The Talon Fall 2014

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under pressure

As stress increases, students are feeling the squeeze.

Volume 14, Issue 1 Fall 20141

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Under Pressure: A look inside the stress levels of Colonial Forge students.

Up close photo of Kara Rambough’s tattoo which she got in memory of her Aunt.

Photo by Maison Chaffin

Softball is one of the three sports that Emily Flanagan (‘15) participates in. She also plays field hockey and swims.

Photo by Sue Flanagan

Photo provided by Kaylee Miller

features

Entertainment

sports

4. TEACHER FEATURE

3. SPLASH OF SPIRIT

26. UP TO PAR

Ms. Maguire’s experience with the Susan G Komen Walk.

8. A PERMANENT REMINDER Kara Rambough (‘15) and other students share the story behind their tattoos.

24. OPERATION BRAIN ESCAPE

Emme Harvey (‘16) discusses living with Chiari and the support from friends and family that helps get her through.

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Forge’s Cheer team snaps a photo after the color splash.

The week after this photo was taken, they went on to win the district cheer competition.

Students show their Forge pride by partcipating in the first ever Forge Color Splash.

16. MONEY DOWN THE DRAIN Students and teachers discuss the toll SCPS budget cuts have taken this school year.

18. WALK THE LINE

Annie Blackwell (‘15) shares her unique hobby with her friends

20. REVIEWS

Cirque De Soleil’s “Amaluna”

Katie Thome (‘17) takes first place at Regionals and earned her way to the State’s golf tournament.

27. TRIPLE THREAT

Emily Flanagan (‘15) and Sabrina Orsi (‘16) juggle a sport every season.

Splash of Spirit

Colonial Forge held the school’s first ever color splash on October 10th.

Here is a compilation of the fun and some highlights from spirit week.

“My favorite part of spirit week was the pep rally because it was fun to see everyone showing pride in their school.” -Taylor Watson (‘16)

David Nguyen (15) covers Kaleigh Boitnott (16) in powder during the color splash.

Photo by Amber Roca

Kaylee Miller (15) is lifted up by Samantha Irish (17) post color splash.

Photo provided by Kaylee Miller

Marissa Emmel (‘16) shows her Forge spirit and gets ready to cheer on the football team.

Photo by Amber Roca

Taylor Watson (‘16) and Gabrielle Dorazio (‘17) snap a picture post color spash.

Photo provided by Taylor Watson

“ Spirit week helps the

school come together, relax and just have fun.”-Olivia D’Orazio (‘15)

Abbey Ford (‘17) gets sprayed with color by David Nguyen (‘15).

Photo by Amber Roca

Some members of CFHS class of 2015 show their spirit with a cloud of blue and green.

“Spirit week was bittersweet because it’s

senior year and there isn’t going to be a next year.”- Madison Lopez (‘15)

Photo by Amber Roca

Laura Hickey (15) helps Emily Wolf (15) spirit up with blue and green powder.

Photo by Amber Roca

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Ms. Maguire walks 60 miles in order to fight breast cancer.

A journey to fight for

By Jackie Anderson Reporter

She walked, her legs ached, her heart told her to stop, and yet she went on. She went because there were sick people doing it next to her. She went because she struggled with the same journey herself, and most importantly she went because she wanted that struggle to end and no matter how bad she felt, that cause was, and still is more important.

Ms. Jennifer Maguire,decided to participate in the Susan G. Komen 3-day walk. She walked a grand total of sixty miles over three days over a set course. The walk starts in a mall in Philadelphia then makes its way around the city. The event itself offers its participants snacks, water, meals, and shelter but the event is extremely exclusive.

Potential contenders must raise at least $2,300 to participate.

Needless to say the participants take the event seriously. Maguire raised a grand total of $2,450 singlehandedly, with more money still coming in.

“A woman even raised $16,000,” Maguire said.

People were cheering her on wherever they could, but when she crossed the finish line, when she finished her sixtieth mile, that was the moment she felt it. “(You feel) Victorious, I mean you cross the finish line and people are crying it’s extremely emotional.”

Maguire said.

Maguire also dyed her hair pink, not just to show her dedication but also to help fundraise. When people asked about why she did it, it gave her the

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opportunity to tell them about the cause and ask them if they wanted to donate.

The entire race was a sea of pink, everyone had different faces, different stories, and different reasons why they came out, but the pink they were decked out in showed their one commonality, they wanted to help.

Not everyone that had a hand in the race raised money at all, some people signed up for cheering stations where they took part in dressing up and handing out candy while walkers made their way to the finish line. cancer) , treatment, and research.

“They came out with crazy costumes and gave Throughout this journey Maguire’s main goal was out candy and were covered in pink.” Maguire said. simply to motivate others to get involved with the But this was more than just a good time for Macause, whether it’s raising money, spreading awareguire, she had been through the struggle of cancer ness, or more importantly taking an interest in your herself. own health to prevent tragedy.

She started her journey as a child when she was “If one person benefitted from the walk then it was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer in the all worth it,” she said. fifth grade. She went through surgery and chemotherapy to treat it.

“The biggest misconception is that if you’re healthy and there’s no history of cancer in your fam- caption ily, you just won’t get it, and that’s not true.” said Maguire.

Her mission was that if she could, in any way, work to have a healthier world, she would do it.

“Breast cancer is 99% treatable if it’s caught early,” she said money she raised can help pay for mammograms (scans that help detect breast

If one person benefitted from the walk then it was all worth it.”

-Ms. Maguire

Photos provided by Ms. Maguire

Photo by Emily Barnes

Quick Facts With Ms. Maguire

My favorite part of actually teaching is building lessons from scratch. It’s a lot of fun to try to imagine what it would be like if I didn’t know something, and what would have to happen for me to be able to learn it. As far as my favorite part of my job in general, I like getting to build relationships with students and their families.

What’s your favorite part about being a teacher?

Who’s your favorite band/artist?

What’s your biggest achievement?

