January 2025 - Silver Chips Print

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Trump’s orders follow through on campaign promises

By ELORA DERBYSHIRE

Health Organization (WHO) and the Paris Climate Agreement, and pardoning over 1,500 people con

first—reiterated his campaign-trail rhetoric opposing pro-immigration and Biden administration policies. From inside the Capitol Rotunda on Jan. 20, he announced his plan to declare a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border and send troops to “repel the disastrous invasion of our country.” As a result of this emergency declaration, made in an executive order, federal funding can now be used for border wall

In addition to increasing border security, Trump empowered the secretary of defense to send troops as needed. He has also barred asylum for people arriving at the Southern border, requiring asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while an immigration judge considers their case. On Jan. 24, the administration announced that it was expanding the use of “expedited removal” authority, which will allow enforcement agencies to deport people without requiring those people to appear before an immigration judge.

TRUMP page A4

Turning the page on censorship

By NEHA NARAYAN

“I used to live in Florida before I moved to Maryland and to Blair, and I luckily had the chance to read ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel, but it was banned the year after I left,” Blair senior Angie Driggs recalls. As more conservative states across the country push to restrict literature that tackles race, gender, and identity, Blair is holding its ground by ensuring that inclusive texts not only survive but thrive in its classrooms and libraries.

Literature that represents a variety of voices and experiences is significant due to the kind of validation it provides, especially for young people. “I think it’s important that every student can see themselves in what they read,” Driggs says. “That way, they feel more heard and validated.” This validation goes beyond simply recognizing oneself in a character—it underscores the significance of students seeing their identities, perspectives, and struggles reflected in the narratives they encounter. She has also noticed how the English

CULTURE

department has been working toward a more diverse take on literature in the curriculum with specific efforts to cover deeper content. “I see that several of the Blair English teachers actually try making sure people have the chance to see themselves in books and go deeper into context over just surface-level rhetoric,” Driggs says. “I feel like they want their students to see the broader picture of exactly what’s going on situationally with all these characters and within these historical timelines.”

Emphasizing diverse literature is important not only in MCPS but also in the broader local community, where books can bridge cultural gaps and create a more inclusive environment for all. We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), a Bethesda-based nonprofit organization, focuses its mission on amplifying diverse voices in children’s and young adult literature. Executive Director Caroline Richmond shares the importance of this work in shaping young readers.

see INCLUSIVE LIT page D3

President Donald Trump signed

INAUGURATION DAY Trump supporters wave a flag as they approach Capital One Arena, where an inauguration watch party was being held.

PHOTO BY IAN GLEASON

CAPITAL ONE A child perched atop a parent’s shoulders peers over a crowd of Trump supporters on Inauguration Day in Washington, D.C.

PHOTO BY IAN GLEASON

Compiled by ADANNA AKAMIGBO

MCPS extends school year by one day

On Jan. 24, MCPS informed staff and parents via email that they added an extra day to the 2024-2025 school calendar due to weather closures. The school system experienced three closures in January, exceeding the two instructional days set aside for unexpected closures. The last day of school will now be a half day on Monday, June 16.

Former Wootton student found guilty of threatening school shooting

On Jan. 8, 19-year-old Alex Ye was convicted on one count of threat of mass violence following a two-day-long trial in December. He now faces up to 10 years in prison. According to authorities, Ye wrote a 129-page document detailing how he would commit a school shooting. He shared the document with an acquaintance, who notified the police. During the trial, Ye argued that his writing was a work of fiction and protected under First Amendment free speech protections. However, Ye’s judge, Jill Cummins, ruled that this document was threatening violence and not protected under free speech. Ye remains in custody until his sentencing hearing scheduled for Feb. 28.

Blair juniors win $4,750 in video contest

Blair juniors Erol Kalayoglu and Zachary Carter won first place and the Fan Favorite award at the Speak Up, Save a Life public service announcement video contest. Kalayoglu and Carter were awarded $4,750 for the high placement of their video, “You Have One Life Not Nine,” in the competition. They were confident in their video but pleasantly surprised when they won Fan Favorite. “We were definitely very confident going into it. We were aiming for first place,” Carter said. They are planning to use the money they won for future filmmaking endeavors. “[We want to] invest [money] back into better filmmaking and for better equipment,” Kalayoglu said.

Blair music department travels to Disney World

On Jan. 9, the Blair music department took a trip to Disney World to see how professional musicians work for Disney World. They departed Blair after school and drove by bus overnight before arriving the following morning. The trip cost students, on average, $1,500 but was subsidized by the money made from music fundraisers and their June mattress sale. During the trip, students participated in a workshop to get an inside look at the life of a professional musician at Disney World. Students also had the opportunity to visit Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, and Animal Kingdom, three of the four main Disney World theme parks. Blair junior and orchestra member Jordan Caton explained that her experience helped her better understand how music is made. “[The trip] gave more insight [into] how music production works,” Caton said.

Blair to pilot new courses, academy

By ZACHARY KARP

In preparation for the 20252026 school year, MCPS approved two courses to pilot at Blair: Jewish Peoplehood Throughout History (Jewish Peoplehood) and Hip-Hop Poetics and Rhetoric. Next year, Jewish Peoplehood will be offered for the second year at Blair, and the new hip-hop course will be available for the first time as a companion to the existing HipHop History and Culture class at Blair.

In MCPS, teachers can propose elective curricula to trial at their school as pilot courses. Approved courses take between two to four years to graduate from the trial process, during which teachers use student feedback to develop the course further and monitor lessons to ensure it meets educational standards. After the process is complete, the Board of Education may approve the course as a permanent elective, allowing it to be taught throughout MCPS.

Jewish Peoplehood Throughout History

When it was piloted in the fall semester of the 2024-2025 school year, Blair history instructor Marc Grossman’s Jewish Peoplehood Throughout History course was the first of its kind in MCPS. The one-semester elective covered the history of Jewish people from the life of Abraham, who was born around 1800 B.C.E., to the founding of modern-day Israel in 1948. The course’s lengthy timeline allows students to develop a broad understanding of the contemporary Jewish experience. “We’re trying to … help [students] understand who we are. Not just who Jews are today, but also who we are as a people—as human beings—in the Western world today,” Grossman said.

Though the course does not cover contemporary politics or ongoing conflicts in and around Israel, it allows students to understand the historical context behind them. “We’re going to learn about how Jews [ended] up in the modern state of Israel … and how Jews and Muslims [interacted before the founding of Israel],” Grossman said. “[Students will] have [the] context to understand how these groups are approaching contemporary events.”

The course focuses on the diverse experience of those within the Jewish diaspora—all Jewish communities outside Israel—from the United States to Morocco to Ukraine. “It’s very interesting to

see both the common threads in Judaism—regardless of where it’s being practiced—and what’s drastically different [between regions and time periods],” Blair senior Ari Joshi, who took the course, said. “We have places and times where Jews are expelled, and times where they are second-class citizens.”

Though the course was not made specifically to cater to Jewish students, Blair junior Sophia Van Praagh credited it for helping her develop a sense of community among other Jewish students at Blair. “It’s been a really immersive experience,” she said. “As a Jewish girl, I don’t really have that many Jewish friends at Blair. I feel like [through] being in a room learning about our history, especially all together [with other Jewish students], we’re all able to really feel the community aspect.”

For Blair senior Charlotte Goldberg, the most enjoyable Jewish Peoplehood classes were those in which students cooked meals from Jewish cultures around the world. “We’ve taken recipes that have been made traditionally by Jewish people and learned how to make them [and] the history behind them,” Goldberg said. Students made kreplach, a type of stuffed dumpling traditionally made by Ashkenazi Jews; gulab jamun, a sweet Indian dough ball that some Indian Jews make for Chanukah; and challah, a braided bread eaten for Shabbat and major Jewish holidays.

The course is unique in that it does not cover contemporary conflicts in the Middle East, but instead focuses on the thousands of years of Jewish history that preceded them. Grossman proposed the course and developed its curriculum to address a scarcity of knowledge of the Jewish people. “It’s my impression that there [are] a tremendous amount of misperceptions about what Judaism is, who the Jews are, and where they come from,” he said. “This is an opportunity for people to do a deep dive into a topic that gets a lot of press time, but without a lot of historical context.”

Hip-Hop Poetics and Rhetoric

Blair’s second pilot course for the 2025-2026 school year, “HipHop Poetics and Rhetoric,” will be taught by CAP English instructor John Howard. It will serve as a companion course to the existing semester-long Hip-Hop History and Culture class at Blair taught by Kenneth Smith. A full year of hip-

hop classes allows students to gain a comprehensive understanding of both the impact of hip-hop on contemporary society and its style of songwriting and lyricism.

The course material will focus on the “Golden Age” of hip-hop, which lasted from the mid-1980s until the 1990s. “That’s when it was the most creative time in hip-hop; everyone had their own style—their own lane,” Howard said. “They’re doing their own thing before it became very commercialized, [which is] where it is after 1996.”

Howard described the course as a humanities class that studies

in MCPS, though neither idea is guaranteed to come to fruition.

Blair African American Literature teacher Michelle Elie, who will lead the academy, believed that taking the academy’s courses would allow students to become more self-aware. “One of the things that we don’t talk enough about at the high school level—or in education in general—is identity development. Students … are ready to engage in work when they feel really confident, and they feel like they’re learning something about who they are,” Elie said. “Taking African American studies

hip-hop instead of traditional texts.

“It’s like a poetry class,” he said. “It’s a literature class, [but] it’s not going to be as dense as a regular English class [because] you’re not writing a bunch of papers.”

Junior Chloe Rodriguez said she was interested in taking the course because it would study hiphop as art rather than straightforward entertainment. “The main part that intrigues me is a lot of people think that hip-hop is less than [other music genres] as an art form—like through the ‘Oh, they’re just rapping about nothing’ [idea],” she said. “I think that there’s a lot of important social commentary in hip-hop … it’s an art form that’s really poetic, so looking at it from an English standpoint would be really interesting.”

Hip-Hop Poetics and Rhetoric will be part of a developing Blair African American Studies academy, joining courses like AP African American Studies, African American Literature, and Hip-Hop History and Culture. It may also bring in music courses about perspectives of Black music, African drumming, or other classes taught at other high schools

classes in the academy—I think it develops students beyond [being] students; it develops them [as] people.”

Elie hopes the academy will encourage students to study Black history and culture beyond the classroom. “One of the things that we believe in the academy is that we want our students to have this immersive experience,” she said. “One day, I hope we have an international trip and go somewhere where we’re studying what the African diaspora looks like in the Caribbean or West Africa.”

Despite enthusiasm for the African American Studies academy around Blair, Elie is not sure of when it will be available to students. Still, she hopes that it will bring minorities’ accomplishments to the forefront of education. “I think a lot of Black and Brown children don’t feel seen,” Elie said. “A [lesson] that focuses on what [minorities’] work looks like—they may see that as a one-time experience. But to have that experience be part of your education, not on the sidelines … to me, [it] feels like you’re really putting students’ needs at the center.”

Corrections December 2024

The graphic credit for “MCPS error loses $39.3 million for Woodward renovation” should read “Data courtesy of Montgomery County Public Schools,” not “Data courtesy of Montgomery County Public Skills.”

The last paragraph of “Montgomery County’s attainable housing initiative sparks debate” should begin with “The Montgomery County Council,” not “The Montgomery Council Council.”

In the staff list, Elora Derbyshire and Lydia Pass are missing from the “Staff Writers” section.

In “Money talks, don’t shout at the wrong people,” The Washington Post was incorrectly valued at $4.9 billion. Jeff Bezos purchased the paper for $250 million in 2013.

In “Election soapbox 2024,” the second deck should read “Blair students share their feelings on the presidential election,” not ‘president election.’

David Wang’s quote should read “I think … this year,” not “I think I think … this year. ”

PHOTO BY MICAHYAS YOSEFE GESSESSE

JEWISH PEOPLEHOOD THROUGHOUT HISTORY Marc Grossman addresses his students in a class that is the first of its kind in MCPS.

Superintendent introduces new FY26 budget

By YONGLE XIN

Superintendent Thomas Taylor proposed an Operating Budget for MCPS in Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) totaling $3.62 billion, on Dec. 18. The total was a $298.7 million increase from the FY25 budget.

The FY26 budget featured cuts to Central Office positions, wage increases for all staff, increased staffing for special education and emergent language learners, and funding geared toward equity and security. In an email to Silver Chips, Taylor outlined his three main focuses for the budget: giving teachers and staff livable salaries in Montgomery County, correcting past mistakes in fiscal management, and investing in special education, Emergent Multilingual Learning (EML), safety, and equity.

Much of the budget is dedicated to salaries and benefits for staff, many of whom are members of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), a union representing certificated employees of MCPS, like teachers and counselors. MCPS is in negotiation with the MCEA for overspending on benefits and other policies, though they have agreed to increase pay for members by 3.25 percent to keep up with inflation. Other unions representing the rest of MCPS’ employees, like administrators and service workers, have negotiated the same pay raise. All MCPS raises were in line with a raise county government employees negotiated with Montgomery County for FY25. “If the county [government]

employees are going to get a raise, how can we turn around and tell our educators they can’t get a raise?

It’s all the same pot of money,”

Karla Silvestre, Board of Education member and chair of its Fiscal Management Committee, said.

She believes that pay is an important factor in the competition between school districts to hire the best educators. “Prince George’s County, Howard County, Frederick, we’re all competing for the same [teachers],” Silvestre said.

“We have to be able to offer competitive wages with great benefits so that they’ll come here.”

The county has also included a two-year, $80 million investment into the staff health insurance fund to make up for the lack of investment during the COVID-19 era.

“During the pandemic, people weren’t going to the doctor, and so we stopped putting money in the budget for health insurance premiums,” Silvestre said.

The investment was not enough to fill the COVID-19 deficit, only enough to keep some money in the fund. The MCEA recognized the problem and is working with MCPS to address it further.

“There’s a big hole in our health insurance accounts, and that needs to be filled up, and we’re in negotiations about how we’re going to try to do that,” David Stein, president of the MCEA, said.

The budget also included funds to address long-term shortfalls in staffing for special education. In total, MCPS added 188 teachers and 500 paraprofessionals to help meet

their recommended staffing guidelines. Part of that effort involves hiring new teachers and reclassifying some part-time jobs as fulltime jobs with the associated pay and benefits. “It’s very difficult to fill those [paraprofessional] jobs if you don’t get benefits and full-time pay,” Stein said. “So [Superintendent Taylor] is proposing moving a lot of those, what we call temporary part-time jobs, into full-time jobs.”

Special education classes suffer from a lack of staff, even more than most classrooms do. “Those classrooms tend to be small and are designed to have individual support, and so if you’re forcing those classes to be larger, you’re really defeating the purpose in a lot of cases of special education,” Stein said.

EML classrooms also face the same issues with staffing, something that the budget sought to address. “Those are students again who have needs that we really need to be meeting, and we haven’t always been doing it in the past,” Stein said.

To pay for all of these improvements, Taylor made cuts to Central

Office. “When [ Taylor] does cuts, he tends to focus on Central Office and doesn’t touch the schools,” Silvestre said. $7 million was trimmed off through restructuring and cost-cutting. “We have a very large central office that is often criticized for not providing great service. I think we can save a few dollars by trimming a few positions and by operating differently,” Taylor said in his email to Silver Chips.

Another budgetary focus of Taylor’s was funding for equity and safety in schools. Two separate funds, $5.7 million for equity funding and $3.2 million for security improvements, have been divided up among all the schools in the county based on their individual needs. Schools with more FARMS enrollment or more security incidents were set to receive more funding in the form of additional security staff and extra cash for supplies. The Board of Education is set to approve the budget in February before sending it to the County Executive and County Council for final changes and approval.

County allocates $3.6 million toward homelessness prevention

By SATCHEL JELEN

On Dec. 10, the Montgomery County Council voted unanimously to approve a $3.6 million special funding appropriation for four programs to combat homelessness in the county. These programs, which focused on providing emergency housing and rental assistance, were previously forced to scale down operations following budget cuts made in May 2024.

County Chief of Services to End and Prevent Homelessness Christine Hong, who spoke at the meeting in support of the appropriation, explained that many of the programs under her purview had to raise eligibility requirements for those seeking assistance to stay operational. “We ended up targeting our limited resources on the lowest income … so that we would be able to use our diminished funding to continue to serve people throughout the fiscal year,” Hong said. “But then we’re not able to help as many people.”

According to the county’s annual Point In Time (PIT) report designed to track homelessness rates, family homelessness had increased 47 percent from 2023 to 2024. Hong explained that rent increases contributed to this trend.

“What we’re seeing is a steeper rise [in eviction] amongst families,” she said. “[Rents] are very high in Montgomery County [and] ... low-income families have not kept up with the rate of increase of rent.”

District Five County Councilmember Kristin Mink said she voted for the appropriation to help reduce this increasing number of evictions.

“As I flagged for my colleagues at the time, I expected to see a jump in evictions [with the cuts],” she said. “Sure enough, there was an enormous jump in evictions … and our shelters were full.”

The programs supported by the appropriation include the Short Term Housing and Resolution Program (SHARP), Shelter Services Expansion Motel Rooms for Families, Housing Stabilization Services

(HSS) Eviction Prevention, and the Rental Assistance Program (RAP).

The SHARP program, which received over $1.6 million from the appropriation, offers rental and housing navigation assistance to those experiencing homelessness, for up to 12 months. “[SHARP] was very effective in housing more than 600 households and for families,” Hong said. “The retention rate for that has been 97 percent, meaning folks maintain their housing even after 12 months of rental assistance.” Hong said that RAP, which the county allocated over $367,000, had also proven effective in preventing a loss of housing.

“The Rental Assistance Program is a shallow subsidy program for disabled people or older adults, and they can get up to $503 a month in rental assistance,” she said. “That can be that little bit of rental assistance that can help them remain stable in their housing and prevent them from falling into homelessness.”

Daniella Burgos, the director of development and communications at Shepherd’s Table, a non-profit based in Silver Spring aimed at addressing food insecurity and homelessness, agreed that these programs were beneficial. “For a local government to be unanimous on that and to help supply money to programs that will help people stay in housing, that’s important,” she said. But Burgos explained that more can be done to improve the lives of people experiencing homelessness. “We should not be always reacting to a housing crisis,” she said. “We should be proactively engaging with people so that they don’t lose their housing.” For Burgos, this engagement is what Shepherd’s Table does best. “Our focus is this idea of developing and serving the whole person,” she said. “A person who has been able to come here and get services for food on a

Compiled by LILA GROSKO

Israel and Hamas ceasefire agreement reached

Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire agreement that outlined the release of multiple hostages on Jan. 15. The war began on Oct. 7, 2023 when Hamas gunmen crossed the Israeli border killing soldiers and civilians and abducting over 250 foreign and Israeli hostages. Since then, an estimated 46,600 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis have been killed. The deal, which will be implemented through multiple phases, aims to put an end to the conflict. During phase one of the agreement, Israel released 90 Palestinians and Hamas released three Israelis. Thousands of displaced Palestinians began returning to their homes, many in search of the bodies of unaccounted loved ones. Additionally, the agreement allowed for the United Nations to increase its humanitarian aid to Gaza, providing more than 2,400 trucks filled with food, fuel, hospital supplies, and more.

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol arrested

daily basis, they’ve come to Progress Place to meet with Interfaith Works [an organization providing emergency housing] to get housing. They use our resource center, and then they also are part of our culinary skills program.”

According to Hong, the funding that these programs received is not permanent. The 2026 fiscal year begins in July of 2025, and the Council must vote on a new operating budget no later than June 1. This means that the Council will have to decide whether or not to keep the cuts it implemented last year. Mink supported additional appropriations. “My hope is that the budget that we pass for FY26 is able to fulfill the promises that we made with this appropriation,” she said.

Both Burgos and Hong emphasized that additional funding was needed. “We need to find ways to continually get more resources for housing because as much as we are housing people, people also continue to enter the system,” Hong said. “There’s just so much more to do,” Burgos seconded.

Hong and Burgos also brought up the importance of volunteer work in supporting these programs. “[Volunteering] is a wonderful thing to do together with other people,” Burgos said. “Whether it’s helping prep or doing a meal service line … it makes you feel good after doing it.” Hong agreed. “Volunteering at a shelter, providing meals, they’re not going to solve the problem, but they help to inform people who are doing those activities about the issue of homelessness,” she said.

“And to know that they are human beings just like us and that we could fall into that situation at any point in our lives.”

