March 2015 -- Silver Chips Print

Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

A public forum for student expression since 1937

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REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF ELSA LAKEW

Activists C4

March 12, 2015

Winner of the 2014 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker

Blazers go to States

By Julian Bregstone

Following the winter athletic season, Blair’s ice hockey, track and field, swimming and wrestling teams each competed in State Championships.

After its reinstatement into the playoffs, the Blair Ice Hockey team started off with a 7-5 victory in the first round and a shutout in the second, sending the team to the Maryland Student Hockey League Class 1A State Championship. The team fell to Annapolis Old Mill 3-1. Blair’s solitary goal came from senior Javier Lopez with just over a minute left in the third period.

After Blair pulled their goalie in the final period, Annapolis Old Mill’s William Jenkins scored for the third time. The team was impressed by the amount of students who came to support them.

“Without a doubt it was the most people I’ve played in front of and the loudest game I’ve ever played in,” senior Sebastian Rubinstein said. The captain and defenseman had made it his goal to get to the state championship. “It meant a lot to us seniors too, to make it to that game. It’s been our goal for two or three seasons now,” he said.

Junior Susanna Maisto placed

Mr. Blair

eighth in the 500 meter dash at the MPSSAA 4A State Championship Track and Field meet on Feb. 23. The top eight finishers in each event earn a point, and Maisto earned one point for Blair. Maisto was excited about the experience.

“There was a really great atmosphere because everybody was supportive and the crowd got really into it,” she said. Blair finished tied for last, 33rd overall.

Blair’s wrestling team sent senior Marcus Forrester, senior DMarco Warren and senior Junior Ulrich Yanga to the MPSSAA State Wrestling Class 4A/3A Tournament that took place March 7. The team placed 39th overall out of 67 teams in the tournament. Yanga scored 31 individual points, and his fourth place finish in the 152 weight class earned Blair’s 13.5 team points. “It felt good to compete in states because the crowd was crazy; they reacted to every move,” Yanga said.

The State Championship Swimming Class 4A/3A Meet was scheduled for Feb. 24 but was postponed until March 11. Meet results were unavailable at press time.

KYRA SEIGER

PAGEANT On Feb. 13, male students competed to win the first-ever Mr. Blair title.

Educators debate the PARCC tests

Additional coverage of the hockey game can be found on F3.

By Maris Medina During this month’s administration of the new assessments developed by the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), many educators, parents and students have expressed agitation with the new exams. PARCC officially replaced the statewide Maryland State Assessment (MSA) and High School Assessment (HSA) this 2014-2015 school year.

According to many MCPS educators, the PARCC exams are more difficult than previous state-mandated assessments. In the English

KYRA SEIGER

HOCKEY Blair played Annapolis Old Mill in the state championship.

A difficult path to education Seeking a college degree, undocumented

By Daliah Barg and Maris Medina As Blair alumna Marisela Tobar approached graduation day in 2014, she envisioned a grim walk across the stage before thousands of people at DAR Constitution Hall: unlike many of her peers, she was not yet sure of her collegiate future. “I couldn’t walk the stage and be like my friends that knew that they were going to Ohio, they were going to Boston, they were going to Maryland, and they had their futures planned out,” she remembers.

However, that same time the next year, Tobar found herself

NEWS A2

walking through the halls of Trinity University. Tobar’s experience is not just of a regular student attending university, but rather of an undocumented immigrant who could not have paid for college any other way. For the nearly 1.1-1.4 million undocumented students now residing in the United States, according to Golden Door Scholars, an organization that provides scholarships for undocumented students, attending college is a complicated goal. As a result of their status, these students across the country have to pay out-of-state tuition at

see UNDOCUMENTED page C1

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10 assessment, Blair tenth grade English teacher Brandie Pundzak noted the addition of components not found in previous standardized exams. “[PARCC exams] have writing; the HSA hasn’t had writing in years,” she said. “Critical thinking and expectations are higher.”

Blair Algebra 2 teacher Elliott Shiotani predicted that PARCC assessments will be chal-lenging for his students who are having trouble in class. “It’s definitely a very difficult test,” he said. “It’s the exact same test for both [honors and on-level] so the students who are struggling in Algebra 2 are going

to struggle with this test.”

According to Shiotani, the testing issues can be attributed to the untimely implementation. “Some of the content on there we haven’t gotten to in Algebra 2 yet, so it seems we are to test them partway through second semester when they have content that’s on the entire semester,” he said.

The number of components for a given question also makes the tests more difficult, according to parent Deb Stahl, who has elementary school and middle school children in the Rockville cluster.

see ACADEMICS page A3

Greenhouse pipe bursts in cold weather

By Reva Kreeger A pipe burst in Blair’s greenhouse Feb. 16 due to freezing temperatures, leaving the insides frozen and a sheet of ice covering an entire side of the building.

According to Building Services Manager Yakubu Agbonselobho, Principal Renay Johnson called Agbonselobho at 8:43 a.m. on Feb. 16 to let him know about the issue she discovered while driving by the school. After building services was notified, the leak was stopped fairly quickly. “The protocol is to call security, and security contacted the Maintenance Depot, who cut off the [water to] the pipe,” Agbonselobho said. Greg Evans, a mechanical systems technician, came from the county maintenance division and secured the pipes to stop water from pouring out.

Most of the plants in the green-

house were covered in a solid layer of ice after the pipe burst, which damaged a majority of the projects in the space. A group of science teacher John Haigh III’s students had been growing plants in the greenhouse for around two months. “The kids lost their whole project,” Haigh said. Additionally, teacher Marta Woodward’s AP Biology class had been growing plants to study the effects of photosynthesis, but that project was also damaged. “Almost all of the AP Bio plants were frozen,” science department head Summer Roark said. However, since the issue occurred toward the beginning of the semester, most major projects had not been started yet and were saved from the ice.

A few weeks earlier, some windows were shattered. “The heat

see PIPE page A2

REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF AMANDA FLORES

ICY FALLS Senior Amanda Flores stands in front of the frozen flood left by the broken pipe.

insidechips PARCC

Takoma Update

D.C. For A Day

Spring Sports

A look at the academics, implementation and politics of the new test.

As small businesses come and go, can Takoma’s vibe stay the same?

Spending time in Washington -- without spending too much money.

The inside scoop on the upcoming season, from captains and coaches.

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OP/ED B1

D2

C3 ZEKE WAPNER

ZEKE WAPNER

FEATURES C1

ENTERTAINMENT D1

KYRA SEIGER

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F1 KYRA SEIGER

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A2 News

March 12, 2015

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School board votes to push back start times

High schools to begin 20 minutes later next school year

By Daliah Barg

The Board of Education voted 5-3 on Feb. 10 to move start times later next school year.

High schools and middle schools will both start 20 minutes later, at 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 a.m., respectively, and elementary schools will begin 10 minutes later, at 9:00 a.m. The school day’s ending times will be adjusted accordingly, and the current length of the school day will not change for middle and high schools. Elementary schools will add an extra 10 minutes for lunch or recess. Additionally, elementary schools will be divided into two tiers – 9:00 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. and 9:25 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

The net cost of the change will be zero dollars. Although all five options that the Board considered were each projected to cost under $10 million, this one has the most minimal financial impact on the MCPS budget, according to an MCPS memo. No additional buses will be needed and any changes in the budget even each other out, according to Student Member of the Board and Clarskburg senior Dahlia Huh. “With this new model we’ll be saving about one million dollars in transportation, because the transportation window is closing, and that additional one million dollars that we save is going to be used for that additional ten minutes of lunch and recess for elementary school students,” she said.

Board member Rebecca Smondrowski, who voted for the change, stressed that the decision is a trade-off. “Overseeing a school system as large and complex as ours with diverse cultures and competing priorities and resources is a balancing act. Under the circumstances and given our fiscal resources, an increase of 20 minutes was the realistic compromise,” Smondrowski said. The later starting time is a step in the right direction, according to Huh. “It’s not enough to completely turn around a teenager’s sleep cycle, but I think it really does make a difference,” she said. According to Smondrowski, there will be many benefits of the bell time

change. “[Students] get to sleep a little bit more, which is definitely more in tune with what works for teenagers in terms of their circadian rhythm, and we should expect that well-rested teenagers will perform better in the classroom,” she said.

However, the change did not appease all Board and community members. Ann Gallagher, the Community Outreach & Engagement Chair of the Montgomery County Chapter of Start School Later, expressed her disappointment in the Board’s minimalist approach. “While every little bit helps with a start time of 7:25 a.m., 20 minutes is not enough to correct for the sleep deficit of MCPS teenagers. Middle school students will be the ones most closely aligned with American Academy of Pediatrics definitive statement – teens should not go to school before 8:30 a.m.,” she said. Judith Docca, a Board member who voted against the change to school starting times, agreed. “I feel that 20 to 25 minutes is not a significant a.m.ount of time to help our students get more sleep,” she said.

Changing school starting times does not address the true problems that need to be solved, according to math teacher David Stein. “The bigger issue is why aren’t kids going to bed earlier,” he said. “Instead of worrying about start times we need to instead start looking at the work load that students are getting. Maybe teachers need to look at why are they’re giving so much homework and parents and kids need to look at getting schedules that don’t necessarily require them to stay up super late.”

Board member Michael Durso, who voted against moving bell times argued that the change could be detrimental in ways that some of the other Board members did not consider. “As a former high school principal having worked in three school systems where the start time ranged from 7:25 a.m.

- 9:00 a.m., I a.m. concerned over the numerous issues that a later start does not address traffic, sports, jobs, internships, looking after younger siblings, and day care,” he said.

MCPS works to restore greenhouse from PIPE page A1 was trying to keep the greenhouse warm, but we kept having really cold air coming in through the windows,” Horticulture teacher Elizabeth Levien said. The maintenance department had already checked it out, and they were planning on fixing it once they ordered the parts they needed.

The greenhouse is now usable, so according to Levien teachers will not have to change their lesson plans very much.

The heaters are working, the ice has melted inside the greenhouse and the broken windows have been temporarily boarded up to keep out the cold according to head of the Randolph Maintenance Depot, Jack Lewis. “We secured the windows down so they cannot fly up again,” Lewis said.

However, the pipes are still frozen. According to Roark, this leaves the greenhouse without a source of water, so students and teachers have to bring water in from other sources in the school until the county can fix the heat and the pipe. “We are going to have to wait until spring to fix it,” Roark said.

This is not the first time there have been major problems in the greenhouse. Roark mentioned that the pipes have frozen several times already. “The heat has failed dramatically twice this year,” Levien added. She also noted that these problems have caused many of their older, more developed plants to die as well.

According to Lewis, the county is working hard to fix these problems. They had to wait to restore the heat in the greenhouse so they could fix the pipes and bring water into the greenhouse, but Lewis this will be possible soon. “We had to order a control board for the heater which just came in, so now we just have to repair the pipes,” he said.

Lewis added that fixing the windows will be harder and more costly. Since the maintenance division is not qualified to do this job, they are in the process of looking

for offers from different private contractors. “We have to get three bids, and then choose the lowest price,” Lewis explained.

The contractor must replace not only the glass and frames, but also the mechanism for opening the windows, which Lewis admitted will be pretty expensive.

“I do not have a clue about the cost,” he said. “We’ll have to wait for the contractors.”

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF ELIZABETH LEVIEN

ICICLES Several plants grown by an AP Biology class, along with other projects, were ruined after the pipe burst.

Old Bell Times Level

Time

Length of Day

New Bell Times Level

Time

Length of Day

High School

7:25 AM - 6 hours, High 2:10 PM 45 min School

7:45 AM - 6 hours, 2:30 PM 45 min

Middle School

7:55 AM - 6 hours, Middle 2:40 PM 45 min School

8:15 AM - 6 hours, 3:00 PM 45 min

Elementary 8:50 AM - 6 hours, Elementary 9:00 AM - 6 hours, 3:05 PM 15 min School 3:25 PM 25 min School Tier 1 Tier 1 Elementary 9:15 AM - 6 hours, Elementary 9:25 AM - 6 hours, 3:50 PM 25 min School 3:30 PM 15 min School Tier 2 Tier 2 SOURCE: MCPS

The decision to start school later also ignores the possible effects on the county’s less affluent families, Docca said. “To ask parents to provide morning or afternoon paid care ignores the fact that rental apartments cost $1,500 to $2,000 for these fa.m.ilies and the other costs - food, fuel, clothing, transportation, utilities - have to come from the base income.”

Furthermore, the change interferes with afterschool schedules. “Many students work afterschool to assist their families or do sibling care to help the parents. Other students, affluent and less affluent, may play sports, have music or dance lessons, etc. and will be arriving home later and also thrown into the afternoon traffic pattern,” Docca said.

Although the community was given many chances to provide their input via

DALIAH BARG

surveys and public hearings, less affluent families did not have an equal opportunity to present their opinion, according to Docca.

“There were at least 71 parents who spoke at the hearing on Bell Times. Most ca.m.e from Bethesda and Potomac. The 43% of our FARMS students generally do not live in these areas,” she said. Docca stressed that other parents were not able to give equal input, because many of those parents work more than one job and use public transportation. Board member Christopher Barclay, who voted against changing bell times, concurred. “I did not think that this was something that was particularly addressing all of those bigger issues, I think it was more about appeasing a set of parents in the state – an element of the community that had been very loud about this issue,” he said.

News A3

silverchips

March 12, 2015

PARCC exams administered throughout state

By William Zhu After a series of delays caused by snow days, Blair began administering PARCC assessments on Mar. 3. The tests were recently the subject of controversy due to their disruptive testing schedule and the technological problems leading up to the tests.

Due to the computer-based nature of the PARCC exams, the school conducted load tests of the wireless network on Feb. 23. The load tests were used to determine whether several computers could simultaneously access the school network. Assistant Principal and testing administrator William Currence could not be reached for a comment on the details of the load test. However, Principal Renay Johnson stated that the test indicated that Blair’s network could not support the extra users. “It did

KYRA SEIGER

FIRST TRY A student and parent take an online practice PARCC assessment during Blair’s PARCC Night on Feb. 2. not go well; it was kicking people off the network,” she said.

According to Network Administrator Peter Hammond, the school’s router that connected it to the county and by extension the internet was inundated with many users. “Our branch was simply overloaded,” Hammond said.

One solution the county offered was to password-protect all WiFi networks. “One suggestion was to change the password so only staff and test takers could access it,” Johnson said. However, Johnson rejected that option and, as a result, county technicians were sent to increase the bandwidth of Blair to accommodate the extra users. “If mall [wi-fi] could hold hundreds

of users, so can Blair,” Johnson said. Hammond explained that the county had significantly increased Blair’s bandwidth. “I was told a roughly tenfold increase,” he said.

In addition to network issues, two days of PARCC testing were cancelled due to snow. The missed days will be made up on the week of Mar. 16. According to MCPS testing supervisor Suzanne Woertz, the county has a window to take the PARCC tests and any make-ups need to be made in the window.

“The [PerformanceBased Assessment] window is the second to twenty-sixth of March,” she said.

The testing schedule has some classes meeting only once each week while the 5/6 period block continues to meet daily along with a weekly two and a half hour testing block. English 10 teacher George Mayo expressed his concern that the time between classes could hurt progress. “Some classes fall behind and it just totally stops all your momentum,” he said.

At Bethesda Chevy Chase High School (B-CC), the PARCC testing does not affect the schedules of students not taking the test.

According to a schedule given to Silver Chips by B-CC Assistant Principal Marjorie Lope, students taking the PARCC assessments will be taken out of class and sent to various testing locations around the school. Lope has not commented on how students would make up any missed instructional time.

English 10 teacher Keith Anderson expressed concerns that with such poor administration, the results of the test could be inaccurate. “It’s an unnecessary hurdle when you’re to assess where a kid is,” he said.

During the PARCC Information Night at Blair on Feb. 2, Walter Johnson (WJ) resource teacher Erin O’Connell and WJ Principal Intern Afie Mirshah-Nayar addressed concerns about students having trouble showing work for math on the computer. According to O’Connell, teachers would need to make adjustments so students could be familiarized with doing math problems on a computer. “It is a shift instructors are going to have to make,” she said.

O’Connell, however, acknowledged that the new format would be a challenge for her as well. “I prefer doing math on pencil and paper,” she said.

In an apparent attempt to clarify O’Connell’s answer, Mirshah-Nayar added that in her experience, students excel at taking computerized tests. “I see students take tests on computers and it is easy,” she said.

PARCC Internet’s route

from Pearson to Chromebooks

Internet to Pearson

Main Switches & Routers

MCPS HUNGERFORD DR

PARCC Materials PARCC Servers

c

ten

po

Hy

A

use

Opposite

County schools face some logistical issues in implementation

Adjacent

b

B a

C

Wifi

Other Switches

Computers

Printers

ANDREA BROWN AND GRACE WOODWARD

Community reflects on exams’ impact

PARCC tests yield different opinions in transition year from ACADEMICS page A1

“Things that I saw would require a lot more steps, which isn’t necessarily bad. But in elementary school, you especially see a kid who’s got [a] short attention span who loses it after two steps,” she said. Blair sophomore Camille Torfs-Leibman explained the additional steps make it easier to lose points. “If you got one question wrong, you automatically got all the follow-ups wrong. That’s unfair,” she said.

Since the PARCC exams are national baseline tests, they will be used to compare individual students across the country. According to English 10 and 12 teacher Judy Smith, the tests are almost as difficult as the college admissions exam, Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) but are more tedious to implement. “With the PSAT, they got the scores that they wanted with less time and money [than the PARCC exams].

Now we’re doing both [exams],” she said. Some educators involved in administering the assessments claim that they are too difficult.

“I’d rather [baseline tests] be the kinds of things that a person should know at that grade level and not go out so far to capture the perceived intelligence of students who are advanced,” Eastern Middle School English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher Chris Merkle said.

Only first-year ESOL students are exempt from the federal mandate that requires all Maryland students to take the exams. “What I’m teaching my kids right now – which is present tense, vocabulary for routines in everyday life – it’s not going to get them through the PARCC test this year, and probably [not] the next year,” Merkle said.

Testing accommodations for

those in Special Education and ESOL remain the same as those for previous tests. Accommodations include extended time, calculator use, large print and scribe – in which a student with a physical disability orally delivers his/ her response to a question for transcription. However, Pundzak expressed frustration that some of her students weren’t receiving the services they otherwise would have had in previous standardized exams. “If the stu-dents qualify for that service and they’re not getting it, I don’t know how they’re rationalizing that,” she said.

Additionally, both math and English assessments are administered online via the PARCC website. According to Merkle, administering the tests on Chromebooks is more environmentally friendly.

“We are saving millions of trees from being made into those really thick booklets that we were using for [the] MSA,” Merkle said, “and because it’s computerized there are some really nice ways we can upgrade the test to meet the student’s individual needs.”

However, the assessments may be harder for those who are not regularly exposed to technology or prefer hard copies of tests. “For multiple choice questions, I liked the computer but for essays, it was hard to write,” sophomore Yessie Portillo said. “The box where you write is really small so I didn’t like how I had to keep scrolling to see what I had previously written.”

The learning curve to get accustomed to the several new features has sparked different opinions. According to Forest Knolls Elementary School Principal Bernstein, “It’s amazing how quick students will pick up technology. Most of the time they pick up technology faster than adults.”

Some teachers worry that the

new technology may hinder students from putting in the right answers. “I’m worried about kids who might know how to answer the question– they might write it down correctly on their scratch paper [but] cannot translate it correctly on the computer,” Shiotani said.

PARCC’s Algebra 1 and English 10 assessments will be a graduation requirement. Although the classes of 2017 and 2018 are not required to pass them, the state will eventually set a passing grade.

Passing the NSL and Biology HSAs is still required for graduation.

Some educators disagree with the PARCC tets being a graduation requirement. Merkle said, “All this testing on PARCC is being done in one week, every morning. Maybe you’re not a morning person so you’re going to shine every afternoon but your ability’s being captured in the afternoon. It’s just not a good way to determine whether someone should be graduating or not.” Bernstein remains optimistic.

“It’s preparing students to do well in life with the way they’re answering questions, the way they’re thinking about things [and] their inferring,” he said.

In Maryland, there is no policy allowing parents to withdraw their children from the exams, according to William Reinhard, Maryland State Department of Education spokesperson. Stahl, along with a handful of other MCPS parents, is “refusing” for her kids to take the PARCC assessments despite the lack of a formal policy. Her children will log onto the Chromebooks and then close the screen. “It’s a matter of semantics.

We have to use the word ‘refuse’ because other states do have an opt out policy…but we don’t have that,” she said, “we have to ‘refuse’ to take the test.”

Political questions are part of PARCC’s development

By Eleanor Harris and Camille Kirsch Students across Maryland, including those at Blair, took the PARCC assessments for the first time this spring after a seven year development period. The test assesses students’ performance under the new Common Core educational standards.

Throughout its development, PARCC has been the subject of nationwide controversy.

Common Core tests, including

the PARCC exams and the Smarter Balanced Assessment, are taking the place of assessments created by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). According to FairTest, the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, NCLB requires that at least 95 percent of students in each school take an NCLB test in order to meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP), or the school will face sanctions. However, most schools are exempt from this clause. According to FairTest, 41 states that do not meet AYP receive

waivers from the U.S. Department of Education which eliminate sanctions against them in exchange for their participation in the Race to the Top program, part of which is complying with the Common Core.

In 2008, the National Governors Association joined with two education nonprofits to develop a set of national educational standards: the Common Core. However, the group left development of

see POLITICS page A4

TRIAL RUN Parents experience a practice PARCC exam during an information meeting that was held at Blair in early February.

A4 News Newsbriefs Outside firm appointed to pick superintendent The Montgomery County school board hired an outside firm to coordinate the national search for a replacement for Superintendent Joshua Starr on Feb. 10, a week after his resignation. The school board unanimously approved a contract with Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates, the firm that was contracted in Montgomery County’s last two superintendent searches, in 1999 and 2011.

The firm has been involved in 14 of the nation’s 25 largest school districts. Under the new contract Hazard, Young, Attea & Associates will be paid $35,000 along with reimbursement for expenses.

School board officials will be using focus groups, forums and online surveys in an effort to get input from across the county about what is needed in a new superintendent. The school board hopes to have a permanent replacement

by Jul. 1. Currently, Larry Bowers, the school system’s chief operating officer is acting as interim superintendent until Jun. 30.

Former Superintendent Starr forms consulting company Montgomery County’s former superintendent, Joshua Starr, founded a consulting business, Education Solutions LLC. The limited liability company was registered on Feb. 17, the day after Starr’s resignation took effect. Education Solutions LLC is a multi-disciplinary educational services firm that provides tutoring, professional development, grant writing services and teacher training in Virginia, Maryland and Washington D.C. Starr sought to extend his contract by another four years, but did not have support from the majority of the school board, but under the terms of his resignation agreement Starr will receive his $100,000 salary through Jun. 30. Starr commented that he established the company to do some consulting work if it became available.

silverchips

In PARCC, evidence of education’s political divides Policymakers, administrators and teachers struggle for accord from POLITICS page A3 assessments to the states.

Most states joined two main testing consortiums. Maryland belongs to the PARCC consortium, which includes 11 other states and the District of Columbia.

Twenty-two other states make up the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. Of the remaining 17 states, several are using separate assessments, while others have not started Common Core testing.

Maryland is a Governing State in the PARCC coalition. According to the PARCC website, “Each Governing State agrees to participate exclusively in PARCC and has committed to administer the assessment system statewide… furthermore, Governing States have committed to use the results from the proposed assessment system in their state accountability systems.”

Maryland also acts as PARCC’s fiscal agent, meaning it handles funding and expenditures. The state accepted this office in December 2013 after growing opposition to Common Core led Florida to resign the position. At a public meeting that month, Maryland governor Martin O’Malley said that he felt obligated to take on the role.

“We’re picking up the ball after Florida dropped it,” he said, adding, “We are doing the president a favor here.”

Maryland’s member of the PARCC Board of Governors is state superintendent Lillian Lowery, who helped develop the Common Core standards. According to the organization’s bylaws, Lowery, like all members, is eligible to receive “reasonable compensation for services rendered” in furtherance of the PARCC’s goals.

A spokesperson for Lowery said that she is not receiving and will not receive any money.

PARCC payment records are not available to the public.

Montgomery County’s House delegation came out in support of a bill introduced in the state assembly to expand the voting rights of the student member of the board member (SMOB) on Feb. 6. A 1989 law gave the student member of the board limited voting rights that did not allow them to vote on budget items and boundary changes, but this bill seeks to expand on those voting rights. If the bill passes, the county’s school board member would get to vote on matters such as the capital and operating budgets, school closures and school boundaries. However, the student member of the board will still not be able to vote on certain issues, such as suspensions, dismissals and disciplinary action against teachers. This bill was previously proposed in 2012, but faced strong opposition from Senator Brian Frosh and was subsequently defeated.

Frosh’s recent departure from the Maryland General Assembly could make it easier for the bill to pass.

Newsbriefs compiled by Luisa McGarvey

The PARCC roll-out has generated significant opposition. In 2011, PARCC included 25 states and the District of Columbia, according to a press statement available on its website. As of March 2015, 11 states and the District remain. Several of those remaining allow parents to “opt out” their children from taking the tests.

Maryland officials say that the state will not drop out of the PARCC consortium, nor will it allow students to opt out of the tests.

“The education program is not like a cafeteria… [Maryland] does allow students to go to private school or allow families to homeschool, but they do not allow parents and children to choose what part of an education program they take part in,” said Bill Reinhard, a Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) spokesman.

PARCC assessments are significantly longer than those they are replacing. Based on statistics from the MSDE’s website, most high school students will see a net four and a half hour increase in testing time, and most middle schoolers a three and a half hour increase.

This has led to concerns among some, including former Montgomery County superintendent Joshua Starr. At a Washington Post event in 2012, Starr called for a break from standardized testing. “We need a three-year moratorium on standardized tests,” he said.

Starr resigned in February after anonymous sources on the Board of Education told the Washington Post that his contract would not be renewed.

An October 2014 Gallup survey found that 64 percent of public school teachers feel that the Com-

mon Core gives too little control to teachers and 72 percent believe standardized computer-based tests on Common Core standards, including the PARCC tests, will harm public education.Principal Renay Johnson said that while she is aware of staff concerns, she must administer the PARCC at Blair.

“Teachers just have to understand that this is a public school…and the state is requiring that we give this test,” she said.

Some of those who champion the tests say that teachers are an unfortunate but necessary casualty of the push for better tests.

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs,” Byron Johns, the Montgomery County NAACP’s education lead, said at Blair’s PARCC Night meeting.

“And so there’s going to be – the teachers.”

ANDREA BROWN

Board of Education to cut budget by $10 Million Planned reduction of 350 MCPS staff positions for 2015-16

By Camille Estrin

Bill could give Montgomery County SMOB more power

March 12, 2015

The MCPS proposed budget was cut by the Board of Education by $10 million for the 2016-2017 school year due to a reduction in state funding, leading to the elimination of several positions and enhancements.

The budget currently passed by the Board of Education is $10.2 million short of what former superintendent Joshua Starr recommended in December. However, the exact budget has not yet been decided, according to the Board.

The state can no longer afford to pay for as many teachers as are necessary to satisfy the needs of the growing population of high school students as a result of to a 50 percent reduction to the Geographic Cost of Education Index (GCEI) by Governor Larry Hogan, according to Thomas Klausing, the Director of the Department of Management, Budget and Planning. GCEI is a discretionary funding program that provides additional state aid to counties, and the reduction amounts to be $10.2 million, according to a letter from Starr to the Board.