I’m currently working on my Master’s degree, I like and then planning to take a leave a lot of obscure folk, of absence from school to work country, and rock bands. on my PhD full time. So my greatest Generally the more popular the accomplishments are actually in progress music, the less I like it. I like songs as we speak! Sometimes just getting my with depth. I like John Prine, Guy own assignments finished and turned Clark, Jason Isbell. Older artists like in while teaching full time here feels Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson and like enormous accomplishment!

Johnny Cash.

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fly me to freedom Senior Ryan Ramos works towards getting his Private Pilot’s license.

By Kiera Sanders Reporter

Above Ryan flying his plane. He flies anywhere between once and twice a week.

Top Right Ryan with the plane he typically takes on flights. Each flight costs around $50.

Photos provided by Ryan Ramos

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Ever since Ryan Ramos (‘15) was young he’s wanted to be a pilot. Now that he’s training for his pilot’s license, Ryan has found that flying offers him the freedom that most teenagers desperately crave.

“I look forward to being able to go where I want with more freedom than the road offers,” said Ramos.

He grew up watching many air shows and he attended a camp at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. His uncle was also a pilot and he took Ryan on flights frequently.

During the summer, Ryan searched for flight schools in the area and he found a Fredericksburg flight school, JLS Aviation. Within a week he had an interview scheduled. He loves the idea that flying can take him almost anywhere and that he can bring his friends with him to show them what he experiences in the air.

But this freedom isn’t just handed to him; Ramos has to work hard to be able to fly solo.

Students need a minimum of forty hours of training to earn a private pilot’s license and he still needs to complete a solo cross country flight.

Being alone for the first time is always scary but after a while it gives you a great feeling.

“My best flight experience was my first solo away from the airport,” he said. “It was all on me to fly the plane, and no one else was there.”

His excitement for flying has only grown since that first solo flight.

“Ryan is a more reserved person, but he definitely loves his time flying,” said Mrs. Ramos, Ryan’s mother. “He gets excited about it and enjoys talking to other people about flying especially his uncle.”

One challenge Ryan faces when it comes to flying is making sure that his training doesn’t interfere with his school schedule.

“I began attending the flight school early during the summer, but with school back in session I’m not able to fly as much as I normally would,” he said. “But my instructor’s schedule is pretty flexible.”

Ryan is also looking into colleges that will accept his college credits from Aviation.

“He has applied to Embry-Riddle for college where he will pursue a degree in Aviation,” said Mrs. Ramos. “If he has his private pilot’s license and his instrument rating before he begins college he should be able to get college credit for those classes.”

It’s all about setting goals and achieving them in smart ways to be able to enjoy what you love while having the freedom that you want.

“His father and I are very proud of him. It is great that he has a career goal and is already working towards it,” said Mrs. Ramos.

Freedom is something that we all want but we have to be able to work hard to earn. Ramos is working hard at completing his training hours just so he can get a license. For now, he is enjoying his time in the air and soon he’ll be able to achieve his goal of having a stable job flying.

Early Birds

Colonial Forge Eagle’s wake up and get their days started.

By Brigid King Reporter

Aleksander Stroud (‘15)

Brooke McClain (‘16)

Evan Blais (‘17)

Aleks during a typical morning at seminary. He reads scriptures and interacts with the members of his church.

Brooke starting her early morning workout at 5:15.

Afterwards she’ll stop for breakfast and head to school.

Evan racing in the Oatlands Invitational. Their practices begin at 6:00 AM.

Photo provided by Aleks Stroud

Photo by Neuveaux Williams

Photo by Sherri DeSilva

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At 5:20 in the morning, Aleksander Stroud (‘15) wakes up to the sound of his alarm. He rolls out of bed, takes a shower, and gets ready for school, grabs breakfast, then leaves his house.

Aleks has been waking up and following this routine since freshman year, each night managing seven hours of sleep if he’s lucky, but typically crashing and taking a nap as soon as he gets home from school.

At 6:10 AM, he arrives at his church.

“We just read the Bible, its like a Sunday school class. We sing and read the scriptures,” Aleks said.

Despite how physically exhausted he is at the end of the day, Aleks continues attending church every morning because of its positive effects that help him get through his day.

“It really prepares me for my day and gets me in the right state of mind to go to school,” Aleks said. “Its a good feeling, having that positive attitude. I just think it’s really beneficial spiritually.

You learn a lot.”

“Coffee. I notice when I don’t drink it that I’m really tired. If you don’t drink it you’ll just be sitting there and you’ll be like “why do I feel like crap?”, it’s because you didn’t have coffee. But it makes me want to use the bathroom like five times just in first block.”

-Katherine Klocinski (‘15)

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Even though she has evening cheer practices, Brooke McClain (‘16) is awake at 4:30 every morning for a workout at the gym before school.

On her way out the door, she grabs a protein shake and bar, then arrives at the gym by 5:15.

This gives her over an hour to work out and leave for school by 6:40, picking up breakfast and some friends on the way.

“It actually makes my day better, because I’m up and ready and awake!” Brooke said. “I go to bed really early though, I’m really tired. I go to bed at like 8:00.”

What wakes you up?

“I just drink Coke on the daily.

Its the only thing I have to drink because its the best drink of all time. It’s better than Pepsi, I don’t know why people like Pepsi.”

-Justin Granderson (‘17)

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As part of the Cross Country team, Evan Blais (‘17) has morning practices at 6:00 AM once a week. They have to be at the school by 5:45, ready to run.

“Living on 17 doesn’t help; I have to leave my house at 5:15 to be there on time.” Evan said.

Trying to balance homework, AP classes and cross country is tiring enough, but Evan is also up so late studying that he gets little sleep.

“On a good day with all of my homework done, I’m in bed by 10:00, so I get about six hours,” Evan said. “But when you’re trying to balance homework and you’re getting to bed past 11:30, only a little over 4 hours.”

Despite how exhausted he is, Evan says the morning practices actually wake him up and help him get through his day.

