Since it was first realized in the summer of 2018, the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before series has proved to be a success, now considered one of Netflix’s “most viewed original films ever.”

Based on Jenny Han’s bestselling book series, many consider the movie, along with the acclaimed Kissing Booth, a revival of the romantic comedy (rom-com) genre for the new generation.  

The series follows high schoolers Lara Jean Covey (Lana Condor) and Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) as they enter into a fake relationship and (big surprise) eventually develop feelings for each other.  

Following a sub-par second movie that focused on the love triangle between Lara, Peter, and childhood friend John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), the third and final installment in the series Always and Forever takes us with the couple as they attempt to navigate graduation and their future together.  

While I love the relationship and chemistry between Lara and Peter, it was not easy to forget about John Ambrose, who proved to be the sweet and thoughtful guy whose standards Peter struggled to reach in the second movie. Unfortunately, as these films typically go, nice guys finish last, and, sorry, Ambrose, you are no exception.

Despite his rocky personality in the previous movies, Kavinsky stepped up to the plate in the latest film. Overall, his character was (debatably) more mature and understanding in their relationship as he was always there to support Lara Jean in her decisions (most of the time).  

At the beginning of the movie, Lara Jean discovers she is not accepted to Stanford, the college where Peter had received a lacrosse scholarship. In a text meant for her sister, Peter believes that she has gotten in, initiating an awkward celebration dinner where Lara tries (and fails) to tell him the truth.  

I have to admit, in the beginning, I thought her “secret” would take up the entire movie, and I would have to sit through two hours of Lara Jean trying to figure out how to tell Peter they will not be going to the same school.  

Luckily, this was not the case. Eventually, Lara lets Peter know of her rejection letter, and she begins to consider other options for colleges, including the University of New York across the country.  

The rest of the movie then focuses on Lara Jean’s decision to either stay close and go to Berkeley (only an hour away from Peter) or travel across the country to her dream college. Spoiler: she chooses the latter.

In all honestly, I enjoyed the movie. Was it one of my favorites? Not by a long shot, but it was just what one wants in a rom-com.

My only real complaints about the movie were the times I felt they rushed certain plot points, as they were trying to cram several events into one film. Between Lara Jean’s family going to Seoul, the trip to New York, prom, graduation, and even a wedding, it felt like a lot was going on at once. There were also times I wished some of the side characters, specifically her best friend Chris (Madeline Arthur) and Trevor (Ross Butler), got more screen time, but I have to admit the movie did well in developing its characters throughout the series.

Looking at the film’s face value, the To All The Boys series was a great rom-com trilogy. It is nothing revolutionary by any means, but it is just what someone might need. Sure, there might be clichés and predictable endings, but with a pretty good soundtrack, compelling storyline, and decent acting, the To All The Boy’s I’ve Loved Before series ended in the best way possible.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers arise victorious against Kansas City Chiefs late Sunday night at their home field. Quaterback Tom Brady made his tenth appearance in the Super Bowl wining his seventh, this time in a Buccaneers uniform. Brady broke multiple records Sunday night. Tom Brady and tightend Rob Gronkowski made two touchdowns within the first quarter giving the Buccaneers a promising lead against the Chiefs. The Buccaneers defensive prevented the Chiefs from making their way to the endzone, keeping them to just three field goals. The Buccaneers making 31 touchdowns for their win against the Chiefs. Gronkowski catching two, Antonio Brown catching one, and Leonard Fournette running in a 29 yard touchdown.

Bruce Arians came out of retirement to become the head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals from 2013-2017 then retired in 2017. Arians agreed to a four year contract and came out of retirement to become the 12th head coach for the Buccaneers. Arians won his second Super Bowl ring this season with the Buccaneers.

Tom Brady making his tenth appearance at a Super Bowl this year ready to claim another win. This win would mark history in the NFL. Brady getting his seventh ring, fifth MVP, and his first touchdown drive in the first quarter. Brady on the field for the Super Bowl and showing his fans what he can do.

Rob Gronkowski also showing up in the Buccaneers uniform after retiring. Gronkowski and Brady’s teamwork proves to be promising. Brady passing and Gronkowski catching making two touchdowns together in the first quarter.

The Kansas Chiefs put up a challenge, but couldn’t break through the wall of Buccaneers’ defense. Wide receiver Tyreek Hill, know as the Chiefs cheetah, had no running plays and couldn’t get through the tough defense. In total, the Chiefs were able to score three field goals and bring the score up to nine.

The Buccaneers winning their second Super Bowl and continue Tampa Bay’s impressive sports performance in the 31-9 victory.

