May 2016

Our mission: to enlighten and to entertain

Dulaney High School Timonium, Maryland

Volume 55, Issue 7 GENIUS BLOOMS

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Visit us at http://dulaneygriffin.org

May 20, 2016

College majors, optimism rates shift

see page 3

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TO KNOW

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the number of drama department productions next year see page 2 SIX TO WATCH

graphic by tori vandervest

This anonymous pen-and-paper survey of 205 students was conducted in Standard, Honors and Advanced Placement senior English classess. Students were asked 11 multiple choice questions. photo by paul wegner

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# TO KNOW

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number of juniors graduating with the seniors this year— see our website for the story SHOWS OVER?

sumin woo, managing editor and holly sutley, staff writer f the seniors going to college next year, 31 percent showed interest in pursuing careers in the medical or STEM fields, down from half of seniors last year according to a survey of 205 seniors conducted in English classes in March. About half of this year’s seniors plan to major in either liberal arts (26 percent) or business (23 percent), up 10 percentage points from a year ago.

A senior attending the University of Maryland College Park to study government and politics posited why.

“There are a lot more social issues that are coming to light,” senior Anastasia Strouboulis said.

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art by nina gayleard

INDEX 2-3 news 4-5 opinion 6-7 senior map 8-9 profiles 10-11 sports 12-16 features

science,” senior Arshad Fakhar said. “But I think college will play a bigger influence because it’ll give me a better understanding of my passions.”

About 62 percent said they feel prepared for college, consistent with the 64 percent of seniors surveyed last year.

“I don’t know if I’m prepared to really go out into the world. It’s a little intimidating,” Strouboulis said. “But I think that because of the opportunities that we’ve had here, we really are prepared.”

Just over two-thirds of students (68 percent) reported intense senioritis, compared to 77 percent last year. Wu appears to be in the minority. see MAJORS, page 2

School drinking, pot use outpace nation’s

sophie bates, julie chotivatanapong, tirzah khan and amanda musolf, associate editors and meera rothman, deputy editor he school-wide drinking rate has ticked down 5 percent from last year. An anonymous survey of 247 students in English classes of all grades and levels found that this year, 45 percent of students here drink recreationally.

A 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that 23 percent of people ages 12 to 20 reported drinking recreationally.

Despite the decrease, Principal Sam Wynkoop worries about consequences of any drinking early on.

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see page 16

“If they study those areas, then they can impact the world.”

Other factors make liberal arts enticing, English chairman Jason Bowman said.

“I think that liberal arts teaches you how to be a more attuned person, how to read other people well,” he said.

A fifth of seniors have not yet decided their majors, compared to 11 percent last year. ”Asking someone at 17 or 18 to decide their entire life plan is kind of not feasible,” senior Michelle Wu said. “You’re still a teenager and you might change your opinions.”

Parents and family members, according to 80 percent of seniors, greatly influenced future plans.

“They’re really pushing me to med school and

“Any trend that has adolescents choosing to drink is alarming,” Wynkoop said.

“The illegal and physiological natures are concerning.”

Students who regularly attend parties admit repercussions should not be taken lightly.

“The drinking at parties is crazy,” an anonymous senior said. “Not everyone gets drunk every weekend so when they do, it’s usually to the point of passing out.”

Types of alcohol consumed vary.

“I usually drink beer at parties, but graphic by jason mcclellan sometimes someone will bring rum or This anonymous pen-and-paper survey of 247 students was conducted in Stansee SURVEY, page 2

dard, Honors, Gifted and Talented and Advanced Placement senior English classess. Students were asked 22 multiple choice questions.

FYI: Memorial Day May 30 Schools closed

Senior Awards Ceremony May 31 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. auditorium

Graduation

June 1 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

SECU Arena Towson University

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

PTSA Meeting June 9 7 p.m. library

Last day of school June 17

First day of 20162017 school year Aug. 24

2

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news

College majors, optimism rates shift MAJORS, continued from page 1

“I haven’t felt like I’m leaving, so it feels like I still need to go home and do all my homework,” she said.

But classmate Emma Hardisky? Not so much.

“I have zero motivation to come to school or do schoolwork,” she said.

More than 55 percent of seniors said that they strongly value diversity in a workplace or classroom. Wu, though one of these seniors, said she hasn’t seen much of it in her classes here.

“If you don’t have diversity, you’re losing out on a lot of ideas,” Wu said. “Sometimes there will be people in my grade, but I don’t know they’re in my grade because they’re never in my classes.”

Only 28 percent of seniors said they enjoyed recreational reading, a low number that Bowman accredits to technology.

“Smartphones are incredibly seductive machines,” Bowman said. “So as a teacher I have to

try to connect and try to make the argument for literature as best as I can.”

About 17 percent of seniors will attend community college next year, with 68 percent of those planning to transfer later.

Senior Teresa Barnaba, who is part of the Community College of Baltimore County’s dual enrollment program, said community college may be a better decision for some students. She said she will transfer to a four-year college after one more year at CCBC. “In the past, I think a lot of people thought community college was for dropouts,” she said.

“There wasn’t a four-year school I really fell in love with, so this will give me more time to look around, and it financially makes sense.”

Social studies chairman Tom Maranville, who attended CCBC at Dundalk for two years before transferring to Towson University, said the stigma against community college is unwarranted.

“The average student changes majors three

times,” he said. “Why don’t you figure out what you want to do in community college?”

Optimism dropped 6 percent since last year’s senior survey. Among the 74 percent of students rating themselves optimistic is senior LB Martin.

“I’m ready to get out of here. I’m so excited,” Martin said. “Once you graduate high school, it’s up to you if you want to be successful.”

Survey: drinking rate dips, pot use ticks up SURVEY, continued from page 1 vodka and I’ll get drunk on that,” an anonymous student said. “If I’m just with my friends, I’ll take whatever my mom has in the cabinet.”

This is not uncommon, with 28 percent of students saying they have obtained alcohol from parents.

“The good thing about being with your parents while drinking is they keep an eye on you,” an anonymous junior said.

“A friend was telling me how she went bar-hopping with her parents, brother and boyfriend.”

Administrators said parents should play a supervising role.

“This is your child,” Wynkoop said. “You can’t downplay it—there’s a law for a reason. We need to handle our kids, care for them and be careful when condoning alcohol.”

While the drinking rate has dropped, marijuana has risen. A total of 35 percent of students surveyed this year report trying marijuana, a 2 percent increase from last year.

Almost 50 percent of seniors here report trying marijuana. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, this is over twice the reported 21 percent of seniors nationally.

Students report acquiring marijuana easily.

“Sometimes I buy before school or from my friends after school,” a source said.

Some students suggest the incentive to use marijuana comes from how students are taught to perceive it.

“It’s not for everyone, but we make it taboo

to the point where people try it just because it’s wrong,” one student said.

But school resource officer Jen Berg warned that marijuana is a gateway drug.

“Nobody wakes up thinking, ‘I’ll do some heroin today’,” Berg said. “Using marijuana is like getting on a roller coaster.”

Another major finding was that one in every four students here report trying an e-cigarette.

“It’s easy to get,” one student said. “Some stores will even sell it to you knowing you are underage.”

Obtaining e-cigarettes may become more difficult. The Food and Drug Administration announced new regulations this month, preventing those under 18-years-old from purchasing them. graphic by jason mcclellan “We have data that e-cigarettes seem to be a pathway to other drugs,” assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University Christopher Hammond said. “It’s teaching kids how to inhale smoke and training them to use other drugs. That’s part of why these restrictions have been put in place – to protect youth.”

Those attending senior week in Ocean City expect a cavalier attitude.

“Senior week is definitely out of control,” an anonymous senior said. “People walk down the boardwalk smoking joints and don’t care.”

One student said she’ll be drinking vodka during the trip, but some seniors plan to stay away from drugs and alcohol entirely.

“We chose our group specifically because we know none of us do that,” senior Henrique Carvalho said. “We want to have a good time, not forget everything.”

Expert offers insight on teens, drug use

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emma walz, associate editor ccording to a psychiatrist who treats teens for addiction and emotional distress, teen brains differ from those of adults in that they haven’t mastered control of impulses and reward behaviors.

“That is the current running theory on why adolescence is a period of increased impulsivity, risk taking behaviors and drug experimentation,” Christopher Hammond, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Johns Hopkins University, said.

He also cited peer pressure.

“Our likelihood for good and bad events happening in our lives is directly correlated with the people we hang out with the most,” Hammond said.

This happens, he said, because seeing friends drink or do drugs normalizes such behavior.

Hammond called teenagers’ parents instrumental in influencing drug and alcohol habits.

“That concept of being the cool parent, the parent who says, ‘I’m just going to let my kid drink in my house or smoke weed in my house because it’s going to keep them from doing it elsewhere’—is not true, and is actually really harmful,” he said.

He recommends a different approach.

“I try and teach parents that if that’s their philosophy they’re putting their kid at increased risk for bad outcomes in their life,” he said. “And what I talk to parents about is having thoughtful open conversations with their kids about drugs and alcohol, monitoring their teenager in terms of where they’re going, who they’re spending time with.”

There are actually protective behaviors that can help insulate teens from drug use, Hammond said.

“Engagement in behaviors like joining clubs or being on sports team, those are all things that we consider to be protective to developing problems with drugs and alcohol during teenage years,” he said.

Deputy editor Meera Rothman contributed to this report.

School mourns loss of two recent graduates

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maya lapinski, managing editor wo student athletes who graduated in 2011 and 2013 are fondly remembered following their deaths.

Scholar Athlete, Future Doctor Class of 2011 alumna Nancy Kelly is remembered for her ambitious character and vibrant personality.

Advanced Placement economics teacher Phil Bressler was among those who praised her.

“She was an overachiever, in the good way,” Bressler said.

Kelly died in an early morning car crash April 24. She was the passenger in a minivan that was rear-ended by an SUV in Norfolk, Va. The driver of the SUV, Thomas Walters, has been charged for driving under the influence, according to WVEC-TV, a Norfolk, Va. news station.

Kelly, who had graduated as an undergraduate from Virginia Wesleyan College in 2015, was almost finished her first year at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Friends from her time here have expressed their grievances on her Facebook page.

“I’d do anything to be back on the beach with you,” Remi Lehrer, class of 2011 alumna and former teammate of Kelly, wrote.

“It is beautiful that Nancy’s last action here on Earth was saving lives,” friend and 2007 alumna Chelsea Manning said. “You will be missed, Nancy Kelly.”

Allied Sports Athlete, Artist Also mourned is class of 2013 alum Shane Lauer.

Lauer, diagnosed with Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy, died peacefully May 8.

“Nothing would get in his way of enjoying life to the full,” allied soccer coach Anita Shaw said.

Shaw remembers when several physics students designed a contraption to allow him to move the ball down the field.

“We would cheer like crazy when he drove the ball into the goal,” she said.

Lauer was more than his wheelchair. An animal lover, military history fanatic and performer, he lost no enjoyment of life.

He spent free time during class and hours at home painting landscapes.

“If it wasn’t quite right, he’d erase it and try again, as many times as it took. It took a long time, but the finished work was absolutely beautiful,” FALS/CALS teacher Crissy Rochester said.

A fund, accessible at www.gfc.org/giving, has been made in his honor to help others with similar conditions.

