March 2018 by Millbrook High School BlueXpress

BX CONNECTS

Teens Fight Back Page 1

Teachers Packing Heat Page 14

Girls Basketball State Champs Page 15

From the Archives

Page 40

VOL 1 | ISSUE 3 MARCH 2018

We are more than just writing. We are Millbrook. We are BlueXpress.

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BX Connects with highlights from March 2018

NEWS

29 | ICDC Bound

page 1

INSIDE THIS ISSUE IN-DEPTH

1 | National School Walkout

31 | Mrs. Majher Returns

FEATURES

page 14

32 | Regional Science Fair

OPINIONS

15 | Girls State Champions

7 | Why the Walkout Mattered

17 | Millbrook Gives Tribute

9 | Changing the Tone 11| One Foot In & One Foot Out

SPORTS

19 | BX Toons

33 | From the Diamond

21 | Local Spotlights

34 | On The Court

23 | Retro Game Review

35 | March Madness

25 | Cult Classics

36 | Groll: Athlete of the Month

27 | The Punisher Review

37 | Debate Super Regionals 38 | Captain Q & A 40 | From the Archives

www.bluexpress.net THIS AND MORE ONLINE Keep up-to-date with news from this issue, on campus and around the community by visiting www.bluexpress.net on a regular basis.

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A&E

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14| Teachers Packing Heat

On the Cover Kaitlyn Perkins, BX photographer, captures an image from the March 14 National Walkout for the cover of this edition of the BX Connects newsmagazine. Our Goal The BX Connects intends to be a public forum for student expression and encourages all sides to voice their opinion. Staff members will honor Millbrook High School and its community and the journalistic profession by placing truth, accuracy and objectivity first. Corrections, Comments and Clarifications Should an error occur inside this issue, go to www.bluexpress. net/corrections.

The magazine for Millbrook High School Campus and Community

Approximately 154 students walk out of

ooking back on her experiences, senior Carly Kaderli said, “I just want to say, I am very grateful to both the students for participating, and to the administration for keeping us safe and allowing it to happen in ways that are effective.” Kaderli and several other members of the Young Democrats Club organized

The Buildup First, sophomore Jeffrey Ketron and senior Francesca Gormas started the Instagram page @millbrookwalkout, which currently has nearly two hundred followers. Then, when the two brought the idea to a Young Democrats meeting, they found that students were already talking with administration on how to hold the walkout. Ketron felt that if he and Gormas had organized it by themselves, it would not have drawn as many students to it. He also said that he would have found getting permission from the administration very hard, saying, “Carly’s really good with dealing with the administration, and I’m not the best, so we wouldn’t have been able to get it approved as easily as she did.” Once everything was established, Ketron and Gormas continued to manage the Instagram page and Kaderli started the Twitter account @millbrookresist, which has more than

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and participated in Millbrook’s National School Walkout, which was organized at the national level by the students who survived the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. Approximately 154 students exited their third period class on March 14 and gathered in the bus loop between 10:00 am and 10:17 am

in protest of gun violence. Millbrook High School was just one of the thousands of schools that held walkouts in support of gun policy reform both across the United States and the world, but the process of organizing the event was not straightforward, according to both the students and Ms. Price.

120 followers. Ketron felt that it was necessary to hold a walkout at Millbrook because of the unpredictable nature of mass shootings. He said, “It could just as easily happen here as Sherando, as James Wood—it could literally happen at any school, anytime. I don’t feel safe coming to school.” Gormas said that her goal in organizing the walkout was to get people to talk about the issue of how to solve gun violence. “We know as students we can’t walk into Congress and write legislation, but we’re getting people to realize these issues and look at it and think that this is something they should fix,” she explained. Kaderli cited that “there have been over 10,000 incidents of gun violence in 2018 already,” and said that what spurred her to organize the walkout were the questions of “If not us, then who? If not now, then when?” However, the Young Democrats Club all had to work together in order to organize the walkout. English teacher Ms. Henderson is the teach-

er advisor for the club, and explained that she had very little to do with the organizing itself, which she said was not unusual. “This is really their club,” she said. “They just meet in my room,” though she added that she was able to assist by helping the students understand the teachers and administration’s perspectives on the walkout and what they would be most concerned about. “Because I can’t offer my perspective on political issues, I did explain to them from an administrator’s perspective and a teacher’s perspective what our concerns would be. Using that guideline, they were very perceptive… And they were able to address those concerns in a proper way.” Though she was not present at the meetings, she thought that the SCA forums that were held were helpful for the students organizing the walkout to better understand the rules and restrictions that would have to be in place. There were several SCA meetings with the officers and the Young Dem-

Article by | Madison Lazenby

of school to protest against gun violence ocrats leading up to the event, but a notable forum occurred on March 12, the Monday before the walkout. There Ms. Price announced the rules that would be in place, which included staying in the bus loop and keeping the walkout free of politics. She also made clear that there would be no punishments for students who walked out, and there has been none reported in involvement with the walkout so far. Ms. Price explained that the restrictions and safety precautions were put in place out of the many worries she had about what would happen. The day before the walkout, she said that her main concern was student safety and class disruption. To combat this, she decided to take extra measures to ensure the students’ safety, including closing the back parking lot, requesting more police officers be present

at school, and she had every teacher who was on planning watch the students protest. “And they were happy to do so,” she said, “because their goal is the same as mine, and that is to make sure that students are safe.” Her concerns were also present in the letter that students took home on March 13, the day before the

walkout. She wrote, “While we respect the rights of students and others to express their views, groups of students exiting the school unexpectedly as part of a walkout presents a security concern because once groups of students leave the interior of the

building, they are outside of the direct supervision of school staff.” She ended the letter by encouraging parents to talk with their children about “the dangers associated with leaving the school in such a manner.” Ms. Price also put certain restrictions on the students walking out, including keeping the gathered students in the bus loop. She felt that letting students gather in front of the school building was “too uncontrollable” because of the close proximity to the road and parking lots. “If somebody is parked in a vehicle, I can’t control who that is,” she explained. “I don’t have any way of controlling visitors.” She also said that she would not permit students to walk around the school, as students did during the February 20 walkout. None of the students who organized the walkout said that they

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participated in the February 20 walkout, which drew between fifty and seventy-five students, and they were not sure who even organized it. Kaderli said that she was not able to participate on February 20 because she did not know about it until last minute because she thought it was simply a rumor. Ms. Price was not aware of the plans either until it happened. She disapproved of the way it was executed, as the students chose to march around the school building, which she says caused a disruption to all classrooms that had windows looking outside. “I can’t have that happen,” she said, citing that she expected class instruction to continue for the students who chose not to walkout. Lastly, Ms. Price wanted to keep the walkout free of politics. She was clear that though she still wanted to protect students’ right to free speech, she was worried about how political statements would be received. “One student may make one statement, and the person next to them may make a very different statement,” she explained, “and that may cause a conflict.” She was especially worried that political discourse would occur at the walkout since the issue being discussed was “as hotly contested as gun control.” Though she didn’t believe that physical fights would breakout, she was worried about “very clear arguments” and that she would have to “be the one that stepped in and said, ‘Okay, enough’s enough.’” As a solution, she advocated for students to focus on the goal of making schools safe as opposed to gun control. “Making school safer is not a political issue,” she said. “The means through which you might do that becomes the political issue.” However, all students interviewed said that they organized the walkout

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in support of stricter gun control. Though she still believed that there would be students who participated in the March 14 walkout to get “their picture in the newspaper” and “attention,” Ms. Price respects the students who “deeply hold a strong belief” in why they would walkout. With these students in mind, she said that she would do what she could to protect their right of free speech. “The former government teacher in me, hopes that students learn that their rights to free speech

and petition are protected regardless of who they are and where they are, however, I also hope that they understand that those are not unlimited.”

