October 2022 — Silver Chips Print

Teacher

By Teddy Curtin Staff Writer

Construction on Sesame Street

By Kyla Smith Staff Writer

On

the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) and MCPS agreed to pro

their

teach in

in order

103 special education vacan cies across

Since the late 1960s, “Sesame Street” has been preparing chil dren for school by teaching them their numbers, shapes, and ABCs, as well as introducing them to se rious topics such as homelessness, vaccines, and race. However, the show’s exclusive partnership with HBO Max and the streaming ser vice’s removal of older episodes has made the show’s valuable les sons increasingly difficult to access.

nel, and Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit company that produc es Sesame Street, made a deal in 2015 for the workshop to produce and run new 30-minute episodes of Sesame Street on HBO. These episodes would air every week un til a season, usually around 35 epi sodes, concluded. PBS, the public ly funded television channel where Sesame Street was first broadcast, would only be permitted to air new episodes nine months after their release on HBO.

county.

and MCPS also offered a quarterly in centive that gives special educators

to take on one to three addi tional students, $675 for three to six additional students, and $1,000 dollars for six or more additional students.

The $5,000 incentive, as well as the bonuses for additional students, would be paid in two installments in October and February. The deadline for teachers to request transfer to receive these incentives was Aug. 26, and only teachers with a dual certification in special educa tion and a generalized subject who were not already teaching in special education were eligible.

HBO, a premium cable chan

This deal came as a result of children’s increased use of stream ing services, as well as the need to

sustain Sesame Workshop finan cially. The workshop funds 87% of “Sesame Street” and, prior to the deal, its revenue came most ly from sales of licensed materials like DVDs, which have fallen in re cent years. In a more re cent 2019 part nership, HBO Max, the stream ing service, ac quired the rights to stream previ

ous seasons of “Sesame Street,” which included the “classic ep isodes” of seasons one through 39. The deal also stipulated the production of five new 35-episode seasons that would air on HBO Max and required that all future Sesame Street con tent, including annual specials and new series, would air first on HBO Max and then later on PBS. This agreement has not come without criticism. In 2019, the Parent Television Council (PTC) issued a...

CHATTOPADHYAY

Achieving equal pay

By Eliza Warren Staff Writer

PHOTO BY HENRY REICHLE

On Sept. 6, the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT), along with the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team (USMNT), officially signed a collective bargaining agree ment that guarantees equal pay for both teams, in front of representa tives from Congress. The USWNT sealed the historic deal at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. follow ing a friendly match with Nigeria.

CULTURE

The agreement was first an nounced as part of a settlement between USWNT and the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) in Feb ruary. It included a guarantee for social and financial equality from USSF and required that both U.S. soccer teams split their World Cup winnings evenly, marking the first time USSF will pool together and divide the prize money in its 109year history.

the bases

PHOTO BY MARGOT BUEHLER

RAINBOW WALKWAY Community allies make a rainbow walkway for families attending a Drag Queen Story Hour on Oct. 15. This demonstration of support comes in response to a Proud Boys protest of a Drag Queen Story Hour event at Brookside Gardens on Oct. 8.

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Winner of the 2015 National Scho lastic Press Association Pacemaker, the 2019 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Medal, and the 2021 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Crown

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

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Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Editorials signed by the Editorial Board represent the views of the Editors-in-Chief, Managing Opinions Editors, and Ombudsman and are not necessarily those of the school or of all Silver Chips members. Letters to the editors are encouraged; submit them to silver.chips.print@gmail.com. Letters may be edited for space and clarity.

Blair expands student support system

By Nora Pierce and Kyla Smith Staff Writers

MCPS made several additions to its support staff for the 2022–2023 school year aimed at ad dressing student social-emotional and mental health. In April, the Community Engagement Officer (CEO) 2.0 Model went into effect, amending the 2021–2022 CEO Model, which replaced the pre vious Student Resource Officer (SRO) Model. Targeting students’ mental well-being, the county has also assigned social workers and constructed new wellness centers in every high school.

Community Engagement Officers

MCPS began the process of removing SROs in the summer of 2020 in response to conversations about police, school safety, and the mental health of students. The county subsequently introduced the CEO program for the 2021–2022 school year and released the updated CEO 2.0 model, effective

Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) to students.

Under the 2021–2022 CEO Model, officers were not stationed or present on any MCPS campus and did not have direct contact with principals. Principals had to contact 311, Montgomery Coun ty’s non-emergency number for government information and ser vices, or 911 in the case of emer gencies. CEOs under the previous model also did not respond to in-school disciplinary matters, but did take the lead in investigating critical incidents around school campuses such as sexual assault, robbery, and hate/bias events.

CEOs have a more active role in schools with the CEO 2.0 model. The program gives police officers designated offices in high schools, though they are not permanently located at one particular school. CEOs are assigned to a cluster of schools, including elementary and middle schools—while Officer C. Marbley, Blair’s CEO, responds to multiple other schools, includ ing Paint Branch and Springbrook, she checks in at Blair every day. “Although I am stationed at Blair,

Social Workers

MCPS created 33 new social worker positions for the 2022–2023 school year. One social worker is assigned to each high school, and six are assigned to MCPS central office to support elementary and middle schools. Additionally, there are eight social work interns stationed at schools across the county.

After MCPS ended the SRO program in August 2021, Super intendent Dr. Monifa McKnight planned to hire 50 social workers. As of February, only seven had been recruited amid a school staff shortage that included both teach ers and social workers. However, MCPS was able to fill all school social worker positions for this school year.

Blair’s social worker is Emily Callaghan. A Blair alumna, this is her fifth year as a social worker for MCPS. She meets with students to address mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and trauma that may hinder their performance at school.

mental and physical health care and serve as spaces for wellness activities such as meditation, thera py sessions, and group counseling before this school year. New well ness centers, including Blair’s, are smaller than existing ones, but are expected to expand over the next decade.

Visiting the center requires a re ferral from a staff member, coun selor, or social worker. According to MCPS’ “Social Work Flyer” linked in the September Wellness Newsletter from MCPS’ Office of Well-Being, “Once a concern is shared with a staff member, school social workers will collaborate with the School Well-Being Team to determine the appropriateness of the student for social work ser

April 4. This came after concerns of school safety arose following multiple violent events, including the charging of a Blair student with attempted second-degree murder after they allegedly stabbed anoth er student in the school parking lot in November 2021, the shoot ing of a student at Colonel Zadok Magruder in January, and a fight during a boys’ basketball game between James Hubert Blake and Winston Churchill in February.

Some have welcomed the in creased police involvement in schools. “As a school principal, these new guidelines are the right balance for us… This connection in our schools will be something students and staff will see and we will derive a greater sense of secu rity because of it,” Colonel Zadok Magruder Principal Leroy Evans told MCPS’ news source for staff The Bulletin.

When the SRO program was in place, officers were stationed at high schools full-time and assisted school staff as liaisons for school and police-related concerns and incidents. These critical incidents included death, sexual assault, and possession of a firearm or other dangerous weapons. SROs had di rect lines of communication with principals and other administra tors, and served as points of con tact to conduct law enforcement programs such as Drug Abuse

I do also respond to all the other schools within the third district—so that would include Paint Branch, Springbrook, and elementary and middle schools,” Marbley said in an interview with Silver Chips.

Like SROs, CEOs under the CEO 2.0 program have direct communication with school offi cials. “If there are any incidents where I am needed, the school will call, and I will come in and handle those as necessary,” Marbley said. This also allows CEOs to conduct law enforcement programs includ ing D.A.R.E., crime prevention, and gang awareness.

If there are any incidents where I am needed, the school will call, and I will come in and handle those as necessary.

In addition to helping ensure student safety, Marbley aims to in teract with students. “I am always here, and if students want to get to know me or have a question for me, they can come to the security office and request me, and I will be here,” she said.

By adding social workers to schools, MCPS aims to improve students’ studies by supporting their mental health. “We want stu dents to do well academically, but first, we want to address what is going on [emotionally] so that they can be ready to learn,” Callaghan said.

In April, the County Council allocated $8 million to provide ser vices for students in response to a rise in mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teen mental health declined during the pandemic for a variety of reasons, including family economic situa tions and social isolation. “During COVID, [school systems] no ticed a lot of emotional distress, students presenting with anxiety, symptoms of depression, [and] the low motivation to complete work,” Callaghan said. The coun cil directed $2 million toward the establishment of interim wellness centers in all MCPS high schools, with permanent wellness facilities scheduled for construction over a five-year period.

On Sept. 8, the Board of Ed ucation included Blair in a list of 10 priority schools that are in the process of establishing wellness centers to expand mental health and case management services.

Six schools—Northwood, Gaith ersburg, Watkins Mill, Wheaton, Seneca Valley, and Kennedy—in stalled wellness centers that offer

I think that in the future, especially if we are trying to address a lot of emotional needs, it would be great to have a bigger pool of people helping out.

vices.”

Students can visit Blair’s well ness center, the “Bridge to Well ness” area, which is located across from the counseling office. The “Bridge to Wellness” team in cludes care managers who provide support to students and families and connect them to outside re sources, as well as mental health specialists, youth development specialists, and the School Out reach Network. The School Out reach Network is a renaming of the Street Outreach Network, which targets high-risk youth and youth gangs “through the devel opment of positive relationships between youth/community stake holders and the outreach work ers,” according to MCPS.

Despite these many new initia tives, Callaghan believes that more can be done to improve students’ well-being, especially in a school as big as Blair. “I am happy to be here at Blair, so there [are] no complaints from me,” she said. “But I think that in the future, es pecially if we are trying to address a lot of emotional needs, it would be great to have a bigger pool of people helping out.”

EMILY CALLAGHAN Blair alumna and new MCPS school social worker.

C. MARBLEY MCPS Community Engagement Officer.

PHOTOS BY RAFFI CHARKOUDIAN-ROGERS

By Ava Bedaque News Columnist/ Senior Writer

The pandemic saw a sharp rise in upset parents involving them selves in educational politics, both in Montgomery County and na tionwide. Now, one of those par ents, Esther Wells, will be on the ballot on Nov. 8 for District 1’s BOE seat.

Wells is the mother of two chil dren: a four-year-old and a nineyear-old with special needs who attends an MCPS school. Before the pandemic, Wells said she had confidence in the county school system. “In all my years of interact ing with MCPS… it’s been all pos itive experiences,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips.

did my part of reaching out to the Special Populations [Committee], and to my board member, and to MCPS, and to no avail,” Wells said. “All of those things culminat ed into me just being like… I’m a mom first, I need to step up and help my son [by running].”

Wells first garnered attention during the primary election sea son for her participation in the “A New Dawn” slate alongside Dawn Iannaco-Hahn (District 5) and Mi chael Fryar (At-Large), two other BOE candidates. The three want ed to support students with unique needs and help county public schools recover from the pandem ic. “It boiled down to: we all have children in MCPS. We care deeply about [the] special population of students,” Wells said. “We want to see the schools remain open.”

tem Audit, a survey of students, parents, and staff which began last spring and concluded on Oct. 11 to assess the prevalence of insti tutional racism in schools. UARE member Amy Waychoff believes the audit promotes racial division as part of the growing and inappro priate presence of identity politics in schools. “[UARE] got together to discuss the antiracist audit… and the politics that was in the curric ulum,” she said. “It seems like MCPS wants to be ultra-focused on examining every individual stu dent’s racial identities.”

Waychoff told Silver Chips via text message that UARE did not endorse Wells for the general elec tion, at Wells’ request.

According to Waychoff, UARE supports candidates they believe will stop racial politics from being taught. “We would like to see people get elected to the school board who would not be pushing this antiracist audit and that would return the priorities of the school system to teaching the three R’s: [reading, writing, and arithmetic],” she said.

In an April interview with local radio host Larry O’Connor, Wells agreed that racial politics are too prevalent in education. “I do not appreciate how much visibility and conversation that is going on about Black versus white versus brown,” she said. “Get back to teaching my children one plus one.”

confirmed what MCPS (and many in our community) already knows,” she wrote. “The real work and measure of success will be in the ‘action plan’ of the antiracist audit.”

Wells’ opponent for the gener al election is former MCPS parent Grace Rivera-Oven. Rivera-Oven takes no issue with MCPS’ anti racist initiatives. “[Does UARE] realize that Montgomery County Public Schools is one of the most diverse school systems in the coun try?” she told Silver Chips in an interview. “I would think that you would want a community where everybody is tolerant of each other and respectful of each other. And this even goes beyond culture—also towards sexual orientation.”

Another source of controversy has been Wells’ membership on the Interdenominational Church

of God’s Board of Trustees. The church’s website states that it does not recognize same-sex marriage and “opposes all forms of sexual immorality, including… homosex uality.”

Wells said that her religious affiliation would not affect her political decisions, but would not comment on whether she would propose changes to MCPS poli cies regarding LGBTQ students.

“My personal views, I would say, [are] my personal views. But on the Board… my plans and my views will be rooted in the policies that are established by the Board to ensure that all students, all com munity members, [and] all staff feel welcome and safe,” Wells said. “I think, for me, it would be selfish to say what I would do today.”

ESTHER WELLS

However, after her older son struggled with virtual learning during the pandemic, Wells was frustrated with what she perceived as a lack of support from MCPS. “I

Wells was the only candidate from the slate who received enough votes in their primary to move on to the general election.

However, Wells’ campaign has also been involved in controversy regarding some of her political affil iations and beliefs. During the pri mary elections, Wells and the rest of her slate were endorsed by Unit ed Against Racism in Education (UARE), a Montgomery County anti-critical race theory group.

UARE formed largely in op position to MCPS’ Antiracist Sys

However, Wells told Silver Chips she does not necessarily op pose all of MCPS’ antiracist initia tives. “We need to ensure that as we are finding these data and these studies… We are putting a high lev el of urgency on addressing [racist practices] and getting to the root of it as quickly as possible,” she said.

In a follow-up email to Silver Chips, Wells stated that although the information from the audit was already known, the resulting action plan by MCPS could be useful. “Thus far, the antiracist audit has not provided new information, but

County introduces special education incentives

In an interview with Bethes da Magazine published Aug. 19, MCPS Director of the Department of Communications Chris Cram stated that there are 2,854 dual-cer tified teachers employed by the district who do not teach in special education. These incentives aim to encourage educators who may have switched out of special education to return to their special education roles.

The staffing shortage in special education has left some schools struggling to meet the accommo dations of students who require one-on-one support with a special educator. “Teachers are telling me that they’re having difficulty pro viding special education services as required because there simply isn’t enough staffing,” MCEA President Jennifer Martin said in an interview with Silver Chips. “[There is a stu dent with Down syndrome whose] accommodation is for one-on-one support, and the teacher learned this week that the paraeducator

The incentives did not go far

who had been supporting that stu dent is being pulled to do other work, leaving that student without that one-on-one support,” she con tinued.

According to Martin, only one educator has returned to special education because of the incentives thus far.

MCEA previously requested extra support for special educa tors working overtime and taking on extra paperwork and cases in 2019. “We’ve had proposals in the past to compensate people either with time or with money for the extra duties that special educators have in terms of pa perwork requirements [and] to deal with excess caseloads,”

Martin said.

Although MCEA supported the new incentives given to special educators by MCPS, its members believed that the county could have gone further in supporting special education. “We wanted more. For the union, the incentives did not go far enough in sup porting the special education teachers nor [in] addressing the specific needs of schools that needed more special education support,” MCEA At-Large Di rector and Blair science teacher Leslie Blaha said in an interview with Silver Chips.

Under current MCPS policy, special educators are given educa tor-to-student, or “caseload,” ratios

based on different types of student needs. According to the Memo randum of Agreement released by MCEA that announced the new special education incentives on Aug. 24, caseloads for special ed ucators working with students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing is one to eight, while the caseload is one to six for educators working with students who have autism and one to 20 for educators working with students who have more general ized learning disabilities, such as speech language impairments or ADHD.

According to Lisa Moran, a former special educator and cur rent Blair English teacher who worked in special education until last year, caseloads often exceed the recommended ratios despite county guidelines. She claims that her caseload increased due to spe cial educator vacancies after the pandemic, and said that many ed ucators found themselves handling other teachers’ entire caseloads on top of their own.

“Sometimes [my caseload] was as high as 24… and sometimes more because we [had] to cover [other teachers’ classes],” she said. “So if somebody went out on maternity leave or something like that, you have to… split the case.”

Moran left special education because she felt she was working as a teacher while taking on the extra responsibilities of a case man ager without being compensated, recognized, or evaluated for the additional duties she was fulfilling.

“There is no stipend or extra time to do [the job of a case manager],” Moran said. “My

performance in that half of the job is only marginally covered in my evaluations,”

In addition to her work as a teach er, Moran claimed she checked up on each student and their parents, teachers, and performance in each of their classes weekly. “There is a lot of paperwork and meetings that go into case management. There is also the week-to-week: tracking the performance of your students, com municating with parents, communi cating with teachers, [and] running interventions,” Moran said.

According to ESOL teacher and elected MCEA faculty representa tive Jody Gil, many special educa tors cite paperwork as a reason for leaving the field, as they view it as extraneous and not part of the role they signed up for.

JODY GIL

“The paperwork alone—that is a full time job,” she said in an inter view with Silver Chips. “[Teachers] did not get into special education because they love paperwork.”

Moran is a similar case to many special education teachers with dual certification. For her, $5,000 was not a large enough sum of money to bring her back to special education. “They would have to triple that for me to come back,” she said.

COURTESY OF ESTHER WELLS

I do not appreciate how much visibility and conversation that is going on about Black versus white versus brown.

ESTHER WELLS Candidate for Montgomery County Board of Educa tion District 1.

SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS make up 12.2 percent of students in MCPS.

TEDDY CURTIN

The paperwork alone—that is a full time job.

Della Baer

Writer

Montgomery County Planning Board resigns

On Oct. 12, the Montgomery County Council announced the resignation of all five Montgomery County Planning Board members. The members were involved in a series of recent controversies, including the removal of Board Chair Casey Anderson for workplace alcohol use and a report published by the board detailing allegations of ethics law violations against former Board Vice Chairman Partap Verma before the members resigned.

According to County Council President Gabe Albornoz in an official statement, the council confirmed the resignations in an effort to resume the board’s work “The Montgomery County Council is united in taking the steps necessary to ensure that the Montgomery County Planning Board can serve its critical functions,” Albornoz wrote. “The council has lost confidence in the Montgomery County Planning Board and accepted these resignations to reset operations.”

Football fight sparks new sporting event restrictions

MCPS announced new restrictions for high school sporting events on Sept. 21 following a fight involving players, coaches, and police at a Northwest-Gaithersburg football game on Sept. 16.

The restrictions include a ban on backpacks, ID checks or verifications of student class schedules, a ban on reentries during games, and mandatory adult chaperones for students not from the participating schools. In the official statement, MCPS asked spectators to be patient during extended admission times due to the new restrictions, and stated that additional security measures will be implemented if there are further issues at games. The new restrictions caused disapproval among students, who took to social media to voice their opinions.

Antiracist System Audit results released

After a two-year-long investigation process, MCPS and the MidAtlantic Equity Consortium (MAEC) presented the results of MCPS’ Antiracist System Audit to the BOE on Oct. 11, revealing inequities for students and families of color.

The audit was conducted to determine how MCPS can promote equity and access among students of color. “The intent of the audit was to identify ways to increase access, opportunities, and equitable outcomes for every student’s academic and social-emotional wellbeing,” the audit’s final report stated.

To determine how MCPS policies and practices affect minority students, the audit utilized five data collection methods: document reviews, stakeholder surveys, focus groups and interviews, community conversations, and the distribution of an Equity Audit Tool designed by the MAEC and distributed to school internal leadership teams and central offices across the county.

At the BOE presentation, MAEC members and audit investigators presented their findings that implementation of countywide policies that promote racial equity is fragmented. The audit also identified that students, families, and staff of color reported disproportionately lower satisfaction with MCPS school culture than white students. The presentation concluded that MCPS must enact a clear system-wide approach towards antiracism. The county is expected to release its next steps for action in January.

Educators rally for better treatment

By Dyan Nguyen Staff Writer

On Oct. 18, after months of stalled negotiations with the Board of Education (BOE), members of the Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA) rallied outside of the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville ahead of the annual meeting between the MCEA and the BOE.

Dozens of MCEA members assembled for the #RedForEd rally around 5 p.m. Teachers, social workers, and other educators participated in the demonstration by marching and chanting slogans such as “Truth through transparency,” and “Educators deserve stability just as much as students do.” Additionally, several members gave speeches sharing their thoughts and anecdotes about instances in which they felt the BOE and MCPS failed to support them.

The union organized the rally to voice its demands for transparency and open bargaining from MCPS.

“One of the things that this rally hopes to accomplish is to force MCPS and the Board of Education to respond to teachers’ needs for having open and transparent negotiations so that negotiations can take place to serve the teachers and the students’ needs in the system,” BOE District 5 candidate and recently retired MCPS teacher

Valerie Coll said in an interview with Silver Chips.

MCEA leadership advocated for MCPS to be more open with the entire union, not just union representatives who speak directly with MCPS during negotiations. “What we haven’t gotten to is full agreement as to how many of these meetings should be open to observers from our membership,” MCEA President Jennifer Martin said in an interview with Silver Chips. “MCPS is missing an opportunity here. They are saying that a priority is to improve trust, to improve communications, [and] to improve transparency, and [the MCEA is] giving them that opportunity through negotiations.”

MCEA Vice President Nikki Woodward was one of the speakers at the rally, and believed that MCPS employees are not treated with the respect they deserve. “We have seen, in recent years, a further deterioration in the respect and dignity afforded to MCPS employees by the superintendent and central office administrators,” she said during her speech at the rally.

Woodward also highlighted the potential impact on students if insensitivity and unfavorable working conditions for educators continue. “The results are more students being crammed into classrooms, less programs for our students, less educational support for our ESOL and our special education students…, [and]

less one-on-one time [that] educators, specialists, [and] counselors can provide to students,” she continued.

Martin voiced concerns regarding the future of public education in the county if MCPS does not address the union’s requests. “In the longer term, if we aren’t able to resolve these issues [and] achieve a good contract, my concern is that we are crushing our hope. For a future generation of public educators to come into the system, we need to make this an attractive profession,” she said. “We need to show that respect for the profession and really by extension that is showing respect for our students.”

After the rally, protesters moved into the building for the annual board meeting at around 5:45 p.m. Union negotiators brought up demands for smaller classes, classroom aides, increased sick leave days, higher compensation, lower health insurance costs, and transparent negotiations during the session.

The union also accused the school district of stalling and refusing to negotiate transparently within view of the public. MCEA Secretary Danillya Wilson stated that after weeks of stalled negotiations, the MCEA filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charge against MCPS. “We’ve been negotiating since June on ground rules for our negotiations… We’ve given MCPS over 20 dates of times we’d like to meet. Each of those has been ignored,” she said in an interview

with Silver Chips. “They’re pushing negotiations off for no reason and we [want to] get forward, we [want to] start building this contract.”

The Federal Service Labor-Man agement Relations Statute is a federal law that establishes collective bargain ing rights for many federal government employees. The statute preserves the rights of federal employees to form labor unions, engage in collective bar gaining, and participate in labor orga nizations. ULP charges allow govern ment workers to report behavior by organizations or unions that violates the rights that the statute protects.

In response to the ULP charge against MCPS, Superintendent Moni fa McKnight stated that she hopes to reach a compromise with MCEA. “We’re [going to] continue to build a relationship with [MCEA] by ask ing them to try to meet us halfway… so that we can most importantly move forward and do what we need to do for our staff,” she said in an interview with Silver Chips after the board meeting.

On Oct. 20, Martin and MCEA Executive Director and Chief Negotia tor Heather Carroll-Fisher informed the union that MCPS filed a ULP against MCEA. “Today, MCPS filed a ULP against us for a ‘failure to bar gain in good faith,’” Martin and CarollFisher wrote. “We believe this to be yet another stalling tactic employed by MCPS, as well as a baseless charge.”

Away all day

By Amen Lemiesa and Sophie Yohannan Staff Writers

Over the summer, MCPS drafted stricter guidelines regarding the use of personal mobile devices (PMDs) for the 2022–2023 school year aimed at reducing student distractions in the classroom. The Board of Education (BOE) approved these guidelines in May, and released revised rules and procedures regarding PMDs on school property and at MCPSsponsored activities. These regulations were implemented in each school per the principal’s discretion—

Principal Renay Johnson did not opt to enforce this policy at Blair.

The newly updated Montgomery County’s Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook details the stricter rules, stipulating that students are permitted to turn on or use a PMD only if the device is providing accommodation to a student with special needs or learning differences, or when students are riding to or from school or a school activity. The handbook also allows students to use PMDs before and after the school day, and during lunch only if students are in high school. Devices subject to these new rules include mobile phones, e-readers, tablets, personal computers, smartwatches, and headphones.

Despite acknowledging the prevalence of in-class phone use at Blair, Principal Johnson chose not to

Blair opts out of new county phone policy

implement the new policy because she feels it is too extreme and sees value in entrusting students to handle themselves responsibly. “Our job is to mold [capable] young adults by the time they exit [Blair], and I think all too often we say, ‘you cannot do this, you cannot wear that, you cannot do that,’” she said. “We need to share with students that we are going to trust them.”

