April 2014 - Silver Chips Print

Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

A public forum for student expression since 1937

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SAM HOWELLS

Blair softball F3

May 2, 2014

Winner of the 2012 National Pacemaker Award

VOL 76 NO 6

Students protest achievement gap

Closing the gap, one step at a time

By Emily Daly

KYRA SEIGER

STUDENTS TAKE ACTION Students from across MCPS, along with county officials and Superintendent Joshua Starr, march to raise awareness and bring attention to the county’s acheivement gap on Apr. 27.

Hundreds of students, parents, educators and elected county officials waved signs and chanted as they marched more than a mile alongside Rockville Pike from the Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) headquarters to the Montgomery County Circuit Court in downtown Rockville to raise awareness about the need to close the achievement gap on April 27.

The group consisted mainly of students and educators who are a part of the Minority Scholars Program (MSP), which planned, orga-

Governor Martin O’Malley signed Breanna’s Law into effect on April 14, requiring all Maryland high school students, beginning with those entering ninth grade in 2015, to receive training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillators (AED) as part of their graduation requirements.

The law was named after Perry Hall High School student Breanna Sudano, whose life was saved af-

ter she collapsed during a field hockey match in 2011 by a team of coaches and parents on the scene who knew how to perform CPR. The Montgomery County high school physical education resource teachers had one of their countywide meetings on April 23, where the new CPR mandate was brought up.

However, there are no official plans as of yet on how to incorporate the CPR training into classes.

“The county does not know how

see PROTEST page A2

Implementing CPR training in MD high schools has the potential to save

1,400 11%

CPR to be required for graduation

By Leslie Chen

nized, and led the march and ensuing rally. The MSP, coordinated by Walter Johnson High School teacher Mike Williams, is a cross-county organization that aims to increase the number of minority students in honors classes. This year, at their annual event planning retreat in January, they decided that the most effective way to raise awareness about the achievement gap was to hold a march. The MSP is currently in place in twelve high schools, though not Blair.

Williams said that the march’s purpose was threefold: to raise

lives every year

they are going to implement [CPR and AED training] yet,” said Blair P.E. resource teacher Robert McMahon.

Though some schools in the county already have first aid and CPR courses or medical career academy classes, Blair has neither.

“It is possible that the CPR/first aid training will be in health classes,” said McMahon.

Several Blair students have

Cardiac arrest survival rate in Maryland

300,000 Cardiac arrest kills over

annually

see CPR page A4

JENNA KANNER

DCC limits acceptances The Commie in the classroom

Blair will only enroll specific students in 2015

By Leigh Cook As the number of enrolled students at Blair reaches record highs, the Down County Consortium (DCC) moved to limit the number of incoming students for the 20142015 school year by only assigning students whose base school is Blair, whose siblings go to Blair or who are accepted students of the Communication Arts (CAP) or Magnet Program.

According to MCPS, “the Choice process is a lottery school assignment process that considers students’ choice ranking, base area school, sibling link, school capacity, and socioeconomic status...

Every effort is made to assign students to their first choice, however, students may be assigned to subsequent choices.” The implementation of this year’s restrictions on admitted applicants modified the process so that students without

a sibling link or Blair as a home school were not admitted for the fall of 2014.

Jeannie Franklin, Director of Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services, said that this policy will not necessarily be implemented in future years. “This year, because so many students chose Blair in the Choice process, only students who had a sibling at Blair, who have Blair as a base and chose it as their first choice, or who got invited to one of Blair’s magnet programs will be attending Blair next year,” she said.

A total of 823 freshmen will attend Blair in the fall of 2014. Seven hundred and fifty-three sophomores and 630 juniors are currently enrolled for the 2014-2015 school year, creating an average difference of roughly 100 students

see ENROLLMENT page A3

rounded by the kind of ears that stick out. He looks affable in the William Wheeler Hinckley has a newspaper photos next to Eleanor round face, crowned by a closely- Roosevelt and honest in his passshaved brunet buzz cut and sur- port photo. He is the epitome of a solid, all-American English teacher.

Montgomery County thought he looked like a Communist.

In 1949, the Soviet Union shocked America by dropping an atomic bomb. “Fear of internal subversion,” notes historian Mary Beth Norton, “was intertwined with fear of external attack.” Suddenly, every neighbor, milkman and friend could be a Communist spy. “Reds, phonies and parlor pinks seem to be banded together,” noted President Harry Truman during his adCOURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES HUAC INVESTIGATED NAMES FILE ministration, “and pose a naIN DEFENSE OF HINCKLEY William tional threat.” Senator Joseph Hinckley taught English to juniors for four McCarthy claimed to have the names of 205 card-carryyears at Blair in the 1950s. ing Communists working in

By Alanna Natanson

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the government. As the hysteria grew, civil liberties shrank.

Even at Montgomery Blair High School, where William Hinckley suffered for a political belief. As our school turns 80, it’s important to remember an ugly spot in Montgomery County history, and how one man responded to a culture of fear.

The suspect… or the victim

In a school filled with test tubes and microscopes, the biggest experiments came from the English department. Hinckley was always testing out a new activity, says his daughter Jill Hinckley, tailoring the assignments to the passions of his students. “He got them to write radio scripts about sports,” says Hinckley. “He had a lot of innovative methods of teaching.”

Hinckley’s love for experimentation extended outside of the classroom, too. His daughter

see COMMIE page C2

Jummah:

Deli Roundup:

Local Concerts:

Girls’ Lacrosse:

Blair’s Muslim Students Association gathers to pray on Friday afternoons

Jesse Broad-Cavanagh gets the scoop on two of the area’s most renowned delis

Students see Dr. Dog and Floating Action at at local concert venue The 9:30 Club

Blair lacrosse (5-5) defeated the Blake Bengals 15-3 in a game on April 27

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D4

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NEWS A2 OP/ED B1 FEATURES C1 ENTERTAINMENT D1 SCHEDULE D5 CHIPS CLIPS D6 LA ESQUINA LATINA E1 SPORTS F1

A2 News

May 2, 2014

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Member of the Chinese Embassy comes to Blair

By Grace Woodward

Yuqing Liu, a Second Secretary at the Chinese Embassy, visited Blair on Apr. 24 to talk about the Chinese economy to students from various classes including NSL, International Human Rights and Global Issues.

The presentation was aimed at giving students a greater overall understanding of economics, specifically focusing on the shifting economic climate in China and its numerous effects. “Chinese phenomena is a unique way to understand the economy and other related issues,” Liu said. Although mostly focused on economics, the presentation also taught students about other aspects of modern China. “Part of my job at the embassy is to share knowledge about China, whether about business, culture, education, or anything else someone asks me,” Liu said.

Liu spoke to the group of about 35 student attendees about the unique economic position China is in currently. “It was interesting when [Liu] told us that China is still a developing country even though their GDP is the same as

LEILA BARTHOLET

EMBASSY VISIT Yuqing Liu, a member of the Chinese Embassy, came to Blair to present to students about the Chinese economy. ours. She said that this was because of China’s large population,” said sophomore Reid Wil-

liams, who saw the presentation with his NSL class. Liu continued to draw parallels between the

Rockville rally aims to raise awareness of achievement gap from PROTEST page A1

Starr also addressed the gap in his speech at the rally. “We are not going to close the gap if we just install some fancy program or buy a lot of technology,” he said. He stated that we must have HOPE, an acronym that stands for Hard work, Opportunities, Preparation and Equity. He said that closing the achievement gap will take a lot of work and different methods.

explained that MSP students planned everything beforehand.

“We came up with a list of things to decide on. Our symbol, shirts, posters, chants and banners were all decided at meetings that we had each Wednesday,” she said.

Gabba added that the students wanted to communicate to the county that they care about closing the achievement gap. “We val-

awareness, highlight the MSP’s previous successes, and garner community support. The achievement gap refers to difference in academic achievement between white and Asian students and those of other minority groups, such as African Americans and Latinos. Williams attributes the problem to three main things. “The gap feeds on low expectations, student isolation, lack of opportunity and access to resources and is burdened by poverty,” he said in a speech to marchers outside the courthouse.

All of the members of the Board of Education (BOE) and MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr attended the march. The achievement gap has plagued school systems across KYRA SEIGER America, includSTUDENTS UNITE Numerous students from 12 different schools march toing MCPS. Since Dr. Starr became gether to increase awareness and combat the achievement gap. They travelled s u p e r i n t e n d e n t from the MCPS headquaters to the Montgomery County Circuit Court. three years ago, the gap in MCPS has actually widened, according to a “There is no silver bullet. I wish ue our education, and our ethnici2014 report by the Montgomery there was, but there isn’t,” he said. ties are lagging behind everyone County Office of Legislative OverMSP students divided into dif- else—we want to show that we sight. Starr, who marched along- ferent groups to plan the event. can keep up,” Gabba said. side students, said he advocates Leadership captain Maki Kassa, a The rally after the march ina five-prong approach to attack senior at Clarksburg High School, cluded a DJ and vocal perforthe problem, including increas- was one of the original planners mances by students from Wating resources at schools, working of the event. “It started as a group kins Mill High School and Walter with individual families, analyz- of students who wanted to make Johnson High School, two of the ing data in new ways and creating a change,” she said. Kassa stated 12 schools that participated in the more general school improvement that the main goal of the event march. Although Blair was not efforts. Starr said that he attended was to raise awareness. “We want officially represented, some Blair the march because the achieve- people to know that our students students came to march. Starr also ment gap is an important cause. care about their education,” she said that Blair is a model for the “I came because I want to sup- said. efforts in closing the achievement port our students and continue It took the marchers about 30 gap. “Blair has figured out how to to raise awareness about the most minutes to reach the courthouse. do things to help students, so we important issue in our schools: the Student leader Dede Gabba, a need to take those strategies and achievement gap,” he said.

Watkins Mill High School junior, spread them,” he said.

United States and China throughout the presentation.

Generally, students responded favorably to the presentation, calling it informative and engaging. Students were able to ask Liu questions throughout the discussion, inquiring about topics from Chinese foreign trade policy to China’s role in the upcoming Smithsonian Folklife Festival.

Two years ago, Blair teacher Kevin Moose and his Global Issues class visited the Chinese Embassy after winning the Academic Worldquest competition. This year, Moose wanted to provide his students with a similar experience and another chance to learn about China. After inquiring with the Embassy’s Public Relations office about possible opportunities for his students, Moose got in touch with Liu, who has given a similar presentation at Walt Whitman, her son’s school, for the past two

years. “I saw it as a way to encourage a deeper knowledge of China from an expert who was ready for any of the questions the students asked her,” Moose said.

Moose saw the presentation as beneficial for both parties involved.

“The Chinese Embassy wants to communicate with students in the United States and we want to learn about other countries and cultures.

It’s a win-win for everyone,” Moose said. Liu also believes in the positive impacts that an open dialogue about two countries can have. “Sharing knowledge about a different country and culture can help create an understanding, friendship, and appreciation between two countries,” Liu said.

Moose hopes to continue student interactions with Embassy members as an annual activity. “This is the start of a relationship where Blair can continue to learn and ask questions,” Moose said.

State suspension policy to change

By Wesley Hopkins The Board of Education (BOE) met on March 24 to discuss how to implement new state regulations regarding discipline. The state board encouraged changes such as the elimination of automatic punishments, more reserved use of suspensions and expulsions, and a deliberation process for deciding consequences of student actions that is just more thorough in general.

These regulations came from an extensive two-year study by the Maryland State BOE that revealed significant racial and gender inequality in who received these punishments, as well as evidence that their punishments were detrimental to their education.

This study, called A Safe School, Successful Students, and A Fair and Equitable Disciplinary Process Go Hand in Hand, also revealed that 61 percent of Maryland’s approximately 95,000 yearly suspensions were for non-violent offenses. This finding was significant enough to reopen conversation about the severity of the suspension policy.

Shirley Brandman, chair of the Board of Education’s Strategic Planning committee, commented on the purpose of suspensions. “It is important to make sure that students are getting suspended only if their actions are disruptive or detrimental to the education program,” she said.

The goal of the board meeting was to discuss how exactly to implement these new policy changes suggested by the state.

“One big change under the state regulations is that you can no longer have automatic suspensions and expulsion. Every case has to be investigated individually to make sure that for each infraction suspension is only being used as a last resort,” commented Brandman.

This implies a significant change to the discipline policy, which currently can be found in student planners with specific automatic punishments for each type of offense. For example, the current offenses that warrant automatic expulsion are bomb threats, distribution of intoxicants, possession of firearms, violent attack of a staff member and use of weapons to cause harm. These will no longer have unconditional consequences, and now have to be reviewed more

deeply on a case-by-case basis.

While this implies more work and deliberation for administration, it is still supported by many Blair staff such as counselor Daryl Howard. “It’s important to evaluate each student. In similar scenarios, you could have one child issued a conversation about this is something you shouldn’t do, while the other child could just get written up and not benefit from a positive conversation,” said Howard.

While most officials are supportive of changing the policy, many are also wary of the need to make sure schools stay safe. “There was a lot of support from the board, but we need to be mindful that we also have a responsibility to keep our buildings safe. There are some instances when safety needs to be a priority,” said Brandman.

Blair administrator Peter Ostrander agreed, acknowledging the need to be wary with any changes.

“You don’t want to overreact, you want to react appropriately. A lot of times in education we see some data and we might want to overreact… but the nice thing is that we have a county that tends to take the time to explore things before we make any decisions,” he said.

According to Brandman, the BOE finished its recommendations and they are now being reviewed by the policy committee so the process can be completed in a timely manner. “We want to publish a revised Student Rights and Responsibilities packet at the beginning of the next school year,” confirmed Brandman.

As for students that have already been suspended, this will likely not have an effect. The policy has always required the option for an appeal, and if that appeal window has already closed, past suspension cases will likely not be revisited. “Students have always had the right to an appeal and they still will, but what this is really about is a change in the process that a school goes through in thinking about what’s appropriate as a response to student behavior,” said Brandman.

Overall, Brandman says, the new suspension policy is about keeping kids in school. “Once you send a student out of school, very little goes on in the way of reconnecting education,” said Brandman. “You really want to have suspension or expulsion as an absolute last resort.”

News A3

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May 2, 2014

MoCo releases new budget for 2015 fiscal year MCPS funding set to increase by 3.8% for next school year

By William Zhu Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is set to receive a $2.1 billion operating budget for the 2015 fiscal year, a 3.8% increase from last year’s allotment.

This is part of a larger $4.9 billion county budget, which will provide funding to all areas of the county government, from education and parks to law enforcement and infrastructure. The budget was proposed Mar. 15 by County Executive Isaiah Leggett, and will be voted on by the county council in May. The new budget includes funding increases for almost all Montgomery County departments, including MCPS. As a result of the extra funding, MCPS will no longer need to transfer or lay off teachers due to budget constraints, as it has done in the past. Blair principal Renay Johnson stressed that the additional funding will allow Blair to have more focus and staff development teachers in addition to Blair’s current resources.

Johnson explains that focus teachers are meant to assist teachers in the classroom by supervising students and thereby reducing student to teacher ratios. “[Increased amounts of] focus teachers lower the class sizes,” said Johnson.

The new budget also plans to provide resources to underserved county elementary schools affected by poverty by hiring an additional 276 teachers and staff. Montgomery County’s new budget will also provide increased funding for the hiring of over 240 law enforcement personnel over the next few years to offset the recent wave of retirements of many older officers.

Blair set to host 2,809 students from ENROLLMENT page A1

students between each grade, despite the DCC’s restrictions on student enrollment. For the 20142015 school year, Blair anticipates hosting a total of 2809 students, 16 more than the 2793 currently attending the school.

Mariela Melgar, an eighth grader at Newport Mill Middle School, applied to CAP and selected Blair as her first choice during the application process. “I tried for the CAP program, but I heard it was hard to get into so I was skeptical about that,” she said. Melgar was not accepted into CAP and was consequently unable to enroll at Blair. “I was sad. Now I have to go to Einstein,” she said.

Blair is the largest high school in Montgomery County, with 475 more students than Thomas S. Wootton’s second-largest student body of 2318. The school itself is big enough to accommodate a large number of students: according to Building Services, the maximum capacity is roughly 3000 students.

There are 158 full-time teachers at Blair, creating a student ratio of slightly less than 18:1, though this does not account for the disparities in class sizes.

Two additional school resource officers (SROs) will each be assigned to a MCPS high school and the budget plans to reach the goal of at least one SRO at each MCPS high school. “[The county will] Promote

public safety with enhanced patrol staffing in Wheaton (4D) and Montgomery Village (6D) and the addition of two School Resource officers,” disclosed the budget.

According to Judith Docca, a member of the Board of Education, the increased budget for MCPS is due to the influx of new students.

“We have taken in 2,900 [new] students,” said Docca. By hiring more

teachers and staff, the county will keep student to teacher ratios in check. The new staffing will add to academic departments as well as student services. “[Funding will include] more teachers for English language students [and] putting back some counselors, psychologists, math teachers [and] music teachers at the elementary schools,” said Docca.

I n addition to providing the funding necessary to hire more teachers, the budget will give MCPS employee unions a pay increase. “All the [staff] unions will get a raise - [the] support, admin BLUE KELEHER and teachers [unions],” said Johnson. The final settlement between the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), the MCPS teachers’ union and the Board of Education (BOE) outlined a salary schedule increase of 1.5% beginning in November 2014, followed by 2% pay increases for the next two years. Agreements for the supporting services union and the administrators’ union included

similar pay raises.

Despite the approved budget’s increases for MCPS funding, an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) release stated that the county only funded 99.3% of the original $2.3 billion budget proposed by the BOE. At the time of print, no county officials have stated a reason for not fully funding the BOE’s requested budget.

Superintendent Joshua Starr and BOE President Phil Kauffman released a joint statement on the MCPS website on Mar. 17 which emphasized the significance of the $15 million that was denied by the county. The statement explained that those funds would have gone towards more English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) education for MCPS students not fluent in English. “Those funds were specifically target to benefit our most vulnerable students,” said the statement. Starr and Kauffman also acknowledged in the statement that this is the first time in six years that the county has approved a budget above the minimum state requirements. The county budget is $26 million above the Maryland Maintenance of Effort requirement of $1.9 billion for the minimum amount of funding that counties must provide to public schools.

According to the BOE, passing minimum state requirements does not mean that the county is providing adequate funding. Docca stressed that MCPS needs more funding to maintain its status as one of the top school systems in the nation. “We think we have the best schools in this state or in the nation. In order to keep it that way, we need to ask for the funds,” said Docca.

Students work with local group to create mural

By Jesse Broad-Cavanagh The ceramics department at Blair has been working alongside local group Arts on the Block to create a mural for the vegetable garden outside the SAC by the end of this school year.

The project, a shared collaboration between ceramics students and students at Arts on the Block, is set to be completed by the end of May. With the mural already outlined, the only roadblock in the way is gaining permission from MCPS. “We’re waiting to hear back from the county as to whether it will be a permanent installation,” said ceramics teacher Jonathan Verock.

Arts on the Block, a non-profit organization that brings students together to create art across Montgomery County, has been working with Blair to organize the project since January. Since then, the students in Blair’s advanced Ceramics 2 class have largely organized and designed the mural’s mosaic design themselves. “They took the ball and started running with it,” said Verock. After generating several sketch ideas over the past few months, the students had to gain the approval of certain school staff and administrators. “They pitched the final ideas to the teachers that lead [the] horticulture [department],” said Verock.

So far, the plans for the mosaic have been met with support. “The teachers in the horticulture department have been very encouraging

and enthusiastic about the designs the [students] made for the space,” said Arts on the Block teaching artist Sonal Sheth. The final sketch also received approval from Blair principal Renay Johnson. “Principal Johnson stated that the final approved design was pretty,” said Sheth.

The mural, made of colorful porcelain tiles, will work hand in hand with Johnson’s goal to beautify the school. “These projects help beautify public and private spaces in which they are displayed,” said Sheth. This beautification can also help discourage people from defacing different areas around the school. “Public art can also decrease graffiti and tagging of walls and encourage positive interactions in public spaces,” said Sheth.

Arts on the Block also hopes that the students who take part in creating the mural will gain a handful of life skills. “[These projects] provide meaningful opportunities for apprentices to gain real world work experience in the arts,” said Sheth. These students not only help design the project, but also will play a large part in making it.

Arts on the Block students known as “apprentices” will also assist in assembling the mural. “Arts on the Block is doing half [of] the mural, the other half will be Ceramics 2,” said Verock.

Although still awaiting final approval from the county, the mosaic is on its way to being completed.

Blair students and Arts on the Block apprentices are each doing

their part to making sure the project will be ready to go when the time comes. “The apprentices have completed the portion of the mosaic requiring glass tiles [and] Mr. Verock’s students will complete handmade porcelain tiles at Blair for the rest of the mosaic in May,” said Sheth.

More projects like this could be soon to follow. “I hope that we achieve an ongoing relationship between AOB and public schools in MCPS and a more beautified space where the mural is displayed,” said Sheth.

Newsbriefs MOCO launches campaign against child abuse The Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services launched a campaign to raise awareness about infant injury protection and child abuse on Apr. 17. John Sackett, president of the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, said that in many cases of infant abuse, there was no intent to cause harm. Dr. Erik Schobitz of the Shady Grove Adventist Hospital emphasized that this kind of abuse is easily preventable.

The Child Abuse and Infant injury campaign aimed to educate mothers so accidental child abuse can be avoided. The campaign handed out onesies along with information cards with messages for parents about how to handle infants with care and rest themselves if they feel overwhelmed. The campaign distributed materials to parents of newborns at Shady Grove Adventist’s Birth Center, Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, and young parents in Montgomery County Public schools.

Man dies in Germantown fire

A fire broke out in a residence on Jamieson Place in Germantown, during the early hours of Apr. 24, killing a 65 year-old man. Two off duty police officers who were passing by the house rescued a woman from the home before official fire and rescue personnel arrived. Detective Mario Mastrangelo, one of the rescuers, and another police officer who remained anonymous entered the building and attempted to put out the fire after saving the women. The rescued woman had attempted to put the fire out with her husband but was separated from him. She was reluctant to leave with her rescuers and was eventually carried out. The fire had already grown too dangerous for any further rescue attempts. It took 20 minutes for firefighters to extinguish the flames and the body of her husband was recovered from the second floor of the residence.

Council Members move to ban cigarette sales at pharmacies

Five Montgomery County Council members introduced a resolution on Apr. 22 that aims to stop pharmacies from selling cigarettes.

