REBEL ROAR
#yolo
November, 2012 Volume LXXIX, Issue 2 Fairfax High School 3501 Rebel Run Fairfax, VA 22030
Contents News
3 4 5 6
Letter from the editors Sandy Hits Fairfax Photo courtesy of Fairfax High Rebels Cover images courtesy of usaflagsupply.com
News Briefs
Cameras In The Building? Letter to The Editor and Response
Entertainment
7 8 9
At the Movies With Aoife and Addy Tran’sformations “Carina Burana” How Well Do You Know Frels?
Commentary
10 11
Students Are Not The Only Bullies Senior Privileges For Your Flynnformation
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-Ryam Staff Writers Hannah Flynn Erich Greenfield David Schrack Adelaide Powell Web Master Erinn Fecteau Adviser Carl Irvin
Middle Spread
12
Election 2012
Features
16 17 19
Bees in the Trap Students React to Star Wars Fall Recipes Blueberries Discovered on Mars
Sports
20 23
Fall Sports Wrap Up Rookie Quarterbacks Take the NFL by Storm
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,
C
ongratulations on surviving the first quarter! Seniors, only three more and you’re done—everyone else, well at least you’ll get a nice little summer vacation. But before we can even think about summer we have to make it through the winter. Weathermen are calling for a long cold winter, and with two of our snow days already gone with Sandy, Fairfax County only has one left. Read all about Sandy’s impact in Fairfax on page 4. With the cold comes the holiday season. Prepare for the holidays by baking some delicious fall recipes found on page 17. You can also check out some of Halloween’s best on our back cover. As Fairfax’s fall sports come to a close the athletes move indoors for tryouts and the beginning of the winter season. Good luck to all our winter athletes! You can look back to the triumphs of our fall teams in our sports section this month. Don’t forget to read all about the 2012 election in our middle spread as coverage takes a more local perspective and focuses in on Fairfax’s views and opinions. We promise not to even mention Maryland’s Question 7 for we are certain you’ve heard enough about it with all the commercials. Despite the division between the political parties in our beloved country, we stand united. For this reason we decided on the flag for our cover, feeling that it was the best symbol to represent our cooperation for the next four years, and many after that. This month is the first in which we are publishing a letter to the editor and our writer’s response, found on page 6. Please remember that letters to the editor are accepted and greatly encouraged. We would love to hear what you think about every issue, so please keep the feedback coming. We also accept articles by guest writers so if you are interested in submitting an article on any subject please email us at fhsrebelroar@gmail.com. This is your paper and we are here to publish what you want to see. Stay warm this winter! Sincerely, Nikki Strickland
Jessica Miers
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Sandy Hits Fairfax By Nikki Strickland
T
ropical Cyclone Sandy hit Virginia last Monday, Oct. 29 causing school closings in Fairfax County for the 29th and 30th. The storm was downgraded from a Hurricane as it came up the Atlantic coast from the Caribbean with sustained wind speeds in the 30-35 miles per hour range in Northern Virginia according to the New York Times.
The decision to close all Fairfax County Public Schools was released around three p.m. on Sunday, the 28th, before the bulk of the storm hit Virginia. While students at Fairfax High School said they were pleased with the time off, that the closings were unwarranted. “I really needed a break from school but the days off were not necessary where we are,” said junior Kellie Husketh. Senior Chan Lee agreed, “It was nice because it gave me a break from school, plus my power did not go out so I could enjoy it.” While CNN U.S. reported that nearly 300,000 customers lost power in Virginia, Fairfax students said they had power throughout the storm. “The city was really anal about keeping power on, which was pretty awesome up until I lost internet. I personally think people overreacted. We are not on the coast so the storm would not really bother us,” said junior Claudia Menegol. Students at Fairfax seem to agree that the storm was not nearly as bad as predicted in Fairfax. Sophomore George Ganbold said “It felt like a normal rainy day; I have no idea why we did not have school.” Freshman Richard Lui said “It did not really affect us, a lot of people wasted money in preparation of the storm.”
Tropical Cyclone Sandy over the U.S. East Coast. Photo courtesy of www;nasa.gov
Are you a Maxxinista?
Fairfax Towne Center 12170 Fairfax Towne Center Fairfax County, VA 22033 Phone: 703-691-9030
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Hours: Sun: 11a - 8p Mon-Sat: 9:30a - 9:30p
News
News Briefs
1.
FX Players present Noises off
The Fairfax High theater will be putting on their first mainstage play of the year, Noises Off. The show is about a traveling theater company that attempts to put on a play. Senior stage manager, Molly Weaver says that the play presents “a brand of humour that is unique to high school kids.� There will be performances from Nov. 9 - 11.
The cast rehearses for the upcoming performance of Noises Off. Photo by Suha Khandker
2. Photo courtesy of photobucket.com
3.
States Legalize Marjuana
On Nov. 6, Colorado and Washington residents voted both a new president and for the legalization of marijuana. However Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, reminded residents that federal law still considers marijuana an illegal drug. The NCAA has already stated that the voting results does not change their policies.
Northeast hit with snow After being ravaged by Tropical Cyclone Sandy, the Northeast has been hit with record breaking amounts of snow. Many parts of the Northeast recieves as much as over 9 inches of snow. According the NBC news, Governor Chris Christie stated that the snowfall sets recovery from Sandy back about one day. A New England car buried in snow. Photo courtesy of photbucket.com
4.