Hogan did not calculate the increased amount for the cost per pupil, resulting in less funding from the state, according to Klausing. When laying out the budget, “[the] Governor kept a constant cost per pupil [from last year], and did not provide for a 1 percent

inflation factor,” Klausing said.

According to the Board’s budget request for next year, there will be the elimination of 29 positions county wide, 17 of which are building staff workers. This will mean more work for the current

building service workers, Klausing said. There will also be a $1.8 million dollar reduction for the cost of diesel fuel, propane and heating oil for 2016. “The money is not sufficient to our needs, and the state is less willing to give [us] the

The $10 million cut to the budget will cause: a cut of

5.7 million

programs

an estimated reduction of

350 positions

$1.8 million dollar

a reduction in the cost of diesel fuel, propane and heating oil

and an elimination of , 17 of which are building services staff.

29 positions

DALIAH BARG

money we need,” Blair’s Union Representative David Stein said.

This year there was an increase of approximately 2,000 students in Montgomery County, and next year there is a projected increase of 2,600 students. “There is a growing number of student’s [in the county] but we don’t have the kind of money for that,” Stein explained.

The Board cut $5.7 million of enhancements such as out-of-school educational opportunities, and will hold off until the 2017 fiscal year to obtain these enhancements.

There will be an estimated reduction of 350 positions when MCPS allocates teachers, administrators and supporting services for next year, according to Starr’s letter to the board.

The county’s budget request includes $18.9 million to add more positions, $39 million for increased benefits cost as well as $59.5 million in increased salaries, according to MCPS announcements.

According to Klausing, State Legislator Nancy King, who is part of the Budget and Taxation committee, has been working on a bill to make the GCEI mandatory in order to force the Governor to pay more.

County Executive Ike Leggett will announce his budget recommendation on March 15, and the County Council will be holding public hearings in April to discuss the budget and release the final budget plan for next school year in May.

silverchips

March 12, 2015

Community gathering addresses race issues

News A5 Newsbriefs

Panelists discuss needs of African Americans in the county

School year to be extended due to snow days

workers.”

The third panel, on Political Power and Social Justice, focused The African-American Demoon how African-Americans can cratic Club of Montgomery Counraise their political power in the ty (AADCMC) held its second ancounty through political activism, nual State of Black Montgomery and the final panel addressed raCounty on Mar. 7 at the Silver cial profiling and discrimination Spring Civic Center. The event was regarding housing throughout a discussion-oriented panel which Montgomery County. addressed the various After each panel, needs of African-Amerithere was time for cans in the county. It was breakout discussions, sponsored by the Montwhere the audience, gomery County Young seated at tables of Democrats, the Hispansix, was encouraged ic Democratic Club of to discuss what they Montgomery County and thought of each of the the Women’s Democratic issues brought up durClub of Montgomery ing the panels. Folders County. with potential discusThe event consisted sion questions were of opening remarks, a present on each table, prayer and four panels and the questions enabout different race iscouraged the audience sues in the community. members to think of County Executive Ike the things they could Leggett gave the opening personally do to adremarks, during which he dress the issues that discussed the need to add were brought up durdiversity to the county’s ing the event. Many workforce, especially in of the panelists also the educational system. brought fliers and in“Many of our Latino and formation from their African-American stuKYRA SEIGER various fields for peodents do not have the opportunity to see people of DIALOGUE Senior Bemnet Zewdie (right) discusses education and the econ- ple to read and distheir color in any form or omy as they relate to the African American community in a breakout session at the cuss.

The event, originalfashion [on staff], especially at the elementary State of Black Montgomery County conference at the Silver Spring Civic Center. ly scheduled for Feb. 21, is the AADCMC’s school level,” Leggett said during his speech. der to combat the gap, as Leggett with these issues. Panelist Me- “signature Black History Month Each of the four panels ad- had suggested. “It is not accept- lissa Broome suggested instituting event,” according to their website, dressed a separate race-related able for us to have a school sys- paid sick days for low wage jobs. but the event had to be delayed issue. The Education and Youth tem where, when you look at our Broome works for the Jobs Op- due to weather conditions. The Empowerment Panel focused on employees, 12 percent of them are portunities Task Force, which, ac- AADCMC has been working on the achievement gap and how the African-American and when you cording to their website, advocates behalf of African-Americans since county could work to close it. The look at our student population, “policies and programs to increase 2000 to increase participation in high rate of poverty among minor- 20 or so percent is African-Amer- the skills, job opportunities, and public affairs among minorities of incomes of low-skill, low-income Montgomery County. ity groups was also a topic of dis- ican,” Barclay said.

MCPS has had seven snow days this school year so far, but the 2014-2015 school calendar has four snow days built in. In order to meet the state-required 180 days of instruction, MCPS will have to add three instructional days to the end of the school year. Unless MCPS receives a state waiver from this requirement, the last day of school for students would be Jun. 17, as opposed to Jun. 14, the scheduled last day of school. The Maryland State Department of Education has not yet begun accepting applications for a waiver of the 180-day requirement. When they do, MCPS will have to decide whether to apply for a waiver and how many days it wants to have waived. Last year, State Superintendent Lillian Lowery approved the county’s request to waive four out of six extra snow days.

By Sam Butler

cussion at the meeting. According to the 2015 MCPS Achievement Gap Report, there is a correlation between high poverty levels and poor grade performances in Montgomery County Schools. Board of Education member Christopher Barclay explained that the Board plans to diversify MCPS staff in or-

The Economic Development and Small Business Panel focused on the lack of African-Americanowned small businesses, as well as the poor working conditions of the low wage positions that are commonly held by African-Americans. The discussion also focused on how the county could help

Blair student campaigns for the SMOB position

Zachary Williams aims to represent the student body on the Board

By Aditi Subramaniam Blair junior Zachary Williams began his campaign for the position of Student Member of the Board (SMOB) for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. If elected, he will represent the student body’s voice on Montgomery County’s Board of Education.

Williams decided to run for the SMOB position after working with the current student member, Dahlia Huh. “I have been working with Dahlia for the majority of this year, and I felt that my outlook for the school system would be really beneficial for the SMOB position,” he said. The position comes with many responsibilities; however, Williams said that he would make serving as SMOB his main priority if elected. “It was actually a really hard decision because it is a big time commitment. SMOBs have to go to most Board meetings and attend several all-day meetings that require missing school.

I would definitely take a lighter course load if I won,” he said.

Each January, there is an informational meeting about the SMOB position, and those who want to run must send in an application. According to Williams, joining the race is simple. “It’s not as hard as everyone thinks it is.

You just fill out a form and write a voter profile. Anyone can run if they are interested,” he said.

After completing an application, candidates have to campaign.

The nominating convention will be held on March 11 at Watkins Mill where, much like a primary election, delegates from each school will choose two choices for the

countywide middle and high of friends in Rockville, Potomac School SGA members often atschool vote. Each school is allot- and Gaithersburg, so I can help tend these meetings and are more ted a certain number of delegates reach out to students at schools familiar with these candidates, based on its size; Blair has fifteen. in those areas and share their in- which Williams said makes them Delegates serve voluntarily, put with Zach,” he explained. more likely to make it through the and are usually members of their Williams is also reaching out nominating convention. “Most of school’s Student Government As- to students through social media the delegates at the nomination sociation (SGA). According to via Facebook and his web site. convention attend MCR meetings, Williams, nominees try to visit as He mentioned that he might and so those executives usually many schools as they can to appeal also get stickers with his win. I have attended MCR to various SGAs. “I have been vis- name on it, but said meetings, but I am not iting whichever schools will take he doubts he will an executive,” he said. me. All I need is a parent signature spend money on Still, Williams enand mode of transportation,” he items to give courages students explained. Williams ensures that away. “I don’t to apply for SMOB, his trips don’t interfere with his or want to get even if they are not other students’ academics. “I usu- too flashy. I part of SGA or MCR, ally go during lunch hour so that I want the fosuggesting that the don’t miss class and so that the oth- cus to be on main reason more er students are also free,” he said. spreading my people do not apply Williams has organized a ideas,” he stated. is because they are campaign team, composed of Many of the unaware of how to his close friends and contacts at SMOB candidates get involved. “A lot of other schools, so that he can in- are executives of times students do not troduce himself to as many of the Montgomery understand how to bethe county’s students as pos- County Region of come SMOB because is it sible. “I have a campaign man- the Maryland Asnot advertised. The people ager, a person to edit the messages sociation of Stuwho run are mostly MCR that I send out and someone to dent Councils executives because help me organize my campaign ( M C R ) . they are already schedule. I have multiple people in the know,” spreading my name and ideas at he said. different schools, too,” he said.

Fellow Blair junior Chris Leung serves as Williams’ campaign manager, coordinating visits to other schools and advising him on campaign strategies. “I email other schools’ SGA advisors and discuss with Zach how to respond to interview questions,” he said.

Hailing from Rockville, Leung is also able to pull perspectives NOLA CHEN from the upper part of CANDIDATE Zachary Williams hopes to become Student Member of the Board. the county. “I have a lot

Montgomery County school board backs bill requiring IEP translation services

Montgomery County’s school board is supporting a state proposed bill that would require all counties to translate a document for parents that outlines how children with disabilities are helped in school. If this bill is passed, it would require Maryland school districts to find translators to translate the document at a parent’s request into their native language.

This bill was one of the two bills that were unanimously supported on Feb. 10 when the board voted on legislation in the Maryland General Assembly. The bill, which relates to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of a student with special needs, includes ways to measure progress and ways to determine what services are needed for a student. An IEP outlines the individualized objectives of a student with disabilities to help them reach educational goals. Currently IEP’s can be translated into Armenian, Chinese, French, Korean, Farsi, Russian and Spanish.

County bans indoor e-cigarette use

On March 3, the Montgomery County Council unanimously voted to ban e-cigarette use in public places where tobacco is banned.

This new law will make it illegal for minors to use e-cigarettes. Additionally, it will also require the liquid nicotine used in e-cigarettes to be sold in child resistant packaging. Currently, the county bans smoking indoors in public places such as stores, offices, restaurants, government buildings and on county property. This law will help business owners distinguish between e-cigarette use and tobacco cigarette use if both are banned.

Although e-cigarettes do not produce tobacco smoke, they still contain nicotine and other potentially harmful substances. If County Executive Ike Leggett signs the bill, the ban on e-cigarettes would take place 91 days after it is signed.

Newsbriefs compiled by Luisa McGarvey Edited by William Zhu

B1 Opinions

silverchips

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

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Unsigned editorials represent the views of the editorial board and are not necessarily those of the school. Signed letters to the editor are encouraged.

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

silverchips

March 12, 2015

Take action, get out from behind the keyboard

Social media activism doesn’t effect change, it misinforms

By William Zhu

raise awareness of diseases such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis An opinion (ALS), which spawned the very The world has many issues. profitable “Ice Bucket” challenge.

And, for many people, our However, when it comes to society is a dark and bothersome politics, social media is no differplace. However, there is change ent from any source of convenon the horizon! The age of the Intional news outlets. Social media ternet brought global attention to is incredible adept at raising racism and terrorism. Hashtags, awareness but not very good at retweets and shares have moved informing the population on the pressing issues to the frontlines of wider implications of injustices. the battle against injustice.

The 2012 Kony campaign on child Everyone now can put on their soldiers went viral and millions activist mask at the computer and took to Twitter and Facebook to make a few clicks in an effort to urge the U.S. to take military change the world. It’s a nice idea; action to stop the killing. But anyone can create meaningful instead of informing the public change, and they don’t even have and raising awareness, the Kony to leave the comfort of their home 2012 campaign only spread to do so. misinformation and oversimpliBut here is the harsh reality: fied an extremely complex issue. these armchair activists accomThe United Nations and many plish absolutely nothing. It’s aid groups criticized the film for nice that social media campaigns ignoring the plight of ex-child bring attention to pressing issues, soldiers and people affected by but are people actually being violence in general. People that informed, and is a tangible differthought they were helping out ence being made? The answer is by sharing the video only spread no and no. ignorance.

Social media campaigns have It is easy to yell and point out become extremely popular in problems, but it is another thing to recent years, as social networks ask questions and think of a solution. Many were outraged at the Silver Chips Print @silverchips · 1h Charlie Hebdo Since the Paris shootings at the Charlie attacks in France and focused on Hebdo headquarters in January, the the threat of Ishashtag #JeSuisCharlie has been used lamist extremism, over 5 million times. but most didn’t bring attention to SOURCE: THE DAILY MAIL SARAH HUTTER the fact that the Muslim populaplay an ever larger role in everytion in France is heavily discrimiday life and politics. Social media nated against. This is evidenced activism has also taken hold, as

by France’s ban on full face veils, now millions around the world a move targeting the Muslim are using Facebook and Twitter to population. This was hardly the

All this is not to say that one focus of the string of tweets at #jesuischarlie. People simply tweeted should subdue their politically active tendencies. Protests, sit-ins about the event instead of educatand petitions are still highly effecing themselves, which is a pity tive methods of affecting change since users of social media have and bringing attention to imthe whole web at their disposal. portant issues. These differ from Social media activism can hardly even be called activism, social media in the sense that they since it rarely instigates any real require real effort. Just tweeting change. Three years ago, Faceat an issue, is just plain lazy and book brought Joseph Kony to the futile. world’s attention and called for The rise of the Internet has his capture and trial in the Interseen the increase in many selfnational Criminal Silver Chips Print @silverchips · 1h Court. It is 2015 now and he is still 84 percent of people 18-25 regularly at large. Before the use social networking sites, while only social media campaign, Kony was a third of them vote. already wanted

by Interpol and had a red notice (the equivalent of an International arrest warrant). proclaimed experts. There are After the social media campaign, armchair scientists and now there nothing has changed; Kony still are armchair activists. Many of has that red notice. these people do nothing but misThe recent Islamic State activiinform the public. According to a ties in Iraq and Syria have also Census Bureau study in 2014, only drawn copious amounts of social around a third of Americans ages media attention, but it is likely 18-25 vote, yet a 2014 Pew survey that the social media activism will revealed that in that age group have the same effect on the Islamic more than 80 percent regularly State as it did on Kony: nothing. use social networks. The amount We all know full well that foreign of actual political participation policy is driven by politics and compared to social media usage is not strings of tweets and shares embarrassing. on the Internet. Diplomacy and Political activism is incredpolitical pressure affect change, ibly important but tweets, like not hashtags and likes. words, must be followed with The most ironic aspect of this is definite action. Don’t just retweet that the Islamic State has launched or share posts that you like—think a highly successful recruitment for yourself and do your own campaign using social media sites research to educate yourself on like Twitter, drawing hundreds today’s big issues instead of readif not thousands of Westerners ing things on the newsfeed. Get to join their cause. The tool that out there and volunteer, protest is used to fight injustice is now and fight for the issues you truly unwittingly complicit in it. care about.

Starr-ting off on more solid footing for our public schools

New superintendent must focus on more tangible achievements

By Emma Soler An opinion Enthusiasm and openness.

Optimism and charisma. A commitment to limiting standardized testing and a concerted effort to close the achievement gap.

These are all qualities and stances that former MCPS Superintendent Joshua Starr stood for throughout his term. These are also perspectives that our next superintendent needs to exemplify throughout his or her time in office.

However, according to the Washington Post, principals and other educational officials have criticized Starr’s lofty ideas and lack of real change. Starr’s future-focused leadership was ineffective in a county that is slowly slipping from a nationallyrespected educational system to a divided mess with a desperately high achievement gap.

Because of this, MCPS’s next superintendent needs to have a progressive mindset such as Starr’s, but he or she needs to make more realistic decisions in order to pave the way for greater changes down the road.

When you look at the statistics, it’s hard to say that Starr wasn’t effective in some key areas. During his term, graduation rates increased, and AP scores were better than both state and national averages. These changes are massively important, as they show an increase in college readiness across the board.

But throughout Starr’s term, other areas in more dire need of improvement have seen little to no change. One example of this is the widening achievement gap.

Starr emphasized project-based learning, creating hands-on opportunities for students. However, Wheaton was the first and only Montgomery County school to seriously implement this idea during Starr’s term. This school was the first chosen as it is in one of the poorest areas of the county, but not all schools that are in need have had a program like this introduced.

Starr also proposed a threeyear moratorium on standardized testing, but the number of hours students spend in standardized testing has increased. Previously high school students have had to pass four Maryland High School Assessments in order to graduate.

Now, students will have to successfully complete PARCC exams.

This means high schoolers will have to jump from a 160 minute long English test to a 345 minute long test. This, along with the lack of change in the achievement gap, cannot be chalked up to anything but a failure to execute ideas that are simply too lofty for a county that needs change, now. While Starr does not have complete control over every testing decision, he does have responsibility as superintendent to fight testing decisions that he does not think will benefit MCPS students.

This is not to say that priorities need to shift. Starr’s main focuses on curbing standardized testing and closing the achievement gap are the most important issues facing students right now. In 2014, the County Council’s Office of Legislative Oversight released a discouraging report stating that MCPS’s efforts to close the achievement gap during Starr’s term have actually widened the

gap rather than decreasing it. According to the document, “Since 2010, the economic, racial and ethnic stratification of students among MCPS high schools has increased...the achievement gap between high- and low-poverty high schools has widened.” These topics, which were emphasized

by Starr, must be of paramount importance to his successor.

Our next superintendent should take a very different approach to lowering the achievement gap. First, he or she needs to consider reevaluating MCPS school district lines so that schools aren’t majority white or majority minority. This could increase both racial and economic diversity. Afterwards, MCPS’s leader should reallocate budget money towards hiring more minority teachers at all schools and directing more resources to schools in less wealthy areas.

Whoever takes over MCPS also needs to focus on taking steps to curb standardized testing. These tests are created in an attempt to evaluate students equally from different schools, counties or states, but they fail to fairly do this. These tests are unreliable and

don’t measure many important parts of learning, like creativity and curiosity. According to a 2001 report by the Brookings Institute, 50 percent to 80 percent of improvements in standardized test scores can be attributed to changes that don’t reflect an actual increase in learning. The school system’s next leader must reevaluate the importance of assessments like PARCC, and focus on a holistic grading approach that more fairly evaluates all of students’ academic traits.

It’s clear to most that there are big things wrong in our county.

Just walk around a famed “W school” and then observe a school in the Downcounty Consortium.

You’ll see a major gap in resources, but all of these students will take an obscene amount of standardized tests throughout the year. We need a superintendent that will focus on the issues that matter most to our county, and who will do everything in his or her power to to fix these shortcomings.

Starr was the past. Now, we need someone more pragmatic, who will pave the way for a brighter future.

soapbox What qualities do you look for in a superintendent?

“Someone who is easily influenced and listens to what we what.” - Lucy Kelliher, sophomore “[Someone] to make the right decision(s) at the appropriate time.” - Sofia Swamy, freshman

March 12, 2015

Opinions B2

silverchips

Should Maryland require all students to be vaccinated?

YES:

KYRA SEIGER

Winne Luo

Students need to learn in a safe environment

Polio, rubella, diphtheria, mumps. These devastating diseases, once widespread throughout the United States, are now nightmares of the past thanks to vaccines.

Recently, however, diseases such as measles that were once all but eliminated have experienced troubling and significant resurgences, largely due to parents opting out of vaccinating their children. Parents should not be given the option to exempt their children from vaccinations because the choice of receiving vaccines is not really a choice at all; it is a public health necessity.

For an entire community to be protected against a disease, the number of people vaccinated must reach a certain threshold. This phenomenon, known as herd immunity, makes it harder for a disease to spread by minimizing the available hosts. For example, someone infected with the highly-contagious measles virus transmits it on average to 12 other people. However, if most or all of those 12 are vaccinated, the danger of spreading the disease is lessened substantially. Because of this, herd immunity also protects people who cannot receive vaccines for medical reasons, like those with immunodeficiencies caused by diseases such as leukemia, by decreasing their likelihood of infection. Vaccinating a child is larger than the protection of that child; it is for the well-being of the entire population.

Unfortunately, it only takes a few pockets with low vaccination rates to compromise a population’s immunity. “With the decline in the percentage of children that are receiving the full course of vaccines...it is easier for an infection to find its way from one susceptible host to another,” says Dr. Cynthia Leifer, Associate Professor of Microbiology at Cornell University.

Foregoing vaccines for medical reasons in Maryland requires a form completed by a doctor. However, all it takes for a religious exemption is a parent’s signature, making Maryland one of the easiest states to receive exemption from vaccines. In reality, few religions actually reject vaccines – the most widespread one being Christian Science. There is no doubt that the government should respect religious beliefs, but it should only do so to an extent. In Commonwealth v. Twitchell, the Supreme Court ruled against Christian Scientist parents who relied on spiritual healing when their son was sick instead of proper health-care, leading to his death. The ruling demonstrated that parents cannot sacrifice their

children’s lives in the name of religious freedom. While not vaccinating does not directly lead to death, it places one’s child in potential harm – and also the children of others. Thus, the decision to have one’s child vaccinated should be outside the realm of religious choice.

With overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccines are effective, it can be difficult to understand why some people still opt out. Often, they are influenced by fear-mongering misinformation, such as the absurd notion that vaccines cause autism. Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 “study” claiming that the MMR vaccination caused autism stemmed from fraudulent data, was withdrawn from the publishing journal, and caused the revocation of Wakefield’s medical license – vaccines do not cause autism. Another fear is the potential for side effects. Like any medication, vaccines may produce minor side effects. All vaccines undergo clinical testing, and once they are licensed, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) actively monitors any adverse effects. “The reality is that vaccines are tested more for safety than any other medical intervention drug,” says Leifer.

The controversy about vaccines is a result, counterintuitively, of their success. Unlike in some third-world countries, vaccinations have eradicated many diseases in the U.S. In 2015, 170 cases of measles have been reported in the U.S. – twice the amount it normally receives in a whole year – but in Africa, one child dies every minute of measles. “If you’re not seeing the suffering and children dying... you come into this false complacency that you don’t need to worry about these diseases,” Leifer says. The CDC likens the need for vaccinations to a slow leak in a boat; when the boat was filled with water, we bailed hard and fast, and now the boat is almost dry. However, if we stop, the boat refills. There is no way to block our borders from these diseases, which is why vaccination remains as important as ever.

There is no valid scientific reason for a healthy person not to receive vaccines.

One is not only vaccinating for one’s own health, but for the health of others – those who cannot receive vaccines for medical reasons and future generations who will consequently live free of these diseases.

Mandatory vaccinations infringe upon personal choice exactly the same way that laws against drunk driving are – if it places others in danger, it’s not a choice to be made in the first place.

AAMANDA GROSS

NO:

Mandates force people to compromise their values The freedom to make certain decisions regarding one’s body and the freedom to exercise one’s religion are two constitutionally protected and state-promised rights available to all people. If Maryland were to require all students, regardless of their individual religious beliefs and practices, to be vaccinated against a myriad of nearlyeradicated viruses, it would be a violation of their constitutionally protected rights.

Requiring people to receive vaccinations with no regard for their personal beliefs would force them to choose between a public education and compromising their values.

The Ninth Amendment was created as a constitutional safety net to make it clear that people have other fundamental rights, in addition to the ones specifically listed in the Constitution. Since then the Supreme Court has found that the unenumerated rights under the Ninth Amendment include the freedom to “make important decisions about one’s health care or body.”

The right to make significant medical decisions about your body clearly includes the right to say no to any and all vaccinations for any reason.

It is simply unconstitutional for the state to mandate vaccinations. Attempting to prevent the spread of disease is a valid reason in support of vaccinations, but it does not trump the fact that people need to have the right to govern their own bodies. It would not be right for Maryland to intervene in the personal medical choices of its people, as the right to make decisions about one’s own body is supposed to be protected by the constitution. The United States Constitution, the document that is meant to protect our rights, would be overlooked

by Maryland if the state were to implement a mandatory school vaccination policy.

In 17 other states, such as Maine, Vermont, Washington and Colorado, it is possible for someone to be exempted from vaccinations due to philosophical reasons, but not in Maryland.

Here, there is no way to receive an exemption from vaccinations if they conflict with your personal beliefs. People are just expected to deal it and will receive no help if they attempt to look for a way out of being vaccinated. These people would

KYRA SEIGER

Luisa McGarvey

be unjustly forced to sacrifice their values if they want to be allowed in the doors of Maryland public schools. The use of any animal by-product, for instance, contradicts with the personal beliefs of many animal rights supporters.

Several state-mandated vaccines are produced using animal cells, including the chickenpox and flu vaccine. On the other hand, some people are morally opposed to the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in vaccines such as the nasal flu vaccines. It is simply unethical for Maryland to require a person to be injected with a substance that violates the beliefs they hold most dear.

Currently, Maryland does provide individuals with religious exemptions from vaccinations, but even that is not easy to obtain. To even be considered for an exemption in the state of Maryland, people must acquire a specific form, which is an unnecessary roadblock to their religious freedom. Additionally, the requirements to obtain an exemption from vaccination are not common knowledge which can cause confusion among people seeking this exemption.

During this convoluted and arduous process, children can miss out on the public education promised to them by the state while awaiting their exemption. Not only must this religious exemption continue to be upheld by the state of Maryland, but the process should be made easier so it doesn’t interfere with people’s rights to freely exercise their religion.

The Free Exercise Clause in the First Amendment states that there should be “no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

Individuals that claim vaccinations contradict their religious beliefs cannot be denied an exemption, or else Maryland would risk violating their right to practice their religion.

Vaccinations cannot be totally mandated.

People should not be forced to sacrifice personal values in order to receive the free public education guaranteed to them. Maryland cannot make admittance into public school contingent on multiple rounds of vaccinations, because it is ignoring the right to our bodies that the Constitution has granted us. And if we are going to ignore the most important document in the United States, then we will be ignoring the years of history and construction behind it.

voicebox “If you don’t get it, you’re gonna get sick.”

Salman Funyas Junior

Katie Billings Senior

“Students should be vaccinated.

There’s no reason for there to be a measles outbreak in 2015.”

Justin Johnson Senior

“Hell no.

Why do vaccines contain mercury?

I’m not vaccinated and I’ve never been sick once.”

“Some parents feel stingy towards it... but overall, it’s beneficial.”

“Yes. Why wouldn’t you? Then there will be no chance of an outbreak.”

KYRA SEIGER

Suad Mohamud Sophomore

Liam Mendizabal Senior

B3 Opinions

March 12, 2015

silverchips

College fraternities: A good idea gone a bit tipsy Greek life should help students give back, not give grief

SHIVANI MATTIKALLI

By Wesley Hopkins An opinion Fraternities and sororities are, in theory, a beautiful part of the college experience that deserve to be praised and advertised in every brochure they mail to your house.

At their core, they are about brotherhood and sisterhood, creating lasting bonds among individuals, and helping others who are less fortunate. But this is simply not reality.

First, Greek life is completely interdependent with alcohol. Admittedly, it is true that alcohol is just a part of college. Laws do not say “must be over 21 or in a frat” in order to drink, and just about any college campus culture will include alcohol to some degree.

However, casual college drinking in a dorm room and binge drink-

ing at a frat party are two very different stories. In fact, Recovery Worldwide’s Addiction Center reports that 80 percent of fraternity and sorority members are regular binge drinkers, while only 40 percent of college students as a whole can be labeled as the same.

This drinking is hardly harmless. It often gets forced upon freshmen as part of hazing rituals to be initiated into Greek life and especially into a fraternity.

Addiction Center estimates that 55 percent of students in Greek life experience hazing, which is probably a harsh underestimate because of many frats’ anti-hazing policies that are often violated and then kept secret.