The Walkout According to Ms. Price, who was present in the hallway as students exited their classrooms on March 14, there were approximately 154 students who participated in the walkout, despite the especially cold temperatures that morning. They carried many signs with them, some notable ones saying, “Protect people not guns;” “One child’s life is worth more than all the guns in the world;” and “Hey NRA, how many kids did you kill today?” They also wore orange, a color chosen by the Women’s March national organization to show

solidarity, and black ribbons with hearts on them, which were made and distributed by Francesca Gormas in the bus loop. Gormas explained that she went out to buy the materials as soon as she heard there would be a walkout. She said that she wanted the pins to stand more for the remembrance of the lives lost in Parkland, Florida on February 14, so she chose the color black to represent “mourning” and the red heart to represent “the unity of students.” She also said that after the walkout, she handed out all the pins she made, the only ones left being the ones she kept for herself to wear. For the first few minutes, the students walked around the bus loop. While they made their walk around the bus loop, sophomores Kylee Kennerly and Lauren Campbell talked about why they were there. “Way too many people have died because of gun control,” Kennerly said, who held a sign that named all the mass shootings there has been in America since 1982, which she said she spent two hours creating. Campbell also said, “I refuse to be another statistic.” Kennerly said that she hoped that the school walkouts across the country would bring change to gun control, and also cited, “We are going to be the next generation that’s voting.” There were some chants called out, but all the students quieted down as they congregated in the center of the bus loop. At this point, seniors Daniel Ludwig and Patrick Northrup stepped forward and delivered speeches. Ludwig said to the gathered students, “We are the generation that can make a change in this country, and walking out is one thing, but we need to get in contact with our representatives. They are the ones that can actually make

the change and we are the ones that can pursue the change.” Northrup said, “While there are many issues that play into gun violence, state and national legislators failing to act on common sense gun reforms is at the top of the issues, in my opinion.” Sophomore Hiley Justis also stepped into the center of the crowd and emphasized the importance of calling representatives, and said, “Even if you can’t vote, you can still make a change and you can still do important things.” Carly Kaderli then stepped forward to say, “Guys, this could have been us, and it could still be us.” She then lead the gathered students in a chant of “No more silence, end gun violence.” Kaderli then officially ended the walkout by announcing that there two minutes left in the seventeen minutes that they were allowed to be outside, and the majority of the students immediately started filing back inside, however, some students, mainly those who organized the walkout, stayed back a moment to have their pictures taken and be interviewed by the media reporters that were in attendance, which included the Winchester Star.

The Aftermath Ms. Henderson was not able to supervise the walkout because she was teaching a class at that time, but she said that she was able to continue her class seminar uninterrupted that day. In fact, her class discussions were based on civil disobedience, specifically discussing Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, which details King’s opinions on civil disobedience and its role in the Civil Rights Movement. She

said that the timing of the seminar and the walkout was “totally coincidental.” She explained, “It’s something that I’ve taught every year that I’ve been an English 11 teacher. It typically falls in the spring, so it just kind of aligned sort of perfectly, which was great for the context in the discussion. What I found from the classes is that they really saw the connection.” She remarked that the students during her third period class on March 14 were “respectful.” She said, “It was a seamless tran-

sition, we continued with the conversation, nothing got out of joint, there was no comment or disruption whatsoever. It was completely smooth. I thought it was awesome.” However, she added, “I do think the conversation during third period was more guarded than the other classes, just because they were aware that it was happening.” US History teacher Mr. Hammer was one of the teachers that supervised the walkout. Mr. Hammer reportedly went into it with good expectations and was “very pleased with how students conducted themselves.” He said, “I thought the students handled themselves really well. They seemed to be responsible about the walkout procedures that were shared with them by Ms. Price.” He also said that there was never any instances where he had to break up any arguments or fights.

“Once I saw that it wasn’t a large walkout, I felt pretty confident that things were going to go smoothly, and they did.” However, he thought that the students who did participate were “probably the ones that were most passionate about the cause.” Carly Kaderli was very pleased with the turnout of the walkout, and said, “I was very pleased that there were so many people and that people were willing to speak.” Patrick Northrup was also happy and said, “I think that it was about the turnout I was expecting. Everyone that came was passionate about what we were out there for. If people were willing to be out in the freezing cold, then I think they really cared about what we are fighting for.” Daniel Ludwig said the turnout was “spectacular, especially since we live in red county. I feel like that goes to prove that even though we live in a traditionally Republican county, of Frederick County, the students are seeing that this shouldn’t be a partisan issue, it should be an issue of life versus death. And I feel like that’s what got so many people to mobilize today.” This was also mentioned by Hiley Justis, a sophomore who also stepped forward to speak during the walkout. She said that though she was raised in a Democratic household and she believed that most politicians who were acting on gun reform are Democrats, she said that gun violence is “a bipartisan issue.” Though Justis said that she helped get the walkout approved by administration, she said that she was more involved as a participator, and many teachers had remarked that she was a very passionate speaker on the issue leading up to the walkout. She explained that her awareness of political issues and her upbringing had

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to do with her passion for the subject and politics in general. “And this is a really biased thing to say, but I don’t understand how people can know that things like this are going on and not care as much as I do,” she said. Even so, Justis was worried that she would in some way get punished for participating in the walkout, though Ms. Price established that there would be no punishments for those who walked out of class. Specifically, she was concerned that her involvement in the walkout would prevent her from graduating early next year like she plans to. She said, “I don’t think if that happened it would be fair, but that’s not going to happen.” However, she knew she had to be ready to accept “repercussions” if they were to happen. Francesca Gormas was also aware that she could get in trouble for participating in the walkout. As she is a senior that has already been accepted to West Virginia University and has received several scholarships, she was nervous that if she got punished her acceptance and scholarship money would be rescinded. However, she said, “This is an event and an issue that I felt passionate about, so I was willing to take these risks, because it’s something that I want to see—so bad—change. Losing potential scholarships or even grades weren’t as important as this.” Several other students acknowledged that they were concerned about any punishments they could receive, but Patrick Northrup said he would have willingly accepted the punishments. However, Northrup and Justis also mentioned their gratitude that there would be no punishments as long as they followed the guidelines that Ms. Price put in place. “Even if we had received punishments,” Justis added, “that wouldn’t have changed any of our minds, because when you do something like this, you have to expect repercussions.” Looking back on the events of the walkout, Ms. Price said that she was overall very “impressed with our students.” She said, “I was very proud and pleased with the way the students conducted themselves.” She also felt that the students who participated in the March 14 walkout were more passionate and aware of what they were doing than the students who walked out of class on

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February 20, though she made clear that she did not believe that all the students who participated in the first walkout were not passionate about the subject. Ms. Price explained that she most understood the passion that the students felt for the cause when she saw them participate in the March For Our Lives on March 24 in Old Town Winchester. “I just happened to be downtown, I didn’t intentionally go to the march,” she said, “and I did see some of the same students. And I kind of thought that that was a temperature gauge to me as to whether or not that was a deeply held belief.” She thought that if students were willing to spend a Saturday at a march, then it showed that students were not just focused on getting out of class. Even so, Ms. Price said that she was disappointed that the students did not follow the no-politics rule, which Hiley Justis also acknowledged. Ms. Price said that she wished that there hadn’t been “a little bit of poking at” Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, who represents Winchester in the 10th Congressional District, though she added, “I don’t want that to sound like that’s my political opinion.” This “poking” included Patrick Northrup—who held a sign that said, “Dump Compstock”—encouraging the students gathered at the walkout to “Vote [Compstock] out” because of how the Congresswoman is “taking money from special interest groups and couldn’t care less about the people she represents.” Daniel Ludwig later elaborated on Northrup’s points by saying, “Barbara Comstock has received tons of money from the NRA—of the people that have received money from the NRA, she is #7 on the list of receiving the most money, and we need to take her out of office.” Though no students reported any political discourse that happened at the walkout, some said that they received some backlash from fellow students afterward. Ludwig said that he has had several encounters with “conservative students” who have told him that the “walkout is pointless and it isn’t going to create any change.” However, he said that he has responded to these students with “To each their own. I think we can create change.” Francesca Gormas said that though she has not received any negative

backlash from students, she has heard from other students who have. “I know a lot of people I’ve talked to have been getting a lot of mixed opinions on it; it seems to be very divided,” she explained. Getting backlash from other students was one of Kylee Kennerly’s main concerns about walking out of class in the first place. She recalled that during the walkout on February 20, students in her English class “were making fun of the kids who walked out and calling them dumb.” Kaderli said that several students were “offensive” and “disrespectful” toward the students who walked out on March 14, and said, “It’s just the common thing, they’ll think that protesters and a protest is stupid because they don’t see the steps. And this was a small step, but it was definitely a step in the right direction.” The next thing on Kaderli’s and the rest of the students’ minds was what to do next. Even Ms. Price made clear that “there are so many other important ways to effect change other than protesting… You’ve already been outside protesting now twice, so now maybe it’s time to do something else.” Ludwig agreed, “I think it’s one thing to walkout, it’s symbolic and it’s important, but it’s more important to actually get into contact with your congressperson to push forward and enact change.” Ludwig and Northrup are also both interns for Lindsey Davis Stover, a Democrat who is seeking to be nominated for Congress to represent the 10th Congressional District. Hiley Justis said that the next step that students need to take is voting in the midterm elections. “It’s something like 15% of new voters go to midterm elections,” she explained. “It’s really important that if you’re old enough, you go and do that.” Kaderli echoed these statements by saying, “Next step: definitely vote for people who will pass common sense gun laws.” Even so, the midterm elections are scheduled for November 6, 2018, nearly nine months away. For many, this can be time for progress or regress for what Millbrook students want in their legislation, and America may simply have to wait until November for an answer.