FHS football season comes to a close
Photo courtesy of Langly Saxons
The FHS varsity football team ended their season with a 5-5 record. They wrapped up the season with a loss of 27-47 against Stonebridge.
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News
Cameras in the Building? By George Flynn
E
arlier this month, Fairfax High School principal David Goldfarb announced that the school will begin the process to potentially install surveillance cameras. The announcement comes after over a year of debate about the cameras in the Fairfax County community. Goldfarb said that the cameras would be placed in five to seven of the most crowded places in the building. Although he said it is too early to know specifics, Goldfarb guessed that those places would include the atrium, the commons, and most of the main hallway intersections. Before cameras can be installed, Goldfarb said that he must first go through a community engagement period. This is currently taking place and consists of talking with students, faculty, and community members about the cameras. If the feedback is positive, then Goldfarb will have a conversation with FCPS leaders about purchasing and installing the cameras. The total cost would likely be somewhere between 25,000 to 30,000 dollars.
Reaction to the proposal has been mixed, with many students expressing concerns. Junior Natalie Buchen expressed her concern, saying that cameras are “an invasion of our privacy and very unnecessary.”
Currently Fairfax High School has cameras located outside the building. Photo by George Flynn
Letter to the Editor To whom it concerns, I was reading the Rebel Roar today and went to one of my personal favorite sections, Hot or Not. I found the part on Here Comes Honey Boo Boo offensive. I am from the South and in some ways a redneck myself, I understand the word redneck and don't mind it, but I do find the broken English in the paragraph making fun of the way they talk, the comments on "family of tooth-missing, roadkill-eating misfits who spend their days competing in 'redneck games.'" extremely offensive. I would rather that you, as a school newspaper, to not be discriminatory to anyone, especially given the fact that it is against the SR&R. Bailey Parkhurst Bailey, I meant no offense to any group, southerners included, in last months “For Your Flynn-formation.” The column is always well intentioned and we work hard to ensure that the humor in the column does not upset anyone at Fairfax. The Rebel Roar embraces the unique diversity of our school. We would never intentionally offend anyone in our community. With that being said, everything mentioned in the piece about “Honey Boo Boo” was taken directly from the show. Anything that you may have viewed as a negative southern stereotype is an actual example of an activity or trait portrayed by Honey Boo Boo and her family on the show. Again, I apologize if anything in the column offended you, but it was never intended that way. George Flynn Art Director & Copy Chief
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Entertainment
At The Movies With Aoife and Addy
By Aoife Maher-Ryan and Adelaide Powell
House at the End of the Street “House at the End of the Street”, stars “The Hunger Games’ ” Jennifer Lawrence and Max Thieriot, who give sub-par performances in this not so frightening horror film. The movie starts with Elissa (Lawrence) and her newly single mother, Elizabeth Shue, moving into a new house. The two soon find out they are living next door to a house where a girl named Carrie Ann murdered her parents a few years back, and her brother Ryan (Max Thieriot) is the only one who survived. Elissa befriends Ryan only to find out he is hiding secrets, and that she may soon become a part of them. The movie includes predictable scares and unintelligent banter between characters, but does pack some entertainment value in its suspense and it does have a few surprising twists. Lawrence lends some star power to the movie, but due to a poor script her star does not shine as bright. Although most of the main characters are shot or stabbed, they recover from their severe wounds, making the semi-believable plot much less realistic. (Rated PG-13)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” stars a number of young actors that give a captivating performance of young life based on Stephen Chbosky’s beloved 90’s era novel. This unconventional coming of age story is about a freshman who finds friends in two seniors.The film is an adaptation of the book of the same name and directed by author Stephen Chbosky. The music accompaniment works perfectly for the film with songs all from the 90’s, and guides the film forward in each scene. The two seniors that help Charlie (Logan Lerman) find his way are Emma Watson as Sam, and Ezra Miller as the cheerful and emotional Patrick. During the film, Watson’s british accent does peek through a bit. However, with a standout performance by Miller and great support from the rest of the cast, this movie will resonate with anyone who has ever been a teenager, waiting to find out who they are and maybe getting a little lost along the way. (Rated PG-13)
Taken 2 Photo courtesy of www.epk.com
“Taken 2”, the action packed sequel to “Taken”, stars Liam Neeson who reprises his role as former CIA agent Bryan Mills. Mills uses his “special set of skills” again, but this time to help his daughter retrieve himself and his ex-wife. The family of the kidnappers from the last movie plot revenge by taking Mills and his ex-wife while he is on a business trip in Istanbul with his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace) and ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) who have come to visit him. The beginning seems promising, but ends up following the same plot as the first film leaving audiences bored with the everlasting and repetitive action sequences. The rekindling of the romance between Mills and Lenore seems far-fetched, as is Kim’s trouble with driving. The subplot with Kim and her boyfriend is just as tiresome, and with all the action packed throughout the film, the (spoiler alert) “we’re having milkshakes at a quaint diner” ending will leave viewers dissatisfied. (Rated PG-13)
Coming To Theatres: Skyfall (11/09), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (11/16), The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12/14), Les Misérables (12/25) 7
By Rachel Tran
Tran’sformations Fall Edition A
utumn and change go hand in hand: the trees’ leaves are turning bright colors, the air is becoming crisper, and the holidays are slowly approaching. Enjoy the beautiful scenery this fall and spice up makeup looks to match the warm, seasonal colors.