“You’re running, so you’re awake by the time first block starts,” Evan said. “When I don’t have it I’m asleep halfway through. It just helps me get my day started.”

“I drink Monster.

It tastes good and gives you energy.”

-Othello Turner (‘17)

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a permanent reminder Kara Rombough and her family get a tattoo in memory of her aunt.

By Maison Chaffin Reporter

When senior Kara Rombough’s aunt, Diann DeRock, passed away, all Kara had left were memories.

She had an Arteriovenous Malformation, or AVM, a condition in which her arteries and blood vessels were intertwined with the brain stem, which ruptured. She then had to stay on a ventilator until the family could figure out her wishes. Diann passed away on February 7, 2012.

After Diann’s death, Kara’s family decided to get matching tattoos in her memory.

“She was basically a big sister and best friend to me. I never looked at her as my aunt,” Kara said.

After three hours of going through different designs and placements, the family settled on getting angels wings with “Diann” below it.

“We wanted something with Diann’s name but we didn’t really want a date,” said Kara. “So we just asked the artist to draw up a bunch of designs and it took us about three hours just to decide.”

Fear didn’t strike Kara until she sat down in the tattoo chair. Her heart began beating a little faster.

“I didn’t have any second thoughts, but I did have a couple fears that the artist would mess up and then I would have it on my body forever,” said Kara.

Kara’s mom stood close by to support Kara through the pain.

“When the artist first put the needle on my skin I thought about Diann first, then the pain,” Kara said. “She would’ve been laughing her butt off if she could’ve been there.”

The small tattoo on Kara’s foot only took about five minutes.

“I kept staring at my foot in awe because I couldn’t believe how good it looked and that I actually got it done! Sometimes I’d look down and think ‘what the heck is on my foot,’ because I would forget I got a tattoo,” said Kara.

Kara’s eyes were always drawn to the new

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mark on her body, but there was this strange and painful sensation in her foot that wouldn’t go away.

“It was hard to walk and it felt like the needles were still in my foot, it basically felt like my foot was asleep,” said Kara.

Kara has had her tattoo for about two years and and when sees her tattoo she feels connected to her aunt once again.

“I picture a certain face DiAnn used to make when I see my tattoo. It was when she would greet people and give them a hug. Her eyes and smile would get really big,” she said. “Looking at my tattoo makes me miss her but also makes me realize how lucky I was to have her.”

Kara modeling her tattoo of Dianns name with angel wings around it. She has had this tattoo for about two years now and still adores it.

Photo by Maison Chaffin

Nate Ferrell Nate Ferrell (‘15) got a tattoo of his family crest. It incorporates the first letter of everyones name in his family.

“It shows how we are interlocked forever. family is everything to me so getting this tattoo is me expressing it,” said Nate.

Nate was only a freshman when he got the tattoo. Only being 15 years old, a lot of his friends were mesmerized by the fact that he had one.

“Everyone was like ‘you got a tattoo?’ and was freaking out about it,” said Nate.

His parents were proud that he wanted to get a tattoo about his family at such a young age. It proved his devotion to his family.

This summer Nate also got a second tattoo emphasizing his dedication towards his family. The second tattoo is on his left calf with his mother, father, and brother’s birth dates in Roman numerals.

A Deeper Meaning Photos by Maison Chaffin

Bria Scott When Bria Scott (‘16) was deciding what kind of tattoo she wanted, she was immediately struck by the quote “never run faster than your guardian angel can fly.”

After suffering from depression during middle school, this quote was extremely meaningful and helped her accept a lot of things that happened Bria’s first tattoo means the most to her because of her prior experiences.

“Whenever I look at it, it gives me hope and I know its personal to me,” said Bria.

Before getting the tattoo, she knew it would be painful but it would be worth it to her in the end.

“It stings and I seriously couldn’t touch it because it felt so gross. I made my mom clean it because it was so nasty,” said Bria.

Bria also has two other tattoos, roses and Egyptian letters.

Rain Morrow

Alex Welch

After drawing the same picture on notebooks, handouts, and any other paper she could get her hands on, Rain Morrow (‘15) decided to get it tattoed on the inside of her arm.

The tattoo is of an anchor, with a sunset, and a bowtie.

Rain has always been obsessed with anchors so the thought of it being on her body forever wasn’t scary at all.

She got it done at a local tattoo shop called Blackhorse.

“It hurt a lot but it was worth it to me,” said Rain.

While she was getting the tattoo the artist constantly tried to distract her from the pain.

“They made me watch The Hangover but it didn’t help at all,” said Rain.

Even after years of drawing it and having it tattooed on her body, Rain is still in love with it and has never regretted it.

Family and faith have always been important to Alex Welch (‘15), so when it was his turn to get the family tattoo he was permanently connected to his family.

“It shows my faith and my connection to my family all in one tattoo,” said Alex.

Alex got it done by his friend who has his own company called Money Ink. “When I was getting it done it just felt like I was getting a shot or being stung a bee a million times,” said Alex.

He plans on getting a full sleeve over the course of the year.

“My tattoos are important to me because they remind me of the things I love,” said Alex.

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stress

by the

numbers

A look inside the pressure put on students in each grade and the best ways to cope with it.

By Brianne Clasen, Lauren Collis, Jenna Smith, and Cameron Scovell

Stress is an inevitable part of high school life.

Students in every grade feel it, even if the causes change from year to year.

Mr. Matthew Dryden, guidance counselor at CFHS, says that stress varies by grade and by how well students find balance.

“We have students who are more academically focused so they put a lot of stress on themselves for academic purposes, and then we have people who have a lot of stress on them for things outside of school.” said Mr. Dryden.

Freshmen face struggles regarding being at the bottom of the food chain, adjusting to a new workload, and making new friends. High school means new opportunities, but that also means new

Jason Koch takes a practice multiple choice AP test in Mr. Tlumack’s AP English class.

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Photo by Maison Chaffin

stressors that weren’t there in middle school. While freshmen might not have to deal with SAT’s, loads of AP classes, or college applications, there’s still a fair amount of stress in transitioning into the high school environment.

