October 2015 -- Silver Chips Print

Montgomery Blair High School SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND

A public forum for student expression since 1937

silverchips

COURTESY OF PAUL ELLIS

October 7, 2015

Political internships C4/C5

Winner of the 2014 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker

Seniors to vote on cap and gown colors

By Christian Mussenden Seniors will vote on whether to continue using gender-specific colors or adopt a single color for their graduation caps and gowns during an assembly held in the auditorium on Oct. 8. The result of the vote will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Blair is one of the eight Montgomery County schools that has gender-specific graduation gowns.

Traditionally, male students have worn red robes and female students have worn white robes.

VOL 78 NO 1

A reinvented BNC

In response to efforts at other schools to accept all genders, an article by Donna St. George of The Washington Post showcased which schools in the county did and did not have gender-neutral gowns. After the publication of this article in June, many parents and students contacted Blair, voicing their opinions about the issue. “I got so many emails from alumni and parents of Blair who said, ‘It should stay that way, who do you think you are?’ But then I also got emails from students and

see ROBES page A3

GRIFFIN REILLY

GO WITH THE FLOW Under the leadership of media teacher George Mayo, Blair Network Communications has been revamped with an energetic and excited crew.

PSAT switches to no-penalty scoring

By Grady Jakobsberg

COURTESY OF RENAY JOHNSON

A SEA OF RED AND WHITE The graduating class of 2015 poses, the boys in red and the girls in white.

Former SRO passes away Blair mourns loss of Officer Splaine

By Joshua Fernandes On Sept. 24, former Blair School Resource Officer (SRO) Christina Splaine passed away. Splaine, a Montgomery County police officer, worked at Blair for two years from August 2013 to June 2015.

Each MCPS high school has an SRO to help keep the school running smoothly by working with the administration. “She worked closely with security to do investigations and just to be proactive about safety and security in our building,” Principal Renay Johnson said.

According to Blair students and staff, Splaine did much more than her role as police officer dictated.

Sophomore Chloe Noble was one of many who became close with Splaine. “I considered her family. I didn’t even call her Ms. Splaine, I referred to her as Auntie,” she said.

Senior Amirat Oyolola was another student guided by Splaine throughout her high school career.

“My freshman year of high school, I was not planning on graduating, and I promised her I would graduate, so it really hurt me that she was gone because the agreement was that she would be at my graduation,” she said.

NEWS A2

CALEB BAUMAN

Splaine’s final day as SRO was June 12, 2015, but she planned on returning to the position by the end of this school year. Commander Marcus Jones of the 3rd Police District of Montgomery County said, “She was assigned to the Community Services Officer position temporarily while she was away from Blair. She would’ve come back to Blair later in the school year or next year.”

Splaine’s viewing was Sept. 29 at Collins Funeral Home. Many students and staff went, including some from John F. Kennedy, where she was a field hockey coach. Her funeral service was Sept. 30 in Aspen Hill.

At this point, Officer Sharese Junious will work as SRO until the coming school year, when a new officer will fill the role. “[Officer Junious] will stay [at Blair] for the rest of the school year, so we will have to advertise the position now that Officer Splaine has passed,” Jones said.

Splaine will be remembered at Blair for her drive to care for students. Johnson said, “You never know someone’s impact until something like that happens, and you think, ‘Wow, she really touched a lot of kids.’”

Students will take the redesigned PSAT on Oct. 14, College Readiness Day, and begin taking the new SAT March. The College Board updated both tests to be better indicators of college readiness.

The new PSAT, which sophomores and juniors will soon be taking, is remodeled to fit the new SAT. According to guidance counselor Charlain Bailey, stakeholders in the college acceptance process

were not satisfied with how the tests were showing college readiness. “[Colleges] go in and look at how you are doing in the math, reading, writing, and critical reasoning sections to say, ‘Ok, we’ll admit this student based on what they have to offer,’” Bailey said.

“The old test wasn’t being a good indicator of that.”

According to Bailey, changes to both the SAT and PSAT include the switch to no-penalty scoring and the inclusion of a calculator sec-

tion. The essay on the SAT is now optional, so the standard score will be the sum of two sections worth 800 points each.

Changes specific to the PSAT include a new scoring system and the addition of subscores. According to the College Board Web site, the scoring system will now be out of 800 for each section, like the SAT, rather than the previous 80. Subscores will also be included

see SAT page A4

In Takoma Park, residents face eviction

By Sarah Hutter and Aditi Shetty

CALEB BAUMAN

PAY UP OR MOVE Rent increases of over 70% threaten building residents.

insidechips

Updates, renovations, improvements. A homier atmosphere, shiny new security equipment, safer spaces to hang out with friends and family. All of the changes proposed for the Hampshire Towers apartment complex sounded like good news to the tenants. Everything looked great on paper–until the residents of this Takoma Park apartment building realized that they would have to foot the bill.

According to senior Justine Simeu Ngandjouong, a Hampshire Towers resident, some renters are now paying $800 more than their previous rate each month. According to Matt Losak, executive director of the Montgomery County Renters Alliance, this is a 72 percent increase for some residents.

The increase was put into place after the Orlo Fund, the owner of Hampshire Towers, made renovations to the two buildings that

make up the apartment complex, home to several Blair students and their families.

An agreement and a loophole

Takoma Park is the only municipality in Montgomery County with a law that limits rent increases. Each year the city government sets a limit on these increases based on inflation and the cost of living.

For the 2015-2016 fiscal year, the allotted limit is 0.2 percent, yet the Hampshire Towers owners were able to raise rent by over 70 percent with no legal ramifications.

This rent spike is due to an agreement the owners of Hampshire Towers made with the city of Takoma Park in 2008. According to the 2015 rental agreement, “[Hampshire Towers] is currently exempt from rent stabilization... based on a certain Rental Agreement... among the County, the

see TKPK page C1

Fast fashion

Neat eats

El Papa

Fall sports

Cheap clothing may be tempting, but it does more harm than good.

Silver Chips looks into some of the best burger joint options in the area.

Papa Francisco paraliza D.C. con sus mensajes para la nación.

Take a look at Blair’s soccer, field hockey, cross country, handball and volleyball teams.

B1

OP/ED B1

CALEB BAUMAN

FEATURES C1

D4

ENTERTAINMENT D1

COURTESY OF DIANETTE COOMBS

E2

CHIPS CLIPS D6

GRIFFIN REILLY

F3

LA ESQUINA LATINA E1

SPORTS F1

A2 News

silverchips

Oct 7, 2015

Blair departments aim to bring diversity into classrooms

New school initiative strives to create culturally inclusive lessons

By Aditi Shetty This school year, Blair teachers have been tasked with increasing cultural relevancy in their classrooms to reflect the diverse student body. This goal was part of Blair’s 2015-2016 School Improvement Plan (SIP), an annual proposal required from all Montgomery County public schools.

Student Body

According to the SIP outline, which is posted in classrooms throughout the school, “teachers will use a variety of formative assessment devices that are culturally relevant… to increase student understanding of key learning concepts.”

The goal challenges teachers to test students’ knowledge in different ways and remain aware of

Authors of Books Taught at Blair

Latino

Black

White

Asian = 57 students

= 1.5 books

25% of Blair English Department books offered first semester are written by nonwhite authors, while 73.3% of Blair students are black, Asian or Latino.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

ADITI SHETTY

how students’ prior experiences shape their learning styles. “When we refer to culturally relevant, it’s teaching that utilizes the background knowledge and experience of students to inform teachers, lessons and methodology,” Principal Renay Johnson said.

According to MCPS data from the 2014-2015 school year, Blair’s student body was 31 percent Latino, 26.6 percent black, 15.7 percent Asian, and 22.4 percent white. “Blair is very diverse and we want to make sure that every student feels included in the lesson,” Johnson said.

Departments at Blair interpreted “cultural relevancy” in different ways. In the social studies department, teachers worked to emphasize the roles of those of different races in shaping history. “I’ve seen [culturally relevant teaching] make a difference in how we teach U.S. History, so that we acknowledge all the different cultures that have made America what it is and continue to remake it as we move along,” said Mary Lou Thornton, the social studies resource teacher.

The science department focused on an individual approach, according to Summer Roark, the resource teacher. “[Cultural relevancy] is really about knowing who you’re teaching and then teaching to that student and their culture.

And not just cultures, but anything that might interest them,” Roark said. She cited the example of a class she taught which included many football players.

“One of the things I tried to do with them was give them a lot of sports-related examples… I tried

to use clips that had a sports analogy in them because they would get it more,” she said.

Math Resource Teacher Celita Davis explained that cultural relevancy is important to a math classroom because it allows teachers to accommodate different learning styles and assess understanding in appropriate ways. Davis said that teaching tools like Kahoot!, an online quiz tool that links with students’ smartphones, allow teachers to connect with cell phone-reliant students. “So culturally, not talking about race, but culture, that’s something that we needed to embrace: what are kids doing now?

That transcends race,” she said.

According to the resource teachers, another important part of culturally relevant education is inspiring student success. “As a sociologist and as a historian, I know that kids need to have projections into the future where they see people like them doing well in the world,” Thornton said.

Davis said that inspiration is particularly important to the math classroom. “Being able to inspire students of different cultures to want to move up in mathematics, that’s something that we’re working on,” she said.

In implementing this goal, Johnson hoped to urge teachers to create a more inclusive school environment. “Let’s make sure we’re very inclusive of everybody in the class so people don’t feel like, ‘They’ve done everything, and my people have done nothing,’” Johnson said.

Department heads said they are feeling optimistic about the new goal. Davis cited success in past years when implementing the

SIP goal of literacy in math classrooms. “I was hopeful from what I saw. [The teachers] really took it to heart. So what I’m hoping is that I can instill the same,” she said.

“We’re hoping that [by] being a little more motivational and... teaching students to persevere, we will see a higher increase of students reaching for honors classes.”

Blair students were largely supportive of the goal. Sophomore Jemma Natanson said that she sometimes felt like connecting culture to the classroom may be a challenge for teachers. She mentioned that she would like to see teachers apply lessons to current world events, incorporate diverse articles, and allow students to discuss cultural topics of personal interest.

Senior Elizabeth Quinteros said that although cultural relevancy never felt like a problem to her at school, teachers could do more to reach out to all types of students.

“I feel like every time we read a book [in English class], it’s an American [19]50’s, [19]60’s type book, like Ernest Hemingway... I don’t remember reading a cultural book,” she said. “We’re surrounded by so many different cultures so we may as well know about them, learn about them, educate ourselves about them.”

Roark highlighted the importance of cultural relevancy in classrooms. “I think that [when] teachers make good connections with their students, their students always have a better class,” she said.

“Because kids relate to them better, they relate to the lesson better, and the environment in the classroom is just generally better because they feel more comfortable.”

Blair Wear sold in local grocery stores including Safeway, Giant A seven year old merchandising agreement resurfaces, surprising many

By Dawson Do Grocery stores including Safeway and Giant have started selling Blair-themed merchandise supplied by a Pennsylvania-based souvenir manufacturer. Ohiopyle Prints Inc. called upon a 2008 sales agreement signed by former Principal Darryl Williams guaranteeing the school seven percent of the company’s profits on the items featuring Blair’s name and logo.

Staff members were surprised by the sale of the hoodies, socks, tumbler mugs, and other Blazer-themed merchandise at local supermarkets. “I went over [to Safeway] to get my salad, and [Secretary Robin Platky] and I saw and we were like, ‘What?’” Financial Assistant Donna Franklin said.

The Student Government Association (SGA), Athletics Director Rita Boule, Business Manager James Funk, and Principal Renay Johnson knew nothing about the new apparel being sold. However, according to Johnson, other county administrators have noticed merchandise featuring their schools’ names and colors as well. “Other principals said yes, this is happening in their communities -- that they’ve gone to local grocery stores and seen their spirit wear sold,” Johnson said.

The Booster Club, SGA, and athletics department, the main groups that sell Blair merchandise, have an agreement to sell different items to avoid competition.

“Depending on whether the prices are cheaper at the Safeway, we will have revenue loss,” junior SGA member Joelle Nwulu said.

Although prices at Safeway are more expensive than the prices of Blair groups (a $27 hoodie at Safeway costs $25 at Blair), the convenience of grocery stores worries Boule, who agreed that competition with a private company could hurt Blair’s fundraising efforts.

“We’re self-supporting programs, so that takes away from some of our revenue,” Boule said.

Ohiopyle Prints Inc. offers high school merchandise to the stores through the company’s My Town Originals program, which partners with schools who sign a contract allowing the company to manufacture clothing with the school’s name and logo.

The agreement between Blair and Ohiopyle Prints Inc. states that high schools receive seven percent of the net sales from the My Town Originals program. The rest of the money goes to Ohiopyle Prints Inc. and the grocery stores. So far, however, no money has been sent to Blair for the new apparel this year.

Ohiopyle Prints Inc. sold Blair apparel at Giant in the 2008-2009 school year, and Blair was given a total of $126.51 that year. Jamie Miller, public relations manager of Giant Foods, did not have any details regarding the clothes being discontinued in 2009.

Barbara Hemlick, an Ohiopyle Prints Inc. representative, explained that royalty agreements made with the My Town Originals program are automatically renewed every year. She added that high schools are free to terminate the agreement at any time, which Blair had not done, allowing Ohiopyle Prints Inc. to resume produc-

tion of Blair merchandise despite the seven year hiatus.

Safeway began selling the apparel this year. Craig Muckle, Safeway’s public affairs manager, explained that after Safeway merged with Albertsons, a grocery company based in Idaho, earlier this year, their suppliers were combined, resulting in their procurement being decentralized. To counteract this, the new marketing team adopted a philosophy that Safeway should purchase locally and support surrounding communities. “We decided we wanted to support schools, you know, a little contribution back,” Muckle said.

Giant Food embraced a similar ideology, which led them to restarting the program. “We decided to bring those items back recently to position our stores locally and give support to the local community,” Miller said.

Orders for clothing have only just been placed during the current fiscal quarter, which started in June. According to Hemlick, Blair has not yet received money because checks from Ohiopyle Prints Inc. are sent after the end of the quarter, which ended in October.

Sherwood apparel has also been spotted at local grocery stores. Hemlick said many schools in the county, including Wheaton, John F. Kennedy, James Hubert Blake, and Poolesville, partnered with My Town Originals.

Knowledge of the agreement was nonexistent within Blair staff due to the long period of time in which no merchandise or checks appeared. Coupled with the prin-

cipal turnover of many schools, any information anyone had on the company was lost. “I’ve been here 5 years and I had no idea about any of this,” Johnson said.

Johnson, who only recently became aware of the contract on Sept.

14, attempted to arrange a meeting with Ohiopyle Prints Inc. hoping to renegotiate the terms and condi-

tions. However, the company has not yet responded.

Johnson explained that she believes the clothes will sell, and she wants to get more out of the deal than is currently arranged. “I think seven percent is extremely low,” Johnson said. “I just wanted to renegotiate the conditions and terms so that we can greatly benefit.”

BEN DOGGETT

October 7, 2015

News A3

silverchips

MCPS hires firm to evaluate special programs

Study focuses on application, choice, and immersion offerings

By Alexandra Marquez

This month concludes the first stage of a study conducted by consulting company Metis Associates Inc. to determine whether MCPS’ magnet, choice, and language immersion programs fulfill their original purposes. The MCPS-sponsored study will provide information for county officials and community members to build a plan for the continued success of the programs in the future.

Metis Associates identified the main purpose of the study as classifying the initial intents of the programs, examining if they are being fulfilled, and approving that the programs are meeting the standards of MCPS’ 2013 Strategic Planning Framework.

The Planning Framework is a guide for the county to ensure students graduate with the skills they need to thrive in their adult lives. In their Research Design and Road Map for Phase One, Metis Associates stated that MCPS designed the study to focus on the main objectives of “identifying the original purposes of each of these programs and assessing whether they are fulfilling those purposes” and ensuring that the programs meet the core purpose of the Strategic Planning Framework, that students are being prepared to graduate with the knowledge and talents for success.

Metis Associates proposed to achieve its goal of evaluating the programs and their success in three stages. In Phase One, which took place from January to October 2015, the company gathered information about the original purpose and history of each program and conducted focus groups with students in the programs, students not in the programs, instructors who teach in the programs, and parents who have students in the programs. The focus groups met at the end of Phase One, on Sept. 29 and Oct. 5-8.

Phase Two will evaluate the data collected in Phase One in order to compare Montgomery County’s programs to those in other counties and states. Phase Three will be

completed in January 2016 and will involve collaborating with school officials and community members on a plan that the county and Metis Associates have not specified.

In Phase One, Metis Associates representa-

and Computer Science Magnet program and Communication Arts Program (CAP) make up the majority of the school’s population when in reality, they are a minority. “They sometimes think the Magnet program is the entire school and

tives visited Montgomery County schools with magnet and choice programs. They visited Blair on Oct. 6 to interview Principal Renay Johnson, tour the school, and conduct student and teacher focus groups.

Johnson showcased the unique role Blair plays as a result of the school’s part in the Downcounty Consortium (DCC) Choice Program and its possession of two magnet application programs. According to Johnson, outsiders often think the Science, Math,

they don’t realize the Magnet program is 100 kids per grade level, and CAP MEGHNA SAMBATHKUMAR is only 75 students per grade level,” Johnson said. She said she wants to show how important the rest of the student population is. “I want people to know that our local students, our base

area students, are brilliant,” Johnson said, “You can’t have just 400 kids carry the entire school, you’ve got to have the local kids carry the school too; they’re brilliant, they’re GT, they’re exceptional, and many of them are magnet and live in the local area.”

Junior Sydney Sharp was picked by Johnson to participate in Blair’s student focus group. She believed she was selected first because she is a member of Johnson’s Principal Student Advisory Council.

“We get a whole bunch of opportunities like this,” Sharp said. “When this came, she picked people who were on the Council who are also in programs here at Blair.”

Sharp briefly discussed the focus groups with Johnson and was told to be honest, but give a positive impression of Blair.

“She said she doesn’t want us to lie about our difficulties in the program but she doesn’t want us to just be like ‘I hate it here,’” Sharp said. “She wants us to be honest but put in a way that just doesn’t hurt the school.”

Johnson said that she first picked students from her Principal Student Advisory Council because she believes they will give an impartial opinion of Blair and its programs. “I chose them first, I’ll be honest, because I know them best and they’re so honest and they’ve been with me long enough to know how I answer things, long enough to know I always present both sides,” Johnson said.

After selecting students from her Advisory Board, Johnson looked to the Student Government Association (SGA) and PTSA to fill the rest of the 15 total spots and observe the diversity requirements Metis Associates requested. “I pulled other kids I just knew, kids whose parents are involved in the PTA; I pulled the SGA President and Vice President, [and] the senior class president,” Johnson said.

Students vote on the colors of graduation caps and gowns Gender-specific robes under scrutiny from students and parents from ROBES page A1

will argue for gender-neutral robes. Senior Nazea Khan will argue for gender-specific family who explained why it should be one ones. Peel contends that students should not be classified by their gender. “We are all one color,” said Principal Renay Johnson.

Johnson decided the best way to respond unified class, and there is no reason to divide was to let the class of 2016 vote on whether us and label us, especially for some people they wanted to maintain or eliminate the who maybe neither of the labels fit them or the label they are assigned at birth doesn’t fit two-tone tradition for their graduation. them,” Peel said.

According to Senior Afriye St. George, 17 high Linton said that she schools in Montdoes not think gengomery County, inder-specific robes are cluding Sherwood, an issue. “I think we Damascus, and should stick with it Northwood, either just because it looks vote on the issue cool and there is every year, have alnothing wrong with ways had one color it. I don’t see why robes, or changed people are offended from two colors to based on what color one color in the past that they get,” Linyear. ton said.

William Currence, Johnson believes the senior class adthe vote could go eiministrator, said that ther way. “I’ve talked there is more to this to kids on both sides decision than meets and I really don’t the eye. “It impacts know,” Johnson said. a lot of students, not “I don’t know if boys just people in [the will vote one way LGBT] community,” or girls will vote the Currence said. “But other. Boys may say, advocates for lots of - Rowyn Peel ‘We like being in red, different things have it’s powerful and reasons to want one blah blah blah and color. It is more of a we don’t want the solidarity thing than this is an olive branch to one community. It girls wearing what we wear,’ and then you is something that the whole senior class can have some girls who say, ‘I like the white.

I don’t want the boys wearing what we come together on and make a decision.”

Before the seniors vote, they will hear ar- wear,’” she said.

Johnson also noted that some students guments from their peers representing both sides of the argument. Senior Rowyn Peel might be impartial to the color choice.

“We are all one unified class, and there is no reason to divide us and label us, especially for some people who maybe neither of the labels fit them or the label they are assigned at birth doesn’t fit them.”

“Other kids may say ‘Who cares, just pick a color!’” Johnson said.

If the seniors choose to establish one color, Johnson stated that the color will be red because it is Blair’s main color.

According to Peel, the color white has a deeper meaning to some. “White has all this other symbolism, especially when it’s put on girls and you think about wedding dresses and stuff and old fashioned ideals and purity,” Peel said. “It just feels uncomfortable for a lot of people getting those subconscious labels being put on them.”

According to Johnson, Blair students have always had the opportunity to switch the color of their gown if requested. In order

to do so, the student needs to contact Johnson and receive consent from their parent or guardian. “If a young lady said, ‘I want to be in a red robe,’ I’d say yeah, that’s fine, just make sure that you get parental consent because you’re under 18. Same with if a boy wanted to wear a white robe,” Johnson said.

“As long as you get parental consent, I’m fine with it.”

Johnson hopes that graduation is not affected by the color of the gowns. “I don’t want [students] to have so much turmoil and stress about that day,” she said. “That day is a happy and joyous occasion, so I hope that kids will feel comfortable in whatever the decision is.”

soapbox Should gender-specific graduation robes be worn at Blair graduations?

“I don’t really mind how girls and boys have to wear different colored robes. It makes graduation look more colorful.”

- Andy Guan, senior “Besides male and female students, there are nonbinary students here too. This could be a problem for them, or for transgender students who aren’t out. I think it would be more fair if the robes were either randomly assigned or chosen by the students on a first come first serve basis.”

- Adair Holton, freshman “No, because people should wear whichever color they want. Some people identify as different genders than they were born into.”

- Sam Butler, freshman

A4 News Newsbriefs Pope welcomed to D.C. Pope Francis arrived in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 22 at Andrews Air Force Base. During his two days in the nation’s capital, he attended a private meeting with President Barack Obama, drove a parade route around the National Mall, addressed U.S. bishops, held a canonization mass and an outdoor mass, and addressed a joint session of Congress, according to the Pope Francis Visit 2015 web site. On Sept. 23, the President welcomed the Pope and held a public parade route around the Ellipse, a road surrounding the President’s Park South. Pope Francis held a canonization mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in which he declared Junípero Serra, an eighteenth century Spanish missionary, a new saint of the Catholic Church. On Sept. 24, at the joint session of Congress, Pope Francis encouraged congresspeople to accept immigrants as citizens and overcome the gridlock that has blocked progress on immigration reform, according to The Washington Post. He left for New York City on Sept. 25 to finish his six day stay in the U.S.

Proposed bicycle lane in White Flint The Montgomery County Planning Department proposed a protected bicycle lane in White Flint in order to encourage more people to bike. According to the Bethesda Magazine, Montgomery County planners want to create a safer experience for bikers by constructing separate paths along streets in the area. Since the White Flint community is under redevelopment, planners said that the construction is a prime opportunity to incorporate the proposed nine protected bicycle lanes. The construction plan is called the Bicycle Master Plan, and, if approved, will be completed in 2017, says the Magazine. These bicycle lanes will be implemented on some of the county’s busiest roads. The top four routes are Old Georgetown Road, Marinelli Road, Nelson Lane, and Rockville Pike. The planners will be taking public comments on their Bicycle Master Plan on Oct. 6 from 7-9 p.m. at Walter Johnson.

Colleges changing admissions process Eighty prominent colleges are looking to change the existing Common Application in favor of online portfolios, according to Scott Jaschik of Inside High Ed. They aims to expand the scope of college admissions. This new program, called the Coalition for Access, Affordability and Success, allows college admissions officers to interact with students in new ways. Admissions officers can assist students in producing a portfolio by senior year, as well as identify applicable colleges. While many of the institutions listed are private, including all of the Ivy League universities, this process will be open to all public institutions that provide affordable tuition and need-based financial aid, specifically for in-state residents.

Jaschik states that the Common Application suffers numerous glitches, which prohibits many students from submitting their applications on time. This new portfolio system begins as early as ninth grade as students accumulate their application over time.

Newsbriefs compiled by Brianna Forté and Georgina Burros

October 7, 2015

silverchips

County votes to eliminate semester exams MCPS Board of Education is now looking for the public’s input

By Julian Bregstone The Montgomery County Board of Education voted unanimously to endorse Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers’ plan to phase out two-hour semester final exams in high school courses with other state tests, such as the HSA and PARCC, for the 2016-2017 school year. The Board is now asking for public input before the changes are made. The exams would be replaced by in-class assessments at the end of each quarter. These assessments could be tests or projects but would still be developed by the county. The change is supposed to maximize instruction time and cut down on standardized testing.

The Board of Education is specifically asking for students’, parents’, and teachers’ thoughts on revisions to the grading and reporting. Public comments can be submitted before Oct. 19 on the MCPS Web site.

According to an MCPS press release there are four new options for calculating grades under the proposed plan. The first option would average the grade percentage from the two marking periods in a semester. The second would average the letter grade on a scale from 0 to 4 (4 being an A, 0 being an

E) in each marking period: 4.0 to 3.5 would be an A for the semester, 3.49 to 3.0 would be a B, and so on. The third option would be based on a trend where the second marking period carries more weight than the first like the current system for classes without a final exam. The final option would be for teacher-developed “final evaluations” to be administered in class and count for 25 percent of the semester grade. MCPS developed the options by reaching out to more than 20 school districts to acquire more examples of how county testing is administered.

The proposed changes to the reporting grades are amendments to the Policy IKA: Grading and Reporting document. The largest change is replacing the term “final exams” with “marking period assessments.”

Senior Administrator William Currence said he believes that the plan could have both positive and negative effects. “It’s a mixed bag,” Currence stated. He believes final

exam week causes a stoppage in teaching time. “I like the idea of the continuation of instruction and being able to keep the class going,” Currence said. “It would be nice not to have to take a big break from instruction during exam week.”

However, Currence also believes that finals can be a good way to prepare students for the future.

“At the same time there is value in high stakes testing because it exists everywhere in the real world,” he said. “The idea that students have to prepare and take a test is good practice.” The standard county grading system for finals is also a point of controversy. Currence expressed concern how the current system allows students to do poorly on a final exam but still get a good semester grade. “The grade matrix also made it so some students did not need to study for and do well on the exams,” Currence explained. “However, I believe that only applied to a select number of students.”

