Volume 41, Issue 7

The

Bear Facts

Lake Braddock Secondary School 9200 Burke Lake Road, Burke, Virginia 22015

Volume XLI, Issue 7

April 10 2014

Bracket gets the boot p. 5

photo by Elena Simon

2 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 Table of Contents

5 News

Flipped classes have had triumphs and tribulations this year.

10 Profile

Emily Beagles looks to continue her photography.

16 Arts

The Main Thing served as a artistic collaboration.

19 In-Depth

Celebrate the 40 years Lake Braddock has existed.

23 Comment

Is the Booty Bracket demeaning?

28 Style

The lost and found is no longer a complete mystery.

35 Sports

The managers play an important role behind the scenes.

Staff 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 3

Bear with us: Meet the staff Editors and Management Editors-in-Chief - Ben Tobin and Josh Wartel Managing Editor - Danny Murphy Copy Chief and Business Manager - Lizzie Callahan Sports Editors - Thomas Kendziora and Jordan Small News Editors - Nick Porter and Amy Wang Profile Editors - Anne Merrill and Emily Migdal Style Editors - Michael Galligan and Demetri Karounos In-Depth Editor - Sara Kim

Comment Editor - Quentin Paleo Arts Editors - Megan Cantwell and John Esper Web Editor - Nathan Zelalem Assistant Business Managers - Alex Nesterovich and Jonah Scharf Graphic Editor - Jesse Sands Photo Manager and Web Editor - Elena Simon Assistant Photo Manager - Jordan Stone Assistant In-Depth Editor - KatieVinson Assistant Comment Editor - Kai DeBus

Staff Writers Omar Amin Paul Barnhill Ian Bivona Andrew Clinton Ben Concepcion Lauren Crawford Sandi Daamash Dinali Dassanayaka Caroline Deaton Mikal Fikremariam Austin Garlick Amanda Hendrix Victoria Hodge Claire Hollinger Steve Hong Jake Hruska Kevin Hua Spencer Jolley Katie Karlinchak Patrick Kearney This student-run paper is an open forum produced by the journalism department and is given free of charge to all Lake Braddock high school students and faculty. The Bear Facts is an independent, studentrun newspaper serving the

Editorial Policy

students, the faculty and the Lake Braddock community as an open forum for student expression. Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the editorial board and unless otherwise noted are written by a member of the staff.

The editorial board solicits responsible commentaries and letters to the editors but

Aya Khaznadar Margaret Komoniewski Tu Lam Andres Lang Devon Lee Hannah Lim Mike Lodato Yaitza Lopez Ryan Mullins Michael Murphy Andy Ngo Connor O’Neil Victoria Park Tom Rahme Hannah Richins Pooja Shethna Marcell Subert AshleyThompson MarleenTipu Adviser - Kathryn Helmke

reserves the right to edit for style, grammar or lack of space.

Letters and commentaries containing obscenity, racial slur or libelous comments will not be published. A letter will not be excluded from the newspaper solely because it conflicts with the views of the newspaper or past or current editorials.

All letters must be signed by

the author, or they will not be published. Corrections are printed on an as needed basis on page 2 of the paper.

Advertising inquiries can be referred to bfacts@gmail.com.

The Bear Facts is located in room L202 and can be reached by calling (703) 426-1087.

Responses may also be emailed to bfacts@gmail.com.

10 April 2014 News Briefs

4 The Bear Facts

Quick Bites of Braddock and Beyond The NOVA field trip is tomorrow, Thursday, April 10 and Friday, April 11.

If you have any last minute questions, talk to Mrs. Edwards in the Career Center.

There will be a PTSA meeting on Monday, April 28 in the library, at 7 p.m. If you have any questions or if you want to voice your opinion on an issue, be sure to attend. You can also speak to your class representatives so they can speak for you.

photo by Deborah Cannon/MCTCampus

photo courtesy of R.L. Mirabal photo by Theresa Schiffer/MCTCampus

Spring break begins Monday, April 14 and ends on Sunday, April 20. The first Monday back will be a gold even day. Be sure to spend time with your family and go outside and enjoy the weather.

Unplugged auditions will be held on Friday, May 2. If you have any questions about trying out or the actual event, talk to Mr. Mirabal in room N111.

On Wednesday, April 2, a lone gunman opened fire at Fort Hood in Texas.

Three people were killed and others were seriously injured. The identity of the soldier at this point has yet to become public. However, authorities are saying that he was a soldier that had served in Iraq and had behavioral issues. This incident is likely to spur debates on gun control and mental health priorities for veterans.

photo by Chuck Myers/MCTCampus

photo by Elena Simon photo by Lifetouch

The All-State Chorus Concert practices begin on Thursday, April 24 and continues through Friday, April 25. The actual concert will be held on Saturday, April 26. Come out and support the LB chorus.

AP Exams begin on Monday, May 5 and carry on through Friday, May 16.

Exams are held in various locations so be sure to clarify where you are going with your teacher beforehand. Also, make sure that you know when your exam will be held. There is a morning session and an afternoon session.

On Wednesday, April 2, the Supreme Court lifted a ban on limits for aggregate campaign donations. The justices ruled 5-4 on this decision.

This lifted ban now increases the role of money in American politics. Some argue that this will give more power to wealthy campaign donors. Chief Justice John Roberts claimed that by lifting the ban, citizens to express their First Amendment rights on deciding who can govern them.

5News

10 April 2014

Amid concerns, Booty Bracket shut down

by Nick Porter - News Editor

Bracket.

“It could be considered cyber sexual harassment,” Prieto said. “For us, the very March, sports fans from concerns are also the impact that it has on all over the country unite to the people involved.” enjoy one of the greatest sports Even though almost all of the spectacles. Dubbed March Madness, deliberations of the Booty Bracket took the NCAA basketball tournament is place outside of school and on the undoubtedly one of America’s internet, administrators still felt greatest annual traditions. People they had jurisdiction to intervene. cheer on their favorite teams, “The critical word is nexus,” bask in the unmatched thrill of Prieto said. “If there is a nexus to the competition and regularly feel school, that part we can address.” a sense of pride when a largely In this case, Prieto justified the unknown school makes a deep administration’s involvement on run into the tournament. But the grounds that the Booty Bracket just as conclusions are often caused a disruption in class. drawn about our society from “The fact that two of the ‘code our fixation on the NCAA lists’ were confiscated during tournament, various opinions are classes, by teachers, can already fit being formed about high school under the umbrella of disruption of students in light of a recently held class,” Prieto said. “The fact that competition of similar fashion. a whole bunch of the screenshots Referred to as the Booty of Twitter postings were done in Bracket, Lake Braddock students school, by our students, then that recently engaged in the school’s becomes fair game.” first annual bout of backside.

Tony Copeland, subschool 5 During the last few weeks, photo by Nick Porter principal, also said that it was the Booty Bracket emerged as a popular competition. Senior Burak Esen, the creator of the Lake Braddock “Booty Bracket,” tweeted an within the administration’s rights to stop the Booty Bracket.

Paralleling March Madness, it apology after the bracket was shut down by LB administration.

“Students, as all Americans do, have a involved judging Lake Braddock girls on the Lake Braddock competition was shut down a few short days after it began, while right to free speech,” Copeland said. “But their butts.

A bracket system was designed that the South County bracket recently saw its in the school environment, we also have the right to restrict certain speech.” mirrored the March Madness format, and way to conclusion. “[We made it to] the Elite 8,” Esen Copeland affirmed Prieto’s position that girls were voted on via a Twitter account that has since been shut down. A master said. “We had about three more days till it the two confiscated lists and the tweeting that occurred during school were enough list was assembled, assigning girls seeded would’ve been finished.”

Despite the popularity, however, many for the Booty Bracket to be considered a positions (1-32), and girls were given a team students at Lake Braddock have questioned significant disruption. that represented them in the competition.

“You can’t be in the school building “It could’ve been better organized the rectitude of such a bracket.

“I thought it was weird that guys were and say things of a nature that’s going to seeding wise,” Burak Esen, one of the creators of the Booty Bracket, said. “It looking at my butt,” senior Madi Ray said, disrupt our ability to provide a free and a competitor in the Booty Bracket. “It was public education,” Copeland said. “If your worked very well.” speech conflicts with peoples’ right to a free The inspiration for the Lake Braddock demeaning to a lot of girls.”

Another girl included in the Booty education, there are reasons to do that.”

Booty Bracket was @socobootyology, a While school administrators attest that Twitter account run by South County High Bracket, senior Isabella DeLuca, formed School students, who held a similar bracket- her opinion from the intent rather than the their decision to stop the Booty Bracket doesn’t serve as precedent, the line between based butt competition. The South County actual fallout.

“Girls weren’t even supposed to know “in school” and “out of school” activity account publically tweeted the names of the chosen girls, and accepted votes in the form about it,” DeLuca said. “The intention from continues to be blurred by social media.

Days after @BruinBracket was deleted, of “retweets” and “favorites” in response to the start wasn’t to make it such a huge thing and wasn’t to make girls suddenly worried Esen took to Twitter to issue an apology. the tweet.

Esen and all other Booty Bracket founders “I basically looked at their bracket and about their appearances.”

The Lake Braddock administration said that they meant no harm to the girls found every flaw and issue with it and then made a better version of it,” Esen said. stopped the Booty Bracket a few days involved.

“It caused an unnecessary uproar “The [team] names added a fun, little secret into the competition. Subschool 6 principal Cynthia Prieto, together with for about a week,” Esen said. “I had no vocabulary in and outside of Twitter.”

The Lake Braddock Twitter account, subschool 4 principal Peter Kelly, led the intention of hurting anyone’s feelings. And which went by the name @BruinBracket, administration’s inquiry into the Booty I learned a lot.”

E

gained more than 100 followers in the few short days it was active. Administered in a more organized manner than the South County equivalent, the @BruinBracket account was private, and accepted votes for the respective female contenders in the form of Twitter “direct message.” Even so,

6 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 News

Sexual Assault Month lifts awareness

by Ryan Mullins - Staff Writer

S

exual Assault Month, which is dedicated to the month of April has arrived, bringing with it a promoted awareness and a need for people to understand just what sexual assault is and how to deal with and prevent it from happening.

Sexual assault is an issue that exists all throughout the world. It is present in every country, and unfortunately happens regularly.

Every year around 237,868 become victims of sexual assault.

While there are so many reported events of sexual assault, even more are unreported.

Sixty percent of sexual assaults are not reported to police.

At LB there have not been any recent reports of sexual assault, however, the reason for this could be because they haven’t been reported.

“If there are victims, they’re not coming forward,” counselor Deb Brown said. “It’s almost a secretive thing in that they’re likely embarrassed, and they blame themselves, which is common.”

The issue with not coming forward not only lies in the fact that the perpetrator is not apprehended, but it leads them to think that their actions were justified or that it wasn’t actually sexual assault.

“I’ve seen it happen,” freshman Joey Kelley said. “Not so much as an act but as a

joke, but it still bothers people.”

One of the biggest issues with sexual assault is that often times most people don’t know when an act of sexual assault has been committed.

“I don’t think that they’re aware of it at all,” Kelley said. “I think that guys don’t see it as sexual assault but rather as flirting.”

This is a large part of why LB takes part in Sexual Assault Awareness Month, to educate the students on exactly what it is and how to prevent it from happening.

“We are working with students to try and put things on the Morning Bru about sexual assault,” Brown said. “We also put posters around the school to spread the word and to

get students to be more aware.”

There are many ways to get students to be more aware of sexual assault, but one of the simplest ways is to just explain what exactly it is. “[It would be helpful] to clarify what actual sexual assault is,” Kelley said, “because I don’t really think that people understand just what it is.”

Sexual assault can be defined as verbal, visual or any physical act that makes a person join in unwanted sexual contact or attention.

“We’re introducing it as a part of education so that students are aware,” Brown said. “I don’t think that they think it happens here.”

Another aspect of making people more aware is to promote ways in which students can combat it or prevent it from happening.

“We always tell kids to go with their gut,” Brown said. “If they feel a situation isn’t right then they should get out of there.”

While knowing when to remove oneself from a bad situation is important, it is also important to think ahead and avoid dangerous situations.

“Students also need to be smart and not put themselves in a dangerous situation,” Brown said.

With luck, after a month of educating students on the dangers and prominence of sexual assault, LB’s students will be left with more knowledge and, as a result, become safer as a community.

