February 2016

Our mission: to enlighten and to entertain

the griffin

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Dulaney High School Timonium, Maryland

Volume 55, Issue 4

February 19, 2016

TECH DENIED

see page 2

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TO KNOW

$325 amount raised at the winter Open Mic Night see page 2 BBQ SMOKES

infographic by tori vandervest

This anonymous, pen-and-paper survey of 284 students was conducted in Standard, Honors and Gifted and Talented or Advanced Placement English classes for each grade level. Students were asked 20 multiple choice questions.

see page 9

# TO KNOW

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the number of marching band members going to Disney World Feb. 25-29. see page 2 CRAVING COFFEE

see page 11

INDEX 2-3 news 4-5 opinion 6-7 sports 8-12 features

Survey shows habits healthy-ish S sahana raju, projects editor tudents here tend not to think much about nutrition, yet they consider their diets healthy. They’re exercising more than students here three years ago were, but more than a fourth of them eat fast food often. They’re ahead of the nation when it comes to soda drinking, but their water consumption lags from recommended levels.

It’s fair to label the Griffin’s November student survey a collection of contradictions.

The pencil and paper, multiple-choice survey – administered in English classes of all grades – finds that over half the students here don’t consider the nutritional value of their meals. Despite this, 63 percent of students said they have a healthy diet.

“I feel like people don’t know what a healthy diet means,” junior Faith Murphy said. “They eat chips daily. That’s not really a healthy diet.”

According to food and nutrition teacher Belinda Knott, many of her students incorrectly believe that just outward appearance correlates to health.

“Just because you look fine on the outside, if we could just unzip you and look on the inside, that doesn’t guarantee that things are looking so good,” Knott said. “There’s only a certain amount of time that you could trash your body and put all these harmful things into it.”

Rethink School Role in Nutrition?

More Who Exercise

The survey found 42 percent of students use vending machines during lunches, while 58 percent of students said they never do.

“That’s a lie,” senior Mackenzie Ramsey said.

“I see so many people going to the vending machines every day and buying snacks from them.”

Three-fourths of students surveyed said schools should play a greater role in healthy eating. Student suggestions here include changing foods in vending machines and revamping school lunches to include healthier options.

Senior Chris Caudill agrees, but said he was skeptical about changes in vending machines here.

“The fact of the matter is that it’s all for profit.

Since we’re hard-wired to want sweet and fatty things, it’s more profitable to have sweet and fatty foods,” he said, adding that the school should focus on educating students on healthy eating instead.

According to Latin teacher Dawn Mitchell, food and nutrition classes should be required to take in schools.

“Everyone’s got to know how to live,” she said.

Knott agrees.

“I have some students who really don’t know anything and are completely ignorant to a lot of what I teach them,” Knott said.

Since 2013, the rate of those who say they exercise frequently has grown 10 percent. Today, 33 percent of those surveyed compared to 23 percent three years ago. But the rate of those who say they don’t exercise at all has nearly tripled.

In 2013, 4 percent said they never exercised. Today, it’s 11 percent.

It appears this puts students behind the pace for Americans overall. The Centers for Disease Control reports that 49 percent of American adults exercise for the recommended two and a half hours each week.

Students who more exercise frequently often attribute that to participating in school sports.

Junior cross country runner Emma Samels, who said she exercises daily, accompanies her running workouts with strength training by doing push-ups and sit-ups, as well as alternative workouts such as biking, swimming and hot yoga.

“You have to vary what you do so you aren’t doing the same stuff every day,” she said.

(For more on Samels’ and county champion boys indoor track team members’ nutrition habits, see page 6.) see SURVEY, page 2

FYI: Community Forum on Renovations March 3 7 p.m.- 8 p.m.

Auditorium

TEDx

March 4 2:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Satellite cafeteria

College Knowledge Night March 7 7 p.m.

Classic cafeteria

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

Junior Interviews March 9-10 Library

Student voter registration March 14-15 All lunch shifts

“Beauty and the Beast”

March 17-19 7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Auditorium

2

the griffin

news

february 19, 2016

School denied lighthouse status Hopes for county-issued laptops here quashed

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christine condon, editor-in-chief rincipal Sam Wynkoop delivered the news to faculty and staff in a Feb. 7 email.

“Dulaney High School is not one of the three finalists to become a Lighthouse high school. At this time, we do not know who those schools are, but we have been notified that we are not one,” he said.

Wynkoop could only hypothesize on the reason for the rejection, but said he’s seeking answers.

“Maybe it’s numbers. That would be 2,000 computers. I don’t know if that’s the case,” he said. “I’m going to request some feedback as to what we could’ve done differently.”

After the school applied for lighthouse consideration, teachers here were asked to complete a Baltimore County Public Schools Office of Innovative Learning survey, which assessed their opinions on the program.

S.T.A.T. teacher Kim Culbertson said she thinks the decision came down to a level of teacher support, gauged by the December survey, which did not meet the BCPS threshold.

“I think we just didn’t have it,” she said. “So I think we could’ve campaigned a little harder and maybe shown teachers some examples of the good things that are going on in the elemen-

tary and middle school lighthouse schools to kind of squash any fears or anxiety.”

Wynkoop said he will to gain more tech for the building.

“Dulaney has a large need for more technology, so I’m going to try to work with BCPS to see what avenues we can explore,” he said, adding that he’ll try to bolster the number of laptop carts, interactive projectors and interactive whiteboards here.

English teacher Britta Schaffmeyer said she was disappointed to hear that her students wouldn’t be receiving the devices.

“I’m upset because I really enjoy trying to do different things in the classroom,” she said. “It would be great to have more labs and not have to schedule testing and essays around when I can get the cart.”

Junior Hannah Bostwick said that the school should focus on other issues, namely infrastructure shortcomings, like a lack of air conditioning.

“This is simultaneously the best and worst news we could get,” she said. “This means we won’t be getting the latest and greatest of BCPS technology that is, frankly, borderline unnecessary considering we already several mobile and classroom computer labs. However, this means

photo by hannah gouger

JUNIORS Seungwoo Baek and Josh Talley work on a tax management assignment during their 3B accounting class using programs on school laptops.

Dulaney can focus on more important forms of technology such as air conditioning.”

Junior Seungwoo Baek also questioned Lighthouse status.

“If teachers are implementing laptops in their courses, students are more likely to surf the web instead of working and are likely to cheat on tests,” he said.

Junior Eunbin Choi noted that students here are doing just fine without the devices.

“Dulaney is already a high-ranked school with plenty of resources and good teachers, so we don’t need the laptops as much as another BCPS school probably does,” Choi said.

Survey shows habits healthy-ish

SURVEY, continued from page 1 Ramsey, a non-athlete who recently injured her foot, said she sees to it that she exercises daily. She uses an elliptical machine at home.

“I can open a book or turn on the TV and just nonchalantly exercise,” Ramsey said.

The 11 percent of students who do not exercise did not surprise junior Cassie Kansak.

“We do not all have an incentive to exercise when we could be at home doing other things,” Kansak said. “We are teenagers and we have TVs and cell phones.”

Soda Versus Water “Diet Coke to me is like other people’s coffee,” math teacher Stacy Herring said.

Herring drinks up to a gallon and a half of Diet Coke daily, but says she isn’t concerned about the health consequences.

“It’s my one vice in life,” Herring said.

Only about 7 percent of students surveyed drink soda daily, placing students here far below the national average. According to a 2012 Gallup survey, 47 percent of Americans drink at least one glass of soda daily. A third of students have entirely eliminated soda from their diets.

Ramsey stopped drinking soda due to a video she watched online, she said.

“They left something in Coke and it rotted. It was gross,” Ramsey said. “I still drink it regardless sometimes like when I go to nice dinners.

I’ll have one whereas some other people, like my brother, will have three a day.”

Senior Henrique Carvalho, an athlete, prefers water, and drinks up to a gallon and a half of water each day.

“Being dehydrated is a really terrible feeling,” Carvalho said.

But survey results showed 37 percent of students are only getting 16 ounces of water a day.

Attempting to increase his daily intake of water, chemistry teacher Edward Lyons has been drinking flavored water for about two years.

“Regular old water can be boring, but you need to hydrate. I don’t want to drink soda because of the calories,” Lyons said, adding that since making the switch to flavored water, his intake of water consumption has increased. “I’m a better man for it.”

Meat Lovers Persist A World Health Organization panel reported that consumption of processed meats, such as hot dogs, creates a slight increase in risk of colon cancer, according to an October New York Times report. The Times reported that the panel stopped short of recommending specific guidelines for how much red meat to eat but could influence federal government dietary guidelines.

New government guidelines released in January vindicated lean meat but recommended that men and boys reduce their overall intake of protein foods (meat, eggs, chicken) and eat more veggies, the Times reports.

According to the Griffin survey, red meats still remain prevalent in students’ diets. Although 11 percent of students never eat red meats such as beef and pork products, 38 percent eat them several times a week, and almost 9 percent eat them on a daily basis.