For additional information on rental assistance programs or volunteering efforts, please visit MontgomeryCountyMD.gov/homelessness/.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was arrested over allegations of rebellion against the government. Yeol’s arrest marked the first time in South Korean history that a sitting president was detained. The National Assembly voted to impeach the president on Dec. 14, following his imposition of martial law, where hundreds of troops and officers were deployed and all political activities were prohibited. Under South Korean law, a president may only declare martial law during a state of emergency such as war and is forbidden to suspend the parliament’s operations. On Jan. 3, investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials attempted to arrest the president. The president’s security service team retaliated against the CIO workers for over six hours. On the morning of Jan. 14, a larger team of officers and investigators arrived at the president’s residence in Seoul and successfully arrested the president.

79 people killed in Turkish hotel fire

A hotel fire at a popular ski resort in Turkey has injured 51 and killed 79 people so far. A reported peak occupancy of 238 people were staying in the hotel during a two week school holiday. The fire was reported at approximately 3:27 a.m. on Jan. 21 in the restaurant area of the hotel. Survivors described a lingering smell of smoke one hour before evacuation; however, smoke alarms did not activate until after guests had left. The fire spread quickly throughout the hotel, in part due to its wooden cladding. The fire was further exacerbated by the lack of an automatic sprinkling system in the hotel, a Turkish requirement for buildings of its size. Hotel guests who escaped reported chaos on the upper floors, as residents used sheets and blankets to climb down from windows. Turkish law enforcement has detained 11 people, including the owner of the hotel, in an ongoing investigation regarding the cause of the fire.

GRAPHIC BY YONGLE XIN DATA COURTESY OF MCPS SHEPHERD’S TABLE Volunteers distribute handmade meals to patrons.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHEPHERD’S TABLE

Flurry of executive orders move agenda forward, court challenges ensue

Trump has promised arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), but the full extent of his plan for the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants living within the country has yet to be seen. “In many decades, we haven’t seen broad-scale raids against the undocumented,” Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at Georgetown University, said. “I don’t know that they have the manpower or they have the training [to do that] … so we’ll see how hard Trump pushes them to try.”

Furthermore, on Jan. 21, the Department of Homeland Security issued a directive allowing immigration authorities to enter schools and places of worship to conduct arrests. “Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” the statement read. On Jan. 24, Blair

Principal Kevin Yates told Silver Chips that he spoke with MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor who assured him that there were no plans for ICE to visit MCPS schools.

In many decades, we haven’t seen broad-scale raids against the undocumented.

Natalia Guerrido, an English Language Development teacher and member of Blair’s staff immigration support committee, expressed that informing oneself is the key to remaining calm during

this fast-changing time. “The uncertainty and the threats are all a strategy to have people be fearful,” Guerrido wrote in an email to Silver Chips. “The information I find [about new immigration policies] helps me return to being calm. Our students don’t have this information and have questions that are making them fearful and anxious.”

However, people like Brigitta Mullican, the treasurer of the Montgomery County Republican Party, see Trump’s immigration policies as beneficial for the local area. “I think the best thing is that President Trump wants to get rid of all the bad people that have come here illegally, the ones that have criminal records,” Mullican said. “Montgomery County tends to not want to cooperate with [the] federal government … but I do hope that they cooperate.” In one of his most legally disputed day-one actions, Trump signed an executive order excluding people born in the U.S. from the right to American citizenship if their

parents are unlawfully present in the country or are on a temporary visa. This directly conflicts with the guarantee of birthright citizenship warranted by the 14th Amendment, which reads that, “All persons born or naturalized in the United States … are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they re side.” On Jan. 20, the same day that the order was signed, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), as well as 24 Democratic states and cities, sued the Trump administra tion. A federal district court judge temporarily blocked the order on Jan. 23. Holzer expressed uncer tainty of the outcome of these cas es in the court system. “[Trump is] going to push the system as hard as he can through regulation, through executive action, to overturn legal precedents,” Holzer said. “If the courts—the district courts or the appellate courts—can issue what are called injunctions, cease and desist orders … will he obey those orders … or will he order his agencies to ignore those orders, thinking that

the Supreme Court will back him up there again?”

In an attempt to dismantle federal diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the name of “merit-based hiring,” Trump revoked a 1965 civil rights measure signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The now repealed executive order prohibited discrimination in federal employment and implemented affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity on the basis of race, color, and national origin. In a U.S. Office of Personnel Management memo detailing further actions, federal DEI employees were to be placed on leave by 5 p.m. on Jan. 22. The crackdown on federal DEI programs has added apprehension toward looming budget cuts and mass layoffs in federal agencies. The

clear whether he will have enough support in Congress to fully achieve this, Trump has already issued directives to freeze hiring in federal agencies and to end telework, both of which may push DOE employees and other federal workers to leave their jobs. Blair senior Oceana Jordanwood, who attended the Jan. 18 People’s March to protest Trump’s proposed policies, was especially concerned about cuts to DOE funding. “It’s going to be so detrimental once they start taking away funding from schools,” she said. “I think education is just such an important issue, especially as voters come into the voting system.”

There remain many questions about the extent and legality of the Trump administration’s recent actions, according to Holzer. “We simply don’t know how far [Trump]

MoCo Delegation proposes

increase, mandatory holidays

Four key education bills to face MD General Assembly next

By JESSICA ZHANG

Montgomery County Delegation proposed four educational bills on Dec. 16 at a local bill sponsor hearing, including more restrictive cell phone policies, a cap on settlements from the superintendent and added health benefits after the end of their term, expanded mandatory holidays, and a pay increase for school board members.

Delegate David Fraser-Hidalgo from District 15 proposed bill MC 13-25 which would require MCPS to establish a more detailed policy limiting student cellular usage during instructional time. Fraser-Hidalgo noted the challenges teachers encounter when they have to address the distraction of cell phones during class time. “Teachers should be able to place more emphasis on teaching, not fighting their students to turn off or put their cell phones away,” Fraser-Hidalgo said. Dustin Jeter, secretary of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), feels that this bill would solve the ineffectiveness of the current phone policy by forcing MCPS to come up with better implementation rules. “There’s a policy currently in place, but there’s not strict enforcement of it because the policy doesn’t really spell out what that enforcement would look like,” Jeter said. “This bill requires MCPS to come back and say how we can best help our students learn in class without being distracted by their cell phones.”

Delegate Chao Wu from District 9A in Maryland proposed bill MC 12-25, which limits the superintendent buyout amount—the payment package the superintendent would receive should they leave their position before their contract ends—and adds health benefits after their term ends. Wu described how it is important to redirect the money that the superintendent can receive toward education. “I just feel we need a better way to manage our taxpayer money and put the resources in the classroom and

the teacher,” Wu said. Wu also proposed another bill, MC 6-25, which adds six mandatory holidays to the MCPS calendar: Diwali, Eid al–Adha, Eid al–Fitr, Lunar New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur. He explained how not having certain holidays off can impact the school system with the amount of teachers available. “This is really an operational issue when students or teachers take a day off to honor their holiday, [and] the percentage [of staff taking off work] is high,” Wu said. Blair junior Arjun Ramachandran shared his thoughts on how declaring Diwali a mandatory holiday would affect his own celebrations. “Being able to spend time with family the whole day … would definitely be something that would be nice if it was a mandatory day off,” Ramachandran said.

Delegate Lorig Charkoudian, who represents District 20 in Maryland, proposed bill MC 7-25, which increases pay for members of the Montgomery County Board of Education to $124,000 by December 2026, a $99,000 increase. The bill would also increase the bonus of the Board of Education president from $5,000 to $10,000. Charkoudian explained how the current compensation of $25,000 limits the amount of work board members can do as they often need to have an additional part-time job to make a living. “[If] you have another full-

time job and [being a board member] is only paying you $25,000, you can’t put the time and effort that we need from these folks into serving as school board members,” Charkoudian said. “It’s either limiting who can do it, or it’s limiting how effectively they can do it.”

I just feel we need a better way to manage our taxpayer money and put the resources in the classroom and the teacher.

For these bills to be put into action, they will need to be passed in their respective committees before moving to the house floor during the Maryland General Assembly, which started on Jan. 8. On Dec. 17, the MCEA released a press statement expressing support for all four bills. Jeter emphasized how important it was for Montgomery County’s delegates to propose these changes for MCPS to the Maryland General Assembly. “The hope is that our delegates … would understand how important these specific bills are to running our schools and allow our students to have the best education possible,” Jeter said.

TRUMP SUPPORTERS Thousands gathered in D.C. the day Trump took office.

PHOTOS BY IAN GLEASON

CHAO WU

HARRY HOLZER

OPINIONS

January 30, 2025

A lot of chaos Blair parking problem perpetuates

By SAHANA PARIKH and DIEGO SANTORO-VELEZ AN OPINION

At 7:30 every morning, Blair upperclassmen impatiently wait in the long queue of cars entering the student parking lot, irritated that they will be tardy to class yet again. Seven hours later, the same students race to exit the parking lot before the armada of buses starts leaving. They struggle to maneuver through the many parents blocking the single exit lane. This chaotic scene is not ideal for anyone.

Like other MCPS high schools, Blair has multiple parking lots with confusing traffic flow. The lot on the Colesville Road side is limited to staff and visitors, while the one on University Boulevard has student parking and bus spaces. Student drop-off occurs in both lots. Students interested in parking at school must apply for a parking permit with proof of insurance, vehicle registration, a copy of their driver’s license, and a $39 fee.

In the morning, student drivers often encounter stop-and-start traffic and long lines with wait times that range up to fifteen minutes. Because of this, many student drivers are late to their first class of the day. Roxanne Fus, Blair’s attendance secretary, explained that seniors who are repeatedly tardy get their passes revoked. “First,

we try taking it back for a two-week period. And if you can be on time to class for two weeks, we’ll give it back to you. But, then, if you can’t, we take it altogether,” Fus said.

Teachers are frustrated because students’ tardiness can make them miss important lessons. “The only solution to that is to come earlier,” Fus said. Ironically, students are late to class because of the backedup parking lot, yet their tardiness results in their parking passes being revoked, further hindering their commute to school.

It is nearly impossible to get out in a timely [and] safe manner.

Unfortunately, the afternoon sees almost as much chaos and vexation as the morning. Students hurriedly attempt to leave before the buses halt the flow of traffic, delaying their departure. Parents waiting for their kids are stopped in the single lane, blocking traffic completely and preventing students from

backing out. Blair senior Yoan Pinsonneault was once berated by a parent whose car was preventing him from leaving. “One afternoon, as we were trying to leave to beat the buses, there was a mom blocking us in,” he said. “As respectfully as I possibly could, I asked the mom if she could move. Instantly, I was met with cursing, a super aggressive approach, and things escalated.” With parents obstructing traffic and the departure of buses stopping traffic altogether, leaving the parking lot is difficult and potentially unsafe. “It is nearly impossible to get out in a timely [and] safe manner,” Pinsonneault said.

A few Blair students have spoken with administration about their concerns. Senior Sammy Smith-Ackerly reported parking lot issues to both Fus and Adrian Kelly, the security team leader. “ The first conversation I had was with Ms. Fus,” Smith-Ackerly said. “Ms. Fus agreed about how bad the parking lot was, [saying], ‘Parents need to do better. They are not following the protocol.’”

Fus explained that since the institution of the ID policy, most security guards who used to direct traffic in the parking lot now guard doors in the mornings. “With the institution of IDs … our security has been pulled,” Fus said.

However, Smith-Ackerly noticed that in January, security stopped checking IDs. He be-

lieved if security was busy checking IDs in the morning, it would be a valid reason for not helping in the parking lot; but that is not the case. “Sure, there’s an argument to be made if they are checking IDs. They are short of staff in the morning. But … they’re not checking IDs, so it’s frustrating to me,” he said. Blair needs to mobilize security guards who are no longer checking IDs to direct traffic in the parking lot. With over 120 student drivers filling Blair parking spots every morning, in addition to parents dropping off students, parking lot traffic is surely not going to manage itself.

Parking as a student driver is a privilege, but when students pay $39 for a parking spot every semester, it is the school’s responsibility to keep the lot’s operations running

smoothly. Ensuring that there is a consistent security presence in the parking lot in both the morning and afternoon will help solve the extended wait time that students and parents face. Understandably, administration and security are stretched thin, but the parking lot needs to be a top priority. Fus predicts that there will not be an overarching solution anytime soon. “The beginning of next semester, there will [still] be parking issues,” Fus stated. For Smith-Ackerly, whether through increased security presence or another approach, the parking lot issues need to be addressed. “ There’s no way this is the most efficient way it could be done. I don’t accept that,” he said. “The fact that there’s nothing being done about it just really rubs me the wrong way.”

As LA fires rage, politicians prioritize agenda over aid

By RABIRA DOSHO AN OPINION

After fires broke out in the Pacific Palisades region of Los Angeles, Republican lawmakers suggested adding conditions to government aid, like requiring California to enforce voter ID laws and moving the 2028 LA Olympics to a red state. As the most damaging fires in Los Angeles’ history rage on, politicians should not be using this tragedy to promote their own agendas.

Since the fires began on Jan. 7, the Los Angeles County medical office has reported 28 deaths,

12,000 homes lost, and $250 billion in estimated repairs. Los Angeles needs to rebuild, and California Governor Gavin Newsom has already set plans in motion. However, Republican politicians have focused on pointing fingers at the Los Angeles government and fire department, rather than addressing the immediate tragedy blazing in the background. For instance, President Trump criticized Newsom for the state’s lack of fire prevention measures after fire hydrants were found to have run dry.

Furthermore, House Speaker

Mike Johnson stated that “conditions” would be placed on federal aid to hold local mismanagement accountable for their oversight. Trump called for aid to be withheld unless California reverses a law that bars municipalities from requiring voter ID for elections. These responses inappropriately hinder immediate relief efforts, delaying aid that is desperately needed. Federal relief aid should be non-partisan and delivered swiftly.

Much of the Republican pushback has targeted Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass for cutting the Los Angeles Fire Department budget by $17.6 million over the past two years, removing 58 job positions and the potential for new breathing equipment. Before the fires broke out, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley wrote to the Board of Fire Commissioners to explain the adverse impacts of the cuts on the department’s core operations. In times of tragedy, people look for answers—and someone to blame; growing frustration toward the Los Angeles government has allowed politicians to exploit public fear and antagonize Democratic leadership.

In addition to the criticism directed toward city officials, Republicans are suggesting that mismanagement during the fires makes Los Angeles unfit to host the 2028 Olympics. During an interview with a right-wing news host, Ohio Re-

publican representative Jim Jordan was asked if he supported moving the games to a red city like Dallas or Miami, “where you know things are going to be run properly.” The Ohio representative responded yes.

I think, overall, these major sporting events will be a good thing that will bring a lot of people together.

Moving the Olympics out of Los Angeles would further exacerbate the despair felt throughout the region. Blair teacher and Assistant Athletics Director Daniel Cole explained how sports help bring people together during times of tragedy. “When you’ve lost your home, your belongings, maybe loved ones, in your darkest moments, you need something to make you feel better, to grasp on,” Cole said. “I think in this sense, sports can serve that purpose … to make people have a glimmer of like, ‘Hey, it will be light at the end of the tunnel.’” In 2017, Finn Baker moved from Takoma Park to Mount Washington, Los Angeles, where

he is now a junior at Eagle Rock High School. His house was only miles away from the closest fire.

Baker agreed with Cole, emphasizing the role of the Olympics as a beacon of hope for the Los Angeles community. “I think, overall, these major sporting events are a really good thing that will bring a lot of people together. Assuming they wouldn’t move [the Olympics] in 2028, [the people of Los Angeles] are going to look back to these fires and … [say], ‘We’re all in this together, we all persevered.’”

Removing the Olympics from Los Angeles would be removing a sense of hope for the thousands who lost everything.

Politicizing the wildfires and their aftermath will not help the years-long rebuilding process nor encourage Los Angeles residents to unify amidst the devastation. Time and time again, the opportunistic nature of politics is striking.

Even after raging fires left the greater Los Angeles area in ashes, politicians far removed have used the catastrophe to stifle aid talks and propagate their own political gain.

Baker urged politicians to do better and was disappointed by their lack of empathy during a major tragedy. “They’re not even going to show compassion,” he said.

YOAN PINSONNEAULT

AFTERNOON CHAOS Blair students struggle to back out at dismissal as parents line the single exit lane.

PHOTO BY RAFFI DIAMOND-BERMAN

Should there be a federal cap on college tuition?

the screen. You got in! But when you scroll down to see your financial aid package, your heart drops; your dream school suddenly seems completely out of reach. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take any imagination for many high school seniors to understand this feeling. Students across the U.S. are forced to choose between large amounts of debt and a less desirable school. To tackle cost barriers to higher education, the federal government must cap the amount that colleges can increase their annual tuition by every year.

The cost of higher education is exorbitant, and only increasing. “Paying for college is getting more and more expensive every year,” Gelila Isayas, a junior at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, said. “I feel blessed enough to know that I don’t have to worry about it for the next two years, but I know lots of friends of mine who are either trying to pay for it themselves, trying to pull out loans, [or] trying to do things with their parents in terms of paying for school, and it’s a lot.”

These high prices limit opportunities for students who cannot afford rising tuition costs, according to Carolyn Fast, director of higher education policy at the Century Foundation—a progres sive, independent think tank dedicated to developing policy solutions to improve lives. “It can result in shutting out people who may come from a low-income background … it’s not a perfect system,” Fast said. Although government funding exists, it is often limited, failing to address the needs of middle-income families who may still struggle to afford tuition despite not qualifying for financial aid. “[Government funding] like FAFSA and the Pell Grant … is really important and can definitely help, but it does prioritize families who need that a lot more,” Fast said. “There are other families who still may not have the opportunity to [get government funding], even if they’re not very well off.”

PRO CON

The federal government must implement a cap on the annual tuition increase of higher education to make college more accessible and prevent excessive cost increases.

By EMILY KRETSCHMER AN OPINION

tion has risen so dramatically. Education should open doors, not close them.

The system, however, can be fixed. A federal cap on college tuition would help relieve some of the excessive financial strain and has been met with bipartisan support. Fast noted public concern over rising costs. “There was … across-the-board enthusiasm for trying to do something about college costs,” she said.

In the long run, a federal tuition cap would be beneficial not only to individuals but to the U.S. economy, as well. Research by the U.S. Federal Reserve has found that an increase in student loan debt is a significant factor in the decline in home ownership among young adults. A cap on yearly college tuition increase would make higher education more affordable, allowing graduates to be better equipped

A federal cap on college tuition would not provide a sufficient long-term solution to rising college fees.

By SENAYA ASFAW AN OPINION

As the college application season comes to a close and decisions start to roll in, many students face a strenuous decision: which schools are truly worth the money? Financial aid has long been a deciding factor for students. But as tuition prices increase, making higher education less affordable, the need for a solution rises. One substantially supported proposal is placing a federal cap on college tuition. This could be in the form of a maximum yearly percentage increase in tuition or a fixed dollar amount that a school’s tuition cannot exceed.

In 2023, nearly 75 percent of voters in a Century Foundation survey supported a tuition cap. However, a tuition cap would fail to address the stigma around less acclaimed yet affordable colleges and would

CHARLOTTE LI

to buy homes.

According to the Century Foundation, 52 percent of people “strongly agree” that college tuition should be capped, and an additional 23 percent “agree.” Only 13 percent of people are opposed to federal tuition limits. Many legislatures have proposed tuition cap policies, with New Jersey considering a maximum annual increase in tuition of two percent.

According to the Educational Data Initiative, average tuition and fee rates increased by 181.3 percent between 1989 and 2024 (after adjusting for inflation). It is absolutely unacceptable that the cost of higher educa-

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In keeping with the Federal Reserve’s target yearly inflation, establishing a two percent cap on tuition hikes could make higher education far more accessible in the long run, alleviating a major obstacle for many families. Individuals must promote more equitable and accessible education for all by increasing understanding of excessive cost increases and urging the federal government to introduce a cap on the annual cost of attending colleges and universities.

only provide a term solution to high prices.

Rather than capping tuition, a more effective approach would be to tackle the problem of the prioritization of prestige, which often comes with a steep tuition, over personal needs. This would allow students to shift their focus from prioritizing a college’s reputation to selecting a school that aligns with their individual goals and needs.

Blair’s College and Career Information Coordinator, Jazmine Delos Reyes, noted that current students often prioritize prestige over affordability when choosing colleges. “I know some students tend to go for much higher-end schools because of the name of the school,” Delos Reyes said. “[But] some schools [like] Montgomery College are very affordable, [while] George Washington University is like $60,000 a year.”

“Colleges can continue raising prices as much as possible. With a price cap, it means that college affordability is a lot closer to being a real thing.”