And this hazing often isn’t even seen as a bad thing within the fraternities. For example, Nick Porter, a current member of

a fraternity at the University of Maryland and a Blair alumnus, says that while he was not hazed due to UMD school policy, he doesn’t have an issue with it taking place elsewhere. “I think it’s generally a good thing,” Porter comments. “It creates brotherhood between pledges and shows their dedication to the fraternity.”

However, this “brotherhood” can cause separation from the rest of the school. Fraternities become very private and carry with them certain ideas of class and rank, leading to the creation of entirely separate social systems within these groups. In the most recent of what can seem like an endless supply of negative headlines, a brief video went viral depicting University of Oklahoma fraternity SAE singing a horrifyingly racist song about their apparent policy

of excluding black members.

Along with suspending the fraternity from campus, OU President David Boren made clear just how far away from the general school population this group had drifted.

“You have violated all that we stand for. You should not have the privilege of calling yourselves Sooners,” he declared in a press release on March 9.

It is true that this was just one instance and can’t serve to represent Greek life everywhere. But the patterns are simply undeniable. Sexual assault, for example; the British Broadcasting Corporation found that fraternity members are three times more likely to commit rape than non-affiliated men. And at an estimated 97,000 sexual assaults on campuses per year, this is a problem that cannot be ignored.

Admittedly, they do try to compensate. “Philanthropy” is required of almost all fraterni-

ties and sororities, and through fundraising as well as required membership dues, some organizations can amass several tens of thousands of dollars of contributions to charity.

But the truth is, Greek life simply does more harm than good. Despite what many of these men may have learned from their upper class upbringing, money is not enough to offset being a selfish menace. “The philanthropy is really second to the partying,” says Daniel Napack, a freshman at Loyola University. “And some of the things that go on, you just can’t really justify that.”

Greek life, and especially fraternities, were probably founded with good intentions. But blatant disrespect of their campuses, their peers and the world around them has earned them a bad reputation, and unless some substantial changes are made, they deserve the end that’s coming.

soapbox Is Greek life a positive institution on college campuses?

“The good intention of a sorority/fraternity is overshadowed by the soririty/fraternity party culture. Students searching for a friend group end up in an often bad, party environment.”

- Camille Torfs-Leibman, sophomore “The idea is good, but usually fraternities/sororities are gross.”

- Maya Griffith, sophomore

Shh! Unveiling hidden secrets of the corrupt lie-brary To stand together, we need to sit together against gender segregation

By Julian Bregstone Humor In the back of the library, four gender segregated tables quietly appeared. Two tables for gentlemen, two tables for ladies, distinguished by colored printer paper.

Printed on the pieces of paper in an amusing font is a mandate that represents one of the greatest travesties in Blair history and may lead to complete world domination.

The librarians’ explanation for the segregated tables is that in the mornings there were too many boys sitting at the tables in the back. Consequently, the girls had to sit on the floor. There is no clear reason why there were mostly boys sitting in the back, but the root of the problem is not important.

The librarians’ way of dealing with the issue was to harken back to an antiquated system of segregation. Even if it were reasonable, it should only be applied before school when there was a problem. During lunch, it often causes unnecessary difficulty when finding a table to accommodate a group of four. A better solution would not be to directly mandate segregation, but rather encourage integration. If the librarians wanted to promote equality in genders, they have done the opposite by segregating them.

Segregation is attractive because it is easier and more controlled, but

it does more damage than good.

Segregation is a mistake that has happened in the past, and we must do everything we can to not let the scourges of the past haunt us in the present! Perhaps they are separating us to make us weaker.

Slowly but surely, the whole school will become segregated.

Unequal gender proportions in the back of the library is certainly one of the most dastardly problems our society has faced, and

something must be done. But the gender tables are a step in the wrong direction. Instead, the library could host gender relations summits, where boys and girls alike meet to discuss how we can leave a better world behind, one in which the back of the library isn’t inhabited solely by males.

Or, we could simply hope that the problem is a short-lived one, and pray that it does not tear down the social structure of Blair as we

know it.

The misguided move to establish segregated tables signals a larger internal darkness. There are several rooms behind the front desk that appear to be nothing more than an innocent workspace.

However, I believe something else is brewing. There is a suspiciouslooking room in the back left, full of thick blue wires and roll-able carts. Some say it is a server room, but I am not convinced. What

NOLA CHEN

SEPARATED SEXES Signs on the back tables in the library designate gender-specfic areas.

does a server room even do? The room could serve as a communication tool with aliens, and there is no way of us finding out. There are a few secret rooms in the back of the library near the tables that nobody dares step foot in.

Things are not adding up.

Although there are windows on all of the rooms previously mentioned, there does seem to be some sense of secrecy throughout the offices. Why would one need privacy for their work? There are a few strange rules in the library, such as the ban on water. The librarians meticulously implement this rule and do not allow exceptions for anyone. What is the reason for the ban on water? Again, the librarians are making us weaker by dehydrating us. There is only one explanation: a plot for world domination. And if I had to guess, those new tables in the back of the library are only one part of that plan. In what capacity, I don’t know. Time will tell.

Slowly segregating genders.

Server rooms and secret workplaces. There is something going on in the library and the signs lead to a massive plot. Could they be preparing to exert control over the minds and bodies of all Blair students and eventually all human beings? It’s too early to tell, but the potential is there. We must get rid of the gender-segregated tables before it’s too late. Our time to act is now, and we must seize the moment.

March 12, 2015

Opinions B4

silverchips

Putting theory into practice: The need for field trips Students should see the real-life applications of what they learn

By Mariam Jiffar An opinion As PARCC testing blocks slowly suck out our souls and the cruelty of winter shows signs of giving way to sunny spring, now more than ever Blazers are feeling the pain of being stuck inside school for seven hours a day, five days a week. This unfortunate situation lends itself to starting up a much-needed dialogue about a serious issue: field trips.

First of all, field trips have tremendous educational value that isn’t being capitalized upon these days. Students are supposed to come to school to learn information that can be applied in the real world, and what better way to do that than going out and taking a trip into one’s field of study? Plenty of Blazers have had that kid in their class who always asks, “When am I ever going to need this in real life?”

Heck, plenty of Blazers have been those kids themselves at one point or another. It’s hard for students not to question the value of what they learn at school when teachers keep saying they need to know certain topics or vocabulary “for the test” instead of “for when you need it in your career.”

Now, teachers can’t ensure that what students learn in each class will be useful to them in the future. However, an important part of education in schools should be not only why the information matters to you, but why it should matter to anyone at all.

Field trips let teachers take course material beyond the walls of the

classroom – they can show World History students that what they’re learning transcends the limitations of time by visiting a museum, or they can show art students that their work could make influential political statements and change the world by visiting an exhibit.

Also, there’s no sense in beating around the bush: school is really exhausting. Students know it, teachers know it, administrators know it – there’s just something about waking up before dawn that feels cruel and unusual.

Would it really be that awful to throw some field trips onto the calendar to lighten things up and make people think that maybe, just maybe, school isn’t so bad? Considering how much homework students get, how much they procrastinate and how hard their classes are, the school year isn’t really broken up into manageable chunks. There are so many points during the school year when Blazers have full school

weeks for what seems like forever without a rest – winter and spring break are nice, but those are only two opportunities for respite in our ten month long school year.

Field trips let students explore what they’re learning about in a less stressful and mundane environment.

Through such exploration, students are able to relax and develop a deeper appreciation for their classes. Listening to a

supervisors to make sure their classes perform well on assessments, their tendency to lecture is understandable. It’s easier to feel like students are getting all the information if you’re just telling it to them, and it’s harder to feel like field trips can be truly productive.

However, research indicates that field trips may be more powerful than we ever realized before.

In 2013, researchers from the University of Arkansas admin-

SHIVANI MATTIKALLI

lecture about the significance of an artifact is all right, but any genuine interest in learning might be tainted after an excruciating hour of lecturing. Considering all of the pressure on teachers from students’ parents and their own

istered surveys to over 10,000 students at 123 different schools who had gone on a one-hour tour in an art museum.

The surveys gauged the students’ critical thinking, historical empathy, tolerance and interest in

art museums by asking them to express their level of agreement or disagreement with statements like, “I can imagine what life was like for people 100 years ago,” or “I appreciate hearing views different from my own.” The study found that the groups of students who went on the museum tour displayed significantly higher levels of agreement with the statements than the control group in all categories, but most drastically so in critical thinking. Critical thinking is one of the most important skills that a student can have to better analyze information so that facts that one memorizes aren’t meaningless. Additionally, schools with more poverty benefitted even more strongly than regular schools. If teachers on a tighter budget think they can’t afford to do field trips, they really should think again and try to see if there’s even any minor excursion that could be arranged – the payoff from a simple trip can both increase students’ interest in learning and help them intellectually and emotionally grow as people.

Field trips have the ability to produce both short-term gratification and long-term educational effects, and schools all over the nation need to recognize this and consciously plan out-of-school trips more often. Teachers are accustomed to keeping class indoors and fairly theoretical, but we can only learn so much from what they tell us: learning needs to be elevated to the next level of experiencing. A field trip is worth a thousand words, so let’s all save our breath and start learning from the book of life.

Conforming to the curriculum and not to our minds Creativity is severely lacking in our classrooms and must be revived By Maris Medina An opinion The start of the new school year holds the promise of leaving behind 10 months’ worth of drama, monotony and stress. A chance to make new friends, meet new teachers and partake in more fun and fulfilling classes. However, for many, the latter is not the case. When the work kicks in, students find themselves asking questions like, “What have I gotten myself into?” or “Did I really want to take this class?”

With these questions in mind, the underlying issue in a less-thanfulfilling student schedule is the lack of creativity incorporated in these classes.

Creativity is largely undervalued in schools today.

And in a system in which test scores are the sole measurement for a school’s competence, it is no surprise that creativity is lacking in our schools. Our teachers are forced to “teach to the test” with almost no wiggle room and

meanwhile, students are convinced that science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) are the only areas to pursue. Regardless, creativity is something that can and should be incorporated in every class at Blair. It is lacking in our school system

quently be able to pull out a box of art supplies and a stack of poster paper, and call it a day. No matter how structured or meaningful that poster project might be, they have to think twice about giving assignments that may take up time in teaching the more serious lessons. Teachers are constantly educating their students with the PARCC tests, HSAs or county forma-tives weighing on the back of their mind.

The PARCC test is the most immediate culprit, with testing taking place in this month and the next. The strenuous exam took instructional time away from English 10, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2 teachers, meaning even more teach-

devoting time to projects students may feel passionate about, most, if not all, instruc-tional time is spent on assignments that are geared towards fulfilling a curriculum requirement.

Additionally, the classes that are more blatantly hospitable to the arts, open discussions and selfguided projects are not as widely promoted as the classes that look “good” on a college application.

Students are conditioned from the day they sign up for freshman classes that certain courses look more advanced and rigorous than others. Eventually, some are pressured to take such classes early on and put off the more interesting ones for the coveted senior year.

Thus, the monotony and disinterest that intensifies from taking undesired classes snowballs for the majori-ty of high school. In addition, announcements and advertisements about STEM are common, while the classes that may just be as fulfilling to some students like Music Theory, Philosophy or Studio Art

and needs to be revived in order to foster a workforce that is not only intelligent, but passionate as well.

In our rigid educational system, there is very little space for teachers to teach a lesson, subse-

ing to the test was taking place.

Along with being on tight schedules to cram as much as possible, teachers are under constant reminder that they are being tested on their student performances on such assessments. Instead of

are rare. Junior Julia Sint, who is among the tide that put off artistic classes until later on in her high school years, now finds satisfaction in taking Fashion Design at Blair. “People can easily find a bigger importance in [art] and I

kind of wish people understood how important it is.” Aside from classes that consist of only artistic projects, courses such as Sociology or Research Methods encourage students to think deeply about the world and participate in classwide discussions. Those kinds of classes push students to think outside the box, an area in which nu-merous other classes fall short.

If creativity was appreciated and acknowledged more by students, teachers and school systems, students will be able to make more meaningful connections to the subjects they are learning in class.

It can be incorporated in NAZEA KAHN calculus and biology just as much as it can be within Foundations of Art. For starters, internships and self-guided project requirements in various academies, the Communication Arts Program and Magnet program are personal and academically stimulating. At the end of the day, creativity in the classroom is all about forming personal con-nections that individuals can apply to their collegiate paths and future careers. It doesn’t solely rest in the hands of art teachers, nor is it trapped in the confines of a music theory class. Let’s find the creativity in every classroom.

B5 Opinion

silverchips

March 12, 2015

My Blair: Personal Column

THEN:1961

Choosing the Right College

By Alice Park Guest writer

COURTESY OF SILVER CHIPS ARCHIVES

GREASED LIGHTNING Two students stand proudly at Blair’s Wayne Avenue campus in front of a ‘53 Studebaker (left) and a ‘57 Chevy (right) that they revamped themselves.

& NOW:2015

PHUONG VO

SUV SHOWDOWN Seniors Megan Houlihan and Paul Lathrop pose in the University Boulevard parking lot in front of their cars that they drive to and from school every day.

It’s that time of the year again. Colleges are sending out acceptance letters, which means seniors are either jumping with joy or facing disappointing rejections. When it’s time to crack down and make the final decision, there’s much to consider before deciding where to spend the next four years. Student-faculty ratio. Campus size.

Tuition costs. Majors offered. Admission requirements. Distance from home. However, one of the most important things students should consider usually isn’t included in this list: how a school handles sexual violence.

Some may be startled to hear that in 2012, 55 percent of colleges and universities with at least 1,000 students reported at least one case of a forcible sex offense on campus.

But even more alarming is the fact that 45 percent of schools reported no forcible sex offenses on campus at all.

That’s 706 colleges, of the 1,570, that sent no reports of sexual offenses to the Department of Education.

According to a survey of 440 fouryear institutions led

by Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill, 41 percent of schools have not conducted a single sexual violence investigation in the past five years. Some institutions reported having as many as seven times more incidents of sexual violence than they have investigated.

It should trouble male and female students alike that many of their prospective schools do little to nothing to investigate reports of sexual assault. The White House’s “It’s On Us” initiative, which seeks to end campus sexual assault by increasing education on prevention and heightening awareness, is an encouraging step that shines light on this serious issue. Nearly 200 schools have committed to bringing the campaign to their campuses, but this is not enough.

Sexual harassment is a crime that should be taken as seriously as other offenses like cheating, vandalism, theft and assault. It has the potential to leave psychological and emotional damage on victims, including post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and dissociation. Being sexually assaulted can take away a person’s sense of security and control. Victims deserve to have their aggressors held accountable for their crimes.

Universities have a clear conflict of interest when they encounter allegations of sexual violence on their campuses. Schools have their reputations to consider, and it is often easier to appear clean by hiding controversial cases that might tarnish the image of a well-respected school.

However, no campus is immune to the issue of sexual violence, so it is necessary for all schools to hold aggressors accountable. When a university enforces its policies against sexual harassment and seeks fair resolutions for its students, it benefits all members of the school.

Students must send a message to colleges and uniKYRA SEIGER versities that their safety and their classmates’ safety are of the utmost importance. College is a place for young people to learn how to think, grow as intellectuals, and meet new friends, but none of this can happen if students are not being protected and empowered.

Sexual violence may happen on any campus, but the key thing to remember before attending your dream school is: What is the school doing about it?

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

Up and Coming March 26, End of Third Quarter

March 31, International Night

March 27, Professional Day

April 3-10, Spring Break

Student & Teacher Awards & Honors

Junior Brian Le won an Honorable Mention in the National Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloists Competition.

Senior Stephanie Rager placed second and senior Sean Nair placed third in the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium.

The Poms team won second place at the 2015 Division III MCPS Poms Championships.

Senior Michael Winer won the first place Intel Science Talent Search Medal of Distinction for Innovation.

Junior Audrey Krimm won first place in the intermediate category at the 2015 United States Synchronized Skating Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. Freshman Sabrina Li placed 10th with her novice team.

Senior Junior Anderson Yanga placed fourth at the Wrestling State Championships.

The It’s Academic team is advancing to the semi-final competition.

Sophomores Cole Sebastian, Thomas Norris and Amy Gilbert won second prize along with Nicholas Fechner-Mills, Jack Russ and Prim Phoolsombat in the 2015 C-SPAN Student Cam Competition. Sophomores John Gorman, Jeremy Gagnon and Julian Perez-Garcia won third prize along with Lily Montgomery, Cami Vanderwolf and Siena Fouse.

Editorials B6

silverchips

March 12, 2015

The new educational frontier is not always a click away New Chromebooks force technology for the sake of technology What are Mexican Jumping Beans? Who is Childish Gambino?

How do I jailbreak my iPhone?

Are CeeLo Green and Gnarls Barkley the same thing? No matter how compelling the question, with Blair’s newly acquired Chromebooks, the answer is just a click away. And provided with little direction from teacher, what is there to do other but solve the mysteries that lie unresolved in your mind. Nevermind that pointless Noodletools account you were supposed to be setting up, and don’t fret about that random article you’re supposed to read.

The school has placed the Internet in your hands, and you plan to make full use of it.

Now obviously, Chromebooks weren’t delivered to us with the intention of being tools of distraction. But in their short-lived tenure, the laptops have been crudely implemented into lesson plans and have divided our attention in class. The potential is there, but given how the computers have been introduced, it is not an unfair statement to say that they have hindered our education.

It’s clear that social studies teachers were essentially given a mandate: Integrate MCPS’ shiny new toys into their classes in whatever way possible. And the ambiguity of that directive has led to an abundance of wasted moments and class periods. Formerly face-to-face class discussions have been moved to cold Google Docs that remove the actual human interaction from classroom debates, and students are often unleashed on the machines with no direction beyond, “Do some research.”

There are few things more perilous for an attention-challenged and severely bored kid than placing a laptop in front of them, and then not supplying any type of real guidance. Yet, ever since the first day those carts full of MCPS’ new purchases were rolled into classrooms, that has been a daily predicament for many. The students aren’t sure what they’re expected to do with this brand new addition, and teachers aren’t sure what they should tell the students to do with them. At this stage, lessons with Chromebooks rarely run as smoothly as those without.

They’ve been relegated to nothing more than Sporcle machines far too often, a truth sure to strike MCPS’ technology proponents straight in the heart.

The Chromebooks are here to stay. They are critical parts of the new PARCC assessment, and the county forked over millions to Google for them, most likely without asking for a return receipt. So in a way, it’s understandable why we’ve been exposed to them so heavily. But to actually get a return on that investment, we need to do a few things.

First, the social studies department needs to share custody of their new babies with all departments. There are a multitude of social studies teachers who would have little problem not using the Chromebooks every week, let alone every day. There is zero reason we can’t hand those misused laptops to teachers who are actually enthusiastic about using them.

With that one step, Blair could kill two of their Chromebook-shaped birds with one stone; Productive

class time would be restored to the classes with little need for them, and tech-savvy English, Math and Science teachers would get the opportunity to heighten their classroom learning experiences.

Another significant step in bolstering the return on the laptops would be to simply use them more efficiently. Several classes have experimented with Padlet, a group note-taking tool that sparks discussion and debate.

Other teachers have stumbled upon the glory of Google Classroom, a feature that takes the best qualities of Edline, Turnitin. com, and Google Docs and combines them into one easy-to-use program. Google Classroom can serve as a forum for class discussion, dropbox for students to turn in assignments, and medium for teachers share engaging educational articles and videos. The students need more of that, and less of the “free research time” and shared presentations.

We can’t mistake the mere presence of the Chromebooks as innovation; They are nothing but cat video providers without the right usage.

If we can’t take advantage of this technology in efficient ways than we may as

well be throwing millions of dollars in to the junk yard. The last thing that high school classrooms need are more distractions. Teachers are wasting creative energy on smoothing out the transition of Chromebooks in the classroom.

This time could be spent working towards general technological training sessions that can provide teachers with methods on how to accommodate to the constantly changing, millennial mind.

However, these teaching methods shouldn’t subtract human interaction from the equation. MCPS doesn’t need to hastily turn the technological page with Chromebooks when just as much value can still be found in the pages of a book.

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

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

ELIZABETH PHAM

Introducing Silver Chips, your newest educational tool Teachers and students can benefit from lessons on our stories important we engage with our paper and learn how/why to use Silver Chips as a teaching tool.

According to MerriamWebster dictionary, journalism is, “the collection and editing of news for presentation through the media.” But what some teachers don’t realize is that journalism can be an explosive tool for educating our youth about the power of self-expression, writing and attaining knowledge.

Most students are familiar with the standard English class writing set up. We read a book, ZEKE WAPNER and then are assigned to write an essay or paper discussing the literary devices or overall purpose of the text we read.

Writing in this academic

By Naomi Weintraub way is essential to becoming better students, critical thinkers and speakers. It is also vital in our Once a month, English classes growth as writers. However, this are filled with a familiar buzz. is not the only style of writing Students celebrate jubilantly and which we should be exposed to, cheer as they surround giant and Silver Chips is the perfect heaps of literary genius, otherway to introduce these new writwise known as the one and only ing styles to students.

Silver Chips. As teachers pass out Starting with the news on the these gleaming bundles of hope front cover, Silver Chips has the disguised as scholastic journalability to teach students about the ism many students contemplate, importance of choosing what to “Why do we receive these in the include. Our editors debate laboriclassroom just to have them reously over what news stories, and layed into our book bags for later what information in these stories, devouring?” are the most essential to include These students are right in their on our front cover, mirroring the questioning, and that is why it’s

Ombudsman Naomi Weintraub

process many English students go through when determining what points to include in an essay. The News section of Silver Chips also has the potential to teach students about the power of concise, informative writing that gets to the point quickly.

A vital part of the high school English curriculum, persuasive writing requires students to inject their own voice and opinion into their work. This useful skill is portrayed widely in our Opinion and Editorial section. We showcase pages upon pages of student’s real opinions on relevant topics. Silver Chips articles can inspire the writers in all of us to better relay our opinions and truths through our academic and personal writing.

Our diverse student body is what makes Blair unique. The Features section of our paper showcases the many complex stories of our students. Because of the the story-like quality of Features articles, they can and should be used as perfect examples of entertaining non-fiction writing for students.

The Sports and Entertainment sections of Silver Chips can serve as examples of creative writing, and as ways writing can serve as self-expression or tools with which to talk about topics of interest such as pop culture and athletics.

Moving past just English classes, Silver Chips can transform into an educational method in a large array of subjects. Photography classes can use the pictures depicted throughout the paper

as inspiration for projects. They could even provide critiques and identify techniques used in the photography included in the paper. History or social studies classes can examine articles for their cultural significance and social commentary.

In school it often feels like classes don’t promote alternative forms of education. The power of learning from others, and collaborative learning through discussion, is not always tapped into. Silver Chips can be the ideal learning tool to promote this kind of education.

As students read the paper for examples of quality writing, they are not only learning about vital ways with which to grow as a writer, but they are learning from the author’s experience of writing the story, and learning from the community around them. When we see the way our writing can help us actualize change for the community, or truly share the stories of people around us, growing as a writer becomes even more relevant.

Using Silver Chips as a teaching tool allows its to be a completely holistic educational experience for everyone in our community. From the readers, writers and subjects, to the students in the classrooms, our paper can create a learning process in many ways. At the very least, using Silver Chips in the classrooms will help us prevent them from landing in the school’s recycling bins.

So when your teacher requests

you to quietly put your copy of Silver Chips back into your book bag, try asking them if they can incorporate it into the classroom. I think many students and teachers will be surprised at how far the paper can push the envelope on our standard form of education.

Comments or concerns?

Email the Ombudsman at ombudsmansilverchips@gmail.com

Corrections In the C6 story “When paying the rent is a new kind of homework,” we reported that senior Eric Kalala had been renting a room from senior Matthew Kickenson’s mother for the past couple of months. At the time of the article’s publication, he had been only been renting the room for approximitely one month.

The graphic for the A5 story “RideOn implements Youth Cruiser cards” was credited to Amanda Gross. It should have been credited to Anna O’Driscoll.

On B5, guest writer Sylvie Weissman’s name was misspelled.

Co-author Emma Soler’s name was left off of the byline for the C3 story “Behind the counter: The daily routine of cafeteria staff.”

B7ADs

silverchips

March 12, 2015

silverchips

March 12, 2015

Features C1

Following the yellow brick road of opportunity Undocumented students share dreams and worries for their collegiate futures from UNDOCUMENTED page A1 Where only first names appear, names have been changed to protect the identities of the sources. most in-state universities and are not allowed to receive federal financial aid. For these college hopefuls, the “Land of Opportunity” holds their dreams of a promising, quality education in order to have a better life with their families. However, there are many hurdles and limitations before them that make the yellow brick road a little less golden.

The American DREAM Two years ago, junior Sarah was one of many minors who traversed across the border alone. Over her one-month journey, she traveled with a group of strangers taking refuge in bodegas, temporary safe havens that are often teeming with undocumented immigrants. After nine years apart and a long month of traveling, Sarah reunited with her mother in Silver Spring in 2012. “I wanted to live with my mom, to spend time with her. That’s what gave me [the strength] to come here,” she explains.

Senior Leo and his younger brother were 15 and seven years old when they joined a group of complete strangers to attempt the journey to America, and faced hurdles along the way. “In Mexico, we got caught by the military and they took us to the immigration center and we stayed there for a month.

They deported us [back] to El Salvador,” Leo recounts, “I was afraid that something might happen to us, but I was praying for that to not happen.”

However, this unfortunate setback didn’t seem to faze him. Instead, Leo, who had not seen his mother for seven years, continued on. “I hadn’t seen my mom for a long time, I wanted to be with her.”

Tobar’s family traveled to the U.S. legally from El Salvador on a traveling Visa. “We acquired a traveling Visa, but we stayed here after the expiration date of the Visa, so that’s when we became undocumented,” she says.

The most significant challenge posed upon Leo was the English language.

Even though his English is proficient now, he recalls a time at his first American high school, Springbrook, when this wasn’t the case. “I was in the main office and I was embarrassed because I didn’t know how to speak,” he describes, “I was red and I said, ‘Hello, my name is Leo’…I understood [when] she told me to take a seat. That was the only word I understood, ‘seat.’” In his freshman and sophomore years, Leo took ESOL 1 and ESOL 2, skipped to ESOL 4 in his junior year, and now takes a regular English 12 class.

In Tobar’s household, education has been strongly enforced since her family’s immigration during kindergarten.

“Education has always been a value in our home, finding your education, and finding a path to higher education. We came here for that reason,” Tobar explains. For Tobar and other students in similar situations, high grades and proper behavior were not enough to ensure a higher education.

A rock and a hard place Even though Leo put in long hours to master his classes, any progress he made was brought to a stalemate when he discovered that his citizenship status forces him to pay out-of-state tuition, hinders him from applying for financial aid and limits his scholarship opportunities. “I can’t apply

for scholarships because of my status, even though I had a good GPA,” he says.

The truth hit Tobar hard in her senior year when she realized that she might not be able to follow her dreams of attending a four-

“Facing the reality of being an undocumented student puts you in the place of becoming a ‘no one’ in this country.”

- Marisela Tobar

feel a little angry and frustrated but I know that I broke the law. When I was little, I wanted to be a lawyer, so I know what it’s like to break the law,” he states.

It’s difficult for Leo, who has worked hard his entire high school career, to now face limited options in pursuing higher education. “For me it’s unfair that I’ve been doing my work and trying to be a good student, and that I’m not able to go and apply for scholarships that I know that I could get,” he says.

