit with), Pajama Day (on which students were encouraged to wear loose, comfortable clothing that resembled what they usually wore to sleep), and Way Back Wednesday (on which students dressed in clothes that were popular in eras such as the fifties, sixties, and seventies). By far, the most popular out of these three first days was Pajama day, students eager to come to school in their most cozy outfits. However, the majority of those attending our school seemed to prefer the last two days of the week, Color Wars and Homecoming, above all the others. This was most likely because the activities scheduled for these days allowed the students to participate in more active events, the school renting out commodities including obstacle courses, carnival games, catering services, and luxury venues. Although a two dollar donation was required from each person participating in any activity (the price was far steeper for Homecoming, but people seemed excited to sign up for it all the same), there was little reluctance among the student body to pay the fee, especially since the proceeds would greatly benefit the United Way Student Campaign. Overall, Spirit Week 2018 was an enjoyable and greatly successful school event, with most students happily exchanging their uniforms in favor of clothing that better represented their school spirit.
ISPA's College Fair
On October 17, ISPA had their annual college fair were colleges and universities from all over Florida and beyond came to promote their institutes. A couple to name were the University of Miami, Miami Dade Honors College, IE University, and the New York Film Academy. This fair gave students the opportunity to explore which colleges offered the majors they are most interested in and those that are still uncertain to see their possibilities. It had a wide range of colleges from all over the state, outside of Florida and a few European universities that appealed to the variety of students here at ISPA. As a high school student, it is important to attend these events to prepare for college and start thinking about what you want to do for your future. The college fair gives those that otherwise would not have the time or resources to attend an event outside of school to have access to a large availability of colleges. You can also talk to representatives of those colleges in person which gives you insight on how the campuses are and opportunities to ask questions that searching online may not be able to answer. These colleges coming to our school facilitates college information for those students that cannot travel to the actual campuses. This not only is a great alternative instead of traveling far for campuses, it also allows us to save money. Some students may have a large pool of colleges they want to check out but traveling to all the campuses may be costly, so these college fairs are a great opportunity to gain information without having to go too far from home. All in all, the college fair in our school is a chance for everyone to benefit from all the universities sharing information on what they have to offer.
ISPA's HIP Program & Training
Depression. Abuse. Drugs. It’s always difficult to discuss these topics. It can be even more difficult for teens that are facing them for the first time in their lives.
It is never too late to educate others about health and the risks it brings if it is not treated responsibly and with care. Here at ISPA, we know how critical it is to make sure students understand the importance of being aware of the health risks that face society today, which is why our school is a proud provider of the HIP program. HIP stands for Health information Project and its mission is to educate students about being safe when it comes to their well-being. This year, a new set of juniors from the class of 2020 have volunteered to teach the freshman class. The program is in 37 Miami Dade Public schools and some private schools in the county.
The first all day all HIP training of the 2018-2019 school year was held in mid-September. In this meeting, the juniors learned many useful presentation skills through the senior HIP members about the first module of the health information project. From the words of one of our HIP board members, Alyssa Rives, she says that the time has come for the graduating class to guide the next generation of students into becoming well-rounded individuals as well as experienced leaders in their school community. “HIP has made me want to be more helpful in my friend’s life’s,” says Fernando Mendoza, a ninth grader who recently had his first HIP presentation.
The HIP organization does not just promote and teach physical health but mental health as well. About 80% of teens from the ages of 13-19 suffer from depression and anxiety. HIP is more than aware of this which is why the freshman are thought how important it is to seek help if you are feeling symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Junior Claudia Soto says she has finally found the gallantry to discuss the subjects that are presented in the HIP modules, “I used to be scared of talking about topics like sex and alcohol because I felt no one would really understand or know how to help me.”
Claudia thinks that being part of HIP has helped her find the boldness and wits to help a peer in need of guidance.
“I am aware that people are going through tough things” she states, “but having someone there for you to guide you and help you through any questions you may have is something really great. We might be teenagers teaching other teenagers but we have the power of helping someone in need because of hip, and I think that’s amazing.
It is never too late to educate others about health and the risks it brings if it is not treated responsibly and with care. Here at ISPA, we know how critical it is to make sure students understand the importance of being aware of the health risks that face society today, which is why our school is a proud provider of the HIP program. HIP stands for Health information Project and its mission is to educate students about being safe when it comes to their well-being. This year, a new set of juniors from the class of 2020 have volunteered to teach the freshman class. The program is in 37 Miami Dade Public schools and some private schools in the county.
The first all day all HIP training of the 2018-2019 school year was held in mid-September. In this meeting, the juniors learned many useful presentation skills through the senior HIP members about the first module of the health information project. From the words of one of our HIP board members, Alyssa Rives, she says that the time has come for the graduating class to guide the next generation of students into becoming well-rounded individuals as well as experienced leaders in their school community. “HIP has made me want to be more helpful in my friend’s life’s,” says Fernando Mendoza, a ninth grader who recently had his first HIP presentation.
