REBEL ROAR
e h T x a f r i a F y l i m a F
March, 2013 Volume LXXIX, Issue 6 Fairfax High School 3501 Rebel Run Fairfax, VA 22030
Contents News
5 6
News Briefs Fairfax Proposes New Boundries Refer to the back cover for full story.
Photo by Erinn Fecteau Cover photos by Addy Powell and Aoife Maher-Ryan
Entertainment
7 8
Features
Tran’sformations At the Movies
Commentary
10 11
Finding an Alternative For Your Flynn-formation
Middle Spread
12
All In The (Rebel) Family
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
18 19
Baking With Hannah Spring Concerts
Sports
20 22 23
Soccer Scores This Season Softball Goes to Mytle Beach Crew Rows Into a New Season
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,
H
appy Staff Appreciation Month! Not really, but we decided that some of our Rebel family goes unnoticed most months, so we turned it around and gave them their own issue. This month we highlighted members of staff and families in the school. Check it out in our extended middle spread! Possibly the most fun we’ve had this year was getting to know our wonderful custodial staff this month. They do so much for us, yet most students take them for granted day after day. Did you know that one of our beloved custodians is retiring soon? Mr. Cho, custodian by day and artist by night, is retiring at the end of May this year. You can read more about him and the other custodians on pages 14 and 15. A few weeks ago we took a class field trip to the Washington Post headquarters in Washington D.C. for a conference on running a student newspaper and knowing your rights as a press agency, and as a citizen. At the conference we had the pleasure of meeting the ever friendly Miss Mary Beth Tinker; if you don’t recognize the name check your history text books for the Tinker v. Des Moines Supreme Court case. Miss Tinker taught us to stand up for what we believe in, even if there are obstacles in our way, like we all should. We also learned about taking advantage of our opportunities as a newspaper, and we hope to use our new knowledge to publish an even better paper than before—I know you all think that’s impossible. As always, we want your input. As much as we may wish we were, we’re not psychic—we can only publish what you want to see if you let us know what it is that your little hearts desire. So stop by room F107 during 5th period or email us at FHSRebelRoar@gmail.com to give us your thoughts.
Have a good spring break young scholars! Don’t forget to get ahead on your homework... or your tan— whichever you prefer.
Nikki Strickland
Jessica Miers
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4
News
News Briefs Pope Francis Inaugurated
FHS Students Win First At Science Fair On March 16th, FHS students competed in the Fairfax County Regional Science and Engineering Fair at Robinson Secondary School. Two FHS projects won first place at the competition. Erinn Fecteau, Laura Ji, and Erin Sullivan won for their project on The Power of Frequency. Vivek Vadlamudi won first place and was nominated for the Grand Prize for his experiment on Ciprofloxacin Resistance in Enteric Bacteria in the category of Microbiology.
Pope Francis is the first pope elected from outside Europe. Photo courtesy of photobucket.com
Last month Pope Benedict XVI shocked the world when he resigned from the papacy due to old age. He is the first pope to resign in 600 years. Pope Benedict’s last day was Feb. 28. On Mar. 13 Pope Francis, formerly Jorge Bergoglio was elected as the new Roman Catholic church leader. He is the first pope to be elected from the Americas and the first non-European pope. Pope Francis was inaugurated on Mar.19
Baseball Goes to Florida
Loudoun County student shot
Park View High School flag. Photo courtesy of lcps.org
On March 17th, a junior from Park View High School was shot and killed when he mistakenly entered his neighbors home. The homeowner thought the student was an intruder when he entered the house at 2:30 am. The junior had just come back from a party. During Mar. 23-28 the FHS varsity baseball team will be traveling to Florida for a tournament. Last year they won three of the four games they played.
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News
Fairfax Proposes New Boundaries Option A
By Suha Khandker
F
airfax County Public Schools (FCPS) officials began a boundary study back in Fall 2012, in order to propose solutions to alleviate the growing overcrowding problems in Fairfax High and Lanier Middle schools. After months of meeting with concerned FCPS parents, the school board has proposed 3 options for consideration. The proposed changes affect the following schools: Chantilly High, Fairfax High, Falls Church High, Oakton High, Robinson High, Woodson High, Franklin Middle, Frost Middle, Jackson Middle, Lanier Middle, Robinson Middle, and Rocky Run Middle. HS to 1. Fairfax Chantilly HS
2014=45 2017=39 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=6 Rocky Run MS 2017=23
Option B
2.
This proposal reassigns all students who attend Fairfax Villa Elementary from Lanier Middle and Fairfax High to Frost Middle and Woodson High schools. The students from this area who attend the Advanced Academic Programs (AAP) Center at Rocky Run Middle School would be relocated to the AAP center at Frost Middle School.