“It’s hard to do all my homework and study for my tests and quizzes,” Caitlynn Nguyen (‘18) said. “I have so much work assigned to me every day, and it stresses me because I’m not used to this high school life yet.”

School work, tests, and homework are an overwhelming cause of freshman stress, with 65% saying that homework is the top stressor this year.

Some freshmen underestimate the heavy workload that comes with high school.

“We’ve had a lot of students drop honors and AP; they come in for the first few weeks and realize it’s just too hard to handle sometimes,” said Mr. Dryden. “The freshmen drop the most. They think they can take five honors classes, then two weeks later realize that’s not going to happen.”

Freshmen year often brings the future into focus: students realize that their grades and GPA’s will affect college plans.

Adding sports and extracurricular activities can turn the situation into chaos.

“My schoolwork gets piled up, and I also have travel soccer and other things that I have to deal with,” said Tim Erdelatz (‘18) The sophomore year often means more stress, as all of the freshman year stresses intensify.

“I was so surprised by the transformation of the workload from my freshman to sophomore year,” Samantha Irish (‘17) said. “Mr Tlumack’s Honors English and my AP World Geography class are the most stressful classes I have ever taken.”

Learning how to manage time and stay organized are key components to help lower stress levels, it will also help to prepare you for the three years you still have left of high school.

“It’s really important to identify the main causes of your stress,” said Mr. Dryden.

Once you are able to identify your main causes of stress, you can start prioritizing and reducing the number of stressors in your life.

Kristin “Mollie” Cates (‘17) is beginning to feel the weight of all of her stressors.

“Its hard to balance school and cheer and sleep,” said Mollie. “I definitely do not get enough sleep, because it’s hard to balance my time with all the stuff I have to get done.”

“The most stressful part is knowing that my classes are only going to get harder starting this year,” said Daniel Johnson (‘17). “I’m not really sure how to deal with it.”

The workload and the difficulty of the work increase sopho-

“

It’s about self awareness, and being comfortable enough to not only voice your opinion but to be able to go to a teacher to let them know what you’re going through.

Everybody in the school building is working to help you guys.”

-Mr. Matthew Dryden

more year as well, adding to the stress levels.

Students, teachers and parents will always tell you that your junior year is the hardest and most important.

From SAT’s to trying to fix the grade point average you screwed up your freshman year, there are so many things that may bring an eleventh grader stress.

“My main source of stress are my five AP classes, because it’s hard to find time for the three to four hours of homework every night when a lot of my time is committed to soccer and basketball,” said Jeffrey Shelton (‘16).

Many juniors pick up a heavier course load, get involved in school activities and get jobs to build up their resume before applying to colleges. Although all the clubs and teams sound great, it’s not promised that they will always work with your schedule, which is when prioritizing becomes crucial.

“Figure out your personal priority list,” said Maddie Oxford (‘16). “Although I love dancing and playing the piano, I know that school always comes first.”

Although every junior goes over a bump in the road at one point, using your stress as motivation is the best thing you can do, allow it to be a reminder of where you want to end up.

Just a piece of paper. A few words. Three signatures.

As soon as we walk across the stage and our diploma is handed to us, we’re done. High-school is over and it’s on to the next part of our lives.

All students look forward to graduation day, but nothing can compare to the anticipation seniors feel. But what about all the work it takes to get there? Though TV and movies often make senior year look fun and easy, this can be misleading.

“Seniors are stressed out about college applications, so they have that to worry about in addition to keeping up their grades, and on top of that they don’t know where they’re going to be this time next year,” said Mr. Dryden.

College application deadlines are rapidly approaching, seniors are now forced to make decisions regarding their futures. On top of making all these choices, seniors are trying not to give into senioritis and continue the never ceasing work.

Despite his six AP classes, sports, and getting applications together for various military academies and competitive colleges, senior class president Eric Menser (‘15) is still finding the fun in senior year.

“Senior year has just been better, because there is a lot more freedom,” he said.

When it comes to getting his heavy workload done and working on applications, Menser says he just has to prioritize his time and and get it done and out of the way.

“School always comes first, but I also know a lot of people rely on me for different programs so I can’t let them down,” he said. To Menser, being a senior at CFHS means representing the school in a positive light and making the school the best it can be.

Dream school or no dream school, college or no college, senior year is a time cherish the time left you have with your friends. Before you know it, you won’t be walking with your friends from class to class, or spiriting up for the Friday night football games. Even with all the stress, take step back and think about how far you’ve come and how little you have left.

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“make sure you have time to do the things that make you happy. your personal well-being is worth morE than anything else. �

Surveying

stress By: Cameron Scovell Managing Editor

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“focus on the 6 present and % just 38 35 27 live.”

The average stress level of a CFHS student is a

“don’t procrastinate. if you have the time, do your work. having it completed will make you feel less stressed.”

on a scale of 1-10 Academic Stress The pressure of getting good grades.

Tests and quizzes.

%

Homework.

%

All quotes are from a survey sent out to the student body, and are anonymous.

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MONEY DOWN..

THE DRAIN? Students and faculty begin to feel the effects of recent budget cuts.

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By Juliana May Reporter

You, like every other Colonial Forge student, spend approximately seven hours (or more) of your time at school.

While you are at school, you interact with the staff members on a daily basis. Notice any teachers absent this year?

The actual budget numbers for Stafford’s schools are confusing, as it seems like every group involved is working with different information. As many of you may already know, your parents’ tax dollars are used to fund school buildings, maintenance, buses, and staff members. The amount of money allotted by the state to schools has decreased by millions. The Board of Supervisors has approved $141.1 million dollars for school funding this year. This does not however, account for the accumulated debt within the school system.

To give you a reference point, with just $1 million, you could buy a Pagani Huayra supercar, or 100 Nissan Versas, or 160,000 Chipotle chicken bowls(and a major food baby).