“That’s basically 38 percent of people who are eating an abundance of saturated fat a few times a week,” Knott said. “Eventually it can damage your body in a negative way.” High levels of saturated fat have been linked to heart disease.

People should also be cautious regarding how the cows they eat are raised, Knott said.

“Is it a healthy grass fed cow that you’re eating or is it from a factory farm? Has it been eating canola cake, being pumped with antibiotics and then being slaughtered in cruel ways?” she said.

Still Kansak said she doubted the survey’s finding that 11 percent of students never eat red meats.

“There’s a bacon craze,” she said. “That people aren’t admitting to that is surprising.”

Should schools do more to fight obesity?

Fast Food Appeals Students admit to the fact that fast food is unhealthy, but only 6.5 percent have eliminated it from their diets.

The survey found 27 percent of students said they eat fast food monthly, 28 percent eat it weekly, and almost 3 percent eat it daily. Students here aligned closely with the national

NEWS LINE

ONE LOVE RESET

One Love Workshops— originally set for January— have been rescheduled for March 23 and 24. Student volunteers will lead discussions on domestic violence in all English classes those two days, according to the group’s student chairman senior Emma O’Grady. These “Escalation” workshops, which will include a video, are designed to help students identify the warning signs of unhealthy relationships.

ALUM REMEMBERED Alumna Esther Cho, who died in a car crash near Hagerstown Feb. 7, impressed her former teachers with her energy.

“Not a mean bone in her body,” history teacher Rachel Baikauskas said upon learning of her former student’s passing. She called Cho, a cheerleader who graduated in 2014, kind and energetic.

BAND HEADS SOUTH The Lion’s Roar Marching Band will be performing at Disney’s Epcot Park in Orlando, Fla. Feb 28 as a part of the Future World March.

The performance will include an arrangement of “Get It On” and the opener to the band’s field show, “I Know You Want Me.” The band will leave for Epcot Feb. 25 and return Feb. 29.

TEACHER WINS

numbers. According to a 2013 Gallup survey, 3 percent of Americans eat fast food daily, 28 percent eat it once a week and 33 percent eat it once or twice a month.

Why fast food? It’s cheap, senior Aaron Holliday said.

“A lot of people don’t have a choice,” he said.

“You’ve got a McDonald’s right down the hill and if you go somewhere like Panera Bread, they’re going to sell you something for a higher price. You can get two burgers for $2, but a salad is $7.”

Kansak, who is a theatre crew member who said she rarely eats fast food, usually finds herself going to fast food places during busy weeks for the plays and musicals.

“During show weeks my diet is trash,” Kansak said. “You’re in a car and the only people around you are teenagers. You don’t want to drive far and your wallet consists of about five dollars and that’s all you can buy.”

The convenience of fast food is a major player, Knott said, but the amount of fast food in anyone’s diet should be limited due to the trans fats incorporated in the foods.

“Why don’t people just eat at home? Learn how to cook and people would probably see a lot of improvements in their health,” Knott said.

No matter what people are doing or not doing to stay healthy, Knott said, they should still try to take care of their bodies.

“You only have one place to live — in your body,” she said. “If you don’t treat it right you can cause so much damage and sometimes that damage is irreversible.”

Staff writer Andrew King and projects editor Hannah Bauer contributed to this report.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

Computer science teacher Amanda Lattimore has won the 2016 National Center for Women & Information Technology Aspirations in Computing Educator Award.

She’ll receive her award at an April 16 ceremony. The school will also receive a trophy. The NCWIT is a nonprofit network of some 600 universities, companies and other groups that strive to increase the number of women engaged n computing and technology fields.

WRITERS WIN More than a dozen creative writing students here have won awards in Scholastic’s annual Art and Writing competition.

Winners include seniors Jackie Andrews, Eva Bacas, Kiana Boroumand, Sarah Morrison, Natalie Mozoki and Daniel Welsh; juniors Irene Angelos, Kayla Bowman and Jason Fontelieu; sophomores Hayden Cohee, Calvin Penaflor, Meghan Robinson and Casey Stark and freshman Lilly Remmel.

CONCERT BENEFITS Saving the Music, the club that raises money to buy band and orchestra instruments for underprivileged schools, raised $325 at the Jan 14 Open Mic Night. More than a dozen acts performed, including junior Daniel Longest, freshman Liam Slowey and senior Isabell Muller.

The spring Open Mic night is set for 7 p.m. until 9 p.m.

May 19 in the school amphitheater.

february 19, 2016

3 news

the griffin

site states in a 2014 post. Younger students’ engagement seems to improve in smaller classes, and that can translate to greater success in later years, the NCTE notes.

144 Anecdotal evidence from teachers and students also suggest benefits.

Senior Carol Lagomarsino, a student in Turner’s class, said she saw distinct advantages in her 23-student 1A Economics & Public Issues class last semester.

“It’s so much easier to do projects and get work done with 33 fewer kids who could potentially be a distraction or disruption,” she said.

Advanced Placement English YES NO 12 teacher Meekah Hopkins reported similar experiences. Her This unscientific spot survey smallest class contains 13 stu- was conducted during A, B dents while her largest has 28. and C lunches Dec. 1. 177 “There’s more time to hash out students were asked the above or to hear more people’s ideas question. on what we’re doing, versus my larger class, where I feel like I’m rushing them through things.”

Associate editor Vinny Aciaga contributed to this report.

DOES CLASS SIZE MATTER?

photo by matilde cascella

STUDENTS IN MATH TEACHER STEVEN BINKO’S 2B Gifted and Talented Algebra II class take notes on the day’s lesson Dec. 1. “A bigger class is a larger amount of work, especially with a class that has more challenges and more discipline problems,” Binko said.

Diverse class sizes require finesse

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sophie bates and matilde cascella, associate editors eeping a class of 30 or more in tow is a feat math teacher Steve Binko has had plenty of practice at this year. Rosters in his three Algebra II classes on A Days contain 32, 34 and 29 students. B Day Honors and G.T. Algebra II classes contain 29, 32 and 32 students.

More students and less space means Binko has made changes to his teaching style.

“I’m not able to do what I can do if I can move around more,” he said, “such as a ‘seek-and-solve’ or activities where students are moving to different stations.”

With greater emphasis on student-centered learning and technology based lessons, movement and creative technological lessons are in greater demand. Binko has been known to move his students into the hallway outside room 317 to provide space for such lessons.

Economics teacher Laura Turner, whose largest first-semester class contained 35 students, said that large class sizes affect her style of teaching and how her students learn.

“It’s really hard to move from the front of the room to the back of the room. There have been times where it’s easier to go out one door and come in the other,” Turner said.

“With the large classes, you end up having to spend more time on classroom management because there are so many more people to distract one another,” she said.

Students report inconveniences too. Freshman Giorgio Gayleard, a student in Binko’s 2B Gifted and Talented Algebra II class, said he has felt the impact of a larger class.

“Sometimes if no one can understand the problem and solve it, you have to sit and wait for the teacher to come and help you,” Gayleard said. “Since there are so many kids in the class it takes a while for him to get to everyone.”

Gayleard was complimentary of Binko’s teaching but said such delays are a drawback, especially in math.

The National Council of Teachers of English, among other sources, shows a possible connection between younger children’s test scores and class size. But test scores aren’t the only indication of quality education, the group’s web-

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

Staffer witnesses president’s Baltimore Feb. 3 mosque speech PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA speaks during his first ever visit to an American mosque at the Baltimore Islamic Society.

After the speech, he met informally with students.

Staff writer Farehaa Hussain was there. Read her story on our website. photo from hussain

the griffin

4 opinion

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear Editors, As I strolled through the aisles of Hallmark, paralleling myself to Ethan Hawke’s adaptation of Hamlet, I morphed into the contemplative young character faced with adversity as I sifted through my thoughts. To be accepted, or not to be accepted: “that is the question.” Earlier that day, Georgetown University had deferred me from their early action decision and chose to place me in the pool of the regular decision applicants.

No, this is not rejection. I will find out their decision in April.

But to me it felt like rejection, at first.

“The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” battled on in my brain. Sometimes my self confidence was winning the war, sometimes self doubt. On paper, I should’ve been accepted— “there’s the respect that makes calamity of so long life.” We can expect things and wish them and will them to happen, and then they do not happen. I thought I would be more okay with college decisions. I thought I was going to get in. The more I thought about my lack of acceptance, the more I lacked any closure. “Thus conscience does make cowards of us all.”

“Yet, it is nobler in mind to suffer.” It’s what makes us grow, though we may not see it at that time. And I, like Hamlet, believe that “there is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow.”

To be rejected, “perchance to dream.” Perchance to find another college where I truly belong. A college where they desire qualities I possess without having to wait and compare me to “the strength of the remaining applicant pool.” And thus, I choose “to be”— to be optimistic about my future, to be aware that I will be accepted into another college, to be okay with Georgetown’s decision.