Option C
This reassigns moves the least amount of students. This option proposes that Greenbriar West Elementary feed all of its students into Rocky Run Middle and then Chantilly High schools. Greenbriar West was previously a split feeder school with some of their students feeding into Lanier Middle and Fairfax High schools. This option in turn, creates Fairfax Villa Elementary School into a split feeder school. Residents who live south of Lee highway or route 29 will have their children moved from Lanier Middle and Fairfax High to Frost Middle and Woodson High schools.
1
Fairfax HS to 2014=253 Woodson HS 2017=332 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=55 Frost MS 2017=156
This proposal reassigns the most number of students and alleviates a majority of the capacity issues for Fairfax High and Lanier Middle schools. This option would feed all Waples Mill Elementary students into Franklin Middle and Oakton High schools and all Greenbriar West Elementary students would attend Rocky Run Middle and Chantilly High schools. Fairfax Villa Elementary students who live south of Lee Highway or Route 29 would be attending Frost Middle and Woodson High schools. This would also relocate the students attending the AAP center at Rocky Run to the AAP center at Frost Middle school. Fairfax HS to 2014=45
1. Chantilly HS
HS to 3. Fairfax Woodson HS
2014=179 2017=251 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=42 Frost MS 2017=105
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2
Fairfax HS to 2014=179 Woodson HS 2017=251 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=42 Frost MS 2017=105
2017=39 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=6 Rocky Run MS 2017=23
HS to 2. Fairfax Oakton HS
1
2014=102 2017=168 -----------------------------------Lanier MS to 2014=28 Franklin MS 2017=67
2 3
Entertainment
Tran’sformations: Spring Edition
A
s the temperature begins to warm up, it is time to empty the closet and revamp the wardrobe. Add bright colors and statement accessories to make outfits pop and celebrate the start of spring.
By Rachel Tran and Erinn Fecteau Photos courtesy of www.wanelo.com
Glamorous
Country Chic For a flirty, springtime look, sport a simple denim dress with pastel nail polish. Add a little shimmer with chandelier earrings, a crossbody leather satchel, and studded cowboy boots.
Complement a statement necklace with softer tones and patterns. A delicate lace top paired with a highlow chiffon skirt and nude pumps is guaranteed to turn heads this season.
Edgy
Dare to be bold and rock a fitted leather jacket. A plain white cami worn underneath will show off the gold, spike necklace. Paired with distressed jean shorts and gladiator sandals, this outfit is sure to stand out in a crowd.
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! e z i r o ccess
Spice up basic pieces in everyday outfits with bright, vibrantly hued bags and belts. Adding accessories with bows will sweeten any look. Top it off with a touch of sparkle with a jeweled headband.
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At The Movies By Adelaide Powell and Aoife Maher-Ryan
21 and Over
T
he college version of “The Hangover” has hit the big screen. “21 and Over” follows three high school friends, Jeff Chang (Justin Chon), Casey (Skylar Astin), and Miller (Miles Teller), as they reunite at Chang’s university to celebrate his 21st birthday and new legal ability to purchase alcohol. They agree to go out to a local bar for a drink and be back in time for Chang’s very important medical school interview, but soon the party turns into a night of shenanigans. The predicaments the boys fall into are hilarious, but seem a little rushed. Despite the glut of funny business, the film shows that the characters are more than one-dimensional and gives insight into what has happened to them since their time together in high school. Through their expert timing and strong character portrayals, the young cast shows that they will have bright futures in comedic roles. (Rated R)
Oz The Great and Powerful
T Oz (Franco) heads down the yellow brick road with new friends in the reboot of the classic “Wizard of Oz.” “Oz the Great and Powerful” is the top grossing movie in 2013 so far.
Miller (Teller), Jeff Chang (Chon) and Casey (Astin) meet Nicole (Sarah Wright) and begin the start of a crazy night in the comedy “21 and Over.”