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

may 20, 2016

NEWS LINE SCANNERS AXED

Having never been installed, the school’s BCPSOne Card scanners will be removed after a year, principal Sam Wynkoop said. The scanners, stored in the library classroom awaiting installation, were supposed to enable students to swipe BCPSOne cards as they entered the building and their classes, automatically recording attendance. Schools piloting the program found it faulty, Wynkoop said.

PHONE RULE DEBATED The faculty council awaits a decision from the administration on whether to keep this year’s new cellphone policy. After hearing teacher complaints, the council addressed concerns such as unauthorized student cellphone use in class with principal Sam Wynkoop earlier this month, council member Maureen Burke said. The council’s student discipline committee has also discussed this with assistant principal Tom Dugas, committee member Phil Bressler said. A Griffin spot survey of 443 students in A, B and C-lunches May 13 found that 82 percent of students approved of the decision to permit cellphone use during the school day. But biology teacher Marty Stranathan disagrees and said research shows cellphone use can disrupt learning: “It’s difficult to learn best if someone keeps sending you a text every five minutes.”

DRAMA TO CHANGE The drama program will put on three plays next year, drama teacher Tami Moon said.

In addition to the fall play and the spring musical, drama students will work with creative writers to produce a murder mystery in October. The production will be a dinner theater in the satellite cafeteria.

DEBATERS COMPETE Members of the speech and debate team travel to Sacramento, Calif. for the National Catholic Forensic League tournament May 28-29. Juniors Yasmeena Fakhouri and Julie Chotivatanapong, as well as junior Randhika Aturaliya and senior Olga Petrovskikh, will be competing in duo interpretation. Junior Meera Rothman and freshman Amee Rothman will be competing in public forum debate.

SENIOR RECOGNIZED photo from facebook

Top: Class of 2012 alumna Kathy Albornoz (left), from Salisbury University, goes for the ball as 2011 alumn Nancy Kelly (right) playing for Virginia Wesleyan College, defends during a college game Nov. 22, 2014.

Left: Alumnus Shane Lauer in 2012. “He was quiet, so you had to be really willing to listen, but it was always worth photo from ben mortenson the effort,” Shaw said.

Senior Sunny Kim, SGO historian, won first place in the county for her scrapbook at Bull Roast, the county’s year-end recognition ceremony, May 13. The scrapbook, which took Kim at least 36 hours and $70 to create, commemorates the school year. “It was great knowing that our school was getting recognized for something,” Kim said. “I don’t think Dulaney has ever won, so I feel like maybe I was able to set a precedent.”

the griffin

may 20, 2016

Diploma’s value debated

3 news

photos by sumin woo

Left to right: English teacher Jason Bowman, guidance counselor John Komosa and assistant principal Robert Murray.

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sumin woo, managing editor s the state board of education contemplates implementing a two-tier diploma system (which would allow higherachieving students to earn a higher-level diploma than their peers), some have raised questions to the value of the high school diploma itself.

“The market value of a diploma is now equal to the least proficient student,” Kenwood High School teacher Edward Kitlowski wrote in a March op-ed to the Baltimore Sun. “Education has essentially become a charade, and the value of a diploma a mirage.”

Teachers and administrators here are split.

“A diploma is worth everything or nothing. It depends on the students,” English teacher Jason Bowman said. “To many students, it shows that they mastered calculus and rhetoric. For others, it simply says they were able to make it to school even though they had to work nights to support their family

and even though they had to sleep in a laundromat in the afternoons.

Both are impressive accomplishments.”

Guidance counselor John Komosa said the advantages of having a high school diploma outweigh the disadvantages of not having one.

“For most people, not having a high school diploma is such an obstacle to obtaining additional skills and learning whether through college, technical schools, or the military, that it practically predetermines them having a very difficult life,” he said.

The state hit a record high graduation rate of 87 percent last year, but Kitlowski “would hardly consider that an accomplishment.”

Assistant principal Robert Murray said he acknowledged the growing emphasis on higher education.

“Decades ago, you had to have a high school diploma to do anything. Now, it seems you have to have a college education just to do most regular type jobs,” Murray said. “The idea is higher education, the more experience you have, sep-

arates you from the herd when you apply for a position someplace.”

Bowman, who switched majors before graduating college with an English degree, said his work in construction after college proved valuable.

“I worked really hard manually.

When you get an inside job or a desk job, you don’t complain about it no matter what it is, because you could be digging ditches for 8 hours a day, which is really hard,” he said.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that 18 percent of high school graduates are unemployed.

Sophomore Hailey Brennan, a state officer for workforce-oriented leadership organization Skills USA, said she considers trade skills more valuable than a diploma.

“Just a high school diploma won’t get you really far now because so many people have it,” Brennan said. “If you do these skilled trade jobs, you know what you’re going to do, and you already have a leg up in the workforce.”

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

photos by anna garman and stephanie rountree

Genius projects win

Top: Junior Abigail Clark presents her winning Genius Hour project, “Student 101,” to social studies teacher Rachel Baikauskas during Genius Hour Symposium in the satellite cafeteria May 5.

Bottom: Freshman Hannah Snoops explains her winning project, “Hats for the Homeless,” during the same event. Clark and Snoops each earned $500-scholarships from the Education Foundation for their winning projects. About 50 AVID 9 and AVID 11 students participated in the event and were tasked with creating community projects to develop throughout the school year, culminating in a presentation at the symposium.

“This project helps students to develop critical 21st century skills like creativity, innovation, collaboration, leadership, global awareness,” STAT teacher Kimberly Culbertson said. “It is really up to them to follow their passions and create something that will make the world more awesome.”

4 opinion

the griffin

may 20, 2016

College may not be for all

F ruminations

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Assessing 2015-2016

jason mcclellan, columnist une is almost here, meaning it’s time to review the year. Let’s revisit...

FIRST QUARTER ...when, after years of regulations, the staff voted nearly unanimously to release zombies into the hallways. Unfortunately, Baltimore County Public Schools’ online filter, Lightspeed Systems, blocked the Google services used to conduct the vote, so limits on student cell phone use were lifted instead.

The PSAT, updated this school year, debuted Oct. 14. Sophomores and juniors were shocked after encountering both English and math sections.

Pep rally, complete with rousing performances, occurred Oct. 9. Enraptured students jamming the bleachers enjoyed playing on their phones.

The fall also saw the introduction of OneDrive and school-wide brainwashing. Google’s services remained blocked by the nefarious Lightspeed Systems.

Speaking of discontinued services, in the...

SECOND QUARTER ...interims vanished, as BCPSOne enables students to stress about grades daily instead of only bi-quarterly.

BCPS announced mastery grading, enabling students to perfect the art of failing tests by allowing them to do so as many times as they would like.

Registration for classes were earlier this year as part of the school system’s ongoing effort to produce nearfatal stress levels, integral to the high school experience.

“Live on 5” morphed into “Dulaney News.” Students praised the change, despite not actually having seen the announcements.

Results from last year’s PARCC test arrived, and with them came previously unknown levels of failure. Less than 5 percent of Baltimore County students passed state standards, according to the state’s department of education.

Speaking of failure, in the...

THIRD QUARTER ...the school was denied Lighthouse School status after a PC spontaneously combusted.

Superintendent Dallas Dance’s contract was renewed in February, empowering his multi-million-dollar plan to lease thousands of computers and give students access to vital services like Lightspeed Systems daily.

Even as the spring musical debuted, war erupted in March following the release of a feasibility study by the Enemies of Dulaney. Its suggestions for renovations drew fire from the Friends of Dulaney, who argue it’s better to demo the school entirely and start over.

Speaking of structural changes, in the...

FOURTH QUARTER ...just before juniors took the new SAT, water bubblers arrived amid concerns about overheated students.

Walk-in refrigerators may also be installed next year.

Lightspeed Systems reportedly blocked bcps.org.

Advanced Placement tests returned in May. After observing College Board restrictions on discussing the tests, conversations revealed that each test was limited to approximately 500 versions per subject.

Following errors in the original feasibility study, BCPS officials issued corrections to the document, apologizing for omitting, among other items, urgently needed maintenance for the pool on the roof.

And finally, we arrive at senior finals, after which all 12th graders leave and let the rest of the building boil alive. Maybe that’s a fair tradeoff for being rid of us.

the griffin

tirzah khan, associate editor or most of us, college has always been a given. Once we reach high school, every conversation with relatives revolves without fail around the college we want to attend.

But recently, the number of college-bound students has begun to slowly but steadily decline. Despite the fact that more students are graduating from high school than ever before—a respectable 82 percent in 2014—only 65.9 percent of high school graduates directly enrolled in college that same year. That’s down a full percentage point from the previous year, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

This is because more and more students are questioning the value of a college education: is the price tag and time really worth the long-term benefits?

The word “free” is not thrown around often when it comes to college. According to College Data, attending a public, out-of-state college can cost upwards of $23,893 a year on average, which is a daunting figure for anyone. It’s a wonder more students aren’t choosing alternative paths to college.

But never fear: Google is here!

The Internet provides resources for high-quality learning that can be accessed anywhere in the world at virtually no cost. Codecademy is a website that teaches programming languages like jQuery and Python—for free. Khan Academy teaches subjects from Art History to Organic Chemistry, and prepares users for tests like the SAT and MCAT—for free.

Duolingo teaches languages like French and Spanish, but also more obscure ones like Ukrainian and Welsh—for free.

Project editor Sahana Raju contributed to this report.

EDITORIAL:

Tragedy warrants improved education

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n the morning of April 24, graduate of Virginia Wesleyan College and Class of 2011 alum Nancy Kelly died following a car crash in Norfolk, Va. She was in a minivan that was rear ended. A Virginia Beach man has been charged with DUI in connec-

creased from 84 percent to 91 pecent this year.

Students’ consumption of alcohol has decreased, but their responsibility, unfortunately, cannot be measured.

As senior week approaches and Ocean City once again prepares for the annual invasion of drunken gradu-

art by hanna bewley

tion, Norfolk’s WVEC-TV reports. The results of this year’s drug and alcohol survey are especially concerning in light of this recent tragedy.

Though the number of students who admit to drinking recreationally has decreased from 50 to 45 percent, the attitude people have toward teenage drinking still remains a concern. The percentage of students who say it’s easy to get access to drugs and alcohol has in-

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Occupations such as such as electricians, pipe fitters, mechanical maintenance workers and radiology technicians do not even require the conventional four-year education and have plenty of openings. According to data from the New York Times, 600,000 mid-skilled jobs like these remain unoccupied.

But these alternate methods of education are not considered as much as they should be.

Don’t get me wrong—I am not at all undermining the value of a college education: a college diploma is beneficial to those seeking occupations that require the rigorous four-year experience needed to prosper. But for those who do not need the experience, alternate options should be made widely available and widely promoted.

Vocational schools have often been labeled as last resorts for underachieving students. However, they can often be necessary steps to associate’s and bachelor’s degrees if desired. art by jarrin jacobs College is not a necessary step to everyone’s success. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs are just a few eminent individuals who did not need a college education to succeed.

Options other than college must be considered for those who don’t want to, or can’t, go to college for whatever reason.

As we grow as a society and adapt to emerging technology and resources, we must also learn to adapt our mindsets. We need to let go of our prejudices regarding the necessity of college and have conversations beyond the question “Where are you going to college?”

ates, concerns have arisen regarding the safety of a generation with a seemingly unlimited access to alcohol.

