Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE
Graphic by Maja Milovanovic
The Art of Testing
Clenching his hand into a fist at the beat drop of a song, piano junior Matthew Reyes gets lifted into the air by vocal junior Jason Robins.
Prom at Gatsby’s Mansion
Photo illustration of a piggy bank sitting on top of a stack of books and money.
The Cost of Success
Substances Gone Social
Substances Gone Social
Celebrating a win at the Pep Rally after the relay race, the class of ‘25 abrupts into cheers.
A ‘Wicked’ New Take on Pep Rally
Circling the singular chair during the last round of musical chairs, strings junior Lily Mcdow and theatre senior Kenneth Quinter wait in anticipation for the song “Mo Chicken” by BossMan Dlow and French Montana to stop. The senior class won this game with the juniors in second place, sophomores in third, and freshmen in last.
Pep Rally 2025
Playing on stage, Maximum Friction band member Jaden Garcia strums his guitar. Garcia started learning the guitar at the age of 9, and joined Jasmine Marchi’s band Maximum Friction in February of 2021. “I have played a wide variety of instruments, from bass to keyboard,” Garcia said. “I am able to play basic stuff on those other instruments, but my main (instruments I play) are guitar and drums.”
[BRIEF] Stars in the Spotlight: Student Runs Metal and Mayhem Concert Event
Applauding the other actors dancing around her, Oliver sits in the middle of the Black Box Theater during the musical piece “Gaston” from the musical “Beauty and the Beast.”
[BRIEF] Broadway Backwards: Ballads for a Cause
Closing her eyes as she performs, communications sophomore Carly Cantor sings the song “Climbing Up the Walls” by Radiohead.
[BRIEF] Coffee and Creations
This piece, titled “Transience,” features two separate paintings with strings of beads connecting the two into a singular piece.
[BRIEF] “Threads of Time” Gallery Opened for Display
Chemistry teacher Anushka Larkin was educationally affected by Hurricane Milton. Several of her students grades fell during the break.
Missed Days of School Impact Teachers’ Lesson Plans
Photo courtesy of communications senior David Sanchez taken in Wellington, FL.
Students and Their Communities Impacted by Hurricane Milton
Graphic by Maja Milovanovic
The Art of Testing
Jumping into the air and kicking his legs out, theatre freshman Devin Jackson, playing the character Mike, explains his backstory.
‘One Singular Sensation’
Dance junior Arielle Montopeirous poses during the finale of the in-school performance of “Be Our Guest.”
Springing Onto the Stage
Performing an 80’s style dance routine, dance senior Parker Sheehan participates alongside other senior dancers during Generations Day.
A Step Back In Time
Visual senior Angelina Gustafson reflects on her journey in the visual arts department and the impact of drawing on her social life. “I've always had a love for illustrations and everything like that,” Gustafson said. “It's always just been something that I cared about and liked doing. Being surrounded by so many people who are also my friends, it's hard to even think of them as competition. I always find myself rooting for them and hoping for their success.”
4 Years in the Making
Band junior Anderson Spellman poses with his tenor saxophone.
Spellbound by Jazz
Patel, Pacheco, and Burgess pose for a photo. While they all discovered basketball at a young age, Patel and Pacheco began their journey playing recreational basketball throughout elementary and middle school. Burgess started playing her freshman year on the team but grew her skills over the years with the help of her teammates.
Dribbling Through Time
Band junior Anderson Spellman poses with his tenor saxophone.
Spellbound by Jazz
While participating in a lunch practice for Powderpuff, juniors put their hands up as a part of their choreographed dance.
Powderpuff: A Different Rhythm
Sitting in his art classroom, visual teacher Ryan Toth explains his ideas and process for creating his new Spirit Week costumes. According to Mr. Toth, some costumes are planned days in advance, and others are made the night before each dress-up day, utilizing items like taxidermied skunks and “old wigs found in (his) house.”
Lesson Plans and Lookbooks
Bowing down together, performers of the Figure of Speech event close out the show.
A Play on Words
Surrounded by players, tennis coach and Spanish teacher Marina Ratchford talks about pre-practice plans, upcoming games, and match-ups between students in determining game-day lineups for both the boys and girls teams.