Math teacher David Stein

stressed that studying is the reason why final exams should be kept.

“Not having finals will negatively impact students because final exams are a way for students to bring all their knowledge together,” he said. “Studying is the most important part of finals.” He also feels that the current final exam procedure is not perfect, but it is ultimately not the main issue. “We have to think of a different way of doing final exams,” Stein said.

“The reason students are failing the Algebra 1 exam is because students are not learning Algebra 1.

Getting rid of the final exam does not solve the problem.”

Sophomore Tyler Kitts believes final exam week was useful because there is less school. He stated, “It was a fine use of time because we were dismissed early from school.” He also thought that if we did not have finals students would be less stressed. “It would be okay to not have finals because some students get really stressed out about them.”

JULIAN BROWN

PSAT updated to remove point deductions, essay

Updated version of test will be offered to students on October 7 To help students to prepare for the test, Blair has offered a one-semester SAT preparation class, taught by English teacher Lauren Termini and Math teacher Tran Pham. According to Pham, the course will be divided into two 2 hours and 10 minutes 2 hours and 45minutes classes, one with students learning about the verbal section with Ter1. Critical Reasoning 1. Evidence based mini and one with students learning 2. Writing reading and writing about the math 3.Mathematics 2. Mathematics section with him.

Halfway through the semester, the - Emphasis on general - Focus on skills, students will switch classes. reasoning skills and knowledge, and According to vocabulary understanding Pham, his part of the course is most - Complex scoring - No penalty scoring helpful for stu- Scores will be reported on dents struggling -Scale ranging from 60 to with math. “If you a shared common score 240 feel like you have a strong grasp on scale with the SAT Algebra 1 and Geometry, then this course is not for Subsets for every test are you,” Pham exNone given to provide insight for plained.

Pham added students that he believes the changes to the REVA KREEGER math section will Bailey explained that juniors nered with Khan Academy to give make the new SAT and PSAT more like Ahmed will have to decide students a free resource to practice difficult. “A lot of the prompts are which version of the SAT they want for the new SAT and PSAT. “If you more difficult and more conceptuto take. “We are recommending want to get the best PSAT score, al, and a lot of them are wordier,” that juniors pay to take the PSAT then we recommend that you prac- he explained. “[With] some of the in October because it will be their tice on Khan Academy,” said a Col- questions, it would be better to have taken Precalculus too.” first experience with the change in lege Board representative. to how the old SAT is formatted,” Ahmed said.

from PSAT page A1 in the PSAT. According to Bailey, these subscores will focus on more specific types of problems for each category.

For example, the math section could be broken down into how students did on multiplication, long division, and other specific problems types.

The difference in time is another major change to the PSAT. According to the College Board Web site, there will be additional questions and more time for the writing and math sections.

Students will be given more time per question in the critical reasoning section.

Overall, the test will take 35 more minutes and have 14 more questions.

The old SAT will be offered until January 2016. Junior Suyaib Ahmed said he is disappointed that he will have to take the new SAT in the spring. “I’m more used

Test

Testing Time

Components Important Features Score Reporting Sub Score Reporting

the redesign,” Bailey said.

The College Board has also part-

Pre-2015 PSAT

New PSAT

News A5

silverchips

October 7, 2015

After delay, Silver Spring transit center opens Montgomery County and Metro file lawsuit against contractors

By Teague Sauter The Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center opened on Sept. 20 in Downtown Silver Spring after five years of delays and budget overages, culminating in a $166 million lawsuit. According to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the 30 bus bays at the transit center will service Metrobus, Montgomery County Ride-On, VanGo, and the University of Maryland Shuttle System.

Tom Autrey of the Montgomery County Planning Department said one of the primary goals of the Transit Center was to provide a simple way for commuters to transfer from one public transit

system to another. “One of the main reasons was to locate buses, taxis, and Park and Ride in one place adjacent to Metrorail and MARC to make it easier to transfer between different types of services,” he said. According to Autrey, one of the original and ultimately unsuccessful intentions was to have commercial and residential development on the site in addition to the Transit Center. “While those plans have not advanced, the potential is there for additional development on the site in the future,” Autrey said.

On Aug. 24, Montgomery County and WMATA submitted a joint lawsuit against Parsons Brinckerhoff, Foulger-Pratt, and The Robert

CALEB BAUMAN

FINALLY HERE The entrance of the new Downtown Silver Spring Transit Center, which recently opened after a tumultous five years of construction.

B. Balter Company for nearly $166 million in damages. According to the lawsuit, Parsons Brinckerhoff was responsible for providing “professional engineering design and construction administration services,” while Foulger-Pratt was the “general contractor for construction of the three-level [Silver Spring Transit Center].” The lawsuit says the county hired the Robert B. Balter Company to “conduct inspections and materials testing during construction.”

The Montgomery County Action Committee for Transit (ACT) believes that one of the county’s goals for the lawsuit was to make sure that taxpayers do not have to pay any more for the center. “The only thing we know is that the county’s point of the lawsuit is to recover the extra costs for county taxpayers,” a spokesperson for the ACT said. The ACT spokesperson said they have not been able to find out much more about the lawsuit because people from the county will not talk, either because they do not want to or because they have been told not to by their lawyers.

ACT believes that the opening of the center was kept quiet because all parties involved were embarrassed about the shortcomings of the project. “The county and the design firms and construction firms, none of them obviously showed up for or wanted an opening ceremony, because none of them wanted to be associated with the project,” the ACT spokesperson said.

According to the WMATA website about the Transit Center, the center features a number of amenities and bus stops on the first floor and a new Kiss & Ride area on the third floor. Included in the new services are real-time bus arrival signs, a TRiPS transit store, transit system maps, and other transportation resources. Along with the new Kiss & Ride area, there are a number of bike racks and a Capital Bikeshare station down the street from the third level.

Originally scheduled to open in late 2010, the project ran into a number of issues which delayed its opening, most of them surrounding the concrete used for the building. According to a January 2012 article published in The Washington Post, County Executive Isiah Leggett said that the concrete had been poured too thin at eight spots on the third level of the transit center.

Over the past two weeks since the structure has been in operation, the ACT found several issues that it believes need immediate attention. These problems included a lack of seating at bus stops, no overhead cover between Metrorail and the center, leaking roofs, and incorrect arrival time boards. ACT held a meeting on Oct. 5 to address these concerns.

Metro announced that a number of bus stops on Wayne Avenue, Bonifant Street and Dixon Avenue have been relocated into the new center since its opening. A full list of stop changes can be viewed on Metro’s website.

MCPS not required to pay back missing $1.48 million Budget discrepancy resulted in less funding for Montgomery schools

By Luisa McGarvey On Tuesday, Sept. 22, the Maryland State Board of Education decided that Montgomery County will not have to pay back $1.48 million that was missing from the school district’s budget. The issue in question was whether Montgomery County met the minimum education spending requirement for the fiscal year that began in July.

MCPS has a $2.3 billion budget, but the accounting discrepancy resulted in the school system receiving $1.48 million less funding than it was supposed to. This discrepancy could have required Montgomery County to pay an additional $1.48 million to MCPS. Former Maryland Superintendent of Schools Lillian Lowery notified county officials that she believed Montgomery County may not comply with the state’s Maintenance of Effort Law. Maryland’s Maintenance of Effort law requires each county to provide its school system at least as much funding on a per student basis as was provided in the previous year. This law also takes nonrecurring costs into account and does not include them when calculating the minimum funding requirement for a school system.

The $1.48 million was supposed

to be part of the local contribution that MCPS receives each year from Montgomery County under the state’s Maintenance of Effort law.

“It would have been part of the minimum amount that the county is required to provide us,” Thomas Klausing, the director of the MCPS Department of Management, Budget, and Planning said.

Lowery was concerned that the 2015 Maintenance of Effort calculation was incorrect. Montgomery County relied on the calculations from the Maryland State Department of Education to create the county’s budget. By the time the budgeting error was noticed, the $1.48 million dollars had already been spent elsewhere in one of

In December 2014 and in February 2015, Montgomery County staff and state education officials confirmed that the $1.48 million dollars was a nonrecurring cost, and therefore would not have to be included in the county’s allocated education budget for the upcoming fiscal year. According to Klausing, “On two separate occasions, representatives from the Maryland State Department of Education directed us that the funding for these nonrecurring items should be taken out of our base budget in calculating the minimum Maintenance of Effort amount for the fiscal year of 2016, so we followed Maryland State Department of Education’s directions.”

touched on several areas including the number of teachers we hired for 2016,” Klausing said. “If we received the $1.48 million in the first place there would have been less reductions.”

After a second review of the state of Montgomery County’s budget, the Maryland State Department of Education officials claimed that Montgomery County still owed $1.48 million dollars in order to meet the state’s Maintenance of Effort law.

The Maryland Board of Education’s official ruling on the issue stated, “To encourage collaborative resolution of the Fiscal Year 2016 Maintenance of Effort issue we decline to order Montgomery

WINNE LUO

Montgomery County’s agencies or departments. The Maryland State Department of Education incorrectly advised MCPS to complete a certification of budget which lead to the accounting discrepancy.

For the 2016 fiscal year, there were multiple reductions in the budget, some of which had to do with hiring staff. “We had to take approximately $53 million of reductions in the 2016 budget that

County to appropriate an additional $1.4 million.”

The Montgomery County Board of Education did not take a stance on whether the county should have to pay back the $1.48 million.

Newsbriefs Montgomery County Police Department implements body cameras

The Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) has launched a pilot program to provide police officers with body cameras to collect evidence and ensure the safety of citizens. According to WUSA 9, the cameras are also designed to protect police officers against false accusations and complaints. After a briefing on Sept. 28, the Montgomery County Council was concerned about issuing the 152 body cameras implemented in June for fear of infringing on the privacy rights of individuals captured in the footage. The cameras are attached to the officers’ chests to show incidents from the perspective of police officers. According to Fox 5 D.C., these cameras cost the MCPD around $150,000 for the trial run in 2015, and will cost $5.5 million to implement more cameras over the next five years. Maryland will create guidelines for this program regarding the privacy of citizens and the prerequisite of informing people that they are being recorded. This program will be implemented in early 2016.

NASA finds water on Mars

The National Aer and Space Association (NASA) announced Sept. 28 that they found evidence of potentially life-sustaining water flowing across the surface of Mars.

This discovery adds to the possibility that life exists beyond earth.

According to Michael Pearson of CNN, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a multipurpose spacecraft studying Mars from its orbit, found seasonal dark streaks on Mars’ surface that are associated with liquid water. Pearson writes that through a process called deliquescence, these liquid streaks absorb light at specific wavelengths with chemicals that pull water from the atmosphere. It is unknown where the water comes from; one theory is that is results from melting subsurface ice. The conditions of this water, thought to be salty and briny, now make Mars more habitable than scientists originally believed. Mars contains water frozen at its poles and in the atmosphere.

According to Quartz Magazine, NASA is bound by the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which forbids sending forward a robot, human, or spacecraft near an outer-space water source to avoid outside factors on the rover from contaminating it.

BLISS and ESOL tutoring

A new initiative from the BLISS Buddies program this month will pair ESOL students with upper level language students to help ESOL students improve their academics and gain cultural experiences. BLISS Buddies was originally introduced in 2014 by then seniors Elia Tzoukermann and Annaleigh Baremore. Last year, current seniors Olivia Lewis, Julia Sint, and Tuyet Nguyen introduced the ESOL tutoring program, which is now merging with BLISS Buddies. According to Nguyen the goal of combining the ESOL tutoring with BLISS Buddies is to create a bond between ESOL students and other Blair students, offer tutoring opportunities, help further the ESOL students’ understanding of American culture, and provide language students with opportunities to apply their skills.

Newsbriefs compiled by Brianna Forté and Georgina Burros Edited by Daliah Barg

B1 Opinions

silverchips

Montgomery Blair High School 51 University Boulevard East Silver Spring, MD 20901 Phone: (301) 649-2864 Winner of the 2014 National Scholastic Press Association Pacemaker Winner of the 2014 Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown

Editors-in-Chief: Eleanor Harris and Amanda Wessel Managing News Editors: Reva Kreeger and Anna O’Driscoll Managing Op/Ed Editors: Winne Luo and Maris Medina Managing Features Editors: Camille Kirsch and Emma Soler Managing Entertainment Editors: Mariam Jiffar and Luisa McGarvey Managing Sports Editors: Sam Butler and Camille Estrin Ombudsman: Camille Kirsch Newsbriefs Editor: Daliah Barg Executive Business Director: Maddie Boyer Business Staff: Gerrit Antonisse Marianne Benyamin Elizabeth Cove Rudi Elien Joe Estrin Anna Hukill Joe Maher Susanna Maisto Anna Reachmack Adina Rombro Christine Wan Ariel Zhang Page Editors: Julian Brown Georgina Burros Dawson Do Joshua Fernandes Brianna Forté Sarah Hutter Grady Jakobsberg Alexandra Marquez Christian Mussenden Alice Park Niki Patel Teague Sauter Cole Sebastian Aditi Shetty La Esquina Latina Editors-in-Chief: Camilla Fernandez Mario Menendez Gisell Ramirez La Esquina Latina Writers: Sarah Canchaya Alisson Fortis Carlos Fuentes Ilcia Hernandez Odalis Llerena Andres Perez Managing Photo Editor: Chimey Sonam Photographers: Caleb Bauman Ben Doggett Chaminda Hangilipola Siddhartha Harmalkar Cadence Pearson Griffin Reilly Brennan Winer Managing Art Editors: Candia Gu and Victoria Tsai Artists: Edgar Blanco Kendall Delile Lindsay Harris Nazea Khan Kevin León-Matute Odalis Llerena Shivani Mattikalli Alexandra Mendivil Meghna Sambathkumar Rosemary Solomon Nahom Tedla Angel Wen Puzzle Editor: Julian Bregstone Copy Editors: Ari Goldbloom-Helzner and Ethan Holland La Esquina Latina Advisor: Dianette Coombs Advisor: Jeremy Stelzner

Silver Chips is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions.

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

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

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Making sure everyone has a place at Blair

Rising enrollment rates should be welcomed, not fought

By Joshua Fernandes An opinion Have you ever wanted to take Literature as Film? Or Middle East Studies? How about Quantum Physics? These classes are available at Blair, and no other Montgomery County school offers all of them. Blair’s enormous student body, often lamented by students, is the reason that these unique courses can be offered.

Our enrollment has increased in recent years, with this year’s student body reaching 2,958–making us the largest school in Maryland. With the rising population, concerned parents and students have called for reducing enrollment by redistricting. However, rather than trying to control its escalating population, Blair should allow as many students as possible to experience the benefits of a large student body by increasing its capacity.

Electives aren’t just enjoyable classes to take along with required courses; they present opportunities to pursue career interests. Students can find out what they enjoy (and what they

do not) before having to choose a major in college. Creative Writing would not exist without the interest of a considerable number of students: currently 55 are enrolled in the class. Reducing the student body could weaken support and lead to the class being cut. Blair needs its huge student population to advocate and register for its unique electives.

The wide variety of clubs, too, exist only with Blazers’ support and size. With seventy listed in students’ planbooks and many more meeting throughout the week, our student organizations reflect the incredible diversity Blair has to offer. Just like electives, these smaller clubs would struggle to survive with a smaller student body. According to Forensics Club sponsor Margery Scanlan, only about a dozen members regularly attended the club last year. If Blair were half as large, membership would likely be halved as well, and this small portion of the school would be too small for the club to function.

Members would lose the opportunity to compete against others and hone their speaking skills.

soapbox

How has Blair’s increasing enrollment affected you?

“The huge enrollment in the freshman class is kind of overwhelming.”

- Arthi Thyagarajan, freshman “My old school was so small every teacher knew my name and had a place in my life.”

- Haleluya Beyene, freshman

The advantages of a large student body, namely more variety in classes and activities, should be extended to as many students as possible, but if the school is unable to support students, these benefits become meaningless.

Blair’s official maximum capacity of 2920, currently exceeded by thirty-eight pupils, can and must be increased by small and large changes.

According to Principal Renay Johnson, Chromebooks will replace the need for computer labs as they will soon be introduced to every classroom. “The computer labs will become classrooms because eventually, all the teachers would have sets of Chromebooks,” she says.

Additionally, many classrooms are left empty during the school day. A room may be used for five of the nine class periods, but is unoccupied for the other four.

Just by looking at the signs posted outside many teachers’ rooms that indicate which periods the classroom is used, one can recognize the potential for maximizing the space’s true capacity.

On a larger scale, Blair could physically expand to accommodate more students. According to the Division of Long-Range Planning (DLRP) Director Bruce Crispell, a feasibility study is scheduled for the upcoming year, in which architects will visit schools to see if they can be expanded.

The DLRP has already determined that redrawing districts, a common suggestion, would not reduce overcrowding, as all

Downcounty Consortium (DCC) schools have reached or exceeded capacity. One of the five schools must be expanded to support the growing enrollment across this area, and the study will determine how each of them can be expanded.

Each year, thousands of eighth graders from outside Blair’s base area use the Choice Program in an attempt to enroll at the school. With the Choice Program, students rank the DCC high schools they would most want to attend, and via a lottery system, are admitted or rejected. Johnson believes the school’s diverse environment and talented staff attract many of these prospective students. “Everyone feels like there’s a place for them here, and we have great teachers,” she explains.

Because of these rejected applicants to Blair, the ideal option for the DLRP would be to approve Blair for an addition once the feasibility study determines this possible.

With its fantastic students and staff, Blair has established itself as one of the best places to both receive a quality education and develop passions through clubs and electives. Because it can increase its capacity, Blair should expand to accept as many students as possible. When we were eighth graders, we all wanted to become members of the Blair community. Now, as prospective freshmen want the exact same thing we wanted just a few years ago, we must welcome them into Blair’s beautiful, diverse atmosphere.

Cutting all ties with the growing fast fashion industry Cheap chic is more costly in the long run than higher end brands warned of the building’s structural instability. However, this is An opinion not uncommon in the fast fashion industry. Factory managers cut as In 2013, the Rana Plaza, an many corners as possible, disreeight-story factory building, garding safety protocols, building collapsed and killed over 1,000 violations, and even evacuation Bangladeshi workers. It took warnings to lower rescue units weeks production costs. to recover the 2,000 Fast fashion injured from the piles continues to sucof debris. Just seconds ceed because the before the collapse, tempting prices hundreds of laborers overshadow the were cramped together industry’s flawed on every floor, sewing practices. garments for American Although the companies 48 hours a sticker prices week for less than 30 are cheap, fast U.S. cents a day. fashion is not Thousands of gareconomical in the ment factory workers long run. Clothlocated in developing ing is constantly countries like Banglabeing thrown desh produce millions away and reof garments for H&M, purchased every Gap, and other fast year. H&M and fashion brands every Forever 21 do not year. Fast fashion CALEB BAUMAN manufacture long brands use cheap labor to mass produce stylSHOPPING SPREE Fast fashion attracts many custom- lasting clothes, nor do they need ish clothing, so even ers each year with cheap prices and trendy clothes. to. people who are on a and most tops are less than $20 at On the consumer’s part, budget can sustain a fashionable Forever 21. Compare that to a $90 constantly buying fast fashion image. Despite attention brought pair of jeans and a top upwards can create a bad habit of routinely to the factories’ poor conditions, of $30 at American Apparel. Both throwing away old and unfashthe industry’s business model offer contemporary styles, but ionable clothes because it wasn’t remains effective. Last year, the first option won’t break the expensive and bound to get H&M saw sales rise 14 percent, budget of a high school student, ruined. Throwing away clothes and Zara, the world’s largest fast while the second seems needlessly naturally leads into having to fashion retailer, saw an increase marked up. The high price of U.S. buy more, wasting both garments of eight percent along with many made clothing, like American Apand money. The Environmenother companies that gained bilparel, accounts for the cost of fair tal Protection Agency estimates lions in revenue. wages and safe labor practices, that the United States produces Many people justify buying while the low cost of fast fashion 12.4 million tons of textile waste fast fashion because of its low comes from cheap labor and unevery year, which is more than 70 cost and trendy appeal, regardsafe conditions. pounds per person. less of the social and economic At Rana Plaza, over 1,000 The “low cost” aspect of fast consequences. Fast fashion lives were lost in the collapse fashion is deceiving because the consumption not only supports because supervisors refused to companies encourage money to companies who mistreat workhalt production, even after being be spent more often. According to ers, but also fosters bad habits

By Dawson Do

and expectations in consumers.

The fast fashion industry makes being fashionable easy, especially for teenagers. Entire stores sell trendy and affordable clothing targeted to young adults.

A pair of jeans at H&M costs $10,

the American Apparel & Footwear Association, the average American buys a whopping 64 garments every year, many of which had to be repurchased after throwing away old garments the year before.

By rushing out new styles, fast fashion companies intend to get people to renew their wardrobe as often as possible during the year. Many styles created by fast fashion brands emphasize brief trends. Joggers and leather pants that were all the rage last fall were absent from the following H&M and Forever 21 Spring collections, not to mention Navajo and tropical patterns of recent seasons that are long gone from most closets.

Furthermore, “limited” collections reassure consumers that their impulse purchases will be worthwhile. What seems like a good deal one minute often costs the consumer more money in the long run. People are constantly pressured to buy new clothes because their old pieces either deteriorate or go out of style.

Although the initial costs of fair trade brands, such as American Apparel, are more expensive, the piece will last through many more seasons and, consequently, be more economical later on.

Being mindful while shopping for clothes reduces the waste of money and clothes.

Ultimately, being patient is rewarded. Buying clothes on a whim can turn out to be expensive, while waiting for sales will save money. Spending time at thrift stores and looking for secondhand or vintage clothing recycles clothing and remains a cheap option for anybody. While it is not easy to ignore the cheap prices on the tags of fast fashion clothing, it is important to be conscious while purchasing new clothes.

Opinions B2

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Should employers be required to pay high school interns?

YES:

CHIMEY SONAM

Alice Park

NO:

Students deserve compensation for work.

Internships generally provoke mental images of harried youth scrambling to make copies, going on coffee runs, and being bogged down with busy work from their “mentors.” Now imagine if those students were not only worked to the bone, but also deprived of well-deserved wages.

Unfortunately, this imaginary scenario is the reality for unpaid high school interns.

Internships are a valuable opportunity for teenagers to explore career options and gain connections through networking. A survey of nationwide employers by research and management consulting firm Millennial Branding found that 89 percent of companies believe students who intern in high school have a “competitive advantage” when looking for a college internship or a full-time job. Internships provide inexperienced teens with the opportunity to find mentors, learn relevant skills, and boost their resumes. However, not all internships are created equal. Unpaid internships widen the gap between privileged and unprivileged students. To give all young people the opportunity to gain professional experience, employers should be required to pay their interns.

Students of higher socioeconomic status can usually afford to take unpaid internships in a competitive market in which paid internships are not easily obtained. High school students who need a source of income during the summer are likely to miss out on the perks of an internship if they have no choice but to choose a summer job over an unpaid internship. While requiring employers to pay their high school interns may limit the number of available internships, allowing students of different socioeconomic status to have access to internships and their valuable benefits to career development is crucial.

Internships prepare students with useful skills and knowledge for future careers, but in order to gain effective training, interns should also produce work for their employers. Most high school interns produce work in the form of research, data entry, and administrative tasks. However, Dr. Nicolas Pologeorgis, a consultant for the Center for Assessment, Evaluation, Research, and Education, argues that work benefitting an employer, even busy work, deserves compensation. “The only relevant thing is whether the student is in the capacity to perform the tasks required by the internship employer,” he says. “If somebody can do that, whether they are 15 years old, 18, or 25, they should be compensated for it.”

Unpaid interns may still gain networking opportunities and work experience in a professional setting, but all interns producing meaningful work deserve pay. Paid internships for college students have also been shown to significantly raise the likelihood of finding employment. A study by

the National Association of Colleges and Employers reported that only 37.8 percent of students who took unpaid internships at for-profit employers received job offers, while 61.5 percent who had paid internships got offers. Students who took unpaid internships also received lower average wages.

“Employers don’t value [unpaid internships] as much,” Ross Eisenbrey, Vice President of the Economic Policy Institute, told the Kansas City Star. “The employer knows you’re willing to work for not very much, even nothing.” Interns attain direct benefits, through income, from paid internships as well as a higher likelihood of finding future work for higher wages.

Paid internships also keep employers accountable for hiring and treating workers responsibly.

According to the Fair Labor Standards Act, an employer may not derive an “immediate advantage from the activities of the intern,” and the internship must exist for the benefit of the intern. However, blurry lines exist between what exactly constitutes an unpaid internship versus a paid internship under the Department of Labor standards. It is difficult to regulate the internship market to prevent the exploitation of young workers, often desperate for real world work experience.

Requiring businesses to pay high school interns would eliminate ambiguities between unpaid and paid internships and strengthen regulation. Employers often hire interns to identify or train prospective employees, but high school students are generally uninterested in sticking around for a full-time job. There is no incentive for employers to invest in a high school student whom they are not paying.

Senior Aaron Alem held a summer internship at Coppin State University in Baltimore, where he intended to do a research internship project about electrical charges in fruits. But as an unpaid intern, he spent most of his time doing minor chores for his mentor and was unable to get experience working in a chemistry lab. “I ended up [acting] just like an assistant, helping with whatever tasks he wanted,” Alem says. “At that point, I think I should’ve been paid.”

Compensating all interns would ensure that employers do not exploit students for a few months of free labor.

Knowledge is worth more than money.

Working at a biology lab, working under a CEO, contributing to a Congressional candidate campaign, and compiling data for public transportation are all jobs that Blair students have had over the summer. None of these students got paid for their hard work, but they all gained real world experience more valuable than the salary they could have received.

High schoolers need not receive material compensation for the work that they do at their internships. Instead, the new knowledge and experience they obtain should be their reward.

Senior Mildred Devereux works as a student intern at the Institute for Bio Science and Biotechnology Research where she is able to develop her biology skills beyond the classroom. “I got a lot of real world experience doing stuff I learned about in AP Biology, but didn’t really do in [classroom] labs,” she says.

With internships, students are given the SHIVANI MATTIKALLI opportunity to further develop their understanding of concepts they already learned in class, as well as learn more about a specific field.

Besides learning specific information about a field the student is interested in, there is much to gain from working in a professional environment. Senior Evan Gresser worked under Matej Harangozo, the CEO for GreeNEWit, an environmental consulting company. “Just watching this guy work and being next to him when he set up meetings and stuff like that, you learn a lot about what it takes to be a CEO and what it takes to be a leader in general,” says Gresser. Valuable skills such as communicating, collaborating, and time management are taught through internship experiences.