Some might argue that the current half-credit health requirement is enough to teach students the consequences that accompany drinking. But the state of drug and alcohol education here is questionable at best, since 45 percent of students admitted to drinking alcohol recreationally. If the current curriculum were effective,

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 design editor tori vandervest

Find us at http://dulaneygriffin.org.

wouldn’t that number be lower?

Perhaps the fault isn’t in the class itself, but in how students treat it—as a joke.

High school is traditionally considered the place of growing autonomy, and attempts by educators to limit that impression without strict enforcement simply will not work.

The school system should consider more challenging objectives so more students will invest effort in health class, along with making lessons student-centered.

We recommend using more tools like drunk goggles to engage students.

The class must be treated as something more than a requirement to be endured.

Make no mistake, drug and alcohol education matters — especially in an age of omnipresent ads for alcohol.

Another suggested source of education is the parents themselves. Of the students who said they consume alcohol, most indicated getting it from parents or friends over 21. And while some argue that parents should be allowed to supply alcohol to teenagers in a controlled environment where they can be supervised, it is unrealistic to expect that parents will continue to watch over their children into adulthood.

This culture of relaxed

drinking could quickly lead to binge drinking once students leave home, since, as the CDC reports, about 90 percent of the alcohol consumed by youth under the age of 21 in the United States occurs as binge drinking.

As Albert Camus wrote, with freedom comes responsibility. Students must remember that their independence does not change the fact that underage drinking is illegal and can be fatal. As Kelly is mourned, students need to take a closer look at their own responsibility. At some point, education only goes so far and the individual themselves must evaluate the situation.

Drug and alcohol education should matter more than a mere semester. It will take effort by teens, parents and the school system to make that a reality.

photo from 2011 yearbook

ALUMNA NANCY KELLY was killed in a car accident. A Virginia man has been charged with DUI.

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.

may 20, 2016

5 opinion

the griffin

Are Ivy Leagues worth cost?

Prestige doesn’t equal results

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grace schneider, staff writer ay $50,000 for four or more years of overwhelming stress. That sounds reasonable, right? But that is what many agree to every year as they enroll in Ivy League colleges like Harvard, Brown and Yale. This decision is inadvisable for anyone who is not scholarship-prone or in the upper class. State schools are the more profitable option.

Ivy League schools promise higher education, high power jobs and high salaries immediately following graduation. But these promises are not always fulfilled. In fact, state school students are now getting hired over Ivy League graduates, according to a study by CNN in 2010.

The problem is students take on the tuition, thinking they can handle it with financial aid. Though the financial aid is significant, it is not always substantial enough to cover the debts. The average cost of a private school during the 20152016 school year was $32,402, $9,410 for state residents of public schools, and $23,893 for out- of- state residents at public colleges, according to College Board.

Divisions based on family income are also evident in Ivies. In an article by the Boston Globe, Ana Barros, a student at Harvard, commented on what it is like

art by tori vandervest

to be lower class at an Ivy League.

“You’d get weeded out of friendships based on what you could afford.

If someone said let’s go to the Square for dinner and see a movie, you’d move on.” At a state school, those unfortunate class divisions are not as evident.

Selectiveness ensures quality

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bradley stansbury, staff writer ince before the days of Socrates and Plato, education has been at the forefront of human existence— and now a college degree is more important than ever.

With 65 percent of jobs in the United States requiring at least a bachelor’s degree, according to a 2015 study by theCenter on Education and the Workforce, the looming monster of college applications plagues the current generation’s minds.

The question remains — is applying to an expensive and possibly over-hyped Ivy League university worth it?

The fact of the matter is, attending the same school as presidential candidates, current or alumni, is an opportunity that you won’t experience at a state college or a tiny liberal arts school.

With over 30 percent of United States presidents having graduated from one of the “Great Eight,” evidence shows that some of the brightest minds come from

art by jarrin jacobs

the Ivies, according to University Herald.

“Getting to work with some of the most well-known professors in the world is something I dream about. Like the guy who wrote my econ textbook works at Harvard, and he could possibly be my professor,” senior and incoming Harvard freshman Jessica Bishai said.

Not only will you have the brightest professors on the right side of the Mississippi but you will also be working

Some say that Ivy Leagues pay for themselves. They give significant financial aid and students have the opportunities to work with top-of-the-line professors, and because everyone else in attendance is in the same boat in an ocean of pressure and stress, the teamwork and feeling of community is impeccable. Immense loads of stress are not necessary to feel a sense of community with fellow students.

In his book, “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life,” William Dereswiecz argues against elite schools by using anecdotes of attendees, employees and their friends. One student said, “A friend of mine said nicely: ‘I may be miserable, but if I were not miserable, I wouldn’t be at Yale.’”

Dereswiecz was on the admissions board at Yale, and he argues against the schools. He mentions the tense atmosphere and favoritism due to legacies, but mostly that the students themselves are unhappy and stressed.

Ivy League schools have advantages, certainly. If a person spends time with determined, hardworking people, they are likely to have a positive effect. The problem is that students are not working with other students – they are competing against them. There are hardworking people in every college. Should a person entertain the idea of attending an Ivy League, they should be prepared to scale a mountain of stress and an excessively steep price tag. alongside the brightest college students in the world.

Alum Jason Bishai, a graduate of Stanford University, noted the motivational power of being surrounded by students who are driven and passionate.

Of course, where there is a great education, there are huge price tags as well.

Ivy League institutions rank within the upper tier of college tuition prices, sometimes in $50,000 and $60,000 range, almost double the average cost per semester of the average private university, according to a U.S. News & World Report article.

To combat this, the Ivies offer some of the most accommodating financial aid I’ve seen. According to a New York Times article published Oct. 2015. Ivy League undergrads will go on to receive the highest number of Pell grants in the country – 38 percent.

For many upperclassmen, the thought of college provokes only fear. The light in the darkness might be attending an Ivy League, a college that sets them up for occupations and research opportunities that other students may only dream of.

Reading skills advance in college?

art by hanna bewley

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truths

I

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Opining through journalism liberates

stephanie rountree, editor-in-chief f you’ve ever read the Griffin, seen my social media posts or been in my presence for more than three seconds, you’d know that I have opinions.

Whether the topic is Bernie Sanders, cultural appropriation – heck, even the borderline sacrilege tribute to Maryland’s flag known as the new driver’s license design – I’ve made my thoughts known, regardless of whether they’re welcome. But it hasn’t always been this way.

I’ve dealt with social anxiety since middle school.

My anxiety isn’t so much worrying about an English quiz, it’s in the same vein as living in fear of being disliked or having panic attacks about some tiny mistake I made five years ago. Politicians who change their platforms with the wind had nothing on me. I even believed I was a libertarian for a few weeks of freshman year – which, if you’ve ever seen me wearing my Bernie shirt or decrying belligerent Republican congressmen, is appalling– because of a Ron Paul-fanatic middle school teacher I looked up to. I spent so much time conforming to the beliefs of others that I began to forget my own.

That was before journalism.

I know how cheesy it sounds. It’s so saccharine I got a cavity writing it. But it’s true. My anxiety chained me against a wall. To say I struggled under its force would be an understatement. Writing my columnist tryout sophomore year got me hooked – time seemed to fly as my fingers dashed across the keyboard. It was like the Griffin had the key that unlocked my shackles. If I was a quiet New Year’s Eve popper before I started writing for the Griffin, I was a Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza after. I’ve opined on issues including the need for gun control, the lack of justice for police brutality victims and the problem of tech in classrooms – topics I wouldn’t have dared to discuss in public prior.

“I’m not apologizing for who I am or what I believe in.”

In one of my favorite columns, I criticized the media’s use of the word “thug” in coverage of the Freddie Gray riots, as it has evolved into a socially-acceptable way to address members of the black community. I was worried it would be misunderstood by a whitedominated readership, and was surprised when it was well-received. One of my teachers even approached me to tell me how much she liked it.

“Whenever I think of thug, I imagine something entirely different,” she said. My chest constricted and my heart sank as I mentally prepared myself for the harsh criticism and rejection I’d spent my life running from. “But it never would’ve crossed my mind that it could be perceived that way if it weren’t for you. It’s nice to see it from another perspective.”

My smile beamed as euphoria enveloped me. For someone who primarily expresses herself through inner monologue, to know that I was being heard was gamechanging, to say the least.

It was in journalism that I learned my opinions were valid. The written word gave me the courage to voice my thoughts in ways the spoken word had failed me.

I haven’t been cured of my anxiety, but I no longer feel pressured to pretend to be someone I’m not just to please others. I’m not apologizing for who I am or what I believe in.

With the April 26 passing of the Student Press Law Center-sponsored New Voices bill, which secures freedom of press for student journalists, Maryland has secured for others the opportunity to have the same self-discovery I benefitted from.

Not everyone has agreed with my columns. But no amount of opposition would ever outweigh the benefits I’ve reaped from having a free platform at my disposal. I only hope that with the passing of New Voices, students still discovering their voice will find a safe haven in the writing that saved me from anxiety’s toxic grasp.

may 20, 2016

the griffin

6 senior map

Seniors choose paths

1-4 SENIORS 5-10 SENIORS 11-24 SENIORS 25 + SENIORS

maryland BOWIE STATE U

Braswell, Quentin Mable, Timothy Purdie, Durante Brown, Chasity Froneberger, Shayla Joseph, Levi

CARROLL CC

Carey, Austin

CCBC

Adams, Taisha Asseo de Choch, Lara Bahamon, Sara Bailey, Cheyanne Bailiff, Alyssa Barnaba, Teresa Beaufelter, Doris Bezilla Munafo, Sage Bishwakarma, Sudeep Bramucci, Morganna Bruno, Amanda Carmichael, Durel Cervantes, Maria Cheema, Abdullah Cheema, Muhammad Clark, Rachel Contreras, Leslie Cooper, Angel D’Alesandro, Scott Eley, Diamond Eskandarian, Alborz Ferguson, Katherine Fisher, Tyler Fitzpatrick, Liam Fragoso, Brandon Goldring, Alexis Griffith, Tara Hall, Andrew Hall, Rayona Harris, Jenna Harrison, Hunter Henderson, Megan Hightower, Diamond Isom, Chynna Jones, Pierce Jun, Suejin Kauffman, Sarah Kearney, Chase Kegris, Joshua Keidel, Stephen

Kim, Christie King, Ruby Kulatilaka, Amila Lindell, Jonathan Liu, Joey Martinez Sorto, Walter McGinnis, Michael McMillan, Daja Michel, Garrett Miedusiewski, Robert Moenga, Sharon Morthole, Daniel Munafo, Sage Norris, Calloway Ondrusek, Margaret Palma Arteaga, Adan Portillo, Heather Reategui Delgado, Fabrizzio Richardson, Dominique Roloson, Courtney Rosas Espinosa, Marcos Saunders, Shy’kilah Schutz, Arthur Squire-Rogers, Noah Stafford, Jordan Stein, Jeanne Sunday, Rebecca Tolson, Lauren Franklin-Cash, Erik Gomez, Benjamin Harr, Christina Heath, Kaylah Sitnek, Ethan Still, Hunter Yakas, Stephanie

COPPIN STATE U

Kay, Jasmine

FROSTBURG STATE U

Bartholomew, Victoria Haviland, Megan Willis, Jamal

GOUCHER COLLEGE

Velasco, Diany

HOOD COLLEGE

Onyekwere, Amarachi Shipley, Cameron

JOHNS HOPKINS U

Bechtold, Raphael Boroumand, Kiana King, Andrew Lapinski, Maya Meek, Kristin

LOYOLA U

Banegura, Paulina Akkad, Ahmed

MCDANIEL COLLEGE

Muller, Isabell

MICA

Fields, Sibria Jacobs, Jarrin Vandervest, Tori

MORGAN STATE U

Brown, Y’mani Harrison Hargrove, Shanaijah

MOUNT ST. MARY’S U

Hall, Aliayah Kihara, Mary

NOTRE DAME OF MD U

Martinez, Kathy

SALISBURY U

White, Jaymie Ahmad, Malik Bohn, Allison Brock, Caroline Condon, Katie Larrabee, Zachary McCaffray, Charles

STEVENSON U

Asher, Sarah Madro, Gabriel Mitchell, Rodney Perdue, Rachael

SHEFFIELD INST.