With the end of the Super Bowl and the coming of spring, baseball fans nationwide are busting out their jerseys and ball caps awaiting the first pitch of the season, which is less than two months away.  The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected the MLB’s proposal to delay the season, seemingly securing an on-time first pitch on April 1 (knock on wood).

For those who managed to keep up with the Rays off season dealings, it would seem that there were more rumors than action. Headlines claimed the Rays were in the running for top free agent Trevor Bauer or might possibly trade fan favorite Kevin Kiermaier. Bauer ultimately signed with the World Series champions and the Rays’ center fielder and his $11.5 million contract remain a stable part of the Rays’ lineup.

The greatest hits came to Tampa Bay’s pitching staff, with free agent Charlie Morton signing with the Braves and Blake Snell being dealt to the Padres. By trading their two most expensive pitchers (set to make $8.7 million combined in 2021), the Rays have reallotted the money to former Ray Chris Archer (1 year, $6.5 million) and Mets’ veteran Michael Wacha (1 year, $3 million).

Archer, who was traded to the Pirates by the Rays in 2018 for Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows, and Shane Baz, is a familiar face in Tampa. Archer made his debut in 2012 and tossed a 4.46 ERA in his career with the Rays. After his second year with the Pirates, the right-hander had surgery to treat neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome on his right arm. The diagnosis sidelined him for the 2020 season, but, according to the Pirates’ initial report, he was projected to resume pitching in 2021.

While the Rays may have gambled with Archer’s injuries, if Archer does take the mound in 2021, he could earn a spot in the rotation or act as a bulk inning reliever. Archer’s return to Tampa Bay also boosts their fan base, which had grown doubtful of the Rays’ approach to pitching after their off-season trades.

“You guys see the smile on my face is as genuine and pure and sincere as it possibly can be,” Archer said in a video interview.

In December, the Rays also signed Mets right-hander Michael Wacha, who has a career ERA of 4.01 over his eight years in the majors. While his ERA might not be the best on the team (that’s still held by XXX), the Rays have gained a veteran of the game and a clubhouse leader. With stints in Saint Louis and New York, Wacha brings experience and the consequential knowledge that younger pitchers, like Josh Flemming and Shane McClanahan, may not have yet.

On Wednesday, a day before pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training in Port Charlotte, the Rays acquired two pitchers from the Red Sox: Chris Mazza and Jeffery Springs. Mazza has played 18 games in the Majors since his debut in 2019, bouncing between Fenway Park and the Red Sox affiliate in Pawtucket. Springs has served a similar sentence, playing just 59 major league games in three years and spending most of his time in the farm system.

Most recently Tampa Bay signed free agent southpaw Rich Hill, who has dealt with his share of injuries and will turn 41 before Opening Day. However, like Wacha, Hill brings experience playing with winning clubhouses, according to Rays Senior Vice President of Baseball Operations Erik Neander.

Pitchers and catchers reported on February 18 for their first bullpen sessions, receiving praise from Kevin Cash. They will be joined by  the rest of the team and begin their first team workouts on February 22, just 37 days before Opening Day against the Miami Marlins

“Do the Ho Down and Do-Si-Do, swing your partner to and fro” would have potentially been part of the soundtrack for this year’s JROTC Military Ball. Unfortunately, just like homecoming and last year’s prom, it had to be cancelled due to the high risk of potential COVID-19 exposure.  

The Military ball, otherwise called Mil Ball by the cadets, is a “traditional gathering of people within the unit, in this case our core cadets, to extend the custom and curtesy of the United States Air Force [in a] formal dinner, [also] called a mess,” according to Chief Johnson of the JROTC program.  

The Mil Ball is hosted every year and consists of formal dining protocols with an opening ceremony, Madam Vice and Mister Vice, a Master of Ceremony, a prisoner of war (POW) and missing in action (MIA) table that recognizes fallen brethren and sisters, and then typically ends with a dance.  

This year, to try and appease COVID protocols, JROTC had planned to have more of a barn style Mil Ball hosted at the Wishing Well in hopes of limiting chances of exposure.  

Each attendee would have been sat six to a table of 10 to space out the cadets and their significant others/escorts as well as having been taught several line and square dances as an alternative to the usual dances in hopes of keeping attendees spread out more to reduce chances of COVID exposure.  

As according to tradition, the senior cadets oversee the planning of the Mil Ball for the rest of the unit and so not being able to partake in Mil Ball is especially disappointing to seniors CJ Marra and Justin Rivera as they lost their chance to take part in their last Mil Ball hoorah.  

