March 2017 Edition

Our mission: to enlighten and to entertain

the griffin

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Dulaney High School Timonium, Maryland

Volume 56, Issue 5

March 17, 2017

INCONSISTENT

Adjusting to new reality: renovation debate 2.0

see page 5

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photo by hyunsung ko

photo illusration by meher hans

TO KNOW

$16,000 value of equipment donated to HVAC by DeWALT power tools. see page 2 FIERCE

graph by emma walz This information was gathered in an anonymous survey administered to students in all lunches Feb. 22.

see On the Mound page 6 # TO KNOW

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number of students to be inducted into the National Honor Society April 2 VISIONARY

see page 11

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

Survey shows widespread sleep deficit Students highlight sleep habits that erode health

from the 2007 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which reported 68.9 percent of students nationwide say they get insufficient sleep on school nights.

This can be attributed to the excessive use of cell phones found in teenagers. According to a 2015 report by the Pew Research doria diacogiannis and grace Center, 72 percent of knotts, editors-in-chief teenagers bring cellphones ophomore Eddie Jancuk into their rooms to use admits to planning his them when trying to go to sleep schedule – but it sleep, and 28 percent leave happens to fall within the their phones on while school day, not at home. sleeping. The vast majority “I usually fall asleep in most of students here (86.6 of my classes. I try to pick out percent) said they sleep the times I can fall asleep at,” with their phones at their he said. bedside.

Jancuk follows a trend found But students, like junior in the pen-and-paper student Grace Jung, set aside sleeping survey administered specific times to be on their in both cafeterias during phones. all lunch shifts Feb. 22.

“I set aside like a half According to the findings, hour of time to go on my 73.1 percent of students doze phone or do whatever off in their classes. before I actually start to English and Latin are among work,” she said. the classes he can afford to graph by emma walz Phone use and homework nap in, Jancuk said.

This information was gathered in a teacher survey administered are the two major factors Overall, 69.4 percent of those the week of Feb. 6. that prevent students from surveyed said they don’t get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep getting the recommended amount of sleep according a night. The school’s stats mirror national numbers to the survey. see SURVEY, page 2

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meera rothman, editor-in-chief he school board’s rejection of the bid for a $40-million renovation of the school came as a surprise to principal Sam Wynkoop.

“I knew there was support there,” Wynkoop said. “I knew what people were asking for, but I had visions of coming in the next day and finalizing plans for renovations.”

He wasn’t alone.

“The decision was a welcome shock,” active Friends of Dulaney member Jennifer Tarr said after more than a year of lobbying against renovation and in favor of rebuilding the school.

“It clearly shows that they are in agreement with our rally to stop these costly, weak Band-Aids. The community is elated.”

What’s next? A letter from school superintendent Dallas Dance to Wynkoop states that a third party will assess the condition of this as well as other high schools plus middle schools around the county next school year.

This means the June start date for construction workers is axed, Wynkoop said.

“As of that board meeting, Dulaney will be starting with zero renovations as they were planned,” Wynkoop said.

But there is no guarantee of a new school. The Baltimore Sun quoted a spokesman for county executive Kevin Kamenetz after the March 7 board vote. She said the county can’t afford a $135-million replacement for Dulaney.

Meanwhile, Friends of Dulaney asked Facebook followers to keep watching for their next phase of effort. And students and teachers here continue to question the state of the school’s facilities, deemed one of the county’s worst by a 2014 audit, according to the Sun. From her new wing classroom, Teachers union rep and Spanish teacher Maureen Burke said the answer to complaints about no air conditioning, brown water and the like appears to be a new school.

“I’m not an engineer,” Burke said.

“That being said, look at the cracks on the side of my wall. You touch my heating unit and it’s blowing cold air.”

“I support the community saying they want a new building because that’s how I feel,” she said. “My concern is - now what’s going to happen?”

FYI: Junior interviews rescheduled March 30 and 31 Library

Third quarter ends March 31

NHS induction April 2 7 p.m.

Auditorium

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

Spring break begins

April 7 (end of school day)

School resumes April 18

Report cards distributed April 20

2

news

the griffin

March 17, 2017

Survey: wide-spread sleep deficit

continued from page 1 bed and I was using a fountain pen,” The results show that over 60 percent of Waleedh said. “I fell asleep and when students surveyed blame these for keepI woke up there was a huge black spot ing them up at night. all over my bed.”

Although a solution could be to turn He also questions his rapid heartbeat phones off and put them away before and tendency to overheat when he’s going to bed or starting homework, stutired. dents still use them when going to bed.

The effects of sleep deprivation have “We’re a generation addicted to it. It’s shown themselves in student behavior like a needle in our arm, we can’t get rid here. Close to half of the surveyed stuof it,” senior Hannah Bostwick said. dents reported experiencing confusion But students like senior Tevian Whiteand fluctuating mood. Some are more hurst noted the necessity of having a dangerous than just a change in mood phone near them while they sleep. or an ink-stained bed.

“I have an alarm set on my phone and “The other day I was driving home I’m a heavy sleeper so it helps that my from school and I found myself dozing phone is right near me,” he said. off at the wheel and then waking up His phone does keep him up because finding myself on the other side of the of notifications, he said. road, thankfully no harm was done,” Advanced Placement classes and their junior Andrew Milan said. respective workload are another reason The reason for it was that school was why students don’t get enough sleep. overbearing and he was tired from graph by emma walz having Bigger Faster Stronger that day, Studies show that students who sleep This information was gathered in an anonymous survey administered to students in all lunches less suffer academically because sleep Feb. 22. he said. deprivation hinders the ability to reAside from phones, the survey finds He comes into his first period classes late “just member, concentrate, think abstractly friends prevent students from sleeping and solve problems, according to an article by because [he’s] so tired,” he said. “There are defi- (41 percent) and so do videogames (33 percent). nitely days when my lack of sleep influences Club and sports commitments each were cited as the Stanford Medicine News Center.

Senior Joodh Waleedh takes seven AP classes how I act. I tend to be more grumpy when I don’t distractors for 27.9 percent of students. sleep or we’ll be reading something in English this year and attributes his lack of sleep to them.

Although he may not get much sleep because class and I’ll just completely doze off.”

Editor-in-chief Amanda Musolf and staff writers Alan of his workload, it’s entirely possible to get a full Waleedh also experiences the effects of sleep loss Zhang, Brynn Handley and Nicole Lee and contribnight’s sleep with his schedule if he really tried, doing school work at home. uted to this report.

“The other night I was doing homework on my he said.

Debating what—if anything—to do about cellphones

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tirzah khan, managing editor cience teacher Marty Stranathan isn’t the biggest fan of cellphones being used in school.

“Six hours a day without an electronic device is not that big a deal,” he said. “I don’t think students are showing enough self-restraint to give them the freedom to walk around the halls with their phones.”

The current cellphone policy allows students to use their phones in the hallways and at lunch, but students are pulling them out in class anyways.

Stranathan and economics teacher Phil Bressler cite a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information comparing the symptoms of cellphone addiction to those of gambling and substance abuse: loss of interest in other activities, a progressive increase in use and a compulsive need to satiate the addiction when feeling sad or upset.

“The reaction in your brain for that is what you get when you’re checking your messages or playing Candy Crush,” Bressler said.

Senior Leah Schwartz doesn’t see what the fuss is all about.

“I just think it’s something to do. It kills time,” she said.

Junior Kelsey Miller is researching the psychological effects of cellphone use, and her findings indicate that students’ attention spans are “lower than a goldfish by a second.”

A 2013 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation reported that 89 percent of teens have at least one device close to them when

sleeping. Statistics here mirror the national average: a Griffin survey found that 87 percent of students have their phone next to them while sleeping (see: Sleep survey results, page 1).

Sophomore Jack Reilly has seen firsthand the effect of putting away his phone during class.

“Now that I’ve stopped my grades have been improving,” he said.

Senior Nate Huynh acknowledges that he’s addicted, but cutting the habit isn’t quite so easy for him.

“One time my parents took away my phone for a few days and I felt almost physically pained,” he said. “That was the moment I knew I was addicted.”

For others, it’s not so much an issue.

“I walk down the hall without using it all the time,” senior Lucy Du said. “Who wants to bump into people when you could get to your classroom and just look on it then?”

Bressler doesn’t tolerate any use of phones in his classroom.

“It’s like saying, ‘What you’re saying is not important and I’m not going to deal with it,’” he said.

But banning cellphones in the classroom would be an ineffective strategy, Huynh and other students said.

“Teachers suggesting we ban phones during the school day would be the equivalent of teachers forcing us to remove our vocal chords just because they can’t discipline students into being quiet,” Huynh said. “Although it may be tough, phones are a powerful tool which can be used for good. Banning them would be the lazy

Teachers cope with sleep deprivation

have to be disciplined, even on the weekend, to make sure that I go to bed,” Waring said.

Both science teacher Marty Stranathan and Marx credit the widespread sleep loss among teachers to an overload of work.

“I’ll lie [in bed] for half an hour, but I start thinking I could probably wake up and get stuff done,” Stranathan said. “So I might as well get up.”

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emma walz, managing editor ccording to a pen-and-paper survey administered to 52 teachers last month, the majority of teachers here, 76 percent, say that lack of sleep has affected how they work and teach.