—Nina Gayleard, senior

ON THE WEB: Read “My Turn,” an online opinion blog, featuring... ...ASSOCIATE EDITOR MEHER HANS ON WHETHER TEACHERS SHOULD ASSIGN WORK VIA BCPSONE OVER SNOW DAYS

...ASSOCIATE EDITOR MATILDE CASCELLA ON THE MERITS OF SMALLER CLASSES

...ASSOCIATE EDITOR SOPHIE BATES ON BARBIE’S SUPPOSEDLY MORE INCLUSIVE REDESIGN

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the griffin Dulaney High School, 255 E. Padonia Rd. Timonium, MD 21093 dulaneygriffin@bcps.org (410) 887-7633

Student population: 1,804 Staff population: 123 The Griffin prints 1,500 to 2,000 copies of each edition. These are distributed during homeroom on the third Friday of October, November, December, February, March, April and May. Extras may be found in the library or room 115.

A Columbia Scholastic Press Association member The Griffin’s mission is to enlighten and entertain.

Feb. 19, 2016 Volume 55, Issue 4 http://dulaneygriffin.org

february 19, 2016

Sugar demands full assault W

andrew king, staff writer e are in the middle of a war at the dinner table: the war on sugar. At the tail end of last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released its nutritional guidelines for 2015 through 2020.

The major takeaway is that Americans should consume less sugar. Specifically, less than 10 percent of one’s daily caloric intake should come from added sugars.

As a result, Baltimore City leaders are now considering a bill that would require sugary drinks to wear a warning label to the effect of “Warning: drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to tooth decay, obesity and diabetes.” But how much would this really help?

A warning label seems like an obvious solution. We need to educate the public about what they are consuming, but I doubt how effective a simple black and white text label will be.

Proponents of the labels might point to the success of tobacco warning labels in decreasing smoking, but the case of sugar is slightly different.

We need some amount of sugar in our diet to maintain a healthy lifestyle,

whereas tobacco products are entirely superfluous. Someone who reads the warning label on a soda is more likely to write it off than someone who reads a warning on a pack of cigarettes.

In addition, there have been large

A

animal studies which created organ damage, gastrointestinal and immune system disorders, infertility, among other long-term problems.

art by jarrin jacobs

campaigns to reduce tobacco consumption, the most prominent being the ban on smoking in public places and restaurants. While it would be ludicrous to ban the consumption of soda in public places, there needs to be some sort of additional push against it.

Telling people that sugar causes harm is not a groundbreaking fact.

That information has been available for decades, but sugar has such a grip on our taste buds that we have brushed it to the side. What people may not know is the true effect of the amount of sugar they consume.

An excess of sugar has been linked as a cause of diabetes and obesity according to many studies, but the ubiquity of sugar diminishes the perceived health risk.

In our school, a Gatorade machine available to all sits prominently outside our cafeteria. The drinks in this machine contain as many as 35 grams of sugar, the equivalent of just under nine packets.

If this bill passes, it will be a waste if it has to stand alone. But paired with something like a television campaign, it could hold some sway over the public. That way, when people see a warning label, they are reminded of a memorable ad, rather than a statistic they learned in health class.

Whether we should try to combat obesity through our favorite succulent saccharides, I’m not sure. But if we do, it has to be all or nothing.

G.M.O.s call for regulation

hanna bewley, staff writer t some point in your life, you have probably heard something somewhere along the lines of, “It will be very difficult to continue feeding the world’s continually growing population without the use of genetically modified foods.”

This line is central in developing the argument in favor of biotechnologies and biotech companies such as Monsanto. This idea seems to find its roots in a report from the United Nations, stating that food production will need to double by 2050.

But there are misconceptions about genetically modified foods. The companies that create the modified foods have generated a myth that GMO crops are necessary to feed the rapidly growing world population and are as safe as any other food.

This is not the case. GM foods do not undergo extensive long-term safety assessments before being released to the public, according to the FDA. In fact, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine has performed

art by tori vandervest

Numerous health problems have increased after GMOs were introduced in 1996. Since then, the percentage of Americans with three or more chronic illnesses has jumped from 7 percent to 13 percent. Food allergies have skyrocketed, and disorders such as autism, digestive problems and others

are on the rise, according to the Institute for Responsible Technology.

You’re probably consuming GM food without even realizing. The majority of our processed food is genetically modified, containing typical GMO crops like corn and soy.

One of the most common methods of genetic modification includes infusing the DNA of the plant with pesticides to improve resistance. Over 70 percent of the foods you see in your local store have been treated as such, according to Food Safety.

Food manufacturers are in no way required to label these GMOs, leaving consumers unaware of what they are taking into their bodies. In the absence of mandatory labeling, customers do not have a say in what they are buying.

You can take extra precautions to research if your foods are GM or not, but the fact that the companies want to hide this information is their way of telling us something is wrong.

EDITORIAL:

Sharing insights for superintendent’s second term

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Dear Dallas Dance: ongratulations on your contract renewal. All the best as you continue efforts to produce globally competitive graduates.

This means that your $270-million plan for providing laptops to every student in the county could happen.

But before you spend the money on implementing technology in schools, there are thoughts to guide you.

We wish that you had started by placing devices in high schools rather than in elementary schools. Between research, online quizzes and lecture podcasts, high school students tend to complete more work on comput-

ers, and this amount is only growing.

While elementary school students may enjoy using their devices to play games like Minecraft, they have little need for computer access during the day to complete their work. Please expedite laptops to high schools.

Yet, we must be honest about technological shortcomings in our building.

Computers here are painfully slow.

They occasionally lose function entirely, as our network did in the midst of our February newspaper deadline.

Printers constantly refuse to perform their jobs, and servers frequently crash and deny students access to folders and files. If integration of technology

editors-in-chief christine condon, sarah feustle, stephanie rountree managing editors maya lapinski, sumin woo deputy editors grace knotts, meera rothman adviser maria hiaasen news editor julie chotivatanapong opinion editor randhika aturaliya sports editors patrick fitzgerald, kristin meek features editors doria diacogiannis, jordan nicolette web editors cameron bernhardt, jason mcclellan multimedia editor alex tuerk photography editor cristina lopez project editors hannah bauer, sahana raju, holly sutley

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

is what you’re going for, we need an infrastructure upgrade now.

It’s still disappointing that we were not selected as a Lighthouse school and have not been told why. If academic success, which we possess, isn’t what you were looking for, what is?

We’re anxious to see what becomes of the feasibility study on our muchneeded renovations. We hope you or your aides will listen closely to community members’ feedback at the March 3 community forum in our auditorium from 7 p.m. until 8 p.m.

Air conditioning? Clean water?

Reliable Wi-Fi and hardware?

We need them all.

The Griffin welcomes story ideas, commentaries and letters to the editor. These may be brought to room 115, placed in Maria Hiaasen’s mailbox in the office or emailed to dulaneygriffin@ bcps.org. All submissions are subject to editing and must be signed. The Griffin Editorial Board makes all final decisions regarding content.

The staff editorial reflects the thoughts of the Griffin staff, but all other opinon pieces reflect individuals’ views, not the paper’s.

Interested in advertising in The Griffin or purchasing any photos seen in this issue? Use the same contact information.

the griffin

february 19, 2016

5 opinion

Leading by example:

Reality for those who look for it...

“B

meera rothman, deputy editor e the change you wish to see in the world.” This quote has been hanging on an enlarged royal purple sign in my room for the past few years.

I often catch myself staring at its gray cursive letters, but they’ve always befuddled me. How can someone be a change? And how would that even make a difference? Yet something about that quote is so appealing to me.

Maybe it’s how the words sound almost poetic. Maybe it’s that Gandhi was the one who said it. But I realized it was the quote’s intrinsic truth I was drawn to. It was the promising notion that people could change the world through their own actions.

Mahatma Gandhi represents an archetype who shaped history through leading by example. During the unjust

British rule of India in the twentieth century, Gandhi advocated for a strictly nonviolent approach to independence and civil rights.

“While modern examples may not be as overt, they’re still significant.”

He marched at the forefront of the Salt March when he was 61 years old to protest the deleterious British monopoly on salt, and he even went to jail on a plethora of occasions after willfully defying corrupt authorities. India rallied around him and responded positively

to his relentless ardor and unwavering adherence to his own principles.

Skeptics are fond of saying that leading by example is a relic of the past. But while modern examples may not be as overt, they’re still significant.

When I entered ninth grade, I was accustomed to memorizing information in my classes just to perform well on tests. But I had an inspirational biology teacher who taught me otherwise.

Instead of merely assigning busy work, she committed her time to making sure we understood the concepts in-depth and in the context of the real world. Just by doing her job with dedication, she led her students and fellow teachers by example.

Whether through renowned leaders or common people who showcase model behavior, leading by example can be seen throughout the modern world.

art by jarrin jacobs

...or fiction thanks to everyman?

R

sierra prior, staff writer ecently, the front page of the New York Times website would suggest that leading by example is fantasy. An article on the right-hand side reads “Why I Will Never Vote for Donald Trump.” Farther down is an article on Ted Cruz’s failure to report a loan from Goldman Sachs in his race for the Senate. And on it goes.

