December 2014 -- Silver Chips Print

Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

A public forum for student expression since 1937

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DENNIS YANG

Artists at Blair C4 December 17, 2014

Winner of the 2014 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker

After Ferguson, mixed emotions

VOL 77 NO 3

PARCC schedule draft lengthens classes

By William Zhu Blair administrators outlined a proposed schedule with large changes to class times over a period of four weeks in March and April to allow for the administration of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test. According to the testing schedule, the school day is divided into two 150 minute testing blocks divided by fifth and sixth periods, which will remain unaffected.

The county increased budget spending in an attempt to obtain the resources necessary for the tests’ implementation. The county requires Chromebooks to administer the online test and has taken more than $10 million out of the budget to order them.

ZEKE WAPNER

RALLY Thousands marched in downtown D.C., protesting the St. Louis grand jury’s decison not to indict Darren Wilson, the police officer who killed Michael Brown.

Students react to non-indictment

By Eleanor Harris Blair students organized community events, engaged in personal protests and attended rallies in response to the St. Louis County grand jury’s Nov. 24 decision not to indict police officer Darren Wilson after he fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Missouri.

The incident gained nationwide attention and sparked debate over police tactics, racial profiling and the use of deadly force.

Students and faculty attended a Dec. 1 student-organized workshop in Blair’s Media Center to discuss the issues surrounding Brown’s death. Junior Mariam Jiffar planned the event in order to bring students who felt strongly about Ferguson

together. “I was inspired to organize the discussion because I thought there could be others who were as mad, frustrated or confused about the lack of an indictment for Darren Wilson as I was myself,” Jiffar said.

Over fifty students took part in the workshop, examining issues including racial profiling, police brutality and officer accountability. During the discussion, junior Alianna Agnamba emphasized the importance of student involvement. “I like how the case got a lot of attention from kids our age,” she said.

“This is not the last case of police brutality [affecting] the black community...We need to take charge.”

Other students took an individual approach to object to the

events in Ferguson. The day after the St. Louis county prosecutor announced that Wilson would not be indicted, senior George Barksdale wore a sign to school to protest. The sign had a cigarillo taped to it, referring to the surveillance video of Brown taking cigarillos from a convenience store and pushing an employee shortly before the shooting. It read, “Do not shoot: This cigarillo is not a weapon. I did not choose the skin tone I was born with. Injustice must end before it’s too late. RIP MIKE BROWN.” The sign was last-minute, but effective. “It was...made out of a pizza box, but it still got the point across,” he said. A photo of Barksdale’s sign has gained over

Security assistant Taylor resigns from job

see FERGUSON page A3

By Emma Soler

The story of a kidnapped Argentine Blair alum The sun had not yet risen when, on May 14, 1976, the Mignones awoke to the sound of ten armed men pounding on the door of their third-floor apartment. At first, Emilio Mignone thought that they had come for him. It was a logical assumption: he was an outspoken critic of Argentina’s newlyestablished junta government and the head of a university that had just been shut down after accusations of “leftist” advocacy. But as the armed men in heavy boots swarmed the apartment, it soon became clear that they were looking for his 24-year-old daughter,

NEWS A2

Mónica, instead.

The men told Mónica Mignone that they just wanted to speak

COURTESY OF AGENCIA NACIONAL DE NOTICIAS

Achievement Gap

A5

OP/ED B1

see ABDUCTION page C1

insidechips Blazers start relationships over social media.

KYRA SEIGER

FEATURES C1

Isabel Mignone del Carril was not in the apartment on the day of her younger sister’s abduction; she was overseas at the time. She’d just graduated from an Argentine high school after an education split between the United States and Argentina (including a partial junior year at Blair) and was enjoying a post-graduation trip to Paris.

Security assistant Tanesha Taylor resigned in early December after nine years of working with the Blair security team. According to Principal Renay Johnson, Taylor’s letter of resignation said that Taylor was grateful for her years of service to Blair.

Johnson said that the letter did not include an explicit reason for resignation, but that Taylor may have left for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to job promotions, job openings, or personal reasons.

According to Johnson, resignations without reason are not uncommon. “It happens more than you know,” she said.

A new security assistant will fill the vacancy starting on Jan. 5, Johnson said. The new employee will be temporary due to the current MCPS budget freeze. The as-

Finding love online

PTSA gathers to discuss racial and economic disparities at Blair.

PHUONG VO

bus fare into her hand. Then they marched her away.

She never came back.

A morning of horror

with her, that she would be done in two hours. They let her collect her things, let her mother press

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ENTERTAINMENT D1

see PARCC page A2

MARIS MEDINA

“We want them back, we want them alive”

By Camille Kirsch

The PARCC test is split into two sections each lasting two weeks: the Performance Based Assessment (PBA) in March and the End of Year assessment (EOY) in April.

Blair students who are not taking the PARCC will continue to report to school, but their periods would be 150 minutes, rather than the usual 90 minute block, and classes will only meet once or twice each week.

The extended blocks will pose a challenge for teachers as each class will essentially be two class periods compressed into one. English Resource Teacher Vickie Adamson stressed that it is crucial for teachers to think of ways to prevent students from becoming disengaged in the abnormally long amount

ZEKE WAPNER

sistant will differ from a permanent employee because he or she will not receive the same benefits.

According to Johnson, the Blair Human Resources Department supplied a list of possible substitute security assistants to choose from. She said one person is currently being considered for the position.

Johnson said that having eight security assistants and one security head is crucial for Blair to run auccessfully during and outside of the school day.

During the afternoon and evening, various events and adult education classes are held inside Blair.

According to Johnson, security staff stays during these events, and without the eighth security assistant, supplying security will be more challenging. It is not unusual for security staff to work sixteen hour days, four days a week.

Lotus Cafe

Boys’ Basketball

Little known Vietnamese restaurant in Silver Spring offers excellent and afforable cuisine.

Blazers take down the Wheaton Knights in a Friday night clash.

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CHIPS CLIPS D6

PETER BERGER

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LA ESQUINA LATINA E1

SPORTS F1

A2 News

December 17, 2014

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Proposed PARCC schedule details notable changes Testing will require additional computers and extended class time from PARCC page A1 of class time. “It becomes even more important to know how we [should] vary the activities in the classes,” Adamson said.

Social Studies teacher David Whitacre teaches at Montgomery College two nights a week and observes that his students often have trouble focusing during the 2 and a half hour classes. “There is a lot of material to cover, and you can see eyes glaze over,” Whitacre said.

Blair principal Renay Johnson admitted that the schedule is problematic and that utilizing all of the time efficiently is not feasible. Johnson acknowledged that instead of teaching the whole block, teachers might conduct activities that are not classrelated to maintain student interest. “Some teachers may show Titanic for two hours; that’s not principal approved,” she said.

Magnet coordinator Peter Ostrander and assistant principal Bill Currence designed the schedule in order to provide enough time for testing while reducing the impact on instructional time. Currence explained that the cumulative loss of instructional time over the four weeks of testing is minimal.

“The impact on the instructional time during the PARCC is 15 minutes,” Currence said.

According to Johnson and Currence, Blair is the only high school in the county to have a comprehensive schedule planned out for the spring testing. Johnson added that in a recent meeting among MCPS officials at the beginning of December, Blair’s schedule was an example for the whole county to follow.

The proposed schedule is subject to change once Blair teachers provide input.

“We are receiving feedback on the schedule,” Currence said. The county is considering implementing Blair’s schedule for all high schools, but it could be altered if county high school principals object. “If enough high school principals have an issues with it, it may change,” she said.

However, according to Johnson, Blair’s proposed testing schedule was already accepted in Virginia. In addition, the schedule has pushed Blair significantly ahead in terms of readiness for the PARCC. “If it starts tomorrow, we are ready,” Johnson said.

The PARCC is designed to be taken fully online using a computer; however, a Washington Post article from January 2014, indicated that the state needed $100 million to be technologically ready for the test by the spring of 2015. A July 10 press release on the Chromebook purchase shows that Montgomery County paid $15 million in technological upgrades that will allow the test to be administered to students.

Although several school districts are struggling to find enough resources to implement the test, the state will not postpone testing. According to Dr. Doug Strader, Director of Assessments for the Maryland Department of Education (DoE), federal mandates and guidelines prevent any delay in the scheduled testing. Strader also added that the tests are crucial to education under the new Common Core guidelines and must be administered every year, especially since the High School Assessments (HSAs) and Middle School Assessments (MSAs) are being replaced by the PARCC. “You can’t just not take the test,” he said.

Although the PARCC test is The length of mandatory, the Maryland DoE normal classes is stated in a press release this October that the assessment will not become a graduation requirement until the The length of classes during PARCC testing would be 2016-2017 school year. Students will continue to take the biology and government HSAs since PARCC assessments for those subjects have not been created by the state.

Strader acknowledged that not all school districts in Maryland will have adequate technology by the time testing is to be conducted.

“Not every school district will have the technology,” he said. He anticipates that within the next three years, all school districts will be able to administer the test electronically. “The goal is to be online within three years,” Strader said.

Meanwhile, schools that cannot administer the test electronically are given an alternative. “During this test of transition, paper tests are available,” Strader said.

However he emphasized that the PARCC is meant to be taken online. “The design of the test is bring your own device. I don’t know how supposed to be an online test,” Strader said. that’s going to work out,” Strader said.

MCPS has taken advantage of the state’s The PARCC has technologically enhanced items (TEIs) that interactively gauge efforts and has procured different mediums students’ understanding of the curriculum. for the test. “We’ve been buying Chrome“Students may be presented with a video books,” MCPS Board of Education (BoE) and react with writing,” Strader said. The president Phil Kauffman said. According to paper version of the PARCC will not in- the BoE, no federal or state funding was givclude the TEIs, but the DoE designed the en for the purchase of the technology. “We intest such that the different forms would cluded money in our budget,” Kauffman said.

As a result, all students in MCPS will be have the same weight. “The items are selected in a way that you will get the same able to take the online test and any deficienscore [as the online test],” Strader said. cies in computers will be replenished by the To overcome technological issues with newly ordered Chromebooks. “The county the PARCC, the state is working with coun- is not going to let anyone take the paper ties to offer the test on Chromebooks and test,” Currence said. The Chromebooks are tablets. “Our job is to make sure the test can expected to arrive in early 2015. “We are supbe delivered on various platforms,” Strader posed to get them in January,” Currence said.

Math teacher Jack Giles is not satisfied said. Some school districts are coming up with various plans of their own to deal with with the PARCC testing program and schedthe issue, making it essential that there is ule changes. “This whole PARCC thing is a interoperability of the test among various train wreck,” Giles said. Magnet math teachplatforms. “Some districts have gone BYOD, er William Rose views the PARCC testing as a failure. “It’s a ridiculous disaster,” he said.

Adamson understood that the scheduling situation is a complex and intimidating issue that is a result of a larger problem.

“I think it is daunting; I think it is overwhelming,” she said. Adamson sees the new PARCC tests as another example of the increasing prevalence of standardized tests within the curriculum that is harming students. “We over-test kids,” she said.

Whitacre echoed the belief that the PARCC is too much testing for students.

“It’s overkill because they [the state] aren’t happy with the scores,” he said. He added that if the school had planned the schedule changes well before the start of the year, then the changes would have been successful. “If you set it up in advance and tell teachers to prepare ahead of time, then it would work,” Whitacre said.

According to Strader, each assessment in total should take more than six hours to complete so that the TEIs can be fully utilized and every student can complete the test. The PBA and the EOY will each take three hours which is divided into two testing periods.

90 minutes.

150 minutes.

soapbox

How do you feel about having 150 minute once or twice a week?

“I have trouble concentrating in 90 minute classes, let alone 150 minutes. That would be too long and few people would be able to maintain focus.”

- Maggie McCarthy, freshman “I don’t like it because it is going to be much harder for the teachers to plan for the long blocks.”

- Ali Reynolds, sophomore

Montgomery County spent

$15 million

in technological upgrades to fund PARCC testing.

DALIAH BARG

GRACE WOODWARD

Students in English 10, Honors English 10, Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 will take the PARCC. Strader explained that the lengthy nature of the assessment was to allow everyone enough time to complete the test and its technological elements. “[The tests] are meant to be authentic. They need time to view videos and other components… [The test will take] six to eight hours to complete so everyone will have time,” Strader said.

He also highlighted that the PARCC was not meant to resemble the time constrained and quick paced nature of standardized tests like the SAT and ACT. “This is not meant to be a power test,” Strader said.

The ultimate goal of the PARCC tests is to develop a more precise way to measure student performance and replace the HSAs. PARCC results will be divided into a five level performance scale as opposed to the HSA’s three level scale. “It is intended to spread kids out more,” Strader said.

The PARCC aims to identify the collegecareer readiness status of students and those who pass the test will be exempt from placement exams if admitted to state colleges in Maryland. “Students could not have to take remediate courses in college at all,” Strader said. In the future if students fail to meet PARCC requirements then the students will be enrolled in an extra supplementary course to help fulfill the missed requirements. “If they didn’t meet the standards, that’s going to trigger an intervention course,” Strader said.

In face of its technological needs and scheduling concerns, state and county officials view the PARCC with optimism.

“This has been an extremely exciting process. This [the PARCC] has been developed by a consortium of 12 states,” Strader said. Kauffman knows that MCPS doesn’t have all the resources now but thinks that the county will be ready come March. “I believe that we will have the resources needed by March,” he said. In the face of these substantial schedule changes, Johnson encouraged everyone to accept and adjust to the modifications. “We have to be flexible and adapt to change,” she said.

silverchips

December 17, 2014

Verdict in Ferguson case sparks student protests Blazers speak out in the movement against police brutality from FERGUSON page A1

Justice For All March in Wash- onstrations, which she said were Overcome.”

Caprioglio said that she ington, D.C. Over 10,000 protest- often impeded by police. “All we 2,800 retweets and 2,000 favorites marched in solidarity with those ers marched down Pennsylvania were doing was protesting peaceon Twitter. affected by police brutality and Avenue to a rally at the Capitol, fully, and they wouldn’t even alBarksdale felt an obligation to racial profiling. “I went because...I where civil rights leaders such as low that,” she said. “Even a peaceprotest what he saw as a miscar- am black. I may not riage of justice. “It’s just hard to look black, but my accept and deal with, knowing brother looks black,” that [the victim] could easily be me Caprioglio said. “I next,” he said. According to Barks- [did] it for him, and dale, the reactions from teachers my dad, and my and other students were encour- grandfather.” aging, with one exception. “There Chapman also was someone on social media who stressed the imporcame at me saying I [was protest- tance of standing ing] in a disrespectful manner, up for her beliefs. which upset me,” he said. “But for “[Considering] the the most part, it was just positive fact that there are responses.” cops over in FerguSeniors Meriel Caprioglio and son telling reporters Ruth Chapman attended the Nov. that they can’t re25 No Indictment Rally, organized cord and can’t make by the National Black United Front. what’s happening The rally began in Mount Vernon there known, I think Square in Washington, D.C. where it’s especially imporspeakers addressed issues ranging tant that we make from Brown’s death to the need for our voices heard,” ZEKE WAPNER a living wage. The thousands of she explained. protesters then marched through Several Blazers “HANDS UP” Thousands of protesters crowded around the Walmart on 8th Northwest D.C., ending on the demonstrated in steps of the National Portrait Gal- the National Action Street in D.C. after protesters stormed the building during the Nov. 25 march. lery where they sang “We Shall Network’s Dec. 13 Al Sharpton and family members ful protest was seen as a threat to of black men killed by police gave them, because they want this situspeeches. Junior Greer Turner at- ation to die down and this movetended the rally to protest police ment to die down.”

For Guthrie, being in Ferguson brutality. “I think it’s a really important cause, and I think it was provided a deeper level of underimportant to be there and show standing of Brown’s death and the support,” Turner said. “Hearing controversy surrounding it. “Seethe families of Tamir Rice, Eric ing how many cops there were and “A murderer is getting to walk free in the streets, but Garner, Trayvon Martin, John how they were treating people and America claims it has ‘freedom and justice for all.’ Well, Crawford III and a few others... how they were really treating people as subhuman...just brings you was really powerful.” not for Mike Brown.” - Mina Tzoukermann, freshman Senior Emily Guthrie traveled to a different understanding of the “It’s another example of the hardships that blacks in to Ferguson over Thanksgiving experience,” she said. break where she attended town America face. Hopefully it will lead to real changes to Mariam Jiffar is a staff writer for hall meetings, spoke with local the justice system.” - Pedraam Faridjoo, sophomore citizens and participated in dem- Silver Chips.

soapbox

What is your reaction to the Ferguson verdict?

MCPS workers face sexual assault charges Substitute and contractor arrested for inappropriate conduct with students county as a whole, rather than just for one school. This enabled Pineda to work for 20 different schools over 113 days starting in the 2013-2014 school year. His most frequented schools were Ridgeview MS, Forest Oak MS, and Roberto Clemente, and he

Since parental notification on the Clemente assault, other students have come forward and reported incidents involving Pineda. According to Montgomery County Police, Pineda has been charged with three additional counts of sexual abuse of a minor.

at Baker MS when he made an unwanted advance on a 12-yearold female student. He was arMCPS substitute Jose Pineda rested based on evidence from the was charged for the sexual abuse security cameras he was hired to of a 12-year-old Roberto Clemente work on. Similar to the Clemente Middle School student on Sept. incident, parental notification did 30. The student’s reports state that not happen until Nov. 3, almost he repeatedly grabbed her from a month later. Baker Principal behind while responsible for Louise Worthington admitted her science class. fault for this delay at a parents’ Although this incident meeting on Nov. 11. “I’m sorhappened in September, it was ry. That was wrong. That was kept private from the public wrong. That was definitely a until Nov. 7, when a school mistake,” she said. newsletter was released. The As a contract worker, Epps letter assured parents that the was not held to the same backincident was “isolated” and ground checks that administrathat the school was “committion, teachers, and substitutes ted to its safe environment.” undergo before being hired. In Later, after criticism from a “State of the Schools” letter to parents regarding this slow parents following the incident, response, Roberto Clemente MCPS Superintendent Joshua Principal Khadija Barkley Starr explained that Epps was apologized for the delay, not a registered sex offender, promising it was not intended which was enough to satisfy to hide information. “I want the current expectations, but parents to unequivocally unhe had been arrested. “In the derstand that I was never atBaker incident, the contractor’s tempting to cover up this inemployee was not on the sex cident,” Barkley said at a Nov. MONTGOMERY COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT offenders’ registry and there18 meeting at Clemente. “I would very much like to share SEXUAL ASSAULT Substitute teacher Jose Pineda (left) and contracor John fore met the current standard of state law. However, since my overall regret and apology Epps (right) were chraged for inappropriately touching female students. he had been arrested, he might for placing our school comhave been screened out,” Starr munity in this realm of disspent one day at Blair. His day at Two of these victims were from said. trust.”

As for the delayed notificaSubstitute teachers in MCPS Blair, Nov. 11, 2013, went without Ridgeview and one from Forest are held to similar hiring pro- a hitch according to Johnson. “We Oak. No other incidents involv- tions, Starr did not comment in cesses as teachers and adminis- often have problems with substi- ing Pineda have been reported by his letter. But he did note that although these two incidents trators, according to Principal tutes, but Jose Pineda had no inci- police.

However, another perpetra- occurred almost consecutively, Renay Johnson. “They need a dents. He did his job and left. I got 4-year degree, an interview, a no reports from students, staff, or tor has been reported in MCPS they are still isolated in the grand background check, they even get anyone,” she said. Still, parents from around the same time. On scheme of MCPS. “In general, our fingerprinted,” she said. Once received a letter informing them Oct. 6, contractor John Epps was schools do an excellent job when hired, a substitute works for the that he had worked in the school. working on the security cameras such issues arise,” Starr asserted.

By Wesley Hopkins

News A3 Newsbriefs Starr proposes budget for fiscal year 2016

MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr presented his recommended operating budget of $2.4 billion for fiscal year 2016 to the MCPS Board of Education Dec. 9. As part of a multiyear plan that began in 2014, Starr says this plan focuses on managing countywide student population growth and narrowing the achievement gap. To address the growing school populations and the achievement gap, Starr proposed adding more teachers, counselors, and academic coaches.

Starr also plans to increase support for students with disabilities by adding positions to Learning and Academic Disabilities services at 18 elementary schools. Roughly one million dollars of the budget enhances school leadership staff by increasing the number of assistant principals at two large, high-need elementary schools and by converting assistant administrators to assistant principals at high-need schools to provide more coaching for staff members.

Jet plane crashes into Gaithersburg home

A private jet plane flew into a Gaithersburg home killing all three passengers onboard and a mother and her two children inside the house Dec. 8. A wing containing fuel crashed into their home and started the fire that killed the three residents. The collision also destroyed two homes and damaged three others. Investigators are expected to be on scene for up to a week. The pilot, Michael Rosenberg, and the two passengers have been identified as well. The family lived in the third house struck by the jet plane. Investigators will look into several factors that might have caused the crash by examining the pilot’s training experience, the weather conditions, the engine state and a possible bird strike.

According to previous records, Rosenberg had previously crashed a plane destined for the same airport in 2010.

Bill to block D.C. marijuana legalization

Congress passed a spending bill on Dec. 2 that will stop the District of Columbia from legalizing marijuana usage until Sep. 2015. The provision that would block the voter-approved marijuana decriminalization was put into an essential spending bill by opponents of the marijuana legislation. Protests began in D.C. Dec. 10 to halt the budget deal. The initiative passed

by D.C. residents in November would allow residents to possess up to two ounces of marijuana or three ounces of nature plants. According to the Washington Post, advocates for the marijuana legalization and decriminalization movement were surprised by the decision, since many thought it would be voted down by a Democratic majority in the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid said that the delay in marijuana decriminalization will most likely stay in the final bill.

Newsbriefs compiled by Maris Medina and Emma Soler Edited by William Zhu

A4 News

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December 17, 2014

Newsbriefs

MCPS freezes budget to save for upcoming year

Blair Advanced Placement test scores increase in 2014

County projects shortfalls due to lack of surplus and funding

Several MCPS high schools had a positive trend in the number of advanced placement tests taken and college-ready scores (3 or higher) received on these tests in 2014.

Blair was among nine schools to see an increase in both of these categories. Additionally, Blair had the fourth highest increase since 2013 in the number of AP tests taken.

112 more exams were taken than in 2013. Overall, 33,600 AP tests were taken by MCPS students last school year. MCPS students make up 17 percent of Maryland students, but they constitute 31 percent of AP exams taken and 37.5 percent of college-ready scores earned in Maryland. Ten MCPS schools had a positive trend in number of black and Hispanic students’ college-ready scores. Superintendent Joshua Starr said that he is pleased that MCPS students are working hard and challenging themselves by taking AP classes and tests.

Water main breaks in D.C. Metro shut down service on the Orange, Silver and Blue lines between MacPherson Square and L’Enfant Plaza due to a water main break on Tuesday morning, disrupting the commutes of tens of thousands of D.C. area workers.

The break occurred at 12 and F streets and flooded the lower-level tracks at nearby Metro Center.

Above-ground transportation was also affected: D.C. Water quickly shut down 12th street to repair the water main, causing gridlock in downtown D.C. The affected metro stations remained shut from before 6 am until approximately 9:45 am, when they reopened.

Residual delays continued. Tens of thousands of riders use the Orange, Silver and Blue lines daily.

Around 750,000 people ride Metro every day. The main which broke dated to the 1950s. According to D.C. Water, the average D.C. area water pipe is over 78 years old.

County Council chooses Leventhal as president George Leventhal, a Takoma Park resident and Blair parent, was elected as the president of the Montgomery County Council for 2015. Nancy Floreen was chosen as vice president. She will be taking over for Leventhal, who held the position in 2014. Leventhal, who has been a council member for 12 years and also served as president in 2006, was chosen unanimously by the nine council members on Dec 2. According to Councilman Sidney Katz,, Leventhal has played an important role in creating change involving health care, housing for the homeless, and green initiatives. Leventhal was nominated by Katz and Floreen was nominated by Councilwoman Nancy Navarro. After becoming the new president, Leventhal optimistically remarked on his upcoming term. “We are going to have a great year,” Leventhal said.

Newsbriefs compiled by Emma Soler and Camille Kirsch

By Reva Kreeger Superintendent Joshua Starr implemented an MCPS budget freeze on Dec. 1 due to an anticipated funding gap in the coming year, according to the Department of Management, Budget and Planning.

The budget for Fiscal Year 2015 is for $2.3 billion. According to a memo sent by Chief Operating Officer Larry Bowers to the MCPS executive staff last year, the county funded this year’s budget on a one-time fund of $78.7 million, which came from MCPS health care trust funds and a surplus from last year’s budget. Thomas Klausing, the director of the MCPS Department of Management, Budget and Planning, explained that since MCPS will not receive the one time fund to cover next year’s budget, it is projecting only $16 million in surplus compared to the $78.7 million needed last year to cover the budget. “The idea behind the budget freeze is to close the gap between the $78.7 million and the $16 million,” Klausing said.

According to the memo sent to the executive staff, the freeze mandates that all position vacancies are immediately closed, certain jobs may only be filled with part time employees, professional development days are canceled and schools may not buy any new furniture or sports equipment.

The main way these freezes will affect Blair is by removing all professional development and training days for implementing the Common Core curriculum.

Originally, teachers had the option of taking a day off to develop the new curriculum, but according to Bower’s memo, the district is trying to save money by

removing these days. “Teachers are going to have to learn how to plan on their own time, and do everything on their own time,” math teacher Diane Norris said.

According to the memo sent by Bowers, the ultimate reason MCPS is in this situation is because they

for retired employees of MCPS. The school district believed this trust fund had a big enough surplus for the district to take this money without economic consequences for the retired teachers who may rely on this fund, but Klausing said there was less

In the 2015 fiscal year, MCPS used a one-time fund of $78 million from surplus and health care trust funds.

In 2016, that fund is projected to be only $16 million.

ELEANOR HARRIS AND BEN SAFFORD

used a one-time funding that they will not get going into the next year.

The budget now relies on the $78.7 million, but MCPS cannot generate as large of a budget again because they do not have the assistance of the one-time fund. In addition to having an unusually large surplus of $38.2 million, the county also took $40.5 million from the surplus of the MCPS Employee Benefits Trust Fund, which is a trust fund

money left in the trust fund than the Board hoped. “We had more expenditures than expected during that year, and there was less excess money in the trust fund than expected,” Klausing said.

He also noted that the budget problem is not related to the $3 million purchase of many sets of Chromebooks for MCPS to implement the PARCC testing, as it was a small fraction of the total budget.

Johnson was concerned with the little notice principals and teachers received before the freeze.

An email was sent out to principals on a Friday, and the freeze began the following Monday.

“I’m really good at trying to read [my email], and really there was no time,” Johnson said. She mentioned that Blair was lucky because she already bought all the furniture it needed. “Principals who didn’t order [furniture] in time lost all their money,” she said.

The school district acknowledged that there will be schools that need to spend extra money in, but Bowers must clear any extra expenditures. Principals must send an exemption form to the Freeze Committee, a collection of staff including Bowers, which then decides whether the spending is justified. “They either approve it, or they don’t approve it,” Klausing said.

The freeze also affects substitutes as well as full time teachers.

According to a memo sent to all MCPS principals, daily and longterm substitutes for teachers may still be hired, but substitutes for other positions such as building services or administration are frozen. This has already taken effect in Blair when Johnson needed to hire a substitute for a supporting services worker. “I had to fill out an exemption form for a [sub for a] supporting services worker because of the freeze,” Johnson said.