‘Keep Your Head in the Game’
Reaching for a graduation cap, dance senior Lilly Foster and strings senior Vincenzo Serra hold their pointe shoes and violin, respectively. According to Foster, getting to graduation has been “a challenge” because of her extracurricular commitments. “After school, I go to the dance studio, and I'm also (part of my studio’s) dance company,” Foster said. “It's both of those things together, attending (dance) classes at school every day and going to the dance studio (right away) from (4 p.m.) to (9 p.m.) most nights, (that) is really difficult.”
Brushstrokes, Burnout, and Balance
Leaning towards the microphone, cultural club presidents finish the annual show with a closing speech.
One World, Many Stories
Performing for the senior class in Battle of the Bands, an event hosted during lunch on Tuesday of Spirit Week, communications senior Emma Yela Bueno and vocal senior Giuliana Siqueira sing a medley of songs which fall into the Y2K music genre.
Spirit Week Goes Full Volume
Multimedia staffer Mabruk Alam demonstrates the usage of “Starface” brand pimple patches
Pimple Patches: The Spotty Truth
Sitting in his art classroom, visual teacher Ryan Toth explains his ideas and process for creating his new Spirit Week costumes. According to Mr. Toth, some costumes are planned days in advance, and others are made the night before each dress-up day, utilizing items like taxidermied skunks and “old wigs found in (his) house.”
Lesson Plans and Lookbooks
Construction and scaffolding stand where the 99-year-old Harriet Himmel Theater once was. No definite statement has been made about what will replace the theater, but according to WPTV, Related Companies confirmed they are preparing the inside of the theater for renovations while preserving the historic aspects of it.
New Towers, New Stores, and New Priorities for CityPlace
Holding up “Ws,” the class of ’25 cheers and celebrates after winning the Mario Kart game.
Terrifically Themed Teams
Illustration of Liliana Kirby surrounded by book pages.
We’ve Lost the Plot
We Have No Shock Left
We Have No Shock Left
Two girls record themselves using TikTok, a social media platform. Under House Bill Three (HB3), children younger than 14 are outlawed from using TikTok and 14 and 15-year-olds need parental consent to use it. Photo courtesy of Reuters (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski in Los Angeles, Nandita Bose on Air Force One, Kanishka Singh and Jeff Mason in Washington; additional reporting by Milana Vinn; Editing by Matthew Lewis, Chizu Nomiyama, Kenneth Li and Christian Schmollinger)
[EDITORIAL] We Need Access to Social Media — It’s No Surprise the Florida Government Wants to Take It Away
Photo courtesy of Tribune
Why Some Movies Last Forever
A photo illustration of Griffin Petti surrounded by parental consent forms.
The Wrongs of Parental Rights
Tennis Team's Senior Night
Tennis Team’s Senior Night
Crossing the ball between his legs, dance junior Zackary Chodor plays basketball as one of the members of the recreational sports club. The club, led by band senior Drew Arfa and theatre senior Kenneth Quinter, meets monthly to play sports.
Lunch League Of Their Own
Patel, Pacheco, and Burgess pose for a photo. While they all discovered basketball at a young age, Patel and Pacheco began their journey playing recreational basketball throughout elementary and middle school. Burgess started playing her freshman year on the team but grew her skills over the years with the help of her teammates.
Dribbling Through Time
Jumping toward the net, girl's basketball coach and math teacher Joshua Millstein attempts to dunk the ball.
King of the Court
Surrounded by players, tennis coach and Spanish teacher Marina Ratchford talks about pre-practice plans, upcoming games, and match-ups between students in determining game-day lineups for both the boys and girls teams.
‘Keep Your Head in the Game’
Strings senior William Tong and other boys basketball team members cheer on the girls basketball team after a three-point shot was made during the second quarter. The boys team played their first home game against SLAM! Palm Beach (Sports Leadership and Management) following the girls game.
Welcome to the Jungle
Photo courtesy of Tribune
Why Some Movies Last Forever
Photo courtesy of Pix4free
All I Want for Christmas: A Holiday Gift Guide
Nestled behind trees, the storefront of Maman in the Square, located at 473 S Rosemary Ave.
Not Your Maman’s Coffee