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Why the Walkout Mattered Article by | Laurel Biedrzycki

n March 14 from 10:00 to 10:17 a.m., several students walked out of the school in peaceful protest against gun violence and to honor the 17 victims of the school shooting that took place in Florida on February 14. This happened at schools all over the nation. At Millbrook, there were less students that participated than I would’ve hoped for, but there were still enough to raise awareness. Why was the walkout such a good thing? These students were there to make a change.

Just by being there, they were proving how many people are aware of the issues relating to gun control and how many people want there to be change. That presence alone is better than doing nothing at all because it demands change. Protests have been around for as long as the fight for protection of rights, and they have been proven to be effective over the years. The fact that students don’t feel safe in their schools is a problem. When we walked out, there was a feeling of unity among everyone. We

chanted to proclaim what we believed in, and some made speeches to have their voices heard. Then we walked in silence for the victims of school shootings. It all proceeded in an organized and respectful manner that raised awareness about issues while honoring the victims at the same time. The ones mocking and criticizing us are not the ones that will be remembered. Participating in this event was just taking a step toward getting where we’re not. What’s the harm in standing up for what you believe in?

Carly Kaderli, one of the leading organziers of the March 14 walkout, stands among the crowd.

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The Varric L

istening is one of the most complicated tasks, despite it being a key part of one of the five senses. There is a deep distinction that must be made between listening to and hearing someone. Hearing is simply perceiving what someone says rather than truly understanding how they feel and what they meant. Though passion and true belief are needed within an argument, students especially, cannot forget how to hold a proper discourse. If my generation wants to be the cause for change, we must change how we argue. Mimicking petty insults and cheap shots that adult politicians or commentators use will only continue the deadlock they have created. It is our job to change the tone. The Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting sparked a nationwide student move-

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ment to fight for an end to gun violence as well as increased legislation regarding the purchase of firearms. Within days of the shooting that claimed 17 innocent lives, chatter of walkouts and marches led by students erupted across the country. Similar to the Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s March after the election of President Trump, the March for Our Lives soon became the center of the movement; however, the March for Our Lives is a student-led protest. Hundreds of sister marches took place in cities across the United States to stand in solidarity with the official march in Washington D.C. The movement also sparked nationwide school walkouts. On March 14, one month after the shooting, students had the ability to choose to walk out of class to protest the state of current gun regulations within the United States. Energy to reform current gun laws was high among students. Though everyone might not agree with the students on their ideas, it is always a good day for democracy to see students enthralled with political discourse; however, a good day for democracy can quickly turn bad when the discourse becomes

insulting and frivolous. Everyone, no matter their political affiliation, believes that students must be kept safe in schools. Everyone, no matter their political affiliation, believes that students should never have to face gun violence on their campus. Everyone, no matter their political affiliation, believes that children are innocent and should never face the terror of hiding in cabinets or closets for their lives. It is a foundation among Americans that the lives of students are sacred, no matter where they go to school. The disagreement surrounding the issue of gun violence isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the same if some people value the lives of students over their guns, but how American school systems could be made safer. Some believe that gun regulation or control is the solution, while others want to modify the school environment itself. The problem does not lie within the disagreements, but it lies within the discourse. The Price Tag movement created by the March for Our Lives is a disgusting way to argue against the National Rifle Association. Each price tag for a member of Congress

cchio Factor with Abigail Varricchio

Students must change how we handle discourse within the United States is calculated by the amount of money they receive from the NRA divided by the amount of students they represent. It is supposed to symbolize how much student lives are worth to that member. Implying that some members value lives worth as little as a penny is horrific. Though it is a political tool, the price tag movement poisons the discussion surrounding gun legislation and the possibility of reform. The discussion becomes poisoned because suddenly the sides are pitted against each other not only as enemies, but suddenly a moral argument arises: Does accepting NRA money mean someone does not value the lives of children over money or gun rights? The moral argument manufactured by the use of the price tags is unneeded. It prevents Americans from being able to talk about the actual disagreement about how to make American schools safer. Instead of talking about actual policy, whether it be increased regulation on guns or other options, Americans become more focused on the moral problem of NRA money, meaning that no meaningful legislation is passed or discussed. Solutions are not reached

simply due to petty politics. The movement takes the attacks on the NRA a step further by referencing the campaign contributions as ‘blood money’ because the NRA lobbies against tighter gun control. Some believe that more gun control would have prevented past mass shootings. While there is a possibility that it could have helped, the ‘bloody money’ implies that the NRA and Congressmen have blood on their hands, which implies that they are responsible for mass shootings. The ‘NRA blood money’ is another propaganda tool that crosses a line by preventing discourse directly addressing the issue from taking place. A moral argument is necessary; however, when one side demonizes the other, the objective of the discussion is lost. Washington D.C. is hindered by politics. Often the best solutions come from people and communities rather than Congress. Though legislation can have meaningful change, to have legislation, there must be a dialogue. Communities must be able to speak across the aisle to one another to be able to create a comprehensive solution that fits their needs

and concerns. Though Congress will eventually move past partisan attacks on each side surrounding gun legislation, young Americans are in a unique position. The issue has killed too many peers to have them let the conversation shift to petty discourse. It must shift to be stronger and above a political argument. It must be directed towards bipartisan and solution driven talks, not insults and low level attacks. Students have the power to lead nationwide protests, to spark a national conversation, and to be a catalyst for massive change. It is important to utilize this ability with great force, but also great caution. Passion has its limits before it turns into political propaganda and becomes senseless ad hominem arguments. Every American wants schools to be safer. Every American wants to break up the deadlock in Washington D.C. It is disgusting to watch Congress, both Republicans and Democrats, feed into propaganda and continue to not discuss solutions.

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Article by | Grant Myers

n February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz killed 14 students and 3 teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This is one of the already 17 school shootings that has occurred the United States in 2018 alone. Students all across the country took a stand to call for action, from general protests to organized walkouts during the school day. There have been two walkouts at Millbrook already, and a third seems to be planned on April 20, the 19th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colorado that killed 13 people. Walkouts have understandably become a controversial topic, as they hold just as many benefits as concerns. On one side of things, students themselves are standing up for a great cause, and will likely be successful in getting people’s (mainly politicians’) attention. On the other side, however, there’s the danger of a large amount of students being out in the open with little protection, as well as the issues of some students not truly committing. Overall, there are understandable reasons on both sides, that are all as important as each other. The many different considerations make it difficult to choose one viewpoint. The idea of protesting in the form of walking out to demand stricter gun laws is one to be admired. Making such a bold statement as physically leaving the building to advocate for the end of the high amount of tragedies is a positive move. It makes it even more positive that such a bold move is being made by the students themselves. If students use the angle of pleading for their own safety, it makes it all the more effective and urgent. Speaking of which, this is likely to get the attention of politicians in some way, considering they have gotten the attention of teachers and even the

news. At Millbrook, for example, the very first walkout on February 20 obviously alarmed different teachers and staff members when countless students walked out the front doors. This led to staff getting more involved and ensuring their safety when the next walkout took place in March. That did not end here though, as both walkouts were covered in The Winchester Star. Articles included “Local students join Florida teens in gun control demonstrations” and “Local students join national protest of gun violence,” both which had the Millbrook protests as the primary photograph. If the walkouts got the news’ attention, it’s not illogical they could help in getting politicians’ attention. However, there are equal amounts of negatives in contrast to the positives on this topic. Firstly, there’s the issue that people on the other side of things are worried about the most: safety. The argument can be made that a large amount of unprotected students gathering outside would give a shooter a better opportunity. This is a cause that is necessary to be spoken about, but the danger is still present. If demonstrations like this continue, more precautions (security, etc.) need to be taken that consider the students’ vulnerability. Secondly, there’s a separate problem of some students not fully committing to the walkouts. Typically, when choosing to participate in something that might not entirely follow the rules, the person accepts the consequences. In the case of the Millbrook walkouts, some students were angry when they were marked tardy (skipping class) after walking out. Their argument was that nothing should be marked against them for standing up for what they believe in, which is somewhat understandable, but at the same time negates the entire point. By accepting being marked tardy, a bold statement is made:

protesting the current gun laws for the safety of the students is worth being given a tardy slip. If anything, accepting that mark makes the message even more powerful, and possibly more effective. Therefore, there is an issue that students who are not willing to accept that are not fully committing to walking out. If there’s going to be this controversy, this may not be a great idea in the first place. Gun control has absolutely proven to be an issue in the U.S. and one way of advocating for the improvement of this has been through school walkouts. Students have had enough - they don’t want another tragedy like the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting to occur in their school, or any other school for that matter. With walkouts, students themselves are making strong statements and standing up for a great cause, and have already proven to have potential of catching politicians’ attention. At the same time though, there is the concern of safety that comes with a mass amount of students walking out the front door. As morbid as that may sound, there will always be the concern of how safe everyone is when they protest that way. Lastly, walkouts as a whole can become overly complicated when some students do not accept the consequences. Making such a strong statement comes with accepting that you may be breaking a few rules - doing so makes the message all the more stronger. With all of these things considered, walkouts end up as somewhat of a “mixed bag.” There’s a brilliant cause behind all of it, but safety and other complications make it difficult to form a completely positive or negative opinion. In the end, it all depends on the person, and as long as everything is handled respectfully and responsibly, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 11 –12

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Teachers Packing Heat Instead of Lunch The best recourse is to focus on stricter gun laws and actually working on preventing anymore violence in schools.

Article by | Carolynn Unger imes are changing in the United States. Teenagers are standing up for gun control through walk-outs and other forms of protesting. Now there is an escalating debate regarding arming teachers to combat active shooters. It is horrible enough that students fear of having an intruder or another classmate shooting a gun in their school. Imagine if a teacher kept a gun right under their desk or in their pocket. Now I can see why some might think arming teachers is a good idea. It can be a form of protection if an intruder were to try to come into a classroom. Although, the form of protection could easily be turned into a Western shootout and could cause more chaos in that situation. So far there have been two major incidents of teachers firing weapons in the building and causing harm and hysteria during school hours. On February 28, a social studies teacher at Dalton High School in Georgia barricaded himself in his room and refused to come out. When the principal tried to unlock the door, the teacher fired his gun through an outside window causing a school lockdown. Although no one was harmed, this act of violence caused a state of panic for the students and staff. The second event that occured was on Tuesday, March 13 at Seaside High School in California. The teacher was conducting a safety lesson before he aimed a loaded gun to the ceiling and fired,

causing bullet fragments to injure a 17 year old student. What baffles me the most is the fact that President Donald Trump supports the states deciding whether or not to arm their staff. According to a Tweet he made February 24, “Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them… Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.” It is hard to protect students if casualties are made by teachers who act out of panic if an intruder situation were to occur. There is also

the possibility of a student getting hold of the weapon. Even if a teacher keeps it locked in their desks, children always find a way of getting something out. Trust me, I want to have forms of security for schools as much as anyone. No one wants another Parkland or Columbine, but having educators carry guns in the learning area is not the solution. If anything, it could cause more chaos in a place where kids are meant to learn and prepare for the future. The best recourse is to focus on stricter gun laws and actually working on preventing anymore violence in schools.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 13 –14

Article by | Carolynn Unger

n March 10 at the Siegel Center on the campus of VCU, Millbrook’s girls basketball team defeated Lake Taylor in the Class 4 State Championship game with the winning score of 53-46. This is the fourth state title for the girls basketball program after winning in 2010, 2011, and 2012. This year, the girls finished the season undefeated with a total of 32 wins. Amari Anthony is a senior and one of the starters on the team, who scored a total of 14 points in the

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State Cha game. She said the moment it sank in that the team won, she was ecstatic. “We all did it as a team. It was just a great moment.” Another senior and starter Haile McDonald felt, “blessed beyond words. I just felt like our season was truly completed.” Erika Reed also stated that is was a “surreal moment. It was exciting in that moment. It had been our goal from the beginning.” There was one point in the game that Millbrook was slightly behind Lake Taylor. Erika thought, “We have

come this far to lose. I definitely did not want to go out like that, none of us did. So we just persevered and got it done.” Haile felt the same way, feeling as though the season could not end this way. In that moment, the girls felt a bit of fear, but were determined to keep going giving their best. “I was like, we still got this, the game’s not over yet, we just got to pick it up and then we’ll be good,” said Amari. The girls basketball season ended with the team being undefeated

ampions as well as earning the title of state champions. Amari stated that the team had a few struggles throughout the season, but they would always come together as a team. “That’s what brought us all the way to the championship and that’s how we won it.” Erika felt similarly when describing the conflicts the girls went through. “We had our ups and downs. With Haile getting injured, that was definitely one of the downs. But we were able to rally around that.” All in all, she felt that it was a good season.

Haile felt heartbroken that, because of her injury, she was unable to play the better part of season playoffs. However, she went on to say that the season was “great” and “a true blessing.” Haile was also proud of Amari for earning her 1000 points. All three seniors will be playing basketball when they attend their respective universities. Haile will be playing Division 1 basketball at Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Erika plans on playing, but has not decided on a college yet.

These girls have fought tooth and nail to earn their title and keep up their winning streak. Erika describes the team as a family. “A lot of us have grown up together and then there has been some additions. We’re all super close and family-like.” Haile also says that the team is full of girls who just “enjoy being around each other”. Amari describes them as an “active team. We get the work done, we play as hard as we can, everybody knows their role, and we just play.”

BX CONNECTS | Pages 15 –16

Millbrook Gives Tribute to Parkland Students Article by | Abigail Varricchio

fter the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Millbrook students wanted to give tribute to the 17 students and staff that were murdered. The Student Council worked closely with Mrs. Price and other administrators to plan a meaningful tribute video that acknowledged each of the vic-

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tims. Each officer and administrator wanted to make sure that the entire student body could participate in the tribute. Though students could not be physically in the tribute, the school was able to watch the video together as a community. A video was shown on the morning of March 14, one month after the shooting occured, to honor those

lives lost. President of SCA, Mellany Groll, read the name of each victim along with their age and if they were a staff member or a student. Other officers released one white balloon for each victim as their names were called. Millbrook students stand with the victims of the MSD shooting and hope that another tragedy like this never occurs again.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 17 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;18

Cartoon Division Arts & Entertainment

Cartoonists: Nicole Hauck, Hope Baker, Matthew Bennett

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BX CONNECTS | Pages 19 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;20

Aliss Dollheart

Article by | Laurel Biedrzycki

rom “the sticks behind the sticks that sit between Woodstock and Strasburg” there is an artist that no one would expect to find who goes by the stage name of “Aliss Dollheart,” challenging conventional gender norms and expectations. He goes by Austin in casual settings, but his personality closely ties into his musical presence. There is a clear unabashed disregard for gender stereotypes in the way he presents himself, giving him a unique quality that comes naturally to him. His dark, neo-gothic image and androgynous features are only a part of what represents him as an artist. One of his biggest trademarks are his hauntingly dream-like vocals which float and swell along with

his instrumentals. In his music, he mostly incorporates guitar into his songs, crafting simple yet memorable melodies. Austin wouldn’t say that his style of music can be pinpointed by a specific genre because what’s more important in his mind is creating something that really resonates with him. “I strive for the freedom of metal, the intelligence of pop, and the flow of R&B.” His influences are all over the map, but they express artistic freedom and individuality, like Marilyn Manson, Chelsea Wolfe, Tori Amos, Nicole Dollanganger, and Gaahl of Gorgoroth. Growing up, he tended to idolize female singers, such as Shania Twain and Miranda Lambert, which he feels helped him develop into the artist he is today. Austin has been writing songs

since he was in seventh grade, but he usually gave them away for other people to use. When he reached high school, he started crafting them for himself. The first song that he released on Bandcamp titled “Milk” already showed bits and pieces of his collective influences. There is a subdued yet genuine expressiveness in the soft vocals that give the song an ominous feel to it. “I wrote it about the toxicity of relationships I’ve had and how I felt like a walking disease,” he said, before adding that the song gained approval from his crowds. “After I played it, I received smiles. Maybe it was catharsis. Or it could’ve been the tune. Either way, it worked.”