In high school, Tobar found it frustrating to be an undocumented student. “I had to find something to get me there, there had to be some kind of resource. And of course, there was a moment in my senior year… when I wanted to give up – there was no point, there was no way that I could get to college,” recounts Tobar. Although the opportunities are scarce and vastly less than those of documented students, there are scholarships and programs out there specifically for undocumented immigrants.

DREAMing for a brighter future year university. “[My family] had expenses.

We don’t have health care because of our undocumented status. So when we have to go to the doctor, there goes my trust fund. I absolutely had zero dollars to go to college.

ANGEL WEN

Montgomery College or anywhere. I had no money,” she recalls. Along with the lack of money, because she was undocumented, she could not apply for any federal aid that she would have otherwise qualified for.

With the physical burden of the lack of papers and money comes the very wellknown stigma of illegal immigration. “Facing the reality of being an undocumented student puts you in the place of becoming a ‘no one in this country.’ You face discrimination, you face the stereotype,” Tobar expresses, “I remember in high school I would read a bunch of statistics of percentages of Hispanic girls that don’t go to college, and I guess my motivation was always not to be part of a statistic.”

Unfortunately, the statistics regarding illegal immigrants and collegiate education are grim. According to Golden Door Scholars, 49 percent of undocumented students will drop out of high school. Of the remaining students, only 2.5 percent will continue to go to college. One of the hardest experiences Tobar had to face was hearing all of the excitement around her senior year. “I had examples of friends who had already graduated and they were going to college and I wanted that. Again, I didn’t know how to get there,” she says.

Leo ultimately feels stuck between a rock and a hard place in regards to his status. “I

The Maryland Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), allows for undocumented Maryland high school graduates to qualify for instate tuition at a four-year public Maryland University after two years at a Maryland community college. “A common pathway for undocumented Blair students to take is transferring to University of Maryland after attending Montgomery College for two years,” explains Jose Medrano, the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success Academic Coordinator (ACES) at Blair.

Other programs, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status also allow undocumented students eligible under those laws to pay lower tuition rates, according to Montgomery College.

Tobar obsessively researched for hours until she found the “TheDream.Us” scholarship. Due to her dedication and hard work, along with help from her parents, teachers and Medrano, she is able to go to school tuition-free because of TheDream.Us, a scholarship which operates with DACA, and a matching scholarship from Trinity itself. “That’s why I graduated, and now, thankfully, I’m in a college,” says Tobar.

Leo, now in the second semester of his senior year, aims to work just as hard as Tobar did. He currently holds a 3.53 GPA, helps an ESOL biology class as a BLISS tutor and balances work four days a week with school. This has not been always easy, how-

ever. “For me, it’s been more difficult because I had to work. That’s why I [haven’t been able to] enjoy any clubs,” Leo explains.

Unlike Tobar and Leo, many undocumented students are unaware of their options. “You have some students which are really optimistic and then you have some students who are really lost hopes, they think that because of their situations, there are no alternatives,” Medrano explains, “But there are scholarships out there, for all types of people, documented and undocumented.”

Leo is taking advantage of such scholarships by applying for the Esperanza Education Fund to mollify the cost of tuition for Montgomery College. The scholarship is crucial for Leo to obtain a higher education, but not winning the scholarship will not deter Leo from his college plans, who will continue to work to afford tuition. “That’s the only thing that I can do,” says Leo – not attending college is not an option.

Undocumented students are waiting on education reform that will allow them to fulfill their biggest dreams. “[Everybody] should be allowed to go to college. We all have rights and we are all humans,” junior Benjamin says firmly. But at the end of the

“I feel a little angry and frustrated but I know that I broke the law. When I was little, I wanted to be a lawyer, so I know what it’s like to break the law.”

- Leo

day, success boils down to the individual and his or her ability to accept the given circumstances in order to overcome them. “I learned, in my experience, to be really open about my undocumented status,” Tobar describes, “I [had] to stand up for who I am, this is my future, I have grown up with these people, and they need to see me for who I am.”

REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF MARISELA TOBAR

BREAK THE STIGMA Blair alumna Marisela Tobar is open about her undocumented status and encourages other students to be accepting of their circumstances as well.

C2 Features

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March 12, 2015

A daily struggle: the hidden challenges of OCD Blair students affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder

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

Jane, a sophomore, is sitting down for a test she’s been dreading all day. She knows the material pretty well, but it is a difficult class, and she’s heard rumors that the test is pretty hard. She is handed the test and a scantron sheet and that’s when she notices it – a dark, irregular smudge on the front page.

It takes over. All of her concentration is shot, and she can feel the anxiety coming on.

She struggles to remember information she is sure she’d studied the night before, because she just can’t get that smudge out of her head.

Jane is not alone. For some Blazers, dealing with these kinds of distractions is a strenuous and daily challenge. These students have obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD. According to the OCD Research Center of Florida, the disorder affects about 500,000 children and adolescents in the United States.

The first signs Junior Greer Turner describes the disorder as thoughts being stuck in her head in the wrong places. “Things will just feel so wrong to you in a way that doesn’t make sense,” she explains. Turner has been diagnosed with moderate OCD, which she says began as early as third grade. She started having rituals that involved cracking her knuckles, and experienced symptoms such as hair pulling and skin picking (known in the medical world as trichotillomania and dermatillomania).

There was no clear cause for her obsessions and the subsequent rituals, known as compulsions. Turner, who also has attention deficit disorder, became panicky and upset over distractions, which caused her stress levels to increase. By ninth grade, she had reached a breaking point. “It felt like it was crushing

me,” she says.

Anne, a sophomore, started experiencing OCD symptoms almost as early as Turner.

She began suffering from compulsions, such as the need to feel a certain fabric or close a door a certain way, during the summer before fourth grade. “It was the worst summer ever,” remembers Anne. “My parents knew that something was up.” Like Turner, there was no explanation for why it was happening.

“To me it’s not logical,” she says.

Jane wasn’t diagnosed with OCD until early this school year. She also started having strong obsessions and compulsions, including rituals like Turner’s and Anne’s. “The main one is balance,” she says. “If I tap my right leg, I’ll tap my left leg twice and my right leg again.”

Jane didn’t realize that her behaviors were part of a more serious problem until a meeting with her psychiatrist in which she was asked questions about vague patterns and compulsions. Initially, Jane denied noticing anything out of the ordinary, but quickly realized she was wrong. “Once I thought about it and I mulled it over…that’s when I realized it had become a big part of my life,” she recalls.

What is OCD? According to Deborah Marks, an adult and adolescent psychotherapist, OCD is composed of two elements, obsessions and compulsions. “Obsessions are persistent ideas, thoughts, impulses or images that are experienced as intrusive or inappropriate,” she says. A compulsion is a repetitive behavior, such as trichotillomania, the goal of which is to reduce stress caused by the obsession.

“They’re excessive and unreasonable,” Marks explains. “They don’t make life any better, they just make it harder.”

Learning to cope When Anne was first diagnosed, she was

relieved more than upset. “It’s kind of a relief because it explains some weird things about yourself,” she explains. She met with a therapist through part of elementary school, and then again during her freshman year of high school.

During these sessions, she learned skills that would make it easier to live with her disorder. Now, she’s doing pretty well with keeping her OCD in check. “I’ve learned to control my compulsions,” she says. “I have a very good handle on it.”

Turner and Jane, on the other hand, are continuing therapy and are on medication for anxiety and OCD-related symptoms. Turner says she has experienced some improvement after a very bad stretch during parts of ninth and tenth grade. “Last year, I’d be so anxious,” she says. “I was kind of in this constant mood of ‘everything sucks.’” Since then, she has made improvements.

“Some of the symptoms have gone away,” she says. “I think I’m calmer.”

Challenges of the disorder This school year has been one of the hardest for Jane, GRACE WOODWARD who finds that her OCD and her anxiety overlap and make it difficult to cope. She currently takes four different medications, and says that anti-anxiety medication specifically helps with OCD. “It’s become harder,” she admits. “But now I have ways to deal with it that make it, if not easy, at least

manageable.”

Turner also finds having OCD a challenge when going to school. “School’s always kind of aggravated my OCD,” she says. She explains that sitting through boring classes adds to her fixating on things. However, not many people know about her d i s o rd e r, b e cause she makes a conscious effort not to let it show.

“School is mostly okay, because I have this overriding anxiety to present myself as normal,” she explains.

According to Marks, the challenges of OCD vary from person to person, but a major overarching problem is shame.

“It’s intense,” she says. “It’s very private. I think the beginning is to tell somebody, to share it with somebody and to want to work on it.”

Because of the challenges school presents to people with OCD, Jane wishes teachers and other students were more aware of the disorder. “It’s treated as kind of this obscure thing that we don’t talk about,” she says. “I think health classes need to cover it.” Jane believes this would also help to discourage stereotypes about OCD and make teachers more sensitive to the needs and daily struggles of students affected by the disorder. “It’s not that I can’t do things other kids can do,” says Jane.

“It’s that I have to carry my OCD with me.”

Q & A with Peter Rosenberg, New York radio personality

By Naomi Weintraub Blair students hustle by in the hallways as music streams through our headphones. As we swarm the building we all revolve in our own worlds of music, each unique to our style. No matter what we are listening to, everybody has something say to say about the latest single dropped, or the newest radio hit. Peter Rosenberg gets to do just that.

From his local Montgomery County roots to the Big Apple, we got to sit down and talk to Rosenberg about what it took for him to go from the DMV to big radio broadcast.

Q: What kind of work do you do specifically?

A: The thing that is responsible for most of my income is the morning show at Hot 97 [97.1 WQHT] primarily. And then my show, Real Late with Rosenberg, is not as much a money thing, but it’s big in terms of creating other opportunities for me.

I DJ, and host different shows too. I look at everything as an opportunity to just build up who I am, and make money in different ways. Radio is cool, but it doesn’t pay what it used to pay and you have to have other ways to make money if you want to support a nice life in New York. Its important to be visible, so you can continue to get more opportunities.

Q: Where did you grow up in Montgomery County and what high school did you attend?

A: I grew up in Chevy Chase and I attended Bethesda Chevy Chase High School.

Q: How did your interest in DJing begin?

A: As a teenager, I was already very into music, I got my turntables after freshman year. I spent a lot of time messing around and recording mixtapes for my friends. I DJ-ed the high school dances and stuff like that. I was so-

cial, and I went out but I was always the person that was trying to make the music for the party, and I quickly got the reputation as that hip-hop guy.

Q: Were you involved in your school’s radio or other journalism opportunities?

A: I was involved in the school’s newspaper but that’s it, that’s all there was. I was a writer and then an editor for our school newspaper and that was it in terms of education for journalism in high school. I knew that I would make my college decision, not solely on, but partially on whether the university had a radio station.

Q: How did your college experience prepare you for a career in broadcast journalism?

A: I majored in broadcast journalism, which is a great program and it has gotten bigger and bigger with more and more opportunities. I learned a lot there; I am grateful for everything I learned at University of Maryland. The radio station was very small, but it’s very student run so I was able to learn about radio and record music business and labels.

Q: How did you get to where you are now from Montg o m e r y County?

A:

After

B-CC I went to UMD, and entered the college radio station. When I was a senior in college, I was given the overnight shift at WPGC, which at the time was a pretty big station. In 200, after many other gigs with other stations, I heard from Ebro Darden [then Hot 97 program director], who wanted to meet with me and bring me up there. The rest is history.

Q: Do you rep DC as your home? What is your favorite place in DC and MOCO? A: I do often say DC. The cool thing is the term DMV literally started getting big as I moved out of DC, so I started saying that more, because its more inclusive.

But honestly I love the suburbs in DC, I love Montgomery County. I spend alot of time when I get back home galavanting around the record stores in downtown Silver Spring, like Joe’s Record Paradise, Record Exchange, Roadhouse Oldies. I spend alot of time just walking around Georgia Avenue and then I like to go to the California Tortilla on Colesville.

Q: How has your MoCo/ DC roots influenced you as a radio personality?

A: My entire personality that gave me a job on the radio is all based on my real personality; which is inherently sort of suburban.

So much of me and what people find amusing about me is my suburban life, its just a huge part of what I am.

As far as DC goes, everyone knows I’m the biggest Redskins fan. The rest of my persoREPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF PETER ROSENBERG

na is just my B-CC suburban personality.

Q: How is it different being the token “suburban, white male” commentating on Hip Hop that is a primarily black dominated music field?

A: One of the best things about hip hop is if you’re really authentic to it, you get really respected. I am very proud of the way that people look at me, within the culture and within New York in particular. I know there are some people who write me off, or give me a little bit of a hard time, and I think sometimes maybe it take me a while to earn people’s trust, but I think when I’ve earned it, I’ve earned it in a way that is really deep with people.

I’m very self-assured. If you work really hard, and you really study what your into, after a while, you really believe that you know your stuff, and that no one can really test you. I have been DJing for 20 years. I’ve really studied the music for years and years, it gives me confidence, and I don’t really have any concerns about anyone doubting me.

Q: What is your main purpose as a broadcaster/interviewer?

A: I think the number one reason why I do this because I want to entertain people. I consider myself a broadcaster first and an interviewer second. Every morning I don’t do interviews, I’m just funny. I think radio, [especially] morning radio, isn’t respected in the way it should be. Like dude, it’s not easy being funny at six in the morning, and we do that. I also love music but that’s secondary.

Both are always still important to me.

Q: What is your advice to students that want to have careers similar to yours or are interested in media in general?

A: The number one thing is, if you make a decision about what you want to do, you pursue it. The earliest you can make up that decision the better.

Features C3

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March 12, 2015

New storefronts arrive in Old Town Takoma

As businesses come and go, can Takoma Park keep its vibe?

By Amanda Wessel Photos with colorful construction paper frames lined the display windows of the Carroll Avenue storefront of Shampoo Inc. hair salon in Takoma Park. The pictures celebrated the local business owners and the community that cherished them. Some captured moments showed grinning toddlers getting their first haircuts. In others, neighborhood kids trick-or-treated at the business to see the owners don their elaborate Halloween costumes. Some photos even depicted festive holiday decorations set up in the very same window. The scrapbook of images was a farewell to Takoma Park’s beloved independent hair salon of 34 years, which closed in February.

Owner Sharon Waldvogel, who worked in the location on Takoma Park’s main street since 1977 and came to own the business 16 years later, decided it was finally time for her to close Shampoo. Takoma Park’s other local businesses in the Old Town neighborhood have seen numerous changes as well.

Now and Then, a small but well-loved gift store, closed in January, and Takoma Bistro, a restaurant cafe a block away, had its last day in December. But as the icy winter thaws, new businesses are arriving to bring Takoma back to life.

‘The end of an era’ Though the turnover in businesses seems sudden, “It’s just the natural progression of the businesses,” says Laura Barclay, director of the Old Town Business Association, which aims to sustain a vibrant community commercial district in Takoma Park. Businesses have always come and gone and this time, the departures happened to coincide.

Waldvogel began running Shampoo in 1993 when the previous owner passed the business down to her. “I was raising two kids, I didn’t have the money to be buying the business. She had more confidence in me than I had in myself,” Waldvogel recalls.

After 22 years, her original staff of five has been whittled down to two hard working hair stylists. “We are the last of the Mohicans,” she laughs.

After some landlord turnovers, Waldvogel considered what they would do if Shampoo had to move out. The owner of Salon Jam, another hair salon in Old Town, and longtime friend of Waldvogel’s agreed to take them in, should they need a place to go.

“With the new things coming in the area, the people who own the real estate are going to raise their prices. It’s just a normal thing,” she explains. “It was time for me to make a decision… to close out Shampoo.”

Approaching her 64th birthday in May, Waldvogel saw her retirement in the near future, but she still wanted to work. “So I called Salon Jam and they had opening arms for us and said ‘Please come down, I’d love to have you,’” she says. A high-end hair salon called Scissor and Comb will be taking Shampoo’s place.

Now, the Shampoo trio has begun to work at their new location. “It’s going to be okay, we’ve just got to get into a routine down here,” Waldvogel says confidently.

She believes that the experience gave her new wisdom about what it means to be flexible. “I’ve learned that nobody likes change.

But it’s part of life,” she says. So far, the team has been able to stay grateful for the opportunity.

places and bring new things to the table. Replacing the space formerly occupied by Now and Then will be Tabletop, a new branch of a local gift and home accessories store with a “modern colorful aesthetic” owned by Takoma Park resident Daphne Olive. Garrett, whose son was one of Olive’s closest childhood friends, suggested Olive take over the space.

“Now and Then closing is bittersweet,” says Olive. “I grew up shopping in [Garrett’s] store. I’ve been shopping there for its 31 years in Takoma Park.” Though Olive’s original branch is located in Dupont Circle, D.C., she and her business partners all live in Takoma Park and are excuted about the future of the area. “We are excited about the direction Takoma Park is going now. It is an exciting neighborhood to be in,” she says.

Another business that has recently established a branch in Takoma Park is Republic. Though the restaurant is affiliated with a ZEKE WAPNER network of establishments TKPK The quirky neighborhood is getting new stores. in the metro area run by restaurateur Jeff Black, opening Republic was a life goal of Takoma Though transitions are difficult, the most native and head chef Danny Wells. “It was important support, she says, comes from always kind of a dream of mine to open a their loyal customers. “Once you get them restaurant in my home town,” Wells says. as clients, they become friends. That’s how Being from the area, Wells felt a lack of nice Takoma Park people are,” she says. “We restaurants. “There have been a lot of good, took little pieces of paper from what cussmaller, more casual cafes in Takoma Park tomers wrote and I’m going to make a little for a long time but there hasn’t been in many book of all the things people said about us. years a lot of full service restaurants,” he exIt’s an end of an era but when I first came plains. here it was the beginning of an era.”

Despite its more Jeanne Ha, who owns family-run Park upscale approach, Florist shop on Takoma’s main street, is sad Republic focuses to see her friends and business neighbors on paying homage go. Since her business was adjacent to Tato the community. koma Bistro, Ha had become good friends “The name itself is with the owners of the now closed cafe. a shout-out to the “We always went to chat and get coffee and unofficial slogan snacks from there,” says Ha. “It was really of Takoma Park, sudden and sad to know that they were gowhich has always ing.” Now that storefront is a fusion restaubeen known as The rant called Kin Da Thai and Sushi.

People’s Republic Ha is also affected by the closing of Now of Takoma Park,” and Then, another cornerstone business in explains Wells. The Old Town Takoma Park whose owner, Jude restaurant managGarrett, decided to retire and close the store ers also consider that she owned for more than 30 years. “I’m how they source happy for Jude to retire but her shop is a their food, who legacy here,” Ha says. they chose to buy Garrett was a mentor to other businesses products from and coming into Takoma Park, and her contriwhat type of enterbutions to the community were felt by all. tainment to feature “When I was the new kid on the block I in order to fit with would just do whatever she does. If I had any questions about sales or customers, Takoma Park’s val- FIXTURE S&A Beads I would ask Jude and she would tell me,” ues. “There used says Ha. “Now I’m growing up. I feel like to be a really great I’m a senior, responsible for being a good live music scene here, back in the day, but the community has always been filled with role model.” musicians and artists,” says Wells, explaining that the music scene has been well reNew directions with TKPK roots ceived by the patrons. “Our main goal is to Despite the sad endings for mainstay be the restaurant for the people here in Tastores, current businesses will take their koma Park,” he emphasizes.

Like Olive, Wells agrees that the dynamic of Takoma Park is changing. “It’s a really exciting time for Takoma Park, a bit of a transition,” he says. “People are slowly and just now somehow realizing all the cool things Takoma Park has to offer.”

soapbox

What are your thoughts on the changing businesses of Takoma Park?

“I think that Takoma Park should improve and add new businesses, like Five Guys.”

- Anthony Rosario, freshman

“I really like how businesses are changing in Takoma Park. A lot more restaurants are moving in and replacing the old stores that were not doing so well.”

- Claudia Burlinson, sophomore

Young nostalgia Interestingly, some of those most concerned about change are in the younger generation that wants to preserve the establishments they grew up with. “I really watched these businesses transform,” says Ariela Sirota, 18, who grew up two blocks away from the Old Town businesses. “I think the character of the whole neighborhood is changing very rapidly. I think a lot of these businesses that are coming are less neighborhood friendly and a little bit more uppity and expensive,” she explains.

“I’m really sad that the old businesses are leaving,” says freshman Joanne Ha, Jeanne Ha’s daughter. She wonders if a new generation of young “hipsters” has prompted the change to livelier, adult establishments and fusion cuisine restaurants. “It makes me feel kind of nostalgic,” she says, recalling Now and Then as her go-to for purchasing birthday presents and Summer Delights, an ice cream store that was located in the space where Republic now stands. “I think every child in Takoma Park around our age group reminisces about Summer Delights,” confirms Sirota. “I like the old places that remind me of my childhood,” she adds wistfully.

Waldvogel also hopes that modern changes will not obscure Takoma Park’s down-to-earth vibe. “I hope people will remember the other businesses that have been through all the turnarounds and support them as well. I just don’t want it to turn into a little Bethesda. I want it to still be Takoma Park,” she says.

‘The next phase of Takoma’

Barclay, of the Old Town Business Association, addresses many of these concerns, reassuring that new businesses will not hurt the other establishments. “The more attention that new businesses bring, it helps everybody in the community. When Republic first opened, we found that a lot of people just didn’t want to wait in the lines and went to Mark’s Kitchen [another Takoma Park restaurant] instead,” she says.

Barclay also affirms that Takoma’s character will remain. “We’re not replacing them with chains, we are replacing them with the same types of independent locally-owned businesses,” she says. Barclay refutes the notion that Takoma Park will become too upscale with these modern businesses. “What we have found through our research is that ... Takoma Park people and Takoma D.C. people have money,” she says. “We are just

has been an Old Town staple since 1998.

continuing to bring more opportunity for spending here.” Olive also disagrees that the neighborhood is becoming too upscale. “The choices may be more varied, more variety of prices, but not everything is getting expensive,” she says.

The recent changes, combined with the arrival of the popular restaurant Busboys and Poets, are making Takoma more of a destination. “For the last 20 or so years, people have had to leave Takoma Park for a night on the town or for a late night scene.

Not only are people living in Takoma Park now able to stay here, they are coming from other neighborhoods as well, which is great for Takoma Park as a whole,” says Wells.

Barclay adds that though local patrons are strong supporters, “we are not capable of sustaining the businesses ourselves at a really profitable level.” Customers from outside of the neighborhood are necessary to maintain the businesses.

Though change is often controversial in a community, Ha reveals that it is crucial.

“To be as old as you can be as a business, you need to evolve consistently,” she says.

“If you don’t, you are not going to last at all.

That’s the irony of it.”

movements are driven by young people just like the teens who walk Blair’s halls.

Generation Y, also known as the Millennials, has been by turns applauded and mocked for this focus on social justice and passion for making a change.

Of course, not everyone is convinced that Millennials care about the world around them. Pundits have labeled today’s youth selfish, narcissistic, irresponsible, even sociopathic. All in all, they say, this is a “Me Me Me” generation. But there is something missing from that picture; rather, there are some people missing from that picture.

People like Elsa Lakew.

Blair alum and current Howard University student Elsa Lakew isn’t a sociopath or a narcissist – she’s a crusader for change. Lakew first got involved in activism as a high school student and member of the Blair Young Democrats and the Global Culture Club. She started attending marches and rallies against Islamophobia, and then got an internship with a Maryland congressman. There, she dove into broader issues and learned the political ropes. Today, Lakew is a protest organizer focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement. “The possibility of change, that’s what drives me,” she says.

“I think it can happen.”

1

4

A

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF BRENDAN MAYER

‘It’s about life’

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merica has long been anation of protest. From the very beginning, our founders envisioned the United States as a place where the majority ruled and the minority spoke, a place where the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are enshrined in the most sacred document of our government. A place where, as founding father Thomas Jefferson put it, “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”

This protest-oriented mindset has been reflected in centuries of civil disobedience, from the suffragettes and the abolitionists to the Civil Rights Movement and the fight for gay marriage. It’s been at home in Selma, in Birmingham and of course in D.C. Today, it’s at home in Blair.

To those who follow the protest movements now making headlines, this will come as no surprise. Currently, young people are at the forefront of social activism in unprecedented numbers. Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, campaigns against sexual assault on college campuses – all of these prominent

PHOTOS: 1. REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF ELSA LAKEW 2. REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF BRENDAN MAYER 3. PETER BERGER 4. PHOUNG VO

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March 12, 2015

Blair students have found that there are as many different paths to activism as there are people willing to stand up and voice their views.

Lakew found her way to social justice through politics, but Blair junior Jean-Marie Acha finds his way through art—specifically, rap music. He feels inspired to emulate the musicians he listened to, such as Tupac, by rapping about his life. “My rap is about my hood, telling my story,” he says. “It’s about life. What I been through.”

For Acha, these personal stories soon became political. When he saw the effects of poverty, incarceration and racism around him every day, he felt as though he had to bring light to these issues. “I rap about children crying ‘cause they have no food,” he says. “I rap about the war. I rap about freeing everybody that got locked up, you know? They didn’t do anything.”

Like Acha, senior Lul Mohamud’s introduction to social justice work was personal. Mohamud and her family are refugees from Somalia. Much of her extended family still lives there. So her work educating Somali children and adults newly arrived in the United States is almost a familial obligation.

“When I come home, the door becomes a boundary where I step from the outside world into Somalia,” she says. “When I’m at home, I’m speaking to my parents, I’m talking to my siblings, I’m calling family members and checking up on them, you know? So it’s kind of a constant thing. It’s not like I get home and it’s all gone. When I get home, it actually gets more important.”

Not all young activists take such a direct path, however. Some, like junior Brendan Mayer, find their cause more accidentally. Mayer first got involved in environmental work when his sister recommended a summer trail-work program to him as a good chance to earn SSL hours. While working there, though, he discovered that he truly felt passionate about preserving nature and helping people access it. Now, he’s been on three local park crews and three national ones. “We aim to get more people involved in the environment,” he explains.

Giving gives back As Mayer’s experience shows, community work can be very fulfilling. Mayer recognizes this; he cherishes many of the interactions he’s had with community members grateful for his work. “My favorite part about it is getting the people in the neighborhood…to see the beauty all around them,” he says.

Mayer finds the work so satisfying that he plans to spend a gap year after graduation doing similar work with Americorps. He’ll clear trails, build

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FOR A GOOD CAUSE At a Black Lives Matter die-in (left) organized by Elsa Lakew, demonstrators honor the deaths of police brutality victims and protest the injustices of racial profiling. Brendan Mayer and his crew member (above) saw a fallen tree to clear a trail on a national park crew.

REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF ELSA LAKEW

demonstration I organized was on New Year’s Day,” she explains. “It was hectic structures and generally try to make nature as accessible as possible for diverse and crazy. But it was around Christmas time and I knew that Tamir Rice and audiences.

Michael Brown would never have another Christmas dinner with their families.

Mayer is far from the only one to find his advocacy rewarding. Mohamud That resonated with me.” says that her experiences of educating Somali immigrants enrich her life. “I Lakew pauses. “At the end of the day, we have to keep going. We can’t let get to talk to people who want to listen to my side and then hear other this movement die. Because this is personal.” people talk about their own sides, you know?” she explains. “So it’s melted into my life perfectly.”