The skills and knowledge obtained through working at an unpaid internship outweigh the fact that students are not getting paid for their work. However, one must also take into consideration the limited resources of some of the students’ employers. Some organizations are nonprofits or small local businesses, which means some can barely maintain daily expenses, let alone add additional paid staff members. Mark Soler, the director of the nonprofit organization Center for

Brianna Forté

Children’s Law and Policy, explains, “We have a tight budget, and we’re dependent on foundations and some government agencies, and donations for our work…so we don’t have a lot of money available to pay student interns.”

Although students do not get paid, they do receive benefits for their work. Michelle Armstrong-Spielberg worked for Maryland House of Representative candidate Jamie Raskin’s campaign over the summer and received benefits such as being able to attend a speaker series. At the speaker series, Armstrong-Spielberg and other student interns had the opportunity to listen to different members of government talk about their jobs. Also, because the student interns were unpaid, the internship directors were very encouraging and accommodating. “[Our supervisors] were all the more flexible about our schedules and what we were doing. They were very willing to help us because we were helping them,” recalls Armstrong-Spielberg. Gresser also points out, “Even though it’s unpaid you still benefit. It’s almost like they’re paying you in knowledge.”

Additionally, a summer internship is a great addition to a college resume as pointed out by Devereux and ArmstrongSpeilberg. According to the My College Guide Web site, “Many top colleges like to see community involvement on your college application. And you know what?

Summer is the perfect time to volunteer!”

Student interns gain knowledge, life experience, and new skills. But most importantly, internships focus students on what they want to pursue as possible future careers. “I think [my internship] made me realize what I want to do. It’s definitely all about getting to know what you feel comfortable with,” says junior Max Kittner, who interned at University of Marlyand’s Smart Growth Program researching urban development. Kittner’s internship confirmed his interest in urban planning.

Devereux also explained that she can see herself in the future working at a job similar to her research internship. On the flip side, if a student ends up having a negative internship experience, he or she will leave the internship with the knowledge that that job is something he or she may not want to pursue in the future.

In the end, each student gains at least one valuable piece of information from working at an unpaid internship. And knowledge will provide greater benefits in the future, whereas money only provides a quick reward in the present. Requiring businesses and organizations to pay their student interns will have a negative impact on the businesses themselves, as well as take away the moral values of volunteering one’s time and effort towards something one is interested and passionate about.

voicebox

BRENNAN WINER

Nickson Minja Senior

“No, interns won’t have the same experience if they’re paid.”

“Yes, because high schoolers are too busy not to be paid.”

“If it’s a large company, the intern deserves compensation.”

Zakariya Gordon Freshman

Pedraam Faridjoo Junior

“Yes, interns do the same work as workers who get paid.”

Kenia Sanchez Alvarado Sophomore

“No, the whole point of an internship is to learn about the job, not get paid.”

Noah Levin Freshman

B3 Opinions

silverchips

October 7, 2015

High schoolers should find a passion, not declare a major Students are being pressured into narrow academic paths too early

By Christian Mussenden An opinion As schooling drifts towards a more competitive and careeroriented atmosphere, the demand for methods to help specialize students in one area is rising. Whether it be specialized programs, Advanced Placement (AP) classes, or just forcing them to choose early, career specialization can start as early as sixth grade. The problem here is not in the concept of academic specialization, which can allow students who know what they want to focus on to begin their concentration early in their academic careers.

The problem is that this mania for early focus can deter those students who don’t know what they are passionate about from exploring other academic possibilities. It can force them to commit to a certain academic field before they even hit puberty, and subsequently, some kids feel as if they are required to keep pursuing that certain field even if they do not necessarily enjoy it. Here at Blair, students are fortunate enough to have at their disposal interesting and challenging electives for them to take, and if you have the desire to, you

should not hesitate to take them.

For example, junior Camille Torfs-Leibman experienced a waning interest in her chosen path of specialization. Camille had participated in the humanities program at Eastern and she spent her freshman year in the Communication Arts Program (CAP). Yet, toward the end of her first year, she felt herself drifting towards the problem solving aspects of math and science and away from social studies and English. “I realized that in four years of hu-

manities that I hadn’t ever gotten the chance to take an interesting science class or place any focus in math class,” Torfs-Leibman says. She left the CAP program at the end of her freshman year and joined the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) academy the following year. When asked if she made the right choice, Torfs-Leibman said she “definitely did.”

Torfs-Leibman was able to change her “career path” and now as a junior, she is taking

rigorous science classes like AP Chemistry while maintaining a high level of academic success.

However, there are a lot students who feel pressured to stay on these paths for a number of reasons , such as a fear that changing career paths in high school could doom their academic and professional future, pressure from parents, and insecurity about their abilities to pursue other fields.

Ian Donaldson is a senior in the Science, Mathematics, and Computer Science Magnet program, and he says he likes other courses more than his Magnet core classes. “I actually like writing, humani- ties and things of the sort a lot more than math and computer science,” Donaldson said, “but I feel like since I’m better at math that I had to focus on that instead and just take the normal English classes.”

Donaldson’s feelings are not uncommon among students these days who are forced to choose an academic focus early, but Blair as a whole does its best to make sure MARIS MEDINA students are given access to a wide variety of classes that cover a multitude of different topics.

For instance, Blair’s academies do their best to make sure that no

one feels trapped in one path by making the process of changing academies as simple as filling out a form and having Academy Coordinator Leslie Blaha notify your counselor to switch advisories.

Blair’s Magnet program allows people not in the Magnet to take many of their electives, as long as they have the basic prerequisites to take the course. And many Blair teachers hold elective classes that are open to everyone on thought provoking, engaging subjects that have interdisciplinary aspects such as Comparative Religion, Horticulture, and Philosophy.

The concept of early specialization is not bad for those who know what they want to pursue at an early age, but it can lead to some students feeling confined to certain academic paths. Students should not feel bound to certain subjects. Career path commitments are meant for college, when students are more emotionally mature and have a better understanding of themselves and what they want. Even if a student is not planning on attending college after high school, here at Blair there are a number of different classes they can take to explore which fields they enjoy the most while learning life skills that are immediately applicable after high school. That is why those students who feel trapped and those who do not know what they want to pursue yet should try and take different electives to find what subjects interest them the most.

“Friends” with a teacher: How personal is too personal online?

MCPS should change social media policy to allow easier communication

By Sarah Hutter An opinion Most of us know the shock felt when we accidentally stumble upon a teacher’s Facebook page or Twitter feed. Teachers have lives outside of school? followed by a moment of pure dread. If I can find them, does that mean they can find me?

Not to worry-- MCPS has changed its policy regarding teachers’ use of social media, meaning that you never have to worry about being followed on Twitter by your ninth grade math teacher.

Although this sounds great, it is too extreme considering how helpful online student-teacher interactions can be. While teachers becoming too involved in their students’ personal lives (or vice versa) can be inappropriate to the professional student-teacher relationship, banning social media interactions outright rids students and teachers of convenient ways to communicate with each other regarding schoolwork, advice, and questions, and is too harsh of a policy.

The new policy in the Employee Code of Conduct instructs teachers to “not have one-on-one interactions with MCPS students through social media, e-mail, or other electronic communication about subjects not directly related to instruction or your MCPS work responsibilities.” It also mandates that teachers “not use personal e-mail accounts, social media networking sites, or other electronic communications to communicate or become ‘friends’ with students.”

This means that you cannot message your teacher on Facebook, cannot follow them on

Twitter, and cannot engage with them online like you would with your friends and peers. Instead, the county prefers that students contact teachers via email, phone call, or in person about things relevant to school. This ban extends to students still enrolled in MCPS but no longer in a specific teacher’s class. Even if you don’t have a certain teacher anymore, if you are still an MCPS student, they cannot follow you online.

According to Robert Frost Middle School teacher Pamela Martin, the policy restricts teachers from creating special “teacher accounts” for the sole purpose of communicating with students about classwork. “I was hoping that there would be a way to still allow students and teachers to keep in contact. I was thinking that if a teacher sets up a ‘Teacher Page’ where only students are ‘friends,’ this might be able to work with a parent’s consent,” she explains, but has interpreted the policy to mean that even teacher pages are banned.

“Unfortunately, under the current policy this idea is not allowed.”

While students might be shaking their heads at the mere idea of reaching out to a teacher online, there are many reasons why social media can be beneficial to a student-teacher relationship.

It helps students stay in contact with a teacher even after they leave that teacher’s class.

Many students, especially Blair seniors,

may want to reach out to that teacher later on for advice or for a recommendation. “Students might want to check in with a former teacher for several reasons,” says Martin, “to obtain advice about college or other post-high school plans, get assistance from a former teacher on her or his area of specialty, or check in to see what is going on with the teacher.”

This policy is being put into place just as more and more teachers become comfortable integrating social media into their jobs.

Principal Renay Johnson is very active on her school Twitter account and science teacher Megan Hart sends automated reminders to her students via text about

media for school-related posts and messages, and allow teachers to create school accounts to make themselves more accessible to their students. Not only is this an easy way for teachers to reach out to a lot of students all at once, but it also encourages students to ask questions and get clarification using tools with which they are already familiar.

While the current policy is too harsh, there should be some limit on student-teacher online interactions. There are many instances when an online relationship with a teacher could become inappropriate. Teachers should not be able to see photos students post of their personal lives, activities or parties they attend.

On the flip side, it is not a good idea for students to be able to see posts about their teachers’ personal lives.

“Most of the time, ROSEMARY SOLOMON my posts are pretty harmless,” Martin says. upcoming homework assignments However, she acknowledges that and assessments. “Twitter is a this is not always the case. “Some great way to communicate all of of my friends post things on my the amazing things happening at page that are probably inapproBlair to students, staff, parents, priate for a student to see–for colleagues, and community,” says example, political or other views Johnson. “I truly enjoy highlightor jokes that might not be aping my Blazers. I often hear from propriate.” These instances are community members, ‘Wow, I saw when rules should be put in place: your Tweets, your students are to protect students and teachers amazing!’” alike from breaching the profesThis form of communication is sional distance between them and both appropriate and incredibly ultimately having to deal with the helpful to students and teachers awkward consequences. alike, yet is now being comproThe policy becomes invasive mised by the new rule. Montand harmful, however, when it gomery County should provide blocks teachers from helping out room in its policy for teachers their students and being easily to use the Internet and social accessible.

Opinions B4

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Overly cautious classrooms leave students unprepared Trigger warnings impede open discussion in the school environment

By Daliah Barg An opinion In colleges across the country, trigger warnings are being added to the top of syllabi, to the posters advertising guest lectures, and to the description of novels.

Although these warnings might have good intentions, their results are not necessarily beneficial.

Recently, there has been a burst in the conversation about trigger warnings, from college classrooms to national newspapers.

According to The Atlantic, trigger warnings are alerts that professors issue if a course topic might cause a strong emotional response, such as a scene of physical abuse in a novel or an upcoming discussion on mental illnesses. However, trigger warnings are harmful and hindering to students by interrupting the curriculum, providing no actual assistance to students suffering from traumatic experiences, and making students unprepared for the world beyond academia.

Trigger warnings do not actually help students learn or avoid “unsafe” subjects, and they cannot take the place of wellmeaning, guided discussion by educated professors and teachers. In an article from The New York Times, Columbia University’s Adam Shapiro notes, “I don’t see how you can have a therapeutic space that’s also an intellectual space.” The mindset that everything must be safe for students shields them from and makes them fear the “unsafe” topics. In classrooms, this mentality

causes professors and students to not speak their mind because of fear that their comments might be taken the wrong way. Trigger warnings suppress the flow of ideas by causing professors to tiptoe around essential and controversial subjects.

Censorship of college classes is a restriction on academic free speech and a disruption in the lecture material. A professor cannot possibly teach an English class where the students read literature devoid from mention of sex, violence, or other topics that could trigger uncomfortable memories.

There are certain topics that a student must assume will be present in some classes.

The original intent of trigger warnings was to prevent students who have issues such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder from having anxiety attacks or flashbacks. However, the demand for trigger warnings has spiraled out of control – they have become more of a way to keep “uncomfortable” topics out of the classroom.

In

some schools, students have refused to read novels because they include lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender characters, while at other schools professors provided trigger warnings for “graphic violence” in such classic literature as The Great Gatsby.

Some students may have real claims to difficult pasts and triggering subjects, but in those cases the students should take the initiative and approach the professor to find their own solution. When a student has a legitimate reason for avoiding a certain topic, a personal arrangement can be worked out for that student. It is not necessary for the trigger warning to create an overly

cautious mentality for the rest of the class.

There is no formal MCPS policy for trigger warnings in the classroom. However, according to Kevin Moose, the lead teacher for the International Studies and Law Academy, teachers are conflicted about implementing trigger warnings. “As a high school teacher I’ve got mixed emotions about it. I don’t have a policy. If something comes up in class that’s uncomfortable we talk about it,” says Moose. Trigger warnings should not prevent the discussion of difficult topics, but the past experiences of students must still be taken into account. “I think we can’t be afraid to tackle tough subjects, but [at] the same time… you have to be aware of that… their feelings [are still] a consideration,” he adds.

Trigger warnings are “coddling” – a word used by many critics of trigger warnings – because they do not prepare students for the outside world, and merely help students avoid problems instead of solving them. The Washington Post called today’s college students the “Swaddled Generation” because of their obsession with trigger warnings, remarking that trigger warnings do not allow students to view opinions contrary to their own.

In the “real world,” “triggering” topics will never be censored. As a result, an influx of trigger warnings in high schools and colEDGAR BLANCO leges does not prepare students for the harsher realities of a professional work setting. “This call from students to

censor their own education before they even receive it is designed to keep them from being challenged,” writes Britney Cooper, a professor at Rutgers University, who wrote an article in Salon about the reasons she does not use trigger warnings in her class. Cooper argues that students will not be prepared to stand up for their opinions. “If a student has not been challenged to fundamentally rethink the beliefs they hold dear, they have not been to college,” she says.

If students want to be treated like children about difficult topics, then they should be. However, if they wish to be taken seriously once they enter the professional world, they should learn that not all situations are ones that can or should be censored. While some schools have been cancelling guest talks and suppressing issues, other schools such as the University of Chicago have created statements of free expression. In their statement pertaining to trigger warnings, University of Chicago’s President Robert Hutchins says that “[his] students . . . should have freedom to discuss any problem that presents itself.” Another University of Chicago President, Hanna Gray, remarks that “education should not be intended to make people comfortable; it is meant to make them think.” In order to preserve the openness of the college environment, universities must take steps to create statements of free speech for academic situations, and to teach their professors not to restrict classroom material because of the trigger warning movement.

B5 Opinion

silverchips

October 7, 2015

My Blair: Personal Column

THEN:1953

Sharing myself through spoken word

By Nesha Ruther Guest writer

SILVER CHIPS ARCHIVES

WINNING PLAY Blair halfback Dick Street, number 27, prepares to score a crucial and exciting touchdown in a tight game against Richard Montgomery in 1953.

& NOW:2015

GRIFFIN REILLY

GAME FACE Junior quarterback Desmond Colby looks downfield as he runs from oncoming pressure in Blair’s third game of the season against Northwest.

I’ve always loved to perform. Since I was ten, I have been acting in a local Shakespeare youth theatre company. I fell in love with the stage, the thrill of performing, and the beauty of language. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, until I went to my first open mic.

When I first heard spoken word poetry performed at my high school, I was awestruck at the sheer honesty and bravery of the poets. I remember a friend leaning over and saying it was “too personal.”

I thought it was bold and mesmerizing.

I began going to my school’s weekly slam meetings. I was astounded by how quickly I took to writing poetry. In one of my first poems, titled “January,” I compiled the experience of how my best friend attempted to overdose on anti-depressants. I started to carry a journal around and used every free moment to write. I soon came to the realization that I would have to make a difficult decision. I left the comfort of theater to explore a level of honesty that slam poetry requires, but which I was unaccustomed to giving. I was terrified but exhilarated.

I auditioned for, and was selected to join the D.C. Youth Slam Team, a group of competing poets from the D.C. metro area.

I was immersed in a new urban culture that challenged me and my writing. It wasn’t long before my teammates pointed out that I never wrote about myself. All of my poems were experiences I had observed through other people. I was still holding on to what I had found so comfortable about

acting: telling other people’s stories.

One day at slam practice we were given the assignment to stand in front of a mirror, look into our eyes, and write about what we saw. I was faced with all the awkward, uncomfortable parts of myself I had pretended didn’t exist. The assignment helped me tap into a place of honesty and bravery, and by facing these parts of myself, I was able to write in a much more truthful manner.

This summer my coach gave me a prompt for a poem. She called it “Someday I Will Love Nesha Ruther.” From the prompt came one of the best poems I have ever written.

It is titled “Timeline” and it addresses who I was at different ages. It tells my story of reaching a place of self-love and self-acceptance.

This timeline is my artistic evolution. I still get scared and self-conscious when sharing who I am. But I understand it is necessary for me to be comfortable with myself.

My artistic evolution is one of learning to be honest and authentic while becoming a stronger writer and performer.

COURTESY OF NESHA RUTHER Being open is how I am learning to be a great poet.

I am thankful for the theater, for I never would have discovered slam poetry without it. Theater taught me how to be on stage. Slam poetry taught me how to be myself onstage.

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

Up and Coming Oct 5-9, Spirit Week

Oct 10, Homecoming Dance

Oct 9, Homecoming game

Nov 2, Last day of the quarter

Student & Teacher Awards & Honors National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists 2015-2016 Ji Hyuk Bae Samuel E. Bilsky Eric S. Chen Sage Chen Jeremy C. Du Ramya A. Durvasula Helen R. Edge Sidney B. Geertsema Yaelle B. Goldschlag Candia D. Gu Eleanor L. Harris

Connie Ho Ethan J. Holland Mariam B. Jiffar Camille D. Kirsch Brian Z. Le Haena-Young Lee Noah D. Levine Olivia G. Lewis Raymond T. Lin Amy Li Anthony Li

Cynthia T. Liu Eric M. Lu Winne Luo Alexander J. Mangiafico Arnold K. Mong Brian P. Morris Anna H. Ou Rowyn A. Peel Divya Rajagopal Kathleen Ruan Caitlyn A. Singam

Victoria C. Tsai Jesse P. Webber Angel Wen Bronte Wen Jeong-Yoon Wu Rona Yu Wilson B. Yu Timothy T. Zhou

Editorials B6

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Disarming the partisan standoff over firearm rhetoric

Gun violence is a solvable problem, not a political dead end They are everywhere. In movies, in TV shows, in the pages of magazines, in the hands of police officers. They are in safes in our homes and in locked boxes in our cars, in holsters under our shirts and in bags slung over our backs.

Odds are, friends of yours have some, or their parents do. There is even one in the halls of Blair.

Guns. America is obsessed with them, and haunted by them. Our country has more shootings per capita than any other developed nation. We also have more gun magazines than any other nation, and more gun ranges. And arguably, fewer legal controls.

This year, the US has averaged more than one mass shooting per day. The latest to gain significant media attention was an incident at an Oregon community college where a white male killed nine other people, then himself. You’ve probably heard about it. But you might not have heard that on the same day, there was another shooting, at another school. A 16-year-old student shot his principal and might have kept shooting if his assistant principal hadn’t tackled him to the ground.

America has a problem. We— each of us—have a problem.

When you hear about the next inevitable shooting, you mourn, but then you move on. Within a week, it’s become little more than another part of the deluge of gunrelated violence. We’ve gotten so used to gun violence that we’ve

started to think of it as a fact of life, not a problem to be solved.

In the wake of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the public and politicians united to demand change.

But three years later, more states — at least 16 — have loosened guns laws than have tightened them. We seem to be incapable of treating gun deaths as a preventable public health problem. Think about it: When there’s a problem, you research solutions. But somehow, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have not conducted any studies on gun violence since 1996. Although Obama requested $10 million for such research after Sandy Hook, Congress has yet to allow funding. This leaves us with no scientific facts with which we can construct evidence-based policy suggestions. In their absence, debates over gun violence are politicized and eventually abandoned.

America has been able to neutralize almost every solvable threat to its people, so why can’t we get it together to protect the almost 100 people who are killed each day by guns? Our country has ended endemic diseases with childhood vaccination - smallpox and polio are threats of the past.

We’ve reduced car-related deaths by 95% since 1921 by issuing strict safety measures for manufacturers and by punishing drunk driving. Gun violence is not inherently different from any of these

problems, in spite of what the 2nd Amendment states. After all, our right to drive to cars has not been infringed.

Despite what the NRA would have you believe, the vast majority of Americans, Republican or Democrat, support certain gun control measures. According to the Pew Research Center, 85% of Americans support universal background checks. 79% support laws to prevent mentally ill people from buying guns. 70% support a federal database to track gun sales. 57% even support a ban on assault weapons!

Let’s start there, with the common-sense solutions that most Americans want. But just taking a few action steps won’t be enough.

We have to reframe the terms of the gun debate. That means agreeing on this: gun violence is a tragedy, not a political talking point.

If we depoliticize the rhetoric on guns, some simple things are clear. No one will allow the government to take away all guns, nor should they. Equally, no one gets a completely unlimited right to guns. Just as we require drivers to get licenses and obey precau-

tionary laws like speed limits, we must require gun owners to take protective measures with their weapons.

Gun violence is terrible. But it is not, and never will be, inevitable.

America deserves more faith than that.

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

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

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

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

ODALIS LLERENA

For the student press, silence poses a clear and present danger Censorship and underrepresentation are two sides of the same coin

By Camille Kirsch “It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words.”

So says an official of the totalitarian government in George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel, 1984. But “the destruction of words” is not a beautiful thing—it’s a dangerous one. In Orwell’s world, such destruction cements the dominance of an abusive, totalitarian government that uses its own citizens as fodder for unending, pointless war. In our own world, such repression keeps knowledge of their government’s human rights abuses from Chinese citizens and news of the outside world from the residents of Russia.

In America, we cherish our freedom of speech in part to protect ourselves from such government abuses. We allow all kinds of offensive statements and opinions to be voiced— short of anything that, like shouting “fire” in a crowded theater, might cause a clear and present danger-—because we know that someday, our own opinions might be classified “offensive.”

Beyond that, we look to our uniquely free press to expose things that powerful institutions and powerful people would rather suppress. Protections for journalists are so important that they were written into the Constitution.

ject to approval by the principal before publication. Two weeks ago, students at Butler University found out that their advisor had been abruptly fired and replaced by a member of the school’s public relations committee. And at around the same time, Wesleyan University’s student journalists woke up to the news that activists had organized a censorship campaign against the Wesleyan Argus. They were angry because the university’s paper had published a conservative Op/Ed. Schools are like governments, and like communities in general: they can be abusive. What happens if Wilson students want to report on an allegation that the principal committed fraud? What happens if Butler University decides stories about a waterquality problem in the dorms aren’t a good public relations move? And who will be a voice for all students—ven conservative ones—if the Wesleyan Argus can no longer be that place?

Silver Chips is lucky.

In our known history, we have never been censored, despite controversial KYRA SEIGER stories on things like sex in school, marijuana dealers, and tensions between administration and staff.

That’s not an accident; we at the paper work hard to keep our independence by raising press. About a month ago, the enough money to survive without students at Wilson High School in funding from the Blair adminisDC received notice that all articles tration. We stay strong because in their newspaper would be subAfter all, would you want to live in a world in which no one could truthfully report on the President?

Or on the CIA? Censorship is wrong, and dangerous. But it is also common— especially among the student

Ombudsman Camille Kirsch

of your donations, subscriptions, and advertisements.

But censorship by school officials isn’t the only kind there is; there’s a subtler type of censorship that we at the paper work even harder to forestall. Blair is a huge, diverse school whose many students hold many views. If we fail to represent those views, our journalism has failed; it’s as simple as that.

That’s why all Chips writers are held accountable for quoting diverse sources—people of different races, classes, genders, grade levels, academic programs, religions, sexualities, and ideologies. We force ourselves to branch out, because that is the only way to fully serve the Blair community.

We also let the community voice its opinions directly. Turn to the Op/ed pages of your paper and take a look at this cycle’s Personal Column. Every issue, we print an individual Blazer’s story under the Personal Column headline. It’s one way to make sure that people who aren’t affiliated with Silver Chips are heard.

We encourage every reader to submit a Personal Column, but that’s not the only way you can contribute. We also encourage you to write letters to the editor, to speak out in our Soapbox features, or to suggest story ideas. Diversity of opinion is a buffer against censorship; your voice makes a difference.

No matter what time brings, we at Silver Chips will always continue to struggle for a fair and representative paper. We will maintain our independence, and we will never let administration cherry pick our stories. We hope that you will join us. It’s time to take a stand for the student press at Blair and nationwide.

Censorship is a killer. To stand idly by is to witness the destruction of your words.

Comments or concerns?

Email the Ombudsman at ombudsmansilverchips@gmail.com

Corrections The photograph of ombudsman Camille Kirsch on page B4 was not credited. It should have been credited to Kyra Seiger.

The art in the Blazer Box on page D3 was not credited. It should have been credited to Victoria Tsai.

In the article “With bees and bus troubles, foreign turfs bring out the worst” on page F2, the JV girls’ lacrosse coach was reported to be Adrian Kelly. The coach was actually Christine Denny.

B7 ADs

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Features C1

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Takoma Park families fear losing their homes after rent spike Hampshire Towers owners cite upgrades as justification for major rent increases from TKPK page A1 Seller, and the owner.”

According to Suzanne Ludlow, Takoma Park city manager, the Orlo Fund signed a contract with the city government that because its apartment complex was deemed “affordable housing,” it would not have to adhere to the rent stabilization law. “The way that our city code was written at the time [the initial agreement was made], it had a provision that if an entity had an agreement with a government body that involves providing affordable housing that met affordable housing criteria... then our law did not apply,” says Ludlow. The Orlo Fund met the criteria, and therefore was exempt from the city statute. However, part of the agreement was that the Orlo Fund would make improvements to the building before raising the rent.

stantial improvements still need to be made to the apartment complex.

According to Losak, paying for the repairs should not be the tenants’ responsibility. “Maintaining properties according to the code is part of the cost of doing business as a

should they be forced to move.

“Tenants were asked to sign new leases by September 1 or vacate,” says PTSA president Raymond Moreno.

Freshman Mikentha Bobo, who lives in Hampshire Towers, says

stress placed on Hampshire Towers’ tenants and says that the government is looking for ways to provide aid to the renters. “We’re trying to see if there’s some way that the county can provide a subsidy or that there could be some

is becoming increasingly expensive. “[Hampshire Towers] is just a dramatic example of a regionwide trend that we’re seeing,” says Raskin. “It’s becoming increasingly unaffordable for people to rent in Montgomery County.”

According to Raskin, revitalization in different parts of the county, such as renovations to downtown Silver Spring and the impending arrival of the new Purple Line, are affecting the housing rates.

The rising prices may discourage working-class citizens from living in the area. Moreno agrees that the expensive cost of living in the area is due to “Purple Line construction, development and higher real estate prices,” adding, “[This is] gentrification at its best.”

