REBEL ROAR
April, 2013 Volume LXXIX, Issue 7 Fairfax High School 3501 Rebel Run Fairfax, VA 22030
Contents News
4 5 6
Texas Explosion Devastates Small Town Boston Shaken By Terror Attacks News Briefs
Entertainment
7 8
Tran’sformations At the Movies
Commentary
10 11
US Schools Obessed With Meeting the Challenge For Your Flynn-formation
Middle Spread
12
Fairfax Speaks Up on Bullying
Rebel Roar Staff 2012-2013
2
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Strickland Jessica Miers Managing Editor Rachel Tran Copy Chief George Flynn News Editor Suha Khandker Entertainment Editor Emily Verbiest Commentary Editor Erinn Fecteau Features Editor
Rachel Tran Sports Editor Jackson Campbell Art Director George Flynn Business Manager Suha Khandker Aoife Maher-Ryan Staff Writers Hannah Flynn Adelaide Powell Web Master Erinn Fecteau Adviser Carl Irvin
Photo by Nikki Strickland; see page 20 for full story Cover photo by Nikki Strickland
Features
17 18 19
Rebels Strut Down the Runway Rebels Go Green Baking With Hannah
Sports
20 21 23
Baseball Aims for Playoffs, Honors Manager Lacrosse Continues Their Season March Madness; Stand Out Players
Editorial Policy Rebel Roar is a published forum of student expression. Letters to the Editor and guest articles are encouraged. Only signed letters are considered for publication. The editors reserve the right to edit all material in the interest of clarity and space. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the staff or school administration. The staff writes unsigned editori-
als on a majority basis. The Rebel Roar accepts all advertisements deemed appropriate for a public forum meant for young adults and are subject to the discretion of the editors. Students are encouraged to take an active voice in the student publication. Questions, comments, and letters can be emailed to FHSRebelRoar@gmail. com.
Letter From the Editors Dear Rebels, Seniors, from the time we started writing this letter, there are exactly 49 days, 22 hours, 19 minutes, and 45 seconds until graduation. Now this does include upcoming holidays and weekends, but the days keep going by faster. Cherish it! We hope you enjoy our latest issue of the Rebel Roar. Unfortunately with the Boston bombing, the MIT shooting, and the explosion in Waco, Texas, it is safe to say that April has been one of the most tragic months for news this year. The entire staff of the Rebel Roar would like to give our utmost respect and condolences to the Boston police department, MIT officer Sean Collier, and all the lives lost in Boston and Texas. As for any of our readers who had family impacted by either tragic event, we wish everyone a safe recovery. Please be sure to read about the two incidents in our news section on pages 4 and 5. On the positive side, for those of you that are excited about knowing what to wear to prom and more importantly, what this year’s prom theme is, make sure to check out page 7 in the entertainment section. In other news, Fairfax was just ranked the 214th most challenging school in the nation, however, is this really something to be proud of or are we spending too much time obsessing over AP/IB classes? Find out more in the commentary section on page 10. Lastly, the Rebel Roar would also like to congratulate Drew Bonner after he took first base on Monday, along with a Varsity letter. We appreciate all the work you’ve done with managing the FHS baseball team for four years, Drew! Along with these intriguing stories, our middle spread is focused on a much more serious topic. In light of bullying awareness last week, the Rebel Roar has made stopping and preventing bullying this month’s priority. Though it’s common for Fairfax students to say that bullying doesn’t really exist here, our list of anonymous stories in the middle spread may change of few of your minds. Bullying does exist here, though it may be quite less than other schools (thankfully), the bullies do exist and the situations are very real. Read more about how you can prevent bullying and what to do if you are being bullied, in the middle spread. As always, we encourage you to use this paper as your forum to exercise your freedom of speech and press. Utilize it! Any complaints, suggestions, story ideas or articles can be submitted to the editors at fhsrebelroar@gmail.com. Only two more months, Fairfax. Make it count and finish strong! Nikki Strickland Jessica Miers
Texas Explosions
O
By Hannah Flynn
n Wednesday, April 17, a large fertilizer plant in West, Texas suffered a large fire which prompted a devastating explosion. Over 160 people were injured and 15 were killed. Due to the size of the explosion, over 60 homes were destroyed along with schools,businesses and a nursing home. In a small community of 2,800, the town is overcome with distress. "The devastation is immense," said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott of West, Texas, reported by Fox News. A second official said "There are homes flattened. Part of that community is gone." A crater 93 feet wide and 10 feet deep is all that remains where the plant once stood. On Saturday, some residents were allowed back into their homes. According to Texas news station WOAI, those who lived on the perimeter of the affected area were named by police as “Stage A fertilizer plant in West Texas suffers a 1” and “Stage 2.” large fire. Photo courtesy of photobucket.com Many of the town’s
4
citizens who lived closer to the blast zone are still displaced and have not seen the damage done to their homes. The enormity of the plant was due to the chemicals contained within the building. Anhydrous ammonia is a common ingredient of many fertilizers as well as many home made explosives. The chemical compound requires high temperatures and high pressures to be produced and stored as a liquid, but when it makes contact with the air, anhydrous ammonia reverts to its natural, highly flammable state of gas. The investigation of what started this blast is still under investigation. According to the National Public Radio the officials on the case have ruled out the possibility of a natural cause, although The Dallas Morning News reported a lightning strike to be the cause of the disaster. President Barack Obama has officially declared the site a Federal Disaster Area, and has visited the town to receive updates as well as mourn the losses. "I want to thank the first responders who worked tirelessly through the night to contain the situation and treat the wounded," the president stated, as reported by Fox News. "My Administration, through FEMA and other agencies, is in close contact with our state and local partners on the ground to make sure there are no unmet needs as search and rescue and response operations continue."