Social studies teacher Julie Marx isn’t surprised by this statistic, attributing sleep deprivation to her weary behavior in the classroom.

“I say the wrong word frequently, and I forget things I’m supposed to do in the middle of the lesson,” Marx said.

Marx also cited fatigue, confusion, sickness, mood swings, memory problems and weight gain as effects of her sleep deprivation.

However, art teacher Joanna Waring said that her sleep schedule tends to affects her social life, not her teaching.

“I don’t think that I’m sleep deprived, but I

“I have more to do, but not anymore time to do it.”

The survey also found that the top factors hindering an adequate night of sleep are lesson planning (35 percent) and grading (33 percent).

Psychology teacher Kendra Swam relates, she said, noting that the new mastery grading policy hasn’t made her sleep schedule any easier.

“Having to create retakes and grade retakes

photo by sophie bates SCIENCE TEACHER MARTY STRANATHAN talks with students about the cell phone policy Nov. 11. Students were encouraged to give their own opinions on the policy and try to come up with possible alternatives to the current mandate.

route.”

When asked to offer a solution, student responses ranged from only allowing Wi-Fi on school computers to giving short cellphone breaks halfway through class.

“Too many people use phones for bad purposes which means students can’t even use them for the powerful learning tools they’re capable of being,” Huynh said. “This is why we can’t have nice things.” and having to supervise the retakes, has then postponed my grading,” Swam said. “I have more to do, but not anymore time to do it.”

Social studies teacher Phil Bressler on the other hand, says he can’t attribute lack of sleep to overwhelming school work.

“I just can’t sleep well,” Bressler said. “That’s me, I’m not going to blame it on the job.”

While Bressler has trouble sleeping for the recommended time period, Latin teacher Dawn Mitchell still manages to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night, and attributes that to her vast amounts of experience.

“I think that as I get older in the profession, there’s a whole lot that I can do without the preparation, which is a big difference than what it was like for me 20 years ago or even 10 years ago.” Mitchell said.

Swam advocated developing a strict bedtime routine to help power down.

“It could be listening to music or just some sort of routine of washing your face or getting your outfit ready for the next day,” Swam said.

See our website for the full report on our teacher sleep survey.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

NEWS LINE SPEAKERS WIN

Sophomore Eraj Sabeeh has won the school competition in the Rotary Club’s annual Four-Way Speech Contest.

She advances to the Club level March 28 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Hunt Valley. Her speech was about curbing the number of rapes on college campuses.

Sophomores Rachel Krug and Ridhi Kamboj won second and third place, respectively.

Krug’s speech was on the effects of Title IX, the 1972 legislation that forbids gender discrimination in programs receiving federal funding. Kamboj’s speech was on feminism.

FUNDS RAISED Girl to a Girl, the club that promotes education for girls in India, netted $600 with their March 4 fundraiser.

The nonprofit organization headed here by seniors Esha Vangara and Julia Clark sold $5 tickets, played Disney’s “Aladdin” in the auditorium and sold drinks, candy, popcorn and pizza.

All proceeds will benefit three girls in need identified by a church.

ARTISTS WIN Senior Lisa Zimmerman has won best in show at the Baltimore County Arts Guild contest, which celebrates Youth Art Month. She received her prize from Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan during a March 3 reception at The Gallery@1101 in Baltimore.

Zimmerman’s work will be on display with others by Baltimore County students through March 26. In other art department news, sophomores Riley Smyth, Jilly Corbett and senior Jenny Peterson were recognized for their body positivity posters at the Love Your Tree campaign event earlier this month.

TOOLS DONATED Black and Decker has donated roughly $16,000 worth of tools to Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning. The funds, announced Feb. 17, will make an impact, HVAC teacher Jamie Gaskin said.

“Students now have the ability to do what they are supposed to be doing during class and not having to spend time finding the right tool, or finding a battery that works.”

DEBATE ADVANCES Four public forum teams have qualified for the national qualifying tournament at Catonsville High School March 25.

The three winning teams going are senior Will Sogge and junior Harshil Patel; sophomores Olivia Summons and David Chen; and freshman Pradyun Srinidhi and sophomore Meredith Kossoff, who went undefeated at the team’s most recent tournament.

Winning but not attending the upcoming tournament are senior Jessica Yi and junior Adabelle Xi.

March 17, 2017

scenes

3 news

the griffin

dulaney: STEM students win Left: (Left to right) JUNIORS DANIEL PARK, Madhav Patel, Daniel O’Donnell, Raymond Zou, Alex Ozbolt and Kyle Pichney inch their cantilever bridge off the edge of a desk as they try to achieve the maximum overhang during one of six events at the BCPS Physics Olympics and Chemathon here Feb. 25. The team, one of two representing the school, won first place for the first time since 2010, science department chairman Steve Shaw said.

Right: JUNIOR RAYMOND ZOU tests his robot during routine practice at the Robotics Club meeting in room 236 Feb. 28 in preparation for the state competition March 3 and March 4. His was one of six of the school’s teams competing in the event, which included 60 teams total.

He and the other members of VEX robotics team 1727G— junior Josh Lim, sophomore Beulah Lee and freshmen Samuel Wu, Ben Yin and Cindy Jia will compete in the VEX Worlds 2017 competition April 19 through 22 in Louisville, Ky. In the meantime, the team is working on redesigning their robot and building game strategy, Zou said.

“There is a lot of game strategy involved in Robotics. You can have a well-built robot, but without game strategy, you won’t win. If you have a mediocre robot, but good strategy, you have a stronger chance to win,” said Zou.

photo from cristina reitmeyer

photo by sophie bates

Teachers, students mixed on two education bills

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meher hans, editor-in-chief he state legislation that would limit testing to approximately 24 hours per school year makes sense to English teacher Britta Schaffmeyer. Still, she notes there may be a catch.

“The more hours of testing we have, the fewer hours that students are in the classroom where they are actually learning,” Schaffmeyer said. “For every hour that a student takes a standardized test, there’s at least an hour of preparatory work. So it’s not just 24 hours, it’s quite a lot of time.”

Two education bills have made it to Congress and the General Assembly—one with the purpose of limiting standardized testing in Maryland public schools and the other with the intent of allotting a portion of taxpayers’ dollars to private schools. Students and teachers here are mixed in

their responses.

The Maryland House of Delegates passed a bill, known as the Less Testing, More Learning Act, which will cap public schools’ standardized testing time to two percent of the school year Feb. 28. The bill will likely pass in the Senate in the coming weeks as 31 of the 47 senators are cosponsors according to the Baltimore Sun. Junior Saad Fakhar was also cautious in his praise of the bill because it does not limit preparatory time.

“I think testing during my sophomore year was excessive with the PARCC tests and PSATs,” Fakhar said.

In response to the House Bill 610, a federal bill that aims to distribute a portion of public education funds to private and religious schools, Schaffmeyer and junior Harshil Patel were critical.

“The bill would make the playing field even more un-

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

even,” Patel said, adding that the rich would benefit at the cost of the general public.

Schaffmeyer shared Patel’s concerns, stating that funding cuts for public schools, which, unlike private schools, are obligated to serve all students, would decrease the quality of public education.

“Public schools have to accept everyone and if you want an educated populous you need to educate them well,” Schaffmeyer said.

At press time, the Maryland State Educators Association planned a week-long series of events to both resist House Bill 610 and support the Less Testing, More Learning Act. The events, set for March 13 through 17, included a march of educators to the offices of senators and delegates in Annapolis.

the griffin

4 opinion

EDITORS’ NOTE Due to an editing error, important information regarding guidance department chairman John Komosa’s ongoing effort to place qualified minority students in advanced classes was omitted from staff writer Maria Eberhart’s opinion piece, “Closing race gap in advanced classes” Feb. 17.

According to Komosa, the counseling office uses data and teacher recommendations to identify students with an Advanced Placement potential index.

“We then encourage those students to take a step up into more demanding coursework either from standard to Honors or Honors to GT/AP,” Komosa said. “Sometimes it is a two-year plan or involves some scaffolding of course work in between, like taking the Psych/Abnormal Psych course before taking AP Psychology.”

The counseling office acknowledges that personal concerns may hinder students from taking more higher-level courses, Komosa said, but still encourages students to explore their potential and attempt more difficult classes.

In Eberhart’s piece, she praised and encouraged the guidance office’s efforts.

ON THE WEB:

Read “My Turn,” an online opinion blog on the value of empathy, featuring...

...STAFF WRITER EMILY WILLIAMS ON EMPATHY REVEALING OUR HUMANITY

...STAFF WRITER ALAN ZHANG ON EMPATHY OCCURRING EVERY DAY

March 17, 2017

Sexist gibes impede progress

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julie chotivatanapong, editor-in-chief t’s one thing to personally witness a teacher make an unfitting remark that targets gender, but it’s another to lose track of the number of times you hear about it happening throughout the school.

Cue the eye rolls. Before I continue, let me begin by making one thing clear. No, this isn’t going to be some radical feminist letter where I complain about my victimized feelings— and no, I’m not a radical feminist.

I’m a woman who respects other women, so naturally, I think it’s justified to feel angry if I overheard a male teacher make borderline snide remarks on a female student’s appearance, personal life or academic potential.

Over the past four months, I’ve been overwhelmed by the number of female students throughout all grade levels who have approached me, expressing their frustration over these exact types of comments being made to them by several of their male teachers.