The 2011 freeze was deemed necessary due to the economic downturn and lack of county revenue. Until the district is satisfied with its financial situation, the budget freeze will continue to stay in effect. “It is in place until further notice,” Klausing stated.

Blair announces additions and revisions to classes Course catalog to include three new electives for next year

By Sarah Hutter Blair administrators plan to add a new Child Development course, a second semester of Senior Seminar in Statistical Research, and an African American Literature class to the course listing in the 2015-2016 school year.

While the existing Child Development elective covers early development and education,

the new, separate course will focus on secondary education, addressing lesson planning, ethics in teaching and some student teaching. “It’s aimed at students who are BLISS tutors, but really it’s aimed at anybody who wants to be a teacher,” Academies Coordinator Leslie Blaha said.

This secondary Child Development course was taught at Blair six years ago, but it was discontin-

Starting in the 2015-2016 school year three new classes will potentially be offered at Blair Statistical Research

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GRACE WOODWARD

ued because of logistical reasons.

“Part of it was staffing, part of it was enrollment,” Blaha explained.

If not enough students sign up for a class, it cannot be offered.

However, with 85 students signed up as BLISS tutors this year, she is confident enough that students will enroll in the new course next year for it to be available. “Even if only half of them enroll, we’d still have two classes,” she said.

According to Blaha, a teacher has not yet been chosen for this course, and the selection has to do primarily with staffing availability. “Ms. JacobsIvey wants to teach it,” she said.

Senior Seminar in Statistical Research, an upper-level Magnet math course, will become a full-year class next year with an emphasis in both sports and political statistics. This change occurred primarily due to a change in math requirements. “You need four years of math now to go to the University of Maryland,” instructor David Stein said.

Although a full year of the class would fill the math requirement, as a research course, it is structured differently than most other math classes. “It’s not a traditional class with units and tests and things like that,” he said.

Traditionally, the class has been sports-oriented.

“We’ve done the class as a pilot for ten years where we’ve done sports as the focus,” Stein said. However, next year a semester will be added where students will study statistics as it relates to politics.

The curriculum is not set yet, but

Stein said it will be pertinent to the upcoming presidential primaries. “We’re going to do a scientific poll of all of Maryland,” he said.

The English Department is adding African American Literature as an English elective credit next school year.

According to English resource teacher Vickie Adamson, Gaithersburg is the only high school in Montgomery County to currently offer the course, which studies the works of African American writers while looking at their experience as African Americans.

According to Adamson, the class studies African American literature from a perspective that is not generally focused on in regular English or literature classes.

“We teach a lot of works of African American literature in the regular English classes, but we don’t teach them in isolation,” Adamson said.

She hopes that the class will reach out to students who struggle to identify with the curriculum in other classes.

“Some students go to class and they see the curriculum and don’t see a place for them,” Adamson said. “It’s obviously not just a course for black students, but it’s a course that’s important for black students.”

Adamson and English teacher Michelle Edwards have pushed for the class to be offered as early as next year, and it is now on the course list for the 2015-2016 school year. Enrollment does seem to be a problem, as about 60 students have already said they would sign up for the elective.

News A5

silverchips

December 17, 2014

PTSA hosts meeting to address achievement gap

By Wesley Hopkins The PTSA African American Student Achievement Program (AASAP) organized an open information session about the achievement gap on Dec. 11 in the Blair Media Center. The AASAP, led by chairperson Anissa Harris Green, held the session to discuss the achievement gap and how to reduce it, according to the advertisement posted around the school.

To open the meeting Green defined the achievement gap. “[It’s] the difference in academic success between students of different races, nationalities, and income levels,” she said. She explained that this gap is extremely prominent in MCPS and requires immediate attention. “We need to do whatever we have to in order to make sure all our kids have the opportunity to succeed,” she said before turning over the microphone to Principal Renay Johnson.

Johnson spoke about the achievement gap within the context of Blair, including data that showed the prominence of the gap. For example, Blair’s African American students scored 286 points below the school average SAT score for the class of 2014. However, African Americans at Blair still scored 215 points above the state average. Similarly, Blair’s African Americans graduate 2% fewer students than Blair’s general average, but 4% higher than the state African American average.

While Johnson noted that Blair is better than the rest of the county and state, she made it clear that she was not satisfied.

“People will come up to me at conferences and meetings and tell me, ‘Wow, you

have 2500 eligible kids[with GPAs of 2.0 or greater]!’ And I just say ‘Yeah, but I have 400 who aren’t,’” she said.

Johnson attributed much of the progress made so far to programs at Blair dedicated specifically to help minority and lower income students, such as Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES). “[ACES] supports identified students to access resources to make a smooth transition to college,” according to ACES Coach Jose Medrano.

Medrano helps students apply for colleges, scholarships, and financial aid. However, he said students must receive encouragement at home as well as in school. “I help a lot of kids, but a lot of them say that the essays are too much work or that it’s not

worth it. I can’t force them to do anything; I need the parents’ help with that,” he said.

Johnson also noted the importance of multiple points of support. “It takes a village to raise a child,” she stated repeatedly throughout the evening. “I have so many kids calling me Mom, and I’m ok with that.

But we need real Mom and Dad to be as encouraging at home as we are in school.”

Later, in the open panel session at the end of the event, parents asked questions about how to best support their students. “I try to help my daughter, but she just wants to be independent and tells me everything is fine. But then she brings home a report card with a ‘D’ on it, and that is not fine and I have to ground her. How can I help her do better?” one concerned parent asked.

SGA president Tigist Tadesse answered, encouraging parents to be positive and reassuring rather than threatening. “The most important thing is to be nice about it. Don’t say ‘if you get a C I’m going to ground you,’ instead just make sure they know that you’re there to help them and that they know how proud of them you’ll be when they bring home good grades,” she said.

Overall, Johnson asserted that Blair is doing well. “We’re the top chosen school in the Down County Consortium and I plan to keep it that way,” she said. “Blair is a school where everyone has the chance to succeed, and we’re always working on improving ourselves to help our students be the best they can.”

Student hit by car before morning bell Art Honor Society partners with hospitals

PHUONG VO

PRINCIPAL’S PRESENTATION Johnson presents noteworthy information about the achievement gap to students and parents.

By Daliah Barg

A Blair student was hit by a car after leaving school grounds before the 7:25 a.m. bell on Dec. 11. The accident occurred around 7:10 a.m. at the intersection of University Blvd. E and Lexington Dr. Multiple police cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance arrived on the scene.

The student was helped onto a stretcher and into an ambulance, but did not appear to be severely injured. According to Principal Renay Johnson, the student rode a school bus to campus, and after arriving on school property, she left the grounds to go to Starbucks. “What she did is she got off her bus and she quickly ran through the parking lot, darted across traffic on University, and she was hit by a car,” Johnson said.

The student illegally crossed the street, and the accident was a result of pedestrian error. Johnson corroborated that the student did not sustain serious injuries. “According to her mom, she only had bruising on her left side and she was given crutches just because of all the pain of walking, but nothing was broken,” she said.

Although the accident occurred before the morning bell, which signifies the start of the school day, the student still broke rules pertaining to the closed campus policy. The policy for leaving school property during the day is found on page seven of Blair’s agenda book, as well as on Blair’s website. According to Johnson the policy does not only apply to students after 7:25 a.m. As soon as a student arrives on school grounds by any means the student is not to leave campus.

“When you get on school property you stay on school property until they day is over,” she said. Consequences for breaking this rule could include a phone call home or in-school lunch detention. An announcement over the PA system and an email to parents by Johnson reiterated this message.

Students contribute paintings and photographs

By Leslie Chen Blair’s National Art Honor Society (NAHS) partnered with the nonprofit organization Youth Art for Healing last year and will continue to work with them this year to make small and large scale paintings for hospitals in the Montgomery County and D.C. area. Youth Art for Healing aims to create a comfortable and healing healthcare environment for patients and their loved ones by displaying different works of art made by local students.

The organization initiated the partnership last year. “Youth Art for Healing is the organization that contacted us. We did about twelve paintings [for them],” NAHS chapter president senior Antares Chen said.

Students’ works from last year are currently displayed in MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and the Montgomery Village Health Care Center in places such as the Intensive Care Unit bridge and in hallways by operating rooms. This year, they

will also be hung at the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

“This is a new project, and we are the only school that will have pieces here,” studio art teacher and NAHS supervisor Jacqueline Armstead said, explaining that hospital staff and Youth Art for Healing plan to put five paintings in the Transplant Institute Pediatric Waiting Room of the MedStar GU Hospital.

Jan Papirmeister, Executive Director at Youth Art for Healing and a registered nurse, explained that artwork can have a positive effect on the patient attitudes.

“Throughout the healthcare environment, works of art with healing images and colors can provide comfort and inspiration for patients and their families, staff and visitors,” she said.

According to an article published in June 2008 by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), many scientists have believed artwork can be valuable to patients. “Arts can help reduce stress and anxiety, improve

REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF ANTARES CHEN

BEAUTY Healing, a nature painting by two seniors, will be hung in a local hospital.

well-being and enhance the way we fight infection,” the article stated.

The pieces displayed around the hospital help the staff in addition to the patients.

Papirmeister explained that this is a situation that can benefit many: comforting the patients, their families and the healthcare staff. “The staff are happier. They do a better job and stay in their positions longer,” she said.

Many healthcare staff professionals have enjoyed the students’ new paintings that are displayed in hospitals. Fidelia Romanowski, Medical Staff Services Credentialing Specialist at the MedStar Montgomery Medical Center said, “I love seeing all of the artwork around the hospital. They really brighten our hallway and brighten my day every time I walked past.”

Students primarily contribute paintings or photographs. NAHS members have to participate in either of the club’s twoprojects; Youth Art for Healing or the Art and Science murals around the school. “Working on these pieces can be used for their service project requirement for induction,” Armstead said. The paintings and photographs portray different landscapes to provide comfort for the patients. “Most of us are doing paintings of nature and there are also some [photography students] submitting photos of nature,” NAHS member senior Isha Darbari said.

One piece is called a tryptic, a type of painting divided into three sections. “The paintings work together. I’m working on a lake, mountain and forest scene, but I have the left section. Someone else is doing the middle and another person or pair is doing the right, so we’re coordinating,” Darbari explained. The largest 60”x48” paintings are done in pairs. “There are about 24 to 25 students working on paintings this year, so they can double up on the bigger ones,” Armstead said.

B1 Opinions

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Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 Phone: (301) 649-2864 Winner of the 2014 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Winner of the 2013 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown Editors-in-Chief: Alex Frandsen and Kelsey Gross Managing News Editors: Emily Daly and Leila Habib Managing Op/Eds Editor: Landon Harris Managing Features Editors: Alexis Redford-Maung Maung and Grace Woodward Managing Entertainment Editor: Naomi Weintraub Managing Sports Editor: Jesse Broad-Cavanagh Managing Design Editor: Grace Woodward Ombudsman: Naomi Weintraub Fact Checks Supervisors: Leslie Chen and Emily Daly Extras Editor: Luisa McGarvey Newsbriefs Editor: William Zhu Public Relations Director: Kalanzi Kajubi Executive Business Directors: Liza Curcio and Jackeline Portillo Business Staff: Alexandre Alia Maddie Boyer Joe Estrin Nobel Girmay Anna Hukill Dana Hunter Ian Kiefhaber Javier Lopez Adina Rombro Sebastian Rubinstein Ben Segal Page Editors: Daliah Barg Julian Bregstone Sam Butler Leslie Chen Camille Estrin Eleanor Harris Wesley Hopkins Sarah Hutter Mariam Jiffar Camille Kirsch Reva Kreeger Winne Luo Luisa McGarvey Maris Medina Anna O’Driscoll Teague Sauter Emma Soler Aditi Subramaniam Amanda Wessel William Zhu Spanish Page Editor-in-Chief: Milena Castillo Spanish Page Editors: Joseline Ayala Sarah Canchaya Milena Castillo Camila Fernandez Alisson Fortis Carlos Fuentes Ilcia Hernandez Odalis Llerena Mario Menendez Ruth Portillo Itencia Quezada Andrés Romero Managing Photo Editors: Kyra Seiger and Zeke Wapner Photographers: Peter Berger Nola Chen Chimey Sonam Phuong Vo Managing Arts Editors: Elizabeth Pham Ben Safford Artists: Andrea Brown Amanda Gross Candia Gu Nazea Khan Shivani Mattikalli Nino Migineishvili Victoria Tsai Angel Wen Puzzle Editor: Julian Bregstone Copy Editor: Katherine Murtha Professional Technical Advisor: Peter Hammond Spanish Page Advisor: Dianette Coombs 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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December 17, 2014

Sounding an alarm on sleep deprivation Teenagers struggle with memory and focus in school

By Emma Soler An opinion It’s 1:42 a.m., and you’ve been studying for your history test for almost three hours now. Before that, it was reading eighty-two pages in your English book and completing seven pages of math homework. You finally feel prepared for your test, close your textbook, and quickly fall asleep. But the next day: disaster.

You’re lethargic, cranky, and have difficulty focusing in class. When you receive your history test, you freeze. You can’t remember anything you studied.

While you might think that this memory lapse is due to your studying habits, your sole four hours of sleep is the real culprit.

Sleep deprivation makes it harder for students to focus and remember information. As a result, teachers and administrators must take into consideration the extreme negative effects of sleep deprivation on their students when assigning homework, scheduling school events, and deciding on school start times. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teens need between eight and a half and nine and a half hours of sleep per night. However, the average teen gets only seven hours per night, a number which is alarmingly less than the recommended amount. Teens often come home after extracurriculars, only to begin their homework.

In addition, the biological nature of teenage brains make it hard for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. When this is combined with

early school start times, getting a proficient amount of sleep is a pipe dream for most teens.

Sleep deprivation doesn’t just affect some teens; it affects the vast majority. According to the Center for Advancing Health, 92 percent of high school students do not get the amount of sleep that they need. In addition, this cumulative lack of sleep cannot be overcome by “catching up” on the weekends, contrary to common belief. This means that a shocking fifteen million public high schoolers in America function throughout the school day with a troublingly low amount of sleep.

While some high schoolers assume that they are invincible and can get away with only a few hours of sleep, sleep deprivation makes success in school more difficult. First, it’s more difficult for teens to concentrate in class if they don’t sleep enough the night before. Many teens even doze off in school. According to the National Public Radio, 20 percent of teens fall asleep in class each day.

Additionally, a brain’s neurons can’t coordinate information as well when operating under a lack of sleep. This makes understanding and interpreting information a challenge. The ability to use logical reasoning is also impacted as a result of sleep deprivation, so subjects from Algebra to English can be hard to understand and succeed in.

Lack of sleep also takes a devastating toll on memory, an extremely important part of academic success. Not only is previously learned information harder

to recall, which makes getting an A on a test that much more difficult, but the act of creating new memories is also impacted. When you learn something new in class, that information goes through three stages of memory acquisition, consolidation, and recall. First, information goes through a process of acquisition, when an event is observed and a memory is created. The second stage, consolidation, or the process in which memories become stable in one’s brain, does not occur as thoroughly after a night of less than nine hours of sleep. This means that while you’re in class, you might think you are able to effectively absorb information, but it will be difficult to remember what you learned.

Just look around in a Blair class on any day. Probably, a majority of the students sitting in that room didn’t get an adequate amount of sleep the night before. You might notice one particular girl yawning before resting her head in a pillow made by her arms, while another boy’s eyelids slowly sink down until they quickly flutter open. Chances are these things have happened to you one time or another.

This problem must stop.

Students, teachers, and administrators all have the same goal: to equip students with an education that prepares them to be success-

VICTORIA TSAI

ful. However, this goal cannot be achieved if students are at seven or less hours of sleep per night, as a rested student will almost always perform better than a sleep deprived one. It is essential for Montgomery County to pass legislation imitating changes made in Fairfax County that push high school start times to 8:00 a.m. rather than the current 7:25 a.m.

This, along with a push for teachers to revisit amounts of homework assigned, are changes that will allow students to get closer to nine hours of sleep per night, therefore increasing school success for all parties involved. These changes are urgently needed to maintain students’ health and academic success.

The campaign to make green the third school color Students must participate to make Blair environmentally friendly

By Anna O’Driscoll An opinion A group of students walk downs the halls of Blair after school. They stop every few hundred feet, at every trash can and recycling bin. “We have teams of kids who go around the school, and they reach into the recycle to pull out trash, and they reach into the trash to pull out recyclables,” Karen Shilling, sponsor of the Green Club, explained. “We call that contamination. There’s a ton of contamination.”

Everyone has seen the recycling bins, the trash cans that line the halls of Blair. Not many people, however, take the time to think intently about what goes in each container. Herein lies the main problem with Blair’s quest to being environmentally

friendly: participation.

There are many ways in which the school is working hard to become as green as it can be, including efforts from the Green Club and an administration that is very receptive to new ideas. The programs available are only as effective, however, as the number of people who act on them, and make sure the programs accomplish their goals. Blair students and teachers need to participate more in the abundant opportunities around Blair in order for the school to progress towards its goal of becoming environmentally friendly.

Even though there are many ways in which the school needs to reduce its carbon footprint and help the environment, there have been improvements. One of the ways Blair has worked towards

PHUONG VO

CONTAMINATION Sophomore Marcos Henriquez, freshman Aritra Roy and freshman Claire Sparks sort through the trash can to pull out recyclables as part of an effort by the Green Club to make Blair more eco-friendly.

becoming an eco-friendly school is through the Green Club. The Green Club has worked extremely hard to get recycling bins around the school, compile information necessary to certify Blair as a green school, along with many other projects around the school.

They have put task lamps on each teacher’s desk, so that if the teacher is working late after school they don’t use as much electricity. “We’ve improved a ton, but we have a long way to go,” Shilling said.

But it is not enough to have the programs and options in place, people need to actually partake in them. Students shouldn’t have to walk around cleaning up after their classmates, picking trash out of recycling containers. Some of this comes from lack of education, and some comes from apathy.

There have been times when other teachers have made jokes to Shilling about her being the “green police”. “Sometimes people make fun of me, or sometimes they say, ‘Oh, the green police are here.’”

Most of the jokes are solely comedic, but there are some undercurrents of people feeling annoyed that the things Shilling are recommending require more work.

One way we can affect positive change in the school is to educate students about how to better treat the environment. This could range from incorporating environmental studies into school curriculum to putting more posters around the school that remind people where and what to recycle. It is important that students know more about what they can do and how to do it, as well as knowing the repercussions of not doing anything. To get others to recycle,

it is important to get the word out. Students will be more likely to participate in a program if it is accessible, and easy to do. “You have to make it cool, you have to make it easy, you have to make it accessible,” Shilling said. No one wants to be the “green police,” or have to worry what others will think of their actions towards protecting the environment. The more available it is, the easier it is to participate.

Even though there are lots of people working very hard to make the school green, there is always more that needs to be done. Solar panels are not feasible at this school because of lack of roof space, according to Shilling, but we could look into other ways to reduce the schools carbon footprint. On a smaller scale, everyone could make an effort to turn off lights when they aren’t using them, shut down computers at the end of the day and do more assignments electronically so as to save paper. Seemingly simple tasks like these can make a huge difference, yet are often overlooked.

Climate change and global warming are real. We take a lot of resources for granted, and treat the Earth in a way that doesn’t bode well for our future. It should still be our goal to protect the environment as much as possible, and try to stop the bad path we are on at this time. Every action matters, every step we take is important, and it is vital that every person in Blair realizes this. The programs and opportunities in the school are only as effective as we make them. We must do all we can as a school to leave a positive mark on the environment.

December 17, 2014

Opinions B2

silverchips

Should MCPS remove all religious references from the calendar?

YES:

It is the first step in achieving secular equality

Maris Medina

NO:

We need to recognize the Muslim community

Amanda Wessel

ZEKE WAPNER

ZEKE WAPNER

In the melting pot that is Montgomery County, religion is one of the prime ingredients. Since its early days as a predominantly Christian demographic, the number of religious followers of Judaism and Islam has increased significantly. So it was no surprise that when MCPS’ Board of Education made an almost unanimous decision to remove religious references from the 20142015 calendar, blunt opposition was heard.

The common misconception is that it did little to address the concerns of Muslim advocacy organizations in regards to acknowledging their religious holidays alongside Christian and Jewish festivities. In actuality, removing all religious references from the calendar is the first step in achieving secular equality and respecting all religious groups within the county.

By designing a calendar that is unbiased towards any religion, MCPS is clearing up the false notion that it favors Christian and Jewish students. In fact, as a result of two monumental cases Koenick v. Felton (1999) and ADC Baltimore vs. Baltimore County Board of Education (2005), it was ruled legal to designate any kind of holiday only for secular reasons. In the late 1900s, when the school system decided to close down on particular holidays, it was based on the significant absenteeism rates. The absenteeism, or the amount of students and staff members not present at school during certain holidays such as Christmas or Rosh Hashanah, was severe enough to close down the schools. Therefore, the logistics were the driving force for these holidays– not biased or unfair preference. There were simply too many missing individuals for schools to function and a lack of money to hire substitute teachers for those days.

The reasoning behind not granting Muslim holidays is not because the festivities are any less valuable, but solely because of the logistically negligible absentee rate on these days.

The ultimate goal is to be fairer. Yes, in a perfect world, MCPS would be able to grant holidays off to all religious groups.

But a certain aspect that is often overlooked is just how many more holidays would have to be tacked on the calendar. Cultural holidays would have to be recognized along with the rest of the religious holidays.

Communities that celebrate Lunar New Year and Three Kings’ Day would ask to be accounted for as well. Three Kings’ Day, a widely celebrated holiday in Latin America, is an example of a festivity that affects many Blazers. In a perfect world, acknowledging MCPS’ diversity by recognizing all of the important holidays of our students and teachers is ideal. But it’s not feasible if we are to be in school for the required 180 days of instruction.

Fortunately, there is a smaller-scale solution that is feasible in all schools across

Montgomery County. It’s simply to encourage teachers to utilize the Comprehensive Calendars more. This calendar, distributed to every district employee, details numerous holidays celebrated by the student and staff population as a whole. Not only does it include the more mainstream religious holidays, it features festivities not included on the school calendar such as Eid and even cultural celebration months. Teachers can use this incredibly accommodating tool to plan quizzes and tests, ensuring that they don’t fall on holidays the students may be observing. This way, those who don’t get a holiday off, such as Muslim students, won’t fall behind on class work and instructional learning time.

“We need to make sure that students are really being respected and this is a really important day for students,” Student Member of the Board Daliah Huh remarks. “Pushing a test back one more day does not make that much of a difference if a student needs to be home to celebrate a special day with their family.” Administrative teams of each school across the county must emphasize the importance of the Comprehensive Calendar to their teachers. This way, better communication could be forged between teachers and those who may miss school because of an important holiday.

Thus, the more practical alternative to including everyone’s holidays on the calendar is just to remove the religious references that we have on the calendar altogether. Ultimately, we do not live in a perfect world and there is no perfect solution that won’t raise any opposition. Huh reiterates, “The decision that the Board made is not a perfect solution. In a perfect solution, everybody would walk away happy and of course a lot of students came out of this decision unhappy. But I thought it was the fairest way to go.”

Let’s set aside any preconceived notions we have of this issue and listen to the facts. This is the most effective first step in achieving the secular equality that the Muslim community, and all religious communities, seek.

This year, a Muslim community group asked MCPS to add one of the two Eid holy days to the official school calendar for the upcoming year. Since this holiday coincides with the already-included Jewish holiday Yom Kippur in 2015, the Equality for Eid Coalition simply asked to see the words “Eid al-Adha” following “Yom Kippur.” It would have served as a symbolic victory more than anything else, a step in the right direction toward equality for the Muslim community.

But in response, MCPS Board of Education made an ill-considered decision that showed nothing but disrespect toward the Muslim community, deciding in a seven to one vote this past November to eliminate all religious references from the 20152016 calendar publication. In an effort to avoid making a controversial choice that could give minorities the equality they deserve, the Board of Education made an offensive choice to disNAZEA KHAN miss all holidays, angering Muslims and others and heightening controversy they hoped to ignore.

Simply put, the board’s judgment came off as disrespectful toward the Muslim community. The decision indicates that the absence of holiday names makes everything fair, but Muslim holidays still are not recognized nor given equal billing on the calendar. According to the Association of Religion Data Archives, it is estimated that about 10 percent of Montgomery County residents identify as Muslim, a population that continues to grow. However, MCPS, which prides itself with diversity, voted to not recognize a growing ethnic group in our community.

Whether or not it was the Board’s intention, the Muslim community was marginalized and discriminated against.

The decision is insensitive to Muslims who requested a very reasonable acknowledgment – simply adding Eid to the calendar on Sept. 23. The verdict demonstrates the county’s unwillingness to recognize Muslim holidays by ridding the calendar of Christian and Jewish holidays before considering the addition of a single Muslim holiday.

While the separation of church and state is important, religious holidays display cultural diversity in how they are celebrated. Removing holiday names alienates Christian and Jewish communities and disrespects numerous cultural backgrounds and values. Pretending these holidays do not exist is a step in the wrong direction toward cultural ignorance. The addition of Muslim holidays on the calendar, regardless of whether the days are given off, would remind us to celebrate our differences and learn about other cultures’ practices.

In addition to the Muslim leaders feeling slighted by the resolution, it also increased an unfortunate anti-Muslim sentiment.

Some people angered by the change blamed the Muslim community for the removal of their holidays. Backlash on Twitter accused Muslims of killing Christmas, and ordered them to accept American culture if they want to remain in this country. Instead of creating a fair secular platform, the decision exposed Muslims to unnecessary hatred and racism. In an attempt to satisfy all, MCPS created more problems than it solved, leading citizens to feel insulted on both sides of the issue.

If equality was truly the goal of the board’s policy, why did they choose to clear the slate of religious references now? Had it been employed years ago, this policy would have been beneficial for creating a secular environment in the public school system.

However, since the issue arose only after Muslims petitioned for recognition, it raises questions about the values behind the MCPS vote. “If [neutrality] is MCPS policy, that is something they should have done from the beginning. It shouldn’t have just popped up out of nowhere when the Muslims wanted their holidays recognized,” said junior Walee Khan, co-president of the Muslim Students Association at Blair.

The simple solution was to recognize Eid al-Adah on the 2015 calendar to show respect for a minority population democratically seeking equality. MCPS could then continue to assess absenteeism rates in order to determine whether or not certain holidays – or arbitrary dates that coincidentally have high rates of absenteeism, as the County now thinks of them – present reason enough to close schools. Instead, their decision marginalized the Muslim community and frustrated others who were satisfied with the calendar and unaware that it even presented a problem.

Six other school systems in the nation are off on Eid al-Adah and Eid al-Fitr - the only official Islamic holidays - and New York City may soon become the seventh. Montgomery County had the opportunity to be on the forefront of social change, to proudly show that Muslims in the United States are welcome in our society, but instead decided to wipe it all away.

voicebox

David Hsu Junior

“Even without religious names, students know what the break is for.”

Zeenat Khatri Freshman

“This is insensitive because other religions get their holidays off.”

Ben Geertsema Junior

“There aren’t enough Muslims but they should still be excused from school.”

Afnan Abdella Sophomore

“Even if they don’t add Muslim holidays, they should’ve kept the others ones on the calendar.”

PHUONG VO

Nico Barbiero Senior

“It comes off as a negative bias against the Muslim community.”