After
Before
10)
Line the bottom waterline with a navy or dark blue eyeliner.
1) Apply concealer and
foundation to areas of the face where there are any blemishes for flawless-looking skin.
2) Apply eyeshadow primer
4) Use a crease brush and
apply an auburn eyeshadow to the crease to create more dimension.
to lids for longer-lasting color.
Photos by Rachel Tran
7) Using a thin eyeshadow brush, line the lashline with a navy eyeshadow.
8) Darken the lashline with a black eyeliner.
11)
Brighten the inner corners of the eyes with a shimmery white eyeshadow.
5)
3) Apply a gold, shimmery,
Sweep a medium brown eyeshadow onto the outer corners of the eyes.
to the top and bottom lashes, and add false lashes if desired.
creamy eyeshadow to the center of the lids as a base color.
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9) Apply two coats of mascara
6) Re-apply the gold
eyeshadow to the center of the lids.
12)
Brush bronzer onto the cheeks to contour the face.
Entertainment
“Carmina Burana” M
embers of Fairfax High School’s Select Ladies Ensemble participated in New Dominion Chorale’s performance of “Carmina Burana” on Oct. 28th, at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center in Northern Virginia Community College. Thomas Beveridge directed the concert that included not only FHS’ Select Ladies, but also chorus director Luke Frels. Frels performed as a tenor soloist. “Carmina Burana is a collection of poems written by German monks about everyday life. [These poems] were later turned into songs,” explained junior Danielle Randolph, a member of the Select Ladies Ensemble. “There are about 25 songs in the collection but we only sang about eight.” Frels and the Select Ladies worked hard to prepare for the performance. “In class we listened to the professional recording and practiced in sectionals. Sectionals helped a lot because Mr. Frels took one group, such as alto one, and practiced their parts with them while the other sections worked on different music in practice rooms.
FHS’ Select Chorus Performs With New Dominion Chorale By Emily Verbiest
It was very efficient,” said Randolph. Senior Deanna Payne said, “[Carmina Burana is] sung with a German-Latin pronunciation and requires extreme vocal range for all parts.” “We had to make sure our voices blended well together, got our rhythms and notes down. Also that we don’t strain our voices with those super high above-the-staff notes,” said junior Erin Sullivan. “It was exciting because the space we sang in was mesmerizing when it came to sound quality,” said Sullivan. Frels said, “I am excited that the Select Ladies had the opportunity to be a part of this large-scale performance. This was an opportunity that I felt like we had to take advantage of.”
Photo by Suha Khandker
How Well Do You Know Frels? A Quick Q&A With Fairfax High School’s Chorus Director Luke Frels.
By Emily Verbiest
You are a performer as well as an graduation for me because my first instructor. Which role do you prefer class of freshmen was graduating. But, and why? family comes first. My students didn’t “I don’t think I really have a prefermiss a beat. A senior in my chorus ence and I know that I need both in stepped up and directed the choir at my life. I went into music to be a music graduation in the singing of the Nateacher. The fact that I am able to tional Anthem.” perform really informs my work in the How did you become interested in classroom. These are flip sides of the being a chorus singer? same coin in my mind.” “I have always loved the sound that a Photo Courtesy of FHS Chorale What is the best memory of your chorus makes- more so than individual Department career? voices. I have always loved being “In teaching, one of my very proudest moments part of that sound. When you sing together with happened when my son was born a couple of a group of people, they become your family months premature. I needed to be in the hospital and you form a deep bond with them. To me, with him and my wife, which meant that I had to there is nothing like the rush you feel when you miss graduation. This was a very meaningful make incredible music.” 9
Students Are Not The Only Bullies
A
By David Schrack
s a high school sophomore, teachers have been an integral part of my life for over a decade. They have prepared me, guided me, instructed me, all for my potential graduation following my educational career. However, some have also harmed me -- not by being strict or authoritative, but by emotionally harassing and abusing me. Now, this does not mean every teacher bullies -no, only some teachers do. Out of the many teachers I have had in my educational life thus far, only three or four teachers have said or done something I perceived as bullying. Fairfax High Principal David Goldfarb said, “Our teachers are focused on supporting students’ learning and growth, and know that creating a safe and supportive environment is important to do this.” But when made aware of my experiences of teacher bullying, Goldfarb added, “I am very surprised to hear that there are FHS students who feel they have been bullied by FHS teachers. It is my hope that any student would speak to their administrator or counselor if they feel they are being bullied by anyone, student Writer, David Shrack advocates or teacher. Such behavior is unacceptable in any school.” g for anti-bullying. n yi l l I agree with our principal’s assertion that bullying is unacceptu B able. But because I have experienced such bullying firsthand, I suggest, to mend this issue, Fairfax High and other schools create an annual sensitivity training that educates teachers to handle the individual needs of students. They should know how to treat each and every student as if they have special needs or are special education and how to correct students without belittling or condescending them. Special education and special needs students are sometimes hard to identify, as any student -- regardless of appearance, behavior, and academic achievement -- can be special needs or special education. I myself am a special needs student, but you would not know it if you looked at me. That is why all school staff members around the world should assume every child they encounter has special needs or is enrolled in special education. After all, they do not know each child’s background and life story. These are just some of the things we can do put an end to teacher bullying. It is a tricky and challenging topic to deal with nonetheless, because not every teacher bullies. But we still should not be afraid to confront this issue to ensure no teacher ever harms, harasses or abuses students in any way. It can very well mean the difference between liking and disliking school for many students.