The Selah Theatre Project

Article by | Anna Fox

he Selah Theatre Project is a local theatre that specializes in shows that make people feel. Rather than doing shows that just make people happy, Selah does plays that are relevant to everyone watching and makes people want to take action. The owner La Tasha Do’zia-Earley opened the theatre 5 years ago, and it has grown so much since then. This summer at Selah Theatre, there are two camps; the first one is June 11 - 29. It is Monday-Friday 10AM-5PM, for 13-18 year olds, and

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in the camp the students will create an original play. The second camp is for middle schoolers, and this one starts in July. They also work together to create characters and help build an original play. Selah is also doing their first musical this summer, Zombie Prom, directed by Dolly Stevens. This musical will have both high school and middle school students working together; the performances are on July 27 - 29. Zombie Prom is based on a 1950’s horror comic book with a rock and roll style of music.

Jenny Simpson, a parent, gave the theatre 5 stars. “Every time you see a show at Selah you see the heart and the work everyone puts into the show,” she said after see the performance of The Laramie Project. The members of the theatre call Selah their home and say it’s like having a second family.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 21 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;22

Lego Star Wars: The

Some Lego games were better than others, however, no

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Meet the Staff

e Video Game

othing has beaten Lego Star Wars yet.

Article by | Dylan Boyer

or retro reviews, I typically try to make sure the entity being reviewed was released at least 15 to 20 years ago. However, Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, is too good a game to wait another two years. Lego Star Wars: The Video Game was released on March 29, 2005 and became an instant classic. The first installment of the game contained levels that were taken from the Star Wars prequels. Each level takes key aspects from each of the movies and recreates them in a more simplistic way. When players attempt each level for the first time, they start out with the specific characters they need to beat that particular level. Once the level is beaten, players unlock free play which allows them to replay the level with whatever characters they choose. They can unlock new characters by beating levels and buying characters as well. There is even a feature where players can create their own characters. Each level also contains special secrets that play-

ers can find by exploring the levels. Though this was not the first video game based on Legos, Lego Star Wars started something revolutionary. Since 2005, the game has sold over 6.8 million copies worldwide. With the first game being a huge success, developers decided to go for round two by releasing Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy the following year. The Original Trilogy has sold over 8.3 million copies since 2006. As these Lego games became more and more popular, we started to see introductions to new series such as; Lego Indiana Jones, Lego Batman, Lego Harry Potter, Lego Lord Of The Rings, and Lego Marvel Super Heroes. Some Lego games were better than others, however, nothing has beaten Lego Star Wars yet. It wasn’t until 2007 when Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga was released that I was able to play the series. The Complete Saga was a combination of the first two Lego Star Wars games. It isolated both games onto one disk so

that players could enjoy all the levels in order and also switch between both games without having to switch disks. I found this to be an extremely cool selling point because those who were not able to play the original game were given the chance to do so.This was also the first time Lego Star Wars was available on a next-gen console. I found myself playing this game all the way through the first time. I had no desire to set the controller down. Before playing the game, I was not all that familiar with the films. After playing the games, I felt like I had seen all the movies and understood the craze. There was so much replayability within the series that I never found time to get bored playing. I definitely recommend that everyone play this game. I strongly believe that it holds up very well in today’s heavy lineup of video games. It contains everything anyone could ask for in a video game; strong plot, amazing replayability, customizability, and unlimited fun. 10/10

Joel Sherman Documentaries

oel Sherman is a 17 years old senior at Millbrook and was born on May 11, 2000 in Reston, Virginia. He enjoys playing soccer, swimming, and fishing in his free time. Joel works as a U.S. Soccer Federation referee where he officiates both children’s matches and high level travel soccer games. He also washes and details cars at Don Beyer Volvo Cars of Winchester on weekends and in the summer. On the BlueXpress team, Joel plans and directs the production of a documentary series that he began this year. These videos spotlight different parts or event that take place within Millbrook’s student body. For example, he interviewed different teachers around Millbrook and documented each one of their stories and motives to become instructors After high school, Joel plans to study communications at James Madison University and pursue a career in public speaking. He also hopes to accomplish a second major or minor in Business or Math.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 23 –24

alex stone presents

nstead of writing some conclusive outro on how cult cinema has impacted the film landscape in some form of metaculture where we now have a level of unmatched self awareness on the Lifetime or SyFy channels, I will leave you with an impassioned review of the animated cult classic, The Brave Little Toaster, recognized as a transcendent experiment of the cartoon medium by Christian Hellwig.

The Brave Little Toaster The best cult classic is none other than a movie about a living toaster and his ragtag team of other household squatters. The Brave Little Toaster is not just a kid’s movie, but also a movie about hardships, overcoming obstacles, and the power of friendship. The Brave Little Toaster was released on May 31, 1989 and was distributed by the Disney Company despite it not being a Disney-made movie. Director Jerry Rees had worked with Disney on The Fox and the Hound and The Brave Little Toaster was sort of a passion project for Rees. The Brave Little Toaster was backed by a strong cast consisting of Jon Lovitz, Deanna Oliver and Thurl Ravenscroft. The film begins in a house in the woods where all the appliances live, they do chores all day and wait for their master to come back for them. One day Blanky hears a car and they think it’s the master, but its a real estate agent putting a for sale

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sign in the front of the house, and the appliances are devastated. They decide, after the very graphic and painful death of the AC, to leave the house and search for the master. The whole movie consists of a lot of appliances, cars, and animals dying on screen and a scene of Toaster killing a flower after the flower saw its reflection in Toaster is a major shift in the movie because Toaster becomes sympathetic to Blanky who was seen as a baby. That night Toaster has a dream that he kills the master, falls in a bathtub and is put out by a large very scary clown that still gives me nightmares to this day. The appliances meet the newer and improved appliances who in turn try to kill the traveling team. This will become very normal through the movie, everything and everyone tries to kill at least one member of the team in every fantastic, fast paced musical number that make up this movie. The music in the movie is probably the best part. I’d say it has better music than actual Disney movies, the musical numbers are colorful, fun, and even at times scary. The

film has a very large soundtrack and each song in my opinion is fantastic. The team finds itself in a junkyard at the end of the movie, and a musical number takes place. This number consists of cars singing about their impending doom by the large magnetic crane who becomes their Judge, Jury, and Executioner. The cars sing as they are put on the belt and crushed and the musical number ends when the team and the car they were on top of end up on the belt, which is strange because the cutaway before that shows them driving from the crane, but in the next part they are on the belt. However, he drives to the crusher accepting his death and is going out on his own terms. The Brave Little Toaster is more of an adult movie then a kid’s movie in almost every way possible, the graphic deaths, the adult topics, and the references make it enjoyable to watch as I grew up. I have to say that The Brave Little Toaster is a cult classic that only gets more enjoyable with age.

mongst the ranks of Jim Jones and David Koresh, cults have secured national attention with each fading spectacle coming and going every few years or so. Some cults however, don’t garner such viewership until well after they disperse, or at least they aren’t recognized in their success until they have long after died, similar to that of Heaven’s Gate. I am not talking about actual cults, instead I want to talk about Cult Films; quite the distinction (relegated to a tasteless intro). Rather than getting into some pretentious bout about counterculture and the development of the video landscape

and its effect on cult cinema, I’m just going to sum it up as a movie that does not do so hot in the mainstream, but strikes big in smaller circles. Examples are usually movies that are financial or critical bombs that were simply misunderstood or, in the case of The Room, aptly surmised that create entertainment value for a niche circle. Some have even cultivated such a following that they have resulted in a revival or sequel or in the case of Evil Dead, a Starz Original Series. Popular cult films include Rocky Horror Picture Show, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers’ entire careers, and obviously, The Room. But why would

you want to read about stuff that you are already familiar with? Especially from some guy who may know even less than you on the subject. Instead I can show you some movies that you may know nothing about and we can all walk away feeling like we accomplished something today. You, for reading some high school junior’s spread on movies he likes, and me for introducing people to the masterpiece that is Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Moving forward, here is a list of some fun Cult Movies that you may or may not be familiar with. Enjoy.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me

raised and cliffhangers hung at the show’s conclusion. Upon its release, it was met with less than favorable reviews, getting a Metacritic score of about 28. The film was only recognized for its genius in niche circles until its eventual home release and later, crucial foundation for, at least making an attempt at, understanding the eventual revival “Twin Peaks: The Return.”

