October 2021 — Silver Chips Print

silverchips A public forum for student expression since 1937 Montgomery Blair High School

October 28, 2021

VOL. 85 NO. 1

SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

Blair’s last Powder Puff

This year’s homecoming pep rally marks the last Powder Puff game, during which the cheerleading and football teams swap sports. Criticism from students and staff following the event led SGA sponsor Kevin Shindel to announce the change and apologize for any harm caused to students in an email to school staff.

“Staff and students have raised concerns that the game is a relic of a past that reinforced gender roles and makes a mockery of gender identity.

It’s not where we are in 2021,” he wrote.

FIONA BONDAREV

Blazers are back CAL TOBIAS

After almost two years in lockdown, Blair students are back and celebrating their school pride.

Read about the return to school on page D4.

Counselor shortage plagues schools

A lack of an adequate amount of MCPS counselors leaves some Jake Funk goes pro students feeling lost. Read more on page B2.

Damascus alum and Blair administrator’s son COURTESY OF JAKE FUNK

D1 Features

Mes de Herenca Hispana

Farms adjusting to climate change

E1 Culture

In conversation with Erik Agard

F3

Should Blair bring back check-ins?

C1 La Esquina Latina

E6

B1 Opinions

C2

Staff shortage in MCPS

A2 News

B2

A4

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D3

was recently drafted to the Los Angeles Rams.

Read more on page F5.

F1 Sports Mental health in sports

A2 News Oct 28, 2021 silverchips Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 (301) 649 - 2864 Winner of the 2015 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker and the 2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal

Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the editorial board and are not necessarily those of the school or of all Silver Chips members. Signed letters to the editor are encouraged; submit them to silver.chips.print@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.

Remembering Patricia O’Neill Longest serving Board of Education member passes away

By Annie Gao and Lucia Santoro-Vélez Staff Writers On Sept. 14, Montgomery County Board of Education (BOE) member Patricia O’Neill passed away at the age of 71. First elected in 1998, O’Neill represented District 3 and was the longest-serving school board member in MCPS history. Her legacy is commemorated by fellow BOE members and MCPS educators.

O’Neill’s presence in MCPS began long before her time on the BOE. She and her husband were graduates of Walter Johnson, and their two daughters attended MCPS schools. O’Neill was also heavily involved with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) prior to becoming a Board member.

During her time on the BOE, O’Neill was known for her expansive knowledge of MCPS policy.

Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro fondly remembered her impact during Board discussions. “Her memory was phenomenal. She was always quick to tell you the background of an issue, who brought it up, and why. That kind of knowledge is invaluable when making decisions,” Navarro wrote in an email to Silver Chips.

Decades of experience combined with this knowledge resulted in O’Neill being widely regarded as the historian within the BOE. “She was always able to bring in the historical perspective for anything the Board was working on,” Navarro wrote.

According to Brenda Wolff, the president of the BOE, O’Neill’s comprehension of MCPS history was only surpassed by her devotion to the students of MCPS. “Her historical knowledge, her understanding of policy and Maryland law, paled only in her compassion and support for the students in Montgomery County,” Wolff wrote in an email to Silver Chips.

O’Neill’s firm support of student advocacy drove her to work closely with the Student Member of the Board (SMOB) each year. “[She] was always so deeply committed to the student voice, and she was at almost every Board of Education student engagement event that I had ever gone to,” Ananya Tadikoda, the 2018-2019 school year SMOB, said. “She’d always make it a point to comment about student testimony at different board meetings.”

Over the years, O’Neill guided countless SMOBs on the policy proposal process, encouraging the

committed student leaders to better their community. Tadikonda recalled how O’Neill served as her mentor during her time on the BOE and O’Neill’s open-mindedness. “What I most admired about her is that we weren’t always ideologically in alignment in terms of our ideas or the proposals we wanted to bring forward, but she still served as a mentor and a guide,” she said.

O’Neill’s extensive knowledge, combined with her open-mindedness and collaborative spirit, also led her to become not only a cherished friend but a principal mentor to her colleagues. “I hope that [the community] will remember that she provided mentorship to each one of us as new board members.

She offered institutional wisdom and stability,” Wolff wrote. “In addition to being a great colleague, she exemplified how to do this job with grace. She was kind and humble.”

Tadikonda remembered O’Neill’s dedication to the idea that students are the individuals

Her historical knowledge... paled only in her compassion and support for the students in Montgomery County.

BRENDA WOLFF

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Leila Faraday Marijke Friedman Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo LA ESQUINA LATINA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo MANAGING NEWS EDITORS Samantha Rodriguez Ashley Thommana MANAGING OPINIONS EDITORS Maia Egnal Sean Li MANAGING FEATURES EDITORS Annie Goldman Sofia Roehrig MANAGING CULTURE EDITORS Maybelle Patterson Jasper Swartz MANAGING SPORTS EDITOR Jon Eckert OMBUDSMAN Ashley Thommana DESIGN EDITORS Annie Goldman Sean Li Maybelle Patterson COLUMNISTS Jon Eckert Annie Mount Cal Tobias ENGLISH STAFF WRITERS William Ashford Haley Carter John Ernst Eliana Finberg Annie Gao Ingrid Holmquist Elina Lee Christy Li Rosie Orzulak Andre Parker Ila Raso Lucia Santoro-Vélez Ella Schrebler Sophia Stein Milan Tenn Sedise Tiruneh Zachary Williamson LA ESQUINA LATINA WRITERS Kimberly Castro Estefany Benitez Gonzalez Yasmine Rivera Sofia Roehrig Ivania Valladores EXECUTIVE BUSINESS DIRECTOR Marina Deane-Gonzalez Ryan Peralta Harris Maddie Whipple BUSINESS STAFF Kevin Gehl Isabelle Mathiascheck Finnegan Oakes Caleb Plank MANAGING ART EDITORS Jay Chao Leela Mehta-Harwitz ARTISTS Abjini Chattopadhyay Eliza Cooke Sonia Pivovarov Karis Tebo MANAGING PHOTO EDITORS Arielle Granston Sarah Martin PHOTOGRAPHERS Fiona Bondarev Raffi Charkoudian-Rogers Jonathan Cumblidge Colin Lederer Henry Reichle Cal Tobias Maia Turpen MEDIA EDITOR Iris Montgomery PUZZLE EDITORS Alex Grosman Leela Mehta-Harwitz COPY EDITORS Celeste Basken Kiah Beachler Jordan Chafe Sally Kaye Emannuel Kraft Roshan Nandkumar Audrey Payne Amelia Schuler Liam Volz Emma Weinstein ADVISORS Jeremy Stelzner Maria Eugenia Tanos

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most invested in our educational system, which motivated her to advise them throughout her time on the BOE. “She had so much great institutional knowledge about the system; she was a mentor to students and other board members,” Tadikonda said. “She always emphasized that students are the biggest stakeholders in our school system.”

Using her position to drive change for students and other MCPS community members was just one more way O’Neill devoted her time. “Fairness and equity were principles that drove her work.

And in the name of those principles, she was never afraid to stand for what she thought was right for students, even if it was unpopular,” Wolff wrote. “She exhibited unwavering courage.”

Despite her strong acknowledgment of the history of MCPS, O’Neill did not hold back from pushing for key education policy advances.​“Even though she was a

COURTESY OF BRENDA WOLFF

historian… even though she knew about where MCPS had come from, and why MCPS was where it was… the school system needed to change… It needed to continue to evolve to meet the needs of students,” Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice said.

O’Neill also served on several advisory committees, including the Maryland Blue Ribbon Panel on Teen Pregnancy and the Maryland Comparable HSA Task Force. On these committees, O’Neill continued to push for change well into her career. “A lot of people who’ve been around systems for a long time get acclimated with the current system and aren’t enactors of change,” Rice said.

“She truly was a catalyst for saying that our school system can get better… it really is a very unique perspective that you don’t see often.”

Rice—who worked with O’Neill for over 15 years, beginning with his position on the education subcommittee on the Maryland State Legislature—recalled that O’Neill’s fierce advocacy for students was the most memorable aspect of his time working with her. “[She] continues to reinforce the vision that I’ve always had that education is the most important function of government,” Rice said.

As the former chairperson of the BOE’s Policy Management Committee, O’Neill held great influence on strategic changes in MCPS. She, along with three other committee members, drafted and revised policies centered around public education and monitored their implementation. “She often talked about the ‘sex ed wars’ and how the Board worked with the community to understand the need for better health education for our students,” Wolff wrote.

During her two decades on

the BOE, O’Neill served as president five times and vice president six times. She was also previously the president of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education (MABE), a nonprofit organization advocating for public education since 1957. MABE represents 24 Boards of Education across Maryland, including Montgomery County. O’Neill was also previously co-chair of the Washington Area Boards of Education.

In recent years, O’Neill has received recognition for her dedication to MCPS and the BOE. In 2015, she was nominated as one of the “100 most powerful women in Washington” by Washingtonian Magazine. She was also awarded the MABE Charles Willis Award for Distinguished Service in 2009 and the MCPS Distinguished Service Pioneer Award in 2017.

Following her passing, discussion about how to honor O’Neill’s legacy has been ongoing across the Montgomery County community.

Tadikonda believes that honoring O’Neill means pushing for equity across school systems and hearing the student voice. “[It means] being intentional at the Board table when decisions are made about including student perspectives and including a wide range of stakeholder perspectives,” Tadikonda said.

Due to O’Neill’s now absent seat, the BOE handbook states that “the remaining members of the Board will select a qualified individual to fill the vacancy.” Once selected, this person will work in O’Neill’s stead until her term ends in 2022. Though they will be able to replace her seat on the Board, Lynne Harris, a current member of the BOE, believes that the loss of O’Neill is insurmountable. “She leaves a big hole... you will fill the seat but will never fill the seat, if that makes sense,” Harris said.

To read O’Neill’s obituary or post a message on her tribute wall, visit Pumphrey Funeral Home’s website. Instead of flowers, O’Neill’s family has requested that donations be made in her memory to the MCPS Educational Foundation.

Scan the QR code below to make a donation to the MCPS Educational Foundation:

COURTESY OF BRENDA WOLFF

2021-2022 BOARD OF EDUCATION Patricia O’Neill, bottom right, represented District 3 on the Board of Education for 23 years, serving as president five times and vice president six times.

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Montgomery County COVID-19 policy changes

Oct. 28, 2021 News A3 INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by Ingrid Holmquist Staff Writer

By Milan Tenn Staff Writer

WILL JAWANDO

After 19 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to impact the school system, county, and state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that for the week ending October 25, 2021, the positivity rate in Montgomery County was 2.24 percent, with 506 cases and 30 hospital admissions.

In Maryland, the 7-day positivity rate for the same time frame was higher, at 3.21 percent. This is comparable to the positivity rate of 3.25 percent in Maryland during Oct. 2020.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan stated in his Sept. 30 press conference that the Delta variant of COVID-19, which is more contagious than other strains, has not harmed Maryland to the same degree as other parts of the nation.

MILAN TENN “Maryland continues to withstand the Delta variant surge better than GRADUAL IMPROVEMENT Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity rates continue to decrease as total vaccinajust about any other state in Amer- tions increase. ica,” Hogan said. “Last week, we reported the lowest COVID case that continues per the CDC guid- from medical and religious exemp- MCPS policies ance,” Jawando said in an interview tions, this mandate would require rate in the nation.” all employees of the county govwith Silver Chips.

As of October 25, 2021, Blair ernment to be vaccinated against had eight reports of COVID-19.

Booster shots COVID-19.

This is higher than the five case Hogan also mentioned that Riemer believes that it is nec- median in MCPS high schools.

Maryland has begun to give out You shouldn’t essary for all county employees to Across all MCPS high schools, additional vaccine doses, known as be vaccinated against COVID-19. Seneca Valley has the most inhave to quesbooster shots. “Last week, imme“The county government is the stances of COVID-19 at 12 cases, diately after receiving final CDC tion whether the kind of employer where there re- while Sherwood has the least at approval, Maryland became one ally can be no exception to getting only one case. of the first states in the nation to transportation vaccinated,” Riemer said.

Blair Assistant Principal Laviauthorize boosters for seniors and Currently, county employees na Carillo notes that MCPS teachworker or the high-risk individuals,” Hogan said. must either be vaccinated or be ers are required to be vaccinated.

Montgomery County guidepolice member tested for COVID-19 every week. “Currently MCPS does have a lines allow people who have taken However, Riemer believes that this mandate for teachers. All MCPS Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & or the firefighter policy is less effective at stopping teachers should be vaccinated.

Johnson vaccines and who meet COVID-19 than the proposed vac- And they are collecting that inforthat shows up to specific qualifications to obtain cine mandate. “The county execu- mation in the central office,” Carbooster shots. Any resident who you is vaccinated tive pursued a vaccine or test policy rillo said. took the single dose Johnson & where you are required to get vacJohnson vaccine is eligible for a Furthermore, Blair policy or not. cinated, and if you don’t, then you states that teachers should probooster dose two months after must get a weekly COVID-19 test. vide administration with seating their previous dose.

But that policy is just not working Those with compromised imIn addition to its guidance to increase the level of vaccina- charts for each of their classes. mune systems that received their These seating charts are used to second dose of the Pfizer, Moder- about booster shots, the CDC tions,” Riemer said. determine which other students Riemer cited the vaccine man- are at risk when a student contracts na, or Johnson & Johnson vaccines recommends that in counties with at least 28 days ago may obtain a moderate level of community date as a solution for the lack of COVID-19. booster dose. Residents who took transmission, such as Montgom- vaccination of prison employees.

After a student has tested positive for COVID-19, students around them are still able to come to school as long as they are vaccinated and show no symptoms.

“Unless you’re not vaccinated, even if you were in close proximity, you can come to school unless you have symptoms,” Carrillo said.

Student athletes will also be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to be allowed to play during the winter and spring seasons. MCPS stated that in order for athletics to take place safely,

HOSPITAL OCCUPANCY As COVID-19 cases improve, more Maryland hospital beds are opening up. either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine at least six months ago may also obtain a booster dose if they are above 65 years of age, are an adult with a medical condition, or are an adult at increased risk for COVID-19 due to their work.

According to Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, the county follows CDC guidance regarding booster shots.

“We started giving booster shots out to immunocompromised individuals and people over 65, and

ery County, unvaccinated residents should wear masks while indoors.

The county is currently acting in accordance with these guidelines by upholding a mask mandate.

Vaccine and mandates

mask

Jawando is currently working with Hans Riemer, another Montgomery County Councilmember, to propose a vaccine mandate for county employees as well. Apart

“Prisons and jails have been terrible incubators of COVID-19,” Riemer said. “To have correctional employees not getting vaccinated is just totally unacceptable.”

Jawando also highlighted the importance of ensuring that emergency response workers are vaccinated. “You shouldn’t have to question whether the transportation worker or the police member or the firefighter that shows up to you is vaccinated or not,” Jawando said.

LAVINA CARILLO

MILAN TENN

Unless you’re not vaccinated, even if you were in close proximity, you can come to school unless you have symptoms.

athletes must have received the final dose of a vaccine at least two weeks before playing, barring a medical or religious exemption.

Though both the Montgomery County government and MCPS have instituted policies to counter COVID-19, Riemer believes that the community has been effectively addressing the virus. “​​I think the community is doing a great job,” Riemer said “Montgomery County residents are all in on the public health and scientific response.”

Italian vaccine mandate

On Oct. 15, the Italian government imposed one of the world’s strictest vaccine mandates. The new rule requires that upon entering their jobs, workers must show a digital or paper certification of at least one COVID-19 vaccination, known as a Green Pass. It can be obtained with proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test every 48 hours. Through the test method, an individual must pay for their own test. The mandate applies in all workplaces across Italy, and workers without a Green Pass can legally be suspended without pay.

The mandate has triggered protests across the country, in which demonstrators claim the government is violating personal freedoms. Italian news outlets reported that demonstrators have blocked the ports of Genoa and Trieste, where dock workers have threatened to strike in defiance of the mandate.

Kidnappings in Haiti

In the midst of an ongoing political crisis and the aftermath of an earthquake, Haiti has seen a rise in gang violence. It gained national attention on Oct. 15, when 17 missionaries were abducted by a gang.

16 of the missionaries were American and one was Canadian. The alleged group responsible is 400 Mawozo, a Haitian gang notorious for violent kidnappings and murders. Of the 17 abducted, authorities believe that five were children, including an infant. The missionaries were sent to Haiti by Christian Aid Ministries, an Ohio-based organization, and were reportedly visiting an orphanage.

On Oct. 19, 400 Mawozo demanded a $17 million ransom to free the captives. Then, on Oct. 20, a video released by the leader of the gang claims that they will kill the missionaries if the ransom is not fulfilled. The FBI is currently on the ground in Haiti in an effort to recover those abducted.

UN Climate Conference

The United Kingdom (UK) is hosting the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12 in Glasgow, Scotland. In partnership with Italy, the UK aims to encourage negotiations to reduce carbon emissions and slow global warming.

The event will include representatives from over 200 countries. President Joe Biden, Queen Elizabeth, and Pope Francis are all expected to attend, alongside at least 100 presidents and prime ministers. Other attendees include environmental groups, business leaders, scientists, and journalists.

The conference was set to take place last year but was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite suggestions to postpone it or hold the conference virtually, event leaders have maintained that an in-person event will be more effective in combating climate change. COVID-19 vaccinations are encouraged but not required for the conference.

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A4 News Oct. 28, 2021 NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by Andre Parker Staff Writer

Hogan refunds police

Zebras on the loose

MCPS teacher sentenced for sexaul abuse Maxwell Bero, a 31-yearold former MCPS teacher was sentenced on Oct. 15 to eight years in prison by a Montgomery County Circuit judge for the sexual abuse of two eighthgrade students at Odessa Shannon Middle School (formerly Col. E. Brooke Lee). Bero, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. Congress in 2020, was arrested and charged with six counts of third-degree sex offense and one count of sex abuse of a minor in Aug. 2020. Bero groomed his victims through the messaging app Kik, exchanging sexually explicit photos and messages. He also abused students in his classroom after school. Bero pleaded guilty to two counts of sex abuse of a minor. After serving his 8 years, he will be on supervised probation for five years and will remain on the sex offender registry for the rest of his life.

In April 2021, the Biden administration approved the distribution of universal free lunch in public schools for the 2021-2022 school year. The program was initially offered due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent school closure, but will now become an addition to school meal services for the next eight months.

Previously, only MCPS students with a family income 185 percent below the federal poverty level qualified for free and reduced meals (FARMS) in schools. However, on Apr. 21, 2020, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a waiver that eliminated the eligibility requirements for free and reduced price meals.

The waiver was then extended several times throughout the 20202021 school year before the new one was issued in April of 2021.

This year, the MCPS program offers a free breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner for all students on instructional days. On weekends, the USDA permits MCPS schools to serve a snack and dinner. MCPS Director of Food and Nutrition Services Barbara Harral is working to distribute these meals quickly and efficiently. “We’re [making] as many meals as we [are] allowed,” she said.

The increased accessibility of free lunches is reflected across Blair.

Christine Blanton, the school’s caf-

ELIZA COOKE

FREE LUNCH Students order free lunch in the cafeteria. eteria manager, said that the number of students getting school lunch has tripled and continues togrow.

Some Blair students shared that they are more inclined to get school lunch this year because it is free and available. Sophomore Xavier Ohnona feels that the cost of the meals deterred them from getting lunch in past years. “I wouldn’t [eat If we’re hungry, we can’t concentrate. We get grouchy. We get cranky. We are not at our best. For equity’s sake… we need to offer [free meals] to all at no charge.

school lunches] that much because [they were] expensive, but now I just get them cause they’re free and I don’t like cooking food.”

Senior Camila Velasquez, who gets school lunch every day, explained that before meals were free, getting lunch was a hassle.

“We would need our IDs and I would need lunch money, but this [year] it’s not like that,” she said.

In 2020, COVID-19 caused a spike in child food insecurity rates.

According to the USDA, 7.6 percent of American children were food insecure in 2020, compared with 6.5 percent in 2019. Pre-pandemic, over 1,000 Blair students received benefits from FARMS and relied on the school for their primary food source. When schools closed on Mar. 13, 2020, it became more difficult for students

to receive this food.

Blanton recalled how the pandemic exacerbated food insecurity and made it difficult for parents to provide for their children. “You’re [already] worrying about keeping a roof over your head. Now you have to worry about how you’re gonna feed your kids,” she said.

“Every dollar counts. So I think they should leave [the free meals program].”

Throughout the school closure, Blair cafeteria staff prepared seven-day food boxes Monday through Thursday and handed out approximately 3,400 boxes every Friday to students and families from across the county. A modified version of this service is still available for students who are placed in quarantine for COVID-19 protocols.

Free lunches in MCPS and across the nation may become permanent with the introduction of the Universal Free Meals Program Act. The bill, sponsored by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, would offer three meals and a snack each day to all public school students at no cost, eliminate student lunch debt, and encourage the integration of local food in school cafeterias.

Harral believes that the universal free meals program is a big step in helping students learn more efficiently by providing them with nutritious food. “If we’re hungry, we can’t concentrate. We get grouchy.

We get cranky. We are not at our best,” Harral explained. “For equity’s sake… we need to offer [free meals] to all at no charge.”

MCPS faces staffing shortages

By Christy Li Staff Writer As students return to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year, MCPS faces a shortage of bus drivers and teachers due to early retirements, health concerns, and career changes.

According to FOX 5 DC, MCPS was short 300 teachers at the beginning of the school year.

Consequently, substitute teachers are in high demand and low supply.

On the week of Sept. 13 to Sept. 17, Blair had a 5.7 percent teacher absence rate—an average of 11.8 teachers out per day. Other schools in the Down County Consortium (DCC) faced similar shortages. During the same week, John F. Kennedy averaged an absence rate of 5 percent and Wheaton averaged 6.5 percent. Northwood had a 9 percent teacher absence rate.

Of the Blair teachers absent during that week, only 57.5 percent were able to find substitute teachers to cover their classes. Similarly, Northwood found substitutes for 59.6 percent of its absent teachers.

Other DCC schools fared considerably worse, with only 37 percent of absent Kennedy teachers and 32.5 percent of absent Wheaton teachers receiving coverage from substitute teachers.

Classes that are not picked up by substitute teachers receive coverage from other teaching staff. When freshman Sydney Humpert’s English teacher was absent for a week, the class was covered by multiple educators. “They could only find substitutes for a few days,” Humpert said. “Our teacher has an assistant teacher who had to cover the class.”

This year, teachers are out more frequently than in the past due to self-quarantines, sick leaves, and ill family members. Some teachers

also retired early during or after the 2020-2021 virtual school year with short notice, contributing to the county’s scramble to fill teaching positions.

According to English resource teacher Kati Holmes, many substitute teachers are older retired teachers who are reluctant to return because they do not want to be exposed to unvaccinated students. “At least 50 percent of the subs that we really relied on in past years before COVID were retired teachers,” Holmes said. “We lost most of them.”

Effective May 3, 2021, MCPS employees received salary increases depending on their union that they associate with. For substitute teachers and Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) employees, this meant a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment and a salary step increase depending on their length of employment.

Some MCPS substitute teachers do not believe that pay is what attracts people to the role. “I do not think that the pay has anything to do with it,” substitute teacher Warren Prunella said. “Most [substitute teachers] that I talked to… are retired people like myself, [and we] kind of look at it as volunteer

work.”