The resolution stated that the largest cause of preventable disease in the nation is smoking and that it costs the nation $130 billion in direct medical costs, as well as an additional $150 billion in losses of productivity. The resolution came in light of CVS Pharmacy’s Febuary announcement that it will to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products by Oct. 1 of 2014.

Council members Nancy Floreen, George Leventhal, Nancy Navarro, Phillip Andrews and Hans Riemer introduced the resolution which also has support from Isiah Leggett’s proposed fiscal year 2015 budget. The budget has $1 million in programs to prevent tobacco use and help users quit smoking. 28 states have already adopted similar resolutions to protect the public from the negative health effects of tobacco products.

KYRA SEIGER

PLANS Jonathan Verock holds ceramic students’ mural outline.

Newsbriefs compiled by William Zhu

A4 News Newsbriefs Montgomery County passes new energy laws Montgomery County will purchase all of its electrical power from renewable resources for fiscal 2016 to follow legislation passed by the County Council April 22.

The bill is part of a larger package of legislation designed to push the county ahead in green technology and combating climate change.

The Montgomery County government currently gets 30 percent of its electrical power from renewable sources, and will increase this number to 50 percent in fiscal 2015. The original bill called for the county to increase the number to 100 percent by 2020, but Councilman Hans Riemer of Takoma Park altered the bill to move the 100 percent to fiscal 2016. According to information from the county staff, buying all of the county’s fiscal energy from renewable sources is expected to cost between $206,000 and $275,000 more than the county currently spends on its electrical energy.

Task force to report on longer school day A Montgomery County study group will release a report in June analyzing how the county could utilize an elementary school day which is 30 minutes longer. According to Superintendent Joshua Starr’s proposed start time changes for 2016, the elementary school day will start at the same time but will end half an hour later. Frances Frost, a MCPS parent and a member of the study group, said the group has considered numerous options including extra lunch and recess and extended class time.

Numerous elementary school parents have complained about the potential harmful impacts of extending the school day at community meetings about the proposal.

Montgomery County’s elementary school day, six hours and fifteen minutes, is the second-shortest in the state.

Silver Spring Transit Center could open by fall of 2014 The Silver Spring Transit Center, after facing numerous delays and obstacles may be able to open by later summer of early fall of 2014.

However Montgomery County officials are still uncertain on how to complete the repairs on the cracked concrete found in the Transit Center. In addition to the cracks found in the concrete and support girder issues, the $120 million project is also $80 million over budget and more than two years behind schedule. County Executive Isiah Leggett announced that repairs to the cracked concrete should start during the summer, so that the warmer temperatures will allow workers to pour a layer of latexmodified concrete to fix the cracks.

The county plans to hand over the Transit Center to the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority once it is complete. Metro will have 60 days to evaluate the center and decide whether to operate it.

Newsbriefs compiled by Kelsey Gross and William Zhu

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May 2, 2014

Takoma teens vote in Ward 3 State gov.

Stewart wins first election in which multiple candidates run

By Alex Frandsen Takoma Park teenagers had their first chance to make a difference in a local election on Apr. 8 when voting opened to elect a new councilmember for Ward 3.

The election, won by Katie Stewart, was the first with multiple candidates since the city began allowing 16-year-old voters in May 2013. The November races were all unopposed, meaning teenagers could not impact the races. The recent death of council member Kay Daniels-Cohen, however, led to an emergency election in which more than one candidate ran. Thus, teenagers had their first chance to make a difference.

A total of 660 people came out to vote. According to Stewart, teens made up an impactful portion of the population that showed up at the Takoma Fire Station, where polling was held. “I’ve been here all day, and the turnout has been great,” said Stewart.

However, Jeffrey Noel-Nosbaum, one of the two defeated candidates in the race, believed turnout was down compared to last November. “I’m guessing it’s a little less than we got last election, but it’s a little hard to tell since that was a city-wide election,” said Nosbaum.

Teenage voting was a disputed topic between the candidates leading up to the election. Stewart is firmly in favor of allowing 16-yearolds to vote, while runner-up Robert Schlegel, who lost by a mere eight votes, thought more deliberation should have been put into

the decision.

“I believe it should have been put to a referendum.

When you expand the franchise, y o u ’ r e changing the value of all the other votes as well,” LEILA BARTHOLET said Schlegel. He also CIVIC DUTY Junior James Fair registers to vote. expressed concern that teenage votes might “It gets more people excited about be influenced by other people’s voting and being politically active.

I think people in the community views.

Referencing his own values at are also pretty proud that [Takoma 16, Schlegel stated, “When I was Park] has opened up the voting at that age, if you asked me what pool to teens, since it was the first my political views were, they were place to do it,” said McGhee.

All three candidates, however, probably influenced by my paragreed that the concept of lowerents.”

Schlegel urges teens to vote ing the voting age could appear purely based on their own views. in places beyond the borders of “Make sure you’re making your Takoma Park. “It could definitely own, reasoned, decision,” he im- spread. Organizations that are pushing for this can use Takoma plored.

Stewart’s beliefs differed, how- Park as a concrete example,” said ever. She’s in favor of letting Schegel.

Stewart also believes the idea 16-year-olds vote, and believes it can create a more engaged popu- could spread to other communilation later. “All records show vot- ties, if the turnout is good. “If you ing is habitual. If kids start voting show that 16 and 17-year-olds are now, they’ll keep doing it when coming out, then absolutely,” she said. Noel-Nosbaum agreed as they’re older,” she said.

Senior Michelle McGhee, who well, although he believes it could voted in the election, thinks that only work on a certain scale of by expanding the franchise, the towns and cities. “I think it might city is creating a more active com- be able to spread to some of the munity along with being a pioneer. smaller communities,” he said.

requires CPR and AED

training from CPR page A1

embraced the new requirement.

As a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), junior MariTherese Burton believes that it would be beneficial for students to have CPR training, even if they would not feel comfortable performing CPR. “They would be able to know the warning signs [of cardiac arrest] and call 911 and would also be familiar with the emergency procedures,” said Burton.

The first Maryland House reading of the bill was on Feb. 10 and was co-sponsored by several bipartisan delegates.

Among them was Delegate Jon Cardin (D-District 11, Baltimore County), who sponsors the bill because CPR and AED have saved thousands of people’s lives and with more people trained, the more lives can be saved. “This bill will literally turn our young people into life saving heroes. In less than an hour, someone can be trained in life saving CPR – in this case, a little education goes a long way,” said Cardin.

Symphonic Band places third in competition

By Leslie Chen Blair’s Symphonic Band placed 3rd in the Festivals of Music, a national competition, which took place from Apr. 12 to 13 in Duxbury, Massachusetts, about 40 minutes outside of Boston. The band competed against four other schools, from Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

While at typical music festivals, bands simply receive a single score, this festival took the different schools’ scores and placed them against each other, making the festival into a competition.

“This one was different because rather than just being adjudicated, we were also competing with the other schools,” said band conductor Michelle Roberts.

Planning for the trip began at the end of 2013. “We started talking about going in November, but we have to prepare music, which takes a lot of work,” said Roberts.

The band had to prepare three pieces: one for their warm up and two to be adjudicated, or scored, on a scaled of 1 to 5, with 1 being the highest, by three adjudicators, all renowned musical professionals.

Among the judges was Frank Battisti, Conductor Emeritus of the New England Conservatory of Music Wind Ensemble.

Blair’s band received a score of 2 and were also awarded the ‘Esprit de corps’ award, which goes to the band that displays the best sportsmanship and attitude towards the competition. “We were playing really hard music, so I think it makes

sense that we didn’t sound perfect. Boston. quaintances,” said Rollins.

Battisti gave us some helpful comSenior Shelley Rollins believes Their itinerary also included ments afterwards, which was nice that the band’s performance in visiting many historic sites, such of him,” said junior Teddy Cor- Boston could have been better, as the John F. Kennedy Library rales, who plays saxophone. but that they played well overall. and Museum and Plymouth Rock.

Sophomore Amy Li, a clarinet- “Our intonation and tempo were Along with the historic sites, they ist agreed with both up to par with how we re- also visited Harvard.

Corrales that although their performance was not perfect, the judges provided constructive comments that would benefit the band in the future.

“Like the judges said [to us], we played with style and were able to show off our hard work.

That being said, we can still improve and will continue to work on it to try to make it better for the concert coming up,” said Li. As a part of PHUONG VO their preparations for the trip, EXPLORING BOSTON Blair’s Symphonic Band walks through the streets of Boston on the band played their April 12-13 trip to the Festivals of Music in Duxbury, Massachusetts. at the MCPS One night, they went to listen Band Festival, where they were hearsed in class,” said Rollins. also adjudicated. “We performed The band, consisting of students to the Boston Symphony Orchesthe program we prepared [for Bos- in each grade, used the trip as a tra perform. “[BSO was] just outton] at the county’s district festival chance to get to know each other standing. They were all so in sync and was awarded an ‘excellent’ better. “I can say myself that be- with each other and one could rerating,” said senior Lily Durkee. fore the trip there were a few band ally feel the emotion behind their Since that festival, the band con- members I wasn’t familiar with, pieces,” said Rollins. tinued to make adjustments before and now we’re really good ac-

May 2, 2014

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Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 Phone: (301) 649-2864 2012 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Finalist Winner of the 2009 and 2010 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Crown Editors-in-Chief: Paris Parker-Loan and Dillon Sebastian Managing News Editors: Emma Rose Borzekowski and Mallory Rappaport Managing Op/Eds Editors: Isaac Jiffar and Evan Morris Managing Features Editors: Desiree Aleibar and Jenna Kanner Managing Entertainment Editor: Kenyetta Whitfield Managing Sports Editor: Kyle Desiderio Production Manager: Kyle Desiderio Managing Design Editors: Desiree Aleibar and Jenna Kanner Outreach Coordinator: Kenyetta Whitfield Ombudsman: Langston Cotman Distribution Supervisor: Alanna Natanson Fact Checks Supervisor: Alanna Natanson Extras Editor: Aditi Subramaniam Newsbriefs Editor: Emma Rose Borzekowski Public Relations Director: Maya Habash Executive Business Directors: Allie Fascione-Hutchins and Jared Collina Business Staff: Mattan Berner-Kadish Liza Curcio Kalanzi Kajubi Ismail Nur Jackeline Portillo Elana Rombro Page Editors: Jesse Broad-Cavanagh Milena Castillo-Grynberg Leslie Chen Leigh Cook Emily Daly Alex Frandsen Alani Fujii Kelsey Gross Leila Habib Maya Habash Landon Harris Wesley Hopkins Blue Keleher Rebecca Naimon Alanna Natanson Alexis Redford-Maung Maung Aditi Subramaniam Naomi Weintraub Grace Woodward William Zhu Editorial Cartoonist: Eva Shen Managing Photo Editors: Leila Bartholet and Zeke Wapner Spanish Page Editors: Milena Castillo Cindy Monge Jackeline Portillo Ronald Sotelo Karen Tituana Marisela Tobar Photographers: Leila Bartholet Kyra Seiger Phuong Vo Zeke Wapner Managing Arts Editor: Eva Shen Artists: Katrina Golladay Maggie McClain Elizabeth Pham Ben Safford Eva Shen Puzzle Editor: Jesse Broad-Cavanagh Copy Editor: Paul B. Ellis Rebecca Naimon Professional Technical Advisor: Peter Hammond Advisor: Jeremy Stelzner Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions.

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Submit your letter to Jeremy Stelzner’s mailbox in the main office, to room 158 or to silver.chips. print@gmail.com. Concerns about Silver Chips’ content should be directed to the Ombudsman, the public’s representative to the paper, at silver.chips. ombudsman@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.

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May 2, 2014

A high payment for Advanced Placement yearns for heightened diversity.

They want more minorities taking their courses, and they want more minorities taking their 89 rice burritos. tests. But their excessive pricing 55 trips on a Ride-On bus. suggests otherwise. According 1 ticket to a Kanye West concert. to a report compiled by College What do all of these things Board, only three out of every ten have in common? They all cost potential black AP science test the same as taking one AP test takers actually end up taking the in the spring of 2014. And that’s test. Meanwhile, Asian students, if you’re only taking one. For students taking multiple AP tests, predictably, have a participation the price tag can balloon into the rate double that. While there are certainly other factors to consider, hundreds of dollars. Four tests, cost undoubtedly plays some sort a load more than a few Blazers take on, would be more than $350 of role in those figures. 3 out of 10 (Which, by the way, is enough to is an abysmal percentage, and we should be doing ev- erything we buy you three new iPhone 5c’s). can to raise it. Lowering the price The toll these tests take on the wallet is immense, and their exor- is the logical place to start.

The heightened price would bitant pricing is shutting more be understandable if College and more minorities out of the Board was pressed for money AP test world. in some way. But the thing is, Visit College Board’s website, they’re not. Not even close. Last and one of the first things that year they ended up with a profit catches the eye is an advertiseof $65 million. And the best part ment informing you about their is College Board considers itself 2014 College Board Diversity a “not-for-profit” company, with Conference. Yet, two clicks will a mission to provide test equaltake you to a page outlining the ity. If that were really true, then hefty price of taking an AP test. they would be funneling some of On the surface, College Board

By Alex Frandsen An opinion

soapbox Should the price of AP exams be lowered?

“The cost of AP exams doesn’t affect the number I take. What does is how well I think I would do on the exam.” – junior Danny Rong “No, I believe that this price is small compared to the price of a class in college. In the long run, it actually saves you money if you take AP credit.”

– junior Yosef Yishak

that cash into lowering the price of AP tests. Instead, they hike the price up every few years, and as a result could probably fund their own small country.

With that said, College Board is a goliath. The stranglehold they have over testing is airtight, and it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Because of that, taking down the whole institution is incredibly unrealistic, and even proposing the idea seems silly. What would be more feasible, however, is a simple restructuring of how they execute AP testing. The first step, of course, would be lowering the price. For a not-for-profit company, $65 million is a tad crazy. There’s no reason the price couldn’t be lowered to a more modest figure, like say $70. And even then, their overall revenue would still be roughly $258 million, if you multiply that price by the total number of AP test takers.

Take away all the critical spending College Board has to do, and chances are, they’ll still have a sizable chunk of money left over.

Why not take that money and set up an AP testing financial aid fund? That way, a wider demographic of students will take the tests, and a wider demographic will enjoy the benefits of earning passing marks (A fee waiver system already exists, it’s reach and impact could absolutely be expanded). Yes, the executives at College Board might have to give up some of their six-figure salaries, but if they’re really dedicated to their stated mission, then they’ll find a way to survive.

Almost every single kid hates tests. It’s right up there with the dentist and taking JENNA KANNER out the garbage on the list of things all breathing humans avoid at all costs. So when they’re forced to take a three-hour one, and then cough up $89 to do so, it feels like getting kicked when you’re already down. Unfortunately, in this day and age it’s a necessary evil. AP testing is here for the long haul, and it’s not going away. In the wake of this sad fact, the least College Board could do is knock down the prices.

Not only would it allow more minorities to take tests, it would also mean we get to keep some of that money in our own pockets.

And as a Blair student that lives off of $1 bags of Goldfish, that’s a beautiful thing.

vol - un - tour - ism (noun): The idea that participation in service trips is more about self-fulfillment and less about service

By Maya Habash An opinion Every summer, somewhere on your Facebook timeline, interspersed with the usual tanning at the beach shots and updates from buzzfeed, you are likely to find pictures of your classmates equipped with backpacks, wearing comfortable clothing and standing in front of a beautiful scene in an impoverished village somewhere outside of the United States. If you scroll through the album, you will probably find pictures of the same people covered in dirt and working up a sweat with bricks and wheelbarrows surrounding them, followed by pictures of them interacting with the people and children of said impoverished village. These teenagers are most likely on a service trip bulilding something for the town. Now, these trips certainly have the potential to be helpful, and they may be well-intentioned most of the time, but an issue that has recently come to light is whether we actually volunteering, or voluntouring instead; and it’s shaking up the way we perceive the purpose of service work.

Voluntourism is the idea that participation in service trips abroad has become more about the adventure and self-fulfillment of the volunteer than the benefits they bring to the community.

Essentially, privileged middle or upper class Americans travel to third world countries to fulfill selfish needs. This sounds ironic because they are giving their time and efforts to achieve something for the community in need, but at the end of the day, it can often about the volunteers feeling as

though they have had an impact on the world.

There are several problems with this rising yet hidden mentality that is interwoven into the very idea of service trips. The volunteers often enter these communities with little or no understanding of the culture or history of the locals, including how this plays a role in their way of life.

All they often enter with is the knowledge that these are communities stricken with poverty, and this seems to be enough.

While the intention of building something that will be of good use to the community may be honest, there are some obvious flaws with the execution of this objective. Most of these volunteers do not actually have construction background ans skill set, and are not trained to put up up structurally sound buildings with long-lasting designs. This past summer, junior Meg McPherson, accompanied by several of her peers, traveled to Cacahuatal, a small village in El Salvador with about 1300 people, with the hopes of building a flushing toilet system and a fish hatchery. McPherson, who believes that service trips are valuable experiences for all parties involved, does agree that the productivity is questionable. “It might not be the most efficient way to get stuff done because we’re not as experienced with the work as the locals are a lot of the time,” she says.

Pippa Biddle, Chief Community Officer and Director of Talent at BrightCo, shared on Huffington Post’s “The Blog” that she once traveled to Tanzania as part of a school trip with the group’s mission being to build a library.

However, “each night the men had to take down the structurally unsound bricks we had laid and rebuild the structure,” she says.

The seemingly ludicrous prospect of having the locals destroy the volunteer’s work and fix it is not just seen in Biddle’s experiences.

This happens quite frequently on service trips. It would be much more cost-effective, efficient, and stimulative for the local economy if the money that was being used to travel was instead used to hire local professionals to do the work.

Sometimes we just need to swallow our pride and admit what we don’t know. And if we can’t do this, it shows that we are coming more from a place of arrogant assurance that we are better than those we are helping regardless of our actual experience in our area of service rather than a sincere desire to help our fellow man. From a student perspective, this could also easily become a “colleges would love this” type of thing—another generic topic for the standard “what experiences have shaped you?” essay prompt.

There are also of course positive elements to service trips.

Senior Wyatt Colbert, who also traveled to Cacahuatal believes the trip was an uplifting experience. Although Colbert admits that there may have been more effective ways to spend the money, he notes that the connections made with the locals were really valuable. “Almost everyone made an effort to bond with their host family and most of us are still communicating with our family even now, which I think is a really cool aspect of service trips that people often don’t see,” he says.

Service trips do have the

potential to unite people and bring cultures together, which is a goal we should certainly strive towards on a global scale, but this can be achieved through other and more efficient means than service trips provide for. McPherson agrees that service trips allow us to better understand the world and are actually very sobering experiences. “When you see firsthand how much these people appreciate you coming and helping them, it’s almost impossible to be selfish when you come back to the states because you realize how lucky and fortunate you are to be in the situation that you’re in and that you can’t take anything for granted,” she explains. This leads her to believe that the notion that volunteer trips are used to fulfill selfish needs of achieving purpose is ridiculous because the nature of the act is so unselfish: to travel to a third world country and help people in need.

It is accurate to say that the idea of communicating and exchanging ideas cross-culturally to open our eyes to new perspectives is always something positive. To discourage international communications among regular people would not solve anything, but a healthy and truly meaningful cross-cultural exchange should not stem from first-world people trying to save the day—this evokes a sense of entitlement, when rather, a sense of equality should be achieved.

So the next time you are thinking about going on a service trip, I challenge you to ask yourself this question: is your service trip really the most efficient way to provide aid? Or is it just another bullet point on your resume?

May 2, 2014

Opinions B2

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Should contraceptives be offered in high schools?

KATRINA GOLLADAY

ZEKE WAPNER

Grace MayaWoodward Habash It is undeniably true that teenagers have sex. It’s out there. I said it. Teenagers have sex. Whoa there, said it again. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) 61 percent of adolescents in the United States have had sex by the time they are eighteen years old. That means 61 percent of adolescents should be having protected sex. But let’s get real; are all sexually active teenagers using protection? Are they using rubber guards that battle against STIs and pregnancies? Are all sexually active teenagers using condoms? Unlikely.

There is lot of controversy over the percent of teens who have unprotected sex, but the average estimates and findings claim that between 30 and 40 percent of sexually active teenagers do not use protection. Of those teenagers, an estimated 25 percent of teens that engage in unprotected sex will eventually develop a sexually transmitted infection (STI) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes and syphilis, explains the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP also states that there are 29.4 babies born for every 1,000 adolescent females.

Of those births, a whooping 82 percent are unplanned.If that didn’t scare you enough, here’s another interesting fact: According to the Guttmacher Institute, 15 to 24-year-olds represent only one-quarter of all sexually active people, but they account for nearly half of the new cases of STIs each year.

Clearly we are doing something wrong.

Over the past 25 years, Congress has spent over $1.5 billion on abstinence-only sexual education programs. However, no study released in a professional peerreviewed journal has ever found abstinence programs to be widely effective. Simply put: we’re spending billions on something that doesn’t work. For example, in 2007, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy released a report by Dr. Douglas Kirby, a senior research scientist for Education, Training, and Resources Associates, discussing what programs were successful in preventing teen pregnancy and STIs. Kirby’s findings say that abstinence programs have no impact on teen sexual behavior. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Contraceptives, on the other hand, are extremely effective when used consistently and properly. Condoms when used properly, prevent pregnancy 98 percent of the time. Birth control pills are 99.7 percent effective when used appropriately. However, simply having these contraceptives exist is not enough. In order to be the most effective combatants of the negative consequences of sex, contraceptives need be used perfectly, without irregularity and without mistakes. To increase the success of contra-

YES:

NO:

Students need to be able to protect themselves.

Schools should not spend money on nonacademic materials.

ceptives, schools must provide students with not only access to contraceptives, but sexual education programs that teach students how to use the contraceptives correctly.

The AAP has officially stated its belief that condoms should be available to teenagers wherever possible, including schools. “Restrictions and barriers to condom availability should be removed, given the research that demonstrates that increased availability of condoms facilitates use,” the AAP said. What makes having condoms in schools important is school’s ability to reach a large adolescent population. Schools have the capacity to provide a comprehensive array of related educational and health care resources along with contraceptives.

School-based contraceptive services are specifically beneficial for students who don’t have ways to access contraceptives in other aspects of their lives.

Currently, one-third of American teenagers receive no information at all about pregnancy prevention. Offering contraceptives in schools can change that.