Now before any emotionally fragile readers blow a fuse and call me out for targeting all male teachers, let me iterate that I am well aware that the ones instigating these remarks are few in number.

The instances I’ve cited aren’t even restricted to male teachers alone.

More importantly, I recognize that the vast majority of male teachers here are respectful, morally conscious and don’t need to be treated like a school

of sharks.

But as of now, it’s not the remarks themselves that continue to be a blight on the educational system—it’s the impact that comes with them.

When women become the target of seemingly trivial remarks, there’s eventually going to be a tipping point when they ask themselves, “Remind

academic achievement. A test was conducted on two groups of women, each having been exposed to different questionnaires before a national math exam. One group of women was asked questions that consistently reminded them of their gender identity and inferiority, while the other was not. The groups scored 43 percent and 49 percent respectively on the test.

Of course different levels of math skill could have played a role in this discrepancy, but the reality is, while words build confidence, they also have the power to obstruct determination. If women continuously have to prove that they are capable of succeeding in the same fields as their male counterparts, well, why wouldn’t they feel discouraged?

Again, this doesn’t solely apply to careers in the STEM field and in fact, this is bigger than just STEM. We are beyond a time when sexism alone should be obsolete, yet we’ve become so condigraphic by tirzah khan tioned to hearing gendered me why I even care about this class?” language that nothing seems to faze The lack of interest in a class due to the us anymore. perpetuation of this language, whethIt’s easy to forget that our choice er intentional or not, could cause stu- of words impacts the contingencies dents to lose interest in the subject all in someone else’s life. So speak up together. against ignorance—whether it be In other words, you’ve just poten- from a student, teacher, administrator, tially lost a future engineer, doctor, friend, parent or relative. historian, musician or artist.

Sweeping these types of remarks This pattern is further highlighted under the rug isn’t going to solve the in the book “Whistling Vivaldi,” in living and breathing beast known as which author Claude M. Steele cites sexism. It’s only going to perpetuate an experiment with a clear correla- the problem. tion between gendered language and

...STAFF WRITER BRIAN MCCULLOUGH ON EMPATHY BRIDGING DIFFERENCES

EDITORIAL:

...STAFF WRITER MARIA EBERHART ON EMPATHY YIELDING PROGRESS

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

Student population: 1,851 Staff population: 150 The Griffin prints 1,500 to 2,000 copies of each edition. These are distributed during homeroom on the fourth 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.

March 17, 2017 Volume 56, Issue 5 http://dulaneygriffin.org

cartoon by hanna bewley

Nightly cellphone use hinders sleep quality

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or some students, getting the recommended amount of sleep per night is similar to getting a perfect score on the SAT—an unattainable, laughable goal.

According to the results of the Griffin sleep survey administered to students Feb. 22, seven to eight hours of sleep is a necessity neglected by well over half the students here, a statistic primarily attributed to homework and cellphone use.

Students are making enough difficult decisions—juggling rigorous courses, demanding athletics and taxing jobs—that it seems trivial to criticize them for excessive cellphone use.

But when that cellphone use goes from a mindless diversion to something that eats away at vital sleep, it can take a turn for the worse.

A lack of sleep doesn’t result only in just drowsiness the next day. According to Pew Research Center, when students don’t get at least seven hours of sleep—which a whopping 69 percent of surveyed students said was true for them—they are prone to sickness, mood fluctuations and poor concentration.

Consider that 86.7 percent of students sleep with their phones by their bedsides. According to the National Sleep Foundation, blue light from

electronic devices like cellphones inhibits the release of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleepiness, tricking your body into thinking it’s still daytime. Because you feel more awake, you keep scrolling through Instagram until you feel sleepy—but joke’s on you! Your phone’s artificial light is making you artificially awake.

Here’s what you (and we) need to start doing: put your phone on the opposite side of the room for an hour before you go to sleep. And leave it there.

You and your quality of sleep with thank us later.

The Griffin welcomes story ideas, commentaries and letters to the editor. These may be brought to room 115, placed in Maria editors-in-chief sophie bates, julie chotivatanapong, doria diacogi- Hiaasen’s mailbox in the office or emailed to dulaneygriffin@ annis, meher hans, grace knotts, amanda musolf, meera rothman bcps.org. All submissions are subject to editing and must be managing editors tirzah khan, emma walz signed. The Griffin Editorial Board makes all final decisions deputy editors randhika aturaliya, jason fontelieu regarding content. sports editors patrick fitzgerald, daniel krugman The staff editorial reflects the thoughts of the Griffin staff, associate editors hanna bewley, matt ellis, drew persinger, grace but all other opinon pieces reflect individuals’ views, not the schneider paper’s. adviser maria hiaasen Interested in advertising in The Griffin or purchasing any photos seen in this issue? Use the same contact information.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

March 17, 2017

5 opinion

the griffin

March for science matters I

grace knotts, editor-in-chief distinctly remember the day when I fell head-over-heels in love with science. My ninth-grade biology class was in for a treat – a bus with a builtin laboratory had rolled up in the bus loop and was parked in the adjacent lot.

Heart racing, I stepped in. Determining if someone had a chance of inheriting sickle-cell anemia excited me to no end.

Sounds weird for a 14-year-old, I know, but the flames had been ignited.

From that point on, I realized that I would be happiest with a career in the sciences. I’ve zeroed-in on the forensic sciences, which will be my major when I go to college this fall.

Naturally, upon reading the headlines about the Trump administration’s financial plans concerning the Environmental Protection Agency and NASA, I was incensed. Enraged. How can they claim that such essential agencies aren’t worth as much federal spending?

But there’s hope. Scientists across the nation have organized a “March for Science” set for April 22 in Washington D.C. I plan on going. There are also satellite marches around the globe. A preliminary science march actually already took place in Boston Feb. 19.

Hundreds people rallied in Copley Square, demanding the Trump administration accept empirical reality on issues such as climate change and highlighting the centrality of objective information to making policy, the Washington Post reported.

Inspired by their actions, I’ve decided to lay out the main reasons why everyone should care about the research agen-

cies affected by the Trump administration and should march in April. Hear me out: freezing the funding that goes toward the EPA and NASA will be ultimately destructive.

Trump’s administration plans to cut the EPA’s budget from $510 million to $290 million, according to preliminary directives from the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. Without a functioning and well-funded EPA, mercury testing of our water sources and particle testing of the atmosphere would not happen. That’s dangerous.

art by john ray cayanan

The EPA manages, protects and informs Americans about the environment we live in. It protects human lives from enemies that we can’t fight with a military -- chiefly pollution and its effects.

Why shouldn’t we prioritize it?

NASA does vital environmental research using its satellites, but Robert Walker, advisor to President Trump, is calling for the space agency to return to “deep-space exploration.” This would completely defund their Earth-research satellites. Conveniently for him, this

would get rid of the “politically correct” data NASA provides, even though it’s world-renowned and gives us intimate insight of the effects humans have on this Earth.

This kind of thinking by the Trump team is far from logical, but unfortunately, it’s all too common. Science educator and activist Bill Nye called this unfortunate phenomenon “cognitive dissonance” in an interview with MSNBC. “You have a worldview that disagrees with what you observe, so you might expect that you’d respect the data and change your mind,” he said. “But that’s not how people are on either side. You just get more entrenched into your worldview.”

Instead of ignoring what science and knowledge can show us, the White House should promote funding that would expedite research on trapping carbon emissions. It should help fund research into new, clean energy sources.

Instead, it is slashing funds from agencies that had already launched in these important areas.

I’m pleased that the Boston science rally seems to foretell an even larger turnout for the Washington march. I can easily imagine throngs of people in the streets, holding signs and chanting about climate change and alternative facts.

So, I will attend the April march to protest this abuse of power – not only for my own good, but for the good of this country, the world and all our futures.

I simply cannot sit by during the Trump administration’s assault on the EPA and NASA. As the March for Science website states, “Science, not silence.”

it’s like this Despite political shift, empathy must be valued

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dorrie gaeng, staff writer ld Haitian culture believed in the power of voodoo dolls. Everything the doll experiences—a prick with a needle—is mimicked by its respective, paired person—a sharp pain in the stomach. This mirroring is how Paul Bloom, psychology and cognitive science professor at Yale University and author of “Against Empathy,” would describe empathy. But I believe it has a broader, more inclusive meaning.

This replication of feelings and experiences is a hard thing to obtain. It seems illogical to limit empathy to Bloom’s definition when so many people would assure you they’ve felt empathy at some point or another. Although one may not be able to mimic the feelings of another, having the capacity to understand and/or identify with others’ feelings opens a lot of doors.

According to Mary Gordon, a Canadian entrepreneur who founded Roots of Empathy, practicing and engaging in empathy leads to sharing, inclusive individuals with decreased levels of aggression. She conducted a study in which children were taught “emotional literacy” by identifying the feelings of others. This activity proved to help people discuss their own feelings afterwards.

If people could dilute the presence of their own obstacles and toils of life enough to understand someone else, the world would be a better place.

The Golden Rule might seem trite to some, but it’s

“Having the capacity to understand and identify with others’ feelings opens a lot of doors.”