“[I was looking forward to] the grog party… we were planning on making this concoction of a bunch of different things that are really disgusting the everyone has to drink if they do something wrong, which is really funny every year,” says Marra. 

Overall, there were about 85 cadets and dates that had already signed up to attend Mil Ball, with a large number of them having already paid the $35 fee, which will be refunded to them, with the last date to sign up coming up on February 19.  

Due to a deposit with the Wishing Well not wanting to be gone to waste, Mil Ball will be rescheduled for earlier in the year in October of next year, rather than in the typical March time frame. Also, Chief Johnson is planning on making it up to senior cadets missing out on Mil Ball using the end of the year awards ceremony.  

Making history again is the 45th president of the United States who is being impeached for the second time, which has never happened in all of American history. Democrats and a small group of Republican members in the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Trump on January 13th.

According to the charges brought forth to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, President Trump was impeached based on his alleged violation of the Constitution through obstruction of Congress and Abuse of Power. His recent impeachment led to a serious debate of whether it is even constitutional to impeach a former president.

Democrats all across the country pushed for conviction in Trump’s second impeachment. In an article published last month by Vox writers Ella Nilsen and Li Zhou, they explain that “Democrats say their reasons to move forward with impeachment are self-evident: They can be seen in the destruction of the US Capitol after a mob of violent Trump supporters invaded on [Jan. 6th].”
Democrats believe Trump encouraged violence because he wasn’t convinced that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election fairly.

Speaker Pelosi says, “President Trump spent weeks laying the groundwork for Jan. 6th to halt the counting of electoral college ballots, incited a mob to “fight like hell” & assault the Capitol, then refused to intervene to stop the attack.”

Why would representatives bother to impeach a president that is already leaving office?

The answer leans towards the fact that democrats never want Trump to step foot into a position that governs the country again. A conviction through the impeachment process would have made sure that never happened again.

Republicans feel that it is unnecessary to impeach someone who is already out of office because it is a waste of time, energy and money. Elvia Diaz, a writer for the Arizona Republic shared a quote from Ted Cruz saying “The democrats want a week of political theater raging at Donald Trump… [This trial reminds] me of Shakespeare. It’s full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Democrats’ counter argument is that if Trump avoided impeachment simply because he’s out of office, then that grants future presidents impunity for violations during their final days of office. This would exempt them from any punishment for wrongdoing. In the same article, Trump’s legal team insists that since he is a former president and now a “private citizen” he is immune to impeachment.

So what does Durant think about the impeachment?

A poll was conducted on the Durant Pawprint Newspaper Instagram where the question: “Do you think the impeachment of former President Trump is necessary?” was asked. Out of 77 votes 51% were supporting the impeachment of Trump while 49% opposed the impeachment.

Regardless of the many opinions about the impeachment, one thing seems evident. According to Senator Ted Cruz, the whole process is going to end with failure. “It is going to end with the president being acquitted. In order for the president to be convicted, it takes 67 votes in the U.S Senate. That’s not going to happen…It’s not going to get close to 67 votes. Every one of the 100 senators knows that… but this is political theater.”

What ended up happening…

At the end of this eventful trial, democrats failed to reach the needed supermajority votes. It ended in 57 senators supporting Trump’s conviction and 43 voting to acquit him. Seven republicans voted against former President Trump to have him convicted. Those seven are now facing backlash from their party because they voted to convict Trump. Democrats only needed 10 more votes to convict Trump, but their hopes for impeachment success failed to happen.

The Durant hockey team began its journey only four years ago, making it one of the youngest leagues in the Lightning High School Hockey League (LHSHL). After building up the program, the team has slowly grown in both numbers and strength to become what it is today. 

“We used to be a younger team,” senior at Durant and alternate captain Michael Romeo said. “But now that we are all seniors, we have a lot more dominance with our experience and size.” 

Romeo is part of the original team that started four years ago. In building the team, he accredits a lot to the players that were with them in 2019.  

“In building our program, we got lucky and had a really good core group of guys, especially two years ago with the class of 2019,” Romeo said. 

The current team is led by senior captain Jordan Putnam from Strawberry Crest High School; however, there are over ten seniors on the team who have built up the group together. 

Over the past few years, Durant has slowly made a name for itself in the LHSHL with three playoff appearances and one thirty-point season.  

One notable duo on the team is goaltenders Ryan Putnam, a sophomore at Strawberry Crest High School, and Will Chablowski, a junior with Florida Virtual School. Together, they make one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. 

Jordan Putnam also leads the team in scoring, with an average of over three points per contest, while seven other skaters average more than one point per game.  