5 times, eventually researching its production to find out more about it. To my dismay, the film bombed, not even covering its budget. A surprise considering that this film would follow on the coattails of Judd Apatow’s peak the same year as Knocked Up. Still, this film found a second life on DVD as it keeps you coming back for its unlimited quotability potential and its surprisingly listenable parody soundtrack ripping on the likes of the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and the Beatles to name a few with such hits like “Let Me Hold You (Little Man),” a song advocating dwarf ’s rights. I think that this film’s downfall can directly be attributed with the audience fatigue of spoof movies in general, moving away from classics like Scary Movies 1 and 2, and more toward the quality of Scary Movies 3 and 4. This film was unfortunately swept under the rug, but has found its niche in cult cinema as possibly the last great parody movie of its era. If you have already seen this movie and want more, it has found its spiritual successor in another Apatow produced musical parody with Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, another film that bombed terribly and will probably be recognized another 10 years down the line.

Following the year after the cancellation of Lynch’s initial venture into television “Twin Peaks,” many thought that the feature length follow up would help to clear up the myriad of cliffhangers and ambiguities brought up following the show’s epically ambiguous and surreal finale. Instead however, we were met with a prequel film that establishes the intricacies of the show’s universe and mythology. Featuring brief cameos from the show’s protagonist, Kyle Maclachlan, Agent Cooper, the film focused on the final days of Laura Palmer, the girl found dead in the titular town at the beginning of the show. This would seem like a straightforward and direct prelude to the series, but the film is classic Lynch. Filled with seemingly incoherent visuals and dreamlike narrative structures, the film was completely ostracizing to anyone without a general knowledge and understanding of the show. To make matters worse, the film at times continued past the end of the show only further muddling the questions

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story I had first seen this movie on a censored daytime showing on FX. I was flipping through the channels when I stumbled upon what would become one of my favorite comedies of all time. Drawing inspiration from all of the major musicians of the 50s, 60s, and 70s, Walk Hard is mainly a lampoon of the Johnny Cash biopic, Walk the Line. The film features John C. Reilly as a bootleg Cash rising his way through the music industry despite “tragic” upbringing and crippling inability to smell. Since my initial viewing I have watched it at least another 4 or

BX CONNECTS | Pages 25 –26

Marvel Series Reviews Frank Castle’s Debut

What separates The Punisher from other Marvel shows is that Castle does not have any special abilities. Article by | Carolynn Unger

fter his debut in the second season of Daredevil, Marvel fans were dying to see a series dedicated to the anti-hero Frank Castle. On November 17, 2017, their wishes came true with the premiere of The Punisher. The storyline starts off with Frank going to several different parts of the world to take down the men who got his family killed, making it seem as though his road of revenge is over. He then goes on, under another identity, before he is introduced to a cyber-genius Micro, who holds more information about what killed the Castle family. What separates The Punisher from other Marvel shows is that Castle does not have any special abilities. He does not have powers like Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, or Luke Cage. Nor does he have ninja-like skills and fighting abilities like Daredevil. The only skills he uses are from his training in the Marines. Similar to Jessica Jones, The Punisher also focuses deeply on the subject of mental health or more specifically post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although there is an enemy, there’s

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not a specific villain. For example, Billy Russo (Ben Barnes) was Frank Castle’s best friend and colleague while in the Marines, but he is not what he seems. We eventually learn more about him and his past and there is more of an understanding to his actions. Like many other Marvel villains, he is one we love to hate. The show is filled with so many talented actors such as Jon Bernthal, who performs probably the best portrayal of The Punisher in live action. He really brings out the physical and emotional pain Frank Castle experienced in the series. Ebon Moss-Bachrach was the comic relief with his role as David Lieberman AKA Micro while also giving some emotional scenes. There is also the introduction of Homeland Security agent in the Marvel universe, Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah), who has a similar goal to Castle’s, which is to find the people who caused the death of her partner. At first, she is seen as a villain toward Frank and there is some questioning in her decisions. Eventually as she starts to learn the truth about the enemy, viewers start to warm up to

her more. Personally, I can’t wait for her to make more appearances in the Marvel universe. Daredevil’s Deborah Ann Woll returns as our favorite journalist and companion Karen Page. It was honestly a good move to bring back the Frank and Karen dynamic. In the second season of Daredevil, Karen was the only one who truly listened to Frank and believed his story. Although she does not fully support everything he does, she is still there. Whether it be romantic or strictly platonic, hopefully we will get to see more of these two in future seasons. It was announced on December 12, 2017 that The Punisher was renewed for a second season that is assumed to start around October, 2018. Although there is excitement about Frank Castle continuing this story and the fact there was an introduction of a comic villain, the season finale had a fair conclusion. It seemed as though Frank ended his revenge journey on a good note and left hope for a peaceful life. But we will have to see how this new villain will make his appearance in the second season.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 27 â&#x20AC;&#x201C;28

ICDC BOUND 10 Millbrook Students will be attending the DECA’s International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, GA, April 21-24 Article by | Grant Myers

t’s been another successful year for many of the students in DECA at Millbrook. For a certain amount of students, their achievements brought them to the upcoming DECA International Career Development Conference in Atlanta, Georgia. It will be held from April 21-24 this year, and will involve approximately 10,000 students from all fifty states and Canada, Mexico, China, Guam, and a few other countries. All of the students have worked hard throughout the year, and that work will pay off soon with the start of this massive event. Rachel Keeler, Patrick Northrup, Ricky Timbrook, Juliette King, Brittany O’Donnell, Brie Van Fossen, Lindsey Gardiner, Cole Albert, Joanne Keenan, Lauren Blum, and Alex Giffin all advanced to the conference along with Ms. Keeler, their supervisor. According to Mrs. Keeler, the competition aspect of the event involves a charity-based event or activity that each student participated in, even before the States competition held earlier this year in Virginia Beach. They developed their activity, submitted “up to a 30 page paper,” and presented a 15-minute presentation to the judges. Those who placed

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first in their category moved on to the upcoming International event. After placing first in their category at States, seniors Ricky Timbrook and Patrick Northrup are among those who are attending the International conference. Their project was the Play for Pink 3-on-3 basketball tournament held earlier this year, which raised money for cancer. Patrick commented that the category they competed in goes through the “foundations of how to plan, market, and execute an event,” and then allows you to analyze the outcomes. Patrick attended and competed in the International conference his sophomore and junior years, and also mentioned the aspect of DECA bringing in marketing executives from various businesses to talk to students. Both he and Ricky enjoy the networking opportunities these events provide. As for Ricky, this will be his first year physically competing at the conference. He attended the “Emerging Leader Series” last year, a leadership conference for students where he enjoyed networking and doing “team bonding activities with kids across the nation.” Senior Brittany O’Donnell will be attending the

leadership conference at the event as well, although she will not be competing. Her project of certifying Millbrook’s school store came in second in her category, but since she has not participated in the leadership conference before, she is excited to work with and learn from other students nonetheless. The students have other activities planned when they have time off, which they’re all excited for. They will be attending an Atlanta Braves baseball game one night, they have “Flash Passes” for DECA day at Six Flags, and DECA is even holding a concert with pop star Andy Grammer headlining. There will be plenty of fun activities on their time off, but the students seem more focused on the reason they’re there: the competition. According to Ms. Keeler, they have the chance be chosen in the Top 20, compete once more, and then be chosen for the top 10. Millbrook has been successful in the past, as Ms. Keeler claimed they have had people place in the top 10 in 7 of the last 14 years they’ve participated. Ricky has a positive attitude looking forward, and said “We’re just gonna go and… do our best, hopefully place but if not, it’s a good learning experience.”