Director of the MCPS Department of Transportation (DOT) Todd Watkins revealed that MCPS was short 117 bus drivers as of Oct. 11. On average, 200 to 300 of the county’s 1300 drivers leave the force each year. Most years, the county is short 30 to 40 drivers per year after recruiting new drivers. “Now, we’re much, much shorter than we have been in my 25 years here,” Watkins said.

Although the DOT kept bus drivers employed throughout the 2020-2021 school year by distributing food and technology, more drivers than normal left because they were not allowed to continue working their full hours.

Around 60 bus routes across the county were canceled and had their stops distributed to other routes.

While the same areas are still receiving transportation service, bus routes are less timely compared to previous years, according to Watkins. As a result, many students are waking up earlier for their morning bus and arriving home later in the afternoon. “This year alone [the afternoon bus has] been late four times,” junior Tina Shiferawa said.

“We get home at 3:50 or 3:40. We should be getting home at 3.”

ELIZA COOKE

BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE Over 60 bus routes have been cancelled this year, resulting in overcrowding.

Other students have noticed that their bus has become more crowded than it was before the pandemic. “Sometimes, there are people who have to sit on the ground since there’s way too many people,” junior Caleb Winger noted. “A couple mornings in the past, people have been turned away because there’ve been too many people on the bus and they have not been able to get a seat, and so… they have to find their own way to school.”

At least 50 percent of the subs that we have relied on in past years before COVID were retired teachers. We lost most of them.

KATI HOLMES

Two zebras that escaped from a farm near Upper Marlboro, Maryland on Aug. 31 are still at large in Prince George’s County. Authorities initially believed the dazzle (a group of zebras) was made up of five escapees, but later learned only three had escaped. The owner of the zebras was charged with several counts of animal cruelty after one escaped zebra was found dead in an illegal snare trap on Sept. 16, and another died on the farm. The owners of the fugitive zebras have hatched a new plan involving using more zebras to attract and capture the remaining zebras. Two additional zebras have been placed in a corral in order to lure the runaways with food and companionship. For now, however, the elusive Maryland zebras remain on the run.

By Ingrid Holmquist Staff Writer

BARBARA HARRAL

On Oct. 15, Gov. Larry Hogan announced a $150 million plan called “Re-Fund The Police” to boost funding for state and local police agencies in response to the reallocation of police funding to other social services.

In the news conference where he outlined the plan, Hogan said this reduction in police resources as well as criticism of the police is making it hard for police departments to recruit and maintain staff, leading to higher crime rates. He specifically singled out the Baltimore Police Department, as they are short 300 officers. “[The city is] a poster child for the basic failure to stop lawlessness,” he said.

Hogan has long criticized the “Defund the Police” movement.

“Trying to reduce crime by defunding police is dangerous radical far-left lunacy,” he stated. Hogan’s plan includes $50 million for police salary increases and bonuses, $45 million to help with recruitment at local police departments, and $24 million for new body cameras and de-escalation training.

Free meals offered across MCPS

Despite the DOT’s job advertising, the county continues to struggle with filling driver positions. Bus driver trainees are often deterred by the tests and extensive training, as well as the limited hours for starting drivers.

Governor Larry Hogan addressed these concerns in a Sept.

17 press release, in which he called upon the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Association (MDOT MVA) to expedite driving tests and credentials in order to help meet bus driver demand across the state. Additionally, MDOT MVA hosted Bus Drivers’ Day on Sept. 25 at the MVA in the hopes of recruiting more drivers. The event allowed applicants to schedule Commercial Driving License testing appointments at six different MVA branch offices.

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Oct. 28, 2021 News A5

COVID chaos

Crowds overwhelm Blair’s hallways

CAL TOBIAS

BUSTLING BLAIR BOULEVARD Blair’s main hallway is a central location for students traveling to their classes and walking around the school during arrival, dismissal, lunch, and between periods.

Blair has the largest student body out of any public high school in Maryland. As students return to in-person learning, the sheer number of people in the building during the school day makes social distancing virtually impossible, especially in the school’s main hallways.

Routes other than Blair Boulevard have proven to be less congested and therefore more aligned with safety measures. During the start of the school year, many students have been eating outside during lunch, decreasing the amount of time spent indoors without a mask. However, when the weather turns colder, more students will be forced to eat inside, which could potentially increase exposure to COVID-19.

SOPHIA STEIN

voicebox All photos by Raffi Charkoudian-Rogers

“If you go down some of the back hallways or back staircases, most of the time it’s not really that crowded.”

“With the COVID-19 pandemic... it’s very important to understand that there are... other places to go in the building without crowding the main hallway.”

“It’s insanely crowded and there’s no room to move or walk... [we’re] definitely too close together.”

“Since I’m fully vaccinated, it’s not something I worry about too much, but if I weren’t...

I’d probably be more worried.”

RUBY BURCKLE sophomore

NAHOM TSEGAYE junior

ELLA WENGER junior

CHRISTIAN LIMJUCO sophomore

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A6 News Oct. 28, 2021

A conversation with John King Blair parent and former educator John King is running to be the next governor of Maryland. Previously, King served as the U.S. Secretary of Education under President Obama.

He spoke with Silver Chips about his campaign and his background in education. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

O KARIS TEB

How has your previous experience uniquely prepared you to be the next governor of Maryland and why are you running?

I’m running because I believe that government can be a force for good in people’s lives, and I know that because of the role that public schools played in my life. When I was a kid, both my parents were educators, but they both passed away when I was little. The one place that was stable and consistent and supportive was school. And if not for the teachers I had as a kid, I wouldn’t be alive today. I became a teacher because I wanted to do for other kids what teachers have done for me. I spent my life in education as a high school social studies teacher or middle school principal, leading schools, at the local level, at the state level, and then serving as Secretary of Education so I bring to the campaign a deep belief in the role that government can play in making people’s lives better.

What qualities make you the best choice for Governor for students?

The core pillars of our campaign are education, which means investing in K-12 education, following through on the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future that the General Assembly passed last session to get more resources to our highest need schools. But we need to do more than that. We should invest in our community colleges and our historically black colleges and universities as engines of social mobility and economic opportunity. In terms of economic development and economic dignity, which is our second pillar, we should be creating great jobs for young people in Maryland.

We should be making sure that young people can have a good qual-

By Cal Tobias Columnist

COURTESY OF JOHN KING

ity of life in this state. Our third pillar is around the environment, and I think young people in Maryland are particularly conscious of how important it is that we protect the Chesapeake Bay and that we take aggressive, ambitious climate action. I’m the candidate who is, I think, best positioned to lead on climate issues.

Do you have any specific ideas of how you would change policy to put racial equity first?

We need a diverse educator workforce. We have a real mismatch in our country. A majority of kids in the nation’s public schools are kids of color, but only 18 percent of our teachers are teachers of color. We have to do much more to attract and retain diverse teachers. That’s important so that students of color can see themselves reflected in the teachers and school leaders, but it’s also important for white kids to have a diverse educator population to see diverse adults leading in our communities.

A lot of inequities in education stem from inequities in housing.

How do you plan on addressing those inequities?

That’s absolutely right. There’s a real intersection between education and housing policy. One of the challenges in the state is that we have a history of exclusionary zon-

COURTESY OF JOHN KING

JOHN KING MEETS WITH SUPPORTERS Citizens meet King at his local campaign site.

ing, where we keep people out by only allowing single family homes and communities. I think we need to move towards much more inclusionary zoning, allowing folks to have duplexes, triplexes, and multifamily units in more communities, particularly communities that are close to public transit, because that will also help us tackle climate issues. Inclusionary zoning is a place where the state can lead and where the state has to lead.

Do you have any final thoughts about your campaign and education in general?

I think my experience as an educator will be very helpful to being governor, because as an educator, you really have to listen to folks and try to understand their challenges and what they need. You also have to see your students and their families as whole people, and realize that all of these different policy issues interconnect in people’s lives. People don’t live siloed lives, so we can’t think about policy in siloed ways.

Whether or not you have a good job is tied to whether or not you have access to safe and affordable housing. Whether or not you have healthcare is tied to whether or not you’re able to stay in that good job. As an educator, I’m particularly conscious of that.The other thing I would say, as we try to center issues of racial equity, I’m particularly well positioned to do that, because for me, this is not just an academic question. This is a lived experience question. If I’m successful, I’ll be only the third African American governor we’ve ever elected as a country and be the first Afro-Latino governor ever elected in the United States.

I will bring to the role, deep appreciation for the role of race in Maryland’s history because my family has experienced that history. For me, this campaign is really about that. How do we make sure that there’s opportunity available to all Marylanders, regardless of where in the state they live, regardless of their race, or their income, or their immigration status? Every Marylander deserves access to opportunity.

The MCPS Student Member of the Board’s (SMOB) typical day is more than a little busy.

Richard Montgomery senior Hana O’Looney visits schools throughout the county, speaks with dozens of students and staff, answers emails regarding the county’s schools, and reviews policies for upcoming Board of Education (BOE) meetings. Oh, and she attends her classes.

Many might find themselves crushed by the stress, but O’Looney is unfazed. “I love every single second of my job,” O’Looney says. “The sheer excitement and passion for the job gets me through every day.”

O’Looney has held the position of MCPS’s 47th SMOB for several months now, and aims to make a lasting impact on MCPS in her one-year term.

O’Looney’s main focus is fundamentally changing MCPS’s policy-making process by including more student input. “I spent a lot of time working with MCPS in different community work groups… and something that I realized very early on was that I was often the only student in the room,” O’Looney explains. “[We should be] making sure that there are students in every room… to advise every decision that we make.”

O’Looney has long believed in amplifying student voices, which was a primary focus of her campaign. She says this platform helped her defeat fellow Richard Montgomery senior Henry Kaye by 57 points in the SMOB election. She also credits her win to her use of social media and her ambitious vision for the school system.

During her tenure, she continues to seek diverse student input. O’Looney has assembled a SMOB Advisory Council of 600 students representing every school in MCPS that meets monthly. These meetings help O’Looney understand their opinions on key issues like MCPS’s return to school after COVID and its countywide school boundary study. She also visits MCPS schools during her lunch to talk to students and staff. O’Looney says she is committed to visiting every MCPS middle and high school— a total of 65 schools—during her term.

Despite the excitement of getting to influence local policymaking, O’Looney admits that her job can be stressful at times, and

she often finds herself with little time to be a student. “Traveling to other schools during lunch means that I don’t get to spend time with my own friends during their lunch break,” she says. “There’s not a lot of people that really understand the pressures that come with the job.”

Indeed, the schedule of a SMOB is not something that can be handled by just anyone. BOE meetings, which are generally hosted several weekdays a month, often last long hours—even from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Before each meeting, she must prepare by conducting research, writing questions, answering emails, and interacting with students to understand their needs.

Fortunately, O’Looney has a strong support network of people to help her. She regularly talks to former SMOBs and appreciates the advice they offer, including two-time SMOB Eric Guerci. “It was wonderful to have him around, constantly looking at the same policies as me, looking at the same issues as me and just bouncing ideas off of each other,” she said.

O’Looney is well-suited to handle this stress, having been on many student councils and organizations during middle and high school, including serving as the Vice President of the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association since June 2020.

Additionally, she has attended schools in 6 different high school clusters during her 13 years in MCPS and says the problems and disparities she saw inspired her to run for SMOB. “Even within the same school system… there’s a wide, wide variety of experiences that a student can have based on who they are, where they live, where they go to school,” she shares. “I’m currently on the board working to push for a future in which [students’] academic success isn’t able to be predicted by those factors.”

O’Looney is already working on ways to improve these conditions.

“When we start looking at the budget… [we should be] making sure we’re strategically looking to uplift our schools that are most heavily impacted by poverty,” she said. “[We need to be] uplifting students of color and students whose native language isn’t English.”

O’Looney has made her end goal—the prioritization of student input in MCPS—clear, and she is determined to see it out. “When you’re making educational policy, you cannot do that effectively without soliciting feedback from the people who you are serving.”

MCPS announces enhanced security at athletic events

By Andre Parker Staff Writer On Oct. 21, MCPS released a county-wide statement announcing the implementation of enhanced security at athletic events. The email explained that the changes are in response to a series of violent altercations and other inappropriate behaviors at county events, and will include increased police presence and security personnel, administrators at events, enhanced lighting, reduced capacity, the re-

quirement of student IDs, rescheduling events on weekends or moving events earlier, and potentially closing concession stands.

The statement comes after a fight broke out on Oct. 15 at Seneca Valley during their football game against Northwest. The altercation purportedly involved a large group of students and resulted in one student being taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

In their email, MCPS called the incidents “entirely unacceptable” and said they will consider the afore-

mentioned changes to ensure the safety of attendees at large events.

Despite other schools implementing changes, Blair’s Athletic Specialist Rita Boulé said she doesn’t foresee changes in Blair’s security in light of the county’s statement. “Blair has an absolutely fantastic security plan,” she said.

“I’m pretty confident that we’re in good shape.”

Boulé explained security at Blair events is determined ahead of time in meetings with security, administration, athletics staff, po-

lice, and chaperones. “Everyone’s on the same page, so that everyone has certain responsibilities… certain places they need to be, or certain areas they need to cover,” Boulé said.

The need for security is gauged based on circumstances like Blair’s relationship with the opposing school, the number of attendees expected, or anything happening in the community. “All the athletic directors, and all of the leadership of police [meet] for about three hours one morning in August, and we go

over all of the football games and rate them a certain level,” she explains. “If it’s a rival game, it’ll be rated a one, and that just tells police that this is a high level game.”

As always, safety is the top priority. “I think it’s important for adults to respond to these happenings in the county immediately,” Boulé said, “so that our communities know, we take this seriously, and we’re going to be proactive.”

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Oct. 28, 2021 Opinions B1

Should freshmen be encouraged to take AP classes?

FIONA BONDAREV

PRO Taking AP classes allows freshmen to gain valuable experience and have more time in later years.

By Milan Tenn Staff Writer AN OPINION Freshman students at Blair have long been denied the opportunity to take most Advanced Placement (AP) classes, leaving them with only three years to take every AP that interests them. Blair should expand the AP class opportunities provided to ninth graders and encourage them to take APs instead of restricting them. Taking AP classes provides freshmen with rigorous courses and mitigates stress from taking too many APs in later years.

Ninth graders at MCPS schools such as Walter Johnson and Bethesda-Chevy Chase

can take AP Government. Meanwhile, most Blair freshmen are only allowed to take AP Physics 1 and AP Computer Science Principles.

While the APs offered by Blair to freshmen are both STEM-related, Walter Johnson offers freshmen both a STEM AP class and a social studies AP class, granting opportunities to students in a variety of subjects.

Students at Blair that are more interested in taking a social studies AP than a STEM one cannot do so in their freshman year.

According to Alexander Lewton, an eleventh grader at Walter Johnson who took AP Government in freshman year, many of his freshmen classmates were able to succeed in the class. “Basically everybody in my class passed the test and got a three or above. I think there were a lot of fours and fives,” Lewton said.

Since freshman students in Walter Johnson are capable of doing well in AP Government, there is no reason that Blair students would not be able to do the same. Freshman students at Blair should be encouraged to take APs in social studies as well as science, so they can have the same opportunities as students in other MCPS schools.

Morgan Patel, an AP Human Geography teacher at Blair, agrees that freshman students have the potential to succeed in her class. “In the majority of the country, AP Human Geography is actually a ninth grade class,” Patel said. “I think in many ways, it’s definitely a doable AP course to take.”

The MCPS course catalog recommends AP Human Geography for students in grades nine through twelve. However, Blair only offers the class to students in grades ten through twelve. By restricting AP classes such as AP Human Geography more than is recommended by MCPS, Blair is limiting its students’ opportunities.

According to a study conducted by Col-

lege Board in 2013, students who took AP tests were more likely to graduate from college in four years than students who did not take AP exams.

Additionally, taking AP classes can help students adapt to the standards of a college-level course. Patel explained that this develops valuable skills that might help students throughout both high school and college. “I think it’s beneficial to try a college level course before you get to college to understand the pacing and the skills needed before you get to college,” Patel said. Blair is doing its students a disservice by barring them from taking most APs during their freshman year, as it limits their time to take APs and gain the benefits that they provide.

Science resource teacher Summer Roark Thiero, who helped create the recommended science track provided by Blair, also believes that freshmen can benefit from the challenge of AP classes. “I think that if they can get through AP Physics 1 freshman year, there’s not much they couldn’t get through,” Roark Thiero said.

When students take AP classes in fresh-

man year, they have more time to take these courses and are less likely to struggle by taking too many AP classes in the same year. “To flood your [schedule] with AP level classes, it can cause you to work a lot. And so I think it’s nice to spread it out,” Roark Thiero said.

Maya Britto, a junior at Blair, believes that AP classes should be spread out. She did not take any APs freshman year, and she believes that this led to added stress for her. “I think having one extra year to do an AP course would have made it less stressful for me now,” Britto said. “I wish I had more AP credits and if I was able to take one or two coursSONIA PIVOVAROV es in freshman year, I would’ve been happier with the number I finished high school with.”

Students like Britto who want to obtain more AP credits might study for the exams independently, without taking the class at all.

If they were able to take more AP courses in freshman year, this independent preparation for AP tests might not be as popular. “I don’t like the idea of self-studying for a bunch of exams without taking the course, which I know a lot of my peers do,” Britto said.

Britto also believes that many freshman students are willing to work hard enough to meet the requirements of an AP class.

“I think they should definitely be given the choice, because there are a lot of freshmen that are willing to put in the work,” she noted.

voicebox Photos by Raffi Charkoudian-Rogers

“It ... [helped me] get used to the highschool experience.”

SILVIAN UNGER sophomore

FIONA BONDAREV

CON

Freshmen lack the experience needed to succeed in AP classes and on the AP exam.

By Zachary Williamson Staff Writer AN OPINION “I definitely had no idea what I was getting into when I saw [an AP] on my schedule freshman year,” Evan Wilson, a Blair junior, said. Wilson took AP Physics 1 as a freshman and felt unprepared for such a difficult class. Like him, many freshmen enter highschool poorly equipped to manage the immense workload that AP classes require.

Such classes should be offered to freshmen sparingly. Ninth graders are unfit for the challenge that these classes provide, which is apparent based on the AP exam results.

“It sets you up for the “I don’t think they should years to come and...gives be allowed... the transition you a taste of higher edu- from middle school to high cation.” school is... really big” GRETA ANDELMAN freshman

At Blair, AP Physics 1 is primarily taken by freshmen. However, it is taken by older students in almost every other school in the country, as only 1.5 percent of those taking the AP Physics 1 exam worldwide in 2020 were freshmen.

AP Physics 1 also has the lowest passing rate of all 44 AP exams offered, with around half of the students who take the exam failing. “[The results of Blair students] were lower than I was hoping,” Arlynda Jorgensen, one of Blair’s AP Physics 1 teachers, said.

“I’ve heard from a lot of [my] students that the test was really hard last year.”

As Blair freshmen are already underperforming on one of the few APs provided to them, we shouldn’t expand the AP course offerings even more. For instance, AP Human Geography, which is not offered to freshmen at Blair, is the most popular freshman AP in the world, as around 70 percent of all students who took the exam in 2020 were in ninth grade. Despite being a popular class for freshmen, exam results are only slightly better than those of AP Physics 1. AP Human Geography had the second lowest average score of any exam, with 41 percent of students failing that year.

AP World History, the second most popular

KERRY SMITH freshman

AP exam for freshmen, has a similar failure rate.

Freshmen do worse than other grade levels on the AP exams as a whole. In 2020, they averaged a 60 percent passing rate, whereas sophomores averaged 65 percent, juniors averaged 65 percent, and seniors averaged 64 percent. Freshmen fail about 5 percent more than the other grade levels. Passing an AP exam is considered earning a score of three or higher.

These results indicate a lack of foundational skills. Freshmen have had fewer years than upperclassmen to get essential note taking practice. “Being able to take notes… [is] just more in place for upperclassmen than for the freshmen,” said Jorgensen.

Wilson, her student, echoed this sentiment.

“I had no idea how to properly take notes that I would reference,” he said. The absence of note SONIA PIVOVAROV taking skills makes it harder for freshmen to retain information and keep up in class.

Wilson feels that AP classes move too quickly for many freshmen, leading to discouragement among students. “I know a lot

“If they feel comfortable enough doing it then they should have... that choice.”

LOUIS MOON junior

of people who got discouraged, and that really led them to not pay attention… they fell even more behind and then it just became impossible,” he said. “The work would eventually pile up.” The teachers also note that freshmen struggle to keep up. “Getting the kids to do [homework] is sometimes a stretch,” Jorgensen said.

After falling behind on so much work throughout the year, many students give up on taking the exam. “Last year, [the amount of Physics 1 students taking the exam] was lower, maybe around 55 percent,” Jorgensen noted.

One of the appeals of AP classes is the potential for college credit, but students cannot get college credit if they do not take the exam. If only 55 percent of students take the exam, 45 percent of the students taking the class automatically will not get college credit. In addition to the 45 percent that do not get credit, 40 percent of students who took the exam in 2020 fail. This means that only a small portion of the freshmen who take the AP Physics exam will earn scores that could set them up to get college credit. If Blair encourages APs to be taken later in high school, students will take the exam more often and fail less often, so more students will earn scores that they could get college credit for.

Freshmen are unfit for AP courses upon entering high school. They lack foundational skills necessary for AP classes, their work piles up, and many opt out of the exam as a result, potentially securing less college credit. As Wilson said, “Having to manage an AP class as a freshman in addition to all the other things I was doing… was definitely not manageable.”

B2 Opinions Oct. 28 , 2021

Building counseling connections

By Andre Parker Staff Writer AN OPINION When Blair senior Kelly Foundoux decided to pursue dual enrollment, she expected that her counselor would help her in the process. Instead, she said, his lack of response prevented her from participating. “I had emailed my counselor multiple times about it… and he never reached back to me and that caused me to miss out on that opportunity,” Foundoux explained. If you ask around in any classroom at Blair, it won’t take long to find someone who has had trouble with the counseling system. Many students have had experiences with their counselor being unresponsive or unavailable. This disconnect between students and counseling could be ameliorated by MCPS hiring additional counselors and restructuring how guidance departments operate to give students a more personal connection to their counselors.

KELLY FOUNDOUX

He never reached back to me and that caused me to miss out on that opportunity.

I n recent years, school systems across the country have seen a decline in the number of available counselors. Many have found themselves unable to maintain the ratio of 250 students per counselor recommended by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), forcing them to assign overwhelming caseloads to existing staff. According to a 2019 American Civil Liberties Union report based on figures from the U.S. Department of Education, “90 percent of … public schools fail to meet this standard when supporting students.” This “critical shortage” reduces the quality of counseling students receive due to exhausted counselors.

Makeyda Soriano, Blair’s resource counselor, attributes the shortage in part to the stress of the profession. “You see that with burnout, you see that in the turnover rate. So that’s the biggest effect, that individuals leave the career in a shorter time span,” she explained. The understaffed counseling system is resulting in burdensome workloads for counselors and thus students struggle to get help.