Johnson also mentioned that the policy may not properly suit every

although students now seem to be more focused in class, the rules go too far. “A lot of people like [to listen to music while working], and they just don’t allow that anymore,” she said. Reynaldo also felt that the policy is enforced too harshly. “Teachers are really passive aggressive when it comes to telling students to put their phones away,” she continued.

Unlike B-CC and other schools implementing the new PMDs policy, student devices remain a common sight in Blair’s classrooms, and teachers often struggle to keep students off their phones. “[Teachers do] not feel empowered to deal with the phones, so students put them away and take them right back out,” Blair junior Henry Viechnicki said.

With students freely using their phones in class and teachers struggling to regulate the issue, classroom engagement has been a chief priority for the BOE, and the upcoming school year called for the need to identify and address factors inhibiting students’ learning. MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight explained that phones are regarded as one of these factors.

the middle and high school level. Many reported improvements in academic achievement and student well-being, highlighting that students were “happier, less stressed and more focused” as a result of restrictions on phone use and increased face-to-face interactions with peers and teachers.

RENAY JOHNSON

MCPS is not the only school system in the area to introduce a new cell phone policy this year.

In August, Fairfax County Public Schools declared in its Student Rights and Responsibilities document that phones must be silenced and put away during all instructional periods.

“When a system makes a blanket policy, they should give us guidelines, and at the high school level, every school needs to implement [policies] based on their population,” she continued.

One high school that has the new phone restrictions in place is Bethesda-Chevy Chase. B-CC junior Caitlin Reynaldo explained that

“The importance of removing cell phones and other devices that distract from the teacher and learning cannot be overstated,” she said in an interview with MCPS’ news source for staff “The Bulletin.” McKnight also stressed that “updated guidance for cell phone and PMD use is important to advance our district’s priority of focusing on equitable teaching and learning” in an interview with Montgomery Community Media.

A study conducted by Common Sense Media further showcased the benefits that schools worldwide have seen after banning phones at

Although there has recently been a local phone ban uptick, the barring of cell phones in school is nothing new. A study conducted by Seattle Children’s Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development researcher Pooja S. Tandon found that 91 percent of high schools surveyed across the U.S. had a cell phone policy, and 75 percent of these schools prohibited the use of phones during class time in 2020.

MCPS will evaluate the effectiveness of its new phone policy through surveys for principals at the end of the first marking period this year and surveys for students and staff at the end of the second marking period. At the end of this academic year, MCPS will review the results of the policy to determine whether or not the county should make adjustments going forward.

We need to share with students that we are going to trust them.

SHOWING SUPPORT MCEA members rally before their annual meeting with MCPS leadership.

PHOTOS BY ANAGHA BHUVANAGIRI

The race for District 4 Riley and Stewart set to face off in November

By Cate Sauri Staff Writer

On Nov. 8, Marylanders will vote to elect politicians across the state. Republican Cheryl Riley and Democrat Kate Stewart will appear on the ballot under the County Council’s new fourth dis trict, which was established during Montgomery County’s 2020 re districting after residents voted to add two seats and districts to the County Council.

sees as significant. “The County Council actually has so much power. I never really realized that, and to this day, people don’t really understand how much power they have,” Riley said.

One priority for Riley is to en sure safety and eliminate crime in the district. She feels that Mont gomery County’s current level of criminal activity has been increas ingly problematic. “The crime has skyrocketed. I didn’t grow up in a county like this,” she said. “The

Riley also wants the county to address the pandem ic’s impact on local businesses. “Something needs to be done to help restore some of the small businesses that were affected,” she said. “We were seeing businesses that have been in our county for decades who were decimated by [the pandemic].”

Kate Stewart (D)

Kate Stewart has been the mayor of Takoma Park since 2015 and is the Democratic can didate for District 4. Stewart is a platinum-tier Silver Chips patron. Her experience engaging with the county as Takoma Park mayor in spired Stewart to run for County Council. She noticed that her city faces similar challenges to those addressed at the county level. “My experience here in Takoma Park— working on a range of issues like housing affordability [and] racial equity—[is what sets me apart],” Stewart said in an interview with Silver Chips. “I really [want] to bring the experience I have here in Takoma Park to work for the residents of Montgomery Coun ty.”

According to the Maryland Board of Elections, Stewart won with 42.83 percent of the vote dur ing the primary election.

Stewart observed different ap proaches to use when engaging with the community through her experience as Takoma Park’s mayor. “[I learned] the impor tance of collaboration and work ing with people who are most im pacted or face the greatest barriers to programs and services we have in the county,” she said.

living situations exposed them to COVID-19. She believes that the County Council should have shared more safety guidance with residents in apartments at the be ginning of the pandemic. “Infor mation really was not forthcoming until a lot of us really pressured the county to put out more in formation, specifically for people who lived in multifamily build ings,” she said.

KATE STEWART

As for the affordability of housing in Montgomery County, Stewart’s priorities are rent sta bilization, helping residents own property, and fixing inequalities with generational wealth—issues she has already started to address as mayor. “One of the things I have done in Takoma Park is put in place a downpayment as sistance program, where we help people with up to $10,000 to af ford the downpayment on their home,” she said. “That big chunk of money you have to put down on a house… is the barrier to people being able to afford it.”

Cheryl Riley (R)

Cheryl Riley is the Republican District 4 candidate and a public relations professional. She has never held or run for public of fice before this race, which she believes benefits her candidacy.

“I think [it] is an advantage. And I only say that because we look at everyone that … [has] thrown their hat in the ring in this… and many of the incumbents in the council are now running for council seats at large,” Riley said in an interview with Silver Chips. “To me, if you or I work in any business, and we don’t produce results for eight years, ten years, [or] 12 years, you shouldn’t be in that position any longer.”

Riley also feels that her back ground in public relations will be helpful as a council member be cause it taught her how to think in the moment. “I don’t think there could be a more perfect fit,” Ri ley said. “I’ve been woken up at two, three, [or] four o’clock in the morning from a CEO with a ma jor crisis on our hands. And you have to think fast and you have to think in real time. What the County Council has been doing is ignoring real-time issues.”

According to the Maryland Board of Elections, Riley was un contested in her primary race.

Riley grew up in Montgomery County and graduated from Sen eca Valley. After attending the University of Maryland, she lived in Washington, D.C. and Virginia before moving back to German town about eight years ago.

Shortly after moving back, Ri ley began to pay more attention to politics and learned about the County Council’s role, which she

number of assaults [and] physi cal attacks on people [have] risen, carjackings [are] up I believe 120 percent.”

In an interview with Moder ately MOCO, Stewart commented that she believes Montgomery County should be most focused on addressing mental health, housing affordability and stability,

Stewart also hopes her cam paign will break down barriers fac ing other women looking to run for public office, and help make the county’s leadership reflect the diversity of its constituency. “An other reason that I first ran here

NEWS BRIEFS

Compiled by Amen Lemiesa Staff Writer

Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigns

Liz Truss resigned on Oct. 20 after serving 44 days as Britain’s prime minister amid political and economic turmoil. Truss took of fice on Sept. 6, replacing former prime minister Boris Johnson after he lost the support of the Conserva tive party and his government minis ters. Truss’ resignation followed tax cuts that were designed to combat rising inflation but instead inflated the economy, prompting investors to pull out of the financial market.

Inflation has risen to 10.1 percent as of Truss’ resignation, causing the pound to drop as low as $1.03 in late September and creating added pressure for Rishi Sunak, who was selected to be Britain’s next prime minister on Monday, Oct. 24, to end the nation’s inflationary period.

Iranian protests after Mahsa Amini’s death

Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Ira nian woman, died on Sept. 16, three days after she was arrested in Teh ran by the Iranian morality police for allegedly breaching the Islamic republic’s dress code. Her funeral the following day marked the start of a wave of protests in Iran—in response, the Iranian government killed dozens and arrested hun dreds of demonstrators. Although the state media has reported 41 deaths in relation to ensuing pro tests, ongoing coverage by Norwaybased nonprofit Iran Human Rights found that the number to be at least 215 as of Oct. 20.

Italy elects first female prime minister

Riley also emphasized her frus tration with the lack of preventa tive action when it comes to crime and drugs. “I do not want to be reactive, I want to be proactive [on drugs],” she said.

Since Riley lost her niece, who struggled with drug addiction, to a fatal overdose last year, drug abuse has been one of Riley’s central is sues. “The heroin she thought she was buying was pure fentanyl,” she said. “People don’t understand that when you’re dealing with someone that you love that has an addiction, it really does affect you.”

Riley believes that she can rep resent county residents on hous ing-related issues such as afford ability and rising rent because she has lived in Montgomery County for about eight years as an adult. “I’m one of you, I’ll be a voice for the people. So here I am, afraid to be rented out and not really know ing where I can afford to live,” she said. “I think we need to educate people about renters’ rights.”

and spurring economic develop ment. “Mental health was a crisis before COVID-19 and it has only gotten worse, especially for young people, and we do not have the structures in place to address it,” she said.

When Takoma Park went into lockdown, Stewart also spoke with families living in local apart ments who were fearful that their

for the City Council in Takoma Park and [why] it was important for me to run for the Montgomery County Council was to make sure that we had women in leadership positions in our county,” she said. “I think we have a lot of work to do on making sure that we are a welcoming and inclusive commu nity.”

In an election with low voter turnout, Giorgia Meloni, founder and leader of the Brothers of Italy party, was elected to be Italy’s first female prime minister on Sept. 6. Meloni’s conservative ideology— including her criticism of the Eu ropean Union (EU) and policy on asylum seekers—contributed to the plurality of the vote she received amongst Italian voters in a race of six candidates. Though Meloni’s opponents have accused her of be ing fascist, she claims not to be a fascist leader and supports the exis tence of the EU and Ukraine’s in dependence. Meloni and her allies will hold 44 percent of the votes in the Italian Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

North Korea fires missiles and flies fighter jets near South Korean border

Amid growing regional tensions, North Korea launched five ballistic missiles throughout October and flew 12 military bombers and jets near its South Korean border. The most recent ballistic missile launch es came after a round of naval drills between the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and South Korean warships. Hours after the missile launches, South Korea answered to the North Korean jets with 30 of its own. Despite international sanc tions, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is committed to continuing weapons tests aimed at expanding his country’s nuclear arsenal.

CHERYL RILEY District 4 Republican candidate for Montgomery County Council.

COURTESY OF CHERYL RILEY

KATE STEWART District 4 Democratic candidate for Montgomery County Council.

COURTESY OF KATE STEWART

You have to think fast and you have to think in real time. What the County Council has been doing is ignoring real-time issues.

CHERYL RILEY

I really [want] to bring the experience I have here in Takoma Park to work for the residents of Montgomery County.

Blair Boulevard missing Ethiopian flag

By Mandy Guo and Eliza Warren Staff Writers

Last school year, a group of Blair students noticed that the lineup of flags on Blair Bou levard did not include an Ethiopian flag and reported their finding to Principal Renay Johnson. The administration has since stated that the flag is in the building, but as of Oct. 23, it has not yet been installed.

The lineup includes 84 flags representing 81 countries, as well as a progress pride flag representing the LGBTQ community, but lacks an Ethiopian flag. While independent ly confirming that there was no Ethiopian flag on Blair Boulevard, Silver Chips found du plicate Kenyan flags and what seemed to be two Argentinian flags.

Despite their similar appearance, Blair Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Dr. Cel ita Lewis-Davis stated, after confirming with Blair AP Human Geography teacher Mor gan Patel, that the two Argentinian-looking flags are not the same. “[Patel] goes into her room and she does research and [she says], ‘that is true, that flag is not [the Argentinian flag],’” Lewis-Davis said in an interview with Silver Chips.

According to senior Nolawi Kinfegeberial, one of the students who spoke with Johnson last year, Blair administrators did not believe the students’ claim that the Ethiopian flag was missing. “We told [administrators] that [the Ethiopian flag is] not there and… they thought that we were lying,” he said. “They got mad at us.”

Kinfegeberial was displeased with the re sponse from the administration and started an online petition to pressure school officials into installing the flag. As of Oct. 23, the pe tition had 155 signatures.

The petition explained why students be lieved it was important to ensure represen tation for the Ethiopian community. “Every day, students from a wide variety of countries are able to walk down Blair Boulevard and identify with the flag of their or their par ents’ country of origin. Yet, despite almost

10 percent of Blair students identifying as Ethiopian-American, there is no Ethiopian flag on Blair Boulevard,” the petition de scription read. Silver Chips was unable to in dependently confirm the percentage of Blair students who identify as Ethiopian-Ameri can.

Blair freshman and Ethiopian-American student Delina Berhanu agreed that the large population of Ethiopian students at Blair warrants a flag for inclusivity. “We have a very large Habesha community here so it’s important that we are all represented,” she said. “Our flag not being there is just very disappointing. It should be up there.” The Habesha are an ethnic group with roots in Ethiopia and Eritrea.

Blair freshman and Ethiopian-American student Meron Koro believed the lack of an Ethiopian flag at Blair could have a negative effect on the Ethiopian community. “[We feel] unseen and unrepresented, like [we] are not being seen as equal [to] the other cul tures,” she said.

She also expressed discomfort with what she saw as the administration’s slow re sponse to the Ethiopian community’s request for a flag. “I feel as if [Johnson] is not doing anything to show us that she cares about each culture and background,” Koro said.

Ethiopian flag]… I know if [Ethiopia] gets represented, it wouldn’t be in the manner of where it’s representing everyone in Ethiopia, but just one specific [ethnic] group,” she ex plained.

Kinfegeberial alleged that Johnson re quested that he take down the petition after it caught her attention and informed him that administration would resolve the issue . “I said ‘no,’ and [Blair biology teacher Mar ta] Woodward told me that Ms. Johnson is promising that she will put the flag [up],” he said.

Johnson was unavailable to comment on the situation due to unforeseen personal cir cumstances.

ordered... [but] there’s some kind of issue with the block that it’s on,” she said. “[The blocks] have to be created, cut, painted, and then I think MCPS has a work order to put [the flag] up.”

After learning about the look-alike Argen tinian flags, the Blair administration decided not to continue creating new flag bases and pursued a different course of action. “We’re going to replace the duplicate flag [with the Ethiopian flag],” Lewis-Davis said.

However, Blair junior and Ethiopi an-American student Hara Daniel said she was glad that the Ethiopian flag is not up be cause of ongoing ethnic tensions within Ethi opia. “There’s so many problems tied [to the

Despite the flag remaining down, Lew is-Davis verified that an Ethiopian flag is in the school’s possession, and said that an MCPS work order delay prevented the in stallation of the flag. “[The flag] was already

Lewis-Davis stated in an Oct. 18 inter view with Silver Chips that building services workers attempted to replace the look-alike Argentinian flag with the Ethiopian flag the previous week, but were unable to due to a problem with their vertical lift machine. “[Building services] actually was going to change it [last week], but the [JLG Person nel] Lift was broken,” she said.

[We feel] unseen and unrepresented, like [we] are not being seen as equal [to] the other cultures.

PHOTO BY HENRY REICHLE

Should Maryland be receiving educational funding from gambling profits?

YES

Casino profits are a necessary, thriving source of revenue for Maryland public school funding.

By Sela Colavito Staff Writer AN OPINION

NOGambling revenues are an inadequate, unstable excuse of supplemental education funding.

By Viveka Sinha Staff Writer AN OPINION

PHOTOS BY HENRY REICHLE

Behind the flashing lights, slot machines, and card tables of a casino, there’s an em pire. The gambling industry is dripping with wealth that doesn’t seem to trickle down from corporate leaders. However, the pub lic has one saving grace in this situation—the casino tax. Roughly 30 percent of the enor mous profit that these gambling establish ments turn every year goes to public schools. This money is crucial to the success of Mary land public school students—every program, initiative, and resource funded by the state would be detrimentally impacted without a portion of that casino wealth. The ethics of gambling and casinos are questionable, but similar to the cigarette tax, the government is taking advantage of a corrupt yet prosperous industry to gain funding for something ex tremely important to the future of the state.

In 2018, Maryland voters approved a law requiring casinos to give 30 percent of their revenue to the Education Trust Fund (ETF). The ETF is used to support numer ous school improvement initiatives, with the most recent being the Blueprint for Mary land’s Future. This legislation was crafted by the Kirwan Commission and is set to be im plemented over the next 10 years. The com mission’s idea is to elevate Maryland schools to a world-class level by ensuring that every student is on the right track for college.

Brit Kirwan, chairperson of the Kirwan Commission, emphasized the importance of getting every student to a “college and career ready status” by the time they leave high school. “Our goal is to go from fewer than 40 percent [of students finishing] high school college and career ready… to 80 per cent… by the end of the 10th grade,” he said in an interview with Silver Chips. To reach this target, the commission plans to update teacher preparation programs, provide free preschool to all low-income families with toddlers, and establish academic support programs in schools serving lower-income areas, Kirwan explained.

Gambling profits are critical to supporting these programs. According to Kirwan, casi no revenue makes up about 20 percent of Maryland’s entire public education budget. He spotlights the importance of this percent age and the outcome of removing gambling profits from the budget. “It would seriously impact the program. I think the goals for our plan could not be achieved,” he said. Teach ers would not receive adequate training, lower-income kids would not start school at the same level as their peers, and struggling students would not receive the tutoring they

need. Without funding, MD students’ qual ity of education and future financial stability will be determined by their economic status.

It’s reasonable to assume that because the government is receiving money from casino revenue, they’re going to open more casinos in Maryland, meaning more gam blers. However, there is actually no need to do so. According to WUSA9, revenue from casinos contrib uted about $543 million to MD school funding in 2019. How ever in 2022, that record was shattered when casinos generated $611.6 million for school funding.

Acording to the Mary land Office of Tourism, there are currently six casinos in Maryland. What’s strange about this, is that not a single new casino opened between 2019 and 2022. The six existing ones in Maryland provide more than enough funding for the ETF. In fact, according to BallotPedia, the ETF’s funds have risen since 2009. The bud get began at $39 million and has experi enced mostly consistent growth to $988 million this year.

Kirwan also highlighted the impact of qual ity education on a person’s ability to have financial op tions in the fu ture and make responsible decisions. “It’s unbelievably important for our citizenry to be as educated as anybody anywhere in the world. If we had a highly educated citizenry, then maybe gam bling would begin to go away,” he said.

All in all, this situation cannot present one perfectly ethical solution. But when weighing the pros and cons, students are the future. Every single kid deserves to succeed in school, and Maryland needs all the funding it can gather to achieve that.

In 2018, Maryland voters approved a misleading ballot question proposed by Gov. Larry Hogan, which allowed the use of all gambling tax revenue from the state’s casinos to supplement education funding. This con stitutional amendment is a pathetic cop-out for politicians to avoid addressing schools’ funding needs.

While politicians like Hogan claim that they are adding millions to education fund ing to gain the sup port of Maryland parents, they are only dis guising the real problem.

Underfund ed Maryland schools re quire a stable budget increase, and gambling revenue is not a viable long-term solution.

and that’s what I fear is going to happen,” Simonaire said about the gambling bill in an interview with Silver Chips. Without ac countability, lawmakers should avoid relying on gambling revenues to fund a public ser vice as important as education.

Not only is it insufficient, revenues from gambling are very unstable. Misha Hill, a pol icy analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Policy, explains that state-sponsored gam bling is both unsustainable and inadequate as a long-term revenue source. “States that use gambling revenues as a ‘quick fix’ to avoid politically difficult structural tax reforms in the short run likely will be forced to confront the same difficult tax policy decisions in the future,” she wrote in a 2018 brief on gam bling revenue.

Madeline Gold

“I

KIRAN HENRY sophomore

ELIZA COOKE

When his bill passed in 2018, Hogan promised that $1.9 billion would be taken from gambling revenues and put into education over a period of five years. However, four years in, we have seen practically no improvements in Maryland schools, despite evidence in the state budget that the money is supposedly go ing towards education. According to WYPR, Baltimore City Public Schools parents filed a lawsuit against the Maryland State Board of Education in August asserting that decades of underfunding in Baltimore schools has led to a shortage of teachers and guid ance counsel ors and the deterioration of systems like heating and air condition ing in some educational facilities. Why are we still seeing severe ly underfunded schools after a supposed $1.9 billion increase to the education budget from gambling taxes?

Part of the problem is that the govern ment cannot ensure gambling money is ac tually being put toward students. Maryland State Senator Bryan Simonaire pointed out the lack of accountability in the ruthless cy cle of supplemental education funding. “So if you’re just going to give money without any accountability, you’re doomed to fail

This is because gambling profits weaken and falter off in the long-term, despite seem ing strong at first. “Research shows that reve nues from new types of gambling are usually promising, but the strong growth in revenues from gambling weakens and turns into neg ative growth,” Lucy Dadayan, a Senior Re search Associate at Urban Institute, said in an interview with Silver Chips. “So the bot tom line is that gambling revenue is not sus tainable and should not be used for funding education or any other vital programs.”

Using sin taxes for funding also sets a poor precedent for the future. According to Dadayan, using gambling revenues led to the legalization of recreational marijuana for gov ernment profit in many states. Regrettably, the legalization of marijuana is already being pushed for in Maryland, as evinced by the ballot question in the upcoming November Maryland general election asking voters to choose whether marijuana should be legal ized. Instead of sin taxes, Dadayan points to more stable sources of revenue such as in come, sales, or property tax as better options for boosting education budgets.

Without a long-term fiscal commitment to education, the 2018 gambling revenues amendment will prove inadequate to sustain Maryland schools, and politicians like Hogan will turn to a different and equally unsatisfac tory source of income to fund learning as the vicious cycle Hill described continues.

LEONEL KANWA junior

KRISH WAHI junior

“We should be funding our schools more, [but] I don’t think that promoting gam bling… is a good idea.”

VAUGHN KOWAL senior

think

money that could be used for sending people to rehabilitation.”

“If [people are] going to gamble, then let the money be used for something good.”

“[The money is] going to a good purpose… to help fund our school systems.”

Where

Rethinking closed campus

By Sophie Yohannan Staff Writer AN OPINION

names

sources.

Every day for about the first two weeks of school, Ms. Fus, Blair’s attendance secretary, reminded students over the PA that Blair is a “closed campus.” Yet it still ap pears that groups of students fre quently venture away from school grounds to eat out.

This year, Blair is cracking down on its closed campus policy, work ing more attentively to prevent and apprehend students leaving school grounds during lunch. However, this does not seem to be deterring students from making the trip off campus. Instead, it has led to ques tions regarding the reasoning and purpose behind closed campus rules, as well as doubt about the ef fectiveness of more strictly enforc ing disciplinary measures.

The Woodmoor Shopping Center is a quick walk away from Blair, so students don’t have to travel far to get their favorite foods and drinks, which makes leav ing campus convenient. An open lunch policy would allow students to enjoy what is already in such close proximity to school and give

students the freedom to exercise the growing independence that comes with being a teen, as well as establish a sense of trust between students and staff.

With Starbucks, Chipotle, Mc Donald’s, and other restaurants just across the street, it’s no sur prise that students are tempted to go out for lunch. The food options available in Woodmoor Shopping Center easily beat school-provided lunches in taste and quality, espe cially now that school lunch has lost the advantage of being free. If stu dents have to pay for their lunch, they might as well opt for the di verse food options off campus that are often fresher and healthier.

BRITTANY

Blair junior Brittany, who says she leaves campus for lunch three to four times a week, pre fers off-campus options. “[School lunch] doesn’t look healthy or ap pealing or good to put in my body,” she said.

According to Principal Renay Johnson, there have been chang es to school security staff since last year. “We have a new security

team leader this year… We came into the school year really focused on safety and security,” she said. To address violations of the closed campus rule, Blair started off this school year with a greater emphasis on reminding students of the poli cy, although the consequences for leaving campus have not changed. “There hasn’t been any change [to the policy]… but this year for sure, we do need to give kids violations who are caught,” Johnson said.

Blair junior Ronald has gone off campus for lunch frequently throughout his high school years. Ronald was caught leaving on the second day of school this year, re calling that his off-campus food was confiscated and that he received a form detailing the necessary disci plinary action, as well as the con sequences for further infractions. “When I got the form, I was like, this is absolutely ridiculous that they’re doing this,” Ronald re called. “It seems like the model that they’re going for is less ‘we’re gonna catch every single person,’ and more just like ‘don’t get really unlucky and get caught.’” Accord ing to him, substantial numbers of students leave campus each day but not many get caught.

But if leaving campus during lunch is so convenient for students, why is it prohibited? Johnson ex plained that, according to the Mary land Department of Transporta

tion, the busy roads surrounding Blair present a danger to students.

“[Colesville Road] and University Boulevard are roads for which the speed limit exceeds 40 miles per hour,” Johnson said. According to her, these speeds can result in a fa tality if a pedestrian is hit.

The model that they’re going for is less ‘we’re gonna catch every single person’, and more just like ‘don’t get really unlucky and get caught.

Though alarming, this sup posed risk may not be so threaten ing in reality. Teens are old enough

schools, University Boulevard has crosswalks with pedestrian signals, school crossing signs, and traffic cameras. Moreover, according to Johnson, a Blair student has nev er been injured or killed by a car on the roads bordering the school while going out for lunch during the 12 years she has been principal.

