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Cypress Bay High School • 18600 Vista Park Blvd., Weston, Florida 33332 • Vol 24, Issue 4 • May 2024

As final exams and graduation are nearing, some students and teachers at the Bay said they are looking forward to their summer travel plans. Senior Maria Arruda said she is going to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for almost three weeks to kick off her summer break. “My immediate family and I try to visit Rio as often as possible, as most of our extended family and old friends still live there,” Arruda said. “I am most looking forward to spending time with my cousin, Rafaella, and her friends. Rafa is a year younger than me, and we always have the most fun together. I also love getting to know people, so hanging out around her friends is usually very entertaining.” Arruda, her parents and her little brother are making the trip to Rio together. She said she used to live in Brazil and always enjoys spending time there visiting old friends. While she has lived

Specialist and Freshman Class Sponsor Brian Kelly said that having this night is instrumental in providing students with encouragement and acknowledgment throughout their high school careers. “The school does a lot of hoopla for seniors because of the colleges and the scholarships and because they are leaving and it has been four years,” Kelly said.

“But I think it is important to do the Underclassmen Awards Night because I feel like, especially for freshmen, it is easy to get lost in the shuffle. It is important to recognize them for their hard work and resilience because they do make the effort all four years, not just in senior year.”

On April 7, over 18 million viewers tuned in to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Women’s Basketball Championship between the Iowa Hawkeyes and South Carolina (USC) Gamecocks. These viewership numbers made it the most-viewed basketball game of the last five years and out-ranked the 2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals average of 11 million viewers. The sudden jump in viewership could be attributed to anything; USC’s perfect season, the Iowa

versus USC rivalry or perhaps to Iowa’s very own Caitlin Clark. Freshman Logan Lamey said she is an avid watcher of college basketball and fan of Clark. “I watched the championship with my family,” Lamey said. “I’m upset that Iowa lost, but Caitlin’s college achievements will be very encouraging for the younger generation and eventually, her impact will lead to a lot of success for women.” Although Iowa lost the NCAA Championship by a score of 87-75, Lamey said Caitlin has become a symbol of growth

for the entire sport. Standing at six feet tall and 155 pounds, Clark scored 21 points against the University of Connecticut Huskies in the NCAA Women’s Final Four the first week of April. This season, Clark also made many memorable shots as the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer. This includes a half-court buzzer-beater against Michigan State in January. In the NCAA Championship, she alone scored a team-leading 30 points. Freshman Elexys Mataele said she is not only a fan of Clark, but also her influence on the sport.

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Near the end of every school year, the Bay hosts its annual Underclassmen Awards Night where freshmen, sophomores and juniors are honored for their outstanding academic performance and commitment to learning. School counselor Vanessa Longhi organized this year’s ceremony which will take place on April 24 in the Bay’s auditorium. Media

here for the better half of her life, Arruda said she still looks forward to reuniting with the people in her previous home and having experiences she would not normally get to go through back home. “My best friend Mari, who used to live in Weston but later moved to São Paulo, Brazil, will be going to Rio to spend four days with me, which is something I’m also really excited about,” Arruda said. “While there, I’ll be staying at my cousin’s apartment in a section of Rio called Jardim Oceânico. After she comes home from school, we typically walk to the beach, which is one block away from her apartment, to drink coconut water at one of the many stands along the boardwalk.” Aside from the entertainment aspects of the trip, Arruda said she is excited about the sights and other aspects of the city. The restaurants and architecture highlight the remainder of her visit to Brazil.

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