This issue was only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which left many counselors feeling fatigued and burnt-out. Anne Fletcher, Einstein’s resource counselor, says the stress of being a counselor during the online school year is a factor in shortages. “If we work hard now, we worked twice as hard last year,” she said. “The level of stress we felt last year impacted people’s return this year.”

When counselors are overworked, students, including many at Blair, are directly impacted. From having trouble with schedule change requests to being placed in the wrong classes, students’ issues with their counselors hurt student-counselor relationships, which is counterproductive when it comes to personal matters or academic matters like college recommendations.

Foundoux experienced this firsthand, as her counselor’s lack of availability negatively affected both her schedule and transcript. “It caused me to be in classes that I did not need to take or it caused me to be in classes that were, I found, too hard,” she said.

The division between students and counselors is made clear by the different perceptions of the issue on either side; for instance, Kennedy resource counselor Donniel Gamble said she doesn’t believe her school is being affected by counseling shortages.

However, Kennedy junior Akilah Lewis disagreed with Gamble. “I personally do feel like there is 100% [a problem],” she said, adding that her counselor’s inaccessibility prevented her from changing her schedule.

The conflict of perspective between students and counselors could be mended if MCPS were to adapt counseling departments to focus on building student relationships with counselors. If counselors knew every student personally it would allow them to understand each student’s specific needs

and academic or college goals.

In an ideal world, MCPS would hire more counseling staff to lower ratios, but the shortage in the hiring pool of counselors would make hiring new staff for every school unfeasible. In the short term, MCPS should work to give students more time to speak to their counselors in person even if they don’t have a specific problem, ensuring students build relationships with their counselors.

Blair junior Sophia Houston said her close relationship with her counselor has helped her get additional support. “Being in contact with her has made it easier for me to … get more accommodations and flash passes and all that.” She said she thinks students would benefit from more time with their counselors. “Just more scheduled time for counseling visits, I didn’t go for a long time and it would’ve really helped me to have

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gone sooner.”

Some colleges have implemented mandatory advising, where students are required to meet with their counselor around once per semester. According to The Hechinger Report, Texas’s San Antonio College introduced the strategy during the pandemic, and saw students signing up for extra appointments and staying for longer sessions as a result. Adopting a similar strategy in MCPS would help students get to know their counselor and get the assistance they need.

If students had regularly scheduled meetings to speak to their counselor instead of solely going when they have a problem, they would have a more mutually beneficial connection. Bridging the gap between students and counselors through closer personal relationships would help students get what they need and help make counselors’ jobs easier.

SONIA PIVOVAROV

COUNSELOR SHORTAGE Having a limited number of counselors can strain student success.

On Wednesdays, we check in

By Sophia Stein Staff Writer AN OPINION During the 2022-23 school year, Blair may have the opportunity to reinstate what was possibly the most favored aspect of virtual learning: the Wednesday check-in day.

Last year’s virtual learning involved shorter class times and a shorter school day for Blair students. During in-person school, the end of a seven or eight hour day marks only the beginning of many students’ academic responsibilities outside of school. After factoring in time for extracurriculars, family, work, and self-care, teens often don’t have enough time in the day to get everything done. The Wednesday check-in day initiative offers a solution that prioritizes students’ mental health and learning.

At Blair, physics teacher James Schafer is leading the effort to implement these checkin days once more. Schafer’s plan outlines check-in days as all-period days that would occur every Wednesday during five-day school weeks.

The schedule would implement check-in days into as many weeks of the school year as possible, while also establishing consistency in the block schedule. “You would always have, in any given week, the same number of even and odd days,” Schafer explained. For continuity, four-day weeks would not have a check-in day and three day weeks would have one A day, one B day, and one check-in day.

Consistency across Blair’s entire schedule would be a large benefit of check-in days.

Blair biology teacher Deanna Earle feels that having the same number of odd and even days each week would better ensure that all class periods are given the same opportunities. Earle also shared that the change would create a balanced planning schedule for teachers by adding two single periods to their two weekly block periods designated for planning. “In such a big school, you can’t guarantee even and odd day planning splits but with the Wednesday check in… I [would] get an equal amount of planning throughout the week,” she said.

Although Blair staff highly favored exploring the proposal in a poll conducted last year, according to Schafer, the alteration constitutes a significant schedule change that should be investigated before implementation.

In accordance with MCPS guidelines regarding this change, Blair is conducting a year-long study on the impact of checkin days. If the plan proves beneficial to the school community, it is probable that the county will allow for the schedule change.

“If we’ve done our due diligence, and shown that the plan has merit, then MCPS is likely to approve [check-in days],” Schafer said.

Several high schools across MCPS, such as Richard Montgomery and Walter Johnson, have already implemented check-in days this school year. They have bypassed MCPS’s mandatory study because check-in days do not constitute a significant change to their all-period schedules.

At Blair, the current block schedule cat-

egorizes check-ins as a significant change to the schedule, therefore creating the need for a study.

Although the process of reinstating checkin days would require a number of steps, the outcome promises to be worth the effort.

Having a guaranteed time each week to catch up on work and communicate with teachers without having to sacrifice lunch periods or after school hours would help to decrease students’ stress in relation to time management and workload. “[As] a student, you would be able to know that Wednesday was your day to double check on facts, clarify things on assignments, but also to know that you weren’t going to get bombarded with new information,” Schafer emphasized. “A really important thing is that this empowers students to know that it is their day to ask for the help that they need.”

There would be no new content instruc-

ABJINI CHATTOPADHYAY

SCHEDULE CHANGES Blair is considering implementing a Wednesday check-in.

tion on Wednesdays, meaning the focus of class time would shift toward solidifying and improving students’ understanding of content. Some support-centered methods would include opportunities for reteaching, clarification, and application of material, which could help improve students’ academic performance.

Earle also predicts that check-ins would be beneficial to learning. “I think we’re going to see [a] dramatic increase in not just student understanding, but the reflection of that in student grades.”

As a teacher, Schafer’s goal would be to use Wednesdays as an opportunity for building meaningful relationships with his students. “This is where the whole emotional spectrum comes in,” he said. “This is the time where I’m now looking at my students as individuals and making sure that we’re connecting.”

Avery Wang, a junior at Richard Montgomery, has had a largely positive experience with the school’s newly instated “Rocket Refreshes,” which occur several times per quarter. Wang shared that the check-ins are a much-needed respite from the stress of the school week. “It’s really helpful to have a break and a pause and know that I can get help from my teacher or I can get ahead or I can catch up… it’s kind of like grade maintenance,” she said. Wang appreciates that teachers can reschedule retakes during check-in days. “[Having that option] is really helpful, because then I don’t have to miss club meetings, or the mental break that lunch provides.”

Earle explained that she can see why teachers might approach check-ins apprehensively. “I think it’s easy from the teacher perspective to… view a Wednesday as wasted time,” she said, “but I think the power of reflection in the learning process is super important.”

Schafer agreed, claiming that learning new content is not the only effective way for students to grow. “Wednesday [would remindus that there are a variety of ways to instruct, and that… student centere learning is authentic instruction.”

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Oct. 28, 2021 Opinions B3

By Sedise Tiruneh Staff Writer

posts which resulted in the supression of essential information on that hashtag.

Nevertheless, influencers have overall created enduring social change by enabling their followers to further spread awareness and become activists themselves.

Branch encouraged social media users to donate, research, and educate others. “Recognize that what influencers are doing positively and the things that you like about them, you can do yourself,” Branch added. “Say, ‘Hey, this is an inspirational thing for me to take charge

AN OPINION

KARIS TEBO

plained. “It made it more approachable to do something good, because… the protests seemed incredibly inaccessible to some people.”

A look at the social media pages created for social and political movements makes it clear where many influencers have found inspiration for their activism.

A c counts like @

BlkLivesMatter—which has gained over 4 million followers on Instagram—serve as the blueprint for using social media to spread awareness. Their posts include eye-catching infographics detailing key information about how to take action, videos of protests and vigils, and uplifting spotlights featuring Black individuals.

Other organizations geared towards social issues have utilized this formula, such as Moms Demand Action, a group focused on gun regulation that has adopted social media to increase its base and enact reform. Deb Fiscella, the Social Media Lead for Moms Demand Action’s Maryland chapter, affirmed that social media has been a key tool for the organization. “We’ve had to rely on our social media efforts to engage with our volunteers, engage with lawmakers,” she explained. Fiscella cites that their legislative hashtag trended at number one on National Advocacy Day, one way activists demonstrate their strength in numbers. “[Social media] expands the reach of activism. We can all be activists from the comfort of our homes,” Fiscella said.

Despite its benefits, influencer activism doesn’t come without drawbacks.

The competitiveness of the “woke” culture can manifest in performative activism on so-

cial media, which is often driven by personal gain and diverts from key issues. Additionally, the immediate reward of increased engagement and viewership that many influencer activists experience exacerbates the risk of performative activism.

Furthermore, the involvement of content creators in social issues can drown out the voices of victims and experts on the issue.

In the instance of #BlackOutTuesday, a trend was created for people to fill Instagram feeds with black squares in solidarity with Black L i v e s Matter.

Though initially well-intended, many people used #BlackLivesMatter on these

in my own community.’”

While social media consumers should always be mindful of performative activism and misinformation, influencers’ activism proves to be discernibly effective when measured in the significant impacts they have made.

The public prominence of George Floyd’s murder in digital spaces has helped bring his murderer to justice and inspired several pieces of legislation, including Maryland’s Police Accountability Act of 2021, and has triggered systemic reform. While taking the risk of performativity into account, Branch believes it is beneficial for influencers to involve themselves in activism. “Even if you have the worst influencer in the world talking about important things, if their followers are engaging with that genuinely, and they’re coming from a genuine place, I think that is doing more good than harm,” Branch said.

KARIS TEBO

Up & Coming

October 31 Halloween

November 4

Even if you have the worst influencer in the world talking about important things, if their followers are engaging with that genuinely... I think that is doing more good than harm.

ZOE BRANCH

Although the black squares from last summer’s #BlackOutTuesday have faded from our social media feeds, activism is still plastered all over our timelines.

Associated with cancel culture and political turmoil, influencer activism on social media has effectively changed the way we use social media for the better. It has helped build communities and encourage growth in content creators and consumers, and has allowed political and social discourse to move to the forefront of the internet’s consciousness.

Most social media users have always seen some form of activism on their feeds, but in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May of 2020, political and social activism dominated major platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Influencers played a significant role in bringing awareness to this issue and inspiring action at the ground level. One example of such change is the “Justice for George Floyd” petition, which was created to urge the public officials of Minnesota to fire police officer Derek Chauvin and file charges against him for the murder of George Floyd. After being shared by influencers and ordinary users alike, it reached nearly 20 million signatures and became the most signed petition on change. org—a petition website that connects donors to charities and grassroots causes. More recently, social media influencers carried this approach over to other issues such as climate change, Asian-American hate, and the Afghanistan refugee crisis.

In May of 2020, Zoe Amira Branch—an influencer who creates beauty and lifestyle content— compiled a video with over an hour of content by Black creators and artists in order to raise money for The Bail Project. In just five days, it accumulated nearly 10 million views and raised over $45,000 through AdSense and engagement, all of which was donated to the non-profit. “It was really all that I felt like I could do, I didn’t have any money, I didn’t have any real ways to donate myself,” Branch ex-

Professional Day

Awards & Honors Celeste R. Basken, Matthew R. Casertano, Aditya Chattopadhyay, Aiesha Chaudhry, Samuel S. Chen, Benjamin M. Cohen, Maia A. Egnal, Efe Eroz, Kevin J. Gehl, Chujia Guo, Natanel W. Ha, Jocelyn Hao Ryan Z. He, Andrew J. Healey, Albert Y. Ho, Alena Y. Hu, Grace Hu, Michael Y. Hu, Samantha M. Jayasundera Shane E. Jayasundera, Tharindi S. Jayatilake, Sally L. Kaye Hyunku C. Kim, Jihwan Kim, Shrujana S. Kunnam Hawon Lee, Jason H. Liu, Grace Ma, Malcolm D. Maas Leela K. Mehta-Harwitz, Usim E. Odim, Rohan I. Ojha Jade Palosky, Henry Ren, Edward G. Rong, Ava C. Santiago, Zoe Schoeneman-Frye, Konchok Shonu, Joy H. Song, Steven Su Amy L. Tang, Ashley Thommana, Jeffrey W. Tong, Samuel K. Verbrugge Liam E. Volz, Sirui Xue, Hannah T. Zhang

November 22-24 Early Release Days

November 25 Thanksgiving

November 26 Schools Closed

National Merit Semifinalists

silverchips

B4 Opinions Oct. 28, 2021

Coats on, masks off

MCPS needs to plan for a possible winter increase in COVID-19 cases Last year, the winter months brought on a brutal onslaught of COVID-19 cases. In December 2020, the seven-day average in the U.S. peaked at 218,502 cases, reaching 259,616 cases in January 2021—the highest of the entire pandemic for the country. As the winter season rapidly approaches, MCPS must take steps to ensure that the increase in students eating lunch indoors will not lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases.

After a year of virtual and hybrid classes, MCPS has had a seemingly smooth return to in-person school.

Masks have been mandated in schools for everyone at all times— with the exception of mealtimes— and students have been largely compliant with this rule. The number of COVID-19 cases across the county has generally remained below double-digits per school. At Blair, we have only had eight positive cases and no large outbreaks since the return to school.

On a larger scale, COVID-19 cases have remained relatively low across the county, leading Montgomery County to recently reconsider lifting the mask mandate for businesses. The county Board of Health Regulation considers it to be safe for the mask mandate to be lifted when the county goes a week in the “moderate transmission” range—which is considered a case

rate between 10-49 new infections per 100,000.

Because of the favorability of these numbers, school lunch periods have slipped under MCPS’s radar thus far, despite being a highly anticipated potential problem at the beginning of the year. At Blair, many students have taken advantage of the outdoor space to eat and relax during lunch, especially during the warmer weather.

However, when temperatures drop over the winter, this will change: almost all of Blair’s over 3,000 students will be confined indoors during lunch. During the normal school year, the crowded cafeteria and lack of alternative seating are simply an annoyance.

But, soon, it may prove to be a major COVID-19 safety risk.

Studies have shown that there is little to no risk of COVID-19 transmission outside. Experts believe that only around 1 percent of documented viral transmission has happened outdoors. Comparatively, transmission indoors is much higher: one study funded by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development showed that the virus is nineteen times more likely to be transmitted indoors than in an open space.

With students encouraged to eat outside, and permitting weather, relaxed lunch mask restrictions

and crowds of Blair students currently result in little to no spread of COVID-19 around the school.

The science suggests, however, that the move indoors will greatly increase the risk of transmission among students.

Understandably, this is a very nuanced situation. MCPS does not have the outdoor infrastructure nor the indoor space to accomodate students during lunch safely in the winter. But, at the same time, MCPS cannot ignore that heighted transmission risk in indoor cafeterias where students are eating without masks. Even in high schools, where a portion of the student body is vaccinated, COVID-19 must still be taken into consideration: the Delta variant of the virus now accounts for over 90 percent of COVID-19 vaccine breakthrough cases.

The Blair PTSA has started fundraising money to create an outdoor lunch area that will accommodate students during the colder months. This would include the purchasing of weather-resistant tables and outdoor heaters. The area would serve as an easy and effective way to disperse Blair students, encouraging less crowding indoors.

However, they are aiming to raise $14,000 to fund the necessary supplies—a hefty goal. The

donation link can be found on the PTSA’s website, blairptsa.org.

Despite this effort from the Blair PTSA, MCPS itself must take measures to create a feasible and safe lunch plan to protect the safety of their students: whether this means opening up more classrooms for

students to spread out or supporting measures to modify outdoor grounds to be usable in the winter.

With all the effort that has been put into the return to in-person learning, the appropriate steps must be taken before schools become superspreaders.

LEELA MEHTA-HARWITZ

Facebook needs to face reality

Whistleblowers highlight need for new social media regulations

By Ashley Thommana Ombudsman AN OPINION In 2019, Common Sense Media reported that almost 62 percent of teens spend four or more hours a day on screen media platforms. It is hard to imagine that social media’s inception was merely 25 years ago. Now, its presence is ingrained in almost every aspect of daily life, extending its influence across the globe.

Operating under sparse regulation and as a result amassing exorbitant profit margins, social media platforms have faced increasing scrutiny in recent years. Seeking clarity regarding the mechanics and consequences of social media— ranging from how algorithms promote inaccurate information and political extremism to their impact on mental health and body image perception—users, researchers, politicians, and government bodies

have often been met with silence.

In September, Frances Haugen, a whistleblower who previously worked for Facebook, anonymously shared several thousand internal Facebook documents—deemed the “Facebook Files”—with the Wall Street Journal. The former Facebook product manager who worked on civic integrity later revealed her identity and testified in front of Congress on Oct. 5.

The leaked documents offer a rare—and disturbing—peek behind the curtain. Detailed private surveillance coupled with widespread inaction seems to underscore the findings: Facebook is aware of and dismisses the flaws and consequences of its algorithm and applications, to the detriment of the public and specific users.

Teenage girls, internal researchers decisively and repeatedly found, are harmed by Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, more than other groups on the app and more than users on other platforms.

SARAH MARTIN

These findings, ensconced among the company’s private documents, contrast with Facebook’s public comments that minimize the app’s impact, reports the Wall Street Journal. Prior to Haugen’s release of documents, Facebook refused to share its research.

It comes as no surprise that Instagram can create a toxic environment for young teenagers, promoting unrealistic standards that can contribute to depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions and disorders. One of the studies released among the documents revealed that almost one-third of teenage girls claim the app has a negative impact on their body image. Yet, the company remains unfettered and unaccountable; its company’s outright refusal to share its valuable and concrete information with external researchers and legislators signals their prioritization of public image and, consequently, financial gain over user safety.

Additional revelations from the “Facebook Files” are no less troubling. The Journal review found that reported human right violations and dangerous or illegal activity, ranging from human trafficking to drug cartels, are sometimes met with little to no action or response from Facebook.

While the company attempted to better its platform in 2018 by modifying its algorithm, their update had the opposite effect.

Founder of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg ignored staffer concerns regarding the updated algorithm’s possibility of creating a more divisive environment. Why? He feared Facebook would receive less interaction with the proposed changes.

Furthermore, the platform suffers from a double standard that can promote harassment and false information: millions of elite users, such as politicians, celebrities, and journalists, do not face the same rules of usage as normal users do, protected by a program called “cross-check.” The Journal reports that many in this program abuse

these privileges, spewing incendiary posts.

These findings, paired with the rampant false information shared on these platforms that research has found is engaged with more than actual news, are concerning.

Haugen, in her testimony, summarized the issue best: “I believe that Facebook’s products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.”

The fact that Facebook has identified the limitations of its platform is laudable; but its apathy and ego are inexcusable. We have waited too long to impose decisive Congressional regulation to monitor social media and its deep-seated issues are rooted into the very fabric that make up these platforms— Facebook cannot attempt to continue regulating itself on its own.

Social media platforms have a conflict of interest. “The company’s leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer but won’t make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people,” Haugen explained.

In her testimony, Haugen is clear: she doesn’t want to eradicate social media or Facebook—she wants to improve it. “I believe in the potential of Facebook,” she said. “We can have social media we enjoy, that connects us, without tearing apart our democracy, putting our children in danger and sowing ethnic violence across the world.”

There are immediate, though not necessarily drastic, changes that can begin the process of reinventing social media. Haugen recommended that, in addition to congressional action and oversight from independent commissions staff familiar with social media platforms and the details of their algorithms, simpler changes like requiring additional steps to share content and arranging posts in chronological order rather than based on the algorithm’s prediction of user interaction are possible.

Facebook is not the only per-

petrator here. Other platforms, including TikTok, a global video-sharing platform largely popular with youth, are culpable. Addictive, polarizing, and dangerous content, promoted by algorithms, can be found widely across many social media platforms.

It is time to envision a new era of social media regulation. The issue at hand is not whether social media is beneficial or detrimental—it can be both simultaneously.

Instead, its persisting and burgeoning presence cannot remain undermonitored when we have the evidence to prove its systemic issues ranging from false information to detrimental mental health effects to prevalent illegal content.

With every passing day, more and more users are engaging with social media; let’s not make the same mistake we have for the past quarter of a century.

With every passing day, more and more users are engaging with social media; let’s not make the same mistake we have for the past quarter of a century.

Scan this QR code to fill out a quick survey on Silver Chips to help us improve our paper.

To connect with Ashley, email her at scombud@gmail.com

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El 28 de octubre de 2021

esquinalatina Representando la comunidad latinx desde el 2003

Volumen 19 Número 1

La realidad de inquilinos latinxs Por Estefany Benitez y Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo Escritora & Editora en Jefe El condado de Montgomery está clasificado como el decimoctavo condado más rico de los Estados Unidos, de acuerdo con un artículo del Daily Mail publicado en diciembre de 2019. Sin embargo, la realidad de muchos residentes no concurre con estos datos.

A lo largo de la pandemia de COVID-19, que ha afectado desproporcionadamente a comunidades de bajos recursos, los residentes de Montgomery que alquilan sus hogares han tenido dificultades en mantenerlos.

De acuerdo con el Centro de Investigación Pew, 49 por ciento de adultos latinxs informaron que ellos o alguien en su hogar han perdido su trabajo o han recibido una reducción en su salario desde febrero de 2020.

Además, la comunidad latinx se ha visto sumamente afectada por COVID-19, lo cual ha creado aún mayor vulnerabilidad económica.

Tal como explicó Gustavo Torres, director ejecutivo de CASA de Maryland, una organización de asistencia y defensa de inmigrantes y latinos con sede en Maryland, en una declaración respecto al número desproporcionado de infecciones por COVID-19 entre los residentes latinos del condado de Montgomery, “La crisis de COVID-19 ha afectado de manera desproporcionada a las familias latinx del condado de Montgomery, especialmente a las que son trabajadores de primera línea. Los latinos representan aproximadamente el 20 por ciento de la población del condado de Montgomery y, sin embargo, según un artículo de investigación reciente del Washington Post, nuestra comunidad representa el 74 por ciento de los casos positivos de COVID-19 en el mes de junio. ¡Esto es inaceptable!”

Aun así, algunos inquilinos latinxs no sufrieron durante la pandemia. Antonio, un inquilino, del

Complejo de Apartamentos de Flower Branch, localizado en Arliss St y Piney Branch, quien ha pedido ser anónimo por razones personales, encuentra que la pandemia no agravó sus circunstancias financieras. “No he tenido ninguna dificultad”, dice Antonio.

Pero para muchos inquilinos inmigrantes de latinoamérica y áfrica, las barreras culturales causan que no se den cuenta de posibles ayudas hasta que ya es demasiado tarde. El cofundador y director ejecutivo de Alianza de Inquilinos del condado de Montgomery, Matt Losak, explicó que “muchos de ellos provienen de lugares donde simplemente nunca pudieron concebir la cantidad de dinero o que el gobierno podría proporcionar ese tipo de ayuda. Así que simplemente no lo entienden y le tienen miedo.

Porque no están acostumbrados a un gobierno honesto que funcione y que pueda proporcionar este tipo de información y recursos”.

un poco tímidos para pedir que reciban ciertos tratamientos,” dice.