The danger of crossing the road outside of Blair is especially ques tionable when considering other schools. Richard Montgomery, for instance, has an open campus, but their adjacent road speeds hardly differ from those of Blair. Rock ville Pike has speed limits of 30 and 40 miles per hour at intersec tions students would have to cross to access nearby restaurants.

Closed campus doesn’t have to be the final verdict. It is no secret that students already leave campus each day for lunch, and there have been sulting from it. As we have seen, students are able to cross the road safely; we should trust their capability to continue to do

dom of an open

Las nuevas políticas en silencio

Por Estefany Benitez Gonzalez Editora-en-Jefe

UNA OPINIÓN

Con tanta información sobre la regulación del campus cerrado de Montgomery Blair durante los años, los estudiantes tienen una nueva norma que seguir en la actu alidad. Desde el año 1998, cuando se abrió el establecimiento actual de la escuela secundaria Montgom ery Blair, la administración ha se guido lo que la comunidad quería en ese tiempo, que era no permitir a los alumnos almorzar fuera del campus escolar.

En años pasados solo ha habi do comentarios sobre el campus cerrado, pero en este año escolar 2022-2023, nuevas políticas han sido establecidas.

No he oído hablar

nuevas

sobre

cerrado.

La Directora de Montgomery Blair, la Sra. Johnson, nos da una descripción. Ella nos cuenta que, “[La primera vez] cuando los es tudiantes regresan al campus si los

encuentran infringiendo la norma, la seguridad o la administración registra la violación en su registro escolar…llaman a casa…La segunda vez, llaman a casa, vuelven a regis trar la ofensa…Tercera vez, una conferencia de padres. En algunos casos, los estudiantes han sido sus pendidos dentro de la escuela de bido a su comportamiento”. Quien estableció estas nuevas políticas fue el equipo de Montgomery Blair de acuerdo a la directora, “el director con el equipo administrativo y de seguridad”. A lo largo del año se ha observado que una gran parte de los estudiantes de Blair no siguen las políticas de almuerzo cerrado que MBHS establece. Ever Wilson, un estudiante de duodécimo grado en Montgomery Blair, dice: “No creo que a la escuela le importe lo su ficiente como para hacer mucho al respecto porque una manada de personas sale a almorzar todos los días y nadie dice nada, intentan detenernos pero lo hacen... cuando volvemos, lo cual no tiene sentido porque ya estuvimos afuera”. La administración cree que es necesa rio tener un campus cerrado como si en nuestro propio terreno esco lar estuviéramos más seguros que fuera del terreno escolar. Diría esto debido a nuestros accidentes recientes en los que los estudiantes pudieron causar un apuñalamien to y traer una pistola al campus mientras afuera es visto “peligro

so”. Estudiantes como Lisbeth Vasquez, una estudiante del doceavo ex plica “Creo que Blair es un campus cerrado por cuestiones de seguridad. Cuando los estudiantes salen del campus, pueden poner en riesgo su segu ridad”. También hay estudiantes como Cayden Nguyen quien está en el onceavo, quien comenta, “creo que Blair es un campus cerrado porque no quieren ser re sponsables si ocurre un incidente fuera del campus”.

De cualquier manera que se in tente entender la razón, existe una falla: la comunicación entre admin istración con sus nuevas políticas y el conocimiento del estudiante so bre estas políticas nuevas; Maríalu isa Lara Enríquez, en el onceavo grado, nos cuenta que “No he oído hablar de las nuevas políticas sobre campus cerrado”. Hay estudiantes como Diane Garcias Rivas que cuenta, “Escuché sobre las nuevas políticas... Escuché sobre las nue vas políticas a través de un amigo”, Tal como comenta Emelly Cardo na, del doceavo grado, que, “sin ceramente, no he oído hablar de las nuevas políticas de Blair sobre el campus cerrado”.

Muchos estudiantes no conocen

o saben de las nuevas políticas corrientes. Esta falta de conocimiento demuestra una fal la dentro de la comunicación de parte de la administración hacia el cuerpo estudiantil.

Intentan detenernos pero

hacen...

Contradiciendo esto, la directo ra afirma que esta información fue difundida por, “Está en todos los boletines, está en los anuncios que enviamos a casa, hay señales de alto junto a la puerta. Es un cam pus cerrado”.

Para tener una compresión de estas políticas Maríaluisa recomienda que, “Como alguien

que no estaba al tanto de estas nue vas políticas, creo que Blair debería tener una asamblea para informar a sus estudiantes o que nuestros maestros nos informen sobre estas nuevas actualizaciones”.

Durante la entrevista con la di rectora, ella comenta al final sobre este asunto “Oh, gracias, gracias y necesito ver nuestras consecuen cias de cerca. Sí. Y asegurarse de que nuestros estudiantes sean con scientes de lo que son. Gracias”.

En el futuro, se espera que ex ista una mayor comunicación de parte de los administradores hacia los estudiantes. Los boletines in formativos, tales como el “news letter” han demostrado no ser una forma eficiente de diseminar la información. Para priorizar la segu ridad, es necesario encontrar una manera exitosa para llegar a los es tudiantes, que continúan saliendo de las instalaciones escolares du rante el horario escolar.

[School lunch] doesn’t look healthy or appealing or good to put in my body.

SOPHIA LI

Jump starting high school driver’s ed

MCPS should restore driver’s ed classes to schools

By Talia Egnal and Ila Raso Staff Writer & Senior Writer AN OPINION

Countless hours of Zoom calls, hundreds of dollars spent, and endless scheduling. The hassle and stress of completing the man datory requirements for a driver’s license in Maryland could all be easily avoided if driver’s education courses were offered in MCPS high schools, as was once commonplace. In order to ensure equity and make the process easier for all involved, MCPS should restore these cours es in all high schools.

be eligible to take a driver’s test, students need to pay at least $300, as well as expenses for the in-car training with an instructor.

In Maryland, the process to obtain a driver’s license takes at least nine months, with 60 hours of mandatory instructional and su pervised practice time. This, along with the steep costs of private driv ing schools, prevents many high schoolers from being able to obtain a license, especially if they come from lower income families or have to work long hours.

INDIA MICHAUD

Before 1992, every school in MCPS offered a complete driver’s education as an elective, and for free. Schools had cars and tracks dedicated to the program, and stu dents often took the course along side the mandatory health class to fill a full-year slot in their schedules. When the county stopped offering in-school driving classes, however, the financial burden of driver’s ed fell onto students. In order to com plete the training necessary to even

Private driving schools are a booming business in Maryland, due in no small part to the ease of obtaining authorization to operate in the state. Maryland authorizes 200 driving schools statewide, and the industry is worth $1.1 billion nationwide, growing 3.1 percent in 2022 alone. These businesses are highly profitable and widespread because they know that students and parents have no choice but to go through them. If high schoolers want to obtain a license, they need these classes.

Driving schools often adver tise themselves as “budget” and “affordable,” but no Maryland school’s tuition falls below $300. This price point puts it out of range for many families struggling finan cially; in 2019, the Federal Reserve found that 32 percent of Americans could not cover a $400 emergency charge. A more recent survey from the Economic Security Project esti mated that 49 percent of American families are now unable to afford such an expense.

Furthermore, the prices adver tised on driving schools’ websites are often not representative of the final amount a family must pay.

I Drive Smart, a popular driving school in the Silver Spring area, offers varying prices depending on the package purchased. A standard complete driver’s ed package is $650, but purchasing Zoom classes and in-car sessions separately can cost nearly $800. Cancellation fees for in-car sessions are $100, and an individual in-car session costs $194.

In addition to the financial bur den of driver’s education, many Blair students have faced difficulty scheduling time to complete driv ing courses. “I think [I took] 13 dif ferent classes, and each was three hours long every day for 13 days in a row, and it was just on Zoom,” Blair junior India Michaud, who

recently obtained her driver’s li cense, said. “You would sign up for the whole thing, and you had to pay for the whole thing, and it was pret ty expensive.”

With the workload of school, jobs, sports, and the 60 hours of driving practice required to test for a license, adding three hours on a Zoom call every day can impel students like Blair junior Nathan Allred to play catch up with their commitments. “I had to drive 45 minutes out of my way to get to a driving appointment,” he said. “I had a bunch of work I had to do that now I’m behind on.” If driver’s education was a high school class, students would have the flexibility to practice driving during school hours instead of their precious af ter-school time.

Offering driver’s education

as a class with a grade would also encourage students to be more attentive to the rules of the road. Lynne Harris, at-large member of the Montgomery County Board of Education, believes a classroom environment helps develop safer drivers in the future. “I think when you’re in a classroom learning the rules of the road and more, that would create a next generation of well-trained drivers,” she said.

HARRIS

In order to establish equity and uniform standards to obtain a driv er’s license, MCPS needs to take the steps to restore driver’s educa tion in the classroom. Between the cost and time barriers associated with private driving schools, too many students, particularly those from low income families, find it nearly impossible to complete their driver’s education outside of their high school, denying students across the county the benefits of in dependent transportation.

Blair needs more voices in MCR

County student government must provide DCC students more opportunities for student advocacy

By Zoë Kaiser and Sedise Tiruneh Staff Writer & Senior Writer

Despite their intended goal of being diverse and representative bodies of students, Montgomery County’s student advocacy organi zations tend to pull students from a select group of schools, exclud ing schools with fewer connections and access to advocacy. In order to fulfill their purpose, equitable and representative student advocacy organizations have to make struc tural changes in membership and outreach in order to reach all cor ners, demographics, and zip codes of MCPS’ students.

I know that Blair is the biggest school in the county, but we’re one of the least represented schools in MCR.

Montgomery County’s educa tion system has fostered strong re lationships with student advocacy organizations, which range from focusing on specific issues to pro viding affinity spaces and commu nity for students. One such organi zation is the Montgomery County Regional Student Government As sociation (MCR), a student-led or ganization comprised of over 130

executive student board members. The group is comprised of depart ments and task forces targeted at educational policy, special issues, community relations, and more, as it advocates students of all the county’s high schools and their re spective SGAs.

“[MCR serves] to not only represent students but also to pro vide support to smaller school-based student gov ernment associations,” MCPS Director of Student Leadership and Extracurricular Activities Shella Cherry said.

During monthly executive board meetings and general assemblies, MCR discuss es how to inform students about their educational sys tem and how to empower lo cal change by providing direct communication channels with the Student Member of the Board (SMOB), Board of Ed ucation, and County Council.

“I think that when you look at the whole of MCR, we are doing our best to put people in the right places so that we are able to cre ate real change,” MCR President and Richard Montgomery senior Shairee Arora said.

As an MCPS-affiliated organi zation, MCR strongly influences student-related policy that passes through the county. During gener al assemblies, students vote on rep resentatives who lobby for certain

policies. This makes it essential for all student voices to be represented in the general assembly.

Schools within Montgomery County’s Down County Consor MCPS, the regional split between upcounty and downcounty has caused a divide in resources and representation.

“I know that Blair is the biggest school in the county, but we’re one of the least represented schools in MCR,” Blair MCR Liaison

Ach’sah Gubena said. Gubena’s role as liaison is to sustain a rela tionship between MCR and Blair’s student body, with the goal of get ting more Blair students involved and represented in MCR.

This year, she’s hoping to bring MCR meetings to Blair to make them more accessible. MCR meet ings are often held at the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville, which is conveniently located for upcounty MCR members but too far for many DCC students to travel. “I know that transportation plays a really big role. Sometimes it’s just really hard for me to make it there,” Gubena ex plained.

MCR, to its credit, acknowl edges this issue and makes ef forts to rectify this pipeline phenom enon. “I think it is just an overall bigger problem of representation in our county as a whole,” Aro ra admitted. “It’s not just an MCR problem: it’s a full student advoca cy problem [where] we need to be reaching out to more students and figuring out ways to connect with students who might be left out in the conversation.”

In an effort to take representa tion into consideration, MCR has

reworked its application and in terview process to account for all aspects of the individual and areas of the county. “[The officer teams have] made a genuine effort to try to make sure that information in the application is grounded in [rep resentation]…and [to ensure] that through the application process, that school location and the interest that the students share on behalf of their school communities are rep resented as a part of this board,”

Cherry explained.

Though incremental structural changes have been made, MCR and other student advocacy organi zations must still work toward more equitable representation. “We’re taking steps in the right direction, even if we’re not completely there yet,” Arora said. “But I think if you look back a few years ago ver sus now, there is a huge difference not only in just the board itself but the conversations around student advocacy and county policy.” Nev ertheless, halfway is not enough, as student government organizations that fail to represent their constitu ency fail to serve their purpose and their people.

I think when you’re in a classroom learning the rules of the road and more, that would create a next generation of well-trained drivers.

You would sign up for the whole thing, and you had to pay for the whole thing, and it was pretty expensive.

I think it is just an overall bigger problem of representation in our county as a whole.

ILA RASO

PAYING FOR LESSONS A look into the cost of driver’s education classes across four local companies.

The inherent inequity in colorblind admissions

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and Harvard Universi ty are currently fighting lawsuits in the Su preme Court to defend their use of affirma tive action in their admissions processes. While originally developed to combat racial discrimination in hiring, educational insti tutions voluntarily implemented affirmative action in the 1960s to diversify their student bodies. Now, Students For Fair Admissions (SFFA), an organization that believes race and ethnicity should not be a factor in ad missions decisions, threatens to take down the policy nationwide. A successful bid against affirmative action in the Supreme Court would slash racial diversity in higher education, and with it, the future of equity in America.

The plaintiffs from SFFA, most of whom are white and Asian students who have been denied admission from prestigious universi ties, allege that UNC and Harvard’s admis sions policies have “injured and continue to injure [the] Plaintiff’s members by intention ally and improperly discriminating against them on the basis of their race and ethnic ity.” The suits argue that affirmative action is being used to “hide intentional discrimi nation against Asian Americans.” However, while Asians make up only 6.5 percent of the U.S. population, they constitute 27.9 percent of Harvard’s undergraduate class.

SSFA argues that elite universities are unfair ly discriminating against Asian Americans in order to create a student body that is more representative of the overall population.

This assertion ignores the original pur pose of affirmative action; it was never to keep Asian and white students out, but to correct decades of unequal opportunity for racial minorities, especially Black Amer icans. As higher education grows more di verse, the distribution of wealth will as well due to two key pillars of generational wealth: college degrees and home ownership. Fam ilies with two generations of college degrees have on average more than seven times the wealth of families with no college degrees in the past two generations. And with college graduates making far more money, families with degrees are far more likely to own a home.

Due to systemic inequalities like pay dis parities, housing segregation, and societal

discrimination, the families of Black, Lati no, and Native American students have few er financial resources to spend on applica tion boosters like tutoring, standardized test prep, and extracurricular activities. Thus, numerical measures of college preparedness such as test scores are not accurate mea sures of these students’ academic abilities, meaning that the college admissions process unfairly compares students from disadvan taged backgrounds to their privileged white and Asian counterparts. Race and ethnicity add necessary context to college applications by giving the school a more holistic view of students and the barriers they face.

The systemic impacts of affirmative ac tion are clear; Black students that have bene fited from affirmative action are more likely to graduate college, earn higher degrees and maintain higher incomes. The overall medi an income of Black households is $48,297, while Black college graduate households have a considerably higher average income of $68,000.

If the Supreme Court removes the right for colleges to consider race and ethnicity in admissions decisions, the repercussions will be massive. In 2006, Michigan banned pub lic universities from using affirmative action. Since then, the percentage of Black students has decreased from 7 percent to 4 percent while the percentage of Native American students shrank from 1 percent to 0.11 per cent. California’s public university system experienced a similar drop in diversity when citizens voted in favor of a ban, halving the Black and Latino student population within just three years.

While affirmative action has been deemed “intentional discrimination” by SFFA, it is far preferable to a colorblind admissions system, which inherently favors white students and presents a host of chal lenges for minority applicants. Data submit ted in the Harvard case shows that a race and ethnicity-blind system would lead to a 20 percent jump in white students being admitted, the sharpest increase of any de mographic, leaving many students of color behind.

Furthermore, the consideration of race and ethnicity in admissions is the only ef fective way to ensure racial diversity. Since the affirmative action ban in California, the University of California (UC) system has worked to increase its diversity by recruiting students of different economic classes from

different parts of the country. Still, it isn’t enough. These new initiatives have made little change in the percentage of minority students, and Black students at several UC schools report feeling alienated and afraid.

The cautionary tales of California and Michigan have shown us the danger of race and ethnicity-blind admissions. The exclu sion of Black, Latino, and Native American students from higher education will mean

that they will lose the opportunity to build up generational wealth, exacerbating the already cavernous racial wealth gap. Our country should continue to take measures through affirmative action policies to give every student equal access to academic re sources. But until then, affirmative action in college admissions is a necessary step toward a fair and equal society in which it will no longer be needed.

A conversation with education reporter Caitlynn Peetz

By Andre Parker Ombudsman

Reporter Caitlynn Peetz has covered lo cal education for Montgomery County news outlet Bethesda Beat for the past four years and started a new position last month writing about school district leadership at Education Week. Speaking with Peetz, who so passion ately and meticulously reports local news, really excited me because her work is highly relevant to what we do at Silver Chips: she mirrors our coverage of education issues as a professional journalist, and it’s valuable and insightful for us to understand what she en joys about her work and how she approach es it.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What would you say is special or unique about Montgomery County?

What is so unique and fun about Mont gomery County was the fact that people are so engaged, and they’re so knowledgeable, and they want to be involved, specifically on education issues. There was never a time where I had a shortage of people who had something that they wanted to know… or were holding me accountable for not doing something as thoroughly [as I could have]. Sometimes that really stunk because you

get all this feedback all the time and a lot of times it’s critique, but when you take a step back and you look at the heart of where people are coming from… it’s always coming from a place of caring about their kids or their community. Whatever that perspective is, however they’re approaching you with it, it’s because they’re engaged, and I’ve never been in a place where such a big chunk of the community was so engaged.

How do you feel about the Beat choosing to remove the comments section for online articles because disagreements could get somewhat aggressive?

Now that I don’t work at the Beat, I feel like I can be candid about this. I was stoked when they got rid of the comments. Honest ly, I had been waiting for that, because real istically, there are probably places that can better manage a comment section… or have a better system to filter things out—the Beat did not. I remember specifically one story that I really wanted to do that was pretty sen sitive with an underrepresented community. Someone declined to interview with me be cause they didn’t want to be subject to the comments section. At that point, I was like, if we can’t handle it, there are other ways people can give feedback [and] get involved in the conversation. This obviously isn’t working. I know some people are pretty up set about that decision, but they’re still find ing ways to engage, so it can’t be that terrible

of a thing, right?

What do you think is the biggest challenge that education faces today? For MCPS in particular, would you say [it’s] recovering from COVID-19?

Yeah, I think that that’s obviously frontof-mind for everybody… What’s really important is not even just how districts re spond, including MCPS, but also making sure that how they’re responding is working, and that it’s working for the right kids. ‘Hey, generally our test scores are getting better,’ but what kids are served in what ways? Are these students better served by an extended school day as opposed to tutoring? [It’s im portant to find] what works and [to make] sure that you’re keeping up with that. So generally [with] the COVID recovery and how we move forward in this pandemic, it seems like the effects are going to be around for a while… MCPS has hopefully learned a lot, and how they implement that [experi ence] is crucial.

What do you feel is the most important role of education journalism, and specifically, how does it improve education?

I think at its core, [the role of] journal ism in general is to inform and to serve, and education journalism is a prime example of that. Anytime that I talk about why I love ed ucation journalism, it’s the same answer. It’s because… it affects everything that happens

PHOTO BY HENRY REICHLE

To connect with Andre email him at

in your community. What you are and what you aren’t doing in schools will affect every thing in the community for a really long time: the economy, the criminal justice system, all of these things… [The role of education journalism is] to make sure that [the school system is] working for the kids that it needs to work for. So at its core, [it’s] to inform, to make sure people have the information that they need to make the right decisions for themselves and their communities, and also to serve those people in the same ways.

ELIZA COOKE

esquinalatina la

Uniendo a la Comunidad en el Mes de la Herencia Hispana

Por Kevin Vela Editor-en-Jefe

Música, co mida, arte; todos estos elementos son esenciales en la cultura latinx hispanohablan te. Es algo que repre senta a cada país, y aunque varíe, todos estamos conectados por nuestra historia. Comenzando el 15 de septiembre hasta el 15 de octubre, se lleva a cabo esta cele bración de heren cia cultural. Esta fecha no es casu al: En Hondu ras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica y El Salvador recon ocen el 15 de septi embre como su día de la independencia; por otro lado, México celebra su inde pendencia el 16 de septiembre y Chile el 18 de septiembre.

Durante todo el mes, la comunidad de Blair pudo disfru tar de distintos eventos para reconocer la cultura hispana, tanto dentro de la escuela como en sus alrededores.

Para celebrar este mes, el AFI Silver Theatre, localizado en el centro de Silver Spring, mostró películas latinas durante su reconocido Festival de Cine Latinoamerica no. Mostraron películas de diferentes países hispano hablantes desde el 22 de septiembre hasta el 12 de octubre; el AFI celebra su trigésimo tercer año organizan do este evento, para el cual se seleccionan 41 películas de 21 países diferentes. El festival se inició

con el estreno de Argentina, 1985,una pelícu la de drama histórico ganadora del prestigio so premio del público de San Sebastián y dirigida por el argentino Santiago Mitre.

Montgomery Blair también se unió al tren para tomar parte de esta celebración. Los pasillos se llenaron de colores el pasa do 15 de septiembre, cuando los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de representar a un país de habla hispana con su vestimenta,el cual podía ser de su país de origen o incluso representar a un amigo.

El 20 de septiembre se dio inicio a uno de los eventos más esperados por la comunidad hispanohablante de Blair: El emocionante torneo de fútbol a la hora del almuerzo. Du rante este evento, los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de crear equipos de fútbol con sus amigos y ganar el torneo. Este evento tuvo lugar en el gimnasio de Blair. El fútbol es uno de los deportes que más representa a la comunidad latinx por lo cual este evento goza de muchísima popularidad.

También, a partir del 29 de septiembre se comenzaron a mostrar películas latinas en el auditorio, las cuales fueron mostradas a lo largo de todo el mes. Además, el 30 de septi embre se estuvieron haciendo manualidades cerca de la consejería durante el almuerzo. Muchos estudiantes disfrutaron de este mo mento.

tu hispano que tenemos, porque tenemos mucho que dar”. A Jonathan le gustaría que otros estudiantes fuera de la cultura hispana se unieran a la celebración también y que tomen parte de esta: “Hay muchos que no se integran porque tal vez no entiendan el español. Entonces necesitamos a personas que hablen inglés para que ellos también se sientan involucrados”.

Montgomery Blair promueve los even tos creando un calendario en el que los es tudiantes pueden ver las actividades que se llevarán a cabo durante el mes. Al crear el calendario se toma en cuenta la opinión de los estudiantes sobre qué les gustaría ver.

El evento principal que dio un cierre al mes de la herencia hispana fue Voces Uni das, un festival que fue celebrado el 14 de octubre. Los estudiantes tuvieron la opor tunidad de participar en cantos y bailes. Los escritores de La Esquina Latina tomaron participación también, recitando el poema “Nosotros Estamos Aquí”, que los propios estudiantes del periódico crearon en equipo. Además, hubo estudiantes que decidieron participar en bailes.Hubo varias canciones; el club de Latin Leaders Association cantó una canción en coro. Además, el coro de Montgomery Blair también presentó una canción.

la parte adminis trativa de Voces Unidas, y tuvo el apoyo de otras profesoras, “Las personas que más han estado involucradas es la Sra. Maria Euge nia Tanos, que está trabajando directamente con los estudiantes. La Sra. Sabrina Kalin, que también está tra bajando directamente con los estudiantes en preparar funciones para eventos, bailes, des files, y todo el programa que va a conllevar el evento”. También mencionó a la Sra. Coombs, quien estuvo a cargo de las decora ciones, en co laboración con los estudiantes.

Hay muchos que no se integran porque tal vez no entiendan el español. Entonces necesitamos a personas que hablen inglés para que ellos también se sientan involucrados.

Aunque se celebraron varios eventos a lo largo del mes, hay varios eventos que que daron afuera, tales como los mariachis que la escuela contrató el año pasado, e incluso un DJ, los cuales estuvieron tocando músi ca hispana para los estudiantes durante el almuerzo. Los estudiantes piensan que este año hubo menos eventos que en el pasado.

Como Jonathan Lemus Orellana, un estudi ante que está en el doceavo grado explica, “Si, el año pasado se hicieron más. Trajeron mariachis, estuvo más bonito, bueno, no sé qué pasaría; esperamos que este 14 sea muy bonito”. A él le gustaría que añadieran más eventos al calendario, “en mi opinión, por el momento están bien, pero quisiera que añadieran más, que mostraran más, el espíri

También hubo estudiantes que decid ieron enseñar su apoyo y quedarse después de clases para preparar las decoraciones. Uziel Gonzales es un estudiante del doceavo grado, y fue parte de varios tipos de presenta ciones. Su papel principal fue el de ser, junto con Abi Torres, maestro de ceremonia, pero además tuvo la oportunidad de cantar y ser parte de un baile. Uziel dice que, “Amo el arte, todo eso me apasiona. El baile, el can tar e interactuar con las personas es lo mío. Siempre lo he amado. Yo cuando subo a un escenario no es solo por estar ahí, es algo que me llena por dentro”. A él le pareció muy bueno el evento pero le hubiera gustado ver más bailes, y opina que faltaron muchas co sas. Uziel Gonzales tiene muchos planes que le gustaría hacer, “todos los hispanos necesi tamos estar en Voces Unidas, como poder ser más para que el mundo mire a los Esta dos Unidos sepa que los hispanos venimos a unir las voces, que no importa de qué país somos, pero que podemos estar aquí, unidos por un solo objetivo que es que los demás nos escuchen”. Uziel definitivamente es una gran inspiración para muchos estudiantes hispanos que están entrando a Blair, y los anima a que se unan a la comunidad.