Stafford County Public Schools used this money to pay teachers, complete new infrastructure projects, decrease class sizes, buy new technology, and support the Bridge Program for early retirees. The budget changes however, have impacted Colonial Forge and the rest of Stafford County for that matter.

There were no salary increases for teachers except for the required 1%, infrastructure project operations and maintenance were eliminated, class sizes were increased due to the decrease in teaching positions, new computer equipment and software were nonexistent, and the Bridge Program was discontinued.

“Each year there is no increase to help out with the cost of living,” Mr. Konrad Heller, biology and AP environmental teacher, said.

Teaching positions were lost, and some teachers, like yearbook teacher Mrs. Tiffany Kopcak, were given more subjects to teach.

One of the biggest changes students noticed were class sizes.

As you look around your class of 30-36 students, you may notice every desk is occupied this year.

“We tried to only increase class sizes by approximately one person, but it doesn’t always turn out like that,” Holly Hazard, member of the Stafford County School Board, said.

Do you remember those new Macbook Airs and iPads the school got last year? Those will have to last more than five years due to the lack of money that the state and county allows the schools. With the constant advancement of technology in this period of time, five years could put our schools far behind in the race of advancing teaching methods.

Teachers and students have both been directly affected by this severe lack of school funding. Due to the lack of money in this year’s budget, teachers are feeling more irritated and are taken advantage of now, more than ever before. Another one of the major changes from last year to this year is the cost of a substitute teacher is no longer covered by the school. Teachers have to cover the cost out of pocket now and due to this, many teachers are less inclined to take field trips if the whole class cannot go.

“Teachers do more and more, and get paid for less and less, but the county acts like they’re paying us. More is expected of us that we don’t get paid for,” Mr. Heller said.

The School Board feels everyone’s pain and tried bartering with the Virginia Public School system to increase the amount of money that they were given, but this did not go over very well.

The School Board was not able to come to a compromise over how much money should be given.

If you have ever had a job before, you know how hard it is to make money. Money pays for everything around us, and now, due to the lack of funds, some of these things Stafford can not afford to pay for. No one is sure of what will happen eight or nine years later when the laptops are so outdated, or buses break down. No one is sure of the effects of growing class sizes and shrinking teaching positions. According to state legislation, more budget cuts are to come as the months progress.

Running out of room...

What differences have you noticed because of the budget cuts?

Photo by Maison Chaffin

Photo provided by Annie Piland

Photo by Juliana May

Mr. Konrad Heller

Annie Piland (‘16)

Ms. Heather Thornton

“The teachers’ salaries, because prices of everything is increasing but our salaries aren’t.”

“For the students, a lot of them lose their favorite teachers, and it has had a negative impact on their education.”

“I didn’t even have enough desks or textbooks for everyone. I have almost 32 kids in every class I teach.”

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Walk The Line Annie Blackwell (‘15) brings her Colorado hobby to Virginia after moving across the country.

By Maison Chaffin Reporter

Annie focuses on gaining her balance so she can stand on the slack. It was months before she was able to walk across the entire slack.

Photo by Maison Chaffin

Annie flashes a quick smirk as she confidently walks across the slackline. She has been slacklining for a year and a half.

Photo by Maison Chaffin

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As Annie Blackwell (‘15) walked across the thin rope you could see the concentration in her eyes. She was completely silent focusing on each step she took. Her knees were bent, arms straight out, and her body was slightly leaned forward.

Slacklining is the sport of balancing and walking across a thin rope. To slackline you suspend a flat rope, every width is different, between two trees about twenty feet apart. It resembles walking across a tightrope. This activity is a growing fad around the world and is getting more and more attention as people slackline across famous landmarks.

Annie first slacklined when she lived in Colorado and saw one of her friends doing it.

“When I did it for the first time I was so terrified and literally latched on to the tree the slack was attached to,” said Annie.

From then on, she was determined to slackline.

“I really wanted to do it and I would count my steps every time. I noticed as I kept going that my steps would go from 2 to 5 and then all the way to 20 or 30,” said Annie.

In Colorado, Annie and her friends would

go out to a park to slackline and have a picnic.

“We would all just get together and mess around on the slackline. It was always so fun to get everyone together,” said Annie.

Now, after a year and a half of practice she can walk backwards and turn around.

She hopes to one day slackline across the Grand Canyon.

“You are suspended in the air and then you walk across, but you are harnessed in so if you don’t make it across, you won’t fall off,” said Annie.

Moving from Colorado all the way to Virginia, leaving all of her friends behind that she use to slackline with was extremely difficult, especially this being her senior year. She spent time slacklining by herself, but looked forward to sharing her hobby with new friends.

“It’s really cool doing something different that nobody here knows about,” said Annie.

Moving hasn’t stopped her from doing what she enjoys. She continues to practice and work towards her goal of someday slacklining across the Grand Canyon.

Annie concentrates on her balance and body position as she prepares for the next step. She can now get up to 90 steps.

Photo by Maison Chaffin

“

It’s really cool doing something different that nobody here knows about.”

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REVIEWS Cirque De Soleil: Amaluna

By Juliana May Reporter

Hot. So hot. Glistening, sweaty, smelly people crowded around the one air vent in the huge yellow and blue tent at the National Harbor that housed the Cirque du Soleil Amaluna show. It was about ninety five degrees outside, and felt like one hundred and ninety five degrees inside the shaded, enclosed tent. As the workers opened the flap to the tent with actual seating, a gust of cool air flowed down the stairs to the line of waiting people.

That was the only cool air I felt during the whole show. As we entered into the tent, we were transformed into a world of Amaluna, meaning “mother moon”. The tiered seating gave everyone the same view of the large circular stage. At the back of the stage were large, illuminated staircases leading from onstage to up behind the stage. On the stage was what looked like a huge plastic bowl, about the size of a 6’ by 6’ circle, filled with water.

As people began filing in and filling seats, the acrobats began coming down the staircases onto the stage and walking around in the audience. Out came Cali, a green man wearing a scaly, dinosaur tail. He scurried around the audience and stole a man’s popcorn, which he promptly wrapped his tail around to hold it. He then scaled the tallest pole he could find that was holding up the

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tent and began to sprinkle the popcorn over the crowd like fluffy, buttery rain.