An uncertain future

According to the Washington Post, the two Hampshire Towers apartment buildings, home to many West African and Central American immigrants, were badly in need of repair when the

County Councilmember Marc Elrich is working to address the problem of major rent increases like those instituted at Hampshire Towers. While Elrich has not proposed any rent-control legislation yet, he is working on a policy that would require landlords to have substantial reasons for raising their rent by more than 150 percent of the inflation rate. Landlords

“My dad [is] saying it’s hard for him to pay the rent because his wages aren’t high enough.”

“For now we can handle it but after a while they’re probably going to make us move out.”

-Anita Acha

-Mikentha Bobo

Orlo Fund took over in 2008. According to the Washington Post, the building was so rundown that tenants were prohibited from sitting on their balconies because of structural instability. Now, although some renovations have been made, the building still has not been completely repaired and updated. In fact, the only major renovations Simeu Ngandjouong reports having noticed in the complex are new security cameras. According to Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin, the Orlo Fund has not made the updates it agreed to in the initial arrangement. “Many of those improvements, as I understand it, have not been put in place,” says Raskin.

would have to prove that such an increase was necessary to cover costs, such as significant renovations and repairs, before imposing it on their renters. “This is mostly a tenants’ rights bill,” says Elrich, who is planning on introducing the legislation this fall. “We’re really in trouble. We’re losing affordable housing. I hope people realize that if we don’t do something soon, we’re going to lose a lot of people.”

Losak stresses the urgency of the situation for the families involved. “We are going to see scores of families destabilized... Moving is not something to be taken lightly. It costs our community a tremendous amount,” he explains.

“And while a few landlords are able to make a substantial profit, we cannot go blind to the costs to our communities for that profit.”

The Blair community is also reacting strongly to the news of the rent hikes. According to Moreno, the rent increase is a big problem for students. “One component of eliminating the achievement gap is to ensure families, particularly low-income families, have affordable housing,” he says.

According to Losak, the new renovations and the construction of the Purple Line “will certainly have an impact” on other renters in the area. In other cities without rent stabilization statues, it could be even easier for landlords to raise their rates by hundreds of dollars, causing the number of affordable housing properties to significantly dwindle in the area.

The Hampshire Towers rent increases have left many struggling to pay the bills. Although the owners cite costly renovations, according to Bobo, “All they really did is change the carpets and paint the walls.”

A building in disrepair

Charging the tenants: necessary or unjustified?

Even with the higher rates, Hampshire Towers is still able to meet the criteria of providing “affordable housing,” as per their agreement with the city, according to Ludlow. “If you look at rents in this general area, certainly in the Washington D.C. area, even the increased rents… are considered affordable,” says Ludlow. However, she acknowledges, “That doesn’t mean that if it’s your unit, and it’s your income which is low, that you can accommodate that increase.”

Hampshire Towers tenants are generally opposed to the increased rent. “People were really mad, because it increased like 500 to 800 dollars and that’s a lot,” says Simeu Ngandjouong. Junior Anita Acha, another resident, says that while she understands that part of the increase is necessary to accommodate the renovations, a 70 percent increase is too much. Raskin disagrees, saying that the rent increase is unjustified because sub-

CALEB BAUMAN

RENT RISES For some renters living in the Takoma Park apartment complex Hampshire Towers, the rent has increased by up to $800 over the past month due to facility upgrades. landlord,” he says, “and should not be on the backs of the renters who have been suffering without those repairs for years.”

Bearing the burden Despite the apparent lack of important renovations, many tenants are struggling under the massive rent increases, including Acha.

“My dad, he’s saying it’s hard for him to pay the rent because his wages aren’t high enough,” she says. Acha is nervous about what the rent increase may do to her family; they do not have a plan

her family is looking to move after their rent jumped from $1200 a month to $1700. “It’s pretty hard,” she says. “We’re trying to find a cheaper house because now we’re paying what you’d pay at a house.” She is “a little worried” about being forced out of her apartment, but Bobo says her family is already looking at a prospective new home and wants to move as soon as possible to avoid being evicted. “For now we can handle it, but after a while they’re probably gonna make us move out,” she adds.

Ludlow acknowledges the

other slowing of the increase so that it’s not such a hardship on individual tenants,” she says.

Despite efforts like this, Losak says, not much has happened by way of relief for the tenants. “So far we have not seen any such progress. The Renters Alliance is doubtful, whatever the outcome of those [government] negotiations, that it will be sufficient enough to protect people from losing their homes.”

Hampshire Towers is not the only place that is becoming too pricey for some tenants. The cost of living in Montgomery County

C2 Features

silverchips

October 7, 2015

A crash course with Dennis Bonn: A life of service The professional life of local driver’s education teacher Mr. Bonn

By Grady Jakobsberg Dennis Bonn stands at the front of a classroom set up in the plain basement of a Silver Spring office building. In front of him are five long rows of plastic desks, each with a chain of tired students slumped over them. Each teen has paid $330 to be sitting in that room.

As the kids will eventually learn, the man standing in front of them is what they paid for. He has the experience and the attitude to match the cost.

This is a typical scene at the Silver Spring location of Greg’s Driving School. With years of working on the police force under his belt,

Bonn can talk with an unparalleled knowledge of traffic laws and car accidents. Three years in the military further contribute to his expertise. Bonn’s stories are what makes Bonn’s teaching so unique; he is able to draw students in more than any other teacher.

‘War is an ugly game’ Bonn’s many years in public service began at the age of 16, when he became a lifeguard on the beach of the small New Jersey resort town where he grew up. “That was where I developed interest in the medical field,” says Bonn.

That interest drove him to enlist in the military after high school. He moved to Fort Sam, Texas, where he received his training.

Bonn was eventually stationed at Walter Reed Military Hospital in Washington D.C. as an eye, ear, nose, and throat doctor.

Bonn becomes reflective, his eyebrows drooping slightly, when he talks about Walter Reed. He says working in the amputees ward, where he saw people the same age as him missing arms and legs, was a particularly impactful experience. “It’s their attitude that really amazes you,” explains Bonn.

Bonn vividly recalls the initiation of the new patients. “The other patients would gather around them,” he says. “The patients would get in [the new person’s] face and say ‘What are you [talking] about? You lost an arm, you silly son of a *****. I lost both legs, I’m gonna slap you.’” Bonn sits back in his chair, letting out a big sigh. “And that’s probably what I learned most about my time in the military. No matter how bad life is, no matter what comes at you, you have to put it in perspective.”

Protecting the public

CALEB BAUMAN

AT HIS DESK Dennis Bonn, a former police officer, teaches at Greg’s Driving School.

After his three years in the military, Bonn landed in the Takoma Park Police Department. Bonn’s police career was a natural follow up of his time in the military. “Law enforcement is a different version of Walter Reed,” explains Bonn.

“It is immensely rewarding, but there is also some intensely sad stuff.”

Bonn’s proudest moment came the day he received a call about an attempted suicide. A teenage boy was locked in his bathroom and had slit his wrist after a painful break-up. Bonn was in the area

and responded immediately. “This kid really wanted to kill himself,” he recalls. “Blood was pouring out of him like a garden hose.”

Bonn used medical equipment he carried with him while on duty to slow the bleeding until the paramedics arrived. The teenager survived, despite losing over a third of his blood, and Bonn received a governmentissued lifesaving award for his actions.

“That felt good,” says Bonn, a slight grin playing across his face. “It was a real good one.”

Taking it easy Twenty-six years later, Bonn retired as a police officer and fell into his current driver’s education gig.

According to Bonn, Blair students make up the majority of his classes. Junior Ezra Grimes says that Mr. Bonn is recognized around the school. “A good amount of juniors and seniors, and even some sophomores know who he is,” says Grimes.

The course most students take is two weeks; each class is three hours per day, every weekday. During almost every class, Bonn simply stands in the front of the class and lectures. “The class itself is super boring,” says junior Garret Kern. “But Mr. Bonn keeps it interesting.”

“I didn’t really think I was going to enjoy the driver’s ed stuff, but I do,” Bonn says cheerily. “It’s very easy-going.”

Bonn’s life in public service, from teaching to his time in the military, has taught him one main thing: a better appreciation of life.

“I look at your age group and you all think you are going to live forever,” says Bonn.

“Well, you aren’t. You have to learn to enjoy the simple things. We are all too focused on things…not life.”

Mom’s the boss: Earning more than an allowance Blazers bond with parents as they work at the family business

By Alice Park Smoke billows across the highway as a moving truck ignites. As policemen and firefighters arrive on the scene, senior Stephen Soza receives an email at work, notifying him of the incident. After canceling his Friday afternoon plans, he joins the hectic scene to begin the cleanup process as cars pass by during rush hour.

While Soza’s summer job entails frequent meetings with clients and interactions with customers, he is rarely called to the line of duty. As a close acquaintance of his bosses, he generally just accompanies them to business meetings, but a fiery blaze on 1-495 calls even the head staff away from their desks. However, unlike the rest of the staff, Soza landed this job without so much as an application; he simply had to ask his parents over the dinner table.

Over the summer, Soza worked at Stellar Environmental, his family’s recycling and waste collection company, and assisted his parents by meeting customers and responding to company emergencies along-

side them. Soza is one of several Blazers employed by his parents. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 60 percent of youth, roughly 23.2 million, were employed this summer, and for some teens at Blair, their jobs are a bit more personal.

Learning the trade Some Blazers were destined to work at their parents’ businesses from a young age.

Sophomore Joanne Ha finds it hard to recall a time when her family’s flower shop, Park Florist, was not an integral part of her life.

“I spent a lot of my childhood there because I didn’t go to daycare after school when I was little,” Ha says. “I started sweeping floors when I was about six.” Now, she helps out at the shop, located in Takoma Park, whenever she can — mostly on weekends and during the summer — unpacking shipments of flowers and setting up larger events like weddings.

Senior Hawra Al-Jabiri also began working at her father’s Italian restaurant, Café Paradiso, after spending time there as a young girl. In 2011, as bustling diners swamped the restaurant on a boiling summer day, she lent a hand by greeting customers and leading them to their seats. “My dad noticed I was good at it,” she remembers.

Her father offered to pay her for her work that day. Al-Jabiri’s first job as a hostess had officially begun.

Employee perks

GRIFFIN REILLY

NOODLE KING Lytton Xu’s family-run Chinese restaurant in Silver Spring.

Students who work for their parents receive all of the benefits of work experience plus the perks of having a more lenient boss.

Al-Jabiri says she appreciates her father’s generosity as the owner of the restaurant.

“As it was my dad’s business, I could take a few more breaks,” she says. “Not many places will hire a 17-year-old and pay them above minimum wage like my dad did.”

Senior Lytton Xu works at Noodle King, his family’s Chinese restaurant in Silver Spring, and is similarly grateful for the ben-

COURTESY OF EDAMARIE MATTEI

THEN AND NOW Desmond Colby in the garden with his mother, Edamarie, and sister, Tolly (left), and working at his mother’s business, Backyard Bounty (right). efits of his job — especially the way it satisfies his stomach. “Standing there and doing stuff for 12 hours can get tiring,” Xu admits, “[but] I get to eat all the food I want.”

Family bonds Family businesses require long hours and dedicated owners, often leaving little time away from work for owners to devote to family members. Desmond Colby, a junior, says he values his experience working at his mother’s landscape design company, Backyard Bounty, because of the quality time it allows him to spend with his mom. “She’s always been a big gardener, so I’ve always gardened with her. I’ve gotten closer to my mom in some ways because I’m doing a thing I used to do with her a lot when I was little,” Colby says.

Likewise, Colby’s mother, Edamarie, en-

joys working with her son and reliving fond memories. “Desmond’s a great worker… and overall, I’m really impressed as his employer, not even as his mom. He’s really a good person to have on our team,” she praises. “What actually got me into gardening was when the kids were little… Des was definitely the one [of our] three kids who really liked gardening.”

Al-Jabiri echoes Colby’s sentiment; she appreciates the opportunity to see her father more often after working as a hostess at Café Paradiso for four summers. “I worked with my dad just to spend more time with him since my parents are divorced,” she says.

“I see my dad one day a week if I’m not working for him… He can talk on the phone whenever he wants to, but it’s not the same as physically being near him. It’s comforting to see a really super familiar face around work.”

Features C3

silverchips

October 7, 2015

The library bound to Silver Spring’s rich history

Since 1931, Blazers have studied at the beloved landmark

By Joshua Fernandes Children sit around small tables at East Silver Spring Elementary School, quietly reading. Some are browsing at the shelves for interesting books and others are checking them out from the librarian’s desk. At first glance, the scene looks like any school library. But the room is far from ordinary; it is the first incarnation of the Silver Spring Library, and the year is 1931.

Since 1931, the library has changed dramatically, moving from East Silver Spring to Jesup Blair Community Park to 8901 Colesville Rd. to its current location at Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street. One thing has remained constant, however: the library has continued to serve Blair students in each of its four locations, acting as both a community gathering place and a resource center.

While it was first open only to whites, today, all people from the Silver Spring area gather to work, study, and relax at the library.

They use its computers, printers, and study rooms, free from the distractions and stressors of home. Since its creation 84 years ago, the Silver Spring Library has been at times a landmark and at others, a forgotten memory.

The beginnings of a library When the library first opened, Silver Spring was nothing like the Silver Spring today’s students know. Only 14 years earlier, in 1917, Silver Spring had merely 75 houses, 10 stores, and a mill. “The Silver Spring of 1931 was not the high density urban suburb of today; it was on the fringes of development,” writes historian Robert Oshel in his 2001 pamphlet, “The Silver Spring Library

By the end of 1931, the library already had over 1,000 books in its collection. The community’s strong backing inspired many residents to support the library. In its first year, donors gave more than $350, today’s equivalent of more than $6,000.

With the library growing at a rapid rate, the Library Association almost immediately realized a move was necessary. When Violet Blair Janin died in 1933, she donated her estate, located at Georgia and Eastern Avenues, to the state of Maryland. The Library Association successfully convinced the county to give them the building for a permanent location, which was incorporated within the new park, named Jesup Blair.

On Sept. 15, 1934, the library moved into the Jesup Blair Community House, and stayed in this picturesque location until 1957. The county library system was created in 1950, featuring eight Montgomery County libraries: Silver Spring, Bethesda, Takoma Park, Noyes, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Garrett Park, and Sherwood. Dr. Oshel writes, “The increasing demand for library services after World War II was not limited to Silver Spring. The idea of establishing a countywide library system was one whose time had finally come.”

By 1951, the library was once again inadequate for Silver Spring’s needs. An ideal location became available to Montgomery County for a cheap price with a large space and extensive parking. On Jan. 26, 1957, the library opened at 8901 Colesville Rd. Its creative design was well-received by the Silver Spring community. “The building was thoroughly modern and included central air-conditioning and shadowless ceiling lighting in addition to large window areas

CADENCE PEARSON

8901 COLESVILLE RD. The library was housed here for 58 years from 1957 to 2015.

1931-2001: Enriching Lives for Seventy Years.”

It wasn’t until the 1920s that Silver Spring really began to grow when a theater and offices were built. However, the Great Depression caused many residents to lose their homes and businesses, halting the young town’s development. Despite this hostile environment, the Woman’s Improvement Club, founded in 1913, was determined to overcome the odds and build the first Silver Spring library for its children’s use.

In 1929, the Woman’s Improvement Club first tried to found a county library system.

“The club began work toward a public library in 1929 when it appointed a committee to work with other civic organizations to establish a county library system. No county system was established, but that did not stop the Silver Spring ladies,” writes Dr. Oshel.

Fundraising – not for money, but for books – began in 1930, and the club had more than 600 books to start a library with by the summer of 1931. The library was opened on July 1 in three rooms of East Silver Spring Elementary School.

Expansion and relocation Soon after the library opened, it achieved incredible success. The community was more than willing to make donations to expand the space, despite the hardships of the Great Depression. “The Woman’s Improvement Club started raising funds through bake sales, rummage sales, card parties, and benefit movies and plays to establish a permanent library,” writes Dr. Oshel.

to bring in natural light,” notes Dr. Oshel.

While it is unclear when exactly the library integrated, it was whites-only during its time at East Silver Spring and most of its time at Jesup Blair Community House.

However, by the time it moved to Colesville Road, it had become a fully welcoming community center. In a pamphlet published by the library, staff wrote, “[Libraries are] open to one and all regardless of race or worldly possessions.”

The recent decline As time went on, however, even the grandeur of the 8901 Colesville Rd. location began to feel small and dated. Other libraries in nearby communities were now bigger and better than the Silver Spring library, which was once the largest in the county.

Dr. Oshel notes, “In 1980, when the library system formally designated libraries by size, the Silver Spring Library was categorized as a ‘small community library,’ the lowest category with the most limited collections and services.”

A series of closures and renovations were designed to improve the increasingly outdated library, but the location was too limiting to architects. By the 1990s, the library was the smallest in the entire county. Budget cuts ended the staggering growth, and library hours shortened to reduce deficits.

In May 1993, “Library users staged a protest for better service and more hours at the Silver Spring Library,” writes Dr. Oshel.

In an attempt to revitalize the library, concerned members came together to form

CADENCE PEARSON

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN Breaking away from the traditional structure of a library, the new building reflects the staff’s welcoming of modernism and technology. the Silver Spring Chapter of the Friends of the Library in 1995, an organization aiming to protect and preserve Montgomery County’s libraries. Nancy Pond, founding president of the chapter, started her work with the library on the Library Advisory Committee, but soon went on a different path. “After my three years [on the LAC], we would spin off our own Friends Chapter,” she says.

The Silver Spring Chapter focused, and continues to focus, on helping the library, whether it be through raising funds or buying shelves. “The Friends mission is to support the library with programs and with fundraising, and over the years when the budget has been cut, we have raised money to provide programming as well as materials for the library,” says Pond.

Finally, in the late 1990s, the community gave up hope in restoring the library, and aimed to create a new library. In 1998, the Civic Building on Ellsworth Drive initially was going to be designed containing a new library but County Executive Douglas Duncan voted against this, instead promising a new building.

A final move Now, 17 years later, the promise of a new library was finally fulfilled. On March 15, 2015, the Colesville Road location closed permanently in anticipation of the new location that opened on June 20 at the intersection of Wayne Avenue and Fenton Street.

The building it occupies is five stories tall, with the top three floors holding the library.

Large windows covering whole walls keep the rooms bright and open, looking down

onto the streets below.

The library offers several private study rooms and meeting rooms, which can be reserved for free on the library’s website.

In addition to these spaces, computers and tables line the walls, giving plenty of access to technology for library patrons.

Branch Manager Fran Ware believes the library’s resources are excellent and ideal for teens. Dedicated high school study rooms exist for student use and certain sections of the library were designed with young adults in mind.

Many Blazers use these teen resources, visiting the library regularly because it is a good place to work and study. Junior Kaleb Dagne is among them. “I come to the library to study and finish up my homework instead of doing it at home,” he says.

Silver Spring residents say they believe they finally have a library that is once again the icon that the old one used to be. They hope the former grandeur has returned to the library to stay. “They have waited many, many years to have a library of this caliber, with all the services, the materials, the technology,” says Ware.

Blazers have also noticed the large improvement too, greatly preferring the new location. Sophomore Mohamed Janneh says, “I think it’s better because it’s so big, it’s quieter, and they have more computers.”

In the future, Ware hopes the library can continue to grow and act as the community center it once was. She says, “I think the library is very important to the community.

I think they are very happy. They love the building…We’re going to stay here for many, many years.”

soapbox What do you think of the new Silver Spring Library?

“It has a lot of room inside and it’s convenient for most people who live around the area.”

- Jasmine Nelson, senior “I’ve only been there once, so I didn’t look too closely at everything, but they didn’t have a great selection of books.”

- Raina Newsome, sophomore “The new Silver Spring Library is amazing. It’s very big and has a much better selection of books and more space to read and study.”

- Amanda Habtom, freshman

{

Features C4/C5

silverchips

October 7, 2015

For students interested in government, political internships can be a valuable experience

Senior Anna Olsson walks through a dark, drab underground tunnel in downtown D.C. while glancing at her watch. Her suit jacket flaps behind her and her heels click against the concrete floor. The humid, subterraneous air surrounding her is stiflingly hot, but that is not the only reason she is sweating.

Today is Olsson’s first day as an intern for Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and she is nervous. The usual first day questions run through her head: What kind of work will I do? How will I be treated? Will it be interesting or boring?

What should be comforting to her is that she is part of a group of roughly 1.5 million Americans who, according to Ross Perlin, author of Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy, accept internship positions each year. Some of these workers find jobs in the political field, such as on campaigns or in the office of an incumbent. For these interns, like Olsson, each internship promises a new look at our nation’s political authority.

Getting the job The first step toward working in politics is learning of an opportunity, which some students are able to do through school. This was the case for senior Alexandra Melinchok, who worked on the political campaign of Heather Mizeur, a Maryland Governor hopeful, as well as that of former lieutenant governor Anthony Brown.

“I heard about the Heather Mizeur one through the Young Democrats Club, I think,

“It is really amazing that all of these people — college and high school [students] — were in the office every single day doing hard work.”

Luke Pinton

and I heard about the Anthony Brown internship opportunity through the Career Center,” says Melinchok.

Other students, such as senior Angela Park, turn to third party organizations that work as links between students and employers. Park utilized the League of Korean Americans to obtain her internship with Maryland State Senator, Karen Montgomery. “It’s an organization that helps connect Korean Americans with different internships and opportunities. All we do is send in a resume and they just match

}

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

CHIMEY SONAM

COURTESY OF PAUL ELLIS

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

Angela Park

Alex Melinchok

Anna Olsson

Paul Ellis

Senior Angela Park gained an internship with State Senator Montgomery through the League of Korean Americans.

Senior Alex Melinchok worked on the gubernatorial campaigns of Heather Mizeur and Anthony Brown.

Senior Anna Olsson worked as an intern for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro for three weeks over the summer.

Blair alumnus Paul Ellis assisted Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin with his congressional campaign.

you up with a senator,” says Park.

Other students, like Blair alum and current Ohio State student Paul Ellis, who worked on Jamie Raskin’s campaign, find out about the internships through online advertisements or friends. “I heard about the job when I saw Jamie [Raskin’s] democracy summer internship program advertised online. [Raskin] tweeted about it, and I also heard more about it from my friend, Adam Kadir, who was already interning,” says Ellis.

After learning about the opportunity, students’ experiences beginning work can vary greatly. Since Melinchok’s position with Heather Mizeur was volunteer work, Melinchok simply signed up and walked in on the first day. For internships like Ellis’ and Olsson’s, however, the application process can be more conventional, involving resumes and phone interviews. “I submitted a resume and answered questions about why I was interested in politics, whether I see myself working in politics in the future, and which issues mattered most to me,” says Ellis.

On the hill or on the trail One of the most important concepts in politics is the exchange of ideas between politicians and voters, and interns and volunteers are often a huge part of this process. The trainees are frequently put to work on phone banking, which means calling potential voters using scripted messages. “One [purpose of phone banking] was to let [voters] know about events and tell them about the candidate I was working for, and then the other one would be to make sure they were voting,” says Melinchok.

Ellis was also involved in more active jobs such as delivering campaign props and visiting the houses of potential voters. “I called Democratic voters during the day, canvassed (knocked on doors) in the evening, delivered yard signs, checked the campaign post office box and assembled campaign mailings, did donor research, marched in the Takoma Park July 4th Parade, and canvassed with Jamie himself, noting issues he discussed with voters so he could follow up on any questions,” says Ellis.

Luke Pinton, student at the University of Maryland and co-manager of the 55 to 60 interns in Raskin’s internship program, made sure to incorporate educational activities into each day’s schedule in addition to the usual campaigning. “Sometimes at lunch we would bring in policy experts or local prominent officials and they would talk about what it is like to be a state delegate or what it is like to work in this policy area in the national government…We had the Humane Society of the US and the [Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America] and they talked about animal life and what can be done lobbying on the federal and the state level for animal ethics…[and] we had people come in and talk about the nation’s drug law and what sort of disparities there are between people of different races when they go in front of a judge and are charged,” says Pinton.

Since Olsson was doing a congressional internship instead of working on a campaign, she was able to get a better look at the day-to-day activities of the full time staff and learn more about the inner workings of our government. “I had a lot of good opportunities to help the staff assistants with casework, go to policy meetings and take notes for them and make presentations… I learned that on the inside it’s always different from what you see on the outside because when people look at Congress they think of inefficiency, but it’s a really complex process, and you learn that everyone plays a part and that everything you do is important,” says Olsson.

A common stereotype of taking on a new job as an intern is that the full time workers will treat the intern poorly and make him or her do all the tedious and least-rewarding work. However, Ellis, recalls that the interns bonded over their work and that the staff made them feel included. “There were many interns, including many Blair students and recent alums along with college students from universities out of the area…it was really great to work alongside so many talented, smart, energetic people,” says Ellis.

Ellis credits the fun and comfortable work environment to the work of Marshall Cohen, the campaign manager, and Intern Co-directors Luke Pinton and Jalakoi Solomon. “ Cohen, along with Pinton and Solomon, did a great job of including the interns in major campaign functions and gave us a taste of the different activities that make up a campaign,” says Ellis.

Park remembers an informal atmosphere that maintained the emphasis on hard work. “I thought [the working environment] was both professional and informal at the same time. Everyone was really chill, but we also got a lot of things done. [The

“When people look at Congress, they think of inefficiency, but it’s a really complex process. You learn that everyone plays a part.”

Anna Olsson staff] really nice, we also went out to eat together; it almost felt like we were the same age,” says Park.

Olsson says she approached her internship with more than a little anxiety. However, she too found that she was able to befriend her fellow interns and prove to the staff that she was a responsible worker. “The other interns were mostly in college, so at first I think I came in as a high schooler and they thought that I might not be as capable, so they were a little condescending, but as people they were very friendly and as they saw that I could hang with them, they treated me the same. And the staff assistants appreciated my work ethic,” says Olsson.

Pinton made sure to recognize the effort and determination of the interns throughout the campaign. “It is really amazing that all of these people—college and high school—were in the office every single day doing hard work. That is really incredible because it teaches you that to be successful, you really have to work hard and I think that our interns did, they did work really, really hard. I think everyone got a good experience and a good view into the working world,” says Pinton.

A learning experience These internship and volunteering opportunities not only teach students about the field of politics and political science but also about the working environment in general. This valuable insight into a real job can help students learn about themselves and identify possible career choices.

Ellis learned the importance of coordinated teamwork in the success of a large

project. “Clear instructions are crucial to making sure everyone is on the same page.

At the campaign, lots of people were working on different tasks that all had to mesh together to make campaign events and goals happen. Before any of that starts, it’s important to make sure every team member has an idea of what others are doing so everyone can work constructively rather than redundantly,” Ellis says.

