Health Announcement:
The Florida State Legislature recently passed a law requiring all students who are attending a college in Florida and plan to live on campus to receive a meningitis and hepatitis B vaccine. It is estimated that about one hundred cases of meningitis occur on college campuses each year, and of those reported, roughly five to fifteen deaths occurred. Hepatitis B is a virus with no treatment and can be transmitted through unprotected sex. Armed with this knowledge, you can now protect yourself from infection.

Mrs. Lawless’ Class Adopted
Marine Bank was gracious enough to adopt Mrs. Lawless’s middle school Reading and Language Arts class on Wednesday September 7^th. Mrs. Lawless feels very fortunate that her class was able to be adopted. Her students have made thank you cards and have sent them to Marine Bank as a token of their appreciation. Mrs. Lawless would like to extend a special thanks to Marine Bank.

Preserving the Past

Built in the 68'-69' school year, the gymnasium at Marathon High School represents a past full of memories for many. Dedicated to Katherine S. Gradick in 1986 for her thirty-one years of service at MHS as principal, the gym honors her hard work and commitment to the school. Without a doubt, the gymnasium at Marathon High is more than a recreation center, but carries a multitude of sentimental values. The question at hand now is should it stay or should it go?

With the sixth graders moving over from Stanley Switlik next year, the middle school will greatly expand in capacity. Keeping in mind that Marathon High is really two schools, made up of Marathon High and Marathon Middle, the old gymnasium can be considered an asset to hold on to. Keeping high school and middle school separate has always been a goal at Marathon, and with two gyms, it would prevent the two schools from mixing more than necessary. Furthermore, the gym could be used for middle school and junior varsity practices, such as volleyball and cheerleading. It has also been suggested that if the old gym were left standing, it could remain open for the community to enjoy for recreation.

The proposed gym for the new school is one of wonderment. With bleachers on both sides, a foyer with a concession stand and showcases for team trophies, and a weight room, it is nothing short of amazing. The new gym also has a partition down the middle so that two different games can take place at once without interference. The blueprints also have in store both physical education and team locker rooms for boys and girls, athletic storage rooms, two alternative education rooms, coach's offices, visiting team officials offices, and a classroom for sports teams. Many students look forward to the day when they can take advantage of all that the new gym has to offer.

The complication with preserving the current gym is that the area where it stands is planned parking for the new school. Also, the classrooms will come within fifteen feet of the gym wall, creating a less than stimulating view for students. Furthermore, the new administrative office's entrance is blocked from the view of the road, which makes it hard to identify for visitors.

While the new gymnasium at Marathon High is more than equipped to facilitate the needs of students, the question of keeping the old gym still remains. Not only can the current gym be beneficial to the school, but the memories it holds for some are irreplaceable. Grandparents, teachers, parents, and siblings of students have attended Marathon High school. Many of which have reflected on their experience at MHS and recalled fond memories of pep rallies and winning sports events in the gymnasium dedicated to Mrs. Gradick. Tearing down the gym would not only demolish a half-century worth of Marathon High School history, but would take away the opportunity to facilitate middle school students' needs, as well as the community's.