2014, the average teacher’s salary in FCPS is $67,245, while the average salary in Arlington is $74,903, according to the Washington Post.

“I don’t think my pay is fair, not with the new requirements,” German teacher Sarah Zaniello said. “There’s more work, like recommendations, and the pay isn’t going up. The most discouraging thing is that [Fairfax County] used to be a leader, and now it’s losing ground and quality teachers.”

One protest, however, could affect students negatively.

By only “working to contract” teachers would stop doing things like staying after school, writing college and honor society recommendation letters, chaperoning prom, sending emails, science and art fairs, travel and extra credit projects.

“I think it’s one good way to protest,” Zaniello said. “It was done before, but I’m not sure if it worked. But it sends a message.”

The goal of working only to contract is to draw the attention of Fairfax County officials in charge.

“I guess working to contract would only work if parents expressed their concern about this to the school board and to the people who decide the property tax rates,” psychology teacher Wilson Rowe

said. “The pay is fair, but the concern is that it hasn’t gone up in several years while prices and taxes have.”

Some teachers don’t find “working to the contract” tactical.

“It doesn’t work, not really; it doesn’t impact the people who are going to raise the pay,” English teacher Alison Rockmann said.

“Teaching isn’t just teaching,” she said.

“Standing up in front of the classroom and teaching is probably just one fourth of the job. It includes grading, extra help before and after school, personal coaching, writing recommendations, sending emails out and creating lesson plans.”

Superintendent Karen Garza wishes to cut 700 staff positions to free up funds to increases teacher’s pay.

“We live in a very competitive marketplace,” superintendent Karen Garza said in an interview on the Kojo Nnamdi show. “We also know that having the best teachers we possibly can have in every classroom, in any school organization, is mission critical. They are what makes things happen for our children. So, that has to be a priority for us, and that is to make sure that we’re being very competitive with our surrounding jurisdictions, that we keep our best teachers in our classrooms.”

“I don’t really think that people understand just what [sexual assault] is”

- freshman Joey Kelley

FCPS teachers ‘work to the contract’ in protest

by Marleen Tipu - Staff Writer

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rowing classroom sizes. Budget cuts. For the past few years, the job of an FCPS educator has only grown more demanding. The new reality of teaching in Fairfax County has little to no pay raises, more students per class and an increasing amount of work to be done out of school.

Pay has been stagnant during the years and the pace of new teacher evaluation systems isn’t slowing down.

Teachers are also dealing with new, complicated elementary school report cards, assessment tools that require more data and analysis and the rollout of other troublesome technological tools, according to the Washington Post.

Teachers at Woodson have begun dressing down as a form of protest.

Refusing to dress professionally, many teachers now sport hoodies and sweatpants similar to what most students are wearing.

Teachers claim that they would rather spend the money on groceries instead of shopping for professional attire.

While FCPS contains 16 schools that received gold, silver or bronze in U.S New’s Best High School ranking, according to usnews.com, FCPS’s average teacher’s salary is lagging behind. In

The Bear Facts 7

News 10 April 2014

As class sizes shrink, teachers bemoan cuts

by Marcell Subert - Staff Writer

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ith the budget posed to be even tighter next school year, superintendent Karen Garza has released a proposal that will increase the minimum class size by one student at the high school level. With course selections finalized, staffing at LB may change as a result of the new proposal.

“At a minimum, we will staff all of our classes at 30.5 students,” principal Dave Thomas said. “Then there are variations with that; P.E. classes are generally staffed a bit bigger.”

The older requirement for class size was 29.5 students per class in order for the class to run. The half student is a result of how the statistics are rounded. The increase by one student may not seem like much, but, it can cause shifts for classes where 30-31 students signed up. Advanced academic classes are generally staffed higher than regular classes.

Advanced academic classes usually pertain to middle school elevated learning classes.

“Some advanced academic programs are staffed at 33 kids per class,” Thomas said.

Course tallies from selection forms are taken and put into “sections” or groups of students and classes. A larger class size

results in fewer sections, which result in less teachers. The amount of students in each room is also a concern as not all rooms can accommodate the extra students. This way the school district can save money by eliminating teaching positions by making classes larger. The amount of students that can fit in a room vary by class type and room size.

“I have been in classes with 32 students and have the advantage of having a nice large classroom,” English teacher Patricia Rice said. “Most of the classrooms at Lake Braddock are not set up for 30 kids.”

Rice’s debate class was also cut this year due to the lack of students who signed up for the class.

“Chris Donlon, a former student of mine, just came back and said that my debate class was the class that taught him college writing,” Rice said. “I’m sorry that I don’t get to teach debate; I missed it this year.”

Rice said she feels sorry for the students who can’t have her debate class this year because of the lack of students who signed up for it.

“It would be wonderful to have really small classes of kids, but that’s not affordable,” Rice said. “But 30 kids in a debate class, I can’t get through my curriculum.”

photo by Elena Simon

English 9 Honors teacher Patty Rice had her debate class cut due to classroom changes.

The decision of how many teaching positions will be eliminated will be determined towards the end of April.

“At the end of April, we will go through the staffing with human resources,” Thomas said. “At that point, we’ll tell them what we have, and we’ll give them an estimate of what we’re going to need in the way of teachers, and then we’ll start that process of matching up our teachers with our sections.”

With the new class size increase, some teachers are worried about the security of their jobs while others learn to deal with larger classes. Until staffing is finalized in late April, the fate of some instructors is unclear.

LB cracks down on schedule changes

by Devon Lee - Staff Writer

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witching out of a class used to be the easy solution to a bad teacher or difficult class. But it will no longer be the effortless way out because LB’s administrators are beginning to tighten their rules regarding switching class.

After Bruin Blast next year, students will no longer be able to change their schedule.

Only an incomplete schedule, an error in the student’s schedule, a requirement for graduation that has not been met or if the student passed the course previously or in the summer will allow a schedule to change, director of student services Alka Howard said. This may make the lives of administrators less stressful, but may create other issues.

“It is complicated because, on the surface, it looks easier, but in the long-run, it is more difficult on the teacher and the student,” English teacher Emily Becker said. “If a student is not in a class that meets their skill set, it makes the whole school year demoralizing, and it is not beneficial.”

Starting from December all the way until August, administrators, department

chairs and counselors put their energy towards developing student schedules.

They have to make the schedules so that it

After Bruin Blast next year, students will no longer be able to change their schedule. fits the student’s needs, but they also have to make sure that class sizes are similar.

“We hire teachers and allocate total number of sections for each course based on the courses students select in the spring,” Howard said. “With many classes at or near capacity, it is extremely difficult to change a schedule once schools starts.”

Although it is a lot of work for the administrators, sometimes students feel the need to change their schedule.

“I understand both sides,” freshman Eliza Thorpe said. “Students get overwhelmed with the classes they take, and administrators have put classes together, and when students are constantly wanting to change classes, it is just a hassle.”

There are many reasons for why students feel the need to switch out of a class.

“Students may perceive the course as too challenging, especially if they are enrolled in an AP course...Students have simply changed their minds, and the course does not meet their expectations… [or the] student is in the class and finds it too easy,” Howard said.

Howard suggests that students should take more time when they decide what courses to take.

“As course selection for next year requires extensive planning, students should give it a lot of thought,” Howard said. “This needs to be a collaborative process, and students should work with their parents, teachers and counselor to plan appropriately for next year. The goal is to feel that you are being challenged academically while maintaining good grades.”

8 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 News

Flipped-classrooms turn tradition upside down

photo by Amy Wang

AP Biology teacher Jason Switzer’s YouTube page contains videos that instruct his students on the contents of the class in order to free up time in school.

by Omar Amin - Staff Writer

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ince its inception, YouTube has been a platform for users to upload their creations for other users to view them. Now teachers are uploading videos to this platform for the purpose of teaching their students the required curriculum that would have otherwise been taught in school.

FCPS has implemented a new policy that shortens AP biology and AP chemistry from two-period classes down to one-period classes due to changes in the AP curriculum.

This action forced teachers to resort to other

methods in order to fit their curriculum into the time allotted. One such method is called the flipped-classroom method. This method involves teachers recording a video and uploading it to YouTube, or a similar platform, for their students to watch.

“I like to add audio of me speaking in order for the students to have a better understanding of the lesson,” AP biology teacher Jason Switzer said.

A number of other classes in all grade levels are also practicing the flippedclassroom method.

Although this method is in response to the shortened periods, it is also inadvertently aiding students who miss class often. These students are able to watch the lessons at home on YouTube, thus learning what they need to and feeling more prepared for tests and exams.

In addition, the flipped-classroom method has shown no decline in grades.

Switzer said a majority of the grades in his classes are being maintained at a constant level of As and Bs. There are no major decreases in grades, so this method has proven effective at teaching the students the material.

“The videos provide an alternate method to receive information and enables students to learn the curriculum they are required to learn,” Switzer said.

Time management becomes an uncontrollable factor because of this method. Due to the time the lecture takes up while watching at home, there is even less time to complete assignments from other classes at home, which is paired with extracurriculars students participate in.

“There has been no impact on my grades, but flip classes have definitely made time management harder for me because of the video lectures,” junior Nathan Harpine said.

The problems of flip classes are not limited to just juniors; seniors face adversities as well.

“I do not believe that the flipped classrooms have been very effective for me,” senior Marissa Ajamian said. “My learning style does not mesh with the online learning, and I find that it is difficult to pay attention to online lectures.”

Online classes are being incorporated more and more into the education system and especially in high school classes because teachers find it an effective way to teach.

However, interaction between the teacher and student is decreased, and the opportunity to ask questions is reduced.

“I prefer the lecture to be done in class because there is more of a response and interaction in the learning experience, which helps me learn well,” Harpine said.

separation of church and state. Nobody can control the thoughts and reflections that people have and that in no case would it be a wise things to do, he said.

The phrase “under god” and the moment of silence have also s p a r k e d controversy.

T h o s e opposing the moment of silence believe that it is a way to introduce prayer and other religious activities into the classroom.

Those for it argue that it is in no way affiliated with any religion and that it is completely neutral.

Students of non-Christian religions are shocked that a prayer mandate could be passed.

“As a Jew, I am outraged,” senior Caleb Henderson said, “because not everybody

in the world is Christian, and that’s just not being fair to other people of other religions.”

Irelan is skeptical that a law like this would successfully pass in Virginia. This area is far too diverse, he said, in the sense that there are many clashing viewpoints intermixed in Northern Virginia.

“Similar things have happened in situations where a particular political wing has gained power,” Irelan said. “It seems to me unlikely in Virginia that any one group could get enough power to pull that off.”

With continuing controversy, opposers of the bill, such as certain civil unions, regarding student prayer, continue their effort to strike down the law and prevent it from being enforced in classrooms. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is regarding this bill as unconstitutional, according to 11 Alive News Atlanta. The battle for the enforcement of this law is brewing and a victor yet unclear.

Virginia tests the role of religion in school

by Marcell Subert - Staff Writer

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n Feb. 25, the Alabama state legislature approved a bill that would require teachers in Alabama public schools to recite Christian prayers every day for no more than 15 minutes in class. This bill has caused a lot of controversy between supporters of the bill and those against it.

“Personally, I would like that,” AP statistics teacher Terry French said.

“However, I think that imposing that on students and requiring them to do Christian prayer is unconstitutional.”

French said that setting 15 minutes aside for meditation or quiet reflection would be acceptable. People can also just choose to sit quietly and not do anything at all. Others don’t look so kindly on the idea of a 15-minute time of reflection.

“I think 15 minutes of quiet time is not preferable for anybody under any conditions,” physics teacher Robert Irelan said. “People are certainly able to reflect by themselves without the state obliging them to it.”

Irelan also said that 15 minutes of Christian prayer is a clear violation of

News 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 9

Science Olympiad shines at state tourney

photos courtesy Lauren Schwartz

It is a Science Olympiad tradition to design science-pun t-shirts (left) for competitions. The state Science Olympiad team (right) poses with their trophy alongside FCPS At-large School Board Member Ryan McElveen at the state competition. The team came in fifth place as a whole, but team members placed higher in individual events.

by Ryan Mullins - Staff Writer

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cience Olympiad, an intense competition in which the brilliant young minds of today’s generation compete in contests of intelligence and creativity of epic proportions. An event that started as just a meeting of science teachers has grown into one of the nation’s finest and most well-known science championships. And this year, LB’s team has once again made it to the state competition and finished within the top 10.