School’s elevators need tune-up

art by hanna bewley

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emlyn langlieb, staff writer he door closes. The elevator moves, then abruptly stops with a loud thump. You flail at the emergency button and finally hit it. If you’re lucky, an alarm blares. No response. You cry out for help. You pick up bits of conversations in the hallway and realize no one hears you. You try to call the school on your cell phone, but more often than not, you don’t have service.

I should know. It happened to me three times last year.

Each time, I was stuck for about 10 to 15 minutes at the end of the day. By the third time, I was trying to hobble down the stairs because I was so nervous about riding the elevators.

I’m not alone. Substitute teacher Gerhard Friedrich got stranded in the new wing elevator around 2:20 p.m. Feb. 9, he said.

“I pushed the emergency switch button, but nothing happened. I began to panic a bit. I didn’t know what was going to happen,” Friedrich said. “My next call was going to be 911.”

Luckily S.T.A.T. teacher Kim Culbertson heard Friedrich pounding and called someone from maintenance. It took the maintenance team several attempts, according to Friedrich, but they eventually got him out.

Friedrich recommends the school develop a more reliable action plan in case such incidents continue.

“When they were trying to get someone quickly, nobody responded,” Friedrich said.

Friedrich is the only person who has reported getting stuck in the elevator this year, but that still makes one person too many. Never should someone here get stranded with the elevator’s emergency button broken and be forced to wait at least 40 minutes to get out. A Griffin reporter noticed the certificate of registration and inspection in the old wing elevator March 16, which reads that it is only valid until March 9.

According to assistant principal Tom Dugas, who oversees school maintenance, the elevators are inspected monthly by an elevator service company. Twice

a year they complete an extensive maintenance routine, Dugas said, adding that if the elevator gets stuck a technician is immediately summoned to fix it.

If current measures were enough, I wouldn’t have gotten stranded three times last year. The school needs to eliminate this awful safety hazard. Here is what I think should be done: 1. Completely renovate the elevators.

2. Post a note on elevators with the date of the last breakdown.

3. Replace the emergency button and alarm button.

4. Install a phone – especially in the old elevator – so that calls can be made directly to the office or janitors.

5. Fix the broken button outside the oldwing elevator (third floor).

6. Implement and practice a reliable action plan for use during elevator emergencies.

We can’t afford to wait for a renovation or a new school. This safety issue demands attention now.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

what we tell our children for a reason. It’s accurate.

It works. It’s the embodiment of empathy.

Some argue that limiting concern to groups that we feel empathy for will exclude other important issues, but this argument is narrow-minded. Having empathy only encourages activism. If people get involved in an issue, it tends to snowball. Maybe one congresswoman empathizes with a Middle Eastern woman deprived of education, because she herself experienced barriers in her own education.

Now she has an interest. Now she has a motive to learn more about the problems that certain Middle Eastern countries face. What began as an empathetic feeling, turns into a driving force for political change.

Empathy broadens our opinions of friends and enemies. Relating to the experience of another allows people to understand different individuals, demographic groups and countries.

We can see the consequences of a society without empathy in William Golding’s novel “Lord of the Flies.” The book features a group of adolescent boys who find themselves stuck on a deserted island. What at first seems like an opportunity for adventure and autonomy quickly takes a turn for the worst when the boys’ egocentric tendencies cloud their judgment. They fail to empathize with the needs of others in the group. The ring leader of the clan, Ralph, ignores the struggles the group faces as a whole and ends up killing the intellectual outlet of the group, Piggy.

Perhaps if Ralph had been able to relate to the feelings Piggy experienced as an outsider, he would have better valued Piggy’s value and abilities.

We don’t live in a world of voodoo dolls. We can’t get in someone else’s head. We can’t pull a Freaky Friday and trade places with someone else.

But we can take a step forward by incorporating empathy into our daily lives as citizens and as friends.

the griffin

6 sports

athletes

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VARSITY

Positivity drives captain

March 17, 2017

Sharp intellect propels

doria diacogiannis, editor-inchief ixteen years ago, senior Alli Hill, dressed in her Barbie tennis outfit, began playing her now-favorite sport.

After four years of playing on the tennis team here, her personality on and off the court has made lasting impressions.

“Alli is so bubbly and enthuphoto by julie chotivatanapong siastic, and she’s really good ALLI HILL at boosting morale. If you’re within a couple feet of Alli, you’re automatically in a better mood,” teammate sophomore Anna Boland said.

As captain of the team this year, Hill encourages smiles and positive attitudes from her teammates, as she credits her own optimism and positivity to her success on the court.

“Whenever I mess up, I INSPIRING just act really happy. I’ll ATHLETES: never get visibly upset during a match because 1) Ellie Mathey (friend I know when I get upset the opponent thinks, ‘oh and 2015 grad) mentally she’s done,’” Hill 2) Roger Federer said. “If they’re being re3) Peyton Manning ally rude I’ll be like ‘thanks for the ball’ and smile. It really grinds their gears.”

Hill is known for spicing up her game and attitude by singing songs from the radio.

“All of counties, regionals and states sophomore year I sang ‘Fancy’ by Iggy Azalea,” Hill said.

Her teammates cite Hill’s consistently positive mindset as essential to the team.

Hill hopes that fiercer competition will help the team’s performance this season.

“Having people that make you work and get better will make us better when we have to play that competition at a higher stake,” Hill said. “I’d rather lose to someone that’s really good and get the practice of playing someone like that than win an easy match.”

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JUNIOR VARSITY

Trying to outpace sister daniel krugman, sports editor fter seeing her sister, 2016 grad Kira Flemke, run for the cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field teams, sophomore distance runner Alicia Flemke had a swaying influence on her decision to join the track team last year.

“I knew in the winter that I didn’t want to do basketball and so she just kind of pushed photo by meher hans me to do track,” Flemke said.

ALICIA FLEMKE “She kind of got me started and was definitely more committed than I was.”

The elder Flemke, who now studies at the University of Pennsylvania, was part of the 2015 girls cross country state finalist team and made multiple appearances at the state championships for track and field.

But Alicia’s prowess on the track is beginning to rival that of her sister’s, as she placed ninth in the 800 meter run at the 4A North Regional Championship Feb. 7 and was the third leg of the eight place 4x800 meter relay at INSPIRING the 4A State ChampionATHLETES: ship Feb. 21.

“It’s kind of an ongoing joke that Alicia will never 1) Kira Flemke (sister run a bad race,” sophoand 2016 grad) more and teammate Caroline Sharun said.

2) Coach Chad Boyle This spring season, 3) Coach Eric Benjamin Flemke chose to run outdoor track instead of playing lacrosse to focus more on her development.

“I definitely feel like I enjoyed track last year. I regretted not doing outdoor because I feel like I enjoyed indoor more than lacrosse. It just wasn’t always my favorite sport, and when I found track I liked it a little bit more,” Flemke said.

To Sharun, who ran with both sisters her freshman year, no matter how much Flemke progresses track will always be a family affair.

“Alicia and her sister have an awkward run. She kind of flares her legs out like this and she’s just all over the place,” Sharun said.

A

Spring squads prep for season

H

on the mound

patrick fitzgerald, sports editor ere’s a quick outlook for each of the varsity spring sports.

Girls Lax: The girls lacrosse team finished last season on top with a 15-11 victory over Leonardtown in the 4A/3A state championship. They return a strong roster featuring eight Division I committed players.

“If we keep up our hard work ethic and have great chemistry like we did last year, we can definitely win states,” senior midfielder Kaitlyn Dabkowski said.

With their eyes on a repeat, the team is once again a serious title contender.

Boys Outdoor Track: The boys outdoor track team is looking to build on the momentum from a second straight cross country state championship and a runner-up finish at the indoor track state championships. Last year, the team captured county and regional titles.

This well-rounded group has great athletes in every discipline, putting them in position to win more championships.

Baseball: The varsity baseball team is vying for our third consecutive county championship. We will be under the leadership of Drew Burton, who has spent the past three years coaching junior varsity.

“We’re definitely the most fundamen-

tally sound team,” junior outfielder and pitcher Jack Tarantino said. This year, we are expecting to break through and make a run in the state playoffs.

Co-ed Tennis: The varsity tennis team is looking to recapture its local dominance after having their run of four straight county championships snapped last year

by Hereford. They will depend on strong performances from seniors Daniel Sun and Alli Hill.

The wild card? Superstar freshman Alex Panyan, whose wicked serve should take them far.

Boys Lax: The boys lacrosse team will be led by senior midfielder Joey Wenzl, a first-team All-County selection last year.

Junior attackman Ben Paepcke is expected to give the squad firepower on offense.

“No team we’re going to play is going to be more athletic than us,” senior midfielder Jack Hermann said.

I expect this gifted team to compete at the county and state level.

Softball: The varsity softball team has some holes to fill after four of their key contributors from last year’s 14-6 team graduated.

“It’s going to be difficult to fill those spots, but we do have a very talented and athletic team,” junior outfielder Sara Comaromi said.

After losing much of their core, the squad may struggle to replicate last year’s performance.

Girls Outdoor Track: The girls outdoor track team will be looking to its younger competitors to lead the way. This season looks like a rebuilding year for an inexperienced team that has struggled against more veteran county rivals like Hereford.