Boston Shaken by Terror Attacks
News
By Suha Khandker
T
housands of runners were still on course when two bombs detonated near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. The first bomb detonated at finish line; the second bomb exploded seconds later just before the finish line on Boylston Street. The explosions injured 100 people and killed eight year old Martin Richards, restaurant manager Krystle Campbell, and Chinese graduate student Lu Lingzi. Emergency vehicles were at the scene immediately attending The boston marathon 2013 logo is to critically injured specdisplayed for all to see. tators and marathoners. The Boston Marathon is an annual event held on Patriots day. The marathon attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators every year. This year, more than 20,000 runners participated in the marathon representing 96 countries. Lelisa Desisa Benti of Ethiopia was the winner in the men’s division in two hours and ten minutes and Rita Jeptoo of Kenya won in the women’s division won in two hours and 36 minutes.
The explosions occurred long after the winners had crossed the finish line; just before three p.m. The bombs were composed of low grade explosives, ball bearings, small pieces of metal all contained in a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker bombs were concealed in backpacks. Remnants of these basic but deadly bombs were found in the aftermath of the explosions. As more evidence was being recovered, investigators called upon spectators to send them any pictures or videos that may have helped identify who had been involved in the bombings. Two days after the bombings the FBI released pictures of two male suspects who were seen setting backpacks down near the scene of the explosions. The suspects were 26 year old Tamerlan Tsarnaev and 19 year old Dzhokar Tsarnaev. After a shootout late Thursday night between the brothers and police, Dzhokar fled on foot. His older brother Tamerlan was killed during the fight. Authorities finally caught Dzhokar on Friday night. He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in serious condition.
Empty bleachers at the Boston Marathon.
Fairfax’s Very Own
By Alyssa Brennan, guest writer
I
was volunteering in the medical tent B with my dad who was the team captain; I was shadowing him for my human anatomy internship. The first explosion went off about a block away and everyone stopped. It sounded like a pipe bursting or a building falling, the ground rumbled under our feet. Thirty seconds later, the second one went off and my dad, who served in Iraq for a year, turned to me and said it’s a terrorist attack, stay calm. Since we were in the second tent, we had the runners who were in good health leave so we could take in some of the wounded people at the finish line. In the tent, I only saw three to four people with minor injuries such as debris and cuts, the most urgent [patients] went straight to the hospital. Although it was a tragic event, it's brought me closer to me dad and really put life into perspective. Life is too valuable not to live it to the fullest. It's helped me further my decision to be a nurse because in that state of survival mode I wanted to fight not run. All photos courtesy of Alyssa Brennan
5
News
News Briefs Boundary Option D After much review of all of the boundary options, the FCPS school board has been present with a staff reccommendation. This proposal moves students in the Greenbriar West ES attendance area from Lanier MS and Fairfax HS to Rocky Run MS and Chantilly HS. This will also shift all students who are in the Fairfax Villa ES from Lanier MS and Fairfax HS to Frost MS and Woodson HS.
Associated Press Hacked On Tues. April 23, the Associated Press (AP) twitter sent out a false message claiming that there had been two explosions at the white house and that the president had been injured. This claims were not true and AP quickly shut down its twitter temporarily and apologized for the confusion it caused.
Save Ruby
Photos courtesy of fcps.edu
6
HS to 1. Fairfax Chantilly HS
2014=34 2017=39 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=6 Rocky Run MS 2017=23 Fairfax HS to 2014=174 Woodson HS 2017=332 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=55 Frost MS 2017=158
2.
Photos courtesy of fcps.edu
Google Glass Google’s newest invention is google glass. Photo courtesy of photobucket.com
Last month, Google released its newest invention: “Google Glass,” which allows its users to wear a pair of glasses and see what they would normally see on an android or tablet but instead, right in front of their eyes at any time in any place. Though the product is still in testing mode, Google has reported that this new piece of technology should be available for the public by the next presidential election in 2016.
Beloved teacher Dave Ruby is may be losing his job due to budget cuts in Fairfax County. Ruby is the professional television production teacher at the Fairfax Academy. He graduated with a film degree from Pennsylvania State University. Many FCPS students and parents are outraged and have commended his teaching abilities on public forums such as Facebook and Twitter. There is an online petition to help save Ruby’s job here at Fairfax. The petition has garnered over 600 signatures.
Dave Ruby is the TV production teacher here at the Fairfax Acaemy.
Entertainment
Tran’sformations: Prom Edition
By Rachel Tran and Erinn Fecteau
Some say that diamonds are a girl’s best friend because they last forever. However, they obviously have never had the special memories of finding the perfect prom dress. Prom is an opportunity to embrace individuality and rock unique styles. Dresses can range from the subtle sweetheart neckline to a bold high-low look. Those looking for a classic gown may find what they are searching for in an empire top (with a waistline just below the bust), or a sweetheart cut (a strapless dress that creates the top of a heart). A skirt with a side-slit that goes up the upper thigh can complete a sophisticated prom dress. Spice up prom gowns with more daring styles such as the mermaid bottom (a tight-fitting dress featuring a skirt that flares at the knees), ruffles, or a fashionable high-low bottom. A halter top (straps that tie around the neck) or asymmetrical top (one-strap or irregular shape) will stand out in a crowd and in Facebook pictures. Make the June 1 “Night in Paris” an evening to remember with a flawless gown.
Sweetheart
High-Low
Photos courtesy of www.promgirl.com
Empire
Halter
Asymmetrical
Mermaid
Side-Slit
Ruffles
7
At The Movies By Aoife Maher-Ryan and Adelaide Powell
Admission
The Host
Jared (Max Irons) and Ian (Jake Abel) discuss the situation with the now occupied host Melanie (Saoirse Ronan). Compared to Stephanie Meyer’s successful Twilight Saga, “The Host” failed to bring in more of the targeted teenage audience making only five million dollars more than its budget.