But if you scroll further, there’s an article titled “Thank you, Mr. Bowie. You changed our lives.”

Mourners on social media sidelined instances of corruption and deceit to focus on honoring a musician they loved.

This online gathering of people offering support seems strange: few of these people knew Bowie personally. So how is it that so many of them were willing to come together in a touching show of human emotion?

The answer is simple: Bowie is a leader.

And like all leaders, Bowie sparks an aspiration inside of us that everyday life can’t always provide, the desire to

do and be better, to challenge standards and be ourselves.

The Times article is full of tributes from people, all acknowledging how Bowie shaped their lives. None of these tributes identify Bowie as someone who

“She inspires me in all the ways great leaders should, by embracing her role and loving it.” aspired to be a leader and sought to change lives. Instead, Bowie led simply by living true to how he wanted, in such a way that he inspired other people to do the same.

It’s those people who are the true proof of leadership: my teachers who devote hours to their students; the incredibly smart person in the back who simulta-

neously infuriates me and encourages me to try harder; my field hockey teammates who push through the hardest practices.

And even though I highly respect my team’s captains, the girls chosen by the coach to lead, the girl who inspires my teammates the most isn’t always someone specifically identified as leader.

Instead, it’s the girl who shows up every day, overjoyed to be there. It’s the girl who I can count on to say hi to me during school, the one who is always screaming at the top of her lungs, even when she’s on the sideline. This girl isn’t motivated by the expectations put on her, and she doesn’t try to be a leader. Yet she inspires me in all the ways great leaders should, simply by embracing her role and loving it.

This is the mark of a leader: someone who doesn’t dictate what people should do, but rather thrives in such a way that people can’t imagine a better way to live.

UMD must face leader’s racist past

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dorrie gaeng, staff writer or decades, Byrd Stadium has been an iconic symbol for the University of Maryland, a school that takes great pride in their athletics. But in a culture that is sensitive to prejudice regarding matters of race, religion, gender and more, this name will not fly.

So what do people have against the name? The football stadium was named after former university president Curley Byrd, who served from 1936-1954.

During Byrd’s tenure, students of color were thwarted from applying. Until he was forced by court order to stop, Byrd’s actions went unpunished for nearly 18 years.

Maryland’s stadium is a classic image and represents the entire school. To have such an important place be tainted

with a history of racial prejudice is simply insulting to the school and its community.

The movement to demolish racist symbols in the sports world and beyond

“A history of racial prejudice is simply insulting.” has been an ongoing battle. A number of professional, high school and collegiate athletic programs have been reprimanded for having mascots and nicknames that are offensive. Since 2013, eight high schools that previously used the name “redskins” for their mascot have voted to change it. The University

of North Carolina Chapel Hill recently changed the name of its Saunders Hall because it was named in honor of a man associated with the Ku Klux Klan.

In January, a mayoral task force voted to remove two of the four Baltimore monuments that celebrate Confederateera leaders.

Despite the sweeping reform across the nation, opponents argue that banning symbols and traditions is like trying to erase history. It’s good and it’s bad, but it can’t be eradicated. Regardless of the stadium’s historical culture, its discriminatory connotation can’t be ignored. The decision to rename the stadium to “Maryland Stadium” sends a powerful message to the community that times are changing.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

ruminations Understand what you eat jason mcclellan, columnist

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oing anything before 8 a.m., according to the Research Council of Proving My Opinions, is a bad idea. But the school gods have yet to hear my prayers, so I continue to rise at 6 a.m. school days and actually wake up sometime first period.

I’ve given up on an energizing strategy, but other people, I’ve noticed, seem to rely on breakfast.

I eat breakfast just about…ehm…never. But if this happens to be the rare morning that I both eat and am semi-conscious, the only thing I’m capable of doing is staring at a cereal box, which often says something like: “This is the best thing for you in the world and it’s the most important meal so you should always eat our cereal and here’s a word search too.”

Ringing a bell?

Anyone from a toddler to a centenarian could tell you skipping that morning meal is anathema. The Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health website proclaims it’s the most important meal of the day, a contributor to weight loss and energy for concentration.

But is that definitive? A 2014 post on a New York Times wellness blog gave credence to several short term studies that show breakfast is no more important than any other meal, at least when it comes to weight.

And there’s the matter of how to define unhealthy.

My nutritionist alter ego would suggest you eyeball MyPlate, the government’s nearly five-year-old successor to MyPyramid and the Food Pyramid.

It’s a graph that looks like a plate (and cup) and depicts how much of each food group should be on – surprise – your plate.

But critics, like the website of Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health, point out that MyPlate just doesn’t cut it. It fails to specify unhealthy items within food groups, it’s missing a fats and oils section entirely and it says nothing about exercise, unlike its predecessor.

We could also look at the government’s written guidelines, but even those may be unreliable.

According to a U.S. News & World Report article, 2015’s new guidelines reneged on their decades-old warning against the dangers of eggs and lean meats.

And if we can’t trust the government’s picture to be complete, can we trust any other food study?

“Studies are often backed by a surprising sponsor” The answer, of course, is almost always no. There are legitimate food studies to be found, but people will just gobble up an article that reads “Pancakes Proven to Cure Cancer,” and so food studies begin to sacrifice scientific precision for attention. For example, a May CBS piece from last year reports on a study by scientific journalist John Bohannon, who fooled the world into believing chocolate could help us lose weight by publishing a fake study by a fake organization.

Food studies are also often backed by a rather surprising sponsor – food companies. For example, according to a New York Times piece, the American Academy of Pediatrics used money from CocaCola to fund a children’s health website. If such companies have the funding of health organizations in their hands, it’s hard to believe those companies wouldn’t try to use that influence to help themselves to greater profits rather than you and me to greater health.

I’m not trying to scratch breakfast from the record books or even lure you into adopting my eating schedule, which is erratic at best. But I would warn against accepting food data as gospel; you may not be able to otherwise differentiate between a study written by a statistician and one written by me.

the griffin

6 sports

athletes

february 19, 2016

watch

VARSITY

Senior vaults to new heights

greg zapas, staff writer enior pole vaulter Gabe Madro began his career his sophomore year, when he stumbled upon a pole vaulting practice after lifting weights for shot put. What Madro didn’t know then is that he would eventually win this year’s county championship by vaulting 12 feet over the bar and place second at the photo by cristina lopez regional championship with a GABE MADRO personal record of 12 feet, 7 inches.

Madro attributes his success to his hard work in practice and perfecting his form.

“I’d like to say that remaining positive and constant persistence and drive are the real factors to my success,” he said. “I always want to improve myself and be the very best.”

ATHLETES WHO INSPIRE HIM Teammate and junior Brett Sproul 1. UKRANIAN OLYMPIC POLE VAULTagrees – Madro’s te- ER SERGEY BUBKA- “He held the longest duration of pole vaulting world nacity is key.

“When we were at records, and was the only person at his practice, Gabe wasn’t level. Only once he became older and having a good day, less athletic was he sadly surpassed.“ he was landing really 2. ALUMNUS MATT COOPER- “He shallow in the pit and drove me to work harder and enjoy almost landed on the track. His coaching made me want to track,” Sproul said. improve and actually helped me throw “Despite that, he per- further in track.” severed because he 3.COACH YAO ADONTAR- “Coach knew what he needed Adontar is just an awesome guy. His to fix and tried some- presence alone makes me want to be thing different every the best athlete possible.” time to try and get better.”

Madro, who plans to continue pole vaulting in the spring, cites his teammates as his favorite part of the sport.

“The whole pole vaulting team is very relaxed and we all support each other and that’s a positive part about it,” he said. “And with the constant training and drive to excel, I feel this team really builds and motivates me to reach new heights.”

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JUNIOR VARSITY

Soph brings speed, humor hayden cohee, staff writer unning wasn’t sophomore Connor Martin’s first choice, but he soon discovered his knack for the sport.

“I started freshman year because I couldn’t make the soccer team so I thought it would be fun to try,” Martin said.

After a successful cross country season, Martin transferred photo by cristina lopez to indoor track, a sport that he CONNOR MARTIN couldn’t participate in freshman year due to a stress fracture.

Martin was victorious in the mile and two-mile races at the Baltimore County Public Schools Freshman-Sophomore Championship Jan. 21, and track coach Chad Boyle recognizes his potenATHLETES WHO INSPIRE HIM tial.

“He’s got a lot of 1. JACKIE ROBINSON- “He showed ability and a lot of talpersistence and optimism when deal- ent,” Boyle said. “He ing with racism and forever changed the finished his season field of sports.“ with a double cham2. CAM NEWTON- “I think he’s a pretty pionship in the mile good guy because he gives away the and two mile, which game ball to a kid every game and defi- is very hard to do. I’d nitely changes their life.“ say he’s got a bright 3. RAY LEWIS- “He was the motivat- future.”