The team is looking to make the most of an extended period of training before their first meet March 29.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org

Junior sca national r

J

hyunsung ko and luke sturiale, staff write unior Vladimir Leung stands above erally and figuratively, when it com scaling, and he credits that to “the m The movement is what makes rock cl to Leung, which he described as a spe dance with the rock laced with a rare se and power.

“The movement,” Leung said, “It sti now. There’s something about this m climbing gives you that is very unique, ize in it, nothing else gives me that feeli The movement is what propelled Leu attempt at the Boulder Scaling Nationa which took place in Salt Lake City, Uta tasked with reading and scaling seve walls, with ledges and footholds jutting way up. Leung placed 29th out of 48 clim out on the semifinals which required pl 20th spot or better.

Leung knows what he needs to do to im he can climb even higher next year.

sophomore to victory S

kwise from left to right:

OMORE KARINA WANG stretches bea conditioning class, Feb. 11, at Baltimore Fencing Center in Cobia. Wang always warms up to pare for a long four-hour fencing on, she said.

g squats into position along with eammates and awaits her coach’s al. She said she attends this cononing class every Wednesday and ay to focuses on technique, fencorm and agility.

ow) Wang lunges to strike Pam ssel in an intense fencing bout ng her Feb. 11 lesson. “All fencers unique, in order to be able to fence yone, you have to adapt to their e,” Wang said.

photos by olivia summons

olivia summons,staff writer ophomore Karina Wang walks into the Baltimore Fencing Center in Columbia and puts on a black screened mask and her white fencing jacket, decorated in badges.

Sword in hand, Wang is prepared to dominate her opponent.

Just how does she size up against competitors?

“She’s a lot better,” freshman Victor Shi said.

Shi, who has fenced with Wang for five years, admires her skill set.

“During the attack, she’s already thinking how her opponent will counter so that she can get the desired reaction,” he said, adding that this is something he still strives to master.

“She thinks a lot more quickly and her actions are more complex,” Shi said. “It will confuse her opponent so she can outsmart them.”

He added that Wang knows when to parry and when to feint.

“Fencing has made me bolder because I’m fighting other people, getting really competitive,” Wang said. “That helped me step outside my comfort zone.”

Wang became interested in fencing years ago.

“When I was 7, my parents were researching fencing, and my brother really wanted to do it.

At that time my brother and I were pretty close, so I decided to go along with him and try it out, because stabbing people felt like a fun idea,” Wang said.

She was quick to list fencing’s benefits.

“It strengthens your decision-making because you have to have very fast reflexes and make decisions on the spot,” she said.

Sophomore Cindy Shou, a longtime friend, praises Wang’s dedication and personality outside of fencing.

“Above all, it’s her attitude,” Shou said. “She’s a great friend not because she’s smart or athletic or motivated. She’s a great friend because she’s a fun person, who still—despite being decked out in medals—is incredibly down to earth.”

In addition to participating in Programming Club and Future Business Leaders of America, Wang was recently named Key Club’s Editor for next year.

For Wang, Key Club is about gaining real life community experience.

Helping her community through Key Club isn’t the only way Wang represents something larger. She competed at the Junior Olympics in February in Kansas City, Mo. as a part of the USA fencing team, placing 10th out of 197 participants.

Wang’s constant work toward self-improvement contributes to her stellar performance as an athlete. Despite her high rankings, Wang is

“Fencing has helped me step outside my comfort zone.” still setting goals for herself. She practices four days a week in order to hone her skills.

“I really want to increase my endurance because at tournaments, you have to fence fifteen bouts. Each of them lasts 10 minutes so it’s really energy consuming,” Wang said.

Wang already has her eye on the future. She aims to fence at an Ivy League school in college.

“I 100 percent plan on fencing in college,” she said. “I have done a lot of research into NCAA colleges and I want to go to a D1 school, because it’s a lot more competitive and more fun.”

Wang is prepping for the U.S. Fencing National Championship and July Challenge in Salt Lake City.

“Without fencing I’d be bored with my life,” she said. “I honestly couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”

Favorite Fencing Scenes: 1) “iCarly”: the iFence episode 2) “The Suite Life of Zach and Cody”: the Foiled Again episode 3) “The Princess Bride”: the first battle between Wesley and Inigo Montoya

Left to right: JUNIOR VLADIMIR LEUNG hangs on as he continues his ascension to the top during the Boulder Scaling National Competition in Salt Lake City last month. Leung placed 29th out of 48 climbers in his first appearance at the competition.

Moments later, Leung pauses as he decides on his next move. He said he regrets his lapse in strategy at this point. “I committed to something and after I tried it, I didn’t change how I thought I could do it,” Leung said.

ales ranks

photos from leung

ters the crowd, litmes to boulder movement.” imbing special ecial song and ense of control

ill lives in me movement that , and I specialing.” ung in his first al Competition, ah. Leung was eral 24-feet-tall g out the whole mbers, missing lacement in the

mprove, so that

“I read things pretty well, but I regret not trying different things. I didn’t test the waters,” Leung said. “I committed to something and after I tried it I didn’t change how I thought I could do it.

That’s definitely something I can work on.”

“Once you have that plan, you chalk up, take a deep breath and begin.”

Reading a boulder can sometimes be as hard as the climb itself, according to Leung. In competition, climbers have four minutes to eyeball a boulder they have never seen before and establish the best route to the top.

“When starting it’s always difficult,” Leung said.

“You brush off the holes and at the same time, you have to try and plan where your hands and feet are going. Once you have that plan, you chalk up, take a deep breath and begin.”

7

the griffin

March 17, 2017

Leung is set to make his highest climb yet at his next competition April 1.

Leung, who first starting climbing at age 10, credits his drive to his father, who went to the gym with Leung and spent time with him as he learned to climb.

Now, Leung endures multiple four-hour-long practices weekly, which consist of practicing about seven to fourteen individual hand movements.

Fellow climber senior Mary Charlotte Gitlin commends Leung’s drive to succeed.

“He gives it his all every time,” Gitlin said. “A lot of times climbers will look at a boulder and say, ‘I can’t, it’s impossible,’ but Vlad doesn’t give up. When you go for a move you don’t put 50% into it, you put your all into every move.”

While climbing takes up a majority of Leung’s time, the junior possesses talent outside of climbing in cybersecurity.

Computer Science teacher Amanda Lattimore admires Leung’s enthusiasm for learning.

“He is very bright, very eager to learn and challenges himself above and beyond what is required in class, like watching YouTube videos to learn higher math,” Lattimore said. “He pretty much excels at whatever he puts his mind to.”

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org

athletes

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VARSITY

Prodigy hits and holds

bryce frederick and quinn mccabe, staff writers reshman Alex Panyan has a serve fit for the pros.

“It’s so much more consistent than your normal level high school tennis player,” assistant coach Dan LaHatte said. “He’s aggressive, but not reckless.”

With a maximum speed of 115 mph, Panyan’s serve equals photo by sophie bates Rodger Federer’s average serve ALEX PANYAN at the 2011 U.S. Open, according to Tennis Abstract.

“He made me look like I’d never touched a racquet before,” senior teammate Sam Harsel said.

LaHatte attributes his Panyan’s serve to his fundamentals.

“He has such great technique that he can repeat the same motion over and over, and it just looks flawless,” he said.

Adjusting to a varsity team setting can be difficult for a INSPIRING freshman, but Panyan was ATHLETES: accepted by his teammates of all levels, LaHatte said.

“Alex is a great partner for 1) Michael Phelps doubles and opponent for 2) Roger Federer singles,” freshman teammate Ryan Krugman said.

3) Ray Lewis “He’s always looking to have fun and make everyone around him better.”

Panyan grew up playing tennis with his father and sister, 2010 grad Karina Panyan.

“When I was 2 years old, my dad and I used to always go outside and just play with each other,” Panyan said.

His father, a player himself, served as an inspiration growing up.

“My dad played tennis in Russia and participated in nationals so I’m always able to learn something from him,” Panyan said.

Panyan has established himself as a formidable opponent in national and international tournaments held by the International Tennis Federation.

“He’s an amazing player overall, freshman or not,” teammate senior Jessica Ye said. “He only misses when we’re just fooling around and he tries to go for too much.”

F

JUNIOR VARSITY

Lineage shapes success

drew persinger, associate editor and alan zhang, staff writer ith a mother who ran track and cross country in college and a father who ran at the Olympic Trials, it seemed natural for sophomore Drew Dailey to follow family tradition.

“My dad ran 1:46 in the 800-meter race and broke 4 minutes in the mile,” Dailey photo by meera rothman DREW DAILEY said. “He pushes me to run harder, and on the days when I don’t feel like running, he gets me moving.”

Dailey has become one of the top runners on the track team. Dailey began high school on the soccer team until he found a home on the track team.

At his first cross country race this year, Dailey qualified for the state championships.

“It was nerve-wracking INSPIRING because there were tons of people, and I’m never ATHLETES: calm when I’m about to 1) Sophomore Giorgio compete. I just try to foGayleard cus,” Dailey said.

2) Sophomore Bryce Sophomore and teammate Sam Merng has been Frederick running with Dailey since 3) Sophomore Sam they started indoor track Merng last year and watched his performance at states.

“He was supposed to be our seventh runner, but as he saw some of our teammates start to drop, he sped up to become our fifth runner,” Merng said.

While competing in the final mile, Dailey saw two Severna Park—the team’s biggest competition—runners ahead, he said. Determined to win the championship, Dailey passed twelve people in the last minute of the race to secure the victory.