Harmon, Megan Pompey, Myles

TOWSON U

Andrews, Jackie Astori, Alexia Brown, Kori

Bury, Tiffany Chin Wing, Bradley Contreras, Tatiana Crotty, Mackenzie DeFelice, Sara DeSilva, Taylor Fontinell, Lillian Hofmann, Noah Hong, Jonathan Hussaini, Sarah Ittenbach, Liam Johnson, Deja Jones, Meredith Junkin, Paul Kammer, Nathaniel Mellis, Alexa Mineva, Veselina Morton, James Munoz, Karla Naumann, Danielle Nurkiewicz, Jacob Orisich, Jozef Pan, Jing-Yi Parikh, Shailee Ruano, Jessica Sartipy, Bijan Schammel, Marella Sergyeyenko, Peter Shafirovich, Taylor Svoboda, Mallory Tadros, Abraham Towle, Brooke Welsh, Daniel Williams, Xavier

U of BALTIMORE

Emerick, Claire Sheaffer, Anthony

UMBC

Balaji, Deeptha Buck, David Carlson, Jesse Cayanan, Christian Gabriel Debow, Malik Deros, John Dua, Alexander Fakhar, Arshad Feerick, Anna Garcia, Demetri Hawkins, Elijah Ji, Joseph Jiang, Xinyu Kamue, Samuel Kansal, Rachita Khan, Zainab Kim, Sally Kinara, Bill

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Medrano, Abner Naumann, Matthew Nolet, Chloe Purohit, Raj Sage, Steven Sutley, John Witt, Louis Zhou, Junhong

UMD COLLEGE PARK

Abdelkader, Yasmine Allbritton-King, Jules Bank, Andrew Brocato, Alexander Calvarese, Ben Carvalho, Henrique Cavanaugh, Katherine Cavanaugh, Sarah Comaromi, Jonathan Condon, Christine Cooper, Alexis Crawford, Kendall Cuddington, Kenton Day, Garrett Der, Ryan Driscoll, Patrick Fluehr, Joseph Franz, Jack Gayleard, Nina Gerald, Anushka Gholson, Sydney Glasser, Sara Harvey, Kaitlin Hussain, Affan Kang, Joon Kaul, Peter Kazlow, Jackson Khodadadzadeh, Marziyeh Kihara, Bryan Kim, John Kim, Sunny Knio, Rami Lemel, Julia Li, Ivy Lim, Sean Maenner, Jackson Martin, Lloyd McClellan, Jason Mejia, Alexis Molino, Matthew Morrison, Sarah Nicolette, Jordan Niehaus, Joseph Oh, Rachel Pant, Saloni Petrovskikh, Olga Pozharskiy, Anton Rabalais, Shawn

Rafiee, Nika Raju, Sahana Riley, Meredith Sack, Brady Sahaniuk, Sofia Seldowitz, Aaron Shane, Trevor Shi, Jiayang Slowinski, Matrix Smyth, Sean Solorzano Castillo, Christopher Song, Joyce Steele, Lawrence Strauch, Jacob Strouboulis, Anastasia Tial, Ni Tuerk, Alex Turlington, Molly Vong, Whitney Vulcan, Mark Vuong, Amy Yang, Kuoyuan Yoon, Hojin Zarachowicz, Thomas Ziegler, Sydney

UMD EASTERN SHORE

Doe, Samuel

WASHINGTON COLLEGE

Hall, Rachel House, Trenea

alabama U of ALABAMA

Hunter, Gabrielle Trosch, Brendan

california CAL STATE: SAN MARCOS

Mulreaney, Robert

U of CALIFORNIA: RIVERSIDE

Ruffin, Amber

U of SAN DIEGO

Jackson, Ellie

WEST HILLS CC

Childs, Javon

may 20, 2016

colorado COLORADO CHRISTIAN U

Ramsey, Mackenzie

connecticut QUINNIPIAC U

Conry, Daniel

YALE U

Banegura, Paul

district of columbia

NORTHEASTERN U SMITH COLLEGE

north carolina DUKE U

Li, Noelle

EAST CAROLINA U

Goode, Katherine

HIGH POINT U

DELAWARE TECHNICAL CC

Maratta, Skylar

U of DELAWARE

Bagwell, Cameron Collins, Alise Ibrahim, Ahmed Smith, Brooke

WESLEY COLLEGE

Landrum, Nia-Morgan

WILMINGTON U

Rawlinson, Rebecca

florida

NORTH CAROLINA STATE U

PHILADELPHIA U

Mouring, Scott Ruehle, Sarah Upton, Kevin

new hampshire DARTMOUTH COLLEGE

Wu, Michelle

BERKELEY COLLEGE

Metcalfe, Daunte

new york

Holmes, Malik Moore, Summer Richardson, Jahmalikye

JACKSONVILLE U

Ko, Tina Wassel, Chase

MIAMI DADE COLLEGE

Watkins, Maurice

PALM BEACH ATLANTIC U

Finckel, Olivia

STETSON U

Brown, Conor

U of SOUTH FLORIDA

Lipstein, Suzannah

U of TAMPA

Pillas, Tyler

illinois NORTHWESTERN U

Woo, Sumin

indiana INDIANA U

McAndrew, Julia

Bowerman, Honor Milan, Hannah Vialov, Anastasia

massachusetts BOSTON U

WIDENER U

YORK COLLEGE

rhode island

Silas, Grace

STONY BROOK U

JOHNSON & WALES U

Jia, Jennifer

Mostiller-Wright, Daja

SUNY PURCHASE

south carolina

Hanson, Katherine

SYRACUSE U

COLLEGE of CHARLESTON

Feustle, Sarah

Chavatel, Walker Standard, Chris

U of ROCHESTER

THE CITADEL, MILITARY COLLEGE

Meltzer, Adam Prior, Sierra

Rhode, Timothy

VASSAR COLLEGE

U of SOUTH CAROLINA

Lopez, Cristina

Bauer, Hannah Pezzulla, Maura Stockdale, Sarah Wilson, Madison

YORK CUNY

Van Natta, Julia

ohio

CASE WESTERN RESERVE U

BELMONT U

texas

oregon

BAYLOR U

U of OREGON

Newman, Meghan

utah

Lagomarsino, Carolyn

pennsylvania

CARNEGIE MELLON U

Yang, Marika

EASTERN U

Coward, Christopher

tennessee Rafferty, Megan Winter, Meghan

OHIO NORTHERN U

EMERSON COLLEGE HARVARD U

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

Weaver, Benjamin

PACE U

Sutley, Holly

Bishai, Jessica

WEST CHESTER U

Hogan, Benjamin

Morrison, Rachel

Cohee, Madalyn Reilly, Alexandra Lambros, Andrew

Long, Lifan

Wells-Dotson, Naraye

Smith, Javon

U of KENTUCKY

Flemke, Kira Liu, Jessica

Bernhardt, Cameron Hu, Jiexi Rountree, Stephanie

U of NOTRE DAME

kentucky

UPENN UPITT

NYU

U of UTAH

Putheti, Sai Ruthwik

virginia

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT U

ELIZABETHTOWN COLLEGE

Bowers, Jacqueline Ioannou, Calliope

GETTYSBURG COLLEGE

Parker, Thomas

Bellinger, Jake

vermont

SOUTHERN VERMONT COLLEGE

SETON HILL U

TEMPLE U

deKoomen, Seth Miller, Abigail

VIRGINIA UNION U

Williams, Jordan

Shipley, Emily

Barahona Hochoa, Edilberto Carter-Johnson, Haneyah

MARYMOUNT MANHATTAN COLLEGE

VIRGINIA TECH

ST. JOSEPH’S U

Langlieb, Jonah

LIM COLLEGE

VCU

Whitehead, Keara

SWARTHMORE COLLEGE

FARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGE

Wang, Guosheng

Paranzino, William

ROBERT MORRIS U

Nash, Jay

Encarnacion, Gustavo Fang, Kenneth Kuang, Zhiyi Langlieb, Marin McCullough, Lisa Wang, Kevin Zhang, Angela

PURDUE U

Miller, Colin

Compton, Emily Wilson, Kaley

Erhardt, Madison

CORNELL U

Sigler, Tristan

Gray, Darrel

Deloach, Michael Gandy, Mackenzie Gandy, Melanie Sachs, Annie

new jersey

FLORIDA GULF COAST U FULL SAIL U

U of RICHMOND

Jean-Baptiste, Shainai

Patterson, Cassandra

Davis, Blake

SHENANDOAH U

Hardisky, Emma

PA COLLEGE of TECH

ECKERD COLLEGE

McGinn, Maura

ROANOKE COLLEGE

Wengler, Kathlyn Wood, Alexander

PENN STATE YORK

HOWARD U

Halley, Imani

RANDOLPH-MACON COLLEGE

Foster, Robert Sharpe, Nicole

O’Dwyer, Raymond Powell, Ashley

Asadi, Yasmin Walz, Eric

DELAWARE STATE U

PENN STATE U

Grogan, Shane Harlan, Alexander Mozoki, Natalie Bolonda, Keaton Magnotta, Stephanie O’Grady, Emma Witty, Sarah

NORTHERN VIRGINIA CC

Evans, Destiny

LENOIR-RHYNE U

Prkna, Madison

delaware

MILLERSVILLE U

Bevard, Emma

senior map

Gouger, Hannah Song, Ji Won

CATHOLIC U of AMERICA

Graham, Arianna

Nash, Aaron

Battle-Mcdonald, Caitlyn

CAPITOL TECH U

Clement, Brandon

INDIANA U of PA

Shmul, Diana

Pribula, Colleen

Savov, Kamen

7

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FERRUM COLLEGE JAMES MADISON U

Parker, Sydney Visit us at http://dulaneygriffin.org

U of VERMONT

washington

PACIFIC LUTHERAN U

Caudill, Christopher

wisconsin

MARQUETTE U

Clare, Marisa

west virginia WVU

Agandi, Edwina Engel, Andrew

WHEELING JESUIT U

Kassolis, Alexander

international

U of GUELPH (CANADA)

Rice, Malcolm

U of ST. ANDREWS (SCOTLAND)

Delanois, Emilie

FRANKLIN U (SWITZERLAND)

Swindell, Anne

trade school Ditzel, Michael Eaton, Rudy Ferdinand, Eythan Idzi, Spencer Jones, Kasey Martinez, Christian Miller, Joseph Patteson, Alessandra Reototar, Wilfredo Suppa, McKenzie

armed forces Allen, Bryan Montgomery, Tyler Nelson, William Schiefelbein, Charles Spigler, Chelsey Primeaux, Kyle

working

Brady, John Dataee, Fazal Jemellaro, Max Kyles, Joseph Marenco Rivera, Yanci Miller, Jacob

gap year

Blake, Colin Gavin, Katirina Heinecke, Christopher Slafkosky, Samantha

Staff writers Hannah Bauer, Sierra Prior, Sahana Raju and Holly Sutley collected this information.