“It’s been a ton of fun playing with this group all year both on and off the ice. We have grown a crazy bond, one that I know I won’t soon forget,” Putnam said.  

Looking back on this past season, Durant junior Dante Denny considers their first playoff game against Newsome as a defining moment for the team. 

“We went into overtime and then a shootout,” Denny said. “We barely won, but it was definitely the most stressful game I have ever played.”  

Following their 2-6 victory over Manatee High School in the playoffs this past week, the Durant team was awarded the Eastern Conference Champions title. They will now face Seminole High School in the finals to compete for the prized Lightning Cup. 

Cheer on Durant at Amalie Arena this Wednesday, February 17th, at 7:00 PM EST for the Lightning Cup Finals against the Seminole Sharks.  

Quarterback Joey Sarrica looked down the field to see all of his receivers covered and the opponent’s defensive line coming at him. After two pump fakes, Sarrica took off down the field, past the fifty, past the twenty five, and into the end zone for the yellow team’s third touchdown of the game, securing a 19-18 victory over the green team.

[While this game didn’t take place at Raymond James Stadium], the Durant High School Unified Olympics Flag Football Scrimmage Game capped off months of practice for the twenty Durant Special Olympics Athletes. Each year, Durant, a Special Olympics Unified Champion School, participates in the Special Olympics, but this year their tournament, which typically includes swim, track, and flag football, was cancelled because of Coronavirus restrictions.

The Durant Unified Olympics team is comprised of Exceptional Student Education learners and their Unified Partners, general education students who are part of the Durant’s Buddies Program. Durant’s exceptional students take classes like any other student, but receive more individualized help from their teachers, as explained by ESE teacher Mary Gill.

Durant’s Buddies Program merges the education of both groups of students. Through the program, the Buddies learn how to work with classmates with different abilities and the exceptional students have the opportunity to make friends and establish relationships with other students at Durant.

“[As a Unified Partner], you go to the events with [the exceptional students] and help them with the sporting rules and then you kind of encourage them to play the sport,” said Unified Partner Emaly Martinez.

During the game, families of the athletes and National Honor Society students cheered from the sidelines. Each National Honor Society member made a poster for each of the athletes to display while Durant’s principal Gary Graham and assistant principal Andrew Holzbog acted as the referees during the game, which ended in a yellow team victory.

Valentines, the day of love! Some people are going to take their valentines on picnics or to a nice restaurant and others won’t have one but that’s okay. Valentine’s Day is going to be a great day for some but a lonely one for others, but this article can help you for both of them! 

When you find a valentine you gotta do something cool and get them some cool things! Chocolates are a necessity. Another thing is flowers, roses or their favorite flowers. Teddy bears are a great addition to the gifts as well! Now some options can be something like tickets to a movie or something like a concert. Some people will go above and beyond and will get things like necklaces or bracelets for their girlfriends or boyfriends, but let’s leave that one for the lovers at Durant high school.  

Next step is you have to take them out for Valentine’s Day! There are a bunch of restaurants in our area such as Olive Garden, and you can get their amazing breadsticks! Or you can keep up simple and just chill at home and watch some movies! Picnics are a great choice for Valentine’s Day, you can go to a nice area such as a park with a lake or wherever, place a blanket down and have food and boom, you are done! Just don’t forget to bring your date with you, it’s very easy to forget with the good food you will bring! Now this idea is for the boys, if your boyfriend/girlfriend has a very young sibling, maybe you should get them something too, especially if you have a great relationship with them!  

Next step is what you have to wear! It is very important that you look nice when you go out with them! It will show you put effort into planning your day with your date! So hand them the gifts you got for them and give them a hug and say happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a day where you are supposed to spread love, so spread some love! 

Playing varsity basketball at school can be difficult. Playing varsity basketball from home is impossible. But that’s what Sophomore Aiden Jones has been doing since the beginning of basketball season.

This school year, Jones was enrolled in eLearning for the first semester while playing on Durant’s varsity basketball team, but he recently switched back to in person schooling.

On Durant’s team, Jones plays small forward and shooting guard. These positions require quickness, ability to rebound, adept ball handling, inside and outside scoring ability and strong defensive guarding. According to maxpreps.com, Jones is ranked 59th in the state with a higher blocking average than the national average.

Throughout his eLearning experience his mother kept him motivated to keep his grades up and helped him get to basketball events on time. “My mom stays on top of my school to make sure I’m doing good and getting my stuff done, but with basketball I handle that on my own. She gets me to my practice, training sessions and games which helps a lot.”

When asked about the experience he had eLearning, Jones said, “I’ve definitely gotten better with eLearning even though motivation isn’t as high… It’s all about time management… And it’s good to get back and see friends,” said Jones.