Cuando se crea el calendario de eventos se toma en cuenta la opinión de los estudi antes dice Sra. Brenda Barrera, quien es la maestra de recursos de idiomas del mundo en Montgomery Blair, “pero básicamente el calendario se crea con toda la contribución de diferentes profesores, no precisamente hispanohablantes, pero también de los co mentarios de los es tudiantes”. La Sra. Barrera se en cargó de

Sin el apoyo de estos maestros, el festival Voces Unidas no hubiera sucedido.

La comunidad latinx es una parte esencial de la escue la secundaria Mont gomery Blair, incluso para otros estudiantes. La comunidad que se ha construido con clubes y actividades tales como el club de Latin Lead ers Associa tion, el club Sin Fronteras, y el apoyo de muchos profesores y de la administración de Blair, ha atraí do la atención de muchos estudiantes que quieren aspirar a ser futuros líderes de la comunidad hispana. El Mes de la Herencia Hispana es una fecha importante para la cul tura hispanohablante en la que toda la comuni dad se une para poder crear algo bonito, y también hacer saber al mundo que la co munidad hispana está aquí.

FOTO POR MAIA TURPEN

Emily Callaghan, trabajadora social bilingüe ayudando a la comunidad latinx

Por Jason Youm Escritor

Ante la apertura de una posición de trabajadora social en Blair, Em ily Callaghan aprovechó la opor tunidad. Graduada de Blair, ella está orgullosa de representar y ayu dar a los estudiantes de su escuela secundaria. La Srta. Callaghan, una mujer latina, quiere apoyar a la comunidad latinx para que todos ellos puedan tener una mejor edu cación y experiencia escolar.

¿Qué papel juega como trabajador social?

Ofrezco asesoramiento a un nivel más alto y centrado que los consejeros tradicionales en Blair.

Normalmente, los estudiantes con depresión, ansiedad, traumas pas ados, y problemas actuales son referidos a mí, y les proveo apoyo y consejería cada semana si lo de

sean… De hecho, me gradué de Blair, y cuando era estudiante… había muchas cosas que sucedían de las que deseaba poder hablar con alguien, alguien que no era un igual porque había algunas cosas que me sentía incómoda compar tir… Es bueno servir en esta capaci dad, poder volver y ser la persona que quería tener durante mi vida en Blair.

¿Cuál es la diferencia entre un trabajador social y un consejero?

Los consejeros proveen asesora miento, pero también ayudan con el proceso de las solicitudes para la universidad, cartas de recomen dación, organización académica, apoyo académico, y más, entonces hay muchos estudiantes bajo sus alas… Complemento sus esfuerzos para aliviar parte del trabajo para ellos. Yo, específicamente, doy ase

soramiento cuando los consejeros están abrumados.

¿Cómo recibió esta posición, y ha trabajado antes como trabajadora social en un ambiente escolar?

Una noche, durante la escuela secundaria, estaba cuidando a un niño cuando mis padres llegaron a casa y me dijeron que conocieron a un trabajador social. Investigué el trabajo social, y me fascinó mucho, porque el trabajo social es un reino de muchos temas - Barbara McClo sky, una mujer en la política y la legislación, hizo mucho trabajo so cial. Pero también hay trabajadores sociales con oficinas privadas… De cidí que el trabajo social sería mi profesión.

Antes de venir aquí, estuve en la escuela secundaria Walt Whitman durante algunos años, y después trabajé en la secundaria Richard Montgomery y la escuela primaria Georgian Forest. En estos lugares, era parte del programa social y emocional, brindando consejería para los estudiantes en educación especial.

En Blair, somos afortunados de tene una gran comunidad latinx. ¿Cómo ayudará a la comunidad latinx en Blair?

Yo soy latina, y hay una necesi dad grande de trabajadores socia les que hablen español. Entonc es, cuando la Directora Johnson me contactó sobre este trabajo, lo tomé… [Puedo] proveer apoyo a los estudiantes que están aprend iendo inglés y hablan español con fluidez con servicios de la salud mental.

El acceso a los servicios es importante, especialmente para los estudiantes que no hablan bien inglés. ¿Cómo va a aumentar el acceso a recursos para la comunidad latinx?

Difundir el mensaje sobre los recursos es lo más importante. El condado de Montgomery tiene una variedad de organizaciones y recur sos a los que la gente puede acced er, pero el problema es que mucha gente no los conoce o no sabe que tiene derecho a estos recursos. Puedes navegar al sitio principal de MCPS… y ver todas las organi zaciones en el área, muchas de las cuales están en idiomas diferentes. También, ayudé a organizar una feria de salud mental con muchas organizaciones locales para que nuestros estudiantes puedan ver los recursos que existen en el conda do.

¿Cuál es su experiencia trabajando con estudiantes latinx?

Además de mi rol en la escue la, soy una practicante privada, así que he dado servicios a estudi antes y adultos hispanos. Aquí [en Blair], comparto servicios bilingües basados en la preferencia del es tudiante… Algunas personas los quieren, a veces no, pero [ven] la representación… de alguien en la comunidad latinx y pueden sen tirse más cómodos compartiendo sus pensamientos y aspectos cul turales en sus vidas. Lo sé porque estaba en la misma situación cuan do asistía a Blair.

¿Cómo coordinará con los profesores para crear una experiencia educativa mejor para

los estudiantes latinx?

Hay un proceso para refer ir estudiantes sobre el que todos los profesores han recibido in formación. Si un profesor está preocupado sobre un estudiante, el adulto puede referir al estudiante y decirme “creo que este estudiante puede beneficiarse de los servicios de la Srta. Callaghan”. Se debe en fatizar que puedo hablar español para que más personas en la comu nidad latinx se sientan bienvenidas a venir. Después, los profesores pueden comunicarse conmigo para determinar la mejor vía para el es tudiante.

¿Qué consejos tiene para los estudiantes que se sienten presionados o deprimidos?

Aconsejo comunicarse con alguien… Puede ser un amigo o un adulto con el que hables. Ver balizar también es un gran reme dio. Otro consejo es que… pues, sé que mucha gente dice “guau, ejerci cio”, pero [realmente] es bueno, ir afuera, recibir vitamina D, dar vuel tas alrededor del barrio. Además, un diario puede ayudar mucho, es pecialmente si no te sientes cómo do compartir tus ideas y tensiones con otra persona… [con un diario], podría ver, por ejemplo, que los lunes te dan mucho estrés. Al final, trata de hacer cosas que te encan tan, como bailar, jugar videojuegos, o ver YouTube con moderación.

Un lugar para aprender Las clases protegidas y cómo afectan la comunidad hispanohablante

Por Samantha Frey y Christell Hurtado Escritoras

Álgebra, inglés, e historia son algunas de las clases más familiares en cualquier escuela secundar ia. Las clases protegidas, por otro lado, son algo que muchos estudi antes completan su experiencia escolar sin saber que existen. Sin embargo, estas clases son crucia les para la educación de miles de estudiantes en el sistema de escue la pública de los Estados Unidos.

Estas clases han existido por déca das.De acuerdo con la Sra. Tess Hiller, la maestra de recursos del departamento de English Learn ing Development (ELD), “Llevo aquí 16 años. Pensaría que Blair ha tenido clases protegidas durante más del doble de tiempo, porque tenemos una gran población a la que servir, tenemos suficientes es tudiantes para llenar las clases”. La población hispanohablante es una gran parte del cuerpo estudiantil de Montgomery Blair High School.

Las clases protegidas proporcionan un recurso útil a los inmigrantes hispanohablantes que no se sient en cómodos para hacer preguntas en las clases llenas de otros estudi antes que hablan inglés con fluidez.

Cualquier programa tiene sus desafíos. En este caso, la meta es que las clases protegidas funcionen como un espacio para desarrollar las habilidades de los estudiantes, pero un efecto secundario es el sentimiento de aislamiento. Los maestros y ayudantes tratan de de shacer esta idea con los eventos y

programas entre la escuela como el día de unidad para los seniors. De acuerdo con Hiller, esta situ ación es “una cuerda floja que caminamos, queremos refugiar a los estudiantes para darles lo que necesitan, pero no protegerlos tan to como para que estén excluidos de otras cosas”. Algunas maneras importantes de incluir e integrar a los estudiantes es con todos los clubes, deportes, y actividades dis ponibles para los estudiantes entre los pasillos de Blair.

Para asegurar que todos los alumnos reciben la ayuda que necesitan, Hiller dice que el siste ma de co-enseñar, “es genial y en tonces hace más fácil satisfacer las necesidades de todos”. Este sistema asegura que los estudiantes reciban más atención de cada maestro y por eso más ayuda si lo necesitan. Aparte de ese cambio, las clases protegidas no son diferentes de las clases fuera del programa ELD. In cluyen la instrucción del desarrollo del idioma inglés: la gramática y el vocabulario, con contenido similar a las clases de Educación General (Gen Ed) entre las lecciones de es critura y lectura.

En las clases protegidas, se usa un sistema de niveles para cada materia: por ejemplo, la clase que enseña inglés está separada en los niveles de uno, dos, y tres. El entorno de la clase, de acuerdo con Daniel Elias Montecinos Ve lasquez, un estudiante de noveno grado, “se siente más confiado uno porque puede conversar con el los y tener temas de conversación aparte ayuda para que uno no se sienta solo”. Los diferentes nive

les de clases ayudan a separar y desarrollar las habilidades de los estudiantes. Cada clase tiene un grupo con necesidades similares, y los estudiantes pueden moverse a un nivel más alto o más bajo si sus habilidades son más o menos avanzadas de lo que aprenden en grupo. Aunque reciben tanta ayuda en los primeros años de escuela se cundaria, Hiller dice que “cuando llegan a las clases superiores, están mucho menos protegidos”.

Sin embargo, durante la pan demia, muchos de los estudiantes ELD sufrían: “Con las clases vir tuales, no hubo mucha conver sación entre compañeros y mae stros”. Una gran parte de aprender y comunicarse en una lengua nue va es la interacción fuera de clase con otros estudiantes y amigos. En la actualidad, los estudiantes tienen un lugar cerca y fácil donde puedan practicar sus habilidades, aplicando lo que ya han aprendido. Como todos durante la pandemia, los estudiantes se sentían cansa dos de estar en línea para tomar sus clases todos los días, aparte de los problemas personales. Algún trabajo fuera de clase, cuidar a sus hermanos, o algo tan simple como cocinar cena para su familia en tera, se presentaban como causas para alejarse de sus estudios. Una parte integral de la enseñanza de los maestros ELD es que “eres un humano primero, y un estudiante segundo”. Esta filosofía ayudó a los estudiantes a ajustarse a las clases cuando las clases en persona re gresaron. Aunque era complicado hacer preguntas por Zoom, Velas quez dice que las clases en persona

dan una oportunidad nueva para hablar: “hay cosas que se entienden y cosas que no, pero lo bueno es que los maestros nos dan apoyo”.

De hecho, el tiempo de “break” es una parte especial de las clases protegidas que los estudiantes no pudieron hacer durante la escuela en línea. El “break” es un momen to favorito de cada día para Velas quez, “porque logramos descansar y porque también queda más tiem po para hablar con los maestros

y hacer preguntas y practicar un poco más el inglés”.

A la Sra. Hiller le “encanta en señar a los estudiantes de inglés’’, explicando la dinámica como “una cosa muy gratificante y emociona nte”. Las clases también son lug ares sagrados para los estudiantes.

Pensando sobre la escuela de Blair en el futuro, una representación de las clases protegidas debería ser fuerte.

Nuevo ciclo, nuevas metas

sus nuevos objetivos

Por Anahi Sanchez-Sanchez Escritora

Cuando hablamos de metas, se nos viene a la mente muchas cosas: lo que queremos ser de grandes, que haremos después de la se cundaria, o hasta lo que queremos comprar con nuestros ahorros. Sin embargo, primero debemos saber qué es una meta. Una meta es un resultado que esperamos desde un punto de partida y varias acciones que conlleven a cumplirlas. Así como tenemos mentes diferentes, todos tenemos metas diferentes. Muchos estudiantes comparten puntos de vista iguales, preocupa ciones, las responsabilidades desde muy temprana edad, son cosas que también pueden ser controladas y fijadas como meta a realizar. Una cosa que podemos hacer antes de nuestro ini cio de año puede ser escribir cada una de las metas en un papel, y, cuando comple tamos el objetivo, marcamos con chequeo, fácil.

Como sabe

mos, el inicio de un año significa el inicio de nuevas oportunidades, poder enmendar los errores del año anterior, y plantear nuevos ob jetivos; un plan de acción también puede ser una excelente manera de comenzar a planear nuestro año, y nuestras metas. Si una de tus me tas es aprender algo en específico, como algún arte o mejorar incluso el habla del inglés; algunos lugares o clubes que puedes visitar e inscri birte si te parece divertido, son los clubes de crochet, que es un reci ente club donde puedes aprender a tejer, o el National Art Honor So ciety, que se dedica principalmente a crear arte para el servicio.

Otros clubes que también son muy buena opción son El club de Ping Pong, otro club muy reciente a cargo de Ms Villars y Mr Landau, en el aula 152, los viernes; y el gru po de Conversación en inglés, que puede ayudarte mucho a prac ticar y poder desenvolverte más con el idioma, con Ms. Anderson y Ms. Block .

Brayan Zelaya, un es tudiante de noveno grado y atleta de Blair, nos co menta acerca de su meta de este año: “Creo que salir bien en todas mis clases y sobrepasar para poder

llegar a un segundo nivel”. Zelaya es un deportista que tiene como inspiración el Fútbol Americano. “Creo que el ya cuando no sientes ese contacto con otra persona se puede aliviar bastante lo que uno siente en forma de sentir enojo, estrés, cansancio. Uno se libera mucho de eso”.

“Los estudiantes latinxs ten emos muchas metas, muchos sueños que cumplir en tierras es

Cuando no sientes ese contacto con otra persona se puede aliviar bas tante lo que uno siente en forma de sentir enojo, estrés, cansancio. Uno se libera mucho de eso.

no te rindas y puedas tener, tanto satisfacción al haber completado la tarea, como si mataras dos pájaros de un tiro.

El que uno escriba sus metas en una hoja, no solo nos motivará, si no que también será como un re cordatorio y no perder el interés a mitad de año, lo cual nos sucede a muchos inconscientemente; es muy gracioso porque cuando pens amos en una meta, se nos viene a la mente muchas cosas, y al final es un desorden en la cabeza, por eso hay que buscar métodos para hacernos la vida un poco más fácil.

Naomi Henriquez, quien está en onceavo grado, tiene una meta que nos define a nosotros también.

como por ejemplo: dominar un id ioma, tener un mejor rendimiento en alguna materia o eliminar un hábito que nos perjudique en el fu turo, etc. Siempre y cuando nuestra meta no sea inalcanzable, te lo pro pongas y lo cumplas, puedes ver el fruto de tu esfuerzo y conlleva a tu felicidad o realización individual de

ZELAYA

“La meta que tengo más clara es de aprender inglés por completo. Sé un poco pero quiero estar com pletamente segura de decir que se hablar bien el idioma, además de llevar buenos grados”. Desde el ini cio de la pandemia nos comenta que su meta no ha cambiado mucho. “

Aprender inglés es más fácil, todo tanto como en la escuela como en la vida personal, y eso influye para los buenos grados.

tadounidenses, ya sea para dar una vida mejor a nuestras familias en nuestros países nativos o salir ad elante y superarnos”, nos comenta Marta, una estudiante de décimo grado, cuya meta para este año es tener buenas notas. “Me gustaría ganar el ciclo escolar con honores, y para eso tengo que estudiar y dar lo mejor de mi misma”.

Algo que está de moda hoy en día, es que por cada meta que cum plas, puedes obtener un premio y si no lo lograste, puedes intentar lo otra vez. Lo importante es que

Siempre he estado con esas ganas de aprender bien el inglés, algunos gustos que me estaba proponiendo han cambiado mucho”. En su vida personal también nos cuenta qué carrera quiere llevar. “Me gustaría ir a la universidad y sacar una car rera de psicología, es una de mis metas aparte de aprender inglés. Me gustaría lograrlo porque me encanta el tema de la psicología, el saber que podré ayudar a personas que pueden estar al borde de la muerte”.

Como bien se sabe, hay vari os tipos de metas, ya sea dominar algo, desempeñarse mejor en algún aspecto o bien, eliminar o evitar algún riesgo. Algunos, Algunos

del

Por Estefany Benitez Gonzalez Editora-en-Jefe

Entre las 26 escuelas secundar ias del Condado de Montgomery, el evento más esperado, la Con ferencia del Legado de Latinas, fue capaz de cobrar vida este año. Esta conferencia tuvo como pri mordial objetivo destacar las con tribuciones positivas de las latinas en MCPS, así como empoderar a las estudiantes latinas del condado. Este acontecimiento fue algo que muchas personas estaban espe rando por muchos años. De acu erdo a Marta Vasquez Lucas, una estudiante de Blair en el onceavo grado que participó en la confer encia, “definitivamente diría que sí valió la pena, fue una experiencia increíble al escuchar la voces de mujeres latinas, que forman un pa pel importante en la comunidad de Montgomery County”. La primera Conferencia del Legado de Latinas de las escuelas del Condado de Montgomery fue un evento que se llevó a cabo el 14 de octubre del año escolar 2022-2023. Marta de scribe este evento como, “Se sentía como un lugar seguro para estar”.

Al observar la demografía en todo MCPS, específicamente las escuelas secundarias, podemos ver la gran comunidad de estudiantes latinx. y no sólo latinx, sino latinas en más detalles. Al suceder durante el mes de la Hispanidad, la primera conferencia cayó espectacular en el

calendario. La Conferencia del Le gado de Latinas fue anunciada por las redes sociales y los maestros que primero tuvieron que nominar estudiantes. Entre estas nomina ciones por los profesores de cada secundaria, solo 10 latinas de cada secundaria fueron seleccionadas al final para representar su escuela.

Marta, una estudiante de Mont gomery Blair, nos cuenta qué, “me siento muy honrada de haber sido una de las nominadas, porque me motiva a seguir adelante y siempre

ra de Salud del Comportamiento Karla, Consejero Terapeuta Nor ca Yarborough, La directora de la secundaria Richard Montgomert, Alicia Deeny y la Maestra de re cursos de idiomas del mundo en la secundaria Albert Einstein, Paula Peró. Las presentadoras del per sonal de MCPS dieron un maravil loso discurso sobre sus dificultades y aceptaciones. De inmediato, mu chas de las estudiantes presentes se sintieron identificadas. De esta manera, ellas inspiraron a más de 300 estudiantes latinas que estaban presentes en la conferencia. Junto con toda la inspiración, el even to también incluyó un servicio de comida, además de talleres que fueron divididos en cuatro: pre sentacion de historia latinx, fuerza latina, empoderamiento y mentoría latina y el bienestar de latinas.

HENRIQUEZ

alguna u otra manera. Esa felicidad, puede sentirlo otras personas, y de alguna manera, puedes contagiar esa felicidad y alentar a otros a ter minar sus metas también. Puedes motivarlos de una manera que impacte positivamente y les de un boost de confianza y positivismo para que cumplan sus propósitos de este año. Así como todos tene mos metas personales, en el ámbi to académico a veces compartimos ciertas similitudes, como tener un poco más de disciplina, o ser más responsables.

ser mejor. Sin duda escuchar a las presentadoras me ha inspirado en muchas maneras”. Además agrega que, “me siento más capaz y sé que puedo llegar lejos y no hay nada que me impida hacerlo, porque el sistema educativo nos apoya”.

Para resumir las increíbles activ idades el evento, este comenzó con panelistas de carreras que fueron Coordinadora de Padres de la Co munidad Melissa Ivette, Superviso

Para ser un evento inaugural, fue maravilloso. De acuerdo a Marta, “Latina Legacy fue una experien cia maravillosa, y espero que más personas puedan experimentarla”. Aunque el enfoque del evento eran las estudiantes de MCPS, la señora Melisa Young, Coordinadora de logros latinos de Blair, quien estu vo en la conferencia, nos dice que “fue hermoso, realmente disfruté escuchar eso y siento que todos los estudiantes estaban realmente comprometidos y enfocados”.

Los organizadores de la con ferencia querían saber lo que las estudiantes que participaron pen

cuestionario. Una de las preguntas siendo “Después del evento, ¿qué tan inspirada te sientes”? La señor Melissa Young expresa en que le “encantaría ver en la próxima con ferencia, bueno, pensé que había muchas cosas buenas, pero era la primera vez, así que creo que las sesiones debían ser un poco más largas porque había mucho que meter en poco tiempo y sentí que a los estudiantes realmente les hubi era gustado conocer a otros estudi

Con una recepción positiva para seguir y crecer, la primera confer encia de Legado de Latinas de las escuelas del Condado de Mont gomery mostró la representación latinx y fue un rotundo éxito.. Para más información pueden ir a la página web Latina Legacy Con ference, donde podrán saber más si están interesadas.

YEISON COTOM

Cuando la cantidad es igual de importante que la calidad

Comunidad estudiantil latinx en busca de representación en el MCR-SGA

Por Giselle Zelaya Escritora

El condado de Montgomery ha creado un gobierno estudiantil para representar a los estudiantes. Pero, ¿qué pasa si ese gobierno es tudiantil no representa una de las poblaciones más grandes del con dado?

El MCR-SGA (La asociación de gobierno estudiantil regional del Condado de Montgomery) busca representar las voces de los estudi antes de secundaria en el condado de Montgomery. Los estudiantes del gobierno estudiantil discuten y actúan sobre asuntos, problemas y preocupaciones en las escuelas, así como también participan en actividades a nivel del condado. Ellos trabajan directamente con el Consejo de Educación y el SMOB (Estudiante miembro del Conse jo) para incluir las perspectivas de los estudiantes en sus deci siones y políticas.

En

este momento, el SMOB es Arvin Kim. Su voto intenta representar la perspectiva de los estudiantes den tro del Consejo de Educación del Condado de Montgomery.

En la actualidad, el 33.4 por ciento de los estudiantes de MCPS se identifica hispanos o latinx. Mientras que los miembros de to dos los orígenes pueden promover políticas y acciones equitativas, los miembros latinx pueden propor cionar perspectivas únicas y tener una capacidad distinta para interac tuar directamente con la comuni dad hispana. Sin la representación adecuada, existe la posibilidad de que los estudiantes latinx no tengan un defensor directo de sus necesi dades en las escuelas y en sus co munidades.

En el pasado, el MCR ha teni do la reputación de ser dirigido principalmente por estudiantes del norte del condado, especialmente estudiantes de Richard Montgom ery y Poolesville. Los estudiantes de esas escuelas son primordial mente blancos y asiáticos.

El MCR ha reconocido esta disparidad y ha intenta do aplicar ciertas medidas para corregirla, pero el resul tado ha sido mínimo. Ach’sah Gubena, el enlace de MCR para Blair, enfatiza que “No re fleja realmente cómo es nuestro condado. Específicamente en el SGA del condado, sé que Blair es la escuela más grande del

condado, pero somos una de las escuelas menos representadas en MCR”. MOCO Connect y Project DCC también han tenido una gran parte en responsabilizar al MCR y ayudarles a llegar a más estudiantes del condado. Estas son organi zaciones que se centran en asegu rar que los estudiantes de todos los grupos y todas las partes del con dado sean tratados y representados por igual.

jetivo, ella dice “antes de que yo di rigiera mi elección y campaña... tra bajamos para comenzar un... grupo de trabajo lingüístico. La idea gen eral era que necesitábamos obtener información para los estudiantes... qué necesitaban saber en diferentes idiomas”. Definitivamente, hay es tudiantes que quieren estar involu crados, por lo que es crucial que les proveamos los recursos necesarios para llegar allí.

Además de necesitar la repre sentación adecuada, los estudiantes latinx se beneficiarían enorme mente con las oportunidades que están disponibles para los estudi antes en el MCR.

Es vital crear conciencia sobre la oportunidad y la responsabilidad que tenemos como comunidad de exponernos y aplicar para estas posiciones.

cualquier cosa para simplemente dar a conocer el MCR a los estudi antes.