Yelling into his microphone, country musician Noah Hunton performs at SunFest as part of his mini south-Floridian tour, across venues from West Palm Beach to Key West.
Tuning Up SunFest
Nelly performs at SunFest 2024.
The Appeal of SunFest
Image courtesy of Taylor Swift
Give ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Another Listen
Tennis Team's Senior Night
Tennis Team’s Senior Night
Clenching his hand into a fist at the beat drop of a song, piano junior Matthew Reyes gets lifted into the air by vocal junior Jason Robins.
Prom at Gatsby’s Mansion
Seniors Reflect on Spirit Week
Seniors Reflect on Spirit Week
Muse Connections: 3/19/2025
Muse Connections: 3/19/2025
Musele: 3/17/25
Musele: 3/17/25
Students Share Tri-Rail Experiences
Students Share Tri-Rail Experiences
Muse Connections: 3/19/2025
Muse Connections: 3/19/2025
Musele: 3/17/25
Musele: 3/17/25
Muse Connections: 3/12/2025
Muse Connections: 3/12/2025
Musele: 3/10/25
Musele: 3/10/25
Muse Connections: 3/5/2025
Muse Connections: 3/5/2025
Musele: 3/3/2025
Musele: 3/3/2025
Standing in third position, theatre sophomore Sophia Caputo smiles toward the audience in the theater. From April 9-12, the musical’s showings took place in the Kravis Center Helen K. Persson Hall theater. “My favorite part of being in ‘A Chorus Line’ was all the rehearsals and learning all the choreography,” Caputo said. “It was so fun being able to put on this amazing show, with an amazing story, with all of my friends. And I just love doing it so much, especially in theatre performance.”
Photo of the Week 4/10
Holding each other’s hands, theatre senior Guilbrhea Pacheco and communications junior Micaela Suage dance together at Prom. Hosted by the junior class council, the 2025 Prom was held at the Palm Beach Convention Center. The theme for the dance was “A Party at Gatsby’s” based on the novel “The Great Gatsby.”
Photo of the Week 4/5
Attending the communications department film event Streaming Canvas, visual sophomore Marcalix Lemene watches a silent film titled “Return of Silence” created by communications senior Isabella Ward and starring communications seniors Daniela Peñafiel, Jason Monaco, and communications junior Carter Dytko. The event took place Friday, March 14 with students, staff, and family in attendance to watch student-made films on the big screen in Meyer Hall. “It was really cool to see this kind of work from the communications department,” Lemene said. “The event brought light to their hard work and dedication.”
Photo of the Week 3/14
Yelling into the microphones, communications freshmen BellaDonna Petersen and Monica Chirolde perform their speech “Playground” at the Figure of Speech showcase on March 6. In this speech event, called Duo Interpretation, participants base their performance on a previously written piece of work of their choosing.
Photo of the Week 3/6
The rock band "The Interlude" — featuring communications sophomore Carly Cantor as the vocalist, visual freshman Emmy Harkin as the bassist, visual sophomore Christina O'Grady as the guitarist, theatre freshman Callahan Fernandez as the drummer, and founder of the band and vocal senior Isabella Besin as the keyboardist — practices the Arctic Monkeys’ song "505" in Principal Blake Bennett’s office. Besin had established the band as a club this year. “I’ve always had a love for performing and listening to live music,” Besin said. “So I wanted to give students at Dreyfoos the opportunity to perform (in a band). (Principal) Bennett loved the idea of putting a group together and offered us the front office to practice whenever we needed (it).”
Photo of the Week 2/28
Being held in the air by ensemble members, theatre seniors Melanie Simmons and Shane Rainsburg look at each other while performing the Greek tale of Ceyx and Alcyone in the spring play “Metamorphoses.” Opening night took place Feb. 21 in Meyer Hall, and the show portrayed Greek myths and legends such as those about King Midas and Erysichthon and his Mother. “I love it (the show) so much,” ensemble member and theatre junior Kylie Mraz said. “Portraying (the) magic of Greek gods and goddesses into lights and sound was so difficult but so worth the effort.”
Photo of the Week 2/21
  • SEIU/FPSU healthcare ratification at 2:00pm: May 2
  • Senior Dance Concert at 6:00pm: April 29
  • Theatre Senior Showcase at 4:00pm: April 29
  • 10th Grade ELA PM3 at 8am: May 2
  • Orchestra Concert at 6:30pm: May 1
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE
Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts | 501 S. Sapodilla Ave, WPB, FL 33401

