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

THE MUSE
Huddling up, digital media senior Joshua Molnar communicates game plans and strategies with the boys volleyball team. “The most challenging part this year was finding ways to stay connected and motivated when we hit a slow patch mid-season or end season," Molnar said. "We weren’t clicking as a team for a while…I tried to help by setting the tone in practices, bringing the energy even on the off days and making sure no one felt alone in the struggle.”
Serving Up for Senior Night
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
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
Holding hands, theatre freshmen Sofia Carbone and Kayla Brown perform their musical theatre piece, “Who Will Love Me As I Am” by Henry Krieger and Bill Russel.
Welcome to the Final Show
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
Hosting a lunch study session, math teacher Joshua Millstein explains how to calculate equations to his students. Outside of class time, Millstein hosts study sessions for students during lunch, in which he targets their shortcomings.
Where the Classroom Meets the Court
Between School and Sky
Between School and Sky
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
Holding hands, theatre freshmen Sofia Carbone and Kayla Brown perform their musical theatre piece, “Who Will Love Me As I Am” by Henry Krieger and Bill Russel.
Welcome to the Final Show
Huddling up, digital media senior Joshua Molnar communicates game plans and strategies with the boys volleyball team. “The most challenging part this year was finding ways to stay connected and motivated when we hit a slow patch mid-season or end season," Molnar said. "We weren’t clicking as a team for a while…I tried to help by setting the tone in practices, bringing the energy even on the off days and making sure no one felt alone in the struggle.”
Serving Up for Senior Night
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
Politics is BRAT
Politics is BRAT
Located at the back of the beach, the lifeguard tower at Ocean Reef Park oversees visitors both on land and in the water. Lifeguards on this beach work for the Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue division, which is USLA (United States Lifesaving Association) certified. USLA’s website reports that the “chance of drowning while at a beach protected by USLA-affiliated lifeguards is 1 in 18 million.”
Finding the Perfect Palm Beach
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
Huddling up, digital media senior Joshua Molnar communicates game plans and strategies with the boys volleyball team. “The most challenging part this year was finding ways to stay connected and motivated when we hit a slow patch mid-season or end season," Molnar said. "We weren’t clicking as a team for a while…I tried to help by setting the tone in practices, bringing the energy even on the off days and making sure no one felt alone in the struggle.”
Serving Up for Senior Night
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’
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
  • Last Day for Students: May 30
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

“We fought through it”

The boys soccer team ties with a score of 3-3 against Cardinal Newman.
Byline photo of Natalie Ryder
Natalie Ryder, Photo Staffer • 27 Views
December 10, 2021
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Natalie Ryder
Vocal sophomore and central midfielder Larry Perez drops back to help the defenders. In addition to helping the defenders, midfielders are responsible for running up on an attacking play to help the ball travel forward. Even though Perez has played soccer since the age of six, he has found an interest off the field in creating hip hop music. “I’ve always had a huge passion for soccer,” Perez said. “Other than soccer, I play guitar and sing. I [spend] a lot of time on music, so one of my goals is to get recognized by people for my art.” (Natalie Ryder)
Chasing an opponent down the field, digital senior Thomas Ashley tries to steal the ball from Cardinal Newman. Despite tearing his ACL and LCL last year, Ashley was quick to get back into his position at center back or starting defensive mid. “That was tough last year, but I’m just looking forward to bouncing back this year and winning more games as a team,” Ashley said. “The team’s positive. We’ve been getting a lot better performances recently.” The team has tied their last two games and won the other two. (Natalie Ryder)
After a near goal, band junior Kenedy Lopez-Tzun returns to midfield in an attempt to win the ball back after the opponent’s keeper punts it. Lopez-Tzun started playing soccer when he was five years old, though stopped a few years ago. “I’m personally planning to get better because I stopped playing for a long time,” Lopez-Tzun said. “So for next season, I’m definitely trying to get better with the team. It’s a fun atmosphere and a lot of people support each other.” (Natalie Ryder)
With every team member involved in activities and events within their respective art area, players often have to miss practices or games, leaving the team short players. This has created a struggle between balancing arts and sports according to band senior Jonathan Tordi. “One thing that we have to deal with at Dreyfoos that a lot of schools don’t have to deal with is the fact that we are an art school and that we have performances and rehearsals,” Tordi said. “All this stuff prohibits us from having consistent practices and game schedules.” (Natalie Ryder)
Walking onto the field, vocal junior Nicolas Bolanos prepares for the game to begin. According to Bolanos, being on the soccer team takes a lot of hard work, commitment, and dedication. “We need more commitment from our players in order to beat these big schools because we’re playing schools with 4000 plus kids, not private schools,” Bolanos said. “The fact that we are still able to compete on their level is a testament to how good we are while only having a fraction of what they have.” (Natalie Ryder)
Jumping into the air to receive a goal kick, band senior Jonathan Tordi works towards accomplishing his many aspirations for his final soccer season. “My goal is to get out there and have fun, keep the generations of soccer players at Dreyfoos going, and make sure there is a strong group of leaders that is going to take over next year,” Tordi said. “The team is an imperative part of the high school experience. I know I look forward to it every year, and I want to keep that legacy going.” (Natalie Ryder)
Band junior Makens Joseph warms up before the game, preparing to play all around, a way for him to achieve his goal for this season: trying and deepening his understanding of every position. Makens has only played soccer a couple years in middle school. “Since I am not very experienced, it’s hard to understand where to go in an unfamiliar situation,” Joseph said. “There is a lot of pressure because your teammates want to win, but if you don’t understand what’s happening a lot of things can go wrong.” (Natalie Ryder)
At the game on Monday, Dec. 6, visual junior Sebastian Villar plays left back defender. His position required him to defend the net and take the ball back from the opposing team so they wouldn’t score. “Our attack was really good in the Monday game,” Villar said. “We made mistakes here and there, but we can still improve over time.” (Natalie Ryder)
Before the game, piano junior Joshua Lumaban and vocal junior Matthew Stenberg tried their hand at handstands, something they have been attempting to learn. After three years on the team, Lumaban has come to love the atmosphere. “Even though we are [all] at different skill levels, we find a good way to communicate with each other as a team,” Lumaban said. (Natalie Ryder)
During a free kick, vocal junior Matthew Stenberg runs past the other team’s defense to get the ball and score. Stenberg is the striker on the team and is therefore responsible for scoring goals. He has only played this position in the past couple of games and during his time as a club soccer player for Team Boca. (Natalie Ryder)
As the goalie, visual senior William Dhana is always ready to stop any shot from entering the goal. The game on Monday became especially difficult after being injured in the first quarter, along with other teammates. “The game was not a bad result on Monday. We got unlucky a couple times, but we also had really nice goals from our forwards and our attacking midfielders,” Dhana said. “We fought through [all of the injuries], and we were able to pull off a tie from a game that we lost badly the previous season.” (Natalie Ryder)





















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Natalie Ryder
Natalie Ryder, Content Team Editor
Natalie Ryder is a third-year staffer and content team editor on The Muse. Natalie loves taking photos at events and in the studio and working with her team. When she is not taking photos, Natalie can be found sailing, reading, or at the beach.
Donate to THE MUSE
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