A CDC review of over 20 US and international studies, all of which examined various programs that made condoms more easily accessible, found substantial effects on increased condom use and acquisition. The analysis saw correlations between increased condom availability and delayed sexual initiation of youth with a reduction in the incidence of STIs. It is important to note that these benefits were most noticeable when condom distribution was paired with sexual education programs.

Providing students contraceptives has proven extremely effective in New York City public schools. The teen pregnancy rate in New York City has dropped by 27 percent over the last decade, a statistic that numerous city officials credit to teenagers’ greater access to contraception. Tom Farley, the city’s health commissioner, told the New York Daily News that the data shows two concurrent trends: more adolescents are choosing to use birth control and more of them are also delaying sexual intercourse.

When we face problems in our society, there’s rarely a perfect solution. As much as some might wish they could keep all teenagers from having sex, they can’t.

Offering contraceptives has consistently proven to have the greatest success in preventing the negative consequences of sex. When looking for a realistic solution, why would anyone cringe away from the most effective option?

“Yes, because otherwise girls will end up with babies.”

Nate Kapler Sophomore

voicebox

“No, if you give a kid a condom then he has a reason to use it.”

Daniel Jones Freshman

Sexually active teenagers cannot be stopped. Do not underestimate the power of teenage hormones. Adolescence is the era of awkward sexual tension and corrosive attraction. They will get condoms.

Ok, maybe that was a little overdramatic, but let’s face it, there is no condom shortage in this area. Anyone can buy condoms at a local CVS for $4.99. Furthermore, Planned Parenthood, a privately funded organization which provides free contraceptives and sexual education to the public, has a location on Spring Street less than a mile away from Blair.

The campaign to provide contraceptives in public high schools is extremely controversial. According to a poll from the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 49% of people believe providing birth control in high school would not encourage sexual intercourse, narrowly beating out a virtually identical 46% who argue it would. Though those who fear negative repercussions are admittedly fewer, we cannot afford to stretch the already bloated budget for such a divisive issue when first off, there are reliable, accessible private organizations that are providing the same services, and secondly, there are so many ways the money could be put to use in areas that will objectively raise the quality of students’ education.

The ultimate goal of our public schools is ensuring that kids get a good education and are given the necessary skills to succeed later in life. Few people would dispute this claim. Therefore, our limited resources ought to go towards raising teacher salaries or buying needed textbooks. Many Maryland residents think that even without adding such burdens on the budget there is already a deficiency in the financial resources being devoted to public schools.

According to a November 2012 article by Sam Smith on MarylandReporter.com, a poll by Goucher College found that 65% of Maryland residents felt that the state spent too little on public schools.

Even our Superintendent agrees. In a Town Courier article from last month, Karen O’Keefe reported that MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr believes there is already a disparity between the amount of money the school system needs, and the amount the county has said they are willing to give them in the last budget. “We’re still going to have to make up $15 million in vital programs and services to our kids and families,” said Starr. Many MCPS schools are having massive cuts to junior varsity sport seasons, and coaches salaries.

MCPS middle schools cut back on sport teams available for students to join. Such

“Yes, so students can be safe.”

Aaminah Byrd Senior

BEN SAFFORD

Naomi Alexis Weintraub Redford

teams provide kids opportunities to explore their interests and form lasting friendships or be a part of a tight-knit community. These are the kinds of programs our school system should ensure have adequate funding before adding contraceptives to its already bulging shopping list.

And it is not like MCPS is throwing kids out into the sexual wilderness that is adolescence without any kind of guidance.

Sexual education classes teach students the potential dangers of unsafe sex, and different forms of birth control that can be used.

Abstinence is promoted as the most effective method of protection, but more than enough information is given on how to use condoms, birth control pills, and a variety of other forms of protection.

In 2007, the MCPS Board of Education green-lighted a new sexual education curriculum that includes descriptive information on how to use condoms, and even a condom-demonstration DVD. The MCPS 10th grade condom lesson states that students will be able to, “List in order the proper steps for correctly examining a condom, putting on a condom, and removing/ disposing of a condom.”

Our school system should certainly aim to provide as much information as possible to ensure students’ safety, from how to use contraceptives to where to find them, but handing them contraceptives is overstepping their boundaries. Providing contraceptives to students may push parents farther out of the already difficult awkward sex conversation. Many teenagers find it difficult to talk to their parents about their sexual activity, and by handing out condoms, MCPS would only make it easier for kids to circumnavigate their parents and leave them in the dark on their sex lives.

The school system should be encouraging teenagers to be in communication with their parents, because while health teachers can recite all the facts and statistics on sexually transmitted infections, ultimately there is nothing that can be so useful as receiving guidance from someone who cares about you and is looking out for you specifically.

Condoms are easily accessible to teenagers, and they can find them in a multitude of places, from the doctor’s office to the Takoma Park Folk festival. I assure you, there is no shortage. So before you crucify me for promoting unsafe sex or upholding unrealistic ideals of teenage abstinence and purity, I merely ask that you pause to consider first of all, whether it is a necessary use of taxpayer dollars, and second of all, the repercussions it may have on the everawkward, but oh-so-necessary parent-child sex dialogue.

“No, because it’s not the appropriate medium, it should be given by a doctor.”

Rohan Dalvi Freshman

ZEKE WAPNER

“Yes, because it prevents all kinds of diseases.”

KYRA SEIGER

D’Yonni Lebby Sophomore

B3 Opinions

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May 2, 2014

More than manicures: vying for vocational classes Classes that teach career skills are severely underappreciated in MCPS

By Rebecca Naimon An opinion Carpentry. Cosmetology. Automotive Technology. Professional Restaurant Management. Those are all programs in the Blair course catalog, but, oddly, they aren’t offered here at Blair. No, around here, these types of classes are almost only offered at Thomas Edison High School of Technology, where students commute from all over the county to learn trade skills for two and a half hours each day. But while vocational programs have come a long way from back when they were completely incompatible with non-vocational high schools, most high school students still aren’t able to take those kinds of classes without disrupting their schedules and restricting the remainder of their traditional high school educations.

MCPS and Blair do seem to be on the right track. Just this year, Blair offered a new class called Foundations of Technology—Automotive, which garnered 22 students. These days, vocational classes are called Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, to indicate that they provide an overall education in addition to career skills, and aren’t instead of high school education, as they once were. Since 2006, MCPS’s goal for its CTE programs has been “to provide students with an education that combines rigorous academic and technical study with the excitement of discovery,” according to the MCPS Local Perkins Plan for Program Improvement.

However, the combination of college preparation and technical training hasn’t been fully realized for students who don’t want to make a half-day commitment to vocational

training.

Currently, most high school students are feeling that monumental push to focus their efforts on attending college, and it may be working. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more students are attending college now than in the past, with an increase of 5.1 million students enrolled in degree-granting institutions in 2011 compared to in 2001. Meanwhile, the population of 18- to 24-year-olds has only increased by 3.1 million.

But the common focus on college and college-prep courses as the be-all and end-all of high school is limiting to those who might want to explore other career options. Not everybody wants a traditional higher education, and vocational classes have the potential to open up genuine alternatives to an unwanted college preparation grind.

High school graduates without the skills afforded by vocational classes have a much harder time finding higher-paying jobs right out of school, because unless you’re a lucky entrepreneur like Mark Zuckerberg, that job market tends to split between the jobs that require technical and career skills, like carpentry or plumbing, and jobs that require a college degree or higher.

Even students who do want to attend college can gain clear benefits from vocational skills. It’s practically a rite of passage for teenagers to work a minimum wage job while in high school, but

teenagers with marketable vocational skills could have the opportunity to make more than minimum wage, and work in more interesting, exciting jobs, to boot.

After high school, close to 80% of college students work while in school, according to the 2013 College Student Pulse survey.

A huge number of students get part-time or even full-time jobs to help pay for the countless expenses of attending college, and more highly skilled employees can make more money to finance that costly degree. Jobs that require those skills look prettier on resumes than being a cashier at the local Starbucks, anyway.

Within MCPS, a full set of 18 different vocational programs is currently available to students who travel by bus to Edison for three class periods every day. The Edison programs allow students to get in their necessary doses of academic high school classes even as they work toward various technical certifications or college credit.

But the Edison programs are limited to students willing to give up some of the ordinary high school experience.

Those students can miss parts of their Blair classes and can’t take classes that don’t fit into their schedules at the right time of day.

Senior Abisai Vega wishes that Blair offered CTE classes without the hassle of traveling to Edison. In the afternoon hours, he’s in the electricity program at Edison, which has allowed him the invaluable opportunity to work on a real job site building a home, but he still has to leave his home school in order to get that kind of experience. “If Blair would offer some of the classes at Edison, I would not have to worry about missing the bus, [or] about leaving any of my classes earlier,” Vega explains. “It would be so much easier to manage.”

Vega plans to eventually become a

cardiologist, and knows that he will need to go to college and medical school before that goal can become a possibility. In the meantime, though, he’s working on getting certification as a Master Electrician in order to get a job that pays enough to get him through his schooling. “Depending on which college I go to, I might need some extra money to pay for it, and because of the program I take at Edison, I can get a job easier, with high pay,” says Vega.

Vocational training can be a useful means to a profitable end, according to Vega. “I would recommend [to] anyone who wants to start earning money without going though years and years of school to take vocational classes,” Vega says.

Many students think they’ll be starting their “real” jobs after going to college, but it’s entirely possible, and even advantageous, to get a “real” job much sooner than that.

But right now, the student body is split between those taking the full complement of vocational classes and those who only take Foundations MAGGIE MCCLAIN of Technology. If students want to take a single vocational class as an elective, options at Blair are limited and neither highly advertised nor highly attended—there is only one class of Foundations of Technology—Automotive, whereas 408 students are enrolled in normal Foundations of Technology.

Students deserve the chance to try classes out and see how they go. They deserve the chance to individualize their educations at their schools. Most of all, students deserve the chance to graduate with skills to succeed, whether of the vocational sort, the collegiate sort, or some unique mishmash of both.

A hard-knock life: the qualms of a fast-food elitist Blair needs to provide a higher quality selection of high-calorie goods

By Isaac Jiffar Humor Life, liberty, and the pursuit of obesity.

These three basic human rights encapsulate the ideals of the American political narrative that our founding fathers were fighting for over 200 years ago, and that we continue to strive towards with every Twinkie, every Snickers bar, and every reach for the remote control.

You better believe I know my rights.

If I am going to obscenely gorge myself until I balloon to gargantuan proportions, I expect my public school to assist me by providing me some quality food with which to do so. Is that too much to ask? But unfortunately, Blair’s vending machine situation has shown a woeful disregard on the part of the administration for my essential god-given freedoms.

Let’s look at a few of the offerings the Blair higher-ups have the nerve to present to us.

First off, what’s the deal with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos? Menacingly perching in between the metal rings of the vending machine twisty thingies, these fiery bags of capsaicin are a lawsuit waiting to happen.

The picture of a fire-breathing cheetah on the front dares you to try them, inviting you to test the limits of your heat-tolerance, with face-masking shades and a smug look that would make just about anyone wanna give him a good smack upside the snout.

Alas, our only recourse to wipe the smirk off that feline’s face, however, is to accept his challenge and buy a bag, upon the consumption of which, the less heat-accustomed of us immediately deteriorate into a panting, tongue-wagging puddle of tears, crying to the heavens for some form of liquid mercy.

On the other end of the Cheeto spec-

trum, we have Cheeto Puffs (Montgomery Blair appears to have a strong proclivity for Cheeto products). Other than the usual annoyances that come with eating a Cheeto--namely the powder that comes off on your fingers and insists on leaving some trace no matter how persistently you attempt to remove it--Cheeto Puffs present a unique problem. I simultaneously commend and curse the hotshot executive that had the idea to make a chip that is 99% air. These cheesy snacks provide you with perhaps the least bang for your buck of any item in the vending machine, as the bag itself, large as it is, is mostly air, and then when you actually bite into one of the aerated puffs, you find that it contains about as much actual substance as a regular Cheeto except inflated to take up about four times the space.

The one smart decision Montgomery Blair made in stocking our vending machines was equipping them with Mountain Dew Code Red. These intruder-thwarting beverages offer unparalleled protection from any outside threats. If a suspicious individual is approaching you, merely run to the vending machine by the cafeteria, purchase a Code Red, crouch down, and hold it in front of your face while maintaining absolute silence. Guaranteed to ward off attacks 97% of the time.

MCPS is currently in negotiations with Mountain Dew to commission a Code Blue version for situations that do not present as immediate a danger.

Area Blazers have shown increasing frustration with the administration’s apparent lack of concern for their snacking needs. Christian Lanier, a senior spotted purchasing a package of Kellogg’s Pas-

try Crisps in the 220s stairwell, “just to try it out,” laments the lack of variety in snack offerings over his four years at Blair. “I feel like they’ve been pretty stagnant,” he says, expressionless. “I think they’ve only put in like one new item and I’m not pleased.” He later admitted that his infrequent patronage made him a less than qualified candidate to speak out on the quality of the vending machines, though. “Then again, I only

COURTESY OF AMANDA GROSS

use these things like once a month,” he reflected.

Nevertheless, there was a markedly more passionate student who was eager to speak out on his unpleasant experience with Blair’s vending machines. Last year, Montgomery Blair stopped selling honey buns, and ever since, senior Avikar Periwal has forsworn Blair vending machines forever.

Periwal said that when they used to have honey buns, he would never pass up an opportunity to get them. “Whenever I had money,” Avikar said, when asked how often he would buy honey buns.

Now, though, he views the vending machines with contempt, calling them “a waste of space” and adding that “we are reduced to buying things like sour gummy worms.” He remembers the moment when they stopped selling the tasty treats with despair. “It’s like disappointment, anger, sadness, it’s like all five stages of grief wrapped up in one.”

It’s clear that something needs to change with Blair’s vending machines. The kids are calling for it, common sense is calling for it, and most importantly, I’m calling for it. Let’s give Chester Cheetah some good company inside his small, 5 by 4 by 3 foot prison.

Opinions B4

silverchips

May 2, 2014

3000 students but still no spirit

By Leila Habib An opinion Not even pouring rain and near-freezing temperatures can keep Blazers from supporting their varsity football team on homecoming game night, marking the end of the spirit-filled homecoming week. Shirtless guys with red and white letters painted on their chests pump up the crowd on the stands, acting as the school’s unofficial cheerleaders, sans the short red skirts and long sleeved shirts. Rewind to earlier that day, when the gym was filled with chants of graduation years and anticipation of who won a position in the illustrious homecoming court. After this week filled with excitement, it is as if the school has taken a seven-month hiatus on school spirit until the spring pep rally. However, students shouldn’t wait until these events are hosted in order to build a fellowship with their peers.

One of the many objectives of these spirit events is to provide an environment where all students are able to come together over the same purpose, whether it be having fun or representing their school. “With a lot of students comes different interests, and we are divided into Magnet, CAP, and non so we don’t have that bond,” says junior Student Government Association (SGA) member Tigist Tadesse. Junior Rachel Ederer believes that spirit events help create the bond to which Tadesse refers.

“It brings the school together as

one... Blair is a huge school and we rarely are all in one space,” she says. “At pep rallies we are all together in the stadium and we fill the entire stadium. You feel more connected in a way.”

This bond isn’t solely limited to traditional spirit events, but can come through clubs and sports.

Through extracurricular activities, students can meet new people outside of whatever social divisions may be present in school.

According to a study by Eric Massoni of the College of DuPage, this unity helps students create a positive connection to the school.

“Each club or sport is different, so students meet different people in all different groups. By joining different ones they meet people with the same backgrounds they have and people they share interests with. Most times the people that students meet are students that they would never talk to or become friends with on a normal basis,” the study reads.

Participating in these events and clubs provides a more appealing reason to go to school than the image that may grudgingly come to mind of an early morning spent mindlessly listening to a teacher lecture. “The spirit days made the school days more tolerable and more fun to look forward to,” remembers Ederer of her spirit-filled Homecoming week. “Coming to school everyday wasn’t as much of a struggle,” she adds jokingly.

Despite the sense of community and unity that comes with school activities, some students

still choose not to participate. Of course, this is absolutely their right, and they may have legitimate reasons that prevent them from partaking in these activities, but one thing that clubs could do (and some do this) is offer rewards in order to provide a little extra motivation for students to get involved before they experience the true benefits.

Senior Elias Gonzalez believes food is the best prize. “Food is a universal language; it’s something everyone wants. Who doesn’t like food?” he asks. Tadesse believes that any award would be enough.

“It’s not something big that has to be given,” she says, “Getting a prize just enforces like ‘hey, we do care about you being proud to go to Blair, here is a candy bar.’”

Small competitions that put the spotlight on individual students would also help motivate students to partake in spirit events. These competitions can be anything from relays to throwing water balloons, as these events directly involve the students rather than

simply making them the audience. “I’ve always wanted that to show off,” Gonzalez jokes about the competitions. We do a bit of this in our pep rallies, usually having one such competition per rally, but it’s typically short and not a major focus of the event. Expanding this would make pep rallies more engaging for students.

If all else fails, students should participate in these activities just to do something with their time.

For many students, the alternative would be lying down in bed or on the couch, angrily switching from channel to channel on the TV, mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, reading about all the events that other students are partaking in instead of being there with them.

“These days are KATRINA GOLLADAY memories of high school. If one doesn’t get involved in going to watch games, dressing up for spirit week, going to homecoming or prom, what memories will they have of these four years?” Tadesse asks. Why passively watch a pep rally when you can be on the field participating? Why sit at home doing nothing when you can be out making a contribution? Whether it be through joining a club, playing a sport, or dressing up during spirit weeks, students need to get involved in these various school activities.

soapbox Do you feel like Blazers lack school spirit?

“No, but there is a lack of success to cheer for. Very few teams in any sport pack stands when they lose.”

- Mattan Berner-Kadish, senior @MatBerKad “No, I don’t feel like Blazers lack school spirit. At my old school, you would never see kids wearing school wear unless they played a sport. Here I see countless people sporting Blair wear. ” - Ibrahim Bundu, junior

Locking away our future: high schoolers in D.C. jails We need to take a serious look at the effects of youth internment in adult jails

By William Zhu An opinion The reinforced steel door shuts with a loud clank followed by the metallic sounds of the lock engaging. The room is small and pitch-black except for a square patch of pale light on the ground. There is a small bed next to a sink and a steel toilet. This is solitary confinement in a typical jail, and

fully funded libraries in all DC jails. The addition of books will serve a positive impact on both adult and teen inmates.

However this is not enough and will only scratch the armor of the even bigger issue at hand -- youth being placed in the same jails as adults. Research done by the Justice Policy Institute shows that placing youth among adults in jail can have devastating effects. A 2003 study conducted by several

prisoners spend up to 23 hours a day in this room. In DC teenagers as young as 16 who are charged with crimes are experiencing these inhumane conditions, and they have nothing – not even a book to keep them company and help them keep their sanity.

However there is something YOU can do to help incarcerated teens in DC jails.

On MoveOn.org there is a petition to have

psychologists from universities across the country published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology indicated that youths when tried and incarcerated as adults often have higher re-arrest rates.

The study also warned that the potential for further psychological harm resulting from incarcerating youths as adults are still unknown. It is almost reckless to imprison

youths without knowing the impact that it could have on their health.

The prison system in the US is highly flawed. The first problem is that it is simply gorged. The US has the highest percentage of imprisoned people in the developed world causing prisons and jails to be overcrowded. Also, what is even worse is prison in America offers very little in the way of rehabilitation. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rearrests rate for convicted criminals is 67.5% within the next three years, or over two thirds. If anything, what people experience in prison is making them more likely to go back, not less.

The most outrageous fact is that jails are different than prison in that jails hold inmates that are only charged with a crime, and not yet convicted in court. They serve as temporary detention centers for individuals that may or may not be guilty of the crime they are accused of committing. Prisons serve as longterm facilities where individuals are sentenced to serve out their punishment time. In D.C. youths charged with serious crimes such as murder, robbery and rape are sent to adult BLUE KELEHER jails to await a trial before their guilt is even determined.

In 2006, Alisha Carrington, a 13-yearold, was charged with 2nd degree murder after she stabbed her neighbor. Carrington claimed self-defense, and despite her lawyer’s pleas that she be kept at a psychiatric facility, Carrington was sent to a DC jail. She was locked in solitary confinement for most of the day since she was the only female juvenile at the jail and they felt

keeping her with the other inmates could potentially lead to problems with the adult inmates. Carrington’s lawyers had to plead with the court just to allow her just one book to read.

Solitary confinement has long been proven ineffective at controlling prison populations. A fact from the Center for Constitutional rights explained that solitary confinement not only failed to pacify inmates but also created various psychological disorders. Among these disorders are irrational anger, anxiety, nervous breakdowns and suicidal tendencies. Solitary confinement is harmful enough for adults, but when youths are locked in solitary confinement, the effects are even more severe. The American Civil Liberties Union released a report that said youths not only experience the same trauma as adults in solitary, but since youths have not fully developed mentally they are less able to cope with the mental trauma.

According to the Justice Institute, youth are the most at risk of rape and suicide in jails. Youths who are sent to adult jails while awaiting their trial have to contend with a dangerous environment and are often unable to defend themselves against attack. A report indicated that youths ages 15-21 make up 13% of the prison population but accounted for 22% of suicides. A 1989 study by Columbia University found that almost 10% of youth inmates reported being sexually assaulted compared to the 1% of youth inmates that reported a sexual assault in a juvenile detention facility.

The prison system in America is broken.

Its failure feeds into itself making it a vicious cycle that only increases in severity over time. Adolescents are the future, so what is the point in subjecting them to inhumane conditions which only cause them to be reincarcerated years later. Reform of the prison system will be gradual, but let’s start with how we treat our children.

B5 Opinions

May 2, 2014

silverchips

THEN:1982

My Blair: Personal Column

What it really means to lead

By Leslie Chen

COURTESY OF SILVER CHIPS ARCHIVES, MARTY CARMICHAEL

SWING, BATTER BATTER Senior Gary MacDonald follows through in perfect form during a game against Gaithersburg. Blair lost to the Trojans 4-1.

Earlier in the season, MacDonald was ranked as one of the best hitters in the county with a .500 batting average.

& NOW:2014

Leadership. I hear that word repeated over and over again. Peers and teachers have told me that for college, it’s good to have a leadership role on my resume. For the rest of my life, they told me, being a leader would help me to “go places.” But I never actually understood what being a leader entailed. Do I have to be the president of a bunch of clubs? Or do I have to run my own business, or something of that sort? It wasn’t until March, when I went to the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy, that I really learned what it meant to be a leader.