In reality, enforcing a tuition cap would

“Yes ... It’s too much to pay and students [still] have to pay back their debt years into the future.”

leges charging students. Despite the decrease

decreases, extraneous fees may become more prominent. Without the funding from tuition to cover school facilities and maintenance costs, institutions may need to generate revenue through alternative means. For example, the University of Maryland currently imposes a $200 athletic fee to support its athletic programs, along with a $193 student union fee to cover the maintenance of club buildings and meeting spaces, which is not included in tuition.

Blair alumni Lydia Melkamu, a junior at the University of Maryland, has experienced multiple additional costs, including a $3,000 fee tied to her major. “At my school, one of the hidden fees that you don’t [often] talk about is when you’re an upperclassman in certain majors … the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences, the business school, and the engineering school, you have to pay an excess distribution fee because the premise is [that] the little extra one thousand that you pay covers the better education,” Melkamu said, noting that these additional expenses gradually accumulate. Drawing from her experience with these unexpected fees, Melkamu expressed concern that a decrease in tuition could lead to an increase in extra costs. “I think [increased fees] like that could happen, especially for more competitive majors,” Melkamu said.

The idea of capping tuition seems appealing, but it would not be a sufficient fix for the rapid rise of college tuition. The decreased tuition would only conceal the real costs of attendance rather than solve the problem at hand. To address the financial burden of college tuition on students, we must critically assess and alter the societal standards that pressure students into selecting expensive universities. By minimizing societal stigma, students will be more motivated to attend affordable alternatives that will not create financial stress.

“[Yes,] students of high school want to be able to move on to college ... but that’s getting harder and harder to do with how much colleges cost.”

MISHAMO PHELKA junior

“Yes ... Many people can’t afford college and that’s what’s holding a lot of people back from what they want to pursue.”

STELLA SIERS freshman

The real MCPS Moment of Joy

By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

A few weeks ago, we were treated to the first significant snowstorm in years, but that’s not all. MCPS gave us another welcome surprise: clear communication from the new administration—and an entertaining video by Superintendent Thomas Taylor. The amusing clip built suspense until Taylor pushed the “noschool button,” breaking into song with his snow-day parody of “Don’t Worry Be Happy”: a true MCPS moment of joy.

For the next three days, MCPS announced closures and delays the afternoon before they took effect. The timing of these announcements starkly contrasted with those of previous administrations, when decisions were often released the morning of at 5 a.m. These last-minute announcements left students exhausted and parents unprepared— especially those who had to arrange childcare.

Following former Superintendent Monifa McKnight’s scandal-wrapped resignation, it was clear the new administration faced the challenge of regaining the community’s trust. Taylor’s snow day decisions displayed his commitment to his promise of supporting MCPS families by improving countywide communication, a priority he stressed when he took office.

Taylor entered his tenure with a three-phase plan—engagement, evaluation, and empowerment—to “restore confidence” in the school system. So far, he seems to be leading MCPS in the right direction. Throughout September, he held three community listening sessions across the county, where parents shared their concerns about resource distribution, central office

transparency, and low academic standards. His emphasis on community involvement has manifested itself through his casual school visits—including once serving as a substitute teacher at Blair for a day in December 2024. When McKnight visited Blair as a substitute in August 2023, she brought an entourage of media personnel. Taylor came alone.

With stains from McKnight’s administration still looming, Taylor’s humble persona—exemplified in both his substitute cameo and his goofy snow day video announcement—has been refreshing.

Perhaps one of the most encouraging signs of change has been Taylor’s approach to budget shortfalls. Last June, before Taylor was appointed, more than 300 teaching positions and 200 teaching

contracts were considered for cuts after a $30 million deficit, while the extraneous salaries of Central Office positions were left untouched. Conversely, in his budget presentation to the BOE, Taylor highlighted his frustration at Central Office’s 24 percent growth between 2019 and 2025. “I can’t get my head wrapped around it because the level and effect of service either hasn’t changed or, in many ways, has actually gotten worse. We need to change,” he said. Taylor’s proposed FY26 Budget cuts 81 Central Office positions and office budgets while raising staff base salaries and annual increases by 3.25 percent.

It also appears that concerns regarding resource distribution shared in the recent listening sessions influenced Taylor’s budget

Editorial Cartoon

allocation. It now includes 688 special education positions and an equity add-on formula, which would increase resources for schools with higher numbers of FARMS, special education, and Emergent Multilingual Learners students.

It’s a good start, but Taylor cannot rest on his laurels or allow his budget to be a band-aid to patch MCPS’s bleeding. MCPS has a fraught history of throwing money at its problems—conducting pricey investigations and burying unsightly results of those investigations when they come to light. The culture in Central Office needs to change to prioritize the community it serves by addressing their concerns, ensuring clear and consistent communication, and maintaining transparency in its operations.

So far, Taylor has proved a competent and capable superintendent. His handling of snow day communication, his open ear to the concerns of his constituents, and his willingness to be directly involved with schools confirm that he was the right choice for the position. Even so, we caution Taylor not to allow these actions to become a performative act while MCPS slips back into its old ways.

With a looming $3 billion Maryland budget deficit impacting state education funding, Taylor will inevitably face resource challenges that affect the 175,000 students and staff in MCPS. Taylor must be prepared to hold himself and Central Office accountable, ensuring teachers and students come first. Taylor’s challenge is clear: to prove that his leadership is not just a moment of clarity in a snowstorm, but the dawn of lasting change for MCPS.

Why I’m scared of Trump

By ETHAN DE BRAUW Ombudsman AN OPINION

President Donald Trump was elected president for the first time in 2016, and even at nine years old, I could tell he was a bad actor. It seemed like every news story was about him breaking rules and norms. The way the adults in my orbit spoke about the man, he seemed like a racist monster— someone to be feared. But I didn’t really know what any of it meant. All the talk about the “Remain in Mexico” program—the asylum ban—and its effects on my commu-

ly understand why all those adults were so on edge back in 2017.

Her comments about how afraid her constituents were and how they felt unsafe in their homes—their community—changed the way I think about Trump.

When I was assigned this story, I still felt rather ignorant of the immediate effects of Trump’s actions. My perspective started to change when I spoke to Cara Honzak, a Takoma Park councilmember. Her comments about how afraid her constituents were and how they felt unsafe in their homes—their community—changed the way I think about Trump. “I don’t want to break up families,” Trump said in an NBC interview on Dec. 8, 2024. “The only way that you don’t break up the family is you keep them all together and send them all back.” If he acts on his plans to deport every undocumented immigrant in the country, then Trump, the boogeyman in the distance, could now be just behind the closet door.

man has an almost 50-year record of manipulation of the media and exaggeration of his accomplishments. When I spoke with representatives from United We Dream and the Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center, I began to see the boogeyman more clearly. Every organization leader we spoke with is preparing for the worst. They expect Trump to at least attempt his mass deportation policy, which would bring immense suffering to our community.

Given Trump’s actions in his first week in office, that fear seems justified. He has already challenged the constitutional right of birthright citizenship, declared a national emergency on the southern border, and suspended all asylum through the U.S.-Mexico border indefinitely, all within a few days of taking office. Each of these new policies will have immediate effects on immigrants, who now have to fear for their jobs, their communities, and their families.

against such cities.

The election is over. With total control over Congress, along with a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, resistance on the national scale will be almost impossible. So what can be done now? It will become more important than ever to get involved on the local level. CASA de Maryland, Congregation Action Network, IMPACT Silver Spring, and the Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center are all fantastic organizations doing valuable work, and volunteering with them is one of the best steps we can take against Trump.

Given Trump’s actions in his first week in office, that fear seems justified.

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Trump appears to have wasted no time implementing his damaging immigration policies in his second term, which makes our resistance—in whatever form it takes—all the more important. Trump’s first term was hindered by patriotic Americans who risked personal loss to sabotage his agenda. This time he is more focused and prepared. If we are going to thwart Trump again, we will have to be too. email

Even in the middle of my research, it seemed easy to ignore Trump’s rhetoric. After all, the

Elora, Lila, and I were only able to capture a fraction of that fear in “We are not villains.” Only a few brave community leaders spoke with us, as most were fearful of Trump’s retribution. Even some government officials refused to speak on immigration out of fear that Trump would make an example of them. Already, Trump has issued an executive order cutting federal funding to sanctuary cities like Takoma Park, causing fear that this is only the start of his fight

ALLISON LIN

esquinalatina la

Representando la comunidad latinx desde el 2003

Primera blanca nieve

MOMENTOS DIVERTIDOS

Un estudiante disfrutando en la nieve.

Estudiantes recién llegados se acercan a la nieve en su nuevo hogar

Por EMMY HENRIQUEZ y NATE VIECHNICKI

Comenzando la nueva temporada de invierno, para varios estudiantes que han llegado recientemente de países latinoamericanos y que nunca han experimentado la nieve, esquiar es un sueño lejano. El programa Bienvenidos, asociado con el Departamente de Recreacion del Condado Montgomery, ha podido hacer este sueño una realidad para varios estudiantes de Blair, llevándolos a esquiar en Pennsylvania sin costo.

En los Estados Unidos, el esquí se introdujo principalmente gracias a la influencia de los inmigrantes europeos, especialmente aquellos provenientes de Escandinavia y Europa Central. Estos primeros colonos trajeron sus tradiciones invernales, y el esquí, que inicialmente era una actividad práctica, comenzó a evolucionar como un deporte recreativo en Norteamérica. En la parte sur del continente, países como Chile, Bolivia, Colombia, Perú y Argentina cuentan con la geografía adecuada para poder esquiar. Aunque este deporte no tiene la misma difusión que en Europa, Norteamérica o Asia, América Latina cuenta con varios destinos de esquí destacados, especialmente en la imponente cordillera de los Andes, donde sus picos nevados ofrecen las condiciones perfectas para los deportes de invierno. Para muchos estudiantes de Blair, la llegada a un nuevo país implica un proceso de adaptación. El clima, las costumbres, e incluso las actividades recreativas pueden re-

sultar un desafío. En países como Chile y Argentina, el esquí no solo es un deporte de invierno; es una forma de acercarse a la naturaleza, hacer nuevos amigos y participar en una tradición que ha sido cultivada durante décadas. Sin embargo, en Centroamérica no nieva, lo que hace que los deportes de invierno no sean populares. Carlos Castro es el director del programa Bienvenidos y lo fundó oficialmente hace tres años, pero ha podido hacerlo con el apoyo de un especialista de recreación en el Condado Montgomery, Rob Kiger. “Soy especialista en reacción en el condado de Montgomery. Yo superviso Springbrook High School y Montgomery Blair High School después de la escuela con un programa llamado Rec Zone”, dijo Kiger.

Este programa ha podido cambiar las vidas de muchos estudiantes. No solo llevan a sus estudiantes a esquiar sino que también buscan maneras de hablar sobre la salud mental. “Tenemos talleres de aprendizaje cuando nos reunimos para que podamos hablar sobre su salud mental”, dijo Carlos Castro. Para los alumnos que están pasando su primer invierno en Estados Unidos, ver la nieve es una experiencia casi irreal. Especialmente para aquellos que vienen de países de clima cálido y calor, el frío es muy diferente a lo que ellos están acostumbrados. Erik Hernandez, estudiante de onceavo grado en Blair, está pasando su segundo invierno en los Estados Unidos, “Me ha gustado el frío desde que llegué, porque me encanta el frío, súper, más que el calor”, explicó. El programa de Bienvenidos

hace que el sueño de acercarse a la nieve se vuelva realidad. Durante el invierno, este programa se encarga de llevar a los participantes todos los jueves al resort Liberty, una estación de esquí para que puedan recibir lecciones para aprender a esquiar y practicar este deporte sin tener que pagar nada. Los alumnos se van en un autobús charter después de la escuela. La primera parada que hacen es en Rockville para recoger a varios estudiantes de múltiples escuelas en el condado de Montgomery. Después de dos horas en el camino, llegan a la montaña. Se ponen la ropa adecuada, pantalones de frío, guantes, camisas de manga larga, y encima una chaqueta grande, porque en la montaña hace mucho frío y después se van a alquilar su equipo de esquí.

“Solo lo había visto en la películas, es un momento increíble”, dijo Selvin Vail, un estudiante de Blair que fue parte del viaje. Después de esquiar por 2 horas, se van a comer a la cafetería. Donde tienen muchas diferentes opciones de comida sin costo. Comen su cena y socializan juntos, platicando y sintiéndose alegres, sabiendo que la próxima semana ellos van a poder volver a esquiar.

Los estudiantes tienen el placer de no pagar nada, lo cual es importante ya que el costo es de 200 dólares o más por cada estudiante. Esta ayuda es gracias a una beca proporcionada por la organización Vail Resorts, que son dueños de las Montañas. “Somos muy afortunados de poder recibir esta subvención para que varios estudiantes disfruten esquiar por primera vez”, dijo Kiger.

Gracias a este programa, varios estudiantes han podido ir a esquiar durante los últimos dos años. Yimmy Rivera, un estudiante del grado 12 de Blair, tuvo el gran placer de regresar este año. “He podido estar con el programa por tres años, lo escuché por ir al Rec Zone después de la escuela”, dijo Yimmy Rivera. No solo les encanta ir por primera vez sino que continúan yendo a la montaña para divertirse. “Estaba lleno de emociones mi primera vez porque es una cosas nueva que estás haciendo.” dijo Rivera Este tipo de interacciones informales y relajadas permiten que los estudiantes se sientan más cómodos y dispuestos a hablar, creando lazos genuinos. Además, los retos de esquiar juntos, como superar una pista difícil o aprender nuevas técnicas, fortalecen la camaradería y la colaboración. El esquí no solo enseña técnicas deportivas, sino también habilidades sociales. Para muchos jóvenes, es una forma de practicar la cooperación, el respeto mutuo y la solidaridad, cualidades que son esenciales al compartir una experiencia deportiva en grupo. Ayudar a alguien que se cae, o celebrar los logros de un amigo que ha superado su miedo a bajar una pista difícil, son momentos que fomentan relaciones profundas y duraderas. Numerosos estudiantes que son parte del programa pudieron conocer estudiantes de muchas diferentes escuelas, como Kennedy High School, Springbrook y Watkins Mill que fueron conectados por el programa del departamento de recreación del condado de Montgomery y la idea de que todos deberían experimentar este de-

porte. “La gente que hablas es mi parte favorita, haces nuevos amigos que nunca los hubiera conocido si no fuera por este programa.” dijo Yimmy Rivera. Más allá de las habilidades técnicas, lo que realmente queda de esta experiencia deportiva es la sensación de haber compartido algo único con nuevas personas que, al final, no son solo compañeros de deporte, sino posiblemente amigos para toda la vida. “Se ha encontrado que los deportes de tabla son un recurso tremendamente útil para desarrollar mucho aprendizaje social en movimiento, como la perseverancia y cosas de esa naturaleza.” dijo Rob Kiger. Además, al estar rodeados de naturaleza y alejados de las distracciones cotidianas de la escuela, permite que los estudiantes se conecten de una manera más auténtica. Las charlas mientras se esperan los remontes o se toman descansos en las cafeterías de las estaciones de esquí ofrecen espacios naturales para conocer a otros jóvenes, compartir intereses comunes y, en muchos casos, establecer amistades que perduran más allá de las pistas. Los programas dirigidos a estudiantes latinos recién llegados no solo están transformando la manera en que esta comunidad se acerca al deporte, sino que también desempeñan un papel crucial en la construcción de una sociedad más inclusiva y diversa. Para muchos latinos que acaban de llegar a Estados Unidos, el esquí se ha convertido en una herramienta para conectarse con su nuevo entorno, mientras celebran su identidad y enfrentan nuevos desafíos.

PHOTO BY ZACH CARTER

Comprar para tirar

Los peligros ocultos de la moda rápida

Por MARIA ESPINAL y MANOOYEE FEDHAA

La moda rápida es económica, disponible fácilmente, y sobre todo, muy accesible para muchas personas. Por eso, empresas como Shein y Temu atraen a numerosos clientes y continúan generando grandes ganancias. Sin embargo, los beneficios de este modelo suelen ocultar sus aspectos negativos. Factores dañinos, como el impacto ambiental, la explotación laboral, y el uso de telas insostenibles, a menudo pasan desapercibidos por el público.

La popularidad de la moda rápida ha aumentado rápidamente durante los últimos años. El término “moda rápida” viene de la producción en masa de ropa fabricada con telas de baja calidad que se vende por precios muy razonables. En la actualidad, el mercado de la moda rápida ha generado más de 150 mil millones de dólares a la industria y ha subido el 10,74%. Se estima que este negocio va a subir hasta 291,1 mil millones de dólares para 2032, según Uniform Market.

La moda rápida daña el ambiente más de lo que muchas personas creen. Según la Universidad de Princeton, 10% del agua que usa la industria en el mundo es para fabricar ropa de moda rápida. Además, el 20% del agua que se desperdicia viene del proceso de hacer estas prendas, como teñir y tratar las telas. Esto usa mucha agua y también contamina fuentes de agua cercanas, poniendo la calidad del agua potable en peligro.

“La moda rápida es una de las principales razones del aumento del consumo de combustibles fósiles”, explicó Courtney Mason, una maestra de ciencias ambientales y horticultura en Blair. De-

scribió que es importante generar conciencia sobre los impactos de la moda rápida y que, hoy en día, gracias a las redes sociales, es muy fácil investigar y aprender al respecto. Sin embargo, señaló que es difícil pedirle a todos que dejen de consumir. Muchas personas seguirán haciéndolo, ya sea porque no pueden permitirse opciones más sostenibles o porque el impacto no les resulta importante.

La moda rápida utiliza materiales de baja calidad que perjudican al medio ambiente. Por ejemplo, el poliéster, una fibra sintética derivada del petróleo, es común en estas prendas. Durante su lavado, libera microplásticos que contaminan los océanos y afectan la vida marina. Además, la producción de estas fibras consume grandes cantidades de energía y agua, exacerbando la huella ecológica de la industria textil. Este modelo de producción promueve el consumo desmedido y el desperdicio, perpetuando prácticas insostenibles que ponen en riesgo la salud del planeta y de sus habitantes.

“Ropa que no está bien hecha, y uno puede comprar para tirar”, dijo Natalia Guerrido, una profesora de inglés de origen puertorriqueño en Blair. Ella compra su ropa en tiendas de segunda mano.

A pesar de no querer comprar de manera rápida, en la actualidad es casi imposible evitarlo. La ropa de moda rápida puede ser muy accesible porque se puede comprar en cualquier momento por precios bajos. Pero eso, Guerrido propone una nueva solución para comprar ropa, comprar ropa de segundo mano.

La moda de segunda mano está ganando cada vez más popularidad, ya que cada vez más personas buscan alternativas sostenibles y económicas para renovar su estilo. Comprar ropa de segunda mano

tiene muchos beneficios para el medio ambiente. Al reutilizar ropa, se reduce la necesidad de fabricar prendas nuevas, lo que ahorra recursos como agua y energía. También evita que la ropa termine en vertederos, ayudando a reducir la contaminación. Según Lorna Huitrón de InfoBae, comprar una prenda de segunda mano puede reducir hasta un 80% de las emisiones del dióxido de carbono que se generan al producir una nueva. Esta práctica fomenta la sostenibilidad y ayuda a cuidar el planeta. Comprar ropa de segunda mano no solo es sostenible, sino también una experiencia única y social. “Es bonita, de experiencia, ver todas las ropas que tienen y es un pasatiempo muy bonito cuando voy con mis amigas o con mi familia”, dijo Ariana Jiménez, una estudiante de Blair de El Salvador. Explorar tiendas de segunda mano permite a las personas disfrutar del proceso de encontrar piezas únicas y compartir este momento con amigos o seres queridos.

MICHELLE NEE

Olivia Jordan, una estudiante de Blair, cuenta su experiencia comprando ropa de segunda mano. “Incluso si no te gusta lo que hay en la tienda de segunda mano, puedes modificarlo de alguna manera y hacerlo específico para ti, hacerlo especial para ti”. Aunque algunas piezas de ropa no están en perfectas condiciones, todavía se pueden utilizar para crear nueva moda. Jordan explica que prefiere la ropa de tiendas de segunda mano porque hay ropa que necesita vida y ella forma una conexión positiva con la ropa en general. La moda rápida domina por su accesibilidad, pero sus consecuencias ambientales y económicas que no pueden ignorar. En contraste, la ropa de segunda mano ofrece una oportunidad única para expresarse de manera creativa a la vez que se cuida el planeta. Más que una tendencia, este cambio representa un paso hacia un futuro más consciente, donde el estilo no esté en conflicto con la sostenibilidad.