Work on the campaign also reestablished Ellis’s faith in America and its attention to its political landscape. “Talking with voters is tremendously fun and can restore your belief that people are interested in the political process,” says Ellis.

Olsson, on the other hand, learned that even if politics is not the ideal career for her, work in the field of social service might be. “I’ve never really been that interested in politics, but I know that I want to do something in the social service area…I kind of wanted to see if this is a good fit for me, and I think that some of the concepts I looked at definitely were, but going to work and dressing up every day and sitting in an office is not my speed,” says Olsson.

Park is also not a fan of the political environment. She took the job in order to experience something new and expand her horizons. “I’m actually a very STEM-oriented person, but I thought it was cool because I got to experience something that typically wouldn’t fit into my interests,” says Park.

Melinchok, contrastingly, has always harbored the ambition of going into politics as an adult and found that her experience of volunteering for Heather Mizeur and interning for Anthony Brown just increased her desire to go into that field of study.

“I’ve always liked politics and been involved in current issues, and I’m in student government right now, and so I’ve always cared about what’s going on in life and getting involved in political campaigns was just a side step to that,” says Melinchok.

A career in politics is also a potential future for Ellis, who is a member of the Ohio State College Democrats, a group that gets students involved in campaigns. Ellis is currently “in the process of solidifying plans” for former Governor Martin O’Malley to visit his university and recently attended an event where Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the “It’s On Us” program to prevent sexual harassment and violence on college campuses.

As these students’ experiences show, political internships do not only have to be about experiencing politics first hand or learning about the working environment.

They can also be about making a difference in the community. “I had been interested in politics long before working on Jamie Raskin’s campaign, but doing so solidified my feeling that politics will continue to be a part of my life,” says Ellis.

“Seeing the incremental work I did day by day, call by call, door by door add up proved my efforts can effect change.”

{

story by Julian Brown design by Maris Medina & Emma Soler art by Angel Wen

}

{

Features C4/C5

silverchips

October 7, 2015

For students interested in government, political internships can be a valuable experience

Senior Anna Olsson walks through a dark, drab underground tunnel in downtown D.C. while glancing at her watch. Her suit jacket flaps behind her and her heels click against the concrete floor. The humid, subterraneous air surrounding her is stiflingly hot, but that is not the only reason she is sweating.

Today is Olsson’s first day as an intern for Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and she is nervous. The usual first day questions run through her head: What kind of work will I do? How will I be treated? Will it be interesting or boring?

What should be comforting to her is that she is part of a group of roughly 1.5 million Americans who, according to Ross Perlin, author of Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy, accept internship positions each year. Some of these workers find jobs in the political field, such as on campaigns or in the office of an incumbent. For these interns, like Olsson, each internship promises a new look at our nation’s political authority.

Getting the job The first step toward working in politics is learning of an opportunity, which some students are able to do through school. This was the case for senior Alexandra Melinchok, who worked on the political campaign of Heather Mizeur, a Maryland Governor hopeful, as well as that of former lieutenant governor Anthony Brown.

“I heard about the Heather Mizeur one through the Young Democrats Club, I think,

“It is really amazing that all of these people — college and high school [students] — were in the office every single day doing hard work.”

Luke Pinton

and I heard about the Anthony Brown internship opportunity through the Career Center,” says Melinchok.

Other students, such as senior Angela Park, turn to third party organizations that work as links between students and employers. Park utilized the League of Korean Americans to obtain her internship with Maryland State Senator, Karen Montgomery. “It’s an organization that helps connect Korean Americans with different internships and opportunities. All we do is send in a resume and they just match

}

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

CHIMEY SONAM

COURTESY OF PAUL ELLIS

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

Angela Park

Alex Melinchok

Anna Olsson

Paul Ellis

Senior Angela Park gained an internship with State Senator Montgomery through the League of Korean Americans.

Senior Alex Melinchok worked on the gubernatorial campaigns of Heather Mizeur and Anthony Brown.

Senior Anna Olsson worked as an intern for Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro for three weeks over the summer.

Blair alumnus Paul Ellis assisted Maryland State Senator Jamie Raskin with his congressional campaign.

you up with a senator,” says Park.

Other students, like Blair alum and current Ohio State student Paul Ellis, who worked on Jamie Raskin’s campaign, find out about the internships through online advertisements or friends. “I heard about the job when I saw Jamie [Raskin’s] democracy summer internship program advertised online. [Raskin] tweeted about it, and I also heard more about it from my friend, Adam Kadir, who was already interning,” says Ellis.

After learning about the opportunity, students’ experiences beginning work can vary greatly. Since Melinchok’s position with Heather Mizeur was volunteer work, Melinchok simply signed up and walked in on the first day. For internships like Ellis’ and Olsson’s, however, the application process can be more conventional, involving resumes and phone interviews. “I submitted a resume and answered questions about why I was interested in politics, whether I see myself working in politics in the future, and which issues mattered most to me,” says Ellis.

On the hill or on the trail One of the most important concepts in politics is the exchange of ideas between politicians and voters, and interns and volunteers are often a huge part of this process. The trainees are frequently put to work on phone banking, which means calling potential voters using scripted messages. “One [purpose of phone banking] was to let [voters] know about events and tell them about the candidate I was working for, and then the other one would be to make sure they were voting,” says Melinchok.

Ellis was also involved in more active jobs such as delivering campaign props and visiting the houses of potential voters. “I called Democratic voters during the day, canvassed (knocked on doors) in the evening, delivered yard signs, checked the campaign post office box and assembled campaign mailings, did donor research, marched in the Takoma Park July 4th Parade, and canvassed with Jamie himself, noting issues he discussed with voters so he could follow up on any questions,” says Ellis.

Luke Pinton, student at the University of Maryland and co-manager of the 55 to 60 interns in Raskin’s internship program, made sure to incorporate educational activities into each day’s schedule in addition to the usual campaigning. “Sometimes at lunch we would bring in policy experts or local prominent officials and they would talk about what it is like to be a state delegate or what it is like to work in this policy area in the national government…We had the Humane Society of the US and the [Amateur Field Trial Clubs of America] and they talked about animal life and what can be done lobbying on the federal and the state level for animal ethics…[and] we had people come in and talk about the nation’s drug law and what sort of disparities there are between people of different races when they go in front of a judge and are charged,” says Pinton.

Since Olsson was doing a congressional internship instead of working on a campaign, she was able to get a better look at the day-to-day activities of the full time staff and learn more about the inner workings of our government. “I had a lot of good opportunities to help the staff assistants with casework, go to policy meetings and take notes for them and make presentations… I learned that on the inside it’s always different from what you see on the outside because when people look at Congress they think of inefficiency, but it’s a really complex process, and you learn that everyone plays a part and that everything you do is important,” says Olsson.

A common stereotype of taking on a new job as an intern is that the full time workers will treat the intern poorly and make him or her do all the tedious and least-rewarding work. However, Ellis, recalls that the interns bonded over their work and that the staff made them feel included. “There were many interns, including many Blair students and recent alums along with college students from universities out of the area…it was really great to work alongside so many talented, smart, energetic people,” says Ellis.

Ellis credits the fun and comfortable work environment to the work of Marshall Cohen, the campaign manager, and Intern Co-directors Luke Pinton and Jalakoi Solomon. “ Cohen, along with Pinton and Solomon, did a great job of including the interns in major campaign functions and gave us a taste of the different activities that make up a campaign,” says Ellis.

Park remembers an informal atmosphere that maintained the emphasis on hard work. “I thought [the working environment] was both professional and informal at the same time. Everyone was really chill, but we also got a lot of things done. [The

“When people look at Congress, they think of inefficiency, but it’s a really complex process. You learn that everyone plays a part.”

Anna Olsson staff] really nice, we also went out to eat together; it almost felt like we were the same age,” says Park.

Olsson says she approached her internship with more than a little anxiety. However, she too found that she was able to befriend her fellow interns and prove to the staff that she was a responsible worker. “The other interns were mostly in college, so at first I think I came in as a high schooler and they thought that I might not be as capable, so they were a little condescending, but as people they were very friendly and as they saw that I could hang with them, they treated me the same. And the staff assistants appreciated my work ethic,” says Olsson.

Pinton made sure to recognize the effort and determination of the interns throughout the campaign. “It is really amazing that all of these people—college and high school—were in the office every single day doing hard work. That is really incredible because it teaches you that to be successful, you really have to work hard and I think that our interns did, they did work really, really hard. I think everyone got a good experience and a good view into the working world,” says Pinton.

A learning experience These internship and volunteering opportunities not only teach students about the field of politics and political science but also about the working environment in general. This valuable insight into a real job can help students learn about themselves and identify possible career choices.

Ellis learned the importance of coordinated teamwork in the success of a large

project. “Clear instructions are crucial to making sure everyone is on the same page.

At the campaign, lots of people were working on different tasks that all had to mesh together to make campaign events and goals happen. Before any of that starts, it’s important to make sure every team member has an idea of what others are doing so everyone can work constructively rather than redundantly,” Ellis says.

Work on the campaign also reestablished Ellis’s faith in America and its attention to its political landscape. “Talking with voters is tremendously fun and can restore your belief that people are interested in the political process,” says Ellis.

Olsson, on the other hand, learned that even if politics is not the ideal career for her, work in the field of social service might be. “I’ve never really been that interested in politics, but I know that I want to do something in the social service area…I kind of wanted to see if this is a good fit for me, and I think that some of the concepts I looked at definitely were, but going to work and dressing up every day and sitting in an office is not my speed,” says Olsson.

Park is also not a fan of the political environment. She took the job in order to experience something new and expand her horizons. “I’m actually a very STEM-oriented person, but I thought it was cool because I got to experience something that typically wouldn’t fit into my interests,” says Park.

Melinchok, contrastingly, has always harbored the ambition of going into politics as an adult and found that her experience of volunteering for Heather Mizeur and interning for Anthony Brown just increased her desire to go into that field of study.

“I’ve always liked politics and been involved in current issues, and I’m in student government right now, and so I’ve always cared about what’s going on in life and getting involved in political campaigns was just a side step to that,” says Melinchok.

A career in politics is also a potential future for Ellis, who is a member of the Ohio State College Democrats, a group that gets students involved in campaigns. Ellis is currently “in the process of solidifying plans” for former Governor Martin O’Malley to visit his university and recently attended an event where Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the “It’s On Us” program to prevent sexual harassment and violence on college campuses.

As these students’ experiences show, political internships do not only have to be about experiencing politics first hand or learning about the working environment.

They can also be about making a difference in the community. “I had been interested in politics long before working on Jamie Raskin’s campaign, but doing so solidified my feeling that politics will continue to be a part of my life,” says Ellis.

“Seeing the incremental work I did day by day, call by call, door by door add up proved my efforts can effect change.”

{

story by Julian Brown design by Maris Medina & Emma Soler art by Angel Wen

}

C6 Features

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Secrets of security guards, the superheroes of Blair

Handling 3,000 students every day is more complicated than it may seem

By Niki Patel Underneath the high ceilings, between the multicolored walls, and beside the row of flags that dress the sides of Blair Boulevard, over 3,000 teenagers are rushing to class. The only reason they avoid trampling over each other, is thanks to the school’s security guards.

These Blair employees are easily recognizable. Everyone knows the signature navy blue collared shirts, khakis, and walkie-talkies that seem to produce nothing but static.

However, there is more to the job than just roaming around the school. The amount of training and effort security guards put in behind the scenes in order to keep Blair safe goes above and beyond their basic requirements.

Daily difficulties On a day-to-day basis, working as a security guard tends to be fairly tame, according to Kathleen Greene. Security’s early morning duties include directing the parking lot and keeping students safe. “The first thing we do when students arrive is help with traffic,” Greene says. “We watch the perimeter to make sure kids don’t run across the street.” After all, the last thing Greene says she wants to do is to have to call a student’s parents and say their child was hit by a car.

And while all the security guards are working hard, Officer Sharese Junius is available to assist with any other needs.

“I fill in wherever security needs me, I’m more of a supporting role to them. The things that they can’t handle as security, things that need a police officer, that’s when I jump in and handle those situations,” Junius states.

Becoming a Blazer Greene, the security team leader at Blair, decided to become a security guard after

retiring from her previous job as a Montgomery County police officer. “At first, I wasn’t so sure if I wanted to do it,” Greene says. But after working in the system for a while, she chose to stay. “I finally decided, I’m going to do this, I like it,” she says.

Adrian Kelly, one of Blair’s security assistants, began working at Blair as a paraeducator in the Special Education Department. He decided to switch and work in security after a position opened up and a few colleagues recommended him for the job. “They said my knowledge of the building and kids [as well as] having a good relationship with staff and students would make me a good candidate,” he says.

Officer Sharese Junius, Blair’s current school resource officer, is on a temporary assignment filling in for the school’s previous officer after spending nine years stationed at Andrews Air Force Base with the U.S. Air Force. “I just decided I wanted to stay [in Maryland]. Montgomery County was number one on the list of places I wanted to go,” she says. As a short-term resource officer, Junius ensures the overall safety of the school and handles any situations that involve the police and county as opposed to just the school and its security guards.

Train the brain Becoming a security guard requires intensive and lengthy training. “The county screens you, and when they do, they definitely prefer that you’ve taken college courses in criminology or law enforcement and that you have experience working with kids,” Greene says. “You go through training once you get hired...once at the beginning, again in the middle of the year, and generally a few other times a year,” Greene states. All security guards, new and old, are required to attend each of these eight-hour training days.

During these trainings, security guards learn a variety of skills. Preparation for

GRIFFIN REILLY

THUMBS UP, KELLY One of Blair’s security guards shows excitement for the new school year. “first aid, CPR, drug/alcohol awareness/ issues, procedures for searches, how to operate the security cameras, and what to do during emergency drills such as fire drills, shelter and place, lockdowns, and emergency weather drills,” is all included, Green explains. Although most of the trainings just provide security guards with information on how to react in certain situations, Kelly says that, “over the years we have done restraint and other trainings.” These trainings include a more interactive approach as opposed to just mentally preparing guards for potential conflicts.

The State Attorney Office and Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) assist in training security guards in these areas as well. “The State’s Attorney Office covers laws and procedures and MCPS and MCPD have a Memorandum of Understanding where the two work collectively together,” explains Greene.

Order in chaos After being trained so extensively, security has endured their share of disarrayed

situations, says Greene. She cites the robbery at the Shell gas station located on University Boulevard last year as the most chaotic situation she has dealt with while working at Blair. “It was really hectic, because we practice our drills when we’re in first period or second period, but we’ve never practiced at arrival or dismissal, when everybody’s all over the place,” she says. Greene also says that experiencing a challenging situation put the security team’s training into good use and showed that the staff was able to adapt. “Everybody knew where to go and what to do,” Greene says.

Despite the pressure that comes along with the responsibility of keeping students safe, the security team members here at Blair enjoy what they do. This includes not just keeping students safe, but working with the members of the Blair community as a whole. “The staff here is great, [as well as] the administrators and my team,” Greene says. Junius echoes this sentiment.

“I’m looking forward to working in the school, so far everything’s been good,” she said. “I’m happy to be here.”

Latest Smithsonian celebrates history too often forgotten

National Museum of African-American History and Culture to open in 2016

By Cole Sebastian The National Museum of African-American History and Culture (NMAAHC) is set to open in 2016, 13 years after it was created by an act of Congress. By building the museum on the National Mall, the Smithsonian wants to emphasize the importance of African-American history and culture to the wider history and culture of America.

The NMAAHC is the nineteeth and most recent addition to the Smithsonian collection.

Lonnie Bunch is the founding director of the NMAAHC. Bunch is regarded as one of the nation’s leading history and museum professors, and left his position as the director of the Chicago Historical Society in order to drive the development of the museum.

John Franklin is the director of partnerships and international programs at the NMAAHC. He specializes in multicultural perspectives in cultural institutions and African American history and culture.

rary issues and how they are informed by the past. We hold public programs to complement whatever else is in the museum.

We’re trying to reach people of all kinds everywhere to share this information about history and culture, not just about the past but about what happens tomorrow. What happens today will be history tomorrow.

LB: We believe it’s crucial for this museum to yes, tell you about Frederick Douglass or tell you about slavery or tell you about Duke Ellington, but it’s also important [that] this museum helps you wrestle with what race means today… In essence, we want to make sure that we’re as relevant

about today as we are about yesterday.

What is the goal of the museum as a whole?

LB: The goal of this museum is to realize that this museum uses African-American culture as a lens to understand what it means to be an American. This is a broader discussion and in some ways a more complicated discussion. What we hope is that if you care about African-American history, you’ll come and you’ll see the stories you want to know. If you don’t have much interest in it, you’ll suddenly find stories that’ll help you understand yourself.

Why is this museum important?

Is there any message that you want to send in the work you do for the museum?

JF: You cannot really understand American history and culture without understanding the role of African-Americans in shaping that culture. This museum is an opportunity for people to see American history and culture through an AfricanAmerican lens or perspective.

LB: This [museum] is a desire to say that the story of African-Americans is crucial for us to understand who we are as Americans.

It’s crucial to understand how so much of our core values and spirituality, optimism, resiliency come out of this community.

How does this museum cover modern day issues of race?

JF: We always have to look at contempo-

JF: In general, both in our textbooks, in the popular media that we’re exposed to, whether it’s film or television, we don’t get the whole African-American story. We may get little pieces. You got the March on Washington, you may get the runaway slaves, but we want there to be a place where you can understand the history from as far back as we can reconstruct it to the present, and as rich and as complicated as it truly is. We want the visitor who comes who’s very knowledgeable to still have the opportunity to learn and the person who’s coming, be they a young person or a person coming from another country who doesn’t have any background in the subject, can also learn. We want it to be a friendly place to learn, we want it to be a place that you find so interesting that you want to come back and learn more.

BEN DOGGETT

NEW BUILDING The building that will house the African American history museum is structured as three crowns. The design is based off that of an ancient Nigerian column.

JF: Many forces came to believe that there needed to be a national museum in downtown Washington on the National Mall [where] all visitors to Washington regardless of their background… can learn about the African-American experience, which generally is not in your textbooks.

LB: It’s important because we as Americans don’t understand ourselves without understanding the complexities, the challenges and the resiliency that the AfricanAmerican experience has brought to the American experience. In many ways this is an opportunity to help bridge the chasm that has often divided us, that is the chasm of race. It’s important because this will be a safe space where all kinds of people can wrestle with questions of race, discrimination, but also integration. The changing meaning of race in a safe area where people trust the Smithsonian to be a place where they can have those conversations.

That’s why it’s so important.

C7 ADs

silverchips

Maryland’s oldest and greatest haunted attraction

B I O H A Z A R D O U T B R E A K Oct 2, 3, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31

markoffshauntedforest.com

October 7, 2015

Entertainment D1

silverchips

October 7, 2015

When they were our age: Teachers’ unique teenage jobs

Staff reveal their high school and college occupations before the classroom

By Daliah Barg

Although their teenage jobs ranged from working cash registers to mucking horse stables, these Blair teachers survived their early occupations and decided to go into one of the toughest work environments of all: high school. Most teenagers are desperate to make a quick buck, and Blair teachers were no exception when they were our age. However, a teenager’s first job isn’t always glamorous. Embarrassing moments and funny mishaps are abundant in everyone’s teenage job stories. From barns to deli counters to amusement parks, here are some of the best, and worst, jobs Blair teachers used to have.

Teaching sports from a young age Physical Education teacher Louis Hoelman III started his career in sports education at age 14. Hoelman worked at the Silver Spring Boys and Girls Club, refereeing and coaching the younger teams. Hoelman received many criticisms from parents about his calls. “The parents would start yelling and screaming at the referees… acting like we were these big time officials,” Hoelman recalls. “That was kind of funny to me how the parents got all fired up, and the kids didn’t even know the score of the games.”

Unlike many other teenage jobs, Hoelman’s work was a stepping stone in his career. After graduating from Blair in 1984, he attended Montgomery College and the University of Maryland while working as the athletic director at the Boys and Girls Club. Hoelman’s high school and college job pushed him to recognize his passion for teaching sports. “It made me realize that I love coaching, I love working with kids, I love doing sports…. After working at the Boys and Girls Club for a while I eventually realized that it would be the best for me to become a PE teacher,” he says.

COURTESY OF ANNE MANUEL

COURTESY OF LISA WHEATLEY

HORSEBACK RIDING Current US History teacher Anne Manuel jumping a hurdle on horseback as a high schooler. Manuel enjoyed training and interacting with horses at her teenage job on a horse barn.

CLOGGER COSTUME As a tap dance performer at an amusement park during her college summers, current math teacher Lisa Wheatley smiled for a photo in costume.

From clogging to the classroom

Yucky mucking As an 18-year-old, U.S. History teacher Anne Manuel worked as a horse trainer on a farm in Ohio. Manuel trained and rode the horses to prepare them for a rider. However, the job did not only involve horseback riding. Manuel was also responsible for taking care of the horses and mucking out the stable, which involved taking the manure and dirt out of the barn.

Once, the normally routine chore did not go as planned.

“They’ve got this thing called the manure spreader which makes the manure spread over the field so it fertilizes the field, [and] one time I turned the spreader on reverse by mistake. It was raining horse poop on me,” she remembers, laughing.

Overall though, Manuel loved her job because of her close interaction with the horses. As U.S. History, NSL, and World History teacher Michael Zick remarks, “She liked working with animals so much that she became a teacher.”

All jokes aside, Manuel remembers her teenage job as “the most fun job [she] ever had besides teaching.

Cheerleader behind the counter

COURTESY OF SILVERLOGUE

HUDDLE UP Current Physical Education teacher Louis Hoelman, center back, coached soccer when he was a high schooler at the Silver Spring Boys and Girls Club.

Selling sounds

During her freshman year at Catholic University, English “Imagine a prissy cheerleader getting her first job at the meat department, not knowing anything about meat,” be- and Theater teacher Kelly O’Connor worked as an audio gins Anne Cullen, current Journalism and English teacher. tour device saleswoman at the National Gallery of Art. The At 16-years-old, Cullen snagged a job in a Fresh Market in job was easy and amusing, says O’Connor. “It was fun simply because you’re there at the National Gallery, doing very her North Carolina hometown.

Although she had no prior experience, the manager low-pressure work. We were trying to persuade people that placed her in the meat department. “I didn’t know what I they really did want to [rent] a recorded tour,” she rememwas doing, but they put me back there because there were bers.

O’Connor constantly thought of new methods for adverno other positions,” she says. Often, Cullen received very demanding customers. One customer once wanted her to tising the audio tour devices. “It was just fun trying different ways of persuadadd a large amount of fating, because most back, a specific cut of pig people just walked meat usually used for lard, right past you and into stew beef. “By the time wouldn’t meet your I was finished, he had more eye. So you’d think fatback than he had meat,” about ‘I’m going to remembers Cullen. give this a differAnother time, a customer ent vocal delivery, wanted a live fish from the I’m going to put on tank, and Cullen asked a felan accent, I’m golow employee for help. “She ing to give a little gave me a crowbar, and she gesture with it.’” goes ‘Yeah just hold them O’Connor still uses down and hit them over the these approaches as head with this and that will an educator. “You knock it out,” she says. Culhave to put on an len, too horrified to kill the affable face all the fish, asked the other employtime. If you’re havee to do the deed. ing a bad day, or if However, Cullen’s teenyou’re tired – beage job did make her learn cause you’re standthe worth of hard work. “It ing on a marble taught me the value of a dolfloor all day – you COURTESY OF KELLY O’CONNOR lar. My first paycheck was 97 can’t show that,” dollars, and I thought I was the richest girl in town,” she FLASHBACK TO THE PAST Kelly O’Connor, current theater and she says.

English teacher, posing for a photo when she was a college student. remembers.

A student once said she recognized math teacher Lisa Wheatley from somewhere, and a week later she brought in a photograph of her as a little girl standing next to Wheatley at an amusement park. For three summers during college, Wheatley worked as a clogger at Tweetsie Railroad amusement park in North Carolina. Clogging is a type of tap dance with Irish influences, and Wheatley’s early involvement in the dance even led her to college. “I started when I was seven, and went to [Lees-McRae] college on a clogging scholarship,” she says. At the amusement park, the performers took photos with audience members, and Wheatley’s future student just happened to be in the audience one day.

In terms of a summer job, Wheatley had the perfect setup, because she only had to work a total of one hour and twenty minutes the whole day, since there were five 20 minute performances. For the rest of the time, Wheatley says, “[she] just sat around in the air-conditioned dressing room.”

However, Wheatley also learned some skills necessary for teaching from her summer job. “Before each dance we would talk and communicate with the audience so I had to be comfortable – in front of a group of people, talking into a microphone, [and] describing what dances we’re going to do,” she says.

Cleanup crew

“I hated it, it was terrible,” exclaims English teacher Lauren Nestuk as she recalls working on a park district maintenance crew in Illinois the summer before college. The manual work was difficult and menial, she remembers. “We did roto-tilling and laying mulch… we would go to the schools, and the parks, and the swimming pools in the area,” she says. “It was hot, you were wearing COURTESY OF LISA WHEATLEY jeans, gloves, boots.”

On days with the hot- PUBLIC SPEAKING Wheattest weather, Nestuk and ley learned how to speak the rest of the teenagers in front of an audience as desperately wished for a performer, a skill she any distraction from the now requires as a teacher. work. “We would hope somebody would get heat stroke so we could take them to the hospital because we wanted a break,” she says laughing, “I know it was terrible.”

However, the position did not come without perks. “We got free drinks at the pool… that was a plus. We would try to stop at the pool anytime we could,” she recalls. As a result of the difficult work, Nestuk understands better the difficulties of being a manual laborer. “Manual labor’s hard. Working outside, in the heat, that was something I didn’t want to do… it was definitely an eye-opening experience,” she says.

October 7, 2015

Entertainment D2

silverchips

Hollywood needs to start refocusing its white lens

Whitewashing remains prevalent in films, stifles authentic diversity

By Niki Patel An opinion As Blair students, we have the privilege of belonging to an incredibly diverse student body. We get to meet people from different racial backgrounds and hear their stories— stories that are interesting and enriching.

But when we watch movies, it seems like the

“Sixty percent of Hawaii’s population is Asian Pacific Islanders. Caucasians only make up thirty percent of the population, but from watching this film, you’d think they made up ninety-nine percent.”

- Guy Aoki only characters who get to tell their stories are white.

Whitewashing is the act of taking the cultural origins of a story and altering them to fit the narrative standards set by decades of traditional American media. The danger of whitewashing is that it encourages people to believe that in order for a story to be important enough to be turned into a movie, the characters have to be white.

As our society becomes more socially aware, the practice of whitewashing in movies is becoming jarringly apparent. Directors and screenwriters like Ava DuVernay and Shonda Rhimes, of “Selma” and “Scandal”, respectively, are making an effort to keep their productions diverse. However, they are exceptions to the industry rule of whitewashing. Far more often, movies and TV shows ignore people of color.