Daring to dream Likewise, Lakew says that some of her best moments came from protests and protest organizing. She cites the recent Ferguson Ultimately, that personal connection, alongside hope for the teach-in that took place in Chinatown as a particularly memofuture, is what makes Blair’s activists so committed. “My rable experience. parents motivate me,” Mohamud says. “The past Somalia “We marched around, holding hands,” she says. “Not motivates me. And the possibility of making a better only African-Americans but Asian Americans, everyone motivates me. If I play my cards right, I can one. I saw mothers with Black Lives Matter t-shirts hopefully do something.” on, posters in one hand and kids in the other – the Lakew, a Blair graduate, is an active Mohamud dreams of becoming a doctor and sense of community was just overwhelming.” going to Somalia, working with the governIn general, Lakew says, she thrives off her participant in and organizer ment and with non-governmental organiwork. “It’s hectic and crazy and I think zations to provide the kind of health that’s what I like the most about it,” she of Black Lives Matter care that might have saved her aunt. says. “It’s exhausting a bit, but “Passing politics and going definitely fun.” protests. straight to that person who needs the vaccine, or needs Shouldering the burden food,” she says. “That’s my goal.”

With activism’s great Acha likewise rewards, though, come Mohamud, a Blair senior, works to help A junior at Blair, Mayer helps the envircouples his experiences great burdens.

Each educate and further opportunities with his hopes. “I been person must make sacrifices onment and has worked on three through some struggles and I for their cause. These range for fellow Somali local and three national feel like I should tell people about from the seemingly trivial, like it,” he says. ”I just want to inspire the weeks Mayer has to go without immigrants. park crews. people to believe in themselves and do showering, to the fundamental, like the whatever they can.” emotional weight of prejudice and hate.

All the activists, from Mayer to Moha“Struggle is stifling,” Lakew says. “It feels mud to Lakew to Acha, feel confident that like you’re suffering. To always have this in change is possible. They point to the successes of your face – it can be exhausting.” the Civil Rights Movement, of feminism, of the Dealing with topics like racism, poverty, war and Junior Acha advocates for social LGBT community. And they point to their own work. disease are hard for everyone. Add first-hand engageSuperficially, each activist has a different goal. Elsa ment with those issues to the social and academic change using the power of Lakew wants to prove that Black Lives Matter. Jean-Mapressures of school, and young activists can sometimes feel words in the raps rie Acha wants the world to know his neighboras though the weight of the world is on their shoulders. hood’s story. Lul Mohamud wants to save lives Mohamud knows this all too well. Recently, her uncle’s wife he writes. in Somalia. And Brendan Mayer wants died in childbirth due to a lack of adequate medical care in her part everyone to have access to the natural of Somalia. “Hearing that someone you talked to a month ago passed world. In the end, though, they away from something that could easily be taken care of if they and their fellow Blair activists had the materials, that really hit home,” she says. “It was hard, are all fighting for the because I didn’t know who I could talk to about it or if anyone same thing – change. would understand.” Ultimately, Mohamud says, the tragedy only made her more committed to her education of and advocacy for Somali refugees.

Lakew, too, has experienced moments of crisis. In those moments, she keeps going by reminding herself of why she’s fighting. “My first ever

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movements are driven by young people just like the teens who walk Blair’s halls.

Generation Y, also known as the Millennials, has been by turns applauded and mocked for this focus on social justice and passion for making a change.

Of course, not everyone is convinced that Millennials care about the world around them. Pundits have labeled today’s youth selfish, narcissistic, irresponsible, even sociopathic. All in all, they say, this is a “Me Me Me” generation. But there is something missing from that picture; rather, there are some people missing from that picture.

People like Elsa Lakew.

Blair alum and current Howard University student Elsa Lakew isn’t a sociopath or a narcissist – she’s a crusader for change. Lakew first got involved in activism as a high school student and member of the Blair Young Democrats and the Global Culture Club. She started attending marches and rallies against Islamophobia, and then got an internship with a Maryland congressman. There, she dove into broader issues and learned the political ropes. Today, Lakew is a protest organizer focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement. “The possibility of change, that’s what drives me,” she says.

“I think it can happen.”

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merica has long been anation of protest. From the very beginning, our founders envisioned the United States as a place where the majority ruled and the minority spoke, a place where the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly are enshrined in the most sacred document of our government. A place where, as founding father Thomas Jefferson put it, “A little rebellion now and then is a good thing.”

This protest-oriented mindset has been reflected in centuries of civil disobedience, from the suffragettes and the abolitionists to the Civil Rights Movement and the fight for gay marriage. It’s been at home in Selma, in Birmingham and of course in D.C. Today, it’s at home in Blair.

To those who follow the protest movements now making headlines, this will come as no surprise. Currently, young people are at the forefront of social activism in unprecedented numbers. Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, campaigns against sexual assault on college campuses – all of these prominent

PHOTOS: 1. REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF ELSA LAKEW 2. REPRODUCED WITH PERMISSION OF BRENDAN MAYER 3. PETER BERGER 4. PHOUNG VO

Features C4/C5

silverchips

March 12, 2015

Blair students have found that there are as many different paths to activism as there are people willing to stand up and voice their views.

Lakew found her way to social justice through politics, but Blair junior Jean-Marie Acha finds his way through art—specifically, rap music. He feels inspired to emulate the musicians he listened to, such as Tupac, by rapping about his life. “My rap is about my hood, telling my story,” he says. “It’s about life. What I been through.”

For Acha, these personal stories soon became political. When he saw the effects of poverty, incarceration and racism around him every day, he felt as though he had to bring light to these issues. “I rap about children crying ‘cause they have no food,” he says. “I rap about the war. I rap about freeing everybody that got locked up, you know? They didn’t do anything.”

Like Acha, senior Lul Mohamud’s introduction to social justice work was personal. Mohamud and her family are refugees from Somalia. Much of her extended family still lives there. So her work educating Somali children and adults newly arrived in the United States is almost a familial obligation.

“When I come home, the door becomes a boundary where I step from the outside world into Somalia,” she says. “When I’m at home, I’m speaking to my parents, I’m talking to my siblings, I’m calling family members and checking up on them, you know? So it’s kind of a constant thing. It’s not like I get home and it’s all gone. When I get home, it actually gets more important.”

Not all young activists take such a direct path, however. Some, like junior Brendan Mayer, find their cause more accidentally. Mayer first got involved in environmental work when his sister recommended a summer trail-work program to him as a good chance to earn SSL hours. While working there, though, he discovered that he truly felt passionate about preserving nature and helping people access it. Now, he’s been on three local park crews and three national ones. “We aim to get more people involved in the environment,” he explains.

Giving gives back As Mayer’s experience shows, community work can be very fulfilling. Mayer recognizes this; he cherishes many of the interactions he’s had with community members grateful for his work. “My favorite part about it is getting the people in the neighborhood…to see the beauty all around them,” he says.

Mayer finds the work so satisfying that he plans to spend a gap year after graduation doing similar work with Americorps. He’ll clear trails, build

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FOR A GOOD CAUSE At a Black Lives Matter die-in (left) organized by Elsa Lakew, demonstrators honor the deaths of police brutality victims and protest the injustices of racial profiling. Brendan Mayer and his crew member (above) saw a fallen tree to clear a trail on a national park crew.

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demonstration I organized was on New Year’s Day,” she explains. “It was hectic structures and generally try to make nature as accessible as possible for diverse and crazy. But it was around Christmas time and I knew that Tamir Rice and audiences.

Michael Brown would never have another Christmas dinner with their families.

Mayer is far from the only one to find his advocacy rewarding. Mohamud That resonated with me.” says that her experiences of educating Somali immigrants enrich her life. “I Lakew pauses. “At the end of the day, we have to keep going. We can’t let get to talk to people who want to listen to my side and then hear other this movement die. Because this is personal.” people talk about their own sides, you know?” she explains. “So it’s melted into my life perfectly.”

Daring to dream Likewise, Lakew says that some of her best moments came from protests and protest organizing. She cites the recent Ferguson Ultimately, that personal connection, alongside hope for the teach-in that took place in Chinatown as a particularly memofuture, is what makes Blair’s activists so committed. “My rable experience. parents motivate me,” Mohamud says. “The past Somalia “We marched around, holding hands,” she says. “Not motivates me. And the possibility of making a better only African-Americans but Asian Americans, everyone motivates me. If I play my cards right, I can one. I saw mothers with Black Lives Matter t-shirts hopefully do something.” on, posters in one hand and kids in the other – the Lakew, a Blair graduate, is an active Mohamud dreams of becoming a doctor and sense of community was just overwhelming.” going to Somalia, working with the governIn general, Lakew says, she thrives off her participant in and organizer ment and with non-governmental organiwork. “It’s hectic and crazy and I think zations to provide the kind of health that’s what I like the most about it,” she of Black Lives Matter care that might have saved her aunt. says. “It’s exhausting a bit, but “Passing politics and going definitely fun.” protests. straight to that person who needs the vaccine, or needs Shouldering the burden food,” she says. “That’s my goal.”

With activism’s great Acha likewise rewards, though, come Mohamud, a Blair senior, works to help A junior at Blair, Mayer helps the envircouples his experiences great burdens.

Each educate and further opportunities with his hopes. “I been person must make sacrifices onment and has worked on three through some struggles and I for their cause. These range for fellow Somali local and three national feel like I should tell people about from the seemingly trivial, like it,” he says. ”I just want to inspire the weeks Mayer has to go without immigrants. park crews. people to believe in themselves and do showering, to the fundamental, like the whatever they can.” emotional weight of prejudice and hate.

All the activists, from Mayer to Moha“Struggle is stifling,” Lakew says. “It feels mud to Lakew to Acha, feel confident that like you’re suffering. To always have this in change is possible. They point to the successes of your face – it can be exhausting.” the Civil Rights Movement, of feminism, of the Dealing with topics like racism, poverty, war and Junior Acha advocates for social LGBT community. And they point to their own work. disease are hard for everyone. Add first-hand engageSuperficially, each activist has a different goal. Elsa ment with those issues to the social and academic change using the power of Lakew wants to prove that Black Lives Matter. Jean-Mapressures of school, and young activists can sometimes feel words in the raps rie Acha wants the world to know his neighboras though the weight of the world is on their shoulders. hood’s story. Lul Mohamud wants to save lives Mohamud knows this all too well. Recently, her uncle’s wife he writes. in Somalia. And Brendan Mayer wants died in childbirth due to a lack of adequate medical care in her part everyone to have access to the natural of Somalia. “Hearing that someone you talked to a month ago passed world. In the end, though, they away from something that could easily be taken care of if they and their fellow Blair activists had the materials, that really hit home,” she says. “It was hard, are all fighting for the because I didn’t know who I could talk to about it or if anyone same thing – change. would understand.” Ultimately, Mohamud says, the tragedy only made her more committed to her education of and advocacy for Somali refugees.

Lakew, too, has experienced moments of crisis. In those moments, she keeps going by reminding herself of why she’s fighting. “My first ever

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C6 Features

silverchips

March 12, 2015

A family separated by the loud bang of a gavel

Blazers tell their personal stories of parental incarceration

By Eleanor Harris When Irsa Gonzalez was six, she loved to wear her mother’s makeup, ride her Elmo tricycle and play in her sandbox. Yet her happy recollections of that year are accompanied by another, darker memory: one November night, her father never came home. “My mom didn’t say immediately what had happened,” Gonzalez, now a senior, recalls. “By nighttime, I was just like, ‘We’ll go to sleep and he’ll be back [tomorrow].’ And he wasn’t.”

In the days after her father left home, Gonzalez learned little of her family’s situation. “My mom told us, ‘He’ll be gone for a little while, but then he’ll be back,’” she remembers. “After that first week when he wasn’t there, I started getting scared that he wasn’t going to come home at all.”

Gonzalez’s father was imprisoned for several months after he was found to have entered the country illegally. He was one of the 2.4 million people incarcerated each year in the United States, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. America has the most prisoners of any country in the world, exceeding the incarcerated population of China, the next highest nation, by over half a million. These staggering statistics have been attributed to a variety of sociopolitical factors: strict sentencing laws, stark social inequalities and the recent War on Drugs, among others.

America’s mass incarceration has serious effects, one of which Gonzalez experienced firsthand. According to the Bureau of Judicial Statistics, 52 percent of state inmates and 63 percent of federal inmates are parents. Their children make up 2.3 percent of the nation’s youth.

The issue of parental incarceration is a messy one, particularly because it is in many cases necessary. “There is some evidence that...it would help families if someone was incarcerated,” explains Dr. Joyce Arditti, a Virginia Tech professor who researches imprisonment. “For example, if a parent was violent or exposed [the family] to harmful criminal activities, [incarceration of the parent may be beneficial].”

However, when a parent is imprisoned

SOURCE: NEW YORK INITIATIVE FOR CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS

for a less severe crime, the effects become less clear. “The larger issue is, do we need to incarcerate so many people?” says Arditti. “Are there other ways of dealing with social problems like poverty, unemployment, mental illness and substance abuse?”

Researchers and advocates worry about the stress and stigma placed upon these children, as well as the economic and social barriers their families face. “When we incarcerate a parent, it’s like throwing a stone into a pond,” explains Arditti. “If you do something to one person in a family, it’s going to affect the rest of the story.”

Gone for a little while Gonzalez’s father’s incarceration was complicated by her parents’ immigration statuses; at the time, both were in the country illegally, although her father had

been in the country and paid taxes for ten years. For undocumented immigrants like Gonzalez’s father, facing the judicial system can be especially challenging. “Those children and families impacted may be particularly invisible and marginalized, making it more difficult to deal with the experience of parental incarceration,” says

“My mom told us, ‘He’ll be gone for a little while, but then he’ll be back.’ After that first week when he wasn’t there, I started getting scared that he wasn’t going to come home at all.”

- Irsa Gonzalez

Arditti. “[This type of case] represents a growing trend, as ‘immigration offenders’ are a fast-growing percentage of the total federal caseload.”

Like Gonzalez, freshman Chloe Noble knew little of the circumstances surrounding her parent’s incarceration, which occurred when Noble was eight years old.

“My dad was...like, ‘Mom’s going away for a little bit,’” she says. “We didn’t talk about it.”

Even after Noble’s mother returned, her family did not discuss her time in prison.

It wasn’t until middle school that Noble learned her mother’s charge: drug use.

“We were really ignorant,” reflects Noble. “I still don’t know all about it... It’s not something that’s weird to bring up, because she already knows that I know, but it’s not something that I would just talk about.”

Families often stay quiet about parental incarceration because of its public stigma.

Arditti’s research suggests that children with imprisoned parents are more likely to exhibit symptoms of trauma REVA KREEGER than children in other harmful family situations for this same reason. “There’s something unique about the experience, and part of it could be stigma,” she explains. “It is a very, very highly stigmatized loss, and that makes it harder for children to adjust... [We need to] change people’s attitudes so they realize that not everyone in the system is an evil serial killer and [that] it does affect families.”

eating together.

Gonzalez has similar memories of missing her father.“I remember being a little kid and looking out the window, like, ‘Where’s my dad? Where is he?’ Even early then, it sucked not having him there,” she recalls.

Gonzalez, like Noble, was saddened by the everyday occurrences that her father missed. “My dad used to chaperone for field trips,” she says. “Around that time, he just couldn’t go because he was in jail. I remember thinking, ‘My dad would have been here with us for the petting zoo, helping out.’”

Unlike Noble, Gonzalez was able to visit her father during his incarceration. Every few weeks, her family made the hours-long drive to the Eastern Shore.

At the prison, they passed through security and met in a small room with Gonzalez’s father. The family brought letters, snacks and conversation. Gonzalez remembers seeing her mother upset during these visits.

“I feel like my mom handled it pretty well [the rest of the time],” she says.

“The only time SOURCE: BUREAU OF JUDICIAL STATISTICS that she would be really sad is when we would write our letters and talk to him.”

Gonzalez’s family was also affected financially by her father’s incarceration, as he had contributed the majority of the household income. In his absence, Gonzalez’s mother was forced to increase her working hours at a local dry cleaners. She worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., while the children stayed home alone, looked after by Gonzalez’s thirteen-year-old sister and the occasional neighbor. “The whole detainment really hindered us [financially] for a long time,” says Gonzalez.

During a parent’s incarceration, families often face economic difficulties. The loss of income coupled with legal fees and visiting expenses can easily overwhelm a single parent. Arditti points out that those in other similar situations receive financial assistance – for example, a child support award from a divorced parent or social security insurance after a parent’s death. “Children with incarcerated parents don’t receive anything from society,” she says. “It can often be a tipping point for families going into public assistance.”

Homecoming

Both Noble and Gonzalez clearly remember the days that their parents returned. Gonzalez and her family drove to the prison on the day of her father’s release.

“I remember...waiting outside of the jail for him to come out,” she says.“He came inside [the car], like, ‘We’re going home.’”

For Noble, her mother’s homecom-

52 percent

of state inmates are parents

GRACE WOODWARD

ing was a surprise. “We were sort of doing our own thing, watching TV, and then she...came through our front door,” Noble recalls with a smile. “I was just happy, because I missed her so much and I was glad that she came back. I was just happy.”

She learned more about her mother’s incarceration many years later, when her mother discovered Noble breaking a rule and decided to use her own experience as a lesson. “My mom reminded me, ‘Do you remember when I went away for that little bit?’” Noble remembers. “She was like, ‘You’re going down that same path,’ and she told me that she was incarcerated for her drug use.”

Today, Noble has completely accepted her mother’s past.

“Me and my mom argue sometimes, but I love my mom. That’s my heart,” she says. “Even though she did something wrong, it doesn’t change the way I feel about her.”

The little things For both Gonzalez and Noble, life changed dramatically when their parents were incarcerated.“It was really different, even though it was only [a few months],” says Noble. “It felt like a long time, because we were used to having our mom every day.” She remembers missing “the little things” most: going to the park and

VICTORIA TSAI

silverchips

March 12, 2015

Features C7

Lyrical miracles: Writing more than just essays

Blair students express themselves through music and song writing

By Anna O’Driscoll Junior Rowyn Peel discovered her ability to write songs in about sixth grade after years of singing to herself. “Ever since I was little I would just sing my thoughts,” explained Peel. After a while, she decided to write down the tunes and lyrics she had been thinking in her head for years. “One day I was like, ‘Hey that sounded kind of cool’ and so I sang it again I was like, ‘that could be the chorus to a song.’” Thus began her passion for composition.

Some students have begun to take the music they’ve written a step further. Junior Kenneth Hill, for example, has been writing and producing his own music for about a year. “Producing came into the picture when I begged my parents to get this very, very unreasonably expensive recording suite,” he says.

Searching for Inspiration When making music, sparking the creative flame is crucial. “Music is all about

“This is what I want to do” Ever since he first picked up his instrument, music has been a fundamental part of senior Brian Ko’s life. “I’ve loved music ever since I started violin, which was in sixth grade, and I felt very strongly that music was going to be part of my life forever,” Ko says.

In his freshman year, after three years of violin, Ko began to experiment with writing his own compositions. “While I was playing music I thought it would be really cool to make my own,” Ko explained. “So I just tried it out.”

As he wrote more and more, Ko began to write music for many different types of musical groups and occasions. “I tend to compose a lot for string quartets, piano trios and I’m actually working on a full orchestra score right now.”

Junior Ibrahim Kondeh began writing rap music when he was around 12 years old.

His love for the genre and previous exposure from his brother motivated him to try and make his own music. “I started writing because I love the sound of the music. I love hip hop. My brother was a rapper, so I guess he inspired me to start rapping,” Kondeh recollects. “And I guess when I made my first song I was like, yeah this is what I want to do.”

inspiration,” Ko explains. “I feel like I’m very inspiration-dependent when it comes to music composition.”

Ko hopes to enter into the film score industry because of the stimuli it readily provides. “The one reason I really want to go into the film score and movie music and TV music industry is because you have a visual where you can get your inspiration from and then put music under it and that gives life to the scene,” Ko says.

For Kondeh, listening to the music of the rappers he most admires inspires him to create his best work. “I listen to my favorite rappers, [like Tupac], before I write my music cause they are the ones that inspire me when it comes to rap music.”

Peel finds most of her inspiration from her emotions, and whatever is going on in her life. “A bunch of my songs are love songs, cause you know, love is a very strong feeling. It expresses itself well in music,” explains Peel. “I have a few songs about the environment because I’ll be walking and see a piece of litter and it’ll make me sad.”

Opposing Pressures

SONGWRITER Rowyn Peel composes original songs accompanied by her ukelele

Although he wants to minor in music in college, Hill sees the structure of the industry as a challenge. “There’s not exactly a career for music because its either you starve for a living or you walk in gold shoes for a living, so it’s really polarized. I want to keep it next to me, but I’ll just see where it takes me.”

Although Peel wants music to remain a part of her life, she doesn’t think she will go into a music career. “It’d be pretty cool if I could live on just singing, but I like doing other things too, so I’m not trying to make that my one goal in life,” Peel admits. “I’d like to be able to do that as part of my life, but I’d like to do more than just that.”

In Ko’s situation, family dynamics may be an obstacle. “My parents and my grand-

CHIMEY SONAM

STUDENT PRODUCER To pursue his interest in songwriting Kenneth Hill put together a recording studio in his basement

parents were very against me majoring in music,” he explains. Despite pressure to choose a different career path, Ko is set on playing music. “As I’m coming closer to the time where I have to start making decisions about what I want to do for the rest of my life, music is definitely a choice that I can’t leave off, even with the disagreement from family,” he says. “It’s just part of who I am.”

D1Entertainment

silverchips

March 12, 2015

New shows bring a fresh perspective on tired tropes

‘Black-ish’, ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ bring much-needed diversity to pop culture

By Leslie Chen “Sometimes I feel like a bit of an oddity,” says Andre Johnson, the father of the family in a new ABC television show, Black-ish. In the pilot episode, Johnson explains that he feels like an outsider in his own neighborhood, possibly even treated like some kind of museum attraction.

He stands on his front lawn looking perplexed as an “Ultimate Hollywood Tours” bus drives past his house to witness the “The Mythical and Majestic Black Family.” Black-ish is a popular new sitcom that utilizes comedic satire to portray a new type of family perspective through the Johnsons.

Johnson may feel out of place, but his character is part of a growing movement that has not been seen in pop culture before. Shows like Black-ish and Fresh off the Boat, which both star minority families, have been gaining popularity.

Compared to older series such as The Brady Bunch or Gilmore Girls, which just featured white suburbia, the racial composition of these new mainstream shows actually reflects real American people.

Modern Family started the transition by

introducing alternative family types. But Blackish and Fresh off the Boat continue Modern Family’s initiative by featuring casts composed entirely of minorities.

Instead of pushing these perspectives away from the main screen, these two shows bring them into the light.

With our changing attitudes of acceptance, from marriage equality to immigration reform, our entertainment is also stepping in the right direction by including all of the people that we see in the real world.

Black-ish is centered around an affluent African-American family living in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The father, Johnson, is concerned that his family is becoming “too white” and his concern is made evident through comedic scenarios such as his son’s desire to have a bar mitzvah and to play field hockey.

Despite the family being just as affluent as their neighbors, they’re still viewed through the lens of stereotypes that may or mary not be true. The show uses humor as an outlet to show the way that other cultures have taken up elements of black culture and how white people treat Johnson differently. In the first episode, he is expecting a BEN SAFFORD

promotion to the Senior Vice President, but then learns that it is of the Urban Division.

“Wait, did they put me in charge of

NAOMI WEINTRAUB

black stuff?” Johnson exclaims.

From the stories of the Johnsons, we can recognize underrepresented perspectives.

Yet, it also includes jokes that are particularly humorous to black people. “It is a gentle introduction to what some may put in a single box, black culture, and there are also jokes within the show that I would expect only black people to get immediately,” junior Jimmy McMillian says.

In Fresh off the Boat, also airing on ABC,

the Huangs have recently moved to a majority-white neighborhood in Orlando from their racially diverse neighborhood in DC. Each member of this Taiwanese-American family must learn to adapt to their new surroundings, thus revealing a new look at white culture from the perspective of a minority group.

The juxtaposition of Asian versus white culture also allows for a satire of American culture. Eddie Huang, the oldest son, waits for his report card with a white friend. After Eddie sees his report card with straight A’s and the white friend has straight C’s, they both jump with joy at their success. L ater at Cattleman’s Ranch Steakhouse, a white father exclaims in the background, “To Spencer and his four C’s!” The show depicts important family values, especially among Asian-American families.

Much of what the Huang children deal with from their parents and the lessons they are taught are ones that are all too familiar for many Asian-American children. n television, we are starting to see more shows like Black-ish and Fresh off the Boat that illustrate a genuine America by adding new points of view to the entertainment world. Both shows are more racially and socially inclusive and use satire to initiate conversation about today’s society.

Silver Chips brings the best classes in Blair to the test

These electives are too fascinating to exclude from your schedule

By Winne Luo 300 courses. 7 or 8 blocks. 4 years. Which classes are worthy enough to make the cut?

The best of the best are all subjective, of course. They could be taught by passionate teachers always who make class enjoyable.

Maybe the material is challenging in a fun way. Or maybe they’re simply nice ways to wind down, chill, and learn all at the same time. Luckily, the multitude of diverse electives offered at Blair means that there is an option for everyone. Chips brings some of the more unconventional electives to light, and hereby presents: the must-takes during your career at Blair (in no particular order).

Sociology Why is it customary to shake hands and make eye contact as a greeting? Why is sexism present in our society? What are the origins behind affirmative action? These social practices are present everywhere we look— but do we ever stop to think why they exist, and how they came about? Senior Anne-Olive Nono believes that learning sociology, the study of societal behaviors, is essential.

“Sociology is just something that’s in our everyday lives,” she says.

Class time involves minimal lecturing and lots of thoughtful debate, mediated by a knowledgeable teacher. “Mr. Smith does a really good job of raising both sides of the issue to see what people have to say,” Nono says. Nono believes that the class attracts a certain type of people, ones who are conscious about their surroundings and culture. However, she recommends everyone to take it. “Everyone should know how society affects how we do,” she says. And the more people that take the class, the more diverse the discussion can be.

Origins of Science Don’t be alarmed by this course’s title; its description online reads: “Part philosophy, part science, part singing, part dancing.”

Taught by Mr. Donaldson since its naissance in 1989, Origins of Science is famous

for using unconventional activities like art projects and Greek dance to study science from a philosophical perspective. Students read the texts of ancient philosopher-scientists such as Aristotle and Galileo, and often debate during class discussion. Senior Stephanie Rager believes studying their

Mrs. Johnson, is the science of investigat- cultures of these peoples. “We were able to ing and analyzing evidence to be used in a dive deep...[and to] experience how differcourt of law, and your introduction to the ent cultures interacted,” says senior Nancy Truong. world of CSI. Debuting this year, second-semester NaLike a real crime scene investigation, this class involves lots of lab work. Senior Ga- tive American Studies is where students unbriela Sarri-Tobar describes a lab her class earth a key part of American history left out did about blood “We just of the standard curriculum. Senior Naeem kind of observed how Alam takes it because he believes Native blood changes based on Americans are underrepresented in society. different things...like if “All we see are stereotypes from film and you have a knife and TV...I think that has caused a lot of misunyou swing the blood in derstanding,” he says. “Learning about so a certain way to see how many unique cultures has helped to break it spatters, versus if you stereotypes we used to hold.” drop it from a different Creative Writing height.” Labs combine knowledge from a range If you want to take a break from the moof subjects, from biology to chemistry to anthro- notony of school essays and exercise your pology and earth science. freedom and imagination in your writing, Sarri-Tobar believe then Creative Writing is the class for you. the class proves to be fas- “Often times, the stuff kind of dissolves into cinating even for those just conversations, which is kind of fun...