“T
he Host” is a paranormal alien-love-action flick that is heavy on the romance and light on the action. Melanie (Saoirse Ronan) has an alien species called a “soul” implanted into her who takes the name Wanderer. Wanderer is supposed to retrieve information about Melanie’s past (using her memory) for the Seeker (Diane Kruger) who wishes to find other humans so they can be taken over by souls. Ronan competently portrays two people at once but her dialogue is unintentionally amusing and comes off as strange. The buildup of action does not go anywhere and the end is anticlimactic. The film also includes a unique love triangle that is really more of a square, but the complicated romance is still a bit tiresome.
Portia (Tina Fey) and John (Paul Rudd) get closer as she visits the alternative school on her search for worthy applicants for Princeton. “Admission,” had an average box office, earning a little over 15 million dollars. Princeton’s campus provided a setting for the film to be shot.
T
ina Fey and Paul Rudd star in a tepid comedic romance, “Admission,” that does not actually have a lot to do with college admissions. Portia (Fey), an admissions officers for Princeton University, visits a charter school in New Hampshire and meets a former classmate and principal John Pressman (Rudd). On her arrival, John introduces Portia to Jeremiah (Nat Wolff) who he thinks is her child that she put up for adoption while in college. Believing Jeremiah is her child, Portia tries to convince her co-workers to accept his application and bends the rules to make him Princeton material. Overall the movie is disappointing, but the surprise ending is slightly refreshing. On the upside, the chemistry between Rudd and Fey is undeniable- the only thing that’s missing is a less stilted script.
Roger Ebert
R
oger Ebert, one of the greatest film critics of our time, passed away on April 4 at age 70 after a long battle with cancer. Ebert made film reviews more accessible to people everywhere and was an inspiration to many aspiring critics with his “At the Movies” television program with Gene Siskel and Richard Roeper. He was the first film reviewer awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1975 and in 2005 was the first movie critic to get his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ebert blogged and continued to publish reviews up until his death, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times for 46 years. Perhaps his greatest legacy was his ability to make or break a movie with a thumbs up or thumbs down.
8
All photos courtesy of www. photobucket.com
2 out of 4 stars
2 out of 4 stars
“Hello Dolly!” Preview
Entertainment By Adelaide Powell
T
he comedic spring musical “Hello Dolly!” will be performed on May 3-12 and rehearsals are well underway. “Rehearsals are going great; everyone is having a lot of fun and working really well together,” said theater teacher and director Wendy Knight. Knight said she chose the play because the theater department had actors well suited to performing the roles in the musical. “We have a lot of strong, talented girls and there are five really great female roles in the show,” said Knight. The main roles for girls are Dolly, Irene, Minnie, Ermengarde and Ernestina and there are also strong comedic roles for boys including Horace, Cornelius and Barnaby. “The play is about a matchmaker named Dolly who is secretly trying to set herself up with Horace, one of her clients,” said junior Marissa Kovach who is the understudy for Irene and a member of the ensemble. “We have been rehearsing for weeks and occasionally weekends,” added Kovach. “We practice the choreography and music 24/7. It is a huge cast which is why it is difficult to have everyone at rehearsal but it is nicely pulling itself together. The show will be amazing; it's a classic,” said Kovach. The musical is based on Thornton Wilder’s play “The Matchmaker” and has been performed on Broadway as “Hello, Dolly!” since 1964 winning many awards and an adaptation for the silver screen. A production of the musical is also being performed in downtown Washington, D.C. at Ford’s Theatre until May 18. “I think everyone can enjoy “Hello Dolly!” because the songs are very energetic and there are a lot of talented people in this cast. You won't be disappointed,” said junior Emily Ennis, the understudy for Ermengarde and an ensemble
The cast of “Hello Dolly!” rehearses for the upcoming performances. Photo by Adelaide Powell
member. Like the rest of the cast, Ennis has been doing a lot to prepare for the performances. “I have to make sure I'm really solid on the dance numbers,” said Ennis. “I sometimes help out my fellow castmates by working on specific parts of the dances that may be difficult. I also make sure I'm really strong on the vocal parts as well. Even though I'm just one voice in the ensemble, I need to make sure I can carry the part by myself,” said Ennis. “The play will be different from other versions of the show because we’ve had some great ideas from the actors that have made it uniquely ours; it has that Fairfax flair,” said Knight. Tickets can be purchased at the door for 15 dollars and for 10 dollars online at www.fxplayers.org.
New Gaming Store Opens on Main Street
T
here’s a new store open on Main Street that has Magic the Gathering (MTG), Dungeons and Dragons and WarHammer fans really excited. With a row of gaming tables and window displays of magic cards, Comics and Gaming has become the new nerd hotspot for gaming galore. “It's cool because it offers many a wide array of games and a place to hang out and play,” said senior Vincent Caetto. Comics and Gaming also has a wide variety of old and new comics displayed prominently around the store. Because the store is brand new, the managers are still waiting for even more comics to be released to the store. For now, gamers of any kind can feel free to walk in the store between the hours of 11 am and 8 pm and enjoy what the it has to offer. Those who like board games can also demo some of the
By Jessica Miers games that are out on the front table before buying. On Friday nights, MTG fans can stop in for drafts and tournaments at 7:30 pm during “Friday Night Magic.”
Store customer Aaron Coltharp said, “Fantastic place to do some serious gaming and [they have] an excellent collection to choose from. Plus it is a very nice store.”