Sin embargo, el año pasado tu vimos la suerte de tener un estudi ante latinx abogando por nosotros como vicepresidente del MCR. Ashley Morales, quien fue estudi ante en Gaithersburg High School y ahora es estudiante en la Universi dad de Maryland. Ashley comenta, “Corrí sobre la base de la inclusión y la equidad... Era muy importante para mí que nuestra gente estuviera siendo incluida en la conversación y no sólo siendo hablada de..., sino que quería que estuvieran en esa conversación”. Para lograr ese ob

Hay muchas maneras de lograr que el MCR sea más accesible para los estudiantes latinx. Ach’sah dice que “Podrían comenzar a llevar sus reuniones de la junta ejecutiva al sur del condado. Sé que el trans porte juega un papel muy impor tante”. También sería beneficioso abogar directamente a las escuelas de MCPS que tienen población mayoritariamente hispana y lat inx, así como a las escuelas del sur del condado en general, no sólo a través de organizaciones, sino a través de los profesores y al cuerpo estudiantil. Esto podría llevarse a cabo a través de carteles, discursos,

También, es importante recon ocer que no es necesario que to dos sean miembros del MCR. Hay varias maneras de involucrarse de otras maneras o a través de otras organizaciones. Cualquier alum no puede asistir y testificar en las audiencias del Consejo, asistir a los ayuntamientos, y escribir docu mentos oficiales de política que de claren la postura de los estudiantes sobre cuestiones legislativas. Ashley Morales explica que “Si te rechazan aquí y allá, no dejes de seguir adelante, porque al final hay personas a las que puedes ayudar y hay personas que te miran y es cuchan tu historia...La gente quiere escuchar si tienes una historia, si ...tienes algo que decir, dilo. No tengas miedo. Tienes tiempo. Ha zlo”.

realmente cómo es nuestro condado.

GUBENA

Necesitábamos obtener información para los estudiantes... qué necesitaban saber en diferente idiomas.

YAHAIRA BARRERO

Blazer destacado

Por Samantha Frey y Kevin Vela Escritora y Editor-en-Jefe

Cada año, el equipo de fútbol de Montgomery Blair High School es una fuerza a tener en cuenta. Esta temporada no es diferente, ganando 5 de sus 7 partidos. Cada equipo tiene sus líderes dentro y fuera del campo. El mediocampis ta Francisco Hidalgo es un estudi ante del doceavo grado que ha ju gado en el equipo de Blair durante sus cuatro años. Además, Hidalgo es uno de los capitanes del equipo.

Su motivación “se deriva de solo querer ser un líder y todo ese as pecto de liderazgo”.

Hidalgo empezó su carrera de fútbol cuando tenía cuatro años. Desde ese momento, ha exper imentado los altos y bajos del

juego de fútbol. Un desgarro en su ligamento demostró ser difí cil físicamente, pero también de otra manera. “Es mental, especial mente cuando tienes un desgarro del ligamento cruzado anterior (ACL), lo más aterrador es simple mente volver a jugar”. Su proceso de remediar fue difícil, especial mente porque ocurrió durante su temporada de reclutamiento.

Su madre y sobrino funciona ron como su sistema de apoyo, ya fuera para ponerse hielo en su pierna o ayudar con sus prácticas de terapia física. Hidalgo regresó a su equipo más fuerte que antes, ahora con el conocimiento del lado psicológico del juego. Con un horario lleno, era importante organizar su tiempo. Practicando individualmente a las cinco de la mañana; arreglando las prácticas con el equipo de Blair después de

escuela, y concentrándose en sus estudios y trabajo como estudiante es un equilibrio que necesita man tener. Como “el centro de [su] vida desde siempre,” el fútbol y los jugadores como Hidalgo le ponen amor y dedicación a su juego.

Un juego arraigado en la iden tidad y cultura latinoamericana, el fútbol es uno de los deportes más populares hoy. Aunque el fútbol no se originó en Latinoamérica, ganó la mayor popularidad allí. Empezando en España, cada equi po contenía personas similares- los jugadores peleaban no solamente por su equipo, sino por su cultura. Desde el inicio del fútbol en Lati noamérica, empezaron una cultu ra nueva: el movimiento de fútbol. Hidalgo relaciona al fútbol con su lado cubano: “he crecido alrede dor de la cultura, principalmente cuando voy por Miami, como con

la comida, las fiestas, aprendiendo más sobre su historia”.

Aunque no tiene planes defini tivos para jugar en la universidad, Hidalgo tiene sus opciones abier tas. Ya con su primera oferta re cibida, Hidalgo dice que “definitiv amente, voy a jugar fútbol en algún lugar”.

El tiempo se termina

Estudiantes en MCPS tiene dificultad para aplicar al programa de almuerzo reducido

Por Axel Henrriquez Escritor

Durante el pasado año escolar, la comida fue gratis para todos los estudiantes en la escuela secundar ia Montgomery Blair, pero ahora la comida escolar cuesta $2.80 para el almuerzo y $1.30 para el desayuno.

Este año, la comida escolar es gratis solamente para aquellos estudiantes que aplicaron y califi caron a tiempo para el Programa de Almuerzo Gratis o Reducido (FARM por sus siglas en inglés). Esto ocasiona que muchos estudi antes vayan a clases con hambre o que tengan que ir a las tiendas de Four Corner para conseguirlo por un precio accesible.

¿Por qué fue gratis el año pasa do para todos? Denys Salvador es un estudiante del décimo grado y dice, “La pandemia es la razón por la que la comida de la escuela fue gratis el año pasado”.

La demografía de las escuelas del condado de Montgomery en el año de 2022 es 33% hispano, 25% blanco, 22% negro o afroameri cano, 14% asiático, con 5% sien do 2 o mas razas. La demografía de Blair en el año que comenzó la pandemia fue 34% hispanos, con 20% de ellos consiguiendo el programa de FARM. En el año 2020-2021, muchos estudi antes no fueron a la escuela, uno

en cada cinco hispanos pudieron aplicar para FARM, cerca de lo mismo del año pasado. El año pasado uno de cuatro estudiantes hispanos tenían FARM. Mirando a la trayectoria podemos ver que los resultados están subiendo.

El estudiante Jorge Martinez del décimo grado, cuando estaba preguntando si la comida debería ser gratis a todos los estudiantes en la escuela dijo que, “Sí, siento que toda la escuela debería tener la posibilidad de comer el almuerzo o desayuno gratis”.

Sí,

JORGE MARTINEZ

Barbara W. Harral la Directo ra de la División de Servicios de Alimentación y Nutrición del con dado dice que, “la comunicación a las familias es una prioridad de no sotros”. Por eso, ellos mandaron unos avisos a las casas diciendo que la comida no iba a ser como el año pasado, sino como los años antes de la pandemia y también fueron a muchos eventos en per sona para decirle a mas personas,

y explicar las instrucciones cómo se pueden aplicar para el pro grama de FARMS en inglés y es pañol en el sitio web del Condado de Montgomery (www.montgom eryschoolsmd.org). También dijo que este año es el que más perso nas aplicaron para el programa de FARM.

El estudiante Ramiro Fernan dez del onceavo grado dijo que, “no sabía que la comida escolar era gratis el año pasado”, y que él traía la comida de su casa para comer. El también dijo que estaba seguro que la comida de la escue la es una de las únicas veces que comían algunos estudiantes y “no sabemos la tribulación que pasan los estudiantes en la casa”, que algo que puede hacer la escuela es vender comida extra para los estudiantes.

Ahora que el problema ha sido identificado, se puede comenzar a pensar en soluciones. La primera posible solución es algo llamado “Jardín comunitario”. La escuela puede ser un jardín comunitario, donde cualquier estudiante pueda sembrar comida y agarrar lo que va a necesitar. La segunda posibili dad sería “Más folletos”: La escue la puede instalar un lugar donde se pueda agarrar la aplicación de FARM pero en un papel y llenarlo y entregarlo otra vez a la escuela.

La tercera solución sería “Otra vez”: La escuela puede tratar de

dar comida escolar gratis para to dos los estudiantes otra vez.

De las soluciones, se puede ob servar que Montgomery Blair ha intentado implementar la opción de “Otra vez” pero solo pudieron ofrecer la cena gratis de un día al otro. La escuela también ha trata do la opción de “Más folletos” en los primeros días de la escuela, pero en los días después la escuela no estaba empujando tanto. Aun así, los interesados pueden pre sentar a la escuela la aplicación de FARM en persona en un tablón de anuncios.

La mejor decisión que puede hacer la escuela es poner un jardín pequeño y los estudiantes puedan hacer un club de cultivación para sembrar frutas y verduras para la comida de escuela y puedan dar extra a los estudiante que más lo necesitan y con cualquier estudi ante pueda ir y agarrar algo para comer.

Si bien Montgomery Blair sigue intentando buscar maneras de ayudar a estudiantes de bajos recursos, siempre se puede hacer más para ayudar a que todos los alumnos puedan tener suficiente para comer.

Abajo del artículo pueden encontrar un código QR con in stituciones sobre cómo pueden llenar la aplicación de FARM para no pagar para el desayuno y almuerzo.

NOTICIAS BREVES

Compliado por Christell Hurtado Escritora

Los efectos del Huracan Ian

El huracán Ian ha dejado tras de sí un aumento de Vibrio Vul nificus, una enfermedad infec ciosa potencialmente mortal se descubrió en el estado de Florida. Ya se confirmaron 65 casos y 11 muertes por causa de la bacteria. Los reportes del Centro para el Control y la Prevención de Enfer medades (CDC) mostraron que alrededor de una de cada cinco personas que contraen esta en fermedad mueren. La enferme dad también se puede contraer comiendo pescado crudo, pero no se puede contagiar de persona a persona. Una vez la persona con trae la infección puede provocar una afección conocida como fasci tis necrosante, que rompe el tejido de la piel. Si no se puede contener la propagación, puede ser necesar ia la amputación.

La festividad del Día de los muertos en el área metropolitana

En Annapolis, Maryland Hall, se celebrará el festival del “Día de los muertos”. El festival será el día 29 de octubre de 4:00 a 9:00 pm. El día de los muertos es celebrado para recordar a nuestros ances tros, familia, y amigos que ya no están con nosotros. El Museo de Artes Americanas del Smithsonian también celebrará el día de los muertos el sábado 29 de octubre, empezando a las 11:30 am hasta las 3:00 pm. Habrá actuaciones de Ballet Folcklorico Mi herencia Mexicana, el Mariachi Aguilar DC y Sol y rumba, entre otros. Ambos son eventos gratis para disfrutar con la familia y amigos.

Venezolanos en los Estados Unidos

El 18 de octubre, las autori dades de México y Estados Unidos anunciaron la nueva política refer ente a los ciudadanos venezolanos. México indicó que iba a expulsar a los venezolanos que entren a los Estados Unidos. Los que intentan transitar para los Estados Unidos serán enviados de vuelta hacia México y les darán dos semanas para abandonar el país, debido a que el sistema de refugiados para los emigrantes está abrumado. Si bien algunos se van devuelta a su país, Venezuela, otros se están alo jando en diferentes países de Lati noamérica.

FOTO POR HENRY REICHLE

silverchips Virginia protest regarding transgender

“The model policies, for stu dents, spell out just a whole world of trouble… You’re boxed in and boxed away from the rest of the community for the comfort of some one else and for the safety of people who don’t understand who you [or] have your best interests at heart,” Casey Calabia, a nonbinary senior at McLean High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, says. Calabia and thousands of other Virginia students are concerned about Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new set of policy proposals re garding the treatment of LGBTQ students in public schools. “[These policies mean] that trans students have to face even more harm than they already do on a day-to-day basis,” Calabia says.

In 2020, the Virginia state legislature passed a law requiring the governor to cre ate an annual set of model policies—guide lines for how individual school districts should craft their policies—regarding the treatment of transgender students. Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam released the first set of model policies in 2021, which included strong protections for transgender students, such as allowing them to use the restrooms of their choice, requiring staff to address students by their chosen names and pronouns, and banning schools from revealing a student’s gender identity to their parents without their consent. Schools were also required to train teachers on working with and respecting transgender students.

tent with, but may be more comprehensive than” Youngkin’s guidelines.

“It’s like night and day,” Calabia says of the policy change. “Because the original 2021 version of the model policies… had been [made] with the consultation of queer staff [and] queer students… they were built for us. And now these policies are being built for parents who misunderstand us.”

Youngkin’s proposed policies prevent staff from calling students any name oth er than their legal name or nickname, and from using transgender students’ preferred pronouns without written parental permis sion. Even with that permission, staff mem bers can decide how they refer to transgen der students.

According to Hancie Stokes, Commu nications Manager for Washington, D.C. LGBTQ youth nonprofit Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders (SMYAL), the new policies could negatively impact queer students’ mental health. “Just using someone’s chosen name, someone’s pronouns, [validating] how they identify, can drastically change mental health out comes positively,” she tells Silver Chips in an interview. “The reverse is the same; to deny someone the dignity of their identity can have really detrimental effects… espe cially for young people.”

However, the Youngkin administration claims these policies will protect the free doms of all students and staff members. In a statement to online news organization Virginia Mercury, Youngkin spokeswom an Macaulay Porter says, “It is not under a school’s or the government’s purview to impose a set of particular ideological beliefs on all students.”

parents and their children,” he writes in an email to Silver Chips.

Democratic Virginia state senator Creigh Deeds, on the other hand, thinks the poli cies come at the expense of students’ own rights. “Of course we stand for parents’ rights, but we stand for all people’s rights, and children, even little children, aren’t the

icies. “[The policies] tell [students], ‘The government is backing me up, I can harass students, I can discriminate against them without consequence,’” they say.

Calabia also adds that the guidelines were similar to legislation being introduced in other places. “These policies were in spired by other states who very much bully

Calabia says they felt affirmed by those policy guidelines. “[Teachers] had to have that background to know how to support me and how I deserve support… I had the chance to be queer without any conse quences.”

Before moving to Virginia, Calabia went to a school outside the U.S., where their queer identity was not accepted. They say that in contrast, the school culture at Mc Lean is much more affirming, which they see as a positive change. “[On] my first day of school, [telling] everyone ‘oh, I go by Casey’—just these first little steps I took to have myself recognized for who I was and not have to worry about the safety of it—was life-saving,” they say.

Youngkin’s new policies, which were released on Sept. 16 and are expected to take effect on Oct. 26, contain many provi sions that reverse Northam-era guidelines, such as requiring transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms associat ed with their sex assigned at birth. The new model policies also allow school districts to craft their own policies that are “consis

Youngkin’s policies assert that referring to a student by pronouns inconsistent with their assigned birth sex is a matter of per sonal opinion, and requiring teachers to do so could violate their rights. “Practices such as compelling others to use preferred pro nouns is premised on the ideological belief that gender is a matter of personal choice or subjective experience, not sex,” the docu ment reads. “Additionally, the First Amend ment guarantees religious freedom and pro hibits compelling others to affirm ideas that may be contrary to their personal religious beliefs.”

Another crucial part of the policies is that they do not include the same level of protection that the Northam-era policies provided for student privacy. Although the guidelines do not require teachers to inform parents of their children’s gender or sexual identity, they ban schools from compelling or encouraging teachers to keep that infor mation hidden.

Tim Mack is the president of Students First VA, a Virginia advocacy group op posed to the “radical indoctrination and sexualization of children in schools.” Mack believes this provision will protect parents’ rights in schools. “We support any effort to protect the fundamental right of parents to make decisions concerning the upbringing, education, and care of the parents’ child. This is [a] very wise Virginia law that up holds the critical and sacred bond between

property of their parents,” Deeds says.

Although Calabia says they are support ed by their family, they fear that this is not the case for many students who could be outed under the new policies. “Having a student be outed to [their] family, even if [they] have a supportive family, takes away the narrative from [them]. Coming out is a really deeply personal and really special thing,” they explain. “In cases where [they are] not supported, it could potentially put students at greater risk for at-home abuse, may it be psychological, emotional, or phys ical abuse.”

In protest of the controversial new poli cies, students from nearly 100 Virginia pub lic high schools walked out of class on Sept. 27. The mass walkouts were organized by the student-led Pride Liberation Project (PLP) and coordinated by each school’s Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA). As both a senior leader in the PLP and Presi dent of their school’s GSA, Calabia helped facilitate outreach to participating schools and encourage their GSAs to plan the de tails of their individual school’s walkout.

Several Virginia counties, including Al exandria County and Richmond County, have announced they will not be changing their policies to reflect the new guidelines.

McLean sophomore Xan Deisz de scribes a high attendance of students rallying against Youngkin’s policies at his school’s walkout. “There were surprisingly a lot of people there that came together, and the GSA people had a megaphone and we were chanting, ‘Will we let him take away our rights to use the bathroom of our choice?’” he recalls.

McLean English teacher and GSA spon sor Seth LeBlanc doubts that the walkouts will have a great effect on the policies by the end of the 30-day public comment period, but thinks it is important that the students make their concerns known. “I think it was really necessary for students to [have] their voice heard and draw attention to the is sue, because I think without it, then people just… go along with whatever’s happening,” he says. “It was important for people to see how much [the policies] traumatized certain students and how negative it was making their lives.”

Deisz felt comfortable coming out as transgender to his family, but has not told most of his teachers and classmates because he fears transphobic bullying and judgment. “I’m worried that… rumors would start to spread [and] I would be getting dirty looks and strange looks in the hall,” he says.

Calabia worries that these issues will worsen as a result of Youngkin’s new pol

their own trans students,” they continue. “[They] reference the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills that have been passed in Florida and other places around the American south.”

Deeds believes the policies are repre sentative of a nationwide movement against LGBTQ students. “Throughout this coun try’s history, we’ve always had elements of our society… who really had no interest in anything other than themselves,” he says. “And so [the model policies have] now given [them] a larger platform. We will get through this, but right now, it’s just a very dangerous time [for LGBTQ people].”

HANCIE STOKES

Darren Paul-Vance, Executive Director of local LGBTQ nonprofit Rainbow Fam ilies, says he has met families who moved from their home states to escape laws tar geting their queer children. “[I know] three families who have relocated from Texas. Two of them have trans or gender non-con forming kids. And we have one family that has just recently moved from Florida,” he says. “I’ve noticed an increase in it, anecdot ally, I would say since about the middle of the [Trump] administration.”

Paul-Vance is also personally familiar with Virginia’s history of anti-LGBTQ atti tudes. In 2007, he and his partner moved from Virginia to Maryland so they could both have legal parenthood of their adopt ed child.

“My husband and I had to leave Virginia because when we adopted, I was the room mate. I did not have any legal rights to my own child… It was humiliating. It was infuri ating, but we couldn’t stay in Virginia where [if] something had happened to my partner, [because] we weren’t able to be married at the time, I would have no legal rights to our own child,” he says. “[Moving] cost us a re markable amount of money… but we both agreed that we would have done this at all costs, even if it meant losing everything. It was that important to protect our family.”

On the other hand, Maryland has a histo ry of queer-friendly laws. The state legalized same-sex marriage in 2013, and banned discrimination in housing and employment

To deny someone the dignity of their identity can have really detrimental effects... especially for young people.

These policies are being built for parents who misunderstand us.

high schoolers new state policies regarding the treatment of transgender students

on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation in 2014.

In 2015, Maryland released a set of non discrimination guidelines, similar to Virgin ia’s 2021 model policies, that require school districts to develop certain policies regard ing the rights and treatment of transgender students. The Maryland guidelines allow for transgender students to use the facili ties and play on the sports teams associated with their gender identity rather than sex as signed at birth, and prevents schools from disclosing a student’s gender identity to their parents without the student’s permission unless they are legally required to do so.

David Fishback, Chair of Maryland Ad vocacy for the nonprofit PFLAG, has helped develop and advocate for many MCPS pol icies regarding LGBTQ students, including the county’s Gender Identity Guidelines, which are based on the 2015 Maryland pol icies. According to Fishback, any pushback against the guidelines from political groups has had little success. “Last year, anoth er right-wing group brought a suit against Montgomery County… saying ‘Well, that’s hiding things from the parents, you can’t do that,’” he says. “We put together an amic us brief which went through the research, which shows the dangers that some kids have, and that the best way to keep families together is to protect children’s privacy in that area when they need it… And we got a terrific decision from the district court,” he continues, referencing the court’s dismissal of the lawsuit.

In spite of its history of relatively LGBTQ-friendly policies, Maryland has also seen recent incidents targeting queer communities.

Several protests interrupting Drag Queen Story Hours–events where drag queens read stories to children–have occurred at librar ies and other community gathering spaces around Montgomery County. On Oct. 8, a group of masked protesters believed to be members of the Southern Poverty Law Cen ter-designated hate group Proud Boys gath ered outside the story hour at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton. One person held a sign reading, “Science is real, boy or girl,” and the drag queen at the event alleged on Twitter that the protesters were shouting slurs at them.

According to Paul-Vance, queer students are also still subjected to frequent instanc es of prejudice regardless of county or state guidelines. “There are still numerous issues of feeling othered, being misgendered in the hallway by a teacher or an administrator,” he says. “And while these things are not necessarily policy, it is very difficult to undo people’s biases and beliefs, unfortunately.”

Stokes believes that the new Virginia model policies are indicative of the growing popularity of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric. “This fight is getting closer to home. I think that es pecially living in the DMV area, we are very fortunate that we don’t have to constantly be fighting to affirm our identities, that some times [the conflict] can feel further away, like in Southern states,” she says. “[We are] recognizing that [the] fight will inevitably come and be in our own backyards.”

Story by Ava Bedaque and Sasha Vesensky

Photos courtesy of Z2B Photography

Art by Eliza Cooke Design by Lucía Santoro-Vélez

STUDENTS PROTEST NEW STATEWIDE SCHOOL POLICIES McLean High School students participate in a walkout to protest Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s 2022 model policies. Students at other Virginia high schools organized similar demonstrations.

From rational numbers to restorative justice

Longtime Blair math teacher becomes Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator

By Lucía Santoro-Vélez Design Editor/Senior Writer

Unlike most new teachers, Dr. Celita Lewis-Davis didn’t struggle with instruction when she began; instead, she grappled with her stu dents simultaneously being her friends.

Lewis-Davis began teaching at 16 years old through a NASA-spon sored program called Saturday Academy, which aimed to increase the number of minority students pursuing careers in STEM. Lew is-Davis taught math to middle schoolers each week and grew to love it. “It was weird because I was so young… but I realized how much I love teaching,” Lewis-Davis says. “I really felt like I could make a difference.”

For Lewis-Davis, part of making an impact was being a role model to other young students, particular ly because of her own experience as a Black student in STEM. Lew is-Davis’ mother encouraged her to pursue teaching so she could con tinue to foster change. “When I was thinking of college, my mother was like, ‘You know what? You might want to be an example of what it’s like to be [the only person of col or] in a math class, and you might be able to encourage others,’” she recalls. Lewis-Davis chose to con tinue her studies at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) in a program that gave her the op portunity to teach at a local public school while earning her degree.

After graduation, Lewis-Da vis taught for four more years in D.C. before coming to Blair as a math teacher in 1997. Although she brought years of experience in her profession to her new role, Lewis-Davis was in an unusual sit uation—she was only a few years older than the students in the building. This especially posed a problem with several students who participated in a local youth choir with Lewis-Davis. “The kids knew me as Celita. They didn’t know me as [Ms. Lewis-Davis]. I would be at school, and the kids would walk past [and say] ‘Hey, Celita.’ I was like, ‘You can’t do that anymore,’” she recounts.

much training, I operated like an older teacher.”

As an educator, Lewis-Davis was able to continue her pursuit of helping students of color. “I had the chance to hire so many diverse people in the math department and allow students to see themselves in all different ways,” Lewis-Da vis says. She has the opportunity to continue promoting equity and representation through her new role as Blair’s Diversity and Inclu sion Coordinator (DAIC) begin ning this school year.

Principal Renay Johnson creat ed the first MCPS DAIC position during the 2020-2021 school year. Rahman Culver, who worked for two years as the first DAIC, says the role was created to make Blair a more equitable space. “Principal Johnson saw a need for us to be increasingly strategic about what we’re doing as a school communi ty, to make sure that we’re doing everything in our power to create an equitable and inclusive and fair environment for our students,” Culver explains.

her prior position. “I realized that a lot of the things [the DAIC] did in restorative justice and diversity were things that I had been doing in the math department by diversi fying [it], and fighting for equity in AP classes,” Lewis-Davis says.

ing the DAIC, Lewis-Davis’ focus on the math department kept her somewhat distant from Blair as a whole. “[I didn’t get] the chance to see Blair for what it is [before be coming the DAIC]. So [now] I’ve seen the beauty of Blair, I’ve seen its diversity,” Lewis-Davis says.

Now, with her help, the school is implementing restorative justice practices in a more defined way through methods like restorative circles, a process of bringing con flicting students together to talk about the problems they have had and work towards a solution. “I’ve gotten a chance to experience re storative justice, not just read about it or… say it’s wonderful, but actual ly try it and work on it,” Lewis-Da vis says.

Because of her age, other teach ers were also surprised at her com fort and ability in the classroom.

“When I came to Blair… people asked me if I had been teaching a long time because I had the effect,” she explains. “Because I had so

The DAIC position involves serving on the administrative team, facilitating workshops and profes sional learning opportunities for teachers, collecting data on student opinions, advocating for student concerns, and acting as an ambas sador for Blair.

Though on paper Lewis-Da vis’ work in the math department seems dissimilar to the scope of the DAIC, in reality, she was well-pre pared due to skills she gained from

Lewis-Davis also brings more than just classroom experience to the job. Culver, who has worked with Lewis-Davis in the past, speaks very highly of her ability to listen to the needs of students and staff. “I’m very excited that Dr. Lewis-Davis is stepping into the role. She has a wonderful instinct for building con sensus and getting authentic feed back from not only students but teachers, faculty members, parents, and families,” Culver says.