Los compañeros de ChatGPT

¿Qué podemos aprender

Por THOMAS SPARSHOTT

La inteligencia artificial, normalmente abreviada como IA, sigue creciendo en su habilidad para cumplir una variedad de trabajos. Desde la matemática, escritura, arte y más, la IA puede hacer más y más tareas de la vida regular, pero su impacto se extiende más allá del internet.

La IA puede ayudar en varios formatos, como el campo médico, la generación de imágenes, y más. Sin embargo, a pesar de los beneficios que presenta esta tecnología nueva, existen críticas sobre su impacto en el medio ambiente y en cómo crea sus respuestas, que son basadas en obras que ya existen. Hay bases de datos que son analizadas por los programas de IA para “aprender” cómo generar sus respuestas. Por eso, algunos dicen que la IA está robando el trabajo de artistas humanos para generar sus imágenes.

“Casi todas las formas de arte están impactadas por la IA”, dijo Hex Delfino, un estudiante de Blair en el duodécimo grado que estudia cerámica. “Para generar imágenes, la IA tiene que escanear arte que ya existe, básicamente, está robando arte para generar las imágenes”.

En la educación, la IA ha conseguido trabajar de varias formas para ayudar a la instrucción estudiantil. De acuerdo con el Banco Mundial, se puede usar la IA para adaptar lecciones y cur-

NOTICIAS BREVES

Compilado por EZRA LEWIS y JASON YOUM

Los planes de enmienda del presidente Trump

El nuevo presidente de los Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, ha establecido un tono claro para su presidencia en los primeros días de su término. Ya ha desecho regulaciones para la diversidad y ha retirado a Estados Unidos de la Organización Mundial de la Salúd, y el Acuerdo de París. Otro de sus objetivos que ha recibido mucha atención es su deseo de cambiar la enmienda decimocuarta, que dice que todos los que nacieron en los EE.UU. son ciudadanos de este país automáticamente.

Sin embargo, los cambios a la constitución necesitan una enmienda, cuyo proceso es más largo que una acción del presidente. Una nueva enmienda necesita el apoyo de la dos terceras partes de las dos casas del congreso, y después tres cuartos de la asamblea legislativa de los estados. Ese procedimiento toma mucho tiempo y rara vez funciona. Además, la Asociación Democrática de Fiscales Generales ya demandó las acciones de Trump sobre la enmienda decimocuarta con muchas otras organizaciones de abogados.

Tormenta invernal en el sur

Una tormenta invernal poderosa golpeó las regiones del sur de los Estados Unidos el 20 y 21 de enero. Según el meteorólogo Tom Niziol, antes de la tormenta, las temperaturas en estados como Texas y Arkansas eran de treinta grados Fahrenheit (16,7 grados Celsius) por debajo de la media debido a una área de aire frío ártico que entró en los Estados Unidos.

de la inteligencia artificial?

rículo a estudiantes individuales. También ayuda a fomentar más pensamiento crítico en los estudiantes cuando se usa para individualizar la educación de cada persona. Además, para tareas difíciles, la IA puede ser una ayuda en entender preguntas o en buscar información relevante para alguna tarea. “En algunos casos sí deben usarlo,” dijo un estudiante anónimo de Blair en el duodécimo grado, “para buscar información o [una] cosa importante”. Sin embargo, con el incremento de la IA en las escuelas, hay gente que está preocupada por un aumento de trampas en las tareas. A pesar de estas preocupaciones, según la Universidad Stanford, el porciento de estudiantes que están engañando en las tareas no ha aumentado desde la introducción de programas como ChatGPT. Algo que la IA ha cambiado, sin embargo, es durante el momento en que los estudiantes hacen su trabajo. Muchos estudiantes han reportado que usan formas de IA para obtener ayuda para entender sus tareas, y que IA puede ayudar si tiene problemas en clases o en

cómo hacer su tarea. “Hay veces que uno lo busca pero uno no lo entiende”, dijo Yalileth Alonzo, una estudiante de Blair, “y esto es como que estás engañando y aún no vas a entender bien”.

Aunque el porciento de estudiantes que hacen trampas con sus tareas no ha aumentado significativamente después de la aparición de la IA, muchos profesores han dicho que la prevalencia de la IA ha creado un mayor sentimiento de desconfianza entre ellos y sus estudiantes. A diferencia de la cantidad de estudiantes que usan IA, la cantidad de profesores que usan detectores para IA ha cambiado, con un 68% de profesores encuestados por el Centro de Democracia y Tecnología han dicho que usan detectores de IA para revisar las tareas de sus estudiantes. Además, la misma encuesta revela que el 63% de los profesores ha dicho que sus estudiantes han sido acusados por el uso de IA en sus asignaciones en el año escolar de 2023-24, un incremento del 48% en el último año.

Fuera del arte y la educación, la inteligencia artificial se usa de varias formas. De acuerdo con el Instituto Nacional de Imágenes Biomédicas y Bioingeniería, la IA se puede usar para evaluar resultados de imágenes de radiología, y puede conocer diferencias minúsculas que no son notadas por un ojo clínico. Aunque el uso de IA trae muchos beneficios, también existen problemas y preocupaciones. De acuerdo con el Programa de las Naciones Unidas para el Medio Ambiente, los centros de la IA alrededor del mundo usan seis veces más agua que la del país entero de Dinamarca. Además de la gran cantidad de agua necesaria para el uso de IA, también hay problemas con la producción de la tecnología usada en la construcción de los sistemas que controlan IA. Según un informe de la economía digital de la ONU, para la producción de un ordenador de 2 kilogramos, es necesario usar 800 kilogramos de materiales. Aunque el AI puede sugerir medidas para aliviar el cambio climático, los recursos necesarios para ejecutar estos programas pueden ser graves para el medio ambiente.

Últimamente, los impactos de IA han subido radicalmente, pero todavía esta tecnología no ha logrado su máximo potencial. En el futuro, la inteligencia artificial podría tomar un rol principal en cada parte de la vida, pero la decisión de cómo usarlo dependerá de cada persona.

Algunas grandes ciudades como Houston y Nueva Orleans fueron enterradas por hasta 8 pulgadas (25,4 centímetros) de nieve, cubriendo rascacielos y automóviles en una manta blanca. El pueblo de Milton, Florida recibió 9,8 pulgadas (24,9 centímetros) de nieve, más del doble del anterior récord estatal de 4.0 pulgadas (10,2 centímetros). A causa de las carreteras resbaladizas y condiciones frígidas, por lo menos 10 fallecimientos han sido reportados. Además, muchos condados han cancelado sus sistemas escolares, con algunas regiones en Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama y Florida suspendiendo clases por toda la semana.

Mauricio Funes, ex-presidente salvadoreño, murió

Después de una “enfermedad crónica grave”, el ex-presidente salvadoreño Mauricio Funes murió el 21 de enero, a la edad de 65 años. Funes fue un político y periodista que ganó la elección presidencial en 2009 como candidato del partido de izquierda Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional. Con su victoria, rompió la hegemonía derechista que había dominado al país desde que terminó la guerra civil salvadoreña en 1992.

Antes de su periodo presidencial, Funes era un periodista consumado que ganó el prestigioso Premio Maria Moors Cabot, otorgado por la Universidad de Columbia, en 1994. Sin embargo, Funes tuvo un periodo presidencial lleno de controversia y caracterizado por escándalos personales y un pacto con las pandillas locales para reducir los homicidios. Finalmente, Funes escapó a Nicaragua, donde obtuvo la ciudadanía a pesar de nunca reconocer sus crímenes. Aun así, fue condenado a delitos como evasión de impuestos, lo que lo atormentó hasta su muerte en un hospital público en Nicaragua.

Asimilacion a América

Aspectos nuevos de la vida de un migrante

Por CAMILA CHI y JASSARY RUIZ

El proceso migratorio tiene muchos aspectos importantes, incluyendo aprender a vivir en un país nuevo y buscar una comunidad afín, pero lo más difícil para muchos es la asimilación cultural. Esta asimilación es un desafío para todos los inmigrantes hispanohablantes. Los Estados Unidos es un país que tiene una gran abundancia cultural, debido a la multitud de migrantes de alrededor del mundo. Según el Censo del 2,023, de los 335 millones de residentes estadounidenses, 47.8 millones son inmigrantes.

Hay concepciones equivocadas sobre el tema migratorio y de los migrantes del siglo XXI. Actualmente, estamos viendo históricamente las olas migratorias más grandes del mundo. Los cambios sociales, políticos, y de empleos pueden ser reconocidos como los empujes más grandes por lo que los migrantes salen de sus países. Pero muchas veces, dentro los Estados Unidos, las noticias o los políticos pintan narraciones acerca de esta demográfica en una luz negativa que no siempre se alinea con las verdaderas historias de los inmigrantes.

Por otra parte, según USA Facts, la población migrante genera más de 32 millones de trabajadores, constituyendo aproximadamente el 19% de toda la población traba-

jadora. Este grupo laboral mayormente tiene el poder de obtener la multiculturalidad que existe dentro de los Estados Unidos al emigrar aquí. Además, el impacto en la fuerza laboral es muy significativo; según la Oficina de Estadísticas Laborales, 27.3% del sector de la construcción, 23.1% del sector de la agricultura y 22.3% del sector del ocio es hispano.

Aunque muchas veces una parte de la población estadounidense parece sentirse frustrada con los inmigrantes, las estadísticas contradicen estos estereotipos. Es importante añadir que ¨Proporcionarles inglés, brindarles educación, brindarles la capacidad de pagar en estos sistemas en realidad los sustentaría por más tiempo porque estaría agregando más dinero al fondo general. Estás permitiendo que la gente contribuya de manera significativa y real a estos subsidios gubernamentales” según Cristian Ramos, un activista que trabaja en el área de comunicación para la comunidad inmigrante.

Otro desafío para la población migrante es enfrentarse a la decisión de cómo criar a sus hijos en un país nuevo. Muchos están acostumbrados a los patrones de crianza que habían recibido en sus países o las costumbres con las que crecieron durante su niñez. Aunque es importante aprender la cultura estadounidense, también es muy útil e importante no olvidar la cultura natal. Los beneficios de ser multicultural y bilingüe se

pueden aplicar día a día. Un ejemplo claro es la habilidad de poder escribir para un periódico de idioma español, tal como La Esquina Latina. El bilingüismo puede abrir puertas en abundancia y puede servir en formas de trabajo o en la exposición de multiculturalidad entre nuestra comunidad.

Ana Kliewer, una estudiante de Blair en el décimo grado, compartió su historia bilingüe. Su madre es de Ecuador y su padre es estadounidense. Ella dijo que “no diría que [mi mamá] está atrapada en Ecuador o algo así, o que está tratando de ser demasiado estadounidense, pero creo que definitivamente sería más beneficioso para ella y nuestra familia, tratar de entender las perspectivas de los estadounidenses”. Ana añadió que “[mi mamá] también me cuenta que es diferente porque es limitada a solo lo que ella ha conocido [culturalmente]...mi papá hace un trabajo bastante bueno al incluir nuestra cultura para adaptarse a la cultura de mi abuela, mamá, y la mía”. Ambos padres hacen el esfuerzo para poder asimilarse a este país lo más posible. Al final del día, como explicó Ana, la fusión cultural crea una aspecto irremplazable que a veces nuestra comunidad no se da cuenta o aprecia lo suficiente. La Señora Gonzalez, maestra de español dentro de Blair abre sus puertas a contar sus experiencias personales. “En el este como en el oeste de los Estados Unidos. Las oportunidades son inmensas. Pero

realmente saber solo un idioma no te garantiza nada, digo es tu trabajo, es tu esfuerzo, es tu tenacidad. Pero cualquier dos idiomas que sean hoy en día, te abre puertas. Yo no estaría aquí sin el inglés, aunque yo enseño el español.”

Es importante tener en cuenta que venir a Estados Unidos implica un proceso de adaptación al sistema de vida y a un nuevo lenguaje. Esto es aún más importante para aquellos que tienen hijos pequeños, ya que existe la responsabilidad de ayudarlos a aprender y a dominar una nueva lengua y cultura. Si bien la adaptación no es fácil, puede representar una oportunidad para aprender.

Existen muchas historias y experiencias de un sinnúmero de personas que han tenido que emigrar fuera de sus país por cuestiones de seguridad. Entre ellas, una familia peruana que tuvo que emigrar a Estados Unidos por cuestiones de seguridad e incertidumbre y que tuvieron miedo de lo que podría pasar más adelante en su proceso de llegar a este país. Esta familia deja un mensaje muy importante “Este proceso te hace valorar y verdaderamente y dejas atrás lo que pasabas antes, de como era antes para tener otro pensamiento, con ganas de valorar las cosas’’.

Historias de inmigrantes a través de una película

CINDIS HERNÁNDEZ y SHEILY RAYMUNDO XOL

El pasado septiembre de 2024, en el cine AFI de Silver Spring, se llevó a cabo la proyección del documental “Borderland: The One Within”, una obra que reunió a diversas comunidades para explorar y reflexionar sobre las complejas realidades que enfrentan los inmigrantes en Estados Unidos. La película ha capturado la atención del público por su representación auténtica y conmovedora de las experiencias migratorias y busca crear conciencia sobre los desafíos emocionales y físicos que viven quienes buscan un futuro mejor lejos de sus países.

Kaxh, uno de los protagonistas del documental, compartió sus propias experiencias y opinión sobre la película en una entrevista con La Esquina Latina que fue presenciada por miembros de la comunidad de Blair presentes en el visionado. Su historia personal resonó profundamente con la audiencia, destacando las dificultades y esperanzas de aquellos que cruzan fronteras en busca de una vida digna.

Durante la entrevista, Kaxh resaltó la importancia del documental,

“El objetivo principal ahora que estamos a poco tiempo de las elecciones de Estados Unidos, es como crear conciencia en la comunidad que tiene voz y voto para ver y también tomar parte de estas elecciones”, señaló Kaxh. Además, compartió detalles sobre su vida después de cruzar la frontera, mencionando que en la actualidad él aún trabaja en un rancho.

La experiencia de Kaxh refleja cómo muchos inmigrantes, tras llegar a Estados Unidos, aceptan cualquier tipo de trabajo con tal de mantenerse aquí y poder enviar apoyo económico a sus familiares en sus países de origen. “Espero que mi historia ayude a otros a entender que detrás de cada inmigrante hay un sueño y una lucha constante”, expresó Kaxh, agradecido por la oportunidad de contar su historia y esperando que inspire empatía y comprensión hacia la comunidad inmigrante. Su testimonio subraya no sólo los sacrificios personales, sino también la resiliencia y determinación que caracterizan a quienes buscan un futuro mejor lejos de su tierra natal.

El señor Landau, maestro de Balir, fue fundamental en la organización de la visita a la proyección. Landau llevó no solo a sus estudiantes, sino también al Club Maya, un grupo dedicado a preservar y promover la cultura maya entre los estudiantes de Blair. “Es importante que los estudiantes vean estas historias para entender mejor las realidades que enfrentan muchos inmigrantes”, señaló Landau.

Durante el evento, Landau y Juanita Cabrera, directora de la Liga Internacional Maya, colaboraron estrechamente para apoyar a los estudiantes a percibir estas diversas experiencias sobre la immigracion. Landau destacó la im-

portancia de tales colaboraciones, afirmando que “la educación es una herramienta poderosa para cambiar percepciones y construir puentes entre culturas”. Beatriz Hernández, con raíces en El Salvador y Colombia, fue una de las estudiantes que asistió al evento. Motivada por su interés en comprender mejor las vivencias de los inmigrantes, Hernández encontró en la película una representación cruda y realista de las dificultades emocionales y físicas que enfrentan los inmigrantes. “La película me hizo reflexionar sobre lo que significa dejar todo atrás en busca de un futuro mejor”, comentó Hernández. Aunque no ha vivido exactamente esas experiencias, conoce a personas que sí lo han hecho, identificándose así con su lucha y resiliencia. Gelber Ramirez Rojas, un estudiante de Blair originario de Guatemala, también compartió sus impresiones tras ver la película. Subrayó la importancia del respeto cultural y cómo la película muestra las dificultades que enfrentan los inmigrantes en su búsqueda de un futuro mejor. “Es crucial respetar y entender las culturas de otros pueblos, y esta película nos recuerda eso”, mencionó Gelber. El mensaje principal de la película, según todos los entrevistados, es claro: crear conciencia sobre la humanidad y dignidad de los inmigrantes, subrayando la necesidad de empatía y comprensión hacia sus luchas. Todos coinciden en que la película representa con precisión muchas de las dificultades que enfrentan los inmigrantes, como la incertidumbre, el miedo y la discriminación, aunque reconocen que cada historia es única. De acuerdo con Hernández, la película “crea conciencia sobre la

humanidad y dignidad de los inmigrantes destacando la necesidad de empatía y comprensión hacia sus luchas”.

“Borderland: The One Within” no solo ofrece una ventana a las dificultades que enfrentan los inmigrantes, sino que también inspira a la acción y al cambio, recordándonos la importancia de proteger los derechos humanos de todos, independientemente de su estatus migratorio.

LA ESQUINA LATINA

EDITORES-EN-JEFE

Kyara Romero Lira

Jason Youm

ESCRITORES

Mario Ben Arias

Camila Chi

Manooyee Fedhaa

Emmy Nicole Henrriquez

Cindis Hernandez

Ezra Lewis

Jonatan Loayes

Emanuel Morales

Sheily Raymundo

Jassary Ruiz

Tom Sparshott

Priya Tapia-Pereira

Nate Viechnicki

EDITORES DE ARTE

Maria Espinal

Kim Solis

ARTISTAS

Sophia Benitez

Manooyee Fedhaa

Cindis Hernandez

Ezra Lewis

Angela Martinez-Gonzalez

Michelle Nee

ASESORA

Maria Eugenia Tanos

Por

SOPHIA BENITEZ

Voces en el gobierno

Participación de hispanohablantes en el gobierno estudiantil

Por EZRA LEWIS y EMANUEL MORALES

¿Alguna vez has querido cambiar algo en la escuela? Posiblemente era la decoración para los bailes, el apoyo que reciben los estudiantes para la tarea, o el liderazgo de los estudiantes. Gracias al Gobierno Estudiantil de Blair, también conocido como SGA, puedes dar tu opinión y hacer tu parte para tomar esas decisiones en Blair, desde las actividades de ocio hasta la práctica de los derechos de los alumnos en el condado de Montgomery. El gobierno de estudiantes es una institución que forma parte de la escuela y se encarga de ser portavoz de las necesidades o sugerencias del alumnado hacia la escuela. El gobierno estudiantil consiste de un grupo variado de estudiantes de diferentes años y son organizados por su propia estructura. Normalmente, se componen de un presidente del consejo, vicepresidente y un representante de cada curso. Poseyendo un gran nivel de autonomía, no solo les ayuda al momento de agilizar la coordinación de sus eventos o iniciativas sino también ayudan a los miembros a desarrollar un pensamiento crítico y habilidades de liderazgo.

El señor Kevin Shindel, profesor de Blair y asesor del Gobierno Estudiantil, favorece siempre la idea de una mayor libertad para el gobierno estudiantil, porque ayuda a una mayor iniciativa a la hora de tomar decisiones u organizar eventos escolares. En sus propias palabras, el gobierno estudiantil “intenta amplificar las voces de estudiantes y mejorar la vida de los estudiantes”. Hacen mucho para lograr esos dos objetivos. El equi-

po del gobierno estudiantil trabaja dentro y fuera de la escuela para unir a los estudiantes de Blair. Organizan todos los bailes, “Nuestra actividad más grande es el Baile de Bienvenida. Usualmente tenemos de 1.300 a 1.400 estudiantes que acuden a la fiesta de Bienvenida anual. . .” dice el señor Shindel. Es una tradición en los EE.UU. celebrar un partido de fútbol americano a manera de organizar un baile formal para la próxima noche. El Gobierno Estudiantil vende los boletos, organiza las elecciones del cortejo del baile, y prepara las decoraciones en cooperación con la Sociedad Honoraria de Arte.

[El SGA] quiere traer una nueva iniciativa donde traduzcan sus correos en instagram o tal vez haciendo una página separada que se escriba en español pero que tenga toda la misma información.

Además del baile, el gobierno estudiantil de Blair cuenta con un comité de bienestar que coordina una desintoxicación digital, en la cual los estudiantes no usan sus teléfonos por unas semanas y van durante el almuerzo para escribir ideas, opiniones, experiencias en sus diarios y hacer actividades en grupo. También están trabajando en un programa de apoyo donde

los estudiantes reciben formación sobre cómo pueden ayudar a un compañero de clases que requiera de consejo o acompañamiento para ayudarlo a mejorar su estado de ánimo.