CARPET TIME Mr. Donaldson leads Origins of Science in song. who do not necessarily you get to speak your mind more,” says sebegin with an enthusi- nior Kjell Alem. Class time is spent discussasm for forensics. “You ing, brainstorming, and of course writing, works involves another type of thinking. take the course and you just have this new- about anything from what the “truth” is to “It’s really interesting…before science befound interest,” she says. “It’s probably one unusual superpowers. came a formal area of study, philosophers Students work on a variety of writing of the best classes I’ve taken in all of high were the ones who sat around and thought projects, but Mrs. Plotinsky ultimately alschool.” about the big questions of life,” she says. lows students the freedom to choose what they wish to do. “The class is basically Nevertheless, Rager describes the class Cultural Anthropology as “relaxing”, taught by a wise and laidbased around becoming better at finding back teacher. “Mr. Donaldson will have us Journey from the African Kalahari tribes, your voice in writing,” Alem says. Creative all gather around the carpet in the center of where the Khoisan language is spoken in Writing is a chance for students to express the room and...tell us interesting stories,” clicks and whistles, to the South American themselves freely. “[It’s for] anybody who… she explains. Mr. Donaldson adds an indiMayans, to the North American Plains In- [likes] writing for the sake of art, because viduality to the class that shows; he officialdians. Cultural Anthropology is taught by they enjoy it,” he says. ly retired last year but comes back to teach Mr. Whitacre and excluOrigins of Science. According to Donaldson, sive to Blair; not only is it one should take this course if one is “interthe only one of its kind in ested in important topics”, and attracted to MCPS, but it’s also actualWhat class have you most enjoyed at Blair? both science and humanities. ly two different classes.

The first semester is an “Human rights...I liked the teacher, she made the Forensics introduction to anthropoclass very fun.” logical science, including Claudia Burlinson, sophomore Ever wanted to know how detectives techniques archaeologists scrutinize crime scenes? How to determine use to determine the rela“Ceramics...it’s fun making sculptures.” the distance the shooter was from the victionships of ancient peo- Sade Cobey, freshman tim? Forensics, taught by Mrs. Hart and ples as well as the actual PHUONG VO

soapbox

March 12, 2015

silverchips

Entertainment D2

The time of your life... without spending your life savings

Markets, bookstores and museums make for inexpensive DC adventures

By Sam Butler and Emma Soler With impressive monuments, delicious restaurants and world-famous museums, Blazers can constantly find new and exciting activities to do in our nation’s capital.

However, when spending lots of time in the city, it’s hard not to wind up emptying one’s wallet, too. Fortunately, there are many places in D.C. where students can go to cut down on their expenditures – without cutting down on their fun.

Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market The neighborhood of Dupont Circle in Northwest D.C. is home to many historical sites, shopping hot-spots and popular restaurants. But on cold Sunday mornings from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., it is also home to one of DC’s finest farmers markets. The Dupont Circle farmers market is one of 13 run by Freshfarm Markets in DC, Maryland and Virginia, and it has a diverse selection of food products – just waiting to be tasted.

While the main purpose of these farmers markets is to sell locally produced crops and products, the best things there are not what you can buy, but what you can get for free.

Nearly every tent in the farmers market, no matter the product being sold, has something fun and free to try – and every sample is delicious.

There are a number of cheesemakers who will hand out small samples on toothpicks, as well as vendors with plates covered in apple slices, free for the taking. If customers have a question, vendors are happy to talk

FRESH A woman inspects products at a farmers market stand. to them. Another free perk is the occasional musician strolling around the market, playing songs for donations.

Despite all the yummy samples visitors can get for free, items that have to be bought are definitely worth it too.

Rather than going to lunch at a pricey restaurant, it’s an easy ride down to the Dupont Circle Metro station and exit right out into the farmers market. There are people selling empanadas, various soups, or even pizza,

made on the spot. Needless to say, the Dupont Circle Freshfarm Market is a great place to spend an hour on a Sunday morning.

The Market is located at 20th St and Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. It is open Sundays 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. until April, when the time changes to Sundays 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

truly a fascinating experience. The Jefferson Building, open to the public from 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Saturday, is in itself beautifully designed. The building is also home to over 23 million catalogued books.

Entering from the First Street Entrance, visitors can see the stunningly beautiful Great Hall, followed by the Bible Gallery, which contains the Gutenberg Bible, the first bible Postal Museum from Western Europe printed on movable metal type.

On first thought, a museum dedicated Even if visitors aren’t big fans of books, solely to the history of mail may seem a little they can still enjoy a trip to the Library of boring. However, this comprehensive gal- Congress. The Library has year-round exlery will excite even the most apprehensive hibits showcasing various periods in hisviewer. tory. One current exhibition, for example, Located conveniently across the street contains Abel Buell’s New and Corrected from Union StaMap of the Unittion, this mued States of seum is a nice North America, break from the the first map bustling meprinted of the tropolis of D.C. newly free Take the archiUnited States tecture of the by an American. lobby, for inAlso currently stance. Passing on display is through secuan exhibition rity and metal entitled “The detectors tends Civil Rights to be a dull exAct of 1964: A ercise, but the Long Struggle Postal Musefor Freedom,” um’s entrance, which will rewhich features main in the lihigh ceilings brary until Sepand sweeping tember. marble floors, Another benmakes this time efit of going to spent in musethe Library is um limbo a little the walk on the KYRA SEIGER less painful. way there. The After going KEEP YOU POSTED A man looks at an nearest metro through secu- exhibit that has information on stamps. station to the rity, the William Jefferson BuildH. Gross Stamp Gallery appears on one’s ing is the Capitol South Station, which is left. Instead of simply displaying a massive two blocks away, but the better walk is from number of rare stamps, as one might as- Union Station, which is only about a half sume, this exhibit, the largest gallery dedi- mile away. The scenic walk from Union Stacated to the study of stamps in the world, tion is a patriotic one, with a stately view of offers an interactive approach to postage. both the Capitol Building and the Supreme In the “Connect with U.S. Stamps” part of Court. So, whether visitors like history, the exhibit, visitors can design their own books, or both, the Library of Congress is a stamps, complete with pictures of them- great spot to visit. selves and fun stickers. However, stamp lovThe Jefferson Building is at 10 First Street SE, ers need not fear – the National Stamp Salon Washington, D.C. 20540. It is open 8:30-4:30 houses tens of thousands of stamps that visi- Monday-Saturday. tors are free to inspect with provided magnifying glasses.

Eastern Market More kinesthetic museum visitors should venture downstairs. There, they can sit in Just blocks from the Eastern Market Metthe cab of an 18 wheeler or walk around ro Station sits The Flea Market at Eastern an old-fashioned mail truck. Adventurous Market, D.C.’s oldest and perhaps most divisitors can even creep through a short but verse flea market. The market, currently in spooky fake forest and learn about the his- its 32nd year of operation, hosts up to 100 tory of mail transport along the way. exhibitors each Sunday. Each vendor presThis museum brings new life to a seem- ents a variety of products, including clothingly yawn-inducing topic. Visitors can ing, jewelry, and artwork, just to name a few. become a Pony Express rider or modern To increase the unique and diverse nature of day mail carrier – all without spending a their products, the Eastern Market requires dime. that their vendors do not have licenses.

The Postal Museum is located at 2 The market’s effort to raise the diversity Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, of products really shows. Some of the venD.C. 20002. It is open from 10:00 dors sell homemade candles, scarves or knit a.m. to 5:30 p.m. hats. Others have wide selections of sports paraphernalia. The Eastern Market isn’t a Library of Congress place to visit one – visitors can’t miss the differing products offered each week.

Though it might seem The Flea Market at Eastern Market is on C less than exciting, a visit to and 7th Streets SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. It the Library of Congress is is open on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Capitol Hill Books

After walking through the vibrant Eastern Market, a stop at the uniquely intellectual Capitol Hill Books is an absolute must.

The store’s front display pretty much says it all – books stacked every which way are crammed into the large window.

Visitors who venture inside will be greeted with a similar view. The apartment-sized, two level store is, to put it frankly, cramped.

But while claustrophobic visitors may suffer, any voracious reader will rejoice. The small space offers a wide array of book options, from classics to modern romantic fiction.

Part of the charm of this cozy spot is the surprises it offers. Because the shop only sells secondhand books, there’s no guarantee of finding a particular book. However, visitors have the chance to stumble upon almost anything – from a first edition to a childhood favorite. It’s this unpredictable nature that makes Capitol Hill Books different from the typical Barnes and Noble.

STACKED Old and new books line every wall of Capitol Hill Books.

For readers that want to rest their tired feet, comfortable chairs are placed conveniently between packed shelves of books.

These cozy nooks offer a place of peace and quiet, separate from the hustle and bustle of city life.

It’s not selection or grandeur that sets Capitol Hill Books apart. It’s a feeling of comfort, like hot chocolate on a cold day.

Here, visitors are whisked into an alternate world – one of both intellectual stimulation and creativity. It’s a perfect escape from D.C.’s busy streets.

Capitol Hill Books is located at 657 C St SE, Washington, D.C. 20003. It is open from 11:30 am to 6 pm Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

D.C.’s many attractions can sometimes seem staggeringly expensive to highschool students. However, with these ideas, it’s easy to spend a fun and entertaining day in DC without breaking the bank.

EMMA SOLER

D3 Entertainment

silverchips

March 12, 2015

Hand over the aux cord for hot new tunes

Blazers of Note

Shuffling through the latest hits in music

By Camille Estrin Hot new albums are dropping faster than flowers bloom in the spring. These upcoming hits simply are not to be missed.

Title, Meghan Trainor

PHUONG VO

Brandon Cubas SENIOR While most high school students only get to see the ocean once or twice a year, for senior Brandon Cubas, the ocean is a way of life. Cubas is a certified scuba diver, and regularly goes diving in the ocean and in man-made reservoirs. “I try to go at least once every two months,” he says. He started diving in 2012, when his family took a trip to Jamaica. “It’s kind of like seeing a different part of the world,” says Cubas. After his initial trip, Cubas got certified by taking a brief, basic course on scuba diving, and participates in local oyster diving trips around the Chesapeake Bay. Cubas enjoys diving and says he is 100 percent sure he’ll continue the sport. “I find it relaxing,” he says. “It’s like my own little serenity.”

In her debut album, Title, Meghan Trainor shows off her sassy, energetic style while singing and rapping.

Her catchy tunes are appropriate for REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF HIGHlisteners of LANDER NEWS all ages who are looking for songs with a light and happy feel. This pop album was released Jan. 9, and has already two top hits: “All About that Bass” and “Lips are Movin.”

However, some of her songs have a more hip-hop twist in them, when Trainor begins to rap her lyrics, showing off her sassy attitude. This sudden change in style makes her album a very “feel-good” pop album.

Smoke + Mirrors, Imagine Dragons Imagine Dragon’s second album, Smoke + Mirrors, uses abnormal beats and sounds to create an eerie mood. There REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF THE KNOWLEDGE is a shift between quieter and calmer music to a heavy metal-esque feel in some of the songs, such as “I’m So Sorry.” However, there are still

flashes of their up-tempo and soulful style that are more similar to their last album, Night Visions.

Dan Reynolds, the lead singer, shows off his expansive vocal range through the wide variety of songs on this album. His booming voice in some songs contrasts with the quiet and raspy voice that he uses in others. The content of this album is somewhat hidden behind the extravagant rhythms, but would mainly appeal to those who enjoy listening to pop-rock music.

Tetsuo & Youth, Lupe Fiasco Lupe Fiasco’s fifth album Tetsuo & Youth proves his musical talent yet again.

His combination of several different instruments and beats as REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF PITCHFORK MEDIA INC well as his quick, complicated lyrics makes for an excellent album.

This album, however, is shying away from his old “Superstar” pop-like music, with the addition of some more somber tracks.

Different from many other rap artists, Fiasco’s smooth voice makes listening to this album much easier than to those who scream their lyrics. In this album he has four sections titled after the four seasons, and throughout the album the mood of the songs shift according to which season that song is categorized under. By the end of the Lupe experience, the listener has ventured with him through the harshness of winter to the softer rhythms of spring. For fans of the rapper, the album puts forth a different vibe than his previous works.

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, Drake Drake’s surprise album, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late was originally intended to be released as a free mixtape, but was instead released as an album. Drake’s lyrics still reveal his large ego in many of his songs in this album. In fact, one of the songs is actually entitled “Legend.” His familiar upbeat lyrics about girls and his relationships can be found on this album as well as some verses describing his recent break from Cash Money records. This album does not showcase his quick lyricism, like in his previous albums. His explicit lyrics would only be appropriate for older audiences, such as those who enjoy Big Sean and Lil Wayne’s music.

2014 Forest Hills Drive, J. Cole J. Cole’s album 2014 Forest Hills Drive dives into many deep topics such as white privilege and selfidentity. This much anticipated album REPRODUCED BY PERMISSION OF WORD ON DA STREET has lived up to its hype. Cole’s raps about personal experiences coupled with careful lyrics on top of his compelling beats makes this one of his best albums. Overall, this album has a serious feel, because most of his songs are describing serious events, as opposed to some of his older work such as “Work Out” from his album Cole World in 2011.

It is common to find rappers who only rap about drugs and relationships, but Cole shows a different side to rapping. J. Cole’s more serious style of rapping in this album is similar to Kendrick Lamar’s music.

Grab a waffle, hammer and your favorite Joe

March offers tons of little-known holidays worth celebrating

By Teague Sauter

Abby Rowland SOPHOMORE Sophomore Abby Rowland regularly gets into fights. Since the age of five, she’s been practicing Tang Soo Do, a form of martial arts which encompasses many different fighting techniques. “We sort of do everything,” says Rowland. “We fight, we focus on jiu jitsu.” Jiu jitsu, she explains, involves getting out of someone else’s grasp. “It’s sort of a bunch of different martial arts put together.”

Rowland got the inspiration to start martial arts from a Power Rangers movie she saw when she was five, and has been doing it ever since. She received her black belt at age 13, and was the youngest black belt in her program, called Hill’s Hitters, which is located in Silver Spring. Now, she teaches the martial art to younger kids in her program, and gets paid.

Rowland has also participated in tournaments, and won two tournaments within her program. She plans to continue Tang Soo Do in the future through participation in tournaments.

She says, “I would love to continue it as long as I can.”

By Sarah Hutter

The snow is finally starting to melt and the sun is starting to shine, yet the spirit of March is still void of widely celebrated holiday cheer. Sure, we get to wear green for St. Patrick’s Day, but why do the other thirty days of the month have to be so boring? Well worry no longer, because Chips has compiled the ultimate guide to March Holidays!

From days dedicated to specific foods to days entirely for worshiping tools, prepare for the most exciting March of your life!

The festivities begin now as March 11 is International Worship of Tools Day. While this day may seem odd, it’s a great way to show appreciation to that special tool in your life. Some ways to celebrate this day include building a shrine in your basement for your favorite hammer or screwdriver.

Some more enthusiastic celebrators may choose to perform live sacrifice for their tools at an altar built by the same tool. If you are feeling more romantic on this Wednesday evening you may elect to take your tool out to a fancy dinner and then enjoy the evening at home watching Netflix together.

Just three days later on March 14, we get to international Pi Day! This isn’t just any Pi Day either; because it’s 2015 this is the biggest Pi Day of the century. The date 3/14/15 should mean something to all the avid number fans.

There are a multitude of ways to take part in the festivities dedicated to this glorious irrational number. You may choose to enjoy this day finding the area of circles or maybe you will celebrate traditionally by eating the baked fruit desert. Maybe you will see how

many digits of the infinite number you can memorize. All are great ways to spend a Saturday!

Things start to get really exciting on March 18, Supreme Sacrifice day. Now this holiday can mean something different for every person but regardless of who or what you believe to be supreme, this day is a blast to celebrate. Traditionally this special day is celebrated by taking what you deem to be an acceptable sacrifice and offering it up to the almighty one or thing. Now this can be anything from a medium plant up to a large

BEN SAFFORD

adult human – it really all depends on how generous you’re feeling.

On March 22 you can finally enjoy a holiday that doesn’t involve hard work to celebrate National Goof Off Day! Now this year it is being celebrated on Sunday, so get any homework done on Saturday be-

cause once that clock hits midnight avid celebrators know working is an afterthought.

Spend this day doing absolutely nothing, no chores, no planned exercise – you have to make sure you don’t spend any time at all on a focused task. The park is a good place to celebrate, but just make sure you don’t get too involved in any one thing because if you do then you simply are not celebrating Goof Off Day correctly.

Now on March 25 we get back into the food holidays with Waffle Day and Pecan Day falling on the same day. This day is pretty easily celebrated, all you need is either some waffles or some pecans, or both if you’re feeling wild. After you acquire the materials all you have to do is consume them in whatever method you prefer. Some of the particularly celebrative will choose to observe Waffle Day and Pecan Day at the same exact time by consuming pecans on their waffles!

As we near the end of March, we finally reach one of the month’s highlights: National Joe Day on March 27. This day is dedicated to all the Joes, Joeys and Josephs in the world. One way to celebrate this day is to simply to find someone named Joe and tell them how much you appreciate them for all that they do. Bearing the name of Joe is a heavy responsibility and most Joes are not appreciated nearly enough for 364 days out of the year. Bake a cake, buy a present, share a cup of Joe; just try to do something nice for that special Joe in your life.

If you celebrate all these holidays accordingly then you’re well on your way to having a fun and celebrative March.

March 12, 2015

silverchips

Entertainment D4

Guess wot? Silver Spring has its first Ethiopian fast-food joint

Ethio Express widens the scope for Ethiopian cuisine while cutting time

the presence One fun side combo that they offer is the of berbere in ayib and collard greens. Ayib is a mild Ethia dish, your opian cheese that looks just like crumbled Taking the wait out of Ethiopian food prayers have feta. It gives the greens a tart, tangy flavor. might seem as impossible to seasoned dinbeen anMany of the other sides are decidedly ers as taking the wot out of Ethiopian food. swered: this more Americanized, but still pleasant to Then again, both of these innovations are is where it’s eat, with a couple exceptions. The Ethiopian working well at Silver Spring’s newest at. Howev- cabbage slaw tastes like a typical coleslaw, fast-casual restaurant. Ethio Express Grill on er, if you’ve except more on the bland side; it’s hard to Sligo Avenue makes it as easy as 1, 2, 3 (plus never tasted see what’s Ethiopian about it. Cabbage has some toppings) to grab an Ethiopian bite. the red Ethi- a pretty underwhelming flavor on its own, opian spice, so the slaw needed a bolder dressing to eleFirst impressions beware and vate the dish. Then again, the cool slaw does have a drink sooth your tongue after having too much From the street, customers see the buildnear, for it’s spicy sauce. ing’s huge windows and minimalist wood not to be takOther sides include the quinoa salad and exterior. Inside, the clean, open and bright en (or eaten) tomatoes, red onions, & cucumbers. Both space feels like a breath of fresh air. The lightly. That these dishes have a bright, summery taste, restaurant abandons traditional Ethiopian said, the fla- along with a well-balanced, vinegar-based, decor to achieve a more American chic and vor of the refreshing dressing that tingles your taste modern design, with a futuristic screen to sauce is fan- buds. take orders and an iPad to give customers tastic – it reLast but not least, vegetarians and vegnotifications about the restaurant. minds me of ans alike can enjoy the replacement of tofu Ethio Express was opened about three h o m e m a d e for the meat protein in their dish. Like the months ago by husband and wife Yisak dinner at an meat, it is grilled well, giving it a pretty firm Fiseha and Selam Gebreyes, and it’s certainE t h i o p i a n texture. The seasoning makes it a flavorful, ZEKE WAPNER ly generated a good deal of buzz in Silver w e d d i n g , healthy option.

Spring. In fact, the restaurant has already which is alA NEW LOOK Ethio Express Grill’s minimalist exterior on Sligo Avenue. earned the affectionate nickname of “The ways a good Is this express a success?

Ethiopian Chipotle,” since both the menu the most innovative and unique items on the sign.

This and kitchen style are very similar to the pop- menu; it’s most likely new to Ethiopians and sauce definitely deserves a chance if you By the end of a meal at Ethio Express, you ular Mexican food chain. There are four steps Americans alike to combine wot with pita want an authentic Ethiopian dining expe- will be full, satisfied, culturally enriched to ordering your food: choose a base, pick a bread to create a grilled open-faced sand- rience; if you brace yourself and proceed and only out about 10 bucks. For a savory protein, add a sauce and last but not at all wich. It’s a classier, tastier version of using warily, you should be able to handle it. restaurant, they’re serving up a pretty sweet least, add four toppings or sides. The kitch- normal bread to eat wot at home when you Finally, we have the green Koch Kocha deal here. Anyone who makes homemade en style is similar to Chipotle’s, and maybe run out of injera – a very graceful intersec- sauce. Since green usually indicates a mild Ethiopian food knows how much time it even better; you can see straight in to watch tion of Greek and Ethiopian food indeed. flavor in Ethiopian food, be very careful: takes: almost an entire day must be invested your food being prepared. The smooth, this sauce is neon green and blazing hot. to make one’s own injera and different types Meat of the matter clean, metal surfaces and the efficient chef It’s made from pounded jalapeno peppers, of wot. Getting that sort of thing served to make you confident that your food is being and it’s really not playing around. Ethiopian you for under $10 in five minutes is nothing Ethio Express offers three meaty proteins natives and Americans alike will agree that short of revolutionary in Ethiopian cuisine, prepared authentically and safely.

After ordering, the wait time was about for one’s plate, and just like at Chipotle, the you need to six minutes – for an Ethiopian restaurant, price is determined by which one of these be ready for intense this in itself is pretty revolutionary. And you get: beef ($9.29), chicken ($8.99) and an experience to what they’re serving up after such a short lamb ($9.29).

This may seem alarming if you’re famil- manage the wait doesn’t fail to impress, either. iar with Ethiopian food, since some of the Koch Kocha most celebrated meat dishes are accompa- that Ethio A strong foundation nied with wot. However, delicious as they Express is out If you thought that injera was only option may be, they’re not very light and healthy, or doling for a base in Ethiopian food, then this restau- fast food friendly. Therefore, Ethio Express here. rant will have you rethinking those notions offers its customers flavorful sauces beside from the very first step. The menu also offers the meat rather than infused into it, which is Tsom-thing pita pocket bread, mixed greens, brown rice a pretty pardonable, healthy choice. for everyAll three types of meat are cooked well; and even spaghetti pasta! one As with most injera in the States, the in- they don’t have the same melt-in-yourjera at Ethio Express doesn’t taste like the mouth quality that comes from cooking the Similar to stuff from the motherland; however, this can meat in wot for hours, but the meat is still the Catholic be a good or bad thing depending on your tender, well-seasoned, and delicious. The tradition of palate. The injera here is thicker, moister and lamb, succulent with a bold flavor, was the Lent, memplainer, not distracting from the flavor of the best. bers of the The meat’s seasoning may not provide E t h i o p i a n wot (the thick stew that’s eaten with injera).

On the other hand, ‘Ethiopian injera’ (not as the most traditional flavor, but the sauces Orthodox reredundant as it sounds) has more of a sour, give it a real Ethiopian kick – and depend- ligion have tangy flavor and is pretty thin. Ethio Ex- ing on which one you try, it really is a kick. an annual press’s injera may be understated in flavor, period called Spicing things up but it allows the wot’s flavor to shine. “ t s o m . ” The pita pocket bread was certainly an During tsom, Ethio Express offers a delicious array of one may not unexpected sight on the menu, but it ended up being a pleasant surprise. The grilled pita sauces that can transform the meat, giving c o n s u m e complements the flavor of the wot and gives it a recognizable Ethiopian spark and speed- meat, dairy you a neutral buffer against spicier sauces ing up your heartbeat with spicy excitement. products or for the more mild-mouthed. This was one of The three must-haves are the Ethio Mild eggs, which Sauce, the Ethio Hot means we’ve Sauce and the Koch d e v e l o p e d Kocha sauce. great vegan The yellow Ethio and vegetarMild Sauce is a nec- ian food! essary warm-up for At Ethio your palate; definite- E x p r e s s , ly start your sauce these tasty journey here. With o p t i o n s DIVERSE DELIGHT A plate of lamb, collard greens, yellow split peas, flakes of red pepper are mainly and other spices, the found in the spicy lentils, cold collard greens with ayib cheese, and injera underneath. mild sauce has a zesty sides secand tangy warm fla- tion. However, since you get four sides, you especially since you don’t have to greatly vor that enhances the won’t be left unsatisfied with the portion sacrifice authentic homemade quality. Plus, flavor of any dish. sizes. they’re open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., so you This sauce is spicy in The Spicy Lentils (miser wot), Yellow can stop by for lunch, dinner or a quick a playful sort of way, Split Peas (alicha kik wot) and Collard snack in between. while the other two Greens (gomen wot) at Ethio Express are Ethio Express is definitely on the up and get more into the big all reminiscent of a homemade Ethiopian up; after three months, Fiseha and Gebreyes leagues: if the mild lunch, the highest honor that could be be- already have plans for improvement. They sauce overwhelms stowed upon them. The berbere-seasoned plan to expand soon, and with more staff you, take a time-out sauce is cooked down until the lentils are comes even more instant Ethiopian gratifibefore leveling up. soft and delectable. These three dishes are cation. Ethio Express will also have EthioNext, there’s the all cooked with a loving Ethiopian touch, pian coffee in the near future to accompany Ethio Hot Sauce, which is amazing considering how fast they the normal coffee they already offer. which really gets into were served. They should almost definitely Among all the Ethiopian restaurants the realm of tradi- be eaten with the injera provided, but the in Silver Spring, Ethio Express Grill is still BUILD A PLATE Yisak Fiseha, the owner of Ethio Express, tional Ethiopian seaearthy flavor of the pita also can work with managing to stand out and make waves by stands before the restaurant’s menu which includes four steps: soning. If you’ve been the sides, so it’s best to experiment to find redefining Ethiopian food in a time-efficient pick a base, add a meat, then choose your sauces and toppings. anxiously awaiting your preference. way.

By Mariam Jiffar

D5 ADs

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March 12, 2015

Chips Clips D6

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March 12, 2015

Animals Out the Wazoo

by Julian Bregstone

February Crossword Answers

Across 1. Key ___ 4. Attack repeatedly with bombs multiple times 11. Primate we evolved from 14. Informal, humorous word for old 15. A chemical commonly put in energy drinks with a molar mass of 125.15 g/mol 16. A horn used in the Middle Ages 17. ___ To Joy 18. Request an action in the past 19. Gold in spanish 20. Removing a snake’s fangs 22. Obsolete word for increasing 24. Liam ______. Think Taken 28. Small furry carrot muncher 29. Sorrounds a broken arm 32. Saudi _____ 35. ____ Johnson, a famous jazz drummer born in D.C. 36. A person’s last will and _________ 40. A ______ steals booty 43. A deficiency in red blood cells 44. Little buddy who helps aerate and drain the soil by crawling 48. One of the pair of organs that help with breathing 49. Skin covering over the eye 50. Plural form of address for a man in a spanish-speaking region 51. Simba’s Uncle in The Lion King 54. El ______, the city of gold

57. _____, but fair 59. Small green legume used in soup 63. ___ & Lulu: they sell bags 64. To involve someone in a conflict 69. A long and distinct period in history 70. Latin for object or matter 71. A ___ and _ ___ touch 72. Nom nom ___ 73. Where one puts plants 74. Turning up earth before sowing 75. Bath___

Down 1. We all love ____ 2. The old spelling of old 3. Meat of a cow 4. Cold _____ Creamery 5. Scottish shield 6. German chain company 7. Goats ___ awesome 8. A Douglas ___ is a good christmas tree 9. Suffix used in names of unsaturated hydrocarbon 10. Old spelling of seed 11. Goodbye and hello 12. Some horsies are _____ than others 13. Gradually wear away 21. Animals that consume ants 23. Lizard that changes color 25. Sit in the past

26. Solid material from which metal is extracted 27. The release of Illmatic in 1994 brought this rapper fame 29. To deal with something difficult 30. Large contenent in the East 31. Special Initiative for Rebuilding and Resiliency 33. Business Technology Association 34. ___ McKellen 37. Large Australian birds 38. Eight ____ ten 39. Stickers on a license plate 41. How Shakespear would say your 42. A female sheep 45. Something that has been around for a while 46. River in spanish 47. McDermott Internation stock symbol 51. It can cut one’s hand 52. Suprise appearance 53. Therm-_-____ 55. In like _ ____ 56. Remove a leg 58. Make it easier for someone 60. Thing to sleep in when camping 61. The Six Samuri Yu-Gi-Oh 62. Out like a ____ 65. ___ Gibson 66. Battlestar Galactica Online 67. Uncooked 68. On The Internet

Sudoku: Hard

Sudoku: Easy

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COURTESY OF WWW.WEBSUDOKU.COM

Biology Words The Dress

CANDIA GU

ANGEL WEN

Coming onin March 25 25 Coming March

3 v. 3 Basketball Tournament $5 Adults $3 Students

Silver Chips will be set up during 5th and 6th period lunch

Come sign up!