All of the acrobats began to go behind stage for the show to begin. As the rock band exited the stage, on came Miranda, a small, younger looking woman. She became the main focus of the story of a girl falling in love with a boy, Romeo, when he lands on her island, much like the Tempest.

The loud, intense rock music incorporated with the brightly lit, color-changing room was breath-taking. Throughout the show there were few words spoken.

The story of love was told through song and acting.

The live rock band added personality to the show, along with the trick performances in the show adding comic relief after the more intense parts. During the show, Miranda gave a mind boggling water and balance performance in the huge bowl of water onstage. She did a one-handed handstand on a two-foot tall piece of wood attached to the side of the bowl.

Romeo and the other sailors did an uneven bars gymnastics routine, along with a see-saw routine. In both acts the men were jumping and being catapulted to heights of up twenty-five feet in the air. The audience held their breath as the acrobats reached crazy heights.

All in all, Amaluna was most certainly worth the fiery temperatures I sat through. Not only did I have a great experience, I also sweat off about five pounds, a win-win situation. Amaluna is a definite must-see show, along with any of the Cirque du Soleil shows.

music

Aphex Twin: Syro

By Gavin Thibodeau Reporter

At first glance, Syro definitely appears much more tame than previous works by British electronic music artist Richard D. James, most commonly known as Aphex Twin. James has been well known for his innovative yet strange, inaccessible take on dance music since the early 90s. Although it’s his sixth overall release since 1992, it’s his first release as Aphex Twin since 2001’s Drukqs, but he has released various EPs under different monikers since then. Syro had been hinted at by the reclusive legend for the past few months through social media and when an ominous blimp with his logo attached was spotted flying over London in August, fans knew that this would soon be the next piece in their collections.

Syro isn’t written radically different from his previous albums, to the point where it’s happily, well, normal. While still enthralling, it isn’t overly intense. Although some of James’ releases in the past may have overwhelmed or alienated his audience, Syro isn’t over the top, but works subconsciously to captivate listeners. It isn’t totally “drill n bass”, or electronic death metal, or as dancefloor compatible as Windowlicker presented itself to be; it’s somewhere comfortably in between all of these styles and proves very versatile. It has that unmistakable Aphex Twin techno sound and the retro feeling that has been a consistent staple in his discography. Overall, this album feels like the 90s, done better.

With that said, Syro is unbelievably detailed. As highlighted especially in the track that had been leaked for some time, minipops 67 [120.2] [source field mix], James’ composition on this album never stays unchanged. Progressions are constant as the creamy vocoder over acid basslines transforms into his signature gobbledygook singing over drifting melodies. Every second of every song on this album has its nuances and is subtly yet effectively dynamic. The album also feels liberated from the repetitive nature of electronic music; Syro wasn’t made on a “ctrl c + ctrl v” structure and it’s extremely refreshing.

Something that James did well is the recycling of classic breakbeats, acid squelches, techniques of vocal processing and other elements that he always features while still making them sound fresh. The vocal sample in CIRCLONT6A [141.98] [syrobonkus mix] and fz pseudotimestretch+e+3 [138.85] is even reused from Drukqs multiple times and still seems new. Even though the breaks in s950tx16wasr10 [163.97] [earth portal mix] have been used to death by producers everywhere, James’ ways of glitching and mashing them together makes them not seem like the cliché samples that they have become.

After an 11 track long out-of-body experience from James, the textural assortment of various synthesizers and drum machines comes to a halt and the blissful sound of birds chirping seems to arrive from an entirely different album completely.

Nostalgia kicks in for fans of Aphex Twin as the piano melodies roll across the panorama of sound. Contrary to the fact that the closing track aisatsana [102] sounds as though it came straight from Drukqs, at this point Syro isn’t reminiscing of previous time; rather it’s exposing the whole album’s true sublime brilliance in five minutes and twenty-two seconds of beauty.

Similar Artists: Caustic Window The Tuss

Squarepusher Autechre

Venetian Snares Boards of Canada

Nightbringer: Ego Dominus Tuus

By Nick Carolan Reporter

American black metal group Nightbringer play an epic, occult style of black metal reminiscent of mid-era Emperor laced with Watain-like melodies and vitriolic death metal touches. Their latest offering Ego Dominus Tuus stays fairly true to the formula present on their previous three fulllength albums while keeping interest with larger-than-life dark atmospheric sections and soaring melodies.

The band opted for a clean production job on this album and this works quite well for their style. Guitars on the record are most often a sea of tremolo picking creating a “wall of sound” effect with the keyboards, but unlike many other bands employing this technique Nightbringer succeed at this. Unfortunately the band’s drummer chose to heavily trigger his kit and that is most evident during the album’s rapid double bass sections, perhaps the largest detractor to this album. Drum triggers have no place in black metal and this album is no exception.

The vocal style on this album is quite similar to that of Ihsahn of Emperor while there are also use of death metal lows where the section calls for it.

The lyrical topics show that the band is immersed in occult literature, and these matters are much more interesting than typical Satanic/anti-Chris-

tian themes that are present in much black metal. I must add that the band made an excellent choice choosing to work with Benjamin A. Vierling for the album’s cover art; it perfectly represents the album’s atmosphere and his previous works with Nightbringer are what attracted me to them in the first place.

Bass guitar can hardly be heard at all; it is there and is without a doubt following the guitars exactly, but this doesn’t hurt the album as much as it may seem it would considering the common absence of bass in black metal and the many great albums that shine while lacking its presence.

Keyboards are used frequently throughout the album but serve only to contribute to the atmosphere and are never used as a prominent instrument. All in all Ego Dominus Tuus is a strong representation of USBM that should not go unnoticed by fans of Emperor, Watain, Acherontas, and Weapon.

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Operation Brain Escape Emme Harvey (‘16) walks to conquer Chiari as she fights it head on.