he MGM classic, “The Wizard of Oz” now has a prequel in “Oz the Great and Powerful” starring James Franco, Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz. The film centers on Oscar “Oz” Diggs (Franco), a magician from Kansas who enters the Land of Oz after being swept away in a cyclone. Oz is found by a witch, Theodora (Kunis), who believes he is the wizard a prophecy said would save their people and rid them of an evil witch. After arriving at the Emerald City and meeting Evanora (Weisz), another witch, Oz is tasked with hunting down and killing the Wicked Witch, presumably Glinda (Williams) to prove that he is the true wizard. The special effects and scenaries of the film are impressive, but not as revolutionary as the original “Wizard.” Additionally, the film relies too much on backstory when a more original plot could have been created. Franco does not live up to the expectations presented by the film’s title and feels miscast in a role so commanding. (Rated PG)
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone
“T
he Incredible Burt Wonderstone” is an entertaining comedy with an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Alan Arkin and Jim Carrey. The successful Las Vegas magicians and lifelong best friends Burt (Carell) and Anton (Buscemi) have a falling out after trying to reinvent their act when a new magician, Steve Gray(Carrey), gains popularity. The act separates and Burt must learn to live more meagerly as he tries to regain his love for magic with the help of his childhood hero, magician Rance Holloway (Arkin) and former assistant Jane (Wilde). The film provides perfect roles for comedic overactors Carell and Carrey, but the jokes and events in the movie are all too cheesy. The plot is predictable and the Magician partners Burt (Carell) and attraction Wilde has for Carell is virtually unrealistic, but the film did have a clever Anton (Buscemi) talk with the popular new act in Vegas, The Brain Rapist ending. (Rated PG-13)
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(Carrey). Photos courtesy of www.photobucket.com
Entertainment
9
Finding An Alternative
Former Fairfax High School Student Explains How He Earned His GED
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By David Shrack
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oth at Fairfax High School and abroad, there are many students who do not feel that they belong in conventional schooling, or have academic problems hindering their education. Together these students feel perplexed by the jigsaw puzzle that is the traditional classroom. Looking at the winding maze to graduation, they find that with each day that passes, the odds are stacked more and more against them. But not all hope is lost for these students. I was 16 years old when I earned my General Education Development (GED) certificate and finished high school early. The certificate is seen by employers and universities as an equivalent to a high school diploma. The GED can be earned in a few simple ways, the biggest being passing the battery of tests you must take in order to determine if you are prepared for life after high school. These tests focus on five basic subjects of classical education-- math, history, science, writing and reading. The math and writing tests are split into two tests-- the math has one test with calculators, another with no calculators, and the writing section is split into an essay and multiple choice questions. If you are ages 16 or 17 (16 being the bare minimum for the GED according to federal and state laws), you must be dismissed from traditional schooling or join in a special GED school in order to be eligible for the GED tests. This
means you must be either home schooled or attend classes. The school I attended for the GED is the GRANTS program, which specializes in GED studying, financial literacy and Schrack holds a copy of his GED. post-high school prepaPhoto courtesy of David Shrack ration. However, if you are 18 or older, you can skip all of this and just go register for the test because you are legally an adult. Regardless of your age, though, to register you must go to your nearest adult education center. I am not advocating for everyone to take their GED. Only students who feel that the GED is absolutely necessary should take it. If you are a capable student, then earn your diploma and finish high school on time.
Commentary
For Your Flynn-formation By George Flynn
Catfish
B
efore you read any further, please go google image search all of your profile pictures. MTV’s newest reality show, “Catfish,” about deceitful internet relationships, has sufficiently scared the living daylights out of me. As I lay on the couch at 3 in the morning watching Max watch Nev try to figure out whether or not this weeks 20-year-old is actually a middle aged man, it takes everything in me not to shut down every internet account I’ve ever had. And yet, I continue to tune in This catfish may look innocent, but on faithfully. the internet, he convinces people he’s
Chapstick
T
Not
Hot
a European basketball star.
he last time I had a chapped lip, I’m pretty sure Miley Cyrus was still rocking a blonde wig. Why is this, you ask. One reason: Chaptsick. This glorious rod of wax is essential to the well being of many high schoolers, keeping lips plump and smiling. Not to mention, it’s cheap to replace when I lose it Did someone say heaven? a few times a week.
Prince William County
N Prince William County: Closed for excessive sunlight.
owadays, instead of daydreaming when I’m bored in class, I think about what Prince William County students are doing. The one thing I never imagine is attending school. Life must be great in PWC, otherwise known as the land of 2 hour delays and rain cancellations, but it would be much appreciated if they could send their good fortune and bad weather a few miles north to the 22030.
Twitter Fights
A
s a wise woman who “didn’t even go here” once said, “I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school.” Seriously though, can we keep it a little bit classy on the internet Fairfax? Nobody comes out looking good after attcking someone from another grade or high school or anything else. And if you feel you must confront #oomf for the world to see, please at least use the right form of their (or they’re) (or there).
B
Gilmore Girls: The Movie
y this point in the year, I feel like we’ve established my love of all things throwback. So, you can imagine the excitement when Lauren Graham, aka Lorelai Gilmore, tweeted about the possibility of Rory, Lorelai, Richard and Emily appearing on the big screen earlier this week. Give me a Rory and Logan wedding on the grounds of Yale planned by Emily Gilmore and I can die happy.