Meet the Staff

Carolynn Unger Reporter

arolynn Unger is a junior writer. This is her first year as a staff member in the BlueXpress. What she loves most about journalism is the writing and overall learning experience. Being a part of the BlueXpress has helped her grow as a writer and has made her more confident when it comes to communicating with others. Along with being a writer, she has been a member of the Millbrook Key Club since her freshman year and is in the Advanced Women’s Ensemble. Also, she has been involved with the drama department since her freshman year. She started the year by writing about the fall musical “The Little Mermaid” and writing reviews of movies and television shows. She then expanded her horizons by writing about school news, sports, editorials about certain topics, and music. After graduation she hopes to study journalism and minor in theater. She also hopes to continue writing as a career after college.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 29 –30

Meet the Staff

Mrs. Majher Returns My husband always loved the name Noelle Article by | Emily Keller

M Christian Hellwig Website Editor

hristian is a 16 year old web developer for the Bluexpress. Christian considers himself and his teammates the “fire department” of the website because they work when something goes wrong. He also designed the layout for the homepage of the Bluexpress’s website. Christian also codes for the Bluexpress as well. He enjoys playing Tennis and is a part of the Millbrook Varsity Tennis team. Christian also makes computer animations and is a Tennis coach for Frederick County Parks and Rec. He enjoys fishing anywhere he can, he typically fishes by himself because he likes being alone. He likes to photoshop pictures that have no meaning to anyone but himself, sometimes they end up being funny. Christian likes History but also does not like writing in history class. People like to describe him as a fun, energetic guy with a deep burning passion for the movie “The Brave Little Toaster,” a family friendly film about overcoming obstacles in life. www.bluexpress.net

olly Majher is one of the Spanish teachers at Millbrook and she recently had a baby. The baby girl’s name is Noelle Laurelin Hott Majher and she was born on December 5 at 11:20pm. “My husband always loved the name Noelle and since we both really liked Lord of the Rings, we decided that the middle name would be Laurelin after the golden tree of Valinor,” said Mrs. Majher. Hott was Mrs. Majher’s maiden name, which she took as her second middle name after marriage. She wanted her daughter to have it too. Noelle was not the only name that they had picked out, Cora was also a contender. Mr. and Mrs. Majher found out months in

advance that their child would be a girl, but they kept it a secret until the baby shower in October. Close friends of their church hosted the baby shower for them at their house. “We were blessed with a mountain of baby necessities and haven’t had to buy any diapers yet,” said Majher. Being a parent is definitely not an easy thing. It is a whirlwind, but is a very rewarding thing “especially when you get to see the sweet little gummy smile, it’s the cutest,” said Majher. “It’s pretty crazy to realize that you’re now responsible for a little human and you have to help them learn how to do literally everything, but we have learned so much about how to be a parent,” stated Majher. If they don’t

know something, then they have no need to fear because both of their families live close by to help. Or, said Majher, “with the very helpful tool known as Google. It’s a 24/7 help desk for any emergencies like is this normal for babies or why does a baby do this?” “I was too preoccupied and a little bit sleep deprived to really think about school when I was on leave. The only thing on my mind was enjoying my time with her.” Coming back to school however was pretty difficult for Majher even though it had felt good to have her routine back in order. “I like being back here, but now I’m out the door pretty quick once the bell rings.”

Regional Science Fair Millbrook is very proud to have so many amazing students representing the school Article by | Anica Moran

he science fair takes place each school year and every student has a chance to be a part of it. Some teachers encourage students to enter and some teachers will give extra credit for participation. Students like Adriana Sauntry, Abigail Varricchio, and Mitanshi Trivedi dedicated enormous amounts of time to their projects and it eventually won them awards. “I investigated the relationship between the percentage of GDP put towards public infrastructure and the rates of road traffic fatalities in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Andriana, who is a junior, who won first in the category of Energy & Transportation. She came up with her idea while she was reading and found a publishing put out by the World Health Organization. In the article, it outlined the major struggles countries face today. “Road traffic incidents (RTIs) are a leading cause of death globally, constantly threatening the world’s health, economic status, and development. A disproportionate number of these incidents take place in middle-to low-income countries which account for 90% of RTIs.” She used a statistical test to determine an r-value of .39 and p-value of .2, which is a weak correlation, but in DRC, she found a different story. “I found an r-value of .74 and p-value of .02 (a very strong correlation is statistically significant).” Adriana is looking forward to doing another project next year. “I’m not exactly sure what it’ll be just yet, but I intend to use my internship at WMC’s NICU and Labor and Delivery unit to my advantage and hopefully use the resources there to develop a project for next year.” She suggested, for

a science fair project, to pick a topic common in the fields of microbiology, physics, or animal science. Mitanshi Trivedi got her idea from her teacher. “Mr. Copenhaver wrote some ideas on the board and told me to pick one that sounded the most interesting, so I did.” Her project was measuring the amounts of undissolved solids in water. “Some brands put minerals in water to add more flavor and some of those won’t dissolve into the water all the way.” She tested three different brands of water and found that one of them had many undissolved solids when they claimed to have none. “I don’t think I’m going to do it again next year. It was a really good experience, but I need a teacher to set deadlines for me and someone who knows about the subject to give me feedback. I’m not sure if I’ll have that next year.” Mitanshi Trivedi won first in Chemistry with Anna Zaman. Abigail Varricchio is a junior this year. Her science fair project earned her the Air Force recognition award. “When I was judged by the guy from the Air Force I thought he didn’t like me. He came up to me and asked about my project so I explained it and he asked me how it would apply in the real world and when I answered him he just walked away. I thought he hated it or thought it was boring, so I was

really surprised when my name was called for winning.” Abigail’s project included metals. “I had three metals, aluminum, copper, and brass, and I heated each of them for 90 seconds to see which one would absorb more heat in that period of time. What really affected my project was the specific heat capacity of each metal.” The specific heat capacity is the amount of energy needed to raise one gram of a substance one degree celsius. “The one with the lowest specific heat required the least amount of energy so it would absorb in less time.” Abigail doesn’t think that she’ll do it again next year. “It’s very time consuming and next year my focus will be on filling out college applications.” The first round of competition was held on February 9, 2018 at the Lord Fairfax Community College’s Middletown Campus. Participants who placed were able to go onto the next level at James Madison University in March. Students worked really hard to get honored at these events. Millbrook is very proud to have so many amazing students representing the school.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 31 –32

Meet the Staff

From the Diamond Baseball Article by | Dylan Boyer

Grant Myers Reporter

rant Myers is a senior in his first year as a BlueXpress reporter. He is currently a writer for the BlueXpress website, issues of the newsmagazine, and the print edition. He specializes in writing reviews for media such as movies and musicals, and covers sports-based articles as well, including those on the basketball, football, and tennis teams. He has some personal experience in creative writing as well as with video editing programs. Outside BlueXpress, his hobbies include watching movies and running, and spends a lot of his time on activities based around music and theater. He has performed in every musical at Millbrook since his freshman year, made All-Virginia chorus his junior and senior years, and was chosen for the 2017 All-National Mixed Choir. He participates in other organizations as well, including serving as Secretary for National Honor Society. Future goals of his include getting a college degree and being successful while also pursuing his passions. www.bluexpress.net

Millbrook’s Varsity Baseball team is off to a decent start this season with a current record that stands at 5-3. Coming off last season’s win/lose ratio of 15-6, the team has a solid record to uphold. According to Varsity player, Nick Varcadipane, “This season I want our team to try and develop a closer relationship,” which is what he considers to be the team’s greatest weakness. Since they are practically a new team, they are not as familiar with each other and he feels there needs to be more “chemistry” among the players as well as coaches. Weaknesses aside, Varcadipane claimed that they “make up for it with our excellent communication skills and the amount of hard work each

player puts in to every second played.” Good luck to the team for a solid rest of the season.

Softball Article by | Luke Rangel The Lady Pioneer softball team started their 2018 season at the beginning of March, along with all the other spring sports. Sadly, they are off to a rough start. Out of the three games they have played so far this season, they have been defeated in all three matches. Senior player, Daeshanelle Thomas, said, “we have been working hard on improving for future matches.” The team is determined and has been putting in a great deal of hard work by improving in all areas. Thomas hoped the team will “grow better at communication in order to be a stronger unit.” Daeshanelle Thomas has been wearing her number 17 softball uniform since freshman year at Millbrook. She has stuck with softball because of her strong passion for the sport and teammates who have become sisters to her.

Thomas does not have plans to continue her softball career post high school. The girl’s softball team is about to face their arch enemy, Sherando High School. Thomas and her teammates alike are quite sure that they can defeat them.