B3 Opinions

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December 17, 2014

Discipline shouldn’t suspend students’ education In-school suspensions are a more productive alternative

By Aditi Subramaniam An opinion You’ve seen the headlines: Student Suspended for Butter Knife She Brought to Middle School in Packed Lunch, Teen Wishing to Donate to Locks of Love Is Suspended for Violating School’s Hair Policy for Boys, Boy Points Finger Like Gun, Gets Suspended - the list goes on. Schools are increasingly adopting a zero-tolerance policy, cracking down on everything from students posing like Tim Tebow to kids wearing neon colors.

Students who commit minor offenses such as these should not be suspended. Instead, if the school chooses to punish them, they should be required to attend an in-school suspension program, an alternative punishment that is gaining popularity. In these programs, students are removed from the classroom and placed in a quiet, supervised setting where they are encouraged to complete their assignments and work on their behavior. Dismissing students from school does not improve academic performance and limits their ability for future success, but this in-school alternative allows students the opportunity for selfimprovement and productivity, which is far more beneficial.

In-school suspensions provide a structured environment that enforces academic diligence.

Rather than left unsupervised at home, students are forced to come to school on time and work on assignments. This is a major merit of the program, as students have the chance to improve their work ethic and continue an educational routine. If sent home, students fall behind in their classes and are less likely to succeed when they return. University of Indiana professors M. Karega Rausch and Russell J. Skiba have corroborated

this negative relationship between out-of-school suspension academic achievement in their paper, “The Academic Cost of Discipline: The Relationship Between

on a student’s record. Montgomery County’s suspension policy states that “an in-school removal is not considered a day of suspension” as long as students are able

students their college acceptance.

Traditional suspensions are also the first stop on the schoolto-prison pipeline. A 2012 report by the Johns Hopkins University’s

SAM BUTLER

CIVIL RIGHTS PROJECT

Suspension/Expulsion and School Achievement”. The pair found that “exclusionary discipline does not contribute to improved learning outcomes.”

In addition, a Duke study reported that students who are suspended are less likely to receive parental support, so it is better for them to be at school where they can receive that support from administrators. When suspended in school, students are also generally free of distractions, as they are not allowed to converse with their peers or use their cell phones, and they are under the watchful eye of supervisors checking to make sure they are on track with their assignments. They can seek after-school academic support or use the library for help as well.

This is a more productive way for students to spend their day while still unwelcome in the classroom.

Another plus of in-school suspension is that it doesn’t appear

community. But, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union, students who drop out of school triple their likelihood of facing incarceration later in life. Keeping these students in school through an in-school suspension program allows them to continue to engage with their peers and administrators while receiving the positive message that their education is meaningful, deterring them from dropping out.

In-school suspension programs are a better alternative than out-of-school suspension, but are only as effective as schools make them. Students simply left sitting in a classroom with their homework cannot be expected to make positive change. Administrators need to evaluate why these students are not successful in the classroom and provide counseling services to help them work on the behavior that caused them to get suspended in the first place, because more likely than not this support is unavailable at these students’ homes. When students are suspended, they need to be in school and surrounded by positive reinforcement that encourages academic diligence and good behavior, so that they have the best chance of academic success upon their return to the classroom.

to progress with their schoolwork. School of Education and Everyone Graduates Center shows that Having a black mark on a traneven one suspension doubles a script greatly impacts students’ future success because college and student’s risk of dropping out of high school and, for three or job applications alike ask about more suspensions, the dropout academic misdemeanors, and a rate increases to 49 percent. This suspension could be difference between acceptance and rejection. occurs because exclusion policies make students feel unwanted According to the National Bureau and unimportant in their school of Economic Research, even one suspension can lower a student’s chances of getting into college by 16 percent.

And now, more schools are adopting zero-tolerance policies and suspending students for increasingly minor “It depends on the student. Someone who doesn’t get in infractions. If disciplinary trouble a lot will probably learn from the consequences, action is needed in these cases, these students should others...will only get aggravated with the school system.” not be given out-of-school - Ilcia Hernandez, sophomore suspension not only because it would not invoke much “No... A student facing suspension is usually one that change in the students’ needs to focus on schoolwork, not be distracted.” behavior but also because - Lucy Kelliher, sophomore skirts that aren’t fingertip length should not cost these

soapbox

Are out-of-school suspensions effective?

A cry for help: counseling should not be just for college

High schoolers need mental health support as well as academic aid

By Camille Estrin An opinion One in five people age 13-18 is affected by a serious mental disorder. The majority of these kids are high school students, and because students spend the most of their day in school, high schools need to be equipped with the necessary counseling to help these teenagers. Blair counselors do their best to address the needs of these students, but they can only do so much within the boundaries set by MCPS and their own time constraints.

Mental health disorders refer to afflictions that affect one’s mood, thinking, behavior and ability to relate to others. This covers a wide range of disorders, from schizophrenia to depression to eating disorders. Some conditions are much more noticeable than others in terms of visible symptoms, but all are equally important to treat.

Getting out-of-school counseling is incredibly expensive, which, according to the Washington Post, is the reason that, “45 percent of the untreated cite cost as a barrier” to obtaining treatment.

On average, the cost of seeing a mental health counselor is $63 per session. If 45 percent of people who should be getting treatment

are unable to, then the fraction of those that are students should be able to get the necessary treatment within their high schools.

Unfortunately, high school counselors are only allowed to discuss more minor problems.

According to Blair counselor Kirk Simms, counselors are “not authorized to do therapy,” but can recommend parents to take their child to see a pediatrician or outside therapist, if the school counselors are unable to help treat the student.

Once problems become more seroius, such as when students express issues concerning self-harm or suicide, counselors are required to send a referral to the Montgomery County Crisis Center alerting them of the issue. Simms, along with other high school counselors, try to treat the student from the beginning by attacking the problem before it grows larger. “We try and do brief counseling with them to streamline exactly what the problem is,” explained Simms.

Mental illness has the highest dropout rate of any disability group, according

mental illnesses. The only mandatory class offered at Blair in which mental illness is discussed is health class, where there is only one measly unit discussing the topic.

Both the counselors and the health teachers should be ensuring that all students understand and are aware of how much mental illness impacts students in high school.

This is one of the only ways the stigma will be reduced, which will allow students to feel more at ease with their illness at school.

One problem at a high school the size of Blair is that there are too many tasks to complete but not enough time, creating a huge time constraint. Counselors are trying to juggle figuring out students’ schedules as well as a myriad of other administrative problems they might have. Therefore, they are unable to focus solely on the needs of a mental

$

45% of people with untreated mental illness cite cost as a barrier to obtaining treatment SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST CAMILLE KIRSCH

to a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) report “Mental Illness Facts and Numbers.” One reason for this is the negative stigma surrounding

health student, as opposed to an outside counselor who could have weekly sessions that are extremely focused on the one patient.

“There’s always a time constraint because [Blair’s] the largest school in the county, and there’s a lot of things we must cover,” explained Simms. Additionally, private therapists have more time and flexibility to counsel their patients.

“I spend an hour talking to [the patients] every week...and I’m not involved in disciplinary issues.

I’m able to be more neutral,” local therapist Joel Kanter said. Kanter does not have to worry about anything other than the patients’ needs at that moment.

A simple solution to the problem facing school counselors would be to have staff whose only focus is on students with mental health needs. This would eliminate the time constraint that counselors are facing today.

At a large school like Blair, many students are dealing with mental illnesses, while counselors are often found with little time and resources to aid these students. Mental health is a problem that 20 percent of students are facing, something that cannot be brushed aside, but must be dealt with equally inside and outside of school walls.

December 17, 2014

Opinions B4

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While other kids are at play, some teenagers test away The pressure students feel about college starts way too early

By Leslie Chen An opinion There’s the SAT or the ACT. And AP’s.

Plus extracurricular activities, like sports or music or art. Oh, and don’t forget community service. But also remember to maintain a high GPA. With all of these factors that are considered to be important in the task of getting into your dream school, many students begin to worry about college way earlier than they need to.

Starting to classify students from their SAT or ACT scores starts as early as middle school. The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) 7th grade Talent Search is a program where “eligible” 7th grade students with “strong intellectual abilities” are given the opportunity to take the ACT or SAT. If these students score at least in the 95th percentile, they qualify for programs from the Duke TIP, including Scholar Weekends and Summer Studies Programs, because they have been deemed gifted. Defining some as “gifted”, solely based on being above a certain SAT score, and declaring the rest not “gifted” is an invalid way for the education system to treat students.

However, it’s not just programs like TIP that make students define themselves with these standardized testing scores as early as 7th grade. Statistics of enrolled freshman classes at universities are thrown around by not only the universities themselves, but also news organizations like U.S. News & World Report: Education. A Princeton profile shows that for the freshman 2014 class, the middle 50 percent SAT scores of admitted students was 2120-2400. The freshman 2013 class at Towson University had an average 1629 SAT score. These numbers tend to cause anxiety among prospective applicants to universities, years before it

College To-Do List Take SAT/ACT Prep Class Join 5 Clubs Get 75 SSL Hours Join a Sports Team Get a 4.0 GPA Take SAT Take ACT

REVA KREEGER

should be on their mind.

User gettingready2017 was a 7th grader at the time when he created a thread on College Confidential where he posted his worries about the 1660 he got for his SAT score in the 7th grade, while the national average SAT score from the class of 2013 was a 1497. His concern was that this score meant he would not be able to improve enough with future scores

to get into Ivy League universities, like Harvard, Princeton or Yale. Yet, college was still five years down the road for gettingready2017 and there is so much more to getting accepted by an Ivy League university than just good SAT scores.

The numbers game expands from the scores on tests scores to the number of extracurricular activities. Students become obsessed with how many extracurricular

activities they have and too many people focus on “resume-building”, where all they do is join as many activities as possible, rather than pursuing and focusing on the ones they are actually passionate about. “Do things that you truly enjoy in high school, rather than trying to outguess an admissions committee,” said Jeff Brenzel, the previous Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University and a Yale alumnus.

What many students do not realize is that the quality of the activities you do will beat the quantity. It is important to pick your activities based on what you like to do, because you will end up wanting to spend more time doing it, and thus get better.

A common high school thought process is, “Oh, I’m going to join this club because it’ll look good on my resume for college.” Wrong. The activities you decide to participate in should always be for yourself, and college admissions counselors will be able to tell which ones you actually care about based on your commitment, your leadership within the activities, or how you describe them in application essays or interviews.

Obviously, your grades and your GPA are important determinants in college applications, no one is denying that.

However, only caring about the grades rather than trying to understand the material does not help your learning at all. High school is supposed to be a time for students to discover what they are interested in and learn how to think for themselves.

How did it suddenly become all about doing whatever it takes to get that 89.5 percent? College professors will not care when you are whining to them about failing a class. It is not their fault that you have no idea what is being covered in their class, just because your high school teacher was nice enough to give you A’s—which was all you cared about.

Zero tolerance for DUIs: Stricter punishments needed A harsh but necessary change could save thousands of lives

By Sam Butler An opinion Twenty eight.

That’s how many people are killed every day because reckless individuals choose the convenience of driving home after a night of drinking over the safety of taking a cab. One person suffers an injury every two minutes because of drunk drivers. It’s an epidemic plaguing the country, undoubtedly. But one less-discussed group must shoulder some part of the blame: lawmakers. Relatively lenient laws and penalties for driving under the influence makes drivers think it’s okay for them to screw up once or twice, but drunk driving is a crime that needs to be taken very seriously with strict and harsh punishment.

The penalties for a driving under the influence (DUI) in the United States, which consist of a small fine, possible short jail time and sometimes a short term license suspension, aren’t strict enough to achieve the desired effect: a country free of drunk drivers. Obviously having zero drunk drivers in the entire country is not a very realistic goal, but we can definitely get closer to it than we are now. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the rate of drunk driving among 21-25 year olds is 23.4 percent.

According to the National Highway Safety Administration, two in every three people will be involved in a drunk driving crash in their lifetime. Rates are way too high for comfort, and something needs to be done, or else we will continue to see 10,322 people killed every year by drunk drivers.

The current penalty for a first time DUI is a maximum of 60 days in jail and a fine of $500. This penalty apparently

isn’t intimidating enough for drivers, given the current rates of drunk driving.

Sentences vary because each case is different, but drivers generally do not lose their license on their first offense, other than a possible short term suspension.

The second offense usually leads to a license suspension of about a year. Even after the third offense, drunk drivers don’t have to lose their license, as some only have their license suspended for 18 months.

Even with these suspensions, 50-75 percent of drunk drivers continue to drive with a suspended license, according to the Transportation Research Board of the Washington, D.C. National Research Council.

Another reason drunk driving happens so often is because society does not take the crime seriously. A lot of times, the crime occurs after someone has gone out to a bar, or over to a friend’s to have a drink.

The people who commit this crime usually do not mean to cause anyone harm, but simply to get home in a fast and easy way. They drive home, thinking that they’re ‘not that drunk,’ or ‘more focused when they’re drunk.’ Even if they do screw up, the worst they will have to do, they think, is pay a small fine, or lose their license for a month or two. It’s because of this mindset and the lax punishments for this crime that it continues to happen at such a high rate.

The punishment for drunk driving must be changed to be much more strict and severe. If drivers didn’t have a second and third chance, they might think a little harder before they make a decision that could lead to the death of themselves and others.

The law that should be made should say that anyone who is caught driving while drunk should lose their license for-

SARAH HUTTER

ever. It should also include a fine much larger than the current fine, which is no more than $2,000. An ideal fine would be at or above $5,000 dollars. Jail time of two or more years should also be included, to deter the crime even further.

Of course, that might be a little too strict on its own, so there should be a way for people to get their license back after their first DUI. It should be a very rigorous process requiring a thorough educational requirement and background checks. These checks should consist of an audit, home visit, and interview with friends and/or

family. If it is apparent that they may do it again, they should not be able to regain their license.

This punishment may seem a little too strict, but it isn’t if you ask the 290,000 people injured in drunk driving crashes every year. It isn’t if you ask the 239 families who lost their children in 2012 to drunk driving accidents. And it certainly isn’t if you ask the loved ones of the 10,322 people who died in 2012 to those accidents. Punishments for drunk driving need to be more severe if we hope to ever reduce the number of deaths due to drunk driving in this country.

B5 Opinions

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December 17, 2014

My Blair: Personal Column

THEN:1969

Plugged-in is the new cool

By Urjita Das Guest writer

COURTESY OF SILVER CHIPS ARCHIVES

FIERCE COMPETITION Fearless faculty battle the student all-stars in a popular and mysterious event known as “donkey ball” as cheerleaders root the teams on to victory.

& NOW:2014

PHOUNG VO

STILL BALLIN’ During the 80th anniversary weekend, Blair alumni returned to their former high school basketball court for a lively and competitive basketball game.

The bus engine roars to life as dozens of children crowd on, awaiting another engaging school day. The luminescent smartphone screens, clutched in their hands, light up the majority of the seats, while others stream music into their plugged ears.

The mass of huddled bodies propel forward in harmony as the bus takes its routine, lengthy route to school.

Periodically, the occasional upperclassmen checks the time and then returns to their deep slumber and music. Occasionally, one could hear a hushed exchange, before the bus returned to utter silence.

Halfway through the rather boorish bus ride, I detached my headphones and sat in the darkness. In the middle row, I could hear the placid purr of the bus radiator placed far in the second to last row. Utter silence surrounded me, and for the first time, I recognized the quiet chattering of the radio hosts above me and the lively shaking of the emergency handles.

When I was unplugged, I was exposed to the sounds of life. The quality of life dramatically changed as I left my smartphone and drifted my attention to the silhouettes of the trees bordering the highway.

In the darkness of a winter morning, I tried to make out what the others around me were doing, to see whether they were enjoying the simplicities of life as I was.

In the darkness of the winter morning, the numerous lit screens around me generated a fabricated glow. Their owners’ lips pursed, their faces blank, their body’s only movements coming from the swaying of the bus as it propelled down the highway.

I felt a sudden lag in the quality of life pulling at the sleeve of my cotton jacket, nagging me, frustrating me.

There was a clear shortage of human social communication.

Among the silence was the rattling of the bus and no other noise. There was no

laughter, no word spoken, no stories told in the half hour period we rode to school.

The students trickled off the bus as it dropped them off on campus. Remaining plugged, there were a few exchange of words and gratitude for the bus driver, but for the most part, the students continued their isolation from the world as they entered the school Technology is a raging plague, keeping students from reality, separating them from their purpose of life. One cannot live through a screen. There is no fulfillment without communication with friends, and the general association with people. Living life means achieving maximum greatness.

There is not greatness through pixels and iridescent glows.

There is greatness and fulfillment through discussing your morning or planning your day PETER BERGER with your friends.

There is greatness through laughter and knowing you’ve made someone around you smile.

Technology in the modern world has become the new fad. To be connected and up to date with the newest music, celebrity gossip, and TV shows is a perception of what “cool” is.

After all, it’s every adolescents dream to be “cool.”

It’s not longer cool to be a published author, or master the act of skateboarding.

Being cool is being plugged.

Being cool is being isolated from your friends.

Being cool is knowing all the celebrity gossip but knowing that they will never know your very own school drama and your life story.

Being cool is no longer cool.

Want to submit a personal column? Email it to silver.chips.print@gmail.com The Editorial Board will read through all submissions and determine a selection.

Up and Coming December 24-25

January 12-15

No School; Christmas Holidays

Exam week

December 26-January 2 No School; Winter Break

January 16

End of Second Marking Period

Student & Teacher Awards & Honors Freshman Maggie McCarthy became a new member of the MCPS Junior Honors Band.

Senior Armel Tueno Nguimfack was named part of the 2014 All-Gazette Boy’s soccer team.

Senior Junior Yanga became a MPSSAA 2014 Regional Wrestling Champion.

Seniors Cecilia Bergman, Eunice Machemi, and Blossom Jiang recieved POSSE scholarships.

Seniors Stephanie Rager and Mari-Therese Burton are 2015 Semifinalists for Coca-Cola Scholarships.

Principal Renay Johnson was recognized by Dr. Joshua Starr for innovative use of techonolgy and data at an Administrative and Supervisory meeting.

Freshmen Anna Howell, Esther Lee, Christopher Wang, Alex Wang, and Robert Yang became new members of the MCPS Junior Honors Orchestra.

Two teams from Blair competed in the Princeton University Math Competition. One team placed fourth overall and the other placed eighth overall.

Editorials B6

silverchips

December 17, 2014

Burying seeds of change in response to police brutality

We must maintain our momentum in the fight for justice There is no excuse.

In the Michael Brown case, there was a murkiness, an uncertainty about the story that allowed some room for debate surrounding the non-indictment. But in the case of Eric Garner, the evidence was complete and irrefutable. The grand jury had access to a video literally showing a man being choked to death at the hands of a cop, and the testimonies of dozens of witnesses were available.

The chokehold was illegal, the

execution was faulty, and the cop jumped to an overreaction.

Yet the cop went free. The already burning topic of police brutality has been thrust even further onto the national stage.

There is an obvious disconnect between white cops and young black males in their interactions, and this lack of communication is rooted in the shifting attitude and perceived role of law enforcement. Originally commissioned to “maintain the peace”, an officer’s

BEN SAFFORD

duty now seems to be more along the lines of “search and destroy.”

Police often seek to eradicate what they view as potential threats before these supposed dangers even present themselves as dangerous.

This holds especially true in low income areas where the crime rate is high and there is a greater concentration of minorities. Sadly because of prejudices dating back to times of slavery, a black man, armed or unarmed, is still seen as a threat in this country. As long as racism subconsciously drives cops’ actions, black males will continue to be more frequently targeted by law enforcement seeking to eliminate danger.

In the wake of events like this, it’s incredibly easy to get angry, and to lash out. But after frustration, the next step in the march towards change is the organization of this passion into dialogue in our communities. We’ve responded with open discussion and silent protests. We’ve responded by attending marches and putting our hands up in solidarity. It’s hard to find the bright side in an issue like this, but the student body’s response was one of them.

But our response so far is only the start. The issue of systematic racism and police brutality won’t go away, and so our activism can’t either. We’ve gotten the ball rolling by initiating student conversations and organizing the student attendance at D.C. rallies. But we can’t let the fire die down. If we want change, it is our responsibility to work towards a difference.

It’s not enough to just share a

Keeping the student voice alive

Support print news in an online era

pass by your parents sitting at the kitchen table. They are hunched over the morning paper, groaning over the vibrant headlines. You never understood why your parents always made such a fuss about reading the paper every morning.

But, much like the crisp daily news is essential to your parent’s morning routine, the school newspaper is essential to our student body.

Earlier this school year, I wrote a story explaining the importance of our business staff, and the role they play in ZEKE WAPNER order to keep the paper running. Without our business staff and funds from advertisements, we would have to rely fully on school funds to

By Naomi Weintraub produce our paper. Now, this may BEEP BEEP BEEP- you look not seem so bad; however this over at your glowing alarm clock, could enable the administration it reads 6:50, signifying that you to potentially censor our paper are late. As you run out the door before it is published. to catch your bus, you quickly I know what you are think-

ing, “Well, how does that affect me? I’m just a loyal Silver Chips reader and average Blair student.”

In truth, it affects you more than you might think. If we are school funded, the paper may be in risk of leaving out vital truths that could only be brought to the students by the students. We would not be able to fully represent the student voices because of potential conflicts of interest that would arise a from financial partnership with administration.

Unfortunately, our ability to bring the truth to the people, is on the brink. Silver Chips is facing a serious financial shortfall. Because of the growing challenge of selling print advertisements in the digital era, our coffers are starting to run dry. According to budget projections, we will be unable to publish a newspaper after our April cycle.

We cannot let this happen.

It is essential that we have a school paper in order to speak for and represent the entire student body. We try to help shed light to the unheard student stories by opening up a section of the paper for student submitted, personal columns. We also try to uncover the hard pressing, (sometimes dangerous), parts Corrections of Blair students Leslie Chen’s article “ABCs to SATs: students face collge pressure too early” should have lives through been printed on page B3. Luisa McGarvey’s article “Who needs adults? Student tutors stories on Blair are effective” was printed in its place. Leslie Chen’s article is printed this cycle on page drug dealers, or B4. students who have faced sexual Winne Luo’s name was spelled incorrectly on the byline of “MCPS provides busing serharassment in vices for select private schools” on page A2. these very halls.

We aim to emTori Tsai’s name was misspelled under the artwork on page E1. body the stories of the community The artwork on page E3 should have been attributed to Candia Gu. from a student’s

Ombudsman Naomi Weintraub

video on Facebook or Twitter. To really make a difference, we have to actually do something, and that starts with turning off the screens and getting on our feet. It’s talking face to face and working with each other.

As Reverend Al Sharpton said at the “Justice For All” march, “You may bury us, but you didn’t know you were burying seeds.”

This poetic cry of a movement represents the power and passion that we must keep alive in order to make real change in America.

It is very easy to get lost in the glorification of supporting issues because we are swept up in the camaraderie and passion that one can experience through activism and social justice.

Many students take pride in Blair’s diverse community and feel particularly empowered in the respect this teaches the student body to have for other cultures.

Once we leave the halls, it’s hard

to tell when we will ever again be so fully immersed in such a varied and intertwined community. It’s important we take this opportunity now to engage in conversations with our peers about the issue at hand. We can use dialogue to create partnerships and learn to better understand the world around us.

Our actions towards combatting police brutality have shown us that our power as a group is not simply added - it grows exponentially. It is with this understanding, a combination of our intertwined perspectives and passions, that we can make a positive change.

Dear Editor,

to return for additional surgery because of the problems it caused.

Even if the surgery goes fine, it’s long and intensive, and can result in weeks in the hospital recovering. In the article, it says Hazelwood spent the whole summer in a recovery process. A former Blair student I know who had surgery to treat scoliosis did not have positive results. She felt stiff in her back, and she had no less back pain than before the surgery.

When I told her about the physical therapy, she said “Yeah, I wish I did that.”

Some people think that the physical therapy sounds really hard, and it is. I have to spend 45-60 minutes a day doing the exercises, but from the way it sounds, I can’t imagine dealing with surgery is any easier. Not to mention, some patients who go through surgery have to do some physical therapy anyway to help their back muscles recover. We shouldn’t be advertising surgery as the only solution for scoliosis.

It should definitely remain an option, as it can be successful for some people, but physical therapy is another promising way to go, as it’s been proven to be very effective for people who have taken it, including my physical therapist who has scoliosis herself.

It comes with more benefits than just keeping the back straight. Doing physical therapy makes the back springier and more flexible. There are even other physical therapy methods to treat scoliosis that I don’t know about.

If these methods were more public, there would be more patients who would want to do them, as well as more people who would be interested in teaching them.

This letter is in regards to the article “Facing a grave test with a brave face” by Emma Soler, about Liza Hazelwood’s scoliosis. I understand Hazelwood’s experience, but the article makes it sound like surgery is the only option for dealing with scoliosis.

There are physical therapy programs that have been proven to be very successful. The Schroth Method, which focuses on breathing techniques to activate the back muscles that surround the spine, is the one I’m using. I’m still in the process of getting my body straight, but even after a couple months of doing the exercises regularly, I already felt taller and straighter. Also, before the program, the scoliosis would give me back and stomach pains. The muscles in my back pulled down on my neck as well, which gave me occasional headaches. The physical therapy made all of that go away.

However, even though methods like this exist, a lot of surgeons try to keep patients from doing it.

They will mislead their patients in order to convince them to have surgery. When my mom told my surgeon about the physical therapy, he said “Don’t waste your money on that,” and tried to tell us that it’s an ineffective method that won’t help me at all.

I understand surgery may be a good solution, but to disregard therapy as method is infuriating.

Surgery isn’t always the worst thing ever, it can go by smoothly and fix issues for some patients, but it’s really risky and doesn’t always have the desired effects.

There’s also the chance that the surgery will cause new problems.

Some patients who have had unsuccessful surgery have even had lens.

We also impact Blair students by providing a class that promotes creativity, teamwork, and professionalism. Silver Chips allows students to simultaneously inform the student body and grow and express themselves as writers.

Silver Chips gives students the opportunity to learn how to work on a nationally recognized publication. Student journalists and editors learn how to write, revise, and layout stories for the paper.

Most of all students on Silver Chips learn how to work together and self-motivate themselves for the greater good of the Blair community.

So we ask you, yes YOU, to please support Silver Chips. Dur-

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

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

Sincerely, Kelsey Walker, senior ing the holiday season, consider giving the gift of a subscription to a family member. We want to keep alive the voices of the Blair student body. If you are an alum, parent, friend, grandparent, teacher, coach, clergy, or value the importance of a school newspaper for a large student body, then please donate today, or buy an advertisement for your business.

Stop by our movie night events, and look out for our subscription booths at local Takoma Park and Silver Spring farmer’s markets.

Comments or concerns?

Email the Ombudsman at ombudsmansilverchips@gmail.com

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December 17, 2014

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December 17, 2014

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Features C1

Anger, uncertainty, grief: An Argentine family mourns Mónica Mignone’s unjust death continues to haunt those she left behind detained-disappeared. The group began to meet each Thursday and march in Buenos Aires’s Plaza de Mayo, the seat of Argentina’s government. There, in trademark white “Tortured, mistreated” After decades of listening to family memheadscarves, carrying pictures of their chilbers describe it, though, that morning is as dren, they chanted slogans, carried signs, “Torture in Argentina is closely associvivid to del Carril as though she had been and demanded that the government return ated with disappearances,” a 1978 Amnesthere. “There were ten men,” she says. their sons and daughters. ty International report explained. It cata“They had long guns, you know, rifles. But “They were the only group that dared to logues a litany of atrocities, including rape, they were not wearing any kind of military confront a repressive military government,” beatings, burns, amputation, blinding and uniform, except for their boots.”