Senior Privileges
Class Of
By Hannah Flynn and David Schrack
S
enior privileges are something students look forward to throughout high school. They provide a sense of seniority and fun for their last year as a Fairfax High School student. However, for the case of Fairfax High School, senior privileges are unfulfilling and unsatisfying, mainly because there are several other options that could provide greater opportunities and freedoms for Fairfax veterans. Comparatively, students at other Fairfax County high schools are given more advantages as seniors that make the “privileges” at FHS seem meager. One senior thinks that senior privileges shouldn’t even exist. “I don’t think there’s any reason why we deserve senior privileges,” said Fairfax High senior Emily Crawford. “I think it’s ridiculous that seniors feel entitled to these things.” In order to make senior privileges equal throughout all FCPS schools, Crawford said we should just not have them. “We can’t make it equal,” she said. Seniors at Chantilly High School get out of school five minutes early each Friday, and hold their own senior section at the football games. At Westfield High School the seniors get to leave five minutes early for lunch each day and choose the warning bell song each month. Thomas Jefferson High School takes senior privileges to the next level. There’s a senior lounge fully equipped with computers and television, a private senior lunch line, special buffets on certain days at lunch, administratively recognized days off, and during free period, seniors are granted the privilege of going home or staying in the senior lounge.
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Commentary
For Your Flynn-formation
By George Flynn
Color
Not
Hot
It would be hard to deny that the past month has been one of color. My girl T-Swizzle started off the month right with her already-platinum album “Red,” and Ne-Yo carried on the tradition with his album “R.E.D.” As if that wasn’t colorful enough, America was bombarded with some serious Red and Blue on election night (plus a little green courtesy of a certain third party.) Not to mention, Maryland, Maine and Washington really brought the color when they threw in a little bit of rainbow. Photo courtesy of huffingtonpost.com
Question 7 After three months and millions of dollars worth of aroundthe-clock ads, I’m still not sure whether or not money from new casinos in Maryland will actually got to Maryland schools. Seriously though, the casino in question is a good 30 to 45 minutes away on a good day, and yet I’m sure most of Photo courtesy of dmad12group.wordpress.com northern Virginia could tell you all about the he-said, she-said battle over blackjack.
Instagram.com
Full Weeks of School
As great as instagram is on my iphone, I often find myself longing to check my fave social network when my phone is in another room. Talk about the struggle. Luckily, Mark Zuckerberg and the internet gods at Facebook have answered my prayers. The new instagram.com lets users check the photostreams of other users, which is great for some late night creeping.
Let’s face it, none of us really dislike school as much as we would like to make people think. That being said, after two three day weeks and a two hour delay, plus next week’s two and a half day week, full five day weeks just don’t seem right. I think we might be on to soemthing with these short weeks...
Smashburger
Photos by @gflynno
All I can say is “yum.” The burger chain is quickly becoming known as an “upscale Five Guys.” As good as the burgers and fries may be though, a qucik word to the wise: if you Photo courtesy of Smashburger feel like eating your troubles away without being judged by half of the school, go somewhere else!
Trailers in the Cold It’s almost impossible to focus on the acceleration of an object at constant velocity when you can’t feel your fingers. It’s not that hard to understand, when it’s 35 degrees outside and the only thing separating you from the elements is a wall Photo courtesy of Brandon Blankenship the thickness of cardboard, it’s not going to take long for the room to become
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election 2012 Presidential Election:
President Barack Obama
Governor Mitt Romney
Popular Votes: 60,664,801
Popular Votes: 578,236,535
Electoral Votes: 332
Electoral Votes: 206
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Freedom of Speech Through Freedom
D
By Jessica Miers
espite the student-driven rumors that students are no longer allowed to wear t-shirts that support either Barack Obama or Mitt Romney, principal David Goldfarb wanted to ensure that these rumors are in fact false and students are well within their rights to wear political attire as long as it is non-offensive or disturbing in any way to the learning environment. “The only restrictions would be for students wearing anything that is inflammatory, derogatory, or goes against the Fairfax County Public School dress code such as advocacy for violence, drugs and alcohol,” said Goldfarb. With this in mind, it is important for students to know that in 1969, the Supreme Court case, Tinker versus Des Moines resulted in a ruling that protects students’ first amendment rights in public schools regarding free speech and the action of wearing clothing Senior, Leah Johnson wearing a shirt that advocates for political figures or groups. Therefore, no United showing her support for President States public school has the right to ban students from wearing tObama, and Senior, Michael Vargas shirts or clothing that supports a political candidate. supporting Governor Romney. Senior Cameron Hair said, “It definitely makes me happy to Photo by Jessica Miers know that our First Amendment rights still apply to the freedom of expression at school.”