9
U.S Schools Obsessed With Meeting The Challenge
By Jessica Miers
O
n April 12, the Washington Post released the rankings for “America’s Most Challenging High Schools,” ranking Fairfax High School as the 214th most challenging school in the nation. Challenging. Depending on the context, the word “challenging” tends to convey both negative and positive connotations. When it comes to academics, the word most likely refers to course difficulty, requirements, and workloads. To be challenged is to be asked to overcome what seems like an intimidating obstacle. However, even as an advocate for progression, I strongly disagree with not only the system used to rank these schools, but also, the Post’s way of glorifying the idea of achieving a “challenging” high school. “We take the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year and divide by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June. I call this formula the Challenge Index,” reported by the Washington Post. Ironically, though the Post was attempting to publish a proud example of the American school system, it actually highlights the overall, major issue that public schools run into daily. Instead of innovating the way students learn, or enriching the everyday school curriculum, modern American schools have become too focused on the amount of AP/ IB classes students can pack into a normal schedule and how many standardized tests these students can pass in a year. The focus on academics have been diverted from and instead replaced with the national obsession of making teenage students paranoid about being able to get into college and stressing them out to their last wit. It is this attitude of glorifying how many classes instead of the quality of the classes and improving the learning environment that is actually undermining the U.S goal of achieving top notch schooling and education. Instead of ranking these schools based on the “most challenging” factor; why not devise a rank based upon the most innovative and intuitive educational opportunities that these schools present? Though it is true that the U.S is mainly built on the foundation of progress, one cannot disagree that innovation plays a much bigger role in setting the bar that the U.S has met and surpassed for years. Overseas nations such as China and South Korea may have the upper hand in training their students early-on and constantly forcing the maximum amount of effort a three year old can handle, but what good do these kinds of mass, robotic, human brain-training exercises really do for their country if every “hardworking” student is taught the same curriculum and presented with the same challenge year after year? Instead of being presented with a goal of achieving, discovering and enhancing learning, the goal has been shifted drastically to how many classes and how much training a student can handle; “the challenge.” It has been the unsaid standard of the United States to emphasize out-of the box thinking; which is why it is unfortunate to read about how we are slowly becoming a part of the platinum packaged education as if one sizes truly fits all. Anyone who attends a college tour for prospective students
10
can see this example of unnecessary obsession with challenging classes by listening to all the questions proposed by the parents of these students. Johnny has only taken three AP classes but he’s also involved in band and sports, does this mean he can’t get into your prestigious collegiate establishment? Or the classic: My daughter has taken 10 AP classes; she’s guaranteed to get accepted right? Perhaps it’s time that we use the Post’s rankings as a wakeup call instead of a competition. Progress may be essential, but innovation is key and it is finding the perfect balance between the two, which presents itself as the true American, scholastic challenge.
Commentary
For Your Flynn-formation By George Flynn
Not
Hot The Great Gatsby
A
lmost six months after it was originally slated to happen, Leo DiCaprio is finally about to appear on the silver screen as the one and only Jay Gatsby. The timeless story of the antics of Gatsby and his acquaintances on New York’s West Egg plus the magical universe that Director Baz Luhrman never fails to send viewers to is sure to be the theatrical event of the summer. Plus, Lana Del Rey, Florence Welch, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Fergie and the Queen herself, Beyonce, all on one soundtrack is basically next level perfection.
#GetDrewOnSportsCenter
T
his was without a doubt the coolest thing that has happened at Fairfax in the past several years. When a video of Senior Baseball Manager Drew Bonner taking his first high school at-bat hit the web this week, you could almost feel the goosebumps of every person watching it. This only got cooler when the entire FHS community took to twitter to spread the video around the web, even making it the Washington Post’s sports video of the day. All I can say on this one is Rebels, you’re doing it right.
AP Exams
R
emember last spring when you registered for all those AP classes thinking that the exams wouldn’t be that bad? I have a feeling you’re rethinking that one right about now. With just a little over a week until the start of “AP season,” classrooms and bedrooms are filled with review books, flashcards, and study guides. It’s times like these that I wonder why they don’t offer AP nap time.
Pandora Listening Limit
S
o first of all, I am totally acknowledging that this is a major first world problem, but with that being said, really Pandora? It’s no secret that the extremely bizarre ads (Pandora has suggested me many websites for finding easter European mail order brides) after almost every song are almost enough to send me to spotify. But now you tell me that you’re cutting me off after 40 hours a month? You really thought that was funny Pandora. Sorry, but I’d rather pay for my songs on iTunes than deal with this sort of oppression. Peace Pandora.
Unclear
Amanda Bynes
C
photos courtesy of twitter.com
an you say “Amanda, please?” America’s favorite 90’s Nickelodeon star is all grown up. And as in love as I may be with her cheek piercings and her affinity for guys named Drake, I really just have no idea what to say about Amanda anymore. If this is some kind of brilliant joke on all of us, I want nothing more than to be Amanda Bynes. But if the girl has actually gone monkey-feces crazy I am terrified. The feelings I get looking at any of Amanda’s Twitter photos (and there are several) are so overwhelming I just can’t even begin to try to put them into words. I guess for now I’ll just continue praying that if these antics end Amanda up in court, the one and only Judge Trudy will be presiding...now bring in the dancing lobsters.