Dr. Marguerite Guzman Bouvard wrote in castration. Among the instances of torture “The men held my brother in the kitchher 2002 book Revolutionizing Motherhood: cited by the report is the case of Veronica en at gunpoint. They told Mónica that they The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo. “At Handl-Alvarez, pregnant at the time of her would take her for two hours. My mother a time when any opposition was banned disappearance, who was punched, kicked, asked if she should take bus fare, and my faand even friends and family members of beaten with an iron rod, given electric ther said yes, give Mónica bus fare… MóniIsabel Mignone del Carril those suspected to be opponents of the reshocks, sexually abused and deprived of ca gave her address book to my other sister gime were being disappeared, the Mothers sleep. and told her to tear it into pieces.” Del Carril not only continued to demonstrate but also Handl-Alvarez, like Mignone, was 24. pauses. openly affirmed their support for democrat Mignone herself may have been subject “Then she went with the men.” to similar treatment, or worse: Her fami- the priests, one told them that his interroga- ic values.” Today, the Madres continue to In that moment, Mónica Mignone bely members have no idea. They can guess, tors had mentioned that two Mónicas were march every Thursday. Their vigil is at once came one of at least 4,000 and as many as from the stories of others fortunate enough detained in the same facility as him. Later, inspiring and tragic: after all these many 30,000 “desaparecidos,” or “disappeared to survive, but they can never be sure. And while being moved from his cell, the priest years, their children have never come back. ones,” who were kidnapped by the ArgenThey never will. that uncertainty has been a burden for the had heard the voice of Mónica Quinteiro, tine government of Jorge Videla under susThat harsh truth picion of subversive took its toll on Anactivity, according to gelica Mignone. a 1978 Amnesty In“My mother fell ternational Report. into a deep depresNo government sion,” del Carril records were kept says. “We had elecof their detentions, tions in October of and very few of 1983 and in Decemthem survived the ber that year Alfonexperience. As Iain sin became presiGuest relates in his dent, and that was 1990 book Beyond about the time my the Disappearances, mother let down military members and realized Móniroutinely tortured, ca wasn’t coming raped and murback.” dered the desapaSeven years afrecidos. Their bodter Mónica’s disapies were dumped pearance, the Dirty in the ocean or the War finally ended, river. Their children and with it, the Miwere taken from gnones’s hope for them and given to their daughter’s high-ranking govreturn. ernment and miliIn 1995, retired tary officials. naval captain Ad“The key thing olfo Scilingo pubis, this was all done lished a book, El without due process Vuelo, detailing the of law,” says del fate of desapareCarril. The military cidos taken by the could take anyone. navy.

And they did.

“They were Desaparecidos were unconscious,” he of all ages and all wrote. “We stripped occupations. Some them, and when the were nuns or priests.

REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF ISABEL MIGNONE DEL CARRIL flight commander Some were stugave the order, we dents. Some simply THE MIGNONES AT BLAIR This family photo was taken in 1967, during the brief period the Mignones lived in Silver Spring. had the misfortune During that time, Isabel and Mónica Mignone attended Blair. Isabel (second from left) was a junior, and Mónica (third from opened the door of associating with right) was a sophomore. The family returned to their native Argentina so that Isabel could graduate with an Argentine diploma. and threw them out, naked, one by one. a suspect. “If you That is the story, were a psycholofamily nearly equal to the disappearance it- a former nun with whom Mónica Mignone and nobody can deny it.” gist treating someone, or you happened to had been friends. The Mignones were sure Scilingo admitted to dropping 30 peoself. be visiting someone, and they were taken, “We wanted to know under what circum- their daughter must have been with Quin- ple from planes himself, and said his peers you might be taken,” del Carril says. “And stances she died, you know, more details,” teiro, that she was the second Mónica. And if had murdered similar numbers. It served, sometimes they would just take you.” del Carril says. “We think that she – of the priests had been released, it seemed sure he claimed, as a kind of Communion, tying Mónica herself had done little to incur the course she was tortured, mistreated. But it’s that the Mónicas, too, would soon be let go. together the men who were responsible for government’s wrath. Her most subversive “We thought, ‘Oh! Now they will release their government’s prisoners. very hard not to know.” action was taking care of slum children who After the book’s publication, Emilio MiMignone’s disappearance was, for her Mónica and her group,’” del Carril says. “So could not afford an education. Nevertheless, family, an ambiguous loss. In psychology, we cleaned the apartment, bought flowers, gnone told the Independent that he believed she – and her group of like-minded friends an ambiguous loss is a death that doesn’t in- everything. We were so happy. And that was he finally knew his daughter’s fate.

But closure remained elusive for Mivolve a body: unfinished business, without also September, spring in Argentina. So it was like spring and hope.” gnone’s family. Until his death in 1998, closure or understanding.

But Mignone did not show up that week, Emilio Mignone organized and attended Ambiguous losses are especially hard for those experiencing them because they are so or the next, or the next. And as spring faded, an annual mass for the disappeared, which uncertain. When it is unclear if a loved one so did her family’s hope she would return. continues to this day. He felt that, to symhas died, it is impossible to bury them or put “The hours went by and we would think bolize his grief for his daughter, the mass their memory at rest, and equally impossible maybe tomorrow, maybe next week…that should never stop. was one of the lowest points,” del Carril “I asked my father, why don’t you stop? to try to hunt them down.

Why don’t you have one final mass and be “The uncertainty was bad,” del Carril says. Mónica had been gone for months.

“My father was the first one that realized done?” del Carril remembers. “And he said says. “We didn’t know what had happened.

This was winter, very close to the start of she was never coming back, that they had ‘Because I have never had a response from winter, and it felt like there was this terrible killed her,” del Carril says. “But he could not the government. So I will continue to do sadness inside me. My parents were very say that at that time, because the mothers, this.’ And he did, until he died.”

- Isabel Mignone del Carril “It’s hard to end the grieving process down, there were tears. I would describe it they would not listen. They would say no, we want them back, we want them alive.” without knowing,” del Carril says. “When as a very cold, long winter.”

In 1977, a year after Mónica’s disap- another person dies, you can have a burial pearance, Mónica’s mother, Angelica, or a memorial service.

“Spring in Argentina” – were taken, just months after the coup that co-founded the Madres of the Plaza de “But with this, there isn’t really an endput Jorge Vidal in power. They were among Then, a ray of hope came. Two priests who Mayo, an organization for mothers of the ing.” the first to disappear, but they were far from from ABDUCTION page A1

the last. And their own ordeals were just beginning.

had worked in the same slum as Mignone and her friends had also been taken by the government—but the priests were released.

When Mignone’s parents went to talk with

“It felt like there was this terrible sadness inside me.”

“The hours went by and we would think maybe tomorrow, maybe next week...”

C2 Features

silverchips

December 17, 2014

The abnormal fears that haunted students for years From butterflies to aliens to feet, Blazers share their phobias

By Julian Bregstone and Maris Medina The holiday spirit was in full swing on a cold December day as senior James Fair and his family sat down to watch the 1980’s family classic, E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. What had begun as a fun family night took a turn for the worse when E.T. itself, with his horrifying and unfamiliar shape appeared. It was in this moment when a distressing aversion to the hairless creature arose within five-year-old Fair that would last for years to come.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a phobia is an overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that poses little real danger but provokes anxiety and avoidance.

They are common occurrences but often are of practical things such as snakes. Most go away with time but some remain forever. In the case of Blair students Fair, junior Annalore Salemi and senior Taylor Bosse, trivial matters transform into something completely terrifying. In extreme cases phobias often limit what a person is comfortable doing.

Developing a Phobia At age five and prior to watching the movie, Fair was fascinated by the powers of E.T. “I remember my dad explaining the premise of it to me a couple months before I watched it,” Fair says, recalling his awe at the alien’s powers. “We were eating pizza and then he said E.T. could move the whole pizza box with just his finger.”

However, on that fateful day this fascination turned into a paralyzing phobia. It all began when Fair witnessed Eliot, the main character, and E.T. screaming at first encounter. Since then, Fair became transfixed on those reverberating screeches. He was terrified but endured the remainder of the movie, which, in hindsight, Fair realizes was a mistake. He left the theater with a paranoia that remained for four years.

Salemi has suffered from Lepidopterophobia, the fear of butterflies, since she was little. The root of her fear is that butterflies do not actively try to avoid her and land on her instead. “I want the butterflies to be afraid

of me,” she explains. Additionally another rationale for phobia is her general distaste of these insects. “Have you ever seen their faces?

Look them up, they are terrifying,” she says.

For Bosse the cringe-worthy sound of nails on a chalkboard is similar to toe nails moving across the sheets in bed. Bosse employs a strict no bare feet in the bed policy, generally wearing socks.

Implications of the Fear These abnormal fears do not come without any tribulations. Fair was so frightened that he had trouble being in the dark, constantly wary of E.T. and his “watermelon-shaped

“I could not be in the dark because I thought E.T. would come and try to talk to me.”

fun of me at sleepovers for telling them to put socks on,” Bosse says.

Overcoming the Fear After four years of living with the irrational fear of E.T., Fair’s parents decided something had to be done. Hour-long sessions playing with toys at a child psychiatrist’s office provided therapeutic assistance. “By the end of the sessions my fear really diminished,” he says.

Fair vowed never to see the movie again, but after age ten he was much less frightened

by E.T. A few years after his fear dissipated, he finally forced himself to watch it again.

This time around, Fair didn’t have the same reaction as before. He admits that E.T.’s face still gives him a little scare every now and then, but he has learned to confront his fear.

“I will laugh it off and continue with my day,” he says.

In contrast, Salemi once tried to conquer her fear by going into a butterfly enclosure, but this attempt was unsuccessful.

“While in the enclosure, one unknow-

ingly landed on my shoulder,” she says, “and I ran screaming through the whole thing.” Although Lepidopterophobia has not affected Salemi as greatly as the fear of E.T. has for Fair, her parents have tried to help her overcome it. Going to the enclosure was her parents’ idea. “I remember my parents telling me to go into the damp, green house filled with tiny creatures,” she recalls. Despite their reputation as harmless insects, Salemi cannot rid herself of her fear. “I just don’t like them,” she concludes with a smile.

For most, the idea of phobias conjures up images of enormous spiders or dark, closed spaces. But some phobias are a little more unusual. Although these phobias are not the most serious sounding, they affect the day to day life of some Blazers.

At first glance, the Blair community is a diverse hodgepodge of interests, dislikes, dreams—and even phobias. What may seem like an unusual trivial fear to one individual may elicit the darkest anxieties in some. Although these phobias can reach a rather abnormal level, they still vastly affect the lives of Blazers.

-James Fair head,” he explains. “I could not be in the dark because I thought E.T. would come and try to talk to me.”

For Fair this phobia prevented him from enjoying many childhood activities like playing flashlight tag at night. Fair understood how others could find it absurd after his fear subsided. “During my childhood, my brother and neighbors would kind of laugh at the whole thing, but I never resented them for it,” he recalls jokingly.

Bosse endures similar social implications.

At sleepovers and other slumber parties she has had to be assertive with her policy. She recalls it has gotten her into arguments in the past. “People have made NINO MIGINEISHVILI

Alum leaves a large impact with a smaller footprint Ben Simon turns his passion for activism into a tangible change

By Reva Kreeger Blair graduate Ben Simon is the founder and co-director of Food Recovery Network, a nonprofit devoted to ending food waste in America. He came up with the idea to bring excess food from his college cafeteria to food shelters as a student at the University of Maryland. Ben has been working full time at Food Recovery Network for one year.

Q: How did you get started with social activism?

A: So, initially I got started as a student at

Blair. I was on the football team my sophomore year, and going into my junior year I had worked really hard and tried out for the quarterback position. I got injured and had a lot of free time on my hands the start of my junior year. So, to fill that time and have a channel for my passion, I was walking around the 130s hallway one day after school, and somebody stuck their head out of a classroom and invited me to join a meeting for [the club] Students for Global Responsibility. I ended up starting completely from scratch.

I had no prior experience doing community service or social activism, and I fell in love with it. Over the course of my junior year and senior years, I ended up getting more and more involved leading work about the environment and the genocide in Darfur, and that was really how I first plugged in.

Q: How did you come up with the idea for Food Recovery Network and how does it work?

A: The idea for FRN sprang out of being in

the dining hall close to closing time and witnessing all this surplus food that was going to be wasted. Basically, noticing that at the

same time as there was all this hunger going on in Washington, D.C., there was all this food that was just going into the trashcan. So it was a simple idea to connect the dots. So, students show up in the dining halls towards closing time, so like 9 p.m. or so, and they work closely with the chefs who will cart out the food that was prepared that day, but not sold. The students will package that food into aluminum pans, and then drive that food down to local agencies fighting hunger.

Q: Did you think Food Recovery Network would spread as rapidly and be as successful as it is?

A: We definitely had some idea. We quickly did some research and realized that a large majority of colleges were wasting all their food.

Once we knew that, we did have that vision to spread it, but I think we ended up beating even our most ambitious goals. And in retrospect, we couldn’t believe how fast it had g ro w n . R e cently, looking back at some of our strategic goals for each semester plotting out what our growth would look like, we were like, ‘wow, we did about twice as much as that.’

Q: Have you had to adjust to being a

leader since you started Food Recovery Network?

A: I definitely had to adjust. I made the mis-

take going in thinking that all the leadership skills I learned at Blair and the University of Maryland would automatically translate to me being a great CEO of a nonprofit. What I realized was that managing full time staff and working full time on an organization was a completely different endeavor than leading a student group or even a student movement that didn’t have paid staff. The job is a lot harder. I manage four full time staff currently, and most of them have their own departments so each of them manage three or four other full time staff and oversee a broad amount of responsibilities.

You have to be a lot more precise with your time management in terms of how much time you are devoting to each department, how much time you’re spending building relationships so you get to know everyone working with you as individuals, and also not neglect that your role is also head of fundraising and head of financial management of

REPRODUCED WITH THE PERMISSION OF MARS BIGBY PHOTOGROPHY, LLC

the organization. It was a very large learning curve for the first year for sure.

Q: How do you think Blair helped shape you and prepare you for your role as the head of Food Recovery Network?

A: Blair provided a community of like-

minded students, the first community of like-minded student I was ever a part of. It’s a very diverse and socially conscious community relative to the nation as a whole, and it was sort of the first sand box that I got to play in in terms of trying out different ideas for campaigns and events, and meeting other people.

Some of my friends that I met at Blair doing [activism] work for Darfur, for example are still some of my best friends, and people that I’ve cofounded other things with through college.

Q: Has it been hard to get your ideas off the ground and have here been any setbacks?

A: There was definitely a challenge in the fact

that we were all students at the same time.

That was hard. All we could really give was ten to twenty hours per week volunteer and we weren’t experts in the field and all we really had was our passion, and we formed this awesome cofounding team.

One of my cofounders, Mia, is here right now, and we have six other cofounders from University of Maryland, Brown University, UC Berkeley, and Pomona College in California. We basically work together, and we each share a piece of the work and contributed in different ways, and I think that was one of the keys to our success, to be able to broadly share that labor. I’ve also had my fair share of startup mistakes and failures.”

December 17, 2014

silverchips

Features C3

Searching the web for a stronger connection Blazers use social media to find romantic relationships

they’ll [swipe right], and if they think that you’re ugly, they’ll [swipe left].”

There are more serious downsides to the Where only first names appear, names have apps, especially as a result of the partial anobeen changed to protect the identities of the nymity that makes the interactions appealsources. ing. According to Leah, many of the boys she matched with on Tinder asked for nude Freshman Shrabonti Turna dated her exphotos. “Some of them [say] just boyfriend James for more than straight-up, ‘Nudes.’ No questhree months. They talked tion mark, just ‘nudes,’” she for hours each day, watched says. Sanon had a similar exmovies and television shows perience on a different matchtogether and rebelled against making app. “On Hot Or Not, their parents. They were the [many users] are just looking archetypical high school couple for [nude] pictures,” she comin every way but one -- their plains. “And it’s like, no, boy!” relationship took place entirely Researchers and cyber safety online. advocates also worry about Technology has changed teens’ exposure to online predaevery facet of teens’ lives, intors and unsafe relationships. cluding their romantic relationDr. Lisa Jones, an associate proships. According to the Pew fessor at the Crimes Against Research Center, 81 percent of Children Research Center at the teens use social media and 17 University of New Hampshire, percent use it to flirt. Students reminds teens to have be careful initiate relationships online to when pursuing an online relameet new people, avoid stresstionship. “Because online comful in-person meetings and munication is so anonymous hide their dating lives from and private, getting to know their parents. someone that way can give an illusion of knowing each other Logging in better than you really do,” she says. Although Tinder, for exTurna first met James at a ample, does not match minors party. “He ended up sending with adults, one’s displayed me a friend request on Faceage on the app is determined book, and I accepted,” she says. by one’s Facebook age, which He poked her on Facebook; she is easy to falsify. Sonan deleted poked back. After they reached her Hot or Not account after be100 pokes, they celebrated and ing contacted by too many adult James asked her to play 20 men on the app. “I want to be Questions. “We kept getting to really safe,” she says. “If I have know each other,” she recalls. another feeling like, ‘I shouldn’t “[We] started watching shows KYRA SEIGER do this, or this isn’t going to be while FaceTiming.”

They saw each other again LISTEN, THE LOVEBIRDS ARE TWEETING Junior Audrey Maynard and Einstein junior Dante Betancourt (left) good,’ then I...delete it or log off.” unexpectedly at another parmet and began their relationship over Twitter, as did junior Carter Tipton and sophomore Becca Aitken (right). ty, the second and final time Going offline they met offline. “I guess I fell for him then,” remembers Turna. She and online,” Tipton explains. “If you kind of on a date, seeing how we never got a chance Maynard experienced an initial disconJames started to spend more time commu- know someone [offline], it’s the question, to meet,” she remembers. nect when she met her boyfriend offline. “It nicating. “We talked every single day for as are you going to wave and smile as you pass Virtual relationship, real-world worwas definitely awkward in the beginning, [long] as we could, which was mostly two them or not? On the Internet, you can just ries because it’s just so different online,” she reto three hours,” she says. The friendship ignore them – if you choose.”

Like Tipton, Leah believes the stakes are members. “[Online], you have that pause to quickly became more flirtatious. “He kept In some students’ experiences, online re- respond.” hinting what kind of girl he would want…. lower online. “When you’re [messaging], Leah had a similar experience. “When we telling me random pickup lines [and] calling you can be a little more out there, since lationships carry a strong stigma. “It’s not me ‘beautiful’ and ‘babe,’” she recalls. After you’re not actually seeing [the other per- quite at the point where you can [say], ‘I were in person, it was just like, this is weird three months, James asked Turna to be his son]. You feel like you can take more risks met my girlfriend through the Internet,’ and and I have to actually make eye contact with and say whatever you want,” she says. not expect to be judged for it,” says Tipton. this person,” she says. She went on one date girlfriend.

For many other Blazers, relationships She also appreciates meeting new people Maynard has experienced this firsthand. with the boy she met on Tinder, but the two on social media are more casual, especially through Tinder. “It’s kind of cool because “People laugh about it, because it’s cliche didn’t click. “He wanted to hang out again, but I was like, ‘No.’” those that begin on matchmaking apps such you don’t realize how many kids your age or...stupid,” she shrugs.

Turna agrees, citing her friends’ reFor Turna, a change in priorities led to the as Tinder, which connects users who indi- are actually around you until you go on Tinend of her relationship. “We sort of just fadcate mutual interest and has a reputation der,” she says. ed away from each other as as a “hookup app.” Leah, a junior, created school started,” she recalls. a Tinder account last summer. “For girls, “Seeing as how we were it’s just kind of fun to be like, losing contact [because of] ‘He’s ugly, he’s cute,’” rehomework and keeping up flects Leah. “But whenever with our grades, I decided it [I] matched with people, the would be best for both of us majority of them were like, if I broke up with him.”

‘Send [me] nudes.’” EventuShe believes that this type ally, though, Leah met a boy of relationship is not for evwho was different. “We actualeryone. “I would have to tell ly genuinely talked,” she says. [anyone considering one] to After a month of texting, he make sure that you can comasked her on a date, and Leah mit to it and [that] you can hanaccepted. dle dating a person who you’ll Junior Audrey Maynard met probably never actually get to date,” her boyfriend, Einstein junior she warns. Turna also speculates that Dante Betancourt, online. “He folhad the relationship extended offline, it lowed me on Twitter, and I just kept might have lasted longer. “If we could have noticing him and noticing that we had CANDIA GU seen each other face-to-face more or if our things in common,” Maynard says. She parents were open to the whole boyfriendasked her Twitter followers for their Snapgirlfriend thing, maybe it would have chat usernames, and he provided his. They worked out,” she says. “We never really did began to communicate regularly, and when Sophomore Yuchabel Sanon views online sponses when she told them about her boy- any couple things like kiss or hold hands or Maynard tweeted that she wanted to see a dating as a way to escape the way others see friend and how they met. “They were usual- even hug, so [the relationship] just didn’t movie, Betancourt offered to go with her. her. “If [people] know me from Blair, they’re ly not supportive, saying that it wasn’t a real feel real at all.” like, ‘There’s Yuchabel, she’s loud, she’s relationship and it’s just almost the same Leah is currently in a relationship with a A better connection this, she’s that,’” Sanon complains. She uses thing as being single,” she recalls. boy she met offline. “[Tinder] was fun for the Leah asked to remain anonymous in this summer, because...it’s a good way to meet Junior Carter Tipton met his girlfriend, apps including Instagram and Hot or Not (a sophomore Becca Aitken, through social matchmaking application similar to Tinder) article because she does not want her cur- people,” she reflects. “So it was fun for the media. “Our first interaction was on Twit- to meet boys who do not attend Blair. “They rent boyfriend to know about her past use beach, but once you’re at school and you’re back with normal people, it’s a little weird ter,” he says. “I probably tweeted something don’t really know my personality. They of Tinder.

Some criticize online dating apps such as to be on Tinder -- like, talk to your friends.” stupid and she called me out for being stu- know half of it, but not my loud side,” she explains. “It’s much easier to make a con- Tinder for being solely based on appearance.

However, some online relationships stay pid.”

“You can choose five pictures that you want strong even in the “real world.” When I reFor Tipton, social media made the first in- nection.”

For Turna, an online relationship was her people to see, and they base [their choice] quested Tipton’s girlfriend’s email address, teraction with Aitken far easier. “[I had] the sort of social apprehension where you don’t only romantic option; her parents do not al- off of that,” explains Leah. “And then if he pulled out his cell phone and messaged know someone and you don’t know some- low her to date. “I’m from a culture where they like you, if they think that you’re cute, her on Twitter to ask.

By Eleanor Harris

one they know, so you can’t just go up and talk to them,” he remembers. Twitter also provided a way to talk to a girl he was interested in without the possible complications that real-life interaction could incur. “I think it was a little more comfortable, because it’s much less commitment to talk to someone

boyfriends and girlfriends aren’t really respected,” she says. “[My ex-boyfriend and I] could have talked on the phone, but then it would have been easy for my parents to find out.” Her parents’ disapproval of her dating prevented her and James from meeting offline more than twice. “We never went out

Features C4/C5

silverchips

December 17, 2014

Drawing everything but a blank

Story by Mariam Jiffar Design by Grace Woodward Illustrations by Ben Safford

AGING ARTFULLY Selam Befekadu has grown up with art. Since she was young, Befekadu has used her passion for art to express herself.

Blazers create, share and appreciate art Against a background of a pastel blue sky and subtle, fluffy clouds, there sits a small village. It is partially obscured

by a vibrant, green tree, but several houses are still visible, all vary in shades, whites and reds among browns and yellows.

The village is on the shore of a deeply blue river, untainted by pollution – the roofs mirror the shade of the river. The houses are almost identical in structure: one story tall with no flourishes in design, roofs resting on pentagon-shaped walls that face the river at the same angle.

This painting hangs in the United States Capitol building - it was made by Blair senior Dennis Yang. His piece, entitled After Rain, earned this coveted position when Yang won first place in the 2014 Congressional Art Competition over the 250 other participants in District Eight. The painting will stay in the Capitol for one year, until the next competition. However, all the rest of his paintings solely adorn the walls of his home. Pieces like this are being brushed into existence by plenty of Blair students regularly, but not many people are aware of both the emotional and physical experiences that Blair artists have had because of their work. “Art can definitely take you places,” insists Yang.

Flashes of inspiration When it comes to the inspiration for their art, Blazers have a myriad of different sources. Sophomore Selam Befekadu derives motivation from the social aspect of her pieces. “I just like to see people’s reactions to my art,” she says. Senior Dennis Yang also enjoys sharing what he creates. “For me, the reason I paint a lot is for other people to see it,” he says. Even if he isn’t, he still shows it to other people. “Their opinions on it will only help me make it better,” he explains. Perhaps as a result of so much practice over the years, those opinions are usually positive, which is a large part of what makes art rewarding for Yang. “Whenever someone comes over to my house and they see my paintings on the wall, they always go look at it for a while,” he says, “and I’m always really happy [when] they enjoy it so much.”

Other Blazers find art to be more personal – rather than creating art for other people, Junior Eva Parks is more inspired to make things related to what’s going on around her. “I’m doing Twelfth Night for Lumina, and I just started thinking, ‘What would it look like if these charDENNIS YANG

e US Capitol ting hangs in th in pa ’s ng Ya s Denni Art Competition.

AFTER RAIN Congressional 14 20 e th in in his w building due to

es

A

ar nt

n Che

SELAM BEFEKADU

acters were in a graphic novel?’” she explains. This initial idea transformed into an ongoing project that Parks has been working on for about a month.

Artists’ work can also be therapeutic for them. Yang says painting is a way for him to ease the pressure of schoolwork while enjoying himself. “Being able to go to my art class and just paint for three hours at the end of a stressful week of school is something I always look forward to,” he says. “It’s just something very fun [and] really relaxing that I love to do.”

Creativity in the community Along with the enjoyment that comes from their work, many artists at Blair also find friendship and support within the art community. Blair’s studio art classes in particular fosters this sense of belonging for Blair artists and helps them

“Art can definitely take you places.”

- Dennis Yang

hone their skills. Yang appreciates the time he and his classmates had in Studio Art to view each other’s new pieces.

“We would just have a walk-around to see everyone’s art,” he says. “It’s kind of a community in that sense; everyone appreciates what everyone did.”

Senior Antares Chen also feels that art can unite people as they share their pieces with others, citing the National Art Honors Society as an example. “We make a whole bunch of paintings and we just sort of distribute them throughout the community,” he says.

“As much as people say that art is a personal thing, art’s also a very social thing... it sort of brings us together.”

Though plenty of students thoroughly enjoy the art scene at Blair, some believe there is still room for improvement. Junior Micah Charles wishes there was more appreciation for art in the general public of Blair. “We

m adu a l Se efek B

normally focus on mostly sports and stuff, and I don’t like the fact that we don’t reach out to our art community,” he says. “We do have an art fair, but [we should] have a little bit more stuff on the side.”

Charles thinks the events celebrating art should happen more often, but they don’t have to be organized as a traditional sort of fair. “[Maybe] something where people come out and draw for others,” he suggests. “It doesn’t have to be all formal; it can just be a normal, chill thing.”