Por supuesto con una escuela tan grande a veces es difícil conectar con todos. Hay tanta diversidad de lenguajes, perspectivas, ideas, opiniones e intereses entre el edificio, que es un gran trabajo conectar con cada persona. Con las barreras de idioma, tiempo y disposición, el Gobierno Estudiantil trata de trabajar en lo que puede por la comunidad hispanohablante. Un estudiante latino de Blair, Brayan Gonzalez Ortega, dijo que “Yo no sé nada sobre el SGA, solo he escuchado pero yo no sé nada”. Pero cuando escuchó sobre las cualidades de SGA y su objetivo, Brayan menciona que “Yo creo que es una buena idea porque los estudiantes tienen que ser escuchados y no rechazados porque los estudiantes tienen sus propias opiniones”. Hay gente en la escuela que quiere participar para cambiar aspectos de la escuela, y hay una organización para hacer exactamente eso. Pero si no conecta a los estudiantes con la organización, no pueden hacer nada.

El señor Shindel dijo que “Tenemos algunos estudiantes latinos en el SGA y siempre tratamos de reclutar más. Vamos a los profesores y programas de EML y les preguntamos si tienen alguien que podría estar interesado en unirse a nosotros”. Pero todavía no llega a los oídos de todos.

¿Cómo puede cambiar eso?

El presidente del Gobierno Estudiantil, Daniel Romero del grado 12, dijo que si SGA va a las reuniones de clubs como Líderes Latinos, probablemente ganará más gente hispanohablante. Para saber más sobre actividades, sugirió seguir el instagram del Gobierno Estudiantil o pedir información a sus maestros. La gente que sabe sobre SGA está de acuerdo. Lyon Alvarez, un estudiante de Blair, dijo que escucha la información sobre las actividades y objetivos del SGA en internet. Daniel dijo que el SGA, “ quiere traer una nueva iniciativa donde traduzcan sus correos en instagram o tal vez hacer una página separada que se escriba en español pero que tenga toda la misma información,” así que las noticias se estarían compartiendo no solo a los estudiantes angloparlantes sino a toda la comunidad hispana también. SGA busca que sus esfuerzos para ayudar a la comunidad de Blair even-

tualmente puedan alcanzar a cada estudiante. A pesar de las dificultades para hacerlo, el gobierno estudiantil de Blair sigue trabajando para conectar a todos y quiere oír las opiniones de todos sus estudiantes. “Para mejor o peor, Blair es una institución con muchos chicos . . .” dijo el señor Shindel, “Tenemos por lo menos doce tipos de estudiantes en este edificio y hay algunos que quieren ir a la universidad y hay algunos que no tienen acceso o no pueden tener acceso, ¿cómo proporcionar las necesidades de todos? Es casi imposible pero por eso no nos cansamos de intentarlo”.

Lingüística con Lázaro

Por NATE VIECHNICKI

El idioma Tlingit, hablado por los pueblos originarios del sureste de Alaska y partes del noroeste de Canadá, se encuentra en una situación peligrosa. Es una lengua profundamente vinculada a la identidad e historia de las comunidades indígenas de Alaska. Sin embargo, se habla como primer idioma solamente 500 personas en los pueblos pertenecientes a la tribu Tlingit en ambos países, y está amenazado por el avance del inglés como idioma dominante. El idioma ha sido reemplazado por el inglés, en gran parte por el nivel de marginación que enfrentaron los Tlingit de los colonos europeos.

La cosa más importante que la gente sepa es que todavía estamos aquí, que todavía estamos prosperando, y que mantenemos nuestras tradiciones y lengua.

Los idiomas pueden estar en peligro por varias razones, como el cambio del lenguaje nativo a uno más conveniente o aceptado en la sociedad. El colonialismo europeo es una de las causas más comunes por la pérdida de lenguajes. En los Estados Unidos y Canadá hasta finales del siglo XX, escuelas res-

idenciales religiosas secuestraron niños indígenas de sus reservas y les castigaban por hablar su idioma nativo. El propósito de estas escuelas fue eliminar las cultura y los lenguajes indígenas para que los niños asimilaran a la cultura colonial. El Tlingit, igual como la mayoría de lenguas indígenas amerindias, ha enfrentado un declive drástico. De una población actual de 10.000, hoy solo una fracción de los Tlingit habla su idioma indigena. Con la llegada de políticas coloniales y la imposición del inglés en escuelas residenciales, las generaciones más jóvenes comenzaron a abandonar su lengua materna. “He conocido a gente que vivía [en los años 50 a 60] cuando

era prohibido hablar el idioma”, compartió Madison Pierson, una residente Tlingit de la Isla Príncipe de Gales en Alaska. “La cosa más difícil en preservar este idioma es que los hablantes fueron re-

prendidos en la escuela, y lo dejaron de hablar”, dijo. Esta situación ha llevado a la comunidad lingüística a considerar al Tlingit como una lengua en peligro

de extinción, y su revitalización se ha convertido en un esfuerzo urgente dentro de comunidades indígenas de Alaska y Canadá. “Hay algunas escuelas primarias en el sureste que implementan más el lenguaje en el plan de estudios y realmente tienen clases para los estudiantes”, dijo Avery Sakamoto, una organizadora comunitaria Tlingit de Petersburg, Alaska. Para ella el idioma es una parte central de su identidad como Tlingit, y siempre ha buscado cualquier manera de aprenderlo ella misma o compartirlo con los otros miembros de su comunidad. “Organicé un campamento de cultura durante secundaria, y este tipo de trabajo ha continuado hasta ahora ya que estoy involucrado con diferentes organizaciones indíge-

MARIAESPINAL

nas”, dijo. El Tlingit también es un idioma muy único lingüísticamente. El uso de tonos y consonantes eyectivos forman parte del sistema fonológico complejo y difícil para aprender como segundo idioma. La lengua es tan compleja

como su gente, con una estructura gramatical que incluye una estructura polisintética. Incluso dentro de la familia de lenguas Na-Dene, el Tlingit no es parecido a otro idioma, porque no pertenece a ninguna subdivisión de la familia.

He conocido a gente que vivía [en los años 50 a 60] cuando era prohibido hablar el idioma.

Para los Tlingit, el lenguaje no es solo una herramienta de comunicación, sino una forma de conectar a los miembros de la comunidad con su tierra, sus antepasados y su identidad. Los nombres de lugares, los mitos, las canciones y las historias narradas en Tlingit mantienen vivos los recuerdos de generaciones pasadas, creando un puente entre el pasado y el presente. “La cosa más importante que la gente sepa es que todavía estamos aquí, que todavía estamos prosperando, y que mantenemos nuestras tradiciones y lengua”, dijo Pierson. La revitalización del Tlingit es un acto de resistencia contra el imperialismo, y un recordatorio que las lenguas indígenas son esenciales para la diversidad del mundo.

MADISON PIERSON

MADISON PIERSON

We Maryland

NOT are villains

immigrant community braces for Trump presidency

Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources.

was all wilderness, just wilderness, and [the coyote] told us that once we got there, he said, ‘Get off, run forward, don’t look back for anything.’

When he said that, I said, ‘My God, what are they going to do to us?’” Fernanda says.

Fernanda’s family fled from gang violence in their native country, moving to Maryland in 2022. “I’m from Peru. [Three years ago], my husband, my daughter, and I had to leave our country because of … letters that we were left— [death] threats. And finally, they broke our windows at our house and left two bullets, which were supposedly for me and my little daughter,” she says.

In search of safety and protection, the family traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border seeking asylum. “We had nothing. We didn’t have anywhere to go. There was nothing, just $70,” Fernanda says. Stories like Fernanda’s are tragically common. Most immigrants come to America seeking economic opportunity or fleeing political instability and violence.

Now, with Trump back in the White House, many fear he will permanently damage the immigrant communities in Montgomery County and across the country. In the face of Trump’s threat, organizations supporting both documented and undocumented immigrants have been bracing themselves for the mass deportations promised by the Trump administration. “We’re trying to ramp up our work. We’re trying to scale up,” Executive Director of the Congregation Action Network (CAN) Julio Hernandez says. These organizations work on advocacy campaigns for immigration reform and provide housing, education, and legal help for immigrants.

Since the 1980s, most immigrants entering the U.S. have come from Latin America. Due to the size of the U.S.-Mexico border and the complicated process of acquiring proper documentation, many choose to enter the U.S. without visas. Consequently, the U.S.’s undocumented immigrant population exploded from 3.5 million in 1990 to 12.2 million in 2007. Besides a slight decline during the Great Recession and Trump’s first presidency, the population of undocumented immigrants has remained stable around 11 million since 2007.

During his first term in 2016, Trump attempted to implement many of the policies he advocated for on the campaign trail. In 2017, he tried and failed to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. DACA protects and offers pathways to the workforce for individuals who were brought into the U.S. as children without legal authorization. In 2018, the Trump administration implemented a “zero tolerance” policy to criminally prosecute all illegal border crossers. The policy was heavily enforced, separating families, including babies and children. In 2019, Trump declared a national emergency at the Southern border, allowing him to fund the construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump took an even more extreme approach to immigration, calling for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants. “During the campaign, Trump made very, very specific promises. The number one promise was that he would implement mass deportations of illegal immigrants,” Johns Hopkins Economics Professor Mario Macis says. “Now, when it comes to regular immigration, Trump didn’t say that much during the campaign. But what he did say suggested restrictions to legal immigration, to lower numbers of legal immigrants.”

After assuming office on Jan. 20, Trump has already taken executive action to follow through on his promises. He declared a national emergency at the U.S.-Mexico border, and barred asylum for people arriving at the border. Trump has also begun preparation for his mass deportation plan, sanctioning immigration authorities to enter schools, healthcare facilities, and places of worship to conduct arrests.

To people like Fernanda, Trump’s policies seem xeno-

Story by Ethan de Brauw, Elora Derbyshire, and Lila Grosko

Photos by Jonathan Peter Belling

Art by Lucia Wang

Design by Naomi Andelman, Eloise Carter, and Keelin Pegg

phobic and unnecessarily hostile. “We are not villains,” she says. “The truth is, there’s no reason [to come to America] other than wanting to look for a safer life and coming to a country with the opportunity.”

When Fernanda and her husband, Miguel, entered the country in 2022, they left behind Fernanda’s mother, older daughter, and brother. Fernanda describes the treacherous five-day journey through Latin America. “Along these roads, there are kidnappings … and rapes. If you don’t get to the side of the towns and night catches you, it’s fatal,” Fernanda explains. The rest of her family attempted to seek asylum in the U.S., waiting six months at the border, but were unsuccessful, eventually returning to Peru. Their experiences mirror the struggles of many families attempting to gain legal entry into the U.S. For Daniel, whose wife is currently waiting in Mexico to obtain legal documentation, the immigration system remains an unrelenting obstacle. “We’re trying to follow the legal pathways to get it done. But it’s really unpredictable what Trump’s going to do because he changes his mind all the time,” he says. Fear surrounding Trump’s administration extends into the Blair community. “I know a lot of people that do not have papers, and they’re scared,” Blair senior Josiah Mendez says. “They’re scared of what he’s going to do.”

nandez says. “We’re concerned that sanctuary will become illegal, and churches will face legal consequences for that choice. My biggest concern is for the children as parents get deported.”

Immigration support organizations also play a crucial role in helping recently immigrated families locate schools, educational resources, and employment opportunities.

The Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center (IROC) is an organization that helps ensure that the children of immigrants are in school and receiving the support they need.

“We do free tutoring for the youth, through the youth,”

Bita Golshan Lotfi, a board member at IROC, says. “A lot of times, [because] the caseworkers [are overwhelmed they] don’t sign up the children for school. So our team and volunteers also sign up [and] help register the children for school and get benefits like food stamps.”

IROC also helps immigrants find work in their area by connecting them with employers. “A lot of them don’t speak English, so you can’t go and work at Giant or Walmart or places like that right off the bat, but we know of companies that hire refugees,” Lotfi says. “[The companies] come to IROC [saying] ‘We’re hiring, and here’s our flyer,’ and we send it out to the refugees through WhatsApp.”

Another notable organization working to provide immigrants with educational and career-based opportunities is IMPACT Silver Spring, which focuses on revealing and dismantling racial inequity and lack of economic opportunity in Montgomery County. As a part of their work, IMPACT hosts English learning classes that enable immigrants to work and connect with the English speaking community.

the way that communities function, [and] on immigration as a whole.”

In addition to advocacy groups, Maryland delegates, county officials, and local representatives like Takoma Park Councilmember Cara Honzak are all working to support immigrants. “I was very reassured listening to [Maryland State Delegate] David Moon speak to us,” Honzak says. “He said, ‘We’re lucky that we went through this before under Trump, thinking that a lot was going to happen, and a lot didn’t ultimately happen, and so [we] closed most of the loopholes that are within our powers.’”

Protecting DACA at the Supreme Court … was a really big moment for us. Maybe folks who aren’t immigrants think … ‘I don’t know why that would matter to me.’ But [losing the program] would have really, really big consequences on the economy, on the way that communities function, on immigration as a whole.

CATHERINE LEE

federal programs that could lead to deportations of their residents.

Despite local governments’ best efforts, concerns persist that their attempts to limit persecution will not be enough to protect immigrant communities. “We’re a place of welcoming, [a] place that provides services for people and makes them comfortable if we can,” Honzak says. “So I would imagine that we probably have an unusually large population of [immigrant] people living here, and [what could happen to them] really disturbs me. I’m very, very concerned about what could happen over the coming months, [or] really right away.”

For recently immigrated people, one of the most valuable services that support organizations provide is housing.

Based in the DMV, CAN is one interfaith non-profit that does so, through its sanctuary hosting program. From December 2018 until October 2020, CAN helped sanctuary Ali and her children at Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda. Under the Biden administration, Ali and her family were finally granted a stay of deportation.

“To protect this family [and] to see her kids grow up is one of our greatest achievements because their lives were really in danger previously,” Hernandez says. “We’re hoping that … in the future, there will be no need for CAN, [and] we’ll be able to see the value of a human being here in the community.”

Other organizations, like CASA—a Maryland-based non-profit that has expanded regionally—seek to protect housing rights through organizing tenant associations, advocating for housing policies proposed in local and state government, and leading regional housing coalitions.

Under the Trump administration, Hernandez fears that immigration support groups like CAN will face heightened barriers and even legal persecution. “One thing that we’re concerned about is our own safety as an organization,” Her-

Some organizations like CASA and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)—a non-profit committed to protecting civil liberties—support immigrants by educating them on their political rights and providing legal assistance. CASA offers free legal consultations for its members and attempts to provide individual representation, or refer members to appropriate representation. CASA also supports immigrants applying for or renewing their applications for DACA.

The ACLU takes a different approach, fighting systemic legal battles for immigrant rights. Currently, the ACLU is working to protect the right to seek asylum, fighting against abuse by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, and expanding pathways to citizenship.

A large part of the fight to protect immigrants comes through advocacy work at both the local and national levels. Preparing to combat Trump’s anti-immigrant policies, CASA has issued a 2025 legislative agenda that aims to protect Maryland families from persecution by ICE. “Key priorities include legislation to prevent federal agencies from exploiting Maryland’s data to target residents and stopping Maryland’s voluntary and unfunded partnerships with ICE,” CASA released in a statement on its website on Jan. 10.

The organization looks to limit ICE from accessing places like schools, churches, hospitals, and courthouses that provide essential services to the undocumented community. CASA is also working to keep immigrants safe in their homes, pushing for the passage of the “Good Cause Act” to prevent Marylanders from being evicted without sufficient reason.

Other organizations, like United We Dream, work to tackle issues on a national scale. The non-profit advocates for new pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and is particularly active in its legal fight to defend DACA. “Protecting DACA at the Supreme Court … was a really big moment for us,” United We Dream’s National Communications Manager Catherine Lee says. “Maybe folks who aren’t immigrants think … ‘I don’t know why that would matter to me.’ But [losing the program] would have really, really big consequences on the economy, on

Takoma Park is one of the hundreds of ‘sanctuary cities’ across the U.S. Under this designation, city officials and police are forbidden from asking residents about their immigration status. City officials are also not allowed to help

Additionally, some are concerned that the sanctuary city status of Washington, D.C. will be challenged. “Trump had promised to enact a control panel to take away the self-governance of D.C.,” Hernandez says. “We’re really concerned about D.C.’s sovereignty and their ability to selfrule, because they have committed to be a sanctuary city.” Still, despite the mounting uncertainty and fear, support organizations will continue working to keep families safe by providing housing support, educational opportunities, and legal assistance. At the same time, local governments and sanctuary cities will work to close loopholes in state immigration policy and continue to protect residents impacted by persecution under Trump. In the next four years, immigrants all around the U.S. face the risk of mass deportations, including Fernanda and Miguel. But no matter what, they will stand strong. “This journey left us many marks, many scars,” Miguel says. “But we have to move forward. No matter how. For our children.”

THE PEOPLE’S MARCH On Jan. 18, ralliers marched from Farragut Square to the Lincoln Memorial. Many brought signs expressing their discontent with Trump and his policies, including the proposed mass deportations of immigrants.

FEATURES

January 30, 2025

While others around the country close books, Blair opens new chapters

“Books open up windows to other people’s experiences, and they also serve as mirrors for kids to see themselves reflected,” Richmond states. “It’s essential that schools recognize this need to diversify their libraries.”

Richmond speaks from experience, noting how literature not only reflects personal identities but also fosters empathy. “I have kids myself, and I don’t want them to be limiting their understanding of the world by only reading about their own experiences and identities. All students need a chance to connect with books that expose them to new ideas,” she explains.

Richmond also mentions the rise of opposition toward certain books, especially those written by authors from marginalized communities. “We’ve seen a lot of these books being challenged because of their content, especially LGBTQ and BIPOC authors,” she says. “These books tend to be controversial, especially with groups in Montgomery County like Moms for Liberty.” This opposition has been particularly apparent at local school board meetings. In March of 2023, for instance, the conservative organization staged a protest at an MCPS BOE meeting against

a new policy that would prevent parents from opting their children out of certain instructional content, including books related to gender and sexuality.

It’s important that we keep pushing for these books all over, and if we can’t do it in places like Florida and Texas, then we can at least do it here.

ANGIE DRIGGS

At Blair, Media Assistant Sandie Angulo Chen works with her colleagues to ensure that the library provides a wide range of books for its diverse student body. “We really try to keep a very diverse fiction collection,” Chen says. The library features books by award-winning authors from various cultural backgrounds, including Ryka Aoki, Becky Chambers, and Jason Reynolds, who are winners of the Stonewall Honor and Coretta Scott King awards which commend exceptional merit relating to the LGBTQ experience and outstanding literature by African-American authors and

illustrators.

In recent years, Blair’s library has expanded its offerings, paying close attention to books from Latinx and LGBTQ authors, and works that focus on different cul tural experiences. “We’ve bought books from the Junior Library Guild, which curates a lot of these diverse books. It’s a really reliable source for ensuring that we’re offer ing all our students the most inclu sive options,” Chen explains. Blair’s efforts to increase the accessibility of diverse literature include a growing collection of Spanish-language books. This is es pecially important for the school’s large population of Spanish-speak ing students. “It’s so great for these students to access books in their native languages,” Chen adds. “We’re also trying to bring authors into the conversation. We’ve had a Canadian Indigenous queer author and a South Asian author come visit, which really gave students the chance to listen to voices and experiences that they may not have heard about otherwise.”

Supervisor for MCPS School Library Media Programs Holly Van Puymbroeck emphasizes that MCPS libraries are not only a place for education, but also a space where students can see the world in all its complexity. “Our end goal is

Promising signs ASL students teach Blair staff

By AINSLIE CURRAN-NG’ASI

“As the day approached I was like, ‘Oh my god, there’s probably going to be so many people,’” Blair senior and American Sign Language (ASL) Honor Society Executive and Co-President Ephie Wondwosen says, recalling her first ASL lesson for Blair staff. Starting in November, Wondwosen and other ASL level four students hosted a class for Blair teachers and community members to learn how to sign.

“[The lessons were] a kind of overlap between ASL Honor Society and ASL [level] four,” Blair ASL teacher Steve Mather explains. The lessons started as a project option for ASL level four students to gain real world skills in ASL.

Though Maryland recognizes

ASL as a language, not all counties offer ASL as a language class; however, Blair’s ASL community is working to spread more awareness by promoting the language at other schools. “We don’t have a lot of funding because not a lot of people want to do stuff with ASL, but we are planning to go to different schools and talk more about ASL,” Blair ASL Honor Society Executive Rowan Pundzak says.