8

the griffin

features

may 20, 2016

1

photo by hannah gouger

Above: Senior Lisa McCullough conducts a gel electrophoresis experiment April 21. “No matter what career I end up in, I want to be in one where I never stop learning and I never stop questioning, and I think that’s what draws me to research science,” she said of her career plans.

Below: Senior Malik Debow performs a spoken word selection about overcoming adversity at Artfest April 14.

photo by paul wegner

Above: Senior Noelle Li performs a dance to “Hit on all Sixes” with her partner Josiah Lawrence at a concert at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore March 28.

Right: Senior Arshad Fakhar delivers his farewell speech during the Key Club Capital District Convention March 13 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Baltimore.

3 photo by stephanie rountree

photo by sally kim

Near right: Senior Javon Smith, an All-American laureate and defender for the varsity lacrosse team, presses against an attacker during a March 10 game at Gilman.

Far right: Senior Jessica Bishai shares information about Girl Up in the auditorium lobby during Artfest April 14. Bishai is president of the club, which is part of a United Nations organization dedicated to supporting programs promoting the health, safety, education and leadership of girls in developing countries, according to the group’s website.

photo by haneyah carter-johnson

photo by lucia tarantino

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photo by christine condon photo by christine condon

6 2016

may 20, 2016

9 features

the griffin

of

Where they’ve been, where they’re going

2

1. Lisa McCullough

4. Arshad Fakhar

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christine condon, editor-in-chief enior Lisa McCullough always knew science was her future.

“My parents are scientists, so I was raised in their environment of inquiry,” she said, adding that she plans to become a research biologist or biology professor.

“I ask myself, ‘why don’t you want to be a doctor? You’re such a people-person.’” she said.

After an internship at a Johns Hopkins cell biology lab last summer, though, McCullough found some answers.

“This professor devoted her life to studying two tiny proteins,” she said. “It’s inspiring to see the process of creating new knowledge was enough for her, and I think it’s enough for me.”

McCullough’s Advanced Placement Physics teacher Steve Shaw noted her curiosity.

“I know her first love is biology, but she’s gifted in physics,” he said. “She had numerous physics questions back in freshman year, and her teacher was bringing her over and introducing us.”

This persistence continues to marching band, where McCullough is drum major. Although she joined on a whim her freshman year, McCullough said it had a far-reaching impact.

“It requires a group mentality for success, something that doesn’t only apply on the drill field,” McCullough said.

McCullough will attend Cornell University in the fall, where she plans to major in biology.

2. Noelle Li

sumin woo, managing editor eader, dancer and winner: senior Noelle Li is a triple threat.

Li is president of Key Club, and adviser Karen Turek has seen her growth firsthand.

“When Li first joined our board, she was very soft-spoken,” Turek said. “This year, I’ve heard her speak to the local Kiwanis Club, to groups of students and most recently, she presented a workshop at district convention.”

Li also dances at the Peabody Preparatory Institute. With 13 years of experience, she focuses on ballet, but dabbles in modern and contemporary dance.

“For a couple hours, I don’t have to worry about anything else except for how my body is moving,” Li said.

Her dedication took her to New York City two years ago when she was accepted to the prestigious Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive program.

Li danced for the talent portion at the state level of the Distinguished Young Women competition last year, and was named the Maryland representative for the national scholarship competition in Alabama this summer.

“When they called my name, I was too shocked to cry,” she said of her win.

Though she hasn’t chosen a major yet, Li will attend Duke University next fall, and intends to continue dancing.

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3. Malik Debow

christian harris, staff writer enior Malik Debow wants to share his story – in rhyme.

“My childhood was crazy. My life is a story, so if my story can reach out and change somebody’s life, why not be that change?” the spoken word aficionado said.

A varsity football and track team member and president of the African American leadership club Giving It Back, Debow found his way to poetry in middle school. His father died when he was 8 years old. His mother struggled with illness. He moved from place to place so often he lost count. Then his aunt encouraged him to take on performing arts.

In addition to poetry, Debow taught himself how to play piano and guitar. He has performed spoken word and instrumentals at three open mics here and nine outside of school.

“I wanted to be heard, and poetry did that for me. It’s how I show others who I am,” he said. “The vulnerability it takes to express who you are is what makes me strong.”

His spoken word piece about obstacles he has overcome wowed freshmen at a Feb. 4 forum, according to Giving It Back sponsor Alicia Drechsler.

“It takes something special to make a group of 522 freshmen listen,” she said.

What’s next? Major in sound engineering and create music and lyrics, Debow said – and perform at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

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6

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maya lapinski, managing editor ey Club sponsor Karen Turek sees one strength above all in the club’s capital district governor.

“Arshad has a real talent for talking to other people,” she said.

As governor, Arshad Fakhar manages 15,700 Key Club members in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and Delaware last year. To ascend his previous title of district lieutenant governor, he had to address more than 1,000 at once and caucus with 10 separate groups.

He admits to talking on the phone daily and using iPhone’s FaceTime frequently.

“They’re easy and accessible and you get the other person’s emotion,” he said.

Personability was key during his 2015 DCON campaign, as he distributed artificial plants after caucusing in hopes of planting a memory of his platform and tossed lollipops to participants during questioning sessions.

“One might have hit somebody in the head,” he said. “But nobody was injured.”

Fakhar managed to improve communication between all 256 clubs in the district.

Despite his parents’ push toward medicine, Fakhar said his talent may influence plans at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

“I really like talking, so maybe I’ll use that to my advantage and do broadcasting.”

5. Javon Smith

kristin meek, sports editor ccording to varsity lacrosse co-captain senior Jake Bellinger, Javon Smith can do it all.

“He is definitely a switchblade,” Bellinger said. “He brings everything to the table. He puts himself second and just works his hardest.”

But Smith’s résumé doesn’t stop there. Along with his AllAmerican lacrosse player status, he is co-president of the Student Athletic Leadership Board and manages a job at Brightview Senior Living Center.

Athletic director Richard Reed said that Smith’s reliability makes him a great leader for SALB. “When I say we have to meet at 7 in the morning, or if we’re working late till 9 o’clock, he’s always here,” Reed said.

Bellinger said that Smith succeeds because off his approachability.

“He’ll never put you down, he will only bring you up,” Bellinger said.

Smith may love athletics, but he said his future lies in civil engineering, which he plans to major in at Northern Ohio University.

“In 10 years, if I’m not able to play lacrosse, I’ll most likely be coaching lacrosse somewhere,” Smith said. “Hopefully, I’ll have a well-paying engineering job.”

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6. Jessica Bishai

whitney vong, staff writer he has hugged First Lady Michelle Obama, started her own website to combat teen marriage and is going to Harvard University this fall. Despite those accomplishments and more, senior Jessica Bishai described herself in her Stanford University application as “passionate, compassionate and passion fruit-loving.”

Bishai’s passion manifests itself into zeal for her intended major, International Child and Maternal Health, an interest sparked when she and her father traveled to Uganda and India. After seeing the suffering there, Bishai said she knew that all she wanted to do was help people.

Choosing Harvard seemed a natural choice. After all, two cousins study there. But aside from the family line, Harvard is known for its School of Public Health, and Bishai wants to immerse herself in a stimulating environment where she’ll hear heady conversations “but then also see people binge-watching ‘The Office’ next to them.”

Bishai also exudes enthusiasm through Girl Up, the United Nations initiative for which she served as teen advisor last year, having also launched a branch of the club that serves impoverished girls worldwide.

As for passion fruit, again Bishai’s travel influenced her.

“When we went to Hawaii, I ate a lot of passion fruit,” she said.

“It was delicious.”

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10 sports

athletes

watch

VARSITY

Sprinting toward success patrick dochat, staff writer lthough only a sophomore, James Green is seconds away from beating two school records.

Green set his personal record for the 400 meters at the 30th annual Katie Jenkins Invitational May 7, where he ran 50.53 seconds. This feat puts him in range to beat the school record by graduation, which stands at 48.9 seconds. Green is also brushing photo by hannah gouger JAMES GREEN up against the school’s 200-meter record—22.18 seconds with his time of 22.54 seconds.

At the county championship at Pikesville May 14, Green finished 12th in the 200 and fourth in the 400.

“I’m coming off a hip flexor so I didn’t do as well as I normally do,” he said. “I’m planning on really stepping it up and going back to the real James Green at our next race this weekend.”

Juniors Contrell Goode and Tavon Roberts, Green’s neighbors, pushed him to TOP THREE ACHIEVEMENTS join the team after they noticed his speed.

1. Close to beating school records in the Goode called Green a 400-meter and 200-meter races valuable teammate.

“He’ll always try to 2. Persisting in track for his family motivate us and make 3. Motivating teammates in each of this us better by competing with us,” he said. year’s meets Coach Chad Boyle agrees and said he believes Green could end his career with a title.

“He is among the most dedicated people amongst 127 athletes in the program,” Boyle said.

Green said he enjoys the team’s unity.

“We’re one big family. We all know each other, we all know exactly what we have to do to win,” Green said.

But it is his love for his actual family that drives him.

“My number one motivation is my little sister. She died in her sleep less than a month after she was born.” Green said. “I know she’s definitely watching over me and before every meet I always make sure I pray to her, and let her know what I’m about to do is for her.”

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Staff writers Annabel Park, Hyunsung Ko, Adam Zimmerman and Drew Persinger contributed to this report.

JUNIOR VARSITY

Distance runner develops hyunsung ko and evan song, staff writers rack and field coach Chad Boyle sees a bright future for sophomore Brendan O’Brien.

“Brendan has championship potential,” Boyle said. “He has recently really begun to buy into the amount of consistent commitment required to be an elite track and field athlete.”

O’Brien’s teammates attribute photo by cristina lopez his success to relaxation and inBRENDAN O’BRIEN tuition when running various races.

“He’s very lighthearted, I’ve never really seen him anxious or have anxiety so when he gets on TOP THREE ACHIEVEMENTS the line he’s just ready 1. Came in second place at cross country to go,” sophomore Glory Days meet teammate Brian McCullough said.

2. Came in second place in the mile at O’Brien’s strategy an indoor meet and team play helped lead him to a second 3. Broke personal record with 9:58 in place finish at Glory two-mile race at Pikesville Invitational Days Cross Country Invitational in Manassas, Va. Oct. 10. His teammates finished in first and third.

“The course is hard, it’s muddy, and there are lots of hills,” O’Brien said, “I was in first for a little bit that’s when my two other teammates came by with me, it gave me a lot of confidence to surge the rest of the entire race and I kicked the last half mile.”