In the 2014 film “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, Christian Bale, a white actor, plays Moses, the protagonist. The movie is a very loosely interpreted version of the story of the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt— “loosely” because the directors of this film changed crucial aspects of the characters.

People of ancient Egyptian descent are not white, but the vast majority of the actors in this film are.

Similarly, in the 2015 movie “Aloha”, Emma Stone, another white actress, plays a character who is supposedly a quarter Hawaiian and a quarter Chinese. While her acting is superb, her performance does not justify the unrealistic portrayal of ethnic groups throughout the entire cast of this movie.

What excuses do the casting directors have for creating a team of predominantly white extras in a film set in Hawaii? Guy Aoki, the president of The Media Action Network for Asian Americans, points out this discrepancy in an interview with Variety: “Sixty percent of Hawaii’s population is Asian Pacific Islanders. Caucasians only make up 30% of the population, but from watching this film, you’d think they made up 99%.” It is easy to recognize that misrepresenting an entire population by 69 percent doesn’t happen by accident. Film directors simply aren’t committed to creating racially authentic casts, and they don’t seem convinced that it’s even necessary.

Even though it seems like whitewashing could not get worse, film directors also ignore race in the context of other social justice movements, which only serves to further silence minorities. The recent movie “Stonewall” portrays the 1969 Stonewall Riots against police discrimination, which were a tipping point in the lesbian, gay, bisexual,

and transgender (LGBT) rights movement.

However, the movie devalues the events’ actual history by whitewashing its characters.

Danny Winters, a fictional, gay, white male, is the main character in a film that was meant to focus on fighting for the rights of all members of the LGBT community. The Stonewall Riots were largely initiated and fought by LGBT people of color. “Stone-

guilty of whitewashing. A Gay-Straight Alliance petition to boycott “Stonewall” for ignoring racial and sexual minorities gained over 24,000 signatures; according to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie “bombed,” making only $112,414 during its opening weekend.

But now producers and film companies need to respond. It is the twenty-first centu-

Out of 87 Best Actress Academy Awards, only one has been awarded to a woman of color.

SOURCE: INDIEWIRE.COM

ALEXANDRA MARQUEZ

wall,” however, reduces this diverse group of real people to center on a single, fictional white man.

Whitewashed films send people of color the message that their stories are not important enough to be told. They deny minorities their rightful places in history and today’s society.

People have started bringing attention to these issues by signing petitions and participating in protests against films that are

ry, and we should not have to be petitioning and protesting in hopes of creating diverse films—it should be a given.

So next year when you’re watching the Oscars, try to count how many people of color are nominated in the acting categories.

Because for 2015, the number was zero. Talented actors and actresses of color do exist, and Hollywood needs to feature them in roles that accurately reflect the diversity of our history and present day.

For a small fee, you can look into your future...psych!

Step inside a student’s shoes to experience a palm reading first hand-

By Brianna Forté In first person Your future lies in the palm of your hand.

Your left palm, to be exact. At least, that is what a psychic told me when I popped into her shop on a rainy afternoon in D.C. I just want to clarify—I don’t fully believe in psychics. Being able to predict the future does not seem possible, and really, it seems more like a scam than anything else.

But when I saw a sign advertising for a $10 palm reading, I was intrigued and decided it was worth a shot. The worst that could happen was $10 down the drain and a half hour wasted.

On the other hand, the best thing that could happen was that I would leave with guidance for my future.

A little sign on the door read “Walk-Ins Welcome,” so I pushed the door open and found myself in a long, narrow hallway.

The faint smell of cigarette smoke drifted through the air, and I could faintly hear a kids’ television show from upstairs. I noticed a crystal ball, tarot cards, and a holy bible strewn on top of a small round table with two chairs pushed underneath it.

A middle--aged Latina lady trampled down the stairs, interrupting my doubts. She confirmed that I was there for a palm reading with a soft smile.She introduced herself as Sydney and invited me to sit down.

Once we were both settled, the woman began talking to me in slightly broken English. She told me that she learned how to read palms from her family and that it is a talent that has been passed down through generations.

The psychic asked me to lay my palms face up on the table and studied them intensely for a few seconds.

She surprised me when she asked me a direct question right off the bat. “Are you Irish?” she asked. I told her yes, as a matter of fact, I am Irish, but only a little bit. She told me she sensed it... but I am a white girl with freckles, so it could have been an easy guess.

Sydney then pointed to the lines on my palm and told me what each one meant. She identified the long line that goes across the middle of my palm as my life line and said that I have a long life ahead of me. Then she pointed at a ‘heart line’ which refers to relationships, and said that she can tell I have two boys in my life. One from my past, and one who was very recently introduced into my life. As far as how long I live, I will not know whether she was right for a while— hopefully. But the love life prediction was creepily correct.

So maybe this lady had some sort of gift.

My confidence quickly faded when she started asking leading questions and making very vague predictions. “You tend to do things you aren’t supposed to, am I right?” Very wrong.

“You have a major decision between two

MEGHNA SAMBATHKUMAR

things that you must make soon, what is it?” Nope. Not a single choice. And the best one: “Do you have Cherokee blood in you?

I sense that you have The Gift.” Apparently she “sensed” that I did psychic practices in the past. The thing is, I’m as white as can be and have never done anything even close to palm reading or Ouija boards.

Although some of her predictions were

far from the truth, some of her predictions were extremely accurate. She predicted that I am a kind and caring person who stands by my friends and family. She also correctly predicted that I am interested in pursuing a career in science. But some of the other predictions were not even remotely close to resembling the truth. A lot of the situations the psychic predicted were vague ones that allowed me to fill in the gaps, giving her the information she needed to “predict the future”.

If nothing else, her predictions gave me certain situations and choices for me to consider or disregard. She told me to be wary of certain people in my life, gave me situations that might happen in my future and how I can avoid them, and also gave me closure with my dead grandmother.

Having the opportunity to pour out my emotions to a person that is completely uninvolved in my life was therapeutic in a way.

She told me that my dead grandmother is with me and watching over me from the other side. This might not be true, but it is a comforting thought.

So I can see why other people would go to see psychics if they felt intimidated by their future or need closure from their past.

At the end of the session, I was considering visiting another palm reader to see if she would give me the same predictions. Finally, Sydney seemed to read my mind; the last thing she said was that I should not get my palm read again for about another year, because if I were to go, it would be “bad for my aura.”

I guess the future will have to be left undetermined, for now…

D3 Entertainment

silverchips

Blazers of Note

October 7, 2015

A look into the rise of the top-notch top knot

Male Blazers have been swept up by the man bun

By Georgina Burros

CHIMEY SONAM

Sofía Munoz SOPHOMORE

While most Blazers show off their dance moves at homecoming, sophomore Sofia Munoz spends over ten hours a week training as a ballerina. Since age ten, she has danced at the Maryland Youth Ballet, where the region’s finest dancers progress through different levels of classical ballet. Munoz currently trains in an elite class of twenty students in the Advanced Pointe Division.

She began dancing in first grade while living in Brazil but took a hiatus before joining Maryland Youth Ballet in fifth grade.

“I actually started really late compared to most people in my class,” she says. Ballerinas typically start dancing at a young age, around four or five. Dance is an essential part of Munoz’s life, and classes focusing on modern, jazz, and technique occupy most of her free time after school. “Each class is an hour and a half, and I have about eight classes a week,” she explains. In the future, Munoz hopes to join dance programs or major in dance in college. “Even if I don’t end up becoming a professional dancer, I definitely want to continue doing it somehow,”

By Alice Park

No, the small bun perched atop the heads of many Blazers is not a girly style. Many men find something tough about their mini buns by showcasing confidence about their masculinity through their hairstyle. Though it may have been born as a simple way to keep hair out of the eyes, it has evolved into a popular and bold fashion statement. The man bun was popularized by celebrities such as Jared Leto, Brad Pitt, and AvanJogia, and spread quickly from the red carpet to the hallways of Blair.

The style is, first of all, convenient. For junior Elijah Anderson and senior Thomas Schoppert, it takes merely 30 seconds in the morning to quickly tie their hair into an effortless look. Schoppert and sophomore Aidan Davis-Mercer both sport the topknot, a tightly wound small bun sitting atop the

The epidemic of the overgrown candy mongers A simple guide to success for the adolescent trick-or-treater

By Cole Sebastian Humor

Find the Golden Hour

SIDDHARTHA HARMALKAR

Blair can seem huge, crowded, and confusing to anyone. But it’s been even more intimidating for junior Irene Ortiz, a study abroad student from Extremadura, Spain.

Ortiz, who speaks English as a second language, says that she is enjoying her time at Blair despite its differences from schools in Spain. “At the beginning it was so big that I needed a map, but now it’s very good,” Ortiz says. “The people are so friendly. I like it.” Ortiz was inspired to study abroad by her sister, who spent a year in Germany.

Her sister recommended the experience of learning in another country, and Irene knew that she wanted to come to America. She has loved being in the United States so far, but she cannot truly compare America to her home country. “Some people ask me, would I rather [live in] Spain or the United States, but I don’t know because it’s totally different. It’s like the opposite.” Ortiz says her favorite parts of Blair are the field hockey team and her Environmental Science class.

Despite Blair being a bit frightening at first, Ortiz has warmed up to it. “It’s too big,” she says with a smile. “But… it’s nice.”

By Cole Sebastian

Anderson offers a huge grin while gesturing toward his mass of neat curls. April 18 holds a place dear to his heart. It is the day that he decided to try out the man bun.

“On April 18, it was long enough. I haven’t cut it since last school year,” remembers Anderson.

Social networking sites such as Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram have spread the popularity of the man bun. Searching #manbun brings up thousands of results of street-style inspired looks.

No trend gets away without being mocked; it is common to assemble a bun on an unsuspecting dog for a quick photo shoot.

Some girls sport a mini bun on top of their hair to emulate the effect of the man bun.

It is hard to differentiate from a distance: is that a girl sporting a sophisticated look, or a guy with a giant mass of hair?

According to sophomore Lukas Gilkeson, a man bun aficionado, wearing the bun is a sign of being tough and the ultimate symbol of male confidence.

Davis-Mercer associates his newly found hairstyle with positive self-image, since there is “a lot of pride with being able to have one.” This pride is evident in Anderson’s simple Instagram bio: CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA “got a man bun.”

TONS OF BUNS Blazers express a variety of their specific and individual styles with this popular trend.

Every Halloween, children across the country venture out into the darkness and are rewarded for their adorability or creativity with heaps of candy. But what of the kids who lost their cuteness and resourcefulness long ago, who don’t have the time or energy to care about their costume, who are ultimately forgotten or disrespected? How can one emerge sugarfully victorious as a teenage trick-or-treater?

Irene Ortiz JUNIOR

back of the head with shaved sides.

The man bun’s popularity can be attributed to its no-mess, no-nonsense nature. After all, it keeps hair out of one’s eyes. “Oh, that helps so much,” says Davis-Mercer.

Many Blazers struggled to achieve the perfect bun. Schoppert was bored of his hair in sophomore year, so he grew it out and later dyed the top a pale, blue-white pastel. “I get a lot of compliments on it, people think it’s pretty tough, so that’s cool. Not going to lie,” says Schoppert.

Schoppert, like juniors Ryan Interiano and Ryan Bacchus, had to grow his hair out for a year. He is motivated by his long wait to preserve the style. “Sometimes I look back at old pictures and... miss my short hair, but then I remember like the full year of awkward stage I went through,” says Schoppert.

“I put a lot of work into this, so I should probably keep it for a little longer.”

The biggest factor in how much candy homeowners will dole out is dependent on the time of night. The Golden Hour is a time when the adults just don’t care who you are or what you’re wearing; they will apathetically dump all their Mounds and Tootsies in any bucket held in front of them.

To take advantage of this opportunity, be on the streets just after 8:30. At this time, homeowners are eager to get rid of the candy before the night ends. Don’t show after 9:15—otherwise, they will be too annoyed that you peeled them from their Netflix.

Wear a real costume I know it can be challenging for us teenagers to exercise our dilatory brains and think of something creative or clever, but at least try. A five-dollar rubber mask is not a costume. Just carrying some sort of stick or box, or any other pathetic prop, is not a costume. Smearing bad wound makeup on your face is not a costume. Anything that involves a hoodie is not a costume. And for the love of Samhain, the pagan deity of Halloween, do not dress up as a “teenager” and think you’re ironic.

Tag along with small children If you cannot muster the most basic of creative tasks, your next best option is to just mooch off the success of the tinier trick-ortreaters. Find a group of at least four little kids and hover behind them as they go from house to house. When they reach their hands to get their troves of candy, stick your hand right in with them. The homeowner won’t notice you if you stay low to the ground and behind the children. You will get just as much candy as the little ones.

However, don’t get trick-or-treating hu-

bris from your initial success. There is an element of risk to this enterprise: if you stick around for too long, the parents may notice you. Make sure you switch groups every few houses to be safe. If you are noticed, slowly back away while maintaining eye contact. Then, swiftly grab a handful of candy from the nearest bag and run.

Then, walk ten feet behind them and pick up everything that falls. Always be ready to duck behind the nearest shrubbery if they look back. If all goes well, you will be long gone by the time the kid realizes that their bag has gotten mysteriously lighter.

Steal candy from small children

If you aren’t quite the stealth master, try your hand at the victimless crime of deception. All you need is a costume that will cover your face and some good knee pads.

If you walk on your knees and speak in a high-pitched voice, you will receive heaps of candy as if you were still adorable or pleasant based on your feigned cuteness.

Pretend to be a small child

If you have resorted to the suggested thieving, you’ve crossed the moral lines of no return.

From now on, your best option is to continue on a rampant spree of petty crimes on the ruthless road Be a small child to sweet, tasty success.

This is quite possiA good stratbly the only option egy is the ol’ that could work, pass and snag. and who knows As you walk how this would by a trick-orhappen. Find a treater, plunge time machine or your hand into some ancient potheir bag and tion, maybe. Hongrab as much as estly, you are possible while on your own they’re looking for this one. away.

After all, If you aren’t you’re the satisfied with the one who yield of that strategy, doesn’t try to find a kid who put have the their bag down for a mid- trick-or-treatdecency to ing candy break. Then, run up and grab their put any effort NAZEA KAHN bag before they can swallow their Snickers into your costume. to stop you.

If they can’t wait until the end of the night to eat their candy, they don’t “When you are no longer able to walk.” deserve any - Kevin Zhou, freshman candy at all.

If you pre“If you can grow facial hair, you’re too old.” fer to avoid - Noah Buchholz, senior confrontation, poke a “You’re never too old to trick-or treat, unless you’re 40+ hole in the years old, dressed as a pumpkin, and all alone.” bottom of a trick-or- Elia Martin, junior treater’s bag.

soapbox

How old is too old to trick-or-treat?

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Entertainment D4

The search for the best burger in Downtown Silver Spring Chips tests out three spots frequented by the Blair community

By Julian Bregstone, Sam Butler & Teague Sauter Silver Spring may not be known as the burger capital of the world, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of delicious chopped beefsteaks on a bun right here in our hometown. Get ready for a journey down Ellsworth Drive all the way to Flavortown for Silver Chips’ quest to find the best burger in Silver Spring.

Burgerfi Burgerfi is located on Fenton Street, about a half a block down from the Silver Spring Center. This relatively recent addition to the Silver Spring restaurant scene is a modern-looking burger joint with walkup service and five large flat screens displaying the menu. In addition to the tables indoors, there is outdoor seating so that customers can enjoy a burger in the sun on a nice day. Inside is a medium-sized dining area with two huge ceiling fans. Behind the cashiers and shake machine is an open window into the kitchen, where customers can watch their burgers on the grill.

The menu is standard for a burger place: a “build your own” burger section along with a few signatures, including the delicious “Breakfast All Day Burger,” topped with bacon, a fried egg, hash browns, and maple syrup. The shakes and smoothies are also a must-have for the full Burgerfi experience.

The Burgerfi classic and classic cheeseburger come with lettuce, tomato, two 3 to 4 ounce beef patties, and Burgerfi sauce. Although it does not have many components, the simplicity of the burger lets the quality and freshness of the ingredients shine through. Both of the patties are well done and not too greasy. The two thin patties, as opposed to one thick one, allow for more grilled surface area per burger—delicious.

The American cheese is melted and helps bring the flavor of the burger together. The tomato and lettuce are well proportioned and super fresh. The soft potato bun is the perfect size for the patties and holds the burger together well. The Burgerfi sauce is similar to Thousand Island dressing, and perfectly complements the flavor of the burger. There is also an option to add a fried egg to a burger, which customers should always take advantage of. Overall, the burger is a bit small for the price, but it is a satisfying and fresh meal.

The quirky, fun note on the napkin holder promised us that we would need a napkin for this burger. Even though it was wrong, they are made from 100% recycled material, so that makes up for it. When looking for a quick after-school snack, Burgerfi delivers. However, a $5.00 shake and a $7.00 hamburger can add up to be a little pricey for the more casual burger eater.

Julian: Perfect place for a quick, satisfying burger.

Sam: Quick, good-tasting burger, but a little expensive for what you get.

Teague: Small and expensive, but that’s the price you pay for quality ingredients.

Consensus: 3.5/5

CALEB BAUMAN

PREPARATIONS The chefs at A.G. Kitchen make the food in front of a glass window, allowing customers a look inside the kitchen. Customers can see their hamburgers being made, along with all of the other delicious entrees at the restaurant.

A.G. Kitchen A.G. Kitchen is located in the heart of downtown Silver Spring in the former site of Macaroni Grill, right in front of the fountain on Ellsworth Drive. The new restaurant is filled with bright, vibrant colors, staff who were attentive and knowledgeable about the food they were serving, and a station at the front churning out free samples of guacamole. The restaurant sports a wide range of delicious options on its menu, including a mean hamburger.

The menu at this sit-down restaurant has a couple of great burger options, including a standard option, the $12 A.G. Classic burger, which can come with or without cheese. Other burger options include the $14 ‘Manhattan Latin,’ a burger topped with cheddar cheese, A.G. sauce, a dollop of guacamole and a few strips of bacon, and the $14 ‘Juiciest Lucy,’ a burger topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, garlic aioli, and a mountain of grilled onions and mushrooms. All burgers at A.G. Kitchen come with a side of salad or with delicious fries, which are perfectly crispy and covered in a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and basil.

The burgers are cooked according to the customer’s preference, and are made with thick one-third pound patties. The meat in the burgers is cooked perfectly and full of flavor, and it packs just the right amount of juiciness—neither greasy nor dry. Most of the burgers on the menu also have A.G. Sauce, a tangy sauce which complements the lettuce, tomato, and patty perfectly.

One customer-friendly aspect of A.G.

FIRE STATION 1 This restaurant and sports bar is built in a former Silver Spring firehouse and serves food all week to families with small children and sports fans alike.

Kitchen’s classic burger is that it is easy to hold, as it stays together well and is never a greasy, sloppy mess. Some of the more messy burgers—like the Juiciest Lucy— are easy enough to eat, but end up leaving ingredients all over the plate. However, whatever falls off is usually good to eat afterwards, giving hamburger-lovers that much more hamburger to love.

In the heart of downtown Silver Spring, A.G. Kitchen is the perfect place for students to head after school. The restaurant has friendly staff that is very helpful, along with a welcoming atmosphere that is not too snooty for high school students, even though it is a nice sit-down restaurant. It is a little more expensive than some of the other burger options downtown, but any Blazers with time on their hands, money in their wallets, and hamburger desire in their stomachs should head over.

ing and did not complement the rest of the sandwich.

The saving grace of the meal was the well-seasoned wedge fries. The fries were very thick, with a good fry and a salty outside. Despite being wedge style and a little soft in the middle, they packed a perfect amount of crunch and made for a good snack to munch on while watching a football game on any of the restaurant’s flat screen televisions.

The wait staff was very attentive, refilling drinks without being asked, and the food came out quickly enough, so we did not have to wait long. All in all, it is worth going to The Fire Station 1 Restaurant to watch some football on a Saturday or Sunday, but customers should probably select one of

Julian: The ingredients have a lot of potential, but the burgers were a little over-seasoned.

Sam: Lots of tasty options and flavors, and the side of fries really adds to the value.

Teague: A real gourmet burger, good if you are looking for a heavy meal.

Consensus: 4/5 The Fire Station 1 Restaurant and Bar The Fire Station 1 Restaurant lives up to its name, as it is located inside the old Silver Spring BURGERFI This is a BurgerFi classic burger, topped fire station on Georgia Avenue. with lettuce, tomato, BurgerFi sauce, and ketchup.

Inside, customers can see the infrastructure that once housed large, wail- the restaurant’s classic sports bar choices, ing fire trucks. Now, though, it houses like pulled pork nachos, chicken wings, or onion rings, and stay away from the burger. large, wailing sports fans.

The restaurant has four smaller televisions behind the bar, and a large one Julian: The multiple televisions could not hanging on the side of the staircase. The distract from the flavorless burger and staircase leads to one of the many seating tacky atmosphere. options, which include booth, bar, table, Sam: The burger’s sauce ruined the flaand upstairs seats. Any of the downstairs vor for me, but the fries and sports games options are best for sports fans, since that helped make up for it.

Teague: The burger was okay, though ceris where the televisions are visible.

There are a lot of really great things tainly not good enough to warrant the about the Fire Station restaurant, but un- price.

Consensus: 2/5 fortunately, the burger is not one of them.

Though it tastes fine, the hamburger is nothing special and really isn’t worth the price, which for some of the more unique This story is accomburgers can get up to $12.99. The one third panied by a video by pound patty was overcooked; our order of Remzi Hazboun. To medium came back cooked well done. The see the video, scan the meat was also lacking in flavor, and the attempt to add flavor with their burger sauce code to the left with a was unsuccessful, as the sauce tasted like QR reader app. an overly tangy, nearly sour salad dress-

D5 ADs

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Chips Clips D6

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Across

Life of Pie

by Julian Bregstone

The Persistence of Bigotry

1. Flatbread with a pocket 5. A deep constant rhythmic hum 10. Japanese form of heavy weight wrestling 14. The person who uses 15. A chilled Indian dish made with yogurt and cucumbers 16. A resold item 17. Shortened term for a shiny, elegant style 18. _____ glue stick 19. The molecular unit of heredity 20. A seed and T.V. show 22. Central Intelligence Agency 24. A strong want 28. To apply pressure 32. Member of a men’s religious order 35. FSU football team 37. Secret informant 38. Acronym for Local Area Network 39. Fiery pit 41. ‘___ the season 42. To trouble someone or something 43. Keanu Reeves in The Matrix 44. Sound made when hit in the stomach 45. Human creative expression 46. High performance version of the VW Jetta 47. Largest primate 49. Wooden golf ball holder

50. The finger of the foot 51. Not a magnetic body scanner 52. Boston _____ pie 54. Seminar __ ___ of force 56. Soft, uncommon Mexican fruit 58. Acronym for pressure per square inch 60. ______ cream pie 64. Birthplace of Dr Pepper 67. Colloquial term for something old 71. Tool used to raise the key of a guitar 72. Best picture of 2013 73. Long high pitched screams 74. CH4N2O 75. Rotate 76. The pie of America 77. ____ A Sketch

Down 1. Scrunchy faced dogs 2. Small island 3. Hot drinks made with leaves 4. A bunch of boats 5. Plants that make up a forest 6. Stock symbol for Halliburton 7. The outer edge of an object 8. Native American group in Utah 9. ____ train 10. Sweetener used in pies 11. The state of being used 12. Multiple grown males 13. __ to Joy 21. Lemon __________ (plural)

Sudoku: Easy

23. By the fact 25. To give facts (third person present) 26. Fish eggs 27. When FDR’s wife gives one sass 29. Fancy house with land 30. Genus of shrubs 31. ______ of a Down 32. ____ __ the terminal 33. To continually insult 34. Instead of 36. Short for Alkenol 40. Atomic number of 10 48. Acronym for Individual Retirement Account 53. To save 55. Used to eat pie and ice cream 57. After too much pie 59. State capitol: Des Moines 61. A mini pie 62. Acronym for Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries 63. ____’s Arc 64. To be (past) 65. Acronym for Address Resolution Protocol 66. Process to generate animated movies via computer graphics 68. Once around the track 69. A quick swim 70. Sick

Sudoku: Hard

They call it SurRacism VICTORIA TSAI

COURTESY OF WWW.WEBSUDOKU.COM

Halloween Hooligans

CANDIA GU

Motivational Flower

ROSEMARY SOLOMON

E1 Spanish

silverchips

October 7, 2015

La Esquina Latina

Silver Chips 7 de Octubre del 2015

Candidato controversial no piensa antes de hablar

Trump insulta a la comunidad latina con sus comentarios

Por Andrés Pérez

LaVoz

CADENCE PEARSON

Norelys Márquez Décimo grado

“Los inmigrantes también tenemos derecho de tener una mejor vida aquí, es injusto que Donald Trump nos lo quiera quitar.”

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

Uzi Ramirez Décimo grado

“Los hispanos que lo apoyan están confundidos, no se dan cuenta de que a pesar de ser ciudadanos, también serían deportados porque él quiere deshacerse de todos los inmigrantes.”

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

Melvin Castillo Décimo grado

“Los hispanos que lo apoyan de seguro han sufrido para obtener su ciudadanía o estar aquí y ahora que la tienen se les han subido los humos a la cabeza.”

CADENCE PEARSON

Isaac Flores Onceavo grado

“Donald Trump no sabe lo que es trabajar duro bajo el sol a diario para ganarse su dinero. Como magnate debería demostrar su educación y respetar a los demás, pero no lo está haciendo.”

El candidato que más atención ha recibi- inmigrantes legales que sí lo conocen y aún publicano acusó a los inmigrantes de origen latino, especialmente a los provenientes de do por parte de los medios de comunicación así han decidido apoyarlo. en la carrera presidencial de este año es sin Una de las ocasiones que marcó una línea México, de ser violadores, criminales y trafiduda el magnate Donald Trump. El señor definitiva en la carrera de Donald Trump cantes de drogas.

Lo irónico de todas estas declaraciones es Trump, quien representa al partido Repu- por completo tuvo lugar el pasado 19 de blicano, es un millonario de origen nueva agosto, cuando el magnate declaró que los que Donald Trump está casado con Melania yorkino que ha logrado obtener una gran hijos de inmigrantes nacidos en territorio Knauss-Trump, una ex modelo y diseñadora fortuna a través de sus éxitos en el mundo estadounidense no se merecían la ciudada- de joyería que nació en Eslovenia y obtude los negocios inmobiliarios. nía americana y utilizó el término “bebés vo la ciudadanía estadounidense en el año Su primera intervención en la política fue anclas” de manera despectiva para referirse 2006, un año después de su boda con el. Pero Melania no es la única inmigrante que estupara apoyar de manera monetaria a Ronald a ellos.