Learning ASL can improve academic outcomes for students, improving literacy, and understanding of language structure. Pundzak promotes ASL as an exciting alternative to the standard foreign language classes. “[For] anybody who doesn’t want [to take] the common Spanish or French … or they want to really challenge themselves and do something new, [American] Sign Language is really fun,” Pundzak says.

for students to see the real diversity of the world in their own libraries and classrooms. This is how we

“It’s important that we keep pushing for these books all over, and if we can’t do it in places like Florida and Texas, then we can at least do it here,” she says. “When students see that kind of diversity in books, they know that every person’s story

The ASL community at Blair stays involved with the Deaf community through numerous visits to Gallaudet University—the world’s only university designed for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Creating a space where people can work and interact with peers in the Deaf community is an important part of learning ASL. Savannah Brown, a deaf Blair alumnus, describes making and presenting a slideshow for her classes about her deafness.

“In certain classes where people come from similar [hearing] backgrounds… [they] are often new to the concept of deafness. A number of them have never met a deaf person, so they are new to it all and I noticed that some people were curious but never had the space or reason to inquire upon the topic,” she writes in an email to Silver Chips.

“I wanted to educate people a little on deafness so they can learn how to work with them moving forward and ask any questions about it. The reaction to the presentation (I started my junior year) was positive, so I found it meaningful to continue doing so.” Teachers who attended the ASL sessions noted that their signing skills had improved while they learned more about the deaf community. The lessons covered a broad range of topics across many levels, covering the alphabet, basic survival signs, animal signs, and more. “The first [lesson] we did the alphabet and how to say things like nice to meet you,” Blair staff development teacher Leslie Blaha says.

“I like learning languages in general, but I like how the students were excited about it and other teachers were excited about it. We don’t always get a chance to learn things

that are both fun and useful.”

Students teaching the sessions also reacted positively. “We basically taught them and we raised awareness—which is our main goal. Being able to do that and see that in one class, [in which] a whole group of people can learn a language in just one sitting was inspiring,” Wondwosen says.

I guess with [providing lessons] I’d definitely want to do this in my future, through college as well.

Having an ASL community at schools helps deaf people feel connected to other students. When Brown first came to Blair she had a hard time adjusting after previous-

ly being in deaf schooling spaces. “It was interesting—it was lonely at first, but I met a CODA (child of deaf adult) and a couple of passionate signers, who really made me feel welcome. I was involved in a couple of clubs, which definitely helped my overall experience, and I met a couple of peers who saw beyond my deafness,” Brown writes.

Though the Blair ASL classes held a few lessons of teaching ASL to teachers and families, they hope to do it again in the spring because of its success. “I guess with [providing lessons] I’d definitely want to do this in my future, through college as well,” Wondwosen says. Blaha agrees and wishes to refresh her ASL vocabulary. “I’d really love to learn more,” she says. “It would be really neat to continue [the ASL teaching sessions] this next semester and to build on what we already know.”

and ERIC YANG

JOSEPHINE BRUNN LAKE

ASL 1 Steve Mather demonstrates how to sign “CORRECT” to his third period class.

PHOTOS BY MAZ OLSON

Guide to the ‘Overground Railroad’

The Negro Motorist Green Book exhibit at MLK Jr. Memorial Library

By JUSTIN ROSENTOVER

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library—the flagship of the Washington D.C. Library System (DCPL)—is home to much more than books. From the vintage Chrysler that could have been driven by a 1960s-era traveler that sits outside the library, to the engraved “GREEN BOOK” on the glass entrance doors, an unsuspecting visitor would be unlikely to recognize the building as a library. It looks more like a room from one of the Smithsonian museums just down the road, which it essentially is.

The first floor of the library is an exhibit dedicated to the history of the Green Book. When walking into the traveling exhibition, the first thing visitors see is a large sign

with a bright shell and a yellow sun: the logos of ExxonMobil and the Smithsonian Institution, the exhibit’s curator. The carefully stacked sets of thin informative sheets that make up the exhibit are packed full of photographs, artifacts, and personal accounts of Black locales in Washington D.C., and across the country.

The large hall explores the 1936 creation and history of the “Negro Motorist’s Green Book” by postal worker Victor Green, which was published almost every year through 1966. Conceived as a travel guide for Black Americans in Jim Crow America, the Green Book was based on the “Jewish Vacation Guide” which listed places to stay, eat, and vacation in Upstate New York for traveling Jews. In his

guide, Green listed thousands of small businesses including hotels, restaurants, barber shops, beauticians, theaters, and nightclubs in cities and towns across the United States. He distributed the book through participating businesses and Esso—now Exxon—gas stations in the U.S., hence the sponsorship of the exhibit by ExxonMobil.

So [for] this [idea], the original director … knew I was doing the Green Book project, she was like, ‘I think this is the one.’

Such sponsorship is needed; the entire exhibit requires multiple trucks to transport and significant planning to pull off. All this planning leads to a memorable experience that can speak to people like it spoke to Jeffrey Shelton—a visitor at the exhibit—who believes that his family used the Green Book growing up. “Most of my dad’s brothers and sisters moved to Baltimore. We used to travel back and forth [from South Carolina] and he had something that he used and there were only certain places that we stopped. And, of course, at that time I didn’t know why, but now I do,” Shelton says.

The exhibit is the brainchild of Candacy Taylor, an independent documentarian who wrote the book “Overground Railroad:

The Green Book and the Roots of Black Travel in America.” Taylor, who was introduced to the Green Book during a project researching Route 66, has been interested in working with the Smithsonian to produce an exhibit for a long time. “I had approached SITES [Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service] … and asked them if they would produce a travel exhibition on counterculture. They said ‘Oh, it’s interesting, but no.’ I had another project on beauty shop culture, looking at segregation and ethnic salons, and they said, ‘Oh, it’s interesting, but no,’” Taylor explains. “So [for] this [idea], the original director … knew I was doing the Green Book project, she was like, ‘I think this is the one.’”

For Ayanna Reese, a volunteer who leads tours of the exhibit, the experience is about more than the Green Book itself. “[The exhibit] really brings to light not only how difficult it was for Black Americans to move about the country, but also shows an element of hope,” Reese says. “That, even though there was a lot of discrimination, it didn’t disempower Black people.”

The exhibit’s videos and interactive displays, which are unique to every location, also speak strongly to Shelton, who reflects on how his family was directly connected to the Black life displayed in the Green Book. “My mom’s a beautician, and of course when [Reese] talked about how people used to gather at the barber shops and the beauty shops just to be there, not to necessarily get their hair done— that was my dad and mom’s barber shop,” Shelton says.

[The exhibit] really brings to light not only how difficult it was for Black Americans to move about the country, but also shows an element of hope.

Victor Green’s goal was always to make his book obsolete. In the 1948 edition, he wrote: “There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States.” Green died 12 years later, four years before the passage of the Civil Rights Act which made discrimination based on race in public places illegal. When the book ceased publication a couple of years later in 1966, Green’s prediction had come true, legally. Taylor believes the exhibit is about relating to the present and teaching people about the world around them. “We worked really hard to make sure that it’s relevant and references some of the parallels and things that we see today,” she says. “It explains things like redlining [and] urban renewal. [The] reasons why our neighborhoods look different today are found in this history. These were the decisions that were made 50, 80 years ago that shaped the way that we live today.”

A Smart Approach to Real Estate

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THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. MEMORIAL LIBRARY A section of the exhibit showcasing the life of Victor Green.

A Chips ‘ship

From Blair’s Silver Chips to BBC and Rolling Stone

By PRIYA TAPIA-PEREIRA and DORIS WANG

It was in the halls of Blair where married couple Eliot Stein and Julyssa Lopez first discovered their passion for journalism. Starting as Silver Chips Print reporters, the two are now writers with thriving careers in journalism, covering music, culture, and travel.

Lopez’s interest in writing was always clear. Born to a Nicaraguan family, she was always surrounded by Spanish news shows and television. However, it was during her sophomore year at Blair that she discovered her interest in journalism. “My sophomore year at Blair … I took a journalism class and just really connected to it … it felt like a good way of combining this love I had for writing with storytelling and connecting it to the real world,” she says.

Lopez later landed a spot on Silver Chips. As one of the few non-Magnet and non-CAP students on the publication, she initially felt out of place. “I remember feeling a little bit self-conscious that I was one of the few kids who weren’t in CAP or Magnet … at one point [the Editors-in-Chief] noticed how self-conscious and nervous I was, and they were like, ‘Look, you’re here for a reason … you’re able to reach an audience that not a lot of us can reach,’” she says. Even today, Lopez remembers the advice given to her. “I think a lot [about] that idea of being able to reach a community that other people can’t and thinking about what stories are happening in that community and how you can tell them.”

Stein’s journey with Silver Chips was similarly influential. Like Lopez, Stein was not a Magnet or CAP student. However, his father had always prompted him to keep a journal, and both parents encouraged Stein to join Silver Chips when he entered high school. “When I started at Blair in ninth grade … Silver Chips had a phenomenal reputation,” he says. “I remember my dad said, ‘If you could ever write for Silver Chips,

that would be really prestigious.’” Stein went on to become the opin ions editor his senior year.

As part of the newspaper, Stein wrote, edited, and worked under a seasoned advisor, helping him de velop practical skills and gain expo sure to a high level of journalism that would be foundational in his development as a writer. “I felt like I had a huge leg up on my peers based on the experience that I had at Blair,” he says.

While writing for Silver Chips, Stein also earned college credit for Italian, a language he started study ing at five years old. He co-majored in Italian studies and journalism at university and moved to Italy the day after graduation. There, he had a chance encounter with one of the last living inheritors of a cen turies-old tradition, sparking his passion for travel journalism. “I was effectively just a kid, and that [experience] awakened this sympa thy and reverence that I still have for these final custodians,” he says.

After returning from Italy, Stein started an internship at the Wash ingtonian Magazine, where Lopez was also working. The two quickly discovered commonalities, having both grown up in Silver Spring, attended Blair, and written for Silver Chips. Lopez and Stein would take the Metro back to Takoma Park together after work, quickly becoming friends. “I was madly in love with Julyssa, but she was my coworker, so I kept things very professional,” Stein recalls. “On my last day at the Washingtonian … I kissed her, and we started dating.” The two have been together ever since.

writing and reporting evocatively about a place,” he says, detailing his passion for telling meaningful

When Lopez received an opportunity through graduate school, the pair moved to Berlin together, where they freelanced for publications such as Glamour, The Washington Post, The New York Times, National Geographic, and Remezcla. Stein’s career took a major leap when he began working with BBC, writing columns and feature stories. Stein particularly enjoyed travel journalism, creating a series titled “Custom Made” about people preserving ancient traditions.

“Travel journalism is really just

I was madly in love with Julyssa, but she was my coworker so I kept things very professional. On my last day at the Washingtonian ... I kissed her, and we started dating.

human-centric stories.

As Lopez freelanced, she noticed a common issue plaguing various major publications. “I think

From the Archives...

NOVEMBER

16, 2001

College essays: a stupid answer for a stupid question

By ELIOT STEIN

AN OPINION

Ah, the college essay! Challenging or absurd? The following actual question on the current University of Pennsylvania application provokes a not-so-actual response:

You have just completed your 300-page autobiography. Please submit page 217.

. . . and that’s when I discovered that Bob Saget was my father.

Prompted by my affection for Hugs, the neighborhood Beagle, I became curious about dogs. How do they think? What do they like? But most importantly, what are they saying?

I began by imitating Hugs’ bark. While other children played baseball and hopscotch outside, I spent hours in front of my bathroom mirror, tape recorder in hand, matching the pitch and intensity of his call.

Within months I became confident enough to approach Hugs. Hesitantly, I tiptoed to Ms. Hoover’s yard and barked softly. Hugs came to my feet,

as he had so often before, expecting a rub or a treat. This time, as Hugs approached, I yelped like a rabid dog. This elicited no verbal response from Hugs, merely a tail wag and a puddle of urine at my feet.

Despite Hugs’ rejection, I didn’t return to practice, for the problem didn’t lie within me. I concluded that Hugs had a serious learning disability. I needed more receptive subjects, subjects I hoped to find in the park. When commuters awoke each morning at 5:00 a.m. to walk their dogs, I waited in the bushes. As hag-

there are some publications that treat the Latino community as an afterthought,” she says. The emphasis Silver Chips’ La Esquina Latina placed on the Latino community at Blair gave Lopez a better understanding of how to take her work seriously, reminding her to fight for the inclusion of Latino stories during story pitching.

Although she started as a staff writer, Lopez now serves as the deputy music editor at Rolling Stone, covering celebrities such as Madonna, Bad Bunny, and Shakira. As for the future, she plans to continue with Rolling Stone. “I hope that I can be at Rolling Stone for as long as I can. It feels like the best place that I could have landed. I’m really, really happy there,” Lopez says. “I’m excited about the stories that we’re getting to do. I’m excited about getting to talk about

gard owners with curlers still in their hair were dragged by their canines, I ambushed them with incessant barking. These new dogs reacted as expected. They stared blankly for a minute or so, but got friendly when I sniffed myself while down on all fours.

After several months of careful observation, I learned the language of Dog.

As word spread of my breakthrough, or “Fetish,” as many called it, I became a celebrity and assumed the alias “Lil Wow-Bow.” I accepted a position at the neighborhood kennel in the “Customer Relations” field. Now, I’m not one to toot my own horn, but beep-beep! My duties consisted of keeping watch 20 hours a day while stimulating conversation among the

APRIL 22, 2004 Can’t white wash this Graffiti artist turns vandalism into self-expression

By JULYSSA LOPEZ AN OPINION

Senior Andres Beriguete recalls the night when he crept through Washington, D.C., two years ago, markers, pens and spray cans in hand. Finding a vacant building wall, he quietly began to sketch furiously, sharp curves and sleek lines intertwining into intricate designs. Once he finished, he stood and admired his illustration—skillfully drawn graffiti, vandalism, yet his art.

Beriguete’s days of vandalism didn’t last very long. Beriguete has been doing graffiti since he was 12, after becoming friends with known graf-

fiti artists at Theodore Roosevelt High School in D.C. After experiencing trouble with the police several times, Beriguete had resolved to keep his art only on paper.

Beriguete’s first chance at legal graffiti came when his old school principal, Gary Phillips, suggested that he and his friends create a school mural. For Beriguete, however, the project was cut short when he switched to Blair.

Beriguete’s fervor for graffiti could not be repressed, however, and he turned to sketching. His sketching categorizes him as a “bookworm,” one of the two types of graffiti art-

ists, according to Beriguete. While some artists showcase their drawings on walls, bookworms only sketch in a book or journal. “Since I couldn’t do it on walls, I became mostly bookworm,” he says, showing the cluster of penned-out words in his binder, where swirls of color, dashes of ink and thick blocks of letter mesh together to form the word CENT, Beriguete’s tag name. Soon, Beriguete became known for his sketching by his fellow Blair classmates. “This girl came up to me during class when I was sketching,” he remembers, “and asked me if I would draw up a sign for the school store.”

Although a passionate and proud

artist, Beriguete claims he was not quick to tell fellow Blazers about his hobby. “It really disturbs some people. They automatically think it’s vandalism, but this is my way of expressing myself.” Beriguete also hesitates to tell people because he is afraid the blame for future graffiti will be put on him.

“I’ve seen some graffiti at Blair, and I’ve been scared people were going to think I did it,” he says. “But I’ve never done it at Blair. Plus, the graffiti I’ve seen here wasn’t even that good.”

music and culture in a way that feels very substantial and feels like it’s adding a lot of context that historically has been missing in music journalism.”

Similarly, Stein plans to continue his work as a travel journalist, exploring human connections with his position as a senior journalist and deputy editor for BBC. “I love what I’m doing,” Stein says. “It’s incredibly rewarding to tell stories that matter.”

Stein has plans to write more in-depth cultural stories or explore new book projects, though he is careful with his work-life balance. The couple have a three-year-old son, who is an important part of any future plans. “I hope that we are still doing what we’re doing now ten years down the line [and] still having fun with our kid,” Stein shares.

dogs. It wasn’t all scratch and fetch, though, let me tell you. Have you ever had to rescue a poodle from a fan?

A year later I returned to Ms. Hoover’s backyard. In one year, I had become fluent in Dog, learning all the basic expressions as well as slang. My final wish before college was to talk to my old friend, Hugs. Ms. Hoover met me near his pen. “If you’re come to talk to Hugs, I’m sorry. He died because he was just too dumb.”

Although distraught, I was not truly surprised, for Hugs was ridiculously stupid. He was still my friend, however. He taught me to persevere and chase my dream, just as he chased trees. And that is why I will be bringing his stuffed body to college next year.”

At home, Beriguete uses his talent to make gifts for his parents on birthdays, creating cards and artwork for holidays, and as a way to bond with his siblings. “I always want my sister to judge [my work],” he says. His sister, Anleny, a Blair junior, seems pleased to influence her brother’s art. “We all know he’s really talented. What he does is really original here.”

Although his skill may be original, Beriguete says he incorporates other arts into his graffiti. In his Drawing and Design class this year, for instance, Beriguete claims he took several ideas from the class and put them into perspective for his graffiti. “This is what I do,” says Beriguete. “It’s a real art too.”

BLAIR GRADUATES BBC journalist Eliot Stein and Rolling Stone editor Julyssa Lopez pose with their three-year-old. The two both wrote for Silver Chips.

ELIOT STEIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF CATHY HENDERSON

C U L T R

January 30, 2

Chips chefs try top 2024 recipes

By SENAYA ASFAW and RAE FOSTER

In 2024, some recipes rose to the top of social media feeds, from a muffin craze at the Olympics to bold twists on classic dishes. Here is our personalized review of the top five recipes of 2024, as featured by The Washington Post, and a step-by-step guide on how to make them at home.

Tater tots have long been an American favorite; whether dipped in a milkshake or ketchup, the duality of the dish shines through like none other. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s spin on this classic Midwestern dish incorporates new

Olympic chocolate chip muffins

Most athletes hope to exit the Olympics as gold medalists, but one Norwegian swimmer found an unexpected name for himself: the “Muffin Man.” Henrik Christiansen became a Tik-

Tok sensation after sharing his love for chocolate muffins during the games, and soon after, this double chocolate chip recipe with ganache became a household favorite. The recipe starts by combining some wet ingredients and chocolate in a saucepan. We found that using cocoa powder and dark chocolate chips made the muffins richer, elevating the chocolate flavor. In a separate bowl, we whisked together

the dry ingredients—a step we initially questioned due to the extra dishwashing involved, but it made the batter smoother and clumpfree. Once we added the remaining ingredients to our mixture, we combined the wet ingredients, dry ingredients, and chocolate chips to finish the muffin base. While the muffins were baking, we made the ganache in a saucepan: a mix of chocolate and heavy cream. After

Tim Walz’s tater tot hotdish

flavors while maintaining its traditional roots.

The bottom layer of the dish includes a mixture of ground turkey, bacon, and green beans, topped with a creamy cheese sauce similar to one used in mac and cheese. The simplicity of assembling the dish in one pan made it appealing, but the flavors left room for improvement. The cheese sauce, while creamy,

dominated the dish and overpowered the turkey and vegetables. While it did not kill the dish, we felt that more seasoning on the ground turkey would have helped. Grating fresh cheese for the sauce made for an excellent texture and richness, but again, additional spices would further elevate the dish. While the crispy tater tots provided a satisfying crunch, the overall flavor profile felt one-dimensional.

Air fryer grilled cheese

Few meals are as universally loved as a grilled cheese sandwich. With a unique twist of flavors, the Washington Post’s air fryer grilled cheese is perfect for taking a comforting meal to the next level. This

Penne alla vodka, a traditional Italian dish, experienced a popularity boost in the States after American celebrity Gigi Hadid posted a TikTok of her cooking it during the pandemic. The recipe has a rich and comforting assortment of flavors and smells that can only be achieved by simmering tomato and garlic. We started the sauce with

recipe is incredibly easy, as it is only two steps: make the sandwich and pop it into the air fryer. The Washington Post recommends adding a variety of ingredients from different types of cheese or spreads, to toppings like ham, kimchi, jalapeños, or apples. It is cus-

This hotdish offered potential but it did not quite live up to its hype. In 2025, this dish could shine with some reimagining, but as it stands, we would leave it in the past.

cooling for thirty minutes, the ganache developed a thick, spreadable, consistent texture. Once the muffins cooled, a well was carefully carved in each one to hold the ganache, creating a dessert that was as rich as it was creative. The sweetness of the ganache contrasts with the slight tanginess of the dark chocolate chips, making it a recipe that should not be left in 2024.

tomizable, but we loved the dish with sourdough bread, spicy brown mustard, cheddar cheese, and thinly sliced apple. The sourdough is an excellent choice because of its flavorful crust and chewy inside. While grating fresh cheddar added to the prep time, it was worth the effort for a superior texture and flavor. The spicy brown mustard brought the perfect tang and extra flavor. We were initially skeptical about the apple, but after cooking it in the air fryer, it surpassed our expectations with a sweet and crispy finish. With an air fryer, the recipe was very simple and the cooking time sig-

nificantly decreased. This recipe’s adaptability, whether with kimchi, jalapeños, or brie, makes it easy to tailor to any taste. Its simplicity and versatility ensure it will stay a favorite in 2025.