After putting in extra hours with 12-mile runs on Saturday mornings, O’Brien achieved his goal of running a sub-10 minute two mile April 29 at the Pikesville Track Classic with a time of 9:58, earning him fifth place—the highest place of an underclassman on the team.

“Brendan is learning what it takes to be a competitor from his senior peers, and has done well to learn from all that they have achieved,” Boyle said.

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the griffin

ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Speed, cohesion propel Walz

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stephanie rountree, editor-in-chief n fifth grade, according to his Pinewood yearbook, senior Eric Walz wrote that he wanted to be a “Track and Field Runner.” Fast forward seven years, and it’s apparent he hit the nail on the head.

In the past four years, Walz has won 21 championships, broken the 33-year-old school record for the 3,200-meter race and nabbed Gatorade’s 2015 Maryland Runner of the Year award.

On the first day of practice freshman year, he ran one of the fastest time trials. Walz beat multiple seniors at the 2013 Baltimore County outdoor track and field championships, finishing fourth in the 3,200-meter race.

After that, he was hooked.

“I found a passion for the sport that I really could never have predicted,” Walz said.

Cross country and track coach Chad Boyle saw Walz’s potential early on, but didn’t know if he’d have the dedication to succeed.

“Being a champion requires an extraordinary amount of work,” Boyle said. “We weren’t sure that the freshmen would buy into the regimen.”

Three years later, Boyle has been impressed with Walz’s physical and mental development.

“He is an unbelievable competitor,” Boyle said.

Despite his many accomplishments, Walz said he’s still finding ways to improve. During the 2016 state indoor meet, Walz ran the last leg of the mile in under 24 seconds. For Boyle, this triumph was just another reflec-

“Younger teammates look up to him, and they feel like he cares about their performance,” King said. “Lots of teams don’t have that.”

Walz is known for leading by “talking with his legs,” Boyle said.

“I often see our younger runners mimic his high level of competitiveness in races,” Boyle said.

This fall, Walz will be running with North Carolina State University, ranked 17th in the country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. While he said the probability of becoming a lucrative professional runner is slim, he plans to keep running an important part of his life.

“I hope to ride the running wave as far as possible,” he said. photo by john bowers

SENIORS ERIC WALZ AND SEAN SMYTH lead the pack during the 2-mile race at their home meet April 20.

tion of Walz’s talent.

“I’ve never had an athlete show that type of ability in a championship race,” he said.

Though races are run individually, Walz said running is a team experience, noting that his proudest moment was winning the 2015 Maryland state 4A boys’ team cross country championship, calling it a “dream come true.”

“It isn’t just one guy that wins, and to have won with great friends made it that much more special,” he said.

The support goes both ways, senior Andrew King said, thanking Walz’s “magnetic” personality for helping to motivate the team during practice.

WALZ’S ACHIEVEMENTS CROSS COUNTRY: • 2015 Gatorade Maryland Runner of the Year • 2015 Baltimore Sun All-Metro Runner of the Year • 3-time Baltimore County champ • 3-time 4A North Regional champ • 2015 4A Maryland State champ INDOOR TRACK: • 4-time Baltimore County champ • 4-time 4A North Regional champ • 3-time 4A Maryland State champ OUTDOOR TRACK: • School record for the 3,200 • 4-time 4A North Regional champ

O’Grady leads from defense ter, sophomore Casey cristina lopez, photo ediO’Grady, for field hocktor and jordan nicolette, ey and lacrosse. features editor “I know not many sisf there’s one skill seters get the chance to do nior Emma O’Grady something special like learned throughout that, and I’m glad I got her high school career, to share the experience it’s leadership. with Emma,” Casey She fully embodied O’Grady said. this quality in her roles “She challenges her, as field hockey captain, pushes her but supports lacrosse captain and her as well,” Korrow co-president of the Stusaid. During practice, dent Athletic Leadership O’Grady never took it Board in her senior year. easy on her sister by “I’ve definitely deeither getting physical veloped a work ethic; on ground balls or lockI never want to be outphoto by stephanie rountree down defending. worked,” O’Grady said SENIOR DEFENDER EMMA O’GRADY defends a Catonsville player in the Lions’ In the fall, O’Grady of her involvement in game against the Comets April 12. will be attending Pennathletics. sylvania State University O’Grady has been a key cess to Fialcowitz and Athletic Direcand plans on playing club field hockdefender on the field hockey and la- tor Richard Reed. crosse teams throughout her time “Coach Reed and Coach Fialcowitz ey and possibly club lacrosse. here. As a three year varsity starter both stepped in my sophomore year on the field hockey team, she has re- and it definitely was day and night O’GRADY’S ACHIEVEMENTS: ceived First Team All County honors from my freshman year and sophofor the past two years and Second more year until now,” O’Grady said.

LEADERSHIP: Team All-Metro recognition her seO’Grady also excelled at varsity nior year. indoor track for three years and la• SALB Co-president “Her teammates looked to her as crosse for four years. She qualified FIELD HOCKEY: an example of what hard work and for the track state championships • Varsity captain commitment truly looks like,” varsity twice and was named captain of the • First team All-County field hockey coach Kellie Fialcowitz lacrosse team by her teammates her • Second team All-Metro said. senior year.

• Regional champions 2013 and O’Grady admits that many of her “She is able to carry over her pres2015 favorite sports memories come from ence, leadership and fearlessness to LACROSSE: her time on the field hockey team, the rest of the team,” varsity girls • Varsity captain after playing a major role on a team lacrosse coach Kristi Korrow said, that journeyed to the state semi-fi- having coached O’grady for the past INDOOR TRACK: nals twice, and won the county and three years.

• Qualified for state championship regional championships her sophoThis year, O’Grady has had the in sophomore and senior years more year. unique experience of being able to O’Grady attributes much of her suc- compete alongside her younger sis-

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Members of the Student Athletic Leadership Board cast their votes for Athlete of the Year at their February meeting.

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may 20, 2016

11 sports

the griffin

Swimmers advance to national goals

athletes

watch

VARSITY

Senior motivates teammates

sean lim, staff writer or senior Molly Turlington, joining the girls track and field team late proved to be far from problematic.

After joining cross country her junior year, Turlington quickly rose through the ranks, becoming one of the top runners on the girls varsity team.

“The first week was really hard, but it was too late to photo by cristina lopez MOLLY TURLINGTON quit and my competitiveness kicked in. Soon after that I realized I found something I love to do,” Turlington said.

At the May 14 county championships, she finished ninth in the 1,600-meter race. Her most notable performance was a fourth place finish at the Indoor Track Regional Championships in the 800-meter race, which qualified her for the state meet.

TOP THREE ACHIEVEMENTS At the 2016 indoor 1. Put in group 1, as one of the top run- state meet, Turlingners, after improving by 40 seconds. ton ran a personal 2. Qualifying for the indoor state cham- best of 2 minutes and 28 seconds. pionship this year Teammates say 3. Becoming a cross country state final- she acts as a positive ist this year presence.

“Molly is really enthusiastic, which always motivates the team during runs and workouts,” junior Jessica Meek said.

Turlington’s steady attitude and resilient work ethic has impressed track coach Chad Boyle.

“She understands that each day is going to bring different challenges and she keeps an even emotional level through the peaks and valleys,” Boyle said.

Despite the fact that she has proven herself to be a strong competitor, Turlington still gets nervous come race time.

“It helps to go through the same motions and drills every time. I feel like I’m getting better and growing more confidence the longer I run,” Turlington said.

She plans on joining the club team at University of Maryland.

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photos from gouger, gioffreda and bechtold

Left: Senior Hannah Gouger rests after her 100-meter backstroke race at the Junior National competition in Irvine, Calif. in 2014, where she placed 14th overall.

Middle: Junior Connor Gioffreda swims during a June 2015 competition at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Right: Senior Raphael Bechtold swims the 200-meter butterfly at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club Mid-Summer Classic last July at Meadowbrook pool.

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christine condon, editor-in-chief t least three upperclassmen swimmers here are preparing for advanced competition.

Senior Hannah Gouger and junior Connor Gioffreda have qualified for the Olympic and Paralympic trials, respectively, ahead of this summer’s games in Rio de Janeiro. Senior Raphael Bechtold is within seconds of junior national cuts, and preparing for the collegiate lanes.

Gouger qualified for the Olympic trials, which will take place in Omaha, Neb. June 26 through July 2, with her time of 1:03.07 in the 100-meter backstroke. Gouger, ranked 25th nationally among 18-year-olds for the event, said she’s anxious, but is no stranger to the fierce competition.

“I’ve swum before with these Olympians, so it’s not the first time that I’m competing with them,” she said, adding that she feels honored to be among the trial’s competitors.

Gouger will swim at the University of Richmond this fall.

Gioffreda, who has dwarfism, will head to Charlotte, N.C. for his trials, which are set for June 30 through July 2.

His teammate, junior Megan Taylor, says Gioffreda’s work ethic defines him.

“He’s the first one in and the last one out—that’s Connor,” she said.

Some of his best times include 1:13.38 in the 100-yard freestyle and 35. 63 in the 50-yard butterfly.

Meanwhile, senior Raphael Bechtold is practicing for collegiate competition.

Bechtold, who will swim at Johns Hopkins University this fall, said he’s confident he’ll be able to accomplish his goals.

“My last championship meet, I was three seconds off the 400 individual medley junior national cut, and one second off the national cut in the 200 fly,” he said.

Recognizing four-year varsity athletes CROSS COUNTRY Austin Carey Brynn Jones OUTDOOR TRACK Kira Flemke Cristina Lopez Kristin Meek Eric Walz

GARRETT MICHEL

photo by haneyah carter-johnson

LACROSSE Garrett Michel Mackenzie Gandy Melanie Gandy Emma O’Grady Annie Sachs Alex Wood

SOCCER Nina Gayleard SOFTBALL Emma Bevard TENNIS Will Paranzino GOLF Bobby Mulraney Chase Wassel

JUNIOR VARSITY

Injury only strengthens

VOLLEYBALL Mallory Svoboda MALLORY SVOBODA

photo by stephanie rountree

Injuries prompt change, perseverance

going the distance

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kristin meek, sports editor was first introduced to Ronald on March 18, 2015. Ronald was my new best friend, my ally for the next six weeks and a constant reminder of all the fun I wouldn’t be having on the track. After I was diagnosed with a left tibia stress fracture from overuse, my doctor gave me a boot to wear. Ronald became its name.

For the next six weeks of my junior year outdoor track season, I could only cheer my teammates on from the sidelines or watch them run laps as I biked to stay in shape. When pedaling still caused me pain, I had to make the transition to aqua running in the pool at the Atlantic Coast Athletic Clubs Fitness and Wellness Center, isolated from my team and the sport that had grown on me so much.

Every day after I dried off and restrapped Ronald on my foot, I would internally curse the retched boot that prevented me from hitting my season

goals, and vowed to not let it happen again.

The spring of junior year is the most important for runners who want to be recruited by colleges. I wasn’t blind to the fact that my dip in the running world turned programs away. After a slow start, I qualified just in time to make it back to race in the outdoor championship season.

Now, one year later, it almost seems like my injury is a thing of the past.

Regardless of slow spring times, I was accepted into Johns Hopkins University, my top-choice school, and will be running on their three-time NCAA Division III National Champion Womens cross country team.

“The risk of a repeat injury still looms.”