Art in the ‘real world’ Blair artists don’t just create pieces – they share them, as Chen described with the National Art Honors Society, and they bond over them, like with Yang’s experiences with Studio Art. However, both are eager to voice a major concern prevalent in the Blair art community: the narrative that investing oneself in art is not a worthwhile pursuit. Chen stresses the widespread applications of art in other fields, explaining that it can be useful in understanding math, especially. “You can interpret calculus geometrically, and having that artist sort of mindset helps,” he says. Yang worries that art has a bad reputation for not being ‘practical.’ “I feel like some people think that artists aren’t really successful and [art] won’t get you anywhere,” he explains. “[But] if you try, and you keep on going with it, you’ll succeed.” Yang recalls one event in particular where art provided an unexpected opportunity. “I had this one competition and I met a senator at the end,” he says, which showed him just what kind of doors his art could open. “That was really an eye-opening experience for me.”

The artistic mindset that Chen discusses has also helped Blazers with something else: persistence and discipline. Creating art has had a significant impact on who these Blazers are – these artists have been practicing for years, but they keep on going, knowing they can always improve in the future. Chen insists that ongoing practice is the key to success in art. “I think Nike had it right when they said, ‘Just do it,’” he says, smiling. “Do sketch after sketch after sketch. [Great artists] just draw like there’s no tomorrow.”

Picking up the brush Some Blazers were motivated to dedicate more time to art by specific people, but most were inspired by their surroundings. Yang was inspired to commit more time to art by a talented friend of his family. “I always liked color-

ing, I guess, when I was really young,” he says, “but what really got me into taking lessons was [how] my family friend was really good at [painting].” Charles was also inspired by the art he saw, but he saw that art on TV. “I kind of started when I was about 10 or so because I used to watch a lot of cartoons, and I would try to draw them,” he says. “I would look them up on the Internet, and over time my skills kind of grew from there.”

Though most Blair artists can say with confidence how they got started, it is far more difficult for them to determine when. Many say that they’ve been interested in art since a very young age – Befekadu says she has her family to thank for her passion in making art. “My brother went to art school, and when he did that, he also taught me how to do little illustrations and stuff,” she says. “I just grew up with art.”

Parks says she’s always enjoyed drawing but only started identifying as an artist after others said she was. “I only started considering myself as an artist when people started calling me that,” she reflects. Similarly, Chen believes the time he began making art depends on what one would qualify as art. “What does it mean to be an artist?” he wonders. “If I defined it at the point where I started taking lessons, then I’d say about 8 years, but if you define it at the point where I just started drawing because I did not want to pay attention during class, then I’d say even [longer].”

This is another commonality that links Blair artists: kindling creativity from dull moments during classes. Parks says much of her art is made during the school day to keep things interesting. “A lot of what I do, I do in class, basically to fight off boredom,” she says. She also recommends it for aspiring artists at Blair, or anyone trying to entertain oneself during class. “If your teachers let you do it, totally do [art] in class,” Parks encourages.

Artists at Blair may seem like they’ve been at it forever, but they were all beginners once, and many of them believe it’s never too late to start. Even if the prospect of making art doesn’t seem appealing right now, some Blair artists would advise people not to write – nor draw – it off for good. “[Making art] helps me concentrate,” says Parks. “You don’t have to be good at art to be an artist.” Charles also encourages people to give art a chance and take advantage of the opportunities that could come their way. “Don’t be afraid to advertise what your skills are…that’s how people become famous every day – they express their skills through different ways,” he says. “And you might have the skill of drawing, so why not get that out there?”

ANTARES CHEN

SEASIDE VILLAGE One of Antares Chen’s favorite acrylics, Seaside Village, is just one of the numerous paintings Chen has enjoyed sharing with his peers and family.

Blair’s National Arts Honors Society has partnered with the nonprofit organization Youth Art for Healing.

See more of Chen’s work on “Art Honor Society partners with local hospital” on page A5.

g

an Y s ni n De

DENNIS YANG

ALL ALONG THE WATERFRONT Dennis Yang has found that many opportunites stem from his work and encourages others to see art as a viable pursuit. He also sees art as a way to enjoy himself.

Features C4/C5

silverchips

December 17, 2014

Drawing everything but a blank

Story by Mariam Jiffar Design by Grace Woodward Illustrations by Ben Safford

AGING ARTFULLY Selam Befekadu has grown up with art. Since she was young, Befekadu has used her passion for art to express herself.

Blazers create, share and appreciate art Against a background of a pastel blue sky and subtle, fluffy clouds, there sits a small village. It is partially obscured

by a vibrant, green tree, but several houses are still visible, all vary in shades, whites and reds among browns and yellows.

The village is on the shore of a deeply blue river, untainted by pollution – the roofs mirror the shade of the river. The houses are almost identical in structure: one story tall with no flourishes in design, roofs resting on pentagon-shaped walls that face the river at the same angle.

This painting hangs in the United States Capitol building - it was made by Blair senior Dennis Yang. His piece, entitled After Rain, earned this coveted position when Yang won first place in the 2014 Congressional Art Competition over the 250 other participants in District Eight. The painting will stay in the Capitol for one year, until the next competition. However, all the rest of his paintings solely adorn the walls of his home. Pieces like this are being brushed into existence by plenty of Blair students regularly, but not many people are aware of both the emotional and physical experiences that Blair artists have had because of their work. “Art can definitely take you places,” insists Yang.

Flashes of inspiration When it comes to the inspiration for their art, Blazers have a myriad of different sources. Sophomore Selam Befekadu derives motivation from the social aspect of her pieces. “I just like to see people’s reactions to my art,” she says. Senior Dennis Yang also enjoys sharing what he creates. “For me, the reason I paint a lot is for other people to see it,” he says. Even if he isn’t, he still shows it to other people. “Their opinions on it will only help me make it better,” he explains. Perhaps as a result of so much practice over the years, those opinions are usually positive, which is a large part of what makes art rewarding for Yang. “Whenever someone comes over to my house and they see my paintings on the wall, they always go look at it for a while,” he says, “and I’m always really happy [when] they enjoy it so much.”

Other Blazers find art to be more personal – rather than creating art for other people, Junior Eva Parks is more inspired to make things related to what’s going on around her. “I’m doing Twelfth Night for Lumina, and I just started thinking, ‘What would it look like if these charDENNIS YANG

e US Capitol ting hangs in th in pa ’s ng Ya s Denni Art Competition.

AFTER RAIN Congressional 14 20 e th in in his w building due to

es

A

ar nt

n Che

SELAM BEFEKADU

acters were in a graphic novel?’” she explains. This initial idea transformed into an ongoing project that Parks has been working on for about a month.

Artists’ work can also be therapeutic for them. Yang says painting is a way for him to ease the pressure of schoolwork while enjoying himself. “Being able to go to my art class and just paint for three hours at the end of a stressful week of school is something I always look forward to,” he says. “It’s just something very fun [and] really relaxing that I love to do.”

Creativity in the community Along with the enjoyment that comes from their work, many artists at Blair also find friendship and support within the art community. Blair’s studio art classes in particular fosters this sense of belonging for Blair artists and helps them

“Art can definitely take you places.”

- Dennis Yang

hone their skills. Yang appreciates the time he and his classmates had in Studio Art to view each other’s new pieces.

“We would just have a walk-around to see everyone’s art,” he says. “It’s kind of a community in that sense; everyone appreciates what everyone did.”

Senior Antares Chen also feels that art can unite people as they share their pieces with others, citing the National Art Honors Society as an example. “We make a whole bunch of paintings and we just sort of distribute them throughout the community,” he says.

“As much as people say that art is a personal thing, art’s also a very social thing... it sort of brings us together.”

Though plenty of students thoroughly enjoy the art scene at Blair, some believe there is still room for improvement. Junior Micah Charles wishes there was more appreciation for art in the general public of Blair. “We

m adu a l Se efek B

normally focus on mostly sports and stuff, and I don’t like the fact that we don’t reach out to our art community,” he says. “We do have an art fair, but [we should] have a little bit more stuff on the side.”

Charles thinks the events celebrating art should happen more often, but they don’t have to be organized as a traditional sort of fair. “[Maybe] something where people come out and draw for others,” he suggests. “It doesn’t have to be all formal; it can just be a normal, chill thing.”

Art in the ‘real world’ Blair artists don’t just create pieces – they share them, as Chen described with the National Art Honors Society, and they bond over them, like with Yang’s experiences with Studio Art. However, both are eager to voice a major concern prevalent in the Blair art community: the narrative that investing oneself in art is not a worthwhile pursuit. Chen stresses the widespread applications of art in other fields, explaining that it can be useful in understanding math, especially. “You can interpret calculus geometrically, and having that artist sort of mindset helps,” he says. Yang worries that art has a bad reputation for not being ‘practical.’ “I feel like some people think that artists aren’t really successful and [art] won’t get you anywhere,” he explains. “[But] if you try, and you keep on going with it, you’ll succeed.” Yang recalls one event in particular where art provided an unexpected opportunity. “I had this one competition and I met a senator at the end,” he says, which showed him just what kind of doors his art could open. “That was really an eye-opening experience for me.”

The artistic mindset that Chen discusses has also helped Blazers with something else: persistence and discipline. Creating art has had a significant impact on who these Blazers are – these artists have been practicing for years, but they keep on going, knowing they can always improve in the future. Chen insists that ongoing practice is the key to success in art. “I think Nike had it right when they said, ‘Just do it,’” he says, smiling. “Do sketch after sketch after sketch. [Great artists] just draw like there’s no tomorrow.”

Picking up the brush Some Blazers were motivated to dedicate more time to art by specific people, but most were inspired by their surroundings. Yang was inspired to commit more time to art by a talented friend of his family. “I always liked color-

ing, I guess, when I was really young,” he says, “but what really got me into taking lessons was [how] my family friend was really good at [painting].” Charles was also inspired by the art he saw, but he saw that art on TV. “I kind of started when I was about 10 or so because I used to watch a lot of cartoons, and I would try to draw them,” he says. “I would look them up on the Internet, and over time my skills kind of grew from there.”

Though most Blair artists can say with confidence how they got started, it is far more difficult for them to determine when. Many say that they’ve been interested in art since a very young age – Befekadu says she has her family to thank for her passion in making art. “My brother went to art school, and when he did that, he also taught me how to do little illustrations and stuff,” she says. “I just grew up with art.”

Parks says she’s always enjoyed drawing but only started identifying as an artist after others said she was. “I only started considering myself as an artist when people started calling me that,” she reflects. Similarly, Chen believes the time he began making art depends on what one would qualify as art. “What does it mean to be an artist?” he wonders. “If I defined it at the point where I started taking lessons, then I’d say about 8 years, but if you define it at the point where I just started drawing because I did not want to pay attention during class, then I’d say even [longer].”

This is another commonality that links Blair artists: kindling creativity from dull moments during classes. Parks says much of her art is made during the school day to keep things interesting. “A lot of what I do, I do in class, basically to fight off boredom,” she says. She also recommends it for aspiring artists at Blair, or anyone trying to entertain oneself during class. “If your teachers let you do it, totally do [art] in class,” Parks encourages.

Artists at Blair may seem like they’ve been at it forever, but they were all beginners once, and many of them believe it’s never too late to start. Even if the prospect of making art doesn’t seem appealing right now, some Blair artists would advise people not to write – nor draw – it off for good. “[Making art] helps me concentrate,” says Parks. “You don’t have to be good at art to be an artist.” Charles also encourages people to give art a chance and take advantage of the opportunities that could come their way. “Don’t be afraid to advertise what your skills are…that’s how people become famous every day – they express their skills through different ways,” he says. “And you might have the skill of drawing, so why not get that out there?”

ANTARES CHEN

SEASIDE VILLAGE One of Antares Chen’s favorite acrylics, Seaside Village, is just one of the numerous paintings Chen has enjoyed sharing with his peers and family.

Blair’s National Arts Honors Society has partnered with the nonprofit organization Youth Art for Healing.

See more of Chen’s work on “Art Honor Society partners with local hospital” on page A5.

g

an Y s ni n De

DENNIS YANG

ALL ALONG THE WATERFRONT Dennis Yang has found that many opportunites stem from his work and encourages others to see art as a viable pursuit. He also sees art as a way to enjoy himself.

C6 Features

silverchips

December 17, 2014

Students go from textbooks to checkbooks Student entrepreneurs harness their skills to make a profit

By Luisa McGarvey Ten dollars for a unique silk-screened shirt that’s emblazoned with the pun ‘Grateful Bed’ right above a bed and a signature Grateful Dead decal, advertises Dio Cramer’s Facebook post. With promises of “more rad stuff in the future,” this post was just the beginning of what Cramer hopes will transform into a successful business. Dozens of comments full of people clamoring for their own hand printed shirt are left under her post, a testament to the popularity of her designs.

This budding business is just one example of Blair students using their skills and interests to make money on the side. Of course, this does not mean instant success – these Blazers must push through the initial unprofitable stage of their endeavors to earn money from their interests.

Passion to profit Cramer already had a love for art ever since she was a child. “I have always just loved art and loved to experiment and try new types of art, so when I discovered silk screening I thought that it’d be super cool to do.”

For sophomore Oriana Zwerdling, profiting off of her jewelry making hobby was inconceivable at first. “I was really surprised when my friend texted me saying some girls were looking for me and they all wanted to buy necklaces,” she says. Although Zwerdling was caught off guard by this request, she was pleased that people were showing interest in her jewelry. “I had no idea who they were but it was really cool that people knew about what I was doing and actually wanted to buy my stuff,” expresses Zwerdling.

The push junior Ben Lickerman needed to transform an interest in photography came when his neighbor approached him to

photograph and film the Chuck Brown Memorial Park dedication ceremony. “While filming and taking pictures of the ceremony with a friend, it was one of the first times I seriously considered turning it into a business,” says Lickerman.

When starting his photography business, it helped that Lickerman was able to partner with his friend, junior Miles Royce, who shared a similar interest in photography and film. “I asked [Royce] to come help me shoot the event, which was super helpful and made it a lot easier to get everything done,” explains Lickerman.

Unlike Lickerman and Royce, junior Dio Cramer created her products before the idea of creating a business occurred. She started by making shirts with funny puns such as “teardrops on my sitar” and went on to design a galactic scene with a lone planet in the sky after realizing how much fun it was to silkscreen. “I had been playing around with silk screening for a while over the summer when I started coming up with my own designs for shirts,” explains Cramer.

Getting started As both budding entrepreneurs and high school students, getting your business off the ground can be the hardest part, without lot of experience or resources. “I mean right now my business is just a small thing. I’m just hand making them in my basement and selling them for a tiny profit,” discloses Cramer. To get over the initial rough patch and to help get the word out about her designs, Cramer has been using social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to advertise using pictures of her different shirts.

Always aware that they are only highschoolers, Lickerman and Royce have been careful not to charge too much. “It has been hard for us to compare our abilities to other photographers so typically we’ve started out by charging a client not too much, but

once they trust us they are more likely to call us back and offer us more money,” explains Lickerman.

This strategy has worked for Lickerman and Royce, who have already been hired on multiple occasions. “My first few events I earned around 100 dollars but now at our most recent gig, Ben and I got paid like five hundred dollars for the whole thing,” exclaims Royce.

Cramer’s friends helped her get started and continue to motivate her today. She began by making shirts with friends for local bands and has moved onto making her own personal designs. “I’m selling them [at a pretty cheap price] because I’m selling to my friends mostly, and it’s ridiculous to make your friends pay overly priced for things,” says Cramer.

Future Plans

CHIMEY SONAM

CHIMEY SONAM

MRBL PHOTOGRAPHY Miles Royce and Ben Lickerman have been working together to photograph and film events.

Lickerman and Royce have bigger plans in the works for their photography business. “Right now, were kind of making a deal with a company we already shot for that will basically allow us to photograph all of their upcoming events,” explains Lickerman. The founders of MRBL photography also have their sights set on doing more film-based projects. “We’re hoping to do some more filming of events instead of just photography because I’m really interested in film and it is possible that we may be paid more,” says Lickerman.

As for Cramer, she plans to continue mak-

ing a small profit by putting her art onto a wearable canvas. “I hope to continue to make shirts for events and especially othe local bands. I’m also still working on my own designs because that’s fun,” says Cra mer.

Zwerdling, who is just getting started is close to finally achieving her childhood dream. “I definitely plan to keep making jewelry, shirts, and other stuff and I want to make it a more legitimate business by hav ing an online store, like on Etsy since it’ something I’ve wanted to do ever since was seven,” expresses Zwerdling.

Nobody is showing up to attend the Grand Old Party Students share their experiences of being Republicans at Blair

By Winne Luo It is November 6, 2012, and President Barack Obama has just won his campaign for reelection. Meriam Mossad opens her Facebook and, at the top of her feed, sees: “Obama won. Can’t wait to rub it into that girl’s face in NSL.” Though the comment does not mention Mossad’s name, she realizes “that girl” is her and that she is being targeted by her classmates solely because of her views.

According to a 2011 Gallup poll, the average Republican is white, male, Protestant or Catholic and married. In contrast, Mossad, now a senior, is Egyptian, female and Orthodox Christian. According to the 2012 Election Maryland Voter Registration, only 26 percent of people in Maryland identify as Republicans, as opposed to the 56 percent that are Democrats. Blair’s student body, drawn from liberal areas such as Takoma Park and composed of over 70 percent racial minorities, is no exception to this distribution.

Mossad’s Republican views are not new manifestations. Her mother and father, a journalist and diplomat respectively, are staunch Republicans. “My dad always shares his views at the dinner table, so I adopted that approach early on,” she says.

Mossad acknowledges that her family’s views do not blend with those prevalent in the Takoma Park-Silver Spring area. “Our family friends are like Potomac people who [are part of the] Republicans in Maryland,” she says. Junior Matthew Guerrera, who also identifies as Republican but lives in Burtonsville, agrees, joking, “I’d probably get killed if I lived in Takoma Park.”

The Facebook status, however, was a level of criticism that took Mossad offguard. “I was surprised…people took [the results] personally and didn’t respect my views,” she says. It made her question her classmates’ acceptance, or lack thereof, of dissenting ideologies. Junior Arthur Cohen experienced criticism for his conservative

Only 26% of people in Maryland identify as Republican SOURCE: GALLUP

views as early as middle school. “I talked about [my opinion] once, and the entire class went off on me, they started screaming at me, and I was being reasonable, not extremist or anything,” he explains. Cohen, who does not classify himself specifically as Republican, now stays quiet on most issues.

“I have to keep it [low-key] or people look at me differently, like I’m less-than.”

Republicans at Blair have reason to keep silent, as disclosing their views incites harsh criticism that is difficult to overcome. “I get a lot of heat at school,” Mossad admits.

When people find out about her views, they are usually taken by surprise and question whether her opinions are informed. “People assume I don’t know all the facts, that if they tell me more, I’ll realize that I’m wrong,” she

GRACE WOODWARD

says. Guerrera expresses similar reservations, wary that people often jump to conclusions. “Most people assume the worst about my views,” he says.

Individuals with opposing views are susceptible to peer judgment, but in class, Mossad and Guerrera find that even teachers do not remain nonpartisan. Mossad, in her sophomore year, did a presentation about the media’s misrepresentation of Republicans, and her teacher took points off because Mossad’s audience “didn’t agree” with her. “I don’t think I could have changed the whole class’ opinions about politics in 10 minutes,” she says, a hint of indignation in her voice.

For Guerrera, problems arise when teachers know his general affiliation but not his

actual views. “One teacher told me during a lesson, ‘Matt, I am sorry but I can’t stay in the middle of this issue. I think black people should have voting rights.’ Now at first I was like ‘great me too,’ then I realized he actually thinks I don’t believe in voting rights for African Americans just because I am slightly more conservative than my classmates.”

Mossad finds that she often cannot express her opinions without backlash, partly because teachers share different views. “Teachers assume everyone is liberal…I share my opinion with someone, they’re gonna be like ‘oh, [you don’t agree with] the teacher, so you’re automatically wrong,’” she says. Especially because some of her peers already believe she is misinformed, Mossad believes teachers should simply state the facts and keep their opinions to themselves. “Before, I used to [voice] my opinions with teachers, but I feel like now… it’s more trouble, teachers look at you differently,” says Mossad.

The constant heated debate is an everyday struggle for Republican Blazers, but it is for that very reason that Guerrera and Mossad both would choose to attend Blair over a school in a more politically conservative area. According to Guerrera, defending his beliefs against others’ allows him to reaffirm his own. “Being forced to defend your views every day for years on end definitely helped me to understand both sides of issue…I have developed more facts and reasoning behind why I think my side is right because if I didn’t, I would have been torn apart and humiliated every time politics came out in class.” Knowing both sides of the argument, which would not necessarily be expressed somewhere strictly rightof-center, allows Guerrera to make informed decisions about his views.

So what’s it like being a Republican at Blair? Cohen summarizes the attitudes one faces nicely: “They’ll think you’re crazy.”

However, most wouldn’t have it any other way.

December 17, 2014

Entertainment C7

silverchips

in on Blair’s budget Custodial supplies $15,726 Replace equipment and furniture $9,000

SOURCE: RENAY JOHNSON

Drama $11,000

Toner $11,063

Musical equipment repair $12,000

Paper $25,653 Textbooks $96,000 WINNE LUO AND ELIZABETH PHAM

D1Entertainment

silverchips

December 17, 2014

An original approach to getting dressed in the morning Students display a unique fashion sense around the halls of Blair

By Camille Estrin and Sarah Hutter Hundreds of teens browse brightly-lit stores such as H&M, Forever 21, and American Apparel every weekend, amidst stylish, conventional clothes lining the racks and displayed on the mannequins. Many Blair students flaunt these popular fashions, but some Blazers take an alternative approach to clothes, wearing unusual items which express their personal style. Some students choose to create their own clothes and accessories, and some even manage to turn a profit.

Fashionistas of Blair Freshman Grace Hoggarth started learning how to sew in third grade, taking classes at G Street Fabrics. Her interest in fashion peaked in eighth grade, when she made a dress entirely out of candy wrappers for a school project. Since then, she has continued to make several dresses for various occasions. “I made six other dresses for weddings that I’ve gone to,” says Hoggarth.

Sophomore Francheska Mendoza learned how to sew from her grandmother at the age of ten. Mendoza has her own unique take on fashion. She specializes in “old-fashioned vintage clothes”, browsing through thrift stores to find old clothes, which she takes apart and pieces together into something new.

Freshman Iyanu Bishop started sewing in order to express her personal style and create clothes she felt comfortable wearing. “I just really loved fashion, and for my size I

ZEKE WAPNER

AMATEUR DESIGNER Freshman Grace Hoggarth shows off her original style, and even makes her own clothes.

can’t find a lot of clothes that fit me,” she says.

She has taken sewing classes, and even has a mentor in the fashion industry who helps her with her sewing endeavors. Now, she regularly makes her own pants, dresses, bags and pillows, as well as other accessories.

Freshman Claire Sparks actually taught herself how to crochet from a how-to book, after her younger sister expressed an interest in doing projects with her.

While she started out making small toys for her young siblings, as Sparks developed her skills, she began to crochet larger items such as sweaters and hats.

“Now I’m really good at it, I’m really fast,” says Sparks. She does not sell her creations, but has continued to crochet because she enjoys the distraction it provides during the day. “I’m really fidgety during the day, so it’s good to have something to do with my hands,” says Sparks.

Fashion Inspiration

These Blazers’ interesting style is inspired by many different sources. Some use celebrities as fashion idols. Bishop’s idol is Solange Knowles, while Mendoza turns to Kylie Jenner for inspiration. Mendoza tries to emulate Jenner’s grunge fashion style in her own creations.

To sell or not to sell

All of these students have thought about selling their creations, and some of them plan to do so in the future. Bishop actually has sold an item to a fellow student before.

“I did it once, because some girl asked me to make her something,” she says. However, her mother would prefer her main focus to be on her schoolwork, and says Bishop can get a sewing machine only if she can maintain good grades.

Hoggarth is interested in selling her clothes, “once I start making bigger things,” she says. Mendoza, on the other hand, creates clothes solely for her personal enjoyment. “I’m not going to pursue it in like a career, but I’m going to pursue it for myself,” she says.

These Blazers walk through the halls sporting their own clothing and accessories, while the rest continue to flaunt their department store attire. For students like Sparks, Hoggarth, Bishop, and Mendoza, however, making clothing and accessories is a way to express their creativity and invest in a possible future career.

From dark matter to birth control: today’s scientific discoveries

Every day, science answers questions about how the world works

By Sam Butler Every day, scientists from all around the world paint us a clearer picture of how our universe works, how our planet works, and how we work. And although we have come a long way in the many fields of science, we are still learning how humans work, accomplishing new engineering feats, and making strides toward a better understanding of our existence. Here are some of the fascinating things that the world’s scientists have been working on in recent weeks:

Cause

of starfish deaths discovered

N

BE

Many environmentalists have been worried over the past few months about the large number of starfish that have been dying along the Pacific Coast of North America. The starfish had been appearing to have “melted.” Since the discovery of the large number of dead starfish, various government agencies, associations and aquariums had been trying to find out the cause, which researchers have discovered to be an ocean star related densovirus, or Ssadv. The disease first hurts the starfish’s arms, until their skin has disintegrated to the point where their internal organs begin spilling out. The disease has apparently been hosted by starfish since at least the 1940s, as samples from that time tested positive for it. It is currently unknown what set off the harmful effects of the disease. Although the disease is treatable, it would be impossible to treat every starfish, so scientists are waiting to see if the new generation of starfish will develop a way to combat the disease.

Mom’s yelling at me, time to stop listening

OR

FF

SA

A research group from the Universities of Pittsburgh, California-Berkeley and Harvard recently performed a study where they monitored the brain activity of 32 teens and pre-teens listening to clips of their mothers criticizing them. The study found that, after listening, teens brains showed reduced activity in the brain regions involved in emotional control and in seeing others’ perspective. The study also showed more activity in brain regions regarding negative emotion.

The scientists, based on their study, suggest to parents that criticism may not be an effective parenting technique, since it tends to cause negative emotions for teenagers. The study may have had some degree of error, though, considering how difficult it can be to interpret what brain activity means.

D

CAN

Women may make the wrong choice when on the pill A Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nov. 17 study found that women who marry less attractive men while on birth control experience a drop in marital satisfaction when they stop taking it. The study also showed that women who marry more attractive men while on ‘the pill’ experience a rise in marital satisfaction when they stop taking it. The study shows that, since the pill alters the hormone levels of the women who take it, it also affects what they look for in a mate.

Moral of the story: don’t let your hormones make your decisions.

DIA

GU

Landing on a comet On Nov. 12, the European Space Agency made great strides toward discovering more about our universe. The agency’s Philae lander on the Rosetta Mission landed on the Comet 67P/ Churyumov-Gerasimenko, marking the first time a spacecraft from Earth had landed on a comet.

The mission launched all the way back in March 2004, when the members of Blair’s senior class were just finishing up second grade. To our current scientific knowledge, comets are the most primitive bodies in our Solar System, which means researching this comet might give us insight into the organic molecules that may have played a role in the origin of life on Earth.

GPS Satellites may be able to locate dark matter Analysts from the University of Nevada recently proposed that the Global Positioning System, along with atomic clocks, could be used to locate Dark Matter . Scientists believe Dark Matter is what scientists hypothesize to be responsible for the gravitational effects that appear to be a result of something invisible . It is essentially a placeholder (like the x in math class) for something unknown and unseen. The proposal states that when atomic clocks go out of sync, that proves that Dark Matter exists, and then GPS can be used to identify the location and size.