Antonio dice que él quisiera que los apartamentos de Flower

Losak añade que, “todavía no hay suficientes derechos de inquilinos y, por lo tanto, parte de lo que hacemos es crear una legislación

gares de minorías, en particular los hogares de inmigrantes, tienen una mayor propensión a tener hogares multigeneracionales. Al reconocer

FIONA BONDAREV

FONDOS AHOGADOS La comunidad de Langley Park, ubicado cerca de Takoma Park y Silver Spring, enfrenta una vulnerabilidad de vivienda desproporcionada a través de la pandemia

FIONA BONDAREV

ENFRENDO BARRERAS Langley Park se consiste mayormente de edificios de apartamentos, con altas tasas de inquilinos Adicionalmente, para muchos inmigrantes es difícil hablar con el dueño del edificio, explica Losak.

“Muchos inmigrantes, al igual que un nuevo invitado en tu casa, son

Branch tenga “una remodelación a todos los apartamentos por ejemplo cambiar los pisos, ventanas, luces; hacer todo más moderno de esta generación”.

que ayude a proteger a los inquilinos mucho más de lo que han estado protegidos en el pasado”.

Adicionalmente, de acuerdo con Losak, la Alianza de Inquilinos tiene la capacidad de publicar información sobre derechos de inquilinos en varios idiomas, “si no podemos hacerlo nosotros mismos, podemos organizar la información en cualquier idioma, casi cualquier idioma que hable la gente del condado de Montgomery”.

La empresa R.K.G cumple con el alto nivel de diversidad dentro del condado de Montgomery indica que las preferencias de vivienda pueden variar. Por ejemplo, los datos anecdóticos indican que los ho-

estas diferencias en las preferencias de vivienda, es posible satisfacer mejor las necesidades de vivienda de alquiler de esta población de una manera asequible.

A pesar de todo, una encuesta de Freddie Mac reveló que el 44 por ciento de los inquilinos dijeron que estaban muy satisfechos y el 55 por ciento de los inquilinos esperaban alquilar su próxima residencia. Antonio dice “La renta va subir, todo se va ir arriba, todo más caro, todo más diferente, todos estos son negativos para nosotros, también hay positivos en la forma que uno se puede movilizar de un lado a otro”.

Un espacio para todos Por Maria Eugenia Tanos Asesora Editorial UNA OPINIÓN Queridos estudiantes de Montgomery Blair, es una gran alegría para mí tener la oportunidad de presentarme. Soy Maria Eugenia Tanos, profesora de español en el Departamento de lenguas del mundo de esta escuela. Nací en Argentina, aunque con solo un mes tuve que abandonar mi país natal y partir a España, donde crecí lejos de la mayoría de mi familia.

Durante mi niñez, tuve la fortuna de estar rodeada de muchos idiomas. Aprendí a hablar catalán a la vez que el español y asimilé algunas palabras del húngaro y el francés, ya que eran las lenguas natales de mi abuelita. En la actualidad, también he aprendido algo de ruso.

Sin aún saberlo, estar tempranamente expuesta a otros idiomas me sería de gran utilidad en el futuro, especialmente cuando vine a vivir a Estados Unidos. Aquí me fue imprescindible aprender el inglés para poder asistir a la universidad, donde estudié periodismo e hice también una maestría en literatura hispánica.

Algunos de ustedes ya me conocen, ya que este es mi cuarto año aquí en la escuela. Desde el primer

RAFFI CHARKOUDIAN-ROGERS

momento que llegué a Blair, me sentí cautivada por el ambiente diverso y la buena energía. Puedo decir con certeza que de todas las escuelas donde he trabajado, Blair es mi favorita por muchas razones.

Entre ellas cuenta, sin duda, nuestra hermosísima, rica y diversa comunidad latinx.

Desde hace mucho tiempo, mi mayor enfoque, tanto a nivel per-

sonal como profesional, ha sido luchar por nuestra comunidad hispanohablante. Con este interés en mente, tuve el honor de presentar en la conferencia FLAVA (Foreign Language Association of Virginia), en el año 2016, sobre cómo utilizar la clase español para ayudar a los estudiantes hispanohablantes a hallar éxito académico en todas las áreas de su aprendizaje.

Ser parte de un periódico estudiantil en español, en el cual la comunidad latinx pudiera verse representada ha sido, durante mucho tiempo, una de mis mayores ambiciones. Es por eso que, al llegar a Blair y descubrir La Esquina Latina, decidí involucrarme en este fantástico proyecto de inmediato.

Este año, mi nivel de partici-

pación en el periódico es mucho mayor. La Esquina Latina ha dejado de ser una esquina para transformarse en una parte íntegra de Silver Chips. Ahora, contamos con nuestro propio espacio dentro de una clase de producción periodística. Teniendo en cuenta que los latinos conformamos un 33.7 % del cuerpo estudiantil de Blair, esto es un logro para todos nosotros.

Ayudar a la comunidad latinx a encontrar su voz dentro de Blair es uno de mis mayores objetivos.

Para conseguirlo, necesitamos escritores, artistas y fotógrafos y gente creativa que quiera participar. Además, si tienes ideas para artículos relacionados a temas que afectan a los estudiantes latinx en Blair, nos encantaría que las compartieras.

Si quieres involucrarte en este fantástico proyecto, no dudes en ponerte en contacto con nosotros.

Solo necesitas ser responsable y tener ganas de aprender. ¡Te estamos esperando!

Para conectarte con La Esquina Latina, envíanos un email a esquinalatina.mbhs@gmail.com

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Mes de Herencia Hispanic Hispana heritage month La comunidad de Blair conviene para celebrar el Mes de Herencia Hispana The Blair community comes together to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month

BANDERA Blair celebra el mes de herencia Hispana con una bandera en la entrada primaria de los estudiantes

BANNER Blair celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with a banner installment in the main student entrance

VOCES UNIDAS Voces Unidas, un producción teatral de Blair, celebra la complejidad de identidades hispanos y latinoamericanos a través del teatro, baile, música, y cine

VOCES UNIDAS Voces Unidas, a Blair theater production, celebrates Hispanic and Latin American identities through theatre, dance, music, and film

MARIACHI La comunidad escolar congrega alrededor de la actuación de una banda Mariachi en el patio de Blair

MARIACHI The school community congregates around a Mariachi band performance in Blair’s courtyard

Photos by Maia Turpen and Raffi Charkoudian-Rogers. Text compiled by Sofia Roehrig. Design by Maybelle Patterson.

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Celebrando el mes de Herencia Hispana

Highlighting hispanic heritage

By Lucia Santoro-Vélez Staff Writer

GEO RIVERA

of their families, and that is just as much Latino culture,” says Rivera.

The Hispanic community is one of diversity and complexity; no one facet of identity can sufficiently encompass what it means Amaya, a Latinx student at Blair reflects on the ethnic diversity of Blair’s Hispanic population. “Being Hispanic to me means being around so many different cultures and people because being Hispanic is not only being White or Indigenous; we have Black

Latinos,

we have so many eth-

Desde el 15 de septiembre hasta el 15 de octubre, Montgomery Blair realizó todo tipo de eventos para celebrar El Mes de Herencia Hispana. Este mes celebra las contribuciones, historia y legado de los hispanos en este país. Sin embargo, para muchas personas esta celebración es un recordatorio de que todavía se necesitan cambios que resalten la historia y cultura de las comunidades de herencia latinoamericana.

Esta celebración surgió en 1968 durante la presidencia de Lydon B Johnson, quien comentó en la declaración inaugural que, “es con especial orgullo que llamó la atención de mis conciudadanos sobre la gran contribución a nuestra herencia nacional hecha por nuestra gente de ascendencia hispana, no solo en los campos de la cultura, los negocios y la ciencia, sino también a través de su valor en la batalla”. Con el objetivo de festejar a las personas que llegaron a Estados Unidos desde los países de América Latina el Mes de la Herencia Hispana comienza el 15 de septiembre porque es cuando también comienza el inicio de la independencia de varios países latinoamericanos.

Cuando el Presidente Johnson firmó la ley de celebrar la herencia hispana solo se celebraba por una semana. En 1988, aproximadamente veinte años después, se alargó la celebración a un mes entero gracias a un proyecto de ley introducido a la cámara legislativa por el entonces representante de California Esteban Torres. Torres quería que la población supiera que los hispanos comparten un legado en los Estados Unidos..

El mes de la herencia hispana es importante ya que ofrece un buen panorama de la cultura de los países de Améri-

looking at the nuance in these situations,” he says.

To Rivera, this ties back to what being Hispanic means; being fourth-generation or fifth-generation is being Hispanic.

At Blair, many students are not able to speak Spanish, but that does not stop them from participating in Hispanic culture. “I know plenty of people who don’t speak a lick of Spanish but will dance all the styles, have it down, be able to cook, or be able to tell the stories

nicities. It’s just so good to have so many things around you that build you as a person,” she says. “I like being Latina and Hispanic. I just love it.”

ca Latina, por ejemplo, lo que comen, la música que escuchan y cómo se divierten.

A través de las múltiples celebraciones, llegamos a ver varios aspectos de la comunidad hispana tanto en Estados Unidos como en Latinoamérica. Durante estas celebraciones, no solo se involucran miembros de la comunidad

hispana, sino también de otras comunidades. En la preparatoria Montgomery Blair, hay muchos estudiantes que están muy felices por este mes y han podido expresar su interés y alegría en representar sus países y culturas para el mes de herencia hispana. Karla Martinez una junior comentó que, “es bueno que representen su cultura porque otras personas no saben y es bueno tratar y aprender nuevas cosas de otra cultura”. Martinez explicó que fue por causa del mes de herencia hispana que decidió unirse al club Latinx Leaders Association, que se enfoca en ayudar a la comunidad latina.

Adriana Burgos-Ojeda, subdi-

Es una oportunidad para reconocer los logros de la comunidad hispana.

ADRIANA BURGOS-OJEDA

to be Hispanic at Blair. Keren

Por Yasmine Rivera y Kimberly Castro Escritoras

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this growth has been U.S. births.

According to Dr. Anthony Peguero, a Latinx scholar who teaches at Arizona State University, embracing Latinx identity can be challenging for Hispanic people

Excluding people or denying them their Latinidad [Latinx identity] on the basis that they don’t know Spanish is a little wild.

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She gave up certain dreams to come here and become American… Now, I have the opportunity to finish that dream.

without a direct connection to their family and access to the culture of their country of origin. “What does it mean to be Latino, when it’s just you, and you may have your family somewhere else,” he says. Dr. Peguero believes that Latinx people continue to feel connected to the immigrant story.

Though Hispanics often identify with the immigrant story and specific nationalities, they are all interconnected through the Spanish language. Some feel there is a significant pressure and expectation for all Hispanics to speak Spanish.

Rodrigo Martinez, a Latinx graduate student at the University of Maryland, thinks that the expectation for all Hispanic and Latinx people to speak Spanish is absurd.

“People have an idea that you need to speak Spanish, right? But I think that’s a little problematic… excluding people or denying them their Latinidad [Latinx identity] on the basis that they don’t know Spanish is a little wild,” Martinez explains.

Rivera echoes this sentiment.

He believes that people who are perceived as being disconnected from their culture are subject to unfair reproach. “I think a lot of times people who are further in generations are shamed for… not being tied to their culture,” Rivera reflects. “To me, that’s a very… eurocentric way to view people, because you’re not

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As Montgomery Blair celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, many students took the time to embrace their Hispanic roots. The term Hispanic describes people who originate from a Spanish-speaking country. Hispanic individuals make up about 19 percent of the total U.S. population. In comparison, Blair’s Hispanic population is roughly 33 percent, more than any other racial or ethnic composition at the school, based on the 2019 official enrollment.

At Blair, many Latinx students celebrate their identity through Voces Unidas, a student-run show exhibiting Latinx theatre, dance, music, and film that also addresses the complexities of Hispanic identity.

Blair senior Geo Rivera explains that Voces Unidas focuses on emphasizing central aspects of the Hispanic community, like its diversity. “[Voces Unidas] dives into issues that specifically relate to our communities, like… understanding that there are Afro-Latinos and Indigenous Latinos and Latinos of all colors,” Rivera says.

Voces Unidas also focuses on immigration and its connection to Hispanic identity. “Even though immigration is a huge part of Latin American culture… the story is never really told,” Rivera explains. “I think it’s really important to push these stories to the center… because they’re really important, and they teach us a lot.”

For Rivera specifically, immigration is at the forefront of identity.

To him, it’s all about the American dream. “My mom immigrated here; she was the first person in my family to come. And she, to me, is what hard work is,” he reflects.

“She gave up certain dreams to come here and become American… Now, I have the opportunity to finish that dream for us.”

Though immigration is central to many people’s Hispanic identity, more and more Hispanics are being born in the U.S. The Hispanic population is the youngest major racial or ethnic group in the country; roughly a third of Hispanics in the U.S. are under 18-years-of-age.

The gap between first-generation immigrants and later generations is growing wider. A 2015 Pew Research Center study found that immigration was the leading driver of Latino population growth between 1980 and 2000; the population surged from 4.2 million to 14.1 million. From that point onward, however, the principal source of

GEO RIVERA

Oct. 28, 2021 La Esquina Latina C3

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rectora de Blair y encargada de planear distintos eventos y actividades del mes de herencia hispana, comenta que “es una oportunidad para reconocer los logros de la comunidad hispana, del impacto que tenemos en los Estados Unidos específicamente y de celebrar los diferentes aspectos de nuestras diferentes culturas”. Hay diversas culturas hispanas y todas han hecho una gran contribución en la cultura e historia de los Estados Unidos.

Todos los países distintos que forman la comunidad latina tienen culturas diferentes pero todas tienen una gran contribución a la cultura de los Estados Unidos, por ejemplo la comida, música, festividades, y deportes. Burgos-Ojeda también comenta que, “He notado los cambios y eso me hace super feliz...Ya como que es parte de la cultura, es una expectativa ya”. El Mes de Herencia Hispana ya es parte de la cultura de Blair. Muchos estudiantes están muy entusiasmados por todos los eventos y actividades que ofrece Blair y lo enseñan preguntando y llegando a las reuniones de interés.

El Mes de Herencia Hispana es una gran celebración que enseña la cultura hispana e involucra a toda la comunidad, no solo a los hispanos, en celebrar las diferentes culturas que han dejado un legado en este país. Gracias a las diferentes culturas de los distintos países hispanos se puede apreciar su historia y los obstáculos que han podido superar para poder tener tanta relevancia en la actualidad.

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C4 La Esquina Latina Oct. 28, 2021

Una brecha con un impacto inmenso Por Sofia Roerhig y Estefany Benitez Escritores

KARLA SILVESTRE

Si no podemos comunicarnos, esa asociación enter familias y la escuela que se supone que debe suceder no occure tan fácilmente

Si no es parte de tu experiencia vivida, no piensas en hacer ciertas cosas porque eso no es a lo que estás acostumbrado

tre. “Todo tiene que pasar tras un intérprete… quien no está en una posición de poder tomar decisiones. Si tienes que pasar tras un interpretador, como dice el dicho, cosas se pierden en la traducción.”

Burgos-Ojeda observa que este problema se acredita principalmente a la manera en que el sistema prioriza el idioma inglés, y otros lenguajes son secundarios.

“Tenemos que pensarlo desde el principio y entonces es mucho más sencillo, porque parte de lo que ocurre es que hay un gran demora para la gente que no habla inglés o no comunican en la misma manera en recibir información”, dice.

La manera de aliviar estos problemas no será algo simple: estas inequidades son sistémicas.

Burgos-Ojeda opina que la falta de inclusión y movilización de los estudiantes, maestros y administradores latinxs es un ciclo perpetuo.

En términos de mejorar la accesibilidad a posiciones de alto nivel, ella dice de los latinxs que, “no vamos a tener la experiencia porque no hemos tenido las oportunidades”.

Silvestre expresa que es muy importante reclutar activamente y buscar latinxs para cada posición de influencia dentro del condado y el sistema escolar. “No va a suceder si nos sentamos y no hacemos nada”, ella dice.

Burgos-Ojeda prioriza, en su rol, mejorar la experiencia de estudiantes latinxs en los sistemas escolares para que haya más latinxs calificados para esas posiciones altas. “Si tienen una experiencia positiva, quizas tendrán el deseo de regresar a enseñar,” dice. “Hay un ‘club de hombres,’ y podemos crear eso para nosotros”.

El impacto de estos cambios sería un camino largo para muchos padres hispanohablantes. Erika cree que si hubiera más recursos para los latinxs, incluso dirigidos a maestros y administradores latinxs, sería más fácil para los padres hispanohablantes participar en la educación de sus hijos. “Si estuviéramos más involucrados en todo y que los maestros los involucramos también sería más mejor para los estudiantes… podríamos ayudarles más”, dice ella.

Estos cambios empiezan con la integración de más voces latinxs en las administraciones escolares.

No es que no hayan habido esfuerzos rigurosos para diversificar el personal del condado: en 2014, la Junta dirigió un plan para incluir más voces diversas en su personal.

Joshua Starr, el superintendente en aquel momento, dijo del plan, “revisaremos y enfocaremos nuestro reclutamiento, selección, y procesos de retención para priorizar

DATOS DE MCPS

ESTEFANY BENITEZ Y SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ

CONDADO EN REVISIÓN Demografía racial entre la población trabajadora en el MCPS.

DATOS DE MCPS

ESTEFANY BENITEZ Y SAMANTHA RODRIGUEZ

CONDADO EN REVISIÓN Datos demográficos raciales entre la población estudiantil de MCPS. la diversidad de la fuerza laboral, y que ampliaremos y rediseñaremos programas de flujo de maestros locales que desarrollan el talento interno dentro de MCPS”.

El impacto de estos esfuerzos ha sido mínimo. De acuerdo con un estudio hecho por la Revista de Bethesda, en 2004 el 80.4 por ciento de la fuerza laboral docente de MCPS fue blanco, y en 2018 esta cifra descendió solo al 72.7 por ciento.

La representación—o la falta de ella—establece un tono para el condado entero. Las consecuencias de una administración homogénea se filtran por la jerarquía del condado, impactando a todos.

Por otro lado, los ejemplos positivos de inclusión tienen impactos expansivos. Burgos-Ojeda dice que tener a figuras latinxs como Karla Silvestre, miembro de la Junta, y Nancy Navarro, una concejal del condado de Montgomery, es muy motivador. “Hay algo especial en

ver a alguien con un nombre como el tuyo, o una familia como la tuya.

Eso inspira. Una lo vea como ‘ay, pues yo tengo esa posibilidad también’, o ‘llego a ese nivel y no soy sola’’.

En julio de 2021, La Junta de Educación de MCPS aprobó una contratación para realizar una Auditoría Antirracista. Una vez que

No vamos a tener la experiencia porque no hemos tenido las oportunidades

ADRIANA BURGOS-OJEDA

Silvestre encuentra que el impacto se ve predominantemente en la habilidad de administradoras y liderazgo de conectar con familias.

“En hablar entre nosotros, llegamos a conocernos y entendernos.

Entonces, si no podemos comunicarnos, esa asociación entre familias y la escuela que se supone que debe suceder no ocurre tan fácilmente”, dice ella.

Más específicamente, el acceso a materiales traducidos todavía está atrasado en el alcance a familias latinxs del condado.

Erika, una madre hispanohablante con una hija en MCPS, encuentra que la falta de recursos en español es una gran barrera en su habilidad de apoyar a la educación de su hija. “Yo nunca he ido a una reunión de mi hija porque… las hacen solo en inglés, y no voy a

ir si no voy a entender nada”, explica ella.

Aun cuando los materiales de traducción son accesibles, todavía existen barreras, observa Silves-

KARLA SILVESTRE

“Si no es parte de tu experiencia vivida, no piensas en hacer ciertas cosas porque eso no es a lo que estás acostumbrado,” dice Karla Silvestre, miembro de la Junta de Educación del Condado de Montgomery (MCPS) desde 2018, sobre la falta de voces latinxs en el nivel administrativo del condado.

La Junta se dedica a “proporcionar liderazgo y supervisión para las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Montgomery (MCPS) al establecer metas, políticas y comprometer recursos para beneficiar a nuestra diversa población estudiantil”, de acuerdo con su sitio web. Entre esta “población diversa” que se divide a través de las 209 escuelas y 162,680 estudiantes de MCPS en las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Montgomery (MCPS), el 32.4 por ciento son de origen latinoamericano o hispano.

Aunque la Junta se dedica a representar la población del condado, su inclusión de voces latinxs—el grupo demográfico más grande del condado—es escasa, de acuerdo con Silvestre. “La junta escolar solo tiene una [miembro latinx], y el gabinete de MCPS tiene cero”, explica.

A un nivel más amplio, entre la fuerza laboral de MCPS, solo el 14.05 por ciento es latinx, de acuerdo con un autoinforme hecho por una agencia del condado.

Esta discrepancia causa barreras culturales entre las familias latinxs y los líderes que las representan.

Adriana Burgos-Ojeda, subdirectora de Montgomery Blair, observa que es mucho más fácil comunicarse con las familias cuando hay terreno cultural común. “Hay tantas cosas que son culturales, son únicas, son difícil de definir pero uno se conecta en una manera diferente’’.

La falta de representación latinx en todos los niveles de MCPS

se complete la auditoría, que durará un año, el condado tiene la intención de mejorar la diversidad de la fuerza laboral, condiciones de trabajo, planes de estudios de equi-

dad de PreK-12, logros de equidad, relaciones con la comunidad y culturas escolares.

Con este tipo de cambios en aumento, hay esperanzas que las inequidades perpetuas del condado comiencen a aliviarse—o incluso solucionarse.

El 10 de septiembre de 2021, el gobernador de Maryland Larry Hogan escribió una carta a Paul Pinsky, un senador de Maryland, diciendo lo siguiente: “Para tener éxito y en interés de la equidad, es imperativo que el, [Junta para supervisar el plan para la educación del futuro de Maryland] tenga una membresía diversa que sea representativa de la población estudiantil de Maryland”. Esta declaración sienta un precedente para el condado y su acercamiento para inclusión al nivel administrador.

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Oct. 28, 2021 La Esquina Latina C5

¿Qué significa ser latinx?

Por Cecilia Clemens Vargas Lugo Editora-en-Jefe UNA OPINIÓN En los Estados Unidos hay este empuje constante para definirte.

Tienes que saber inmediatamente qué eres. ¿Eres latinx? ¿Hispano? ¿Negro? ¿Asiático? Tienes que saber, ya que lo que eres afecta la gran mayoría de cómo vives tu vida. Tu identidad afecta con quién convives, con quién hablas, qué tipo de música y comida te gusta.

Sin embargo, este constante empuje termina limitando la identidad de mucha gente.

El término latinx, ha sido un punto de discurso en los últimos años. Solo el tres por ciento de hispanos usan este término, de acuerdo con el Centro de Investigación Pew. Con todo, con grupos académicos y jóvenes que han adoptado el término, este ha subido en popularidad.

Es difícil definirte a ti mismo cuando la palabra para tu identidad cambia cada unos cuantos años.

Tal vez eso es bueno. Con nuevos términos como afro-latinx siendo popularizados, los latinxs pueden definirse con más precisión y profundidad. La variedad de términos ofrece la oportunidad de no existir bajo una sola definición.