Martin’s skill comes ing force at Ravens games and, during the riots, called on everyone to stop the in handy, but it’s his easy-going attiviolence in a powerful video.“ tude that makes him a great teammate, sophomore teammate Matt Owens said.

“He keeps things fun,” he said. “Running isn’t always fun, and it’s hard, but he makes the most of it.”

Teammate and sophomore Brendan O’Brien shared a similar sentiment.

“We’ve been practicing together almost every day since freshman year. We really just push each other to be the best that we can be,” O’Brien said. “It’s great when we compete against each other at races. That’s when we go our hardest.”

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photo by debbi persinger

Above: Senior runners Andrew King and Eric Walz (Left to right) compete in the Baltimore County Indoor Track and Field Championships Jan. 19.

Left: Sophomore Matt Owens.

Below left: Junior Emma Samels.

Below: Walz.

photo by denise owens

Fueling busy athletes photo from samels

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stephanie rountree, editor-in-chief hether you’re a linebacker or figure skater, honed technique and natural ability will only get you so far. A healthy diet is crucial to determining who comes out on top. For the indoor track and field team, which was bound for the Feb. 23 Class 4A State Championship as of press time, success starts with breakfast. Senior and 2015 state champion in the 3200m Eric Walz says balanced meals put him on track.

“I rotate either eggs and a bagel with some fruit or quinoa,” he said. “I have energy throughout the day.”

Sophomore runner Emma Samels hasn’t always been the healthiest eater, but moved to more wholesome options when she joined cross country. Conscious of how certain foods affect her performance, Samels begins the day with a smoothie and oatmeal and stocks up on carbs before races.

“I ‘m very healthy, but on the weekends, I’m not like that — I balance it out,” she said.

Like Samels, sophomore runner Matt Owens occasionally indulges in junk food — he’ll sometimes pair a strawberry frosted Pop Tart with his Cinnamon Toast Crunch — but tries not to make a routine of it. Freshman year, Owens ate three McDonald’s quarter pounders the night before the county championship, but compensated by eating little the next morning.

“I ended up getting 2nd in the race and running a PR, so I don’t think it affected my performance,” Owens said.

While it’s okay to eat and drink unhealthy once in a while, athletes often inadvertently form poor habits in their attempts to recharge. Turning to sugary drinks like Gatorade for electrolytes after a game, athletes overlook healthier sources for nourishment.

“Electrolytes are minerals. Do you know where you can get minerals? Your fruits, vegetables, nuts,” nutrition teacher Belinda Knott said.

According to its website, Gatorade puts 21 grams of sugar into each 12-oz. serving, which adds up to about

CONTINUING COVERAGE As of press time, varsity Lions were set to compete in post season wrestling, basketball and track tournaments.

Visit dulaneygriffin.org for updates.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org

photo by kym walz

81 calories. The American Heart Association advises that women get no more than 100 calories of added sugars per day and men no more than 150 — a single serving of Gatorade makes over half of the suggested added sugar intake.

Instead, Knott recommends chia seed pudding, which is high in fiber and protein, for athletes looking for a healthy boost.

Chia Seed Pudding Ingredients: • 3/4 cup chia seeds • 4 cups almond milk (or milk of choice) • 1/4 cup maple syrup • 2 tsp vanilla extract • 2 tsp cinnamon • Sliced banana (or fruit of choice) for topping Directions: 1. Mix chia seeds, almond milk, maple syrup, vanilla, and cinnamon in a bowl.

2. Let sit in refrigerator overnight.

3. Stir, add fruit, and enjoy!

photo by hannah gouger NUTRITION TEACHER BELINDA KNOTT uses a blender to make a chia seed pudding, a breakfast she and science teacher Kim Howard said they each enjoy on busy morings.

the griffin

february 19, 2016

7

athletes

sports

watch

VARSITY

Switching made sense patrick dochat, staff writer ophomore Grace Jung had no idea how important she would be to the track and field team when she started pole vaulting last spring. Originally a sprinter, Jung’s ability immediately inpressed her coaches.

“Coach Boyle and Benjamin came up to me and asked me after practice if I wanted to try photo by cristina lopez it out,” Jung said. “They said I GRACE JUNG was fast enough and strong enough.”

Senior teammate Maddie Cohee was convinced Jung would be a championship pole vaulter from the start.

“It’s a frustrating event and Grace has always stayed posiATHLETES WHO INSPIRE HER tive and smiled even 1. WAYNE GRETZKY- “He always tries when she would to lift other people up and he takes ad- reach a plateau in vantage of good opportunities.” her training,” Cohee said.

2. LEBRON JAMES- “He doesn’t take Jung is among advantage of his title as a great player the top-ranked pole and stays humble.” vaulters in the coun3. MICHAEL JORDAN- “He always ty. During freshman year, she struggled works hard and never gave up.” to reach 6 feet. Now, Jung soars over 8 feet, and six inches. Jung placed third at the county meet Jan. 19 and qualified for the Feb. 23 state meet.

“Her P.R. is 8 feet 6 inches, which puts her top 10 alltime Dulaney girl vaulters. I think she’ll clear 9 feet at states, which will make her tied for third in Dulaney history,” track coach Chad Boyle said.

Cohee thinks Jung’s talent will take her far.

“Starting freshman year will be a real blessing for her,” Cohee said. “Four years of solid training will get her far if she continues to progress the way she has. The spring season could be a huge one for her.”

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photo by christina reitmeyer VARSITY GIRLS LACROSSE COACH KRISTI KORROW leads a clinic for students in grades 3 through 8 with junior varsity girls coach Kate Bryant in the gym Feb. 17. “Her players respect her so much as a coach and take everything she says to heart,” Bryant said.

Korrow wins regional award H

sumin woo, deputy editor ead soccer and lacrosse coach Kristi Korrow has been named the National Federation of High Schools Mideast Sectional Lacrosse Coach of the Year.

“It’s nice to be recognized for doing what I do,” Korrow said of the award, which she was nominated for by athletic director Richard Reed. “But really, it’s just that I feel very lucky to be doing something that I love and get to do that every day.”

Junior varsity coach Kate Bryant said the award was well deserved for her consistent hard work for her team as well as her mentoring.

“Before my practices with the JV squads, both for soccer and lacrosse, I always go to her and run by what I want to accomplish with the team,” Bryant said. “She always has some insight or idea that I hadn’t thought of to make my practices that more effective. The best part is she never gets tired of me asking.”

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Senior Mel Gandy praised Korrow for encouragement and drive, recalling a varsity lacrosse game freshman year.

“We were playing Perry Hall, down by 1 in the last minute. Coach Korrow put me on the draw, which I won,” Gandy said. “I had a diving buzzer beater. She pushed me because she knew I could do it.”

Varsity lacrosse player Emma Klein, a junior, notes Korrow’s dedication to her players.

“She’s willing to go the extra mile to help. She’ll stay and work with you if you need help after practice,” Klein said.

As inspirations, Korrow lists her college lax coach (Diane Geppi, Loyola University) and her dad, a 45-year coach.

“My dad gave me the freedom to want to improve myself.

My college coach taught us it wasn’t always lacrosse, but that the game relates to everything in your life,” Korrow said. “I treat all my teams like a family.

Korrow credited others for their support.

“Having this family support me, it’s the only way I could get it all done.”

numbers to know: Lions basketball

75- Number of points per game the varsity boys basketball team has averaged this year through 20 games. This average ranks first in the county.

10- Number of consecutive games the team had lost to county rival

Milford Mill before defeating the Millers 84-71 Feb.17. The victory was coach Matt Lochte’s first against the team, and Milford Mill was the only county team the Lions had never beaten under Lochte.

4- Number of times senior guard Alex Kassolis has scored 30 points or more this season.

His 30-point effort on Senior Night helped propel the Lions to victory.

Deputy sports editor Patrick Fitzgerald and staff writer Vesi Mineva compiled this information through interviews with players and boys varsity coach Matt Lochte.

He just keeps shooting

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photo by hannah gouger

enior guard Alex Kassolis practices his 3-point shot during D lunch, and whenever else he can.

“I’m shooting hundreds of shots every day, working on not rushing my shot and just taking my time,” Kassolis said.

Known for his 3-pointers, Kassolis is a consistent powerhouse for the boys’ varsity basketball team. His most recent contribution came during the Feb. 17 win against Milford Mill, sinking three behind the line to give the team the upper edge.

When it comes to consistency, Kassolis says that technique, now muscle memory, is no longer a concern. What’s the key to the three-pointer?

“Confidence and a short memory,” he said.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org

JUNIOR VARSITY

One-season runner excels quinn mccabe, staff writer ophomore Anna Griffith runs all year, but not just on the track. Griffith plays soccer and lacrosse in the fall and spring, respectively, and runs indoor track in the winter.

“Running is all mental. I constantly push myself to break my mental barrier, with me being a one season runner compared to photo by cristina lopez other year-round runners so I ANNA GRIFFITH can keep up with them,” Griffith said.