Reagan en las elecciones presidenciales de Donald Trump parece también estar dis- vo casada con Donald Trump. La primera 1980 y desde entonces ha apoyado a líderes puesto a arriesgar la economía de su propio esposa del candidato, checoslovaca Ivana Trump, también obtuvo la ciudadanía espertenecientes tanto al partido Republicano tadounidense luego de contraer matrimonio como a los del partido Demócrata. Este año con Donald Trump en el año 1977.

Trump decidió tomar las riendas del munLa estudiante del doceavo grado, Stefany do de la política en sus propias manos y se Zaldaña de El Salvador, opina que la relación aventuró en esta intensa carrera presidende Donald Trump con su esposa se basa cial. en las ideologías que ambos comparten, La popularidad de Trump en las encues“si Melania Trump es una inmigrante y tas se ha visto incrementada gracias a los está casada con él, es porque ella piensa numerosos escándalos en los que se ha visto como él, porque no creo que alguien en envuelto y a sus controversiales opiniones sus cinco sentidos estuviera con Trump si que nunca fallan en conseguir una reacción no pensara de la misma manera sobre los por parte del público. inmigrantes. Donald Trump es un hipócriEstudiante de noveno grado, Melvin ta, si su esposa es una inmigrante, debería Castillo de El Salvador, opina que Donald deportarla también.”

Trump solo está montando un espectáculo La xenofobia se define como el temor irrapara llamar la atención, “Trump está haciencional de extranjeros. Donald Trump alcanzó do todo esto sólo para que la gente le dé el su punto máximo en este sentido cuando el voto, es obvio, es una campaña que todos pasado 25 de agosto en una conferencia de están haciendo para obtener la preprensa en Iowa, el magnate hizo que segurisidencia, pero si obtiene la presidad echara al reportero de Univisión, Jorge dencia, de seguro se va a olvidar Ramos, luego de que este intentara hacerle de sus promesas y no va a hacer CANDIA GU una pregunta. Luego de que Donald Trump nada.” le dijera a Ramos que regresara a Univisión, Con un punto de vista contrario, estudiante del décimo grado, Uzi país, ya que luego de que la compañía le permitió volver a la conferencia de prensa Ramírez de Guatemala, opina que, “Trump dueña de las famosas galletas Oreo, (Mon- y lo recibió diciéndole que era un gusto poes demasiado racista y ya ha cometido de- delez International Inc.), redujera el número der tenerlo allí de nuevo.

Donald Trump no se limita a atacar vermasiados errores, pero creo que va en serio, de empleados en una de sus fábricas ubiporque si solo quisiera llamar la atención cadas dentro del territorio estadounidense balmente a reporteros. Hace cuatro años, en lo hubiera hecho de manera diferente o hu- con el propósito de usar esos fondos para marzo de 2011, también atacó al presidente biera parado este acto después de haber es- abrir una en México. Trump declaró que Obama. Trump se dedicó a poner en duda el cuchado todas las críticas negativas que está nunca volverá a comer galletas Oreo, ya que origen del presidente y comenzó a exigir sus recibiendo por parte del público y los me- considera que la acción de la compañía es certificados de nacimiento para corroborar su país natal. dios de comunicación.”

Todos estos incidentes han dejado La popularidad de Trump llega su marca en la carrera y a pesar de a tal punto que durante el debate que ha ganado apoyo a través de edel partido Republicano emitido llos, la mayoría han tenido un efecto el 16 de septiembre en el canal de negativo sobre otras personas. noticias CNN, la cadena de teleUn gran ejemplo de esto es un visión alcanzó una audiencia de 23 ataque que tuvo lugar en Boston, millones de personas, rompiendo Massachusetts el pasado agosto, un nuevo récord para la cadena de donde dos hermanos de origen noticias. Este récord se atribuye en estadounidense atacaron a un ingran parte a la presencia del señor digente de origen latino. Al ser inTrump, ya que expertos dicen que terrogados, los hermanos revelaron la mayoría de los televidentes enque obtuvieron su inspiración por cendieron sus televisores esperando medio de los mensajes de odio hacia algún tipo de drama por parte de él. los inmigrantes por parte de Trump.

En una encuesta telefónica reaNorelys Márquez del décimo gralizada por la compañía ORC Indo de Honduras, cree que Donald ternational entre el 4 y 8 de sepTrump tiene que evaluar el efectiembre, se reveló que el número PERRYMAN GROUP Y AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL MARIS MEDINA to que sus palabras pueden tener de personas que apoyan a Trump en otras personas antes de hablar. ha incrementado de manera dramática en solamente un ejemplo más de cómo los ex“Donald Trump no tiene derecho de hablar un margen de tiempo increíblemente corto. tranjeros le roban el trabajo de americanos.

Isaac Flores, estudiante salvadoreño del así de los inmigrantes porque su familia Dicho número se ha triplicado desde que Trump empezó su campaña presidencial en onceavo grado, cree que Trump no entiende también son de origen inmigrante. Así como junio del presente año y ahora lo coloca en el papel importante que los inmigrantes su familia pudo prosperar en este país, él el primer puesto con 32% de apoyo, con una juegan en mantener la economía estadou- debería de darle la oportunidad a los inmiventaja de 13 puntos porcentuales sobre Ben nidense balanceada. “Todos y cada uno de grantes de prosperar también. Además, lo Carson, quien mantiene el segundo puesto los inmigrantes que contribuyen de alguna que él está diciendo está haciendo que otras manera a la economía del país deberían de personas ataquen a los inmigrantes.” con 19% de apoyo.

Donald Trump se ha ganado el apoyo Todo este apoyo que Donald Trump ha tener derecho a la ciudadanía. Una gran conseguido está distribuido de manera i- parte de los impuestos provienen del bol- de las personas por medio de propuestas, rregular entre los distintos grupos sociales sillo de los inmigrantes, Donald Trump sim- y opiniones extremas y controversiales, ya presentes en el país, de modo que los que plemente no puede sacarlos a todos del país que es de los pocos candidatos a la presidencia que se ha atrevido a llevar su camrepresentan la mayoría de sus seguidores porque se le vendría abajo la economía.”

Otro ataque que se hizo de manera cruda paña de esta manera. Pero aún falta ver si son conservadores, racistas, nacionalistas blancos o todos aquellos que se oponen a la hacia la población inmigrante fue durante su campaña le traerá un éxito duradero o si inmigración. Por otro lado, existe un grupo su discurso presidencial, el se cual presentó solamente ha servido para alimentar el hamminoritario de personas que lo apoyan sin el 16 de junio del presente año en Trump bre de los medios de comunicación en busca realmente conocerlo y un pequeño grupo de Tower de la ciudad de Nueva York. El re- de material fresco.

October 7, 2015

Spanish E2

silverchips

Visita del Papa Francisco atrae miles de feligreses

Visita historica paraliza la rutina diaria de miles de seguidores leales

Por Sarah Canchaya El Papa Francisco llegó a los Estados Unidos para una gira en la que recorrió Washington D.C, Nueva York y Filadelfia. Su estadía atrajo a miles de personas que estuvieron horas esperando para pasar por estaciones de seguridad y poder ver al Papa. Cientos de feligreses que con ansiedad simplemente esperaban intercambiar una mirada, poder capturar en una foto o video a la cabeza de la iglesia católica, lo esperaban no solamente en los lugares donde iba a dar sus discursos, pero también en su ruta hacia ellos.

El 23 de septiembre tuvo lugar una ceremonia de bienvenida en la Casa Blanca, donde después de un breve discurso tuvo una reunión privada con el Presidente Obama. Otro evento muy importante fue la misa en la Basílica del Santuario Nacional de la Inmaculada Concepción localizada en la Universidad Católica de América. La Arquidiócesis de Washington, D.C. distribuyó boletos a cada parroquia, donde fueron otorgados por rifa. Durante esta misa el Papa canonizó a Junípero Serra, un monje que vino al Nuevo Mundo durante el periodo de colonización, donde estableció una serie de misiones y abogó por los derecho de los indígenas en California.

Más de 25,000 personas llegaron a Washington, D.C de varios estados con la esperanza de ver al Papa. Durante la parada en el centro de Washington, el Papa Francisco paseaba en su vehículo, el papamóvil, cuando una niña de cinco años, Sofía Cruz, cruzó las líneas de seguridad. Los agentes del Servicio Secreto trataron de detenerla pero el Papa pidió que se la trajeran al papamóvil. Al acercarse, Sofía tuvo la oportunidad de darle un abrazo junto con una carta. La niña, hija de inmigrantes mexicanos, le pidió en su carta que hablara en favor del trato hacia los inmigrantes ya que no quiería que sus padres fuesen deportados. En la carta ella indica que tiene miedo

que las autoridades vayan a separar a su familia. Ella piensa que igual que sus padres, los inmigrantes tienen el derecho de ser respetados, vivir y tener una reforma porque contribuyen a este país con mucho esfuerzo.

El Papa Francisco se convirtió en el primer Pontífice en hablar ante el Congreso de los Estados Unidos de América. En este discurso, varios temas importantes en la agenda del Papa fueron discutidos. El Papa habló e hizo hincapié que la misión del congreso debe de ser representar a la la gente quien los eligió y defenderlos a través de acciones legis-

tantes que visitó fue las Naciones Unidas, donde hizo un discurso ante las delegaciones de cada país representado en tal junta. También, visitó el área donde estaban las Torres Gemelas que fueron derribadas el 11 de septiembre de 2001 e hizo presencia en un servicio donde representantes de distintas religiones hicieron presencia para recordar a los que perdieron su vida en tal desastre.

La gira en los Estados Unidos finalizó en Filadelfia donde el Papa Francisco celebró otra misa donde se estima que alrededor de un millón de feligreses hicieron pre-

CORTESIA DE DIANETTE COOMBS

lativas. Él mencionó que la gente viene a los Estados Unidos para tener una mejor calidad de vida. Además, añadió que los problemas de los vulnerables son los problemas de todos. El Papa indicó que los Estados Unidos tiene que responder a problemas de una manera con esperanza, paz y justicia. Al final pidió a los que creían, que rezaran por Él y a los que no creían o no podián rezar, que por lo menos tengan buenos deseos para Él.

En Nueva York, el Papa visitó varios lugares de interés. Uno de los lugares más impor-

sencia. Uno de sus discursos claves para la comunidad de inmigrantes latinos tuvo lugar en la Sala de Independencia, lugar en donde se firmó la Declaración de Independencia. En su discurso, el Papa Francisco hizo mención que Él es hijo de padres que emigraron a Argentina. Entre los puntos claves en las propias palabras, el Pontífice enfatizó a los inmigrantes latinos, “No se avergüencen nunca de sus tradiciones. No olviden las lecciones que aprendieron de sus mayores y que pueden enriquecer la

vida de esta tierra americana.” Finalmente el Papa Francisco indicó, “Conservemos la libertad, la libertad de la conciencia, la libertad religiosa, la libertad de cada persona...que este país y cada uno de ustedes den gracias continuamente por las muchas bendiciones y libertades que disfrutan.”

Las acciones del Papa Francisco son lo que lo hacen popular. Desde el principio, Él ha defendido a los pobres y ha enfatizado que algunos gobiernos sacrifican a los pobres por el dinero y el poder. Cuando fue a Sudamérica, dio un discurso donde dijo que el mundo tiene que cambiar porque hay gente sin casas, granjeros sin tierra y gente sin derechos.

El Papa ha declarado el próximo año 2016 el año de misericordia. Su objetivo es que la gente que perdió la comunicación con Dios fortalezca su relación con Él. Este será un año donde el Papa exhorta a la gente que se ha arrepentido de sus pecados y que podrán pedir perdón. El aborto se considera un pecado en la Iglesia Católica, pero recientemente el Papa Francisco le ha dado la directiva de perdonar a quien realmente busca el perdón y en el pasado no tenían otra opción. Según las enseñanzas de la iglesia Católica, no se le puede negar a aquellos que de corazón se han arrepentido, sobre todo cuando esa persona se acerca al sacramento de la confesión con un corazón sincero para obtener la reconciliación con el Padre.

La visita del Papa Francisco ha sido un momento histórico. Él es querido por muchos porque creen que Él es un líder progresista. Entre varias reformas, el Papa Francisco ha propuesto una reforma donde se haga más rápido el proceso de evaluación para que parejas obtengan una anulación de matrimonio. Cuando le preguntan sobre el tema de la homosexualidad, su respuesta es, “¿Quién soy yo para juzgar?”

Al fin de resumir los cambios progresistas que el Papa Francisco intenta que reflexionemos, ha concluido que, “La iglesia no debería tener miedo de cambio.”

Estudiantes dejan huellas en sus comunidades

¡Activistas aportan sus granitos de arena para un cambio positivo!

Por Ilcia Hernández y Mario Menéndez

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

Daniela Zelaya Doceavo grado

Daniela Zelaya y sus padres nacieron en El Salvador y han estado en los Estados Unidos por más de 14 años. Cuando ella menciona su origen, la gente reacciona de manera incrédula.

“Muchos piensan que soy una ciudadana, pero en realidad soy una estudiante DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Acción diferida para llegadas durante la niñez).”

Para Daniela, ser una estudiante DACA tiene sus altos y bajos. Ella puede conseguir un permiso de trabajo y en sus palabras “básicamente decir que no [es] ilegal”. Sin embargo, ser estudiante DACA no la hace una residente y tiene que pagar alrededor de $500 cada dos años para renovar este estatus.

Esto significa que no puede solicitar muchas

becas y que no podrá recibir ayuda financiera del gobierno federal para ayudarle a pagar su matrícula universitaria.

“Abogo por la defensa de la reforma migratoria porque sé de muchas personas de otros países que son médicos, ingenieros, arquitectos y psicólogos, como mis padres, pero que no pueden seguir esta carrera en los E. E.U. U. debido a su estatus legal.”

Daniela marca esto como una de las razones por las que se unió a LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens - Liga de Ciudadanos Latinos Unidos), donde aboga para la comunidad latina, incluyendo la reforma migratoria, la atención de la salud e incluso la condición de Estado de Puerto Rico en los Estados Unidos entre muchos. LULAC se centra en cerrar la brecha educativa entre estudiantes de las minorías y todos los demás.

Como presidenta de un club, Zelaya intenta exponer a todos los miembros a los recursos y a las personas que le ayudarán a alcanzar sus metas académicas. Mientras hace esto, ella y los socios del club en algunas ocasiones tienen la oportunidad de conocer a miembros del Congreso y hablar de todos los temas que deben ser abordados, como la reforma migratoria.

“Mi trabajo es tratar de enseñarle a los miembros de LULAC cómo construir una red de contactos y cómo hablar de temas delicados como la inmigración y el cuidado de la salud en las conversaciones con los congresistas y sus compañeros.”

Además de su trabajo con LULAC, Zelaya es voluntaria en CASA de Maryland. “Trabajo en muchos de los talleres que organizan y muchos de sus festivales. Cuando tengo tiempo, también traduzco documentos importantes... mucho de mi trabajo comunitario se trata en ayudar a mi comunidad Latina.”

CHAMINDA HANGILIPOLA

Siryi Santos

Doceavo grado

Siryi Santos nació y se crió en Silver Spring, sin embargo, sus padres vinieron a los Estados Unidos desde El Salvador cuando tenían 19 años con la esperanza de encontrar un trabajo para mantener a sus familias que quedaron en su país natal.

Siryi ha sido parte de un programa llamado Community Bridges por más de ocho años.

El programa está destinado para ayudar a que muchachas obtengan y mejoren sus habilidades de liderazgo y abogen por el empoderamiento de las mujeres. Ella también es parte del programa Minority Scholars, que se centra en cerrar la brecha en el rendimiento académico.

Santos tiene una opinión fuerte sobre muchos temas, sobre todo cuando se trata

del feminismo. “Después de tantas décadas y generaciones de personas que han luchado y defendido este problema, la desigualdad entre géneros sigue siendo un problema,” comenta Santos.

A través del programa Community Bridges, Santos es capaz de ayudar a aquellos inconscientes de la gravedad de este problema y exponerlos no sólo a la realidad de cómo la sociedad sigue siendo en los Estados Unidos, sino también en lugares en todo el mundo.

Como presidenta de Community Bridges, ella ayuda a que las muchachas expresen sus opiniones en el programa. Parte de su trabajo como presidenta es asegurarse de que se cumplan todas las necesidades de los miembros. Esto incluye ayudar a crear un lugar donde todas se sientan cómodas compartiendo sus opiniones.

Una de las razones por las que ha participado activamente en este programa tiene que ver con el hecho de proporcionar un ambiente seguro donde los que se unen sean tratados con respeto y libres de hablar abiertamente.

“Han habido muchos casos en los que me he sentido no reconocida e inferior a causa de mi origen étnico. Sin embargo, he aprendido que la única manera eficaz de enfrentar este tipo de situación increíblemente insultante, es luchar con mi intelecto.”

Esto la ha motivado a convertirse en alguien sensata y trabajadora en todos los aspectos de su vida y también ser orgullosa de quien ella es. Fuera de la escuela, ella seguirá su pasantía de verano este otoño en la Asociación Médica Nacional.

“Espero que a través de mi activismo pueda causar un impacto positivo en mi comunidad.”

E3 Spanish

October 7, 2015

silverchips

Arriesgandolo todo por vivir el sueño americano Joven latino deja todo atrás en busca de un mejor futuro en este país

Por Camila Fernández y Odalis Llerena El estudiante salvadoreño, cuyo nombre mantendremos en bajo anonimato, cuenta sobre su travesía en donde no solamente vio a gente morir, pero también vio el sufrimiento de docenas de personas en la travesía a la que tuvo que enfrentarse sin poder ayudar a nadie más que a sí mismo.

A la edad de 15 años, tomó la decisión de venirse a los Estados Unidos completamente solo. Pero a pesar de sus intentos, falló en cruzar la frontera de Guatemala la primera vez. Decidió a los dos meses con ayuda de su madre, pagarle a un coyote y probar su suerte de nuevo. Un coyote es una persona que pasa ilegalmente a personas por la frontera por lo general, a un precio alto.

Con un grupo de 32 personas, entre ellas jóvenes y personas mayores, atravesaron Guatemala por medio de un punto ciego en donde le era difícil a las autoridades verlos cruzar un río que los llevó a México.

Después de haber llegado a México, tuvo que subirse a “la bestia” a pesar de que en el acuerdo con el coyote, subirse a la bestia no fue mencionado. La bestia es el nombre que miles de inmigrantes le han puesto al tren que no solamente le hace honra por su gran tamaño, pero también por la miserable y peligrosa travesía, ya que los inmigrantes en busca de un mejor futuro viajan encima de los vagones.

El vagón estaba sumamente caliente y lleno de personas con temor de caerse porque el imparable tren creaba una atmósfera tensa y sin esperanza. Las ramas de los árboles que se encontraban sobre los rieles del tren botaban a las personas que cometían el error de distraerse unos segundos, causando un terrible pánico que poco a poco se expandió por el grupo. Además de las ramas tumbando a las personas, en muchas de ellas también habían panales de abejas, de los cuales salieron cientos de abejas que picaron a muchas personas, siendo niños y ancianos los que pasaban mayor agonía.

Cuando el tren estaba pasando por unos pueblitos en México, docenas de señoras con intenciones de aliviar el hambre y la sed de los viajeros tiraban botellas de agua y comida en bolsas. Pero no solamente se ocupaban de saciar las necesidades físicas, también les proveyían apoyo moral gritando repetidamente “¡Que Dios los bendiga!”

De repente, un señor que venía con el grupo en su intento por agarrar una bolsa de comida, se resbaló del vagón en el que viajaba y cayó en los rieles del ferrocarril.

Las ruedas del ferrocarril le trituraron sus piernas mientras los otros viajeros escu-

buscar provisiones, se dieron cuenta de que inmigración había encontrado a las otras personas esperando en el hotel. Aún con esperanzas de tener mejor suerte, el grupo decidió no esperar ni un segundo más y minutos después del incidente abordaron un autobús hacia el Distrito Federal en México.

Antes de que el bus partiera, un grupo de oficiales uniformados abordaron la unidad y empezaron a verificar la documentación de los pasajeros y a registrar meticulosamente a cada pasajero con el propósito de encontrar a inmigrantes, drogas y especialmente, el dinero de personas

LINDSAY HARRIS

chaban como el hombre gritaba despavoridamente sin cesar. Al momento de alcanzar el punto de destino, el coyote les dijo que la única forma de bajarse de la bestia era saltando, ya que el tren no pararía.

Después de aterrizar en tierra firme, el coyote organizó a las personas para que entraran en grupos de cinco a un cuarto de hotel que tenía preparado para que descansaran un poco. Después de esperar en el hotel por un par de horas, decidieron que era tiempo de ir a comprar provisiones en grupos. Cuando el primer grupo regresó de

ilegales para tomarlo a cambio de un voto de silencio por parte de los oficiales. El autobús estaba apunto de salir por lo tanto los oficiales no tuvieron la oportunidad de arrebatarle el dinero a nuestro protagonista.

En otra parada que el autobús hizo a medio camino, otro grupo de autoridades, en esta ocasión soldados, abordaron la unidad.

Esta vez, estos soldados fueron más perseverantes al momento de interrogar a los pasajeros y no estaban dispuestos a rendirse y al contrario, presionarlos hasta obtener una respuesta que los satisfajese. A pesar de que

nuestro compañero respondió a todo lo que se le preguntó, el soldado seguía mostrándose más persistente. Al final, cuando el soldado se dio cuenta de que no obtendría respuestas, le pidió 500 pesos a nuestro compañero a cambio de dejarlo en paz. Al ser básicamente el único que tenía dinero, él no tuvo otra opción que pagarle para poder seguir con su viaje. Nuestro protagonista y un señor mayor fueron los únicos que quedaron en el autobús después de que los soldados se llevaron a todas las personas que no pudieron cumplir con sus requisitos.

Ambos, trabajando en equipo, fueron capaces de llegar a una casa en la que el coyote escondía a sus clientes para luego llevarlos a cruzar la frontera por un río. Después de algunos días hospedandose en esa casa, por la noche los coyotes les dieron instrucciones de como llegar a la carretera por el río. Después de caminar por el desierto por horas enfrentando calor de día y frío de noche, finalmente quedaron exhaustos.

Nuestro compañero y su acompañante decidieron ponerle fin a su recorrido y a su sueño, ya que la desesperación los dejó con una única opción: llamar a inmigración.

A pesar de esto, nuestro compañero salvadoreño pudo llegar a los Estados Unidos donde tuvo la oportunidad de tramitar un permiso de trabajo, el cual le permite vivir una vida más tranquila en el territorio americano.

Debemos de tener en mente esta historia cuando nos quejemos de los problemas que tengamos. La realidad en otras partes del mundo para muchos niños, jóvenes y adultos los forzan a tomar grandes riesgos para alcanzar un nivel decente en la vida.

Esta historia que mueve y estremece nuestros corazones, no solamente nos hace darnos cuenta de los extremos que algunas personas han tomado y siguen tomando para poder llegar a este país, pero también nos hace apreciar las pequeñas bendiciones de cada día. Esta es una de las muchas historias de muchos de nuestros compañeros con los que compartimos clases en Blair.

Latinas superan barreras logrando éxito en este país

Por Carlos Fuentes y Alisson Fortis

CORTESÍA DE SOFIA VEGA-ORMENO

Muchas personas desean tener la oportunidad de alcanzar el sueño americano.

Los niños y jóvenes interpretan el sueño en diferentes maneras. Puede ser que lo miren como una oportunidad de trabajo o como una oportunidad para una educación.

Sofia Vega-Ormeno, una profesora de español de escuela secundaria en Baltimore es un ejemplo de cómo los estudiantes pueden sobresalir a pesar de las dificultades que enfrentan. Vega-Ormeno tenía 6 años cuando su familia decidió mudarse a los Estados Unidos desde Lima, Perú. Ella dice, “mi madre quería que mi hermano y yo tuviéramos una vida mejor que lo que ella se hubiera podido imaginar para sí misma.”

Vega-Ormeno mencionó que, “creciendo latina fue difícil, pero en realidad, siendo parte de una minoría es duro en general.

Fui discriminada por mi apariencia pero también me enfrenté con mucha ignorancia y tuve una gran lucha… mucha gente es ignorante a lo que en realidad significa ser hispano.”

Parte de la gran lucha que tuvo la profesora de español fue el idioma. “Mientras muchos de mis compañeros tenían padres que podían hablar y leer inglés, yo crecí te-

niendo que traducir documentos y conversaciones para mi mama mientras yo todavía aprendía el idioma.”

Mientras estaba en la escuela secundaria, ella habló con su madre sobre sus opciones después de graduarse de bachillerato y su madre le dijo que ella no tenía suficiente dinero para su educación y la de su hermano. Vega-Ormeno sabiendo que no tenía muchas opciones hizo una decisión, “mandé solicitudes a 27 universidades y 22 becas y estuve orando para que me ganara una beca completa.”

Ella cuenta, “en abril de mi último año de bachillerato me gané la beca Gates Mi- llennium.” La profesora Vega-Ormeno dice que le cambió toda su vida, “es mi mayor logro y me pagó mi carrera académica por 10 años mientras yo obtenía mi licenciatura, maestría y mi PhD.” Sofía Vega-Ormeno se enfoca en ser, “una mentora en programas dedicados a motivar e inspirar a los jóvenes latinos y de color.” Una gran meta para ella es poder motivar e inspirar a los jóvenes latinos para que sobresalgan.

Vega-Ormeno cuenta, “mientras yo crecí, no vi muchas caras como la mía logrando algo importante. Soy afortunada el poder ver que jóvenes me miren como un modelo, como alguien que no tenía nada y ha logrado tanto.”

Parte de ser hispana, como dijo Sofía es, “ser orgullosa de ser latina.” La profesora y estudiante dice que siendo latina ha afectado mucho su vida. “Mi etnicidad me ha influenciado ha refutar los estereotipos, a enseñar que soy fuerte y orgullosa.”

Más que todo, su etnicidad le ha dado la oportunidad de contribuir a su comunidad hispana, específicamente a los jóvenes. Su meta es, “poder cambiar el sistema de educación” y “ser recordada por haber educado a la próxima generación de líderes de minorías correctamente.” Sofia es un ejemplo de perseve- rancia, superación, de no rendirse y el creer en los propios sueños de uno mismo.

CORTESÍA DE KAREN VANEGAS

Una de las razones por la cual la gente emigra a los Estados Unidos es para tener una mejor educación ya sea para uno mismo o para los hijos. Este fue el caso de la ex-alumna Karen Vanegas. Karen nació en Bogotá, Colombia. Sus padres querían un mejor futuro para ella, entonces tomaron la decisión de emigrar a los Estados Unidos cuando Karen solamente tenía 6 años.