Al mismo tiempo, tiene que haber una manera de definirse como latinx y no borrar la nacionalidad. Por mucho tiempo yo solo me definía como mexicana, no

latina. En cambio, ahora que uso latina siento que no es suficiente.

El problema es que durante años los estadounidenses han tenido una sola idea de qué tipo de persona es un ‘latinx’. Las imágenes de mexicanos pobres de linaje indígena han sido la única definición para latinxs. Pero Latinoamérica no es un monolito, cada país tiene costumbres diferentes y hasta el

Tu identidad afecta con quién convives, con quién hablas, qué tipo de música y comida te gusta. español, el aspecto que supuestamente nos conecta, cambia drásticamente en cada país.

Este estereotipo llega hasta la política nacional. Durante la elección de 2020 hubo artículo tras artículo sobre latinxs que estaban registrados como republicanos y no con el partido Demócrata.

Muchos votantes de origen cubano y venezolano están registrados, pero esta idea de que diferentes latinxs pueden votar a diferentes partidos es casi imposible.

Adicionalmente, de acuerdo con el Centro de Investigación Pew, el 47 por ciento de latinxs se identifican con su país natal.

Otro aspecto central de la identidad latinx es la inmigracion. De acuerdo con el Instituto de Policía

ARIELLE GRANSTON

ESTABLACIENDO LA IDENTIDAD Mientras nuestras comunidades y fuerzas sociales influyen nuestras identidades, al final son nuestras propias experiencias y valores los que nos definen.

Es difícil definirte a ti mismo cuando la palabra para tu identidad cambia cada unos cuantos años.

de Migración, el 44 por ciento de los inmigrantes en los Estados Unidos son de origen latinoamericano. Aunque la inmigración no es el único aspecto de la identidad latinx, forma la base para mucha gente. Partir de tu país natal es una decisión notable y difícil que afecta a varias generaciones posteriores.

La inmigracion es una parte tan importante de la identidad latinx

un anuncio de la

esquinalatina Representando la comunidad latinx desde el 2003

porque para mucha gente significa que la decisión de un abuelo o padre aún afecta tu identidad y tu vida.

Es importante estar consciente de todas las diferencias y al final del día, cada individuo puede definirse como quiera, pero debe de existir la posibilidad de salirse fuera de los términos y crear algo nuevo.

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Settling into Silver Sprin

Local groups mobilize to support Afghan ref I

years, we saw a lot of anti-refugee and immigrant rhetoric,” Noah Klose, the Community Outreach Manager of Homes Not Borders, says.

By Oct. 1 each year, the President, along with Congress, sets the numbers of refugees to be reset-

We came here because the security in Afghanistan is really bad... It was really a danger for us to live.

OMAR FARIDULLAH

f you can survive the first six months, you’re going to make it,” Peter Flemmer says, when asked what he’s noticed about incoming refugees aided by his organization. Flemmer is the executive director of Adventist Community Services of Greater Washington (ACSGW), and in the past few months he has overseen donations for immigrants from Afghanistan as they transition into living in the Silver Spring area.

Many of these immigrants are classified as refugees, which the United Nations (UN) defines as “someone who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”

Following the withdrawal of U.S. military forces from Afghanistan on Aug. 30, 2021—and the ensuing resurgence of domestic terrorism—an estimated 550,000 Afghans have been newly displaced inside their country since January 2021. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), this displacement is primarily caused by political insecurity and violence—and has caused a massive wave of Afghans to now meet the UN refugee classification.

tled by the nation annually. During Fiscal Year 2021, this number was 11,411—the lowest quantity since the passing o f

attsville. The group aids in furnishing homes with appliances, toiletries, household goods, and kitchenware for incoming refugee families prior to their arrival.

According to Klose, preceding the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the organization was setting up roughly one home settlement per week. This number grew to five to six per week in August, following the airlift evacuations of U.S. personnel and Afghans.

Klose explains that they received over 500 volunteer inquiries within a week of U.S. troops leaving Afghanistan—an overwhelming community reaction.

“We’ve had to double our warehouse space,” he says. “We just physically ran out of space to put furniture, toiletries, and goods.”

As different groups cover different needs of the immigrant families, certain difficulties arise in establishing systems of long-term aid.

Flemmer explains that while he has seen an outpouring of support through financial and material donations, he has also noticed a phenomenon that his organization refers to as ‘donor fatigue.’ He says that after helping, people often assume that they have done their share of support, and stop donating once they see issues as being in the past. “[People are] like, ‘wait a minute, didn’t we help last month? Didn’t we help last year? Why is this problem still here?” Flemmer says.

Barriers to Employment

Omar Faridullah, a 21-year-old immigrant living in the Silver Spring area, arrived in the U.S. with his family in 2019. After escaping political turbulence, he reflects on the difficulty of leaving Afghanistan. “We came here because the security in Afghanistan is really bad,” he explains. “It was really a danger for us to live.”

Immigrant policy within the United States

Immigration from Afghanistan is no new concept: the humanitarian crisis peddled by the American military has long impeded on the safety and security of Afghan residents. But as this crisis has escalated in recent months, refugees and those with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) — given on account of having worked for the U.S. government in any capacity— have been relocating to the greater Washington, D.C. area in unprecedented numbers.

Since Aug. 14, U.S. President Joe Biden has overseen the evacuation of approximately 122,300 people from Afghanistan. “These numbers include American citizens and permanent residents, as well as their families,” Biden said in a briefing room release from Aug. 20, 2021. “It includes SIV applicants—Afghans who have worked alongside us, served alongside of us, gone into combat with us, and provided invaluable assistance to us, such as translators and interpreters—and their families.”

Faridullah’s family was one such family granted SIV status. His father worked for the U.S. army, and their family applied for an SIV, allowing them to immigrate to the U.S. in 2019.

The number of immigrants allowed into the U.S. per year fluctuates under each administration, and Faridullah immigrated while the administration was notably rife with xenophobia. “During the Trump

the Refugee Act in 1980. During Fiscal Year 2020, the ceiling was 18,000.

The U.S. refugee resettlement program is funded by the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services. Upon acceptance, the program provides incoming refugees a covered travel cost and monetary sum for their first 30-90 days in the country.

Mobilizing Community Support Organizations

Government funded relief is only a sliver of the communal support that newcomers are provided.

As an influx of Afghan people move into the Silver Spring area, a variety of local advocacy groups are mobilizing together to holistically support them in their transition.

Diapers, clothing, food, and computer literacy and ESL classes are just some of the many resources Flemmer’s organization offers. Most importantly, argues Flemmer, ACSGW provides the means for immigrants to adjust. “It really does take quite a bit of effort to figure out how all the little systems work, like how do you get a driver’s license? How do you open a bank account? There’s a whole tax issue... all those little things that can get very confusing,” he says.

Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) is one of the organizations working in coalition with ACSGW. Children’s clothing, multicolored bed sheets, books in Pashto, furniture, and assorted kitchen supplies are scattered around the house of Peter Holland, a volunteer for the group, as he works to prepare an apartment for the arrival of an Afghan family relocating to his neighborhood.

When Holland and his family first heard about the influx of Afghan refugees resettling in the greater Washington, D.C. area, they felt compelled to get involved. “We were just so horrified with the situation in Afghanistan… we contacted one of the agencies that was going to be receiving [the refugees] to see how we [could] help.”

Another organization focused on resettling refugees into homes is Homes Not Borders, a refugee and SIV relief group based in Landover, Maryland, serving areas such as Riverdale, Landover, and Hy-

While such organizations can materially provide for immigrants during their first months of residence in the United States, they do not have the means to offer ongoing and stable sources of income for every individual that comes through their program.

Klose finds that employment is one of the main concerns among the incoming immigrants he works with. “The largest thing in the last year has been finding a job,” he says. The moment families enter the country, the search for jobs becomes a prevalent chal-

lenge.

Flemmer predicts that newly arrived immigrants will have an easier time finding a job this year in comparison to past periods of mass migration. “Now everybody’s looking to hire somebody. So it’ll be a little bit easier for [the Afghans] to get jobs,” he explains.

However, Klose finds that despite these purported advantages, many highly qualified Afghan professionals are still forced to resort to entry-level positions.

“There have been people who were working at the highest levels of the Afghan… governments, working with their equivalent of the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Defense,” he explains. “They’ve got 20, 30 years [of] experience in this job, and they come here and because their qualifications are all Afghan, they can’t find anyone who would certify that [experience].”

Interrupted Education

For Afghan families with children, their challenges don’t end at employment.

Tess Hiller, the English Language Development (ELD), formerly known as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), resource teacher at Blair, processes the enrollment of foreign students and ensures that they are connected to school programming suitable for their educational and linguistic backgrounds. In doing so, she finds that many of the incoming students have had interrupted educations or come from backgrounds of acute instability. “​​I can often see if they have come through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, which mainly supports victims of human trafficking, asylum-seekers, survivors of torture and war, and unaccompanied alien children, so that gives me some context as to what they have been going through,” she says.

Hannah Block, another ELD teacher at Blair, notes that many of her students initially struggle to acclimate. “Mental health and emotional health is a really big issue [with] our students,” she observes.

Students with very little English background often find themselves isolated from the rest of the school community.

Hiller finds that students with a lower English

proficiency te into the com “A newer ES take the first dents who are befriend ELD Despite th their students across the cou guistic, acade Blair junio Afghanistan t sonally attest son me and the U.S. was brothers,” he simple for me

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Oct. 28, 2021 Features D1/D2

g

fugees

es to the Process

tion to American life is often not an make, with housing, employment, and ng just some of the many hurdles. But en rockier for those still living in Kabul; he International Organization for Miumber of Afghans crossing the border creased by 30 to 40 percent compared before international troops began withay. According to Reuters, as of Oct., e have fled Afghanistan through the on flights and arrived in U.S. military

e many of

Every time I said we moved to the United States… everyone, no matter who it was, would say ‘welcome to the United States.’

to communicate with them as much as possible, especially because the Taliban are targeting those that have connections to the U.S. military. “It’s really hard, and I’m worrying about them,” he explains.

Moving Forward

Organizations including Homes Not Borders and ACSGW work arduously to provide resources and supplies for immigrants incoming to the Montgomery County community. Additional volunteers and donations of money and supplies are in high demand as these organizations expand for larger waves of refugees arriving from Afghanistan and other countries.

Refugees—from Afghanistan and a myriad of other countries—are deeply interwoven into the fabric of Montgomery Coun-

SHAHID MAHRAMI

OMAR FARIDULLAH

screenings, background checks, and interviews, this process can be lengthy. t while the average processing time for camp averages around seven years, it on the immigrant’s status. “For an SIV, ut two or three years or so is a long time rying to get out of a war zone, or you’re mp,” Klose says. These prolonged wait he application process can be challengs stuck in dangerous war zones. has experienced a great amount of anxsafety of his own extended family, who

PETER FLEMMER

ally does take quite bit of effort to figure out how all the little tems work, like how do you get a driver’s license?

sleep because of this.”

Faridullah shares similar concerns about his large extended family still living in Afghanistan. He tries

SHAHID MAHRAMI

nd to face more difficulties integrating munity and connecting with classmates.

OL student isn’t going to be the one to step,” she says. She suggests that stucomfortable at Blair make the effort to students. e tumultuous backgrounds of many of the ELD program—offered by schools nty—aims to support and ease their linmic, and social transition. r Shahid Mahrami, who moved from o the U.S. in March of 2017, can pero the impact of the program. “The reamy family moved from Afghanistan to mainly just education for me and my says. “[Enrolling in MCPS] was quite and my family.”

ghanistan, as they struggle to expedite on process. “They’re in danger, [and] amily are trying to help them to move States,” he says. “My dad can’t get any

ty communities.

Creating a welcoming environment and greeting new members of the community are gestures much appreciated by newly arriving families.

Mahrami recalls the support that helped him the most when he was entering the country. “We had many teams, groups working with immigrants to help us move here,” he says. “Every time I said we moved to the United States… everyone, no matter who it was, would say ‘welcome to the United States.’”

Marvin Guevara Amaya, a student ambassador for the Blair ELD program, also finds that the transition is made easier when one has a supportive social network. “You don’t have to have a lot of confidence to go to school. You just have to have good friends that will help you with homework and improve your grades.”

The welcoming environment Guevara Amaya received is one that community members have progressively worked to provide throughout time––and that will remain the goal throughout the local transition of arriving Afghan immigrants.

If you would like to financially and materially support Afghans in their transition into the Silver Spring area, scan the QR code below to access donation sites for the organizations highlighted in this story.

Story by Annie Gao, Annie Goldman, and Sofia Roehrig Art by Leela Mehta-Harwitz Photos by Raffi CharkoudianRogers and courtesy of Omar Faridullah Design by Annie Goldman, Maybelle Patterson, and Sean Li

D3 Features Oct. 28, 2021

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Sowing seeds of sustainability Local agriculture adapts to climate change

“Every year we have to plan and expect to lose 20 percent of the crops,” Blair senior Megan Nichols says. For over two years, Nichols has been working as a farmhand at The Farm at Our House, an organic vegetable farm in Brookeville, Maryland. For farms like this one, unpredictable weather continues to be exacerbated by climate change, which can make farming conditions more challenging.

Alongside increasing rainfall and

drought periods, extreme heat can easily destroy crops and foster environments where disease and insect populations flourish. “Sometimes we will go weeks without any rain… and then sometimes it’ll dump rain for days and that’ll destroy a bunch of [crops],” Nichols explains.

The impacts of climate change do not just affect farmers and crops; they have also trickled into average citizens’ everyday lives. Despite the large role that industrial and commercial institutions play in contributing to the climate crisis, individual contributions can further exacerbate the issue. In the face of this, many individuals, both farm-

ers and student activists alike, have been galvanized by their surroundings to make changes in their businesses, lifestyles, and communities.

Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have projected that sea levels around the Chesapeake Bay are expected to rise 1-2 inches every decade as heavy flooding and thunderstorms become more common. This rate will likely double with climate change, causing sea levels to rise up to 40 inches by the end of this century. This threatens many of Maryland’s farms, the majority of which are located near Baltimore and the Eastern Shore.

ARIELLE GRANSTON

THEY GROW ON VINES At The Farm at Our House, a farmer gently drives a tractor down a plot to harvest watermelons.

RYAN PIERCE

We grow thousands of pounds of food a year. We use over 90 percent less water than a traditional field farm does.

In response to more unpredictable weather, many farms have adopted a hydroponic method of agriculture, which focuses on growing plants indoors and using nutrient-rich water instead of soil. Ryan Pierce, founder of Fresh Impact Farms, a hydroponics farm in Arlington, Virginia, claims that hydroponics is efficient in the way it uses resources. Despite the importance of water in hydroponics, this farming method uses less water than average farms and households in America. “Our water usage is less than the average American home and we grow thousands of pounds of food a year,” Pierce says. “We use over 90 percent less water than a traditional field farm does.” The

indoor nature of this farm lends it protection from climatic changes and allows them to locate itself closer to consumers as they are not dependent on geography and climate.

These small changes help reduce transportation costs and produce fresher and more accessible produce.

Pierce believes that local community participation in agriculture will perpetuate sustainable practices. “Food will be grown in the neighborhood by members of the community, and then sold directly back into that community,” he explains.

Blair’s Green Club, a student-led group geared towards environmental activism, mirrors this model of sustainability and accessibility through their organization of a school garden project to sustainably grow fruits and vegetables. Since the club’s founding, members have taken many strides to combat climate change including fundraisers for environmental nonprofits and online climate advocacy.

Beyond the garden project, Blair junior and Green Club president, Anna Uehlein, hopes to shift the trajectory of the club towards lobbying and advocating for environmental policy in local, state, and national governments. “We want Green Club to be a more present part of the school... [and] to educate the general public about different elements of climate change and environmental science,” she expresses. For those looking to start making a difference, composting offers one easy way for people to increase their sustainability.

Anyone who has food waste can participate at home, as compost is best made out of fruit and vegetable scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds,

We want Green Club to be a more present part of the school... [and] to educate the general public.

ANNA UEHLEIN

By Ella Schrebler and Sedise Tiruneh Staff Writers

grass clippings, and eggshells. Layering the food waste in a designated area can easily create healthy and strong soil in two to six months.

Adding organic matter, like compost, is crucial in developing healthy and strong soil. If added to sandy soils, it can improve the water holding capacity of the soil.

Additionally, consistent composting can help lower the volume of trash that a family produces by up to 25 percent, according to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

“I am trying to get my family to start composting,” Nichols says. “I didn’t realize how much you actually save and how much less trash that you [produce].”

Changes, such as hydroponics and composting, are not the only ways to combat climate change. All organizations can collectively make climate consciousness a priority, in the ways that are most accessible to them. Uehlein believes that in order to achieve a broader impact for communities, schools and farms must facilitate spaces and provide resources that stimulate climate action. “I really think all schools… and all organizations need to be encouraging their members and their students to make their voices heard,” she explains.

Misunderstandings about maternity leave

By John Ernst Staff Writer

I actually figured out we don’t get additional time on top of our sick leave, that it’s actually our sick leave in use.

MORGAN PATEL

“I think the main issue is communication and clarity,” says Blair world languages resource teacher Brenda Barrera about the MCPS maternity leave process. Barrera had her child during the COVID-19 pandemic and had difficulties finding answers to questions she had about maternity leave.

Barrera is not alone in her concerns. Teachers navigating the maternity and paternity leave system at Blair have encountered a wide variety of complications. Morgan Patel, a social studies teacher at Blair, is currently experiencing this complex process for the first time.

According to the MCPS website, the maternity leave process starts with submitting a leave request form and a physician form.

Patel explains that there are multiple steps that go into applying and receiving maternity leave. “You actually don’t fill out the forms until about a month before you’re due,” Patel says. She adds that she has had to initiate a lot on her own, and it was often tricky to get answers to her questions regarding the process.

One of the more confusing parts of taking maternity leave that Patel encountered was the role sick leave played in the process. Teachers are permitted to take up to 60 days of paid maternity leave, but they must use their own sick leave to cover those days.

“When I started… this process, I actually figured out we don’t get additional time on top of our sick leave, that it’s actually our sick leave

in use,” Patel explains. She has not taken many days off, so she has accumulated enough sick leave to be able to cover her maternity leave.

Since teachers have to use their own sick leave, having children may have to be planned around the amount of sick leave a teacher has.

“The second kid is harder because I’m going to use so much of this up [on the first kid]. Depending on how long I wait to have my second kid, the sick leave [may have not] built back up again,” Patel explains.

If teachers do not have enough days to cover their maternity leave, the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) provides a communal sick leave bank for employees. All teachers in the MCEA have access to the sick leave bank, and, according to the MCEA website, enrolled teachers donate one day per year into a bank that gives sick leave to any employee who needs it. If teachers cannot cover the 60 days with their own sick leave, they can apply for additional days from the bank.

This was the case for Blair science teacher Samantha Cruz. “I had already used a lot of [sick leave] so I had to borrow from the sick leave bank,” she explains.

Some teachers, including Blair

math teacher Kristin Cole, are discontented by MCPS’s parental leave system. “The fact that we have to use our own sick leave is a little frustrating, and the county doesn’t give us any actual leave.

We’re just using our own sick leave to take care of our babies,” Cole says. “It would be nice if it was a little more supportive.”

Cole had her first child a month before her due date, making it more difficult to plan for maternity leave. “I had planned on being out from March [to the end of the school year], and then my baby came in February,” she explains.

“Everything I had planned got thrown away.”

In addition to planning around sick leave, teachers also have to plan classes ahead of time and look for substitutes to cover their absences.

Barrera faced the difficulty of finding a long term substitute that could cover her significant workload and specialized tasks. “Because it’s a leadership position, [the substitute] has to not only teach, but also lead the [world language] department,” she points out. “That’s why it takes a long time to find the right person.”

The county does provide resources to help find long term substitutes that can fit teachers needs.

“I don’t know if many people who are on maternity leave or paternity leave know there is actually a… list of long term substitutes available,” Barerra says.

Barrera was able to find a substitute in her department to pick up the extra workload, but still thinks there are ways to make finding substitutes easier. She suggests including the list of substitutes on the

COURTESY OF SAMANTHA CRUZ

MID-OCTOBER BABY Blair biology teacher Samantha Cruz and her husband tenderly hold their newborn.

MCPS maternity leave website to make it more accessible.

The wide network of experienced faculty at Blair can also help teachers through this complex process. Patel is finding support through talking to many other teachers and administrators who had gone through the process already. “The more people you talk to, you realize everybody does it

differently and you can see what works for you,” she explains. “It’ll just make the whole thing less stressful.”

Cole agrees that educators can help each other through the process. “Don’t hesitate to ask a million questions because it is confusing and you feel like you’re the only person who doesn’t understand it, but you’re not,” she says.

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Oct. 28, 2021 Features D4

Inferno rises from the ashes Blair brings back the Blazer spirit

By Rosie Orzulak Staff Writer The Blair community has raged with excitement to return to in-person school, social gatherings, and sporting events after a year of isolation. While some students have enjoyed this return to relative normalcy, relieved to no longer face the lag of long hours on Zoom calls, a social lag of sorts has struck many.

The 2020-2021 school year consisted of the same dull routine for many students: waking up with just five minutes to prepare before having to spend the entire day stationed in front of a computer or silently watching black boxes on a screen surrounding a lecturing teacher.

of friends where you’re not really close enough to hang out outside of school, but you do interact in school. Over quarantine, we didn’t talk that much at all.”

The pandemic took away over a year of the high school experience.

Coming back to the school building after being isolated in virtual school has left some students feeling a lack of unity across the Blair population.

Since underclassmen are just now entering the Blair building for the first time, some feel they haven’t been able to form a bond to the school or the other students in the same way that previous classes have been able to. “I think that people are less connected across grades,” Schaeffer explains.

RAFFI CHARKOUDIAN-ROGERS

BLAZER PRIDE Muller Torontow uses a megaphone to energize the crowd.

Blair senior Max Schaeffer says that the virtual environment sparked a disconnection among the student body and altered friendships. “There were some friends that I would only see at school,” he explains. “Like the in-between level

John White, a sophomore at Blair, is experiencing his first year of in-person high school after a year online. White explains that it felt strange to transition from virtual to in-person school. “It’s kind of weird to socialize with people I

haven’t seen in two years,” he says.

Blair sophomore Abel Awoke agrees. “I lost a sense of my social skills,” he shares. “It is just weird having to interact with people in-person.”

In an effort to combat this widespread loss of social skills and bring the student body together to boost school spirit, Blair senior Ingrid Ellis, along with Shaeffer and a group of other seniors, have revived Blazer Ragers. This Blair spirit group had lulled over the pandemic, but now as sports and in-person events have returned in full force, Blazer Ragers has come back with the energy to match. “I think we all knew the legacy of it,” Ellis says. “We would see older kids running the [Instagram] account and running the student section and we wanted to bring that energy.” That’s especially true, she added, because a lot of students haven’t experienced the Blazer spirit in person before. “We wanted to come back with a bang and make sure that all of the underclassmen have something that they can set their senior year expectations on.”

Thanks to Blazer Ragers, the student section at sports games known as “the Inferno’’ has been full of ecstatic students. Each week, a new theme is announced for spectators at the games. Some of the themes this year have been neon, Hawaiian, white out, pink out, red out and​black out. Students are eager to participate in these, often sporting monochrome outfits, gems, ribbons, tutus, and colored hair spray.