Chili black bean and cornbread pie

Chili and cornbread are a beloved pairing in the American Southwest and this chili black bean and cornbread skillet pie offers the same familiar seasonings, all in one pot. We were intrigued by the idea of making chili and cornbread in one

dish, with the recipe layering a chili mixture in the bottom of a skillet and spreading the cornbread mixture on top. To bring this recipe to life, we first simmered an aromatic chili mixture on the stove. The cornbread mixture was slightly dense and grainy at first, but after letting it rise in a bowl, it became fluffy, easily spreading over the chili. For a unique take on a traditional dish, this recipe was surprisingly delightful. The flavors went

together well and the recipe required minimal cleanup. However, we had trouble with the long list of ingredients and the ex tended cook ing time. This dish is worth trying once for its novelty, but it is not something we would bring to the New Year.

Penne with vodka sauce and spinach

minced garlic and tomato paste, and then it called for a whole 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes. We were initially concerned that the canned tomatoes would overpower the rest of the sauce, but it ended up being the perfect amount. The vodka cooked off seamlessly without creating an aftertaste, and the spinach that we added combined

well with the rest of the sauce. After adding the heavy cream and salt, it was time for us to add the al dente pasta. This recipe allowed all of the ingredients to combine perfectly in the saucepan, and this rich and creamy dish deserves its place in 2025’s top recipes.

Thrifty no more

Secondhand style popularity appears to raise prices

By CASEY PENDERGAST and DIEGO SANTORO-VELEZ

“$30 for a coat?” “Since when is everything here so expensive?” “I could get this for less on Amazon.” Walking through the crowded aisles of Montgomery County’s many thrift stores, it is hard to miss disgruntled shoppers and their various complaints about high clothing prices. With the ever-increasing popularity of thrifting on social media, Gen Z shoppers are turning more and more toward secondhand options for their wardrobe. Thrifting has long been praised for being both sustainable and wallet-friendly, but some are now growing wary of its ties to gentrification, recent price hikes, and sketchy environmental benefits.

I’ve been coming to this store specifically for probably five years now, and prices have definitely gotten more expensive.

American secondhand shopping, as it is known today, began with the founding of Goodwill in the early twentieth century and rose to popularity during the Great Depression. Thrifting saw another spike in popularity with the rise of environmentalism and counterculture in the 1970s. Today, post-pandemic social media culture has fueled a boom in thrifting among Gen Z.

The recent increase in thrifting, especially in younger generations, has had its benefits. Secondhand shopping options are often far more sustainable than fast fashion, as buying and wearing secondhand clothing reduces carbon emissions by an average of 25 percent. “I studied environmental biology in college, so I’m very passionate about the environment,” frequent Unique Thrift Store customer Cody Reuschel says. “I like that [thrifting] is an alternative to fast fashion or fast retail in general.”

The popularity of shopping at thrift stores on social media has also reduced the stigma around shopping secondhand, a factor that previously left some shoppers feeling isolated for relying on donated items. However, more negative facets of thrifting are often overlooked. Only between 10 and 30 percent of donations to thrift stores are actually resold in stores. The rest either go to landfills or end up on the international secondhand market. In many nations across Africa and the Middle East, secondhand goods coming predomi-

nantly from the U.S. have created a surplus of cheap clothing. This has caused local textile manufacturing in developing countries to collapse, as people have become increasingly reliant on secondhand options.

The growing demand for secondhand clothes fueled by social media attention has also led to price increases across thrift stores. “[Thrifting has] definitely gotten more expensive in the last few years,” Reuschel says. “I’ve been coming to this store specifically for probably five years now, and prices have definitely gotten more expensive.”

Because thrifted items are considered valuable rather than a last resort, secondhand shopping is expected to grow nine times faster than the broader retail clothing sector by 2027. As prices rise and competition to find high-value items grows, secondhand shopping becomes less and less accessible to people who rely on thrift stores to afford their basic needs. “If you have people who don’t need the lower prices as much, and aren’t coming here specifically for lower

prices for themselves, it’s more for a profit, that clientele would naturally have more disposable income and then thrift stores could naturally raise prices,” Reuschel says.

Blair students have only observed marginal changes in thrift prices. Junior Josh Anderson has seen a slight rise in prices over his years of thrifting. “It is not that much of an increase relatively,” he says. “But stuff that would have been $2 two years ago could be five.” Julia Robison, a senior and frequent thrifter, agrees with Anderson, but the higher cost has not impacted her beliefs on price fairness. “ They’re still very reasonable,” she says. It has also become increasingly popular to thrift a high volume of quality items and then resell them on sites like Depop, Poshmark, and eBay for a profit. Some customers like Reuschel feel that this contradicts the intended purpose

of thrift stores, transforming accessibility into a social-media-fueled industry. “I really get annoyed by resellers who will come and pick all the good stuff out of a thrift store and then just sell it for 10 times as much as they just bought it, when like I feel like the whole point of a thrift store is for people who need items on a budget to be able to get cool secondhand items,” he says. “And it’s hard for me to think of a way where you could help the people who need it the most without also just making it easier for the resellers.”

Goodwill’s mission statement declares that they work toward “helping people in need reach their full potential.” For now, thrift stores are tasked with the challenge of providing for patrons who rely on secondhand products while also catering to the desires of younger, more affluent customers.

UNIQUE THRIFT STORE Shoppers peruse the sweaters and winter wear aisle.

PHOTOS BY KAYLEE HOPKINS

Stuck in the passenger seat

Teenagers U-turn away from driving

By MAX ERLEBACHER and JUSTIN ROSENTOVER

“I’ve actually never been in the driver’s seat of a car before,” Blair senior Annie Koehler says. While driving has long symbolized freedom and independence for American teenagers, more and more high schoolers like Koehler are delaying getting their licenses. “My dad was talking about how as a kid everyone got their licenses as soon as possible,” Koehler says. “That’s part of the American experience, getting your license as a teenager … but I feel like now I know a lot of people who aren’t.”

In 1978, the number of drivers ages 19 and under peaked with almost 12 million on the road. But by 2022, there were only eight and a half million teenage drivers. This was exacerbated during the pandemic; in Maryland, there were more than a hundred thousand fewer teenage drivers in 2023 than in 2019.

Some teenagers simply feel there is little need to get a license. With the growing use of texting, Facetime, and social media to connect with friends and peers, driving to someone’s house may no longer hold the same importance that it used to. “My friends and I Facetime many times a week,” Wren Boulet-Simon, a senior at Bethesda-Chevy Chase, says. “I don’t need a driver’s license to do that.”

Beyond that, the growing popularity of ride-hailing apps like Lyft or Uber alleviates the need for teenagers to have a driver’s license of their own. “There’s so many ways of getting around now like Uber … so they’re more used to doing that,” Maureen Almeida,

a drivers-ed instructor for Montgomery College and Hagerstown Community College, says. Debbie Kebede, a Blair junior, agrees that teens today experience limited pressure to drive. “I have some friends who feel hesitant to start driving on the road because … they don’t see it as something they need to do,” she says. “They just feel that their parents can drive them anywhere and everywhere.”

That’s part of the American experience, getting your license as a teenager … but I feel like now I know a lot of people who aren’t.

ANNIE KOEHLER

Kebede also cites driver anxiety as a possible deterrent to getting a driver’s license. “[Teens are] a little worried because they know how risky and dangerous the roads are,” she says. Specifically, Kebede believes that the way parents teach their kids to drive makes them apprehensive about taking the wheel. “[Parents] instill fear in their teens because they obviously don’t want to crash,” she says. “So when teens get that energy from their parents or whoever’s teaching them how to drive, they also feel scared of themselves and don’t want to trust themselves.” Almeida adds that social media likely plays a role in rampant driving anxiety. “I think with social media, [teens] hear of more accidents happening … they’re scared to get behind the wheel,” she says.

Furthermore, environmental concerns discourage some from learning to drive. “A lot of people are resorting to carpooling or even public transportation rather than getting a license,” Blair senior Ayn Doye says. With cars being a leading cause of fossil fuel emissions, teenagers like Boulet-Simon favor more sustainable forms of transit like buses or the Metro. “The environment is really important to me, and driving is something that conflicts with that value,” Boutlet-Simon says. Instead, they ride their electric bike to school and to see friends.

Costs may also play a part in this decline. The price of car insurance for teenagers has always been relatively high, and auto insurance policies in general have been increasing significantly over time. Between 1990 and 2020, auto insurance prices have gone up an average of 3.8 percent per year. Combined with teenagers’ higher rates of accidents and dangerous driving habits, insurance premiums can cost $250 or more per month if not covered under their parents’ policies. This creates a significant financial burden, especially as the percentage of teenagers with jobs during the school year has decreased by almost 15 percent since 1978.

As fewer high schoolers learn to drive, parents are expressing concerns; many believe that without a driver’s license, teenagers will lack the independence necessary to thrive as adults. “Living in suburbia, I think it’s hard to imagine getting around without having a car,” Steven Bidwell, a Blair parent, says. “I encourage [teens] to get their driver’s license.”

Teens like Kebede ultimately agree with Bidwell’s sentiment. “In order to get from one place to another, I need to drive and not have to be attached to someone or … be strung on to a parent,” Kebede says. Furthermore, Koehler expresses the practical importance of having a license. “For homecoming this year, I went to Churchill’s [dance], and they asked for my license because I’m a student from outside of Churchill. I didn’t have one, so then I had to send in my passport,” she says. “To have a form of identity on you at all times would be so convenient.” Her goal is to obtain her driver’s license by the end of this year.

Doye, who has had her license for a few years, appreciates the independence it offers her. “I really enjoy [driving] …. it’s one of the first senses of freedom as a teenager,” she says.

FITNESS

By EMILY KRETSCHMER

With 2025 just starting, the year is young and ripe with new hopes for the next 12 months. Many set New Year’s resolutions centering on fitness and health. Although getting in shape is great (there’s truly nothing like incessant sweating and muscle pain), these ambitions do not always last. As such, I decided to explore a few fascinating tales of local gym goers, and how they stay motivated.

A 2024 poll by the Pew Research Center revealed that 79 percent of people who made New Year’s resolutions said their goals focused on health, exercise, or diet. Yet less than a month into the new year, 13 percent admitted they kept none of their resolutions. Blair senior Nigisti Asmerom attends LA Fitness and has noticed this trend.

“The beginning [of the] year is totally different because it’s like ‘New year, new me!’ so there’s so many more people at that time. But when it comes to later in the year, people fall off,” Asmerom says.

Planet Fitness is very popular among high schoolers, as the starting membership costs only $15 per month. This gym is especially affordable for teenagers during the summer when it offers a High School Summer Pass to ages 14-19, allowing them to work out for free.

Blair junior William Brady joined Planet Fitness because of how convenient it is and to build muscle for baseball. “I started going there because it was easy to get to, also very affordable and cheap,” he says. Now, he works out daily after school, often alongside other Blair students. Brady finds the community very welcoming, especially for newer gym goers. “It’s targeted to newer people with the whole judgment-free zone … they have a policy of no slamming weights, no yelling during sets.”

Planet Fitness has multiple locations near Blair, including Silver Spring, Takoma Park, and Wheaton, making it a highly accessible option. Another local gym is LA Fitness, which I used to think was pronounced “La Fitness,” not “L-A Fitness.” The basic membership costs $25 a month, with an initial $75 payment covering the initiation fee and the first and last two months. With this membership, you can go to the gym as often as you want, use all club equipment and amenities, and attend group fitness classes. Asmerom switched from Planet Fitness to LA Fitness because she felt it had more to offer. “There was no [basketball court] in the Planet Fitness I went to, and the Planet Fitness I went to was also pretty small … it didn’t have as many of the machines as I wanted,” she says.

After finding that traditional gyms just didn’t work for her, Elise Pressma decided to try out Orangetheory Fitness (OTF), which has

a location in Silver Spring. Pressma explains OTF takes a slightly different approach to exercise from places like Planet Fitness and LA Fitness. “I liked that not everyone in there was like, 20-something. They were just normal people like me, middle-aged folk, and it had good energy,” she says. “The coaches were actually engaged and concerned about the participants, and it felt like a welcoming atmosphere, so I stayed.”

At OTF, workouts are group classes that combine running on a treadmill, rowing, and strength training as part of a heart ratebased interval training program. A coach guides participants through the entire workout, so there is no need to make a plan yourself. This doesn’t mean it is easy, though. Participants wear heart rate monitors and display their data on studio screens. The goal is to spend 12 or more minutes in elevated heart rate zones to maximize calorie burn and overall results.

However, this structured approach comes at a higher price. The most affordable OTF plan, which includes just four classes per month, starts at $79, though prices vary by location. Despite the cost, Pressma values the motivation and community OTF provides. “I’m really, really grateful; Orangetheory is really a wonderful addition to my life because it is super, super hard to stay motivated, and they have it down. Whatever they do, they keep you. It is a cult. It is strangely addictive, and they make it wonderful to work out, which is really hard to do,” she says.

Brady, Asmerom, and Pressma do not make New Year’s resolutions, yet they can stay consistent in the gym. Blair teacher and flag football coach, Morgan Patel, explains that continually setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals helps her more than making New Year’s resolutions. “I think that it’s really easy to not hit [New Year’s resolutions] because a lot of people set them and then they don’t stay on track the whole year, whereas I feel more strongly about constantly creating goals for yourself throughout the year.”

Though I have not set any New Year’s Resolutions, I look forward to exploring local gyms and finding what works best for me—and maybe even employing some of Patel’s goal-setting tips.

LUCIA WANG

ROSALYN FANG

By ETHAN DE BRAUW and MAX ERLEBACHER

De par le monde, les résultats des élections favorisent les candidats et les partis politiques autoritaires. L’élection américaine n’était pas une exception; Donald Trump a gagné l’élection présidentielle. Maintenant nous devons nous demander quel effet cette élection aura sur le monde francophone?

Le partenaire francophone le plus proche des États-Unis, qui va être le plus touché par la politique commerciale et la rhétorique toxique de Trump, est le Canada. Trump dit qu’il veut que le Canada devienne le cinquante et unième état, et ce, en totale violation de la souveraineté canadienne. Il dit aussi que les ÉtatsUnis sont en train de protéger le Canada sans rien recevoir en retour et suggère des tarifs comme punition contre le Canada. Les stratégies de Trump pourraient endommager sévèrement l’économie américaine et canadienne, et risquent de provoquer une récession. Les États-Unis sont le partenaire d’échange le plus important du Canada, et les tarifs de Trump pourraient rendre ce niveau d’échange impossible.

Les pays francophones européens vont aussi être touchés par Trump. Celui-ci a utilisé une rhétorique similaire du Canada en discutant de la défense en Europe. D’après Trump, les pays européens ne payent pas pour leur défense militaire, et les États-Unis donnent trop sans recevoir le soutien des pays européens. Il a suggéré que les États-Unis pourraient se retirer de l’OTAN; une stratégie que les pays francophones interprètent comme une grande menace contre leur sécurité nationale.

Les associés de Trump, comme Elon Musk, posent une autre men ace pour les pays francophones. Trump et ses alliés sont des défen seurs de la déréglementation des nouvelles technologies, tan dis que les pays francophones en Europe favorisent une méthode plus réglementée. Maintenant que Trump est président de la plus grande puissance économique au monde, il pourrait pousser ses idées en menaçant d’arrêter l’échange économique entre les États-Unis et ses cibles. Mais le monde francophone n’est pas limité au Canada et à l’Europe; en fait, la majorité des Francophones habitent dans certains pays d’Afrique. Ces populations ressentiront certainement les effets de la présidence de Trump. Un scénario possible, selon l’économiste Sophonie Koboude, est que Trump réduise son influence dans les

JESSICA HSIEH

Hear me out: sexualization on social media has gone too far

autres pays pour favoriser l’industrie américaine. Si cela pourrait limiter les échanges avec les pays africains ainsi que l’aide financière à ces pays, certains experts estiment que la démondialisation de Trump n’est pas nécessairement négative. En effet, elle pourrait promouvoir des marchés internes en Afrique et la croissance des échanges intra-régionaux. Cela signifierait aussi que les États-Unis n’imposeraient plus leurs valeurs sociales et culturelles sur ces pays. Certains pays d’Afrique, comme le Sénégal, qui ont interdit les droits LGBTQ+ avaient été exclus des lois économiques américaines par l’administration de Biden, mais pourraient être mieux accueillis par celle de Trump. Un autre scénario, comme expliqué par Koboude, est que la compétition économique entre les États-Unis et la Chine pourrait placer l’Afrique dans une position géopolitique unique. Les tensions croissantes entre les deux pays pourraient inciter la Chine à renforcer ses relations et ses échanges avec les pays africains. Cependant, l’alternative pourrait également se produire: la guerre commerciale entre les États-Unis et la Chine pourrait entraîner des périodes de diminution des échanges. Par conséquent, cela pourrait réduire les investissements et les revenus des pays africains francophones impliqués dans ces échanges, particulièrement pour les matières premières, comme la République Démocratique du Congo et le Mozambique.

La présidence de Trump va avoir un grand impact sur le monde francophone. Le Canada et les pays européens qui sont francophones craignent que ses stratégies militaires et économiques vont les endommager, et les pays africains vont probablement recevoir moins de soutien économique des ÉtatsUnis, avec des résultats in

By KIYA TIRUNEH and RUTH WAJDA-GOTWALS AN OPINION

A flashing video edit of the Menendez brothers paired with sultry music fills the feeds of social media users. Their courtroom stares are reimagined as smoldering gazes. The comments are flush with thousands of graphic declarations of sexual attraction to the criminals. Scrolling through social media reveals countless edits, trends, and entire communities devoted to sexualizing inanimate objects, fictional characters, malicious predators, and even abstract concepts. While some of it is played off as humor, the pervasive sexualization in digital spaces warps perceptions of self-image, morality, and relationships.

In an article published on The Conversation, Sonja Petrovic, assistant lecturer in Media and Communications at the University of Melbourne, and Milovan Savic, research fellow at Swinburne University of Technology, write that TikTok’s guidelines hardly prevent the spread of sexual content across their platform and many creators take advantage of this. “TikTok’s guidelines on sexually explicit stories and sexualized posing are ambiguous … Many TikTok creators, including creators of pornography, use the platform to promote themselves and their content on other platforms,” Petrovic and Savic write.

Even more concerning is the exposure of young users to such material. The Wall Street Journal conducted an investigation where they simulated multiple Instagram accounts of users who appeared to be between 13 and 15 years old. In contrast to what the parent company Meta advertised, these accounts were presented with an increasing amount of sexual context as investigators continued to browse. Investigators also observed that if these teen accounts showed interest in the recommended content, the severity of the sexual content would increase. This exposure can be damaging because it constructs inaccessible beauty standards, and to adolescents still developing cognitively and emotionally, their self-im-

age can be all the more vulnerable. Clinical social worker and Takoma Therapy owner Simone Jacobs explains that hypersexualized culture on social media can have harmful effects on users. “[Oversexualization] can be very detrimental to our mental health. It can set up high standards for what we should look like without clothes on,” Jacobs explains. She also emphasizes how it affects relationships. “[Hypersexualization can make people] prioritize the sexual part of a relationship.”

Some younger audiences recognize this problem. Blair junior Clementine Higgins believes that her generation sometimes crosses the line, even if it is for the sake of humor. “Our generation has been progressive and open about sex, but with that comes negative sexualization and sometimes oversexualization,” Higgins says. “Hypersexualization like that is unhealthy because not everything is about sex—which is normalized in our culture.”

It makes people unable to function normally when it becomes real relationships. Guys have this unrealistic picture of women, and relationships too.

Recently, alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO murderer Luigi Mangione enchanted thousands of social media users after his photos went viral. Internet users voiced their opinions, calling for his charges to be dropped and that his only crime was ‘stealing their hearts.’ Additionally, thousands of video edits of Mangione circulated on TikTok, with many users leaving lustful remarks in the respective video comment sections.