THE MUSE
Gavin Leser

Gavin Leser, Content Team Editor

Gavin Leser is a 2 year staffer and Content Team Editor on The Muse. He loves playing with dogs and watching WWE, and hopes to be a filmmaker one day. He loves writing opinion pieces and reviews, and joined The Muse because he loves writing. He looks forward to managing his team this year, Team Goobers.

All content by Gavin Leser
This photo illustration, of the opinion story writer Gavin Leser, is meant to highlight how society pressures people to seem happy even when they don’t feel that way. Often someone’s external positivity may contrast their inner feelings.

Don’t Smile Through the Sadness

Gavin Leser, Content Team Editor
February 29, 2024
Saw X movie poster from Lionsgate.

You’ll Never Believe What I Just SAW: “Saw X” Review

Gavin Leser, CTE
November 5, 2023

Man Versus Machine: The Answer

Gavin Leser, Writer
May 10, 2023
From top left to bottom right, Ant-Man from “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Thor from “Thor: Love and Thunder,” The Wasp from “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” Jane from “Thor: Love and Thunder,” and Shuri from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” all characters from the MCU’s most recent phase.

The Decline of the MCU

Gavin Leser, Content Team Editor
May 1, 2023
Raised in the air, Principal Blake Bennett sings in the teachers’ dance during the Pep Rally. Ms. Bennett and other staff members recreated Rihanna’s 2023 Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Pep Rally Through the Grades

Gavin Leser, Writer
March 17, 2023
Digital media junior Coral Johnston plays the drums as her band rehearses “Can I Call You Tonight?” by Dayglow in preparation for the Battle of the Bands competition.

Drumming up Excitement

Gavin Leser, Writer
March 13, 2023
During Scholastic Journalism Week, The Muse staff attended a proofing stay-after for their upcoming third issue on Feb. 21 after school. The staff edited proofs — large, printed versions of the pages. This process allowed everyone to provide feedback on designs, photos, and stories before sending the issue off to print.

The Importance of Freedom

Gavin Leser, Writer
February 23, 2023
In addition to nine arts programs, Dreyfoos also provides students with the opportunity to take part in sports and academics.

The Dreyfoos Difference

Gavin Leser, Writer
February 15, 2023
Theatre freshman Alina Wester and dance junior Trinity Smoot Ford sit back to back on Freshman Hill during Black Student Union’s (BSU) Unity Day picnic. Unity Day kicks off BSU’s Spirit Week for Black History Month, which consists of a new event for each day until Friday, Feb. 10.

The Beauty of Unity

Jeremiah Alondra and Gavin Leser
February 6, 2023
After giving her junior to senior speech, theatre junior Adaleigh Wagner hugs visual senior Zofia Killeen. This annual tradition allows a junior to write a speech for a senior they are close to. “(Wagner) and I have been playing together for two years, and we have become such good friends,” Killeen said. “It meant so much that she made my speech, and it made my eyes water a little bit.”

Senior Night Lights

Aidan Smith and Gavin Leser
October 9, 2022
[BRIEF] Lightning Strikes Campus Wildlife

[BRIEF] Lightning Strikes Campus Wildlife

Gavin Leser, Writer
September 17, 2022
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