The group of scientists testing this proposal are working from the College of Science at the University of Nevada, Reno, and are examining 30 different GPS satellites for their study. Finding the existence and whereabouts of Dark Matter will give scientists a better understanding of how our universe works, and why galaxies, solar systems, and planets move the way they do.

CANDIA GU

December 17, 2014

Entertainment D2

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A delicious take on Vietnamese food at Lotus Café

The perfect place for a meal that is rich in flavor but not in price

By Jesse Broad-Cavanagh Silver Spring’s downtown area is well known for its central hub of restaurants.

Fine dining establishments woo customers in with their fancy patterned lights, cultural music, and carefully plated dishes. Add-ons including futuristic soda machines with over 50 options and colorfully named des-

simple wooden tables with flower decorated table cloths take up the room. Worn posters and images full of Vietnamese handwriting cover the walls. It’s certainly a look that not many restaurants go for, but it’s sincere, and works.

The only intimidation that you’ll face the entire meal is trying to pick from the absurdly extensive menu. If your “go to” is typi-

a slight smoky taste but explodes with juice and that subtle sweetness with every bite.

Again, the dipping sauce is the key to amplify this dish’s full potential. You could have a few shrimp plain, a few dipped in the sweet sauce, and a few covered in the peanut dip.

A lot of variety of flavor, all in one simple dish. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous, then definitely go with the Vietnam-

ZEKE WAPNER

STARTING OFF RIGHT Summer Rolls stuffed with fresh vegetables, pork, or shrimp are an affortable but filling appetizer option cal Vietnamese choices, then Lotus Café is a shoo-in. Crispy spring rolls filled with pork and strips of cabbage, carrots, and other miscellaneous fried vegetables are exactly what you’d expect, and they taste amazing. Dip them into the sweet yet refreshing Nuoc Mam Cham sauce, and they’ll literally be dripping with flavor. Another steady favorite is the summer roll.

Stuffed with pork, shrimp, or vegetables, the only issue might be a slight lack of flavor. Again, dipping sauce is the answer.

The obvious choice here is the peanut sauce that pairs well with the cool temperature of the roll. If making a choice is too hard, or you’re with a larger party, then the combo platter is right for you.

Stacked with spring rolls, summer rolls, shrimp toast, and coconut shrimp, it’s a PHO Noodles with large pieces of chicken comes along with assortvery good variety of what ed spices and vegetable options that add flavor to the mix. the appetizer portion of the Lotus Café, on the corner of Georgia and menu has to offer. The coconut shrimp, be Sligo Avenue, has quietly made a name for warned, is really sweet, and the breading itself as the place to go for stunning Viet- can be a bit too much to take in. The shrimp namese food at near unbeatable prices. Sur- toast, however, is a beautiful combination of rounded by a few rundown buildings, it fried shrimp sandwiched in with toast and doesn’t look like much. But the family run lettuce. The toast gives a nice crunch to the restaurant will be quick in making you feel subtle sweetness of the shrimp. right at home. The front area is dedicated Looking for a heartier start to your meal? to a bar and a few tables. Unparalleled Lotus Cafe still has you covered. A safe opwarmth starts here, as you’ll be greeted by tion is always the appetizer skewers. This the beaming smiles of the family’s children choice includes two skewers of pork, beef, who will point you down to the main din- or shrimp served on top of thin rice noodles. ing room. This area is a bit more open, and The shrimp is simply amazing, as it carries serts attempt to draw in every last customer (and their money). Unfortunately, restaurants whose mainstay is these temptations are staying afloat by simply raising prices and lowering quality, and in the process leaving handfuls of us disappointed. Luckily, there’s a little place on the corner of town that has stuck to the basics; making food.

beautiful compliment to just about anything else you’ll be eating.

On top of the variety of sweet options offered, Lotus Café’s menu holds a good amount of savory dishes as well. The noodle selection is topped by the half burn noodles.

The thin yet wide noodles have a strong grilled taste that compliments the strips of chicken or beef very nicely. Touched with a bit of savory sauce, the smell might just be as good as the dish itself. The portion size, along with just about everything else on the menu, is huge. Nothing comes close, however, to the hot house steak. It’s simply an explosion of flavor from some of the most tender chunks of sirloin you’ll ever have. Every bite hits you with a slightly sweet combination of sauce and garlic. This is honestly one of the best dishes you’ll ever eat.

Of course, no Vietnamese restaurant is complete without heaping bowls of Pho. The steaming meat broth soup is traditionally full of rice noodles, meat, and a whole bunch of customization. An order comes with a plate stacked high with options that include jalapeno peppers, pieces of lime, Brussels sprouts, and leaves of basil. The size options are small and large, but both are enormous.

Top choices are white meat chicken and eye of round (strips of beef), but this dish is also very vegetarian friendly with a tofu and vegetable option. The bowl is packed thick with strips of meat, and endless flavor.

Each bite hits you with the strong cilantro and lime combo, and if you don’t hold back with the Sriracha sauce, then you’re in for an even crazier time. This soup should also be your go-to if you’re a bit under the weather, or even just a bit cold.

The prices on this menu are almost as good as the food itself. Most appetizers hover around the $4-7 range, and entrées vary between $10-14. The big steal though is the Pho, which will only cost you $8 for a large. Any place where you can get a full meal for less than $15 should be considered a steal, but the enormous portion sizes on just about everything make it that much better.

Needless to say, you’ll be leaving Lotus Cafe proud of your spending and full of warmth. An experience highlighted by amazing smells, a large variation of flavors, and unbeatable prices is something pretty hard to come by. On top of all that, the family who runs the place is full of smiles and amazing service. You’re definitely going to want to stop by.

ese crepe. Recently moved from the entrées menu, the crepe is enormous and can easily feed three to four people as a starter. Tender pork and shrimp, surrounded with Brussels sprouts, basil, and a variety of lettuces sounds good enough, but it’s the fried crepe that will really do you in. The thick crunch and hint of coconut work very well in adding creative texture and flavor to the plain meat inside.

Now comes the hard part; choosing an entrée. This is where Lotus Cafe really shows their versatility. Just like most Vietnamese restaurants, there’s a deep selection of basic meats paired with vegetables that offer a good amount of customization. You’ll definitely enjoy all of these, but you’d be even better off with the large supply of hidden gems that sprinkle the menu.

The first one of these is the honey glazed duck. The duck is so tender and perfectly sweet, and falls right off of the bone. The flavor drops down to the surrounding platter of baby corn, snow peas, and peppers to bring together such a good experience.

Continuing with the sweet theme, the caramel fish is must have for any seafood lover. Thick chunks of the caramel-covered fish are cooked, and served, in a small hot pot. Completely drenched in a sweet stew of pepper and ginger, the thick texture is hard to find elsewhere on the menu. Going back to the dipping theme, SEAFOOD SKEWERS Juicy shrimp is grilled over rice vermithe stew acts as a celli and served steaming hot to make a delicious meal.

D3 Entertainment

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December 17, 2014

I’m dreaming of a good ol’ snow day

Blazers of Note

For high school students, snow days lack youthful lightheartedness

By Amanda Wessel

NOLA CHEN

Kebron Minrette JUNIOR Lots of students participate in the open mics at school, but it takes a special talent to perform at shows with well-known local rap groups. Junior Kebron Minrette is an artist better known by her stage name, Kesari.

Minrette performed a duet with her friend at her first professional show, Soly Ghost, a little over month ago. Minrette had done open mics at school for a while but she said her friends in the local rap group, Publik Theory, inspired her to take her singing to the next level. “One of my friends who’s in the group, Tamar he told me ‘Kebron you should take your singing seriously, your tight, you could do something’.” She says that her all-time favorite artist is Erykah Badu and she also looks up to artists like Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill and Lianne La Havas.

She is currently working on her first project, a short EP set to drop around February.

My cozy winter sleep is interrupted by a buzzing noise coming from beside my bed. I reach for my phone and squint at the bright screen with my tired eyes, and I see an alert text message from MCPS. Yay, no school! I think. But wait let me make sure... This time I actually read the message contained in those tiny red letters and decipher: MCPS schools and facilities will NOT be closed today. Oh come on! I flop back down on my pillow to catch the last few minutes of sleep I can get before I have to trek to the bus stop in the cold, dark, damp morning.

If you receive the MCPS weather and school closing alert messages, you have probably experienced something similar to this before. Why does MCPS wait until 4 a.m. to make a decision? They claim that it allows them to better assess the weather situation. I suspect that it is a plot to get us to finish our homework before we know whether we have school or not.

Regardless, it sure is annoying. You never know the verdict until you receive that message or check the MCPS web site in the morning. If you are not registered with Alert MCPS, I highly recommend you do.

You don’t want to be that kid who takes the time to get ready for school and only realizes that school must be cancelled when the bus never shows up to the unusually empty bus stop.

Predicting a snow day is tricky. MCPS is notorious for calling school off when there is no snow, but making us slip and slide through really icy weather without even a 2-hour delay. With each potential chance of snow, we become glued to weather predictions, constantly refreshing our weather apps or tuning in to the TV or radio reports.

Often, the hype starts early, with reports of snow a week in advance, but it can easily turn out to be nothing.

Due to this large variability, each evening before a potential snow day becomes a gam-

bling match where students weigh the odds as they debate whether they should finish their homework. That victorious moment when you decide to leave your assignments unfinished and then school gets canceled feels great. But I’m sure many can also relate to the disappointment felt when you slack off, expecting a snow day, and MCPS disagrees.

The most important predicament that teens face, however, is this: Do we still wear our pajamas inside out and backwards? My response is I don’t know, but I’d better do it just in case.

When we succeed in getting a snow day, whether by superstition or meteorology, the reality is that for high school students, snow days become “catch-up-on-all-thesleep-I-missed-days”.

By the time we wake up, the minimal layer of snow is gone. When the teenagers arrive at neighborhood sledding locales (We’re not too old to go sledding right?), the snow is often past its prime, exhausted by the slew of early bird kids— also known as kids who wake up at normal hours of the morning. I often find myself looking back on the surreal and exciting adventure of the legendary Snowmaggedon, an occurrence which will either never happen again or will come back stronger, depending on which extreme climate change is favoring.

At some point, it is time to adjust our focus back toward school. Many teachers seem to think that a whole day off from school provides an opportunity to catch up on the homework that is piling up like snowdrifts—not the fluffy white kind, think gray slush dredged up by the snow plow. By

now, most students know that, regardless of how hard you try, practically nothing gets done.

Then, right when you have gotten cozy with some hot chocolate and a movie, teachers decide to send out additional assignments though Edline. Some even go so far as to film and post entire lessons on YouTube, as if the classroom is haunting us wherever we go.

If this is not enough to worry about, don’t forget about the drama

SHIVANI MATTIKALLI

surrounding whether the County or State will tack on an extra day at the end of the school year to make up for the snow days, that is, if we have a good snow filled winter.

In some ways, it is true: snow days are no longer as carefree as they used to be when we were younger. But despite all this angst and drama, we all hope, pray, cross our fingers, (put a spoon under our pillow?) and absolutely love it when we get a day off from school for a winter wonderland.

Probably because nobody finished the essays due that day.

Spotlight on Spotify: the shifting music industry Instead of paying, students use Spotify or illegally download music from Spotify are far from struggling and are wildly successful. “A lot of these groups are already rich so they don’t need to limit the only people listening to only people who will pay for their albums,” expresses Ally.

On the other hand, Dupre doesn’t have an issue with these artists taking their music off of Spotify. “I think it’s good for the artists because it’ll make them more money but maybe not so good for the listeners, it doesn’t really affect me though since none of the artists I listen to have taken their stuff off,” discloses Dupre.

By Luisa McGarvey

NOLA CHEN

Donald De Alwis JUNIOR When a typical student breaks their leg, they usually take a few days off to rest and heal and then move on with their lives. But that wasn’t the case for junior Donald De Alwis, who decided to use his experience to help disabled kids in his home country of Sri Lanka. When De Alwis broke his leg in October of last year, he lost the ability to hang out with his friends and pursue his passion of parkour. “I got really down because I couldn’t move the way I used to I couldn’t hang out with my friends the way I used to, and it just kind of got me thinking about how lots of people have to go through that every day it’s not a temporary thing.”

When De Alwis visited Sri Lanka last summer, he met an amputee child who lived in a house with no beds and 11 children. He noticed that this kid couldn’t go out and play and get involved in physical activity despite the fact that he had a strong desire to do so.

De Alwis decided to help out by creating a non-profit organization. De Alwis’ nonprofit aims to do is help children with prosthetic limbs get involved in extracurricular activities. He is currently in the midst of the paper work necessary to register his organization with the state of Maryland.

By Teague Sauter

Shift, click, add to playlist; an action that many students are used to doing repeatedly to acquire more and more music at the mere click of a mouse. Everyone wants to listen to music, but almost no one wants to pay. Thanks to Spotify other popular music streaming applications, there are ways to opt of paying $1.29 per song on iTunes.

The New York Times has called Spotify, “The company that has come to symbolize the growth of streaming music around the world and offers access to millions of songs Illegal Downloading for about $5 to $10 a month, or free with advertising.” A huge part of Spotify’s allure is Although over 40 million people use the freedom to choose, create and share hundreds of playlists ranging from loud upbeat Spotify, even more chose to illegally download music to expand their personal music party mixes to calming sleep mixes.

Senior Dirk Dupre is an avid user of Spo- libraries. The multitude of websites that can tify and roams the Blair hallways listening to be used to illegally download music are no his favorite artists. “I really like Spotify be- secret. Some allow you to download indicause it has such a wide variety of music and vidual songs while other give you access to it tends to have a lot of lesser known artists full length albums. Spotify and other music which is mainly what I’m into,” Dupre says. streaming applications don’t let you handSpotify has millions of songs from all dif- pick which songs you want for free, so many ferent genres and artists, but a few big name people sometimes turn to illegally downartists are decidedly absent. To name a few, loading music.

With warnings emblazoned on the sides Taylor Swift, The Black Keys, and Jason Aldean have recently pulled their music from of websites people know downloading these Spotify in order to expand their wallets. To some, removal of artists’ music from Spomillion tify could come across subscribers as self-important. “I don’t think it was a good idea for singers like Taylor Swift to billion paid to take their music off of spotify because it rights holders isn’t like they are better than other artists by doing this,” sophomore Alfayed Ally exmillion plains. songs Many of the artists that have removed their albums

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songs is technically illegal – but since it is rare to hear of someone getting caught, they go ahead anyways. The possible repercussions include the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filing a lawsuit against you, but with so many people illegally downloading music the likelihood of this happening is extremely slim. Junior Miles Royce had downloaded around 4,000 songs in one year using Pirate Bay until he received emails warning against this. “I had downloaded so much before Verizon sent me emails saying you need to stop or we will take away your Internet privileges,” he says. “Then I was kind of like, ‘I shouldn’t do this anymore,’ but really I might just download more at my aunt’s house if I have to,” discloses Royce.

A simple Google search will tell someone how to download any music, an easy solution for insatiable music fans who want to avoid dropping hundreds of dollars on hundred of songs. This mass downloading of music may not harm big name artists but could end up hurting lesser-known artists.

Royce said he would, “feel bad and have a moral issue with illegally downloading music of an artist that’s just starting out, but for a millionaire like Eminem there’s no way I would feel bad.”

In order to stay up to date on all their favorite songs more people have turned to online music streaming applications and the illegal downloading of music. With applications that give you thousands of artists at the touch of a button, it is hard to find a reason to pay for every single song.

The ways to access music online for free are always changing and many big name artists are going to have to come to terms with this whether they like it or not.

ANDREA BROWN

Entertainment D4

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December 17, 2014

Christmas tree? What about a Chanukah bush?

Blazers celebrate the holidays with original and cultural twists

By Anna O’Driscoll Senior Joe Agger and his family come home with a Christmas tree every year.

They bring it into the house, put it up, and the smell of evergreen fills the air. A familiar image to many people – except for the decorations. Agger’s Christmas tree is adorned with decorations for both Chanukah and Christmas. His family calls it a Chanukah bush.

There are many families who have their own deviations from this typical situation, for many celebrations this holiday season.

Lots of Blair families have their own individual ways of celebrating different holidays, whether it is a cultural practice that has been passed down for generations, or a one-time event that sparked a new tradition.

The beginnings of something new The smoke alarm began to beep incessantly. The house filled with smoke. In the midst of chaos, a simple baking accident led to a new tradition. Junior Audrey Krimm’s tradition started simply by chance. When she was in second grade, her family was making cookies, and when her mother was putting them in the oven, they fell. “My mom was trying to put them into the oven with one hand but she tilted the tray and they all rolled down to the bottom of the oven and then it all caught on fire,” says Krimm.

Krimm and her sister were rushed out of the house as her mother tried to put out the fire, and then called the fire department. The fire was put out without much damage done, but Krimm’s mother gave each of the fire fighters some cookies to take with them. “They came and everything was ok but as thanks my mom gave them all bags of cookies,” said Krimm. Every year since that incident, her family makes cookies to give to the fire department, to continue the thanks for what they did. “Now every year we deliver ‘fire ball’ cookies to the fire department.”

Junior Eva Houston’s tradition also involves cooking, but this one didn’t have such a fiery beginning. When she was younger, her parents used to make reindeer food to convince her that Santa had visited on Christmas morning. “My family used to mix oatmeal and glitter to make ‘reindeer food’ when I was little. Then on Christmas morning I would come downstairs and go out to the porch and see only a little left and some on the ground and think Santa’s reindeer ate some,” she says.

Sophomore Danie Stewart’s family has added a Thanksgiving tradition not common among most Americans in recent years.

Her family hosts a “friend Thanksgiving” the Friday before the actual date. The tradition began by chance. Her brother’s friends were at her house out the week before break, and her dad decided to make them something special.

“Last year, my brother’s friends were all coming over on the Friday before Thanksgiving, to hang out before the break since they would mostly be doing family stuff over the holiday,” says Stewart. “So my dad decided to get a turkey and cook up a Thanksgiving dinner for all of them.”

ebrations, his family buys a Christmas tree, and decorates it with ornaments from both holidays. “Around the holidays we buy a Christmas tree, and since I come from a kind of multicultural family, we decorate it with Chanukah ornaments and Christmas ornaments,” explains Agger.

The idea for the Chanukah bush, as his family calls it, came from Agger’s father.

“My dad has always loved this because his mom always bought giant Christmas trees when he was young, and they always decorated them with very festive stuff,” said Agger. His love of the tradition caused him to bring it to his own family. “He told my mom, and he said ‘Hey, since we have a lot of kids, it’s probably a good idea to get one of those and continue the tradition,’” Agger explains.

Senior Maddie Palmieri has had an extended Thanksgiving since she was born.

Her family celebrates Thanksgiving starting on Thursday, and continues all the way to Saturday. Palmieri’s Thanksgiving not only spans

AMANDA GROSS

mult i p l e days, but also spans multiple locations.

The family moves around to different extended families houses to engage in different activities. “We start at my uncle’s house on Thanksgiving Day for midday dinner, then the boys watch football and the girls go see a movie,” Palmieri says. “Then on Friday we all go to my great uncle’s for a wine tasting. And then on Saturday everyone comes over to our house for leftovers from the whole weekend.” Her family’s tradition has been around since her mother moved to the Washington, D.C. area.

Similarly to Palmieri’s tradition, Junior Jose Marriaga-Giraldo extends his Christmas celebration over multiple days.

On December 24, his family wakes up and begins to cook. “We cook a massive feast,” explains Marriaga-Giraldo. Then, a lot of his extended family arrives, and they begin to party. The revelries continue into the night.

Everyone stays at his house, and they open presents on Christmas morning. They then continue to celebrate until December 26.

Marriaga-Giraldo says he was allowed to begin to participate in the tradition when he was around 14 years old. His favorite part of the tradition is cooking together with all of his family. “It’s so efficient.”

All around the world Some of the traditions celebrated in this season are cultural. Sophomore Samuel Kebede celebrates the New Year with a custom from Ethiopia. Similar to the American tradition of trick or treating on Halloween, on New Year’s, Kebede would walk around in his neighborhood and ask for money with family and friends, similar to the American tradition of Halloween. “On New Year’s, they go around and ask for money, or candy, just like Halloween, but the difference is that most Ethiopians do not celebrate Halloween. It’s just to celebrate the New Year that’s coming in,” he says. The holiday also includes eating food together, and drinking lots coffee.

Junior Salman Funyas celebrates two Pakistani holidays, Eid ul azha and Eid ul fitar, that happen around the same time as Christmas and Easter. The events are Muslim holidays that include sacrifice and food. “On both events everyone wears new clothes and go to mosque and then sacrifice animals for Eid ul azha,” Funyas explains. “Then later share the meat with people who don’t have food or relatives, [or with] neighbors and save for themselves.” The older family members also give money to the younger family members to celebrate. “Parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents they give money to kids on this day.” The money is given as a gift, and is not a burden to the older relatives. “They give what they can give with gratitude.

There is not specified amount of money that they have to give.”

The meatier traditions For some Blazers, the main deviation from the norm is in the food. On Christmas Eve, freshman Jaya Hinton enjoys a seven-fish dinner. “It’s an Italian tradition: it’s the seven fish dinner,” explains Hinton.

“The most traditional one is baccala, which is fried codfish.” This tradition is practiced throughout Italy, and was brought to Hin-

ton’s family because her grandfather is Italian.

For senior Stephanie Renich, her grandfather also established one of her family’s holiday traditions. Renich’s grandfather would hunt the turkey the family ate at Thanksgiving dinner. “It didn’t happen that often

“Around the holidays, we buy a Christmas tree, and since I come from a kind of multicultural family, we decorate it with Chanukah ornaments and Christmas ornaments.”

-Joe Agger

though; wild turkeys don’t have as much meat as the store-bought Butterballs,” Renich says. “Also, sometimes it was a duck or something [that was shot] to go along with the store-bought turkey.” Renich, ironically, has been a vegetarian since seventh grade, so she hasn’t eaten the wild turkey in a few years. “It’s kind of funny - I had this really unique family thing and I turned my nose up at it,” she laughs.

The family, not the food

No matter the holiday, a common thread between holiday traditions is they bring people together, a lot of time through shared food and meals. Even though it can be fun to eat good food, get money, and relax outside of school, the best part may be seeing family members who aren’t around as often.

Palmieri doesn’t just like the food, but appreciates her tradition especially because of the people it brings together. Her favorite part? “Just seeing everybody. My family is always so busy it’s really hard for us all to get together, so when we finally do, it’s a lot of fun to catch up with everyone and see how they’re doing.”

Long-standing family traditions Senior Joe Agger says his family tradition was brought by his father.

Agger lives in an interfaith family that celebrates both Christmas and Chanukah during the holiday season. To accommodate for both cel-

REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF DANIE STEWART

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS Sophomore Danie Stewart and her friends smile around the Thanksgiving table as they enjoy homemade pie.

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December 17, 2014

Chips Clips D6

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December 17, 2014

Across

Holiday Jam

1. Hit with the palm of a hand 5. Beam that supports a house and is shaped like an I 10. The action of selling something 14. A toy for jumping around on 15. Imitating an old style 16. Circular baked dishes with filling, usually a dessert 17. And elsewhere in latin 18. Very pale or ashy 19. Leave out 20. Pushy holiday folk 23. Harmonizing or fitting in with something 24. Santas small helpers 27. ______ Section; an important algebra topic 30. Consisting of roses 33. Used to express surprise 34. Really long poem: The Odyssey 35. Chocolate pastry with creamy filling 36. Solid form of H2O 37. What holds the candles for Channukah 39. All star League of Legends player 41. Suffix meaning denoting an inhabitant 42. A strong dislike 44. Verb meaning to form an angle 45. Ropes used to catch animals 46. Earned metal disk in an athletic

by Julian Bregstone

contest 47. Plural noun: a challenge to prove something 48. Figurative usage of a word 50. Written business messages 52. A different type of holiday jam 58. A set group of three 60. A pale orange or green tropical fruit that is juicy and sweet 61. Ninth degree of the greek alphabet 62. Central part of a church 63. Feeling annoyed 64. Ne: think chemistry 65. Used to refer to a group of others 66. Many people who are old 67. Places to work out and play sports

Down 1. Hoping for success without adequate preparation 2. Reluctant or unwilling 3. Gelatinous substance used to grow biological culture 4. Used to refer to politicians 5. Feeling of great anger 6. Damage ones reputations in the past 7. Substance formed by fermentation of yeast 8. 1% of a hectare: plural 9. Michelle ____; former model turned entrepreneur

Sudoku: Easy

November Crossword Answers

COURTESY OF WWW.WEBSUDOKU.COM

Tex-Mex Exorcism

10. A reel for string 11. Pointed towards human sound 12. Hawaiian necklace 13. East Standard Time 21. Latin for thus 22. Category of art 25. Second epoch of the Tertiary period 26. Broken pieces of ceramic 27. Powder form of buildings 28. The first of a series 29. Typical work hours 31. Unhappy parts of a shirt 32. How the Scots refer to Ireland 35. The part of a roof a overhanging a house 38. Tall herb in Asia cultivated for its fiber 40. Causing to be embarrassed 43. Rush around violently 47. Short word used to refer to a doctor 49. Preface to a book 51. Many large shallow craters 53. South Gwinnett Athletic Association 54. ____ jury 55. Joseph nickname 56. Basic unit of an element 57. Third person present of an adult human male 58. It blows up when lit 59. A cheer of approval

Sudoku: Hard

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He Sees You When You’re Sleeping

VICTORIA TSAI

NINO MIGINEISHVILI

I’ve Got a Blank Space Baby

Future Blair

BEN SAFFORD AMANDA GROSS

BEN SAFFORD

E1 Spanish

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December 17, 2014

La Esquina Latina

Silver Chips 17 de diciembre del 2014

Club LULAC inspira minorías a encontrar su voz

En sus comienzos, pero con gran promesa para el futuro

Por Sarah Canchaya y Mario Menendez La Liga de Ciudadanos Latinoamericanos Unidos (LULAC), fundada en 1929 en Corpus Christi, Texas, es la organización más antigua y más respetada de defensa de los derechos civiles de ciudadanos hispanos en los Estados Unidos.

LULAC fue creada en un momento de historia en los Estados Unidos en que a los hispanos se les negaban muchos derechos civiles y humanos básicos. En la actualidad, la misión de LULAC es avanzar la situación económica, los logros educativos, la influencia política, la vivienda, la salud y los derechos civiles de la población hispana de los Estados Unidos.

La historia de la fundación de esta liga es muy interesante.

Después de la guerra con México, cuando los Estados Unidos y un tercio del territorio de México se anexaron, cerca de 77.000 mexicanos pasaron a ser ciudadanos estadounidenses. Víctimas de los prejuicios prevalentes en ese tiempo, estos ciudadanos se convirtieron en víctimas de la segregación y la discriminación, y fueron privados de muchos de sus derechos civiles. LULAC surgió para revertir esta situación y hacer valer los derechos básicos que les habían sido quitados a este sector de la población.