By Katie Bashista Editor in Chief

Emme and her team at the start of the walk.

“It felt great to have them all there supporting me. I had no idea that many people cared about me that much,” Emme said.

Photo by Katie Bashista

Emme and her team. The team consisted of family, friends, and many members of the Forge Marching Band.

Photo by Katie Bashista

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“

Emme holds a sign representing her battle and her team’s support.

The slogan was created by her dad to represent the extension of her brain past her skull.

Photo by Katie Bashista

On September 20th, hundreds gathered at Pratt Park for the Conquer Chiari Walk Across America. About one fourth of those hundreds of people were students from Colonial Forge and members of our marching band that all came out to support Emme Harvey (‘16), who has been battling Chiari her entire life.

Chiari is a malformation of the brain that results in the brain extending past the skull, which causes headaches, possible loss of vision, reduction in spinal fluid flow, and even paralyzation. Emme has a malformation one Chiari in which her brain extends nine millimeters passed her skull.

Emme has struggled with headaches her entire life and started noticing other symptoms correlating with Chiari, such as back pain, before her diagnosis last year. However, her diagnosis was completely by accident.

“I got a concussion last year so I had an MRI done and there was an incidental find,” she said. “They said ‘your concussion isn’t bad, but you have Chiari.’”

Emme has poor balance, dizziness, and headaches due to Chiari but she explains that some days are worse than others.

“I have headaches every day,” she said. “Most of the time they’re manageable but sometimes the pain is so bad that I can barely move.”

Emme takes pain medication to relieve some of her symptoms, and she’s also been in physical therapy for about six months.

“I do exercises where I have to stretch my neck and they have me do balance exercises,” she said. “The Chiari has affected my balance, I’ll close my eyes and fall over.”

Emme has been an active member of the Colonial Forge Marching Band throughout high school. It’s an important part

Surgery isn’t a solution.

You can get the surgery and there’s a possibility that it will help but it doesn’t always solve the problem.”

of her life that was temporarily hindered due to her diagnosis.

“Last year when I was first diagnosed, I wasn’t able to play because the pressure from playing pushed on the back of my head,” she said. “And this year I have to wear ear plugs every time I play.”

The most extreme potential solution to Chiari is to get surgery. It’s very dangerous, requires months of recovery and may not even result in the relief each patient hopes for. Due to the longevity of the recovery process, Emme is holding off on surgery until after her senior year if she decides to get it.

“The brain surgery isn’t a solution,” she said. “You can get the surgery and there’s a possibility that it will help but it doesn’t always solve the problem.”

An estimated 1 out of every 1,000 people are diagnosed with Chiari and Emme happens to be one of the select few.

However she remains optimistic for the future and immerses herself in activities that continue to stimulate her regardless of the pain that Chiari brings to her.

The support from her friends and family was evident during the walk as members of the band all surrounded Emme’s tent laughing, painting up, and supporting the cause.

“It felt great to have them there supporting me,” she said.

“Since the walk they’ve all become even more supportive now that they understand what Chiari is.”

After some pictures, food, and an interview with Fredericksburg Live Emme and her team all lined up at the starting line along with the other hundreds of friends and family in our area affected by Chiari. After a quick huddle the team was off and “Emme’s Operation Brain Escape” was in full effect.

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Up to Par

Katie Thome takes first place and earns her road to states.

By Lauren Collis Reporter

There are approximately twenty-five million golfers in the United States. Out of those only four million are female, six hundred thousand under the age of eighteen, three female golfers for Forge, and only one on varsity. Katie Thome (‘17) is that one female, and she is headed towards states after coming in first place for the 6A South Regional Championship.

Katie has been playing golf since she was seven years old and has been participating in tournaments since the age of eleven.

“My dad encouraged me to play. First off it was just him encouraging me, but then as I grew to like it, it was just me,” she said.

Ever since, she’s been working hard and improving on her game. Ever since the beginning of this year and over the summer she’s been reducing her strokes. Reducing strokes means to get the ball in the hole in less attempts, therefore making it beneficial to have a lower score versus a higher one. For instance, instead of her score being in the nineties like it was earlier this year, they’ve dropped into the eighties. Due to this, Katie takes pride in her growth over the past few months.

“I know I’m not the best, but I’ve come a long way and I’m proud of that,” she said.

In the Regional Championship, Katie came in first place with a score of eighty-five. The second place competitor scored six more strokes than she did, finishing with a ninety, making Katie the only one to finish with a score in the eighties.

“Regionals was really stressful because everything was on the line. There were a couple of girls that had just had a bad day that day,” she said.

During the competition, Katie tried not to think of the nerve-racking opportunity that she had at winning.

“I don’t like to think about it [winning] because it’s stressful, but I felt confident because I wanted it,” Katie said.

Despite this mindset however, she, like every other competitor, still kept a stifled hope of victory.

“I wanted to place for states, but in the back of my mind I definitely wanted to win,” she said.

Katie Thome (‘17) watches as her shot sails through the air in the Eagle Invitational Golf Tournament on August 11th Photo courtesy of Lifetouch

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triple threat

Students juggle school, extracurriculars, and a sport every season

By Lexi Franklin Reporter

During a game against rival Stafford High School, Emily attempts to gain possession of the ball.

Sabrina goes in to attack the goal to try to put another point on the scoreboard for the eagles during a game against North Stafford.

Photo courtesy of Windsong Portraits

Photo by Nancy Moore

Waking up, going to school, going to practice, with the frequent second practice added in between, and finally coming home to a long night of homework sounds extremely intense compared to the average daily routine of most highschoolers.

From the long days at school to the long evenings at practice, it seems like they never get a break.

And when one season finally ends another one begins leaving no time for an “off season” or any sort of break. This strenuous schedule is something Sabrina Orsi and Emily Flanagan tackle almost everyday.