She has proven just that. At the freshman-sophomore county championship, Griffith won the two-mile race in 12 minutes and 24 seconds, her best time, and placed second in the mile with 5 minutes and 39 seconds, one second shy of tying her previous record.

“I really started to push myself more throughout the season,” Griffith said. “I also started running different events instead of the mile, such as the 2 mile and the 4x400 meter relay.”

Teammate and sophomore DorATHLETES WHO INSPIRE HER rie Gaeng admires Griffith’s dedication 1. US WOMENS NATIONAL TEAM to the sport and the MIDFIELDER CARLI LLOYD- “She‘s just so dedicated to the sport.” team.

“We always push each other to be bet- 2. FORMER USWNT FORWARD ABBY ter than the other. WAMBACH- “She defies the labels that We are teammates people put on her.” and our goals are 3. OLYMPIC SWIMMER MICHAEL not only to improve PHELPS- “Despite his age, he continues ourselves but also to push himself and represent the U.S. help each other im- well in the Olympics .“ prove,” Gaeng said.

Her natural determination has helped propel her on the track.

“She had not run much prior to this year, and we asked her to do it at the end of the season, and she mastered it right away,” Boyle said.

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8 features

the griffin

february 19, 2016

REVIEWS:

Minimalistic ‘Revenant’ impresses worst possible way: his drive to fulfill his jason fontelieu, staff writer ou may be familiar with Leonardo selfish motives is utterly despicable and DiCaprio from one of his more tra- leads him to betray the rest of his comditional roles: a squeaky clean so- pany without a second thought.

Another noteworthy aspect of the film is cialite in “The Great Gatsby” or an acutely deceptive con man in “Catch Me if You its fantastic cinematography. The beautiful scenery is captured Can.” But he truly perfectly, with immacbreaks this mold in ulately simple shots his roles in his new of a stream brushing film “The Revenant.” against a bed of rocks He spends the maor the smoke from a jority of this movie fire billowing against caked in dirt and evergreen treetops. The blood, trying to enlengthy scenes of these act revenge on a man gorgeous natural ocwho killed one of his currences are a relaxloved ones. ing reprieve from some Finding himself in of the other disturbthe company of 19th ing things shown, like century trappers close ups from Glass’s roaming the modbear attack wounds or ern-day Dakotas, Dia battle scene between Caprio plays Hugh his company and a Glass, a fur trapper tribe of Native Ameriwho’s also an expert cans. in the area of native Some may argue that culture.

DiCaprio delivers a reproduced by permission of 20th century fox the gore shown in the film at times can be stunning acting performance in this film. After a gruesome unnecessary. I disagree — it accurately bear attack leaves him incapacitated and portrays the severity of the hardships that abandoned by the rest of his company, Glass is met with, and the means he must he’s forced to roam the desolate wilder- resort to for his survival.

In a role with little dialogue, DiCaprio ness alone. He has very little dialogue throughout the whole film, displaying al- remains the highlight of an intensely dark most animalistic behaviors with strained and, at times, brutally violent film. Hopefacial expressions, heavy breathing and fully, this bold deviation will be enough to earn him his long-awaited Academy grunting.

Esteemed actor Tom Hardy plays John Award for Best Actor.

Fitzgerald, a fellow fur trapper who is esOVERALL RATING: pecially hostile toward Glass and his son.

Fitzgerald embodies ruthlessness in the

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True story enthralls

reproduced by permission of open road films

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eric walz, staff writer s the Oscars loom closer, the winner of the best picture category becomes harder and harder to predict. This year, the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and Producers Guild Awards each selected a different film as their best, but “Spotlight” was the standout of the year. It’s only right that the Academy give “Spotlight” this year’s Best Picture.

The film is a captivating chronicle of the Boston Globe Spotlight team’s investigation into the systematic cover up of pedophilic priests by the Catholic Church.

The story starts off focused on the transgressions of a single pastor, but it eventually reveals something much more widespread, something that shook an entire city to its core.

The problem was right in everyone’s faces, but in a town dominated by the Catholic faith, it wasn’t hard for the Church to sweep it under the rug. The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Law, says that it takes an outsider, like new Globe editor Marty Baron (Liev Schreiber) to get the ball rolling. Schreiber delivers a great performance as the out-of-towner, unfazed by the Church’s’ influence, challenging Spotlight to tackle not just one priest but the whole system.

The Spotlight team, composed of great actors like Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton and Rachel McAdams, help Baron put together the pieces of the cover-up. It’s these characters that guide us through the story as the fabric of Boston unravels. Through them, we discover the sheer number of victims and perpetrators. Ruffalo is particularly impressive as Michael Rezendes, the eventual author of the story, and his nuanced and captivating performance as an offbeat and stubborn reporter proves he deserved his Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Despite an impeccable cast, the film’s greatest strength is in its writing. Writers Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy crafted a perfectly-paced script. “Spotlight” never lulls throughout its two hour run time, keeping tensions high as the reporters go door to door, powerfully portraying the raw and complex emotions of living with this unique trauma.

Like the real life Spotlight team, the film gets it right. They don’t spare details or overdramatize the reporters, instead giving a human and authentic depiction of the few men and women who stood up to one of the world’s most influential institutions, and won.

OVERALL RATING:

‘Mozart in the Jungle’ surprises with comedy

sarah feustle, editor-in-chief ozart in the Jungle” is something of a hidden gem: I had never heard of the Amazonbased show until it won the Golden Globe for Best Comedy TV Series. I tend to forget that like Netflix, Amazon has its own selection of delightful shows.

I was worried that a show about musicians in the New York Symphony would lack substance. But “Mozart,” which is based on oboist Blair Tindall’s memoir “Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs and Classical Music,” showed that it has staying power.

The drama quickly begins in the pilot episode, as a new conductor – the young, exotic and unpredictable Rodrigo (Gael Garcia Bernal) – takes his place at the head of the orchestra, much to the chagrin of his tra-

ditional predecessor, Thomas Pembridge non, bringing in unconventional guests and taking the orchestra (Malcolm Mcon field trips.

Dowell). During a The other protagostandoff between nist, Hailey Rutthe two, Rodrigo ledge (Lola Kirke), seems egotistical, is an oboist who but simultaneousdreams of joining ly proves his muthe orchestra, only sical knowledge. for Rodrigo to hire It becomes clear her as his personal that Rodrigo is assistant.

Hailey genuinely talentlearns how devoted ed and completeRodrigo is to his job ly, almost spiriand music – and his tually, absorbed by music. What’s reproduced by permission of amazon apathy with regard to the symphony’s more, he idolizes Pembridge and tirelessly tries to become business side. Rodrigo’s eccentricity makes his friend. Rodrigo is a bit of a loose can- him laughably endearing: one of his trade-

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even better than the males of the show.

Her best friend Trish Walker, a radio host played by Rachael Taylor, is another important woman in the show. Often the media demonstrates female friendship as a competition, with backstabbing and gossip, but this powerful duo contradicts that stereotype with ease.

On top of amazing three-dimensional female leads, we have possibly the most horrifying Marvel villain, Kilgrave, played by David Tennant. He is lanky and debonair; but he’s a cold heartless monster unfortunately gifted with the powers of persuasion. He influences innocent bystanders to do horrible, unwarranted things. He even

“M

mark quirks is his complete inability to pronounce Hailey’s name.

Hailey and Rodrigo’s relationship, which starts changing by the end of the first season, did confuse me. Their chemistry grows in season two, but only amounts to a kiss. Later, Hailey suggests more happened, which doesn’t seem to be the case.

But everything is left unresolved, since (SPOILER) Hailey’s leaving to tour Europe with a cellist.

“Mozart” is ultimately a feel-good show – it has just the right mix of drama and humor, with a handful of twists and turns, quirky characters and superb music.

OVERALL RATING:

Netflix original progressive, divisive

randhika aturaliya, staff writer e Marvel Cinematic Universe fans will probably not be getting a Black Widow movie anytime soon, but there’s a great alternative, the Netflix Original Series “Jessica Jones.” It isn’t your typical superhero movie. There are no gaudy costumes, CGI superpowers or men swooping down and saving damsels in distress.

Kristen Ritter plays the title character Jessica Jones, a private investigator with a troubled past who has super strength.

What I love about her is that she isn’t your traditional female superhero who is simply there for eye candy. She gets the job done

manipulates people who love him, including Jessica herself, who he dated in the past.

Their relationship is without a doubt abusive. Kilgrave isn’t able to differentiate between consensual sex and rape. Despite the fact that Jones didn’t want him, he claims that buying her presents justified his actions. I love how real life issues are captured in this show, but it’s not for everyone.

I would not suggest it for the weak-hearted. As you may have guessed, it’s violent, featuring suicide and suggestions of abuse.

But this show is worth it. It showcases women in a positive light and presents issues that we should be talking about in a real way.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

reproduced by permission of netflix

OVERALL RATING:

february 19, 2016

the griffin

9 features

Coldplay resurrects with recent album I whitney vong, staff writer n case you forgot about the existence of British rock band Coldplay, their Super Bowl Halftime Show was a great refresher of their versatile sound.