The HIP organization does not just promote and teach physical health but mental health as well. About 80% of teens from the ages of 13-19 suffer from depression and anxiety. HIP is more than aware of this which is why the freshman are thought how important it is to seek help if you are feeling symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Junior Claudia Soto says she has finally found the gallantry to discuss the subjects that are presented in the HIP modules, “I used to be scared of talking about topics like sex and alcohol because I felt no one would really understand or know how to help me.”
Claudia thinks that being part of HIP has helped her find the boldness and wits to help a peer in need of guidance.
“I am aware that people are going through tough things” she states, “but having someone there for you to guide you and help you through any questions you may have is something really great. We might be teenagers teaching other teenagers but we have the power of helping someone in need because of hip, and I think that’s amazing.
Fall Celebrations!
The fall season is finally here! And as sweater weather approaches us, we all go through the trouble of thinking what we should do with our friends and or family to celebrate, and have fun during the fall season. Many people think that even though we don’t live in a part of the world that experiences fall, we can’t celebrate but they’re completely wrong! Your troubles are officially over because here are some of the best ideas for fall activities.
Watch a movie: gather a blanket, snacks like cookies, popcorn, pizza, some drinks and a couple of friends and watch a movie at someone’s house. You can watch a comedy like, “the Addams Family Values” or a classic like, “the Nightmare before Christmas”; The Halloween season may be over but that’s doesn’t mean you still can’t watch horror movies! Some personal favorites are: It, Paranormal Activity, Scary Movie or Unfriended. The possibilities are endless!
Bonfire: A bonfire is a perfect idea for a fall activity where you can build a fire, roast marshmallows, sing campfire songs, or bring a speaker and listen to regular songs and just have fun in general with your friends. Friends can also share a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows along the fire. Make sure that if you do this idea you have an adult helping you create the fire so nobody gets hurt. Safety first!
Friendsgiving: Hosting a Friendsgiving is a great idea to celebrate Thanksgiving with your friends. The best part about this idea is that you can modify as much as you want. It can be either a casual party with some pizza and holiday music or a fancier get together with actual Thanksgiving food like stuffing or ham. After eating, friends can play board games or watch a movie like, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” or “Home Alone”. You can even do a little photo shoot with your friends and your festive decorations.
Bake: For me, the holidays always make me want to bake goodies with my friends. Gather some friends and meet at someone’s house and while you listen to some music you can make any kind of dessert you want. This includes cinnamon apple pie bread, any type of pie, pumpkin muffins, caramel apples, sugar cookies or pecan pie brownies just to name a few. With these yummy treats, you’ll be in the fall spirit in no time!
Picnic: My last idea is to have a picnic with your friends or family at a park! You can bake any of the goodies mentioned before and other holiday-themed foods, go to a park and enjoy the beautiful nature of Miami with your loved ones. A beautiful park here in Miami is the Alice C Wainwright park with the view of Key Biscayne and Downtown Miami.
These are only a few ideas but they will surely help you make memorable moments with your friends and family and have a good time celebrating the fall season!
Watch a movie: gather a blanket, snacks like cookies, popcorn, pizza, some drinks and a couple of friends and watch a movie at someone’s house. You can watch a comedy like, “the Addams Family Values” or a classic like, “the Nightmare before Christmas”; The Halloween season may be over but that’s doesn’t mean you still can’t watch horror movies! Some personal favorites are: It, Paranormal Activity, Scary Movie or Unfriended. The possibilities are endless!
Bonfire: A bonfire is a perfect idea for a fall activity where you can build a fire, roast marshmallows, sing campfire songs, or bring a speaker and listen to regular songs and just have fun in general with your friends. Friends can also share a cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows along the fire. Make sure that if you do this idea you have an adult helping you create the fire so nobody gets hurt. Safety first!
Friendsgiving: Hosting a Friendsgiving is a great idea to celebrate Thanksgiving with your friends. The best part about this idea is that you can modify as much as you want. It can be either a casual party with some pizza and holiday music or a fancier get together with actual Thanksgiving food like stuffing or ham. After eating, friends can play board games or watch a movie like, “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” or “Home Alone”. You can even do a little photo shoot with your friends and your festive decorations.
Bake: For me, the holidays always make me want to bake goodies with my friends. Gather some friends and meet at someone’s house and while you listen to some music you can make any kind of dessert you want. This includes cinnamon apple pie bread, any type of pie, pumpkin muffins, caramel apples, sugar cookies or pecan pie brownies just to name a few. With these yummy treats, you’ll be in the fall spirit in no time!
Picnic: My last idea is to have a picnic with your friends or family at a park! You can bake any of the goodies mentioned before and other holiday-themed foods, go to a park and enjoy the beautiful nature of Miami with your loved ones. A beautiful park here in Miami is the Alice C Wainwright park with the view of Key Biscayne and Downtown Miami.
These are only a few ideas but they will surely help you make memorable moments with your friends and family and have a good time celebrating the fall season!