Jones first started with Durant’s basketball team in 8th grade, and he encourages anyone who is thinking about joining the team to “Just come out and try. We have eight seniors this year, so a lot of spots will open up next year.”

As for his future, Jones hopes to play college basketball and then later on play professional ball. He doesn’t know exactly where he plans to attend but does have a goal he’s working towards.

“I know I want to play basketball in college and would like to play after, but anything can happen.”

Cobra Kai is a super popular comedy-drama television series streaming on Netflix and based on the original Karate Kid films of the 1980s. Cobra Kai picks up the storyline 34 years after the infamous All Valley Karate Championship in which young Daniel Larusso defeats his karate bully nemesis, Johnny Lawrence. Now, Daniel is a successful car dealership owner and Johnny is a washed-up struggling and unemployed maintenance man when their paths cross again.

Returning in their original roles are Ralph Macchio as Daniel and William Zabka as Johnny. Throughout the series, there are special appearances from other actors/actresses reprising their earlier roles from the original Karate Kid movies.

This renewal of the classic and iconic coming of age story has taken the streaming world by surprise. YouTube Red launched Cobra Kai’s first and second seasons in 2018-2019. Netflix bought the show in June 2020 and released the third season earlier this month. Since launching on Netflix more than 73 million people have watched the series and have been giving great reviews to the director and actors of the show.

One thing that was very helpful on the director’s and editor’s part was showing flashbacks to climatic events in the original movies. It kept the story going and made it more understandable to viewers who may not have seen the original films.

According to Freshman Giselle Jaimes, “Cobra Kai is better than other shows in a way because it connects to a movie from a long time ago. Now the characters are adults and you get to see how they’re doing later on. I liked how they used the same actors as well.”

The writers of Cobra Kai have cleverly included many engaging and familiar scenes for viewers who saw the first Karate Kid movie. The discrete, but catchable humorous lines/actions shown have made it much more intriguing and captivating to watch.

Another interesting twist is that Cobra Kai has completely changed the way the audience feels about the characters. In the Karate Kid, Johnny is the antagonist and is seen as a really awful person. He continuously gangs up on Daniel with his fellow Cobra Kai dojo members. Fast-forwarding into their adult lives Johnny is portrayed as a much more likable character and you actually feel sorry for him. The show also gives a small backstory explaining why Johnny acts the way he does because of the way he was raised and even how he got into his love of Karate. Sophomore Cameron Marvel says that between Daniel and Johnny, he “…[likes] Johnny better because he feels like a more relatable character”.

Critics and fans of the show encourage people who have not watched Cobra Kai yet to at least see the first Karate Kid movie to better their understanding of the show. Cobra Kai does an amazing job explaining things that are important to know during the show, but by watching the original movie you will catch many things that other viewers won’t.

Junior Jacob Malinchak has seen the first Karate Kid movie and thinks “…you have to understand why [these characters] hate each other and why they are the way they are. Like why Johnny is apprehensive about Creese and so on”.

So just after three seasons, Cobra Kai has soared to the top of streaming shows. Its community of both new and old fans is eagerly awaiting the arrival of season 4 which is currently in the works. Stay tuned.

Senior year is the year when students’ goals are to apply for and (hopefully) get into their dream college, finish off the year strong, raise their GPA, and make as many memories as possible. 

Well seniors… we are about five months from the end of the year now and the time to complete any of these goals is running out. I can say for certain that I have never been more ready or excited to go off to college than I am now. But with that feeling comes the time crunch of things left to be accomplished. 

Every year teachers express how seniors begin to show signs of “senioritis” starting around the second semester of their last year. However, I never expected that this was how it would feel.  

I expected the lack of motivation to do schoolwork and I expected the lack of will to get up and go to school, but I never would have thought that it would be followed with an excitement to accomplish things that were non-high school related.  

Things like learning to longboard, applying for scholarships, looking forward to going to work, doing projects around my house, and adding some new paintings to my wall have become increasingly more appealing activities to spend my time on.     

“If I could be done with school already, I would’ve graduated in December. School is, funny enough, the least important part of my day” says Durant senior Emma Urbanski. 

Despite the urge to be done with school and to get ready for the future becoming greater, it is important to continue to keep up with schoolwork and college preparation.  

A couple ways to do that include, making lists of things that need to get done (either before the end of the week, month, or school year), asking a friend to help keep accountability for schoolwork, or set up a personal reward system that pushes necessary work to get done before going and doing something fun. 

The countdown to graduation in May has started, but there are still 77 busy days left to check the final task off your high school to-do list.