Coldplay’s performance was full of color and movement, representing the more jubilant tunes on their newest album, “A Head Full of Dreams,” while also featuring classic hits, such as “Viva la Vida.” This combination showcased the growth of Coldplay and confirmed that they haven’t lost their touch just yet.

The band’s seventh studio album does the same. Starting the album with “Adventure of a Lifetime,” Coldplay lures fans in with a fun electric guitar rhythm that endures throughout the whole song, giving it a peppy and exuberant vibe.

Both “A Head Full of Dreams” and “Birds,” although different in sound, incorporate their own playful and optimistic beats that really make this Coldplay album stand out from their more popular somber tracks. The whole album highlights a positive underlying message, even

though each track offers a different listening experience.

The song that truly establishes the message is “Everglow,” which actually features some subtle vocals from lead singer Chris Martin’s ex-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow.

In April 2015, Martin and Paltrow split, but despite their divorce, “Everglow” embodies feelings of nostalgia and moving on.

Though the song is one of the more serious in the album, Rolling Stone notes that Martin has turned his “frown upside down,” which is apparent in the closing line of the song: “So if you love someone, you should let them know/ oh the light that you left me will everglow.”

Aside from Coldplay’s innuendo of optimistic thoughts, “A Head Full of Dreams” features Beyoncé in “Hymn for the Weekend,” which basically speaks for itself. Coldplay also collaborated with Tove Lo in “Fun” and Noel Gallagher in “Up&Up” enticing fans of these artists to listen to Coldplay’s new and possibly final album—ever.

Martin said on Zane Lowe’s BBC 1 Show in Dec. 2014 that the album “is our seventh thing, like the last ‘Harry Potter’

reproduced by permission of Warner Music Group

book,” calling it “the completion of something.”

If this is truly the last hurrah of Coldplay, at least I can say that for 17 years, Coldplay has brought me an adventure of a lifetime.

OVERALL RATING:

Smoke burns the competition

matt ellis and will sogge, staff writers Griffin staff members Matt Ellis and Will Sogge took separate trips to Smoke, the new barbecue restaurant in Cockeysville. Each found reason to return. Read on.

Matt’s Experience t’s hard to find good barbecue in Baltimore, so when my dad told me about a ridiculous pulled pork sandwich he’d eaten one day, I had to check it out.

When I walked into Smoke, the low-lighting and punk rock music created an atmosphere as outrageous as the name of its signature sandwich, the “Bossdawg.”

This behemoth of a sandwich, features pulled-pork, sharp white cheddar cheese, bacon, coleslaw,

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crispy fried onions, a dill pickle wedge and jalapeño-bacon glaze.

You can choose between a side of coleslaw or homemade Old Bay potato chips to go along with your sandwich, and even select from a variety of craft sodas. I opted for the chips, grabbed a bottle of root beer and took a seat.

I braced myself and got ready to dig-in to this imposing sandwich, and the first bite was divine.

The jalapeño-bacon glaze does a perfect job in counteracting the bitterness of the pickle. The pork and the bacon, both cooked perfectly, combine very well with the slaw and the onions. The chips on the side work with the sandwich to create the perfect sweet and spicy combination.

The sandwich costs $14, which is a little bit pricey, but it’s 100 percent worth it.

OVERALL RATING:

Will’s experience moke is certainly not your typical chain barbecue restaurant. When you walk in, the first thing you’ll notice is the peculiar arrangement of metallic furniture on a concrete floor.

The real crowd pleaser at Smoke is the wide variety of meats. The pit sandwich, for $11, keeps me coming back again and again.

Despite its name, “The Pit” isn’t quite like the pit beef most people are familiar with. Between the two buttered-up slices of bread lie

S

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12/23/15 PM

chunks, not slices, of beef.

I’ve never bought a pit sandwich from Smoke that was anything less than perfection. The beef itself is remarkably moist and flavorful, and the fried onions compliment the sandwich perfectly.

Even the bread, an element often overlooked in a sandwich, is scrumptious.

The other sandwiches are delicious, too. “The Notorious P.I.G.” for $9 was one of the best pulled pork sandwiches I’ve ever had.

It’s smoked, of course, and delicious without being drowned in sauce. If you are a die-hard barbecue sauce fan, though, Smoke does offer its own house-made sauce to compliment any of their meals.

photo by will sogge

“THE PIT” sandwich from Smoke features pit beef, fried onions and cole slaw.

Smoke offers an entirely different style of barbecue food, but regardless it easily contends with the likes of Andy Nelson’s or Famous Dave’s. The next time you’re in the mood for barbecue, or good food in general, pay Smoke a visit.

OVERALL RATING:

the griffin

10 features

february 19, 2016

post: shreeyad pant A master of the Rubik’s Cube, and a break dancer known for the video he posted on Facebook, junior Shreeyad Pant fielded questions from photo editor Cristina Lopez and set the record straight on what we should really call his dancing. Read on.

and go into the music section you can find just about everything. All genres. I really like K-Pop, and my favorite song is probably “Loser”

by Big Bang, or “Eyes, Nose, Lips”

by Taeyang. I mostly use YouTube for that music.

READING: Recently I’ve read the Eragon series, but now I just read what I have t o for school. I really like the one about Elie Wiesel and the holocaust, called Night. I mostly just read for school stuff. The Eragon series has always been interesting for me. It’s about this guy who finds an egg in the forest and the egg ends up being a dragon and they become friends to eventually save the world.

FOLLOWING: I mostly use YouTube to watch people who are better than me on anything that I do, like dancing or cubing or Advanced Placement United

WATCHING: I really don’t watch much TV but I did watch the show “Prison Break.” It’s my favorite show. It’s about this guy who was framed for killing the vice president, so he was sent to jail on a death sentence, but his brother, who is a structural engineer, gets into prison on purpose to help him break out. But besides that I don’t watch much T.V., I prefer the computer. I like to look at videos of how to get faster at cubing [playing with Rubik’s cube] or learning a new dance move. I also work at the movie theater now in Hunt Valley. The best part is the free movies.

I really want to see “Finding Dori” when it finally comes out.

LISTENING: If you go into my phone

photo by stephanie rountree

States History and other s c h o o l stuff. I don’t really check Facebook often. I just felt that, “hmm, I’m a junior now and I need to make a Facebook.” I really like the group “People who let their parents down.” It’s really funny.

EATING: Personally I do eat healthy, but a couple of times a week I go to Burger King or something. I don’t really have a favorite fast food restaurant, except for Subway, maybe Chipotle. For other restaurants, I like Sakura and Hibachi. I love rice, it’s probably my favorite food. I

like pizza too. I don’t care about the name or where it’s from, I just want pizza.

CHANGING: I sell tickets [at the movie theater], I work at the concessions, and I only work once a week, so it doesn’t affect my grades too much.

BREAKDANCING: A lot of people call it breakdancing, but the other name is b-boying, and that’s what I call it.

There’s no difference. People who don’t dance call it breakdancing, but if you do dance, you’ll call it bboy. The media calls it breakdance and that’s just more marketable for them.

The summer before I was a freshman, I watched a couple of “Nigahiga” videos and his friend D-Trix was b-boying and I thought he was the best. So I looked into it more and I compared them to some of the best in the world, and they’re actually pretty bad.

I don’t learn moves by watching them because it would be like copying them. I watch them and I get inspired by a move, but I don’t do exactly what they do. You have to create your own. There are some foundational moves that all dancers learn, but after you learn those, it’s all up to you on how you want to progress.

It makes me feel like I’m a god, but then I realize how bad I actually am. I try to practice every day, and I want to be like the best in the world. Hopefully that happens someday.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

What’s the best thing you’ve ever eaten?

Humans of Dulaney, which is based on the Humans of New York photo blog, exhibits the diversity of the student body with unique stories from the lives of random individuals.

photo by stephanie rountree

M: What was the best thing you ever ate?

K: The first time I had Maria’s pizza, it was a hot summer day.

I was home and my friend had said it was really good, so we ordered. In just under 25 minutes there was a loud knock on the door. We placed the pizza on the table, and I slowly pulled a slice and relieved it on a plate. As I glanced at my friend, looking for approval, I sank into my first bite. Met with the hot and succulent cheese I began to tear it off. I tasted the sweet and very smooth tomato paste complimented by a lightly baked crust and fell in love.

--alexis mejia, staff writer FOR VIDEOS OF KINARA’S ANSWER, AS WELL AS THOSE OF SOPHOMORE ALEX STOCKSDALE AND JUNIOR LUCA GREEN, SEE OUR WEBSITE: DULANEYGRIFFIN.ORG

february 19, 2016

the griffin

11 features

Java junkies need their caffeine fix

D

sahana raju, projects editor on’t bug math teacher Steven Labbe until he has had his morning coffee.

“Without coffee, my life is meaningless,” he said.