To top it all off, students decorate themselves with vibrant body paint and throw multi-colored powder into the crowd.

Blair’s varsity football head coach, Sam Nosoff, describes the school’s student section as the best in the county. “Even with a road

RAFFI CHARKOUDIAN-ROGERS

BATTLE OF THE BOULEVARD The Blazer student section at the annual varsity football game between Blair and Northwood. game, we’ve had entirely packed stands. No one in the county beats our student section, and it shows on the field,” he explains.

Awoke says the atmosphere of The Inferno is “exhilarating.” He enjoyed his time at the “Battle of the Boulevard,” Blair’s annual football game against nearby Northwood High School. “The cheerleaders are so cool!” he says. “I know people on the football team so it’s really fun to see them play and to hang out with them.”

Excitement to participate in a variety of school events has built back up during these first months of the long awaited in-person school experience. “With everyone being at home for so long, it kind of brought a heightened school spirit,” says Ellis. “Everyone wanted to get back so bad and everyone is just really happy to be here.” This is clearly shown in the student section, with the boisterous cheering, bright on-theme colors, and body paint galore.

The Class of 2022 SGA Presi-

dent and Blazer Ragers co-president Muller Torontow is enjoying his senior year and the contributions he’s made to encourage school spirit. “I think the school spirit right now is actually really good,” he shares.

“Honestly, I would like to think school spirit is better this year than it has been in years before the pandemic.” Many students thrive in the student section’s atmosphere, so Torontow and Blazer Ragers vow to make sure the enthusiasm is carried into the winter season. “I hope we can continue this great energy that we’ve put into fall sports into the winter season,” Torontow says.

Principal Renay Johnson is proud of the school spirit this year as well, especially after the lull of the pandemic. “Every year, Blair has gotten stronger. There’s a lot more pride and a lot more school spirit. There’s also a lot more gratitude towards each other,” Johnson says. “I have felt the excitement of both students and staff of being back together.”

Zooming in on the Virtual Academy

By Haley Carter Staff Writer

KIMBERLY WEAVER

[Virtual Academy] gives us the opportunity to still be able to help our students and teach and do our job in the safety of our own home.

Students interested in the Virtual Academy had to apply last spring and prove to the county that a virtual option was more suited to their needs—such as being immunocompromised or having to provide childcare for family members.

The Virtual Academy is open to students in grades K-12.

For Smith and her family, health

3,200

students

the same amount of money they would have gotten that year if they were anywhere else in Montgomery County. “As far as the county is concerned, if you are a 15 year teacher, then you are a 15 year teacher, and our school is just the

We’re constantly putting out little fires as they get started throughout the day.

KEVIN O’NEILL

For Rockville High School junior Bella Smith, attending the MCPS Virtual Academy has been a mixed experience. “Academically, I’d say I’m happy. [But] I definitely [miss] the social aspect of being in person with school,” she says.

First announced in the spring of 2021 to accommodate the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Virtual Academy aims to offer students an online alternative to in-person learning during a time where health concerns—both mental and physical—have the potential to hinder students’ ability to learn. The Virtual Academy operates by an A/B day schedule.

concerns made the Virtual Acad- have worked themselves out for being hired late into the summer emy the clear choice. “My grand- both students now that the school [for the] Virtual Academy,” he exfather has some health issues that year has progressed. Smith and her plains. make him immunocompromised, sister have had an overall positive Because the Virtual Academy is and so my family decided it would experience with the teachers and a brand new program for the counbe better not to take any risk at all,” administrators of the Virtual Acad- ty, there is no guide on how to navshe explains. “[And] so we applied emy. “It is a positive [experience]... igate the unprecedented situations for the Virtual Academy.” it’s just kind of comfortable for it presents. Staff find themselves Though the Virtual Academy is me,” Smith notes of her experi- having to figure it out as they go. centrally managed, when students ence Zooming.

“There’s little things that people join the program, they redidn’t think about, or that we main enrolled at the school didn’t anticipate that pop up they would attend if they here and there,” O’Neill indiwere in-person. Smith is cates. “We’re constantly putThere are still considered a student at ting out little fires as they get Rockville. If Virtual Acadstarted throughout the day.” emy students wish to parThe Virtual Academy’s ticipate in clubs or sports, aim is to mimic the classroom they can do so through their and school life in an online home school. setting. Virtual Academy Smith explains that the health and physical educaVirtual Academy is similar tion teacher Kimberly Weavin MCPS’s Virtual Academy. to in-person learning. “Ever, who previously taught erything’s kind of normal, at Wheaton High School, except for the part where notes how the Virtual Acadwe’re just little people on emy feels more like a school screens.” She has even seen than her virtual experience improvements with her last year. “Last year, I school work. “[I am doing] had different Zooms for really well with my grades, beeach class. This year, cause there [aren’t] any distraceach teacher has one tions,” she shares.

Zoom so it’s like The Virtual Academy has not their classroom” always operated smoothly. For she says. “No Smith’s younger sister, Michelle, matter what who is a sophomore at Rockville class [stuHALEY CARTER and also enrolled in the Virtual dents are] Academy, not all of the technology taking, they Kevin O’Neill, a Virtual Acad- can pop in as if you were in a classwas up and running at first. “She didn’t have [one] class for an entire emy high school computer science room, in the building.” week because the Zoom informa- teacher and assistant athletic speThere are no financial incention wasn’t set up or there wasn’t a cialist at Wootton High School, tives for faculty to switch to the teacher signed up for that course,” shares that the start of the year Virtual Academy, according to was rocky due to issues with staff- Weaver. It is treated like any othSmith says.

A majority of these problems ing shortages.“Teachers were still er school; teachers there get paid

Virtual Academy versus Blair, Einstein, or Damascus,” Weaver explains.

O’Neill was eager to apply for a job in the Virtual Academy. “I really enjoy the flexibility that it allows me,” he says. “As soon as I saw the position starting to be posted for the Virtual Academy, I put in my application right away.”

Health concerns and more control over her schedule motivated Weaver to switch from teaching at Wheaton to the Virtual Academy.

“With COVID, not all of us are feeling quite ready to be able to be around all those other people again,” she says. “This gives us the opportunity to still be able to help our students and teach and do our job in the safety of our own home.”

Moving forward, O’Neill is uncertain about the future of the Virtual Academy. “It’s still kind of a plane that’s being built while it is flying in the air,” O’Neill says.

silverchips

E1 Culture Oct. 28, 2021

COVID-19 cuisine

A look at restaurants during the pandemic

By William Ashford Staff Writer

Owner Mark Brown looked for support from locals by providing individual neighborhoods with sneak peeks into what the Zinnia experience would look like. The local response was “extremely supportive,” according to Brown.

“We had lots of people reach out to make reservations. People were really excited.”

It’s no surprise that locals are so willing to support restaurants in their communities, as they provide a space for people to catch up and socialize, an activity that had been elusive since March of 2020.

Main Street Pearl has done ex-

FIONA BONDAREV

MAIN STREET PEARL A local bubble tea shop and patio in Old Town Takoma Park.

actly that by providing a comfortable hangout space with outdoor seating and ambient lighting. “The main thing is that we have given [the community] a place to be,” explains Nichola.

Brown intends to emulate that kind of community environment at Zinnia as well. “I’m hoping I’m able to… meet the needs of the community,” he shares.

However, despite the community support, restaurants opening during COVID-19 have had their fair share of struggles. The pandemic has caused some difficulties with package deliveries, and for local restaurants, supply has been a major barricade as well. “Over the course of the last 18 months things have really run dry,” Nichola says. “We can’t find to-go cups anywhere.”

Brown shared a similar experience with Zinnia. When the restaurant ordered new flooring for the grand opening, pandemic restrictions made it difficult for the supplier to deliver the materials and ultimately forced the restaurant to open about two months later than originally planned.

Another unforseen trouble for Main Street Pearl is the issue of grant money. “Normally, there would be [federal] grant money… and there was none, because it was all going to COVID relief. And in order to get that [COVID-19 relief] money, you had to prove losses over the year before,” Nichola ex-

plains. Since new businesses had no losses to prove, they were exempted from certain grants, making it even more difficult for small restaurants like Main Street Pearl to get started.

I’m hoping I’m able to... meet the needs of the community.

MARK BROWN

“Every time I would come up with a reason not to open, there was another reason why I should,” says Leandra Nichola about her new restaurant Main Street Pearl, which opened in February of this year. Nichola found opening her new business to be especially difficult due to hurdles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The effect of the pandemic on restaurants in the DMV area has been drastic. According to a study done by Datassential published in March of 2021, almost 15 percent of restaurants in Washington, D.C. closed permanently in the first year of the COVID-19 outbreak.

In December of last year, Mrs. K’s Toll House, an iconic event venue and restaurant that had been serving people in the Silver Spring area for more than ninety years before its closing, was forced to close due to pandemic difficulties.

A new resturant called Zinnia, which offers housemade drinks and locally sourced comfort food, is located in the building that used to house Mrs. K’s Toll House.

Customers can enojy their meals in the flower gardens surrounding the building or in the cozy interior of the restaurant itself.

Nichola’s restaurant, Main Street Pearl—a plant-based drink and lunch shop serving everything from boba tea to garden salads is

located in Old Town Takoma Park. She cited the importance of community to the success of her restaurant. When Main Street Pearl was in its early stages of opening, the restaurant ran a fundraising campaign to help get the business going. “We had... like 150 people contribute, and then we had other people contributing time to come and work; [to] do our carpentry work for us, or [to] give us no interest loans and things like that.” says Nichola. ”The people in the community really stepped up.”

Community support was equally important to the opening of Zinnia.

Despite these hardships, Brown emphasizes that community support is essential to the success of local food businesses. According to Brown, the best way is to stay loyal to the restaurants in their area. “If the community just stays supportive of their local businesses, and frequents them, write[s] a good Yelp review,” he explains. “Every business is going through a lot, and they’re making changes that might not be ideal for the guests.”

For small business owners, even small acts of appreciation and recognition go a long way. Local restaurants still need help from the community, even if it isn’t monetary. “Communicating with servers, owners, and cashiers is probably the greatest impact that I’ve seen from the community” says Brown.

Let’s Tik-talk about books

finds comfort in the shared love of books that the app offers. “My favorite part about BookTok is that it connects me to a community of readers of all ages who share the

#BookTok, a hashtag with over 24 billion views. The development of this community has inspired many people to start or continue reading. It has also popularized certain books so much that Barnes and Noble has an entire shelf dedicated to books that rose to fame on the app, like The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab and The Wrath and The Dawn by Renèe Ahdieh.

Not every book goes viral: there’s a certain recipe for books that tend to do well. BookTok largely consists of young adult books, and new adult books, which are meant for those who are learning how to navigate the world. The fantasy genre is also especially popular; common recommendations include Shadow and Bone

by Leigh Bardugo and The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. BookTok has the power to influence the sales

RECOMMENDED BY CAMERON CAPELLO

versify her recommendations and promote books by authors that viewers may not have heard of. “I

COURTESY OF ELIANA FINBERG

think with BookTok, creators are so good at exposing their audience to voices that deserve to be heard.

And hopefully, we can change this idea that their voices are underrepresented.”

Many creators also love the

RECOMMENDED BY AYMAN CHAUDHARY

freedom they have to express their love for books in new and unique ways. Ayman Chaudhary (@ aymansbooks) is a TikTok creator who has amassed over 500,000 followers since starting her account in November of 2020. “[I make] a lot of unhinged content, if that makes sense. But it’s playful and everything, and my audience enjoys that.”

As with all social media, however, there are negative aspects, including overwhelmingly elevating certain books over others without reason. “I think the viral nature of TikTok can sometimes put one book or a specific type of book in the spotlight, and sort of neglect any other type of book. That can be pretty problematic for authors who aren’t getting the attention that they deserve,” says Capello.

Erika Chin (@erika.chin), who has 70,300 followers, makes content covering new adult books.

“Fluffy [young adult] romances don’t really do it for me anymore,” she explains. “I feel like new adult romances focus more on heavier topics and struggles in a relationship, which makes them more realistic.” Books such as The Deal

by Elle Kennedy and Addicted to You by Krista Ritchie deal with more sensitive issues such as the cycle of domestic abuse, alcohol addiction, and sexual assault.

While some books tackle those deeper subjects, not all books are as heavy and can instead be comforting. For many, finding time and energy to pick up a book can be difficult, and Chaudhary understands the struggle of starting to read again. “For people that want to start reading again, reread a book that you know you love.

That’s exactly what I did—go back to a book that you might have read in the past so you can get that nos-

COURTESY OF GENEVA PALMER

RECOMMENDED BY SAM JAFFE

RECOMMENDED BY KATHERINE DAWSON

of such books. For example, Shadow and Bone was at the top of the Amazon bestseller list in May 2021 despite being published in 2012.

BookTok features a plethora of diverse content creators with inclusive book recommendations.

Many creators have found that mainstream books and authors are not representative, but on BookTok, recommendations include books with BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors and characters. “I think BookTok has been responsible for showcasing diverse voices. I’ve definitely gotten so many recommendations, and it made me aware that there is a lack of representation for people of color, and authors, specifically, whose books haven’t been shown as much as they should,” says Cameron Capello (@chamberofsecretbooks)—a BookTok content creator with over 360,000 followers.

Capello creates content showcasing her favorite books as well as her own writing. As an influencer in the community, she tries to di-

COURTESY OF ELIANA FINBERG

COURTESY OF ELIANA FINBERG

“I’ve read a lot more since I got TikTok, which sounds weird, but I love it,” says Blair junior Katherine Dawson. A social media app encouraging people to read books may seem ironic, but that’s exactly what TikTok is doing. BookTok, a user-named subsection of the app TikTok, is dedicated to giving book recommendations, reviews, and other reading-related content.

TikTok is a social media app that allows users to post up to threeminute-long videos. Like many other platforms, it has an algorithm that tracks which videos the user likes and interacts with to generate a more personalized feed. Because of this highly unique user experience, many distinct communities form on TikTok, allowing users to connect with others who share similar interests, such as sports, artists, food, and in this case, books.

Sam Jaffe, a junior at Blair,

same interests as me and who can connect with me about our favorite characters, humor, and authors,” she says. “It’s a really great place to express myself and my interests.”

The app has allowed readers to connect by tagging their videos with

COURTESY OF ELIANA FINBERG

By Eliana Finberg Staff Writer

RECOMMENDED BY ERIKA CHIN

talgic feeling and… remember how much you love reading in the first place.”

silverchips

Oct. 28, 2021 Culture E2

Shang-Chi: Marvel’s first Asian superhero Film marks expansion of Asian-American representation

By Elina Lee and Christy Li Staff Writers

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings opens with an unconventional fully Mandarin narration, accompanied by English subtitles. The movie continues to use long segments of Mandarin throughout, and creates realistic dialogue between Shang-Chi and his family through the inclusion of common Chinese idioms, proverbs, and even mild profanities.

In Chinese culture, idioms— four-character sayings that convey hidden meaning—are frequently used. Although their metaphorical nature makes for awkward English translations, the idioms may provide an additional layer of meaning and authenticity for some Manda-

SHRIYAN REYYA

We are more familiar around American Asians, and that’s the side that they show to us.

rin speakers in the audience.

Other details throughout the movie also contribute to the movie’s authenticity in its portrayal of Asian American culture. When Katy and Shang-Chi arrive at Xialing’s fight club in Macau, they are greeted by announcer Jon Jon (Ronny Chieng), who speaks in rapidfire Mandarin. When Katy admits that she is not fluent in the language, Jon Jon switches to English and reassures her, “No worries, I speak ABC.” Short for American-born Chinese, the acronym is used to highlight the distinction between Chinese and Chinese American culture, a difference that is seldom discussed in Western media.

The acknowledgement of this difference in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made the film ring true with some Asian American viewers. “[It was] probably more relatable than any other movie trying to represent Asian culture,” Blair freshman Shriyan Reyya says. “We are more familiar around American Asians, and that’s the side that they show to us.”

In the ancient village of Ta Lo, where the latter half of the movie takes place, set design features many motifs of traditional Chinese architecture, such as sloping roofs and bilateral symmetry. An ancestral shrine is featured prominently in the middle of the village, where several characters go to pay respects to deceased family and ancestors during the annual Qingming festival. Characters are shown tomb-sweeping, praying, and making offerings—all traditional rituals associated with the holiday.

The fictional Ta Lo has upheld ancient Chinese traditions for thousands of years, particularly in the practice of the martial art of taichi. Although this portion of the movie includes supernatural elements, like the control of water, air, fire and earth, it accurately emphasizes the gathering of “chi,” or “air” in Mandarin, which represents the energy flow used in combat that gives the characters magical abilities.

Unlike most Western movie soundtracks, the score accompanying Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, including the fight scenes, have elements of East Asian music. Portions of the melody are often pentatonic, a five-note scale commonly used in East Asian tunes.

These tunes are generally played with distinct percussive and string instruments and can be heard in the movie.

The movie soundtrack also features a large number of Asian musicians. Renowned Singaporean JJ Lin, K-pop stars DPR LIVE and DPR IAN, Indonesian Rich Brian, and Vietnamese American keshi are just a few of the popular Asian artists who contributed.

American screenwriter Dave Callaham. The top 100 films of 2019 had even less Asian representation across directors: just 3.6 percent— four of 112—were Asian, while over 80 percent were white.

Diversity of a crew can have real impacts on the overall quality of a film. In particular, Blair East Asian Studies teacher Kenneth Seat says that the lack of sufficient Asian American crew in Disney’s live action film Mulan (2020) tainted the film’s cultural accuracy. “The director was not Chinese, and so that [limited] the ability to get cultures correct,” Seat explains.

Blair freshman Daniel Li agrees with Seat regarding Mulan’s representation of East Asian culture, describing how profusely honor was emphasized in the movie. “Family isn’t all about honor,” he says.

One of the soundtracks in Mulan is even titled “Honor To Us All,” reinforcing the oriental stereotype that self-sacrifice to heighten the honor and respect of a family is essential.

In Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, honor is only mentioned once—in the scene where Katy and Shang-Chi visit

in Western media

According to the BBC, Hollywood has a long history of stereotyping Asian characters. Since 1915, Asian characters, especially Chinese ones, have been depicted on screen as sinister threats to America. They are also the targets of gender stereotypes. Asian women are over-sexualized as the submissive “lotus blossom” or seductive “dragon lady,” while Asian men are emasculated and portrayed as undesirable.

Shang-Chi himself represents a break from both the stereotypically emasculated Asian male character as well as the macho superhero.

He is a trained assassin and martial arts master, but unafraid to be vulnerable in his journey to connect with his past and discover himself.

The movie’s antagonist subverts an arguably more harmful stereotype. The original villain in the Shang-Chi comics, Dr. Fu Manchu, was described by its creator,

Sax Rohmer, as “the yellow peril incarnate in one man” when the comics were first published in 1912. He was a product of the rampant anti-Asian propaganda at the time and was portrayed as sinister and power-hungry. In the film, his character has been scrapped entirely and replaced with Wenwu, a nuanced antagonist whose primary goal throughout the film is to reunite his family.

Xu Xialing, Shang-Chi’s sister, originally had a streak of red in her hair, which is a common visual stereotype of the “Asian rebel girl.” In an i n t e r - view with Slashfilm, actress Meng’er Zhang revealed that, once she

Representa-Shang behind the camera

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings gives significant visibility to Asian actors, who receive little screen time in Western films.

Only 7.2 percent of all speaking characters of the top 100 films of 2019 were Asian. 36 of the top 100 movies—more than one-third— contained no Asian characters with speaking roles. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, on the other hand, features a 98 percent Asian cast.

In addition to the East Asian representation on screen, the movie stands out for its diverse crew behind the scenes, which includes Japanese American director Destin Daniel Cretton and Chinese

to contribute to the stereotype. Although filming had already begun for a month at that point, Zhang asked for the streak to be edited out of the final product so that her character would not further perpetuate this trend.

[The screenwriters] made [the characters] act the same way as us and that really made a difference.

Conclu-Shang Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been considered a box office success, breaking the box office record for Labor Day releases by grossing $94 million on its opening weekend.

This success signals to companies an interest in hearing the stories of traditionally marginalized groups in the media, while also providing a monetary incentive to continue portraying authentic Asian American experiences.

Despite this, Seat mentions that it is important to consider how Marvel is just another franchise trying to make money. “Their purpose is to make exciting action movies, and so their goal is not to represent East Asian culture,” he says.

Blair freshman Dhruva Arun describes how other films featuring Asian American characters have been difficult to relate to due to their abundance of stereotypes and how Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings breaks this trend.

“Although [the characters are] from the same places that we [are] from, in this case, [the screenwriters] also made them act the same way as us and that really made a difference,” he says.

O HA

C JAY

Katy’s parents. “Katy’s brother talks about Katy carrying the family honor, [but] it doesn’t overstretch the topic,” Li explains.

Asian ste-ring-otypes

had learned of the existence of the cliché, she did not want her character

DHRUVA ARUN

Featu-ring Chinese culture

Their purpose is to make exciting action movies, and so their goal is not to represent East Asian culture.

KENNETH SEAT

Marvel has once again broken new cultural ground with its latest film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings by assembling a diverse cast and crew to bring Asian American culture and voices to prominence on the big screen in the form of an action-packed superhero movie.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings follows the hero of the same name (Simu Liu) through his journey to confront his past and embrace his heritage and family history. The film opens with ShangChi working as a hotel valet in San Francisco with his high school best friend Katy (Awkwafina). The pair take joyrides in customers’ cars, crack jokes, and go out drinking late—generally rejecting the responsibilities of adulthood.

Everything changes when they are attacked on a public bus by men from the Ten Rings criminal organization, led by Shang-Chi’s estranged father Wenwu (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai). After a stunningly choreographed martial arts fight scene, Shang-Chi realizes that he can no longer run from his past.

He sets out for Macau, China to warn his sister Xu Xialing (Meng’er Zhang) of their father’s attack.

Earlier in the movie, the audience follows the characters as they explore aspects of Chinese American daily life. In Katy’s kitchen, the audience sees her family eating congee for breakfast, a type of rice porridge that is a staple of Chinese cuisine. Additionally, three generations of her family are living together in the same home, which is common among Asian American families.

E3 Culture Oct. 28, 2021

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Oct. 28, 2021 Culture E4

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Blazer of Note

By Annie Mount Columnist Plunderphonics, liquid funk, and jamtronica are all examples of music genres that can be discovered on Every Noise at Once, a website that displays seemingly infinite genres of music. The creator, Glenn McDonald, writes on the site that it is “an ongoing attempt at an algorithmically-generated, readability-adjusted scatter-plot of the musical genre-space, based on data tracked and analyzed for 5,655 genre-shaped distinctions by Spotify.”

The website gathers data from Spotify, making it easy to discover new genres or artists based on factors like popularity and similarity to other genres. Much of the music is extremely obscure and has unique names, sounds, and histories. This provides an easy way to find genres that are particularly unexpected and don’t often get lots of attention.

McDonald describes on the website how the scatter plot is organized. “The calibration is fuzzy, but in general down is more organic, up is more mechanical and electric; left is denser and more atmospheric, right is spikier and bouncier,” he writes.

Curious listeners can scroll through the website and explore the huge variety of genres. Clicking on one reveals a preview of a song that is representative of the genre as a whole. Those who are further intrigued can click the arrow next to the name of the genre and listen to a wide array of artists and bands in that subsection of music.