Science Olympiad first began when Dr. Gerald J. Putz and John C. Cairns came together in order to share the Science Olympiad program with Macomb County educators on March 29, 1982.

The Science Olympiad competition is a contest meant for all grades, with the elementary level being more of a science-based school day. The high school level, on the other hand, more closely resembles a high school sports team; non-stop commitment to the team is required.

“As a team, we compete in about 15 knowledge and building events,” senior and former president of science olympiad Lauren Schwartz said. “Each event has two to three people who compete.

The topics range from biology to engineering. Each event has a captain that runs the meetings and study times for the event. Most meet several times a month to learn new information and practice.

Thanks to an immense amount of effort put into the season, the team placed within the top 10 at states, something not unfamiliar to LB’s members.

“We got fifth place, which is a little on the low side for us but still fairly normal,” senior and chief engineer Matt Sandfry said. “Throughout the day everything went relatively smoothly despite everyone being so busy.”

The Science Olympiad process begins, for most students, with a mandatory interest meeting near the beginning of the school year. Many choose Science Olympiad because it is their passion, while another portion of the students join

“It is a celebration of science and competition.”

- senior Lauren Schwartz as a more fun and viable option compared to the labor-intensive science fair.

Once students are enrolled in Science Olympiad, they are divided into teams in order to build team spirit and a hunger for victory.

Teams participating in Science Olympiad are allowed to bring a team of no more than 15 students.

The various competitions that take place in science olympiad include genetics, earth science, chemistry, anatomy, physics, geology, mechanical engineering and technology.

“There are three different kinds of events: knowledge, process, and building,” Richard said. “Generally you’ll

have three events and they can range from a process event like Experimental Design to a knowledge even like Forensics.”

After the contestants were sorted into their respective categories at the competition, they were judged.

“At the tournaments, some events are a test,” Richard said. “Some require a skill to be performed for a judge, like doing a lab or writing an experimental design; and some events involve testing a device that the students built.”

As it is a competitive event, tensions are usually high going into a Science Olympiad competition.

“Generally when you’re not in an event you’re cramming or going to cheer on your teammates,” sophomore and vice president Helen Richard said. “But there’s pressure to do well, and it can get kind of crazy at times.”

Despite the nerves that the contestants feel, once the actual competition begins, everything falls into place.

“States was actually pretty calm and not tense at all,” senior Maxwell Rowshandel said. “Everyone seemed happy and focused and ready to compete.”

With this win, the Science Olympiad team is determined to learn from the competition and come back even stronger in upcoming years.

“Hopefully LB will be able to take first next year and go to nationals,” Richard said.

Even though it is important, winning is not the reason for joining Science Olympiad.

“Science Olympiad is a great way to collaborate with other people who share an interest in science,” Schwartz said. “It is a celebration of science and competition.”

10Profile

10 April 2014

Discovering Her Potential photo by Jordan Stone

Sophomore Kira Emmons is an accomplished Science Olympiad participant with experience in both competitions and judging. Because of this experience, Emmons is inspired by the STEM field and hopes to continue with this as she chooses her career path.

by Steve Hong - Staff Writer

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cience Olympiad is a national organization that, for the past 30 years, has been promoting interest in various fields of science through several competitions. LB’s own Science Olympiad team has achieved various awards since its inception. Sophomore Kira Emmons has been noted and recognized by not only the school’s Science Olympiad team, but also by the Virginia Science Olympiad organization.

“Both of my siblings participated in Science Olympiad in middle school,” Emmons said, “I started in sixth grade so this is my fifth year.”

In those five years, Emmons has competed in events including thermodynamics, maglev, write it do it, experimental design, boomilever and roller coaster. Within competitions, there are building, knowledge and process events. Building events are where a team builds a specific contraption that is then presented to judges. Knowledge events include a test, while process events test a specific lab skill.

“For many events, you study for a test,” Emmons said. “Some are a building event that you show in front of a judge, while some is [sic] just showing a lab skill.”

Science Olympiad is a competitive event with regional, state, national and sometimes even invitational tournaments where teams compete against each other.

At each competition, only schools with

the highest results move on to the next level meaning that students have to spend time and effort in order to place. On the flip side, the competition introduces its participants to new, specialized fields of science that are not taught in a classroom.

“It’s a great opportunity to make friends with similar interests,” Emmons said. “It doesn’t require prior knowledge in science or engineering, and you learn a lot about different fields of science.”

In the course of her five years, Emmons has won five first place medals, eight second place medals, seven third place medals, five fourth place medals, four fifth place medals and one sixth place medal for a total of 30 medals in 12 competitions. In addition to competing, Emmons has been involved with the judging side of Science Olympiad.

“Last year, I was the event supervisor at two of the regional competitions as well as at the elementary school competition for the event Rotor Egg Drop,” Emmons said.

Rotor Egg Drop is a Division B event (for middle school students) where a student-built helicopter rotor device is built and is then used to drop an egg during the competition.

Emmons has also judged events and written tests for various competitions.

“I have also been asked by the Virginia Science Olympiad state board of directors to work at the engineering event open house,” Emmons said. “This is a series of presentations given by the event

supervisors geared toward schools new to Science Olympiad to help them better understand some of the events.”

Due to a lack of event supervisors, the Virginia Science Olympiad asked Emmons to give a Boomilever and Thermodynamics event presentations due to her extensive knowledge of these events.

“After that, I started volunteering at Science Olympiad tournaments like taping out spaces on the floor and timing the fall of a rotor down the height of a stairwell,” Emmons said, “Gradually I moved into administering and grading tests that someone else had written, and now I write the tests too.”

As for her future, Emmons is leaning towards a career in mechanical engineering.

“Science Olympiad was one of the first glimpses that I love building things,” Emmons said, “because [it] gives students the chance to study STEM across a broader range of subject matter and more in-depth than school classes will ever give, many students do discover a passion for a certain area of STEM they might not ever get to study otherwise.”

Her participation in this organization has impacted her in many ways by opening her mind to think about the way things work.

“Science Olympiad is an opportunity for me to learn new things so that maybe one day I can discover the undiscovered,” she said.

The Bear Facts 11

Profile 10 April 2014

From big hits to Harvard: Ryan Antonellis

by Victoria Hodge - Staff Writer

W

ith just a few seconds left in the game and the score almost tied, both the players on the field and the fans in the stands are hoping for just one game- winning play to seal the win. After a wayward throw to Ryan Antonellis, everyone becomes unsure if he will be able to catch it. Within a few seconds, the crowd is erupting in cheers as he makes an amazing catch in the endzone.

Tight end Ryan Antonellis, in the middle of his senior year, has received a partial football scholarship to one of the most prestigious schools in the world: Harvard.

“The education and the level of football they play stood out,” Antonellis said. “Harvard gets great athletes, and they send guys to the league, while also giving them one of the best educations.”

So far this year, LB football players have accepted scholarships from nine schools, including UNC, MIT and Pitt.

“One message we constantly preach is to use football and not have it use you,” varsity football head coach James Poythress said. “If you get good grades and can play a little football, it is the best way to get into a great school.”

Balancing academics and sports can be a challenge for anyone, but especially for the collegiate athlete.

“There’s always room to improve with balancing school and sports,” Antonellis said. “It’s an art that is really hard to perfect. For me, I just prioritize and make sure that family, school, sports and free time stay in that order.”

Antonellis is eager to start off in the fall succeeding both in the classroom and on the field at Harvard. He is also looking forward to the sense of independence and self reliance that college gives a person. “[I am looking forward to] the freedom,” Antonellis said. “I’m excited and nervous at the same time, but I’m looking forward to taking that first step towards being independent.”

Although Harvard is most known for its academics, the school also has an impressive athletic department. With a Division 1A football team that achieved a 9-1 winning season last fall, Harvard has a lot to offer a student-athlete.

“They have a great football program with a head coach that stuck his neck out for me and has been there for 20 years,” Antonellis said.

Antonellis considered many other schools, including William and Mary, UNC Charlotte, Towson, Bucknell and ODU before deciding on attending Harvard.

“The thing about those schools and some others was they could give me full scholarships,” Antonellis said. “Harvard could help me out financially, but they

photo courtesy of Ryan Antonellis

Ryan Antonellis stiff arms the other team’s player during the Westfield game on Sept. 20.

photo courtesy of Greg Zelkin

Antonellis holds the ball after scoring during the game against Lee High School on Nov. 8. The Bruins won this game 70-14.

couldn’t pay for everything. At the end of the process, my decision was if I get into Harvard, I’m going there.”

While Antonellis is looking forward to the coming years at Harvard, one memory of high school football will always stay with him.

“Highlight of my [high school football] career was the game-winning drive we had against Westfield, ” Antonellis said. “I had played well all game and then on the last drive I had two big gainers. It culminated with Caleb throwing the winning touchdown to AJ, and that basically sealed it for us.”

Antonellis has played football for LB since his freshman year, and with a great high school football experience and an optimistic outlook for college football, he has hopes to one day play professionally.

“No doubt I want to,” Antonellis said, “Realistically, I have a long way to go to even be considered, but in the back of my mind it’s always something I’ll try to work towards until someone or something stops me.”

According to Business Insider, only 1.7 percent of collegiate athletes go on to play professionally. That can be a daunting thought for many athletes, but Coach Poythress has one final piece of advice to offer Antonellis before he goes off to Harvard.

“Don’t quit,” Poythress said.

The Bear Facts 13

Profile 10 April 2014

Goalie scores the chance of a lifetime T

By Yaitza Lopez - Staff Writer

he soccer goalkeeper is one of the most important players on the field. They are the last line of defense, and the first line of attack.

To be a soccer goalie, it is important to be mentally tough, strong in the air, and not afraid to get hurt. It is required to have good positioning and be fast and have good ballhandling skills.

For sophomore Hamza Monawer, life without soccer would be unreal, and life without his pair of goalie gloves is indescribable.

“I’ve played soccer since age 5,” Monawer said.

“It’s hard to be able to do everything like homework, projects, hanging out with friends, but I just do it.”

In October 2012, Monawer applied to attend the U.S. Under-15 Boys National Team Training Camp at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. for one week.

The training center is open for the top players of any team, club or organization at no cost to the 24 players who participate in the camp. When Monawer received the acceptance letter, he was overwhelmed and excited to miss school for a week and travel to the other side of the country.

“When I discovered I got accepted to the camp, I worked extra hard for the next few weeks leading up to the camp,” Monawer said. “I didn’t slack off at all; I worked my hardest and was so excited for the opportunity.”

The U.S. Soccer Training Center offers single day, invitational training sessions run by the U.S. Soccer staff for elite players in key soccer markets, and they offer each player a chance to be

recognized by the nation’s top coaches.

Only five goalkeepers around the nation were accepted, Monawer being one of them.

“Being accepted to the camp gave me a great experience and offered me a great resource to put on my college resumes,” Monawer said. “It was by far the most valuable thing that has ever happened to me, plus they also gave me free Nike sportswear to have, which was awesome.”

Arlington Soccer Association (ASA), the soccer club that Monawer plays for, is one of the primary soccer clubs that the D.C. United soccer team looks to for scouting soccer players around the Mid-Atlantic region. That’s how Monawer was scouted to play for the D.C. United soccer team.

“As a freshman, I left D.C. United for the spring season to try out and play for LB’s soccer team,” Monawer said. “It was pretty cool to be a freshman and be playing in the varsity level.”

Monawer was recently ranked No. 11 for best goalkeeper in the MidAtlantic Region, and he continues playing for LB varsity soccer as goalkeeper.

“I plan on playing soccer in college, hopefully that can happen, and maybe even playing professionally might later happen as well,” Monawer said.

His main goal is to strive to get better every day and be as good as many of the Real Madrid soccer players or like his father, who was also a soccer goalie and acts as a major influence for Monawer.

“I’ve never really considered any position besides goalie,” Monawer said, “like my dad always was when he used to play soccer.”

“I’ve played soccer since age five. I’ve never really considered any position besides goalie, like my dad always was.”

-sophomore Hamza Monawer

photos courtesy of Hamza Monawer

Monawer practices constantly to improve his soccer skills. He has been playing for years and hopes to get better (top). Monawer was accepted to an elite soccer camp where he was given the opportunity to meet coaches and practice with other elite players. During this week-long camp, he learned about soccer and was able to improve his skills further (middle). As a freshman, Monawer made the varsity soccer team and got the chance to play in many games.