Sabrina Orsi and Emily Flanagan both play a sport in each of the three sports seasons at Colonial Forge. This sounds great at first but added on to the already busy schedule of today’s high schooler, it can be extremely challenging. Trying to balance time between each of the competitive sports, AP classes, and a social life can become very stressful.

When balancing school work, homework, three sports, and other extracurricular activities,time management becomes crucial.

“I don’t have much time between practices and school work,” said Sabrina Orsi (‘16). “But I work better under pressure because I only have a certain amount of time to get it done.”

To help manage this stress, Sabrina does her homework the day that she receives it.

Emily Flanagan (‘15) plays field hockey, swimming, and softball along with taking five AP classes. She stays even busier by being involved in things like National Honor Society, Young Life, and volunteering at her church.

“There are days when it’s really hard, but getting work done over the weekend, and doing it on the bus rides to and from games definitely helps,” she said.

Sometimes when schedules become too hectic sleep gets put on the back burner.

“On a good night I’m in bed by 11 and I get

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up at 5:45 but sometimes a lot later,” said Sabrina.

Being tired at school can also affect school performance.

“Sometimes I get really tired during the school day, but I started drinking coffee this year so it helps a lot,” Sabrina said.

Emily said that she also struggles with these late nights but most of the time she gets seven hours of sleep a night.

Balancing a social life between all of these other activities seems impossible, but Sabrina makes the most of the few hours of free time that she has every week.

“I try to stay involved at the school so I make time for football games and things like that, but on top of sports and homework that only leaves me with a few pockets of free time where I’ll be running errands with my family, or on twitter,” she said.

Who you hang out with is also affected by this busy schedule.

“I really don’t have much of a social life other than my friends from my teams,” said Sabrina.

Its hard to have friends outside of sports when your teammates are the people that you see everyday.

Emily also said that having daily practice limits her social life.

“I usually can’t hang out with anyone after school but then again most of my friends are on the team so I get to see them everyday at practice,” Emily said.

For these athletes having two practices a day is not uncommon. Sabrina goes from field hockey to lacrosse practice a few times a week, which minimizes her free time on the weekends because she has to catch up on her homework.

Like Sabrina, Emily balances two practices a day.

“During the winter last year I would have morning swim practice and then swim conditioning after

school and that was difficult because I would have no time to get anything done,” she said.

Being prepared for each sports season can also be very difficult. During the summer Sabrina has summer swim and field hockey conditioning, and really focuses on staying in shape. Emily has field hockey conditioning during the summer but also plays on a travel field hockey team.

Despite struggling to balance these sports, both students say the sports have impacted them positively.

“Field hockey and Lacrosse have taught me how to work as a team because swimming is more of an individual sport,” Sabrina said.

“Field hockey has taught me how to work well with other people, and that you have to get along with a lot of different people,” said Emily.

Through all the long nights of studying and doing homework and the long hours of practice, its always been worth it to the athletes because thats what they love to do.

“I just really love all of the sports and thats what always motivates me to keep going,” Sabrina said.

Emily is motivated by her competitive drive.

“Just seeing how all of our hard work pays off in game or just beating a team we really wanted to beat makes it all worth it,” she said.

Last Words

Editor In Chief Katie Bashista Managing Editor Cameron Scovell Staff Jackie Anderson Nick Carolan Maison Chaffin Brianne Clasen Lauren Collis Ally DeVall Lexi Franklin Luke Hillmer Hollie Holmes Brigid King Juliana May Amber Roca Kiera Sanders Jenna Smith Gavin Thibodeau

Editorial Policy The Talon is the official student magazine of Colonial Forge High School. All articles are student written.

Views expressed are those of the student writers and editors, and are not necessarily shared by the administration or staff of Colonial Forge.

It comes in the form of fingernails bitten down to the nub, a constant tapping of the foot, or chewing of a pen. It’s stress, and it’s coming at today’s students harder than ever.

Each of us has our own definition of success, but unfortunately, society’s idea of success has mutated most of ours into something almost unattainable.

What many of us have failed to do is differentiate between achieving and learning. Most of us wake up every day, do our homework, and put in that extra step in order to get the grade and ultimately get into college. We’ve lost sight of the fact that we are in school to learn, not just perform. And the pressure of performing is causing us greater stress.

According to the American Psychological Association, 30% of high school students have reported feeling symptoms of depression as a result of school stress, while another 36% report fatigue, and 23% say they skip meals due their amount of stress.

Why is the pressure put on today’s high school students so much greater than that put on, say, our parents’ generation? Part of it is due to the increased competition to get into college. Students are haunted by the fact that SAT scores, class rank, and cumulative GPA will all be examined and compared to other students nationwide, and that the difference between being accepted or rejected by their dream schools could be half of a point on their GPA. Some colleges have recognized the stress levels of high school students and have altered their requirements to reduce the stress of their applicants. According to the Huffington Post,

more than 800 colleges across the U.S. have omitted the SAT or ACT requirement from their applications, just one aspect of the application process that students struggle with.

The amount of stress on a student should never leave one questioning the quality of their health. A student should never have to choose between finishing an assignment or getting a healthy amount of sleep. Being “average” shouldn’t have a negative connotation and being above average shouldn’t be held as the societal norm.

It’s good to have motivation and to work hard but when it leads you to your breaking point, it’s time to stop. You need to be able to determine when everything is becoming too much. Prioritizing and knowing your limits are essential in managing your stress.

It’s all going to be worth it when we walk across the stage in June of our senior year to get handed a slip of paper that finally makes the past four years mean something. But remember to enjoy your time here. You’re only this age once, don’t spend it buried in your books or beating yourself up over a C on your report card.

Truman Capote once said “failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” So don’t be afraid to try in fear of failing and don’t let your failures hinder your perseverance. Stress is natural when it comes to having a desire to succeed, but don’t let stress paralyze you. Let it motivate you.

The staff strives to uphold the highest journalistic ethics and standards . Unsigned editorials represent the majority of the editorial board.

Letters to the editor are welcome and should be submitted to Room 301 or e-mailed to cfhstalon@gmail.com.

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