One of the site’s major appeals is that it will often pull users down a rabbit hole and lead them to songs and artists that they would never have encountered otherwise. For each genre, the site displays artists in the same scatter plot formation and even lists the artists by popularity.

One interesting genre listeners can explore is Tolkien metal, a subgenre of heavy metal with lyrics and band names inspired by The Lord of the Rings. Many of the songs begin by sounding like something one might hear at Medieval Times, and then quickly pick up with rapid drumming, distorted electric guitar and lots of screaming.

While the Tolkien metal vo-

One of the site’s major appeals is that it will often pull users down a rabbit hole and lead them to songs and artists that they would never have encountered otherwise. cals are arguably dissonant, they also leave room for the guitars and drums to stand out and shine. Depending on the song, it can sometimes be more electronic, and have a lot of artificial instrumentation.

Often, it’s difficult to decipher any of the lyrics at all. Many people wouldn’t think to combine harsh electric guitar with a lute, but

it’s surprising how well the heavy metal and renaissance fair-esque music go together. While many wouldn’t want to regularly listen to this particular genre unless they are die-hard Tolkienites, the creativity and originality can’t be denied.

In addition, Every Noise at Once links users to ready-made

The website gathers data from Spotify, making it easy to discover new genres or artists based on factors like popularity and similarity to other genres.

Spotify playlists that can show new listeners where to start, like the “Sound” playlist, a general overview of the genre, the “Intro” playlist, songs selected for someone completely new to the genre, and a “New” playlist that contains songs that were recently released. Current fans aren’t left out either, with a “Pulse” playlist that aggregates music fans are currently listening to, and an “Edge” playlist that provides more underground songs.

Users can easily add these playlists to their personal Spotify libraries.

After scrolling to the end of the scatter plot, users will find a list of other music analysis tools which McDonald has developed. One example is Every School at Once, which the site describes as “an index of the distinctive listening of students by school.” This feature allows the user to select any university campus, analyze the most listened to genre among the students, and view an automatically generated playlist of the top 100 songs.

It also features a tool called Every Demographic at Once which allows the user to explore popular Spotify listening patterns based on country, age, and gender.

Every Noise at Once also provides simple ways to find especially obscure music from all over the world. Another music analysis tool, The Needle, lists three playlists for every country. These three playlists are called Current, Emerging, and Underground.

McDonald writes on the site that “[the playlists] dig deep. Maybe sometimes too deep. You may not be prepared for what you find at this depth.”

One genre that sticks out is Indonesian Psychedelia. Similarly to American Psychedelic Rock, there is a large emphasis on the bass lines. “Rebahan” by Bin Idris, a song in this genre, seems like it’s straight out of America in the late 60s. Shockingly, it was actually released in 2016! Two more songs that lovers of 60s rock would enjoy are “Evil War” by Shark Move and “Apatis” by Benny Soebardja.

Overall, Every Noise at Once is a great way for anyone to find novel, unusual, or simply different music. Happy hunting!

For 40 years, Lillian Miller was a dedicated paraeducator in the science department at Montgomery Blair High School. Prior to her time in education, she worked with the government on security issues, including the Cuban Missile Crisis.

She passed away on the weekend of Oct. 16 after being diagnosed with Alzheimers in 2019, only two years after her retirement in 2017.

She left behind a unique legacy that will live on in Blair’s science department and the entire school for years to come.

Miller was known for her dedication and steady presence in the science department. She rarely missed work—arriving on a public bus as early as 6:30 a.m. and leaving as late as 8 p.m. Miller spent her long days dedicating herself to making the school run more efficiently. “She put 110 percent into everything that she did for us,” Leslie Blaha, a Blair science teacher, says. The two worked together in the science department for over 15 years.

Summer Roark-Thiero, the science department resource teacher, explains the lasting impacts Miller made on the department. “I’m sure there are… systems in place that we still use that she put in place, so she’s definitely impacted us forever,” she says. The science department has always been a tight knit group, and Miller is remembered by many as being the mother of the group, working to make each of her coworker’s lives easLILLIAN MILLER ier. “We were her family,” Blaha explains. “She COURTESY OF LESLIE BLAHA took care of us like she was

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By John Ernst Staff Writer

our mother.”

Miller is also remembered for being extremely social and outgoing with other staff members. In the copy room, where she spent much of her time, Blaha recounts Miller talking for great lengths about the type of paper used in the copy machine. “She would literally walk up to anybody and say anything on her mind,” she says.

“To be a part of the Blair teaching community meant you had to interact with Lillian, and Lillian was going to leave her impression on you. It was almost like a rite of passage to work with her and get assistance from her,” Marc Grossman, a social studies teacher at Blair, says.

Blaha hopes Miller’s legacy reflects the hard work and effort she invested into Blair. “Everything Lillian was passionate about, including the teachers at Blair High School, she did everything she could to show that passion, whether it was for her roses, her cats, her family, her school family, her real life family,” Blaha says.

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Oct. 28, 2021 Culture E6

Chips Clips

Q&A with Erik Agard and tell us about cool puzzles. And that just really piqued my interest at a time when I was taking all these Magnet classes, and not really good at any of them or passionate about them. So I was in the computer lab solving puzzles all the time. And eventually, I got the idea to try to start making them.

Can you describe your creative process when creating a crossword, and what is your favorite part about making them?

A lot of times it starts with… something that I want to be out in front of people. It’s starting from one phrase and trying to notice something interesting, have a wordplay

property around it, and then fleshing it out from there. My favorite part is [that] there’s something that can be very meditative for me about the process of making a seamless puzzle. It’s… very satisfying when it works out.

What does a diverse puzzle look like, and how is that different from the norm?

ELORDS Z ZL

[After I came to Blair] I ended up in Mr. Stein’s [statistics] class, and he would always go to the big crossword puzzle tournament

PU

How did you first get started making puzzles?

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Blair alum Erik Agard, the crossword editor at USA Today, spoke to Silver Chips about diversity in the crossworld. Agard, a Jeopardy winner, has previously had his crosswords appear in The New Yorker. Printed below is one of Agard’s puzzles, created specially for this issue of Silver Chips. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

COURTES YO

I don’t necessarily need every puzzle to be diverse or meet a certain bar for diversity. And I don’t think with 78 clues, it’s necessarily even possible to include everyone in every puzzle. But I think looking at all the puzzles… in the industry, there are a lot of spaces where people are regularly not showing up [and] not being represented, which is a big problem.

There’s a lot of work left to be done in terms of diversity of puzzles as a whole, or puzzle venues as a whole—and that’s before even getting to… who’s making the puzzles.

What kind of impact can crosswords have on readers that are reading different news outlets?

I think the same kind of impact that any kind of media can have, especially with something that’s such a popular pastime that’s on a lot of people’s breakfast tables or commutes. I’ve heard from people that when certain pronouns are in a puzzle, that’s meaningful to them, because they don’t get to see their pronouns represented or validated a lot in the world. It can just be very important to have stuff that feels like it’s for you. So crosswords can play a part in that, just like everything else.

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What kind of work still needs to be done to make the field inclusive for everyone?

For a long time, including people of color in puzzles… just wouldn’t happen very much. I think some editors [and] venues are moving into a stage where [they] know it’s a problem. I think there’s work to be done in terms of shifting who the audience is imagined to be. Then in terms of what constructors [and] puzzle writers can do, I feel like whenever I talk about something like this, I get a lot of support. But I don’t see as many people making it a priority in their own work to the extent that it should be.

Was there a specific time when you started to actively make your puzzles more diverse? Did you learn to do this over time, or did you start out with that thinking?

I majored in African American Studies at the University of Maryland, and I think that really gave me more of an understanding of how systems are stacked in this country or in the world, and how… you have to have very intentional policies to rectify some of these issues. [Interacting] with those ideas… was something that I then applied to the crossword industry.

© 2021

ACROSS 1. *Place for a duet 7. *Doorbell sound 15. One of the Iroquois Confederacy’s founding nations 16. Aster Aweke’s country 17. Wildcat with spots 18. Bookstore section 19. The P in 20-Across 20. Measure of a song’s tempo (Abbr.)

21. ___ Francisco 22. *Intersecting pattern 26. Not an amateur anymore 29. Successful song 30 Class with a reading list, for short 31. Model Aaron 34. Cooling devices 35. Like mother, like ___ 36. Au ___ (well-informed) 37. *Pulling an all-night-

ERIK AGARD WITH SPECIAL ASSISTANCE FROM LEELA MEHTA-HARWITZ

er to do homework, for example 40. Success Kid is a dated one 41. Chinese province whose capital is Changsha 42. Rhis cluye is riddlsd wiuth tgem 44. Enamel accessory 45. “No Scrubs” group 48. Snakelike sea creatures 49. Deal with 51. ___ a bite 52. Verb that sounds like a number 53. *Skill needed to complete this puzzle 55.

56. Tracee ___ Ross 57. Grocery store section 58. Donations in some holiday drives 59. Full

DOWN 1. As well 2. “Monsters, ___” 3. Minimalist motto 4. Mahjong pieces 5. Smells 6. Kit ___ bar 7. Tyrant 8. Parts of agendas and grocery lists 9. Washington Capitals’ league 10. Some reactions 11. Capital of Qatar 12. Building arrangement with few internal walls 13. Zero 14. Space between two things 20. “Traer” in Spanish means “to ___” in English 22. Casual conversation 23. Puerto ___ 24. Genetic copy

25. Utensil for pudding 27. Bit of hand jewelry 28. ___ out (elect to stop receiving emails) 32. Hawaiian dance 33. Element in Tony Stark’s superhero name 35. Virtual people in a popular video game franchise 36. Kitchen surface 38. Loyal, spotlightloving sorts 39. Pickpockets, for example 42. Bubble ___ 43. Thus far 44. Structure that includes the hip bones 45. Go from two to six or three to nine 46. Ran out 47. Channel that airs “Big Brother” 49. Goofy 50. Black-and-white sea creatures

51. Halloween haunter 53. Marching band player’s big moment 54. ___ seeds 55. Full ___ (nail salon order)

Crossword answers

To find more of Agard’s work, visit the link below:

When you’re integrating a new clue, do you look to… actively try to bridge the gap between all demographics doing the crosswords, or do you want to focus on one audience and give them something just for them?

I do try to make sure that everything is fair in the sense that hopefully anyone solving the puzzle can figure out any letter. That can sometimes be a constraint on what I do, but I do think that I am very biased in the direction of like, if I’m going to do a Beyonce clue, let me do a deep cut Beyonce clue, [so that] someone in the Hive feels very seen. Someone who doesn’t know isn’t going to know either way. So no point in catering to both.

Do you see crossword making as a way to create social change?

I’m back and forth on that. There are people that I respect and look up to on both sides of that debate, and I haven’t really made my own mind up.

And for me, it’s just this is the thing that I know how to do. So I just keep doing it, and hope that’s something, but wouldn’t say that I’m necessarily optimistic.

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E7 Culture Oct. 28, 2021

A “Sign of the Times” COVID-19’s impact on the concert industry

By Rosie Orzulak Staff Writer

I think it’s an escape for me. It’s like an adventure to listen to a song.

LILA WILSON

Surrounded by flashing lights, instruments, and sweaty bodies, Blair senior Lila Wilson had never felt more alive. She had spent nearly a year and a half listening to music within the confines of her house, yearning to attend live shows. Although COVID-19 put this opportunity on hold for her, Wilson shares that music helped her get through the isolation of the pandemic. “I think, in a way, music kept me moving through quarantine,” she explains. “Discovering new things to listen to was always a highlight of my day.”

Kyla Smith, a Blair junior who immersed herself in music during lockdown through the constant discovery of new artists and songs, jumped at the first opportunity for an in-person concert. Since restrictions have been lifted, the long-awaited experience is finally available. Smith attended a Jeff Draco concert on Sept. 11 at the Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe in Adams Morgan. “I was insanely happy [to be there], concerts are honestly my happy place. I love going,” she says.

Teenagers have long been known to use music as a coping mechanism. During the pandemic,

many teens took the opportunity to further explore and become connected to music.

Many teens find it therapeutic to turn on their favorite artist or song and tune out the chaos of the rest of the world. Music isn’t just something students listen to absent-mindedly, Wilson explains. “I think it’s an escape for me. It’s like an adventure to listen to a song,” she says. “It can bring you to a ton of different worlds and show you

different perspectives.”

Smith, an avid concert attendee, was devastated when quarantine shut down venues and canceled tours. “Before the pandemic, there were a bunch of shows that I was supposed to have tickets to,” Smith explains. “My favorite artists and bands… were on tour. [The concerts] were canceled because of COVID mid-March of 2020. I was really upset about that.”

Wilson dealt with the loss of not getting to see her favorite singer and bands in concert by exploring

new ways to connect with music. In June 2021, she took over a show at Takoma Radio, “Block Show,” with her friend Hunter Payne, a Blair senior. “It was definitely a way to try and branch out during the pandemic, because I’ve always been more hesitant with sharing music with people,” she explains.

“I don’t know what other people listen to, or what other people like to listen to.”

With vaccines becoming widespread, many previous restrictions have been lifted and public concerts are making a comeback, although not without modifications. On the weekend of Aug. 14, 2021, entertainment venues in the D.C. area, like The Anthem, the 9:30 Club, Lincoln Theatre, and Merriweather Post Pavilion began requiring visitors to show proof of full vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours before the show. The identification on the vaccination card presented must be corroborated with photo ID, according to NBC Washington.

The Jeff Draco concert Smith attended on Sept. 11 at the Songbyrd Music House and Record Cafe in Adams Morgan, had a maximum capacity of 220 people.

Smith found the COVID-19 regulations in place granted her peace of mind during the experience. “I

BRAVING THE STORM The Fillmore, in SIlver Spring, reopened after months of closure due to COVID-19.

silverpatrons silver patrons Diamond Platinum Gold Silver

Bronze

honestly felt really safe… Everybody had their mask on for most of the time and everyone was vaccinated. However, it was a smaller concert so I’m not sure if I could say the same if it was on a bigger scale,” she says.

Harry Styles performed at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 18 as part of his “Love on Tour” concert series.

Although over 20,000 fans were in attendance, the Styles concert had strict COVID-19 rules: according to Billboard, audience members were required to present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or proof of a negative COVID-19 test within 48 hours prior to entry, and there was a mask mandate in place for all, regardless of vaccination status.

Styles and his team were outspoken about fans following the set protocol. “We are looking forward to seeing everyone as we return to the road!” read an Instagram post from Styles’ staff. “Please know our band and crew will be taking every possible precaution to protect each other so we can bring the show to everyone who wants to attend and we ask you to do the same.”

Blair junior and longtime Styles fan Sachini Adikari found herself awestruck in the pit at the “Love

on Tour” concert. “[It was] pretty cool, and I thought it would be really weird after practically two years of being inside,” Adikari says. “It felt surreal. To be honest, the experience hasn’t hit me yet.”

For Adikari, the regulations didn’t hinder this once in a lifetime experience. “We had to wear masks. There honestly wasn’t as much pushing as I thought there would be in the pit,” she explains.

It felt surreal.

To be honest, the experience hasn’t hit me yet.

SACHINI ADIKARI

HENRY REICHLE

HENRY REICHLE

PANDEMIC PERFORMANCE Blair students were excited for the return of in-person music.

“I felt safe because I was looking at other concerts with other artists and the audience members weren’t wearing masks, but Harry’s team really enforced masks, and it showed.”

For students who have spent the past year forced to listen to the music they love in their own homes, getting vaccinated, COVID-19 tested, and wearing masks is a small price to pay to enjoy a live concert.

If you would like to support the paper, go to tinyurl.com/subtochips to subscribe to Silver Chips, be featured on the paper, and receive merchandise. A special thank you to David Sedaris for his support of the paper.

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Playing with Pride

Oct. 28, 2021 Sports F1

How Team D.C. is making the sports world more LGBTQ friendly

By William Ashford Staff Writer

HANNAH LICHTENSTEIN

[When the Gay Men’s Choir perfomed], there was an overwhelming sense of embracing and welcoming.

nization’s progressive values. “We are trying to come out as a more diverse... aware, and thoughtful…

board member of Team DC, says.

“Teams have been really great about that, which is really encouraging.”

Additionally, Team DC offers their partner clubs event-based support. “[We help our member clubs] promote their teams… whether they are just starting up or hosting a fundraiser,” explains Minor.

Despite their heavy involvement in advocacy, Team DC initially began as something much more recre-

Anybody that has played sports on a team certainly knows how unifying team sports can be.

BRENT MINOR

“I think there was an understanding that it is 2021, and this is part of where this team is going,” Hannah Lichtenstein, a journalist for the Washington Football Team, says.

Last month, Team DC partnered with the Washington Football Team to host the NFL’s first ever Pride Night OUT. Before kickoff against the New York Giants on Sept. 16, the Gay Men’s Choir of DC performed the America the Beautiful. Lichtenstein detailed the atmosphere in the stadium when the all LGBTQ+ choir performed.

“There was an overwhelming sense of embracing and welcoming.”

Fans also had the opportunity to meet DC’s Different Drummers, an LGBTQ+ drumline, at the entrance to the stadium.

Lichtenstein described the event as a way to indicate the orga-

organization.”

In an effort to promote a safer and more healthy environment for queer athletes, Team DC—an LGBTQ+ sports activism group—has been partnering with professional sports teams across multiple leagues to host an event called “Pride Night OUT.” Initially launched in collaboration with the Washington Nationals in 2005, Pride Night OUT events are celebrations of LGBTQ+ activism and integration typically held at a game, meet, or other organized sporting event.

In addition to creating events like the Pride Night OUT, Team DC works with staff members of sports teams to teach them how to create a more inclusive environment within their clubs. Executive Director Brent Minor spoke with Silver Chips about Team DC’s involvement with the Washington Football Team’s staff, describing their efforts to ensure that the team is inclusive and respectful to everyone, no matter their identity.

“We’ve helped speak with management in terms of being inclusive and using proper language… we just did training with the front staff of the Washington Football Team to help talk about some of those issues,” Minor explains.

Team DC’s outreach goes beyond professional sports; the organization works with smaller recreational sports clubs as well.

Typically, the organization asks for a club to release a written declaration of their inclusion. “[The club] has to… make a public statement [saying that] anybody, regardless of gender, or orientation, can play,” Eli Webster, an outreach

ational. “We joined together to attend the Gay Games, which are our quadrennial events held around the world,” Minor says. “We mainly grew out of all the teams that were heading to the Gay Games. They needed a unifying umbrella organization… Since then, we’ve grown to take on other responsibilities and activities.”

One of these responsibilities has been providing queer athletes scholarship opportunities. Team DC’s program has granted $94,000 in funds to 73 individuals since the start of it’s scholarship foundation in 2008. It focuses on rewarding LGBTQ+ leaders who encourage queer participation in sports.

From die-hard fans to professional athletes, sports provide many different kinds of people with a way

to feel united. Team DC’s mission is to make sporting environments more welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community, as they continue to face disproportionate amounts of discrimination in sports. According to a study done from 2014-2015 by research group Out On the Fields, sports participants aged 15-21 who came out as lesbian, gay, or bisexual were “significantly more likely to report being a target of homophobic behavior.” Additionally, 41.6 percent of those athletes surveyed reported being the target of homophobic be-

havior.

This hostile environment detracts from the positive community aspect of playing for a club, which Team DC is trying to change. Minor views joining an athletic team as a way of connecting to a community. “Anybody that has played sports on a team certainly knows how unifying team sports can be.”

Minor elaborates that in an athletic setting, “it might be even more significant because [LGBTQ+ people] may have not felt that kind of camaraderie before.”

COURTESY OF TEAM DC

SHOWING SUPPORT Team DC enjoys a baseball game.

Girls soccer strikes again

By Eliana Finberg and Elina Lee Staff Writers

challenging.”

With schools being closed in fall of 2020, sports were a no-go, but a virtual season with weekly check-in meetings prepared the players for their shorter season. “I think everybody also did soccer on their own [with] clubs, so they didn’t fall out of it,” Diver says.

Now back at school, in-person, the players tried out over the summer and have had a whirlwind of a season ever since. With little time to assimilate into the team, players dove headfirst into training.

As of Oct. 20, the team has won six games, tied one, and lost one in the regular season. On Oct. 11,

After an unsatisfactory pandemic season, Blair’s Girls’ Varsity Soccer team is back, winning the division title for the fifth year in a row. The talented group is ready to enter the playoffs, despite being unable to play much last year. “We make the most out of our game,” junior midfielder Julie Diver says.

“Everybody gives it their all, and we really share the same determination and passion.”

The varsity team is mostly composed of juniors and seniors, so the majority of the people on the team this year are new to playing a full season in person. Typically, there is enough overlap for players to train new teammates for certain positions, teach them about the team, and bond over their love of the sport. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, there was little overlap last year and the players did not have much of a season either.

“We did have a mini season last year, but it was very short, and we had some people come up [from junior varsity] then that made the transition a little easier, but… we didn’t get much time transitioning new [players] and training them for the back roles,” senior Alli O’Neil-Freeman, a defense player and one of the four team captains, says.

Normally, a season consists of eight games along with eight scrimmages before school starts, but the shortened pandemic season consisted of only five local games.

“We had a good time,” head coach ARIELLE GRANSTON Robert Gibb says. “The downside of that was, they kept it very local. TWIN DAY Players on the girls soccer team arrive to school with None of our opponents were that matching outfits to participate in Twin Day, one of their spirit days.

they beat Sherwood, winning the division title by 2-1. “I think we’re all ready to play [Sherwood] again and show them that we can do even better than we did last night,” Diver explains. “There were mistakes that we shouldn’t have made and I think we’re better than those mistakes and that’s what we’re going to fix the next time.”

O’Neil-Freeman has been on the varsity team for all four years of her high school experience.

“Our team and school spirit is the best I’ve ever seen out of all of the years,” she says.

One of the jobs that captains are called upon to do is to organize spirit days. Whenever the team hosts a game, there is a set spirit for the day. These include twin day where players dress identically and formal day where players dress fancy.

The captains have also organized team breakfasts which involve eating at the International House of Pancakes together following Saturday morning practices.

The most unique series of events that the captains host is “Secret Sister.” This is similar to the well-known “Secret Santa” holiday exchange—each girl is assigned to give a fellow player gifts for each home game and reveals themself with a grand gift at the final game of the season.

The Girls’ Varsity captains also manage an Instagram account (@ mbhsvarsitywsoc). Game reminders and game results are posted periodically, as well as birthday wishes for the players and spirit day photos.

Not only does the team effectively encourage themselves to play their best, they also show support at other Blair sports games. “We all show out for the football games,”

O’Neil Freeman says. “And [we] are a big part of the... cheering section.”

The team has grown significantly since the beginning of this season, but is constantly working to strengthen their relationship. “We’re looking to do more team building activities,” O’Neil explains. She would like to take the team to attend a University of Maryland women’s soccer game together, and will also help plan the annual end-of-the-year team party.

After claiming the division title, the team headed into the playoffs, beating Churchill 1-0 on Oct. 13.

Practice the day before the game consisted of some passing drills, header work, and a dynamic warm up that even the coach joined in.