Or contact SilverChips.Business@gmail.com for more information.

E1 Spanish

silverchips

March 12 , 2015

La Esquina Latina

Silver Chips 12 de marzo del 2015

Blair Poms gana segundo lugar en competencia Cuatro latinas dedicadas contribuyen al logro del equipo Por Camila Fernández y Andrés Pérez El equipo de Poms de Blair está a cargo de la entrenadora Makeyda Hillard y de las capitanas Mary Lindsay, Daniela Monreal y Kaylan Hutchinson. Está integrado por 21 estudiantes. Este grupo también es uno de los más populares cuando se presentan en eventos escolares.

El equipo obtuvo el segundo lugar en la competencia de Poms a nivel del condado que se llevó a cabo el 14 de febrero en la escuela superior Richard Montgomery.

A diferencia de años anteriores, este año el equipo de Poms esta integrado por estudiantes de muchas partes del mundo. “Antes no había tanta diversidad en el equipo, pero ahora somos un grupo muy variado. Tenemos integrantes de distintas etnias. En la competencia nos declararon el equipo con más diversidad étnica,” afirma Yessie Portillo del décimo grado, una de las integrantes del grupo.

Elizabeth Quinteros, quien también es una integrante del equipo, ofrece su punto de vista en la relación que existe entre sus compañeras, “Considero que somos un grupo muy unido, ya que no solo nos reunimos para practicar nuestras rutinas, sino que entre todas nos mantenemos en contacto constante. A lo largo del tiempo hemos formado lazos amistosos muy fuertes, ya que nos aseguramos de estar siempre unidas para que no seamos solo un equipo, sino también algo más,” asegura Quinteros.

En esta competencia de la di-

visión cuatro participaron nueve equipos de Poms de diferentes escuelas superiores del condado de Montgomery. Cada uno de ellos presentó seis coreografías diferentes, no solo en las categorías de pompones, sino también en las de baile lírico, jazz, hip hop, rutina de patadas y ballet. Cada una de estas coreografías tenía un nivel de dificultad diferente, ya que requerían que las concursantes demostrarán uso de sus CORTESIA DE RENAY JOHNSON diferentes habilidades.

Las coreografías también UNA PARA TODAS Y TODAS PARA UNA El equipo de Poms de Blair sondebían cumplir con los rie orgullosamente después de tomar segundo lugar en la competencia final. elementos básicos del entretenimiento, ser únicas se prepararon con anticipación, resalte y entretenga al público. “Mi y creativas.

Las chicas de pompones es- no hubo nada que pudiera con- parte favorita es cuando ya sales al tuvieron preparando sus co- tener la emoción y nerviosismo escenario y tienes que bailar frente reografías arduamente meses an- del momento al presentar sus co- a todos. Siempre intentamos sontes de la competencia final a nivel reografías en frente de una mul- reír mientras bailamos para mandel condado para que su present- titud de personas y el panel de tener una vibra positiva entre el ación fuera perfecta. “Empezamos jueces con experiencia de baile. público y nosotras,” comenta Ana ensayar nuestras coreografías Así lo explica la estudiante Eliz- gie Mejia del décimo grado.

Y a pesar de no haber obtenido seis meses antes de la fecha de la abeth Quinteros “Estaba emociocompetencia. Aunque los primer- nada y activa, después nerviosa y el primer lugar, el equipo aun así os cuatro meses fueron más tran- con miedo. Empecé a tener mie- se siente orgulloso de su logro. quilos ya que solo ensayábamos do cuando estabamos a punto de “Me siento super feliz y orgullotres veces por semana, ya para realizar nuestra presentación. ¡An- sa del equipo por haber calificado cuando solo nos faltaban dos tes de que entraramos al escenario en una de las primeras tres posimeses las prácticas se pusieron sentí pánico!” comenta Elizabeth ciones. Es un sentimiento muy surreal porque ves que tu trabajo más estrictas; empezamos a ensa- Quinteros Las porristas no solo se tienen finalmente da frutos,” comenta yar todos los días después de la escuela desde las tres y media has- que preocupar por seguir sus co- Quinteros.

Al igual que Quinteros, nuestra ta las cinco y media de la tarde,” reografías al pie de la letra, sino también de mantener un ambiente directora la Sra. Johnson, se sintió comenta Portillo.

Pero a pesar de que las chicas divertido para hacer que su equipo muy emocionada cuando Blair

obtuvo el segundo lugar. “Cuando estaban llamando para el segundo lugar me dije a mi misma ‘por favor que ganemos un trofeo porque las chicas han trabajado arduamente y todos vinieron a animarlas.’ Todos estuvimos muy contentos y aunque el primer lugar hubiera sido mejor, yo solamente estoy contenta por haber recibido un trofeo en una competencia del condado,” dijo la Sra. Johnson.

El equipo de Poms con su esfuerzo y perseverancia logró obtener el segundo lugar en la competencia, pero con un poco más de empeño y disciplina logrará tener el respeto de las escuelas rivales. “Ahora tenemos una reputación de ser un buen rival, el cual siempre gana los primeros lugares. Creo que mientras más grande se haga el equipo y más se vaya acostumbrando a las competencias, con el paso del tiempo va ha adquirir experiencia.

Quiero que las personas cuando nos vean venir digan ‘Ah! Aqui va Blair,’” comenta la Sra. Johnson. “Mas que nada, queremos ser reconocidos entre las escuelas y que todos reconozcan que estamos en la casa!”

Y a pesar de no haber obtenido el primer lugar, la directora Sra. Johnson se mantiene optimista y pone sus esperanzas en el equipo, “En el futuro confío en que vamos a ganar los primeros puestos en las competencias. Ya que recientemente hemos ganado el segundo lugar a nivel de condado, esto va a ayudar a construir una reputación de ganadores para Blair.”

Transportación pública adopta tarjeta Youth Cruiser

Identificación escolar ya no será aceptada para viajar gratis

Por Mario Menendez Desde enero de este año, el sistema de transporte público del área metropolitana y los autobuses RideOn, sólo aceptarán la tarjeta “Youth Cruiser” para que estudiantes de 5 a 18 años puedan abordar de forma gratuita.

los estudiantes.

Las tarjetas serán un requisito para todo estudiante que desee acceso gratis a los autobuses públicos de 2:00 de la tarde a 8:00 de la noche, dice Sheila Wilson, gerente de un establecimiento RideOn TRiP. Will Kenlaw, gerente del programa de mercadeo, publicidad y servicio al cliente para RideOn y el sistema de transporte del Condado de Montgomery indica que,

tivo, según el señor Kenlaw, no es hacer dinero con la venta de la tarjeta “Youth Cruiser”, sino que los estudiantes puedan obtenerla inmediatamente a un precio razonable. Los estudiantes menores de 19 años podrán viajar gratis en todos los autobuses públicos de lunes a viernes al mostrar su tarjeta “Youth Cruiser.” “Nuestros operadores reconocen la tarjeta.

Al estudiante enseñar su tarjeta el operador lo registra como un pasa-

que se le añade dinero a una tarjeta “SmarTrip” regular.

El sistema de transporte público decidió hacer la transición de identificación estudiantil a la tarjeta “Youth Cruiser” con la meta de poder controlar el número de personas que utilizan el transporte público, para recoger datos y para poder hacer otros cambios en el futuro. “La tarjeta nos ayuda en términos de seguimiento de cuántos pasajeros tenemos,” explica

ARTE POR BENJAMIN SAFFORD

La tarjeta “Youth Cruiser” ha estado disponible desde hace dos años. A pesar de esto, es hasta ahora que las entidades de transportación pública están haciendo un énfasis en cuanto al uso de esta tarjeta. Esto se debe a que se está tratando de mantener mejor constancia de la demanda de uso por

“Las tarjetas pueden ser compradas en todas las bibliotecas públicas del Condado de Montgomery, o en cualquiera de las 21 escuelas cuando sean vendidas en ellas.”

Quien no aprovechó comprar la tarjeta cuando se anunció a la venta en Blair, tendrá que ir a una biblioteca pública.

La tarjeta “Youth Cruiser” cuesta dos dólares y según Kenlaw, se vende al precio de costo. El obje-

jero sin cargo,” dice Kenlaw.

La tarjeta “Youth Cruiser” es esencialmente lo mismo que una tarjeta “SmarTrip”, teniendo las mismas características y funciones regulares. Esta tarjeta que puede contener y almacenar valor. También, se puede utilizar en los autobuses durante las horas que no son gratis para los estudiantes y hasta en el metro. Se le puede recargar valor de la misma manera en la

DE MCPS Kenlaw, “Cuanto más CORTESIA esté en uso [la tarjeta “Youth Cruiser”], cuánto más podremos programar. Es bueno saber los números.”

Además de servir como una tarjeta “SmarTrip”, los estudiantes le podrán añadir una cantidad fija a su tarjeta “Youth Cruiser”. Esta cantidad se paga mensualmente, para poder viajar en autobús público a toda hora. El costo mensual es de $11 y durante el verano ser-

virá como un pase que podrá ser usado desde el final de un año escolar al principio del otro. El costo de este pase de verano será de $18 y no tendrá restricciones de horas ni días de uso.

En el futuro, las agencias de transporte público tienen planes de proveer transporte gratis para estudiantes de 5 a 18 años en todo momento. “Tenemos solicitudes para que sea gratis 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana, pero necesitamos investigar y tener datos para hacer esto una realidad”, dice Kenlaw. “Mientras más información tengamos, más justificación tendremos para ofrecer estos servicios en el futuro.”

Kenlaw expresó como hay esperanza para mejoras de la tarjeta en el futuro. Actualmente, hay que mostrarle la tarjeta al conductor del autobús durante el período gratuito y después escanearla durante el resto de las horas de operación.

“Queremos funcionalidad adicional en el futuro”, añadió Kenlaw, “queremos permitir la tarjeta ‘Youth Cruiser’ en todo momento, como cualquier otra tarjeta. Algo que sería más fácil que recordar cuándo hay que escanear la tarjeta y cuándo solo se debe enseñar.” Lo que el sistema de transportación pública intenta es crear una tarjeta que elimine las identificaciones estudiantiles, que sirva con varias funciones y que sea fácil de usar.

March 12, 2015

Spanish E2

silverchips

El ritmo único y expresivo de la comunidad hispana La música toma una gran parte en nuestras vidas y cultura

Por Ilcia Hernandez e Itcenia Quezada En el mundo de la música, hay una variedad de ritmos y sonidos que hace a cada género único. Como toda la música, la latina nos transmite emociones y viene de diferentes culturas. Algunos de los géneros más populares incluyen bachata, reggaeton y cumbia. Contamos con muchos artistas famosos reconocidos no sólo por hispanohablantes pero por mucha gente de otras etnias y culturas. La música latina es una parte muy esencial de la cultura hispana.

Uno de los géneros más conocidos es la bachata. Originado de la República Dominicana, este género de música es una gran parte de la cultura del país. La bachata comenzó como música de “pobres” pero eventualmente lo empezaron escuchar personas de otras clases sociales. Con movimientos sensuales y ritmo fluido, es un baile para personas de todas las edades. Gabhy Amaya, del noveno grado, cuenta, “La bachata es mi género más favorito. Me encanta el movimiento del baile. Mi

ARTE POR NINO MIGINEISHVILI

cantante favorito es Romeo Santos.” Algunos artistas bien conocidos en esta década son Prince Royce y Anthony “Romeo” Santos, entre muchos otros.

Con un compás o ritmo de 4 x4 y letras que usualmente tienen que ver con el amor de una pareja. Lo tienen a uno analizando todas las letras para desentrañar el significado escondido. En general, la bachata es un que tienen género musical que ARTE POR NINO MIGINEISHVILI mucha influencia es dramático y agrasobre los jóvenes. El reggaedable de escuchar. ton es un tipo de género muy popular y En estos tiempos es bien común oír a chicos de entre 14-20 años es- disfrutado por los jóvenes hispanohablantes cuchando el reggaeton. El reggaeton surgió tanto como el rap lo es entre la juventud esdel de reggae, el dancehall, el soca y el hip tadounidense.

La cumbia es unos de los géneros más hop y apareció por primera vez en Panamá en los años 70 y luego en Puerto Rico en alegres de la música latina. Los colomlos años 90. El ritmo de esta música se co bianos y panameños crearon un ritmo noce como el “dem bow” y la letra de sus genial que nos tiene a todos sin ganas de canciones acompañan el ritmo para parar de bailar. La cumbia es una mezcla lograr temas pegadizos. Estas can- de ritmos indígenas, africanos y españoles.

Unos instrumentos que se ciones tienen que ver mayormente usan son los tambores de crítica soafricanos, flautas, guitarras, claves y accordion. Con el pasar de los años, en distintas partes de América Latina se fue creando una cumbia discial, historias tinta a la original. Dentro de amor y los problemas de la vida. El reggaetón se suele oír en muchos even- de la cumbia existen muchas variaciones tos y celebraciones latinas. Daddy Yan- como ser la cumbia clásica, la sabanera, el kee, J Balvin, y Farruko son algunos de los vallenato, y la cumbiamba. La diferencia entre los cuatro tipos son los instrumenmuchos artistas de este género

tos que usan y el tono de las canciones. La cumbia es uno de los géneros musicales que se puede oír tanto en familia como con amigos. Su tempo alegre crea un ambiente muy incluyente y acogedor. Asi que ponganse de acuerdo y bailen toda la noche al compás de sus favoritas cumbias.

Esta muy clara la influencia que tiene la música en la cultura latinoamericana, donde diferentes ritmos y estilos se entremezclan para crear melodías excepcionales y canciones creativas. Un estudiante que pidió mantenerse anónimo dice, “La música latina cambia el ambiente de una fiesta y lo hace más animado y divertido.” Esta es la música que nosotros disfrutamos mayormente con nuestras familias y eso es lo que la hace especial en nuestra comunidad. Música es un elemento que hace que nuestra cultura sea diversa y profunda.

ARTE POR NINO MIGINEISHVILI

Cambios en MCPS tendrán un impacto significativo

Nuevo superintendente, horarios y examanes para el año que viene

Por Carlos Fuentes y Alisson Fortis El condado de MCPS está planeando implementar nuevos regímenes el año que viene, los cuales tendrán un gran efecto en la comunidad de Blair. En el año escolar 2015-2016 tendremos un nuevo superintendente, ya que el superintendente, Dr. Joshua P Starr, ha decidido renunciar a su posición empezando el 16 de febrero. La junta de educación del Condado de Montgomery ha nombrado como superintendente interino al Sr. Larry A. Bowers, quien ha servido como jefe de operaciones para el sistema escolar por varios años. El Sr. Bowers estará al mando de MCPS junto a la junta de educación mientras esta entidad conduzca una búsqueda y nombre a un nuevo superintendente que posiblemente comenzará sus labores en el verano de este año.

Unos de los logros más notable que han ocurrido en los últimos cuatro años bajo el liderazgo de Dr. Joshua P Starr ha sido su defensa del bienestar social y emocional de los estudiantes del condado. De acuerdo al periódico el Washington Post, Dr. Starr propuso una encuesta para hacerles a los estudiantes una variedad de preguntas sobre cómo se sentían en la casa y en la escuela y también cuáles eran sus objetivos y sus metas personales el año pasado. Esto demostró la importancia que Dr. Starr le dio al bienestar de los estudiantes de MCPS. Otro logro del Dr. Starr fue su trabajo con el condado durante la peor situación económica en los Estados Unidos desde la Gran Depresión de los años 1930. Trabajo para prevenir cortes del presupuesto del sistema escolar a pesar de que algunos fueron inevitables.

Un cambio que comenzará el próximo año escolar será que el día escolar va a empezar y terminará veinte minutos más tarde. Este cambio trajo muchas controversias entre diversas entidades dentro del sistema escolar y la comunidad también trajo opiniones diversas de los estudiantes. La realidad es que veinte minutos no es un cambio muy drástico considerando que originalmente iba a ser cincuenta minutos. Daniela Zelaya,

una estudiante del onceavo grado, comenta, “Yo no apoyo la adición de veinte minutos porque en mi opinión, no hace nada. Es muy inconveniente para muchos, especialmente para los estudiantes que tienen trabajo o practican deportes después de la escuela.”

Daniela elabora diciendo que el cambio de horario afectará negativamente los deberes de los estudiantes porque las actividades extracurriculares se extenderán a horas más tardes. Aunque hay muchos estudiantes en contra de este cambios, también hay es-

y de matemáticas y se tomará por computadora. Los exámenes siguen las pautas del “Core Común,” el cual es un conjunto de estándares académicos de alto rigor en matemáticas, artes e inglés. Estos exámenes definen una serie de metas a alcanzar. Estos objetivos determinan lo que un estudiante debe saber y ser capaz de hacer al final de cada año académico. Para aprender más sobre el PARCC puedes visitar a la página web oficial del condado de Montgomery, montgomeryschoolsmd.org.

FOTO POR KYRA SEIGER

PARCC Padres y estudiantes tuvieron la la oportunidad de tomar un examen práctica. tudiantes como Jason Monroy, del décimo grado que lo apoyan. Monroy comenta, “Yo pienso que es una buena idea. Nos da veinte minutos más de descanso si uno los sabe aprovechar. Desde mi punto de vista es algo bueno. No va a estar tan oscuro y eso nos ayuda a despertarnos más rápido.”

Finalmente y probablemente el cambio más controversial entre los estudiantes es la adopción del exámen PARCC. Este examen va a reemplazar a los HSAs de inglés

Si se les pregunta a los estudiantes cómo se sienten sobre el examen PARCC, es seguro que la mayoría de ellos dirán que están en contra. Tal vez sea porque los estudiantes están cansados de tantos exámenes o tal vez hayan otras razones, pero es claro que a los estudiantes de Blair no les gusta este cambio. Desde un principio hemos tomado nuestros exámenes con lápiz y hojas de contestación, “Scantron,” lo cual este nuevo examen ha cambiado por completo por el uso

exclusivo de los “Chromebooks,” los cuales son parecidos a una computadora portátil.

Este cambio es especialmente conveniente para estudiantes sin destrezas tecnológicas.

Estamos en una temporada muy ocupada con el PARCC. Monroy dice, “Yo pienso que el examen es inútil. Para ser honesto, yo creo que esta implementación ha distorsionado nuestro horario.Yo oí que es muy difícil y que muchos estudiantes fracasaron.” Daniela Zelaya cuenta algo parecido, “El examen nos quita tiempo para aprender nuevo material y para estudiar. También nos hace olvidar material importante en el tiempo que no vamos a una clase, lo cual nos pone más presión”. Es importante recalcar que aunque haya discrepancias de opiniones dentro del cuerpo estudiantil sobre el mérito o la falta de mérito de exámenes como los HSA y PARCC, hay que tomarlos pues son requisitos de graduación. Para poder graduarse, un estudiante debe tomar el examen si esta registrado en ingles 10, algebra 1 o algebra 2. Los puntajes de este año servirán para determinar el puntaje mínimo requerido el próximo año. Este requisito no es negociable y la expectativa es que los estudiantes que lo tomen hagan el mejor trabajo posible.

Con la introducción del PARCC al condado de Montgomery, podemos anticipar muchos más cambios para ajustarse a las pautas y los estándares “Core Común.”

Es muy probable que estas normas sean adoptadas, pero lo que no se puede anticipar es cuáles van a ser los resultados. De acuerdo con el Hechinger Report, un periódico que cubre muchos temas de educación, el sistema de “Core Común” en otros estados del país está teniendo relativamente buenos resultados. La pregunta es si los 8.3 billones de dólares invertidos para implementar este sistema darán frutos.

Con todos los cambios que se vienen para MCPS todavía no es claro como esto va a afectar a los estudiantes. Tenemos en cuenta que estos cambios van a llegar nos guste o no. Lo único que podemos hacer para los próximos años es hacer todo lo posible para adaptarnos a estos.

E3 Spanish

March 12, 2015

silverchips

El amor verdadero no conoce las fronteras culturales

Parejas interraciales relatan sus experiencias en la escuela Por Sarah Canchaya y Hawra Al-Jabiri Hoy en día se ven más parejas de diferente etnias juntas porque la idea de personas de diferentes razas y etnias es más aceptada por la sociedad. Maryland fue la primera colonia que hizo ilegal el matrimonio interracial en el siglo XVII. Fue en 1967 cuando las últimas colonias finalmente aceptaron la reforma. Desde entonces, han pasado cincuenta años de la legalización oficial de parejas de diferentes etnias en los Estados Unidos. Nuestra sociedad finalmente se ha acostumbrado a la idea de personas de diferentes razas juntas. Para algunos les tomó más tiempo que otros aceptar la idea.

El número de hispanos envueltos en una relación con una pareja de otra raza aumentó rápidamente de 300,000 a 1,700,000 en 1998.

Uno de los lugares ideales para conocer a personas de diferentes orígenes es donde estudiamos. En la escuela secundaria es donde los alumnos generalmente empiezan a explorar nuevas relaciones interpersonales y a conocer más gente.

Blair es una de las escuelas más diversas del condado donde es fácil conocer a personas de diferentes orígenes étnicos y formar lazos de amistad. Algunas de estas amistades evolucionan a una relación amorosa. La estudiante dominicana Michelle Asilis del grado doce cuenta como ella conoció a su pareja Jinnapa Sinakoon de Tailandia en la clase de matemáticas. “Nos conocimos porque el siempre me pedía papel, cuenta Asilis. A pesar de que sus familias son de diferentes orígenes estos estudiantes hacen todo lo posible para que sus familias se reúnan y se mantengan

en contacto. “Cuando nuestras familias se reúnen la comunicación es un impedimento ya que no hablan el mismo idioma pero no obstante les gusta pas-

Las personas de diferentes razas tienen también la oportunidad de aprender sobre las culturas de sus seres queridos. Cada cultura tiene sus propias costumbres, diferente comida, celebraciones y el lenguaje. Muchas veces la comunicación es un pequeño obstáculo que ocurre entre una relación, pero con un poco de esfuerzo y comprensión siempre

llamaban,“el miembro de la banda mariachi.” Esto se debe a que José era hispano.

Hay personas que han estado

ARTE POR AMANDA GROSS

ar tiempo juntos,” dice Michelle.

La familia es un factor importante en el desarrollo de la relación entre una pareja ya que el consentimiento o falta de él tendrá algún efecto. Algunas familias piensan que es mejor que su hijo o hija tenga una pareja de la misma etnia ya que consideran que su gente es la mejor opción. De no ser así sienten incómodos y a veces molestos. Por otro lado, hay familias que no juzgan a la pareja de su hijo/a y no les molesta que estén con una persona de diferente origen. Los estudiantes del onceavo Aldhana Colán y Julian Arnouk dicen que sus padres están contentos con su relación. “Mis padres lo consideran una persona buena, de buenos valores y el simple hecho de que el sea una persona de diferente origen no lo convierte en alguien malo” La familia de Al dhana es de Perú y la familia de Julián es de Siria y España.

se puede alcanzar una armonía.

Además de las diferentes culturas que se mezclan en una relación interracial, también existen estereotipos sociales entre compañeros. Otra pareja interracial en el grado once está formada por el estudiante colombiano José Marriaga y su pareja, Tracy Mendoza de las Filipinas. Tracy cuenta como sus amigos se olvidaban del nombre de él y en vez de su nombre lo

expuestas a la diversidad de relaciones y otros no están acostumbra- dos a ver eso. Afortunadamente, v i v i m o s en un ambiente en donde es muy común ver a personas de diferentes características juntas.

La presencia de parejas interraciales no es exclusiva de Blair ni el estado de Maryland ya que en realidad estas son integradas por personas en todas partes de la nación y el mundo. El censo mundial indicó que en los años anteriores el número de personas de múltiples orígenes a incrementado. El censo del año 2000 indicó un crecimiento estimado de alrededor de 6.8 millones de personas con orígenes étnicos múltiples, mientras que el censo del 2010 indicó un aumentó a 9 millones de personas en esta categoría.

El incremento de personas de etnias mixtas es un cambio notable en los Estados Unidos el cual ha cambiado la diversidad racial y étnica. Este crecimiento repentino causa también problemas culturales en algunas parejas ya que los

valores e ideales son diferentes.

La religión también puede ser otro impedimento ya que quizás las personas no compartan las mismas creencias. En muchos casos la pareja logra aceptar las diferencias culturales de su compañero aunque no todos los aspectos se transfieren fácilmente. Ocasionalmente, estas diferencias tienen el potencial de ayudarnos a tener un mejor entendimiento global. A pesar de que esta situación puede ser una barrera difícil de superar, el amor sirve como un motivador excelente.

Nuestra escuela al igual que la nación se ha beneficiado por la diversidad de su población. Las personas tienen la oportunidad de comprender a los demás y se dan cuenta que todos somos seres humanos con necesidades similares.

Esto hace que la gente sea más culta y que se eliminen estereotipos raciales que podrían haber sido usados de forma discriminatoria en el pasado. Es importante que la sociedad en general haga un esfuerzo por entender los puntos de vista de los demás. Esto abarca a las personas de diferentes partes del mundo al igual que los ciudadanos de este país. Al presente vivimos en una época que presenta la oportunidad de aprender una variedad de nuevos lenguajes y costumbres. Una sociedad diversa tiene la oportunidad de ampliar sus conocimientos sobre de diferentes culturas del mundo fuera de las fronteras de los Estados Unidos. Esto es un reto que requiere un deseo de mejorar las relaciones interpersonales en el país y hace que la vida sea más interesante. Lo más importante que esto nos enseña es que la comprension y que el amor nos puede ayudar a superarlo todo!

Restaurante peruano ofrece delicias culinarias

“La Limeña” se destaca por su ejemplar servicio y sabor Por Odalis Llerena e Iris Olivia Cuando buscas un restaurante peruano hay muchas opciones, pero si buscas un restaurante con estilo y ambiente para disfrutar de una buena comida con familia o amigos la lista se vuelve más pequeña. La Limeña ofrece todos los placeres de un buen restaurante. Su especialidad son los platos clásicos del Perú como la tradicional papa ala huancaina y algunos platos tipicos de Cuba, como la ropa vieja. Lo que hace que estos platos sean clásicos, únicos y superiores es la combinación de diferentes texturas, la combinación de los sabores y la elegante presentación de los diferentes platos que se sirven. Incluso, hay una bebida

casera llamada la chicha morada que esta hecha con maíz morado, piña y canela, la cual le da un toque especial que lo hace más refrescante y liviano al paladar.