14 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 Profile

Photos worth a thousand words

photo by Emily Beagles

This picture of downtown Chicago (upper left) was taken during a visit to a college in Chigaco. Although Beagles devotes much of her time to editing pictures the Merry-Go-Round (lower left) is one of Beagles’ unedited photos. The man (center) is a mentally-ill Vietnam Veteran. Beagles spends her free time taking college-level courses to improve her photography, during one of her classes she took this close up photo (lower right) of the Pirates catcher.

by Pooja Shethna - Staff Writer

I

t takes some people years upon years to find what they’re truly passionate about in life, but for others, it takes a couple of minutes.

However, senior Emily Beagles falls right in the middle. As a little girl, Beagles tried various activities ranging from soccer to dance but none of them seemed to interest her. While surfing the web one day she stumbled upon something that totally changed her life.

“I came across a photograph that couldn’t be described by anything less than overwhelmingly breathtaking,” Beagles said. “Inspired and deeply touched, I came to a conclusion; then and there I decided to become a photographer.”

Beagles persistently searched for the photographer but had no luck in doing so. One day however, while on a field trip to New York City with her professional studio photography class, she came across the man who work had inspired her.

“We sat down as Mr. [Steve] Saldana spoke of his experiences. As he talked, my eyes started to focus on a slide show behind him, revealing his work throughout the years,” Beagles said. “I saw the picture that inspired me so many years ago. I could not believe it—I thought I was seeing things.”

After taking an interest in photography,

Beagles began to play around with her camera and take pictures of everyday things everywhere she went. Later on, she signed up for the academy class where she learned professional techniques. “[But] my biggest help was my academy teacher Mr. [Kevin] Smith,” Beagles said. “I’ve taken academy classes for the last two years, and I’ve never learned so much in my life.”

Beagles dedicates a lot of her time towards photography, and, as a result, she has had a paid internship with Kaveh Sardari, a member of White House News Photographers Association and co-president of The American Society of Media Photographers. As of today, Beagles works for ASMP as well as D.C. Underground Media.

Although she enjoys taking pictures of landscapes and architecture the best, Beagles also does personal photo shoots for people. She hasn’t done any for anyone from LB, however, she has done them for people in high schools nearby.

“Summer is always the busiest by far,” Beagles said. “There are more events than anytime of the year.”

A photo shoot may not take long, but after taking the pictures, Beagles has to sit down and edit them to perfection.

“If it is for a big event or an editorial shoot I can spend an hour up to two days,” Beagles said, “but for most of my work I

do about 5 mins worth of editing.”

Both of her parents play a big role in her quest to achieving her dreams. They understand her passion for photography and support her all the way through.

“My parents understand that if someone is not amazing at photography then it isn’t a job that will pay well,” Beagles said.

“However, they see how driven I am, and they know that this is what I want to do.”

Even though she may be an outstanding photographer, Beagles wants to improve her skills in photography so she accomplish the goals she’s set for herself.

She knows that if she wants to accomplish her dreams, she’s going to have to work her way up the ladder through lots of hard work and dedication.

“I plan on majoring in photography and minoring in science in college,” said Beagles. “I don’t have a dream, school but my top two are SVA (School of Visual Arts) and MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art).”

Beagles now hopes to be a travel photographer for big magazines such as Smithsonian and National Geographic.

“It is hard at first but the more you do it and the more you are willing to learn the easier it gets,” Beagles said.

“However, if you get to a point where you don’t feel challenged then you will never get better or be willing to learn more.”

The Bear Facts 15

Profile 10 April 2014

Making a difference at home and beyond

by Maggie Komoniewski - Staff Writer

A

s an eighth grader, Christine McGrath was required to volunteer for her Take Action project, which required students to volunteer with one organization for at least five hours and then reflect on their experience and impact. The experience changed her life and inspired her to do more for her community.

McGrath is now in 11th grade and has been raising money for Operation Starfish, an organization that collects money for the less fortunate in Haiti.

She organizes bake sales and raffles and collects donations with help from her good friend Romina Rojas. The money they collect is donated to Operation Starfish through her church, the Church of the Nativity.

“Volunteering is the best way to be happy,” McGrath said.

Over the years, her actions have made a huge impact on Haitian lives. Last year, as a sophomore, she raised $5,600, which is enough to build one house and send 20 kids to school for one year in Haiti. Since then she has raised another $2,000.

“Volunteering can be stressful

because it’s more work, but the effect it has on everyone is rewarding,” McGrath said.

As well as raising money for Operation Starfish, McGrath also started a jump rope team for students at Sangster Elementary School. The team meets in the mornings before school to work on learning new tricks and have fun. This is the second year of the program, and it runs from late September to June.

They have performed twice this year, once at the Jump Rope For Fun event at Sangster Elementary and again at a Lake Braddock JV girls basketball game against West Potomac High School.

“I love working with the kids because they get so excited when they get a new trick,” McGrath said. “It’s fun to see them collectively improve.”

To balance school with sports and volunteer work, McGrath keeps a busy schedule and has to budget her time wisely. She has a late start first period, which is when she coaches her jump rope team. She is also on the varsity basketball team, as well as an AAU team.

“It can be difficult because sometimes you have to focus on a certain area like during basketball season or finals,” McGrath said.

photo courtesy of Christine McGrath

McGrath started a jump rope team (top) with students from Sangster Elementary. Due to its popularity, the team has continued through the spring. McGrath and her friend Rojas (Bottom) sell baked goods to raise money for Operation Starfish.

Speak the speech: Quinones stars in Shakespeare contest

by Emily Migdal - Profile Editor

T

he Washington DC Metro English Speaking Union Shakespeare Competition is a competitive contest for high school theater students. Every year students are given the opportunity to perform at the school level, but only the best advance to the ESU

photo by Elena Simon

Liana Quinones is a talented theatre student who won the ESU Shakespeare competition in February and is advancing to the national competition in May.

branch level competition. This year, junior Liana Quinones not only advanced to the branch competition in D.C., but also made it the national competition that will take place in May. “There’s a school level, and everyone competes,” Quinones said. “I did it last year too, and I was a runner-up, so I wanted to do it again.”

The contest requires participants to recite a sonnet and a monologue, which can be no more than 25 lines. The contestants are then judged on various aspects of their performance of the two pieces.

“You’re judged on clarity, pronunciation and if you understand what you are saying and also characterization,” Quinones said. “They like to see that you maintain its poetic value while bringing to life the acting value.”

Quinones was involved in music and theater throughout her elementary school life by attending theater summer camps and getting involved in orchestra. There, she found her love for the arts. Although orchestra did not end up working out for her, it led her to theater, which she has become very passionate about.

“I’ve been taking theater summer

camps since I was in elementary school,” Quinones said. “I had to quit orchestra due to an injury, so I picked up theater and then continued in ninth grade.”

Since then, her career has really taken off. Quinones is the first participant from LB to win at the ESU branch level competition since 1993 and thus advance to the national level in New York. At national level, the requirements for the performances change. Students are given a piece that they have not seen before and must do a “cold read.”

After advancing to the national competition, Quinones’ English teacher, Julie Evans, persuaded her to perform her sonnet to the class. Evans said the performance was amazing.

Although Quinones has had tremendous success with theater and performing, it has not always been easy for her. To get to this point she had to overcome a large barrier for someone who hopes to be up on stage.

“I used to be really shy when I was little, and so I found it really amazing that people could perform in shows and act in movies,” Quinones said, “and I guess that’s what encouraged me to overcome that and perform in theatre.”

16Arts

10 April 2014

The Main Thing delivers on artistic collaboration

by John Esper - Arts Editor

O

n the night of Tuesday March, 26, The Main Thing was revealed to Lake Braddock after weeks of ambiguity. Most had no idea what they were getting into when they arrived at the theater; all they knew was that The Main Thing existed.

Posters lined the hallways, and mysterious commercials aired on the Morning Bru, but no information was revealed.

“The Main Thing was a showcase of different performances from all platforms of art,” senior Aaron Laub said.

Laub had two performances in The Main Thing; one was as a drummer in a jazz performance titled “So What,” and his other was performing a Latin percussion ensemble piece called “Losa.” Highlights of the show included a cover of AWOLNation’s “Sail” by Matthew Sandfry and Sam Mitchell. Laub’s percussion pieces also were a favorite.

“I believe that my performance, and the show overall, went very well,” Laub said.

Senior Huy Tran saw part of it during English class that day and had a different opinion of the show.

“I thought that it was a little inconsistent,” Tran said. “Some parts worked a lot better than others.”

Laub said the show was a smashing success “I was really proud of my performances, and I think everyone else brought something interesting to the table,” Laub said.

The Main Thing was an idea conceived by teachers Bill McCabe, Josephine Stokes and John Graham a year ago to allow students of different classes and teachers of different departments to work together on creating the best art they could.

“We really wanted to give students a chance to collaborate across the school,” English teacher McCabe said. “This way we could allow students to show their talents in ways they couldn’t in just one arts class.”

McCabe also stressed the importance of allowing students to create what they wanted, giving them the opportunity to find pride in their artistic expression.

“Students are judged by standardized test scores and their grades in class,” McCabe said. “The Main Thing gave them a chance to earn authentic learning with an authentic assessment from their peers.”

The Main Thing’s future is uncertain for now. McCabe stressed the importance of support from the school administration. He talked about a writing center that used to operate at Lake Braddock, only to go unused

once the administration cut Advanced Composition. McCabe hopes that the administration doesn’t cut back on the arts at Lake Braddock so that The Main Thing can come again. If the administration were not to cut the arts, nothing more would please McCabe.

“If the school supports the arts at Lake Braddock, we can do this again, and we would love to do it,” McCabe said.

photo by Jake Gold Marissa Ajamian performs her interpretive dance at The Main Thing, a showcase of artistic students at Lake Braddock performing in many different mediums of art ranging from poetry to covers of popular songs.

Dazed and confused, LB enjoys hypnotist

by Nathan Zelalem - Web Editor

“

Dream of a vacation. You’re there.

Total relaxation.”

Moments after these words were spoken a group of seniors were fast asleep on stage.

This was the work of hypnotist Tom DeLuca, who performed his annual show at Lake Braddock on April 1. Before the performance began, the seniors frantically waved their permission slips in the air, hoping that DeLuca would choose them to be hypnotized. In the twohour period, the students heard music coming from their shoes, test drove Ferraris and performed ballet, all while under DeLuca’s spell. One girl forgot her own name, while another couldn’t remember the number six. There were several memorable highlights such as one student who was tasked with being a Lake Braddock cheerleader who kept forgetting the mascot, which had the

photo by Elena Simon Hypnotist Tom Deluca hypnotizes a group of seniors at show in front of audience.

audience in stitches.

“I thought it was fantastic,” senior Nick Stampone said. “It was hilarious seeing my friends act stupid without knowing it.”

DeLuca made a good host as his energetic personality was able to keep the audience engaged and in hysterics

for the entire show. However, with most performances like this, there is a lot of skepticism surrounding the legitimacy of DeLuca’s hypnotism. Many don’t believe that hypnotism is possible, and wanted some sort of proof. But the hypnotized students stressed that DeLuca is the real deal.

“It felt like I was zoned out in class, but like in a deep relaxation,” said Matt Clift, one of the seniors who had the opportunity to be hypnotized on stage.

“I could see and hear what was going on, but I wasn’t processing it. And when he told me to sing, I felt the need to sing.”

While there were plenty of newcomers, many returning audience members were afraid that they would be paying to see the same exact show again.

“Most things were the same, but there were a couple of different scenarios that kept the experience fresh,” junior Devin Whitmer said. “It was just as fun this time as it was the first.”

The Bear Facts 17

Arts 10 April 2014

Review:’Divergent’ stays true for fans of book

by Megan Cantwell - Co-Arts Editor

filming that I personally detest, but hey, to each their own. The plot itself was easy to follow even if you hadn’t read the book (or so I ontinuing the recent rash of popular teen books being adapted am assured), and it captures your interest early on, with a little bit of into film, Veronica Roth’s Divergent hit theaters March 21. something for everyone, making it a good movie to see with a group.