On the Court Tennis Article by | Grant Myers

Spring Sports season has officially begun, as many spring teams’ pre-seasons are closing and their regular seasons are set to begin. Millbrook’s boys and girls tennis teams have yet to begin their official matches, but have enough to say about everything leading up to them. Shanna Marin-Pierce and Christina Gutilla of the girls team and Josh Dalton and Christian Hellwig of the boys team all have their opinions, with the general consensus being confidence and a positive outlook for both teams’ success this season. According to Christina, the practices have been well-balanced in terms of preparing for the season while not overworking. “Coach doesn’t like to tire us out, so she lets us... hit and do drills.” She continued, “but she also has to get us ready for the season, so the warm up is a little bit harsher.” Shanna agreed the practices leading up to matches went well, even though they weren’t able to go out to the courts much because of the rainy weather. Both teams had to face scrimmages before the regular season, and they thought it went well (despite

some complications). Josh and Christian believed the scrimmages went well, winning one despite losing the other against Rockridge. Considering they were last year’s State Champions, they both thought they played as well as they could have. The girls team was in a bit of a different situation, however, with their first two scrimmages being canceled because of weather. They did lose their first scrimmage, but Christina cited the reason as being because one of their top players was not able to play, causing the matches to be somewhat uneven against their opponents: “It doesn’t really capture us a team.” Shanna still points out that they’re trying to get a feel for things as the season begins, positive the team will improve as they become used to everything. The season may be just beginning, but all four players agree their respective teams are in a good place so far. Shanna said, “There’s a lot of girls from last year and the year before that have improved a lot and the new girls are very good too,” all of which she agrees will make the team strong for future years. Josh said the boys team looks strong as well and benefits from the fact that everyone knew each other once practices began. “We didn’t have to do team bonding or anything like that.” Christian said they look strong as well, although he believed the team sometimes loses because of their “own mental ability to stay in the game” - meaning not getting discouraged if they’re behind. Still, he believed they have a strong team this year, saying they can achieve the goal of making it to states. That potential seems evident in the first matches for both teams,

with the girls defeating James Wood 6-3, with Cecilia Cress, Zoe Ackerman, Audrey Hoffman, Danette Becerra, Shanna, Christina, Olivia Escalante, Stephanie Smith, Kylee Kennerly, Kya Ackerman, and Brooke Sciarrino all winning singles and/or doubles matches. The boys showed potential in their first match as well, defeating James Wood 8-1 and Josh, Jonathan Clippinger, Nicholas Clippinger, Nathan Wiens, Christian, Tre Parks, and Drake Wilfong earning singles and/or doubles wins as well. Shanna concluded by saying the girls simply need to keep playing aggressively, with Christina implying they have a good chance at winning if they can do that. Christina concluded by saying they simply need to “go in with a good attitude.”

BX CONNECTS | Pages 33 –34

March Signings

Ryan Houchins

Baseball Shenandoah University

Darin Douglas Soccer Ferrum College

Robby Watts Soccer Ferrum College

The Maddest Article by | Ryan Crosson March Madness is the epitome of college sports. This year the tournament was hectic with upsets and underdogs coming out to play. The tournament started off with a big shock when the University of Virginia lost to the UMBC retrievers by 20 points. This game was the biggest surprise because never in the tournamentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history has a number one

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seed been beaten by a sixteenth seed before. The other Cinderella story of the tournament was Loyola of Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s final four run. This team beat Miami State in the first round by two points. During the second round of the tournament, Loyola of Chicago beat the third-seeded Tennessee Volunteers in a stunning last second

Frederick County Athlete of the Month Article by | Madison Lazenby This year, senior Mellany Groll has been voted Homecoming Queen as well as SCA President for the whole school. Now Groll has been picked as the Frederick County Student Athlete of the Month for March for her participation in track and field. What’s it like to be recognized for so many things during only one year? According to Groll, “Honestly, it’s really cool, but I don’t focus on [winning awards] necessarily, they’re just really nice honors and I appreciate them.” Groll has participated in track and field for all four years of her high school career, and she participated in the sport during middle school as well. “I think the sport itself offers a lot of mental challenges,” she said of

the various challenges surrounding track and field, including “trying to stay mentally tough and mentally focused to reach your goals and work hard,” as examples. “Running is a physical challenge, but it’s a lot of mental challenges too.” She said that one of the many things she likes about the sport is the opportunity for each athlete to be a leader. “Our coach always tells us that for our resumes, any of us could use team captain as a role, because really all of us are leaders in our own ways,” she said. “I think that’s what’s special about our group, because all of the girls are leaders in their own way.” The other challenge that has been present throughout her track and field career is the workload of her

particularly hard classes. “You definitely have to learn to manage your time,” she explained, “and in a way I think track has helped me manage my time better, because I know that once I get home from practice, it’s homework time.” She also said that being involved in both sports and academics has helped her become a more rounded person overall. “That’s been nice for me...to kind of have more than one focus, so that I’m more focused in all other areas.”

t of Marches shot by Clayton Custer. They beat them by one point at the end of the game. The eleventh seed Loyola of Chicago went on to be in the Final Four. In the tournament’s history. an eleventh seed team has never made it into the Final Four before. The final four games consisted of Loyola of Chicago vs. Michigan Wolverines and Villanova vs. Kansas.

The game between Loyola of Chicago and Michigan was a hard fought battle, but in the end Michigan won by twelve points. The other matchup was Villanova and Kansas. Both of these teams were number one seeds for their conferences. Kansas was run over through the whole game. Villanova won by sixteen points with the game score of 95-79.

Villanova was the favorite to win it all when the Final Four games were concluded. The game was tightly-contested with Michigan trying its hardest to keep the game in arm’s reach. The second half was when the lead became too big for Michigan to even be able to come back, and in the end, it was the Villanova Wildcats Men’s basketball to win it all.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 35 –36

Meet the Staff

Road to States Article by | Carolynn Unger On April 21, seniors Q’Dell McFarlin and Daniel Ludwig will be competing in the State competition after placing 2nd in the Super Regional Debate Competition. To prepare for Regionals, both Daniel and Q’Dell worked together and individually in order to succeed. Debate coach Mr. Lewis felt that the question was one that Daniel and Q’Dell could make into an argument for the event. Mr. Lewis prepares the students by looking through strategies, arguments, and researching the topic in question. Individual teammates also have their own way of preparing. According to Daniel, “In order to prepare for an upcoming debate I always make sure

Collin Boyer Photographer

ollin Boyer is a junior at Millbrook. As one of the guitarist in Winchester’s own band, X-Ray Cat, he can often be found working on their next songs or practicing for one of their shows. Through the BlueXpress and his own life, he has developed a strong love for photography. His love for photography has caused him to strive to be a professional photographer later in life; however, he still would love to play music professionally as well. When not taking photos or playing guitar, Collin can be found photoshopping pictures of his friends or cracking a joke. In his copious amounts of spare time, Collin works at the local Shop and Save saving people from hitting shopping carts in the parking lot because not all heroes wear capes. He is thrilled with how his second year of Journalism with the BlueXpress is turning out, and he intends to stay for a third year.

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that I do three things which are to do plenty of research, map out any possible interpretations of the resolve that could be used against me and figure out a way to combat them, and if possible I always try to get as much sleep as possible in order to assure that I stay in an objective and focused headspace.” Daniel, with Q’Dell by his side, will be working extra hard and “hope to eventually bring home Millbrook our first VHSL Debate state title.” The State Debate competition will be held at Randolph Macon College on Saturday, April 21. Good luck Q’Dell and Daniel!

Reporting by Carolynn Unger Evie Esslinger

Photos by Sabrina Castillo and Steven Shaffer

Zachary Hicks

Soccer

How was the season for the team?

Evie: It’s good, but we just started. We’ve had two games already. We lost one but it was against Woodgrove and it was a conference game and they’re a really good team. Then we had one against Skyline and we won 3-2 so I’m feeling pretty confident. We have a bunch of new freshmen and it’s kind of like a whole new team. We’re working together and I think we’ll be good. Zach: We had kind of a rough start. That kind of happens every year. Getting used to playing with the new team is just a little bit different. It’s like an incline, as we have more time we’re getting better.

What is your job as the captain for your team?

Evie: My job as captain is to try to be positive and be the leader on and off the field. During games I try to step up and bring the girls together. Zach: Our team has three captains and we just act as leaders for the team. We’ll lead the warm up and ready to play while our coaches set up the practices.

How do you feel about being captain on your team? Evie: It’s a big role to be in. I feel like me and my other team captain Hannah [Amos] do a good job because we’re different. We fill in all the gaps that captains should fill.

Zach: I like having a little bit more responsibility and to be held at a little bit higher standard than everyone else because I feel like I have a bigger role on the team.

BX CONNECTS | Pages 37 –38

Millbrook Prints, or as the BlueXpress has coined it, M-Prints is a media outlet created with the goal to represent our Millbrook student body through posters, photographs, and graphic designs of involved Pioneers. The posters shown below are samples of what the graphic design team has created using staff photos and are available for sale in a 16 x 20 high resolution digital format for $25. M-Prints are posted under the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Moreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; tab on our website at www. bluexpress.net. To purchase an M-Print, see any member of the staff or contact us at mhsbluexpress@gmail.com.

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From the Archives March Photo Album