Manor Gives MHS More
By: Amanda Caldwell 
Seven acres of land next to Marathon High School may provide much-needed space for athletic fields, parking, and possibly teacher housing.  The only problem is that the land is currently the residence of sixty patients of the Marathon Manor.  The Manor has been open since 1986 and its operation has been under the Becht family since 1987.  Since its opening it has failed to meet state standards and has been on the state’s watch list nine times.
The County Health Association made the decision to sell the facility and its land for 7.4 million dollars.  The Monroe County School Board has been allotted a 90-day due diligence period to consider all aspects of the decision to buy the land. The Becht family will not be selling their license to operate the facility to the School Board. At a recent school board meeting, Randy Acevedo, Mike Puto, and Tom Willi spoke with Manor owner, Scott Becht about the issues surrounding the purchase. Becht and Duncan Mathewson agreed that negotiations could be possible to utilize the area around the manor and keep the facility open. 
Questions about where the residents would go, if needed to relocate to another nursing home have been answered.  Many would be transferred to sister facilities in the Upper Keys, Lower Keys, and even Miami. 
“It’s sad that we are all going to be separated and leave,” Ms. Katherine Steinmetz, a resident of the Manor said before she left for Plantation.  Another resident, Ms. Nadine Conner took the move and purchase as “no real surprise, this place has not been doing great for a while.”
With all progress, it is expected that some people will get hurt and some will gain.  In this case, the future students of Marathon High School will reap the benefits of this decision, and everyone else, including the residents, the staff, and the community dependent on the operation of the facility will be left in its aftermath. 

Sarah Fabian
Originally hailing from Philadelphia, PA, Ms. Sarah Fabian earned a degree in Biology and graduated with honors from Villanova University and attended the University of Pennsylvania. Teaching science this year, Ms. Fabian says that her favorite part about the Keys are, “the blue skies and green grass.”

Cross Country Update
As of September 28, 2005, the boys cross country team placed first in one meet and second in another. The girls team placed first in one meet and third in another. Their victories were against Westwood and Island Christian School.  The teams still have three more meets this season. Good luck to all of the runners!

Homecoming Week
October 3rd-7th
Spirit Week-
  Monday- Matching
  Tuesday- Turn Back Time
  Wednesday- Western
  Thursday- That's My Team
  Friday- Spirit Day
Parade-
  Homecoming Theme
    "A walk on the Wild Side"
  Date of Parade
    Oct. 6th, 2005
  Time of Parade
    2 p.m.
  Where
    From: Boot Key Road
    to: Sombrero stoplight
Game-
  Marathon
  vs.
  Florida Christian
  Time: 7 p.m.
  Where: Marathon High School
Dance-
  Where: Marathon Airport
  When: Oct 8th, 2005
  Time: 8 p.m.-12 a.m.

Welcome to MHS Ms. Minick
By Emmy Glinert
Born and raised in San Antonio Texas, and having lived in Tallahassee
for a while, we welcome our new assistant principle, Dr. Charlotte
Minnick.
When asked what brought her down here to the Florida Keys she stated, “I
have always wanted to be an assistant principle. One day my friend
called me up and said that they were looking for an assistant principle
in Marathon. So here I am.”
Ms. Minick is very happy to be in the Keys. “I love the sunsets down here, the
ocean is so beautiful, the food is great, and the people are very
friendly.”
When asked what some of her personal goals for this year are she stated,
”My goals for this year are to learn more about the community and the
history of the Keys.”
”I want all students to believe that they can succeed in learning, and
especially believe in themselves.”

Note:  The Dolphin Pride staff wishes to apologize for an error in last month’s issue. The error appeared in Ms. Angela Klinedinst’s interview. The article stated that Ms. Klinedinst is attempting to earn her Master’s Degree. The article should have read, “Ms. Klinedinst has received her Master’s and is now working on her Doctorate’s.  The Dolphin Pride staff sincerely expresses their regret and is deeply proud of the fine staff at MHS and all of their accomplishments.

Yanelis Diaz as Student of the Month
Yanelis Diaz is Student of the Month for October, chosen by Mrs. Lynn in the CCAPS office. Yanelis has lived in the Florida Keys for 10 years, and is very involved in the community. She does as much as possible to succeed as a caring citizen. Yanelis is graduating one year early with the class of 2006, and plans to attend Harvard University to get her MBA, with a minor in medicine. Yanelis is currently dually enrolled in High School and college, taking the basic courses in order to reach her final goal.  We all wish her the best of luck, and hope she succeeds in all endeavors. A word of advice from Yanelis is, “Study and get good grades, so you have better opportunities.”

Laura Alfonso and Arielle Sullivan