11
Fairfax Speaks Up on Bullying By Nikki Strickland and Jessica Miers
“I
t degrades a person’s self worth,” said senior Will Virginia law states that any “retaliation for asserting Park. or alleging an act of bullying,” as well as “perpetuating “Bullying is a nasty thing that can lead to self bullying or harassing conduct by spreading hurtful or harm, eating disorders, and suicide,” said freshman Shel- demeaning material, even if the material was created by ley Mead. another person,” is prohibited. This simply means that “It can damage someone’s life beyond what you can yes, retweeting that mean picture or not-so-funny joke imagine,” said senior Artemius Ozeransky. about the girl who sits behind you in class is, in fact, “It completely sucks,” said senior Vincent Caetto. against the law. The National Education Association defines bullying Junior Josephine Kih said “Bullying is never just a as “systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt one-time event for the victim, even if it seems that way to and/or psychological distress on one or more students. It everyone else. The harmful effects are lasting.” can be as direct as teasing, hitting, But bullying breaks more than just or threatening, or as indirect as in the law. In one anonymous account, “Bullying is never just rumors, exclusion, or manipulaa student at Fairfax said, “I wasn’t tion.” to open up to my parents [about a one-time event for the able According to The Alice-Echo being bullied]. They never found out. News Journal, one out of every Around most people, I pretended that victim, even if it seems seven students in grade school nothing was wrong and maybe that’s that way to everyone through high school is either a what got to me even more. The bigbully or a victim of bullying. This else. The harmful effects gest lesson I learned from all of this statistic represents students was that crying doesn’t make you a are lasting.” across the nation, but it relates to horrible person- it creates strength a problem closer to home. within yourself.” -Josephine Kih, ‘14 This month, in honor of NaBullying affects everyone involved. tional Bullying Awareness month, “[Bullying is something] people are several students at Fairfax High going to keep with them for their School took it upon themselves to bring to light the whole life,” Said senior Kristen Williams. “They are goissue of bullying in and out of schools. Through a schooling to meditate on them and expand on them until they wide spirit week as well as a more private collection of start to believe those words are true. Bullying reduces a anonymous students accounts, student leaders includperson down to nothing.” ing juniors Briana Hila and Amanda Atrash wished to “Fifty-six percent of students [in the nation] have expose the existence of bullying and encourage an end to personally witnessed some type of bullying at school,” it at Fairfax. according to The Alice-Echo News Journal. Here at the While no one is claiming the task will be easy, there Rebel Roar we believe that this should not be the case, are some simple ways to prevent bullying. Taking a and we hope that the accounts published in this month’s stand for others being bullied can make a big impact issue will encourage each one of you to stand up against not only for the victim of bullying, but also to anyone bullying of every nature, whether it be physical, emowho may be a witness. One person defending a friend or tional, or on the internet. peer can start a pattern that will lead to less bullying in Sophomore Kristina Nguyen said, “No one should feel schools. worthless when their life is actually priceless.”
12
Yes, Bullying Exists Here Too By Amanda Atrash, Guest writer
W
hen anyone imagines a bully, they think of the all-varsity jock beating on the straight-A nerd. However, this is rarely the case. More often it is one individual harassing, excluding, and/or name-calling another individual. These all may seem like “harmless” things to some of you but instead, it surprisingly happens on an everyday basis of a high school. There are 160,000 teens that skip school because of bullying. There are 160,000 teenagers who are afraid to walk into a school. There are 160,000 teenagers who cannot receive a proper education. Most importantly, there are 160,000 teenagers who hate their lives. The words you speak and the actions that you take, all have an effect on someone’s life. Many of you at Fairfax will read this article and walk away telling yourself that bullying does not happen here. Fairfax is the exception to all these rules and statistics.
Yet, when I went around the school asking students to sign pledges, many of them laughed in my face or told me that they were going to continue to bully others. Bullying and bullying awareness is not a joke. It should not be taken so lightheartily. 1 in 7 kids are either bullies or have been a victim of bullying. The average class at Fairfax High School has about 25 kids in it. That means around 4 kids in each class are either bullies or being bullied. That’s about 315 kids in the whole school who are being picked on and being excluded or 315 kids who are causing this pain. You’re either a bully or a victim; there can be no in between. If you see someone being bullied, and you don’t say anything, doesn’t that make you just as bad as the bully? Don’t be a bystander. Silence is deadly; speak up and STOP BULLYING.
13
What to do if you or a friend are being bullied Advice from counselor Erik Beall
1.
2. 3.
4.
14
Speak to any adult that you feel comfortable talking with. This could be a parent, teacher, counselor, administrator, as long as you bring it to the attention of an adult.
Talk to a friend if you don't feel comfortable talking with an adult. The most important thing is to BE PROACTIVE if you want to see a change.
When you do bring up the situation to an administrator or counselor, what will happen is you will share your side in a written statement that includes details about who the bully is, what is happening, and what kind of bullying you are dealing with and then either the counselor or administrator will speak with the bully and follow up with his or her side of the situation.
If you are worried about the bully finding out who made the statement, you are allowed to remain completely anonymous throughout the entire process. The administrators and counselors will keep your name protected.
Rebels Relate D
ear Rebels, As a child I was bullied maybe a little too much. I became the girl that no one would talk to just because they saw me as a “loser.” Throughout middle school I was more upset about myself more than I was upset about what they would say or do. I went through a phase and it was hard. I wanted to just die. I heard that cutting yourself takes away the pain, so I did. It helped for a while but it wasn’t enough to substitute what had already happened. I wasn’t able to open up to my parents. They never found out. Around most people, I pretended that nothing was wrong and maybe that’s what got to me even more. The biggest lesson I learned from all of this was that crying doesn’t make you a horrible person, it creates strength within yourself.
D
ear Rebels, Well I’m a female age 14 and my bullying story was over the internet. A group of boys were making fun of me nonstop. They would call me ugly and fat. But I pretended like I was sleeping to see how many people were laughing and stuff. I was crying and I wanted to commit suicide but I failed. I realized that they’re irrelevant and they never meant anything to me. So I told this story to my best friend and he/she got mad. He/she wanted to kill those boys but my dumb self kept on protecting them even till this day. My best friend and his/her people won’t let this go until they apologize to me and get what they deserve.
D
ear Rebels, I’ve been bullied in front of one of my teachers. My classmates started to call me gay, ugly, dork, annoying, dumb, etc, and when I would say something back at them, the teacher would yell at me instead of at them. This pushed me to the point where I wouldn’t even go to class.