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Fairfax Students Get Involved By Hannah Flynn
T
his November, some Fairfax High School seniors are eligible to fulfill their civic duty and vote in the presidential election. As it is stated in the Constitution once a citizen is 18 years of age, they are eligible to vote in a presidential election. According to Rock the Vote, voters ages 18-29 made up 66% of the vote in 2008. This election, approximately 46 million 1829 year olds are eligible to vote, reported by Young Democrats of America. Megan Cathro, a senior at FHS, who plans on voting expressed her feelings on the process: “Bottom line, we have something that most countries in the world don't: the ability to make a change! We have the freedom to be involved and have our Senior, Megan Cathro voice heard and opinion matter. So whether RepubliPhoto by Jessica Miers can or Democrat get informed and vote! Because if you don't vote, you can't complain.” Even some FHS students who are not eligible to vote are getting involved with the election. Senior, Emma Tourtellotte has been volunteering for the Romney campaign. “ Just because you can’t vote doesn't mean you shouldn't have an opinion. Volunteering on campaigns is a lot of fun because you learn more about the candidates from people who have met them and you learn more about your party in general! And you meet a lot of influential people! The other day I met chris perkins who is running for congress!” Senior, Katie Rossbach reflected on voting for the first time,. “I remember voting Senior Emma Tourtellote Photo by Jessica Miers with my parents, and standing in line I was just thinking “democracy is so cool.” Especially, being in a swing state made me feel like my vote was really important.”
Photos courtesy of Getty Images
Virginia Senate 52.4% Tim Kaine
47.6 % George Allen
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The Race to 270
Map Courtesy of Getty Images
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Democrat
Swung...
Colorado
Blue
59.1%
46.5%
9
Florida
Blue
49.9%
49.3%
29
North Carolina
Red
48.4%
50.6%
15
50.1%
48.2%
18
50.8%
47.8%
13
Ohio
Blue
Virginia
Blue
Republican
Electoral Votes
Swing State
Presidential Pros and Cons Voters headed to polls on Nov 6 to cast their vote for republican candidate, Mitt Romney or Democratic incumbent, Barack Obama. Guest Writer, Cameron Hair
Obama Pros:
Obama Cons:
*Supports women’s right to choose.
Obama Con: *Systematically reducing our national defense (nuclear stockpile) while other nations around the world increase theirs
*Protects the rights of the working class. *Believes in everyone paying their fair share- the rich paying a little more, the poor paying a little less. Photo by Jessica Miers
to hunt down Al Qaeda.
*Has followed through on many promises, including his promise to remove troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and and
*Strong decision to take down Bin Laden. *In four years, has turned around terrible economy he inherited from Bush, with all signs leading to an economic recovery. *Believes all citizens deserve medical care, despite financial situation. *Recently came out supporting the right to marry for gay and lesbian couples. *Believes in a strong, central government, which unifies the country instead of dividing it, which occurs when states are given too much power.
Control of House: Republicans - 233 Democrats - 193
Guest Writer, Megan Cathro
* Denied drilling for oil in U.S. while giving money to South American drilling companies to drill for oil which we would buy. * In favor of strong, centralized government which reduces state/indi- Photo by Jessica Miers vidual freedom. The government is not meant to rule everything. Has met very little with foreign leaders while they were in the country. * In favor of many federal grants/funding that the nation simply cannot afford. * Removed the clause in welfare where people must be looking for work in order to receive federal aid. * The wealthier should not have to carry the majority of the country on their paycheck.
Control of Senate: Democrats- 53 Republicans - 45
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Bees In The Trap T
By Erich Greenfield
he 15-year-long case of disappearing bee colonies, otherwise known as “colony collapse disorder,” (CCD) has now been solved and linked to a pesticide form known as neonicotinoids; a nerve poison that disorients insect victims and appears to damage the homing ability of bees, which may lead to their mysterious failure to make it back to the hive. The chemical, which is produced by the company Syngenta, has three new studies that point to the neonicotinoids. The pesticide covers 142 million acres of corn, wheat, soy and cotton fields and is also used as a common ingredient in home gardening. Two months prior, prestigious journal, “Science” shows that neonicotinoids are absorbed by the plants’ vascular system and contaminate the pollen and nectar that bees encounter on their rounds. The nerve poison disorients their insect victims and damages their homing ability. When the bees cannot go back to the hive, they are unable to continue making honey and therefore leaves the colony without food leaving the queen bee starved. Another reason as to why the colonies might be collapsing is that genetically modified organism crops (GMOs) takes away the pollinators food supply poisoning their genetic structure of the bees and weaken their immune systems. By spreading this kind of agriculture, the farmers
are depriving the bees of their natural food supply. Preventative measures have been taken to boost the population of bees on commercial honey farms. Bees are often fed high-fructose corn syrup because it is much cheaper and easier to obtain than the honey that bees normally eat. Also, in an effort to increase productivity of the bee population, bees are artificially inseminated, which has led to a decrease in diversity of bee populations. The bees are often dusted with chemical poisons to control mites and other pathogens that have flourished in the overcrowded commercial colonies. “The new honey manufacturing procedures, I believe, are wrong and are a disgusting mutation of what past honey collecting used to be. The artificial insemination of bees is a terrible direction for honey bee production and it takes nature out of the process. The whole idea of manufacturing honey bees is a disgusting thought that I hope can be changed to allow the population of honey bees to rise to it previous height,” said sophomore Daniel Gardiner. While it may seem like there is no turning back now and there is no way to raise the population back to its normal state prior to the colony collapses, following processes such as feeding bees their natural products and putting a stop to artificial insemination offers hope for re-diversifying the bee population as a whole.