Two months into her new posi tion, Lewis-Davis remarks on how many new things she is able to ex perience at Blair. Before becom

Overall, Lewis-Davis sees her position as a way to uplift and em power students. “I describe myself on social media as a diversity and inclusion encourager instead of an enforcer,” she explains. She strives to be an advocate for Blair’s diverse student groups, ensuring they have a voice in how the school commu nity learns about and acknowledg es them. “I want to make sure that [Hispanic Heritage Months and other cultural events] reflect what people from that particular descent want it to be. That’s really what my goal is.”

She has a wonderful instinct for build ing consensus and getting authentic feedback from not only students but teachers, faculty members, parents, and families.

RAHMAN CULVER

PHOTO BY MARIN LEDERER

DR. LEWIS-DAVIS The new Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator.

Blazers of Note

In room 211, students can al ways count on the smell of fresh sawdust waiting for them. This room is anything but a normal classroom. Strange machines, such as band saws and drill presses, line the walls waiting to be used by the students.

By Haley Carter

a long-term substitute in the classes he taught. “It was late in the sum mer [when Ostrander said], ‘We can’t find anybody. Can you come back and sub for yourself?’” Street says.

PHOTO BY MARGOT BUEHLER

STREET

In June, Blair tech teacher James Street thought he had finally bid farewell to MCPS after 40 years of teaching in the county and 11 years of teaching Research & Ex perimentation (R&E) for freshmen in the Magnet program. Little did he know that he would return in a few months. Unable to fill Street’s vacant position, Blair adminis trator Peter Os trander asked Street to work temporarily as

Street suspects he was need ed back at Blair because very few teachers have the knowledge and skills needed to teach the class. “In particular [I have] the [qual ification] of being able to use all the tools and machines and being able to teach how to use all those things,” he explains.

Street’s professional back ground includes an undergraduate degree in Industrial Arts, which trained him in woodworking, metalworking, metal machining, welding, and foundry, skills which equipped him to teach R&E. Street comments on how experience is

also a notable factor in qualifica tions to teach this class. “Now, [the class has] evolved into technology education, where you’re still having [the] experience of making things, but you’re learning about how tech nology affects society and how the engineering process works,” Street explains.

Though it resembles a typical high school shop class, R&E differs in its approach. While students learn the technical skills of work ing with wood and an expansive selection of tools, Street places an emphasis on the experimentation process. “My class is [all about] fig uring out how this whole process works, researching, [and] experi menting,” Street says. Above all, Street has worked to make his class as authentic to the engineering process as possible.

“When you’re done, I don’t give you the answer because that’s real science, right? If we knew the an swer, why would we do the proj ect?” Street says.

After returning to Blair, Street was able to focus more on his teaching since he didn’t have to attend staff meetings or complete other full-time teacher responsibil ities. “I had other responsibilities before too that are now all gone. It’s mostly just about showing up and doing the job and grading a few papers and stuff like yelling at the children,” he says, laughing.

For Street, the most rewarding aspect of teaching is hearing from students who return years later that he helped them find their interests.

“It’s probably the most gratifying when your students tell you that they learned something from you.”

PHOTO BY MARGOT BUEHLER

In Kevin Moose’s classes, Blair students learn from a mix of tra ditional educational materials and Moose’s unique lessons and global experiences from his time in the U.S. Army. After graduating from George Washington University on an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps scholarship, Moose served 12 years active duty and nine years as a reservist in Belvoir, Virginia. During his service, the Army sent Moose to graduate school at Cor nell University to get a Master’s in Public Admin istration and Soviet Studies. After his time in the mil itary, Moose

found his passion for teaching. “My natural interest drifted towards education and reading, learning, knowledge, [and] sharing. And [teaching] is a great environment to do that in.” Over his 23 years at Blair, he has taught U.S. Govern ment, U.S. History, World His tory, Comparative Government, Middle East Studies, Peace Stud ies, Global Issues, Philosophy, and Comparative Religion.

Moose’s experiences in the Army have given him plenty of detailed accounts relevant to his students’ learning. “There’s many opportunities [to share stories]... especially [in] history class,” he explains. “Having talk ed to Germans and Italians who

lived through World War II [and living] through the Cold War gave me another perspective that I can bring to the classroom.” He feels that his travels and knowledge help him to engage students on global topics that might otherwise seem distant. “[I try to] make it relevant in some way… I saw those things with my own two eyeballs, whereas to students today, it’s a chapter in a history book.”

Moose is a Blair alumni, along side eight out of his nine siblings, and his three daughters are also Blazers. “I live in the house I grew up in and very close to Blair. I went to Blair, most of my siblings went to Blair,” he says. After returning as a staff member, he has fallen in love

with the community once more. He especially enjoys supporting the wrestling program and seeing how teams change and develop over time. “[Through] good days, bad days, good years, [and] bad years… the idea of leaving has never even come up in my mind,” he explains. “For me, Blair is the place to be.”

Moose stays connected with his students who have gone on to find success after graduating. “You know, you get a nice collection of emails, notes, cards, from kids who were 17 when you knew them, and now they’re doctors,” Moose explains. “It’s nice seeing where kids end up. [It’s] the best reward a teacher has.”

Catching ghosts Community events spark conversations on gun safety and ghost guns

By Nora Pierce Staff Writer

“I heard about it in the news, and, I think, like a lot of other stu dents, I kind of passed over it. I viewed it as something really sad, but something that wasn’t exactly surprising,” Blair sophomore Lily Scheckner says about the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 chil dren and two adults.

Motivated by her reaction to the event, Scheckner organized a walkout for gun reform at Blair on June 10 using her Instagram ac count, blair4gunreform. “I should definitely view it as surprising that these children were murdered. It is shocking, and it is a horrible thing that we shouldn’t be becoming used to,” she says. “I wanted to see if other students were also interest ed in gun reform activism, [and] if other students were worried that gun violence was becoming too normalized.”

Gun violence has become an increasingly prevalent issue in U.S. schools. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, there was an annu al average of 49 gunfire incidents on preschool and K-12 school grounds between 2013–2021. This

It only takes one gun to create a horrific event, so if we had only gotten one gun out of it, then we had still done something positive for the community.

figure increased 294 percent this past school year. In total, 59 peo ple were killed and 138 wounded in school shootings during the 2021–2022 school year.

In addition to deaths and inju ries, gun violence causes trauma that affects students’ performance in school. Research conducted by the American Educational Re search Association found declines in grade 9 enrollment and math and English proficiency at schools that experience shootings.

Blair sophomore Tatiana Thie ro has seen firsthand how even the possibility of violence and prepara tion for dangerous events impacts students. “When there are lock down drills, we have to actually pre pare ourselves [in case] somebody [tries] to hurt people,” Thiero says. “It really affects a lot of students mentally if… that sort of topic [is triggering for them].”

Blair experienced such threats of violence when, on June 16, stu dents and staff were put into lock down due to reports of an alter cation involving a weapon outside on school property. The events of the day had a lasting impact on students. “That was… really scary.

I’ve been prepared emotionally for something like that to happen again,” Scheckner says. “I don’t think students should have to emo tionally prepare for something like that, especially with everything else that they’re going through, in terms of academics, social life, family life, mental health, and everything else.”

Students like Scheckner are not the only ones responding locally to elevated gun violence levels. Rock ville City Police, in collaboration with MCPS and the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s office, held a gun buyback event on Aug. 27. Anyone who turned in working

handguns, rifles, or shotguns re ceived $100 Visa gift cards without having to show identification, and police gave $200 Visa gift cards to those who turned in assault-style or privately made firearms, common ly known as ghost guns.

Rockville Police acquired more than 300 firearms at the gun buyback event.

less guns out into the world.”

According to Rockville City Police Department spokeswoman Andrea Escher, around two dozen ghost guns and half a dozen assault rifles were col lected.

The goal of the buyback pro gram is to take guns from those who do not want them before they are either misfired or stolen.

“It only takes one gun to

create a horrific event, so if we had only gotten one gun out of it, then we had still done something positive for the community,” Lieutenant Bill Nieberding, Rockville City Po lice Special Operations Division Commander, says in an interview with Silver Chips.

Scheckner sees gun buybacks as a start but believes these initiatives alone are not enough to control gun violence. “I would argue that the people who are giving back the guns are not the ones committing mass shootings in the first place,” she says. “But yes, I think it is effec tive to the point that they’re getting

Research compiled by The Journalist’s Resources shows that gun buy backs do not directly con tribute to a de crease in violent crime. Rather, they can impact the public’s per ception of the government’s response to gun violence. “The community can look at [the

ery County State’s Attorney’s Of fice Lauren DeMarco wrote in an email to Silver Chips.

gun buy back] and go, ‘Wow, they are all work ing togeth er; they are all on the same page.’

That’s a confidence builder,” Nie berding says. Gun buybacks can also affect community engagement and education on gun safety. “[We know], based on the overwhelming number of people who participat ed, [the buyback] certainly brought awareness to the issue,” Director of Public Affairs for the Montgom

In a partnership between MCPS, the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Mont gomery County Police Depart ment, gun educa tion assem blies are tak ing place at all MCPS high schools in order to inform students about gun safety. “I think the message [of the partnership] is that ‘Hey, this is important to all of us,’” Nieberding says. “We’re constantly searching for other means and other meth ods that we can do [to reduce gun violence]… If citizens have ques tions [or] suggestions for us, we’re all ears.”

MR. MOOSE

A school year 4,000 miles from home

By Della Baer Staff Writer

When Jan Walter-Drop arrived at Blair, the iconic yellow school buses he’d only ever seen in the movies were far from the only thing on his mind—but he knew his friends back home were expecting a picture.

Walter-Drop is from the Berlin, Germany suburb of Schöneberg, where he attended a high school of 600 students. “[Blair is] five times as big,” he says. Walter-Drop’s de cision to do an exchange year as a junior at Blair brought him to the U.S. for the first time.

Theresa Hartner is also experi encing her first months at an Amer ican high school, despite being an American citizen. Hartner’s par ents are German and moved back to Leverkusen, Germany a year af ter she was born. Hartner contacted MCPS a year in advance of her stay to ensure that she would be able to attend Bethesda-Chevy Chase while staying with family friends who serve as her host family.

Hartner’s exchange is part of her goal to attend university in the U.S., “I was always thinking of studying in the U.S. because I was born here… I thought if I [did] a semester in the U.S., then I’d probably get a better picture of what it’s like to live here,” she explains.

MCPS high schools are hosting 22 cultural exchange students this year, including Walter-Drop and Hartner, but the county has the ca pacity to host up to 50. Montgom ery County International Admis sions and Enrollment Office (IAE) supervisor Margarita Bohorquez explains that COVID-19 is the rea son the county has fewer exchange

students this year. “The pandemic has definitely put a damper on the enrollment, and we hope to see a bigger increase as the years prog ress,” she says.

Walter-Drop applied for his exchange year through Interna tional Student Exchange, a U.S. nonprofit organization, and Camps International, a German third-par ty organization, after MCPS lifted restrictions on exchange students in 2021. After Walter-Drop was ac cepted through Camps Internation al, the IAE office intake specialist worked with him, his host family, Camps International’s local repre sentative, and Blair to complete his enrollment.

The documents involved in the process included visa stamps, host parent information, immunization records, an official test indicating his English proficiency, and the lo cal representative’s information.

Despite doing her exchange year without a third-party program, Hartner also worked closely with the IAE office to complete neces sary paperwork. However, the pro cess is not seamless.

challenging to bring students into MCPS schools because the coun ty lacks a platform to promote ex change programs to potential host families. “There’s no clear channel to be able to [advertise]… If we were able to publicize through the schools directly, I think our num bers could be a lot higher,” she says.

The admissions process for J-1 visa students in MCPS varies from that of other districts. “In Mont gomery County… the county is the one that determines whether these students are accepted and placed in various high schools. In other jurisdictions, the high school itself makes the decision,” Susan Gal lagher, a local representative for AFS, says.

Additionally, an anonymous source familiar with the county’s exchange student process points out that MCPS is unique in terms of documentation. “In addition to the regular paperwork… and all the things that the State Department requires, Montgomery County re quires additional paperwork on top of that… [The exchange student ad missions process is] more challeng ing in Montgomery County than it is in any other [neighboring] coun ties,” the source says in an interview with Silver Chips.

been more involved in helping him transition to life in a new country and school. “They could have done something more directly be cause my impression is they know you’re an exchange student but they don’t really care,” he says.

Walter-Drop faced cultural barri ers when making friends at Blair. “[Students] have their own group of friends [or their own] bubble, and you need to somehow get inside. You cannot just talk about regular things because you come from a different country,” he says.

Despite these obstacles, both students are making the most of their experience. Hartner is on the varsity cheer team at B-CC, which

she says has helped her adjust. “I was part of the cheer team before… so that [helped] me to get used to [B-CC] more because I already had some friends,” she shares.

Joining Blair’s drama club al lowed Walter-Drop to meet the first person at school he feels that he has truly connected with. Wal ter-Drop has three roles in the fall production of “Hit and Myth.” In a later interview, Walter-Drop says he is acclimating more and enjoy ing the American high school expe rience. “When… they announced the king and queen of homecom ing, for Europeans it’s just [straight] from a Nickelodeon series.”

Jody Axinn works as a volun teer for the American Field Service (AFS), one of the largest exchange organizations that matches interna tional students with U.S. host fami lies. Axinn explains that it has been

These problems were appar ent for Walter-Drop and Hartner. Hartner was enrolled incorrectly when she contacted the IAE office. “I’m in tenth grade now, and they accidentally enrolled me for the second semester of ninth grade,” she says. Hartner also has to pay tuition to attend B-CC, due to MCPS regulations for non-resident students.

Meanwhile, Walter-Drop feels that administration could have

Get your game on

Esports programs on the rise in Maryland

By Zoë Kaiser Staff Writer

Imagine having the opportuni ty to travel through historic events from a first person perspective, or getting to know villagers in a fan tastical pixelated world, all while socializing with fellow players. This is the experience that gaming can offer. Amateurs and professionals alike aim to improve their skills while connecting with friends and strangers through strategy, collabo ration, and competition.

Blair junior Nathan Gehl regu larly plays League of Legends with his friend group. “I really like the teamwork aspect of the game [and] having to work together,” Gehl says. “You need to have good team work and be on the same page if you want to be able to do well.”

Other Blair students gather al most daily on the second floor to meet for the Smash Brothers Club, which began in 2017. According to Joseph Turkson, the current leader of the club, the members often par ticipate in friendly competition to test their skills. “Every quarter we hold a tournament just to see [who is] the best among us for Smash specifically,” Turkson says.

Esports is distinguished from regular gaming through its empha sis on the competition, and is often played by professionals for specta tors. Recently, esports has gained popularity and a wider audience base through online content and increasingly competitive leagues. “I definitely think [esports are] grow ing. We still have to combat a lot of the people [who think] esports

[are] just video games,” Sergio Brack, Director of UMD Esports, says. “I think a lot of times, the skills and the socialization that you can get through competing in sports [is what] people underestimate.”

Video games are the go-to choice of entertainment for those from ages 13 to 17. Brack explains that middle and high school players and fans have become common in the esports communi ty. “The younger de mographic is definitely the one that [players] try to aim for [when growing fan bases] because they’re of ten the most loyal,” he says.

Younger es ports fans are also becoming more common due to sites such as You Tube and Twitch, which offer a plat form for young peo ple to watch their fa

vorite content creators game. For creators and professional gamers, gaming for views has become a more viable way to earn money that also makes competi tive video games more accessible.

Twitch typi cally streams over 20,000 games, in cluding League of Legends, Fortnite, and others. In the sec ond quarter of 2022, YouTube reported that an average of 518,000 people were watching gam ing content on the platform at any given time.

In addition to streaming video gameplay online, gam ing in professional leagues can offer an impressive cash flow. The average professional es ports player makes between $50,000–75,000 a year, but some make upward of $100,000 through prize pools.

In fact, universities have begun to offer scholarships, ranging from partial to full ride deals that include room and board, to recruit gamers.

“You have pro grams like North wood University [and] American University that are offering full

ride, full tuition scholarships for esports players,” Brack says. “It’s crazy to even think about.”

Making use of his experience directing esports programs at previ ous institutions, Brack oversees the esports debut that UMD is making.

“This is our first year [competing]...

[Making students aware of the es ports program is] going to take more time because UMD is such a big school and has so much going…

It’s a matter of combating that and making sure that everybody knows esports is here and that esports is doing well on campus,” he says.

Similarly, esports is also making its debut as an MCPS-sponsored extracurricular activity. On Oct. 9, the county sent a Canvas an nouncement reaching out to mid dle schoolers across the county to gauge interest in esports and video games in general. The announce ment asked sixth through eighth graders to fill out a survey detailing their gaming habits to expand stu dent participation in esports.

Whether it be casual teenage gaming, college-level matches, or professional tournaments, the tight-knit communities found with in gaming and esports offer players a chance to connect through com petition. “Communication is prob ably the most important aspect of playing in a particular esport,”

Brack comments. “I wish more people understood the fact that a lot of times gamers aren’t locked in a room, not socializing. They’re just socializing in a different way.”

If we were able to publicize through the school directly, I think our numbers could be a lot higher.

PHOTO BY MAIA TURPEN

A NEW EXPERIENCE Jan Walter-Drop, an exchange student at Blair and one of the 22 exchange students in MCPS this year.

By Sedise Tiruneh Culture Columnist/Senior Writer

Tucked between the northwest corners of 9th and U, a sign reads “Little Ethiopia”, denoting the cul tural heritage and history of this Washington, D.C. neighborhood. Despite being formally recognized less than two years ago, the Ethio pian community in D.C. has been a key demographic and cultural influence on the city for decades.

After the passage of the Refu gee Act in 1980, many Ethiopians migrated to the U.S., often flood ing into pre-existing ethnic hubs such as D.C. and the surrounding metro area. This ethnic concentra tion allows for the preservation of Ethiopian culture, visible through the abundance of Ethiopian restaurants and markets now spill ing beyond the metropolitan area.

One such restaurant is Beteseb Restaurant, located along Georgia Ave., which has become a staple of the restaurant scene of Down town Silver Spring. The name, translating to “family” in Amharic, is embodied in the welcoming and vibrant environment of the dining area. On a sunny Friday afternoon, the restaurant hosts a wide range of patrons, from a large group of older Ethiopian men playing cards to a small party of Habesha aun ties, huddled around a rekebot, a low table made for serving coffee.

Prior to tasting the food, custom ers have the rest of their senses en gaged as soft ethio-jazz emanates from overhead speakers and the smells of spices and rich coffee tantalize eager guests.

A specialty dish offered at Be teseb is tibs. This traditional dish comes in many forms and styles, but most commonly, the dish is made with chopped meat, often beef or lamb, fried in neutral oil and coated in aromatic spices such as rosemary, thyme, and berbere.

The tantalizing dish builds on con ventional styles, as Beteseb offers a unique and fresh take on the dish by stewing the meat in a rich tomato-based broth. By adding a signature style to classic dishes, in dividual Ethiopian restaurants are able to stand apart in the noise of the food scene.

Another popular dish at Be teseb is their Veggie Combo Plat ter. This celebrated dish, offered at most Ethiopian restaurants, combines several plant-based Ethi opian dishes, including misir wot and kik alicha, providing patrons with an accessible, diet-friendly option. Misir wot presents a slight ly spicy but pleasant stew with split lentils immersed in a tomato and chili base. Another of the platter’s key components is shiro wot, a mild and creamy curry-like stew. Its unique and mild flavor profile comes from a base of chickpea flour, berbere, brown cardamom, and red onions.

Just a block away is Lucy’s Ethiopian Restaurant; its name is a proud reference to the oldest

human skeleton discovered, nick named “Lucy,” which was found in Hadar, Ethiopia. The dimly lit seating area of this culinary trea sure is filled with a familiar smoky, sweet aroma, which originates from the burning of etan, a fra grant incense combining the likes of frankincense, myrrh, and more. Though historical roots trace the incense back to Ancient Egyptian medicinal practices and religious ceremonies, its cultural presence has spread across Northern and East Africa. In contemporary Ethiopian society, it is often used during coffee ceremonies and family gatherings and symbolizes togetherness and community. The restaurant immerses patrons in a welcoming and intimate environ ment that transports them to the lush, rolling hills of the Ethiopian highlands.

A specialty at Lucy’s is their sambusa: fried triangular pockets stuffed with spiced lentils, beef, or other fillings. A bite into the fragile and flaky pastry unleashes an olfactory delight as the delicate shell crumbles away. The savory street food is similar to, and often confused with, South Asian samo sas, but distinguishes itself with its unique flavor profile, largely de rived from Ethiopia’s notable and ubiquitous spice, berbere. The presence of this particular blend in many authentic Ethiopian dishes gives the region’s cuisine a special sense of culinary cohesion.

Similar to Beteseb, Lucy’s offers a Veggie Combo with sim ilar plant-based staples like the aforementioned misir wot and kik alicha, with the addition of other classic dishes such as stewed beets and azifa. One minute but import ant difference between the two is their respective renditions of a classic dish: gomen. The tradition al preparation of this dish, exem plified by Beteseb’s rendition, in cludes blanching coarsely chopped collard greens and sautéing them in ginger, onions, and kibbeh, a spiced clarified butter. However, Lucy’s interpretation uses minced kale, which produces a more acid ic flavor profile and finer texture than the classic recipe does. These differing takes on a seemingly simple dish demonstrate a crucial phenomenon. These intersections of traditional flavors, diverse pal ates, and contemporary creativity reinforce beautiful and rich variety in our culinary landscape.

The abundance of Ethiopian food in the Silver Spring and D.C. areas allows for greater accessibili ty to the cuisine for the Ethiopian population and curious newcom ers alike. These authentic restau rants not only grant members of the diaspora the familiar flavors and dishes of home, but also help spread awareness of the rich and vibrant Ethiopian community in the area; Ultimately, placing cu linary diversity at the forefront of our consciousness and palates.

Staying true to the Street

...written statement in response to the deal arguing that it hurt disadvantaged families by requir ing them to pay for timely access to Sesame Street, even though kids whose families could not af ford streaming services benefitted from the educational program most. “HBO is building their new streaming platform on the backs of the most vulnerable children—those who are eco nomically disadvantaged and who most urgently need the kind of programming ‘Sesame Street’ provides.” PTC Presi dent Tim Winter wrote.

Many parents have also stressed the importance of keeping “Sesame Street” running on a free platform, especially after HBO Max removed almost 200 clas sic episodes of the show in early August to prepare for its merger with Discovery+. Although Sesame Workshop stated that the episodes will still be available to stream on PBS, there are currently only seven full episodes available, and several are set to leave the platform in the coming months. This has made the episodes incredibly hard to find and almost im possible to watch online. Causing parents to question whether the removal will impact children who benefit from the educational pro gram.

“Sesame Street,” which is regarded as one of the high est-ranked educational children’s television shows, was conceived in 1966 when Sesame Workshop co-founders Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett conducted a study to investigate “a possible way to use television to meet the national need for more and bet ter pre-school education.” Their study found that viewing educa tional television programs steadily increased children’s learning as they continued to watch through out the year; the younger the child, the more dramatic the gain would be.

Following their research, Cooney and Morrisett created “Sesame Street” as a way to edu cate inner-city children, especially those who were economically dis advantaged, before they entered elementary school in order to keep them educationally on par with middle-class children. The show, which premiered in 1969, was used to teach students not only at home, but also in the classroom. Cooney set up programs with local libraries, school boards, poverty programs,

and welfare programs to carry out arts and crafts and science projects in conjunction with program.

It wasn’t just the founders who focused on helping disadvantaged children when creating the show— the set designers and producers played an important role as well. They replicated the streets of New York City in the backdrop of “Ses ame Street” to create a neighbor hood that kids living in large cities, partic ularly New York City, would be familiar with. “

Our set had to be an inner-city street, and

ucational outcomes data from the census for urban counties across the nation.

Kearney and Levine found that “moving from a weak to strong reception county [reduced] the likelihood of falling behind ap propriate grade level by approx imately 14 percent.” This data was more profound in boys and Black, non-hispanic children, as well as kids living in economical ly disadvantaged areas, where the likelihood of being below grade level dropped by 16 per cent. This data supports Sesa me Street’s original mission of helping disadvantaged children’s educational levels.

more particularly it had to be a brownstone, so the cast and kids could ‘stoop’ in the age-old New York tradition, sitting on the front steps and watching the world go by,” “Sesame Street” producer Jon Stone says in the biography “Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street” by Michael Davis.

“Sesame Street”was designed for Black children, as its hosts were Black as well as mostly all other adults and children who appeared on the program. In the 1960s, Black psychologist Dr. Chester Pierce began working as a senior advisor on “Sesame Street” to counteract racist messages and microaggressions frequently dis played on TV.

Pierce created a “hidden cur riculum” within the show that centered on self image, racial tolerance, and teacher attitudes towards minority students, ac cording to “Sesame Street” cast member Loretta Long’s 1973 doc toral dissertation. He purposefully populated “Sesame Street” with a racially diverse cast and showed children of different races playing together in the start of each epi sode. Pierce also included positive images of Black children by having them give correct answers to ques tions asked on the show to bolster their self image.