Daylight Savings
I Getting up before dawn would be so much easier if I had the Care bears to wake me from my slumber.
t’s been almost two weeks since the daylight savings switch, and I’m still unsure as to what time the sun goes down. All I know is that it is dark when I get to school and I have not started my homework before 8 at night because I’m convinced it can’t be later than 4 o’clock. There’s basically nothing appealing about daylight savings time.
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All In The (Rebel) Rebel Romances
U
sually, we are used to seeing the Fairfax staff on a regular basis in the classrooms and hallways of FHS; yet we often forget that each teacher, security officer, administrator and custodian has a name, a life outside the doors of FHS and an interesting story to tell. Some may have unique and undiscovered hobbies while others have a Fairfax legacy. With the routine of classes, clubs and other extra-curricular activities, it is easy for students to forget some of the people who constantly work behind the scenes each day to provide a safe, clean, and intellectually stimulating school environment. In a high school so diverse and populated as Fairfax High School, it comes as no surprise that the Fairfax family is one of the most valued aspects of the FHS community. Senior Izzy Oldfield said, “It is the teachers and custodians that provide the foundation for our family.” From the custodians that clean each and every mess of the day to the teachers that work hard to ensure that every student receives an outstanding education and is prepared for life after high school, the Fairfax staff deserves recognition and appreciation for the amount of work that they put into the school. “The fact that some of our clubs make sure to creatively recognize the staff here on a regular basis is what really enforces the family aspect of the Fairfax community,” said Oldfield. No matter what the story may be, it is important to remember that each student and staff member makes up a key component of Fairfax High School and most importantly, the Fairfax family.
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Family The Cavallinis
E
nglish teacher Mike Cavallini has taught for nine years at Fairfax High School and 34 previously in Maryland. History teacher Jenny Cavallini has taught for six years at FHS and 30 years previously in Maryland. “We both immediately liked the atmosphere of the school and the people on our interview panels. We also really liked the colleagues in our departments, as well as the student body. We both are glad this FHS is the place where we will end our careers,” said Cavallini about why they chose Fairfax. The Cavallini’s think working together is great, “We both can appreciate exactly what the job involves and can offer advice and support to each other. In addition, we each have met many life-long friends on the staff and shared lots of amazing students.”
Mr. Swientonowski and Miss Lewis
M
ath teacher Kirk Sweintonowski and English teacher Jennifer Lewis are looking forward to their destination wedding. in the Mayan Riviera, Mexico next week. Sweintonowski said working with his soon to be wife is great, “We are able to share stories from the day or vent to each other face to face. We don’t have to wait until we get home to share with each other how our day was, because we already know. Working in the same career really allows us to truly understand all of the demands, stresses and joys each other experiences at work.”
The Owens
T
he Owens love working together at Fairfax - “We do feel fortunate to be able to carpool and eat lunch together. It’s also great that we get to go to the same sporting events and afterschool activities and be a part of the same school community.” Expecting their first baby this summer, The Owens expressed their excitement- “We’re thrilled, to say we are excited is an understatement. Thanks to one of the other science teacher’s recommendations, we already put the “Element Blocks” on our registry – they’ll have to know their chemical symbols!”
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Get to Know the Custodians
By Rachel Tran and Aoife Maher-Ryan
T
he school’s custodial staff spends countless hours during the day and after school cleaning classrooms, hallways, and the cafeteria. Students and teachers practically see them every day, but do they even know the custodians’ names? “If we are family, we have to act like a family. We have to work together,” said custodian Marcia Walker.
Paul Agyeman Blanca Caballero
(Head of Custodial Staff)
Where are you from? Ghana.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
Playing tennis with my kids.
Where are you from? El Salvador.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school? Cooking
pupusas (a Salvadorian stuffed flat bread.)
How can students make your job easier? Stop
mixing trash in the recycling bin. The Special Education classes are the only ones who recycle the paper and make sure the hallways are clean. Do you have children? Three kids (two girls and one boy.) I also have one granddaughter. Favorite entertainment? The Bible and Christian music.
Eul Y. Cho
How can students make your job easier? Take their tray to the trash can.
Do you have children? Three kids (ages
four, six, and ten)
Favorite entertainment? I don’t like
movies because they are fake. I like watching wrestling.
Where are you from? South Korea. What do you enjoy doing outside of school? I like to paint and draw. I was an
art teacher in Korea.
Do you have children? I have two children. One is age 30 and one is age 28. Favorite entertainment? I like old musicals.