Hypersexualization permeates even the most mundane spaces on the internet. Simply posting something mundane and casual can lead

to a flood of graphic sexual comments that are often unsolicited and unwelcome. In other cases, entire communities form around kinks, fetishes, and lust. These range from fetish-based online groups to more humorous trends, such as the “Hear Me Out” cakes. In this trend, attendees decorate cakes with photos of unconventionally attractive people or concepts they find appealing. At Blair senior Chloe Ciabotti’s friend’s birthday party, they celebrated with one of these viral cakes. The pictures she and her friends brought featured things not traditionally sexualized, but Ciabotti thinks the abnormality of it made it funny. “People brought Diddy and then Epstein. There was also Lewis and Clark and the quadratic equation,” Ciabotti says. Though the humor may seem harmless, it promotes a culture thatnormalizes hypersexualization among young people.

Blair junior Abigail Jackson believes that hypersexualization online could harm real-world relationships. “It makes people unable to function normally when it becomes real relationships,” Jackson says. “Guys have this unrealistic picture of women and relationships too.” By presenting exaggerated or unattainable images of sexuality, social media creates expectations that are impossible to meet, creating a disconnect between online fantasy and reality. Ultimately, the normalization of sexualization in digital spaces carries risks that go far beyond the screen. Jacobs warns of the importance of separating online and offline realities to maintain healthy relationships. “We have to be very careful in real life because what we’re allowed to do and talk about and see on the internet is very different from what we are allowed to do when we’re engaging and in a relationship with somebody,” she says. As audiences scroll through curated feeds of exaggerated fantasies, they must recognize the consequences of internalizing those messages—and find ways to counteract them.

ABIGAIL JACKSON

LUCIA WANG

Chips Clips

Sudoku Sort ‘em

Snow Days

Take these 16 words and sort them into four categories based on their similarities and common threads. There should be four words in each category.

LONG EAGLES DOCTRINE MOWN POV OUTLOOK FULL GROWN 76ERS IDEOLOGY COWBOY WINE WHALE FLYERS UNION LOGIC

Category One:

Category Two:

Category Three:

Category Four:

27: Just swell 28: Appease 29: Maple syrup source 30: Iranian currency 31: Deed holder 34: Poem of praise 37: How all Marylanders feel about

47: Speedy

50: Heavy snowstorms

53: “This won’t hurt ___!”

54: Mini lion on the ocean

55: Chess pieces

56: Vermont city

57: Garden tool

62: Sturdy tree

63: Last Greek letter

64: Toyota model

65: Pig’s digs

66: Rehab process

67: Campfire treat

Down:

1: ___ de guerre

2: Yes, in Paris

3: USPS delivery

4: “___ we there yet?”

5: Doze

6: Bengali-American chef

7: Place for rouge

8: Blazing

9: “___ in Boots”

10: Tolkien tree creature

11: Muscular strength

12: Rowed

13: Showy flower

21: Text abbreviation expressing emotion

22: Mountain pass

23: Bit of parsley

24: Catches red-handed

25: Florida city

26: Droop

27: Pub projectile

29: Neptune’s domain

31: Not ‘neath

32: Sweaty soap opera for men

33: Stanley Cup organization

34: Take place

35: Challenged

36: Organic compounds

38: Manchester United wing back

39: Ornamental pond fish

40: “___ Camera”

44: Set of tools

45: Famous signer-songwriter, wrote “Kill Bill”

46: Montezuma’s people

47: Real Madrid legend, center back

48: Without missing ___

49: Small digit

50: Flat hat

51: Slow movement

52: Mountaineer’s tool

54: “Ditto”

56: Physique, slangily

58: River blocker

59: Non-___ (food label)

60: Go wrong

61: Catcher in the ___

Contact Puzzle Editor Ethan de Brauw at silverchipsclips@gmail.com with the subject “Chips Clips January” with questions, comments, concerns, or any other feedback.

January Solutions

JESSICA HSIEH

By AINSLIE CURRAN-NG’ASI and YONGLE XIN

Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources.

During the summer of 2024, Tre’ Ford, Thomas Edison’s varsity boys’ basketball coach in Fairfax County, Virginia, allegedly had players on his team that did not attend the school, breaking the Virginia High School League’s (VHSL) rules regarding recruiting. Ford was suspended in January for his alleged violation. These types of violations are not unique to Fairfax County.

In MCPS, athletics rules prohibit coaches from communicating with other schools’ students to convince them to switch to their school’s program, but Blair Athletic Director Rita Boule believed that coaches still do. “It’s unethical, but do coaches try to do it? I believe that they do,” Boule said. The Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA), the governing body of Maryland high school athletics, enforces a one-school-year restriction on athletics participation following a student transferring schools, which is meant to discourage transfers for purely athletic purposes.

The one-year waiting period only applies to students with Change of School Assignments (COSA) waivers, which are documents given to students who transfer schools without moving from one address to another. If a student’s address does change, they are obligated to transfer to the school district they moved to and are not required to undergo the waiting period.

However, that waiting period can be circumvented with a special waiver from the MCPS Athletics Department. These waivers are only granted when there is requisite evidence, such as a letter from a therapist or a note from a doctor, to show that the transfer is being made for non-athletic purposes such as academics or to escape bullying. The parents are responsible for providing the necessary documents. “The parents will email me and let me know why they requested the COSA,” Anne Rossiter, MCPS Athletics Compliance Coordinator, said. “Whether or not there are letters from therapists, there are … supporting documents

that [the submitters] want to show to let me know why they’re doing it.”

Moving was the best option for Blair freshman and varsity soccer player Samara House, who went from a Howard County middle school to the Blair area. She was not subject to the waiting period. Her family chose to move to the Blair area partly because of Blair’s excellent soccer program. “We saw that Blair had a really great soccer program, and we also saw they had really good academics, so we thought that would be a perfect fit,” House said.

In MCPS, whether one transferred within a specific consortium like the Downcounty Consortium is another factor. Students who receive a COSA to transfer between two high schools in the same consortium are automatically exempted from the waiting period.

Another possible loophole was used by Hayfield Secondary School in the VHSL to recruit the best players in the county. Sam Nosoff, Blair’s head varsity football coach, explained what Hayfield did. “Almost half of their couldhave-been-state-championship-winning-team [players were] under a homeless rule, and it seemed to have been covered up in a way that they couldn’t necessarily touch the transfers of the students,” Nosoff said.

The VHSL gave the team a

SPORTS

January 30, 2025

Playing the system

two-year postseason ban over the scandal that was later blocked in an injunction for the 2024 season, allowing the team to compete in the playoffs. They later forfeited in the regional semifinals following a series of leaked text messages between the coaching staff.

Much like in the VHSL, punishments in MCPS are not doled out by the athletic director or even the county. Once a coach discovers a violation, they must report it to their athletic director, who will in turn report it to MCPS’ Athletics Compliance Office. The compliance office conducts an investigation looking at any COSAs the student used, the reasoning behind any waivers, any documents related to the student’s address, and any communications between the coach and student. “We would investigate whether or not they were [at their home school],” Rossiter said. “Then we investigate and find out why they were allowed to play, what [the circumstances were], and then we have to report it to the MPSSAA.”

If the investigation finds a violation, the office recommends the penalty they feel is appropriate and sends it with the report to the MPSSAA’s Director of Communications and Compliance, who will review the county’s investigation and levy a punishment they feel is fair. They do not need to follow MCPS’ recommendation. “They

either agree with our recommendations, or they can pose further penalties, or they say, ‘No, we don’t agree with anything you did in the investigation,’” Rossiter said. These penalties can vary in form and severity. “[Coaches] could get a letter of censure, [or] they could be asked not to return to coaching. The state could then, depending upon the severity of [the offense], say, ‘We don’t want you coaching in the state of Maryland,’” Rossiter said. Schools could be forced to forfeit their games, be ineligible for championships, or be put on probation and prohibited from playing in the next season. Individual students could be barred from playing for 60 school days or even the entirety of the following season.

Even if it is not caught, recruiting can still have negative impacts on teams and athletes. “I think it really does a disservice to the athletes. It sets a bad example if coaches know that illegal players are playing for them,” Hoelman said. Nosoff believed that this kind of dishonest behavior will teach the wrong lessons. “Do we want to teach [students] that there’s a way around everything, or do we want to teach them how to work for things and how to take responsibility?” he said.

Even without abusing loopholes, students and coaches could break the rules and stay quiet. “Has it happened? Just by the nature of competition and whatnot, I’m sure,” Robert Gibb, Blair girls’ varsity soccer coach, remarked. “There have been players in various sports, from various schools, that have been found out to be at another school illegally playing a sport.”

This happened with Ava, a current senior who attended MCPS in their freshman and sophomore years before their family moved to Prince George’s County her junior year. She wanted to stay at her original school for its strong academics, but also because she was a member of an athletic team there. “[Athletics] was the main part,” she said. In order to stay, Ava had three options: pay the county to let them attend the MCPS school (which is permitted), stay at the house of a teammate or family friend, or break the rules by using

their old address on official forms. She chose the last option. Only her coach and one of her teammates knew about the situation until she slipped up. “I turned in a doctor’s note with my actual address, not my [old] address,” Ava said. The revelation forced her to leave MCPS and attend a Prince George’s County school. Sometimes, athletes transfer to find easier academics rather than stronger athletics. Dylan Anderson, a Blair baseball player who transferred from Washington International School in Washington, D.C., did just that. “School here is a lot easier than it was in my old school, so I can put a lot more effort and time into baseball,” he said. Private schools do not follow the same rules as MCPS. The Maryland Independent Athletic Conference (MIAC), Maryland’s independent school athletics governing body, only mandates that students who transfer in the middle of the school year sit out the rest of the year from athletics. Coaches are allowed to recruit players from other schools, both public and private.

Josh took advantage of that. He currently attends an MCPS high school and plays on its varsity football team, but he recently received a football scholarship from a private school and plans to attend that school next year. He believes that he can gain advantages there when it comes to college recruitment. “They’re big private schools, so they have connections with good D1 colleges … I just feel like that’s just a better move for my future,” Josh said.

Instead of recruiting, Blair coaches said they were focused more on working with the players they have. “Our philosophy here has always been [that] we coach who we have, we let everything else take care of itself, and we make the best out of every opportunity and season,” Nosoff said. Gibb echoed this sentiment, saying he enjoyed the challenge. “I get the players that I get—whoever comes to the school—and I hope I get a good group and we do the best we can. To me, that’s the fun and the challenge of coaching,” he said.

JASON YU

Wheaton, Silver Spring recreation centers pump up community

By LUCY HOLLAND and TOMAS MONTICELLI

The Wheaton Recreation Center opened its doors to the public over five years ago. Last February, the Silver Spring Recreation Center followed suit. From pools to dance rooms to outdoor recreation areas, both centers have made a profound impact on the communities where they were built.

At the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Arcola Avenue, the Wheaton Recreation Center combines a library and an athletics center, providing balanced access to the enrichment of the mind and body. It features the first-ever indoor walking track in Montgomery County. The facility also offers a pottery studio with a kiln and a Kefa Café. The building was built to be a sustainable hub with underground parking and a vegetative roof to minimize surface water loss.

The decision to build the Wheaton Recreation Center in the already existing Wheaton Library

building was driven by two factors: cost and convenience, according to the director of the Montgomery County Department of General Services, David Dise. “Whenever we have the opportunity to conjoin or collocate county services, we want to try and do that. It saves money because it’s basically building one building instead of two, but most importantly, it provides a onestop shop for county residents,” Dise said.

The county’s effort to provide convenient services has been successful. “I think that the combination of the rec center with the library is very creative and intuitive, as immediately after getting some work done, you can go for a nice little workout—or the other way around,” Blair junior Ben Burckle expressed. “I think that it gives people a space where they can exercise, maybe blow off some steam if they’re frustrated with something that they’re working on.”

The Wheaton Recreation Center also boasts a popular game room with arcade-style games, ping

pong, and a pool table. Blair junior Emanuel Yemane explained the popularity of the games. “There’s a lot of people who normally go to the game room, where they can play ping pong, use the pool table, play basketball—and they come often, so I’m pretty sure they’re enjoying it,” he said. Alongside physical activities, the Wheaton Recreation Center frequently hosts community events, including educational presentations and art gallery showings.

Tucked behind large buildings in downtown Silver Spring, the Silver Spring Recreation Center is located on Apple Avenue. This center offers free Zumba and water aerobics classes, making use of its $72 million facilities, which include three pools and many dance and movement rooms. It also houses the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, where visitors can learn about the achievements of

famous local coaches and athletes.

Sharing the building with the Silver Spring Recreation Center is The Leggett, a new affordable apartment building catering to elderly residents. It provides them with access to the facilities at the center as well as physiotherapy and other health-improving amenities through a Holy Cross Hospital office.

The well-kept facilities in the center make it an enjoyable working environment for Blair junior Teagan Ferguson, a swim instructor at the aquatic center for SWIMontgomery. “[The facilities are] really, really nice. And, a lot of other pools [at different places] are really run down, like the tile is cracked and it’s really dirty, but these facilities are nice because it’s new and it’s big too,” Ferguson said.

Accessibility is a key feature of the Silver Spring center. Before

its construction, the closest county pool residents could go to was Martin Luther King Jr. Swim Center, which was difficult to reach without a car. Now, the aquatic center is a 10-minute walk from the Silver Spring bus station and is in the middle of Downtown Silver Spring. “Having this pool that’s literally right in Downtown Silver Spring [is] a lot easier for people from the community to [go to], because there’s public transport and it’s just closer to everything,” Ferguson said.

Both recreation centers encourage community engagement through free membership for county residents. Blair junior Erich Ramos, who frequents the Wheaton Recreation Center, pointed out why the cost-free program is ideal for Montgomery County residents. “It’s hard, especially in this area, to get a gym membership, because they’re so expensive,” he said.

County residents hoping to use the facilities only need to register for a free RecFit pass, which can be done online or in person. To use the aquatic center in Silver Spring, county residents under 18 must pay a daily fee of $5. The price for adults is $7.

People can drop in for a game of pickleball almost every day of the week at the Silver Spring Recreation Center or a game of basketball at the Wheaton Recreation Center. Both centers also host diverse cultural and recreational events that strengthen community bonds. “Every time I go there, I see people of many different cultures and backgrounds. So I think it’s very beneficial for bringing people together and just a useful tool,” Ramos said.

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PHOTOS BY RAFFI DIAMOND-BERMAN

SILVER SPRING RECREATION CENTER Swimmers compete at the aquatic center in Downtown Silver Spring.

WHEATON RECREATION CENTER The facility includes an indoor walking track and basketball courts.

GRAPHIC BY EMILY KRETSCHMER

College athletes jump between programs

Terps explain the NCAA transfer portal

By MACKENZIE LYONS

Since the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) introduced the transfer portal in 2018, collegiate athletes across the nation have gained the autonomy to change where they spend their college careers. Recently, however, the transfer portal has led to increased criticism from fans and coaches alike, who argue that it ruins the significance of the college commitment process.

Before the creation of the transfer portal, transferring schools as a college athlete was a complicated, confusing, and lengthy process.

Chris Robinson, the coordinator of basketball operations at the University of Maryland (UMD), described how the convoluted transfer rules often discouraged athletes from moving schools. “It used to be that if you were a transfer, you had to sit out a full year,” Robinson said. “Try to convince an 18-year-old or 19-year-old who thinks they’re a really good basketball player to sit out for a whole year—they don’t want to do that.”

The transfer portal—an online system containing the names and information of any college athlete who desires to transfer—made the process of changing schools simpler. Division I (DI) and Division II (DI) athletes are required to enter the transfer portal if they want to transfer, while athletes from Division III (DIII) are allowed to enter the portal but are not required to. The transfer portal makes it easier for coaches and staff to communicate with athletes across the country and recruit them to their programs.

Teams like the UMD womens’ basketball team have seen significant improvements in their team’s results after bringing in athletes from the transfer portal. “That’s why we’re here today,” Maryland forward Allie Kubek, who transferred from Towson in 2022, said. “I mean, last year, we went out in the first round [of playoffs], and I think that this year, we’re a final four team, a championship team.”

Even though thousands of individual athletes and whole teams

benefit from the transfer portal, there are still several criticisms of how athletes and coaches use it.

Opponents of the portal, including collegiate sports fans, argue that it takes away from the significance of an athlete committing to a school at the beginning of their college career. However, athletes such as Kubek feel that committing to a school at the end of high school should not define where they spend all four years of college.

“Coming out of high school, you make decisions based on things that you think you want to do or things that you think you like, and because you’re still kind of young, you need to work through a couple things,” Kubek said. “I feel like if a school that you chose just isn’t the right fit for you somehow, the transfer portal really opens up good opportunities for you to go to a new school that can provide you with what you’re looking for.”

Any athlete who wants to enter the transfer portal must notify their school of their intentions; however, they do not have to tell their coaches. In response, the school enters the athlete’s name and information into the transfer portal within two business days. The time window that an athlete remains available to contact in the transfer portal varies by sport and season. For women’s basketball players, the window is open from March 25 to April 23.

Once the portal opens, coaches and other school staff are allowed to contact any athlete in the portal.

“It’s literally incredible how many times your phone can ring in one day,” Kubek said.

The basic recruitment process from the transfer portal is similar in many ways to how high school athletes are recruited by colleges.

Coaches have the opportunity to communicate with players, and in some cases, offer them a spot on their team. High school athletes like Blair junior Erich Ramos often have to reach out to coaches to secure a spot on a college team. “If you’re in the top 1% of 1%, they come to you, obviously,” he said.

“But for someone in my range, I have to reach out to schools be-

cause even though I may be good in Maryland, there [are] hundreds of others of me out there.”

The main difference between the two processes is the window of time athletes and coaches have to communicate and how quickly athletes have to commit. Players like UMD women’s basketball guard Mir McLean, who transferred from the University of Virginia before the start of the current season, noticed the difference in the time frame she had during the transfer process. “In high school, you had so many opportunities and so much time to learn people, and then now in college, you don’t even have half of that, so that can be stressful,” she said.

Due to the ease and fast-paced nature of the transfer portal, impulsive decisions, transfers, and commitments from both athletes and coaches sometimes leave players and their teams in worse positions. This issue is exacerbated for athletes on teams that make deep postseason runs, as the transfer portal often opens early in the postseason, leaving those athletes with smaller windows to transfer. Sudden changes to coaching and school staff can also lead to these quick decisions. “It’s almost like speed dating. You’re trying to figure out within a week if a player is going to come in and mess up your whole locker room and chemistry,” Robinson explained.

Before the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities into NCAA sports, which allow athletes to control how their image is used and profit from it, the transfer portal provided athletes with both athletic and academic opportunities. Players could switch schools to improve their game, prepare for playing at the professional level, and avoid potentially toxic situations with previous teams. Players like Kubek also saw clear academic advantages to transferring to a larger school. “Because of the transfer portal, I was able to look at different opportunities and things that align with what I wanted to major in,” she said.

With the introduction of NIL, financial benefit can become the number one criterion athletes consider when choosing where to transfer. “It’s definitely become a very big factor, and there’s definitely players who you hear about right away, that they’re the type of player who just wants to go to the highest bidder,” Robinson said. “And you hear about others who aren’t as concerned with that, and are more concerned about their fit within a basketball team.”

Kubek and McLean, who were both collegiate athletes before 2021, saw that when the NCAA officially allowed NIL deals to take place there was a significant change in how some players approached the portal. “I feel like a lot of people now who have grown into the age of NIL [and] are looking for that financial stability, just because being a broke college student isn’t it anymore,” McLean said.

The transfer portal really opens up good opportunities for you to go to a new school that can provide you with what you’re looking for.

The transfer portal remains a controversial topic in collegiate sports. It fundamentally changes how many athletes spend their years of college athletic eligibility, and impacts how coaches and staff operate. However, supporters of the portal argue that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Athletes can use the transfer portal to improve their experience with college athletics, and coaches can use it to strengthen their teams in the off-season. “Our seasons are won and lost in April,” Robinson said, referring to the basketball transfer portal window. “Now, it’s kind of crazy. So many of those quick decisions that happen in April decide what’s happening now, on

court.”

the

ALLIE KUBEK

XFINITY CENTER Maryland guard Mir McLean, a transfer from the University of Virginia, shoots a free throw in a win against Michigan State on Dec. 29.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARYLAND ATHLETICS

TOP AND BOTTOM Maryland women’s basketball coach Brenda Frese shouts from the sideline versus Minnesota. Maryland forward Allie Kubek, who transferred from Towson University, attempts a floater in a win against Wisconsin on Jan. 11.