I arrived not knowing anyone, but when I walked off the plane, a friendly face came up behind me and asked if I was also going to the Honeywell academy as well. “I’m from Kentucky,” she said. As I arrived at the facility that would be my home for the next week, I met people from all over the country and the world: from Washington to New Jersey and from Ireland to Australia. And throughout the week, I kept meeting more amazing people from so many places, but how was I supposed to get along with all of them?

When I first applied to the academy, the program description said that we would have to utilize “hands-on science, mathematics, and engineering skills.” I was confused about how a STEM-focused program was called a leadership academy, but I applied anyway since I like fields of STEM. I went into the camp think-

ing it would be a week filled with just making presentations and having people just talk at me.

But I was so very wrong. I was taught leadership through fields of STEM with different challenges that included team building exercises and group activities. The focus didn’t even seem to be much about leadership, rather it seemed like all we were doing was bonding with our teams.

Throughout the week, we were given challenges where we had to use problem-solving skills and had to cooperate with our teammates in order to complete the challenges. I got the opportunity to work alongside other kids my age from so many different places and we all got to know each other so well. Hearing about places outside of the Metropolitan area was so weird because I was able to learn about different customs and terms used within our own country, let alone the rest of the world.

The last day arrived and goodbyes hit me harder than usual. Most of us lived so far away from each other and I realized that I may never be able to see some of these people again. As one of my new friends said, “It’s unnatural how close we’ve become in only a week.” Although it was only a week long, it felt like we had known each other for years. Through collaboration on all the activities and challenges, we got to know so much about each other: from our strengths and weaknesses to all of our little quirks. I finally learned that leadership wasn’t all about being the head of a group. It all comes down to teamwork in the end.

COURTESY OF SARA MORRIS

A SIZABLE SWING Senior catcher Nick Bratton takes a healthy cut during the first game of a double header against Wootton and Richard Montgomery. The Blazers emerged victorious over both the Patriots and the Vikings.

COURTESY OF LESLIE CHEN

HONEYWELL Leslie Chen attended the Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy in March, which taught her leadership skills through the fields of STEM.

Up and Coming May 2nd Spring Pep Rally

May 19th-22nd HSAs and Senior Exams

May 5th-16th AP Exam Weeks

May 26th Memorial Day, No School

Student & Teacher Awards & Honors Junior Aditi Subramaniam won third place in the Junior Achievement Essay Competition.

Senior Ronnita Freeman won gold at the Academic Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics for vocals.

Seniors Aanchal Johri and Huejyjong Shih are semifinalists for the US Presidential Scholars Program.

Sophomore Ingride Ngaku won gold at the Academic Cultural Technological Scientific Olympics for biology.

Blair’s Rubik’s Cube team placed third in the 2014 D.C. Metro Area Rubik’s Cube Challenge.

Seniors Christian Lanier, Callahan Mayer-Marks, Michelle McGhee, and Paris ParkerLoan are National Achievement Scholarship recipients.

Editorials B6

silverchips

May 2, 2014

Acknowledging the collegiate color barrier

Supreme Court upholds Michigan ban on affirmative action

258.

That number could mean a lot of things. The number after 257, for instance. Another, more relevant significance of this figure is that it is also the number of black students who were in the University of Michigan’s freshman class last year. Doesn’t sound too bad until you consider the total size of the class: 5,271 kids.

The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor has recently been engulfed in a sea of controversy, as the failures of its admissions policy have come to light in the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling that it is constitutionally permissible for the University decline to take race into account in its admissions process.

The Supreme Court’s decision on Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, published Apr. 22, put the final nail in the coffin of an argument that has been going on since Dec. 2006, when the state of Michigan’s voters decided in a ballot initiative to ban affirmative action at all public institutions within the state.

There was a time, though, when the University was a lot more friendly to its minority applicants.

Before the affirmative action controversy started, in 1998, the university was 8.7 percent black.

Now, in about 15 years, the per-

centage has been cut in half, to 4.2 percent. And that’s at one of the largest schools in the country, with 43,740 students enrolled.

This is a problem that needs to be addressed. There is no excuse for these incredibly low numbers when Michigan itself has a higher than average percentage of black people in its population, at 14.3 percent according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The use of affirmative action is no longer permitted in the state, but the policy’s opponents offer no better solutions to the enrollment gap.

Already, the public universities in California, a state which voted to ban affirmative action in 1996, have seen the same problems.

According to an article in Mercury News by Katy Murphy, published in June of last year, the admissions rate for African American students in California schools dropped by more than 50% the year the ban took effect. As of 2012, only 3 percent of students at the University of California - Berkeley, the UC with the lowest acceptance rate, were black.

The result of these affirmative action bans is that black students are getting locked out from the most selective schools in their states. Especially because public, in-state schools are often much cheaper than comparable private

institutions, this has the potential to limit a lot of minorities’ higher educational options.

Our government must learn from these mistakes. Excluding black citizens from the country’s best universities because they were never afforded the same opportunities to succeed benefits no one.

In a 58-page dissent opposing the Supreme Court’s decision, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor said, “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to... apply the Constitution with eyes open to the unfortunate effects of centuries of racial discrimination.”

These long-term effects are what we need to keep in mind when establishing a level playing field in the educational realm.

After years of institutionalized oppression, of course it can be more difficult for African-Americans to make top grades and SAT scores than it is for white people.

Because of this, when schools like the University of Michigan have anti-affirmative action policies in place, it only leads to decreased minority enrollment.

As the nation-wide debate about affirmative action rages on, and people argue about its “unfairness,” policies that inherently favor white students go unquestioned. The use of legacy

in college admissions is perhaps the most noteworthy example.

White students and their families have had generations of extra time to develop connections to elite schools that black students were not even allowed to attend for much of the country’s history.

Preference of legacy students in selective admissions simply reinforces the past racial biases of these top-tier schools. And yet this practice is allowed to thrive, while affirmative action faces constant attack.

We are lucky to live in a state that takes inequalities in opportunity into account in college admissions. The University of Maryland still considers race as a factor when forming their classes

each year, and for this reason, the percentage of black students at the University of Maryland at College Park mirrors the makeup of the state and the country.

We must not forget, though, that not everyone is so fortunate.

Right now, eight states including Michigan have some kind of ban on race-conscious admissions. The recent Supreme Court decision is setting a dangerous precedent, giving the rest of the states a green light to join them without repercussions. Only time will tell if they will take it.

Do you have any feedback or see any mistakes? Let us know.

E-mail the editors at silver.chips.print@gmail.com

Introducing your new 2014-2015 Ombudsman, Naomi Weintraub

By Langston Cotman and Naomi Weintraub When looking for a successor for the position of Ombudsman, we at Silver Chips wanted someone who could relate with our readers. The Ombudsman is becoming a more accessible member of this paper, not merely a pretty face that graces each issue we print. I have made efforts to become an approachable figure, an ambassador to our loyal readership, by initiating more personal contact with the community through a new personal column competition and announcements on InfoFlow.

Through implementing these changes, the Ombudsman made important progress in becoming a more accessible position, but this effort has been hampered by some shortcomings. For one, I received less reader feedback than I expected, and I attribute this lack of communication to my failure to broadcast my push for increased communication to the entire Blair public. I signaled this change multiple times in my Ombudsman columns, but failed to advertise them outside of the demographic of regular Silver Chips readers. I realize now that students and staff who don’t read Silver Chips or who just skim the paper and don’t venture into the recesses of the Opinions section to read my columns were completely unaware of my efforts to be more pervasive.

Ironic, I know.

Next year, Naomi Weintraub will continue to extend the Om-

budsman voice beyond the confines of the page. As a member of Blair’s literary magazine Silver Quill, she has been responsible for orchestrating functions for the entire school and assuming the role of a spokesperson. She is a gifted

EMMA HOWELLS

Ombudsman Langston Cotman writer and a bubbly social butterfly constantly fluttering amongst her peers. She is the perfect person to assume this changing Ombudsman role, and she has the ambition to implement her own progressive ideas. My job is now done, and I confidently pass the torch onto Naomi Weintraub, your 2014-2015 Ombudsman.

Throughout history, youth culture has been a catalyst for change as youth are the roots of innovation and creativity. In our lives we are constantly being told what to do, and who to be, so it is important that we continue to vocalize our opinions. I believe that Blair students have the abil-

ity to be a powerful force. Silver Chips is written by the students, for the students,and together with our readership we have the ability to make change and shine light on the issues that we care about. This is the forum through which Blair students can revolt from the usual confining conformation that high school brings.

The goal of Silver Chips is to inform, entertain, and speak on behalf of the students of Montgomery Blair High School. The role of the Ombudsman is to be the bridge connecting the students with the paper, and Silver Chips aims to foster a strong communication between the two. I want to be more than the bridge.

Throughout my years at Blair, I have sometimes felt that the paper doesn’t equally reflect all students; therefore, I hope to close the gap that there is between the paper and the big Blair community. It is important to me that, in a school with almost 3,000 students, everyone’s voice is heard. Blair students come from diverse backgrounds and all have their own stories, and it is my goal to bring these stories to the attention of the Blair community.

I want to be an advocate for those who aren’t as comfortable standing up screaming their opinion down Blair Boulevard, whether that means speaking up for students that are more comfortable being silent, or empowering those who don’t know where to speak up. So whether you’re an athlete, artist, actor, skateboarder, mathematician, or just someone trying to get through high school, let Silver Chips be your voice.

Comments or concerns?

Email the Ombudsman at ombudsmansilverchips@gmail.com

EVA SHEN

Corrections In the A2 story “BOE applies for state waiver”, a quote by board member Philip Kauffman was not cited with a first name.

The Chips Index said that Montgomery County Public Schools had missed nine days due to snow-related cancellations. This number can now be updated to 10.

The art for “Piecing together the perfect pizza pie” on D5 should have been credited to Elizabeth Pham.

The Olympic logo on F3’s “Sochi 2014: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly” should have been credited to the IOC. The Inside Chips photo of Jake Rozhansky on A2 should have been credited to Zeke Wapner.

Twitter: On March 5th, @Silver_Chips tweeted that RideOn/ Metro fares will increase. This is not true. See the March issue’s A3 story “New Youth Cruiser cards go into effect” to learn about changes to the Youth Cruiser pass system.

B7 ADs

silverchips

May 2, 2014

May 2, 2014

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ADs B8

C1 Features

silverchips

May 2, 2014

Q&A with Davey Rogner: Keeping it green and clean

By Kelsey Gross

Q: What is Pick Up America?

Pick Up America was the nation’s first coast to coast roadside litter pickup, and over the course of 3 years, our group of mostly post-college age and young people picked up over 100 tons of litter over a continuous 3,762 miles. We did art and community outreach and education in all the towns we went through to try to connect people with deeper environmental ethics and the idea of zero waste.

Q: What inspired Pick Up America?

In general, it was a feeling of not being able to settle that the suburban reality is the healthiest way to live, and wanting to go out and just try to find something different, something more meaningful. For me, [it was] finding a sense of belonging – and it was deeply rooted in just not fitting in or feeling like a part of everything that people wanted to do around me. Really, [it was] just a pure love for nature and community and [asking myself], “what could be our best potential?” and just wanting to go out and express my idea of what I think my best potential is. And that is cleaning up the Earth and restoring our relationships with plants and animals and other people.

I’ve always been a person who thinks very much on the macro level, like [asking myself], “What’s going on with society and with people, and how do we bring more peace and abundance to everybody’s lives?”

Restoring the environment and not having the middle man of corporations and money dictating our entire way of life – that’s how we bring peace and abundance. In the moment it was this real yearning to express something new and something different and something transformative for people to grab onto and say, “You’re picking up trash across America, you’re working for restoring nature, and I believe in that and I want to do that too.” That’s really why I’ve been doing this. I’m just trying to lead by example.

Q: How did you set up the project?

When we first started, it was just a couple of people in their early 20’s getting together and saying, “How can we make this a reality?” Then somehow we managed to meet the people who would help us start a nonprofit, create a Board of Directors, track all of our finances and figure out ways to get donations from people.

We were constantly fundraising and constantly doing outreach. We’d always call ahead to towns before we’d come and ask for places to stay and tell them, “We’re bringing a bus of six or eight people – can we stay for two or three days while we pick up trash for your town?”

We’d show up in a town and hopefully we’d have called a bunch of schools before we got there, or set up an event – a potluck or a place to play music – or even just going to other people’s events and meeting people there. We’d just go out and meet people and invite them to go pick up trash with us.

bottle-brick benches or the Trojan unicorn.

And then we’d find partners in the towns – when we built the drums we were at the City Museum in St. Louis, and when we did our dance in Denver we found a warehouse we could rehearse at and we found the nonprofits where we could build the bench [out of bottles] at their locations.

All of this took a lot of organizing and follow through. It was me and [co-founder Jeff Chen] and the people who were on our team that year just talking and then going out and doing things we all decided to do together. Every day we’d huddle up and talk about what we were doing and what our plan was and we’d all just go do what we said we were going to do. Everyone would pick up trash every day and then one or two people would hang back on the bus or go to a library and do a different task for the whole campaign, [such as] calling somebody to outreach to a school.

Everybody sort of had their own piece of the puzzle and they would take two days off a week from picking up trash to do their piece of the puzzle. There was no leader in the sense where one person is at the top telling everybody what to do. Everybody was the leader of their own domain and we just supported each other in doing what we did.

It’s just this vast open sky, and it’s red – everywhere. You look around and it’s big, eroding canyons and salty rivers. It’s just beautiful, magnificent. There’s five national parks we visited in southern Utah, just because they designated that area so much because it’s beautiful.

Yo s e m i t e was incredible, too. The mariposa grove, the giant Sequoya trees – [they] were really remarkable.

Q: What were your favorite places to visit?

Q: What was your biggest struggle?

Southern Utah is a really beautiful place.

Charleston, West Virginia, [was my favorite community to visit], hands down. People in The people in West Virginia express more, and they’re just COURTESY OF PICKUPAMERICA.ORG full of life, full of character and full of story. I just really like the people we met out there. I still go out and hang out with them and visit them; I was just out there two months ago. Definitely the folks in West Virginia were lots of fun.

Q: What is one of the most memorable items that you picked up?

Jane found $800 in an envelope, and that was pretty cool. She donated half to us and used the other half to visit her family. We found so much stuff – the weird stuff, like kid’s toys or boogie boards, is what stands out the most – I don’t even want to say some of the stuff we’ve found. There’s a lot of weird stuff on the side of the road.

Honestly my biggest struggle was feeling alone, and it’s still my biggest struggle. It’s

like I’m a show monkey or something, like, “Look at what he did!” But it’s not about me. That’s the biggest struggle – it’s helping people realize that this is about all of us, this is about our relationships. And then I’d be out there, and, you know, everybody wants to have a significant other. I just couldn’t do that with my life since I was always moving. I’d meet somebody in a new town and then get heartbroken, and it’s like, “Whatever – next town down the road.” I couldn’t grow lasting relationships with people. The only people I could have really long-term relationships on the road was the people I traveled with. It’s part of what makes everybody who was on Pick Up America so tight – we’re always going to be friends, we’re always going to respect and love each other.

The other biggest struggle was also the feeling that other people aren’t willing to do what it takes to live with the Earth. Or listen to each other, even. Other people won’t even take the time to listen to each other, and I just sort of throw my hands up in the air, and I’m like, “Come on people, let’s live better.” So my biggest struggle is that I’m a workaholic trying to bring people into understanding reality in a way they just don’t understand it.

Q: What are your future plans?

I was in a three year contemplation of how to restore America, and I genuinely believe [in] creating food cooperatives where people grow food on their lawns or [where] they are in direct relationships with a farmer and a piece of land someplace not too far.

Beginning to shift our agriculture to this model is the sustainable future – it’s our only option. Now I’m focused on teaching people permaculture, which is the solution to our culture of consumption and our culture of exploiting the world and taking the Earth’s resources at a ridiculous, unprecedented rate. The solution is for everybody to have a relationship with nature – it’s a personal decision. Not everyone has to, but if people do choose to do it, then we’re all more sustainable. Those who choose not to are sort of lagging behind and holding back society from really being a sustainable place.

The Harvest Collective is Pick Up America continued – I’m still working just as hard, except for now I’m trying to plant ecosystems that are lush with fruits, berries and nuts, sponsor organic gardens next to them and create ecosystems that are self-watering and self-fertile. I just understand how nature works, and I’m trying to help [other] people understand it now. All my time on the road really helped me understand it in a deep way.

I’m trying to explain to people – no, we don’t need to poison all of our Earth to get all of our food.

There’s actually a more responsible and beneficial way and this is how we do it – it’s permaculture design, and it’s sharing and it’s going to communities.

This summer is my first attempt to build a team that isn’t traveling town by town but is actually staying in one town and doing a lot of work in one place. That place is Silver Spring and our Summer of Solutions program with the Harvest Collective.

Q: What else did you do on the road?

Sometimes I’d have a crazy idea to go build a drum out of litter or some of the other art projects we did, like

COURTESY OF PICKUPAMERICA.ORG

DUE WEST Rogner and his team traveled in this bus, which they named Due West, across the United States. Powered by diesel and waste vegetable oil, the bus also doubles as a community art project. Various artists along the route added to the design.

To find out more about the Summer of Solutions with the Harvest Collective, go to theharvestcollective. org

May 2, 2014

silverchips

Features C2

He was an innovator...but the school thought they saw Red In 1950, Montgomery County fired William Hinckley for being a Communist from COMMIE page A1

And again. “Is it not a fact that Elizabeth Bentley signed your ComHis daughter recalls that he taught himself munist Party card when you were to raise chickens from the instructions in a recruited into the Communist parpamphlet and built multiple additions to ty?”

Hinckley’s answer remained the their Germantown farm. Often, his students spent the weekend with his family. “I saw same: “I refuse to answer because those kids volunteering on the farm,” she my answer might incriminate me.”

Once, he even added, “there is no says. “I saw how much they admired him.”

Hinckley held a lot of jobs: teacher, farm- reason for an American citizen to er—but never politician. He didn’t share be asked about his political affiliahis political beliefs with his students, his tions.”

The committee quizzed him daughter notes. “Do I believe he was corrupting his students? No, I don’t think that about his government job applicafor a minute,” she laughs. “It was not about tion, submitted years before.

Then his Red Cross application. convincing them of his political stance at all.

The Congressmen spent hours It was all about teaching them English and pelting the names of other suspectmentoring them.” ed Communists at him: did he know Henry H. Collins? Did he know he Trial run was a Communist?”

Then, a test on Harry Dexter.

But in the last few weeks of the school And Bela Gold. year, Hinckley wasn’t teaching English or And Frank Coe. mentoring or even cleaning out his classAnd Lee Pressman. room. On June 8, he was trying to save his They even analyzed the travel career.

Hinckley had to testify before the company that had booked his flight House Un-American Activities Committee to Switzerland in 1936. The travel (HUAC). According to the House of Rep- agency was a Communist front, COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE resentative’s History page, Representative HUAC concluded earlier. So surely, TEACHING ENGLISH Hinckley, standing on the right, with the English Department in 1950. When John Rankin noted, “HUAC provided a Hinckley was a Communist. the school fi red Hinckley at the end of that school year, students protested to save their teacher.

Hinckley swore he wasn’t subwealth of information that has gone far toward protecting this Nation from saboteurs versive. “I am no Red and everyone around here knows it,” he told the Post Thomas S. Wootton High School social the stigma associated with a HUAC hearof all kinds.” studies teacher Christina Rice notes that ing. “My mom went to a PTA meeting one Or not. “It is the most un-American thing on June 29.

But he also saw how impossible it would schoolteachers were often suspected of be- time,” Jill Hinckley recalls, “and there was in the country today,” noted former Presibe to clear his name. “You just can’t win ing Communists and punished harshly, even only one teacher who would talk to her. Evdent Harry Truman. if they espoused no Communist beliefs in eryone else believed this [Joseph McCarthy] HUAC found its way to Hinckley through against the House Committee,” he said.

Ultimately, says his daughter, the Com- the classroom. “Teachers have the ability to nonsense.”

Elizabeth Bentley, noted The Washington That nonsense had evil power. “Our Post on June 29, 1950. Bentley was the self- mittee called it wrong. Her father belonged influence large numbers of young people,” whole family was crushed by the McCarprofessed “Spy Queen,” a Soviet-conspir- to organizations that were left-leaning, says Rice, who created a lesson plan based thy era,” she sighs. “I was conscious from ator-turned-American-tattletale, according sure, but he himself wasn’t a member of on the articles about Hinckley. “The thinkto Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies, a PBS the Communist Party or selling secrets to ing was that teachers would be a threat to a young age how repulsive it was to live program about the Red Scare. “I signed Bill the Russians. “He was just interested in po- society if they were spreading Communist in an era of McCarthy. He really did affect people’s lives in a devastating way.”

Hinckley’s party card,” she swore to the litical adventures that would help people ideas!”

For a while, Hinckley was devastated Soon, however, William Hinckley decided committee in her testimony, “and he imme- throughout the world,” she says. “But at that time, American Youth Congress sound- about the firing. “He loved his job, he want- it was time for more great experiments. As diately went underground.”

Social studies teacher David West notes ed like Nazism” or one of the other causes ed to stay there,” Jill Hinckley sighs. “And a craft therapist at Chesnut Lodge, a mental then, bamo—this political thing hit him in hospital in Rockville, he turned leather beltBentley used Hinckley’s name to draw at- America wanted to expel. the face.” making into entrepreneurship. “He wanted tention to herself. “She wanted to promote The firing As the summer wore on, more and more them to do something real, so they built a kiherself, so she called him out,” he explains. people got involved. Franklin Miles, an atosk,” notes Jill, “and they tried to figure out “Hinckley was the victim.”

Two weeks after Hinckley’s testimony, torney from Chevy Chase, demanded that how to make a business out of it. My father But Bentley wasn’t Hinckley’s only probwas innovative there, too.” lem. Before he had been a teacher, he was Superintendent Edwin Brume called the Brume resign because he did not catch His patients at Chestnut Lodge inspired the chairman for the American Youth Con- teacher to his office. “I couldn’t possibly Hinckley the “Communist” earlier. “It is reaHinckley to pursue a doctorate in psycholgress (AYC) and a member of the American have retained Hinckley after he refused to sonable to assume,” Miles told the Board of ogy. He commuted back and forth from League Against War and Fascism. As chair- say whether he was a Communist or not,” Education in July, “that there are hundreds of other slithering Hinckleys intentionally Maryland to New York City three days a man, Hinckley told The Washington Daily Brume told the Post on June 30.