La Limeña empezó como un local pequeño ocho años atrás, que solo hacía servicio a domicilio. Tres años después, al aumentar la clientela, los dueños decidieron convertirlo en un restaurante. Pero aquí no se termina la historia... el propietario de La Limena esta buscando un local más grande para expandir su restaurante debido a su gran popularidad. A pesar de la gran cantidad de clientes que llegan a la hora de la cena, los meseros muy amables y atentos. El hecho de que los meseros hablan español e inglés es esencial par un restaurante

CORTESIA DE ODALIS LLERENA

COCINA PERUANA Y DELICIAS CUBANAS El mostrador del restaurante demuestra la gran variedad de comidas y postres deleitables que los patronizadores podrán adquirir por un precio razonable.

que atiende a una clientela internacional.

En el restaurante venden pollo a la brasa y esto atrae muchos clientes. Al entrar al restaurante es como ingresar a un patio colonial estilo español por la decoración y los cuadros que le dan un estilo acogedor y refinado, lo que hace que uno se sienta transportado a algún país de Latinoamérica. La decoración y la música contribuyen a la ilusión de estar de nuevo en el país de uno y de otras culturas Latinoamérica.

Ayame Garret, una estudiante de origen portugues en Blair de grado once dice que “la decoración y la comida, esCORTESIA DE ODALIS LLERENA pecialmente el picante peruano, LA LIMEÑA El orgulloso dueño posa con tres de sus meseros. Este me hizo acuerdo de mi país Marestaurante es conocido por el gran servicio de su personal, su amadeira.” El plato al que se refiere Ayame es el chupe de camaro- bilidad y la variedad de comida, la cual brinda un ambiente de familia. nes, que hace agua la boca. Este plato es un sopa hecha de camabas recetas tienen el mismo sabor de camarones enchilados, que virones, un caldo cremoso, arroz, pero diferente textura. El sabor ene acompañado de arroz, frijoles chícharos, elote, queso, leche, hue- es principalmente agrio pero a la y camarones salteados en una salsa vo e hierbas. Este plato es defini- vez dulce, lo que lo hace muy de- hecha de tomates, ajo, cebolla, pitivamente maravilloso, igual que licioso. El postre de mousse de mientos, tomatillo y vino blanco. muchos otros platos que se sirven maracuyá posee una textura muy La Limeña tiene característica en el restaurante. Por ejemplo, el suave y liviana. únicas que lo hacen diferente a los plato principal que más se pide es Un plato cubano muy delicioso demás restaurantes peruanos . El el tamal verde, un plato elegante y y tradicional que sirve el restau- gerente comenta, “ Lo que hace el atractivo presentado de una forma rante es un plato llamado Tacu restaurante unico es que no es un muy diferente del típico tamal que Tacu con lomo al jugo. Este plato restaurante peruano típico.” Esto se prepara en casa. incluye carne salteada en picantes incluye una decoración original, Un ingrediente muy especial peruanos, cebolla, y tomates. Tam- un ambiente familiar y relajado, del restaurante es la maracuyá, bién incluye una torta quenelle comida de calidad, ingredientes una fruta que solo se encuentra hecha con arroz y frijoles canarios. especiales, y un plantel de trabaen Brasil, Argentina y Paraguay. El plato esta hecho con porciones jadores muy amables y serviciales.

Hay dos recetas en el restaurante generosas, carne bien cocida, y Aunque sea un poco costoso, vale que usan este ingrediente; una es sabores muy apetitosos. Un plato la pena y merece la atención de los un postre y otra una bebida. Am- peruano muy recomendable es el estudiantes de Blair.

March 12, 2015

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March 12, 2015

Blair spring teams gear up for the upcoming season

By Camille Estrin and Amanda Wessel Boys’ Baseball

After winning their division last year, the boys’ baseball team is coming off of one of their best seasons. They graduated seven seniors, four of whom were starters. Senior captain John Ramsey explains, however, that they have a very deep team this year, and their senior-loaded squad is ready to step up and have another superb season. “[The seniors] are hard to replace, but we have people who are ready to step up in those spots and produce,” said Ramsey. The boys hope to have an even better season this year, and are striving to go to the state championship. Coach Eric Zolkiewicz explains, “If we get anything less than [number one seed] in the finals, we are cutting ourself short.”

KYRA SEIGER

ABOVE Juniors Ramanuja Sreenivasan and Stehan Loh attempt to block an opponent.

ABOVE RIGHT Senior Sam Merrill jumps up to make an important catch.

BELOW Senior Amanda Flores runs down the lacrosse field during line drills.

Girls’ Lacrosse The girls’ lacrosse team lost 12 seniors out of the 22 spots on the team, leaving the team with only 10 returning players. However, the girls have been playing together in the offseason to try and build chemistry for this young team.

Coach Michael Horne brought up many sophomores and juniors last year so they could start training for this season a year early. He explains, “We have a lot of kids who have the opportunity to step up [this season].” Last year, the Lady Blazers were almost division champs, but fell short after a tough loss against Springbrook. Building off of that, one of their goals for this season is to win their division, as well as beat Springbrook.

Key Players: Leah Damo, Alexis Redford-Muang Muang and Amanda Flores First Game: March 20 at 7:00 p.m. at Quince Orchard.

Record Last year: 8-6

Boys’ Lacrosse

Volleyball Boys’ varsity volleyball team captains, juniors Albert Wang and Eric Chen, see this year as an opportunity to show improvement. “Last year was a rebuilding year. We had only two returning players. However, this year, we haven’t lost anyone to graduation and are hoping to make a deep playoff run,” said Wang. Chen confirmed, saying, “Last year, me and [Wang] were the only people who had ever played before, so we were pretty much a completely new team so there weren’t any sky-high expectations. The point was to really learn the game and have fun.” Nevertheless, Chen was impressed with the results. “We managed to win five out of our 11 games, only losing to the stronger teams and some unfortunate circumstances, so I think we exceeded expectations,” said Chen. As for this year, the captains feel confident in the team’s improved skills. “I think this year we will have a much more serious mindset as far as winning is concerned.

I’m pretty confident we will do well this year and make it far in the playoffs,” said Chen. When asked about key players, Chen emphasized the importance of everyone working together and team effort over individual technical skill.

First Game: March 20 at 7 p.m. at Springbrook High School Record last year: 5-6

Gymnastics Blair’s gymnastics team will be led by seniors Cecilia Bergman and Jennifer Bates. “Last season was exciting because I returned from my injury and actually got to compete,” said Bergman, who had a strong performance last year after a recovering from a dislocated elbow. “We placed fourth in County A teams, which was exciting. Schools with more money placed second and first,” she said of the county-wide gymnastics competition. This year, she aims to improve the team’s performance with new additions to the group.

“Hopefully we will do much better,” Bergman said. “There are a few incoming freshman who used to do competitive gymnastics and it is always exciting to have people on the team who have outside or previous experience.” Some of these potential gymnasts are freshmen Eliza Salzman, Bridget McCaw and Mina Tzoukermann. Senior gymnast Shailee Bruck is determined to restore Blair’s gymnastic excellence.

“The best season Blair had was the year before I came, during the 2011 spring season, where they won [states],” Bruck explained. “I feel like we’ve had a downward spiral but this year I think we can pick up again,” she said.

Key Players: Shailee Bruck, Cecilia Bergman and Jennifer Bates Record Last Year: Fourth place in County A teams First Game: March 24 at 5 p.m. at Blake High School

This season the boys’ lacrosse team is really trying to “bring Blair up as a program in Montgomery County and make a name for ourselves,” according to Coach Christopher Brown. The boys graduated seven seniors last season, which will mainly impact their offensive play. “We lost some good offensive seniors, but defensively we have good guys to fill the spots,” explains Brown. The team’s defense is set, but Brown is mainly trying to work on regaining a solid offense. Brown remarks that, “across the board we are looking for people to step up on offense...we have guys who have been working hard in the off season, but it depends on how they show up in March.

Key Players: Eyal Li and Yonis Blanco First Game: March 20, 7:00 p.m. vs. Quince Orchard Record last year: 9-8

Boys’ Tennis After their season last spring, the boys’ tennis team and Coach David Ngbea hope for a stronger performance this year. The team was demoted from Division I to Division II last season, so Ngbea and the team will work hard this season to move back up to Division I. The team graduated four seniors, which will greatly impact leadership and continuity on the team. “It’s hard to lose that kind of seniority,” said Ngbea. Last season, according to Ngbea, attending practices and staying focused on the game was an issue, something that this season he hopes to improve on. “We had issues in terms of attendance and consequently that’s why we ended up with…a season we have never had before,” explains Ngbea.

Key Players: Rahul Bhale First Game: March 20, 3:00 p.m. at Wootton Record last year: 6-5

ABOVE Junior Julia Spies gets tips from her coach on how to perfect her swing.

RIGHT Senior Eyal Li runs while cradling in the gym during lacrosse tryouts.

Key Players: John Ramsey, Max Salzman, Ian Kiefhaber, Peter Berger and Jorge Noda Valdez First Game: March 20 at 3:30 p.m. vs. Northwest Record last year: 13-5

Track

According to sprinting coach Bruce Williams, Blair’s winter track season was not as successful as he hoped. “We didn’t do as well as I would have liked,” Williams said, noting that there were several unfortunate injuries. This spring, however, “Many young, up-and-coming runners, along with veterans, will be the backbone to our program,” Williams affirmed. Some of these strong veterans include juniors Susanna Maisto and Grace Olawuni and seniors Rachel Ederer, Leila Habib, Laura Klett, Hakim Lachnani, Yvann Tientcheu, Sergio Pakuo and Braeden Rose. Freshman runner Jillian Wilson and sophomores Thierry Siewe and Akosua Hawkins show a lot of promise. Ederer, Maisto and Lachani will lead the team as captains. “I’m pretty confident in the team that we could get our boys’ and girls’ team to qualify for Penn Relays in April for the 4x1 and 4x4,” Ederer said. “Hopefully we can make it to states and hopefully some individuals can too.”

Key Players: Susana Maisto, Grace Olawuni, Rachel Ederer, Leila Habib, Laura Klett, Hakim Lachnani, Yvann Tientcheu, Sergio Pakuo and Braeden Rose.

First Game: March 21 at 9 a.m. against Seneca Valley High School

Softball

Last spring, Blair’s varsity softball team made it all the way to the state regional semifinals. “We had one of the best years in school history,” said Coach Louis Hoelman. The team won their division and the region, but had their run cut short at the semifinal completion. Hoelman has high hopes for the upcoming season. “I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t do as well this year,” he said. Though the softball team lost four seniors who graduated last year, Hoelman has confidence in the 10 returning players. “They’ve been working hard in the offseason, a lot going to clinics,” he said. “They now have their chance to prove they can be as successful as last year.” Captain Megan Houlihan hopes to see their training pay off on the field. “The whole team has been working really hard since November to get in shape for the season with workouts, weightlifting and clinics,” she explained. Hoelman said to look out for all the seniors this upcoming season. Because of them, the team has “a lot of good leadership to guide younger players,” Hoelman said.

Key Players: Maria Cruz, Megan Houlihan, Camilla Arias, Kerry Madden, Andrea Brown and Emily Daly First Game: March 20 at home at 3:30 p.m. against Northwest High School Record last year: 19-3

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Chips’ bracketology: Deciphering the madness Kentucky, Kansas among teams with best shot at winning it all

By Sam Butler March Madness is an exciting time for competition among friends. Not just for fans of the 68 teams in the tournament, but for anyone who filled out their March Madness bracket. It’s a time when college basketball fans can make five dollar bets with friends, pony up for large betting pools, or just fill out a bracket for fun. But whether it’s money or bragging rights on the line, everyone wants to know how to fill out the winning bracket.

The first round of the NCAA tournament

can often be the trickiest, since lower seeds, given time to prepare and often overlooked by the nation, can show up ready to pull off an upset. Logic makes fans want to pick every one, two, and three seed to win their respective games, but that isn’t a wise choice.

Although a one seed has never lost in the first round, a two or three seed has lost in the first or second round every year since 2005, except 2009. And even though the lowest seed to ever win it all was an eight seed, it’s a mistake to discount underdogs right from the start. But while past tournament

outcomes can be used to justify picking any of the 9.2 quintillion possible combinations, the way to pick the best bracket is by looking at this year’s teams.

This year’s obvious favorite is first-ranked Kentucky. The Wildcats (31-0), despite a few narrow wins in recent weeks, have been easily the most dominant team in the country, let alone the Southeastern Conference (SEC). With only the SEC tournament remaining, Kentucky will need just three more wins before heading to March Madness. But a simulation of the SEC and NCAA tournaments run 10,000 times by Neil Paine of fivethirtyeight.com gives Kentucky only a 30.4 percent chance of finishing their season undefeated. Kentucky has an elite defense, second in the NCAA in points allowed only to Virginia, but if their offense struggles in one of their outings, their undefeated season could stop short. If Kentucky fails to finish the season with a zero in the loss column, a multitude of other contenders could swoop in.

The next best option has to be the Virginia Cavaliers. Virginia (28-2), has one of the toughest defenses in the nation, which has only failed them once, in a 69-63 loss to offensive-powerhouse Duke. They are first in Division I in points allowed, allowing only 50 per game, and second in field goal percentage allowed, as opponents only make 35.3% of their field goal attempts.

But Virginia’s Achilles’ heel

has to be their mediocre offense. The team’s leading scorer, Malcolm Brogdon, averages just 13.6 points, and 2.6 assists per game. But as long as their offense doesn’t weigh them down, Virginia has a shot at the national title.

One team that always seems hard to NAZEA KHAN read is Duke (28-3). In the past five NCAA tournaments, Duke has won the championship once, and yet has also been upset in the first round twice, including a loss to an anonymous Mercer team last season. Duke looks especially strong this season, however, led by transcendent freshman center Jahlil Okafor. Okafor is nearly averaging a double-double for Duke, with 17.8 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. Duke is fourth in the nation with 81.2 points per game, and third in field goal percentage, making 50.4% of their shots. Duke would be a risky pick to win it all, given their propensity for being upset. An ill-timed cold streak could cut their run short.

Despite a recent upset to Kansas State, the Kansas Jayhawks (24-7) could have a good shot at winning the tournament as well, despite likely being only a three or four seed. Sitting atop a loaded conference with five top-25 teams (the Big 12), Kansas has only six losses on the season, one coming from undefeated Kentucky.

Kansas leads the conference in opponents’ field goal percentage, but are fourth in

scoring defense, showing an inability to force turnovers. Kansas’ -6 turnover margin could come back to haunt them, but if their defense shines, nobody can stop Kansas.

A sleeper who could make some noise in the tournament this year is Brigham Young University (25-8). BYU, out of the West Coast Conference, has only played three ranked opponents this year, but a recent win over third ranked Gonzaga shows they could have what it takes. BYU is second in the nation in points per game, with 83.8, and

guard Tyler Haws is putting up good individual scoring numbers with 22.1 per game of his own. Though they will have to play tougher teams on their way to the final, BYU still has a legitimate chance.

This year will be as tough to pick as ever, but given Kentucky’s unquestioned dominance this season, it’s hard to pick against them. So for basketball fans looking for the perfect bracket, Kentucky is the best choice to make.

Breaking down how Blazer athletes build themselves back up Athletes cope with major injuries that cut their season short

By Anna O’Driscoll It was two days before the varsity football senior night. The normally dusty fields were muddy from rain. Senior Nick Dayhoff was participating in a drill when the poor conditions made him trip. “I just remember going up to the drill and as I was starting, I slipped up on my feet and I fell on the ground.” It wasn’t just a normal fall.

When he was already in the dirt, another player fell on top of him, hammering in the injury. “The contact to the ground wasn’t the reason I hurt my shoulder blade. It was the weight of the player who came down on [me],” remembers Dayhoff. He later found that he had torn the labrum in his shoulder, changing the course of his season.

According to a Med Sports Systems study, approximately two million high school athletes are injured in the United States each year. These athletes account for upwards of 500,000 doctors’ visits and 30,000 hospitalizations.

Sophomore Allison Mackenzie was in eighth grade when she suffered a major concussion playing soccer, and has dealt with the aftereffects throughout high school.

“I was running up to my defender to play defense to them, but I didn’t judge where the ball was going,” Mackenzie explains. “I thought it was going past me and I tried to deflect it. But when I deflected it, I turned my body and it hit my left cheek.”

Junior Gabriela Pleitez-Gomez had her ACL fall victim to soccer. “I jumped up to head the ball, and I just awkwardly fell down and tore it,” she says. Initially, she knew she had been hurt, but wasn’t sure how serious it was. “I kind of knew something was wrong. I didn’t know it was that severe, but I did hear something crack or snap,” Pleitez-Gomez recollects.

Like Pleitez-Gomez, many athletes don’t know the severity of the injury in the moment. For Mackenzie, the realization that she had a concussion didn’t come until the game was almost over. “At the time I didn’t really realize, ‘Oh this is a concussion’, until after the game, or actually during the game,

[when] I started to feel light headed,” she explains.

Junior Tucker Nosal, on the other hand, was not as surprised when he got injured.

While playing basketball, he slipped, dislocating his knee cap and tearing the patellar retinaculum. It was the third time he had sustained a similar injury. “I hurt it [the second time] in basketball this last summer and

“I kind of knew something was wrong. I didn’t know it was that severe, but I did hear something snap or crack.”

“I think it’s better that it happened when it did, because I knew all along it was bound to happen again, so the timing was perfect to get me back in time for senior year.”

Recovering from major injuries like these takes time, and the healing process can stretch on for the better part of a year. For Pleitez-Gomez, recuperating took about eight months. “The recovery was long,” remembers Pleitez-Gomez. “I had to go to physical therapy. Since I had no mobility in my leg, it was very hard and it was kind of painful to get it back.”

Mackenzie’s injury was in the fall, but she couldn’t resume normal activity until the following spring. Her concussion affected not only her sports life, but also school and day-to-day activities. “I can’t go ice skating or hang out with friends a lot. You have to watch out for your symptoms and listen to your body,” Mackenzie explains. “You can’t push yourself because your head is really fragile.”

Dayhoff also struggled with repercussions from his injury in daily life. “The first month, [the injury] impacted a lot. The first week was the worst because they gave me a shot that made it so I wouldn’t feel anything.” The injury impacted his ability to work in school, and writing in particular.

“I’m a leftie, and this was my left shoulder, so using my non-dominant arm was hard, especially with writing,” explains Dayhoff.

“For school, I had to use my iPad or computer because the doctor said that’s what I had to do.”

When she was able to return to soccer, Mackenzie was reluctant to participate in an important aspect of the game: heading. “[At physical therapy], we practiced heading because that’s really scary when you come back from a concussion.” She had to make adjustments to her play to protect her recently wounded brain. “I would avoid headers pretty much at all costs,” remembers Mackenzie.

- Gabriela Pleitez-Gomez

once I was fully recovered it just happened again. It was time to have it repaired.”

Despite the initial intense pain, Dayhoff decided to keep practicing. “It was a really sharp pain, but I got up right afterwards and got back in line for the drill. I tried maybe two more times but my arm at that point wasn’t going up, like I couldn’t move my arm up, and that’s when we knew something was really wrong.”

For Nosal, the knee injury was brutal because it reduced him to the role of a spectator. “It sucks. I hate watching. It’s one of the most frustrating things I’ve had to do,” says Nosal. Despite the feelings of sadness, Nosal does look for the silver linings in his injury.

PETER BERGER

HEALING HANDS Athletic trainer Julie Tucker assists a student-athlete with icing his shoulder. Well-thought-out help heals injuries, and also can work to prevent them.

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March 12, 2015

Ice Hockey falls to Annapolis Old Mill 3-1 at States Blair ends controversial season with championship game loss

By Robert Pfefferle

ing the stakes and intensity of the game.

The Blazers were almost completely shut The Blazers (14-3) fell to a very talented down offensively. Having scored fourteen Annapolis Old Mill team (10-3) 3-1 in front goals in their first two playoff games, Blair of a crowd of over a thousand at the Gar- was only able to muster one goal in the late dens Ice House in Laurel on Friday night. seconds of the third period on Friday. When Even though Blair was initially sanctioned Blair had opportunities to shoot, the offense and banned from the playoffs, the team was was caught on their off-wing and unable able to work their way in via an appeal to to get a good shot off. Annapolis’ goalie the league.

Adam Childs made 27 saves on the night.

The environment on Friday night was On Blair’s defensive side, Annapounlike any other. Even though the location lis’ William Jenkins dominated the Blazwas far removed from the Blair campus, ers. His overwhelming speed on the ice it didn’t stop the fans from coming out in was the story of the night. He made it full force. Loud, anxious and rowdy Blaz- hard for the defense to get back in time er fans packed the bleachers at the rink; to contain him. Jenkins had a hat-trick, as did Annapolis’ fans. The 1,386 people scoring all three of Annapolis’ goals. in attendance set the record for the largest The game was very back and forth in the group to watch a Maryland Student hock- first period. Blair faced early pressure from ey League final. Cheers and jeers were Annapolis after the faceoff, but was able to heard from puck drop to the last horn escape trouble. Senior captain and defensefrom both sides of the stands, heighten- man Sebastian Rubinstein and senior winger Javier Lopez had a couple direct shots on goal, but the Annapolis goalie deflected them away.

With about four minutes left in the first, Blair got a power play thanks to an Annapolis tripping violation. But the power play was soon erased after Lopez was called for high sticking.

Following the penalties Annapolis went into attack mode. The team had a slap CONNOR SMITH shot that missed DEFENSE Senior defenseman Kenny Johnson chases the puck in the net by inchfront of a capacity crowd during the state championship game. es as the puck

deflected off of the top bar. Senior defenseman Max Kronstadt reacted quickly, and was able to clear the puck out of the zone.

In the second period Rubinstein knocked down a shot on goal and came back down the ice for a shot, but it was deflected wide by the Annapolis goalie. Senior Tynan Wilson had another good look, but it was once again stopped. Immediately afterwards Annapolis had a breakaway, but Blair’s goalie Alexander Zastrow was able to stop the puck.

Around the nine minute mark, Annapolis’ Jenkins had a breakaway, but this time he was able to push it past Zastrow on the right side of the net for the first goal of the game.

Blair was quick to come back with a ton of pressure on Annapolis. However on their final play of the sequence, the puck bounced off a Blazer skate and right into Jenkins’ possession. Jenkins sprinted down the ice and converted for his second goal. At the end of the second the Blazers were down 2-0.

In the third period the Blazers had a couple of power plays, but ended up on the defensive end for most of both. Senior defenseman Kenny Johnson did his part in keeping the puck out of the Blazers’ net, and had to sprint down the ice to stop an Annapolis breakaway. With only two minutes left in the game, Zastrow made a miraculous save on another breakaway.

Blair pulled Zastrow with about 90 seconds left to look for a quick goal, and Lopez gave it to them in a scrum in front of the net. With 30 seconds left in the game and Zastrow pulled, Annapolis sent a long shot from their own end down the entire length of the ice that missed the goal by a matter of inches, and was instead called for icing.

Immediately following the face off, Annapolis’ Jenkins had a breakaway on Blair’s open net. Rubinstein sprinted after him, but his stick couldn’t block the shot in time as Jenkins scored his third goal of the night. The goal sealed the 3-1 win for Annapolis. Blair’s players were sprawled out on the ice, some even in tears.

The Annapolis fans ramped up their cheering after their third goal, and even began throwing miscellaneous items onto the ice.

This disruption came with time left on the clock, and the refs were quick in calling an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Annapolis for their fans’ behavior. This only delayed the stinging loss for the Blazers, but Blair fans responded with a heartfelt final cheer for all the team had accomplished this season.

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Spring Sports Preview see page F1

No funding, no problem: The hidden world of club sports Athletes put in the work, but lack the recognition of varsity teams

By Reva Kreeger Jumping to catch a flying disc. Gliding across a smooth sheet of ice. Dipping a paddle into the Anacostia River. This is just a glimpse into the lives of students on the crew, hockey and Ultimate Frisbee teams at Blair. Although they lack the official designation as a varsity sport, these club teams are critical parts of the school community and play a large part in many students’ lives.

The principal difference between a club sport and a varsity sport is that club sports do not receive money or sponsorship from Blair or MCPS. The main reason these teams are not varsity-level sports is the level of participation throughout the county. “My understanding is that MCPS requires half the schools to have the sport in order for it to be a varsity sport,” head crew coach Hope Pinkerton said.

But besides participation, there are a multitude of reasons that Ultimate, crew and hockey are not widespread sports throughout the county.

For Ultimate, one of the main reasons is the lack of involvement in other high schools in MCPS. According to senior Ultimate captain Ben Miller, “[Frisbee] hasn’t had much time to ingrain itself into American culture, and as a result it’s not inherently part of Blair’s sponsored sports.”

Another reason head Ultimate coach Kris Gill mentioned was the team’s participation in different kinds of leagues. “Because we played also in the adult leagues… we weren’t going to be able to be a varsity sport,” she noted. The hockey team remains a club sport for similar reasons, as well as the need to collaborate with students from other schools. A significant portion of students on the hockey team are from nearby Einstein and Northwood, which would not be possible if it were an official Blair sport.

PHUONG VO

ROW YOUR BOAT The crew team practices hard for a regatta on the Anacostia River.

The crew team’s main problem has more to do with finances. Most schools in MCPS, as well as Blair, do not have the funds to support a crew team because this involves purchasing boats, renting a boathouse and transporting students to the water. “The equipment for crew is pretty expensive and most schools do not want to pay for that,” senior captain Emily O’Brien said. Junior Robbie Fitzpatrick stated that to be on Blair crew, students have to pay around $1,000 per season and raise $200 in fundraising in order for the team to cover the costs.

Students on club teams occasionally get the impression that they’re overlooked, both by the school and their peers.

Club sports lack recognition and advertisements for their games on school announcements, and are sometimes left out of pep rallies altogether. Participants not only lack the privileges of varsity sports, they lack respect from the student body as well. Miller noted that many people

see Ultimate as sort of a joke sport. “People’s image of us needs to change,” he said.

O’Brien said she also feels some disrespect towards crew because of its club status. “I have heard stories of people being told that it’s not a real sport because it is not a varsity sport,” she added. Overall, how-

ever, she said that while this can be frustrating, the accomplishments made while on crew justify it as a “legitimate” sport.

“Once you’ve been on the team for a while, the validation for the sport comes from the fact that when you’re doing it, you know it’s a sport,” she explained. Ultimately, Gill said that the students still just want to represent their school and earn the respect they deserve. “Some of the team wishes folks would understand that they are athletes and are a real team that loves Ultimate and takes it seriously,” she concluded.

But there are some benefits that come with being a club sport. The crew team has its own board composed of parents and community members that make decisions for the team, and according to Fitzpatrick, this really broadens their opportunities. “The school doesn’t really have any say over what we do,” he said. Hockey can collaborate with other schools which makes them a stronger and more competitive team overall. For Ultimate, the team can play in adult leagues and get more practice in before their season against other students. “It gives us a certain amount of autonomy, which is nice,” Miller said.

soapbox Do you think Blair should make frisbee, hockey or crew a varsity sport?

“Blair should make all three varsity sports because they are already representing the school in their respective sports” -Sabrina Cauton, sophomore “I think they should every sport deserves an equal opportunity” - Tori Sampson, freshman