Coach Chad Boyle commended Dailey’s performance under pressure.

“Drew has developed a knack for excelling in big moments. He was a key ingredient in upsetting Severna Park to win the state championship,” Boyle said.

W

8 features

the griffin

People need $#*!

post: lucia qian Vegan activist and do-it-yourself fashion expert sophomore Lucia Qian takes pride in her creativity and resourcefulness. She sat down for a chat with staff writer Olivia Summons to share her latest interests in food, music, media and the arts.

LISTENING: I’ve been listening to the whole “La La Land” soundtrack. Over and over – that’s all I’ve been listening to. I love “City of Stars” and “Another Day under the Sun.” It’s a highly recommended movie if you haven’t seen it. I’ve also been listening to Ed Sheeran and the “Legally Blonde” soundtrack because I’m in the spring musical.

PERFORMING: Last year, I was in “Beauty and the Beast,” and I was a spoon.

It was still really fun because I love singing, dancing and acting. It’s really fun to put yourself out there and just be another person for a minute. This year, I’m in “Legally Blonde” as Defense Attorney Joyce Riley, and I’m also playing a Harvard Law student. I’m in some dance numbers too. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it.

how it doesn’t have a laugh track, because laugh tracks ruin all shows, like “Big Bang Theory.”

ADVOCATING: I’ve been pretty involved with my club, Vegecation, History teacher Julie Marx which is the school’s vegan and vegetarian club. I’m very passionate about educating people. As a vegan for a year, I want to promote veganism and healthy eating because I feel like in school these days there’s not Senior Ron Dent much awareness on diets and food even though obesity is a concern in America, so I want to do what I can to help change that. Veganism has changed my life and I want to spread that to other people.

Junior Kirsten Roys

CREATING: I love following fashion bloggers. Tess Christine is my fashion idol. She has a great fashion YouTube videos and Instagram posts.

That’s where I get most of my fashion inspiration. I’m a very cheap person, so I usually buy everything for $20 or under from thrift shops like Salvation photo by sophie bates WATCHING: I’ve been Army and Goodwill. My favorite watching a lot of YouTube. As always, thing is to buy jeans and then cut them I like to watch food videos like ‘what into shorts and distress them. It’s so I eat in a day’ videos. I also love fashmuch cheaper and looks the same as ion videos. My all-time favorite show you would buy in a store, but you save is “The Office,” and I literally will just a lot of money. It’s good for the envire-watch that, every single day. I really ronment too. like the humor on “The Office” and

March 17, 2017

Junior Zach Iacoboni

L

jason fontelieu, deputy editor atin teacher Dawn Mitchell has no issue with cursing.

“Who doesn’t like the f-bomb?” Mitchell said. “It’s a beautiful word, starts out soft ends mean with the ‘k’ sound. It almost bring tears to my eyes just thinking about it.”

A sensitive topic, it’s often difficult to determine when profanity is acceptable or out of place.

Some, including social studies teacher Julie Marx, deem profanity unacceptable in public situations.

“It’s a degrading of common civility we are quickly losing in this country,” Marx said.

Psychology teacher Kendra Swam cautioned against feeling comfortable cursing in front of someone.

“By swearing, you’re violating a taboo,” she said. “That can have a powerful influence on creating a community or bond in a small and private setting.”

Senior and tech crew lighting chief Julia Clark has been known to be so frequently foul-mouthed that fellow crew members set up a swear jar for her use.

“I’m capable of expressing my emotions in a civil manner,” Clark said. “But cursing is just way faster and more fun.”

The limit for profanity is drawn at the baseball field for senior Ron Dent.

“I don’t think it’s okay to curse at players or at other people at all,” Dent said.

Other students stray away from the temptations of profanity altogether, such as junior Zach Iacoboni.

“There’s a scripture in Ephesians that says ‘let not a rotten word come out of your mouth,’” Iacoboni said. “I live by that.”

Junior Kirsten Roys is also immune to the profanity bug, but after her father cursed at a driver who cut him off one day before her lacrosse practice, her family created an alternative.

“It’s a running joke in our house whenever someone does something stupid. We just say ‘what the bleep, you bleeper,’” Roys said.

Editor-in-chief Meher Hans and staff writer Christina Panousos contributed to this report.

photos above by sophie bates, julie chotivatanapong and meher hans photos to the right by hanna bewley and meher hans

Latin teacher Dawn Mitchell

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

Senior Julia Clark

Psychology teacher Kendra Swam

March 17, 2017

the griffin

9 features

REVIEW:

App curbs cellphone use S sophie bates, editor-in-chief tay focused and be present. It doesn’t sound too hard, does it?

These days, it’s difficult. According to a study by the Media Connections team at Baylor University, there is a clear culprit for people’s problems with focusing—phone addiction. The study found that women use their phones an average of eight hours a day, while men use them for about 10 hours.

After a friend’s recommendation, I purchased the Forest app to get over my excessive phone use. The app is designed to help people get off their phones by planting virtual shrubbery that dies if you exit the app.

You can set a timer for however long you want to stay off your phone—it can range from 10 minutes to two hours. If you manage to stay off your phone for 10 to 20 minutes, you can grow a bush, and any timer set for longer than 20 minutes grows a tree.

Once it grows, you can “tag” the bush or tree to represent what you did while it was growing: work, study, social, rest, entertainment, sports or other. Then

at the end of the day, week, month or year, you can look at what activities you spent most of your time on.

My most used category now is “study” because I mainly use the app when I’m trying to stay focused on schoolwork. Instead of checking my phone every two minutes when taking notes, I can stay focused and finish them much more efficiently.

The more you focus, the more coins you earn, which you can use to buy new plants to decorate your forest, or you can save up to plant a live tree.

Once you earn 2,500 coins, you can choose to have a real tree planted in degraded land, overseen by the “Trees for the Future” campaign.

The only problem I have with the app is the price. The Apple app costs $1.99, but is free on photo from focusapp.cc the Android store. This doesn’t make any sense to me, since $1.99 isn’t cheap in the app world and Android users aren’t charged at all.

Despite this issue, the app has helped me improve my time management skills, allowing me to more efficiently finish my school work. I no longer check my phone all the time, and I am well on my way to planting a real tree.

MEMOIR:

Creatively enduring phone-free day

I

matilde cascella, staff writer ’ve been told a few too many times that I’m addicted to my phone, and despite my persistent denial, I might just be coming to terms with reality: I am a cell phone addict.

I’m not alone when it comes to suffering from this disease. According to the New York Daily News, 87 percent of people say they couldn’t go one day without using their phone.

So, in the name of selfless research I decided to test whether I could break the addiction. I gave up my phone and computer (not TV, it’s old-school), for 24 hours on one of the most socially active days of the week: Friday.

With much apprehension, I turned my phone off and closed it away in a drawer. I then proceeded to chronicle my most entertaining and creative thoughts throughout the day as I dealt with my 24-hour withdrawal March 3.

The night before: other than the pain of losing my hard-earned Snapchat streaks, I was not concerned about staying off my phone. But my computer is my constant comfort. I spend hours when I’m bored or tired watching Netflix, shopping online and reading news articles.

To read the rest of Cascella’s account of her day without technology, see our website.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

fashion forward JUNIOR ONANI BANDA models a denim jacket from Ross, a yellow shirt and faux leather flats from Target and specially-made yellow and bright blue pants that a Nigerian family friend made for her.

photo by vinny arciaga

When dynamic junior Onani Banda isn’t wrapped up in theatre, she’s spending her free time writing original songs and short stories. Staff writer Perry Harrington sat down with her to discuss her unique fashion sense stemming from her own cultural influences.

Q: What inspires your outfit choices?

A: I’m not crazy about Tumblr, but I like a lot of the Tumblr outfits, ’80s and ’90s grunge and ’70s afro-chic. I love ’70s afro-chic.

And color. All different kinds of color.

Q: How does your culture influence what you wear?

A: I am very vocal about Black Lives Matter and just being really proud of who I am, so a lot of the head wraps and different things that I wear, like African attire, comes from that. A lot of the color too. In Zambia, we’re very colorful and we do a lot of patterns, so mixing patterns always comes from my Zambian side.

Q: Where are your favorite places to shop?

A: I’m a bargain shopper for sure, so I tend to go anywhere they have a deal. Ross, Burlington, Wet Seal, Forever 21 and thrifting for sure. I also tend to raid my family’s closets a ton.

Q: Are any of your clothing choices inspired by celebrities?

A: I follow a lot of bloggers that are African-American, so I get a lot of inspiration from their styles collectively. People like @peakmilll, @jackieania and @ronkeraji (Instagram handles) are my queens.

the griffin

10 features

March 17, 2017

REVIEWS:

Indian café spices up with vegetarian options A

olivia summons, staff writer s I open the door a bell tinkles, and my nose is immediately greeted with the smell of cinnamon and turmeric.

One step further, my ears catch the sounds of traditional South Asian music chanting in the next room. Another step forward, my eyes immediately gravitate towards the ceiling, which is decorated in massive elaborate umbrellas draped in gold trim, sequins and multi colored thread.

Situated right on the gray hubbub of York Road is Café Spice, a restaurant that serves authentic Indian cuisine and provides their everyday customer with a full Indian dining experience.