Different from The Hunger Games, Divergent does not Shailene Woodley, who has starred in the hit TV drama The Secret feature as much brutal murder of peers (though there is a maiming Life of an American Teenager and the film The Fault in Our Stars, did a fantastic job portraying Tris, both in scene in the book), and it lacks a love the action scenes and in the emotional ones. triangle. But don’t worry—there is Her excellent emotional acting helped get plenty of romance and suspenseful across the characterization of Tris that is violence. I personally felt that it was found in the book, adding elements that a much better film adaptation than make her a more interesting character.

Hunger Games was, but both are Theo James, star of the TV show Golden interesting movies on their own.

Boy and a guest actor on Downtown Abbey, Divergent is about a postmade a good Four, especially considering apocalyptic dystopian Chicago how little of Four’s characterization was where citizens are sorted into five in the movie. The character Four does not factions: Abnegation, for the selfless; actually get much development until later Amity, for the peaceful; Candor, for in the book series, but James did a good the honest; Dauntless, for the brave; and Erudite, for the intelligent. photo by MCT Campus job of making him seem like more than The story begins when protagonist Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) lands (literally) in the Dauntless just a G.I. Joe doll there to draw in more Beatrice “Tris” Prior (Shailene compound after the choosing ceremony and the first person she teenage girls.

The only major grievance that those who Woodley) takes her aptitude test, and meets is her initiation instructor, Four (Theo James). read the book could have against the movie it comes up as inconclusive, making her a Divergent. Divergents are rare in this society, and some consider is that there is not near as much attention paid to the Dauntless-born them dangerous because they can fit in several of the factions instead initiates; in truth the only one that really has any roll is Peter (Miles of just one. After joining Dauntless, Tris has to balance a rigorous Teller), who comes across as much less cruel than what we see in the initiation program, worry for her safety as a hidden divergent and an book. Uriah is the most missed, with only a short allusion to him in the exciting new love interest with her initiation instructor Four (Theo zip-line scene and his name on the initiate ranking board, but producers said he will be featured in Insurgent (Divergent’s sequel) and that they James).

The movie itself achieved what it set out to do. It was a good are simply waiting for the right actor to portray him.

Overall, I was very pleased with how the movie turned out, despite balance of plot and action, keeping the viewer on edge throughout.

It had dry, deadpan one-liners between characters that were hilarious, early reservations about how well the story would transfer onto the big which were nice to help lessen the tension during some of the more screen. Book fans will be happy with how well the movie stayed true to dramatic scenes. The action was well done and believable, with the the original plot line, while those just looking for a good movie will be only drawback being the small amount of “shaking-camera” action entertained by the great action sequences and a shirtless Theo James.

C

Annual art show arrives on Apr. 24

by Vickie Park - Staff Writer

O

n April 24, the art show will be open to all students. Artists have prepared throughout the year for this event and have a day dedicated to displaying their work. The artists will set up on April 23, a day before the art show.

“They work on their art all year so they can start early,” art teacher Phyllis Lacy said. “I show them previous pictures of art shows to motivate them.”

Qualifications for the art show vary depending on portfolios. Paintings, drawings, and etc. need at least eight pieces of work. Animation and computer graphics must have at least two to three pieces to qualify. The maximum amount of pieces that are allowed to be displayed is 20.

“Animation and computer graphics usually take longer to do on Windows Movie Maker and other programs than

paintings and drawings,” Lacy said. “It usually depends on their portfolio.”

The artwork’s quality is judged by various teachers. The portfolios are presented and the ones that meet the qualifications are allowed to display their work in the art show.

“They have to present portfolios to teachers and are judged based off of quality,” Lacy said.

Some changes made from last year are that there are mostly two-man booths instead of booths run by one person.

“Last year was mostly one man but this year is two people per booth and only a few one man,” Lacy said. “Students will pair up and display both their artwork.”

A change from previous years performed when the show had a DJ and the orchestra, this year there will be a photo booth and a coffee shop for students and teachers to enjoy.

“In addition to the show, this year there will be a photography student, Thomas Nguyen, who will be setting up a studio backdrop and taking portraits of people,” photography teacher Teresa Rose said. “He will also be displaying his own work. There will be music, and it’ll be in the wrestling room.”

Senior Gillian Bashaw was in the show last year and enjoyed being able to display her artwork.

“It was a lot of fun; it was a good opportunity to show people a side they didn’t know I had,” Bashaw said. “particularly friends from earlier in high school.”

She created her booth by having a chalkboard, which was unique from others and allowed the audience to participate.

“My booth was set up as a giant chalk board,” Bashaw said. “I had kids throughout the day drawing on it. It was a really cool collaboration.”

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School code: #5061

19In-Depth

10 April 2014

Blast from the Past

by Dinali Dassanayaka - Staff Writer

4

0 years ago, high school students traipsed through the narrow hallways of this school, setting a preceden for the future. Like today, students excelled in sports and academics, while also preparing for the SATs and ACTs. Interests varied slightly; however, in the end, the students still joined the same clubs and played the same sports.

A few decades ago, multiple aspects of this school were different, such as the bell schedule and classes students took.

However many aspects were the same, such as the sports that students played and the colleges they were accepted to. In the past, the students painted the bears in the front of the school, and students parked their bikes instead of bikes onto the school grounds.

In the fall of 1977, the varsity football team won a game against the Hayfield Hawks with a score of 6-0. Latin teacher Brian Metress scored the winning touchdown bringing the Bruins to victory.

After an impressive fall season, the banquet honored numerous athletes for multiple sports.

Much like today, students stressed over preparing for the SAT, PSAT and ACT. In 1975, the school year began with the PSAT and registration for the ACT. The National Merit Scholarship Program chose 120 students as semifinalists in Fairfax County. And in 1977, the same number of students were chosen as semifinalists.

Students felt overwhelmed with at most an hour worth of homework.

The publication received numerous ‘Letters to the Editor’ filled with complaints about the excessive amount

of homework back in the 1980s. Students argued that being given homework during the weekends was obnoxious, and that they were too busy with other obligations to do homework. Nowadays, students do not even complain if they have only an hour worth of homework. There is a great difference between the amount of homework that was assigned back then, to now. There are seven classes in the schedule now, unlike the past when students only had six classes.

From 1974 to 2014, LB went through a fire, forcing students to attend their rivalry school, Robinson for the rest of the year; an incident when a gunman held ten employees hostage for a couple of hours; and a rennovation, installing doors and walls throughout the school. On October 2013, LB celebrated its 40th anniversary Homecoming Week.

20 The Bear Facts

A History

in 400 Issues Lake Braddock has been around since 1974. Since then, every important event at the school has been recorded in countless issues of the school newspaper. This is just a fraction LB’s story told 40 volumes and 400 issues later

Lake Braddock opens it’s doors for the first time and the Lake Braddock newspaper staff puts out their first issue ever.

Lake Braddock students attend Robinson after a fire is starts at the school. Students proclaim it “Lake Robinson.”

Iranian Hostages released. Meanwhile, Lake Braddock applies for a nosmoking policy after strenuous debate.

Inside the First Issue

10 April 2014 In-Depth

A gunnman, requesting to speak with his girlfriend holds up the front office for over twenty hours. No one is hurt.

1974 1979 1981 1982

In-Depth 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 21

A letter from John W. Alwood, Lake Braddock’s first principal: September, 1973 - a new school year begins. For some of you that means new friends, changed routines, new loyalties and starting over...Lake Braddock will be “special” as a total school only if it is “special to each person involved with it .

My energies will be directed to that end...With your help we can build a school second to none. Welcome to Lake Braddock Secondary School.

A new FCPS $100 parking fee causes walkouts and boycotts across the county. LB students staged a walkout during sixth period

National Tragedy strikes on September 11th. One LB student, Ashish Berry said, “School will be tough because I’m afraid I’ll be the object of racism.”

Obama is elected as the very first African American President of the United States, calling for change.

One school renovation, countless Patriot District championships, and decades of learning later, Lake Braddock enters it’s fortieth year

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10 April 2014 In-Depth

22 The Bear Facts

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Football

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23Comment

10 April 2014

Updated SATs, outdated methods ⌂

Despite changes, the test remains shadowed by the ACTs

by Amy Wang - News Editor

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he SAT has been regarded as a rite of passage into adulthood; ideally, it is a quantified test to characterize a student’s college readiness and is based on bubble-in scantrons and a single opinion essay. College Board, the company that produces all things SAT, is upping its game to compete with the newer ACT. As more colleges start to accept ACT scores over the orthodox SATs, College Board is scrambling to salvage its monopoly on the college-preparation business.

But it is the students who are ultimately losing in this constant battle.

The SAT used to have a more rigid structure based on how well a student can navigate around its nuanced traps, from finding the “most correct answer” or purposefully designing some figures to not fit to scale on the math section.

These tricks cannot only be extraneously frustrating for the student taking the test, but they can cause an inaccurate label to those who do not score well on the SAT simply because of a student’s unique mindset. If a student is more skilled in writing than math, the cumulative score may look worse than a student who scores an average score across all the subjects. This discredits a person’s individual interests and strengths. Because this standardized test does not take into account students’ personal talents, scores do not necessarily correlate with a person’s intelligence, but in today’s day and age, it is all too easy to judge a college-bound student by a number from one, four-hour exam. When colleges look at a student’s SAT score, they are not looking at who the

student actually is, severely hurting both the college and the student when making those fateful college decisions.

So much stress is put on students to do well on the SAT in order to get into higherranked colleges that one of the fastest growing businesses in the United States, according to Market Watch, is SAT prep.

From exclusive classes to books the size of the more comprehensive dictionaries to expensive private tutors, the high costs have been noted as a privilege to those who can afford to take the classes.

“Paying” for a higher SAT score has become more commonplace each year, this is a sign of corruption in the application process, and it will only take time for SAT preparation classes to realign with the new SAT. Because the original problem is not solved, the new SAT is like kicking the can further down the road, only to come across it again later.

Changes to the SAT include eliminating the one-fourth of a point penalty for each wrong answer, which will parallel the ACT, meaning that there is no penalty for guessing. The obscure vocabulary words students needed to memorize by the dozens, such as “conflagration” and “idiosyncratic”, have been taken out in favor of what College Board describes as “relevant words in context.” The aim is to focus more on words that students will actually use in the future, rather than testing rote-memorization of random, unheard words. But the measure of each word’s relevancy is still up to College Board, meaning that significant improvements should not be expected.

College Board also plans to incorporate excerpts from American founding documents, such as the Constitution and

the Declaration of Independence, which students are likely to encounter in the reading section.

The overhaul of the old essay section includes restructuring the essays themselves, in addition to making the essay portion optional. Instead of discussing abstract ideas about society and humanity, the new SAT essentially grades on how well the student can construct a cohesive, intellectual analysis of a given passage. Yet forcing a person to develop a full, academic essay on philosophical ideas in a restricted amount of time, no matter the subject, is not pertinent to college and real jobs.

And finally, the SAT will return back to the 1600 scale. The days of perfect 2400 scores are gone.

Altering the SAT may lessen the impact of expensive preparation and frustration about just how irrelevant the whole experience may be to the future, but the stress on one test pressed upon the backs of high school students is not alleviated.

Changes have been long-awaited and are desperately needed. But the new update is simply a more pleasant face for the same evil. College Board took initiative not necessarily because of the needs of the test takers, but the competitive nature to earn more business due to the new popularity of the ACT. The SATs do not, and still will not, be able to label a student’s intelligence accurately. As long as the college process depends so heavily on four digits to define the complexities of a real human, the greatest problem of all has yet to change in recent years: The dehumanization of our nation’s students because of society’s stubborn fixation on standardized tests like the SAT.

photos by Amanda Hendrix

College Board seeks to even the playing field for people regardless of socio-economic status by partnering with Khan Academy.

10 April 2014 Comment

24 The Bear Facts

Can single-sex classrooms cure cancer?

by Kai DeBus - Co-Comment Editor

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magine walking down the hallways and hearing voices emitting from a classroom. You trot along to the source of the noise, realizing it’s a physics classroom. With renewed interest, you peer into the room, curious to see what exciting experiments are being conducted. Your eyes widen with surprise; it’s shocking. Next to the complex contraptions are girls analyzing the foundations of electromagnetism. All girls.

Among the ponytails and scientific jargon, there is not a single male to be found. It is a physics classroom exclusively for girls.

According to the Department of Commerce, women account for less than onefourth of one of the fastest growing sectors in the workforce: STEM-based jobs. STEM, the popular acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, are fields seen as key to maintaining America’s competitive edge in today’s world. Yet despite its financial and intellectual appeal, men continue to outnumber women by a 3 to 1 ratio.