El hecho de no haber nacido en los Estados Unidos fue un obstáculo que Karen tuvo que enfrentar ¿Cómo iba a entrar a la universidad si era indocumentada? En los Estados Unidos se necesita una visa de residencia permanente para demostrar que uno es residente, algo que Karen no tenía por haber nacido en Colombia. Fue en este tiempo que el DREAM Act (Desarrollo, Alivio y Educación para Menores Extranjeros) tomó efecto en el país.

El DREAM Act permite que ciertos estudiantes inmigrantes que entraron a los Estados Unidos antes que tuvieran 16 años y que han vivido por lo menos 5 años en el país, puedan solicitar un estatus legal temporal y ser elegibles para la ciudadanía estadounidense si van a la universidad.

Aquí en Maryland, el DREAM Act también ofrece pagar todos los gastos de la uni-

versidad del estado.

Esto sería un sueño hecho realidad para un estudiante de otro país pero el camino no fue fácil para Karen quien tuvo que trabajar mucho. “Primero fui a Montgomery College por dos años. Después, tuve la suerte de ser escogida para el programa Montgomery Scholars.

Este es un programa de dos años que escoge a veinticinco estudiantes del doceavo grado para estudiar humanidades con todos los gastos universitarios pagados. Recibí mi grado asociado y eso fue un gran logro que me ayudó a llegar a donde estoy hoy. Actualmente asisto a la Universidad de Maryland,” comenta Karen.

Hoy día, Karen está estudiando periodismo con el objetivo de regresar a Colombia y poder dar voz a los menos afortunados. En su opinión, hay personas que se sienten que no tienen una voz en su comunidad. Karen continua,“Yo quiero enseñarles a los niños de otros países que se debe luchar para obtener la mejor educación posible.”

Karen está consciente que tiene grandes metas que requieren mucho esfuerzo de su parte, pero confía que tiene la determinación para ser una mujer con mucha influencia. Ella comenta, “Quiero ser recordada por cambiar las vidas de todas las personas que pueda de una manera buena, aunque sea solo una persona colombiana a quien le ayude, estaré orgullosa de mi trabajo.”

Karen ha logrado todo esto hasta el momento gracias a sus padres que con mucho esfuerzo emigraron a los Estados Unidos. La dedicación de Karen durante sus años de escuela superior en Blair y el DREAM Act contribuyeron a que ella lograra su educación postsecundaria en la universidad.

No es magia, no es un sueño inalcanzable, puede ser realidad para cualquier inmigrante hispano si ponen el esfuerzo necesario y la determinación. Todo es posible con un poco de empeño.

October 7, 2015

silverchips

Prom and Homecoming Corsages Friendship Bouquets ~ Birthdays Romance ~ Anniversaries Holidays

Family owned and operated since 1954 Same day delivery ~ Local & Nationwide (301) 593-4700 ~ 24 hours a day

Original Paintings in Oil Commission a portrait of your pet, home or an arrangement of your favorite things visit: www.MartyBarrick.com email: barrickmarty@gmail.com

E4 ADs

F1 Sports

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Teamwork and competition on and off the field

For these siblings, there’s always been a familial rivalry

By Georgina Burros After freshmen Meili and Anjali Gupta score a match point, they flash a winning smile at each other and clap their hands together in a special handshake, one that they have developed since they were little kids playing tennis. When either one of them misses a serve that costs them the set, the five feet tall identical tennis duo snap at each other on the car ride home.

For many siblings on the same sports teams, the rivalries bring frustration and competitiveness; still, siblings often create powerful bonds by working together at practice and during games. Many student athletes are striving to perform well and set themselves apart from their teammates. But one small detail ties the Guptas eternally together; they share the same DNA.

pair of doubles is a pair of twins…and it’s like, whoa, and then they announce us and it’s the next pair of twins and they’re like WHAT!” says Anjali, imitating the opponents’ facial expressions.

Anjali has rarely ever played without her twin. They can predict each other’s every backhand and serve, also accounting for

Skylar and Cami have long had a huge rivalry when it comes to sports, but they leave room for short-lived moments of pride. “In freshman year Skyler hit a home run and we were cheering for her, or at least I was,” says Cami. Skylar laughs, saying she had never heard that before. Cami says that they do practice outside of school with each other,

one year, because it was weird... not playing a sport together,” says Claudia.

Rivalries since day one

Claudia says that the rivalry between Ellie and herself began on “day one.” Such a statement is also true for Meili and Anjali.

Anjali and Meili’s dynamic depends on whether they are playing together or individually. “On varsity it’s for the team, it’s for us. We work together because we have to, but if it’s just for us at school or at a tennis tournament where we’re individuals then the rivalry’s on,” says Anjali.

Both twins immediately agree on Anjali as the more competitive twin. Anjali and Meili‘s frustration occurs on a daily basis. As little kids, some of their arguments would lead to playful fighting, but now it leads to bickering and constant reminders not to miss the shot and screw up the match.

The Guptas prepare each other for each game, giving tips on their opponents after practicing with them during warm Making the team ups. “Meili don’t miss!” is a constant reminder given by AnAs fall sports start, jali. “You say that to me during many siblings among the matches!”

3,000 Blair students head Ben jokes about how cross to tryouts to compete for country is popular with his spots on the team as well family. His parents enjoy the as against each other. Jufact that he and Peter don’t cost niors Ellie and Claudia the family very much in terms Burlinson began playing GRIFFIN REILLY of athletic expenses. “Well there soccer when they were five. As identical twins, it DOUBLE TROUBLE Freshman Anjali and Maili Gupta are the second pair of freshman twins to play doubles to- isn’t a lot of equipment for runhas been hard to tell them gether on the girls’ varsity tennis team, having played together under the same coach since the age of six. ning anyway,” he says.

Peter has been able to define apart on the field since himself as a runner, and not as day one. In her freshBen’s little brother. “Both of our man year, Claudia began coaches have been treating me JV soccer, and later JV as a runner, not as Ben’s brother lacrosse. When Ellie beso there’s not really any bias gan lacrosse as well, the there from what I can tell,” says Burlinsons immediately Peter. “They don’treally treat knew that their competius as the Geertsema boys they tion would continue on treat us as Ben and Peter,” Ben the lacrosse field. “Coach explains.

[Katie] Orr was defiThis removes some of the nitely trying to recruit pressure from Peter to perform Ellie my freshman year, as well as Ben did as a freshbecause she [Coach Orr] man. While Peter is on JV and wanted to set up a twin Ben on varsity, there is a friendplay, to confuse the other ly rivalry in terms of Peter beatteam,” says Claudia. ing Ben’s freshman times. Peter While junior Skylar admits that currently Ben is a Vanderwolf was one of lot faster. “I’m looking forward the captains for JV softto improving and beating Ben’s ball during her sophomore year, her twin THE TWIN PLAY During lacrosse and soccer games, juniors TRIPLETS ON TWO TEAMS Skylar and Cami Vander- time as a freshman.”

Siblings are known to start sister, Cami, played for Claudia and Ellie Burlinson confuse the other team when wolf are ready to play their sister Jordan on Whea- rivalries over just about anythe varsity girls’ softball ton High School’s varsity softball team in the spring. thing. For the Vanderwolfs, team. Skylar and Cami they are together on the field and dodging the other team. their competition with softball both started playing softis no exception. ball at the suggestion of their parents when each other’s weaknesses. “I feel like it kind but they have trouble helping each other “Playing with my sister, for me it’s kind they were younger. of strengthens the sister bond, like, less ar- with their skills. “It’s hard to give each othThe Vanderwolfs have a third sister, Jor- guments at home now that we understand er… feedback and advice because we kind of annoying but...the competition drives dan, who plays on Wheaton’s varsity soft- each other better,” says Anjali. of [take it] personally,” Skylar says. “So then us to be better for ourselves,” says Skylar. ball team. While the subject of the opposing Freshman Peter Geertsema looks up to we’ll argue about each other’s feedback and “Yeah we have fights and stuff like that, but teams is avoided at home, Cami and Skylar his senior brother Ben, who began running so it’s kind of hard but –” “It’s difficult to I think the competition helps us grow as inspend a reluctant amount of time with each on cross country as a freshman. Ben inspired work together outside of school because it dividuals.”

In the upcoming year, Skylar and Cami other practicing their pitching.

Peter to start running in seventh grade, and forces us to be near each other. But, we do it are proud to represent Blair as they hopeMeili and Anjali have been training to- has watched Peter’s times improve after and it helps us get better,” finishes Cami. gether under the same coach for six years, each year. “I think it’s cool to watch him Peter gets to share the memories of cross fully win against their sister’s softball team and they are not the only set of twins on improve and stuff, because it’s kind of like I country practices with his brother before Ben from Wheaton. However, that will not stop the tennis team. “It’s really funny to watch imagine when I was a freshman,” says Ben. leaves for college. “Mostly during stretches them from some competition among them“It’s very different because it’s kind of like and stuff and at the beginning, when we’re watching myself.” For these brothers, it is a running the warmup, I tend to kind of bond season to remember as it is Ben’s last season with Ben, goof off a bit,” he says. Ben added, on cross country and Peter’s first.

“We do cheer each other on during meets and stuff a lot.”

Two siblings, one team The Burlinson twins get frustrated when coaches can’t tell them apart, something For some sets of siblings, playing with- they have experienced since they were little. one another can spark a rivalry and drive “It’s kind of annoying sometimes because them to play at their best. For others, being people get us confused especially because forced to spend over 15 hours a week with we’re twins. But for the most part it’s nice their sibling only makes them increasingly because…we’ve been playing together for frustrated. “Well, most of the time we’re civ- so long we kind of know how to play really ilized on the field or wherever we play, it’s well with each other on the field,” Claudia - Cami Vanderwolf - Anjali Gupta kind of mostly afterwards when we’re going says. home,” says Cami. “I mean sometimes she’ll Growing up playing together, Claudia be annoyed at me because I’ll throw her too distinctly recalls a time where she played whenever we have a match and the captains many balls and she can’t catch them all and without Ellie for one season of soccer. “I announce the names,” says Anjali. There she’s annoyed … and so she’ll yell at me and remember one year, she took a break, just selves. “I’m looking forward to beating are two pairs of twins that play as doubles, I’ll yell at her to stop yelling at me and other for a little while and then the next year she Cami,” Skylar teases. “How?” Cami intershocking the opposing teams. “Our second way around too,” Skylar adds. started playing but I kept remembering that jects. “We’re on the same team!”

“The competition drives us to be better...the competition helps us grow as individuals.”

“It lets go a little bit of stress... only half the responsibility is on me to win the match.”

Sports F2

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Blair falls to Paint Branch 12-7 in tough defensive battle Blazers struggle to find the end zone under a heavy downpour

By Sam Butler and Charles Lott BLAZER STADIUM, Oct. 2—The Montgomery Blair Blazers (3-2) lost a low-scoring defensive game 7-12 to the Paint Branch Panthers (5-0). Despite the outcome, the Blazers held their own against undefeated Paint Branch on a cold, rainy night.

Blair opened the game with an onside kick recovered by Paint Branch at the 50yard line. The first drive of the game was marred by multiple defensive penalties, bringing the Panthers to within the Blair 15yard line. The Blazers’ defense held tough, forcing three straight incompletions, but Paint Branch scored on a fourth-down pass to the corner of the end zone. The Panthers failed on a two-point conversion attempt following the score, putting them up 6-0 early in the first quarter.

Paint Branch followed with their own onside kick, which was recovered by Blair.

After a quick three and out, Blair was forced to punt, giving Paint Branch the ball at the 20. The Blazers’ defense managed to push the Panthers back 13 yards on the next four plays, getting the ball back after the turnover on downs. According to junior wide receiver Clifford Carter, tough fourth-down stands like this one were what kept Blair in the game. “I think we did really well on defense. We got a couple of really key stops early on,” explained Carter.

The game continued with little offensive activity and stout defense on both sides.

Early in the second quarter, Blair’s defense made their best stop of the half, keeping Paint Branch out of the end zone after they got inside Blair’s five-yard line. A sack by senior lineman David Holloway and a tackle for a loss by junior linebacker Ponce DeLeon kept the Panthers out of the end zone

on Blair’s impressive defensive stand.

For the remainder of the half, the ball stayed on Blair’s end of the field, but the team did not surrender any more points thanks to another sack by sophomore linebacker Rudy Ngougni. The Blazers failed to muster any offense, though; junior quarterback Desmond Colby was sacked twice and threw one interception before the half was over. Junior running back Eric Zokouri attributed the team’s offensive struggles to a lack of communication. “We need to improve on communicating more and coming together as a team, playing as a unit, and playing sound football,” said Zokouri.

The third quarter opened much like

the first two, with neither team able to overcome each other’s defense. Four minutes into the half, Paint Branch was again at Blair’s five-yard line, but was stopped thanks to a second sack by Holloway and an interception by Zokouri. The Blazers once again went four and out, but after an interception by senior defensive back Lytton Xu on the Panthers’ next drive, Blair again went on the offensive.

Two quick passes to Carter and DeLeon for 12 and 15 yards finally got Blair onto their opponent’s half of the field. A nine-yard run by Zokouri and a quarterback sneak by Colby brought the Blazers to within the Paint Branch 25. Due to the

GRIFFIN REILLY

HAIL MARY Starting quarterback Desmond Colby attempts a long pass in the pouring rain. Colby threw for 75 yards and 1 interception and did not record a touchdown pass.

heavy rain, Blair leaned on its ground attack throughout the game, and Zokouri capitalized with a 25-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes to go in the third quarter.

After converting the extra point, Blair took the lead 7-6.

Paint Branch got the ball back for the fourth quarter, and slowly made their way to the Blair 22-yard line. A long completion brought them to the goal line, and a two yard run gave them the lead, but another failed two-point conversion held the Panthers to just a 12-7 lead.

The offensive struggles returned for the Blazers, and they were forced to punt with two and a half minutes remaining. With the opportunity to put the game away, Paint Branch ran the ball on a fourth and six, but Holloway came through once again with a clutch stop. According to DeLeon, Blair just couldn’t take advantage of their defensive success. “I know for a fact that we played good defense, we stopped them a lot, but we should’ve capitalized on offense more,” explained DeLeon.

Blair got the ball back on their own 17yard line, and made an eight-yard pickup on a pass to Carter, but their offensive effort was too little, too late. Three incomplete passes led to a turnover on downs, allowing Paint Branch to run out the clock, and come away with a 12-7 victory.

Holloway, who had a big defensive game with two sacks and five tackles, said that the Blazers just couldn’t make it happen in the late minutes. “We need to work on finishing games. When the fourth quarter comes, one minute left, we have to score,” said Holloway.

Next, the Blazers hope to bounce back in the homecoming game against the Springbrook Blue Devils (4-1).

The Redskins end their first four games with a fair 2-2 record Washington shows sparks of toughness and tenacity alongside the usual frustrations

By Julian Brown The first affliction of the Redskins’ 201516 season occurred before the season even began, when starting quarterback Robert Griffin III got a season-ending concussion in Washington’s preseason game on Aug. 20 against the Detroit Lions.

The Redskins were forced to follow the NFL’s mantra of “Next Man Up” and promote backup quarterback Kirk Cousins to the starting position. “We have announced that Kirk Cousins will be the starter for 2015 moving forward,” said Head Coach Jay Gruden at a press conference on Aug. 31.

“We feel like, at this time, Kirk Cousins gives us the best chance to win.”

Cousins’ first week 1 start of his career ended in a 17-10 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

The Redskins started strong, scoring the first ten points of the game, but finally ceded a touchdown with 32 seconds left in the first half. Once again, however, the Redskins

were quick off the mark, forcing a fumble on Miami’s first drive. But after a series of uneventful drives, the Dolphins’ Jarvis Landry capitalized on poor coverage and returned a Tress Way punt 69 yards for a touchdown.

The Redskins all but gave up after this play and were unable to muster up any offense for the rest of the game.

The second game of the season was the Redskins’ first bright spot as they thumped the St. Louis Rams 24-10. The Redskins again enjoyed a strong start with rookie halfback Matt Jones running for a 39-yard touchdown just eight minutes into the first quarter.

Cousins then followed up with a four-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garçon just before halftime. After the break, however, the Rams appeared to regain some momentum following a fumble by Jones and Nick Foles’ subsequent 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Kenny Britt. The Redskins did manage to hold on to their lead and, after another Jones touchdown, the game ended

soapbox What is your prediction for the Redskins’ season?

“I don’t think Washington football will do well due to their inconsistent quarterback and explosive but unreliable running game.”

- Alice Turnham, freshman “The good news is the Redskins are watchable. The bad news is that Chip Kelly is starting to win games, the Giants have Odell Beckham, and the Cowboys’ defense will get better.”

- Luke Lu, freshman “Hopefully DeSean Jackson, DeAngelo Hall, and Bashaud Breeland return from injury without any problems. But even if that happens, the Redskins have poor coaching along with a mediocre quarterback, and because of that they will not be better than mediocre.”

- Jesse Kenworthy, senior

in a home victory.

The Redskins’ week 3 matchup against the New York Giants ended in a 3221 loss that brought back bad memories of the Giants’ 45-14 demolition of the Redskins in week 4 of last season. For the first time this season the Redskins failed to start strong, going threeout and then getting their punt blocked out of the end zone on their first drive. The Giants went on to score 15 points in the first half, while the Redskins were only able to muster up two field goals.

The third quarter passed by quickly as the two NFC east rivals traded field goals, but the fourth quarter brought about a resurgence in both teams’ offenses. The Giants struck first with a 30-yard touchdown pass to star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. The Redskins countered with a long drive that ended in a short slant pass to running back Chris Thompson.

Both teams then traded another set of touchdowns: The Giants scoring off a 40-yard touchdown pass to Reuben Randle and the Redskins scoring on a 101-yard kick return touchdown by Rashad Ross. The Redskins could not claw their way back from their early deficit and the game ended in defeat.

Washington’s gritty, dirty, and rainsoaked fourth game proved to be just the turn around the Redskins needed as a fourth-quarter comeback led the team to a 23-20 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Washington once again started strong, scoring 13 points in the first half, but waned in the second, allowing Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford to throw a 61-yard touchdown to wide receiver Riley Cooper on the Eagles’ first drive of the quarter. Bradford then followed up with two consecutive

ALEXANDRA MENDIVIL

touchdown drives that brought the score to 20-16, Eagles. Then, getting the ball with 6:05 left on the game clock, the Redskins, led by Cousins, marched down the field in a drive that included a 3-yard run by halfback Alfred Morris and three completions, including the culminating 4-yard touchdown to veteran wide receiver Garçon. The Redskins went on to win the game and show the NFL their strength.

Though the Washington Redskins still have their telltale slip-ups and frustrating blunders, they have shown a certain tenacity and strength that they have not had for a while now. Because of this and the relative weakness of the rest of the NFC East, I predict the Redskins will finish with a decent record of 8-8 this season, but fail to make the playoffs.

F3 Sports

silverchips

October 7, 2015

Falling into fall sports: Playing for their greatest seasons yet Chips takes a close look at six varsity teams and their goals for the year Varsity girls’ soccer

By Christian Mussenden and Alexandra Marquez Varsity co-ed handball Varsity co-ed handball is coming off of a county championship win last year and they hope season will be just as great. Coach Louis Hoelman III is looking forward to a good season because the team only lost a few players to graduation and most players have come back this season. “We have a lot of returning players. [Last year’s] team only had three seniors,” Hoelman says, “so I’m anticipating having another really good season and the kids are working hard.”

Hoelman admits that it will be hard to improve from a county championship win last year, but he believes the team still has a great chance of success. “Well it would be hard to be better than last year since we won the county championship,” Hoelman says, “But I do feel that we’re more experienced and with so many returning players, I think we will be playing better this year than we did last year.”

Record: 2-0 Key Players: Naveh Berner-Kadish, Jonathon Esubalew, Gabe Field, Calvin Godfrey Remaining Games: 10/15 vs. Walter Johnson, 10/20 vs. B-CC, 10/27 at Winston Churchill

GRIFFIN REILLY

MOVING THE BALL Senior Diego Guarniz Layza dribbles the ball down the field to help his team defeat Einstein.

Varsity boys’ soccer The Blair boys’ soccer program has performed consistently over the years. Continuously they have posted winning records and found success in the playoffs. So far, this year has been no different. Last year’s team was relatively young with a number of juniors and a couple of sophomores serving key roles throughout the season. But with a year of experience under their belts, the Blazers should be able to repeat and exceed last year’s success.

This year’s roster is led by a core group of seniors including Miguel Lopez, Jimmy McMillan, and Sean Munroe.

These three athletes “share a chemistry” that is unmatched by any other team, says Lopez. The Blazers’ main concern entering the season was the strength of the defensive line, which lost some key defensive players to graduation. However, the defensive line has proven they are not a weakness.

“Due to the hard work [the defensive line] has put in, it is no longer an issue and they have proven how strong and complete this team is,” says Lopez. If the Blazers’ defensive line can continue to shatter expectations and the team, spearheaded by its key senior captains, can continue to perform well, then the Blazers will again be poised for success on the pitch.

Record: 9-1-0 Key Players: Jimmy McMillan, Miguel Lopez, Sean Munroe, Ronaldo Sotelo, Jordi Long Remaining Games: 10/13 at Richard Montgomery, 10/20 vs.

Sherwood, 10/26 at Clarksburg

COURTESY OF MORGAN KASEY

RACING AGAINST DEFEAT Senior Audrey Krimm runs to the finish line at Bull Run Invitational earlier this season.

Varsity girls’ field hockey

The varsity field hockey team is made up of 11 seniors this year, enough to field a whole game. Goalie senior Susana Perez is confident this season is going to be better than the last. She and her teammates have developed an understanding of each other’s strengths and weaknesses on the field through each year of high school. “We’ve been playing together for four years so most of us really know how each other play; we have a good dynamic,” Perez says. Perez admits that their offense can be a little shaky sometimes, and they have trouble getting the ball in the goal. “We just never finish,” she explains, “We never actually get the goal.”

Coach Candace Thurman is proud of the progress the team has made since last season. Like Perez, she believes the team’s defense is strong and all of the players are working well together. “I think they’re passing more as a team and moving and cutting,” Thurman says, “They look better than they did last year so I’m very pleased.”

Record: 2-3-1 Key Players: Susana Perez, Leah Messina, Anna Hukill, Madeleine Boyer Remaining Games: 10/8 vs. Thomas S. Wootton, 10/15 vs. Northwest, 10/19 at Paint Branch, 10/21 vs. Magruder

Varsity co-ed cross country

Varsity girls’ volleyball Varsity girls’ volleyball is looking to play a great season this year, but they’re going to have to work for it. According to Coach Christopher Klein, height is the team’s biggest challenge; girls’ varsity volleyball has one of the shortest average heights in the county. “In terms of weaknesses, it’s not something we can do much about,” says Klein. To combat this disadvantage, Klein teaches his players to practice strategies like hitting hard serves and attacking relentlessly from the back row so that opposing teams have a hard time fighting back. “When we serve really tough, the team can’t attack really hard at us,” he explains. “We’re basically able to attack every ball, whether it’s off of a serve or a free ball and make it really tough on the other team.” The fierce offense should compensate for their lack of defense at the net.

“Other teams aren’t going to be able to get it to their strongest hitters and blow us off the court,” says Klein.

Klein also relies on the team’s experience to push them to success. “A lot of these girls have been playing for a really long time,” he says. “So we’re a really strong defensive team, we serve really tough.” These strategies helped the team fight hard in a loss against Damascus early in the season and pull off wins over Kennedy, Blake, Northwood, and B-CC, and Richard Montgomery.

Record: 4-1 Key Players: Margaret Wang, Tiffany Mao, Ariel Zhang, Catherine Rodriguez, Aditi Shetty Remaining Games: 10/8 at Winston Churchill, 10/15 vs. Wheaton, 10/20 at Paint Branch, 10/22 at Springbrook, 10/27 vs. Walter Johnson, 10/30 at Thomas S. Wootton

After a year of losing more than half of their starting lineup to graduation, it would be easy to assume that this year will be a rebuilding year for the program. Yet junior Lucy Kelliher says that this team is a lot better than last year’s because of increased team oriented play. “Unfortunately last year we played more individually,” Kelliher says. “We were good individually but didn’t play well together.” The results seem to back up Kelliher’s claim, as the team is now 6-4-0 so far, despite a couple injuries to key players early in the season. This year the team has a roster of 26, much larger than it usually is. But Junior Katie Ozeroff says this could work to their advantage. “I think our big roster helps us stay well rounded because we now have a deep bench that can help perform a bunch of key roles for us.” The team hopes these new changes can help them meet some success in the playoffs.

Record: 6-4-0 Key Players: Kelly Mayo, Camille Franks, Cady Pearson, Joelle Nwulu Remaining Games: 10/13 vs. Richard Montgomery, 10/20 vs.

Sherwood, 10/26 at Clarksburg

GRIFFIN REILLY

GOING IN FOR A STEAL Junior Nika Seider looks for a way to grab the ball away from Churchill’s strong offense.

GRIFFIN REILLY

SERVING FOR THE WIN Junior Rebecca Jenkins practices serving tough and attacking the ball, a strategy Coach Christopher Klein emphasizes to ensure a strong offense.

The varsity co-ed cross country team is undefeated so far this year. Junior captain Dominic Massimino attributes their success to the older runners who are leading and teaching the newer, less experienced team members. “We have lots of upperclassmen who are really stepping up this year on our varsity team,” he says. Massimino is excited to see the new runners building a speedy foundation for the rest of the season and next year, “We have a really good base of underclassmen who are getting fast now and are going to be really fast next year,” he said.

Coach Michael Zick agrees that upperclassmen have realized their new job on the team, encouraging younger runners to practice hard. “I’ve really been impressed with our upperclassmen,” he said. “They’ve realized the changes that they’ve needed to make and that’s really pushed a lot of our younger runners to step up.” Zick is also proud that most of the new runners have realized their importance to the team. He claims that it’s not just the fastest runners who contribute the most to the team; the mid-speed runners are just as important. “People that might’ve just thought of themselves as just middle of the pack runners are really understanding now, because they can see the importance of everyone beating out the person next to them,” Zick says, “Their effort definitely matters, both this season and in the future.” This strong work ethic and team unity has pushed the cross country team to go undefeated so far this season, and they’ve already beat James Hubert Blake, their biggest competition for the division title.

Record: 2-0 Key Players: Dominic Massimino, Ben Geertsema, Alexander Mangiafico, Isabel Present, Lara Shonkwiler Remaining Games: 10/6 at Clarksburg

insideSPORTS Sporty siblings

Blair football

The inside scoop on playing a varsity sport with your sibling.

Catch up on last week’s football game vs. Paint Branch.

VICTORIA TSAI

This story is accompanied by a video by Will Cook. To see the video, scan the code to the left with a QR reader app.