Everything I wanted for college is playing out in front of me, but the risk of a repeat injury still looms.

My situation isn’t unique. According to Runner’s World, runners that have experienced a stress fracture have a 60 percent chance of developing another one.

With my history of weak shins plus the added mileage and intensity of collegiate running, I’m worried that

I’ll be sidelined before even making an impact.

To combat the odds stacked against me, strength training has become the core of my daily routine—especially hip exercises and leg raises. Weak hips have been linked to IT Band pain, runner’s knee, piriformis issues, stress fractures and more. It all cycles back to the hips.

Everything I do is for injury prevention, but once twinges of pain start to become consistent, there’s nothing else to do but back off. It takes about a half hour to get through my strength routine, and while I wish I could be doing anything else, the benefits are well worth the boredom.

Dealing with an injury is like going through the Kubler-Ross stages of grief. There’s denial that I allowed myself to become injured, anger that I’m falling behind my competition, bargaining for ways around sitting out, depression and finally acceptance.

The worst pain is emotional, and accepting that the hardest work lies ahead takes the greatest strength.

How athletes approach injuries shows their true mentalities.

Over the next few weeks, as I make my last attempt at medaling at the state championships, I’m thankful that I’m healthy again and ready to chase down the best.

It’s time to compete.

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sophie sun, staff writer reshman Brooke Ruffin shocked coaches and teammates with her ability to rebound from a stress fracture to rank among the top junior varsity athletes in the county. After Ruffin’s win in the Pikesville Invitational freshman-sophomore mile with a time of 5 minutes, 29 seconds April 29, coach Chad Boyle recognized her potential photo by cristina lopez to qualify for the state champiBROOKE RUFFIN onship—a feat for a freshman.

“Every year it brings the best up and coming runners from around the state, and she was able to outlast them,” Boyle said of the race.

Sophomore teammate Dorrie Gaeng admires Ruffin’s dedication and flexibility.

“She struggled with an injury, but I think that says a lot about her and the fact that she has overcome such adversity,” she said.

But Ruffin’s injury TOP THREE ACHIEVEMENTS proved a valuable 1. Competing in all cross country meets learning experidespite not running the full season ence, she said.

“I learned that I 2. Running the 2-mile after her first meet need to do strength back from injury training every day to achieve what 3. Making improvements with coach Benjamin and Boyle after her stress frac- I want to in running,” Ruffin said. ture It all started when she met with cross country and track coach Jason Boyle last June, and was invited to attend an intense cross country summer camp at Appalachian State University in North Carolina.

There, her athletic ability blossomed.

Apart from dedicating so much of her time and effort to running, she also swims for the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

“She has a very decorated background in competitive swimming, and this will serve as a great asset in her future development as a runner,” Boyle said.

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may 20, 2016

the griffin

scene dulaney 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.

Senior Max Jemellaro, a four-year HVAC student and winner of this year’s Career and Technical Education Excellence Award, spoke to staff writer Alexis Mejia about his plans.

AM: What are your post-graduation plans?

MJ: I plan on working at Not Mechanical, which is a heating and air conditioning business in Hunt Valley. I’ll work there full time and go to night school twice a week. They pay for all my education so I’ll be there for three years because I finished my first year here. After that I would like to own my own business and then hopefully run for president one day. That’ll be pretty cool.

A hackathon participant and tech wizard, senior Zhiyi Kuang took time to talk to staff writer Alexis Mejia about his roadmap for the future.

AM: What are your post-graduation plans?

ZK: After Dulaney I will to go to Cornell University, and I’m going to major in computer science so that I can probably start my own business. I hope I can join the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. That’s my end goal for my future, I guess. So maybe I’ll be a billionaire one day.

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photo by natalie mozoki

SENIORS JAMAL WILLIS and Joey O’Dwyer join horticulture teacher John Enders and senior Tommy Parker (left to right) outside the new wing to craft the base for a compost bin May 10. The bin will eventually be placed outside for use by students, Enders said, and its contents will benefit horticulture’s gardens.

Hard truth inspires Beyoncé

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jason fontelieu, associate editor fter listening to Beyoncé’s new album “Lemonade” and watching the film of the same name, I don’t think anyone will ever be able to look at Jay-Z, her husband, with any ounce of respect.

Beyoncé released the new album in the form of an album film on HBO April 23. The only promotion for new music from her was the release of “Formation” in early February and a cryptic trailer for the movie that dropped on her Instagram account.

“Lemonade” finds Beyoncé shedding any sense of vulnerability exposed in her last self-titled album. She hardens into a shell of courage and defiance in the face of obstacles, whether it be the adultery of her partner or racial prejudice.

Each track thoughtfully compliments each other, as the overarching messages are reinforced in each track. We find reggae beats on “Hold Up,” hard rock on “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” and

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2020 YORK RD. TIMONIUM, MD

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the acoustic jazz rhythms of “Daddy Lessons.”

The album warrants mixed emotions, however. Though it makes all other music sound like legitimate trash, a listener can’t help but empathize with poor Beyoncé as she feels herself losing her husband to another

put them hands high/Wave it in his face, tell him, boy, bye.”

Themes of African-American pride are also touched upon, especially in “Freedom,” which features Kendrick Lamar. She chants, “Freedom! Freedom! I can’t move/ Freedom, cut me loose!”

In addition, the clip of the “Lemonade” film accompanying the song “Forward” shows African American mothers holding framed pictures of their sons who were killed.

The mother of Trayvon Martin was included in those showed. Martin was killed in photo reproduced with permisson of HBO 2012 by a neighborhood security guard. woman, referred to as “Becky This album has something for with the good hair” in “Sorry.” everyone. Feeling sad? Listen to Poetic lyrics are directly aimed “Sandcastles.” Feel like dancat her adulterous lover, leaving ing? Listen to “6 Inch,” which the listener wondering why any- features The Weeknd. Slivers one would ever want to cheat on of wisdom are also provided, Beyoncé. revealing Beyoncé’s views on Her anger at Jay-Z and at her- forgiveness and equality. self are most confidently belted in “Sorry”: “Middle fingers up, OVERALL RATING:

may 20, 2016

the griffin

13 features

post: paul banegura Senior Paul Banegura, soon to be on his way to Yale University, met with staff writer Hannah Gouger to discuss coding, “Game of Thrones” and his difficulty in deciding between two liberal arts majors.

READING: I used to read pretty often, but recently all of my reading has been for school. I did start reading George Orwell’s “1984.” My plan was to finish before the Advanced Placement exams.

Now it’s something to get done in my free time.

I have only gotten part of the way through it. I think it is unique, this sort of dystopian society and the complexity of the character.

to learn it but last year I took computer science A with Ms. Lattimore. I really liked the course, so I took C++ this year, and in my free time I’ve learned Java and Java Script. I am currently trying to create a game in 3D, but I don’t claim to be some sort of professional.

CHANGING: Certainly, going to college will be a unique change. I’m going to Yale University.

It’ll be the first time away from my family, first time I don’t go to the same school as my sister. Meeting different types of people, everyone there is just amazing. Someone there can speak 13 languages. I think it will be interesting not being as popular, in regard to academics.

WATCHING: “Game of Thrones” (spoilI did Model UN for four years here, ers ahead) just started again. I’m reand that experience has shaped me a ally happy, season five ended on a lot. It has caused me to become a lot saddening note with one of the charmore empathetic, and perhaps seek a caacters dying. He was the protagonist of reer that’s not necessarily just money. the story, so it didn’t seem that he I am highly considering studying would be killed off. Now I’m reglobal affairs in college. Either ally excited to see how season that or Ethics and Policies. six progresses because I also I don’t think working at read the books for the series Chick-fil-a opened my eyes, called “Earth and Fire.” but it definitely contributed. A The books aren’t complete lot of people work at Chickyet, so now the show is fil-a, and a lot of them are taking its own twist on the middle class who don’t need story. I would like to see the money, but a lot of them where they are heading. are very low income people who work in the city or live FOLLOWING: I use Facebook with a ton of family members. much more often I think.

I guess that’s one of the biggest On there, I follow Robert things that has been aggravatphoto by stephanie Reich, who is an economist, ing, because I definitely come rountree and he supports Bernie Sandfrom a lesser-income family. Just ers. I have been watching a being around those people my lot of videos that are more entire life has really motivated supportive of progressive me to work towards greater policies, and why Trump and Cruz, socioeconomic justice. even though he dropped out, are more I think it was U.S. History, and my trip negative candidates in relation to Bernie to China the summer after sophomore Sanders. I know that is very political, but I don’t year, that made me want to steer towards really follow many people. politics maybe, so that I can get an understanding of society, how people act, why they act and promote HOBBIES: I dabble in computer science. I always wanted and create a better world.

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photo from coward

SENIOR CHRIS COWARD handles the controls in the cockpit of an airplane in Westminster, where he flies every week.

Senior takes flight

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hanna bewley, staff writer ver wonder what it’s like pilot a plane 10,000 feet in the air? Just ask senior Christopher Coward, who started flying three years ago.

Coward became interested in piloting in ninth grade through his cousin, a British Airways captain.

“Hearing people say, ‘It’s really cool that you do that’ makes me even happier to continue,” Coward said.

Coward flies three hours every week in Westminster, and describes his efforts as rewarding, but, at times, scary.

“If you aren’t scared, then there is something wrong with you.”

His scariest experience came during a landing, when a wind shear caused a stall.

“I had to focus on doing my job calmly, so I pushed forward and added some power,” he said.

Though most of his flights

now are solos, Coward’s best memory is his first solo last June. He’s also enjoyed doing nose-dives and spins.

“You take the aircraft 5,000 or 6,000 feet and take all the lift away,” Coward said. “I’ve only done one spin as they are very dangerous, but they are really fun.”

Coward said he could see himself becoming a pilot for a major airliner, and his flight instructor, Eric Botello, said Coward is among his most dedicated students.

“One day, you might catch a flight on a commercial airliner and hear Captain Coward speaking over the intercom,” Botello said.

“This summer, I plan to fly in the U.K. a lot and get an interview with British Airways and maybe Easy Jet,” Coward, who will be attending Elizabethtown College, said. “It’s great to see the world in a different perspective. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

the griffin

14 features

Retiring teachers look ahead

may 20, 2016

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photo by tori vandervest (Left to right) sophomore Ella Palarea, art teacher Jim Kuhlman and sophomore Arianna Gladstone stop for a selfie during their tour of Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum during their field trip to New York City April 6.

photo by christine condon

Above left: Special education teacher Sharon Baylin makes copies in the social studies bookroom May 9.

photo by stephanie rountree

Left: Engineering teacher Brian Bruneau assists sophomore Amanda Molino with a project in his A3 Engineering Design class May 9.

alex tuerk, multimedia editor and tori vandervest, design editor ogether, they’ve taught for at least 83 years. Now, special education teacher Sharon Baylin, engineering teacher Brian Bruneau and art department chairman Jim Kuhlman are setting their sights on new horizons as they prepare for retirement.

For Kuhlman, who is retiring after two decades here, becoming an educator was fate.

“I don’t ever really remember deciding to become a teacher. I think it was just who I was supposed to become.”

When others asked Kuhlman what he wanted to teach, his response sometimes puzzled them.

“I want to teach kids. I want to use art to teach them, but the kids are much more important than the subject,” he said, adding that this philosophy continued throughout his years of teaching.