Students React To Star Wars G By Erinn Fecteau
16
eorge Lucas, the founder of Star Wars, sold his company Lucasfilm to The “I Walt Disney Company on Oct. 30, inciting many different emotions in Fairfax used to want students. to work for Disney in “It isn’t the music department. over. It’s changing. But now that they’ve taken Like life. George didn’t want over star wars, I don’t think Star Wars to be his life, he wants I can...” to keep on creating instead of chang-Sarah Newman “My ing. He’s a creator, he brings things to life. life is over. I Once they’ve been brought to life, he knows didn’t believe that that other people can change it and make it Lucas sold LucasFilm deeper. He’s the spark, not the fire. He would to Disney, but it’s true. never give his child to someone he doesn’t [George Lucas,] of all the trust. He believes that what is right for Star stupid ideas you had, this Wars right now, is Disney. He has faith one is your worst…” that this is right, and I trust him -Anda Bruk to make the right decision.” -Doug Klain “It’s like adding an“…Disney other Lord of the Rings also made Avengers. So unmovie. It’s completely unless you thought Avengers was a bad movie necessary. Why mess with a you have no room to complain about the new Star good thing?” Wars being a terrible movie without seeing it.” -Alex Griffith -Logan Threlkeld
Fall Recipes
Features
As the weather becomes colder, there is no better way to stay warm than with hot chocolate and these scrumptious pumpkin spice cookies? By Suha Khandker
Ingredients:
Directions:
2 ½ cups of all purpose flour 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp ground cloves ½ tsp salt ½ cup of softened butter 1 ½ cups of white sugar 1 cup of pumpkin puree 1 egg 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cookies
1. 2. 3.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then in a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients. Slowly mix in the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. The batter should turn into a soft dough. Form the dough into teaspoon size ball and place two inches apart onto a baking sheet.
Frosting: ½ cup softened butter ½ cup softened cream cheese 2 ½ cups powdered sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Frosting
1.
4.
Bake the cookies for 18 minutes or until the edges become golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool for 1-2 minutes.
2.
Slowly add the powdered Combine the softened butter, sugar to the cream cheese cream cheese, vanilla extract and cinnamon using an electric mixture and mix until the frosting becomes thick and mixer. fluffy.
Photo courtesy of Suha Khandker
3.
Spread the frosting over cookies liberally and enjoy!
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New Dominion Chorale & Orchestra Thom as Be ver idge, A r tistic Dir ect or
Dia ne Ather t on, soprano K r i sten Du benion-Sm ith, alto Jason R y la nder, t enor B ob McD ona ld, ba ss
Sunday, December 9, 2012 4:00 p.m.
Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall & Arts Center 3001 North Beauregard, A lexandria For information and tickets, call 703-442-9404 or see ticket infor mation at w w w.newdominion.org.
Hallstatt, Austria
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Features
Blueberries Discovered On Mars R
By Erinn Fecteau
ecently, one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s rovers snapped photos of small, hematite balls on the surface of Mars—and found with them evidence that suggests ancient life on Mars’ soil. The spherical minerals, nicknamed “blueberries” by the team of scientists analyzing them, were found by NASA’s rover Opportunity, which has been trekking along the planet’s distant surface for over eight years. The “blueberries” are composed of hematite, the mineral form of one of several iron oxides. The solid form is typically created in aqueous environments or around biological elements like carbon and nitrogen, suggesting that water did exist on Mars’ surface at one point in time. More recently, scientists have hypothesized that not only did water exist on the alien surface, but that the “blueberries” were formed by microbes—meaning that life subsisted on Mars. To come to this theory, scientists compared them The iron blueberries, formed by microbes, are composed of to similar hematite spheres found here on Earth, which hermatite and suggest that water as well as life existed on Mars were created by tiny microbial organisms. at one point in time. For space and science enthusiasts alike, the discovbenefit to funding the exploration of distant planets when ery has been met with much fanfare. Not everyone is so there are more pressing matters facing everyday life on thrilled with NASA’s Mars exploration missions, however: Earth. The American government plans to cut money Robert Zubrin, writer for the National Review, wrote from NASA’s budget in order to slow their own rapid loss about the criticism facing the program. of funds, but Zubrin writes that this is not the right ap“In its budget submitted to Congress on February 13, proach. the Obama administration zeroed out funding for NASA’s “There is no justification for the proposed cuts. The future Mars-exploration missions. The Mars Science Lab U.S. federal government may be going broke, but it’s Curiosity, currently en route to the Red Planet and the not because of NASA. Since 2008, federal spending has nearly completed small MAVEN orbiter, scheduled for increased 40 percent, but NASA spending has remained launch in 2013, will be sent, but that’s it.” the same. Trillions of dollars in out-of-control entitlement The majority of critics argue that the funding of NASA spending cannot be remedied by cuts in NASA… Rather, is fiscally irresponsible on the part of the American the financial bleeding needs to be staunched where the government when so many other programs are in need hole is, and nowhere else.” of federal money. Many American citizens do not see the Along with the criticism, a good number of proponents of NASA have emerged from the woodwork to defend the space program. Said Fairfax senior Daniel Jankus: “There’s so much more to discover, and humans simply cannot live with being curious.” Many advocates also point out that critics seem to believe the money put into funding NASA disappears into thin air once in the hands of the space program’s scientists; however, it’s being used to buy needed resources from other companies. The money does not disappear from existence—it is passed from hand to hand. Zubrin concludes his article by saying the following: “… But the Mars program is defensible. It has real and rational objectives, reasonable costs, and a terrific track record of success. It can and must be saved.” Nasa’s rover Opportunity has a panoramic camera which captured images of the iron blueberries on Mars at its landing center in “Eagle Crater.” Photos Courtesy of NASA
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Fall Sports Wrap Up Field Hockey By Jessica Miers
O