Anonymous Accounts D
ear Rebels, A few days ago I heard one kid wondering why we had bullying awareness week because bullying “didn’t exist here at Fairfax.” I wouldn’t call the kid himself ignorant, but the general attitude of the school. Why? Because today when my mom said she was concerned rather than angry about the rapid decline of my grades, I burst into tears and told her about the horrors I had been experiencing these past few months. You know, I never used to consider myself any more awkward or weird than the average teenager, but now that’s changed. A group of girls who used to be my best friends and lured me into telling them personal stuff about me uses these insecurities that they know I have, to torture me. They scoff at me whenever I so much as breathe around them, and tell others their strong opinions about me. Girls who used to be friends with me mysteriously aren’t so friendly after I see them talking with my former “best friends.” Now if I see someone look at me for so much as a second, I assume they’re judging me; negatively. I can’t concentrate in school because I can’t care about it anymore. Who cares if I get good grades; if I’m so undesirable who is going to hire me? And it’s a vicious cycle, because the more my grades drop, the more I start to believe my high school transcript is ruined and there’s no way to fix it. So I do even less work and my grades get lower. At the beginning of the year, I was confident and self assured. Now, I’m pretty sure I hate myself as much as those girls hate me. However, I’m starting to realize that it is a reflection of THEIR character, and not mine, but I’ve still dug myself into a hole. No matter how well I do this fourth quarter, my junior year grades are going to be seriously botched. My college options and consequently other important life decisions are all at the mercy of a few girls who thought what they were doing was funny. Of course, I’ll make the most of whatever I can get. A degree is a degree, after all. The important thing is that these girls, who go to a school where there is “no bullying,” have left a permanent mark on my life. Yes, I can still be successful if I work hard, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be as happy and confident as I once was.
D
ear Rebels, When I moved here a year ago, I met a boy who is now my boyfriend of seven months. At the beginning of the relationship, his ex girlfriend did not like me, which I understood. She told people the only reason he was with me was because we had sex; which is not true. So then people started calling me names and soon I had a whole bunch of people hating me and calling me names. This situation really made me feel upset and angry because I had JUST moved here and I already got caught up in drama. To this day, the girl still doesn’t like me, but I’ve learned to just be happy with the people I have in my life and not worry about the rest.
D
ear Rebels, I’ve been bullied in many different ways; online, in-person and physically. I used to go to [another] school and the kids there were so mean because I was different. I wasn’t like the other girls there. I talked differently, dressed differently and I acted differently. Girls in my grade made fun of me because I hadn’t begun to wear make-up yet. I was also a tomboy so I didn’t wear tight jeans and low-cut tops. Guys would say that I was a man or that I was ugly. Girls said it looked like someone beat my face in. For two years I had three friends that didn’t care what I wore, how I looked, or how I talked. I’ve changed a bit now. I’ve taken an interest in fashion, my hair and makeup. Now the guys that bullied me ask me out and the girls want to be friends. I just laugh and ignore it. Going through this for over 5 years has made me a better, kinder person. I admit sometimes I’m mean but no one can be that perfect angel.
15
16
Features
Rebels Strut Down the Runway By George Flynn
O
n April 12, the Fairfax High School Advanced Fashion Marketing class put on the school’s annual fashion show, featuring looks inspired by cities around the country. The show was a fun display for both the audience and the students working on it. Senior and Assistant Director Bita Davoodi said, “It was an absolutely fun experience! Working with the models, scene directors, and backstage people was a great experience.” Take a look at just a few of the many fashionable looks the students sent to the runway!
Photos courtesy of Megan Green and Emily Berriz
18
17
Rebels By Rachel Tran
R
emember the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you want to be treated.” Take this philosophy and try to apply it to the Earth. Whether it is by separating trash from recyclable items or turning off the faucet when not in use, every little act impacts the well-being of the world. Help sustain the planet and treat every day like it’s Earth Day by going green and acting in simple ways.
Reduce
Here are a few uncommon eco-friendly tips to follow:
Recycle
3) Instead of drinking from plastic water
1) Recycle any unused and broken electronics
at the nearby recycling facility in Fairfax City. If there are any clothes, books, toys, or other items that are unneeded, sign up at www.freecycle.org to offer them to others.
2) Recycle empty ink cartridges and earn back money at stores such as Staples and Office Depot. The cartridges may also be refilled at places such as Walgreens and Costco for a cheaper price.
Reuse
5) Reuse the backs of paper when turning
in simple assignments and scratch work, or taking notes in class. This may minimize the load of papers falling out of the binders and save money on school supplies for next year.
6) Don’t throw away
grocery bags or plastic containers—save them to be used in the future without having to purchase new ones. In addition, try to carry a lunchbox rather than use a new paper bag for lunch every day.
18
bottles, consider investing in a reusable bottle which usually range from $5-$20. Look for brands that sell bottles without BPA (Bisphenol A), a dangerous plastic by-product, such as CamelBak, Klean Kanteen, Nalgene, SIGG, and Platypus.
4) Unplug appliances and electronics
that are not in use since they never completely switch off when they are plugged in. Not only will this save energy, but it will also save money on the electricity bill at the end of the month.
Want to get more involved? -Volunteer at a watershed cleanup site -Clean up community parks -Plant trees and flowers in the neighborhood -Join Green Club in their mission to improve the environment. The club celebrated their annual “Green Week” and promoted various areas of energy conservation through their spirit days and distribution of reusable water bottles.
Senior Sruthi Davuluri, who volunteered at the Accotink Creek over the weekend said, “Most people don’t think much about a bottle after throwing it away, but when you actually go and witness hundreds of littered bottles, it really opens your eyes to how detrimental human beings can be to our Earth. Every action, no matter how small, makes a difference.”