It didn’t matter that Hinckley had a great indoctrinating county school children.” week, says his daughter.

News, he was on first-name basis with EleaIn August, the county extended the harsh After jumping through a doctoral studnor Roosevelt. However, in 1948, the Attor- teaching record or that there was no eviies course, he experimented as a private ney General identified both organizations as dence he ever tried to indoctrinate his stu- Maryland Ober Law, under which the Mont“subversive and communistic,” according dents. “Dr. Brume said there was nothing to gomery County Personnel Board could in- therapist. “He had a method of tracking the indicate Mr. Hinckley had used his teaching vestigate job applicants for a subversive or progress of his patients through statistics,” to the Post.

“Are you now or have you ever been a position as a propaganda medium for Com- Communist background. The law even es- explains Hinckley. “It was very impressive.”

Her father would not get to enjoy the member of Communist party?” Representa- munism,” reported the Daily News. Simply tablished a miniature HUAC, with a hearing fruits of his labor for long. In 1958, he boardtive Frank Tavenner Jr. asked him in the 1950 the fact that Hinckley testified before the before the Personnel Board for anyone susCommittee incriminated him. “We have to pected or accused of Communism. ed a plane heading for Nantucket. Just as hearing.

Hinckley had unwittingly inspired a diit reached the airport, the plane crashed, “Were you a member of the Communist think of the children,” Brume told the Daily killing half the people on board. William Party [when you contracted with MCPS]?” News. “We can’t take chances with any- sastrous movement. body.”

Hinckley, the teacher, psychiatrist and great he asked later.

Voices of dissent experimenter, was one.

But what his daughter remembers most about the last eight years of his life is WilThe students were shocked. Hinckley, fired for being a Communist? “The sheer liam Hinckley’s courage after he was fired. disbelief of Mr. Hinckley’s former students “He was not the type to be profoundly dewhen they learned of the charges brought pressed. He could pull himself together and against him,” parent Cornelia Lee wrote find another job. He really was brilliant.” to the Evening Star on July 25, “is in itself proof that they haven’t been indoctrinated.

Hinckley in history My son’s reaction was, ‘I would have sooner believed it of any other teacher in the school For West, who found Rice’s lesson plan than Mr. Hinckley.’” and used parts of the article in his class, After the shock wore off, they were livid. Hinckley’s story underscores the brutality of “A group of pupils organized to demand the age, as well as the value of liberty. “We that the teacher be retained,” the Evening have the political freedom to be a member Star reported on June 28. But the adminisof any political party, and the government trative staff squelched the rebellion. “The was extinguishing that freedom,” he exschool spoke very frankly to the students plains. “They intimidated people to choose and convinced them to drop the matter,” acbetween their politics and their job.” cording to the article.

The battle goes on, notes Hinckley. “Every What’s more, Hinckley did not want to once in a while,” she warns, “someone arfight the school’s decision. “I don’t want to rives on the scene who’s got that horrendous be a hero,” he told the Post on June 29. “I Joe McCarthy effect on people.” So William just want to be let alone.”

Hinckley matters more than ever. “It’s imHis career at the school was over. “It portant that students learn about this periwouldn’t help get in my hay to talk about od, about these people, so that you can fight this thing,” the Daily News quoted him. for the freedom of expression.”

The fundamental values of freedom of exCOURTESY OF NATIONAL ARCHIVES RECORDS OF HUAC INVESTIGATIVE NAMES FILE pression, assembly and belief were the key The next step HINCKLEY AND THE FLOTUS As the director of the American Youth Congress in the 1930s, vocabulary for Hinckley’s last great lesson.

Hinckley worked closely with Eleanor Roosevelt. But the notable connection could not help in The story was not over for the Hinckleys.

His final great experiment.

1950 when he testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Everywhere they went, they encountered Class dismissed.

May 2, 2014

Features C3/C4

silverchips As the bell rings at 2:10 on a Friday afternoon, cries of joy can be heard as Blazers rush through the hallways and pour down the main staircase, ready to enjoy their weekend of freedom.

A few students, however, quietly make their way to the Media Center, swerving around tables and book displays and filing into conference room A. As they push the tables closer to the wall and pull out a few chairs to divide the room in two, the girls head to the back and the boys lounge on the tables at the front. One girl helps another position a green and gold scarf over her flowing ponytail and tie it around the back of her head. Silence falls over the teens as sophomore Walee Khan stands up to address the small crowd. Behind him, his cousin Nazea Khan, a sophomore, writes “Welcome to Jummah” on the board.

This is a typical Friday afternoon for some of the Muslim students at Blair who are part of the MSA, the Muslim Students Association. In the religion of Islam there is a particular tradition called Jummah prayer. Jummah, which translates to “Friday”, occurs on that day each week, and is a modification to one of the five prayer sessions that Muslims complete every single day. The first occurs before sunrise, the second in the early afternoon, the third later in the afternoon, the fourth in the early evening and the fifth after the sun has completely gone down. Jummah is the second prayer of the day, but because it is on Friday, it holds more significance. “Friday in Islam is like Sunday for Christians,” Nazea Khan explains.

As Nazea Khan heads to the back of the room to join the rest of the girls, Walee Khan recites a prayer in Arabic. “Alright guys, today I am going to start with a story,” he says as he completes the prayer and begins to relate stories of faith to the group.Attendance generally averages out to be around 15 or 20 people, but Walee Khan says he remembers that at one time over 40 people came. “There are a lot of Muslims at Blair, more than you would think,” he says.

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Students’

Rights and Responsibilities handbook states that “students have a right to observe their religious practices in school, including non-school-sponsored student prayer groups, unless these violate the rights of others or disrupt school activities.” The U.S. Supreme Court case Lynch v. Donnelly ruled in 1984 that “school sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible” because it creates secluded communities between participants and nonparticipants.

The MSA is not an official club, which means that it is not school-sponsored and therefore its members are free to practice what they want. Senior Mohammed Mohammed is thankful for this right because he knows that not all students are given it. “I am so glad I have an opportunity to express my faith instead of keeping it to myself,” he says.

Most Muslims go to a mosque each Friday afternoon to partake in Jummah, but this can be difficult for Blazers because the prayer is generally held during school hours. “There’s no specific time frame, it’s more dependent on the sun,” Walee Khan explains. “It’s kind of complicated, but it’s generally around one or two.” Since school ends at 2:10 p.m., there is not much time for students to get to a mosque. Mohammed explains that at his old school he would have to leave early in order to perform Jummah. “I had to go to a nearby mosque every Friday and miss a lot of class,” he says. “But now that we can do it after school I don’t have to worry about missing any classes at all.”

Muslim students attending Blair years ago understood this struggle, and the tradition of holding Jummah at school began.

None of the current members of the MSA are quite sure when it first started. Nazea Khan is just a sophomore, but she knows it existed long before she came to Blair. “It’s been going on for years,” she says. “We had an old Arabic teacher who ran it, but when she left two years ago the whole thing kind of collapsed.

So for a while we were praying in the stairwell or in temporary classrooms or outside.”

Andrea Lamphier, Blair’s head media specialist, noticed that the group didn’t have a home, so she offered them an open conference room in the library. “It’s an informal but standing arrangement,” Lamphier says. She compares the Media Center’s relationship with the MSA to its relationship with Blair’s literary arts magazine, Silver Quill. “In the same way that we are home to Silver Quill and allow them to host Open Mics, we are home to the MSA,” she says.

Jummah is an integral part of Islam, and although the students cannot perform it exactly as they would if they were in a mosque, they do their best. Each Friday, a different student will stand in front of the room and lead an abbreviated prayer, which is broken into two parts. The first is the message of the day, where the leader tells stories and quotes the prophet Mohammed in order to communicate a certain message or theme.

On a recent Friday when Walee Khan led the prayer, he

started off with a story he had heard from a teacher at his mosque. The story describes a man who lived in Palestine with six children. One day his house was bombed, and he found his four daughters dead. But instead of crying, he told his eldest son, “By Allah, they are not sad. For them, it is paradise.” After Walee Khan concluded the story, he questioned the group: “What can we take from this? When we’re having a bad week, we need to remember that people have it worse than us. Can you guys imagine waking up to the sound of a bomb? What if that was America? How would you react to that? We need to be thankful to Allah for our life.”

The next ten or fifteen minutes passed quickly as Walee Khan continued to tell stories that he has either heard before or found online. “Sometimes it’s from the holy book, sometimes it’s different stories from the Prophet Mohammed, and sometimes it’s just videos I’ve seen on YouTube of different Muslim speakers,” he explains. After he shares the stories, he usually calls on the group to reflect silently on what they have heard. Sophomore Zaafira Elham explains that you can’t talk while the prayer is happening, but you can think about the speaker’s words in your head. “It’s really a time to reflect on your life and then remember and apply it,” she says.

Walee Khan continues to ask the group questions to engage them and remind them of their privileges and to encourage them to thank Allah. “On a Friday right after school you guys are coming here to pray. How many people do you know who pray on a Friday? All of us have school [and] it’s hard to get to Jummah, but we have to be here,” he says. “The librarian gave us this room, and we have to be thankful to her for that. Where would you guys be if she didn’t do that? Probably playing basketball or something. But thankfully we are here.”

This section of the prayer is similar to the homily that a Catholic priest gives during a Mass or a sermon by a minister.

The lesson is chosen by whoever is leading the session, though being a leader requires training. “You have to be qualified,” Walee Khan explains. “My brother teaches a class that’s just like an hour or so that tells you what you need to do so you can lead.” Nazea Khan explains that there are other rules about leadership as well. “Only guys can lead, but if it’s all girls, then a girl can lead it. I wish I could lead it though,” she sighs.

After Walee Kahn is done sharing his stories, he moves on to the second component of the prayer. In a real mosque, the entire Jummah would be longer, but the students only have a limited time to be in the Media Center. The second part is the recitation, where someone who has committed parts of the Quran to memory sings the chapters of his choosing in Arabic. Although most of the members do not have firm grasp of Arabic, they all fall silent and follow along with the prayer, at times getting on their knees and touching their foreheads to the floor, in a position called sajdah. Walee Khan himself does not understand every word of what he is saying, but he knows it’s important. “I’m taking Arabic right now, and I’m trying to understand more, but I also have to focus on memorizing the chapters of the Quran,” he says. Nazea Khan admits that she also does not understand all of the language, but still goes along with it. “The main focus isn’t to memorize but understand, although we have to memorize it so we can pray,” she explains.

Elham believes that the motions are an integral part of the prayer. “It’s like we’re praying toward [Allah],” she says. “Like we are telling him our knowledge, and by going down on our knees we are going into a position we wouldn’t do towards anyone else and we’re basically showing how great God is.”

The prayer gives the students a chance to praise Allah and show their dedication. In between chapters Walee Khan sings the surah, a sort of sub-chapter that falls between the different chapters, which signals to the listeners a change in prayer.

The Quran consists of 30 sections, and Walee Khan says he currently has about six memorized. Many of the students in the MSA are in the Arabic language class at Blair, which gives them a chance to be able to learn more about their faith and understand more during prayer. Amear Eakins, a junior, is in Arabic, and really appreciates being able to partake in Jummah at Blair. “It’s nice that we have a safe place we can go to perform Jummah, and so many people at Blair are interested and ask questions,” he says.

As the three o’clock bell sounds, the students rise from the floor, push the tables back to their original locations, and file out of the conference room. Most of the regular attendees at Jummah are members of the MSA at Blair. MSAs exist across all across the country and are most prevalent in universities, according to their website. The website explains that the MSA “facilitates networking, educating, and empowering the students of today to be citizens of tomorrow’s community.”

Although Blair’s group is not an official chapter, members do participate in gatherings designed specifically for Muslim students, such as the annual Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST), a regional competition held at the University of Maryland. It is a congregation of Muslims from different areas who come together to compete in all different types of events, including sports, slam poetry, math competitions, photo contests and even essay contests. “MIST is really cool because we get to meet up with other MSAs in the DMV,” Nazea Khan says. “It gives us a chance to compete against each other and have fun,” Elham adds.

Though Nazea Khan loves her religion, she admits that it isn’t always easy for all members of Islam to really proclaim and embrace their faith. “For me it’s obvious, since I wear a scarf,” she says, “but for other people it might not be easy to tell they’re Muslim.” The prayer session provides a place for Muslims students to practice their faith and for other students to learn about Islam. “If I hadn’t been born Muslim, I don’t know if I would have known to look for the faith,” she reflects.

That’s why she wants everyone who is genuinely curious to come and experience Jummah. “It’s cool to see others interested in Islam,” she says. “It’s nice to know that people care and are asking real questions, and we would love for them to come,” Elham chimes in.

May 2, 2014

Features C3/C4

silverchips As the bell rings at 2:10 on a Friday afternoon, cries of joy can be heard as Blazers rush through the hallways and pour down the main staircase, ready to enjoy their weekend of freedom.

A few students, however, quietly make their way to the Media Center, swerving around tables and book displays and filing into conference room A. As they push the tables closer to the wall and pull out a few chairs to divide the room in two, the girls head to the back and the boys lounge on the tables at the front. One girl helps another position a green and gold scarf over her flowing ponytail and tie it around the back of her head. Silence falls over the teens as sophomore Walee Khan stands up to address the small crowd. Behind him, his cousin Nazea Khan, a sophomore, writes “Welcome to Jummah” on the board.

This is a typical Friday afternoon for some of the Muslim students at Blair who are part of the MSA, the Muslim Students Association. In the religion of Islam there is a particular tradition called Jummah prayer. Jummah, which translates to “Friday”, occurs on that day each week, and is a modification to one of the five prayer sessions that Muslims complete every single day. The first occurs before sunrise, the second in the early afternoon, the third later in the afternoon, the fourth in the early evening and the fifth after the sun has completely gone down. Jummah is the second prayer of the day, but because it is on Friday, it holds more significance. “Friday in Islam is like Sunday for Christians,” Nazea Khan explains.

As Nazea Khan heads to the back of the room to join the rest of the girls, Walee Khan recites a prayer in Arabic. “Alright guys, today I am going to start with a story,” he says as he completes the prayer and begins to relate stories of faith to the group.Attendance generally averages out to be around 15 or 20 people, but Walee Khan says he remembers that at one time over 40 people came. “There are a lot of Muslims at Blair, more than you would think,” he says.

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Students’

Rights and Responsibilities handbook states that “students have a right to observe their religious practices in school, including non-school-sponsored student prayer groups, unless these violate the rights of others or disrupt school activities.” The U.S. Supreme Court case Lynch v. Donnelly ruled in 1984 that “school sponsorship of a religious message is impermissible” because it creates secluded communities between participants and nonparticipants.

The MSA is not an official club, which means that it is not school-sponsored and therefore its members are free to practice what they want. Senior Mohammed Mohammed is thankful for this right because he knows that not all students are given it. “I am so glad I have an opportunity to express my faith instead of keeping it to myself,” he says.

Most Muslims go to a mosque each Friday afternoon to partake in Jummah, but this can be difficult for Blazers because the prayer is generally held during school hours. “There’s no specific time frame, it’s more dependent on the sun,” Walee Khan explains. “It’s kind of complicated, but it’s generally around one or two.” Since school ends at 2:10 p.m., there is not much time for students to get to a mosque. Mohammed explains that at his old school he would have to leave early in order to perform Jummah. “I had to go to a nearby mosque every Friday and miss a lot of class,” he says. “But now that we can do it after school I don’t have to worry about missing any classes at all.”

Muslim students attending Blair years ago understood this struggle, and the tradition of holding Jummah at school began.

None of the current members of the MSA are quite sure when it first started. Nazea Khan is just a sophomore, but she knows it existed long before she came to Blair. “It’s been going on for years,” she says. “We had an old Arabic teacher who ran it, but when she left two years ago the whole thing kind of collapsed.

So for a while we were praying in the stairwell or in temporary classrooms or outside.”

Andrea Lamphier, Blair’s head media specialist, noticed that the group didn’t have a home, so she offered them an open conference room in the library. “It’s an informal but standing arrangement,” Lamphier says. She compares the Media Center’s relationship with the MSA to its relationship with Blair’s literary arts magazine, Silver Quill. “In the same way that we are home to Silver Quill and allow them to host Open Mics, we are home to the MSA,” she says.

Jummah is an integral part of Islam, and although the students cannot perform it exactly as they would if they were in a mosque, they do their best. Each Friday, a different student will stand in front of the room and lead an abbreviated prayer, which is broken into two parts. The first is the message of the day, where the leader tells stories and quotes the prophet Mohammed in order to communicate a certain message or theme.

On a recent Friday when Walee Khan led the prayer, he

started off with a story he had heard from a teacher at his mosque. The story describes a man who lived in Palestine with six children. One day his house was bombed, and he found his four daughters dead. But instead of crying, he told his eldest son, “By Allah, they are not sad. For them, it is paradise.” After Walee Khan concluded the story, he questioned the group: “What can we take from this? When we’re having a bad week, we need to remember that people have it worse than us. Can you guys imagine waking up to the sound of a bomb? What if that was America? How would you react to that? We need to be thankful to Allah for our life.”

The next ten or fifteen minutes passed quickly as Walee Khan continued to tell stories that he has either heard before or found online. “Sometimes it’s from the holy book, sometimes it’s different stories from the Prophet Mohammed, and sometimes it’s just videos I’ve seen on YouTube of different Muslim speakers,” he explains. After he shares the stories, he usually calls on the group to reflect silently on what they have heard. Sophomore Zaafira Elham explains that you can’t talk while the prayer is happening, but you can think about the speaker’s words in your head. “It’s really a time to reflect on your life and then remember and apply it,” she says.

Walee Khan continues to ask the group questions to engage them and remind them of their privileges and to encourage them to thank Allah. “On a Friday right after school you guys are coming here to pray. How many people do you know who pray on a Friday? All of us have school [and] it’s hard to get to Jummah, but we have to be here,” he says. “The librarian gave us this room, and we have to be thankful to her for that. Where would you guys be if she didn’t do that? Probably playing basketball or something. But thankfully we are here.”

This section of the prayer is similar to the homily that a Catholic priest gives during a Mass or a sermon by a minister.

The lesson is chosen by whoever is leading the session, though being a leader requires training. “You have to be qualified,” Walee Khan explains. “My brother teaches a class that’s just like an hour or so that tells you what you need to do so you can lead.” Nazea Khan explains that there are other rules about leadership as well. “Only guys can lead, but if it’s all girls, then a girl can lead it. I wish I could lead it though,” she sighs.

After Walee Kahn is done sharing his stories, he moves on to the second component of the prayer. In a real mosque, the entire Jummah would be longer, but the students only have a limited time to be in the Media Center. The second part is the recitation, where someone who has committed parts of the Quran to memory sings the chapters of his choosing in Arabic. Although most of the members do not have firm grasp of Arabic, they all fall silent and follow along with the prayer, at times getting on their knees and touching their foreheads to the floor, in a position called sajdah. Walee Khan himself does not understand every word of what he is saying, but he knows it’s important. “I’m taking Arabic right now, and I’m trying to understand more, but I also have to focus on memorizing the chapters of the Quran,” he says. Nazea Khan admits that she also does not understand all of the language, but still goes along with it. “The main focus isn’t to memorize but understand, although we have to memorize it so we can pray,” she explains.

Elham believes that the motions are an integral part of the prayer. “It’s like we’re praying toward [Allah],” she says. “Like we are telling him our knowledge, and by going down on our knees we are going into a position we wouldn’t do towards anyone else and we’re basically showing how great God is.”

The prayer gives the students a chance to praise Allah and show their dedication. In between chapters Walee Khan sings the surah, a sort of sub-chapter that falls between the different chapters, which signals to the listeners a change in prayer.

The Quran consists of 30 sections, and Walee Khan says he currently has about six memorized. Many of the students in the MSA are in the Arabic language class at Blair, which gives them a chance to be able to learn more about their faith and understand more during prayer. Amear Eakins, a junior, is in Arabic, and really appreciates being able to partake in Jummah at Blair. “It’s nice that we have a safe place we can go to perform Jummah, and so many people at Blair are interested and ask questions,” he says.

As the three o’clock bell sounds, the students rise from the floor, push the tables back to their original locations, and file out of the conference room. Most of the regular attendees at Jummah are members of the MSA at Blair. MSAs exist across all across the country and are most prevalent in universities, according to their website. The website explains that the MSA “facilitates networking, educating, and empowering the students of today to be citizens of tomorrow’s community.”

Although Blair’s group is not an official chapter, members do participate in gatherings designed specifically for Muslim students, such as the annual Muslim Interscholastic Tournament (MIST), a regional competition held at the University of Maryland. It is a congregation of Muslims from different areas who come together to compete in all different types of events, including sports, slam poetry, math competitions, photo contests and even essay contests. “MIST is really cool because we get to meet up with other MSAs in the DMV,” Nazea Khan says. “It gives us a chance to compete against each other and have fun,” Elham adds.

Though Nazea Khan loves her religion, she admits that it isn’t always easy for all members of Islam to really proclaim and embrace their faith. “For me it’s obvious, since I wear a scarf,” she says, “but for other people it might not be easy to tell they’re Muslim.” The prayer session provides a place for Muslims students to practice their faith and for other students to learn about Islam. “If I hadn’t been born Muslim, I don’t know if I would have known to look for the faith,” she reflects.

That’s why she wants everyone who is genuinely curious to come and experience Jummah. “It’s cool to see others interested in Islam,” she says. “It’s nice to know that people care and are asking real questions, and we would love for them to come,” Elham chimes in.

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Earthquake shakes Blair student’s home country On April Fools Day, a devastating earthquake strikes the town of Iquique, Chile

By Alexis Redford Muang-Muang For Junior Victor Mazuelos-Alvarado the night of April 1 started like every other night. He was in his Silver Spring apartment with the TV tuned to the news channel of his home country, Chile. However, a breaking news report changed the rest of Alvarodo’s night. “It was April fool’s day and the TV was turned on to TV Chile. Out of nowhere, they said they had some last minute news that there was an earthquake in Chile,” says Alvarado.

According to the BBC news, the earthquake that struck off the coast of Chile about 59 miles northwest of Iquique at 8:46 p.m., had an initial magnitude of 8.2, and a depth of 33 km. This earthquake was followed with a number of moderate and large aftershocks and triggered a 6.9 ft tsunami that hit Iquique on April 2.

The initial shock The original broadcast that he witnessed left him shocked and alarmed. “I was surprised, it just happened out of nowhere like earthquakes usually do,” explains Alvarado. After hearing the news, he went to inform his mother who was in a neighboring apartment at the time.