Una de las primeras acciones políticas de LULAC tomó lugar

temas como la inen el condado de California, migración en nomdonde formaron un consejo bre de LULAC.” para exigir la integración Otra de las interacial en el sistema escolar grantes del club, la del Condado Orange que estudiante Jennifer segregaba a los estudiantes Domínguez, exde origen mexicano arguplica la importanmentando que iban mal vescia que tiene para tidos y eran mentalmente inella participar de feriores a los niños blancos. estas actividades A partir de esa primera vic“a través de estas toria, LULAC ha seguido su conferencias, tuve lucha para lograr la particila gran oportunipación política y la igualdad FOTO POR DANIELA MONREAL dad de construir de oportunidades educativas para todos los hispanos UNIDAD Este verano pasado, los miembros de LULAC conocimientos de viajaron a Nueva York para asistir a una convención. redes y esto me en los Estados Unidos. abrió nuevas venDaniela Velázquez, quien tanas a puntos se graduó el año pasado de los Estados Unidos.” Karina GayBlair, fue la fundadora del club de tán, secretaria y miembro del club, de vista sobre temas relevantes a LULAC aquí en Blair. Con la ayuda dice que empezó a participar en él nuestras vidas. Daniela Zelaya, de la patrocinadora Sra. González, LULAC porque es una manera de otra de sus integrantes, sostiene de la Directora de LULAC del Es- manifestarse y de pertenecer. “Es que unirse a este club es una expetado de Maryland y del Dr. Butler, como ser parte de un levantamien- riencia muy positiva, “unirse a este miembro de la Junta Directiva, han to...especialmente porque el sector club es una buena oportunidad logrado establecer un club que en de Blair es el primero de nuestra para crear conciencia y ayudarnos sus propias palabras “está abierto zona en establecer este club,” afir- unos a otros para hacer una diferencia.” afirma Zelaya. para todas las ideas, razas y creen- ma Gaytán.

Para lograr su misión, LULAC cias… porque el trabajo del club En el capítulo de LULAC en es informarnos de los problemas Blair, los miembros participan en trabaja a través de tres enfoques; en nuestra nación y comunidad; distintas actividades para desarr- programación, promoción y afipero al mismo tiempo, darnos las ollar diferentes aptitudes. “Me uní liación. La programación se centra herramientas para tomar acción.” a LULAC porque tengo una pasión en áreas de participación cívica, Velásquez explica que, “igual que de los temas que LULA defiende,” de derechos civiles, desarrollo la misión nacional, la misión del comenta Gaytán. La presidenta del económico, educación, salud, viviclub de LULAC en Blair es me- club, Daniela Monreal del doceavo enda, inmigración y los jóvenes. jorar la condición económica, la grado, describe una de las activi- Además de todo lo anterior, vigieducación, la influencia política, dades que se llevaron a cabo el año lan la legislación y proporcionan la vivienda, salud, y los derechos pasado “Fuimos al Capitolio para a políticos la perspectiva latina civiles de la población hispana de hablar con los congresistas sobre sobre la inmigración, la acción afir-

mativa, los negocios, la educación y otras cuestiones que afectan a nuestra comunidad.

El consejo de LULAC provee más de un millón de dólares en becas a estudiantes hispanos cada año; ademas llevan a cabo campañas de ciudadanía y registro de votantes, realizan programas de capacitación y de liderazgo juvenil, e intentan fortalecer a la comunidad hispana a nivel local, estatal y nacional. Los Centros de Servicio Educativos Nacionales de LULAC ofrecen servicios de asesoramiento a más de 18.000 estudiantes hispanos por año. SER- Jobs for Progress (Trabajos Para el Progreso), una organización nacional, trabaja con LULAC para ofrecer capacitación laboral y alfabetización de la comunidad hispana a través de más de cuarenta y ocho centros en los Estados Unidos. Como si esto fuera poco, LULAC organiza tres eventos anuales; la Conferencia y Gala Nacional Legislativa (en Washington, D.C.), la Conferencia Nacional de Mujeres y la Convención y Exposición Anual, que este año se celebra en Salt Lake City, Utah).

Aunque todavía es un club emergente, LULAC espera lograr pequeñas avances dentro de la gran comunidad estudiantil que existe en Blair, con la esperanza de llegar a tener un impacto no solo a nivel local, sino tambien a nivel nacional.

¡Luces, cámara, acción! La historia de teatros latinos

Teatros Gala y de la Luna son un éxito en la capital del país

fue la de conectar a ambas culturas, la hispana y la estadounidense, a través de Los teatros son lugares para divertirse y obras de teatro de autores latinoamericanos disfrutar de las diferentes producciones. El escritas en español. Además de funciones teasistir al teatro es además una manera ex- atrales, el Teatro de la Luna ofrece de talleres celente de hacer algo en familia. Hay obras de actuación tanto para niños como para de teatro para todos los públicos, incluyen- adultos. La intención de este teatro es la de do niños, adolescentes y adultos. En nues- expresar y compartir la cultura latina con los tra área tenemos la suerte de contar con un demás. Otro teatro similar es el teatro que teatro que promueve la cultura latinoame- también brinda obras teatrales en espanol. ricana y nos brinda obras de teatro y fun- El teatro Gala esta ubicado en Washington ciones en nuestro propio idioma, el español. D.C. Gala al igual que El Teatro de la Luna, es El Teatro de la Luna fue fundado en 1991 para servir a la comunidad latina del área un escenario que representa a nuestra cometropolitana de Washington su misión munidad a través del arte. Fundado en 1976 principal es la de promover el arte e inspi- por Hugo Medrano y Rebecca Read, es uno rar a la comunidad latina con sus excelentes de los teatros hispanos más reconocidos del obras de teatro. La idea de sus fundadores país. Sus fundadores se inspiraron en la idea de preservar los valores del lenguaje y la cultura hispano.Originalmente llamado “Teatro Doble,” el Gala era un teatro pequeño donde los niños bilingües practicaban la actuación. Desde entonces el teatro se ha expandido mucho y continúa sus actividades culturales para deleitar a todos los que gustan del teatro. El nombre GALA significa “Grupo de Artistas Latinoamericanos.”

Antes de abrir su teatro Hugo Medrano y Rebecca Read decidieron que CORTESIA DE MAXWELL MACKENZIE debían aprender más soTEATRO GALA La entrada del teatro es reconocible por bre ese tema y salieron a sus luces brillantes en la esquina de la calle catorce en D.C. recorrer distintos países

Por Hawra Al-Jabir, Itcenia Quezada y Odalis Llerena

latinoamericanos para investigar bien como Nuremberg. La traducción sin embargo es funcionan los teatros en latinoamérica Ar- aburrida y monótona en comparación con el gentina, con su gran tradición teatral, fue le actor de monólogo en español; intencionalpaís que más los inspiró. Fue en este país mente realizado por el director para poner donde observaron talleres de actuación énfasis en los actores de habla hispana. donde un grupo de actores se junta con difLos actores, directores, cantantes, músierentes habilidades para mejorarlas. Cuan- cos, poetas y dramaturgos son dan vida y do regresaron a Washington D.C., ya se emoción a cada una de las funciones que se sentían listos para fundar el teatro Gala. Al representan, y lo hacen con mucho profecomienzo Gala quiso atraer un público sionalismo y entrega.Además de actuar, los bilingüe pero resultó actores dan clases en talleres de teatro una mala idea, ya abiertos a cualquiera que tenque los actores se ga interés en la actuación, sin confundían que tenga que ser hispano. El de idioma hecho de que las obras sean durante las funen español le da un sentido ciones, y habia especial a la experiencia actores que no del público. Segun la Sra hablaban inglés González, profesora de y no podian español para hispanoparticipar de las hablantes, “El teatro rep ro d u c c i o n e s presenta la cultura en cualbilingües. Tamquier idioma; el español bién, el público es una ventaja donde los llegaba a la función equivartistas expresan su propio POR ANDREA BROWN ocada y eso era un problema idioma y se realza la litersi no entendían el idioma. Final- mente atura.” Los actores y el lendejaron de prestar funciones bilingües y guaje hacen del teatro una expeahora ofrecen audífonos a quienes quieran riencia única para al público. escuchar en inglés en lugar de en espanol.

Así que no te pierdas las siguientes Kelly O’Connor, maestra y directora de funciones en el teatro de Gala. El proximo innumerables obras de teatro en el teatro 14 de enero a las 11:30 de la mañana habrá de Blair explica cómo, “ El teatro es una una obra gratis de Los tres reyes magos. En experiencia compartida, a diferencia de las el teatro Luna el 31 de enero habrá una funpelículas, ya que le da la oportunidad al es- cion de “Luna de Tangos” a las 7 de la noche pectador de conectarse en la historia de una para los amantes del tango, música y baile. manera diferente. ” Como un miembro de la Si quieres ir estas funciones debes comprar audiencia de habla Inglés, O’Connor se puso los boletos con anterioridad en la página los audífonos para escuchar la traducción web de Gala o Luna o si no en la taquilla del simultánea, similar a la película Juicio en teatro. ¡No esperes más!

December 17, 2014

Spanish E2

silverchips

Calentamiento global: cuando lo sientas, será muy tarde

El serio impacto ambiental en nuestros paises no resuena Por Carlos Fuentes e Iris Olivia Desde el 1800, el calentamiento global ha venido empeorando hasta convertirse en un problema enorme en todo el mundo. Muchas personas dirán que la contaminación es sólo un problema en los países más ricos como los Estados Unidos y China. A pesar de que estos dos países producen la mayor parte de la contaminación ambiental, otros países en desarrollo como los de América Latina también están experimentando cambios climáticos importantes.

En 1901, el presidente Roosevelt ejerció su autoridad para proteger la vida silvestre y las tierras públicas mediante la creación del Servicio Forestal de Estados Unidos, el establecimiento de cincuenta y unas reservas de conservación de aves, ciento cincuenta bosques nacionales y cinco parques nacionales. También autorizó la ley de Antigüedades de América 1906 para declarar dieciocho monumentos nacionales. Durante la presidencia de Theodore Roosevelt se protegieron aproximadamente doscientos treinta millones de acres de tierras públicas a través de sus esfuerzos.

Si bien los expertos están trabajando en el tema de cambio climático y la preservación de la naturaleza, la mayoría de la gente común no conoce mucho acerca del tema del calentamiento global. Desafortunadamente, en Latinoamérica la gente suele ser es aún más ignorante sobre este tema que en los países como los Estados Unidos, donde el público está mejor informado y tiene mejor acceso a la información.

En una encuesta de veinte estudiantes hispanos en Blair, sólo cinco dijeron que sabían como el calentamiento global estaba afectando a su país, mientras quince confesaron no saber nada al respecto. La estudiante de origen colombiano, Michelle McKinney, del grado once dice tener una idea general acerca de los efectos del calentamiento global, “Yo sé que las capas polares se están derritiendo

y que la población de los osos polares está disminuyendo, también estoy enterrada de que en California hay mucha contaminación y esto ha causado una nube amarilla sobre California,” cuenta McKinney. Aunque está informada sobre algunos aspectos del calentamiento global, McKinney dice no saber mucho el cambio climático en su país de origen.

y debate en las escuelas ni en los noticieros de los Estados Unidos. Pero si vamos a las redes en el internet, podemos encontrar sitios que contienen información respecto a este tema, como el denominado “know.climateofconcern.org” que indica que, como resultado directo del cambio climático, se ha producido un aumento de las precipitaciones en el sureste de Brasil, Paraguay, Uruguay, la

POR ANGEL WEN

Este es el caso con la mayoría de estudiantes latinos e hispanos de Blair.

Es posible que esta ignorancia se deba a la falta de información que está disponible ya que los efectos del calentamiento global en Latinoamérica no son tema de discusión

pampa Argentina y algunas partes de Bolivia. Esto ha tenido un impacto sobre el uso de la tierra y el rendimiento de los cultivos y también ha aumentado la frecuencia de las inundaciones en la región. Por el contrario, una tendencia en la disminución de la precipitación se ha observado en el sur de

Chile, al sur- oeste de Argentina, sur de Perú y oeste de América Central.

En países como el Salvador, por ejemplo, la gente contribuye a la contaminación ambiental en parte por falta de información combinada con una infraestructura deficiente. Para disponer de sus desechos, muchos tiran sus bolas de basura en un vertedero local. En los lugares públicos es común ver latas de refrescos, botellas de plástico y papeles en el suelo, ya que la gente acostumbra dejar las cosas tiradas cuando terminan de consumirlas. De acuerdo con “climatehotmap.org,” cuatro países de Latinoamérica están incluidos en la lista de los 30 más altos emisores de CO2 anuales incluyendo a Brasil, Argentina, México y Venezuela.

El cambio climático supondrá una grave amenaza para la disponibilidad de agua. Se ha estimado que por la década de 2020, el incremento neto en el número de personas en situación de estrés hídrico debido al cambio climático puede llegar a ser entre 7 a 77 millones.

Hay muchas maneras en que podemos ayudar a parar o por lo menos disminuir los efectos negativos del calentamiento global. Por ejemplo, inicialmente, se puede recomendar documentales como “Una verdad inconveniente,” donde el ex vicepresidente de los Estados Unidos, Albert Gore, describe y explica los diferentes aspectos del calentamiento global.

No podemos dejar todo el trabajo para los científicos y los políticos para resolver todo, ya que hay muchos políticos en Latinoamérica y en el mundo, quienes no han hecho demasiado hasta ahora para combatir este problema. La solución comienza con nosotros y hacer ligeros cambios en nuestras vidas puede tener un buen efecto sobre el futuro de nuestra tierra. Es importante que nos eduquemos y ayudemos a educar a las personas a nuestro alrededor para ayudar a nuestro planeta y proteger a todos sus habitantes.

Cursos de español abren nuevos horizontes y oportunidades

El interés y la diversidad crecen en clases avanzadas de español Por Camilla Fernández y Andrés Romero El español es un idioma muy rico y complejo, con muchas reglas gramaticales y ortográficas.

A pesar de todo esto, muchos estudiantes se animan a estudiar este idioma que algunos consideran “el idioma del futuro. ” El español es la segunda lengua más hablada en el mundo con 414 millones de personas que la tienen como lengua materna y se considera la tercera lengua mundial después del chino mandarín y el inglés.

A pesar de todos los beneficios que vienen de aprender el español, ya sea a nivel personal o profesional, esta lengua es considerada una de las más difíciles de aprender.

Debido a su compleja gramática y su pronunciación, el español suele presentar dificultades a los estudiantes que intentan aprenderlo.

Comparada con la gramática del inglés, la del español es mucho más compleja. Por ejemplo, en inglés no existe el concepto de sustantivos femeninos y masculinos.

Y a diferencia del español, en ingles solo existe un artículo, “the,” el cual nunca cambia, no como en español en el cual cada articulo tiene que coincidir en género y número con el sustantivo al que presenta. Es por eso que no es extraño que un estadounidense que está comenzando a aprender español diga: “El mujer esta bien hermoso, ella tener una cara bien lindo.”

Isaiah Silvers, un estudiante de doceavo grado que toma la clase

de español AP, se queja de que “Lo más difícil del español es el subjuntivo, ya que ese tiempo no existe en el inglés.”

La pronunciación es otro reto que aquellos interesados en el español tienen que enfrentar, ya que la manera de enunciar las palabras y algunos sonidos son diferentes que en el inglés.

Senior Katherine Murtha, quien estudió español en la clase de español 5, dice que lo que mas le cuesta es la pronunciación.

“Hablar en español es muy difícil, en especial pronunciar las erres. Es más fácil comprenderlo,” cuenta Murtha.

Los estudiantes estadounidenses se interesan en aprender español no solo porque se ve bien cuando llenan solicitudes para la universidad, sino también para poder involucrarse e interactuar mejor con la comunidad hispana. Daniela Harvey, una estudiante del noveno grado, explica que ella planea usar el español en el futuro para apoyar a la comunidad hispana. “Quiero viajar a países donde hablan español para unirme a los Cuerpos de Paz y ayudar a las personas,” dice Harvey.

Al igual que Harvey, Victoria Tsai, una estudiante de onceavo grado quien toma la clase de español AP, también se muestra interesada en ayudar a la comunidad hispana. “Me interesa aprender nuevas lenguas, pero en especial el español, ya que gran parte de las personas de Estados Unidos son hispanas y en un futuro, cuando ya esté trabajando podría ayudar a

aquellas personas que no hablan el La comunidad hispana está em- español les va a ayudar a tener inglés,” explica Tsai. pezando a notar el aumento del nuevas oportunidades. Hoy en día Así como ellas, hay muchas número de estudiantes estadoun- las empresas están en busca de hismás personas jóvenes interesa- idenses que se interesan por es- panohablantes para expandir sus das en ayudar o relacionarse con tudiar español. servicios a la comunidad hispana.” personas hispanas. Sophomore Junior Stefanny Fernandez, de Con eso dicho, queda mas que Keylin Little, quien tomó la clase la clase AP de español, cree que claro que a pesar que el español de español 5 el año pasado, com- las personas que aprenden otro presente algunos desafíos, este parte su experiencia dentro de la idioma pueden ser parte de otras también representa una oportunicomunidad hispana. “Fui a Nica- culturas. “Los estadounidenses dad valiosa para muchos, ya que ragua para ayudar con el proyecto que toman clases de español tienen les permite involucrarse y ayudar de unas escuelas pobres que los más oportunidades de tener expe- a una comunidad que no es la suya amigos de mis padres financian. riencias con diferentes culturas,” y expandir sus horizontes a nuevas Hubo una conferencia con los pro- opina Fernández. culturas. fesores y los niños y mi español Gracias al constante creme ayudo a comunicarme con el- cimiento de la población los,” cuenta Little. hispana en este país, el Desafortunadamente, muchos rango de oportunidades estadounidenses que empiezan es- que estarán disponibles tudiando este idioma lo terminan para los jóvenes bilingües olvidando o descuidando por falta en el futuro también está de oportunidades para practicarlo. creciendo.“Yo incluso creo “El español me gusta. Tengo días que en el futuro el lenguaje buenos y días malos con el, pero lo español va a dominar sobre más difícil para mi son dos cosas: el inglés gracias a todos los primero, el vocabulario, y segun- inmigrantes,” opina Senior do la gramática, ya que no tengo Frank Condori, “Aprender la oportunidad de hablarlo fuera de la clase de espanol,” reconoce senior John Ramsey de la clase de español AP. Así como John, cientos de estudiantes estadounidenses aprenden español como su segundo idioma pero no FOTOS POR ZEKE WAPNER, NOLA CHEN Y PHUONG VO tienen la oportunidad de practicarlo DIVERSIDAD CULTURAL El interés por clases avanzadas de español de nivel AP afuera del salón ha crecido ya que estudiantes buscan enriquecer sus conocimientos lingusticos, literarios y culturales. Estas fotos son evidencia de la diversidad en nuestras clases. de clases.

E3 Spanish

silverchips

December 17, 2014

Epoca navideña con familia, comida y tradición

A las costumbres americanas, le damos nuestro toque latino

Por Ilcia Hernandez y Alisson Fortis ¡Ha comenzado la temporada más esperada por muchos estudiantes! Las festividades navideñas son un acontecimiento donde se come comida riquísima en un ambiente de familia. Afortunadamente para los estudiantes hispanos, no es solamente una ocasión que tenemos para anticipar, si no tres, que incluyen el Día de Acción de Gracias, la Navidad y el día de los Reyes Magos.

El último jueves del mes de noviembre se celebró el Día de Acción de Gracias, una tradición estadounidense que celebra la primera cosecha exitosa de los peregrinos que emigraron a este país. Esta tradición se originó en los Estados Unidos donde ya hay muchos latinos que la celebran, aunque con un cierto toque cultural. Por ejemplo, aunque tradicionalmente se come un pavo delicioso en este día, Daniel Jones, un estudiante de raíces dominicanas y salvadoreñas, dice que “los hispanos tendemos a preferir el pollo, así que servimos pollo pero también incluimos un pavo para respetar la tradición estadounidense.”

Jones también dice que en su familia, típicamente suelen comer una combinación de la comida tradicional de este día y comidas de su país. “Normalmente tenemos plátano frito y arroz con gandules además de otras comidas hispanas; pero agregamos comidas americanas cómo macarrones con queso, puré de patatas con salsa, y lo demás que se come para ese día,” cuenta Jones. Para las familias estadounidenses, es un día muy tradicional, con un menú que se repite cada año en todas las familias, pero para los latinos el día se trata de diferentes sabores y comidas deliciosas donde conviven ambas

culturas, la propia y la del país donde residen.

Ahora que ya pasó el Día de Acción de Gracias, nos empezamos a preparar para la próxima celebración, la Navidad. Esta celebración trae una ola de felicidad entre la comunidad hispana todos los años. La mayoría de nosotros nos reunimos con toda la familia; gente a quienes no tenemos la

oportunidad de ver mucho durante el resto del año. A pesar de que esta festividad en particular puede resultar muy caótica, todos la disfrutan y se divierten. Un estudiante del décimo grado, Marvin Benítez, dice que su familia tiene muchas tradiciones especiales para este día. “Mi familia decide adonde nos vamos a reunir y el lugar cambia todos los años. Nos desvelamos y intercambiamos regalos a las doce.

Las festividades incluyen baile, música y conversaciones entre la familia,” cuenta Benítez.

Otra estudiante del décimo gra-

do, Wayra Cerda, también cuenta de las tradiciones de su familia.

“Nosotros viajamos y visitamos pariente o tenemos invitados en la casa,” dice Cerda. La realidad para muchos estudiantes hispanos y latinos es que no les importa donde estén para la Navidad si es que están rodeados por amistades y familia con quienes pueden pasar un tiempo memorable y divertido.

La comida en la Navidad, al igual que en el Día de Acción de Gracias es esencial, ya que ayuda a traer el aspecto latino e hispano a la mezcla. Es-

POR BENJAMIN SAFFORD

pecialmente en casos como los de Cerda, donde se invita toda la familia a su propia casa, hay mucho trabajo que hacer para preparar todas la delicias de la Navidad.

Frecuentemente se consumen comidas tradicionales como tamales, pan con pollo, ceviche y pupusas en la mesa dependiendo de qué país uno sea. Una estudiante del décimo grado, Nancy Flores dice que está planeando ayudar mucho

con la preparación de comida este año. “Espero hacer galletas y otros postres para mi familia. Eso es algo que me encanta hacer porque es muy divertido y es parte del espíritu navideño,” asegura entusiasmada Flores.

“Con mi burrito sabanero, voy camino de Belén...” Seguramente conozcas este alegre villancico navideño y tal vez lo cantes con tu familia durante estas celebraciones. Las canciones de Navidad pueden transformar la atmósfera de las fiestas. Cuando se le preguntó a varios estudiantes de Blair, estos admitieron que les encantan las canciones navideñas. Benítez explica que le gusta la música de esta temporada porque lo hace sentirse nostálgico. “Siempre oigo la canción ‘Feliz Navidad’ en esta temporada y me recuerda de los años pasados de mi niñez,” cuenta Benítez. A Cindy Campos, una estudiante del once grado, también le encanta esta canción. Ella indica que, “Me hace sentir feliz porque me hace recordar que la Navidad ya está muy cerca y sé que la voy a disfrutar con las personas que más quiero.”

Finalmente, el Día de Los Reyes Magos representa lo mejor de la temporada de Navidad para muchos hispanos. Este día conmemora la llegada de los tres reyes magos quienes viajaron una larga distancia con regalos de mirra, oro e incienso para el recién nacido niño Jesús. A diferencia de los Estados Unidos, donde los niños abren los regalos de “Papá Noel” la mañana del 25 de diciembre, algunos niños hispanos abren sus regalos el 6 de enero, Día de los Reyes Magos y la culminación de los doce días de la Navidad. Karina Gaytan Rivera, una estudiante mexicana del grado doce, cuenta lo que su familia hace para celebrar el 6 de enero,

“Mi familia y amigos cercanos se reúnen y comemos tamales, pozole y a veces tacos. Alguien compra el pan dulce y tomamos turnos partiendolo.” Otra estudiante mexicana del décimo grado añadió, “Mi familia escribe cartas para los reyes magos y los ponemos en tres zapatos, es cómo escribir le cartas a Papá Noel. También compramos el pan dulce, la rosca, que trae la figura del niño Jesús. La persona que corta el pedazo de pan que tiene el niño Jesús, tiene que cocinar para la familia en Febrero.” La fiesta en honor de los Reyes Magos es una tradición hispánica especial que da otra oportunidad de una reunión familiar divertida, algo que tomamos con mucho gusto.

El final el otoño y el principio del invierno es el tiempo de festividades, donde tenemos la oportunidad de reunirnos y disfrutar con nuestras familias a quienes a veces vemos poco. Son en estas ocasiones, cómo el Día de Acción de Gracias, donde podemos comer comidas tradicionales estadounidenses y latinas hasta que estemos satisfecho o tan lleno que sentimos que vamos a explotar. La Navidad es cuando nos reunimos y cantamos canciones navideñas sin importar si lo hacemos bien o mal. En el Día de los Reyes Magos, otro día de celebración, nos reunimos para abrir regalos y para ver quien tendrá la suerte de cocinar o de planificar la próxima fiesta o reunión. Lo más importante de esta temporada de celebraciones es que aunque pueda ser caótica, estamos con familia, con las personas que son importantes para nosotros y que queremos mucho. Estas personas son quienes hacen todas las ocasiones más divertidas y lo más importante, las hacen más memorables. ¡Felices fiestas para todos!

¡Touchdown! Un estudiante admirable relata su historia

El futuro se ve brillante para este joven atleta multifacético

Por Joseline Ayala y Ruth Portillo

es 3.35 y su promedio ‘’weighted’’ es 3.89.

El cree que es importante retarse a sí mismo En la vida hay muchos obstáculos, los en lo académico para poder alcanzar su pocuales uno tiene que superar para poder tencial máximo. Además, Future siente una tener una vida mejor. Como hispanos, uno responsabilidad con su familia ‘’Yo tuve la de estos obstáculos es aprender a relaciona- oportunidad de venir a este país para tener rnos con gente que es diferente de nosotros un mejor futuro y no quiero defraudar a mi en como hablan, comen y viven sus vidas. familia. Hago lo mejor que puedo para tener Aquí en la escuela superior Montgomery un mejor futuro,” bromea Future.

Blair, hay una persona del apodo ‘’Future’’ Se preguntarán quién es esta figura misque emigró a los Estateriosa con el apodo dos Unidos de otro país poco común, “Fuy aunque la adaptación ture”? Su identidad no le fue fácil, superar verdadera es Yonis los obstáculos y con Blanco Rodríguez, esfuerzo logró llegar a un estudiante del ser capitán del equipo doceavo grado de fútbol americano y que estudia entre de lucha libre de la esnosotros aquí en cuela. En adición a esBlair. Aunque Yotos deportes también es nis Blanco Rodrímiembro del equipo de guez es reconocido “lacrosse.” mayormente por su Future dice que no vida deportiva repfue el viaje físico sino resentando nuestra el acostumbrarse a una escuela, muy pocos cultura nueva lo que saben quién es él en le costó mucho trabarealidad. Yonis najo. “No tuve mucha ció en El Salvador y dificultad de acostumllegó a este país por brarme en este país ya la primera vez hace que tengo familia vivitrece años con su tía. endo aquí, pero sí me Aunque reconoce FOTO POR PHUONG VO sentí incómodo al prinque las condiciones cipio,’’ cuenta Future FUTURE Estudiante del doceavo, Yo- de vida son meAunque está muy nis Blanco Rodríguez, también conoci- jores en los Estados involucrado en los de- do como Future, sonrie para la camara Unidos, no deja de portes, Future siemquerer a su país de pre busca tiempo para de Silver Chips. origen, ‘’ Estados cumplir con sus reUnidos es mejor que sponsabilidades y estudios. En todos sus El Salvador, pero todavía amo a mi país,’’ años en Blair, la mayoría de sus clases han asegura Yonis. sido de AP y honores. Su promedio general Su entrenador de fútbol y lacrosse, el Sr.