“Sesame Street” also made an impact on school performance. A 2015 study conducted by Melissa S. Kearney and Phil lip B. Levine addressed the effec tiveness of the show on early educational performance by comparing the strength of cable television reception, which they be lieved de termined how many children watched “Sesame Street,” with ed

In addition to aiding in children’s ed ucation, many children’s shows have begun in corporating seri ous topics into their programs, and “Sesame Street” has been doing it for over 50 years. The show makes it a point to address topics that are relevant to the times children live in. For instance, it aired a town hall meeting about racism alongside CNN in June 2020 and released episodes about the COVID-19 pandemic in June this year that included Elmo getting vaccinated.

Since 2015, the show has in troduced its first Asian American muppet, its first autistic muppet, and its first gay couple. “Sesame Street” also introduced its first Black female puppeteer, Megan Piphus Peace, who officially began playing the role of Gabrielle, a sixyear-old black muppet, full time in September 2021.

Piphus Peace believes that be coming the first Black female pup peteer has allowed her to increase opportunities for other people of color. “Being the first Black wom an puppeteer makes me feel hap py because I know that there will be opportunities and open doors for more puppeteers of color and more diverse perspectives to join the street,” she says in an interview with Silver Chips. “Now that I’m on the street, I know that I’ll have an open door for bringing them to the street and being able to share with them what an excellent chil dren’s program looks like.”

“Sesame Street,” has aired com mercial-free on PBS since 1969 and the broadcasting service has reached more low-income chil dren than any other kids TV net work. “‘Sesame Street’ has always been inclusive and it was founded to educate all people of diverse backgrounds and to be inclusive of all backgrounds,” Piphus Peace comments. “That was why they were on public broadcasting—so that it was accessible to all.”

Many believe that it is so im portant for “Sesame Street” to stay accessible because of its founding mission to educate and be avail able to the public. It is not just the removal of the “classic” episodes that affect children, but also the limited availability of newer epi sodes. If the show is to continue being inclusive, teach kids about serious topics like foster care,in carceration, and substance use, and continue to educate children in things like vocabulary and math skills it is important that the groups of children they are made to empower have first access to view it.

the curtain

By Caleb Plank Staff Writer

Bright lights and standing ova tions may be the rewards of a great production, but behind the curtains, there are high school stu dents putting in long hours of hard work rehearsing lines, building sets, and designing costumes to create a meaningful show.

These efforts extend beyond school plays to community theaters throughout Silver Spring. While several theaters had to shut down or go virtual during the COVID-19 pandemic, many are now opening back up, and Blair students are jumping at the opportunity to get involved in productions.

The return of theater enables some students to reconnect with a longstanding passion that was first sparked at summer camps and el ementary schools. “I’ve been [in] theater camps and after school stuff just for fun as a kid,” University of North Carolina School of the Arts senior and Blair alumna Anna Ue hlein says. “It was always one of my favorite things to do. I was always performative and social and sort of funny as a child.”

Starting performing arts from a young age allows students to find their place in the community and build strong bonds that can last for years. “I found some of my best friends [through theater],” Elia Sil bey, a Blair junior and performer at The Free Theatre, a student-run theater in Germantown, explains.

“It’s something that can be really

fulfilling for me.”

In addition to being an outlet for self-expression, community theater presents a unique opportunity to connect with kids of all ages and experience all sorts of perspectives and ideas. “You work all [the] way through high school with the same group of people,” Veronica Obler, a Blair junior and performer with Lumina Studio Theatre, a Silver Spring youth theater, says. “Interact ing with people who are older than you and younger than you [means you] really [learn] from them and [create] those connections.”

Theater also teaches students an important skill set. “I think that theater and acting is one of the only things that can really train people in how to feel empathy,” Uehlein says. “I think the entire process of developing… and playing a charac ter is really all about understanding them, understanding their motiva tions, their beliefs, their wants, their obstacles.”

The parallel between learning a character and learning about other people also helps students outside of theater. “I think this artform just gives you a lot of empathy and a lot of appreciation for people no mat ter who they are,” Uehlein says.

Community theater can also build confidence in students allow ing them to feel comfortable with their identities both on and off the stage. “I think after doing theater for so long, I’ve become a lot more comfortable with my speaking voice and with my stage presence and just existing in front of other people,”

Blair alumna and Columbia Col

As student-run programs that lack steady funding, local theaters rely on financial support from their audiences to keep putting on shows. “Because community theaters really make all of their money off of ticket sales, there’s not a lot of other ways for them to make a lot of money.” Uehlein says. “Money is hard to maintain at a local theater, so any thing that people can do to support community theaters… is enormous ly helpful to them.”

Along with the difficulties of making money, smaller theaters struggle to get the word out and find

people to come watch their produc tions. “We want to invite everybody from not just Blair, [but] from the whole community to come and be a part of it. I think without that name recognition, that can be really hard sometimes,” Patterson, a member on the board of directors at Playset Theatre, a student-run community theater group in Silver Spring, says.

Building name recognition for local theaters would give perform ers and audience members alike a chance to find a role in the com munity. “I really hope that the audi ence can grow. For local theater in general, I would like everyone who would ever want to [be involved], to

get involved,” Patterson says. Growing support from theater enthusiasts and the industry would also increase opportunities for cre ativity and original ideas to flour ish. “I think there’s a lot of really innovative, really cool, and actually barrier-breaking stuff that happens in local theaters,” Uehlein says, “I would just love to see more of the theater industry focus on regional and local theater.”

To support the local theater stu dents featured in this story, check out Elia Silbey in “Footloose” this January at The Free Theatre, and Veronica Obler’s directing debut of “Love’s Labour’s Lasso” at Lumina Studio Theatre in December.

lege Chicago freshman Maybelle Patterson says.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THEATER

Students perform in local showcase and pose for a picture on the stage.

COURTESY OF ELIA SILBEY

By Eliana Finberg Culture Editor

Film directors have taken inspi ration from books since the dawn of television. Some take general ideas, while others make movie or TV show adaptations of specific books. These interpretations see varying degrees of success—some of the movies deserve to be walked out on, and others provide as ac curate a rendition of a book as one can get.

The 2012 fantasy era provided examples of both of these. “Harry Potter,” “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” and “Divergent” were among the most popular books and series, and each of their movies received different reac tions from fans.

Despite its arsenal of ten books penned by Rick Riordan, the Percy Jackson series saw only two movies made before fans were too disappointed for the films to con tinue. 18-year-old actors played 12-year-olds, the main quest was changed, and the characters were duller. Riordan himself wasn’t even involved with the writing of the script. However, in May 2020, Disney announced a new Percy Jackson TV show, this time with age-appropriate actors and a heavy influence from Rick Riordan.

The “Harry Potter” movie se ries earned a general seal of ap proval from its audience. It consist ed of eight movies, each of which focused on one book with the last book split into two cinematic parts. The author in this case, J.K. Rowling, was very involved in the development of the script, and the overall quality of the movies is an indication of the time and dedica tion the cast, writers, and directors put into it.

More recently, the trilogy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” by Jenny Han was made into a movie series. With each movie dedicated to one book, the mov ies stayed relatively true to the plot that readers were familiar with, mi nus an important kiss from the first book and several plot points from the second. The cast fit Han’s de scriptions, even if they didn’t fit readers’ imaginations.

For fantasy series in particular, it’s often difficult for writers and directors to include all elements

of books into movie adaptations. Books allow for much more nu ance and explanation that are dif ficult to narrate in the form of a movie. Engaging dialogue or battle scenes are often more exciting than long descriptions of setting or the fantasy world, leading directors to cut those out. But sometimes adaptations can be done well.

“Shadow and Bone,” for ex ample, is a TV show that came out on Netflix in early 2021. It is a mix of two series, “Shadow and Bone” and “Six of Crows,” both authored by Leigh Bardugo. The two series, while featuring separate characters, exist in the same world, so writers of the TV show changed the plot line of the first “Shadow and Bone” book in order to fit in “Six of Crows” characters. The script didn’t exactly follow the plot of either book, but the writers still stayed true to the characters by including necessary developments and inserting dialogue that could easily have been included in the books themselves.

Another fantasy movie done well is “The Hobbit,” based on the eponymous book written by J.R.R. Tolkein. The original text is confusing, wordy, and long, which makes it easy for the reader to get distracted from the main quest with all of the descriptions of meals. The three-part movie ad aptation provides a clearer expla nation of what takes place in the book, as well as the extensive back story behind Tolkien’s world and characters. The writers and direc tors strayed from the plot slightly, adding in a romance between a dwarf and an elf, but stayed true to Tolkien’s vision and storytelling style.

Adapting books and bringing what makes them good onto the screen is an art that directors are still learning to perfect. With sev eral new opportunities on the ho rizon to bring stories to a broader audience—the Percy Jackson show is set to air in 2024, and “Shadow and Bone” has been renewed for a second season—viewers will con tinue to see stories retold on the big screen, for better or worse.

75 years of saying “Goodnight”

By Ila Raso Senior Writer

In the great green room, there was a little girl, a stuffed panda, and a book titled “Goodnight Moon.” As she wraps her arms around the stuffed panda, the girl’s eyes follow the comforting image of the moon as it flows through Clement Hurd’s illustrations. “When I was younger, my mom would read it every single night and I would just sleep right away,” Bells Mill Elementary School fourth grader Adelaide MacSlar row says. “Goodnight Moon” has been a part of MacSlarrow’s eve ning routine for as long as she can remember, like it has been for millions of other children across the globe. Last month marked 75 years since this bedtime story first made its way into the bookshelves and the hearts of families around the world.

Written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clem ent Hurd, “Goodnight Moon” changed the trajectory of chil dren’s literature when it was pub lished in 1947. With nearly 48 million copies sold in over 25 dif ferent languages, the comforting and timeless story has become a cultural staple across the world. More recently, the iconic title has been adapted for both stage and screen. HBO’s “Goodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales” has transferred the nostalgic plot onto the warm glow of the television screen.

Although a classic of chil dren’s literature now, the idea of a bunny surrounded by the great green room was once revolution ary. For most of the 20th century, many children’s librarians firmly believed that fairytales, fables, and fantasy books were the best for young readers.

see yourself as, my grandson can see himself as, meaning it doesn’t matter what gender [or] what race. You are just that little bunny in the bed, and we all know that desire to be comforted.”

Readers find peace in the clas sic pages—all that matters in the moment is saying goodnight to the illuminated moon passing by. But the journey to publish “Goodnight Moon” was not nearly as tranquil.

Starting in 1935, Brown worked closely with Lucy Mitchell, a fellow educator and writer, to develop the idea of the “Here and Now” spirit within a storybook. After extensive research and conversations with children, the women concluded that children’s literature should re flect the world that children expe

gained popularity as more and more families purchased copies of the book.

“Goodnight Moon” owes its success in large part to Brown’s innovative writing. She crafted sto ries that truly engaged children.

In “Goodnight Moon,” details like the great green room’s hid den mouse pique the curiosity of young readers. Chasing this little mouse through the pages is Con cord Hill School second grader Eleanor Johnson’s favorite part of “Goodnight Moon.” “I like when it shows this little mouse in each scene!” she says.

Brown’s unique creative pro cess and unconventional approach to connecting with children also contributed to her book’s suc

GARY

rience. Mitchell documented their findings in a book titled “Here and Now Story Book: Two- to SevenYear-Olds,” but even with their research, New York Public Li brary (NYPL) children’s librarian Anne Carroll Moore was against their progressive storybook ideas. Moore worked to open public libraries to children in the early 20th century, and continued to spearhead children’s literature ini tiatives across NYPL, earning her the title of “grand dame of chil dren’s librarianship.”

cess. She preferred to sit and work alongside them, rather than simply observe their behavior from a dis tance.

“Goodnight Moon” was the one of the first children’s books to create a tangible world that its young audience knew firsthand and could make their own. “One of the things that… made ‘Good night Moon’ really stick and stay forever is that [the] character in the bed can be any child,” Amy Gary, author of Margaret Wise Brown’s biography “In the Great Green Room: The Brilliant and Bold Life of Margaret Wise Brown,” says in an interview with Silver Chips. “It is a bunny that I can see myself as, that you can

Brown and her colleagues faced intense pushback from Moore be fore the now iconic title went to print. During the 1940s, NYPL had become the unofficial gateway to fame and prestige for children’s books, and in order for a bedtime story to gain recognition, it need ed the approval of the library’s children’s department. Though Moore repeatedly rejected the idea behind “Goodnight Moon,” Brown published the story anyway.

The book’s comforting and playful words quickly reached the homes of families across the coun try. NYPL still refused to acquire the title for its system until 1972, but “Goodnight Moon” found rec ognition all on its own. It quickly

“[Brown] would take children down to the docks or the sea, and have them experience [the view] down there with the captains and the boats, and then she would bring them back, and she would make a list of all the words they used to describe things,” Gary says. Brown would take note of all the words young children used to describe their surroundings and incorporate them into her books. She worked to meet them at the vocabulary level they were at al ready, and then worked with them to expand their knowledge from there.

75 years later, the calming scene of a moon setting behind the clutter of the great green room remains familiar to children across the globe. For some Blair students, “Goodnight Moon” will always bring back the coziness of bedtime. “My mom used to read it to me before bed all the time,” ju nior Sofia Woldeab reminisces. “I still remember [the book’s relax ing illustrations] even though I was so little when reading [‘Goodnight Moon’].”

LUCIA WANG

ELIZA COOKE

[Brown] would take the children down to the docks or the sea... and she would make a list of all the words they used to describe things.

Female superheroes: strength over sexualization

By Mandy Guo Staff Writer AN OPINION

The striking sound of metal on metal echoes through the packed theater. Wonder Woman stands on the big screen, her hair flowing as she charges across a battlefield of ash and gray. Bullets clang against her wristguards as she, a woman, crosses no man’s land. Her armor is sparse, decorating her body rath er than protecting it, yet she manag es to make it across the field with out a single scratch. As she runs, the camera pans across her entire body, embellished by bits and piec es of metal, before settling on the tiara adorning her forehead.

A familiar scene for many avid superhero fans, this portrayal is far from unique within superhero me dia. From big names like Marvel and DC to smaller TV series such as “Supergirl” and “Batwoman,” the focus for female superheroes always seems to be on curves rather than character.

A prime example is Black Wid ow’s introduction in “Iron Man 2,” which is littered with implica tions and suggestive dialogue from Tony Stark. She is introduced as a demure figure, her blouse un buttoned enough to show cleavage and her collarbone exposed to the camera. Upon looking her up on the internet, Stark finds galleries of photographs in which she’s posed suggestively, dressed in feathers and lace.

Evelyn Mosley, co-president of Blair’s film club, notes a detail on the poster of “Iron Man 2,” in which Black Widow was first in troduced. “If you look at Black Widow, she’s wearing a completely black suit, and it’s like, ‘hm, she’s very highlighted,’” Mosley says.

Black Widow’s role as a secre tary in “Iron Man 2” and the ste

reotypes that the position reinforc es are a point of concern for Blair junior Nathan Gehl. “She was first introduced… as a secretary, which is highly contrasting to a lot of male superheroes, [and] a job that was traditionally held by women, so I think that was… negative female portrayal,” he says.

Portrayals like these can be attributed to the men sitting in the director’s chair—according to Women’s Media Center (WMC), 97% of superhero and sci-fi movies released in the past decade were directed by men, causing the final product to be influenced by the male gaze: a presentation of media from the perspective of a hetero sexual man, characterized by the tendency to sexualize and objectify women.

In comparison, the focus for male superheroes is on skill and character, even if their capabil ities don’t necessarily match up to those of their female teammates.

In the earlier Aveng ers movies, Hawkeye’s bow skills are em phasized and shown much more than Black Wid ow’s martial arts skills, even though she has mastered many more abili ties than Hawk eye has.

According to a study done by WMC and BBC America, only 14 percent of the 211 science fiction films released between 2009 and 2018 had a female solo lead and only 31

percent had a female co-lead. With “Wonder Woman” box office profits sitting at $413 million com pared to the $449 million made by “Thor,” superhero movies starring female solo leads have proven that they can sell nearly as well as their male counterparts, yet female solo leads are still too uncommon.

Even though superhero mov ies starring female protagonists such as “Wonder Woman” have proven that they can sell nearly as well as their male counterparts, with “Wonder Woman” making nearly $413 million compared to the $449 million made by “Thor,” female solo leads are still too un common.

Even when female superheroes do take the leading role, they often rely on male characters to motivate or enable them. Wonder Woman largely relies on

Steve to acquaint her with the mod ern world and inspire her actions in Wonder Woman 1984. SheHulk, another recent female lead, is created by Bruce Banner, the Hulk, and relies on him to teach her how to control her strength and her powers.

Susan Pramschufer, Senior Lecturer for a film class at the Uni versity of Maryland, points out an example of this reliance on male characters in the conclusion of “Wonder Woman,” noting how Diana and Steve played equal roles in saving humanity. “She can’t save everybody, so she’s defeating [one villain]. And then Steve blows up the ship. And he’s doing something equally as important by blowing up the airplane,” she says.

On the other hand, in movies like “Thor” and “Man of Steel,” the male superhero saves the day by himself. Even though Thor has support from his love inter est, Jane Foster, he still stands alone when facing off against the enemy.

Despite the shortcomings of female superhero representation in movies, many Marvel and DC TV shows have been moving in the right direc tion. Newer TV shows are providing a change in media portrayal of fe male superheroes.

Shows like Ms. Marvel and Hawk eye, which have their female leads focusing more on self-dis covery and learning about their powers rather than love in

terests and families, are moving toward more equitable and realis tic portrayals of women on the big screen. The costuming within these shows also depicts the characters in more casual clothing, a step for ward from the tight-fit bodysuits and armor plating that was used in older movies.

Pramschufer highlights the ex citement around new shows that present a different perspective and how they help children recognize themselves on screen, rather than perpetuating traditional stereo types within the superhero genre.

“I think so many kids look at [TV shows like Ms. Marvel] and they’re like, ‘Oh, this is better!’ even if they don’t really recognize why it’s better,” Pramschufer says. “[They can think], ‘I can see myself [rep resented] here. She reminds me of myself.’”

Lee Konstantinou, Associate Professor within the English de partment at the University of Mary land, feels like the audience may even help to accelerate progressive representation. “There’s a big audi ence out there who are excited to see different kinds of stories and… more and more creators are going to want to tell different kinds of sto ries,” he says.

Reflections of a restaurateur

By Parineeka Shrestha Staff Writer

Amid the bustle of Veterans Plaza and along Fenton Street lies a modern building with green accents and warm lights. Kusshi Sushi’s vi brant murals, substantial sushi bar, and unique and authentic Asian snack collection, visible through the large glass doors, provide an eye-catching view for passersby.

Kusshi Sushi’s owner, Wesley Yao, has been in the sushi indus try since his high school days. The 2005 Thomas S. Wootton grad uate started off as an employee at Hanaro Sushi in Bethesda. Yao worked at the restaurant for five years before going to prison. When he returned to his old job, the busi ness was failing, and he was fired shortly after over disagreements with management. “When I came back out [of prison], [the restaurant wasn’t] doing well and then I was like, ‘Look, you [messed] up every thing that I did for you guys. You’re ruining the business. Let me start it over again,” Yao recalls. “Then me and one of the managers didn’t see eye-to-eye, and he actually ended up firing me.”

However, in December 2015, Yao became the owner of Hanaro Sushi after acquiring the struggling restaurant. “I bought the business for pennies on the dime 18 months [after getting fired],” Yao says.

“When a restaurant starts losing money, it loses money fast and it’s challenging.” Since then, he has opened four locations of Hanaro Sushi’s big brother chain, Kusshi Sushi.

Along with physi cal locations, Yao also opened virtual restau rants Donburi Dojo and Ramen House, both of which can be accessed through multiple online food ordering and delivery platforms. The similar menus between Yao’s two types of restau rants make it easy for physical kitchens to quickly produce orders that can be sent out in the virtual restaurants’ names.

In 2021, Yao be gan a series on You Tube titled “Why You Should NOT Open a Restaurant.” The videos contain content detailing vari ous examples of what he calls “everyday headaches” in the industry, including administrative obstacles and rude customers. While his videos are largely critical of the restaurateur experience, Yao does not mean

to deter viewers from opening a restaurant—he simply wants to set realistic expectations for those who lack experience. “Opening restau rants is a very challenging process. It’s very difficult [and] it doesn’t get easier,” Yao explains. “90 percent

of restaurants fail in the first two years. It’s just a hard industry and [discouraging inexperienced peo ple from attempting to open restaurants] saves people a lot of heartache, headaches, and money.”

When it comes to opening his own establishments, the Montgomery County native relies on pure intuition in choosing a location, forgoing the walk scores or de mographic overviews others might turn to.

“I grew up in Mont gomery County, and I’ve kinda just stuck around in the area. I know which areas are poppin’,” he says. “I [don’t] really dig into [the location].”

they put you in the space,” Yao ex plains.

Next, with building regulations in mind, the restaurant’s physical layout is planned and executed.

“You need an architect to draw your plans, what it’s gonna look like, the renovation you’re gon na do, and then you have to get a general contractor to build it,” Yao says. “Then, in between, you have to apply for permits, and the open ing process takes a long time.”

Many obstacles that new restau rants face on the way to opening day are invisible to the naked eye.

Kusshi Sushi failed its final building check due to air flow issues, delay ing its soft opening by two months.

“When we look at the space, it looks pretty good [on the surface].

[The issues lie in the] duct work.

PHOTO BY DYLAN WARREN

For Yao, compli cations begin accumu lating once a venue is chosen. First, a lease has to be acquired at a reasonable price. The landlord has to be aware of a busi ness owner’s ability to succeed, and more importantly, to pay rent. “The land lord makes sure that you can actu ally run a business. They wanna make sure you’re qualified before

It’s in the ceiling, it’s nothing you can see. That’s part of the problem of why we failed [the inspection],”

he says. “This space took us almost a year [to get up to code].”

Kusshi Sushi officially launched its soft opening on Oct. 4. Look ing toward the future, Yao plans to open a Kusshi Sushi location in Ty sons Corner, and hopes to be more involved in the Silver Spring area.

“I definitely want to be a part of the community,” he says.

DAMI KIM

[They can think], ‘I can see myself [represented] here. She reminds me of myself.’

Putting the “art” in artificial intelligence

By Raunak Banerjee Staff Writer

“Théâtre D’opéra Spatial,” also known as the “Space Opera Theater,” is a viral painting of what appears to be opera singers performing to an interdimensional audience in a combination of steampunk and renaissance themes. The adjudicators of the Colorado State Art Fair, an annual summer art competition, priced it at $300 this past August, but many artists think it hardly deserves any recognition at all. Why? Because it was made using artificial intelligence (AI).

for a computer program to learn patterns given multiple inputs and feedback. For example, to train AI to identify whether there is a chimp or not in an image, a human has to input multiple images and tell the program whether or not each of them has a chimp. The more images entered, the better the program will be at identifying chimps.

Understanding a written prompt and identifying the chimp is one thing, but using it to inspire a composition is another. People have doubted the creative capability of computer programs, but now, AI algorithms like Midjourney are changing that.

For decades, people were focused on creating more powerful AI, but now, they are increasingly applying it to real world problems.

“What’s changing now is the uses of [AI]; I think the development of AI itself is kind of stagnated a little bit,” Blair Intro to AI teacher Nora Burkhauser says.

traditional artists: some have started using it as a tool to further enhance their ideas. Dr. Nettrice Gaskins is a digital artist who received her

doctorate in Digital Media from Georgia Tech. To create her works, she generates multiple iterations of each art piece by using AI like Midjourney to change sections of a computer-generated “base template.”

A base template is an AI-outputted starter image which an artist can modify iteratively with other images or prompts.

Alternatively, she generates images as inspiration for some of her works, much as previous generations of artists did with the groundbreaking technological innovation of their time— photography.

In August, tabletop game developer Jason Allen generated “Space Opera Theater” using Midjourney, an AI program that takes written prompts and uses them to generate artistic images.

For example, someone could type “chimpanzee on a drum set” and, using a combination of images from its 100 terabyte database and the process of deep learning, Midjourney would identify the chimp and the drum set. Then, it would simply put the piece together by “painting” something that resembles both subjects.

Deep learning is the ability

But art generated using AI deep learning isn’t completely new. In 2018, an AI-generated piece was auctioned for $432,500 at Christie’s, an art auction house based in New York. Many traditional artists felt threatened by this new kind of creation and called it unoriginal and lazy. “This whole notion of just typing in keywords, and getting back a work of art within seconds, [one] that you didn’t spend hours and hours and days… developing, kind of compromises the craftsmanship,” Blair computer science teacher Ryan Foster says.

However, the use of AI art isn’t considered immoral by all

For example, Gaskins speaks about her process for designing cover art for HarperCollins Publishing. “We couldn’t find [a stock photo] that was the author’s vision so I had to Frankenstein it; I had to pull the hair from one [image] and use the torso from another.”

When the camera was first created, artists were outraged that they might be outclassed by a machine. “When you think about the development of a camera back then, the people were afraid [that] there’s not going to be artists… [they said] ‘art is dead because now you can take a picture of everything,’”

Foster explains.

But now, photography coexists with art. Instead of having someone sit for several hours while you draw them, snapping a picture is the goto option. Using the photo as a reference, people can paint more effectively and the subject doesn’t waste any time.