Cho has always loved art, and continues to paint in his free time. These are a couple of his paintings.
Photos courtesy of Eul Y. Cho
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Blanca Merrian
Maximina Cabrera
Where are you from?
Dominican Republic.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
I like to shop and cook.
How can students make your job easier?
Our job is not easy. Students should pick up their trash and not leave a mess.
Do you have children?
I have one boy (19 years old.)
Favorite entertainment?
I like to watch TV shows.
Where are you from?
Ecuador.
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
Favorite entertainment?
Marcia Walker
Ice skating and shopping.
I like salsa latin music.
Hard Work Made Harder The custodians reported that they often feel mistreated when students do not clean up after themselves. Walker said, “Some students are making a mess. The same groups are coming in and not respecting us. That’s being bullied. We feel bullied.”
Where are you from?
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
I like hosting family gatherings on the weekends.
How can students make your job easier?
Repect us. We choose to do this job, we don’t have to.
Do you have children?
I have four daughters, two sons, and four grandchildren.
Favorite entertainment?
After lunch, some students leave their tables without throwing away their trash, leaving more work for the custodians.
Trinidad and St. Vincent.
I love reggae music and history programs because they show beyond my time. The younger generation should ap preciate what they have.
Photos by Rachel Tran
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Families At Fairfax The Williams Robert Williams What is it like teaching at the same school your kids attend?
“Both my wife and I treat [our kids] the same as any other students. In fact, my kids know that when I’m at school, I’m in “teacher mode” and at home I’m in “dad mode”. When my daughter was a freshman in my German 1 class, it wasn’t until the end of the year that some students found out I was her dad! It does help to have the last name Williams because it doesn’t make it obvious.”
Kirsten Williams What is it like having both your parents teach at your school?
“People ask me all the time if it's awkward having my parents teach at the school I go to, but you know it's not that awkward at all. I actually bug them way more than they do me. I have two private tutors, my parents are my teachers too, and our room has a fridge, microwave, and tea machine. I can get my forms signed whenever I want if I've forgotten, and ask for lunch money. Also I get to park in the teacher spots if I'm buying things at home depot for Science Olympiad (which is nice because I don't have to carry giant boards of lumber across the parking lot) or going out for dinner. My parents and brothers are my best friends in the whole wide world. And Fairfax literally is our home. I'm going to miss that next year.”
The Fees Mrs. Fees
Do you enjoy teaching at the school Riley attends?
I really enjoy having Riley in school with me. It is fun to check in throughout the day and see how each of our day’s are going. Whether it is a good thing we can celebrate together or a bad thing that we can talk about, it is just nice to have someone to count on. I like that I can experience his high school years with him! The best part of being at the same school together is getting to know his friends and having a better understanding of what he does ( or doesn’t do!) all day long at school! I think we are very connected because we at school together. “
Have you and Riley ever been at the same school before?
“Riley and I were at the same high school his freshman year in Germany. We both had a great time with it, so when we moved here we thought we would just continue to be at the same school.“
Riley Do you enjoy having your mom teach at your school?
“I love my mom being at school with me, its the best! We get along really well and she is always there to help me with everything, I couldn't imagine high school without her.”
What don’t you like about having your mom teach at FHS?
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“My least favorite thing is to see kids tweet about her and her class. My favorite thing is being able to go to her for help, and it gets me on the good side of most teachers.”
Siblings By Nikki Strickland and George Flynn
The Capells Jenna - Class of ‘13
“Having a twin at school creates some pretty hilarious situations. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had random people come up and talk to me. The two of us like to mess around in these situations and have fun-- it’s hilarious. I’ve even had a class where the teacher didn’t know I existed for two weeks because my twin had her the period before. All in all, it’s fun.”
The Buchens Natalie - Class of ‘14 “It’s fun to have Louie and Katie around because we all make each other laugh but sometimes it can make me feel like I can never escape.”
Louie - Class of ‘15
“It’s helpful when it comes to getting rides to and from school and getting homework help but other than that, we don’t see each other very often and when we do, we avoid eye contact because we see enough of each other at home.”
Katie - Class of ‘15
“Sometimes it’s fun to see Natalie and Louie during the day but sometimes we just ignore each other and pretend we don’t recognize each other.”
The Tirsos Carlo - Class of ‘13
“I don’t see him that much in the halls, but I like to help him with homework and stuff because I already took the classes he’s taking now.”
Jerome - Class of ‘14
“It’s great having Carlo in school with me because he’s always close by if I need any help with anything. Plus he gives me rides home.”
The Bransons Christina - Class of ‘14
“It’s fun having Kevin at school with me because I get to make fun of him and his friends when I see them around school and in the halls.”