Features
Baking With Hannah
By Hannah Flynn
It’s a well-known fact that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While cereal and eggs are a good option, why not try something new. This cinnamon bun cake is delicious and extremely easy to make. Give back to parents who wake up early every morning or impress friends with this scrumptious morning delicacy.
Ingredients Dough -3/4 cups of cottage cheese -1/3 cup sugar -1/3 cup buttermilk -4 tablespoons of melted butter -11/2 teaspoons vanilla extract -21/2 cups flour -1 tablespoon baking powder -1/2 teaspoon baking soda -1/2 teaspoon salt
Filling -3 tablespoons melted butter -2/3 cups brown sugar -3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Glaze -2 cups confectioners sugar -4 tablespoons milk
Step 20- Finished product.
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375°. 2. Place cottage cheese, sugar, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract into food processor. 3. Allow wet ingredients to mix and blend to look smooth and blended. 4. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 5. After wet ingredients are blended, add dry mixture into food processor. 6. Let the mixture combine and continue to process until dough looks thick and is pulling away from the side of the bowl. 7. Using parchment paper or flour on a counter, roll out dough into an 18 inch by 10 inch piece. 8. Pour melted butter onto dough and spread it around. 9. Sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on top of melted butter. 10. Roll dough lengthwise (hot-dog style). 11. Cut roll into about 20, 1 inch-wide slices. 12. Grease a bundt. 13. Place 8 slices around the bottom of the pan. 14. Place the remaining slices around the side of the pan on top of flat slices. 15. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 16. Let cake cool for about 3 minutes. 17. Take a large plate and place it on top of bundt pan. 18. Holding onto plate and pan, flip quickly in order to have cake on plate. 19. Quickly pour glaze on top of cake. 20. Allow cake to cool and enjoy!
Step 7- Dough rolled out on parchment paper covered in flour.
Step 8- Brown sugar and cinnamon mixture sprinkled over butter and dough.
Step 14- All of the slices placed correctly in bundt pan.
Step 10- Dough filled with filling rolled up. (Hot-dog style)
Step 11- Rolled-up dough cut into bun-like slices.
Step 16- Cake straight out of oven and cooling.
19
Baseball Aims For Playoffs, Honors Manager By Jackson Campbell
B
aseball season for many baseball, basketball, and football people means it is time teams throughout his four years to root for the Nationat Fairfax. als as they try to return to the When he came to the plate, anplayoffs. However, our team at nouncer Bob Cavalieri gave BonFairfax is off to a very strong ner an introduction to the packed start as well. stands, and Madison pitcher Nick Fairfax faced the Falls Brady then walked him. When he Church Jaguars in their first got to first base, he was greeted game, winning easily, 13-3. by both Madison and Fairfax Even though they were able players. to come away with a big win, After the first inning cerHead Coach Rick Freeman saw emonies, the game was rather room for improvement. uneventful for the Rebels. They “Even though the score did will try to capitalize on their not reflect it, Falls Church was opportunity to make up for lost able to expose us in several difground from the Stone Bridge ferent ways and at times had and Madison games, with matchus on the ropes,” Freeman said. ups against Thomas Jefferson, Bonner ready to take the first pitch from Nick Brady “I was impressed with their Marshall, and South Lakes Photo by Nikki Strickland small ball game and we remaining. learned that we need to work harder on our infield defense.” While it is possible Fairfax will have a home playoff game in Like the softball team, baseball took a spring break trip the first round, winning that game and qualifying for regionto play in a tournament. As is traditional, the team went to als would put the Rebels on the right track to reach their Florida and played four games, winning three. While it is a goals. fun trip, they stay focused on baseball. “It is important that “We would like our program to be defined as a winning we keep baseball the main thing and try to get better each program, and we believe that will result in championship and every day,” Freeman said. seasons.” Freeman said. After returning from Florida, the team has kept the momenSenior Brandon Ginch has been a large part of the team’s tum going, now 8-6 on the season. Winning a playoff game success this season, his final before going to play baseball at will be the next step for the Rebels, and they have shown they the collegiate level for the Richmond Spiders. He, along with can play with the best in the district when they beat Madison the other seniors, will be key down the stretch as the Rebels 3-2 in late March. Freeman said that winning championships try to win their first playoff game since they have been stuwill come with the right preparation. dents here at Fairfax. “Our coaching staff’s number one goal for this season is to “A player like Brandon has the ability to change the outcome get a 100 percent buy in from our players. We are commitof a game. Brandon is one important part of our group. Our ted to building a winning program that will be defined by our seniors have shown great leadership thus far and have been preparation for success.When you make winning championperforming at a high level. We have challenged our senior ships your number one goal, oftentimes you are unable to class to take ownership of this team and be positive role modreach that goal and your season then becomes unsuccessful.” els for all the players in our program,” said Freeman. The Rebels have had a few setbacks in the middle of the “When our seniors assume leadership of our program, the season, losing 6-0 to Stone Bridge, and 9-0 to Madison on other classes follow suit. Our players can not just be willing; Drew Bonner night, when Bonner, as the manager of the however, they must do the work to be champions.” team, got on the field for an at-bat. Bonner has managed the
20
Players from Fairfax and Madison greet Bonner as he reaches first base.