“I ran to tell my mom that there was an earthquake, she asked me if I was joking, and when I told her I was dead serious she still did not believe me,” states Alvarado.

Alvarado also explains that because it was April Fools, his mother was not

convinced the incident had occurred. When his mother finally gave in to the truth and went back to their apartment, reality set in and she broke down.

“When she got back, she just started crying,” recalls Alvarado.

Up until the next day, Alvarado and his mother attempted to get in touch with Alvarado’s grandmother who lives in Chile.

“My grandma lives where the earthquake happened and my mom kept on calling her and no one would answer, there was no connection going through,” says Alvarado.

However, at one in the morning the two finally received the call that they were so anxiously waiting for. “We were both up all night until 12 waiting to see if there was going to be aftershocks and we were worried about my grandma. I was just trying to calm my mom down, and we did this until about an hour later when my grandma called saying she was fine and that nothing had happened to her,” states Alvarado.

Iquique Earthquake (April 1, 2014)

8.2

Initial shock

7.6

After shock

Although Alvarado’s grandmother survived the earthquake with no significant consequences, other Chileans were not as lucky. The earthquake caused 7 fatalities, 200 people were left under medical care, it

Last tremor

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left 1147 homes beyond repair, damaged 8300 homes, left 68% of Iquique without water service, and left more than 400 people living in shelters.

According to ONEMI’s (National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry) director, Ricardo Toro, the earthquake caused many other destructive occurrences in both Chile and neighboring areas. “About 80,000 people were evacuated in the Tarapaca region, 3,000 in Arica and Parinacota region and 22,000 in Antofagasta region” states Toro.

The next phase

The aftermath

6.4

Mark Simons, a geophysicist at the California Institute of Technology explains that this earthquake was small in comparison to the much larger potential earthquake that Chile will most likely have to face in the future. “Could be tomorrow, could be in

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50 years; we do not know when it’s going to occur. But the key point here is that this magnitude-8.2 is not the large earthquake that we were expecting for this area. We’re actually still expecting potentially an even larger earthquake,” stated Simons at the Geological Survey. Seismologists and geologists expect this devastating earthquake due to the fact that there is great pressure in the Iquique seismic gap of northern Chile.

This estimation by scientists comes as no surprise to Alvarado and his family. “Since I was a little kid, my mom has been telling me that someday there is going to be a huge earthquake, and she heard that from her mother when she was my age” states Alvarado. Therefore, although it was shocking for Alvarado it was not unanticipated.

“The earthquake is nothing new, I have been prepared for this, someday there is going to be something worse, and I’ll be ready,” expresses Alvarado.

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A Spring To-Do List

Entertainment D1 Blazer Book Club

The D.C. area offers a number of safe and fun activities for Blazers

By Alani Fujii Spring fever has finally taken over. After months of cold and damp weather, spring has decided to make an appearance and it’s a pretty great feeling. Instead of wallowing at home as if we’re still in winter, it’s time to head outside and enjoy the warm and sunny weather. Need some activity inspiration? Spring always has a lot going on; here are a couple things to do.

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Simple and DIY Spring, known for its green grass, sunny skies, and perfect breezes, is the weather for a picnic. While the idea of a red-checkered blanket and wooden basket sounds cliché, hanging out with friends and enjoying good food is an idea nobody should pass up. If picnics sound like too much work, celebrate Earth Day on April 22 by planting something green. Whether it be flowers or trees, it can brighten up your home or neighborhood. It also is healthy for the environment. But if you’re interested in making a bigger difference for the environment, volunteer at park cleanups or beautifications. The area has a ton of local events, such as cleaning up Sligo Creek. Check out your local parks if they need some beautifying. But another option is an impromptu cleanup with friends.

Definitely a fun way to enjoy the weather. If staying inside is your thing, then take some time to do some spring cleaning.

Get rid of all the winter junk and welcome in the new season.

The sudden change of clean for your environment is invigorating for the new season.

Festivals What probably brings the community together the most during the spring season are festivals. The cold winter always hindered people to stay inside.

But the welcoming of spring has brought many festivals to the local area. From April 17-27, Filmfest DC 2014 will be taking over the streets of DC. An amazing experience of great films and entertainment come back after a long year.

This festival has become a signature spotlight for filmmakers to show off their works to the audiences of the nation’s capital. Nationally known, Filmfest DC has become one of the area’s classic cultural events. The only downside is that tickets must be bought beforehand to experience the festival. But if you are on a tight budget, why not try a yoga class? From April 28-May 3, DC Yoga Week takes place. Select DC area yoga studios offer free and five dollar classes designed to increase awareness about the benefits and healthy life style of yoga.

If traveling the world during spring was always your dream, you can reach that dream this year...well sort’ve. The Around the World Embassy Tour on May 3rd, sponsored by Passport DC, is an annual celebration of international culture in Washington, D.C. that showcases many embassies with artists, performers, lecturers, teachers, and others. The embassies included range from regions such as Africa, Asia, Oceania, the Middle East, and the Americas. Other cultural festivals include the Cinco de Mayo Festival in DC and Fiesta Asia in downtown Silver Spring, both on May 4th. While both have a focus for a specific group of people, both are welcoming for all that want to learn and grow with the community.

Both include food and performances that will really pump up the spring season. One last festival is at Montgomery College on April 30. At the Takoma Park campus, the Student Performing Arts Showcase will showcase student performances in dance, theatre, music, and presentations of short student films. With many exciting ways to “spring in spring,” there is no way not to find something new to do. It’s spring 2014, and it’s time to get outside and do something!

The Smithsonian museums in Washington D.C. always bring a lot of new exhibits and events during the springtime. Even if you already have visited every single museum, there are some which bring brand-new exhibits for the spring season. At the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Pop Art Prints will be showcased until the end of August. The collection of loud and bright pop art from the 1950s-1960s will be on display for the first time in years. What makes American pop art so important is that it offered a contrast from the mainstream American art at that time. For the inner daredevil, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is showcasing Red Bull Stratos: Mission to the Edge of Space until May 26th. The exhibition includes the balloon gondola in which Felix Baumgartner ascended to the edge of space over New Mexico on October 14, 2012, and also the pressure suit he wore on July 25.

During his record-breaking descent, he reached speeds of more than 800 miles per hour. Don’t miss out on the short exhibition; it will move to another building after May 26. One more exhibit is being hosted at the National Museum of the American Indian - Ceramica de los Ancestros: Central America’s Past Revealed. The Spanish and English exhibit showcases Central America’s rich history and heritage through more than 160 objects. While it is opening during the springtime, the exhibit lasts well into next year. The Smithsonian museums have a plethora of things to do; check out their event cal- endar for more activities to do during the springt i m e .

Sporting Events With the coming of warmer weather, local and regional sports teams have taken over the DMV. Let your Blazer spirit shine and go watch Blair sports during their seasons.

Spring sports include baseball, softball, gymnastics, lacrosse, tennis, volleyball, and track. With low prices and friends nearby, a Friday after school with nothing to do can turn into a loud and fun sports game night. If professional sports are what interest you the most, the Washington Nationals and D.C. United both have strong spring seasons. With the Nationals’ season opener on April 6th, it welcomed a strong season for the Nats this year. The only downside: tickets are far pricier than Blair sports. D.C. United also is ready for a strong season. With games already being played, United is sure not to disappoint. Warmer weather and outside venues are far more favorable in spring, so take advantage to watch spring sporting events. You can also plan your own sporting events, such as soccer games, pickup basketball, or even a field day.

Gabriel García Márquez, the Colombian Nobel-winning novelist-journalist who is considered by many to have been one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, passed away earlier this month at the age of 87. He leaves behind him a legacy of nonfiction, novel, and film, and a tradition of rich storytelling in magical realism, the genre he helped popularize.

Junior Hakan Berk is captivated by Márquez’s novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold, a so-called “backwards mystery” that reconstructs the murder of fictional character Santiago Nasar from a journalist’s retrospective view. Set in a small Colombian town, the story follows a jagged timeline as the unseen narrator uncovers the events that ultimately led up to the murder, which is not just alluded to but directly announced in the very first line. “The first thing that made it different than other novels was that it does not have a linear plot line,” says Berk. “You are told in the beginning that Nasar died.”

Rather than fitting the typical “whodunit” mystery structure, Márquez’s famous novella focuses on the context of the grisly scene. “Instead of it being a mystery killing, [about] how Nasar died, it is about why Nasar died,” explains Berk. “I haven’t seen this type of novel before.”

Sophomore Oniel Lattie is captivated by Ready Player One, a dystopian novel that involves a multiplayer online virtual reality called the OASIS set in the year 2045. The OASIS controls all human activity, from recreational activities to work-related business.

Its creator is a man named James Halliday, who died five years prior to the time period within the book. People on earth seek refuge inside the OASIS in response to an exhaustion of earth’s fossil fuels, which has led to social unrest and scarcity of resources. The protagonist, Wade Owen Watts, participates in a competition created by Halliday to find an Easter egg hidden within the game simulation. Those who are searching for the egg are coined “gunters,” who become devotees of 1980s pop culture. Throughout the story, Watts encounters adventurous characters and new experiences. He even develops a love interest. Lattie is re-reading Ready Player One because he was so enraptured by the book the first time he read it. “It’s a good book for gamers,” he said, alluding to video game culture. Lattie said he would recommend the book to video game players and fans of dystopian novels.

Written by Leigh Cook and Blue Keheler

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Gathering Blazers with a hint of Magic Fantasy trading card game creates a new community at Blair

By Wesley Hopkins Sitting in a circle just outside the senior courtyard is a group of boys playing cards.

Enormous boxes and binders full of cards surround the field, lying next to their neatly placed lunchboxes. Occasionally, a senior eager to enjoy the spring weather in the courtyard will have to step carefully around the complex setup, to the players’ obvious annoyance. Inside the circle, at least 15 small piles of cards lie on each player’s side of the “field.” Four dice are constantly being rolled, one of which hardly resembles a standard die with its 20 sides. There is con-

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GETTING READY FOR THE GAME A student prepares to play Magic between the lockers on Blair Boulevard during his lunch period.

stant commotion to this relatively fast-paced game, and voices elevate frequently when discussing the detailed rules.

Magic: The Gathering is not for the simple-minded.

The elaborate fantasy game’s rules are so complex that even the players don’t really know where to begin when explaining them. “So think of it like a light bulb,” says one player. “There’s a 60-card version of the game and a 99-card version,” says another.

“You need to balance your land cards with your creature cards,” says a third.

Ultimately, they choose to just teach by example and continue playing. As they play, they talk about an upcoming event for the card game, a tournament held at Dream Wizards, a store in Rockville that sells fantasy-related games. These events are a small part of a large culture behind Magic: the Gathering. “Magic is a very social game,” explains Junior Ben Verschell. “People like to play together and it’s something we can hang out and do.” The game even crosses bridges between schools, creating some friendly interscholastic competition. “Last week we took on a bunch of kids from Kennedy. They beat us, but that’s because we were going easy on them,” says Verschell.

Although the game has reached these other schools, there isn’t yet that much diversity among people who play the game.

“It’s mostly white men, but there are some other groups getting into it,” says sophomore Matthew Allen.

“I saw a girl just last week at the Dream Wizards tournament,” recounts Verschell, as the other boys murmur in agreement.

Beyond just the card game, there are plenty of other products associated with the Magic: The Gathering brand. “There are all

kinds of books and stories behind the game, you can even look up all the lore behind the characters on the website,” explains Verschell.

“Yeah,” agrees Allen as he picks up a card coated in a plastic sleeve. “This is Vorel of the Hull Glade, and he’s actually a guy, looks can be deceiving,” he chuckles as he points to a somewhat androgynous picture. “He’s in a guild called Simic that makes strange creatures. He actually ran away from his old guild, Gruul, which is good because now he’s my command-

er.”

He carefully puts the card back down, eager to resume his game. The players all tend their cards with caution, and keep them all in crisp condition. “Some of these cards are worth a lot of money,” says Allen. “If I’m running a $30 card, I want to keep it protected.”

The players begin to discuss their most valuable cards. “James has a Snapcaster

Mage, that’s like $35 now,” says one. “But Eli’s Jace the Mind Sculptor is worth $100,” says another. According to starcitygames. com, the group’s recommended card auctioning site, the most valuable card in the game is Black Lotus, a card no longer in print, valuing approximately $8000.

“The prices fluctuate all the time,” explains Allen. “Some people treat it like a stock market and end up actually profiting off the game by buying low and selling high.”

“But the game almost always wins, they make all the money,” admits Verschell.

Along with trading cards, there are professional players that can make livings off of the game. “There are tournaments with lots of prize money, the best players get pretty famous in the game community,” says Allen exuberantly.

Right now, American Magic player Josh Utter-Layton is the highest-ranked in the world, according to wizards.com.

He has his own Wikipedia page, professional website, and fan page. He’s won BEN SAFFORD three Pro Tours, each with a $40,000 prize.

Blair Magic players idolize top players like Utter-Layton. “Have you seen the way he shuffles his cards?” asks Allen to the group. “He’s gotten it down to an art, he uses it to intimidate his opponents.”

Ultimately, these players don’t have intentions of playing as a career or much beyond high school. “I just play it casually,” says Allen. “It’s mostly just a fun way to spend lunch and after school.”

Underground grooves: when the clock strikes 9:30 Great local sounds resonate from D.C.’s local clubs on weekend nights

By Milena Castillo-Grynberg On the dimly lit corner of V Street and 9th, there stands an inconspicuous old brick building with chipped blue paint and a rhythmic hum emanating from its walls.

During the day, it appears to be nothing more than a decrepit structure, littered with trash and smelling faintly of rotting sewage. But during the night, to be honest it still looks pretty bad. But the beauty of the D.C. hotspot can only be found when one dares to venture behind the stained walls and through the rusty door, where they’ll find themselves stunned by the flashes of psychedelic lights and the excited chatter of musical anticipation. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the true 9:30 Club.

On this particular night, March 14th, the club hosts two bands: opening act Floating Action followed by Dr. Dog. By 7 o’clock, a massive line has already formed outside the club, and impatient fans stand in wait, with their coats pulled up to their ears and their tickets flapping violently in the wind.

People of all different shapes and sizes, both old and young, stand united in their bright apparel and silently hum their favorite tunes. Junior Atalie Fischer, a fan of Dr. Dog, notes that this group isn’t concerned with the band’s appearance so much as the actual work they produce. “The fans seem to be much more into the band’s music rather than their look,” explains Atalie.

The opening band, “Floating Action” originated in Black Mountain, North Carolina, where all five of its members grew up and harvested their inspiration. Although fairly recently formed and still without a record label, this band appears to have easily found its sound. Their music is more techno than traditional indie bands, but it still has the same spunk and melodic qualities as many of its counterparts. Junior Dirk Du-

pre, an attendee to this particular concert, says that he was impressed with the group’s particular style. Dupre remarks, “I liked their beats and how it was sort of electronic but they also had traditional guitar. They weren’t exactly the same kind of music as Dr.Dog but it was a good match.” Kirin Taylor, also a junior, agrees that these two bands worked well with one another. “Floating Action and Dr. Dog fit well together; it was clear that they had a lot of mutual respect for each other as musicians,” says Taylor.

Indeed, it seems that Dr.Dog generally works well with any musician that demonstrates drive and passion. In the past year alone, they have performed onstage with small groups like Saint Rich, Moses Sumney, and Fly Golden Eagle, as well as partaking in larger events like the Firefly festival where they have met and mingled with more widely recognized groups including The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Vampire Weekend. Their willingness to accept music for what is it, without prejudice or scorn is, for lack of better words, simply beautiful.

This beauty is illustrated perfectly in their sincere audiences, their own experimental music, and, above all, their endlessly amusing dance moves.

Their empathy for aspiring artists likely stems from their early struggles as an experimental band from Philadelphia in the late nineties. Since their humble beginnings, the band has accomplished incredible feats in single-handedly rebuilding their recording studios, signing with the anti-records label, and gaining a formidable fan base across the nation.

Their most notable accomplishment, however, is still their music, which is as infinitely vibrant and as astounding as the band’s history. The soulfulness of their songs is only strengthened by the band’s powerhouse live performances, which leave little to be de-

yond their reach or otherwise unwilling to sired.

Tonight, at the 9:30 club, the band is take the time to look for it. Of course, there’s bursting with the same upbeat energy that nothing wrong with knowing what kind of is so characteristic of them. Before they even step onstage, their presence can be felt in the electricity that fills the air surrounding an elevated platform, infested with orange wires and a brightly-lit sign that reads “Beware of Dog.” When the band does finally make their entrance through a cascade of metallic streamers, the crowd packs in, shoulder-to-shoulder, and grows completely silent.

This same awed silence remains unbroken, until the last note is uttered and the band PHOUNG VO smoothly makes their way off the stage. Only then, is the club IN ACTION The opening band, Floating Action, is pictured above once again filled with the loud as they soothe the audience with their slow, melodic rhythms. cheering and amorous exclamations of a thoroughly satisfied crowd. As the lights go back up, everyone music you like but it’s important to rememreassembles themselves in their respective ber that there is always more talent to be groups to rave about the events they have discovered, perhaps only a few miles from just witnessed onstage. Although there are home. Taylor suggests going to nearby conmany familiar faces in the crowd, a handful certs as a fun way of discovering new music of audience members have never been here and supporting local artists, “Going to local before. Among them is Dupre, who says he concerts is always a great experience even was surprised at the showmanship the band if you don’t end up liking the band all that demonstrated onstage, “I thought their per- much because you’ll still have a good time formance was really good,” says Dupre, and it’ll be for a good cause,” says Taylor. “from the stuff I’d heard from them I didn’t Both of Floating Action and Dr. Dog started expect it to be so rock-esque, but it was cool off as small local bands and may have never gained proper recognition for their music because I like that that kind of stuff.”

This pleasant shock in response to unfa- had it not been for more the open-minded miliar music is not unique to Dupre’s expe- individuals that gave them a chance and up rience, as those who have given new bands discovering a glorious fountain or sounds a chance rarely regret their decision. Unfor- they never knew existed. So put on your fintunately, many people still remain perfectly est threads and step into the night towards content in their ignorance, either blind to the your closest music club, where a world of untapped music potential that lies just be- strange beauty might await your eager ears.

May 2, 2014

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A perfectly deli-cious dining experience A tasty exploration of two of the area’s oldest and most satisfying delis

By Jesse Broad-Cavanagh It’s hard to get the feel just right. Very few restaurants can achieve the perfect blend of every possible aspect. The menu selection has to be varied yet comfortable and familiar.

The wait staff has to be outgoing and brisk in a friendly kind of way. The noisy atmosphere must be inviting for all to fit right in.

And the food, obviously the most important part, must be exactly what you need to get to that point where you’re way past full but your body is still enjoying every last bite. It seems picky and unusual, but it’s the perfect deli that can make itself a home for even the quickest and most satisfying of meals.

A deli tends to be an interesting mixture of a grocery store and a diner style restaurant but the cultural roots behind each one can be very different. Although most imagine a deli as being some form of a Jewish delicatessen, they can also stem from Italian and German cuisine. The Silver Spring area is home to a handful of popular kosher style Jewish delis, and among those the Parkway and Woodside Delis are the most widely recognized for what they do.

Walking into either deli can be a bit overwhelming, which is good start. The Parkway Delis’ crowded front area is stacked with a large variety of chips, drinks, and other snacks while a plastic encased counter filled with meats, cheeses, and desserts goes far back from the front entrance. It’s only after trekking through the hubbub of this area that the restaurant part of this deli is finally reached. While there might be noises coming from all directions, the entrancing smell of the warm dishes sets clear directions as to which way to go. The restaurant area is packed and full of somewhat organized chaos. Waiters go from packed tight booth to booth, bringing piles of steaming food with them as they go. A roofed off little bar on the side of the room reads “Pickle Bar”, complimentary of course for every paying customer. They certainly make use of every space as people and food crowd around every table.

The only possible issue here can be the waitline, but the constantly busy wait staff even seem to have that under control.

The Woodside Deli seems fairly similar from the outside and, like Parkway, the front door opens up into a little store area. Although the coolers on the side contain a solid variety of drinks and cakes, it’s not nearly as fully stocked as its counterpart. The plus here is that the path to the actual restaurant

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BEAUTIFUL BURGERS The Parkway and Woodside Delis offer the perfect variety of fan favorites and snacks for hungry diners. isn’t nearly as strenuous, it’s only a matter of feet from the front door. The dining area is also packed tight, with rows of small tables going back to the end of the crowded room.

The personality of this unusual place comes from the dark wooden walls which are completely covered with photographs and other memorabilia that’s been collected since it opened in 1942. There might be some differences, but both are traditional delis that have been in business for years, and they do well in making you feel right at home.

Each menu is covered with a large variety of classics and a handful of dishes unique to each establishment. Although there are many ways to start the journey, the matzoh ball soup at both places is probably your best bet. Both serve their soup with strips of chicken, noodles, carrots, and onions, and the matzoh balls themselves don’t just fall apart but rather hold up in a perfect texture. Woodside also offers a few appetizers that you wouldn’t find at most delis.

Among them a large portion of garlic bread served with melted cheese and a heavy serving of marinara sauce on top. Definitely a good choice for a hungry customer. Parkway stays a bit more traditional here but offers some potato pancakes that have an interesting twist. Instead of the normal flat pancake, the chefs go with a more spherical shape that changes the outside but not the taste. Served with a small portion of homemade applesauce, they’re a worthy way to get going.

The main dishes are the clear bulk of each menu, and choosing from so many options can be a bit overwhelming. Both offer the classic corned beef and pastrami and slice the meat in thin layered slices. Both serve reubens on the quintessential warm rye bread and the nice portion of Russian dressing doesn’t mask ZEKE WAPNER

the juices of either’s meats. Parkway continues its traditional approach with a satisfying brisket dinner served with mashed potatoes and a side. Although seemingly drowned in an over the top amount of gravy, the tender brisket is still extremely enjoyable in its quality strips. Most sides are a safe bet, and the potato salad and mac and cheese highlight the deep list. Woodside’s meat selection isn’t quite up to the same standard as their Salisbury steak and hamburger fall flat in giving off any real sort of flavor. The attempt to mask the blandness by covering the beef in gravy only creates a dish that neither looks or tastes like very much of anything.

The meal’s not over yet, however, as both present a long list of hearty dessert options. Parkway stays true and hits the customer with velvety smooth cheesecakes, creamy pies, freshly made rugelach, and a wide variety of cookies and cakes.