Regardless of why this divide exists, the U.S. Economics and Statistics Administration strongly believes in promoting STEM jobs for both genders. Many schools believe that they may have the answer: single-gender classrooms. Dr. Leonard Sax, director of the National Association for Single Sex

Publication, said girls are far more likely to pursue a STEM major in a single-gender environment.

“In other words, girls who attend all-girls schools are more than six times as likely to earn [STEM] degrees,” Dr. Sax said.

It’s important to note that girls aren’t the only gender that benefits from single gender classrooms. In a three-year study in the mid-

“Girls who attend all-girls schools are more than six times likely to earn [STEM] degrees” -Dr. Leonard Sax 2000s, Florida’s Stetson University analyzed test results between mixed-gender and single-gender classrooms at an elementary school, controlling demographics and teacher experience. The results were striking.

While both genders improved in math and literacy, the all-boys classroom benefitted the most. Of boys in co-educational classes, 37 percent scored proficiently on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. In stark contrast, 86 percent of boys in the all-boys classroom scored proficiently after taking the

same assessment.

Yet, the benefits of single-sex schooling remain hotly debated. For example, the American Psychology Association released a massive study this February amalgamating the results of 184 studies of 1.6 million students during the past 40 years. Tests included measurements on verbal proficiency, body image, general achievement, science performance and gender stereotyping. The result?

There is little evidence of any advantage of [single-sex] schooling for girls or boys for any of the outcomes, concluded the American Psychology Association study.

So which side is correct? After analyzing data from both sides, it appears that singlegender classrooms, for the most part, are not worth the financial resources to administer.

A coeducational system provides a more comprehensive and realistic environment to prepare children for the real world. But there is a potential caveat: STEM. Most published research compares the two types of school in broader strokes, often with analysis for general achievement. However, schools like C. James Gholson Middle School have led the way for a hybrid solution: single sex classrooms. By implementing single-sex classrooms in only STEM-based fields while still retaining a cogendered school, we may be able to get the best of both worlds.

It’s parents or no parents, not gay parents or straight parents

by Quentin Paleo - Co-Comment Editor

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tudy after study has shown that orphaned children are often worse-off than their non-orphan counterparts. In a series of studies compiled in 2011 by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, children raised in orphanages typically have IQs 20 points lower than non-orphans, only 6 percent have associate or bachelor degrees, and 25 percent have never finished high school or received their GEDs. Of the 27,000 orphans annually (a rising number) who “age out” of their orphanages, 40 percent had been or are homeless, 52 percent are unemployed, 50 percent are drug addicts, 75 percent of women are receiving government assistance to meet basic needs and 17 percent of women are pregnant.

Despite these grim statistics, a new study from doctors Charles H. Zeanah Jr. and Charles A. Nelson III have shown that the earlier orphans are adopted, the higher their IQ scores are compared to their orphaned peers. But with only around 9,000 American couples adopting annually, there are far too few families available to adopt the massive number of orphans, a

number that ideologically driven politicians like Loudoun County Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio and Russian president Vladimir Putin seek to lower through banning gay couples from adopting children.

Though decades ago, debates raged on whether gay parents would stunt the mental growth of their children, major organizations such as the American Psychological Association, American Medical Association and the National Association of Social Workers have since come to the conclusion that sexual orientation of the parents does not negatively affect a child’s development.

Putin and Delgaudio have both taken active steps to limit the number of adoptions.

While Delgaudio promotes myths such as that gays molest children, as shown by his various fundraising letters, to discourage adoption agencies from giving children to gay couples or individuals, Vladimir Putin enacted an adoption ban in February on any country that allows gay marriage, effectively preventing adoption in Western Europe and North America, the biggest international adopters of children. These actions have shown that these politicians are more concerned with ideology than the

welfare of their nation’s children.

Their insistence that we prevent gay couples from adopting only serves to hurt the welfare of the world’s children and fulfill those politicians’ narrow-minded goals. Despite the belief of anti-gay activists that orphans’ choice is between gay parents and straight parents, with the few adoptions already occurring annually, the real choice for orphaned children is between parents and no parents.

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children, it is the right thing to do

Comment 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 25

It’s common sense; vaccines save lives

by Alex Nesterovich - Assistant Bussiness Manager

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hat once lifted humanity out of the monotonous struggle for basic disease survival is now optional based on personal ideology. Vaccines are in large part responsible for doubling the life

photo by William Rafti/Wikimedia Commons

No, vaccines don’t cause autism and your Bible probably doesn’t say “Thou shalt not use vaccines to prevent you and your neighbors from illness.”

expectancy in the United States since reliable data began being taken in the mid 1800s.

Smallpox, which killed around 300 million people in the 20th century, has been eradicated completely with vaccines. But under the banner of religious and ideological freedom, the public good (and wealth for that matter) is now being compromised.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, $6.30 is saved in public health costs for every $1 put into vaccination. People cite personal morality as a basis to exempt children from vaccinations, but what is so moral about letting 30,000 children die from diseases that, according to a 2003 report by the Pediatric Academic Society, could have been prevented by basic, well-developed medical care?

The idea of protecting the public good through shared responsibility has allowed people to live more productive, healthy and satisfying lives. Traffic laws, drug tests and public welfare taxes are not exempted based on personal ideology or religious beliefs.

Why are vaccinations, which promote the public good, any different?

Religious beliefs as reasons to be exempted from vaccination are not legitimate. Certain religions have strict social and political laws that followers are supposed to practice, but secularism prevents the U.S. government from permitting them.

For example, the fact that the United States does not allow polygamy does not violate religious freedom because polygamy is a social dimension, and therefore violates secularism. Individuals should absolutely be allowed to practice the spiritual dimension of their faith, but not the political or social dimensions, especially where secular law exists, like in the United States. Claiming that one doesn’t have to follow traffic laws on the basis of religion is not legitimate. The same applies to vaccinations.

Parents who apply for philosophical exemptions often cite a fear of autism development for their children as a defense to not get vaccinated. Research conducted at the Centers for Disease Control and work done at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health suggest that the hypothesis that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative in vaccines, causes autism is false. The U.S. Federal Claims Court ruled in Mead vs. Secretary of Health and Human Services that the “theory of vaccinerelated causation [of autism] is scientifically unsupportable.”

Individual exemptions for vaccinations that are mandatory in all 50 states on the basis of religious and personal ideology create an inconsistent system that undermines the public good. It is time to eliminate non health-related exemptions for vaccinations from all United States medical institutions.

always find a way to distract themselves if they aren’t excited by the material presented to them. This is a basic fact of life, and should be treated as such. You

don’t see any teachers denying a student passage to the clinic if he/she pukes in class, because that’s just how it works.

Now, this doesn’t mean that I support using phones in class to text friends; students of course need to shoulder a lot of the burden of learning. But, if a teacher just stands at the front of the room and lectures for 90 minutes, heck, I might be moved to start playing Flappy Bird or Clash of Clans.

However, is trying to prevent the unpreventable worth the frustration of students unable to call their parents to get rides home? Obviously not. If teachers want students to learn the material in class, then the solution is not to punish people who stay after school, it is to keep the students inspired as well as learning.

If students don’t want to learn, it’s simply not going to happen.

Hopefully, administrators can recognize that the problem of distraction is not because of the lack of service in the school, and can make the lives of students who stay after school much easier and less stressful by installing this new cell tower.

Potential cell phone tower won’t disrupt work

by Spencer Jolley - Staff Writer

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ften times, students try to call their parents from after school clubs to tell them when they can expect to be done with their activities.

But when the students try to contact their parents, they often run into the common problem of cell phone coverage. Or more accurately, lack thereof. To remedy the problem, a new tower is being built on school grounds, which will provide students with more coverage.

But is this necessarily a good thing?

Students already get needlessly distracted by their phones during class. Do we need faster internet connections and better texting service? If we are being realistic, these distractions, such as Snapchat and texting, already happen. Students always find a way around the barriers administration sets before them.

There will always at least be the classic paper-and-pen games distracting students. And regularly students download games onto their calculator and discreetly play them during class. What it boils down to is the fact that students will

photo by Joe Ravi/Wikimedia Commons

Cell phone towers have been proven to be more of a public good then a public nuisance.

Comment 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 26

Not just a number applying to college ⌂

We need to focus more on extracurriculars than GPAs

by Sara Kim- In-depth Editor

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n weekdays, Twitter is least likely to brim with pictures of the recent party—girls and guys crowded amongst each other for a group photo and girls with a hand on their hip, doing the “tea-cup” pose Instead, students use Twitter to rant about the loads of homework and to retweet a picture collage consisting of Ian Harding, Liam Hemsworth, Zac Efron, James Franco and Channing Tatum teaching each main subject, with the caption that says “My GPA would be 8.0 if they were my teachers.” Of course, every girl would stay after school to get help from Ian Harding to try to pull the Aria Montgomery move. Or they would stay after for history to experience Zac Efron’s way of being 17 years old.

Maybe if teachers became hunks such as these celebrities, students’ GPA would rapidly increase; but unfortunately, this is not the case.

High school students are stressed and sleep deprived because of today’s pressure to get into their top college.

Students suffer far too much from letting their GPAs define them. The intensity of college applications and admissions places a burden on students because colleges emphasize GPA and standardized scores. High grades, standardized tests and class ranks define colleges’ idea of “the best student,” but these scores don’t matter to the futures (and predict the success) of students.

Today’s college acceptance process is much more competitive than in previous generations. Colleges review the thousands of applications they receive each year, looking for stellar

course work, scholastic achievement and evaluations. These achievements

Defining success in college and one’s future from a GPA or test score is too limited a definition.

it. Students’ intellectual imagination, strength of character and the ability to exercise good judgment are critical skills, but they are not revealed by test scores but by students’ activities outside the classroom.

More than one kind of intelligence exists. Whether one has interpersonal, intrapersonal, mathematical, linguistic, musical, artistic, kinesthetic or naturalist intelligence, extracurricular activities allow students to express their various “intelligences” better than SAT reading, writing and mathematical scores can.

There are students who could use their skills to make a difference in the world, community or pursue a successful achievement in college. Colleges should look for well-rounded students who can manage being a potential scholar, extracurricular star and school leader all at the same time. They should place an emphasis on what the students’ interests are and see how avid they are

will take you far in the admission process, but in the long-run, high school accomplishments won’t matter. Defining success in college and one’s future from a GPA or test score is too limited a definition.

Many students with marginal academic numbers have attained success.

SAT and GPA results might impress colleges, but it won’t impress students when they realize that these numbers do not benefit their futures.

Standardized test scores and grades offer an indication of students’ academic achievement and potential, but photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons what is most important are Colleges such as the one pictured above, send out thousands of or rejection letters to high school seniors every winter e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r acceptance and spring, using standardized test scores in their decision . activities and personal qualities because these are in acting towards their goal. Grades and what truly determine one’s success. test scores will not measure success; Human intelligence is multifaceted instead, passion in a single activity for photo courtesy of Wikimedia More emphasis needs to be put on extracurricular activities and complex. Standardized testing a prolonged period of time will truly like Model UN or Speech and Debate by our nation’s colleges. systems have no way to fully capture determine success in the future.

27 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 Comment

Booty Bracket is offensive and shallow

by Amy Wang and Lizzie Callahan - Co-News Editor and Copy Chief

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ot angry, but disappointed. The Booty Bracket is yet another example of actions by teenagers that are unintentionally offensive. We understand that there was no malicious intent since the bracket was made as a joke among friends and not everybody involved was offended. But the entertainment of a few should not be emphasized over the feelings of others.

The central issue of the matter is not only how the girls in the Booty Bracket were portrayed, but that there was no original consent. The list was compiled without the specific permission of the subjects on the list, and made public through Twitter.

Those involved in the Booty Bracket knew that what they were doing was not widely accepted outside of the group, which is why they tried to cover up their actions by giving each girl a college code name without asking the girls first.

When anyone, regardless of gender, focuses too much on a single physical part of a person, it reinforces the idea that a person’s physical characteristics are more important than anything else about a person. For modern women it seems that appearance has become so important that the plastic surgery industry made a whopping $10 billion in 2010. Some may argue that society sees a woman’s physical

beauty as indicative of her worth, and the fashion industry has certainly cashed in on society’s value of female beauty.