Kevin - Class of ‘16
“Having Christina at my school is funny because all her friends are really hot and they all say hi to me in the halls and stuff.”
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Baking With Hannah By Hannah Flynn
After a long, cold, confusing winter, spring is right around the corner. Ring in the new season with this tasty treat.
“Nests” • • • • • • • •
2 ½ cups flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup Crisco ¾ cup white sugar ¾ cup brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs
Tablespoon sized dough-balls in cupcake tin.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees 2. Place crisco, white sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla into mixer. 3. Mix on medium for 2 minutes, or until well blended. 4. In another bowl, mix together flour,baking soda and salt. 5. Once dry mixture in combined, place in wet mixture in mixer. 6. Mix combination on medium for 2-3 minutes, the dough will begin to seem dense. 7. Using a tablespoon, make balls of dough. 8. Squeeze dough ball into a peanut shape. 9. Place individual dough-balls into a cupcake tin. 10. Bake for 15 minutes. 11. Immediately after removing treats from oven, very lightly press down the top with pointer finger - to make an indent in cupcake. 12. Let cool in pan for 5 minutes. 13. Remove from cupcake tin, let cool on rack for 15-20 minutes. 14. Place icing inside indent. 15. Place eggs on top of icing.
Photos by Hannah Flynn
“Nests” out of oven, after being slightly dressed down.
“Nests” filled with frosting after cooling.
16. Enjoy!
Frosting
Finished product-adorable and delicious.
• • • • • • •
4 cups confectioners sugar 4 tablespoons milk 2 sticks of softened butter ¼ teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla Green food coloring One bag of “Branch’s Jelly Bean Eggs”
1. Place sugar, milk, butter, salt and vanilla in mixer. 2. Mix on medium-high for 5 minutes. 3. Add in green food coloring and continue to mix for 2 minutes.
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Spring Concerts
Features
M
usicians are similar to bears; in the cold winter months, they hibernate in their luxurious penthouse dens, not emerging until spring to satisfy their fans’ need for live entertainment. With the official start of spring rapidly approaching, dozens of concert venues around the D.C. area have begun announcing anticipated tour dates for a multitude of artists. Some highlights for the upcoming musical season include the newly reunited Fall Out Boy’s “Save Rock and Roll” tour, Bruno Mars’ stop at the Verizon Center, and Taylor Swift’s “The Red Tour.”
By Erinn Fecteau
resents... p b lu C 0 :3 9 the
, 8:00 pm Fall Out Boy Fri 5/31 Yeah Yeah Kendrick Lamar, t, Pi n io ss Pa , , ix l (Phoen a v ti s st!, Youth Lagoon e ho F G e y ol if H tl g, e e lin ir w St
S
sey 0pm Jr, Solange, Lind lots): Sat 5/11, 12:0 pi | e on | ty Yeahs, Gary Clark en eLong, Ms Mr, tw Haerts, Robert D pm d Perry Sat 5/18, 5:30
The Ban
The Verizon Center ADMIT ONE r
ente C t o i atr The P sents Pre
G
y a D n ree Thurs
4
0 /4, 7:3
Rihanna Mon 4/29, 7:30pm Taylor Swift Sat & Sun 4/11-12, 7:00pm Bruno Mars Sat 6/22, 8:00pm
Joan
re The Fillmo ng Silver Spri
BassSnuen c5/4ta-5r Sat &
Paramo8 re Sat 5/1
Jett
and the
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lord at t h N a Con tion e ven al H ti o Sat, on Cen tel and 4/2 0 ter
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Soccer Scores This Season
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By Emily Verbiest
airfax High School’s boys and girls soccer teams prepare for the season as spring sports begin. Coach Lusk and Coach Leon talked about how they guide the teams from mastering technical skills to building mental motivation. Gino Leon, the girls varsity head coach explained the qualities of an ideal soccer player. “Technical qualities include pic good ball skills and ball control. They need creativity, the ability to make quick and sound decisions on their own, within the flow of the game. They need field vision, the ability to anticipate the play, and see areas to exploit,” said Leon. Good work ethic and overall commitment is necessary from each player. “Overall commitment is being a total team player by supporting your teammates, coaches, and believing in the style of play that is being implemented by the coaching staff,” said Leon. “The game of soccer is nothing but constant options and decisions throughout the game. A player should have many options within a play, then it is up to he or she to make the right
decision that is most favorable for the team,” said Leon. Kelly Lusk, the boys varsity head coach, said, “We use a variety of ways to motivate our players, by making practice as competitive as possible so they’re playing against each other and keeping score. Most of the boys in our program are naturally driven to want to win so I think you just have to tap into that, as a coach.” “Soccer builds a lot of life skills that you need beyond high school and I like to get to know students in a way that’s separate from what you do in the classroom. As a coach you have a different relationship with your players than you do with your students,” said Lusk. Leon said, “We are all in this together, trying to create a positive and enjoyable atmosphere for the players, and by constantly communicating with them, we feel that we will have a very successful season.”