The clear customer favorite is the carefully rolled rugelach that comes in cinnamon, raspberry, apricot, and chocolate. The not too flaky dough surrounds each variety beautifully. Woodside doesn’t quite show off as much in their desserts but their showcased cakes in the front offer a solid end to heavy meal. Their main attraction here, however, is the brownie delight.

Rich and covered in ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream, the brownie is a lot to handle but well worth the struggle.

Breakfast, of course, is an all-day affair at both delis.

A wide variety of eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles, and hash take over the front of each menu. Parkway’s hash brown omelet is simply unreal. The hash brown, bacon, and melted cheese combo will have you in a constant crave, and the enormous portion allows for that to be well managed.

Woodside also finds success

in their large breakfast selection but the go to here should be a stack of pancakes. Large and piled high, the chocolate or blueberry filling manages to do the place justice.

As the two big deli options in the Silver Spring area, both are certainly comfortable in doing their job. The wait staff at both welcome with open arms and make you feel as if they’ve known you for years. Parkways’ feel and food are a bit more authentic and definitely a safer bet, but Woodside stays strong in keeping up at what it’s been doing for many years. Regardless of the restaurant, you’re in for a nice filling meal at a reasonable price at either welcoming place.

The Woodside Deli is located at 9329 Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring. The Parkway Deli is located at 8317 Grubb Rd. in Silver Spring.

ZEKE WAPNER

May 2, 2014

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Schedule D5

D6 Chips Clips Rush Hour

by Adelaide Waldrop and Caitlin Schneiderhan

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May 2, 2014

Across

47. Phonetic spelling of popular

1. Free State Symphony Orchestra,

winter coat

goes about things

50. A type of bread for short

for short 5. Writer of I, Robot, ____ Asimov 10. Windows Media Players, for short

10. What we do to our teeth when

54. Popular food eaten during Passover 58. Cop on the drug beat

12. For your information

15. Aids

60. Beauty and the Beast is ____ as

13. Venereal disease

old as time

21. Betcha can’t have just one!

61. Obey

gets hit by a house 17. Preferred mail carriers at Hog-

22. Inspector of game-fixing con-

62. AP Bio teacher at Blair

troversy

63. Belonging to Harry Potter re-

warts

porter, Ms. Skeeter

18. In ______ days

28. Full of all sorts of makeup 29. To journey far and wide

19. “Don’t get mad, get ____”

64. Illinois Royal Rangers

30. The first part of an approximation

20. A Catholic may do this with a vice

65. American League Division Series,

32. City in Arizona

for short

until Easter

33. A satirical newspaper

66. Alcoholics Anonymous has 12

23. A medical tube

of these

24. “This is ______ntry”

34. A new sort of stick 39. Urdu work

67. What lawyers build up

27. Deep blue

43. Clairvoyant 46. A time period

31. A grayish color

Down

32. A lot 35. What you don’t want to have in Poker

48. Multiple leaders of Russia

1. Multiple enchanted princes

49. “Satire” mispelled

2. If you’ve got a tear, you ______ up!

51. Sinhalese for “golden shower

38. One in France

3. To put on burns

39. Permanent body marking, for one

4. “Mary-Kate _______stars__

tree” 52. These will make you very in-

Bridezilla

toxicated

41. Popular circus act

5. Lots of pancakes

53. Famous rapper

43. Easy ______

6. Me

58. They’re listening to your phone

44. Kind of

7. Worldwide chain of shoe stores

45. He parted the sea

8. Undesirable hairdo

40. Keep Texas Beautiful, for short

conversations 59. Without exception

Sudoku: Easy

March Answers

KATRINA GOLLADAY

we’re angry 11. Yummy chilly snack

14. For ____!

16. In Oz, the witch from this place

Blazin’ Easter

9. The type of way in which CSN

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May 2, 2014

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E1 La Esquina Latina

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2 de mayo del 2014

La espera continúa: seguimos sin reforma migratoria

Mientras tanto miles de familias permanecen separadas por desacuerdos bipartidistas

Por Cindy Monge La lucha por la reforma migratoria continúa para la comunidad latina. Después de haber sido prometidos con una reforma justa para todos durante el término presidencial de Barack Obama, todavía está por verse si eso pasará.

El Presidente Obama ha dicho públicamente que él está más que dispuesto ha pasar una ley que pueda darle ciudadanía a los once millones indocumentados en el país. Pero esta muy lejos de ser, ya que han habido muchas propuestas estancadas causando que la ley caiga y sea rechazada en el senado.

Esta falta de acción por parte del gobierno en general preocupa a muchos de los afectados ya que ningún cambio se ha visto durante estos cuatro años.

Yamilet Cortez, del grado doceavo comenta que aunque el presidente tiene poder en el gobierno la decisión no está solamente en sus manos. Ella opina que aunque el presidente pasara una ley ejecutiva, esto no tendría tanto peso a nivel estatal por que los estados tienen la habilidad de limitar esta ley. “No creo que tenga el mismo impacto porque el presidente Obama solamente es el presidente, el senado es el que tiene el voto final, y el presidente es el que da la firma aprobando la ley,” dijo Cortez.

Pues esto no es solamente lo que está pasando. De acuerdo con fuentes del Pew Hispanic Center, durante el ano 2011 se han reportado al menos 329,000 inmigrantes indocumentados. A estos se suman 204,000 quienes han sido deportados por razones equivocadas, perfil racial, incidentes tráficos, etc. En el peor de los casos por ninguna razón criminal. La separación de familias ha causado muchas repercusiones en miles de familias dejando sin amparo a miles de ni-

ños inocentes.

Según el periódico New York Times, el presidente Obama ha deportado a más inmigrantes que algún otro presidente en la nación.

Entre todos los grupos étnicos, la comunidad latina es la más afectada.

Aunque el presidente Obama ha ayudado de alguna manera a la comunidad indocumentada al promover y aprobar leyes como el programa Deferred AcCORTESIA DE THEWISELATINACLUB.COM tion for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

Con DACA el presidente hizo posible la legalización de 500,00 soñadores o “dreamers” como se le conoce en inglés.

Pero aparte de eso el REFORMA Con la esperanza de una ley que les garantize un camino a la cuidadania, millones de personas alzan sus presidente Obama ha voces en el capitolio. Durante el ano 2011 se han reportado al menos 329,000 inmigrantes indocumentados. hecho algunas cosas para ayudar a la comunidad latina, aunque siempre han estado en contra de nosotros,” ble durante este año. “Podría ser una estratesu falta de acción también se ha visto. expresó Cortez. Este es el sentimiento que gia de los republicanos para perjudicar a los La controversia de la razón por la cual la muchos latinos tienen, pues los pasados can- demócratas,” dijo Duarte. reforma inmigratoria no ha entrado en ley didatos republicanos han hablado en contra Mientras, los demócratas y republicanos es porque algunos comentan que es culpa de los latinos y han demostrado sus esfuer- siguen tratando de convencerse el uno al del presidente, otros lo atribuyen a la falta zos por incrementar leyes anti-inmigrantes. otro para llegar a un acuerdo que ponga fin de acción a ambos partidos políticos o a un Vivian Duarte, estudiante del doceavo a el quebrantado sistema inmigratorio. Los partido en particular. grado, comenta que nos es solamente culpa líderes de la comunidad latina trabajan arYamilet comenta que los culpables de que de los republicanos, pero también de los duamente para incitar al gobierno y hacer una ley inmigratoria no sea aprobada es demócratas y el presidente. Ella dice que un llamado a los senadores para que logren culpa del partido republicano. “Los repub- si hubiera un acuerdo entre ambos partidos entender el daño que sufren millones de falicanos nunca han estado de nuestro lado, una reforma immigratoria podria ser posi- milia en todo el país.

Un año de transiciones vanguardistas El siglo XXI llega al Vaticano bajo el mando de un argentino

siosos por escuchar lo que el carismático, humorístico y directo PonTras un año de Pontificado, la tífice iba decir. A los que popularidad del Papa Francisco estábamos presentes nos ha dado la vuelta al mundo. Su aconsejó a ser jóvenes elección como el nuevo líder de la alegres y no tener miedo Iglesia Católica fue marcada por de expresar nuestra fe. varios sucesos históricos. Este es el La presencia primer Papa de la orden sacerdodel Papa fue tal jesuita y finalmente, muy especial después de cientos de en una forma años, es el primer Papa que es difícil de de origen latinoameriCORTESIA DE TELEGRAPH.CO.UK explicar. Pude cano. ver como irra- NUESTRO AMIGO El Papa Francisco le exEl Papa argentino ha diaba humildad tiende la mano a uno de sus admirantes. ganado una populariy serenidad. Su dad impresionante entre sonrisa dejaba los feligreses católicos el tema de inmigración. El Pontísaber que nada tanto como grupos no le hacia más feliz que es- fice ha respaldado el movimiento religiosos alrededor del tar con la iglesia joven. hacia una reforma migratoria en mundo. El carisma, la Además, sus palabras los Estados Unidos. Durante su humildad y la energía fuertes conmovieron a visita el Papa tuvo la oportunidad que transmite el pontímuchos, incluyéndome a de conocer la historia de una niña fice hace que muchos se de diez años llamada Jersey Vegas, mi. acerquen a escuchar su El Papa no ha cesado cuyo padre estaba detenido en una mensaje. Desde el mode transmitir su mensaje cárcel a punto de ser deportado. mento de su nombraCoincidentemente, horas después espiritual para todos los miento, el Papa ha intencristianos y latinos en gen- del encuentro entre el Papa y el tado acercarse a la gente eral alrededor del mundo. preseidente Obama, el padre de de cualquier manera poCon su mensaje claro y Vegas fue dejado en libertad. Es sible. Sus esfuerzos indirecto, hace que todos evidente que el Papa latinoamericluyen mensajes de paz, los que lo escuchan pu- cano ha tenido un año lleno de obras de caridad, visitas edan identificarse con su muchas sorpresas, sin contar las de feligreses alrededor prédica. Ha logrado que que hay por venir. del mundo, sin menciomuchos católicos vuelvan nar su comunicación a CORTESIA DE TELEGRAPH.CO.UK a recobrar su fe. través de las redes soLa popularidad singular El programa “InDesign” utilizado para realizar ciales como Twitter. La ADMIRACIÓN Un grupo enorme de jóvenes se reúnen alrededor del nuevo Papa argentino para del Papa Francisco ha cre- el periódico de la escuela, está diseñado para realidad es que el Papa es escucharlo hablar a su ídolo y también para tomarle fotos. ado un espacio en donde la lengua Inglesa. Con tal propósito, Silver imposible de ignorar. él puede aclarar muchos El verano pasado, tuve el placer de presenciar el carisma en un parque varias cuadras lejos fue el hecho de que habia muy temas controversiales dentro de la Chips ofrece disculpas por cualquier error del pontífice en la Jornada Mundi- de donde estaba toda la acción. poca seguridad rodeándolo. Nada iglesia católica que a veces causan gramatical que tengan las páginas de La al de la Juventud en Río de Janeiro. Al final, nos dimos cuenta de que fue más emotivo que ver al Pontí- confusión y polémica.

Esquina Latina después de Recientemente, el Papa Fui parte de una jornada que era quedarnos a dormir en el parque fice pasar enfrente de mi bendicise reunió con el presidente Barack haber sido intensamente para todos los jóvenes católicos del no era lo más seguro. Encontra- endo a todos los presentes.

El Papa procedió a la tarima para Obama para discutir temas como editadas. Gracias. mundo que habían realizado un mos un lugar en la playa y allí peregrinaje para encontrarse con nos quedamos. La sorpresa de la dar la misa. Todos estábamos an- el “derecho a la vida,” al igual que

Por Marisela Tobar

el Papa. Las experiencias que tuve en este viaje fueron maravillosos.

Al llegar a Copacabana, me encontré con miles de jóvenes de todas partes del mundo. Éramos tantos jóvenes que no lográ-bamos llegar hasta la playa de Copacabana por donde iba a pasar el Papa. Esperábamos pasar la noche

mañana siguiente fue cuando nos avisaron que el Papa iba a pasar justo por allí en unas pocas horas; la emoción que sentimos fue increíble porque todo habia ocurrido por pura coincidencia.

Después de varias horas, el Papa pasó en su carruaje Papal como prometido. Lo que nos sorprendió

La Esquina Latina E2

silverchips

2 de mayo del 2014

Cien años de soledad y tristeza en Latinoamérica

La muerte de Gabriel García-Márquez estremece a sus lectores

Por Milena Castillo-Grynberg Su nombre se escucha persistentemente en distintos lugares de todo el mundo; apareciendo de repente en ciudades tan diversas como Bogotá, Paris, México... el hombre que recorrió el mundo entero, además de otros mundos aparte: El gran Gabo. A nosotros, los estudiantes, su nombre se nos aparece en nuestros libros de texto y en la portada de nuestros cuentos favoritos.

Escuchamos las alabanzas de nuestra maestras de literatura una y otra vez mientras leemos sus novelas más populares. Más recientemente, escuchamos su nombre dictado en la voz solemne de un reportero de noticias en la tele, informándonos de su muerte Al final, en la luz de esta trágica noticia, es

hora ya que nos preguntemos honestamente, “quién es este misterioso ‘gran Gabo’ y por qué nos importa tanto?”

Como el mismo Gabo nos ha demostrado en sus cuentos y novelas, las buenas historias necesitan de un telón de fondo que las avale y las enriquezca. Para este escritor colombiano, su pueblo natal (Aracataca) sirvió de inspiración y de contexto para muchas de sus historias, en especial de la que se considera su obra maestra Cien años de soledad y por la cual recibió el Premio Nobel en 1982.

Aunque pasó sus últimas tres dé-

porque captura la condición humana y do ha de ayudarlo a levantarse” Sobre sus temas universales y atemporales como el amigos escribió “Son tantas las cosas que he amor, el odio, los prejuicios sociales, el pod- podido aprender de ustedes, pero realmente er de la imaginación y de la pasión, de mucho no habrá de servir, porque cuanentre otros tantos, pero conta- do me guarden dentro de esa maleta, infelizdos de una forma única, con mente me estaré muriendo.”

García-Márquez murió el 17 de abril, a un lenguaje colorido y lleno los 87 años de cáncer linfático. En México de símbolos.

Uno de los símbolos que se celebró un acto público para despedir al utilizaba a menudo era el querido escritor. A este evento concurrieron color amarillo, que para amigos, familiares, los presidentes de Méxél representaba la muerte ico y de Colombia, además de miles de su y la descomposición, pero admiradores y admiradoras. El lugar fue también del renacimien- decorado con flores amarillas y hubieron to y la buena fortuna. Las bandas musicales que tocando vallenatos flores amarillas era su amuleto y muchas de sus canciones favoritas despide la buena suerte y en su ultima dieron al autor.

A pesar de su muerte física, Gabo aparicion publica, a los 87 años, llevacontinuará viviendo en sus libros y en la ba consigo una flor amarilla.

Gabo era conocido por su mente y el corazón de todos lo que amamos su obra. espíritu alegre y parrandero, pero también por su humil“boom latidad, su calidez y su sentido de noamericano” CORTESIA DE CLIPART.COM la justicia. Al enterarse que estaba que dio a conocer al enfermo, escribió una emotiva carta mundo entero el talento de estos escritores inigualables. El estilo a todos sus amigos y seres queridos. En de García Márquez se conoce como esta carta reflexionaba sobre el sentido realismo mágico, porque mezcla de la vida, las cosas que haría si tuviera elementos de la vida cotidiana con más tiempo de vida, lo que había aprenhechos fantásticos o sobrenatu- dido, y además aconsejaba a sus amigos rales. Muchos escritores latino- enfocarse en las cosas realmente imporamericanos utilizan este recurso tantes como el afecto, la amistad y el literario, pero nunca nadie lo amor.

Sobre las lecciones que le dio ha logrado tan magistralmente la vida dijo, “He aprendido que todo como él.

Los cuentos y novelas de Gabo el mundo quiere vivir en la cima de la tocan a menudo el tema de la muerte. La montaña sin saber que la felicidad esta CORTESIA DE JONTAPLIN.COM palabra “muerte” es la más frecuente en su en la forma de subir la escarpada. He EL GABO Gabriel García-Márquez fue una figura obra literaria, según informó el semanar- aprendido que un hombre solo tiene io Arcadia en el 2008. Su obra nos atrapa derecho a mirar a otro hacia abajo cuan- muy important en la literatura latinoamericana cadas en México y casi no frecuentaba Aracataca, aquel pueblo con sus p e r s o n a j e s y sus costumbres dejó una marca indeleble en la fértil imaginación del futuro escritor y alimento muchas de sus historias.

García-Márquez, junto con otros grandes escritores latinoamericanos formaron parte del conocido

Cansados de protagonizar la cenicienta y el jardinero Los medios de comunicación fomentan los estereotipos de los latinos Por Itcenia Quezada y Alisson Fortis

En los Estados Unidos, los estereotipos sobre latinos se ven en noticias, telenovelas, películas y en la vida diaria. En el censo del 2012, 53 millones de hispanos formaban el 17 por ciento de la población de los Estados Unidos, la minoría más grande de la nación. De ese 17 por ciento de hispanos, el 65 por ciento eran de nacionalidad mexicana, el 9.4 por ciento eran puertorriqueños y el resto de las nacionalidades eran menos del 4 por ciento.

Si alguien es hispano, mucha gente inmediatamente asume que seguramente es de México o inmigrante. Los diferentes grupos étnicos tienden a asumir que a todos los latinos nos gusta comer las mismas comidas como tacos, burritos, tamales y pupusas, cuando no es cierto. Pero la culpa no es solo de ellos. El público americano se guía por lo que oyen y ven en la televisión y en los medios de comunicación.

En los programas de entretenimiento latino, como son las telenovelas, se representan a las mujeres y a los hombres en roles que están lejos de la realidad de muchos latinos. Muchas telenovelas, presentan a las mujeres como económicamente interesadas, que solo buscan a hombres ricos como esposos para vivir una vida lujosa.

La dignidad de las mujeres se pone en tela de juicio ya que con personalidad inescrupulosa y artimañas logran sus objetivos.

Por otra parte las protagonistas de las telenovelas suelen jugar el rol de cenicienta pobre y sin educación. Estas mujeres son representadas como ciudadanas de segunda clase; ellas son quienes cocinan, limpian, cuidan a los niños y se quedan en la casa.

Las telenovelas y películas retratan a las mujeres con características físicas que las hacen perfectas no solo en su forma de actuar, sino que en apariencia también. En las novelas, las actrices son casi perfectas; delgadas, altas, caras bellas, y facciones delicadas. Para lucir el buen nivel físico de sus cuerpos, las protagonistas se ponen ropa provocativa. Se podría decir que la seducción y una buena figura son las armas perfectas que estas mujeres utilizan para ser infieles y engañar a sus esposos. El público ve el rol que le dan a las actrices latinas y asumen que

recen en roles como los villanos o con una luz negativa.

Muchas telenovelas muestran los hombres como seres machistas y celosos, que no dejan que sus esposas tengan muchos derechos.

También en Hollywood, los actores juegan roles que representan al hombre latino como un bandido, narcotraficnate o ganguero.

Varios televidentes creen que lo

POR EVA SHEN

todas son como los personajes en las telenovelas. Esto no solo ocurre con las mujeres, pero también a los hombres quienes apa-

que se presenta en las novelas es un reflejo de como son los latinos, tanto hombres como las mujeres en la vida real. Alexa Duran, estudiante del noveno grado, dice que en los programas que ella ve que los latinos son representa-

dos como la clase trabajadora que tienen trabajos ordinarios y con poco nivel educativo. “[Los programas que veo] Muestran a los hispanos como personas pobres, que trabajan como jardineros, fontaneros o trabajadores de la construcción, trabajos que requieren un poco o nada de educación. Las mujeres, por su parte, usualmente son empleadas domésticas, o trabajan de meseras o de amas de casa,” dijo Duran.

Los estereotipos influyen de una manera muy poderosa sobre el resto de la comunidad estadounidense. Los estereotipos son utilizados por otras razas para hacer bromas de mal gusto ejemplificando que todos los latinos están destinado a ser jardineros y empleadas domésticas. Marvin Benítez, estudiante del décimo grado dice cuando él da a conocer sus aspiraciones profesionales, algunas personas podrían asumir que sus aspiraciones no serían tan prometedoras.

“Cuando hablamos [en clase] de que queremos hacer cuando seamos grandes, muchos me dicen que yo voy a ser trabajador de construcción o un jardinero por ser hispano, “ comenta Benítez.

En las noticias cuando el tema de la inmigración se aborda, suele estar enfocado mayormente en el efecto de dicha ley hacia los hispanos. Es una de las percepciones que muchas personas tienen.

Es por esa razón que se estereotipa a la comunidad latina como la única comunidad inmigrante en los Estados Unidos de manera ilegal, cuando no es necesariamente

así. En una encuesta, varios de los encuestados dijeron que cuando oían la palabra “inmigración”, inmediatamente pensaban en los latinos. Un estudiante anónimo dice que muchos piensan que el “nació en México y saltó la frontera” cuando en realidad él nació en Washington DC y es de origen salvadoreño. Este es un ejemplo de estereotipos que se llevan acabo por medio de comentarios inapropiados.

Cualquier estereotipo sobre los hispanos afecta a todos, no necesariamente a nivel emocional pero también mental. Hay muchos estereotipos sobre los latinos que influyen en cómo son percibidos los demás. La manera en que los perciben afecta como se relacionan con su entorno social. Con todos los ejemplos que dan los medios de comunicación, la gente tiende a pensar que son inferiores porque se les tacha como “ignorantes” sin buena educación. Muchos latinos son tratados sin respeto ni consideración, como si fueran ciudadanos de segunda clase.

Pero hay esperanza de que estos estereotipos desaparezcan.

Muchos inconformes participan en protestas sobre los derechos de los latinos. En las noticias salen muchas historias sobre los activistas que van a lugares políticos, cómo Capitol Hill, a protestar sobre temas de proyectos políticos para la reforma migratoria y otros temas que afectan a nuestra comunidad.

Si la comunidad latina alza su voz y se opone a dicho trato a través de una buena educación y un trabajo bien pagado, quizás todos los estereotipos sobre los latinos puedan ir perdiendo fuerza. Esto logrará que los roles que les asignan a los latinos en la medios de comunicación cambien a unos que representen a la mayoría latina y no a la minoría como lo que vemos hoy en día.

F1 Sports

May 2, 2014

silverchips

Scoring the winning goals - and calling them, too Blazers trade in cleats for clipboards in coaching and reffing jobs

By Landon Harris Referees and coaches are two of the most scrutinized figures in high school sports. Go to any Blair sporting event and you’re likely to hear chants about blind zebras. Ask any student-athletes and they will be able to give a complaint or two about their coach.