Photo by Nikki Strickland
Lacrosse Season Continues
Sports
By Emily Verbiest
F
Photo by Bita Davoodi
“I love all my teammates and we are a family!” -Brooke Attkisson
airfax High School’s boys and girls lacrosse teams continue the season with promising statistics. The boys varsity lacrosse team won all of their first seven games. “We have gotten some new coaching staff that have helped in conditioning and we put in some new plays that seem to be working so far this year. We have a lot of returning players and a very strong and fast midfield line. In addition, our goalie, Zac Smith, brings the team a big advantage. Our attack is young but very skilled and are going to keep improving over time,” said junior Kevin Carney. “Being in a tough district with four time defending state champions Langley, I think we are doing well but there is always room for improvement,” said Carney. The Lady Rebels also dominated the field in several games. Varsity girls won against Wakefield, Mount Vernon, and Stuart High School. “We’ve had some injuries so what I’ve done is I’ve pulled up three girls from the junior varsity team to join varsity,” said Coach Shafer. “I expect a lot out of them and I’m hoping that they step up to my challenge of working hard all the time. I think they know that we’re in this together and we have this whole thing where we’re like a family.” “If we don’t work together things are just going to be even tougher. We can’t play every man for himself. We might play against teams that are more skilled than we are, but I would still not like to be outworked by the other team,” said Shafer. Shafer advises her players to work hard, “When times get tough, keep your head up and just come out everyday on the field and give everything you have, 110 percent. Play hard, play smart and play together.”
Lacrosse Statistics
Varsity’s First Eight Games Boys Girls WON WON Wakefield LOST Washington & Lee WON Mount Vernon WON WON Stuart WON WON South Lakes WON LOST Marshall WON LOST Thomas Jefferson WON LOST Langley LOST LOST Photo by Jessica Salguero
“The best part about being on the team is the brotherhood and friendships that I have formed with my teammates that will last long past high school.”
-Kevin Carney
21
22
T
Track and Field Hurdles into Spring
Sports
By Aoife Maher-Ryan
Rowe is responsible for organizing the workouts for us, while rack and field is back for a new season this spring with high hopes, but huge hurdles to overcome. Coach Whalley participates in the runs and workouts with us. I don’t work with Coach Carr and Coach According to sophomore Jeff because they are sprint coaches, but Sang Kim, coaches are emphasizthey’re really cool as well,” said Ryan. ing that track is not an individual The team is scheduled to go to 14 sport. The varsity runner said," the competitions are team efforts. meets this year. At the events, points are awarded to the athletes and then tallied When a teammate does well everyat the end to determine the finish and one feels good." The team practices every the winning schools. "The competitions are hectic and feel weekday from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. like they go on for a long time, but when "Practices are different; some days you're not competing it can be fun just they're hard with intervals of a cerhanging out," said Daniels. tain amount of laps with a certain rest time, and other days we split Ryan agreed, “Meets are nerve-wracking right before you run, but after, it’s up to work on event workouts," fun cheering on friends who are competsaid sophomore Claire Daniels, a ing.” varsity team member. She said her Recently, the team competed in the best event is the mile. Other track Turner-Ashby Invitational with the boys events range from sprints of 100 A Fairfax varsity runner sprints to the finish earning 60 points to come in fourth out meters to the long-distance 3,200 of twenty schools and the girls earning 50 meters, relays, pole vaults and long line at the Turner-Ashby Invitational meet. points coming in fifth. jumps. Track has three big upcoming meets scheduled from midBen Ryan, a sophomore on JV, enjoys the coaches advice during practices to make him faster. “Since I run distance, my May to June: first districts, then regionals, and lastly states. two main coaches are Coach Rowe and Coach Whalley. Coach Photo courtesey of www. fairfaxhighsports.org
6
March Madness: Standout Players
By Jackson Campbell
8 teams, 67 games, and millions of busted brackets later, the Louisville Cardinals came out on top as the 2013 college basketball national champions. Beating the Michigan Wolverines 82-76, Louisville captured its third championship all time. The Cardinals, however, were not the only story of this tournament. Michigan reached their first championship game since 1993, Florida Gulf Coast University made an improbable run as the first ever 15 seed to make the Sweet Sixteen, and Missouri Valley Conference runner-up Wichita State University ruined many people’s brackets by getting to the Final Four. Behind the success of the teams are the standout players of the tournament. While they may not all be future NBA stars, these four players made a statement this March.
Luke Hancock Hancock was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 tournament.. In the Final Four, he scored 42 points, including shooting a remarkable 8-10 on threepoint attempts. Hancock transferred to Louisville from George Mason prior to the 2011-2012 season.
Russ Smith
Trey Burke Burke was the consensus Player of the Year, and showed everyone why in the tournament. He shut down South Dakota State’s electric point guard Nate Wolters, and his late heroics against Kansas kept Michigan’s season alive. He was outstanding with 24 points in the championship game but the team came up short.
Mitch McGary
Russ Smith was the leading scorer in the tournaMcGary was the breakout star of the tournament. After not ment this year, averaging 22.3 points per game, starting for the majority of the season, McGary’s hustle plays, including a high of 31 against Oregon. After the ability to grab rebounds, and score easily inside was impressive national championship game, Smith’s father defor a freshman and provided the spark Michigan needed to reach clared that he will be entering the NBA draft this the championship. McGary also recorded three double-doubles. June; however, Smith is now considering returning to Louisville for his senior year. Photos courtesy of www.photobucket.com
23
28 5 12 19 26
29 6
13
8AM -Chemistry -Environmental Science 12PM -Psychology 8AM -Biology -Music Theory
8 15
8AM -Calculus AB -Calculus BC
1
MAY
30 7 14
8AM -Computer Science -Spanish Language
8AM -US Government
2
3
10
8AM -English Language and Comp
9 8AM -English Literature and Comp
12PM -Statistics -Studio Art
4
SAT held at Fairfax
11
1
18
Prom!
17
12PM -Latin: Vergil
16
31
9PM Fairview Park Marriot
25
8AM -Macro economics -World History
23
8AM -German Language -US History
22
30
8:30AM Senior Awards Assembly
24
8AM -Human Geography -Spanish Literature
21
29
12PM -Microeconomics
28
12PM 12PM -Physics B -Comparative -Physics C: Mechanics Government (Electricity and -French Language Magnetism at 2PM)
20 27
SOL Testing
Memorial Day No school!