The buffet is home to an abundance of vibrant colored dishes illuminated by lamps, with hot steam streaming from the various meats, cheeses and veggies.

Customers wait with mouths watering, as one by one they make their way through the buffet line, some keenly grabbing first at the fluffy naan bread while others pile on Malai Kofta: minced veggie balls stuffed with grated cheese and nuts deep fried and dipped in a rich mild cream sauce. For dessert? Bowls with Gulab Jamun: cottage cheese balls deep-fried and dipped in sugar syrup.

Those who prefer to avoid the crowded lines at the buffet sit comfortably at tables ready to order by menu.

Vegetable korma? Aloo Gobi Mattar? SamosChaat? Vegetarians rejoice! Café Spice gives vegetarians the spotlight. Vegetarian delicacies take up a page and a half on the menu rather than in a cramped

photos by olivia summons Above: TRADITIONAL INDIAN SHRINE surrounding a fountain containing coins. Below: SATURDAY SPECIAL BUFFET DISH including: butter chicken curry, vegetable samosas, aloo bonda, paner manchuri, doused in green chutney and diced peppers. Saturday Buffet Special: $13.99 11:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

corner as one might find in a typical American diner.

Wait, meat and fish eaters, don’t go! There are spicy garlic dishes like Chicken Manchuri, savory plates filled with Shrimp Pakora, and minced lamb meat cooked with peas, onions and spices called Khemma.

Enjoy a buffet favorite, Kadai Kofta. This dish consist of minced veggie balls with rich tomato and cream sauce with bell peppers and onions. Eager diners barely have to touch their tongue to the soft breaded coating before it melts in their mouth. The flavors on the inside blend together in whirl of tomato, cinnamon and rich cream.

Tip: Can’t take the heat? Enjoy a mango lassi drink alongside any fiery dish to immediately cut the spice.

Follow up any entrée dish with the delightful dessert, Gulab Jamun. Dripping in a maple-like syrup, these indulgent sweets are easily compared to pancake breading, yet softer and less dense.

Full stomachs now leave this homey Indian restaurant. Lips still sugary from the last remaining drops of lassi, perhaps Indian dining will become not just a once-in-a-while ethnic adventure, but a weekend trip to the mouth-watering buffet.

OVERALL RATING: Café Spice: 10540 York Road, Cockeysville Monday - Friday: 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Saturday - Sunday: 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Fetch mouth-watering burgers at dog-themed restaurant

photo by victor yang

YANG’S “build-your-own-burger” includes a medium wagyu patty with cheddar jack cheese, bacon and a fried egg.

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victor yang, staff writer tep into Kooper’s North and you’re immediately bombarded with the mouth-watering smell of burgers,

noise of bar-going patrons and dogs. Vibrant dog paintings adorn the wall, giving character to the otherwise mellow and cozy interior of the restaurant.

After being seated we were given a loaded one-page menu, filled options including appetizers, seafood, beautifully crafted sandwiches, daily-selected desserts and most importantly—burgers.

Kooper’s offers several house-curated options such as the Farmstead Lamb and El Diablo, while also offering an extensive build-your-own-burger option. I opted for the latter, creating an 8-ounce wagyu, cooked medium, topped with cheddar jack cheese, Applewood smoked bacon and a fried egg. Each burger or sandwich comes with your choice of a side.

Our food finally arrived after a 20-minute wait, much longer than expected for a slow Sunday afternoon. My burger was picturesque. Two fluffy sesame seed buns with fresh vegetables encased a sizable burger topped with crispy bacon, fried egg and a generous amount of melted cheddar. It sat next to an overflowing tin of golden sweet potato fries. Every part of the platter urged me to sink my teeth in.

After consuming my hearty meal, I wasn’t disappointed, but wasn’t surprised either.

I got exactly what I expected for the $17 price, a satisfying, delicious burger experience. A sense of freshness was extremely evident in the meal. The vegetables were colorful and crisp, the patty was juicy and the egg was nice and runny. The sweet

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potato fries were an absolute treat, and I found myself digging for the last scraps of crispy goodness.

My only gripe with my experience was the burger leaned toward the lukewarm side of the thermometer, drifting into the medium-well range instead of medium.

The burger failed to bring a ‘wow’ factor, relying on quality rather than innovation.

With modest prices, friendly staff and a close-by location, Kooper’s North is an excellent choice for quality pub food.

OVERALL RATING: Kooper’s North: 12240 Tullamore Road, Lutherville-Timonium Saturday: 11 a.m. - 12 a.m.

March 17, 2017

11 features

the griffin

REVIEWS:

Visionary capitalizes on eccentricity T

quinn mccabe, staff writer he American Visionary Art Museum (AVAM) is a work of art itself. Surrounded by sculptures like galactic eggs and a massive bird nest, the museum becomes its own exhibit. The silver party bus embroidered with multicolored gems matches the giant panels on the sides of the building right before the entrance, leading the way to an outstanding experience.

As you head to the first exhibit, you glide up a flight of stairs lined with mysterious paintings of supernatural beings and mindboggling galaxies such as “Cosmic Egg” and “The Light Bringer,” all painted on oil canvas by Ingo Swann.

Hanging from the ceiling is perhaps the most jaw-dropping sculpture in the entire museum--an upside-down man with elegantly sprawled out limbs and wings. The silver base and vibrant lines of color streaming down the wings heighten the awesomeness of the hanging sculpture and compliment the illuminated colors in the paintings around it.

If this entrance is not exciting enough, the “YUMMM” exhibit will surely catch your eye. Lined on the walls are comical, yet inspirational quotes connecting food, life and nature.

“Only when the last tree has died,

the last river poisoned, and the last fish caught, we will realize we cannot eat money,” one said.

Creativity flourishes in this exhibit: sculptures of giant green gummy men in space bubbles and “Bistro In Vitro,” a video of an artist knitting steak together, call it home.

The comedy in this may be the reason it’s so outstanding. Christian Twamley’s famous 6-foot tall “Sweepish Chef” is made entirely out of Peeps. It depicts a goofy chef and a chicken arguing, probably over if the chicken should be cooked or not.

Right after this room is a hallway filled with “seed paintings” by Jim Buhler resembling famous artists such as Ray Charles and Johnny Cash.

The centerpiece is the mesmerizing 10-foot tall spinning wheel of nature made of intricately cut paper plates.

This wheel has three sections, each spinning in opposite directions and each filled with vibrant colors. Radiant flowers and food cover the outer layer, followed by smaller layers with more brilliantly colored flowers, large bees and marching ants.

After ascending another flight of stairs, the “Shock and Awe” exhibit

by Matt Sesow dominates the room.

The walls are covered in raw, abstract paintings of scenes from the Iraq war.

One panel on the wall resembles

Anthropological exhibit fuses art and history

photo by anna mason THE IMAGINING HOME EXHIBIT runs through Aug. 21, 2018 and features an interactive zone projecting phrases on the floor.

100 painted portraits of the first 100 soldiers to die in the Iraq war. Other paintings such as “The Choice” depict more gruesome scenes, displaying a doctor attempting to heal a wounded soldier. The painting’s eerie horrors are able to instill intense emotion in viewers.

Other more high-spirited exhibits include the fart room on the lowest level which consists of comical articles about farting and even a machine that makes farting noises when you press a button.

The AVAM’s exhibits are able to draw completely different emotions out of viewers in a matter of seconds.

From the elegant panels on the outer part of the building, to the thoughtprovoking exhibits in the inside and even to the intriguingly artistic bathrooms, the AVAM creates an atmosphere guaranteed to leave viewers in total awe.

OVERALL RATING: American Visionary Art Museum 800 Key Highway, Baltimore Monday: Closed Tuesday - Sunday: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

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photos by vinny arciaga and quinn mccabe

STATUES POPULATE the AVAM: (top to bottom, left to right) “Black Icarus,” “Galactic Egg,” “Bird’s Nest Balcony” and “Sweepish Chef.”

anna mason, staff writer he Baltimore Museum of Art is bursting with compelling and lively exhibits, but one stood out from the rest: Imagining Home.

Described as an exploration of the universal theme of home, the Imagining Home exhibit seeks to combine ancient art with modern art in order to paint a picture of what home means and the evolution of the term. Ranging from the fourth-century B.C. oil paintings to present day photography, the exhibit manages to mesh together arts of all mediums from the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.

The urban earth-toned paintings somehow perfectly complemented the simple, sophisticated photography of brick townhomes. Even the most eccentric, seemingly unrelated works of art fit together to create a cohesive, interesting exhibit. Among the most unusual artworks were a black-and-white photograph of plastic legs holding up

a model of a house and a lavish ivory chair adorned with leopard fur.

The exhibit is split into three sections: façades and thresholds, domestic interiors and arrivals and departures. The pieces of art found in each were vastly diverse and cultural.

A brightly beaded cradleboard created by the Cheyenne people from the nineteenth century symbolized the protection that home has to offer, and a rustic high-backed seat from Africa expressed the comforts of home. Calming still lifes of flowers and reserved photographs of families existed in the same place as Dave Eggers’ bold vinyl shower curtain covered in phrases from the shower’s point of view. Susan Harbage Page’s Hiding Place No. 3, Laredo, Texas, was a powerful photograph of a temporary shelter constructed between the U.S.-Mexico border.