A Typical Soccer Practice at Fairfax: Dynamic Warmup which includes plyometrics
Small sided activity with emphasis on technical work, individually and/or in small groups
Photo Courtesy of Gino Leon Expanded activity which includes tactical work with larger groups
Scrimmage which divides the whole team into two groups to play against each other
Tennis Team Hits The Courts
Cool down which consists of a slow jog to close out the practice and/or stretching if necessary
By Emily Verbiest
S
pring has arrived and Fairfax sports have moved outdoors. From the classrooms to the courts, members of the Fairfax tennis team explained why they love playing tennis. “I play because for once no one judges you on your outward appearance. You can’t be fake on the courts. You’re judged on the shots you make, not who you seem to be. I like the sound the ball makes when you hit it just right,” said senior Sydney Kim. “Tennis is an exciting sport filled with awesome people. Everyday I am excited about learning new techniques and doing different drills each day. The coaches are awesome and dedicated to helping the team move up (in rank) and improve,” said senior Takondwa Kakusa. Junior Amanda Atrash, the team manager, explained how she enjoys watching from the sidelines, “It’s so peaceful to watch and keep score. It makes me happy.” Team captains Jessica Miers and Shivani Patel guide the girl’s varsity team while John Choe and Carlo Tirso guide the boys varsity team. The competitive spirit also motivates members of the team to do their best. Junior Briana Hila said, “Kick some ace. That’s what we live for.”
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Photos by Jessica Miers
Softball Goes To Myrtle Beach
Sports
By Jackson Campbell
F
or many of Fairfax’s varsity softball players, know each other and bonding,” Hoffert said. spring is just one of the seasons that they “One of the things people don’t realize about participate in. As the 2013 season kicks off, the sport of softball and baseball too, is that it’s Head Coach Matt Hoffert talked about his thoughts a team sport in that we keep stats on individual on the team’s performance, and their early season trip to Myrtle Beach. “I’m pretty excited about our prospects,” Hoffert said. “Our first scrimmage against Robinson, we played them pretty well. We made some mistakes but it was also our third time actually being outside, so there was some rust that we had to work through. Our second scrimmage vs. Stuart we hit the ball really well, we Coach Hoffert emphasizes the importance of playing travel sotball in the offseason. Here, Junior Caitlin Buchanan is playing for the Redbirds, a local travel team. played well in the Photo Courtesy of Caitlin Buchanan field, and our pitching was doing really well.” things like hitting and fielding percentage, but The Liberty District has been a struggle for the when you field the ball and go to throw it to first team in the past few years, but Hoffert believes base, you have to be able to trust the person. there will be improvement this season. “McLean, If you have doubts, then you’re pulling back and Stone Bridge, and Madison are usually the top your throw is gonna be off. Hopefully we’re gonna three teams to beat. We start off our season with spend a lot of time learning about each other, doing a game at Madison, but I think we’ll be able to some team building stuff, getting to know each compete, and that’s what I want for us, to be able other and gelling as a team.” to compete with every team in our District, and not The team is able to afford to spend a lot of time go into games feeling like we’ve already lost.” on team chemistry partly in thanks to the commit“Last year we set the tone, that we’re a team that ment of the players to play in the summer and fall can play in this district, we’re a team that can win on travel teams. To Hoffert, that time of year is games in this district. So that’s what we want to essential to the success of the team. build on,” Hoffert said. “You can work on hitting in the batting cage, you Before the team begins to play the majority of can work on fielding, but the only way you’re going their schedule, they will go to Myrtle Beach during to get better as a player is to play a lot of games. Spring Break. Fairfax varsity baseball takes a We have a 17 game season for high school ball, and yearly trip to Florida over Spring Break, but this then they go play in the summer and fall, they’re will be softball’s first year heading south to get a playing maybe 100 games. The time that they get little extra practice time in. Hoffert explained the better is not during our time at practice, it’s during that the trip, while allowing them to play a few that time when they’re playing game after game games, will be more important for team building after game.” purposes. When the team comes back home from Myrtle “It’s a chance to see some really good competition Beach, the season will be in full swing. Once Libfrom around the country. But it’s also a chance for erty District play begins, the team’s chemistry will us to grow closer as a team. The most important be put to test if they want to challenge the perenpart of the trip is going to be the girls getting to nial top teams.