Kelly, dice que él se dió cuenta inmediata- perspectiva, “Yonis es un gran miembro de mente del potencial de Yonis, “Yo le di su nuestro equipo ya que puede ser asignado apodo porque cuando yo lo vi me dí cuen- en cualquier posición y siempre se destaca” ta que él tenía grandes aspiraciones para el dice Nick. El también admira la dedicación futuro y ahora viéndolo en su último año de Yonis para sus estudios ‘’Siempre lo miro de escuela superior me siento muy orgulloso porque está convirtiendo sus sueños en realidad. Me duele saber que Yonis se va de Blair al graduarse, pero yo estoy seguro que tendrá un gran FUTURO.” Según Kelly, Yonis se destaca como deportista tanto como ser humano, ‘’Yonis es una persona que tiene una actitud positiva y deja todo el drama afuera. Es una persona buena que FOTO POR MILES ROYCE siempre está disDEDICACIÓN Y ESFUERZO Yonis (número ocho) se destacó puesto ayudar y como miembro esencial del equipo de futbol americano de Blair. está muy enfocado en su vida escolar’’ afirma Kelly.

El asistente del entrenador del equipo muy dedicado y eso refleja lo gran persona de lucha libre, Chris Wells, dice que “Yonis que es.” es un atleta muy competitivo, dedicado, El querer es poder y el querer lo lleva letrabajador, siempre puntual y da un buen jos a cumplir los sueños que uno más desea, ejemplo a los otros integrantes del equipo. cuando una oportunidad llega no hay que Yo lo he visto esforzarse para llegar a ser pensarlo dos veces hay que aprovecharla al capitán del equipo de lucha libre. Uno quis- momento. Nada es imposible en la vida si iera tener más jugadores como Yonis por uno persigue sus sueños y se dedica a hacer ser un modelo ejemplar’’. Nick, un amigo lo que a uno más le gusta como Yonis Blanco personal de Yonis, que también juega en el Rodríguez también conocido en Blair como equipo de futbol americano, nos ofrece otra ‘’FUTURO.’’

December 17, 2014

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December 17, 2014

Lifting heavy weights is not a burden for these Blazers The weight room is the place to be for Blair’s physically fit

By Daliah Barg Junior Brian Guzman and freshman Greyson Hack are doing burnouts. They lift the weight bar, adorned with three tenpound plates on either side, and complete ten repetitions, take a weight off the bar, complete ten more repetitions, and continue on like this until they’re only lifting the bar.

A group of guys begins to crowd around, observing the scene that is unfolding and encouraging the two boys to finish the exercise. As Hack is working on his last set, the surrounding boys count down to zero and help with the final transfer of the bar back to its stand.

This scenario describes the after-school culture in Blair’s weight room perfectly; a mix of exercise, support, and dedication.

Many Blazers head to the weight room every day after school, clocking in two hours daily in addition to the time they put in at outside gyms. “I’m here from when it opens until it closes every day,” claims Hack.

The football team takes over the weight room for an hour after school, then it opens for all Blazers, and later individual sports teams can reserve time in the weight room, according to Robert McMahon, the head of weight training at Blair. “Coaches are realizing the importance of weight training for their teams,” he says, and thus more Blair sports teams are reserving time in the weight room. Students from the weight training classes also frequent the weight room during open hour, says McMahon. There are five periods of weight training class all day, and two advanced classes, that follow the curriculum which McMahon wrote upon arrival to Blair. “I’ve been here ten years now and each year we’re making improvements to the weight room, and I think that kids really enjoy that,” McMahon says.

Lifting for Sports The weight room is often is filled with Blazers trying to boost performance in their sport. Strength training is critical for football since it is a contact sport, according to senior Simon Kidanemariam. Going to the weight room everyday has helped Kidanemariam to improve his football skills. “It’s all about strength for football since it’s a contact sport,” he says. Senior football player Marcus Forrester is also a regular at the weight room. Weight lifting is especially crucial for athletes, says Forrester, because, “It gets you stronger, gets you better, gets you faster – all the power you need to play sports.”

Forrester began to lift in eighth grade to prepare for football tryouts in high school, and many other regulars at the weight room tell a similar story. Guzman began to lift freshman year so as to keep in shape for the sports he plays, football and soccer.

Continuous workouts help Guzman to improve his skills. “It helps me to just withstand the whole game and recover faster and just to become a better athlete,” he says.

For Daniela Monreal, a senior and a captain on Poms, increased involvement in weightlifting has helped her to improve her technique.

“Dancing involves a lot of strength in your legs, and so I immediately saw

improvement in my turns and in the height of my jumps,” she says.

In their efforts to be bigger and stronger, some Blazers use protein, muscle milk, and even Creatine, a supplement used to increase body mass and athletic performance.

According to Guzman, students, most commonly football players, use protein shakes and protein bars to help them bulk up. Muscle milk is another way to make bodybuilding easier, says junior Joel Brown, and it can have dramatic effects on a lifter’s body. “It helps, it really helps,” he says, “It just made me stronger.” Creatine helps to build more muscle definition, and protein just helps to get lifters bigger, according to Forrester.

“Creatine helps you get that little extra energy you need. For example, if you’re benching 200 pounds, and normally you’ll get it eight times, when you take the Creatine, it helps you get the extra two reps,” he says.

Unique Goals Lifting enthusiasts also cite unique reasons for their interest in getting in shape.

Freshman Pelumi Akinpelu started lifting in middle school because he was bullied for being small. “I was small, I was weak, I was bullied,” he says, and now Akinpelu is a daily visitor to the weight room. Forrester was bullied as well, and the weight room has helped him to gain confidence. “I grew up where a lot of kids would get picked on and stuff, because they were never strong enough to have pride in themselves to fight back. So this weight room basically is like your teacher, it teaches you how to achieve what you need just to fight that bully back,” says Forrester. “I used to be a weak, scrawny kid, but now, look at me now,” he says, flexing his muscles.

Kidanemariam’s weight lifting experience has also helped him gain confidence, but for a different reason. Freshman year, two strangers mugged Kidanemariam and stole his phone, and that’s when he decided to begin lifting to ensure his protection.

“I started lifting freshman year when I got jumped, so I figured people won’t mess with me,” he says. As a result, lifting has an element of self-defense for Kidanemariam, “It’s like a sense of safety because it reminds me that because of weight lifting I’m like, safe now, people won’t easily pick on me again.”

Since he’s started lifting, Kidanemariam has not had to use his strength for self-defense.

“After that incident, and since I’ve started lifting, I was never in that predicament, so everything has been going well,” he says.

A Community of Lifters No matter what their reason for their interest in lifting, weight room regulars describe the culture of the room similarly.

“There are people from all walks of life that are lifting weights, for so many different reasons. Some people want to get bigger, some people want to perform better in their

ZEKE WAPNER

PUMPING UP Senior Simon Kidanemariam prepares to do a squat during his afterschool workout in the wieght room. Kidanemariam is working out to gain strength so that he can be improve his football skills. sport, some people want to protect themselves,” says senior Graham Lindsley. Students in the weight room share an attitude of friendly competition and support. “It’s really just about being competitive with your friends,” says Guzman. Akinpelu agrees that Blazers are very supportive in the weight room, and that each lifter tries to perform at their top level. “We try to be the best at everything,” he says.

In addition to being an effective place to work out, the weight room is also an area which fosters new friendships. Everyone is social in the weight room, according to Akinpelu. “People make friends here. I had not a lot of friends until I came here,” says Akinpelu, gesturing to other boys in the weight room, “Now he’s my friend, Nelson’s my friend, that guy’s my friend, everyone’s my friend in here.” Brown also enjoys the social aspect of the room, “I just love everybody, the culture. You see like right now we all getting along, we just lifting, just talking to each other. No fights, no disagreements.” Hack cites his friends’ encouragement as one of the reasons that he keeps coming back to the weight room to work towards his goal. “Being here with my friends, just them pushing me to be here every day, and knowing that every time I work out it gets me a step closer to being better in football,” says Hack.

This community of weight lifters is not exclusive. Although it can be a slightly intimidating at first, being a girl in the weight room is not a negative experience. Senior Jennifer Dominguez says that she has felt uncomfortable being surrounded only by guys in the weight room at times, but in general the culture of the weight room is supportive. According to Dominguez, the guys in the room are encouraging and helpful, pushing her to perform the best she can. “It’s very humorous and very encouraging,” she says. Monreal concurs, “I’ve had a good experience,” she says. “A lot more girls should just go in and try it,” says Dominguez, “It’s a great way to kind of get into a different group, or meet a lot of different people.”

For some, friendship in the weight room is on an entirely different level, some even describe the community of lifters and the equipment itself as relatives. “It’s family. This bench is my brother, this wall is my sister, the elliptical is my cousin, that chair is my uncle, [Mr. McMahon] is like a father,” Forrester says. No matter the reason for participation in lifting, according to Hack, those who frequent the weight room are all part of one community. “Everyone loves being here; everyone has a reason to come here. It’s like family here, everyone’s here for one reason; to get bigger and to stay in shape,” he says.

ANGEL WEN

Developing a Lifestyle The goal for these hardworking Blazers is lifelong – to be physically active people their entire lives. “That’s our goal at physical education, is for kids to enjoy being active,” says McMahon. “For your whole life you can always join a gym – you might not always play football but you can always join a gym.” The students who use the weight room daily echo this sentiment. Kidanemariam will continue to be active out of high school. He says, “I don’t think I’m ever going to stop. Maybe if I get older, the intensity might decrease, but I don’t think I’m ever going to stop being physically active.” Hack plans on continuing with lifting throughout his life. “I don’t think there’s any end,” he says.

Throughout the hectic weight room, there’ll be a mix of all types of students doing different exercises, but the chaos of the weight room encourages students to work towards this goal. “It feels like a jungle, that’s what it feels like,” says Forrester, “because you see a bunch of hungry, wild animals, trying to achieve their goal. The goal is stronger, faster, better, that’s the number one goal.”

The weight room is open for all Blair students 3:20-4:20 PM Mondays through Thursdays, and 2:20-3:20 PM Fridays. Weight Training Club meets from 2:15-3:00 PM on Fridays.

SHAPING UP

Weight lifting class has had major impacts on the physical fitness of students.

While some have experienced changes in their physique, a single year of the class won’t make too much of an impact. McMahon stresses repetition and ongoing fitness to alter one’s form, and encourages students to take weight training as freshmen and then continue with advanced weight training the remaining years of high school. “If you do that your entire high school career, we’ve seen a lot of dramatic changes in physiques, and definitely a lot of strength gain,” he says.

Students from weight lifting classes also encourage enthusiasm for lifting throughout Blair. Once they begin exercising at open weight room, they start to bring their friends along with them, effectively spreading interest in lifting. “One of my favorite things is when I see kids that are in my class bring their friend in, and they take that friend around and help them and explain what they’ve learned in class,” says McMahon. As a result, weight lifting culture starts to permeate further throughout Blair. “It affects a lot of kids, it’s contagious, and kids bring their friends here,” McMahon says.

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December 17, 2014

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Blair’s wrestling team aims to dominate the mat

Mental and physical toughness are essential for success

By Emma Soler

the match ends and that wrestler wins. If the scores are closer, however, at the end of the two minute period points are added up and In Blair’s dark and dingy gym, junior the competitor with more points wins that Brendan Mayer hears his name called to period. The wrestler that then wins two pesignal that his match is about to begin. He riods wins the match. walks over to a booth to sign in, and runs Wrestlers compete in different weight onto the mat. He calmly shakes hands with classes, or groups, depending on his opponent, who he’s each one’s weight. According to been eyeing while his freshman Ryan Holland, wresteammates competed tlers’ weights must be in their before him. After getting weight class on the day of a meet. into starting position, the Before the match, competitors are referee blows a whistle, weighed to ensure that this. In orand time immediately der to get into certain weight classslows in Mayer’s mind. es, wrestlers sometimes partake in For the next two min“weight cutting”, losing or gainutes, all he will think ing weight right before a match in about is what he needs to order to compete in a certain class. do to win.

Holland says this is just a part of This is how a typical the typical wrestling experience. wrestling match begins.

He says, “It’s just a normal part of For three two-minute wrestling.” rounds, Mayer and his According to senior Sam Merteammates compete rill, while wrestlers compete on to win an intense onetheir own, to win in wrestling on-one competition. your entire team must be successThrough this time, they ful. Merrill says, “A lot of people will either win the match think it’s an individual sport, but with pride or lose with CHIMEY SONAM it’s also a team sport, because evanguish. According to ery time you win it adds to the Mayer, success stems DOWN TO THE GROUND Senior Nate Rought is pinned by a team score, and the team with the from complete concenhighest score wins.” tration. “You can’t let up, fellow teammate during the wresting team practice after school. ever. You can’t be soft for a second, or else his opponent is down on the mat, results in you’ll lose,” he says. two points. An escape to a neutral position Mental toughness from a takedown is one point, but an escape that results in a reversal where the person How does wrestling work?

According to Mayer, confidence and fopreviously on the bottom is now in control cus on the concept of defeating your oppoEach match begins with the wrestlers in gains two points. Back points, when an op- nent is essential in winning a match. “You a neutral position. When the whistle blows, ponent’s back is facing towards the mat, is need to, at every point in the match, think you that can win and be taking steps to do the two competitors try to win through three three points.

If one wrestler has a 14 point advantage, that,” he says. different methods. First, one wrestler can win through a pin, which is when both of one’s opponent’s shoulder blades touch the mat. If this occurs, the match ends at once and the pinner wins.

Wrestlers can also try to acquire points by using moves to accomplish certain goals. A takedown, when a wrestler is in control and

Both Mayer and senior wrestling captain Junior Yanga say that winning is the ultimate goal. “I’m just going out to win the match.

No matter how great or how bad the guy is, I approach every match the same way. I want to get out there, I want to beat you no matter who you are...my goal is simple: I want to be a champion. I want to be on that podium,” Yanga reflects.

While ultimately each school wins or loses as a team, the sport is also highly individual and a win or loss for separate matches depends solely on each singular wrestler’s performance, according to coach Steven Banvard. “You can’t blame anyone except yourself if you lose [your match],” he states.

Working hard

According to Merrill and Mayer, Blair’s wrestling team is constantly moving at practice in order to get and stay in shape. Merrill says, “We’re always working, we’re always building up a sweat.” Holland describes a typical practice as beginning with running, followed by strength training and “live wrestling”, and ending with more running.

According to Banvard, this season there are high expectations for the wrestling team as many wrestlers come from the football team, which had an extremely successful fall season. He says that last year the team did well, and hopes are that this year will be the same, with a lofty goal of having at least one wrestler place at states.

In the upcoming season, the wrestlers will face challenging opponents as a result of Blair’s own improvement, Merrill says.

He states, “Our schedule is kind of tough this year, and it’s been getting tougher because the team’s been getting better, but we’re definitely a team to reckon with.”

New athletes on campus: from Blazer field to college teams Blair alumni share their current experiences in Division I sports

By Maris Medina From the age of 5 years old, Blair alum Jake Rozhansky lived and breathed his sport. It wasn’t simply a hobby or pastime – soccer was his aspiration. Thirteen years later, his dream began to manifest into a tangible reality when University of Virginia’s (UVA) Division I Men’s Soccer team recruited him to be a part of their team.

Sounds easier said than done? It is. In fact, according to the National Collegiate Scouting Association, there are over seven million high school athletes, but only enough college roster spots for two percent of them. Additionally, chances of getting recruited become slimmer as you climb up the division ladder.

For Rozhansky, Briana Villa and Donald Benamna, all Blair graduates who were recruited for Division 1 collegiate sports last school year, the road towards their athletic dreams have been challenging and tenuous, but promising nonetheless.

Balancing act It’s one thing to successfully balance

sports and academics in high school; but in college, equilibrium is harder to attain. When Rozhansky started out at UVA, he believed that he’d have a lot of freedom. “When I was entering school, I thought I would have a lot of free time, I could pick my classes when I want, I’m not going to have to wake up early like in high school, but really it’s the complete opposite,” Rozhansky explains.

After the first few soccer practices at their respective schools, Rozhansky and Benamna, a soccer player at San Diego State University (SDSU), came to the realization that sports would not work around their academics, but rather their academics would have to work around their sports. Benamna optimistically adds, “We just have to make sure we stay on track for our grades as we need grades to be able to keep loving the game.”

With Villa’s focus solely on soccer at Delaware State University (DSU), as opposed to being a two-sport athlete at Blair, she indicates that her college experience is still limited. Only after a season of juggling classes, practices, and games, was she finally able to get involved on campus.

Friendly competition?

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF ANDY FARRA FROM THE DAILY AZTEC

ACROSS THE FIELD San Diego State University Freshman Donald Benamna runs before an opposing team member for the ball.

When all three athletes began their collegiate careers, they discovered that the friendly competition at scrimmages and games during their high school years was suddenly replaced with fierce competition. Rozhansky observes the competition at the practices alone.

“All the guys are really competitive and want to win

whether we’re playing a game against a different school or we’re playing a scrimmage against each other. It’s extra competitive if we’re playing against each other,” he explains, “The guys are much bigger, faster, stronger.”

Villa accounts the drastic transition to the hospitable atmosphere of high school sports. She recalls, “High school teams work hard, however at that level it is still seen as a recreational sport for some players, so it can tend to be REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF RYAN KELLY FROM THE DAILY PROGRESS more about having fun compared to GOING FOR THE GOAL University of Virginia freshman midexecuting a certain fielder and 2014 Blair alum Jake Rozhansky attempts to break task.”

Benamna recalls free of an enemy defender as he sprints down the soccer field. the school spirit and the packed stadiums at his first soccer even if you like the team.” With an optimisgames that propelled him to perform well tic outlook, Benamna notes, “[If] you have on the field. “When you are in this kind of a dream, you have to protect it and make atmosphere you have to take an advantage sure no one else takes that dream away from of it and make the fans like you,” Benamna you.” says, “That will help you perform your best Unsurprisingly, when Rozhansky quit so you can do what best to help out your high school soccer in his junior year to purteam.” sue club soccer, his peers and coaches were upset. But regardless of the angry critiques, A word of advice his laser sharp focus remained on his own personal development. So far, it’s led him to As Blazers gear up this year to play their many achievements at UVA such as winning hearts out on their fields, Villa, Rozhansky the National Championship this past weekand Benamna share a word of advice. Villa end, on December 14. Rozhansky simply advises current students to do their home- states, “Everyone has a different path.” To work if interested in playing at the next this, he remarks, “So I would just say, nevlevel. “Make sure you fully research your er to get discouraged, everyone has their school and find out if it would be a good fit own path, follow your path, work hard, and for you outside of athletics because if you hopefully at the end, everything will work don’t like the school you will never enjoy it, out.”

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Boys’ basketball overcomes turnovers

Blazers use three-pointers to take down the Knights

By Bobby Pfefferle

a couple Blair guards out of the game, but senior guard Yashar Joseph came off the Coming off a road loss earlier in the week, bench and rose to the occasion, allowing the the Blazers (2-1) knew they couldn’t under- Blazers to pull away in the fourth quarter. estimate the Wheaton Knights (1-2). But afJoseph provided the offensive spark, as he ter battling with a pesky and perseverant drained three shots from behind the arc, finKnights squad for three quarters, the Blazers ishing with 13 points. “My team needed me were able to eventually pull away and win to step up, a couple of our guards got into comfortably 59-42. foul trouble so I had to step up as a point Blair struggled to find its offense for the guard, as a senior and as a captain,” said Jomajority of the game. They tried desperately seph. In a span of only a couple minutes the to take control, but petty fouls allowed the Blazers hit five three pointers to successfully Knights to hang around. Foul trouble forced pull away from Wheaton.

Senior forward Jordan Cobb did most of the dirty work down low, grabbing three offensive rebounds and leading both teams with 16 points. “I’m happy with the way we played tonight, but there are still plenty of things I can improve on, such as finishing my shots,” Cobb said. Cobb’s play also provided the team with energy, as he took a charge in the second quarter and completed a pivotal threepoint play in the third. Senior guard Danny Canary also contributed 15 points in the win.

In the first half, Blair had trouble getting past Wheaton’s full-court press. The Blazers consistently turned the ball over due to careless PETER BERGER passes and a lack of communicaTAKING THE SHOT Senior Danny Canary at- tion. Still, it looked like Blair was tempts to gain advantage by sinking a three pointer. going to end the first half with a

lead until Wheaton put together a run and closed the half with a three pointer to tie the game at 25.

Following the disappointing loss on Tuesday to Kennedy, the Blazers were ready to bounce back. “We underestimated Kennedy in that game, but we learned from it and we were ready to take out our frustration and anger on Wheaton in this game,” Joseph said. “We knew we had to be more composed, Kennedy sped us up and forced us to play out of character,” said Coach Damon Pigrom.

While the Blazers struggled offensively in the first half, they were able to come back strong in the second half and were ready to expose holes in Wheaton’s zone defense, resulting in plenty of open shots. “In the first half, we played down to their level,” Coach Damon Pigrom said, “but in the second half we outscored them 34-17 and came out much more focused.”

Blair had plenty of opportunities from the foul line, as they were in the bonus by the end of the first quarter. However, the team struggled to make the most of their opportunities, shooting a mere 50 percent from the free-throw line.

Before the season, Pigrom said that the key to success would come on the defensive side. “Our goal as a team is to keep opponents under 45 points, and we were able to do that in this game, which is good. But we still do need to get better.”

Moving forward, both Joseph and Cobb

December 17, 2014 insideSPORTS

A family of supporters in Blair’s weight room see page F1

Blair’s wrestling team prepares for upcoming season see page F2

ELIZABETH PHAM

agreed the team has a number of things to work on. “We really need to work on limiting our turnovers, and of course getting back on defense,” Joseph said. “We as a coaching staff need to battle a little bit, and offensively we still need to work on finishing our shots,” Pigrom added.

Same teams set up for success in NFL playoffs

Broncos, Packers, Patriots, and Seahawks are looking strong again

By Teague Sauter Throughout the first half of the NFL season it looked like we might finally get some new contenders this year, but here we are with two weeks remaining in the season and the same familiar faces are poised for a successful postseason once again.

With an 11-3 record that includes an impressive 22 point victory over the also 11-3 Denver Broncos in Week 9, the New England Patriots look like the favorites to NAZEA KHAN come away with the number one seed in the AFC. Their remaining games include the Dolp h i n s and Bills at home and the Jets on the road, none of whom should present a challenge for Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. This team isn’t invincible however; a 23-26 loss to the Packers in Week 13 exposed some weaknesses in the Patriots defense, who gave up 347 yards to Aaron Rodgers in the first half alone. They will need to improve on their mediocre 352 yards allowed per game if they want to defeat the high-powered offenses in the AFC. In order to hold on to their first overall seeding they will have to defeat the up-and-coming Buffalo Bills. This matchup shouldn’t present too many problems however, because the Patriots haven’t lost a game in Foxborough all year. Home field advantage could be huge if this team comes up against Peyton Manning and the Broncos in the AFC championship game.

New England was easily handled by the Broncos in last year’s championship game, but keep in mind that game was played in Denver. Peyton Manning is 2-8 all time at Gillete Stadium so it will take a very special performance to knock the Patriots out of the playoffs for the second straight year. As long as everyone stays healthy over the last two weeks and they manage to handle the Bills, it looks like the Patriots have a very good chance to reach Super Bowl XLIX. Also 11-3, the Broncos haven’t always looked totally convincing this season, but they have gotten the job done. After an embarrassing 22-7 loss in St. Louis, Denver has picked up three consecutive wins over tough teams in the Dolphins,

Chiefs and Bills. Currently ranked in the top five in passing yards and total offense, this unit is high flying and will look to run up the score against weaker AFC teams in the early rounds of the playoffs. However, their chances at the first overall seed have been getting slimmer and slimmer with each Patriots win. They will have to take care of their final road test against the Bengals on Monday night and then all they can do is hope for a Patriots loss. They should easily dispatch their opponent in the divisional round but a matchup at New England in late January may ultimately be what prevents the Broncos from repeating as AFC champs.

In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers are looking like the early favorites to reach the Super Bowl. Their season got off to a mediocre 1-2 start that included losses to the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks, but then Aaron Rodgers and the Packers turned it on. They hit a minor speed bump with a 44-23 loss in New Orleans, but huge home wins over the Eagles and Patriots solidified their place among the contenders.

They looked almost perfect until they ran into the Buffalo Bills in Week 15. A tough 21-13 road loss in Buffalo has made Green Bay’s road to Arizona a little trickier. It is extremely likely that their entire season will come down to a Week 17 rematch at home against their NFC North rivals, the Detroit Lions. The winner of this game will win the NFC North and a likely first round bye that comes with it. However, the Lions have not won at Lambeau since 1992 so it will take a miracle on Detroit’s part to walk out of this game with a win. If the Packers do manage to win this game they will have a much easier path to the NFC Championship game, and a likely match-up with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

The Sea- hawks had a little bit of Super Bowl hangover with three losses in their first five games including an embarrassing upset at the hands of the St. Louis Rams. Since that game they have gone 7-1

with their only loss coming on the road in Kansas City. Over the last four weeks Seattle has defeated the Eagles in Philadelphia, the division leading Arizona Cardinals, and the San Francisco 49ers twice. Unlike the other three contenders, Seattle has been primarily driven by their defense and run game, not their quarterback play.

Other than a 168 yard performance against the 49ers in Week 15, Russell Wilson has still performed very well over the last four weeks, but he hasn’t always been the driving factor in their success. Seattle is currently allowing 25 fewer yards defensively per game and is averaging 20 more yards rushing than any other team in the NFL. If Marshawn Lynch continues to eat up yards and the defense continues to shut down the passing game, there’s a good chance Seattle will be returning to an NFC Championship game. The Seahawks play the Cardinals at Arizona this Sunday in game that will ultimately decide who will win the division and a first round bye. This game alone will play huge in whether or not Seattle will be able to return to the Super Bowl in late February for a chance to repeat as league champs.

One team that has been very intriguing over the course of this season has been the young Buffalo Bills. While it is fairly unlikely, it is still possible for Buffalo to reach the playoffs in a wild card spot. Many people saw a final four weeks that featured the Broncos, Packers, and Patriots and assumed the worse. Then, a safety in the final two minutes against Green Bay gave the Bills a much needed upset win and kept them in the playoff hunt. Now they need the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals and Chiefs to lose at least one game to even be in control of their own destiny. Even if this situation works out they still have to win a game on the road against Tom Brady and the Pa-

triots in Week 17 to get the sixth seed. Even though it is nearly impossible, it would be exciting to see this team continue their best season in a decade.

The NFC East features two very talented teams but unfortunately one of them may miss out on this year’s playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a devastating blow to their playoff chances in Week 15 when they lost to their division rival the Dallas Cowboys.

This set Dallas up atop the division but this race is still far from over.

Philadelphia’s final two games are against the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, hardly challenges for Chip Kelly’s offense. On the other hand, the Cowboys have a tough game against Andrew Luck and the AFC South-leading Colts. The game is being played at AT&T Stadium but that doesn’t necessarily give the Cowboys a huge advantage given that they are 3-4 at home this season and 7-0 on the road. If the Cowboys do manage to escape with a win then the Eagles season will likely be over and the Cowboys will be returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2009.

This year’s playoffs may prove to be the most exciting in years with several new teams vying for attention. This will lead to tons of exciting games, but in the end it seems we will be seeing the usual suspects in early February once again.