But the highlight of the exhibit by far for me was an interactive piece. It allowed visitors to type in what home

means to them, and their interpretations were projected onto the floor.

Phrases such as “a sanctuary to go where you are sad and lonely” and “where you can be yourself” were among those projected onto the hardwood floor. It showed me how alike and different my personal feelings about home were compared to others.

The one drawback to the exhibit was that it could have benefitted from even more artwork. The topic was broad, yet there were only about 30 pieces. Overall, though, the exhibit seemed unified.

Imagining Home bridges the divide between cultures and artistic mediums in a unique exhibit that manages to be both informative and appealing. The exhibit runs until Aug. 1, 2018.

OVERALL RATING: Baltimore Museum of Art 10 Art Museum Drive, Baltimore Monday - Tuesday: Closed Wednesday - Sunday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Revealing array of U.S. history via quirky pop-culture lens

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anna yan, staff writer ibrant colors, bright lights and a familiar musty smell stimulate my senses as I look at framed posters. They cover every available space on the walls as two Superman statues stand guard.

Nestled beside Camden Stadium, Geppi’s Entertainment Museum houses over 6,000 artifacts. Its large collection of comics, toys and games all contribute to its reputation as an avid celebrator of American pop culture.

The map shows nine galleries, each one presenting memorabilia from a time period.

My personal favorite exhibit is the first, titled “A Story in Four Colors.” Glass cases line the walls, each showcasing a hundred comic books from the past century. They include comics from Marvel, DC, Disney, and other lesser-known companies. Some familiar titles made me nostalgic for my childhood.

My next favorite is “Pioneer Spirit: Baltimore Heroes.” This gallery focuses on a number of prominent figures raised in Baltimore. One wall shows objects from the Orioles, including signed shirts for referee Ernie Tyler. The adjacent wall displays albums from prominent Baltimore musicians: Billie Holiday, Eubie Blake and many others.

Articles from other galleries include a cardboard cutout of the “Yellow Kid,” a popular cartoon character with a yellow nightgown, a set of old televisions, each showing a different classic program, a large statue of Batman and a glass case full of McDonald’s merchandise: creepy dolls and old-fashioned board games.

The gift shop features merchandise from fandoms of old and new, featuring “Black Widow” comics, “Star Wars” masks and “Harry Potter” figurines. I couldn’t resist picking up a “Doctor Who” postcard.

A week after I visited, a new exhibit opened. “Will’s War, Will Eisner‘s WWII and Military Comic Work” shows lewd comic strips drawn in World War II to encourage illiterate soldiers to maintain their weapons.

But even though I missed the ninth exhibit, the eight photo by anna yan A BATMAN STATUE stands proudly in the “A permanent galleries still proved to be a fun time.

Story in Four Colors” exhibit.

Throughout the afternoon, I learned the history of pop Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

culture in America while simultaneously reminiscing my childhood. The $7 was definitely worth it.

Geppi’s Entertainment Museum 301 West Camden Street, Baltimore OVERALL RATING:

Monday: Closed Tuesday – Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

the griffin

12 features

March 17, 2017

Headphone use becomes de rigueur Students cite form, style, function

Headphones have become practically ubiquitous. According to the New York Times, global headphones sales hit $8.4 billion in 2013, reaching a record-high of $11.2 billion two years later. Sales are predicted to rise another $2 billion by 2018, the Times reports.

Griffin reporters Vinny Arciaga, Sophie Bates, Will Behm, Hyunsung Ko, Emlyn Langlieb, Drew Persinger, Emily Persinger and Emily Williams surveyed headphone owners here to find out more about their preferred headphone models and favorite music.

See their report for more details.

JUNIOR CLAIRE MARSH prioritizes comfort when listening to Bruce Springsteen and other classic rock artists using her white Sony headphones. Marsh makes timeless tunes an important part of her day.

“I listen to dad music—anything from the 60s to the 80s,” she said. “It’s not like the overproduced music we have today.”

JUNIOR ASHELY GUETLER appreciates the simple, sleek Apple earbuds that came with her iPhone. Guetler finds that listening to music in certain classes sparks her curiosity and helps her focus.

“Twenty One Pilots’s music inspires me during Digital Art,” Guetler said. “I listen to their words which gives me ideas.”

SENIOR ROBERT NGUYEN uses Super66 headphones that feature Bluetooth and a detachable cord which total $60. Nyugen enjoys listening to his current favorite songs, including “Deeper Deeper” by ONE OK ROCK and “Preach” by SonReal.

“As long as I’m able to listen to music, I’m happy,” Nyugen said.

SOPHOMORE RICHARD PARK likes the automatic pause on the new Apple Airpods and, of course, the new wireless feature.

“It helps you move more freely,” he said.

Park, who makes his own films during his free time, listens to bands like “Pierce the Veil” and “Crowned the Empire” on his $159 headphones.

JUNIOR MICHAEL MASON stands out with his lime green Razor headphones. Whether on the computer or walking down the hallway, Mason wears them for the unbeatable sound quality, listening to songs like “Present Tense” by Radiohead.

“I really just listen to whatever I find and like,” Mason said.

FRESHMAN ABDUR-RAHMAAN HENLEY finds his wireless Skull Candy headphones essential. of his everyday life. Henley enjoys listening to R&B and rap artists such as Speaker Knockerz and J. Cole.

“Whether it’s for classwork or playing basketball, music helps me focus and concentrate on what I’m doing,” Henley said.

photos by vinny arciaga and grace knotts

JUNIOR MARK BONNER sports Beats wireless Bluetooth earbuds. It’s easier to work out without long cords getting in the way, he said. His playlist includes The Black Keys, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Broken Bells.

“When music is really energetic, it makes me work harder and perform better.” Bonner said.

Freshman phenomenon’s versatility enhances dancing

an artist among us:

Russo said.

After beginning her dance career at the Lutherville-Timonium Recreational Coun-

cil, Russo entered the Moving Company Dance Center, a private dance studio in Cockeysville.

Russo’s height (5 feet, 7 inches) enhance her moves, dance teacher Debbie McWilliams said.

“Her height allows for her movements to cover a vast amount of space while still appearing effortless,” McWilliams said.

Russo’s work ethic hasn’t gone unnoticed, “We had a tech rehearsal one afternoon and Hailey was onstage in full costume.

As I was leaving, I looked into my rearview mirror, and that quickly she was in the parking lot with a drum strapped to her chest at marching band practice,” McWilliams said.

struggled with confidence. So I decided to write about it,” Song said.

This year she’s channeling her battles to contribute to the Presentational Speaking 2 topic: aggressive business leadership and promoting confidence in students.

Excited for the Maryland FBLA State Leadership Conference March 23 through 25, Song is in the midst of preparation. She’s continuing with her tried-and-true method of practicing before family and friends, she said.

Beyond her FBLA awards, Song has earned a new respect for the art of public speaking.

“It’s really about stepping out of your comfort zone and not shying away from opportunities,” Song said.

photo by sophie bates

sam harsel and lauren kuhr, staff writers s soon as she started watching her older sister perform, freshman Hailey Russo knew that her destiny was in the spotlight.

Russo’s sociability allowed her to grow as a dancer. In a mixed group, she didn’t hesitate to take the lead.

“She helped choreograph our dance for the winter concert, a Spanish-style dance that included a stag leap with turns,” senior Arielle Williams said.

While often lauded for her exceptional dance ability, Russo’s work as a percussionist in marching band may come as a surprise.

“She’s an extremely affable person,” marching band in-

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photos from russo Above left: FRESHMAN HAILEY RUSSO dips into an arabesque during a modern dance performance at the Moving Company Dance Center’s annual spring concert at Goucher College last June. Top right: RUSSO SPLIT LEAPS while performing a jazz routine at the prior year’s spring concert, also held at Goucher College. Bottom right: ALONGSIDE A TEAMMATE, Russo performs a jazz leap at the June 2016 concert.

structor Barry Chesky said.

“She’s very friendly and well-respected by her peers.”

Russo cited dance as the reason for her success in marching band.

“I have to keep time with everyone and stay on step,”

TOP 3 INSPIRATIONAL PEOPLE: 1) Peyton Russo, sister 2) Fleur Colimo, dance teacher 3) Cindy Russo, mom

Sensational business speaker shares secrets to success

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emily levitt, staff writer cribble notes. Conduct research. Compile.

Repeat.

This is the method to sophomore Joanna Song’s madness when generating speeches for her Future Business Leaders of America competitive events. The process is extensive, but nothing she can’t handle.

“It was really nerve-wracking. The whole process was really about memorizing my speech in a way that sounded smooth,” Song said.

Last year Song crushed her opponents and placed first in both the regional and state FBLA Presentational Speaking 1 competitions.

Sponsor Pat Holt commended Song.

“The kids she’s beating are much more expe-

rienced, and that’s the most amazing part of her achievements,” Holt said.

Her Gifted and Talented English 10 teacher Dirk Frey sees her speaking prowess in class.

“She gets down to business and is careful about how she speaks,” Frey said. “She seems mature, poised and comfortable with herself in her own skin.”

Confidence is key, Song said. Her best advice to aspiring public speakers is to start without overthinking.

“Once you start, you just keep going and sort of get into a groove,” Song said.

But Song wasn’t always a communicative whiz kid.

“In elementary and middle school I always

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