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Sports
Crew Rows Into a New Season
C
rew competition season has just started up, and members are traveling to the Occoquan River every day for practice. Their first regatta, or meet, will be held on March 23, but the rowers have been working on their physical conditioning since winter. “Our team is split into four squads: varsity men, varsity women, novice men, and novice women,” said varsity women’s crew coach and Fairfax High School chemistry teacher Dan Martin. “Novices are those in their first year of rowing and once a rower finishes their first year of competition, they’re on the varsity squad,” he said. “Within, say, the varsity men, we’ll field two or three crews at different levels – our top-priority boat would be our ‘first varsity,’” added Martin. “We don’t have varsity, JV, and freshman teams like most other sports, but we do hold internal tryouts to qualify for the upper-level boats,” he said. Last year the novice men won first place in the novice 4+, which is a four man boat with a coxswain. “As a coxswain, I run the boat,” said varsity coxswain and sophomore Latifah Obaid. “I call commands to launch the boat, dock the boat and during races I also steer the boat. It seems like an easy job compared to rowing, but it is actually a huge responsibility and a lot of work.” she said. “I was part of the team which won last year and it was really great to do so well as a novice. Being a coxswain is difficult and it took me most of last year’s season to get the hang of it. Even Jason Lee, Billy Kirkendall, Daniel Chang and Latithough fah Obaid (left to right) made up last year’s winning it’s novice boat at the competition. hard, it Photos courtesy of Latifah Obaid is also really fun,” added Obaid. Like most other school sports, crew has winter conditioning sessions. Pre-season training entailed lots of laps, erging (rowing using a machine), and abdominal workouts. “We have a winter conditioning to get in shape for spring every year,” said sophomore rower Jason Lee. “We do this because rowing is hard enough by itself and to concentrate on technique while you're completely out of breath is almost impossible,” he said. Now that conditioning is done and the competition season has started, teams head to the Occoquan River at Sandy Run
By Adelaide Powell
National Park which is also used by the George Mason University crew team and is about 30 minutes away from Fairfax. “The season just started a couple days ago so I'm still trying to get back Crew members participate at last year’s Ted Phoeinto the nix Regatta at the Occoquan River. hang of things but I feel much more comfortable now that I'm back in the boat,” said varsity sophomore coxswain Gauri Tickle. “The best part about crew is participating in the regattas. The day usually begins early on a Saturday morning and the coxswains have to be there a little earlier than the rowers so we can discuss the race plans with the coaches,” said Tickle. “Before the races, everyone usually gathers in the boathouse and we rest in our sleeping bags. It's great,” said Tickle. “The seconds before the race are the most thrilling in my opinion. The river's silent and all you can hear are the cowbells in the distance. At the end of the race, you head back to the dock where teammates are usually waiting to hear about how you did,” she said. Sophomore rower Savannah Steblein agrees that regattas are the best part of being in crew. “Most regattas take up the whole day and involve sleeping, eating, cheering on the team and rowing. They are some of the best days I remember, as are the pasta parties which are the night before. The pasta parties are to carb load for the races and they involve eating and goofing off at different peoples’ houses,” she said. “Crew is one of the hardest sports I've been in, but I wouldn't trade it to be in any other sport,” said Steblein. “The people, the coaches, the events and even the torture we go through to improve ourselves all make it to be a sport that is completely unique and amazing,” she said. The first crew regatta of the season will be on March 23, followed by one on every Saturday afterwards. On May 4, the novice championships, known as the Ted Phoenix Regatta, will take place in Occoquan, as will the Virginia State Championships held the following week. “For this season, we’ve got our eyes on making the finals at the Stotesbury Cup Regatta in Philadelphia as it’s the largest, and one of the most prestigious high school regattas in the country and qualifying for nationals in Camden N.J. Qualifying typically requires being top four at our state championship regatta,” said Martin.
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S t Ar how
Fairfax’s one day, one-person art show graced the halls March 19. 54 art students from multiple grades and classes were challenged to create displays featuring photos, drawings, paintings, digital art, sculptures and more pertaining to the theme of their choice. Pieces were worked on all year, with the show being the main focus of many art students’ third quarters. In addition to their creative works, participants also had the responsibility of creating their own boards and tables to unveil their finished products. Similar to how superheroes are masters of quickly changing into their suits, art students had to transform FHS’s halls from the time school began to before first period ended. Within a class period, the Commons area went from drab gray to to a multitude of colors, showcasing the amazing talent and hardwork of Fairfax’s artists.
Photos by Erinn Fecteau