Despite the game ahead, the aura was light, filled with high fives and shouted compliments. The coach and captains gave pep talks along with a debrief of their most recent game; shoutouts were made to players who played exceptionally well, and players swapped compliments. The overall environment was abuzz with excitement; the girls were ready to put their game face on.

They beat Clarksburg 2-0 on Oct. 18, but lost to Walter Johnson 2-0 two days later, finishing their time in the playoffs. Each girl had hoped to reach the Final Four as they did two years ago, but will try again next year.

Nevertheless, the team is stronger than ever, keeping in mind that teamwork makes the dream work. “​​Everything that we do, we do it with unity and we do it by not competing against each other but ourselves as a whole as a team,” senior striker Hannah Tudge says. “And we know we can do better than our

silverchips

F2 Sports Oct. 28, 2021

Running the bases

By John Ernst and Zachary Williamson Staff Writers Two Silver Chips staffers, one on the cross country team and the other on baseball, swap practices for a day!

Cross country expectations

As a baseball player, running cross country is my worst nightmare. The only running required in baseball is occasional sprinting to bases and lateral movement to field balls, whereas cross country requires incredible endurance in order to run long distances under time pressure. The last time I ran more than three miles—the approximate length of a cross country race—was over a year ago, and endurance running has never been a skill I’ve tried to develop.

Ignoring my pleas to swap for an easier practice, Zach planned for me to come to the hardest kind: interval training, in which runners go at a fast pace for a “moderate” amount of time, get a short break, and then start the process over again. Listening to his teammates talk about “mile repeats” and post-run core workouts does nothing to ease my nerves, but I plan to approach it as I would any other practice, with a vigor to learn and grow.

Baseball expectations

In the words of first baseman Scott Hatteberg from the movie Moneyball, my biggest fear is “a baseball coming in my general direction.” It has been eight years since I last played the game, and there is not a single piece of proper gear in my house. John assures me that he has a spare glove, but my running shoes will have to substitute for the standard cleats (though he warns me they will not suffice).

John keeps me in the dark on what the practice will be like, and my anxious mind can’t help but imagine I’m fated for a pitch to the ribs. I’m trying not to focus on worst case scenarios, and striking out—while inevitable—won’t be too embarrassing given my inexperience. Much like Scottie Smalls in The Sandlot, I hope to “just stand in the outfield somewhere and take up space.”

Cross country practice

After waiting for Zach’s ninth

period to let out, we head down to the track. To my relief (and Zach’s disappointment), the interval training is pushed back a day due to injured shins and sore backs among team members. I will be participating in a relatively simple workout, consisting of a light run through the neighborhoods bordering Blair.

After a few warm up laps, which definitely put my lungs to work, we loosen up with a variety of leg stretches, many of which I am familiar with, having played baseball and soccer. To compensate for the easier workout to come, Zach and I set off on an 800-meter race, which I learn is two long laps around the track. I manage to stick with him for about a lap and a half, but his endurance allows him to pull away from me on the last leg. My feet cross the finish line only about five or six seconds behind him, albeit painfully. If the warm up hasn’t left me exhausted, this definitely does.

After a quick sip of water, the coach whisks us off on a scavenger hunt run through the neighborhoods surrounding Blair. The run is pretty simple: run for 35 minutes and try to find Halloween deco-

What happens when two Blazers switch sports?

FIONA BONDAREV

for stretching and a core workout.

We stretch out hamstrings, quads, and calves, then do flutter kicks, sit ups, and planks. With my chest wheezing and my calves burning,

ing to get myself familiar with the movements. Once we arrive at the field, we warm up with stretches.

Most of them are arm-focused, which I am largely unfamiliar with,

place in these drills. While intimidating at first, I quickly adjust. My throws pack no more punch than those of an upset child, but they go the distance—with a bounce or two between bases—and are semi-accurate. My catches are a different story. On one menacing bouncing grounder, I reach my glove low and brace for the collision. The ball rolls up the glove and shoots against my forearm and chin, the impact reverberating through my body. The pain goes away quickly, but I am shaken for a few minutes.

Now that fielding is over, I go on deck—baseball terminology for the player who is up to bat next.

My shoes slip a lot on the dirt in the batter’s box, which reinforces John’s concern for my lack of cleats, but I block out the nerves and focus on the upcoming pitch.

John’s coach, who is pitching at the moment, apologizes in advance in case any balls hit me, a red flag which I choose to ignore.

To my surprise, the batting goes by exhilaratingly fast. I make contact with most of the pitches, even if all but one of my hits are either ARIELLE GRANSTON foul balls or caught out of the air.

PUSHING THROUGH John struggles to catch his breath after a long cross country run.

More importantly, to my relief and utter surprise, I avoid getting hit. rations, potted plants, and vari- the practice finally ends, and I am given that cross country obviously focuses on the legs.

Looking back on cross ous bumper stickers. Zach barely finally given freedom.

I get my first taste of how these country broke a sweat running with me, guys can throw from the outfield, but I didn’t have to stop even once, Baseball practice Although most outsiders conBefore practice starts, John where they slowly increase their sider cross country an individual which I consider a win.

After the scavenger hunt, we lends me his spare baseball glove, distance apart until they’re launch- sport, I was surprised to find that gather in the middle of the track and I mime catching and throw- ing rockets from 200 feet away. it is incredibly communal. When Unfortunately, my throws cannot we were running back from the make it nearly that far. In fact, I scavenger hunt, Zach stopped for cannot even throw the ball accu- an exhausted freshman and enrately between bases. However, my couraged him to continue. As we concern is more about catching warmed up, I witnessed a similar than throwing—a poor throw may camaraderie to what I experience make my arm sore, but a fly ball to on my baseball team every day. the face would give me more than While I’m not planning on runan undesirable nose job. ning cross country anytime soon, We then take to the field, where I certainly had fun—leaving with a I shadow John at shortstop. His new respect for cross country runcoach hits balls to the outfielders, ners and the training they put into who then send the balls to the their sport. bases. When I played for Takoma Park Baseball at age eight, my Looking back on baseunderstanding of the game was ball that those who aren’t catching or I initially judged baseball as throwing the ball should just stand a sport where a bunch of people around watching the grass grow. stand around, pretending to be Here, this is not the case. When athletic. This experience could not a player is throwing the ball from have proved me more wrong. The center field to second base, John strategy and communication that runs between the two of them to goes into each play was something give the outfielder another throw- I didn’t anticipate. Unlike John’s ing option. Other players shout cross country debut, which left him directions to their teammates with satisfied with just one practice, I’d confidence: if a runner has already be happy to join baseball practice made it to second base, teammates again sometime, if it weren’t for my tell the thrower to send it to third. propensity to catch grounders with After observing John, I take his my face.

silverchips

F4 Sports Oct. 28, 2021

Blair is back!

A round up of the fall athletic season

By Haley Carter and Andre Parker Staff Writers Blair’s fall sports teams made a fierce comeback this season with impassioned student-athletes and fans. Let’s take a look at each of the school’s varsity fall sports teams!

Girls Soccer

The girls soccer team started the season off strong, winning 10 of their 12 games so far.

According to some of the players, the strong team bond was largely what led to their success on the field. “I think we established chemistry pretty quickly,” junior captain Magdalena Goles said.

“We all clicked and… came together and were able to play well together right off the bat.”

Boys Soccer

Despite a slow start, the boys soccer team picked up momentum, going 5-5-2 in the regular season. Over the course of their season, teamwork began to build in practices and games, which improved results on the field. “[We] are trusting our teammates a little more, and we just know everyone and how they play,” senior captain Muller Torontow explained. “That helps us play better as a team.” Senior João Gonzalez explains that he thinks the team still has room for improvement. “Everybody has good communication, we just need [more] effort,” he said.

Field Hockey

Field hockey had a solid preseason, going undefeated and winning scrimmages against both Walter Johnson and Bethesda-Chevy Chase. After losing their first two games, the team is bouncing back, facing no more losses and going 10-2 for the season. Field hockey is one of the smaller sports at Blair, but senior captain Maggie Spire believes they use that to their advantage. “There are benefits to having a smaller team,” she pointed out. “We’re all very close and so we work really well together on the field.”

Football

Blair’s football team had an impressive 6-2 start to their season with a vibrant student section at every game. The team’s hope for an undefeated season came to an end in a tough game against Paint Branch. “We thought we could beat them. It was quite a loss,” senior captain Ryan Frank comments. Despite the loss, Frank is confident about the future of

the team and their capability to improve in future games. “We know what we can do and we’re going to do pretty well,” he said.

Junior quarterback Kendell Anderson also hopes they will only go up from here. “I think this loss right here is really [going to] change everything,” he said. “Going off from here, it’s [going to] be all wins.”

Girls Volleyball

The girls volleyball team has had a challenging season with a 7-5 record as of Oct. 24, facing strong opponents such as Sherwood and Quince Orchard. “Honestly, I think we were losing more games than we should have at our skill level,” senior Tori Boggan said.

Regardless of wins or losses, the team is close-knit and shares a newfound bond. “I think the chemistry is a lot better this year, because I feel like people are more friendly and more willing to talk to each other during and outside of practice,” Boggan explained. “I think we mesh together really well as a team.”

Cheer

The cheer team welcomed a wave of new athletes this year.

“In other years we have a lot of returners. So that’s kind of been a little bit of a struggle for us, but now we’re seeing it all come together as we’ve learned all the basics of the material,” senior captain Sierra Jones explained. “The talent is there, we just have to start [from] the beginning.” The team is determined to improve and looking to defend their 2019 first place title at Montgomery County’s 33rd Annual Cheerleading Competition.

an impressive season. The golf team has only lost two matches as of October 24, going 15-2. Even though it is a very individualized sport, the team still has a strong bond. “We work together [well].

We’re really friendly to each other and we help each other out during competitions,” freshman Teddy McDonough said. He also feels confident that the team will continue their good performance.

“We’re one of the better teams, so hopefully we’ll win some more.”

Team Handball

Team handball had somewhat of a rocky start, losing three of the five games they have played so far this year. “A lot of us haven’t played handball before, just because it’s not a super big sport,” freshman Chloe Ciabottie said. An increase in practices and getting more familiar with the sport, however, promises some improvement. Ciabottie sees a stronger rest of the season for her team, adding “I think it’s [going to] definitely get better.”

Girls Cross Country

Girls cross country has made great strides improving as a team.

The runners often stick together during races, helping Blair to score more points. Additionally, practicing consistently throughout the season and running some easier courses in upcoming meets give senior captain Rosie Byler hope for the rest of the season. “I think we’re gonna improve from here,” Byler explained. “We’re probably gonna see a lot of personal bests [from] people.”

Boys Cross Country

Poms

Senior captain Lottie Doughty is confident and optimistic for poms’ fall season. “[The season’s] been starting out really [well]. We’re already really strong. The team is really promising, it’s really exciting,” she said. After not being able to participate in competitions last year due to the pandemic, Montgomery Blair’s poms team is eager to start putting together their new routines and competing again this winter. Doughty is especially looking forward to the team’s future. “I can see us getting even better at everything we do and working harder and putting together our routines for the rest of the football games and compositions. And I am excited to see the competitions,” she said.

Golf

Golf may be one of the smaller sports teams at Blair, but that has not stopped the players from having

The boys cross country team has had a solid season, despite some of their stronger runners being injured. The team has done a good job working together in races and trying to perform personal bests. Senior captain Indy Lyness sees his team working well together this season. “It’s very individual but I would say I’ve seen overall people have done a pretty good job working together in races and trying to outrun themselves,” he said. Lyness can also see the strong effort of his teammates all around him. “There are a lot of new people on the team and they have been working really hard. It’s been pretty solid,” he explained.

By Jon Eckert Sports Editor/Columnist AN OPINION er.

Shame on you, Adam Scheft-

ESPN’s Adam Schefter has thrived in the sports world by being the first to break the biggest stories in sports. His exclusive access to professional sports’ least accessible sources has made him one of the most recognizable names in sports journalism.

But let’s be clear, Schefter is not a journalist. Schefter is paid $1.2 million annually to cozy up to the sports’ world elites and feed their nuggets of sports news to his 8.6 million Twitter followers regardless of what unethical deal he had to cut with his sources to secure that information.

In a leaked email from July 2011, former Washington Football Team President, Bruce Allen, was invited by Schefter to edit a full story written by Schefter.

“Let me know if you see anything that should be added, changed, tweaked,” Schefter wrote. In the same email, Schefter added, “Thanks, Mr. Editor, for that and the trust.” This singular email is an indictment of Adam Schefter and his slimy TMZ-esque tactics that prioritize getting a story first at any cost.

Schefter’s flirtatious “Mr. Editor” line sounds like one he would use with all the sports elites as he assures them that he’s not like the other guys, and he’d grant them any favors they wanted if it meant he’d get a breaking news attribution.

Sending an entire story to a source before publishing and inviting them to make edits goes against almost every journalism ethics rule in the book. Schefter admitted in a statement on Twitter that he was wrong in sending the entire story to Allen. “It was a step too far and, looking back, I shouldn’t have done it,” Schefter wrote. However, in the same statement, he seemed to try to alleviate himself of wrongdoing. “In no way did I, or would I, cede editorial control or hand over final say about a story to anyone, ever,” he wrote. Maybe the “Mr. Editor” line really is just a Schefter pickup line.

Sending an entire story to a source before publishing and inviting them to make edits goes against almost every journalism ethics rule in the book.

It looks like Schefter will face no punishment from ESPN for his ethics violations. But is this really surprising? ESPN has appeased Schefter for years, turning off the electric fence that keeps

him within the bounds of ethical reporting. This seems to be largely due to how reliant ESPN’s platform is on having sports insiders that can break news before other news outlets.

The leaked Schefter-Allen emails seem to just scratch the surface of the shady deals he has cut with the sports world’s elites to ensure he gets a story. Schefter

Schefter and others like him pave the way for more journalists to use slimy tactics and grant favors to their sources in the name of having a breaking news byline.

has a history of doing favors for his buddies in the sports world. One of the most notable examples was when he did not report anything on Robert Kraft’s arrest for solicitation in a sex-trafficking case when it was the biggest news in sports. His link to Kraft goes far beyond just a source and writer relationship. The two are co-investors in a new sports betting app called Boom. How can readers trust Schefter to impartially report sports news about Kraft or the Patriots organization while they are business partners? The truth is, they can’t.

In 2013, anyone willing to pay $3,000 could watch a football game with Schefter, paying hard cash for the insider scoop on NFL news.

This would’ve proven very helpful to a sleuthing gambler looking to gain an edge. Again, this is not the behavior of a journalist but rather of an avaricious businessman looking to make a buck.

As Schefter’s wrongdoings continue to go unpunished, it ensures that impartial, ethical reporting is all but a fairy tale. Schefter and others like him pave the way for more journalists to use slimy tactics and grant favors to their sources in the name of having a breaking news byline. Instances like these reflect the absence of ethics for many of sports journalism’s biggest names.

Schefter’s backroom deals with NFL nobility and well-documented conflicts of interest don’t even attempt to create the facade of impartial reporting. The lack of accountability for Schefter symbolizes everything that is wrong with sports journalism today. Sports news outlets’ fixation on being the first to report breaking news has completely abandoned a focus on ethical sourcing and accurate reporting.

silverchips

Oct. 28, 2021 Sports F5

Up-county Funk Damascus native makes NFL dream a reality

By Jon Eckert and Sophia Stein Sports Editor & Staff Writer

Every young football player always [watches] the draft every year and they’re like, I wish that could be me.

the two hundred and thirty third pick in the 2021 NFL draft. “Being able to tell everybody, seeing all your close supporters erupt into happiness… and then really when it sunk in for me, was when I saw my name on the TV.” Since becoming a running back for the Rams, Jake Funk has moved out to Los Angeles and is enjoying this new chapter of his football journey. The Rams have had a strong season so far, and

The day that you play in the NFL, you’ll thank God that this day happened.

he has enjoyed the opportunity to build strong connections with his new team.

“You see… Aaron Donald…

Jalen Ramsey… Matthew Stafford, you see a bunch of guys who you [now] consider your teammates who you’ve grown up watching,” Jake Funk says. He details one humorous experience in particular with Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford. “I [was with] Stafford in the locker room a couple weeks ago, [and he] asked me what I was doing in 2009. [I said] ‘that was fifth, sixth grade, maybe,’ and [he said], ‘that was the year I got drafted.’”

JAKE FUNK

“That’s like a moment that you dream about as a little kid,” Jake Funk explains in an interview with Silver Chips as he remembers the day he was officially drafted to play in the National Football League (NFL). “Every young football player always [watches] the draft every year and they’re like, I wish that could be me. And when I saw my name, it didn’t matter what round it was… at the end of the day, I can always tell myself that I got drafted.”

The 23-year old running back’s success story began right here in Montgomery County. Jake Funk grew up in Damascus, where he started playing youth football with the Damascus Sports Association’s Damascus Cougars. Jake Funk’s family was a major influence in his involvement in football. “My dad played football at Penn State back in the late 70s, early 80s. So he pretty much introduced me to the game and I fell in love with it.”

Jake Funk’s father is Jim Funk, Montgomery Blair’s business administrator. “[Jake] started [playing] when he was five and just… loved the game from day one,” Jim Funk remembers. “I think truthfully, that’s probably why he’s so successful and has been able to handle setbacks... because he truly loves playing the game.”

Jim Funk coached Jake Funk in football up until high school, bringing some of the wisdom he learned while playing at Penn State under famed coach Joe Paterno. “Having played at Penn State for Paterno, he would tell us ‘you should be able to walk up to the line of scrimmage... and point… and say we’re running the ball right there. And it doesn’t matter that [they] know, because we’re going to do it and be successful doing it.’”

The guiding principles of the Funk family ultimately pushed Jake Funk to the elite level he plays at today. Jim Funk and his wife, A’Lisa, taught their sons to enjoy sports while emphasizing the value of commitment. “Go out, have fun, develop a love for something, commit to something,” Jim Funk told Jake Funk and his brothers. “The only rule [is] once you start, you’re not going to stop.”

Jake Funk appreciates the wisdom and work ethic that his father instilled in him. “He’d never let me get complacent, even as a kid,” he recalls. “If I [missed] a tackle, I missed a block, or that kind of stuff [he’d] always try to find something within my game to make me better.”

Damascus provided an environment for Jake Funk to grow and prosper as a football player. “The community there really supports the football program, and that’s

something that you don’t really see a lot in the state of Maryland,” he explains. “It gives you a small town, Texas vibe, where you have mom and pop shops within the town that shut down on Friday nights to go to the games.” He says he will treasure the support of his hometown forever. “Playing at Damascus was an experience like no other,” he recalls. “Really, it just helped me become the football player... I am today.”

During his high school career, Jake Funk realized just how big he could make it, so he set his sights on college football. “I had a great junior year and then I started getting some college scholarship of-

ship spot. “He [said], ‘We want you but we can’t get Edsall to make an offer. We pound on him every day to give you an offer, and we’re not going to stop.’” Eventually, Edsall was fired and Locksley took over as the Interim Head Coach. Jake Funk finally got the opportunity he had been waiting for. On his second day as Interim Head Coach, Jake Funk became Locksley’s first scholarship offer.

During his time at the University of Maryland, Jake Funk tore his ACL twice. These injuries sidelined him for a months of his college career, but proved to be a valuable time for growth.

The second time he tore his ACL, Jake Funk was hospitalized for an infection in his knee. He describes the unwavering support he received from his father as he went through treatment. “I remember being in the hospital bed... and my dad was in there,” Jake Funk recalls. “He said, ‘The day that you play in the NFL, you’ll thank God that this day happened.’”

After working for months to overcome his injuries, Jake Funk reemerged strong, earning his spot as the starting running back on the team. He had a very successful few years after his return, accounting for a total of over 2,000 all-purpose-yards and 23 touchdowns.

During this time, he says his relationship with Locksley grew stronger. “He was somebody that just believed in me,” Jake Funk explains. “Even when I was coming out of high school, [as a] low rank recruit, and then [when I was

JIM FUNK

COURTESY OF JAKE FUNK

not come without challenges. His initial goal was to follow in his father’s footsteps and play for Penn State. “That was my big dream, just to [be] like my dad,” he says.

Jake Funk was ranked as a three-star recruit coming out of high school, which led him to receive very few scholarship offers from power-five-conference teams.

“I was [a] really low rated recruit, and my dad was able to connect to me on a different level because he played college football. He went through the whole recruiting process himself, [so] he understood what I was going through… he’s just become one of my biggest supporters and biggest cheerleaders.”

Jim Funk remembers his son’s struggle to prove his talent to coaches and recruiters. “He put up some crazy numbers and he went through a lot in the recruiting process, convincing people that he was what the numbers said he was,” Jim Funk explains. “He sat in front of a ton of people that said, ‘I can’t take a chance on you.’”

There were not many college coaches that realized Jake Funk’s potential as a running back until Mike Locksley. The current University of Maryland Head Football Coach, who was the Offensive Coordinator during Jake’s recruitment process, was among the first to show unwavering interest in him.

Locksley was intent on extending a scholarship offer to Jake Funk; however, Randy Edsall, the then Head Coach, was hesitant.

Jim Funk remembers Locksley’s persistence in offering a scholar-

fers after that year. [I realized] I can take this… to pay for my education... [and] be able to live out childhood dreams.”

Jake Funk’s senior season showcased his talent as a running back. During the fall of 2015, he set Maryland state records that still stand today, scoring 57 touchdowns and a total of 346 points for the Damascus Hornets in 2015.

He also holds the third place record for the most rushing yards in a single season, running 2,866 yards in 2015. Jake Funk was awarded the title of 2015 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year for football and was The Washington Post’s 2015 All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year.

Despite his massive success as a high school athlete, Jake Funk’s college recruitment process did

COURTESY OF JAKE FUNK

RAMMING THROUGH THE DEFENSE Jake Funk runs for a six-yard gain in a week 3 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

COURTESY OF JIM FUNK

a] college kid who just came off the second ACL tear, [he] gave [me] a shot. So my relationship with him is something that I’ll cherish forever just because without his belief, I don’t think I would be in the position I am today.”

Following the 2021 college football season, Jake Funk entered the 2021 NFL draft. He did not expect to be drafted very early, but thought he had a good chance in the later rounds. Jake Funk hosted a draft party with close friends and family in Damascus, where everyone waited anxiously to see if his childhood dreams would become a reality.

“That was the longest weekend of my life,” he recalls.

After hours of suspense, Jake Funk got the call he had been dreaming of all his life from the general manager of the Los Angeles Rams. He learned he would be

The grim reality of a professional sports career is that players are constantly at risk of injury.

Unfortunately, Jake Funk tore a hamstring tendon in a game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 17 and will be in recovery for the next several weeks. Despite this disappointment, he hopes to come back stronger than ever. There is a chance he’ll be able to return to action this season.

As his new reality sinks in, Jake Funk says he is beyond blessed to have realized his lifelong goal. Jim Funk remembers a recent phone call with his son in which Jake Funk continued to express awe and appreciation for his opportunity. “[He said,] ‘I can’t believe that I’m getting to do what I love, and getting paid to do it.’ And for him, it was just [his] life’s dream.”

silverchips

F6 Sports Oct. 28, 2021

Blazers battle to varsity victories

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As the fall sports season comes to an end, Blair sports teams celebrate their seasons, enjoying their time on the field.

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