However, it would be wrong to say that people shouldn’t feel attracted to a person because of physical characteristics. But a problem is created when only a single body part comes before other things that are more important about a person, such as interests, personality, their past and ambitions for the future. By focusing on something so shallow, it disregards actual qualities that make up a real person, the qualities that

photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The objectification of women has been going on for far too long and has been used to promote gender discrimination.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Editors, I had read the article on the Flappy Bird application, and I was entertained. The vocabulary and the way the app was described was on point.

I think many iPhone users such as myself can relate to the frustration.

I enjoyed reading this piece of writing but not every one can relate to it. You make it seem like a suicidal game when in reality it’s not that bad.

People are being over dramatic and now that the app has been deleted permenantly [sic], it shouldn’t be talked about anymore. In my opinion it’s overexposed ,and there was no need to discuss the topic.

The topic was OK , but it would of been better discussed earlier. Now, people are over it. But overall, great writing, I’m impressed.

Mettii Kitila Senior Dear Editors, I read the article “Chemical in cafeteria food causes concern” by Jonah Scharf and Alex Nesterovich. This article was exactly what needed

determine one’s future and happiness. This is the modern version of dehumanization, when we start to care more about what a person looks like rather than the person’s personality.

Additionally, ranking girls based on their butts confirms the idea that girls are dressing up solely for guys’ attentions. Not all girls make themselves look nice for the sake of finding a boyfriend. Clothes are one of the easiest forms of self-expression, and to attract attention from the opposite gender should be a side result to making yourself look and feel good first and foremost.

The Booty Bracket tells students that the purpose of looking good is for others to judge. It puts a ranking on individuals based on their appearances, as if it is some sort of competition to prove self-worth. The media does this too, endlessly critiquing “beach bodies” and body fat. And when our culture affirms this judgement, it is hard to then change one’s opinions when your longest-lasting impression of a girl is based on how much you like or dislike her behind.

Ultimately, we understand that the Booty Bracket meant no harm. But when the Booty Bracket detracts from how we understand each other as people, and not bodies, it harms more than helps. There is no reason why such a list needs to be made and published, and simple human decency comes before entertainment at the expense of others.

to be printed. School lunch food has always been the age-old joke because nobody really knows what’s [sic] in it. Honestly, it comes as no surprise that the food served is held together/made out of synthetic material. But this article didn’t [sic] just tell us what’s [sic] in it, you guys also talked about where it’s [sic] used and what the FDA thinks about it. And honestly, it’s sad our FCPS schools have to stoop so low, as to buy [sic] last choice fish with sodium tripolyphosphate along with other preservatives in it. This article also brought to light the term GRAS. This term shouldn’t [sic] be allowed to be used when being used in the context of school food. Overall there were a few grammar mistakes, but overall it was good.

Jennifer Lowry Senior Dear Editors, After reading the article titled “Raising the minimum wage, harming the poor” I can honestly say that I completely disagree with your statement saying [that] raising the minimum wage won’t help anyone in the long run. I work

at a McDonald’s franchise and have for about 8.5 months. You are absolutely right, working at a franchise such as McDonald’s does not require much skill, but there is so much more that you have to deal with that makes it unbearable. Being just a teenager, the amount I make is tolerable, but for someone who is actually working there as a full-time job, it is ridiculous. Recently I’ve come to find out that no managers make double digits, and these people have families and are dependent on themselves. On average, a manager is making $9 an hour and working the full 40 hours a week without overtime, would make about $17,000 a year, which is so much less than the standard of living in the United States. A lot of these people do not even chose to have a fast food restaurant as their career, but things happen. People could go to school, graduate, and end up not being able to find a job in their field. So when you say raising the minimum wage won’t help, I believe it will significantly help those who are in need of it.

Nicki Cardoza Senior

28Style

10 April 2014

The treasures of the lost and found

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by Jake Hruska - Staff Writer

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any personal items are lost everyday at Lake Braddock, and most of them end up in the lost and found. While most clothing items are kept in the general lost and found room in the cafeteria, more valuable items, such as electronics and jewelry, are kept in the security room. After every year, the lost and found is cleaned out and unclaimed items are donated to charity.

“I try to find a different charity every year so we can help as many people as possible,” safety and security assistant Ralph Gardner said. “Cell phones I turn over to the police department for the battered spouse program.”

The program provides cell phones to victims of domestic violence so they can call 911 in an emergency.

“If [students] have lost something, even if it’s been a couple weeks, just check the lost and found. We’re really happy to get any item to the proper owner,” Gardner said.

1. Sandie Daamash, Jesse Sands and Mikey Lodato show off their new-to-them clothing they found in the lost and found.

2. Sandie wears her fashionable cold weather gloves, warm knit hat and for extra precaution she wears a nice pink dress to protect her from falling ice cold rain.

3-4. Coming in a close second is Mikey’s beautiful bike helmet which is finally coming back into style. To match his athletic apparel he wears a matching windbreaker and to top it all off he shows he is always full of energy with the coffee mug.

5. Jesse is wielding a beautiful guitar. He is also wearing a beautiful autumn scarf and matching cardigan. The beautiful dark flannel puts the entire outfit over the top, making it the most desirable out of the three.

If a student loses something they should talk to one of the administrators and ask to be let into the lost and found to take a look.

“Usually what I do is if a student asks if they can be let in to the lost and found my first question is, “What did you lose?’”

Gardner said.

Upon entering the lost and found, one sees a disarray of items. A series of metal shelves are on the floor, as are backpacks, jackets, shirts, shoes, pencil bags and even personal hygiene items. It is easy to wonder how some of these items were lost. A large backpack full of binders sits on the floor amidst a pile of clothes. There are a few jackets hanging up on a portable rack. Many more jackets lie on the shelves with notebooks, binders and a few agenda books. It is completely unorganized.

Last week, members of The Bear Facts opted to explore the items lost and not found.

Junior Jesse Sands wore a women’s hooded cream cardigan sweater by American Eagle (which was found hanging on the rack) and a woman’s knit scarf

(found in a pile on the ground). He held a small toy guitar. All of the strings from the mini acoustic had been removed., giving off an indie rock vibe.

Senior Mickey Ladato sported a pair of standard purple LB gym shorts (that were found in the pile) over his jeans, a black Under Armor pullover windbreaker (also found in the pile) and an out-of-style striped tie. The tie was found still tied from whomever last wore it.

He held a coffee cup with the Marine Corp insignia on it. In addition, he wore a bicycle helmet found on a shelf. This outfit was formal enough for a desk job but sensible in a green bike commuter kind of way.

Freshman Sandi Daamash wore a navy zip-up hooded windbreaker, a pair of heavy winter mittens and a purple knit hat.

But the Pièce de résistance was the long pink stripe Oxford cloth dress. It features two breast pockets, an elastic waistband and two side pockets. It pulls the whole ensemble together. The whole thing is a perfect winter chic.

10 April 2014 Style

The Bear Facts 29

Eyewitness History - With Mr. Holtzman

by Michael Murphy - Staff Writer

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hether he is a Roman senator or a British judge, history teacher Gary Holtzman always keeps his students on their toes.

Holtzman has a plethora of costumes that correspond to a single historical time period.

“I got the idea when I was working in college at a summer camp; the camp wasn’t historic,” Holtzman said. “When working with kids, costumes would excite the children with the activity.

When I started teaching history, I believed the result would be similar to that of the kids at the summer camp.

The first costume I wore to school was the Roman senator. It worked so well that I continued gathering more

costumes to make units more interesting.”

Holtzman’s costumes represent time periods and people from all over the world.

While traveling in Seoul, South Korea, Holtzman purchased a custom designed Josenian density king costume known as a hambok. Also in his collection is a French Revolutionist, a British judge, a Roman senator and a monarch in royal robes.

“I feel like it made students more involved when he wore a costume,” senior Ryan Kelly said. “It made us [students] think that instead of a teacher just lecturing, it was someone from the time period.”

A study done by the American Psychological Association shows there is a distinct correlation between

interactive teachers and good grades.

“I believe wearing costumes has a positive impact on my students. Every time I wear a costume I get a really positive response, and the students seem more interested,” Holtzman said.

“It’s weird; students are better behaved when I’m wearing the costume. I think it just adds excitement; it’s hard to get students’ attention about something that’s so remote.”

Holtzman is always looking for additions to his already vast collection of costumes. His newest costume was purchased last month for the French Revolution unit.

“I’m always looking to build my collection,” Holtzman said.

Each Year, Holtzman goes through his arsenal of

costumes.

“I would say most people have favorites,” sophomore Claire Szipszky said. “My favorite costume was the one he wore for the Rome simulation; I thought it was great that the outfit went with what we were learning.”

Imagine walking past a classroom and looking in to see a French revolutionist standing in the front of the class. Through out the years Holtzman and his costumes have baffled many hallway roamers but have gained praise.

“Frequently, I get people calling out, ‘I like the costume,’” Holtzman said. “All sorts of people comment on my costumes. students, security officers and counselors. Some people just stare, rarely if ever has anyone said anything negative.”

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1. Holtzman sports his French Revolutionist costume. “I like this costume because of the extravagant hat and wig,” sophomore Christopher Stankiewicz said. “Also, Mr. Holtzman shows patriotism with his French flag,” 2. Holtzman models his Joesian Dynasty handbook. “I like this one because it was very involved,” sophomore Erin Rodgers said. “ It looks like it took a lot of effort.”

3. Holtzman wears his judge costume for the Ghengis Khan trial. “ This costume was for the Ghengis Khan trial simulation,” sophomore Nathan Cho said. “I enjoyed the costume because he actually looked like a judge: gavel, robe, hair, everything.”

4.Holtzman waves to the senate of Rome in his Roman senator costume.

“This was for the Rome simulation,” sophomore Kendra Weingast said. “I loved to see how Mr. Holtzman got so into simulations.”

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Allyson’s answers for Rebecca Dream college?

Radford (VCU) Best subject?

Art (Ceramics) Worst subject?

Math (Government) Favorite sport?

Basketball (Running) 3 adjectives to describe them: Nice, simple, stylish (loud, high energy, artistic) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most: How well do you know your twin? 5 How simliar are you two? 3

Emma’s answers for Ben Dream college?

UCLA (UCLA) Best subject?

Geometry (Math) Worst subject?

French (French) Favorite sport?

Football (Baseball) 3 adjectives to describe them: Hardworking, talented, friendly (athletic, funny, nice) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most: How well do you know your twin? 8 How simliar are you two? 6

n h o

s n so

T

J e h

Porter’s answers for Tyler Dream college?

Princeton (Tier 1 college) Best subject?

Math (Math) Worst subject?

English (English) Favorite sport?

Cross country (Cross country) 3 adjectives to describe them: Fast, smart, skinny (fast, smart, funny) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most: How well do you know your twin? 6 How simliar are you two? 8

Rebecca’s answers for Allyson Dream college?

VCU (LIM) Best subject?

English (English) Worst subject?

Math (Math) Favorite sport?

Walking (Baseball) 3 adjectives to describe them: Materialistic, stubborn, artistic (funny, fashionable, creative) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most: How well do you know your twin? 5 How simliar are you two? 8

Ben’s answers for Emma Dream college?

Pace (Pace) Best subject?

History (History) Worst subject?

Algebra (Algebra) Favorite sport?

Baseball or dance if it’s considered a sport (Dance but he doesn’t consider that a sport) 3 adjectives to describe them: Short, funny, nice (hardworking, opinionated, nice) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most: How well do you know your twin? 8 How simliar are you two? 5

Th

eC

oo

ks

Tyler’s answers for Porter Dream college?

Harvard (Princeton) Best subject?

English (History) Worst subject?

Math (Math) Favorite sport?

Cross country (Basketball) 3 adjectives to describe them: Annoying, smart, weak (fast, funny, smart) On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most: How well do you know your twin? 6 How simliar are you two? 8

32 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 Arts

1

Bruin Compositions

2

3

4

5

6

1. Senior Amanda Pham took this picture. “I really enjoyed this shoot because everything from concept, to hair and makeup, styling and location all came together in the end to create probably one of my favorite shoots to date. I shot this in a country inn out in Middleburg, Va. This shot was technically challenging because I had to balance studio strobe lights with natural and ambient light,” she said. 2. Junior Camille Lynch made this art piece. “I liked the bright colors because flowers are happy and so are the colors,” Lynch said. 3. Sophomore Karlyn Crum took this photo.