n Oct 19. the Fairfax High School girls varsity field hockey team dominated Marshall High School with a 4-1 lead, winning the Liberty District Championship for the fourth consecutive year. “I was really impressed with how we won four districts in a row,” said senior team manager, Michael Rice. “It was a privilege managing the girls team, taking stats, and filming games this year.” Holding the FHS field hockey record for the most Liberty District wins in a row, the 2012-2013 FHS varsity girls field hockey team became the first team in Fairfax history to end their regular season with a 15-1 record and 17-2 for their final record, losing only to Westfield High School, 0-3and South County High School, 0-1in overtime. “It felt great to win all four years that I've been here. I'm also honored to keep the tradition and legacy going,” said senior varsity captain, Shannon Cosgrove. With the help of Coach Amber Beaudoin’s inspirational speeches, the girls dominated the Northern Region Playoffs with their first round win against Lake Braddock High School, 1-0 and their second round win on Oct 25. against Herndon High School, 1-0. Senior captain, Sam Zelenack said that after the team wins districts they “huddle up and sway back and forth” as part of their tradition. “For every game, ever since I've been on the team, we always stretch in a circle and while we are stretching, we go around and say a word. The word might be what we need to do, or just a motivational word to remind everyone of what we need to get done,” said Cosgrove After losing 11 of the seniors from the 2011-2012 team including eight starters, the girls were at a setback, with sophomores making up a majority of the team along with only seven seniors. Despite the loss of players, the girls maintained their 17-2 record, allowing only five goals against them during the entire season including playoffs. “This year we started out with losing 11 seniors which was pretty rough but we worked hard through the summer
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work outs and bad practices to get where we ended up. We did change our formation a little bit by switching some people's positions,” said Cosgrove. The FHS varsity girls’ outstanding season this year definitely came with its rewards, especially for the seniors. Cosgrove finished tied for 14th in the D.C metro area for her 17 goals scored over the entire season and landed a spot on the Georgetown University girls’ field hockey team. Along with Cosgrove, Zelenack also committed to play for Towson University. “I’m excited. [Playing for Towson] is also pretty nerve wracking though,” said Zelenack. Next year, the 2013-2014 girls field hockey team will play in conferences instead of districts. Though most seniors look forward to their graduation day, the seniors on the FHS girls’ varsity hockey team said they will miss being a part of the team and all of the memories they have shared for the past four years such as their tradition of going to IHOP the morning of the homecoming pep rally and painting the faces of all the new team mates. Cosgrove said, “I'm going to miss all of the memories from each and every year. The teams that I was on all four years were each distinct from each other and each hold a special place in my heart.
Sports
Cross Country By Jackson Campbell
C
ross country had a strong performance this fall, but unfortunately came up short in the district playoffs. After outperforming much of the Liberty District in meets throughout the season, Fairfax missed the cut for the Northern Regional Cross Country Championships by finishing 6th at the Liberty District Championships. Senior David Hollinger was instrumental in leading the Rebels this season, but at Burke Lake for the District Championships it was junior Aaqib Syed who led the Rebels with a 10th place finish and a time of 16:29 in the 5K. Fairfax finished the meet with 156 points, putting them overtop of Marshall and Langley. On the girls side, Fairfax finished in 8th place with a score of 210. Sophomore Claire Daniels took 5th place overall with a time of 19:38. Both Syed and Daniels qualified for the Northern Regional Cross Country Championships, where Daniels finished with a 19:50 (14th among fellow Liberty District runners at the meet). Syed finished tied for 29th place out of 123 runners for the boys with a 16:04, topping his District Championship mark by 25 seconds, a very wide margin in cross country.
Volleyball By Nikki Strickland
F
airfax High School’s girls volleyball team had a winning season this year with a record of 21-8. The team made it to the district finals and the first round of regionals where they ended their season with a loss against South County. This was the first time in nearly ten years that the lady rebels beat both Langley and Stone Bridge in the same season, said Megan McKenzie. “Overall I think it was our best season yet, even though we didn’t go very far in regionals. We really made an impact and made some noise since people didn’t expect us to be any good,” she said.
Golf
T
By Jackson Campbell
his fall, the Fairfax co-ed varsity golf team had another strong finish in the postseason as the team’s four seniors’ leadership helped them as they played to a 4th place finish in the Liberty District playoffs. Along with the 4th place finish by the team, senior Andrew Gordon finished 11th individually at districts, qualifying him for the regional tournament, where he finished 20th, almost good enough to make the state tournament. Gordon also held the role of captain on the team this season, and regularly finished atop the standings for Fairfax. “My role as captain was to be the most consistent and level-headed player on the team. I needed to have the best attitude because the rest of the team fed off of me.” Gordon said. Despite not making the state tournament, he finished second overall in a preseason tournament, the Atomic Invitational at Twin Lakes, further helping his opportunities to play in college. “Next year I plan to play at either McDaniel (Westminster, MD) or Franklin & Marshall (Lancaster, PA) which are small schools that are division three powerhouses that play against many division one schools.” Sophomore Ruby Rim made the girls state tournament, after qualifying 6th for regionals and shooting an 81 in what turned out to be the first and only round of regionals due to a weather cancellation of the second round. She will certainly play a major role in the success of the team next year, after Gordon, and seniors Chan Lee, Carlo Tirso, and Tommy Burford leave. After the first day of competition in the state tournament, Rim sat in 11th place, with a 7-over-par 79 which was one of her stronger rounds this year. She ended up placing in the top 10, a major accomplishment for both her and the team. Although Rim and Gordon were the only two to make regionals, Lee almost made it after a two day total of 157, which tied him with Rim. They then had a one-hole playoff, which Rim won to take the 6th and final spot. Against both Madison and McLean, Lee led the team with a 39 and 44 respectively, both in close losses. In the final match of the season against Madison, Fairfax played all 12 golfers and the underclassmen showed promise for the coming years, led by Billal Achekzai and Eric Joslin who each finished with a 5 over 41.