Labbe keeps a Black and Decker VersaBrew Plus coffee maker in the back of his classroom. He drinks at least a half a pot of coffee daily, he said, out of compulsion rather than practical reasons.

“I get a splitting headache from not having caffeine in my system,” Labbe said.

Among Labbe’s lineup of huge coffee mugs is a Reese’s Pieces mug in vibrant orange and a faithful Patriots mug.

He’s also kind enough to brew a big pot to share with other third-floor teachers in the morning, including computer science teacher Amanda Lattimore, who started drinking coffee regularly a few years ago, she said.

“I heard it ups your metabolism and helps with weight loss,” she said. “Labbe laughs at me when I come to get coffee because I say I am hungry, but it really does fill me up.” Lattimore added that she drinks a cup on her way to work and usually two cups between first and second pe-

scene

riods.

Downstairs, Latin teacher Dawn Mitchell drinks at least four cups of coffee a day. However, Mitchell does not think that coffee is necessarily a bad thing, even for students, and developing research is backing up that claim.

A New York Times report last spring cites an analysis of 36 studies of more than a million participants, showing that moderate coffee drinkers (three to five cups a day) were at the lowest risk for health problems. Those who drank more than five cups a day didn’t have a greater risk than people who drank just one cup.

The Food and nutrition teacher agrees, to an extent.

“Coffee in moderation is fine just to give you that caffeine boost at the beginning of the day,” Belinda Knott said.

Junior Faith Murphy also agrees with Mitchell, drinking up to three cups of coffee daily. According to Murphy, coffee offers crucial academic success for night owl students powering through homework.

“One day I didn’t have coffee and I left the ‘Y’ off my last name. There’s stupid stuff like that that I just forget without coffee.”

photo by sahana raju

Above: Math teacher Steve Labbe and computer science teacher Amanda Lattimore drink coffee Feb. 11. “I used to drink it because I enjoyed the taste of it,” Labbe said. “But now I drink it because I am used to the caffeine.”

dulaney: soothing with second seminar

Near left: Advanced Placement Economics teacher Phil Bressler held his second stress seminar for students and faculty Feb. 10. At 15 people, the turnout was smaller than that of the first seminar, which Bressler chalks up to the recent snow days. However, physics teacher Steve Shaw, who attended, praised Bressler’s desire to help students and teachers manage stress, saying the seminar is better than telling students “to relax and take a deep breath.”

Far left: (from left to right) Junior Tevian Whitehurst, junior Becca Sulpar, Shaw, junior Amaya Boswell, junior Jason Fontelieu and English teacher Deborah Hamilton work on creating words out of paper Scrabble pieces, an activity in Bressler’s stress seminar. photos by stephanie rountree

Research evolves, coffee still appeals

BACK STORY This recurring feature examines past and present here. he headline from the Dec. 22, 1997 edition of the Griffin practically blared its message: “Spilling the beans on the dangers of caffeine.” The sidebar accompanying it? “How to kick the habit.”

The 1997 news story, which featured the illustration below, included coverage of a survey of 240 students. It found that almost everyone drank at least one caffeinated beverage a day. It cited studies that linked caffeine use to osteoporosis, tremors, insomnia, and anxiety.

Today, of course, students drink hot coffee, iced coffee, mocha lattes and more during and in between classes.

And the scientific research is less strident.

T

photo by hannah gouger

Above: Advanced Placement Calculus BC teacher Steven Labbe’s keep multiple mugs on hand in room 320, where he brews his own coffee.

For example, the government’s new food guidelines released last month approve of coffee – if it’s sugar free. And an analysis of dozens of surveys in the New York Times last year also gives coffee a green light. (See “Java junkies need their caffeine fix” at the top of this page.)

Still, this month’s Griffin unscientific spot survey – done during all lunch shifts – suggests a decline in coffee consumption.

Asked, “How much caffeine do you drink in a day?”, 56 percent of the more than 200 polled said a lot, while 44 percent said a little or none.

Why do students drink coffee? Junior Josh Talley blames school.

“I stay up late because I have a lot of homework every night,” junior Josh Talley said. “I don’t get a lot of sleep.”

art by 1997 griffin staff

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february 19, 2016

the griffin

12 features

Now serving: ping pong in room 221 jason mcclellan, web editor, alexis mejia, staff writer and emma walz, associate editor

O

n a Tuesday morning, while most students are finishing up the previous night’s homework or sleeping, a different scene unfolds in Chinese teacher Matthew Lovett’s classroom. Two players are battling it out as spectators look on. As the ping pong ball sails across the net and just misses, animated cheering ensues.

“That’s a Schmuff move!” a player called out, haggling over points. He refers to sophomore Matthew Schmuff, who is famed for forsaking his paddle in favor of his hands.

As the game resumes, a handful of students return to scrolling through their phones or chatting with friends. The rest crowd the table, anxiously awaiting their own turn to play.

A boy loses. His excuse? “I’m not a morning person.”

But despite the intensity of the game, players still remember purpose behind the table’s presence.

“I’m representing China,” sophomore AJ Kutrik said.

Cue the laughter.

Lovett recognized the importance of immersion to language learning, and wanted to bring a piece of Chinese culture to his classroom.

“When I saw the size of my classroom, I thought it would be really cool to get a ping pong table for this space,” Lovett said.

“They have ping pong tables all over the place in China. Culturally, it’s pretty significant and common to have in work areas.”

Once the net was up, Lovett said kids began to play constantly.

When he arrives in the morning, there’s a line of kids outside his door waiting to get in and play.

“Yo, that’s a pretty chill idea,” freshman Demetrios Economides recalls saying when a friend asked him to come play. Now a regular, Economides admits that his skill level has since improved greatly, although he has yet to beat the reigning champion.

“He’s a master at ping pong. No one’s beat him yet,” junior Ivan Salas said of Lovett himself.

It wasn’t long before a student approached Lovett about starting the Ping Pong Club, which now meets Wednesdays after school in the auditorium lobby.

While there aren’t any special events for the club yet, Lovett has plans to expand the program.

“I’d love to take some groups of students to some place and compete,” Lovett said.

Despite the club’s combative appearance, skilled opponents and novices alike are welcome to come and play.

an artist among us:

photo by haneyah carter-johnson

FRESHMEN LIAM SLOWEY AND GABE GODEY (left to right) perform a Green Day medley at the Jan. 14 Open Mic Night.

F

claire vecchioni, staff writer reshman Liam Slowey was handed his first guitar nine years ago and began a friendly competition with his brother, a bassist and singer.

photos by sarah feustle

Left: Freshmen AJ Kutrik and Demetrios Economides play ping pong as a team before school Feb. 12.

“It’s just a great way to get me started in the morning,” Kutrik said of the game.

Right: Sophomore Josh Lim returns a serve.

The Ping Pong Club

photo from lovett

Guitar prodigy impresses

“There’s always, always going to be someone better than me.

And I feel like whoever is better than you is the perfect person to teach you,” Slowey said.

This attitude would help him become the bassist of The Fallback Plan, an alternative rock band comprised of Slowey and juniors Michael Cheng, Alex Stocksdale and Jason Zhang.

Thanks to a connection with management, Slowey recently booked a few gigs for the band at the Ashland Café in Timonium. “ I said, ‘when does my band get to play here?’ as a joke. He said ‘let’s go talk right now’,” Slowey said.

Cheng said he was excited to hear about the gigs at the café, especially after a recent drought in performances.

As for Slowey’s contribution to the band, Cheng notes that he brings new spirit and energy.

The Fallback Plan isn’t Slowey’s only musical venture, he is also a member

of the school’s a cappella group and spring musical, and the Maryland State Boy Choir. Despite his busy schedule packed with music, Slowey can’t get enough of it.

“In my free time, before I go to bed, I play guitar. Whatever time I have left over in my day, I fill with music,” Slowey said. “Practicing guitar has never been a job or chore. If it’s not fun for you, you must not be doing it right.”

Guitar teacher Brian Dickson was im-

pressed by his confidence.

“In the beginning of the year he took on new roles and was able to just jump out there and try solos.” Dickson said.

For Slowey, music has a therapeutic effect.

“I have a book I write my music in that has a bunch of chord progressions and songs that allow me to get frustration out. And then at the end, I’ll just rip the page out and throw it away. It’s the emotions that go with it that I want to throw out.”

Slowey’s girlfriend, junior Grace Schneider, noticed this too.

“He can be in the worst mood, and he can just sit down with a guitar or at the piano and just pick a song he wants to play and all of a sudden he’s in this little bubble of happiness. Any stress that I could see just floats away.”

Student leaders host regional business conference

Left: Freshmen Anna Jensen, Madison Roller, Karina Wang, Karena Chu and Cindy Shou (from left to right) operate the registration desk for the Future Business Leaders of America’s regional conference Feb. 17.

photos by jessica yan

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

Right: Junior and Maryland FBLA Region 2 Vice President Sophie Sun encourages students in a speech.

Sun said groups competing in the conference should be proud of their hard work, even if they would not advance to the next, tier of the contest.