Although quick to criticize, few high school sports fans actually have experience as referees or coaches themselves.

Junior John Ramsey, a member of Blair’s varsity baseball team is one of the few high schoolers who has seen the game from all three perspectives: coach, umpire, and player. Ramsey umpired baseball for the first time last fall for Burtonsville Athletic Association. He was paid $25 a game to make calls for second grade machine pitched league games, a job that he said was not too difficult. “All I had to do was call strikes if they swung and missed and outs in the field,” Ramsey claimed. The tension of an elementary school game is much less than that of a high school game with bigger fan bases and more competitive teams however. “It was much easier than calling a high school game because there was less pressure,” Ramsey admitted. He still thought it was rewarding experience though. “It was a fairly easy 2 hours of work,” he said, “but it was fun to interact with the kids.”

Ramsey also enjoyed coaching second and third graders at TPSS (Takoma Park Silver Spring) baseball winter clinics. Ramsey presided over specific batting stations or batting cages where he would go over the younger players’ swings and instruct them on where they could improve. “I like working with younger kids and trying to help them achieve their full potential” Ramsey said. “It’s fun because most of the time [the kids] are enthusiastic,” he added. Coaching was not all fun and games however. “Getting kids to listen is probably the biggest challenge,” Ramsey conceded. “It can be annoying when kids don’t listen and keep on running around acting crazy.” To get players

ZEKE WAPNER

COACHING THE SQUAD Sophomore Miguel Lopez poses with his MSI youth soccer team. Lopez is among many Blair athletes who have turned to coaching youth teams. to listen Ramsey tries to connect with them on a personal level. “I try to interact with them on things that are outside the sport we are doing. That way I can get them to open up to me and establish a trust factor.”

Sophomore Miguel Lopez also has experience as both a coach and ref, but for a different sport. A varsity soccer player for Blair, Lopez has also refereed MSI soccer and coached for Montgomery Soccer Academy.

Lopez is a real boy about why he got into refereeing. “People in my position would say it’s because of the kids, but not me, it’s because of the money,” he admitted. Lopez made $25 a game as a side ref for boys MSI soccer ages 8-10. “Basically, if there was a foul I would put my flag in the air and wave it. I would also call offsides positions,” Lo-

pez explained.

Lopez more genuinely enjoyed working with younger players as an assistant coach for Montgomery Soccer Academy. “It was actually pretty nice, the kids were really funny,” Lopez said. The kids seemed to be fond of him too. “They loved me,” Lopez claimed with a chuckle, “I brought them popsicles.”

Still, Lopez experienced a similar challenge to Ramsey. He recounted one day when the head coach wasn’t there and he was left alone. “I had to coach little kids on my own for the entire day. They were running around like crazy,” he remembered. Miguel used a combination of humor and discipline to get them to listen. “I had to be strict, but funny and make them laugh a little bit,” he said.

Junior Elyse Salpekar, a member of Blair’s girls’ varsity soccer team, and a coach for a third grade Takoma Park Rec soccer team, also advocates a strict but fun coaching strategy. “You have to be firm and you have to be loud and yell sometimes,” Salpekar asserted, “but also make things fun so [the kids] want to listen to you.” Salpekar coaches the team with her Blair teammates sophomore Kelly Mayo and freshman Joelle Nwulu. They run hour long practices once a week and preside over games on Saturday mornings. Salpekar has also worked as a referee for second grade girls’ Takoma Park Rec soccer. She claimed that officiating for that age wasn’t too complex. “At that level they didn’t really do much, so I didn’t really have too much to do,” she said.

Ramsey, Lopez, and Salpekar all think there are some advantages to having teens coach and ref. Younger refs may be able to keep up better with the speed of the games to make the right calls. “Right now there’s a lot of really old people reffing. They’re kind of slow and can’t really see everything.

Teens are more active and more attentive,” Miguel argued. Ramsey believes kids often have more fun getting coached by someone closer to their own peer group. “The kids enjoyed coming to my station more than they enjoyed going to the 60 year old dude who’s running a station,” he said.

Salpekar agrees that kids are more likely to have fun with a teen than an adult, but concedes that adults are better at getting them to listen. “I think it makes it more fun to not have adults coaching, but it’s hard sometimes because they would probably listen to an adult better.” Coaching and reffing younger players has given Salpekar a new appreciation for those who have coached her. “I’ve complained about plenty of coaches in the past but you can’t really be justified in doing that until you understand what the job entails,” said Salpekar. The same goes for refereeing. “You can’t really complain about a ref until you’ve done it yourself,” she said.

It’s raining, it’s pouring, but we should be scoring

Parks and Planning is in charge of Blair’s playing time on the diamond

By Kyle Desiderio An opinion Editor’s Note: Kyle Desiderio is a member of the varsity baseball team.

One month into the spring sports season, no baseball or softball team in the county had played more than two games.

By April, both the Blair baseball and softball teams were already scheduled to have played six games. The reason? Snow. In March. I’m sorry, where do I live again?

I thought this was Maryland.

The two surprise snowstorms and the constant rain that plagued March have done more than just make us curse the skies; they’ve jeopardizing the spring season.

Due to the wonderful extended winter that we’ve had, the two teams have traded gym time and squeezed any free slots on the much sought after turf in order to prepare for their seasons.

Once it reaches a point where it’s actually habitable outside, the teams’ practice days are spent playing games that were scheduled for days before. Apr. 11 was the first day the baseball team was able to practice on the infield. Most of this delay has been because of the weather, but another substantial reason is the lack of control the

teams actually have on the field.

It’s no secret that Blair has some of the best athletic facilities in the county, even when you go up to the multi-million dollar man-

when the facilities were built, Blair had to waive ownership of them.

Our baseball and softball teams certainly take priority during the spring season, but technically, the county owns these fields. While

GRACE WOODWARD

sions in Potomac, we can go headto-head with some of their fields.

Obviously, since the new Blair building is only 15 years old, our fields have had considerably less wear-and-tear than others’. But

this certainly comes with its perks - I barely have to rake the field after practice, since county workers do this for the team every morning - the county ownership does come with its downsides.

The biggest and most glaring is the fact that we don’t get to decide

when we can play on our field. Instead, the county does.

While the field isn’t technically “ours” (it’s also home to the amateur league baseball team Thunderbolts during the summer), to the players and coaches, this is our home turf. We’ve practiced here daily for years, watched past Blazers play ball when we were young, and now yearn to be out on the field during the off season.

The baseball stadium (aka “The Thunderdome”) is our field, and having absolutely no input in whether we can play on it is extremely frustrating. Since our coaches can’t make this decision, we are stuck checking our phones in class waiting for the all-important text declaring, “PRACTICE IS ON” or the much more realistic, “NO PRACTICE. EARLY TURF AT 2:45.” The County loves this field, and it’s no secret that they will be extremely protective of it if they have to. Parks & Planning is as quick to close the Blair fields because of weather as Joshua Starr is to close school because of snow.

It’s great that Parks & Planning loves our field as much as we do, but when their overprotectiveness comes at a detriment to the teams’ preparedness for the season, things need to change. As it stands now, Blair teams face a $1,000 fine every time we use the field when it has

been closed by the county. Because of the weather and the county’s overprotectiveness, we have been forbidden from playing nearly every day this season.

We care just as much about the well-being of our field, but the monopoly that the county has on it needs to be toned down. We don’t even necessarily want complete control, but a little compromise never hurt anybody. If the infield is unplayable, we’re willing to only use the outfield. Base paths mimicking a slip-n-slide? We don’t have to use them! We even bought a tarp to protect the soft infield grass when we hit ground balls.

As the rain somewhat subsides, teams across the county are scrambling to get their games in. Both softball and baseball have played double headers in order to fit the most games into the least amount of time.

State rules declares that baseball nor softball can play more than four games a week, meaning all across the county four-game weeks will become the norm, making any practice time extremely crucial. Taking away these practices really hurts us.

So, Parks and Planning, I have an open statement to you: Hey. It’s okay. We wont hurt you or your field, we promise. We just want to play ball.

May 2, 2014

Sports F2

silverchips

Quidditch: Bringing magic to Muggle sports

A group of Potter fans is introducing Blair to the hottest sport in the wizarding world

By Aditi Subramanian Junior Kevin Ho and his teammates line up one side of the practice field, focused on the row of dogeballs and volleyballs placed halfway between them and their opponents.

At the call of, “brooms up!” he dashes to grab a volleyball and looks for an open pass. As he and his teammates attempt to carry the ball up the field, Ho dodges hits from opponents who try to knock him out. And he does all this with o n e hand, because his other hand is holding a PVC pipe between his legs.

This is Mugg l e Quid-

seeker. Keepers are equivalent to goalies, and their job is to guard the three hoops.

Chasers are responsible for passing a quaffle up the field and into any of the hoops. Each quaffle shot is worth ten points.

Howeve r,

the snitch wins, regardless of the number of points.

Another rule unique to muggle quidditch is Title 9 ¾, a play on Title IX and the book’s platform 9 ¾, where the characters board the train to Hogwarts. The rulebook dictates that, “during a Quidditch game, each team must have at least two players in play who identify with a different gender than at least two other players. The gender that a player identifies with is considered to be that player’s gender.” According to the IQA website, this rule was implemented to go beyond the binary gender system and ensure gender quality on the playing field.

Bringing it to Blair After seeing Muggle Quidditch’s collegiate success, Ho and Hileman decided to introduce the sport to the Blair community. However, creating the club took a lot of effort it and took about a year for their work to come to fruition.

The first step was to apply to be recognized as a club.

The duo

ditch, a unique m i x of rugby and dodgeball adapted from the sport J.K. Rowling conjured up in her fantasy series, Harry Potter. Ho cofounded Blair’s Muggle Quidditch Club this year along with senior Raanan Hileman after discovering that the sport is played competitively at several colleges in the country and worldwide.

Quidditch history Muggle Quidditch is the brainchild of Xander Manshel and Alex Benepe, former students at Middlebury College in Vermont. The two conceived the idea in 2005, during their freshman year, as a more creative alternative to standard collegiate sports. “I didn’t like the way that a major sport eats up your life at college without allowing much time for creativity, so I got on board with developing Quidditch in order to combine creativity and sports,” Benepe stated in an ESPN interview.

Manshel and Benepe wrote the Intercollegeiate Quidditch Rulebook, which detailed everything from game conduct to how to attract players to the team. As the popularity of Muggle Quidditch grew and other colleges developed teams, the pair founded the International Quidditch Association (IQA), the governing body that hosts the Quidditch World Cup. The first World Cup matched Middlebury against Vassar College in 2007, the only two teams part of the IQA at the time. Since then, over one hundred teams have joined the IQA and now, like in other sports, they must compete in various regional qualifying matches in order to be eligible for the World Cup.

The rules Quidditch pulls aspects from a mix of sports. The game is played on an elliptical field with three hoops measuring one meter, 1.4 meters and two meters in height on either side of the field and a row of volleyballs and dodge balls on the halfway line.

Each team’s goal is to get as many volleyballs, or quaffles, in their opponents’ hoops as possible.

A team consists of seven players: one keeper, three chasers, two beaters and one

t h e y m u s t watch out for enemy beaters, defensive players who throw dodge balls, or bludgers, at opponents to knock them out. Only keepers are immune to bludger shots, and anyone else who is hit must run and touch one of his or her team’s hoops before returning to play. Seekers are independent from the central play in that their sole aim is to catch the snitch, a neutral player wearing gold running with a tennis ball in sock attached to his or her waist. The snitch is worth thirty points and, once it is captured, the game ends. Whichever team has the most points after the snitch is caught is declared the winner.

From book to game Since Rowling’s version of the sport was meant for wizards with magical powers, the creators had to modify a few rules to suit Muggles, the wizard world’s term for humans.

Although Muggles can not fly on brooms, players are still required to use one hand to hold a broomstick between their legs at all times during the game.

Hileman likes this aspect because it makes Quidditch challenging and exciting. “It feels awkward and cumbersome.

It’s meant to slow you down, but the fact that you almost have a disability is what makes the game more interesting,” he explained.

The concept of the snitch also varies between the book and real life play. Rowling describes the snitch as a small, golden ball with wings that zips around the field and is almost impossible to catch. And in Harry Potter, whichever team manages to capture

asked a number of teachers to be sponsors and finally received a “yes” from math teacher Mr. Schwartz.

Then they had to submit a club constitution, which was extensive and took a long time to write. “Getting approved by the SGA was the first hurdle.

We had to write up the constitution and it was a lot of work,” said Ho. Ho and Hileman then set up a booth at the activity fair at the beginning of the school year. Over the course of the two days, they had over one hundred people sign up for the mailing list. “We were really excited that we got over one hundred sign ups because we weren’t sure if people were going to be interested,” Ho explained.

The sport’s special equipment posed a challenge for the presidents because they had to handcraft all of the materials and fund the expenses out of their own pockets.

“We sent out emails asking for money and material donations, but for the most part we had to pay for everything ourselves,” Ho admitted.

The pair approached John Kaluta, who teaches Principles of Engineering and Materials Science at Blair, for help. Originally planning to use simple PVC pipe for broomsticks and slap together plywood for the goal hoops, they were pleasantly surprised by durability of the materials Kaluta

offered them and the quality of the end products. “We discussed ideas with Mr. Kaluta and he gave us materials we didn’t even know we could use. He gave us more durable materials, like metal pipes, wooden bases and screws, and tools to cut with.

We can also transport our equipment easily because we can dissemble the pieces,” Ho described.

Armed with these new materials, Ho and Hileman chose one week to stay after school every day and build the equipment under the supervision Kaluta’s supervision. “There was this one week where we binge-made materials after school” Ho said, laughing.

The first practices With the equipment in place and the spring semester well underway, the Muggle Quidditch club was ready to have regular practices. At the first practice, only seven people attended so Mr. Schwartz joined in to create two teams of four. But as the weeks went by, more people came.

Most of the Blazers who came to practices had never played Quidditch before. The game was relatively easy to pick up and a fun option for those who do not play sports otherwise. “ It’s pretty simple. It’s kind of a loophole to the no dodgeball rule, and it is a team sport that I can casually play with my friends,” said senior Jonah Chazan, excitedly., referring to the county’s ban on the sport.

Junior Mukund Patnaik was drawn to Quidditch because it is unlike any other sport that Blair offers.

“It’s unique and not that many people here play it. The broom is definitely the best part [of the game]. It’s the hardest part because you have to waddle around with a stick between your legs, but it is a cool challenge,” explained Patnaik.

Making competition For now, Quidditch will be an intramural sport and the members of the club will play against themselves. In order to be upgraded to a club sport, Blair’s team will have to play against other schools in the county, but few other schools have a quidditch

BEN SAFFORD

team.

“I think W a l ter Johnson and Roosevelt might have Quidditch clubs. I’m pretty sure most schools in the county don’t have [a team],” said Ho. The presidents want to contact students at other schools to see if students have an interest in forming a Quidditch club. “Next year we want to do some outreach and advertise this to ensure other schools have this club,” Ho announced. “We are literally making our own competition.”

The presidents’ ultimate goal is turn quidditch into a varsity sport in order to better prepare students who want to continue playing in college. Until then, you’ll find these wizards on the practice field.

The Quidditch club practices on Tuesdays after school on the practice field.

F3 Sports

silverchips

silverchips.mbhs.edu/section/sports

May 2, 2014

Softball conquers Coyotes Girls’ lacrosse defeats Blake Blair gets redemption for last year’s playoff loss Blazers beat Bengals for first time in four years

By Ross Cohen-Kristiansen Blazer Field, Apr. 23— On May 15 of last year, Blair exited the playoffs with unfinished business after suffering a 7-4 defeat to the Clarksburg Coyotes.

The match on April 23 was a different story, as Blair (12-0) pulled away early and defeated the Coyotes (5-2) by a score of 11-6.

Blair was officially the away team despite playing at home due to the postponement of a game that was supposed to have been played at Clarksburg, so they batted first. The Blazers’ offense wasted no time.

Sophomore Mildred Devereux led the game off with a line drive single over the shortstop’s glove. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Andrea Brown, moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on an RBI groundout to second by senior Annie Pietanza.

With two outs, senior Michelle McGhee made an unusual round of the bases. She singled to right, took second on a passed ball, stole third and then scored on a wild pitch.

Head coach Louis Hoelman explained his team’s philosophy of forcing the issue on the base paths. “As base coaches, we tell our players that we’re only going to try to stop them. Otherwise, they should be running aggressively all the time,” he said.

In the bottom of the first, Clarksburg manufactured a run of its own. After the leadoff hitter grounded out, the second batter singled to right, stole second, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.

With two outs and a run in, Clarksburg

recorded another single; however, catcher Maria Cruz gunned out the runner attempting to steal second. Blair returned to the dugout still ahead.

Only one player reached base for either team in the second—a Clarksburg player on a one-out walk. The game looked destined to be a pitcher’s duel, but in the top of third, Blair ensured that that would not be the case.

With one out and Devereux on third, Pietanza hit a fly ball that dropped in the right-center field gap for an RBI double.

Then, with two outs and runners at the corners, junior Kerry Madden hit a two RBI triple that rolled to the wall, putting Blair ahead 5-1.

Blair scored three more in the top of the fifth inning with four singles from Brown, McGhee, senior Susannah Merrill and junior Camilla Arias. Blair also had the help of a Clarksburg error. Clarksburg subsequently went three up, three down in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the sixth, the Blazers added another three runs. Senior Susannah Merrill led off with a swinging bunt single and then advanced to second after the Clarksburg pitcher threw the ball to the right field fence.

Devereux stepped up next with a single and then Brown grounded out to score the run. The two ensuing batters—McGhee and Pietanza—hit RBI doubles.

Starting pitcher Pietanza pitched a complete game, nothing to Hoelman’s surprise.

“Annie [Pietanza] is one of the best pitchers in the county,” he said. “She’s also a very clutch pitcher. She pitched herself out of some difficult situations, with the defense behind her helping her out.”

By Dylan Ahunhodjaev Blazer Stadium, Apr. 26— It was sunny and mild Saturday as the 5-5 Blair girl’s varsity lacrosse team took on its last intra-division rival scheduled for this season, the 4-4 Blake Bengals. Both teams came out snarling—overshooting a few key goals and keeping the scoreboard relatively tight—but as time wore on and the second half rolled around, the Blazers found a consistent scoring rhythm and were able to win by a large breadth.

In the opening minutes of the game, even as the Blazers steadily outstripped the visiting Bengals to lead 8-2 at the half, neither team seemed definitively in control of the field. The Bengals’ defense was able to muddle several successive waves of Blazer attacks, and a handful of potential Blair goals were whipped just inches shy of the pipes.

If Blair’s defense seemed reserved in the first half, the Bengals’ frantic, aggressive protection of the goal would lead to a clear momentum change in Blair’s favor, as a successful penalty shot by senior attack Hallie Richie led to three more in quick succession, prompting a Blake time-out.

From there, Blair’s attacks became visibly more cogent—the players whipping by Bengal defenders in stride, the ratio of goals scored to shots made steadily increasing.

Several Bengal drives that made it to Blair’s crease were stonewalled by goalie Jenna Kanner, whose series of improbable-looking saves were quickly and ably reversed into scoring Blair offensives.

The second half was when the game fell squarely into “rout” territory. Blair scored

within the first minute, not letting up until the final 15-3 goal in the last thirty seconds of play by Leah Messina.

This victory had some particularly satisfying elements for members of the girl’s varsity team, like attacker Leah Damo.

“In the past four years, we haven’t beaten Blake,” she said. “Last year, they were the only team that beat us, so it was really fun to beat them. We also played a really good game ourselves.”

The Blair girls’ varsity lacrosse team will play its next home game on Saturday, May 3 at 4:30 p.m. against the Wheaton Knights.

COURTESY OF KATIE SEBASTIAN

UP IN THE AIR Senior midfielder Amalia Perez battles Blake for ball possession.

Baseball blasts Einstein Titans in Senior Night victory Blair pitchers combine for no-hitter in blowout win after five innings

By Sam Popper Montgomery Blair Field, Apr. 23— What an evening it was on Senior Night for Blair Varsity Baseball (11-3) as they blewout the Einstein Titans (4-9) 14-0 in a game that ended prematurely by mercy rule.

With a vast majority of seniors in the

lineup, the Blazers opened the game with a monster six-run first inning, highlighted by a 3-RBI double by senior third baseman Carson Schweickhardt.

Schweickhardt agrees that a fast start was important for the Blazers in this game.

“It just kind of got the ball rolling for us,” he said. “It allowed us to do more damage later in the game.”

EMMA HOWELLS

ROUNDING THE BASES Junior shortstop Max Salzman scores on Schweickhardt’s 3-RBI double in the first inning. His run was one of many in the 14-0 win.

The Blazers would indeed do more damage, led by the stellar pitching of one of the few juniors in the starting lineup, Peter Berger.

He pitched up until the last inning and did not allow a run, and head Coach Eric Zolkiewicz agreed that Berger pitched a very nice game.

“Peter started off a little slow, but once he found the strike zone, he did a really fine job tonight,” he said.

Junior Aaron Clingman came into the game to pitch in relief for Berger the last inning and he too did not allow a run. The Blair pitchers were aided throughout the game by great defensive plays behind them and great hitting by their team during the other half innings.

The Blazers were aggressive on the base paths early in the game, and it helped them take an early lead. Many wild pitches by Einstein as well as stolen bases by Blair turned into Blazer runs throughout the game.

Berger agrees that run support is one of the best things a pitcher can get from his team. “It’s nice as a pitcher when you get a lot of run support, so that you can just hang in there and play worry-free baseball,” he said.

Overall, it was a great senior night for Blair baseball. It gave the seniors a chance to enjoy a dominant victory in their final home game with many Blair baseball alumni present in the stands. The night also gave the team a chance to really appreciate what this year’s senior class has added to the ball club.

Coach Zolkiewicz stressed senior leadership when referring to his current class of seniors.

“The seniors have been tremendous,” he said. “They’ve helped set the path for what we have going now and what we’re going to have going in the future.”

The Blair boys’ varsity baseball team will play its next home game on Saturday, May 3 at 2:30 p.m. against the Sherwood Warriors.

insideSPORTS Muggle Quidditch see page F2

Quidditch fanatics bring the Harry Potter-inspired game to Blair.

Teen Coaches see page F1

Some Blazers flip the script and turn in their cleats for a clipboard.

ELIZABETH PHAM