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Sports
Rookie Quarterbacks Take the NFL by Storm
T
By Jackson Campbell
his season, an unprecedented five rookie quarterbacks are starting in the NFL, and one of the biggest stars so far is Robert Griffin III of the Washington Red-
skins. After the Redskins finished a dismal 5-11 last season, it was clear that they needed to draft a quarterback thanks to Rex Grossman’s lack of production. They selected Griffin, who was coming off his junior year at Baylor University where he won the Heisman, with the second overall pick. Griffin was named the Redskins starter even before the preseason began, and in his role as a leader he has not disappointed. Although the Redskins are just 3-6 through nine weeks, they were averaging 25.1 points per game, a full eight points over their 2011 season average, something Robert Griffin III has played a huge part in. Even divisional opponent New York Giants players were praising Griffin after a 27-23 Giants win over the Redskins, with defensive lineman Justin Tuck saying in the press conference following the game that “Playing him twice a year is definitely going to be a headache.” Griffin leads all NFL players so far with a combined 13 rushing and passing touchdowns. The Redskins defense is struggling to defend the pass, but the drastic change on offense is promising for their future. Taken one spot before Griffin, with the first overall pick in the NFL draft, the Indianapolis Colts selected senior Andrew Luck out of Stanford University. Luck began his final season at Stanford as the preseason media favorite to win the Heisman, and finished the year a close second to Griffin. Luck was considered by many scouts to be the more NFL-ready of the two, so the Colts chose him to replace veteran superstar Peyton Manning after he left for the Denver Broncos. In 2011, the Colts only won two games in large part because of Manning’s neck injury which caused him to miss the entire season, but the 2012 Colts under Luck are already off to a 5-3 start. Luck has been very accurate, completing 56.5% of his passes and mostly targeting veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne, who struggled last year with Curtis Painter at quarterback. One aspect of Luck’s game early in his career that suggests he will be very successful is his lack of turnovers. A telltale sign of a rookie is the mistakes, but Luck looks to be far beyond his years. Contrary to the situations in Indianapolis and Washington, the Seattle Seahawks were not in dire need of a quarterback heading into the draft, as they had picked up free agent Matt Flynn, formerly of the Green Bay Packers. Despite that, they went ahead and took Russell Wilson out of the University of Wisconsin, and he eventually wrestled the starting job from Flynn during training camp. Wilson was not highly touted as a quarterback coming out of college, but more as a charismatic leader who had a positive influence on everyone around him. The Seahawks have been inconsistent this season to say the least, and Wilson has not been as impressive as he was in the preseason. However, he does have a few solid wins under his belt, including beating the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football with a controversial touchdown ruling, and the New England Patriots on a last minute drive.
While he may not live up to what Griffin and Luck will accomplish, he has given Seattle a chance to compete in the NFC West again, which they have not dominated they went to the Super Bowl in 2006. Perhaps the team in most dire need of a franchise-saving quarterback was the Cleveland Browns, but it is still unclear whether 29 year-old rookie Brandon Weeden from Oklahoma State University is the answer. Year after year, the Browns have been stuck at the bottom of the AFC North division, unable to pass the dominant Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. They decided to take a risk on the oldest rookie to ever play in the Rudy Califa practices “Griffining” in his back yard. NFL, Brandon Photo by Jackson Campbell Weeden. His lack of size and accuracy, combined with his age scared most NFL scouts away, but he has phenomenal arm strength and a high football IQ. The Browns have started this season 2-6, but Weeden has shown improvement week after week. He threw four interceptions in his first career game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but has cut down on the turnovers since, and behind a strong effort from Weeden the Browns won their first game this season against division rival and playoff hopeful Cincinnati Bengals. If he does not turn around the Browns soon, his time in the NFL may be limited due to his age, but along with the other four rookie Quarterbacks, he possesses the tools to be a perennial starter. Because of Griffin and Luck’s unbelievable talent, Wilson’s being a fan favorite, and Weeden’s age, rookie Ryan Tannehill of the Miami Dolphins has gone under the radar in a surprising 4-4 start in the competitive AFC East division. For Tannehill, learning a completely new offense like most rookies have to do was not an issue, because his coach from Texas A&M is now the offensive coordinator for the Dolphins. Tannehill may not have the Dolphins contending for a Super Bowl run this year, but with all the attention on Griffin and Luck he and the Dolphins may surprise teams in the next few years. With the way football seasons have gone in the past few years for teams who drafted these quarterbacks, it is no surprise that there is a heightened excitement around the league, especially right here in the D.C. area. The Redskins have never had a player of Griffin’s caliber, and if he continues to improve upon the high-level he is already performing at, the future of football in Washington is bright. 23
The Best of Halloween
Photos by George and Hannah Flynn