“I took it when I was sitting on the dock at Ocean City,” Crum said. 4. Sophomore Josh Porter took this photograph. “I really like how the flash fills his face and provides a strong contrast with the dark background,” Porter said. “Most of the skateboarding photos I shoot feature more of the obstacle than the skateboarder, but I like this one because of the original angle, which features the skateboarder dominating the majority of the frame.” 5. Junior Emely Pascual drew this picture. “I was trying to practice using perspective so I did it as if someone was on the floor looking up at the people,” Pascual said. 6. Senior Grace Lee painted this picture. “I dedicate it for all the Korean War veterans,” Lee said.

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How long does the test take?

Number and length of sections?

Contains Reading, Writing, Math, and Essay?

Contains science?

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35Sports

10 April 2014

photos courtesy of Gregg Zelkin

Senior Scott Belcher (left) and junior Nick O’Connor (right) hit balls in preparation for the Bruins’ match against Lee on Mar. 24. LB won the match 8-1 and is undefeated through five matches this spring. Both Belcher and O’Connor joined the team in 2012, and they are regularly among the six singles participants for most matches.

LB tennis serves up success

by Connor O’Neill - Staff Writer

T

hroughout the past few years, Lake Braddock’s boys tennis team has been successful at the district level but has fallen short in the early rounds of regional competition. As the bitter winter cold comes to an end, practices and matches are finally underway. From the beginning of tryouts, it was clear that a few new faces could make Lake Braddock into a potential state-winning team.

Two of the top six are new to the Lake Braddock team.

Freshman Eric Yoo and senior Jacob Daugherty have already made a name for themselves outside of high school competition and look to establish themselves as forces on the LB team. They join veteran competitors juniors Alex Nesterovich and Nick O’ Connor and seniors Long Huynh and Scott Belcher to make up the top six.

“I think that Jacob [Daugherty] and Eric [Yoo] are going to contribute a lot to the matches this season,” sophomore Keenan Kunc said. “And after seeing them [at practice], I think they will help us make it farther than last year.”

Last year, LB had a strong season, finishing 13-1 and crushing much of the competition up until regionals, where they lost to Langley and abruptly brought the season to an end.

“I think that the team captains like Long [Huynh] and Scott Belcher really help the team’s performance in practice and in matches,” Yoo said.

The Bruins have dominated any opponent that they have faced. After the match against Annandale was cancelled due to bad weather, the first team to go up against the Bruins was T.C. Williams, whom LB was able to breeze through with an 8-1 victory.

The next team to take their chance against LB was the Lee

Lancers. The Bruins made quick work once again and emerged with a 2-0 record. They then prepared for a match with Annandale the next day, but the match was again rescheduled due to poor weather conditions. After skipping over the Atoms for the second time, they squared off against South County, emerging victorious once again after a 9-0 win.

The next team in their way was the West Springfield Spartans, whom the Bruins got past neatly en route to a 4-0 record. After that, LB was finally able to face off against Annandale. After four failed rescheduled matches, the Bruins were able to beat the Atoms and cut their way to a flawless 5-0 record, indicating a very promising season.

With such a strong field to work with, head coach Bill Hughes had tough decisions to make regarding what his top six lineup would look like. Challenge matches between players mainly decide the lineup, but drill performance and work ethic are also take into consideration by coach Hughes. He seems to be making the right choices judging by the great success the Bruins have been enjoying thus far. Some of the newcomers find that they are being pushed beyond what they are used to.

“Being on the high school team is a lot more competitive than just playing recreationally,” freshman Bryan Nguyen said.

The tennis team has acquired a multitude of players who look to be the key to turning the Bruins into a force to be reckoned with at the regional and state levels.

Number To Know: 9

The total number of points available in a high school tennis match.

Six players from each school competes in singles matches, and three additional doubles matches are played.

36 The Bear Facts

10 April 2014 Sports

Managers take MVP behind the scenes

by Claire Hollinger - Staff Writer

T

he managers of sports teams are some of the most underappreciated and underrated people in the world of sports. There are many different components to the team, including coaches, parents, athletes and

photo courtesy of Gregg Zelkin

Junior Logan Shock writes down statistics at the gymnastics meet on Dec. 4 at Oakton. trainers. But little do people realize how much managers really help all of those people. Depending on the sport they manage for, they can do various jobs for

the team or coaches, such as taking splits, cleaning up after the team or recording results.

“I time for the [swim and dive] team and make sure the divers know what dives they’re doing,” swim and dive manager Logan Hannam said.

Hannam is only in seventh grade, but both of his older siblings, Jackson (now a sophomore in college) and senior Kyle, have been captains of the team. Logan wishes to follow in his brothers’ footsteps.

Hannam isn’t the only one with family ties to the sport he manages. One of the wrestling managers comes from one of the largest wrestling families ever to come through LB. Junior Rianna Renzi may not wrestle, but she has definitely been involved with the team for a long time.

“I have a lot of brothers [that have wrestled for the team], and I have been going to wrestling tournaments since I was a little girl,” she said. “This year, none of my brothers are on the team, so I just decided to manage.”

Not only does managing benefit the team, but it benefits the managers as well. It opens opportunities to gain new friends and get acquainted with the team and coaches. Managers also get the opportunity to get the feel of the team and

the environment of being on a high school sports team.

Although most managers play the sport they manage, some managers don’t have ties to the sport. For example, sophomore Lizzie Fitzpatrick has managed boys lacrosse for the past two seasons.

“My best friend Zach [Silva] and I both wanted to manage because his dad is one of the coaches, and we both like the sport,” Fitzpatrick said. “I gained a lot of responsibility through [managing] and plan on managing this coming season.”

Another manager who doesn’t have direct ties with the sport he manages is junior Logan Shock, who has been managing girls’ varsity gymnastics for two years.

“I’ll do whatever the coaches need,” Shock said. “I’ll move mats, set up the equipment, move the equipment. Just really whatever they need me to do.”

All managers need to be willing to sacrifice their time after school and on weekends to help out the team. In their time as a manager, Shock, Hannam, Fitzpatrick and Renzi have spent between one to four hours outside of school up to six days a week with the team, depending on the sport and level of the sport (freshman, JV or varsity).

Boys’ lacrosse shoots for return to prominence

by Austin Garlick - Staff Writer

L

ast year, everyone who tried out for varsity lacrosse made the team. They barely conditioned, and nothing was taken seriously. At the end of the season they lost to Robinson and finished out with .500 season, which is decent, but not good enough for this year’s team.

“LB sports is always known for doing one thing consistently, and that is striving for excellence,” junior Chris Gilmore said.

The season has just begun, and there already have been some major changes from last season. The team is conditioning during and after practice. Only the people who showed that they could make a positive impact on the team were chosen to play. LB lacrosse is determined to make a statement and put themselves back on the map this year as one of the most dominant teams in the Northern Virginia area.

“Last year, [head coach Steve] Price made us do a very small amount of conditioning,” junior Tyler Stewart said.

“Now, at the end of every practice, he’s

making us condition more and more to help us stay conditioned the whole season.”

The team is showing some improvement and might actually be serious about this season as a whole.

“We are older, more mature and have been training a lot harder than last year,“ Gilmore said. “We want to win and get as far as possible this season.”

Because of the snow days, the team had a hard time practicing outside, so they had to find any place they could to practice, such as the blacktop and South Run’s indoor turf facility. It’s imperative, not only to the players, but to the coaches as well, to show that they’re turning things around this year.

“On the blacktop, there were multiple accounts of shin splints and cuts on your legs from slipping all the time,” Stewart said. “It was just the worst type of practice you could ever have.”

This year, they’re focusing on ball handling and formations to help them score more goals. Whenever a player makes a marginal mistake in practice, the

coaches will either make them start the drill over again or add conditioning time to the end of practice. This change could explain their 6-1 record as.of Apr. 7.

“We’ve been going through our drills a lot quicker, and been using a lot more teamwork.” senior Hayden Pozza said.

“If we do something wrong in the drills, Coach Price will make us do it over again.

It’ll only make us better.”

photo courtesy of Gregg Zelkin

Senior Sam Fiedorek runs up the field in a game on Mar. 27 against Middleburg Academy. LB is 4-1 on the season.

Sports 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 37

Bruins In The Outfield

by Tu Lam - Staff Writer

I

n the past five years, LB has created a tradition of powerhouse sports teams that have dominated the district. Two sports that have been following the tradition recently are baseball and softball. After a state title in 2012, varsity baseball went 23-5 last spring, winning the Northern Region title before losing in the state semifinals to Great Bridge. Meanwhile, softball went 21-2, with their second loss coming in the regional tournament to Centreville.

As 2014 swings around, both baseball and softball are making strong drives to top their performances from a season ago.

With the arrival of the 2014 season comes a revived team for baseball and softball. Both teams have started the new campaign in a strong manner. Baseball, with its 2-3 record, averages six runs per game and has allowed an average of five runs per game.

Softball remains undefeated and averages 12 runs per game and has allowed one run this entire season. In the most recent Washington Post rankings, both teams rank in the top five for the All-Met region (baseball fifth, softball second).

Baseball started out the season strong, defeating Oakton 10-3 on Mar. 22 and Lee 8-2 on Mar. 24. After these two games, they were ranked second in the All-Met area. The team then entered somewhat of a slump, failing to score in two straight games against St. John’s and West Springfield. On Apr. 4, they fell behind 7-0 to West Potomac after three innings. They were nearly able to pull off a comeback, but fell just short and dropped to 2-3 after a 12-11 loss.

However, offense is not LB’s primary concern; rather, it is worried it won’t have enough pitching to last the full season. Hardthrowing southpaw Thomas Rogers, who pitched the state title game against Kellam in 2012, graduated last June, while junior Matt Supko is unlikely to pitch this season after an arm injury necessitated Tommy John surgery.

“The pitching last year was really superb, and compared to last year, I’d say we lack more in pitching,” senior outfielder Alec Klindworth said.

Klindworth said that the team’s success is a result of its hard work throughout the winter months and that as long as the team stays together and fights for their one main goal, their success can continue.

Just up the hill from the baseball field, softball once again finds themselves in the midst of an undefeated season. After knocking off Bishop O’Connell 2-1 on Mar. 22, the team routed Lee and West Springfield by 20 and 21 runs, respectively. On Apr. 4, the Lady Bruins beat West Potomac 4-0 to improve to 4-0 this spring.

“We work really hard at practice,” senior shortstop Amanda Patterson said. “We make sure we practice as hard as we play in a game.”

The team’s success thus far this season can be attributed to the chemistry between the girls as well as an increased amount of talent, senior pitcher Ashley Flesch said.

“We work really well as a team together,” she said. “We also have a lot of talent and a lot of girls that play travel softball, much more than previous years.”

Both Flesch and Patterson said that softball’s success can continue for the rest of the season.

“We just have to focus because last year we ended early,” Flesch said.

Through the first weeks of the 2014 season, baseball and softball have established themselves as forces to be reckoned with, and as the season continues, both teams are primed to extend their lead over the rest of the field.

photos courtesy of Lifetouch and John Lorence

Junior Kevin Haswell (top) figures to be one of the Bruins’ top pitchers this spring, although the staff’s depth is in question due to graduations and injuries.

Sophomore Danielle Newman (bottom) takes a rip against West Springfield on Apr. 1, a game LB ended up winning 21-0.

Number To Know: 0

The number of runs the varsity softball pitching staff has given up in its first three district games against Lee, West Springfield and West Potomac. In these three games, the team has scored 45 runs.

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Sports 10 April 2014

The Bear Facts 39

Krazy for Katy How long have you been playing soccer and what is your favorite part of playing?

I have been playing since I was about 7. I love shooting, dribbling and taking corner kicks. I think it’s an awesome feeling after winning a game and being able to celebrate with your team.

As a senior, how has your role changed on the team?

As a senior, I need to be more of a leader, and I try to set a good example for the team.

You are going to the University of Kentucky next year to run. How did you make your decision to go there?

I felt like I fit in best at UK. I really liked the coaches, the team and the campus. They also have a great cross country/track program that I am excited to be a part of.

What was your favorite thing about playing sports at LB? I have made countless memories and have made so many friends I’ll have for the rest of my life. I learned a lot about being a team player and what it takes to be a successful athlete, which will help me in the future.

Athlete of the Issue: Senior Katy Kunc