Gaskins and many other digital artists of today use AI in a similar fashion: they enter a prompt of what they imagine so they can fully visualize what they want to draw. They then use it as a reference for their handmade commissions.

Although we’ve long rejected the idea that machines could ever match human artistry, AI art has already been recognized by major commissioners such as HarperCollins Publishing and the judges of the Colorado State Art Fair. Though many artists now believe their line of work will become obsolete, others argue that AI could help art reach new heights just as photography did. Only time will tell which side is right.

MINA RICOTTI

Clips

Even/Odd Sudoku

COURTESY OF DYLAN SCHENKER

ELIZA COOKE

By Zachary Williamson Sports Columnist

“After you do it once, you al ways come back.” The iconic Spartan phrase might as well be carved into my brain at this point.

Spartan races are extreme trials of mental and physical endurance held worldwide. They combine long distance running and obstacle challenges to target both lower and upper-body muscles. After hearing positive reviews and having event ads shoved down my throat, I de cided to try one out. With only a month of training, I made my way to Vernon, New Jersey on Sep. 30 for a weekend of Spartan events.

I signed up in advance for three different races: the Beast (13.1 miles), the Super (6.2 miles), and the Sprint (3.1 miles). As a cross-country runner, I had some long distance experience under my belt, but my personal farthest was only an eight mile run. For Saturday’s Beast, I’d nearly double that. Then, with only hours for re covery, I would do the Super and Sprint the following day.

Spartan races have both com petitive and open sections. Rac ers in the competitive sections must complete punishments like burpees or extra running for every failed obstacle, whereas in the open section, which is now my personal recommendation, the punishments are essentially self-regulated.

Without thinking, I signed my self up for the competitive section of the Beast race and was giv en a special red headband which tells employees

to treat me like dirt. What fun!

On the day of the event, I woke up at 5 a.m. and hastily drove to the race venue. I met my first fel low Spartan, a 55-year-old man named Eugene, in the parking lot. His piece of advice: “walk the hills.”

At the competition site, I got my running bib, chip, and headband, and then jogged to the starting line. With my windbreaker, jacket, and water pack strapped to my back, I was all ready to go. After a “Run ners, GO!!!,” the race was on.

I immediately started walking. This was going to be an uphill bat tle—literally. This first race had an elevation gain of 4,580 feet, which, for those like me who had no idea what this indicated, meant that the course was A MOUNTAIN.

About two-thirds of a mile in, I reached the Monkey Bars. I watched all of these jacked men and women breeze through the obstacle, and then grabbed hold of the wet metal bars (oh, did I men tion it was raining?) and promptly dropped to the ground. I did my 30 burpees and moved on. The first mile ended up taking me half an hour—five times longer than it would’ve taken me on flat land.

After trudging through a pond’s edge one and a half miles later, I reached the fifth obstacle: the Ty rolean Traverse. Here, I had to climb across a rope while upside down and without falling

to the ground.

After sizing the obstacle up for a minute, I latched on and start ed to shimmy. The rope tore the skin off my ankles and the exertion forced me to take a few breaks and just dangle there like a drunk mon key. But with effort, I slapped the cowbell at the end of the rope and hopped down.

The first five or so miles were beautiful. At its highest points, I was above the clouds, and cool air whirled around my muddy body.

Mile six brought the atlas car ry—the obstacle I was most afraid to attempt. I had to pick up a 100 pound rock and carry it 10 meters. I went up to the supervising Spar tan official and asked if I could do a burpee punishment instead, but to my dismay, he said failure to com plete this challenge would result in disqualification. S***. With a few attempts and his encouragement and advice, I hoisted the rock to my waist and waddled the distance.

through waist-deep mud. It made the subsequent miles that much more uncomfortable. Other than that though, this Spartan race was much more of a physical battle than a mental one, contrary to much of what I’d previously heard.

With five hours and ten min utes on the clock, I made it to the final tenth of a mile, but I wasn’t finished yet—here came four of the hardest obstacles. I failed the first one, upping my burpee total to 150. Next up was the Bucket Car ry, for which I had to carry a 60-75 pound bucket up and down a hill.

By this point my arms were totally shot, so the whole thing took me about 15 minutes, despite nearly everyone else completing it in two. After that were the Rope Climb and Hercules Hoist, which I re placed with a total of 60 burpees. By the end I was so exhausted I was only managing two burpees at a time. As many athletes do af ter facing intense exercise, I felt a strong desire to cry.

From there, I climbed up one final obstacle, and crossed the fin ish line with a time of six hours and ten seconds. “I don’t get why everyone is hooked after their first time,” I thought. “I’m never volun tarily doing this again.” Of course, I still had another two races for that to change.

I woke up the next day sore for the Super, but was actually able to manage everything fairly easily con sidering my worn out condition.

After such a difficult first day, this one flew by, and I suddenly under stood Spartan’s appeal. I was also in the open section for this race and the next, which made both less strenuous. Instead of doing 30 burpees per obstacle, I chose to do 10. For the record, most people did zero.

Overall, the Super was long enough to fill me with great feel ings of accomplishment, but not so strenuous that I couldn’t enjoy it to the fullest. Once I crossed the finish line after two hours and 42 minutes, I thought, “I’m definitely coming back next year.” The Spar tan phrase rang true.

Help! They got me, you guys!

Between the finish of the Super

The next seven miles—which were actually closer to nine due to inaccurate course measurements and additional running in the form of punishment loops—felt like a slog. The most mentally taxing part of the race was a punishment loop after The Twister, another up per body obstacle I failed miser ably, that had me wade

While I spent time conversing with racers during the Beast as well, this one brought a particularly memorable interaction: I met an old guy doing his 121st Spartan race. He’s traveled all across the country for them.

Compared to the Beast, this race was a piece of cake. And now that I’d already given one race my all, I took this opportunity to relax as much as one can while run ning what was nearly eight miles and 28 obstacles.

and start of the Sprint, time wore on my muscles, and I didn’t feel particularly motivated to do this one, because I had already done the more impressive events. I was grumpy for most of the last race, but it would have been fun if I hadn’t been so drained.

In reflection, my trip was a total success. I wasn’t as big or strong as most of the other attendees, but it felt good to compete at their level and get through obstacles that were harder for me than for them. Over the weekend, I ran about 28 miles and racked up over 80,000 steps. I did something totally new to me, and now feel incredi bly accomplished.

Tune in next cycle to see what sports challenge I write about next!

A play for equal pay

The agreement has been in the works since March 2016, when five well-known USWNT players filed a wage discrimination com plaint with the U.S. Equal Employ ment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The complaint came after two major instances of USSF pay in equality. Players used the federa tion’s 2015 financial report to show that the women’s team brought in $20 million more revenue than the men’s team, but its players were paid four times less. Next, the women called out the dispari ties between the teams’ “friendly” matches, which are scrimmages played outside of competition for practice. Although both the USWNT and USMNT were re quired to play 20 “friendly” games each season, the women got a bo nus of less than $2,000 only if they won the match, while men received a guaranteed bonus of $5,000 per match, regardless of the result.

After little progress was made following the 2016 complaint, USWNT ramped up the pressure. In 2019, 28 USWNT players sued the USSF for “institutionalized gen der discrimination.”

The players faced a challenge in 2020 when a federal judge in Cali fornia ruled that a pay gap existed because it required less skill to play

for the USWNT. “The point is that the job of MNT player [com peting against senior men’s nation al teams] requires a higher level of skill based on speed and strength than does the job of WNT player [competing against senior women’s national teams]” the filing from the USSF read.

In 2021, the 28 players appealed the judge’s claims, arguing that he did not consider the fact that the USWNT had to win more often to receive bonuses. The players’ ap peal was successful, and the team eventually triumphed in 2022.

Many USWNT players concur that the agreement is not only a victory for the USWNT, but also an important step in decreasing gender inequality across all sports. The gender pay gap is still preva lent in many sports—in basketball, star women players earn over $4 million less than the average male professional player.

Sara Jordan, an ex-profession al soccer player for Haukar FC in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, expe rienced this pay gap when she played. “It’s hard to put in words how [the pay gap] can make you feel. It makes you feel less than [the men], and makes you feel like you’re not worth the same, because financially you aren’t in the eyes of your employer,” Jordan explains.

Josie Gleason, a varsity girls’ soccer player at Blair, believes that the agreement will help push sports

organizations all over the world to close the pay gap. “I think it will set a precedent for other sports to have equal pay between their men’s and their women’s teams,” she says.

Another goal for the USWNT players who introduced the agree ment is to positively influence girls’ youth sports. Alex Morgan, a USWNT member and pioneer in the fight for gender equality and equal pay, spoke out about the challenges for female athletes after the 2019 World Cup. “There’s a lot of things in place that don’t set up girls and women to feel respect ed or have as much opportunity in sports,” she says in an interview with People Magazine.

Abby Greenberg, a JV girls’ soccer player at Blair, says that the agreement has made a difference in her mindset as a female soccer player. “It makes me actually want to play soccer and not be treated less than any of the boys my age playing soccer, just because I’m a girl,” she says. Greenberg believes that the deal not only benefits her, but women everywhere. “[The agreement] is extremely important because it [reaffirms] that girls can do anything that men can do, and anything is possible for us now.”

Jordan hopes that the positive repercussions for women and girls, like the ones Greenberg men tioned, will give future female play ers a baseline of equity. “[The next generation] is not going to remem

ber the fight leading up to equal pay,” she explains. “They’re just going to know a time where wom en’s soccer players are paid the same amount as the men’s soccer

players, and that’s their status quo. That’s huge because that’s where they’re going to operate from as the normal.”

PHOTO BY HENRY REICHLE

AUDI FIELD USWNT player Sophia Smith (left) playing at the U.S. vs. Nigeria game in Washington, D.C.

COURTESY OF SPARTAN

COURTESY OF SPARTAN

The backbone of Blazer athletics

By Sachini Adikari Staff Writer

At Blair, junior varsity teams are often seen as a stepping stone into the world of high school sports. Mainly composed of freshmen and sophomores, JV teams help student athletes prepare for a var sity level of gameplay. While these programs are beneficial, they are sometimes looked down upon by the athletes themselves.

Junior Lucinda Dougherty, who captained the JV field hockey team during the 2021 season, explained that while she wasn’t excited about staying on JV her sophomore year, she had found a new appreciation for the team as the season ended.

“I feel like it’s a big step into grow ing as an athlete,” she says.

For a sport like field hockey, in which many players come to Blair lacking experience, the JV level be comes even more important. “It’s a lot to learn in such a short amount of time, so I think people on JV de serve a lot of respect,” Dougherty explains. “It’s hard to start a new sport and to just jump right in.”

The success of a sport’s JV pro gram is also reflected in its varsity team. Last year, the varsity field hockey team became Maryland Class 4A State quarterfinalists.

“When you have a strong JV pro gram, you have a strong varsity program,” Blair Athletics Specialist

Rita Boulé says. “Coaches of JV sports and JV student athletes are

integral parts of our athletics pro gram here at Blair.”

When faced with the question of either moving up to varsity or staying on JV, sophomore JV boys’ soccer team captain Luca Goles would rather stay on JV because of the leadership and development skills that he gains. “You learn how to be a leader, you get more play time, and it’s just a lot more fun,” he explains.

Many of the skills Goles is de veloping on JV are similar to those employed at the varsity level. “The JV and the varsity coaches will try to link their play styles so that when we play for JV, we’ll be ready for varsity,” he says.

however, Northwood High School lacks a JV field hockey team, as the school does not have enough people to play at both the JV and varsity levels. “There are a total of 13 people on the varsity team… we didn’t [have] a lot of people try out in general, so we needed everyone that tried out to be on varsity,” Northwood varsity field hockey player Caya Kassaraba writes in an email to Silver Chips. “I do wish Northwood had a JV field hockey team so that more people could learn how to play field hockey.”

One varsity sport that doesn’t have a corresponding JV team at Blair is cheerleading. Boulé says that she has entertained the pos sibility of a JV cheer team, as she wants to strengthen the sport at Blair. “Something I’m considering is to bring in a JV team at this point for cheer… we need to develop some of the cheerleaders more,” she says.

A number of students wouldn’t have the opportunity to participate in athletics if not for the JV level.

““Having a JV team [means] more athletes which is good… schools that don’t have a JV team, they want to have a JV Team,” Goles says.

Just down University Boulevard,

As the only freshman on the cheer team, Allegra Unger be lieves that having a JV cheer team would help show support between teams. “I feel like there should be a JV cheer because there’s no one to cheer at JV football games,” she says. “It makes JV football feel less supported, but we just don’t have time to cheer at both games.”

With the lack of a JV cheer team comes the scarcity of a stu dent section during a JV Football game. Blair JV football captain Dylan Rinaldi explains that the ab

sence of a student body at games is unfortunate, as he feels JV has a lot to offer. “Compared to the past last year, we’ve done a lot,” he says.

While there is a stark difference in support between the varsity and JV football teams, both have com pelling records. The varsity football team currently has a 6-1 record, while the JV level is at 3-1. When comparing JV’s current season to their 3-4 record in 2021, Rinaldi is proud of the JV team’s success this year. “We’ve shocked a lot of peo ple,” he says.

Rinaldi believes that athletes cannot reach their full potential without a JV level. “Without a JV team, you never really know if a student is almost at the varsity lev el… you never really know how good they actually are,” he says. With the existence of the JV level, students can all experience growth uniquely. “I mean, that’s what we do with kids, right? We’re preparing them in high school for the next level. Whatever [they] choose to do,” Boulé says. “Athlet ics is the same.”

Beyond the serve

Reflecting on Serena Williams’ retirement and legacy

By Julia Lian Staff Writer

After a 27-year career in tennis, Serena Williams announced her retirement, on Aug. 9, from the sport she revolutionized. In addi tion to her record-breaking athlet ic achievements, which includes winning the most Grand Slams of any tennis player since 1968, Wil liams is known for breaking down barriers of sexism and racism, not just in tennis, but across profes sional sports. She paved the way for countless young tennis players, including some Blair student ath letes.

Williams was born on Sept. 26, 1981, in Michigan, but spent her youth in the poor Los Angeles neighborhood of Compton with her family. Williams’ father Rich ard, an avid tennis fan, encouraged Serena and her older sister Venus to play tennis and coached them from an early age. Although the Williams family was not wealthy and had to find public courts to play on, the father-daughter-daugh ter trio practiced tirelessly and trained both Serena and Venus to success.

In order to help the sisters pur sue their tennis careers, the family moved to Florida and enrolled Ser ena and Venus at the Rick Macci Academy and Tennis Center. The hard work the family had put in showed clearly when the sisters made their professional debuts at

just 14 years old. Venus won her first Grand Slam just four years later in 1998, and Serena followed suit the next year at age 17. Over the next two and a half decades, the Williams sisters went on to win a combined 44 singles and doubles Grand Slam titles.

In August, Serena Williams re tired at 41 after a relatively lengthy tennis career, leading many fans to speculate that her retirement was a result of phys ical de

and a family. I don’t think it’s fair,” Williams wrote in an article for Vogue. “If I were a guy, I wouldn’t be writing this because I’d be out there playing and winning while my wife was doing the physical labor of expanding our family.”

As a Black female athlete, Wil liams consistently faced discrimina tion throughout her career. During the 2018 French Open, the French Open dress code announced their plan to ban

male athlete.

Blair sophomore and varsity girls’ tennis player Yanet Dessale felt especially shocked by the sit uation. “[The incident] was spe cifically upsetting to me because I remember reading that it was for her blood clots,” she explains. “It would probably take a lot more to be dress-coded [as a male], as they’ve been recorded just changing between games, and there’s no issue with that,” she says.

of my life,” she explains. “I always found it super cool that someone looked like me and was doing re ally well in the sport I also liked.”

cline. However, she revealed that age was not the main reason for her retirement—instead, she felt forced as a woman to prioritize either family or career. “I never wanted to have to choose between tennis

catsuits following Williams’ appearance in a black catsuit, which was custom made for her blood clots, because the French Open Presi dent believed it violated the Grand Slam’s rules.

Williams has a history of blood clots and de veloped one after giv ing birth to her daughter in 2017. Although Williams said “Grand Slams have the right to do what they want,” fans defended her, be lieving it was misogynistic that the French Open “dress coded” a fe

Williams has also stood up for her family against racism in the tennis world. During the 2001 Indian Wells tournament, fans accused the Williams family of match-fixing after Venus withdrew from her match against her sister. The crowd booed and shouted ra cial slurs, including the n-word, at the sisters’ father. Serena and Ve nus did not tolerate this racism and stood up for themselves and their family, boycotting the tournament for 14 years. Although Serena Williams revealed that she still felt deeply traumatized by the incident, she decided to return to the tour nament in 2015, hoping that fans had moved on and improved.

Willams’ impact also extends beyond the professional court, as she represents a trailblazer for young women and people of col or in sports. Williams’ play influ enced Dessale from a young age. “I remember growing up just watch ing her play and dominate for most

Blair junior and varsity girls’ ten nis player Margaret Nkafu shared that she too has been inspired by Williams’ immense success in spite of her challenging upbringing. “[Williams’ career] means a lot [to me] because I see a lot of myself in her…she’s really inspirational because she gives 100 percent in everything she does and I want to do that as well,” Nkafu says.

Peter Lynch, a Blair tennis coach, referred to the extensive influence the Williams sisters’ suc cess has had on women, athletes, people of color, and more. “[She had] the ability to inspire so many young women, and so many young women of color to jump into the game,” he says. “Serena Williams and Venus Williams are so good, so successful that it’s impossible not to notice them even if you don’t like tennis… Their rise to stardom is basically universally known and I think universally inspiring.”

PHOTO BY MADELINE GOLD

JV FOOTBALL GAME The Blazers begin on offense in a game against Wheaton.

I... found it super cool that someone looked like me and was doing really well in the sport I also liked.

You learn how to be a leader, you get more playtime, and it’s just a lot more fun.

Too lax?

By Talia Egnal Staff Writer

Glancing around a Blair girls’ lacrosse game, one will see a sea of goggles, cleats, and sticks. Hel mets, however, are a rare sight in Maryland women’s lacrosse.

In fact, helmets with a hard shell are banned from the sport on a national level, despite the high risk of concussions. Soft helmets, which contain a layer of padding surrounding the forehead and jaw, are permitted, but are few and far between.

Many studies conclude that girls’ lacrosse is one of the most concussion-heavy sports. USA Lacrosse found in 2010 that girls’ lacrosse had the third highest number of concussions out of all high school sports, behind soccer and basketball, while a 2015 study in “Injury Epidemiology” placed high school and collegiate girls’ lacrosse in second only to boys’ football in terms of concussion rate.

Blair girls’ lacrosse coach No elle Mason explains that girls have much stricter penalties on contact with other players, leading them to wear much less padding than boys.

“The boys’ game has evolved into the boys wearing full pads, kind of similar to football. They wear pads, they wear helmets, because they are allowed a lot more con tact than the girls are,” Mason, who played lacrosse at Blair from 2011 to 2015, says.

Analyzing girls’ lacrosse headgear rules

rate of the sport, USA Lacrosse at tempted to justify why it does not require helmets for girls’ lacrosse in its 2010 report. “Because con tact to the head or body is illegal in women’s lacrosse, and fouls are called if a seven-inch imaginary sphere around the player’s head is breached, the hard helmets have not been required or deemed necessary,” the report reads.

“The women’s game has been played in the United States with out helmets since 1913 and until six years ago, without any protec tive equipment,” the document continues, referencing the 2003 decision to require eyegear begin ning in 2005. The effects of this regulation became apparent al most immediately: an NIH study of high school girls’ lacrosse play ers in Fairfax County, VA found that eye injuries fell by 84 percent when comparing the 2000–2003 seasons to the 2004–2009 seasons after eyegear was mandated.

In 2018, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FH SAA) took action to prevent con cussions: soft helmets are now re quired statewide for girls’ lacrosse players during both practices and competitions. After the new re quirements, Florida saw a dramat ic decrease in concussions in sub sequent seasons. In a University of Florida Health report that studied over 350,000 high school games in 30 states, players in states that do not require headgear report ed 59 percent more concussions per exposure than that of Florida players, and during games, they experienced concussions at a rate 74 percent higher than that of the helmeted Florida players.

over the past two seasons.

Girls have a variety of reasons to avoid helmets. Some, like Blair senior and girls’ lacrosse player Grayson Davis, argue that the us age of helmets limits play ability and may actually add to the danger of the sport. “Women’s lacrosse is about skill. It’s about moving the ball and shooting, being really aware of the ball and where you’re going with it,” she explains. “I think [helmets] would allow peo ple to be a lot more physical.”

By John Ernst Sports Editor

Although intentional body checks and shooting through other players are illegal, girls are allowed to do stick checks, where players can hit their sticks against that of an opponent. Though checks must be aimed away from an op ponent’s head to avoid a foul, ac cidents are frequent. In addition to the danger of stick checks, the nature of lacrosse balls lends itself to high speeds and hard collisions, which causes additional injuries.

According to Mason, if a lacrosse ball comes into contact with the head of a player, a concussion is likely. Stick and ball contact ac counts for 72.7 percent of all con cussions in girls’ lacrosse.

Despite the high concussion

Despite FHSAA’s success, no other state has copied its policy. In Maryland, there is no momen tum within the Maryland Youth Lacrosse Association to require helmets, and none of Blair’s girls’ lacrosse players regularly opt to wear helmets, even though the team suffered two concussions

If players are already hesitant to wear helmets, the price tag can be a further deterrent. Helmets are typically sold for around $150 each at most major retailers— around the same average cost of a stick, goggles, and mouthguard combined. If these costs fell on athletic programs, they would eas ily require thousands of dollars to purchase enough helmets for their teams, especially if their usage was mandatory during practice as it is in Florida. Blair junior and boys’ lacrosse player Owen Moody, says the boys’ team at Blair already gives its players helmets. “The team has a bunch of helmets that are provided to us. I don’t think I would buy one on my own,” Moody says.

Even if provided, girls’ lacrosse players indicated reluctance to ward using them. “I’ve seen a few people wear [helmets], but that’s not what lacrosse is about,” Davis says. “It’s not [about] wearing hel mets and being bogged down with gear.”

No matter how the postseason ends, this 2022 Major League Baseball (MLB) season was a win for all. Well, maybe not for my Na tionals. But for the game of base ball, 2022 was a bounceback year and felt like the first full season in a long time. As a pessimistic Nats fan who didn’t expect much from his team and spent the season lament ing the departure of Juan Soto and Josh Bell while still recovering from the Trea Turner and Max Scherzer trade, this season brought me closer to baseball and helped me find a new appreciation for the sport.

In many ways, the accomplish ments of icons made fans like myself find emotion in the game, something baseball had been miss ing ever since the Astros cheating scandal in the late 2010s. From Mi guel Cabrera recording his 3,000th hit, to Adam Wainwright and Yad ier Molina setting a record for the most games as a battery, to Albert Pujols hitting his 700th home run, to Aaron Judge hitting 62 home runs and passing Roger Maris to take the American League (AL) home run record, the 2022 season brought us all the highs we needed to maintain hope in the sport of baseball.

After news broke of the Astros’ 2017 cheating scandal, baseball entered a dark place. Amid dis cussions of making the game more applicable to youth and conflict between younger players “show ing off” (bat flipping, celebrating) and the older generation chiding them because “that’s not how the game should be played,” baseball reached new lows in 2019 and 2020. Once the pitching scandals surrounding Trevor Bauer broke out, when Bauer detailed how many MLB pitchers used sticky substances to increase the spin rate of their pitches, the MLB needed to make quick changes.

All of this turmoil led to the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agree ment, which delayed the beginning

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of the 2022 season because MLB team owners and the MLB Players’ Association couldn’t find common ground over issues like base salary, competitive balance tax, and arbi tration eligibility.

Needless to say, MLB needed a win going into the already de layed 2022 season. They certainly got it. Small-market teams like the Guardians, who took the Yankees to five games in the American League Division Series, the Mari ners, who won their way into an di vision series and earned their first home playoff game in almost 21 years, and the Orioles, who record ed their first winning season since 2016, restored hope in the “lower class” baseball teams. These win ners gave small market fans reason to watch and hope that their team could make a run, maybe next year, or in five years—sometime soon.

We bid adieu to revolutionaries like Albert Pujols in the most ro mantic way possible as he, Yadier Molina, and Adam Wainwright walked off the field in unison to a roaring St. Louis crowd. The Ma chine’s accomplishment was some thing every baseball fan could get behind—old and young all appreci ated one of the greatest right hand ed hitters to ever play the game.

This year, the emotion of the game, what separates baseball from every other sport, was incredibly evident to me. Maybe it was just the implausible milestones that icons of the game reached this year, but the 2022 season had a full-circle feeling. It just felt right that Pujols ended his career with the Cardi nals, that a Yankee passed anoth er Yankee for the AL home run record, and that a walk-off home crowd home run sent the Mariners into the postseason. Even though so much is up in the air with the sticky ball scandal, the 2022 season had all the wins the MLB needed to restore hope in our dying sport.

And even though it might feel that all hope is lost here in Washing ton, D.C., the faceless names we received for Soto and Bell will soon be in the nation’s capital, leading us back to glory.

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[Helmets] would allow people to be a lot more physical.

[Boys] are allowed a lot more contact than the girls are.

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