While his long-term plans aren’t set in stone, with ideas ranging from traveling to Bermuda to teaching at Johns Hopkins, Kuhlman said he’ll be hosting a reunion for 37 students who’ve loaned him their artwork over the past 42 years.

“Many of them are legends to each other. They’ll get a chance to finally meet each other, pick up their artwork and renew the deep friendship we share. I cannot wait.”

Reflecting on her 20 years of teaching, Baylin recounted a fond memory from her first day here from Owings Mills High School, where she taught for nine years.

“A student held the door open for me as I walked up the stairs from the parking lot on my first day at Dulaney. He introduced himself, told me he was a senior, escorted me to my room, and said he hoped I would like teaching here. I knew then Dulaney was the place I wanted to work.”

11 years later, she has made an impact on the school beyond her teaching position. Baylin was a class advisor to the Class of 2012, a National Honor Society sponsor, and an unofficial part of the social studies department.

“I’ve worked with almost every social studies teacher here, met many of their children and spouses, shared plants, recipes, hilarious stories, and formed unbreakable bonds,” she said.

Baylin plans on globetrotting post-retirement. The avid traveler said she looks toward to visiting the Middle East, adding that her daughter, who’s fluent in Arabic, may act as a tour guide.

Bruneau said his retirement has been a long time coming. After working for 40 years, 21 of which have been spent teaching a variety of engineering classes, Bruneau said he’s looking forward to retirement’s freedom.

“That’s the nice thing about retirement is that you don’t have to plan, and you can just do it as things come up,” he said.

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photo by claire vecchioni

Inspired by professionals SOPHOMORE ASHLEY GUETLER adds the finishing touches to her self portrait in Joanna Waring’s 1A Gifted and Talented Intermediate Art class May 3.

“My favorite part would have to be my smile because I was scared of doing it and afraid that I would mess it up because that is what would have made my portrait look like me,” Guetler said.

Guetler loves taking art class, she said.

“You’re able to just lose yourself in painting or drawing or whatever you’re doing and enjoy yourself rather than worrying about homework or tests like in other classes,” she said.

may 20, 2016

15 features

the griffin

Senior slices through competition, wins F photo from wang

SENIOR KEVIN WANG (right) competes in an elimination match at a competition in Fredericksburg, Va. on Sept. 26, 2015.

cameron bernhardt, web editor encing transformed senior Kevin Wang.

“It taught me maturity. I learned that you’re going to lose a lot, but that’s the process – you go back to practice the next week and you make yourself better,” he said.

Wang started fencing at the Baltimore Fencing Center at age 10 and practices about six hours each week.

At age 13, Wang switched weapons from a foil to an épée, which has a heavier, stiffer blade. Wang said the more defensive style of épée fencing meshed better with his own.

Wang then made it on the national ranking for fencers under 14-years-old.

In September last year, Wang achieved a “B” ranking in his age group at the District of Columbia Fencing Club’s Champagne Challenge, an accomplishment he dubbed his proudest. Yet, Wang said he tries to focus on more than the numbers.

“Overall, the fencing behind the ranking is what matters,” he said.

Wang’s fencing experience is a key component in his leadership ability in the robotics, programming and Future Business Leaders of America clubs here, according to Wang’s fellow FBLA officer and senior Zhiyi Kuang.

“Kevin’s definitely become a leader and someone to look up to since middle school, and I think fencing has really helped him with that,” Kuang said.

Wang is also interested in computer science.

“I’ve always had an interest in computers and gaming, and I’ve really enjoyed the programming competitions we’ve been to at other schools,” Wang said.

Wang will attend Cornell University in the fall, where he will major in computer science. Although Cornell doesn’t have a NCAA mens fencing team, Wang intends to continue fencing competitively at the club level while in college.

Senior quotes stage comeback

BACK STORY alex tuerk, multimedia editor and jason mcclellan, web editor or class of 1986 graduate Todd Biedermann, brevity was the soul of wit.

“Frog in the sewer.”

This year marks the first time since 1993 that seniors here have had the ability to choose a quote to appear below their yearbook photo. These quotes are intended to capture a student’s four years in a brief statement.

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Howell Gatchell, class of 1965, echoed Biedermann’s conciseness.

“Don’t let your meat loaf.”

Other quotes from yearbooks prior to 1993 tended to be personal, selfmade statements. In contrast, the trend in the 248 quotes received this year was to use an outside source rather than create something new.

Senior Keaton Bolonda sided with a line spoken by character Michael Scott on NBC’s The Office.

“People worry about what other people are thinking about them, but in reality it’s just easier if you don’t care,” Bolonda said of his quote.

Yet phrases like that of senior Jonah Langlieb, which references his fast-paced speech, prove originality is still present in the practice.

“I’m modifying the verb talk, so it should be ‘slowly’. But I think the incorrect ‘slow’ sounds more interesting because it’s such a subtle error,” he said.

JOYCE FISCH “Dad took my car again!”

TODD BIEDERMANN “Frog in the sewer.”

photo from 1986 yearbook

photo from 1962 yearbook

KEATON BOLONDA “Would I rather be feared or loved?

Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.”

JONAH LANGLIEB “Why speak slow?”

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the griffin

16 features

may 20, 2016

What may be last senior art shows captivate

photo by drew persinger

photo by marianne howard

photo by sarah feustle

Left: Alumna Viktoriya Gospodinova speaks with Cockeysville Middle School art teacher Sam Georgieff during seniors Vesi Mineva’s and Emily Shipley’s art show April 5.

Above left: “Destroyed,” a watercolor by senior Vesi Mineva that was featured in the April 5 art show.

Above center: Students discuss and view the artwork - which included sketchbooks on display - during seniors Jackie Andrews’s, Jarrin Jacobs’s and Tori Vandervest’s April 28 art show.

Above right: Art featured in senior Kat Hanson’s May 11 art show, which was put on for seniors in Gifted and Talented Studio Art. Right: Art department chairman Jim Kuhlman shares information about Mineva’s and Shipley’s art show April 5. photo by drew persinger

photo by jordan nicolette

T

alexis mejia, staff writer aylor Swift’s soft vocals interlaced with hushed admiration. Seniors Tori Vandervest, Jarrin Jacobs and Jackie Andrews surrounded themselves with friends, family and their works of art during their Advanced Placement Studio II senior art show in room 240 April 28.

For 20 years, art department chairman Jim Kuhlman has required his students to execute a senior art show in lieu of a written exam. But with Kuhlman retiring, the

shows may also vanish next year.

“I hope the next teacher will not only continue the shows, but find a way to do something better,” Kuhlman said.

The shows are valuable to artists for eliciting pride and sentiment, Andrews said.

“The people in my class are really my family. It’s a really good moment but it’s also a really sad moment.”

Senior Suejin Jun found that her May 10 show gave her an opportinity she wouldn’t have had otherwise.

artists among us:

“I can get really nervous and shy with our artwork and this show is beneficial because I get to show off what I can do,” she said.

Each show embodies artists’ dedication, as students must focus on a specific subject or technique for the majority of their pieces.

“My focus was ‘tired’ because that is something I felt all through high school,” senior Emily Shipley said of her work, which employed negative space and graphite to create a hazy expression. Shipley partnered with senior Vesi Mineva to stage an art

show entitled “Drifting” April 5.

For the artists, this rite of passage is one they believe shouldn’t be given up.

“Especially if you’re going to continue doing art, I think it’s a good experience to have your own little show before doing it for real,” senior Kat Hanson said after her May 10 show.

Senior Nina Gayleard, whose show opened March 14, agreed.

“Taking the main art out of your final is just taking the whole art aspect away.”

Senior artists make their marks

Passion drives her to teach

SENIORS Anastasia Strouboulis, Jackie Andrews and Meredith Riley (left to right) talk about a mixed media selfportrait by Andrews during her senior art show April 28.

I

“It felt like every frustrating practice seschristine condon, editor-in-chief t was late January, and senior musi- sion and every failed audition was worth cian Sara Glasser was headed to her it,” she said.

Glasser plays several other instruments, oboe audition at her top choice school, from the piano to the the University of Maryflute. Glasser has played land, with peanut butin the pit orchestra of ter, jelly and slices of four straight musical probread in tow. ductions here, and served “For our music eduas the section leader for cation interview, our the frontline ensemble in only task was ‘teach marching band. us something.’ I didn’t Outside of school, know what to do, so I Glasser takes piano and asked my mom, and oboe lessons with proshe said, ‘I don’t know, fessionals, and plays teach them how to in orchestras at the make a peanut butter Peabody Preparatory and jelly sandwich,’ so Institute and Towson I did.” she said.

University. She particiGlasser’s college apphoto from glasser pated in the Baltimore plication process came with the added stress SENIOR SARA GLASSER practices oboe dur- Symphony Orchestra’s of preparing to perform ing a rehearsal at the Peabody Prepa- Side-by-Side program ratory Institute April 30. and All-County Band. songs on her oboe for This year, Glasser takes three music classcompetitive auditions.

“Basically I woke up thinking about au- es, and serves as an intern for the concert ditions, I spent all day thinking about au- band, with band teacher Matthew Benner, ditions, I went to bed and thought about who has noticed Glasser’s growth.

“Now she definitely has a lot more conauditions and then I dreamed about the auditions,” she said. “It just never ended.” fidence in what she’s doing. She’s starting The preparations began in May of Glass- to think a lot more like a teacher,” he said.

Glasser said her love of music aligns er’s junior year, and reached a fever pitch leading up to her five auditions. In March, closely with her love of teaching.

“Being able to teach through music, she received her acceptance letter from UMD. Weeks later, she received a full tu- change lives through music, is a miraculous thing,” she said. ition scholarship from its music school.

photo by sarah feustle

Andrews impresses with style

S

sarah feustle, editor-in-chief he’s art editor of Sequel.

She has taken art classes for all four years of high school. She fills her National Honor Society point forms with art-related service.

Not surprisingly, senior Jackie Andrews has wanted to be an artist since childhood.

“I used to finish my dinner, and then use the condiments and draw on my plate,” she recalled.

Andrews is invested in art.

“I don’t know what I would do if I wasn’t an artist,” she said. “If I wasn’t an artist, I would have no job.”

She earned the support of art department chairman Jim Kuhlman.

“Her work has evolved steadily without restraint or

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insincerity,” he said.

Andrews’ use of vibrant colors, like neon pink and seafoam green, is one of the most noticeable features of her art, according to senior Jarrin Jacobs.

“She has a great sense of color theory and how well colors work together, and that really makes her work stand out,” Jacobs said. “Her style is unlike anything I’ve seen before.”

Fellow student artists admire her dedication, like senior Kira Flemke.

“She is unafraid of criticism and change,” Flemke said, noting how Andrews has become unapologetic about her whimsical style over time.

When she’s in need of inspiration, Andrews has her

trusty collection of art books – but says she finds the most inspiration in how other people interact with her art.

“Every element that I put into my art is second nature to me, and I love watching what people gravitate towards,” Andrews said.

Andrews has big plans for her future, some of which are already in motion: she opened an Etsy shop in early April, where she sells stickers for $1 to $4, and plans to start a multimedia publication for young women creatives.

Long term, she aims high.

“I’d love to create a museum that’s kind of for the ‘everything else’ – sketchbooks, and package design, and all kinds of crazy stuff like that.”